Young Samurai: The Ring of Sky (41 page)

Jack couldn’t help but smile.
‘And to think when I met you, you were only going to be buried alive.’

Benkei laughed and with a flick of his wrist
produced a fresh
mikan
fruit out of thin air. ‘For the journey.
Don’t want you going hungry!’

Accepting the fruit gratefully, Jack noticed
Yori standing quietly, awaiting his turn to say goodbye. He gazed up at Jack, his wide
eyes pleading for him not to leave.

‘Good friends … are like
stars,’ Yori managed to say, clasping his
shakujō
tightly. ‘You
don’t always see them, but you know they’re always there for you.’

Jack now felt the tears welling in his eyes
and pulled his dear friend into a hug. ‘You’ve
always
been there
for me, Yori. I’ll miss you greatly.’

‘Me too,’ he sniffed.

‘Time to set sail, Jack,’ called
Captain Spilbergen, waiting for him at the bottom of the gangway.

Nodding, Jack finally turned to Akiko. This
was the one goodbye he’d dreaded the most. The first in Toba had been painful
enough. The second in the Iga mountains had been almost unbearable. This third time
would break his heart forever.

Their eyes met. But they said nothing, words
incapable of expressing what either of them truly felt.

A single tear ran down Akiko’s cheek.
‘
Sayonara
,’ she whispered. ‘Don’t forget
us.’

‘How could I forget
you
?’ said Jack, wanting to hold her and never let go.

Akiko looked away. ‘There’ll be
a world between us. Just like snow melts in the spring, so memories fade with
time.’

‘But we’re
forever
–’

Akiko put a finger to his lips.
‘Don’t say what can never be.’

Jack felt an invisible gulf open up between
them – one that he could never sail across, however strong and favourable the wind. This
was their final parting and they both knew that their paths might never cross again.

With a heavy heart, he picked up his pack,
his father’s
rutter
secure inside. Bowing, he took Akiko’s hand and
kissed it, cherishing the touch of her soft skin one last time. Then, fighting the tears
that threatened to come, he headed towards the gangway without looking back.

69
 
 

Captain Spilbergen greeted Jack with a
broad smile. ‘Welcome back on-board. I promise, no guns this time. You’re
officially one of my crew.’

‘That’s reassuring to
hear,’ replied Jack.

He stepped on to the wooden gangplank then
stopped, one foot still on the quayside. He felt caught between two worlds. One he knew
that he must return to and the other he no longer wished to leave. Japan might have
taken everything from him – his father, his future and his hopes – but it had also given
him a guardian, new skills, fresh hopes and, above all, friends. This last bond was so
strong that even now Jack questioned his decision to leave. He simply couldn’t
fathom a life without his friends by his side. Without Akiko.

‘Forgotten something?’ queried
Captain Spilbergen.

‘Yes,’ replied Jack, and
whispered a private request.

After a moment of serious consideration, the
captain nodded once. ‘I owe you that much.’

Jack turned back to his friends. Benkei,
Saburo, Yori and Akiko returned his gaze, confused as to why he wasn’t
boarding.

‘It’s time for me to say
goodbye,’ he finally said. ‘Unless … you want to come with me to
England?’

For a second, no one spoke. Their
expressions were a mixture of astonishment and uncertainty, none sure if he was serious
or not.

Benkei broke the silence first.

‘I’d really love to,’ he
said, ‘but I’ve accepted Okuni’s offer to join her troupe. And
I’ve also made a certain promise to Junjun.’ He threw Jack a roguish
wink.

Jack nodded his understanding, pleased that
Benkei had finally found where he belonged. He now looked to Saburo who, to his dismay,
regretfully shook his head.

‘It’s a tempting offer, Jack,
but, as I said, I’ve had enough heroism to last me a lifetime. And two years of
seasickness would be the end of me! Besides,’ he added with a grin,
‘I’ve heard the food in England is terrible.’

‘At least we cook ours first!’
Jack retorted, and they both managed a laugh.

With two refusals, Jack wondered if
he’d overstepped the bonds of friendship in even suggesting they leave their
homeland. He’d be putting his friends in the same situation as his own in Japan –
a stranger in an alien world. But he’d be their faithful guide and ensure their
safety, just as they had protected him. So perhaps it was etiquette or duty, or the law
of the land that forbade them from leaving.

