Where the Reeds Grow Thick

Chapter Six

By dawn, Shige had packed up all her things. "I'll write you when we reach Kyōto proper," she said, squeezing her mother's hand.

"Make me proud," said her mother in return.

Shige bowed to her mother and hugged Sachi, who clung to her. "If Big Brother is back, give his behind a kick," the little girl said.

"Oh, of course! Takuma-san and I will scold him for being late."

With one last hug to her sister, Shige turned to Takuma. He looked like he slept roughly. "Oh! You all are done talking," he said. "Shige-san, is it possible you could tie us together somehow? Going down the mountain blind could lead to disaster."

Shige hadn't thought of this."We'll be following the path used by shrinegoers, two hours down, but... Hmm. Could I tie a rope between our waists?"

She'd done this in the past when Sachi was a toddler, so she knew it could be done. With a grown man like Takuma, the thought rather embarrassed her.

Though his ears grew red, Takuma nodded. Shige handed him his end of the rope when she'd secured her own, allowing him to tie it around his waist by himself. The hemp cord was itchy but remained tight in place.

"Just until we're down the mountain, you know," she said in reassurance. As they left the barrier, Shige waved goodbye to the women. "Goodbye, Yui, Itsui; I'll see you when I return!"

She headed forward at a leisurely pace, Takuma's armored tabi silent behind her squeaking waraji. The path was clear, the stone steps swept clean of leaves the previous night.

Shige felt the pull of the wind as they descended, and Takuma stepped on the backs of her feet now and then. Her heart beat harder, wondering what lay ahead in her village. Was it still safe? Were the soldiers still there? For once, she was glad of the short sword at Takuma's side.

Tilting her head back, she addressed him. "You're walking fine back there?" she asked.

"Yes," he said, sounding like each new step surprised him. "Do you ever stop worrying?"

Shige laughed off her offense. "I'll stop asking, then."

They walked on in silence, the landscape around them keeping her attention. The whole mountain was green and crowded with pine trees, their clearings home to foxes, salamanders, and moon bears. As those all hid from man's eyes, the only sounds were of birds and frogs competing to be the loudest.

"I can see the village from here," she said. "We'll reach my house in six hours."

Takuma sighed. "If you say so."

Shige felt the prickle of annoyance. "I'm stopping," she announced, letting him run into her.

As Takuma attempted to stand, she turned to face him. "I understand if you're upset about not being able to see anymore—I understand; that would be frightening and sad—but you must stop taking it out on me. You will not shout at me; you will not sigh and whine. We are stuck together until we reach Ayabe, and all I wanted was to get to know you better in the meantime."

Takuma's face burned red. He put up his hands in surrender, and Shige gently pulled him to his feet.

They walked on in silence, the landscape around them keeping her attention.

They reached the base of the mountain by noon. It was surreal, touching dirt after four days; Shige sat on the ground, resting her feet for a moment while Takuma stretched. The sun was high in the sky, but the air hung cool beneath the shade of the oak trees.

"Takuma-san, had the plumrain begun in Kyōto yet? It's still quite cold here."

"It had. Flooded in the streets; at least that kept the peasants from their damn revolts."

"Ah. Maybe the floods will wash them all down to the village."

Takuma cracked his back one last time, and they moved along shortly. At first, no houses appeared; the closest home to the mountain was the widow Matsu's pig farm. She lived on a nearby hill with her grown daughter, and Shige listened for the sound of pig squeals.

The sour stench of pig shit assaulted Shige's nostrils, signaling their close arrival. Matsu and her daughter were still up on the mountain with the others, but Shige looked in on the farm as she passed.

"Takuma, the woman that lives here sells manure for a living. She's lower caste, but I deal with her often. I want to feed her pigs."

Finding the gate to Matsu'syard open, Shige stepped cautiously. The pigs had been lying in a pile of straw, their faces squashed against the muck. As Shige and Takuma approached, the pigs rushed to greet her, but some appeared to be missing.

Finding the sack of feed, Shigedumped it all into the trough. "Don't you dare eat it all, Kaibun-chan," she scolded the fattest pig. Looking around, the other two males appeared to be the missing members.

"What's going on?"Takuma whispered over Shige's shoulder.

"I can't find Ōbuta or Motsure. Do you hear two boars running around?"

"Not over these other pigs," Takuma admitted.

Leaving it up to Matsu to find,the two left the yard. A nagging feeling ate in Shige's belly, but she knew she had to move on from it.

"I smell blood," Takuma said suddenly. Shige heard him unsheath his short sword, and they turned around where they stood.

"How will you fightsomeone if you can't see them?" she whispered harshly. "Don't get us killed, or I will slap you in our next lives."

Takuma ignored her, dragging her along as he walked forward. Further down the road, Shige saw the skinned corpses of two pigs; their necks had been ripped open by a large blade.

Shige shivered, saliva pooling in the back of her throat. "Oh. I found the pigs," she said. "Someone killed them for their skins."

"Just their skins?" Takuma replied. "These days, you'd think someone would eat the meat to survive."

Shige kept quiet; killing another soul without cause was against the teachings of the Buddha. Leather was not a necessity worth killing someone else's pigs over.

"Let's just keep going," she finally said.

Takuma nodded and followed her down the path to her home. Leaving it up to Matsu to find, the two left the yard. A nagging feeling ate at Shige's belly, but she knew she had to move on from it. Finally reaching home, Shige knocked on Itsui's door. "Kōichi, Kōji! It's Shige; open up!"

The door peeped open, and Itsui's elder brother answered. "Why are you back? Shōtarō didn't call for a return yet," Kōichi said in surprise.

Shige put her hands on her hips. "I have a mission."

Kōichi's face lit up. "Ah, 'Tomoe Gozen' is here, Kōji-san," he said in good humor. "She even has backup."

Shige had known the brothers since they were all children; they'd often spend their evenings pretending to be famous warriors. Shige was scarcely allowed to be anyone but the famed Tomoe, in those evenings. "Waaa, hush," she replied. "I just wanted to tell someone I was coming by to grab supplies. Did you know Matsu-san's pigs were attacked?"

"A group of bandits arrived after the battle," came Kōji's muffled voice from inside the house. "Stole food from everyone's houses. Go see—yours is probably missing those nice pickles I smelled."

Her blood pressure now rising, Shige stormed over to her house; Takuma and Kōichi followed in tow.

The bamboo door was smashed open, splinters littering the kitchen space. Above the irori hearth, Mother's iron teapot was missing, the embers still freshly glowing beneath. Their blankets were nowhere in sight, likely used to cushion the casks of rice and pickles in a cart. In a corner, behind their heavy wash basin, a plump face peeked out with caution.