The Hand of Death Ch. 04

He watched me for several moments in silence. I did not speak. I felt he was testing me. And he had this look in his eyes, one I had never seen in them when he conducted court. Resolve, I think. After several moments, Fujiko was admitted. I turned to look at her and found my lie was accurate. She was lovely, but old. Twenty-two at least. Yoshio surprised me when he spoke after her bow.

"This, is the Fujiko you have been so interested in, Hiro san."

I nodded to her. His voice had changed. It was not light and full of lisps like in court. She pursed her lips in thought while watching me.

He continued, "Is she everything you hoped for?"

"I do not know, my Daimyo. I had not hoped for anything."

He cocked his head a little. "Then why were you so curious about her?"

"I simply wanted to know who she was that she would be entrusted with such a difficult

mission, my Daimyo."

He cracked a small smile. "And what did you find out?"

"But you already know, my Daimyo."

He nodded with a big smile. "Very well. Let us try a new game. Fujiko has just returned from a successful mission. One where we lost no personnel but the Wajima lost five shogun and one close relative to their Daimyo. What should be her reward, Hiro san?"

I thought on that a moment. I knew what the answer was that I should give but I wanted it to look like I was thinking, as Grandfather had taught me.

"I would not know what was appropriate."

"Oh, I have faith in you. So try."

I paused for effect. Sighed lightly. "Very well, my lord. She should get nothing. As a samurai, her duty is to serve her lord. No reward is necessary." She cracked a small grin at that.

Yoshio's eyebrows rose a little. "Quite a statement, Hiro san. But would you feel the same if it were you standing in her place?"

I shouldn't bite. I shouldn't bite.

"I would, my Daimyo." I couldn't help it.

He stood and started to pace around the room. "...There is a small village to the north of here near the Honshu border. The Koga use it as a buffer between our two Houses."

"Yama, my lord?"

He smiled again. "Yes. You know it?"

"I have never been there but I know where it is and what it does." It is a trading hub rife with crime. Granted, most of the crime is by our hand.

"Well, there is a Yoriki of the Hokkaido House that tends to stay there. His name is Asahikawa Kunawa."

The Hokkaido have an island to the north-west of the Bandai lands.

"I have never heard of him, my lord."

"That is all right, Hiro san." He smiled. "Kill him."

I was stunned. "But..." I had nothing against this man. I didn't even know what he looked like!

"But? Hiro san?"

...I bowed. "Yes, my Daimyo."

I rose and backed out of the room. They were both smiling.

I went home and changed. Grandfather didn't even look up as I came in. I put on my training clothes that I had worn for so long. Then I grabbed my pack and loaded it with food, mostly vegetables, but I grabbed a couple of soup bottles and a bowl. Once that was done, I put a tanto under my shirt and walked out of the house. Grandfather still didn't look up and I didn't look back. I walked out of the town and along the road to the north.

The walk to Yama was about sixty miles, which took me four days to complete. I saw some bandits; well I think they were bandits but I was walking at night so they weren't watching the roads then. Then there was the tremor. A small quake. It knocked me off my feet but no harm done. I arrived at the town near dawn. I found a safe place to sleep in the woods and rested. Come midday, I got up and ate some food; I was almost out by now. So I finished off what I had and went into town.

The streets were teaming with merchants: Koga, Honshu, and lots of other Houses as well. I wandered around and waited to find my target. The sooner I got this over with the better.

I walked until I found some Komono. They wore the purple of the Hokkaido but carried only the small sword parrying jitte for defense. That weapon and the armor marked them as Komono in the employ of a Doshin or Yoriki. I watched casually and waited. I followed them most of the day. They never noticed me, or if they did they thought I was like the other children, wishing to be like them. Not far from the truth at present. Eventually they wandered into an inn.

I went and purchased some more supplies for my trip back. When that was done I returned to the inn and waited across the street. Eventually, a man in heavy Hokkaido armor walked into the inn. All the Hokkaido inside bowed to him. I moved to the inn's doorway so that I could hear the conversation. He took off his helm and sat down at a table. I heard some of the men call him 'Yoriki,'when asking if he wanted some of their sake. He sat with them for a couple of hours before he went upstairs to his room. Several of them had called him Kunawa; that confirmed it. This was my target.

I watched him climb the stairs and turn left in the hallway at the top. I stepped back from the entrance. I could hear him enter his room at the front corner of the building. He had two large windows to his room facing the street, and in the alley he had two smaller ones.

