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Part 2
Meigetsu
(Autumn Harvest Moon)
After the incident that evening, it took a while for everyone to
completely settle their nerves, but soon things were pretty much back to normal. Little Taro clearly was beginning to see
the young wanderer as a sort of hero and older brother figure, even asking if he could teach him kenjutsu someday. Of course, Soujiro had refused, saying that weapons and combat were only for those who led
a violent life.
"Did you ever have a violent life?," the child wanted to know.
"Yes,"
Soujiro answered with a sad smile. "I did once..." Perhaps he still did after what happened…
Liekos
initial aloofness and superior attitude towards 'the little tramp', as she called him, had actually changed somewhat. Where
once she would look down on him as she would some sort of dirty stray dog brought in from the streets, she now regarded Soujiro
with at least a certain degree of respect.
As for Kita, every day she found herself growing
more and more attached to the mysterious boy with the sweet smile and the haunted eyes... He was like her when she had first
arrived in Japan almost three years ago, she decided. Lonely, and trying to build a new life out of the ashes of bad circumstances…
That late July morning, before the sun had even begun
to rise, Soujiro found himself being woken by the sound of the storage shed fusuma
opening. He closed his eyes again with a rueful smirk. He had nearly forgotten what day it was today.
"Jiro?,"
came Taro's young voice as he shook his shoulder. "Come on, it's time to get up."
The young man's
only response was to turn over onto his other side with a groan. He could hear Taro chuckling in amusement behind him.
"Come on now, lazybones," the child continued, standing up and prodding Soujiro with his foot. "We
have to get all the chores done early if we want to leave for Fujisawa by lunchtime."
The
wanderer mentally rolled his eyes. Children!. All this over a fireworks festival?. During his years with Shishio, he hadn't
taken much interest in festivals or any other kinds of special occasions, preferring to spend his time training and studying,
and in his wanderings, he had been more concerned with where his next meal was coming from, or weather or not he would be
sleeping outside. Celebrations like the Enoshima fireworks festival, and even New Years, came and went.
"What's
this?," came a new voice. "Having a hard time getting our sunshine to rise, Taro?."
Kita! Oh no!
He was in for it now!.
"He's never been up this early for a festival before," Taro laughed.
"You're probably right," she answered. "I think he needs a little… persuasion."
Even though his eyes were stubbornly closed and his back was to everyone, Soujiro could just see
that wicked grin on her face…
"Let's get him!."
The
next moment Kita and Taro had both thrown off the sheets, seized his arms and were tickling him practically to death!.
"Tickle tickle tickle!."
"Agghh! Ha ha ha!", the boy laughed, squirming
on his futon. "Hey! That's not fair!. It's not fair!."
"Give
up yet, Shaiming?."
"No! Never!."
"Tickle
tickle tickle!."
"Alright alright!," Soujiro laughed again as he half-heartedly swatted their
hands away. "I'm up. You win."
Taro laughed and Kita crossed her arms with a triumphant grin.
"Good. Report to the kitchen in at least ten minutes, Harumasa, or you'll be on double dish duty for the rest of the week!."
And with that, she and Taro left the storage shed.
The boy sat up, shaking his head with a rueful
grin. Woman!. He wondered if Shishio had ever had these kind of problems with Yumi!.
**********
As nearly everybody in the area would be heading to Fujisawa city that day, mostly everything was
closed, including the Sakura Ryokan. After finishing with the regular chores, Kita, Soujiro, Lieko and Taro packed enough
for one night, then boarded the train that would take them to Fujisawa.
Once there, they checked
into a reasonably priced hotel and, as the place was rather crowded due to the festival, shared two rooms between the four
of them. Soujiro and Taro in one and Kita and Lieko in the other.
After signing in, they toured
around the city, which was in full festival mode, and enjoyed a rather late lunch of noodles and vegetables at a vendors.
Later that evening, after an enjoyable, relaxed dinner at the hotel's restaurant (Lieko and Taro
both teased Soujiro and Kita that they could empty out all of Japan's tea and dumpling supply between the two of them!) the
foursome noticed the sun going down and decided it was time to head down to the lakeside…
Katase
Beach was unbelievably crowded with both citizens and visitors, but somehow Kita and the others were able to find an open
spot for themselves.
