Book 12 prologue. Revised from earlier draft.

That man had, for her sake, lost one irreplaceable thing after another. He had thrown away many things, so many she could never make up for them, and placed them in her hand.

All of her happiness was built up on his sacrifices. She had had many opportunities to recognize this. Her existence was to him but an unlucky star. As she pretended to be unaware of this, in the end he had finally lost everything for her sake.

****

The first time she had met that man was when her mother died. Her mother, sensing danger, had forced the three year old into a secret room. From a tiny hole in the wall, she had seen the spectacle up until her mother’s slaughter. Then after everything had ended, she crawled out, and went up to the side of her mother’s miserable corpse. Then, after the sun had risen three times, and night had fallen three times, he came.

“Jyuusan-hime?”

At that time, she could see him only as a demon. The boy who quietly appeared from the darkness, had dark skin, the likes of which she had never seen before.

She spread both of her hands over her the back of her mother’s corpse, and glared at the demon.

“Don’t come any closer.”

Then the demon, who had been stepping forward, moved back. For a moment, she was relieved, but the demon did not leave, and sat down cross-legged in that place. With him facing her there, three more mornings came, then three more nights.

The demon, who had not said a single word, that sixth night, for the first time opened his mouth.

“What must I do for you to let me come closer?”

Indeed, if she were to stay like that for another night, she would certainly die.

After he said that to her, she vaguely turned to the corpse of her mother. Somehow, even making such a small movement caused her to shake terribly; she was tired. Although she wished to just close her eyes and sleep there, she held on desperately. If she went on, her mother would not a cruel fate at the hands of the demon. Both of the her mothers eyes, which had looked upon her so kindly, were now gouged out, vacantly gaping holes. Where had her mother’s beautiful eyes gone? For a long time, she couldn’t see anything in the dark, and now she was probably frightened.

Realizing this, she haltingly said:

“If you give me your eyes, you can come closer.”

The demon did not hesitate.

“Fine. I’ll give them to you.”

Then he actually did put out his right eye with a short sword.

She was astonished at the fresh blood dripping copiously from his right eye. Then she almost fell over running to the demon to stop the him from putting the blade to his left one.

“Stop! I’m sorry, sorry. You were not a demon after all.”

At the time, he was still eleven. Yet seen up close, somewhere sunk in his left eye was some shadow, and perhaps because of that, she had for a long time thought of him as an adult.

“I came to get you. Let’s go, thirteenth princess of the Ran clan. I am Jin. Shiba Jin.”

Thus, he had for her sake, first thrown away his right eye.

In truth, he had been ordered to kill her, but she would only learn this ten years later.

Because he had lost his right eye, Jin was thought no longer suitable to be the heir of the Shiba clan, and was disinherited, and for going against orders and returning with her, his father, who had never liked him much in the first place, disliked him even more.

However, Jin simply laughed this off.

“All of that is stuff isn’t really that important. From the beginning I wasn’t suited to be the head.”

The one to take in the both of them, who had become inconvenient people, was Jin’s grandfather, the previous head of the Shiba clan, formerly ranked along with Sou Shungai as a mighty warrior, the blade protecting the Ran clan, Shiba Ryuu. At the mansion where Shiba Ryuu had retired after he left the main house and ceded the leadership of the family, she learned the martial arts, etiquette, tactics, military horsemanship, and at the same time, she received the upbringing suitable to a princess of the Ran clan, and was strictly yet liberally raised as the ward of the Shiba clan.

Although countless warriors flocked to the wise and valiant general Shiba Ryuu, the mismatched pair of the one-eyed, intrepid Shiba Jin, and her elegantly handsome half-brother Ran Shuuei were usually the objects of attention and admiration.

The thing she liked third best was spending time with the two of them, and the second best was watching Jin and Shuuei fight with real swords close up.

Then, quietly, the seasons brightly passed, and unexpectedly, Jin said:

“Hotaru, when you turn sixteen, become my bride.”

She thought it was a joke, because at the time they were busily mucking out the stables.

“Ah, yes, yes. You’ll become Shuuei-niisama’s brother in law then. He’ll be happy and cheerfully tell you “call me ‘older brother’”, you know.”

“Guh. don’t say that. I hadn’t thought of that before.”

“You said you wanted to marry me, but isn’t it not really worth it? If you want to become a son in law of the Ran clan, don’t do it the easy way. Choose one of my elder sisters. If you try hard enough, you can do it somehow.”

“Listen up, Hotaru. I’m saying that if I’m going to marry, you’re the only woman in the world for me.”

