September 22, 2012 at the Abstergo facility in Rome, Italy
"Wake up, Mr Marshall!" someone barked.
Without opening my eyes, I rolled to other side of my bed and away from the source of my evil evil awakener. The last few days had me getting up early in the morning and having my sleep interrupted on a nightly basis. I had become one with my bed.
"Mr Marshall, it is 8 am. It's time for you to get in the Animus," the voice belonged to Vidic.
I tossed my pillow at him. I'm still unsure if it hit the mark, since I didn't care enough to look. My other pillow beckoned me to lay upon and return to my sleep.
"Dammit Mr Marshall, we aren't paying you to lay around all day!"
I rolled into the floor and groaned, "Fine. Have it your way."
January 15, 1856 in Edo, Japan
Tsume slid his arms into the basket straps. He lifted from his legs which he hoped had regained their strength after only about a week of rehabilitation from nearly two months of inactivity. Sensei had insisted on maintaining some training regimen,so his arms were still strong as ever.
The basket resisted strongly. Perhaps Tsume should have paid more attention to his back, but he didn't need to move this very far. It was the last and most important piece of cargo he had left to board. When the ship sailed, Tsume knew his training regimen would get stricter, but that was fine. He quite enjoyed exercise.
The clouds had made way for a warm blue sky yesterday. Even today, there was no white or gray to be seen. The only reminders of this winter were packets of snow in the corners of buildings and faint puffs of breath before everyone's face.
The only remains of the earthquake were the immaculate new buildings where there was once rubble and the incredible grief that lingered in the air. Tsume heard somewhere that upwards of ten thousand died. Granted, the news on the street was that Abe Masahiro had gone into retirement after the relief. Tsume remembered very clearly helping him with that.
"Tsume!" a female voice called as he stepped onto the dock, "Slow down!" Asuka was approaching, "Tsume, we need to talk. I can't find Hitsu."
"Well he can't have gone far," Tsume took a few steps toward the boat.
"He left his painting in my house," she held a rolled parchment tightly in her hands.
"I'm not in here Okāsan," Hitsu shouted from the basket. The weight on his back was not so bad as how
"I knew it," Asuka pointed accusation to Tsume, not that it was undeserved, "Hitsu can't go to Nagasaki."
"My brother stays with me. I don't get to see him nearly enough."
"He was with you for almost two months. He needs parents, and Sanzo and I have been his parents for years."
"But you aren't his parents. I don't want him to forget them."
"Tsume, he never knew them. Besides, he's been staying sick lately."
"Nagasaki has the best doctors in the world."
"I can barely afford a doctor from Nagasaki. Can you?"
Tsume did not answer.
Asuka continued, "Do you even know where he will stay?"
"I'm sure Virginia will let him stay with her."
"Have you asked her?"
"Yes," Tsume's eyes locked with Asuka's.
"Have you?"
"Yes," his eyes shifted.
She leaned closer, "Have you?"
"No."
"So you don't know."
"Tsume says that Sanzo isn't a man, and I need a dad," Hitsu commented.
Asuka smirked removing the boy from the basket, "I'm your dad. Sanzo is your mom. If you stay with Virginia, you will certainly have plenty of moms, but who will be your dad?"
Tsume pulled Hitsu away, "I'm his brother, and that's enough."
"Hai, that's enough," the child added.
"Tsume, you don't understand. He needs to stay in Edo. There's nothing for him in Nagasaki that he cant have better here."
"I WILL BE IN NAGASAKI!"
"Tsume, listen to yourself. You can't properly raise him yet."
"Washio, what the hell are you doing?" Sensei stepped off the boat, possibly interrupting his own duties for the sake of a student.
"He wants to bring Hitsu with him," Asuka answered in Tsume's stead.
"Jesus Christ boy, where were you going to keep him?"
"I was going to ask Virginia," Tsume's shame was now digging his chin into his clavicle. The heat of his anger was rising in his belly. Who were these people to tell anyone what Hitsu needed? He and Tsume were blood, and nothing mattered beyond that, "But we're getting on the boat."
"No," Sensei blocked his path, "Living with whores is no way for a boy to grow up. You know that as well as I do. Hell, Virginia knows that. She didn't even let Kent live with her."
