At sundown, Yukiana came to the great wooden door of Lady Ishihara’s personal residence in the far corner of the district. It was pulled open by two foxes, these dressed in all black to signify their rank as masters, the most elite warriors of the district. She proceeded inside, and there the other musicians of her house were gathered in the cramped entrance chamber. Here it was considerably darker, for the light of the moon was gone, replaced by sparse and weak lamps that dotted the residence. When all the summoned had finally arrived, including the anxious Rin, the foxes led them further inside the mansion.
The halls were finely polished and exceedingly long, but the windows were shuttered, making the corridors seem cold and immeasurable. The potted bonsai dotting the wall were bare, and their branches looked like bony fingers, stretching outwards. The place felt altogether miserable, and the creeping silence was the worst thing of all.
At length, they reached a spacious antechamber and proceeded inside. The girls removed even their slippers, which they were given at the estate’s entrance, and stepped onto the cold, wooden floor. There they knelt, sitting on their knees, with the best upright posture that they could sustain. Before them were two great shoji screens, and behind them was the bright light of a great lamp. The light was so strong that it was impossible to look at it directly until one’s eyes had grown accustomed to it. Several long minutes passed, and nothing happened. Nothing changed other than Yuki’s feet began to grow numb from her rigid position on the hardwood floor.
At last, the screens were pulled open by two foxes, and the light flooded out into the audience chamber, even brighter now that the opaque screens were removed. In the middle of the bright light and upon a dais of three steps, sat Lady Ishihara, robed in pure white that was flecked with gold so that she glittered in the light of the lamp behind her. Her outer robe was so great that it seemed to flow out like a river and draped down upon the steps of the dais. Her face was painted white, and her eyes were lined in jet black, as were her lips. Her hair was long but pulled up in an elaborate arrangement, with kanzashi that dripped with radiating crystals. She was terrifyingly beautiful, yet there was a bitter sharpness to her, and a depth of power within her like a vast cavern in the heart of a mountain.
When the Lady was revealed, they all bowed low on their hands and knees before their master and dared not raise their eyes until they were bidden. After an extended pause, in which the Lady was able to survey her audience, the dread ruler of Ishihara spoke at last.
“Rise,” she commanded languidly. All immediately sprung up to their feet and bowed. “At ease,” she eventually allowed, and all stood erect once again. After that, an even longer and more uncomfortable silence followed.
“Seven times,” the Lady began. Her voice was firm and had the beautiful ring of a perfectly tuned bell, clear and piercing, but cold. “Seven times the Shōgun has asked me to leave this district and join him at his side in his palace. Seven times he asked me, and seven times I refused him. Tell me, my children, do you understand what it is like to refuse the Shōgun?”
There was abject silence in the room. No one dared to reply, for no one truly knew.
“It is not a thing easily done, but that is exactly what I did,” she continued. “And do you know why I did such a thing?” The Lady waited for several moments, as she was giving each girl a chance to ponder her question.
“It was for you. It was for love. I love all my children here with a fierce passion. I love this place, and do you know why? I shall tell you. I have created a paradise for women like you. You, who were once lowly, filthy, and scorned, are now skilled, beautiful, and desired. This is a place where the very bottom can rise to the very top. Nowhere else on these islands will you find such a place. You do not have to worry about your meals, clothing, or a warm place to sleep. You are well protected, and well provided for. For some, you will achieve luxury and decadence that most cannot even fathom. You have everything you need, including a family. What more could one ask for?”
The Lady’s eyes scanned the room. She seemed to revel in the intensity in which her audience was fixed upon her.
“And so, what would become of this place if I left as the Shōgun asked? I believe that it would eventually collapse and degenerate into what it used to be, a place for abuse, poverty, and humiliation. I simply cannot allow that, for I love you all so much. And yet…” A quiver of anger then crossed her black lips. “One of you stole into my chambers, my private chambers, and spied upon me several days ago…”
She held out her hand. In it sat Rin’s brooch for all to see. She then tossed it down to the floor, and it slid across the polished wood and stopped by one of the girls in the front row.
“Is this how you repay my love? With spite? With treachery?”
Her words hung in the air, the weight of the accusation crushing all before her.
The Lady pressed on. “If the spy confesses now, right now, their punishment will be decreased.” Her sharp eyes scanned about the room, and she looked from girl to girl, studying each intently.
When her gaze fell on Yuki, she felt stricken, and it took every ounce of strength to stand firm. A few other girls quaked and quailed and were forced to their feet by the foxes who held them up, though they wept and convulsed with fear.
