I stripped my orange haori off and tossed it to the ground. It was a sweat-stained heap of unnecessary clothing I didn’t want on me anymore. This was something I wanted to do ever since I entered the stagnant Lion Temple, where the air stood still and humid. There was no longer a need to maintain my appearance with Emperor-sama gone.
But when he left all the adrenaline I had went with him. Fatigue fell over me like a barbed net—my body wanted me to believe that keeping still was the safest move. It wasn’t. The morning sun began to peek into the bell-shaped windows—whose frame cast a shadow of bars over me.
It reminded me of a jail cell. A luxury I doubted the Yamato City Watch would spare me after our last encounter. I did cause one of theirs to lose an arm after all. The ‘eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth’ brand of justice was popular in Hyuga, but not for folks like me. If you didn’t have a family name they wouldn’t ever bother with the customary last meal.
I could still see that girl’s face, splattered with the koi fish innards of her beloved Gill-sama. It was such a ludicrous affair back at the Sleeping Duck; part of me still wondered how I managed to get the kid and myself out alive. But that was the proverbial frying pan—the two of us had somehow managed to get ourselves into the Emperor’s oven. My entire life felt like the steel of a katana being forged; beaten and folded over and over again.
What had I gotten myself into this time?
Masami and I needed to get out of this deathtrap of a capital city. After that we could worry about hunting Satsuma’s spirits. I wasn’t sure that they even existed, and I was even less sure of the kunoichi who was staring me down.
That’s right, Toshie and I needed to talk.
I stripped my orange haori off and tossed it to the ground. It was a sweat-stained heap of unnecessary clothing I didn’t want on me anymore. This was something I wanted to do ever since I entered the stagnant Lion Temple, where the air stood still and humid. There was no longer a need to maintain my appearance with Emperor-sama gone.
But when he left all the adrenaline I had went with him. Fatigue fell over me like a barbed net—my body wanted me to believe that keeping still was the safest move. It wasn’t. The morning sun began to peek into the bell-shaped windows—whose frame cast a shadow of bars over me.
It reminded me of a jail cell. A luxury I doubted the Yamato City Watch would spare me after our last encounter. I did cause one of theirs to lose an arm after all. The ‘eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth’ brand of justice was popular in Hyuga, but not for folks like me. If you didn’t have a family name they wouldn’t ever bother with the customary last meal.
I could still see that girl’s face, splattered with the koi fish innards of her beloved Gill-sama. It was such a ludicrous affair back at the Sleeping Duck; part of me still wondered how I managed to get the kid and myself out alive. But that was the proverbial frying pan—the two of us had somehow managed to get ourselves into the Emperor’s oven. My entire life felt like the steel of a katana being forged; beaten and folded over and over again.
What had I gotten myself into this time?
Masami and I needed to get out of this deathtrap of a capital city. After that we could worry about hunting Satsuma’s spirits. I wasn’t sure that they even existed, and I was even less sure of the kunoichi who was staring me down.
That’s right, Toshie and I needed to talk.
In a graceful voice but with a graceless anger, the kid intervened. “Quiet, the both of you! His Imperial Majesty has entrusted all of us with this divine quest!” Masami planted her hands at her sides, and looked like a disgusted parent chastising a couple of brats. Talk about a role reversal. “Can’t you act civilized for once?!”
I released my grip and let Toshie out of it. My feelings hadn’t changed, but the kid had a point. Now just wasn’t the time
We’re just adults having a civil conversation here.”
The kid’s eyes sparked open like clouds did for a bolt of lightning. And I felt as if I was about to get struck. It seemed as if I said something I might soon regret—Masami’s visible shaking meant I was in for an earful.
“Well then! Forgive me if I am too juvenile to understand your grown-up bickering! Perhaps I’ll just lay over here whilst you adults engage in pointless discourse!” Although my attention should be at her face, my gaze couldn’t help but latch upon the jewels of her new necklace. The look didn’t go unnoticed. “Hmph!”
Masami hid the Emperor’s gift beneath her kimono, and crossed her arms as she was apt to do. I had indirectly called her a child which—while entirely accurate—was a sore spot for my pint-sized companion. I ought to issue something of an apology.
“You’ll grow into it kid. Pointless discourse is all us adults have left.”
