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An Unexpected Lesson: Chapter 6

by Conspirator ::: 17.Jun.2004

The sky was getting darker and the storm clouds were thickening as the wagon started down the road once more. After the encounter with the remnants of a bandit attack, it had been decided that the women and children would ride in the wagon for the rest of the way, and everyone’s nerves were on edge. The slightest swish of a tree branch, the merest hint of a cracking twig caused everyone but Kenshin to tense. He alone remained unworried, for his keenly honed senses told him that they were safe on this road, at least for now.

It wasn’t long before the horse started showing signs of tiring, however, now that all the women and children were riding in the wagon along with all the trunks and the portable stage, so Daisuke handed the reins to Ennosuke and jumped down to walk. Even so, it was clear the horse could not go much farther. Daisuke had hoped to reach the next town before making camp, but the light was nearly all gone now, thanks to the storm clouds that seemed to be getting darker by the minute. He was beginning to think they would have to either camp on the road after all or else get drenched in the dark if they continued on their way. He dreaded either prospect. He was just about to give up and start looking for a suitable place to stop when Ennosuke called out, "Look—lights up ahead!"

Sure enough, not far down the road was the unmistakable flicker of a line of lights that seemed to be moving towards them. What they were, Daisuke couldn’t tell. He looked over at Orinosuke, who was doing his best to peer into the deepening gloom, but he could tell his oldest son had no idea what they were, either. Tiny pinpricks of light beyond the moving lights led Daisuke to believe that the town was just up ahead.

"Youngest Son, can you make out anything?" Daisuke asked, hoping that Ennosuke’s vantage point on the wagon bench would give him a better view.

Ennosuke pulled the wagon to a stop and peered out. "I can’t tell a thing in this light," he responded, "but it’s definitely coming this way."

Now Baiko and Ryosuke joined them, curious as to why they had stopped. When Baiko saw the line of lights approaching, he let out a low curse.

"Can you see what it is, Baiko-san?" Daisuke asked.

"Men with torches," Baiko answered, "and I’m betting it’s not a welcoming committee."

He looked around for Kenshin to ask his opinion, but Kenshin was still standing at his post at the right side of the wagon. He had decided after the earlier flare-up with Orinosuke to keep as far away from the man as possible and so had not moved forward with the others.

"Himura," Baiko called out softly, "get up here—quick!"

The urgent tone of Baiko’s voice moved him to action, and he hurried to join them, though he made sure to keep his distance from Orinosuke.

"What do you make of it?" Baiko asked him as he pointed towards the lights. There was a hint of fear creeping into his voice.

The line of men was now near enough that they could see an assortment of clubs, swords, and a pitchfork. How many men there were, however, remained unclear.

"They are not trained warriors," Kenshin finally answered after a few seconds, "but they are hostile."

No sooner were the words uttered than he noticed Orinosuke draw his sword and assume an aggressive stance. "It would be best, though," he added quietly to Baiko, "if Orinosuke-san would put his weapon down."

Baiko looked over and cursed again. "Put that thing away!" Baiko yelled quickly as he grabbed Orinosuke’s sword arm "You want to get us all killed?"

Orinosuke glared at Baiko but Daisuke barked out, "Just do as he says!"

The women were now peering out through the curtain of the wagon, wondering what was going on.

"Get back inside!" Daisuke ordered them, "and tell the children to be quiet!"

The order was instantly obeyed.

The line of men had now reached the wagon. There were only five of them—townsfolk, not bandits, by the look of it. Their weapons, Kenshin noted with relief, were all in a sad state of disrepair. He had been right—these were no warriors, but they were certainly angry enough to be dangerous.

"Who are you, and what do you want here?" the man with the club demanded.

"We are the Daisuke Kabuki Family of Kagoshima," Daisuke answered as calmly as he could. "We’re hoping to find a safe place to camp for the night."

"You’re yakuzas," the man retorted as he held his club a bit higher.

"Yakuzas?" Daisuke repeated. "No, I assure you, I am Kawayama Daisuke, patriarch of this kabuki family. These are my sons and two employees."

Now a second man, armed with a battered and rusty sword, stood forward. "What’s a bunch of actors from Kagoshima doing on a mountain road so far from home, then, unless you’re really yakuzas?" he asked menacingly.

Daisuke was beginning to worry for his family’s safety. Nevertheless, he drew himself up and said, "We have been commanded by Shimazu Hisamitsu, governor of this prefecture, to present a performance at the Miyazaki Shrine in two days’ time. We mean you no harm and only seek safe passage to Miyazaki."