“Will you not confess?” the Lady cried out after the brief interrogation, and her voice seemed to shake the hall like thunder. “Will you test my patience further, you wicked spy! Will you cause my wrath to spill out and destroy even those whom I love? Do you take me as a fool? Do you not know who I am?”
Everyone in the room was stunned and silent, even those who were previously in hysterics were struck dumb.
“Do you truly wish to test me?” she hissed before mastering herself. Her beautiful face for a moment had twisted to reveal a frenzied, diabolical glare. Her voice then fell to a chilling whisper, and her features returned to their former, pristine image. “So be it. So be it, then. I know that someone in this room is guilty. So how are we going to sort this out?”
No one dared to venture a response.
“I could have you all killed,” the Lady proposed. She then laughed. It was a malignant, vile laugh and it filled the room with a poisonous dread. “Yes! That would surely solve the problem, would it not? The spy would certainly be rooted out that way. But then, the rest of you might think me unfair! For you are nearly all blameless. Nearly. But if there is something that I cannot abide, it is treachery.”
The girls looked around at each other nervously, unable to believe what they were hearing.
The Lady frowned suddenly. “Do you really think I would do such a terrible thing? When I told you that I loved you did you not believe me?” she asked as if offended. “You are my musicians! You are the voices of this district, rivaling even the geisha of the Old Capital who used to stick up their noses at us. You would be nearly impossible to replace. It would take years to replenish. I could not destroy all of you. I could not bring myself to do it. And yet…
I do detest spies after all. Since the culprit has not yet confessed, this might be the only way. But how I would mourn for you! Oh, would I mourn for days! And what would the other families say? Would they come to despise me, the one who gave them everything? That would not do. That would not do at all. This is all so difficult. I just cannot bring myself to…” the Lady trailed off.
Once again silence filled up the room, and Ishihara’s dark eyes hovered over her trembling servants. A cruel smile then appeared on her face.
“Foxes,” the Lady suddenly commanded, with a tone as dark as the void. “Cut down every woman here and hang their severed heads as ornaments on the Dream-maker Tree. Let there be no doubt as to how I manage my district.”
With that, the light of the lamp was instantly extinguished, and darkness fell upon the room. Foxes rushed in, swords unsheathed and spears at the ready. They were just about to butcher the room of screaming women when one voice lifted above the cries.
“It was me!” Yukiana screamed. “Stop this! It was me!”
At once the guards stopped and stood motionless, and the light of the great lamp began to glow once again.
“Foxes,” Ishihara said, her voice alluring and soothing once again. “Open the doors. Let them all go. Leave this one to me.”
The guards did as she asked and opened the large doors to the audience chamber. Some women looked at Yuki with raw hatred, others with sorrowful pity. Many were weeping uncontrollably, shocked by all that had happened. It took several minutes, but eventually, the doors were shut once again.
Yuki fought to remain still, but her whole being shuddered with terror.
At length, the Lady spoke again. “Do my eyes deceive me?” she asked with a coy smile now that the room had been emptied. “Are there two offenders here?”
Yuki was startled by this statement and turned her head to see what the Lady had intended by this. Directly to her right, but on the far side of the audience chamber stood her older sister, Rin.
At that moment, their eyes met and then Rin took a bold step forward and threw back her head. “Yuki is lying!” she shouted. “I am the one who did it!”
Oh?” the Lady cooed, a devious expression crossing her face. “Now this is most unexpected.” Ishihara effortlessly removed the great white robe from her back and slowly stepped down the dais. Underneath the white kimono was a scarlet under-kimono that clung tightly to her, accentuating her figure, and making her seem far deadlier. A golden collar hung around her neck, and in her hand, she bore a long, silver knife.
“Do not listen to her!” Yuki insisted, holding up her hand. “She is merely acting as a big sister should and sacrificing herself for my sake! It was me! I saw you with that man!”
She had planned this from the moment Ueda had left, though she hoped it would not have to come to this. She worried that someone else might be wrongly accused, and so resolved to take the blame for that person, or Rin if it came to it. For even though she despised the circumstances that brought her to this wretched place, she knew that those circumstances gave her one unique advantage. Unlike the others, she knew that she alone was impervious to death, even in Ishihara. She knew that if she confessed and took the blame, the Lady could not harm her for she was still the bait for her father. Her terrible destiny allowed her one useful thing; immunity from death until her father arrived. Until then, she was untouchable.
