Chapter Text
Yuna stared outside the window. Rain was falling down and all was quiet… She sighed and buried her head in her hands, not knowing what to do, and not knowing what she had done tonight...
The day before yesterday, she was so excited. Yuna had prepared for this day her whole life… ever since her mother broke Taka’s arm when he was six, since she took her little brother and fled, was captured by the Black Wolf, enslaved, escaped, gone to bed hungry and became a thief, stealing and killing to survive.
She had even managed to get that stubborn jito to give her passage off the mainland, despite the typical samurai using people for all they were worth. The only battle that was hers, was the fight for her and her brother to survive.
So, she hoped Jin understood when she refused to go with him to Fort Koyasan.
“This is your battle, Jin. Not mine. All I want… all we need is to start a new life.”
Jin was saddened, but he understood. Yuna had done so much for him. He couldn’t ask her for anything else if she didn’t want to do it.
“I won’t stop you then… Thank you, Yuna. For everything. I hope you find peace.”
“You too.”
That was the last thing Yuna said to him. At least… That’s what she thought.
In the middle of the night Yuna awoke, ready to start the new day. She and her brother were to be on the first transport to the mainland. She sat up from her mat and reached for her weapons.
“Taka, wake up,” she said. “It’s time to…”
She looked over to the mat next to her’s. And saw that her brother wasn’t there. The only thing that was there was a note.
Yuna quickly picked up the note and read it, but her heart started racing at what it said.
“No… You fool! Taka!”
Yuna quickly ran outside, into the rain, found her horse, and rode from the jito’s camp. With all the speed her horse had, she made her way towards Fort Koyasan. She saw horses riding away, and hid to prevent the enemy from seeing her.
Among them, she saw the Khan and Ryuzo...
When they were gone, Yuna moved towards the fort. She got off her horse and made the rest of the journey on foot, holding her blade. She didn’t hear any footsteps or the chattering of Mongol guards. It was so quiet, one could almost hear the sound of leaves falling onto the ground.
The first area was empty, but when she made her way to the main courtyard, she was horrified. The ground, and the walls of the nearby buildings were stained red. There were Mongols and Straw Hats lying dead in pools of blood. They had been slashed and stabbed by blades.
A samurai blade.
“Traitors…” a familiar voice muttered in the wind.
When she turned to voice, she knew it was Jin who did this.
“Jin!”
“Yuna…”
“I just saw the Khan ride out with Ryuzo…” said Yuna. “Where’s Taka?” She tried to look around, but Jin moved a bit when she would try to… like he was hiding something. “I know he’s here. He left a message, saying he’d followed you… Where is he?”
Upon looking the samurai in the eyes, Jin just closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. At first, it was like her brain just skipped what he was implying.
“No…” Yuna said, softly. Jin stepped forward to speak, but the thief held out her hand and he stopped. “No…” This time her voice was louder. The information was slowly sinking in. Yuna couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t see, but her feet were telling her to move. “No!” she then yelled. She pushed past Jin and went deeper into the courtyard.
“Yuna, wait!” And Jin chased after her.
“Taka!” Yuna yelled, as she ran more and more, ignoring how her feet were hurting as they pounded the ground, or how muddy the damp grounds were making her shoes. “He wasn’t supposed to be here! Why didn’t he listen?”
Jin rushed after her, trying to stop her from seeing what he had seen… but he was too late.
“NO!” Her voice echoed throughout the fort. It was loud enough for potential enemies to hear.
At that moment, Yuna didn’t care. Jin didn’t care. He watched as the thief lowered her blade as she slowly walked upon the scene of what happened to Taka. Her mouth was held open agape, and her eyes couldn’t look away if she wanted to. She collapsed on her knees near her brother’s decapitated body. Blood had already soaked into the muddy ground.
Tears flowed freely from Yuna’s eyes, and she gently held Taka’s limp hand and arm. It had been hours. His body was cold, and the thief sobbed openly.
“He wanted to make you proud…” Jin said, his voice quiet.
Yuna just sat there, crying, her mind racing with thoughts and memories. Making small cages to trap crickets, dragging Taka home after spending all day at the blacksmith’s forge, getting yelled at by him for stealing or drinking.
Everything she had done for him, everything she had promised…
“He wanted to be like the Ghost…” Yuna said, her voice shaking.
It was all for nothing…
She stood up, and in that moment, all she could do was yell at him.
“YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE MADE HIM COME!” And after that, all the air had been pushed out of her lungs. She gasped for air, and then more tears flowed from her eyes, as she whimpered.
