The sea rocked the ship as the moon rose overhead. A soft wind was blowing from behind, propelling the ship on its journey towards Kyoku City. Yuuki could taste the salt on the wind as she sat on a barrel near the ship’s bow.
This ship didn’t have a name, and was simply called the fishing ship by most of the village. It was nearly 50 mer long and had two masts situated a third from the bow and stern. The top deck was practically empty at this point. The ship’s captain was talking with the night watchman back by the helm of the ship. They were the only three people still on top.
Besides the barrel that Yuuki was sitting on, the rest of the deck mainly held crates and barrels of differing sizes. There wasn’t a single canon for self-defense, as the sailors in this strait of ocean rarely ran into antagonistic forces. The right side's railing was shorter than the left, with a large net strung up on it. During the day, it was the sailor’s main method of catching fish.
The ship itself only had one deck below. Half of it was partitioned off, and held fish on the ship’s journeys. The other half was where the sailors slept.
“If you stay up here much longer, you’ll catch a cold.” A heavy blanket dropped onto Yuuki’s shoulders. She turned around to tell Sarman that she was fine, only to find him already dragging another barrel next to her.
“I could say the same thing to you. I don’t mind the cold up here.” Yuuki averted her eyes slightly at the end.
The truth was that Yuuki didn’t mind the cold because she didn’t feel it anymore. Neither did she feel the heat from flames. She had been like this since Crystal died. No matter how close she got to the flames, or how much snow she sat in on the mountain, Yuuki didn’t feel anything. There was only one place in the last few weeks that she had felt any warmth.
“Don’t be so sure of yourself, miss.” The captain had walked up to join the two of them, butting into their conversation. He had a small limp in his step, supposedly from the fight he had when younger that earned him the title of captain. “I’ve seen many a sailor try to brave the cold before, only to end up dead by the morn.”
“Dead? I highly doubt that will happen to me.” Yuuki shook her head. Even if she didn’t feel the cold, there was no way that it was actually affecting her.
“Yuuki…” Sarman looked sad as he muttered her name.
“Hah!” The captain gave a hearty laugh. “That’s what they all say. But then they get cold, and the blood in them starts to slow. Eventually it will be too slow to keep you livin’. Remember that tonight.”
With a wave of his hand, the captain left no time for Yuuki to respond before heading below deck. Yuuki shook her head before turning to Sarman. He was still standing next to the barrel, simply looking down at her. She could see pain in his eyes.
“Don’t listen to him, I’ll be fine.”
“Will you?” Saraman’s eyes were searching her body, presumably for clues.
“I will. Come on. Sit down.” Yuuki said while patting her hand on the barrel next to her.
Sarman sat down reluctantly. When he did, Yuuki threw the blanket around him as well. She snuggled herself against him. While she didn’t feel any warmth from the blanket, her side was heating up just leaning against Sarman.
“I promise, I’ll be fine.” Yuuki whispered. She could tell that Sarman was still worrying about her.
“That’s not going to stop me from worrying about you.”
Yuuki’s hand gripped Sarman's shirt as her heart skipped a beat. Ever since they had reunited in Crystallia, Sarman had been staying by her side far more than before. It made her almost believe that his feelings for her had changed.
“I’m sorry, can we just be friends?” His words from three years ago echoed in her head. They always brought her back to reality. He didn’t have feelings for her in the same way that she had for him. He only saw her as a friend, maybe as a sister.
But he would never see her as a lover.
Yuuki knew that.
“If you’re gonna be so worried, why don’t we make a deal?”
“A deal?”
“You stay with me till I fall asleep. Then you can carry me below deck.” Yuuki proposed the deal with her eyes already growing heavy. She could feel sleep beginning to take her for the night.
“Fine. What were you doing up here?” Sarman accepted the deal, satisfied that he would be able to make sure she stayed warm.
“The stars.”
“Stars?”
Yuuki pointed up at them. “I used to look at the stars every night when I was a little kid. Looking up at them now, they’re the same. But they’re also different. They’re subtly different.”