There were several old crates in the alley. I sat on one and ate some fruit. He was writing and he was long winded. I sat in the alley well into dark. He blew out his candle long after the downstairs main room had quieted and blackened. I waited. And I waited.

This kind of thing was boring but being in a rush wouldn't help anything. I sat and I daydreamed. Ate some pomegranates. When I finished, and the street was quiet I looked up to the stars. It was late. About the hour of the Rat, 11 pm to 1 am. I slowly got off the box and started stacking the old things into a pyramid, slowly and quietly. I had enough to make it to the window. Then, I just walked up them like stairs.

His windows were open so there was plenty of moonlight to show me where he slept. I stepped into the room. The Yoriki lay on his futon asleep with nothing to protect him but a sheet. His daisho sat on a small table near the bed. I walked to it and picked up the wakazashi. It was purple with lavender lotus flowers enameled on its sheath. I loosened the blade by pushing on the gold hand guard with my thumb. Then I unsheathed it with my right hand. I looked down at him. He looked like a nice man.

I watched him sleep for several moments. Finally I hardened my spirit and ran the wakazashi up under the man's chin and through his head. He died quickly. I removed it and wiped off the blade on the bottom sheet of the futon, then re-sheathed it. I tied the daisho together and wrapped them up neatly in the top sheet which was still clean. Near his things I found a money pouch and put it in my pack; I wanted to make this look like a burglary. I took his calligraphy set, his small mirror with the Hokkaido crest on the back, and the jewelry he wore.

I searched his trunk and found a small wooden box down below his kimono. Inside was two hundred Kaiki in gold. ...I was starting not to feel so bad about killing him. My mother runs a household on four silver Genbo a month. I wondered what this samurai was doing with so much wealth.

I put the box in my pack and threw the kimonos around the room so that it looked like I

searched in a hurry. I tied the daisho to my pack and climbed out the window. I closed it and started dismantling my pyramid of boxes. Once that was done I walked the back streets out of town.

I saw a few Hokkaido patrols while I rested in the day but otherwise my trip back home was an easy one. I walked into the house; Grandfather was reading and he still didn't look up. I changed into my favorite green kimono over my thin white with Koga on the collar and cuffs. I wrapped a white Koga patterned obi around my waist, and walked with the box of money to lord Yoshio. Sensei stopped me.

"Hiro."

I turned and bowed to him. "Yes, Grandfather?"

"Daimyo Tetsuya and his two sons are waiting for you with Yoshio in his chambers." My head tilted to the side involuntarily when he said that. He looked up at me and continued as he put away what he was reading. "You may want to bring more gifts."

"Yes, Grandfather."

I went back inside and quickly wrapped the mirror, and the calligraphy set. The daisho I left wrapped in the sheet. It was dirty from my travels but Tetsuya wouldn't care. I came back out to Sensei with my arms full. He nodded his approval and we left for Yoshio's rooms.

The trip had taken me eight days. When Nishi escorted us into Yoshio's rooms I saw a smile on Masao's face before he caught himself and began to frown at me. His father walked over to me with determination and grabbed my head with both hands. He seemed to be inspecting me.

After a moment he asked, "Were you hurt, Hiro san?"

"No, my Daimyo."

He nodded and said, "Very good." Then he let go of me and said. "Report."

I'm not sure what had happened while I was away but Yoshio was a mix of relief and anger. Tetsuya motioned for all of us to sit while I went through the report of everything that I had seen and done, to include the 'bandits' I passed the first night. They all seemed surprised by my report. Yoshio more than anyone else. He was more surprised when I gave him the box of two hundred gold pieces.

"This is unexpected, Hiro san."

"It is not a gift, my Daimyo. I acquired it while performing my duties for you. It is rightfully yours."

He nodded to me and sent Nishi to retrieve it from me. I then went through the long process of offering gifts to our three guests. It took f - o - r - e - v - e - r. Especially since I couldn't be sarcastic like I was when giving mother a gift. I offered the daisho to our Daimyo, then the calligraphy set to Masao and the mirror to Eita. I had always harassed him about his vanity so I knew he would get the joke. Once that was done the room was silent while they all watched me.

"Is there anything else I may do for you, my Daimyo?" I asked Yoshio.

He shook his head after a moment. "No. Domo arigato for your expedience, Hiro san."

I bowed to him. "It was my pleasure, my lord." I rose and backed out of the room. I walked home and took a bath. Sensei came later and sat down next to the tub.

"And what did all of this teach you?"

"Do - not - say - anything - to - anyone."

"Hmmm, that does sound familiar does it not? Who was it that first told you that?"

I looked at him unamused. He laughed very hard.