Chapter Twenty
Confess
>>>Morning - May 8, 1583
The trees of the forest had become less dense at higher altitudes, allowing brilliant golden rays of sunlight to cascade across the slopes of the mountain. The light so starkly contrasted with the shadows of the trees that motes of dust could be seen in the air at sparse intervals. The trail to the summit had also become clearer, now almost completely devoid of the undergrowth that covered the rest of the forest floor. Strong yet infrequent gusts of wind also blew flower petals of various colors through the air. Takashi couldn't identify any specific species, not that it really mattered anyway. There were far more important things at hand.
"It still doesn't make much sense," the ronin commented as he, Yuki, and Jeffy walked the trail at an even pace. "What exactly did Noriko want with Fuji? Why would she want to help us out? I thought she was dead-set on finding her father's murderer."
Jeffy shrugged. "Apparently, the fact that Jiro wasn't the one responsible shook up her priorities a bit."
Yuki grinned. "Or shifted them back into place, depending on your perspective."
"Even that seems weird," Takashi continued. "Why would she take that guy's word for it? Doesn't sound like the Noriko I know."
"It's quite possible to spend a lot of time with someone and still not know a thing about them." Jeffy remonstrated.
"Oh yeah?" Takashi remarked. "Well, nuts to that, I say. If you're not gonna be up front about who you are to begin with, then why even bother?"
"People have their reasons." Jeffy replied. "Besides, if you could know everything about someone from the moment you met them, where would the adventure of finding out be?"
"Hmm," Takashi mused. "You kind of have a point there, but it still doesn't tell me what she has in mind for Fuji. Why him?"
Yuki raised a hand needlessly. "Maybe it has something to do with the fact that he's a Shinto apprentice."
The ronin raised an eyebrow. "You think so? Still, what use would she have for that?" Takashi thought hard for a moment before presenting his next theory. "Maybe they're getting 'business' done, if you know what I mean."
"Oh boy," Yuki groaned. "It sure doesn't take a lot to understand your priorities, Taka-kun."
"Damn straight." Takashi nodded, looking around for something else to talk about. "Hey, Jeffy-sensei?"
The sword master cast a backward glance. "Yo."
The ronin pointed toward a jug that had been slung about Jeffy's waist. "Where did that come from? Is that a sake jug?"
"Bingo." Jeffy confirmed. "I've had it in my travel sack all along; didn't think it too wise to carry something like this out in the open all the time."
"Aw, come on." Takashi moaned. "You've had sake all this time and didn't share the love? What's the deal?"
Jeffy smiled at his student's ignorance. "Actually, I haven't had any either. This is special sake that only one person can drink."
Yuki cocked her head to the side. "Who?"
"It's a tradition," Jeffy explained. "Though really, I guess you'd say it's more of a promise. When Jiro and I completed our training under Raijin and attained the title of 'Master', our sensei presented each of us with a jug of sake identical to one that he had always carried with him. Every Yaen Master keeps one with him when heading into battle, with the promise that the first drink from it would belong only to a swordsman who could best any one of us in combat. Since I've never been defeated, it's never been opened."
"Whoa," Takashi mused. "You're not trying to jinx us or anything, right?"
Jeffy sighed. "The battle before us is unlike any I have encountered. There's no telling who may end up as friend or foe, and I am more uncertain than ever as to my own fate. Still, it is not a matter that concerns you, young Takashi." The sword master stopped at an inexplicable fork in the path, pointing to the left. "The shrine is this way. I suggest you two get a move on and stop worrying about an old man like me."
"Huh?" the ronin questioned. "Why can't you go with us? We could definitely use your help, sensei!"
Jeffy smiled, pulling aside part of his hakama to reveal a spot on his lower right hip that had become soaked with blood. A bandage had been applied, but the wound looked crippling nonetheless.
"Oh no!" Yuki exclaimed upon seeing the injury. "Are you going to be okay, Jeffy-san?"
The sword master retied his obi to straighten the hakama. "Like I said, it's nothing for you to worry about. An injury like this won't kill me, but if I were to go with you two, I'd just get in the way. All I'm doing is positioning myself where I'll be most useful to this confrontation."
