The gods look to each other and whisper, “Tenjō,” and shake their heads. Their sighs gets Detective Saitō’s attention and he asks, “What’s wrong?”
“I should have asked you if anyone told you the colour of Mr Nakagawa’s belt,” replies Yūrei in a soft voice.
Akito has a think and answers, “Light green. What is it you both seem frustrated with yourselves?”
Zhìhuì chuckles and expresses, “We should have realised from the colours of his outfit, he works for Tenjō. You probably know him as Heavenly Warrior, Yamato Tenjō.”
The Detective’s eyes grow wide when he hears the name and mutters, “Yamato Tenjō.”
The Great Warrior nods a few times. “Mr Nakagawa happens to be one of his Heiwa iji-gun (Peacekeeping force). Izumi is a big costal town Tenjō could have him covering quite a wide area. Once the music finishes I will go and find out.”
They continue to listen to the lovely tune and when it comes to a gentle stop the Masked Warrior stands up and turns around to see it is indeed the very man they have been talking about is seated upon a stage, that lies in the top left hand corner. He makes his way over to him and the man sets the Pípá down as he rises to perform a slight bow. “Nakagawa Katsuhito, Peacekeeper of the Yamato Order,” he announces.
“You are back here to investigate, right?”
“I am indeed. Let me ask though, you have probably been told about Hirohito banishing his own son after I had given him shelter from a storm, right?”
“Yes, Mr Tanaka was kind enough to tell us. I would though like to hear your side of the story.”
The Peacekeeper slightly shakes his head. “My story needs to go a little further back to when I was a strapping young man who was expected to marry.” He sighs and rests himself against the stage. “My family and the Fukuda family were once neighbours who lived right over on the far east side of town. I was a friend of Hirohito’s older brother Daigo who was expected to marry the worst woman you could possibly think of for a Nobleman’s wife. She was truly awful. Daigo was angry that his own family would not allow him to marry the woman he did love. A lovely lady named Shūka, and it was all because she was not noble and was the daughter of a sword smith. At this time Hirohito was a child, he did not understand love or what we were going through. One day I had to get Daigo away before he said or did something he would later regret. We were walking in the hills and it was a hot da, so we took a dip in a nearby pool. Now I must stress we still had our loincloths on. We were not going to get completely naked in front of each other.”
Yūrei giggles and nods. “I can understand that.”
Mr Nakagawa smiles and continues, “Daigo was still in a foul mood and he was going to confront his father. I stopped him by throwing him to the ground and sitting on him. I got him to listen to me, that no matter what we wanted in life our parents don’t care because they want us to marry a noble woman. A woman of good blood and they don’t care if we despise her. Daigo started to laugh and remarked that it must be harder for me when I was not into girls. I told him, as I ran my finger down his toned chest, this is what I prefer. That is when he took my waist and teased, ooh, this is why you got me naked so you could play with me. He fluttered his eyes and blow kisses. When I shuck my head he pretended to be all hurt and questioned why what is wrong with me? I told him he was not my type and got off him. We started to laugh. There was no sex whatsoever, however, Hirohito started to spread lies that I had raped his brother.”
The Great Warrior gasps, “What?!”
“I know it was terrible. Daigo and I got both our families together and when we told them what actually happened Hirohito was told off by both our parents. Thankfully my family thought I was just playing around when I was stroking Daigo’s chest." The Peacekeeper stops and bows his head. "Sadly Daigo and his wife Shūka became the second victims after Daigo and Hirohito’s parents were murdered. Next it was three of their uncles." He clears throat and continues, "Going back to what I first said about Hirohito banishing his son is because of that event I had with his brother. As he got older I realised he was insecure about his own sexuality and that is why he was so against people who preferred the same sex. I have always felt sorry for what happened to Ayumu. He was fifteen when he left... Now his parents are dead and I just hope nothing has happened to his sister.”
The Masked Warrior goes on to tell him that Kayoko is safe in his town, the Peacekeeper grabs his arm in relief and he rests his forehead upon the king’s chest as he begins to weep. Yūrei gives him a hug and reassures him, “I will do everything I can to keep her safe.”
