~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Slash Five: The Battle of Katsubana-jo ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ While swords locked and yells echoed from the back of the castle, Hayate and Masahito's troops lay in wait. Before them were the forty or so warm corpses of the bushi that Hiroko's Tanegashima Rifle team had gunned down. Hayate unsheathed his katana, Gentatsu, while Masahito unsheathed his own, Asahina. "Now," Hayate yelled, "it's time to start the new world! Charge!" The men all yelled choruses of zeal, following Kagami Hayate's command. They leapt from the bushes of the forests and ran ahead to attack Katsubana-jo, knowing that Takahiro and Hiroko had started their half of the main assault. To the left of Hayate was a group of ten men. In their hands they held together a battering ram made of pure wood, the toughest they could find in the forests of Natsumura The ten men ran with the battering ram at the head of the army and crossed over the dirt path towards the front gate of the castle. The secondary forces remained as they were, crouching beside the gun squad and the archers and the reserve troops They wouldn't attack with the rest until the gates were opened. Their was a loud echoing bang when the battering ram pounded the iron and wooden gates of the north wall. Starling the castle bushi behind it. The group holding the ram drew back with ambling steps and then stomped forwards again. The large pole of wood assaulted those gates once more, with the firepower of human anger behind it. The banging against the castle gates now began frequent, with periodical breaks for re-alignment. It was then that it dawned on the samurai of Katsubana-jo that this attack was serious The new castle warden, given the position after the death of the previous one by seppuku, was known as Hanashima Hidenori. Hidenori, stern and well-respected, barged out of the castle innards with dozens of men behind him, fully armed and knowing of the attack. He flung his arm to one side and directed his commands instantly, saying, "Stand strong, men! We must resist this attack in the name of Lord Satou! Some of you bring water and douse the flames! You others assist the bushi against the southern attack! Archers! Mount the walls and pick off everyone of the interlopers!" Everyone of them grunted and yelled in confirm of the command. Some ran to the nearby water reserve and pulled out buckets of water to quell the now spreading flames, while the others acted to join the troops to the south of the castle in assistance of the samurai who were battling against Hiroko and Takahiro's team. The archers scrambled to the wooden stands that attacked as a ramp for the wall. They pulled arrows from their quivers whilst running into position. A good twenty archers pulled up the wooden ramp structure and aimed at the attackers at the north wall, in particular those that held up the battering ram. The archers shot swiftly, releasing their arrows. Death cries were heard as some of Hayate's men were shot down, wounded, eyes plucked out with deft shots. More archers came from the castle to join them in the attack. Beefing up the wall defensive archers to a healthy forty-five. Their rained down arrow to the north attack troop. Men were hit and died instantly, some slowly, but lives were taken. Hayate and Masahito were shielded by others amongst them, but one arrow came down hard from the right It struck Hayate straight into his shoulder, causing a grunt of agony from him Masahito gasped. "Are you alright, sir?" "I-I'm fine!" The Wind Samurai yelled in reply. He sheathed Gentatsu and then grabbed the wooden arrow in shoulder. The young man grit his teeth and pulled it right out of his arm joint, blood flowing from the wound. He tossed the arrow away and swung his other arm as a signal to the gunmen and archers of his own who remained in the forests. They seemed to take this on, and pointed their weapons at the 40+ archers at the wall. Hayate's archers pointed fresh arrows into flaming containers, setting their arrows alight. They took aim at both the castle keep and the archers of the castle's defence. They fired. Lights of orange zoomed through the skies and shot into the front wall archers Death yells increased when they were nailed. Five hit men dropped from the wall back to the castle courtyard, falling dead, their clothes burned. Hiroko's rifle squad were a short range team but they were close enough to the castle walls to gun down the attacking archers under Satou's service. They fired, the first wave, clapping shots into the air alongside flaming arrows. The castle archers screamed from both the flames of the arrows they were pelted with and the force of the gunshots. They were slowly picked off as their took shots at the troops under Hayate's immediate direction. It was too late for them, anyway. One final bang from the battering ram and the doors holding Katsubana-jo secure burst open, bust from their hinges and ripped off the stone of the wall. The thick doors smashed the men behind it, trying in vain to hold back the ram. With the gates down, Hayate and Masahito's team rushed forwards, pouring into the castle without restriction. Those who had not unsheathed by now were doing so, as the warriors came into direct contact with castle samurai guarding the castle courtyard from the north. Their swords danced, blood was spilt, lives were taken on both sides. Some of Hayate's men ran up the ramps and sliced dead the archers as a reprisal for their attacks Some of them ran to the south to aid the men attacking from there, those of Hiroko and Takahiro's forces. Hayate and Masahito came into the castle courtyard and joined the men in combat. Hayate ignored his wounded arm and slashed through the groups of men fighting for Satou. His zeal was unmatched by the rest. He slashed and chopped his way, hacking down man, after man, after man. Heads flew once the Samurai of the Wind got started. One castle bushi charged at him from the right He attempted to slice at Hayate. The hey-haired youth blocked the blow and slashed back in reply. One so fast that it chopped right through the stomach of the samurai The contents of its poured out as he fell, while Hayate took up the fight with others. The screams of battle echoed from both the south and north of the castle. High in its keep, in the meeting hall, Satou and his retainers sat with confusion and fear. The sound effects of battle could not be ignored by them, not even from there. The crackling of the flames, the clash of steel, the breathless gasps of the dying and the war screams of the attacking. Ryouichi stood beside his lord with a dirty grin on his face, but it went unnoticed by the retainers, who were more concerned with the fate of Katsubana-jo. "We are under attack!?" One yelled, "who on earth!? Someone from a neighbouring han?!" Lord Satou sneered. "Those fools! This is exactly what we do NOT need now! Who is leading the resistance against them?!" "Hanashima Hidenori," One retainer said, "the new castle warden" Satou slapped his knee with his fan. "Blast it! Ryouichi! Assist the troops! From the sounds of it, we are outnumbered! We cannot afford to draw attention to ourselves now! I want this insurrection resolved!" "Fine, sir." Ryouichi answered, marching from his master's side and out from the sliding door. Once he was gone, one of the retainer's poised a new idea, "You don't suppose that this attack was instigated by the peasants, do you?" Another retainer nodded. "It's a possibility." "A revolt?!" Satou thought of it, "a result of the new laws?!" While Satou and his retainers discussed the issue, the battle continued. Hiroko and Takahiro had by now scaled the walls of the south of the castle themselves and battled alongside their forces. Hiroko cut through Katsubana-jo's men like paper. Her Kubo-style Naginata arts were unmatched in