Fuel to the Fire

Chapter 5


Tatsumaki followed the path to the village as indicated by Yume. He had left her behind to rest. It seems they had spent the entire night on horseback, but he still had no idea where she had brought him. The only thing he could see was the thick trees and the sun’s halo glowing through the fog. Continuing on his trek, Tatsu could see the outlines of buildings. He passed several one-room huts until he reached what appeared to be the center of this small village. Yet no one was there to greet him. At the center of the semicircle of homes was the village well. There should have been numerous people here, gathering water for cooking and for laundry. There were a total of fifteen homes, but they couldn’t be abandoned. He had heard voices just this morning, and there was the child he had talked to as well.

“You will find no one here at this time of day,” Tatsu heard from behind. He whirled around, searching for the origin of the voice, but all he could see was the slowly thinning mist. “These are strong working people, you do not belong among us. Go back to the emperor,” it said. Tatsu turned again, but the voice was not coming from the ground level. Someone was in the trees, possibly the same person who was watching them this morning. “How do you know who I work for? Are you an official spy as well? Afraid to show yourself to a fellow comrade?” Tatsu asked upward, trying to provoke his rival into action.

Tatsu heard a rustle among the trees, then a figure formed in the mist ahead of him. He was a tall man, a few inches taller than himself. His body was lean in his camouflage, green as the trees he was using for hiding. He seemed young, but he sported a long, gray ponytail. As he approached Tatsu, the man’s harsh nature became apparent with the long scar running down his face, crossing his left eye. The eye itself was a translucent gray, mismatched against his green right eye. “You seem out of place yourself,” Tatsu said as the other man sized him up. The man wrinkled his nose at Tatsu, then turned around to head in the opposite direction. “She says I should trust you, that you would not bring harm to our people,” he said, stopping to make sure he had Tatsu’s attention. “But as an outsider, she has earned our trust. You have not.”

Tatsumaki felt the anger filling his body with something akin to jealousy. “So, are you Arashi?” The stranger laughed in the distance, following the path back to Yume’s hut. “No, I believe you have met Arashi already. He is the sneaky lad who likes to watch the women bathe. Must be what happens when a boy is raised by a group of women.” The last comment prompted Tatsu to chase after the man. He went to take hold of the man’s arm, but he moved so fast that Tatsu couldn’t stop him from grabbing his own wrist, forcing it behind his back and pushing him to his knees. “You do not want to make me an enemy, Tatsumaki. I only tolerate your existence because she asked me to.”

“I am no threat to you. But you said he was raised by women, where are the men of this village? I heard children laughing earlier, so does that mean all these women are yours?” Tatsu heard the man behind him take a deep breath. “You should know where the men are. They are all employed by the same man who fills your pockets with gold,” he said, releasing Tatsu’s wrist. Tatsumaki watched in awe as the man continued down the dirt path. The truth of his words was settling in, reminding him of a conversation long forgotten. “I heard a story once, about a village in the northern woods, and this village was filled with ninja for hire. The layout of the village was such that it was always shrouded in mist, hence the name of the clan that lived there. Moya, I think it was,” Tatsu said, getting back to his feet to follow the man. “I worked a job in Osaka with another government spy. I believe his name was Asahi.” Tatsu watched as the man stopped at the name, turning back to Tatsu. “Were you the one with him at his demise:”

Tatsu nodded. The man looked to the sky, watching the sun as hit its midday peak. “He never wanted to be a spy. He was too busy telling stories to learn our ways of survival. His parents were deeply saddened because he was the last male born to this village, the last hope of our survival in the future.” Tatsu looked back to the man, confused. “Wait, what about the boy from this morning?” “He is an orphan from the outside. The village adopted him and his sister when they were babies. They are the only chance we have left to keep this village and its secrets alive.”

