Risuko (31 page)

I pleaded, “I don't want to be a killer.”

“No,” he sighed again. “Neither do I. And yet I am a Takeda warrior. It is my duty. We live in dangerous times. If I were not to fight to protect our provinces and our people, how many more would die?” His sad smile reminded me of the one that Mieko gave me so often. “You are a samurai maiden, Kano Murasaki—the daughter of a warrior. You too have a duty.”

Now he had me crying. “I'm no s-samurai. My f-family was stripped of its honor.”
Otō-
san, walking toward the Inagawa castle. Walking toward his death. “Do no harm.”

“And yet your duty remains. If I know anything about your father—or his daughter—I do not believe that any power on this earth would take that away.” He squeezed my shoulder again and swept the tears from my cheeks with a gauntleted finger. “In the meantime, Murasaki, why don't you forget about knives and samurai and duty for a bit. Climb.”

I nodded and gave him a smile, though it was the last thing I wanted to do. “Thank you, Masugu
-san
. Come back soon.”

“As soon as I can, Murasaki
-san
. Take care.”

As the lieutenant led Inazuma toward the front gate, I scrambled up into the lower branches of the enormous hemlock that grew on the eastern side of the great hall.

It wasn't until I threw my leg over the biggest of the branches, waving at Masugu as he mounted and rode out onto the ridge beyond the gate that Fuyudori's ghost came to visit.

Not her actual ghost. Angry though the white-haired girl's spirit must have been, we had performed all of the proper rites for her. Her body had been burned and the ashes buried in the icy ground behind the compound. We had left out a bowl of rice and a cup of sake at our meals. (They had been small ones, though—no one felt she deserved more.) No one had spoken her name. It had been longer than the forty-nine days it would have taken for her spirit to reach the next world.

But sitting there on the branch, feeling the wind stirring my hair, it was hard not to remember sitting on that same limb, watching her climbing after me, furious. Murderous.

I took a deep breath and did my best not to think of her.

Already, Masugu
-san
was only half visible, disappearing over the edge of the ridge down the path that led to the valley and the road west, toward the imperial city.

I waved again, though I knew he would not see.

It was nice to be up in the tree again. Nice to feel the wind. Across the valley, the mountain peaks were still covered in snow, but lower down all was green — a deep, living green, broken by flashes of silver where streams poured the melting snow down into the valley.

The ridge top too was green. Fresh shoots pushed up through dead, grey grass. White wildflowers inked the field.

I stayed there for the rest of the lesson. A small moment of bliss.

“You staying up there all day, Mouse-
chan
, or are you getting your mousy behind into the kitchen to help make dinner?” Toumi glowered up at me from the corner of the great hall.

“Can you see anything interesting?” asked Emi. She too was frowning—but then, she always frowned.

“I was waving goodbye to the lieutenant.”

“Oh. He's gone?” Emi's frown deepened into a pout.

Toumi made a retching sound. “Come on. We had to bleed the stupid pig. You get to butcher it.”

When I blanched, Emi said, “Killing it was very easy. And put the animal out of its misery.”

“I know,” I whispered.

“Then why didn't you just kill the stupid thing,
baka!”
growled Toumi.

“I couldn't help...”

“What?” Both girls walked below my branch.

I closed my eyes. “I couldn't help thinking... of whose spirit might inhabit the pig.”

“You...
What?”
Toumi gaped up at me.

“I couldn't help but think... that it might be... I don't know. Fuyudori. My father.”

“Oh,” said Emi.

Toumi gave a harsh laugh. “Unbelievable! Seen you kill enough chickens and bunnies. Do you go around worrying about crushing your father when you step on
ants?”

Again I felt the blood leave my face. “I... I will
now!”

“Baka-
yarō
!”
Laughing once more, Toumi shook her head. “Come on down here, Mouse. You've got your dad to cut up.”

“Toumi!”
whispered Emi.

I took another breath, trying to steady myself, trying to find that quiet bliss again, and looked back out at the green and white landscape.

Over the edge of the ridge, where Masugu
-san
had disappeared, there seemed to be a hazy wave rising. A wave of vertical lines tipped in steel. Spears. Dozens, Many bearing blue flags showing the wild-ginger leaf
mon
of the Matsudaira.

“Uh... guys?” They both looked up at me. Now, instead of feeling bloodless, I could hear the blood pounding through me. “I think we're being invaded.”

To be Continued in

Bright
-
Eyes

Seasons of the Sword
#2

 

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-chan
—Child

-ko—
Ending meaning that the word is a girl's name or nickname

-sama—
My lady or lord (honorific)

-san—
Sir or ma'am (honorific)