Takashi sighed heavily, surrendering to his sensei's reasoning. "If you say so, Jeffy-sensei. Still, are you sure you'll be alright?"
Jeffy grinned and gave the ronin a sharp clap on the back. "You sound just like an old maid, Takashi. A man's problems are all his own; you just worry about taking out Hideaki. By the way, you do remember where to meet with Noriko and Fuji, right?"
The ronin searched his memory. "A hollow grove just east of the shrine location? Will it be obvious enough to recognize?"
Jeffy nodded. "According to the villagers' description, it should be." The sword master shifted forward on his crutches and took the path to the right. "Okay then, I'd best be off. Best of luck you two, and fear not! When the action heats up, I'm sure to be there!"
Takashi raised a hand in farewell. "Better keep to that promise, old man!"
Yuki waved to the departing figure. "Take care, Jeffy-san!"
The ronin and the raiju watched the sword master disappear into the foliage before Takashi turned to the road ahead. "You ready, Yuki?"
The girl nodded cheerfully. "Born ready, Taka-kun!"
>>>Night - May 7, 1583
"Whoa," Noriko commented in response to Fuji's summary of the events that had transpired in her absence. "So, do I call you 'Rafael' now?"
"I thought about that," Fuji responded as he continued to follow the swordswoman deeper into the woods. "Still, you guys know me as 'Fuji', so we'll stick with that for now."
"That makes sense," Noriko responded. "At least it explains your hair. So what are you anyway, Portugese?"
"Half," Fuji corrected. "Half Portugese, half English. That's how Wild Card put it."
Noriko put a hand to her chin. "Come to think of it, how did that guy know so much about you?"
Fuji looked surprised, as if he hadn't thought of that question before. "That is kind of funny, isn't it? He said that he'd come across the information in his travels."
"Oh yeah?" Noriko questioned. "From who, Raijin? He's got to be more involved than that." The swordswoman gave the matter a little more thought before continuing. "Hey, we know what happened to your mother and your sister, right? Did he say anything about your father?"
"No," Fuji replied. "Why?"
Noriko stopped. "What if he's your father?"
Fuji halted in his advance as well. "That . . . that's just not something I want to think about right now."
The swordswoman resumed her former pace. "Yeah, no kidding."
"So," Fuji began as he began walking alongside Noriko. "What is it that you need my help with anyway?"
Noriko sighed. "Once, there was this vicious female assassin. She wasn't aligned with any of the ninja clans, and she didn't work for money. Quite simply, she lived for the thrill of the kill and for the improvement of her own already inhuman skills. Eventually though, she became a wanted criminal in the southern provinces. Have you ever heard of such a person?"
"No," Fuji replied, slightly confused. "What has this got to do with-"
"Let me finish." Noriko interrupted. "When the huntress became the hunted, it curbed her insatiable bloodlust. In an effort to escape her brutal lifestyle, however, she was near beaten to death not far from my hometown of Mizusawa. A farmer found her and brought her back to health. They married, and lived a happy life until the farmer's death, or so I heard. In any case, the woman I speak of is now called Hotaru. I don't know her previous name, since she never told me. Hotaru was the one who taught me how to survive in the wilderness and wield a sword in the Hitora style."
Noriko held out a parchment scroll. "Near the end of my training, she gave me this scroll, saying that it was one of the forbidden sword arts she had collected in her travels. Supposedly, it has the power to increase one's physical prowess far beyond its natural limits. It goes by the name 'Kenji-seijin'."
"Awesome," Fuji stated. "Still, what use am I for something like that?"
Conversation stopped for a moment as the pair reached a pool in the forest, illuminated in a light shade of blue by the intense moonlight. Fireflies flitted through the air around the startlingly clean water, giving the scene an atmosphere of mysticism.
Noriko sighed heavily and began unwrapping the scroll. "Basically, the technique is done through o-fude writings. I assume that you're familiar with them."
"Of course." Fuji responded helpfully, patting his calligraphy pouch. "So, what kind of writings are we talking about? For magical purposes, there are two types, you know?"
