The Hand of Death Ch. 15

"Yes." He said this like, Of course.

"It is an honor to meet you, Michi sama. The stories of your deeds abound all over Giapan."

"There again, they are not all completely true."

"So, you don't save maidens from oni?"

"YesIdo." He said quickly.

We laughed.

The rice was very warm, the tea was too hot, but it tasted great once I let it cool. Michi asked as many questions as the peasants in Shoshinshu Mura.

"Where did you learn the Dao?"

"Originally, from my father. But when he died, I found a Komuso named Tukei, and traveled with him for several months."

"Where was this?"

"The lands of the Etorofu. A place I do not miss."

"Yes, I have never been there but I have been told it is very unnerving."

"That is putting it mildly."

"Why was your father there?"

"His name was Ya, he was a ronin. At one time he had hoped to join the Etorofu. He taught me what he could."

"He died from the bandits then?"

"Cholera, actually. I always expected him to die in a duel."

He smiled. "He got into many scrapes, I take it."

I nodded as I drank some tea. "Yes, he was incorrigible."

"You do not like to duel then?"

"No. I prefer to use my time helping others. Speaking of which, how may I help?"

"Tashi told me that was the first thing you asked of him." I laughed a little. "We will find work tomorrow. Tonight Chiba wishes to speak with you."

I nodded. "Why does the Daimyo wish to see me?"

He shrugged. "He heard of you as well. Brave men are few." He smiled.

Chiba is a bit of an enigma in Giapan. He was proud to be a ronin. Incredibly smart. Incredibly dangerous. And an incredibly good singer. Honestly. Women of every court rave about his voice. He had been a nobody. A ronin child born after his mother's house had been ronin-ized by their master's blunder in court. I'm not sure about the details there but Chiba never forgave the nobles for what they did to her. His mother apparently committed seppuku after he was old enough to care for himself.               He waged a one-man war against the lord who had ronin-ized his mother. His personal war took years and did not look to ever succeed until the lord fell out of favor with the Emperor. Now Chiba had support from everywhere. He used these new funds and troops to take the peninsula away from the original lord. He then made that lord commit seppuku, poetic justice I guess, and named himself Daimyo of the Morijunin. The Emperor agreed as he made the name official several years ago.

Michi took me to his own suite when we had finished eating. He lent me the use of a room off of his main room. It had a futon and a chest. I stored my things and met him in the hall. We walked to the top floor of the castle. I saw a large garden off to the side as we walked. This whole floor belonged to Chiba and his servants. One of these met us outside of Chiba's personal meeting hall. He bowed to us and opened the thick wooden door. Michi and I walked in.

Chiba stood near the entrance to a balcony, which overlooked the pass from Shiro Toshi Morijunin. When his herald announced us he turned. There were four mononofu, serving as yojimbo to him. I noticed two other men in the room as well. It looked as if they had been discussing some sort of business before we came in. Chiba approached me.

"Kazemu san?"

I bowed to him and waited for his bow. When it came, I rose. "Yes, Chiba sama."

"My friend, Tashi, has told us how much you aided them. Never loathing work and fighting like a true warrior."

"Tashi honors me with his praise. I am grateful to him for all of his kindness."

He nodded with a smile. "They tell me you came through the Honshu lands to get here?"

"Yes, that is true."

"Did you stay there long?"

He motioned for us to be seated near a small table. As we sat a servant brought out a tray with tea and three cups. I removed my katana and placed it on my right side with the handle toward the rear. This was the most difficult position from which to draw it if needed and was the highest form of showing one's trust to a lord.

"I was not in their lands for long, my lord."

"May I ask why? Surely you have no prejudice towards the Honshu."

I shook my head. "No, Chiba sama. I did not stay because I felt drawn farther south. A feeling that only left after the oni were dispatched."

He nodded. "I understand feelings well enough. I get them quite often, like the feeling I have that there is more to you than appears."

I thought quietly for a moment. "I do not know how to aid you there. I am a simple monk, who wishes to help people. Nothing more."

"You will not mind if I ask you to stay for a while then?"

I shook my head. "As long as I may speak of the Dao and help with your heimins' work. I have no complaints."

"Those two requests we can easily meet. Now. Tell me about the fight."

He was almost like a little child requesting a story of great deeds from his father. I related the story, from the time the two boys ran into town, until we came home with our two dead friends. I told him about Guwa's gift to me, before ending the tale. He seemed to enjoy the tale.

"I wish I had been there."

"I do as well Chiba sama." He looked confused. "Your skill with sword and bow are legendary. Perhaps if you had been there... none would have died." He nodded his understanding.

Michi spoke to me. "Kazemu san, you did all you could. It is not your fault."

"...I could have been faster."

All of them nodded their understanding. Most warriors, if not most men, feel this way. There is that point in their lives, that they regret their lack of speed in saving someone. Mine was Ino in Toshi Towada. After much more talking Chiba excused us for the night. He had much work to do. Chiba wanted me to stay with them for two months; there wasn't much I could do about that. So I did.

I did find that I liked him though. He wasn't the sniveling backstabber I had been raised to believe. "Just because they wrote it, does not make it so." Thank you, Grandfather.

I stayed with Michi for the entire time that I was with the Morijunin. We talked of the Dao and life, and during the days helped the heimin with their labors. Morijunin peasants are like most heimin you find throughout Giapan, hardworking and honorable. At night one of us would teach from the Dao, which of us depended on who the crowd wanted to hear. Many times, Chiba himself would be present at our lessons.

