Young Samurai 2: The Way of the Sword by Chris Bradford

Author:Chris Bradford [Bradford, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-05-07T04:00:00+00:00

28

B REAK-IN

‘I still can’t believe he hit you while you were bowing, Jack,’ said Saburo the following day as they relaxed in the Southern Zen Garden between lessons. They had gathered on the wooden veranda overlooking the water feature and standing stones. The garden was now cloaked in so much snow that it looked like a miniature landscape of white clouds and snow-capped mountain peaks.

Jack gave Saburo a pained smile and massaged his neck where the bokken had struck.

‘Sensei Hosokawa was the final part of the Gauntlet,’ Akiko reminded them as she played ohajiki with Kiku, flicking one coin-shaped pebble across the ground at another, then claiming it as it was struck out of play. ‘Would you bow in the middle of a fight?’

‘No, but you have to admit it was rather sneaky of him.’

‘Well, I still don’t see why Jack got in and I didn’t,’ muttered Yamato, moodily poking at the snow with his bokken. ‘It’s favouritism if you ask me, just because he’s gai–’

‘Yamato!’ exclaimed Akiko, glaring at her cousin. ‘Jack got further than any student in the history of the Gauntlet. He deserves to be entered.’

‘Sorry,’ said Yamato, offering Jack an apologetic smile. ‘I’m still a little sore about it all.’

Yamato pulled aside the jacket of his training gi to inspect the purple mass of bruises spread across his right side. Jack realized he must have been hit extremely hard during the Gauntlet. He also recognized his friend was hurting badly from the shame of failing in the trials. Jack let the insult go and hoped that their friendship wouldn’t be ruined by the turn of events.

‘I bet that hurts,’ Saburo said, giving Yamato’s side an explorative prod with his finger.

‘Oww!’ exclaimed Yamato, shoving Saburo’s hand away.

‘You big baby,’ teased Saburo.

‘Well, see how you like it!’

Yamato began to pummel Saburo with his fists. The others laughed as Saburo cartwheeled backwards off the veranda and into the snow.

‘You forget, Saburo, I went through all that pain and training for nothing!’ yelled Yamato, jumping down and grabbing a handful of snow before shoving it in Saburo’s face.

‘Leave him alone, Yamato,’ chided Akiko, worried that Yamato’s anger at himself was turning nasty.

‘That’s easy for you to say. You and Jack are in the Circle. I’m not!’

‘Don’t forget… Yori,’ spluttered Saburo under the continuing barrage of blows and snow.

‘That’s a point. Where is Yori?’ asked Kiku quickly, trying to divert Yamato from the escalating fight.

Yamato stopped his assault. ‘The ungrateful little genius is over there.’ He indicated the gnarled pine tree at the far end of the garden, its trunk propped up by the wooden crutch.

Yori was squatting under one of its snow-shrouded branches, listlessly pulling at the tail of an origami crane, making its wings flap. Despite their best efforts to console him, Yori hadn’t uttered a single word since the shock announcement in the Butokuden the day before.

‘Don’t be such a sore loser,’ said Akiko to Yamato. ‘Yori hadn’t entered and didn’t want to.’

‘So why should he get to go? The sensei had said only five students would be entered in the Circle.

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