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The Choshu Chronicles: Chapter Two

by Omasu Oniwabanshi ::: Jan.2005

The mansion was a familiar one to Kenshin. Katsura stayed often at the houses of his wealthy merchant friends in Shimonoseki. This time Kenshin, Shunme, Nakamura, and Takahata had gone with him. So had Murata, the expert in Western military techniques. Remembering his behavior on the practice field, Kenshin took care to stay out of his way.

The porch running along the outer front of the mansion was broad, and well polished. Kenshin was familiar with every board, as he'd patrolled it and the vast gardens in back often enough these past months when Katsura came to visit. Takahata was in those gardens now, defending the rear while Kenshin guarded the front.

The sun felt warm on Kenshin's face. There was a maple tree in front of the porch, tall and stately, with light green leaves, still now in the absence of a breeze. He spared a second to gaze up into it, then quickly focused his vision past it to the street leading to the mansion's front gate as he caught the sound of footsteps.

This particular street was a quiet one, and the man made no attempt to walk in secrecy. In fact, he was whistling tunelessly, stopping now and again to cough, and once to blow his nose.

He was still blowing his nose into a handkerchief when he pushed open the gate and walked up to the porch where Kenshin stood.

Pulling the handkerchief away from his face he sniffed one last time and asked, "Is this where Katsura's staying?" The man was only of average size but he had an air of repressed energy that made him seem larger. His unkempt hair was brushed back from his forehead, no topknot in sight. He had high cheekbones, sharp black eyes, a mouth whose corners turned down in repose, and a nose now reddened from congestion.

Kenshin nodded, and backed up a pace to tap on the mansion's door. It opened and a young maidservant came outside.

"Sakamoto-san?" She asked.

"That's me!" grinned the man, shoving his handkerchief into his navy blue kimono style shirt. He jumped up onto the porch and brushed by the girl who bowed and stepped back murmuring greetings, to let him pass. Closing the door behind her, she followed him inside.

The meeting lasted over an hour. At times, Kenshin could hear voices raised in anger inside. Mostly it was Murata, demanding "breech loading rifles" and complaining about the weapons he had now. Katsura's voice came at times, low and earnest. Another voice, Kenshin assumed it was Sakamoto Ryoma's, came through the thin rice paper panes, alternately cajoling, and then barking in unexpected laughter.

Shrugging to himself, Kenshin continued to patrol. Whatever was going on inside was Katsura's affair, not his. He was certain Shunme would fill him in later, whether he wanted to hear about it or not.

The front door opened again. Kenshin was on the ground this time, off the porch, and he turned to look at the noise the door made sliding along the wooden runners set in the porch.

Ryoma stepped outside, and stretched.

The same maidservant who'd opened the door before bowed and murmured farewells as she closed the door behind him.

Kenshin watched Ryoma curiously as he walked to the edge of the porch, and spurning the steps, jumped down onto the ground. Instead of leaving, he leaned back and sat down on the porch, which was set about two feet off the ground. Setting his hands on his hips, he yawned unselfconsciously and looked at Kenshin.

"Guard duty, eh?"

Kenshin nodded. Who was this man? Usually upper class samurai, which Ryoma definitely was, despite his uncombed hair and crumpled clothing, ignored lowly guards unless they too were samurai.

"So what's it like working for Katsura?"

Kenshin blinked. "It's a job." He answered at last, unsure of how much to say to this completely unconventional man.

Ryoma's eyes narrowed interestedly. "So why this job? Why guard Katsura? Why not go to Edo and guard the shogun?"

Kenshin felt his face tighten. "I'd rather die than help the Bakufu."

A smile spread across Ryoma's face, turning the corners of his mouth upward. "Thought so. So you guard Katsura because you believe in what he's doing, in what Choshu is doing?"

Kenshin nodded again. Ryoma was silent, forcing him to continue. "I want the Bakufu to pay."

Ryoma began coughing again, and pulled his handkerchief out of his shirt, burying his face in it. When he was done, he raised his head, those keen eyes of his seeking out Kenshin's. "Don't worry, kid. The Bakufu will pay. Their day is over, those dirty, rotten corrupt dogs! They're weak, rotting from the inside out. When they're gone we'll clean up Japan."