Tsume tried to go around, but Sensei would not allow. As old as he was, he managed to be as nimble as he was imposing. With that in mind, there was no reason for him to be able to block as much room as he did. Perhaps it was his clout, but Tsume knew he could not pass this man without permission. That was something he did not have.
Tsume pulled for his last straw, "Then we can train him. Make an Asashin of him."
"Listen to yourself. Maybe you didn't get a proper childhood, but that's no reason he has to miss his. He has a family, and you're still part of it. You're just going to travel for a few years. You'll see him again."
Tsume shifted a little.
"Let him down," Sensei commanded.
"An Asashin takes orders from no one."
The very next moment was not one Tsume remembered with any clarity. He only remembered that he was suddenly facing the ocean and his face ached into his eye. Sensei's fist indicated that he had been punched And was stunned long enough that Asuka was able to pull his brother from his side. Hitsu's crying alerted Tsume to turn around, but Sensei forcefully disallowed it.
"Your brother stays," Sensei snarled close enough that Tsume could smell the stink of fish on his breath.
Tsume pushed forward into his mentor.
A stone rolled down Tsume's side. He quickly determined it to come from the street. There he saw a man lift another rock from the ground.
"Get away from him, gaijin! Nippon is for Nippon-jin!" the man cast his next stone at Sensei, "You brought that earthquake, and you can take the namazu with you!"
"Hey!" a deep male voice called, as if in response to the violent rhetoric. A red clad man in very long Assassin-like robes grabbed the peasant, "What are you doing?!"
The farmer (or whatever he was) said with an acidic hatred in his voice, "My son died because of men like him. The kami {gods} want him gone and so do I."
"Look again," the man in red pointed to Sensei, "That gaijin is no ordinary gaijin. He is an Amerika-jin {American}. They are masters of stealing someone else's land. If he is leaving, then you should be thankful that our kami gods are so convincing."
The peasant glanced to the man in red, then back to Sensei, then back to the man in red for the last time. He stepped backwards a few paces with his eyes fixated on the mighty Amerika-jin, Charlton Arkwright. In the time it took to brush the sweat from his brow, the man turned about and walked away.
"I'll have you know that I'm not an Amerika-jin," Sensei called to the man in red, "My reputation is bad enough already."
"What is one drop of rain in a storm?" the man in red showed the back of his hand with the ring finger retracted, "Where other men blindly follow the truth, remember..."
"Nothing is true," Sensei returned the gesture as if by instinct, "Where other men are limited by morality or law, remember..."
"Everything is permitted."
"Nothing is true; everything is permitted," both men canted in unison, "We are Asashin. We work in the dark to serve the light."
"Chaaruton Aakuraito?" the man in red bowed.
"You must be Takechi Zuizan," Sensei also bowed.
"Hai, Chaaruton-sama. It is an honor to finally meet our new Sensei."
"The honor is all mine, but please call me Arkwright."
"Of course, Aakuraito-sama. Also Kasai-gozen, how long has it been? Is this the child you killed five men to birth? He's grown rather quickly."
"Three men," Azusa answered, "And this is not Tairo. This is Hitsu. He's Washio-san's brother."
"Are you Washio-san?" Takechi extended a hand to raise Tsume from the ground, "I've heard great things of you. Aakuraito-sama tells me that you retired Abe Masahiro. He failed to mention that you have trouble standing."
Tsume pushed himself from the ground without accepting the assistance offered to him, "Yeah, that's me."
"Listen, Takechi-san, I know you just arrived to Edo, but we are leaving for Kyushu."
"Nagasaki, right?"
"Hai."
"That's perfectly fine. I was hoping to learn from you anyway, since we didn't get to meet in Choshu."
"ALL ABOARD," the voice of Daniel Kent rang aloud, "That was your last call," he leaned over the rail of his ship, "You have five minutes to grab your belongings or we'll leave for Nagasaki without you."
"Dammit, Kent, you don't have the rank to make that decision!" Sensei snapped.
"No one outranks a captain on his own ship."
"Washio, you have five minutes," Sensei then turned about to board the ship, and presumably teach Daniel a lesson.
"Washio, may I ask what was going on here before I came?" Takechi asked.
"He wants to bring his brother to Nagasaki," Asuka answered.
Tsume rolled his eyes at the prospect of starting this conversation again.
Takechi kneeled down to Hitsu, "Hey, there Hitsu-chan."
Hitsu stepped back a bit with his finger between his teeth and worried eyes.
