The Eye of the Kami

On the dawn of the seventh day, the travelers came to the end of the rugged trail through the dense, humid forest and exited onto an elevated clearing that overlooked the sea. Their nostrils were quickly invaded by the crisp, salty air of the ocean. They could see the golden sun rising over the horizon, causing the sea to sparkle and shimmer in its reflection. At last, they had reached the eastern coast of Minami-shima.

The clearing in which they stood appeared to be an ancient place, which was badly overgrown. There were sporadically placed rectangular grave markers which were well-worn and covered in moss. Most of the stones had toppled, and only a few remained in fair condition. The cemetery must have been only seldom visited, except by the occasional pilgrim who used it to locate the entrance to their hidden trail. Gin and Saru proceeded carefully across, and from there the two descended the embankment by an old stairway which had been hewn into the rock. It too was covered in moss and broken in many places, making the descent feel like a crawl. The stairway winded downwards and was extremely narrow and quite steep, but with some careful footwork, they reached the bottom safely.

“I remember this place,” said Saru, looking back up the stairway with a scowl. “The acolytes couldn’t carry me up in the cage, so they made me go up on foot.” She massaged the area of her neck where the collar had once been. “I’ll be happy to be off this island.”

“Soon,” Gin muttered, pressing forward. His pace was quickening once again. It was as if the sight of the sea had imbued him with renewed energy. Saru had to lengthen her stride to catch up with him.

After several minutes, they reached Minami-shima’s eastern highway, which ran north and south along the coast. At this juncture, it was still little more than a dirt road, but as they continued it gradually widened as houses began to dot the landscape. They also began to see an increase in traffic as they continued north towards Kagiminato, as merchants with their carts passed by as well as post riders, fishermen, and travelers like themselves.

Gin kept his head down, to avoid anyone recognizing him, which was now a real concern. If word of his deeds had reached the port city, it would make for a grim time indeed. However, he was hoping that their shortcut through the forest would give him at least a day or two before reports reached the ears of the local daimyō and his servants. Luckily, Saru distracted most of the passersby, as her unusual garb, strange physical features, and the presence of an impressive naginata on her back, caused most people to turn their heads in wonder.

As they drew closer, they could see their surroundings begin to rapidly change, as the thatched roofs gave way to crescent-shaped clay tiles, and the bare wood gave way to white plaster walls. They could now see many sea vessels out on the water, their sizes ranged from small, one-man fishing boats to large trading junks or ferries. The road began to be lined with different shops and inns, and peddlers roved around looking to sell their wares. The sun was rising, and it was getting hot quickly, but the sea breeze seemed to cool the air.

Just past noon, they reached their first real test, the southeast gate of Kagiminato. It was a multi-tiered wooden gate with several armed guards bearing the blue koi on a white field, the symbol of the Kagi clan. Kagiminato was arguably the most important city on the island, being the nearest and most accessible to Nakashima, and so the daimyō had heavily upgraded the city’s defenses during the war.

The gate was fully opened, and there was a free flow of traffic in and out of it, but Gin was leery of the guards, who were carefully eyeing those who were coming and going.

“What if I am too late?” he wondered, his insides churning. “What if they have already found out?”

“Calm down,” Saru whispered as if reading his mind. “Let me do the talking if we are stopped.” He raised an eyebrow in objection, but she quickly replied with a playful wink.

They approached the gate in a mass of other travelers. Gin was quiet as he tried to fade into the swell of humanity funneling through. He closed his eyes and felt his way forward. They were getting closer by the moment. Soon they would be through. He cracked open his eyes for just a second. They were just at the threshold of the gate.

“Just a few more seconds,” he thought, “And we’ll be clear.”

“Stop!” he heard a stern voice cry out. “Hey, you! You with the naginata!”

Gin stopped and slowly turned around to see four guards staring directly at Saru, who was beside him. The crowd around them had parted, leaving him feeling like a lonely island amid the sea, and blocking off any hope of escape. His hand instinctively lowered towards the hilt of his blade, but Saru stepped forward first. He relaxed slightly and followed her out of the way and towards the guards who were waiting for them.

“Now what’s a snow monkey like you doing this far south? It’s been a long time since I’ve seen your kind in Kagiminato,” the first guard asked Saru abruptly. He was a large, rotund man, with oversized rotting teeth and breath so foul that they could both smell it from where they stood. He also seemed to be the chief among them.

Saru stared at the man with a sour look. “Excuse me?” she finally said through gritted teeth, doing her absolute best not to explode. Gin could see that she was not taking the insult well.

“Look at her ears!” one of the other guards blurted out in laughter.

Gin put his hand on Saru’s shoulder to remind her to remain calm.