After my two months were finished, Chiba decided I could go. I think he had been waiting to see if I would make a mistake. If his feeling was correct I should have messed up by now. I said my goodbyes to Chiba and those of his men I had come to know. I found Michi with the carpenters of the city. They had been arguing over prices for labor, and he had been keeping the peace between them. I told Michi it was time for me to leave. He was disappointed but he would be leaving in a week or two as well. He couldn't stay away from the Tokushima for too long.

"It has been a pleasure to speak with you, Kazemu san." He bowed.

"For me as well, Michi sama." I bowed.

"If you are ever in the Tokushima lands I would be honored to visit with you again."

"I do not know if I could survive the climb up."

He laughed. "The walk up is tricky, but the downhill is very pleasant."

I traveled south down the mountain to another small farming village named Hiochu Mura. It lies just south of Shoshinshu Mura. I spent at least three weeks in every town and tower, even the monastery of Hachi-Tera. That was boring! It solidified my growing goal of, if I make it to retirement? It will be as a wandering monk! I had two locations left before I was stumped. I had lost hope of finding the mine over a month ago. I had passed up my sixteenth New Year a few weeks back. It didn't even occur to me until it had passed.

So I was two weeks over sixteen when I found myself walking into the rice farming village of Goro. Now aside from a few strangers on the road, all of the Morijunin were friendly to me. Not here though. My hopes rose. The people were distant and cold. Not like the other farmers of the land. The samurai who guarded the town wanted me gone, and soon! If it had been a Koga town with a secret, everyone would have been friendly and happy to see me. Anything, to rid a person of the perception that there was something wrong. But these were Morijunin may Inari, the god of rice, bless them.

I bought enough supplies for two weeks and left. The merchant that sold them to me was rude. Once out of sight I found a good hide spot from where I could observe the town. At night I would slip back into town and spy on them. The guards were discussing the 'others' from time to time. It would be awhile before they returned.

I observed the town for a week. Then one night four samurai and twelve men came into town with a cart. No one left until the morning. When the sun rose four different samurai and twelve different men left to the east with an empty cart. They were headed towards the small mountain range that ran through the far coast of the peninsula. I circled wide around the town and spent another hour locating their trail. I followed it slowly. After many hours I came upon the little mine tucked into the mountains.

I could hear the men working the mine while two samurai stood guard outside. As night fell the other two came out to relieve them when the miners came out to rest for the evening. I backed away from the mine and found a nice dead tree to hide under while I slept. After I had rested that night and the next day, I approached the mine slowly. Stealth is just a matter of how fast you are not going. Slipping past the Morijunin samurai was excruciatingly slow but simple enough. I slowly made the shadows of the mine a little larger to aid me as I whispered past them. I misted into the dark mouth of the mine and almost bumped into the cart. My first thought as I peered inside of it was, Finally! After six months of looking, I saw silver chunks lining the base of the cart. They had the day's product inside of it. I stuck five raw chunks of silver veined stone into my kimono and slipped back out to Father Night.

The Morijunin never knew I was there and my walk out of their land was uneventful. Almost. I had been traveling for over a week and was about four hours from the Honshu border when he caught me. I was walking and looking around making sure no one could sneak up on me. But he and his damned magic armor managed to do it anyway. When I faced forward I saw him. Right in front of me.

"You lied to me, basket head!" He looked very angry. I would need to be a little careful. Michi was no push over.

"...Which time, Michi sama?"

Now he was really mad.

"Which time!? You said you were from the Etorofu lands! No one there has ever heard of you! That monk! Or your father!"

"Oh that. Yes, I did." I started to walk past him but he stepped in front of me.

"You are a Koga spy!"

I looked at him through my basket for a moment then I stepped back.

"That is a pretty big assumption, Michi sama. Why would you assume that just from my being a liar?"

He leaned down until we were standing face to face. "Because of your tattoossss," he hissed.

"Ah. I assume you saw them when we were helping the heimin at some point."

He nodded. "They are kind of unique." He smiled menacingly.

"Yes. And of course no other criminal would ever have tattoos like mine." I nodded and smiled. He stopped smiling. "And we all know that no criminal would ever walk around as a Komuso monk. What with the hiding your features from the rest of the world and all."

He looked at me sternly. "You - are - no - criminal."

"I am flattered, but you do not actually know that."

"Yes. I do. I have met plenty of criminals pretending to be Komuso. As long as they treat the position with honor I let them continue. But when they are young they know - almost - nothing of the Dao."

I shrugged a little. "I am very gifted."

"You are an assassin!"

I smiled. "And a pretty damned good one too." He drew his No-Dachi from his back. I acted as if that changed nothing. "That does not explain why you are so mad though."

"Because you are a member of a lying, cheating, thieving house!"

I nodded. "So you admit you have a hatred of my House?... Not very enlightened, Michi sama."

"That does not change anything!"

"Because I lied about who I am." He nodded happily. "I never killed that Oni in Shoshinshu."

"Well, of course you did that."

"And my lessons on the Dao lacked insight because it was all made up."

He shook his head. "I doubt you believed any of it!"

I nodded. "Because I am Koga."

"Exactly." He said.

"So I could not possibly be here on Imperial orders." I nodded. His shoulders slumped a little. "To investigate an undeclared silver mine Daimyo Chiba has been harvesting in secret." He looked so disappointed.

"So that is what you are claiming?" he stated more than asked.

I removed one of the chunks of unrefined silver from my kimono and tossed it to him. He looked at it and put his sword away. Sohei do not like to find out they are biased. He looked up and I was gone. I was just a thin black mist behind the base of a tree. Unnoticeable to most people as it slowly drifted away. Michi was furious.

"I should have brought the Morijunin with me!" he yelled to the sky.

I managed not to laugh as I slipped my way home.