Chapter 6  The Nightingale Bridge

(Jubei)

In silence, we waited.
Ten days had passed since Hitomi-sama had set forth for the main castle.  Everyone in the domain knew the life of Katsuo-sama hanged in the balance during this time.  High fever purged his body and mind and he shouted terrifying things and the name “Sanjo” at sleep.  Many of us feared he would never come around.  Miraculously, he did.  Five days after the attack, the doctor announced that he was no longer in mortal danger.  
But he was still weak and needed time to recover his strength.  And in the meanwhile, we put on the strongest vigilance around him.  We knew his attacker would not just sit back and let him regain his health.  They would make another attempt.
Reports from our own spies showed that suspicious people had been monitoring the castle from afar.  They might look like innocent peddlers or traveling monks but that could not fool us.  They were finding weakness of our shield and waiting for the right moment to make the attack.  And we waited too.
It would not be long
To ensure we had enough fighting power against the onslaught, Sagen and I agreed to concentrate our main force of forty samurai swordsmen and twenty selected archers to defend the Keep where Katsuo-sama was resting.  The common foot soldiers would be of little use against ninjas.
All attention was focused on the bridge connecting the Nimaru with the Main Keep, which was situated at a spot only accessible by the bridge, the other three sides being surrounded by a wide moat and steep walls that would make any scaling effort impossible.  
There was a high wind tonight and no moon, perfect condition for an attack.
"Would they come tonight?"
Everyone was thinking about the same question.
 
“Jubei.” Sagen alerted me suddenly.
I had also heard the sound even though it was so small that an ordinary ear would have missed it.  
“They had reached the Ka section!” I nodded and acknowledged in a low voice.
There were forty-eight planks making up the bridge and we had named them against the forty-eight alphabets of the Japanese language.  Instead of securing all the planks so that they would remain solid, the architect of the castle had set them up in a way that each would make a different creaking sound.  To an unwary visitor, the uneven sound might suggest the long history of the castle and its lack of proper maintenance but through a trained ear, defenders from a distance could know if and where the infiltrators had reached.  We called it the Nightingale Bridge.
“There were ten of them, all experienced ninjas.”  Sagen detected more creaking sounds and quickly made an assessment.
“True, now they had reached Sa Section!”
That was far enough.  If we allowed them to push any further, it might prove to be difficult to stop them once they could fan out.
“Attack!” I ordered.
Lanterns lit up the windy night from both sides of the bridge as we closed in from all sides.
Sagen was right.  There were ten of them and Sanjo, in his court dress and wearing the long tachi, was leading them.”
They halted their advance and formed into a circle to face our men.
“So, you have finally come!  We will avenge for the pain you inflicted on the Dono tonight!”
Sanjo did not answer.  His eyes shone with fierce intensity and his face was certainly funny with the original brows shaved and artificial ones painted higher on his forehead.
“Surrender or die!” Sagen demanded.  His archers were already in position.
“Kill!” Sanjo shouted an order in a high pitch voice and his ninjas surged forward.
The hail of arrows whizzed through the night sky and three ninjas fell into the moat with a shriek of pain.  The rest checked their advance and while using their ninja swords to fend off incoming arrows, began to make their way back to the other end.
“Do not let them escape!  And I want that Sanjo taken alive!” I shouted to my men.
Drawing our weapons, our men rushed into the fray.  The enemy fought fiercely, as they knew there was no escape.  We lost some of our finest swordsmen but sheer numbers began to tell and one by one, the ninjas were cut down.  
Only Sanjo remained now, reeling slowly to make sure he would not be attacked in the back.  He looked more a clown than a master-swordsman now but we did not underestimate him.  If he could deliver such a serious wound to an expert like Katsuo-sama, he deserved our respect when he had a sword in his hand.
Carefully, we closed in and his situation became desperate by the minute.
Finally, there was no more room to turn to-
“Get him!”
We moved in at once and he lashed out his sword.  We jumped back a step, expecting a fierce counter-attack.  None came.  He simply went back to his original position and waited.  We became bolder and made another attempt.  This time we did not jump back and there was a clash of blades.  My spear found the gap between his defense and with one determined jab ran him through the shoulder!
“Arghhhh…..”He screamed, or rather, she screamed!
It was the sound of a woman!
Just then, another sound of surprise and pain rang out from the top storey of the Keep.  Hearts froze.  It was the sound of one of the four samurais I left guarding over Katsuo-sama.  
“Treachery! This is only a feign attack!  They had reached the Keep!” our men suddenly realized the gravity of the situation.
The “Sanjo” made her last attempt to fight her way through.  But she was not Sanjo and our men were enraged to have been tricked.  She was pinned down very quickly.  The tall hat was removed and so was the skin-mask.  It was the face of a beautiful female ninja!
Sagen and I left her to my men and rushed back up the tower.  But all of our men knew we would not make it in time…

Chapter 7     Surprise is the Key

(Kage)
 
