"Get this barrier open!"

"You are under arrest."

Abeh strode around the barrier, no mistaking the danger. "Open the barrier. Hurry up."

Guards rushed to obey but the officer blustered, "You will all show identity papers an--"

"Listen, monkey," Captain Abeh shoved his face at the officer who froze, "important guests require important manners and no delays on a cold night and it is not yet sundown." With that he bashed him on the side of his head, the officer reeled, and a second savage blow collapsed him in a heap. To the stupefied sentries Abeh rapped, "Tell this fool to report to me at dawn or I will find him and use him for sword practice, and the rest of you!"

He waved his party through then mounted and cantered after them.

Within minutes he had arranged the best quarters in the best Inn. Those who had reserved them bowed as they fled, grateful for the privilege of vacating them--rich merchants, other samurai, none of whom were prepared for a fight to the death that would have surely erupted.

Yoshi took off his hat and scarf when the shoji doors were closed. The rotund patron of this, the Inn of Pleasant Dreams, was on his knees beside the door, head bowed, waiting for orders. His mind was ringing with curses that he had not been forewarned about these late arrivals, cursing them for disrupting his tranquility as they would surely continue to disrupt it--whoever they were. He recognized none of them and found it extraordinary they flew no banners, wore simple Bakufu uniforms and symbols, used no names, noticing that even this samurai, now treated with so much respect in private by the vile Captain and given his most expensive rooms, was not addressed by name or rank. And who are the two women? A daimyo's wife and maid? Or just two high-class whores? The news of their arrival had sped around the Inn. At once he had offered a reward to the maid who discovered their identity.

"Your name, landlord?" Yoshi asked.

"Ichi-jo, Sire." He thought "sire" the safest title.

"First a bath, then massage, then food."

"Instantly, Sire. May I have the honor of showing you the way myself?"

"Just a bath maid. I will eat here. Thank you, you may go."

The man bowed unctuously, heaved himself to his feet, and waddled away.

Captain Abeh confirmed security arrangements: sentries would surround this eight-room bungalow. Koiko's rooms were down the veranda that would be guarded at all times.

Between her quarters and Yoshi's would be a room with two more guards.

"Good, Captain. Now get some sleep."

"Thank you, but I am not tired, sir."

Yoshi had ordered that he was to be treated as an ordinary goshi, except in private, when the only honorific they would use was "sir."

"You will get some sleep. I need you alert.

We've many more days yet." Yoshi saw a flicker behind the young man's eyes, bloodshot from fatigue. "Yes?"

Uneasily Abeh said, "Please excuse me but if it is urgent for you to reach Yedo, it would be safer for you to be escorted ahead of the Lady."

"Get some sleep," Yoshi said. "Tired men make mistakes. It was also a mistake to crush the officer. The sentry was enough." Silently he dismissed him. Abeh bowed and left, cursing himself for his stupidity in volunteering something so obvious.

Three times they had made unnecessary stops today, twice yesterday. He checked all the sentries and stretched out in his room. In moments he was fast asleep.

After the bath and massage and food eaten slowly though he was very hungry, Yoshi strolled down the corridor. The decision to bring Koiko had been easy. It had occurred to him that she would be a perfect decoy and had told Akeda to see that everyone knew he was just sending her under escort to Yedo, while he went separately.

"Perfect," Akeda had said.

He went into her outer room. It was empty, the inner shoji closed. "Koiko?" he called out and settled himself on one of the two cushions. The shoji slid open. Sumomo was kneeling, holding it for Koiko, eyes on the tatami, her hair was up in Kyoto style, her eyebrows plucked and a little makeup on her lips. A welcome improvement, he thought.

The moment Koiko saw him she knelt and both women bowed in unison. He noticed that Sumomo bowed perfectly, a pattern of Koiko's grace, and this pleased him too, no sign that the hard riding had affected Sumomo in any way. He returned the salutation. The beds of down futons were already made up.

As Koiko came smiling into this room and Sumomo closed the shoji behind her, she said, "So, Tora-chan, how are you?" Her voice was sweet as usual, her coiffure perfect as usual, but, as never before, the same kimono as the previous night.

Uneasily he noticed a flicker of discomfort as she settled herself. "The riding is too much for you?"

"Oh no, the first few days are bound to be a little difficult but soon I will be as tough as..."

Her eyes were merry. "As tough as Domu-Gozen."

He smiled, but knew he had made an error of judgment. Yesterday three way stations were covered, the same today, but on neither day had he made the distance he wanted. The riding was exhausting her. I made a mistake I should not have made. She will never complain and will go beyond her limit, may even do herself harm.

Do I need to hurry? Yes. Will she be safe in a palanquin with a ten-man escort? Yes.

Would it be wise to reduce my bodyguard by that many? No. I could send for more men from Yedo tonight but that would cost me five or six days. My instinct tells me to hurry, the gai-jin are unpredictable, so is Anjo, so is Ogama-- did he not threaten: "If you don't deal with them, I will."

"Koiko-chan. Let us go to bed. Tomorrow is tomorrow."

In the night Sumomo lay on warm futons and under coverlets in their outer room, one arm under her head, sleepy but not tired, and tranquil.

From the inner room she could hear Yoshi's regular breathing, Koiko's hardly perceptible.

Outside were night sounds. A dog barking somewhere, night insects, wind in the foliage, occasionally a guard muttering to another, pots and pans clattering from the early kitchen detail.

Her first sleep had been fine. The two days of exercise and vigorous massage and freedom had made her feel vibrant. And, too, the compliments from Koiko about the way she had arranged her hair tonight as Teko had taught her --and how to add color to her lips--had also pleased her.

Everything was succeeding better than she had dreamed. Her immediate objective had been achieved. She had been accepted. They were on the way to Yedo. To Hiraga. She was an innermost part of the Yoshi's entourage, poised.

Katsumata had said, "Do not be impetuous.

Under no circumstance put yourself at risk unless there is a chance of escape. Close to him you are of enormous value, do not ruin that or involve Koiko."

"She will not know about me?"' "Only what I told her, the same that you know."

"Then she is already involved, no? So sorry, I mean, because of her Yoshi may accept me."

"He will make that decision, not her. No, Sumomo, she is not your accomplice. If she was to discover your real connection, particularly about Hiraga, and your possible purpose, she would stop it--she would have to stop it."

"Possible purpose? Please, what is my prime duty?"' "To be ready. Better a waiting sword than a corpse."

I have no sword, she thought. Perhaps I could grab one from a guard if I could surprise him.

I have three shuriken, poison-tipped, hidden in my bundle beside me, and of course my obi knife always on my person. More than enough, with surprise. Eeee, life is very strange.

Strange that I should prefer being on my own with my own mission--so alien to our normal way of life, always being part of a unit, thinking as one, agreeing as one in our culture of consensus. I enjoyed being with the unit of shishi and yet.