Risuko: A Kunoichi Tale (Seasons of the Sword #1)(21)
We climbed a ridge that lay across the valley like a cat catching the afternoon sun. A low, gated village swelled out of hilltop ahead. Through the torī arch and the open gates I could see at least a dozen buildings, whitewashed so that they glowed in the sunlight. The Full Moon.
Mieko and her rider cantered up beside Masugu and me. “Welcome to the Full Moon,” she whispered, smiling.
—
We passed through the huge red arch (and the heavy wooden gate behind it), entering a white gravel courtyard. In front of the largest of the buildings, which looked as big as the Temple of the Sun Buddha in Pineshore, stood a still line of figures: six or seven young women and a single man. The man and the three youngest women were dressed in blue like Emi, Toumi, and me. The older ones were all in the red and white attire of shrine maidens.
The two Little Brothers placed the palanquin on the ground with a quiet crunch, and then sprinted back to close the gate. The two youngest girls ran forward, knelt beside Chiyome-sama’s sedan, and slid open the door.
As Lady Chiyome stepped out, all of those assembled bowed deeply, touching their heads to the gravel in deepest respect. The old woman slid out of her box and stretched, grumbling.
As we all dismounted, she surveyed her troops, who rose to a kneeling posture. She gave a grunt that sounded almost satisfied, and called out to some of the women in miko dress, “Are the baths prepared?”
Two of the women nodded.
Chiyome-sama smiled grimly and spoke to the square-faced man in the line. “Kee Sun, see to the wounded boy and get some supper ready. I’m famished. Fuyudori,” she called to the one blue-clad girl who had not opened her door; by her face, I’d have guessed she was at most three years or so my senior, but her hair was as white as a crane’s tail. “These three are your new charges: Toumi, Risuko, and Emi. Get them stowed away. I want their training to start immediately.”
With that, she strode forward toward one of the smaller buildings, one with steam rising from it that I took to be the bathhouse. Mieko and the other women seemed to be taking charge of the unloading of the pack horses. The soldiers began leading the warhorses away to an enormous stable just inside the gate.
Masugu-san ran from my side, pulling something from beneath his armor—a small cylinder—and whispered something to Lady Chiyome just as she was about to enter the bathhouse. She nodded at him, and then dismissed him with a wave. He walked back to supervise the care of the horses.
He went over to his wounded soldier, who was being helped by the older man in blue, calling, “No poppy juice, remember. I don’t trust that stuff.”
The man in blue growled back something that sounded like a confirmation, and led the wounded rider toward the big building.
Masugu nodded and turned.
I was about to ask him what he had been talking to Chiyome-sama about when I caught a glimpse of Fuyudori, the older girl who had been ordered to take charge of us. Her gaze had followed mine toward the lieutenant; she had a small, quivering smile. To be honest, it looked more like a grimace of anxiety than a grin.
As I considered her, I realized that this girl looked exactly as I’d always imagined a character in a fable my mother used to tell sister and me—the story of Long-Haired Girl who saves her town, but whose hair turns white in sorrow. Fuyudori was extraordinarily pretty, and the whiteness of her hair made her beauty all the more remarkable. She looked at the three of us, the uncertainty melting from her face, and in a sweet voice said, “Please close your mouths. It’s not polite to stare.”
As she led us away from the courtyard, I turned in search of Aimaru. He looked rather lost, following the Little Brothers as they unloaded the pack horses. I waved to him, but he didn’t see me.
12—Novices
“My name is Fuyudori. I am the oldest of the initiates here, and so you may address me as Fuyudori-san or Fuyudori-senpai.” We followed her steady stride toward the back of the compound. It was impossible not to watch the white, silken hair flowing behind her as she walked. “As the head initiate, I make sure that you know the rules and obey them. Any infraction is seen as a failure on my part; I do not accept failure easily. But I also like to think that I am here as an adviser and a friend.”
In all honesty, my mind was still back at that morning’s battle. I wasn’t quite sure how we had ended up following this remarkable looking young woman around.
Toumi and Emi looked just as lost.
Following Fuyudori, we entered a small building that was just inside the rear wall, behind the bathhouse. There were two rooms. She led us to the one on the right, in which two bedrolls were leaned against one wall. “You will sleep with Mai and Shino, the two other initiates, in this room. As head initiate, I sleep over here.” She pointed through the sliding door into another room, just as small (if not quite as neat), but with a single bed in it on a low platform.
We deposited our bedrolls next to those of the other girls—Emi and I on one side, and Toumi on the far, other side. It was almost reassuring to see that Toumi looked as uncertain as I was feeling.
“Fuyudori-san,” Emi said, scowling as usual, “what’s a... a novice?”
The older girl’s mouth pursed in a tiny smile. “That’s you, of course.” She began to walk out of our new home, and we followed her. “Chiyome-sama likes to joke that we are nuns here, but it’s not far from the truth. Just like novice nuns, you three will be given the most menial tasks, the most basic training. When you have earned the teachers’ trust, you will be made initiates.” She pulled dreamily at her sash, which unlike our blue ones was red, edged in white. “Once Lady Chiyome judges that you have completed your training, you will become a kunoichi. I am due to be given my robes after the New Year.”