Ninja Love: Saizo Kirigakure

Chapter 52

The next morning, I woke up earlier than I had in a long time. We made it back to Kyoto shortly after noon,but we gave the city a wide berth and hovered outside the border until dusk. Once it was easier to avoid recognition in the obscured light, Musashi and I donned cloaks and entered the city on our way to Honno-ji. Underneath the swishing fabric that hid me from the world, my hands were bound, and Musashi had made it clear that any attempt at escape would be futile and hopeless.

Honno-ji was not necessarily what I expected it to be. In fact, the temple gave the impression of a beautiful tomb. It was adorned with engravings and traditional decorations fit to please any god or goddess, and, even at this hour, people dressed in light linens filtered in and out of the main hall quietly. As the soft lights of candles and lanterns in the courtyard threw shifting shadows on everything around us, the soft, lulling sounds of chanted prayers lifted into the air, surrounding me with a familiar comfort of home. It certainly looked like a temple, but the abundance of guards stationed at every entry and exit told a different story. As soon as Musashi and I were inside, the facade crumbled even further. Once we were out of the main hall and in the side corridors, a queasy feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. Where I was sure there was once beauty and life dedicated to our deities, there was now only soldiers patrolling the halls, the sounds of drunken entertainment, and groaning of prisoners. Nobunaga had truly set up camp here. We passed many doors and turned many corners, and none of them offered a welcome sight. I was frequently tossed disgusting looks and even some crude comments along the way, and I was thankful that Musashi had not taken the cloak from me.

Finally, I found myself standing in front of an ornate set of doors engraved with dragons and inlaid with gold. In the past, this was probably a sacred chamber of some sort, but Nobunaga had defiled it and turned it into his own den of monstrosities. The guards in front of the door searched me, in case there were any weapons on my person that Musashi had missed. I knew it was purposeless, though; even my little vial of poison had been taken from me long ago. As Musashi spoke to the guards and the doors began to swing open, I straightened my back and steeled my gaze. Musashi had said that I was to meet Nobunaga, the blood enemy of the ninja, and I would not let him intimidate me... even though I was filled with dread.

Out of the room stepped the most imposing man I had ever seen. Nobunaga Oda carried the posture and authority of the emperor himself, and yet his clothing betrayed him to be a laid-back man at heart. He was taller than I, packed to the brim with muscles from years of training for war, and yet he had very few scars. His kimono, which was colored crimson and embroidered with golden thread that shimmered in the light, hung loosely off of one shoulder. He wore a necklace and earrings that told his rank, but had no other adornments. An appraising scowl was etched into his angular face, and I immediately saw the resemblance between him and Nobukatsu as dark eyes peered down at me from under thick eyebrows. Nobunaga's black hair was nearly as long as mine, even when pulled up, and it swished silently around his as he circled me, stroking at his thin goatee. As he watched me and I watched him, it occurred to me that, even though he was several years my senior, Nobunaga could very well be considered a handsome man, even for someone of his age.

"So..." Nobunaga's deep voice drawled out slowly, reeking of haughty authority. "You're the so-called 'Kusonoki Legacy,' the uniting force of the ninja?"

It was not a question I was meant to answer.

"Musashi, good work," Nobunaga nodded his respect at the agent of my captivity. "You are dismissed."

Musashi glanced to me one last time, his eyes betraying nothing. He gave a curt nod to Nobunaga and disappeared down into the maze of hallways.

Nobunaga roughly grabbed my arm and escorted me into his room, leaving the doors open.