Free Dreamlands by Felicitas Ivey

crazy. When I was able to forget, I might be able to respond to Samojirou with more than simple acceptance of his kisses and caresses.

    WE traveled to Edo by the shadows. Samojirou was able to travel through them, stepping from one place to another like he was FELICITAS IVEY
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    teleporting, using shadows. It felt… different. I was cold for a second, and then we were there, within a few heartbeats, it seemed. I wondered how he was able to do that. We had arrived just outside the building, mixing in with the crowd there easily. It turned out that the performance was in a theater Samojirou had permanent seating in.
    “You are fine, Sakura-chan?” Samojirou asked.
    I looked up with a smile. “That was fun, Samojirou-sama.”
    “I was worried that you would be disturbed by it; some are,” Samojirou explained as he led me to his seats in the theater. He looked guilty. “I hadn’t even thought about your reaction to it.”
    “It was cold, but not bad,” I reassured him. “Not scary.” The theater wasn’t fancy like American ones. There was a stage at one end and seating in front and balcony seats along the sides. The walls were plain wood, and the seating was mats on the floor. Our seats were just a simple balcony the size of two tatami mats, about six by six, with a wall two feet high at the front. We left our sandals at the door, and I sank gracefully to the floor. I looked around, curious about the place.
    There were two bento boxes and a bottle of saké in one corner. I saw men moving among the crowd below, selling snacks and drink.
    The private boxes, like ours, apparently had food delivered. The crowd of commoners below was noisy, and they ignored us, but I noticed there were a lot of people in the private boxes discreetly studying us.
    “Samojirou-sama?” I whispered.
    “I have not come here with a companion in decades, since Tamazusa has no interest in kabuki,” he murmured. “They are intrigued and wonder who you are. There have been rumors, but then there are always rumors. However, it is known that I have a new companion and am now ready to show you off to the rest of society.”
    “Rumors?” I asked.
    Who knew I was with him and Tamazusa? Why did it matter?
    How important were they? I had never really thought about it, but the 55

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    large estate and many people there hinted to me that they were important people. My stomach did a slow flip when I realized that Tamazusa and Samojirou were probably very powerful lords. I felt like an idiot that I hadn’t figured it out before, because I should have. I wasn’t stupid, and I should have known that only rich and important people would live like that.
    “Say nothing of where you are from,” Samojirou ordered. “It might be unpleasant for you if you do. Visitors from the real world who are still living are rare.”
    “You want me to lie?” I asked.
    He smiled down at me. “I want you just to say nothing. Smile at them and hide behind your fan. It is none of their business who you are.”
    “As you wish, Samojirou-sama,” I murmured obediently. Silence was the best for me really, since I didn’t want to embarrass Samojirou by saying something stupid.
    The first act went quickly. I had no problem following the stories with some help from Samojirou, who made quiet comments to me about the performances and the actors. There was an intermission, and that was when the trouble started.
    Two samurai who had been staring at us for the entire first act made their way over to us. I sensed Samojirou watching them, and he was annoyed that they were bothering us. I had served him saké and snacks during the performance, proud that I was both graceful and neat while doing so, as I had been taught by Yoshinoko. I was too nervous to eat, but Samojirou gave me sips from his saké bowl, acting like we were a lot closer than we were, like we were really lovers. I was glad the makeup hid my blushes.
    The two samurai looked to be about the same age as