Reclaimed – Chapter 2

With Hiro walking alongside Kentaro and his horse, we enter the village limits to a crowd of people. They smile and wave at us while little kids play behind them. I lift my face to the sky and mumble a silent prayer, thanking the gods we’re welcomed into this small town.

“How did you know we’d be here, Hiro?” I ask, trying to lighten the mood some. Hiro doesn’t turn to me, doesn’t say a word.

“Hey!” Kentaro kicks Hiro from his horse. “Show some respect. You may think Sanaa is to blame for this, but she saved your life and gave herself up to Fujiwara for you.”

“I didn’t ask her to do that.”

“You didn’t have to. It was my duty.” I push the hair off my shoulders and shrug off the sensation of bugs crawling all over me. “‘Duty knows no family.’ An old Japanese proverb.”

Hiro scoffs.

“What? Don’t kid yourself. I wouldn’t have done it for just anyone.” I urge Kagemusha into a trot to get everyone moving.

“It wasn’t hard to find you, you know?” Hiro calls after me, running to catch up. “Everyone on this side of the continent knows who you are and where you are. You’re lucky to be alive.”

I grunt as Kagemusha neighs at Hiro. Even Kagemusha knows that if this little boy can find us, so can my enemies. I thought we’d be fine because we aren’t traveling by shuttle. I didn’t count on the fact that word can travel just as fast in a society devoid of technology. How do they send word so quickly? I’ve never seen messengers on the road.

The buildings of this town are well-kept, one-story homes with paved streets leading into a central business district. I sit up on Kagemusha’s back and catch movement among the stores, people shopping in the middle of the day. No one hiding or running away, as I’ve seen in other towns we’ve approached. This is a good sign.

An old man and woman approach Sakai and Arata at the front of our caravan. With bright, happy faces, they bow, gesture with their hands, and wave us towards a large Japanese farmhouse on a hill in the distance. Arata speaks back to Kentaro, who relays to me.

“They’ve been expecting us. We can lodge tonight at the minka on the hill.”

Jiro turns around and relays the information to Kazuo, Usagi, and Oyama following behind us.

As we approach the couple, what I thought was a pile of fabric around the woman’s shoulders moves and pops its head up. A squirrel! He sits up, and raising his paws to her head, he leans in to the woman’s ear.

“Wait…” I’m about to jump off my horse and shoo the creature off this woman, when she smiles and nods before he scampers down her back. I rise up in my saddle so I can catch the animal’s retreating path. He runs into a general store down the street, disappearing from view.

“What… What?” Jiro says, his lips stammering. He’s staring at the same store.

Kazuo frowns. “I told you the animals were strange.” I remember him saying as much when we were on horseback together, but I thought he was just unfamiliar with animals in general.

The old man and woman smile as we pass them. I want to stop and ask questions but how does one ask, “Was that squirrel talking to you?” without sounding like a lunatic? Because honestly, I thought I had seen it all at this point. Kagemusha pauses, turns his head and looks straight at me.

“What?” I ask him. He huffs and keeps going. Silly horse.

The dirt road winds up the side of the mountain and empties into a gravel courtyard outside our destination. The minka, a Japanese farmhouse, is a scaled-down version of the Yamato estate, a long, sprawling one-story house made mostly of wood.

I dismount Kagemusha and focus on the long, dark lines of wood, the paper screens, and the bubbling fountain in the front garden. I wonder sometimes about what was on Yūsei before the ship arrived here. Were there animals? Trees? Grass? How did these settlers land and build such beautiful places to live? Three hundred years is a long time to grow trees, though.

I shake my head to clear it. Some days now, when I’m dehydrated and tired, my mind does nothing but wander. I’m not nearly as alert as I should be.

I hand the reins to Usagi and join Sakai and Arata on the front porch with Kumo at my side. The trees overhead sway in a breeze and rustle their leaves, shushing the courtyard.

Arata takes a deep breath with a big smile before blowing it out. “I love it here. This minka has been around for about a hundred years now and the owner is a good friend. But I think it’s time for me to warn you about something, though. We’re close to Oda territory now and these people take great pride in their gifts.”

The front shōji screen door opens and a woman in her forties, her hair braided around her head like a crown, smiles at us, but the monkey on her shoulder squeaks at me. Four cats of different colors, orange, gray, black, and white, and a tawny dog sit at her heels. Kumo sits and all the animals stare at each other. A green and yellow bird perched in a cage in the hallway twitters and sings.

“Welcome!” the woman says, clasping her hands in front of her. “Sorry for the chaotic greeting but they insisted on being here.” She laughs and shrugs her shoulders, the monkey riding the wave of her movement. A shiver prickles my neck and back, and I clutch my arms over my chest, rubbing them to bring warmth back to my flesh. My brain is doing its best to put together the bizarre pieces of this puzzle, but no matter how I look at the scene in front of me, nothing makes sense.