Sarman wrapped a hand around hers. “Are you scared about being back?”
Yuuki’s cat ears twitched when she heard his question. She hadn’t been able to name the feeling she had held for a while, but after hearing Sarman say ‘scared’ she knew that was the feeling. Her body trembled slightly.
How could she admit that?
Even to Sarman, she was scared to say that she was scared. Yuuki was terrified of admitting it out loud.
There was no way she could admit it.
“I… I’m…” Yuuki refused to say it. Her hand went limp and her eyes closed. She slowed her breathing and refused to say anything else.
“So you fell asleep already, huh?” Sarman let out a sigh before picking her up. He gently walked towards the stairs that led below deck. The soft swaying of his steps slowly put Yuuki really to sleep.
“Yuuki… Miss Yuuki… It’s time to get up.”
A familiar sweet voice was calling out to her. She slowly opened her eyes, blinking a few times while raising her arm to block the sunlight pouring in through her window.
“Mmmmm… Riko?” The little girl groggily said the name of the blonde haired fox woman in front of her.
“That’s right, Miss Yuuki. I’m here to get you dressed.” Riko knelt down next to the futon that Yuuki was sleeping in. She had short blonde hair that barely reached past her cheeks, with two large fox ears sitting atop her head. She was wearing a simple dress that every maid in the building wore.
“Don’t wanna. I want to sleep more.” The young Yuuki dove back under her bedding.
“Don’t be like that. Today’s the special day when you and the master are going on their trip.”
Yuuki peaked her head out from under the bedding. “Really?” The simple question was met with a simple nod of Riko’s head. Seeing that, Yuuki jumped out of her bed. “Yay! Yay! Yay!”
She bounded around the room, circling around the maid while continuing to exclaim ‘yay’ with every bounce. Riko smiled and slowly moved to the window, opening it, and letting in the smell of the flowers just outside. It also let in the noise of the other parts of the household, where Yuuki’s father was making sure everything else was ready.
“Alright, Miss, it’s time to get on your clothes for the journey.” Riko called out to the bouncing girl. Her voice stopped the young child in her tracks. Yuuki spread her arms wide and beamed at her maid.
“I’m ready!”
Riko laughed as she grabbed a bundle of cloth from the dresser and knelt in front of the girl.
“What happened to wanting to sleep?”
“I can do that on the boat!”
“Haha! You sure can.” Riko unfolded the cloth bundle. It was a high quality Yukata that the Mistress had ordered made for this very occasion. Riko gently pulled it over Yuuki’s body, pulling and tightening certain points so that it wouldn’t come off easily.
“Will you sleep on the boat as well, Riko?” Yuuki looked at her maid expectantly. She was sure the maid was coming with them. Who would change her clothes if she didn’t? Who would put her to bed, and make sure she was at the dinner table on time?
“I…” A flash of pain passed through Riko’s eyes. “I’m sorry, miss, but I won’t be going with you. I have to stay here and look after Kyouta and Mirai.”
“You aren’t going with us?” Yuuki’s eyes filled with water as she processed what Riko was saying. “No! I don’t want you to stay! You have to come with- ugh”
Yuuki’s protests were cut short by Riko pulling hard on her obi to get it tight. “I know you want me to go, but I can’t. Now turn around, it’s time to work on your hair.” Riko turned the girl around and sat her down in front of her.
“What should we do with your hair today? Braids? A ponytail or twin tails? Do you want me to keep it straight?” Yuuki winced with each stroke of the brush that Riko was using. Her hair was a mess from sleeping, so there were a number of knots in it.
“I don’t care.” Yuuki answered with a pout.
“All right. Let’s go with a special braid, then.” Riko said.
The maid soon finished brushing out her hair and began to braid it. Yuuki sat in a silent pout through it all.
“I’m not done yet, but I think this is my best braid yet.” Riko said, praising herself.
Silence.
“I hope you have a good trip to Sanum with your papa. I’ve heard that the city is beautiful.” Riko said, wishing the young Yuuki good fortune.