southern Nippon. Her strikes were fast and furious, men screeching in agony when they felt the force of them. Across their faces, in their stomach, over their shoulders, through their necks. Hiroko's force matched that of the men around her, and her Naginata reacted to that, stained with much blood. While she forced her way through the castle bushi, she looked over to her right to check on Takahiro, who was battling against one of the defending soldiers. "Are you okay, boy?!" She asked, holding off an attacker. Takahiro, who had little in the way of weapons training, shoved the samurai away with the butt of his sword. "I-I'm fine! Worry about y-yourself!" Hiroko smirked at that and did so. She gripped her Naginata with one hand, crossing it against her waist, holding up her free hand. Her Chi gathered at it again. Surrounding the blade in a bright golden glow once more. The gold force crackled and glistened in the darkness of the night, illuminating her. She then stepped forwards, towards two castle bushi, yelling, "Rushing Dragon Blade!" When she stepped ahead in charging motion, Hiroko swung the Naginata back around with that glowing golden energy trailing behind it. The blade of the weapon sliced through two men in front of her, their blood splashing outwardly over the warrior's at their sides. Hiroko lowered her Naginata and caught her breath, while the corpses of her targets, cut into four pieces between them, dropped to the ground She then took up the fight once more and ran ahead to attack another samurai. The line of samurai defending the rear section of the castle were still around five-men thick, stretching across fifty-something metres. It would still take a bit of time to breaking through all those men. But Hiroko and Takahiro's men held strong, fighting for all that they were worth. It was the frontal forces, those being led by Hayate and Masahito, that were having the most success. The battles at the front of the castle had descended into scattered skirmishes, the revolutionaries chopping down the few remaining samurai that were guarding the front half of the courtyard. Hayate looked around, to the castle itself The 90+ men fighting for Satou in the north of the courtyard retreated back into the precinct of the castle, staging themselves for a siege hold-off. It seemed that they realized that they were outnumbered, but were not prepared to give up now. Hayate lowered his now bloody sword, the courtyard littered with the carcasses of his kills and those of his troops, "They're sealing themselves in, are they?" "We could burn them out," Masahito said, "fire would do the trick." Hayate shook his head. "No. Satou could die that way. And I don't want him to have the satisfaction of falling to fire. I want his blood on this sword before the night is done. He has to die by my sword." The leader then turned to the remainder of his men. More than a few had been taken out by arrow fire and castle bushi. But his troops were healthy enough in size. "Bring the battering ram over here! Ram down those doors and storm the keep!" "What about Hiroko and the others?" Masahito asked, "shouldn't we wait for them before we make our move?" Hayate shook his head. "We'll have to move on without them. They'll be done of the rear troops soon enough. We have to secure Katsubana-jo as soon as possible. Now lets get moving!" Masahito bobbed his head and followed Hayate to the rest of the troops. Ten of them had taken up the battering ram and were preparing to ram down the doors into the actual castle. Under Hayate's direction, they rushed forwards with the ram, charging the wooden post directly into those doors enclosing the entrance into Katsubana-jo's secondary walls, towards the main building. They battered the door, over and over and over and over again. Until the loud crash of the ram banging down both doors could be heard. The collapsed backwards, just as the castle gates had fallen, and the samurai all at Hayate's command rushed through zealously Leading into the more lush areas of Katsubana-jo, the flower gardens. More of Satou's bushi, numbered at around 95, lay in wait for them. While the remainder of Hayate's troops (numbered at 197) charged them. The two forces locked swords again, screaming more cries of battle. The last push for the keep and the man who dwelled within it, the shifty Lord Satou. Masahito was about to join them in the attack, until he noticed that Hayate was unmoving. "Quickly, sir," He said, "we have to keep moving." Hayate unsheathed Gentatsu, looking forward. "You lead them into the keep, Masahito There is something I must take care of. Can you do that for me?" He didn't understand, but to Masahito, an order was an order. The younger man nodded and ran into the freshly opened doorway into the inner part of Katsubana-jo's precinct. While Masahito left, the front half of the castle was suddenly quiet, with only the murmurs of the wounded and the sounds of the battles in the background. But Hayate's eyes remained alert. Which was when he yelled, "Come out! I can feel your presence!" A careful snigger echoed, and a blur of green and dark green shifted before Hayate at a careful distance of ten metres. A figure landed on the flagstones of the courtyard, jumping down from the thatched roofs of the keep. A wild-haired man known as Minagawa Ryouichi. Ryouichi smirked, placing his hand at the hilt of his nodachi, saying. "Hm. Well what do we have here? You seem to be the leader of this whole affair. Really, I cannot thank you enough." Hayate gripped onto Gentatsu, shifting it into a defensive stance. "Who are you? Are you aligned with Satou?" "I suppose you could say that," Ryouichi said, "the name is Ryouichi. Minagawa Ryouichi. The Teppo Satsujin-hannin." Hayate gasped. "Teppo Satsujin-hannin?! You mean that legendary ronin from the court at Edo?! The bushi who single-handedly destroyed the Inohara-Tanabe cavalry? That's you!?" "Guilty as charged." Ryouichi bragged. At that, Hayate sneered. He had thought that the rumours of the Teppo Satsujin-hannin were just rumours. But he was real. And Ryouichi did fill the description of the man. He had once been a ruthless and able samurai who served directly under the Hitotsubashi house of the Tokugawa family. One of the four Yojimbo under the service of Shogun Ienari himself, that feared samurai band known as Yon-Me no Boufuu, or the 'Four Eyes of the Hurricane'. Each eye had been a loyal warrior to a separate house of the Tokugawa Family, mainly of the gonsankyou. They had been said to be the most powerful publicly known samurai since Miyamoto Musashi, and ruthlessly skilled. In fact, it was said that when the Four Eyes of the Hurricane worked in unison, they were invincible. But their legendary reign as the strongest of the strong ended when one man deserted the group. The one most skilled in battling firearms. The Teppo Satsujin-hannin. That man was Ryouichi Minagawa. From what Hayate knew, he was on the run from Edo after deserting his position to the Shogunate. Yet in the years since his desertion, he had not been caught. So evident in the fact that he was standing before Hayate now. But the Samurai of the Wind would show no fear. Not even to one of the Four Eyes of the Hurricane. He had to lead Nippon into a new future. Hayate fixed his eyes on Ryouichi and held the edge of his katana's sheath with his free hand. Then stepped forwards, whipping out his sword in a concurrent slash Ryouichi skilfully withdrew his nodachi, Izata, and leaned back, holding it in a diagonal position. Though the gap between them was over ten metres, the wind pressure of Hayate's slash trailed along Ryouichi's one vividly in flickers of static. As keenly as a newly sharpened blade. Ryouichi stepped back, while Hayate grumbled at the failure of his attack. "An Air Wave Stroke, eh?" Ryouichi prodded, "That's more than I would expect from a backwater samurai. Let