Back to the Dream

by Felicitas Ivey

Tamazusa laughed. “Unfortunately so. Though I doubt that they would add anything to the conversation."

  Hamaji nodded. A group of her samurai escorted us to the samurais’ baths, while she took Tamazusa, McGann, and Helga to ladies’ baths, her maids trailing behind her.

  * * * *

  Tamazusa

  Inusuka Hamaji escorted my party to the baths. I must admit that I was willing to wait for information, if I could have a hot bath. I felt filthy, and I knew that I could take any bad news when I was clean and rested. McGann, since she had bathed this way before, needed no instructions. Helga, however, proved to be difficult. She was upset that we expected her to be clean, like a civilized person, and that we were going to take her clothing away from her. It was torn, and she had been sweating heavily in it, since it was wool, and it was summer in Nippon. It stunk and had been dirty before she had ended up with us.

  "This is disgusting!” Helga snarled, looking at the kimono she was supposed to wear. Given her size, it was one worn by a man, but attractive nonetheless. I didn't see what issue she had with it, other than it was something she wasn't familiar with and thought she could bully me about. It hadn't worked in the past, and I didn't know why she thought that it would work now.

  "To be clean?” I asked dryly. “I know that hot water and cleanliness are a foreign concept to you, but do try to be open to new experiences."

  McGann was wise and stayed out of our way. She even managed to draw Hamaji away from us. I was grateful that my hostess wouldn't get caught in a fight between us, if it turned physical again.

  "I won't wear the clothing of the skraelingjar,” she snarled.

  "Then you will be naked,” I said coldly. “You will clean up and be civil to our hostess, if I have to beat manners into you."

  "You couldn't!” Helga snapped, stepping closer and trying to intimidate me, since she was far taller than I was.

  It didn't work. I grabbed her arm, pulled her forward so she was off balance, twisted her arm, driving her to her knees, and then pulled her arm up behind her so she would stay there. You would think the woman would have learned not to do this after the first time I had done this to her. “You will be clean and civil. Keno's family is not to be insulted."

  "You and they are just skraelingjar,” Helga screeched. “You told us that he was your brother! You lied!"

  I twisted her arm tighter. “I don't like that word,” I said calmly. “So you will stop referring to me or anyone else here as that. And Keno is like a brother to me. You will find out that Keno has a very large and formidable family, besides myself. It would be wise of you to keep a civil tongue in your head."

  Helga sneered at me, and I debated whether or not I should break her arm. I really wasn't in the mood to deal with her foolishness. Fortunately, Helga realized that she was about to push me too far. I thought that it had just dawned on her how alone and without allies she was. Tholf had been amused more than anything when he saw how I had dealt with her, so he would be of no help to her.

  "She really is rude.” Hamaji told McGann, apparently in all innocence, but loud enough for us to hear. “Was she like that for your entire journey?"

  "Unfortunately, Helga seems to have fewer manners than Mason,” McGann told her with a laugh. “And I never thought that I'd say that about anyone."

  Helga flushed but said nothing. I debated shoving her into one of the garden ponds, because I really didn't want to deal with the temper tantrum of a weak spirit when I had so much else to deal with.

  "I will bathe,” Helga told me haughtily, and I let go of her arm. She eventually moved over to the side of the tub to scrub herself clean, glaring at the onsen as if it had insulted her. I joined her, cleaning up while I listened to the other two chatter.

  "Mother said Mason was very nice to her in the real world,” Hamaji said. “She thinks very highly of him."

  McGann flushed. “I'm sorry about that. I never knew that was the plan."

  "Father was the one who was in terrible temper about the whole thing, along with everyone else,” Hamaji continued, accepting McGann's apology with a gentle smile. “He was so angry that you stole Mother, even if Samojirou was humbled because of it."

  "Including your husband?” McGann asked.

  Hamaji nodded. “Shino was very upset, too, along with Sousuke. And they weren't happy about finding out that Keno was Samojirou's consort. They had met the two of them.... Well, they didn't recognize Keno for who he is, and that troubled them when they found out who Sakura really was. And it is better that you call him Sakura, not Keno."

  "I'm afraid I don't remember either one of them,” McGann said apologetically. “I know that I've met them, though."

