by Gaynor Baker
“Good girl.” He smiled. As she climbed into the litter, she heard his low chuckle. When they stopped a few miles outside the capital she wasn"t feeling much better but she said nothing to Fujito and as they started off again came to join him. He took her hand and surreptitiously felt her pulse. It was slightly elevated and the skin on her wrist felt clammy. Looking sideways at her face, he noticed it was flushed.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes. Fine.” She turned to smile at him and teetered on her next step. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. Look, over there. Something glinted in the sun.”
Fujito glanced about at the surrounding trees. But he saw nothing. He was sure it was heat exhaustion. He was about to tell her to get back in the litter when she fainted in his arms. He called the litter bearers and one of them helped to get her into the palanquin.
“What is it?” Kimika asked, very concerned.
“She fainted. I think it"s heat stroke. Keep her cool. When she wakes up give her some water, but slowly.” He jumped into the palanquin.
She could tell from the tone of his voice that he was worried about something else as well.
When she had said she saw something glinting in the sun, he had at first thought it was her imagination. But just as he was carrying her to the litter, he saw it for himself. It could only be one thing.
“Take us around that way.” He told the bearers, pointing in the opposite direction. “What is it?”
“Haratoda and his henchmen.”
“What will you do?”
“Try to out smart them. That"s why I sent them this way. If that doesn"t work, my only option is to fight them.” He sighed. “Give me your fan.” Although the litter was a shelter from the direct sun, it was still hot inside the curtained vehicle. He fannedKatharine"s face. Feeling her pulse he found it to be elevated. Her skin to his touch was clammy. He prayed they would reach the villa soon. When the house came within sight just beyond the clearing, he breathed a sigh of relief. Looking around he saw the area was clear. They had lost them. He jumped from the palanquin and signaled the bearers to carry Katharine inside. As he turned away from the litter, he saw more twinkling of sun on metal: swords. They"d been found out. Suddenly metsuke and yoriki surrounded him. He recognized Haratoda.
“Isamu?” Kimika"s face showed her concern.
“Don"t worry about me. Just take care of Katsuko.” He whispered. Securing his katana in its scabbard, he faced his enemy.
“So, this is the last battle, samurai.” Haratoda grinned evilly at him. Suddenly he felt a stirring in his spirit, and a voice seemed to be telling him, “Do not be afraid, for I have many people in this city. I have given your enemies into your hand. The battle is the Lord"s.”
“Don"t be too sure.” Fujito answered back menacingly. His eyes flashed fire in iron. Now he was fighting under the Lord"s command, he had no fear of losing. Haratoda made to strike a blow to his head. Fujito spun away to avoid it and held his sword to slice Haratoda"s stomach.
Haratoda avoided the blow and Fujito aimed for his arm. His opponent twisted away to avoid it and without hesitation Fujito aimed a thrust at his throat. He heard the sound of metal ripping skin.
Haratoda"s eyes bugged in surprise and he heard the death rattle His enemy fell to the ground, blood spewing from the wound.
As he turned to face the second attacker, he prayed for Katharine"s safety. His assailant thrust with his sword. Fujito came up from underneath and blocked the attack. Then he swung the sword around his head and struck the aggressor on the side of the neck. Blood gushed from the juggler as the man screamed in pain. He fell to the ground with a thud. Then there was silence. Looking around him, he saw the yoriki fleeing through the trees.
Suddenly he was grabbed from behind. Dropping his sword Fujito grabbed his opponent"s right sleeve and pushed back with his hips. He pulled him over his shoulder by the right arm as he bent his legs and rotated his body to complete the throw. Hisattacker"s head hit the stump of a tree, knocking him out cold. He picked up the katana and ran his thumb along the blade to clean it then sheathed it. He didn"t even stop to catch his breath but headed up the hill to the villa, and his wife. When he reached the villa Kimika ran out to meet him. “How is she?”
“She came out of her faint but—”
“But what?” Fujito asked, fearing the worst.
“She asked where you were. I had to tell her you weren"t here. For some reason she kept mumbling Hakone and fainted again.”
Her brother rushed past her and into his bedroom where they had laid her. Katharine was lying on the futon. A light quilt covered her to prevent shock. “Did she drink anything?” He asked Kimika.
“Yes, a little.”
Fujito relaxed but not much. Keeling beside her he took her hand and held it to his lips.
“Katsuko? Nikko, it"s me.” He whispered. She moaned but made no further response. Fujito bit his bottom lip to keep from crying, but a single tear escaped a lid.
“Katsuko, can you hear me? I"m here, koibito.”
For a brief moment, he doubted his faith. How could God take the one thing in his life that meant so much to him? The one who had brought the sun into his life, his Nikko?
“The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” The voice was still and small. With a sigh he prayed, “She was yours before she wasmine if this be your will…” He broke off as a sob rose in his throat. Suddenly he felt her move under his hand. She moaned, turned her head, and opened her eyes.
