Chapter 6: The Journey

  The third day at sea began with vomit.

  Not Kazuki's, surprisingly. Honda's.

  The elite warrior, the man who'd fought bandits and trained countless soldiers without flinching, leaned over the rail and emptied his stomach into the ocean with the desperation of someone who'd finally reached their absolute limit.

  "Don't," Honda gasped when Kazuki approached. "Don't you dare say a single word."

  "I wasn't going to."

  "You were thinking about it though."

  "Thinking isn't the same as speaking."

  Honda retched again, his face a concerning shade of green. "I absolutely hate boats. I hate the ocean. I hate everything about this cursed journey."

  Kenta appeared with more ginger root. "Here. Helps with—"

  "I know what it helps with," Honda snapped, then immediately looked apologetic. "Sorry. Yes. Thank you very much."

  He took the ginger, chewing it with the expression of a man being forced to eat actual poison.

  Kazuki sat beside him, keeping a respectful distance. "You never mentioned you get seasick."

  "You never asked. And I didn't think it would be this bad." Honda wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "I've been on boats before. Usually short trips. Crossing rivers. This is... something entirely different."

  "Continuous motion. No solid ground for days on end. Your body doesn't know which way is up anymore."

  "My body knows exactly which way is up. It's screaming at me about it constantly."

  Despite everything, Kazuki smiled. There was something oddly humanizing about seeing the competent warrior reduced to this miserable state. Honda was always so composed and controlled, always so capable. Seeing him vulnerable now made him more real somehow.

  "Want to know something funny?" Kazuki said.

  "Nothing is funny right now, young master."

  "I felt exactly like you do yesterday. Couldn't keep anything down. Thought I was genuinely dying."

  Honda looked at him through bloodshot eyes. "And now?"

  "Now I'm merely miserable instead of actively dying. Progress, i guess."

  "That's not encouraging in the slightest, young master."

  "It's realistic though. This is only day three. Daichi says most people adjust by day four or five. We're almost through the worst of it."

  "Or we die first and it will become someone else's problem."

  "That's the spirit I like to see."

  Honda actually laughed, a weak sound but genuine. "You know, when I agreed to follow you, I pictured epic battles. Strategy. Maybe some political intrigue. I didn't picture spending days vomiting on a fishing boat."

  "Life is full of surprises."

  "Terrible, nauseating surprises."

  They sat in companionable silence for a while, watching the endless ocean. The sun was climbing higher, burning off the morning mist. The water had shifted from dark grey to blue-green, clearer here than near the coast.

  Beautiful, in a vast, indifferent sort of way.

  "Young master," Honda said eventually, his voice more serious. "Yesterday. With the pirates. That was incredibly risky."

  "I know."

  "You gambled all our lives on whether that pirate captain would find your proposal interesting enough."

  "I did."

  "What if he hadn't? What if he'd just taken you prisoner anyway, despite your offer?"

  Kazuki considered the question carefully. "Then we would have fought and probably died. But doing nothing would have guaranteed the same result anyway. At least negotiating gave us a real chance."

  "That's dumb logic."

  "It's survival instinct. In my studies, I read about merchants who traveled the Silk Road. They survived not through strength, but through making themselves valuable. Pirates, bandits, warlords, they all respond to profit more reliably than they respond to threats or pleas."

  Honda studied him carefully. "You think about these things differently than anyone I've ever met. Most lords your age are worried about honor, reputation, what other nobles think of them. You think like... I don't know. A merchant? A strategist?"

  "I think like someone who wants to win," Kazuki said. "Honor doesn't matter if you're dead in the end. Reputation doesn't feed your people. I care about results."

  "That's practical. Also somewhat terrifying."

  "I'll take terrifying over useless any time."

  Hattori materialized from the shadows near the mast. How he managed to stay invisible on a small fishing boat was beyond Kazuki's understanding.

  "The captain says we're making excellent time," Hattori reported. "The wind is favorable and the current is surprisingly strong. At this rate, we'll reach Tanegashima by tomorrow evening instead of the day after."

  "That's good news," Kazuki said.

  "Is it though?" Honda muttered. "Means less time to prepare. Less time to plan what we'll actually say."

  "We've had three days to plan. More time won't help at this point anyway."

  "Young master, we're about to negotiate with foreign barbarians for weapons we can't afford using languages we don't speak. I'd say we need all the preparation time we can possibly get."

  "Fair point. But we work with what we have, not what we wish we had."