Silence.
“And done. With this braid, your hair should stay out of the way while you sail on the boat.” Riko said, hugging Yuuki from behind.
Silence.
“And, if you’re ever missing me, have someone braid your hair just like this. It’ll be like I’m right there with you.”
“I don’t want to imagine you’re there! I want you to be there!” Yuuki cried out.
Riko was about to respond when a knocking on the room door stopped her.
“Riko, Yuuki, are you two ready?” A female voice echoed through the door.
“That’s right, Mistress. Yuuki is ready to go.” Riko responded.
The door opened, and a middle-aged woman entered the room. She looked like a much older version of Yuuki, except that her hair was a light brown instead of a dark black. Yuuki had gotten the color of her hair from her father, as well as her purple eyes.
“Mama! Why does Riko have to stay?” Yuuki ran to her mother as soon as the door was open. She was only half her height, so she grabbed onto one of her legs.
With a soft smile, her mother knelt down and patted her head. “I know it’s going to be tough for you, sweetie, but we need Riko here to look after your little brother and sister.”
“But! But! Why can’t you get someone else to look after them?” Yuuki refused to accept this decision.
“We simply can’t. You’ll have to deal with it until you get back from Sanum, okay?”
Her mother stroked her head and talked softly. It began to work, calming Yuuki down until she finally relented.
“Fine.” Yuuki turned to Riko and ran over to hug her. “You better be here when I get back.”
“I will be, I promise.” Riko patted the young girl’s head.
“Pinky promise?”
“Pinky promise.”
Yuuki looked up at her maid. There was still pain on her face, but she was going to bear it until she returned.
“Now go with your mother.” Riko gave her a soft smile.
Yuuki’s mother picked her up from behind, and the two of them left that room. They walked through the large household estate. Yuuki’s room was in its own building alongside the dojo that she often spent time in with her father.
There were three buildings in total, all of them surrounding a central garden. The main building was where they were heading. It housed most of the normal facilities that were found in households, and was used by the few maids and butlers that they had sleep there. The building across from the one with Yuuki’s room held both her parent’s room and her sibling’s rooms.
The central garden was her mother’s pride and joy. There was an abundance of flowers. All sorts of different colors dotted the garden. And at its center was a large tree that bloomed beautiful pink petals, yet they only bloomed in the fourth month of the year.
Yuuki’s mother gently carried her through the flower garden. They weaved through the scents of the summer flowers as they slowly made their way to the entrance to the estate.
“Yuuki, will you be strong for me on your journey?” Yuuki’s mother whispered to her while they walked.
“I will be strong!” Yuuki gave her mother a large smile.
“Your name means ‘courage’. Will you be courageous?”
“I will be courageous!” Once again, Yuuki’s smile beamed bright.
“Then, when you get back, can you promise me that you will still be my little angel?”
Yuuki threw her arms around her mother’s neck. “I promise!”
As they reached the main building of the estate, another maid was waiting inside. In their arms was a small baby girl. She didn’t have many distinguishing features except for the cat ears on her head and the tail coming from her rear waist. Mirai, Yuuki’s youngest sibling, who was barely a year old.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Standing next to the maid was a young toddler boy. He had brown hair like their mother and the usual cat features that they all had. He was wearing a loosely fitted Yukata to see his father and older sister off. Kyouta, her younger brother, had just turned four years old, and was a little over three years younger than her.
“Sis?” Kyouta looked up at Yuuki.
Their mother put Yuuki down so that she could hug her brother. “I’ll be back soon, Kyouta. In the time that I’m gone, you gotta protect Mirai, okay?”
Her brother softly shook his head in response.
“Yuuki! Looks like you’re ready as well!” Their father’s booming voice echoed from the front of the room.
Yuuki turned to face him. He was wearing an intricate Kimono that did little to hide the muscles that Yuuki strived to mimic one day. He had the same jet black hair that she did, yet one of his cat ears was cut short, having been lost in a fight years ago.
She stood straight, not making a move towards him or anyone else. He wouldn’t have wanted that.
