Samurai In the Time Rift 6.4

6.4

Taisa Mori stood there by the wooden pen which housed the slaves; huddled together in makeshift shelter. There were men, women and even children. They saw the samurai and came forward. There are about the numbers mentioned by Rini, and one of them approached the samurai. It was the older man who had offered Taisa the knotted vine.

"You? Sansa....." Taisa Mori exclaimed out.

"Good day, samurai. What can we do for you?" Sansa asked of the samurai.

"I come with the Lord's assurance that you; all of you would secured your freedom if you fight for them." Taisa Mori explained to the other. "We would give you weapons."

"NO!" The voice was from the rear of Sansa. Then the figure appeared from among the slaves; a massive framed man with his hair knotted in a samurai manner. He walked with a limp on his right leg, but he covered it with his fast movements.

"I would not fight for the Nihonzaru. Be in this life or the next one." The man stepped forth to addressed Taisa Mori. The former was ghastly in looks with many wounds on his body and facial. He was holding a stick in his hand.

"My name is Yedo; a plant healer here for the Nihonzaru masters. I was once a samurai; disgraced by the Lord. Now I would fight for no Lords or masters."

"Yedo-san, my name is Taisa..." Yedo interjected into the introduction by the Taisa.

"I know you, Taisa Mori. Your Lord have me a mockery then. My Lord had me lashed and kicked out of the clan. I became a ronin. Until I was joined Lord Noriake as oarsmen."

Taisa Mori remembered the event as it was before the visit by Lord Noriake. Another lord had come and seek the meeting with Taisa' lord. It was a rushed meeting and the other Lord was upset with it. He then ridiculed the samurai next to the Lord. Taisa Mori heard the samurai was sent off by the Lord for the shame. Taisa Mori had dealt with him as a rowdy troublemaker.

"Yedo-san,, I seek your pardon for my Lord's action. It was a long time event that...." Taisa Mori tried to ease the event off but Yedo-san would not hear of it.

"I demand a honor match with you, Taisa Mori." Yedo challenged the samurai. "Restore my honor and all you wanted would be adhered to by them. That's my promise."

Taisa Mori remembered that Yedo-san was a good exponent; a master with the katana, taught by a renowned master of the art. They had never duel with a katana as Yedo-san had pawned off his daisho to pay for his debts on the drinks.

"You need a katana for the duel. I would loaned you one." Taisa Mori then moved to the Lord and asked him for permission to used his katana. "Lord Noriake, I would loaned mine to the samurai. Can I have yours to use instead?"

It was unknown for such an act, but the Lord entrust his katana to the Taisa then. In return, Taisa Mori loaned his to the ronin.

"Let it stand, that I, Yedo-san would not fight the Taisa to regain my honor." With that proclamation, both samurai took their stance of fighting. It was Yedo-san who struck first with a overhead down slash parried by Taisa Mori and then also deflected the second strike from the left side by Yedo-san. In reversed now, Taisa lunged into an attack with a lowe swing for the legs but the other was quick to step back and resumed with a a forward thrust that almost cut into the right waist of Taisa Mori. The later now stepped back and evaluate his options of attack.

"Your skills have not been compromised with the long absence," Taisa Mori commented back as he looked for the opening. He does not want to kill Yedo, but defeat him without blood being spilled. It looked unlikely as Yedo then came at him with a the sword thrust in the front. The forward attack of Yedo was countered by the Taisa side stepping and using the katana to deflect the charge but Yedo was crafty as he lashed out with his foot to kicked at the Taisa.

"Hai!" Yedo-san toppled the unsuspecting Taisa with his stealth move, and then the katana came sweeping down for a deadly cut but Taisa Mori had rolled away in time.

"Fight me, Taisa. I would never serve the Nihonzaru." Yedo shouted out as he resumed his attack on the fallen Taisa with thrust on the samurai as the other tried to rolled away. It was a desperate move but Taisa Mori took it, when he stopped his roll and thrust the katana upwards. The blade of Yedo barely missed Taisa' chest but the later blade cut deep into the torso of the former. Yedo stepped back with his wound bleeding, and balanced himself on the katana loaned to him.

"Aye! I lost but my honor had been regained. I fought you as equal as a samurai." Yedo burst out a loud laugh and then collapsed on his knee. "Taisa Mori, do the honor for me. Be my kaishakunin. ( the one who would decapitate the warrior ).

Yedo raised up his own blade and cut the wound on his torso. He then screamed out in pain but Taisa Mori was rooted to the spot. It was Lord Noriake who grabbed back the blade and performed the act.

"Why did you forego that act? He was a samurai and deserved to the honor." Lord Noriake spoke out to the Taisa.

Taisa bowed to the Lord and explained his inaction.

"I apologize, my Lord. I have never been a kaishakunin nor have I ever seen a seppuku. Please forgive me, my Lord." Taisa Mori looked away. "Its unlike decapitating another foe, but this was unassuming death to me. The warrior deserved a more .....deserving mode of death."

"Taisa Mori, you are undeserving...." Lord Noriake sighed. "You are may be in the class but you need not adhered to all that was stated. I have seen many more of your kind; some had carried the manner in discretion, but some had participated in reckless acts. They preferred the warrior death in combat than to have themselves one day do that. On themselves or their fellow warriors."

"My Lord, you are wise. I would dedicate myself to the coming battle." Taisa Mori bowed once more to the Lord.

"No, Taisa Mori. Fight with bravery but with judgment. If I am not here, you would lead them as I have." Lord Noriake told the Taisa.

Taisa Mori nodded but in his mind was the confusion of the mind of the Lord. He finds the Lord at times wise, but at times, senile as of his age, but which would prevailed when in battle; the life of many hinged on wise decisions.

He saw then the katana picked up by the Lord; it was his loaned to the samurai.

"Taisa Mori, keep my katana. Yours would do for me." Lord Noriake proceeded to clean the blade on the dead warrior's clothes. Taisa Mori fell on his knees to hand back the Lord's katana.

"My Lord, I am unworthy of your gift." Taisa Mori bowed his head.

"No, Taisa Mori. The gift befits you as you would be my successor. So hold it, use it to show them you are worthy to take my place." Lord Noriake proceeded to sheath the blade he was cleaning. He then looked at the slaves standing still there even after the fight was over.

"Those of you who joined me would either die as warrior or live to be free. Make haste in your decision." Lord Noriake told the slaves. Of the seventy adults men, only forty stood out to fight while the rest choose not to side with the Nihonzaru. One of the thirty adults stood out and spoke for them.

"I am Taro-san, the one who would speak for the other mass. We are slaves in this land; we were slaves in the other land, none matter to us. Slaves would be slaves regardless of where we are. As slaves we are not required to fight. We are to only served. Nihonzaru or samurai, it does not mattered."

"You are mistaken, Taro-san. We are no more samurai and you need not be slaves anymore. We are no more in the land of Nippon." Lord Noriake replied. "Here is Yomi. In Yomi, we are all equal. Those slaves I rescued from here, are no more slaves but equal as warriors. We live and fight to live as equal."

"You can still decide but do so before we forget that you are our equal." Lord Noriake turned his back on the slaves to walked back to meet up with Rini.