Professor and a few of Surei’s other men arrived, also out of breath. Shortly behind them, Surei’s gyusha pulled up. The men all joined the bucket brigade Masanori had organized. I watched them dully. Some of the younger men and boys in the brigade must have been my nephews, but I didn’t recognize anyone, and I didn’t care. Akiko’s manor was almost a total loss. All that could be done at that point was to save some of the outbuildings and see the fire didn’t spread to any of the adjacent properties.
Surei closed her eyes and hugged the children tight, tears running down her face. Standing, she stared at the burning buildings, buildings that had once been her home. She took a deep breath, wiped her eyes, and called to Professor. “Let’s get the children and everyone else out of here. Get their things onto the gyusha and take them back to the saké house for tonight.”
She motioned over a scruffy urchin who had been standing by the road watching the fire. She put a coin in his hand. “Do you know where the Buddhist temple is here in the capital?” The boy nodded. “There are two more coins when you get the nuns here to—” she closed her eyes briefly “—you get the nuns here to begin funeral preparations for the lady.”
The boy took off at a run. I half-stood to stop him. I had the irrational thought that if I could just halt the process of the funeral arrangements, then Akiko might still be alive.
“How do you know she’s dead! Can’t you do something for her?” I shouted at Surei.
For an instant I thought refusing to acknowledge what had happened could keep the truth of it at bay. I stared at the bundle on the ground, willing Akiko to move. Nothing happened.
Surei grimaced. “Her light is gone. She is beyond my help.”
She knelt in front of the children and said gently, “It is time for you to leave now. You’re coming with me tonight, and you’ll sleep at my house.”
“What about mommy, is she coming with us?” Aoi-chan asked.
Surei hugged her again. “No, I’m sorry, but your mama isn’t going to be with us anymore. She has to go to be with your father now.” The children started crying again.
For a moment, I forgot my own grief as I watched the children. I remembered the death of my mother and the loss and confusion that filled me then. I remember feeling completely alone until I met Surei.
To distract them, Surei asked, “Did you save anything from the fire?”
Aoi-chan wiped the tears from her face, then held up a bag and a doll. “See, I got my mirror and my dolls.”
Yoshi-kun held up his bokken.
Surei nodded. “That’s good. Now, let’s get everything in the cart, and then you can go and get some sleep. It is late.”
Surei helped the servants pile the bundles of clothing and items from the manor they managed to save into the gyusha. Wanting to do something, anything other than sit there with Akiko, I pitched in. I stared at everything in astonishment.
They had time to save all this? What evil fortune made Akiko forget the deed until it was too late?
The children sat on the piles of clothes in the gyusha as they rode off.
Surei told me, “They’ll be all right at the Spring Palace tonight.”
Benkon had arrived while Surei was dealing with the children. He busied himself with saying prayers over Akiko to ease her transition into the next world. When he finished, he came over to join us.
“I will make arrangements for the funeral rites. We will need somewhere on the grounds to prepare the body for cremation.”
The messenger boy returned with a group of Buddhist nuns. Surei gave him another two coins, as she had promised.
Surei told the nuns, “Let’s move her to the chapel. The fire never got that far.”
They gently picked up the body and Surei led them to Akiko’s shrine. Benkon and I trailed behind.
Once inside the building, Surei told them, “Put her there,” indicating a spot directly in front of the butsudan. She looked around the room, her face bearing an expression of pain. “Akiko loved it in here. She said it was so peaceful she could feel the presence of Amida Buddha.”
She started to cry again. Angrily wiping the tears from her face, she turned to the head nun and placed gold in her hand. “Spare no expense in her preparation. A lady of her rank must have a fine funeral.” Her voice broke on the last word, and she turned and fled the room, tears streaming down her face.
Surrounded by the artifacts of Akiko’s devotion, I felt like I was in a horrible dream. I kept expecting to wake up next to her. But the endless nightmare continued. I wondered why I was even continuing to live. It all seemed so pointless. At that moment, I longed to join Akiko in the peace of death.
Benkon was busy directing the nuns as they prepared Akiko's body for cremation. They had removed what was left of her clothes and laid her out on the floor, then they began washing her skin. I couldn’t bear to watch. I left the chapel, losing myself among the foliage in the garden.
I thought I heard weeping, so I followed the sound … and found Surei. She was standing still, but I could see her shoulders shaking with sobs. I walked up to her, and she hugged me. The reality of Akiko’s death finally penetrated, and I joined Surei in crying for our lost friend.
Surei’s gyusha had returned. I took Surei by the arm and guided her inside. We headed back to the Spring Palace.
Masanori was waiting for Surei at the saké house. The old bushi told her, “I sent the boy to tell her about the fire so they could gather their things. It was only in one building then. They had time to save most of their clothes and belongings. I made sure we were all clear before I went to help put out the fire.” He shook his head. “I don’t understand why she went back in.”
