Raion listened to the click of chouko's geta as she traversed the gravel path and exited the gateway. The mama-san had very quickly taken Him under her wing and although He felt He imposed too much on her time He allowed her to do much as she pleased. Life had been hard for her for so many years and now having a modicum of peace the allowance of her service was a kindness due for all she had given in her quiet ways to His family.
Almost without thought He robed Himself in black. The kimono was of the finest silk the weave open enough for summer wear but still able to trap pockets of air for warmth in winter. His hakama were longer than the normal, but He had learned to walk within the confines deadening even the slightest noise a misstep might cause. Black tabi for His feet and a well-worn pair of geta that were balanced by constant use. The blade He chose was a white handled wakizashi, a mere forty inches in total length and in the style known as zetsurin shirasaya, having no tsuba but the an added stiletto holding the blade tight in the black lacquered saya. He carefully placed a small extra dagger into the back support of His hakama waistband and slipped out of the sliding panel of the side door.
Raion reached the yamato compound a full five minutes before chouko came floating into sight. He watched her move with an admiration for the years of practice it had taken, starting almost as soon as she could walk, to attain such apparent ease and simplicity of progress. Momentarily He considered telling her about the sleeping road guard He had woken with a sharp stone throw to the forehead but decided that the man having to explain the appearance of the goose egg on his forehead would be shame enough and sufficient to keep his eyes open in future. Having watched chouko safely into the house from behind a line of shrubbery He casually strolled out of the front gate into the road. He felt at least ten pairs of eyes blink in astonishment at His sudden and mysterious appearance and slowly descended the hill back towards the village forcing a quiet chuckle with enough body language to ensure extra diligence in future.
Sakuras house was in darkness. Lanterns in the past left burning had been extinguished and a cold chill seemed to fill the air. Moving forward from shadow into the moonlight He stood silently at the wall to her room, As always HE could feel the scent of her fill His being and dutifully bowed to the space enclosing her bed. One stilted sigh was permitted to escape His lips before turning He joined the shadows once more.
The tavern was still filled to capacity. Youth and vigor make for restlessness and as usual the seats were filled and a good crowd spilled into the garden beyond. From His vantage point Raion could see clearly through the glazed windows and carefully inspected the faces in the bright interior, Sure enough His target was there, partying with a group of his peers, drinking and cavorting with no apparent care in the world. Raion settled to wait, much as He had done on numerous occasions before. Patience was His greatest virtue and revenge is always best served lumpy and cold.
An hour past quite quickly, then another and slowly the tavern emptied. Eventually all that remained were the hardcore drunkards who would wait for the last possible moment to stagger homeward to be berated justifiably before beating their spouses and the group including His quarry. They numbered seven males and two women, one of whom had imbibed so much alcohol she lay face down passed out on a table. Raion shook His head and remembered the days before such behavior was even remotely acceptable. Bad enough that such young people should be beguiled to such a meaningless occupation but the sight of a woman drunk beyond consciousness was beyond understanding.
Harinezumi was feeling particularly pleased with himself. Tonight's party was supposedly to celebrate the acceptance of mausu to the gang as a full participant but the real motive lay face down on a table but a few feet away. He had a taste for stealing innocence and emiko had every quality it was his pleasure to destroy.
"Taverns closing boys. Time to move along now."
The tavern owner was hoping tonight would be less difficult than the last time harinezumi had graced his establishment. The boy was wild, rude and to make matters far worse very well connected.
"One more round grandfather before we go. Got to toast our newest member's health."
Gorou smiled amicably enough and bowed. Better one more round and no trouble than another feast of broken furniture and glasses.
Raion watched the gang leave the tavern His face as still and cold as marble. Tonight He felt the hope of revenge course His veins and had transformed from often kind Sensei to vengeful warrior. The group moved slowly, most staggering drunkenly with harinezumi in the lead. The one girl still able to walk was firmly guided between two members, the unconscious one slung over the shoulder of a brute Raion knew to be called mikio, both because of his size and wood filled head. The group followed the main road back towards the village for a while and then following their leader cut to the left making towards an old disused threshing house at the edge of some communal shinden.
Raion waited for a few minutes before approaching. A flickering light appeared through the broken window pains and the distinct sound of stifled moaning and laughter found His ears. The distance from the tree line to the building was perhaps thirty foot. He looked up and waited for a large cloud to pass in front of the moon before sprinting in a crouched position across the divide. With His back against the wall on the left side of the shattered window He could just make out the shadows thrown in silhouette against the right interior wall. The majority of the group seemed positioned together with two at some distance from the main activity.
