Zodiac of the Shogun

NB:

Hi all. First of all, I want to thank those of you who have given me emails and comments. It really encouraged me =) As for the names, I will gradually shorten it but for the benefit of those unfamiliar with the Japanese name system, here's a short summary: -san is like Mr/Ms and but the family name comes before that e.g.: Fukui-san or Inoue-san. Sometimes I use –sama in addressing Ryunnosuke because it denotes a form of respect for a higher authority.

Okay, on with the story now. The next chapter will be on hold till after Christmas, so Happy Holidays to all!

Love -MC

***

The sun had just set when the Hiroto and Miyuko arrived in the next town in the Kohoku-ku. They had been riding up north for almost half the day and both horse and rider were in need of rest and food.

Miyuko followed behind Hiroto quietly as her eyes roam the scenery of this strange town. Miyuko had never wandered further than her own district of Kanagawa-ku. The proximity of her village to the sea meant that most of the villagers were fishermen. But in this district, most of the people depended on the river for their livelihood. It was her first time seeing a watermill; Hiroto had kindly explained to her what it was used for.

"Fukui-san, I hope you're hungry. The unagi here is one of the best," said Hiroto.

"You mean freshwater eel? That's nothing compared to the kind we catch," replied Miyuko.

"Wait and be amazed."

When the inn-keeper came to greet them, Miyuko had bowed politely and settled herself on the tatami mat, opposite Hiroto at the table.

"You don't have to sit

seiza

style, Miyu. You're supposed to be a man," said Hiroto, concealing his laughter.

"It is the proper way to sit! On your knees and not on your buttocks like a ruffian!"

"As you wish Miyu… just remember that this is an all male-inn. If you want to be safe, you must blend in."

"Then, why did you stop calling me by my family name?"

"Ah, I like the sound of Miyu on my tongue. An irony."

"Why do you say that, Inuoe-san?" she asked as she repositioned herself to sit on her buttocks instead of sitting with her knees on the ground.

"You're not beautiful nor gentle as your name implies," sniggered Hiroto.

She was about retort when their server came with their food and Miyuko was forced to smile instead.

"Eat up Miyu. I can't have a weak companion as we make the next journey tomorrow morning. The hills and forests heading towards Kawasaki city are very treacherous indeed."

Miyu nodded and started on her food. Hiroto was right. The freshwater eel tasted so different from those caught in the ocean.

"Be less demure Miyu…"

She merely slanted her eyes at him and put down her chopsticks and started eating with the spoon instead. Scooping up a generous portion of sticky rice, she stuffed it into her mouth and started chewing.

When they've finished eating, Hiroto ordered two cups of green tea. As he drank, he observed his companion over the rim of his cup.

Miyu's face had been dirtied with a bit of soil and her hair bunned up and hidden under her straw hat. Still, it did not hide the fact that she had a graceful neck or pouty lips. Hiroto lowered his gaze and continued drinking his tea.

"Inoue-san… may I see that letter addressed to my father please?"

"I'm afraid that business is only between the Shogun and your father."

"But he's dead!" said Miyu, half shrieking.

"Precisely," replied Hiroto calmly, as he continued sipping his tea. When she remained quiet, he raised his gaze to stare her in the eye. She was fuming. "When we reach the capital, you may ask the Shogun yourself if you are worthy of reading that letter."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"My job is to deliver this letter only to Ryunnosuke-sama. And even though you're his daughter, you may not understand everything that is not your business to know. Am I right?"

Sighing, she gave in to his explanation. Denying her the right to read her father's letter made her even more wary of him. Miyu got up to her feet, bowed and excused herself to head to her room. The inn-keeper took her to her room and gave her towels and showed her where the bath house was located. Miyu bowed to thank the old man and closed the

shoji

.

Remembering that the inn was only for men, Miyu decided not to risk taking a bath yet but to wait till the wee hours of the morning to try and sneak in for a quick wash. In the meantime, she saw that the inn-keeper had prepared a washing basin for her. So she soaked the towel and squeezed the water out and began to wipe the grime off her face. The warm water felt good and she was eager to have a proper bath. After taking off her father's outer kimono, she began to loosen the tight bounds of her

hiyoku.

When finally the binds were removed, she could breathe easier. Miyu massaged her breast in an effort to ease the tenderness brought about by her tight undergarments.

Slipping off her

hiyoku

, she wiped her body with the towel. She wished she had soap but for now, she had to be satisfied. Feeling adequately clean, she reached for her makeshift rucksack and pulled out a

nemaki.

The soft cotton material of her sleepwear felt so good on her skin. She didn't like the rough material of her father's kimono and wished that she had brought hers along instead of agreeing to Hiroto's suggestion to dress as a man.

