A mostly safe for work comic by Jodi Wegner.
My name is Yuriko, and a fire burns in my heart. I was born in the village of Washu in the province of Hoshi in the kingdom of Ronugi. During my childhood and young adult years, Ronugi was a land in strife. No emperor had sat on the throne in decades, and feudal lords known as daimyos fought amongst each other for power. However, Washu was a peaceful land—free from the wars that ravaged the land around it. That would soon change.
I was 8 years old when I first met Daiyuu Naoto. I was outside playing with my dolls when I noticed a stranger staring at me. He approached me, and I was frightened, but he offered me a piece of candy. Then he sat down and started playing with me, and I relaxed.
He came to me everyday for the next 4 years. Sometimes we played games together, and sometimes he showed me certain skills, such as being able to creep around the village and watch people unseen—or places candy or small toys in the palm of my hand to hide them from view. To me, these were as much games as playing with my dolls. Naoto became my best friend, and I loved him.
When I was 12, he came to my parents asking to marry me. He negotiated a price that excited them. It all happened so quickly that I became frightened by the prospect. On our wedding night, I cried, but he never tried to force me. He held me throughout the night and never consummated our marriage. To this day, I love him for it, but I also regret it. I never had another chance. He would soon be dead, and it was his death that sparked the flame in my heart.
General Uematsu Katou arrived the next day. The province of Hoshi had been claimed by his daimyo, and he came with soldiers demanding tribute from our new lord. The elders refused, and Katou led his troops to burn down the village. They dragged all able-bodied men away and drafted them into service, they raped the women, and they slaughtered the elderly and children.
Naoto saved my life that day. He revealed a secret panel in the flood and bid me to hide in the opening. Too afraid of the soldiers, I did as he asked without ever once questioning the purpose of this secret in our home. I heard soldiers entering our house. I sat there helpless and I listened to the sounds of fighting and soldiers beating my husband to death. The village burned around me, and I stayed in my safe place and slept.
When I finally dug myself out of the ashes of my home, I fell into despair at the sight of my village burned. I wandered for days after that—hungry, alone, and scared. A small band discovered me near death and brought me to their village high in the mountains. They had been looking for me. As it turns out, my husband was a ninja. He had chosen me and would have brought me to this very village for training when the time was right. When my village burned down, this clan of ninja began searching for me.
Over the next few years, they finished the training of their arts that Naoto had started me on 4 years earlier. I learned how to please a man as readily as how to kill him. They taught me the art of stealth and the art of deception. My body and my mind became honed weapons. Over the years, two things drove me: determination that I would never be helpless again and revenge. I vowed that Katou’s blood would stain the earth by my hand.
When I turned 20, I took the name Oni’s Shadow. With a fire burning in my heart, I felt it fitting that I become the shadow of a demon. I left the ninja clan and set out on my own. I travelled to the province bording Hoshi, known as Hatai—ruled by Daimyo Nakamura, and man full of lust, gluttony and ambition. I offered him my services, and he paid well. I kept my ears open, always listening for news of my homeland. Eventually I heard that Katou had become a daimyo, and a plot surfaced in my mind.
I left the land of Daimyo Nakamura and travelled to Daimyo Uematsu’s castle. I offered him my services as a ninja, and he accepted. I served Katou for many years, proving my loyalty again and again—all in the hopes of getting closer to him. I became one of his closest advisors and confidants—an indispensable aspect of his rule. I was also his mistress. And though I shared his bed, I would never bear him children. The ninja clan taught me an ancient secret recipe of herbs which would keep me barren so long as I continued to take them.
On my 25th year, I set my plan in motion…
“Daimyo Nakamura is on the move again,” a messenger replied.
I smiled as the man trembled before my lord. Dark haired and blue eyed, Katou towered over the messenger from his throne. The light gleamed off the gold trim on his red armor. I stood to his left, surveying the room. Tapestries hung on the wall, trophies of Katou’s glories. His advisors and lieutenants all stood below the platform where Katou’s throne lay. A servant knelt down to Katou’s right, holding a tray of food. Katou took a sample from the platter before he waved the messenger away.
“He will soon have sights on our country,” Katou said to those assembled. “We need to do something to quell his ambition.”
Hojo Ieyasu, Katou’s military advisor, stepped forward. “We should have him assassinated.”
“No,” I whispered. “Daimyo Nakamura keeps the other daimyo’s on their toes. Without him, they would get ideas, and another will just step in his place. We must seek an alliance with him.”
Ieyasu scowled at me. He hated that I held such a prestigious position. I loved holding that over him. “My lord, Daimyo Nakamura would never consider an alliance with us. We have nothing to offer him.”
I smiled. “I hear that Nakamura has a taste for beautiful women. Perhaps you could offer him one of your daughters.” I paused. “My lord.”
Katou frowned and looked at me. “Are you sure that would placate him, Shadow?”
I smiled at him. “It couldn’t hurt.” Leaning to whisper in his ear, I said, “And you have so many daughters, you lusty beast.”
He smiled. Turning to Ieyasu, he said, “I’d like you to take care of this personally.”
Ieyasu bowed. “Yes, my lord.” He turned and walked away.
