Legend: "(...)" Japanese dialogue. ------ The young man and his two advisors walked down the hall to the conference room. As they traveled down the corridor, those assembled on either side of the passage bowed, none daring to look upon the twenty-seven year old. Reaching the conference room, one of his advisors closed the door behind him, as the other opened the curtains to let the sun shine through. "Have you heard of the events that took place yesterday?" he asked. "Yes, Your Highness, and I must say it does not bode well. Someone is trying to stir up trouble with the foreigners." Emperor Meiji twirled the end of his mustache as he looked out the window at the scenery outside. ""Do we know who it could be? Possibly a faction still loyal to the dispossessed daimyo (feudal lords)?" "No, I don't believe so. Since the abolishment of the shogun and the increase in freedoms of your subjects, there wouldn't seem to be too many who would want a re-establishment of the old order." "Still, there are some subjects who resent certain of your changes." the second advisor broke in. " The bringing in of foreign educators, the moving of the capital from Kyoto to Tokyo, all have been hard for some... traditionalists to accept. That, and a general distrust of anything foreign..." The other broke in. "That's as may be, but we've received word from the British outpost which suffered the attack. They suspect a third party somehow looking to profit by..." "Third party? There are enough hotheads here at home to..." "Please, gentleman, please." Emperor Meiji said. "Whoever is behind these attacks must be dealt with, and quickly. But the course we have chosen for our country will remain the same." But Your Highness, with the utmost respect..." "Japan needs to grow. She needs to grow and she needs to change. We do not want to go back to the way we were. To the way China and other Asian countries are, cowering under unequal treaties with the Westerners. We must not allow her to be subjugated. She needs to be an equal. She needs to grow and she needs to do so both industrially and militarily. She cannot do that in isolation. We have made her vulnerable. We must accept the fact that we are now, for better or worse, part of a larger world. We must cautiously open ourselves to the ideas of the Europeans and the Americans, always being on our guard that we loose nothing of what makes us Japanese. Japan can afford to do nothing less. Do you understand?" "Yes, Your Highness." "Yes, my Emperor." ------ Sylia led Linna into her store, The Silky Doll. She looked around at the strange juxtaposition of beautiful silk kimonos next to the latest fashions from Paris. Crossing through the door in the back, Sylia led Linna into a small library. She quickly glanced at the volumes. Alongside the Tao Te Ching and The Art of War were Das Kapital, the Origin of Species, several popular works by Charles Dickens, a Japanese dictionary, and a book on firearms. "Quite the eclectic collection she has." She thought, as she saw Sylia pull a single volume forward, tripping a mechanism that opened a hidden doorway behind them. As it opened, Linna's eyes widened noticing the spiral staircase descending underground, illuminated by gaslight. Sylia lit a lantern on a desk by the secret passage before she turned to Linna and looked her in the eye with an almost frightening intensity. "This is it, Yamazaki-san. There is still time to back out. As a geisha, I know you would never divulge my secret. If you don't want to go through with this, we can go back to the Geit Okiya now." Linna shrank a bit under the older woman's gaze. Why had she wanted to come to Tokyo? For the excitement? From what Sylia had told her in the outer courtyard garden, this was way beyond a little excitement. What was she doing? She was a geisha, a dancer and entertainer. She was no warrior. She was no Tomoe Gozen (legendary female samurai of the twelfth century). Part of her wanted to turn now, to leave while she still could. But then, she remembered the words Sylia had spoken earlier. "The current peace in Japan is in danger. We're doing what we can to preserve that peace. I'm offering you a chance to join me. To join us." "Sylia-san, I thank you, but I have cast my lot. You are now my sensei, and I am no longer geisha." she said, a slight tinge of sadness in her voice. Sylia caught it, and put a hand up to the other girl's cheek. "Very well. Come, follow me." She