Track 29: Eccentric Espionage

Fuu, Jin, and the strange woman shared a long, awkward, quiet cart ride back to the nearest village, away from the scene of the massacre that Fuu and Jin had left in their wake. The woman had told them her name was Yatsuha Imano, but had cautioned them that they shouldn't continue their conversation until they had reached somewhere private and safe. Fuu and Jin didn't necessarily trust her, but they had few options; Yatsuha had the only cart away from the mountain pass. Even if they didn't need her help making a getaway, their own leads to find their friend were figuratively - and literally - dead. Fuu tried to keep her guard up as she rode next to Yatsuha, who emanated as strong and violent an aura as she had ever felt from any samurai. However, her mind kept wandering back to the village and the last words the police captain had spoken before she had executed him - 'The village is dying.' For reasons she couldn't exactly place, she was reminded of her short time with a boy named Shinsuke during her travels with Jin and Mugen. She remembered how much his mother reminded her of her own, and how sick she was. Fuu had done everything in her power to protect Shinsuke, and he had died anyway. She had left his mother to die in her home, alone, with no one coming to save her. Now she had left the village in the valley to die, alone, with no one coming to save it. A sharp pain in her hand snapped her out of the memory. When Fuu looked down, she realized she had been gripping the hilt of her katana so hard that her hand had cramped.

The three of them arrived at a larger town a little further down the road, and Yatsuha guided Jin and Fuu to an ornate, upper class cafe in an entertainment district. Jin and Fuu were instantly uncomfortable with the environment, but on the other hand it would not be the ideal place for a covert assassination, so maybe that wasn't the woman's plan after all.

Yatsuha brushed past the curtain hanging over the entrance to the cafe, with Fuu and Jin in tow, and a host instantly approached them. "Ah, miss Sukura!" The host said, "What a pleasure, we weren't expecting you."

Yatsuha smiled, "I was in the area with some friends and decided to show them my favorite cafe," she said, in a voice that was distinctly not her own, "Could you find us a private room away from any other customers, please?" she asked, she then held out her hand and uncurled her fingers, revealing several shiny pieces of gold twinkling in the dim light of the cafe.

"Oh but of course," the host said, taking the coins from her, "In fact, I think we have the private room on the second story free for the next few hours."

"That would be perfect," Yatsuha said.

Jin and Fuu said nothing to the host or any of the other staff as they were led upstairs to an ornate private dining room, much larger than what was required for just three people. Jin and Fuu sat next to each other, facing Yatsuha who sat across a small table from them. The waiters brought them tea and food seemingly without any specific instruction. As they were finishing, Yatsuha handed one of them a few more gold pieces and told them to leave the three weary travelers in privacy. The three of them waited in silence until the sound of footsteps had retreated all the way down the hall.

Jin was first to speak, "You seem to be well liked around here, Miss Sakura," he said.

Yatsuha smiled, "One of many names I go by in my line of work," she said.

"Yes, you're with the shogunate's secret police aren't you?" Jin said in his usual dry tone.

Fuu's whole body tensed up, "The secret police?" She asked.

"I am," Yatsuha said, "But please believe me that I mean neither of you any harm."

Fuu's eyes narrowed, "How do we know we can trust you?" she asked.

"I don't expect you to immediately," Yatsuha said, "But please believe me that if I wanted to kill you I wouldn't do it in my favorite cafe - I wasn't lying about that," Yatsuha paused as if waiting for either of them to laugh at her joke, but they both continued to simply stare at her silently. She sighed, realizing it probably wasn't the time for humor. "What happened back there in the valley?" She asked.

Fuu shook her head, "You first, we're going to need a little more good faith."

"Hmm," Jin nodded in agreement.

"Yes, I suppose I can concede that much," Yatsuha said, before taking a sip of tea, "You might not remember it, but I've met you before," she said, looking at Jin, "While you and Mugen were still traveling together, you came into the brothel where I was working undercover, investigating a counterfeiting ring."

Jin's eyes widened ever so slightly with realization, "Wait…" he said, "You're the-"

"That's right," Yatsuha said before he could finish getting the word out, "You and Mugen paid for services at the brothel with unreleased counterfeits that my partner had stolen as evidence. I still don't know how you got your hands on them, but it blew my cover. I had to escape and take down the ring."

"I remember I was attacked at the brothel by several men," Jin said, "It was a fairly normal occurrence for me in those days so I didn't think much of it. In fact… I believe I was more concerned with having thrown out my back."

"Huh?" Fuu said, raising an eyebrow, "How did you manage to throw out your back?"

"It is… not important," Jin said, and then refocused his attention on Yatsuha, "How did you manage to take down the ring all by yourself?"

