The Way Of The Sword (15 page)

‘Gaijin
Jack should go back!’ said Nobu, his belly bobbing up and down with laughter, clearly delighted with his taunt.

Jack backed away, but was stopped by the handrail of the bridge.

‘All on your own?’ smirked Hiroto. ‘No bodyguards? I thought you would have learnt from last time – or do you need another kick in the ribs to remind you?’

Jack said nothing, knowing Hiroto was looking for any excuse to strike him.

‘Cat got your tongue?’ asked Moriko, hissing in delight. ‘Or are you just too brainless to understand?’

Jack tried to keep calm. He was outnumbered, but determined not to be intimidated this time.

‘No one likes
gaijin
,’ rasped Moriko, baring her black teeth at him. ‘They’re filthy, stupid and ugly.’

Jack stared back at her. He was above this.

Moriko, frustrated at his lack of reaction, spat at Jack’s feet.

‘What have we got here?’ Kazuki demanded, snatching Jess’s picture out of Jack’s hand before he could react.

Jack flew at Kazuki. ‘Give it back!’

Nobu and Hiroto caught hold of his arms and put him in a lock.

‘Look at this, gang. Hasn’t Jack been a clever boy? He’s learnt to draw,’ teased Kazuki, holding the piece of paper in the air for all of them to see.

‘Give it back
NOW
, Kazuki!’ Jack demanded, struggling to escape.

‘Why could you possibly want to keep this? It’s terrible. It’s like a little girl’s drawn it!’

Jack shook with rage as Kazuki dangled the picture in front of his nose.

‘Say goodbye to your masterpiece,
gaijin
.’ Kazuki threw the picture into the air.

Jack watched in anguish as the drawing fluttered away on the breeze.

‘Look! The
gaijin
is about to cry like a baby,’ squealed Moriko and the Scorpion Gang laughed.

Jack hardly heard the taunts. His entire focus was on the fragile piece of paper flying away. He thrashed wildly in Nobu and Hiroto’s grip as his only bond with Jess disappeared into the sky. It lifted high above the pond before getting caught in the upper branches of a maple tree.

‘Leave him alone!’ ordered Yamato, running on to the bridge with Akiko and his friends.

Jack felt a small wave of relief. At least he was not alone in this fight.

‘Let Jack go,’ demanded Akiko, pulling at Hiroto’s arms.

‘Look who it is; the
gaijin
lover!’ announced Kazuki, looking her up and down scornfully. ‘Do as she says. It’s only fair to give them a fighting chance. Scorpions!’

At Kazuki’s command, the Scorpion Gang dropped into fighting guard, facing off against each of Jack’s friends. Yamato and Saburo stood their ground, but Yori trembled as a boy twice his size loomed over him. Ignoring Kiku with a sneer, Moriko squared up to Akiko and hissed into her face like a wildcat.

‘Come on! Make the first move,’ Moriko dared, baring her blackened teeth and fingernails that had been sharpened into claws. ‘Give me the excuse I need to scar you!’

Akiko slipped into stance, preparing to defend herself. She knew from experience that Moriko fought viciously. But just as the fight was about to kick off, a
bō
struck the wooden bridge with tremendous force and everyone froze.

‘Do we have a problem?’ enquired Sensei Kano. ‘In a setting such as this, there should be no need for raised voices.’

Nobu and Hiroto immediately released Jack.

‘No, Sensei,’ replied Kazuki in a friendly voice. ‘Jack’s lost his picture and is a bit upset. There was a misunderstanding, but it’s all sorted now. Isn’t it, Jack?’

Jack glared at Kazuki, but there was little else he could do. He had no proof of what had happened. Sensei Kano would never be able to see the truth.

‘Yes,’ he replied flatly, not taking his eyes off his enemy.

‘I understand the situation perfectly,’ stated Sensei Kano. ‘I think it is time that you all went back to the school.’

Kazuki signed to his Scorpion Gang to follow him and they left without another word.

Jack looked up in despair at his sister’s drawing caught high in the topmost branches of the maple tree. Even with his skills as a rigging monkey, there was no way he could get to it. The upper branches would snap under his weight.

‘Don’t worry, Jack,’ said Akiko, seeing the sorrow well up in Jack’s eyes, ‘I’ll get it for you.’