"Do you want to go to Nagasaki?" Takechi asked, "Or do you want to stay in Edo?"
Hitsu paused, "I want Tsume to stay."
"Well that was a different answer," the red-clad Assassin stood to face Tsume, "And you?"
"I need to go to Nagasaki," Tsume answered.
"Hitsu," Asuka extended the parchment to Tsume's brother, "How about you give this to Tsume and you can be with him in his thoughts?"
Hitsu accepted it and passed it to his brother, "You'll like it."
Tsume accepted it from the tiny hands before giving his brother a massive hug, "I'm sure I will."
"Promise?"
"I promise to like it."
"Good," Takechi spoke with contention, "Washio-san, we really need to leave."
Tsume lifted Hitsu and passed him to Asuka, "Take good care of him."
"As always," she smiled, "You stay safe. I can't afford your funeral if I'm raising two children."
January 15, 1856 sailing from Edo to Nagasaki, Japan
"You should be thanking Arkwright," Joseph leaned over the sea with a sigh, "that could have gotten messy."
"Why should I? My brother is staying in Edo and all I got was this lousy painting," Tsume raised the rolled parchment to Joseph's attention.
"Is it one of Hitsu's?"
"It is."
"Well don't call it lousy. May I see it?"
"You know what I mean, and fine."
Joseph stole the scroll with a smile. As he unfurled it, his look of anticipation seemed to become contentment, "He's really good for his age. I like the trees"
Tsume observed the painting for himself. Four humanoid figures stood around the base of a grey-roofed castle. It had not progressed much from what Hitsu had painted under the sakura tree, but the castle's roofing finished. Each figure was now labelled with a name, which were drawn so large and close to their heads as to be easily mistaken for branches: Son Goku, Chu Hakkai, Sha Gojo, and one more whose name Tsume could not yet discern. If he had ever read Journey to the West, he would probably be able to guess.
"They're names," Tsume retorted, "If you squint, you might be able to see it better."
"If those are names," Joseph pointed to the leftmost figure, "Then who is 'Please Yuzuru Is'?"
"That says Sha Gojo. How much time have you had to learn that?"
Joseph put his back to the railing and stared into the sky, "I've been in Japan for three years, so not enough."
"I learned to read around the same time."
"I could read long before you. Just in a different language."
"Which I have also learned."
"Alright smart guy, what do you want me to say?"
"Say you're a monkey."
Joseph's head snapped up toward Tsume, "We are one hell of a pair of monkeys."
Tsume could not help but to smile at that remark, "Now I never said I was a monkey."
"No, but I did."
"What makes me a monkey?"
"I'll tell you later. For now," Joseph's finger indicated something over Tsume's shoulder, "You may want to turn around."
"Do I need my blade?"
"Yes Washio," Sensei stated flatly, "An Assassin always needs his blade."
Tsume was expecting someone more like Kennosuke than Sensei. However, this was not the usual tight-assed Sensei. This Sensei did not keep his face knotted in a scowl, but had borne the bland look of apathy.
"I'm sorry Sensei, but-"
"I did not give you permission to speak, Washio. Walk with me. Kent, as you are."
"Yes, sir."
Tsume nodded and followed the old man to the ship's bow. His mind raced with possibilities for what Sensei wished to speak about. Hitsu moving to Nagasaki? Another promotion? Another weapon training? Hitsu moving to Nagasaki? Where they walked, Kennosuke already waited at attention with the sea to his back and Takechi standing too close to his front.
"Stand with him," Sensei ordered. Tsume obeyed, stepping forward and spinning on his heel so he and Kennosuke both faced the same direction. Sensei stepped deep into Tsume's unflinching space just as Takechi was standing to Kennosuke. Neither made eye contact, since he remembered how strict Sensei was about moving too much while in formation. He just maintained looking forward into the scraggled chin of the man who was exhaling into his eyes.
"Why are you an Assassin? I want you to think on that. We will begin recruiting as soon as we get to Nagasaki. I need you both to get in touch with what kind of person would join our cause. Talk to each other and the other Assassins on the ship. Captain Kent tells me that you have a few days."
Tsume could have sworn he felt water splash his eyes. He tried to convince himself it was the ocean, but he knew better. His mind came alight in search of some way that he could wipe his face into his sleeve without catching Sensei's attention. No ideas yet.