As everyone waited for the fireworks show, Lieko excused herself, saying that
a rather handsome fellow she had met earlier had invited her to join him on his boat (Both Soujiro and Kita exchanged knowing
grins at this!) and Taro went off to join a group of other children, playing and gathering shells by the shoreline.
Carefully, Soujiro and Kita spread a blanket over the sand and sat down to wait for the fireworks
display. Kita, naturally, had brought along a pot of freshly made tea and a bag of dumplings, which they enjoyed while they
waited.
"So, is this anything like China?," the boy asked as he munched on a danga.
Kita took a sip of her ocha. "In a way. China and Japan
are allot alike. but they're still two completely different worlds."
Soujiro nodded. Alike, but
still two completely different worlds. He understood that all to well. "Do you ever miss it?."
She
was silent for a moment before answering... "I guess I miss things about it…
at times, but Japan's my home now, and it always will be."
"What about your family?. You never wanted to
return to them?."
"If you mean my relatives, then no,"
Kita answered, shaking her head. "They couldn't have cared less about me. Taro, Lieko and the others are my family now." She
then tilted her head to look at him. "What about your family, Jiro?."
The
wanderer closed his eyes with a tired smile. "The same as yours, Miss Kita. They couldn't have cared less about me either."
"We have that in common then."
Soujiro nodded slowly. Yes, neither of them
had been wanted by their so-called 'families'. He doubted Miss Kita had been forced to do the unthinkable in order to escape
though...
They were both silent for the next few moments… each of them with their
own thoughts…
Suddenly, both their heads went up as the first firecrackers went off. Whistling,
they sailed up into the air, then exploded in a blinding spectacle of colorful light.
Everyone,
including Soujiro and Kita, oooed and ahhhed and cheered as firecracker after firecracker was lit and released over the lake.
"I've never seen a fireworks show this close before", the boy breathed in awe.
"It
is beautiful, isn't it?," Kita agreed. "I think they have almost every color."
"Wow! Look at
the blue ones!."
"I like the red ones myself!."
"Did you see
that purple one explode?. It was huge!."
"Ay ya! The
orange and green ones looked like they were going to land right here and set the blanket on fire!."
The
two of them laughed together, the unease of their previous conversation forgotten, as they continued to watch the brilliant
colors flashing across the night sky…
**********
(Shingetsu Village, May, 1878)
Calmly, he stepped forward
from his hiding spot, shaking his head with a smile at the sight of the dead man and woman, peasants, hanging at the entrance
to the town... It had been rather amusing, watching them die, each sobbing and pleading for the other's life, and for the
lives of their children. Did all parents do that?. He knew his own never would have. "Really, Senkaku. Keep this up and you
won't have any more villagers to execute."
The enormous man turned, surprised at the sight of Shishios 'right hand'.
"I suppose it doesn't really matter though," the boy added, casually adjusting
his tekkou hand-guards. "If they were strong they would have survived."
"They were traitors," came the reply. "I did what had to be done to keep order."
Soujiro nodded, still smiling. "To true. Who
were they?."
Senkaku signaled to one
of his men, who took out a piece of paper and read it out loud. "Benjiro and Akina Mishima. They have two sons, Officer Eiichiro
Mishima, wounded, and Eiji. Both escaped."
"Let them," the boy smirked. Two children, alone, and one wounded besides. What threat were they?. True, their parents
had been executed because they were weak, but life would soon punish these boys for their own weakness, without any help from
Senkaku.
"But the older one is
working for the police, and he has a weapon!," the hulking lackey protested.
Soujiro laughed. "And what is he going to do with it, stop the kuni tori single-handedly?.
We have more important things to deal with now."
"Such as?."
"Wow! Your
physical abilities really do exceed your mental," the boy rolled his eyes with a sardonic grin. "Mister Shishio has just sent
word that he wants you back at the inn. The Hitokiri Battousai might already be on his way to Shingetsu, but I know a faster
route."
"Mmmm," Taro said as he started on his second helping
of shiu mai.(27) "This is great, Jiro!."
