The Kitsune

[NixOlympica]

Miyuki Ikeda was born to a noble thus strictly traditionalist but wealthy family of Kimura clan in Kusari on Planet Honshu in year 794 A.S. Being the first child of her parents, she could have life as a heir of the family wealth and status, were she not a female. Undercoming the traditional education to become a proper onna bugeisha for her husband that family would pick her when she was deemed mature enough. The only pleasure she had during those times were her naginata lessons which her family considered an "ancient but traditional relic of our history". The fact that status of onna bugeisha changed from a female warrior to an obedient housewife in last centuries did not seem to matter them. Those lessons were her only form of protest she could allow herself to. None the less she got a high quality education which is something that she will benefit from later.

In age of fifteen her family chose her a husband Lord Kihara from clan Ishida tying their families together. Lord Kitahara's last wife died just a month after he got his place in the Council of the Rising Suns. Lord Kitahara already had successors to his family but he also needed a new wife that would take care of his household and give him a good enough social status in the Council. Her family gained a strong concessions in artifact market in return but she discovered that much later.
She married lord Kihara, thirty years older than her, about two months later and moved to his residence on Planet New Tokyo. Lord Kihara was a reserved man and one of the first things he told her was that even though she will serve him as a proper wife does she is not supposed to conceive with him as he already has a heirs. Lord Kihara however became more open to her in the next months but this rule never changed. He was paying her a rent to take care of all the things their household needed along with their summer residence on Planet Kyushu. At first he was controlling her expenses rather carefully but soon he stopped paying attention. At this time she started to give a small sums of money aside, not knowing yet what for. However, it was the second year of their marriage that changed her life radically.

Overhearing a dialog of her husband she realized that both of their families belong to the Hogosha keiretsu, a half legal, half illegal organization. It was also this time when the idea was born. Last two years were mostly filled with boredom because her husband was often on business travels. Miyuki was however following the news feed often checking for the rice market price as she knew they have a quite large sum invested in it. This was the second pillar for the move she have decided to do. She took all her savings and invested them to one very risky but also potentially highly lucrative business. Her knowledge of the markets paid off and she earned a large sum of money. She continued investing through couriers and proxy companies of course hiding her activities from her husband knowing the risks. She chose a nickname that soon became famous around the Kusari trading markets. Kitsune, the Fox. She was mostly investing in slave trade and artifacts (this way she also realized how her family sold her) keeping the face of obedient wife in front of him smiling inside when he was yammering that the Kitsune is dominating the markets. However Miyuki was careful enough not to take too much of his profits so their household would not end up bankrupting as she could not use her own money for it. For eight years this worked for her, in seven years the word Kitsune became a curse and she was enjoying her quiet but dominating protest, in those eight years she was richer than her husband and vast majority of people in Kusari. It was the year 818 that changed everything.

With the change of government, most of the Hogosha officials along with her husband were put to jail, striped of all titles and wealth. She had a power to free him but this was her life chance. Lord Kihara, realizing he is going to be jailed and prideful till his last breath rather chose a ritual suicide than to bring his clan such a shame. Just as Kitsune expected. It was Miyuki's duty to follow his example. She of course refused to do so, withdrawing money from all her businesses as she fled to the Liberty. A place when woman like her has doors opened.