AN: According to Wikipedia the modern buildings of Kiyomizudera, including the famous stage (which some anime fans might be familiar with—Negima, anyone?) weren't built until 1633, slightly after this story is set—I'd place it in 1603, three years after the battle of Sekigahara. Oh, well :-)

The Breaking Waves: the story that gives you (incorrect) lessons on Japanese history and culture!

Speaking of which, re: the last chapter, I'm following the lead of my old, old edition of Kurosawa's Yojimbo in translating yakuza as gambler, because I think it's funny. I'm not sure if they had yakuza in these times, but apparently they had them when Yojimbo is set, a scant two hundred years later…speaking of which, I apologize for my inconsistent use of Japanese, my inconsistent italicization of Japanese when it used, and my lack of translation even when it's italicized…I guess in general I'm writing for people who are as weirdly obsessed with Japan as I am.

By the way, it occurs to me that if you didn't know AzuDai, you'd probably think—from the way it's set up—that Kagura and Sakaki were the same person, until this chapter. But as dumb as this sounds, I think it's kind of cool that they're not…? And you'd read it and kind of be surprised.

6. The Great Meeting

Certain men, especially elderly men, claim to be able to sense a change in the weather. As a storm comes on, some part of their body begins to ache. We know now that weather is related to changes in the pressure of the air, so that there might be truth in such claims; in any case there are those who claim, further, to be able to sense calamitous events of all kinds.

As a man who had spent many hours of his life in mediation, attuning himself to the spiritual realities of the world, it might be expected that Magoro Tonza—head abbot of the Kiyomizu temple—would posses such a sense. While the battle of Sekigahara was taking place many miles away, it was rumored that the abbot sat motionless with his eyes screwed up in pain.

Still, it was a pleasant, warm day. The abbot was strolling through the temple grounds with a wandering priest to whom he had taken a liking, showing her the famous shrines and sub-temples of Kiyomizudera. There was no cause for alarm. While several of the uncouth ronin flocking to Kyoto occasionally wandered up to the temple, even they, in the presence of the Buddha and kami, would often adopt a chastened and gentle manner. Then why did he have a sense of foreboding, exactly as he did before thunder and lightning erupted from the sky? At least one powerful guest must be visiting the temple, he decided—although he could not yet tell if their intentions were evil.

His new friend the priest walked happily beside him. She had introduced herself as Kasuga Ayumu, originally of Wakayama—"but for some reason," she added, "a lot of folks call me Osaka."

It was clear from her accent that she had spent time in that city. That she so readily admitted it was one more sign of her unusual guilelessness—Osaka was now the seat of the Toyotomi Hideyori, considered by many the lawful ruler of Japan. Large numbers of samurai and ronin flocked to his standard while, in Edo, Tokugawa Ieyasu schemed (it was said) for an excuse to do away with the Toyotomis for good. But it was clear from her mirror-like eyes that the priest Ayumu cared little for such matters. To her, the purpose of the cosmos was a couple of singing thrushes inside a bush.

"Hey Tonza, look!—That bush is singin'! Ha, ha, ha!"

She had been incapacitated with laughter for several minutes.

While Ayumu seemed to know a great deal about the Buddhist scriptures, Tonza—himself a member of the Tendai sect—was still unsure which teaching she followed. She spoke with equal enthusiasm about devotion to Amida, Kannon, the saints Dengyo Daishi and Kobo Daishi, Nichiren and the Lotus Sutra, as well as many kami both local and national. While it was not strange for a Japanese to express a similarly broad view, Tonza still found it remarkable, and delighted in questioning her.

"What then, in your view, is the meaning of enlightenment?"

"Enlightenment?" said Ayumu. "Is that like when you get hit with a flamin' arrow?"

Tonza lapsed into devout silence at the profundity of this answer.

"And what, in your view, is the meaning of nonbeing?"

"Nonbeing?" Ayumu looked, for a moment, at the vivid scenery as they passed by. Then she began laughing. She laughed quite heartily for some time, repeating again: "Nonbeing…nonbeing! Hee, hee, hee. Nonbeing. Tonza-san, you're too much!"

Tonza bowed his head, again astonished.

"But hey," said Ayumu, suddenly looking around. "What this?"

"Ah." Tonza smiled upon having come to one of the temple's most famous sites. "Have you, in all your travels, never heard of the famous Stage of Kiyomizudera?"

Ayumu shook her head.

They stood on a large expanse of wood. The Stage of Kiyomizudera was a balcony overlooking the city of Kyoto, built on a hillside. It was a long distance to the thorny ground. If one looked straight forward, the view was breathtaking; if one looked down it became rather daunting.

