Moon and Star: Book One (3 page)

“That you aren’t a member of the Minamoto clan.”

His heart skipped a beat. “What do you mean?”

“You are a prisoner of these accursed times,” Mayumi said. “At least, that was your original purpose in life. You’re the reason things between the Minamoto and Yoritomo aren’t as bad as they could be. But, as I'm sure you can tell, that has changed.”

He nodded. Everyone in town was talking about the war between the two clans, which loomed over the horizon. Where would the first drop of blood be spilled? Who would end it? What would the winning side receive? All those questions and more were on the forefront of everyone’s minds. Kaito didn’t think much of it, thinking it didn’t affect his ability to become shogun.

But what Mayumi said …
it can’t be true.

“I should’ve known your father wouldn’t tell you,” she said. “He wanted to shield you from the truth for as long as possible, hoping things would work themselves out and you would never need to know.”

Kaito looked down, staring at the fire. His mind filled with memories of his father. Only the negative ones flooded his head. All the times he refused to train him or even let him practice kendo by himself. It all became clear.

“He didn’t trust me,” he said. “He never did.”

“That’s not true,” Mayumi said. “He loved you very —”

“He
feared
me,” Kaito said, ignoring Mayumi’s words. “He kept me in the dark because he didn’t want me to overthrow him. He was right not to tell me, because right now,” he clenched his fists. “I’m seriously considering it.”

“If you must know your father wasn’t the one who placed the bounty on your head. If you want to blame anyone blame your grandfather. Your father would’ve tried to stop him. That much I can guarantee you.”

Her words started to take effect on his thought processes. He didn’t know what to feel anymore, but he cried nevertheless. Mayumi held him in her arms and hummed him a song. It was familiar, comforting.

“You know your father used to sing this to you whenever you couldn’t fall asleep. He said it was your favorite song when you were little.”

“I’ve never heard this song before,” Kaito said.

“You were probably too young to remember.”

“He was always busy with politics and his ink paintings. You’re telling me he had time sing to me when I was little?”

Mayumi nodded. “He would drop whatever he was doing and go put you to sleep. If I remember correctly he was the only one who could.”

Kaito’s heart sank. Now he knew how much his life meant, compared to the state of Jakai as a whole.

“But I’m sure he’ll be proud of the man you are becoming. When we get back, you can tell him all about your adventure.”

“What adventure?” Kaito asked, looking down. “It’s not like I have anything to worry about with you around, right?”

He looked up and she was gone.

Chapter Four

Yuri walked down the main road, towards the guard station. The lack of people on this road was ominous. This place was packed with merchants and buyers long before this hour. She glanced over her shoulder. Nobody was following her, but she couldn't help the feeling that she was being watched from afar. A cold wind blew threw the street, brushing up fallen karanasu leaves swirling them through the air. Yuri looked up. There weren’t any karanasu trees in Kyotomo. Where did they come from? Something wasn’t right. She picked up the pace, all the while worried about what her mind was telling her. When she reached the station, two bodies lie on the ground in a pool of blood. Two guards were hunched over the corpses. She knew one of them. It was Go-zhuk. Somebody killed Go-zhuk? Why?

“What’s going on here?” Yuri shouted.

The two guards stopped whatever it was they were doing and bowed. She raised an eyebrow. She could tell they were getting nervous. One of the guards was taller than the other. The shorter one had a gaunt face, despite his somewhat portly waist size, while the tall one’s hair was a mess. He looked like a foreigner with his hair down.

“We found them like this,” the tall one said.

“Why did no one report it?” she asked. “Who was stationed here before you?”

The short one blushed and looked down at his feet. “We were on duty last night, but...”

“So no one was here?”

The short one nodded. “Yes, Lady Kanrei.”

“Well, what were you doing?"

They both turned to each other and blushed as they looked back at her, avoiding any direct eye contact with her.

“We were at the inn,” the taller one said. Looking for …

“A prostitute,” the shorter one said.

Yuri blinked. “I see. Well, did it ever occur to you that anyone could’ve walked into the city. Someone who would wish us harm. Tell me, was the pleasure worth it?”

