Post by Rika Lefcourt on Aug 26, 2008 12:59:10 GMT -8
((not long after Rika's return to Japan))
The shoji to Shiori’s office was open, even though, by this time of the day, Shiori shouldn’t have been there anymore. However, she was. Outside it was dark, the snow was dancing like mad. This year had a very cold beginning. Nevertheless, Shiori was dressed rather lightly, in her usual kimono -she had gotten used to those by now, after all, her new status forced her to wear traditional clothing most of the time. Sitting on her heels at her low desk Shiori found herself deeply buried in notes, scrolls and books. During the past year she had spent all of her free time for this. Luckily, she had had help from the twins, Yae and Tae, and a few other people. Luckily, she had had the chance to base her own research on what her grandfather had found out, otherwise there was no way she would have come to this shocking conclusion in her own lifetime.
Japanese marriage and family politics throughout the feudal era were often confusing. Not to mention that names in Japan were used differently than in the west. Shinmen Takezo had simply changed his name to Miyamoto Musashi. Minamoto no Yoshitsune had had more than one name in his life. And Toyotomi Hideyoshi, well, he seemed to have had changed his names just like other people had changed their underwear. And even today, in 2008, it was still common practice. Normal people, muggles mainly, hardly ever did that. But kabuki actors, or artists in general, were still following this custom. Ichikawa Shinnosuke was a great example. He had taken the new given name Ebizo a few year ago and would soon be Ichikawa Danjuro the thirteenth, or was it fourteenth? Shiori’s mind was too occupied to remember this little detail properly. Not to mention her own kind, wizards and witches. The best example for this was Kuroki Misako, who had changed her name to Misa Kuroi -pompous brat now called herself “Black Mass”.
But this time, her own family was hit by something like that. Agreed, that a certain Hino Yoshitake had married one of the Eight Heroes, Yamanouchi Kazumi, and had then founded the Hojo dynasty, was somewhat shocking and also surprising, but it was a pleasant surprise. That Takeda members had married into the Hojo family and that, thus, the Hojo had taken possession of Takeda heirloom, including Shingen’s famous flag -which was now, that Rika had returned, back at its place behind Shiori-, was also a very pleasant fact.
But the one Shiori had found out during her research had been less than pleasant. It had been outright shocking.
There was a soft rattle at the shoji.
“Come in.”
Steps followed and Shiori could see a familiar figure enter her office. A smile appeared on the older girls face. Now that she was head of the family things were sometimes easier, but on the other hand sometimes harder as well. At least, she had time for her cousin Rika.
“Come on, have a seat,” Shiori said while ushering Rika closer.
“What’s so important?” Rika asked after sitting down opposite from her cousin.
It was ironic. It seemed as if two different worlds were meeting. Shiori, behind her traditional desk, in this traditional room with shoji walls and tatami floor, wearing her traditional clothes facing Rika, in her jeans and sweater.
Silently Shiori picked up a brush and wrote two letters on an empty piece of paper. Then she held it towards Rika. “What does it read?”
“Roku hana. I know our language, cousin.” Six flowers.
“Yes, yes, I know, but there’s one thing I need your help with.” Quickly she wrote something again, two letters, the same ones as before. This time, they were close together. “And now?”
“Rikka, depending on where you’re from and how you want to use it.” One of the many words for snow -or hexagonal-shaped snowflakes. Yuki -depending on the kanji- was another one, and usually the one that was used a lot more often. But knowing alternative readings and a lot more kanji letters than the normal muggle school student was a necessity for Shirasagi students. “Or still Rokuhana.”
“Exactly.”
“Your point?” Rika was confused.
Slowly Shiori lowered the paper and placed it on her desk. “You know I’ve spent almost all my free time during the almost past two years to continue grandfather’s research, right?”
The younger one nodded, of course she knew and some of the results had been fascinating.
“I wrote to you about Hino Yoshitake and the fact that he founded our family.”
Rika nodded again.
“I found something else, somewhat unnerving.”
Now the younger one was furrowing her brows. Unnerving?
Shiori got up on her feet to stretch them and to walk around her office a bit. It was just like her grandfather’s, functional, barely anything that gave away that this was the heart of the Hojo clan. “Rokuhana,” she began, “there was always something about it that didn’t seem to fit.”
“You mean Hiroshi-san?”
“No, not just him. The whole name. I know, I know, many names are after places, Fujiwara, the wisteria field, Maeda, the rice paddy, Kuriyama, the mountain of chestnuts, but this one...” Shiori shook her head. “Something always felt odd. So I... eventually started to look around a bit. I admit, my interest was really triggered by the war between grandpa and your mother. I wanted to know what the hell was going on. Sadly, I didn’t manage to bring further any results in time. You were gone before the search really heated up.”
“Alright?” Rika was at a loss.
“So, I started to look around. I had help, from the twins and many other people. They even allowed me into the archives of Shirasagi. But I didn’t find anything there. All the files said that you were the first Rokuhana there. Not much of a surprise, after all, your mother was the witch in the family, which makes you, effectively and by the ministry’s norms, a half-blood.”
Rika didn’t say anything in reply to that. Half-blood, that’s what, technically and in reality, all Hojo were, despite the fact that the ministry had them listed as pure bloods.
“After that, I went to Shikoku. For once, I wanted to find out more about the Eight and Kochi has a very nice archive. However, the twins did most of that work for me and it was them who found Hino Yoshitake. What I found was a lot more disturbing. I wanted to wait with telling you this. I would have told you earlier, but there wasn’t even the slightest opportunity to come to Hogwarts to tell you in person. And I didn’t want to use a letter, I wanted to tell you myself.”
“I’m here now.”
“That you are. So...” Shiori opened the shoji to the balcony. A rush of cold air shot into the room, followed by dancing snowflakes. “I don’t know how to tell you this,” with that she turned to face her cousin. “But your father doesn’t exist.”
“Eh?” What? Her father didn’t exist? Her father was Geoffrey Lefcourt, wasn’t he? Geoffrey Lefcourt, Death Eater, murderer, buttkisser of Voldemort. “My father is-“
“Rokuhana Hiroshi. There is no doubt about that now.”
