Origins

She was born into a crime family, and her real name is Kaori. She and her brother Yamato ran the 7th Moon as equals; for years it prospered, and all that remained was to reach out to America. The blow came from within: the Betrayal was swift and bloody, set off by uneasy subordinates who would not accept Kaori’s command in Japan. Her brother died keeping her safe, and she, with a handful of loyal followers, took the road to the far side of the ocean.

The contact who was supposed to meet her brother called her “Yamato.” She did not correct him. From then on the name was hers, and with it her brother’s unfinished dream. In her, the name of Yamato's brother lived a second time.

Her history is no secret. The Doorman knows it inside out, and is never sparing in using it to wound. He calls her “Kaori,” and says her brother died to save her life, and all she has to show for it is a life of exile, a real name no one can be bothered to learn, and an organization that is a shadow of its former glory; and at the very end he adds, “sorry, I forgot, it’s Yamato now.”

“Your brother died to save your life, Kaori, and what do you have to show for it? A life of exile in a country full of people that can't be bothered to learn your real name and an organization that is a shadow of it's former glory. Just give up Kaori - sorry, I forgot, It's Yamato now.”

“你哥哥为了救你的命而倒下，香织，你要为此表现什么？流亡的生活，在这个国家到处都是人可以不费吹灰之力就能知道你的真名，还有一个掩盖了昔日辉煌的组织。还是放弃吧，香织——对不起，我忘记了，现在是大和了”

He has also told her that the only way she will ever honor her brother is by falling on his sword.

Others speak of the brother far more gently. Striking her down, Grey Talon said he was sorry she had failed her brother; Abrams said he was sorry about her brother. Rem is stranger still: he says she “doesn’t look like a Yamato,” that she smells like her brother, and that he likes her brother too, and softly he calls her “Kaori.”

“I'm sorry that you failed your brother.”

“我很抱歉你让你哥哥失望了”

“She doesn’t look like a Yamato.”

“她看起来不像大和。”TL

“She smells like her brother.”

“她身上有她哥哥的味道。”TL

“I like your brother too, Kaori.”

“我也喜欢你哥哥，香织。”TL

When she speaks of her past herself, it is in a single word. Seven asked what brought her to America, and she answered: betrayal. Asked whether she sought revenge, she shook her head: first she seeks to build a legacy, and revenge will come when it comes.

Old Friends and Foes

The Doorman: One Who Aims at Old Wounds

The Doorman knows her origins and her wounds in close detail. He calls her Kaori; he has remarked that it’s a wonder people didn’t think she was fit to lead, and that her brother’s sacrifice was in vain. All his malice bears down on a single spot.

“A wonder people didn’t think you were fit to lead…”

“奇怪的是人们认为你不适合领导…”

“Your brother's sacrifice was in vain…”

“你哥哥的牺牲是徒劳的…”

Grey Talon: A Fellow Predator

Meeting her, Grey Talon told her she was a predator, and she answered: so are you. It was nice, he said, that they understood each other. Another time she told him he was old; how observant, he said, and she added that it wasn’t an insult, at which he asked her to accept his apology. Once, when his owl cut short a spell in the making, she quietly thanked him.

“Thank you, Talon…”

“谢谢你，灰爪……”TL

Abrams: A Favor Never Repaid

To her, Abrams is “detective.” She would have him admit he owes her, on the grounds that she hasn’t cut him down where he stands; he says she hasn’t done him any favors, and adds coolly that they are setting the bar nice and low. Later, when he clumsily thanked her in Japanese, she gave her verdict in two words: not bad.

“You owe me detective.”

“你欠我一个人情，侦探”

“Not bad.”

“还不错”

Seven and Wraith: Those Who Take Her for a Peer

Seven told her: I like you. She called him ruthless; as are you, he replied, and she said: we will work well together. When he struck her down, though, what he left her with was “Your dynasty ends here.”

“You are ruthless.”

“你冷酷无情。”TL

“Your dynasty ends here, Yamato.”

“大和，你的王朝到此结束”

Wraith puts it more plainly still: she is fighting with her, not for her. The feeling’s mutual, Yamato answered. Wraith went on to propose that afterwards their two operations needn’t be enemies, but Yamato said: I don’t need your friendship; you need mine. She has also said she won’t take the opportunity to kill Wraith, because Wraith would never see it coming, which means she is weak, which means she is of no use to her. Wraith’s reply was blunt: honey, if you think I’m weak, you really haven’t been paying attention. And when Wraith lifted an enemy into the air, Yamato said softly that perhaps there would be a place for her in the 7th Moon.

“I don't need your friendship. You need mine.”

“我不需要你的友谊。是你需要我的。”TL

Paige: The Strangely Endearing Puppy

She calls Paige naïve and tells her not to question her; she has also ordered Paige to protect her while she slaughters their enemies. When Paige wanted to sit down and talk sometime about her and her family, she asked again and again why she would, and in the end said: you are a puppy that pisses on the rug, stupid yet strangely endearing; we will have coffee.

“You are a puppy that pisses on the rug. Stupid yet strangely endearing. We will have coffee.”

“你就像在地毯上撒尿的小狗。蠢萌蠢萌的。我们去喝咖啡吧。”

Holliday: Words That Hold Murphy Over Her

Hearing her say something in Japanese, Holliday demanded to know what she had said about Murphy. Her only answer: don’t worry, Sheriff; play your part and he lives. It is less reassurance than a condition, and what weighs beneath it she has not explained. Holliday has a warning of her own: picking a fight with the other families isn’t going to end well. Yamato said only: we’ll see.

“Don't worry Sheriff. Play your part and he lives.”

