Sorry again. I know I said I'd get this up sooner, but I had a lot of unexpected work coming my way when I got back to school. I had so much trouble with one class that I eventually had to drop it. Then, just when I thought I would be able to sit down and finish the chapter, a wave of Bronchitis swept over the campus, and I was one of many infected. For two weeks, I felt utterly horrible, and I still have a lot of work to do. But, alas, here it is. Sorry for those of you who thought we would be getting to Iron Town or San by this point, but that won't happen for at least another chapter. Hang in there!
I wrote this chapter for a couple of reasons: one, I wanted to fill in some more background bits that would be important in following chapters; and two, I wanted to write at least one chapter that took place in a large city, preferably Kyoto. Sorry if this disappoints you, but I've tried to make it enjoyable for all. I'm hoping you'll like it at least a bit.
Well, here's chapter 11. Enjoy.
Being Alive
Chapter 11
The eyes of a lone, unknown figure watched as two men approached him deep in the woods. It was dark, well into the night, with only a torch illuminating the small open spot surrounded by trees. He watched them come up the path, knowing that they didn't notice him, even as they steadily came closer. But, seeing as how he was well camouflaged, he didn't expect them to notice him in the slightest. If they did, he wasn't doing his job.
When the two men were about three feet away from their voyeur, they stopped, and one turned to the other. The tall one was wearing a very distinctive style of samurai armor; one that was rarely seen around these parts. It no doubt meant that he held a high rank, possibly that of a true Daimyo, in a house of warriors. The shorter one that he spoke to was more familiar to the watcher- he had seen him once before. He wore a red-and-white uniform of a Buddhist monk, and carried the same large parasol he had before. As he watched, he listened in as they exchanged words, completely unaware that they were being spied on from a mere three feet.
"If you're so sure we're at the right place, Jiko, how come no one has come to meet us?"
"My lord, you need to understand, these people work in a strange way. But I'm sure this is the place where we have to wait-"
"I don't care about that! I don't trust any of the backwoods scum that live around here! And I still don't like your idea of hiring them. We can do just as well with our own-"
"I'm telling you, it is in your best interest to seek help, your Highness. All the stories aside, these people are reliable. They're the ones who took care of Komiya, and made it so that Watanabe couldn't blame you for the massacre."
"I still don't like it! I could've taken on Watanabe myself if I had to. And if these bastards are so reliable, why are they so inattentive? I don't see anyone here waiting for us-"
It was at this time that the hunter decided to let his presence be known. Simply sitting up and stepping out from the trees, he appeared before Asano and Jiko. The lord and the monk both looked back with surprise in their eyes. The man was taller than either man he stood before, and looked older than both as well. He wore the skin and fur hide of a large brown wolf over his battle clothing, and had animal blood painted onto his face, as well as an assortment of weapons strapped to his belt. He pulled back his hood as he stepped closer, no sound at all resonating as he moved.
"If we say we're going to be somewhere, Lord Asano, we'll be there. But you won't know it unless we want you to," he said with a slight grin on his rugged, scarred face.
It took Asano a few seconds to register just where the man had come from. He stuttered slightly before he managed to speak again. "Wh- who the hell are you?"
"That's hardly important, but, if it matters, you may call me Rokurota." He then motioned for the two to follow him. "Right this way," he said, before moving further down the path into the darkness.
Asano didn't move until Jiko tapped him on the shoulder. "Sir?"
The daimyo brushed him off. "I'm fine! Let's just go." And they followed the older warrior into the woods.
A minute or so more of walking in almost complete darkness brought them to another torch-lit site: the entrance to a wide, dark cave. After Rokurota entered, Asano stood in momentary hesitation before entering himself, followed by the monk. The continued down a thin, cavernous hallway, lit only by torches every thirty feet or so. Between every light there seemed to be a near-eternity of darkness. For most of the walk, the lord and the monk were lucky if they could even see the monstrosity of a man that walked in front of them.
Finally, the hall opened up to reveal a large cavern, lit with several torches, as well as a couple of bonfires. And this allowed the two outsiders to see just what was going on inside the deep cave.
The cavern was occupied by about forty other men, all engaged in various activities, whether it be training, rest, or anything else. Nearly all of these men were dressed in similar fashion to Rokurota, wearing light clothing in the style of ninja warrior, with some wearing animal skins of their own. One part of the cave served as small training sector, with men sharpening their skills with different weapons and techniques, all in styles of deadly ninjutsu. Men would cut down bamboo stalks with swords, throw shuriken at wooden targets, practice their stealth techniques using rope while hanging from an upper level in the cavern, and spar with each other in small but brutal training bouts.
In another part of the cavern, a long, thick metal pipe extended from the ceiling of the cavern down to a medium-sized furnace, where a group of men were busy forging and sharpening new weapons. In a smaller part of the cavern, serving as a separate room, men were either sleeping or meditating. And, around the two bonfires, small groups of men sat engaged in conversation or some other sort of leisure.
Asano's attention was brought back to a presence in front of him once Jiko notified him with another tap on the shoulder. Standing in front of them now were Rokurota, and another man, even older than the deadly mercenary, although not by much. This man was about the same height as Asano, and wore a dark warrior's tunic, as well as a sheathed katana at his side.
Asano didn't even bow to the man, looking at him with only little more trust than he had given Rokurota. "And just who might you be?"
"I'm Gojiro Makabe, Lord Asano, and I'm the one to whom you've extended this offer of work. At least that's what the monk has led me to believe."
"Yeah, well, I didn't expect to meet you in a god-forsaken place like this. And I don't like the fact that you had him wait for me. I didn't think men lived to his age out here," he said, gesturing to taller man.
Makabe frowned at the Lord, clearly not amused. "I don't think you're funny."
"I don't think any of this is funny!" Asano retorted harshly. "You're using backwoods hunters from the eastern lands, tell me I'm wrong!"
"No, you're not wrong."
Asano was not looking any happier at what he was being given. "And you expect me to trust these scumbags with my operation? I am taking down a powerful opponent, and I don't need untrustworthy bastards like this!"
"My people are loyal, Lord Asano, and you must see that if you want our services."
Asano brushed off the harsh words as though they meant nothing. "Oh, to hell with this, I don't need any of-"
"Does your arm hurt, Asano?"
The arrogant Lord looked back at the older man, a look of confusion on his face. "What the hell does my arm have to do with anything?"
"Pick up that torch," he replied, gesturing to a lit torch that hung from a nearby wall.
"Why on earth should I?"
Jiko began to watch them with uneasiness. Asano clearly had no idea who he was dealing with; and he was about to get a lesson in how these people worked.
"Just pick it up!" the old warrior said, his right-hand man staring down the uneasy Lord.
Asano hesitated before reaching for the wooden grasp of the torch. As soon as he had pulled it out of it's hook, however, he felt his arm being grabbed, and, in no time at all, he was being held in an arm lock by Gojiro, the arm holding the torch sticking out from the lock.
"Hey! What the hell are you doing-" he yelled, struggling to free himself, but to no avail.
"Shut your mouth!" the older man replied. When Asano began to protest once again, Makabe responded with a definitive "SHUT UP!" He then threw a glance at the monk, who was clearly agitated. "And you! Don't try anything, or you'll regret it!" He gestured to the group of men who had gathered around them.
Turning his head back to Asano, who's face was right behind his, he gave the Lord a dark, firm look. "Don't move," he said quietly, but with authority.
Looking to his right hand man, he gestured to the torch. "Rokurota- your left arm, please."
The mercenary sighed, slowly nodded his head, and lifted up his left arm before pulling back the sleeve. The forearm was weather-beaten, with almost no body hair, and several scars draping across it. He slowly moved his arm into the small flame.
Asano's face went pale almost immediately. He began to struggle, trying free his arm from the grip, but to no avail. Gojiro smiled, seeing the stunt achieve its desired effect.
"Oh, dear gods…c'mon, stop! You're insane-"
Jiko was standing in a puddle of his own sweat by now. He'd known plenty about these men, and he'd heard stories about them that were hard for even himself to believe, but this was still a frightening sight to see.
Asano could smell the burning flesh as the flame bore into the man's forearm. While he was writhing in agony at the sight, as though he were the one being burned, Rokurota, however, showed no indication that he felt a thing. "YOU'RE CRAZY! For the love of god, knock it off!"
Gojiro finally ended the debacle by extinguishing the flame with a burst of breath. Still holding onto Asano's arm, he looked his right-hand man in the eye. "Have Taki look at that, Rokurota."
The middle-aged warrior took in a deep breath, and exhaled as he lowered his arm. "Yes, sir," he said, walking off towards the other men.
Makabe turned to look at the stunned face of Lord Asano, who was still staring at Rokurota as he left. "You wish to enlist our services, yes?"
