Moon and Star: Book One (6 page)

The two of them continued their journey, the ocean to their left acting as their guide. Their next stop, according to Mayumi was a small port town called Reikutaun. Once they reached the docks there, it was a simple boat ride northeast towards Yoshino.

***

Sunlight poked through Kaito’s eyes, waking him up. He yawned. The faint smell of cooked meat entered his nose. His stomach growled. Kaito rubbed his belly. His bones were limp and heavy.

But the smell was so intoxicating.

Kaito stood up with what strength he had left and blinked twice. The fire was nearby. It was the same one Mayumi had started last night. This one, however, was bigger and more tamed. The source of the smell was coming from a rabbit. Kaito blinked blearily, his brain still trying to wake up.

The message!

He didn't have time to panic as several footsteps and the rattling of armor approached his location. He needed to hide. Whoever was coming, it wasn't Mayumi. There were too many feet for one person.

Kaito ran for a nearby bush, hiding inside the prickly green bristles. They rubbed against his him, irritating his skin, making him want to itch. The fear of being found out stopped him from even breathing for a few seconds. He released his breath suddenly when he saw dozens of boots out of a small crack between the bush and the ground. Those weren't ordinary shoes they were wearing. They were sandals made out of cloth. What were bushi-ama warriors doing all the way out here?

One of the feet came close to the bush. Kaito held a hand to his mouth trying to mask his breath. The man stopped and turned; the front his shoes pointed towards Kaito as if staring him down. He couldn't take much more of this. The tension was driving him crazy. Without thinking, he came out from the bush. He wished hadn't. Now in plain sight, several of the men laughed at him. These men were bushi-ama warrior all right, but who was their master?

Kaito felt his cheeks grow warm as he tried to go back and hide in the bush. A warrior standing next to him blocked his path, arms folded. He shook his head.

“Seems like this boy needs to learn to respect his elders.”

“Who are you?” Kaito asked. “What are you doing here?”

He didn’t know where the sudden bout of courage came from. To some extent neither did the bushi-ama warriors. The man standing next to him blinked a few times before hitting him on the back. Kaito fell down on his hands, scraping his knees against the jagged stones which littered the ground. He winced in pain. He couldn’t show any fear to these guys. They’d eat him alive.

“Who we are is not important,” the man said. “Who
you
are is of great importance to us, however.”

“Knowing who you people are is important to me, too.”

The man frowned. “You got guts, kid, but I’d say we have the odds in our favor.”

He pointed out towards the band of bushi-ama warriors. They all chuckled. Some sitting next to the fire. Others leaned against trees, flexing their muscles. Kaito looked away, trying to remain calm and think of a way out of the mess. He perked up, realizing something. Was this another test from Mayumi?

The head bushi-ama warrior poked his chest. “It’s rude to ignore someone when they’re talking to you.”

“Apologies. My name is … Go-zhuk Hatake.”

The man’s eyes widened. “Well now, the heir to the Hatake clan. Didn’t know we were being treated by royalty?”

Kaito smirked. It seemed the men believed his lie. Mayumi was right. It would’ve been a mistake if he revealed himself. He’d have to walk this line carefully, now. There was no telling how many more lies he’d have to tell before finding a chance to leave in safety.

“Here that boys? This feast is all thanks to this man.” He pointed to the cooked rabbit and then at Kaito. He leaned in close. “If you’re really Go-zhuk, tell us where Kaito Minamoto is. If you do that, we’ll let you go.”

Kaito acted innocent, praying to the spirits that these people would believe him. He frowned. “Sorry, haven’t seen him for days. I hear he’s off to Yoshino. Something about his grandfather wanting him dead.”

The man raised an eyebrow, looking over Kaito with suspicion and disbelief.

Great. I went too far. They know who I am now. It’s all over. It’s …

The man barked a laugh. “Calm down, No need to get all nervous. Where’s your father, if I may ask? I heard you were accompanying him to Yoshino.”

“My father?” Kaito asked. “Unfortunately he died before we left. He was quite ill.”

The bushi-ama warrior frowned. “I’m sorry to hear that. I had much respect for your father. Well, you must be off to Reikutaun, no?”

He nodded.

“You certainly are taking the long way. May I ask what made you choose this path?”

