I woke up late the next morning. For some reason, Akiko had neglected her usual routine of rousing me with the sun. I had a moment of panic when I realized the time. It was the day of the kurabiraki festival, and I was afraid I had missed it. Fortunately, it was still only mid-morning.

Plenty of time to get to the Spring Palace.

Still, I was worried about Akiko, so I asked Sachiko where she was.

Sachiko glared at me for a moment, then finally said, “The mistress is in her room. She is not well.”

Akiko was still in her bed, a sleeping robe over her head.

“Akiko?”

Her only answer was a deep groan from under the robe.

“Akiko, are you all right?”

Another groan. “Go away.” She peeked out from underneath her covering and said, “I’m sick, and my head hurts.”

I had to stifle a grin. “Yes, that is often the result of drinking too much saké.”

She pulled the robe back over her head. In a muffled voice, she said, “Why didn’t you stop me?”

“Would you have listened?” As I headed out of the room, I continued, “I am off to the Spring Palace. I’ll be back late since Surei has the festival tonight.”

Her only answer was another groan.

*****

I arrived at the Spring Palace just before noon. I wanted to run through the musical accompaniment with Dimples and the other musicians a few more times. When I found her, she was sitting with the younger girls in the garden, chattering away.

“Dimples, I think we should get everyone together and practice.”

She didn’t answer. In fact, she started talking a little more loudly and enthusiastically, pointedly not looking my way. The rest of the girls followed her cue, pretending I wasn’t there. A couple of girls snuck peeks at me to see how I was reacting.

“Dimples, it’s important we practice before your debut. Do you want to make a mistake while accompanying Hyacinth-sama in her dance?”

Her conversation faltered for a moment, but she recovered and kept conversing away, doing her best to pretend I wasn’t there.

I was getting nowhere with Dimples. Since I was hungry, I went to the kitchen. It was easy to convince Cook I was starving to death, and I soon sat down with a big bowl of rice and vegetables.

One of the girls came to get some food for a customer. When she saw me, she put her nose in the air and made a big production of ignoring me. She went over and loudly asked Cook for the food, then passed right behind me on her way out with the tray. She didn’t look at me once the entire time she was in the kitchen.

Dimples and the other girls were beginning to irritate me. Apparently, I had committed some offense, and they were all mad at me. I decided to pump Cook. As I returned the bowl to her, I casually asked, “Something seems to be bothering Dimples and some of the other girls. Do you know what’s going on?”

Cook snorted in disgust as she skillfully chopped vegetables on the wooden cutting board. “Kameru says you found another woman. She says Mistress is bereft.”

I felt a bit guilty. It hadn’t occurred to me Surei might be upset by Akiko and me. I doubted it was true, but if it was, it might explain her behavior the night Professor and I got drunk.

Cook snorted, “I don’t know what ‘bereft’ means, but Mistress seems fine to me.” She stopped chopping and looked up. “When Mistress said she would teach Kameru to read, I thought it a good thing. I told her to go ahead.” She went back to chopping vegetables, shaking her head. “I was wrong. It made Kameru crazy.”

Just then, we heard a gaggle of girls passing by outside the kitchen. Prominent among them was Dimples’ distinctive laugh. The door slid open, and Dimples took a step into the kitchen.

When she saw me, she turned on her heel and started to march off, her nose in the air.

Cook said to herself, “That’s enough of that.” She called out, “Kameruko, get in here.” The voices outside went silent. After a moment, the kitchen door slid back a crack and Dimples nervously stuck her head in. Apparently, Cook’s use of Dimples’ full name signaled trouble, just like it had when my father referred to me as “Yoshimitsu” instead of “Yoshi.”

“Yes, mama?”

“You come here, now.”

Dimples slowly walked over and stood in front of her mother. I could see the other girls peeking through the open door to see what was happening.

“Why are you acting so stupid with Yoshi-san? He takes time to teach you things, he helps you play music, and this is how you thank him?”

Dimples got defensive. “He’s being unfaithful to the mistress! He has taken up with another woman, even though his heart belongs to her! He has no right!”

Cook suddenly flipped her knife forward into the cutting board. It stood there, vibrating with the force of the blow. Angrily, she told Dimples, “Heart belongs to the person whose chest it’s in. No one owns another’s heart or mind. Other people may own the work, other people may own the time, but hearts and minds are free. Even the Emperor can’t own people’s hearts and minds.”

Cook impressed me deeply. I had known Confucian scholars who couldn’t have phrased it better.

Dimples wailed, “But they are meant for each other. Why doesn’t he see that? They are fated to be together.”