For a few seconds, the man couldn't speak. When the older man finally let him go, he answered. "Y- yes, good gods, yes! Holy…people like this just don't exist, I mean…my gods!"
As he walked away, the old warrior turned back to the Lord. "Our men will be ready to go within a week. Have your selected units ready to meet with them at the designated location when the time comes, and be sure to have the rest of your men ready when the others have left. Our own reinforcements will be ready to join up with you then. Any more problems, and you'll have to deal with Rokurota. Goodbye."
Asano watched as the man turned and walked deeper into the cave before turning back to the monk with a heavy sigh. As they made their way into the cavernous hallway again, the monk thought to himself. Well, that went better than expected…maybe we can finally get this operation underway, and I'll be that much closer to my goal. The gods must really like me!
The young American couldn't believe his eyes.
As he stood right inside the gates of Japan's capital city, he found himself speechless. Never had he thought that, during his long journey through this unknown land, that he would be reminded so much of home. Yet, here he was, standing in the city where he had been raised until he was ten. Once again, déjà vu struck, giving him a slight feeling of false hope that he might be that much closer to home. Donning his cloak, he took his first steps into the fabled city.
Although Kyoto was supposedly smaller than it was in his time, one would never have known it from its activity. Never, in all his time since he had left the Emishi village, had he seen so many people at once. The streets of Kyoto were absolutely crowded with civilians, whether they be farmers, traveling merchants, or samurai. At either end of the bustling streets were endless rows of shops, where artisans, merchants and farmers strived to sell their goods. Beggars were occasionally seen as well, and temples and shrines were found in several places as well. One of the first noticeable places he passed was a Muromachi-era Shinto shrine, with a rather big torii gate out front. On the steps leading up to the shrine, he saw a couple of young miko sweeping the pathways. When he took a step onto the pathway, one of the girls gave him a strange look. After a few seconds, she brushed off the uneasiness, smiled, bowed, and resumed her work. Dante slowly bowed back, and walked off.
During his trek through the crowded streets, he looked for any familiar landmarks, which, he noticed, numbered very little. Most of the familiar temples and shrines, such as the Golden and Silver Pavilions, the Heian Jingu shrine, the Ryoan-ji rock garden, and Nijo Castle, were not built by this time. He did, however, spot the Kami and Shimo shrines, the Toji Buddhist temple, and, of course, the Kyoto Imperial Palace. Of all the places, this one looked the most different from the one he had seen in his era. This was not surprising, considering the number of times it had yet to be burnt down and rebuilt within the next six hundred years. He could only get so close to the building, however, considering all the guards and soldiers that surrounded it. Aside from the few sites that he recognized, he saw many more that he didn't, and wondered just how much the city was to change before it finally became the Kyoto he knew.
As he sat near a small food vendor shop, Dante wondered just how good his cloak was working to help him blend in. Initially, he wouldn't get many long stares, especially when he was moving through the streets. But, every now and then, people would stop for a good, long look. Some even took to whispering to their neighbors while pointing him out. After a while, he sighed, and turned to face the vendor as he resumed eating his cheap meal. He didn't know whether fewer people would stare at him now, but, either way, he didn't want watch as people gawked at him.
Who're you kidding? He thought to himself. It's been over a week since that whole thing with the castle happened, and gossip spreads like disease in this country. Of course people are gonna be looking at anything suspicious. And that includes me. Turning back around to steal a peek, he saw that some of the same people who'd been pointing at him before were now talking quietly with others around them, no doubt about the youth.
He sighed in irritation as he went back to his food. Well, not much I can do about it. At least no one's trying to give me trouble. Everyone in this city's got too many of their own problems to worry about.
As he was finishing his soup, he began to hear lots of buzz coming from behind him. Thinking it might be about him, he turned around to steal a glance. He was wrong: there was a crowd gathering, but it was further down the road. And the people had their attention focused on something other than him. Wondering what it could possibly be, he gobbled down the rest of his food, paid the vendor, and gathered his things before walking in the direction of the crowd.
He walked further down the street, towards the circle of people that had gathered around a couple of others. Wonder what this is about, he thought, inching his way in between people in the crowd. When he finally got through, he saw who was the center of attention: an old woman, a man, and a rather well crafted two-horse wagon.
"What do you mean you can't do it?" the woman exclaimed, angered by what the man had told her. "Didn't I pay you enough?"
"Money isn't the problem, Miss, but I'm afraid I won't be able to bury your husband. The grave was dug, and I had the wagon ready, but I can't go through with it. I'm sorry, but there will be no funeral."
Stealing a look at the wagon, Dante noticed a figure wrapped in white lenin lying in the back of it. His mind went back to the woman when she responded. "Would you mind telling me why? I told you I wanted him buried; you agreed; and I'm pretty sure if my late husband could voice his opinion at the moment, he'd say the same thing! So, what's the problem?"
The crowd became more interested as the woman's temper got lower. The undertaker was clearly uncomfortable about the whole thing, judging by his face.
"Now, ma'am, you just don't understand. It doesn't matter that we want him buried in that graveyard. There's an element in this part of town that just won't have it."
The woman gave him a quizzical, yet firm, stare. "What do you mean?"
"These people…they say your husband isn't fit to be buried there."
These words did not go over with the woman at all. "What the hell are you talking about? Last I heard, only the most spoiled, rotten scum, and two-bit murderers have been buried there!"
The undertaker took a long gulp before responding. "They happened to be from certain families…families belonging to samurai clans. And Yokishi…Yokishi was a peasant. Some even believe he's from a Barakumin line…they just won't allow it, ma'am."
The old woman stood up, and narrowed her eyes. "You're serious? This is why you can't bury my husband?"
"I'm sorry, Miss. I don't like it anymore than you do. You're right; most of those men buried up there are pure scum. And your husband wasn't. But, nonetheless, I can't do the job. So take your money back."
As the heated exchange continued, Dante suddenly found himself thinking of something. Man…this really looks familiar...
He tried to hand the money back to the old woman, but she shoved his hand back. "I want you to go up there anyway."
"I can't! No one will drive the wagon for me!"
"What, are they prejudiced too? Or just afraid?"
"They are plenty afraid, ma'am. And, that being said, I cannot-"
A voice from the crowd suddenly spoke up. "Good gods. Is this really the problem?"
All eyes, including those of the youth, turned to see the speaker. A young man, not even twenty, stood amongst the back of the crowd. At least six feet tall, his black hair fell in bangs across his eyes. His clothing was an uncommon sight, consisting of a dark red tunic and black leggings. He sat on a nearby fence, holding a long, sheathed katana over his shoulder. Leaping off the fence, he walked into the center with the old widow and undertaker. "If that's all, I'll drive the wagon."
Almost immediately, the woman turned back to the undertaker, and shoved the money back into his hands, a smile on her face. The young samurai was getting onto the wagon when Dante suddenly got an idea.
Shoving his way through the crowd, he yelled at the group. "Hey! Count me in, too! You might need some help."
All eyes had shifted to him now. Dante realized his discomfort a second later, almost regretting it. But, nonetheless, he ran up to the wagon, which the young samurai had already climbed onto, and had grabbed the reins. He seemed to show no objection to the youth joining him.
The undertaker, however, had other feelings. "Hey, wait a minute! This wagon cost me a lot! It was very hard to make, and I'm not going to turn it over to strangers to be destroyed!"
He was interrupted by other voices from the crowd. "I'll pay for the damages!" a rather well-dressed man said, pulling a sack of coins out of his kimono. "I wanna see this!"
"Me too!" Said another man, doing the same. Both men handed their money to the undertaker, and turned their eager faces in the direction of the wagon.
Dante climbed aboard the wagon, dumping his backpack in the back, and grabbed his shotgun, making sure it was loaded. If all went well, their opposition wouldn't be so bad.
"You ready?" he heard from his side. He turned to face the young warrior, and nodded. The man whipped on the reins, urging the horses up the road, through the neighborhood.
As the wagon rolled along the dirt road, Dante could see where they were heading: a small, open area surrounded by tiny trees and shrubs. And, just inside all the shrubbery, he could make out dirt mounds and tiny wooden monuments.
"Is that the graveyard?" he asked out of the corner of his mouth.
"That's it," the warrior answered. "Now if only we can make it."
Almost immediately, Dante noticed that certain people on the street were watching them pass by with uneasy eyes. Turning around, he saw nearly the entire crowd from before following them; one of them, a young boy, at a very close distance.
"Don't worry about them; they won't try anything. They just want a good view of the show."
Dante laughed. "Well, nothing's really happened yet. Maybe they were worried over nothing."