"I've heard about that," Noriko commented, sitting down on a rock that overlooked the pool. "What were they called again?"
Fuji smiled as he took a seat next to the swordswoman. "There are some really complicated words for them, but I like to call them 'seal' and 'break'. A seal corrects imbalances in the natural order, and a break, of course, bends or breaks the rules of the natural order. Normally, the break o-fude are reserved for high-level priests, but given instructions, I could probably execute one."
"Better be more than 'probably'," Noriko cautioned. "I've also heard that o-fude can have adverse effects if done in even a slightly incorrect manner."
"I can handle it," Fuji commented nonchalantly, pulling out his brush pen and ink. "It's one of the few things I do really well as an apprentice priest. "So, where do I place the paper charms for this? Is it some sort of circle formation?"
To the apprentice's surprise, Noriko began to blush rather heavily, handing him the opened scroll. "Actually, this doesn't involve paper."
Fuji gulped upon glancing over the instructions for the Kenji-seijin. "Um, these o-fude have to be written on the body?"
Noriko unconsciously pulled her clothes more tightly about her. "Look, I'm not exactly ecstatic about it. Just tell me that they don't have to be put anywhere too scandalous, okay?"
Fuji read over the sheet carefully, pointing to different spots on Noriko's form. "Well, let's see. "One on the forehead, one on each shoulder, one on the back of each hand . . ." The apprentice paused, hoping he wouldn't have to read the last two off. "One on the side of each thigh . . ."
Noriko's face practically glowed red. "What! There's no way!"
Fuji gulped again, pointing to a spot about one inch below the swordswoman's clavicle. "And one here."
Noriko wrapped the brown cloak tightly about her, shaking her head fitfully. "Oh boy. Oh boy. I knew it. I knew it would be like this . . ."
Fuji scratched the back of his head nervously. "Well, I can't really do anything about it. This was originally intended to be used on men, you know?"
"I know." Noriko responded, attempting to calm her nerves. "I know, okay? Let's just . . . let's just do this."
The swordswoman had already removed her cloak and begun to undo her kimono when Fuji touched her hand to make her stop. Noriko flushed heavily at the contact.
"Hey, no need for that yet." Fuji stated, trying his hardest to maintain a cool attitude despite the fact that he could already feel the blood rushing to his head again. "I'll do the other ones first, okay?"
Noriko simply nodded. Fuji positioned her head correctly so that she could hold the position for a while before setting to work on the girl's forehead with his ink brush. Noriko found it very hard to sit still due to the strange sensation of being written upon. She began to squirm involuntarily.
"Keep very still." Fuji cautioned, careful to keep his hand steady. "I have no idea what will happen if I screw up."
"Hai." Noriko responded simply.
Time passed slowly for the swordswoman, the only sounds in the pool area being the slight ripples in the water and the incessant chirping of hidden crickets. After Fuji finished the o-fude on her forehead and began to work on her right hand, she felt the need to impart something to the apprentice.
"Hey, Fuji?"
"Yeah?" the apprentice responded, concentrating hard on his work.
Noriko sighed. "I never did thank you for saving my life back in Old Komo Town."
Fuji smiled. "Don't mention it; it's no big deal."
"Of course it is!" Noriko exclaimed, doing her best not to move. "I would have died at the hands of that raiju if you hadn't stepped in when you did. Don't tell me that that's not a big deal!"
"Okay, I won't." Fuji replied. "I just thought you were the kind of person who didn't like to be indebted to other people."
"In a way," Noriko began. "I guess that's true. Still, I'm not as cold a person as I've been acting toward you guys recently."
"Oh?" the apprentice responded curiously, moving to her left hand.
Noriko looked upwards. "I never wanted to be here, you know? Do you think I actually enjoy hunting down my father's murderer and acting out the part of a cold-blooded avenger?"
"If you don't enjoy it," Fuji surmised. "Then why act like that?"
