After escaping the castle grounds, Yukiana fled into the city, clutching Tanuki in her arms. How long she ran she could not recall, but eventually she paused in a small alleyway to catch her breath. The shouting of the guards had long dissipated, and she was comforted by the quiet of the nighttime streets.

  She was not followed or even noticed, though she ran as if a demon were chasing her. The people of the city who had heard the clamor coming from the north bailey had no idea that she had been at the very heart of it. Many thought that there had been some sort of coup or natural disaster, and even the Mashige patrols that she crossed within the city paid her no mind.

  Yuki looked down and inspected the bleeding Tanuki in her arms. He was still alive, for she could feel the subtle movement of his ribcage in her arms, but she knew he needed treatment soon. She also knew that despite her miraculous escape from the castle, she was not completely free of danger, as the Lady would undoubtedly begin looking for her once she heard the news. Ishihara might already be flying over the city, scouring every corner as only she could do. The only true escape, if such a thing were possible, would be for her to leave the New Capital completely. She did not know where to go and had no time to consider long. She went with her first instinct and ran eastward towards the harbor.

  Yukiana had decided that she would try and depart the New Capital in the same way in which she entered, by boat. She moved hastily, keeping her eyes on the moon and stars overhead to guide her, and eventually made it to the expansive harbor.

  She sought the Hino, almost unconsciously, and found it docked in the same position it had been when she left. She could tell that they were preparing for a voyage, perhaps the following day, and praised the All-Kami that they had chosen to escape when they did.

  When she came to the ship, she was spotted by some of the familiar crew, who remembered her and were at first overjoyed to see her. They shouted excitedly and begged her to come aboard. Once she did, however, they could see that she was covered in blood, and grew worried. They roused Captain Yoko, who had only recently entered his cabin, and was not yet asleep.

  Yukiana went into him and immediately pleaded for her life.

  “Captain Yoko,” she began as soon as she entered his quarters. “If you truly meant what you said the last time we spoke, please, help me. I beg you. If I stay within this city I will surely die.” After speaking she fell to the ground and knelt at the captain’s feet.

  She said this so boldly and with such ardor that Captain Yoko was at first stunned. He examined her with great care, and upon seeing the scar that was covered by the Truist eyepatch, he frowned.

  “I can see that you have been greatly changed, Yukiana-san,” he acknowledged gravely. “You are not the same girl whom I brought to this wicked city. I am sorry for everything that has happened to you. Do you know that there is not a day that has passed where I have not felt the terrible, burning guilt for what I did to you in bringing you here? I have done many a wretched thing in my life, but that is the most grievous. Please stand.”

  Yukiana looked up to see his softened countenance and then took his gentle hand and was assisted to her feet.

  “I am glad that you have given me the rare opportunity to try and redeem myself. I will do everything within my power to keep you safe.”

  “Thank you…” Yuki breathed, for the first time realizing what this meant. “Then I am…at last…free.”

  Captain Yoko smiled and laughed, and such an unbridled laugh seemed to reach and restore Yukiana’s broken spirit. “Where then shall we go?” he asked. “Back to Minami-shima?”

  “No,” Yuki answered quickly. “Not there. I have nothing there. Can you take me north? Can you take me to the domain of the Tora?”

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Captain Yoko pursed his lips and seemed to consider for a moment. “Tomorrow we were going to set sail for Yoshimitsu City in the south. It seems like we will be taking the long way there.”

  “I am overjoyed. By the way, might I also trouble you for some medical supplies,” Yuki added, remembering Tanuki, who still laid limp in her arms. “My…he’s hurt…”

  The captain was confused at why Yuki would be so concerned about what seemed to him to be a bloodied, mangy rodent, but he suppressed his misgivings and turned and dug through a tall wooden cabinet. “This should do the trick,” he said, handing her a small box with bandages and ointment.

  “Thank you,” she said, bowing. “I could never hope to repay…”

  “That’s enough,” Yoko interrupted. “It is I who am in your debt, my lady.”

  Yuki turned to go, to see about Tanuki, but Yoko had one last question. “What about Kondo?” he asked as an aside. “Is he still…”

  “I do not know. He left this city many days ago. I do not know where he is, but I have a strange feeling that he yet lives.”

  Turning back, the captain seemed to nod his head, but Yuki could tell that there were tears in his eyes. “Well then, I’ll inform the crew that we will be taking a short detour north. We will depart as soon as we are able.”

  It was many hours later when Tanuki finally awoke and was in a condition where he could communicate once again. Yuki had taken care to dress his wounds as best she could and had done an adequate job. She had treated him for quite some time, thinking that at any moment he would breathe his last, but he managed to hold on.

  “We made it…” he said after a moment, looking up at her affectionately.

  “Yes, we did. We made it.”

  The kami sighed and then let himself enjoy the satisfaction of their narrow escape, despite his aches and pains. He then took notice of the place where they now sat. It was a small, dark room with a strong scent of the ocean about them.

  “Where are we?” he asked.

  “We are in the care of a friend of mine,” Yuki explained. “We are actually aboard his ship, the Hino.”

  “A ship? It has been a long time, indeed, since I have been on a human vessel. Where then are we going?”

  “A place where I think we will be safe,” she answered contemplatively. A smile crossed her face as she considered their future. “We are going to stay with another friend that I met along the way. One that I think might be able to protect us.”

  “I am afraid nothing will be able to protect us permanently,” Tanuki said quietly. “Now that they know that we are bound, Ishihara and Kitsune will stop at nothing to hunt us down.”

  This seemed to pull Yukiana from her thoughts, and she directed her eyes back at her new friend. “What happened back there? You were nearly killed. The wounds you suffered were terrible.”

  Tanuki was reluctant to speak on the matter but eventually relented. “I should have been killed, but we were aided by the hands of fate. You see, Kitsune was not suspecting us, or me to be there. And for some reason, her powers were greatly weakened. I do not know what dark and foul act she had bent those energies towards, but fortunately, she had not completely recovered by the time of our encounter. Our battle was brutal but short, and it ended in a stalemate. I retreated back to find you while she shrunk back to her master. I would have liked to have finished it at once, but our connection is new, fresh, and requires refinement.”

  “So, one day we must face them again?” asked Yuki apprehensively.

  “Yes, I’m afraid so. But next time, we will be ready for them.”

  There was a long pause while Yuki considered this. “Then we must be careful, for the time being, and you must teach me everything I need to know to become a shapeshifter.”

  “I intend to,” said Tanuki, rising to his feet. “And when the time comes to face the Lady and Kitsune, we will do it together.”

  Yuki could not help but smile and feel hopeful, despite the dark cloud of doom hanging over them. “But that means that I will have to put off finding my father.”

  “Not entirely. We have gotten this far and have come through much danger. If we can continue to do so, the chances of us being able to find your father grow. The stronger you become, the more you can do to help him later on. So, let us begin, shall we?”

  This encouraging thought was enough to renew her spirits. She stood and scooped up her companion in her arms and made for the cabin door. She opened it and walked outside just as the sun was about to rise. Above them remained the inky blackness of night, but as her eyes fell down towards the horizon, she could see a dark purple followed by a deep blue, a red easing into pink, splashes of orange and yellow and then the magnificent glitter of white.

  Yukiana was still far from her home, still in danger, still but one young woman in the midst of a cold world, but as she looked down at her new friend and felt the steadfast Hino beneath her feet, she knew within her heart that she was not alone.

  “Papa...” she whispered, “Just hang on. I’m coming for you. I promise.”