by Unknown
All of a sudden, the glistening tip of a sword thrust out of the samurai’s chest. The Red Devil staggered, coughing up blood, and collapsed to the ground, dead.
‘Best avoid those with the golden horns,’ Sensei Hosokawa advised. ‘They’re the elite warriors.’
He then returned to fight beside Masamoto, who’d dismounted and was decimating any Red Devil who came near with his Two Heavens technique. Sensei Yosa, though, was still on horseback, riding through the battle and picking off the enemy with her deadly arrows. To Jack’s right, Sensei Kyuzo was taking on two Red Devils at once. In an impressive display of taijutsu, he disarmed them both before impaling them on one another’s spears. A flurry of snow-white hair revealed where Sensei Nakamura was fighting, tears of grief running down her face as she exacted revenge upon the enemy, her naginata swooping through the air like a steel bird of prey. Nearby, the immense form of Sensei Kano could be seen twirling his bō, the enemy dropping like flies around him. The only centre of calm in the midst of this chaos was Sensei Yamada, who stood in the middle of a circle of fallen bodies. Jack watched as a Red Devil charged at the Zen master then suddenly dropped to his knees. A second kiai from Sensei Yamada finished the warrior off.
Jack spotted Yori wandering unscathed through the fighting, as if in a daze. His sword was raised but no one was engaging with him. He was simply too small to be considered a threat. A Red Devil bumped into Yori, saw the tiny warrior, then laughed. A moment later, the smile had been wiped off the man’s face as Sensei Yosa planted an arrow through his throat.
Breaking through the masses, a number of Red Devils on horseback bore down on the Niten Ichi Ryū students. Yori was directly in their path and about to be trampled underfoot. Jack screamed a warning, but he couldn’t be heard above the noise of battle. He sprinted at his friend, shoulder-barging him out from under the horses’ hooves.
Jack dragged Yori to his feet. ‘I told you, stick with us.’
Yori nodded meekly. ‘But no one wants to fight me.’
‘And you’re complaining!’ exclaimed Jack.
‘No, of course not,’ said Yori, giving a nervous laugh.
His eyes suddenly widened in fear. ‘Behind you!’
Jack turned to see a Red Devil charging at them. Having dropped his katana in the mud saving Yori, Jack went to draw his wakizashi but knew it was too late. The samurai was already bringing his sword round to decapitate him.
‘YAH!’
The Red Devil’s eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed face first in the mud.
Yori, breathing hard from the exertion of his kiai, grinned at Jack.
‘No wonder no one wants to fight you, Yori. You’re lethal!’ said Jack, picking up his katana before another samurai could attack them.
‘I think I only knocked him out,’ Yori replied, tapping the body with his foot. The Red Devil moaned feebly.
‘Jack!’ cried Akiko, frantically beckoning them to join her and Yamato.
The two of them ran over, only to discover Emi lying on the ground, an arrow protruding from her thigh. She was pale, blood soaking through her leggings and hakama.
‘We must protect Emi, at all costs,’ said Akiko, raising her bow.
They immediately formed a defensive circle round the daimyo’s daughter, driving back the advancing Red Devils. But there were simply too many. Daimyo Kamakura’s forces were now smashing their way through every rank and file of Satoshi’s army.
The battle had become a massacre.
Encircled by Red Devils, Sensei Nakamura wielded her naginata with brutal abandon, her snow-white hair whirling amid a sea of red. Suddenly she disappeared, swallowed up by the enemy.
A soldier bearing a golden sashimono ran towards them.
‘RETREAT TO THE CASTLE!’ screamed the messenger.
A moment later, he was slain by a Red Devil from behind, his blood splattering the golden banner.
‘Fall back!’ commanded Masamoto, cutting his way through the mass of enemy troops with Sensei Hosokawa, Yosa and Kyuzo.
‘Leave me,’ Emi groaned, unable to stand. ‘Save yourselves.’
‘No,’ said Jack. ‘We’re all bound to one another, remember?’
Sheathing his swords, he lifted her to her feet. Emi almost passed out with the pain.
‘Time to go!’ said Akiko urgently, firing off several arrows.
