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Akiko knelt on the
tatami mat of Lord Ieyasu’s audience chamber sweating. She
grasped her tanto as the lords and their samurai glared.
Their grumbling rolled up like waves on a beach. I can’t
blame them. I’m just a ragged woman meeting Lord Ieyasu
ahead of them.
Silence descended as the
shoji screen behind the dias slid open revealing a tall lady
in a flowing kimono. Her black hair hung down glistening.
She’s beautiful! That must be Lady Oichi, Lord Ieyasu’s
chief consort. The Lady’s lips twitched into a smile as her
gaze flitted across Akiko, then she glided into the room.
Another beautiful lady appeared, her hair coifed and
bejeweled. Lady Oichi settled on a cushion. The other six
followed and settled in an arc facing Akiko.
When Akiko looked back
to the high seat, Lord Ieyasu was nestled on his cushion
wearing a tall hat and black kimono. Akiko gasped. I’m the
only one not bowing! Still his gaze held her before she
threw herself facedown on the mat. A laugh, rumbling like
thunder, rolled from the dias joined by the high-pitched
titters of the ladies.
“Yashida Akiko, you’ve
come seeking word of your brother?”
Akiko kept her gaze
averted. “Yes, Lord.”
“You’re in luck, little
dove. Your brother entered my service last year. But he
should’ve written.”
“Thank you. If I could
see him, I won’t take up your time.”
Lord Ieyasu laughed
again. “Nonsense! It’s my pleasure to help a lovely lady.
But your brother is away on business. You’ll stay with us
until he returns."
Lord Ieyasu turned to
Lady Oichi. “My love, our guest must be sore and weary
after her journey. She needs a hot soak and massage. I’ll
leave it in your hands.”
#
Akiko sighed at the
thought of snuggling into a warm futon after the hot soak
and massage Lady Oichi had promised.
Outside the wind
whistled through the branches, causing the moonlight shadows
to dance around her as she walked along the pebble-strewn
path to the bathhouse. Akiko slid aside the rough plank
door and stepped into steamy warmth. Flames licked at the
bottom of a tall iron bath, and benches for washing lined
the wall. Akiko jumped at the sight of a tall, bald man
shuffling out of the gloom wearing a loin cloth, then
exhaled when she saw the puckered red scar across his eyes.
A sword cut would do that.
He tipped his head back
and sniffed. “Ah yes,” he said in a raspy voice. “You must
be the little bird that flew in from the north. I’m Hitomi
Kira, master of the bathhouse. The tub is heated for a good
soak. I’ll scrub your back and I’m a fair masseuse.” He
gestured to his scar. “You needn’t worry about your
modesty, I’m without sight.”
“Thank you Kira, but
that won’t be necessary.” Akiko jerked around to find Lady
Oichi and the consorts standing in the doorway. Their
makeup and jewelry was gone, their skin glowed white in the
moonlight.
Akira plucked a kimono
and staff from the corner. “Thank you, my lady.” He
shuffled into the gloom.
Akiko shivered in spite
of the heat. The women stared like cats contemplating a
fluttering bird.
Taking her hand, Lady
Oichi led Akiko to the nearest bench. “Relax, little dove,
you’ve nothing to fear. I will scrub your back and you can
scrub mine.” The other ladies covered their mouths and
giggled. “And Lady Miko is an accomplished masseuse.”
"Please don't bother,"
Akiko said.
"Nonsense," Lady Oichi
said. "We don’t stand on titles in the bathhouse. And it
would be good to hear the news from the North."
Akiko nodded. At home
folks always washed and gossiped together. Still she felt a
razor edge of panic. This was the Lady of her Diamyo, after
all!
But the bland normalcy
of bathing calmed her. They washed and chatted, with Lady
Oichi quizzing her about village life. Soon Akiko was
scrubbed clean and stretched out as Lady Miko found and
released all the knots of tension in her. Between the late
hour and the steamy heat, Akiko dozed. She dreamed of an
evening from last summer when she drank sake with a young
samurai. Although the night ended quite chaste, in her
dream he caressed and kissed her.
