Samurai Times

- Chapter 2

Shuichi was abruptly awakened from a sound sleep by the rather obnoxious pounding of a fist on the door to his quarters. Wiping his eyes with the back of his hand, he glanced out the partially opened window of his bedchamber to see that it was still fairly dark; the first hint of dawn just creeping over the horizon. Again the pounding started and it was giving him a headache. With the next slam of a fist against his rickety door, he yelled, "I'm coming, hold on!" The pounding stopped as Shuichi's bare feet padded their way across the wooden planks that were his floor. He stopped momentarily when he caught a splinter of wood from a broken plank in the ball of his left foot, and then he hopped to the door. He swung open the door, grabbing onto its frame to keep his balance, and without looking to see who was there, turned and hopped to the nearest chair, curtly stating, “Come in and close the door.”

As he sat down and pulled his foot up to look at the splinter, he caught a glimpse of a person wearing brown kitoe and black hakama enter and stand just behind him. Picking out the rather large piece of wood from his foot with his fingernails, he let out a sigh of relief. There was no blood; the splinter had gone in at a shallow angle. He rubbed the area with his hands for a moment before putting his foot down on the floor, being certain there were not more split planks nearby. Now that the pain in his foot had subsided, he decided it was time to see who had awakened him from his slumber. As he put his foot down, he turned to face the intruder, somewhat angrily demanding, "What do you want from me, it's the middle of the night!" There stood the same samurai that had gathered him from the mountainside the day before and brought him to the castle. He inhaled sharply, surprised and actually very happy that it was the warrior, he sighed out a whispered, “Eiri.” The name floated from his lips on air with a sense of awe.

He stared into gorgeous golden eyes that were almost closed in a scowling slit and situated above a now familiar frown on the otherwise handsome face. Eiri was not happy, this was the second time he had been sent to fetch the wayward teacher and bring him to his proper destination on time. In a very angry tone he asked, “You have classes that are to begin this morning, why are you not ready to go?”

Shuichi didn’t realize his mouth was gaping at the sight of the handsome warrior, until he felt a very slight dribbling of drool start to form at the corner of his lips. He shook his head and slurped back the saliva, coughing as he swallowed as it seemed to go down the wrong way in his throat. The spell of seeing that beautiful face again was broken as he finally choked out, “It’s not even dawn yet, and how can I be expected to teach until there is sufficient light?” It was a good reason, but lame at the same time. Shuichi knew there would be plenty of light in the children’s classroom, but that was all he could think to say. He was still somewhat mesmerized by the man standing there looking down on him. He blinked and started to stand up, a familiar sting returning to the foot he had just ministered to. He stumbled slightly and grabbed onto two strong arms to keep from falling. His violet eyes gazed up into that handsome face as he said, “I… I’m sorry,” and tried to pull himself free from Eiri’s arms.

The warrior clasped his hands around the other’s arms, stopping any motion and glared down at the smaller man with widened eyes. Eiri didn’t miss the look on the new teacher’s face, but was a bit taken aback by it. His face softened as he examined the young man holding onto him. That cherub-like face, blushing as his doe-shaped eyes, so vibrant in color, gazed at him with a certain fear and … what? The last time he saw that look was… from his late lover. That look was the same one he used to see on his beloved Ryuichi’s face. No, it couldn’t be. Eiri released his hold on Shuichi’s arms, pushed him away and took a step back. He was not going to think like that again; he had sworn to himself he would never get close to anyone ever again, especially another man. His face became staid once more, but his voice had a bit of malice. “Get dressed and I will take you to the castle. You can get something to eat in the kitchen before you meet with the children. I will wait outside.” He then turned and walked to the door, opened it and stepped outside to wait for the troublesome young man.

Shuichi was stunned and stumbled backwards as the grip on him was released and he was pushed. He had seen the look on the samurai’s face, one of recognition, then shock and then distress. He didn’t know what brought on the sudden changes in attitude, but he knew he better not keep the warrior waiting. He gingerly walked to his bedroom, quickly changed into working clothes and put on his tabi socks and sandals. Once dressed, he ran his fingers through his mussed hair, smoothing it the best he could. He made a mental note to find a brush later and keep it handy. Once he was finished, he scurried to the open door and silently followed as he was led around to the side of the castle.

The kitchen door was already open as the pair approached. The room was abuzz with several females around small cooking pots, others making up trays with bowls of some sort of soup and bread. One of the females carrying a basket of vegetables was just exiting the building when she spotted the two men. She stopped, bowed low to the samurai and once given permission to leave, quickly got up and all but ran to the next door up and quickly entered. Eiri stepped into the kitchen and when observed, all stopped what they were doing and bowed to the entering samurai. Shuichi entered just behind Eiri to witness the spectacle. One woman, the head of the kitchen, kept her head low but asked, “What brings the distinguished warrior to our humble kitchen?”

