Lord Abe leaned forward with raised eyebrows as Ken’ishi told of Silver Crane’s powers.
When Ken’ishi spoke of Kazuko, however, Lord Abe did not even blink. How could this love which loomed within him like Mount Fuji seem so small and insignificant to someone else? How could it not be the most important thing? How many times had he imagined a contrived moment when he and Kazuko could throw their duties aside and be together? And how often had he admonished himself for it?
How much hate and anger had sustained him when he was in Green Tiger’s clutches? In the endless weeks of excruciation, how many evil thoughts had taken root in his mind? How many times had he wished himself a hurricane of raging vengeance against Yasutoki and all his minions?
And what of the blood on Ken’ishi’s hands? What was the weight of ten thousand drowned souls? Did it matter that they were the enemy? Did they outweigh the hundred thousand townspeople and farmers who did not die under barbarian blades?
Lord Abe’s interest piqued again when Ken’ishi told of Hatsumi’s fall, and of her destruction. He asked many questions about her strange transformations.
There were so many little tales to tell: of his pledge to Kazuko and hers to him, of the otherworldly sword polisher, and of the tengu performers and his duel with Kaa.
Over an entire day, he told his tale. He spoke until his voice was hoarse. The servants kept the tea coming, which helped his throat, but by evening he thought he might never wish to speak again.
“We will continue tomorrow,” Lord Abe said.
“Tomorrow is a work day,” Ken’ishi said. “I have men I must oversee.”
“You will entrust it to your underlings. We must continue.”
And so it went for the next several days. Ken’ishi put Michizane in charge. Meanwhile, Lord Abe probed into Ken’ishi’s accounts, scribbling his own notes as Koumei brushed steadily, deftly, on the scrolls.
On the sixth day, Lord Abe announced, “I am hopeful that we might be able to reverse your affliction.”
Long absent hope surged in Ken’ishi’s breast.
“But it will take time. Likely a great deal of time.”
“How long?”
“Difficult to say, perhaps years.”
The hope deflated. “Years.”
“Years of daily purification rites. Years of meditation. Years of study. Exorcisms. Very difficult. You must seclude yourself from the world. And once begun, we dare not stop this process, or else risk undoing it all.”
“It sounds as if I must become a monk.” He grew angry again. “What good is a monk? Sitting for years in meditation, what do they accomplish?”
“Monks have a purpose, to lead the rest of us along the Way. But we must never neglect the truths of the world. Should lords and emperors do nothing but sit in meditation? Should warriors ignore swordsmanship and archery and forget the martial arts to sit in meditation? Should merchants burn their abacuses and close their shops to sit in meditation? Should farmers throw down their plows? Should carpenters toss away their tools? If everyone gave up their entire lives to meditate, the world would starve and decay from neglect, robbers would run rampant, and enemies would invade with impunity. But each of us must make decisions for ourselves when faced with extraordinary circumstances. Is becoming a monk worth it to save your immortal soul? You would not have to take a monk’s vows, however. If we are successful, you might still be able to return to service.”
Then a realization sent Ken’ishi’s heart into his feet. “I would have to leave Lord Tsunetomo’s service.”
“I have already sent word to your master that you are very ill, in need of my special assistance.”
Ken’ishi could not expect Lord Tsunetomo to keep him as a retainer while in indefinite absence. Everything he had worked for, dreamed of, all was crashing down around him.
Lord Abe said, “You may either remain on your current path and become an oni and I will stay far away from you, or you may come with me and I will help you rid yourself of this terrible stain.”
“Where would we go?”
“To a sacred mountain some days’ travel south of here. It is called Kiyomizu, Clear Water Mountain. You would live upon Kiyomizu, never venturing down, until this cleansing is complete.”
“Is there no other way?”
“This is one of those momentous decisions.”
“May I have the night to think on this?”
“That is the evil within you, balking! Choose!”
Ken’ishi’s chest burned as if splashed with flaming oil. Tears burst in his eyes. “I will go with you.”