“别担心，警长。只要你尽到你的责任，他就能活下去。”

Haze: The One Who Hunts Her

Yamato once told Haze to stay out of her head; Haze said she doesn’t take orders from the 7th Moon, and Yamato answered: not yet. Haze has had more to say: after the ritual, Yamato will use the Patrons to make the 7th Moon strong, but they are watching her. As for an arrest, it was Yamato who first asked when it would come. Right now, Haze answered, her operation is small enough that the OSIC wouldn’t waste resources on her. And if the 7th Moon grows, Yamato pressed; only then did Haze say that once it gets big enough to be a cartel, her superiors will start thinking about having her kill Yamato in her sleep.

“Stay out of my head dreamwalker.”

“别再闯进我的脑海，梦游者”

Apollo: A Sword Not Worth Her Time

Apollo would like to train with her after the ritual, since Blackmore Academy doesn’t exactly offer him a challenge. That’s because you’re fighting with children, she said; prove you’re worth my time. She asked whether he had ever had to kill a man, and hearing he had not, pronounced his sword useless. Of her own sword she said first that it is family; when he likened it to his own heirloom, she said: no, you don’t understand.

“No. You don't understand.”

“不。你不明白。”TL

Anecdotes

The Sword. Dynamo asked whether her sword was an heirloom; it is, she said, and very old, and when he asked her to elaborate, a single “No” shut him out. Yamato's Sword never leaves her side, and it is a jest others return to again and again: McGinnis says that sword was never going to be enough, Infernus that she should have used a gun, Lash that it will look so good over his fireplace, while Paradox says outright that she can’t wait to steal it. When Mo & Krill paid it a compliment, she replied: touch it, and you die.

“It is.”

“是的”

Mo & Krill. Her first words to Mo & Krill were “You will work for me”; they answered that their alliance is temporary, and that they value their independence. That wasn’t a question, she said, and then: I’m not bargaining, I’m threatening.

“I'm not bargaining. I'm threatening.”

“我不是在讨价还价，我是在威胁”

Shadow. When she unleashes her deadliest art, some cry out that she is in shadow form, and others urge their companions to run, since you can’t hurt her.

“You can't hurt her, run!”

“你不能伤害她，快跑！”

Japanese. When she talks, it is mostly in her mother tongue. Holliday said she was sorry, she doesn’t speak Japanese, and Yamato answered: of course you don’t. When Lash greeted her in mangled Japanese, she said she would butcher him the way he butchers her language.

“Of course you don't.”

“你当然不懂。”

A Soft Heart. When Venator told her to harden her heart, she said she had never been plagued with a soft heart; asked how many heads she had taken with that sword, she said she was not psychotic enough to keep track, or weak enough to remember. To the Vatican’s killer she said: better you than someone with morals.

“Don't worry Venator. I've never been plagued with a soft heart.”

“别担心，诛邪者。我从来就没有一颗柔软的心”

“Good. Better you than someone with morals.”

“好。总比那些有道德的人强”

Deadpan. When Kelvin called her odious, cruel, vile, she said: ah, yes, I suppose I am; be grateful that I kill on your behalf today. With Lady Geist, she offered to cut that arm off for her, adding that she really didn’t mind; Lady Geist replied coolly: I’m sure you don’t.

“Ah. Yes. I suppose I am. Be grateful that I kill on your behalf today.”

“啊。是啊。我想我确实如此。今天我替你杀人，你该心怀感激。”TL

Honor. When Vyper fancied a job with the 7th Moon, Yamato said she would fall on her sword before she disgraced the 7th Moon by working with her. Vyper, for her part, tells of a guy she knew who owed the 7th Moon a c-note, and says Yamato killed him.

“I know a guy who owed The 7th Moon a c-note. Well, I knew a guy who owed the 7th Moon a c-note, Yamato murdered the shit out of him.”

“我认识个欠第七月一百块的家伙。哦，不对，是认识，那家伙欠第七月一百块，大和把他揍得稀巴烂。”TL

Family. Bebop’s mother is sick; at first she took it to be his master, and once she understood, she said something rare in its gentleness: family’s important, protect her.

“Family's important. Protect her.”

“家庭很重要。保护好她。”

New York Answers. New York does not speak of her with one voice. Solomon says the city would welcome her, but it will never bow to her. Baba wants the 7th Moon kept out of SoHo, Ivy warns her not to plan on expanding into Spanish Harlem, the Rat King says that if anyone’s gonna oppress New York, it’s gonna be him, and Dynamo finds the city has enough crime lords as it is. Billy is blunter still: New York is not ever gonna kiss the ground she walks on.

“New York would welcome you, but it will never bow to you”

“纽约欢迎你，可它永远不会向你低头。”TL

“New York has enough crime lords thank you very much…”

“纽约的黑帮老大够多了，谢谢…”

Graves’s Fondness. Having struck her down, Graves said she gets that she’s supposed to not like her, but she can’t help it: she’s so cool. Then came the apologies, and a promise to make it up to her.

“She's so cool.”

“她太酷了”

The Santa Hat. The New York Oracle once ran a breaking-news item: Yamato was seen wearing a santa hat, and somehow this made her scarier than normal.

“Breaking news: Yamato was seen wearing a santa hat. Somehow this makes her scarier than normal.”

“突发新闻：有人看到大和戴着圣诞帽。不知为何，这让她比平时更可怕了”

The Painter. Violet once called her a “bitch” to her face, and regretted it the next instant; yet later, painting her portrait, she praised how that blade anchors the piece, and said this was someone who’d kill you without a thought.

Open Questions