  Hattori settled into a crouch, perfectly balanced despite the boat's motion. "I've been thinking about the negotiation. About what we can actually offer the Portuguese that they might want."

  "Go on."

  "They're merchants. They trade across Asia. What they need most is reliable ports, safe harbors, local contacts who can facilitate trade without bureaucratic interference."

  Kazuki nodded. "We offer them Karatsu as a trading base. Exclusive access to our harbor, our coal, our iron. Protection from local authorities."

  "Can you actually promise that?" Honda asked. "Your father doesn't even know you're here. How can you promise Portuguese merchants anything official?"

  "I can't. Not yet. But I can promise them future considerations. Plant the seed now, formalize it later once I have actual authority."

  "And if your father refuses to honor your promises?"

  "Then I'll have to convince him somehow. Show him the actual value. Make it too profitable to refuse." Kazuki looked at both of them. "This isn't just about buying three guns. This is about establishing an important relationship that can grow over time."

  "Ambitious," Hattori said. "Also risky. The Portuguese could demand things we can't deliver."

  "Then we try to negotiate. Find some common middle ground. But the initial contact is crucial. We need to make them see Karatsu as valuable, worth cultivating as a partner."

  "A bankrupt domain on the edge of Kyushu," Honda said flatly. "What exactly makes us valuable to foreign merchants with access to China, India, and the entire Pacific?"

  It was a good question. An honest question.

  Kazuki stood up, steadying himself against the mast. "Location. We're positioned perfectly for ships traveling between China and the interior of Japan. We're small enough to avoid the attention of major powers like Ryuzoji, which means less interference, less taxation, more freedom to operate."

  He warmed up to the topic, Takeshi's business education from his previous life combining with Kazuki's knowledge of the region.

  "And we have resources. Coal that works way better than charcoal. Iron deposits. A protected harbor. But more than that, we have something the Portuguese really need, honest willingness to work with them. Most daimyos will be very suspicious of foreigners. Hostile, even. We're offering them an honest partnership."

  "You make it sound convincing," Honda said.

  "That's because it is. The Portuguese aren't idiots. They know Japan is fragmented, that the current period creates opportunities. They want local allies who can protect their interests, facilitate trade, provide safe harbors. We can be that potential ally."

  "If they will believe us," Hattori pointed out.

  "That's why we need to be honest. Not about everything, but about our intentions. We tell them Karatsu is small, weak, but ambitious. We're looking to grow, to modernize. We need their weapons and technology. They need our cooperation and resources. Mutual benefits for both sides."

  Honda was quiet for a moment. "You've really thought this through."

  "I've had three days on a boat with nothing to do but think and vomit. Sometimes both at once."

  That got a laugh from both of them.

  The afternoon passed more peacefully. The wind remained steady, pushing them southward. Kazuki spent time with Daichi, learning more about navigation. How to read the stars for direction. How to gauge distance traveled by the boat's speed through the water. How to predict weather changes from cloud formations and wind shifts.

  "You're picking this up fast," Daichi said, sounding impressed. "Most nobles wouldn't bother. They think it's beneath their status."

  "Knowledge is never beneath anyone," Kazuki replied. "Besides, if something happens to you, someone needs to know how to sail this boat."

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  "Practical thinking. I like that." Daichi pointed to the southern horizon. "See that darker blue? That's deeper water. Current is stronger there. If we stay in these shallower areas, the sailing is easier but slower."

  "So it's a trade-off. Speed versus safety."

  "Everything on the ocean is a trade-off, young lord. Speed versus safety. Direct routes versus protected routes. Rest versus progress. The ocean doesn't give you easy choices."

  "Sounds like life in general."

  "Wiser words than you know, boy."

  As evening approached, Kazuki found himself at the bow, watching the sunset. The sky turned orange and red, reflecting off the water in brilliant patterns. It was beautiful in a way Tokyo's sunsets never were, no smog, no buildings, just pure, unadultered color.

  Kenta joined him. "First time seeing a sunset on the open ocean?"

  "Yes."

  "It's something, isn't it? No matter how many times I see it, still takes my breath away."

  They stood in comfortable silence, watching the sun sink toward the horizon.

  "Young lord," Kenta said eventually. "Can I ask you something?"

  "Of course."

  "Why are you really doing this? This journey. Everyone knows it's dangerous. You could have sent someone else. Stayed safe in your castle. But you came yourself."

  Kazuki considered the question. "Because if I'm asking people to risk their lives for my goals, I should be willing to risk mine too. And because... I'm tired of being the kind of person who stays safe while others take the risks."