From high up, the Keep and the bridge looked like little more than building blocks children played.  The plan worked.  The majority of the guarding samurai were rushing towards the Nightingale Bridge as Sanjo-sama had planned.  He was on my left now, holding onto the huge black ninja kite similar to the one that was carrying me.  To him, I was nothing but Kage, a female ninja, one who was expendable.  But to me, he was the sun I could never hope to reach or even came close.
The strong wind had lifted us from the high cliff and steered us towards the top storey of the Keep.  There was no moon which was perfect for our cover.  In any case, no one looked up as no one expected us to devise such method to conquer the moat and the steep walls.
The flight was short and before long, we could see the Keep in its deserved majesty, looming before us as a massive collection of granite, a testimony of strength.  I stole a glance at Sanjo sama.  He looked more nervous that he usually allowed himself to show.  That was understandable.  Court officials seldom became birds of prey.
The landing was silent and unnoticed.  We had identified the position of the four guards and chosen the landing spot well.  As soon as we were rid of the jute ropes that let us cling to the flying machine, we approached two of them in deadly sheath.
They did not have a chance, our daggers slitting their throats as if they were nothing but poultry.  We then worked our way towards the remaining two.  The one I sneaked behind dropped without a sound as my blade entered the back of his neck and came out through his throat.  But the one Sanjo-san was to slay turned his head by chance and screamed as his head was cleaved into halves!
It no longer mattered.  Even they heard it down below; it would take so much time to rush up.  By that time, we would have completed what we set out to do.
Without the need of keeping our surprise, we pulled back the sliding door to the main chamber.  A quick look identified the sleeping Katsuo and without waiting for signal, I threw out five darts at the figure and all of them landed on him with a thud.  He was a dead man without knowing who his assassins were.  But we had to be thorough with our work and quickly snatched away the blanket on him so that we could crown our success with his decapitation.
The head rolled to a stop near my feet.  It was not Katsuo!
“Kagemusa!” I exclaimed.
Sanjo-sama did not answer.
Slowly, he turned towards the door and faced the shadowy figure standing there with a drawn katana.
“Katsuo!” The words felt like ice on my lips.
So, it was a trap.  
We had used their attention on the bridge to achieve surprise.  And Katsuo had made use of that feign attack to set up a trap on his own.
“So, Sanjo, we meet again.” Katsuo came forward.  Now I could see his face and the katana guard that served as cover for his lost eye.  
"So we do, Master Katsuo. And you never cease to surprise me...so all these about your being incapacities was nothing more than a lure for us to visit?" Sanjo was still able to keep the calm.  
"We must all learn to expect the unexpected, don't we?" Katsuo was equally in control of his impulse to act.
"Quite so, quite so..."Sanjo nodded as he slowly removed his weapon from its scabbard.
His tachi was resting on his shoulder now, a pose as elegant as if some legendary figure from a classical painting from old China.  Almost by instinct, I began to move to the right, to form a co-coordinated line of defense with him.  If Katsuo attacked, he would have to deal with me first.  That would give Sanjo the chance to strike.
"Very good team-work, Sanjo." a cruel smile lit up on Katsuo's face.  He was not in a hurry to attack.  His men were coming and he knew that time was on his side.
Sanjo knew that too.  
We had to act fast!
He made the move, slowly as if gliding, to the right.
I kept the right angle with him, ready to co-ordinate his imminent attack.
Suddenly, Sanjo kicked something up from the tatami and it flew straight at Katsuo's face. It was the Kagemusa's head!
Without even thinking, I leapt into the attack, making a diving lunge at Katsuo!
I knew I would not be Katsuo's match but I could give him enough menace that his attention would be decided and Sanjo would have the chance to take care of the time gap created by this.  I also knew that by the time Sanjo could put his tachi through Katsuo's heart, I would have been dead.  I was not afraid.  To die for him so that he could accomplish what he wished to do...that had been my dream...
My dream was shattered immediately.
Sanjo did not make use of my sacrifice to finish Katsuo off.  Instead, he found the necessary gap between Katsuo's parry of my attack and the return of attention to him and slipped out of the sliding door!
He had escaped without me, or rather, escaped by abandoning me!
My heart sank but I did not hate him.  After all, I was just an expendable ninja.
Katsuo's blade jabbed into my side and I sank down on my knees.  I expected him to run me through with his sword or decapitate me just as he had done that day to Momo.  But he was not keen to finish off a fallen female ninja but to pursue his main prize.  He pulled back his blade, let me sprawl onto the tatami next to the slain kagemusa and raced out after Sanjo.
"Sanjo-sama, run!  Run!" I called weakly.  Tears began to blur my sight..."please, please run..."I prayed.
The sound of a kite taking off was followed by the shouting of men arriving from below    I heard sound of arrows being let off and the curses of men....he had escaped!
With a smile on my face, I closed my eyes and lay on the blood soaked tatami and awaited whatever fate that might take me....

Chapter 8    .The broken Ring

(Shizuka)
 
