Chapter 20
"Hikidasu!"
"Shite kudasai," Jin pleaded to the apothecary holding a very weak Noko in his arms.
"Your kind isn't wanted here ronin," the apothecary said pushing Jin out the front door of his shop.
It was all Jin could do to keep control of himself and respect his elder, but his repressed anger boiled close to the surface.
Jin hated being called a ronin. It wasn't his fault that he was without a master. His former master had been killed when he was eighteen. For five years Jin, a well educated young man from a samurai family, had been forced to wander, homelessly, about.
Sighing Jin gathered Noko higher into his arms and set out for the next town.
According to the code of the samurai Jin was supposed to have committed suicide, upon the loss of his master, but he had not. This placed Jin "on his own" so to speak and as such he was meant to suffer great shame by others calling him names. Jin knew he was a ronin, but hated people calling him one to his face.
During any other period of time in the history of Japan, Jin would have been able to move onto a different master for employment. But during the Edo period a samurai was restricted because of rules passed by the Tokugawa shogun. If Jin wanted to be employed by another master he needed his previous master's permission. That was very hard when Jin's former master was six feet under the ground.
Jin gritted his teeth as he walked down the dirt road out of town. He hated the shogunate for what they had done to his family.
His father Takeda Katsuyori had been the commander of the Takeda clan and his forces had attacked Nagashino Castle because it threatened the Takeda's supply lines. Between 3,000 and 10,000 samurai had been lost in the Battle of Nagashino. His father suffered a terrible loss that day succumbing to one of the earliest recorded uses of guns in history. Takeda Katsuyori then lost support from other clans which forced him, his wife, and his infant son to commit ritual suicide.
Jin's great-grandmother Sanjo had found out about this. Her own son Yoshinobu had committed suicide by seppuku and she refused to see her young grandchild killed for something that wasn't his fault.
Taking only her trusted assistant Sanjo left in the middle of the night for Katsuyori's residence. Entering the house, by the back door, she had told the servant that greeted her to bring her the child.
Jin had been carried to his great-grandmother's outstretched arms where she whisked him away, never to see his father or mother again. Jin had been raised by Sanjo until she became too feeble to physically care for him herself. That was when he had been placed in the care of Mariya Enshirou his first master. Jin had trained in his master's dojo day and night learning the ways of kenjutsu and jujutsu, both of which severed him well.
Seeing that the sun was now high in the sky Jin stopped and placed Noko onto the ground under the shade of a tree. It was now becoming hot since the rain had stopped sometime early in the morning.
That morning, when Jin had awoken, he had noticed that Noko's fever had broken. But when they went to leave she had only been able to walk a short distance before collapsing onto the ground. Jin had picked her up and had carried her the short distance into town.
However, once he got there no one had wanted to help him. Seeing the tall man carrying the young girl with flat red bumps on her, had sent the town into a whirlwind of activity. People ran from him or threw stones at them when he asked where the apothecary lived.
Jin knew that his back was probably bruised, like his arms, from the stones that had been thrown at him. He had turned his back into the stones to save Noko from them.
Sitting down next to Nokomis Jin watched her sleeping. Small reddish spots were on her mouth and throat. Taking his left hand he smoothed back the hair from her forehead. There was a different change in the surface color of her skin. Jin knew that a rash would soon develop there as well. The rash would then travel to Noko's arms and legs.
This was the same rash that had killed his beloved Shino and Sanjo. Jin removed his hand from her forehead. What was he going to do now? His efforts of the Red Treatment hadn't worked before, but if he entered another town carrying Noko he would only be driven away again.
Making up his mind Jin picked up Noko and turned his face towards the next town. He would find someone there to help him. He just had to. Jin had been given orders by the Celestial Buddha to protect Noko and he was going to do everything in his power to make that happen.
Just before the sun set Jin came to the outskirts of the next town. He knew what he was going to do and looked for a safe place to leave his ward. Jin had made up his mind, while he had been walking, that he would enter the town alone to find the apothecary.