  "That's noble. Stupid, but noble."

  "I get that a lot."

  Kenta smiled. "For what it's worth, young lord, I think you're doing the right thing. Most nobles I've met wouldn't give a damn about fairness or shared risk. You're different. Better."

  "Don't put me on a pedestal yet. I'm just trying to survive and maybe accomplish something worthwhile in the process."

  "Still better than most."

  Night fell. The stars came out, brighter than Kazuki had ever seen them. The Milky Way was a river of light across the sky. No light pollution, no modern interference, just the universe displaying itself in full glory.

  Takeshi had read about how bright the stars were in pre-industrial times, but reading about and seeing it in person were different types of shoes. This was magnificent.

  Honda appeared beside him, looking better after a day of recovery. "Feeling more human already?" Kazuki asked.

  "Marginally. My stomach has stopped trying to escape through my throat. I'll call that progress."

  "See? Adaptation."

  "Or my body has simply given up protesting." Honda looked up at the stars. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

  "It is."

  "Makes you feel small. All these stars, all this space. Our problems seem insignificant by comparison."

  "Maybe. But our problems are what we have to deal with. The stars don't care whether we live or die."

  "Dark thought."

  "Realistic thought. The universe is indifferent to us. Which means we're responsible for our own survival. No divine intervention, no guaranteed happy endings. Just us, making choices, dealing with consequences."

  Honda was quiet for a moment. "You know, most people find comfort in the gods. In the idea that something bigger is allways watching over them."

  "And you don't?"

  "I don't know what I believe anymore. I used to think the gods rewarded virtue and punished evil. Then I watched good men die while terrible people prospered. Now I think... maybe we're on our own. Maybe the gods don't intervene. Maybe we just have to do our best and hope it's enough."

  Kazuki understood that sentiment completely. Takeshi had been an atheist in his previous life, believing only in what could be measured, could be seen and proven. Then he'd been reincarnated by some cosmic force that defied all explanation.

  "I think the gods, if they exist, give us opportunities," Kazuki said carefully. "But they don't make our choices for us. We're responsible for what we do with the chances we're given."

  "That's a lonely philosophy."

  "But honest. I'd rather face reality than comfort myself with pleasant delusions."

  "You're a strange one, young master. But I'm starting to understand why I follow you."

  They stood together under the stars, two men trying to navigate an uncertain future on an indifferent ocean.

  "Honda-san," Kazuki said quietly. "When we get to Tanegashima, things might get complicated. The Portuguese might not be friendly at all. The local lord might interfere. There might be even violence."

  "I assumed as much."

  "If it comes to fighting, I need you to promise me something."

  "What?"

  "Don't die for my honor. If things go badly, if we need to run, we run. Pride isn't worth laying down your life."

  Honda looked at him sharply. "Young master, I'm a samurai. Honor is—"

  "A concept invented by men who didn't have to live with the consequences. Look, I respect the code. I understand the culture. But I'm telling you, as your lord, that I value your life more than I value abstract concepts of honor. If we have to retreat, we retreat. Understand?"

  Honda was quiet for a long moment. "You're asking me to abandon centuries of tradition."

  "I'm asking you to stay alive. There's a difference between bravery and stupidity. Bravery is facing danger when necessary. Stupidity is dying for no reason."

  "And you think you can tell the difference?"

  "I think I'm trying to. That's all any of us can do."

  Honda sighed. "Alright, young master. If you order a retreat, I'll retreat. But I reserve the right to argue with you about it later."

  "Fair enough."

  Hattori emerged from the shadows. "Touching conversation. But you might want to save the philosophical discussions for after we survive tomorrow."

  "Tomorrow?" Kazuki asked.

  "Daichi says we'll sight Tanegashima by midday. We'll reach the harbor by evening."

  Kazuki felt his stomach tighten. Tomorrow. After three days of preparation, anticipation, and seasickness, they'd finally arrive.

  "Then we should rest," he said. "Tomorrow is going to be... interesting."

  "That's one word for it," Honda muttered.

  They found sleeping spots on the deck. Kazuki lay down, wrapped in a rough blanket, staring up at the stars.

  Tomorrow. The Portuguese. Firearms. The future.

  Everything he'd been planning for, hoping for, betting everything on.

  And also everything that could go catastrophically wrong.

  Takeshi's old anxieties tried to surface. What if the Portuguese wouldn't sell their weapons to them? What if they couldn't communicate? What if the local lord arrested them? What if—

  No. Stop.