Sighing to herself, she rolled out the

futon

on the floor and fluffed up the pillow to prepare for sleep. She was tired- mind, body and soul. She felt as though she was simply going on a journey and would come home again to see her father, waiting for her at their front porch. In that moment, Miyu simply laid down, placed her palms on her face and cried herself to sleep.

It was a while later when she woke up and realized that the inn was really quiet and the lights had all been put out. Taking one of the lanterns in her room, Miyu took a dry towel and tiptoed her way to the bath house. It was a public bath and she really hoped that there would be no one inside at such a late hour.

When she slide open the

shoji

, she was relieved to find it shrouded in darkness, except for the light coming from the moon and stars. Slipping off her

nemaki

, Miyu walked towards the washing area. One has to wash the body well before entering into the bath. Relieved to find soap, Miyu started to scrub herself and give a rinse before walking towards the bath area. It was an outdoor kind and faced the mountains although she couldn't see much with only moonlight shining on her. But she was thankful for the privacy. Slowly coming to a squat, Miyu let the warm water soak her tired body. Soon she was relaxing against one of the rocks; the soothing heat lulling her to doze.

It was so quiet that the sudden stir in the water alerted her that she was not alone. Fear gripped her when she realized that not only was she naked, she had no weapon at all with her. How could she be so stupid? Stiffening, she tried her best to press herself as close to the rock as possible and away from the moon shine.

Someone was walking through the water.

Then there was no more movement.

Her fear was heightened as she realized that the person, who is most likely a man, had sensed her presence. Thinking fast, Miyu pulled the the hairstick that was securing her bun and prepared to attack should anything happen.

The water rippled again. Then there was no more. Miyu was confused. It was as if the person had totally disappeared. Peeking cautiously behind the rock, she saw nobody on the other side of the bath. Perhaps it had been an animal or a bird. Relieved a little, she relaxed and turned back to rest on the rock, only to come face to face with a man. Her reflexes were quick for her hairstick was pointed directly as his neck even as his face inched closer to hers. But her fear had numbed her.

"You really should stop wanting to kill me, Miyu…"

"How do you know my…" she started to say.

"Name? That's enough of adventures tonight Miyu… you should go back to your room."

"Inoue-san?" she called out but he was no longer around.

Cautiously getting up, she crept back towards the washing area where she had left her towel and

nemaki.

Wiping herself dry, she put on her night dress and tiptoed back to her room. She saw the lantern in the next room still lit up. Giving a slight tap on his room's

shoji

, she waited for him to open.

"Come in."

"Inoue-san… I apologize for what happened just now…" said Miyu, bowing. She remained in that position until he spoke.

"It's my fault. I thought dressing up as a man would be the best for you. We'll get you proper clothes in the morning. I don't want you sneaking into baths in the middle of the night with no one keeping an eye on your

daito

."

"Then what were you doing there?"

"Taking a bath."

"And I can't?" said Miyu, feeling her temper rise. It was then that she got up from her bowing position and faced Hiroto who was only clad in his

hakama

pants. He didn't even seem bothered that she was there in his room. He was busy folding his soiled clothes.

She never saw a man's naked body before. Her father too was built like Hiroto but his skin had started to sag and she would sometimes tease him when he had asked her to help rub his back. Blushing, both from anger and embarrassment, Miyu turned to leave.

"Do you want to sleep here tonight?" he asked as she was about to leave. Miyu stopped for a moment, and then shook her head.

"Keep your

daito

close to you when you sleep. He's out there."

Miyu's eyes widened but she did not want to give in to her fear and instead shut her room door, took her weapons with her and hid under the comforter.

***

When she woke up, the sun was already up. Sliding the window slightly, she felt the morning's breeze and sunlight flooding her room. Her ears caught the sounds of sliced air and knew that Hiroto was training. It was the same sound she would wake up to back home. Her father was a disciplined samurai and never missed his morning training. He was always complaining that she was a lazy bum for waking past dawn. But she insisted she was not a morning person. It hurt to remember. Tightening her

nemaki

, she took her father's

daito

and knocked on Hiroto's room door.

He did not answer despite her knocks, so she slide the door open and stepped inside. True enough he was training. Still clad in only his

hakama

pants, each movement seem to enhance his upper body's definition. It was hard for her not to stare. Curiosity egged her on but modesty nagged her to lower her gaze. Curiosity won.

His skin was bronzed and tanned and in the light, she could see the scars. Battle wounds, her father would say. His body was lean and his muscles well defined and his stomach taut. He didn't seem to mind that she was there at all. Miyu wondered if he secretly liked having her watch him like that. Her question was answered but not in the way she expected.

Her daydreaming had caught her off guard when his

katana

was placed so close to her neck.

