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Tengoku

Page 11

by Rae D. Magdon


  Imari, however, didn’t seem intimidated. She passed the reins of her horse back to Takeshi, giving the men and women a short bow. "Good afternoon. I assume you're collecting tolls on this stretch of road?"

  One of the figures snorted, a bulky man with a considerable gut. "Tolls," he spat, knuckles flexing around the grip of his yari. "What a pretty way of putting it."

  "Be quiet."

  The man turned, making way for one of his female companions. She was a thin, wiry woman with a narrow face and quick eyes, but she stood a head taller than the man. She wielded a well-made katana, already removed from its saya.

  "My apologies, my lady," she said politely, although her eyes never left Imari's face. It was a rude gesture that made the hairs on the back of Kaede's neck bristle. "We do, as you say, collect tolls, although not for the Empress, I'm afraid." She gestured at her clothes, which were somewhat ragged and noticeably missing a mon. "But today, I sense a much more lucrative opportunity. I see you wear the mon of Homura."

  "I don't like where this is going." Takeshi had drawn his weapon, and Kaede did the same, taking a risk and hoping her horse wouldn’t bolt. "If you're looking for someone to ransom, look elsewhere. We don't do business with bandits."

  "Bandits?" the woman said, arching an eyebrow. "What a disagreeable term. I prefer to think of myself and my friends as entrepreneurs."

  "Entrepreneurs?" Imari repeated, without the healthy dose of skepticism Kaede thought such a statement deserved. "Then I'm sure you and your friends won't want to pass up an easy business opportunity." She rummaged around in the lining of her jacket, withdrawing a small pouch. "I have several silver coins in this purse. Plenty to keep you for a while, I assume. Take them and let us pass."

  "Really? We're just gonna pay them?" Kenta said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Come on. We can't leave people like this on the road to bother some other poor travelers."

  "Yes, we can," Takeshi muttered, shooting Kenta a sidelong look.

  For once, Kaede agreed with him. She wasn’t fond of bandits either, but any opportunity to avoid a fight was one she was willing to take. “He’s right. Homura-dono’s safety is our first priority.”

  That caught the bandit's attention. "Homura?" she said, glancing again at the lily set in bronze on their clothing. "How interesting that you should share a name with Mirai's daimyo?" She smirked, motioning her band of warriors forward. "My apologies, Lady Homura, but I'd rather have a chest of gold for your ransom than a single pouch. You understand, don't you?"

  Imari sighed. "Please, miss…"

  "Ishikawa," the bandit said. "Ishikawa Gin.”

  “Seriously?” Imari said, giving Gin a skeptical look. Kaede recognized it as well. The name was familiar to anyone who listened to the old stories. “Ishikawa, the hero-thief Ishikawa? That’s not original, I’m afraid.”

  “But appropriate nonetheless,” Gin said with a shrug. “Besides, if all goes well, our acquaintanceship won't have to last long. I'm sure your father will be more than happy to compensate me for your safe return."

  Imari reached for the longer of her two swords. "I will ask you one more time. Allow us to pass."

  "I'm afraid I can't do that. Ichi?" She nodded to the giant, who stepped forward with a smirk. "Bring her to me."

  Chapter Ten

  IMARI DREW HER KATANA, but Kaede got to hers first. She brought her glittering blade level with her head, aiming at Gin’s throat. "My lady asked you to let us pass. I suggest you listen."

  Gin wasn’t intimidated. She stared down the edge of Kaede’s katana without fear. "I suggest you put that away. We have you outnumbered and surrounded. You might get me, but are you fast enough to dodge arrows?" She glanced to the side without moving her head, and Imari followed the look, drawing in a sharp breath. Two more bandits were tucked into the foliage, obscured by leaves and brush, but Imari could make out the curve of a bow. The thought of an arrow piercing Kaede's flesh turned the bottom of her stomach into a sucking pit.

  Kaede merely smiled. "And are your archers fast enough to dodge a wolf?"

  Gin's brow furrowed. "What—" If she had anything else to say, it was drowned out by the sound of screaming. Pained shrieks came from the bushes, and one of the archers stumbled out of position, clutching a bloody, mangled arm.

  "She's got a giant wolf with her! Call it off!"

