Lady Samurai

Chapter 36

After a few days they all fell into a comfortable routine of shared work and evening relaxation.

Anna and Kazuki took on the hardest chores in order to make the old couple's life easier. While she was cooking, washing, cleaning and helping with anything she could, he took upon himself all the hard physical tasks, like chopping wood, fishing and tending to the small field, as well as supplying the whole family with food from the village. They had agreed it was for the best if Anna stayed close as much as possible and didn't interact with the villagers, to avoid unwanted attention.

Working often side by side with Kazuki, Anna was truly amazed with his skills. Whatever the task, he seemed to know how to perform it in the most efficient way.

"How do you know all this?" She asked once, when he presented her with a stool he had just made for her.

"My old Sensei believed that the true way of the warrior is to know the ways of all professions." He shrugged. "He'd read it in some ancient writings and took to his heart... Besides, the life of Ronin is not easy."

She smiled at this, unusual for a samurai, modesty. Kazuki-San was proving to be a remarkable man.

Although he was rather small and looked unimpressive, he was strong and graceful in his movements. She often watched him during his practice with bō or with a sword he fashioned for himself from a bamboo stick. He was nimble and light on his feet; each move executed seemingly effortlessly and with the elegance of a dancer. Although he was as deadly as a cobra, his face remained serene throughout the exercise routine.

Each day they worked together, shared their meals and sometimes Anna even went fishing with him. She was funny and humble. Equally ready to share both work and joy. She was so different from other women he knew. He found himself starting to like her...

She grew to appreciate his help and value his expertise. And started to like his ironic grin, which greeted her each morning. There was definitely something different about him.

The old couple noted their growing familiarity and smiled to themselves, thinking about the possible future.

But after a week or two Anna developed a new habit. After all the chores were finished for the day, she started to wander out, towards the shore, spending long hours alone. At the beginning Kazuki was worried about her and followed her secretly to make sure she was safe. But he discovered that she just sat on the dune and gazed pensively out to the sea. He didn't want to disturb her, so he never let her know he was there. But he noticed the sadness on her face every time she returned.

Soon the weather changed and the evenings grew chilly, with a cold wind blowing from the sea. One such evening he just picked a blanket and followed her. As always, she just sat there, hugging herself for warmth.

"Ana-San..." He didn't want to startle her.

She turned towards him and he noticed the tears in her eyes. She tried to smile, but it was only a pale imitation of her usual grin.

"I thought you might need this." He put the blanket over her shoulders. He was about to leave, but something in her expression made him pause. "Ana-San, is something wrong?"

"No..." She again tried to smile. "Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Kazuki-San, but I am quite all right."

With the wind blowing her short hair around and this vulnerable expression, she looked like a little girl.

He felt a stab of sadness, thinking about his little sister. He had not thought about her for such a long time now... "Do not stay out too long, My Lady. It's going to rain." He bowed and walked away.

But from this day onwards he always followed her with a blanket. Sometimes he joined her and they talked or just sat in companionable silence.

"Why are you sad, My Lady?" He asked one evening.

"Since I left Japan, all I could think about was how happy I had been here." She sighed. "And how I missed this quiet place, with its rhythm of work." Her smile was full of sadness, which seemed to be a permanent feature on her face these days. "But now, when I am here again, I know that this is not my place any more than America was... I do not belong anywhere."

"But you do!" He countered. "You make these people very happy."

"Of course, I know that, yet I wish..." She was unable to finish.

"No point in wishing your life away, My Lady." He was very serious now. As if he spoke from the experience. "Each day we've got is a gift and not a given right. Live your life with each breath you take..." His face and eyes became so desperately sad, that her heart contracted painfully.

"Kazuki... How did you become Ronin?" She asked, intuitively sensing that it had had something to do with his sadness.

He didn't reply. He stared at the sea for such a long time that she lost any hope he would say anything. But eventually he spoke.

"I was in service of a great Daimyō, in Satsuma, down in the south. Once, when I was away from home on a mission, one of my Lord's guests... took a liking to my sister..." Anna gasped, guessing where this was going. "She wouldn't agree to bedding him, so he... forced her anyway." Kazuki continued in a strained voice. "When I returned, I found that she had killed herself, unable to bear the shame. I demanded justice, but my Lord refused. What was a simple girl to him?... So I tried to avenge her by myself... I was stopped and dismissed in shame. They expected me to kill myself as well, but... I swore an oath I would punish the man who hurt her... I became Ronin, changed my name and waited for an opportunity. When I finally satisfied my sister's honour and fulfilled my oath, I had nothing else to live for... But by then I had acquired a... certain reputation and when Lord Takeda sought my services I agreed... He is a good Lord. And a good man."

He was about to add: And he loves you, but stopped himself at the last moment.

As soon as they had settled in here, Kazuki sent a message to his Lord, informing him about their whereabouts and that Anna was so close, but there had been no response...

Kazuki had seen with his own eyes his Lord's face when he spoke of Anna. But perhaps his feelings had cooled since they parted their ways and he had forgotten?

The memory of Lord Takeda brought sadness to Anna's eyes. She missed him every day and every day had to stop herself from letting him know how close she was.

"You remind me a lot of my sister." Kazuki said after a long while. "You would have liked her, I think."

"I am sure, I would." Anna smiled. Her own tears forgotten. "What was her name?"

"Fumiko."

"What of your parents?"

"They are long gone. I have no family left." He was sad, but in his voice there was a simple acceptance of that fact.

"Just like me." She whispered. "It seems that we are more alike than any of us had thought."

"The only difference is that... I'm better looking!" His insolent grin was back.

She burst out laughing at that. He joined after a moment. They looked at each other then and both felt a strong bond linking them. The bond of mutual trust and respect. The bond of friendship...