Mr Nakagawa uses a cloth to dry his eyes and asks somewhat baffled, “Wait, why did she wanting to find you?”
“I have no idea, until the lady recovers.” The king notices his mother is walking towards the window and he is tapping his fingertips together. “Excuse me,” he says before going to Zhìhuì and crouches down beside him. “Mother, what are you seeing?”
The Dreamer’s outer pupils are in the corners and the inner ones have grown small. This is a clear indication he is experiencing a strong vision and it takes him a moment to respond, “You are holding a map.” All fourteen pupils focus on the Eternal and Zhìhuì continues, “Your detective is with you, along with a very worried man… a farmer… it is him who gives you the map. Go, my son. Go to the fields the farmer is looking for you.”
Yūrei helps him to take a seat and the Peacekeeper hands the Dreamer a cup of tea. “Go, we will take care of your mother.”
The Great Warrior gives Mr Nakagawa a pat on the arm to thank him before he steps through a portal to see the very man he needs is coming out of Doctor Okamoto’s home. He trots over to him and asks Detective Katā to accompany him out to the fields. At first Hiroto is a little confused and wonders if he was not with him perhaps the farmer might not approach the king. He agrees to ride with him out of shear curiosity. They are in the area where the Masked Warrior found the lady and they notice a man on a dark brown horse is fast approaching them. As the man draws closer Detective Katō recognises him and calls, “Brother!”
Yūrei emits a soft laugh when he remembers Kazuki will not speak to him much for he worries of offending the king when in his mind he thinks he does not speak like his brother, very polite, when in fact he does.
They all dismount and Kazuki holds out an envelope that is addressed to the legend. “We,” he says with a nervous soft voice. “I mean my wife and I found that under the saddle of a horse I found on my field this morning munching a cabbage. She is a fine mare, who seems to be in excellent health. Just very hungry. Niji, my wife saw the letter was already open and the envelope was quite wet. She was worried the contents could be damaged… I swear we did not read the letter, we just put it on a tray along with the map to dry. I was brining it to you.”
The Great Warrior grips the farmer’s shoulder and smiles. “Niji did the right thing otherwise the letter could have been lost. This is a vital piece of evidence to a murder case I am on. The horse you found belongs to a young lady who is recovering from being stabbed in the back. Hopefully this will explain why she was wanting to find me.” He goes on to remove the letter and unfolds it:
Yūrei Samurai,
I hope this letter and map get to you even if I die in the process. I am Fukuda Kayoko and my family are being murdered in a dreadful way. Their homes are set alight whilst they are inside with no means of escape. The map will show you the locations and I have an awful feeling my home is next. My father, Hirohito, refuses to believe that someone is picking us off one by one and he believes all the fires are down to the family being careless.
Uncle Shingo, my father’s second brother, was trying to uncover who was behind these strange fires and why they were targeting the family. Also how did they know where to find them when Izumi is a big city.
Another thing I kept from my father, I am already married to a carpenter, named Iwasaki Takeshi. My husband will explain more and I hope you can help us to get the person before they kill my brother Ayumu and my cousin Yūto.
“Interesting, she knew she had a brother even though he has been banished for over twenty years,” says the Masked Warrior as he goes on to remove and unfolds the map. “I see this marks each house that has been destroyed and the question mark represents her home. I need to get back to inform the Detective in Izumi there are seven victims and not six.”
Detective Katō takes hold of Yīnyǐng’s reins and offers, “I will take him back for you and post guards around the doctor’s home.”
“Thanks, my good man. Kazuki, thank you so much for finding this.”
The farmer performs a shallow bow. “I am so glad we did.”
Yūrei gives them each a pat on the arm before he opens a portal and steps through into this time less busy marketplace. He returns to Endless Noodles to discover only Detective Saitō is there, who goes on to lead the king to the Peacekeepers home. They remove their boots in the hallway and continue down a corridor into a sitting room. On the left hand wall is a map of Izumi that has ribbons marking from each house to pieces of paper. Running down the centre of the room are series of tables that all have pieces of wood to other items upon them with a document folders next to them.