"When one is about to do something reckless," Tonza explained, "I have heard people begin to say that it is 'jumping off the stage of Kiyomizu.' And the legend runs that if one jumps, and survives the attempt, the fondest wish of one's heart will be granted."

Ayumu clapped her hands, delighted. "Amazin'!"

"I'm not certain I approve, since this takes devotion away from its proper aim—the Buddha—and places it in the hands of winsome gods. But a man's life, and his choice, are his own…"

"Do people really jump off, then?"

"Yes, I am afraid that while we attempt to stop them, some do."

"An' do they live, or do they go splat like melons?"

Tonza grimaced. "They do live—mostly."

There was vegetation at the foot of the steep cliff.

"How horrifyin'!" said Ayumu, with a broad grain on her face. "But do they get their wishes an' everything?"

"Such matters are difficult to ascertain."

"I see…"

Ayumu stood by the railing, gazing down at the drop.

Suddenly, moved by another strange premonition, Tonza reached out and took hold of her sleeve. She looked around with a curious smile.

Tonza shook his head. "It's nothing."

Then he became conscious of a person on the other side of him. Although he could not yet see them, he was aware of them. They must be, among other people, like those uncanny trees and rocks that were partitioned off with ropes as the homes of spirits.

He turned his head and saw a woman of average height, wearing a man's traveling cloak. Her hair was cut short almost in spikes, an unusual style. He had only realized she was a woman because, in spite of everything, she somehow possessed a strong aura of maidenhood.

The wind slightly stirred the tips of her hair.

"Ma'am," he said sternly, although in truth, he was a little afraid of her—even of her turned back. "If you were considering jumping, I would strongly advise against it."

The woman turned her head. To Tonza's surprise, she grinned.

"I guess that would be kind of stupid, huh?"

She leaned on the railing. Now that he saw her from the front, Tonza realized, with some embarrassment, that there were other reasons she could never be taken for a man.

Her face was broad, open and baked a dark color. She had a rough country manner to her speech, but there was refinement in the way she held her shoulders.

"I used to pray to the gods," she said, "but then I realized I didn't need the prayers—my enemies did. I could jump off, but it wouldn't change anything. If I can't do it, I'll end up dead anyway—so it's either now or later."

Tonza gave a slight bow. "Young lady, I approve of this attitude."

He wondered, though, what such a striking person might have been about to wish for. She didn't look like the sort to get hung up over a love affair…

Ayumu's loud voice interrupted his thoughts. They both looked around.

"Hey, Kagura-dono! He-ey! Kagura-dono, hey!"

Although they were standing very close by, Ayumu was speaking loudly and waving one hand as if to get the attention of a distant person. The woman traveler was looking at her with great curiosity, and not a little puzzlement. Then her mouth fell open.

"I remember you!"

"Well of course I remember you, Kagura-dono. I don't go forgettin' things. Don't call me no fool!"

"But," whispered Kagura. "Did I ever tell you my name…?"

"Names 'r easy," said Ayumu cryptically. "Anyway, what have you done with your life? Wait…don't bother tellin' me. I see."

Tonza, looking on, now saw something he wouldn't have imagined possible. All at once Ayumu looked terrifically angry. Her eyes burned, and Kagura, the taller of them by more than a head, flinched back.

Ayumu struck the wooden stage with her staff.

"I warned ya!" she said, "but y'all just wouldn't listen! There's no hope for you, Kagura-dono, no hope at all. Don't you remember the lesson I taught you? Don't you remember?"

"I…"

Kagura looked surprised, and not only by Ayumu's anger. She reached into a pocket of her traveling cloak. Out came a small, gold-brown object—a roast chestnut.

"I totally forgot that was there," she said quietly.

All three persons—the head abbot, the priest, the traveler—gazed together at that strange object.

Finally Ayumu said: "Don't you understand yet?"

Kagura shook her head.

"I guess I just carried it around," she said. "I'm sorry."

Ayumu, too, was shaking her head, looking sorrowful.

"I can see it in your whole body, Kagura-dono. You're doin' things the wrong way! And you're about to do something even worse—somethin' terrible! That's why you came here today."

"I don't know anything, honest!" Kagura held up her hands. "I just got into town. I wanted to pay my respects to the Buddha n' all, and my ancestors…even though I don't know who they are. And then I came up here, and I thought…"

"You're ancestors are weepin' in the afterlife," said Ayumu. "They must've brought us together again so I could talk some sense into you, Kagura-dono."

Tonza said nothing. He could tell very little about the strange woman, but during their short acquaintance, he had gained too great a respect for Ayumu's spiritual discernment to question her judgments.

