The Samurai's Lady (16 page)

“Katsuko? Nikko, it‟s me.” He whispered. She moaned but made no further response. Fujito bit his bottom lip to keep from crying, but a single tear escaped a lid.
“Katsuko, can you hear me? I‟m here,
koibito
.”
For a brief moment, he doubted his faith. How could God take the one thing in his life that meant so much to him? The one who had brought the sun into his life, his Nikko?
“The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” The voice was still and small. With a sigh he prayed, “She was yours before she wasmine if this be your will…” He broke off as a sob rose in his throat. Suddenly he felt her move under his hand. She moaned, turned her head, and opened her eyes.
“Isamu?”
“Yes,
koibito
.” He smiled.
“What happened, where are we?”
“We‟re home, koibito.
“Home?”
“In Kagoshima.”
“We made it?” She asked trying to sit. He took her hand. When she had sat up, he held her against him.
“Yes, we made it.” He kissed her hair. “We made it.”
He looked up to see Kimika standing with a glass of water.
“Thanks.” He smiled as he took it from her and held it to Katharine‟s lips. “Drink it slowly,
koibito
.”
When she had finished, he set it down on the floor beside them.
“I want you to rest a while, all right?”
“But I feel fine.”
Yes, she was back. He smiled. “Do it for me?”
“All right.”
“Good girl.” He helped her lie back, kissed her cheek and stood up. He and Kimika left her to sleep.
“What happened?” Kimika asked after she made them tea.
“Haratoda made it here before us. Don‟t ask me how.” He took a sip from his cup. “He‟s dead. I killed him.”
“Isamu, you?”
“When you fight under the Lord‟s direction, you can only win.” He said humbly, with a smile. “But I‟m afraid it might not be over yet.” He sipped some more tea. “What do you mean?”
“The yoriki, cowards that they are fled the scene. They‟ll probably hightail it back to Edo and tell them everything.”
“Oh Isamu, I‟m sorry.”
“We‟ll just have to find a place to go.”
“Will you ever be able to stop running?”
“Eventually.” He smiled.
When Katharine woke an hour or so later he told her everything that happened, and about the yoriki.
“I‟ve been thinking.” Kimika said. “It‟s O -Bon coming up. If you can decide where to go, it would be a good idea to go then. It will be dark; people will be concentrating so much on the Festival they won‟t be looking for two fugitives.” “An excellent suggestion.” Fujito agreed. “There are many small islands here. But we‟ll have to make it look like a botched attempt.” Looking at his wife he added, “We‟ll need to visit Michiko and Ryochi.”
The meeting was at once bitter and sweet. The servants were pleased to see their master and his ward again and even more pleased to hear of their marriage. But when Fujito explained their plan they gave them their full support.
As the sun began to set on the first day of O-Bon, the first chants could be heard from the temple precincts. All over Kagoshima, the sounds of flutes and koto could be heard calling the dead home.
“What is that horrible noise?” Katharine asked. “It sounds like someone in pain.” “It‟s the priest.” Fujito told her. “Chanting for the dead.”
“Can‟t we get away from it? It sounds evil.”
Her husband smiled and shook his head. “Not with paper walls.” Putting his arm around her shoulder he added, “Just remember, it can‟t hurt you. You belong to Christ and the evil one cannot touch you. When night descends, the chanting will stop and the dancing will start. Just try to hang on till then, all right?” “All right.”
Fujito was right. Under the cover of night the chants stopped and the instruments began to play recognizable music.
All over Kagoshima, people came out of their houses. Those who weren‟t playing flutes or shamisan carried boats carrying paper lanterns and formed a procession to the bay.
“What are they doing now?”
“The priests have awakened the dead with their chanting.”
“I don‟t doubt it. Noise like that could wake anybody.”
Fujito laughed. Drawing her close, he kissed her temple. Then he continued. “Now the people are guiding their relatives into the town.”
As the sun set below the horizon, the lights glinted brighter and brighter on the water as the line of boats sailed out to sea. The people on shore began to drink the sake they had brought with them.
Fujito and Katharine made their way with the others to the edge of the bay. By the time they reached it, those around them were so drunk with the wine and the frenzy of the ever-increasing tempo of the music that they had begun to dance around in a fury of movement.
“It‟s time,
koibito
.” Fujito whispered. He led her through the crowd of people and glowing lanterns to a deserted spot further along the shore.
There, Ryochi had a boat waiting for them. In the back were the possessions that they would need. It too had a lantern in it to make it indistinguishable from the others.
Fujito helped her in and got in himself. Michiko was standing on the sand. “You know what to do.” He told her.
“Yes, Fujito-Sama.” She bowed to each in turn. “Sayonara.”
“Sayonara.”
Ryochi cast off and began to push the boat out to sea with the oar. When they were far enough out, he sat and rowed.
As they neared their new island home the sound of music got softer and softer until they could hear it no more.
The Asama Maru pulled up to the bank and they stepped out.
Looking back the glimmer of lantern light appeared as fireflies.
When the sun came up over the bay the only evidence that the samurai and his lady had ever been in Kagoshima were two kimono, a piece of wood from a lifeboat and an old sea chest floating in the water.
“Are you all right,
Koibito
?” Fujito asked.
“Yes, but are you sure this was the only way?” A tear on her cheek shone gold in the light of the rising sun.
“Yes.” He kissed her quickly wiping away the tear with the side of his thumb. “Remember, sayonara is not good-bye.” He smiled.

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