Chapter Six (Twenty-Eight)

“Oni-san’s mission was successful,” he said, a statement rather than a question.

“The assignment was completed according to his instructions,” Kazuko answered, putting a bit of sharpness in her tone. “Strangely, there was another arrangement he made with me which has not yet been fulfilled.”

Denjiro’s nostrils flared, but he made no other sign of displeasure at her reference to the payment. “Oni-san’s obligations have become my own. They will be met.”

“Please excuse me, but when will this meeting of obligations happen?” Continuing to press him about the matter was rude. Kazuko did not care.

“When I feel like it!” His fist struck the dais hard enough to make the teapot’s lid rattle. He sat there, breathing hard, and after a few moments calmed. Wafting his fan lazily, he said, “Since you’re here, you might oblige me by playing dice with a wealthy man from Satsuma. Anything you win is yours; please accept it as my gift.” He slid a wrapped stack of coins over to her, adding, “I would take it as a favor if you played with my money, too. No need to pay anything back. We’re old friends. It’s the least I can do for you.”

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Continued tomorrow 2/10/10
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Chapter Six (Twenty-Seven)

She spotted the white-haired nun near the altar, drinking from a large sake jar. The woman’s presence was troublesome, but as she did not seem to be a direct threat, Kazuko shook off the prickly feeling for now. She followed Denjiro to the dais at the back, waiting while the man’s servants fussed over him. At last, comfortably ensconced on his cushion, a fan in his hand, a pot of tea beside him, the boss seemed ready to receive her.

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Continued tomorrow 2/9/10
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Chapter Six (Twenty-Six)

The shrine was full of gamblers kneeling at the mats which defined the areas of play, either cards or dice. Gang members who controlled the games wore their kimonos shrugged down to the waist to expose their tattooed arms and torsos, which helped prevent accusations of cheating. Servers ran to and fro, bringing small bottles of sake decanted from clay jars lined up against a wall. The gang’s money lender, who also acted as the financial officer, had his desk in a corner lit by oil lamps, guarded by six heavily armed men, while his apprentices roamed through the shrine, totting up losses and wins and debts on abacuses.

Kazuko’s sinuses burned in the thick smoke from tobacco pipes as well as incense sticks burning at the small altar to Benten-sama, goddess of gamblers, but neither of those fragrances could compete with the stink of desperation that permeated the building. Beneath the frenetic activity, the rattling dice and shuffling cards, she sensed an underlying, uneasy current reeking of fear and misery.

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Continued tomorrow 2/8/10
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Chapter Six (Twenty-Five)

“Do we?” Denjiro gave her a flat stare.

Backing down at this point might be politic, but Kazuko felt reckless. She was tired of people trying to kill her. “A small matter, of course, but one which requires your attention,” she said, looking straight into his eyes.

Denjiro’s mouth thinned. “When Bekko comes,” he said in an aside to one of his men, “show him the way to Hell without delay.” Having issued the order, he led the way to the shrine, Kazuko walking a little behind him.

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Continued tomorrow 2/7/10
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Chapter Six (Twenty-Four)

Kazuko did not know why Denjiro wanted her dead, but she suspected her recent assignment had something to do with it. However, having just killed one of his underlings for supposedly making him lose face, the gang boss could not touch her at the moment. She stepped over to him, keeping her expression neutral to give nothing away. “Excuse me, boss, forgive me for taking your time, but I believe you and I have business to discuss.”

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Continued tomorrow 2/6/10
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Chapter Six (Twenty-Three)

True to her prediction, the moment a trembling, squawking Kōzo was dragged forward and dumped at Denjiro’s feet, the gang boss kicked him hard in the stomach, twice—probably to make sure the man could not betray him by speaking the truth. “Fool!” Denjiro shouted. “Idiot! How dare you humiliate me!” Another kick left Kōzo spitting blood.

“But boss, we only did what you—” Kōzo’s gasped protest ended in a gurgle as Denjiro hurriedly stabbed him through the throat with a knife.

The nun waited until Kōzo’s body stopped twitching before she said, “I’m thirsty. Let’s go have a drink!” Walking through the assembled men, who melted aside to let her pass, she went inside the shrine.

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Continued tomorrow 2/5/10
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Chapter Six (Twenty-Two)

When they reached the shrine, it became clear that Kōzo had given warning; the area around the torii gate bristled with men bearing spears, knives, rice flails, farming sickles and other improvised weapons. Denjiro stood at the head of the mob, his arm bared as usual to reveal his punishment tattoos.

The nun halted. “How nice!” she exclaimed, beaming at the men who took a collective convulsive step backwards at her strange appearance. “You’ve all come to welcome me.”

“Muna-san!” Denjiro said loudly. “Kōzo told me he and Bekko were attacked by a twelve-foot high demon who belched lightning and farted fireballs!”

“He lies,” Kazuko replied, searching the crowd until she spotted Kōzo trying to hide behind a taller man. “However, Kōzo did try to kill me, and Bekko drew a knife before this nun cracked his head with her flute,” she added blandly, through the pressure in her chest increased at the look of manufactured surprise Denjiro pasted on his face.

So he did order my death, she thought, but he’ll never confess it in front of his men. Kōzo will be the scapegoat, since Denjiro will lose all respect if he acknowledges he gave permission to break the gang’s traditions.

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Continued tomorrow 2/4/10
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Chapter Six (Twenty-One)

Kazuko hesitated, finally thrusting her knife back into its scabbard and following the white-haired nun at a discreet distance. What else could she do? Turning around and running back to the city would solve nothing. If Denjiro had ordered his men to kill her, violating the gang’s sacred traditions, then walking into his territory and confronting him directly gave her an advantage it would be foolish to squander. As for the nun, she seemed no crazier than some other wandering priests Kazuko had met.

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Continued tomorrow 2/3/10
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Chapter Six (Twenty)

Ignoring her, the nun knelt and began rummaging through the unconscious Bekko’s clothes. “Ah, here it is!” she cried, removing silver coins from the man’s sleeve.

A common thief? Kazuko wondered. But when the nun removed her basket-shaped hat, she realized the woman was decidedly uncommon. Though she was not old, her skin was white as chalk, as was her hair, and her eyes… Kazuko forced herself not to recoil from the sight of those pale, pale blue irises, almost colorless, watery and pink-rimmed.

“That’s fortunate,” the nun said, heaving herself briskly off the ground.

Nonplused, Kazuko shook her head. “What?”

“More than enough cash to get drunk.” The nun laughed—a harsh wild sound that grated on the ears. She snatched her hat off the ground and set out down the path, pausing after a few yards to call over her shoulder, “You coming or not?”

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Continued tomorrow 2/2/10
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Chapter Six (Nineteen)

Without the nun’s timely intervention, Kazuko was sure that Bekko would have stabbed her in the back, and Kōzo beaten out her brains. “Thank you for your help,” she said, giving the nun a shallow bow. Untrusting, she kept her knife in her hand, flipping the blade so it lay along the underside of her wrist—not in plain view, but easily accessible.

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Continued tomorrow 2/1/10
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