Chapter XXIII

  “Variation in Tactics”

  “The Art of War”

  ~by Sun Tzu~

  After a month of digging Grandfather and I had to stop. Junghai and Jute's wedding was

  tomorrow and we had to get ready. Because of their friendship with me there were many well-known faces attending. I felt a small sense of responsibility to them for the extra guests so my gift to them was to pay for the food and drink at the reception. When I found out over 800 people would be attending, I thought about giving them a pink hakokaidan stairway chest instead.

  My mother, along with uncle Tozasu and aunt Pe were back in Goemon Toshi. They would be attending along with Shogun Eita and his wife. The Machi-bugyo and her betrothed, as well as Daimyo Masao and his wife Kumiko. From my house, I brought Sashi and his gang, Masakari and the rest of my men, and Brother Soryo, our new monk. An odd name for a young man but he was very nice and my heimin loved him. Of course I brought Aya-aiko and my lovely lady Shingan.

  The wedding was beautiful. I did not know Jute's father was still alive but I quickly found out when he was the one walking her down the aisle. He was an old man but still in very good health and he seemed to be just beaming with pride as he looked at all who were in attendance. I never told you this but Jute was born eta. Her first husband was a stonemason. He died after a few years of marriage from spirits on the brain. It was after his death that she became involved with the criminal element of the Toshi. Now to have his little eta daughter marrying a Koga Samurai, retired maybe and a crime lord for a certainty, but samurai none the less. The man was very proud of her.

  Jute for her part was demure as is the custom at weddings. She was resplendent in her white gown, headdress and makeup. She kept her eyes on the floor the whole time but you could see her smiling. I knew from experience this would be the last time you would ever see her this submissive but, for once, I kept it to myself.

  Her father walked her to the altar where Junghai and the Shinto priest waited. Junghai was still a very intimidating man even when happy. He wore the traditional black Kimono with the Shotoku crest over his heart in white. But once he took her hand and turned towards the priest you could see a large Koga crest on his back. The ceremony went smoothly and Junghai delivered the wedding oath clearly with just enough volume to be heard by all. The man appeared to be meant for public speaking.

  Once the ceremony ended we all cheered and proceeded to the reception in front of the temple where large shades had been hung for the guests' comfort. As their closest friend of the nobility it was my role to play host for them with any of the noble cast at the wedding, a role which provided everyone with a smirk whenever they saw me. The reception lasted two hours and everyone was full and drunk by the end of it. It was a great day.

  It was not long after the wedding that I found New Years was upon us again. The time had flown. Just a few months of farming and training and then it was time for Aya-aiko to go to the Bei-oshi. It had been my nineteenth New Year. So we masked our celebration of Aya’s acceptance into the Bei-oshi as a grand New Year’s party. A few days later we left for Shiro no Shotoku. Shingan and my men came with me to escort us.

  The trip was nice though it was obvious by her many questions that Aya was nervous. Shingan and I answered them as best we could. It was funny to see how excited she was. Once we got to the castle, I was pleasantly surprised to see that we were met at the gate by Yoshio and Masao. We walked up to them and bowed. Yoshio invited her into his town while the rest of us followed.

  Masao asked me quietly, “Is she ready?”

  I smiled. “More than most... You look nervous.”

  He looked at me. “I guess I am. There are no guarantees here.”

  I nodded. “Does she know who you are?” He shook his head. “The only thing worse than a disloyal assassin, is an assassin with a grudge. I would recommend you have that conversation with her. But, after she passes the Bei-oshi.”

  “I am not sure I can.”

  “With all respect to you, my lord, you had better find a way. That girl is already very

  dangerous.”

  Aya was very flattered that our Daimyo had come to see her off to class. He took some time to converse with her while Yoshio informed me that the last class had only lost 35 students. The one before had only lost 15. That was the class whose 10 ninjas I used for the Hokkaido mission.

  “I was hoping that you might be persuaded to give a speech to this class when they start

  tomorrow,” he said.

  “Yoshio sama, you know how much I love the sound of my own voice. Of course I will do it.” I smiled.

  He laughed as we walked on to his suite at the top of the castle. Nihonto was looking lovely with her new baby daughter, Okami, and their son, Wajima, heir to the Shotoku throne. He was about 10 years of age and seemed to be very interested in what I thought about anything. Being a favorite uncle is easy when you live two days away. He was excited to see me but leaned in for a moment and asked,

  “How long will you stay this time?”