I could hear the kunoichi sigh, even beneath that mask she was wearing. Her body relaxed into almost a slump. “Let’s set aside our differences for now. We should be on the Eastern Pass by noon if we aren’t impeded.” Toshie nodded to me in a respectful gesture. “It’s important that we start this out on the right foot.”
I scratched the back of my head in embarrassment. “Yeah...about that.”
*Cccc-RAacK!*
The front entrance to the Lion Temple roared open with the screeching of broken wood. Nearly a dozen men decked in armor flooded in like a rancorous stampede. Spear in one hand and lantern in the other. The Yamato City Watch had arrived.
Heavy breathing and the stench of sweat permeated throughout the once peaceful chamber of the Lion Temple. These men had sprinted their way across half the capital to get here, wearing half a hundred pounds of gear apiece. No easy task—especially for stationary guards in what had to be the most peaceful place in Hyuga.
If they were smart they’d have this place surrounded. But if they were smart they’d have waited to catch their breath before entering. I looked over towards Masami who was frozen in place, and then to Toshie who was...nowhere to be found. She had probably cloaked herself into the darkness upstairs, leaving the two of us to face this peril.
Damn, I hate working with ninjas.
I could hear a murmuring in the crowd of guardsmen, between the heart-pounding gasps for air. “Ronin.” Apparently my presence had caused quite a stir, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Rumors of my reputation kept them a respectful distance away.
The silence was starting to make me uncomfortable. Atop of that, my wrist itched something awful. Part of me was just waiting for an excuse to let loose; the other wanted to give them a warning.
One at a time or all at once?”
I felt my blood rush from my head to my hands, my hands to my feet, my feet to my...well, somewhere else entirely. I was more than just thrilled; I was excited. My back was stiff and my throat was raw—but the adrenaline dulled my aches and pains, sharpened my senses and made my heart thump like no girl ever could. Even these city watchmen could tell something wasn’t right with me.
But that didn’t stop their ringleader from stepping forward. He didn’t hold a weapon like the others, and for a good reason. His right arm lay limp against his side, wrapped up in bandages that had already turned red from bleeding. At least his moustache was unharmed.
“This is him—the bastard ronin who cut my arm off!” The guardsman screamed out in pain after awkwardly moving his primary arm out of habit. He then raised his left to point a finger straight at me. “Ten ryō for each limb you rip from his body! Make sure you don’t kill him first!”
The crowd’s anger roused in preparation for battle, but I couldn’t help but crack a smile. There was a time—a desperate time—not ten years ago, when I would’ve torn my own fingers off for that sort of money. But that was then. Now I’m rubbing shoulders with the Emperor himself. The price of my limbs has never been higher!
A younger man charged out at me, with eyes equal in fear and determination. It was a look I’d seen countless times before. It was a look that stuck on their faces after their breathing ceased and their muscles stiffened. The time for talking was over
One at a time or all at once?”
I felt my blood rush from my head to my hands, my hands to my feet, my feet to my...well, somewhere else entirely. I was more than just thrilled; I was excited. My back was stiff and my throat was raw—but the adrenaline dulled my aches and pains, sharpened my senses and made my heart thump like no girl ever could. Even these city watchmen could tell something wasn’t right with me.
But that didn’t stop their ringleader from stepping forward. He didn’t hold a weapon like the others, and for a good reason. His right arm lay limp against his side, wrapped up in bandages that had already turned red from bleeding. At least his moustache was unharmed.
“This is him—the bastard ronin who cut my arm off!” The guardsman screamed out in pain after awkwardly moving his primary arm out of habit. He then raised his left to point a finger straight at me. “Ten ryō for each limb you rip from his body! Make sure you don’t kill him first!”
The crowd’s anger roused in preparation for battle, but I couldn’t help but crack a smile. There was a time—a desperate time—not ten years ago, when I would’ve torn my own fingers off for that sort of money. But that was then. Now I’m rubbing shoulders with the Emperor himself. The price of my limbs has never been higher!
A younger man charged out at me, with eyes equal in fear and determination. It was a look I’d seen countless times before. It was a look that stuck on their faces after their breathing ceased and their muscles stiffened. The time for talking was over
Though the shadows from the back end of the temple were long, they weren’t quite dark enough to cover the kid’s escape. With the morning sun threatening to rise as it often does, time was against us. Slipping outside of the heavily-fortified capital would be next to impossible in broad daylight.