Eiri scanned the room before answering. “I bring the new sensei for the children. He needs his breakfast before the children start their lessons.” He then turned and brushed past Shuichi and left; saying nothing more to anyone. Shuichi was left standing there with the women all still bowing.

“Please, don’t bow to me. I’m just an employee here the same as you.” He felt bad that he was getting the same treatment that a samurai or the Daimyo would expect. “Would it be possible for me to get a bowl of soup and I will leave you to your work?”

Everyone straightened up and stared at the pink-haired man. A few giggles and whispers followed, but the head kitchen lady just shot them stern looks and everybody became quiet again, returning to their duties. The head lady pointed to a small table with one chair. “If you please to sit there, we will bring your food to you.”

Shuichi walked over to the chair, pulled it out and sat. In very quick time, there was a bowl of steaming miso soup and a plate of bread before him. Next was brought a small bowl with fruit and a cup of milk. He looked and saw six identical sets of food and drink placed on trays. Apparently, he was going to be eating the same as the children, which suited him just fine. He thanked the lady for the food, quickly, but quietly, ate the morning meal and rose from the table. He started to collect the dishes to put them in a nearby washing tub, but was stopped by one of the ladies. “Sir, please leave the dishes. We will take them. You go see the children now.” And she made a scooting motion with her hands, shooing him out the door.

Unsure of where to go next, Shuichi started to walk back to the front of the castle and was met by Tatsuha. “Lost again, sensei?” There was a smile on his face and lilt in his voice. He was teasing Shuichi.

Shuichi was a little perplexed, but glad it was a friendly face that greeted him, and not the scowl of Eiri. “I haven’t been shown the way around here yet, would you mind showing me where the children will be taught?”

Tatsuha walked up to and just past the new teacher. “It’s back this way. I’ll give you a brief tour while the children are eating. Remember where everything is, my brother said he doesn’t want us to be bothered showing you around next time.”

Shuichi stopped walking. “Tatsuha, why doesn’t Eiri like me? I know that I was late getting here yesterday, and this morning he came to get me complaining about me being late again.” He remembered the look on the samurai’s face when he was staring at him earlier in the day, also. “He seemed to be revolted by me. What’s wrong with me?”

Eiri? He referred to the head samurai by his given name? That was curious because no one since Ryuichi ever did that and got away with it. Even he never referred to his brother by first name unless speaking to their sister, or the warlord himself. Still there were questions and Tatsuha was unsure if he could or should answer. Eiri had sought him out after taking Shuichi to the kitchen and told him to take care of him from now on. That in itself was curious since Seguchi-sama had given explicit instructions to Eiri about the new teacher. Now he was passing them off to him? He wasn’t sure what it was, but he caught a glint in Shuichi’s eye whenever Eiri’s name was mentioned. “Tell me, sensei; are you attracted to my brother?”

Shuichi’s face turned several shades of red and he was feeling hot under the collar, even in the cool morning air. “At-trac-ted? He stammered. “What makes you think I’m attracted to Eiri?”

“Well, for one thing, you keep referring to him by his given name. That’s not something that anyone does around here, and gets away with. And it’s the look on your face and in your eyes every time his name is mentioned or he’s referred to.” Tatsuha knew he was onto something now. He got a little closer to Shuichi and nudged him jokingly as he whispered. “You can tell me. You like him don’t you?”

Violet eyes opened as wide as they possibly could. Was it really that obvious that he was attracted to the warrior? He knew he needed to talk to someone about it, but he wasn’t sure he could trust Tatsuha. “I don’t know what to say? And even if I did say I did like him, he doesn’t like me.”

“It’s not that my brother doesn’t like you, Shindou-san. It’s just that he hasn’t wanted anyone near him since…” Tatsuha stopped. Perhaps it wasn’t a good idea to talk about it here and now, or maybe ever.

“Since what, Tatsuha? I really want to know. Please, you can tell me, I won’t say anything to anyone.” Shuichi was a little worried and a lot scared at this point. He knew he was treading a thin line between what was and was not acceptable, but it wasn’t just nosiness. If there was something that he should know about Eiri, he wanted to know it now. His eyes were pleading his case for him. “If there’s a problem with me, I need to know so I can fix it, or avoid your brother with it.”

