15
Fire without fuel,
Is not real fire at all,
It is only ash.
- Osokan.
In the dying evening light, he could see the flickering lights within the Ka house. He had made this pilgrimage every night since the day he returned from the bandit camp. The day he had seen the truth about Tiima. He had stood, within the shadows of the house opposite, trying to bring himself to speak to Tiima and failing every time to build the courage.
He had thought it would be easier, after seeing her father and the old pig leave, heading to who knew where, after the planting ended. Still, he could not bring himself to cross the street, knock upon the door and speak to her.
'To her'. It felt strange, but right that he should think of Tiima as 'her'. Seeing her naked had not changed his feelings about her at all. She was the woman he loved. The woman he should live the rest of his life with. He knew this so much that he ached for her. And she would love him back if she knew that he had accepted her for who she was. He knew this too.
Pacing up and down didn't help and the few times that people appeared at their doorways, or walked along the street, at this time the night, only made finding it within himself to confront Tiima with his feelings even worse.
It would help, of course, if she showed her face outside, but she had not left the Ka house since her father and the old woman had left. Choosing to remain inside until they returned. He could understand that. What with her secret and the fact that few people, even after all these years, accepted her and her father, staying away from people would seem the better option than suffering the gossip of small village folk.
Kimū knew that his mother had made all the primary moves to make Ajo and Tiima Bunsuro unwelcome. Her ancient ideas of belonging, status, position and reputation kept his mother stuck in a different time. Things would change when she died and he became Headman and that time could not come soon enough for him. Then, only deeds and loyalty would be acceptable. Loyalty to him.
He paced back and forth a couple more times, gripping his sword hilt and breathing too fast. He would do it. He would do it now and everything would work out as he expected it to. He only had to make those few steps to her door. He only had to knock upon it and explain things to her and that would be that.
From the corner of his eye, he caught movement to his side. Without thinking, he drew his sword, only to find a hand grabbing his arm and another closing itself over his mouth. Someone with strength, much greater than his own, pulled him away from the building even as he struggled. The hand upon his mouth held his head to the side and Kimū could not see who held him. He began to panic.
Upon reaching the edge of the village, where streets turned into pathways and trees loomed over him, the hidden assailant twisted their hands, sending Kimū spinning away, his back crashing against the trunk of a tree. He still, somehow, held his sword and brought it up to defend himself, only for the sword to become swatted away with ease.
"Hold, child, before I have to injure you." The voice had an edge to it, as if the man speaking could burst into laughter at any second, finding Kimū and his searching eyes humorous. "I am a friend. Well, not a friend, I expect, but someone with the same needs as you."
"Who are you?" He considered bringing up the point of his sword again, but knew he would fare as bad as he had before.
The man stepped from the shadows, his hands out to the side showing he meant no harm. Kimū didn't recognise him at all. A short man, overweight with a long moustache upon his face. The rest of his head shaved except for at the top of his scalp where a two inch wide strip ended in a long braid of hair falling over his shoulder.
"My name is unimportant. Let us simply say, I am a colleague." The man rested both hands upon the pommel of his sword. He wore the twin swords in his belt, as Kimū did. "I am here to complete a bargain. Well, two bargains, but one of those you need not worry yourself about."
"What are you talking about, you fat fool?" Kimū realised his mistake as soon as he spoke.
With a speed Kimū had never seen before, the man's long sword appeared at Kimū's throat and the attitude of the man changed. The jolly, friendly look upon the man's face replaced by one of pure focus and intent. Eyes, bright and unblinking locked with Kimū's.
"Do not mistake my demeanour, or our shared interests, as leave to insult me. Boy." The blade remained at Kimū's throat for long seconds and the man did not blink the entire time.
Kimū didn't even breathe, his stomach threatening to evacuate both his bowels and his bladder. As the blade disappeared with a swish, back into its scabbard, he felt glad that he had not shamed and embarrassed himself. Yet.
"So sorry. I forget myself. It won't happen again." He bowed low, stopping himself from dropping to his knees. "You spoke of a bargain?"
"Between you and our friend in the foothills of the mountains." The man spoke in riddles and it took Kimū some few seconds to realise the man meant Saiban, the bandit leader. "My colleagues and I are here to finish what he started, as per your agreement."
"Colleagues?" He held his head low, still, not wanting to provoke the man.
"Again, nothing for you to worry about." The man returned to his jovial demeanour, placing an arm around Kimū's shoulders. He pointed in the direction of the Ka house. "We've been watching for a few days. This old woman, this Ankūro, she is gone, yes?"
"Yes, but, I believe, she will be returning." With the man's hand gripping Kimū's shoulder, they faced the Ka house.
"Ah. When?" The man released Kimū's shoulders, fixing his thumbs into his belt, satisfied Kimū would not attempt anything foolish again.