She drifted awake with
the feel of his kisses, soft as kitten paws, across her neck
and shoulders. The kisses were punctuated by little pricks,
like little kitten claws, sending shocks of rolling thunder
through her head and loins.
Later Akiko realized
time had passed as she gasped and moaned. She stood, head
back and arms out, as the ladies pressed against her. Red
blood blossoms sprouted here and there on her skin, and each
was kissed away by one of the ladies. Each kiss filled her
with fire.
“Stop! Please no!”
Akiko pushed through the women and backed away until she
pressed against the rough planks of the door. “What are
you?”
The consorts stood
together, touching one another. "Don’t fuss, little dove,"
Lady Oichi said. "We won’t hurt you. No, you’ll enjoy
this." She held out her hand.
Akiko tried to run, but
her feet wouldn’t move. She stood trembling, aching for
more bright kisses. She spun when the door slide aside
behind her.
"Akiko-sama! I was told
you were here. But I heard a shout."
Her brother Takashi
stepped into the bathhouse wearing a yukata robe and
sandals. Akiko covered herself with her hands and glanced
back at the smiling consorts.
"We need to leave!
We’re in danger." Her hand brushed a pearl of blood,
smearing it across her chest.
Takashi laughed and
stepped out of his sandals. "Sister, you needn’t be
afraid. Open your mind! There’s more than night and day in
life. They’re reverse sides of the same coin with a whole
realm in between."
He released his robe so
it fell open and stepped closer. Akiko stepped back.
"There’s more than life
and death, there’s a world of power beyond them.”
He brushed his
fingertips across a blossom of blood on her chest and licked
them clean. She staggered into the ladies’ arms.
"And there is no
difference between pain and pleasure, not if you truly
understand. Let us teach you."
He stepped closer so the
hem of his robe brushed her legs. At the same time, little
kitten pricks rained across her shoulders, jolting her so
she moaned.
Akiko stopped herself
from drifting away on the waves of passion. “No! This is
insane. These aren't women, they’re monsters! And you're
my brother! We’d be damned to the deepest pit in Buddha’s
hell.”
Akiko shoved and twisted
until she was clear of them. She ran to the door and jerked
it open. Behind her the ladies stroked Takashi as they
smiled. Lady Oichi held Akiko’s gaze, then nibbled at her
brother’s neck. Takashi cried and pressed against her.
Akiko’s vision swam as tears welled. I’ve come all this way
to see Takashi consumed by demons?
And what about me? The
night air cut against her skin as she relived the dazzling
thunder of their kisses. Even as she trembled, she yearned
for more. Snatching up her brother’s robe, she fled.
#
Akiko paced back and
forth in her room. I’m trapped!
She hadn’t paused to
change, just tucking her swords into her sash before padding
barefoot into the night. Three times she stole up to the
outer wall, to be find samurai on patrol.
This is madness! I’m in
the safest place in the province, and I’m hunted by demons
disguised as Lord Ieyasu’s consorts. Red rage pulsed
through her. She ached to run back to the bathhouse, her
sword whirling. But would I just melt facing their smiles
and kisses? Akiko shivered in the dark.
She froze at sound of
the shoji screen in the corridor sliding open. They can’t
let me leave after what I saw. She breathed deep and closed
her eyes. I’m Yoshida Akiko, daughter of Yoshida Goro. If
I can’t escape, I’ll show them how a samurai dies. She
touched the blade to her forehead and whispered a Zen
proverb. “One life, one arrow. All I know is where I’m
aimed.”
She padded to the door
and settled with sword poised. Soft scuffs marked movement
down the hall. Akiko breathed open-mouthed, relaxed,
patient. A shadow flitted across the shoji screen. Akiko
counted five heartbeats before the screen jerked aside
revealing a shadowed samurai. He stared open-mouthed as she
sprang driving the sword before her. Before he could move,
the blade sliced into his chest. She exhaled slowly,
waiting for the life to fade from his eyes.
Instead he smiled and
slapped his palms against the flat of the blade, trapping it
even as it pierced him. Akiko jerked but he yanked it out
of her hands instead. She watched, entranced, as he slid
the blade out.
