The Hunter

Chapter Five

Nightfall was nearly upon them as they made their way down the town's main road. Rin gazed at the shops and homes, izakayas and noodle stands that occupied both sides of the road, and then looked to the dense bamboo forest beyond. If she could somehow slip away unnoticed and take shelter in its maze of crooked paths and fallen bamboo it might just be enough to secure her freedom.

By sheer force of will she avoided glancing at the forest while Kohaku procured a room for them at one of the town's inns. Freedom was too close at hand to so recklessly give herself away. All she need do was bide her time and wait for a single moment of distraction on his part. With that and a bit of luck and she would finally have what she most desired – a chance to return home.

The gods were kind enough to provide her with a bit of both shortly after dinner. Kohaku had taken her to one of the larger izakayas in the hopes of winning some money for the rest of their journey. She was dubious at first, but after seeing how easily he won his first few matches she was reluctantly impressed. He hadn't been exaggerating when he told her he'd been training with weapons since he was a boy. The ease with which he threw his knife at the target made it look as natural as breathing.

She watched carefully, noting how after each win he used the spoils to buy his opponent a consolation bottle of sake. And he never challenged the same man twice. The boy was smarter than he looked. With his easy humour and carefree attitude, he kept the atmosphere light and playful and within an hour he was the most popular man in the establishment.

She played her part, of course – smiling, clapping politely at his wins, and making sure his saucer was never dry of sake. When the time was right, she picked up an empty bottle from the table and manoeuvred her way through the crowd to the bar.

"Another?" the owner asked with a greedy glint in his eye.

She nodded and felt a smile pull at her lips. "The most expensive bottle you have."

Hoping to slip out unnoticed, she headed for the door but the owner called after her, "You'll not stay and watch your man win?"

Careful to check her expression, Rin turned to him with a smile and lightly fanned her face, "I only need a bit of air. I am certain his luck will hold until I return."

The innkeeper waved her off with a good natured shake of his head and she slipped quietly out the door.

The first breath of freedom was pure elation. She had dreamt of this moment for so many months that the immensity of it left her knees weak and her hands trembling inside her sleeves. With tears glistening in her eyes, she hurried away from the izakaya in the direction of the inn. Once it was in sight, she cast a single surreptitious glance over her shoulder to ensure she hadn't been followed and then abruptly turned off the main road into an alley.

The narrow lane carved a careful path between the wooden houses and eventually opened up into a small laneway on the other side. Beyond that was the forest, and the only thing standing between her and it was a single row of houses and a group of men. They looked up the moment she stepped into view and the communal leer that crossed their faces told her more than she needed it to about their intentions.

"Looks like tonight's my lucky night after all," said the leader as he stepped forward.

He was young, though not as young as Kohaku, and had broad shoulders. His face was rough, tanned dark by the sun and marred with scars that could have been from farming or something far less innocuous. Judging by the looks of the men lingering behind him, they weren't the sort who were used to making an honest living.

Bandits, her inner voice of fear whispered loudly enough that it couldn't be ignored. Her heart hammered inside her chest as the leader moved closer, wearing a smile that cut his face from ear to ear.

"I recognize you from the izakaya. You're here with that boy."

"You are mistaken," she managed, straightening her spine even as she took an uncertain step backward.

"I never forget a pretty face," he corrected her, reaching out to caress the red silk trim of her kimono.

Her eyes widened in shock and then fear - he knew what she was! She could see it in his eyes, in the way they panned down her body and lingered on her kimono. Its red silk trim was the calling card of her brothel, a way to differentiate their whores from the rest in Shimabara. Each brothel had their own and this far from Kyoto she hadn't thought anyone would know... Her stomach churned as a cool drop of sweat slid down the back of her neck. Obviously, she'd been wrong.

As she turned to run the bandit's hand snaked out and grabbed her by the wrist. She tugged hard to jerk her arm free, but he only tightened his hold on her.

"Let me go," she demanded, boldly meeting his gaze.

"Stay a while. Your man will come looking for you eventually, and when he does we'll be ready with a bargain – your life for our money."

"He will never come," she determined.

"In that case, I'll still have my consolation prize," he sneered, pulling her against his chest. His hand caressed the side of her face and she turned away to hide the glimmer of fear in her eyes.

It was then that she noticed the knife at his side. Without stopping to think, she snatched it out of his belt and slashed it across his chest the way Kohaku had shown her. The bandit's reaction was immediate – a howl of outrage and the sudden release of her wrist.

Grinning with elation, Rin pulled up her kimono and darted back down the alley. Her sandals clacked noisily against the stones, echoing between the houses on either side. She reassured herself that there would be other opportunities to escape. For now, she needed to concentrate on making it back before Kohaku discovered she was missing. The last thing she needed was for him to be even more doggedly aware of her every move than he already was.