Cook glared at Dimples. “If fate says they’ll be together, it don’t need your help. So, none of your business. If fate says they won’t be together, it don’t need your help. So, none of your business. Either way, none of your business.”

With a quick jerk, Cook pulled the knife from the board and resumed chopping vegetables. In a softer voice, she said, “Yoshi-san’s not a man from a romance, Yoshi-san’s not a man from a song. He’s a real person. People in real life do what they think they should, not what you think they should. Real people don’t act like those stories you read. Until you learn you can’t control people, you will have problems. Even Hyacinth-sama doesn’t try to control men.” Cook thought for a moment, then grinned. “Or at least not after they give her their money.” She continued sternly, “Now, you apologize to Yoshi-san and stop being stupid or I tell Mistress I need you to work in here until you learn some sense.”

Dimples got a panicked look and stumbled all over herself to apologize. I felt bad for her and started to say that it was all right, but Cook shot me a warning look, so I held my tongue. Seeing the girls peering through the door Cook said, in a loud voice, “Rest of you, in here, right now!”

The girls came straggling into the kitchen. Cook fixed them all with an angry glare and said, “Now, you all apologize, too. Stop listening to foolish Kameru or I bring you in the kitchen, too.”

One of the girls said softly, “Mistress wouldn’t make us work in the kitchen, would she? She needs us.”

Cook said, “You think so? Mistress doesn’t need foolish girls. She’s getting tired of this, too. Should we go ask her?”

The girls all vigorously shook their heads. A dozen voices chimed in with variations of, “We’re sorry Yoshi-sama. We won’t do it anymore, we promise.”

Cook glared at them again. “Get out of here.” The girls ran out.

Cook turned to me, a satisfied look on her face. “That takes care of that.”

“Thanks very much, but it really wasn’t important, you didn’t need to do that for me.”

She shook her head. “I didn’t do it for you. I did it for them. Silly girls need to learn sense. The world isn’t kind to foolish girls.”

*****

I found Dimples alone in the garden. “Shall we practice the music now?” I asked her.

“Yes, Yoshi-sama. I want to do as well as I can tonight for the Mistress.” She left to get the rest of the players.

We ran through the pieces we would be playing several times. When we were done, we all knew our parts and had played everything with no major mistakes. It was almost time for us to begin the actual performance.

All the musicians gathered in a small building in the central garden. I pulled out my flute and played some simple tunes to warm up.

“I think I’m going to be sick. I’m so scared!” Dimples wailed.

“Don’t be silly. You are going to be great,” one of the others assured her.

“You have been playing your part beautifully. You won’t have any problems,” someone said.

“Don’t work yourself into a panic,” I said. “Let’s do a meditation routine.”

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I started off with one of the simple ones. “Breathe in … now, out…” I tried to keep my words calm and smooth like Benkon did. The other musicians joined in. It seemed to calm Dimples.

As we meditated in the gathering twilight, I watched people walking past the dance pavilion. It was decorated with flowered branches of a crabapple tree, rice plants, and saké jugs. There were paper lanterns everywhere. It looked like something out of a magic land.

It was time. We put on our masks, entered the pavilion, and took our places off to one side of the dance floor. We played a variety of popular and traditional tunes as the guests arrived. I saw the rotund form of Magistrate Taira waddle down the path.

He was seated front and center in the audience, as befitted the evening’s sponsor. Somehow, I was not surprised to see Ikeda Minbukyou seated next to him. With my suspicions, it made sense he was Magistrate Taira’s patron.

The mask made my nose itch, but I dared not remove it to scratch.

Magistrate Taira mustn’t see my face until the right moment.

Dimples began playing the koto, and we launched into the first piece.

One of Surei’s more talented protégés began her dance. The buzz of conversation stopped as everyone’s attention was riveted on the shirabyoushi. It was an exquisite performance. She finished her dance. Members of the audience commented on her skill. I was impressed.

Is Surei that good?

The chatter resumed as serving girls glided through the audience serving food and passing out saké samplers. We played softly to provide background music for the saké tasting. The night became dark, the stars came out, and the moon climbed high into the sky. As each patron extolled his favorite saké, the discussion grew quite animated. The more I heard, the more I wanted to try them for myself. Saké continued to flow, and the audience became more boisterous.

Pink Ume stepped out onto the dance floor. She bowed to the audience. The buzz of conversation quieted. “Honored guests, we hope that you have enjoyed the evening so far. A special thanks to District Magistrate Taira for sponsoring the evening’s festivities.” People in the audience craned their necks to see as Taira nodded his head, smiling.

“We are fortunate this evening to have the Dancer of the Scarlet Hyacinth perform the dance that she is most famous for. Usually only done before the Emperor or his high court officials, this is a rare treat. We hope that you enjoy it.” Bowing, she backed out the door.

