Moon and Star: Book One (11 page)

"What did he mean 'not worthy?'" Kaito asked.

"It means he thinks he's better than us."

"Us?"

"All of Jakai. You see, he's not from here. His name is Eiji and he's the former Emperor of Chaiku."

"Chaiku."

The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't think of where. The inkling probably came from one of Yuri's history lessons, trying to work its way back to the forefront of his mind. She always did have a knack for studying the past. If only there was a better way to teach it.

"Listen, Kaito, it's very important you don't tell Eiji who you are. His …
culture
doesn't take too kindly to what the Jakain people have done in the Kachaku's absence."

Of course,
he thought.
Jakai was a colony of Chaiku.

"Kaito, promise me?"

There was worry in her voice, but it didn't all come from this particular set of circumstances. Something else bothered her. It appeared to be eating away at her from the inside.

"Is there anything you want to tell me, Mayumi?"

She wiped a forming tear from one of her eyes and sniffled. "No, I'm fine. Just promise me you won't tell Eiji who you are."

Kaito nodded and wondered, in the back of his mind, why telling Eiji who he was mattered in the first place.

Chapter Twelve

Yuri was half-awake. The meaningless chatter around town would have driven her mad, but she found herself not caring about it, mostly due to lack of sleep. News of Jin’s death spread quick. Worried whispers and bold statements of murder came soon after. Faster than expected.

She walked along the central market street, gripping the painting of the thrush in her hand and the note Jin left for Kaito in the other. Right now she was going through the motions. One foot after another. She didn’t care about the latest rumors surrounding Jin’s death. All she wanted was some answers. There was one man in town who knew the thrush better than anyone: Sesshu Tomo. Word was he was back for a few days, and if anyone knew about Jin’s life outside of the city's walls it was him.

The door to the inn was open. All the windows were boarded shut from the outside. And no light dared enter inside. The attendant on duty was an old friend of Yuri’s. Good, she hated talking to her boss. She approached the counter. Her friend smiled and asked her how long she would be staying. It seemed the room was dark enough where the scar over Yuri's chin didn’t attract so much attention and give her away. When she didn’t respond, the girl leaned in closer. She squinted until … She gasped almost knocking a cup of sake on Yuri.

“Lady Kanrei,” she said, bowing. “Apologies. I didn’t recognize you at first.”

“It’s fine.”

“What can I do for you? I mean, I assume you came here for a reason.” She placed a hand to her mouth and gasped. “Does this have something to do with the shogun’s death?”

Yuri arched her eyebrows. “What makes you say that?”

“Then the rumors are true?”

Gossip and half-truths were what Sakuko fed off of. She claimed it even saved her life at one point. Yuri didn’t believe a word of it, but humored her. She always had information. Perhaps it was a lie, perhaps not. The only way to know was to ask her outright.

“What can you tell me about him?” she asked.

Sakuko leaned in closer to whisper in her ear. “Jin’s a Tzensu.”

Yuri leaned back and looked down at the crumpled painting of the thrush and frowned. Steeling herself, she looked her friend straight in the eyes and demanded to know who started the rumors. The girl pointed to a room.

“It's Sesshu. He's in there if you want to talk to him.”

“Sesshu?” Yuri asked.

The girl nodded. “He’s been staying with us since Lord Jin’s death.”

Yuri rubbed her chin. The timing was convenient, but why would Sesshu want to kill his former student? What did he have to gain from it? She shook her head. She was getting ahead of herself. Jin committed seppuku. The question on her mind should be why, not who?
But what if Shinobu is right? That would make Sesshu Tomo a suspect now.

She approached the door, waiting a few seconds before tapping on the wood.

“Come in,” a voice said from the other side.

Yuri entered the room. Sesshu’s candlelight made her eyes narrow. So much light came from the room she had to avert her gaze. The brightness fell after a few seconds and Yuri saw Sesshu Tomo sitting cross-legged and in front of a scroll wet with ink. The painting was of a short-winged thrush. Or at least, that’s what she thought it looked like.

The technique he used was a mystery to Yuri. The ink splotches were applied without rhyme or reason to create a mess which could be interpreted as anything.

Sesshu turned and smiled. “What can I do for you, Lady Kanrei?”

“Do you know anything about Jin’s death? Something which might hint that …”

“He was murdered?”

