Kill the Shogun

CHAPTER 19

Is gambling a profitable business?”

Nobu gave a start at the voice in his room, but this time he knew exactly where to look. Just as before, the ronin was sitting in the darkest corner of the room, looking relaxed and at home. This time, his sword was still in its scabbard, sitting next to him on the mat.

“How did you get in here?” Nobu said.

Kaze pointed to the window, frowning at a question he thought should be obvious.

Nobu moved the lantern he was carrying between them, so he could see the ronin better, and sat his bulky body down on the oversized futon he used.

“Why do you want to know how much money is in gambling?”

“Because,” Kaze said, “for the first time in my life, I have a use for money.”

“Gambling is usually the best business,” Nobu said. “Better than flesh and even better than stealing. With flesh, a man can become sated and will eventually leave the whorehouse. The fever for gambling can’t be quenched. It’s better than stealing because you eventually end up with all of a fool’s possessions. When you rob his house, you can only carry off some of his things. Besides, they crucify you for stealing, but only beat you up for gambling. If you cross the proper palms with payoffs, you can even avoid the beatings.”

“So this business makes a lot of money?”

“Not as much as it should.”

“Why?”

“Because Boss Akinari is greedy. As greedy as the fools who lose everything gambling here. If someone wins too much, Boss Akinari arranges for him to disappear. Word gets around about that kind of thing, you know, and it really hurts business. Most of the big gamblers have stopped coming here, and they’ve gone to other gambling houses. That’s why the Boss is getting involved with things like tobacco. There’s no need to get involved with that evil weed. The Boss claims it has many health benefits, but, like their religion, I think it’s just another bad thing those smelly Europeans have introduced to Japan. If Boss Akinari would just show some patience, everyone’s luck turns eventually, and the big winner this month will be begging for a loan next month. That’s what makes gambling such a good business to be in. We don’t have to branch out into tobacco.”

“Why don’t you point that out to him?”

Nobu hesitated. There was something about this ronin that he liked, however, so he decided to be frank with him. “If anyone in the gang looks like they’re getting too independent, Boss Akinari makes them disappear, too.”

“It sounds like Akinari is not a very good boss.”

Nobu shrugged.

“Perhaps Boss Nobu would do a better job for this gang.”

Nobu started, then saw the ronin was serious. “You’re a devil, Matsuyama-san,” Nobu said. “It’s not healthy for someone to start thinking like that. Besides, it would be disloyal for an underling to think about deposing his boss.”

“Nobunaga got rid of Imagawa, and Ieyasu, who was an Imagawa vassal, joined him, to their mutual benefit. Akechi, a vassal of Nobunaga’s, assassinated him. Hideyoshi said he was avenging Nobunaga’s death, but he eventually displaced Nobunaga’s sons as ruler of both their clan and Japan. Ieyasu was Hideyoshi’s chief daimyo, but he deposed Hideyoshi’s son and now rules as Shogun. A vassal replacing his boss is a common enough thing nowadays.”

“And what about you? Were you loyal to your lord?”

“Well, yes,” Kaze admitted. “But I’m a bit old-fashioned. That’s just me. It doesn’t mean you have to be.”

“You are a devil!”

“Perhaps, but perhaps also a sensible devil, Boss Nobu.”

“Boss Nobu,” the big man said, muttering the words to himself, savoring their novelty.

The door to Nobu’s room slid open. The big man looked startled, and Kaze looked at the door with interest, to see what was developing. It was a woman, one of the servants of the household. She held a tray with a teapot and two steaming cups of tea.

“I saw you had guests, Nobu-san, so I thought you might like some ocha,” the woman said.

“How did you-” Nobu started.

Before he could finish his question, the woman shouted, “Now!” She threw the tea tray at Kaze.

Kaze diverted his face to avoid the scalding tea, but he didn’t jerk himself out of the path of the tea, as another man might. Instead, he reached out to grab his sword. The tea splashed against his arm, sending a shock of pain as the liquid burned his skin.