“I’m Romi. This is Saru.” She points to the monkey, and he waves at me. How strange. “This is Ichi, Ni, San, Yo, and Donguri. Sorry. I’m not very creative with names.”

“Monkey.” I point to Saru. “One, Two, Three, and Four Cat, and Acorn Dog? You’re just as creative as I am. This is Kumo.” He nuzzles my hand, and I scratch the top of his head.

“Ah, clouds. An excellent choice.” Romi smiles as her monkey leans into her ear. “You’re right. Go get it ready.” Saru leaps from her shoulder and scampers down the hall. “Arata! It’s so great to see you. How’s Terumi?”

I watch the monkey go as the cats pour out of the door and circle my feet. Jiro laughs behind me. “You’ll be lucky if you can walk with these animals in the house. They’ll be at your feet the entire time we’re here.” He steps onto the porch next to me, extends his hand down, and the orange cat rubs her whiskers along the length of his fingers.

“It’s amazing,” Romi whispers to Arata, squeezing his upper arm. “Just like you said.”

“What?” I ask, picking up the gray cat and holding her in my arms. I miss Momo. “Oh, I love animals. I should probably be more afraid of them, but I can’t help but pick them up and hold them. I’m crazy for wanting so many.”

Arata laughs, rubbing his beard. “You’re not crazy, Sanaa.”

“Certainly not,” Romi says, huffing and placing her hand on her hip. “Come inside and rest. You can shower, and I’ll get you something to eat.”

—-

I want to linger in the scalding shower as long as possible, but I stop myself from using all the hot water. I’m only one woman traveling with seven men, and they need to bathe just as badly as I do. I stand under the assault of hot water and count to a hundred, giving myself a modicum of peace before the rest of the day gets sucked away by politics and negotiations. I wash my face and sluice the suds down the length of my body, my fingers knocking against each rib on the way down.

Sigh, I’ve lost a lot of weight again. My breasts are still swollen and tender but my ribcage is visible. I was soft for a while and now I’m jagged edges again. This time, though, I don’t know what to do about it.

Last time, Oyama fattened me up after my stay in the desert, and I trained till I was strong again. I can’t keep anything down. I can barely drink water. I’m walking night and day. I don’t sleep. Why did it take me so long to realize I was skinny again? Because I haven’t showered or been naked in a week, and Jiro hasn’t seen me without clothes on in even longer or else he would have said something. I swallow to keep the bile in my stomach where it belongs, and my entire abdomen contracts in a painful cramp. This is a mistake.

I soap my hair twice and glob on the conditioner left in the bathroom but my hair refuses to untangle. I rinse and rinse but I can tell my hair is immovable. Once I’m in my towel, I find the brush Romi left out for me, and try as I might, I can’t get the bristles through the rats’ nest in my hair. I scowl at myself in the mirror. I have no idea how anyone is even talking to me what with my current appearance. At least my cheek healed from Miura’s slap but my eyes are sunken craters and the sickly pallor about my face frightens even me. Not surprising since I puke about six times per day. Instead of trying to brush my hair, I twist it into a knot and secure it with a hair tie I find in a drawer. I can’t dawdle because I already hear Arata laughing out on the porch, his low voice conversing with someone. I crack open the window to let in fresh air and a waft of cake invades my nose.

I breathe deep and sigh.

We’re traveling light across the countryside. We started the journey with the clothes on our backs, but now I have a few additions to my wardrobe. A yellow and pink yukata lies on the bed in the room I’m to share with Jiro, a beautiful spray pattern of flowers over the top near the collar. I place my hand on the comforter and push down on the mattress top. The fabric squishes below my fingers luxuriously. Oooohhh, I can’t wait to sleep on it tonight. I dress myself in the yukata and pull a simple stretch belt over my waist.

The door to our room nudges open and three of the cats enter to mill about my feet, climb on the bed, and purr. I wonder if one of them will sleep on my hip tonight.

Exiting to the porch outside of our room, I pad along the long covered wood walkway and around the corner to find Romi, Sakai, Arata, and Jiro sitting on cushions around a low table. Tea, onigiri, pickles, and an assortment of cucumbers and fruit are laid out for everyone to eat. I miss coffee. I used to hate tea, and I tolerate it in order to get by, but it’s not coffee. Wonderful, deep, rich coffee.

Jiro jumps up from the table. He’s still dirty and in the same clothes he’s worn for days now.

“Ah good. My turn.” He reaches for my hand and helps me sit in his spot. “You look nice,” he whispers in my ear.

“Thank you.” I smile and blush as he kisses the top of my head. “Where’s Kumo?”

