For this my son was dead, and is alive again—he was lost, and is found.
—Luke 15:24
Paulo
Sai was stamping on smoldering papers and a burning tatami as Asano and I dashed into the room. She shouted, “That way!” and pointed to another exit. Asano and I raced out of the building into a space between two buildings of the compound. Once again, two guards interposed themselves between their master and us. I was tired of their attempts to slow us as the machi-bugyō escaped and had no intention of letting these two stop me. I ducked under the blow of the first guard and chopped his side open, then spun aside and thrust my blade through the lung of his friend. Yanking my weapon free, I sprinted after the retreating machi-bugyō. He ducked into the entrance of another building further down, and I followed close on his heels.
Inside the building, there was no sign of my quarry. Heavy footsteps sounded from behind us.
“Will I never catch up to him?” I yelled in frustration.
“Go!” Asano said, placing himself in the doorway. “There are only two of them—I can hold them while you chase him down.”
I hesitated.
He could get killed here.
Asano readied his weapon. “GO!”
I nodded quickly and dashed down a hallway after the sound of retreating footsteps. Ahead of me, I spied a doorway leading outside. As I exited the building, I glimpsed the machi-bugyō passing through a tiny side gate to a small street. I sprinted for the gate and glimpsed him hurrying down a narrow alleyway passing between some shops.
I gritted my teeth and ran after him.
He turned and blanched at the sight of me approaching with my katana out. “Help! Help!” he cried, but the noise from the fighting in the street muffled his pleas for help beyond our immediate surroundings.
I stopped and took a deep breath. “No one is going to save you. Now, you will pay for the murder of my brother.”
I stepped forward, katana raised to strike. As I approached, something seemed to spark inside him. Instead of the cringing, puling coward he had been, he straightened up, squared his shoulders, drew his weapon and waited for me, blade held in a relaxed stance.
I nodded to myself.
Finally, he remembers he is a Tokugawa, and he is prepared to die a samurai instead of a coward.
A guardsman came around the corner. When he noticed the two of us, he gave a loud shout and disappeared back the way he came.
I need to finish this quickly.
A quick jab at the machi-bugyō drew an equally swift parry. He was more skilled than I had anticipated.
“You and your stupid family,” the machi-bugyō shouted. “Your grandfather and the shōgun, your brother and the rice merchants, now you. Will you people never cease your interference in my affairs?” He struck at my head to punctuate his curses.
“I certainly hope not,” I said, letting him wear himself out while I waited for a chance to finish him. Around me, the sounds of men yelling and running feet echoed through the alley. In very little time, I would have no time at all.
The machi-bugyō raised his weapon to strike again. I stepped close to him, inside the range of his katana, and stabbed the point of my blade deep into his stomach. “This is for my brother,” I said, yanking the blade across his lower abdomen in a decent imitation of a proper harakiri stroke. The machi-bugyō screamed, dropped his sword, and staggered backwards as he tried to hold his guts in with both hands.
I whipped my blade around and struck off his head in the classic finishing stroke for someone committing seppuku.
As the machi-bugyō’s body sank to the ground, dozens of armed and armored samurai dressed in the gold uniforms of the South machi-bugyō’s forces came running down the alley, surrounding me on all sides and blocking my escape. I slashed at the weapons of those that got too close to keep from being skewered by the ring of spear-points facing me, but there was no real chance I could escape.
A samurai with a silver helm and wearing a golden silk kimono stood just behind the front rank of spearmen. “You have killed the machi-bugyō. Will you surrender? Or shall I order my men to kill you where you stand?”
I’m a dead man. But my brother has received justice.
I was about to give him my suggestion as to what he could do with his “surrender” when we were interrupted by even more samurai running down the alley, surrounding the troops surrounding me. Where there had been two dozen spearmen cornering me, the new group of men just kept pouring in unendingly until they completely filled the surrounding area. Their dress was similar to that of the spearmen surrounding me, but they wore the crimson uniforms of the North machi-bugyō.
There weren’t enough of them here to take care of me by themselves, so they called in the troops of the North machi-bugyō?
I wasn’t the only one confused. The samurai in gold silk leading the Southern spearmen looked around, clearly befuddled by the situation. In the press of soldiers surrounding me, there was a stir as men moved aside, some of them crying out in pain. I could see the helmet and headdress of a high ranking officer in a crimson kimono as he approached. One guard standing directly behind the southern leader gave a yowl and started hopping on one leg. He leaped aside to reveal a small bent-over figure striking him in the knee with a cane.
“Grandfather?”
“Humph. There you are.” Grandfather turned to the officer in crimson. “Well? Let’s get on with this.”
It occurred to me I might get out of here alive, after all.