“WHAT?!” Rika was up on her feet within a split second.
“There was a mistake,” Shiori continued, “when you were born... You remember how children of gotoku neko parents are often smaller than humans? You were smaller, so nobody paid attention to it, it was considered to be normal. After all, your mother was one of us.”
Rika was staring at her without knowing what to say.
“The truth is, sometimes children like you can be smaller, sometimes they are like normal human babies when they’re born. In your case, however, you were smaller because you came two months earlier than expected.”
Rika slumped on her knees and fell back on her butt. What was that? Yes, she had heard about that, had observed it herself. Gotoku neko, in their natural form, were smaller than humans, and so were their newborns. But this... How could this happen? How could she be so sure? “How? Why would you know?”
“What’s your blood type?”
What had that to do with anything? “A,” Rika replied nevertheless.
“Mine’s B.”
“Your point?”
“What’s your mother’s?”
Rika had to think for a second, but she remembered it. “B, just like yours.”
“And your father’s?”
“0.” She remembered having to write something about blood types in Muggle Studies at Hogwarts. Additionally, even though that blood types were a muggle thing, they were still important in cases of emergency for magic folk as well. What if one had an accident and would end up in a muggle hospital?
“Mmmm,” Shiori made and walked to her cousin where she sat down in front of her. “B and 0 parents can’t have children with type A. It’s not possible. If Lefcourt was your father, then your blood type would be B or 0. A is not possible.”
Rika’s jaw dropped and she was staring at Shiori with disbelief.
“Now, if your mother had AB, and Lefcourt 0, then yes, A is possible. But with B and 0, no way. I can tell you that Geoffrey Lefcourt is not your father. Hiroshi-san was. He had type A.”
She had to turn away. She had to. She didn’t manage to face her older cousin right now. Rika got up and stumbled to the open shoji. Stepping out on the balcony in just her jeans, sweater and socks was not the brightest idea, not with such low temperatures. But she was in a desperate need for fresh air. Lefcourt was not her father. He was not! Oh merciful Buddhas... Her right hand moved up and covered her forehead. “Are you... are you sure of this?”
“Yes, absolutely,” replied Shiori who was now standing behind her. “The muggles have something called DNA test, we can try that if you want. But the blood types alone say it all. He was not your father. I’m convinced that Hiroshi-san was your father. He was your mother’s partner in those days. That, pretty much, rules out everybody else.”
Rika sank on her knees and desperately clung to the wood in front of her. Lefcourt was not her father. Lefcourt was not her father. Lefcourt was not her father. Lefcourt was not her father. Lefcourt was not her father. LEFCOURT WAS NOT HER FATHER!!!! She was none of those murderers and slavers. She closed her eyes and then couldn’t hold back her tears anymore.
Shiori knelt next to her and placed her hand on her cousin’s shoulder. “I know, this is much for you, but... that’s not all. There’s more.”
Rika was sobbing, “More?” What else could there be?
“Come inside, it’s too cold for your light clothes out here.” With that Shiori helped her cousin on her feet and led her back into the office. Then she closed one of the shoji, leaving the other only halfway open.
Rika sat down in front of the desk, and this time Shiori didn’t leave her side.
“I was trying to find out more about your father’s family. But... There is none. Nothing. I was looking through the register of his hometown. Nothing. It seems as if there has never been a Rokuhana family.”
Rika produced a handkerchief from her pocket and cleaned her nose, loudly. Oh boy, was that rude! But Shiori ignored it. “What do you mean?” Rika asked.
“There is no Rokuhana family in your father’s hometown, not even in the surrounding areas. They just don’t exist. I had the whole area checked. Nothing. The family registry shows only your father’s name. No parents, nothing. So I asked around. Nothing. Nobody knew anything. Then, after weeks of searching, I met an old woman, way in her nineties. And when I asked her about Rokuhana, she was like ‘Oh, you mean the young Nikaido, how is he doing?'”
Nikaido? Rika looked up at her cousin. Now that was ringing a bell, somehow, somewhere. But Rika couldn’t place it anywhere.
“So I began looking for Nikaido. And guess what did I find?”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Eh?”
“Not one single entry in any family registry in Aomori, Kuroishi, Hirakawa, Towada or Goshogawara. Nothing. I went further south, but there wasn’t anything either. Yes, I’ve found a few Nikaido, but they were not related to him in any way. They were muggles. Two of them had just moved up there.”
This was getting confusing.
“So, I moved up north. I don’t know why, I didn’t know where else to go. I moved to Hokkaido. Then, in a village not far from Monbetsu, I found it.” Shiori turned her attention to her desk and rummaged through several of the many papers eventually producing a photograph -not a muggle one. She offered the photo to Rika, who took it.
Rika blinked at it. It showed an old tombstone, weathered by storm, rain and snow. The letters on it were visible, but that was obviously because Shiori, who had taken the photo, had cleaned them. There were three kanji letters on it saying “Nikaido.”
“I also had a look at the local registry and I found your father. Nikaido Hiroshi.”
But, Monbetsu, that was like... the ass end of nowhere?
“But he always said that he was born in Aomori and came to Matsuyama with his parents when he was five.”
“Yes, he did.”
“Monbetsu, that’s like... on the other side of the islands.”
“The ass end of nowhere, literally. Believe me, I’ve been there.”
Rika merely shook her head. What the hell was going on? Why? How?
“So,” Shiori continued, “I finally had a location and an entry. From there it was relatively easy. Eventually the tracks lead us down to Sado, Tokyo and finally Kyoto. You remember the name Nikaido from History of Magic and Muggle Relations, right?”
Yes, she did. Nikaido, they had been a wizarding family close to the Kiku and Kikyo houses. But they had suddenly disappeared into history. Nobody had ever bothered to find out what had happened to them. She remembered, however, that the family had disappeared after...
Rika twitched and stared at her cousin. “Ishikawa O-Yuki!” she gasped.