"Why don't you boys just turn around? You'll save yourself a lot of trouble!" an old man on the side of the road yelled out as they passed. Dante held up his weapon on the man for a second before lowering it. "So, what's your name?" he asked.
"Samanosuke," the young man replied. "You?"
"Dante."
"Never heard that name before."
"Didn't think so" he said, scoping out the road in front of them.
"You've got a potential stone thrower to your left coming up" the driver said, slightly startling Dante.
The youth chuckled. "I think I can see well enough on my side, why don't you stick to yours-"
A stone suddenly whizzed by his head, missing him by inches. He immediately whipped around, and fired a shot at the ground, right in front of the assailant's feet. The man jumped back in shock before running away.
Samanosuke laughed with a grin before turning to get a look at the contraption in the foreigner's hands. "That's a nice weapon you've got. Where'd you get it?"
"I made it myself" the youth lied, pumping out the used cartridge. When he turned around the observe the crowd again, he saw the young boy who was following them run up to the empty shotgun cartridge he had expelled. The boy slowly reached out and picked it up, bringing it to his eyes for a better look before stuffing it into his pocket.
When they had finally made it to the shrubs outside the graveyard, Samanosuke pulled the horses to a stop. Right when he did, four men stepped out from behind the shrubbery. They all wielded weapons, either farm tools or short combat blades. They formed their own little roadblock right at the entrance, just where the wagon had pulled up.
"Turn around" one of the men huffed, "and get that scum corpse out of here." All the men raised their weapons in a menacing manner.
Dante merely held his 12-guage on the men, watching for any sudden movements. When he saw a hand reach over and push his weapon down, he turned to the young samurai in confusion.
"Don't try anything. Just leave this to me." The warrior leapt from his seat in the wagon, and walked off in the direction of the four men. The outlander watched, dumbfounded, as the men moved closer with their weapons.
"We told you we don't want his kind in this place" the leader said again, brashly. "We're giving you your last warning. Get back on that wagon, turn around, and get out of here!"
Dante watched uneasily, still holding his weapon poised on the four men in case they tried anything. Turning around, he saw that the entire crowd was right behind them now, watching the event unfold. Samanosuke, however, seemed unaffected. He grinned at them, his katana hanging from his belt.
"I'm afraid we can't leave just yet. We have to bury this man here, and we're doing it, whether you like it or not."
At this, the men tensed up. "Have it your way!" the leader screamed, rushing forward with his wakizashi. The other men followed suit.
It happened so fast that Dante could barely make out what was happening. All he managed to see was Samanosuke drawing his sword, and a few quick, flashy movements before all four men were on the ground. Although they were clearly still alive, they were all disarmed, and even slightly injured.
When it was over, Samanosuke held his blade on the neck of the leader. After a few seconds, he waved his men away. When the men hesitated, a loud crack brought their attention to the other person in the wagon: the young foreigner was aiming his weapon at the remaining three men, a light grin on his face. Dropping their weapons, they retreated out of the graveyard.
Letting the last man go, Samanosuke turned around to face the crowd. "I need four men up here!" After a second of hesitation, four men came out of the crowd, took hold of the lenin-wrapped body, and carried it into the graveyard.
Getting back up on the wagon, Samanosuke took hold of the reins, and urged the horses back down the road. The crowd erupted with an enormous cheer as the two men passed in the wagon. After they had driven the wagon back to the undertaker's building, they both dismounted, only to be greeted by the old woman.
"Thank you both so much for your help. I couldn't believe the looks on their faces when you took care of them! Wonderful!" she laughed.
Dante himself was still mesmerized by the event that barely noticed the woman coming up to pat him on the back. "You didn't do bad yourself, sonny. Very nice work. I'll never forget that as long as I live." After saying a final goodbye, she left.
Samanosuke turned to the outlander. "I haven't seen you around here before. Are you traveling?"
Dante raised his hand to scratch the back of his head. "Yeah, kind of…"
"Where are you headed?"
"Well, I'm not really sure…I just know it's further out west."
The young warrior chuckled, clutching his sheathed sword. "You really should learn more about where you're going if you don't want to get lost. This place can be pretty dangerous, you know."
Dante sighed as he pulled out his pack of cigarettes. "Tell me about it."
He almost dropped the cig out of his mouth when he felt another hard pat on the back from a man from the crowd. "Thanks for the free show, boys!"
"Any time," the youth answered back. As he lit his cigarette, he turned back to his young samurai companion. "What about you? Are you doing fine around here?"
Samanosuke smiled as he slung a small sack on a thin rope over his back. "I'm all right. I just keep moving from town to town, trying to find work. There isn't much work in these parts for a ronin, you know."
The youth went quiet for a second before responding. "I see. Where are you staying around here?"
"Some cheap inn down the road. Why do you ask?"
"Oh, I don't know. Just curious. Well, it was pretty nice meeting you here."
"The same with you friend." And, with that, he turned and headed down the opposite road. "Goodbye, Dante. And good luck finding what you're looking for."
"You too!" the youth responded, watching the young warrior disappear into the crowded streets. Afterwards, he took the cigarette into his hand, and let out a lungful of smoke. I can't believe that actually happened, he thought to himself. What could possibly happen next?
The answer came in a hard slap on the back, this one actually forcing the cigarette from his mouth. He turned around in a slight fit of anger, intending to give the culprit a piece of his mind. What he saw made his jaw drop.
Standing in front of him were three familiar faces, as well as some unfamiliar ones. The familiar ones had been with him during his little enslavement escapade over a week earlier, and had helped him escape before taking off themselves. A week before, Dante had wondered whether they had made it back or not. Apparently, judging by the smile on Takeda's face, they had.
"I should've guessed!" the lord said. "As soon as I saw the crowd, and heard that they were trying to bury a peasant in a samurai graveyard, I knew someone like you had to be involved! You certainly never cease to amaze me, son!"
"Talk about amazing! No one around here had the guts to do anything so brash!" his associate, Shingen, said. All the other men in the group nodded in agreement.
Dante sighed in embarrassment as he scratched the back of his head again. "Yeah, well…I didn't really do much. It was mostly him."
"Oh, you did plenty, outlander. And it's great to see you again. Come along, walk with us." Takeda urged him forward, and they walked through the crowded streets. "You know that we thought you'd never made it? We were wondering what your chances were of getting through the lands where Lord Asano has his samurai pillaging every village. Then, we heard of a little disturbance in the southern village. They said a young man wearing clothes similar to yours gave the warriors hell. And you don't know how we felt when we heard that the man had used some sort of wooden weapon to spray fire at his enemies, killing them on sight! It didn't take long for us to make the connection!"
Again, Dante found himself the victim of slight embarrassment. "Yeah, I guess that was me…I guess I can't stay out of trouble."
"Trouble? My gods, boy, you did the people of this land a service! Those pesky samurai never do any good. Asano thinks he can do pretty much whatever he wants in these parts. Sure, he can't touch the royal capital, but all those others are less fortunate. The less of those bastard thugs we have out there, the better." He cleared his throat before resuming his speech. "Anyway, we were just about to head to our next gathering at a nearby hotel. And we want you to join us."
"Huh?" the youth said, turning to the lord in shock. "No, that's all right. I mean, I really should be going-"
"Nonsense, boy! This is going to be a celebration to remember!" Daisuke, another associate, piped up. "Food, sake, and women! Everything a man could want!"
"Plus, you look like you could use some relaxation, what with all the excitement you've been through!" Shingen chipped in.
"Please, friend" the lord said, putting his hand on the youth's shoulder. "It's our way of saying 'thank you.' We owe you for helping us escape from that dastardly prison, and we couldn't be happier to show you a good time."
Once again, Dante found himself at a loss for words. By this point, it would be more trouble to find an excuse to refuse than to just go along. "All right, I guess I'll tag along."
"Wonderful!" Takeda exclaimed, delivering another hard slap to the outlander's back.
About a half-hour later, they had arrived at their destination: a old-fashioned ryokan hotel, two stories in height and with several rooms. The inn was down in a less populated area of the city, surrounded by trees and other plant life, and even had a large pond outside the front of the building. It reminded Dante of the similar hotels he had seen all over the Kyoto of his day. Only this one looked even more authentic, due to the time period. He wondered just how different the old ones actually were compared to the ones in his time.
"Man," he said to himself, "this is amazing."
"It sure is, friend. But the real fun is inside" the lord responded.
A stone bridge led them across the pond to the entrance. When the group approached the entrance, they stepped inside through the shoji door. And inside, the youth got a much better view of the place. Just like the typical ryokan, everything was fancy and well-decorated. Ornamental plants were laid out in places all over the room, and place had a very nice scent to it.
As soon as they had stepped inside, a hostess was there to meet them. "Welcome, Lord Takeda. The Ayaka Inn welcomes you and your party. Please, walk this way."