The officer nodded to Grandfather, held up a proclamation, and began reading. “Tokugawa Goro is hereby placed under arrest…”
Grandfather tapped the officer with his cane, getting his attention, and then wordlessly pointed to the decapitated body lying on the ground and the head lying next to it.
“…and is to be held…” The northern officer stopped and stared at the head. “What happened?”
The leader of the southern forces pointed at me and said, “He killed the machi-bugyō. I was about to arrest him.”
“He is merely trying to stop a treasonous…” Grandfather began.
“The machi-bugyō had my brother murdered. I have a legal vendetta. I simply carried it out,” I interrupted loudly.
Grandfather stared at me in surprise. “How did you get him to agree to that? You have the papers, I assume.”
I remembered the machi-bugyō burning the papers in his study.
He didn’t burn that one, did he?
Sai peeked out from behind my grandfather and tugged on his sleeve. Once she had his attention, she gave him some folded papers.
Grandfather studied the documents, occasionally glancing between Sai and me. Everyone waited. Finally, he shrugged and handed the bundle to the leader of the northern forces. “This is the paperwork right here.”
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The two machi-bugyō officers leafed through the documents, then handed it back to Grandfather.
“There will, of course, be an investigation…” the southern leader said.
I turned around and picked up the machi-bugyō’s head. One quick slice from the blade of the katana and I held his topknot in my hand. I walked toward the ranks of guards. On a signal from the southern commander, they parted and let me though. When I reached the main gate, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
I really am going to get away with this.
I felt giddy with relief. I turned to my grandfather. I wanted to hug him while laughing hysterically. Instead, I bowed. “It is good to see you again, Grandfather. I trust the family is well?”
“Yes, Yujirō, everyone is fine,” he answered.
I turned to Sai. “Thank you for grabbing that paper.”
“Emiko found it.” She looked round. “Where is Asano?”
“He was holding a door against two samurai for me so I could catch the machi-bugyō…” I looked back at the small gate through which I had pursued my quarry. Asano stood there, leaning against the side of the gateway.
I waved him to join us. As I did, Emiko came running from the main gate.
“Maeda-sensei, I am happy to find you still alive. What will happen now?” she said to me.
Asano limped up from the other side. The leg of his hakama was cut and bloody. “We are still alive. I don’t believe it. I was sure I was a dead man. But we are both still alive.”
“Inspector, you’re hurt!” Sai exclaimed.
He glanced at Sai. “Not badly,” he said, then bowed deeply to my grandfather, “Maeda-sama, I am glad you are here. I trust you have things under control?”
“Of course, I do. Yujirō, find me a palanquin. Asano and I can’t walk all the way home and we need to discuss what happened here. We will wait in that saké house over there.”
Asano gave Sai an uneasy glance and followed Grandfather.
What is going on between those two?
“Sai, I wanted to thank you,” I said. “If you hadn’t given Grandfather those papers, then I could have been in a lot of trouble.”
She smiled. “Don’t thank me. Thank Emiko. She’s the one who noticed them and picked them up.”
“Emiko!” Hitoshi came running up. He stopped in front of her, smiling widely. “I…” He noticed the rest of us and bowed. His eyes went back to her. “You’re all right?”
Emiko dropped her eyes demurely. “Yes, the kunoichi you sent freed me. I am grateful.”
Hitoshi’s gaze traveled between Sai and Emiko indecisively. “She is my sister,” he blurted out.
“What?” Emiko’s eyes widened, and she took a step back.
“This is my sister, Sai,” he repeated. “She is a kunoichi, and she saved you.”
Sai stared up at her brother, mouth open in shock—then a big grin spread across her face.
He smiled back at her, then looked at Emiko anxiously.
Emiko laughed. “You have a family of great courage and honor then … not to mention one with a real talent for trouble.” She bowed. “I am pleased to finally meet you as yourself, Sai.” She glanced at Hitoshi. “Are you all right?”
“I am fine. The fire out here is under control, but one of the buildings inside the machi-bugyō’s just started burning. I have to go take care of it, but perhaps we could talk later?” Hitoshi said.
Sai jumped in. “Emiko and I are going to the saké house near the Academy. I don’t know about her, but I really need a drink right now.” She smiled at Emiko. “And we can get acquainted.”
Hitoshi looked panicked. “Don’t you have to go home, Emiko? I won’t be able to escort you while fighting fires.” He threw an uneasy glance at the flames visible over the wall surrounding the machi-bugyo’s estate.
Emiko laughed. “I think I will be fine with a kunoichi for an escort. Besides,” she threw a teasing look at Hitoshi, “I have lots of questions for your sister.”
I shook my head in disbelief. Poor Hitoshi. He didn’t stand a chance.
Sai started off with Emiko and then stopped and turned to me. She gave me a deep bow and a triumphant smile.
