Part 21 (1/2)

'Oi, ninja! Try this for size.'

Jack looked round just in time to see a ma.s.sive cudgel being swung towards his head. Ducking, he simultaneously elbowed the leader in the stomach, but the man hardly flinched. As the bandit prepared for another bone-breaking swing, Jack drove in with Demon Horn Fist, sending him colliding into a tree and the cudgel flying from the leader's grasp.

'You don't scare me, ninja,' the bandit wheezed, now drawing a vicious knife from his belt. Then he stopped in his tracks as if he'd seen a ghost.

'Blue eyes?' he muttered, and began to edge fearfully away. 'You're no ninja. You're a demon demon!'

Turning on his heels, the leader fled down the path, his two companions following close behind.

'P-p-please don't kill me,' stuttered the young man, who'd fallen to his knees, his face ashen with fear at the strange sight of a ninja with blue eyes.

Jack retrieved the purse the bandit had dropped in his haste.

'Take it! Take it all!' the man pleaded.

'It's yours,' replied Jack, placing the purse into the man's begging hands. 'And you're free to go.'

'Th-th-thank you,' stuttered the man in astonishment. He bowed his head to the ground. 'It's my father's takings from Maruyama.'

'Your father's a merchant?'

'Yes, he sells fans,' the young man replied, warily getting to his feet.

'Tell me, where are you headed?'

'Shono ... But I left late and decided to take a short cut to the post station ... Stupid idea. I should have listened to my father ...'

'And after that?'

'Kameyama ... Tsu ... Toba ... Why?'

Jack smiled behind his hood. Here was the opportunity he'd been waiting for.

'I need a favour,' said Jack, deciding to trust his instincts with the man.

'My life is yours to command,' replied the merchant's son, bowing solemnly.

Jack reached into the folds of his shozoku shozoku jacket and removed the note. 'Can you deliver this message to Date Akiko in Toba?' jacket and removed the note. 'Can you deliver this message to Date Akiko in Toba?'

Taking the folded slip of rice paper, the merchant bowed again. 'It would be an honour to be of service.'

'This message is very important,' Jack insisted. 'It has to be given to Akiko and no one no one else.' else.'

'I'll guard it with my life,' promised the merchant.

Jack watched the young man depart and prayed the message would reach its intended destination.

41.

WAITING.

As dawn broke, Jack sat beside the temple overlooking the valley. The sun, peeking above the mountains, welcomed a new day and the village awoke to the sound of a c.o.c.kerel crowing. Kajiya's forge burst into life and a few farmers emerged from their homes, stretching themselves in readiness for the hard work ahead.

Jack waited, as he'd done every day for the past few weeks. In that time, the rice had turned from a vibrant green into a light brown, the fields had been drained and the seed heads had slowly drooped with the weight of their crop. They now shone like gold in the early morning suns.h.i.+ne.

Sighing, Jack reconciled himself to the fact that Akiko wasn't coming. Maybe she hadn't got his message, or hadn't been able to work out the code, or else couldn't follow his directions to the temple. If she didn't appear in the next few days, Jack decided he would have to make the journey himself to tell her about Hanzo. He couldn't leave j.a.pan now without imparting this knowledge, which would mean so much to his closest friend. Although he didn't like the idea of having to retrace his steps and pa.s.s through Shono again, there was no alternative.

'You've been visiting the Buddha a lot recently.'

Jack looked up and was glad to see Miyuki. He'd been concerned it might be s.h.i.+ro again, the boy having appeared unexpectedly on several other occasions. Each time he'd interrogated Jack about the samurai and their way of life. Try as he might, Jack didn't warm to s.h.i.+ro. But apparently the boy hadn't mentioned to Momochi any suspicions regarding the note. And for that Jack was thankful.

Miyuki was dressed in a simple white yukata yukata and held in her hands a round straw hat with a wide brim for keeping the sun off. Clearly, she wasn't training today and would be working in the fields like everyone else. and held in her hands a round straw hat with a wide brim for keeping the sun off. Clearly, she wasn't training today and would be working in the fields like everyone else.

'I've been praying for my sister,' replied Jack.

This was true, since each day he spent waiting for Akiko was another day Jess had to survive. He also took the time to call upon the spirits of his mother and father for their support in the journey ahead.

Miyuki nodded sympathetically and sat down next to him. 'I pay my respects to my family here too,' she revealed.

'Is this where they're buried?' asked Jack, glancing over at the small graveyard.

'No, but I put up a grave marker in honour of them.'

It was now Jack's turn to nod sympathetically.

They both lapsed into silence and gazed pensively across the valley.

'I miss ... my family,' whispered Miyuki, her voice small and choking with emotion.

Jack realized, despite the tough exterior she presented, Miyuki was vulnerable inside. He recognized the lonely emptiness she felt in her life. 'I miss my parents too,' he admitted.

Miyuki looked at him, her eyes wet with tears.

'At least your father's killer is dead. You've had revenge. I've had nothing,' she said, clenching her fists in her lap. 'But one day I'll punish the samurai for what they did.'

Jack saw the flame of hatred reignite in her eyes. It wasn't directed at him this time, but he knew the damage it could do to a person.

'Revenge doesn't solve anything. It'll eat away at you until there's nothing left,' said Jack, remembering his Zen master's words the time he'd announced his intention to avenge his father. 'I didn't kill Dragon Eye. My friend honourably sacrificed his life to do that. But Dragon Eye's death brought me no comfort. I still grieve for my father every single day. You should focus on living, not killing.'

'But how can I? When every night I go to sleep, I see my mother dying before my eyes ...' Miyuki once again lapsed into silence. She trembled as if wanting to speak, but was unable to.