Katou looked at me. “I’d like you to go with him and make sure everything goes smoothly.”
I smiled. “I’d be happy to. Anything else you need me to do while I’m there?”
He shook his head. “Don’t go as a ninja, but as a messenger.”
I pouted. “Isn’t that beneath my dignity? That’s what General Hojo is for after all.”
“Please, Yuriko,” he whispered. “Do this for me.”
I laughed. I knew I had him when he started using my birth name. “Of course I will. I am yours to command.” With a wink, I danced out of the room.
The first part of my plan had fallen into place nicely. It was time to implement the second and most dangerous. I went to the personal rooms of Asakura, Katou’s son and heir. He sat at a table reading and jumped to his feet when I arrived.
“M....mistress Shadow,” he said. “What are you doing here?”
“We have important matters to discuss,” I said. This is where I needed to be cautious. I was aware that Asakura was ambitious, and I sought to exploit it. However, if I misjudge his ambition, my whole plan could fall apart here. “How would you like to be Daimyo?”
He eyed me carefully. “What do you mean?”
I watched him closely, trying to ascertain his reaction, but he was good. I could read no reaction in his demeanor “I believe that I can help you achieve that goal faster than it might take otherwise...for a price.”
He turned away for a second. I always keep a dagger concealed on my person at all times. I tensed and reached for it now. If this didn’t work, I would have to kill him and flee. All my years of work would be for nothing. I tensed while I waited for his response. It felt like an eternity.
He did not face me when he answered. “That can’t happen while my father is still alive.”
He turned to face me and I nodded at him. “That is correct.”
He looked thoughtful. “Why?”
I smiled. I’ve hooked him. Time to pull this fish in. “Your father stands in the way of progress. He fears to take action against Daimyo Nakamura whose campaign of bloodshed ravages the land. My plan will eliminate both him and your father, allowing you to rule over both their lands.” I couldn’t care less about anything of this, but it would be best to appeal to his sense of honor. Next I would appeal to his ambition. “With the resources available to you from both lands, you could vie for power yourself. You could even become the next emperor.”
His cold gaze locked with mine. “And your price?”
My price was to see the man who destroyed my life dead, but it would be suspicious not to seem mercenary. “Let me rule at your side, as your wife.” Men are easily swayed by beautiful women. He would end up thinking he’s getting the better deal and take it. For him, marriage to me was no price. It mattered not to me. He would be easily manageable–and who wouldn’t appreciate the lifestyle?
He smiled. “What do you need me to do?”
This was almost too easy.
The journey to Nakamura’s castle was uneventful. Ieyasu spoke little to me during the trip. He has made no secret in the past how much he disliked me. The feeling was mutual. Katou’s daughter, on the other hand, was quite talkative and courteous. I found myself liking her and felt bad for having to use her like this. To combat true evil, you needed to play its game. I would just have to find a way to live with my guilt.
I felt naked out of my uniform. I did so out of necessity. The people of this land know Oni’s Shadow, and I did not want to tip my hand. No one here had ever seen my face, so I felt safe that no one would recognize me. I was not helpless, however. Concealed in the sleeve of my kimono was my dagger. With a flick of my wrist, it would be deadly in my hand.
The guards greeted us suspiciously upon our arrival. They stripped Ieyasu of his weapons and led us inside. As a woman and therefore seen as inferior, I was not checked for weapons. They led us to a dining hall where the gluttonous Nakamura sat having dinner. Guards stood to either side of the table which ran the entire length of the room. Though Nakamura was the only one sitting at the table, it was full of trays of food with servants moving in and out bringing more trays. A chain led from Nakaura’s chair to a manacle around a woman’s neck. The woman sat on the floor next to him. She may once have been beautiful, but years of abuse at Nakamura’s hands had taken all of that away. I was sick to my stomach at the sight. Katou’s daughter gave a cry of surprise at the sight, and sobbed gently. Ieyasu looked at me and scowled.
“What have we here?” Nakamura said.
Ieyasu bowed at Nakamura. “I am General Hojo Ieyasu. I come at the behest of Daimyo Uematsu. He offers to you one of his daughters and proposes an alliance.” He gestures to Katou’s daughter.
Nakamura laughed. “Those are the actions of a coward. I accept the gift of his daughter, but there will be no alliance. I mobilize my armies for war.”
“But we offer you peace.”
“Peace? If Daimyo Uematsu desires peace, then he may surrender his lands to me now.”
“Never!”
“Then it will be war.” Nakamura motioned to his guards. “Kill him and bring the women to me.”
The guards moved towards us. I glanced around the room looking for an escape. I should have foreseen this. I knew Nakamura would never accept the alliance, and that the offer would push him to war, but I did not foresee falling into his power.
In the corner of the chamber there was a ledge, below a window. It might be just large enough for me to squeeze through. I glanced at Ieyasu, who fought barehanded against five armed opponents, but soon two guards would be on me. I spun at the first guard, and with a flick of my wrist, my dagger was in hand. I jabbed the guard in the throat. He gurgled up blood as he fell to the ground. The second guard’s eyes widen as he drew his blade. My knee was in his groin before the blade was fully drawn. He cried like a woman as he fell to his knees. The room was clear between me and Nakamura. I rushed towards him, leaping the last distance and landing on the table in front of him. I thrust my blade at his throat but stopped just before I broke skin.