Noriko sighed. "I just wanted this part of my life to be over. Hotaru did more than train me in the ways of the sword, Fuji; she taught me what it means to be a woman. Before then, I'd wanted to be exactly how you see me now. After seeing what kind of person Hotaru was, though, I don't think I want this lifestyle anymore. If I continue along the path of the blade, I'll never become a serene and peaceful person like her. If I kill for a living, I'll never become a real woman." Noriko paused for a moment as a tear streamed down her cheek. Fighting terribly against the urge to brush it off, she asked of the apprentice, "Do you understand?"
Fuji nodded slowly, reaching up and brushing away the tear for her. "I can relate to something like that. Still, you don't need to worry about it so much."
"Huh?" Noriko inquired. "What do you mean by that?"
The apprentice smiled knowingly as he finished with her left hand. "Ever since I met you, I've admired you as a woman and nothing less. You've got to be doing something right, eh?"
Noriko smiled in return, unfurling the top of her kimono. "Arigato, Fuji."
>>>Morning - May 8, 1583
It was nearing midday when the air became noticeably thinner to the ronin and his companion. They really hadn't said much to each other since Jeffy had split off down a different path, leaving an uncomfortable silence hanging over the two travelers. It was Takashi who first sighted the end of the path, represented by a half-rotted Shinto torii, bereft of any markings that had once adorned its burnished crimson surface.
"Hold up," the ronin whispered, motioning for Yuki to halt. "Isn't that the shrine entrance?"
Beyond the ruined gateway, a long series of stone steps curved its way through the trees until it became completely enveloped in forest cover some distance up. The once well-kept passage had become overgrown with moss and weeds, but it still most definitely led to a structure of some sort.
Yuki nodded. "That's got to be it. So, which way is the treeless grove from here?"
The wind became very intense as the ronin began to judge the direction of the group's meeting place. Strangely enough, the strong breeze carried a cascade of golden flower petals through the trees and across the open path. Yuki reveled in the sight; it was something she hadn't seen since she'd left home eight years ago.
"Narcissus flowers?" she wondered aloud. Somehow, the flowers seemed very important. They must have bloomed in early April, but why fall apart so soon?
"Flowers?" Takashi questioned, still attempting to discern a passage to the east.
The yellow petals were taking up more and more of the Yuki's vision. They seemed to dance as brilliant lights upon black water, whirling and circling about the young raiju like a wind funnel of brilliance. She giggled slightly and extended her hand outward to catch some of the petals. Suddenly, the black water and blue sky turned deep red. Anger? Hatred? What was this awful feeling that made the narcissus petals go away?
Oh no, Yuki thought, suddenly finding her vocal chords useless. It can't be . . . not . . . yet . . .
Takashi turned immediately in response to the sound of Yuki's body slumping over and hitting the dirt with a dry thud. The ronin skidded to her side, gently shaking her unconscious form.
"Yuki? Hey, Yuki! What's the matter? Say something!"
The raiju slowly opened her eyes, her ears twitching as if she'd just woken from a dream. "Huh? Oh, Taka-kun. I'm fine, I just seem to be a bit faint all of a sudden."
The ronin thought about this for a moment before swiftly scooping Yuki up in his arms and marching off toward what he had determined to be an eastern direction. "Sounds like you need to rest up. I think I can see that grove from here; all the flower petals seem to be blowing from that direction. In any case, we'd best not stay here for long; I wouldn't want to run into Raijin or Hideaki just yet."
Yuki laughed weakly. "Can't say I blame you for that."
The raiju thought for a moment about how difficult it must be for Takashi to walk while carrying another person, but the ronin's arm muscles showed absolutely no signs of strain. Indeed, it felt like he could simply toss her bodily into the highest tree, or juggle her with ease if he wanted. In Takashi's rock-solid arms, she almost felt completely weightless.
The treeless grove that Jeffy had spoken of was only a 10-minute walk from the shrine gateway. The circular area was replete with the golden narcissus flowers, their petals blowing about like a yellow carpet in the curiously strong breeze. A slight overhang created by a mountain ledge provided shelter for the grove, and also explained why no trees had been able to grow here.
Takashi sat Yuki up against one of the bordering pine trees, quite close to the overhang's outer edge. Yellow petals continued to dance about listlessly as the raiju seemed to regain some of her strength, hoisting herself up further to a more dignified pose.