  I gave a mild shake of the head, “There is no set time for us to leave so I can stay for as long as you need me. What is wrong, Wajima san?”

  “I have some personal news I wanted to discuss with you. I just wanted to make sure you did not leave before I got the chance, Hiro sama.”

  I nodded. “Alright. Aya is starting class tomorrow and I will not get the chance to see her again for a year. Can you wait until the day after tomorrow?”

  He looked a little disappointed. “I was hoping it would be after your speech to the ninja

  tomorrow.”

  I looked a little stunned. “How do you even know that exists?”

  He looked affronted. “I am to be the Shotoku. I know everything.”

  I was just about to say something really good when Shingan covered my mouth. I could hear her laughing. Wajima smiled, bowed and left.

  We spent the evening with Yoshio and in the morning toured the castle and town. I made sure to take everyone by “The Loyal Koga” for some tea. Taiki was always happy to see me, especially with his Daimyo and family in tow. He was speechless when he realized Daimyo Masao was with us. He had never seen Masao before. I made introductions and we had a very nice meal with our tea. As good as the visit was though, we eventually had to leave for Aya to make her appointment. We all dropped her off and said our goodbyes. It would be a few hours before they were done running them through the grinder that was the first day of the Bei-oshi. And though we would see each other at my speech, we would not have the chance to talk. I was a little sad. After two years of having the girl around, I realized I would miss her and her annoying curiosity. We all went back to Yoshio's gardens. They were very nice but I was feeling down. I had wandered off to a secluded spot but Wajima found me and sat next to me on the bench.

  “Hiro sssssama,” he said in mock sarcasm.

  I hadn't realized he knew some of my oldest peasant friends addressed me in that manner.

  “Come to kick me while I am down, boy?” I said in mock sternness.

  He smiled. “No. I just thought now would be a good time to talk to you. It is a few hours before your speech.”

  “True... What is it you are so curious about, Wajima san?”

  He took a breath to calm himself. “My father told me about the 'War of the Wolf.' He felt I was old enough to know the truth.”

  “Are you?” He thought a little and nodded. “What did he tell you?”

  “...That you killed 45 people that night.”

  “Is that all that matters?” I asked. He shook his head. “What else then?”

  “Once father told me about it I went and talked to mother. She told me how she awoke to ninja everywhere but managed to get to her sword and how she killed four of them and was holding off two more. She expected support from her people who she thought were still alive in the castle.”

  “In those days it was more of a house. It even had a porch on the front of it.”

  He looked a little surprised. “Truly?”

  I nodded. “Yes. Did she not mention how we escorted the two of you to the porch?”

  “Yes. I just assumed she meant the porch of another building or a balcony of the castle.”

  “I have interrupted your story. Gomen nasai, please continue.”

  “She stood there waiting for the next attack when a boy came in. Bloody hands and his sword was sheathed. He just strolled in like nothing scared him and looked at her. One of the ninja said “Hiro.” It was the first time she had heard your name and the man said it like he was asking you to deal with a troublesome mess.”

  “That is how I remember it as well. That ninja was Grandfather by the way.”

  He nodded. “She was not sure which one had said it.”

  “All of that is accurate, Wajima. So what is your question?”

  He paused a moment. “She thought it was a joke until she looked in your eyes and then she knew. She knew she was dead. Before you even drew your sword, she said she knew it.”

  “She did not show it.”

  He went on. “Then when you were just about to kill us... you stopped.” He looked at me.

  “And I am very glad I did. The world would be a dimmer place without you two. But what is it that concerns you so much?”

  “Why?... Why did you stop?”

  “Ohhhhhhh... Many things stopped me. I had killed 31 children that night and I was sick of it. I was covered in blood and did not want to see any more. The last samurai-ko in Shiro Toyama had killed four shinobi, proving she deserved to live. But most of all,” I looked at him. “I stopped because you started crying.”

  “…Do you think you made the right choice?”

  “Why? Are you having thoughts of changing the family name to Wajima when you gain the throne?”

  He laughed a little. “No... But I might tell father that when I want to bother him...” He smiled and had a dreamy look in his eye. “But a Wajima is going to inherit the throne. Does that not bother you? You are Shotoku.”

  I shook my head. “You are Shotoku. You may have been born Wajima but Goemon's blood runs through your veins now.”

  He smiled. “Domo arigato, Hiro.”

  I patted his back. “Come. Let us see what the others are up to.”