Finding a secluded spot Jin set Nokomis down and covered her the best he could with branches from the trees that surrounded the small pond. He would have liked to leave one of his swords with her but she was to weak to even raise her hand.
Jin said a quick prayer to Buddha to watch over Nokomis while he was gone and set out for the center of town.
Asking the local villagers, Jin had learned that the apothecary was an old man who kept mostly to himself on the west end of town. Jin had approached his door just as the sun started to set behind the mountain. Soon it would be dark and he hoped that he could find Noko again.
"Good Father," Jin called out as he entered the apothecary's residence, "I need your help."
"Yes good son," an old man said as he stood up from attending the fire.
Jin could see that he walked crouched over with a wooden stick for help. His hair was white and his face wrinkled but his eyes were kind.
Immediately Jin knew that this man would help him. He had come prepared to lie to the apothecary that his younger sister was sick, but he knew upon looking at the old man that he could tell him the truth.
"Good Father," Jin said as he cast his eyes down to the dirt floor of the man's house, "the Celestial Buddha has placed me in charge of a young girl who is sick. I need your help."
"Well then," the man said as he grabbed a blanket from the floor and handed it to Jin, "let's not keep her waiting."
Jin watched as on the way out of the door the apothecary placed a couple of things into the sleeves of his black kimono. Jin placed the rolled up blanket across his back as he held the round paper lantern, attached to a pole, out in front of him. Jin led the way, as the apothecary followed him down the streets of the town, where other brightly lit paper lanterns hung lighting the pathway before them.
When Jin reached the end of town he wanted to hurry to make sure that Nokomis was still alive, but the old man couldn't walk that fast.
The apothecary could see that Jin was getting restless and waved his hand to him.
"Go!" he said. "Leave the lantern where I can see it on the path. When I get there I will call out to you."
Jin had all but ran to where he had stepped off of the path to hide Nokomis. Leaving the paper lantern on the trail, Jin had slowly worked his way foreword into the dark night. Jin was grateful for the full moon that was slowly rising as he finally came across Nokomis' sleeping body.
"Noko," he called out softly stopping a few feet away so as not to startle her.
When she didn't answer Jin became scared and rushed to her side.
"Noko," he called louder tentatively placing a hand on her shoulder.
She was cold and didn't move under his touch. Drawing back his hand in fear Jin knew that he was too late.
"Good son," the apothecary's voice called out to him, "where are you?"
Jin turned his head towards the sound of the man's voice. A tear was in his eye.
"Good Father," Jin choked out, "I'm too late."
Brush could be heard being stampled under foot and soon a pale yellow light floated in the night towards Jin.
"Nonsense," the old man said coming into the clearing, "Buddha wouldn't do that."
"Do what?" Jin asked as he took the stick holding the paper lantern from the apothecary.
"Buddha wouldn't send you something to care for and then take it away so soon."
Jin watched as the apothecary went over and knelt down by Nokomis.
"But Good Father," Jin said dropping his face to the ground, "she is cold, therefore she is dead. Buddha has abandoned me."
The apothecary placed a hand on Nokomis' forehead.
"Yes it is true that she is cold," he replied as he took his hand away from Nokomis' forehead.
The apothecary then pulled open the top of Nokomis' kimono and pushed aside her gi placing his left ear onto her chest.
"Good son," he nearly shouted at Jin, "she still draws breath!"
Jin raised his head up to see the apothecary with his ear to Nokomis' chest. Now he could see the rising of her chest with each soft breath that she took.
Pulling his head away from the girl's chest the apothecary reached into the sleeve of his kimono to produce a small vial. Popping the cork off of the top he pressed the mouth of the vial to Nokomis' lips, tilting her head back slightly, so that he could pour some of the liquid into her mouth.
Jin watched as Nokomis slowly swallowed the liquid and the apothecary gently set her head back against the tree.
"Jin," Nokomis called out weakly trying to raise her hand up to touch Jin's face.
The liquid that he had just given her tasted sweet, almost herbal tea like, and she wanted more.
"Hai Noko," Jin replied his voice off to her left side.
Nokomis tried opening her eyes but she was exhausted. This stupid cold or flu that she had was taking its toll on her overworked body.
