The Hand of Death Ch. 10

Chapter X

"The art of war is of vital importance to the State."

"The Art of War"

~by Sun Tzu~

Grandfather and I ate in a small tea-house outside the walls of Shiro no Shotoku. It was a secluded spot preferred for private meetings. We caught up on everything that had happened while I was away. Apparently my mother had become very popular at home. It had started with the short visit Daiki mentioned. Then Eita. Then Yoshio stopped by when he was in town. Pretty soon all of the Daimyo visited her when they were in town. She had to hire on more staff because all of the lords would bring their personal courts with them sometimes.

Apparently she was tired of it all which made us laugh. I'm not sure why. It was something about my poor mother who only ever wanted to be left alone in peace suddenly forced to play host, constantly, to nobility. That was hilarious. Grandfather also informed me that Eita had been named Koga Shogun and was getting married as well. But soon we had to talk about upcoming business.

"Hiro san, the next step in your training is to infiltrate the fencing school of the Nigata."

"Domo arigato, Sensei sama."

"It was not my doing but your own." He was smiling with great pride.

"How so, Grandfather?"

"Your performance in the Bei-oshi has caught the attention of our Daimyo. He has offered this great responsibility as a further test of your skills."

It was a great honor. Most students got ronin organizations or armies of the Houses. These were fairly easy to infiltrate, but yielded little information.

"Is there anything you can tell me that I should know about this assignment?"

"Not really," he shrugged. "They want you in place before the fencing school starts. Collect what information you can and await further orders."

"How long do I have?"

"Two weeks before classes begin. You will have to get there on your own." He smiled again.

Another little test. Toshi no Nigata was about a week's walk from here. So even being generous I did not have a lot of free time.

"Yes, Grandfather. It is a great honor."

"It lays at the edge of the Bandai lands, near the Honshu border. The Koga will be able to make great use of you there." Another smile. My success would add greatly to his standing in the House. That made me happy.

"Is there anything else I need to attend to before I depart for the mission?"

He thought a moment. "No. All things considered you should have plenty of time to get

everything ready. What do you think you will do?"

"The 'peasant servant' option is just too useful to pass up so I have to try to sneak in as a

heimin if I am to have our best shot at good information. Even so, it will be very exciting to meet and live with the Bandai for a while." I smiled.

We finished our meal and walked to Yoshio's court, as he had requested my presence when it was convenient. When we entered I was awe struck at how different he was from the last time I saw him in court. He was wearing the black kimono I had given him and was in the middle of settling an issue with a merchant. He was not cruel but he was firm. His bearing was one of competence which was such a reverse of what I had imagined. Somehow I had pictured him as still acting the coward. I'm not sure why, but it was very refreshing to have that image erased.

We bowed to the Daimyo who upon returning it handed the court to his Shugodai and escorted us to his private suite. He was very happy to hear I would be in town for a week. Home was too far to go to and still return in time but this was a very close second. Yoshio also offered to help in any way he could. We had a very nice visit for a couple of hours with Yoshio and his family. Then his servants showed me and Grandfather to a suite we could share near the family suite at the end of the evening.

I spent the next week getting my things in order, checking in with Taiki at "The Loyal Koga," mapping out the best route for a peasant to take to Toshi no Nigata and other little details. Taiki had received the Daimyo's family at his tea-house the very next day after I borrowed his apron. He was incredibly honored. And when Yoshio informed him he did it at my request, he was incredibly confused.

That week was a magnificent break from the last year. I practiced my kata in the mornings and visited my friends in the evenings. I enjoyed playing with Wajima-ko and his mother seemed to be... flattered? That I liked his company. He was a little ball of fat. What was there not to like? Anyway, I did make sure to force Yoshio and his family on a couple of visits into the town. Sometimes nobility forget to visit the very people they protect.

Eventually the week passed and I had to leave for the dueling school. I made my goodbyes to everyone and left wishing I had more time. My trip would take about a week of travel at a comfortable pace. I walked the back woods to a little village in the Honshu mountains. The village had a Yoriki. With that level of law enforcement I thought this would be a safe place to stay for the evening.

In the morning I cleaned up and found a friend. I saw a boy about my age putting his things into a wicker backpack. He looked to be a peasant as well and in the middle of a trip, judging by the backpack. I walked over to him.

"My name is Ichiro." I bowed to him. He smiled and returned my bow. After he stood up I said, "Have you eaten rice today?"

"No, I have not. My name is...." Honestly, I do not recall.

I started a small cooking fire with some embers from the guard's fire while he got the rice ready. I remember he was coming from a small town in the Wajima peninsula and headed to another small town to stay with an aunt. He had many questions but he was good company. I liked him. He was the third son of a farmer and not used to getting any attention from what I could tell. We traveled together for two days.

The day after he and I parted I happened upon two young samurai going in the same

direction as me. They both appeared to be Bandai. I could not tell which family they belonged to as both wore kimono with the Bandai crest patterned across the material. They appeared to be of the right age to be attending the school so I followed them just in case it provided an opening once we were there. After about a quarter of an hour I saw them notice me following them. They kept looking back and talking amongst themselves. After a few more moments they stopped and one of them yelled at me.

