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Reflections	By : vampkitten27 Category: +S to Z > Twelve Kingdoms Views: 9412 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Twelve Kingdoms, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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- 4
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Disclaimer: I do not own 12 kingdoms or make any money writing this. It�s just a hobby!

To the Reviewers:

Wow! People write reviews longer than my chapters! I find that sometimes the information in reviews helps with my writing. Sometime people write things, saying "You should go in this direction." and sometimes I listen because, they pointed out something in particular I may have not seen on my own.

Story Notes:

As for the tale of the Ronin Assassin: It will be added in every so often. I did look up some historic figures around the time-period of 1651-1662, 50+ yrs into the Tokugawa Era.
I figure the Kaikyaku wrote the "Book of Horai" in 1663, about 340+ yrs prior. I�m not going to give out too many details on the book, because it will ruin the plot. But, since the book is Keiki�s source of information, it will come up often, like every other chapter. Maybe more, maybe less. I don�t know. K, nuff of my needless ramblings, on to the chapter.

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Chapter 4

Moonlight filtered through the veil of paper thin, deep burgundy curtains. Wind blew through the open window, causing the sheer fabric to flutter like butterfly wings. Yoko stirred in her sleep, rather mid-sleep. Even with closed eyes and sleeping body, her mind remained awake. Sweat formed on her forehead, a dewdrop haze brought on by dreams.
Unlike other dreams, this one was different. The blue-hair fair-skinned demon, Aozaru, came into her visions of grandeur. He sat hunched over on a rock in the middle of a stream. In the background was a waterfall. Trees, shrubs, and grass encased the area, making it difficult to judge where she was. All she knew was what she could see. The sword Suiguu was sheathed and at her side. She could not understand why she was having this vision until she looked down at the sheathe. The crack had grown, just an inch, but that was enough to bring on the visions again.
"I wonder...Who is it in your heart?" His words slithered across his tongue through parted lips. "You lust for a certain King, yet you love a Kirin." He hopped across to the rocks close to the water, between the shore and the boulder. "Both are off limits." He faded out and reappeared behind her. "Are you a whore?"
"Shut up..." Yoko nervously convulsed and covered her ears with her hands, only to feel a cool pair move them away and fade into the night.
A voice cackled in the distance. "The gods will punish you for your lust."
Yoko woke; startled and confused she looked around the room. Her eyes cleared and the first thing she noticed was the strange glow emitting from the sword. It had been another vision created by the sword and the sheathe had indeed cracked more.
Sleep seemed like a forbidden desire; Yoko got up and moved toward the desk where many documents lay in wait. She sat down, flicked on the oil lamp, started to read, and did not stop until the sun aroused. She sat, elbows braced on the desktop and her head in her hands. What was she going to do? The kingdom needed money, desperately need money. The people are willing to work, but they need the help to start.
Other kingdoms grew things like wheat and corn, vegetables and fruits. Some took the wheat of one kingdom and milled it, making wheat into flour. In Ryu, they started milling lumber and became a success practically overnight. It would help if Kei had more trees. The land was becoming fertile again, but not strong enough to maintain corn. Kei tried to produce wheat, but failed. There was a lack of rain the prior year. This year there happened to be too much rain. What can possibly live in such random circumstances?
Yoko started to remember her travels, the things she saw when she journeyed through Kei. She stared at a map and remembered little things about where certain plants developed. Rice grows well in the South and that has been the only source of revenue. Everybody grows rice! However, some of the things she saw in her travels could be enough for the Kingdom to strive and become wealthy as any other nation. She finally knew what to do.