I pressed myself through the crowd so that I could have a clearer view.  The public square that had been converted into a makeshift execution ground was packed with all sorts of people from the town.  It was not everyday that two beautiful ninja girls would be executed publicly.
There was little fear that I could be identified.  With a broad brim kasa hat woven from reeds plus careful make-up, there was little chance that this pilgrim girl could be recognized as the famous courtesan Shizuka.  I had to come.  Even now we were enemies and I had betrayed the cause, I still cherished the days when Midori, Kage and I were on very close terms.  We had been brought up and trained and had been through so much together.  I could not bear not to pay my last respect for their departure from this world.
The execution ground was heavily guarded.  Lines of spearmen fenced off the crowd while a company of samurais was at the ready in the background.  No one could save them now.  It would be a mercy to get this over with as quickly as possible.
The crowd stirred.  Kage and Midori, hands bound behind their backs were taken into the square in an ox-cart.  Then, they were told to disembark from the vehicle and walked the short distance to the chosen spot.  Their ninja clothes were gone and instead, both wore only rough jute undergarments that were the uniform of those condemned.  Their hair was let down on their pretty faces.  Kage looked calmed and resigned to her fate.  Midori was more nervous and glanced repeatedly at the crowd.  I pulled down the brim of my kasa to hide more of my face.
Samurais came forward and cut the robes that tied their hands.  Quickly, they were forced to lie on the prepared crucifix made of bamboo and their limbs secured with jute ropes.  The crucifixes were then raised and the crowd gasped at the macabre sight.  
The officer began to cite out the sentence: Death by stabbing with lances!
Kage remained expressionless but Midori screamed and begged for mercy.  It was understandable as she was the youngest of our team and had not hardened by the cruelties of life.
I held my hands together and began to pray.
The executioners, four of them, appeared with long lances that were to stab and penetrate the lustrous bodies.  Midori was still screaming and the official ordered someone to cover her face with a white cloth.  After a while her screaming changed into quiet sobs. She had finally accepted this as the end of her life journey.
“Stab them!” The official gave the command.
The four lancers, standing two each at the bases of the crucifixes, crossed their lances in mid-air.  The clash of metal sent a wave of murmurs across the square.  The moment had come.
The under-garments of the girls were ripped open by the lance-tips and their breasts were exposed.  People gasped and shook their heads and said what a waste that was to have such beautiful women disposed of in such fashion.  
I lifted up my head and came into eye contact with Kage.  There was a light of recognition in her eyes and her lips parted as if there was something to tell.  Then, she bit her lips and closed her eyes, a trickle of tear flowing down her cheeks.
“Now!”
The lance-tips were placed at the base of their tits and with a synchronized action; the four lances went in and then protruded out again at the top of the naked breasts.
“Arghh…….”Midori gave her scream of anguish behind the cloth that covered her face. Her body writhed at the pain before finally stiffened.
Kage maintained her silence throughout and drooped her head forward soon after.
It was over.  
I lowered my head, unable to stop my tears.
The crowd began to disperse.  The bodies would be displayed out there for the rest of the day but the height of the event was passed.
I mingled with the crowd, finding my way through the streets of the town until I was out of sight of the watching eyes of the samurais.
I knew what I had to do.
I found him by the graveyard for those unidentifiable outside the town. It was not difficult as he also wanted to see me and had left markings along the road that were meaningless to others but instantly recognized by those with years of training.
He was looking at the setting sun with his back to me.  Somehow, he seemed a much older man than I last saw him less than a fortnight ago.
“Is she dead?” He asked.
“Yes,” I knew whom he was referring to.
He was silent for a moment. Then, he slowly turned to face me.
“I will forgive you.  Come with me to Kaho.”
“Why?”
“I will recruit another team of ninjas and then come back.  We have unfinished business here.”
“No!” I was surprised by my own determination.
“No?  Do you not want to avenge the death of your comrade-sisters?  That Katsuo had put them to death!” his face turned red with rage.
“No! It was you who put them to death!”
“Me?  How ridiculous!” he waved my accusation aside. “I was only the loyal servant of His Majesty!  And no matter what cost, we must get rid of these samurai bandits and restore the powers of the Imperial Court!”
“The Imperial Court had its chance and failed!  What had your kind done to the people when you were in power?  You feasted while the whole population starved! All you care was your poetry and elegance! You called them bandits.  Then, what were you?  You were nothing but vampires that sucked the blood and bone-mellow of the common people!  I would not let you do it and bring about more death!” I felt my anger rise in me, not only at the death of two best comrades but the absurdity of all these in the name of loyalty to the throne.
“You bitch! “He drew his tachi out and pointed its tip at me. “You dare to insult the divinity of His Majesty? “
I was undaunted.  
“Sanjo.  You can no longer intimidate me with this.  Today, we will settle it here once and for all.” I untie the obi that held my kimono in place and stripped the whole thing off me and stood tall in my ninja battle-dress.
“Huh…How interesting!” Sanjo jeered haughtily. “You think you can fight me, Sanjo　Ichiro, second fastest swordsman in the capital?  You do not have the slightest chance! "Bitch!”
“If I am a bitch, then you at least shared half of the heritage, Ani-ue.” I retorted.
The mentioning of our common father changed the color of his face to pale white.  Yes, Sanjo Ichiro was my half brother.  Her mother was of aristocratic descent while my mother was from a ninja bloodline.  From birth, we had followed different destinies.  Though power eluded him, he still commanded honor and respect.  For me, I was just one expendable ninja.
“You are signing your own death warrant, Shizuka!” His eyes turned cold and sinister.
I drew out my ninja sword.
“Toy! “He spat with disgust. “To think that you can hurt me with that is laughable in itself!  And you have chosen the wrong spot.  A good sword- master should never face the sun.”
In a way he was right the setting sun was making me lowering my eyelids. That could be fatal.
“Very well, my little half-sister.” He held the sword in front of him with both hands. “Let your brother deliver you from the pains of this world.”
I took up my stance and with both hands raised the ninja sword horizontally above my head.
He was puzzled.  In my position, the whole area beneath my belly was indefensible!
“So you are courting death!”
He was ready to pounce.
I smiled and twisted the sword in my hand by a tiny fraction.  A ray of the sun bounced from the flat surface of my blade into his eyes and Sanjo turned at the sudden burst of brightness.  That was enough!
He knew he had made a fatal mistake and lashed out his attack with full might so that he could finish me before I be able to use that margin of advantage.
He was right.  He was the second fastest sword-master in Kyoto, may be even all Japan.
We passed each other and froze.  I could not see his face but I knew it was filled with shock in the knowledge that my blade had literally gutted him in the running attack.
“You…It was you…” his voice was no longer the confident Sanjo Tairu that had bossed around.
“Yes, it was me… The unnamed fastest sword-master ranked by the great Abbot of Namzenji…he had seen me do it only once and it was enough.  And he had kept his promise never to disclose my identity.” I answered without looking back.
A groan escaped from his throat as his body collapsed, unable to believe this even to the very end.
I buried him under an elm tree, together with his sword.  The grave was unmarked so that no one would disturb him in his sleep.  
When all was done, I began to think what I was to do myself.  
I had betrayed my sisters.
I had slain my own brother and could never return to the one man that I loved in this world.
The ring of the sister-hood had been broken and there was nothing for me to live for anymore.
I pulled out my dirk and knelt down and aimed the point of the blade against my throat.
“Momo, Mayumi, Eriko, Midori, Kage….Forgive me!”
I was just about to push the blade into my miserable throat when five birds swept down from the tree and circled around me once before flying off.
I froze and a peace of mind never experienced before took over my whole self.
They did not want me to die!
Tears flooded down and I collapsed into a sob.
It was long afterwards that I regained control of myself.
Holding the dirk with one hand, I used the other to bring the long black hair that had been combed into a ponytail to my front and made a determined cut!
The hair fell down in a graceful dancing movement, finding its rest on the heap of leaves near my brother’s tomb.
Shizuka the female ninja, courtesan, unnamed fastest sword-master of Kyoto, half-sister to Sanjo Ichiro, was dead.  I was now nothing more than a girl longing for the quietness of the Namzenji temple for the rest of her life.  I dropped the dirk, removed my ninja battle-dress and put on the kimono and started my long journey heading for far away Kyoto.


(End of Book Two)

No plan yet.  Not sure if there is a big market.
The original is more XXX rated...

Book Three           The Winds of War
 
Chapter 1   Angels of Death

（Hitomi)
 
