The 47 Ronin Story by John Allyn

Author:John Allyn
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Literary Collections, Action & Adventure, Japanese, General, 47 Ronin, Historical fiction, Ronin, Fiction
ISBN: 9780804838276
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
Published: 2006-09-15T04:00:00+00:00

The report from Kataoka that night was not encouraging. About half the men they had counted on had reneged, leaving less than sixty. Kataoka, too, had found much misery, including cases of children and old people being forced to work, and everywhere a profound sadness at the thought of the coming farewells. At any rate, they were sure of the men that were left—although that situation could change, too, when they assembled in Edo and their objective was clearly in view.

Seeing that Oishi was depressed by these develop-

Chapter Sixteen

ments Kataoka attempted to add a joking note by telling of one man who could not go because his wife would not let him—"She keeps him too well under her hips!"—but Oishi had already left the room.

He had not seen Okaru for several days because of the rush of activities that began with the message from Edo, but now when he wearily pushed open the door to his room he found her waiting for him. He was grateful for her presence and moved to lie down beside her. He was about to say something in apology for having neglected her, when she threw back the covers and flung her naked body onto him with a sob.

"Don't go," she pleaded. "Don't go to Edo with the rest of them—it's suicide!"

Surprised by her outburst, he took her arms from around his neck and held her hands together in front of him.

"You know better than that," he told her. "You, a trained geisha, so shamelessly displaying your feehngs? What will your customer think?"

"I don't care," she wailed. "You're going up to Edo to die and I won't let you!"

"I think you must be a spy," he told her as he gently lay her down. "You know all my plans and you're trying to change them to benefit my enemy."

"I'm trying to change them to benefit myself," she sobbed as she turned away. "Think of my life. Think of saving it rather than of taking someone else's."

"Oh," he said as before. "Now you're threatening suicide. Is it fair to put me in a position like that? Besides, I know you would never do it."

"How do you know?" she sniffled.

"Because you're too strong," he told her, and rose on his elbow to look down at her. "You've fought

your battle—you've regained your position—you're not the kind to stay defeated."

"But there's no recovery from some kinds of loss," she sniffed.

"You've got to give me the same chance you had," he said. "It's only fair."

"Nothing is fair," she answered bitterly. "And your killing one more scoundrel won't make it so. Have you no concern for your own life—or that of your family?" '

Oishi paused for a moment. "One's life weighs lightly against duty," he told her at last.

"But duty to whom? Your master is dead—there's no one giving you orders now."

"Oh, but there is," he said in a faraway voice, and she lifted herself to look more closely into his face to try to guess his' meaning. He placed his hand behind her head and kissed her as she lay back with a sigh.

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