"Whatever changes
you made to that recipe of Kita's worked excellent!," added Lieko. "I never knew a drifter could have this much talent for
cooking."
Despite the patronizing comment, Soujiro smiled, pleased that everyone liked
the results of his experiment with the steamed pork dumplings. "Thank you, but I think the credit tonight goes to Miss Hoshi
for her yu lan ch'ao niu jou.(28) or however you pronounce it in that silly Chinese
gibberish," he teased.
"Hey!," the mistress of the ryokan
swatted his arm playfully. "Watch it!."
"I'm very sorry!," the wanderer grinned, holding up
his hands in mock submission. "My apologies!. I'm sorry, Miss Kita!."
She chuckled at that. "Since
you're so adorable when you apologize, Jiro, I'll forgive you. And thank you for the compliment!." She had always prided herself
on that dish!.
As they finished off the sliced beef and broccoli, the conversation turned from
food to the recent guests at the inn. There was a family that had come all the way from Russia through Manchuria, and were
preparing for the ship that would take them to a new life in America. There were a group of travelers that were on their way
to climb Mount Fuji itself, either as a challenging adventure or a spiritual pilgrimage, as well as a wealthy woman who had
brought her adorable, but exceedingly spoiled, Japanese Chins along with her on her trip. Taros favorite guest, however, was
the talkative sailor whom he had befriended earlier that day.
"He told me all about how
they run the ships," the little boy explained enthusiastically. "He's been all over the world!. I've never been away from
Japan before."
"It must be very interesting," Soujiro agreed. He himself had never ventured
beyond Japan or China, even in his wanderings. What he had seen and learned of other countries outside of Asia had been limited
to maps and books.
Kita smiled and nodded after taking a sip of her ocha.
"I remember my own voyage from Beijing. Do you know how sailors navigate the ocean, Taro?."
"Yes!,"
the child answered, smiling. "They use the north star as a guiding point."
Lieko finished
off a piece of sliced beef. "That's right. Very good, kiddo."
"If you can find the north
star, then you can figure out where south, east and west are," Kita added. "That way, you can always find your way home."
Soujiro chuckled. "Just like you, Miss Kita."
"Hmmm?. What do you mean?."
"Your name," the boy explained. "I may not be an expert at Chinese, but I do know my Japanese, and
Kita Hoshi means North Star."
At this, the girl laughed. "Ahhh, so you caught that, did you?."
"Yes," Soujiro smiled. "Who gave you that name?."
Kita and the
others exchanged glances for a moment… then she nodded, and took another slow sip of her tea before answering. "I did,
as a matter of fact. I wanted Japan to really feel like home, so I gave myself a Japanese name."
The
boy nodded. He wanted to ask her what her name had been in China, out of curiosity,.. but he felt that would be impolite at
the moment. "I see", he smiled again. "Do you know, Miss Kita. When I decided to become a wanderer, the first direction I
headed was north?."
"Really?," the girl put her cup down, interested. Jiro had hardly ever spoken
of his travels before.
"Yes," the wanderer continued. "I left Kyoto and headed north,
through the mountains." He smiled thoughtfully. "The weather was growing hotter, so north sounded good."
At
this, Taro gave a startled "Oh!."
"What is it?," Soujiro asked.
The
little boy tilted his head with a somber expression. "Does this mean you'll have to leave here and go south when the weather
gets colder?," he asked sadly…
Soujiro and Kita looked at each other for a moment…
then the boy smiled at Taro reassuringly. "I don't know, but please don't be upset when I do leave. You'll still have Kita
and Lieko and the others."
The child nodded slowly. "I know… but…"
Before
he could finish, there came a steady knock from the Inn's genkan(29)...
"I'll answer it," Soujiro smiled, patting Taros shoulder kindly. Quickly, he rose from his zabuton(30) and made his way down the short hallway to the front fusuma.
He opened the fusuma to
be greeted by a pleasant looking, middle aged woman… By her side was a somber faced young boy, no more then eleven or
twelve, with scruffy dark hair and piercing eyes… Something about him was familiar, though Soujiro could not think of
where he had seen him before…
"Hello," the woman greeted him. "Forgive me, but my
nephew and I just arrived in Kanagawa tonight, on our way to visit friends. Would you possibly have a spare room?."