said, turning away and proceeding down the passage with Linna apprehensively following her. ------ "Look, Priss! The tear in the armor is fixed, good as new." Nene said, showing off the repairs Sylia's friend Nigel Kirkland had just finished with to her armor, consisting of woven bamboo and metal strips. The making of samurai armor was a dying art, and Nigel was one of the few Westerners ever taught the ancient art. "He even put a hidden compartment in the sleeve here for my shuriken." "Congratulations. You and your armor will be very happy together, I'm sure." Priss quipped. She then looked toward the light shining through the cave entrance, and grabbed her sword. "Who goes there?" she called out. "It's me, Sylia." As she came in, she looked at Priss and shook her head. "Why do you insist on wearing such common clothes? Why don't you ever let me help you with your wardrobe?" "Isn't it enough I wear your armor?" she asked, noticing Sylia visibly stiffen at the retort. She then noticed the young woman timidly following her. "Who's this?" "Her name's Yamazaki Linna-san, and she is going to be joining us. She was the geisha I told the two of you about last night. Linna, this is Romanova Nene-san and Asagiri Priss-san." Nene, still wearing the armor she was showing off to Priss, looked at Sylia with disbelief. "She's what? A geisha in the Knight Sabers? Have you taken leave of your senses?" "The last time I asked Sylia if she took leave of her senses, she ignored me and let you join anyways." Priss said to Nene, who immediately turned to her angrily. "Stop picking on me!" she shouted, stomping her foot for emphasis. Linna silently listened to the conversation unfold, her eyes glued for some reason to Priss. It was her eyes that captured Linna's attention. They were almost catlike. "What are you staring at?" Priss asked a suddenly very startled Linna. "What? Oh, nothing, I..." "Can you even fight?" Nene asked. "And what do you know about what we do?" "She killed three armed men single handedly last night." Sylia said. "Yes, and I'm familiar with most of the literature on bushido (code of samurai honor, similar to the Western codes of chivalry), so I..." "Bushido?" Priss asked, "Are you serious?" Linna was suddenly crestfallen. Sylia looked at the situation, and decided upon a way to not only help Linna gain respect in the other's eyes, but also maybe knock Priss down a peg. "Tell you what; Nene, grab two wooden swords. Linna, you wanted to see what it was like to be a Knight Saber, well here's your chance. Put on the spare set of armor over there. You're going to be sparring with Priss." ------ "Come in." commander Roland said as he heard the knocking at his door. He watched as Daily and Leon walked in the room and stood at attention. "At ease. Any luck with getting anything out of the prisoners?" "Not with direct questioning, Colonel. But yes, we got information out of them." Leon said. Roland eyed him suspiciously. "You didn't use torture on the poor bastards, did you?" "Not exactly." Wong said, pushing his glasses up a bit on his nose. "We simply noticed the tattoos all over the dead ones. They matched the tattoo patterns on the arms and chest of the prisoners. That and the fact that some of our prisoners were missing digits off their fingers." "Yakuza?" "Exactly." Leon broke in. "Someone's hired those thugs to try to stir up trouble." "Do we know who?" "No. They won't talk." "I see. Carry on then, men. Let me know if there are any further developments in the case. Oh, and Leon." "Sir, yes sir." "Any news to report about the other incident last night?" "You mean the three ronin? None so far. Daley here can probably help you more there?" "Thanks, but unfortunately the local law enforcement has no more information on these 'Knight Sabers' than the British do." "Are they a threat? Whose side are they on?" "They seem to be vigilantes. The fact that they were fighting against the yakuza last night would seem to indicate they're interests and ours are the same for the moment." "The enemy of my enemy is my friend, eh?" Roland asked. "I wouldn't go that far, Colonel." Leon broke in. "The fact that they were on our side yesterday is no indication of where their long-term loyalties lie. We have no idea whose side they're on." "Hmm... At the very least, they're openly violating the sword control law. For now, we treat them as vigilantes; arrest them if we can, use deadly force if