"Clean up Japan?" Kenshin repeated softly, wondering what Ryoma meant by that.

"Make it better, stronger, a place where the peasants don't spend their days suffering under the heel of the Bakufu. If I have my way, Japan will be free and…" Another coughing fit wracked Ryoma's body, interrupting his train of thought. "Hey kid, do you know where there's a good apothecary's shop in this town?"

Kenshin shook his head. Ryoma grimaced regretfully and pushed off the porch, hastily shoving his handkerchief back into his shirt. "Ah well. I'd better be getting back to my ship. I've got to get back to Nagasaki…he paused held a hand up, then let loose with a mighty sneeze. "Drat this cold. We'll talk again sometime." Grinning again, he clapped Kenshin on the shoulder and made his way out the gate.

A little while later Nakamura and Shunme came outside.

"You there. Katsura's staying the night. He wants you to come inside." Nakamura called out from the porch.

"He's got a name, Nakamura!" Shunme chided. "It's Kenshin. You know, Ken plus shin? Kenshin. It's easy. Now you try it."

Nakamura's sharp features wrinkled in distaste at Shunme and he wheeled and strode heavily back inside.

Shunme sighed. "Sorry Kenshin. Nakamura's miffed because he wasn't asked to join Katsura, Murata, and Ryoma for the meeting."

"I don't care." The redheaded swordsman told Shunme as he made his way up the steps. Guarding Katsura was his job. He didn't have to get along with his fellow guards to do it. He wasn't like Shunme, who tried to make friends with everyone.

"Let's take the back door" Shunme suggested and led the way down the porch. "So did you see Ryoma? I wasn't in the meeting room either, so I only saw him when he first came in."

"Yes."

"Well?" Shunme's eyes, bright as a bird's, regarded Kenshin expectantly.

"Well what?"

Shunme practically danced in exasperation. "Well, what did you think of him?"

"He's…different."

Shunme hooted. "At last! Kenshin has an opinion! Will wonders never cease!" He got serious and spoke in a low voice as they turned the corner. "I heard all about Ryoma from Ike Kurata, my friend from Tosa. Ryoma's from Tosa province too, you know. Kurata came to Choshu to help Takasugi rebel against the conservatives to take control so we could fight the Bakufu."

"Hmm." Muttered Kenshin noncommittally. He'd missed Takasugi and Katsura's rebellion and takeover because he'd been in hiding with Tomoe.

"Ryoma is the man to watch." Shunme confided. "I think he and Katsura are the greatest men in Japan. They will lead us into a new age." Shunme's voice grew low with emotion. He wasn't often serious.

Sensing Kenshin's regard, Shunme laughed and shrugged. "What is it about you, Kenshin? You say practically nothing, yet you get people to talk. Katsura should make you his chief interrogator. Instead of using whips, he could just stick you in the room and the spy would be singing like a bird in no time."

Kenshin shook his head, remembering what he'd heard that the Shinsengumi had done to Kotaka Shuntaro, the loyalist they'd caught who'd revealed the meeting place, Ikedaya Inn, to the Tokugawa police force. The beating, even the torture of suspects by the Tokugawa forces wasn't uncommon, but this time they'd outdone themselves, hanging Kotaka upside down and dripping candle wax into his wounds. "I don't do interrogations." He told Shunme, and opened the door and went inside to find Katsura.

A few steps down the corridor Kenshin saw Murata, scowling at Katsura, who stood in the doorway of an inner room.

"That Ryoma, do you really think we can trust him?" Murata ended his question with a snort. He stood belligerently, arms crossed, as if spoiling for an argument.

Katsura paused before speaking. "Yes." He answered gravely. "I know of no one in Japan more committed to bringing down the Bakufu besides me. He is sincere."

Murata merely snorted in response.

"I trust him." Katsura continued. "His methods are unusual, but he's a good man. His honor is unquestioned."

