Back to the Dream

by Felicitas Ivey

  * * *

  Dreamspinner Press

  www.dreamspinnerpress.com

  Copyright ©2010 by Felicitas Ivey

  First published in 2010, 2010

  * * *

  NOTICE: This work is copyrighted. It is licensed only for use by the original purchaser. Making copies of this work or distributing it to any unauthorized person by any means, including without limit email, floppy disk, file transfer, paper print out, or any other method constitutes a violation of International copyright law and subjects the violator to severe fines or imprisonment.

  * * *

  CONTENTS

  Foreword

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Don't Miss the Beginning

  Published by

  * * * *

  * * * *

  This book is for Robert Ivey, my father, who showed me there wasn't anything I couldn't do. His love for reading had no boundaries, and he made sure that I had none. Thank you for everything you've done for me and the pride you had in my writing by reading my first two books.

  I just wish you could read this one too.

  Foreword

  When Dreamlands first came out, I was surprised my family read it. Not that it was a bad book—it was just I didn't think it would be to their taste, being a gay fantasy in a Japanese setting. I was very surprised, even a bit shocked, that my stepmother's sister, Sister Thomas, read the book and enjoyed it, skipping over the naughty words and bits, of course. But this sweet, eighty-plus-year-old nun told me she only had one problem with my novel, and it wasn't the gay sex (she had skipped those parts; she does that in all the romances she reads). It was the fact that she got very confused about who all these people were and how they were related. So this is for you Sister T: a list of who's who in the Trust and the Dreamlands. The Japanese names are family name first, then given name.

  Cast of Characters

  The Trust

  Mason Kairns Trouble Consultant, avatar of Inumura Daikaku

  Wolf Dieter Trouble Consultant, avatar of Inuyama Dousetsu

  Caitlynn McGann Staff Psychologist, Boylston Street, a psychic

  Mrs. Elizabeth Stewart-Adams Trustee

  Collins (deceased) Sent team to the Dreamlands the first time

  Fairinox (deceased) Opened gate to the Dreamlands the first time

  Heisig (deceased) Man who tortured Keno at the Trust

  The Dreamlands

  Tamazusa A lord of a kuni in Nippon

  Samojirou Aboshi Her consort, an oni

  Inuzaka Keno His lover, Hakkenshi, avatar of first Inuzaka Keno

  Sakura Keno's secret identity

  Tan'yu Tamazusa's healer

  Okita Tamazusa's master-at-arms

  Takehito One of Tamazusa's samurai

  Tadanori One of Tamazusa's samurai

  Yukiko A maid in Tamazusa's estate

  Yoshinoko Courtesan who trained Keno as a tayuu

  Fuse Spiritual Mother of the Hakkenshi

  Yatsufusa Spiritual Father of the Hakkensh

  Inuzaka Keno Hakkenshi, Samojirou's lover, now deceased

  Inusuka Shino Hakkenshi

  Inusuka Hamaji Shino's wife

  Farusawa One of Inusuka's samurai

  Inukawa Sousuke Hakkenshi

  Inukai Genpachi Hakkenshi

  Inuyama Dousetsu Hakkenshi

  Inuta Konbungo Hakkenshi

  Inue Shinbee Hakkenshi

  Inumura Daikaku Hakkenshi

  Inumura Hinaginu Daikaku's wife

  Noma One of Inumura's samurai

  Iida Hideaki Lord of Tsushima, a small island

  Mawatari Kappei Iida's samurai guard

  Sazuki Iyusa Lord of a large kuni on the island of Kyushu

  Takaneda Kosaburou Daimyo on eastern shore of Tamazusa's kuni

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  Acknowledgments

  While writing a book is usually a solitary venture, getting one published is not. I'd like to thank everyone who helped that happen.

  A huge thank you to Elizabeth at Dreamspinner Press for taking a chance on me and publishing my first book, which is the prequel to this one. To Lynn and her team of editors for polishing my baby for publishing and going over the manuscript for both grammar and continuity. Any mistakes made are mine and not theirs. To Anne Cain for her wonderful cover art that brought Keno and Aboshi to life for lots of people.

