The samurai and the vow to the moon

Chapter 1

- I'm relying on you, Toshi, Kondo says.

- What. You wouldn't rather have him with you, I ask in my head. Seeing how openly Toshizo disapproves of this decision makes my whole body tense up.

- At a critical time like this, you're asking me to stay behind, Toshizo asks. Despite Kondo's superior rank, Tishizo glares at him angrily. It makes me cower. I can't help it. But then..

- Miss Chen, Kondo says.

- Yes, I ask.

- Toshi will stay back with you. There is no one I trust more highly. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to speak with him, Kondo says.

- This is the person he trusts more than anyone else, I ask in my head.

- Heh. Even the Demon Deputy won't defy an order from Kono, Soji says.

- I leave her in your care, Kondo says.

- Right, Toshizo says. Toshizo still looks displeased about being left behind, as all the other soldiers file out of the base.

- Come here, Toshizo says. He grabs me roughly by the arm.

- Hey. Ow, I say. He forces me to follow him down a long corridor, leading me to who knows where.

- You don't have to worry about me. I'm not going to do anything, I say.

- Why doesn't he have to look so scary all the time, I ask in my head. I grow increasingly anxious as the silent Toshizo continues to pull me along. We round a corner, and come upon a small, uninviting room. He shoves me inside.

- You stay here, Toshizo says.

- Wait, I say. He slams the paper door shut, and goes on his way, leaving me here. Once I'm able to get over the shock, I take a long, slow look around my new accommodations.

- So, am I supposed to assume that this will be my rook from now on, I ask in my head. Toshizo wasn't exactly clear about that so I'm forced to come to my own conclusions.

- But that's probably the least of my concerns, I say.

- I'm starting to see why everyone calls him the demon. He really is terrifying, I say in my head. I recall the sharp glint in his eye from the night before, and the way he brandished his sword.

- I think I'd better try not to have anything to do with him, I say in my head. When I'm sure that his footsteps sound far enough away, I let out a small sigh.

- This is just so much to take in all at once, I say. The room I find myself in is cozy, with nothing but a single futon and a small writing desk. I pick up my sole possession, that medical journal, and sigh again. This time with frustration.

- So here I am, surrounded by these uncivilized brutes, these wolves. What have I got myself into. Is this any way to live, I say in my head. I'm already feeling hopeless, perhaps due to being someplace so unfamiliar.

- Well, they did save my life, after all, I say.

- It won't do to simply sit around feeling sorry for myself, I say. That's when I remember something that my father told me when I was young.

Flashback

- Everyone, from the Shogun himself, to the samurai, to the common folks like us. There's one thing we all have in common. One very important thing that makes us all equal. Now, what do you suppose that is, father asks.

- Umm. Let me think, uh. I give up, I say.

- Hahaha. Maybe you're still too little for such a difficult question, my daughter. I'll tell you, though. The answer is, father says.