But that was a future worry. I flicked my katana out in an arc, cutting the sticks of wax that lit atop the altar. Considering their small size, they had let out a surprising amount of light. In the newfound darkness I moved without notice. I chased my prey with silent footsteps cushioned by a tatami mat. The trio after the kid were slowed by the shadows that enveloped them, but they were accustomed to working the night shift.
They were going to require a little extra effort. A torn hamstring or ripped achilles would force any pursuer into a limp—perhaps even permanently. I was nipping at their heels before my oversized razor started nipping at them in the literal sense. It didn’t take more than a paper cut-sized wound to wince their legs up and topple them over. The trickiest part was not tumbling over them during the chase.
The third pursuer laid crumpled at the base of the stairs, the first two I had managed to get earlier. A flick of the wrist removed the blood off my blade, though there wasn’t much to begin with. I surprised myself at how nonlethal my methods were—usually I just went for the throat. Had Masami’s words back at the kabuki theater changed something? That was an uncomfortable thought.
*sniff*
My nose told me there was smoke, and my eyes—which started to water—persuaded me to believe it. A light emerged from behind the altar. Stacks of parchment made for makeshift tinder, which spread fire like disease through a whorehouse. Disgustingly quick. Those candles I thought I blew out now bellowed into a bonfire.
Things were really heating up in the lion’s den.
I heard a voice from the shadows above, beckoning me to hurry. “Sjato-san! Get up here!” Toshie’s tone was hardly quiet for a ninja, and instead echoed against the chamber’s walls. But I only needed to be told once. My feet darted up the staircase in a bumbling hurry—I nearly tripped twice on my way up. I couldn’t see my own hand in front of me, but that wasn’t why I was struggling.
There weren’t many two-story buildings where I was from. Not that I was afraid of heights, of course. It just didn’t feel right to be up this high.
Smoke followed me to the upstairs loft. I bumped into something, or rather someone—a warm someone whose height and curves could only belong to the kunoichi. But where was the kid? A blissfully cool breeze brought my attention towards the bell-shaped window, whose bars were unceremoniously ripped apart.
Masami was on the other side, struggling to keep her balance on the sloping rooftop. Clay tiles required dexterous toes, otherwise you’d slide right off the curve. I followed Toshie out with the yells of “Fire!” and “Ronin!” close behind.
From this vantage point I could confirm my earlier fears. The Lion Temple was surrounded by a dozen additional guardsmen, who idled about anxiously due to the commotion coming from within. I just hoped they wouldn’t look up.
“W-wHA!” The undersized shugenja tripped against her full-length kimono at the worst possible time—I was too far away to grab her! She was going to tumble right off, right into the sentries’ clutches. I had failed!
“Careful, Hashimoto-san. These shingles catch upon loose clothing easily.” I let out a breath of air I didn’t realize I was holding in. Toshie managed to grab ahold of the kid at the last possible moment. But my relief didn’t last for long. The lookouts below yelled up at us—so much for a covert escape.
The voices in the temple drew ever closer.
I looked at the buildings nearby—temples nearly identical to this one—and knew what I had to do. With one more look at the paved cobblestone twenty feet below, I gulped and steeled my courage. I’d been in countless situations more fearsome and fatal than this.
Masami still struggled to maintain her balance, and it became obvious that she wouldn’t be able to pull off the acrobatics I needed her to. So I decided to take matters into my own hands, and carry her myself
The metaphor was funny, but it didn’t quite fit—potatoes didn’t make such a fuss. This was by far the most efficient option.
“U-unhand me this instant! You vulgar ruffian, I demand respect! Nay, at least a shred of dignity!” Masami’s complaints accompanied a series of weak blows to my back. I shrugged them both off with ease.
“Deal with it, kid. Unless those short legs of yours can vault a ten-foot gap, I’ll handle this.”
And while I said it with my typical self-confidence, I was anything but. Visibility was poorer than a one-fingered pickpocket. The nearby rooftops looked deceivingly close. I strengthened my hold on the kid as if she was going to fly off in the next breeze. I wouldn’t admit how glad I was when Toshie spoke up.
“Sjato-san. I believe I know of a...route where we can lose our pursuers.” The blue-garbed ninja had turned away from me, and I couldn’t help but detect some hesitation in her voice. My shoulders were already starting to ache from Masami’s tendency towards sweet rolls. I didn’t have time to hesitate.