“Isamu?”
“Yes, koibito.” He smiled.
“What happened, where are we?”
“We"re home, koibito.
“Home?”
“In Kagoshima.”
“We made it?” She asked trying to sit. He took her hand. When she had sat up, he held her against him.
“Yes, we made it.” He kissed her hair. “We made it.”
He looked up to see Kimika standing with a glass of water.
“Thanks.” He smiled as he took it from her and held it to Katharine"s lips. “Drink it slowly, koibito.”
When she had finished, he set it down on the floor beside them.
“I want you to rest a while, all right?”
“But I feel fine.”
Yes, she was back. He smiled. “Do it for me?”
“All right.”
“Good girl.” He helped her lie back, kissed her cheek and stood up. He and Kimika left her to sleep.
“What happened?” Kimika asked after she made them tea.
“Haratoda made it here before us. Don"t ask me how.” He took a sip from his cup. “He"s dead. I killed him.”
“Isamu, you?”
“When you fight under the Lord"s direction, you can only win.” He said humbly, with a smile. “But I"m afraid it might not be over yet.” He sipped some more tea. “What do you mean?”
“The yoriki, cowards that they are fled the scene. They"ll probably hightail it back to Edo and tell them everything.”
“Oh Isamu, I"m sorry.”
“We"ll just have to find a place to go.”
“Will you ever be able to stop running?”
“Eventually.” He smiled.
When Katharine woke an hour or so later he told her everything that happened, and about the yoriki.
“I"ve been thinking.” Kimika said. “It"s O -Bon coming up. If you can decide where to go, it would be a good idea to go then. It will be dark; people will be concentrating so much on the Festival they won"t be looking for two fugitives.” “An excellent suggestion.” Fujito agreed. “There are many small islands here. But we"ll have to make it look like a botched attempt.” Looking at his wife he added, “We"ll need to visit Michiko and Ryochi.”
The meeting was at once bitter and sweet. The servants were pleased to see their master and his ward again and even more pleased to hear of their marriage. But when Fujito explained their plan they gave them their full support.
As the sun began to set on the first day of O-Bon, the first chants could be heard from the temple precincts. All over Kagoshima, the sounds of flutes and koto could be heard calling the dead home.
“What is that horrible noise?” Katharine asked. “It sounds like someone in pain.” “It"s the priest.” Fujito told her. “Chanting for the dead.”
“Can"t we get away from it? It sounds evil.”
Her husband smiled and shook his head. “Not with paper walls.” Putting his arm around her shoulder he added, “Just remember, it can"t hurt you. You belong to Christ and the evil one cannot touch you. When night descends, the chanting will stop and the dancing will start. Just try to hang on till then, all right?” “All right.”
Fujito was right. Under the cover of night the chants stopped and the instruments began to play recognizable music.
All over Kagoshima, people came out of their houses. Those who weren"t playing flutes or shamisan carried boats carrying paper lanterns and formed a procession to the bay.
“What are they doing now?”
“The priests have awakened the dead with their chanting.”
“I don"t doubt it. Noise like that could wake anybody.”
Fujito laughed. Drawing her close, he kissed her temple. Then he continued. “Now the people are guiding their relatives into the town.”
As the sun set below the horizon, the lights glinted brighter and brighter on the water as the line of boats sailed out to sea. The people on shore began to drink the sake they had brought with them.
Fujito and Katharine made their way with the others to the edge of the bay. By the time they reached it, those around them were so drunk with the wine and the frenzy of the ever-increasing tempo of the music that they had begun to dance around in a fury of movement.
“It"s time, koibito.” Fujito whispered. He led her through the crowd of people and glowing lanterns to a deserted spot further along the shore.
There, Ryochi had a boat waiting for them. In the back were the possessions that they would need. It too had a lantern in it to make it indistinguishable from the others.
Fujito helped her in and got in himself. Michiko was standing on the sand. “You know what to do.” He told her.
“Yes, Fujito-Sama.” She bowed to each in turn. “Sayonara.”
“Sayonara.”
Ryochi cast off and began to push the boat out to sea with the oar. When they were far enough out, he sat and rowed.
As they neared their new island home the sound of music got softer and softer until they could hear it no more.
The Asama Maru pulled up to the bank and they stepped out.
Looking back the glimmer of lantern light appeared as fireflies.
When the sun came up over the bay the only evidence that the samurai and his lady had ever been in Kagoshima were two kimono, a piece of wood from a lifeboat and an old sea chest floating in the water.
“Are you all right, Koibito?” Fujito asked.
“Yes, but are you sure this was the only way?” A tear on her cheek shone gold in the light of the rising sun.
“Yes.” He kissed her quickly wiping away the tear with the side of his thumb. “Remember, sayonara is not good-bye.” He smiled.
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