"Prove it," the first man said as he walked over to Daisuke, his club now raised even higher over his head.

Orinosuke’s hand started moving towards the hilt of his sword again, but Ryosuke noticed and quickly grabbed his brother’s shoulder. "Don’t even think of it," he whispered harshly in his brother’s ear.

Daisuke moved cautiously over to the wagon and called up, "Anata! Could you find the scroll from Shimazu-sama and hand it forward?"

Sounds of boxes being shifted, and women and children muttering quietly, could be heard as the stand-off continued. After what seemed like an eternity, Ikuko stuck her head out and handed an ornate scroll to Ennosuke, who handed it down to his father. Daisuke unrolled it and held it forward, saying, "This is the order from Shimazu-sama, requesting our attendance in Miyazaki."

The man with the club eyed it, then said, "Don’t mean a thing to me—I can’t read."

"Then the seal itself should tell you it’s genuine," Daisuke said quickly as he unrolled the scroll further to show the seal.

Now the man with the rusty sword came up and pushed the other man aside. "Let me see that." He grabbed the scroll rudely from Daisuke. "I know how to read."

Several more eternally long seconds passed before the man looked up and said, "It’s as he says, Koji-kun. They really are a kabuki troupe, and that really is Shimazu-sama’s seal."

Now the three other men with torches lowered their weapons and began bowing and mumbling, "A thousand pardons! A thousand pardons!"

The man handed back the scroll, and with a deep bow of his own said, "Please forgive us, Kawayama-san. Some friends of ours were attacked on the road by yakuzas yesterday, and one of them died. We’ve been on the lookout for his murderers ever since, and we thought—a thousand pardons!—it might be you."

Daisuke bowed back to acknowledge the apology, taking the opportunity to hide his immense relief at the outcome of this confrontation. As he did, a roll of thunder could be heard off in the distance, and the winds started to pick up. The storm, he realized, would be upon them within minutes.

"Otoko-san, we need to make camp right away, before the storm hits," he said in an urgent voice. "We saw evidence of the attack on the road, and I don’t mind saying I am extremely worried about camping in the open with yakuzas in the area. Would it be possible to find a place within in the safety of your town?"

The man with the pitchfork said, "There’s room in the warehouse—you could stay there."

"Idiot," his comrade said. "You can’t offer that—you only work there! What would Ichoda-san say to that?"

There was another roll of thunder, accompanied by a flash of lightening.

"Oh, shut up," the man with the sword said as he eyed the sky. "Listen, I’m an innkeeper. You can stay at my inn for the night. Let’s just hurry, alright?"

"We are most grateful for your offer," Daisuke began, "but…."

"If it’s cost you’re worried about, don’t be," the innkeeper broke in. "Shimazu-sama comes to our town from time to time for the hot springs. I’ll let you stay for free at my inn if you promise to tell him of my generosity to your family. He never stays at my inn. Maybe if I’m this generous to his favored actors, it will convince him to honor us with his presence for once."

Now it was Daisuke who was doing the deep bowing.

"Teishou-san, we are unworthy of such kindness," he started to say, but Ikuko suddenly stuck her head out and shouted, "Enough with the formalities, already! Just accept the offer before we get caught in this storm!"

Daisuke sent an astonished look to his wife but then quickly sprang into action.

"She’s right, teishou-san," he said quickly. "We are very grateful, we accept your kind offer. Men, back to your posts. Youngest Son, flick that whip, and let’s get moving!"

They followed the innkeeper into town and reached the inn just as the first drops of rain started to fall. Ikuko hustled the other women and children inside while Baiko and Kenshin unloaded personal belongings and food into the waiting arms of Daisuke, Orinosuke, and Ryosuke. Then, after helping Ennosuke down from the wagon bench, Baiko and Kenshin took the wagon to the warehouse the armed men had mentioned, where the innkeeper had arranged for them stable the horse and house the wagon. Within half and hour, despite what turned out to be violent thunderstorm, everyone and everything was settled in. The women had even managed to put together a good cold meal, complete with sweet potatoes they had cooked the day before and persimmons the children had gathered along the road as an extra treat.

As they all started filling their bowls with food, Daisuke tapped his sons’ shoulders and said, "Bring those with you and follow me."

He led them from the inn’s dining room to a sitting room at the other end of the building and motioned for them to sit down.

"To say that I was pained by what happened earlier today would be an understatement," Daisuke began when they had made themselves comfortable. "To think that my own family would come to blows with each other…."