Shiori nodded once and smiled “I’m delighted to see that being in England for more than year has not destroyed your knowledge of our history.”
Ishikawa O-Yuki. Lady Snowblood she was called in history books, historians called her a traitor and murderer and that had a reason. Ishikawa O-Yuki had been the daughter of Nikaido O-Kiku, a witch from a very famous and old family, and a very influential samurai named Ishikawa Nobushige. Nobushige had been a man who had had great influence on the shogun. He and five other allies had been working on gaining more and more power. But they had had a dangerous opponent, Manabe Yoshitsune, father of Manabe Kozue, who, in exchange, was the great-great-great-whatever grandmother of Manabe Mayumi, Shiori’s and Rika’s cousin and the fourth in line of succession. Now, this Ishikawa Nobushige had successfully managed to have Yoshitsune assassinated, and also his wife and his two sons. His daughter, Kozue, who had been six years old back then, had managed to survive somehow. Then, many years later, after Kozue had taken her rightful place in the Manabe family, Ishikawa O-Yuki, who had been five years younger than Kozue, came to Edo. The two women were enemies right from the very first moment. And it was Kozue who eventually foiled O-Yuki’s plans to topple the Tokugawa. O-Yuki was exiled to Sado and the rest of the Ishikawa family was punished as well. Many were killed by the shogun’s soldiers, including women and children. Only a few survived. One of them O-Yuki, since she was in exile.
“If you’re thinking what I’m thinking, then you’re right. O-Yuki lived, changed her name back to Nikaido, but she never left Sado again. She died there, after being forced to marry an extremely low ranking samurai just to prevent starvation after an earth quake robbed her of everything. But she had a daughter, O-Aki. O-Aki managed to get off the island when she was eighteen. She changed her name and waited. She married and waited. She had children and waited. Then, when the Tokugawa reign came to an end, the family appeared again, but not as our kind. No, the Nikaido decided to stay away from us magic folk. Instead they lived among muggles, remained hidden, in safety. You know how such feuds go. Manabe and Ishikawa, if there would be any Ishikawa from Nobushige’s line left, you can be sure that Mayumi would want to hunt and kill them. Those are old family feuds, Rika, they don’t just end after a mere hundred years. Take the “outside” lords and how many generations it took them to rid themselves from their status as cowards, traitors and enemies of the Tokugawa. Think of the Satsuma and Choshu clans and how many generations they fought against Tokugawa. No. The Nikaido didn’t want to take that risk and took a dive, a very deep one. Thus, there haven’t been any Nikaido at Shirasagi for ages.”
“So you are telling me, that my father was a wizard, albeit not trained?” Rika was confused. It all sounded strange, hard to belief. But, on the other hand, it all made sense. Family feuds lasted for generations, especially among the old wizard families.
“No. It’s actually worse than that.”
“Worse?” Rika blinked.
“I traced the Nikaido back best I could. I don’t know how many days, weeks Yae and Tae spent in archives without sunlight. Must have been a lot. But, we finally found something. And that led us to Kyoto.” Shiori took a deep breath. “Nyakouji.”
“Eh?” Nyakouji. A kuge family, part of the Imperial Court in the old days, before the samurai took over and ruled the country. There had been a rumor that they had been gotoku neko, but no one had ever managed to prove anything, mainly because their traces disappeared into history right after the beginning of the Kamakura shogunate.
“Nyakouji,” Shiori repeated, “they were a kuge family.” The older one spoke out what the younger one had just been thinking. “And there’s a striking coincidence. The Nyakouji disappear from Kyoto. They leave it. For whatever reason. And then, a few months later a Nikaido Masayuki joins the Hojo. He’s described as a very well educated man, who knew poetry and music. A gifted player of the koto and biwa. I’ve found a few of his poems.”
To the normal ear that wouldn’t mean anything. However, for everyone who knew about the history of Japan, it meant a lot. A common samurai in the years around 1200 would have no way to learn how to play the koto and the biwa. He would not learn about poetry and would certainly not be well educated. He would know how to fight, that was it. The only men who were like this, were either members of the great families -Hojo, Taira, Minamoto- or they were... “Members of the Imperial Court,” Rika finished her thought aloud.
“Exactly. I can’t prove this connection, it’s impossible to do, yet plausible. The Hojo are gotoku neko. And they were taking influence on the muggle world. They inspired the Tokugawa, the Mori, the Takeda and yes, the Nyakouji. Hino Yoshitake had left Kyoto, had saved Kazumi-hime’s life when Arakawa showed his true face wanting to either kill her or convert her to his side, and had then founded the Hojo with her. The Nyakouji had done the same. They left Kyoto, changed their names, and joined the Hojo, who were brothers, quite literally. I can prove, without a doubt, that the Nyakouji were gotoku neko as well.”
Rika was leaning back on her butt now. She simply sat there. This was all too much to swallow down. “So, you are telling me, that I am, more or less, the product of two families that are older than the Imperial Line?”
“Actually, Rika, you are the product of two families that are far older than the Imperial Line AND you are the direct descendant of one of the Eight Heroes, Yamanouchi Kazumi.”
“Whoa, wait a second... I mean, yes, it’s all plausible and all, but... we’re talking about more than a thousand years of history. There were countless wars, destruction, earth quakes, there is no way to prove any of this.” As it was, the thought of being someone like that frightened Rika. If she had to chose between being some sort of princess from two old, powerful families on one hand and being the daughter of Rokuhana Hiroshi, a muggle, and Hojo Ryoko, a witch, she’d chose the latter without hesitation.
“I knew you’d say that, because I know you. That’s one of the things I love about you, Rika-chan. You don’t want any of this. You insisted on being called Miss Rokuhana, not Lady Hojo, at Shirasagi. You don’t care about such things. Old family trees, ancient lines of ancestors, blood status. And that’s exactly what I love about you, cousin. We need more people like that. I’m glad that you’re part of our family. But, as it is, there is one thing you can not deny.” Shiori produced a whole series of photos for Rika.
