Assassin's Creed: The Rising Sun - Part 1: First Light

by Evilgoodguy

"Once the will is resolved, one's spirit is strengthened. Even a peasant's will is hard to deny, but a samurai of resolute will can sway ten thousand men." -Yoshida Shōin

4. Ignorance Is Not Bliss

Memory 4: "Ignorance is Not Bliss"

September 21, 2012 in Italy

Beepeep beepeep beepeep beepeep

I hammered the alarm with my fist to make it snooze. I was reluctant to sit in on another Animus session. My ancestor's memories had already become a chore, but I didn't want to give up just yet. The Templar Order was counting on me, or at least Vidic was.

Then I noticed something unusual: the lights were still off in my room. Usually, they would automatically come on at the beginning of the shift. However, these shifts never began at 2am. I also couldn't help but to notice that the usually red numbers were whitish-blue, which always meant that it was time for an Animus session.

It was probably just a glitch. I would have tried to reset my alarm like I usually did back home, but this damn thing was set by Abstergo to go off whenever they needed me up. I would need some kind of Internet access to fix it, but that was pretty thoroughly banned from me here. Instead, I rolled over and tried to sleep, ready to hate fighting my alarm for the next four hours.

As expected, it went off nine minutes later. Punch button and back to sleep. Then the light flashed on. The speaker buzzed, "Please report to your Animus chambers."

That was the usual message alright, but it normally told us to get showered and ready before doing anything else. I sat up and brushed the bedhead out of my face.

"Please report to your Animus chambers."

I sort-of ignored that and walked to my bathroom, but the door wouldn't open. It was an electronic sliding door, like the door to a grocery store, so if anything were to go wrong with the thing, it would be stuck. Still, I wasn't going to let some punk of a door stop me from getting a shower. I tried sliding it open with my hand, hoping that the friction from my palm would have some effect, but nothing.

"Gabriel, I'm talking to you."

I snapped around. No one was behind me. I hadn't been worrying too much before, but now I was starting to get a bit creeped out. I began to approach the door to the hallway, hoping to see someone outside. Before I had taken two steps, the door slid open on its own and froze me where I stood.

"Please report to your Animus chambers."

I decided to check it out anyway. Not a soul was outside. This was a dream. It had to be. I was still asleep in my bed. So, the only way to wake up was to go back to bed.

The moment I sat down, my clock went off. I pounded it, but it didn't stop. I hit it again. Still nothing. Fed up, I laid down and rolled over with my pillow jammed around both ears.

The lights switched on.

I jerked up, "Goddammit, cut that shit out!"

The alarm stopped the moment the intercom started again, "Please report to your Animus chambers."

"No! It's not time for that! Leave me alone!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that."

"Who is this? Is it Steve from Accounting? It's Steve, isn't it? Cut it out Steve, I need to sleep," Steve probably wasn't even a real person.

"Would you kindly step outside?"

"NO!"

My wall banged, "Hey, shut the fuck up! I'm trying to sleep!"

"Me too! Goddammit!" I yelled at the other Abstergo agent I had just woken.

"Gabriel, it's for the Templars. I have something special for you. No one must know."

"If I do it, will you go away?"

Silence.

I crossed my arms, "Alright. Guess I'm not going anywhere."

Beepeep. Beepeep. Beepeep.

"Fine, I'll do it!" I jumped out of bed and left my room, still in my underwear, "Jeez o fuck," the hallway was drafty.

As I walked the path to my Animus chamber, I whispered to Steve, "So, is security in on this?"

"No one must know."

"Of course." Yeah, definitely a dream. I knew I wouldn't be doing this if I were awake.

"Turn left," Steve whispered, "Don't let them see you."

Normally I would turn right, but I could tell a security guard was on patrol down that hallway. Against my best instincts, I just did what the crazy voice told me to do. At the end of the hallway, I came upon the glass elevator door equipped with a card lock. I would have checked my pockets in case I had brought my card key, but I wasn't even wearing pants. When the door opened on its own, I could swear I felt my stomach try to hug my sphincter. From there, Animus room was visible with all of the idividual chambers arranged like cubicles. I was petrified.

"This isn't funny anymore, Steve. Can I please just go back to bed?" I whispered.

"No," Steve told me.

As I stepped into the elevator, my heart began pounding. This dream didn't feel weird enough to be a dream, but it was too weird to be real. My mind began racing with images of cartoon characters from my childhood. It had been years since I found myself hoping to see one, but right now, I was not in a position to be picky about my savior.

"Am I going crazy? I'm going crazy. This isn't happening. I'm dreaming. I'm asleep."