"Well, anyway," said Kagura, somehow guessing that even if Ayumu's threats were serious, they were serious in some way peculiar to Ayumu, "don't keep calling me that. I'm no master yet—but that's what I aim to change."

"Forgive me, ma'am," said Tonza. "Are you a ronin?"

Kagura's clothes were all a simple, dark brown, like her skin. Underneath her cloak one could make out the shapes of two swords. She nodded.

"Uh-huh."

Tonza lowered his head. "The path of a ronin is indeed dangerous. I will offer prayers for your continued safety."

"Like I said, you'd do better to pray for my enemies. There's so many weak people in Japan…that's all. I'm not strong. But everyone else is so weak…"

As she spoke, a different look came into her eyes. Before they had been bright, even friendly, like the eyes of a farmer's son. But now Tonza did not need Ayumu's unique perception to see a cloud of darkness descend behind them.

Kagura shook her head.

"Anyway, I came here because I heard there was a tournament for fighters. That should bring out the strong ones—so I thought I'd try my luck. Are you still wandering around, Osa—sorry." She shook her head again. "I was about to call you Osaka! Ha, ha, don't know why I called you that!"

"Actually, Kagura-dono," said Ayumu, "I came to enter th' tournament as well."

Kagura laughed. "Ah-ha-ha, you're so funny, Osaka! I been all the way out to Edo and back since we met, but I never met anyone like you again."

"I believe Miss Kasuga is serious," said Tonza.

Ayumu's expression was grave.

Kagura stumbled back against the railing. "Woah, really!—No way!"

"Were there time," said Ayumu, "I'd be happy to demonstrate my Empty Body staff technique for you, Kagura-dono. But at the moment there are more important things. You got to promise me—" she took one of Kagura's dark hands between her own—"not to enter that tournament, nevermind what's about t' happen!"

"What!" said Kagura, panicked. "What's about to happen, what?"

A voice cut through the still air over the Stage of Kiyomizudera.

"Sakaki! Sa-ka-ki!"

Tonza and Kagura spun around. Ayumu, seeming unsurprised, turned more slowly.

In the center of the stage stood a samurai with three retainers. A standard, with the emblem of a bright red crab, was held by one of the man, and it snapped in a powerful breeze. The samurai wore a lacquer chestplate over green robes, prepared for battle.

At the far end of the stage, a tall, long-haired woman, wearing a simple black kimono, accompanied by a young girl, stopped. She half-turned.

"Ma'am!" said Tonza firmly. "Please refrain from drawing your sword on the temple grounds!"

The samurai, ignoring him, pulled a terrifically long sword free of its sheath. Although it was a nodachi, meant to be worn across the back, she had somehow fitted it at her side and drew it with impressive dexterity. Naked, held at chest level in front of her, the tip of the fearsome sword rose above her head.

"Shut up, priest!" she barked. "Your kind is only good for burying the dead, so wait your turn!—Sakaki. You've gravely dishonored the house of Takino! What have you got to say to that?"

The tall woman so addressed appeared confused—but hardly frightened.

Looking at her, Tonza knew that his premonition was being fulfilled. Not one, but four persons of uncanny strength had somehow gathered here today, like great rocks smashing together in the sea, and they surrounded him as the points of a square.

Although he was not afraid for his own life, he nonetheless mouthed a rapid prayer—where such power was combined with any amount of anger, only misfortune could result.

The tall woman, apparently Sakaki, turned and began to walk towards them. Her ward or daughter followed cautiously, hiding behind her. The loud samurai and her retinue also advanced. The stage was empty otherwise, and the air was still. The birds continued to sing in the trees bellow. The two parties met nearly in front of Tonza, Ayumu and Kagura, and all stood very close together.

Kagura watched the woman named Sakaki. Her expression was unreadable. She must have noticed, though, as Tonza did, that the weapon underneath Sakaki's cloak was only a wooden practice sword.

Then astonishing all of them, Sakaki bowed. "I know of no wrong I did to the house of Takino," she said. "If I committed wrong unknowingly—please pardon my actions."

The point of the loud samurai's sword was fixed on her opponent, who made not the slightest move to defend herself.

"Dog, don't think you'll crawl out of it that easily!"

"Dogs don't crawl, ma'am," muttered one of her retainers.

"Shut up!—Sakaki, even to one such as you a samurai is bound by duty, and it's my duty to tell you whom you face! I am Tomonosuke, the Wildcat of Kyoto, scion of the House of Takino, and no words of apology will ever right that unforgivable wrong that you—wronged us with! So draw your steel and let's have it out like men!"