Let’s just move!”
The Lion Temple roared beneath us in what sounded more like a frighten wail than a furious rage. The roof tilted ever so slightly backwards—the supports beneath us were starting to fail.
Although my sack of potatoes had quieted down, those guards were raising an uproar. We didn’t have time to shoot the breeze—we were lucky enough not to be getting shot at. My hold over Masami put heavy pressure on my shoulder and arm, but freed up everything else. It wasn’t too difficult to keep up pace with the kunoichi.
And then Toshie fell off the edge.
My pace tapered off considerably. What the hell was she thinking? If I hit the ground from this high up I was sure to break a leg. Though even if I did...Masami could still make a run for it. She lacked all manner of common sense, but should be able to sneak out on her own. Maybe.
Breaking my leg was a risk I couldn’t afford to take. Those guards would be on top of me like fleas to leftover beef stew. Not to mention Masami was helpless on her own, in this dangerous world she has only just witnessed.
The temple roared again, nearly causing me to lose my footing. Toshie’s voice from below caught my attention. I risked a peek over the ledge to find...another set of rafters below this one. I had forgotten that Shinto temple architecture was as beautiful as it was impractical. Roofs on top of rooftops.
After lowering Masami down I jumped down myself, then again until we reached the cobblestone below. No damage had been done, at least not to us. The same could not be said for the Lion Temple.
First I noticed a looming shadow growing over me. That’s when I yanked Masami up and ran. Behind me was a cloud of smoke and dust and screams—the lion collapsed atop its prey. A shrine ages old, burned to the ground...what a fitting start to our spiritual journey.
We ran with Toshie as our guide, down streets that grew filthier at every corner.
This particular alleyway was of the dark variety; even as the sun dawned in the sky. The thatched roofs rose over not tall but long, providing shade that hid the streets from above. Perhaps this was intentionally so. We were in an area of the city that disgusted itself for having existed—like a wart on the beautifully maintained body of a kabuki actress.
The Kondo ghettos. Both familiar to me and at the same time, foreign. I found it a tad unnerving to say the least.
Having been born and raised in districts destitute, I was hardly surprised to see a body or two sprawled out, breathing or perhaps otherwise. But it was the contrast that shook me—from orderly orchards and white-painted geishas to mounds of trash and figures that blended in at night.
Those figures now had us surrounded. They moved around us in fear, uncertain of the three who invaded their territory so carelessly. If we came from the lion’s den, then we had entered the panther’s lair. Every beast had eyes set on my weapon, my symbol of absolute authority. Every stride I took they watched. Every step I made I questioned why Toshie had taken us this way in the first place.
But it wasn’t my words that broke the oppressive silence. The words came from the kid, in a weak utterance. “Sjato...where are we? Are we still in Yamato?” Fear didn’t just drip in Masami’s voice—it drenched it. How could I blame her, when even a roughened ronin such as myself grew uneasy? I looked towards Toshie for an answer.
But there wasn’t one. I was starting to doubt there was a plan, either.
Specifically, the plan to get out of this forsaken capital. I didn’t know whose company I disliked more—the city watch’s or these dark-skinned slummers’, but I did know that I wanted on the countryside immediately. You know—fresh air and a pleasant lack of other humans. Nature and I were hardly at peace with each other, but at least I didn’t have to worry about Her shanking me in the back.
Sh-hinggg*
To decentivize any sort of unwelcome attention, I drew out my katana. I did so in bad form—the blade isn’t supposed to rub against the inside of the scabbard. It’s a good way to dull your sword, but it creates that unmistakable sound. The sound that inspires dread in your enemies. The sound that gives you courage when nothing else can.
Toshie’s feet paused in a sudden halt. I stopped as well, but I wasn’t happy about it. Every second we stayed in this filth-ridden slum was another second of danger. I needed to get myself and the kid out of here.
Right as I was about to ask, Toshie’s hands rose to her neck. It was a weird gesture until I realized what she was doing. As she took off her mask the familiar locks of black hair fell against her shoulders. I felt as I did back then, beside the fattened Oyamas and their impossibly beautiful daughter.
But then she turned around, and my mind shattered.
