Jack and Yamato ran into the Buddha Hall together.
The Yagyu School went wild when they saw their champion carrying the
Jade Sword. Kamakura swelled with pride, adjusting his finery in
preparation for accepting the sword and victory.
Masamoto sat next to him, cross-legged upon the raised dais. His
expression, detached and serious, was fixed, for when Yamato had entered
the Buddha Hall bearing the sword, it was as if Masamoto had been
replaced with a papier-mâché model of himself, a husk that had had all the
life sucked out of it.
The cheering died down to a hushed murmur of respect as Jack and
Yamato approached the dais and bowed.
Akiko and Saburo knelt to the right-hand side, Raiden and Moriko to the
other. Akiko gave a forlorn smile, clearly glad to see Jack in one piece but
dismayed at their defeat. Yamato stepped forward, the Jade Sword in hand.
Kamakura prepared himself to accept the offering.
It had taken Jack a great deal of persuasion to convince Yamato to carry
the sword, but eventually he had agreed, accepting it to be the best way to
reconcile him with his father. Jack didn't care about the honour of winning
the Taryu-Jiai. Masamoto had shown him great kindness by taking him in
to his family. Jack didn't want to be the reason for the family breaking
apart.
Yamato bowed once more and went down on one knee raising the Jade
Sword above his head with both hands. Kamakura reached out to formally
accept the offering and seal his triumph of the Taryu-Jiai, but before he
could lay his hands upon it, Yamato turned and presented the sword to his
father.
'Father, I ask for your forgiveness and bestow to you what is rightfully
the victory of the Niten Ichi Ryū. I was not the one to retrieve the sword. It
was Jack.'
A moment of perplexed silence fell upon the hall.
Jack's mouth dropped open in astonishment. This is not what they had
agreed. Yes, he was to give the sword to Masamoto, but he was not to say
Jack had retrieved it. That was to be Yamato's glory. The proof Masamoto
was looking for that Yamato was good enough to be a samurai warrior,
worthy to be a Masamoto.
Akiko looked in wide-eyed wonder at the bowing Yamato and then at
Jack, who was shaking his head in silent dispute.
Masamoto gave Yamato a dubious look. 'Is this the truth?'
'Yes, Father. But Jack insisted that I was the one to hand it to you.'
Ignoring Jack's protests, Masamoto nodded once, the issue decided. He
stood up and took the sword from Yamato's outstretched hands.
'The Niten Ichi Ryū are deemed the champions of the Taryu-Jiai!'
announced the equally baffled Imperial Court official.
The whole of the Buddha Hall erupted into a cacophony of cheers from
the Niten Ichi Ryū. Raucous heckling exploded from the Yagyu Ryū side and
Raiden stamped the ground in frustration, while Moriko bared her black
teeth, hissing her disgust at Akiko. Kamakura's face flushed red with fury
and his throat quivered as if he was choking on an oversized frog.
'This is an outrage!' Kamakura eventually cried, shoving the official to
the floor. 'An outrage!'
Kamakura threw a curt nod in Masamoto's direction then stormed out of
the hall, his samurai hastening close behind. The official picked himself up
and called for silence. Once the noise had finally died down, he deferred to
Masamoto.
'Students of the Niten Ichi Ryū!' began Masamoto, ceremoniously
brandishing the Jade Sword and raising it in a heroic salute. 'Today we have
witnessed what it means to be a samurai of this school!'
There was an explosion of applause. Masamoto held his other hand up
for silence, stepped off the dais and walked over to Jack.
'At the start of your year, I said every young samurai had to conquer the
self, endure punishing practice, and foster a fearless mind. This boy, Jackkun, is proof of that. Today, he fought with valour and courage. He defeated
the enemy and won honour for this school!'
There was another explosion of applause even louder than before.
'But bushido is not just about courage and honour. Nor is its purpose
fighting and warfare. Though they may be necessary stops on your journey,
they are not your destination. The true essence of bushido is rectitude,
benevolence and loyalty.'
Masamoto turned to Yamato and placed a hand on his son's shoulder.
'Yamato-kun has demonstrated this very essence. Admitting such truth in
the presence of so many takes extraordinary courage. Perhaps greater
courage than retrieving the Jade Sword itself.'
Masamoto held the gleaming sword aloft and the school cheered once
more.
'Yamato-kun, you have answered my question,' he continued, looking
down at his son with a warmth Jack had never witnessed before. 'I asked
you to tell me what it means to be a Masamoto. What you have just
demonstrated is exactly what Masamoto spirit is all about. You have
honoured and respected Jack-kun, your fellow samurai. You have shown
integrity. You are truly a Masamoto. I accept your apology a hundredfold
and implore you to return to the Niten Ichi Ryū.'
Masamoto bent down on one knee to be level with Yamato.
Jack couldn't believe it, and by the shocked look on Akiko's face neither
could she. Despite everything that had happened, Masamoto was formally
and publicly accepting Yamato. The moment was not lost on the rest of the
students and a respectful silence descended upon the hall as they all bowed
their respects to Masamoto and Yamato.
Father and son bowed to one another.
'Bushido is not a journey to be taken lightly,' he declared, getting to his
feet. 'I told you that the path of the warrior is lifelong and mastery is simply
staying the path. Students of the Niten Ichi Ryū – stay the path!'
The Buddha Hall thundered with fervent applause.