"A few days, maybe a week. I think they've gone to the region capital. For what, I don't know." Kimū copied the man, placing his thumbs into his belt, straightening his back.
"Good. Good. Haūdo Ita's tax collectors are on the way to this village and we wouldn't want to kill the woman in their presence." The man shook his head and gave Kimū a wink. "Our master would not appreciate the complications that could cause."
"Who is your master? You call Saiban 'our friend in the mountains'. If he's not your master, who is?" The man didn't answer that question, only fixing Kimū with that unblinking stare with a small curl of a smile to his mouth.
Kimū didn't know what to think. The arrangement was, originally, made between him and Saiban, no-one else. Kimū had held up his end of the bargain, but now, it seemed, Saiban had brought other people in to complete his part. He didn't like it. The bandit leader and his people knowing Kimū's part in the raid was too many, now others knew and had come here, to the village to discuss the matter. He did not like it at all.
He wanted the old pig dead, but things began to look as though the entire situation had become far more complicated than he could ever have expected. In his eyes, he could not have made the bargain any easier. All Saiban and his barbarian fools had to do was kill one old woman. How hard could that be?
"Well, my master is now the master of our friend in the mountains. And my master is also now your master. We will honour the bargain made, but, in order for my master to justify the expense and the complications to his carefully planned life, you and Saiban owe him a great deal of recompense." The man stepped forward, his face unchanging, but Kimū somehow felt more threatened than when he had the sword blade at his throat. "Having someone serve my master, in such a position, say, as Headman of a village in Haūdo Ita's region, would be the only payment my master will accept."
"Your master would have me betray Haūdo Ita?" Kimū backed away, certain, now, that he had made a terrible mistake. "I could never do that!"
"Oh, you will. And why not? You already betrayed your mother, your village and the girl you supposedly love." The man pointed towards the Ka house. "You will do as your master demands, or there will be very grave consequences. For you and everyone you care about."
Kimū followed the pointed finger towards the Ka house, feeling his blood run cold. He had already almost brought shame to Tiima. The threat, though not articulated, could not be any more clear. Kimū did as ordered, or he and the people, person, he cared about would suffer.
He turned to beg the man not to harm Tiima, only to find himself standing alone. The man had disappeared as if he had never existed. He looked once more at the Ka house and wondered what had brought him to this terrible situation and knew the answer already. Himself.
-+-
With the man gone, his threatening attitude along with him, Kimū could not release the tightening in his chest. He didn't doubt that the threats the man intimated would become carried out immediately if he didn't fall into line. It didn't matter, now, whether they killed the old woman or not. His thirst for revenge against a stupid slight had brought his only love into harm's way. Again.
He could not care less if they harmed his mother. The entire village could burn with everyone in it a far as he felt concerned. They all meant nothing to him. His mother had become nothing but an irritation. A buzzing fly in his ear that he could as easy swat to death as look at her. The village and its people nothing but a stone around his neck. A burden he would feel glad to cast off, even if he did relish the idea of power.
Tiima was the only thing, the only person he cared about and he could not allow anything to happen to her. Not now. Not ever. She was his. His love. His world. Nothing and no-one even came close to the feelings he held for her.
Right there, he decided to act. His nerves could not stop him. He needed to ensure her safety before things became so much worse. With what the man said, the village would soon see the arrival of the Haūdo's tax collectors. After that, the old woman would return, the man and his colleagues would kill her and then? Then he would be in their debt. These mysterious men with their mysterious master. In debt, or in mourning.
He crossed the street, watching the houses and the shadows, uncertain that the man had disappeared far from sight. His eyes, those unblinking eyes, could still watch him, from those shadows. Following his every move. He still turned his head this way and that as he knocked upon the Ka house door.
"So sorry. We are closed until my father returns." The voice sounded as if she stood a distance from the door.
"Tiima, it's Kimū. Let me in." Feeling the sweat drip down his back, he couldn't stop his head turning as he whispered through the door. She didn't answer straight away.
"So sorry, Atagi-Sē, but I cannot." Her voice trembled and Kimū couldn't understand why. He had never so much as raised a finger towards her. "If you wish, I can meet you at the central mound, in the morning?"
He hammered his fist on the door. He couldn't tell her the importance of his visit. Not from out here, where hidden ears could listen, unblinking eyes could see. He needed to speak to her face-to-face. To impress upon her the urgency of the conversation they needed to have. He felt his impatience rising.
"Tiima, it's important! I can't tell you from out here, I can only say that I wouldn't disturb you otherwise. Please, let me in." Again, Tiima didn't reply straight away. He leaned his head against the door, praying to the Spirits that she would listen.
It seemed to take an age, but, after long moments passed, he heard the sounds of the bar across the door sliding back. The door slid to the side and Tiima looked out from behind it. She looked afraid, but he would protect her. Taking one last look around, he slipped inside, closing the door behind him.