At that time, she was surprised at first. She tried with all of her might to hide the fact that she was moved. Although, more than being overjoyed, why somehow was she irritated that he could say it so lightly? It also annoyed her that he looked so good in the jet black, gold embroidered eye-patch she had made him. That man always was saying, no matter was going on, things like “it’s not that big of a deal.” Just like when she had caused him to lose his right eye, and be disinherited. So, at that time, since she knew how much he had lost for her, although she was happy, she hesitated. But for some reason she couldn’t clearly refuse him, so she rejected him in a round-about way.

“That’s not something a twenty-year old man should be saying to a child of twelve. Why don’t you go wash your face in the Nine Colored Cove?”

“Got it. When I return, tell me your answer. Don’t run away, Hotaru. Or I’ll come and find you.”

“Wait a second! Are you really going to go to Nine Colors Cove?! Are you an idiot or something?!?”

“That’s right. Because I’m serious. ”

When he looked at her with that one eye he had left, she always lost.
…Because she loved him, she was happy at those words, so then she folded.

“Th-then when I turn sixteen, if there’s no man around better than you, I’ll think about it.”

Jin just smiled.

There’s no way there could be, his voice, full of confidence, came, and so that was even more frustrating.

That night, Jyuusan-hime wept alone. For first time, she thought, maybe there was something she could do for Jin. She would try for her whole life to repay a little of what he had given her. She would become his eye, they would support each other, at times fighting, and in the end achieve a happiness just for the two of them, unrelated to the Shiba and Ran clans.

So from then Jyuusan-hime persevered at mastering sewing, which she was bad at at, cooking, laundry, and with a slight bit of female instinct, learned how to take care of herself. So in one year, she had become surprisingly maturely beautiful, surprising her brother Ran Shuuei, who said to her, with a smile “be happy from now on.”

However, there was later no chance to realize this.

Before her eyes, the man suddenly opened his eyes wide. With the tip of a blade sprouting from his chest, he expired. In a flash, Jyuusan-hime’s ashen face was painted pure red by the blood gushing from his wound.

The one who had pierced the man’s heart in one stroke from behind, then kicked his corpse, which had collapsed over Jyuusan-hime, off of her, was Jin, whose expression was colder than she had ever seen it before.

(Neh, Jin, the thing I like best is when you call me Hotaru.)

But, this time only, she wanted to cry.

“Hotaru. …. Hotaru. I’m sorry.”

Don’t apologize. Don’t say anything more. I don’t want to hear it.

“I can’t marry you any more.”

The words “let’s run away together” did not come, up to the very end.

That cold look was only there for a second, and after that, the usual Jin returned.

Proud, upright, even if she begged him, there was not a chance in a million that he would run away from the crime he had committed.

Sobbing, she clung to his chest and cried; Jin embraced her and stroked her back.

“…Hotaru. Even if there isn’t a man better than me, live without despair.”

An unforgettable voice. His large, gentle hand. Upon that chest that had always protected her, Jyuusan-hime wept.

(Why?)

Why could she only steal everything from the man she loved most in the world? Although Jin had given her everything, why had she from the beginning to the end….

“Hotaru, don’t be mistaken. I did it for my sake. ….. Become a good woman.”

He grinned just as he always did, and left only the light brush of a kiss, their first and last, with her.

…then Jin vanished from before Jyuusan-hime.

–Patricide.

It was one of the Ten Great Crimes, and even if the perpetrator were a noble or member of the royal family, they would certainly be executed. The Shiba clan would not forgive him, he who had thrown mud on the glory of the Shiba house. Before being executed, the clan disavowed him, and erased his name from the records. Shiba Jin, who had formerly been praised as the successor to Shiba Ryuu, and seen together with Ran Shuuei as the two matchless pair who would support the next generation of the Ran clan, has instead, lost his right eye, then his position, and then finally his pride, fame, and name, and was only left with the ignominy of being a criminal guilty of patricide. Jyuusan-hime had stolen everything from him.

…This Jyuusan-hime knew.

No matter what reasons he had, Jin would never forgive himself for killing his father. Even if there were a one in ten thousand, no, even a one in a million chance, that the power of the Ran clan could twist the law and help him, he would not be pleased. He could no longer return to the Shiba clan, and probably, he could no longer appear before Jyuusan-hime either. He was a man for whom even continuing to live was dishonor. Knowing this, Jyuusan-hime went to her three elder brothers who were together the head of the Ran clan, and begged this of them, pressing her forehead to the ground. In whatever form, for any price, even if Jin were to despise her for the rest of his life–that would not bother her.

–Somehow, please save that person’s life.

Other than the head of the Ran clan, who could make the impossible possible, there was no one who could accomplish that.

tags>>saiunkoku|translation