As part of the plan, the woman threw herself down on Kaze’s scabbard as soon as she had thrown the tray. She trapped Kaze’s arm and weapon under her body.

Before Kaze could push her away, the room was filled with men, smothering the ronin with a tsunami of flesh.

Boss Akinari sat on a raised dais, like a noble. He had a yojimbo, a bodyguard, standing next to him with a sword for protection. Akinari also had a sword stuck in his sash, and sitting before him on the dais was Kaze’s sword, “Fly Cutter.”

Kaze’s arms were being held by two burly men. The only other person in the room was Nobu. Kaze’s arm hurt from the hot tea, but otherwise he only had a few bumps and bruises.

“I had Nobu’s room watched, on the chance that you would return to talk to him. I’m very pleased you did,” Akinari said. “Your head will mean a great deal of money to me. But before I turn you over to Yoshida-sama for the reward, I think it’s fair to settle some scores. You killed two of my men the first time I tried to take your head.”

“I’m sorry I killed your men, but it would have been inconvenient to lose my head,” Kaze said.

Akinari frowned. “I’ll teach you to be disrespectful to me. Nobu, hit him.”

Nobu looked at Akinari and shrugged. He turned to Kaze and drew back his huge fist, hitting the ronin in the stomach. It was like being hit with one of the battering rams used to burst castle gates. Kaze gave an “Oooff” and fought to get his breath back.

“As I said, you killed my men. Then you embarrassed me by fooling me into thinking you had escaped, when you actually wanted to stick around and talk to Nobu.”

Kaze looked at Nobu, and whispered, “He doesn’t trust you. That’s why he had your room watched. You said Akinari made men disappear. You’re next.” His whisper was even lower than normal; the effects of Nobu’s blow to his stomach.

“What’s he saying?” Akinari asked, unable to make out Kaze’s whisper.

“Just some nonsense, Boss,” Nobu said.

Akinari snorted. “Then you embarrassed me with Lord Yoshida, escaping from the vegetable merchant’s house. That cost me a thousand ryo. Still, your head will bring me ten thousand, so maybe it has all worked out for the best.”

“You’ll never see a penny of that,” Kaze whispered to Nobu.

“What is he saying?” Akinari asked petulantly.

“It’s just more nonsense,” Nobu responded.

Akinari looked at the men holding Kaze. “What is it he’s saying?” he asked.

“He’s saying you don’t trust Nobu, Boss,” one of the men said.

Akinari remained silent for a moment, then said, “Nobu, it’s suspicious this man wanted to talk to you twice. Now you can prove your loyalty by doing the job of beating him up before we take his head. Hit him again.”

Nobu nodded, then struck another blow, this time to Kaze’s side. Kaze almost expected to hear the crack of a rib, but instead he just felt pain from the hammering.

“Look at him,” Kaze gasped. “He doesn’t trust you. Soon you’ll be as dead as me.”

“Why are you just hitting his body?” Akinari asked Nobu. “Why not his face?”

“I want Yoshida-sama to be able to recognize him when you take his head in for the reward. Blows to the body can be just as punishing as blows to the face.”

“Nonsense. Smash his face up. And be quick about it!”

“It’s a test.” Kaze smiled through the pain at Nobu. “He wants to make sure we’re not friends.”

“I’ll show him we’re not!” Nobu said. He brought his fist back, and took careful aim at Kaze’s face.

“Boss Nobu,” Kaze said.

Nobu hesitated a moment, then he brought his fist forward with all his strength. The fist flew past Kaze’s face and caught one of the two men holding Kaze squarely in the cheek. This time, Kaze did hear the crack of bone. The surprised thug crumpled to the floor instantly.