Their faces sunk and their eyes showed signs of guilt as they stared at the ground. What people did with their money was their business and she didn’t care to know about it. This time, however, was different. Anyone could’ve walked in and out of the city. The question was who did and why?

She was getting ahead of herself. There wasn’t any proof that somebody from the outside came inside the city. The dead bodies could’ve been a product of someone on the inside. If that were the case, they were a rogue now, and the wilderness would deal with them at some point.

The wind picked up again, blowing karanasu leaves past her face.

Karanasu trees weren’t native to this area, so what were they doing here? Yuri froze, realizing that someone had entered the town. She picked up one of the leaves to examine it, but found her finger bled upon contact. She knew of only one person who could’ve done this. Mayumi Shingen. How was that possible? She was supposed to be dead. Something was very wrong.

She looked down to examine the blood from Go-zhuk and his father. It was somewhat dry, but still wet enough to be called fresh. Whoever did this certainly had help. Go-zhuk may not have been great with a sword, but his father was a well-respected bushi-ama warrior in Kyotomo and the head of a noble house. He couldn’t have been defeated that easily. There was no blood splatter anywhere besides the general vicinity of the bodies. Their attacker never spilled a drop of blood, it seemed.

Yuri’s neck tensed. Perhaps Mayumi wasn’t dead. She had the skills needed to take down someone like Takato and Go-zhuk. No, she’s dead. But who could’ve done this?

Yuri swallowed the fear rising in her throat. If Mayumi was here in Kyotomo, she'd need to be careful. There was no telling what kind of assassination she'd try. She was an expert in ninjutsu and her abilities didn't end there. She also wielded tsuki no ha-ken—the lunar blade. That was probably how she defeated Takato and his son. Only one blade could match blows with tsuki no ha-ken and that was nitsu seiba—the sun saber. The shape of the blade was unusual. Tsuki no ha-ken resembled a traditional tachi, but Nitsu seiba was mostly curved and bulbous near the sword's tip. It certainly wasn't used for assassination like its brother. She supposed it was true, considering all the evidence; Mayumi was alive and there were only a few people who must've known about it. Yuri walked back towards the castle. She turned around and ordered the guards to dispose of the bodies and tell no one what happened last night. Having mass panic on the streets was the last thing she needed right now.

She reached the castle walls and took off her sandals before entering. The bottoms were covered in dried flakes of blood. Jin didn't care about wearing footwear inside. In fact he did things that were unusual to her and everyone else in Jakai. Still, it was only proper. Yuri stormed into the meeting room and surveyed the area. Nobody was here. Good. She needed the privacy to let everything sink in.

“What are you doing here?”

Yuri jumped and hit her head against the wooden support beam. “Captain Kura. What brings you here?”

“I found some of my men trying to dispose of some corpses. Looks like somebody did a number on them. Wonder who could’ve done it? Did you know about this?”

“No, this is my first time hearing about it. Such a tragedy. Whoever did this will be properly punished. You have my word, Shinobu.”

The captain raised an eyebrow. “This is the first time you’ve called me by my first name. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” Yuri said. “Is that a problem?”

“No, it just sounds so informal that’s all.”

“Have you seen Kaito?” Yuri asked, changing the subject. “I need him to deliver a letter for me.”

“You didn’t hear?” Shinobu said. “Kaito’s gone. Left this morning with Go-zhuk and his father.”

Yuri took a few moments to digest the information. She about blurted out who the victims were, but stopped herself before she could utter a syllable. There was no reason he should know at this moment. But how could Kaito have gone with them if Go-zhuk and his father were dead. Did Mayumi kidnap him? No, that wasn’t in her nature. She and Jin were best friends as children. They grew up together. It didn’t make any sense for her to take his son. She had no vendetta against him, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t working for someone who did.

Captain Kura looked at her inquisitively.

"What is it?” she asked.

“You know something, don’t you,” he said.

Yuri shook her head. “Of course not. Don’t be ridiculous.”

Shinobu shrugged. “Well, if you hear anything, let me know. I want to get to the bottom of this before we have a war over nothing.”