“I’m ready, papa.”
“You’ve said your goodbyes?”
Yuuki nodded in response.
“Good. It’s time for us to head down to the docks.”
Her father was curt, like always. With little more fanfare, Yuuki was moved onto a carriage with her father. They had a fairly large group heading with them, full of soldiers and guards. When they got down to the docks, her father talked with her uncle for a while, and then they were moved onto a large ship.
Yuuki stood by the railings on the ship as they set sail. She was waving to her mother and Riko, who she saw on the docks. As she was waving, a familiar man walked up next to them. He was young, and Yuuki could see bird’s feathers peaking out from his loose clothes.
“Sarman?” His name came to her naturally. When she said it, she realized it was him. “Sarman!”
Yuuki leaned over the railing and yelled out to him. What was he doing there? Why wasn’t he on the ship with them?
“What’s going on?” Nic and Aria were behind her. The former was the one who had asked the question.
“Sarman’s still on the docks! We need to get him over here.” Yuuki turned to her two other friends.
“What? Sarman is exactly where he should be.” Aria said.
“No! That’s not right! Sarman should be leaving Kyoku with us!” Yuuki turned around again and tried to lean over the railing, but was blocked by an invisible wall.
A torrent of wind had surrounded her. Yuuki put her hand on the hilt of the katana on her waist. She turned to her friends.
“Aria, let me go.”
“I’m sorry, but you’re acting weird, Yuuki. Sarman is exactly where he needs to be.” Aria repeated the same message.
Yuuki clicked her tongue and drew the sword, only for the wind to block any attack she could make with it. Yuuki slammed her body against the wall of wind. It numbed her shoulder but did little else.
When she realized she wasn’t getting at Aria, Yuuki turned back towards the edge of the ship. The dock was getting further and further. Sarman was becoming smaller.
Yuuki hit the wall with her body again.
Another figure walked up besides Sarman. Her white hair was unmistakable.
“Crystal! Get Sarman over here!” Yuuki called out at the top of her lungs.
The small Crystal reached her hand out and touched Sarman.
Yuuki watched in horror as Sarman froze. Ice slowly encapsulated him.
“Sarman!” Yuuki began to pound her body against the invisible wall again. She threw her entire body behind it.
Slam. Slam. Slam.
Crack.
Yuuki heard it, even with the impossible distance between them. The ice holding Sarman had snapped in half. And the body inside it had as well.
“ARRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!” Yuuki screamed in pain as she threw her body at the wind wall again.
Only it wasn’t there.
Yuuki realized only after she had flipped over the ship's side.
She fell face-first into the icy cold water.
Yuuki’s eyes snapped open. Her breathing was ragged and erratic. She was lying on her side, a small blanket between her and the wooden floor. She could feel warmth surrounding her. Sarman’s arm was wrapped around her. She could feel his body wrapped around hers.
His presence calmed her breathing.
There was a faint chirping from above. A bird must have been close to the boat.
She wrapped her hand around Sarman’s, squeezing it lightly. Moving slowly so she wouldn’t wake Sarman up, Yuuki slowly sat up. She propped herself up with a hand placed where her head had been. Her fingers glided across the rough wood before suddenly hitting a smooth, cold, patch.
“Ice?” Yuuki looked down at her fingers, one of which was sitting on a small splotch of ice, barely larger than her finger.
“Oh, you’re awake.” Aria’s voice came from the entryway to the sleeping area.
“Huh? Oh, yeah.” Yuuki said distantly as she looked at her friend. Aria was already dressed and ready for any possible meetings they could have that day. Her light brown hair was swaying gently with the rocking of the boat. It had grown longer, reaching well past her shoulders now.
“Yuuki? Is something wrong?” Aria peered at her questioningly.
“No? Why are you asking?”
“Well, it looks like you’ve been crying.”
Yuuki reached up with a hand, feeling her face. Her eyes did feel slightly more wet than normal, but she hadn’t realized it had been because of tears.
“I must’ve cried while I was asleep.”
