Hidden Moon

Tsukuyo

'To my dearest and most loyal friend'

It's been too long since I had the luxury to write you a sincere letter, but we want you to know that we found a place where we may finally settle permanently. A place with a lot of snow, a place near the sea. It's beautiful here and so, so peaceful..

At night I stay awake and imagine my child growing up in a bustling city, running free on the meadow or in exploring the forests near here on horseback. You should come over as soon as we secure the place, Kyouko misses you a lot. You should see how beautiful our child is, I could not believe that one so lovely and dear would ever come from someone as tainted and wretched as me..

Seeing my wife recovering from giving birth and my beautiful daughter growing everyday makes me want to secure a safe haven for them and for my people. Kyouko would've wanted you to name her, she cried a few days after giving birth, hiding and fighting had kept us very preoccupied... So preoccupied we couldn't even give her a name when she took her first breath, I cried when I heard her cry as well..

But we decided to name her after the clear moolight skies, the same skies she was first exposed to when she came in this world. Our daughter, our dearest Tsukuyo.

Jiiya felt tears drip down his cheeks, and he firmly rubbed his eyes and blinked at the letters on his small chest. He placed the letter back and took another one, the small faded characters on the paper made his heart squeeze tightly, his Mistress always had messy handwriting, he would remember the times where he would punish her for skipping her lessons by firmly smacking a thin piece of bamboo on her palms.

"Who on earth would want to lead you to me now, young lady? This is too much to take in, I have to inform the others about your existence. They have to know...."

His eyes skimming over the letter he held on his hand, this was the one he liked to read least...

'Jiiya we've been compromised, almost everyone is dead, I'm currently preparing to escape this place... Hatsuharu told me to escape with our child.. if this letter reaches you I may be dead or may still be running, but please, I beg you.. Look for my daughter, take care of my Tsukuyo if I get killed.'

'Under the great wooden gate lies treasure only the hidden moon can reach.'

'Please... keep our little girl safe.'

And soon after tears fell on the paper and soon more words were blotched and when they would dry they would fade, but not the pain and grief he had been through, Jiiya wiped the tears away on his cheeks and carefully kept all the letters in his precious box.

'Tomorrow... I have to at least tell her, but how?'