Tatsu could see Yume’s home in the distance, but he didn’t want to go back yet. She needed her rest, and maybe this man could answer questions that he was not ready to ask Yume herself. “What is Yume to you?” Tatsu asked, dreading the answer he might receive. “I found her a few years back. She had been traveling on the Tokaido road, heading for Tokyo. I was returning from a job in Yokohama when I found her. Her body was beaten and bruised, her mind surrendering to a vicious fever. It was weeks before she was able to speak or even move around on her own. The trees were shedding their leaves before we learned about her condition and previous occupation.” ‘Her condition? What did that mean?’ Tatsu looked to see the man watching him, trying to read his expressions. “That doesn’t answer my previous question, why do you need to watch her now?” Tatsu asked, trying to keep the rage out of his voice.

“Unfortunately you will get no more of her secrets from me. I will only tell you this; she is the one I need. She keeps me from succumbing to the darkness that flows in my veins. I am the one she needs right now, however you are the one she wants,” he said, making his way back toward the woods. He looked toward the sky again, and sighed. “You know, she calls your name in her nightmares. I hope you are not the cause of her bad dreams.” With that, he leapt into the nearest tree, and disappeared into the forest. Tatsu was still staring at where the man had been standing, “What?!” he yelled into the trees. He was still fuming when he heard a woman’s laughter. “Don’t let Miki get to you,” Yume said from her doorway. Tatsu moved toward her, grabbing her arm and dragging her inside. “Hey!” she yelled, pulling free from his grasp. “Is what he said true? He found you on the Tokaido road? Where were you going, and why were you traveling alone?” he asked, staring at her back as she grabbed more wood for the fire.

“I was following you. I may have been gone from your sights after only a few months, but you were never far from mine,” she said bitterly, taking a seat near the fire. She turned her tired eyes to him, the anger still noticeable on her face as she nodded to the pot hanging over the pit. “There’s a basket behind you with rice in it. We need to eat.” Lunch was eaten in silence. Tatsu watched her closely, her hands shakily holding the bowl. Was she cold, angry, or was she afraid of something? Under the fire’s light, he could see thin streaks of silver in her hair. She was barely in her twenty-sixth year, yet she was aging so quickly. Yume was the first to break the tense silence. As she stood to collect their bowls, she said, “Miki brought me here almost five years ago. I had gotten into some trouble with foreigners in Yokohama. It seems even foreign men would prefer their women to not object to their advances. The next thing I remember I’m waking up in this hut, staring at the ceiling. When I tried to move, a man’s arm across my chest tensed and forced me back down.”

Yume watched as Tatsu’s face turned red. She laughed again, “Easy boy, it was nothing like that. Miki said my dreams were so violent that I was thrashing around in my sleep and reopening my wounds.” She paused to watch Tatsu again, obviously tossing these thoughts around in his head. “Anyway, to make a long story short, as payment for their protection, I’ve been helping the women here learn the art of seduction, and they have been teaching me more about the art of stealth. You see, the women here work for the government just like the men. The Moya Clan runs that bathhouse where you found me. All information that comes to us during the throes of passion is relayed to the emperor. Then you dogs are sent out to do his bidding.”

The flow of information was coming in faster than Tatsu could comprehend what she was telling him. The strain of understanding must have shown on his face because Yume stopped speaking. Before Tatsu could ask another question, Miki entered the hut. “The village is quiet now. The women are readying themselves to head back to the city. We need to rest, we have watch duty tonight,” he stated. Looking at Tatsu, he said, “You are welcome to share our home while you stay in this village. You’ll be on duty tonight too, so you need to rest as well.” ‘Our home?’ “I’m fine, I just need to get some air. Maybe a dip in the river…” Tatsu said, heading out the doorway.

Yume settled herself on the futon while Miki sat against the wall next to her. “Did you tell him?” he asked as Yume pulled the blanket over her head. “I’ll take that as a ‘no’. You can’t tell him only parts of the story and have the ending make sense.” Yume snorted under the cover. The last thing she needed right now was another lecture from an overprotective, territorial man. “He saw my scar. It’s only a matter of time before he asks the right question.” Miki sat quietly with his legs tucked underneath him, a small kunai tucked away in his right hand. He listened to her breathing as it grew slow and heavy in her quick slumber. He leaned over and whispered in her ear, “Do not fear rejection from him, for he is still in love with you.”