Masters of Fate, Slaves to Duty

A/N: Sorry about the long wait on this chapter. I kinda lost my touch with Yume for a while. But I think I've found a piece of her again, so enjoy this chapter. There are not too many more to go!

Chapter 12


“It requires more courage to suffer than to die.” - Napoleon


The remainder of the trip was quiet and uneventful. Tatsumaki guided the carriage into his beautiful city of Kyoto. All through the streets he could see the modern age creeping in, though not as prominent as in Tokyo. Men and women had forgone their traditional clothes for the more practical suits and dresses of the western nations.

The streets around the old capital were almost empty. Most of the businesses had moved out of this sector with the Emperor’s move back to Tokyo. The only people around were onlookers staring at a piece of Japan’s past that was protected as a historical location. But among the passers-by, one caught Tatsu’s eye.

He stopped the carriage outside a small back gate, one that was reserved for supply runs when the castle was occupied. Tatsu left the driver’s seat, and beat once on the carriage door before moving to knock on the gate.

The carriage door opened, and he could hear heavy steps land on the road behind him. “I’ll get us in,” Miki said.

Tatsu nodded. “Good, get them inside and out of sight. I have something I need to take care of before preparations are made.”

Miki looked down the wall and saw a small man walking in their direction. Tatsu turned the same way. “He’s with me.”

“Don’t take long. There is much to be done,” Miki said with a sense of finality. “And she’ll be hard to handle without you there.”

~*~*~

Yume had never seen the inside of the Kyoto castle, but it was not near as grand as her brother’s Tokyo home. Many of the buildings were in disrepair due to the lack of use, slated for later demolition. The main building was still intact, as well as several nearby residential buildings.

Miki quickly ushered she and Daven inside, afraid that spies had already seen the carriage’s cargo. Akihiro was waiting for them in the first entryway.

Behind her, she could hear Daven sigh in relief. Turning, she found he had discarded the hat and stripped off the top half of his thick yukata.

Akihiro gave him a stern look. “Is this how you intend to present yourself to the Emperor?”

Daven looked surprised, and turned to Miki for confirmation. “Yes, son, did you forget why we came? Protecting the royal family and all?”

Daven’s shoulders slumped like a man defeated. As he started to slip the clothing back on, Akihiro laughed at his obvious bad luck. It was a sound none of them had heard from the bodyguard.

“I owed you that,” he said, smiling at Daven. “The Emperor is resting in his quarters. We have arranged for a dinner meeting. In the meantime, you have one hour to get settled in. The Council has asked that we meet in the east hall to begin preparations.”

The weary travelers followed the guard through the hallowed hall of former Emperors, each quiet with their thoughts.

~*~*~

Tatsumaki found a shady spot under a large oak tree, out of sight of anyone who might take an interest in their conversation.

“I suppose the four of you made it here without incident?” said a voice from the branches above.

Tatsu looked around to make sure no one was watching before he spoke. “What news have you?”

“The army has abandoned their current pursuits and headed towards Nagoya to meet up with the Stronghold.”

Tatsumaki was confused. “Then have we traveled for nothing?”

Jin Chun sat quietly for a moment, watching as two girls played in the street. “No, a small contingent got wind of the Emperor’s retreat to Kyoto. The return breeze says there are twenty or so warriors ready to converge on the royal family. Even now they lie in wait.”

It was just as he suspected. This prize was too easy to give up for the Chinese soldiers. “And what of the assassin?”

“Here as well,” Jin Chun said, trying to keep his voice low. “He has figured out that where the Emperor goes, one of the two targets is sure to follow. It seems the problem with getting paid in advance is the employer expects a return on the investment, so there was no choice about traveling to Kyoto.”

Tatsu waited a moment, mulling over the information. They had succeeded in luring the soldiers away from the capital. By bringing them to this abandoned castle, they could limit the number of casualties. And through his contacts in the Kyoto police, he could easily get word to Tokyo and Nagoya about the impending attacks.

But, whatever was going to happen in Kyoto needed to stay here. This was a private battle made personal by the Chinese. They had taken offense to Yume’s brazenness, and were seeking to silence her and all that she loved. He only hoped Foxx had gotten out while he could. Despite his obvious vice, Tatsu knew Jonathan was a good man, otherwise Yume would not have stayed as long as she did.

