The road was wide and well used, bordered by thick stands of pine and cryptomeria. The close set trees caused thick shadows to fall across the road and deadened many distant sounds. Within the thick underbrush small creatures stirred, while the sounds of insects and the calls of birds cut through the quiet.
Pulling her haori tighter around her shoulders, Torii Nishi sat quietly on a fallen log by the side of the road. It had been a week since she had left Ariki, a week spent trying to remain calm in the face of border guards and frequent patrols. Fortunately for her, Kura's soldiers were not looking for lone woman, allowing her to pass virtually unnoticed. Now, having neared the edge of Arai province, she had changed her clothing once again. Gone were the colorful maple leaf patterned kimono and haori she had been wearing, instead she had on a long, ankle length kimono and haori of plainer hue. With her katana thrust through her obi, her long hair tied back, and a straw sunhat on, she no longer looked like a simple peasant girl, but a lone samurai or ronin. The roads to the south were not always well patrolled and there was always the danger of bandits. A lone, apparently unarmed woman stood a much greater change of being attacked than did a single swordsman.
Taking a final drink form her bamboo filler, Nishi rose and shifted her pack to a more comfortable position. She had been on long marches before, and the pack was little hindrance to someone used to the weight of armor.
It was getting towards evening, and the setting sun was turning the road into a dim tunnel through the shrouded darkness of the forest. Nishi walked at a steady pace, trying to keep alert for any unusual sounds. The thick forest muffled most noises, and she was worried of being beset by bandits without any warning of their approach. It was with some surprise, that Nishi realized she could a woman sobbing, the sounds coming quietly clearly from around a bend in the road.
One hand on the hilt of her sword, Nishi carefully made her way around the curve in the forest road. There, sprawled by the side of the road lay a young woman dressed in an ornate kimono, crying profusely. Her fine clothing was dirty and torn her long hair in disarray, and a ragged shawl and trampled straw hat lay in the dust of the road.
An ambush? Nishi quickly glanced about the road, trying to see if anyone lurked in the darkness under the trees. There seemed to be no one else about, but Nishi still drew her sword, just in case. The sudden noise caused the girl to start, looking about fearfully.
"Who... who's there," she cried, her eyes wide with fright.
"A fellow traveler," Nishi answered slowly, still trying to determine if a troop of sword wielding bandits were about to emerge from the brush lining the road. "What's wrong girl, why are you crying?"
"Ahh! Samurai! Samurai!," the girl stood and rushed over to Nishi. Throwing herself onto the ground before her, she knelt before other woman. "Oh samurai, I am so happy to see you. My family was attacked by bandits and I have become lost in these woods trying to escape. Please samurai, save me from them, I beg you!"
Raising her sword, Nishi peered even more intently at the gloom surrounding them, "Bandits? Where?"
"Oohh, I don't know," the girl wailed, "I ran when they attacked and now I'm lost." Gripping the hem of Nishi's kimono, the girl looked up to her with a tear streaked face, "Oh please samurai, take me with you!"
Sighing slightly, Nishi reached down with one hand and hoisted the girl to her feet. "Get up," she grumbled, "you'll get your clothes all dirty."
"Sorry samurai," she girl batted ineffectually at the dust and dirt that streaked her kimono.
"What's your name?"
"Chieko," the girl smiled, "And what is your's, samurai?"
"Hotaru," Nishi answered quickly. "Hotaru-no-suke."
"Oh, Hotaru-san..." Cheiko sighed, fastening herself to Nishi's arm, "Now I feel safe, with a brave and handsome samurai to protect me."
"Uh... I...." Nishi felt slightly flustered by this recent turn of events. Normally, when acting as Rinzo, ashigaru for Lord Arai, no one had looked at her twice, and she never expected anyone to call her 'handsome'. "Look, get off!" Nishi pried her arm from from Chieko's grasp and quickly resheathed her sword.
"Wah! I'm sorry samurai! Please don't beat me!" Chieko had fallen to her knees in the road again and was crying once more.