“I see.” Aria shrugged. “Well, we’re going to hit the dock’s in an hour or so. Make sure to wake Sarman and get ready.”
“Wait!” Yuuki called out to Aria as she turned to leave. “Let me wake up Sarman, but I want your help today. If you don’t mind.”
Aria’s eyes went wide for a split second before being replaced by a soft smile. “Sure.”
Hearing confirmation, Yuuki turned around and began to lightly shake Sarman.
“Hngh. Wha?” Sarman was groggily speaking as he rubbed his eyes.
“It’s time to get up. We should be reaching the port in about an hour.” Yuuki spoke softly.
“Hmmmm. Got it.” Sarman slowly sat up and looked around. Spotting Aria standing near the entrance seemed to wake him up fully. He looked between Aria and Yuuki a few times before speaking again. “Oh. I need to leave here, don’t I?”
“Please.” Yuuki bowed her head as she responded.
“Got it. Got it. Don’t gotta tell me twice.” Sarman quickly got up and left the room with his bag.
As he left, Aria closed the door before walking over to Yuuki. “So, what do you want my help with?” Aria said while sitting down next to Yuuki.
“My hair.” Yuuki turned so that her back was facing Aria, giving her easy access to her hair. Her two cat ears flattened against the top of her head.
“Oh?” Aria sounded shocked, but she still grabbed a brush and began to methodically brush out Yuuki’s hair.
“Last night, I dreamt about the time when I left Kyoku. That’s probably why I was crying in my sleep. But, when I left, a woman I respect did my hair in a specific style. I want to get as close to that style coming back.”
“But you can’t do it alone?”
“I can’t. That’s why I want your help.”
“Got it.”
The two sat there, Aria messing with Yuuki’s hair, doing everything she asked. In the end, it took thirty minutes for Aria to finally get Yuuki’s hair how she wanted it. Her hair was braided, starting just above each ear, and pulled to the back of her head. There, each braid went around the bun that was the rest of her hair.
“There we go.”
Yuuki lightly patted the bun, making sure everything felt right. Satisfied, she turned around and hugged Aria. “Thank you.” She whispered softly.
“Is that all you needed help with?” Aria stood up while asking.
“Actually, there is one more thing.” Yuuki walked over to her own bag and began searching through it. She finally pulled out a rather large cloth package and showed it to Aria.
“Is that-?”
“A Kimono.”
Aria had seen one before. She was familiar with the process of putting one on. Yuuki had gotten her help when they were younger, though at the time, she had been wearing jeans and a hat to cover her feline features.
“If we’re meeting with the Shogun today, I should be wearing one out of respect.” Yuuki explained herself to Aria.
Yuuki began to strip as Aria took the package of cloth and began to unwrap it.
“Hey Yuuki, there is a small hole in this.” Yuuki turned to look at what Aria was talking about. There was indeed a hole in the back of the kimono, but Yuuki had intentionally had that made.
“It’s for my tail.” Yuuki said.
“Of course. You’re right. What was I thinking?” Aria berated herself while pulling the first layer of cloth over Yuuki’s body. Yuuki let out a small grunt when Aria tightened the cord around her waist. Aria helped Yuuki get her tail through the small holes in the cloth.
The air was growing charged without either of them saying a word. Aria silently slipped the second layer of cloth on Yuuki.
“Aria, I-” Yuuki tried to say something. She wanted to say anything to break the oppressive feeling that was filling the surrounding air.
“Don’t.” Aria cut Yuuki off. “Don’t feel the need to apologize for lying to me for all of those years. I heard the story from Nic and Sarman. I get why you did it. So don’t apologize.”
“But-” Yuuki was cut off again, this time by Aria pulling the Obi tight around her gut and forcing her to stop talking. Yuuki desperately wanted to apologize. She hadn’t gotten the time to sit down and talk with Aria since everything happened. “Aria. I want to apologize. It wasn’t fair of me to keep this from you for so long.”