Summer silently passed us by.  The oppressive heat relinquished its griping hold and the sky repainted into a translucent azure.  
One month had passed since I returned from Takeyama.  Katsuo had fully recovered.  His loss of the left eye was permanent but otherwise, he was much his former self again.  He could be seen almost everywhere, organizing defense, conferring with commanders, talking with the lowest ranking ashigeru, the common foot-soldiers, supervising the collection of harvest and folder in preparation for a long siege while ensuring the peasants had at least the minimum to help them pass the winter.  The men loved him and the black patch over his lost eye had become a symbol of trust instead of mark of defeat.  Jubei and Sagen were both working their best to assist him.  From the original garrison of eight hundred, another five hundred were drafted and trained.  Men began to cut down the bamboo trees in the near-by hills to make shafts for arrows; one hundred extra arquebuses were purchased with the gold in the castle's treasury.  These would be of immense help to make enemy samurais think twice before going into reckless charges but we knew it was still not enough.  We could hold the castle for ten days, or even a month.  But without a relief force from Takeyama, Sakurakijo could not hold out forever.  And a relief force would not be coming.  That Katsuo was equally sure.  To save him and Sakurakijo from certain destruction, there was only one way and I held the key to it.
Everybody in Sakurakijo-no-machi knew war was coming but none would open discuss it, as if the slightest whisper would make what was unthinkable a reality.
The nocturnal feasts and debauchery continued, silver and carnal service changed hands as briskly as before.  Yet there were also signs of unease.  The wealthiest of the merchants discreetly went behind the scenes; some went to Kyoto by sea on the pretense to replenish their merchandise.  They were the ones that would survive in the end.  Sakurakijo might stand or fall; the banner on its ramparts might be that of the Satomi’s or the Hojo’s.  But the merchants would return once situation was stabilized and business would be back to normal. They possessed no weapons of war, nor rigid code of honor to demand acts of bravery.  Yet I knew one day the age of our kind would end and they would become ruler of the land, even if they would only do so behind the scene.
One such merchant was in front of me now.
Itaru’s family had been in the drug trade for generations.  If there was anyone who could find me the thing I wanted, Itaru would be the man.  I also knew he owed a huge sum to the gambling den and would do anything for the promised gold pieces if I could help him to repay his debt and let his family start anew in far away Nagasaki where his former teacher, a priest from Portugal, lived.
An opened lacquered box bearing the two bottles was in front of him.  I took a look at the reddish-color contents inside.
“Explain to me, Itaru,” I demanded.
“Hai, Ojosama.” He bowed his head in reverence.  Then, inching forward with his knees, he made his way to the lacquered box and took up one of the bottles.
A captivating aroma immediately filled the room.  
I had never experienced such feeling before.  The mixed fragrance reminded me of fresh peaches and strawberries and the intoxication of finest sake.  But this was at least a hundred times more tempting than any sake I smelled before.
“Ojosama,” Itaru’s mouth curved into a smile as he tried to promote his merchandise. By his instinct as an experienced trader, he knew he already had a customer. “This is the finest Namban wine, tasted only by very few in the whole country.  I believe no drinker can escape from its lure.”
He poured a little into the goblet and raised it to his lips.  I watched him sip a little and recoiled at the colour of blood forming on his lips.  I felt that he would collapse and shriek in pain as the fluid must be poisonous to make him bleed like that with one single touch.  But his posture remained calm and smilingly he put the goblet half filled with the drink in front of me before he wiped his mouth clean of the drink with the rice paper handkerchief.
“Ojosama, please try,” he bowed.  
I knew by now he had taken the drink before me to show it was not poisoned.  I reached out with one hand and gazing him in the eyes, moved the goblet to my mouth.  The aroma that I had sensed multiplied by folds of tens as the goblet neared my nostrils.
I took a sip.  The taste was harmonious to the senses and I could feel a gentle rush of heat up my face.
He was right.  No drinker could escape from such delight.
I put down the goblet.
“Doe this meet Ojosama’s approval?”
He knew the answer even before I said anything.
“What about the other thing?” I managed to deprive him of the satisfaction of receiving my acceptance.
“Of course,” he nodded, that smile still on his face.
From his bag, he took out two packets, one in red and the other in yellow.
“Ojosma, these are from Nagasaki.  I have spent the past month seeking them and have paid a fortune for them…” his smile had vanished now, knowing that he was at the crucial point of his sales.
“Do not waste your words.  You will be more than handsomely paid. Just explain how these can work for me.” I was growing a bit impatient at his deliberate show of salesmanship.  
“Hai, ojosama.” He bowed low and opened the first packet.  Inside was a white powder. “This was to be the first portion of the required.” I noticed he had avoided the use of the word “poison”. “By itself, it would do no one any harm…a little excited perhaps but comfortable or even arousing.”  He had his eyes fixed on me, as if trying to seek out the reason for wanting such material.
I ignored him.
He opened the second packet, filled with brownish contents.
“Again, this one would do no harm by itself but just cause a little sleepy feeling  But…..”  He paused and took joy in delaying the most important part of his explanation. “If a person takes in the first portion and then the second, in that order….
Death is certain!” his eyes shone like those of hungry cats.  I decided that I intensely disliked this man.
“But I do not want just a poison.  It would do little good if all it can do is to take a life …I have plenty of those in the castle’s dispensary.”
His smile reappeared.
“That I understand, Ojosama.  And for this reason, I have chosen these two carefully and after a lot of thinking. “
He pointed towards the first packet.
“This, Ojosama, Its effect is slower but will last for a longer time, even into the next day.  So, when someone takes this in and the next day, the second portion is added into his meal, the result will be the same.  And the best part is, no one can trace the source as both contents are harmless in it and the sign of violent death would not show on the face of the deceased.  He would simply seem to have passed away in his sleep.”
“And this?” I indicated the blood colour fluid in the bottles.
“Ah….Does Ojosama agree that it is the best vessel for these two …angels of death?” his smile had become wicked now, almost rejoicing at the cunning of the method he had thought out
“And how can I know this will work?” I asked icily.
“Your servant Itaru would not dare bringing something that cannot do what is promised, I had them tested already and of course, I have prepared enough portion for Ojosama to make further tests.”
I felt convulsion inside and did not want to ask what the objects of his test had been.
“Very well.  You can leave them here.  Your reward will be sent to you once I verify the truth of your promises.”
“Of course, Ojosama…” His eyeballs rolled as he bowed.  I knew what he wanted to ask.
“Itaru.”
“Hai,”
“There are two kinds of people that would not ask what are not necessary for them to know.”
His body tensed at the words.
“The wise kind and the dead   trust you belong to the former kind.”
“You are right, Ojosama.  Indeed.” He regained that ready smile when he made his way out.
I could arrange for the elimination of the man.  But cunning as he was, he would have made the necessary precaution and that might jeopardize what I intended to do.
Besides, I would not be threatened as he would leave immediately after he had settled his debt for that far away city and would never return.  Being an accessory to such an act would certainly not work to his advantage.
I wrapped the packets up carefully and had them put away in a safe spot.
There was little time now and I had to act fast.  
Report from across the border indicated the Hojo army was ready to march

Chapter 2     Family business       

(Haru-no-Ko)
 
I sat watching the sun rise above the far off hills on the distant skyline. Its still fiery glows announcing the end of another warm day here at Takeyama. My days too were running out and I knew that soon I would have to act. I had not been to bed and I had had no sleep. The lines of worry and fear were showing on my face. The cool exterior that typified Haru-no-ho of the past was disintegrating around me.
The cries of fear and pain from Azumi, my husband’s favourite concubine as she was being torn apart by horses the day before for not achieving the impossible haunted my night.
He was very sick now and increasingly I found it difficult to please him even with my drugs that had earned me the place to his pillow so long ago His mind had become feeble and cruel at the same time, a cruelty that even surpassed mine. Death was creeping steadily upon him and on more than one occasion; he had talked of taking me along with him. I had always thought that the day would come when I must forsake my husband and retain power through a foolish son who had no interest in ruling. I knew I must strike first and kill him before he did that to me.
The two bottle of namba wine arriving f from Sakurakijo and Hitomi was a god-sent. The wine was a present for the double matsuri of the two-river god and goddess.  One bottle was craved with the icon of the male god and Fumio had finished it last night during the celebration of the male god’s festival, after letting it pass the test of his taster.  I had hoped that the sake would indeed contain poison and somehow, that Hitomi would find a way to get pass the taster and put an end to the old man’s life.  I was disappointed of course.  Now, only the other bottle bearing the female god’s motif and ready for the female god’s festival remained and it was my last chance.  The taster for tonight had tried and declared the contents safe and with a swift hand I could add my ingredient when I carried it pass the corridor, What was even better was that I could then get Ikkenshi to point an accusing finger at Sakurakijo and the clan would be united in its outrage against Katsuo.
It was beautiful and so simple.
The poison was in my hand. When I turned the corner and moved out of sight, I would have the chance…

