The Distortion

Adam woke up to some strange sound. Regular, somewhat clumsy…scratching? It almost sounded like walking…what kind of footsteps would make that sound though? Whatever was behind it was clearly making an effort to soften the impact, but to no avail. Adam glanced at the mattress beside him. It was empty. Laith was not there.

Oh no, God no, please no. He scrambled up and got a quick look beyond the “fusuma” when his fears were confirmed; he saw the four-legged familiar whose company Adam enjoyed very much…

“Okay I’m not even going to ask why the hell you decided to call him in the first place, but bringing him inside the house is impolite and disrespectful to our hosts.” Adam spoke aloud without even seeing where his brother was—he was loafing in the veranda.

“Relax, I’m getting him out in the veranda to practice together.” Laith brushed him off.

“Him being in the veranda or not is not the bloody issue!” he then looked at Daisuke. “Are you okay with this, Tokugawa san?”

“Ah, good morning, Adam san. There’s no problem, he’s a lovely little pet.” Tokugawa, sitting in the veranda himself, replied idly.

“First, he’s not little. Second, he’s not lovely. And lastly, he’s definitely not a pet!” Adam was close to losing it.

“Get over it, will you? Minutes after the Distortion I saw a hippogriff flying over my head and you still have a problem with me petting a tiger.” Laith said perfunctorily.

All this time, Râad was strolling majestically inside the house—as if he owned the damn place—occasionally glancing at Adam who could have sworn that the beast was taunting him with that look. Adam threw up his hands, abandoning all hope to change the situation. Probably for the best.

Wait, did he say ‘practice’? What the…you know what? Never mind, I don’t even wanna know at this point.

He got dressed hastily, grabbed a quick bite of whatever lady Tokuagawa had prepared and left the house fast to meet up with Yuuna. He was unusually late which slightly irritated him. Adam disliked individuals who held no respect for the concept known as time—namely his brother—so he hated himself for being the culprit this time.

However, all that guilt dissipated when he finally got to the meeting point. Adam was so dumbfounded at the sight of the scene his glasses spontaneously tilted all on their own—the pair of lenses was as incredulous as he was. Yuuna was laughing out loud and beside her was none other than Genjiro.

Hein?

At the time, he still had no idea what had transpired between the two of them in the previous night. Adam was a smart man, he was a really smart man, but he never accounted for those two to develop a friendly relationship overnight, if ever at all. She was beautiful, kind, caring. He was dispassionate, laid back and his looks were…average? Best to leave that one to the ladies. Either way, they were of a completely different mold and yet, there they were, actually sympathizing with one another.

What Adam came to find out later on was that Yuuna actually didn’t mind Genjiro’s company at all. His unique and eccentric quirks—even the cheesy and downright silly advances—were a welcome change to her. She genuinely had a good time talking to the man, getting to know one another, sharing a cup of sake…simply whiling away the hours. Maybe she needed a little bit of idleness in her life, she needed to let go and mess around with no care in the world. Adam could think of no one better than Genjiro to provide that sense of triviality.

I guess opposites do attract after all…

“Well, you seem to be doing great this morning, Yuuna.” Adam addressed her after adjusting his glasses.

“I am, thank you.” she said now that she stopped laughing.

“Sorry for being late, I rarely oversleep and wake up finding a tiger to greet me.”

“Don’t tell me your brother brought that animal to sensei’s house?” Genjiro expressed his surprise.

“Don’t sound too surprised now, I might actually believe you…” Adam glared at Genjiro whose voice didn’t reflect surprise whatsoever.

“Did you just say tiger?” Yuuna really did sound surprised.

“His brother’s, you’ll see when we get there.” Genjiro answered.

“When we get there? Yeah, we’re not going back there with Yuuna, I had my fair share of arguing yesterday.” Adam had a minor headache just thinking about the argument that took place the previous night. Besides, he would have just made this trip—not a short one on foot—only to turn back to where he came from.

“Relax four-eyes, there will be no arguing. Leave Sensei to me, he’ll come around.”

“One, don’t ever call me that again. And two, it’s kind of hard to imagine you convince anybody to be honest.”