"That's the thing, I didn't," Yatsuha said, "If it weren't for Mugen being there that night, I would surely be dead and that counterfeiting operation would probably still be running to this day. Mugen…." she suddenly seemed to get lost, her eyes drifting away from Jin and Fuu as she remembered, "I had never seen anyone fight like that, it mesmerized me," she smiled, "It might be a childish, naive thing to say, but I fell in love with him that day. I knew I couldn't stay with him, I still had my duties as an investigator, and he was on his own journey as well."

"Wow," Fuu said, "I had no idea any of that happened."

"To be fair, I think you were busy eating the whole time we were there," Jin said.

"Hey!" Fuu said, glaring at him.

"Wait, you were there too?" Yatsuha's eyes locked onto Fuu, "But… that's not possible, you're…" she stumbled over her words.

Fuu sighed, "I guess there is no going back from here, it's not like keeping it a secret will keep us alive if you do intend to kill us," She took in a deep breath, "Yes, I am Fuu Kasumi." She didn't offer her alias or her association with her lord, she had learned her lesson in the village. For now at least, she would keep that a secret.

"I would never have believed it, I thought you were just a hired sword assisting Jin," Yatsuha said, "There was never anything in the reports about Kasumi's daughter being a samurai, let alone a skilled one."

Fuu blushed, but then smiled. "Yes, it is a… more recent development," she said, scratching the back of her head. It then occurred to Fuu that Yatsuha had described her as being skilled even though she had never seen Fuu in a fight, but she pushed the thought out of her head.

"So you knew about the investigation into Kasumi, and that the three of us were being tracked," Jin said, getting the conversation back on focus.

Yatsuha shook her head, "I didn't know until after I returned to headquarters. I had been undercover for a long time. But when I got back it was all anyone was talking about. The shogunate was worried about a second Shimabara rebellion and many other investigators were pulled from their current assignments to work on what they started calling the 'Kasumi problem.' I did as much as I could from where I was to throw them off of your scent, but once I heard that they had sent Kariya after you I was certain that all three of you were going to die."

Fuu nodded, "So what happened when we didn't?"

"Yes," Jin said, "I am also curious how we seem to have avoided the shogunate's gaze for so long with seemingly little effort."

"Well, a lot changed after Ikitsuki Island," Yatsuha began again, "The shogunate wanted the whole thing covered up, we managed to keep it a secret that Kariya had died at all for a long time, and then eventually began spreading a rumor that he had taken his own life. They wanted the three of you found, so I immediately volunteered to locate Mugen."

"And did you?" Fuu asked.

Yatsuha nodded, "It was not difficult, he tends to… leave a trail," she said. "I watched him for a while and made sure to report his location with just enough accuracy that they wouldn't get suspicious of me while also always being one step behind him. It took me six months before I worked up the courage to approach him."

"I wish I could have witnessed that," Jin said.

Yatsuha smiled, "I thought he wouldn't remember me, but he recognized me instantly." Yatsuha thought back to that day, she was following him through a small village and had a plan to approach him in a market and then get him somewhere private to speak to him, but he was on her before she could even approach. She remembered his words, 'Hey, it's you! Don't forget about the promises you made to me!' She blushed thinking about it. "It took him a little while before he believed I wasn't there to kill him, but I can be persuasive," she continued, "After that, I continued to report back to headquarters with bad info, and because I was the only one who seemed to be able to keep up with him, eventually I was the only one assigned to him. I would have to go back to headquarters occasionally, and he was always moving, but I would always find him again."

"And you've been doing that for three years?" Fuu asked, "I can't imagine how difficult that was."

"It was hard at times," Yatsuha said, "But we always found each other, and being with him was always worth it."

There was a moment of silence between the three of them, and then Fuu spoke again, "What… what is he like now?" It took her a moment to phrase the question correctly.

Yatsuha smiled at Fuu, she could tell the question contained genuine concern for Mugen. "He's like he always was, but doing a little better," she said, "At least he's not killing strangers who insult him in the street anymore."

"Now that truly is a miracle," Jin said.

"For the last couple years he's been trying to learn to read better, it comes slowly to him but he's getting it. He's become a little obsessed with 'tagging,' something he discovered while he was traveling with the two of you to my understanding. Honestly it's amazing the shogunate never figured out they could track him by following where his tags popped up."

Jin gave a slight smile, "I'm glad he's still reading, even if it is only to enact a different kind of disorder than what he usually gets up to."

Fuu nodded in agreement, "Yes, it sounds like you've really helped him change for the better," she said. At that moment, she remembered what Yatsuha had said when she first got off the cart and spoke to them at the base of the mountain pass, "When we met, you said Mugen was your husband?"

