Tora’s head jerked up, he looked around the room, then peered at him. They made eye contact, and Tora cried out, “Are you awake, sir?” He sounded astonished and put his hand to Akitada’s brow, then he jumped up to move the screen. The light made Akitada blink.
He croaked a little peevishly, “There’s something on my back and it hurts.” His voice was still weak and slurred a little. Also, his mouth was incredibly dry. “Is there any water?”
Tora burst into a shout of laughter and began to dance about like some lunatic. Akitada waited it out. Presumably playing nursemaid had been hard on the fellow.
Tora eventually stopped and came to kneel beside him again. He asked anxiously, “How are you, sir?”
“Thirsty!”
“Thirsty!” Tora grinned again and clapped his hands. “Thirsty!” he cried. “He wakes up as if nothing happened and says he’s thirsty! What do you think of that?”
“I think you should get me some water,” Akitada growled.
“Oh! Oh, sorry, sir. Right away.” Tora turned aside for a pitcher and poured, then held a cup to his lips, supporting his head with one hand.
Akitada drank, said, “More!” and drank that also. Then he sighed and let his head fall back. “What’s the matter with me?”
“You’ve been stabbed, sir. Don’t you remember?”
“Stabbed?”
“In an alley behind the house belonging to Kanemoto’s woman.”
“Phoenix.” Memory returned in a rush. He struggled to rise and Tora had to restrain him.
“Don’t move, sir. You’ll open the wounds.”
Akitada groaned, partially from the pain on his back and partially because he had been so close, yet failed. “The trial?” he asked. “They found her guilty?” And then Tora’s presence brought another question and a glimmer of hope, “You were released? And Saburo, too? What happened?”
Tora kept nodding and grinning. “They let me out since they didn’t have anything to hold me on. When Genba told me you had left the day before and not come back, I went looking for you and found you.”
Akitada was astonished. “How did you know where to go? I’d only just traced the infernal woman myself.” And the triumph of having done so had made him shockingly careless.
“The woman who runs the house Phoenix worked in told me. After that it was easy. Only I didn’t expect to find you near death in the alley.” Tora paused. “There’s more, sir, but I should go tell the others you’re awake. They’ve been grieving.”
Shame and gratitude overcame Akitada. “Yes, of course,” he said and watched Tora hurry out of the room before allowing the tears to come to his eyes. Fear of upsetting everyone again made him control himself after a moment. They would only be reassured if he behaved as normally as possible. He could indulge in emotion later when he was alone.
And what of having lost Tamako once again?
He relived for a moment the intense joy he had felt when he had thought of holding her in his arms, having her back, knowing they would never be parted again. He weighed this against the claims of the living and found he was willing to be alive.
That life was also filled with worries and fears did not seem to matter. He looked forward to being again among those he loved and to the challenges that lay ahead. He thought very briefly of the punishment he was likely to receive for having left his post in Kyushu, then put that thought aside.
They came in, one by one, tentative smiles on their faces: Hanae was first, asking, “Is it really true? You’re better? Oh, that’s wonderful? What can I get you? Something to drink? A little broth? There’s a fine fish broth simmering in the kitchen. Could you sip a little of that?”
Akitada smiled at her. “Tora’s given me some water, but I’m still very thirsty.”
“Oh, sir!” she cried, overcome by his reply. She found the water and his cup, filled it, and brought it to him.
He drank, thanked her, then said, “I would like a little of that broth, I think. And maybe a small piece of fish.”
“You shall have them right away,” she cried happily and ran to get the food
The others pressed around him then, Genba, wiping away tears, Saburo having trouble controlling his rolling eye, the boy, grinning widely, the cook and Tamako’s maid who brought Yasuko and Yoshi.
Akitada extended his hand toward his children. They came and knelt beside him.
Yasuko said earnestly, “I’m very glad you’re better, father. Were you very ill?”
He smiled at her. “Never mind that now. You see I’m getting better.”
Yoshi said nothing, but he smiled shyly and extended a sheet of paper. Akitada took it, saw it was covered with large and lopsided characters that seemed to form a letter addressed to him. Yoshi was five and had been practicing his characters under the instruction of Kobe’s tutor. Clearly he had made progress.
But Akitada was getting tired again. “Thank you,” he told Yoshi, tucking the letter inside his robe, and touching the boy’s head. “I’ll read it later.”
He was rescued from doing more by Hanae who bustled in with a tray of food. The others departed, wishing him a speedy recovery. Akitada made an effort to sip some broth and eat a tiny bit of fish. Then he sighed and said, “Enough. Maybe later. Thank you, Hanae.”
In the end, only Tora remained. “You’ve had many visitors,” he informed him. “Lady Akiko was here every day and her husband came several times. And the superintendent checked on you many times, and your friend Nakatoshi was here also. Even his Excellency, the minister himself came to see how you were doing.”
Akitada nodded. “Any official messages?”
“No, sir, but I think the court has been notified of your condition.”
“What about the blind girl?” Akitada was having trouble keeping his eyes open.
Tora grinned. “She’s free. The superintendent took that in hand himself. He ordered a search for Phoenix and Kanemoto and then attended the trial. He told the judge to release Sachi. The judge was furious, but he had no choice. The crowd got angry when he tried to refuse. I wish I could’ve seen it. It must’ve been something. And then they caught the gangster and his girlfriend. She thought the police would let her go, if she told them about Kanemoto killing the gambler Hankei. That’s when Kanemoto informed them that she’d killed the moneylender. Seems she owed him a lot of gold. A fine pair!”
But Akitada’s eyelids had got too heavy and he was already asleep.
31
When Akitada awoke next, he was instantly aware that he had rejoined the living and that this was no reason to rejoice. He was in pain and needed to relieve himself. Any effort on his part to rise from his bedding was foiled by excruciating pain in his back and an extraordinary weakness.
And he was alone.
Perhaps it was a sign that he was really getting well, but he could have done with some attention at the moment. He decided to wait.
Tora had been reporting on the case of the blind shampoo girl when he was dozing off. What exactly had he had said? He searched his memory and came up with something about Kobe going to the trial. Surely that had been odd. And yes, Tora had said the girl was free. It sounded as if Kobe had meddled when he should not have done so. Akitada suddenly felt anxious about all these events.
And he really must relieve himself or suffer a shameful accident.
He shouted, “Tora? Saburo?”
Nothing.
Cautiously he rolled on his better side and pulled up his knees. If he could get on his knees, he might be able to stand. His back protested, but with a groan he got to his knees. But getting up was impossible. He felt as limp as a rag, and one of his arms refused to support him..
The door opened.
Tora gasped, “Sir, what are you doing?”
Through gritted teeth, Akitada said, “Going to the privy.”
“But you can’t.”
“Call Genba. The two of you together can get me there. And be quick about it.”