Yuuna pinched Adam as soon as he said that. “Hey stop being that mean to him, you don’t know what he’s been through.” she whispered.

“I do know actually, his sensei filled me in.” Adam paused, eying Yuuna suspiciously. “I’m surprised he told you after spending such little time with him.”

Yuuna blushed. “He’s a straight-forward person, if you asked him, he would have told you.”

Adam rubbed his beard thoughtfully.

“And since you know his story, why are you still getting at him every chance you get?” she added, keeping her voice low.

“Because I don’t want to make him feel like anything has changed, it would make for an awkward mood. Besides the guy is so thick-skinned I doubt he gives a shit about how I feel about him, and neither do I to be honest. I’m not trying to be best friends with him, as soon as I leave, he will be nothing more a distant memory.”

“That’s cold.” she threw him a reproachful stare.

“I’m cold? Look at him, he took the meaning of that word to entirely new heights.” Adam said that pointing at the man in question who wasn’t curious in the slightest, even though they were whispering behind his back all this time.

“See?”

* * *

Yuuna stood outside waiting for Genjiro to deliver on his word, a futile attempt and nothing short of a miracle in Adam’s mind. The latter went ahead to the veranda to see what his brother was trying to pull all this time. Adam watched carefully, focusing, studying, analyzing, trying to decipher the cryptic scene before him. The only word he found to describe what he saw was…random.

He saw his brother, sword in hand, sheathed, attacking Râad—intentionally missing him. Laith, however, clearly wasn’t getting the reaction he was hoping for since all Râad would do was slap him back in the face with his massive paw, knocking him to the ground. Lather, rinse, repeat. Laith was desperately conveying some instructions that bore no results as the same sequence of events kept repeating itself.

“Okay my interest is peeked, what the hell are you doing?” Adam couldn’t refrain from commenting.

“I’m trying to stage a short play where we’re having an epic battle and I come out victorious in the end. You know, the typical ‘warrior slaying a mighty beast’ trope.” Laith replied.

“I think you’ve mistaken yourself for a circus performer, little brother. Consider yourself lucky he even listens to your simple commands.”

“I don’t know about that, I think he just doesn’t like the idea of being defeated at the end of it.”

“Aha, I’m sure that’s the reason…” Adam said, heading back inside when he suddenly bumped into Yuuna.

“Oh my, that really is a tiger. How did h—”

“Wait, you’re in? That easily?” Adam interrupted Yuuna’s gushing.

“Yes, apparently Tokugawa san can’t refuse Genjiro’s demands, especially when he got Lady Tokugawa on his side. So I will be traveling along with you, as one of the performers. Don’t worry, nothing concerning our personal plan will change.”

“I don’t really understand what’s going on anymore…but I’ll take it.” Adam surrendered to the randomness of it all.

He sat back down, watching absentmindedly as Laith’s desperate attempts continued. Yuuna sat next to him, completely absorbed by the sight of the tiger that she deemed cute. Adam took off his glasses—perhaps they were tricking him into seeing Râad as a tiger. Maybe he wasn’t really a tiger since everyone viewed him as a lovely and kind pet…

After an endless number of failures, it was finally time for the meeting.

Today, the samurais who agreed to ally themselves with Daisuke would hold a final meeting before departing to another district of the capital where Kensei’s castle resided. Numerous people started flocking to the Tokugawa residence, individuals Daisuke succeeded in recruiting. Laith stuck very close to Râad, soothing him continuously and making sure the tiger would behave and not cause a ruckus. The beast would get agitated whenever there were as many eyes on them, packing a fair bit of hostility behind them no less.

Including Daisuke, Lady Tokugawa and Genjiro, the samurais formed a total of forty-three men. Adding the four latest recruits—counting Râad—forty-seven could hardly be considered a big enough number to raid a fortified castle, even if it wasn’t a traditional frontal assault. The entire plan rested first and foremost on the fact that they were taking advantage of a national celebration during an armistice. A lax of security during the banquet combined with the element of surprise should give them the upper hand, per the raiders’ hopes and expectations at least.