They were simple, showing something that resembled a line of ancestors or a family tree. There were familiar names on it. However, it only seemed to date back to the years around 1700s. Yet, she saw Ishikawa O-Yuki on it. Nikaido O-Aki. And, eventually, Nikaido Hiroshi as the last in the line. No, wait, there was another name. “Nikaido Rikka,” Rika read aloud.
“That’s your real name. At least, going by the Nikaido family. I think some of our elders would dispute it at once.”
“But that’s not my name.” Rika protested. “Rokuhana Rika, it doesn’t look even remotely like that.” With that Rika grabbed the brush and wrote her name on the same paper that Shiori had used earlier. Then she reproduced the name on the photo.
“There, you have it, nothing like it. That’s not me. I think you got the wrong family, dear cousin.”
But Shiori just smiled. “I knew you would try that. Just look at it. Look at the letters of your given name.”
“What, the hiragana?” now she was playing dumb on purpose.
“No, the kanji in Rikka. You said it yourself earlier. Roku Hana can be read as Rikka or rokka.”
“Yes, but my name is Rika, not Rikka and certainly not Rokka,” Rika protested again.
“Drop one of the Ks and you have Rika. Then write it in hiragana and bingo, you have Rika the way you write it.”
The younger one had to admit that her cousin had a point with it. There had been a certain trend of writing the names of girls with hiragana instead of kanji. Hiragana were generally considered to be rounder, softer, more fitting for a girl’s name.
“But what about the family name?”
“Oh, it’s simple, Hiroshi-san took your given name and simply adapted the way it was to be read. That’s simple. He just dropped the “Nikaido” and was done. And voila, Rokuhana Rika.”
Rika couldn’t escape her cousin’s logic. She even knew about such a practice from very close family. The Manabe line had appeared a few years before 1600 and they had just chosen their name. They used to write themselves differently than now, but the name, back then, had been a deliberate choice, completely different to their original name.
“But why?”
“Protection, Rika.” Shiori was now leaning forward. “Family feuds. He was afraid that some of the Manabe family would try to kill you and him. A mere two hundred years don’t end such a feud. Yoshitsune was very popular, still is. Mayumi adores him and his daughter Kozue for their deeds. That said, I find it somewhat ironic that the last in the Ishikawa-Nikaido line is related to the Manabe line.”
“That’s not even remotely funny, cousin,” Rika muttered. “Now my little Mayu-chan is my enemy or what?”
“No. Mayu-chan is above such things. Hojo, Manabe, Nikaido, Rokuhana, even Lefcourt, it doesn’t matter what family name you have. You’re still part of us. It doesn’t matter for me, nor does it matter for Mayumi. As a matter of fact. I’ve already explained it all to her.”
“WHAT?!” Rika was on her feet within a split second.
“And she’s, how would muggles say it, cool with it. You’re her cousin, she loves you, not your family name. She doesn’t judge by names and houses. They didn’t sort her into Kiku for no reason.” Unlike Asano, that stuck up bastard.
Slowly Rika sat down again. “This is madness... total madness. So, my father, who was not my father, is my father. But the father, who was my father, is not my father.”
“Something along that line,” Shiori tried to remain serious, but failed miserably. “Oh and, I will still call you Rika. Rikka, that doesn’t sound right for you. You’ll be Rika, no matter what.”
“What’s my family name now?” Rika suddenly asked with a very worried tone in her voice. After all, it seemed that she had at least three to chose from. Nikaido, Hojo and Rokuhana.
“That’s your decision. It’s your life after all. I can only give you a hint or two, offer you some advice. But the ultimate decision is yours.”
“Why Rikka, I wonder.” Rika mused. “I was born in summer, there is no snow in summer.”
“There was, actually.”
“What?”
“A very cold night, untypical for our summers, yes. But the mountains and trees higher up had a slight snow cover in the morning. Of course, it melted away within a few minutes, but it was there. I think your parents took that for a good omen.”
Her parents. Rika sighed. Why had her mother turned away from it all. Why had she betrayed all of them? Why? Rika sighed again and leaned forward, resting her head on Shiori’s desk. “What should I do? I mean, it’s not just this issue. What should I do about Hogwarts?”
“It’s not your war, Rika. That’s how I see it. It wasn’t your war to begin with. Even if we ignore that Lefcourt is not your father, it still isn’t your war. You’re not a Hogwarts student. You’re not a Ravenclaw. You’re a Kiku.”
“I know,” Rika mumbled into the desk. Yet, there was something still bugging her.
“Oh, by the way, did he ask you?”
“Eh?” Rika sat up looking at her cousin.
“Fujiwara-kun. Did he ask you?”
Rika’s eyes widened and her face and ears reddened.
“He asked me first if it was alright for him to propose. I said yes. I know, Fujiwara and Hojo, that doesn’t mix well, usually. But... I think it’d work well with the alliance I have in mind. End the truce, make real peace and an alliance, so we can be strong in the future.”
She was still bright red. So her cousin knew. Now that was not really a surprise. Fujiwara was a nice guy and yes, he had asked her. “Yes, he proposed.”
“And?”
“I’m not sure. I mean, he’s a nice guy and all. And then there’s the alliance and all that and...”
“Forget the alliance. I don’t want to push you into this,” Shiori said quickly. “The question is, do you love him enough to marry him. I want you to marry someone you love and not because it would be great for politics.”
Rika’s gaze lowered and she sighed again. “I don’t know. I’m not sure if I can make such a decision right away. I need to think over it. He’s nice, really. But I’m not sure if I could love him. I like him, he’s a good friend, but do I love him? Do I want to spend my life with him? I’m not sure. And then there’s the issue with England. I don’t know what to do with that either. If I accept his proposal now, I don’t think I will ever go back there. Then again, should I even go there again, with the Death Eaters and all? But then I think of what my dear non-cousin is doing with the house elf Sparky, and I feel bad about it. I should end it. If I accept his proposal, would he understand this?”
Shiori nodded calmly. She knew that, if she would have been in Rika’s position, she’d have a hard time deciding, too. “And not to forget, if you’d accept, you’d have a fourth family name to chose from.”