  Big thank yous to Mark, Ed, and Tim for the long walks around Castle Island and letting me bounce ideas off them and arguing with me about plots and logic and listening to me babble about my research. A huge additional thank you to Ed for his lifesaving effort of looking over and editing my manuscript as both a work in progress and as the final product before I submitted it to Dreamspinner Press. Thanks to my family for their support and their excitement that I was published.

  And as always, I wouldn't be where I am today without the support of the husband. Thank you, Russ.

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  Chapter One

  Keno

  I glanced over at Tamazusa. She was dressed in a kimono a shade of black that seemed to absorb light. Samojirou wore an indigo kimono and was her escort for this gathering. I trailed behind the two of them, dressed as Sakura, my feminine persona, my kimono and obi as colorful as theirs were dark, various shades of gold and red, with many layers and my obi tied in front. The only concession to the party being outdoors was that I wore small geta, not the tall ones I usually wore, which were the kind all tayuu wore. I still dressed as one when I went anywhere with Samojirou. Aboshi and I had been together for more than a year now, and we had become a familiar sight to the lords of Nippon. But Tamazusa accompanying us was unusual, and she created a small stir when people started to recognize her.

  Tamazusa looked relaxed and happy, and Samojirou was thrilled she was here. Even if I had lost Samojirou's undivided attention for the evening, I was glad she had come with us, since I thought Tamazusa spent far too much time alone. We were here to attend a sakura—cherry blossom—party, since it was the beginning of their bloom. There were any number of parties going on in Nippon, scattered all over the island, in celebration of the event, and I knew our entire week would be devoted to attending as many as possible. Samojirou was able to take us anywhere we needed or wanted to go using his ability to walk the shadows. It was an advantage few of the other lords had, and Tamazusa had decided to take advantage of it.

  "Sakura-chan, attend us,” Samojirou said as they settled into a corner of the orchard. Two tatami mats had been laid out underneath a couple of cherry trees, along with a low table. The three of us were to sit and admire the flowers’ beauty. While we were doing that, Tamazusa would also be playing the Game, and Samojirou would watch over us.

  Samojirou's words sounded like an order, but I didn't mind, knowing Samojirou and Tamazusa trusted me to guard them as well as serve them. They would play the Game—which was, to me, an incomprehensible combination of scheming and power plays most of the lords of Nippon participated in—and I would be observe them, silent and unseen, in a manner of speaking. Lesser beings usually were, even in this outfit. I nodded and bowed deeply to him. We were still working with the “no speaking in public” rule. I got a kick out of it, really. I w
as also nervous that I would slip somehow and embarrass him if I actually talked to people. But Samojirou's mysterious, mute companion intrigued people, so we continued with the charade. There were a lot of wild theories about me, and I was grateful that none of them even came close to the truth.

  I glided over to where the basket with the sake, tea, and snacks had been left for us. It was supposed to be someone else's job to serve, but I wasn't going to let anyone else near them. Tamazusa was here to relax, mostly; but she'd never stop playing the Game, and having someone else serve her, someone who might overhear an important remark, not meant for his or her ears, would put her on guard.

  I was making my way back from the area where the refreshments were located when an older samurai stepped into my way. I looked up at him, my head tilted down, peeking up at him through my lashes. I recognized his mon, the crests all samurai wore to identify their rank, clan, and family, as belonging to a lord from the far south of Nippon. He was named Iida Hideaki, Lord of Tsushima, an island off the coast. I had memorized the mon for all the lords of Nippon, so I knew who they were, even if I didn't talk to them. He stared at me for a moment before stomping off. I hesitated a second before returning to Samojirou and Tamazusa, confused about exactly what had happened.

  "That was interesting,” Tamazusa said with a small frown. “I wonder what issue he has?"

  "Rude,” Samojirou drawled, his eyes hard and flat for a moment before smiling at me. “That was most insulting to our Sakura-chan."

