Miryu stirred from what little sleep she had and shot her body from her futon, covered in silks and the finest of linens. Nine years… It had been nine years since the Bakamatsu had ended, and peace reigned supreme in Japan, and yes, there were several hiccoughs, but still, there was peace. She had come a long way from being a hired hitokiri to the Emperor's bodyguard, but every single effort was worthwhile. Of course, being a woman close to the Emperor's proximity meant that no other man was to touch her; it also meant that she had a chance to be his own eyes and ears regarding the outside world, where even the Emperor was forbidden to tread, and be removed from the harem as much as possible. She had riches, she had power (although she did not covet that), and more importantly, she had someone to talk to, and did not care of any implications that followed.
But why was she still reassigned, to an American no less? Had she not served the Emperor well enough, or had she not performed to his exalted expectations? She knew that he wanted to westernize and modernize the Imperial Army, but why send her to protect the man responsible to train the peasant-boys? After getting dressed, she walked to the port of Yokohama to await the American ship to dock. The place was very, very busy, bustling with life, trade and business, and she swore that it was getting more and more busy each time she got there. In her heart, this single reality made all that the Ishin-Ishishi fought for able to be proclaimed to be "achieved". It was no lie, nor was it any fantasy at any rate. It was simply too real to be ignored.
"Ah, Miss Miryu," a calm voice called to her in the purest form of native English she had ever known. It was Simon Graham, a friend of hers, who came with some British mission not long after the Bakamatsu had ended. He was intrigued by her position in the court despite being a woman, and hence, befriended her, even becoming her teacher in English. He too, was commissioned by the government to aid the American, as a translator and a mediator between the American and the Japanese Imperial Army. She smiled graciously to the jolly, stout man and exchanged both English and Japanese greetings, befitting for a woman of the court, and a noblewoman of a past that ended in smoke not long ago. "Your impeccable manners shall put all the charming geiko and maiko of the hanamachi to shame, my dear," he teased, glancing at her snakeskin-sheathed katana. "Yet, none of them can even imagine what power you hold."
Miryu chuckled. "I am flattered, Mr. Graham, I truly am," she replied, somewhat keeping her katana away from view. There was no need for her to reveal it, nor was there any use of it in a peaceful port like Yokohama. She looked towards the ship, and waited to see what the American would look like? Was he tall, like all the Caucasians, or was he short and rotund like Graham? Had he the eyes that glimmered like translucent lights, or had he hair that channeled the golden rays of the sun? She had not seen any image of this American, nor did she know his name, unlike Graham, who had gathered all the information one way or another. "So, what do you know of our American friend?" she asked with a nudge of her elbow, however, it was not Graham that answered. It was a deep voice, the baritone voice of a lone wolf.
"He was a captain in the American army, and had many brushes with the natives there," the man said, his voice distorted as he took another puff of his cigarette. It did not take Miryu more than seconds to find that her "uncle" of sorts had been with them all along. "His name is so hard to pronounce that I shall refrain from doing so."
Graham was so shocked to even look at the tall, police-uniform clad man that he could not even speak. Those amber-hued eyes, the menacing light that they carried, and that nihontou… This was no ordinary man, he was for sure, and he emitted an aura that none could ever hope to have had. This man was a Wolf, not figuratively, but a Wolf of Mibu, one of the Shinsen-Gumi. Graham had seen his photographs before. This man once went by the name of Saito Hajime; the Leader of the Shinsen-Gumi's esteemed Third Division. "I am honored to be in your presence, Fujita-dono," he said quietly, knowing full well that this man had acquired an alias to hide himself from the past, and any enemies in the current government he would have encountered. Fujita Goro was his supposed identity now, and Graham knew that clearly.
"Saito, this is Simon Graham, my colleague and my friend," Miryu said, introducing Saito to the Englishman. "And, with your intelligence network, I am sure that you would have found out his uses," Oh yes, the Wolf of Mibu would not have joined the government created by his own enemies without some underlying benefit of his own. In this context, it was an intelligence network that even the Oniwabanshuu would weep for; something that was the pride and joy of the Saito Hajime of the new age. Snorting somewhat dismissively, Saito gave the man a quick nod and warned her about the American's superior.
"He is a very… flighty man, Miryu. I would watch my back around him if I were you," he said before turning to leave. There would be a lot to tell her grandfather, Reiji, the financier of the Shinsen-Gumi, whom remained in contact with him long after the Bakamatsu, about his beloved granddaughter. "Your grandfather would not be pleased if you were victimized by some upstart Westerner."
Graham tried to hide a chuckle at Saito's words, but Miryu did not offer any response. As her sapphire eyes scanned for the passengers of the American ship who were already descending from the vessel, she merely said, "Then tell him that I would not rape some upstart American out of any whim," Her sharp tongue had been a trait that she had gotten from her Shishou, Hiko Seijurou XIII of the Hiten-Mitsurugi Ryuu, there was no doubt about it. It was not long after the curt exchange of coice words before Graham started calling out to a medium-sized man with hair the color of mahogany and eyes like the tumultuous seas. His name, was Algren. A strange name, but what was stranger still was his gaze. As he went down the stairs from the ship, this Captain Algren's eyes found hers immediately, and held her sapphire eyes longer than she was willing to admit.
"Captain Algren," Graham greeted, shaking the Captain's hand briefly. "Simon Graham here, and this is Miss Tsubasa Miryu. She is to be your bodyguard, one of the Emperor's finest." For the slightest moment, Miryu could see that Algren about to raise an eyebrow. Do women not have equal opportunities in the West? This was a question that she wanted to ask him, and by the way he looked at her, she could guess his answer.
He took her hand and kissed it for the quickest moment, just at the ridge of her knuckles. Graham had told her that it was custom for men in the West to greet women thus, and so, she did not act surprised or any way slighted by his sudden move. "Thank you, Miss Tsubasa, but I don't think that your aid is necessary."
"It is, Captain Algren," she replied in perfect English, which in turn, surprised him instead. "The Emperor has commanded it, and neither you nor I can default his orders."
The Irishman with Algren could not help but smirk at her words. "This lass is a spunky one, Cap'n, ya better be careful where ya goin' with 'er,"
Once again, Algren gave a polite nod, and they all boarded the rickshaw that had been waiting for them. It would be a long ride to Tokyo, where the Emperor would be waiting for them, she knew it. But at least, it would be worth the trip. Japan would have the greatest army after this man had educated the peasant-boys everyone thought to be soldiers, and she would become a forerunner of the world as she was always destined to be…
Or at least, this was what Miryu had hoped, what a young patriot had hoped for…