He must really have power in this city. Or at least this part of it, Dante thought, taking note of the hostess's welcome. They were led through a staircase to the second floor, and through an elegant hall of shoji doors. They finally came to a stop at one door, and the hostess slid it open, revealing a rather wide, spread-out leisure room. They were all led inside, Dante walking in the front with Takeda. As soon as they were all inside, the hostess closed the door, and they were met by three other people, already sitting and waiting for them.
"Welcome to our humble Inn," one of the men said, bowing to the group as they themselves began to sit down. "We hope you enjoy our services to the best of your ability. If you have any special requests, please don't hesitate to let us know."
Some of the men immediately complied. While they were talking with the hotel heads, Dante to the time to look around the room. Although there was almost no furniture, there were still some things that caught the eye. Flowers decorated the corners of the room, and the tatami mats were patterned in a very exotic form. The room, the youth thought, looked mesmerizing.
Turning his attention to the other men, he saw Takeda finishing up his discussion with the manager. After a brief glance in Dante's direction, the two bowed to each other, and the hotel staff left the room. Soon afterwards, they came back, accompanied by eight women, each dressed in a light, patterned yukata. The age of the women ranged from twenty to over thirty, but most looked to be in between. While some were stout and plumpish, most were slender. Each had their hair tied into an elegant bun, and had a light amount of make-up on their faces.
Looking around, Dante noticed there were seven men in Takeda's group, including him. Confused, he looked along the line of men, and the woman that stood in front of each man, until he got to himself…and noticed two women standing in front of him. Even more confused, he glanced at Takeda, who was sitting right to his left. The lord merely gave a wink and a supportive gesture before turning his attention back to the woman in front of him.
The youth was very confused now, not knowing what was going on at all. Holy shit…just what's happening here? I didn't request anything like this. A light suddenly went off in his head. But maybe HE did…he thought, remembering the discussion the lord had had with the hotel head. Dammit, what the hell is he thinking-
He was torn away from his thoughts by the presence of the women on either side of him. As he got a better look at them, he noticed they were among the younger of the lot; likely in their early twenties. And, the youth noticed, they were certainly among the more attractive of the group. The youth couldn't even move as the women took hold of his arms in a rather forward manner.
The girls themselves seemed to be enjoying the situation. While they didn't loathe their job, they often had to service men that were not pleasant to be with. Most of the men were either their age, or older. And, while they were sometimes attractive, they were almost always brash, unpolished, and, sometimes, just plain rude. This time, however, was an exception. They had been worrisome when they were both ordered to service a single customer, but, upon seeing their guest, they had a change of attitude. Not only was this boy attractive, but he was much younger than the other guests. Plus, he appeared shy rather than brash, which, to them, made their job more fun. His difference in looks and clothing only added to their interest, making them eager to pay rather close attention.
The youth was saved further uneasiness when the manager signaled for everyone to follow him. Or so he thought. "This way, gentlemen, to the hot baths." His eyes went wide at this statement. Baths? No way…you've gotta be kidding.
Sure enough, the men were being escorted by their female companions through a shoji door on the other side of the room. It led outside, leading Dante to an even more breathtaking sight.
Right outside the room, below the wooden pathway, was a large, beautiful Japanese garden. Amongst all the ornamental trees and shrubs and the perfectly green grass were two koi ponds, each with a school of carp visibly swimming around inside. Tiny rock gardens were also placed throughout the garden, giving it island and ocean feeling. The two-story building was built into a mountainous piece of land, allowing the garden to be viewed and accessed from the second floor of the hotel. As they passed, Dante couldn't help but stare at the garden, illuminated by small torches in the darkening sky.
They were eventually led to a what appeared to be several changing rooms. As the others went inside their own rooms, Dante noticed the women were going inside with them. He quickly looked at his own booth, and saw that the women had already opened the door for him. Without even thinking, he quickly stepped inside, closing the door before the women could follow.
Inside the small changing room, Dante sat down with a heavy sigh. Man…I don't believe this…is this the way these guys really live? Sighing again, he looked around the small space, and saw a folded, light green yukata sitting next to a set of towels. Not having to take a hint, he removed his boots and clothes, folded them, and left them in the same place he had found the yukata. Wearing nothing but his military dog tags, as well as the bandage on his right arm, which he decided to leave intact, he slid into the yukata. Feeling the very soft and comfortable material on his body, he realized it must have been made from silk. It didn't surprise him, though, considering how expensive this inn probably was. These guys really must be loaded, if they live like this everyday. Just how the hell did a guy like him end up in a chain gang?
When he had tied the thin obi around his yukata, he stepped outside. Sure enough, the girls were there waiting for him. One of them immediately took the towels from his hands, and the other took him by the arm, leading him with the others further down the walkway, to an open room where several furo were built into the floor. Each of them was full of hot, steaming water.
Dante watched as each man removed his yukata, and entered their own bath. Not wanting to feel out of place, he followed suit, although doing it rather quickly, knowing the girls were right behind him. He almost jumped back out when the heat of the water nearly scalded his body. Yet, with a little bit of patience, he built up an endurance to the heat, and lowered himself back into the water. Ahhh…he thought to himself as the water seeped into his aching muscles, that's actually not bad. Maybe this will be a pretty good night…
At that moment, he couldn't help but think something was wrong. Wait a minute…why'd we get into the bath first…aren't we supposed to wash off?
"Isn't this wonderful, friend?"
The youth looked to his left to see Takeda in a nearby bath, literally being washed by his hostess. "This inn has its own separate tubs- that way, we get the full service without having to wash off beforehand!" He laughed as the woman, with her sleeves rolled up, scrubbed his back with a washcloth.
The other men were enjoying the same treatment- the women that accompanied them were giving them full service, and they were loving every minute of it. Dante turned around just in time to notice the two women behind him rolling up their sleeves and dunking their washcloths in the water. The wide-eyed youth could only sit in shock, a small blush adorning his face.
The bath hadn't gone as bad as he thought it would. While he did have some trouble getting the women to let him wash himself, as well as one of them trying to remove the bandage covering the demon mark on his right arm, he did manage to get through the endeavor without raising suspicion. Still, he couldn't get over the mass amount of laughter he had received from the men during his little struggle with the hostesses.
Right now, everyone had dried off, gotten back into their yukatas, and were back in the room for the feast. Trays were brought out for each man by his female companion. The food ranged from boiled rice to sashimi to rather rich soup to fresh vegetables- more than a normal man could ever eat. And, the youth was pleased to find out, it was all very good.
Talk about living the life, he thought as he watched the other men being fed by their ladies-of-the-evening. Like the stereotypical housewife, the women were feeding them their own food with their set of chopsticks. The women on either side of Dante had tried to feed the young foreigner in the same manner, but he would have none of it. Although he didn't want to seem rude, he never understood the idea of being fed to the mouth by someone else anytime after infancy.
As he slowly attended to some rice, he saw the nearby shoji door open once more. The host stepped into the room, stopping in front of the group, and clearing his throat.
"Gentlemen, we hope you are enjoying your stay so far, because we have something even better lined up! Please welcome the lovely maiden dancers and band of the Ayaka Inn!"
The shoji door opened once again, and out walked six more women, all dressed in formal clothing of one form or another. The first three carried instruments; one carried a biwa lute, one a shime-daiko drum, and the last, a nohkan flute, a kind used in Noh plays. The other three girls were dressed in even longer, more formal kimonos, and carried fans.
The room remained quiet as the women set up to perform. Dante noticed that every man was paying close attention to what was about to happen. They were clearly into this kind of thing. He turned his attention back to the performers, taking time to look at the dancers: all of them wore white make-up, and had their hair tied back. The first one, furthest to his left, looked to be in her late twenties, possibly thirty. While she looked very pretty, she was no doubt the most developed of the three, and had a commanding presence among the performers. The second one was younger, clearly in her early twenties, was slimmer, and looked a little more carefree. The third one, who stood closest to the youth, however, was the most stunning of the three. She couldn't have even been twenty years old from the youth and freshness of her face. The make-up gave her the beautiful, polished look of a porcelain doll. She wore a long, magenta kimono that seemed to give her flair. And, while she didn't command the presence of those in the room, her presence seemed to draw in attention, making everything else seem slow. It certainly seemed that way for the foreign youth, who was left holding his chopsticks in awe while the women on either side of him tried to regain his attention.
The first dancer called out to the others, and they bowed into a low position. Then, with another command, the music started. A slow, soothing tune brought a similar feeling to the room as the three women began dancing. Like the music they followed, they moved slow, their fans and kimonos highlighting their movements. As the strings and drum gave a rhythm, the flute gave off the real feeling of the dance.
