"MEMOIRS OF AN OPIUM EATER": Twentieth Year in the Reign of Hantei XXXVIII, Twenty Second Day, Month of the Dragon Shosuro Jocho told me the truth about Bayushi Omoto today. She was a beautiful girl- even as a young child, it could be seen what a great beauty she would be someday. She was so beautiful that she didn't like to wear her mask, and defied Scorpion tradition by going about with her face naked. One of the servants of the Bayushi family became enamored with her when she was only thirteen, so he poisoned the household with opium and carried the girl off while everyone else slept.
When her parents awoke to find her gone, they immediately
set out to find her. Because her kidnapper was only a heimin; he
was quickly discovered in his hiding place - but by then the
damage had been done.
The heimin had tried to force himself upon Omoto as soon as
she awoke, but she fought him off. Then he swore he'd starve her
until she was too weak to resist. Terrified by this threat, Omoto took her fingernails and clawed her own beautiful face until it
was a mass of blood and injury; after that, no man would want
her.
This saved her from the heimins vile embraces, but when she
was rescued, she was deeply saddened by her lost beauty. She felt
that Bayushi Kami was punishing her for not wearing her mask,
and eventually she killed herself.
This certainly explains why Saisho told me Omoto had
died of illness! I asked Jocho why Uncle Kinto had said
there was nothing wrong with Omoto, and he told me that Kinto
had been the only one who was too kind to turn away from her
when she was deformed. Kinto even offered to marry her, even
though he was then old enough to be her grandfather. He was
deeply saddened when she killed herself. Jocho made me swear
to never bring the subject up with Kinto again - he said it would
hurt the old man too deeply. Of course I promised him, and told
him that I wouldn't have brought it up even if I hadn't promised.
He kissed me then and told me how deeply he envied the
natural kindness of the Phoenix Clan.