The Twelve Kingdoms: Shadow of the Moon

Gyouten--that's the capital city--they'd be killed. It wasn't a good place to be anymore and most people I knew got out while the getting was good. You don't want to be anywhere near it. It's a hornet's nest of youma. At one time, lots of people was trying to leave, but that's died down recently. They been closing down the borders."
    "So that's the way it is," Youko muttered.
    Seizou snorted derisively. "I don't know a thing about Japan without asking, but I go on telling you about what goes on here. Looks like I'm becoming one of them, after all."
    "You surely don't mean that."
    Seizou held up his hand. "Compared to Kei, Kou is a much better place. But, let on that you're kaikyaku and they slap you in irons. Better or no, not much you can do in either case."
    "But I . . . . "
    Seizou laughed. When he laughed it almost sounded like he was weeping. "I know, I know. It's not your fault. I know, but it still stings. No need to take it out on you. You having to stay on the lam, that's got to be tough, too."
    Youko only shook her head.
    "I got to get back to my job. Breakfast to get ready. You take care, wherever you're going, okay?"
    With that he slipped out of the room and was gone.
    Youko was about to call him back, but stopped herself. "Goodnight," was all she said.

Chapter 28
    Y ouko pulled the futons down from the shelf. With a sigh she resigned herself to making her bed there. It had been a long time since she'd slept on a futon and she was still wide awake. So many things weighed on her mind.
    Why was it that the language didn't confuse her? If she hadn't been able to comprehend what people were saying, she couldn't begin to imagine how things might have turned out. She couldn't begin to imagine why things had turned out the way they had.
    If the lingua franca spoken here wasn't Japanese, then there was no way she should be able to understand anything. When she spoke to that person outside the door, what possible language could she have been using? The old man heard Japanese and the other person heard the language they spoke here.
    The few words that the old man could speak in the language sounded only slightly different to her ears. Even that was a curious thing. And then saying that there was no such word as "governor." If that was the case, then what had she been hearing every time someone said the word?
    Youko stared up at the low ceiling. A translation. The words were somehow being translated so she could understand them.
    "Jouyuu? Is this your doing?"
    Of course, in response to her murmured words, she felt nothing at all.

    As she always did, she slept with the sword clasped to her chest. When she awoke, the rucksack she had deposited in the corner of the room the night before had disappeared. Youko jumped to her feet and examined the door. The lock was fastened soundly.
    She caught up with the manager and explained what had happened. The door and room were examined by two men who both regarded Youko with suspicious looks.
    "Are you sure you really had your luggage here?"
    "It was. My purse was inside it. Somebody stole it."
    "Yeah, but the door was locked."
    "What about a master key?"
    The men again exchanged suspicious expressions. "You trying to say that one of us stole your stuff?"
    "We couldn't do it if we wanted to. Or were you intending to blame us and run out on the bill all along?"
    The men sidled up to Youko. She put her hand on the hilt of the sword. "Not true."
    "At any rate, you still owe us."
    "I told you, my purse was stolen, too."
    "Let's take it up with the cops, then."
    "Wait a minute." Youko started to undo the covering of her sword. She said, "Call that old man who was here last night." It occurred to her that he could put in a good word for her.
    "Old man?"
    "From Kei. His name is Matsuyama."
    The two men exchanged glances. "What do you want with him?"
    "Ask him. He saw my rucksack."
    One of the men stood guard at the front door and gestured with his chin to his younger companion, who ran off down the hall. He said to Youko, "What've you got there in your left hand?"
    "Nothing with any money in it."
    "Maybe that's for me to decide."
    "After we talk to the old man."
    The man glared at Youko, taking her curt reply to mean she was hiding something. Soon came the sound of pounding footsteps and the young man returned.
    "He's not here."
    "Not here?"
    "His stuff's not here, either. It looks like he took off."
    The man blocking the doorway stood there clucking his tongue. The sound made