"I have my memories, my Daimyo. I would like you to have this to remember my deeds by."
He accepted the weapon and I sat up. He inspected it closely, obviously impressed by it.
"Truly impressive. The Bandai do have their good points."
"It has never been unsheathed, my Daimyo. It was to be opened if I graduated to the third year of the school."
He nodded, and while looking directly at me, jerked the katana completely out of its saya. I did not react to the insult. This man did not like me.
Soon I was dismissed. I left Lord Eita there with his brother. I collected my things and went home to my mother. It took me some time to find home because Mother had been moved to larger accommodations recently. The sentries at the gate of the samurai district informed me the Daimyo, due to her having become a favorite of the nobility, had given her a larger house closer to my uncle's home. It wasn't inside the castle but it was still a very respectable neighborhood. She had also been given five servants, a grounds keeper, three maids, and a yojimbo. She was standing at the gates to our home when I approached. I noticed the yojimbo watching his surroundings while she waited. She didn't recognize me at first because of the armor and I had put on my mempo. When I headed towards her, the yojimbo stepped just behind her.
She said. "Yes, Shotoku sama. What can I do for you?"
The mempo muffled my voice some. "You are waiting for someone, Shotoku san?" She nodded, almost excitedly before she caught herself.
"Yes. My son will be home soon. I have not seen him for a long time now."
"Ah. Then this is a good day. I hope he is not too long in coming." She nodded her agreement. Then I said "Oh look! There he is now!" pointing down the street.
"Where? How do you know?" She looked at me as I removed my mempo. "Hiro! It is not wise to play tricks on your mother!"
Her yojimbo laughed a little. She introduced me to her bodyguard. His name was Goemon Tanki; he was a pleasant man actually. She walked me inside the gate and hugged me hello. The three of us walked inside so I could change. I took off the armor and stored it in my new room, where I saw all of my boxes from my pony.
The house was much nicer, with a front and back porch. A garden completely covered the back yard. There were seven rooms, all furnished by our Daimyo, one for her and Father, one for me, a main room, a kitchen at the back, one for the groundsman, one for Tanki and one for the maids. I changed into a fresh kimono of red and white, and wrapped a red obi around it.
When I returned to the main room she said, "Some soldiers came earlier with your things. They were kind enough to put them away for me."
"They are good samurai." I sat next to her as she was pouring tea.
"You have worked with them long?"
"No, only a week or so. Why?"
"They just seemed very respectful, like men that had worked with you a long time."
I smiled. "Domo arigato." I picked up my cup of tea. "Did they say anything?"
"No. They were just interested in me and who your father was. They weren't too nosy."
I nodded. "Did you tell them anything?"
She nodded. "Yes. Was I not supposed to?"
I shook my head. "No, they are trustworthy."
She smiled. "And how long will you be home this time?"
"I do not know. I have just completed my training and it will depend on my lord's needs."
"Will I ever know who that is?"
I nodded my head with a smile. "I serve Daimyo Masao, like everyone else."
She told me about my old friends and how they were faring. Cho was doing well as Sensei's assistant, though mother didn't know what it was he assisted with. Goruchi was a Komono with his father, and had been for over a year now. Himi's mother had taken ill a year ago and passed away. After her funeral, he left town. No one knew where he went. After that depressing news I felt we needed something to lift our spirits.
"Wait here, I have some belated new year's gifts for you." I rose and walked back into my room.
"That was not necessary, Hiro."
"Yes, it was." She was the one with the sense of humor in my family.
"Was not." She waited for it.
"Was to." I heard her laugh. I returned with four bundles of silk; she opened them with impatience. Mother loved giving and getting gifts. The first was a cherry wood flute, which she had always wanted to learn how to play.
"Now I have to take lessons. Domo. Arigato." She said flatly. A privilege she had with her son. The next two were two bolts of silk, Bandai blue with no embroidery and Bandai silver with little Amaterasus all over it. "More sewing." She shook her head lightly. The last was the best, a book. She smiled. "These are all very nice. Domo arigato, Hiro sama." I nodded. "But what is this book?"
"It is an exact copy of the book of Toba. I had an artist friend of mine make it for you." Toba was a Heimin seamstress who made clothes for the emperor two thousand years ago. One day when the Khan had invaded the capital from the sea and it looked as if the Khan would win, she slipped the emperor out of Kyoto to his troops outside the walls of the city. She had used a large dress that had been sewn together quickly to put over herself and the emperor. To the invaders she looked like a very large woman fleeing the war. To the imperial forces it was the boost they needed to rally themselves and defeat the invaders. For her aid she was granted a name and made part of the Imperial House.
"Ah, I have only heard of it before." She began to flip through the book.
"I thought you would like it."
"Oh I do." She set it down on the table. "Now, it's my turn." She got up and walked inside to her and Father's room.
"That wasn't necessary." I said.
"Was to."
"Was not."
"Well, it wasn't, but you're getting it anyway."
I could hear Tanki and the staff snickering from the kitchen. She returned with a long silk bundle. I opened it slowly to reveal a three piece Koga daisho. The tsuba, or hand guard, of each were the Koga crest and down the green enameled saya was the engraving of Goemon at the shrine of Shotoku in silver. The handle was black wood, wrapped in emerald green silk cording. The fittings were done in silver. The wakazashi was the same, except it depicted Goemon meeting Shotoku on the road. The Han-Dachi, a sword which is in length about halfway between the wakazashi and the katana, depicted Shotoku challenging the great Shikoku Zennyo Ryu to a duel. I bowed to my mother.
"This is a very fine gift, Mother."
She looked pleased when she bowed to me. I put the daisho my Daimyo had given me, with the armor, on a stand in my room. I tucked the katana and wakazashi into my obi over my left hip. The han-dachi I slid into my obi behind my back, this gave a better left handed draw when using them in pairs. The han-dachi would be upside down but I could work with that. And from that day on, it was the only daisho I ever wore as Shotoku Hiro. Usually.
My friend Cho came by the house with Goruchi an hour later. Mother invited them in for some tea. She had said they always came by to talk with her. I spoke to them as they came in and seated themselves.
"Mother tells me you are finally a policeman."
"Yes, it has been a wonderful time. Very interesting." He nodded.
Cho shook his head. "To think that this criminal is a Doshin's man."
The conversation was good and I felt it was a bit overdue. I had missed them. Chi had heard that Himi had gone north, but that was all. He was the kindest of all of us. I didn't think he would have lived long out there on his own. Cho had brought a gift for me; he said it was my turn. What he brought was a copy of the Dao of Musashi; Sensei had told him it was one of my favorites. Chi gave me a kozuka and its pocket to be tied to the saya of my katana. A kozuka is a small throwing knife. I went back to my room and retrieved their gifts.
For Chi I had spent my time embroidering a red kimono with the gold kanji of the Koga Machi-bugyo all over it. He was very grateful. For Cho I had a copy of Kaito's Deceit. He had read it before but he didn't have his own copy. He seemed to like it very much, as we couldn't get him to put it down all night. My friends and I spoke long into the night.
Mother made sure our tea was filled whenever it was low. She loved company. When it was good and late they said their goodbyes. As we prepared for bed, mother told me how Cho and Goruchi had been stopping by, to check on her. They had become good friends. Chi was usually the one to escort her to my uncle's home, with her yojimbo of course. I went to bed and slept unworried for the first time in three years.
