“Hai, Oyabun,” Hideki said.

  “Well, I’m surprised. That is the first command you’ve obeyed tonight,” Nichi said.

  Hideki bowed. “Gomen, Oyabun.”

  Nichi smiled. “If I thought you meant it, I might be impressed. You are one strange person, ronin.”

  Hideki nodded as they split up and departed. The fact that Nichi was the last one to leave the compound was not lost on Hideki.

  When they were several streets distant and the one-eyed man was able to hit a rhythm in his walk, carrying him became easier as the exertion lessened.

  Yoshi asked Hideki, “How do you manage to constantly have one foot in the binjo and the other in cherry blossoms?”

  Hideki kept looking straight ahead.

  “It’s a gift,” he said.

  Chapter 13: New Beginnings

  Luckily, they did not have to drag Jubei too far. When Ieyasu Tokugawa set up his capital in Edo, it was mostly swamp and marsh. He lowered an entire mountain so that his castle would be the highest point for miles. He used the earth to fill in the marshes and bogs surrounding the bay, then he set about trying to bring water to the town.

  When he first arrived, there were three wells. With only a few hundred town folk, three wells were more than enough. However, with Ieyasu’s winning at Sekigahara in 1600 and the declaration of shogun in 1603, getting water to the burgeoning town became a priority. A series of wells with canals and rechanneling of rivers followed. The result was, if you were an Edoko and wanted to transport something heavy, you had two choices. The first was to fight the foot traffic and meandering roads through the capital. The second was to find one of the town’s people who made their living on takase-bune, the barges and small boats that populated the waterways. The grid layout of the rivers and canals was much easier to travel, especially if one wished to remain unobserved.

  “Seems you’ve made an enemy of the big dumb one,” Yoshi said. “He hasn’t slowed down to help us once.”

  “I’m afraid so,” Hideki said as he adjusted his grip on Jubei’s arm. “I knocked him unconscious in the cell.”

  Yoshi smiled. “I would have paid good money to see that.”

  In between ragged breathing, Jubei interjected, “It was quite a sight, even with one good eye.”

  “Save your strength Jubei,” Hideki chided. “We don’t know how much further we have to walk.”

  Goro stopped up ahead and yelled at someone, though he was too far away for any of the three to hear.

  “Well, at least he’s not yelling at us,” Yoshi mused.

  “Fune,” Jubei said, indicating a boat.

  “If you keep talking, Jubei–san, we’re going to let you walk on your own,” Yoshi warned.

  Nevertheless, Jubei was correct. When the trio caught up to Goro, he had two shallow-draft barges ready. One was for him and one for the three of them. Goro gave the owners of the barges their instruction, and off they went.

  Jubei curled up in the bow on some canvas and went to sleep. “Best medicine for him,” Yoshi whispered.

  “Do you have any idea where we are?” Hideki asked.

  “These little canals all flow into the Kanda canal, so I would guess that Nichi’s hideout is in Nihonbashi or Kajibashi right on the main canal. It would be easy for the Gumsumgumi to hide amongst the warehouses and shops, and he’d have easy access by road and a back door on the water,” Yoshi surmised.

  “Makes sense,” Hideki said as he scratched inside his kimono, first on one side and then the other.

  “Pick up some friends in the cell?” Yoshi asked.

  Hideki was not listening. He was wondering how he was going to get back to the Yoshinobu estate in Kanda.

  “You’ve picked up fleas, Hideki. You need a hot bath,” Yoshi said.

  “I need a lot of things, Yoshi,” Hideki sighed. “I need to know what I’m going to do at the castle. I cannot help Naga. My presence will only cause him grief. I need to know how people that I believe to be honorable like the Gumsumgumi turn out to be thieves, whoremongers, and gamblers. I need to know why the police are so corrupt and why the magistrate condones it. I need to know why everything is so upside down from the way I was taught it should be.”

  “All good questions, young master. But the best question has to do with what you are going to do to change it.”

  Hideki shook his head in frustration. “What can I do? I am only one man and not very experienced, as you may have noticed.”

