Dororo: A Novel
Tsuji Masaki
Part Seven
The Tale of the Hidden Treasure
on the Cruel Cape
Chapter 5
Daigo Kagemitsu and Hyakkimaru
locked eyes. To Hyakkimaru, Daigo Kagemitsu's eyes looked like a
dead fish's: empty, vacant.
"Looks like we have two boys here
who crossed the border illegally," Daigo Kagemitsu shouted. "And
they've joined up with bandits! How predictable." His voice was
loud, but devoid of emotion. "There's no reason to draw your swords
on them. Shoot them where they stand."
In response to his command, the
archers took up positions to block off Dororo and Hyakkimaru's
retreat. The sandbar that the soldiers had used to cross over to the
Cruel Cape was rapidly shrinking; not even an army of ants would
find it safe to cross now.
"Do not draw near me, ruffians,"
Daigo Kagemitsu said imperiously. "Especially you--the one with the
strange weapons in his arms." He appeared briefly curious, and it
was no wonder. To an outsider, Hyakkimaru's body must appear like a
secret stockpile of weaponry just waiting to be unleashed.
That was true, but Hyakkimaru had
gradually added to his collection of human pieces over time. It
wasn't fair to categorize him as a walking collection of weaponry
and artificial parts--if that judgment had ever been fair. Right
now, as Daigo Kagemitsu moved in with his soldiers, Hyakkimaru found
himself wishing for a few more of his artificial pieces and
weaponry. He was outmatched here, and too human to fight
successfully against overwhelming force. All he had left to fight
with were his sword arms, and neither of those would protect him
from being made into a pincushion by archers.
When Kagemitsu saw Hyakkimaru
standing there frozen, a tinge of pity flashed in his eyes. "Shoot
them together. At least we can shorten their suffering." That was
his intention: to make the punishment hurt as little as
possible.
This unexpected touch of mercy
stunned Hyakkimaru.
Does he recognize me? Know me as his son? He could understand
parents sacrificing their children under certain circumstances, but
he didn't think any parent would find it easy. It must be harder for
Daigo Kagemitsu to turn his back on Hyakkimaru now, with his child
standing right in front of him, looking at him, right?
That was what Hyakkimaru thought,
but he'd only just found out that Daigo Kagemitsu was his father. He
might be wrong. Is this really my father? Maybe, maybe not.
This uncertainty brought back Hyakkimaru's urgency. He and Dororo
would die if he didn't do something. All he knew for sure was that
Daigo Kagemitsu was frightened of him, and Hyakkimaru's hesitation
was weakness.
Hyakkimaru looked back, his gaze
growing even colder than the shadowy mist that hid the edges of the
Cruel Cape. Then he saw something terrifying.
It was a demon!
What was it? It hovered above Daigo
Kagemitsu's head as a ray of mysterious energy. Daigo Kagemitsu
appeared human, but he might not be. Not anymore.
"You killed Tahoumaru," Daigo
Kagemitsu said. "I would have punished him fairly for his
transgression, but you've robbed me of that."
Hyakkimaru regained his composure.
"That's not true! Tahoumaru is alive."
“That's a lie!”
"It's not a lie... father."
Tahoumaru was standing behind
Kagemitsu.
"What?!"
Tahoumaru stood there, arms crossed
with a slight smile on his face, appearing hale and well. "He's not
lying. I wasn't killed at Banmon. I was injured, and a lot of people
helped me. Right, Hyakkimaru?"
Hyakkimaru said nothing in response.
"Hm, d'you think I'm rude or
something? Should I address you formally as my older brother?"
Kagemitsu was startled by this turn
of events. "You... knew?" Kagemitsu asked Tahoumaru. "You know that
Hyakkimaru's body was sacrificed to demons?"
The retainers and soldiers who'd
accompanied Kagemitsu to this place had no idea what he was talking
about.