"Why are you following us?"

I continued to approach and replied with a bow, "I am not following you, Bandai sama. I am going to the village of Ninja's Grace."

The village was up ahead a few days travel from where we were. They both nodded as if that made sense and then one of them said, "Walk before us. I do not like being followed."

I bowed and did as he asked. As I walked by I heard him unlock his blade from its saya. As I have said before, Iaijutsu is the art of drawing your sword and attacking in the same swing. In this case it's called a "Crossroads Cut." What I have not said before, is that some samurai practice Iaijutsu this way because heimin are beneath them. Heimin exist to make them goods and food, and if they happen to get protection from the samurai, then fine. But protection is not their right.

When I heard him unlock his blade I quickly jumped forward out of range just in time for him to miss me with his swing. For this samurai that was bad. I jumped back towards him with a full kick to the stomach. He bent over from the blow and I smashed his nose on my left knee. Before either knew what was happening I had his head in a choking move and stepped back to break his neck. I dropped the dead boy and looked at his friend. He just looked between his dead comrade and me for several moments with big scared eyes.

"You are having trouble finding the right words for the moment?"

He finally stammered out, "Yo.. You cannot do that!"

I nodded. "Ah. Well clearly you are mistaken. I can do that. What I think you meant to say was I should not have done that. Yes?" I smiled.

"You are insane!"

"Why so?"

"They will kill you for this. Heimin are not allowed to touch nobles."

"Uh, who's they?" I smiled.

"The authorities. Once they find out they will hunt you down."

"Huh. How are they going to find out?"

He realized there was no one around and he quickly pulled his sword. "Stay away from me!"

"OK." I smiled

"I mean it!"

"I believe you." I knelt down and removed the saya from the dead boy and replaced the katana in the samurai style. Spin the blade and once the tip hits the opening of the sheath slam it home. The boy put his weapon away as I started going through his friend's belongings.

"You touch the dead so you are not heimin. You are eta?"

I held up the katana to him. "Apparently I am ronin." I caught a slight smile from him. "You are not very upset over the loss of your friend."

He shook his head. "He was no friend of mine."

I motioned for him to continue. He went on to tell me his name was Fukushima Saburo and this poor excuse for a human on the ground had been Nigata Kumikazu. They both were part of courtier families of the Bandai in different cities of the Honshu province. Saburo had just met him a few days ago as they both traveled to the dueling school. Kumikazu had been loud, brash, and boastful. An irritating boy at the best of times. He had apparently 'practiced' his draw several times on their trip and Saburo was happy to see him gone. By the time he finished his story I had removed a Bandai kimono and was about to get undressed.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting dressed, Saburo san." I smiled.

"You cannot do that!"

"You really should work at using the phrase should not." I smiled.

"And what happens when we get to the next town and I report what you have done?"

I looked at him. "You are going to report that an unarmed boy killed your comrade, stole his things and all the while you just stood there with a sword on your hip?" I said incredulously.

His shoulders slumped and he hung his head.

"And now you feel shame... Turn around. I have to get dressed." He turned with shoulders slumped. "Shame for not attacking me and getting yourself killed. Shame for not forcing Kumikazu to stop hurting innocent people. Shame, shame, shame." His head seemed to hang lower. "Saburo san, you have too much fear in you. We will have to do something about that or you will be miserable your whole life."

"And who are you to talk to me this way?"

"You may call me Kumikazu. How do I look?"

He turned to face me with an odd look on his face. "Like you were meant to wear it."

"Domo arigato, Saburo san."

I gave a small bow. Then drug the naked body off the road and into the brush.

"So what now?" he asked.

"Now," I took a quick glance at the acceptance letter to the school. "Nigata Kumikazu and his friend will proceed to the Nigata dueling school." I smiled.

He looked stunned again. "It cannot be that easy."

"I am afraid it is actually." I said as I stored the dead boy's goods in his pack.

"You will not be able to pull it off. Even if I do not say anything."

"No. You would not be able to pull it off and therefore you assume I would not either. I will be just fine."

Once I was finished with the pack I urged Saburo along with me. He had many concerns.

"What do you want?"

"I want you to be brave enough to draw your sword when you see a samurai killed by a peasant. Or better yet, brave enough to stop a samurai from practicing his Iaijutsu on peasants. Or actually, I would be in heaven if we could get you to the point where you were brave enough to kill a samurai stupid enough to practice his Iaijutsu on peasants in your presence!" I said with a broad smile.

We continued on our way to the school. Saburo was awkward for an hour or so but it was

obvious he preferred my company to his last traveling partner. We had good conversation and I was pleased to find out the dead man had over twenty silver in his purse. This trip just kept getting better and better.

My papers got me past the Mito guards and housed in the school. Classes started a few days later. Saburo and I spent our time touring the school and the castle as well as the town. It was a good time. We fell into class and met Sensei Ashi, the Grand Master of the school. He was a fantastic swordsman and a great instructor. He was a good humored man, but not in class.