When the children moved further up the street, Tatsu spoke again. “Do we have a timetable?”

“No, this group is patient. They arrived two days before your carriage, and they have been content to wait even though there was a minimal amount of guards in the old palace. They have had every opportunity to strike.”

“But now that all of the players are here…” Tatsu let his voice trail off. “I thank you, Jin Chun. For everything you have ever done for me. I only hope you let me pay back the favor someday.”

Jin Chun laughed quietly. “You owe me more favors than you can repay in this life, my friend.”

Tatsumaki stood up and brushed the dirt from his backside. “Then if we never meet again, I hope we can cause more trouble on the other side.”

Jin Chun watched as Tatsu walked away in no certain direction. He smiled to himself. “And for us, that time may come sooner than we expect.”

~*~*~

Hot summer air filled the vast east hall. The space was open to the main courtyard on one side, and at the end of the walkway, the group could see an open set of doors.

Each had their own individual rooms within the Empress’s main home, but they had agreed that they would converge in a separate room for sleeping purposes. It would be easier to guard each other as a group rather than divided.

As they rounded through the open door, they could see the Council standing at a large window, a small fan in his hand.

“I thought the Tokyo summers were hot, but the heat in these southern cities will truly make a man melt,” he said without turning around.

Yume couldn’t disagree. She stood among the men now simply dressed in a short, sleeveless yukata. With this group, she knew manners and protocol meant little, and she was more nervous and uncomfortable about the reasons for coming to her old city rather than the weather.

“What is our current status?” asked Miki from the front of the group.

The Council turned to focus on them, the fan moving quickly back and forth in his hand. “Other than the heat, it has been quiet. The Emperor has kept to his quarters, and we have guards on watch all hours of the day.”

“How many?” Daven asked.

The Council eyed the new guy cautiously. “Thirty for today, with an additional thirty arriving tomorrow. They have arrived in small groups disguised as tourists so as not to draw too much attention to the old castle.”

“Sixty men, plus the five of us…” Yume said to no one in particular.

“Four of us,” Akihiro corrected her.

“Oh?” she said. “Sitting this one out?”

“No,” stated the Council, focusing specifically on her. “You will remain in your quarters under strict guard. The Emperor refuses to put you in harm’s way this time.”

“What?” she said, her voice rising with her temper. “I’m in harm’s way for just coming here! How does he propose that I keep out of danger? Is he offering to ship me to Ryukyu? Maybe to Ezo?”

Yume started to pace, trying to keep her anger to a minimum. She couldn’t understand what he was thinking. Never mind the fact that an assassin was out for her life, but now her brother refused to let her fight. Several times she had gone into battle for him, and now he was asking that she stand by and let the men handle it.

“You will be kept separate from the rest of us,” the Council stated. He put his hands up when Miki and Daven started to protest. “The Emperor wishes to draw out the assassin. For this, you will have your own personal guard.”

Yume and Miki looked to Akihiro, but he shook his head. He had been her guard for two years, and now he was getting replaced.

At the other end of the vast room, a door opened and a large man stepped in. Slowly he walked towards the group, keeping his head down so as not to catch their wary eyes. But as Yume watched him, she noticed that his movements seemed vaguely familiar to her.

Miki drew a dagger from his yukata and stepped in front of her before Yume had time to think. “Why is he here?” he growled.

As the man drew closer, she noticed that Daven was also moving to cover her. Together the two men were tall enough to block her field of vision, keeping her from seeing the entrant.

The footsteps stopped and the Council chuckled. “He is here to right his wrongs, with the permission of the Emperor, of course.”

While Yume struggled to see her guard, a new voice filtered in from behind. “So this is where you went!”

She instantly smiled at Tatsumaki’s voice, and momentarily forgot about her new guardian and ran into his arms instead. She greeted him with a deep kiss full of future promise.

From behind, she heard a whistle. “In two years of marriage, she never greeted me like that.”

Yume froze in Tatsu’s arms, the only part of her moving was her heart beating against the cage of her chest. Together the two of them looked to the voice’s direction. As quick as Miki, Tatsu’s hand was on his pistol, pointing in the guard’s direction.