The five of them retreated in the direction of the castle with thousands of other fleeing troops, fighting a rearguard action. But their progress was hampered, not just by the wounded Emi but by the churned-up terrain. The Red Devils were rapidly closing in, threatening to cut off their escape route to the main gate.
‘We’re not going to make it,’ said Yamato, as a squad of Red Devils broke free and charged at them. Taking Emi’s other arm, he helped Jack carry her, hoping that together they could outrun the enemy.
Taro, who’d already reached the bridge, spotted them struggling towards safety. He ran back, both swords raised high.
‘Keeping going,’ he said. ‘I’ll hold them off as long as possible.’
He stood his ground as the squad of Red Devils bore down on him. His katana and wakizashi became a blur, the Two Heavens technique annihilating any samurai who ventured near. But reinforcements were not far behind and Taro was in danger of being overwhelmed before the five of them could reach the bridge.
‘Taro needs help,’ said Yori, running off.
‘No!’ screamed Jack, but it was too late.
Yori took up position beside Taro, yelling kiai after kiai at the advancing force. The two of them slowed the enemy’s progress enough for Jack, Emi, Yamato and Akiko to cross the bridge.
‘Yori! Taro, come on!’ shouted Jack.
They turned and ran.
Exhausted and out of breath from the fight, Yori’s little legs wouldn’t carry him fast enough.
The enemy were closing in on him.
He slipped and fell.
Taro stopped and, turning back, withdrew his swords.
‘What’s does he think he’s doing?’ exclaimed Yamato.
‘He’s sacrificing himself for Yori,’ said Akiko, a tear running down her cheek.
Taro made his final stand upon a small rise.
Red Devil after Red Devil fell, as he held back the tide of enemy samurai. Then an immense Red Devil with twisted gold horns drove a spear into him. Taro staggered under the blow, but kept fighting. He managed to take out a few more of the enemy, before the gold-horned samurai cut him down with the massive blade of a nodaichi sword. Taro crumpled to his knees. Showing no mercy, the samurai chopped Taro’s head from his shoulders. The Red Devils swarmed over him and advanced on the castle.
Jack could only stare at where Saburo’s brother had fallen, shocked by the sudden and brutal loss.
But Yori was still on the plain, running for all he was worth.
‘COME ON!’ screamed Jack.
The thought of his loyal and courageous friend suffering such a gruesome death was too much to bear.
Suddenly the massive doors of the outer wall began to close.
‘Wait!’ he begged the guards. ‘Yori’s still out there.’
‘I’m under orders,’ growled the gatekeeper.
Yori was flagging, his strength sapped by all his kiai attacks.
The gates were drawing ever closer.
Jack willed his friend on.
Through the narrowing gap, he saw Yori stumble on to the bridge.
But behind, an avalanche of red samurai threatened to engulf him.
The doors slammed shut with a thunderous clang.
‘Noooo!’ cried Jack, hammering his fists against the barred gates.
50
PAPER CRANE
Barging the guards out of the way, Jack dashed up the stairs of the gate tower to the ramparts. He discovered hundreds of soldiers firing arquebuses, launching arrows, and hurling rocks at the enemy. On the plain, stranded knots of Satoshi’s samurai fought bravely on, while daim
yo Kamakura’s forces continued their advance, bringing up their siege machines and cannon.
Below him, a seething mass of Red Devils launched an assault on the castle gate. The drawbridge had been raised, but they’d begun to fill in the moat with the bodies of the slain, piling them higher and higher.
Jack looked desperately around, but Yori was nowhere to be seen, his friend’s body lost among the corpses.
‘We have to go,’ said Akiko, resting her hand upon his shoulder. ‘Masamoto-sama’s ordered us to regroup at the barracks.’
‘Why close the gates?’ raged Jack, slamming his fist upon the parapet.
‘The enemy was about to overrun us.’
‘But he was on the bridge!’
Jack shook with fury, then broke down in tears, weeping, ‘I’d promised to look after him.’
‘And you did,’ said Akiko, drawing Jack away from the rampart. ‘But it was Yori’s decision to help Taro. His sacrifice saved us.’
