Within A Grey Twilight

But with so much on her plate, those seemed the least of her worries. Kaede had not acted any more strange than that. As for Masaki, it was to be expected that he will await his father"s next letter. As much as she did not know who was behind it, she was not without leads at all. But nothing that could prove anything too, hence she was stuck in this position.

She had asked for the place to be cleaned, as much as it needed to look presentable. The furnishings were old, and some too worn to be used. Hence when she waited, she busied herself with the decor and looking for ways to finish decorating the tea house. As well as looking for newer tea sets, most of them that were here was a little old too. And since it was a long time before it was used, it was worth the cost.

"A letter has came for you, Sachiko-hime." She took it from the messenger"s hands, which she sent for Suzumi. A reply came at last, she opened the letter to read what Suzumi knew about Isamu. Meeting with him was something that could either send her into the other"s hands if he did not figure out his allegiance or will be in valuable.

This was not something that hoping will work, she needed a.s.surances. There was too much which was left to chance, and too much which she did not know. Making any choice with what she had was foolish, too much where it was simply her conjecture. The body was far too decomposed, just like one which was long out at sea. She did not see it, because of how gruesome many said it was.

But they identified him as her father because he carried the exact items and wore the same clothes that his father set out. Thus she had no reason to disbelieve it, as much as she knew that it could be faked. But with this, she had to think which possibility was more likely. Her father was truly dead and someone impersonated him or he was alive. With his corpse in a state where it was largely unidentifiable, thus she needed to know more. There was as much truth as there was deceit, and she had to figure out what.

She opened the letter, which she knew will be crucial to figuring out whether it was truth or lie. Nothing could ascertain it until she saw it with her own eyes.

"I come to tell you that Isamu should not be trusted fully, but it does not mean that he might have nothing. But you should not promise him anything; he is a boy who was not sent by the master but rather someone who was there. However, the previous spy died in mysterious circ.u.mstances and he took over." She did have the feeling that it was so, but it was vague. Perhaps Suzumi did not have much on him either. As she read further, there was largely little else.

It was quiet, which she knew will have been good by all means. Nothing happened, thus there was nothing to say. Which she knew will have been good for her.

"Who are you asking about?" Kaede looked at it, while bringing in some sugar to add into the cups. Masami did prefer tea from foreign lands far more, and her favorite was coffee. Being busy with handling the tea house, acting as her representative when necessary. "Kagura went to settle some errands, so don"t ask for her."

"She will have been a great help in this." Either way, the girl was familiar and acted as though she was a spy. Regardless of what anyone thought about her role, she was invaluable to Sachiko.

"Certainly, and that"s a good thing." Since she was able to gather more allies when it was needed and not limited to a few choices that she had. Kaede was her only ally earlier on, with Suzumi. Now she had Kagura, and one more was better than anything else. "So, who is it that you wrote to Suzumi about?"

Not having touched it during the past few days when she was around, making sense if she had anyone she needed to ask. Which meant that it must have been a recent discovery.

"The Wariya, specifically Ikeda Isamu." She drank a cup of coffee, coffee was something that could not be taken in huge amounts. No more than two cups a day was the most advisable, as she enjoyed the rather bitter taste.

"The first captain?" Kaede focused upon her.

"Who"s that?"

"They have many divisions and captains. Some of them specialize in something, the first for investigation, the second for covert missions, third is for interrogation, the rest are mostly meant for the defenses of the city." Kaede knowing that should not have surprised her, because of how she grew up here.

It did not seem unusual for them to have some devoted to dealing with investigation and the need to infiltrate. As this was a city which had been in the hands of another group, handed over to them without knowing much of the rules and the games.

"I met them."

She did not say any more. "Did they ask about Masaki?"

"One of them was incredibly dense, he thought we were con artists and let us go. The other is the spy chichue planted."

"I bet the dense one is called Sanada Hikaru."

"I think he was."

"He is one of the best Samurai they can find, which is surprising as even those raised from birth are rarely on his level. He is the captain of the fourth, even though he is never there." Despite being a ronin, he was still a genius to say the least.

"How do you know this?"

Kaede gave a small grimace. Although not finding the interest in this at all. Sachiko narrowed her own eyes, knowing that she was not answering the question. They did not accept women, she knew that was certain. Despite the fact that they could be onnbugeisha if the father asked for it. Sachiko was never trained because of her ill health, and mostly due to her lack of interest. Even as he did teach her how to shoot for her own safety.

"My brother headed there, in hopes of supporting the family. He died a year ago." Just before she entered her service, and made sense why she will have chose to leave this city. Even when it was one which raised and bred her.

"I"m sorry I asked." She did feel bad about prying, the same that Kaede will never do to her. Some things were generally meant to stay secret.

"It"s fine." Before she took the cup. "Do you need anything to eat?"

"No." She wasn"t really hungry, nor was she in the mood to eat either. Focusing on her next move was necessary, since Isamu did not have anything much on him. Which in many ways made him a good spy, as much as it was worrisome. How could someone like him end up without any information given?

But she had no choice but to accept what had came. She got up to look at the work the tea house was under, which had required her help with all hands focusing on clearing the place out within the next four days.

