Fanart: Yey! It's title is.... 'The Wolf and the Clueless Lamb' by ringo ame
Rating: Worksafe
Linky: http:// i508 dot photobucket dot com / albums / s324 / asphodelion / by_hotaru dot j p g'
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:: OUT OF TUNE 4 ::
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At 8pm, my "portrait" was freshly printed onto canvas and put into a big fussy gold frame popular among daimyos with even bigger egos. All that excessive decoration is just so tacky, I thought as I tucked the picture into the leg-space of the passenger seat of my flashy red and black Maserati MX 808. As if the owner just wanted to scream out to the world "Hey look at me! I'm rich, powerful and fabulous!"
Just like me.
When you're as great as I am, it's hard to be humble. (1)
…Jerk. Of course I am. Why else would I be friends with Takasugi Shinsuke, the most dangerously egotistical man in Edo. Although lately I find Shinsuke's been getting a little too egotistical. As if he owned all the music in the world and his own song was the only thing he could hear. It didn't use to be like this. We used to be as synchronized as two melodies produced from the same shamisen. But now Shinsuke can't hear anyone at all. It's like trying to talk to your friend at a Metallica concert. He's just not going to hear you. Not even if you cup your hands to his ears and shout so loud his ears get wet. Or try to communicate with physical gestures. He might even get the wrong idea and cut you.
After half an hour's drive, I arrived at my destination. An abandoned dojo at the foot of a mountain in the outskirts of Edo. It was so isolated that the nearest sign of human habitation was a village 10 minutes away by driving. This was the perfect setting for my one-on-one meeting with Yamazaki. If I couldn't hear his soul song in such a silent place, then I should call myself…Bansai the Earless. (2)
The dojo was in bad shape. The hinges of the front gate had rusted so badly that when I turned the key, the whole door crashed inwards. The flagstones in the courtyard were broken up by tall dry grass which shimmered around my ankles in the breeze. The dojo itself looked very impressive. Against the twilight of charcoal, pink and smoke, the dominating roof swept up like a black mountain. I felt a little nervous as I pushed open the shuttered doors and entered the darkened interior. A close, humid stench like smelly feet wrapped around me like the sleeping bag of a student backpacker. I gagged. Although I was more concerned about the odour getting into my stylish camo-green robe. Cobwebs drifted stickily through the air and clustered on my face and back. I saw field mice and small black snakes scuttle away, startling me. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I was finally able to perceive its awesome spaciousness. A haze, the color of cherry blossom pink saturated the hall, melting into deep russet brown along the crevices of the exposed timber rafters. The last rays of sunlight squeezed itself through slats of the shutters and pelted out its swan song on the pliant fibres of shoji paper. How come this place felt so pure, when it was as dirty as hell?
I used the nylon from my shamisen to hoist my picture up to the middle of the end wall and fixed it. I then went around the hall and flung open all the shutters to clear the air out. Finally sitting crossed legged on the veranda, I flipped open my cell and dialed Yamazaki.
"Yamazaki. This is Santa Claus. Tonight's your lucky night."
After a beat, I heard a bored voice."…Is this an obscene call?"
"No. I actually have a Christmas Special for you. Tonight a Joi supporter—"
"Christmas Special? Why are you telling me this information now? I already renewed my subscription last week."
"No, this is an anonymous tip-off. Tonight a Joi supporter—"
"Did you say tip-off? What tip-off? I think your company is a rip-off! Just because you have my number doesn't give you the right to sell it to every goddam solicitor in Edo! That's spam, you know! Now if you bother me with one more Christmas Special, I'm not even going to answer. I'll just hang up." The line went dead.
I took a deep breath. And then another. And a third…
My cell rang again. Yamazaki. "Wait a minute. Did you say – Joi supporter?"
"If you want him, come right now to Kamehameha Dojo at the foot of Banyama Mountain. The owner is selling his dojo. One of his prospects will be a high-ranking member of the Kiheitai, although I don't know what time they have arranged to meet."
I hung up and switched off my cell.