  "Oh no," Gin snarled, "I'm not letting this pretty bird fly away. Get them."

  The bandits charged, sending the horses scattering, but Imari remained to face one of the spear carriers. She engaged him with a circular strike, and the force of their blades sliding against each other sent a shock along her arm. She ducked in close, near enough to catch the smell of his sweat. By the time he realized she was a threat, he had to take a step back to reach her with the point of his yari. She sent the hurried, half-hearted thrust glancing aside with her kote, slashing toward his chest at an angle. She met flesh, and her blade slid in like silk.

  The man gurgled in pain and his kimono blossomed crimson. He staggered back, dropping his spear, and Imari turned, preparing to disarm her next foe. This one held a katana, and she doubted she could take him by surprise. He attacked with a grunt, and she melted back into defensive forms, dodging and parrying with as little movement as possible.

  After a few missed opportunities, he grew frustrated. His upper lip peeled back over his teeth, and he huffed, putting a little too much force behind his next blow. It was the mistake Imari had been waiting for. Instead of deflecting his blade, she tilted to avoid it, slipping past his thrust and aiming for his shoulder. His body jerked when her katana scored his side, and he curled in on himself as a river of blood washed out.

  Imari slid her sword free of the bandit's flesh. A loud roar jarred her. She whirled to see Kenta locked in a struggle with the giant, barely dodging his mace. Imari rushed to help him, but Takeshi came to his aid, slashing at the huge man's exposed back. His katana struck, but the man barely flinched. He turned on Takeshi, leaving Kenta to take a swipe at the backs of his legs. The giant staggered, missing his next swing.

  Satisfied the two of them could handle him, Imari looked for Kaede. She was still locked in combat with Gin, and they traded blows back and forth, taking up a considerable amount of the sloping path. Kaede had slightly higher ground, but it wasn't an advantage. She had been backed up almost all the way to the bend in the road where the skittish horses had retreated, and though she deflected her opponent's strikes, she couldn't find room to maneuver.

  Imari’s heart throbbed hard in her throat. Kaede and Gin were evenly matched, but she wouldn't leave her friend to fight alone. She scrambled up the hill, kicking down bits of dust and rock in her hurry. When she reached them, they still whirled like a windstorm. Their blades flashed, dancing around each other, turned into gleaming lines of silver light by the sun.

  All Imari’s fear burst out from between her lips. "Kaede!"

  Calling out her name proved to be a mistake. Kaede hesitated, just for a split second, but it was long enough. Gin's sword darted past hers, slicing along her arm. She cried out in pain, and Imari saw red. She threw herself forward, bringing her own katana down in a violent slash toward Gin's neck.

  Gin twirled in time. Their blades clashed, two bolts of lightning spitting and hissing against each other. Gin was deadly quick, and Imari strained to keep up with her speed. Her muscles burned as she forced them to work faster, and trails of sweat rolled down from her hairline. This was nothing like practicing with Takeshi or Kenta, or even Kaede. This was an actual fight, with an opponent of equal skill. For once, she truly felt the absence of her hand. One fault could mean injury or…

  She had to trust her instincts. Her training. She relied on muscle memory, letting her body do the work for her. When Gin struck, she dodged. When Gin stepped forward, she stepped back. Soon, she was the one advancing, and Gin was forced to retreat down the sloping road. Walking backwards put her at a disadvantage, and Imari pressed it for all she was worth, lettin
g her anger boil. This woman had hurt Kaede.

  Finally, she saw the opening she was looking for. Gin went for her arm, the one strapped with her kote, and instead of dodging, she took the blow. As Gin adjusted to the force of the hit, she spun, bringing herself in line with the bandit's back. Soon, a bloody stripe seeped through the back of Gin's kimono. She dropped her weapon, holding up her hands.

  "Enough, my lady," she panted, grimacing with pain. "You've bested me."

  "Enough?" Imari repeated in disbelief. Blood dripped from her blade, spattering against the dust of the road. "You and your men almost killed my friends! You tried to abduct me. Tell me why I shouldn't kill you."

  “Because that isn't the kind of person you are. And because that chest of gold wasn’t just for me."

  She lightened her hold on her katana’s hilt. “What do you mean?”

  Gin’s dark eyes met hers, and honesty sparked within them. “There’s a village a few miles outside the forest. Poor. Half-abandoned. They’re short on rice this year.”