"Pick up your sword," he said, moving the blade away from her.

Miyu picked up the longer

katana

of the pair of swords and unsheathed it. She was used to its weight and wielded it firmly in her hands. Her smooth movement seemed to surprise Hiroto for he was frowning.

"Attack me," he said after a while.

"I'm not dressed for training," replied Miyu.

Her hesitation cost her. In a blink of an eye, he had advanced forward with a downward slash, aiming straight for her head. She barely made it in time to block his hit with her

katana

but he was strong and she could not hold off the pressure for long. She pulled her left hand that had been supporting the back of her

katana

and swung the sword around her to execute a neat slash that stopped mere inches from Hiroto's neck. Her swiftness impressed him but as he stepped backwards to examine her, he realized she still had much to learn. Her stance was all wrong and he had a feeling that her strength and alertness was simply coincidence because she was threatened.

"Fixed your robe and get dressed. We'll eat and find proper clothes for you," he said dismissing her. Miyu was confused and irritated by this man all at the same time. Who the hell was he to keep telling her what to do?

With her sword still unsheathed, she jumped to her feet and came at him with a side slash to his back. The tip of her blade managed to graze his shoulder but in a blink of an eye, he had disarmed her by blocking her elbows and wrist. She crumpled to the floor with the weight of his push and surrendered when her sword was now in his hands and pointing at her face.

His expression was unreadable. Miyu looked up defiantly despite being defeated. Then she saw his wrist moving; her

katana

moving downwards to the parted folds of her

nemaki.

"Don't tempt me," he said. He turned around, picked up her scabbard and sheathed her sword. Miyu got to her feet, took her weapon and stormed out of the room.

Back in her own room, she started washing herself up and put on her father's kimono. What did he mean by not tempting him? With what? Tempting him to kill her? Or…

Surely not.

Ignoring her lingering question, she quickly bunned her hair and stuffed it under her straw hat. Packing the remaining of her things, she left the room, said thank you to the inn keeper and waited for Hiroto outside the inn.

A moment later, he came out with their horses. Taking one look at her, he nodded and got on his horse and started trotting off. Rolling her eyes, she did the same and followed behind him.

***

With the sun high up in the sun, Hiroto decided that it would be too hot for them to travel much further.

"We have to stop following the river and ride through the forests westwards. I think it would be a good idea to fill our water bags and eat a little. The horses need to drink too."

Miyu nodded her head in agreement and slid off her horse. The robes that Hiroto had procured for her were simple and comfortable. She had chosen to wear

hakama

pants instead of the usual kimono for it would be easier for her to ride her horse.

Taking shelter beneath the trees, she watched as Hiroto refilled their water bags and was washing himself. She didn't know if she liked the man or hated him.

"Here, drink up. I don't want you to dehydrate and fall off your horse."

Her hand accidentally touched his when she took the bag from his hands. The contact made her blush. But Hiroto didn't look the least aware. He was staring far into the woods.

"Hiroto-san…"

"Hmm?" Hiroto raised his eyebrows when he realized she was calling his name for the first time.

"Back in Kohoku… when you…"

"When I what?"

"When you said don't tempt me, what did you mean?"

Hiroto faced her and after a while, he started laughing.

"What? What's so funny?"

Still laughing, he touched her cheek lightly with his fingertips. Miyu flinched a little then kept very still. She had never been touched by a man before and the strange warmth of his fingers scared and intrigued her at the same time.

"Hiroto-san…"

"Hmm?"

"You haven't answered my question."

"There's nothing to answer Miyuko. You're still a child. There's much for you to learn."

Child? She didn't think so. She already turned twenty-two recently and that definitely made her a woman. Just to prove him wrong, she turned and pressed her lips to his. She had no idea what a kiss was or how it should be done but she had seen some of the local teens do it when she accidentally caught them behind the waterfall.

Hiroto looked slightly pleased yet surprised. His lips curved into a smile. Then he kissed her back. He captured her lower lips between his teeth and gave it a suck. It surprised her for her eyes suddenly flared open. But curiosity made her follow his rhythm. His lips were surprisingly soft against hers and the warmth of their kiss sent shivers down her spine. She felt a strange wetness pooling between her legs; a sensation she never felt before.

As his kiss deepened, she felt his tongue entering her mouth, exploring, wrestling with her tongue, coaxing it to come out and play. Very cautiously, she let her tongue touch his and was rewarded with a soft sigh from Hiroto.

Slowly, he pulled away and kissed her forehead.

"That's enough for now, Miyu…"

"Hiroto-san…"

"I think you can call me Hiro now…" he said, smiling. He took her palm and held it in his hand for awhile, before getting to his feet. "Come, let's continue our journey."