Tatsuha saw sadness in Shuichi’s eyes and he was a sucker for sad eyes. He pulled Shuichi away from any windows where they might be overheard. “Look, my brother lost someone really close to him several months ago, and since then, he’s changed. He used to be able to laugh and not take everything so seriously. Now, he does his duties and keeps to himself. If he thinks that you are interested in him that may be the problem. He swore he’d never get involved with anyone ever again. And there is something else, too.” He hesitated again and debated if he should say it, but decided now was better than any other time. “You bear a striking resemblance to that someone. Your hair and eyes are different colors, but there’s definitely a resemblance.”


Shuichi’s turned his eyes to the ground and sighed. So, Eiri didn’t want anyone to get close to him or maybe it was the way he looked. That’s why he pushed him away and was acting this way. The problem was, Shuichi was already fascinated with him, and wanted to get to know him better. “Tatsuha, what do I do? I’m really attracted to your brother.”

The younger brother looked at Shuichi who had tears welling in his eyes. Oh, he had it bad for Eiri. This was not going to be easy. However, he knew that his brother had not stopped grieving over the loss of his lover, and maybe now really was the time for him to move on. “Tell you what. I will try to figure something out. In the meantime, you just pay attention to the children. If there’s a way for you and my brother to get together, I will find it.”

The sound of children laughing could be heard further down the side of the building. It was time for class, and Tatsuha knew he better not have the teacher late, or Eiri wasn’t the only one that was going to be upset. Tatsuha placed his arm over Shuichi’s shoulder and guided him towards the children. “Come on, it’s late and you have to start your lessons. We can talk tonight after you go back to your quarters. I will come see you after dinner.”

Shuichi smiled and nodded. He would hopefully be able to figure some way into Eiri’s heart. In the meantime, there were six noisy children anxiously awaiting their first English lesson, and he was not going to disappoint them or their father. He picked up the pace and the two found their way to the new classroom.

Just around the corner, hiding in the shadows, someone was listening to the two young conspirators. A smile graced the elegantly featured face of the observer. Thinking only to herself, she said, “If anyone can melt the ice that has frozen Eiri’s heart, it will be you my little sensei. I have chosen well in picking you. Let us hope that my dear husband doesn’t know the real reason I brought you here.”

The new sensei slid the shoji screen back and walked into the room designated as the children’s' classroom. Unlike what he expected, the room was quite large and set up like a modern classroom he would have expected in the city, not out in the country. Each child had a wooden desk and chair to sit upon, and on the desks were blank scrolls and plenty of ink for writing lessons. All the walls were adorned with maps of the known world, and the one of Japan showed all the principalities and cities down to the minutest details. The stack of books that Shuichi had brought with him on his journey from Kyoto were set up in a display on the edge of his desk, which was in the front of the classroom, immediately in front of a large chalk board.

The children were running about the room, playing some sort of game and unaware that the new sensei had entered the room. All the children and Shuichi jumped and turned their attention to the opened door when a voice commanded, “Mendou!” (Attention!) There, behind the new teacher stood the samurai of Shuichi’s dreams, with that all too familiar scowl on his face. Six young people scrambled to their preassigned desks and sat with hands clasped on the top of the desktops. The new sensei stared at the samurai. In a calm but stern voice, Eiri spoke directly to the new teacher. “You are expected to keep the children quiet during the classes, Shindou-san. This behavior is unacceptable and you will maintain decorum. For some reason, Lady Mika seems to have great confidence in your abilities, and I am here to see that she has chosen well. Our daimyo will not take kindly to having been misled by her should you fail to meet his expectations.”

Shuichi knew that it wasn’t his interests that Eiri was looking out for, but his sister’s. Pointing to the chair behind the desk, he calmly stated, “Hai, I just arrived and was about to start class. If you would be so kind as to take a seat, I will start the lessons.” The samurai pulled the chair out and dragged it over to the side of the room, keeping a watchful eye on both the children and their teacher. His presence was enough to keep the children quiet and their attention focused on Shuichi.

Taking a piece of chalk from the ledge of the board, Shuichi wrote his name in kanji and then in English. He tapped the chalk against the board near the kanji and said, “Shindou-san.” Then he tapped chalk near the English, telling them the letters that make up his name. He tapped between the two several times then instructed the children to repeat after him. When he knew they understood, he pointed to the eldest son and asked him his name. He wrote it in kanji and then English on the board. The same was done for each child, instructing them to copy down what he had written. This was a good way for him to get to know each child’s name as well as introduce them to the more western way of seeing their names written. Next came the samurai’s name. He wrote the word samurai in kanji/English, and then Eiri’s name. This caused giggles from the children and a loud growl from the warrior who stood to his feet, placing his hand on his sword’s hilt. The children clamored quietly because Shuichi didn’t understand the problem, puzzlement crossing his face.