  “I noticed the same thing Musashi and Jubei did. I noticed a young, idealistic samurai who has the courage of his teachings, right on his side, a love of Bushido, and maybe a chance to influence the government,” Yoshi said firmly.

  “Is that why you are still with me and not with your young wife?” Hideki asked.

  “Musashi has been talking again, I see,” Yoshi said.

  “He says you are a newlywed and a man of some responsibility in your village. He also said you were a man to be trusted,” Hideki repeated.

  “Kind words from the Sword Saint.”

  “Don’t you miss her?” Hideki asked.

  “Certainly. Once you are married, you become a team. You don’t feel right without her,” Yoshi said as he momentarily stared into the distance as if his wife were visible on the horizon.

  “So why are you still here?” Hideki asked.

  “Because if she were here, she’d tell me to do what I’m doing. Anyone can kill for money. How often do you get a chance to make history?” Yoshi asked.

  “Is that what we’re doing, making history?”

  “Well so far all you’re doing is making people angry and leaving a trail of broken bones. But with Jii’s guidance, your brother’s character, and your code of honor, the timing is right for some interesting things to happen,” Yoshi speculated.

  “What kind of things? Do you think they will actually appoint Naga shogun?”

  “How would I know? I am a country assassin. But the primary heir to the shogunate is a known homosexual whose main support is from a conniving cutthroat wet nurse and whose mother is supporting the second son, a known lunatic, even Naga looks good,” Yoshi laughed, adding, “He certainly looked good to Hanzo’s daughter Yuki.” “Ouch,” Hideki said. They both looked to the bow of the boat as Jubei rose to a sitting position.

  “Did you say Yuki?” he asked.

  “Yes, Jubei, Hanzo Yuki; she and Hideki’s older brother Naga are in love,” Yoshi replied.

  “I see,” Jubei said and went back to sleep.

  “What was that all about?” Hideki asked.

  “You really don’t know who you rescued, do you?” Yoshi asked.

  “Jubei? He’s a ronin.”

  “That may be true, but he is also the heir to the Yagyu family. He is the celebrated sword instructor to the shogun and one-time director of the metsuke. He is Yagyu Jubei, who has been missing for the past year,” Yoshi said. “Everybody thought he was dead.”

  Hideki just stared at Yoshi. “Which foot is that, the binjo or the cherry blossom?”

  “Too soon to tell, young prince, but it will surely win you points with papa Yagyu,” Yoshi speculated. “I’m not sure about Naga, though, as Jubei and Yuki were supposed to be engaged.”

  The boats pulled into a small dock in an area with long buildings lining each side of the wide canal. It was a short walk to a side street with two-and three-story buildings on each side of the narrow street. These were not heartless hovels. These were substantial buildings with many rooms and many businesses on the street level. There were craft shops for gold, silver, and tin. There were restaurants. There were umbrella makers. There were more signs for businesses than Hideki had ever seen in one spot. “Kajibashi,” Yoshi uttered.

  Goro led them to a building that took up a whole city block. In the center was an upscale hotel with an ornate wooden front carved like a temple. Two large cloth banners announced “The Traveler’s Rest.” There were greeters who met the four inside the building reception area. Here they washed their feet and hands and drank tea to refresh themselves. Goro gave orders and everyone went scrambling to obey. Then Goro disappeared into the bowels of the building. The banto-sama of the hotel came over and made introductions. Two large men accompanied him.

  “I am Sasuke. I am the manager of the hotel. You are to be our guests. I have rooms awaiting you and a doctor is on the way for your friend. These men will assist him to his room. His room is one the doctor is well aware of as we use it as an infirmary. We have a bath in the back of the hotel. Please make yourself comfortable in your rooms and then proceed to the bath at your discretion. Our Oyabun will arrive shortly and he expects a large banquet. You are to be the guests of honor. You will find clean clothes in your rooms. Please follow me.”