Tahoumaru knows about Hyakkimaru, Kagemitsu thought.
He knows that I gave Hyakkimaru to the demons when he was an
infant.
Kagemitsu flinched, trying not to
show weakness. He shouted even louder than before: "Even if you are
still living, these people committed a grave crime! I will kill them
for breaking the law!"
It must have been terrifying for
Kagemitsu, seeing Hyakkimaru again after such a long time. Seeing
the source of his strength reflected in his son's unwilling losses.
He'd stolen his power, and Hyakkimaru was a reminder of that.
Tahoumaru's expression twisted in
distaste. "I see. Father, you're a hard man. If these people broke
the law, then so did I. Will you kill me, too?" Tahoumaru stood in
front of Kagemitsu with his arms folded, as forbidding as a wall. He
stood in easy reach of his father; if Kagemitsu wanted, he could cut
down Tahoumaru with a single blow.
"W-what?" Kagemitsu stood there
staring, dumbfounded. "Um, uh... Actually, I also crossed the
border. I just returned from Asakura Clan territory."
There was an uproar among the
soldiers.
"Impossible!"
"Don't lie!"
Kagemitsu sweated profusely, even
though it was the middle of winter. "Silence," he commanded. "I have
broken the law. Therefore, I am just as guilty as Hyakkimaru." He
spun on his heel to further chasten his subordinates. "Don't
move! Your disobedience now is as good as a death sentence for me!"
Kagemitsu shook all over--from anger, from being betrayed by the son
he trusted, or fear of that same son's sword falling on him in
judgement: it was impossible to say which.
Everyone that served the Daigo Clan
knew about Tahoumaru's skill with a sword. Tahoumaru stepping out to
shield Hyakkimaru was the same as a threat.
Seeing his father's subordinates
quiet down, Tahoumaru grinned. "Hey, Hyakkimaru. Take that little
guy and run."
"Run away?" Hyakkimaru was confused.
"That's what I said. You've still
got work to do, right? There's a boat on the beach over there. You
might be able to take it if you hurry. Go!"
Hyakkimaru nodded calmly, then ran
off with Dororo.
Not even Kagemitsu's samurai
retainers gave chase. They knew that to do so would put them in the
path of Tahoumaru's blade.
Kagemitsu was visibly deflated.
Tahoumaru had never defied him before, much less looked at him with
contempt or hatred. He'd also never expected his own son to fall
afoul of the law. Looking at his son, he wondered if this was an
outcome that he could have foreseen. From now on, people would say
that he'd bent the rules for personal reasons. A reputation like
that would hinder him in his ambition to take over the world.
And just like that, Kagemitsu took
the plunge and decided that he'd cut down Tahoumaru, here and now.
They would discover who was the better swordsman. He spent little
time thinking over his decision and struck out swiftly with his
weapon.
Tahoumaru wasn't expecting the
attack. He staggered backward under the force of the blow with his
chest cut open.
"Ah! Tahoumaru!"
Tahoumaru put up no resistance. He
lay on the sandbar and smiled faintly as if he were amused. "Father.
I broke my right hand, so I was in no position to fight you. I see
that you'll kill anyone who breaks the law." He chuckled darkly. "It
seems I've doomed myself to death." Tears fell down his cheeks.
"Farewell... brother."
Tahoumaru murmured something else,
but no one could make it out. He didn't speak again.
The waves broke and scattered in
front of the soldiers who were pursuing Hyakkimaru and Dororo. The
tide came in, and the sandbar where Tahoumaru lay dead was partially
submerged in the sea. As Dororo and Hyakkimaru swam to a boat, they
saw the dorsal fin of a shark cutting through the water.
The rest of Kagemitsu's men stood
among the bodies of the fallen: Tahoumaru, Itachi, many others. It
was truly a sight befitting the Cruel Cape.
Tahoumaru was dead for no reason at
all.
Dororo and Hyakkimaru, where will
they go now?
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