The whole time, the American's eyes were on the dancer closest to him. She moved with absolute grace, giving the music life, if that were possible. While she often kept her face hidden with her fan, she didn't cease to stun the viewers with the brief views of her face. Each time she would come close, the youth would hope for her to move the fan away, only to be disappointed as she turned back around. Still, the experience left him utterly overwhelmed.
After two more dances, each one more wonderful than the last, the performers bowed, and left the room. Dante kept his eyes on the girl the whole time, until she disappeared behind the shoji door. When she was gone, he could only wonder who she really was. He felt sad that he would never know.
Over the next two hours, the party of men drank, babbled, and laughed together endlessly in a pure celebratory fashion. As they drank glass after glass of sake, the men began sharing various stories with the whole group, mostly about wartime experiences. Takeda and his companions wasted no time in babbling even more about their little prison escape, even going so far as to drunkenly acting out a scene, which drew several laughs from the entire group. Dante even joined in, after the other men had all taken their turn and asked him to tell something of his own. Feeling a bit tipsy from the sake, but sober enough not to let slip anything that would cause a fuss, Dante told them altered versions of his own little experiences. He didn't stop there, however, digging deeper into tales and history from his own country. All of his stories fascinated the men, leaving them utterly mesmerized. The stories even earned him a nickname from the men, "Akagemusha", which meant "red-haired warrior." Although the youth thought the name was silly, he couldn't help but feel it suited him.
As the night was getting late, some of the men were getting a little dozy. They tried, however, to stay awake as Dante continued with his own story.
"…and, feeling everything was safe, they went back to their homes for the night. Then, not an hour later, when everyone was asleep, a group of Greeks, who had been hiding in the wooden horse the whole time, appeared. They opened the gates, where their own army was waiting, and they stormed in, taking the city by force. The Trjoans weren't prepared for anything."
"My gods…" Shingen said as his female companion rested on his shoulder. "Imagine the shock they must've had seeing their town ravaged during the night!"
"Such a brilliant strategy. I never would have thought of anything like that myself."
"A wooden horse…unbelievable. Who would have thought of such a thing?"
Dante laughed to himself as the men marveled at the story. He had thought of it during the big debate on who could tell the best war story, and found himself unable to resist. He was beginning to think about Thermopylae, when Takeda interrupted.
"Well, enough stories for now. I was wondering about you, outlander, and your little journey. We never got to finish talking about it last time."
The youth shook his head, attempting regain some of the focus that was slowly deteriorating from the sake buildup. "What do you mean?"
"You never told us just where it is you're headed."
Once again, Dante found himself at the familiar snag. He didn't know how to answer the question when others had asked it in the past. And he wasn't sure how he was going to tell them about how some iron ball was to lead him to his destination.
Suddenly, he remembered the iron ball. He mentally cursed himself when he realized it was back with his clothes. The problem aside, he decided to ask anyway.
"Listen, there's something I want to ask you."
"Very well, friend."
"The place I'm looking for- it's supposedly not far from here. Maybe a few days away. All I know about it is that it's a small town that produces iron. Does that sound familiar to you?"
The lord lightly scratched his head before answering. "Hm. Now that you mention it, I do remember hearing about such a place. It wasn't long ago, maybe a few months. Some story about how a fallen samurai's daughter assembled a team of warriors and fought off all the wild boars in the forest of the Shishigami."
The young soldier's head suddenly perked up. Shishigami? "Are you serious? The place actually exists?"
"I don't know how much truth there is to the story, but it's said that she runs an iron works out in the center of that forest. A real go-getter, from the sound of it. Still, boy, what does that have to do with your journey? Don't tell me you intend on venturing into that forbidden forest?" He laughed before taking another swig of sake.
Dante wiped off a small amount of sweat from his forehead. "Well, actually…if that's where the town is…then, yes, that's where I'm headed."
At this, the lord, as well as his two conscious companions, went silent. Even though they were all inebriated to an extent, they didn't falter in their shocked stares.
"You're kidding, outlander. You can't seriously be planning on entering that forest? It's a death sentence!"
"The land is guarded by giant beasts that remain deep within it's bowels. It's forbidden to all humans, and no human has ever been known to walk out of it alive!"
Dante sighed, shaking his head. "Look, I've heard all the tales about animal vengeance and foolish wanderers. You think I'm worried about that? I've got a much bigger problem on my hands. Finding the Shishigami may be my only hope."
"Why would you need to see the Shishigami, friend?"
"It's…it's nothing, just a personal problem of mine. Besides, you said the iron workers had the place cleared of beasts. I mean, how bad can a few wolves be?"
Takeda let out a sudden laugh, drawing everyone's attention, before shaking his head. "My dear boy, do you not even know the story?"
The youth swallowed some air. "What story?"
"There is a legend about the forest…a tale of one human that roams the woods. Ever since the old days have passed on, the wolves that roam these lands have gotten weaker. Yet, there remains a small clan of them that reside deep in the forest, protecting the haven of the Shishigami. The leader of the clan is the ancient wolf god, Moro. She's said to be the most vicious god that's ever roamed these islands. They say she's larger than ten normal wolves, and is able to crush the body of a full grown man in a single bite with her jaws. Even the mightiest of boars feared her. And, it is said that a lone human lives among the wolves…a girl."
Dante slowly leaned forward, hoping he would be able to hear the man speak better.
"A young girl, who was raised by the wolves after she was abandoned by her parents in the deep regions of the forest. By the time she was a child, she was said to be acting just like a wild wolf. She hunted animals and ate them raw, and some say she howls at the moon every time it reaches its full phase.
"Few people have ever lived to tell this tale, outlander. But they say the wolf girl has the looks of a beautiful young maiden. More awe-inspiring than the most beautiful princess, lovelier than the loveliest sakura flower, sharper than the sharpest of all blades. In fact, her place among the forest creatures has given her a name: Mononoke-Hime, princess of beasts, demons, and ancient gods.
"But, beneath the beautiful skin lurks a soul of utmost evil and contempt for mankind. No human has ever ventured into her forest and come out alive. The tales of what happened to the wandering men only get more gruesome each time. They say that men who get lost deep in the forest see a sight that lift their spirits: a beautiful young maiden that leads them deeper, and deeper into the forest. No matter how clever their cunning, nor how strong their will may be, no man that gazes upon the princess of beasts is able to escape her power. Then, when they are deep within the dark forest, when they are at their most venerable…she sets her vicious wolf brothers upon them. And they are torn limb from limb, and eaten by the wolves and the girl. No man has ever escaped her wrath, and no man ever will."
When the lord had finished his story, Dante had not moved from his spot. His face was even more pale than it already was compared to the others in the room, and his breathing gave off a hint of uneasiness. Suffice to say, even for someone as modern as himself, the story had spooked him.
"I hear she sneaks into human villages, snatches human infants from their cribs in the dead of night, and takes them back to the forest to feed to her wolf brothers" Shingen, no longer in a happy mood.
"That's not the worst of it," Daisuke replied. "I heard she cuts out the hearts of her victims and eats them whole, before spreading their blood all over her body and dancing around a fire to pay respect to the forest demons. And I've also heard that she takes the remains of her victims, as well as the bones of those her brothers ate, and hangs them like grisly ornaments all around her home."
"All right, that's enough," Takeda said, waving his hand. "I think we've had enough talk of bad things for now. I don't want to spoil the mood of my fair lady here. Good night to you, friends, and enjoy your evening."
Slowly staggering to a stand, Takeda was led by his companion out of the room, and into the hall. As he passed by Dante, he gave the youth a tap on the shoulder, and as much of a positive gesture as he could before disappearing behind the shoji door.
Lowering his head, the youth could only think of the long, exhilarating, yet frightening story he had just heard. This is unbelievable he asked himself in thought. How can a girl that beautiful be so evil on the inside? A girl who seduces men and leads them to their deaths… He'd heard that sort of story before, and he'd even seen it. Prostitutes hanging around towns in Vietnam would turn out to be VC spies sometimes. Even worse, he'd once heard about a girl who was serving drinks to a band of GIs and had left a bag of grenades in the small hut, killing all the men. Still, this story was something different entirely.
A girl that was raised by wolves…I don't know if it's true or not. Still...it's hard to stop thinking about it.
Looking back up, he saw that both Shingen and Daisuke had fainted along with their women, and were now deep in a drunken snooze. Sighing, he stood up, slowly getting to his feet. When he saw that the two women who had been at either side of him were gone, he became confused. What happened? Guess my time ran out. Heh, no big deal. Stretching his arms and yawning, he left for the shoji door, and stepped into the hall. Wonder where my room is, he thought.
"Excuse me, honored guest?"
He turned around to see the head hostess standing in the hall. "Your room is this way, sir. Please follow me."