Soujiro smiled and bowed to them. He knew there were at least two or three more rooms available
tonight. "Of course. Welcome to the Sakura Ryokan. Please come in."
He escorted the two inside
and guided them towards the kitchen where Kita, Taro and Lieko were. "Our restaurant is closed until morning, but you are
welcome to join us in the kitchen for dinner."
The woman smiled, still holding the child's
hand. "Yes please. Thank you very much, Sir. What is your name?."
"Soujiro Harumasa, and what
of our honored guests?."
"I am Yurusu Mishima".
At this, the
young man stiffened. his hands suddenly felt cold… Mishima?… He had heard
that name before…
The little boy stepped forward. "Yes," he answered authoritively.
"And I'm Eiji Mishima."
**********
Eiji Mishima!. He knew he'd seen that
boy before!. It had been almost two years since his first encounter with Himura at Shishio's mansion, but he remembered everyone
who had been there. Shishio, Yumi, Senkaku, Himura, Hajime, Makimachi… and an angry, grieving little boy... Thank the
gods Eiji did not seem to recognize him…
Miss Yurusu was given one of the unoccupied
rooms for the night, but Taro and Eiji, who had become fast friends, despite being complete opposites in personality and a
few years apart in age, rolled down their futons and shared Taro's room in a pretend
camp-out.
Soujiro tried his best to avoid the boys without drawing any attention, but
Kita soon noticed it.
"How come you've been ignoring Miss Mishima and her nephew?," she wanted to
know as she fixed a plate of snacks for the boys later that evening.
The wanderer put a hand
behind his head sheepishly. "I haven't…" he protested weakly. "I've just been… busy…"
At
this, Kita rolled her eyes. "Ay ya! You aren't a very good liar, Jiro. You know that?."
Smiling, the boy looked away, hoping she wouldn't see the guilt in his eyes…
The
girl finished arranging the plate of snacks and handed it to Soujiro. "Here, take these to the boys, and for heaven's sake
be nice to Eiji. He's had a hard time from what his aunt's told me."
"Has he?..." Soujiro felt
his throat dry and tighten as he forced the words from his mouth.
Kita sighed and shook her
head sadly. "Yes, poor kid. His whole village was occupied by rebel armies and erased off the map. He lost his entire family
when they tried to escape."
"That's... That's awful..." the boy whispered... He closed his
eyes, trying to drive the image of the dead couple, hanging at the village entrance from his mind... Ten years. All that time
people had been suffering, while he lived comfortably in Shishio's mansions and fine inns, killing on command, with a false
smile pasted on his face…
"I know," Kita agreed, wiping her hands on her apron. "But at least
the police managed to locate his aunt, and Shingetsu Village is safe now, thanks to the Hitokiri
Battousai."(31)
**********
As he approached the room, he could hear the sound of Taro's childish laughter and the occasional thump as the two
boys wrestled and roughhoused playfully…
Quietly, Soujiro opened the fusuma and found Taro and Eiji having a pretend swordfight, each with a wooden toy sword in hand.
"You'll never defeat me, Battousai!," the older boy challenged,
as somber faced as ever, mimicking a deep threatening tone, though, as his own voice had yet to break, it sounded extremely
comical.
Laughing, Taro jumped forward, waving his toy sword. "Oh yes I will, Shishio!. My sakabatou has already defeated your best soldiers in order to protect Japan! It will defeat you too!."
"Oh no it won't!. Japan and all it's people will be mine!. Soon I and my strongest men will rule
the world!."
Soujiro blinked, his hands trembling slightly… Was this the way all of
Japan saw Shisho Makoto and his men?… Were they really that monstrous in the eyes of the people?… Perhaps everyone
was right to think that though, as total domination of the country had been the Juppon Gatana's
goal from the start…
"Excuse me, Makoto?, Battousai?,"
Soujiro called out.
The boys soon ceased their mock-battle and turned to face him.
"We
were wondering if you would perhaps like some snacks before you finish the battle that will decide the fate of all Japan,"
the wanderer grinned.