I reached into my robe and pulled out the deed. “She remembered this was in the house and went back to retrieve it.”
Angrily, he said, “Someone deliberately set this, Mistress. I heard shouting out on the road, then an arrow hit the side of the house. I smelled smoke and saw a burning rag attached to the arrow. I went over to try and put out the fire, but someone had put pitch and lantern oil on the walls, and it spread too quickly. That’s when I went and got everyone.” He stared down at his hands for a long moment, then looked up at Surei, his eyes glistening with tears. “Why would anyone want to hurt the lady, Mistress? She was kind, gentle and never injured anyone. I don’t understand.”
Surei replied in a bitter voice, “I thought she was safe. Why would anyone want to burn an empty manor?” Crying out in frustration, she began beating her fist against the side of the building. The bushi bowed awkwardly and scuttled off.
As Masanori spoke, a deep, burning desire for vengeance had risen within me. Someone had killed Akiko. I silently vowed I would find them, and they would pay. It would be a terrible price. The words burst out of me. “Who killed Akiko?”
Surei spoke in a low, savage whisper. “We’ll find him and make him regret the day he was born. It had to be someone connected with the theft of her shouen.”
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“I told you we should have killed Magistrate Taira,” I said.
She thought for a moment. “I don’t believe it was him, although he is certainly ruthless enough.” Then she shook her head. “But he knew nothing about Akiko. No, it had to be someone else.”
Suddenly, her face contorted in anger. “It was Ikeda Minbukyou. He’s behind this, I am certain. This whole scheme with the shouen was to keep Akiko in poverty so she would have to marry him.”
“Tell me where he lives,” I snarled. “I’ll chop his head off and bring it back here. We’ll mount it on a pole next to the chapel, so Akiko will know we've avenged her.”
I had a pleasant vision of Ikeda, an astonished expression on his face, as I separated his head from the rest of his body and carried it away by the hair.
Surei said, “I’ll do better than that. I’ll take you there, and we can kill him together.”
Benkon came walking up. “Who is this you are planning to kill?” he said, panic in his voice.
We told him about Ikeda Minbukyou and the fire. His face blanched. “You can’t stand out here in public and plot to kill a minister,” he hissed.
“Fine,” Surei replied. “We’ll go someplace more private to plot his murder.” She stalked to her office.
Once inside, Benkon said forcefully, “Have you lost your minds? You can’t just threaten to murder an innocent man. Especially a high-ranking member of the government. You’ll damn your eternal souls to centuries of torment.”
Surei replied hotly, “He’s not an innocent man, he’s a murderer and a thief.”
Benkon said in an even voice, “You don’t know that for sure. You just suspect him.”
Pulling out my kodachi, I said, “Give me a little while with him and he’ll confess.”
Benkon held his hands up in warning. “And what will his men be doing during all this? You fools will get yourselves killed. Do you want to condemn Akiko’s children to wander the streets in poverty just because you feel the need to slake your thirst for vengeance? Sachiko told me you promised Akiko you would take care of the children. Were those just empty words?”
Surei shouted, “He can’t just get away with this!”
Benkon said, “Don’t worry. He won’t get away with it. He will pay for it in this life and his future lives.”
“That’s not good enough!” Surei collapsed against the wall and started crying. For the first time, all her poise, all her confidence, and all her determination seemed to have abandoned her, leaving her an exhausted, shattered wreck. I walked over and held her close. She put her head on my shoulder and continued sobbing.
I glared at Benkon, angry he offered only empty platitudes when we needed a viable plan. “Surei, it’s going to be all right. We’ll think of something. You’ll think of something, you always do.”
Surei pushed me away and struck me in the arm. She shouted, “Why me? Why is it always me who has to come up with the plans? Don’t you get it? I don’t have any more ideas. I don’t know what to do.” She broke down again.
Benkon said, “Can’t you contact one of your patrons for help? Someone who might be able to force an investigation?”
She flared up at Benkon, “Who am I supposed to ask? The only member of the government who is even the slightest bit interested in justice is Minister of the Left Fujiwara no Norinaga, and Ikeda is one of his strongest supporters. He won’t investigate Ikeda, particularly given the current political situation.”
She began pacing back and forth. “I am sure his brother, Minister of the Right Fujiwara no Tadamichi, would be happy to investigate, if for no other reason than to discredit the Minister of the Left, but he would need a person of rank to inform him of the allegations against Ikeda. Since the Minister of the Left is more powerful, who could we get to risk angering him? If Akiko were still alive, she could press her case to the Minister of the Right. I could probably convince him to at least hear her out, but she is dead—”
A wild look came into her eyes. She whispered, “If Akiko could press her case…”
She held completely still for a few moments. Then, she smiled. “I have an idea.”
I shook my head. “That was fast. What is your plan?”
