The dark and blue moonlight reflected on the green leaves and other various shrubberies as the small, and discreet carriage flew by.

In front of me were two guards, chatting happily and carefree about daily topics.

I was chained by my hands and feet to a metal box within the carriage, separating me from the cabin. They had prodded and pushed me inside the cage like a vicious animal, treated with a lack of respect and honor.

We were headed to Kamakura, the capital of Nihon. The Shogun and his puppet, the Emperor, were to set my fate and convict me of a crime I never committed.

The guards were taught not to speak to me, nor give me any chance of escape, they were taught to empty their minds of conscious thought and morality.

We were moving closer, into more inhabited pathways, through larger villages. I soon noticed that the carriage had started passing through familiar passages and roads. We ended up merging with the path I took on my first travel to Kamakura.

The driver of the carriage halted the horses to a sudden stop, a familiarly garbed man stood at the side of the road in Stark-red samurai armor. The samurai Hayato stepped into the cabin of the carriage as the guards exited. They spoke to Hayato. "We'll escort your belongings, Sir Hayato." And so they did, reluctantly leaving their cushioned seats.

I crawled closer to the cabin of the carriage, seizing my chance to speak to someone half-willing to listen. "Hayato?" The samurai shushed me as I spoke.

I followed his instructions and stayed silent as the guards rode away on Hayato's horse.

Soon Hayato closed the door to the carriage and hit the roof, giving the driver a signal to begin traveling once again.

Once he was sure our conversation was private he spoke. "I requested to caravan with you, and they obviously obliged. Having a high ranking has an upside, along with the down."

I had almost forgotten Hayato's stature, he and his twin brother grew famous for linking the east to the west of Nihon together. Through their shared ember of lady Amaterasu, they were able to artificially climb the military's ranks and forge renown, with almost no battlefield experience.

My mind went through different scenarios. "You can help me. You heard the Shogun admit to his intertwinings with the Imperial family himself..."

Hayato took off his large, red helmet and sat it on the velvet cushion beside him, revealing his unwashed and travel-worn face. He still kept his youthful look, and his hair was still shorn in a military fashion. "There is nothing I can do for you without killing us both, Kenshi. And I remember what the Shogun said, but that is out of my control."

"There has to be someway, we could-" My mind paused for a moment. Hayato quickly grew relationships with people, I could tell he had grown attached to me over our weeks of traveling to Kamakura the first time, and I had admittedly grown attached to his company over the traveling as well. I couldn't try to manipulate him after he had been the only one to defend me. I held myself to a higher standard than that. I sighed for a moment, begrudgingly taking back my previous statement. "We could... Nothing..."

We sat in silence for a moment, both of us thinking of what to say in such a tense time. Hayato broke the silence, turning around in his seat and speaking to me through the bars in my cage, talking in his usual, friendly manner. "Have your wounds healed since last we met?"

I felt my leg, it had healed considerably since the guard tended to it after Cho and I's confrontation. "My leg has healed somewhat. I have gotten a few new injuries with my time in the camp, but it's nothing to worry over."

Hayato expressed his curiosity over my time in the Camp Fuman o Matsu, so I spent the majority of our trip explaining what had happened over the days I spent in the prison. It felt comforting to have a friendly face to speak to, something to forget about the fate looming over me.

---

When we reached the gates of Kamakura, the tension within the carriage grew palpable.

Hayato tried to break the silence, diverting my attention back to chit-chat. "Kenshi, have you noticed-"

I broke Hayato's thought. I was anxious about what was going to happen and needed time to think. "Quiet, Hayato... I need time to think over my situation."

Hayato's friendly demeanor was saddened at his conversation's rejection. "Oh, alright." He turned and faced forward in his seat.

My time needed to be spent thoughtfully, I only had so long before the carriage met its destination at the top of the hill. I was being treated like I was one of the most dangerous beings alive, they left no room for escape.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Our carriage was discreet at least, sparing me from the overbearing presence of disgust resonating from the people around me.

I was out of time as the carriage stopped. The two guards who escorted Hayato's horse were waiting for us. My cage was opened, and the two men waved at me to come, holding spears at the ready in case I decided to resist. With no option, I carefully got out of the cage and allowed myself to be restrained by the men, no longer being able to move my arms.

The smaller gates to the Shogun's palace opened, revealing a luscious and green courtyard. Bamboo grew in overwhelmingly tall shoots, an abundance of flowers grew in the ground beneath.

Such a beautiful and kind place deserves an owner with the same such qualities. Knowing that there was such a gluttonous and malignant being hiding within the confinement of these gardens made it feel like a death trap. And for me, it was.

After walking we were met with a large, red structure, it's many roofs overlapping each other in an ornamental fashion. The Shogun lay within in its comfortable and warm walls, worry-free.

The large, wooden doors to the palace opened in expectancy. The guards escorted me through the large halls, once filled with degenerate prostitutes and assortments of stale food lying about, now cleaned and presentable to the Emperor.