  He forced the spiral of worry away. Honda was right. Deal with tomorrow when it actually arrives. For now, rest.

  He closed his eyes and focused on his breathing. In. Out. In. Out.

  The boat rocked gently. The waves whispered against the hull. Someone was snoring nearby, probably Honda.

  Sleep came slowly, but it came.

  And with it, dreams.

  Not of Tokyo this time. Not of earthquakes and falling beams.

  He dreamed of firearms. Of weapons that could change everything. Of power that didn't depend on physical strength or noble birth. Of technology that could level the playing field.

  He dreamed of Karatsu transformed. Modern. Powerful. Independent.

  He dreamed of success.

  And when he woke to sunlight on his face and Kenta's voice calling "Land! I see land!", he felt ready.

  Tomorrow had finally arrived.

  Tanegashima awaited them.

  The future was just over the horizon.

  And Matsudaira Kazuki was sailing straight toward it.

  The morning was tense with anticipation.

  Everyone on the boat felt it. The casual conversation of previous days had disappeared. Even Daichi, normally unflappable, seemed more focused, more alert now.

  Kazuki stood at the bow, watching the dark smudge on the southern horizon slowly resolve into actual land. Tanegashima. An island he'd only read about in his previous life, now real and approaching.

  In the original timeline, this was where Japanese history changed forever. Where firearms arrived and everything that followed , the end of the samurai era, the unification of Japan, the transformation of warfare, all of it started here.

  And he was about to be part of it.

  "Nervous?" Hattori asked, appearing beside him.

  "Terrified," Kazuki admitted. "But also strangely excited. This is either going to work brilliantly or fail catastrophically. No middle ground."

  "Most important moments in history are like that."

  "Is this an important moment in history?"

  "We'll find out, won't we?"

  The island grew larger as they approached. Kazuki could make out details now, mountains in the interior, forests along the coast, a harbor with multiple ships at anchor.

  One of those ships was much larger than the others. Different design. Foreign construction.

  Portuguese.

  "There," Kazuki pointed. "That's their ship."

  Honda had joined them at the bow. "Big. Very big. Makes our fishing boat look like a toy."

  "Ocean-crossing vessel," Kazuki said, Takeshi's knowledge supplying details. "Designed to cross from Europe to Asia. Probably a carrack or similar design. Those ships can carry tons of cargo, dozens of crew, and enough armament to fight off pirates easily."

  "So they're well-armed."

  "Very much. Which means we approach respectfully. No threats, no posturing. Pure diplomacy and commerce."

  "And if diplomacy fails?" Honda asked.

  "Then we get back on this boat very quickly and sail away before they can stop us."

  Daichi called from the rudder. "Young lord! We're being hailed from the harbor!"

  Kazuki turned. A small boat had launched from the shore, rowing toward them. Six men, armed but not aggressive.

  "Harbor guards?" Honda guessed.

  "Probably. They'll want to know who we are, what we want. Standard port procedure."

  The small boat pulled alongside. The man at the bow called up in heavily accented Japanese.

  "State your business!"

  Kazuki stepped forward. "I am Matsudaira Kazuki, representing the domain of Karatsu. We've come to trade with the foreign merchants."

  The guard's expression shifted slightly. Surprise? Interest?

  "The foreigners aren't seeing visitors. The lord has granted them sanctuary, but no one is allowed aboard their ship."

  "We're not asking to board their ship. We're asking for an introduction. A meeting. We have gold to trade."

  The mention of gold got their attention. Money always did.

  "Wait here," the guard said. "I'll send word to the lord. If he grants permission, you may proceed to the harbor. If not..." he didn't finish the sentence, but the implication was clear.

  The small boat rowed back toward shore.

  "Well," Honda said. "That could have gone worse."

  "We're not in yet. The local lord might still refuse us."

  "Why would he?"

  "Because we're unknown. Could be potential spies. Could be troublemakers. He doesn't know us, and he doesn't owe us anything. Safer to just send us away."

  "So what do we do?"

  "We wait. And hope he's curious or greedy enough to actually let us in."

  The waiting was agonizing. Thirty minutes passed. Then an hour. The boat rocked at anchor while Tanegashima sat tantalizing close but unreachable for now.

  "Maybe they forgot about us," Honda suggested.

  "They didn't forget. They're deliberating. Probably arguing about whether we're worth the risk."