I bowed deeply in return. Sai and I had done the incredible—I was almost as astonished as Asano to find myself still alive.
Sai and Emiko set off again.
Finding a palanquin did not turn out to be much of a challenge, there were several looking for customers just down the block. I sent two to the saké house and walked home.
The guards stepped back and bowed as I came through the gate. Mateus was sitting on the porch. He jumped up and screamed, “He’s back! Uncle is back,” when he saw me.
I looked down at my clothes. They were bloody again.
I loosened my obi and started removing my things.
The entire family came tumbling out of the house, all talking at once.
“Bring a bucket and clothes again,” Mother yelled through the door to the servants. She inspected me. “At least there’s not as much blood this time. What happened? Are you hurt? Is everything under control?”
“Everything is fine.” I waited while my father limped out of the house and joined us.
“The machi-bugyō of the South is dead.” I handed the topknot to Miguel. “Your father is avenged.”
The gate swung open and Grandfather emerged from a palanquin and joined us in the yard. We watched him, waiting to hear what he had to say.
He cleared his throat. ”The machi-bugyō of the North will be sending messages to the rice merchants. They are being advised they are under investigation for price fixing. If they lower their prices by one-half and cooperate with the investigation of Tokugawa Goro’s misdeeds, it will be assumed he coerced them into going along with his schemes. If the bakufu determines they went along with him willingly, their rice inventories will be seized.” He smiled. It was not a pretty sight. ”With the evidence Eiji left behind, they will be found complicit.”
The gate opened again and Asano limped in.
My mother looked at him and shouted at the servants, “We are going to need more clothes. One of my husband’s old outfits should do.”
As she tended to Asano, I grabbed the three children and took them out back to the grave where we had buried Estêvão’s ashes. We knelt down. Miguel held out the topknot and laid it gently on the ground next to the grave marker and stood. “Father, you may rest easily now knowing your murder was avenged. The wrongdoing you worked so hard to stop has been brought to light. Rest well in the peace of the Lord.”
The children began sobbing and put my arms around Mateus and Elisabet. I still wished Estêvão were here. I deeply regretted I never had a chance to know him as an adult, but at least I had a family again. A sense of peace I had not felt for many years engulfed me.
I heard steps behind me and rose as Gracia approached. She stopped and I went to meet her. Her eyes were glistening with tears. “I wanted to apologize to you,” she said softly. “I thought you only cared about avenging Estêvão’s death, but you have completed the task he began. Every time I walk down the street, there will be people who are alive only because you and Estêvão persevered. The Lord used Estêvão to bring this great injustice to light, then, when he was struck down, He started working through you in Estêvão’s place. You may not believe that, but I do.”
I stood there, silent. I knew she was waiting for me to agree with her. It was even possible she was right, but I didn’t share her conviction, so I said nothing.
She sighed. “But, it is foolish to expect things to change so quickly.” She remained before me, eyes downcast, patiently waiting for some kind of an answer.
"I prayed in the prison," I whispered.
She raised her head to look me in the eyes, and a slow smile spread across her face.
I shook my head. “I don't know if I still believe, or lack the courage to not believe.”
Gracia took a step back, holding her hand in front of her in negation. “You never stopped believing, Paulo. You just stopped trying.”
Could she be right?
“I don't think there is much hope for me either way.” I stepped around her, heading for the house.
She placed both hands on my arm, stopping me. “There is hope if you will just try. I believe in you, Paulo. You are a good man deep inside. I know this.”
I studied her. There was a tenderness in her eyes I hadn't seen in a very long time.
Mother’s sharp voice interrupted any reply. “Paulo! What are you doing out here.” She grabbed me by the arm and began dragging me back to where a servant stood with a bucket of water. “I don’t want you spreading blood pollution all over the house. Come on.”
I gave a short laugh. In a low voice, I said, “I thought we didn’t believe in Shinto pollution.”
She gave me a hard look, then said, “It’s for your father’s and grandfather’s sake.”
Grandfather was examining Asano’s leg. Asano had taken a deep cut on the outside of his left thigh. “We are going to need a wound surgeon for this,” he announced and sent a messenger to fetch one.
Mother stepped in and cleaned Asano’s leg with a clean rag soaked in tea. As I pulled off my kimono, I looked at the cut Masakado had given me on my arm. “For this one as well, I think.”
Mother chivvied the family back into the house. “They will be inside in just a moment. Let them get cleaned up.”
My father stayed behind as everyone left. He watched as Asano and I cleaned up. After Mother came and helped Asano inside, Father limped over and said, “Your brother would be pleased—I am proud of you. I lost my younger son, but my older son has returned. You bring honor to our family.” Then he walked back to the house.
At the door, he turned and gave me a deep bow before going inside.