Yuuki could hear Aria sigh. Aria wrapped her arms around Yuuki from behind, embracing her in a one-sided hug. “If that’s the case, then promise me something.” Aria’s voice was a whisper that came from right next to Yuuki’s ear.
“What?” Yuuki could barely get her answer out.
“Next time, don’t hide anything from me. If something happens, tell me. Let me be your friend. Let me be someone you can lean on to tell things. Can you do that?”
Aria’s words forced a smile from Yuuki. She grabbed the arms hugging her from behind and nodded her head. “I will.”
Knock knock!
A knocking at the door caused Aria to quickly let go of Yuuki.
“We’re about to dock!” The voice coming through the door was Nic’s. He had come down to collect the two of them.
“You ready?” Aria looked at Yuuki. Yuuki looked around and grabbed her cloak, throwing it on over the Kimono. She slid the hood over her head, blocking out her face, as she nodded.
“Still scared of being seen?” Aria asked while grabbing Yuuki’s bag for her. Yuuki’s Katana was tied to the side of the bag. It rattled slightly as Aria threw it over her shoulder.
“Kind of? I don’t want my father seeing me too early, if possible.” Yuuki explained as the two left the room and climbed up onto the top deck. Standing near the bow was the rest of their group, already good to go. Nic and Sarman were talking with Sarah and Kiara. The other two diplomats that had come from Crystallia alongside Yuuki were standing next to them, but were simply looking out at the port looming ahead.
Yuuki watched the port as they came in to dock. It looked similar to what she remembered from the time she left. There were certainly more ships docked than there used to be, but the market that thrived next to the docks was in full swing. People were coming and going, and prices were being thrown out at the top of vendor’s lungs.
In the center of the area, right before the street that led up to the Shogun’s palace, was a large tree that was currently blooming with beautiful pink petals. Yuuki knew the tree well. There was an identical one in her family’s home.
“What’s that tree?” Sarman switched places with Aria while asking the question.
“Sakura trees. They only bloom once a year during the fourth month. I guess it’s that time already, huh?” Yuuki answered, a hint of sorrow bleeding into her voice.
“It sure is. I almost forgot what today was, myself.”
“Today?” Yuuki looked at Sarman, with a confused tilt of her head.
“Oh? Have you lost track of the days?”
“Travelling makes it hard to keep up.”
“Fair.” Sarman smiled at her. “I guess you have forgotten that today is the twenty-first day of the fourth month?”
Yuuki’s eyes went wide. “It’s the twenty-first?” She said, almost a whisper.
So much had happened in the past few weeks that she hadn’t come to realize that it was almost the fifth month in the year already. But the twenty-first of the fourth month was a special day for her. It was on that day, twenty years prior, that she had been brought into the world.
In other words, it was Yuuki’s twentieth birthday.
“Happy birthday, Yuuki.” Sarman said with a smile plastered on his face.
Yuuki was about to respond when the boat lurched into port. The captain began shouting down to the dockworkers. Ropes were thrown overboard, caught by waiting hands, and tied around posts to keep the boat stable.
The captain was the first one off the boat. At his command, the group of delegates from the alliance came off after him.
“We’ve arrived at the capitol of Kyoku.” The captain welcomed the group of foreigners to the proud city.
“Thank you for ferrying us across the ocean, Mister.” Sarman bowed as he responded.
“All in a day’s work. You’ll be heading to the Shogun’s palace, correct?”
“That’s right.”
“Then you shall find your final destination at the top of the city. That grand palace is the heart of our nation. Tell the guards at the gate your request, and you may get a chance to talk with the Shogun.” The captain climbed back onto his ship. A couple of dockworkers rushed on as well, carrying more goods for the mainland village.
“May get a chance?” Nic caught a word and asked about it.
“That’s right. May. The Shogun is a busy man. And who’s to say that they will even accept a meeting with outsiders like yourselves.”
The group looked between each other, worried about this new question of their plan. Yuuki was sure that, being that a portion of their group was from Sanum, they wouldn’t be turned away immediately from the gates.
She pulled her hood low over her face as the group set off. If they were denied entry, she would play every card she had to get them in.