“A worthy strike, little
dove.” He smiled and pulled open his kimono to reveal a
bloodless wound. “Were I a lesser man, you’d have finished
me. But I’m anything but ordinary. Now come along. His
lordship summons you.”
She turned at a crash
behind her. Another samurai stood at the shattered shoji
screen holding a bo staff. Akiko spat and balled her fists,
turning in a circle. She lashed out at the samurai with the
staff, but he whacked her wrist so her hand went numb.
Without turning, she kicked back, the knife-edge of her foot
aimed at the wounded samurai's gut. Her kick should have
stuck like a hammer blow, throwing him sprawling. Akiko
blinked and he was standing to one side gripping her ankle.
How?
She pulled, but his grip
was iron. Balanced on one leg, Akiko only could watch as
the other samurai clubbed her knee. She fell shouting.
“No! I won’t be beaten
like this.”
Growling, Akiko fought
to stand when her head exploded.
#
Sensations flitted by
aimless. The mat pressed against her cheek smelled green,
fresh-cut. Flickering torch set shadows shifting. The
night air chilled her breasts, she wondered why her robe was
open. All this wound around needle thrusts throbbing in
her wrist, her knee, her head.
She pushed herself up
and moaned, the needles sparkling into a flash of agony.
Head down so that her hair hung about her face, Akiko
explored the knot behind her ear. Finally she wondered why
she was free. She pushed her hair back and gasped. Lord
Ieyasu nestled on a cushion next to her still as a statue
until he smiled revealing pointed black teeth.
“It seems I’ve misnamed
you. I called you little dove because of your delicate
features. I deemed you a poseur, stealing the right to bear
the two swords of a samurai. Now I find you’re a bird of
prey. You don’t pretend to the right to wear your swords,
you own it. What a delicious surprise! A warrior! I never
considered it, the way you flushed and fumbled earlier. But
you’re a falcon, not a dove, a true bird of prey.
Excellent!”
Akiko slid backwards,
ready to run. I don’t know what he is, but I can’t stand
against him. She blinked and Lord Ieyasu held her wrist.
Her heart fluttered in her chest. He didn’t move! He
lifted her hand to his mouth and bit. Thunderous ecstasy
caused her head to jerk around as her breath hissed between
her teeth. Akiko watched transfixed as Lord Ieyasu licked
gleaming red pearls from her skin. He sucked the wound and
Akiko dropped to the mat.
“Please stop,” she
gasped. “I’m afraid!”
“You think me a monster,
eh?” His rumbling laughter was joined by high-pitched
tittering as the consorts and her brother walked from the
darkness.
“I understand your
fears,” her brother called. “I thought the same myself.”
Lord Ieyasu sucked her
blood as hot waves crashed through her. Her strength
vanished like mist in the wind. “You must be a monster,”
she whispered. “Only a demon could steal my will like
this. Are you going to kill me?”
Lord Ieyasu chuckled.
“No child. You’re safe.” He gestured to Takashi. “Look at
your brother. If he’s whole and healthy, why would I harm
you? I’ll explain.” He settled back, her hand clasped in
his.
She lay sprawled on the
mat but didn’t care. No sake ever intoxicated her so
thoroughly; no lover’s touch ever stirred her so deeply. As
the burning heat faded, she wondered if she’d be able to
live without the bliss.
“Seven years ago a
Southern Barbarian appeared demanding audience. He was an
ugly thing, tall and lean, with hair the color of rice straw
and eyes the color of the sky. Horrid! I knew he was
demon, I just didn’t know what kind.” Again Lord Ieyasu
nibbled, sending pulses through her.
“He soon showed his true
color.” He laughed. “But he was a fool! His plan was to
seize control of my realm by robbing me of my will. He
thought to enslave me with this delicious pleasure.” He bit
again and Akiko shivered as the waves engulfed her.
“But he drank too deep,
and I became the same as he. Still he tried to control me
by keeping me ignorant. Fool! I’m a samurai, I’ll bow to
no Southern Barbarian. I took him unawares and cut off his
arms. After watching them shrivel in the sun, he was eager
to please.” He grinned. “At the end, I kept him as a
severed head in a brass box. He communicated with eye
blinks. I filled the box with blood from a convict each new
moon and that provided for his modest needs. Eventually I
gave him to my ladies.”