  The two large men picked up Jubei as if he were a feather and laid him gently on a futon. One produced water to drink. A young woman came in and moved everyone out so she could bathe Jubei before the doctor arrived.

  Hideki and Yoshi followed Sasuke to their rooms. “I don’t want to intrude on the Oyabun’s bath. When should we head to the ofudo?” Hideki asked.

  “Oh, the Oyabun will take a bath in the other wing of the hotel as will most of his men. The bath out back is for real guests. You will most likely not be disturbed. Please enjoy your stay,” Sasuke said.

  “You go ahead Hideki,” Yoshi said. “I have some errands to run before I retire, and I don’t think I’m expected at the banquet.”

  “Have it your way Yoshi, but you are expected by me,” Hideki said.

  “Thank you, but a good ninja knows when to duck back into the shadows.”

  “Well, that is the second time you’ve saved my life. Thank you,” Hideki said.

  “No need, Lord,” Yoshi said.

  Hideki peered into his well-appointed room and turned to bid Yoshi goodnight, only there was no one there. “Like talking to a ghost,” Hideki said to himself.

  Hideki needed a bath. The fleas were eating him alive. It was late and most guests were in their rooms asleep. Hideki wandered back to the main lobby and then down the corridor to the rear. He actually had to leave by the hotel’s back entrance and enter a small compound to get to the ofudo.

  Once he stepped into the compound, a clerk sitting at a small desk to the right bowed to him. In front of the clerk was a small box with coins of many denominations. Hideki did not have any money on him. The police at Hatchibori confiscated all he had. However, the clerk bowed low and handed Hideki a large wooden bowl, a small towel, a sponge, and a small, polished stick with an edge.

  Hideki bowed and moved to the washing area. There he stripped, placed his swords within easy reach and began to scoop up water from the pool in the center of the room. He doused himself several times and proceeded to abrade his skin with the sponge. After several more dousings, he ran the edge of the polished stick over his body. Then placing his thoroughly wet clothes in a box he took up his swords and towel and continued down wooden stairs to a roofed pavilion.

  The roof was red cedar and supported by massive wooden poles set in a rock wall that surrounded a large onsen, or outside bath. The heat of the water created mist as it met the cooler night air. There were no buildings behind the onsen as the property sloped away toward a large canal. Hideki had the bath to himself. “Heaven,” he thought.

  He entered the water slowly as the heat burned his skin and he could barely stand the temperature. He kept stepping down further and further into the hot water. He placed the small towel between his legs hoping for some escape from the scalding water, careful to keep the swords in his right hand above the surface. Exposing himself to this liquid furnace was challenging.

  He stepped further down, slowly letting the heat eat into his body. As he adjusted to it, he took in the surroundings. A few paper lanterns hung above the water around the rock wall. It illuminated an area of about two shaku around the lantern. He could not see much, just the dull outline of the wall and the lights of the city in the distance. An occasional firefly blinked on the edges of the wall. When he was waist deep, Hideki moved to the side of the onsen and found a rock bench below the waterline. He placed his swords on top of the rock wall within easy reach and he sat down slowly. The heat soaked his body and melted his cares. It felt good. He felt perspiration develop on his scalp. Forgetting where the small towel had been moments before, he used it to wipe his brow. He was almost asleep when interrupted by a feminine voice. “Gomen samurai-san, may I share your bath?”

  Hideki snapped awake. He looked at the entrance of the small onsen and saw the outline of a naked female body about to step into the water. “I suppose so. It is not my onsen.”

  As she moved gracefully into the water, Hideki noticed two things. First, she did not have to adjust to the heat as he had done. She just walked into it as if it were not hot. Secondly, she used the small square towel to cover her breasts and private parts. Everything but her face was in view. It was very disturbing. For the first time, he was glad of the heat from the onsen and the darkness. No one could see him blush.

  She moved to a seat on the opposite side of the pool from Hideki. She sighed as the heat penetrated her body. Hideki felt like he should say something, but he did not know what to say, so he kept quiet.

  “I’m sorry to disturb your bath, samurai-san,” she said out of the darkness.