"Don't worry, Gabriel," Steve failed to reassure me, "You need to see this."

"Oh God."

As the elevator moved downward, I saw the blue light of the Animus machine snap on in my chamber. I gulped. This was too much, but I couldn't forget my Templar brethren. If doing this could benefit them in any way, then I would try not to complain.

The door opened the moment the elevator landed. I was hoping to see the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or Goku or even Bugs Bunny, just to affirm my hopes that I really was dreaming. Instead, I was greeted with a breeze that made my nuts retract into my pelvis. Why they made this place colder than the damned arctic was anyone's guess. I had started wishing that I would have at least put on some socks, because this floor was absolutely not helping.

As I made my path to my Animus chamber, I couldn't resist the impending sense of dread building around the situation. I had no idea who this voice was or what they wanted. I wasn't sure of exactly why I was even doing this and I sure as fuck didn't want to see what Steve planned on showing me. Before I knew it, I was staring down my Animus with its lights already on.

"Would you kindly lie down?" Steve requested in his peacefully apathetic tone which only tensed me up even more.

I swallowed, knowing this was a bad idea. Half of my head was still struggling to convince me that this was a dream. The other half was calculating just how much of a douchebag Steve was being.

"You will wake from this in the real world," Steve heartened, "Vidic doesn't trust you with some of these memories, but you still need to see them."

So, I laid on the Animus and began my midnight session.

June 21, 1852 in Nagasaki, Japan

The captain had warned Tsume and Joseph that Nagasaki was not Edo. Tsume had no idea of just what he meant until the morning mist which enveloped both the ship and city had begun to dispel. He could barely discern the silhouettes of the buildings in the distance, but already he could see that the spaces between them were much less tight than the streets of Edo.

Then, a smell struck his nose. It was unfamiliar, but still somewhat familiar. Whatever it was, Tsume found himself hungering for it, but was unsure of exactly what it was or where it came from. From on-board, he could see a wall of townspeople moving to and from places Tsume hoped to soon know. He hoped that one of those places would be the source of this wonderful smell.

"Nice city," Joseph stretched with his hands behind his head, "Hey Tsumi, want to check out the market before we deliver the letters?"

"Hai {Yeah}," Tsume was looking forward to discovering this smell.

"Hello to you too."

Tsume's scowl lit Joseph's smile. "I'm joking!" he ruffled Tsume's hair, "Lighten up, kid."

The crowd was tight. The people of Nagasaki were not like the people he had seen in Edo or in Nagoya. They only carried a few features of normal Japanese people, but they did not carry any features of foreigners like Joseph, Garen, or Sensei. Tsume tried to keep to himself and not lose Joseph among these strangers in this new city.

Tsume was not so successful in either endeavor. He had bumped into a stranger carrying a pot, which had now shattered onto the street, spilling some kind of oil or grease all over everything. The stranger began yelling at Tsume in some kind of language he could not understand. "Sumimasen {Excuse Me}!" Tsume apologized as he scanned the area for Joseph, who was nowhere to be seen.

Soon after dashing into the crowd, Tsume spotted Joseph, who had gravitated toward a blacksmith shop. Tsume approached him, trying to look nonchalant as he observed the weapons. He couldn't help but to notice that the weapons here were decidedly different from anything he had seen before. At the base of the blade, they were narrow, but they expanded toward the tip. Others were thick at the base and tapered to a point.

Tsume pointed to the latter blade, and the shopkeeper handed it to him. Tsume had never held a sword before, but he was no stranger to seeing them in use. He felt the silk around the hilt and the weight of the sword. It was lighter than he had expected. He raised it over his head. He touched the tip to the ground. He held it before his face, gazing into his eyes reflected from the blade. He tried to adjust them to something more valiant or aggressive. He was unsure of just which one. He just wanted to be a warrior.

"Dokokarakitano {Where are you from}?" Joseph asked the shopkeep with surprisingly good Japanese.

The shopkeeper wiggled in place a bit. "Chuugoku {China}," he said without even twitching his emotionless scowl.

Joseph nudged Tsume. "What does that mean?" he asked in English.

Tsume dropped his focus from the sword, "He said that he is from Chuugoku," Tsume answered in English, hoping that the translation would carry over well.

"Where is Chugoku?"

"How should I know?"

The shopkeeper pointed to the counter at a map of a few islands and somewhere else that was much bigger than the islands. Tsume assumed that the islands must be Japan since that would only make sense. The shopkeep's finger circled around the larger landmass as he slowly said, "Chuugoku."

Tsume felt a tug on the handle of the Chuugoku sword. "Why the cost of how much this sword?" Joseph asked the shopkeeper in Japanese.