The main road suddenly came into view and she quickened her pace. Her pre-emptive sigh of relief was abruptly cut short by a sudden sharp pain slicing into her thigh. She cried out and stumbled hard into the ground, mere paces from the street. Looking back, she saw a small knife sticking out of the back of her leg and the bandit advancing on her wearing a satisfied smirk.

"Your man isn't the only one with a talent for throwing knives," he boasted. His shirt was bloodied, but she could see now that the wound across his chest was little more than a scratch. She cursed under her breath, frustrated with her inability to protect herself when it mattered most.

When the bandit reached for her, she instinctively shied away. He grabbed hold of the knife handle and jerked the blade out of her leg. The sight of blood rapidly blooming across her kimono left her head spinning and her call for help was choked off by a wave of fear.

"Take her."

She could barely make out the bandit's command over the loud buzzing in her ears. He stalked away and two blurry figures descended on her with arms outstretched. Her mouth opened to scream and then there was only darkness.

xXx

"That's ten in a row!" A dour-faced villager crossed his arms in front of his chest and scowled down at Kohaku. "No man is that lucky."

"Care to test that theory?" Kohaku offered, unfazed by the man's accusatory tone.

One of the other men laughed and captured his friend in a headlock. "What luck? Yuta's got none, and if he gives all his money to you his wife will chop his balls off and feed them to him for dinner."

A chorus of laughter filled the air and Yuta pushed his friend's arm away, looking rather red in the face. Kohaku stifled a laugh and took a well-timed sip of sake to hide his smile.

"Say, Yuta, what's it like being married to a dragon lady? You still a man under all those clothes?" another chimed in.

A fresh round of laughter erupted from the crowd and Yuta glared daggers at Kohaku as though it were entirely his fault. Fed up with being the subject of mockery, Yuta pushed his way through the crowd of jeering faces to the door. With his departure the mood lightened considerably.

"Don't worry about him," his friend said, landing a good-natured pat on Kohaku's back, "He's just bitter because his wife's a terror."

Kohaku waved off the explanation with a good-natured laugh and leaned back against the wall. He could remember a time when his village had been the same as this place – alive, full of energy and promise. Things were different now. Two bad harvests had stripped his town of laughter and made faces age decades from worry in a matter of months.

When that same look of hopelessness had found its way into his sister Sango's eyes he'd known it was time. This mission was their only chance, his village's last hope of seeing it through another winter. The night air was already chilled by autumn winds and the first snows would soon be upon them. He couldn't afford to waste time. The sooner he arrived in Edo with the girl, the better.

Setting aside - for the moment - what that meant, he let his gaze wander around the bar in search of her. Come to think of it, it had been some time since he could last remember seeing her face amongst the crowd. Slowly getting to his feet, he tucked his winnings into his jacket next to her painting and manoeuvred his way to the bar.

It was a slow process getting there as he was dogged by numerous well wishers and others who threatened re-matches once they were less drunk. He entertained them while keeping a watchful eye on the door. Where was she? Was it possible she'd slipped out without his noticing?

He caught the bartender's attention and threw down more than enough money to cover his tab. The man took the coins and noticed him make a final sweep of the faces in the crowd.

"Looking for your girl?" he asked with a raised brow and a knowing look. Kohaku nodded and he tilted his head towards the door.

"She left about an hour ago. Said she needed some air. Sometimes the noise in here gets to be too much for them," he explained with a reassuring smile.

Kohaku thanked him with a generous tip and headed out the door. The street beyond was deserted and the night air sent a chill shivering across his skin. Had she gone back to the inn?

A sense of unease settled in the pit of his stomach as he walked the short distance to the hatago. How could he have been foolish enough to let her out of his sight? He tried to reassure himself that he was being paranoid and she was simply asleep, but his feet quickened nonetheless.

With the owner of the inn nowhere in sight, he took the stairs two at a time to their room. Holding his breath, he slid open the door only to find the inside dark and empty. Sakura hadn't returned and a quick search of their bags revealed that she hadn't taken any food or money with her. She couldn't have been reckless enough to run off without provisions. Or could she? Desperation made people do ridiculous, foolish things.

If she had managed to slip away, he was duty-bound to find her. Even with his winnings tonight, he didn't have nearly enough to purchase another girl. The amount he'd brought with him was the accumulated savings of his entire village. She was their one and only chance – he had no option but to find her, no matter the cost.

Taking a moment to stow away his winnings, Kohaku checked the weapons in his belt and headed out the door. For her sake, he hoped she hadn't tried to run. He couldn't blame her if she had, but given the circumstances he didn't have the freedom to be sympathetic to her situation. Come morning, whether she liked it or not, she would be back under his guard and on a much shorter leash.

* A hatago is a type of roadside inn that was popular with travellers and samurai during the Edo period. At this type of inn, patrons were served meals during their stay (kind of like a modern bed & breakfast).