  I bowed to them before starting to set out the snacks and sake. Samojirou looked like he wanted to kiss me. Tamazusa shook her head at the two of us as she asked, “I take it that everything is arranged?"

  "Of course, my lady,” he said smoothly. “Would I have it any other way?"

  "You wouldn't,” she told him with a smile. She sat down gracefully, elegant in a way I could never hope to match. Samojirou moved behind her, and I continued to serve the two of them.

  One of the lords came over to speak to Tamazusa, accompanied by his concubine. She sneered at me for doing what she considered to be such a menial task, one that a tayuu left to others. I stared back at her with a cool smile. I knew what my worth was. I saw that her clothing wasn't as fine as mine, and I thought she was either a temporary companion or one only worthy of short-term contracts, perhaps an oiran or even one of the other lower-class concubines.

  "Lord Sazuki,” Tamazusa purred, “It has been too long since I enjoyed your company."

  He bowed. “Your beauty has grown over time."

  Sazuki Yoshinobu was a high lord who ruled a large kuni that was part of the island of Kyushu in southern Nippon. He had a very formidable wife, and they lived very separate lives, from what I have been told. I thought it was very odd that Tamazusa and Samojirou seemed to have a better relationship than most married couples.

  "You flatter me,” Tamazusa said. I noticed his companion wasn't bold enough to sneer at her and hid my smile. Tamazusa wasn't someone who she would dare act snobbish with as she had to me.

  "I see that you have added to your household,” Sazuki said with an empty smile, fishing for information. That was stupid, since it wasn't like Samojirou and I hadn't spent the last year together. Or did he think I was a different person than the one who had accompanied Samojirou everywhere? “A pretty little thing."

  "Sakura-chan is dear to Samojirou-sama,” Tamazusa told him with a chilly smile. “As he is to me."

  Sazuki nodded, realizing he was coming close to insulting both Tamazusa and Samojirou. While not a lord, Samojirou was a very powerful oni, someone to be feared for any number of reasons. I was just wondering about which he Tamazusa was talking about: Samojirou or myself?

  Nothing was said for a moment until someone else stopped by to talk with us. I wasn't surprised to see that it was Fuse, and her consort Yatsufusa, since she was very fond of Samojirou. Fuse was dressed in a rich, deep pink kimono, looking no older than sixteen, even if she was wearing a kimono of a married woman for once. Yatsufusa, as usual, appeared as the dog he had been in the real world, one of the ones that had been caught up in Tamazusa's curse.

  "Samojirou-sama,” she called out, ignoring the tension in the air. “We are looking forward to viewing the blossoms with you."

  Yatsufusa drew back his lips in a half-snarl at Samojirou, but that was normal. He loathed Samojirou for a number of reasons. But he wasn't going to cause a scene if Fuse said they were going to be visiting with Tamazusa and Samojirou.

  Sazuki raised an eyebrow at Fuse, and she smiled coolly at him. “Samojirou-sama mentioned that he would be here when we met at an ikebana exhibit two weeks ago. Yatsufusa-sama decided to accompany me, since some of our sons would be here also. He also enjoys the blossoms."

  "It is always an honor to be with you, hime,” Sazuki said stiffly, knowing better than to comment upon Samojirou's and Fuse's relationship, as they were friends, having many interests in common. Besides, while people may have said many things about the two of them, everyone also knew Samojirou wasn't interested in women. My being dressed as one, as a tayuu, was thought to be an amusement for him and not the disguise it really was. And I knew both Samojirou and Tamazusa hoped I wasn't aware of why I needed to be disguised. “And all your sons are always amusing."

  "Shino-chan and Sousuke-chan,” Fuse said, thawing slightly with Sazuki. “I fear not all my sons are interested in such things."

  "And will the charming Hamaji-dono be with them?” Tamazusa asked with a warm smile, using the older honorific for “lady” for Hamaji.

  "She will be,” Fuse said. “She's looking forward to the party."

  I almost smiled at that. I liked Hamaji. We had met when Fuse took me for a two-week stay at my brother Shino's kuni when we had all gotten back from the real world after the Trust had taken me by force from the Dreamlands and Samojirou, Tamazusa, and my family, the Hakkenshi, banded together to rescue me and stop the threat from the Trust.