Shopkeeper turned his whole body to face Joseph, then turned to face Tsume, "What did he say?"

It was now that Tsume could determine the man's accent wasn't Japanese. It was probably from Chuugoku like he and his swords. Tsume cleared his throat, "I think he wants to know how much this sword would cost."

The shopkeeper pointed to the rack that held the sword before he had handed it over. There was some number there and it looked big, but Tsume couldn't read it. He hoped that Joseph could tell, but his puzzled face indicated otherwise. Tsume noticed that the shopkeeper now wore an unsettling yellow-toothed grin.

"Eighteen Ryo." (72000 mon)

The duo exchanged glances of confusion. "Would you mind repeating that?" Tsume asked the sword merchant.

The merchant's grin grew even bigger, "A hundred thousand mon."

Tsume didn't bother making sure that this was true. He returned the sword without a word. The shopkeep leered but turned about to place the sword back into its place on the wall. While his back was turned, Joseph pulled Tsume away.

"Good choice," Joseph confided, "I don't think he could be trusted. What the Hell happened to you? We haven't even been off of the ship for more than a few minutes and you're already covered in. . . whatever that is."

Tsume hadn't noticed, but he had grease all over his hands and hakama, "Yeah, would you mind if we just get some breakfast?"

"When did that even happen?" Joseph obviously wasn't paying attention to Tsume's question.

Tsume would have responded, but was interrupted by a roar from his gut.

"Oh, you're hungry too," Joseph shifted topic, "Let's go get some food."

Tsume was happy to hear that suggestion. He found it funny that he was already hungry even though he hadn't eaten since before they had boarded the ferry yesterday evening. Just a few months ago, waiting days between meals was normal. Now, he had adjusted to eating three meals to a day instead of three days to a meal.

Despite his best efforts to keep from bumping into any strangers again, he collided with someone else. He glanced up to see who it was, afraid that he may have busted another pot. More grease was very low on the list of things that Tsume would like to have right now.

"Watch out there, Tsumi," it was Joseph that Tsume had walked into, "Do you smell that?"

Tsume could smell so many things that his head hurt. Few of them were any good. It was a stark contrast to earlier, when the smell was delicious. Still, Joseph had to lead him to the only food booth that could have passed for a stable by scent alone.

Joseph looked at Tsume, who was trying to express his disdain for this new food he had no intention to discover. Joseph placed a hand on Tsume's shoulder, "Tell you what, lead us to the Dejima Trading Post, and Daniel or Virginia will make us some food. Hopefully Virginia, but probably Daniel."

"Go yo! {Official business!}"

No sooner than Tsume recognized that sound had his heart tangled with his gut. His experiences on the streets of Edo had taught him that samurai intervention was never good news. Surely enough, the crowd parted like a curtain, revealing a single samurai. He had his left hand on the hilt of his sword and his right hand pointing in Tsume's general direction.

"What are you doing here?" the samurai screamed a throaty growl, "Gaikoku hito {Barbarians} are not allowed outside of Dejima!"

Tsume's first instinct was to make a mad dash back into the crowd. There, the samurai would have to stay his blade, lest he harm innocent civilians. However, Tsume's instincts quickly faded with the realization that he had not committed any crimes other than breaking that pot. The samurai must have been talking about Joseph, because Joseph held his palms exposed above his shoulders, "I do not have teacher, sorry. I did not mean harm."

It wasn't apparent at first, but puzzlement was becoming tangible in the air. "You! Boy!" he pointed in Tsume's direction, making the boy's legs move into a running stance, "What is he saying? How does he know our language?"

The world around Tsume separated from time. He tried to muster the kind of courage needed to speak, but his fear withheld his words. He looked to Joseph, who was looking back to Tsume. "Well?" Joseph said in English, "Translate for me."

Tsume's hands moved side to side in rejection of Joseph's request. His mind was telling him to run away, but he was unfamiliar with the layout of Nagasaki and could not guarantee a safe escape, "We are sorry. We came here from Edo to-"

"WHAT?"

Tsume could have sworn that he felt flecks of spit saturate his face, even though the samurai stood across the square. Unfortunately for him, he wouldn't have to speculate much longer as the samurai rapidly approached with his sword now drawn. Joseph's hand pushed Tsume back to clear the way as he stepped toward the samurai, who was now shifting into a combat stance.

"We just need to find the Dejima," Joseph told the samurai in Japanese, "We do not want the trouble,"

Tsume could not help but to notice that Joseph was showing the samurai the back of his hand with the ring finger retracted. The samurai did not seem to notice. Regardless, the point of his sword switched from Joseph and Tsume to an unusually tiny island just off of Nagasaki harbor. It must have been Dejima, because the samurai gave the universal sign for 'come with me' as he began walking toward it.