“And who is this?” a smaller, mousey-looking guard asked, who was standing behind the bigger guard with a wry smile. “Your trainer? I’ve heard monkeys can do all sorts of tricks! Tell her to do something funny!”

“Who are you?” the chief guard interrupted before Saru could retaliate.

“She is…” Gin started to say.

“I can answer for myself!” Saru hissed, pulling her arm away and turning red with anger. “I am a Princess of Akaii! Now let us through, or there will be consequences!”

“Well well…” the burly guard laughed, leaning forward. “We saw you approaching and wondered what one of your kind could be doing this far south. I haven’t heard of any ships coming down from Akaii, especially with a princess, and frankly, I am a bit suspicious.”

“My business is my own,” Saru retorted. “Are we free to go, or is there going to be trouble?”

The big man grinned, and the other guards’ eyes seemed to be following her every move.

“There are a few ways we can do this,” he said with a chuckle. “You can come with me to the castle for extensive questioning, or you can keep me and my mates’ company for a little while in the barracks. They’ve always wanted to see if those rumors are true about the northern lasses,” he said thumbing towards the guards standing behind him.

Saru’s face turned an even deeper shade of red, and her eyes flashed with a deadly rage. Before he could say another word, Saru heaved the sharp end of her spear forward so that the edge stopped mere inches from the guard’s throat.

The man’s face turned white with horror as he toppled backward in fright. The rest of the guards drew their weapons, but Gin stepped between the two parties and held out his hands.

“Now, now,” he said calmly, “Let’s rethink this, shall we?” He looked first into Saru’s eyes and then over at the guards. “Besides, assaulting the first emissary from Akaii Province in years would not bode too well for trade prospects between our two clans, especially because she is, truly, a princess.”

“I never heard of any princess or even an emissary scheduled to be here!” the big guard grunted, stepping forward once again.

“Does your lord confide in you with every little detail?” Gin asked, faking a pretentious sneer. “It must have slipped his mind. This very morning, we left the daimyō’s estate to explore the city and didn’t want to draw much attention to ourselves, so we went as a pair. The southern road is known for its famous artisans, and we were hoping to look over some of the pottery that is so famous in Kagiminato. I can see now that it was a bad idea, and if we traveled with our full retinue, I suppose this misunderstanding would not have happened.”

“And who might you be, Midlander?” the head guard asked, clearly still suspicious.

“I can see you have an acute sensitivity to my accent,” he returned with a short, polite bow. “But I am the princess’s retainer of course. Fighting is all us Midlanders are good for, so they say.”

The burly guard eyed him with obvious distrust, but the other guards lowered their weapons.

“Now I believe we should be off,” Gin concluded, trying to break free before Saru could respond. He could tell by her clenched teeth and unblinking eyes that she was still seething from the insults hurled at her. “We only scheduled a brief visit to reestablish ties, not to sightsee. Anyways, sorry for the misunderstanding.”

But before they were able to walk away, the chief guard said, “Wait.”

Both Gin and Saru turned around compliantly.

“You said you met with the daimyō, right?”

Gin nodded. “Yes, I believe so. We spoke at length about business arrangements. We asked him to allow some of our ships to dock from time to time. We have quite a bit of lumber up north and…”

“Well, that’s rather interesting because the daimyō isn’t here anymore. So, unless you are going to tell me who you really are, I will order my guards to arrest you here and now!”

Gin’s stomach dropped. They had been caught in their lie. Slowly, his hand began to drop ever closer to his sword hilt. He could tell by Saru’s posture that she was getting ready as well.

“Come now! No need for the show of force,” a crisp voice rang out from behind them. “We all know you’re so very tough.”

Before either of the travelers had a chance to turn around, someone sauntered between them and faced the guards. She carried a brightly colored wooden parasol on her shoulder, to shield her milky white skin from the sun. Unfortunately, it also hid her face from Gin and Saru’s view, who were still reeling from the sudden interruption. They could make out only a few details.

The woman had a thin cigar in her mouth and a plume of wispy grey vapor emerged from behind the umbrella and evaporated in the sunlight. She was tall and slender and her brightly patterned kimono of hibiscus flowers snugly fit her body. She had long, black, silky hair that was partly put up, with the remainder of her locks flowing downwards and resting just above her lower back. Both Gin and Saru strained to see who it was, but she remained still, facing the guards, who were staring back at her.

“Crane-sama!” the head guard stammered. “What are you doing here?”

“I was just passing through. Until I saw something that disturbed me,” she said, her smooth voice oozing seductive charm. Yet there was a rigidity in her posture that played to contrast her apparent ease. It was as if she was demanding an explanation.

“These two were caught in a lie! We were going to take them in,” the big guard stated, as if to a superior.

