A Father's Embrace

Chapter Nineteen

Bargain

Maiki found herself being detained in an old stable not far from the center of town. Her arms were bound behind her back, her ankles bound together as well. She had been locked inside a dirty stall. The smell of musty straw and decomposing horse manure filled her nostrils, making her gag. She was sitting as close to the wooden gate of the pen, desperate for fresher air. The position also gave her a narrow view of the events unfolding outside the open stable.

Before being separated from her mother and locked up in the stable, Nibori's men had stripped the women of their backpacks. Currently, the men were pilfering through the contents of both women's bags. Maiki could see that their few changes of clothing had been scattered about on the ground, as well as the tents and the sleeping bags. The cooking dishes of Kagome's mess kit were laying in a small heap. Some men had discovered some of the food items, and were eating what didn't require cooking.

A few men were poking through the First Aid Kit, figuring out how to open the adhesive bandages and slapping them on each other. One man toyed with a flashlight, staring into the end while unknowingly pressing the button that turned it on. He was bombarded with an eyeful of bright light.

"AUUGH! MY EYES! I've been blinded! That wench is no miko! She be a kijo! A witch!" he screamed, as he threw the flashlight to the ground, causing it to shut off.

At the sound of his plight, the rest of the men stared at him warily as he rubbed his eyes. The men who had been happily eating the food supply stopped mid-bite, suddenly becoming very self-aware of their own well-being. Almost simultaneously, they began to spit out whatever food had been in their mouths. They did not wish to suffer any ill consequences from the mysterious contents of the bags, like their companion had unfortunately experienced.

Watching the men and their antics, Maiki couldn't help but to release a chuckle, momentarily forgetting her distress. 'Those dolts...' After the incident with the flashlight, most of the men dispersed, no longer interested in the cursed objects. About five men stayed behind, having been instructed to keep watch over the captive shibunyo. Maiki released a sigh. With her entertainment gone, her thoughts were forced back into the subject of her current predicament. 'I hope mama is okay.'

After being taken away from her daughter, Kagome was whisked away to a hut towards the north side of the village. It was about twice as large as the other huts she had passed by. She was roughly shoved through the bamboo door. It came of no surprise to her, when she discovered that it was the headman's house. Nibori had been waiting for her inside. He sat at the head of a low table in the center of the room, slowly eating a piece of soft fruit. Upon the table, were more pieces of the same type of fruit as well as an abundance of other types of food.

"Ah, the miko-whore. So nice of you to drop in. Please, sit," he spoke condescendingly. Kagome found herself being forced into a sitting position at the opposite end of the table from Nibori. Silence reigned for several moments, before Nibori spoke again. "What's wrong, wench? Are you not hungry?" Kagome remained silent. "Very well," the headman replied. "I suppose it would be a waste anyway, should you lose your stomach when we execute that wretched offspring of yours later tonight."

Kagome gasped. "You would kill her? With no real proof that she's guilty?"

"It is guilty. All yokai are guilty."

"Even if Maiki was guilty, which she is not, death is too cruel of a punishment for the crimes you have accused her of. You say she killed some livestock and caused a few fires. But was anyone killed, or even hurt, for that matter?"

Nibori stared contemptuously at Kagome. "Fortunately, no one was killed or hurt... this time. But for that, I can thank the quick thinking of my men. Not the possibility that a yokai is capable of feeling compassion, which they are not. I lost both my parents to the foul creatures when I was still merely a young lad. Yokai are an abomination which should be wiped from the face of the earth. And I now possess the means to do it."

The headman then looked to one of the men who had been standing next to Kagome. As she watched the subordinate enter another room, she wondered what the silent command had been. He returned a moment later, carrying a finely crafted wooden box in both his hands. He calmly walked over to his leader, kneeling down beside him to hand him the box. Nibori accepted it from his henchman, and placed it on an empty space on the table in front of him. As he unlocked the box, Kagome could feel the dread rising from the pit of her stomach.

Nibori lifted the front of the lid, flipping it back on its hinges. The inside was lined with red velvet, meant to protect the contents. What Kagome saw made a knot form in her chest. The gleam of polished metal and finished wood was unmistakable. It was a gun. Along with the firearm, were some small rounded metal balls, the ammunition, and a small satchel containing gunpowder. The headman carefully lifted the pistol from the box, as if it were as delicate and precious as a newborn babe.

"It took me a great deal of bargaining to get this," Nibori stated lovingly of his prized possession. He held it up, inspecting and admiring the beauty of the weapon. "And it will give me great pleasure to try it out for the first time on that vile beast."

Kagome's face visibly paled.

"Find any way in?" Miroku called out to his wife and son.

"No," Sango stated as she and Kazuki approached the monk. They had split up, and while keeping out of sight, they circumnavigated the village and converged on the north side. "Did you have any luck?"

"No. All the entrances to the village are under heavy guard. There's no way we could sneak in during daylight hours. And I'm afraid that if we waited until nightfall, we'll be too late."

Sango sighed. "We can't try to force our way in either, especially since we're unarmed. And we can't risk Kagome's life like that. There has to be a way in."

Husband and wife were silent as they both tried to figure a way to help their captive friends. Caught up in thought, they failed to notice their son's actions. Kazuki's attention had been ensnared by something on a hillside to the north. With the dense forest around them, he couldn't quite see what it was. To get a better view, he climbed the tallest nearby tree, working his way to a branch that was high above the canopy of the forest. With the clear view that the elevated position bestowed, Kazuki confirmed his initial assumption. He called down to his parents.