Once again, the crowd opened up, not to spit out another samurai, rather to make way for the three as they walked to Dejima. Behind the wall of onlookers was the usual genuine apathy of the city folk mixed with the swirling feigned interest of the merchants. Once again, Tsume attempted to retreat into his kimono to shield himself from the kind of desperate criminal he had once be-

"Now go there and don't come back."

Tsume just realized that they now stood before the bridge to Dejima. Across, he could see that it was a different kind of island than what he was accustomed to seeing. Instead of a beach of sand or rocks, he saw the island was propped atop a wall. He could see several beautiful buildings painted blue and white on the island itself, but something about that wall seemed curious.

"You heard the man, Tsumi. Let's go."

Once across the bridge, Tsume couldn't help but to notice that the island had more vegetation than any actual city he had seen. Small bits of farmland added some green between each building. A few sakura trees adorned the edges. Here, there were no shopkeepers begging for him to spend on their goods. Rather, everything was very calm. Tsume already felt it would be safe to claim Dejima as the most beautiful place he had ever seen.

"Hello teacher," Tsume cringed when he heard Joseph's voice using Japanese words again to ask another foreigner, "I am American. How can I find the other Americans here?"

Tsume un-cringed, "That wasn't so bad. You're getting better."

"But just better; not really great. Right?"

Tsume only nodded. He didn't want to hear Joseph's 'Hai=Hello' joke again. "So, where exactly are the Americans?"

"Well, that guy didn't seem to understand what I was saying, so I would assume it's the building with the American flag," he pointed to the red-striped flag with the blue corner.

"Wait, if it was that easy, why did you ask him?"

"Well. . . I felt like practicing my Japanese."

"You didn't think to look up, did you?"

"That's not how I choose to remember it."

"Joey, you've always had a faulty memory," a strange voice came from behind.

Joseph's smugness disappeared, but a smile radiated in its place, "DANIEL!" he embraced the stranger who was apparently not a stranger, but his brother, "Please don't ever call me Joey."

The man held Joseph at arm's length, "Then please learn to take directions like a normal person."

"Come on, Daniel, Joseph Kent is a lot of things, but normal isn't one of them."

"Yeah, you don't have to remind me," Daniel seemed to squeezed those words from a gritted grin.

"Hey, say hello to Tsumi."

Daniel faced Tsume. He apparently hadn't even noticed the boy standing awkwardly on the edge of the conversation. "Holy Hell! What did you do him?" Daniel inquired, drawing attention to the mess on Tsume's robes.

Joseph's shoulders dropped, "I have no idea. The kid gets into trouble on his own. It's like he's some kind of unlucky charm."

"Of all the skills you could have passed on to the kid, you had to choose that one," his attention moved to Tsume, "Hey there. I'm Joseph's big brother, Daniel Kent. How are you?"

Daniel's extended his hand for a reason Tsume couldn't grasp. In response, Tsume bowed from the hip, just like Asuka-gozen had instructed him, "Ohayou gozaimasu {Good morning}. Hajimemashite {Nice to meet you}."

Daniel froze except for his face, which became befuddled, "You should have told me that he doesn't know English."

Joseph laughed, "Tsumi, did you understand what Daniel just said?"

Tsume nodded with a chuckle of his own.

"And you never taught him about shaking hands?" Daniel asked his brother.

"Tsumi, just grab his hand."

Cautiously, Tsume's hand raised to meet Daniel's, unaware that Daniel intended to crush it and shake it up-and-down vigorously. Daniel smiled warmly, but Tsume was not so comfortable yet to make eye contact with him. He simply looked away. That eye contact was something that bothered Tsume about the Americans. They always spoke like they already knew him. That did not sit well in Japanese society; even a lowly once-beggar knew that.

"Hey Daniel," Joseph said, "Are you guys finished with breakfast yet?"

"Finished? I was actually on my way out to grab some food from the Dutch."

"Sounds like it could be fun. Count us in."

Daniel's arms crossed, "Don't you think you should introduce Sumi to Jack and Virginia first?"

"Yeah, I suppose," Joseph frustratedly sighed through his teeth, "Come on Tsumi. Let's go meet the others."

"Where do you think you're going?" Daniel interjected.

"We're going to the American building."

"No, we're not under that flag," Daniel pointed with his thumb to a two-story building across the street from the American building. It was unadorned save for a small emblem with some kind of bird above the dorway.

"Ah, we get our own place? Very nice."