Chapter ３　　　　（Act of a filial Son）

Ikkenshi

She was shocked to see me there.  When she was making the final preparation of the food and the namban wine Hitomi had sent forth, I had asked and granted an audience in the inner chamber by him.  He had been in good spirit; the wine sent by my sister was worthy for the occasion and last night, I had shared a cup and would not wonder why he was so eagerly looking forward to enjoying the second bottle tonight.  He would have finished both bottles if the spirit was not that strong that after taking the first bottle, both he and I soon became fully knocked out of our senses and we had slept till noon before we could open our eyes.  Of course, the bottle was also more appropriate for today as the motif on it suggested.  Everything in its right time, I agreed.
“Ah, here comes my wife with that heavenly drink!  Good!” he was more like a child.  The fear of oncoming death had made him regress.  It had also made him more suspicious.  Azumi was drawn by horses because he suspected she had betrayed him and had a secret lover.  He was right.  That lover was I. I shivered with fear as she was put to torture to confess but she sealed her lips, and her fate.  I would not think of avenging her of course.  Mistresses could easily come by.  What I feared most was for him to find out the rest of the truth somehow.  I certainly had no intention to be torn apart by horses!
So, tonight, on the pretext of sharing the exquisite wine, I had come.  I would not touch the sublime drink of course.  The poison pack hidden under my sleeve would remind me that.  
She placed the bottle on the table; her eyes fixed on me as if trying to say something.
Had she found out?  Whose side would she be on?  I noticed her hands were trembling.  And so did the old man.
“Haru, why are you so frightened?” his eyes drew together.  Bad sign!
“I…” Her face went pale as a ghost.
I pretended surprise but I had to suppress my laugh inside me…obviously she was thinking along the same line and had beaten me to it.  I would not touch the contents of the wine now, with or without my own poison!
“You dare to betray me!” he spotted the plot at once.  A heavy slap on her face sent her flying across the room, her head hitting the corner of table before she lay sprawled on the tatami.  She was still breathing.
“You bitch!” the old man got up and walked over the table, putting his hand on the hilt of his tanto so that he could cut her throat.
I seized the chance.  Raising one foot rapidly, I tripped him over.  He cursed, not aware that it was a deliberate move than an accident.  But I was on him now, my strong hand under his chin forcing him to open his mouth!
“To your health, Chichi-ue!” I emptied the contents down his throat!
The poison was so powerful.  Within seconds, his hands were grasping around his own neck, trying to shout for health with a voice that never came.  He tried to grab me as I recoiled from him.  In agony, his fingers dug into tatami as blood began to ooze out from his nostrils.  In less than one minute, he was dead!
It worked!  And the poison was not even mine!
I waited for some time and then called out loud.
The guards rushed in and were horrified to see the old man; eyes wide open as death took him.  My mother was beginning to come around.
“Arrest her!  She tried to poison us! “I feigned shock and played the fool again.  After all, I had told the truth.  She had tried to serve poison.
I would deal with her later.  It would be difficult to have her publicly executed as she was my mother and the clan would rise in uproar even if she were a murderer of the lord.  But there were other ways.  Another dose of poison, perhaps or something even more dramatic.  
I walked out of my room looking fully shocked and bereaved that I had lost my father and had to accuse my mother.  But of course I knew better.
“The lord of the Satomi clan was dead!” announced the elders.
“Long live the new lord.” I whispered with a smile when no one was watching.

Chapter 4  The heart of a Woman

(Jubei)