“Yes,” Yuri said, nodding. “Do you know anything?”

“I was wondering when you’d be coming here? You are lucky. This was my last day in town. Now then, what do you want to know?”

“I guess … well, do you think Jin was murdered?”

“Yes, but by who I do not know. His beliefs make him a target for anyone with a grudge against the Tsenzu. But you must already know this. Otherwise you wouldn’t be here, asking for my help.”

Yuri paused, thinking. Jin was a Tsenzu? No, that couldn’t be right. Lord Kasaju was strict when it came to religious practice inside the city walls. How did Sesshu know about Jin’s supposed affiliation with the Tsenzu? What did he mean by her already knowing about Jin’s religious practices? She’d never seen him practice once. Not even the mandatory one implemented by his father.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I don’t know what you’re referring to.”

“Don’t play coy, Lady Kanrei. I know he told you about his … nightly endeavors.”

Yuri shook her head. “No, really, he hadn’t told me anything about … well, you know.”

She looked around the room to see if any eyes were watching them. Even uttering the name of the banned religion was punishable by death. Sesshu raised his hand and flicked it down, laughing. Ink from his brush splattered on the ground, turning the wood paneling into a signature Sesshu work of art.

“Don’t worry. You’re among friends. Nobody is going to sell you out.” He leaned in closer. “Underneath the inn is a secret meeting room for the people of the Tsenzu faith. There’s one going on in a few minutes. I can see if they’ll let you in. Any friend of Jin’s is a friend of mine, and I’m sure the other’s will feel the same.”

Yuri felt her cheeks grow warm. To think such a gathering of believers could be right under Lord Kasaju’s nose the entire time. She didn’t mind one way or another whether or not they practiced their religion openly or in secret. The people of Kyotomo were blinded by their proximity to the shogun. They felt as though nothing could harm them. The Yoritomo, however, worked for most of their lives, having achieved the dream through effort and the sweat on one’s brow.

“Come,” Sesshu said. “The meeting is about to start.”

Yuri followed him to the basement of the inn. Her friend was present as well as several other people she knew by reputation to be avid supporters of Lord Kasaju’s ban on Tsenzu religion. Either they never supported the law or they changed their minds for whatever reason. Then again, it could’ve been both.

The people in the room were giving her strange looks as if she were a spy. They didn’t know the half of it.

Yuri wasn’t simply Kaito’s guardian. She was a Yoritomo; by blood only. She rid herself of the clan since Kaito was sent over as a political prisoner. Only a few people still knew about her lineage. As it happened, everybody in the room knew about it. There were six people in the room with no sign of anyone else showing up. The light from the candles was dim, but she could still make out faces. Each one of them knew about her heritage. At that moment, Yuri wanted to escape. Whatever was about to take place here, something told her it would involve herself in some way.

The door closed behind her. The light from upstairs vanished. Two candles illuminated the room. Then, hundreds more lit up brightening the whole room. The walls were decorated with paintings of both short-winged thrushes. Each one with different sizes and bordered on pure imagination. Some didn’t even look like birds, rather they appeared like feathered dragons.

The rest of the group’s dark expressions seemed to lower the light of the candles as they began to whistle. Sesshu cleared his throat and spoke.

“Members of the Tsenzu, as you are all well aware, our leader is dead. The person responsible remains out there. For those new here, this may come as a shock. But know one thing for certain. Lord Jin Minamoto was murdered for his beliefs. Beliefs that everyone in this room share.”

He looked over at Yuri as if waiting for her to pledge her allegiance to them. All that came out of her mouth was breath. What could she say? While she didn’t mind their religious beliefs, she didn’t exactly want to stick her neck out for people who would probably get her killed. If Lord Kasaju found out about this meeting, she’d be dead within the week.

Sesshu looked away and spoke to the rest of the group once more. His voice no longer filled with peace. Instead replaced by hostility and anger. Yuri’s comfortability took a hit, sinking down into a never ending abyss inside her. What was she doing here? She wasn’t some rebel. She was the Kanrei: the shogunal deputy. When the shogun was out of commission with no heir, she was supposed to take the forefront. She couldn’t be dwelling on the past like this. It wasn’t healthy.

“… Will you help us, Lady Kanrei?” Sesshu asked.