Joseph led Tsume into the building, the inside of which was very familiar. Black pots aligned the walls. The tables were tall and surrounded by chairs. Really, the only Japanese part of this place was the kagizuru {fireplace}. It was still a pot hanging over a square sand pit. Aside from that, the whole place looked like Sensei's cabin. Tsume's shoulders ached from the memory of helping Joseph, Garen, and Sensei build that damned place.

"Tsumi, you can just sit down if you'd like," Joseph had already seated himself.

"As much as I appreciate the offer, do you even have the right to sit in someone else's house without permission?"

"See, I don't know if that's a Japanese thing or if it's just you, but in America, sitting down has never killed anyone and therefore doesn't require permission."

With that knowledge, Tsume seated himself. Shortly afterward, the sound of creaking boards came from the walls. It moved down from the ceiling and across the room until it finished at the foot of the staircase.

"Joseph? How do you do, boy?" That was when Tsume saw his first white woman. Just as Mitsuko had informed him, she did have red hair as well as the big nose and round eyes that Tsume had come to expect from Americans. She wore a plain and puffy dress which was probably normal for American women. Her hair was kept tied behind her head with stray curly locks hanging around her temples. Tsume wanted to get closer and study this woman who embodied so many things that did not exist in Japan, but that would have been rude.

"I'm doing great, actually," Joseph answered.

"Well that's excellent, and who is this strapping young lad. . . and what have you done to him?" she took a greasy part of Tsume's kimono into her hand.

"That's Tsumi. He's Arkwright's second Japanese student, and I didn't do anything. The kid just has a penchant for trouble."

"Picked up from you no doubt."

"Yeah, I've been getting that a lot lately."

"Oh, really?" Virginia faced Tsume, "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Sumi. My name is Happiness Virginia Stewart, but you can call me Virginia."

She released his kimono and bowed, but it was not a regular Japanese bow. Instead she lifted the sides of her dress and seemed to sink into the ground. Tsume couldn't see her feet, so he was unsure of exactly what her legs were doing to make her body move like that.

Tsume stood from the chair and gave her a deep Japanese-style bow in return, "Ohayou gozaimasu {Good morning}. Hajimemashite {Nice to meet you}."

It wasn't until he returned to his stance that her age became apparent to him. She wore her makeup was piled on heavy, probably to cover what must have been many stressful years. It could also have been the reason behind the stray curls. Whatever her age, she still didn't look as old as Sensei.

"So Joseph," she took a seat across the table, "Have you-"

The door burst open as quickly as it was shut and locked.

"Virginia," Joseph said, "If you were going to ask where Daniel went, I found him."

Surely enough, it was Daniel returning from the Dutch and hopefully with something to eat.

Joseph adjusted to drape his arm over the back of his chair, "Please tell me you paid for the food."

"Nope," Daniel's eyes seemed to roll the corner of his mouth into a half-grin, "You know I'm going to use my five finger discount if I have a choice."

"Yeah, I know that. I just wish you wouldn't take so many risks with it."

"Joseph is right," Virginia chimed in, "You could damage our operation if you keep robbing our neighbors."

"Okay, I'm sorry," Daniel responded, "but I did bring us breakfast."

Joseph's hand covered his eyes with dread, "At least tell me you waited until it was cooked before you stole it."

Daniel laughed, "Nope." As his jacket opened to reveal that he did in fact have food, it poured onto the table. Tsume wanted to dig through it, but just stared at it instead. These were all things with which he was tangentially familiar: fish, vegetables, and cherries. He couldn't help but to notice that they were all raw.

Tsume hungrily grasped a cherry which had rolled his way before he checked around the table. Joseph appeared to be trying to wipe the disappointment from his face until it had a firm grasp of his chin.

Virginia interrupted, "Joseph, if you really have a problem with Daniel making breakfast, I'll happily oblige."

"Would you, please? I know you're English and all, but that's still an improvement over Daniel's cooking."

Virginia didn't appear to take that well. Tsume wasn't sure why. All Americans spoke English and she was no exception. What really confused him was why her cooking would be any better or worse than Daniel's or even why Joseph was complaining so much about food in the first place. As far as Tsume cared, breakfast need only be edible to be a success. Yet here Virginia indignantly stood up and stormed back upstairs. Joseph didn't follow; he just looked confused. Daniel's shook his head as he gathered back the things on the table, "Well, I'm definitely making breakfast now."

Was Daniel a bad cook? All of the Americans present acted like that was some sort of a punishment. Joseph drew his hood back over his head as his face was swallowed by his palms. Tsume wasn't sure if it was because Daniel was getting started on breakfast or because Joseph had offended Virginia or perhaps some combination of the two. Tsume really just didn't want to get involved, so he held his silence.