My fingers traced the slender curve of her small but firm breasts and the cleft in between, savoring the sensation at the touch of the fine porcelain skin, as she lay reclined on the warmed tatami.  Ever since that fateful day, I had enjoyed the intoxicating pleasure of her body on many occasions but each encounter led me to captivating discoveries.  Many such short bursts of passion occurred on the pretense of taking rides outside the castle into the protective shelter of the woods.  She yielded to my demand every time, retaining her aloofness during the whole intercourse without giving as a single sound or murmur.  Her body did respond and there were moments when I noticed her biting her sensual lips to prevent a moan escape.  My suspicion was that my lovemaking was to her a scourge of her soul, a price of pain she imposed upon herself for a reason I knew not.  I never asked her for I well knew she would not tell.
Summer was over now and the woods began to metaphor from lustrous green to blazing yellow and orange.  In another two seasons she would no longer be here, being sent off to the land of the Uesugi, as a bride to a husband she had never met and whose temperament was entirely unknown.  The loss of virginity was not a major concern as in such turbulent times; no sane samurai would expect his bride to come along with right of the first night.  She had given that away to some unknown suitor long before that day.  There was virtually nothing I could do to prevent her from the chosen course of event.  Even if I could, she would just jeer at my stupidity.  To her, I was but an executioner of her punishment, never a lover.  Such thought sliced into my inner soul like a blade into soft butter and at times, drove me to inflict the most brutal assault on her naked torso.  All these she took on without a single demur and it hurt me even more as each time after the release of passion, she had either just lay there devoid of any expression or starred with mocking eyes.  Deep inside, I knew she was bent on the total destruction of her inner-self that had begun its long spin into the unfathomable darkness.  And I was spinning down together with her. No! I was spinning after her or parallel to her path of fall, with a gap between us that was impossible to bridge.  There was more than one occasion that the inner rage of being used had turned to burning desire to revenge.  I found my hand on the hilt of my katana and there was the urge to draw and strike, to cut her down in one merciful sweep that would end it all.  Of course, I would commit hara-kiri afterwards.  She also sensed the threat but took no measure to dislodge it.  Instead, she had walked defiantly ahead of me within the radius of the cutting curve.  I found my hands trembling, something never happened before even in the thickest of battle.  And I lost my nerve and resolution.  
But tonight was different.  She had come over to my chamber in the darkness of the small hours.  I knew what kind of risks she was undertaking for herself and me.  Had we be discovered, death would be inevitable.  My act of dishonor would demand instant hara-kiri and her end would be jigai in solitude, cutting her throat with her own dagger and her head being sent to the Uesugi as a request for pardon and solidarity.  
She was in her magenta yagata tonight, with large red dragonfly motifs that reflected the change of seasons.  Her hair was tied neatly into a bun behind her.  
After she came into my room, she had pushed back the sliding doors that shielded the room from the small rock garden.  A full moon glared jealously at the exquisite features on that ivory face, the slender neck that gracefully blended into the tempting opening of her yagata, the slight rump that signified the position of those small firm breasts with pinkish nipples…Without a word, she began to undo the bright yellow obi around her waist and let the yagata slid down her round shoulders.  She looked magnificent in her white undergarment, a melancholic goddess bathed by the flood of the autumn moon-rays.  She let me take off the white lingerie; expose her breasts to the night air.  The sadness that had been always with her was multiplied tonight by a hundred folds and I held her slim, almost fragile body, in my arms.  Again, she did not demur.
“Take me, Jubei.” She murmured while still looking into the vacant plot of white sand and stones.
“Ojosama…Why are you…?”
“Take me!”  Her tone had become assertive, her rage rising from her abdomen at being questioned.
I took her.  And for the first time, she responded actively to my touches and caresses, her arms seeking embraces and mouth sealed onto mine.  I could feel her body trembling and as I wrapped my arms round this young woman whom I had come to love but totally failed to understand, I mounted her and penetrated her last physical defense.  She bit her lips as before at first, then she began to let go and let out a groaning sound followed by deep moans of abandon.  I place a hand over her mouth to try silencing her cries of passion as it would expose us but was in vain.  She simply did not care anymore.  In desperation, I fumbled around and picked up her yellow obi and placed a section of it between her teeth.  This worked.  She bit hard to muff out her moans and arched her back to offer me her breasts for sucking.  As I did so, I noticed she was weeping, her tears flowing non-stop across her cheeks onto the tatami, mixing it together with our sweat and the other fluid of carnal passion.  
When it was over, I was totally exhausted.  She let me pull her to rest on my chest.  I wanted her to hear the beating of my heart, to listen to its agony but her mind was obviously elsewhere.  There was a strange blankness in her eyes, which she kept starring at the empty ceiling.  What was she thinking?  Why was she behaving so different tonight? A thousand questions plagued my mind, which I knew she would not disclose what secret was being hidden in the small heart buried beneath that breast.  
I looked through the opening of the pulled back sliding door and found myself faced with the cold circular moon and was suddenly aware of the special nature of the day.  It was the first full moon night of autumn, the festival of the River Goddess…

Chapter 5...The die was cast

(Sagen)

The thundering drums shattered the serenity of the autumn morning and I jumped up in tensed reflex.  I knew what that drum meant.  It was the urgent call of all commanders to the council.  Something of grave nature had occurred to warrant such high state of alert.  I got into my armour at the fastest possible speed, took up my swords from the rack next to the pillow and headed for the great hall.  The young girl that I had spent my night was still fast asleep.  I had won her in an archery contest during the day and found the prize desirable and refreshing.  But now, more pressing demand took priority and I, as commander of the archers, must focus on it rather than on pleasure of the night.
Most of the commanders were already there by the time I arrived.  I took up my place according to my rank next to Jubei and looked around me.  Katsuo sama sat at the command seat with his brows closely knitted together.  Something was very wrong.  The Ojosama was a little behind her brother to the right and I could feel a deliberate detachment, her eyes downcast in deep thoughts.
What could it be?  Had the Hojo army finally crossed the border?  Unlikely.  My scouts had made their report the day before and there was no yet troops movement along the front and even they had really move into our territory, Katsuo-sama would not have worried as such.  We had been through worse time and survived.  No.  It must be something else.
In a moment, all the commanders were at their appointed place.  A deadly silence held over the hall.
Katsuo-sama’s eyes swept across the gathering twice, to let the heavy air sink into every heart so that all would know total dedication to duty was called to meet the challenge.
Finally, he spoke.
“Our source of information from Takeyama sent in their urgent report today,” he began with a solemnity seldom experienced by any of us. “That my father, the Lord of the Satomi clan, has passed away during the night.”
There was no uproar of surprise.  Absolute silence reigned as everybody knew what such news could mean.
“And,”  he continued.” He did not die a natural death, but was poisoned!”
“What?”  The gathering was stirring with disbelief now.  This was worse than expected.
Katsuo-sama held up a hand to call for silence.
“Ikkenshi had declared himself head of the clan.  He had also pointed an accusing finger towards Sakurakijo claiming that it me who had poisoned my father!”
All the commanders froze in disbelief at what they had heard.  It was sheer stupidity to poison the Great Lord, particularly at this moment when we were faced with a Hojo invasion and hence cut off all hopes of reinforcement and support from Takeyama.  Besides, it was close to impossible to poison the Great Lord as it was common knowledge to all that no food and drinks could the Great Lord take without having passed the taster  
“Ikkenshi had claimed that the two bottles of sake that I asked Hitomi to present to my father were the cause of his death! “
“Impossible!” The cries of denial rang in the hall.  I shifted my focus to the ojosama.  At Katsuo’s mentioning that it was he who had asked her to send the sake, she had raised an eyelid in surprise but quickly resumed her calmness.  “She was too calm!”  I felt a shudder as I fought to contain the cloud of suspicion rising from my guts.  It was an ugly suspicion and I prayed it was not true.  I also realize the danger if I spoke out my fear especially if there was a straw of truth in it.  Disunity among our ranks at this moment would spell disaster.
“As supreme commander of this castle, I ask each of you to judge your position and loyalty according to your heart’s call.” Katsuo’s eyes were blazing now with a serious intent.  “For those who would believe that I had a hand in the murder of my father, you may leave and join the forces of Ikkenshi now.  I would not prevent you.”
None moved.
“And for those who would rather follow me, I will never forget!  Cast your vote now and let the gods guide our fate!”
“March to Takeyama! Down with Ikkenshi the traitor!”  The commanders rose in unison.  I saw Jubei rise too, but with a reluctance that sprang less from uncertainty of loyalty than from the recognition of something that he would rather not come into knowledge.  I rose too.  Whatever the truth, I would follow Katsuo-sama to the end of my days.  The identity of the killer was of little consequence to me, at least for the moment.
The meeting was over.
By noon, the men were ready to be on the march.  Twelve hundred men of Jubei’s spearmen battalion and two hundred of my archers would leave the castle and march directly towards the main castle.  Ikkenshi might have superior in numbers but the speed of our response would still take him by surprise.  Besides, we must strike before he could consolidate his position.  That would leave Sakurakijo thinly guarded by Hitomi-sama‘s bodyguards, a force of seventy maidens in arms plus some new conscripts of doubtful fighting value.  But we need all the men we had and there was no other alternative.  We only hoped the Hojos would not choose this time to attack....