He looked down briefly to gather his thoughts, then looked at his sons and said, "We live in difficult times. Everything we have known—everything our ancestors ever knew—has been turned upside down. It is a new age now, and it is presumptuous of me to think that we can live in this age without changing as well. Even the ancient law requiring sons to do the same work as their father and their father’s father before him—it has all been swept away."

"Father…," Ennosuke started to say, but Daisuke waved his hand to cut him off.

"You are all good sons," he continued. "A man could not ask for better. The decision I made seven years ago to leave Kyoto was the most difficult I have ever been asked to make. You were all dutiful sons and followed without question. Only now do I realize the depths of the resentment that decision caused."

"There was no resentment!" Ryosuke cut in, but Orinosuke glared at him.

"First Son would disagree with you there," Daisuke noted, a sadness creeping into his voice, "and how could I blame him? He was torn away from a theater world where he was just coming into his own. Your skills have grown immensely even since that time, First Son, but I do understand your resentment. That is why I’ve called you all here. It’s time I told you the real reason we left Kyoto."

"The real reason?" Ryosuke repeated. "I thought it was because people were too afraid to go to the theater after Ikedaya…."

"Yes, and the invitation from Shimazu-sama," Ennosuke added.

"It was damned cowardly, whatever the reason," Orinosuke said accusingly. "Funny how none of the other kabuki families felt the need to leave permanently. If there was some other reason, you’ve certainly hidden it well all these years."

Daisuke looked up in surprise at his comment. "You think so little of your father that you’d accuse him of cowardice?" He shook his head sorrowfully. "No, not cowardice—a desire to save this kabuki dynasty from total annihilation."

Chopsticks stopped in mid-air at that statement.

"What are you talking about?" Orinosuke asked slowly.

Daisuke sighed deeply. "You know, just like you, I assumed my life would follow the same path as my father’s, just as his had followed the path of his father and that of his father’s father before him, but the arrival of the Black Ships changed everything. What do I know of politics? But when the government raises taxes and then raises them some more because of the threats posed by the gaijins—well, after awhile, politics becomes everyone’s business. The price of food was skyrocketing because the farmers were rebelling, yakuzas started extorting protection money from anyone who owned anything, including us theater-owners, and what did the Bakufu do? Not a thing. If anything, their own corruption just got worse.

"I don’t know if you remember, but our theater was a favorite of a retainer of Okubo Toshimichi, one of Shimazu-sama’s top aides. Samurai weren’t allowed to attend kabuki performances, of course, but Hasuike-dono always found a way to disguise himself and come anyway. I think he managed never to miss a week in the three years I knew him. He even brought Okubo-sama himself several times—always in disguise, of course. One time, Okubo-sama even asked to meet me. It was at that meeting that I learned of the rebellion among the Satsuma and the Chousu against the corruption of the Bakufu. I asked how I could help the cause, and I began to put aside just a little of our profits every month to funnel to the rebels—to the Ishin Shishi. This was just after the gaijin obliterated the Chousu fortifications at Shimonoseki—a terrible time, indeed. For over a year I continued to help the cause in any way I could.

"But then the Ishin Shishi started their campaign of assassinations, and the Bakufu fought back by bringing in those thugs, the Shinsengumi. Outwardly, I pretended to be neutral to it all, but our theater-goers weren’t. Do you remember the fights that broke out in our theater between Bakufu supporters and rebel sympathizers? And, of course, people did become too scared to come out to the theater. Yet even that would not have made me leave.

"But when the Shinsengumi massacred the rebel leaders at Ikedaya, they somehow managed to also find out the names of Ishin Shishi supporters. They went out and started slaughtering anyone they thought even mildly supported the rebel cause. That’s why they murdered our caretaker—him and his entire family, even the little baby—all because he had helped feed some rebel fighters once or twice. I figured I was safe, though, because all I had done was funnel some money under the table. No way they’d ever find out about me, I thought.

"I was wrong. Two days after Ikedaya, Okubo-sama sent word that their spies had seen the Shinsengumi hit list, and my name was on it. My life is nothing—I would gladly have sacrificed it if it meant the end of the Bakufu. But I knew they would not stop at killing me—they would kill all of you as well, even your children. Now I was facing not just my own death, but the death of the great kabuki tradition started by our illustrious forebearer, the first Daisuke, nearly three hundred years ago. How could I, because of my own foolishness, cause the total annihilation of everything our ancestors had worked so hard to create and to pass down to us? Cowardice, First Son? I think not."