Rika’s face froze up. “That’s so not funny.”
The shoji to Shiori’s office was open, even though, by this time of the day, Shiori shouldn’t have been there anymore. However, she was. Outside it was dark, the snow was dancing like mad. This year had a very cold beginning. Nevertheless, Shiori was dressed rather lightly, in her usual kimono -she had gotten used to those by now, after all, her new status forced her to wear traditional clothing most of the time. Sitting on her heels at her low desk Shiori found herself deeply buried in notes, scrolls and books. During the past year she had spent all of her free time for this. Luckily, she had had help from the twins, Yae and Tae, and a few other people. Luckily, she had had the chance to base her own research on what her grandfather had found out, otherwise there was no way she would have come to this shocking conclusion in her own lifetime.
Japanese marriage and family politics throughout the feudal era were often confusing. Not to mention that names in Japan were used differently than in the west. Shinmen Takezo had simply changed his name to Miyamoto Musashi. Minamoto no Yoshitsune had had more than one name in his life. And Toyotomi Hideyoshi, well, he seemed to have had changed his names just like other people had changed their underwear. And even today, in 2008, it was still common practice. Normal people, muggles mainly, hardly ever did that. But kabuki actors, or artists in general, were still following this custom. Ichikawa Shinnosuke was a great example. He had taken the new given name Ebizo a few year ago and would soon be Ichikawa Danjuro the thirteenth, or was it fourteenth? Shiori’s mind was too occupied to remember this little detail properly. Not to mention her own kind, wizards and witches. The best example for this was Kuroki Misako, who had changed her name to Misa Kuroi -pompous brat now called herself “Black Mass”.
But this time, her own family was hit by something like that. Agreed, that a certain Hino Yoshitake had married one of the Eight Heroes, Yamanouchi Kazumi, and had then founded the Hojo dynasty, was somewhat shocking and also surprising, but it was a pleasant surprise. That Takeda members had married into the Hojo family and that, thus, the Hojo had taken possession of Takeda heirloom, including Shingen’s famous flag -which was now, that Rika had returned, back at its place behind Shiori-, was also a very pleasant fact.
But the one Shiori had found out during her research had been less than pleasant. It had been outright shocking.
There was a soft rattle at the shoji.
“Come in.”
Steps followed and Shiori could see a familiar figure enter her office. A smile appeared on the older girls face. Now that she was head of the family things were sometimes easier, but on the other hand sometimes harder as well. At least, she had time for her cousin Rika.
“Come on, have a seat,” Shiori said while ushering Rika closer.
“What’s so important?” Rika asked after sitting down opposite from her cousin.
It was ironic. It seemed as if two different worlds were meeting. Shiori, behind her traditional desk, in this traditional room with shoji walls and tatami floor, wearing her traditional clothes facing Rika, in her jeans and sweater.
Silently Shiori picked up a brush and wrote two letters on an empty piece of paper. Then she held it towards Rika. “What does it read?”
“Roku hana. I know our language, cousin.” Six flowers.
“Yes, yes, I know, but there’s one thing I need your help with.” Quickly she wrote something again, two letters, the same ones as before. This time, they were close together. “And now?”
“Rikka, depending on where you’re from and how you want to use it.” One of the many words for snow -or hexagonal-shaped snowflakes. Yuki -depending on the kanji- was another one, and usually the one that was used a lot more often. But knowing alternative readings and a lot more kanji letters than the normal muggle school student was a necessity for Shirasagi students. “Or still Rokuhana.”
“Exactly.”
“Your point?” Rika was confused.
Slowly Shiori lowered the paper and placed it on her desk. “You know I’ve spent almost all my free time during the almost past two years to continue grandfather’s research, right?”
The younger one nodded, of course she knew and some of the results had been fascinating.
“I wrote to you about Hino Yoshitake and the fact that he founded our family.”
Rika nodded again.
“I found something else, somewhat unnerving.”
Now the younger one was furrowing her brows. Unnerving?
Shiori got up on her feet to stretch them and to walk around her office a bit. It was just like her grandfather’s, functional, barely anything that gave away that this was the heart of the Hojo clan. “Rokuhana,” she began, “there was always something about it that didn’t seem to fit.”
“You mean Hiroshi-san?”
“No, not just him. The whole name. I know, I know, many names are after places, Fujiwara, the wisteria field, Maeda, the rice paddy, Kuriyama, the mountain of chestnuts, but this one...” Shiori shook her head. “Something always felt odd. So I... eventually started to look around a bit. I admit, my interest was really triggered by the war between grandpa and your mother. I wanted to know what the hell was going on. Sadly, I didn’t manage to bring further any results in time. You were gone before the search really heated up.”
“Alright?” Rika was at a loss.
“So, I started to look around. I had help, from the twins and many other people. They even allowed me into the archives of Shirasagi. But I didn’t find anything there. All the files said that you were the first Rokuhana there. Not much of a surprise, after all, your mother was the witch in the family, which makes you, effectively and by the ministry’s norms, a half-blood.”
Rika didn’t say anything in reply to that. Half-blood, that’s what, technically and in reality, all Hojo were, despite the fact that the ministry had them listed as pure bloods.
“After that, I went to Shikoku. For once, I wanted to find out more about the Eight and Kochi has a very nice archive. However, the twins did most of that work for me and it was them who found Hino Yoshitake. What I found was a lot more disturbing. I wanted to wait with telling you this. I would have told you earlier, but there wasn’t even the slightest opportunity to come to Hogwarts to tell you in person. And I didn’t want to use a letter, I wanted to tell you myself.”
“I’m here now.”
“That you are. So...” Shiori opened the shoji to the balcony. A rush of cold air shot into the room, followed by dancing snowflakes. “I don’t know how to tell you this,” with that she turned to face her cousin. “But your father doesn’t exist.”
“Eh?” What? Her father didn’t exist? Her father was Geoffrey Lefcourt, wasn’t he? Geoffrey Lefcourt, Death Eater, murderer, buttkisser of Voldemort. “My father is-“
“Rokuhana Hiroshi. There is no doubt about that now.”