necessary. Understood?" "Sir, yes sir." Both men answered, standing at attention. ------ Linna was now encased in the armor of a samurai. She was surprised by how light it felt. Comprised of woven metal, bamboo, cloth and pieces of colored glass for decoration, it was much lighter than its medieval European counterpart. As she was tying her hair back in order to get her helmet on, Priss, already in her armor, came up to her and began eyeing her. She began to grow increasingly uneasy under the other woman's steady gaze. Summoning up her courage, she met the other's eyes. "What do you want?" she asked. "I want to know why a geisha wants to join the Knight Sabers." "Because the peace in Japan is threatened, and innocent people are endangered." Priss gazed at her a few seconds before slowly shaking her head. "You're serious, aren't you?" "Of course. The bushido code of the warrior holds that one must defend justice, benevolence, love, sincerity..." "You can forget about that bushido crap," Priss interrupted, "I'm in it for the money." "The... the what?" "Didn't Sylia tell you? She pays us to be Knight Sabers." "But wait, that doesn't make any sense. Why would you put yourself in so much danger just for...?" "Are you two ready yet?" Sylia asked. "Ready." Priss said, putting her helmet on. "Ready." Linna said, a bit less confidently than Priss. She watched as Priss walked away from her to a distance of twenty feet, almost touching the cave wall before she turned around again to face her. She gripped her sword in front of her, Linna doing the same. "Then... Begin!" Sylia ordered. Nene winced as she saw Priss charging full throttle at Linna. Linna for her part realized she had two options. She could try to match Priss' hard style blow for blow, or she could adopt a soft style like she did the night before and hopefully catch her opponent off guard. Priss, holding her sword over her head, brought it down with terrific force, expecting to overpower any block. Instead of blocking, however, Linna side stepped her, grabbing her opponent's wrist with her free hand and pulled her forward as she brought her sword down upon her from behind, lightly tapping her across the left shoulder blade. "That's one for Linna." Sylia called out. Priss was shocked. Letting out a yell, she charged forward again with thrusts and sweeping motions. Nene, watching from the sidelines was mesmerized. Priss' movements were those of a charging rhino; all force, all anger, all blind fury. Linna's, though, were the movements of a dancer; fluidity and grace. Priss was getting frustrated. "Stop dancing around and fight, damn you!" She yelled as she made a sweeping motion with her sword. Linna jumped in the air, her feet just clearing the wooden sword's "blade" as she brought her own down upon Priss' shoulder. Not enough to bruise, but enough to sting nonetheless. "Shit!" Priss yelled. "Two for Linna." Sylia announced. Nene started clapping, but immediately stopped when she caught Priss' gaze. She looked at her opponent now with unbridled rage. Who the hell did this geisha think she was, trying to make a fool of her? Once again, she charged Linna. Linna this time quickly dropped to the floor and, sweeping her legs, tripped her opponent, who fell with a thud. Before Priss could react, she found Linna's sword aimed straight for her throat. "Yield." She said in a low, even tone. Priss, shaking with anger, turned to Sylia. "That's enough sparring for today." Sylia said, trying to calm the situation. "Let's all go upstairs. My butler should have lunch ready for us and..." "You guys go up," Priss said, getting up and tossing her helmet aside as she did so. "I've got places to go." She walked away from them, removing her armor as she did so. "Asagiri-san?" Linna called over to her. Priss turned around and glared at her. "What?" "I, um... I didn't hurt you, did I?" Priss just stood there, staring at Linna, at the look of concern in her eyes. Instead of making a snide remark, she simply shook her head and continued walking away. Linna turned to Sylia and Nene. "Did I do something wrong?" "No." Sylia said. "You did something a little too right." "Don't pay any attention to Priss." Nene added. "She's just a grouch. Come on, let's go upstairs and eat. I'm starving." ---Two Weeks Later--- Priss rode her horse to the front of the Silky Doll, tying its bridal to the post and patting it on its neck before going up to the entrance. She