The Ash amongst the Stars - Chapter 2
The gentle hum of the morning cicadas was welcomed like music to Jin’s ears as he guided his friend through wild foliage. Thorns and blades of parched grass tore visibly at Tomohisa’s exposed skin, but the man offered no words of complaint as he was dragged away from the charred remains of his village; the only place he’d ever called home. Jin allowed his eyes to wander over his friend’s attire. Having being pulled from his bed in the early hours, Tomohisa had barely scraped the time to cover himself in Kimono, resulting in the robe being tied awkwardly. Blood and dirt stained the fabric, which was now home to a variety of tears and holes. The man’s legs and feet were bare, and just below the shoulder on his left arm the fabric and skin beneath had been slashed open, tainting the surrounding material with, what Jin found to be, a disturbing amount of blood.
It had been forcibly suggested that Tomohisa make the journey to the secret village in bondage, with arms and feet tied awkwardly and a sack over his face, blinding him for the full eight day journey. At first Jin had sneered at his subordinates, feeling safe in the knowledge that they had little power to make demands of him. However, it had quickly become clear that the majority of the assassins agreed with the suggestion, leaving him with little choice but to bargain with them; for it was imperative that emphasis be placed on loyalty, respect and obedience in the familial hierarchy of assassins that made up the secret network. Jin had agreed immediately to bind Tomohisa’s hands, not missing the look of terror that flickered in the eyes of his old friend. It stung slightly each time that he met the deep black orbs that accepted him with hate and fear. But Jin couldn’t allow himself to dwell on Tomohisa’s feelings whilst in the company of such specialised men, trained in the art of deception and murder. He’d had to remain perfectly cool and in control, for if just one of the men had caught the slightest whiff of his uncertainty or wavering loyalties, then Tomohisa would have been struck down and he would have been escorted back to his father and the other family heads for questioning and judgement.
‘There is no need to restrain his legs,’ he’d said stubbornly, ‘he will only slow me down, plus it will make climbing virtually impossible.’ A few of the bystanders had begun to mumble but Jin spoke over them, ‘I have already stated that I will remove his vision days before we approach the village, but for now it is not necessary and again will only act to slow me down.’
The first few hours of the journey had occurred in silence. Members of the network rarely travelled in groups larger than four. In fact it was the norm for individual members to undertake journeys in solitude. Even the loss of a single assassin acted as a terrible blow to the families. For each member underwent years of specialist training from childhood. The loss of skills, income and power was highly undesirable, and so to reduce the risk of multiple losses, members travelled alone.
The humidity in the air was torturous, and for a moment Jin considered removing parts of his assassin’s disguise. The fabric that concealed his face was unbearably itchy, and the tight, dark material of which his clothes were made clung uncomfortably to his damp skin. He groaned quietly; to remove his disguise in the open air would be unthinkable. Anonymity was an assassin’s ultimate weapon. He stole another glance at his companion. It was obvious that movement was becoming increasingly difficult for Tomohisa. His bound hands were affecting his balance, and he was limping with some unseen wound, concealed beneath his kimono.
Scanning the area Jin was relieved to discover that there was no-one in sight, still he knew that he couldn’t be too careful. ‘We’ll reach the forest soon,’ he spoke quietly, causing Tomohisa to flinch and glance his way for a moment, before immediately lowering his gaze again. Jin forced a smile, ‘I’ve hidden some belongings and a change of clothes, something a little less conspicuous...’ Tomohisa glared at him, but Jin paid him not attention ‘we’ll stop when we find them. It’s been a tough day and I’m pretty tired.’
He knew that this explanation was unnecessary, Tomohisa was nothing more than a prisoner after all, but the silence that had been continually hanging between them was beginning to eat away at him. He decided that he would even welcome Tomohisa vocalising his hatred for him rather than the continued insufferable silence. But Tomohisa offered no such response, choosing instead to keep walking, head bowed.
Jin clenched his fists. Could it be that he’d made a mistake? If Tomohisa refused to submit to his will then they were both as good as dead. He smiled sadly as they fell back into silence. His actions needed justification, something which at that time he was unable to give. He was well versed in the art of lying, but the realm of truth was an area to which he dared not venture.
~*~*~*~
The glowing white blanket that had draped itself over his village had at first seemed so exciting to Jin’s eyes. It was an excuse to fight and to play with the young servants and the children of other families in the network. He remembered fondly leading a group of boys to victory the previous winter, transforming the tranquil setting into a battle field of soaring ice bullets.
‘Stop!’ he screamed, as Matsumoto forced his head into the icy lake. He struggled desperately against the boy, three years his senior, but his efforts were in vain, for he could not match the boy in physical size or strength. Beneath the water the dulled sounds of the rival team laughing reached his ears, as his head was forced further and further into the chilling, colourless depths. After what felt like an eternity he felt Matsumoto pulling his hair roughly back upwards, allowing him to lift his head and gulp in the air. The laughter became louder as the water was drained from his ears, and freezing liquid caused the sensation of a thousand needles to spread along his face, neck and upper torso.
