The Daughter I Never Had

Masako Minamoto stood in shock for several long seconds as she faced off against the Emperor of the Calidor Empire. Both of them were holding swords that had a dim eerie glow, seemingly eager to strike at any moment.

"Th-that's impossible... " Masako whispered, before shaking her head. "It-it's just a coincidence. There's a bunch of people in Japan named Masako and Masahiro and probably quite a few who happened to have the same family name too."

"If that were true, then you would be holding an inanimate piece of steel," the Emperor corrected. "It would be cold and silent, a simple tool that any common soldier could swing. Tell me... what do you hear, in your mind... and in your heart...? Do you not hear the sounds of your own soul... the past life's experiences calling to live again... to be remembered?"

"I... " Masako's breath grew unsteady as a flood of memories filled her mind, whispers, sights and sounds began to flood her consciousness. She could feel the impacts ringing on her handle, the mud-soaked rain trickling down her hands, and smell the sweat and blood of her fellow soldiers who had died around her. Then, in her mind's eye, she saw the blade coming right at her, almost in slow motion. Damn it all... she knew what was coming but was powerless to stop it. She had played the game for power, but it was time to play the Reaper. She screamed one last blood-curdling cry of defiance before finally going silent, just as everything went black. Her eyes suddenly opened as she started gasping for air and collapsed to one knee, sweating profusely. "Wh-what was that...?!"

"That... was the last moments of your last life," the Emperor explained. "You may not remember, but the sword was there. It felt the cruel separation from its master that night like a shock to its very core, and has lain dormant ever since, waiting for the return of its master, the soul for whom it was forged."

"S-so what does this mean?" Masako asked.

"It means, you have a choice," the Emperor offered. "Join me... destiny has brought you back to this realm for a reason."

"J-join you?" Masako recoiled. "Your goons were about to sacrifice my friends! What kind of Kingdom does that?!"

"You speak of larger matters that you know little about. Before you judge, spend some time with us."

"Or what? I go back to my cell?"

"Of course not," the Emperor dismissed. "An unfortunate mistake, one that will be immediately rectified. You will be given free reign of the central citadel to explore wherever you wish. Should you wish to view the city for yourself, an escort will be provided for your protection and to provide you with whatever information you desire."

An escort, right... Masako thought, to keep me away from any sensitive or undesirable areas, I'm sure. Still, it beats spending my days and nights in a cell, and if I play my cards right, I can buy time for my friends to figure out a way to get us back home...

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Keiko Chiba took a break from her studies from the old seer and walked the perimeter of the town main square. The girls had been here for over a week, acclimating to the environment and taking what training their hosts were giving them, all the while hearing stories about whatever new horror that was being inflicted by the Empire. Of course, we were hearing it all second-hand, she reminded herself. Usually when something was being painted this black-and-white, there was usually another side to the story.

Outside, she saw Akiko swinging her shinai against a set of moving practice dummies while a trainer monitored her progress. "You're looking... better," she remarked. "Smoother, more even, from my amateur eyes at least."

Akiko finished with a leaping strike, coming down on the target dummy's head, a hidari-men strike that would have been lethal in a real fight, punctuated with a loud kiai.

"I think you got him," Keiko deadpanned, as Akiko walked off the course and sat on a bench, to recover. She then noticed Akiko's downcast expression. "What? Bad news? Did you hear anything about Masako-chan?"

"Eh? Oh no, not yet. Sergeant Takeda says they have spies watching the slave trades looking for any new girls from the capital or unusual news, but so far nothing. It's just... I don't know if I'm ready to do this," Akiko said with a dispirited tone.

"What?" Keiko asked with a surprised tone. "You looked pretty bad-assed to me."

Akiko looked at Keiko with a deeply concerned expression. "That's just it! When have I ever looked 'bad-assed' in my life? This isn't Akiko, you're seeing swinging that sword, it's Akira! I've never swung anything except a tennis racket, and you know it! The more they keep pushing me to embrace this... past life, or whatever they call it, the more I can feel myself sinking into this... other person, and I'm afraid that... even if we save Masako... it might not be me doing the saving, and that I might not be able to come back..." she trailed off.

Keiko put her hands on Akiko's shoulders. "We will get through this together, I promise, like we always do! One for all, all for one! We're going to find Masako, you're going to look bad-assed doing it, and we're going to find a way home!" 

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"My lord, we have disseminated your orders regarding the girl's allowances," the captain of the guards reported to the Emperor. "However, are you certain having her holding onto your... son's heirloom is wise? Isn't such a weapon only meant for..."

"That's exactly why I am allowing her to bond with the weapon," the Emperor explained. "As she comes to remember more of her true self, she will become a valuable asset and more."

"The weapon will... control her?"

"Please, nothing so crass as that," the Emperor denied. "Control implies someone else's will overriding hers. The soul she's bonding with is her own; in a way, she's getting a second chance at life, and to correct the tragedy that cut that life all too soon once before and take revenge on the one who ended it."