Session 40. (5/6/02)

This episode starts with the continuation of Interlude J, the search for Kimori's new wife. The Marriage Broker has arranged for Kimori to meet his prospective bride and her father (Suzuki Kiyomori), he has practised his rhetoric and biwa playing, and now there is only a day to go to the meeting. Mariko is keenly interested and helps him by doing some research on the family. She learns that they are middle ranking, and the father is a land-owning former samurai warrior. On a hunch she goes to see Danchishiro Watashio, the jizamurai they helped with the ghost problem the previous week. It turns out that he knows the Suzuki family quite well and tells Mariko that the daughter loves music while the father loves art, particularly paintings. Anyone skilled at painting or knowledgeable in art appreciation would be welcomed there, he avers. With this information, Mariko and Kimori head into Nobeoka to find a painting. Unfortunately there aren't any really good art shops in town, but between Kimori's limited knowledge of art and Mariko's eye for good brush work, they manage to find a suitable fine painting and find out about the subject and the artist. Kimori also practises his poem (Autumn Leaves^*) as a stand by, then has a sleepless night worrying about the meeting.

The next day Mariko helps Kimori smarten up and drills him on etiquette. Kimori goes to the Suzuki estate. He leaves his shoes and swords at the door and is shown in to meet the father. They exchange polite greetings and the conversation begins cordially. The father's initial attitude is one of polite dislike, being predisposed to believing that no man is good enough for his daughter. He asks Kimori about his background, which Kimori duly tells him about, from the birth of his (now grown up) son and death of his first wife to his pilgrimage of the 88 shrines of Shikoku, getting work with Lord Chozo and his part in the many adventures. Kimori's rhetoric begins to break the ice and the father becomes neutral, though uninclined to be helpful. Kimori continues by telling of his role as sensei of the School of the Blade, and this strikes a chord, impressing Kiyomori with both Kimori's status in society and warrior tradition. He becomes friendlier now. At this point, Kimori gives him the painting and the father is won over and becomes firm friends with Kimori. They discuss the painting, the adventure to help the jizamurai and Kimori's poetry. Then the father says it is time for Kimori to meet his daughter.

Kimori is taken to a courtyard where Suzuki Mitsumi is sitting, attended on by a maid and a guard. After introductions, Mitsumi asks why Kimori has come to see her. Kimori talks about his vision from Benten, from which her recognises Mitsumi, and his long and dangerous journey to find her. Her reaction is carefully neutral, but she is clearly interested. She tells Kimori that she is 27, and is unmarried because her father has not thought any of her suitors worthy - and she hasn't really, either. Kimori says he is a better fighter than lover, but he has been learning the biwa. Mitsumi's eyes light up. "Oh, I love the biwa!" she exclaims. "Please, play something for me!" Kimori's moment has come.

Kimori fetches his biwa, tunes the strings and starts to play the first of his prepared pieces. He manages the tune without any mishaps, though he is too nervous to put real feeling into the piece. The girl however is delighted. Then she dashes off without a word, to return a few moments later with another biwa. "This biwa was given to me by Benten - yes, she appeared to me too. Perhaps it will help you play." Kimori nervously takes the instrument and starts his second piece. He makes a slight mistake in the first part of the piece and a few more in the second, but Mitsumi is smiling. Kimori, encouraged by her reaction, finishes off the piece in style and the magic of Benten causes her to fall in love with him. The couple returns to Mitsumi's father and announces their intention to marry. He is very pleased. The marriage will take place as soon as Kimori returns from the fighting in southern Hyuga.

A few days later, Koreyasu tells the troubleshooters that their work is done in the Nobeoka region, which is now completely pacified by Lord Chozo's armies. While the armies are marching south to the capital, Miyazaki, the troubleshooters are to follow behind and mop up any Hyugan remnants, deal with troublemakers and help any Hyugans with local difficulties. Such an opportunity soon arises. Entering a village to stay the night, the villagers come up to them and tell them of villagers and travellers staying in the area disappearing in the night to be found a few days later in the fields, some partly eaten, with the head and hands missing. Others are disembowelled with hands, feet and head missing. The villagers plead to have some protection in return for food and lodgings. The troubleshooters agree. On the edge of the village is a dark, dilapidated temple. There is a monk and several gravediggers working there. They wear baskets over their heads, as is common in such sects, and they have taken a vow of silence. Komako tries to communicate but they refuse. Mariko and Emiko agree that the problem is probably some kind of ghost that prey on humans, but can't be sure what kind of ghost. They decide to set up patrols over night to protect the villagers. Kimori and Komako take the first watch and wander around the village streets until midnight. But an hour before midnight, Mariko and Emiko are disturbed by a crashing sound from the window, and a hideous floating head bursts into their room. They both recognise it as a rokuro-kubi. It bites Mariko while Emiko tries but fails to exorcise it. It turns on Emiko and bites her just above the eye, blinding her with blood. Mariko gets up and hits it with her knife, giving it a severe wound. Then Emiko manages to exorcise it and it zooms off through the window and disappears from sight. Kimori and Komako return with nothing to report and are surprised to find Emiko healing and purifying herself while Mariko relates the night's events.

The next day the team investigates but finds little. On a hunch, Komako goes to the temple but can't tell if anyone is missing. Having discovered that the only way to kill a rokuro-kubi is to prevent its head returning to its body by sunrise, the team equip themselves with nets and sacks. Then they decide to sleep through the afternoon so that they are all alert during the night. Kimori sets off to patrol until midnight again. About an hour after sunset, Emiko, Mariko and Komako hear a noise and are shocked to see three rokuro-kubi and a hitobar (floating disembodied head and hands) attacking them. The Hitobar attacks Komako and scratches him, two rokuro-kubi bite Emiko and the third bites Mariko. The three attempt to grab or net the floating heads but have great difficulty. Emiko is the first to manage it, taking several bites in the process. Mariko is bitten twice before her rokuro-kubi hits a wall and is stunned, allowing her to put it in a sack. Kimori arrives back, breathless after running back at the sounds of the fight, and he and Mariko manage to net it as it tries to flee having been defeated by Komako. Finally, Emiko manages to get a sack over the last rokuro-kubi. Then the party waits until daybreak when the heads shrivel and die. Later the troubleshooters go up to the temple. Only one gravedigger is present. They search the temple and find the headless bodies of three gravediggers and the monk. They also find some stolen armour, dai-sho, no-dachi and a war fan. Then the remaining gravedigger hits Mariko with his shovel. Emiko recognises him as the other rokuro-kubi from the wound on his face. The others dispatch him then wait until nightfall when his head flies off to feed, and traps it in a sack. The scourge of the village is finally over. The troubleshooters head south again.

< Previous  Next >