There was silence in the room as Daisuke stopped to sip some sake. He felt the warmth of the liquid slide down his throat, and it seemed to steel him for what he had to say next.

"Our move to Kagoshima, from my perspective, has been nothing but good," he continued. "I’ve felt freer to experiment and innovate than if we had remained in Kyoto. Our school for apprentices is thriving, and some of them show promise of becoming fine actors one day. We have been honored by requests from famous gaijin actors to teach them some of our ways, and they have taught us some of theirs. But I know this is no substitute for the accolades of one’s fellow actors, and that can only happen in Kyoto.

"And so, First Son, I give you my blessing to leave Kagoshima for Kyoto and take your rightful place as that city’s foremost dramatic actor. Go. Accept the offer from your wife’s family. They hold as esteemed a name in the theater world as our own family does. I will not hold you here any longer. Second Son, I know you turned down a similar offer from your wife’s family. Their move to the new capital has been good for them, and I believe that soon Tokyo will rival Kyoto as an important city for the traditional kabuki arts. And you, Youngest Son, if you should wish to join either of your brothers, I will not hold you back either. As for our theater in Kagoshima, we will survive. Some of our apprentices have made great strides and are ready for their debuts. If the gods see fit, I still have several more years left to pass along the traditions to them. So, don’t feel that you are obligated to stay."

Daisuke closed his eyes and squeezed them tight, for he felt tears welling up, and that was one thing he did not want his sons to see. No one said a word.

"My desire was to return to Kyoto with this family," Orinosuke finally said in a low voice. "I must think carefully whether I would do so alone. But just let me ask you this. Did you support everything the Ishin Shishi did? Even the assassinations?"

"Of course not!" a startled Daisuke answered. "I supported their goals, not the assassinations! Why are you asking such a question? What does that have to do with anything?"

"I will give you my decision once we’ve reached Miyazaki," was all Orinosuke would say, and with that, he got up and left.

"What about you?" Daisuke asked his two remaining sons.

"I meant what I said this afternoon," Ryosuke said as he stood up to leave. "I turned down the offer, and I have no intention of changing my mind."

"And you?" Daisuke said to Ennosuke.

"Kagoshima is my home," Ennosuke answered, "and I still have a lot left to learn from you." Then he, too, got up to leave, with the help of his brother.

Kenshin had been sitting out on the inn’s engawa while the men held their meeting, and he had been enjoying the fresh air. The storm, however, had cooled off the night air considerably, and he shivered as he pulled his gi tighter around himself in an attempt to keep warm. He was about to get up to go inside when he saw the men file out of the meeting room. The look on their faces was grim. The discussion must not have gone well, he guessed. He was supposed to change Ennosuke’s dressings before bedtime, but given the mood of the men as they left their meeting, he decided to wait a little longer before undertaking the task.

"No haori, huh?"

Baiko was walking by on his way back to the warehouse, where he and Kenshin were to keep watch over the wagon and sleep that night. He had already dug his haori out of his bag and was bundled up against the evening chill.

"Sessha needs to earn some money to buy one before it gets much colder," Kenshin admitted sheepishly. "Perhaps I should put my spare gi on under this one to keep warm."

Baiko chuckled. "Well, don’t let Ikuko-san see you like that—she’ll chew you out and start mothering you."

Kenshin smiled. A bit of mothering wouldn’t be so bad, would it? He pulled his gi around him even tighter. On the other hand, maybe he could offer to chop some wood for the innkeeper and earn that money right away….

He was about to get up to find Ennosuke when Orinosuke swept by. Orinosuke dropped a savage, almost triumphant glare on Kenshin, who stepped back deferentially to let him pass. Kenshin followed him with his eyes until he disappeared around the engawa’s corner. He did not like the sense he was getting from Orinosuke’s ki. Baiko was right—he couldn’t go back on his word to Daisuke to stay with the family—but he could tell that Orinosuke was becoming more dangerous by the minute. He could only hope that whatever was causing Orinosuke’s overwhelming anger right now would stay restrained until after the performance in Miyazaki.

Kenshin found Ennosuke in the dining room with Nomi on his lap. He was reading her a story, so Kenshin hung back and watched. It was such a peaceful scene, the kind of small happiness he hadn’t even known existed until he had lived with Tomoe. This was what he had fought for—what he had given up his soul for—so that families could live in peace like this without fearing for their lives. He sighed. He knew that he himself could never experience this kind of happiness again. All he could hope for now was to atone for the many lives he had taken by protecting families like this from those who might harm them. He watched as Ennosuke finally closed the book and sent Nomi off to her mother. Only then did he come forward.