The broken glass was still blackened from the smoke of the fires used to clear the undergrowth around the new paddy. Raion carefully drew the middle fingers of His left hand across the heaviest oily film and from memory used the residue as a form of camouflage paint across His cheeks, nose and forehead. He carefully wiped the remains from His hand on the stunted grass that sprang from beneath the buildings frame, grip was important and any slip could be disastrous. Assured His face would be invisible from within He inched to a position that gave a clear view of the interior. His deduction of the activities had been unfortunate in its accuracy.
The second girl, whom He know recognized as madoka the daughter of the village magistrate was kneeling within a semi-circle of five boys. With apparent willingness she was in turn taking each of the offered penises in her mouth and performing frenzied fellatio. Raion recalled that this girl was known for her proclivity for pillowing and by her style this was not her first experience of multiple partners, He watched as one of the participants unwilling to await his turn any longer pulled her to a more upright position and rolled her already very short skirt up to her waist exposing her tight buttocks with the tiniest of red thongs clearly visible disappearing between her parted thighs. The flimsy material was no match for the boy's youthful exuberance and was soon hanging torn from her waist. Rather than show distress at this destruction the girl simply arched her back to display her swollen and soaked labia lips more clearly. The boy slid a hand between her legs momentarily before transferring the abundant self-lubricant to her pouting anal bud. The girl shuddered and moved her semen filled mouth to the next waiting semi erection. The boy's penetration of madoka's ass was both fast and deep. Raion was impressed with her ability to take such a sudden investment happily with slight to no foreplay. She responded at the depth of the first thrust by squirting violently and continued to do so for several seconds whilst pushing back to swallow every possible length of the invading shaft.
Madoka's was a lost cause, a suitable and probably willing candidate for one of chouko's less traditional and decidedly less savory establishments. Without doubt she would make a handsome living and be in due course married off to some wealthy customer. Chouko herself had traveled a similar road but at least had the good fortune to be trained in the formal geisha tradition. Hence her ascendency to mama-san of several well-known and often frequented palaces of delight and her arranged marriage to yamato was a political sound match made in heaven. Yakuza admired the geisha tradition almost equally to the more profitable modern house of ill repute. Chouko was mistress of both and also much to boss yamato's joy a very proficient dominatrix.
Emiko was laying stretched over a packing case her almost naked body only protected from the rough timber by a soiled rice sack. It was apparent from her movements that she had at least regained consciousness and was trying as best possible to please the two men standing over her. Mausu stood above her head dangling his testicles in her face and leering stupidly as she gamely licked his sac. Harinezumi was bent with his face pressed between her thighs lashing with his tongue and biting hard enough to make her twitch each time his teeth made contact. Raion was glad to see no force was being used in either pillowing but wondered if the amount of alcohol so recently planted into the girls' blood streams had no little influence on at least emiko's wiling compliance.
Raion watched with a vacant stare. Nothing here was new to Him, no thrill of voyeuristic pleasure made His heart beat faster and worse perhaps no depravity would spur Him to intercede. Life was full of such tableau's, perhaps not as graphic or carnal, but certainly as questionable a choice of action as any of these. Then harinezumi laughed and Raion's eyes turned black. Not this the emotive bugle of the stag in rut, not even the lustful guffaw of a fornicator, this laugh was evil, nothing but pure unadulterated evil. Without hesitation Raion opened the door and entered, the very image of shinigami, the reaper.
Chouko's party reached the threshing house forty minutes later. Raion sat quietly upon an old upturned stone grinding wheel with the two girls perched either side of Him still shaking and as white as ghosts. The call had been totally unexpected. Firstly Raion did not own a cell phone and secondly would never ever be expected to use one. The conversation had been brief and as instructed chouko had collected five of her husbands most trusted men, some gasoline and had made post immediately for the rendezvous.
"You look better Daimyo."
"A man needs exercise sometimes chouko."
"It seems to be much in agreement with you Raion."
Raion smiled. Chouko had picked up on His indicator that this was a decidedly unofficial situation.
"Yes formality is probably not suited to this occasion."
"I was surprised by your call."
"Dear emiko here was kind enough to supply the phone, dial the number and connect the call. I only had to speak. That I can fathom even in My dotage."
Now it was chouko's turn to grin widely. The Daimyo was truly back to Himself. She made to enter the building but one of her companions blocked her path giving an emphatic shake of his head.
"Best to let your companions deal in there. It needs to burn utterly anyway. Such an eyesore. The kind of place bored youths might go, have a wild party, carelessly catch the place on fire and be caught in the inferno. Such a terrible waste."