"Yes, I did," Yatsuha said, "We were married about a year ago. I had to bring up the idea to him, I guess it wasn't a concept he was familiar with," Yatsuha giggled at the memory, "Once I explained it to him, he agreed, but he had one request. He wanted to have a Christian ceremony."

"Huuuuhhhh?" Fuu said, tilting her head to the side, "I never thought of Mugen as being particularly religious in any way, let alone a Christian."

"I'm sure he was just being contrarian," Jin interjected, "He still probably hates being told what to do and being Christian is still essentially illegal in this country."

Yatsuha shook her head, "It's not what you think," she said. She paused for a moment, staring off into the middle space between Fuu and Jin, "Mugen… he doesn't always understand his own feelings, or other people's feelings, or other people in general, but he means well. His instinct is to do right by the people that are important to him, it just comes out of him in unusual ways sometimes. I think he wanted to have a Christian ceremony because he wanted to honor you, Fuu. Even if he never acknowledges it, I think deep down he knew he was still on this Earth because of you, and having a Christian wedding was his way saying that he knows that. I used my connections to find an underground Christian Church outside of Edo, and had the ceremony in secret."

Fuu sat in silence for what seemed like a long time. It dawned on her that she herself had never seen a Christian wedding. She still wasn't even sure if she considered herself a Christian. But, after their adventure ended, it was a piece of her that had stuck with Mugen. Mugen had wanted her at his wedding, and found a way to have something she represented to him in her place. She was at a total loss for words, and without even realizing it, a tear had welled up in her eye and was rolling down her cheek. Finally, after several more seconds, she got out the question, "What was it like?"

Yatsuha smiled and looked Fuu directly in the eyes, "It was… the most beautiful thing that has ever happened in my life."

Jin allowed the two of them to share the moment for a few seconds before interjecting again, "Yatsuha, when was the last time you saw Mugen?"

Yatsuha's gaze hardened again and she redirected her attention back at Jin, "It was about six months ago. Mugen and I were staying near Hakone when I received word from headquarters that I was to return immediately, it was the strangest thing I have ever heard of happening in my time with the secret police."

"Yeah that kind of thing seems to happen all the time with us," Fuu said.

Jin made a noise that could maybe be interpreted as a laugh if it were coming from a field mouse, "Please continue," he said.

"The shogunate said they were calling all of their own resources off the investigation into the three of you. Apparently some lord had met with the shogunate and had offered to personally handle the rest of the investigation, that is to say, your capture and execution," Yatsuha ran a hand through her hair, and sighed, "I returned back to headquarters to try and talk them out of it, because of course if I was pulled off of the investigation I wouldn't be able to protect him anymore. Everyone at headquarters seemed paranoid, even for the secret police. Nobody would tell me exactly what had happened or who this mystery lord was. I left again as quickly as I could, but when I reached the location where I and Mugen were supposed to meet, he was a no show," she looked down at the table, her eyes unfocused, "It was the first and only time in three years he didn't show up."

"Then you must have heard the rumor about him being executed in the village in the valley," Jin said.

"Yes," Yatsuha said, wiping a tear away from her eye, "But I couldn't just leave again immediately, I was worried about being discovered or my superiors becoming suspicious of me. Also, I never believed for a minute that some hillbilly village police actually managed to capture my husband."

"So that's why it took you just as long as us to get there," Fuu said.

"Yes, and now if you don't mind, I would very much like to hear what you found up there, and more importantly I want to know why my husband isn't with you," Yatusha said.

Fuu and Jin looked at eachother, then Jin spoke, "I'm going to allow you to take the lead on this one," he said.

"Alright well, it's kind of a long story…"

Fuu explained in as much detail as possible the events of the previous day, from their meeting with the police captain, to the weird stories of all the villagers, to the dead pig and the ambush in the graveyard, and then finally their escape through the mountain pass and last confrontation with the local police.

"That's… quite the story," Yatsuha said when Fuu was finished. She pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes momentarily, "So as far as you know, Mugen is still alive?"

"He was the last time anyone in that village saw him," Fuu said.

"And they fabricated the story of his execution just to draw the two of you into an ambush…" Yatsuha paused, lost in thought. "These assassins who attacked you at the graveyard, it doesn't seem like they gave you much trouble?"

"They didn't," Jin said, "They fought like typical soldiers, definitely not masters of any martial skills."

"Was there anything about them that stood out, any symbols or specific clothing, maybe a regional accent?" Yatsuha asked.

Fuu shook her head, "Dressed in all black, just like ninjas from children's stories. They all had the same crossbows and small daggers, not a single swordsman among them. It was too dark to really see them in detail, and we didn't hear them speak."

