Three long weeks crept by, and Yuki settled into life as a member of House Ishihara. She soon learned her routine, which consisted of chores and practice in the morning, followed by more chores and practice in the afternoon. In the evening she would help the other girls with their hair or makeup, or she might accompany Misasa as an observer. On a rare occasion, she would have the blessing of free time. She often used this sacred time to walk about the district dreaming of escape or rescue. Ishihara was well fortified, the foxes were numerous, and the only way in or out was constantly watched. Yet there had to be another way, for rumors of some highly ranked masters leaving the district late in the evening had been told amongst the girls, but only in whispers. She wondered if these stories contained any shred of truth, or if they were told to give false hope. Despite all this, she had not yet given up on her father. “He will find a way,” she continued to hope.

Her relations with her sisters in the house had also slowly improved, though the catastrophe on her first night seemed to stick with her. The morning after, she apologized profusely to Rin and offered her as much as she could possibly give, but her older sister quietly refused.

“Just keep your mouth shut from now on,” she said, and coldly brushed her off. This was much worse than her usual displays of anger, and so Yuki went out of her way to serve Rin as best she could despite her disparaging remarks and generally sour attitude.

Yuki took Misasa’s words to heart and focused on being present, despite her hope of rescue. She did her best to assist all her sisters in chores and was diligent in her practice. Her various teachers were not as openly critical as Mokuwahara-sensei, but they were just as exacting. In Ishihara, everything was supposed to give off the illusion of a dream. One wrong note could disturb the dream and wake the dreamer. Perfection was required at all times. Often, she would stay up late into the night and practice. She did not want to be thrown into the brothels. That, in her mind, was the ultimate defeat.

One day, an unusual event disturbed what had become the normalcy of her routine. Udea summoned her down to the room where she had met him on her first day in Ishihara. He was reclined on his cushions, much like the last time, but he was feasting on a large chicken thigh. There was grease smudged across his thick lips. A young woman was behind him, kneading into his back, and there was a look of displeasure in her eyes.

“You have a visitor,” he said casually. “The Lady’s orders.” He then waved his hand to signal the fox behind her. The fox motioned for her to follow and led her out of the house and into the district. It was about midday, not a common time for visitors to arrive. Besides, it was unheard of for an eye to be summoned for a one-on-one meeting. Her roommates were probably already discussing this. However, she did have a good idea of who it could be.

The fox led her to a teahouse in the center of the district, and she went inside. She passed by a quaint garden with a tall bonsai tree in the center of the building, and into an open room along the periphery. Kondo was sitting down at a small table set for two. The fox motioned for her to sit, and then walked away from them.

“I see you’re still in good health,” he observed, sipping from the earthenware teacup in his hand. It had been a while since she had last seen him, and he appeared a bit more polished. City living had apparently worn off on him, for his beard was trimmed, and his hair was pulled back into a short ponytail. However, he was still lean and hard, and his words were as cutting as ever.

“Is that all this is?” she asked, glaring at him. “Another mission? You’re only here to check up on me. Well, I am fine. Let us leave it at that.”

Kondo nodded slowly. “It took quite a bit of effort to get this meeting arranged, Eye. Apparently, your lowly status here prohibits such attention. We had to pull some expensive strings, so I suggest you sit and enjoy the tea.”

His words did not seem like they provided for any kind of refusal, so she reluctantly sat down. He poured her a cup of frothy green tea, and she sipped it. It was hot and bitter but good.

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“Are you finding your way here?” he asked.

“What news of my father?” she interjected. “What do you know?” She realized that his coming could also have another meaning. He could be bringing word that her father was already captured or dead. Then her life would no longer be of any value. Could that be what he was here for after all?

Kondo shook his head. “Nothing. In fact, we no longer know of his location.” It sounded like he was giving away more information than he should. Why?

A sudden surge of joy grew within her. “He is alive!” she thought.

He noticed the smile on her lips and frowned. “Do not be so hasty in your celebration. There are many things other than me that can kill a man. The world is a dangerous place after all. He may be dead.”

“I know my father,” she said emphatically. “He is alive.”

“I tend to agree with you,” he said casually, taking another long sip of tea.

“I heard about what he did in Kagiminato,” Yuki ventured.

Upon hearing that, an involuntary look of surprise crossed Kondo’s face.

“I am an eye, but I also have ears, and here I see and hear much,” Yukiana said with a grin.

Kondo forced a calm smile. “Is that right? Well, it was a blundered job. Apparently, my message to the steward was not heeded. They should have just sent me to capture him instead of you.”

Just then a thought crossed Yuki’s mind. “I remember Captain Yoko saying that you fought in the war for Yoshimitsu Akira. Is that true?”

He nodded. “I did.”

“So, you must have known my father. Apparently, he was quite famous, and he fought for Akira too. You may remember him by the name…”

“I knew him,” Kondo quickly interrupted. His face was dark, and he seemed to growl as he said it.

“You knew him...personally?” she asked, sounding hopeful.

“No. But I knew all about the Raijin. He was one of my heroes after all.”

Yuki almost spat out her tea. “Your what?”

Kondo shrugged. “I joined the cursed war because of men like him. He was one of the most famous swordsmen of our age. They called him the Raijin because they said his sword strikes were as powerful as bolts of lightning. Tales of him, I am sure, have been greatly exaggerated, but there is always a kernel of truth to those stories. And even if a kernel of what I heard was true, the man had rightly earned his legendary status. He was a true samurai. A real warrior. He eventually became the leader of the fabled Kurogumi, the Swords of Akira, and most of all he fought with honor, upholding the samurai code, or at least that’s what I thought. But your father committed the unpardonable sin.”

“And what sin was that?” Yuki asked, still in awe of what she was hearing.

“He and his men made one final stand at Yoshimitsu Castle,” Kondo explained, looking far away as if he saw it played out before his eyes. “Mashige already slew Lord Akira, but they did not know it yet. Mashige had the castle besieged, and eventually, the defenses broke down. He offered the Kurogumi a chance to surrender. None did, except…”

“My father…”

Kondo nodded. “He left his own men to commit suicide and die with honor while he crawled and begged for mercy like a dog. This was covered up of course, and most people think that your father is dead. But I know the truth. Once I discovered this, I no longer saw him as a legendary hero, but a selfish fool like the rest of us. When Lord Akira died all my dreams and delusions perished with him, and the fall of the mighty Raijin was just the nail in the coffin.” Kondo flashed his teeth. Clearly, the memories were still painful for him.

“So now…” Yuki began.

“So now I get to have a hand in his demise,” Kondo stated, easing slightly. He looked at Yukiana. His eyes focused on her. “I am sure this is why your father was so reluctant to speak of his past. He didn't want his only daughter to know of his great failure. So now you know.”

Yuki sat still for a few moments, deep in thought. She knew all too well of her father’s stubborn refusal to speak about the past, but even so, she did not agree with Kondo’s final assessment. There was more that her father did not wish to speak of. More than just one act of self-preservation.

“My father is not what you think he is,” she said. “He left my mother and me for years for that war of his. There must have been a good reason why he dishonored himself and clung to life.”

To this Kondo did not reply but stared at her all the more intently.

Yuki took one more sip and realized that it was the last of her tea. She rose. “It is time that I got back to my duties. Thank you for the tea.”

Kondo reclined back and grinned. “Go on ahead. I’ll come by every so often to make sure you are healthy. It’s still my mission to keep you alive after all. At least for the time being.” He then grabbed the teakettle and poured himself another cup.

She forced herself to bow and then left the tea house. The fox was waiting outside the building and quietly escorted her back to Ueda’s.