  As part of that trip, I had been introduced to my brothers, the Hakkenshi, again, but as Keno, not Sakura. It hadn't been the most comfortable trip for me, but it had been interesting. I got used to the idea that I had a family again, more than just Tamazusa and Samojirou. My brothers had to get used to the idea that I was going to continue to live with my lord and my lover, as unhappy as it seemed to make some of them, Shinbee and Dousetsu in particular. They hated that I stayed with Samojirou as Sakura rather than living with them as their dead brother's avatar. But no one argued with me when Fuse, my brothers’ mother, made it clear that she approved of my relationship with Samojirou and that I would continue to be Sakura to the rest of the Dreamlands.

  Hamaji had been the only one who had not argued with Fuse about it. In fact, she had made a joking comment that having another “girl” in the family would make it easier on her. Aside from her husband, my brother Daikaku seemed to be the only one involved with a woman, even if they didn't seem to be living with each other. Not that I thought that the Hakkenshi were all gay or something, but I thought they were like Mason and Wolf, guys more involved in their work at the Trust than relationships. Most of my brothers were lords in Nippon, like Tamazusa and Sazuki. The ones who were not were still powerful men to be feared, like Samojirou.

  There was a pregnant pause, the silence almost becoming uncomfortable, when Shino, Sousuke, and Hamaji joined us. Shino and Sousuke were dressed as mirror images of one another, in black and red kimono and hakama. Hamaji was also in a deep-red and black formal kimono, her hair arranged in a formal style. It was a shock to see her like that, since she had usually worn her hair in a ponytail and dressed in very simple kimono during the time I stayed with them in Shino's castle.

  "Mother,” she called out excitedly. “I was hoping to see you here."

  Shino and Sousuke were a bit more restrained in their greeting, bowing to Fuse and Yatsufusa, then Tamazusa and Samojirou, before nodding to me.

  "Please forgive my wife,” Shino said dryly. “We don't let her out of my castl
e too often."

  Hamaji frowned at him, while Sousuke just smiled. Yatsufusa let out a little snort of amusement and Fuse smiled back at Hamaji. “You do know Sazuki-sama?"

  Hamaji bowed deeply to him, suddenly formal. “I am honored to meet you,” she murmured. She also bowed to Tamazusa and Samojirou. “I am glad to see friends of Mother here too!"

  "You must see if you can join us at the next ikebana exhibit,” Samojirou said with a smile. “And this is my companion, Sakura-chan."

  Hamaji blinked a couple of times and bowed. I bowed back, all very proper and formal. She smiled at me and announced, “I adore your kimono. I must have one like it."

  Shino and Sousuke groaned as one, while Sazuki's companion sneered openly. Hamaji ignored all of them to smile at me, recognizing me under all the makeup I was wearing, since I was dressed as a tayuu, a concubine, someone no proper Japanese wife wanted to know about, never mind dress like.

  "Hamaji—” Shino started.

  "We'll talk about it later,” Fuse promised her, glaring at her sons. “Now is the time that we need to be decorative and admire the flowers."

  I almost laughed at that one. Fuse played the Game almost as much as Tamazusa did.

  Sazuki and his companion moved off after a few more pleasantries. Fuse looked at Yatsufusa, and he snorted and sat down.

  "I will be honored if you would all join us,” Tamazusa said.

  "Of course we're staying,” Hamaji told her firmly.

  "If only to start a whole host of new rumors,” Fuse added with a smile.

  I spent the rest of the night serving them. Sousuke looked like he wanted to say something, but a look from Shino quieted him. Samojirou and Fuse made sure the conversation didn't lag between the visits of the other lords. I wasn't surprised to see that we seemed to be a popular group. I knew many of the lords were trying to figure out if Tamazusa and Fuse were negotiating some sort of an alliance after so many centuries of frigid politeness. It didn't help that whenever someone outside our group seemed to be near us, Fuse extolled the virtues of one of her unmarried sons.