With astounding grace, Akiko launched herself from the bridge, kicking off from the handrail and catching hold of the nearest branch of the maple tree. She swung herself up to the next level, then flew up the tree swift as a sparrow. Fearlessly walking out on to an upper branch, she caught hold of the fluttering paper.

With the same unparalleled skill, Akiko dropped down the tree and back on to the bridge. She handed Jack his sister’s drawing and bowed.

Jack was speechless, only managing a nod of the head to show his appreciation. The others appeared equally impressed.

‘I’ve always enjoyed climbing trees,’ she said by way of an excuse, heading towards the school without a backward glance.

Where had Akiko’s remarkable ability come from? None of them had been taught those skills at the
Niten Ichi Ryū
. Her agility reminded Jack of the ninja who had flown like bats through the rigging of the
Alexandria
, and of the one person he’d seen scale a castle wall as if he was a spider – Dragon Eye.

Is this what Akiko had been up to on her nightly outings? Learning ninja skills?

But that was absurd. The samurai hated the ninja and all they stood for, and surely ninja felt the same way about samurai. What sort of ninja would want to teach a samurai their tricks? The whole idea was ludicrous. Besides, only men became ninja. Jack immediately dismissed the idea.

CRACK!

Kazuki’s fist drove through the cedar board, smashing it into two pieces.

The class applauded loudly as Kazuki became the first student to break wood in the run-up to the trials.

But he was not the only one to succeed at
tamashiwari
that morning. The constant training inflicted by Sensei Kyuzo on the
makiwara
over the past month was paying off as Hiroto, Goro, Yamato and then Emi and Akiko all snapped their single pieces of board. With more time, the students realized that one board would become two, and eventually the three required in the Trial by Wood.

Jack was preparing for his attempt when Sensei Kyuzo suddenly shouted,
‘REI!’

The whole class bowed as Masamoto strode into the
Butokuden
. Jack was taken aback at his guardian’s unexpected appearance.

‘Please, Sensei Kyuzo,’ said Masamoto, with a wave of his hand, ‘continue as if I wasn’t here. I just wish to check on progress for the trials.’

Sensei Kyuzo bowed and returned to his class.

‘Jack-kun, step up!’ he ordered.

Jack hurried to the centre of the
Butokuden
and waited as Sensei Kyuzo positioned a single cedar board between the two stable blocks. He then placed a second board on top of the first.

‘But -‘ Jack protested.

Sensei Kyuzo cut him off with a withering look.

Jack groaned inwardly. Sensei Kyuzo had promised he would do everything in his power to ruin Jack’s chances of entering the Circle of Three. Now the sensei was setting him up to fail in front of Masamoto.

Jack could see that Yamato and Akiko were equally appalled by the unfairness, but they were in no position to say anything.

Jack’s only choice was to prove Sensei Kyuzo wrong.

During their training, Jack had come to understand that the
tamashiwari
technique required more than brute strength. It demanded total commitment, concentration and focus.

He had to strike
through
the wood, not at it.

The power came from his body, not the arm itself.

He needed to condense his
ki
, his spiritual energy, and transfer it through his fist into the object he was striking. And most crucial of all, he had to truly believe that he was capable of breaking the block.

Jack took all the anger, frustration and hate he had suffered at the hands of Sensei Kyuzo, Kazuki and his Scorpion Gang and channelled it into the wooden blocks. With an explosive force that even surprised Jack, he slammed his fist through the wood, screaming
‘KIAIIIII!’

With the sound of a gunshot, the two blocks shattered apart, the splinters flying through the air.

There was a moment of awed silence then the class erupted into applause.

Jack was euphoric. A rush of adrenaline pulsed through him as he experienced a sudden release of all his frustrations. For that brief moment, he was all-powerful.

As the clapping died down, one pair of hands kept applauding.

‘Very impressive,’ commended Masamoto, stepping forward. ‘You have been training your students well, Sensei Kyuzo. May I borrow Jack-kun for a moment?’

Sensei Kyuzo bowed in acknowledgement, but Jack noticed the burning frustration in the samurai’s eyes.

Masamoto beckoned Jack over and led him outside.

‘I haven’t had an opportunity to speak with you for a while,’ he began as they walked past the construction works of the Hall of the Hawk, where several carpenters were busy hammering down floorboards and putting up roof beams. Masamoto and Jack entered the sanctuary of the Southern Zen Garden to escape the noise.

