The Way of the Warrior - Chris Bradford [73]
‘Kenjutsu, kyujutsu and taijutsu.’
‘Agreed,’ said Masamoto without the slightest hint of concern.
Jack had no idea what it was, but from the fact that Akiko’s face had gone pale and Saburo had instantly sobered up at the mere mention of it, a Taryu-Jiai did not sound a promising prospect.
‘Any preference as to the timing of this little contest?’ asked Kamakura.
‘How about the day before the Gion Festival?’ replied Masamoto nonchalantly.
‘But that’s three moons away!’ said Kamakura, incredulous.
‘By the look of their performance tonight, your students will need the extra training. We want this to be a real competition, don’t we?’ replied Masamoto, giving a broad smile as he bowed. ‘Besides, I always like to celebrate my victories with a good festival.’
34
YAMADA’S SECRET
‘Why weren’t you defending their honour?’ thundered Masamoto.
The reply was muffled and couldn’t be heard.
‘I saw you retreat! Tenno would never have done such a thing,’ continued Masamoto, spitting anger like fire. ‘Why didn’t you help Jack-kun? Correct me if I’m wrong, but you owe Jack-kun a life. He saved you. He’s proving to be more samurai than you’ve ever been.’
There was the sound of sobbing and a mumbled apology.
‘Where is your courage, your valour, your honour? It is you who should be fighting at the Taryu-Jiai, defending the name of my school. Not Jack-kun!’
Masamoto’s voice cracked, and it was accompanied by a crash and the sound of a teacup tumbling off a table.
‘You have brought dishonour on this family and on yourself! Think about what it means to be a Masamoto, then come back when you have an answer! Now get out!’
The shoji slid open and Yamato emerged, his face reddened and wet with shameful tears. He avoided the startled stares of Jack, Akiko and Saburo who knelt outside the Hō-oh-no-ma, the Hall of the Phoenix. This was Masamoto’s personal training hall where only students good enough to be taught the ‘Two Heavens’ technique were ever summoned.
‘Yamato, I’m sorry…’ began Jack, wanting to help him in some way.
But Yamato cut him off with a ferocious glare and hurried off without looking back.
‘It’s not your fault, Jack,’ said Akiko quietly.
‘Yes, it is. If I’d never come here, he wouldn’t be in this –’
‘ENTER!’ boomed Masamoto’s voice.
They all looked at one another, terrified. After the hanami fight, Masamoto had marched them back to the school and ordered them straight to bed. They had hardly slept all night, for Masamoto had demanded to see all of them at first light, though Kiku and Yori had been been excused as innocent bystanders. Akiko had explained to Jack that a summons to the Hall of the Phoenix before breakfast meant only one thing – they were to be punished. They just didn’t know how badly.
‘Seiza!’ he said as they entered, all bowing as low as possible.
Masamoto was sitting upon a dais, a small black lacquered table at his side. A maid was clearing up the spilt tea, while another set up a fresh pot of sencha for him.
Behind him, painted in vivid colours upon a silk screen, was the image of a flaming phoenix, its wings dripping fire and its beak thrusting up towards heaven. Masamoto fumed like a live volcano, his scar crimson and waxen like molten lava. He waited until the maids had departed before speaking. Jack, Akiko and Saburo trembled as they kept their heads low to the ground.
‘Sit up!’
Masamoto examined each of them carefully, as if he were measuring the suitability of the punishment with their capacity to withstand it. Masamoto breathed deeply and Jack’s mouth went dry with dread.
‘Excellent!’ he said, a faint smile breaking through his fiery demeanour. ‘I was most impressed with the way you handled yourselves last night.’
They all stared at one another in confusion. Were they not going to be punished?
‘Saburo-kun, you are forgiven for your less than sober state. But only for the reason that you showed loyalty to your fellow samurai and your quick-witted sweep of that Raiden character proved to me that even in your drunken condition, you could function as a warrior.’
Saburo