Toshie was one of them
The murmurs and accents from the growing crowd formed into a strange sort of unison. “Toshie-sama” was the recurring name I managed to catch. They flocked as close to the ninja as their courage allowed, while keeping a respectful distance from my katana’s range. But the children didn’t hold such qualms and rushed to hug at Toshie’s legs.
“Please Sjato-san, sheath your weapon. We are safe here.”
Her skin that had once been powdered pale was now sun-ripened; an almost bronze coating on her feminine features. It was amazing what makeup can hide. It all made sense now—the sharp nose paired with high cheekbones, those unmistakably sultry lips. Dark green eyes no Hyugan should have. Generous child-bearing hips. A Kondo native, through-and-through.
I felt my mind race around a spindle that spun faster and tighter around every turn. The dizziness started to sicken me; my stomach threatened to turn itself out. Was the woman standing before me the same one I had met at the Sleeping Duck? The way she had acted, the authority she held...there was no way.
“I know what I look like. What I am.” Toshie’s olive-colored eyes darted towards the ground. The dirt and grime we stood upon was solid evidence of the bright cobblestone streets we had left behind. No guardsman would ever dare venture here and leave his sandals unwashed afterwards.
Toshie’s words continued, grave as the expression on her face. “I was hoping to earn some measure of trust before revealing myself to you two...” The quiet and modesty was a stark difference from the pride I was used to hearing in the kunoichi’s voice. Where was the Toshie who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Emperor?
One deceit after another. How can I travel with someone I can’t even trust?”
While the hero’s welcome was a huge improvement from the atmosphere before, my nerves were far from settled. Too many questions and not enough answers. The most relevant of which was this one. We had a huge journey ahead of us, a task dangerous enough on its own accord. Toshie was a risk we just couldn’t afford to take.
She bowed her head again. “I understand your feelings. But I owe everything to Satsuma-kun, and I will give my life to see his will be done. That I swear to you, Sjato-san.”
I shook my head. I had suspected it before, but now the dark-skinned kunoichi had shown her hand. And I didn’t like the cards I was seeing. “A lowly Kondo, dares to call His Imperial Majesty in such a familiar fashion? I should cut you down where you stand, and would. Be grateful that I am no longer a samurai.”
I wasn’t honor-bound to the Emperor, Hyuga, or anything really. But this Kondo’s casualness towards a man whose eyes I couldn’t even meet—it angered me in ways I couldn’t explain. It started to feel like this Kondo was better than me. And if that was the case, then I could no longer look down on them as I had for so many years.
And when you were a worthless orphan, you needed to look down on someone. Anyone.
I cursed at myself for my own weakness. For having to place my trust and the kid’s safety in Toshie’s hands. The task ahead of us was dangerous enough without the risk of bringing one of them along. We wouldn’t find lodging anywhere, not even a pile of hay. In some rural areas, Kondos were hunted for sport...we didn’t need that kind of trouble.
Masami disagreed with me
Lessen the force of your words, Sjato!” Masami tugged at my sleeve to steal my attention. Her face lit up and her voice raised, and I knew I was in for a history lesson. “This is my first encounter with aboriginals—the people whom us Hyugans displaced. The accounts differ from one historian to the next, though it can be inferred that the Kondos have suffered greatly...”
The fact that they’re suffering wasn’t surprising, given the property value around where we currently stood. “...and although direct conflicts ceased a century ago, their culture and language, their very identity—has been systematically destroyed! Finding any records of their past is impossible; it is as if...history has forgotten them.” The shugenja’s voice choked up as her eyes started to water. I was reminded that she wasn’t just a scholar, but a hopeless romantic as well.
Toshie bowed deeply, and held her head down for a long moment before responding. “Your words show a kindness I could not dare to hope for, Hashimoto-san. Sadly you are absolutely correct: so much of what my people once were no longer exists. Hyugans call us Kondos, though we refer to ourselves as Wasure Rareta—the Forgotten People.”
Perhaps it was the sun that rose in dramatic fashion behind her, perhaps it was the bright smiles of the little ones that beamed upwards in sincere happiness. It made her look like a saint in ninja attire, and it made a hardened ronin like me start to regret what I said earlier. We were hunted by an entire city of samurai, burdened with an impossible quest, and walking dead from tiredness.
But for this moment, all that didn’t seem to matter.
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