Sighing slightly, Nishi dropped her head into her hands. This she didn't need.
"Oh... what an exciting life you must lead, Hotaru-san," Cheiko, said shyly as the two of them made their way down the dark road. "Going from town to town, doing great deeds, meeting with noble lords and ladies of the court..."
Looking from one side of the road to the other, Nishi gave a deep sigh and scowled inwardly. She still couldn't believe that she had agreed to accompany Cheiko to the next village. Her mission to find Lord Ogame was vastly more important than acting as a yojimbo for some brainless merchant's daughter. It wouldn't have been that bad, except for the fact that Cheiko prattled constantly, pestering Nishi with a seemingly endless series of questions about what life as a 'brave and handsome samurai' must be like. Nishi felt almost embarrassed by the way Cheiko was fawning over her. There were times she decided, when her disguise might be too good.
"Cheiko?"
"Oh, yes Hotaru-san?" Cheiko answered almost giddily.
"Please be silent. How am I supposed to hear the approach of bandits if you keep up your constant chatter?" Nishi tired to keep her tone neutral, but could hear the harsh tone of her voice.
"Ohh..." Cheiko gasped, "I... I'm sorry!"
If she starts cry again, thought Nishi to herself, I am going to scream.
It was with some relief that Nishi noticed the woods starting to thin. That, combined with the newly risen moon should make her journey that much easier. Even now the road seemed to glow slightly, it's pale surface bright against the darker surroundings.
Reaching a low rise, Nishi stopped, eyes and ears alert for the slightest movement or sound. Her senses were quite acute, more so than nearly everyone else she knew, and had been an invaluable aid when working as a scout for Lord Arai. At the moment, though, everything was quiet and there was no sign of Cheiko's bandits. Or, Nishi thought with a small sense of foreboding, her missing family.
"Cheiko?" Nishi glanced over her shoulder, looking to make sure the young woman hadn't wandered off.
"Yes Hotaru-san?" Cheiko sounded subdued, an interesting switch from what seemed her normal cheerful self.
"There is a bridge ahead, I want you to stay close and quiet until we cross it."
"Hai, Hotaru-san, whatever you say."
"Good." Nishi muttered.
Walking down the road slowly, Nishi gave her surroundings a careful examination. She doubted the presence of bandits at this point, but with all the deep shadows, both under the bridge and among the trees on both sides, one could never be too sure.
The pair had almost reached the bridge when Nishi felt a sudden vice-like grip on her arm. "H-h-hotaru-san?" Cheiko asked in a quavering voice.
Turning to look at the other woman, Nishi put a hand on hers. "Cheiko," she rasped, "I told you not to..."
Nishi's voice died as she saw what had frighted the young woman. Two bandits, clad in ragged clothing, naked katanas in their hands stood on the road behind them. Both of the men seemed tall, much taller than Nishi or Cheiko, with dark bearded faces.
"Well," one of them rasped, "what do we have here?"
"I say we kill the swordsman and take his woman," rumbled the other.
"Ha! A good plan brother, let's kill him and get it over with."
"Cheiko..." Nishi pushed the girl away from her, and dropped one hand to the hilt of her katana, "get across the bridge... Now!"
"Ahh!" Cheiko gave a shriek of dismay, "Behind you Hotaru-san!"
Risking a quick glance over her shoulder, Nishi felt a sinking sensation as a third bandit became visible standing on the bridge between her and presumed safety. Giving Nishi a broad, gap toothed grin, the man took a step towards the pair, swinging his sword back in forth in a menacing fashion.
Drawing her own sword, Nishi wondered how she could have allowed herself to be surrounded so simply. She hadn't heard any of the three approach. How could they have crept up on her so easily?
There was a long moment as the four of them faced each other. Cheiko had run to the side of the road, and knelt there, eyes wide and brimming with tears as she waited for the inevitable. Nishi stood stock still in the center of a triangle formed by the three bandits, trying to keep track of her opponent's movements. The bandits, meanwhile, shifted position constantly, sliding to either side as they prepared themselves to rush the lone figure in their midst.