-senpai—
Senior student (honorific)

baka-yarō—
Complete idiot (offensive)

daikon—
A large, white, mild radish

go—
A Chinese game of strategy

hai
—Yes

hanyak—
(Korean) Herbal medicine

hiragana—
phonetic script used for foreign terms and for emphasis (equivalent to italics)

ichi—
The number one

Jizō-bosatsu—
The Buddhist saint (
boddhisatva
) of lost children; he is often portrayed with a blank face and large sleeves in which he protects the children

katakana—
phonetic script used for most words

katana—
A samurai's long, curved sword

kanji
—Chinese ideograms; over three thousand of these non-phonetic characters are widely used in Japanese writing

kimchee—
(Korean) Pickled cabbage, often spicy

kitsune—
A mischievous, nine-tailed fox spirit

ku
or
kyu—
The number nine

kumiho—
(Korean) Mischievous fox spirit (similar to a
kitsune
)

kunoichi—
“Nine in one”;
a special kind of woman

Kwan-um
—(Korean) The Buddhist saint (
boddhisatva
) of mercy and beauty; called Kwan-yin in China and Kannon in Japan

miko
—Shrine maidens; young women who assist at Shintō festivals and ceremonies

mizutaki—
A hot-pot dish made with fish, chicken, or some other meat

Mochizuki
— “full moon”; the clan of Lady Chiyome's late husband

mogusa
—Mugwort; formed into pellets, burned (with the lit end away from the flesh) as a stimulant and as a way to celebrate childrens' aging during the New Year festival

mon—
The emblem of a noble house (like the European coat of arms)

Mukashi, mukashi—
“Long, long ago” (traditional beginning to Japanese folktales, similar to “Once upon a time”)

no
—Of or from

Otō-
san—
Father

Okā-
san
—Mother

Risuko—
Squirrel (a girl's name or nickname)

samisen
—A long-necked, five-stringed instrument, similar to a guitar or banjo

sensei
or
-sensei—
Teacher (honorific)

Shintō—
The native religion of Japan; Shintō believes that there are many gods or spirits (
kami)
inhabiting different parts of the natural world, and is frequently practiced side by side with Buddhism

shakuhachi
—A long flute carved from bamboo

shōgun—
The emperor's warlord

shoyu—
Soy sauce

tatami
—A straw mat that is traditionally used to cover floors in Japan

torī
—A large arch or gateway usually found at Shintō shrines or temples

wakazashi—
A samurai's short sword; traditionally used for defense and for committing ritual suicide (
hara-kiri)

Wihayeo
—(Korean) Cheers!

yang
—(Chinese) The male force

yin—
(Chinese) The female force

Note:
In Japan, as through most of East Asia, tradition places the family name before the given name. For example, in
Kano Murasaki,
Risuko's proper name,
Kano
is her family's name and
Murasaki
her given name—what English speakers would call her first name.

Residents of the Full Moon:

Risuko—Proper name: Kano Murasaki. Called “Squirrel” and “Bright-eyes.” Novice.

Lady Mochizuki Chiyome—Mistress of the Full Moon.

Mieko—Lady Chiyome's maid.
Kunoichi
-teacher,
miko
-dance master.

Kuniko—Lady Chiyome's maid.

Tarugu Toumi—Called “Falcon.” Novice.

Hanichi Emi—Called “Smiley.” Novice.

Aimaru—Servant.

Little Brothers—Servants.

Lieutenant Musugu—Takeda warrior.

Sachi—Called “Flower.”
Kunoichi-
teacher,
miko-
music teacher.

Fuyudori—Called “Ghostie.” Head initiate.

Mai—One of the “Horseradish Sisters.” Junior initiate.

Shino— One of the “Horseradish Sisters.” Junior initiate.

Kee Sun—Cook. Korean.

People in Risuko's hometown:

Okā-san
—Risuko's mother
.
Proper name: Kano Chojo.

Usako—Risuko's sister. Proper name: Kano Daini.

Otō-
san
—Risuko's late father. Former samurai, turned scribe. Proper name: Kano Kazuo.

Naru—Pig-keeper.

Karoku—Woodgatherer.

Kenji—Boy. Played with Risuko and Usako.

Irochi—Egg-man

Major Historical Characters:

Takeda Shingen—Lord of the Takeda clan of Worth (
Kai
) Province. Called “The Mountain” and “The Tiger of Kai.” Allied with the Oda and the Matsudaira

Oda Nabunaga—Most powerful lord (
daimyo
) of Japan, controlling the capital in Kyōto and the military government headed by the warlord (
shōgun
). Head of the
Oda
clan of Rising Tail (
Owari
) Province. Allied with the Takeda and the Matsudaira.

Matsudaira Motoyasu—Lord of the Matsudaira clan of Three Rivers (
Mikawa
) Province.

Imagawa Ujizane—Lord of the Imagawa clan of Serenity (
Totomi
) Province

Ashikaga Yoshiaka—Hereditary warlord (
shōgun
) of Japan. For all intents and purposes Oda Nabunaga's puppet since Oda-
sama
took contol of the capital.

I have translated most of the place names in the book; after all, the names aren't exotic to a speaker of Japanese! The translations are my own, and sometimes aim more at a poetic than a literal translation of the name.

There is in fact a town called
Mochizuki
in Nagano (what used to be Shinano or Dark Letter Province). It is not very far from Midriver Island (
Kawanakajima
), the site of several of the greatest battles of Japan's Civil War era. I couldn't help but set the estate of the Mochizuki family there. The estate itself, however, is entirely of my own imagining.

Serenity Province—Totomi

Pineshore—Hamamatsu-shi, Totomi Province

Three Rivers Province—Mikawa

Quick River Province—Suruga

Worth Province—Kai

Dark Letter Province—Shinano

Full Moon—Mochizuki, Shinano Province

Midriver Island—Kawanakajima, Shinano Province

Great Eastern Sea Road—Tokkaido

Rising Tail Province—Owari