Tatsumaki forced Yume behind him, and taking her hand, they walked towards Miki, Daven, and Akihiro. As they drew closer, she came around Daven’s side to get a better look, letting Tatsu’s fingers fall away from her own. It took only a moment for the recognition to set in. Gone were the long golden curls that glowed in the sun’s light, replaced by a thin layer of hair on his scalp. His shoulders were not as straight and tall as when he was in uniform. Instead he looked old and weary in his simple gray robe. But when she looked into his eyes, she saw the boyish curiosity that had watched her from the first day they had met.

She took another cautious step forward and away from her friends, making sure the Council was between her and the guard. “How have you come to be here?” she asked.

Jonathan turned to the Council for that answer, and he obliged. “It seems his government had sentenced him to death for his crimes against Britain and Japan, but they continued to squabble about where it would happen. The Emperor interceded on his behalf. Since he was going to die anyway, he wanted Foxx to pay for the harm he had caused you and wrought upon our nation.”

“So, he risks his life by guarding mine.”

“That is part of the arrangement,” the Council said. “He will also help to draw out this assassin that seems to want you both dead.”

“This is madness!” Tatsu yelled as he grabbed her hand and pulled her back behind the wall of men. “I will not entrust her safety to the man who endangers it. Let him pay for his crimes, but do not drag Yume into it.”

Miki and Akihiro shot him a look before the Council could respond. “Oh, so high and mighty, speaking as though you have never put her in danger.”

Yume squeezed his hand in a show of quiet thanks. Then, she let go and stepped towards the Council again.

“If this is what the Emperor wishes, then I will follow his order.”

“Good,” said the Council, “because as far as the enemy knows, the two of you are still husband and wife. While you are on these grounds, you are to keep to that guise.”

Tatsu started to complain again, but instead the Council cut him off. “You have information for us, Tatsumaki?”

Tatsu sighed in annoyance. “There are approximately twenty men in the city, their current location is unknown. However, they have waited to attack until all of us arrived in the city, but the time of attack is still uncertain.”

“And what of the assassin’s whereabouts?” Jonathan asked.

Tatsu stared at the man, his mistrust evident in his eyes. “The assassin is in the city as well, and out for your blood.”

The Council clapped his hands together in an attempt to break the tension. “And there you have it.” He came forward and placed both hands on Yume’s shoulders. “Now go with Foxx. The two of you have your own room to share. The others will sleep next door in case trouble should arise.”

She nodded weakly, understanding what role she played. She looked to Tatsumaki for some form of reassurance, but all she saw in his face was anger. Silently she reached out to him, and gently slipped her fingers in-between his.

“This changes nothing,” she said as she placed a warm hand against his rough face. Days on the road had given him a thick field of whiskers along his jaw. “I will be near at all times.”

Jonathan turned away when he saw Tatsu kiss his ex-wife. Looking out the window, he said, “We have nothing to worry about before the sun goes down. Can’t they have some private time?”

Six heads turned in unison to stare at the foreign giant, but none of them more shocked and grateful than Yume.

The Council cleared his throat. “Well, you do have a valid point, Foxx.” He beat his cane against the floor once. “The two of you may go. You have until sundown. At that time, the two of you must separate. Yume, you will go with Jonathan. Tatsumaki will meet with us in the main courtyard. We will fill you in on the details then.”

Both of them nodded their agreement, and hastily left. Miki watched as a flurry of emotions crossed Jonathan’s face. None of them were more prominent than his sadness. Everyone in this room had betrayed him in one way or another, but none was greater than Yume’s. But anger towards her seemed the farthest thing from Jonathan’s mind.

The Council struck the floor again with his cane. “Now gentlemen, we all have our own responsibilities to fill. We may have an idea of how to keep us all alive.”

~*~*~

Instead of heading back the way they had come, Yume ran with Tatsumaki down the eastern corridor. Ahead of them, they could see a small section of smaller homes, and they looked to be in decent condition.

Yume quickly ran into the first one she saw. Her heart continued to pound in her chest as she turned and leapt into Tatsu’s arms. Her mind was a flurry of thoughts as Tatsu pushed her body against one of the support posts.