She hadn't been eating the usual things that she liked either. Instead of her usual breakfast of french toast and orange juice, that her father made for her, it was stale bread and fresh goat's milk while she had been traveling with Jin.
The first week that she had been here in Japan she had eaten rice and some kind of fish dish to get her strength back. She hadn't liked the fish too much either. It tasted slime-like and reminded her of her father's and Uncle Egon's experiments with the frozen pink slime in the freezer at the firehouse.
There had also been a middle aged man that had come and seen her twice. Nokomis remembered how Jin had shown the man her arms and back, as well as her left hand, as they spoke to each other in a foreign language that she couldn't understand. The man had looked closely at her hand as he poked the deep cut that was there.
"Ta made!" she had spat at the man yanking her hand out of his grasp.
It had hurt, and hurt bad, when the man had tried to place the two edges back together.
"Sori," the man had said to her before turning his attention back to Jin.
Nokomis remembered how Jin took her left hand into his and gently pulled it away from her body and towards his own. Jin spoke to her with his head bowed to the ground holding her hand gently in his right one. She didn't understand his words but understood him clearly through his body language. He wanted to help and Nokomis knew that he wasn't going to hurt her intentionally.
As Nokomis raised her hand higher looking for Jin she felt him grab her hand in his.
"Shinai Jin," Nokomis called out as he squeezed her left hand tight.
"Sori," Jin replied and then continued to speak to her calmly.
After he was done talking he quickly released her hand and told her he was sorry once again.
"Wait?" Nokomis' tired mind said as she tried to stay awake. It didn't sound like Jin's voice just now.
Slowly opening her eyes Nokomis saw a very old man in front of her reaching out a hand to her chest.
"Jin!" she screamed at the top of her lungs trying to back away from the man.
Nokomis' only thought was to try and get away from the man she didn't know, but it was dark and she couldn't move backwards. Something was blocking her path. Turning to her right, with all the strength she had left, Nokomis ducked out of the man's reach and started rolling down an incline.
"Noko!"
Nokomis heard her name being shouted before her body even hit the water. Startled at the coldness of the water she opened her mouth and ingested the water into her lungs. She wasn't underwater for long as she felt herself being lifted up and carried out of the water.
"Noko," a man's voice floated down to her as she realized that it was Jin who was holding her.
"Arigato," Nokomis said spitting water out of her mouth.
Again the other man's voice came to her as she felt herself being carried up the incline. She was frightened. Why was Jin carrying her back to this man? He had tried to touch her and Jin was letting him. Nokomis started trembling as she thought of that man coming after her again.
"Noko," Jin said as he reached the top where she had rolled down into the pond, "Bu rufang."
"Shinai chibusa?" Nokomis questioned him as he sat her down in the grass again.
Holding onto her right hand Jin placed a blanket around her cold, trembling body.
"Shinai chibusa," Jin replied pointing to her chest now that he had the blanket where he wanted it.
Pointing to the man Jin said, "Yakuzaishi."
"Yakuzaishi?" Nokomis questioned as she turned her head to her left to throw up more water.
"Sori," Nokomis said bringing her head back forward and dropping it back against the tree behind her.
Jin released her hand and turned towards the other man. Nokomis watched as Jin talked to the old man. She understood some of what they were saying to each other. Kasai, fire; Mizu, water; Le, house; Yoru, night. It seemed to her understanding that Jin wanted to stay where they were and build a fire next to the water to keep her warm. Possibly dry her clothes, if fuku was clothes, but the old man wanted to go to his house where he had a fire out of the night.
Nokomis was cold and wanted nothing more than to curl up on a futon inside, out of the night, next to a roaring fire and sleep for a week or more.
"Jin," Nokomis said interrupting the two men, "le shite kudasai."
Jin looked Noko's way. She was still trembling even under the blanket he had placed on her. He had gone to the apothecary to get help for her. He didn't want to be chased away again, but he didn't know how to tell her that. Noko wanted to be inside. He knew that she was sick and was only going to get worse. The apothecary had to take care of Nokomis here. Jin knew that if he took her inside the town the local villagers would likely cause problems for the pair.
