Tengoku

by Rae D. Magdon

  “You’re welcome here, Iori Kaede,” Lord Homura said, and she took that as her cue to exit the bow. “My daughter has already told me of her intentions to leave Mirai in the next week. She has also told me that you have agreed to accompany her. Is this true?"

  “Yes, Homura-dono,” Kaede said, "with your permission, of course."

  Lord Homura studied her with shrewd eyes, and for a moment, Kaede felt as though he were peering through her skin. The intense scrutiny made her uncomfortable, but she tried to hold still nevertheless. "That remains to be seen. She has also told me that you have a connection with the yokai.”

  "Yes, Homura-dono," Kaede said again. "I'm from the north, and many yokai inhabit the forest near my home. I don't know if Lady Homura told you, but one of them is my companion."

  "The white wolf," Lord Homura said. From his tone, Kaede suspected Rin had been the subject of several conversations at the castle. "And what is your opinion of the yokai, Iori-san? I'm curious."

  Kaede could tell this was a test, but for the life of her, she couldn't figure out what kind of answer Lord Homura wanted. In the end, she went with the truth. "My opinion of the yokai is no different from my opinion of people, Lord Homura. Some are helpful and kind, some are mischievous or even dangerous, and others simply wish to be left alone. I respect all of them, but I can't generalize about them. I can only hope to understand the ones I encounter."

  From the look that crossed Lord Homura's face, she could tell she had given a pleasing answer. "And what about your former clan? What made you leave?”

  Kaede had been hoping he wouldn’t ask, but when confronted with the question, she couldn’t avoid it. “I left because my duty demanded it, but I left with my honor. I did nothing to bring disgrace upon my ancestors.” Only disgrace upon myself for my own foolishness.

  Apparently satisfied with that explanation, Lord Homura turned to Imari. “You witnessed this ronin’s skills for yourself, daughter. Do you wish to bring her with you on your journey?”

  Imari looked at her, and Kaede’s stomach did a flip. “Absolutely.”

  “And have you planned your route? It is a long way to ask a stranger to travel.” He looked at Kaede, letting her know the question was for her.

  Imari answered nonetheless. “We will go south, across the narrowest part of the Jade Sea. With the unrest in Hyewang, it would be better to avoid the province entirely.”

  Kaede tried not to show her surprise. Crossing the Jade Sea wasn’t the easy task Imari made it sound. Still, she didn’t take back her offer. Hayate would be hard-pressed to follow her that way. “I’m up for the challenge, Homura-dono,” she said with another bow. “I’ve already travelled a long way from home. I have some experience.”

  Lord Homura seemed to make up his mind. “Then it shall be as you wish, Imari. Iori Kaede will accompany you as your yojimbo as you travel to Mount Aka. If she proves to be a valuable bodyguard, we can discuss granting her a permanent place here in Mirai upon your return.”

  Imari gave her father another bow. “Thank you, my Lord. I’m sure this is the right decision.”

  No, thank you. Kaede made her own bow. She was incredibly grateful for Imari’s support, especially since they had only known each other such a short time. If she stayed, hopefully she would get the chance to return the favor many times over.

  “Very well," Lord Homura said. "You will give your oath at dawn, Iori Kaede. I'm sure my daughter will be grateful for your services.”

  ***

  "I humbly receive." Kaede unclasped her hands and shifted on top of her mat, shooting an uncomfortable glance at Takeshi from across the table.

  The heavy silence between them was growing unbearable, but she had no idea what else to say. He had obviously known about Imari's plan, and it wasn't a stretch to read the disapproval in his stony face. His food sat untouched in front of him, and Kaede didn't feel comfortable enough to reach for her own chopsticks until he started.

  "So." Kenta broke the silence first, stealing a nervous, pitying look at her before turning toward his brother. "These radishes look good." He popped one of the strips into his mouth, chewing thoroughly and making sounds of approval—although, thankfully, with his mouth closed.

  "Mmm." Takeshi remained noncommittal, continuing to stare. His eyes burned, and Kaede felt the back of her neck prickle. In an effort to avoid his gaze, she reached for her hand towel. In moments like this, she almost wished she could be rude and wipe her face, because she was starting to break out in a light sweat thanks to Takeshi's glare.