me show you a certain skill of my own. One that I learned at the very feet of the Bakufu itself. The One Thousand Teeth of the Dragon!" Hayate re-assumed his guard, while Ryouichi brought up his elongated nodachi to his shoulder One hand holding its butt, the other against the hilt, pointing in the direction of Hayate. Ryouichi shut his eyes for a moment and focused his power at his hands and his blade. His sandaled feet shifted forwards for a slight moment, then he ran forwards at the target. Ryouichi's eyes flashed open in that second, and he zoomed into striking range of Hayate. The Gun Murderer then stabbed outwards with the sword from its position at his head. Over and over again. Until his strikes became a viciously speedy serious of blows, obscured from sight in their blurry speeds. Ryouichi yelled a unit of 'ha, ha, ha, ha!' at Hayate, as the Samurai of the Wind struggled desperately to counter each strike. The blurred stabs came swiftly and sharply, so quick that Hayate could barely defend against them with parrying blows. Their swords clashed in furious and numerous bangs that produced waves of force. Strong enough to blow away the dust at their feet. Then Hayate scowled as one 'Tooth of the Dragon' grazed him across the shoulder. He scattered back, guarding himself with his blade. Ryouichi scuttled back as well, sweat dripping from his forehead. Hayate skidded to a stop and caught his breath, astounded. He had never seen someone handle a nodachi so quickly. They weren't extremely heavy weapons, but they weren't very light, either. Plus their length came into question. For Ryouichi to use one at that speed, it showed that his reputation was not false. Which meant that Hayate could not hold back. The young samurai calmed himself and focused his power, just as Ryouichi had done a moment ago. The sound of wind blowing into the courtyard could be heard, as if provoked by Hayate's new concentration The wind blew at the corpses of the slain, already more than 200 bodies of both rebels and castle samurai were lying dead in the front courtyard and by the gates of the castle. And the rebel leader's long ponytail of blonde rose into the air along with it. That wind began to take on a visible form, circling around his hakama and body, as well as his sword. A glow of throbbing blue, the glow of Hayate's aura, surrounded him, as bright as a firefly in the night. This was it. Hayate drew back Gentatsu and swung it forwards, crying, "Kagami-style! Divine Wind Slash!" Once his sword was swung, a huge gust of violent wind energy was thrown from the blade, empowered by the force of the sword's swing. Ryouichi blinked. The cluster of wind force came screaming in his direction, waking the dust below it in a carved path. Ryouichi grit his teeth and leapt straight into the air, vaulting over the assault. Once he peaked in his jump, his body vanished with blur movement again Hayate's Divine Wind Slash flew away into the crowds of battling warriors over to the south. But he couldn't see Ryouichi for dust. Had he vanished? It couldn't be said. But then Kagami Hayate coughed a violent shot of blood, gasping. He looked downwards, feeling something long and cold inside of him. The bloody blade of Izata, Ryouichi's nodachi, stuck out from the left of his stomach, which was now bleeding profusely. Hayate groaned, Gentatsu dropping from his hand. He looked back over his shoulder and saw Ryouichi, smiling cruelly "I must thank you," He said, "your rebellion has aided me. And my thanks shall be paid with your swift passage into the netherrealm. But feel not sadness. Dying in battle is a luxury that many a samurai would yearn for in this day and age. Goodbye, Hayate of the Wind." He yanked the blade out Hayate's body, then swung it upwards. The swoop of Ryouichi's nodachi came in a downwards arc aimed for the neck. Decapitation was on his mind. Time then slowed down for Hayate, knowing that his death was on the other side of that blade. He would die before ever saw the fruits of his rebellion There was a loud crash. But not of metal running through flesh and bone, but steel meeting with steel. The clash came with the chime of blur movement. And it took a few moments for Hayate to realize that he was not dead. Ryouichi was a short ways behind his laying body. And standing directly above him was a certain someone Shinmyouji Hinata. Hayate smiled and looked up at the reluctant samurai woman, Hinata, with her wakizashi Netsuretsu drawn protectively. She had deflected the Gun Murderer's blade herself. "Hayate," She spoke coolly, "are you alright?" Hayate closed one of his eyes, breathing heavily from the blood loss. "Y-you made it, Hinata. I-I knew... that you would..." "Save your strength. I'll take it from here." Hinata then directed her gaze to Ryouichi. Though she had come here for Takahiro, she knew that she had deal with this. This man's aura was extremely strong. Far stronger than that of any average samurai, "so just who are you?" Ryouichi scowled. "A woman?! A woman who can resist my strikes?! A joke! For pity's sake, I will allow you to know of me. I am Minagawa Ryouichi. The Gun Murderer." "I've heard of you," Hinata answered, "so just what are you doing in a han like this, eh? Someone of your strength wouldn't need to be bowing to man like Satou normally. What's your angle?" Ryouichi sniggered. "That's the golden question, isn't it? Why would a man like me lower himself to the feet of a mere daimyo when he was at one time serving a shogun? What I seek is simple. I came to this domain on my way to the Ryukyu islands. Then it was Satou that invited me to his side as his protector At first I was inclined to refuse. Until I learned of his little secret. He has hidden from the Shogunate the true income of Natsumura in rice production. Reflected in his payments to it. Because he seeks to use that excess rice in sale to other han. He plans to use the profits to expand his power even further from Natsumura and Hyuga. He has a similar ambition to that fool you just saved. To unify all of the southern han in strength against Edo and the Tokugawa, by strengthening his own military power and taking them over. His aim was to set up a rival Bakufu in the south. But I am no idiot. I know that his plans will come to nothing. Just like those of your friend. My angle was the excess of rice. Once the forces of the rebels and those of the daimyo grind each other to a bloody end, I will take those reserves of rice and sell them myself. By the time the Edo Bakufu moves quickly enough to investigate all this, I will have cemented those riches for myself. Without a single soul left knowing that I was involved. With that much money I can buy my way out of this country and assure my safety from the Shogunate." Hinata stepped away from Hayate, moving forwards. She sheathed her wakizashi and then unsheathed her katana. "So that's your game. Let the prime movers kill each other so you can scurry away with the bonuses like a rat? You dare you anoint yourself as a samurai?" "I'm getting a lecture of the 'true nature' of a samurai from a woman? Ha! Swords are not toys, child. And women have no business wielding them. You exist as nothing more than an object of lust, a possession, a temptation for bushi who see themselves to stray from their true path. Women are no more than commodities to be manipulated at the whims of the men who own them. And yet you dare to tell me of the nature of the samurai? Absurd!" Hinata scowled. "It's that kind of thinking that constrains this country and the world around it." "Enough!" Ryouichi yelled, "Prostrate yourself before me and I might forgive your ignorance!" Fire began to boil within Hinata's normally cold heart. "I'll not bow to a corrupt man such as yourself! And I'll hear no more of your insanity! Either turn your steel upon me or turn away!" Ryouichi did not have to be told twice. The Gun Murderer