Fear was rolling under her skin as she yanked Tatsu’s robe open, flinging the belt across the room. Uncertainty found a home at the back of her mind as Tatsu pulled the hem of her robe over her hips, exposing her to the summer heat. Dread filled her heart as Tatsu wrapped her legs around his waist and thrust upwards into her waiting body.

Through hot breaths and heavy moans, the two of them consoled each other. Fears were not calmed entirely, but Yume could feel hers subside as Tatsu wrapped his arms around her, holding her steady against his rocking body. Her screams were kept at bay by Tatsu’s masterful lips, lips belonging to a mouth she would certainly miss in the coming days.

Inwardly Yume smiled to herself. This situation was similar to the first time they had made love. That time Tatsu had laid her against a boulder in the hot springs. She still remembered the feel of his strong legs supporting her body, his back muscles flexing under her fingers. Even then, he was trying to calm her ever-changing emotions.

Just like in Tamaki’s house, when Tatsu and Miki had found her hanging bound from the ceiling, and her body was surrounded by a pool of blood. Tatsu had laid her out on that floor and thrust his fears into her that night. Each time their bodies met, a fraction of that pain passed from him to her. She had not seen his face when he had entered the room, but the urgency and strength of his lovemaking told her that he had truly believed her to be dead.

But this time she wasn’t throwing a tantrum, and she wasn’t on death’s door. All of their lives were at stake. Together they had managed to anger an entire country on the mainland, a nation that was not going to be shamed by their island brethren and their alliances with other foreign powers.

Together, they would conquer this one last enemy. They would stare down the challenge brought on by the Chinese warriors, and she would personally see the end of the assassin sent for her blood. Her friends, her family, and her new comrades from the British Isles would dispel this threat, together.

But that was for later. Now was about two people who had loved each other through trials and tribulations, through years of absence and the ever-present risk of death. This was about one man and one woman brought together by danger, and yet kept together by the bonds they had created with their own bodies.

Two breaths, two bodies bound together as one mind, one heartbeat.

As Yume squeezed her legs just a little tighter around his body, as her breath quickened for that moment of release that Tatsumaki created so expertly, Yume thanked the Gods that had brought him to her side. She thanked them for allowing her to know such a wonderful man. She praised them for letting her stay by his side through some of the most reckless decisions of her life, for without him, her life was truly empty and meaningless.

~*~*~

Later that evening, Yume sat in her new private chamber that she shared with Jonathan. She sat in the open doorway staring out on an overgrown courtyard. Even though it was unkempt, crickets still chirped in the thicket and the evening birds still sang.

“Are you sure you got enough to eat?” said her guardian from behind. “You hardly touched your food.”

Yume did not acknowledge him. She had not since she had entered the room. Her silence started the moment Tatsumaki left her at the door. And it was not because she did not feel like speaking; she simply didn’t know what to say.

“Kurenai?” he asked, trying to get her attention.

Still she sat, staring out into the dark night. She watched the stars above twinkle in the sky. Her emotions were a tight coil in her gut, just waiting to expand and explode.

“Yume?” he said.

She turned at the sound of her real name on his lips. Jonathan was surprised that she acknowledged him.

He turned away, unable to look her in the eyes. “I…I just wanted to say that you…you don’t have to fear me.”

Yume still watched him as he shuffled back and forth across the tatami floor. She could not remember a time when she saw him so unsure of himself. Nervousness was not a characteristic that came to mind in regards to him.

He stopped moving in the center of the barren room. This time Jonathan looked to Yume, seeking some form of approval in her eyes. “I want you to know that I am sorry, so very sorry for what I did to you. There is no reason I could give to excuse my actions. You did not deserve…”

“Yes I did,” she interrupted, her voice faltering under the weight of emotion.

Jonathan was taken aback by her words. “No,” he said, his voice almost a whisper. “Why would you think that?”

He approached her, carefully closing the distance between them. Yume turned back to the dark night that seemed to comfort her. She could feel the torrent of tears threatening to spill from her eyes. She was thankful that the others were at a separate part of the castle grounds. This was a conversation that needed to remain private.

“Jonathan, from day one, everything I told you was a lie. My name, my past, my life as a whole, every bit was fictional, a story concocted by men in powerful positions and created for political gain,” she stopped, taking a deep breath. “And I was as much a pawn as I was a puppet.”