Leaning to whisper in his ear, I said, “You live now because I will it.”
His eyes widened in horror at the sound of my voice. I leapt from the table to ledge under the window. I managed to barely grasp it with the tips of my fingers.
“That woman is Oni’s Shadow!” he screamed. “Kill her! Kill her! Kill her!”
With great strength, I pulled myself onto the ledge. The chamber doors opened, and I heard the twang of bows. I squeezed myself through the window when I discovered I was not going to fit. An arrow struck me in my shoulder, and I cried out. Gritting through the pain, I dislocated my bones—contorting my body to make it fit through the opening. I slid through the window, falling to a lake below with a splash.
My escape was a blur. I remember a haze of fear and pain. I travelled for days, evading pursuit until they stopped looking for me. I pushed on, knowing that if I did not make it back to Katou’s castle, all of my planning would be for vain. The next thing that I remember clearly was waking up in my room at Katou’s castle—Katou hovering over me. The look of concern on his face gave me a twinge of guilt—he really seemed to care for me. However all it took was the thought of his men beating my husband all those years ago, and my hatred for this man resurfaced. If he did truly care for me, then my betrayal would be so much more satisfying.
Katou’s face lit up when he saw me awake. I grit my teeth as I sat up. I ignored the pain—I would never show weakness to this man. I had no idea how I had gotten here, but I would never admit it.
“Nakamura is preparing for war,” I said.
“What happened?”
“He killed Ieyasu. I barely managed to escape with my life. It seems I underestimated him. I’m sorry. I shudder to think of your daughter’s fate. You need to mobilize your armies at once, or he will overwhelm you.”
He frowned. “It appears that my son, Asakura, has acted on his own. My armies stand ready awaiting my orders.”
Perfect! Asakura had done what I asked of him. I gritted through the pain as I rose. “So let’s go.”
Katou pushed me back down. “You’re staying here.”
“I can’t. You need me.” I stood back up and walked over to a small box I had placed on my dresser. I opened the box and lifted the item inside—a flintlock pistol, my most valuable item, gifted to me by a gaijin.
“You’re in no condition to fight in a battle.”
“Then let me observe from a close vantage. Nobody is going to keep me away—not the gods, not Nakamura, not even you.”
A cold wind blew across the battlefield. I watched from a hilltop as Nakamura’s armies marched towards us. Katou seemed god-like in his armor on horseback as he gave orders to his troops. Asakura glanced at me from off in the distance with a penetrating stare as if he were trying to discern the ninja from the woman. Sometimes I feel that there is no such division in my heart.
Katou shouted for his forces to charge. The cavalry took the lead, followed by the infantry. Archers and riflemen held the rear. Shots rang through the air as Nakamura’s riflemen fired. Men and horses in the ranks of Katou’s armies fell to these first shots. As the riflemen reloaded their weapons, the cavalry hit the first ranks of Nakamura’s armies. It soon became chaos as the fighting intensified.
I watched from my vantage as Katou slew hundreds of Nakamura’s men. Nakamura fought his way through the sea of men, moving closer and closer to Katou. Fighting slowed down and finally ceased as the two men approached each other. Katou dismounted at Nakamura came into sight. Nakamura bowed to Katou. Katou bowed in return.
The battle ceased as all eyes watched the two warriors circle each other, waiting for an opening. I readied my pistol, aiming at my target.
Nakamura found his opening first. He charged, striking Katou’s side with his sword. Katou swung his blade at Nakamura who parried. He swept with his foot, unbalancing his opponent. Nakamura fell to the ground, and Katou swung his blade down. Nakamura rolled out of the way and jumped to his feet. Katou charged at him, but Nakamura parried every blow. However, it was obvious that his position was faltering. Katou’s sword struck Nakamura, who lost his balance. Katou followed through with a swing that went smoothly through Nakamura’s neck. His head fell from his body as it slumped to the ground. Katou raised his sword in triumph as he looked my way.
I fired my pistol.
The look of betrayal on his face as the bullet struck his heart satisfied me. His body fell to the ground. Silence fell over the battleground as soldiers as both sides watched the blood pool from the bodies of their leaders. Unsurprised by this turn of events, Asakura waited for a brief moment before he turned to the armies and said, “Our leader is now dead, but I am now daimyo. Their army is in disarray. Let’s attack!” Beautiful. He sold it as if the words came from his own heart. I could not have chosen a better vessel with which to exact my vengeance.
He charged into Nakamura’s army alone. After a moment, the shock wore off and the rest of the army followed. They routed Nakamura’s armies that day and moved on to his castle. Asakura conquered all of Nakamura’s lands and became daimyo of both as I had promised.
Asakura kept his promise to me as well and soon it came to the day of our wedding. I sat alone with my thoughts. The fire in my heart was quenched and it left an emptiness. Most of my life spent fueled by rage and revenge, now that it was over, I had no idea what to do with my life. I put my hands to my face and wept.