Kaito took a while respond. He didn’t know what to say. Could he get away with another lie? The man looked at him, waiting for him to speak. He tapped a finger on his folded arms.

“Figure he wouldn’t see me coming,” Kaito said.

The man rubbed his chin, nodding slowly as if in deep thought.

“How long have you been searching for the Minamoto brat?” Kaito asked.

“Not long,” the bushi-ama warrior said. “Less than a day. We received a contract from an unknown Shugo to bring his head on a spear. There’s a big reward.”

“Reward?” Kaito asked. “Why do they want m …
him
dead?”

The bushi-ama warrior shrugged. This was a matter of money for him and his men, but what kind of bushi-ama warrior needed to find work as an assassin? They were the wealthiest and most privileged class. One didn’t become a bushi-ama warrior, you were born into it most of the time. Suddenly it dawned on Kaito.

These were ronin — rogue bushi-ama warrior, warriors without a master and loyal only to those with wealth and power.

I have to get out of here. It’s not safe. These men will kill me if I give them a reason to suspect me.

One of the other bushi-ama warrior walked over and whispered in the leader’s ear. He wore a mask over his face along with a silver kabuto on his head. The head ronin nodded thoughtfully.

“Okay,” he said. “Let me know if anything changes.”

The man bowed, armor rattling against his muscular frame. He was much smaller than the other ronin. Kaito looked closer at the man. He was carrying a single tachi like all the others, but somehow it made more noise. As if …
he’s carrying two swords,
Kaito thought. There was no mistaking the shape of the blade, now. That ronin was Mayumi. What was she doing with them? It was probably a rescue mission, but where had she gone before? This never would’ve happened if she hadn't left in the first place.

Kaito followed Mayumi with his eyes, nodding to show her he knew about the disguise. She didn’t make any motions, which suggested she received the message. He hoped they’d be able to survive the night.

“Go-zhuk!” the head ronin said. “Come here.”

Kaito perked up. He’d forgotten he said he was Go-zhuk. How long had he been zoning out?

“Yes?”

The ronin looked him over. “I have a proposition for you. One of my men tell me Kaito’s nearby.
 
They found a recently used fire down near the heart of the woods. I want you to confirm it’s him.”

Kaito nodded. It didn’t make sense to him. He’d been with Mayumi most of their journey. When did she get the chance to build a fire so far westward? Whoever was out there, were they friend or foe?

He made his way west, wondering who else was out here.

Chapter Seven

I give up,
Kaito thought.
There's no one here.
He’d searched for hours. There was no trail of smoke, no fire, nothing. He was beginning to question if this was a fool's errand: a way to lose him for a few hours. If it were true, they'd known Kaito was lying about being Go-zhuk. Why hadn't they attacked him yet? He tensed, wishing he had something to defend himself as nightfall settled onto the sky overhead. He'd settle for a stick at this point. Kaito picked up his pace, trying to outrun the sunset. The problem was he didn't know where the ronin's were or where he himself was.

Something rustled in some nearby bushes. He swallowed and asked who was there. A snake appeared before him. Kaito took several steps back as slow as he could, not wanting to intimidate the beast. He knew what kind this was from his studies with Yuri. One bite and he'd be dead within the hour. Where was Mayumi? Shouldn't she have handled the other ronin by now? He assumed the purpose of her disguise was to distract their leader and get Kaito to safety. Maybe she died. No, he couldn't afford to think like that. He needed to stay positive.

The snake slithered towards him, its head rising as if to strike at any moment. Kaito flinched, closing his eyes. He didn't feel anything. He opened his eyes. The snake was gone, replaced with a boy about Kaito's age. He was perhaps a little younger than Kaito, but he couldn't know for sure. Aside from their age, they looked eerily similar. The boy looked at Kaito. They had the same eyes. The one noticeable difference was their clothing. Kaito wore farmhand clothing, while the boy had southern garb on him.
Royal
southern garb.

"Who are you?" the boy asked.

"My name's Kaito," he said.

He cursed himself for giving away his real name. Something about the boy seemed familiar, however, as if they'd met somewhere before, long ago. The boy looked at him and bowed. It was the kind of bow a sensei received from a student. Kaito was taken aback by the sudden act of subservience. The bow continued to stay bowed.