With each step her hands grew more and more wet with sweat. Every step brought her closer to what she had been running from for so long.
Sarman matched his steps to her, always being right by her side. Did he know how she was feeling? Yuuki wasn’t sure, but she was glad to have his presence beside her. Familiar visages passed by the group. Yuuki had faint memories of these streets. Places where she had run when younger.
The sun was shining brightly in the sky, beating the cloaked demi-human with growing heat. She was relieved thanks to the wind blowing from the port, bringing the cool sea air into the town.
“Halt!” two spears snapped against each other, blocking the delegations way forward. They had finally reached the gate to the Shogun’s palace, and were being blocked by the guards standing there. “What is your reason for coming here?”
“Good guards,” Sarman stepped forward, leading the rest of the group. “We are a group of delegates from a number of City-States, including the City-State of Sanum. We are here to seek counsel with your Shogun.”
“Foreigners?” The guard on the right answered as he stepped forward. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, especially after you have come so far, but the Shogun is currently not taking visitors.”
“I see. When will be the next time your Shogun is available?”
“The earliest anyone will be able to get a meeting with him will be next week.” Another voice spoke from within the gate. The guard stood up straight in surprise.
Yuuki felt her breath catch in her throat as she looked at the two people coming out of the courtyard. The dream she had the night before came rushing back to her thoughts. THey barely looked different, despite the decade it had been since she had last seen them.
There were two of them.
A man much older than he looked, and he still looked to be in his forties, who had dark hair that almost seemed purple in the sunlight. One and a half cat ears stood atop that hair. The other half of the left one had been lost in combat centuries ago. His grizzly face was marred by a scar going through the entire left side of his face, intersecting with his purple eye, and pointing directly at the damaged ear.
Like Yuuki, he was wearing a formal outfit. A kimono with a few pieces of his armor above it in specific places. Two of them were the sodes upon his shoulders. The one on the right was emblazoned with the image of a rising sun behind two katana --the insignia of the shogun-- while the left featured a cat’s tail wrapped around the hilt of a katana --the insignia of the Ito family--. At his waist was a ceremonial katana. Yuuki imagined that it was mainly being worn for appearances. Wrapped around the edge of the katana’s sheath was the man’s tale.
Next to him was a woman who, despite her centuries of life, still managed to look barely above 25. Like the man and Yuuki, she was a cat-demi-human. Unlike them, she had much lighter hair that matched her two youngest children. Her long, light-brown, hair was currently tied up in a somewhat intricate bun. Her dark brown eyes quizzically passed between the eight foreigners standing in her way. She was wearing a Yukata similar to the one that Yuuki had on beneath her cloak.
The man’s eyes rested on Sarman as a sad look rested on his face.
“While we want to have a good relationship with Sanum, I’m afraid that you will have to wait about a month, after the rest of the people who have come before you, Sarman.”
The group looked between each other in surprise, though none were as surprised as Sarman himself.
“You remember me?”
“Ha! You’re a spitting image of your old man. It’s not that hard to guess who you are, even if the last time I saw you, you were but a young kitten. I must say, you have grown into a fine gentleman.”
“Then surely you can make an exception for us, please? We desperately need to see your Shogun.” Sarman pleaded with the man in front of them. In vain, he pleaded against an impenetrable wall.
The man shook his head. The guards sighed. Everyone in the castle knew that this man wouldn’t have his mind changed for anything. Sarman was fighting a fruitless battle. There was only one way to scale that impenetrable wall.
Yuuki put her arm on Sarman’s shoulder. A signal that she was stepping in. Sarman quietly complied, stepping back as Yuuki stepped forward. Unlike Sarman, she knew the one thing to scale the wall that is the man in front of her. As she slid back the hood covering her face, the man’s face twisted in surprise while the woman let out a soft gasp.
“Father, we need to see Uncle. It is a matter of grave importance.”
The key to scaling the wall was her. Yuuki Ito, daughter of Nobu Ito, the man standing in front of her.