"Noko…," Jin started to say, but she cut him off.
"Jin," Nokomis said as she brought her head up off of the tree, "shite kudasai."
Nokomis looked at him with half opened eyes. Pleading with him to understand her. Pleading with him to take her away. Anywhere out of the night. Even the cave from last night would make her happy. Seeing Jin hesitate, she weakly reached out with her left hand to place it onto his right cheek. Jin tenderly placed his hand on top of hers, as she took her other hand and removed a lock of his dark brown hair, that had fallen in his face, before she dropped her hand to her side. Exhaustion overtaking her sore, tired body, Nokomis closed her eyes and she fell forward into Jin's grasp.
Jin sat there for a moment holding Nokomis' body next to his. It was Shino all over again. Flashbacks of her appeared to him as he held Noko close.
The wet dirt road that he had walked down to see her sitting there, behind the opened barred window with a pink and white kimono on. The top of the kimono was open to show off her breasts. Those perfect round, firm, sensitive breasts that he had held in his hands when they had loved each other in the night.
Shino's gentle way of smiling at him when they were done and playing with his hair by twisting it around in her slender fingers. The way she tenderly removed a lock of his hair before he had placed her in the boat to go to Enkiri Dera Temple.
He had planned on taking her across the lake himself and then kissing her passionately on the other side before Shino entered the temple for three years. He had waited for her and returned in three years to take her to be his bride. But his plans had all been for not.
Jin looked to his left at the apothecary, a tear starting to form in his eye.
"I can't go through this again," he cried to the apothecary, "but if I take Noko into the village you are going to get 'hososhin' and spread it to the others. Many will die because of me."
"Nonsense," the old man said as he raised the sleeve of his black kimono to show Jin his bare arm underneath.
Jin could clearly see the dime sized white scarring up and down the man's arm.
"I'm not afraid of Onryo," the old man said. "Are you?"
Jin carefully removed his left arm from around Noko. Holding his arm straight up in the air Jin let his kimono sleeve fall down to reveal his bare arm also. The apothecary took a hold of Jin's arm and brought it closer to his face. The old man took his finger and carefully traced the dime sized white scars on Jin's arm.
"Ah," the man said, "I see that you are not afraid of Onryo either."
The apothecary released Jin's arm and stood up, picking up the paper lantern as he did so.
"Come good son," he said turning his face towards the town, "let us get your friend into the safety of my home. Both of us have had 'hososhin' before. We can't spread it to any others."
Jin watched as the old man started to walk away, back towards the town. Jin sat for only a moment before gathering Noko into his arms, one last time, to carry her to safety. Maybe the apothecary was right. If he had been struck down and lived through hososhin then he wasn't afraid of the Japanese demon Onryo, that sought vengeance, either.
Jin followed the apothecary into town as they kept to the darkest streets and avoided the local villagers. Even though the old man knew that they couldn't spread what Noko had he didn't want to let the others know what was going on.
Stopping before the door to his house the apothecary stood aside to let Jin go inside first. Seeing that the fire had burned down he went to place more wood on it as Jin laid Noko's cold body onto a mat before the fire.
"We are going to have to remove her clothes," the old man said turning away from the now roaring fire.
"I can do that," Jin replied as he took the blanket off of her and took her silk braided obi jime cord and worked it around to the front.
Untying the square knot resulted in Noko's Hara-awase obi bottom part to fall out of its drum bow look. Jin carefully pulled the tucked ends of the dyed silk scarf, called an obi age, out of the top of Noko's obi and untied them also. Behind this were the strings to a obi makura, which was a hard little pillow, that was essential for Noko to achieve her drum bow look. Jin finished untying the obi makura and reached behind her to finally untie her obi itself. Jin smiled to himself as he removed the two different colored Hara-awase cloth and took the thin flat obi ita board from off of her stomach. Noko was a very intelligent young girl. She had figured out how to tie her obi after only being shown once and trying to do it herself twice.