Sensei finally stepped back from Tsume and turned around with his hands holding one another behind his back, "I expect you will have good some ideas by then. Dismissed."
When he had finished talking, Sensei mad Takechi walked to the ship's cabin. Tsume immediately rubbed the spit from his face to his sleeve, "I thought he'd never leave. Any idea why he hates me so much?"
"Sensei has never indicated that he hates you," Kennosuke answered with a disappointment in his eye, "You talk a lot and you rarely follow orders. I think he expects better."
"Alright smart guy. Let's start with you. Why are you an Asashin?"
"I joined the Asashin to make a difference on this Earth. I don't know what the Lord thinks of me. I know he condemns violence, but I don't see any other way. If I'm in His good grace, then I hope to stay there. If I am not, then I accept my place in Hell. Even if I never see it, I want to create a world where everyone can live freely without fear. That is why I am an Asashin."
Tsume arched his eyebrow. How long had Kennosuke been waiting to say that? How does someone follow up after that? He couldn't look like a good guy here. He would inevitably just sound like a jerk.
"Your turn," Kennosuke nodded.
"What do you want me to say? I'm no hero who can memorize speeches. I don't care about that. If I can bring down some rich kusottare who held me down, good, but I joined this because of my brother."
"We've known each other for a while now."
"Four years, I think. Maybe five. Why?"
"I just realized that I don't know anything about you but I can trust you with my life."
"Be careful who you trust."
"Well tell me more about yourself."
"I really don't see why you need to know more."
"You just said it yourself; I should be more careful."
"I was born in Edo. My family were eta {outcasts}, so we didn't really get much help from polite society. We stole what we needed and accepted what little we were given. I had a few other siblings, but now I just have Hitsu... and he's the lucky one."
"Something awful must have happened to the others."
"We couldn't take care of them. Lost one every other year or so. Worst feeling in the world to get used to."
"And why is Hitsu lucky?"
"Because," Tsume said through his teeth, "He is."
"But why?"
"Urusai {Shut up}. That's why."
"Understood."
Tsume looked up into Kennosuke's diverted eyes, "What about you?"
"Oka-san introduced me to the Asashin when I was young."
"And now you're here and that's all. There is nothing else to the story."
"I never met my father. I am told that he was a Kirishitan samurai. Maruya Shinji was his name. He was crucified before I was born. I keep his rosary."
"I thought that was Nariko's rosary."
Kennosuke snickered and reached into his kimono where he kept the rosary, "The rosary is from my father. The sword, Hageshii Shiyounin, was from my uncle."
"What was it your mother gave you?"
"A wealth of wisdom and experience. A reason to be. A chance to change the world."
"But did she give you anything physical? aside from birth…"
"My hidden blade," he extended the blade from his wrist, as if to give an example, "but this isn't it. It went missing with my sword."
"Was that the sword you wanted me to find?"
"Hai, but we didn't have a chance to look thanks to the earthquake. It wasn't in the rubble."
"You checked?"
"Of course. Do you have any idea how long that sword has been in my family?"
"You said Muramasa forged it."
"It goes back to the Sengoku when my ancestor, Kasai Yuzuru, had it forged by Muramasa."
"Kasai Yuzuru" Tsume leaned back with his elbows on the rails, "That name sounds familiar."
"Kirishitan Asashin. He traveled with Tiago Lopes and the others. He was connected to Fuji somehow."
"I hate Fuji," Tsume said as though Kennosuke had asked for an opinion.
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"I feel like we've lost track of this conversation."
"You enlisted out of opportunity."
"Hai, and you want to be an eiyuu {hero}."
"Chigau {Wrong}, I am not Azusa. I just want to make a difference in something greater than myself."
"Eiyuu-sama," Tsume put his hands together and bowed deeply.
"Tsume, be serious. Sensei wants us to get in touch with what makes us Asashin."
Tsume rose from his bow with a smile across his lips, "I think we got it. I'm going to speak with Takechi. I'm sure he'll have something more interesting to say."
"Let me know how that goes."
He nodded over his shoulder to Kennosuke as he made his way to the hatch. Belowdecks was the usual cramped quarters it had always been. Some rooms existed in the back, but this being a merchant vessel, some walls may have been removed and others added. Captain Kent was a sketchy fellow. Probably because he was a smuggler. Joseph did mention that.