"So," Takashi began, his voice slightly stilted by awe at the beauty of this place. "What's up? You feel sick? Lightheaded?"
Yuki shook her head vigorously, her large white locks of hair swaying left and right. "No, not quite. I'm really fine, Taka-kun. I just need to sit down for a moment."
Takashi began rummaging through his travel sack after setting his weapons on the ground. "There's still plenty of water left in the jug."
The raiju smiled warmly. "I'm not really thirsty, Taka-kun."
The ronin ignored her, pouring a small cup and handing it to Yuki, who promptly sipped it down. Takashi poured some for himself, stowing the jug for later use. As the ronin quaffed the water down, an eerie stillness hung in the air. It was an empty feeling, almost as if something was out of place. It was Yuki who decided to confront the elephant in the room.
"Why don't you touch me, Taka-kun?"
The ronin nearly spit his entire drink out in surprise. "Huh? What are you talking about? I just carried you here, didn't I?"
Yuki looked matter-of-factly at the ronin, her eyes fixated intently on his. "You know that's not what I'm talking about. When you picked me up, it was almost as if you couldn't wait to put me down again. Did it make you uncomfortable, holding me like that?"
Takashi scratched the back of his head. "Well, it's not exactly easy to walk with the weight of two people . . ."
"Don't dodge my questions," Yuki cautioned. "I've seen the way you look at me. You've had the same look ever since we got to Komo Town."
The ronin shifted nervously. "What look is that?"
Yuki adopted an innocent pose. "The kind of look that says you want to do naughty things."
"Whoa," Takashi exclaimed, backing away slightly. "That's some imagination. Why would I be thinking that way about someone who looks like a 12-year-old, anyway?"
The raiju smiled playfully. "Okay, so I was kidding about the 'naughty things', but you have longed to hold me, haven't you?"
The ronin looked like he'd been run through with a katana. "What-what is this you speak of?"
Yuki's eyes gleamed wistfully. "It's the same way you looked at me eight years ago, the same look that made me want to stay in Komo Town with you. I saw it then, Taka-kun, and I see it now. Regardless of my age, the desire to be closer to me still lies in your heart." Her expression changed into something that didn't seem to fit her apparent age at all. She looked older for a moment, more mature. "Besides, no matter how my body looks, I'm still about your age, Taka-kun." Yuki took hold of his hand. "So again, I ask you, why haven't you touched me? Why do you need an excuse just to be near me?"
The ronin surprised Yuki by quickly withdrawing his hand from her grasp. "You're right, okay! I have felt that way ever since you reappeared, even when I thought you were an imposter! Still, even if I could get over the fact that you haven't changed one bit since that day . . ." Takashi placed both his hands upon his own face. "Look at me, Yuki! I don't even know who I am anymore! It was different when I didn't have the guilt of countless murders hanging over my head, but now, I can't even tell if I'm a monster or not! What kind of man does what I have done and then desires for more than he deserves? I can't . . . I just . . ."
The ronin shook off tears that had been welling up in his eyes, his jet-black hair cascading everywhere. "Do you know how I felt, waking up as if from a dream only to find that I'd destroyed my hometown, that I'd destroyed the homes and lives of the only people that mattered to me! Do you know how I tortured myself over and over again with the memory of your death, to the point that I couldn't even discern between my imagination and reality anymore! I can't let the monster I became that day touch you, Yuki! I won't let that-"
Takashi was cut off as Yuki suddenly leaned forward from the tree, overshadowing the ronin with her lithe form. He moved backwards reflexively, causing Yuki to take hold of both his hands and pin him to the ground.
"Taka-kun," Yuki whispered, straddling the ronin's prone body, her palms pressed to his own against the carpet of narcissus petals. "A monster wouldn't feel like he has to protect me."
Takashi made as if to respond, but words failed him as Yuki leaned into his body, nuzzling under his chin and sliding the warmth of her bare inner thighs along the hardened muscle of his upper legs.
"A monster isn't warm like this." she soothed.