“Shindou-san! It is not proper for a servant to refer to a samurai warrior by his first name.” Eiri was very upset at the slight that Shuichi had done to his honor and was about to exact punishment.

A deep red blush crossed the teacher’s face as he bowed low to the samurai. “I meant no disrespect, sir. However, that is the only name by which I know you.”

“Uesugi-san,” was his reply and nothing else was said as he removed his hand from the sword handle and sat back down. Shuichi quickly erased “Eiri” from the board and replaced it with the more formal name. After that mistake, Shuichi was very careful not to refer to or look at the samurai that sat quietly on the sidelines for the rest of the morning.

Around mid-morning Shuichi knew the children needed a break as eyes were seen closing and heads bobbing up and down in an effort to stay awake. Recess was not an unknown custom in the city school he went to, and thought he would bring that little bit of civilization to the warlord’s children. “We will take twenty minutes for you to go outside and play.” He walked over and opened the door. The children sat in their places and turned their eyes to the warrior. Shuichi knew this was his first real test to see if he could get the respect needed from the children. “Jisou! I am the sensei; you will listen to what I tell you. The samurai is not here to teach you, and I say you are to go outside for twenty minutes. Now go!”

Eiri remained totally impassive, ignoring the children’s unspoken permission to leave the room. He would not interfere with the running of the classroom, although he personally found this playtime somewhat irregular. When he failed to agree or disagree with Shuichi, the children turned their eyes to the teacher who stood there with the door open, saying. “Outside now!” Looking to the eldest brother to see what he would do, the other children followed when he rose from his chair and walked through the door, down the hallway to the courtyard directly behind the classroom.

As Shuichi was about to follow, the samurai stopped him. “What is the meaning of this playtime?”

“It has been proven that all work and no play are not good for a child’s ability to learn. If given a short break in the morning and again in the afternoon, a child gets less bored with the monotony of a teacher’s voice and is more apt to learn.” Shuichi took a bit of poetic license with stretching the truth. In reality, he always found that all work and no play bored him to the point that he didn’t want to learn, and often fell asleep during boring lessons. Recess woke him up, so he thought it would work here too.

Eiri was not totally convinced, but it did make some sense. He knew that he always found listening to the monotone voice of his sensei to be quite tiring. If this did help keep the children more alert, perhaps they could learn better. “As you said, you are the sensei, not me. I will not interfere, unless I find that your methods are unfounded.” Shuichi bowed slightly, and then exited the room to follow the children out, not wanting them to be caught running around unsupervised during class time.

Going to the courtyard behind the building, Shuichi found the children having fun playing a game of tag. Their droopy eyes were gone and they seemed to have no problem staying awake for playtime. He leaned against the building, not interfering with their recess, merely enjoying the cool breeze which seemed to also invigorate him. He hadn’t realized just how stuffy the classroom had gotten.

Eiri stepped out a few moments later and saw the children’s renewed vitality. Although he would not say it, he knew the new teacher was correct in his assumption. Now, if he could get the children to come back inside, that would be the real test. He slipped back into the building and out of sight.

Twenty minutes passed quickly, and Shuichi knew the lessons needed to continue. He called out to the children, who immediately stopped their play and filed back into the building and classroom. Shuichi was astonished that his samurai was not there at the end of recess. He felt a sense of loss when he didn’t come back at all for the rest of the school day. It wasn’t that the children paid more attention to him when the warrior was present, but because he just liked having him close by.

At the end of the school day, Shuichi dismissed his students, praising them for how well they had done and that he looked forward to class the next morning. After the last child left the room, he wiped off the chalkboard, straightened the chairs and desks and left the room.

On the way out, he saw Lady Mika walking down the hallway. When she neared him she stopped to speak briefly. “Shindou-san, I understand that you allowed the children to go out and play during their lessons. Is this something you are planning every day?”

Shuichi bowed out of respect. He was astonished that the lady of the house knew of his teaching methods that day. He was about to inquire how she knew, when he remembered that the samurai was the lady’s brother, and would have reported everything that happened; if not to the shogun, then to her.”Hai, Seguchi-san, I find that the children can learn more if they have regular breaks to refresh their minds and bodies. Today was an excellent start and I am confident they will learn quite well.”

Lady Mika smiled. “I have great confidence in your abilities, Shindou-san. I look forward to future updates on my children’s progress.”