“WHAT?!” Rika was up on her feet within a split second.
“There was a mistake,” Shiori continued, “when you were born... You remember how children of gotoku neko parents are often smaller than humans? You were smaller, so nobody paid attention to it, it was considered to be normal. After all, your mother was one of us.”
Rika was staring at her without knowing what to say.
“The truth is, sometimes children like you can be smaller, sometimes they are like normal human babies when they’re born. In your case, however, you were smaller because you came two months earlier than expected.”
Rika slumped on her knees and fell back on her butt. What was that? Yes, she had heard about that, had observed it herself. Gotoku neko, in their natural form, were smaller than humans, and so were their newborns. But this... How could this happen? How could she be so sure? “How? Why would you know?”
“What’s your blood type?”
What had that to do with anything? “A,” Rika replied nevertheless.
“Mine’s B.”
“Your point?”
“What’s your mother’s?”
Rika had to think for a second, but she remembered it. “B, just like yours.”
“And your father’s?”
“0.” She remembered having to write something about blood types in Muggle Studies at Hogwarts. Additionally, even though that blood types were a muggle thing, they were still important in cases of emergency for magic folk as well. What if one had an accident and would end up in a muggle hospital?
“Mmmm,” Shiori made and walked to her cousin where she sat down in front of her. “B and 0 parents can’t have children with type A. It’s not possible. If Lefcourt was your father, then your blood type would be B or 0. A is not possible.”
Rika’s jaw dropped and she was staring at Shiori with disbelief.
“Now, if your mother had AB, and Lefcourt 0, then yes, A is possible. But with B and 0, no way. I can tell you that Geoffrey Lefcourt is not your father. Hiroshi-san was. He had type A.”
She had to turn away. She had to. She didn’t manage to face her older cousin right now. Rika got up and stumbled to the open shoji. Stepping out on the balcony in just her jeans, sweater and socks was not the brightest idea, not with such low temperatures. But she was in a desperate need for fresh air. Lefcourt was not her father. He was not! Oh merciful Buddhas... Her right hand moved up and covered her forehead. “Are you... are you sure of this?”
“Yes, absolutely,” replied Shiori who was now standing behind her. “The muggles have something called DNA test, we can try that if you want. But the blood types alone say it all. He was not your father. I’m convinced that Hiroshi-san was your father. He was your mother’s partner in those days. That, pretty much, rules out everybody else.”
Rika sank on her knees and desperately clung to the wood in front of her. Lefcourt was not her father. Lefcourt was not her father. Lefcourt was not her father. Lefcourt was not her father. Lefcourt was not her father. LEFCOURT WAS NOT HER FATHER!!!! She was none of those murderers and slavers. She closed her eyes and then couldn’t hold back her tears anymore.
Shiori knelt next to her and placed her hand on her cousin’s shoulder. “I know, this is much for you, but... that’s not all. There’s more.”
Rika was sobbing, “More?” What else could there be?
“Come inside, it’s too cold for your light clothes out here.” With that Shiori helped her cousin on her feet and led her back into the office. Then she closed one of the shoji, leaving the other only halfway open.
Rika sat down in front of the desk, and this time Shiori didn’t leave her side.
“I was trying to find out more about your father’s family. But... There is none. Nothing. I was looking through the register of his hometown. Nothing. It seems as if there has never been a Rokuhana family.”
Rika produced a handkerchief from her pocket and cleaned her nose, loudly. Oh boy, was that rude! But Shiori ignored it. “What do you mean?” Rika asked.
“There is no Rokuhana family in your father’s hometown, not even in the surrounding areas. They just don’t exist. I had the whole area checked. Nothing. The family registry shows only your father’s name. No parents, nothing. So I asked around. Nothing. Nobody knew anything. Then, after weeks of searching, I met an old woman, way in her nineties. And when I asked her about Rokuhana, she was like ‘Oh, you mean the young Nikaido, how is he doing?'”
Nikaido? Rika looked up at her cousin. Now that was ringing a bell, somehow, somewhere. But Rika couldn’t place it anywhere.
“So I began looking for Nikaido. And guess what did I find?”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Eh?”
“Not one single entry in any family registry in Aomori, Kuroishi, Hirakawa, Towada or Goshogawara. Nothing. I went further south, but there wasn’t anything either. Yes, I’ve found a few Nikaido, but they were not related to him in any way. They were muggles. Two of them had just moved up there.”
This was getting confusing.
“So, I moved up north. I don’t know why, I didn’t know where else to go. I moved to Hokkaido. Then, in a village not far from Monbetsu, I found it.” Shiori turned her attention to her desk and rummaged through several of the many papers eventually producing a photograph -not a muggle one. She offered the photo to Rika, who took it.
Rika blinked at it. It showed an old tombstone, weathered by storm, rain and snow. The letters on it were visible, but that was obviously because Shiori, who had taken the photo, had cleaned them. There were three kanji letters on it saying “Nikaido.”
“I also had a look at the local registry and I found your father. Nikaido Hiroshi.”
But, Monbetsu, that was like... the ass end of nowhere?
“But he always said that he was born in Aomori and came to Matsuyama with his parents when he was five.”
“Yes, he did.”
“Monbetsu, that’s like... on the other side of the islands.”
“The ass end of nowhere, literally. Believe me, I’ve been there.”
Rika merely shook her head. What the hell was going on? Why? How?
“So,” Shiori continued, “I finally had a location and an entry. From there it was relatively easy. Eventually the tracks lead us down to Sado, Tokyo and finally Kyoto. You remember the name Nikaido from History of Magic and Muggle Relations, right?”
Yes, she did. Nikaido, they had been a wizarding family close to the Kiku and Kikyo houses. But they had suddenly disappeared into history. Nobody had ever bothered to find out what had happened to them. She remembered, however, that the family had disappeared after...
Rika twitched and stared at her cousin. “Ishikawa O-Yuki!” she gasped.
Shiori nodded once and smiled “I’m delighted to see that being in England for more than year has not destroyed your knowledge of our history.”