Yume grew quiet and let that revelation fill the empty space between them. If the Council had not explained things to him before, then he was in for a long and potentially dreadful night.

“Well then,” he said as he dropped to the floor next to her. “Let’s go back to the beginning.”

He extended a hand to her. “Good evening, miss. My name is Jonathan Foxx. Unfortunately I do not have a title, or even a home, but I do have my name.”

Yume accepted his hand. She had grown familiar with Western gesture during her years in their shared home. “Good evening, sir. You can call me Osahito Ayume, half-sister to the Emperor of Japan, among other things. But my friends and family call me Yume”

Jonathan’s hand froze in mid-shake. She couldn’t help but laugh as his face went slack.

“I’m sorry,” she said, covering her mouth to keep from laughing any louder and drawing unwanted attention from the outside guards. “We don’t have to do this.”

“No, no, just give me a minute,” he said, releasing the grip on her hand. He leaned back on his giant hands and stared up at the sky, letting that tidbit of information sink in. “I was married to a princess…who acted like anything but a princess.”

Yume leaned forward and wrapped her arms around her knees. She had just thrown caution to the wind, and spilled national secrets to a man she had been forced to lie to for two years. She had to admit, coming clean felt good.

Jonathan gave a small sigh next to her. “Ok, I’m ready now. What other things?”

Yume took a deep breath, then started to recite the lengthy list that was her life.

“Well, let’s see. I was a Yakuza-owned prostitute here in Kyoto, a ninja and spy for the Moya village, and a friend and lover to both Tatsumaki and Miki. I’ve been the captive of the Kyoto city police captain, a doll to a Yakuza spy, and a hostage of the Tosa governor. I have been the angel of death to Nanaka, Shinra, Tamaki, and an unknown amount of other players in my life.

“And, I was once married to a wonderful British captain who saved my life in one of my darkest moments. A man I treated with disrespect and disgust because, in my mind, he was only a means to an end and I was the tool in my brother’s grand scheme.”

Jonathan continued to stare at her in awe. He had learned more about this woman in a matter of minutes than he ever had during his years of marriage.

“And I thought I had a decorated career,” he said with a laugh, earning him a slap on the arm. “So, those are all the things you were at one time. What are you now?”

Yume sighed as she felt the first tear trail down her cheek. She knew her words were going to hurt, and there was nothing she could do to lessen the pain she was about to deal to him.

“Now, I am still a sister to the Emperor. I am the supporter of a wonderful man and best friend, whom I have never been related to. A man who at one point helped me through a very traumatic experience, and who now is going through his own.”

“Tatsumaki?” he asked.

“No, Miki actually.”

“But I thought…”

“Stop interrupting,” she scolded. “I’m having enough trouble here.”

Jonathan closed his mouth, and nodded for her to continue.

Yume took another deep breath before continuing. “I am a mother to two beautiful children. And I am the wife of a man I have loved for more years that I can count.”

And that was where she stopped. She had left the most important confessions for the end. But she wasn’t finished. The tears kept coming as she turned to him, taking his hands in hers.

“Jonathan, there is nothing I can say or do to take back all that has happened to you. For so many years, we have not been able to follow the paths we want to tread. Our lives have been dictated by government officials on a variety of levels. And somewhere along the way I think we started to believe that there would never be another alternative.

“So we resigned ourselves to do the bidding of our employers, if we would dare to call them that. But thanks to you, albeit indirectly, we were somehow able to momentarily break free of those bonds. And you have paid a terrible price for your involuntary entry into our world.”

Yume paused in her apology, and turned to check on her silent guardian, only to have him sit forward and plant a chaste yet fiery kiss on her lips. Something she had never allowed him in the past.

“Enough,” he said as he pulled away, ignoring the shocked look on her face. “Nothing you did to me was out of malice, and I have not lost anything that I was not willing to give up. From this point on, there will be no more talk of our reciprocal pain…”

“That’s right,” said a hidden voice in the dark courtyard. A shadowy figure stood up from the bushes directly in front of Yume. “There will just be a short amount of physical pain followed by a large dose of agony and a slice of death.”



TBC...