Jin thought about all the other things that Noko knew as he reverently removed her kimono and gi. She was learning to speak his language even though he knew that it frustrated her sometimes when she couldn't explain what she wanted. That's when her favorite word "Ta made" would come out. She knew how to start a fire with two sticks and make a sleeping mat out of tree leaves. She had made something she had called a 'lean-to' one night to keep the damp rain off of them. She was also a good fisherman.
Jin had shown her how to catch fish with her bare hands, but Noko had done one better. Carefully taking his wakizashi out of its scabbard she had used it to carve a point on one end of a short branch she had broken off of a tree. He had been mad at her for using his wakizashi that way, but when she showed him her way of catching freshwater fish, with the branch, he had been amazed.
Taking her clothes away, leaving her sarashi and white cloth that she wore on her bottom alone, Jin placed a clean blanket on top of her that the apothecary handed to him.
Smoothing the hair back on her head Jin sat next to her with his legs pulled up to his chin. He had grown to admire this young girl who would try anything that he showed her at least once. They were even beginning to understand each other even if they couldn't speak their thoughts out loud. Jin sighed and looked up into the old man's eyes who was kneeling by her side. Jin didn't want to lose her just yet. He wanted to get to know her better.
"Here good son," the man said handing him a wooden cup of water, "get Noko to drink as much as she will take. We don't want to have her go without water."
Jin took the cup from the old man as the apothecary gently raised Noko's body into a sitting position before Jin offered her the water. Noko sipped a little of it before she shook her head no. She was done and the old man gently laid her back down and looked towards Jin. He nodded his head and then spoke to Jin.
"I know of no cure for hososhin," he told Jin, "but I do know if we can get her through the next couple of weeks with supportive care that she will live."
"What about the Red Treatment?" Jin asked.
"Nonsense," he replied, "I have never found that to work. Have you?"
"No," Jin said as he dropped his head to the ground, "My lover and daughter were killed by hososhin. The Red Treatment that I did for them didn't work."
"See," the old man replied, "only hard work and prayers to Buddha work."
Several long hours past in which the apothecary and Jin took turns waking Nokomis up and getting her to drink as much water as she would take from them. Somewhere close to midnight Jin awoke with a start. He had been sleeping next to the fire with his legs pulled up to his chest, chin resting on his knees, arms wrapped around his legs. He thought he had heard shouting and when he opened his eyes and lifted his chin up off of his knees he could hear peoples' voices getting louder.
Seeing the old apothecary stir Jin got to his feet. Jin knew that something was wrong as the old man got up from his prayers to Buddha and went towards the front door of his home. Holding a hand up, he motioned for Jin to stay behind as he opened the door and slipped through it closing it tightly behind him. Jin approached the door and placed his right ear to it as he placed his hand onto his katana. Angry voices could be heard shouting at the apothecary and Jin became scared for the safety of Noko and the old man.
"We know you have them inside," someone shouted, "the ronin and the young girl with hososhin. The apothecary from the other town told us!"
"Nonsense," the apothecary said, "I have a samurai and his young sister inside. They are tired from their long journey, that is all."
"You lie!"
Jin could hear a scuffle and angry voices before he felt the door being pushed into him. Bracing his feet and pushing back Jin suddenly became aware of fire slowly taking a hold of the wood on the two windows on either side of him.
"Good Son!" Jin heard the apothecary call out to him, "Get out! They are setting fire to the house!"
Jin saw the flames become larger and released his hold on the door. Suddenly the door swung open into him sending him sprawling onto the ground. His head hit the floor and he became dizzy for a second. Shaking his head to clear it Jin saw torches being tossed over him. He had a hard time seeing through the smoke and tried to back away from the door. He needed to get to Noko on the other side of the room. The fire was now up on the ceiling of the house as well as along all four walls. Jin tried to get up and tripped on something. The smoke was getting thicker and he began to cough. As he tried once more to get to his feet he looked towards where Noko lie. Between the flames of the fire he could see her still lying on the mat too weak to stand.
"Noko!" he shouted to her, seeing that he was now cut off from reaching her.