Zhìhuì is admiring the map and enquires, “How did it go, Son?”
“Great, however, I see now my map is a little out of date. For the one I have only shows seven victims not ten,” expresses the Great Warrior, placing the items down on the floor.
Mr Nakagawa clears his throat and explains, “The others three were sadly marked as accidents by the police who investigated them. I am pleased to see the seventh victim Yūto is on your map. He lost his house five years ago. He has been under Yamato protection since he came bursting into the court screaming sanctuary before he collapsed. Yūto had been shot by arrows, one was in his right shoulder and the other was just above his right buttock. Tenjō is convinced they were trying to lame him. I can see what he means. The lad though was not happy about being shot in the bum.”
The others try not laugh and the Detective agrees, “It really does sound like they were aiming for his hip and missed. The poor lad, how embarrassing to be shot there.”
“It really is not a place you want to get hit,” remarks Yūrei with a slight chuckle to his voice.
The Dreamer clears his throat and points to the map. “I see his home lies not far from the natural hot spring, surely you do not he ride a horse, with an arrow in his butt, to the main court in Nara?
The Peacekeeper laughs and shakes his head. He steps over to the map and points to a Buddhist Temple called, Inryoji. “That lies in Onoicho around half an hour from Yūto’s home. I can reveal to you all there is a building there that is surrounded by trees is a Yamato Court and that is where Tenjō is at this very moment.”
Yūrei is a little surprised to hear this and begins to study the map and works out it would take his good friend’s men another two hours and a half to reach the main court in Nara, that lies near three small keyhole shaped tombs and open farmland. “I vaguely remember Tenjō set up that court after the third fire was exactly the same as the first two.”
“Now you are remembering. He placed it there because it is a prime location as i just said hidden, for no one would expect the leader of the Yamato to be at a Buddhist Temple.” Mr Nakagawa sighs and goes on to express, “Now you know Tenjō better than any of us, when he is on a case like this he wants his best men because he knows he will get reports quickly and above all they know when they need to be quiet and leave him to it. The Nara Court has sent the worst Lieutenant you could possibly think of. You will see what I mean when you get there. When I arrived Tenjō was having a right go at him and demanding for Satō. I do not know who that is.”
The Great Warrior smiles and remarks, “Captain Satō Toshirō is a mortal Tenjō. He is a quiet, sophisticated man who Tenjō himself admires. And if I remember correctly, he is a great problem solver and loves a good mystery. I think I should go to Nara first to uncover why the Major Kikuchi did not follow orders.”
Detective Saitō folds his arms and questions, “Why is he disrupting a murder investigation by sending the wrong man who, with the sounds of things, is the best man for the job? I have to say it seems very suspicious. Or could it just be that Major Kikuchi does not like Satō.”
“That’s it,” says Zhìhuì, turning around to face them, “Shouji, the Major has a bitterness towards Satō that goes back a long way. And this is not the first time Shouji has gone against Tenjō’s orders. He needs to be removed because you are right, Akito, this bitterness is halting the investigation.”
The Masked Warrior rubs his hands together and his lips form in to a sinister smile. “I am going to enjoy this.” He trots out of the room down to the hallway to put on his boots before he opens a portal to main court in Nara and steps through.
The court is a palace type building that has more of temple like appearance. It was built in the fifth century when the Yamato Clan were advancing more across Japan. Tenjō has always left a Major in charge in winter whilst he heads to warmer climates in the far southern regions of Japan. The slightly worn steps up to the ornate doors of two Chinese dragons is always a welcome sight to the king and he cannot help but wonder what chaos they hide. He trots up the steps and pushes open the doors to find the court is packed with men and Major Kikuchi is seated upon the slightly raised platform that lies at the top of the room. It is clear the officers are not pleased with the disruption the major is causing and some are demanding that he sees reason. Yūrei claps his hands which instantly makes the men fall silent and turn to face the doors and bow when they see it is their king.