He glanced to the
consorts. “Is he still about, my darlings?” They hide
their grins and tittered. Lord Ieyasu chuckled and shook
his head. “Perhaps it’s best I don’t know.”
He released her hand and
sat back. “So what am I? He used the word vamp-ire, but
that’s meaningless. I know I’m neither alive nor dead;
human but a creature of the night. I must consume living
blood or starve. Yet my powers seems limitless, and I
perform new wonders daily. My lovely consorts have joined
me in the night, as have my most trusted samurai.”
Akiko pushed herself
up. “And you mean to do the same to me, whether I will it
or not?”
He shook his head and
smiled. “Certainly not! Why would I want that? I want you
in my service with your brother. The two of you will make a
fearful pair. Hawk and falcon, matched birds of prey I can
loose against my enemies. No, I have all of the beautiful
ladies and night samurai I need. As magical as we are, we
have limits. So I need you just as you are, warm and
fearless, to do my bidding in the light of day.” He folded
his hands on his lap. “What’s your desire?”
Behind Akiko, her
brother and the consorts grew still until the chirp of
crickets outside was the only sound. Akiko drew a
shuddering breath.
What he offers is
unheard of! I’m a girl child from a back-country samurai
family. If I go home, I’ll have to marry some farmer’s
son. He’s offering me the rank of samurai! Can I trust
him?
She looked to her
brother. Takashi smiled. He’s a year with them and glows
with health. But is that enough? Akiko turned back to the
dias. No, he’s a man. Takashi doesn’t face the same
hurdles as me.
Lord Ieyasu sat still as
a stone Buddha. With half lidded eyes he watched and
smiled. And in this peaceful repose she found her answer.
He offers me the choice. The memory of the bliss crouched
in the back of her mind, assuring her that he didn’t need to
ask. He could wrap me in ecstasy until I begged to serve.
Akiko smiled. For that matter, he’s the ruler of the
province. I’m his to use however he wishes no matter what I
want. Yet he asks.
“My lord, if there’s
some service I can do, it’s yours.” Lord Ieyasu smiled,
revealing long black teeth.
“You’re too modest,
Akiko-sama. But that’s why I want you in my service.
You’ll be my emissary. No one will consider you a threat,
and they will regret it.”
He paused and seized her
with his eyes. “Are you ready?”
Akiko shivered at the
question. The fear of the unknown was gone, but still she
feared her choice. There’ll be no turning back. I’ll need
him like I need air and water. But would that be a bad
thing? She smiled.
“Good.” He pulled her
close, leaned forward until she could feel his breath on her
skin and bit her neck, just where the blood pulsed. Blood
red ecstasy blasted her being. She shrieked and clutched
him with both hands as the waves rolled over her.
#
“Yashida Akiko! Come
forward!” The majordomo waved his silver fan before his
face.
Akiko padded to the
front of the audience chamber in tabi socks, holding the
hilt of her long sword to keep it from whacking the
dignitaries. Lord Ieyasu sat as if graven from stone,
smiling in the flickering lamplight. Akiko pressed her
forehead to the mat before settling on her heels.
“What’s your command,
Lord?”
“Bandits have waylaid
two merchants on the road from Osaka. Invite their leader,
Dazai Hotaka, to visit me. If he’s a man of a value, I’ll
offer him and his men a place. If not, I’ll seize them.”
“And if he won’t come?
Should I take his head?”
“Certainly not, little
falcon. If I ever have need to spend your life, the price
will be higher than some country bandits. No, you’ll take
wagons with a dozen of my night samurai sleeping in
caskets. If they’re unreasonable, leave them to my men.
But bring the leader to me. My ladies would enjoy a
diversion.” He laughed as the consorts smiled. Akiko
nodded and left. As she slipped on her sandals, she
smiled.
“One life, one arrow,”
she whispered. “And tonight I know where I’m aimed. |