The wind lifted Sakaki's hair. She stood with her arms straight at her sides.

"Oh, Sakaki-sensei…" muttered the girl. "Be careful…Lady Takino is a friend of Koyomi's! She must be here to take revenge. And that sword…"

Sakaki's eyes had met Tomonosuke's.

Kagura's eyes watched Sakaki. She, at least, understood that the battle had already begun.

Ayumu looked thoughtful, her eyes moving from Tomonosuke to Sakaki.

Even Tomonosuke's retainers, all armed, capable-looking men, had drawn back a little.

Tonza shut his eyes.

Tomonosuke screamed at the top of her lungs: "Draw!"

"It's over," said Sakaki.

"Wha—huh?"

In utter confusion, Tomonosuke let her sword waver. If Sakaki had been a devious sort, she might have struck then, but she remained absolutely still.

"It's over," she repeated. "I've won."

"The hell you have!" shouted Tomonosuke. "Is this how you win your fights, Sakaki, with nonsense like that?—Is this the Kamineko style?"

Sakaki shook her head. "You'll never see the Kamineko style. But, I bow my head to you…your skill is great. That's why I won't fight you. I've seen enough to know that if we fought, you wouldn't be victorious. But your skill is such—and your style is such—that if we fought, it would be a fight to the death. And I have no wish to kill you."

With that, Sakaki turned and began to walk away.

"Let's go, Chiyo-chan."

Tomonosuke was speechless, wheezing with rage.

A stern voice came from one side: "She spared your life. Y'all should be grateful!"—it was Ayumu, but Tomonosuke paid no attention to the stranger. Letting out an unearthly scream, that seemed to Tonza to shake the very foundations of the stage, she charged.

The White Wind, wielded with the force of the No-Thought style, was capable of shearing a man in half—skin, muscle, bone. It would have cut Sakaki from shoulder to waist. But instead, it collided with another weapon, with a smash of collision nearly as loud as Tomonosuke's scream.

Sakaki turned her head.

A katana, drawn with the speed of a crane taking flight, had cut across the path of the White Wind. Kagura's left hand gripped it. In her right she held her short sword, pointed at Tomonosuke's head.

"That's a dirty trick!" she said loudly. "What kind of samurai attacks someone's back?"

Tomonosuke seemed genuinely stung by the accusation of cowardice.

"B-but she's a coward!—Didn't you see, she just walked away from me! A samurai who's thrown away their honor like that doesn't deserve to live!"

"Doesn't matter," said Kagura. "I oughta challenge you myself for a display like that."

Tomonosuke spit. "Fine! Then I'll take out the saplings before I go for the tree—or something!"

"You talk big," said Kagura, "but I can see you're just a big, loud—idiot!"

"Well, you too! And don't think I'm afraid of some country hick like you."

"Don't," said Sakaki. "You won't win that fight either."

Her head was still turned slightly. Her eyes met Kagura's. The two women looked at each other. The wind moved past them.

Kagura withdrew both her swords, and sheathed them.

"You fight with two weapons," said Sakaki.

Kagura nodded.

"That's…impressive."

"Thank you."

"Perhaps…" Sakaki hesitated. She looked forward, and her hair blew out in between them. "…we'll meet again."

Chiyo followed her as she walked away, casting apprehensive glances back at them. She seemed like an intelligent, well-bred girl, but she was clearly out of her element surrounded by so many strong fighters.

Kagura was startled by Ayumu's voice: "Remember what I told ya, Kagura-dono."

She didn't answer.

"Hey!" screeched Tomonosuke. "Hey!"

But she didn't follow Sakaki. Then a thought came to her.

"Hey, ronin! So you think you're pretty strong, huh! You're one of those guys who just wanders around, testing your strength!—Fine, don't say anything, don't stop; I can see I'm right. Well, if that's the case, I bet you'll be at that fighting tournament the Lord Magistrate's put together!—You will be, won't you! Well guess what? I'm gonna be there too! And I'll be seeing you in the finals—Sakaki-san!"

Sakaki never looked back.

And unknown to all of those who stood on the Stage of Kiyomizu at that meeting, not far off—within a few moments' walk—at the shrine of Hachiman, the god of war, was the head of the Kurosawa school and her retinue. Kaori Sakamoto kneeled, offering her prayers for the safety of the tournament combatants. But throughout the ritual, she couldn't deny a mysterious warm feeling in her chest—a warm, excited feeling—as if a dear person were very near to her, doing the very thing that made them so dear.

She wondered, but attributed this to the power of the gods, which hung so richly over the grounds of great Kiyomizudera.