Suddenly, everything went dark as wooden slats were dropped down the sides of the building, cutting off the light from the lanterns outside. One by one, servants lit lamps that illuminated the dance floor while leaving the rest of the building in darkness.

Surei glided out of the dark to the center of the stage. Instead of the usual red hakama with a white over-robe that shirabyoushi wear while dancing, she had a lightweight white robe and hakama. Her hair was caught up in an elaborate coiffure of four ponytails in long cylindrical tubes sticking out in different directions from her head. A sense of expectation fell over the audience.

With supreme grace, she drew her tachi with her right hand and held a fan in her left. She began walking in a tight circle, waving the sword and the fan in interweaving patterns. Her movements were slow, sinuous and fluid. It seemed impossible for a mere human to move with such poise and precision. We played slowly and softly. Suddenly, there was a loud drum strike. Surei sprang into the air and spun her body completely around, landing lightly on her feet with impressive agility.

Dimples began an intricate melody on the koto. Her fingers flew across the strings too fast for me to follow. I played a slow counterpoint. Surei danced. Each gesture held meaning. She danced the story of the planting rice, and it was the story of our births. The music increased in tempo, and her movements became faster and more vigorous. She seemed to glow with an inner light. She danced the story of the growing rice, and it was the story of our youths. She jumped in the air, spun in place, and ran across the stage. Her form shimmered, leaving a trail of glowing sparks behind her. She danced the story of the ripening rice, and it became the story of our lives.

Continuing to play the flute while watching her became increasingly difficult as the dance captured my attention. At one point, I closed my eyes to maintain my concentration but was unable to resist opening them again a moment later.

She danced the story of the harvested rice, and it became the story of our futures. An odd thing happened as Surei reached the climax of her dance. Her movements began to slow, and her twirling jumps became more leisurely, her body floating in a graceful arc before lightly coming down. Everything in the room was limned with a pale aura. The tempo of our playing decreased and the sound faded, as if coming from a long distance away. Surei’s next leap was even slower, until finally, at the apex of her jump, she froze in midair. At the same time, everything around me—the building, the furnishings, and the people—faded out of existence, leaving me alone in a silent landscape, free of any sign of human habitation.

As I gazed around, I noticed a blinding figure in the near distance. Looking closer, it was a female form whose body literally glowed with light. I recognized the Sun Goddess Amaterasu-Awaumikami. Her complete attention was fixed on an object she held in her hand. With a shock, I realized she was looking into a mirror resembling the one I had given Akiko’s daughter, Aoi-chan. Although she was staring into the mirror, its surface did not show her face. Instead, I spotted movement and life in the mirror. I leaned forward to get a better look.

The distance should have been too great, but I was able to clearly view what the mirror showed. At first, there were two figures seen from the back. Flames leapt about them, and the scene was obscured by smoke. The point of view of the mirror shifted, showing their faces. It was Surei and me, both carrying weapons. The scene changed again, and this time I saw the two of us running out of a burning compound in the midst of a group of people. There were dead and dying all around us, and arrows flew past us.

In a rush, everything returned to normal. Surei was at the top of her leap, and the sounds of the drums and our music roared back to full volume. Surei completed her jump and folded to the floor, her hands flat on the wood, breaking her fall. Once she landed, she stayed in that position, motionless, and we ceased playing.

There was complete silence for several heartbeats. Then, suddenly, a cacophony of voices began. There seemed to be an undercurrent of alarm to the conversation, though. If everyone who saw the dance had seen a vision, I got the impression not all of them were to people’s liking.

Surei landed with her back to the audience, facing us. Her face was twitching as if something bothered her eyes. With a start, I realized she was signaling me to reveal myself to the District Magistrate. Feeling foolish, I tore off my mask, removed my musician’s robe, and stepped into the light.

Magistrate Taira was speaking to Ikeda Minbukyou. He had a small scroll in his right hand, which he used to emphasize a point in the conversation. When he saw me, he froze mid-word and stared, the blood draining from his face.

Surei turned to her guests. She said, “I would like to thank District Magistrate Taira for sponsoring—”

Magistrate Taira gave a shriek of terror. “You’re dead,” he screamed at me. He overcame whatever paralysis had gripped him, and jumped up from his seat. Knocking over the saké bowl in front him, he ran through the door.

Stepping behind a nearby standing screen, I grabbed my naginata from where I had stashed it earlier, vaulted over the railing of the pavilion and landed next to the stairs just as Magistrate Taira came running down the steps. I yelled, “Taira!”

Looking back over his shoulder, his face became a rictus of terror when he spied me. “No! It wasn’t me! Stay away!” He redoubled his speed and raced out of the saké house.