Tiima stepped away, bowing low and keeping her head dipped. She acted as if they hadn't known each other for years. He stepped up to her, trying to find the right words, biting his lip and searching the common room for the best place to talk.
"You said it was important, Atagi-Sē. Is it my father? Has something happened?" She glanced upwards and then her eyes dipped again before he could show her how warmly he felt for her.
"No. He's fine, I expect. I don't care about him. It's you. You're in danger." He reached out for her arms, gripping them tight and trying to tilt his head to look in her eyes. "There are people that want to hurt you, because of that old pig of a woman. I've come to take you away. To protect you."
"Because of Ankūro-Sē? I don't understand. Why would someone want to hurt me?" She tried to step back, but he didn't release his hold upon her. He needed her to stay close.
"That doesn't matter right now. I have to get you out of here. Get you far away from this village. You must pack your belongings, quickly!" Now he released her as he looked around, trying to work out which room was hers. "We can be in Soii by the morning. From there we can go anywhere. North. South. Even the Yāttō's capital city."
"I can't leave! What would my father think? You must be mistaken." She resisted him as he reached out to pull her towards the room he assumed was hers.
"Forget your father! He's not important. Only you are important. Don't you see?" Holding her arm, he slid open the door to the room and saw it was not hers. He slammed the door closed, pulling her along to the next door. "This is our chance. It's not the best of circumstances, I admit, but we can finally be together. We can get married."
She ripped her arm from his grip, tearing the sleeve of her dress at the shoulder. That didn't matter, either. He'd buy her a thousand dresses once they settled somewhere new. She backed away from him, her forehead furrowed. Surely she knew they didn't have time for this? He reached out for her hand, but she pulled it away.
"Atagi-Sē, we can't get married! I told you this. It's impossible." She now stood several feet away and continued stepping backwards, her hands behind her back.
"No. No, you don't understand. I know. I know why you turned my proposal down and it's alright. It doesn't matter. We can be together." It felt good for him to say what had run around in his head for so long. Ever since seeing her at the waterfall. "We'll go somewhere far away where no-one will ever know you're a boy. I promise, no-one will ever find out. We can get married and even adopt a child or two. Peasants are always dying and leaving their children, or abandoning them. Everything will be perfect. Just me and you."
"You know?" Her words came out in a gasp, her eyes widening as her hand raised to her mouth.
"Yes, I saw you in the pool at the old temple, with that woman. I know and it doesn't matter. I love you. I've always loved you. It was always going to be you and me." He stepped forward holding out his hands to embrace her, but she stepped back even further.
"Love me? You don't know me! How could you love someone you've hardly ever spoken to?" Her face creased in disgust and that, more than anything else in his life, hurt him. "I didn't turn you down because of who I am. I turned you down because I don't love you! I could never love you!"
"What? Why? We're meant to be together, I know it. You know it! If you ..." He had to plead to her, had to make her understand.
"Why? Why? Because you're cruel and violent! You hit you're own mother! If Ankūro hadn't stopped you, you'd have killed her! Your own mother!" Her back pressed up against the stairs, her hands moving behind her.
"She made me do that! It was her own fault!" He fell to his knees, holding out his arms, praying she would stop this foolishness and see the love he had for her. "That old hag didn't have to get involved. If she hadn't humiliated me, I'd never have involved the bandits and you'd be safe. It's all mother and that woman's fault! They don't want us to be together."
"The bandits? You ... it was you! You told them about the rice and about Ankūro! They almost ... they ..." As she spoke, he realised he had said too much.
He saw it all so clear, now. The old woman had turned Tiima against him. Had whispered lies into his beloved's ears. His anger rose inside him, his mind clouding with rage. He wished that old pig were here, now, he'd kill her for what she had done. His hand fell to his sword.
"Get your belongings. Now." Through clenched teeth, he ordered her. She would leave with him whether she wanted to or not. She would love him, eventually, as he loved her. She only needed time. Time away from all the people who influenced her against him.
"No!" Her hands opened a hidden door beneath the stairs. Before he could move, she reached in and pulled out an old, battered sword. "Get out! Get out now! Before I kill you. This sword was the bandit's. They tried to rape me! All because you got beaten by an old woman? You're pathetic! Get out!"
She screamed so loud, he didn't doubt that others in the village could hear. He backed away holding up his hands. He could kill her, if he wished, but he had a better idea than that. He could not face humiliation again. Continuing to face her, he backed all the way to the entrance door, sliding it aside and backing out.
In the nearby houses, he saw lights appearing at the shutters. Ducking his head he began to run. Tiima could have it her way, 'his' way. He didn't need him. Kimū could have any woman, any real woman, he wanted. He didn't need Tiima and he would pay for humiliating Kimū. As that old woman would pay.