With a cold hand, Adam pushed back his glasses repeatedly now that they were slowly approaching the start of the meeting. The newly-present samurais were doing him no favor either. They were all glaring their way—both him and his brother—and there was no need for spoken words to figure out what they were thinking. What made matters worse was the fact that the majority wasn’t informed of the presence of two foreign individuals, which was no small development.

Although frankly, Adam figured it wouldn’t have changed much if they were informed, their wary attitude was not about to vanish that easily. It was highly unlikely that he would escape their belligerence, not with their irritable temper. Whichever the case, Adam was perfectly conscious of it, and didn’t particularly have qualms with it.

Neither party had to like the other, they just needed to work with one another.

Yuuna was lucky enough to not go through that same treatment; she simply passed as another allied samurai which didn’t require much effort aside from changing the outfit. A little convincing was required from Daisuke to clear up Yuuna’s unknown identity to the guests, but other than that, her blending in was fairly simple.

The house was now crowded and the sound of few whispers was all that could be heard until Tokugawa Daisuke stepped forth and stopped right in front of the veranda, where the whole of the audience could see him best. He sat down solemnly, as did everyone, before clearing his throat.

“My fellow samurais, first I wish to welcome you all in my place. I realize it is not favorable for such occasions, but we have to make do, considering our circumstances. Then, I would like to thank all of you for committing to this mission, knowing that doubt might still be lingering within some of you. Know that I don’t blame you; I will even offer you the chance to back down this instant if you wish, I promise you I will not hold any grudges. But if you choose to stay now, it has to be final. The choice is yours.”

No one in the room moved a muscle, they did not even blink. Not a single shred of hesitation was clouding their decision.

“Good. Now I will have Adam san go through the various details of our operation, please pay attention because there will be no better chance to offer a thorough explanation.”

Daisuke startled everyone in the room, and mostly Adam himself. The latter was expecting to be involved in this discussion in some capacity—what with his sudden intrusion on this raid—but certainly not to lead it. He wanted nothing more than to decline, but that would put him in a further embarrassing position.

Adam, sitting in a secluded corner of the house, rose to his feet and slowly walked towards the intended spot. The different samurais in the way made a small passage for him by shifting their bodies awkwardly all the while giving him a more spiteful look than before. Why, he, an outsider, was taking center stage now…an offense almost. He sat next to Daisuke.

“This is not what we agreed on.”

“I am still holding you to my demand of convincing a certain someone.” Daisuke gave him a forceful smile.

Adam sighed…no use in arguing right now. He took a deep breath. Here goes nothing…

“For starters, and to clear up the confusion in the room, I reckon an introduction is overdue, and rightly so. My name is Kacem Adam, and that young man right there—hard to miss him next to his tiger—is my younger brother. We are clearly not of this land, but circumstances brought us here and as fate would have it, we shall assist you in the upcoming raid. Evidently, I was briefed on all the details so you needn’t concern yourself with my ignorance.”

“Are you mercenaries by any chance?” one of the voices in the room asked.

“No, we are not. However, we do have something to gain from this, just not a regular payment.”

“I find it odd that your presence was kept a secret until now. It is not every day we get foreigners in our land, and certainly not involved in sensitive affairs such as this.” The remark was clearly meant for Daisuke.

“I apologize on Tokugawa san’s behalf, but our arrangement was fairly recent and he didn’t have the chance to contact most of you in the short span of time since we met. We thought it best to speak of it—albeit briefly—during this meeting. So, if there are no more questions, I’d like to share with you our plan of action for the raid.”

Adam shifted his eyes between the audience who very clearly had more questions on their minds but chose to put them off…for now. Adam received the folded paper in Daisuke’s hands and got up, motioning for Laith to come help him. Genjiro was also asked by his sensei to give a helping hand, who obeyed with much enthusiasm. Both swordsmen spread the sheet of paper which displayed the layout of the castle with Adam standing before his audience.

The scene brought him back to his days of teaching, standing before a crowd of students during a lecture. The current attempt was very sloppy by comparison, considering the vast difference in tools, but Adam had to manage with what he had.