When they reached the barracks, Jack was shocked to see that barely half the students had made it back. Many were injured, while others sat around with a dazed, faraway look in their eyes. Their losses had been heavy. Not only had Sensei Nakamura fallen in battle, but Sensei Yamada and Sensei Kano were missing too. Jack wandered over to where Emi lay, her leg now bandaged. Cho was by her side.
‘Where’s Kai?’ he asked, though he feared the answer.
Cho gave a sad shake of her head and wiped a tear away.
‘Jack,’ said Emi, trying to sit up to greet him. ‘Thank you for saving my life.’
‘It’s the least I could do after endangering it last year,’ he replied.
Emi smiled warmly at him. ‘I forgive you for that.’
‘And so do I,’ said a voice from behind.
Jack turned round to see daimyo Takatomi, his arm in a sling, accompanied by two of his bodyguards.
‘Jack-kun, I must thank you and your friends for bringing my daughter back to safety. I’m sorry to hear of the loss of Taro and Yori,’ he said, bowing his head in respect. ‘Once this little battle’s over, please join us again for cha-no-yu at my castle. We will toast their bravery and remember them.’
‘It would be an honour,’ said Jack, bowing low as the daimyo departed with Emi, borne away by his bodyguards. Though he had to suppress a weary smile; only daimyo Takatomi would think about holding a tea ceremony in the middle of a war.
‘Samurai of the Niten Ichi Ryū,’ said Masamoto, looking battleworn yet defiant. ‘We may have suffered great losses. But the enemy has not broken the spirit of the Niten Ichi Ryū.’
The scars on his face flared with the emotion of his statement.
‘The virtues of bushido you displayed on the field of battle are to be commended. Your courage in the face of danger, and the loyalty shown by those who died to save their comrades will forever be remembered. Such heroism is the cornerstone of our school and why we will never be defeated. Remember Sensei Yamada’s words, only by binding together will we remain strong.’
Jack, Akiko and Yamato looked at one another. Though Yori was on all their minds, they realized their continued survival relied upon their trinity remaining intact.
‘As I speak, the Council are planning our counter-offensive. In the meantime, ensure you get some rest. You’ll need your strength for the forthcoming assault. Long live the Niten Ichi Ryū!’
The students shouted their response. But with so many of them missing, the battle cry sounded hollow as it echoed off the castle walls. Masamoto and the remaining sensei strode out of the courtyard in the direction of the keep. Jack followed Yamato and Akiko into the barracks.
Settling down in the far corner, he tried to get some sleep. But the distant rumble of cannonfire was a constant reminder that the battle was not yet over. And the empty bed between him and Yamato was the cruel, painful proof that Yori was no longer with them.
Jack tried to occupy his mind with memories of home, but he always came back to Yori. Just as he was drifting to sleep, he noticed a small white paper crane peeking from Yori’s pack. Reaching over, he pulled it out. Holding the little bird in his palm, he recalled Yori giving him one when he’d fought Sasaki Bishamon, an arrogant samurai on a warrior pilgrimage. That origami model had been Yori’s thousandth crane. As legend dictated, it contained a wish and Yori had wished for Jack’s protection during the duel. Hoping this crane would bring him the same good fortune, Jack put the little bird inside his own shoulder bag next to the Daruma Doll that Yori had rescued from the fire.
Jack would never forget his loyal friend.
51
THE KEEP
A huge explosion woke Jack.
Yamato was gone. So too was Akiko.
He ran outside to see all the students dashing to the top of the inner ramparts. Climbing the stairs two at a time, he found Akiko and Yamato on the battlements. The sun was low on the horizon, the sky a bloody red. In the fading light, Jack could see the Tenno-ji Plain was crawling with daimyo Kamakura’s troops, their cannon and siege machines continuing to bombard the defences.
‘Kamakura’s forces have crossed the moat,’ Yamato explained. ‘They’re setting off barrels of gunpowder to destroy the outer wall.’
Another almighty explosion rocked the castle fortifications. Smoke and dust rose from a collapsing outer battlement and the Red Devils could be seen surging through the gap.
