First Day of the Second Month, Year One Thousand Ten of the Reign of the Ichiya Dynasty

Maiko

Traveling to Nagata was an exercise in patience in the best of conditions. There was no crossing the Tsukisasuyama quickly, especially not with horses. Maiko had sold her mule and cart, assuring Himari that she could simply purchase a new set of both when they got into Nagata. The excuse that she wanted to be able to check in on Himari’s wounds seemed to work well enough. But Himari had stayed quiet for much of the journey. Maiko couldn’t deny that it had her worried.

Fortunately, the weather on the mountains was gentle, and it had only taken four days to cross the mountains and finish the remaining day or so of travel. And so, as the months turned, the two had arrived in Nagata without any further wounds to Himari’s person. Maiko had quietly thanked the Kami for their good fortune. After everything that had happened, she thought they were due some. Himari hadn’t complained that Maiko purchased a single room for the two of them at a gateside inn, and sleep came easily as she hit a bed for the first time in over a week.

That morning, Himari had left their room before Maiko even woke up. In a moment of panic, Maiko had dressed quickly and raced out the door, only to find her in the inn’s garden, practicing her kata. Maiko took a breath and smiled. “Himari-sama, I didn’t know you had such a talent for being quiet.”

Himari didn’t skip a beat in her movements as she answered. “I’ve been attempting to make it to the breakfast table without my father noticing since I was twelve years old. Slipping out of a room with a sleeping merchant isn’t exactly a challenge by comparison. No offense.”

“Fair enough,” she sighed. “Have you decided how you are going to proceed yet? I’m glad to sit and listen while you contemplate.”

The mention of next steps had, at least, distracted Himari from her kata. She sheathed Shugojin in a smooth motion, looking at Maiko seriously for a moment. But instead of answering, she let out a sigh. “Let’s get some breakfast, ok?”

Maiko thought at first to protest, but after examining Himari’s face she instead just nodded. There was a sadness, a conflict to her as she started walking towards the common area where the inn would serve breakfast. “Yeah, of course, Himari-sama.”

The two ate breakfast in relative silence. Maiko tried a few times to bring up the coming day, but Himari was surprisingly unresponsive. After a few minutes, she gave up trying. The two went upstairs without further words spoken between them.

Once the pair returned to their room, Himari swapped out of her morning kimono and into her Chosen attire. She leaned against the far wall and let out a sigh.

“Himari-sama? Is everything alright?” Maiko finally asked, her face distorted with concern.

“You aren’t a merchant, are you?” Himari looked at Maiko with an accusatory expression that stabbed at Maiko’s heart.

Maiko took a breath. She was so tired of lying, especially to this girl. “No, I am not.”

Himari sighed. “Tell my Father then that I do not need to be shadowed. I am growing tired of him treating me like I am still a child.”

Maiko blinked. Then she started to laugh. Himari looked incredulous. “What is so funny?” She demanded.

“Himari-sama, please. Let me assure you in full that I was not sent to watch you by your Father. I did not lie to you when I said I am under the employ of Goro Masashi, the Imperial Advisor.”

“I… see. So why did Masashi-sama not just send you with me from the start?”

Maiko shrugged. “Masashi-san is a man so used to secrecy that I am uncertain he knows how to go about anything like a normal person. Perhaps he simply thought that you would resent this very scenario; a person sent to help you with your tasks with her unique skills. In truth, I resent that he did not simply let me be truthful from the start. If I could have been more than a merchant, you might not have been injured in the first place. And Sakura would still be here.”

Himari tilted her head. “You still miss her, hm?”

“Constantly. She was my companion for the last year.” She lets out a heavy sigh. “I know you didn’t know her as long as I did, but she seemed to really like you.”

“I liked her too,” Himari admitted with a nod of her head. “Maiko-san. We’re going to go find her. You have my word on that.”

“You’re going to just charge into the Black Forest and demand that she be returned to us?” Maiko couldn’t help but crack a smile at just the incredulity of the idea.

Stolen story; please report.

“If I have to, yes.” Himari says confidently. “If I have to fight the Guardian of the Forest herself, I will get her back. But first, we have a conspiracy to hunt down.”

Maiko let out a small breath. At least, for now, Himari seemed content to get back on task and discuss the reason they are here. And that, at least, she could work with.

A few hours later, Maiko found herself dressed in her tighter, soft blue clothing. As much as she hated to admit it, the shadows and she got along well. While she lacked Masashi-san's ability to seemingly meld into them, she had grown quite adept at finding just the right place to stand and skulk to keep herself from notice.