scowled and darted forwards, his growling turning into a fearless battle cry. He seemed even more enraged by female warriors than Takahiro. Hinata watched his movements keenly and caught onto him swinging that long nodachi sword in her direction. Hinata thrust Yoshinaga upwards and parried the blow. The two steel crashing swords clapped together and reverberated the sound throughout the nearby area. Ryouichi swung his Izata backwards and then went for a horizontally-aimed slash. Hinata released Yoshinaga into a one-handed grip and crouched down quickly to avoid it. The nodachi swung over her head and shoulders, missing its mark. Ryouichi scowled once more and swung the sword back around, this time aimed at the legs. Hinata looked upwards and then jumped up their, sailing above the swing of the nodachi. The Shinmyouji girl vaulted up above the ground, then concentrated her powers into her sword. Once she gained enough height she aimed her body so that her fall came toward Ryouichi at head-first angle. She then drew back Yoshinaga and swung in slash motion. The wind resistance creating an Air Wave Slash. Ryouichi stepped backwards to avoid it. It slashed at the ground, leaving a 5cm deep welt in a flagstone of the courtyard. Hinata flipped backwards so that she landed on her feet, both hands now gripping the hilt of Yoshinaga. Ryouichi held Izata poised for another assault, lifting it upwards. He then charged ahead again and came down at Hinata. The girl lifted Yoshinaga vertically to deflect once more. The impact was the first of many. As Ryouichi and Hinata descended into a series of compact sword battles. They struck at each other's weapons in small but vicious bursts, each clash followed by them backing away to re-adjust themselves and return blows. The two struggled against one another. Hinata frowned at the fact that rumours of the Teppo Satsujin-hannin were all true, and Ryouichi growled seeing that Hinata could meet him step for step. One final clash between Izata and Yoshinaga and then the two of them backed off. Hinata skidded away while Ryouichi jumped backwards. Putting a space of twelve metres between them. Both caught their breath, both ignored the sweat dripping from their faces. Hayate looked on weakly, his blood loss increasing. Hinata locked eyes with Ryouichi and stepped slowly across. His guard was almost flawless He left nothing of his body exposed in the six different stances she had seen him assume. Ryouichi sneered at his new rival, then spread his legs further. The chime of that specific form of movement happened again. Ryouichi practically vanished into thin air with that blur movement ability. Hinata closed her eyes and remained calm. Feeling things out. Ignoring the sounds of the battle and focusing on the ones nearby. When she focused herself, the tell tale signs became clear for her The sound of sandals stepping onto stone. Hinata's eyes flashed open in that instant, and she swung herself around. Another clap of steel was heard by Hayate. And he saw Hinata parry Ryouichi's strike from behind. The same one that had wounded him. Ryouichi and Hinata, their swords locked, looked into each other's eyes with both hatred and confusion. But it was Ryouichi who was becoming the most annoyed. He held off Hinata's Yoshinaga as best he could with on hand on the hilt of Izata. Then slipped his hand into his hakama. He then pulled out something. A metal dart. The Gun Murderer tossed the metal dart in Hinata's direction She cried out as the dart stabbed her in the shoulder, drawing blood instantly With that distraction, the tricky Ryouichi batted Yoshinaga away and swung with his nodachi. A second scream was ripped from Hinata's throat when the tip of blade slashed her across her waist. Hacking open both her skin and her kimono Ryouichi then followed up his attack, projecting his leg at her face. The nodachi-wielder's foot smacked the girl across her cheek, bruising it, and kicking her away. Hinata stumbled backwards and collapsed to the ground, face down. Hayate's fist shook as he watched this, but he couldn't move to help her in any way. "...That... coward..." "Heh, heh, heh," Ryouichi laughed, "and so proves the worthlessness of women. Know your place, child. Woman was created to be the servant of man. Not his peer." Hinata's body shook, and her free hand came up to her shoulder. She winced, and then pulled the dart out of her shoulder, which was stained with her blood. Hinata tossed it away. Then looked downward, sadly. Her fists were trembling. But her eyes watered. Not from the pain. But from all that this accounted to. "...Kanae... I'm tired. I'm tired of fighting. I'm tired of being something that I don't want to be. I'm tired of living in a world where I can't be with you... Kanae..." In this situation... ...memories of the past came so swiftly... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "This is intolerable! What on Earth were you thinking, Asuka?!" Hinata lowered her head at her mother's tirade. She sat in the seiza, legs folded underneath her, hearing her mother yell and yell incessantly about what she had seen. The two of them sat in the large hall of the 77TH Asuka's home. Filled with crosses, tapestries and written doctrines of the Circle of One philosophy. Normally Hinata would not have been allowed in here. It was the centre of the administration of Akaitaiyo-shima. Yet Hinata could not put her mind to that. All she could think about was Kanae and what happened between the two of them Those brief few moments after their kiss had been both amazing and frightening Before they even had the chance to express their love and form a relationship, Asuka had caught the pair of them. And now Hinata was facing the anger of her mother "Asuka?!" The older woman said, "what do you have to say for yourself!?" Hinata lowered her head. "I have nothing to say." "Excuse me?!" "I said I have nothing to say. Anything I tried to tell you would be ignored would it not? Like if I told you how much I love Kanae? How much I want to be with her? How much I've wanted to be with her for these past two years?! I love her!" Asuka retched. "You fool. Do you realized what you're saying? You know that our doctrines expressly forbid relations between people of the same sex! It's madness! Would you honestly sit there and say to me that you wish to defy the will of Kami-sama!?" "How can what I be feeling be wrong when I've never been this happy to know that Kanae loves me back? How could Kami-sama resent the equal happiness of two people who simply want to exist together? Do you truly see evil in that? Do you see evil in the happiness of your own daughter?" Asuka slapped her thigh with her fan. "How DARE you talk back to me like that? Has that Kanae woman perverted your spirit so badly that you would defy both myself and Kami-sama no matter what I said?" "Mother, please understand!" "I don't have to understand anything!" Asuka bellowed, "you have broken our laws! Disgraced our ways! After all I have done for you, this is how you repay me?! Well no more! No daughter of mine is important enough to defy the will of the Holy Father!" Hinata's eyes trembled. "...M-mother...? W-what a-are you...?" "From this day forward," Asuka seethed, "you are banished from our island! Pack your things and leave this instant! Take a ship to the mainland and never come back here again!" Tears dropped from Hinata's eyes, widened in shock. Asuka snorted and looked away, not willing to stare into her daughter's face. Hinata could have stayed and pleaded for another chance, for acceptance, but she would not get it Her mother was a ferocious woman. And a determined one at that. Hinata would not dissuade her. Even if it meant turning away from her own daughter, casting her out into an unforgiving world. Hinata sobbed violently. She clamoured off her knees and ran away, opening the door and running out. Leaving