‘How are you coping as a young samurai?’ enquired Masamoto.

Jack, still buzzing from the
tamashiwari
, replied, ‘Great, but the training’s been harder than I expected.’

Masamoto laughed. ‘The training is easy. It’s your expectations that are making it hard,’ he observed. ‘I must apologize for not being around much this year to guide you, but affairs of state have taken priority. I’m sure you understand.’

Jack nodded. He assumed Masamoto was referring to Kamakura’s anti-Christian campaign. There had been more reports of persecution in Edo, Kazuki ensuring Jack was made fully aware of each one. Jack now wondered how widespread the problem had become to require so much of his guardian’s time in serving
daimyo
Takatomi.

‘The good news is that we have dealt with the situation and you’ll be seeing far more of me for the rest of the year,’ Masamoto said, a smile spreading across the unscarred side of his face.

‘Has
daimyo
Kamakura been stopped?’ Jack blurted, unable to hide the relief in his voice.

‘Kamakura?’ queried Masamoto, the smile disappearing. ‘So you are aware of the issue?’

He looked hard at Jack, his stare as penetrating as steel blade. For a moment Jack wondered if he had spoken out of turn.

‘There’s no reason to concern yourself with such matters,’ continued his guardian, indicating for Jack to sit down next to him on the veranda that overlooked the Zen garden and a small stone water feature. ‘Still, to allay your fears I can tell you in strictest confidence that
daimyo
Takatomi has required my services to deal with… how should I say, “disagreements” over the running of our country and who should be welcome upon our shores. I’ve been carrying out assignments to establish the positions of other provincial lords on this matter. The vast majority are on our side. You have nothing to worry about.’

‘But what about all the priests who’ve died, and
daimyo
Kamakura’s order to kill all Christians and foreigners who don’t leave?’

‘I can assure you that’s purely the prejudice of one
daimyo
.’

‘But might it not spread among the other lords?’ insisted Jack. ‘I mean, if it did, surely I’d be in danger and could get killed before I return home.’

‘Return home?’ said Masamoto, raising his eyebrows in surprise. ‘But
this
is your home.’

Jack didn’t know what to say in reply. Though he couldn’t deny that Japan was now in his blood, England was where his heart truly lay and always would.

‘You’re my son,’ affirmed Masamoto proudly. ‘No one would dare harm you. Besides, you’re samurai now, and with a few years’ more training you won’t need me to protect you.’

Masamoto clapped Jack firmly on the back and laughed.

Jack forced a smile. Masamoto had never asked for anything in return for his kindness and Jack knew that contradicting his guardian now would be the most disrespectful thing he could do. He would be throwing all that generosity back into the samurai’s face. However much he wanted to go home and find Jess, Jack owed Masamoto his life and, as a samurai, his service too.

Jack decided he would bide his time and dedicate himself to mastering the Two Heavens. Then, once he’d proved he could look after himself, he would ask for Masamoto’s permission to leave.

‘I understand, Masamoto-sama,’ said Jack, bowing his head in deference. ‘I was just worried that the situation was getting out of control. But I’m determined to enter the Circle of Three and learn the Two Heavens.’

‘That’s
the samurai spirit I’m looking for. I can appreciate how you must yearn for your homeland,’ conceded Masamoto. ‘But I made a promise to the memory of your father, and the honour of my dear departed son, Tenno, that I would take care of you. You are
my
responsibility. And you are perfectly safe.’

Despite Jack’s fears that Kamakura’s campaign would become bigger than even the great Masamoto could handle, he knew deep down that his guardian would fight to his last breath protecting him.

Masamoto turned to Jack, concern now etched in his brow. ‘I’ve been made aware that you’re experiencing some difficulties with other students in the school. Is this right?’

Jack nodded once. ‘But it’s nothing that I can’t handle,’ he added quickly.

‘I’m sure it isn’t,’ replied Masamoto, noting Jack’s bravado with pride. ‘Nonetheless, now that I am back, I will be making it very clear that I won’t tolerate bullying or prejudice in my school. At the same time, I wish to give you some advice that stood me well in my youth.’

Jack had never witnessed Masamoto like this before. Severe, austere and commanding, yes. But paternal – this was something very different. Jack felt a pang of grief for his true father.