  Imari gritted her teeth, conscience wavering, until she felt a hand on her arm. She tensed, startled, but relaxed when she saw Kaede. "We won, Imari," she said, nodding back down the hill. "Look."

  Imari kept her sword trained on Gin, but she stole a quick glance. The rest of the bandits were limping back into the underbrush, and Takeshi and Kenta seemed uninjured. Rin stood beside them, tail wagging proudly above her haunches, her muzzle stained slightly pink at the edges and chewing on some scraps of fabric. Imari suspected the archers were missing some clothing, as well as considerable chunks of flesh.

  She sighed. She was angry for the danger Gin had put Kaede in, but she couldn't bring herself to strike an unarmed woman. She lowered her sword, turning away. "Go." She placed her foot over Gin's sword so the bandit couldn't pick it up as she retreated. "Without your katana. But you can take this." She pulled out the pouch she had offered before, tossing it toward Gin’s feet.

  Gin looked surprised but bent as best she could with her injury, scooping up the pouch and tucking it into her clothes. "As you wish." She disappeared into the brush beside the road, moving fast, until nothing remained but the rustling sound of her retreat.

  Once she was certain Gin was gone, Imari turned to Kaede. The spike of energy from the fight faded, leaving only concern. The feeling squeezed like a knot in the middle of her chest, and she took Kaede’s hand in hers, carefully drawing back the sleeve of her kimono.

  “It’s nothing.” Kaede held still, although she remained visibly reluctant as Imari examined the cut on her upper arm. It was shallow; the result of a glancing blow, but it still leaked blood.

  “It’s not nothing,” Imari protested. “That needs bandaging. It probably stings.”

  “Then I’ll bandage it,” Kaede said, withdrawing her arm and taking a step back. “You didn’t have to defend me, my lady. I can fight my own battles. I was hired to protect you, remember? Not put you in more danger.”

  “You didn’t put me in danger. Danger found us. If the four of us are going to travel together, we all need to protect each other.”

  Kaede looked as if she wanted to argue, but she said no more. She pulled away and went to retrieve the frightened horses from further down the path as Takeshi, Kenta, and Rin hurried to join them. “Imari, are you all right?” Takeshi asked, leaning over her with a look of obvious concern. “That bandit didn’t hurt you, did she?”

  “No, I’m fine,” she sighed, still looking over at Kaede. “What about you and Kenta?” What did I do to make her so angry? She’s acting like I’ve done something wrong by stepping in to help her.

  “Just bruises,” Kenta said. “The bandits got it worse than we did. And Rin helped.”

  Rin spat out the piece of fabric she had been carrying at Imari’s feet, as if returning an object she had been asked to fetch. “I smell blood. Was Kaede injured when you distracted her?”

  “I didn’t distract her,” Imari insisted. “I was trying to save her.”

  “Ah.” Rin turned her great head, watching from a short distance as Kaede rummaged around in her horse’s packs for some bandages. “Kaede doesn’t always appreciate interference. Even interferences for her own good. You should have trusted her to succeed on her own. She is your yojimbo, after all. You wouldn’t have offered her a place in your party if you weren’t impressed with her abilities.”

  Imari pressed her lips together, hanging her head. She still didn’t see what was so wrong about trying to help a friend and she definitely thought she and Kaede were headed in the direction of friendship. At least, we were.

  “Give it until this evening,” Rin suggested, her blue eyes strangely soft. “Kaede is quick to forgive. Perhaps too quick, in some cases.”

  With a sigh, Imari nodded. If Kaede wanted an apology, then an apology she would get, even if Imari wasn’t entirely certain of what she was apologizing for.

  ***

  Kaede tilted her canteen, trickling a thin stream of water over her injured forearm. The wind had picked up since their party had stopped for the night in one of the forest clearings, but she kept from hissing at the cold by sucking on her lower lip. The slash from Gin's blade still stung, but she couldn't decide whether she felt more pain or relief without the old, itchy bandages. They were currently crumpled in a crimson-stained pile by her knee, needing to be washed before they could be reused.