“Thanks to the valuable information that all of you have provided, the actual banquet will take place in the open courtyard which precedes the two compounds—entering by the front gate—one of which hosts the main tower of the daimyo. Ideally, the fighting would be limited to that courtyard otherwise the opposition could use the crisscrossing alleyways between the buildings to outmaneuver you. Some enemies are bound to slip through, but do try to keep their number to a minimum.

“The responsibility of signaling the beginning of the assault falls upon lady Tokugawa. According to Tokugawa san, Kensei Nakamura should still be surrounded by a few bodyguards—his closest councilor will never leave him unprotected. As such, it is unlikely that she would get a clear shot on Kensei so instead, the first arrow will be shot at one of those bodyguards in the middle of the final performance—I trust you will discuss the exact timing between you later.

“Whether Lady Tokugawa succeeds or fails in finishing off that person is irrelevant, everyone will charge as soon as that first arrow is let loose. That should prompt the remaining bodyguards to tighten the security and retreat with Nakamura inside the castle. I believe we already designated a few people to follow up immediately, Akira san, Haru san and Kaito san will be led by Tokugawa san to attack the castle. As for the rest, you will be engaging in the ensuing batt—”

“You talked this much but I still don’t hear anything about your involvement in this.”

The questions weren’t put off for much longer in the end…one of the men interrupted his exposition. He sported an intimidating bruise—one likely caused by a sword—that rendered his eye shut, which only made his gaze that much more frightening. This was the man Adam and Laith were supposed to meet before the encounter with Yuuna got in the way of their original intent. Akira was the son of the former and deceased Daimyo, Shinji, and was practically the second in command in this operation.

In fact, Adam was a little surprised that this man wasn’t the leader of the raid, considering his family ties. What Adam had come to know was that Daisuke and Shinji shared a very strong bond, even before the Distortion. They weren’t related by blood, but they were brothers, for all intents and purposes. Akira respected the history between his father and Daisuke and recognized the latter to be worthy and more deserving of leading this raid.

“It would be more efficient if we leave Adam san finish explaining before asking the questions, Akira san.” Daisuke replied.

Akira was obviously not pleased with Daisuke’s intervention and his glare—directed towards Adam—still demanded an answer from him. Adam would rather not deal with this thorn of a man while speaking in front of an equally unfriendly audience. The whole situation once again felt like teaching a class, only the students fully despised him this time—at least back then they didn’t want him dead, or maybe they did, who knew. Then again, Adam wasn’t sure that convincing Akira beforehand in his dojo would have been a more pleasant alternative…

“It’s fine Tokugawa san. I don’t mind the interruption,” Adam said, resisting the pressure. “To answer your question Akira san, my brother will make sure the rear gate is secure for you to procure your weapons and later on serve as an exit. His act will be the first one to take place, so the weapons should be secured fairly early on. And in case you were wondering about the tiger, that is his pet and he will be assisting him.”

“So, we are entrusting both our weapons and our escape route to a complete stranger, a brat followed by a tiger? That’s reassuring.”

It was a different voice. This one belonged to a bald-headed man with a large figure who sounded quite eager to demean and denigrate Laith, as if he’d been holding it in ever since he laid eyes on the foreigner. The man’s name was Haru, Akira’s most faithful vassal.

“I’m not a brat.” Laith replied coldly, without a particularly hostile tone.

“Your face says otherwise.” Haru said.

“You don’t seem to have an issue with the guy sitting next to you, and he looks younger than me.”

Laith was referencing a clean-cut youth who shared similar features with Akira, the round face, the brown eyes, the small nose…It was his first time seeing him, but Laith could tell they were related. Father and son most likely.

“I don’t suppose you have an issue with me avenging my grandfather, outsider?” the youth asked coolly.

“I could care less about your personal vendetta, I just want your subordinate to be consistent.”

“Do not test me brat, I wil—”

“That’s enough, Haru san, we have veered away from the main subject long enough as it is.”

Haru bowed his head slightly, he owed the young lord as much respect as he did his father’s. Laith threw a quick glance at Râad, asking him to calm down. The tiger made sure Haru and the youth got a good look at his sharp fangs during the exchange so that neither would get the wrong idea.

