The Samurai That I Loved

第29章

The Samurai quickly lifted his blade against Shojiro's in defense, blocking the lethal blow with a look of blatant astonishment. Instead of fighting back, he suddenly raised one hand in halt.

"Oi! Brother, I was only jesting! Lower your blade at once! Hiruma-San sent me to come after you after he said you had decided to take on a group of smugglers by yourself!" He scoffed and turned to stare at Eliza behind him with a look of fascination mingled with bafflement.

Shojiro's hand froze with the blade still held at the ready. Suppressing the outrage and annoyance, he lowered his weapon slowly as the other man continued,

"My name is Makato from Edo. I was following behind in the investigation for missionaries. I come to your aid, Shojiro-san." He finished his words with a curt bow of his head, getting down on one knee and handing Shojiro his blade with both hands extended.

Still thrumming with fury and adrenaline, Shojiro simply stared down at Makato-san with cold contempt. As if sensing Shojiro's anger, Makato-san stood back to his feet and suddenly shouted to the rest of his men.

"Kill them all!"

In a bloody scene of horror to Eliza's eyes, she watched as the samurais sliced the throat of every bandit they had captured in a matter of seconds. Shojiro barely gazed at the bloodshed, instead seizing his own blade and continuing to stare down Makato-san.

Makato-san signaled for a horse to be brought forwards. Wordlessly, he handed the reigns off to Shojiro and stepped aside from Eliza.

Shojiro's arm instantly shot out, grabbing Eliza and hauling her close to him before turning and setting her upon the horse's back. Mounting smoothly behind her in one quick movement, he looked down at Makato-San and remarked,

"Send Hiruma-san my thanks."

"Before you go, I have one question. What did you say before? That wasn't Japanese..." Makato-san asked with a drawn mouth.

Shojiro chose not to respond, instead clicking his tongue and turning the horse around in a half-circle with one arm gripping solidly around Eliza. Makato-san watched her warily before he shouted out,

"Shojiro-san!"

Shojiro halted and looked back at him stonily once more in wait. Makato motioned towards Eliza pressed against his chest as he said in a low voice,

"Don't let anyone witness what I did this night or you really will be killed. She is a trespasser, not a koibito. Don't be reckless, brother."

Shojiro lifted his chin with a cold look of death at Makato-san before wordlessly kicking into the horse's flanks and dissapearing into the darkness of the forest at a speeding gallop.

Makato-san watched them fade from view as one of his young men in training approached him.

"Do you want me to follow them, sir?"

Makato-San never took his eyes from the forest as he answered softly,

"No."

                                ¤¤¤¤

Shojiro and Eliza galloped through the forest, weaving through trees and brushes until the thick darkness finally gave way to open fields of wild grass and heavy winds. Snow fell across the land in a white mist while the moon was still high in the sky surrounded by fleets of stars that shone through the night like a million candles overhead.

Eliza pressed her head against Shojiro's chest as they galloped across the plains. His arm felt strong and safe against her, barring her from any threats.