Dante shrugged before following. He was led to a room before being left at the door. Yawning again, he clutched his head. Dammit, he thought, why'd I have to drink all that sake? I can barely stand up now. Regaining his balance, he opened the door.
He almost fell over when he saw what was waiting for him. In the middle of the room, a futon was laid out, complete with colorful sheets and pillows. There were a few candles lit to give the room light. Even in his intoxicated state, he could smell incense burning in the air. And, sitting on either side of the bed, were the two women that had spent the entire evening with him, so far. They were less dolled up than before, with their hair down, and their make-up slightly faded, but, if possible, they looked even more seductive than before, considering the position they were in.
Before he even completely registered what was happening, one of the girls had gotten up, closed the door, and led him over to the futon, helping him to sit down. By the time he knew what was happening, the other woman was sitting behind him, massaging his shoulders.
"Hey, wait a minute-," the youth suddenly let out, not sure what he wanted to do.
"Relax, sir," the girl in front of him said, slowly untying her kimono. "Leave everything to us, and you will feel much better."
When he saw her undoing the obi around her waist, his eyes went slightly wide. "But-"
The girl silenced him with a sudden kiss to the lips, all the while continuing to let her kimono slip open, revealing even more.
Had it not been for the sake in his system, Dante would have reacted in utter shock. As it was, his body settled for minor shock. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a tray with several ceramic glasses of sake. Have they had plenty to drink, too? he asked himself.
As the women attended to him on either end, he felt his blood rushing to his face, as well as other parts of his body. He knew it wouldn't be much longer before he lost all inhibition, and gave into the alcohol and lust in his system.
Man, he thought, feeling the girl's lips on his, as well as her arms fiddling with his kimono. The other girl was moving in herself, leaning her head against his shoulders as she massaged them, and breathing down his neck. What do I do now?
About half an hour later, he stood at the door, looking at the two girls as they slept beside each other, slumped over the futon, their kimonos just barely clinging to their bodies. Although he tried, he couldn't take his eyes off the erotic sight. And he'd been trying to calm himself down, too…
A little bit into their session, he'd offered more sake to the girls, and held back on drinking much of it himself. Soon enough, the girls had passed out, and his own vision had even started to clear a bit. And, at that moment, he decided he needed a walk to clear his head.
As he looked back into the room one last time, he sighed to himself. Dammit, should I really be doing this? I mean, I'll never get another opportunity like this as long as I live! Why am I running away? Sighing once again, he drooped his head down. Dammit, I just can't. I mean, I'm still in the past. It could get dangerous. Closing the door, he suddenly had another thought. If Mason were here, he'd kill me for passing this up. And, with one final, depressed sigh, he started walking down the hall.
After a bit of exploring around the Inn, he found himself on the balcony overlooking the garden. The torches were still aflame, so the garden was illuminated under the starry sky.
As he looked out into the beautiful garden, he let out a relaxing breath of air. This place isn't bad, he thought. Hell, who needs to go back home when I've got this? If it weren't for this goddamned curse, he thought, raising his right arm to let the yukata fall, revealing the bandage, I'd be home free. Living like this sure beats Nam. Hell, it beats even my life back home. He laughed to himself at these thoughts. Man, who am I kidding? I can't stay here. If I didn't go back…I don't know. It just wouldn't feel right.
Leaning against the rail of the balcony, he let out another yawn. At least it's peaceful here. No one's trying to kill me. Hell, I should be having the time of my life right now. But it ain't gonna last. Looking at his bandage once more, he frowned. I've gotta head out there, into another goddamned war zone, just to find out if my curse can be cured. Then, I've got even less of a chance of being able to return home.
As he eyed the bandage around his arm, he noticed a few spots of maroon were peeking out from under it on the hand end. It's still spreading, he thought, sighing. He tried to remember what the old woman back at the village had told him. The place where it had all started, before he even knew he had been thrown back in time. Eyes unclouded by hate, he thought. Eyes unclouded…just what does that mean?
Suddenly, he heard voices in the distance. Looking around, he saw no one else was on the balcony. Looking down in the garden, he still couldn't see anyone. He kept looking until he spotted two people sitting together by a small pond. They were just barely visible in the torch light, but he could see them. From where he was, one could clearly see that they were a man and woman. When he looked closer, he identified the girl as the youngest dancer from the performers of the evening. And, looking closer at the man…
It can't be, he thought, catching sight of the man's clothes. Is that…Samanosuke?
Indeed, it was. The two were sitting together, talking about something Dante couldn't make out from his position. The young samurai even began to hand things to the girl, which she was pleased to receive. Soon enough, however, they apparently said their goodbyes, and the young warrior left through the back of the garden, while the girl headed back to the Inn. Dante watched her head to the door.
Who would've thought? he thought to himself, smiling. No wonder he sticks around here. He's got a girlfriend.
Suddenly getting an idea, he headed back inside.
Just as he thought, he found the girl in the hall right by the door. When he was sure she still didn't see him from his hiding place, he stepped out of the shadows.
"What are you doing out this late?"
The girl whipped around, startled by his sudden appearance. Breathing heavily, she clutched at her chest. "Oh my…you nearly frightened me…I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't be up this late, but…wait, who are you?"
The youth laughed before stepping closer. "I'm just a patron. I was on hand at your performance. You were pretty amazing."
At his comment, she blushed slightly. "Oh…thank you, I usually don't get comments like that. Oh, of course, you were with the other men…the strange-looking one."
Dante chuckled again at the comment. "Yeah, I get that a lot." Feeling a bit mischievous, he decided to drop a bombshell. "So…how is dear Samanosuke?"
The girl looked right at him, her eyes wide in shock. "Wha…what do you…how did you?"
The youth raised his hands in a relaxing manner, trying to calm the girl down. "Hey, relax, relax, I wasn't spying or anything. I was just up on the balcony, and I saw you two together. I thought it was cute."
The girl wasn't any more calm at this statement. "Please, you aren't going to tell anybody, are you? If my mistress finds out, she'll-"
"Relax, relax, I'm not gonna say anything. You're safe."
The girl did calm down a bit at this. "Oh, thank you. But, how do you know Samanosuke?"
"Oh, we did a little business together earlier today. Nothing, really. He's a nice guy, isn't he?"
"Yes…he's always been that way to me…ever since we first met. By the way, what is your-"
"Dante. And you?"
"Oh…Minako. My name is Minako."
"That's very nice. Well, I'm sorry for disturbing you. I just wanted to say thanks for the performance."
"Oh. That's very nice of you. I've never actually been thanked like that."
"Now you have. Good night, Minako. It's been a real pleasure."
"Good night," she said, bowing. And, with that, she turned, and walked down the hall in the other direction.
A smile on his face, Dante turned back around, heading down the hall. The night was proving to be real nice after all.
After climbing over the wall of sandbags, Dante tore off into the jungle, following the others as they moved in on some VC soldiers. Not looking back, he ran through, plants and shrubbery brushing against his body.
When he heard gunfire getting very close, he dove to the ground, and crawled further before reaching the point of the other soldiers. Aiming his rifle into the blaze, where the enemy supposedly was, he fired off several rounds from his M-16. Gunfire was traded back and forth as more grunts moved through the jungle, trying to find their way to the place they needed to be. The flares were still flying in over the canopy, but they barely gave enough light.
A sudden explosion in the ground behind them sent Dante rolling down a nearby hill, crashing into a patch of bushes. He slowly got to his feet, and put his helmet back on his head before rubbing the pain out of his arms. He suddenly heard shouts from his comrades, and he headed off in the direction of the fighting.
No matter how far he went, he didn't see any other grunts. He slowed his run to a walk, taking his time to listen to all the activity happening in the bush around him. Tightly clutching his rifle, he turned his head back and forth, looking for any sign of the enemy or friendly fire. He stopped walking when he felt something big under his foot. Looking down, he saw the body of a soldier lying face-down in the dirt. Looking closer, he saw it was one of his- the body hadn't been there too long. The hand was still gripping the rifle, and a pack of Lucky Strikes was strapped to the helmet, which had a message on it, written in black marker: When I die, bury me upside down so the world can KISS MY ASS.
Dante gave the corpse another look before moving on into the bush. Just as another flare flew by, he heard a chopper getting closer overhead. Then, he heard a sudden burst of rock music in the air. As the choppers flew by, he recognized it- they were blaring Light my Fire out of a bunch of speakers as they circled the area. The youth would have laughed had he not been fearing for his life at the moment.
As he continued walking, holding his weapon out in front of him, he could hear the sounds of the battle in the distance, coming from all directions. Explosions, gunfire, screams, the flapping of helicopters as they flew overhead; yet he couldn't see any of it. Suddenly, he heard what sounded like movement coming from a very close spot. Stopping in his tracks, he dropped to a crouch, and slowly moved towards a bunch of palms, where he had heard the noise.