Eiiji nodded, Taro laughed, and the two put down their toy swords. "Yes, please!."
The three of them sat down, cross-legged, on the futons
with the tray of snacks and a pot of tea in the center.
"Mmmm," Eiji said as he munched on one of Kita's
cha sui bao.(32) "These are delicious."
Taro smiled proudly.
"Kita's one of the best cooks in Japan!. She's teaching me and Jiro too."
The older boy
nodded slowly, with a wistful look in his eyes. "I remember… my mother was a good cook too..."
At
this, Soujiro stiffened, his throat tightening again… "I... I'm sorry… about... what happened..." He was worried
that Eiji might take offense, but instead the boy nodded sadly.
"Just about everyone knows
about those villages the rebels took over. Even after they were all freed, Aunt Yurusu and I would try to avoid them, especially
Shingetsu."
"You must miss your mama and papa allot," Taro said in sympathy.
Eiji
poured himself some tea. "I do… and I miss my brother too…" He then took a sip from his cup and shook his head
with a sigh. "You know, back then I would have given anything, anything, to kill the
one who did it."
"Senkaku…" the wanderer thought.
"Don't worry, Eiji, I already did that for you..."
"And
did you?," Taro asked, wide-eyed.
"No," Eiji answered reassuringly. "No, I didn't."
Soujiro
tilted his head. "And why not?," he asked. "What stopped you?."
At this, Eiji tilted his
head thoughtfully. "The Hitokiri Battousai did. He made me realize that killing wouldn't
bring my family back, and that my brother wouldn't want me to be a killer."
The young man
mentally rolled his eyes. It figured!.
"He only ever raised his sword to protect, so that's what I'm going to do someday too..." Eiji then
studied Soujiro intently. "I feel like I've seen you before, you know..."
"I don't think
so," the wanderer smiled, though his heart had nearly missed a beat… If the boy should recognize him…
"Hmm, no, I guess not..." then he looked back at Soujiro. "I guess it's just that you remind me
of my brother, Eiichiro."
Soujiro took a breath. "What?." He gave the boy a confused smile.
"No, Eiji. I don't deserve a compliment like that."
"Oh, I know you don't look anything like Eiichiro," Eiji answered, not understanding what Soujiro had meant. "It's just that…
Well... When you smile, you make me think of him a little..."
**********
Summer came and went. Soon it was September, and the weather had begun to grow cooler almost overnight.
The leaves soon changed from green to yellow to orange and red, and Crops of vegetables, fruits and grains were hurriedly
gathered and stored for the winter…
Winter... While he had been with Shishio, he
had always liked winter. Makoto had avoided campaigns then, as there was no sense in battling both the government and the
harsh weather at the same time, so the Juppon Gatana had spent those months training
and resting. Of course, once one was a wanderer, spending practically all one's time out of doors, winter's initial peace
and icy beauty soon took on a different face. Kita and Taro knew this, which was why they had asked Soujiro to at least stay
with them until spring. The wanderer had been all to willing to accept, as he remembered getting terribly sick that first
winter in his travels... and he was secretly glad of an excuse to be with Kita and the others for longer…
(September, 1879)
"Zuo shou luo, you shou gu Shou nazhe luo gu lai chang ge. Biede
ge-er wo ye buhui chang, Dan hui chang ge Fengyang ge. Feng la Fengyang ge lai, Ai- ya-ai-hu-ya!,"(33) the mistress
of the ryokan sang cheerfully as she washed the last load of supper dishes.
Grinning, Soujiro put down his drying towel and placed his hands over his ears. How high pitched
and ear-splitting those Chinese songs were!. Then again, maybe it was Kita's off-key singing!. Lieko and Taro certainly hadn't
been kidding when they said she should never quit her day job!.
"Hey!," the girl laughed,
throwing a wet dish-cloth at him. "Come on, Harumasa! My singing isn't that bad!."
Soujiro barely managed to catch the cloth and threw it back at her with a chuckle. "Well, It's better
then your aim anyway!."
Of course this led to a
rather amusing scene in the usually peaceful place, with Kita chasing Soujiro around the kitchen, still trying to nail him
with that wet rag, which he soon got right in his face. Laughing, they then returned to the sink to finish the dishes.