"You can rise?" Kaito said, though it sounded like a question.

The boy rose with a smile on his face. He giggled. "I'm Sora. I didn't know you came out this far into the wilderness. Is the fact that you're here mean you've succeeded?"

Kaito blinked.
Succeeded? Succeeded at what?

“Well?” Sora asked. “Did you do it?”

“Do what?”

“Kill Jin?”

Kaito didn’t say another word. He didn’t know what to say. Kill his adopted father? Why would he do that?

“Who are you?” Kaito asked.

“I’m your younger brother.”

I have a brother? Why would father keep that a secret from me?
Unless he himself didn't know. Of course, Sora was his actual brother. Someone from the southern capital of Yoshino.

Kaito wanted answers, but didn’t know where to start. He had so many questions and each one probably opened even bigger ones to be answered.

“You don’t remember, do you,” Sora said. He sighed. “Well I guess what they said about you is true. You aren’t one of us.”

Kaito stared down at his feet, feeling unwanted. He was a bastard child of both clans, belonging to neither one.

Sora frowned and rubbed his back. “Hey, don’t worry about it. Just because you didn’t kill Jin, doesn’t mean father will hate you. The job got done that’s all that matters.”

Kaito blinked, shaking his head in a rapid motion. “The Shogun's dead?”

 
“Yeah? I assume that’s why you were able to leave, right?”

What happened after I left,
he thought.
Is father dead? Who could’ve killed him?
Kaito gasped. Go-zhuk and his father. That’s why they wanted him dead. They must have been planning to take the title from Jin. Had they succeeded, and where did his grandfather fit into all of this?

There was a conspiracy against his adopted father, but how deep and wide did it go? Who could he trust at this point?

He sighed, though inside he wanted to scream. This was so confusing. He didn’t know who to believe.

“There you are,” Mayumi said. She stood atop a tree branch and jumped down, landing silently on the dirt.

“What took you so long?” Kaito asked. “I could’ve died.”

“You try taking down a group of ronins by yourself. It wasn’t easy.”

“Who is this … beauty?” Sora asked, looking Mayumi over

She shook her head and sighed. “You’re half my age, kid."

The three of them stood, forming the points of a triangle. Smoke rose from behind Sora’s back. It was distant, but still close enough to see.A nearby village?

Kaito wasn’t aware of any settlements this deep in the woods. Kaito pointed to the rising smoke as it increased in visibility.

“Any idea what that’s about?” he asked.

“That’s the group I told father to send after you," Sora said. "He'd given up on you, but I still had faith you were alive. The mission—"

“Mission?” Mayumi asked.

“I was supposed to kill Jin,” Kaito said. “I’m not sure if he’s dead. I mean, I didn’t do it, but Go-zhuk and his father were after me, so they might have killed him beforehand.”

Mayumi took a few steps back, a look of horror and realization on her face. She placed her hand against her mouth. Seeing her
 
this troubled made Kaito nervous. Curious, but nervous.

Something didn’t sit right with him about his father's death. He remembered seeing him practice with a sword when he was becoming the Shogun, but he hadn’t touched one since …

Kaito couldn’t remember the last time he'd seen his father hold a blade. All he knew was Jin couldn’t be killed by someone like Go-zhuk. Right?

It dawned on him. Jin wasn’t murdered.

"He killed himself."

***

Kaito ran back towards Kyotomo. He wasn’t going to stop for anyone.
Why did you do it, father?
He sprinted through thick patches of fallen leaves, bodhi trees, and a small creak. Water splashed up on his legs. He heard wood snap beneath his feet as he crossed the sliver of water. He looked behind him. A fallen tree branch split in two. There was no way to cross it now.

The density of the trees grew thicker. His fastest speed slowed too a crawl as he had to maneuver through them, turning his body in every direction to get him home faster.

The question “why?” still raced inside Kaito’s mind. It didn’t make sense. Had the thought of war gotten to him? No, his father wasn’t a coward. He was a war hero. The stories about his father? They had to be true.

He didn’t know what to think. All he wanted was to see his father—to pay his respects.

He wasn’t sure if Jin killed himself. This could be a trap laid out by his grandfather. After all what Sora said certainly made sense. If he was telling the truth, then Kaito was …