Fuel to the Fire

Chapter 11


The revelation hung in the air for several moments. Only Emiko’s somber cries broke the unsteady silence. She no longer fought Tosa’s arms, but simply used them as support. Yume still griped her shamisen, her anger observable in her whitened knuckles. She wanted to save him, but Tatsu took his eyes off of the ceiling for only a moment to shake his head, discouraging any action by Yume.

“Ayame, what do you hope to accomplish here?” he asked, trying not to provoke the blade against his throat.

Turning the knife to the side, Ayame used it to rub against his face, the tip scraping a thin line along his jaw. “Oh, it all comes back to my pathetic husband. My poor Asahi, he was never the warrior his family expected him to be. He couldn’t live up to the standards of the other men. Because his skills were limited, we were given the duty of repopulating the village.

“Well, he wasn’t even up to that simple task. So the village council, led by his own father, decided he was not worthy enough to carry on its traditions. Asahi was finally sent out on a mission for the Emperor. ‘Reconnaissance’ he said,” Ayame spat out the last words, tightening her grip on Tatsu’s hair. He closed his eyes, the conclusion of her story was evident.

“It was supposed to make us normal, if not equals to the others. But two days later, he was murdered in the night along with the rest of his team, all members save one,” she said, slinking her body around to face Tatsu again. Ayame moved the knife down the front of his chest, another line of blood blossoming along his pale skin. Inching closer to his face, she whispered, “And then one day, that lone survivor showed up, searching for his bitch and his bastard children…”

Without warning, the main door slid open and several of the Imperial Guard filtered into the room. Tatsu watched as one stood to guard Yume while three others flanked the Tosa governor. Tatsu heard the gasps as the men finally realized the blood bath that they had entered into. The additional audience did not spook Ayame.

“It seems I am out of time, Tatsumaki. It’s time you bleed for what I’ve lost,” she said, rising to stand over him. Ayame turned the kunai in her hand, positioning it for a downward stab when a flash of black and silver appeared from above. The tub rocked with the force of the additional member. In a single breath, Ayame dropped her arm, the blade slipping into the murky water as blood trickled from her mouth and ears. Her eyes rolled back as her body slumped to its knees. When she fell, Tatsu found Miki standing in her place. Relieved at the ninja’s arrival, he looked back to his captor. The hilt of a sword was protruding from the top of her head, driven deep from the velocity of Miki’s drop from the ceiling. Miki offered Tatsu his hand for assistance.

“Think you could have waited any longer?” Tatsu said, rising to look his rival in the eye.

Miki simply shrugged, turning his attention to the Tosa governor who was still holding Emiko. The man was in a state of panic now; the scene playing out before him had absolutely no correlation to his reason for being there.

“Tamaki Ayato, Governor of Tosa prefecture, you are under arrest for suspicion of treasonous acts against the Emperor and the nation of Japan…” the main guard read from the list of charges.

Yume walked around her guard, waving to Emiko. “Emiko, it’s over. Are you with us or with him?” she asked as the charges continued.

Emiko looked to Yume, then back to Tamaki. Three guards raised their rifles in anticipation of a revolt from Tamaki who simply released Emiko from his protection. Caressing her arms with a lover’s touch, he leaned forward to whisper in her ear. Emiko nodded in response to his secret words, then moved toward Yume.

“That’s a good girl,” Yume said quietly, trying to coax the woman out of the line of fire.

“Do you understand these charges as they have been presented here?” stated the head guard.

That’s when the room dissolved into the next layer of chaos. Tatsu and Miki were moving along the back wall, working their way to Yume. Yume was proceeding to help the frantic Emiko. Tamaki nodded his understanding to the guards, and exited the cooling water of his tub. He slowly approached the nearest guard who carried the scroll of charges, his hands out in front of him in preparation for cuffing. In the man’s belt was a short sword that quickly found its way through the guard’s throat and into his stomach, a spray of blood painting Tamaki’s naked flesh. He had slain the man before anyone could physically see what happened. Tamaki was so swift that he ducked behind the gutted man’s body to use it as a shield for the first barrage of rifle fire. With the round spent, Tamaki kicked the man’s body from the sword and drew closer to the first line of defense.