  "And these pickled plums," Kenta said, inserting even more forced cheerfulness into his voice. "They're so red. And…red?"

  Takeshi closed his eyes, hanging his head in exasperation. "They're plums, Kenta. They grow everywhere around here. We have plums at least five times a week. We have so many plums the cooks don't know what to do with them."

  Kaede swallowed. Although he wasn't shouting or gesturing, this was the angriest she had ever seen her host. "Hibana-danna, with all due respect, I didn't mean to offend you. If I have overstepped, perhaps I should apologize."

  To her surprise, Takeshi let out a long breath and gave a short bow of apology. "Forgive me, Iori-san. You haven't offended me. And forgive me, Kenta, for speaking harshly to you. I simply worry for Homura-dono's safety. She has spoken of this quest of hers on and off for years, but I wasn't prepared for her to make such solid arrangements."

  "If she's spoken about it for years, why didn't you think she'd do it?" Kaede asked. "Does she have a habit of coming up with grand ideas and not following through?"

  "Quite the contrary," Takeshi said. "When she sets her mind to something, she'll go to the ends of the earth to make it happen. But she is also a reasonable, methodical person. She isn't the type to go forward without a proper plan in place."

  "Or a proper guide," Kaede finished. Her presence allowed Imari to take the next step forward, and although he wasn't rude enough to say so outright, she suspected Takeshi held her responsible for Lady Homura’s sudden enthusiasm.

  "Don't blame yourself, Kaede," Kenta said, offering her a smile. "You didn't do anything wrong. Imari—Lady Homura—was going to do this eventually, with or without you. And I'm glad it's with you. If we're going all the way across the Jade Sea, I'll feel better knowing a girl who makes friends with spirits is coming along with us…especially with the rumors of dragons. Do you think you could teach a dragon to play fetch?"

  Instead of indulging the question, Takeshi picked up his chopsticks, much to Kaede's gratitude. As he dipped a bite of food into the sauce beside his bowl, she did the same. Her stomach was still tied in nervous knots. Even the fish and rice couldn’t tempt her.

  "Hopefully, there won't be any dragons," she said. "Are the two of you coming with us? Lady Homura didn't say."

  "I should hope we are," Takeshi said. "Your skills are considerable from what I've witnessed, but Lady Homura needs more than a single yojimbo to attend her."

  Great. Although she didn’t object to Kenta’s presence, the thought of Takeshi coming along on the journey wasn’t a pleasant one. She remembered Kenta’s earlier slip all too clearly, and the last thing she wanted to do was put herself between Lady Homura and her overprotective ex-fiancé.

  "Honestly, I'm not even sure she needs me,” she said, trying to sound modest. “When she invited me to perform kata with her, she was going so fast I could barely keep up. I think she could handle a dragon all on her own." At Takeshi’s disapproving look, Kaede backtracked. "But, of course, I'm sure she will be glad of your company."

  "It won't be so bad, Takeshi," Kenta said, skillfully dulling the edge of tension once more. “It might even do you some good to get out of here for a while. You can see more of the world, fight a few bandits, flirt with pretty merchant girls.”

  “No bandits,” Takeshi said with a firm shake of his head, “and definitely no merchant girls.”

  Kenta stuck out his lower lip in a pout. “But—”

 
; “For their sake, of course. I wouldn’t wish you on any of them as a brother-in-law.”

  It was such a deadpan delivery it took Kaede several seconds to realize Takeshi had actually made a joke. She snorted then bent back to her food, sharing a slightly less antagonistic look with him before she did. Takeshi still didn’t seem happy about Imari’s decision, but at least he wasn’t glaring holes through her head anymore. However, she got the distinct impression that, if she failed in her duties as Imari’s bodyguard, he would be a foe far more fearsome than any dragon.

  ***

  Imari leaned back against the wall she had placed her futon beside and stared down at the silk-bound book in her lap. A smile crept across her face as she traced her fingertips over the tapered black lines, following the path of the River Go. It started in the mountains at the top left hand corner of the page, winding down diagonally through the heart of Tsun’i. It looked small, a crease in the paper, but in reality, she knew it would be much larger—larger than anything she had ever seen. Despite her privileged upbringing, she wasn't particularly well traveled.