Ishikawa O-Yuki. Lady Snowblood she was called in history books, historians called her a traitor and murderer and that had a reason. Ishikawa O-Yuki had been the daughter of Nikaido O-Kiku, a witch from a very famous and old family, and a very influential samurai named Ishikawa Nobushige. Nobushige had been a man who had had great influence on the shogun. He and five other allies had been working on gaining more and more power. But they had had a dangerous opponent, Manabe Yoshitsune, father of Manabe Kozue, who, in exchange, was the great-great-great-whatever grandmother of Manabe Mayumi, Shiori’s and Rika’s cousin and the fourth in line of succession. Now, this Ishikawa Nobushige had successfully managed to have Yoshitsune assassinated, and also his wife and his two sons. His daughter, Kozue, who had been six years old back then, had managed to survive somehow. Then, many years later, after Kozue had taken her rightful place in the Manabe family, Ishikawa O-Yuki, who had been five years younger than Kozue, came to Edo. The two women were enemies right from the very first moment. And it was Kozue who eventually foiled O-Yuki’s plans to topple the Tokugawa. O-Yuki was exiled to Sado and the rest of the Ishikawa family was punished as well. Many were killed by the shogun’s soldiers, including women and children. Only a few survived. One of them O-Yuki, since she was in exile.
“If you’re thinking what I’m thinking, then you’re right. O-Yuki lived, changed her name back to Nikaido, but she never left Sado again. She died there, after being forced to marry an extremely low ranking samurai just to prevent starvation after an earth quake robbed her of everything. But she had a daughter, O-Aki. O-Aki managed to get off the island when she was eighteen. She changed her name and waited. She married and waited. She had children and waited. Then, when the Tokugawa reign came to an end, the family appeared again, but not as our kind. No, the Nikaido decided to stay away from us magic folk. Instead they lived among muggles, remained hidden, in safety. You know how such feuds go. Manabe and Ishikawa, if there would be any Ishikawa from Nobushige’s line left, you can be sure that Mayumi would want to hunt and kill them. Those are old family feuds, Rika, they don’t just end after a mere hundred years. Take the “outside” lords and how many generations it took them to rid themselves from their status as cowards, traitors and enemies of the Tokugawa. Think of the Satsuma and Choshu clans and how many generations they fought against Tokugawa. No. The Nikaido didn’t want to take that risk and took a dive, a very deep one. Thus, there haven’t been any Nikaido at Shirasagi for ages.”
“So you are telling me, that my father was a wizard, albeit not trained?” Rika was confused. It all sounded strange, hard to belief. But, on the other hand, it all made sense. Family feuds lasted for generations, especially among the old wizard families.
“No. It’s actually worse than that.”
“Worse?” Rika blinked.
“I traced the Nikaido back best I could. I don’t know how many days, weeks Yae and Tae spent in archives without sunlight. Must have been a lot. But, we finally found something. And that led us to Kyoto.” Shiori took a deep breath. “Nyakouji.”
“Eh?” Nyakouji. A kuge family, part of the Imperial Court in the old days, before the samurai took over and ruled the country. There had been a rumor that they had been gotoku neko, but no one had ever managed to prove anything, mainly because their traces disappeared into history right after the beginning of the Kamakura shogunate.
“Nyakouji,” Shiori repeated, “they were a kuge family.” The older one spoke out what the younger one had just been thinking. “And there’s a striking coincidence. The Nyakouji disappear from Kyoto. They leave it. For whatever reason. And then, a few months later a Nikaido Masayuki joins the Hojo. He’s described as a very well educated man, who knew poetry and music. A gifted player of the koto and biwa. I’ve found a few of his poems.”
To the normal ear that wouldn’t mean anything. However, for everyone who knew about the history of Japan, it meant a lot. A common samurai in the years around 1200 would have no way to learn how to play the koto and the biwa. He would not learn about poetry and would certainly not be well educated. He would know how to fight, that was it. The only men who were like this, were either members of the great families -Hojo, Taira, Minamoto- or they were... “Members of the Imperial Court,” Rika finished her thought aloud.
“Exactly. I can’t prove this connection, it’s impossible to do, yet plausible. The Hojo are gotoku neko. And they were taking influence on the muggle world. They inspired the Tokugawa, the Mori, the Takeda and yes, the Nyakouji. Hino Yoshitake had left Kyoto, had saved Kazumi-hime’s life when Arakawa showed his true face wanting to either kill her or convert her to his side, and had then founded the Hojo with her. The Nyakouji had done the same. They left Kyoto, changed their names, and joined the Hojo, who were brothers, quite literally. I can prove, without a doubt, that the Nyakouji were gotoku neko as well.”
Rika was leaning back on her butt now. She simply sat there. This was all too much to swallow down. “So, you are telling me, that I am, more or less, the product of two families that are older than the Imperial Line?”
“Actually, Rika, you are the product of two families that are far older than the Imperial Line AND you are the direct descendant of one of the Eight Heroes, Yamanouchi Kazumi.”
“Whoa, wait a second... I mean, yes, it’s all plausible and all, but... we’re talking about more than a thousand years of history. There were countless wars, destruction, earth quakes, there is no way to prove any of this.” As it was, the thought of being someone like that frightened Rika. If she had to chose between being some sort of princess from two old, powerful families on one hand and being the daughter of Rokuhana Hiroshi, a muggle, and Hojo Ryoko, a witch, she’d chose the latter without hesitation.
“I knew you’d say that, because I know you. That’s one of the things I love about you, Rika-chan. You don’t want any of this. You insisted on being called Miss Rokuhana, not Lady Hojo, at Shirasagi. You don’t care about such things. Old family trees, ancient lines of ancestors, blood status. And that’s exactly what I love about you, cousin. We need more people like that. I’m glad that you’re part of our family. But, as it is, there is one thing you can not deny.” Shiori produced a whole series of photos for Rika.