  My speech went well. Yoshio and Masao went with me though they just observed. The ninja seemed to catch the importance of it and I was pleased that I could spare them Sense Shi's “You're all gonna die” speech. I looked at Aya several times during my speech. It looked like she was doing fine. I knew I would see her again. We stayed with Yoshio for another week before heading back to our homes. It had been a good visit but we all had things to take care of.

  I did check in with Hisao periodically. The conversations were good. I made sure he understood I did not want control. He was doing a sound job and I didn't want to cause any issues. He had been sent 60 men instead of the 30 he expected and was very happy. He had quickly put them into key positions in his business. The toshi's crime world was ours. I explained I would just be by once a month to make sure all was well and that he could contact me if he ever needed anything.

  Koruko had been very helpful in his time with us. The man was a natural spymaster. I had used him in Nigata to assist Hisao on many occasions. Any extra information could be a life saver in his situation. Koruko also still had many contacts in Goemon as well as across Giapan. But I did notice Masao would call him back to Goemon Toshi from time to time. Koruko never gave any details and I never asked past the, “Are you OK?” It got to be where we didn't think anything of it.

  Daimyo Masao came to visit officially several times over the next year. Nothing to do with Koruko from what I could tell. He was checking on the Ashigaru, who by the way, had become superb. He was very impressed and had started training the same kind of forces in several of his small towns. The remote ones at first so as to cut down on any publicity the program might have drawn. We got several visits from other Daimyo and Kokujin so that we could help to make the transition easier for them and their troops. When Masao did visit he always brought news of Aya-aiko. Apparently she had been listening to all of the stories people told her about me.

  She had been in a team of ninja returning from the front line of the Bandai war with the

  Karafuto. They had passed safely through to the Honshu territory when they came across several Oni tracks. The sensei said they had to leave it alone but she said, “These people are Honshu. They respect the Koga.”

  Then she pulled her hood on and followed the tracks. The other five students and the sensei donned their hoods and followed her to a group of Oni, about 12 large horned monstrosities quietly waiting to attack a village. They could overhear the Oni planning to wait for the attack until late when most of the samurai were asleep. The sensei sent two ninja to warn the Honshu, who were nervous at first. The ninja returned and waited while the Honshu left many of the mononofu visible to the Oni like nothing had changed. The rest left from the far side of the village and waited a short distance away, where her team had sent them. When the fight came it started with the ninja throwing every explosive and flash ball they had. They harassed the Oni until the Honshu could get there and manage to kill a few for themselves. Once the fight was done the Honshu looked around but all of the Ninja were gone. I love a good heartwarming story. I was so proud of her. I could tell Masao was proud as well. I think he liked telling the stories more than I enjoyed hearing them.

  One night Shingan and I were lying in bed. I could feel her hand tracing the tattoos on my chest. It was a pleasant feeling and I was just about to fall asleep.

  Then I heard her say, “My father has arranged a marriage for me... OW. OW. OW. OW.”

  I let go of her arm. “Gomen nasai. I did not realize I was holding your arm.” I said.

  She sat up and started rubbing the spot where I had gripped her too hard, while staring at me. “It is alright.”

  I cleared my throat. “I will go talk to the man and take care of this.”

  She shook her head. “No. He is my father. You will not 'go talk to the man.' We will respect his wishes.”

  I rolled my head a little bit. My neck was feeling tense. “What are his wishes?”

  She shrugged. “He has found a promising marriage for me. A Shogun Kazuki in Shiro no

  Aogashima.”

  I shook my head. “Why would he not come and negotiate with me to marry you? I would think, with very little ego involved of course,” she rolled her eyes at me, “that a Kokujin would be a better match than a Shogun.”

  “I am not sure. Maybe he does not know anything about us.”

  I nodded. “Where is Aogashima?”

  She looked at me sternly. “You mean, my home?” I nodded slowly. “It is the farthest island off the coast of the Fujibayashi lands. It is used for the storage of secrets by our House... mostly.”

  “So it is remote?” She nodded. “Then this is probably a simple misunderstanding. He

  probably has no idea I exist. I just need to talk to h...”

  “No. No. No. You do not know my father. He is stubborn and prone to make people frustrated.”

  “I am sure it will be fine.”

  She cocked her head to the side and looked at me like I was stupid. “Do you know what you are like when you are frustrated?”

  I paused a moment. “I know it is not good.” She didn't say anything. “I should send

  Kubikiri?”

  “Yes.” She whispered and nodded.