Jin was taken back by her tone. He didn’t know Taka for long, but his death left a lasting impact. He didn’t know what to say. It was the first time in a while that his sadness was too much.
“I tried to stop him.” The samurai tried to sound like himself, but it came out soft. “But he wanted to help.”
Yuna just sniffled. She looked to the ground. “That’s Taka…” she almost whispered, breathlessly.
“He escaped!” The two heard the front gates opening, and the rushing oncoming footsteps. Jin quickly wiped his eyes and turned to the thief.
“We should go,” he said.
Yuna picked up her sword. “I’m not leaving him!”
Seeing that her mind was made up, Jin stayed by her side and drew his blade. Together, they took on what was left of the Straw Hat ronin. Their angered cries echoed through the fortress, along with the agonized screams of their enemies as they tore through them, Mongols and Straw Hats alike. None were left standing, and they would let anyone who tried to run get away. Every enemy and traitor would meet their end. The fortress was left an even bloodier mess than before Yuna got there.
“That’s the last of them…” Jin said, almost out of breath from what they had done. “The Straw Hats are finished. Ryuzo’s alone.”
“He’s still alive…” Yuna hissed, venom in her voice, “with the Khan.”
“There’s nothing more we can do here…” Jin walked past her, towards the exit.
“I need to bury my brother…” Yuna said. “I’ll catch up with you.”
Jin stopped in his tracks, and he turned to her slowly. “I’ll help you.”
“No. Leave.” Yuna looked him in the eyes, her brow furrowed.
“Yuna-”
“GO!” she yelled. Jin suddenly found himself at the end of her blade. “You’ve done enough! LEAVE!”
Threatening a samurai. Usually, that was something that ordinarily wouldn’t be allowed, but this was no ordinary circumstance. Jin knew he messed up. He deserved this. He nodded and left her be.
Suddenly, he didn’t know where his footsteps were taking him. He left the fort, but didn’t know where to go. His eyes were looking towards the ground, and he found himself just wandering. Thinking. Reflecting.
I failed… again.
He remembered the snow. He remembered the cold. He recalled the blood that was on the ground as he peeked outside and his quiet voice as he saw his father on the ground.
“Father…”
“Jin… Help me!”
The blade had struck his father from behind, and he collapsed onto the ground, blood staining the snow…
“May your death benefit all beings.”
He realized it almost too late that he bumped into something soft. His horse, Nobu, had caught up with him. Jin sighed, petting his horse’s mane. He got on his horse, and rode off.
As much as Yuna didn’t like living in Yarikawa as a child, Taka loved it. He was too young to know what it was really like… Even when his mother broke his arm, he only remembered the good things. Catching crickets, making small cages for them, using spare materials from the blacksmiths, playing with dragonflies…
So, that’s where Yuna buried him: Just outside the walls of the Yarikawa Stronghold. She had stayed there all night, praying, wondering what she was going to do. The rain fell and thunder struck, but Yuna just felt like she couldn’t leave him.
She promised him everything. Everything she did was for him…
Before she knew it, it was sunset. Her clothes and her hair were drenched, but she didn’t care. She was just tired, and she knew she would have to leave at some point, but it broke her heart to leave him, but at least his body had been laid to rest. She shed more tears, as she brought herself to walk away.
On her horse, she rode up the path, leaving Yarikawa behind. She knew the path to get to the jito’s camp. She had no desire to go there, but she knew her friends were there, along with Lord Shimura…
She saw the stares as she walked past and she didn’t even look at them. She didn’t want their pity. She found the small cabin she was allowed to stay in and just waited in there. Alone.
Yuna tried to eat, but nothing looked good.
Yuna tried to drink, but she couldn’t bring herself to do so.
Yuna tried to sleep, but nothing would happen when she closed her eyes.
And when morning came, all she could hear was jito training the recruits to fight. To fight under his banner. To throw away their lives for his cause.
“Treat your weapon like an extension of your arm. Every strike must flow from your center. Yes! Like that. Now press forward.”
The thief heard the sound of clashing iron. She stayed up, praying for so long that she didn’t have the energy to do anything, but just enough to be angry.
Soon, the training had concluded for the day, and Yuna somehow kept dozing off, only to wake up not long after. She was sitting against the wall. She had only drank a little. People had come by to visit, news reaching quickly. They gave the usual condolences. She was grateful for their sympathy, but nothing they did or said could fill the void that Taka’s death would leave.