There was a small knock on the door. "Are you ready for the Council Meeting?" It was Keiki. She looked down at her state of dress. "No, I'm not ready." Keiki sighed and Yoko overheard it. "Stop that Keiki. Sighing will not do any good." She stood up and quickly changed. What usually takes an hour took ten minutes; putting up her hair takes most of that hour. This morning she tossed it into a ponytail and dressed in her traveling clothes.
Yoko opened the door and Keiki's mouth dropped open. "You cannot show up looking like that."
"Why not?" Yoko demanded. "I am the Queen, it is my right to dress the way I want."
Keiki argued, "You need to be more proper or you will lose respect among the Council."
Yoko was shocked, this was the first time in a long time he fought her over something so trivial. She simply pushed him away. "We don't have time to fight over this, I'm going and that's final." She walked pass and all he could do was hold back a grumble as he faithfully followed.
The meeting was as hostile as always. Even before Yoko entered the room, she heard both the Ministers of Finance and Agriculture once again at each other�s necks. She cleared her throat and sat down on the throne. "I have given it some thought. During my travels before I was Queen, I noticed a strange plant growing near the Blue Sea. People in Horai call these red fruit strawberries. They grow just about anywhere. But, since I came here, I notice that Kei is the only place they grow."
"What are Strawberries?" The Minister of Agriculture demanded.
"A fruit," Yoko flippantly replied. "People will love them. Not too far from there, in the North-East, is an orange grove. In the forest to the southeast there are carrots. If we utilize what is already on the lands, we can profit without spending money."
The Minister of Agriculture waved to a farmer who stood at the back of the room. He held a bucket. "One problem persist. The only thing that grows in the local area are these round tubers."
Keiki took one out of the man's basket and handed it to Yoko. "This is a white potato."
"A potato?" The Minister asked in disbelief.
"A round vegetable-root that taste pretty good when cooked." Yoko replied. "It's hard to believe that we've had all this stuff here the whole time. This time next year we're going to have more money than any other Kingdom."
Enho stood up from the crowd of men. "Since you have solved the Agricultural crisis, are you still taking your trip to En?"
Yoko had not thought about it. Even with the problem halfway solved, she still needed time to get away from the Kingdom. Just a little time to breathe. She not had a break in two years. If it had not been for immortality, she surely would have turned gray by now. "I'm still going. En is a good alliance; we need to keep lines of communication open. I will be leaving tomorrow."
The Minister of Military stood, "Is the Saiho resuming his position, overseeing the Council?"
"No, I have decided on Enho." Yoko replied. "Keiki will accompany me."
The Minister of Finance started to grumble. "If you ask me, I think you're fleeing."
"Don't you ever say I'm fleeing my Kingdom!" Yoko replied. Her temper rose with the discomfort in the room. Keiki could see the glances between the two and it was electric. If looks could kill, the Minister of Finance would have been cinders.
A man toward the back of the room whispered to a small gathering near the corner, in the back of the room. �If you ask me, the Taiho has made yet another mistake.�
Keiki straightened, his muscles tensed. He felt awkward. Was this how the council viewed his position? A mere ornament to the Queen. It was true he rarely said anything. Since the uprising of the first council, he had not played a major part in the Council. Did Yoko not trust his judgment? Was it because he is too lenient? Of course it is and he knew it.
"Are you questioning my judgment as well?" Keiki freely spoke, and then looked toward the back of the room.
The Minister of Finance shuddered, "N...N...No, Kei-Taiho."
Yoko glared at Keiki for interrupting. In little ways, Yoko felt like he was overriding her authority. It seemed they respected the Taiho over the Queen. From Yoko�s perspective, that is how it appeared. She could easily understand why. If she were to die from an accident, he would live to chose yet again a new ruler. She was really the Kirin's ornament, nothing more than the decoration he chooses to pass judgment onto the Kingdom.
Keiki and Yoko looked at each other for a brief moment, thinking the same thought. "Maybe I'm being unreasonable."