  The next day I sent Kira to fly Kubikiri to Shingan's father. As a measure of my sincerity I included a purse of 500 gold pieces. The next few days passed well enough. We went to take part in the Kara-Te practice with Brother Soryo. His area had a small shrine with a house I had built for him along with a large practice yard. There were large wooden gazebos built on all sides of the yard. I had drafted all of my men and officers to help me build them on the day Brother Soryo arrived.

  When the heimin and hinin finished their work for the day they tried to pitch in but I made them sit in the shade and watch. Soryo thought that was the best entertainment ever. My men were wise enough to take the lesson in humility and not say a word. Not long after they had left, Kira returned with Kubikiri. He did not look happy.

  I walked over to him and asked, “What did he say?”

  “My Kokujin, the man is very proud.”

  “It sounds like he is about to be very dead.” I didn't realize Shingan had come up behind me. She just looked at me like she was extremely mad at me. I turned back to Kubikiri and asked, more calmly, “What happened exactly?”

  “Your lady's father is a Gunso under Shogun Kazuki so from his perspective it is very flattering that his Shogun wants to marry his daughter..”

  I nodded, “Did the money insult him?”

  “What money?” Shingan asked me.

  “The 500 gold pieces did not help, my lord.”

  “You tried to buy me?” she said.

  I looked at her. “Five hundred gold pieces is not a ‘buy.’ For 500 I not only get you but if you die I get your soul.”

  “And it worked great, did it not?!” she spat back.

  “He was going to say no, no matter what I did!” I yelled.

  Then she screamed something at me and took a swing at my head. I blocked and tried to elbow her but she slid out of the way. I do not remember what we were yelling at each other but I'm pretty sure it was ugly. Somewhere in the shoving and hitting and yelling Kira of all people stepped between us.

  “HEY!!!” She had a hand on each of us and was pushing us apart. “It does not matter! Daimyo Masao has ordered the two of you,” she looked at Shingan, “and your father to Goemon Toshi!”

  We took a few moments to grumble at each other before I asked, “When?”

  “Now, my Kokujin. He sent flyers to Gunso Raijin and his Shogun in order to bring them as well.”

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “How long will it take for them to get to Goemon?” I asked Kira.

  “They are there now. Masao's flyers arrived soon after we landed in Shiro no Aogashima. He has two more coming for you two.”

  I nodded while Shingan and I continued to stare at each other. Kira wouldn't move out of the way. Soon the flyers arrived and bowed to us.

  “Kokujin Hiro?” I nodded “I am Shotoku Ryuko. My friend and I are to fly you and

  Taisa Shingan to Goemon Toshi.”

  I nodded again and got into the harness. Shingan did the same with her man. Thankfully it is very windy when you fly so that helped give us an excuse for not trying to talk. We landed on a balcony on the far side of the third floor from Masao's meeting hall. Once we got out of our harnesses I escorted Shingan to the hall. We found her father and a man who I assumed was Shogun Kazuki.

  Shingan greeted her father and introduced me to them. He did not look impressed. The look I was trying to convey was one of “THIS WOULD BE A LOT EASIER WITH YOU DEAD.” Or something to that effect. The Shogun seemed to get it. He was very polite.

  The four of us sat and waited for Daimyo Masao. It was a very quiet wait. Shingan had kept looking at the floor since we walked into her father's presence. It is tradition and would not bother me but for some reason it made me want to lean over and slice an ear off of his head. I was just thinking how much better he would look without ears when I heard Masao being announced.

  We all stood and bowed. He returned the bow and sat in front of us. Gunso Raijin and Shogun Kazuki were on his left while Shingan and I sat on his right.

  Masao said, “We apparently have a problem, my friends.”

  That is when The Gunso began berating him about his rights as a father and the Shogun would interrupt with how he had been made promises by her father. Masao let this go on for a while. He even looked over at us while we sat there quietly. Shingan with her head down and me just watching angrily.

  Masao eventually stopped their tirade by saying, “Shogun Kazuki, the girl is not the Gunso's to give.” The Shogun sat back a little bit. “She is mine.” Masao stated. “Gunso Raijin, I do not understand your anger over your daughter being betrothed to Kokujin Hiro. He is of a higher station than the Shogun. That should be a good thing for you and your family.”

  “I have served the Shogun for years. He is a good man. I do not know this, Shotoku Hiro.”