In class he was stern and unforgiving. Still, I liked the man. We were all issued new katana, and forbidden to unsheathe them. They were to sit in our rooms until we began our practice with them. Which would take years. There was no set time. "The duelist will know when he is ready." We started on our first year. Nothing but Bandai Jujutsu. It was a little different from the Koga style, but not much. It was easy for me to pick up. I would have helped out more with the others but I needed to blend in. I made sure Saburo and I were selected as partners for training.

"You still have too much fear." I would say.

"Shut up." Then I would hit him.

"You must clear your mind, Saburo san." He would growl and I would hit him again.

This continued for the first month. Then he started to get better. He was improving on letting go of his fear and it had a dramatic effect on his abilities. You should have seen him the first time he threw me onto the mat. All I could do was stare up at him with a stupid grin. Then I had to start working at beating him. We quickly fell into a 50/50 split on who would win each match. Not long after that the instructors paired us up with two different partners. They were both inferior to us but I noticed Saburo was doing with his partner what I had done with him and my current partner. Now both of our partners started to improve as well.

Very quickly we fell in with a group of about ten students whose names I, regrettably, have forgotten over the years. We would train, talk and travel the town together. Many jokes and much to learn, that was our motto. Yes it was a stupid motto but I didn't pick it. We couldn't have picked a better town to be in at our age.

There were many artists housed here from painters and sculptors to various martial arts. We even found an instructor of Ju-Do. It is an art of no hitting, just dodging, locks, and throws. I convinced my friends to take instruction with me. We still had to practice our Jujutsu of course, it was part of the training, but this was a nice change. Sensei Ashi didn't care. I think he thought it was a useful hobby. It turned out to be a bad idea on my part. Saburo and the others would sneak Ju-Do maneuvers in at Jujutsu practice when the sensei wasn't looking.

"Ooooph." I lay on my back.

"Heh heh heh." Saburo laughed until he saw Sensei Ashi look in our direction he said, "Hit you too hard, did I?" I began to think Saburo might make a good Koga. Every man deserves a little revenge now and again.

It was near the end of our first year in the Nigata school, when I saw something that made me realize Saburo was NOT the same boy I had met on the road. New Year's eve was approaching and he had left the castle to get something for his father and mother. The rest of my friends and I were doing the same, but we had left a few hours after him. I had to get something for the real Kumikazu's parents. They had written a few times and I had replied as generically as possible without raising suspicions.

Anyway, while we were out, my friends and I turned the corner onto a side street in the merchant quarter of the city. We saw Saburo standing in front of a Kyushu samurai. A young heimin girl, about the age of twelve, stood frightened a few feet from them. The Kyushu said, "I do not care what you think pretty boy! If this cow runs into me? I push her away!"

"She is just a girl, Aso sama. Surely a mighty Kyushu can be a little kinder to a small girl."

"Bah."

The Aso moved to shove Saburo out of the way but Saburo grabbed the man's arm and spun it behind his back. Then he slowly started the grip, taught to him in Ju-Do, to send pain up the man's arm. The Kyushu's body locked as the hold tightened.

"I think it would be wise if you learned from this, Aso sama."

Saburo pushed him forward to the ground. The man looked up with fury in his eyes. He rose, drew his sword, and charged. We were not allowed to carry katana yet, so Saburo dropped back into a ready stance. When the samurai was almost on top of him for the swing, he stepped into him, grabbing the Kyushu's arm, and putting his right foot into his stomach, he rolled back onto his back. Using the man's inertia against him. He sent the Kyushu flying fifteen feet through the air, hitting hard against the side of a building's wooden wall, before dropping to the ground on his head. The mononofu couldn't get up. He was no longer conscious.

I waited with my friends while Saburo spoke to the girl. Once he had finished, everyone went to congratulate him. He had a huge smile. Later when Saburo and I sat alone at a tea-house he asked sarcastically,

"Did you find anything for your father?"

I smiled and nodded. "Yes, I found a very nice calligraphy set to send him."

"Ah and what are you going to do if they ever come to visit, oh dangerous and wise one."

I frowned a little and looked at him seriously. "It would be inconvenient, but Kumikazu would simply disappear."

He sat up. "That sucks."

I shrugged.

"You would just go back to being a Heimin."

I looked at him and laughed. He had tried this game several times over the last year. "We are not playing this game again. You do not get to guess at what I am by eliminating what I am not."

"All I know is, you are the only friend I have that I know NOTHING about. Who are you? What do you do?"

"What must be done." I smiled.

Too late I realized I gave away too much there but he didn't seem to notice. A few of our friends returned and we headed back to our rooms as it was getting late. I asked all of them to my room as I had something to give Saburo and I wanted them to see it. Once we were all settled, I retrieved the sword I took from Kumikazu that day on the road and presented it to our friend. Truth be told, they were all here in case my story fell apart. I wanted him to have the sword but I didn't want it to look like he killed the boy for it.

"You are not the same scared boy I met on the road here so long ago. You have earned this my friend. This is the sword of Kumikazu." I presented it with both hands. He looked very surprised and pleased, at the same time. He leaned towards me and received it into his two hands, as is the custom in offering a sword.

"Domo arigato, Kumikazu san." he said as I smiled.