Masami had mostly looked upon these few days with figuring out how to survive. Junri taken to helping the inn, which was in need of a serving girl. Mostly to discipline men who had taken things too far, which Masami wound up helping. Since they were in need of money and food, while searching for anyone without information was stupid here. It was midafternoon, with Masami mostly having done with it and without any customers took a break.

No one even needed to guess how foolish it was, they just see what happened to people who stepped onto streets they must steer clear of. And so, she merely made an inquiry around every now and then. With Kisuke deciding to be a portrait artist, mostly for societies looking for traitors or debtors.

And it was the most profitable and what put the food on the table, even as they know that it was a dangerous profession for a young boy. But still, Kisuke was able to defend himself in ways that baffled Junri. For someone who seemed like an idiot, he had remarkable reflexes. One which had surprised Junri, and even her to an extent. She did think that him going on rooftops was a reckless affair, but with his skills it was not that difficult for him to jump up and down. Mostly he was agile, able to climb and jump higher, while going lower than most.

Yuki mostly didn"t do anything, too clumsy and quite foreign. As such, she held to staying in the rooms and serving a guard of some sorts for the cash they had. Which had been for the best as well, since she had the freedom to do as she wished there.

When she did look around for a brief moment, she asked Junri without any reply. Before she went up to find Yuki. The only person whom he really confided into, and trusted. Mostly because of how similar they were, both happened to be incredibly chatty and at the same time absurd.

"Have you seen Kisuke?"

Yuki sat on the ground, lying down for most part and refusing to do anything. Much like the leech she was, Junri offered to help with the finances. Masami had gotten herself to learn to make paper or learn something in hopes of fetching more money. Since she had nimbler hands.

She shook her own head, apart from him leaving early in the morning there was no sign of the boy at all. Even though he was here by this point in time. She sighed, days past and nothing was known about where Kazuho was to say the least. If anything, she was beginning to wonder just how she will have found him.

"Not since morning, he mentioned that he will be with them for quite some time. He won"t be back by evening." Yuki had told it with ease.

"Where is he going?"

"He mentions that this job is a lot more special."

"If he is not home then, I will worry." She had grown to admit that he was useful, while Yuki had been the most useless so far.

"Trust him, I mean Shino always trusted him with her life."

"You do have a point." Given that Shino was not someone who could said to be able to defend herself well enough, and made a rather dangerous journey as a young girl with him. She supposed that there had to be someone who could hold his own when it came to battle.

"Even so, I"m worried. He doesn"t have the best sense." Before she decided to take a small leave. At least to see where the boy was.

"Let me follow you." Yuki took her parasol which had been hanging there for most of the days. Having very few reasons as to why she needed it when she was indoors. But mostly to avoid the rain when it was there and the sun too.

"Alright." At least it was something that she could do during this while.

She locked the door, while taking the keys for herself.They went down the stairs, in which Junri raised her eyebrow as they came down. "Where are you going?"

"To look for Kisuke."

"Fine, I"ll stay here for the time being, and pa.s.s me the keys." She handed it to Junri, who was unlikely to really leave. The only thing that Junri really did for most part was to shop for cloth to make kimonos, as they could not be wearing the same pair of clothes all the time.

She stepped out into the streets, when she was about to leave it she found herself looking at Kisuke. He was with two boys, one which could be slightly younger than he was and the other possibly of the same age but taller. The former was dressed in a rich green kimono, the latter was dressed in dark blue and at the back a shattered moon was embroidered. She didn"t even need to guess, it was the Wariya. Knowing the symbol because of how they were a common sight, often detaining men and going to this district for food.

It was a way to have a stable job, as much as they knew it could be fleeting. Many died, and only a few will surge through the rank because of experience. Although seniority held little sway there, as she knew that they had two young captains, one which was barely even sixteen and the other was about to turn twenty.

She stepped forward for a brief moment, with the boy looking at her face. To take a closer look, a look which she found particularly unsettling.

"Is there something on my face?"

"No, it"s just that you remind me of someone."

"Who?"

"The detestable captain of the first division and who is effectively my superior. Because he is the captain of a more important division."

"Masami-san, why are you here?" He came to her, surprised that she looked for him.

"I was merely worried."

"He was the one which asked him for a job." Yuki pointed to the boy, who did not seem particularly happy at Yuki.

"It"s paying me rather well and I draw most of the time." He gave a bright smile to him.

"Then who is he?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "He"s busy claiming that his name is Masaki of the Saitou clan."

If anything, he did look the part. Although she did not comment on it in any way, since she did not know who he is. "Well, Isamu-chan is the one asking for him."

"Anyway, we"re done for the day. And I kind of like your brother."

"I"m not his sister."

He was already gone. Before Masaki merely looked at her, in the same light as Kisuke. "I"m lost, can you help me get home?"

She was about to refuse, before seeing that he really did not know where he was she held back. Even then, she wondered about how plausible it was.

"I"ll help." With her throwing herself into this, it meant that she was in no position to disagree with.

She sighed, it was the start of a long long day.