  Masao nodded. “This, Shotoku Hiro, is the deadliest man in Giapan. He killed his first samurai when he was seven.” Her father looked at me with an almost unbelieving expression on his face. “So when he looks at someone, like he is looking at you now, usually dead bodies follow.” He let that sink in before continuing. “…Now the reason I have stopped these marriage negotiations between yourself and the Shogun is not because Hiro and Shingan are friends of mine. I would like them to believe that is the reason, but the truth is I need strong shinobi. So even if they could not stand each other I would still insist they become married. The fact that they love each other is nice but because they are my two most lethal assassins I could care less, where marriage is concerned.”

  He looked at us now. “Shingan, look at me.” She obeyed. “The two of you will get married and you will bear me as many Ninja-ko as you can produce. That is a command. I - need - strong – shinobi... Do you two have anything to say?”

  he asked.

  We both glanced at each other and said together, “Domo arigato, my Daimyo,” as we bowed.

  He returned it and said, “Gunso, you will stay on here with the palace guard. Your daughter only lives two hours from here and I think it would go better for everyone if you were more involved in her life.”

  He bowed to Masao and said, “Domo arigato, my Daimyo.”

  Masao returned it and asked, “Kazuki san, what did you hope to get out of this?”

  Kazuki thought a moment and said, “A strong wife for strong children, my Daimyo.”

  Masao nodded. “I may be able to help with that. There is a Kokujin Takeshi in my town of Kyotang Shiro. He has a daughter he is having difficulties marrying.”

  The Shogun replied, “May I ask why he is having problems, my lord?”

  “The girl is very loyal to her father. When she was 10, her father was attacked. She killed the man but received a bad scar down her left cheek. She is not disfigured, just a scar that lesser men cannot abide. She is however an exceptional samurai-ko and very strong.”

  Kazuki nodded. “She sounds perfect, my Daimyo.”

  “I will make the introductions then. I cannot promise the answer will be yes but...” He looked at us. “Hiro, take Shingan back to Shiro no Kuninoko and get back to work.”

  We both bowed as I said, “Arigato gozaimasu, my Daimyo.”

  And that was how I proposed to Shotoku Shingan.

  The year crept by and soon we had to go meet Aya-aiko for her graduation. We met Yoshio and Masao at the gates again and walked to Yoshio's suite to settle in.

  “How long before she has to do her infiltration?” I asked Masao.

  “About two months.”

  “Can you tell me what you gave her?”

  “What makes you think I make these decisions?”

  “Masao sama, I love you but if you do not tell m...”

  He smiled as he held up his hand. “I gave her the courtier school in Kyoto.”

  “The imperial palace?” He nodded. “Very nice.”

  We talked to pass the time until Aya's graduation. Wajima always talked me into practicing Kenjutsu with him. He was very good at it. I think he got it from his mother. The day seemed to drag on until it was finally time. We walked down to the cellars and watched the quiet graduation ceremony. They only lost five ninja this year. Yoshio made me promise to give my speech to the next class. We needed ninja more than some tradition of death.

  Aya-aiko looked great. She was incredibly flattered that all of us came to see her. She had to stop smiling long enough to force a scowl at Shingan who returned it. Then we went to eat. We talked for a long time and eventually made our way to the gardens. Once everything settled down I found Masao. He was obviously enjoying her stories from the Bei-oshi. I leaned over and whispered to him.

  “You need to have that talk with her now.” He kind of cringed. “My Daimyo, you are not afraid of any man. I find it hard to believe you are afraid of a 15 year old girl.”

  He nodded and when there was a break in the conversation asked Aya to walk with him. They strolled off into the gardens together. The rest of us talked and enjoyed the serenity of the garden. Yoshio paid a few artists to play the biwa and flute in different spots around it so there was a lovely relaxing feel to the place. Eventually Masao and Aya returned. It was obvious Aya had been crying a little. She asked to be excused and left as we all nodded. Masao sat in his old spot next to me on the bench.

  “What happened?” I asked.

  He nodded. “She hit me. She is very upset with me.”

  “Good.”

  His head almost came off, he spun to look at me so fast. “Good?”

  I nodded and smiled. “It means she cares. She is angry now because she feels betrayed but she will come around. She wants a father more than she wants a grudge.”

  “I hope so,” he replied.

  “I never asked you the details of what happened. I was not sure you wanted to share it.”

  He shrugged. “There is not much to tell. I was in the capital handling Koga business. Her

  mother was there acting as our duelist. We fell in love. She became pregnant. My father refused to let me marry her and refused to let me have any contact with her or the child. By the time I had the throne she was already 10 and well on her way to becoming a valuable asset. I refused to be what cost her what she wanted by confusing her with this instead of letting her train.”

  “Did you tell her that?”