“Now, now, of course they were lying,” the woman said, sounding a bit annoyed. “But they only had to lie because you and your men were harassing them.”

The faces of the guards grew red, and their posture stiffened.

“Now, I feel that you were a bit unfair, no? This is a free city, is it not?” the woman continued. “People who have not committed a crime are free to come and go.”

“Well…yes…but…” the guard said, struggling under her gaze.

“And I wonder what the Lieutenant would think of such unbecoming behavior. Especially in these dark days. Do the Kagi really need any more enemies?”

“The Lieutenant…he said….”

“And I also happen to know your favorite girls very well. What would they think of such uncouth manners? Perhaps they’d shut you out.” This was the final blow. Each of the men went white and looked notably stricken.

“Now, I wouldn’t presume to know how to do your jobs best, as I’m sure you wouldn’t presume to know mine. But how about I escort these two away and show them the city? And if they do cause any trouble, you’ll be the first to hear about it.”

“Very well!” the chief guard said, after a few moments of tense silence. “You can go!” He did not look at either Gin or Saru but turned his back on them and walked stiffly to his post at the gate. The other guards followed suit.

The two travelers were still awestruck, unable to comprehend why a complete stranger would help them.

“Why, thank you…” Gin ventured, not knowing what else to say. “I mean…”

“What do you mean?” the woman said, whirling around, revealing a smile that could stop the moon in the sky. “I’d do anything for you, Gin-san!”

“Kaya?

“You know this woman?” Saru asked instinctively.

“Of course!” the woman chirped, striding over and melting into Gin’s arms. “We go way back, don’t we Gin-san? Oh, how I’ve missed you!” She kissed his cheek softly and then pulled away. “But this isn’t the place for introductions. The guards over there are likely still fuming, and who knows what they will do if we give them the chance. Let’s find a place more suitable, no?”

With that, she lifted her parasol and proceeded down the street, not giving the two any time to interject. Gin followed first, feeling slightly intoxicated from the sudden kiss and peach perfume, while Saru reluctantly followed Gin, wishing they had been able to fight the guards instead of trailing this woman like fawning puppies.

“Welcome to Kagiminato,” their new guide said with a hint of sarcasm when they were far enough away from the guards to not be seen.

“I can’t believe those disgusting, vile, putrid pieces of sea-salt smelling filth!” Saru raged. “I would have cut them all into pieces!”

“I do not doubt it,” Kaya assented. “And though I know you could have taken the few of them, what would happen once the entire levies of the city were summoned?”

Saru exhaled hard, trying to calm herself down.

“You’ve come to this city at an inconvenient time, perhaps the most inconvenient time,” Kaya continued, turning down the main street as the roar of the crowd grew louder. “But we’ll talk about that later. It’s been a while since you’ve seen the city?”

“Ten years ago,” Gin said, looking from side to side. It had been a long time since he had been in a city of this size, and the sheer movement of humanity was like a shock to his system.

“Has it really been that long?” Kaya asked as if speaking to herself.

As they proceeded through the city, the smell of the ocean grew stronger, as well as the frequency of tall, multi-story wooden buildings that towered over them. People were wearing rich and extravagantly patterned kimono, and flags that displayed the banner of the Kagi hung from ramparts. Merchants scrambled around the main roads, rickshaws sped by, and children chased after each other in the alleyways, playing with sticks. It was a busy, chaotic atmosphere, but it was brimming with life.

“So, this is Kagiminato...” Saru marveled, taking in the vastness of the city.

“Is this your first time?” Kaya asked, stopping for a moment.

“Well, yes.…” Saru answered, chafing a bit at the surprise in Kaya’s voice. “I am truly from Akaii, you know. That at least was not a lie.”

Kaya smiled politely in response, though her eyes sparkled brightly in the midday sun. “You see that over there?” she said, pointing off into the distance. Atop what seemed to be a small mountain, inland from the sea, sat a stately fortress, white-walled with roof tiles shaded a deep blue like the sea. Its keep loomed over the city like a beacon. There had to be gold along the trim of the roof, for even at this distance it glinted.

“A castle!” Saru exclaimed, letting excitement overcome her agitation.

“The Coral Castle,” Kaya explained, with a finger raised as if she was teaching a class. “Long ago it was said that the lord of these lands gave rare, dried coral to the son of the First Emperor when he was enthroned. Pleased, the Second Emperor granted them the rule of this domain, and so its chief castle was named after the gift. Below the castle is the daimyō’s estate and garden, and down, at the far border of the city is the samurai district.”

“Amazing,” Gin murmured, looking over but shielding his eyes from the sunlight with his hand. “I never knew that.”

“Well,” said Kaya with a giggle. “You never were one for history.”