She didn't stir and he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning to his right he saw the old man kneeling next to him, blood dripping from his head.
"Where is she?" the old man asked Jin.
"Still by the fire," he replied, "but I can't reach her. She is going to die because of me."
"There is nothing that we can do," he said as he pulled Jin by the arm to guide him out of the blazing building. "Only Buddha can help us now."
"NO!" Jin shouted tearing his arm out of the apothecary's grasp.
Jin got up and placing his arms in front of his face tried to move towards Noko. Suddenly a blast of hot heat sent him falling onto his buttocks. He couldn't get near her.
"Celestial Buddha," Jin cried, "don't abandon me!"
Without warning a sudden wind started blowing around the two men. Both men watched as a round glimmering picture of another place appeared before them in front of the fireplace. Jin could see that the sun was high in the sky and the landscape was very different from his native land. Large towering buildings and loud noises could be heard coming from the round glimmering picture and Jin became scared.
"Look!" the apothecary shouted to him above the roar of the fire and noises from the round picture.
A woman wearing a white kimono appeared to be kneeling down by Noko's side. She carefully picked up the weary young girl and turned to face both men.
"Jin," the woman called out to him, "you must give me permission to save her."
"Celestial Buddha Shino," Jin cried above the noise, "you have it!"
Jin and the apothecary watched as Shino walked over to the round glimmering picture and stopped in front of it. Soon a woman dressed in a white straight gown that hung off of one shoulder appeared before her. Jin could see them talking to one another but he couldn't hear any words. The heat from the fire was getting unbearable. He raised his hand above his head to shield his eyes from the flames. Jin knew that they would have to leave soon, but he couldn't tear his eyes off of Noko.
His Noko. Jin sighed and then coughed. He had been placed in charge of Noko and he had failed. Just like Shino and his daughter. Come to think of it just like his master Mariya Enshirou too. He was a failure as a samurai if he couldn't protect those that he cared deeply for. "I might as well die in this fire right now," he told himself.
Shino turned towards Jin still holding Nokomis in her arms. She had sensed Jin's deepest darkest thoughts. He wasn't a failure and he need not die either. She also sensed that Jin had feelings for the young girl in her arms. Turning back to the woman on the other side of the portal she spoke quickly to her. Shino was running out of time. The other woman nodded her head yes at Shino. Shino turned back towards Jin.
"Jin," Shino called out to her lover.
"Hai," he replied as he got up from the floor and sat on his knees instead.
Shino could sense that Jin was about to throw himself into the fire to die with his Nokomis.
"You are not to kill yourself," Shino sternly told him, "if you live Noko will be returned to you by the next full moon. Do you understand?"
"Hai," he replied, sitting back down on his backside.
Shino sensed that Jin understood her and turned back to the other woman. The other woman reached through the portal and took Nokomis' body from Shino.
"Thank you," Shino said as the other woman stepped backwards and the picture closed in upon itself.
Shino turned her attention to Jin and the apothecary. They were still sitting there with the fire burning all around them. She knew that she wasn't supposed to interfere in the lives of mortal men but she couldn't let them die. Not when Jin had promised her that he wouldn't perform the ritual of seppuku. Raising both hands out to each side of her, she quickly rushed the men picking up one in each arm and flew them out the front door of the house. Depositing them on the ground outside Shino rose up into the air and looked back over her shoulder to see that Jin and the apothecary were safe. Seeing them on the ground alive she disappeared from view.
Jin watched the night sky as he saw Shino rise up and disappeared from his sight.
"Arigato," he choked out before he closed his eyes.
Breathing a sigh of relief Jin turned to his right. He opened his eyes when he heard the apothecary talking to him.
"See good son," the old man coughed out, "Buddha hasn't abandoned you. She will return Noko as soon as you are well again. Trust me. Don't you abandon Buddha."
"Hai," Jin replied.
He was tired, his head hurt him, and his eyes were irritated from the smoke, but Noko was safe. Shino had again saved his life and that of someone he cared deeply for. Succumbing to the smoke from the fire, Jin closed his eyes before he fainted, secure in the fact that Noko was coming back to him someday.