  “Yes, but I do not think she agreed with my choices.”

  “She will.”

  “How can you be sure?”

  “Because it is very easy to see when you are not involved.” I smiled.

  Aya returned later and she looked much better. She bowed in greeting to all of us and sat next to her father. They spoke for a time and eventually he spoke to her of the assignment he had given her.

  “Understand, the Koga need you there. So give me your best work.”

  “She bowed to him. I understand. Arigato gozaimasu... May I call you 'Father'?”

  He smiled. “Of course you may, daughter.”

  She returned his smile and said, “Arigato gozaimasu, Father.”

  The night wore on but before she went to bed I leaned over and told her, “When we return to Shiro no Kuninoko remind me that I have a gift for you. It will make this job easier.”

  She smiled. “No gift is necessary, Hiro sama.”

  She knew I hated this. “Just come by and get it.”

  “I am sure you will find a far more deserving person for the gift than I.”

  “...You will need it.”

  “No, I am just a lowly servant to our House.”

  “That is four. You can only ask for three offerings.”

  “I am starting a new tradition. I will call it “Hiro's Path to Gift Giving.” She smiled. I got up to leave. “So people reaaalllly know for a certainty that you want them to have the gift.”

  I could hear her giggling as I went off to bed.

  We set our wedding for the time when Aya-aiko graduated so on the return journey there

  would be quite a few of us going back to Shiro no Kuninoko. We stayed with Yoshio a few days while he and his family prepared for the trip. One night Shingan and I were lying in bed with the windows open. There had been some rain and the breeze was nice after the rain had stopped. I felt the presence of someone standing near me. At the same time I felt Shingan go to vapor off of my left arm. I turned my head and looked at the person standing there.

  “I think you may have chosen the wrong room.”

  I heard a woman's voice say, “No. This is the room of Shotoku Hiro. How have you been?”

  “I have been well. How about yourself?”

  She nodded, “I feel better... Was there not a woman lying there a moment ago?”

  It was my turn to nod. “There was. My lady is shinobi so she now stands behind you with two blades in her hands.”

  As she turned to confirm what I had told her, I could see Shingan completely nude while

  holding a daisho. Ready to kill.

  The woman looked at her and said, “Shingan san, you are as lovely and dangerous as ever.”

  Shingan replied, “Domo arigato. To whom do I owe the pleasure of the compliment?”

  “...Nokizaru Akiko. Wife to Daimyo Daiki.”

  I blurted out, “Shingan, she is not lying. I recognize her voice!”

  Shingan immediately lowered her weapons, bowed and backed away from Akiko. “Gomen nasai, my lady.”

  I pulled my kimono to me and put it on as I got up and bowed in greeting to her.

  Then I asked, “Akiko sama, are you trying to get yourself killed?”

  She thought on that a moment. “…No. I was out flying in the rain and I felt so good for the first time in ages that I decided to come see you.” I did not know what to say. She and I had not spoken in so long I was not sure what to say. “Gomen nasai, Hiro. I was so angry with you when it was not your fault.”

  “That is alright. You lost your baby girl. You needed someone to be angry with.”

  “Can you forgive me for that?”

  “I was never angry with you. It is fine.”

  Shingan got dressed and warmed some tea for all of us. We spoke for a long time and when she was better we had Yoshio's staff prepare a room for her. She had just gone a little crazy for a time and was coming out of it. In the morning everyone was surprised, but happy to see her. She finally looked happy.

  She had heard about my wedding. Her realization that she no longer hated me came when she had heard that news and had not been upset about it. We had a good long talk through breakfast and almost to lunch. Come lunchtime Daiki appeared. By “appeared,” I mean we were just sitting down to lunch when there was a lightning strike in the middle of the garden and Daiki stood there looking angry. He noticed Masao and bowed to him without hesitation.

  “My Daimyo,” he said.

  Masao didn't miss a beat. He returned the bow and said, “Here to retrieve your wife I take it, Daiki san?” He smiled.

  He looked at his wife and you could almost see his demeanor soften when he realized she was smiling. Then he glanced at the table about to be set. “That would depend, my Daimyo. Yoshio? Did your cook make those dumplings she is known for?” he asked smoothly.

  “She did.” Yoshio smiled.

  “We are staying for lunch,” Daiki replied and then moved to sit next to Akiko.

  The wedding had to be held in Goemon Toshi due to the large amount of people coming. There just was not enough room at home to house all of the dignitaries properly. I was very nervous as I waited near the shrine with Brother Yuri. I could see Masao and all of the Daimyo with their friends and families. And outside of the shrine were all of my peasant friends of no station. The crowd was immense. All of the guards on duty were young samurai as any of them with seniority were attending.