Some large brown men slept in hammocks hung up from posts all along the ship. Tsume wondered if they were the same kind of brown men that Jack was. They did look similar enough, but they were more brown like copper than black like iron. Some of them had black marks across their arms and ankles. Tsume didn't want to see under their clothes for more.
Others had pale skin and flat faces like the Chinese man from Nagasaki, but kept leaner bodies. They were generally as tall as Tsume, but considering that he was rather short on his own, they must not have been particularly tall people. He really found all of this diversity to be very... Unsettling. Not so much bad; just unusual.
Garen exited the door of the first mate's quarters, which was odd. The Assassins were supposed to bunk in the quarters opposite this room. He paused in front of Tsume with a look that had absolutely positively nothing to hide, "Tsume."
"Garen. What were you doing in Ae-jin's room?"
"Nothing. I was just helping her with... Things."
"Oh, okay then. I guess you wouldn't mind if I just walked in to talk to her."
"Don't do that. She's changing."
"Now Garen, why would she need to change her clothes if you were just helping her with 'things'?"
"I don't miss Azusa … I miss Azusa."
"Garen. It's okay," Tsume placed a hand on his comrade's shoulder, "It was never my place to judge you. If you don't mind, I'm just going to take one little look," he reached over to the door.
Garen smacked his hand, "Have some respect."
"Fine. I need to talk to Takechi anyway," Tsume turned around to see the door open with Sensei and Takechi both inside.
"No, you should call them Hitokiri {manslayers}. It's more ominous than Shinigami {death gods} to anyone with a basic education," Takechi leaned back into his hammock.
"Kasai chose Shinigami because she felt it was clever. I happen to like it. If you want to start your own Hitokiri, be my guest. We need more Asashin," Sensei stood by his fellow Assassin with his arms crossed behind his back.
"Are you really going to stand by everything that woman says? Last I checked, you aren't even the one having sex with her."
"I respect her. She was one of the few dozen Asashin left in Nippon."
"She is also something of a hypocrite."
"Say what you want, she killed a man while she was giving birth. If that doesn't make you afraid of her, then you're a braver man than I am."
Takechi's eyes caught Tsume standing in the doorway, "Washio! Good to see you again."
"Konnichiwa, Tackechi-sama and Sensei. Takechi-sama, I had something to ask you."
"Ask away," a his ever-present smile expanded just enough that he looked like his face was pulling itself apart at the mouth.
"What made you an Asashin?"
Takechi's teeth disappeared behind his lips, "Hm. I suppose I would say that Nippon is weak. Right now, we are taking Tokugawa's hands off of our necks. Maybe soon we can even get rid of them altogether."
"What about the Templars? They are fighting Tokugawa too."
Perhaps it was instinct, but Takechi smirked, "Not in the way we are. They want to set fire to the people and tell them that only the blood of the Tokugawa will douse it. We want to establish something better."
"Abe told me that Mashuperi wants to avoid that. Egawa said something like that too."
Sensei's brow furled as it always did when he heard something he didn't like, "When did you talk to them?"
"After I killed them."
Takechi cast a look of concern to Tsume, "After?"
Sensei's eyes never broke contact with his student, but his hand made a reassuring gesture to Takechi, "Washio here is very talented."
"Speaking to the dead is an interesting talent," Takechi glanced to Tsume, "Could you teach me?"
"Washio. I believe Captain Kent has ... Some reason for you to go outside."
"No he doesn't. That's why I'm not outside."
"Washio," Sensei's eyes narrowed so sharply that they could have cut Tsume's throat, "I hear Captain Kent calling you."
Tsume bowed and left. Had Sensei somehow neglected to tell Takechi of the gift? Tsume never really understood why his gift ended to be a secret.
January 16, 1856 sailing from Edo to Nagasaki, Japan
"Listen up, landlubbers," Daniel walked in front of the three recruits with a trio of revolvers slung over his shoulder. His new black suit pronounced the stride of his legs. "Arkwright has enrolled you into the Kent and Freeman School of Maritime Assassination. Today, I am going to teach you how to fire a revolver. Tomorrow, I am going to teach you how to fire it wet. The next day, I am going to teach you how to board a ship. Do we have any questions?"
Joseph raised his hand.
"Yes Joey?"
"I did this when it was the Daniel Kent School of Naval Assassination. I don't want to do this again."