There was a brief second where everything seemed frozen, and then with a shout all three men converged on Nishi. She responded by throwing herself forward and shoulder-rolling under the swing of one bandit. Coming to her feet, Nishi slashed downwards with her sword, catching the man across the back of his legs. There was a cry of agony and a sudden spray of blood, black in the moonlight, and the man fell screaming to the road, gripping one thigh.
The remaining two bandits turned, but Nishi was a blur. Spinning in place, she lashed out with one foot, catching a second man straight in his ample gut, sending him down to the ground with a 'woof' of exhaled air. The third bandit leapt forward with his sword held high, but Nishi easily deflected his powerful but ill-aimed stroke. Stepping in close, she cut straight across the man's torso, sending the man spinning to the ground.
"What are you waiting for?" she yelled at Cheiko's quivering form, "RUN!"
Flinging herself to her feet, the girl did just that, her foot steps echoing slightly as she pounded her way across the wooden planking of the bridge. Pausing only to slash the throat of the man she'd kicked, Nishi followed.
Once across the bridge, Nishi easily caught up with Cheiko.
"Oh, Hotaru-san," the young woman managed between gasps, "you were so brave!"
Nishi simply shook her head. "C'mon" she said, "let's get moving before anymore show up."
It was only a short time later that the two of them rounded a curve in the road, leaving the narrow bridge and the slain bodies of the bandits behind them. Finally resheathing her sword, Nishi allowed herself to relax. Cheiko still clung tightly to one arm, face wet with tears. "Oh, Hotaru-san you were so brave," she repeated.
"Enough Cheiko," Nishi grumbled, "stop talking about it. We've got more important things to worry about."
"Oh? Like what Hotaru-san?"
"Shelter, Cheiko... we really need to find someplace to spend the rest of the night."
"Ah!" Cheiko smiled happily, "There is a small house we can stay at around the next bend!"
"What?" Nishi asked in a bewildered tone. "How could you know that?"
Cheiko didn't bother to answer, but tugged on her arm instead, "Come on Hotaru-san! What are you waiting for?"
As Cheiko had promised, a small farmhouse, apparently abandoned some time in the past, sat on the side of the road around the next bend in the road. Telling Cheiko to wait outside, Nishi cautiously opened the door, sword in hand, and peered inside. Aside from a scattering of cobwebs and a thin layer of dust, the tiny hovel was empty.
"Alright, Cheiko," Nishi motioned to her companion, "You can come in now."
A few moments later a fire burned in the hearth, casting flickering shadows about the small expanse of the interior. Sitting with her back against the wall, Nishi laid her sword across her knees, preparing herself to try and get a few hour sleep before setting out early the next morning. Cheiko spent a few moments in a futile effort to clean up the house, before giving up and settling herself next to Nishi.
"Hotaru-san? Do you mind if I stay here next to you?" Cheiko asked, her voice having an almost desperate tone to it.
Nishi gave a quiet internal sigh, and shook her head, "No... I don't mind."
"Thank you." With a contented sigh, Cheiko curled up next to Nishi and seemed to fall asleep immediately.
Closing her eyes, Nishi finally relaxed, releasing a slow breath as she too nodded off.
It was with a sudden start that Nishi awoke the next morning. Throwing herself to her feet, she looked around wildly at her surroundings. Gone was Cheiko, the hearth fire, and the walls of the farmhouse. Instead, Nishi found herself standing under at massive pine tree, alone and damp from the morning's dew.
"Cheiko?" she whispered, eyes wide with fear, as the truth of the matter became apparent. How many times had Cheiko asked a traveler to guide her home? How many men had fallen to the spectral blades of the bandits at the bridge?
Stumbling back against the trunk of the pine, her sword tumbling into the bracken at her feet, Nishi wrapped her arms tight around her body. "A yueri...," she gasped, "I spent last night in the company of yurei."