"Mother! Father! Look up on that hill! There's a daimyo's castle! The village must be part of the lord's territory since it's so close to his estate! Maybe if we seek the daimyo's assistance, he can help us get into the village!"

As per Kazuki's instruction, the exterminator and monk looked towards the hillside. They could see a portion of the barely visible roof of a large castle. The junior exterminator climbed down from the tree and joined his parents.

"It looks to be about a quarter of a mile from here. It shouldn't take us too long to get there," the boy informed.

"Excellent work, Kazuki. We should be able to get there in no time at all," complimented Miroku.

Sango nodded in agreement. "Let's go!"

Approximately twenty minutes later, the trio were approaching the southern gate to the castle. The two guards on duty at the gate immediately noticed their approach and took defensive stances.

"Who goes there?" one called out.

"What business do you have here?" inquired the other.

Miroku stepped forward, and bowed respectfully. "My name is Miroku. I am a monk from Kiyoshi's village to the south. This is my wife, Sango, and my son, Kazuki, both are yokai exterminators. We have come here to seek council with your daimyo."

"Takeshi-daimyo-sama is not available. Be gone."

"Please. I implore you to let us speak with him. Two of our companions have been taken captive by the village at the bottom of this hill. One has been wrongfully accused of crimes she did not commit. We fear that her life is in jeopardy. We cannot risk entering the village on our own to save our friends, else they shall both be killed. We were hoping that the daimyo of this castle is the lord over that village," the monk pleaded.

"The village below the hill? Would you be referring to Nibori-san's village?"

"Yes. That's the one." Miroku watched as the two guards then turned towards each other, speaking too quietly for the monk to hear.

"Nibori-san... He's been up to no good recently... meeting with strangers from far-away lands and such. I don't trust that one."

"I agree. I don't know why the previous daimyo ever appointed him as a village headman."

"Yes, but I hear that Takeshi-daimyo-sama has been trying to find a way to strip Nibori-san of his position. Up until now, there's been no solid evidence to prove of any wrong doing on his behalf. Let's see if these three might have any information that could possibly provide Takeshi-daimyo-sama with a solution to this situation."

The guards straightened their stances, turning back towards the monk and exterminators. The first replied, "You may enter. My name is Kuro. I shall escort you to Takeshi-daimyo-sama."

Miroku bowed in gratitude. "Thank you, Kuro-san. We are eternally grateful."

Kuro led the trio into the castle grounds. Crossing the courtyard, the monk and exterminators noticed a severe lack of activity around the castle. It seemed as if most everyone was absent. The guard led them up a wooden staircase and into the castle itself. The inside of the building mirrored the vacant outside. Only a small handful of servants fluttered about the castle. Kuro led them down a long hallway. They stopped when they reached a door at the end.

"Takeshi-daimyo-sama is inside the conference room," informed the guard. "I shall inform him of your request. Please wait here."

They nodded in compliance as the guard stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. Unable to hear the conversation on the other side of the door, they had no choice but to wait patiently. Several long minutes passed by, which seemed to drag into hours. Finally, the door opened and Kuro reappeared.

"Takeshi-daimyo-sama will see you now."

"Thank you, Kuro-san," Miroku replied with a slight bow to his head before he and his family entered the chamber.

They found the daimyo waiting for them, his back to them as he looked out a window at the opposite side of the room. The window looked out upon the castle gardens, offering a splendid view. The family stopped once they reached the center of the room, waiting for the daimyo to initiate the conversation. After a few moments, the lord spoke.

"I understand the circumstances of your plight. Though I feel sympathy for your predicament, I am sorry to say that I am currently unable to offer you any assistance. I'm sorry."

"Thank you for allowing us a moment of your time, Daimyo-sama," Sango bowed, "but surely there must be something you can do."

Takeshi slowly turned to face them. He wore an expression of sadness, worry, doubt, fear, and fatigue. "I wish I could, but currently, I lack the resources. You see, my son has been missing for three days now. I have every man I can spare out looking for him as we speak. I pray that he has not fallen to the yokai that has been randomly attacking my villages as of late. Why, no less than ten minutes before you arrived here, I just received word from a village to the east that the yokai was seen slaughtering some of their cattle this afternoon. I fear for my son's life."

"Then perhaps it is of good fortune that we have come this way," Miroku spoke. "We would be more than happy to assist you in the search for your lost son. Unfortunately, Nibori-san's men confiscated our weapons. Needless to say, it would be foolish to go out into yokai infested forests unarmed. Allow me to offer you a bargain. If you help us get into Nibori-san's village to save our companions and reclaim our weapons, then we shall all assist you with the search for your son. And we shall not give up until he is found. Deal?"

Takeshi remained silent for a moment, considering the monk's offer. Finally coming to a decision, he seemed to relax slightly. "Very well. It's a deal."

Takeshi - brave

Kuro - ninth son

A/N:I know a few of you have expressed the opinion that my chapters are too short. That may be, but I end the chapters where it feels right.I try to stay away from long chapters because it's much easier for me when I go back and proof-read/edit each one before I post.And since I usually read through and edit each chapter three or four times before I'm completely happy with it, it would take a very long time inbetween posts. I also feel the quality of the story would suffer if I wrote longer chapters. However, I will do my best to try to make future chapters a bit longer.