Daniel had gotten the fire started and the food was already thrown into it whole. Tsume already could tell exactly what Joseph was complaining about.

"So Joseph, how long will you be staying in Nagasaki?"

"I doubt we'll be here long. We just need to deliver a few letters and a package."

"Package? Arkwright never said we'd be getting any packages."

"Yeah, I got it especially for you," Joseph stood and approached his brother. Daniel had barely finished turning from the kagizuru {fireplace} before he fell to his knees. It took Tsume a moment to realize that Joseph had punched his brother in the stomach.

"I believe you have something of mine," Joseph demanded with his left palm open and eager to be filled.

Daniel didn't seem mad. He didn't even appear to be hurt. Rather, he was smiling as widely as ever. He straightened his back and reached into his pocket. "I've been waiting for you to mention that," he told the younger brother.

Joseph received a long leather glove, which he fitted onto his right hand. It was long enough to run the length of his entire forearm an- snickt! Amazement widened Tsume's eyes. All Joseph did was flick his hand and a thin blade, just long enough to pass his fingers, jutted from under his wrist.

"You know," Daniel crossed his arms, "I still think it's weird to see that on the right hand."

"Yeah well, I'm left handed and these things never go on the dominant hand," Joseph began to swing his blade. Tsume marveled at how it seemed to peek from -and retract into- the glove with such grace. Joseph appeared to be enjoying it even more.

"I know that. Doesn't make it less weird," Daniel created some distance.

"Come on. You know it gives me an edge in com- Hey, Tsumi. You're still here."

"Where else would I be?" Tsume responded.

Both brothers stared at Tsume like an intruder who had broken in to offer services instead of rob them. Tsume already felt like a stranger enough, but this was a bit beyond that. Still, someone needed to break the awkward chains of the situation.

"Hey Joseph," Daniel was that someone, "You should go upstairs and apologize to Virginia."

Joseph silently nodded in agreement with his brother, but his eyes stayed fixed to Tsume. They showed the same kind of I-just-made-a-mistake fear that Tsume saw on the road from Nagoya when they spoke of assassins. Joseph didn't break eye contact until he began upstairs.

"And get Jack while you're up there," Daniel called to his brother. Joseph never responded. Daniel shifted his focus back to the 'food.' The horrific smell was further emphasizing what everyone had been saying about Daniel's cooking.

Still, the tension was palpable. Tsume sat at his seat as he had since before Virginia appeared. He tried to dig up something to say to break the silence as Daniel had done earlier, but was coming up empty.

"So Sumi," Daniel broke it again, "How long have you been working for Arkwright?"

"Two moons, I met Joseph in the first three moons before," Tsume answered in English.

"Um. Okay. I don't know what that means. Uhh, where are you from?"

"Edo. I am sorry. My English so is horrible."

"That's fine. You'll get better as you go on."

Tsume nodded, but his mind was drifting off into anxiety. How had Hitsu been this last week? Was Asuka-gozen taking good care of him?

"So, how much have they told you?" Daniel asked.

Tsume wasn't exactly sure of what Daniel meant. About America? About this weird-ass organization? About loving women and running rooftops? Tsume responded, "I do not know what you looking for."

"I'm not looking for anything."

That wasn't what Tsume meant, but whatever. He pondered for a moment. He had many questions to ask about these past two months, but Daniel was probably just as talkative as his brother or Sensei regarding the matter.

Tsume tried to think about ways he could get the man to talk. Joseph had already said that Daniel was part of this whole thing. Maybe if he acted as if he knew things, then Daniel would talk. What was the sign Joseph made when the samurai had confronted them earlier? Tsume couldn't quite remember. Still, he had to try something for answers.

"I recently joined the organization. We are what you are doing exactly to Nagasaki?"

"Nice try, kid," Daniel didn't even turn around, "I've been in your position before and you're lucky to know as much as you do."

"What?"

"Look, all I'm going to say is that if Arkwright doesn't think you need to know something, you won't know it. When he gives the word, they'll tell you everything you need to know."

"When?"

"He waited about six months to tell me and that's about the least he's ever done."

"Why so long?"

Daniel returned to the breakfast without answering.

"Danyeru, why so long?"

Still no answer.

"Please tel-"

"No! I was given orders to keep my mouth shut and I will be damned if I say any more!"

Tsume had not expected that kind of a response. He wanted to say something, but instead shrunk into his seat. He didn't want to risk losing his chance to learn as soon as possible. Asking more could possibly even set it back further and that was the last thing Tsume wanted to do.

"If you promise to stop asking, I promise not to tell Joseph, okay?" Daniel said, still working on the food.