  I could not focus until Shingan was announced and I looked up to see her in white. Her father walked her towards the front and gave me her hand. I think the ceremony went well but I really don't remember much of it. The reception was great. Masao played host for me. He said it would keep people on their best behavior. It must have worked because the festivities were grand. I made sure to make several passes through the nobility, eat fast and then continue to drag my wife through the host of people eating with the peasant guests. Shingan's father approached me near the end of the celebration and asked, “Who are you?” as he looked around at the crowd.

  She gave a small laugh while I replied, “I would sneak out to play and work with the heimin in this town when I was a child. So these people have known me all of my life.”

  “You socialize with heimin?” he asked appalled.

  “I socialize with eta.” I smiled.

  He did not like me. But his daughter gave him a discreet kiss on the cheek and told him how proud of him she was. He was very proud of her. I was very flattered that Kokujin Nobu had made it to the wedding from his small town in the Honshu. He was stunned at how large the wedding was.

  “Our weddings are normally very small affairs, Hiro,” he said as he looked around.

  I replied, “And they should stay that way. This is exhausting, my friend.”

  We spoke for a time and I introduced him to Shingan's father. They seemed to hit it off. I think her father may have been born into the wrong House. The day wore on and eventually we were allowed to retire to a quiet suite in the castle.

  She watched me as I closed the shoji screen and crossed the floor to her. “I do not think this will be much of a surprise,” she said.

  I smiled. “I suspect that every day with you will be a surprise.”

  “Domo arigato...” she smiled back. “...I think.”

  The evening was... relaxing. We stayed in town for another week to enjoy our first week of marriage and make sure we had thanked everyone who came for the celebration. Nobu wanted to return with us to Shiro no Kuninoko as he wanted a look at our ashigaru. He had invited Shingan's father to come along,... which was fine. It would keep me irritated which would in turn keep Shingan amused. I had just enough time to give my Oni Masuku to Aya-aiko before she left on her assignment. She thought it was disgusting at first but once I showed her how it worked she loved it.

  The ride back home was very pleasant. Raijin's attitude had been good since the wedding but was even better when he realized my parents and Kokujin Nobu were traveling with us. Apparently he and my father were quickly becoming good friends, which in turn made me question the love I felt for my father.

  I had us stop once we left the woods for a first view of home. Everyone was speechless, much like I had been the first time I had seen it. The village had grown since the first time I was there and Soryo's training ground was a nice fit as the first thing you met when you approached the town. Someone had decorated while we were away. Lamps hung ready for the evening, with music playing. There seemed to be a festival just getting started and you could smell the food from the village.

  My mother asked, “Hiro, what is going on down there?”

  “I sent Kubikiri and Yumi ahead of us to get things ready yesterday. I think they may have done more than just prepare some suites.”

  I could hear small laughter from everyone in my party. After several moments of talking and admiring the castle we all continued on to home, where apparently they had been waiting on us. So we wound up having another wedding party and it was a long one. The first day was nothing but laughing, eating, and drinking, and I forget. I was tired by that night. The next morning I tried to slip out of bed to practice. It had been a few weeks since my last session and I needed to get back to it. BUT, Shingan felt me move and got up with me.

  “I was going to let you sleep.”

  She shook her head. “I am not pregnant yet, Hiro.”

  I nodded and we slipped out of the castle to our garden. We were still working on it, but she and I had started the garden a few months ago. She thought a little gardening would keep us sane. I had to agree. I liked building things and this place was becoming more peaceful the longer we worked on it. I had started teaching her Kara-Te the last few months so we began with that and were about to move on to Ninjutsu, when I saw Daiki, Hiroki, Yoshio and about six others from their parties.

  Yoshio stated, “Shall we begin?”

  “...Yeeeah.... Defend!” I replied.

  Shingan and I lead the practice and it went smoothly enough for a thrown together affair. For simplicity's sake we left off some of the other arts until my men arrived for Koga Jujutsu. Of course they now included Sashi and his Taisa as well as Koruko. But today I also saw Father and Raijin and they had Nobu in tow.

  I looked at Shingan, “Was there some meeting I missed?”

  She nodded her head. “Yes. I thought you were there. Were you sleeping again?”

  “Defend!” I yelled to the... “class?”