I went back into the pavilion. The whole place was in an uproar. The staff was gamely trying to restore order to the event. Surei had servants bring more food and saké.

The rapid exit of the sponsor of the festival disrupted the party. People stood around discussing his outrageous behavior. The consensus was he was possessed by an oni. It was clear from the conversation that District Magistrate Taira would never be able to show himself in the capital again. Any political aspirations he might have had were dead.

I went over to see what Magistrate Taira had been holding in his hand. The scroll had rolled under the table when he panicked. I retrieved it and looked inside. It was an itemized list of the abuses and malfeasance that Governor Abé had supposedly committed in the course of fulfilling his duties, with Magistrate Taira’s seal on the bottom.

Governor Abé might find this interesting.

I looked up and saw Ikeda Minbukyou staring at me. He turned away and hurriedly made his way out of the dance pavilion.

Surei had also seen Ikeda Minbukyou’s hasty exit. She indicated her office, signaling me to wait there.

She soon joined me, sliding the door firmly closed behind her. She seemed pleased with herself. “That went well,” she said. “Magistrate Taira was in quite a hurry when he left. The yojimbo told me he was running down the road ahead of his palanquin. His bearers couldn’t catch up with him.”

I held out the scroll to her. “Take a look at this. It is a denunciation of Governor Abé, signed by Magistrate Taira. I’m certain the governor would be fascinated by this. Can you arrange to get it to him?”

Surei read through the contents quickly. At one point, she covered her mouth with her hand and said, “Oh, my!” She closed it back up. “I’ll take care of it immediately. You’re right. Governor Abé will be greatly interested in this.”

She chuckled. “I think things are going to go badly for Taira when he gets back to Isé. He will never be taken seriously in the capital after this, and his plans are in ruins. Is this sufficient revenge for you?”

I grumbled, “I’d still like to kill him, but I suppose this will have to do.”

Surei laughed and performed an elaborate pirouette. “Did you watch the dance?”

“I saw the entire thing.”

“What did you think?”

I struggled to put my feelings into words. “People say the Dancer of the Scarlet Hyacinth is the most gifted shirabyoushi of her generation. I think they are wrong.”

Surei’s face tightened.

“I think you must be the most gifted dancer in history. I’d never have believed anyone could dance the way you danced in there. It was magic.”

Softly, she asked, “Really?”

I nodded my head.

She looked away for a few moments. Finally, she said, in a businesslike tone, “Did you see anything during the course of the dance? Some people claim they can see glimpses of the future. That part of the story was not a lie.”

I sat down. “Yes, I saw something.”

Surei sat in front of me.

“I, um, saw Amaterasu.”

She sat back. “You saw what?”

“Amaterasu, you know, the Sun Goddess? Forebear of the imperial dynasty?”

A bit waspishly, she said, “Yes, of course I know who she is. What did you see?”

“She was looking in a mirror. But it wasn’t a mirror because it was showing her things that weren’t just reflections.”

“What things?”

“Us.”

“What?!” Her voice was a bit higher and louder this time.

I said, “Amaterasu was watching the two of us in a mirror. We were both armed, surrounded by fire, and we were fleeing a burning compound. Arrows raining down around us.”

“Was it the Spring Palace?”

“I didn’t recognize anything that looked like the saké house.”

Surei stared at me. Finally, she said, “Then what?”

“Nothing. That’s where the vision ended. Right after that, I was busy terrorizing Magistrate Taira.”

Surei picked up the messages that had arrived throughout the day and went through them with a distracted air. “Us. Surrounded by burning buildings. With people shooting arrows.”

I stopped her. “There’s something else you should know.” I told her about my last visit to the ministry.

She looked as though she had bitten into a sour pear. “So, Ikeda Minbukyou signed the forged documents?”

I nodded. “I told Akiko this, but she seemed reluctant to believe me. Given his presence tonight as Taira’s special guest…” I shook my head.

Standing up, I said, “I should go see how she is doing. She wasn’t feeling well this morning.”

Surei pulled a message out, opened it, and said, “Here’s something from Akiko. Would you wait a moment so I can give you my reply?”

I sat back down.

About halfway through the note, her brow furrowed. She read out loud, “After last night, I have decided I am not going to hide behind other people. I am going to fight my own battles.”

She looked up at me. “What does she mean about last night?”

I tried to think of something to say. “Well, um, maybe…”

Still reading the message, Surei frowned. “She has gone back to her manor!”

I stood and said, “I’d better go.” I hurried out.

“I’ll send some people over as soon as I can spare them. I will join you when I can. She must remain hidden. The guilty ones are exposed and likely to strike back,” Surei called after me.