“Back on topic,” Adam spoke again, pushing back his glasses, “if you are questioning my brother’s competence, Tokugawa san agreed to this after Genjiro had the chance to witness his skills first hand. Unless you want to doubt your own comrade’s judgment, I believe I have nothing more to add.”

All of the present samurais glanced at Genjiro seeking his affirmation. Too bad they forgot that the man probably hadn’t listened to a single word since the meeting started. The details of the raid were too much of a hassle, he simply needed them to point him in a direction and he would cut whatever was in front of him. Apparently, he was really good at cutting things down hence his indifference usually being overlooked.

“Unlike Haru san, I can disregard the possibility of your brother’s incompetence,” the youth said, “however, that still doesn’t explain what the two of you are doing here, why would a couple random foreigners suddenly take interest in our raid?”

Despite his young age, he sounded fairly mature, to a patronizing degree almost. His tone of voice—alongside his condescending gaze—conveyed a certain haughtiness that didn’t sit well with Adam. Perhaps the youth was used to being put on a higher pedestal—courtesy of his status—but that made little difference for Adam.

“Forgive me, but who am I speaking to?”

“Kaito.”

“I have been as honest as I could, Kaito san, and I don’t intend to lie to you, but that is one thing I cannot divulge to any of you. I can only promise that it won’t affect the rest of you in anyway.”

Kaito didn’t reply immediately, still locking eyes with Adam.

“That answer—or lack thereof—hardly satisfies anyone in this room.”

“It’s the only one I have to offer.” Adam stared back defiantly.

“Quite bold coming from someone whose role in all of this is questionable. Surely you can understand if I can’t see a man in glasses benefitting us in anyway.”

“I understand actually, but I don’t blame you. When you grow up, you’ll come to understand that one’s value isn’t only determined by his brawn.”

“I shall have your tongue for that!” Haru stood up furiously.

“I guess we know now who’s the bad influence that taught you such simplistic view of life.” Adam sneered.

Haru’s red face nearly imploded amidst the ensuing gasps. Had Akira not ordered him to stop with a commanding glare, he would have demolished Adam who hardly flinched. He wouldn’t bow down in the face of adversity, or else he wouldn’t have embarked on this damn journey to begin with. However, Adam also figured that antagonizing the samurais—their top brass no less—wasn’t the right way to go about it. That would only soil the already muddied waters, which was by no means his objective. Now that he made his point, Adam should defuse the situation—he didn’t need Daisuke’s stern look to realize that.

“Alright, I believe we both let petulance get in the way of a reasonable conversation, so I think it’s high time we discuss this like adults.” Adam flashed a friendly smile at Haru and Kaito before facing the whole of his audience properly, “Let me make one thing clear, we are not friends, and we don’t have to pretend otherwise. We share a common interest, to some degree, which hopefully would make us allies. We will both attain something from attacking Nakamura Kensei and that is the sole reason we are together in this room right now.

“You can ask me all you want about what I’m after; my answer will always be the same. I am not your underling nor are you my superiors, I don’t owe you anything and I don’t have to abide by your every demand. I’ve made my intentions clear about my desire to assist you in this raid, which is the only thing that should be of concern to all of you. Anything else is my business.”

The response was firm, if slightly belligerent, but very much needed. Adam figured it was a bad move to play this game from a place of inferiority, to act all servile begging and making pleas so the samurai would accept him. It was as if he was surrounded by stray dogs ready to pounce at any moment, so the better approach would be to stand up to the beasts and chase them away instead of turning tail and allowing them to chase him down.

And the samurai were indeed taken aback; they realized this seemingly harmless man wasn’t simply putting on a brave front, he was asserting his dominance. Unfortunately, there was one person who wasn’t necessarily impressed with Adam’s display.

“I have not yet decided whether you’re foolish or brave. I wouldn’t fault you for being foolish, but if you think yourself brave, need I remind you that you are still at our mercy? You are an intruder on both this raid and this country; this is far from being your domain so I suggest you know your place because you are not in control here.” Akira pushed back against Adam’s forceful stance.