Moving the palms aside, he saw a sight that made him freeze in fear: Coming out of a hole in the ground, and moving stealthily through the bush, were several men wearing black pajamas and helmets adorned in leaves, all carrying Kalashnikov weapons. They were only a few feet from the American, yet they had yet to notice him.
As quietly as he could, he crept backwards, trying to get far enough away before he could start running again. Maybe he could send a signal in smoke to let the choppers know where to strike…
He almost let out a yelp when he felt a slap on his shoulder. Whipping around, and bringing his rifle with him, only to have it be stopped by the hand of the culprit. Dante found himself looking into the face of a menacing-looking grunt, his face stripped in black paint.
"What the fuck are you doing over here? They're about to blow the hell out of this patch! Get moving or-"
A sudden yell from the bush, in another language, sent chills down the youth's spine. Before he knew what was happening, he was being shoved to the ground by the grunt, who clutched his own rifle, aiming it at the bush.
"Die, motherfuckers!-"
He didn't get three rounds off before a volley of bullets sliced through the palms, literally tearing the soldier apart. Dante caught a brief glimpse of the horrifying scene before turning, crawling to a safe distance, and leaping into a run.
A few seconds after he started running, he could hear the gooks rustling through the bush after him. For all he knew, he was running into yet another trap. They were all over the place, and it was only a matter of time before those bastards got him-
The thunder of a chopper drew his attention forward. Sure enough, a Huey was heading straight for them, with the Doors still blaring from two speakers on either side of the hull. Knowing what was coming, Dante threw himself at the ground, shielding himself with everything he had. A second later, he heard the chopper thunder over him, and the ensuing explosion of fire, just as Jim Morrison broke into the final riff of TRY TO SET THE NIGHT ON FIRE!!!
After waiting for a few seconds, Dante slowly stood up. He could smell the stench of charred flesh and plants before he turned around. When he did, he was met with another haunting site: a large piece of the jungle had been completely incinerated, and, right in front of him, laid the charred remains of the gooks that had been chasing him. And it was barely any at all.
As he eyed the mystifying scene, another explosion went off only feet away. He immediately turned and ran in the same direction in which he had been fleeing before. After only a few steps, he felt his foot descend, and looked down just in time to see a steep hill before he fell, crashing against rocks and branches all the way down.
It was a few minutes before he opened his eyes again. Slowly getting up, he moved out from behind some trees, and into the open. What he saw confused him: the jungle all of a sudden looked different. The trees were larger and thicker. The ground was rockier. And, to top it all off, everything felt cooler. What the fuck…
The sound of an explosion drew him out of his trance. Turning in the direction of the sound, he took off into the forest. Still confused about the scenery, he was more concerned about where the fighting was. Maybe everything would be back to normal once he got there.
After a minute of following the noises, he saw the blazing light of fire engulfing a large part of the forest. Moving closer, he found himself close to the foot of a small mountain. Climbing up a small way, he turned around to get a better view. He wasn't wrong: the entire part of the forest in front of him was ablaze, lighting up the night. He could see all the way to where the flames stopped.
What the hell's going on here? He thought, fearing he was losing his mind. What happened to this place? Where the hell am I?
The sound of explosions returned again, and he turned in the general direction. Not far up the mountain, standing on a cliff, were several men dressed in strange clothing. A longer look revealed them to be wearing orange tunics, as well as white hoods around their faces. And, when he saw them raise up long wooden weapons, and saw a blaze of fire expelled from those weapons, he knew those sounds weren't explosions: they were gunfire. It all confused the young soldier to the point where he could barely think.
Hearing the sound come from another direction, he leapt down from the rock shift, and took off into the woods. Moving carefully to avoid areas that were ablaze, he kept moving until he smelled another stench in the air. Yeesh! It's burning flesh again! What the hell is it this time? A few more steps brought him to the answer.
All over the ground were the bodies of large, hairy animals, all giving off the putrid smell of burning flesh. At first, he thought they had to be cattle. But a closer look revealed them to be boars; enormous boars, bigger than most men. Holy shit! Wild boars don't get this big! What's going on here?
The youth suddenly felt a dark, frightening presence behind his back. Slowly turning his head around, he found himself less than ten feet away from the murderous, hate-filled eyes of a giant boar, larger than any of those in front of him. A sudden rise in the flames revealed more, showing several scars and wounds all over the beast's blood-caked body. The animal released an angry breath of air every second, eying the soldier with utmost loathing.
Leaping to his feet, Dante rose his rifle into the air, and, aiming it at the beast, let loose a volley of 5.56 mm rounds. The bullets buried themselves into the hide of the beast, but didn't deter it from moving towards him. Emptying his magazine, and seeing the lack of effect it was having, he threw down his rifle, and drew his 1911 pistol, firing all seven rounds right at the beast's skull. It did absolutely nothing.
Tossing the pistol to the ground, he turned and ran deeper into the forest, leaping over the boar carcasses and scattered fires. If the giant boar did take pursuit, he didn't hear it- he was too preoccupied with high-tailing it out of there as fast as possible, climbing over boulders and edging through trees, moving as fast as his tired legs would carry him.
He finally came to a stop after what felt like five miles, breathing heavily as he rested his hands on his knees. After a few seconds, he began to move his head back up. Noticing he was in a darker area, away from the fires, he stood up, getting a full view of yet another shocking sight.
Sitting around a boulder in front of the youth were two more large beasts. Although they weren't as big as that boar had been, they were still big for their species; they were two vicious-looking, pure white wolves. And, he saw, they were feasting on something. Looking closer, he nearly vomited at the sight- the wolves making a meal of a human corpse, ripping meat off of the bones, a pool of blood adorning the ground. After another bite, the two beasts stopped their feasting, and turned towards the terrified youth.
Not able to stand it any longer, Dante tore off into the forest not looking back, or even where he was going. He didn't care where he ended up- he just knew he needed to get out of this place as fast as he could.
This is a nightmare! his mind raged as he ran. Somebody help me! Get me outta' here!
He ran and ran, paying little attention to where he was going. Little did he notice that the forest fires were long gone, and he had returned to the jungle. But he kept running, until he burst out of the jungle, into the open, near the shore where he had landed.
Looking around, he saw a speck of light in the darkness- a cabin near the shore. Breaking into another run, he took off for the place of sanctuary.
"Help!" he yelled, losing his breath as he ran, almost breaking into a limp. "Anybody, please help me!"
Finally reaching the door, he grabbed the handle threw it open, and ran inside before slamming the door behind him. He leaned against the wooden door, trying to catch his breath.
"Well, look who showed up, boys! It's the failed night watch!"
When the youth heard the voice, he froze in shock. Slowly looking up, he saw a group of men sitting together at a poker table. The thing was, they weren't just any men. Half of them were his comrades- or former comrades- Joe, Connolly, Tony, and- to his utter shock- Mason.
"M- Mason?" the youth exclaimed.
"What the hell happened to you?" the Corporal replied. "You look like you've seen hell, boy."
Looking at the other men, Dante saw, with even greater shock, that they were also men he knew- the group of samurai he had killed back in the first village he had visited, where he learned the strength of his curse. They all had the wounds he had given them, and they sat across from the four grunts, who were all wearing red bandannas on their heads.
"What the hell's going on?" Dante asked, stepping closer.
"Oh, a lot. These guys here," he said, gesturing to the samurai thugs, "said they knew you. We didn't know how, but they seemed like cool guys. We're showing 'em some of our little games, and it's been pretty fuckin' sweet."
Turning back to the thug across from him, Mason picked something up off the table- a .38 revolver- and opened the wheel, checking for a bullet. He then spun it, making a whizzing sound, and closed it before bringing the gun to his head.
Dante's eyes went wide, watching as Mason pulled slowly at the trigger, and the wheel began to turn.
"No!"
A click sound later, Mason brought the gun away from his head, and the rest of the group began to laugh and cheer. Turning to the youth, the Corporal smiled. "What are you so scared about, pansy? We're already dead- or have you forgotten that?" He gestured to a bullet wound in his head.
Dante backed away in shock, all the way to the wall, unable to take his eyes off the wound. Mason sighed, taking out a cigarette and lighting it before sliding the gun across the table to the samurai thug. "Okay, your turn, bro."
The samurai took the revolver in his hand, and, after a brief inspection, put it to his head. After a few seconds of hesitation, he squeezed the trigger. A loud bang, accompanied by a spray of blood, resonated throughout the room. Only the samurai didn't fall over, or slump onto the table- he just pulled the gun away, laughed, and tossed it back onto the table, as though his new wound did nothing.
