Read Online Kill the Shogun by Dale Furutani - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Dale Furutani
Ads: Link
let that creature go!” Kaze had advanced on Okubo, his hands now in two tight fists.
Okubo looked at his retainers, still not understanding why they hadn’t moved to follow his orders. When he looked back at Kaze, his face was filled with a fist flying toward it.
The fight was not an elegant one. It was a schoolboy scuffle. Okubo was taller and stronger than Kaze, but Kaze had the strength of will and rapid reflexes that rained a shower of blows on Okubo. The fight ended with Kaze sitting on Okubo’s chest, pummeling his head, while the older boy tried to protect himself by placing his hands over his face. The three Okubo retainers simply looked on.
Convinced he had thrashed the older boy, Kaze got off Okubo and ran to the fire. He kicked the pot over and the spilling water doused half the flame, sending up a cloud of white steam. Kaze took the struggling dog out of the pot and untied it, first making sure the water had not yet gotten hot enough to harm the animal. As soon as Kaze released the dog from its bonds, the animal leapt up and ran with all speed out of the area.
Okubo complained about the beating. Since he was the son of a daimyo, the Lord who was holding him hostage called Kaze and his father to explain themselves.
As they sat outside the Lord’s reception room, Kaze could see his father was irritated by the trouble Kaze had caused. Kaze knewthe Lord had power of life and death over his father and everyone in the fief. From the fact that his father was irritated but not concerned, Kaze guessed the situation wasn’t as serious as that. Still, he felt acute embarrassment for causing trouble.
He sat waiting, trying to wash all thoughts from his mind and concentrating on his breathing. Breath was life and Kaze had already been taught the breathing exercises that samurai students were drilled in. It calmed him and also steeled him to go through his first direct contact with his daimyo. He wanted to greet the daimyo as a warrior and not a child.
The Lord finally called them in.
A s they entered, the daimyo and his son, who was a few years older than Kaze, were sitting on a dais at the end of the room. Kaze and his father marched to the daimyo, stopping a respectful distance away. They both gracefully sank to their knees, put their hands on the floor before them, and gave a deep, formal bow, almost touching their heads to the floor. Then they both sat up, sitting on their legs, with calm faces and rigid backs.
The daimyo was impressed. The young boy had been well schooled in proper etiquette, but any child likely to have contact with daimyo and other high officials of the clan would be so schooled. What impressed the daimyo was the calm of the boy. Most children would be nervous or even crying when summoned to see the Lord of the fief after beating the son of another daimyo. The daimyo glanced at his son, to see if he had also noted the young boy’s presence. In the normal course of things, this young boy would someday serve the daimyo’s son, just as the father served the daimyo.
“Young Okubo complained about your beating him,” the daimyo said without preliminaries. The young boy sat calmly, not denying the charge or rushing to offer an excuse.
“I did beat him, great Lord,” the boy said.
After waiting to see if the boy would say more, the daimyo continued. His respect for this youth increased because he maintained an impressive composure, and he started looking at him as a precocious young man, and not a child. “Why did you beat him?” he asked.
“Young Lord Okubo had a dog tied up in a pot of water and he seemed intent on boiling it alive.”
“So he was torturing your dog?”
“It was not my dog, great Lord.”
Surprised, the daimyo asked, “It was not your dog?”
“No, Lord. I think it was a stray dog.”
“Then why did you rush to protect it? Are you aware that some daimyo hunt dogs, shooting them from horseback with a bow and arrow?”
“Yes, great Lord.”
“And would
Okubo looked at his retainers, still not understanding why they hadn’t moved to follow his orders. When he looked back at Kaze, his face was filled with a fist flying toward it.
The fight was not an elegant one. It was a schoolboy scuffle. Okubo was taller and stronger than Kaze, but Kaze had the strength of will and rapid reflexes that rained a shower of blows on Okubo. The fight ended with Kaze sitting on Okubo’s chest, pummeling his head, while the older boy tried to protect himself by placing his hands over his face. The three Okubo retainers simply looked on.
Convinced he had thrashed the older boy, Kaze got off Okubo and ran to the fire. He kicked the pot over and the spilling water doused half the flame, sending up a cloud of white steam. Kaze took the struggling dog out of the pot and untied it, first making sure the water had not yet gotten hot enough to harm the animal. As soon as Kaze released the dog from its bonds, the animal leapt up and ran with all speed out of the area.
Okubo complained about the beating. Since he was the son of a daimyo, the Lord who was holding him hostage called Kaze and his father to explain themselves.
As they sat outside the Lord’s reception room, Kaze could see his father was irritated by the trouble Kaze had caused. Kaze knewthe Lord had power of life and death over his father and everyone in the fief. From the fact that his father was irritated but not concerned, Kaze guessed the situation wasn’t as serious as that. Still, he felt acute embarrassment for causing trouble.
He sat waiting, trying to wash all thoughts from his mind and concentrating on his breathing. Breath was life and Kaze had already been taught the breathing exercises that samurai students were drilled in. It calmed him and also steeled him to go through his first direct contact with his daimyo. He wanted to greet the daimyo as a warrior and not a child.
The Lord finally called them in.
A s they entered, the daimyo and his son, who was a few years older than Kaze, were sitting on a dais at the end of the room. Kaze and his father marched to the daimyo, stopping a respectful distance away. They both gracefully sank to their knees, put their hands on the floor before them, and gave a deep, formal bow, almost touching their heads to the floor. Then they both sat up, sitting on their legs, with calm faces and rigid backs.
The daimyo was impressed. The young boy had been well schooled in proper etiquette, but any child likely to have contact with daimyo and other high officials of the clan would be so schooled. What impressed the daimyo was the calm of the boy. Most children would be nervous or even crying when summoned to see the Lord of the fief after beating the son of another daimyo. The daimyo glanced at his son, to see if he had also noted the young boy’s presence. In the normal course of things, this young boy would someday serve the daimyo’s son, just as the father served the daimyo.
“Young Okubo complained about your beating him,” the daimyo said without preliminaries. The young boy sat calmly, not denying the charge or rushing to offer an excuse.
“I did beat him, great Lord,” the boy said.
After waiting to see if the boy would say more, the daimyo continued. His respect for this youth increased because he maintained an impressive composure, and he started looking at him as a precocious young man, and not a child. “Why did you beat him?” he asked.
“Young Lord Okubo had a dog tied up in a pot of water and he seemed intent on boiling it alive.”
“So he was torturing your dog?”
“It was not my dog, great Lord.”
Surprised, the daimyo asked, “It was not your dog?”
“No, Lord. I think it was a stray dog.”
“Then why did you rush to protect it? Are you aware that some daimyo hunt dogs, shooting them from horseback with a bow and arrow?”
“Yes, great Lord.”
“And would
Similar Books
