comply, the old retainer shifted to a position just behind his head.
Wondering why he was the object of such scrutiny, he turned on his right side and tried to go to sleep.
It eluded him. His mind wandered, his thoughts lacking cohesion; but still he couldn’t make himself fall asleep. Bored after a time, he listened to the sound of the waves slapping against the sides of the ship. In an odd way, they were becoming a reassuringly familiar sound. He wondered what the gaijin captain would make of that.
His eyes had finally started feeling heavy when Mitsuo touched him on the shoulder. Sitting up, wondering what was wrong, he found that Mitsuo had retrieved his tools.
“It is time.” The old samurai stared at him.
He nodded and then got up to take his readings. After he’d finished, Mitsuo once more took the basket and the instruments from him and bid him go to sleep. Sighing, he did as he’d been bid, expecting more of the boredom he’d suffered from before. He never noticed when sleep overtook him.
During the night, he was awakened three more times to take readings. After the last of these, he was sure sleep wouldn’t come again. He couldn’t help but wonder how much longer it would be until the sun would rise.
“Boy.” He stiffened at the low voice, not having heard from Asaka since early that evening. “Go below.”
Bowing gratefully, he stood up and began folding his blankets. Mitsuo took charge of his basket and, after bowing deeply to Asaka, headed for the ladder. Toshi rushed to follow, the cold coming from the deck into his feet prodding him on. Mitsuo silently waited for him by the door on the deck below and had him go through first. He gave him the basket to take in with him as he opened the door into his room.
Hurrying inside, he placed his basket in one corner and then ran to his futon. He unfolded his blankets and added them to those already there. He snuggled under them as fast as he could.
While wiggling inside his blankets to warm up faster, he noticed he was alone in the room and that his table was empty. He tried to hold back his disappointment, instead concentrating on hunting in his blankets for his leather strip so he could retie his hair into its usual ponytail. He’d just finished tying it on when the door to his room opened. He smiled as he watched Miko come in carrying two buckets of steaming water.
“Good morning, Toshi-kun,” she said.
“Good morning, Miko-san.”
The geisha carefully set the buckets against the wall and then closed the door. “How are you feeling?”
she asked.
He found that to be an odd question. “I’m feeling fine.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” Blue light flared from her mask’s eye slits. “Come and bathe while I go get your supper. You won’t want the water to get cold.”
“Whatever you say.” Gleefully watching the water steam from the buckets against the wall, he stripped.
Though bathing was normally done in the evening to take away the cares of the day, his body was too cold to care. In a rush, he dashed across the room and bathed. He was still at it when Miko reentered the room.
Rinsing off the rest of the soap, he made a dash for his covers. He shivered as he tried to wrap the blankets back around him. As he settled in, Miko poured him some tea. “How did it go last night?” she asked lightly.
He reached for the filled cup, his teeth threatening to start chattering. “It went fine, no trouble.
Asaka-sama has changed my schedule, though.”
“I see.”
He stopped in the midst of gulping down his tea as he came to realize from her tone that the geisha already knew this. He stared at her, wondering if perhaps she’d had anything to do with it. “Miko-san, do you know why it was changed?”
“Surely, you don’t believe that Lord Asaka confides all of his secrets to me, do you?” Miko’s head tilted slightly to one side as she spoke, a teasing tone lacing her words.
“This is important to me.” He ended up regretting
Wondering why he was the object of such scrutiny, he turned on his right side and tried to go to sleep.
It eluded him. His mind wandered, his thoughts lacking cohesion; but still he couldn’t make himself fall asleep. Bored after a time, he listened to the sound of the waves slapping against the sides of the ship. In an odd way, they were becoming a reassuringly familiar sound. He wondered what the gaijin captain would make of that.
His eyes had finally started feeling heavy when Mitsuo touched him on the shoulder. Sitting up, wondering what was wrong, he found that Mitsuo had retrieved his tools.
“It is time.” The old samurai stared at him.
He nodded and then got up to take his readings. After he’d finished, Mitsuo once more took the basket and the instruments from him and bid him go to sleep. Sighing, he did as he’d been bid, expecting more of the boredom he’d suffered from before. He never noticed when sleep overtook him.
During the night, he was awakened three more times to take readings. After the last of these, he was sure sleep wouldn’t come again. He couldn’t help but wonder how much longer it would be until the sun would rise.
“Boy.” He stiffened at the low voice, not having heard from Asaka since early that evening. “Go below.”
Bowing gratefully, he stood up and began folding his blankets. Mitsuo took charge of his basket and, after bowing deeply to Asaka, headed for the ladder. Toshi rushed to follow, the cold coming from the deck into his feet prodding him on. Mitsuo silently waited for him by the door on the deck below and had him go through first. He gave him the basket to take in with him as he opened the door into his room.
Hurrying inside, he placed his basket in one corner and then ran to his futon. He unfolded his blankets and added them to those already there. He snuggled under them as fast as he could.
While wiggling inside his blankets to warm up faster, he noticed he was alone in the room and that his table was empty. He tried to hold back his disappointment, instead concentrating on hunting in his blankets for his leather strip so he could retie his hair into its usual ponytail. He’d just finished tying it on when the door to his room opened. He smiled as he watched Miko come in carrying two buckets of steaming water.
“Good morning, Toshi-kun,” she said.
“Good morning, Miko-san.”
The geisha carefully set the buckets against the wall and then closed the door. “How are you feeling?”
she asked.
He found that to be an odd question. “I’m feeling fine.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” Blue light flared from her mask’s eye slits. “Come and bathe while I go get your supper. You won’t want the water to get cold.”
“Whatever you say.” Gleefully watching the water steam from the buckets against the wall, he stripped.
Though bathing was normally done in the evening to take away the cares of the day, his body was too cold to care. In a rush, he dashed across the room and bathed. He was still at it when Miko reentered the room.
Rinsing off the rest of the soap, he made a dash for his covers. He shivered as he tried to wrap the blankets back around him. As he settled in, Miko poured him some tea. “How did it go last night?” she asked lightly.
He reached for the filled cup, his teeth threatening to start chattering. “It went fine, no trouble.
Asaka-sama has changed my schedule, though.”
“I see.”
He stopped in the midst of gulping down his tea as he came to realize from her tone that the geisha already knew this. He stared at her, wondering if perhaps she’d had anything to do with it. “Miko-san, do you know why it was changed?”
“Surely, you don’t believe that Lord Asaka confides all of his secrets to me, do you?” Miko’s head tilted slightly to one side as she spoke, a teasing tone lacing her words.
“This is important to me.” He ended up regretting
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