Yuki glanced over at Rin. She could see her older sister meet her gaze. Her eyes were wide and filled with astonishment. She could not fathom why Yuki was doing this.
“And what if I do not believe you?” said the Lady when she reached the bottom of the dais. “What if I told you that I already know who did it?”
“How could you know?” Yuki returned, growing uneasy.
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The Lady smiled, and her black lips parted briefly. She lifted her hand that held the knife, and it extended it toward a third person in the room. There was another girl who stood far behind Yuki, in the very corner of the audience chamber. The girl stepped forward into the light of the lamp, revealing herself from the shadows.
Yuki gasped. “Misasa!”
“I told her in a moment of weakness!” Rin confessed, her head falling with despair. “I could not help myself. I was so afraid.”
Misasa looked up, and there was a glint in her eyes. “You are a fool, Yu-chan!” she cried. “You should have left when you had the chance! This had nothing to do with you!”
“Why? Why would you do this?” Yuki choked.
“Our master would have discovered one way or the other. She is infinitely wise and can foresee many things. In telling her in advance, I purchased our entire floor’s salvation, yourself included. You should be thanking me.”
“But...” Yuki stammered, unable to fully comprehend the magnitude of her betrayal. “It was an accident! She is your older sister!”
“And a poor one at that,” Misasa sneered, and her brows slanted downwards, marring her elfin face with a look of vile hatred. “She never supported me and always put me down. I despised her for that, but I endured it. Yet there was one sin I could not forgive. It was the very reason why she was always so bitter, always so harsh. She always longed to be somewhere else. Despite all her beauty and talents, she never loved Ishihara. There was a light of longing in her eyes, and I just couldn’t stand it!”
“So... you betrayed her?”
“I told you,” Misasa continued, with a scoff. “I did it for the others, but I will not mourn Rin-nē-san. She is the only one to blame. She committed the crime. And I will gladly take her place as your Older Sister.”
“You shall indeed,” the Lady confirmed, her eyes alight with mirth. She seemed to enjoy watching the collapse of this relationship, and that was evident in the euphoric smile she wore. She appeared to writhe subtly as her eyes danced from one girl to the other. “But only after you finish what you have begun.”
“What do you require of me?” asked Misasa, now directing her gaze towards the Lady.
The Lady beckoned her forward and held out the knife, urging her on with a solemn nod. “Deliver the punishment, and I will pardon you and give you the promotion you desire, as long as you swear to never speak of what she told you ever again.”
Yuki’s former mentor was still for a moment and seemed to be weighing this decision intently.
“Misasa stop!” Yuki cried. “You don’t have to do this!”
“Of course she does!” the Lady snapped back, her black eyes flashing towards Yukiana. “She shall deliver the punishment, or she will die as well. Now, finish it!” The way she intoned her last command was so sharp that it seemed to crack like a whip in Yuki’s ears.
Misasa reached out and took the knife. She then shambled inexorably towards Rin, who at the moment she saw her younger sister take up the blade, knelt and lowered her head in utter defeat. Misasa soon stood directly over her older sister and lifted the blade high in the air with both hands clasped around the hilt.
“You were right, Mi-chan,” Rin said, her voice but a whisper. “I was awful to you. I was miserable. I never belonged here. None of us do. I am sorry…”
The blade fell, piercing Rin’s bowed neck, and when she coughed a river of blood seemed to flow out, staining her white teeth red.
“Misasa!” Yuki shrieked, and her shrill voice echoed in the hollow chamber.
The once meek girl that had taken Yuki under her wing stared down at the blood-soaked blade, and then down at the corpse of Rin, with a pool of blood growing around it. There was a dullness in Misasa’s eyes, as if she, too, had died in that moment.
“Very good,” the Lady said, satisfied. “You may leave us now, Misasa-chan.”
Misasa dropped the blade and plodded slowly towards the exit, as if in a trance. When she passed Yuki, she did not turn to look at her at all, and when Yuki grabbed Misasa by the shoulders, she merely shrugged her off and kept going.
Yukiana could no longer bear it. She collapsed and fell to the floor, but remained on all fours, with her arms fully extended. Tears filled her eyes, and she gagged, for the blood around Rin continued to spread, and her older sister’s eyes were not closed but seemed to be gazing over at her with despair.
The Lady merely smiled. “I admire your courage,” she said after some time. “You stood up to take the place of your friend. But do not think that I am so unwise as to know why. You did not think you could be harmed, and so it was not really a true sacrifice after all.”