  "They mentioned you,” Hamaji told her cheerfully. “They thought that you kept your wits about you in the situation you were in."

  "Other than that, I doubt that they had anything flattering to say,” McGann said softly. “I do thank you for your kindness and information."

  Hamaji smiled and said nothing. Helga just stared at the two of them. “How do you know these people? Her man said that they were travelers, but Egil thought that they were strange."

  "They're ‘strange’ as you say,” I said, finally willing to tell her the truth. “Because they are human. Unlike us, they still live."

  Helga was stepping into the hot water of the onsen, and she just froze when I told her that. “You lie!"

  "I assure you that they are not spirits of any kind, but are from the real world,” I said. “A very dull and hostile place."

  McGann flushed. I knew she was remembering our earlier conversation about Keno. “I'm still ‘alive', if that is the correct term to use,” McGann said, “as are Mason and Wolf. I didn't realize that it made such a difference, Tamazusa-sama."

  "And she isn't foolish enough to be married to Wolf,” I said scathingly. “The only thing that I like about the modern world is the independence of the women there."

  "Being married probably would ruin our business relationship, since he does work for me,” McGann said with a smile.

  "Sama?” Helga asked. She wasn't too stupid, just a troublemaker, which could be worse than stupidity, in my opinion. At least it might distract her from Wolf. What was it about the man that attracted troublemaking women?

  "Lord,” I explained. “As in ‘ruler'. I hold... held a kuni in Nippon."

  "'Held',” Helga repeated with glee.

  "I will hold it again,” I said. I would. I just hoped the cost wouldn't be too high. It would be, if Aboshi came to any sort of harm because of my foolishness.

  "And I assure you that Wolf being nice to you doesn't mean that he's interested in you in any manner. It's just that he was raised to be polite to women,” McGann said flatly. “He's still civil to his ex, and that was a really messy break-up, so just listen to me and stay away from Wolf."

  "You want him but can't have him,” Helga spat at her, clearly not understanding anything she was telling her. “So you don't want anyone else to have him."

  "She wants her best fighter to not be distracted by a bitch in heat,” I snarled.

  "Like you distract the skraeling Mason?” Helga demanded.

  I backhanded her, much to everyone's surprise. I didn't know why I did it; I hadn't been interested in a man in centuries. They were only pieces to be moved about in the Game, which was why I had been willing to meet with Iida. So why was I upset about what this creature thought about my relationship with Mason?

  * * * *

  Keno

  Farusawa was tall and skinny, too bony to be considered handsome, but there was something about the man that drew your eye. His attitude toward me was a mixture of respect and wariness, for some reason unknown to me. He was civil to Wolf and Mason, which was all that mattered. Tholf looked confused about what to do, but he willingly followed our instructions.

  We cleaned up and settled in for a soak. I was almost quivering with impatience to see what was happening, but I knew hurrying Hamaji wasn't going to happen
. She wouldn't tell me what crisis we were facing until I was clean and rested. She took her duties as my brother Shino's lady very seriously.

  "You Southerners are decadent,” Tholf rumbled as he settled into the tub. “I could get to like this."

  "Nice as the place that you had up north was,” Mason said, climbing in next to him. “I missed this."

  "Your woman taking care of you would make this better,” Tholf said.

  "Tamazusa's a nice lady,” Mason answered. “And she ain't mine. She just needed me then, ‘cause you guys can be assholes about shit. Like calling her a skraeling.” He didn't mention that we had also been called that several times. He was trying to be tactful. I just thought that it was amazing.

  "Tamazusa-sama is a formidable lord,” Farusawa said. “She's no one's woman. Her karo's been devastated by her disappearance. Fuse-hime has had her hands full with him."

  I must have made some sort of noise, because Farusawa looked at me guiltily. “Samojirou-sama is fine, as far as I know. Sakura-dono had been sick for awhile before this, but she seems to be taking care of him also."

  Wolf and Mason just looked at each other, and I glared at them to keep quiet. My family knew about my disguise as Sakura, but almost no one else did. It wasn't something I wanted spread about, either.

  "Fuse-hime will kick his ass into shape,” Mason said. “She's one tough lady."