Chapter 6       Master of the Game

(Ikkendshi)

In silence we rode, guided by the full moon that cast its eerie glow over the hills.
The going was rough but it was the only way that we could manage to evade Katsuo’s forces marching on Takeyama.  It would be a most amusing sight to see them arrive at Takeyama and find the castle abandoned and its barns and armoury on fire as they would believe that I would sit there and wait for their onslaught.  True, I had superiority in numbers of at least ten to one.  But figures were deceptive.  Katsuo had fought and won battles against even greater odds.  His troops were the elite of the Satomi clan with the possible exception of the Household Cavalry and besides that, the loyalty of some of the men inherited from my father could not be counted on.  I knew the elders would back Katsuo and rise against me once his troops reached the outskirts of the castle.  For this reason, I had a number of them executed.  But the rest had fled with their personal bodyguards and these would no doubt soon join the ranks of the rebels.  It mattered little.  The use of the Satomi army against my brother was never in my calculation as there were numerous uncontrollable factors and I never fought any battle until I was sure of victory.  For many years, I had disguised myself as the fool.  Now they would know my true colors and came to regret of their own foolishness.
War was just like my favourite game of “Go", the board game of white and black that so much resembled the trials of combatants on intellectual power.  Courage alone would let you go only that far.  To be a real master, one must possess a keen sense of strategy and the ability to seize the initiative and surprise your opponent.  And yes, Katsuo would be totally surprised.  That I had not the least doubt.  How would he know that instead of trying to stop him with a numerically superior force, I had taken the Household Cavalry and made a detour to arrive at the Tora-mon gate after the departure of his main force!  No one could stop me from taking Sakurakijo now.  No one!  And when he realized his grave mistake and turned around, I would be ready with superior forces.
Two of my messengers had ridden before me, to the north.  Katsuo’s punitive troops would find themselves faced with a powerful Uesugi army when they tried to recapture Sakurakijo and then, and only then, I would extract my price from the man that that be a thorn to my side ever since the day I was born.  It would be sweet prize indeed to have his head finally presented me in a head-barrel.  Sweet prize indeed!
Another equally sweet prize was waiting for me at Sakurakijo.  My spy had informed me only a token force was left with Hitomi to defend the castle and I could easily overrun the place.  How I had lusted for that “yamabuki” of Satomi…if she was indeed a Satomi at all.  Who knew what her mother had done behind her husband’s back?  And if she was really my half-sister, what did it matter?  I would be Lord of the realm and my words would be command.  I would decide her fate.  That very thought must have caused an “evil” smile on my face as the men riding next to me seemed surprised and puzzled at what secret dream their leader was harbouring.  Let them.  In time, they would know.  
Katsuo would find his surprise gift too when he entered the castle.  In the chamber which I had kept my dominating mother in house arrest, he would discover the tragic end of the woman he hated most in his life, with the shaft of an arrow buried in her neck.  I had thought of poisoning but changed my mind.  How convenient it would be!  A well taken aim and my trouble gone forever.  The famed Haru-no-ho, her eyes opened wide in disbelief at her recognition of whose hands were behind the bow that released the dart of death, an obvious victim during the assault of Katsuo on the city, of course!  And Katsuo would be declared murderer of his mother as well as his father for no matter if he recognized her position in the family or not; she was the wife of the lord and he, her son.  No daimyo would likely raise a finger to help such murderer.   I had mastered the killing of two troublesome birds with one stone. In fact, if I could locate where that Sanjo was after he took Midori on that foolish bid to kill Katsuo, I could even organize a declaration of Katsuo as an imperial outlaw.  I knew they had failed and Midori ended sadly on the tips of lances but there was no news of what had become of that clown from Kyoto.  Well, things could not be changed.  Or should I say, things could not be better?
Night was fleeing before us.  A glorious sun slowly lighted up the eastern sky and the Keep of Sakurakijo came into sight.  What a magnificent view!
Battle horns and drums could be heard echoing round the hills.  Ah, so their sentries had done their duty and signaled the alarm well in advance.  That would change little.  To my ears, such sound of alarm would be the most pleasant one I had heard for a long, long time…a kind of deserved welcome for me…the Master of the Game.

Chapter 7     Avicinar-aka

(Hitomi)

"Sakurakijo is burning!  Sakurakijo is burning!" the panicky cries of the monks echoed in the morning air.
From where we stood, we could see the heavy column of smoke that soared into the skies from where the Keep of the castle had been.  We knew it was inevitable when we abandoned the castle and took up our positions here in Tennoji.  
The castle could not be defended.  Strong though its walls were, a force of seventy maiden warriors could not hold back an adversary of more than a thousand elite troops.  Tennoji's perimeter was much smaller in scale and here at least we could throw up a determined fight.  There was no illusion of victory or even survival.  All of us knew this would be our last day.  But if I were to perish, I would rather fall here and lie among the graves of my mother and kin and with Jun-ichi.  Everyone in my command knew what was waiting for him or her.  Many had declined to drone on armour and instead put on the snow-white attire for ceremonial ritual of jigai.  We would fight and fall and if our lines were breached would commit the last act in the true spirit of a samurai.
Soon, they would come...
My thoughts flashed to Jun-ichi.  What would become of him?  I had no doubt Ikkenshi would put the helpless Jun-ichi to a game that amused him, much like what a cat would do to a frightened mouse, blindly seeking an escape that never existed.  No!  I would not abandon him to such cruel fate.  When the time came, I would do what I had to do.  

“Yuki” I called my second in command over.  She was only one year older than I was.  How cruel it was to demand such youth and beauty to take such abrupt ending to the path of life.  
“Hai, Ojosama.”
“Yuki, komen.” I reached out and touched her hand.  I could feel her body shaking just a little as she turned up her tearful eyes at me.  
“Ojosama, arigatogozaimasu.” She was having trouble to prevent herself dissolving into sobbing now.  No more needed to be said.  On this day, she and all the others who had followed me were no longer my subordinates.  They were all my sisters.
“Bring Gin-getsu, please.”
She nodded and soon had my mount led in by the reins.
I went to my old friend who had carried me into battle and rides all these years.  I touched his neck and pressed my face against his.  He neighed in response as if he knew it was time for farewell.
“Gin-getsu, thank you for serving me.  Now go.” I lifted my finger and pointed at the mud trek that would take him up the back slope and elude the coming enemies.  He would not move.
“Go! Gin-getsu!  Go to Takeyama and warn them!”  I pleaded.
Still he refused to follow my order.
“Go! Gin-getsu!  Go, pray you!” I spanked his behind with all my force and neighing once more, he sped towards the woods.  When it reached the summit of the hillside, he turned and looked back.  
“Go! Gin-getsu!  Go for my sake!” I closed my palms and prayed.
He neighed once more.  Then, turning his head south, he vanished from my sight.