"Hai."

"Erm, what?"

"I mean yes," Tsume was embarrassed that he had forgotten Daniel's inability to understand Japanese. He had become too adjusted to Joseph, Sensei, and Garen, who could almost understand Tsume's native language.

Another knocking came down and across the wall. Tsume fully expected harsh words from Joseph, but was shocked to see the other American that Mitsuko had mentioned. His skin was as dark as the dirt, but that was not the only thing which stood out about him. He was taller than any man Tsume had ever seen. His shirt was big and loose, but Tsume could still identify that this man was as wide as a bull. He must have been Jack.

"Master Daniel, Master Joseph said that he will be down shortly," he said in some English that Tsume could only barely follow.

"Jack, please stop calling me Master. You're not a slave any more."

Sureibu {Slave}? Tsume was puzzled by this new word.

"Hey Sumi, I'm sure Joseph has told you about Jack Freeman."

When the tree of a man smiled, Tsume could not help but to be overwhelmed by the brightness of his teeth against the darkness of his skin. Tsume hadn't even noticed that his hand was extended until Jack looked to Daniel and Daniel said, "He just learned how to shake today."

Tsume immediately grasped Jack's massive hand. It was rough like unpolished wood. Unlike Daniel, though, Jack did not even try to break Tsume's hand. The ruggedness of the dark man's pale palm made obvious that he could break a boy without even thinking about it. "Jakku Furiiman," Tsume whispered in amazement.

June 28, 1852 traveling by ship from Nagasaki to Edo

"Wako {Pirates}!"

At those words, nearly the entire ship went silent. Some continued about their business as if the man who yelled it were pulling some prank, but the rest were not so skeptical. Tsume ran to the bow of the ship where he saw them on the horizon. They approached from the east, with the moon behind their sails. From where he stood, they looked exactly like any other ship, but it was admittedly suspicious that they would continue to come closer.

"Tsumi," Joseph said sternly, "I want you to go below deck. This could get messy."

Remembering what Daniel told him, Tsume complied. He wanted to keep his curiosity down if he wanted to learn sooner rather than later this great secret his employers were withholding. Still, out of the hundred people on this ship, only seven stepped forward to fight: Joseph, five samurai, and one very brave common man.

Arrows flew into the deck. One samurai was struck down by the barrage before the wako had even boarded the ship. Before the blood had spread very far, Tsume shut the door and retreated into the crowd. Memories of his parents' deaths pushed him further back until he was against the wall.

The following minutes passed like hours. Was Joseph okay? The first Samurai had gone down before the fight had begun. How could he be sure that a possible warrior like Joseph could be safe against ruthless pirates? Joseph had beaten samurai in combat before, but he ran when he saw four coming his way. That was in the massive, sprawling city of Edo. This was a simple merchant ship. At best, he could climb a mast or flee into the-

The door to the cabin crashed open. Tsume tried parting people to see who it was and if the commotion was over yet. They stood deathly silent. Tsume jumped to get a better view. He suddenly wished that he hadn't. A diseased-looking wako had a man by the kimono and held a dagger in the air. Shortly after Tsume landed, the front of the crowd screamed. The rest of the room began to scramble out of the cabin and into any direction.

Tsume knew he wanted to go outside. If that pirate was able to get past the fighters, then something must be gravely wrong. It was that moment when Tsume realized that he both needed and wanted to protect those who protected him. He had to get to Joseph, but first he would have to find the samurai who died. No one would be using those swords.

Outside, the deck was slippery with blood. Three samurai had already fallen, but not without bringing several more pirates with them. Tsume's heart sped when Joseph was nowhere to be seen. Still, even with their best warrior missing, these people needed defense. Tsume got close to a fallen samurai, "Thank you for this," he said to the corpse as he drew one of the swords, "I will need it."

Tsume gulped. He had only held a sword once before in his life and that was only to examine it. This time, he would need to use it to fight. A pirate drew near, so Tsume assumed an approximation of the stances he had seen from samurai in combat.

There! Across the ship, a different pirate was harassing one of the merchants. Tsume ran screaming towards the two, both hands clutching to the sword over his shoulder. Unfortunately for him, the wako heard this over the spectacle of the battle. Tsume's eyes clenched shut as he swung the sword. It definitely hit something. He was afraid to look in case he had killed a man for the first time, but now was not the time to cry over pirates.

His eyes peeked to see that he had struck the ship's rail. A lump grew in his throat as quickly as it was swallowed. At least, he would have swallowed it if the wako had not grabbed him by the throat. From this distance, Tsume could now see the pirate's pockmarked and sickly face. "Ha!" the pirate laughed, flecking spit through the gaps where he should have had teeth, "The boy thinks he's a fighter!"

