Dreams of Paper Flowers

Chapter Two

"Hinata!" A whispered voice made her jump.

The banquet had worn her out, and she expressed her disapproval with being woken with a groan. "Hina-chan!" the voice repeated.

"What is it?" Hinata recognized the silhouette of Naomi.

"Come on, tonight is the sixth day of the week. You know what that means," Naomi smiled. "I'm tired, too, but the Mio geisha are performing my favorite song."

"I'm getting too old to sneak out," Hinata sighed. "But, fine, let's go." Rubbing her eyes, Hinata rolled out of bed and changed from her nightclothes to the peasant dress that Naomi kept for her.

"So, what happened at the banquet?" Naomi asked.

"I'll tell you once we leave the palace," Hinata sighed. "Learn some patience, Nao-chan."

The two girls grabbed both sides of the closet, and managed to lift it with minimal grunting. Behind it was the old servant's passage, one that only the head servants, the family of Nagasaki, knew of it. And the only one who ever used it was Naomi.

"If only there was an easier way to sneak out," Hinata sighed. "But, chichi would have my head if he found out I went to see the plays and the geisha."

"Your head?" Naomi giggled. "Come on, Murakami-sama would never do anything to hurt his beloved daughter, and that includes her best friend."

Hinata and Naomi walked down the passage's staircase. "I wish we could go unsupervised to Kagami without sneaking around," Hinata sighed.

"My brothers are allowed to," Naomi sighed. "And, as much as I love Yuki-kun, he can be uptight."

"I am lucky I do not have any siblings. If I had a brother, then I wouldn't have learned the knowledge from the West."

"Speaking of the West..."

"I'm getting there. The banquet was... Odd," Hinata paused. "It is hard to describe."

"That's what the others were saying. The foreigners are so... different."

"They say they want to help... But I don't think so. They say they are different than the ones who used strange herbs to go to war with Chun."

"Let's not talk of such unpleasantries," Naomi said. "After all, we're women. Politics is a man's affair."

"I am the only child of the Emperor's tactician. My input must mean something."

"Oh, Hina-chan, you'll understand once you're married," Naomi sighed. "Come, let's go enjoy the sights of Kagami!"

***

The night was lit up by a bright moon, but the darkness would provide sufficient cover for the two's escapade.

"Do you want ramen? I'll buy," Naomi said.

"Nonsense, I will pay for the expenses."

"Come on, you always do!"

"You don't have any money to your name. No arguing, and that's an order."

Naomi sighed. "Yes, Murakami-hime."

"Don't call me that here! I'm Yuri here."

"Yup, you're Yuri-nee, my big sister!" Naomi said. "I wish we were actually sisters, but pretending is fun!"

"We may not be by blood or marriage, but we are siblings in spirit, Nao-chan," Hinata smiled. "Now, let's go get some ramen, shall we?"

As usual, the city of Kagami was bustling. But, something appeared different. Hinata couldn't put her finger on it, but something was definitely amiss.

Someone shouted- Hinata couldn't make out the words. It wasn't a call asking for business or selling products, and they weren't in the geisha district. As she turned to Naomi, people began to gather.

"What is going on?" Hinata said.

The yelling became clearer, and Hinata realized it was in the Chun language.

"The white men will destroy you!"

"Zhou-sensei!" Before Hinata could stop her, Naomi darted to the front of the crowd. Her small size enabled her to slip through the gaps of people. Hinata tried to follow, but the openings had disappeared.

"My family was killed Xiaonan!" Zhou yelled. "These white men tell lies!"

"Zhou-sensei! Are you alright?" Naomi said.

"Nagasaki-san, what are you doing here?" Zhou said.

"The reason doesn't matter! What is happening?"

"Please bring me to Murakami-hime," Zhou said. "She needs to know what happened in Xiaonan."

The crowd was murmuring- Hinata couldn't hear the rest. Why would Zhou come to her but not her father?

The group parted, and Naomi ran towards her. "Yuri-nee!" Followed by her was Zhou.

"We're meeting in the ramen shop," Naomi explained. "Don't worry, Zhou-sensei won't tell."

"Zhou-sensei," Hinata bowed toward the merchant who had taught her the Chun language and the characters used in Kunigawan writing.

"There is no time," Zhou said. "We must discuss this. We must discuss how to defeat the gaikoku."