My name is Lee. (No, its Mai..)

Chapter 27: The Journey

"No matter how I look at it, something about the political situation in Moonrea doesn't sound right," Huey said. Mai rubbed her temple in annoyance and replied,

"It is a matter of honor, Huey. Even you know that"

"Then its a messed version of honor"

Mai gripped the steering wheel tighter than necessary, mindful of the road in front of her. She relaxed her fingers as inhaled and exhaled slowly. They had arrived in Japan an hour ago, rented a car and were headed for Osaka. The plan was to board a plane there to their final destination, Yakushima island in the Kumage District.

"That's probably because you don't know the whole story," Mai stated.
"Probably because you didn't tell me anything," Huey countered, "I have an idea of what's going on but I'd appreciate it if you could tell me more"

"Look, all Shane wants is for the Kurosawa to be head clan of Moonrea. A position my clan has held for generations"

"Why didn't the other clans step in? Could have been sorted out a long time ago and right now you would still be in Moonrea"

Mai ignored Huey's look and focused on driving. Huey stared at Mai, knowing at some point she'd cave and answer him. There was no way he was letting her off that easily. Forty-five minutes elapsed when Huey said,

"Mai, the reason we took a car instead of a plane to Yakushima was so we could make a full proof plan. You talked about how I'm a logical person which is something I take pride in. I would like to know the present political situation in detail. That way we can come up with the perfect strategy against Shane and make sure that he doesn't fulfill your fears. Frankly, your silence is not helping things"

Seconds passed when Mai finally replied, "It started when my grandfather died and my father ascended to status of Patriarch. Along with that right, he also attained position of head over all clans. I was five when the meeting of all clan patriarchs took place; there Shane expressed his desire to have his clan in charge. Shane claimed that my father had no suitable heir to rule in the next generation and believed that the Mizushima had been in power long enough and that it was time for change.

"The other clans were against it; they didn't see any problem with our clan as head and were content to remain in the peace the founders had desired. I'm not sure what happened exactly, but the Kurosawa were shunned as punishment. Shane sought revenge which resulted in assassination attempts on my life and the death of my mother. My father sent me away for my protection. When I returned from my samurai training eight years later, I discovered I had been kept in the dark about the Kurosawa and my clan"

"Hold on," Huey cut in, "was that the first time you returned home since you were five?"

"Yes. My time away was spent on training as a samurai and getting an education in another clan. I guess my goal at the time was to prove that as a heiress I would succeed. I am a prodigy amongst my people and more importantly, I made my father proud.

"Anyway, during my time away, Shane challenged my father to duels. Of course my father won each time to which Shane resorted to another tactic, causing trouble in our lands. My father must have pulled a few strings to keep the other clans from interfering. For a while, things were somewhat normal and I returned to the Mori island to continue with my studies. However, assassination attempts started again and I immediately returned home. And it's how I ended up here. I guess Shane's strategy was to shake the Mizushima by taking me out. My father's fight is to keep the clans from engaging in bloodshed. Happy ? "