"You're so mean, Miss Kita!," the boy teased as he dried the last few glasses. "Much much meaner
then Miss Yumi ever was!."
Kita grinned. "Oh, and who was this 'Miss Yumi', Jiro, some sweetheart
you left behind?." She gave him a wink.
Soujiro sighed and looked out the opened shoji with a sad smile. "Hardly. She was anything but that... Though she was very kind to me..." It was true,
though Yumi had normally been quite gruff with him, she was still as caring as anyone. "I always thought she reminded me of
my mother, somehow... I… I wish I'd told her that..."
"I know what you mean," the girl nodded thoughtfully
as she placed the last of the dishes on the rack. "My mistress in Beijing was like a mother to me as well. She even taught
me to read and write."
The wanderer cocked his head with interest. "Mistress?. You mean
you were a servant?."
"Mmm hmm, for three years or so... but I'm happy being my own mistress now..."
Soujiro smiled as he dried the last few dishes... He knew exactly what she meant. As much as he
missed Shishio, Yumi and the others, he had never been truly free, never felt like he was his own master, until he left Kyoto...
It was then that Kita leaned over the sink, staring out of the shoji…
"Hmm, what have we here?..."
"What?..."
"It's the police..."
The boy felt a chill wash over him... Careful to stay inconspicuously beside the window, he risked
a quick glance out… Sure enough, there were at least three uniformed local officers heading past the back gate to the
front of the Inn…
"No," he whispered. They couldn't be coming for him. Surely he
was only being sought after in Kyoto. He then chided himself for being so naïve!. He was Shishio's prodigy for heaven's sake!.
He knew things even Yumi and Houji hadn't, so why wouldn't the police be looking for
him everywhere?.
"Jiro?," came Kita's concerned voice. "Are you alright?. You look a little pale."
He took a breath and forced a smile. "Fine, fine, Miss Kita... I… I just think I... left something
in the storage shed... I'll be right back..."
Kita nodded, though she wondered how the police
could have put such fear in her friend's eyes, despite his ever present smile…
As Soujiro left
around the back to the storage shed, she then heard the knocking coming from the ryokan's
genkan…
"Good day," the first officer greeted her when she opened the fusuma. "You are Miss Kita Hoshi?."
Kita smiled and bowed politely. "Yes, Sirs.
Please, won't you come in?."
The three police officers followed her inside. Once there, the
leader came directly to the point. "Miss Hoshi, we require information on a criminal suspect we believe may be here in this
town."
Suspect?... Kita frowned... No, it couldn't be... "And who is this criminal?."
The
second officer handed her a folded paper. Slowly, cautiously, she unfolded it… and her heart sank as she saw the familiar
smiling face on the reward poster…
"Soujiro Seta… Soujiro The Tenken…" she whispered as she read the words below the photo. How could it be?... How could that kind,
smiling young man possibly…
"He was in league with the rebels that tried to overthrow the government
a year ago," the first officer explained, interrupting her thoughts. "Not only that, but we've discovered he was the killer
of Okubo Toshimichi."
"What?!," Kita gasped. "But we all heard
that Shimada Ichiro…"
"He and his followers got the blame for it, yes, but there is more
and more evidence that Shishio Makoto sent his 'right hand' to do the job before they even arrived," the second officer cut
her off.
The third officer nodded gravely. "And if our suspicions are correct, the Tenken's description clearly matches the one of the adopted son who went missing after the Seta family murders
ten years before Shishio's attack on Kyoto and Tokyo."
"Ay ya!," the girl put a hand to her mouth.
"You don't mean that a little boy could have?... It's impossible..."
"We're not entirely sure.
The case is eleven years old after all. It may have been Makoto who killed the Setas, as he was in the area at the time. All
we can say for certain is that the family was slaughtered before the boy disappeared."
Trying
her best to keep her composure, Kita tucked a lose strand of hair behind her ear and nodded. "And if you should find the Tenken, what will you do with him, Sirs?."
The three officers
looked at each other for a moment... then the leader turned to her somberly. "That is the business of the government and the
police, not yours, young lady. Now, do you have any information on this criminal or not?."