Yuri blinked, not hearing what he’d said before. She had a pretty good idea of what they wanted her to do. Something illegal and against the wishes of Lord Kasaju. She hated being caught in the middle of two opposing forces, but she’d already made it this far. There was no sense in turning back now. Not after learning the truth about Jin.

She nodded. The rest of the group beamed in excitement. For what she did not know, but something told her she was about to find out. She swallowed the stickiness of fear in her throat and waited for some clarification.

“See, I told you she could be trusted,” Sesshu said with a smile. “Our leader is still with us. Yuri will lead our troops against the city and take over Kyotomo. A new age for the Tsenzu is coming and we will no longer have to live in fear. It is time to come out of hiding and show the world what we’re capable of as a group. No, as a force of nature.”

The group cheered and whistled. Yuri slouched down on her pillow, feeling awkward, foolish and stupid for agreeing to something she couldn’t possibly bring to life. What these men wanted was impossible. She opened her mouth to speak, but refrained herself. She still needed to know more about Jin’s involvement with these people. If his death was in some way related to the Tsenzu, then she needed to inform someone.
Shinobu
, she thought. If anyone would want to hear about this recent development it would be him.

She only hoped he wouldn't tell Lord Kasaju, because of their history together.

***

The next morning, Yuri received word from Jin’s father. At first it seemed like he wanted to ask her about last night. But how did he know about the…
Don’t be ridiculous,
she thought.
He probably just wants an update on his son’s death.
Still, it was curious that he wanted her to investigate at all. Did he know about the Tsenzu hiding underneath his nose the whole time? At the very least he must know that it wasn’t suicide. Otherwise why have her investigate an already known fact?

Yuri made her way to Lord Kasaju’s chambers. Again she felt whatever confidence she had draining as she approached the tall metal door. She knocked. The sound of which reverberated throughout her body like a tuning fork. Her very being felt as if the tiniest push might send her bones crumbling to the ground.

When no one responded, Yuri took it as a sign to enter. She crept inside, waiting for Lord Kasaju to make his presence known, but he never did. In fact, she started to doubt he was even in the room. She’d gotten his message to come see him less than an hour ago. Did the messenger take his time delivering Lord Kasaju’s request or was this a misunderstanding? Whatever the reason, she felt relieved. She sighed and backed away. She’d come back another …

Her back hit something; not solid like a wall, but still very much sturdy. Her heart skipped two beats. She dare not to turn around for fear of having her head cut off where she stood. A drop of sweat trickled down her neck, causing her the need to itch. When she could manage no more, she gave in and scratched.

“Are you trying to insult me?” Lord Kasaju asked.

Yuri’s knees trembled as she felt Kasaju’s hand touch her neck—his fingers wrapping around it and applying pressure on and off in a soothing, yet hostile way. Her instincts told her to run, but no man had ever escaped the Lord’s blade. She’d be dead before she even took a step, before she even
considered
taking one. Perhaps she was already dead?

“No, my lord,” Yuri said. She swallowed. “You … wanted to see me?”

“Yes, have you uncovered anything about my son’s death?”

She shook her head. “Nothing at the moment.”

“Are you sure? Anything that might connect even a little bit to his death may prove useful in finding those responsible.”

His words were like ice against her skin, causing it to tingle and making her sweat heat over and stick. How she wanted to get out of here. She couldn’t deal with this right now, not after learning about Jin’s connection with the Tsenzu. She bit her tongue to withhold herself from spilling the secrets she had learned yesterday. If she was to succeed in her investigation, she needed to keep on both party’s good sides.

“Well, if you’re certain … I suppose you can go.”

Yuri bowed and walked as fast as she could out Lord Kasaju’s chamber, being careful not to bump into him on the way out.

She wanted to commit seppuku on the spot if she had to spend another minute in his presence. She looked down at her hand. It grasped her dagger and was inches away from leaving a nasty gash in her stomach. The knife still cut her, but not enough for her to notice right away. Now, however, she felt the stinging pain in abundance. She inhaled. Her breath sounding like the hiss of a snake. Once the pain subsided, Yuri regained her composure and sighed. She was too old for this. So what if she was Yoritomo. Being one of the Tsenzu was worse. They were anarchists, willing to destroy civilization for a simple reason of one thing not working the way they want it to work.