Daniel approached his brother like a subordinate, "And when was the last time you were on a ship?"
Joseph observed from his left to his right, "Like the ship I'm on now? Your ship? Here I thought you would know that."
Tsume added, "I don't think I trust a captain who can't recognize his own ship."
Daniel's right leg twitched and his left hand clenched, but he merely struck a finger in Tsume's direction, "Not now, Washio," and returned his scorn to his brother, "When was the last time you were on a ship other than the Eclipse?"
"A few hours ago when I was getting food-"
"Grub."
"Yes, that. I was getting that from Jack's ship."
Daniel moved so close that he could probably smell his brother's eyes, "What is her name?"
"I didn't think you'd kno-Oh! the ship?"
"Yes, the ship we were just talking about without changing subjects. What is her name?"
"Oh, that's the... Erm. Morning Star?"
Daniel sighed out so much hope for his brother that he looked like he would collapse. Not in the figurative fainting sense, but in the sense that he would fall in on himself. His neck crooked forward to find some joke in Joseph's eyes, but there was none to be found, "No, she is the Midnight Sun."
"Okay, then I was on the Midnight Sun getting some grub. Happy?"
"I would be happier if there was some hope for you. IF THERE IS HOPE FOR ANY OF YOU, THEN I EXPECT TO SEE IT TODAY," Daniel whipped back to pacing before the recruits.
"And where is Garen?" Tsume interrupted, "You would think that he would love this."
"That man practically taught me how to shoot. He gets a pass."
"He's also having sex with your first mate."
"He is in fact, doing that."
January 30, 1856 in Nagasaki, Japan
"I can hardly wait," Kennosuke, who had spent the last hour on the Eclipse's bow to watch the approach of Nagasaki, said to Tsume with eyes full of wonder, "I'm going to see Ikitsuki and meet Endo."
"Is it really that important?" Tsume leaned over the railing next to his friend.
"That's like asking if I'm still sore from all of that swimming."
"Yeah, I don't think I want to see another ship for a long time."
Kennosuke took in a deeply satisfied breath, "It's wonderful. What is that smell?"
The crowds of Nagasaki became clearer as the distance shortened. They were huge a few years ago, but much thicker now.
Tsume contemplated the delicious scent, "Chinese food. I think. It smells different."
"What do they eat in Chūgoku?"
"Keep wondering," Captain Kent informed the two, "You won't find Chinese food here."
Tsume turned around, "Why not? It smells the same as it did last time. Mostly."
"What you will find here is a cheap imitation of real Chinese food that has been altered to fit Japanese tastes. Real Chinese is so much better."
"You've been to Chūgoku?" Kennosuke's eyes never moved from the city.
"Many times. It's a beautiful place with not many beautiful women. Sometimes, I prefer Japan, but Nagasaki is looking more like a miniature Shanghai every day."
"What is Shanghai?" Tsume asked.
"Biggest city in China. Bigger than Edo. Full of foreigners. Naturally, I fit right in." Daniel gazed thoughtfully into the sea.
The populace of Nagasaki came into a closer view. What was a wall of people before was a swarm of them now. Vague silhouettes moved in and out of the writing mass of civilians. The buildings themselves were still as spread as before, but the city reached further out across the beach.
"It's interesting. You would expect Edo to have all of that. Nagasaki isn't half as big or close to Tokugawa," Kennosuke smiled.
Tsume returned to the rail. Along the ports he saw clothes similar to those Daniel was wearing or what Commodore Perry wore. Of course, the majority of these outfits were still kimono, but Tsume still found the change upsetting.
As they pulled into the dock, Tsume watched the dockworkers and crew of the Eclipse rope the ship until she stopped. A Tokugawa official and his two guards approached the boarding plank. Tsume still needed to learn boat terms.
These guards, however, were different from usual samurai. They wore armor, just not helmets or anything metal on their arms. Rifles stood erect on their shoulders and threatened the sky with long bayonets.
"Stay here," Captain Kent warned, "Konnichiwa," he called to the samurai, "How are you?"
"Routine cargo check," the samurai adjusted his glasses with his middle finger, "We have heard rumors of smugglers carrying Kirishitan paraphernalia into Nagasaki. You know we do not appreciate that."
"Hai. Only gaikoku-hito like me are allowed to be Kirishitan. I've read the laws, Toshi. You should know that by now."