looked over to see Linna sweeping the porch clean with a broom. As Linna looked up, their eyes once again locked. Both women studied each other. Linna was the first to break away from Priss' glare, as she went back to her sweeping. Priss stood a moment longer, watching the young woman and wondering how it was possible for someone to look so graceful while sweeping away dirt. She finally turned and went inside. Nene was there, just as Priss knew she would be, looking at the perfumery for sale. Sylia was sending a woman into a changing room with one of those stupid "corset" contraptions of the gaijin. She then looked over and saw Priss. "Priss-san. What a pleasant surprise. I..." "My money, please." Priss said. Sylia looked downhearted, pulling her purse up and pulling out a bag she handed to her. "Will it always be like this between us?" she asked in a low tone. Priss looked over at her. "I... I don't know. I don't hate you for what you did, if that's what you mean. Not any more, at least." Sylia smiled. It was a start, at least. Who knew; maybe someday, Priss would be able to call her a friend again. As Priss was leaving, she looked over in the direction of Nene. "Hey Nene. You know a Captain McNichol?" "You mean Leon poo? Yes, I know him. Why?" "Will you tell him to stop coming around the tavern bothering me." She then turned around again, to see Linna coming in carrying her broom. The two passed each other silently. As the sound of hoof beats went off into the distance, Linna turned to Sylia. "Sensei, what is wrong with Priss? Why does she always act hostile toward you?" Sylia looked at the younger woman sadly. "Linna," she began hesitantly, "Have you ever heard of a Greek poet by the name of Sappho?" "Who?" Before Sylia could elaborate, her customer came out, visibly uncomfortable within the constricting confines of the Western corset. "Stingray-san," she managed to get out, "Thank you all the same, but I think I'll stick with the kimonos." ------ Rodger Dowering stood in his office looking around very nervously, sweating under the glare of Quincy Rosenkreutz himself, Mason standing behind him to his left, and a group of men in dark suits behind them. He then looked behind him to his bodyguard, and realized he was heavily outnumbered. "Dowering," Quincy began, "I don't know what to make of your incompetence. If even half of what Mason has told me is true, I..." "Please, Mr. Rosenkreutz, I swear, I..." "How dare you interrupt the chairman!" Mason yelled. Quincy waited a moment before continuing. "Your failure is inexcusable. Mr. Mason?" "Yes, sir." "You are the new head of Genom International's Japanese branch. Your first assignment is to write a letter of condolence to Mr. Dowering's widow in London." Rodger stepped back, terrified. He turned to the yakuza standing behind him. "(Don't just stand there! You're my bodyguard; protect me!)" "(Correction; you were his bodyguard.)" Mason said. Roger looked at him now, shocked that he knew Japanese. "(You are my bodyguard now. My name's Brian J. Mason, and I'm taking over operations here in Japan. All will stay the same, except your salaries, which of course will be increased. If this meets with your satisfaction, then I would strongly suggest you back away from Mr. Dowering.)" Rodger's bodyguards immediately backed away and walked over to Mason's side. Rodger's eyes opened wider as he watched the men in dark suits reach into their jackets and pull out pistols. "No, please! I beg you, I..." The room was suddenly filled with the sound of gunfire. When it was over, Rodger slumped down to his knees, then fell face-forward on the floor. Quincy looked on as the smoke cleared and Rodger's form was once again visible. "Correction: first, get someone in here to clean up this mess, then write his widow." "Of course, chairman Rosenkreutz." Mason answered, as Quincy and his men left. Then, turning to his new bodyguard, "(How many members of the yakuza do we have stationed in the Imperial Palace?)" "(Twenty, Mason-sama.)" "(I see. We need that number doubled. And tell those already on the inside they have new orders...)" ---To Be Continued--- End Notes: For those who don't know, Sappho was a famous Classical Greek writer from the isle of Lesbos who wrote love poetry to other women. The term lesbian, first coined in 1890 in a medical dictionary, actually comes from the name of her homeland.
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