We came into the large room in which sat the Shogun along with the Emperor on two velvet cushions.

The Shogun's hand rested on the Emperor's shoulder, ordering him what to do.

The Emperor spoke in a regal tone. "I assume you know the reason for our hearing?"

"I do, your highness," I spoke to the Shogun through the Emperor, as the Shogun spoke to me through the Emperor.

The Emperor's mouth opened, but before he could speak the Shogun cut off him off. "We have come to a decision over your fate." He patted on the Emperor's shoulder, allowing him to recite his lines once again.

"Under rigorous amounts of thought, I have decided..." The Emperor pondered for a moment, contemplating his words, but the Shogun broke his train of thought and rushed him.

"The Emperor has decided you are guilty of all crimes accused, Sir Kowareta Kenshi." I had expected this, I had known this would happen, but shock still waved over me, keeping me from refuting his claim.

The Emperor did the unexpected and batted away the Shogun's hand. "Wait, what did you say your name was again?" He looked at me in curiosity.

"My name is Kowareta Kenshi, your highness."

The Shogun adjusted in his seat, unhappy over the Emperor's actions, but the Emperor kept speaking. "I thought that was what the Shogun said. I do believe I remember you..."

The Shogun interrupted the Emperor's thought. "His name doesn't lesser his crimes, your highness. He still-"

The Emperor interrupted the Shogun for a change. "He was well ranking within the military, correct?" He leaned in closer to the Shogun, unsuccessfully trying to speak discreetly. "The yokai have grown stronger and more intelligent, right? We've been needing swordsmen, haven't we? He could work excellently."

The Shogun objected with an anxious chuckle. "Hah, that isn't necessary, he's far too dangerous for-"

The Emperor interrupted him again, his face looking proud over his solution. "You said it yourself, how we were so dire for soldiers. This is perfect!" Before the Shogun could speak, the Emperor looked over to me and spoke. "Sir Kenshi, I would like to offer you a full pardon, if you agree to dedicate yourself to our military."

I frantically yelled over the Shogun's words. "I accept!"

The Shogun looked furiously over to the Emperor. "You can't go along with this! What will keep him from escaping!?"

The Emperor spoke. "Oh... Hmmm..." He thought for a moment, the Shogun tried to put his hand on the Emperor's shoulder, but it was shrugged away. "Oh, Sir Hayato can parole him! He's done so well in the few weeks that Kenshi has been his responsibility."

I felt light-headed, ready to faint, mixed with the need to laugh hysterically over the Shogun's miss calculation.

The Shogun stuttered as his face grew red. "N-No! I will not allow it!"

The Emperor looked over to him in surprise. "But I do, and my word is final." With those words I could see the Shogun's mind lead to dark places, scheming dark things, his hand squeezed onto his cushion tightly, and his legs fidgeted to keep from moving.

He would have to hold himself for now. "Yes... Yes, of course... Your Highness..."

I was beyond relieved, my mind had undergone so much strain and so many tests that I almost couldn't believe it.

The Emperor spoke. "Wonderful! Sir Hayato, since you have duties at your gate, we will station Kenshi in a nearby training facility. The guards will surely know were to take you. And once you get to the facility, please give the administrator of the facility this letter."

The Emperor moved to a desk nearby and wrote a note to the facility, sealed with the royal mark.

Hayato took the note and we walked out of the palace as the Shogun stood from his seat and paced across the room in frustration.

After leaving the intricate halls, I took a moment to sit, leaning against the large wooden doors to the palace.

Hayato took notice and sat with me.

We watched the birds fly across the moonlit sky in silence for a few moments, processing all that had happened.

Hayato broke the silence. "The Shogun is... Concerning, to say the least..."

I didn't know what I would do about the Shogun, but he was growing more power hungry. I wouldn't answer Hayato's question, I didn't have an answer for Hayato's question.

He changed the subject after my silence. " I guess the Shogun was incorrect about you reeking of bad luck."

I let out a chuckle, followed by a sigh.

Hayato spoke hesitantly after a moment. "You're not free from danger yet. I've heard the higher up's speaking about this newly forming committee of swordsmen. They are forming a group of invaluable men with any knowledge in the sword to roam the forests of Nihon. In an attempt to reduce the ever-growing population of yokai. It's a suicide mission. You still have to keep your wits about you."

I brushed off Hayato's warning, now was the time to recover, I would figure my situation out when it arrived. What I could do now was regain myself. "Can you feel the seasons changing, Hayato?"

The bamboo swayed with the wind in a mesmerizing motion, Hayato took in the scenery quietly, deciding on his answer.

I finally could stop holding my breath, I had time to pause and rest without fear for my life.

Hayato took in the atmosphere with me, breathing in the fresh air and feeling the cool breeze of autumn. He smiled and finally answered my question. "I can feel the turning of autumn indeed. The beauty of the gardens, along with the night sky is truly astonishing."

I shifted from leaning on the door to laying on the ground beneath, Hayato soon followed. "That it is."