  “You are not disturbing me,” Hideki said. “But how did you know I am a samurai?” Hideki asked.

  “The swords are a dead giveaway,” she said sweetly.

  “You must have eyes like a cat to see the swords in this darkness.”

  “I see sufficiently well, samurai-san. For instance, I can see that you are young and athletic and do not cut your hair in the style of Edo samurai,” she said.

  On reflex, Hideki shrank down further into the hot water. “What else can she see?” he wondered.

  “What is your name, young miss?” Hideki asked.

  “No names samurai-san. We are two strangers passing in the night, sharing a bath. We will probably never meet again. So we can talk and be honest with each other,” came her response.

  “Honest? I am not sure I understand. I try to be honest in all my conversations and all my dealings. What do you mean?” he asked.

  “Oh, I mean we can ask each other questions and not have to worry about the answers. We can speak of trivial and unimportant things and not worry about offense. We can just be honest about things because we are strangers and the results of our conversation will have no lasting consequences,” she explained.

  Her voice, the outline of her body, and the fact that the only thing that was separating him from her soft naked skin was about six shaku of hot water and a very thin towel all combined to arouse a heat that had nothing to do with the onsen. Embarrassed, Hideki took the towel off his head and placed it back to its original position.

  “For instance, do you usually share a bath with a woman?” she asked.

  “Not that I can remember. I think you are the first,” Hideki murmured.

  “Surely you took baths with your mother,” she said.

  “My parents died when I was small,” Hideki said. “I was raised in the country and only took baths with men.”

  “What family do you serve, samurai-sama?” she asked.

  “We are an unimportant clan that serves the Matsudaira,” Hideki replied, trying not to sound coy.

  “A very influential family, samurai-sama.”

  “They are, but we are so far down the family tree that very little of the money and power reaches us,” Hideki lied, hating that the Yoshinobu existence in Edo required deception in so many levels. But it could not be helped. Tomorrow the Yoshinobu would be meeting at the shogun’s castle. He could not cause Naga and Jii anymore embarrassment.

  “So when you are not bathing, what do you like to do, samurai-san?” she asked.

  “I like to practice martial arts.”

  “I bet you are very good,” she said.

  Hideki laughed. “Oh, I used to think I would someday be very strong. But I’ve found a new teacher who has shown me that being strong and being good are two entirely different things,” Hideki said.

  “Sounds like a good and wise sensei.”

  “He is very wise and a good friend, but he is leaving soon, so I shall have to find a new teacher,” Hideki said.

  “How sad for you samurai-san, And are you new to Edo or have you been here a long time?” she asked.

  “I am new.”

  “How do you like it?” she asked.

  “It is so big that it is hard to understand the rhythm. Each street seems to be different.”

  “Now we get to the area that a woman would want to know. This is where the honesty of strangers comes in. What kind of women do you like?” she asked with a slight purr.

  “I don’t know. I have not been with many.”

  “Not been with many? You are young and athletic; have you sustained injuries that might keep you from performing?” she asked.

  “Young miss, that is not the type of question you should be asking a naked stranger who shares your bath,” Hideki said.

  “It is exactly the kind of question I should be asking a naked stranger sharing my bath because we will probably never see each other again. That is what I mean when I say we can be honest. We can talk freely and not have to worry about what we say.”

  Hideki could see a certain logic in her reasoning, but he was not going to betray his family just because she had a pretty shape. He would keep the conversation light.

  “I am able to perform,” Hideki said, more softly than he intended.

  “Then you must still be a virgin,” the woman said. “When you said you had not been with many women, you meant to say you had not been with any.”

  Hideki was exasperated. He wanted to correct her, but that would require a direct lie. Therefore, he remained quiet.

  “Oh, I did not mean to embarrass you samurai-san. There will be plenty of time for women. You are still young yet,” she said. “But from what you know now, what kind of a woman do you think you’d like?”

  “I haven’t given it much thought. I have only been around my grandmother, a few house maids, and two truly beautiful women,” Hideki said.