“The mind was not born with your birth and will not die with your death. This being true, it is said to be your Original Face. Heaven is not able to cover it. Earth is not able to support it. Fire is not able to burn it, nor is water able to dampen it. Even the wind is unable to penetrate it. There is nothing under heaven that is able to obstruct it.”
—Takuan Soho, “Annals of the Sword Taia”
Ken’ishi knelt in the audience chamber of Tsunetomo’s castle. Upon the dais sat the man who had given him the life of his dreams and who possessed the only woman he had ever wanted. The cold eel in his belly still writhed. He could not do what must be done without his lord’s permission.
Lord Abe sat beside Ken’ishi, arrayed in court finery, a flower of glimmering silk with a high, black cap and a solemn expression.
Tsunetomo’s face was unreadable stone.
Seeing Tsunetomo there after more than six months, this man Ken’ishi so admired for his honor, bravery, and leadership, dumped a furor of mixed emotions into his heart. The lack of warmth in the greeting sent a spike of anger through his heart. And the anger felt wrong.
“Lord Abe, you do me great honor,” Lord Tsunetomo said. “Your reputation as a powerful onmyouji precedes you.” His gaze kept passing over Ken’ishi. His face was unreadable, but the lines were carved deeper, his shoulders slumped. The bottomless vigor in his eyes had dimmed. He had not shaved in many days.
Lord Abe said, “I wish that my visit here were of a pleasurable nature. Your sakura grove outside the castle gate will be marvelous for blossom-viewing in a couple of months. Indeed, I come before you under the most unusual set of circumstances.”
Lord Tsunetomo finally fixed his gaze upon Ken’ishi, as if with great effort. “Your letter, Lord Abe, was somewhat vague. Captain Ken’ishi is one of my finest retainers. What possible affliction could threaten such a man and require the services of a master of the esoteric mysteries?”
“Simply put, Lord Otomo,” Lord Abe said, “evil.”
Lord Tsunetomo’s eyebrows rose. “What?”
“In the course of his defeat of three oni, their evil has lodged in his soul like a splinter and started to grow. An accumulation of hardships before he came into your service provided the fertile ground for it to take root. His spirit is in desperate need of cleansing, or else he may well lose himself to the evil that grows within him.”
Ken’ishi pressed his forehead to the floor, then straightened again. “It is true, Lord. I wish only honor upon your house. I fear that if I do not undergo the rituals Lord Abe describes, I will bring great dishonor upon you. If you wish it, I will cut my belly to halt the stain now.”
His ears thought he caught a tiny, stifled gasp from behind Tsunetomo. From behind the same panel where Ken’ishi had detected a presence on the night he had sworn fealty.
Tsunetomo’s gaze softened. “But you have done nothing to warrant seppuku.”
Had Ken’ishi not done precisely that? He longed unceasingly now for his master’s wife. The poem she had written for him haunted his thoughts. The kami told him the person hidden behind Tsunetomo was Kazuko. What must she be thinking now? He longed to see her, but knew that if he did, all might be lost for good.
“Not yet, Lord,” Ken’ishi said. “I fear I may someday, or worse.”
Tsunetomo’s expression darkened. “Do not men control their actions?”
Lord
Abe said, “Captain Ken’ishi is a unique case. His strength of will and awareness of his true self are such that he has maintained control, until now, but that could slip at any moment. He recognized his condition and petitioned me to help him stop it. Lord Otomo, I ask that you release him to me. If my efforts are successful, I will return him to you better than before. If I am not successful, I will destroy him myself.”
“Destroy him?”
“If I fail, he has the power to become a greater force of evil in this land than Hakamadare ever was.”
Tsunetomo leaned back, eyes narrowed.
Lord Abe continued, “I admit it is a bit of a gamble. Success is not guaranteed.”
* * *
Kazuko knelt behind the panel to the rear of Tsunetomo’s dais, her hands clutched over her mouth. Seeing Ken’ishi there, his face so tortured, hearing about his affliction, tore a hole in her. Seeing the little flashes of anger in his face, invisible to anyone who did not know him as well as she did, told her it was all true. He was in mortal danger, body and soul.