      Kan ji zai busatsu  
      Kyojin Ban niya ba ru mitsu ta ji
      Shokengo u ka kun…

The dozen or so monks now began chanting their Sanskrit together in the main hall.

“Fool!” I thought.  Did that really think this would help them?  Or are they resigned to their fate finally and seek¬ nehan, the ultimate deliverance?

      kuiru kei ke nashi
      kei ke nakiga yue ni
      ku fu arukodonashiitsukiino….

The chants continued, mixing with the roll of approaching drums…

They had finally arrived.

“Hold your positions!” I ordered.
Yuki knelt and bowed curtly and we raced to the outer walls.
Skirmishes had already begun and arrows whizzed as they cut across the morning sky.
Here and there, the shriek of a maiden announced the abrupt ending of a beautiful life.
I notched an arrow and drew the bow to the full.  
“Guide my aim, Kamei-sama!” I offered my prayer to the God of War and let go.  A horseman fell from his horse and stayed sprawled on the ground.
I retrieved another arrow from my quiver and shot again…and again…and again.
The ground before us was littered with slain enemies.
But our losses were heavy too.  Half of my maidens had fallen.  Soon, there would not be enough to prevent a breach.
“Yuki, tell them to fall back to the inner court!” I ordered.
“Hai, Ojosama!”
The retreat was fast but still orderly.  We shot many as we retired behind the second wall.  But five of the girls littered the open ground too.
“Flame-arrows!” Yuki shouted a warning just before the first burning missile hit a trunk behind me.  The whole tree was soon engulfed in flames.  Others joined it.  Smoke reduced visibility to an extent it would soon be impossible to keep up an effective barrage.  
Cries of agony rose from the main hall.  I turned my head towards direction and was just in time to see the crashing in of the whole roof, which was already on fire.  More shrieks and the place was an inferno.  One single monk staggered out, his monk robe entirely lit up as he reeled around like a madman!
“Avicinar-aka ka?  Avicinar-aka!” his shrill of horror turned the place to exactly what he was calling out loud…the limitless Hell where fire burnt eternal, its flames being spat out from above, beneath and from all sides, engulfing all souls trapped in it, a fire never extinguishable, an agony everlasting till the end of time…
I fought back the tears in my eyes.  It was I who brought this around.  I, who should burn forever in the inferno of everlasting fire!  I, who murdered my father.  I who brought death and destruction to Sakurakijo and now to this ground of supposedly sacred sanctity.
I refocused my attention to the battle.  The gaps in our defense could no longer be filled now.  Bodies littered the ground, or pinned by a flaming arrow through the heart on the walls or tree trunks.  The air was foul with smoke and burning human flesh!

Avicinar-aka!

“Ojosama! It is time¬.” Mud, ash and blood marred Yuki’s face.  Her quiver was empty. And so was mine.
“Jigai?” I murmured.
“Hai…allow me to assist you, Ojosama!”
I touched her face and shook my head.  No.  Not yet.  There was something I still needed to do.
“Go! Yuki! Farewell, my faithful one, my sister.”


She gazed at me and then after making her final bow, she rushed to the low walls.
She was quick and agile.  Using a nearby stone as a springboard, she jumped onto the top of the mud wall.  Two enemies appeared out of the smoke, wielding their halberds at the brave girl.  Yuki was much better than them and cut those two down with one single slash. But more came.  She cut them all down but her left arm also received one bad wound.  
“Ojosama!"  Run!  Ojosama!” she turned to shout.
To my horror, I saw a rider and his mount jumping out from the heavy smoke.  Yuki turned but was too late.  Her body froze; blood jetting out from her cut open bosom.  The rider did not wait to see her fall but rode on to seek other preys.  Yuki’s katana dropped from her hands as her body slowly reeled around.  Another cavalryman jumped over the mud wall and made a sweeping cut.  Yuki’s head with her ponytail departed from her falling torso.  Both hit the ground almost the same time!

I turned and ran towards the direction of the teahouse.

It was a totally different world there.  Giant bamboo and pine trees sheltered the place from the sound and smell of burning and slaughter.  Running water still graced the polished pebbles at the bed of the stream and of course, Jun-ichi was there, sitting as if he was above all these and no danger would harm him.  From his high pitched flute that could be heard for miles on a quiet day, another charming tune was being released.

I stumbled on, eyes fixed on the brother that I had come to hate and love at the same time.  It was he that had given me consolation since mother left us.  It was he who taught me how to play the flute though I never had his gift.  It was he who opened up my eyes to the wonders of the universe, to the beauties of flowers and the starry summer sky though he could not see such splendor with his own eyes.  It was he who taught me how to hate.  It was he who set us on this path.  
And in spite of all these, I still loved him dearly…

“Jun-ichi…”
He left his flute part with his lips and turned to me, smiling.
“Is Sakurakijo burning?” he asked in a voice that was surprisingly calm.
“Yes…”I lowered my head as I knew he understood what it meant.
“And the Hojo flag was planted on its tower?”
I looked up in shock.

Of course!
He knew about the death of Satomi Fumio!  He knew about the coming clash of the brothers.  He learned of the sack of the castle but no one, amid the chaos, bothered to tell a blind man that it was Ikkenshi and not the Hojos who had rammed down the gate of Tora-mon!
To him, this was the pinnacle of his life, the crowning moment when his long years of hatred would be avenged!  The fall of Sakurakijo would the beginning of the end of the Satomi clan.  Sooner or later, Takeyama would also fall and the Satomi clan would be no more.  
“Jun-ichi…” I felt a sudden pity for him.  Despite his intelligence, he was deceived in the end by his own blindness.
“Ane-ue, Is Katsuo’s head being hanged on the ramparts?” his unseeing eyes seemed to sparkle with euphoria.
“Yes,” I said without emotion and plunged the dagger into his heart!
His smile froze on his face.  Blood slowly oozed out from the corner of his mouth.  There was no time of fear or even surprise.  May be he already knew this was coming.
I gently laid him down.
So, this was the end.  I closed my palms together and said my last prayer.  Then I heard the sound and turned and saw Ikkenshi standing there with his evil smile…