Asuka to ponder her actions Hinata ran through the pathways of the local, confusing some of the people around who had no idea what was going on. Asuka ran and stumbled, her eyes leaking tears, her sobs bobbing up and down her throat. Her mother had rejected her. The only thing she could see to do was go to Kanae. The young woman ran down the pathway to Kanae's home. Once she got to place where Kanae lived, she pounded on the door with her small fists. "K-Kanae!" She cried, "K-Kanae, p-please! I-I-I n-need to s-speak to you! Please, Kanae!" Though it was rude, Hinata slid the door open, not even waiting for Kanae to open it for her. The young woman strode in, her mouth still sobbing. But she gasped once more when she looked over at the centre of the room. "...K-Kanae...?" Hinata's shoulders sagged. Her tears suddenly forgotten. And for a moment, Hinata honestly believed that her heart had skipped beats. The girl was dumbstruck. Across from the Asuka descendant, with a still body, silent and unmoving. "...Kanae...?" A sword had skewered her. Right through the heart. Hinata looked on with a stunned expression as blood oozed from the woman who she loved And the one who loved her. Mitomi Kanae. Hinata stepped forwards, one step after the other, dropping to her knees before what was now the corpse of her love. Hinata's eyes lowered. New, hard sobs broke from her lips. Her arms reached out and grabbed the body of her love. Hinata lowered her head to the older woman's torso and held her, the sword still protruding from the cleft between her breasts. Hinata began crying uncontrollably. Kanae, her one and only love, had been murdered. And it broke her heart. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Hinata groaned, still ignoring the loudness of the battles in the inner courtyard and the rear of the outer courtyard. She strengthened her grip on Yoshinaga, breathed in heavily, then dragged herself up from the stone ground. Ryouichi stood behind her. Confident in his impending victory, mocking of his adversary's abilities The chocolate brown bangs of the Shinmyouji girl fell over her eyes and she let the blood drip freely from the wounds at her waist and shoulder. "...I was forbidden from being with the woman I loved... because I too was a woman. I took up the sword, and betrayed my own hatred of it to survive in the outside world. A world that equally shuns me for wielding it. Nippon is full of contractions and sadness. Straining at the chains of an enforced peace. No matter where I go... I will never have a home here. As long as people like you and my mother continue constrain the lives of others." Ryouichi smirked. "Touching. But what of it?" "It's people like you that prevent me from finding happiness..." Hinata's aura, that smog-amethyst, rose up from her body, "it's people like you that took happiness away from me... and this country is just as turbulent as ever. Marked by people like you and my mother... ruling and intimidating people who just want to live their lives in peace! And I'm sick of it! Why is it the innocent people who must suffer the consequences caused by the ambitions of the guilty?! Why is it always the strong who make the rules while the weak are moved around the board like game pieces?! Why do people like you always get your way while those who strive for happiness are abused!? This country will never become the proud nation that it wants to be with people like you infesting it like a disease!" "...What are you trying to say?" Ryouichi asked curiously. There was an explosion of force as Hinata's smouldering purple aura burned from her body. Her grip of Yoshinaga tightened to the most it could possibly be. She spread apart her sandaled feet, scowled, and seethed, "Hayate was right all along. I never wanted to wield a sword. Never. But if it means doing down devious people like you... people who gut themselves on true sin and blind themselves with their ignorance... I'll send you to hell!" Ryouichi readied his nodachi and watched for Hinata's strike, knowing that she was coming for him. But she was through holding herself back. In one second she stood silently. The next she blurred swiftly from that point. So fast that neither Ryouichi nor Hayate could pick up on it. When she came back into sight, she was shifted directly in Ryouichi's face. The younger woman cried out in total fury, and slashed straight across Ryouichi's chest. Blood splattered against the flagstones. Then she acted again, cutting across the diagonal wound from the other direction. More blood was thrown outwards as Hinata cut him upwards in the opposing direction, creating a cross-shaped wound at Ryouichi's chest. She crouched straight to the ground and concentrated her explosion of power into her one-handed slash. A half-circle motion. One that slashed right at Ryouichi's hand. Or more specifically, right through. Ryouichi's scream was loud. Hayate gasped when he watched the Gun Murderer's fist, the one holding the nodachi, go flying into the air. The sword dropped to the ground with Ryouichi's hand still holding it, while the man himself screamed in agony. Blood dripped from his sliced hand, the bone and muscle freshly revealed. Ryouichi calmed himself slightly though, when Hinata blurred in front of him, sword pointed at his neck. And he stood transfixed to see pure hatred in the eyes of his attacker What he didn't know was that anger was directed at someone else. In Hinata's eyes, she couldn't see Ryouichi, but she saw her mother, Asuka, the one who had betrayed her and ordered the killing of Kanae. The woman who had forsaken her happiness. Hinata's sword shook at the throat of Ryouichi. Hinata looked away one moment, then swung the sword around, hitting Ryouichi across the face with its butt. The Gun Murderer grunted with pain and then collapsed to the ground, knocked out by Hinata's strike. With him down, Hinata held back her tears, falling to her knees. "...I still don't have it in me... to take another human life... no matter how hard I try... am I ready to die... but not ready to bring death to others... he was right. I can't live with death in my heart. Not even for those who deserve it." Hayate scoffed, holding his wound. "That's... not true... Hinata. A woman... might not... have the strength... of a man... but... our ways... those of... the bushi... are determined... by spirit... by soul... and its union... with our... steel. If you hold that... in your heart... then you are... more of a warrior... than a man... like Ryouichi... will ever be... I'm glad you can see... the foul nature... of the world... in which... we are forced... to... live. It makes... my death... easier... to except..." A tear dropped from Hinata's eyes. "...Hayate...?" It was too late. By the time she uttered the first syllable, he was gone. His eyes became glassy with death. Kagami Hayate, the man who had masterminded this rebellion, was now dead. Hinata continued to hold back her tears and looked away. He died without ever knowing if any of his dreams would come true. Just like Kanae. To the south of that part of the courtyard, Hiroko and Takahiro's men had battled their way through the lines of samurai still guarding that section of the castle. Many had been killed since the battle had begun forty minutes ago. But the second half of the dead Hayate's army was now close to taking over the lower half of the castle. Everyone fought as best they could, cutting down their fellow man in the name of a better future. It seemed as if raid on Katsubana-jo was a success. Until a second, and far larger, collection of battle yells screamed out behind them. Hiroko, Takahiro and some of their men looked back in confusion at this. Then saw fresh new soldiers climbing up the grappling hooks they themselves had slung over the southern wall. But these bushi were not of their own forces. Some of them bore the flag-crest of the Osumi