  The practice went on for an hour but everyone seemed to enjoy it. Nobu had some trouble at first as our Jujutsu is pretty different from the Honshu style but he was a fast learner. Once that was finished we all went to get cleaned up and jumped into the baths.

  Nobu commented as he saw all of the strange decorations most of us had. “...I think your people are scarier when they are not dressed.”

  I shrugged and started to say something as I looked around. “...yes.”

  He eventually got used to us and joined in on the conversation. After the bath we dressed and I explained we would have breakfast near the training yard as the Ashigaru would begin their morning session soon. We could see the heimin getting up for the morning as we sat down to eat and watch. They would come out and hug their children goodbye, don their helmets and walk to the training yard. What was funny is that right then the children and some of the mothers would turn and walk out to Brother Soryo's shrine for practice with him.

  Watching the morning drills was oddly relaxing but I did have to answer many questions from everyone present. Training peasants was a concept they just weren't used to so it took some explaining. Nobu, though the quietest of my guests, had the most concerns.

  “What is to stop them from slipping off and revolting?”

  “I do not think what I am about to ask will ever happen but, what is to stop you from doing the same in the Honshu?”

  “It would be dishonorable.”

  “Do you think your heimin, hinin and eta feel any differently about it in regards to you?”

  He thought a moment. “I am not sure.”

  I nodded and stood up. “Give me just a moment. Chudai!!!” I yelled and sat next to him again. “Chudai is our headman for the village.” I could see her running towards us in light armor with her Yari. “Now I would not revolt against Masao because he is good for our House. That is my reason.”

  “What about your honor?” Nobu asked.

  “I am not sure I have any,” I said thoughtfully.

  “That would certainly be in keeping with appearances, my son,” commented Father.

  I just looked at him. “...Let us see what answer Chudai gives.”

  She came to us and bowed. I took the time to introduce everyone as I knew she had only a brief time to meet them yesterday at the party.

  “It is a great honor to meet you all.” She bowed.

  “Chudai san, can you tell us what is to stop you from gathering all of the Ashigaru together and revolting?”

  She got a dreamy look in her eyes and said, “Oooo I had never thought of that, my lord. Domo arigato.”

  I heard light laughter around me. “This is not the group for that joke.”

  She smiled. “Gomen nasai, my Kokujin. To answer your question, that would not be best for the Koga. And where would we go if we are not Koga?”

  I smiled. “How was practice today?” I asked.

  “Not bad. But we still have ten men wounded from the bandits battle we had two weeks ago. They are almost back up to speed.”

  “Very good. Would you mind having a seat? My friend Kokujin Nobu and my father in law Gunso Raijin have many questions I would like you to answer.”

  She nodded her agreement and handed her helmet and yari to one of my servants, then had a seat. I could tell all were enjoying the conversation; it was just a matter of getting them past their concerns about tradition.

  Nobu said, “But no matter how you phrase it, this still goes against the imperial decree against peasants carrying weapons.”

  Chudai replied, “Gomen nasai, my lord, but I would have to defer to my Kokujin for an answer on that.”

  I nodded. “The decree you are referring to actually goes on to define weapons as a daisho.Specifically a katana. Since a wakazashi short sword is the symbol of a samurai it is assumed you will not arm peasants with that. Looking at my ashigaru you can see, none of them carry katana. They are completely within the boundaries set by the Emperor.”

  “You are being cute, my friend.”

  “Always. However, on this subject I am also being honest.”

  He nodded. “I will have to think on this.”

  I looked at him. “That is fine. There is no reason you have to make a decision on this right now.”

  He looked at me as if there was something he was not saying.

  Hiroki was the first to speak, “What are you not saying, Nobu san?”

  “I am not sure my Daimyo would want me to say.”

  Hiroki continued, “Your chasm affects all of Giapan so I must insist. What has happened?”

  He took a breath. “We have held. But we have had some very large losses and the last two attacks were very close. They broke through the wall both times. The off duty troops were able to muster in time to stop them both times, but that is not a good plan.”

  “How far apart are these attacks?” asked Yoshio.

  “They have been steady every two weeks with a few minor attacks in between.”

  Yoshio asked another question. “How long have they been attacking you like that?”

  Nobu thought a moment. “...They have been increasing for the last two months.”

  There was a quiet moment before Daiki asked me, “How many ashigaru do we have ready?”

  “There are five other villages with 1000 each so we should be able to field 6000 of them right now.” I replied. “All of those villages have at least 1000 samurai as well.”

  Daiki being the most senior of anyone there looked at all of us and last at me. “Do it.”