Yuki glanced upwards; her eyes bleary in the light of the lamps. “That’s not true!”
“Oh, but it is!” Ishihara said mockingly. “If you were put in a position to trade life for life, it would have been a different matter. It is only natural that you should want to preserve yourself.”
“No! It's not true!” Yuki wailed, but in her heart of hearts, she knew that the Lady was right.
“There is nothing to be ashamed of,” Ishihara said appealingly, beginning to step towards her. “For there is nothing noble in such a death, despite what the fools may say. Death is oblivion. Life is the only realm that matters.”
Yuki bowed her head and said nothing.
The Lady laughed. “I believe that this is the first time we are meeting where we can properly introduce ourselves. We met once before, a very auspicious meeting indeed. My name is Ishihara Kaori. Now tell me your name.”
Yuki was revolted and shook her head ‘no.’
Ishihara stiffened but took another step forward. “It matters not. I already know who you are. You are Masaki Yukiana, and I am one of the few in this world who knows what that name really means.” She paused and took another step. “You are the daughter of Masaki Gintaro, the Raijin, the Third Captain of the Kurogumi, and student of my great enemy, the cursed Ken-Tenshi.”
“Your enemy?”
“Ah, yes, but you would not know anything about that would you? You really are nothing but a parasite that will soon be burnt off the flesh. Yet, I feel compelled to tell you a little story before that happens. This story takes place long ago when the Islands were consumed in chaos and violence. Let me tell you a story about a girl, much like yourself, who was thrust into this cold, hard world.
This girl was brought to this city as a child long ago and sold as a slave, but at that time there was nothing but old, shabby brothels, the most disgusting places you could ever imagine. Indeed, the city itself was a sore on the land, and the Mashige were but flies feasting on its puss. She came here and was sold to men who were of the worst kind: cold, empty, without any semblance of morality, and every one of them had very unusual tastes. At first, she despised her work, for she would be hurt, and broken night after night. Eventually, however, she began to enjoy the pain. She could feel that each time that she endured it, she gained some internal strength, and she grew harder and more powerful. She also watched. She was an eye, and she watched the other women, those who made the most money, and took everything she could from them: their style, their lovely words, their techniques. Soon enough that girl was so clever that even the cruelest men bowed down and gave her reign over their hearts.
She then used those hard, cruel men to eliminate her masters and then she used them to eliminate her competitors. They did it willingly, for they could no longer find anything else like her to satisfy them, and their hunger was ravenous. Soon she had this entire city to herself, and then she began to build. She sought after the best women and then she trained them and gave them order and a system in which to thrive and flourish. She attracted the eyes of the Mashige lords, and in their private chambers she gave them wisdom, and they prospered. And when they prospered, so did she, and so her wealth and power began to grow.
She eventually cast aside those filthy, cruel men, who had become her thralls, mindless and ineffective. She soon made her own warriors, who understood the inner workings of her mind. And likewise, the Mashige, yes even the Shōgun must one day be cast aside.
In this manner, Ishihara was made, and in a sense, Ishihara made the New Capital what it is today. I was here at the very beginning, and I will be here long into the perilous future.”
Yuki listened and had slowly gathered her wits amid the tale. “Why are you telling me this?” she asked, keeping her head bowed.
The Lady took another step, and she now was drawing quite near to where Yuki knelt. “Because I want you to know just how much is at stake here. Though there would be very few who would believe you outright, I understand better than anyone the power that such a story would have, if it were to reach the right ears. We must make sure that does not happen.
I know that it was not your fault, but for merely knowing my secret I would have killed you ten times already. Yet…I cannot do it.” The Lady’s hands trembled when she spoke those words, “And there is very little in this world that I cannot do.”
“Then what will you do to me?” Yukiana could feel the presence of the Lady creep in around her, and though she was but one person, it felt as if she were surrounded by more than one.
“I will punish you, severely.”
With that the Lady lunged down for her, hoping to grab the back of her head. But Yuki had drawn up her muscles like a bowstring, expecting an attack like this. She pushed off the ground towards the place where the knife had been dropped by Misasa, several yards away, narrowly avoiding Ishihara’s grasp. She ran on all fours like a wild cat, going as fast as her arms and legs would take her. She saw the glimmer of the blade’s edge next to Rin’s body and dove for it, her arm outstretched, knowing that the Lady was right behind. She splashed into the blood and slid forward, as her hand drew closer and closer to the hilt of the knife. She could just barely feel it with the tip of her index finger when Ishihara’s hand wrapped around her ankle like a vice.