“I’m not sure. I’ll look for him,” Jiro says over his shoulder as he beats a fast path to our room. I’m sure he’ll spend longer in the shower than I did. I settle my hips into the cushion and another cramp rips through my abdomen. Ugh, that hurts.

“He’s in the front hall with Donguri. They sniffed each other and took a nap.” Romi sips on tea. “Donguri is very lonely as the only dog in this house. He thinks cats are stuck up.”

“Cats are just quiet. They’re different than dogs. I thought I would like one more than the other but I don’t.” I pile a plate with fresh fruit and an onigiri. I’m starving and my stomach has settled since our ride. I’m always sick riding the horses. “Horses are lovely, too. Really I haven’t met an animal I don’t like yet.”

I glance up from my light meal and Arata is stroking his beard thoughtfully, Romi is smiling, and Sakai is staring off into the garden. I bite into the onigiri and the inside is filled with savory seaweed — delicious as it hits my tongue but hard to swallow.

“Anyway, thank you so much for hosting us tonight. I haven’t slept in a real bed in days, and I’m looking forward to a quiet and peaceful night here. We haven’t been welcomed into many towns so far. This is a blessing.” I press my hands together in prayer position in front of my face and bow to Romi.

She smiles, her eyes crinkle with the slightest lines. “I have heard as much already. Some of the towns to the south of us can be very xenophobic and unwelcoming, even to fellow natives. Sanaa, I saw your husband, Jiro, with a… technological device, and I’m so curious about it. You came here with technology, am I correct? You correspond using some sort of hand-held device?”

I nod and check with Sakai to make sure I should continue. He nods back. “We have tablets. They’re like small computers, and they’re hooked up to a satellite system we launched before we landed. We communicate via text or video, though I admit I rarely use the video — I like my privacy — and unfortunately I think my tablet is going to die soon if I don’t reach a charge spot. You know what all of this is?”

“Oh yes, of course. Oda has computers and hand-held devices in his city, video, everything. I spent my late childhood in Owari and moved here when I got married.” Romi pops a grape into her mouth and chews on it thoughtfully. “We have simple computers hidden in this house, but I don’t use them in the open. The Oda Clan fabricates devices like the ones you mention — their citizens use them — and then Oda has purposes for even more sophisticated computers.”

“What purposes are those?” Sakai asks, butting in because my mouth is full of rice.

“Research and development. The Oda Clan continues the work we started on board our ship to Orihime. This is why they are so far from the capital and Fujiwara.”

I drum my fingers on the table as the rice settles in my stomach. I want the food to stay there but a sudden hot flash and stomach cramp make me nauseous again. What sort of research does the Oda Clan do?

Arata hands the cake to me from across the table. “I can see you getting sick again.”

“Is she…?” Romi looks between Arata and me as I take the cigarette from him. I hold it in my right hand and stare at it.

“I’m pregnant and unfortunately not feeling well.” I put the end of the cigarette to my lips and lightly inhale.

Romi claps her hands together. “Congratulations! How fantastic! The line can continue.”

Sakai’s eyebrows jump. “Are you interested in the imperial line continuing?”

“Of course,” Romi says, bowing to me. “I don’t know everything, but I do know imperial DNA is important to the Oda initiative.”

I hand the cake back to Arata after lightly smoking it, but even the little I absorbed into my mouth and nose is enough to quell the storm in my stomach. A moment of doubt washes through me again. Maybe I should just relieve myself of this constant agony and smoke the cake at every opportunity?

Another hot flash immediately soaks me in sweat, and I swallow twice to keep the food down, but I know it’s not enough.

“I think I need to use the bathroom.”

Sakai jumps to help me up. “Are you okay? You’re paler than usual.”

“I’m fine,” I assure him, though my lip breaks into a sweat. “I just need to pee. Again.” I turn and the three cats that followed me from the bedroom stare at me. “Excuse me,” I say, stepping between them. They lean or move to the side so I can get through. “I didn’t realize I was so enchanting.”

Two cats meow and Romi’s eyebrows draw together, but I head straight for the bathroom.

I close the door behind me and lean against it, taking a deep breath. Jiro is in the shower, humming a tune, a happy lilt to his voice. I pace the floor a few times to the toilet and back to the door, hoping this hot flash, cramping, and sickness is just anxiety. I wish it was just anxiety.

I hike up my yukata and sit down to pee on the toilet. I pee constantly now but the information I accessed on pregnancy said this was normal. I grab a handful of toilet paper, wipe, and the paper comes away bloody. Red blood. Shit.

“Shit. Shit. Shit.” I throw that into the toilet, wipe again, and find more blood. “Oh my gods. Please no. No. No. No.” My underwear is spotted with blood too and my abdomen clutches in a cramp.

I stand up, the yukata falling back down, and the room spins around me. I’m so dizzy I’m knocked to my knees.

“Jiro!” I call out before the world fades to black.