‘Admit defeat!’ Matsumoto demanded. Jin glanced around and saw the members of his team being slapped into kneeling positions. He groaned; perhaps he shouldn’t have been quite as cruel in his victory the previous year. He remembered how he and his group had stripped the losers of their clothes and forced them to swim in the icy water until all twelve of them had wept and one had almost drowned.
Matsumoto, with his hands fisted in Jin’s hair, twisted it back and slapped him in succession. ‘Who’s the loser now, Jin?’ the older boy spat.
Jin clenched his eyes shut as his face began to burn. The abuse hurt like hell, but it was his pride that was suffering the most damage. He’d once been in Matsumoto’s position, and he hadn’t shown his enemy any mercy. A sob escaped his lips, causing a fresh wave of laughter from his rivals.
‘Fine,’ He hissed, not bothering to open his eyes, ‘you win!’
‘That’s right!’ Matsumoto cried out victoriously. ‘I’m better than you! And don’t forget it!’
Jin’s screams were masked by masses of silent bubbles, as his head was forced into the water again.
~*~*~*~
Tomohisa was trembling with, what Jin guessed to be, both rage and shame, as his robes we’re pushed aside leaving him naked and vulnerable in the warm afternoon air. Jin had already removed the rope that held his captives arms together, and had allowed him several moments to readjust to the enhanced movement that freedom permitted. He could feel Tomohisa’s eyes burning into him as he inspected his old friend’s body. He gulped in spite of himself as he remembered the last, and only, time that he’d been this close to Tomohisa; their relationship had been different then, or at least back then he’d had the power to pretend that it was different.
‘What are you doing?’
Jin flinched, startled; Tomohisa hadn’t spoken a word since he’d sworn himself over and collapsed into tears. Jin blinked in surprise at the question. Wasn’t the answer obvious?
‘I’m checking your wounds,’ he said carefully.
‘For what?’ came the snappy response, and Jin felt his lips twitch.
‘Poison,’ he said emotionlessly, ‘or the beginnings of infection. We’ve got a long journey ahead.’ He placed his hands on Tomohisa’s thigh and moved it gently, exposing the outer leg and buttock. ‘What happened here?’ he asked gesturing towards the open wound, at least six inches in length, that striped the man’s leg.
Tomohisa remained silent, casting his eyes down once more.
Jin sighed. ‘Just tell me, Pi!’ he said impatiently.
‘Why?’ Tomohisa snatched his robes back up to cover himself once more.
‘Because I want to know!’ Jin could feel his pulse beginning to increase as his frustration built.
‘Why?’
The slap had been delivered before Jin could pause to think. And once again he received a glare brimmed with hate, fear and confusion. He narrowed his eyes; the beaten puppy routine would have no effect on him. ‘You swore yourself to me,’ he said coldly, ‘which means that you obey my orders. If I ask you a question, you answer it. Remember I saved your life.’
‘You massacred my village!’ Tomohisa retaliated, despite the brief violence and Jin’s threatening tone.
‘That was always going to happen!’ Jin snapped. ‘They were traitors!’
Tomohisa opened his mouth to respond but a look of realisation flashed across his expression and he closed it again.
‘Did they tell you or did you figure it out?’ Jin continued his tone a little gentler.
‘I figured it out...’ Tomohisa said quietly, ‘I heard my father talking to a guest. He said that Nishikido was counting on him, and some of the other villagers, and that he was certain that Kamenashi didn’t suspect anything.’ Tomohisa paused again, his eyes darting from left to right before he snapped his head up in horror. ‘You!’ he gasped, ‘you knew! And you reported back to Kamenashi!’
‘That’s my job,’ Jin shrugged, reaching up to unfasten his mask. Surprised suddenly by how he’d attended to Tomohisa’s needs before his own.
‘Your job?’ Tomohisa snapped. ‘Your job is to hand innocent people over to psychotic warlords?’
Jin smirked and began to unfasten his robe, removing various hidden weapons and supplies as he did so. ‘Innocent people? They were traitors.’
‘Maybe a handful of them were, but not the whole village!’ Tomohisa snarled.
Jin rolled his eyes as he began to store his supplies in the bag that he’d hidden there the previous day. ‘And you’re certain of that are you?’
‘Yes! Most of them were loyal to Kamenashi, not Nishikido! Just as I was, and still am!’
Jin knew that Tomohisa was revealing more about himself than the young man realised. He’d been shielded, that much Jin had always known, but the extent of the cushioning both alarmed and comforted him.
‘Correction,’ he spoke firmly whilst glaring at his captive, ‘your loyalty is to me! Now enough of this! Tell me what happened to your leg.’
Tomohisa pulled his robes more tightly around him, as though trying to protect himself from Jin’s anger. It wasn’t difficult to spot the shame and self-loathing in his eyes, and Jin realised that gaining Tomohisa’s loyalty was going to take more than demands, threats or violence. His mind attempted to wander back to their shared youth but he ground his teeth and blinked the memories away; childhood was over and emotion equalled weakness.