“I know how we can fix this.”
“So do I. I’ll cut his head off.”
Surei snorted in exasperation. “No, Benkon is right. You would be throwing your life away. Would killing Ikeda really be worth it?”
“Yes!”
Benkon reminded me again, “What of your oath to Akiko? What of your oath to your father? Is your word worth so little?”
Frustrated, I said, “What do you expect from me? The children will still have Surei. I have gotten nowhere with my clan. Someone has to take care of Ikeda.”
Surei grabbed my arm. “Yoshi, think about this. Would Akiko want you to incur that karmic burden because of her? I am certain she wouldn’t.”
I shook my head. “I don’t care. I already have a huge karmic burden. Killing Ikeda won't make much difference one way or the other.”
“At least listen to my plan. You have to admit we destroyed Taira’s hopes and ambitions. We will do even worse to Ikeda.”
“Worse than killing him?”
Surei said, “I want to punish the people who hurt Akiko as much as you do. If my idea doesn’t work, you can always kill Ikeda later.”
Benkon had heard enough. He stalked out of the room, shaking his head.
I sighed, sat down, and listened as Surei explained her idea. She had only the bare outline of a plan but I grudgingly admitted it might work. We would have to hammer out all the details later.
Our course determined, Surei said, “We need to decide what to do with the children. I have been working with Abé no Seimei’s divination instrument and am getting better at casting auguries. I am going to go now and use it to see if I can determine what will ensure the best possible future for Yoshi-kun and Aoi-chan.
The night’s grueling emotional and physical events had finally caught up with me. I decided to get some food before I collapsed. It was very late and I was sure the kitchen was closed. However, I hoped to scrounge some leftover food from the kurabiraki festival.
I was surprised to find Cook still up and working. She said, “Children were sick, exhausted, and missing mother. They needed food before they sleep. I took care of them.”
I didn’t know what to say. “Thank you” seemed entirely inadequate. I just took her hand and squeezed it.
She noticed how exhausted I was, and immediately took charge. “You sit down, I’ll get you something to eat. You look worse than the children.” She bustled around the kitchen, putting together a meal for me.
“Hyacinth-sama is worse off than I am. Can you fix something for her, too? I’ll take it to her.”
“Fine. I’ll fix food for both of you.” In short order, she had two steaming hot bowls prepared, both smelling of rice, fish, and vegetables. “You take these and tell her to eat and go to sleep. It won’t help anyone if you and she get sick.”
Carrying the two bowls, I went looking for Surei. I finally found her in her living quarters in the northern half of the property. I came in just in time to see a scroll go flying across the room.
Surei pressed the heels of her hands to her forehead. “I can’t do this. I can’t focus on now.” She took several deep breaths. “I keep seeing war, battles. Apocalypse.”
She emptied a bowl of saké she had in front of her in one long pull. “It is not going to end with Sutoku and Go-Shirikawa. It’s never going to end. I have to get the children out of Kyoto. Blood everywhere. Nowhere is safe. We all have to get out.”
A chill ran down my back and settled in my gut. Trying to calm her, I put the food in front of her. “Cook sent this. You’re tired. There’s nothing we can do about any of that tonight. Cook got the children fed and put to bed, and now it’s our turn. She ordered me to tell you to eat this and then go to sleep. I’d be afraid to disobey her if I were you.”
Surei gave me a weak smile and sat up. The lines around her eyes and the corners of her mouth were mute testament to her exhaustion. She refilled her bowl with saké, then emptied it again.
She choked a little as she finished the bowl. “I will go over the calculations again tomorrow. Maybe I will be able to think clearly then.” She stared out the door, her eyes haunted. “Akiko has been corresponding with Governor Abé. He was delighted to hear from her. I am going to send him a message tomorrow and ask for his help. He’s the senior male relative on that side of the family. It makes sense for him to adopt the children. It will get them out of Kyoto and give them a powerful protector.”
She looked back at her onmyoudou instrument and sighed. “I may have failed to save Akiko, but I will save the children.”
A bit later, I finished eating and looked up to see how Surei was doing. She had been uncharacteristically quiet as I concentrated on my food. She was fast asleep, slumped at her desk with her head resting next to a blank sheet of paper.
I picked her up, laid her down on her sleeping pad, and covered her with robes. She barely stirred as I put her to bed.
I gathered the dishes and utensils, then exited, sliding the door closed softly so as not to disturb Surei. I took everything back to the deserted kitchen.
I tried to sleep, but couldn’t close my eyes without hearing screams, seeing flames, and picturing Akiko’s terribly burned body. Finally, I got up, went back to the kitchen and grabbed a couple of jugs of saké and a bowl.
As I drank saké and stared into the night, I wondered what Surei was seeing. Endless fighting? Everything falling apart?
What have our leaders started? How can I protect the children from their wars?