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Later that eve, Keiki picked the book off the desk near the window and walked back to his bed. Instead of sleep, he carefully read from the Book of Horai:

The day I married was the happiest of all my life. We had little to nothing, so we made due with what we already had, each other. We slept in the woods, listening to the listless wind and the howling wild hounds. It was a warm night and the campfire kept the animals away.
I had waited for this moment- to take my wife for the first time. However, I was the one who was surprised. I thought she was like me: treated cruelly, abused and used by the world. I had bought a virgin. No one had claimed her before I bought her contract.

Keiki wondered what it was that makes a virgin in the World of Horai. The Definition of a Virgin in this world: A person untouched by sin, a woman like one of the maidens who raised him as a child. It must mean the same.

After our interlude in the forest, I thought it best to hide her there as well. I built a small house in the middle of nowhere-at least a day journey from Edo. I returned to the city where I continued my work during the week, spending Saturday and Sunday with my wife. After six months, she became with child. I was going to be a father and I was helpless. What do I know about children? Nothing. I've spent my whole life killing to take notice.
I took on every job possible, and then the unthinkable happened. It was going to be an easy job, or so I had been told. On the highway outside Edo, a man named Matsudaira Ichigo was heading in from the west to meet with Tokugawa Ietsuna. A relative who was given a small settlement near Osaka. The Young Lord was no better than a criminal, forcing starvation and poverty among his people. Raping the women and beating down the children, all while the men worked the fields with bleeding hands and frail bodies. I was hired by his own brother, Matsudaira Katsuya. Both are cousins of Tokugawa Ietsuna and if this information ever surfaced, Katsuya would be forced to commit Seppuku.
On that cool spring night, I waited. Just before midnight, a group of Samurai came rushing in along side Lord Ichigo. I rushed in and easily wiped out the samurai. Soon after, I had to deal with Ichigo. He was a rather short man, nearly five foot-three. A rather feeble appearance. Nevertheless, under the waning moon, he looked like a devil; his brown eyes looked blood red. I was careless and underestimated my opponent by his outer shell. A foolish mistake I came to regret.
Our swords clashed, sending sparks of fire into the air. He was chipping away at me, just for amusement. First, grazing an arm, then a leg, a nick to my side, and then a stab wound above my right hip. I was doomed until I thought for a moment-I need to live. I need to live not for myself but for my son and wife. In a fit of fury, I bounded from the ground. When my moment of blind rage was over, my sword had penetrated the demon. He was on ground, dying, writhing in agony. He could not speak, but his phantom eyes acted everything out. While still clinging to his sword, he wanted my blood. He craved for battle to the end.
During the night, I wandered aimlessly through the woods, looking for home. I followed the presence of my wife; my love for her is so deep, I can feel it stir in my veins. I followed that instinct until I passed out from blood loss. I awoke three short days later in my own futon. Turned out I had collapsed in front of the door.
Katsuya came a week later, congratulating me on the victory. With the money, I was able to pay for our escape from Japan.
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"Is love really this strong?" Keiki whispered and closed the book. He took in everything the man said about his wife and child. He no longer lived for himself; he lived for her and his son. Keiki did not approve of the bloodshed, but something about it stirred his consciousness. Is love in Horai so powerful that a man would be willing to die for it? Protect it with his life at all costs? Even make a person�s will to live more resilient?

Why is love considered blasphemy?

The more Keiki immersed into the book, the more confused he seemed to become. One answer brings on three even four more questions. He was uncertain if he could ever figure out the world of the Kaikyaku.

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Dictionary:

Saiho: The position the Taiho holds- The position below the Emperor.

Seppuku: Ritualistic suicide performed by cutting open the stomach with a blade.

Characters/Objects:
Tokugawa Ietsuna : Shogun of Japan 1651-1680. The Son of the previous Shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu and a Concubine.

Matsudaira Ichigo & Katsuya: Characters of my creation. They could have been real people, if they are, I sure didn't know.

"The Book of Horai": Made up by me! This is what my fic is based on. This is the story of a Ronin/Assassin who is transported to the world of the 12 Kingdoms. He spends his days writing things down and in search for his missing pregnant wife.
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Reflections