Major Kikuchi stands up and bows. “Your highness, if I knew you were com—”
“Then I would have missed this confutation,” interrupts the Great Warrior as he makes his way over to him. “Shouji, you have gone against your leader’s orders one too many times, therefore you are gone. Do you hear me? You are to never step in this court again.”
The Major's eyes begin to stare across the room and he snaps, “Satō, you bastard this is your doing.”
A middle aged man who is dressed in light blue with all of his hair in a neat bun on top of his head, rises and places his hands inside the sleeves of his topcoat. “No, you did this to yourself the moment you sent Lieutenant Nakano instead of me. You have halted a murder investigation which I have key evidence to. Also it is your silly feud you have against me has also caused this to happen.”
Yūrei grabs the front of Major Kikuchi’s Kimono and pulls him close. “Answer, why are you so bitter towards him?”
An officer steps forward, he performs a shallow bow and answers, “I do not know how he came to this conclusion when we all of know Satō is a married man. Major Kikuchi thinks Satō is sleeping with our leader that is why he sent Lieutenant Nakano.”
“WHAT!” Captain Satō shouts and begins to storm over to the Major only to have some of the fellow officers hold him back when they saw him reaching for his Katana. “You monster!” Toshirō snaps. “So, you are saying you would not stay by your leader’s side when it is so clear he is having trouble breathing. That is why sometimes I remain with him to help him set up a vape. Would you know what to do if he was gasping for breath and unable to speak? Well, would you?!”
All the men in the room begin to chant, “Answer the question,” until their king slightly raises his left hand and they all fall silent.
The Great Warrior gives Major Kikuchi a shake and stares into his eyes. “You know damn well damp weather plays havoc with a Soul Drinker’s chest. Satō has been taught by Healers what to do when Tenjō is struggling to breath. He also knows the early warning signs that the air is effecting him. Do you know?”
An officer who is dressed in light yellow bows to the king and reports, “I am Doctor Kudo, a week ago when Tenjō was here he had a coughing attack whilst Major Kikuchi was with him. He clearly had no idea what to do. I looked at his record and he has not had the training. He also does not take into account that our leader is highly sensitive to strong smells. I believe it was the fragrant oil he was wearing which caused the problem.”
The Major’s eyes widen and he quickly explains, “I had just come from the bathhouse of course I was smelling all fragrant.”
The legend places his hand over Shouji mouth to prevent him from saying anything else. “Doctor, how would you describe the sent?”
“I would have to say strong and something a woman would wear.”
Yūrei removes his hand from Major Kikuchi’s mouth and asks, “Name of this bathhouse?”
“White Phoenix,” he answers with a bit of hesitation.
Doctor Kudo starts to giggle which he tries to hide by coughing. His behaviour soon brings the king over to him and he softly enquires, “Is it a place where men dress as women?”
The doctor nods and bursts into laughter. He quickly clams himself and replies with a slight chuckle to his voice, “And he accuses Satō of playing with a man when he has been doing it himself.”
Everyone laughs and the Major tries to leave the room only to have the king appear in front of him and pushes him back. “Now this is serious,” says the Masked Warrior trying to keep a straight face. “If this bath oil turns out to be the same smell as the one found at the site of each burnt building, you will be counted as a suspect. Place him under house arrest.”
Two officers grab Shouji and escort him out of the court.
“Your highness, please allow me to take you to the White Phoenix,” offers Doctor Kudo, performing a slight bow.
The Great Warrior places the fingertips of his left hand under the doctor's chin, and his small beard feels soft against his skin. “Do not be embarrassed to tell me you go there.”
Doctor Kudo frowns and shakes his head. “Oh, no, your grace, the smell is too much, it hits you before you are even through the door. That is certainly not my cup of tea.”
“I see. Please take me to it.”
The doctor nods and leads the king out of the court and into town. They are making their way along a narrow street when Yūrei beings to smell the exact sent he encountered at the resent fire. “Well, we have found our supplier. Phew! No way am I going in there… Satō,” he says and vanishes leaving Doctor Kudo a little perplex.
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