"Gaijin," the samurai cast a judgmental glare through his glasses to captain Kent, "Don't dignify yourself here."
"Slow down there, Toshi. This is my brig. We've been over this. No one disrespects me on the Eclipse."
"Just let do my job, Kento."
"Fine," Daniel's arms crossed.
"First, crew. Any Nihon-Jin aboard your ship will be inspected for signs of westernization and Christianity," the samurai cleaned one lens of his glasses into his kimono.
"My crew is mostly from Hawai or Chūgoku. All of the Japanese crew are on the Midnight Sun."
"Passengers, then."
"Can do. TAKECHI-SAN, MARUYA, WASHI-"
"We heard you," Tsume interrupted, "We are right here. We did not move."
The samurai and his entourage approached Tsume, "Are you Kirishitan?"
"Uh, no."
"Good. You should then know that the punishment for Christianity is death," the samurai's eyes scanned Tsume up and down, but soon became fixated on his scar, "You look familiar."
"I do? Strange. You look like a hypocrite."
"What is your name?"
"Tsubasa Shiro."
"No, your real name."
"Washio Tsume."
The samurai glared with skepticism.
"Fine, Igarashi Yūdai," Tsume spurted the first name to come to mind.
"That's what I thought," the samurai now had his eyes on Takechi, "And your name?"
"Kato Hanzo," he did not flinch.
"And you," the samurai's attention shifted to Kennosuke.
"Kasai Yoshinobu."
"Good, now we just need to test your faith and Nagasaki will welcome you," he removed from his kimono a bronze cross in the Christian shape, with a tail longer than the arms. In the center of this cross sat a figure akin to a Buddha, but with both hands clasped together, like how the Kirishitan prayed. He laid it onto the deck between the Assassins and the boarding plank of the ship, "Simply walk to the dock."
The samurai's two guards stood at each side of the ship's exit, their rifles threatening any who did not abide by their own rules. The samurai then pointed to Takechi, "You first."
Takechi sauntered to the dock without a second thought. His foot covered the cross for a moment, but that seemed to be all he needed. Within seconds, he was free of this instance of bureaucratic oppression, courtesy of the Tokugawa.
Tsume volunteered himself to go next. He walked over the cross without touching it.
"Stop right there," the samurai ordered. Tsume's blade arm tensed with the intent to resist what could easily become his execution. The samurai's hand indicated the cross laying on the deck, "Step on it."
Tsume glared into the samurai's eyes. Without looking away, he stomped the cross and scratched it into the wood, "Happy?"
"Acceptable. Next!"
Tsume proceeded to the dock with the mix of satisfaction and dissatisfaction that one can only get from putting down a samurai. Hateful kusottare. Then he turned about and lost his breath from what he saw: Kennosuke had paused with his foot over his holy symbol. His right hand clutched tight, of course around the rosary.
The samurai snatched Kennosuke's sleeve and revealed his secret faith, not knowing what other secrets hid just under the other. The samurai's back quickly arched forward in what all Assassins knew to be a kill from a hidden blade. The beads of the rosary scattered onto the floor. He was quick to hide behind the corpse to shield himself from the guards' guns.
Thunder crashed. Smoke spat from the guns. The samurai grew a new bloody hole and fell to the deck with Kennosuke standing behind him. The Christian's eyes did not convey his usual dour intensity or even his occasional apologetic sorrow. Red sprayed from his neck and he dropped.
Blood fell away from Tsume's heart and was quickly replaced by the chill of terror. His shock turned to a fear which passed both gunmen and returned to his friend. His eyes were fixed skyward to his God, seemingly oblivious of the flow of blood emanating from his fresh wound.
Tsume removed his own obi, letting the swords fall to the side. He knelt over his friend and covered the wound, "You're going to be okay, Kennosuke."
The red obi became darker. Kennosuke's eyes moved from the sky to his friend. It was then that Tsume noticed his right hand reached out and and shifted through the scattered beads. His fingers almost touched the cross amidst the encroaching blood. Tsume grabbed it and placed it on its believer's chest, but he felt two hearts stop at that moment.
Kennosuke's eyes conveyed something all too familiar to an Assassin: void. Tsume reached to those same eyes to close them, "Gomeifuku wo inorimasu."
{I pray for your happiness in Heaven.}