"Wait a minute," Jin said, thinking back to the previous night, "When we tried to question one, he opened his mouth and showed us that his tongue had been cut out, and then he killed himself."

"That's right!" Fuu said, "We didn't stay around to check but I think it's reasonable to assume they all had their tongues removed."

"Hmm," Yatsuha said, "Poorly trained by clearly fiercely loyal to whatever lord they're serving. Black uniforms and severed tongues isn't the calling card of any lord I know, but I can look into it. Honestly it is good just to have some reassurance that Mugen is still out there."

"Absolutely," Fuu said, "If he evaded these guys once I'm sure he can do it again."

Yatsuha smiled at her, "Now though, the two of you haven't slept in a day and a half it sounds like. They have rooms here where we can stay the night, on my tab of course."

Jin bowed his head to her, "You're too kind," he said.

Fuu paused for a moment, lost in thought. "Is there a shrine nearby?" She asked, "I would like to pray."

Yatsuha nodded, "Yes, at the west edge of town, just past the bridge over the river. It is a pleasant walk, and it should be quiet at this time of day."

Fuu stood, adjusting the swords on her hip as she rose to her feet. "Thank you, and we will gladly accept your offer to stay the night," Fuu bowed to Yatsuha, "May we revisit our present dilemma in the morning." And with that, she turned and left, leaving Jin and Yatsuha sitting in silence.

Fuu exited the cafe and turned westward down the street in the entertainment district. It was getting to be the late afternoon already and girls were already filling the display areas in the brothels on either side of her. The air smelled like sweat and sake, and the space around her was filled with conversations and the occasional shouts of excitement. Although being in places like this always brought up unpleasant memories of her travels with Mugen and Jin, she had realized years ago that it was one of the few places where people on the street wouldn't stare her up and down for being a sword-bearing woman. Everyone was momentarily too obsessed with sex and booze to care about violence, and it was a bittersweet feeling. Eventually, the entertainment district quietly trickled off on either side of her, and she found herself walking down normal, quiet residential streets again with the bridge across the river slowly coming into view. She focused her hearing and listened for the sound of the water rushing, crashing against the rocks, and it came to her quite easily. She loved that sound, and she smiled as realized it would play the background to her evening prayer at the shrine.

The bridge across the river was rickety and old, it had stood the test of time but was poorly maintained. Perhaps at one time they had intended this town to expand to the other side of the river, only for there to end up being no apparent purpose for it. Fuu crossed the bridge, pausing slowly in the center to look out over the rushing water, and the light bouncing off its surface from a slowly descending sun in the west. Then she turned and looked westward again, seeing the shrine a couple hundred meters down and just off the road.

When she reached the shrine, she kneeled and closed her eyes, thinking briefly about who she wanted to pray for today. To her surprise, the first person who came to her mind was her fellow Guard Lieutenant, Hasegawa. She acknowledged the impulse briefly before continuing the list. Her lord, Jin, and Mugen, Yatsuha…

Her mind cleared in an instant, as her instincts suddenly informed her that she was no longer alone at the shrine. Three behind her, approaching, forming a half circle, attempting to sneak up on her. She rose to her feet, but did not turn to face her hunters.

A man's voice let out a low, gravely chuckle, "Heard us coming, did you little girl?" Fuu offered no response. Bandits, Hasegawa's voice echoed in her mind, there is never a reason to converse with bandits.

A second voice, the bandit behind and to her right, spoke up now, "We don't wanna hurt you girly… if you do what we say we won't leave too many bruises."

"Those must be her family's swords," the third one finally spoke. "Dad's probably dead, bet they're worth enough to buy us passage through the checkpoint!"

Fuu looked up at the sky, the setting sun painted the clouds above her in brilliant reds and oranges, it was a beautiful evening. She wondered briefly about warning them, telling them who she was and who she worked for. Promising them that they would die if they did not retreat immediately. She knew inside that no matter what she said, they would attack her, but did she have an obligation to warn them anyway? Then she thought back to the police captain at the mountain village, he was also someone she knew she would have to kill, even though he refused to defend himself. Was killing someone who refused to defend themselves in any way different from killing those who try and fight, but are functionally defenseless against you? She looked inside of herself and found no easy answers to these questions. She remembered how recently she had killed for the first time near a shrine by the side of the road, in a situation not so different from the one she found herself in now. She realized quite suddenly that she was going to spend the rest of her life killing. However, this realization, the feeling of fate twisting its vines around her body, did not phase her in the slightest. While gazing up into the evening sky, Fuu exhaled, and with her thumb, pressed her katana out of its sheath.