Murata's face twisted into a sneer. "I hope you're right, or we're over before the battle's even begun." He turned his back and started down the corridor. Kenshin moved further into the mansion, and stepped back out of his way while Shunme moved back onto the porch to let Murata pass.

As the larger weapons expert brushed by, his gaze raked over both men, and he snorted again as he caught sight of the katana sheathed at their sides.

Then Katsura beckoned, and Kenshin put Murata and his contempt for swords out of his thoughts as he and Shunme joined their leader.

Days passed. Kenshin performed his duties mechanically and competently. Katsura was busy, spending long hours at the Choshu administration building, busy preparing for the Bakufu's invasion.

At night Kenshin returned to the inn where he, Shunme, Nakamura, and Takahata, Katsura's favorite squad of bodyguards, plus other Choshu soldiers were staying. A young couple ran the inn, harried by so many men packed into the dormitory style rooms.

It was late in the afternoon in the middle of May when Kenshin pushed open the gate leading to the inn's courtyard. Most of the guests were still on duty or out training. This particular day Katsura had dismissed Kenshin early in order to, in his own words "think and sleep."

Katsura took only Takahata with him as he made his way home from the government building. Kenshin wasn't worried. Takahata was a competent swordsman. He was friends with Nakamura and had absorbed Nakamura's dislike of Kenshin's non-samurai status, so Kenshin didn't know him very well.

He was more worried about Katsura. The man's set face and tense manner reflected the atmosphere in Choshu. Everyone was scared. The Tokugawa shogun commanded over thirty clans, and their combined armies completely outnumbered Choshu's forces, even with the peasants swelling their army. When the invasion came, it would be disastrous. But why was Katsura so unusually tense today?

Kenshin trudged across the courtyard, the dust kicked up by the morning sword practicing session swirling around his footsteps. When he got to the porch leading to the inn's main room, he paused. There on the steps was Sota, the innkeeper's two-year-old son, holding a tattered fan.

Seeing Kenshin, the baby scooted his rear to the end of the step and plonked down to the one below, landing on his bottom. He repeated the process three times until he stood on his fat little legs in the dust, then padded forward and held out his fan to Kenshin.

Kenshin glanced around behind him and to the sides, but there was no one else in the courtyard. Evidently, Sota was giving the fan to him.

He knelt in front of the child and took the fan from him, noticing the holes in the fabric, and the tooth marks on the handle. At a loss as to what to do next, Kenshin stared at the child, who stared back unblinkingly.

After a while, the staring contest palled for the two year old. He reached out and took back the fan, sticking it in his mouth, fabric edge first. Then he turned around and began to crawl back up the steps on his hands and knees.

Sensing movement, Kenshin looked up and saw Shunme leaning against the doorframe with an amused expression, watching.

Immediately, Kenshin rose to his feet, feeling an embarrassed rush of color in his cheeks.

"You sure don't know how to deal with children, do you?" observed Shunme. Taking a few steps forward, he crossed the porch, reached down, and grabbed Sota under his arms, lifting him up and depositing him matter-of-factly on his hip.

Sota immediately took the fan out of his mouth and held it out to Shunme, whose round face creased in a big smile. "Let's show Kenshin how to play, shall we?" he asked the baby.

Shunme bit the edge of the fan and pulled it gently out of Sota's grasp, making growling noises and shaking the fan side to side like a dog worrying a toy or a bone.

Sota whooped and giggled in delight.

"Soh-tah." Tama, Sota's five-year-old sister, wearing an orange and blue kimono and a disapproving expression on her face, appeared around the edge of the building and stamped her foot on the porch.

She huffed and marched up to Shunme, holding her arms out toward her brother, and scolded, "You're not supposed to bother the samurai!"

Shunme removed the fan from his mouth and handed it back to Sota. "Ah, the beauteous princess Tama graces us with her presence. Your prince, milady." He raised Sota high in the air then swooped him down to the ground with a flourish, setting him gently on the floor by Tama, then bowed low.

Tama took her brother's hand and stared at the top of Shunme's head. "You're silly." She informed him.

Shunme raised his head, and gave her a hurt look. Grabbing his chest, he fell backwards on the porch, landing with a thud. "Ah! Cut to the heart by a lady's unkind words!"

