Tale of the Warrior Geisha by Margaret Dilloway Read Free Book Online Page A

Tomoe tried to step in between them, but Kanehira pulled her back.
    â€œIt’s not about you,” he said. “It’s between them.”
    â€œIt’s foolish.” Tomoe saw Wada’s large muscles flexing. He could beat up Yoshinaka easily. “Stop, Wada! Please. That is my brother!”
    Yoshinaka’s expression changed. It startled her. Hurt.
    â€œI am not your brother!” he said.
    Wada punched Yoshinaka’s nose. Blood spurted out in a fountain.
    â€œYoshinaka!” Tomoe cried.
    â€œNoses bleed a lot,” Kanehira said, but he paled.
    Yoshinaka touched his bloody nose as in disbelief. He stared at his reddened hand, then lunged at Wada, his hands wrapping around the older boy’s throat as his momentum took both of them downward. They fell into the pit, crashing down five feet on top of a mess of leaves and branches. Yoshinaka leapt on top of Wada and tightened his hands around his throat.
    â€œYoshi, Yoshi! Stop!” Tomoe scooped up her
naginata
. Wada fought back, striking Yoshinaka repeatedly in the face and neck even as he turned red then blue under Yoshinaka’s grip. Tomoe turned the
naginata
around and tried to shove the stick between them, as she would with fighting dogs, but Wada threw Yoshinaka over and got his own hands around Yoshinaka’s neck. Now Kanehira jumped in, trying to separate them. Wada’s fist struck him in the chest and Kanehira glanced off the bigger boys like a fly. Yoshinaka wheezed in a breath.
    â€œStop it, right now!” Tomoe searched for something to distract them. She swung her
naginata
around and connected with a beech tree. Her blade sliced through it as cleanly as it would through a melon. Like slicing through a neck. “Stop!” She shoved the tree down with her foot, hard. It tilted, then began falling.
    â€œWatch out!” Kanehira shrieked. The boys all froze. The tree smacked into the pit right next to them, Yoshimori pulling his leg out of the way just in time.
    A cloud of dust and debris rose. When it cleared, Tomoe looked down on them from on top of the severed tree trunk. “Now. Pay attention.”
    â€”
    They trudged slowly back, leading the horses. The sky finally lived up to its promise, sprinkling them with light rain. Tomoe carried her
naginata
in one hand. Blood and dirt and rain mixed on Yoshinaka’s face, his nose swollen, his eyes black and blue, making him look like he had a grotesque
oni
mask on, ready for villagers to chase this demon away. He lifted his head, mouth open, tongue sticking out, to the sky, licking out the drops. “Fresh spring rainwater. Delicious.” He smacked his lips.
    â€œAre you sure it’s not a bird flying over?” Wada said.
    Yoshinaka ignored him, turning to Tomoe. “Lift your face. It will help.” He peered at her. “It looks better now. Less red.”
    Tomoe tasted the rain, too, her eyes closed. Yes, water only slightly heavier than air, putting her in mind of grass and flowers. She smiled, feeling the drops on her eyelids. When she opened them, both Wada and Yoshinaka were staring at her, making her uncomfortable. “Do I have something on my face?” she asked. Drops clung to her long lashes, falling onto her cheeks.
    â€œNo.” Wada hastened his pace, a flush spreading up his neck.
    Kanehira would not let things rest. “My father will kill you, Wada,” Kanehira said. “You wait. You can’t hit the future leader of Japan.”
    Wada barely controlled the snort escaping from his mouth.
    â€œWhat?” Yoshinaka demanded.
    â€œTomoe has a greater chance of becoming shōgun than you do,” Wada said. “You have too many Minamoto cousins ahead of you.”
    Tomoe could see the rage making its way into her foster brother’s eyes as they reddened even more. “Quiet,” she hissed at Wada. “I will have no more fighting.”
    Wada shoved her
naginata
toward her and broke