Eventually, when the afternoon came, Yuna, drowning in her sorrows, fell asleep. However, her instincts made her a light sleeper, even with how tired she was. So, she woke up when someone entered the cabin.
“So, you’ve decided not to leave, then?”
Yuna was awake almost instantly. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, only to see that there wasn’t an immediate threat in front of her.
Yuna sighed, seeing the jito standing before her.
“Lord Shimura. To what do I owe the pleasure?” the thief said, flatly.
“I… heard about what happened to your brother,” said the jito. “I’m very sorry.”
Yuna stood up quickly. “You wanted this to happen,” she growled. “Typical samurai. Using people for all that they’re worth.”
Lord Shimura was appalled, but barely moved, seeming unaffected like a statue. Still, he was silent, seeing the girl so distraught.
“We would never do anything like that,” he said.
“You’ve kept me here as long as you did, even after I saved your nephew’s life!” Yuna snapped.
“The transport is still open if you wish to-”
“There’s no point anymore…” Yuna crossed her arms, and wandered to the window of the small house. “Everything I did… it was for Taka…” She shook her head and covered her eyes. “And now it means nothing!”
Lord Shimura took a single step forward.
“I know what it means to lose someone close to you,” said Lord Shimura. “But, I assure you I had nothing to do with it. We have honor. If not, I wouldn’t have listened when Jin insisted on going alone to face Ryuzo. From what it looks like, Taka went on his own.”
Yuna turned around. “Yeah, and look where your ‘honor’ has gotten you: Using peasants as bodies to throw at the Mongols.”
“And your lack thereof is corrupting my nephew!” the jito finally snapped. “If you are not going to leave for the mainland, or stay and fight, you are free to leave. Now, where is Jin?’
“I don’t know. I buried my brother and I’ve been here the whole time.”
“You don’t know where he is?”
“No.” Yuna raised a brow. “Why?”
“Because he hasn’t been back here.”
Yuna’s back met the wall behind her. She suddenly remembered the harsh words she yelled at him. Surely, he wouldn’t shirk off his responsibilities because of that.
…Right?
Without saying a word, Yuna brushed past the jito and ran outside. She looked around the place. Surely, Lord Shimura just overlooked the camp. She searched high and low, but found no sign of the samurai, or even his horse.
The Yarikawa peasants were training hard in the fields, learning to swing their blades, and others practicing the bow. Masako was overseeing them.
“Lady Masako!” Yuna ran up to her, almost out of breath.
“Yuna? What’s wrong?”
“Jin!” Yuna said, still heaving. She had checked the entire camp twice, not stopping once for a breather. “Have you seen him? Has he been here?”
“No,” said Masako. “Did something happen?”
“Yes, Yuna,” a voice said behind her. “Did something happen?”
Yuna huffed, knowing that that intruding, self-righteous voice was anywhere. She didn’t have to turn her head much to see that it was Lord Shimura.
“He… Jin hasn’t come back here yet?” said Yuna.
“I saw him on my way here,” said Masako, “but he wasn’t heading towards the camp. He headed west.”
“Did he say where?”
“He just said, he had to take care of some business before heading here. Why? Is something wrong?”
“I… I need to find him,” said Yuna. “Thank-you.” She didn’t say a word to the jito and was running towards the stables for her horse.
“West of here is Kishibe Village,” said Lord Shimura. He had followed her to the stables. “The last time I checked there was still talk of Mongols in the area.”
“Jin will be fine,” Yuna said, adjusting the saddle on her horse. “But, I’m going there to find him.”
“What happened?” The jito crossed his arms, his voice stern. The thief knew she wasn’t leaving without explaining herself.
“I was… too hard on him,” Yuna said, hands on the saddle. “I… said it was his fault. But, he’s a samurai. Surely, he can handle such criticism.”
“Perhaps… but then he met you.”
Yuna scoffed. “That doesn’t matter. I’m going to find him.”
“No. Not after the trouble you’ve caused.”
“Do you have a better way without sending your men that are needed here? I messed up and lost Taka, I’m not losing Jin.”
“Then, I’m glad we agree on that.” With that, he walked through the stable to his horse.
“You’re going with me?” Yuna said.
“Well, I don’t have much of a choice, now do I? I told my nephew I couldn’t lose him again. And, I certainly won’t lose him because of you.”
Yuna rolled her eyes. “Wonderful.”
So, the jito and the thief, an unlikely pair, mounted their horses and rode out of the camp. The guards wished their jito luck, the two determined to find their missing samurai.