Reunited – Chapter 43

We stand and wait in the graveyard, breathe in the fresh air and listen to the trees sway in the breeze. The branches bud with new leaves and soon this forest will be crammed with greenery. In the corner of the graveyard, a small furry creature with a big bushy tail crouches on a headstone chewing on an acorn. He scampers off when a gust of cold wind whips through the branches.

Kentaro escorts his father to me, his hands bound behind his back. Once his father is between us, we look at each other and he shrugs his shoulders. He’s not sad, angry, nor happy. If anything, he is done with it all. Over. Finished. Minamoto avoids eye contact, his head turned to the ground. We said we’d deal with Minamoto later and always knew it would come to this. I’m glad Kentaro doesn’t want to plead for his father’s life.

Kazuo followed them here, and while I have Minamoto’s attention, I smile at Kazuo and extend my hand to him. He presses his lips into a line and hesitates but steps forward and takes my fingers in his.

“Kazuo Uchiyama, I know our past has been… turbulent, to say the least.”

He huffs a laugh and glances past me. His eyes meet Jiro’s and they both stare silently at each other. Jiro’s body is tense, ready to spring into action at any moment.

“I’ll be honest with you. I’m not sure I can forgive what happened to Helena, because, as you know, she’s one of my best friends.” I turn to Usagi, and he’s stone still. He will never forgive Kazuo for that. “But you’ve chosen to back me over Miura and that deserves some respect and honor, both of which I’m prepared to give. I will treat you well if you can be honest from here on out.”

Without a pause, he says, “I can. I’m done with them. Even Sachi. They would turn on me eventually anyway.”

He lets go of my hand and sticks both of his in his pockets. Gods, this is going to be hard. Jiro and Usagi want to kill Kazuo. Nobody trusts him except me, and even I doubt him. Kazuo has made a choice, and he needs our trust. He needs to see that devoting himself to our side will have a pay off. How can I do that? I’m not sure.

“Now that I’ve secured my new allies, it’s time to deal with old traitors.” I step away from Minamoto and point at the ground. “On your knees.” Kentaro lowers his father down, takes off his hand restraints, and backs off.

Minamoto remains silent. We stare into each other’s eyes, his communicating defiance, mine communicating hatred. I straighten myself up as far as I can without showing any pain.

“Yoshinori Minamoto, you are accused of treason against the throne. You deliberately gave my location to Tomio Miura and therefore aided in my capture, subsequent torture, and attempted rape at the hands of Daisuke and Osamu Fujiwara. I’m also holding you directly responsible for Kohaku Watanabe’s death. Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

He grumbles, and ignoring me, looks to Kentaro. “You stole my son from me, you half-breed daughter of a whore.” Beni gasps behind me, but I’m so used to this insult I let it go. “It was always my intention to work our way in and destroy you from the inside out. But after the first month, Kentaro wouldn’t talk to me anymore.”

Kentaro scoffs. “Of course, I wouldn’t talk to you anymore. You thought beating me into becoming a loyal son was your only option when all you had to do was show me some respect.” Kentaro takes two strides straight to his father. “I stopped myself from killing you so many times because I thought you were hitting me because you loved me. No!” He screams, and I jump. I’ve never heard him yell so loud. He turns and points at me. “She’s the one who showed me the love and respect you never did.”

Mariko stifles a sob with her hand, and I am rooted to my spot like the trees around me. Minamoto beat Kentaro, maybe his whole life until he was big enough to defend himself. How many times had Kentaro and Jiro played together as kids and Mariko wondered how he could get so bruised up? Even Jiro is whiter than I’ve ever seen him. The confessions from Minamoto’s deathbed aren’t pretty.

I stick my hand out to Jiro, he blinks himself back to the present, and places a handcrafted dagger on my palm, one of the many weapons amongst everything we got from Aunt Kimie. I set the knife down in front of Minamoto.

“You are commanded to commit seppuku. Because I show such fondness for your wife and son, I will allow you a second. Jiro would be more than happy to provide this service.”

“I will take the second,” he says, lifting his chin.

Minamoto is a man of honor and he knows that when such honor has totally failed, this is the only way left for him. He’s lucky I’m being so generous and allowing his swift death after, instead of letting him bleed out and suffer.

“Very well.”

Everyone steps away as Jiro draws Oninoten and stands behind and off to the side of the traitor at my feet. Minamoto sighs deeply and sits back on his heels, drawing one arm at a time out of his kimono and letting the top flop down around his waist. Then he closes his eyes and meditates for a moment before picking up the blade.

“Son, tell your mother I loved her.”

No apologies for Kentaro. Minamoto places both hands on the knife, turns the tip towards himself, and plunges it into his rounded belly, cutting left to right, blood spilling everywhere. He groans and shudders but stares forward, watching death approach from the edge of his vision.

I lean over so my eyes are the last thing he sees. “Say hi to Tadao for me. Jiro?”

With a puff of breeze and a swift downward swing, Jiro cuts Minamoto’s head off. His body slumps forward to the ground right next to where his head landed. Beni is the only one who closed her eyes.

“I love her already,” Arata Sasaki says to Sakai.

While Jiro wipes the blood from Oninoten with a cloth, I walk over to Kentaro.

“Kentaro, you are now the head of Minamoto clan. Make your decisions wisely, choose your friends carefully, and stay true to your heart.” Reaching up behind his neck, I pull his face down and kiss him on the cheek. “Thank you for coming to my rescue. I’ll never forget it.”

“Neither will I.” Kentaro takes my hand and squeezes it before turning to Sakai and Arata. “As head of the Minamoto family, I swear allegiance to both Sakai and Rokkaku as long as you support Sanaa.”

I showed Kentaro the love and acceptance his father never gave him and it paid off. He is now more a part of my family than ever.

Kentaro, Sakai, and Arata all bow to each other. They have a deal.