  Her finger continued east until it arrived at a dark patch near the center of the map—the Jade Sea, a place she had read about extensively but longed to see in person. It had been frozen in stone for centuries, but her books said the waves in the middle were as high as hills, and the bodies of fish and other sea creatures were trapped beneath the clear green waters, perfectly preserved.

  Near the northernmost tip of the Jade Sea was Hyewang, the province most people passed through when entering Tsun’i. However, with the turmoil there of late, she didn’t feel comfortable taking that route. Even less appealing was the option of skirting the Jade Sea’s southern edge, which would take them dangerously close to the Kasai Mountains and the tightly guarded kingdom of Xiangsai. Instead, it would be better and faster to cut across the narrowest part of the sea itself on foot. It wouldn’t be an easy journey, but she had heard of guides who would escort travelers across for the right price.

  She tapped her finger against the bottom of the sea, where a single lonely mountain was sketched in ink. It was labeled “Mount Aka” in scratchy characters, but Imari preferred the Tsun'i name for it. Her knowledge of the language was only fair at best, but there was strength to “Hongshan.” Both names meant Red Mountain, but from the way the characters looked to her, “Hongshan” spoke of the red fire of a forge, while “Aka” was more of a rosy red sunset. It was dragons she was looking for—or, more accurately, the man who had managed to master them.

  She returned her attention to the map, cutting across the Jade Sea and continuing northeast. There, not too far away, was Mirai. It was in the middle of the plains, built into a small mountain range near the center of the kingdom. Once, the lands around her province had been a bountiful bowl of rice paddies, but Mirai had moved into the future. The neighboring provinces could take care of the farming, as far as she was concerned.

  With some curiosity, her eyes continued up to the northern forests and mountains of Aozora and Yukimura. If she didn’t miss her guess, Kaede had come from one of those two places. Judging from her speech and manners, perhaps she even had some association with one of the large noble households.

  A distant knock startled her from her studies, and she closed the book, setting it aside on the mattress. At this late hour, having a visitor was unusual. Still, she had a good suspicion who it was. I'm surprised he didn't come to check on me earlier. Surely Kenta has told him the news by now.

  With a sigh, she stood and checked the sash of her yukata, making sure she was presentable. The crimson, black-threaded robe hung loosely, and she struggled to tighten it one-handed. After an awkwardly long fumble and some breathy mutters, she managed to make a clumsy knot at the small of her back. Working with her remaining hand was more difficult when there was a time limit involved.

  She crossed the living quarters outside in a few strides, sliding open the screen to reveal exactly who she had expected: Takeshi, standing awkwardly out in the hallway and looking unhappy. "Forgive me, Homura-dono—"

  "Imari," she interrupted, correcting him so she wouldn't have to do it later. "Come on, Takeshi. If you're going to come to my bedroom this late, the least you can do is use my given name."

  The corner of Takeshi's eye gave a noticeable twitch, but he bowed nevertheless. "Of course, Imari. I'm sorry to bother you this late, but I think the two of us need to talk."

  "Well, I don't particularly want to." A furrow creased Takeshi's forehead, and Imari stepped back into the room so he could enter. "But I'll humor you. Come in. And before you ask, I'm going to Hongshan, and you aren't going to change my mind."

  "But are you sure you know what you're getting into?" Takeshi asked. "Tsun'i is far away. Not all the people there think highly of Akatsuki Teikoku, its daimyos in particular. And what about Iori-san? Kenta tells me you're going to take her on as your yojimbo. Are you sure a stranger is the best person to protect you on a mission like this? You hardly know anything about her."

  "Well, there will be plenty of time to learn about her on the trip, won't there?" Imari kept her voice deliberately cheerful, partially because she knew it would grate on Takeshi’s nerves. His overprotective routine was getting exhausting, and she didn’t have the patience to deal with it any longer. "Besides, do you have any idea how to talk to a dragon yokai without getting eaten? Because if you do, I'm all ears."