‘So it’s over?’ said Jack.
‘Not yet. They still have to fight their way through the castle complex,’ replied Akiko. ‘Remember, no one has ever taken Osaka Castle.’
The students watched as Kamakura’s army fought a war of attrition. Fierce sword battles broke out between thousands of samurai in and around the battlements as the two sides fought for ground. The Red Devils were intent on reaching the inner bailey, but their progress was slowed by the winding narrow roads of the castle’s outer fortifications. Every gate and outpost was hard won and their losses quickly mounted up.
By the time the sun was dipping behind the horizon, daimyo Kamakura’s advance had come to a standstill.
‘Look! The castle’s on fire!’ said Cho, pointing to the west side of the inner fortifications.
‘But the Red Devils haven’t even breached that section,’ said Yamato in astonishment. ‘We must have a traitor.’
‘It’s more likely to be ninja,’ corrected Akiko, giving Jack a knowing look.
Flames rose from the area of the castle kitchens, an ominous orange glow against the darkened sky. Fanned by the wind, the fire spread rapidly, causing confusion and panic among Satoshi’s troops. Daimyo Kamakura’s forces took immediate advantage of the chaos, breaking through the defensive lines and forcing their way into the inner bailey.
Suddenly the parapet to Jack’s right exploded in a hailstorm of rock and cannonshot. The students all threw themselves to the ground as another cannonball demolished a large section of the rampart. Jack dragged Akiko and Yamato to their feet and they stumbled down the damaged staircase. Screams and shouts of panic erupted from the young samurai. Masamoto and his sensei ran into the courtyard, rallying the students.
‘To the keep!’ he bellowed.
Grabbing their weapons and packs from the barracks, the young samurai followed. They ran through the inner bailey towards their final stronghold. Jack glanced behind. The Red Devils were already battling their way through the rearguard. As the students raced up the cobbled road, Jack knew the safety promised by the keep was only a few more turns away. But the enemy were closing in. Fast.
‘Hurry!’ urged Jack, seeing Cho fall behind.
The Red Devil with the twisted gold horns hacked his way past the remaining guards, his nodaichi’s immense blade slicing straight through three of them in a single sweep.
The road narrowed as the students neared the keep’s inner courtyard. Masamoto was at the gateway, ensuring they all made it to safety.
Jack risked another glance over his shoulder. The gold-horned Red Devil was now hefting a lon
g spear, launching it at the retreating young samurai.
‘Look out!’ screamed Jack to Cho.
The spear spiralled towards her.
At the last moment, Yamato pushed Cho out of the way.
Its cruel barb struck him instead and he fell to the ground.
The Red Devil roared with satisfaction and, wielding his nodaichi, bore down on the wounded Yamato.
Jack turned and ran back to his fallen friend.
Yamato was crawling desperately towards him, the spear still protruding from his side.
Drawing both his swords, Jack charged at the enemy.
The Red Devil was ready for him. As Jack cut down with his katana, the samurai sliced upwards at the same time. Jack barely avoided the lethal length of the blade, managing to deflect it with his wakizashi at the last second. But he lost his grip on the katana when the Red Devil’s forearm smashed across his wrist. The samurai swiftly followed up with his armoured fist, punching Jack in the face. If it hadn’t been for his menpō, Jack would have been killed. The facemask cracked and his helmet was knocked from his head as he flew into the wall.
Stunned, Jack expected to feel the hard steel of the nodaichi cut through his throat at any second. But the Red Devil had halted his attack to stare at Jack.
‘A gaijin samurai!’ he exclaimed, shocked at seeing Jack’s blond hair and bright blue eyes.
An arrow shot through the air striking the Red Devil in the gap between his helmet and menpō. He staggered backwards, blood pouring from his eye socket.
‘Never hesitate,’ said Jack, snatching up his katana.
But the samurai didn’t die.
Screaming in agonized rage, he charged at Jack. Another arrow penetrated his chest as Akiko was joined by Sensei Yosa at the gate. Yet still he attacked. Jack dodged the Red Devil’s wild strike, and a moment later Masamoto was by his side.