  I made a move to get out of the tub, not willing to wait anymore for information. Hamaji would just have to get me a horse, and I'd join him. Tamazusa was safe here. Mason would take care of her, as well as Hamaji and her samurai. And she'd understand, too, even if I were neglecting my duty to her. I couldn't wait any longer.

  "Keno, shit, you can't go fucking running around like a nut,” Mason objected, like he was reading my mind. I was surprised to see Farusawa almost winced when he saw Mason scolding me. What did he think I was going to do to him?

  "I was not thinking of that,” I said sharply. “I simply want to rejoin my lover, so he doesn't think that I'm dead and do something foolish.” I didn't care that I was probably giving Farusawa a big clue that I was Sakura. It wasn't like he wasn't going to eventually figure it out.

  "Foolish?” Wolf asked.

  "Seppuku,” I said shortly. “I know that he doesn't want to lose me again. He'd follow me to the hells if he had to."

  "Who is Hamaji?” Wolf asked me as a distraction. He didn't like hearing that, hearing that Aboshi loved me enough to follow me into death. I really wasn't comfortable with it either, but I wasn't going to tell him that!

  "My older brother Shino's wife,” I said. “They were married in the real world. Their romance is the stuff of legends. She also could be the twin of Dousetsu's half-sister."

  "Which one of those mean fuckers was Shino?” Mason asked.

  "I wish that you wouldn't refer to my brothers as ‘mean fuckers',” I said mildly. I couldn't be angry though. He wasn't insulting them, because he did admire them in his own way. Farusawa was openly gawking at us. I guessed he wasn't used to someone with as little manners as Mason. Or did he expect me to do something odd to teach him a lesson? Anyone who knew Mason knew it would be a waste of time. I decided that he liked being rude and playing the fool because it would make people think he was really that stupid.

  "Dousetsu was the one who helped me,” Wolf said quietly.

  "The one with no sense of humor,” Mason said, nodding, apparently remembering him after thinking for a second. “Fuck, Keno! I know that you have it bad for Samojirou, but running around the countryside isn't a good idea. We had a lot of shit to go through getting here. How far away is he? And can you ride a horse?"

  "Not very well,” I said stiffly, angry that he was being so logical.

  "Then see what kind of plan we can come up with so you can join him without getting yourself killed,” Mason insisted. “Shit, at least you're both here, unlike last time. That was a bitch of a time for us."

  I climbed out of the onsen and started to get dressed. The maids had left kimono for all of us. I was impressed that they had found something to fit Tholf, but then, my brother Konbungo was almost as big as he was.

  "I'm not moving,” Tholf said. “My bones ache."

  "I don't care if you come or not,” I said rudely. “My lord included you as a courtesy."

  "You let a woman rule you?” Tholf asked, not insulted by my insult.

  "I don't know what problem you have with that,” Mason said. “McGann's a good boss too. Shit, it ain't an issue most of the time what your boss's plumbing is, so long as they got the stones to make the hard decisions. Both McGann and Tamazusa have ‘em."

  "Your wife—"

  "Caitlynn and I aren't married,” Wolf said quietly. “It was a deception so that no one would bother her."

  Tholf grinned. “She's a woman I could pay court to, unlike Helga. Since she's free, I might."

  Wolf glared at him for that comment, and I guessed that he liked McGann a lot and not just as his boss. That made the way he had acted around her make a lot of sense to me. I just wondered if she liked him the same way.

  "What's her story?” Mason asked, trying to distract Wolf. He had seen that look too. I knew that he'd tell Tholf sometime later that married or not, Wolf still considered her off limits for him. “You guys were short women, and she's got no man. It's not like she's that bad looking."

  "She's got thief's eyes,” Tholf said. “An evil woman, a troublemaker. She was lucky that Grima took her in. If not, she would be sent to see the gods."

  "I will watch the Northerner,” Farusawa said.

  I guessed he thought that I was in charge here, probably because I was Shino's brother. That wasn't too well known, either, but for different reasons. Probably the original Inuzaka Keno was a crazy fighter, someone that you didn't want to anger, which was why Farusawa was acting like I should take Mason's head or something because of the way that he was acting. I knew that was the custom of their time. But Samojirou didn't want me dealing with that reputation, which was why I was called Sakura. And to be honest, I didn't want to deal with it either. I was a fighter, but not a killer like my ancestor had been. I realized that when I was on the beach and couldn't kill any of those raiders, even knowing what they would do to Tamazusa and me. I couldn't, as stupid as it sounded. Thank the kami that Wolf had been there.