‘I was attacked in my home,’ Tomohisa whispered, obviously not wanting to relive the recent memories, ‘it was one of your people. I tried to distract him, to lure him outside and away from my family.’ Suddenly the image of Tomohisa’s mother, father and younger sister flashed through Jin’s mind, and at the same moment an unknown lump seemed to appear in his throat. He coughed quietly in an attempt to rid himself of the strange sensation. ‘He followed me, and attacked me with his dagger. I managed to block him for awhile but I had no weapon, and he was highly skilled. He caught me on the arm, and down my leg. I lost my balance and fell. He was about to kill me, but one of the other villagers shot him.’
‘The man who attacked you...did you see his face?’ Jin asked.
‘No,’ Tomohisa said coldly, ‘I don’t know how it happened but moments later my house was in flames...and then you appeared. It all happened too quickly.’
Jin nodded, and silence fell between them for awhile. Eventually he spoke: ‘We should get cleaned up; there’s a spring not far from here. I’ll treat your wounds after we’ve bathed.’
‘I don’t want your help.’ Tomohisa muttered as he pulled himself awkwardly to his feet.
Jin smirked, ‘I don’t require your consent.’
‘I hate you!’ Came the venomous response.
‘You’ll learn not to.’
~*~*~*~
Jin was blue with cold by the time that some of the elders arrived and pulled Matsumoto away from him. He allowed himself only seconds to recover before launching at his enemy and pounding at him with his fists. Fate it seemed allowed him the satisfaction of his fist connecting with the boy’s jaw only once, before he was restrained by an older boy, who two years previously would have gladly joined in the fight himself.
‘Matsumoto Jun!’ an angry voice rang out, crisp and clear, causing boys from both teams to flinch and cower slightly. Jin smirked as he watched the colour vanish from his rival’s face. ‘What have I told you?’ the man continued, reaching out and yanking the boy from the grip of the man that held him, ‘you can’t treat the Akanishi family like that!’
‘He started it, father, honest!’ Jun cried, only to be beaten around the head and face by the fuming man.
Jin could see the other boys sending each other horrified glances. The head of the Matsumoto family was notorious for his temper, and the violence that it induced.
‘Apologize!’ the man hissed, throwing his son to the ground by Jin’s feet. Before turning and bowing to him himself, ‘please accept my apologies,’ he said respectfully, ‘I would be grateful if you could inform your father that no offence was intended by my family to yours. I will ensure that my son is appropriately punished and I swear that he will never again act with such disgrace.’
Jin gulped. He’d witnessed men addressing his father in such a manner but never before had someone, other than a servant, spoken to him with such courtesy. He shrugged his shoulders and wiggled himself out of the arms of the boy that held him, before pushing his shoulders back and swelling his chest out in a way that he felt to be appropriate for the moment.
Jun was staring at his hands which were planted firmly in the snow. Jin took a step towards him and waited expectantly. When the son refused to speak, the father delivered a swift kick that resulted in a yelp and a muddle of frightened apologies escaping the young Matsumoto’s lips. Jin smirked; revenge tasted glorious.
‘I accept your families’ apologies,’ he turned back to the father. It was impossible to deny the excitement that swirled in his belly as he addressed a man, almost three times his age, as though he were an equal. This was the glory of being born into the most powerful of secret families, and it was a responsibility that Jin accepted gladly. He paused and glanced at Jun’s bowed head, and felt an unfamiliar stir of pity. ‘You don’t have to punish Jun any further,’ he said carefully, wishing that he had a greater command over the formal language of men, ‘it was a fair fight, and it was fun.’ He could feel all eyes upon him, he grinned, ‘and next year, my team will be sure to win!’
Laughter and cries of protest blended together as his words were received by his comrades and his enemies. The elders exchanged amused glances and gradually loosened their holds on the mischievous young things that made up the future of network. The winter battles acted almost as a rite of passage to the children of the families, and similar scenes repeated themselves like clockwork with each new generation.
Within moments everyone, even those drenched and shivering, was smiling, and Jin could barely conceal the pride that he felt at having diffused the situation.
‘You’ll pay for that!’ an angry hiss close to his ear caused his smile to falter. He turned to find Jun, blood spilling from his cut lip, glaring at him hatefully.
‘I just saved you from a beating!’ Jin whispered back, not wanting to draw the adults’ attention.
‘I didn’t need your help!’ Jun muttered, his pride obviously greatly wounded.
‘Just forget about it!’ Jin snapped, ‘there’ll be plenty more fights, and like I said, next year my team will win! And when we do we’ll really teach you what punishment means!’
Jin was not to know that he would never again take part in the winter battles of the secret village. For his fate lay in Hanada, a tiny village situated two hundred miles north of his birthplace. It was in that place that his years of childhood training would be put to the test as he took his first steady steps towards becoming a man. A transition that, for the heir to the Akanishi family, involved learning to hear every unspoken word; learning to deceive every unsuspecting warrior; and learning to lock away every trace of emotion that the human heart fights so desperately to be allowed to feel.