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With that sorted, I walked around the building, trying to explore it a little more before nightfall. A large, overgrown garden—actually more like a forest –surrounded the dojo. The trees were so overgrown their branches even brushed the rooftop and stretched under the eaves. As far as I could see, the garden extended into the mountainside with no sign of the property fence. A splashing sound came from a distance, and I saw a waterfall cascade into an ornamental pool. The water was the color of bright rose wine. And the fireflies! There were so many of them! The little pulsating green insects were everywhere, clustering on the tree leaves like Christmas ornaments. I had never seen so many fireflies before, especially so late in the summer. Damn, this dojo was located out in the sticks. But they were very beautiful, especially the way they pulsed together, like heartbeats…
As if synchronized.
I remember when Takasugi Shinsuke and I first met 8 years ago. The Joi war was still raging in the countryside, although it was getting closer and closer to our important cities. I worked in my dad's audio mastering workshop which pressed vinyl out of recordings. One day, as I was running down the street carrying a stack of vinyls, I turned the corner and collided with a group of Joi samurai hurrying in the opposite direction. My vinyls scattered across the wet cobblestones and some of them broke. A man grabbed my arm and pulled me up, telling me to run away as fast as I could because a riot was about to start. I was still a naïve teen and I insisted on picking up my discs because if I lost them, I would be beaten. Shots rang out and I was injured. A crowd of rampaging ronin ran towards us, cutting down everyone in their way. The guy dragged me away and fought to protect me until he dropped me off at my house. The man was Takasugi. It's not easy to describe how I felt that night and not sound gay, but I believe it happens to every artist. The day they see their muse embodied in physical form, is the day they believe in Kami-sama. Because Kami-sama created Shinsuke.
The second reason why Yamazaki's soul sounds so captivated me:
That night. Shinsuke's soul song was the same.
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"Hello? Sorry to interrupt you. Is Kamehameha-danna home?" A boyish tenor called from the front court. Excellent. My prey had arrived. I strode towards him, trying to look as intimidating as possible. My first tactic was to scare him into playing his soul song. Hopefully, me cosplaying as Nizo minus the Benizakura would do the trick. That guy was the sleaziest ronin I had ever encountered. Greasy green hair moussed backwards into a "Roosterhead", mutton-chop sideburns and orange raver-style sunglasses. Nasty.
Just like me.
"I'm Kamehameha and I own the fucking ground you stand on." I growled menacingly. "What are you doing on my property?"
"Well…I was driving by when I noticed a signboard on your front gate. It says 'FOR SALE' … Is that right? Can you show me around? " Well, well, well, Yamazaki...we meet again. The farmer boy's blue yukata you're wearing suits you. I'll bet he grew up in a small town. That would explain why he was so simple and naïve. I cocked my head sideways, folded my arms and looked at him speculatively. "It depends. Do you think I'll just sell it to anyone? I'm not even sure if I wanna sell it yet. Can you fight?"
"Um…I've welded a katana before if that's what you mean."
"Excellent" I said, picking up two wooden training swords and threw one towards him. He managed to grab it with one hand. Oh…he wasn't as unskillful as I first thought? This could be fun. "This dojo has been in our family for generations. Because of the global economic meltdown caused by the stupid Amanto investment bankers, I've now got to sell it to pay off my debts! But out of respect for my grandfather, I'm only going to sell the dojo to someone who is a true samurai."
"Is all this drama necessary to sell a house?"
"House?" I snorted. "You think this…is a house?"
"This isn't a house?"
"No."
"Okay. It's a dojo."
"No, this is NOT a dojo."
"Ahh…I know, this is your Strawberry Fields…dedicated to the spot under the cherry tree where you had your first kiss. The tree was in full bloom and caught the moon in its branches. The petals slowly fell in the wind in ones and twos…you were eight years old…"
"THAT'S ALL WRROOOONG! This is not a house, nor a dojo, nor is it strawberry fields! This place is a temple sacred to the way of the samurai. So shut up and SPAR!!"With a kabuki-style shout, I raised my bokuto and rushed at Yamazaki.
To be continued... Last chp: Until the Fat Lady Sings
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(1)Muhammad Ali said that.
(2) Hōichi the Earless (耳なし芳一 Mimi-nashi Hōichi) is a character from Japanese Mythology. Blind musician who was so gifted at playing "The Tale of the Heike" on the biwa that the Heike ghosts ripped off his ears when he refused to play for them.
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Big thank you to BigSEED, TaoT, ringo ame, Lady Serena Sparrow and uniFsky for the reviews. This fic wouldn't have lasted so long without you. ^^
Please review, I need them. ^^