When word had come this afternoon that Ken’ishi had arrived, elation bloomed that she might get a chance to speak to him. In a dark well of despair, she had written him that poem and sent it by messenger. She had agonized about it every day since, a battle of sentiments that grew worse with each passing day without reply. And he had not answered. But when he arrived with the renowned onmyouji, Abe no Genmei, she knew something was terribly wrong.
“Lord Otomo, you could order him to destroy himself now,” Lord Abe continued, “but I hope you will not. We onmyouji are men of learning and study. We quest for answers to the deepest mysteries of the universe. When I say Captain Ken’ishi is a unique case, I do not use such words lightly. Much could be learned from him, through this effort, of the very nature of good and evil. Such knowledge would benefit all men for a thousand years to come.”
Lord Tsunetomo’s voice sounded hollow. “And no less share of glory for you, Lord Abe.”
Kazuko stared through peephole at her husband. What an incredibly boorish thing to say! And to a man of the imperial court. Had he fallen so out of sorts?
Lord Abe appeared unruffled. “And what man does not wish his name to ring like a bell through the ages? The question is whether the note is pure or discordant. In truth, I relish the challenge.”
Ken’ishi looked ill, his face pale, his eyes troubled. Her heart went out to his, and it seemed she could feel it across the distance, beating with a heat she yearned to touch, but dared not.
His gaze fixed upon the panel where she hid, as if looking directly at her, knowing someone was there.
Tsunetomo said, “How long will this take?”
Lord Abe said, “I cannot guess. To my knowledge, nothing like this has ever been attempted. Perhaps years.”
“Years!”
“Alas, possibly,” Lord Abe said. “This will be the most difficult task I have ever attempted. It has taken him years to become so afflicted. It will not be cured overnight.”
Tears poured down Kazuko’s cheeks. Hatsumi’s downward spiral had been slow, over the course of years, until one day, it had consumed her. The thought of the same thing happening to Ken’ishi—and worse, that it was again her fault—made Kazuko want to retch. But these six months without seeing him had been so lonely and painful. Knowing Ken’ishi was near made Tsunetomo’s indifference to her somehow more bearable. But if he was to be gone for years... Or worse, this might be the last moment she ever saw him. The awful possibilities crashed over her like a wave.
“Consider this a pilgrimage, Lord Otomo, for a man who wants to reclaim his very soul,” Lord Abe said.
Tsunetomo eased forward on his elbow. “Very well. I will grant your petition. But know this, Lord Abe. This man is...important to me. Should your efforts go awry, I will hold you responsible.”
“If my efforts go awry, I expect I will be dead,” Lord Abe said with an incongruent grin.
“Thank you, Lord,” Ken’ishi said, pressing his forehead to the floor again, his voice choked with emotion.
Tsunetomo leaned toward Ken’ishi. “Captain, I grant this request, but if you fail, if you bring dishonor upon the Otomo clan, I will see you hunted and destroyed like a criminal.”
Ken’ishi nodded. “I understand, Lord.”
“If you will excuse me,” Tsunetomo said, “I apologize for my abruptness. I have business to attend.” He stood and swept out of the room.
Kazuko watched Ken’ishi and Lord Abe gather themselves and leave, with her eyes on Ken’ishi’s back until he disappeared.
* * *
Kazuko found Tsunetomo in the last place she wished to look—Yasutoki’s office.
Since Yasutoki’s return from Kamakura with news of the barbarian emissaries’ execution, he had been changed, and not for the better. His absences had always been welcome, and he had always had an overly lean and hungry look about him, but it had now gone beyond to gaunt desperation. He looked half-starved, and his demeanor had deteriorated to match. Even though he went about his duties, Kazuko saw in him a furtiveness, a selfishness that put her on edge, like a brazen thief with a hand in someone else’s purse. She had always despised the man, but now he seemed more of a danger than Ken’ishi could ever be.
In the hallway outside Yasutoki’s office, she heard Tsunetomo say, “You’re the last man I have left, my friend. Tsunemori is so broken by Ishitaka’s death, I fear his courage will never return. The fortification project has taken my best men to the edge of the sea, Yoshimura to Hakata, Ken’ishi to Hakozaki, until today, and the others scattered to the new defense garrisons.”