Yori stepped forward, the metal rings of the
shakujō
jingling.

‘I’ll come with you,’ he
piped up, his eyes sparkling with excitement. ‘Sensei Yamada’s always
telling me to expand my horizons.’

‘You’ll certainly do that on the
voyage,’ remarked Jack, welcoming his friend to the
Hosiander
.

That only left Akiko.

Jack felt his mouth go dry as he waited for
her response. He was keenly aware that she was duty-bound to her mother, and realized it
was beyond hope that she could come … even if she wanted to.

Akiko glanced in Masamoto’s direction,
then she slowly approached. As she stood before Jack, her head bowed, the corners of her
mouth curled into a smile. ‘I thought you’d
never
ask.’

Jack felt his heart skip with joy.
‘But what about your mother?’

‘Kiyoshi’s with her now,’
she explained. ‘They knew I might not return. My mother even gave me her blessing.
And Masamoto-sama, as my uncle and guardian, has done so too.’

Jack looked over Akiko’s shoulder at
his adoptive father, who was finding it hard to suppress a smile.

‘Take good care of Snowball for
me,’ Akiko called to Saburo as she retrieved her pack, bow and arrows from her
horse’s saddle. Giving the stallion a final affectionate pat, she followed Jack
and Yori up the gangway.

Once on the quarterdeck of the
Hosiander
, Jack instantly felt the call of the sea. The crew couldn’t
raise the mainsail fast enough in his mind. And when the captain gave the command to
cast off he shouted an almighty
kiai
in celebration.

As one journey ended, another now began. A
new voyage, one potentially as perilous and uncertain as his days as a fugitive of the
Shogun. But Jack had the skills of a samurai, the
guile of a ninja and
the knowledge of a sailor to help carry him safely across the Seven Seas back to
England. More importantly, he had his friends by his side.

He might be leaving Japan, but a part of
Japan was leaving with him too. The wisdom of the East in his firm friend Yori, and all
that he’d come to know and love about Japan in Akiko – its grace, its beauty and
its strength of spirit.

Find your heart and you’ll find
your home
, the Riddling Monk had said to him the year before.

Glancing at Akiko beside him on the deck,
her hair billowing in the sea breeze, Jack realized that he was already home.

The following quotes are referenced within
Young Samurai: The Ring of Sky
(with the page numbers in square brackets
below) and their sources are acknowledged here:

1. [Page 37] ‘
When it is dark enough, you can see the
stars
.’ By Charles Austin Beard (American historian, 1874–1948).

2. [Page 127] ‘
No bird soars too high, if he soars with his own
wings
.’ By William Blake (English poet, 1757–1827).

3. [Page 300] ‘
Revenge has no more quenching effect on the emotions
than salt water on thirst
.’ By Walter Weckler (1905–69).

4. [Page 325] ‘
Don’t be afraid of death, be afraid of a life
un-lived
.’ By Natalie Babbitt (author, b.1932).

5. [Page 350]
Haiku
. By Bashō (1643–94).

Bushido
, meaning the ‘Way of
the Warrior’, is a Japanese code of conduct similar to the concept of chivalry.
Samurai warriors were meant to adhere to the seven moral principles in their martial
arts training and in their day-to-day lives.

		Virtue 1: Gi – Rectitude Gi is the ability to make the right decision with moral con. dence and to be fair and equal towards all people no matter what colour, race, gender or age.
		Virtue 2: Yu – Courage Yu is the ability to handle any situation with valour and con. dence.
		Virtue 3: Jin – Benevolence Jin is a combination of compassion and generosity. This virtue works together with Gi and discourages samurai from using their skills arrogantly or for domination.
		Virtue 4: Rei – Respect Rei is a matter of courtesy and proper behaviour towards others. This virtue means to have respect for all.
		Virtue 5: Makoto – Honesty Makoto is about being honest to oneself as much as to others. It means acting in ways that are morally right and always doing things to the best of your ability.
		Virtue 6: Meiyo – Honour Meiyo is sought with a positive attitude in mind, but will only follow with correct behaviour. Success is an honourable goal to strive for.
		Virtue 7: Chungi – Loyalty Chungi is the foundation of all the virtues; without dedication and loyalty to the task at hand and to one another, one cannot hope to achieve the desired outcome.