Thanks to all my reviewers! I'm glad you're enjoying my story.
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Soujiro awoke slowly, the rocking of the ship trying to pull him back to sleep.This would never happen to me while I was with Mr. Shishio. I never needed to sleep back then.
He rubbed his eyes, yawned and stretched. He reached for his gi and paused as something on his writing desk caught his eye, a thick book bound in new leather and embossed in gold with the now-familiar symbol of the Secret Christians. On top of it was a string of dark blue beads and a silver medallion bearing a similar symbol.
Soujiro slung the medallion around his neck. He smiled at how well the blue and silver went with his outfit. Then he sat down at his desk and flipped idly through the book. The only books he'd ever read were at the library in Kyoto. Oh, and also the books in Mr. Houji's office. He would browse through them, but found that they were filled with strange words about things he didn't know anything about.I wonder if Mr. Houji had a copy of this book.Somehow, he doubted it. It didn't seem to be the kind of book Mr. Houji would care for.
Soujiro climbed onto the deck and saw the coast of a small, Westernized town. He went to a man who he recognized as the driver of Amakusa's carriage. "Excuse me. What is that place?"
"Nakasendo. It's a safe port, a place that's tolerant of us, Master Tenken," the man answered. Soujiro knew what he meant by 'us.'
"It's run by the Dutch consulate," the man continued.
"You mean it's a colony?"
"Not quite a colony, but something similar." The man held out his hand. "Souzo Lorenzo."
Soujiro shook it. "Soujiro Seta." Turning back towards the coast, he asked, "Will we get a chance to see the town?"
"Yes. We won't be setting sail till late at night."
"You work with Lord Shougo and Lady Magadalia?"
"Yes, I am their servant."
"Hey Souzo!" a sailor shouted. "We're entering port!"
"I have to go help. I'll see you later," said Souzo. Soujiro smiled and nodded.
Soujiro watched the coast of the strange town getting closer and closer. He wondered what to do. He'd want to buy some souvenirs, as he still had some money left. Then he'd get his picture taken and find some Western clothes.
"Tenken." Soujiro turned to see Lady Magadalia carrying a small purse. "I'll be bringing you into the town. Fetch your Bible."
"What's a bible?"
Magadalia suppressed a giggle. Soujiro's question seemed to amuse her. "The book I gave you this morning."
Soujiro hurried back to his cabin to retrieve the leather-bound tome and the Kikuichimonji Norimune. By the time he returned to the deck, the sailors were tying the boat to the dock. He, Magadalia, and Souzo were the first ones off.
Nakasendo was a massive culture shock. Everything was different. Cobblestone roads and thick-walled buildings of stone and mortar with nearly invisible windows of glass towered over him. Shopkeepers shouted in Dutch as often as Japanese, if not more so. They advertised the constrictive, ornamented clothes of the West and their strange cuisine, which was often served in one large piece. To Soujiro, it wasn't like eating chicken. It was like eating a chicken's corpse.
"Where are we going?" he asked.
"To a church," said Magadalia.
"I thought that was only on Sundays."
"This is for your baptism."
"What's that?"
"A priest will sprinkle you with holy water. This is to remove the taint of Original Sin upon you."
"What's Original Sin?"
"There will be plenty of time for questions after the ceremony."
They continued walking in silence. Souzo tapped Soujiro on his shoulder and pointed to a passing carriage. "That's the Dutch consul."
Soujiro saw a blond, middle-aged man in a Western top hat. He watched in mild interest as the carriage continued down the street. Suddenly, the horses whinnied and the driver shouted, "Woah!"
"What happened?" asked Soujiro.
Souzo craned his neck to see. "The carriage almost hit a kid!"
"Is he all right?" asked Magadalia, her voice filled with concern.
"Yes, he's fine. He's getting up by himself," said Souzo. They continued on.
They stopped outside a stone building. To Soujiro, it looked just like every other building in the town except for the tall windows of multicolored glass. The inside was one giant chamber filled with rows of wooden benches, arranged with one aisle down the center. At the other end of the room was an elevated platform with a rectangular altar. Towering behind the altar was the chilling image of a malnourished bearded man, naked except for a loincloth, nailed by his hands and feet to a support shaped vaguely like Himura's scar.
A man in a long robe greeted them. He was Dutch, with receding blond hair and blue eyes. "Lady Magadalia," he said. "Welcome."
"It is good to see you, Father Daniel." She took him aside, sharing a hushed conversation with him.
Soujiro pointed at the metal carving of the bearded man. "Who's that?" he asked Souzo.
"Our Lord, Jesus Christ. He is the Son of God."
"I thought that was Lord Shougo."
"God sends His children to save His people, like Jesus and Lord Shougo."
"Why's Jesus stuck to that thing?" asked Soujiro.
"Being nailed to a cross is called a crucifixion. Jesus died to save the world from sin."
That was simply more than Soujiro could handle. "How can he save the world if he's dead?"
Souzo tried to explain the Resurrection and the Acts of the Apostles to Soujiro, but was mostly met with a confused stare. He sighed. Teaching was best left to Lady Magadalia.
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"He is Lord Shougo's Apostle?"
"Yes," Magadalia said to Father Daniel. "He will be my brother's student and, if anything should happen to my brother, Tenken shall take over the duties given to him by God."
"His Christian name is?"
"I've already said it. Tenken."
Daniel paused, putting his limited Japanese skill to use. "Heavenly Sword?"
"Yes."
"The name is prophetic. I'm sure."
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Soujiro stood with his eyes closed as Father Daniel sprinkled the water over his head and chanted in a language that Magadalia said was called Latin.
A tiny scraping sound reached Soujiro's ears. A metal blade drawn from a leather sheath. Soujiro ducked at the last minute as a hand clutching a straight-bladed dagger sailed over him. Soujiro launched a back kick to his attacker's groin and another to his chest, pushing him away. He saw that his attacker was the church's Japanese deacon, Peter Takahashi. Soujiro snatched out his katana and slashed at the deacon's dagger hand. The dagger clattered to the floor, his severed arm dropping next to it. Peter raised his left arm and rushed at Soujiro. The former hitokiri grabbed him by his shirt and flung him against the altar.
Soujiro pointed his sword at Souzo and Magadalia. "What's happening? What's going on?" he shouted.
"Tenken-" Magadalia started, but stopped as Soujiro pointed the blade at her. Soujiro's newfound faith had been broken by this traitor.
"You have no right to do this!" Peter shouted between gasps and sobs of pain. He tried to stand, supporting himself on the altar. "Shougo Amakusa can't do this! He has no right to demand such sacrifice!"
Magadalia turned to the wounded man, a cold anger evident on her face. She reached into a pocket and pulled out her gold Remington Double Derringer, its ivory handle carved with the Divine Symbol. Aiming the weapon at the deacon, she whispered angrily, "My brother is infallible. He is God." She pulled the trigger.
The bloody corpse of the deacon collapsed against the altar, a single dripping bullet hole in the middle of his forehead. Soujiro and his companions returned to the ship in silence. The boy christened Tenken had received his first revelation ever since joining with Shougo Amakusa. Even someone as pure as Magadalia would kill for the Son of God.
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No, this will not be an atheist's pointless rant against Christianity. You will see that throughout the story, there will be ups and downs in Soujiro's faith.
Also, I realize many of my readers haven't seen the Shimabara Arc. While it isn't completely necessary, there are some references to the show that will help readers understand the timeline. For example, the kid that nearly got run over by the Dutch consul was none other than Yahiko Myojin.
That's all for now. Please review!