Dale Furutani: Jade Palace Vendetta

Of course, he had been bred as a samurai and trained in the ways of Zen. He had been raised with the thought that the true samurai is always ready to die in the service of his master or his cause. Yet, from personal experience, Kaze knew that such noble sentiments were not always played out in the hearts of men.

At the mere threat of death, some men cowed and broke, their fear overtaking them. In battle Kaze had seen even highborn samurai, new to the violence of war and the clash of arms, shrink from contact with the enemy and shake from fear. It was said that even Tokugawa Ieyasu, when he was a very young man and engaged in his first battle, actually fled the scene of the fighting on his horse. When he reached safety, one of his chief retainers, Honda, looked at the saddle and saw evidence that Ieyasu had lost control of his bowels when fear had overtaken him.

Instead of remonstrating with his young Lord, Honda had simply laughed. Kaze hated Ieyasu for what he and his men had done and yet, even though he was familiar with the story of his first battle, he would not call him a coward-not after the battles he had fought and won subsequently. Any man might lose his nerve the first time he’s confronted by war.

Now Kaze was facing something else for the first time. It was the certainty of his immediate demise. He almost marveled that all the things that he had been taught throughout his entire life about how a samurai faces death were now coming to fruition. He was facing his own death with courage and indifference. He did not want to die, but if he was going to die, then it was the fate of all men. It was simply his time. Karma.

He leaned his head to the side to provide a better target for Hishigawa. Instead of stepping forward to take the cut, Hishigawa hesitated, unsure what to make of Kaze’s hard eyes staring back at him. The eyes held no fear, no pleading, and no sense of panic, all the things that Hishigawa knew he would display if the situation were reversed.

Instead, the ronin’s eyes met his steadily and the ronin’s face was impassive, perhaps even tranquil, because of some deep-seated core of courage that Hishigawa could not begin to understand.

Hishigawa raised the sword and started to step forward so he could deliver the blow to the ronin’s neck. Suddenly, there was the sound of paper tearing behind him and in the pit of his back there was a burning pain. He was propelled forward and could not bring the sword blade down for the death blow. Instead, he felt his knees grow weak and his grip on the sword become numb. The sword slipped from his hands and tumbled to the tatami mat. Hishigawa fell to his knees.

He reached behind him and felt the shaft of a spear. It had been thrust through the shoji screen because the wielder of the spear had decided there was not enough time to open the door. The silhouette of the man holding the sword was the target, and the spear had been driven home.

Blackness started to descend on Hishigawa as life drained out from the thick hole in his back. He gave a cry of pain mixed with fear at the thought that this blow might be mortal. He tried to give a shout, in a desperate attempt to get help. Instead, all that came from his mouth was a long, slow hiss that ended in death.

The shoji screen was kicked down, and Kaze straightened his head to look into the fierce face of Elder Grandma. She had thick arms, well suited to using a spear, Kaze thought, and the anger and blood lust on her face was as fierce as that found on any warrior.

She looked down at the corpse at her feet. She kicked away a scrap of paper from the shoji that masked the face of her victim, revealing Hishigawa’s face. His eyes were still open, but lifeless. His mouth also open, the last scream still on his lips, cut short by death. Seeing Hishigawa, Elder Grandma stopped a moment. Then she placed her foot against Hishigawa’s back and, grabbing the spear shaft with both arms, pulled it hard to release it. She looked at Kaze and a grim smile came to her lips.

“It’s done,” she said. She pointed to the headband that bore the character for “revenge.”

“It’s done,” she said again with a fierce tone to her voice. “It’s done. The vendetta is completed and our family is avenged. Our honor is restored.”

“If you’ll cut me down,” Kaze said mildly, “I’ll help you see if we can restore your granddaughter, as well as your honor.”

Elder Grandma used Kaze’s sword to cut him down. When she cut the ropes from his wrists, Kaze’s hands burned with pain as the circulation returned to them. He tried to hold his sword, but initially his fingers would not close around the hilt. After the blood returned, he was able to grasp the weapon, and he took a few tentative swings to see how much damage had been done to his shoulders and arms.

“Where’s your grandson and the servant?” he asked.

“Like me, they were searching for you to see what happened with Yuchan. We got tired of waiting in that garden. I saw Hishigawa enter this room and decided to take my chance at revenge.”

“Go gather Nagatoki and Sadakatsu up before they get into trouble. Yuchan is in the palace on that little island. She is not in good condition and will need help. What I thought was a life of luxury turned out to be a life of horror. There are guards, but I’ll take care of them. In fact, it’s better if I take care of things here in the villa before going to the island.”

“What are you going to do about the guards?”

“I’m going to kill them. Kill them all. Someone told me that only bad ones are here, and I believe it. In the yard I found a shallow grave. The grave seemed too old to be Mototane’s, but I was curious about who was buried there. I found the bones of two young people. They were probably girls. Maybe Hishigawa’s efforts to persuade girls to co-operate as prostitutes by torturing them resulted in two deaths. Maybe two girls committed suicide when they realized the life they would lead. Regardless of the reason, they buried the two bodies on the villa grounds to hide the deaths, and they probably didn’t pay a priest to say the proper prayers for their departed souls. It’s a bad business conducted by bad people. It’s better if all the rats are cleared out of this den.”

“Can you?” Elder Grandma pointed to his arms, which Kaze was still limbering up.

“Yes. Just get the other two and meet me at the drum bridge that leads to the palace.”

Elder Grandma didn’t question Kaze’s claim that he would eliminate the guards. She was like a general who expected her troops to execute their mission. She left to find the two others, and Kaze took a few more moments to assure that he could hold a sword properly. He stuck the katana’s scabbard into his kimono sash. Then he stepped into the hall and started making his way toward the main part of the villa.

He turned down a hallway and saw two of the guards approaching. As recognition painted the faces of the two men, Kaze rushed toward them. They shouted and got their swords out just as Kaze reached them. The first was able to parry Kaze’s blow. The second guard took a cut at him. Kaze took a step back and caught the blade. He immediately swung from defense to offense and, using the momentum of his attacker’s blade, he brought his sword downward and across, cutting open the belly of the surprised guard.

Without a second of hesitation, he then brought his blade upward, catching the first guard in the sternum and delivering a mortal wound. Kaze was already past them and running down the hallway before the two bodies hit the wooden planks of the floor.

Attracted by the shouts, another guard opened a shoji screen and stuck his head into the hallway. His eyes were filled with the image of a samurai rushing toward him, sword upraised. He was able to shout a warning to his companions just as a sword bit into his neck and shoulders.