Himari had gone off to try to find the Santōhei that Gosei had mentioned. Maiko, on the other hand, had told her that she was going to look into a hunch that she had. Slipping into the main garrison of the First Army of Seifu had proven difficult. Memorizing guard rotations, finding space between patrols to slip over the gate. It was proving to be taxing work, and for a moment Maiko even worried she might be out of practice. Fortunately, nearly twenty years of training weren’t like to vanish in one, and Maiko found herself inside the compound with little issue.

What was proving an issue, however, was pushing into the inner workings of the compound. Every step she attempted to take, it seemed, was interrupted by yet another flood of soldiers, either on patrol, moving to other parts of the barracks, or just loitering around. Maiko cursed inwardly as she kept herself low to the ground. More than once she had to slip into a side hallway or an empty room just to keep herself hidden.

Fortunately, it seemed that the compound wasn’t on high alert. While progress was slow, she eventually managed to find her way onto the second floor - the officer’s quarters. Fortunately for her, the quarters seemed less guarded than the main floor. Her eyes watched carefully, but the second floor seemed… surprisingly empty. Still, she moved very quietly, listening cautiously for any sort of movement.

As she moved through the corridor of the officer's rooms, the sudden opening of a sliding door behind her startled her immediately into the officer’s room next to her. She held the door closed, breath held as she listened on the other side. Steps gradually moved away from her, and after a moment, she let out a breath.

“Um… who are you?” A voice from inside the room almost caused Maiko to squeak in surprise. As she looked, a man stood out in front of her. Groggily awake, it seemed, and… very naked.

As Maiko’s left hand reached into her sleeve, she smiled and stalled for time. “Ah. I am the Courtesan you ordered, Officer. If you please just lay down and relax, I will take care of your every desire.”

“Oh, I… wait, I didn’t order a-” he didn’t get the thought out before a dart vanished from Maiko’s sleeve, appearing on his neck faster than his already groggy mind could think. He started to collapse, and Maiko rushed to catch him and guide him gently to the ground. The poison the dart was coated with would keep him out for a few hours, so long as he wasn’t disturbed. She tucked him quietly back into his futon, then listened for any other movement. The coast seeming clear, she carefully opened the door and slipped out again.

Maiko’s feet finally led her where she was hoping to get: the war room. She slipped inside carefully, eyes immediately fixating on the wall of scrolls on its far side. As she stepped forward, her eyes were drawn to a map sitting on the center table. At first she paid it no mind, assuming it was just battle plans in the event of yet another war with the Northern Badlands. It was a set of blue flags that ultimately had caught her attention.

Maiko studied the map for several long moments. The map wasn’t just of the northern border, it was of the full country. Several little blue flags notated what had to be troop movements. As her eyes followed them, she sucked in a deep breath. If she was reading these correctly…

“Hey! What are you doing here?!” A voice from a door off the western wall pulled her away from the map. A man in an officer's robes looked at her with an intense expression. “Guards! We have an intruder!”

Maiko cursed, throwing another dart. The officer stepped to the left, and she cursed. She charged forward as the man moved to draw his sword, diving to sweep his legs from under him. He tripped over her legs, clumsily falling prone as she pushed quickly to her feet and kept running.

As she ran to the stairs, however, she saw that it was already flooded with guards. She cursed again, rushing to find another set. But as she circled the compound, she found herself beset by yet another group. She knew she had to think quickly. A purveyor of fair fights, she certainly was not. So she charged towards the south end of the building, ears keenly aware of the guards rapidly catching up to her. At the end of the hall, she pushed off her feet and tucked in her knees, busting through the paper wall with little knowledge of where exactly she was going to land.

Unsurprisingly, the ground rapidly approached as she fell. She rolled off the ground and back into a sprint, rushing towards where she left her rope for her extraction. The sound of guards were all around her at this point, and an arrow flew just past her head as she climbed the wall and jumped down onto the street below.

Out of the compound, losing the chasing soldiers was fortunately not terribly difficult. She knew the alleys of Nagata well, and ducked between buildings quickly. Her heart raced as she finally tried to catch her breath. After a few moments of thought, she steeled herself, and made a circuitous path out of the city.

Despite taking the better part of an hour to return to the inn, Maiko had beaten Himari to the inn. She wasn’t worried, of course. Himari was a Chosen, and there was no immediate reason for the people here to hold her longer than was necessary. By the time that Himari had arrived, Maiko had packed both of their things and saddled the horses.

Himari, for her part, was understandably confused. “Maiko-san! I’m glad you got out of the city. The army had closed the gates for two hours.”

“Yeah, I kind of figured. Himari-sama, we need to go. I’ve already packed your things, come on.”

“Wait, what do you mean?” Himari blinked in surprise. “Did you find something? Where are we going?”

“I did. And we need to get back to Kotei no kyūsoku. We have to warn Masashi-san and your father.”

“Why-”

“Himari-sama. Takahashi Makoto is planning to assassinate the Emperor.”