The second line came through the door as Miki returned to the bloody tub, yanking his own sword from Ayame’s shriveling corpse. He turned back in time to hear Emiko’s warrior cry as it was drowned out under the second round of gunfire.

Yume froze as she surveyed the damage. Emiko hung from Tamaki’s arms, three holes in her body. Her head lolled backward as the human shield exhaled her last breath. Yume sank to her knees, the weight of losing two friends, not only to betrayal but to death as well, pressed hard on her soul. Tamaki tossed Emiko’s body away and cut a path through the second line, escaping without so much as a scratch.

More screams from outside sent Miki after the fugitive as Tatsu fumbled over bodies to reach Yume. The remaining live guards followed Miki, leaving the couple amongst the carnage. Tatsu quickly collected the quiet woman in his arms, holding her tight against his bare skin and feeling how cold her own body had become.

“Come on, baby,” he whispered, rocking her back and forth. “We’re done now. Our job is finished here.”

Yume opened her eyes and peered over Tatsu’s shoulder. Emiko’s body was a mere five feet away, soaking in a pool of her own blood. Her lifeless eyes stared back at Yume, her hand stretched above her head as if begging for Yume’s help. Yume pushed away from Tatsu, and closed her eyes from the bloodiest scene she had ever been involved with. A woozy feeling spread quickly through her weary body.

“I’m sorry, Tatsu, I have to leave the room before their souls call out to me,” she said.

~*~*~

The scene outside the bathhouse was in a similar state of disorder. Four more guards scattered the grounds, their lives taken by Tamaki’s stolen blade. Miki came over to the couple after speaking to the guard in charge. He grabbed Tatsu’s arm.

“May I have a word with you?” he whispered, trying to cover his fear for Yume’s sake.

Tatsu nodded and told Yume to stay put, then followed Miki back inside. He sifted through the dresser for his clothing while Miki filled him in.

“He has the children,” Miki stated, bowing his head to avoid Tatsu’s eyes.

Tatsu had one leg inside his hakama pants, then paused when it seemed his breath was beaten from his gut.

“They were taken last night, before the fire. The women fought to save them, but the army Tamaki sent in just cut down everyone in their path. Once everyone was dead, they set fire to cover up the evidence. Their burned flesh could not cover up their sword wounds.”

“Why?” Tatsu interrupted. “Why did not tell me before?”

Miki watched the man struggling to keep his composure. “What could you have done from here? Both of us could not have forgone our duties to the Emperor, our first priority. I was the only non-essential member. While you were sleeping the day away, I was covered in the burial dirt of our comrades. So please, do not argue with me on this.”

Tatsu’s anger was simmering as he finished dressing. Standing at his full height, he was eye-to-eye with Miki, forcing the man to raise his head. Tatsu stared into the man’s mismatched eyes, contemplating blinding him entirely. But he decided for now that they needed this alliance for the Emperor’s protection, and for Yume’s.

The two men left the bathhouse again. The guards on the street were resuming their formations, preparing for another attack. Strategists surrounded maps on the dirt path, and other men were busy restocking their munitions. Tatsumaki looked around for Yume, but didn’t see her among the guards or the other women.

He looked to Miki, who only shrugged. Tatsu ran into the group of guards. “Has anyone seen the lady with the shamisen?”

They looked between each other, then shook their heads. Tatsu bowed his thanks, then posed the same question to the women. The hostess came forward, carrying Yume’s shamisen.

“She hopped into one of our taxis just a moment ago, saying she had some business to take care of,” she said.

Shouts approached from the side of the house. “Hey! There’s another body over here!”

Tatsu followed Miki and the others to the separate body. Tamaki’s sword was protruding from the man’s nude body, his clothing stripped from him before death. The hostess approached to peek around Tatsu.

“Hey, that’s our regular taxi runner. Why would someone want to kill him?”