With a grace that seemed impossible for a man of his size, Nobu dove toward Boss Akinari. Akinari and his bodyguard started drawing their blades, but Nobu was not trying to reach the gambling chief. Instead, he snatched Kaze’s sword from the floor, turned on his side, and threw the sword and scabbard back to the ronin.

Kaze caught the sword with the hand recently freed by Nobu knocking out the man holding it. Without taking the sword from its scabbard, Kaze brought the scabbard down across the head of the man still holding him. As he felt the man’s grip loosen, Kaze yanked his other arm free and grabbed the scabbard.

He drew his sword, and got the blade extended in the aimed-at-the-foot position, just in time to block a cut at Nobu, still lying on the floor, made by Akinari. Akinari’s blade was close to Nobu’s face when Kaze’s blade intercepted it. The eyes of the big man grew wide as the two pieces of steel met just a finger’s width from his skin. The clang of steel filled the small room, and Nobu took advantage of the small reprieve to roll away from Akinari and the yojimbo.

The yojimbo stepped past Akinari and attacked Kaze with an overhead cut. With his sword so low to the ground after protecting Nobu, Kaze couldn’t parry the blow, so he took a lesson from Nobu and dove to the ground, rolling to one side as the cut flashed past him. As he rolled, Kaze reached out with one arm and slashed the yojimbo across the chest and belly.

The yojimbo let out a cry of pain and staggered backward, eventually falling to the floor. Kaze quickly finished his roll just as Akinari rushed at him. Kaze was in a crouching position and put his sword up to stop Akinari’s blow. Akinari brought his sword back for a second blow as Kaze forced his way to his feet. Then, making a classic diagonal cut across Akinari’s neck and shoulder, Kaze killed the gambler.

Breathing hard, Kaze glanced over at Nobu, who was shakily getting to his feet. Then he looked around and said, “Quite a mess.” He looked at Akinari and told Nobu, “You’ll need a coffin.” Glancing at the yojimbo, who was clutching at his wound and turning white with shock, “Maybe two.” Kaze walked over to the yojimbo to see if he should deliver another blow to put him out of his pain. The yojimbo stopped breathing, taking the decision out of Kaze’s hands. Kaze saw the other two were still unconscious.

“I think we’re all better off with Akinari in the void. He’ll be reincarnated, but with the life he led, it’s probable he’ll come back as a particularly annoying mosquito. I’m sorry about the yojimbo, though,” Kaze remarked. “He was just doing his job. I wish he had done it less well, so I didn’t have to kill him.”

“I said you’re a devil, and it’s true! Boss Akinari suspected me because of your habit of sneaking into my room to talk to me. Now he’s dead.”

“Better him than you,” Kaze pointed out. “Boss Nobu,” he added.

Nobu scratched his head. Then he smiled. “I suppose you’re right. You’re still a devil, but this might work out to everyone’s advantage. Except, of course, for Akinari and the yojimbo.”

“What about the rest of Akinari’s men?”

“They’re my men now. Those two are still out, and the yojimbo is dead. No one knows what happened here except the two of us. I can say I slipped and hit the wrong guy, and then you managed to get free and kill Akinari and his yojimbo. No one will challenge me if I take over and blame all this on you. If that one”-Nobu pointed with his chin at the man Kaze had knocked unconscious-“dares to mention that I’m the one who threw you the sword, then he’ll be sorry. As far as the gang is concerned, you’re the one who did it all.”

“Happy to be of service, Boss Nobu.”

“Now I can be of service to you. You said you needed money.”

“Yes, and some help with other things.”

“There would be plenty of money if I could deliver your head to Lord Yoshida.” Nobu grinned, to show he was making a joke.

Kaze also smiled. “As I told the late Boss Akinari, it would be inconvenient for me to lose my head now. If I get some money and help from you, I am close to fulfilling a quest, and also discovering who actually tried to kill Ieyasu.”

Nobu sat on the dais recently occupied by Akinari. Ignoring the unconscious men and dead bodies in the room, he said, “Tell me more.”