  Rin had curled up beside Kaede's other leg, chin resting on her front paws. The wolf appeared to be dozing, but Kaede knew better, and she wasn't at all surprised when her companion spoke. "Well? Are you going over there to get new wrappings for that wound, or are you going to stay here and sulk, bleeding all over yourself?"

  "I'm not bleeding anymore," Kaede mumbled, glancing toward the shared supply packs next to the horses. There was a roll of clean bandages inside, but Imari was currently propped against the bags, bent over what Kaede suspected was a map of the border between Akatsuki Teikoku and Tsun'i. Kenta and Takeshi were close by, preparing something to eat over the fire, but Kaede had chosen to sit apart while seeing to her injury. She had mixed feelings about talking to Imari—partly because she was annoyed with her for interfering that afternoon, and partly because she felt guilty for responding with such rudeness.

  She shouldn't have put herself in danger like that. I'm supposed to be her yojimbo—not the other way around. Besides, I had a handle on that bandit. But she did help. I didn't have to shout at her for defending me. It's more than anyone else has done for me lately.

  Kaede gave Imari another uncertain glance. Half of her wanted to demand an apology and the other half wanted to offer one. In the end, she chose to remain where she was. "If you're trying to get me to talk to her, it won't do any good," she muttered, slumping further forward on the rock she had chosen for her seat. "I don't even know what to say."

  Rin cracked open her left eye, and the brush of her tail gave one lazy flick. "Perhaps 'Thank you' is a good place to start, or, even, 'Could I get some more of those bandages'? It's better than pretending not to stare at her."

  Kaede's face burned against the bite of the night wind. "That obvious, huh?"

  "Pups learning to hunt have more subtlety."

  "Hmm." Kaede looked over at the fire again. This time, she caught Imari looking back. Their gazes met, and Imari offered her a small, hesitant smile—a silent question. Kaede smiled back. After an awkward moment of staring, Imari rose from her place by the fire pit and rolled up her map, putting it back in the saddlebag behind her.

  "Sun and Moon," Kaede sighed, "she's coming over here. Rin, what do I do?"

  "Nothing," Rin said. "Imari is the one who appears to be doing something." With a weary sigh, the white wolf lifted off the ground and padded over to the fire, joining Kenta and Takeshi. That left Kaede all on her own, holding her injured arm against her stomach as Imari approached.

  Luckily, Imari spoke first. "I thought you could use some of these," she said, holding out the roll of bandages.

&
nbsp; Kaede stood and bowed, taking the new bandages from Imari's outstretched hand and nudging away the dirty ones with her foot so they wouldn't be in plain sight. She doubted Imari would be upset by a little blood, but it felt rude to have them sitting there. "I appreciate the thought, but it's not that bad."

  Imari gave her a knowing look. "If it's not that bad, I don't suppose you'd mind letting me take a look?"

  It was phrased as a request, but Kaede could tell Imari wasn't going to take no for an answer. "If that's your wish, my lady."

  "Imari, please. Don't pull a Takeshi on me. He always gets formal whenever we have a fight. Takes twice as long to get over it."

  "We aren't fighting," Kaede protested, but Imari gripped the sleeve of her other arm, the one that wasn't injured, and pulled her back into a seated position.

  "Then I suppose I don't need to apologize for stealing your thunder earlier?"

  "It's not about you stealing my thunder," Kaede said. "I don't need the glory of defeating an opponent, and I appreciate that you were trying to help."

  "Exactly." Imari brought Kaede's arm into her lap for closer inspection. "You looked like you were in danger."

  "But I was handling myself. I've always had to."

  Imari avoided the statement, glancing down at her arm instead. "This doesn't look as bad as I thought," she said, unwrapping the fresh bandages. "You've already washed it, right?"

  Kaede nodded. Obediently, she held out her arm so that Imari could dress it properly. "Okay, think of it this way then. I'm you. You're Takeshi. Now do you see the problem?"

  She knew her words got through, because Imari closed her eyes and exhaled through her nose. "Yes. I see the problem. Ancestors, you're right. When did I turn into my overbearing ex-fiancé? I'm sorry, Kaede."

  "I'm sorry for yelling at you." Kaede lowered her eyes guiltily, only to see that Imari's fingers were still resting near her wrist, even though her wound was freshly bandaged. "For what it's worth, that was some pretty amazing swordsmanship. You fought well."

 

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