  Takeshi frowned but didn't argue the point. "I see how she could prove useful," he muttered, grudgingly, "but I still don't think you should go."

  "Then it's a good thing I don't care what you think."

  A look of hurt flashed across Takeshi's face, and Imari regretted her rudeness. She bowed in apology, keeping her gaze lowered. "I'm sorry, Takeshi. I shouldn't have said that. You're one of my closest friends, and I do care a great deal about what you think."

  "It's all right." Takeshi rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess I should’ve known better than to barge in here and tell you what to do, huh?"

  "Yes, you should have, but I should’ve had the courtesy to hear you out, too."

  "I'm worried about you," Takeshi said, staring at her with dark, intense eyes. "No awkward romantic feelings implied, I promise. As your friend, I'm scared about what might happen if you do this. You want to travel halfway across the known world so that a legendary smith can give you a magical hand? You know you're perfectly capable with one, don't you? I've got two, and you still beat me more often than not."

  "Tell that to the other daimyos," Imari muttered, but she offered a slight smirk to let him know her bitterness wasn't directed at him any longer. "This isn't just about the hand. I want to see what's out there, and when I come back, I want to have so many amazing stories to tell that not a single noble can question my competence. And even if they give me dirty looks and whisper behind my back, I'll know I've done something great."

  After a long pause, Takeshi sighed and nodded. "I understand. If you're determined to do this, it isn't my place to stop you. But you will let me come, won't you?"

  "I won't just let you," Imari said, reaching out to pat his forearm. "I insist. How am I supposed to travel all the way across the Jade Sea without my best friend?"

  "I hope you mean around," Takeshi said, but Imari shook her head.

  "Across. I want to avoid Hyewang.”

  “You can’t be serious. Crossing the Jade Sea? I haven’t heard of anyone doing that in at least the past ten years.” Takeshi’s brow furrowed. “What about Xiangsai? If we go further south…”

  “Going south would take months. Crossing the Jade Sea will save us so much time. We’ll manage."

  "Oh, I'll manage," Takeshi said, with a slight note of pride. "Now, that yojimbo of yours…let's hope she can keep up."

  Imari thought back to the kata she and Kaede had performed the other day and smiled. "Don't worry about Iori-san. She'll be able to keep up with us just fine."

  Chapter Seven

  STICKY POOLS OF BLACK li
quid dot the ground, carving rivers through the wrinkled white sheet of snow. The entrance to the cave is littered with bodies, severed limbs, torn chunks of flesh and feathers. The left side of her face burns, and her eyes water so badly she can't see anything but blurry streaks. But she can hear. She can hear the sizzling hiss of hot blood on cold ice and the echoes of screams.

  "Kaede."

  She knows that voice. She knows the hand that caresses her arm, helping her sit up. Setsuna has been like a mother to her these past few years, but this time, the grasp is like a bite. She jerks away, kicking up clods of wet snow and scrambling backwards, trying to stand up on her own. "What…what have we done? What have I—"

  "Kaede, listen carefully." Setsuna's voice is meant to be soothing against her ear, but all she hears is a serpent's hiss. "This was not your fault. I know you're afraid, but this is your destiny. You were meant for great things, my precious girl. This is simply the price that must be paid first."

  Kaede swipes the sleeve of her kimono angrily over her eyes, smudging away tears and sweat and worse, careless of the crimson stain she might leave behind. "Price, Yukimura-sama?" She gazes around the battlefield, fighting off waves of nausea. Her head swims with fear. "This isn't a price. It's a massacre."

  Setsuna hovers over her, offering a hand once more. Her expression is open, worried. Somehow, her concern is more frightening than any sadistic mask of glee. "Come. I'll fix your face. It will get infected if we don't—"

  An infection. All this death, this butchery, and Setsuna is only concerned for her. "No!" Without another word, or another look at the corpses—human and yokai—littering the ground, she runs. She runs until she can't run anymore, until she's deep within the forest where no one can find her. Only then does she slump to her knees, hands scraping against the bark of the tree where she has caught herself, bitter tears streaming down her face. They make the open wound burn more, but she doesn't care.