“I am not seeking to be in control, I am simply asking for your trust. I know I don’t have much to go on and to answer your son, I admit I won’t be having much of an impact and it’s easy to see me as nothing more than a burden. The smart move would be for me to stay here and yet, I’m going with you, I will stick my neck out just like the rest of you because this also concerns me. I refuse to be the kind of man to just watch while others act on his behalf, I want to be there, whether we fail or succeed.”

It was Daisuke’s intention all along to have Adam address the samurais himself, the conversation needed to happen. He could have praised this random outsider who would join their cause for all he liked, it wouldn’t have been as effective. Daisuke wished for everyone to see this side of Adam themselves, hence why he let him talk in the first place. He believed that hearing such fierce words coming from a stranger, who shared very little with them, could stir their hearts.

He wasn’t a friend, he wasn’t a leader, he wasn’t even a fellow warrior, but Adam required none of those qualifications to prove himself to them. Sometimes, all it took was a demonstration of a genuine good will and steadfast resolution through strong and honest words to sway others.

“I would be willing to see you follow through on those words.” Kaito said, his interest piqued.

“I am curious myself.” Haru seconded.

“You have nothing to lose.” Adam shrugged.

“You do know this is a personal matter to us, how much it means to us? Unlike you who’s here for your own unknown benefit.” Akira questioned.

“If you are questioning my resolve Akira san, I just told you I am willing to stand in the middle of a battlefield unarmed and completely defenseless. That should give you an idea on how determined I am, regardless of our separate goals.

“If you’re questioning my loyalty, I don’t believe you have much to gain from that conversation. If I was secretly an enemy spying on you, I would have already divulged your plans to my hypothetical associates and killing me wouldn’t benefit you in anything. However, if you’re wrong, you would have killed a valuable ally a day before the raid.” Adam said, pushing back his glasses.

The hard stern look hadn’t left Akira’s face. “We could keep at it for the rest of the day, but as you alluded, time of the essence—you are fortunate the current circumstances favor you quite well. I will trust Tokugawa san’s judgment, so you had better not disappoint or there will be consequences.”

Adam nodded satisfyingly. Akira was the primary figure to appeal to; his son and retainer should fall in line with his decision. Fortunately, that major obstacle seemed to have been surmounted.

“I’ll be watching you, brat.” Haru pointed at Laith pettily.

The Fares refrained from responding this time, it was clear that Haru was baiting him. Laith took all of his brother’s efforts into consideration before childishly trampling on them. In time, the baldie would eat his words.

The mood in the room lightened up a bit and the hateful glances directed towards Adam waned. A few whispers and side talks resumed until Daisuke interrupted them once again.

“Everyone, I believe it is time for some of us to depart. As we agreed, we will move in separate groups at different times to not attract unnecessary attention. I trust everyone remembers the rendezvous point?”

They all nodded.

“Good. Any more questions?”

None were offered.

“Then you are dismissed. Safe travels everyone.”

The place finally quieted down after everybody had left. It was remarkable that it was as good as new, not a single flaw could be spotted in the house—one would expect some disturbance when a large number of people gather in a space that barely fit them. A testament to the level discipline and respect the samurais were known for.

Genjiro, Yuuna and the Kacem brothers stayed in the Tokugawa residence as they were moving together with Daisuke and his wife. They got busy preparing for the short trip, each in his own way. Genjiro slipped into the veranda in the company of his precious gourd filled with “Sake”. The fact that it was daytime made little difference to him. Laith went back to his futile attempts with Râad, which left the more responsible tasks to Adam who had to sort through their belongings and pick out which ones would prove useful in the following day. Yuuna on the other hand, spent some peaceful time with lady Tokugawa sipping some tea and making small talk to kill some time.

Tokugawa Daisuke, being at the core of this tale, was the one feeling the most pressure. To repel the unpleasant feeling, he made a small corner for himself where he could meditate. He wished to purge his mind of any needless thoughts, solely concentrating on the single clearest image in his mind: Kensei Nakamura’s head.