They were simple, showing something that resembled a line of ancestors or a family tree. There were familiar names on it. However, it only seemed to date back to the years around 1700s. Yet, she saw Ishikawa O-Yuki on it. Nikaido O-Aki. And, eventually, Nikaido Hiroshi as the last in the line. No, wait, there was another name. “Nikaido Rikka,” Rika read aloud.
“That’s your real name. At least, going by the Nikaido family. I think some of our elders would dispute it at once.”
“But that’s not my name.” Rika protested. “Rokuhana Rika, it doesn’t look even remotely like that.” With that Rika grabbed the brush and wrote her name on the same paper that Shiori had used earlier. Then she reproduced the name on the photo.
“There, you have it, nothing like it. That’s not me. I think you got the wrong family, dear cousin.”
But Shiori just smiled. “I knew you would try that. Just look at it. Look at the letters of your given name.”
“What, the hiragana?” now she was playing dumb on purpose.
“No, the kanji in Rikka. You said it yourself earlier. Roku Hana can be read as Rikka or rokka.”
“Yes, but my name is Rika, not Rikka and certainly not Rokka,” Rika protested again.
“Drop one of the Ks and you have Rika. Then write it in hiragana and bingo, you have Rika the way you write it.”
The younger one had to admit that her cousin had a point with it. There had been a certain trend of writing the names of girls with hiragana instead of kanji. Hiragana were generally considered to be rounder, softer, more fitting for a girl’s name.
“But what about the family name?”
“Oh, it’s simple, Hiroshi-san took your given name and simply adapted the way it was to be read. That’s simple. He just dropped the “Nikaido” and was done. And voila, Rokuhana Rika.”
Rika couldn’t escape her cousin’s logic. She even knew about such a practice from very close family. The Manabe line had appeared a few years before 1600 and they had just chosen their name. They used to write themselves differently than now, but the name, back then, had been a deliberate choice, completely different to their original name.
“But why?”
“Protection, Rika.” Shiori was now leaning forward. “Family feuds. He was afraid that some of the Manabe family would try to kill you and him. A mere two hundred years don’t end such a feud. Yoshitsune was very popular, still is. Mayumi adores him and his daughter Kozue for their deeds. That said, I find it somewhat ironic that the last in the Ishikawa-Nikaido line is related to the Manabe line.”
“That’s not even remotely funny, cousin,” Rika muttered. “Now my little Mayu-chan is my enemy or what?”
“No. Mayu-chan is above such things. Hojo, Manabe, Nikaido, Rokuhana, even Lefcourt, it doesn’t matter what family name you have. You’re still part of us. It doesn’t matter for me, nor does it matter for Mayumi. As a matter of fact. I’ve already explained it all to her.”
“WHAT?!” Rika was on her feet within a split second.
“And she’s, how would muggles say it, cool with it. You’re her cousin, she loves you, not your family name. She doesn’t judge by names and houses. They didn’t sort her into Kiku for no reason.” Unlike Asano, that stuck up bastard.
Slowly Rika sat down again. “This is madness... total madness. So, my father, who was not my father, is my father. But the father, who was my father, is not my father.”
“Something along that line,” Shiori tried to remain serious, but failed miserably. “Oh and, I will still call you Rika. Rikka, that doesn’t sound right for you. You’ll be Rika, no matter what.”
“What’s my family name now?” Rika suddenly asked with a very worried tone in her voice. After all, it seemed that she had at least three to chose from. Nikaido, Hojo and Rokuhana.
“That’s your decision. It’s your life after all. I can only give you a hint or two, offer you some advice. But the ultimate decision is yours.”
“Why Rikka, I wonder.” Rika mused. “I was born in summer, there is no snow in summer.”
“There was, actually.”
“What?”
“A very cold night, untypical for our summers, yes. But the mountains and trees higher up had a slight snow cover in the morning. Of course, it melted away within a few minutes, but it was there. I think your parents took that for a good omen.”
Her parents. Rika sighed. Why had her mother turned away from it all. Why had she betrayed all of them? Why? Rika sighed again and leaned forward, resting her head on Shiori’s desk. “What should I do? I mean, it’s not just this issue. What should I do about Hogwarts?”
“It’s not your war, Rika. That’s how I see it. It wasn’t your war to begin with. Even if we ignore that Lefcourt is not your father, it still isn’t your war. You’re not a Hogwarts student. You’re not a Ravenclaw. You’re a Kiku.”
“I know,” Rika mumbled into the desk. Yet, there was something still bugging her.
“Oh, by the way, did he ask you?”
“Eh?” Rika sat up looking at her cousin.
“Fujiwara-kun. Did he ask you?”
Rika’s eyes widened and her face and ears reddened.
“He asked me first if it was alright for him to propose. I said yes. I know, Fujiwara and Hojo, that doesn’t mix well, usually. But... I think it’d work well with the alliance I have in mind. End the truce, make real peace and an alliance, so we can be strong in the future.”
She was still bright red. So her cousin knew. Now that was not really a surprise. Fujiwara was a nice guy and yes, he had asked her. “Yes, he proposed.”
“And?”
“I’m not sure. I mean, he’s a nice guy and all. And then there’s the alliance and all that and...”
“Forget the alliance. I don’t want to push you into this,” Shiori said quickly. “The question is, do you love him enough to marry him. I want you to marry someone you love and not because it would be great for politics.”
Rika’s gaze lowered and she sighed again. “I don’t know. I’m not sure if I can make such a decision right away. I need to think over it. He’s nice, really. But I’m not sure if I could love him. I like him, he’s a good friend, but do I love him? Do I want to spend my life with him? I’m not sure. And then there’s the issue with England. I don’t know what to do with that either. If I accept his proposal now, I don’t think I will ever go back there. Then again, should I even go there again, with the Death Eaters and all? But then I think of what my dear non-cousin is doing with the house elf Sparky, and I feel bad about it. I should end it. If I accept his proposal, would he understand this?”
Shiori nodded calmly. She knew that, if she would have been in Rika’s position, she’d have a hard time deciding, too. “And not to forget, if you’d accept, you’d have a fourth family name to chose from.”
Rika’s face froze up. “That’s so not funny.”