The man was right. Takato’s death and the lack of an heir for the Hatake clan was certain to bring tensions over the edge. The clan would require blood and who would be there to blame but their rival clan in Yoshino—the Kazuya. Out of the four noble families, the Kazuya were the most open towards foreigners. They even adopted some of their customs, making them their own.

“Does Jin know about Kaito?” she asked.

Captain Kura frowned. “I haven’t gotten the chance.”

“I’ll do it. You just worry about getting the troops ready for war. Something tells me that we’ll need to strengthen border defenses.”

She walked to Jin’s room and tapped on the shoji. The sliding door rattled in its frame, as if someone had knocked it off its hinges. No one answered after a few seconds. Yuri grew worried. He was probably asleep, but given the events of this morning … she opened the door as fast she could.

“My Lord, Kaito's gone."

Jin said nothing. His whole body was rigid. He collapsed backwards onto the floor. His eyes were pure white. Yuri ran to him in a panic. She searched all over for a wound, blood, cut, anything. Perhaps there was still time to save him.

She found no blood, cut, or wound anywhere on his body.

***

Shogun Jin Minamoto was dead. His burial was held earlier in the day, after the body was removed from his quarters. Everyone showed up, except for Jin's father: Lord Kasaju.

The one man Yuri could confide in and trust was gone.

An emptiness sat inside her. What troubled her most wasn't his death, but the events surrounding it. A man like Jin didn't commit seppuku without a reason. There had to be one, but what could it be? There was no sign of forced entry and no blood anywhere in the room. Who could have killed him without leaving any sign? Did he kill himself as everyone had suggested? A poison of some sort? Even Mayumi wasn't this good. Besides, she and Jin had a history together. A bond that no amount of money could break. If she killed him, her body would be lying at his feet, lifeless.

She shook her head, trying to focus at the task in front of her. With the Shogun dead and Kaito missing, the title would be up for grabs. Why did Jin put so much faith in the boy? Now he was gone with someone she trusted less than Kaito himself. Yuri took one last glance at the room and locked the door.

"The meeting's about to start," one of the guards said.

Yuri nodded and made her way to the room where the now three heads of the four major houses resided to discuss the matter of Jin's death and the matter of succession. Originally the head of the Hatake clan was to be put in charge should there be no heir. Since they were both dead, it would be up the other three to decide amongst themselves. Yuri didn't see that happening anytime soon. When she entered the room, the three men were already at each other's throats.

"Gentlemen!" she said. "Can we discuss this like civilized people?"

They all looked at her frowning. Finally one of them spoke up.

"How can we all just sit here when the Shogun's been assassinated?" Captain Kura said.

Everyone looked at him.

"Are you suggesting that Jin was killed by someone?" the Senjuya clan leader said.

Shinobu nodded. "What other reason is there? Why would he kill himself?"

"You just want to pin blame on someone," the head of the Kazuya clan said. "That way you can get closer to becoming Shogun."

"That's not it at all. I'm just trying to get to the bottom of this."

"Oh please, everyone knows you'd like nothing more than to make Kyotomo a military state. Now's the perfect chance to implement your ideas. Except, you've got two other claims to the title to deal with. You probably plan on making us take each other out, aren’t you.”

Shinobu looked taken aback. “I would never. How dare you accuse me of —”

“Enough!” Yuri said, interrupting. “We have more important things to deal with than the matter of succession. Or did you all forget about the Yoritomo Clan.”

The three men blushed and stared down at their feet, avoiding the slightest bit of eye contact with Yuri. She couldn’t believe the nerve of these clan heads. The Kazuya, Kura, Senjuya, and Hatake clans had the longest lineage in Kyotomo's history, each one with a viable claim to the title. But with the Taiho code, the heir needed to be chosen by the current Shogun. There were contingency plans, should there be no heir or the Shogun die before he can name one, but this matter was trickier than looking up the law.

Jin
had
named Kaito his heir, but with him gone there was a gap in the law of succession. Any one of the people in this room, including herself, could claim the title of Shogun. Delaying the ascension was not a good idea, but giving the power to any of these people was even worse.