“I am honored, Lord. I have ever been your loyal servant. You are always welcome to seek my counsel.”
“Lord Abe no Genmei.”
“A snobbish aristocrat with more arrogance than ability.”
“And his taking Ken’ishi with him?”
“A well-crafted ruse.”
“To what end?”
“To allow Ken’ishi the space for...nefarious dealings. I have heard tales that he visited Hakata this winter.”
“For what purpose?”
“Rumors say that he visited a crusty old merchant there, a lotus-peddler. We may surmise much from that.”
“Ken’ishi a lotus eater?” Tsunetomo’s voice filled with astonishment.
“He has the look now of a man in the clutches of the lotus. If not a lotus eater, then perhaps a peddler to the workers. The construction workers have been pushed hard, taken from their homes and families. We knew it would be hard on them, and the project is far from complete. On such raw feelings, the lotus can be a powerful ointment. Going with the onmyouji, free of supervision, could be the perfect cover for such activities. What’s more, the criminal gangs in Hakata are no doubt still rebuilding. Men of questionable morals and Ken’ishi’s prowess make the perfect kind of—”
Kazuko flung the door open. If she had had a weapon in hand, she would have planted it in Yasutoki’s skull. “Silence your vile tongue!”
Tsunetomo spun on her, eyes flashing with anger. “Kazuko! You’re interrupting a private meeting!”
She loomed over them, seething with fury. “Enough of this! This is no ‘private meeting.’ This is you lying down to have this...creature drip poison into your ear!”
Yasutoki fixed her with an infuriating smirk.
“What has happened to your heart, Husband?” she cried. “Have you gone deaf to it? How can you give even a moment’s thought to Yasutoki’s blatant falsehoods?”
“You overstep. Wife.” Tsunetomo’s voice turned brittle and dangerous. “Lord Yasutoki’s perception lets me see sides of things I cannot foresee on my own.”
“Even if they malign one so noble, brave, and kind as Ken’ishi?” she said. “Lord Abe spoke highly of him!” She raised her chin in defiance. “And yes, I was listening.”
“I heard you behind the panel,” Tsunetomo said tightly.
“Husband, you know Ken’ishi is your man
, through and through.”
“Truly? I fear he has never been my man at all. You seem to know him far better than I do.”
The words stung like a slap against her cheek, and she hated that Yasutoki was present to hear them. But instead of silencing her, they stoked the anger in her belly. “You are Kyushu’s greatest lord, and also its greatest fool!”
Yasutoki almost wriggled with suppressed glee.
She took another step forward. “Minutes ago, I heard your feelings regarding Ken’ishi, and they were not bathed in jealous hatred as I hear from you now. Which is the truth? Are you yourself as two-faced and duplicitous as...some?” She glared at Yasutoki. “Where has evil taken root?”
Tsunetomo swung to his feet and faced her, his eyes dark. “Yasutoki, leave us.”
A flash of annoyance crossed Yasutoki’s smug features. “Yes, Lord.” He stood and departed. She slammed the door shut behind him, but no doubt he remained within earshot.
“Evil has taken root all around me,” Tsunetomo said, his voice haunted. “I know not where to turn. It is a poisoned bamboo grove that grows faster than I can chop it out. It cages me.”
“You did well, letting the onmyouji take him. I saw how he has changed.”
“I could have had him destroyed.” His eyes blazed with challenge, bordering on spite, burning into her.
“I know, Husband. But you are a just and honorable man, and in your heart you know Ken’ishi to be loyal and true.”
Conflict and uncertainty flickered in his eyes.
“Why do you still avoid my bed?” she said, stepping closer to him. “Come back to me, Husband, I beg you. It has been far too long. Let us leave the past in the past!”
“The past is when I thought you were innocent and pure. How can I unlearn what I know?”
“Please, Husband. I have missed you terribly.” She let the tears flow, because it was true.
Spirit of the Ronin Page 31