Shuichi knew then that Eiri had reported to her since no others from the castle had been seen in the area during the day. “Will Eiri… Uesugi-san… be attending classes every day, Seguchi-san?” There was a bit of enthusiastic hopefulness in his voice.

Lady Mika gave a faint smile. Her plan was going so well, Shuichi was a good teacher, and the fact that he was already showing interest in her brother warmed her heart even more-so. “He will make appearances in the class, although he will not be there every day. It is not our desire to interfere with your teaching or the children learning.” That said, she continued to walk down the hallway.

Shuichi bowed again then continued down the hall in the opposite direction, exiting through a side door which led to his quarters. He needed to relax, get something to eat and wait for Tatsuha to arrive. More than anything, he wanted to tell Tatsuha about what happened in the classroom and get his take on the events.

Meanwhile, Lady Mika went to her husband’s office, finding him alone for the first time in quite a while. She knocked softly at the slightly ajar shoji screen and entered when given permission. Tohma was reading one of several scrolls on the low desk behind which he was seated, so she knew her time with him would be short, and she got to the point. “Shindou-san did quite well today. His methods are a bit strange, but the children seem to be adapting to his teaching. Our reports on him were quite accurate.” She hesitated, waiting for her husband to look at her, letting her know he was actually listening.

The warlord put down the scroll he had been reading and glanced at his wife. In a low voice he asked, “And tell me, what of your plan to get our new sensei and your brother together. How is that progressing?”

Mika’s eyes widened, her mouth gaped and she took a stumbling step backwards. If her husband knew that is why she hand-picked their children’s new teacher, was he going to be angry at her plotting? Cautiously she asked, “You know that is was why I wanted Shindou-san to be the new sensei? I mean, he did come highly recommended by the school he attended, intelligent and of good character. But there was just something about the report back to me that indicated he would be a good match for Eiri. Does that bother you, my husband?”

Seeing the shock on his wife’s face and hearing the tone of her voice, he rose and walked towards her. As she took another small step backing away from the approaching warlord, he extended his arm, gently taking hold of her wrist. A faint smile appeared on his otherwise stoic face. “I knew before I approved his appointment here what you were planning. The courier reported your strange request to him about getting personal information on any prospective teachers. I knew you would somehow figure a way to get Eiri out of his depression over the loss of Ryuichi. That little lie you told the first night Shindou-san was here confirmed my suspicions.”

Again, Mika’s mouth opened in surprise. “What little lie was that?” She was being a little coy, but needed reassurance that Tohma was indeed not upset.

“I was a bit leery of your request to have another brought in to teach the children, when you were trained to be a teacher yourself. Your English is better than mine in many ways, so, why put on an act that you don’t speak it well?” Tohma leaned in and gave his wife a slight kiss on the cheek. “If I had not been informed of your true motives, I would never have agreed on this choice of sensei. I am surprised that Eiri has not yet figured out your plot.”

Mika finally relaxed and put her arms around her husband’s neck, leaning her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes. “I’m sorry to have deceived you, but I was unsure you would go along with my plan. I just couldn’t stand to see Eiri so forlorn all the time. That accident that took Ryuichi’s life devastated him. A once vibrant man became an emotional hermit. You saw it happening, and you knew he was withdrawing further into himself, even away from you and me.”

Tohma wrapped his arms around his wife’s waist, pulling her close so they could speak in whispers. “That could be why he has yet to deduce your ulterior motives in bringing Shindou-san here. He is keeping himself so distant from everyone, that he cannot see anything but his work.” Tohma sighed.” His unusual request of taking Tatsuha as his new apprentice was his way of closing his heart to any possible future hurt. The traditional shudo (traditionally accepted love relationship) between samurai and novice would not hold for brothers. Your younger brother’s reports to me about Eiri’s disposition and your plans to get him a new lover gave me some hope. I love Eiri like my own brother and I truly hope that Shindou-san is able to find a way into Eiri’s heart.”

Mika pulled her head up and gazed into her husband’s face. It was unlike the shogun to be so forthright in expressing his feelings, or accepting any kind of deception within his family. “I hope that all this works well. I want Eiri to live again, and I really believe that Shindou-san is the one to do this. Already he has said that he is attracted to Eiri. Let us hope that the attraction becomes mutual. I will continue to require my brother to have as much contact with Shindou-san as possible without piquing his suspicions.” She reached up and gave Tohma a chaste kiss. “I leave you to your work, my husband.” As she was released from his embrace to leave, she turned and gave a wider smile. “Now I know why I love you so much.”

TBC