"Ennosuke-san," he said as he offered a hand to help Ennosuke up, "Satoshi-sensei left instructions for me to change your bandages before bedtime."

Ennosuke gratefully took the hand and, using a crutch on the other side to help, slowly got up. "Ah, time to inflict pain, is it?" he sighed melodramatically.

Kenshin followed him to the room the innkeeper had given Ennosuke and his family, then helped Ennosuke lower himself to sit on the futon. He immediately started removing the bandages and inspecting the wound, which seemed to be healing nicely. Then he took out a packet of salve and applied it to the wound, eliciting a wince and a hiss of pain from Ennosuke.

"It’s really doing quite well, Ennosuke-san," Kenshin said. "There’s no bleeding now, it’s not red—it should be healed in no time."

"You do know a lot about medicine, don’t you," Ennosuke commented. "Satoshi-sensei told me you did. He seemed quite impressed with your skills. Where did you learn them?"

Questions, Kenshin thought ruefully, always questions. He started to wrap a new set of bandages around the wound as he replied, "At one time I sold medicines, and I learned a lot just by watching others."

"Hmm." Ennosuke did not quite believe that was all there was to the story. Then, "I don’t suppose you have a cure for this unbearable itch I’ve got inside my cast, do you?"

Kenshin chuckled. "I believe if you can find a stick thin enough to slip inside the cast to scratch with, that works quite well. Otherwise, I’m told a good bottle of sake does wonders for taking your mind off it."

Ennosuke laughed heartily. "I don’t think my wife would like that solution very much!"

Kenshin joined in the laughter, then deftly tied off the bandage and closed up the packet of salve. Without looking, Kenshin could tell that Ennosuke was watching him even after he had finished up, and for once he wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. He was almost relieved when Ennosuke finally started talking again.

"You know," Ennosuke began, "when I was a boy, I used to be terrified of my father when I’d watch him play some of the great heroes. Such power and intensity! But I always knew he’d turn back into the friendly man I knew in real life. I thought of that today when I watched First Brother play Benkei."

"Aa," Kenshin agreed as he proceeded to roll up the old bandage. "He was truly awe-inspiring."

"No," Ennosuke continued, "I mean I was truly terrified." He stopped briefly until he had caught Kenshin’s eye. Then he said, "Himura-san, my brother is not the same kind of man my father is. My brother is stern and judgmental by nature. Once he gets an idea in his head, he never lets go of it until he’s either proven it or disproven it."

Kenshin wanted to look away but found he couldn’t. There was something about the intensity of Ennosuke’s gaze that made it impossible, and it was accompanied by an unmistakable level of concern.

"Noriko has told me what’s been happening while I was at Satoshi-sensei’s," Ennosuke went on. "My mother is quite taken with you. Father and Second Brother have seen nothing but the most honorable behavior from you. Even First Brother’s wife has apparently accepted you, and that is no mean feat. And yet First Brother has warned me that you are a dangerous man. He is determined to prove it, and he will not give up until he does. So, as someone who is indebted to you for my very life, let me ask you outright—just what are you?"

Kenshin looked down at his hands. What was he? A killer—a killer who hated what he had been required to do, but a killer nonetheless. He could never change that. But that was all in the past, wasn’t it? And now, every day for the past three years, he had fervently prayed that it would stay buried in the past.

"Ennosuke-san," Kenshin said quietly, "sessha is what you see, nothing more. Yes, this one carries a sword, but sessha has sworn never to kill—only to protect the weak from the injustices of the age. Your family has been so kind to me—surely more than this one deserves. If harm were to come to any of you, it would be more than this one could bear."

Ennosuke was somewhat taken aback at the depth of sincerity in Kenshin’s answer, for after what Orinosuke had told him, he certainly hadn’t expected that.

"Himura-san, I’m glad to hear it—it’s relieved my mind," Ennosuke responded with relief. Then, with a smile, he added, "And I’m sure Nomi-chan will be glad, too. She seems quite taken with her new ‘Uncle Ken-san,’ you know."

Kenshin smiled back somewhat wistfully as he stood to leave. "She is a very happy little girl, Nomi-dono is. May nothing ever change that in her."

"Why, thank you," replied an astonished Ennosuke. "I’ll tell her you said so."

Kenshin bowed low and took his leave, leaving Ennosuke with even more questions in his mind than before. Now he understood why his mother found this man to be such a mystery, for he himself was left wondering just what to make of the rather remarkable conversation that had just taken place.