The terrified youth could no longer bring himself to speak. No longer able to look at the scene in front of him, he clutched his head in his hands, and let out a scream. "What's the fuck's happening to me? Why am I here? Why?"
"Hey, everybody, I think we got some visitors."
Dante stopped clutching his head at the words, and, in dreadful anticipation, stood up, turning to face the window in the door. Just as he feared, the beasts from the forest stood outside the cabin. The wolves, as well as the boar, both made eye contact with the youth, boring their hatred and contempt into him.
Quickly turning away from the door, Dante made a dive for the nearest window, bursting through it, and landing on the ground before leaping to his feet, and taking off into the jungle once again. Not looking back, he darted between trees and bushes before leaping over a rock. When he landed, however, he felt the ground drop away from his feet. As the ground passed his eyes, he reached out and grabbed the edge, dangling at the top of the deep hole. Looking down, he saw several bamboo spears pointing upward from the bottom of the whole.
As his strength faded, he felt his grip on the edge slipping. "Somebody," he called out, helplessly, "please…"
At that moment, his strength failed him, and his grip broke. And with that, he fell, downward, heading toward the doom of the spears…
Sitting up so fast that he flung sweat across the room, Dante let out a scream, clutching his head. He closed his eyes again, feeling a pain in his head from the disturbed sleep.
When he finally opened his eyes and let his hands down, he looked around: it was before dawn, he was still at the inn, in his room, and was laying in his futon. And lying on either side of him, was a young, sleeping-kimono clad woman, each snuggled up alongside his space of the futon.
Noticing the two, Dante sighed, and fell back onto the futon. God…what the hell happened NOW? All he remembered was walking into the room, and falling on the futon in the dark. Nothing beyond that. Nah…nothing could've happened…could it?
After a few more minutes, he felt the urge again, and got up. He readjusted his yukata, and stepped out into the hall, quietly closing the shoji door. Walking down the hall half asleep, he tried to think about whatever may have happened the night before.
As he passed another door, he heard a sudden scream coming from inside the room. Putting his ear to the door, he could hear the situation clearly.
"You insolent little wench! Did you really think you would get away with this?"
"Please, I beg of you-"
"You ought to be tied to a stake, and be pelted with rotten radishes! If you think you can just do what you want, you haven't been disciplines enough!"
"No, please, no!"
The sound of a strike resonated, following a cry of pain by the girl.
"We paid a lot of money for you! You will learn to be obedient, or we'll toss you out like the garbage you are! Do you understand? You are never to see that boy again! Don't even think about trying to escape from here!"
He heard someone walking away, as well as the continued cries of Minako. After a few more seconds of listening to the girl weep, Dante made up his mind. Sliding the door open a crack, he saw that the girl was alone. Opening the door all the way, he stepped inside.
Minako looked up in shock, her face still red from the tears. "What- what are you doing here?"
Dante looked the girl up and down, noticing a red mark on her shoulder. "What'd she do to you? Are you alright?"
"She…she just did something…I knew this would happen, I knew they would find out-"
"It's okay, relax. Don't think that this is your fault. All you did was the same thing we all do. They have no right to punish you for that."
The young girl looked up at the youth, a gleam in her eyes. Mustering a smile, she took a deep breath, and exhaled. "Thank you."
Kneeling down to face her, Dante looked her in the eye. "Listen to me. I want to ask you something: do you want to leave?"
"Huh?" the girl peeped, looking at him with a confused look.
"Do you wanna get outta' here? I can help you. All you have to do is say yes."
"Do you mean that?" she asked, the gleam becoming stronger.
"Yes. I can get you outta' here, you just have to be ready." Standing back up, he looked around the room. "Go back to your room, and pack what you need. Don't take anything that might slow you down. Pack up, and wait for me in your room. Be ready by dawn." He turned around, heading for the door.
"Wait, what do you-" the girl said, trying to get his attention.
"Just do it!" the youth responded, sliding the door shut.
A sudden noise drew the young warrior awake. Sitting up, he looked around his room.
The room was not much more than the upper level of a barn or stable, with straw covering the floors. He lay in an old futon, with a straw blanket covering his lower body. His sword lay at his side, at the ready position should any danger come creeping during the night.
Looking around, he noticed nothing out of the ordinary, and prepared to go back to sleep. That was when he noticed something in the windowsill. A small piece of paper, with writing on it- a note.
Tying his second boot on, Dante looked back at the two girls as they slept side-by-side on the delicate futon. It was nearly dawn, and he was already back in full uniform, ready to put this plan into action. Looking at the women, he couldn't help but feel a little sympathy for them. Their line of work wasn't a pleasant one, and he felt bad to leave them.
Reaching into his backpack, he pulled out the sack of gold nuggets the Emishi had given him. Opening it, he took two gold nuggets in his hand before tying it up, and shoving it back into his bag. Walking over to the sleeping girls, he reached down to one of them, and opened her hand, placed the nugget in her palm, and gently closed it. He then did the same with the other woman. Kissing each girl on the forehead, he stood up, smiled at them, and turned around, heading for the door.
Heading down the hall, he made his way to the room number Minako had given him. When he found it, he slid the door open a crack, peeking inside. He didn't expect to see three men waiting inside with her. One of them looked like the main host that had served them earlier. The other two were larger men, obviously thugs. Wanting to keep the operation quiet, he put his backpack down, and tapped his hand against the door.
"Who is it?" one of the men asked.
When Dante didn't answer, the man slid the door open, peeking outside. Moving faster than the man could see, Dante delivered a kick to the face, and immediately grabbed him by the hair knot on his head, pulling him down on a hard smash to the floor. The other thug came rushing to his comrade's aid, only to receive a blow to the knee from Dante's Remington, which he used as a club. A subsequent blow to the head put him down for the count. Stepping inside, Dante saw Minako and the host alone on the room. Not even waiting for a response, the youth pointed his weapon at the old man. "You, out."
The man stuttered in fear before running out of the room, and disappearing down the hall. Grabbing the girl's arm, Dante led her out of the room, and through the halls, all the way to a back entrance near the garden. As soon as they exited the building, they found someone waiting for them- Samanosuke, with his sword hung over his shoulder.
When Minako saw the young warrior, her eyes went wide. "Samanosuke-kun!"
Likewise, when he saw her, he acted the same. "Minako-san!"
The two met in a deep embrace before turning their attention back to the foreigner. "This is why you called me out here?" the warrior asked.
"Did you bring food and supplies? Like I mentioned in the note?"
"Yes, but-"
"Good. It's almost dawn, and these people won't notice anything for a while. This is your chance to get a head start. Here."
He reached into the pocket of his fatigue, and pulled out a small pouch full of nuggets from his own supply, handing it to the ronin. "There's enough gold in there to take you all over Japan. If you hurry, you can get far enough away from this town before anything happens. After you get out, head east, then north, if you want to evade warring regions. There's a lot less activity in the northeast. Trust me."
The two lovers looked from the youth to each other, than back again. Stepping up to Dante, Samanosuke held him in embrace. "How can we ever thank you for this, friend?"
"Don't think about that, just go. You don't have much time."
Samanosuke went back to Minako, and the two took a step forward before turning around, and bowing, deep, to the soldier. Dante groaned inwardly, but appreciated it all the same. Afterwards, they got up, and took off down the dirt road, eventually disappearing behind another building.
After they were no longer in sight, Dante sighed, turned around, and headed west, in the other direction. His trip to Kyoto had not been in vain after all. He only hoped that things wouldn't get too bad when he finally reached his destination. That dream was still bored into his mind, and he hoped beyond hope that it wasn't a premonition.
Little did the youth know he was being watched. Through the lens of an ancient telescope, not too far from the inn, the man looking through took the glass away from his eye.
"There he goes, my lord. Do you want us to stop him?"
Asano sighed, shaking his head. "No, let him go. As much of an interest as he is, he looks like more trouble than he's worth. Besides, from what that monk told me, he's walking straight into a death trap."
"What if he makes it to Tataraba, sir? He could ruin the whole plan."
"Well, we'll just have to hope that that doesn't happen, won't we?"
There we are. It ended up being longer than I expected, but, hey, it happens. Sorry if you all are still disappointed that we're not in familiar territory yet, but, I promise you, we will be next chapter. And, I promise to get the next chapter up real soon. I'm working on it as we speak. So keep reading, and I'll keep on writing.
This chapter may as well be called the movie reference chapter, seeing as how many films I've referenced in it. If any of you can spot them all, let me know.
Well, that's all for now. To those of you in the U.S., happy Thanksgiving. And don't forget to review. Happy trails.
Music for Chapter 11:
Traditional Hogaku/Noh music (Anything good will do)
Light My Fire, by The Doors