  Wolf and Mason started to get dressed, realizing I wasn't going to wait around for information. I was aware that a couple of other samurai here had wandered into the bathhouse. Farusawa wasn't going to be alone with Tholf, even though I knew he could beat Tholf in a fight. I had managed to do that, and I knew I wasn't a strong fighter.

  There was a maid waiting outside for us, and she silently guided us to the main hall. There was a tension in the air that told me there was something going on here. I wondered how bad the fighting was. Hamaji, Tamazusa, and McGann were waiting for us. I wasn't surprised that Helga was missing, since she had been hostile to both Tamazusa and McGann, so I doubted she would be included in any planning sessions we had. I wasn't surprised to see food and tea waiting for us. Wolf and Mason sat down, while I remained on my feet, unable to relax at all. I started pacing back and forth, needing to do something now that I was in Nippon, even though I was exhausted.

  "I want a fast horse and supplies,” I announced to Hamaji after a minute.

  She and Tamazusa exchanged smiles. “I told you he would say that,” Tamazusa said. “Aboshi isn't the only besotted fool that I have to deal with."

  "My lord,” I objected, “I fail—"

  "She sent word to Aboshi and your brothers that you and I are safe,” she said gently. “It is faster, but more nerve-racking to have him come to us. I fear that you must wait."

  "He is in your kuni,” Hamaji said. “Most of the fighting is either happening there or spilling into one of the neighboring kuni. The chaos is spreading, however, and soon all of Nippon will be involved. There are monsters throughout the lands and rumors that the Southerners are poise
d to invade."

  "The Southerners?” McGann asked.

  "Egyptians,” Tamazusa clarified. “Their boats only look fragile. They are able to cross the barrier easily, with luck and skill, because they have strong magics. But the issue had been in the past that they couldn't land on Nippon and keep a foothold so that they can invade. We watch them too closely for that, knowing that they lust for our lands, for the greenness that they don't have. That was why they were interested in whatever lies your Trustees may tell them."

  "Their weapons are a bit cruder than ours, since their ironwork is almost as crude as the Northerners,” I added.

  "There are very few things that match the strength and the grace of a katana,” Wolf said.

  "Sit down, Keno,” Hamaji counseled. “You have to wait. I know that it's hard."

  I looked at her. There was a shine to her eyes that hinted that she was going to cry. I didn't want her to cry, so I sat down. I hoped Samojirou at least had the good sense to bring Shino with him.

  * * * *

  Samojirou

  Inuyama watched me as I ate. There was always one of them with me now, no matter what. They were frightened, if I could use that word, that I would suicide. I knew it wasn't because they cared for me; they just didn't want their brother Keno hurt. I'd say that Fuse was the exception to this, but she had been escorted back to Awa as soon as the fighting broke out. A war camp was no place for her, even if it seemed that most of the rest of her family were here. Aside from Inuyama Dousetsu, his brothers Inusuka Shino, Inukawa Sousuke, and Inukai Genpachi were also watching me.

  "I said that I wouldn't do anything foolish,” I told him in an irritated tone.

  "Like attacking a kasha by yourself?” Inuyama asked in almost the same voice. “That wasn't foolish, was it?"

  A kasha was the size of two horses side by side, with poisonous tentacles. It was a mindless beast, usually controlled by its hunger or in rare cases, a sorcerer. It was rarely seen, but with the chaos growing in Tamazusa's kuni and the surrounding lands, such creatures were becoming all too common. Most of the peasants had fled, and I foresaw a poor harvest and starvation, no matter who won this war. Iida's armies had gathered on the shoreline of the kuni, held back by Okita at the Saigawa River. The opportunists had also come out in force; smaller daimyo who hoped to win their own lands or lords who wanted a richer kuni had started to attack. The fighting hadn't been that involved yet, since most of our troubles had come from the monsters. I knew that soon, Nippon would be plunged into a war that would have the other lands attacking us, taking advantage of our weakness.