The little girl giggled and began pulling her brother through the doorway.

As soon as their footsteps faded, Shunme sat up and leaned against the post holding up the eaves over the porch. "That," he told Kenshin smugly "is how to play with children."

Kenshin stared. "How do you…?"

"Know how to deal with small children?" Shunme said, continuing Kenshin's question for him. "Practice! I've got one of my own at home, after all."

"You're married?"

"You're surprised?" Shunme's trademark belly laugh burst from his mouth. "I've been married for years. My daughter is a little younger than Tama."

"I didn't know."

"You didn't ask. You never seem to ask questions about anything." Shunme's eyes took on a speculative, yet not unkind expression. "You just watch and listen."

Kenshin shrugged slightly. "Katsura tells me what I need to know."

"And you just take it all in and ponder it. I often wonder what it is you're thinking about so silently. What great thoughts are hatching in that head of yours, Kenshin? What plans and schemes do you have?"

A memory of Tomoe came flooding back through Kenshin's mind. It happened that way sometimes, a trick of the mind ambushing him from the past. This one was auditory, a whisper of her quiet voice saying, "You would have been happy, as a farmer."

Kenshin shook the thought away and walked to the steps leading to the porch. "I'm not that complicated." He told Shunme.

Shunme let him get to the top of the steps, then reached out and grabbed a handful of the material of Kenshin's hakama trousers, stopping him.

"Well things are getting complicated around here." He waited until Kenshin bent his head to look at him, then released the material and patted the top step. "Sit down and I'll tell you about it."

Kenshin hesitated, then turned around, pushing on his sword hilt to angle the sheathed blade out behind him horizontally as he sat on the porch and set his feet on the step below.

Shunme leaned against the post supporting the eaves and began.

"You know who the Lord of Uwijima is, right?"

Hesitantly, Kenshin nodded. "He's the lord in charge of Yamaguchi castle."

"Right, well, the other day he got a letter from the shogun. Evidently the shogun sent the letter to all the daimyos and lords, except the daimyo of Choshu. The letter says that the second expedition against Choshu is a go. The reason the letter gave is that the Kokura clan told the shogun that Choshu men approached a Dutch ship illegally to smuggle men out of Japan and to trade with the Dutch."

"Did that happen?"

"No." Shunme leaned away from the post to be sure Kenshin was listening. "Do you think Katsura or Takasugi would be stupid enough to send men to talk to the Dutch in the middle of Shimonoseki Strait with Kokura clan right across from us watching? Kokura made it up."

"Oh."

" 'Oh' Indeed." Shunme leaned back against the post and stared out at the practice field. "Kokura clan is loyal to the shogun, and they know he's been waiting for an excuse to attack us."

Kenshin thought for a moment, then softly asked, "why?"

"Why did Kokura give the shogun the excuse he wanted, or why are they loyal to the shogun?"

"Neither. Why did the lord of Yamaguchi castle show the letter to Katsura?"

Laughing under his breath, Shunme sat up straight. "You never cease to amaze me, Kenshin." He grew serious. "But how did you know Katsura saw the letter? Did they let you inside the administration building at long last?"

Kenshin shook his head. "No. Katsura let me go home early. Something was bothering him. The letter explains it. That's all." He stared out at the front gate, remembering the worry in Katsura's eyes as he'd told Kenshin to go home.

"Hmm." Slouching back against the post, Shunme continued. "Lord Uwajima didn't show the letter to Katsura. He showed it to the Lord of Choshu. He shouldn't even have done that, really. Technically, all lords and daimyo are supposed to be loyal to the shogun, and the letter wasn't meant for the lord of Choshu, but Uwajima's wife was the lord of Choshu's sister and family ties run deep."

"How do you know all this?" Kenshin looked over at Shunme.

"Me?" Shunme smiled and got to his feet. "People like to tell me things. Everybody loves me, because I'm lovable." He smacked the seat of his hakama trousers to get the dust off. "And like you, Kenshin. I watch and I listen." He smiled again and disappeared into the inn.