  Finally, the small boat returned. The same guard, now looking slightly more friendly.

  "The lord will see you. You may proceed to the harbor. But only three of you may come ashore. The rest stay with your boat."

  "Understood. Thank you."

  As the boat rowed away, Kazuki turned to his companions. "Alright. It'll be me, Honda-san, and Hattori-san going ashore. Daichi, you and your crew stay here. If we're not back by sunset, leave. Don't wait for us."

  "Young lord—"

  "Those are my orders. If something goes wrong, I don't want you caught up in it. You've done your job. You got us here safely. The rest is on us."

  Daichi looked like he wanted to argue but nodded instead. "Understood. But young lord? Be careful. These foreigners... they're not like us. Different ways. Different thinking. Don't assume they'll play by our rules."

  "I won't. Thank you, Daichi."

  They transferred to the small boat that had been lowered. Kazuki, Honda, and Hattori, plus their packs containing gold and supplies.

  As they rowed toward shore, Kazuki felt his heart pounding. This was it. After all this days, they were finally here.

  The harbor came into focus. The Portuguese ship dominated the area, massive, ornate, flying flags with unfamiliar symbols. Around it, smaller Japanese vessels looked like children gathered around a giant.

  On the shore, he could see a crowd gathering. Word had spread that the foreigners had visitors.

  The wooden boat scraped against the dock. Kazuki stepped onto solid ground for the first time in three days. His legs felt strange, still expecting the world to rock beneath him.

  "Welcome to Tanegashima," a new voice said.

  A man approached, well-dressed, clearly official. Older, maybe fifty, with the bearing of someone used to authority.

  "I am Tanegashima Tokitaka," the man said. "Lord of this island. You've come a long way to see our foreign guests."

  Kazuki bowed respectfully. "Thank you for receiving us, my lord. I am Matsudaira Kazuki of Karatsu domain. These are my companions, Honda Tadakatsu and Hattori Hanzo."

  Tokitaka's eyes swept over them appraisingly. "Karatsu. Small domain, if I recall. On the edge of Hizen province."

  "Indeed, my lord."

  "And you've come here to see the Portuguese. Why?"

  "We've heard of their strange weapons. Their thunder-sticks. We wish to purchase some, if possible."

  Tokitaka's expression became carefully neutral. "Others have asked as well. The Portuguese are... selective about who they will sell to. And their prices are extraordinary."

  "We're prepared to pay."

  "Are you? These foreigners don't think like us. Don't value the same things we do. Gold, yes, but also other considerations. And their weapons..." he paused. "They change things. Make weak men powerful. Disrupt the natural order."

  Kazuki met his eyes. "The natural order is already disrupted, my lord. The current era has seen to that. We're simply trying to survive in a world where strength matters more than birthright."

  Tokitaka studied him for a long moment. Then he smiled slightly. "Honest words. Refreshing. Very well. I'll introduce you to the Portuguese captain. What happens after that is between you and them. But be warned, these pale men are strange. Loud. Arrogant. They think their God is the only true god in this world, their ways the only right ways. Don't let them provoke you into anger."

  "Understood. Thank you, my lord."

  "Follow me."

  They walked through the harbor town. People stared at them, news of visitors always traveled fast in small communities. Kazuki kept his expression neutral, his bearing confident.

  Inside, he was deeply terrified.

  They approached the Portuguese ship. Up close, it was even more massive than it had seemed from a distance. The hull towered above them, ornate carvings decorating the stern. Men moved on deck, foreigners, with pale skin and strange clothing.

  One of them noticed the approaching party and called down in a language Kazuki didn't understand.

  Tokitaka responded in broken... Portuguese? Chinese? Some mixture?

  The foreigner disappeared, then returned with another man. This one was older, bearded, wearing elaborate clothing that suggested rank.

  The captain, Kazuki guessed.

  The man descended a gangplank to the dock. He looked at them with eyes that had seen half the world, calculating and shrewd.

  "So," the captain said in heavily accented but comprehensible Japanese. "Lord Tokitaka says you want our guns. You have gold?"

  Direct. No ceremony. Kazuki liked that.

  "I have gold. And I have questions. But yes, I want your guns."

  The captain smiled. "Questions first, then. Always questions first. Come. We talk. Then maybe we will handle a deal."

  He turned and walked back up the gangplank without waiting to see if they'd follow.

  Kazuki looked at Honda and Hattori. Both nodded.

  Together, they climbed aboard the Portuguese ship.

  And stepped into the future.