She
closed her eyes and took a breath… What she was about to say could mean her own execution and bring dishonor on the
Sakura Ryokan… but whatever the cost, she would not be responsible for another death… "No, I'm afraid I have not.
The only newcomer to this town I've seen is a fellow named Jiro Harumasa... He... He may look a little like him, but there's
no way he could be this Tenken..." She silently prayed that these men would not see
through her at once…
They studied her a moment, as if trying to do just that... then,
tipping their caps, they bowed politely.
"Alright, Miss Hoshi," the leader spoke. "But if you
do learn any information on the Tenken, or see anyone else who might resemble him,
you are ordered to report to the authorities at once."
Kita folded her arms across her chest. "I know
my duties under the law. Good-day, gentlemen."
She continued to stare out the shoji, even after the three officers had disappeared down the road and out of sight…
Moments
later she felt someone's eyes on her… "Miss Kita?..."
She turned around slowly… He was standing
in the doorway, still smiling, but one look at his eyes told her he had seen and heard everything…
"It
was you, wasn't it?," she said, walking calmly towards him. "You're the one who killed Toshimichi and the Seta family."
He closed his eyes with a sigh and bowed politely. "Soujiro Seta, the Tenken,
at your service, Miss Kita."
Enraged, she reached out and slapped him hard!. It wiped the smile
clean off his face!. "You devil!. You lying, murdering devil!."
"I knew this would happen
if you found out," Soujiro replied calmly, rubbing his smarting cheek.
Kita shook her head furiously,
glaring at him. "You unimaginable little bastard!," she hissed.
At this, the boy tilted
his head, and a strange, almost unnerving look came into his eyes... Then, all at once, he smiled and burst out laughing!.
Taken aback, Kita raised an eyebrow, frowning. "And what's so amusing?."
"I'm
sorry, I'm sorry. Please forgive me!," Soujiro chuckled, bowing over and over while covering his mouth with his hand. "It's
just so funny. You aren't the first person to call me that. You probably don't realize just how correct you are!."
The girl opened her mouth in surprise… then she clenched her fists, regaining her composure.
"Well, I don't doubt I'm not the first to call you that. A criminal, and an enemy of the government!."
Although
he kept his calm, pleasant voice, Soujiro's eyes hardened. There was no longer any humor in them. "Yes," he answered, sarcastically
sweet. "A government that murders innocent children and destroys peaceful Buddhist temples. A government that shoots men in
the head and burns them alive for knowing to many of their dirty little secrets. A government that treats slaves and animals
better then woman. A government that…"
"Stop it!,"
she growled, cutting him off. "You, and only you, are responsible for your own actions!. You realize, I could go right after
those cops and turn you in to be executed, just like that?."
He smiled coldly. "And you realize, Miss Kita,
that if this were only two years ago, I would have killed all three of those officers by now?."
"Then
do it!," the girl snapped. "Kill them! Just like you did Okubo Toshimichi! Just like you did your own family, you…"
"They were trying to kill me!," Soujiro suddenly screamed,
startling her. The familiar smile was gone from his face. His normally clear eyes were clouded and rimmed with tears…
Just like when he'd had that nightmare…
Kita's eyes widened as the boy sank to his knees
on the floor, clutching his head…
"They had swords and shovels… They were coming
after me… I ran away... I tried to hide... but…"
"Why didn't
you protect me?!. Nobody wanted to help me!. You didn't protect me!." The words he had cried out in his nightmare repeated
themselves over again in her memory...
"Please don't
let him get me... My stepfather…" In an instant, she put the pieces together…
"Jiro!,"
she cried, kneeling down beside the sobbing boy. "Jiro, I'm sorry!. I won't call those officers back, I promise!. You're safe
here."
He looked back up at her and shook his head, smiling ruefully through his tears. He was not safe
here, or anywhere... and neither was Kita, now that she knew... "Please, Miss Kita. You have to call them back and turn me
in. If they find out you've been helping me…"
"I don't care," she interrupted, putting her
hands on his shoulders. "They'll get tired of this goose-chase soon enough, and look for you somewhere else. All we have to
do is sit tight and keep out of their way."