“A little more!” Yuki thought, with one last effort. “There!” she cried, as her hand closed around the handle of the blade. She had planned to turn and use it on the Lady, but at that moment, she was flung as if she were a mere ragdoll, across the room. She slammed into the far wooden wall with a loud thud. The impact was so great that she was momentarily stunned and dropped the knife. She slid to the ground amongst the splinters and lay there as if dead. The only thing she could do was gasp for air.
“How...” Yuki muttered, as the terrible figure of Lady Ishihara turned and strode towards her once again. Her form appeared to be changing in her dim view, like a reflection in disturbed water. What was once the fair and lithe frame of the Lady had become tall and sinewy, and hideous to behold. Yuki’s mind whirred, as she tried to reconcile the fact that this woman had managed to toss her across the room with a single arm as if it were nothing. It was an unnatural and chilling strength, and she wondered at the transformation that took place before her eyes. She then realized that she never stood a chance against such a foe, and at that moment, she felt utter despair.
“You show great vigor!” Ishihara commended with a snarl, her voice low and menacing. “As should all who are raised in my house. But you lack respect!”
Yukiana could do nothing but roll over as her body radiated with pain from the impact. The Lady stood over her now, and there was a strange gleam in her eyes and a wicked smile on her ghastly face. She seemed to be in a kind of wild ecstasy, similar to the moment when she watched Misasa accuse Rin, but this was more intense, more electric.
“I cannot kill you yet!” she hissed, reaching down, and grabbing Yuki’s head with her icy hands. “But I can do everything else!” She effortlessly lifted Yuki by her head, with her hands wrapped around her face and her sharp nails digging into her skin. She held her up so that her feet were completely off the floor, and the room seemed to shrink in her view. The lamp that had once burned brightly had gone utterly dark, and the Lady’s eyes appeared black like the night.
“Speak no evil!” Ishihara breathed, and with that she pulled Yuki’s face towards her, pressing her black lips against her own. Yuki recoiled, but the Lady’s strength was overwhelming. She could not budge, and she struggled to breathe. She felt something, a foreign thing, move from the Lady’s throat and crawl into her mouth. Its legs were myriad, and it had a hard, shell-like carapace. It crawled around inside, gagging her as it poked its head down the entrance of the throat. It then pierced her tongue with its pincers. It was as if a fire were pressed upon it. The Lady eventually pulled away and when she did Yuki opened her mouth to scream. But no sound came. She coughed up whatever was inside of her, and it hastily scurried away.
“Hear no evil!” Ishihara intoned as her eyes rolled back a pure white, and her voice echoed throughout the room. A great seizure came over Yuki. It was as if the Lady’s voice was repeated over and over but growing louder each time. It became so powerful that the inner places of her ears were pierced with agonizing pain. This pain grew and grew and just when Yuki thought it could not be any worse and that she would die of it – everything including the words of the Lady, dissipated into nothingness. The pain was gone, and as she looked around, and saw Ishihara saying something to her, she realized that she could not hear anything. Everything, absolutely all sound was now gone. What was left was utter silence.
Yuki’s eyes widened, and she attempted to use the last of her strength to pull herself from the Lady’s grasp. But she could not move her whatsoever and kicked and struggled in vain. At last, Ishihara pulled Yuki close once again, so that this time they were eye to eye. She could not hear what she was saying, but she could understand from the way her lips moved, what was coming next.
“See no evil!” the Lady mouthed. And Yuki could do nothing but wail in the echo chamber of her mind. The Lady’s vice-like fingers slowly moved their way up from her jawline to her cheeks, and then just over her eyes. She instinctively shut them and was just in time. But then came the pressure. It was slow at first, a dull ache. But every second that followed became worse and more painful. She tried to move her head, even just a little to relieve the pressure but it was no use. She could feel the Lady’s thumbs going deeper, deeper into her eye sockets. She felt that they would eventually reach the inside of her skull. The pain was excruciating, and nauseating, and she could do nothing, absolutely nothing to stop it.
Then, she felt the odd sensation of her left eye giving way. There was no longer any pain in the eye itself, although all around her face there was great pain like scorching heat. The pressure was gone. There was even some relief. Then she felt the warm ooze that was once her eye slide down her left cheek like a big, thick tear. She opened her right eye only to see the darkness of a bloody finger impressed upon it, and it too felt ready to burst.
“Let me die!” Yuki thought, in the far deep caverns of her mind. Then, even in that place, the very last place that she had, the light finally went out.