clan. Those who were not supremely loyal to the Tokugawa shogunate, but were fully aware of the after-effects of a revolt in a neighbouring han. The Osumi bushi climbed down the south wall of Katsubana-jo, withdrawing their swords with battle cries. Takahiro's hopeful smile fell as the Osumi forces stormed their own, new battles taking place behind them. "Satou must have petitioned the Osumi Clan! We're outnumbered!" "No..." Hiroko said in confusion, "there is no WAY they could have gotten here in time!" "It doesn't matter!" He yelled, "We'll make our stand! Here!" The screams of the dying increased with the new arrival of the Osumi samurai. More men leapt over the walls every few seconds, what was once dozens of Osumi was now reaching a hundred. But Hiroko was just as startled. "Are you crazy?! We're disadvantaged now! If the Osumi are involved then we don't stand a chance! We have to meet with Hayate and retreat, now!" "Trust a woman to show that kind of cowardice!" Takahiro yelled, "I'll die before I run!" Hiroko scowled at him. "You little idiot! This isn't the time for your little yearnings for the life of a bushi! You have a sister to be concerned with, do you not?! If you die, who will live to protect her?! Or didn't you think about that when you planned your ridiculous suicide routine!" That one struck Takahiro. The fate of his sister, Nanase. Which was then that he realized that Hiroko was right. They were out gunned now. The longer they stayed the harder it would be. Their whole plan had been thrown off. Takahiro began yelling 'retreat!' loudly. Once the message got through the 200+ men still left standing, they started to flee, running to the north, which had been secured by Hayate and Masahito's team. The stampede of movement broke out as the soldiers of the rebellion started to scatter north of the courtyard. High above the burning, corpse-littered courtyard, was Katsubana-jo's keep. Inside the top room of the keep was Lord Satou and his retainers. They all whispered to each other about what might be happening below while they waited for news. Eventually a young messenger boy slid open the door and informed them of what was happening, right before he left to gather more news from the samurai of the castle. Lord Satou's smile returned to him as news of the Osumi's interjection spread to him and the retainers. "Hmm..." He mused, "The Osumi, eh? I sense the hand of the Shogunate in this, but it will be to our benefit for now." Then a female voice echoed into the room, from points unknown. "Wrong! The Osumi are here because I informed them of Kagami Hayate's plan! His aim was to crush both you and the Shogunate by motivating support for his rebellion! It had to be stopped! Just like you!" The retainers and the lord himself were startled when a miniature tornado of wind and leaves appeared in the centre of the room. Once it died down, Asakura Riki, the kunoichi spy, landed in a crouched position, smiling. The retainers all reached for their swords, while Lord Satou sneered. "A shadow!? Who are you?!" Riki smiled, her senses knowing that the retainers were ready to attack from both sides "Asakura Riki. Daughter of Asakura Kentarou, and a member of the Kakatsuki Ninja Team of Edo." Satou gripped his fist. "So it was true. The bakufu sent one of their thousand eyes upon us, eh...?" "Exactly," Riki replied, "once word reached us that something suspicious was going on in Natsumura, I was sent to discover what was happening And so I did. Not only was there a rebellion being planned, and not only were you harbouring a known absconder, Minagawa Ryouichi, but you've been lying to the bakufu about the han's annual income. And the topping of that bowl of ramen was the recent bout of extortion by your hands and those of your retainers The rice production. You planned to sell it on and use the excess money to strengthen your military forces, didn't you? Like Hayate, you wanted to take over in one area and spread your influence across the south until you could set up a rival power-base to the one in Edo. You've committed more than a few crimes against the shogunate, Satou Genpachiro. Your path ends here. Once word of this gets back to my superiors in Edo, you're finished." The eight retainers, four on either side of Riki, stood up whilst brandishing their swords before their intended target, one yelling 'what makes you think you'll make its back to Edo!?'. Riki grinned at this. Then fixed both her hands into her side pockets, and withdrawing eight kunai, four in either hand. She then swung her arms around her body, hurling the eight metal daggers in the direction of the eight retainers. Each other dropped backwards as their individual kunai struck them right through their necks, killing them all instantly. The entire group of retainers fell dead in unison, blood seeping from their wounds. Riki just smiled. These old men hadn't seen active combat in years. None of them were a match for her. Lord Satou was left alone, terrified, and without guardians to protect him now. Riki stood up from her crouched position and adjusted her wrist guards. "Anything more?" "You can't do this!" Satou barked, "You can't kill me!" Riki chuckled, pressing her hands into his hips. "Of course not. I'm not here as an assassin. If I were, you'd be dead already. You'll answer directly the court of the Shogun. But I wouldn't expect much in the way of leniency. Kagami Hayate's dream might have died tonight... but his will to take you down will be brought to fruition regardless." Satou growled, surrendering. Even if he made his stand now, Riki would kill him. There was no way out now. The fate of Satou Genpachiro would be decided when he was shunted over to Edo for charging. And it was now that the rebellion began to fizzle out Down in the courtyard, many of the troops had come across Hinata and the corpse in his arms. The corpse of their leader. Kagami Hayate. Two of those people happened to be Hiroko and Takahiro. The attacking forces of the Osumi bushi were held back in vain by the remainder of Hayate's army, giving the leaders of the rebellion the chance to escape. It became clear that Masahito's team also knew the hopelessness of the struggle. He and the rest of his men, numbered now at a sparse seventy-five, retreated from the inner courtyard and the resistance of the keep's bushi. They came back to the front of the outer courtyard and the silent ring of men who observed something in the centre. Masahito walked into the centre of the troops, catching sight of his sister and Takahiro. Then, when he looked in the centre of the ring, he could see his dead master in the arms of Shinmyouji Hinata. Masahito blinked in disbelief. "...H-Hayate...?" Hiroko looked away, tears in the normally strong woman's eyes. Even with the immanent forces of Osumi and Katsubana-jo upon them, they were stunned into silence with the death of their leader. Masahito walked silently towards the corpse, crouching down to he and Hinata. Masahito and Hinata looked each other in the eye. The Shinmyouji girl understood what was expected. And she shifted the body of the Samurai of the Wind into the arms of Masahito. The young boy looked down at his leader, a trail of blood dripping from his now cold lips. Kubo Masahito closed his eyes to hold back his tears, as did those most loyal to his cause. Those who survived the battle And when Masahito looked up again, there was resolve in his eyes. One that Hinata, Hiroko, Takahiro and all Hayate's other supporters took note of. "...This battle is over. We've failed. We've failed to begin the first step in Hayate's dream of a new future of freedom for Nippon. But our day will come. I am sure of it. We'll make it our purpose to carry out his dream through our actions. Men like Satou might never be stopped... but if the hearts those who can band together like we did today... I am sure that one day an unconstrained future will descend upon both us and our children. Just... never forget the first steps..." A lone tear dropped from Masahito's right eye. "...or the ones that help you take them." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "It's a nice day today." Three moons had passed since the failure of Hayate's rebellion. Much had happened. The samurai from the Osumi clan had not continued their aggression once the attack on Katsubana-jo was over. They just helped to expel the rebels at the behest of their lord, who had been contacted a full day ahead of time to send troops to aid in Katsubana-jo's defence. Once the rebellion failed, Lord Satou's closest remaining second, Hanashima Hidenori, would take over until envoys from Edo could come down and survey the situation better. But in Hidenori's first act as leader of Natsumura, he repealed the tough laws that had been recommended to Satou by Ryouichi. Trade with other han was restored, without the need to ask the leadership. The curfew was lifted, the new tax was forgotten, and most of all, people were allowed to leave the area again. Thankfully It was not the result that Hayate and his followers had wanted. But their efforts had done good. The new laws were gone, Satou was no longer a problem and the overstretched rice farmers would finally be able to ease the load that Satou had placed on them The future was rolling along. Slowly, but surely. Now the time had come to bury the past. To the north of the Ichigateki Shrine, was a small hidden clearing of grass, within in the forests. The dead of the Natsumura rebellion were buried here. 178 Satsuma samurai had been killed as well as 184 Higo samurai. The bodies of those men had been taken back to their own han. While the dead samurai from Natsumura/Hyuga, numbering at 98, were buried here in the forest. At the head of all the burial plots was the grave of Hayate Kagami. A wooden post had been staked into the ground before his plot, baring his name. And both his swords, Gentatsu and Matsubana, had been staked into the ground alongside it. The party of Hinata, Masahito, Hiroko, Takahiro and Nanase stood around it. The only one not to know of the truth behind Hayate's death was Nanase. Takahiro felt it better if Nanase did not know about his involvement in the rebellion. Telling her would only worry her. And Hinata certainly shared that view. But they had come here to pay their respects anyway. Masahito fell to a single knee, wiping grass of Hayate's plot. "He will be at peace here. He always liked quiet places." "Yeah," Hiroko, with her Naginata taped up behind her back, said, "we've done him proud. Now we can just concentrate on what you said, brother. Bringing his dreams to light." Hinata pressed her hands into her hips. "Nippon's new future. One where Tokugawa rule is over. Freedom restored. I was taught where I come from that to understand something's weaknesses, one must amerce themselves in it." "You're going to Edo?" Nanase asked. "Yes," Hinata replied with a nod, "it won't be easy, I admit. Travel still is very tightly monitored through the checkpoints. But I want to go anyway. It was thanks to Hayate's actions that I managed to discover something about myself. I think I owe it to him to study the Shogunate" Nanase smiled. Hinata had changed a little in the past three days. She was becoming less cold and more open. She knew that it had something to do with the death of Hayate, but Nanase was thankful for it none the less. And now she was going to Edo. Masahito turned to Hinata and said, "You're going to Edo?" "Uh huh. Why?" "Would you mind," the younger man began, "if my sister and I came with you?" Hinata blinked. "You're also going?" "Yup," Hiroko answered, "we care about Hayate's dream too. But most of all we wanna see a certain someone get what's coming to him at the court of the bakufu." The Shinmyouji girl nodded. "Very well." "It'll be tough!" It was then that an additional voice joined the group. They all became alert, then looked to the short distance ahead of Hayate's grave. A figure stood in one of the tall, thick trees surrounding the clearing. A shadow. And that shadow was, "Asakura Riki?!" Riki smiled from her tree branch. "Glad to see that you remember me, Miss Shinmyouji That was some fine swordsmanship I saw from you at Katsubana-jo. Thanks to you defeating Ryouichi, I was able to place Satou under arrest. Now both Satou and the Gun Murderer will face their fate in Edo. The excess rice created during Satou's rule will be given by Hidenori to the people to ease their hunger. I'm just sorry that I was forced to notify the Osumi Clan of your plan." Hiroko scowled angrily. "So it was YOU?!" "Yes," Riki then made the two-fingered sign and surrounded herself in wind and leaves. Her body then zipped from the top of the branch down to ground level, unguarded, and she said, "but I'm truly sorry about what happened to Hayate. He was a good man. But my duty comes first. And protecting the Tokugawa rule is my duty. By any means necessary. But if nothing else, at least his sacrifice has helped stop two men who personify the corruption of the government. The next time we meet, if there is a next time, I hope that the situation between us will be different. Goodbye." More wind and leaves surrounded the young woman in a rising tornado, swallowing her whole ninja-garbed body. Hinata, Nanase, Masahito, Hiroko and Takahiro watched Asakura Riki vanish into the air once again, no longer to be seen. Masahito shook his head, lowering his hand from his sword. "I have a feeling that we will see that one again." "Well, there's no point in staying here any longer," Hiroko turned to Hinata and her brother, "shall we go?" They both nodded to her. Hiroko and Masahito took one last look at Kagami Hayate's grave then walked past the other graves towards the exit. Hinata stayed as she was for a moment, then looked over to Nanase. One of them was seeing this as a goodbye. The other saw this as the beginning of something special. Hinata looked at Nanase in earnest. "Thank you for everything, Nanase." "Don't say that to me. You can't leave," Nanase said, "without taking me with you. I want to come with you to Edo, Miss Shinmyouji" An astounded look came from Hinata's face when she heard that one. She looked over at Takahiro for his reaction, but he remained silent, still partly in shock over all that had happened. He crossed his arms and gave Hinata a hard expression, serious. "Take care of my sister." Takahiro seemed to have no objections. At least not any that he voiced himself. All that was left of the situation was Hinata's acceptance. It came just as Nanase wanted it to. A smile was shared between the two when the samurai woman nodded, letting Nanase come with her. They would be back one day. But Nanase couldn't wait that long to see Hinata. Not even if Kanae was still master of the brown-haired swordswoman's heart. Nanase gave Takahiro a long-lasting hug, saying 'goodbye, brother', then joined with Hinata once more. Takahiro watched them all leave, then turned back to Hayate's grave. Hinata and Nanase walked together a distance behind Hiroko and Masahito, towards the exit path of the clearing. While walking, Nanase looked over to Hinata, asking. "Miss Shinmyouji?" "...Yes, Nanase?" The Natsumura girl smiled at her. "You seem somehow different from when I first met you. Did something happen?" "In a way," Hinata said, "I had a battle with a certain man And when I looked into his eyes, hearing his words, I felt the presence of my mother somehow. Through him, I was able to say the things that I did not have to courage to say to my mother. I think doing that allowed me to chase away some of the demon's in my heart. And it made me understand that I can no longer remained shackled to memories of my past. As much as I love Kanae... she is gone. I have to look to the future. To live as she would have wanted me to, in freedom and happiness. I see that that should be my way from now on." Nanase widened her smile. "I see." "Now. Could you fulfil a request of mine?" "Yes?" The shorter girl wondered, "what is it?" Hinata locked hands with her, provoking a blush from the cheeks of the younger woman. "Please... stop calling me Miss Shinmyouji. I would like it if you could regard me by my true name. Hinata." To that, Nanase bashfully bobbed her head. It seemed that her future with Shinmyouji Hinata was not quite as bleak as she had thought it would be. And Hinata herself had entered another stage of her life by seeking to go to Edo. The Summer, the period of maturity and conflict and love. It was another node on the eternal wheel The Circle of One. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ END OF CIRCLE OF ONE (ASUKA MONOGATARI) ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Terms ------- Hyakushou: Farmers/Villagers. Koku: A unit of rice (44.8 gallons/180 litres) that was used to measure an individual's wealth and a place's theoretical productivity. One koku was held to be enough rice to feed one man for a year. Joukamachi: Castle town. Waraji: Straw sandals. Han: The domain of a daimyo. Daimyo: Regional lords, those with land worth more than 10,000 koku. Shogun: Military ruler of Japan; a shortening of Sei to shogun, or 'Barbarian-quelling general/marshal'. The rank of shogun was originally given on a temporary basis to those leading campaigns against the ainu, the first such commission being given to Otomo Yakemochi in 784. Following the Minamoto's triumph in the Gempei War (1180-1185), Minamoto Yoritomo received the title shogun in 1192 and made it a hereditary position. The Minamoto were in time followed by the Ashikaga (founded by Ashikaga Takauji in 1338) and the Tokugawa (founded by Ieyasu in 1603). The rank of shogun was finally dispensed with when Tokugawa Yoshinobu resigned from that post in 1867. Shogunate: Team used to describe the government of a shogun. Doshin: Term for Edo Period 'police officers', subordinate to Yoriki Yoriki: Edo Period police official. 50 Yoriki operated in Edo at any given time and answered to the machi-bugyo they were assigned under. Ryo: Unit of gold currency, worth 60 monme or 4 kan. Wakizashi: Short sword worn with the katana, one half of the daisho. Katana: Traditional long sword of the samurai constructed through the folding and refolding of a bar of hot metal thousands of times. Renowned for its toughness and cutting ability, the katana or tachi-replaced the bow as the primary weapon of the samurai during the later Kamakura period, although it was often secondary to a short spear (yari) in battle. Kirisutogomen: The right of a samurai to slay disrespectful members of the lower classes in the Edo Period. Bushi: A name for a samurai, one who follows bushido. Seiza: The distinctly Japanese sitting position, legs folded underneath the body (this term was taken from a modern Japanese dictionary, the term for this sitting position may have differed in the Edo period). Bakufu: 'Tent/Camp government' term used to refer the shogunate or, in the case of the Hojo Regency, the military government. Bakufu could also be more narrowly applied to the headquarters of the shogunate. -jo: Affix indicating a castle (i.e. Osaka-Jo, Chihaya-jo). Ishigaki: Stone castle walls. Sokotsu-shi: The act of committing suicide to make up for an offence or failure to one's lord. Seppuku: Ritual suicide: the act of killing one's self by slitting open his belly. Possibly first carried out by Minamoto Yorimasa in 1180, seppuku came to be the 'official' manner of suicide for a samurai, and was prohibited for all other classes. In time, seppuku came to take on religious connotations, but in essence the exceedingly painful manner of dying it brought was a mark of grim pride to the samurai-a final test of his bravery. By the 16th Century a 'second' (or kaishaku) had been added to the ritual, to limit the amount of suffering the samurai who was to die would experience. When a female member of a samurai house committed seppuku, she almost always did so by slitting her own throat (note: Satou's cruelty is shown when he does not allow his two bushi a kaishaku). Chonin: A class term for merchants and artisans, who figured in below the peasants and above outcasts on the social scale. Bakuhan: Modern term used to describe the Tokugawa (bakufu) rule over the domains of the daimyo (han). Tansen: A cash tax levied against the value of a holding by a shugo or daimyo. Kamishimo: Formal samurai attire consisting of a kimono, hakama, and kataginu. During the Edo Period, kamishimo become more 'everyday wear'. Yojimbo: A bodyguard. Ryukyu: Historical name for Okinawa. Hakama: Large, skirt-like pants worn over a kimono, typically worn by samurai-especially in the Edo Period. A shorter version, a han could be found among lower-class samurai and outside classes. Kataginu: Stiff-shouldered sleeveless jacket worn by samurai over a kimono along with hakama in formal circumstances. Kimono: Standard every-day wear throughout Japanese history, designed in part to keep its wearer cool during the summertime. Kimonos were made from cotton, hemp, or silk, depending on the station of the wearer, and changed styles frequently over the centuries. Formal kimono-as a court noble or important samurai might wear-was made of fine silk and was bilious, with especially long sleeves and reaching to the floor Peasants and foot soldiers often wore half-kimonos-which allowed easy movement and-perhaps more importantly-were cheap. Kunoichi: A female ninja. We don't think we need to explain what that is. ^_^ Naginata: A mid-sized pole-arm topped with a curving blade popular in the Heian Period. Originally the weapon of a foot soldier, the Naginata came to be known as the favoured weapon of the warrior monks (sohei) and women. The Naginata was not otherwise in general use by the 16th Century. No-dachi: 'Field Sword', an extremely large two-handed sword fairly popular in the 15th and 16th Centuries, essentially an over-sized tachi. Surviving examples from the Muromachi Period include no-dachis almost 6 feet long. Samurai are said to have brought them to Korea (1593) in some number to use as a psychological weapon against Korean soldiers. Kago-sho: A peasant petition to the shogunate, indicating a han's leadership for abuses People who gave this petition knew that they would be executed for their insolence, whether the han's leadership was charged or not. Heian-kyo: Historical name for Kyoto. Sumi: A block of black ink. Gosankyou: The Hitotsubashi, Shimizu, and Tayasu houses of the Tokugawa Family. Daisho: Sword pair formed by the katana and wakizashi and worn by the samurai. Francis Xavier: A Spanish-Christian missionary who toured throughout Asia. Amaterasu: The Sun Goddess of Japanese mythos who is believed to have had connections with the land itself. Jimmu: The first Emperor of Japan and the 'grandson' of Amaterasu. (Fictional Terms) Circle of One: A principle based on the Christian teachings of Francis Xavier. The idea is that life is a neverending cycle, passing through four stages (marked by Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter) and continues with the birth of a descendant. While the base principles are inherently Japanese in nature -- the Christian teachings of Xavier pass through them (i.e. references to 'Kami-sama' and anti-homosexual undertones). Yon-Me no Boufuu: 'Four Eyes of the Hurricane'. A fictional contingent of four samurai elite -- whose sole purpose is to defend the Shogunate and the Tokugawa Family within the confides of Edo. Inohara-Tanabe Cavalry: A fictional cavalry of a rebel army who stood against the Shogunate in a small uprising near the future Yokohama. Fukusu Harada: 'Multiple Body'.
Back to Circle of One: Asuka Monogatari Index - Back to Original Fiction Shoujo-Ai Fanfiction