Tsume tried to back out of of the grip, but the pirate advanced with malicious intent clear in his eyes. Then the cold steel of the sword raised to the boy's cheek. He tried to maintain his composure, tried to look menacing to his enemy, but he could only try so hard. His opponent was covered in such scars and filth that he was naturally menacing to behold. Tsume couldn't compete with that; least of all unarmed.

Tsume was pushed against the railing with the tip the sword digging into the cartilage of his ear. He held to the rail, but he could feel himself losing balance. Right now, the back alleys of Edo were looking wonderfully inviting. Regardless of what would happen, Tsume would join his parents in the afterlife. He could almost hear them now.

"Tsumi!"

Wait, those weren't his pare- The sword gashed Tsume's face and nicked one of his teeth. Joseph had punched the pirate in the neck which somehow spewed blood all over the boy. Suddenly, Tsume began to feel a lightness as his sight turned black. He could see the waves of the ocean sparkle under the light of he full moon. They grew closer as he lost his equilibrium.

A tightness grasped Tsume's ankle, holding him above the ocean. "Tsumi!" Joseph called out, "Hold still, I've got you!"

Tsume had no intention to move, but as he could feel the grip slipping down his ankle he realized how close he was to seeing his parents again. He began to kick against what must have been Joseph's hand holding him from the water. His struggle was rewarded when it finally allowed him into the sea.

The water burned at Tsume's cheek and released blood freely into the water. He didn't struggle. He didn't swim. He didn't even try to breathe. He only watched the fish dance beneath him. Some were the biggest fish he had ever seen, tearing into some of the other bodies that had fallen into the water.

September 21, 2012 in Italy

I stirred from the dreamworld that was the Animus. I had no more interest in seeing the rest of that memory, but the dark figure standing over me seemed to indicate otherwise. I paused, trying to make out some kind of a face for Steve from Accounting. Before I could get the first thing, he jammed a needle into my arm. I tried to struggle,but I was apparently bound to the Animus. I still tried to discern a face, but my sight was going black just like my ancestor.

June 28, 1852 traveling by ship from Nagasaki to Edo

Blood. Blood and ocean. Tsume could taste blood and ocean. . . and cloth. Cloth and air. Air? Tsume pried his eyes open, but still could barely see. He tried to discern the faint white figure which hovered above him. It had black where its hair would be. It was probably Joseph.

As Tsume took in his breaths, his vision cleared. The image of Joseph was becoming very feminine. Soon enough the figure that came into focus was not Joseph at all, but rather a beautiful young miko. She held a white cloth to Tsume, "Open up. This should help the bleeding."

"Open what?" as he said that, Tsume realized that he had something in the side of his mouth. He was honestly suspicious, but something in the way he said that didn't sound right to him. Furthermore, he felt something tugging at his chin. He brushed it with his hand and noticed a moist groove. His finger traced it until it- His finger felt the bloody cloth in his mouth through a hole in his cheek.

Tsume paused. He wanted to be certain that was what happened. He pushed his finger back into the opening. He cringed as the wound tore larger and his hand contacted the open flesh. Jaw quivering, he inspected the blood on his hand.

"Please don't do that," the miko said calmly, "You don't want to open the wound before we sutichu it. Besides, you're due for a new cloth."

"Schtisch?"

"Hai {Yes}. The Gaikoku-hito {Foreigner} said he would show me how to sew a wound shut."

Tsume was familiar with stitching. He had been cut before under Sensei's watch. He was more concerned about having it done by someone who had no experience with a needle before. Then again, if Joseph was going to guide her hands, this should go well enough.

That was when Tsume scoured the room from where he lay. He was back in the cabin of the ship. Around him, all manners of wounded were being attended by anyone with a passing familiarity to medicine. Joseph was across the room, dripping wet and walking towards Tsume now. "Tsumi!" he called as he approached, "Good to see you awake. Don't worry about that cut. We'll get it fixed in no time."

Tsume locked his eyes onto Joseph's. He saw a kind of uneasiness, like he had a massive burden to unload. Perhaps he was finally going to reveal that secret. Whatever it was, Tsume-

"Kento-san has been most gracious in helping us," the miko interrupted, "We normally wouldn't want a foreigner here, but this one has saved us in so many ways. He fought the wako harder than any of the samurai. I think he may have even killed a few dozen of them."

"Assassin," Tsume muttered.

Joseph nodded, "We have a lot to talk about, kid. As soon as we get to Edo, I'll tell you everything, but first we need to fix your face."