Takashi's body promptly ceased any resistance to the unspeakable sensations Yuki was causing through her movements. With every cat-like purr that escaped her young throat, a thousand secret desires were fulfilled. With every warm breath that caressed his neck as the raiju continued to nuzzle him, a thousand more were satisfied. Still, this was not enough. Takashi hated to admit it, but this was far from enough. When Yuki raised herself up slightly to stare directly into the ronin's eyes, his entire body shuddered for her to return.
The raiju smiled with more warmth than Takashi had even though possible through human expression. "The way you talk, Taka-kun, you're no monster at all. Not only that, I think you love me."
Silence hung on the air for a moment as the breeze set loose another whirlwind of narcissus petals. Takashi stared into the girl's eyes, instantly losing himself in their golden depths.
"Well?" Yuki whispered gracefully. "Am I right?"
The ronin made as if to answer, but soon found Yuki's index finger place over his lips. She moved her head alongside his, maneuvering her own lips to his left ear. The hot breath and vibrations from her voice exploded like firecrackers in the ronin's head, nearly obstructing the words she said.
"That's okay; you don't need to say anything. I can tell everything I want to know from the way you look at me, Taka-kun, they way you don't look at anyone else." There was a pause. "Still, there is one thing that I have wanted to say to you for a long time."
The feel of the raiju's lips meeting with his own was like nothing Takashi could have ever imagined. At first, the ronin didn't know how to react, but Yuki seemed to have prepared for that. The girl's lips were softer than the golden petals floating in the blue sky as they gently guided the ronin's in response to her advance. Just when Takashi had begun to get acclimated to the heavenly motion, Yuki withdrew just long enough to whisper two words directly into his pursed lips.
"Aishiteru yo."
The ronin returned Yuki's advance with one of his own, kissing deeply as he rose from the ground. Their hands remained fiercely locked together, with the smaller Yuki sitting in Takashi's lap, her legs crossed over his backside. They indulged each others' passion wildly, their kisses growing more frequent and gaining more fluidity. Soon enough, there was no true space inbetween each amorous movement. Their lips, arms, and hands moved constantly, attempting to feel the entirety of each other's being as their souls truly met in once place and with one desire for the first time.
It was this constant movement, of course, that caused Takashi to quickly realize something. Initially, he had begun kissing Yuki at a downward angle, yet the degree of that angle had been proceeding steadily upward. She also seemed somewhat heavier, and softer too. He pulled away for a moment in surprise to see that Yuki no longer appeared to be 12 years old. Her white hair had grown twice as long in the space of barely a minute. Womanly curves had begun to show on her features, and she was nearing Takashi's height. The ronin felt, rather than saw the girl's increased breast size as she closed the small distance between them, whispering in his ear as the folds of her gi began to come apart at the shoulders.
"Don't stop."
Hesitation had become apparent in Takashi's eyes, however, so Yuki decided to pull away slightly and inform the ronin of something she had determined by his actions.
"Say, you've never been with a woman before, have you?"
Takashi paused in his advances for a moment, staring directly into the raiju's eyes smiled sheepishly. "Well, Jeffy tried his best and so did I, but . . ." The self-declared ladies' man blushed heavily. "Did you really think I could actually forget someone like you?"
"Not even for a moment," Yuki responded cheerily. "But you know," she whispered seductively, bringing her face ever closer to the ronin's. "You don't have to stay at my lips forever . . ."
The kissing resumed its former pace, but it didn't take long for Takashi to heed his lover's advice. The ronin's lips moved down past the raiju's chin and caressed her silken neck. Yuki gasped in pleasure as Takashi moved even further down, each successive contact setting the girl's insides alight with even more desire. She pressed the Takashi's face to her chest, completely lost in throes of ecstasy as the ronin enthusiastically, almost desperately partook of her newly adult body.
"Don't stop . . . Don't ever stop, Taka-kun . . ."
(End Chapter Twenty)
Japanese Dialogue and Terms (in order of appearance):
Kenji-seijin - translates as "Sword Saint".
torii - the gateway of a Shinto temple, consisiting of two uprights supporting a concave crosspiece with projecting ends and a straight crosspiece beneath it.
aishiteru yo - shortened version of the phrase for "I love you".