"Why… why are you doing this for me?..."
The question came out in a whisper…
With a smile, Kita gently brushed a few stray
bangs, and tears, away from his eyes… "Why?. Well, I can't let the police take my best employee away, now can I?."
**********
Later that evening, Soujiro and Kita were sitting
on the steps of the Inn's engawa... The full September moon shone through the trees
and the cool wind rustled through the crisp, drying leaves…
"…and so, as I had
noone else, and no other place to go, I followed Mister Shishio," Soujiro finished, after explaining everything to Kita. He
had never told anyone about that night eleven years ago, not even Yumi or Anji really... but, somehow, sharing it with this
girl made him feel like a long-time burden was being removed… like an open wound, a wound drained of it's infection,
but a wound none-the-less, was finally beginning to heal…
Kita took a sip of her ocha and shook her head sadly. "That's terrible. manipulating you like that all those years."
"No," the boy ran his fingers through his hair thoughtfully. "He was only teaching me what he believed
was right. At the very least, it saved my life."
The girl breathed in the warmth of her tea and
closed her eyes, trying to drive the images in her mind away… but Jiro's words had fixed them stubbornly in her memory…
Her drunken master in a violent rage, advancing on his terrified wife and children... Herself, unnoticed, walking softly behind
him, the large kitchen knife in her hand aimed at his back... She blinked and shook her head again. "But you left, didn't
you?," she pointed out. "Just like I left Beijing."
He nodded. "Yes." Feeling nothing but emptiness...
killing people he didn't even know on command… He just couldn't live like that anymore... "Mister Shishio always said
the flesh of the weak was the food of the strong, but if that's the case I'd rather be weak. I'll get by somehow." He recalled
the words he'd said to himself that night before his life changed forever. "I'm sure that
if a sword were used to kill me it'd probably be painfull. And, after all, I know pretty well how much it hurts to get hit...
So… I think I'd probably better return this sword. I'm just not a strong person like Mister Shishio. I know I'm weak,
but I prefer the way things are…"
"I know you'll get by," she answered, squeezing
his hand warmly. After all, she had survived. She had gotten by, so why wouldn't he?.
He
squeezed her hand back. "Miss Kita, you must promise me this one thing."
"And what's that?,"
she wanted to know.
His clear, dark blue eyes bore intently into hers. "You must promise, if I am
ever caught or found out, you must tell the police I threatened and forced you to hide me here. That way they may be lenient
with you."
Kita's eyes widened. How could he?. How could he possibly ask her to do that?.
"Jiro, no…" she whispered. 'I… I can't..."
"Miss Kita, please!,"
he insisted, reaching out slowly to touch her cheek. "I don't want you putting yourself in any more danger on my account.
Better one head on a pike then two."
She closed her eyes and took the hand that gently
rested on her cheek… After taking a deep breath, she answered, "Allright, Shaiming,
I promise."
He smiled, relief shining in his eyes. "Thank you, Miss Kita!."
"You're
welcome." She only prayed she would never have to make good on this promise…
Just then, a
chilly breeze wisped by them, and Kita's shoulders quivered slightly...
"Are you cold?," Soujiro
asked her.
"Mmm, a little."
He quickly undid the kimono he wore over his western style shirt. "Here," he smiled, gently placing it over her
shoulders.
"Thank you," she smiled back, doing it up over her furisode...
There were no more words exchanged between them as they remained
seated on the steps, sipping their warm tea and watching as the stars appeared, one by one, in the cool autumn night sky…
(27)
Steamed pork dumplings.
(28) Sliced beef with broccoli.
(29)
Main entrance foyer.
(30) Meditation mat that has been used for centuries in Japan to cushion knees
and ankles.
(31) The "Sai" in battousai is a kanji that is often used in a nickname in old
Japan, and thus doesn't really matter in this case. If it has to be translated, I would probably be choosing "Master" or "Lord"
for "Sai", "Battou" means to draw one's sword, usually for battle. This can be either a verb or a noun.
(32)
Baked barbecued pork buns.
(33) "Fengyang Huagu Ge",
"Flower Drum Song", actual Chinese folksong.
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