JAPANESE EMPIRE 4

The Edo Castle....

The samurai's with the ronins came around the Castle premises, the samurai's had the ronins paraded in a straight line as they moved to the Emperor's apartment.

The ronins treaded roughly on the ground due to weariness, Osako regarded the premises of the Edo castle, he saw groups of villagers saying epithets at them in a loud utterance, his fellow ronins also regarded that, it told to the ronins what they had become, outlaws.

A mob tried to move towards the ronins but the samurai's blocked them off, they could stone the Ronins to death, but they are to be reserved to serve the emperor's punishment, but the resilient villagers still attacked the ronin's, they threw decayed fruits at them, the samurai's didn't stop the villagers from that act, it wouldn't kill the ronins, it would mortify them only,

"if they knew what we were fighting for, they wouldn't be attacking us, curse the ignorant." Osako whispered to himself, he knows the villagers knows not what they are doing, by condemning those who fight for them, they also know nothing about the corrupt rulership in Japan, that made the life of peasants miserable.

Decayed tomatoes paltered over osako's face, and it trickled down to his mouth, osako, knowing fully well it was decayed, tried to get a few into his mouth, to quench a bit of his hunger, he succeeded at that but it made no significant difference to his hunger.

It didn't take long after that, the ronins arrived the royal premises, they came into the confines of a long green bamboo fence, that ran around the periphery of the Emperor's apartment, they confined a bungalow apartment, possessing an antique Japanese pattern of building.

The crowd wasn't let to go In with them, for the royal premises is a restricted area, only royals are allowed, daimyo's, shoguns and samurai's.

The samurai's dragged them into the Emperor's compound, and forced them all to go on their knees in a straight line, the ronins showed little or no resistance to that order, they were all worn out.

Emperor mastumoto takahiro, with a group of Shoguns emerged out of a bungalow apartment, they all came with little smiles on their faces, seeming marveled to finally meet those who has rattled them for so long, with them out of the society, the Shoguns has no opposition, they would do whatever they will with the Empire.

The emperor came forth, with the shoguns behind him, all dressed in regal kimonos contrary to the ronins raggedly kimonos.

"I never thought I would one day find you rebels at my door step, takahiro said, whilst looking disdainfully at the ronins.

You've caused us so much pain, but I shall make your pains infinite." He added.

"Death is not pain but freedom." Osako said, fierce impacts rammed about his cheek, slaps from the Emperor for a rude reply, osako still looked the emperor in his eyes even after the fierce slaps, he showed the emperor how opposed he is to him and the shoguns, the emperor spat on his face, a sign of condemnation in Japanese tradition.

"Take them to the keimusho, they shall be executed tommorow morning, after series of torture."

The samurai's dragged them away to the keimusho, a cimmerian prison, made special for criminals with heinous crimes and those who fight against the authorities.

The ronins were thrown into the keimusho, to be tortured and excecuted by the kawa o muku way, which involves peeling of the skin with a katana while still alive.

*********************

Midnight in the keimusho....

The ronin's were hung by chains on both hands, the samurai's rid them of their kimonos and left them all with briefs only their bodies were all bare, and below their belts were all bare too, from their laps down to their toes, but briefs covered their private parts, they were all that way because, the samurai's had them prepared for torture.

Osako groaned, Pangs of pain ran through his body, from his arms, down to his knees, and his body was smoothened by sweat, he hasn't died of hunger, the samurai's gave them little food and water to preserve them, Kubo who was hung beside osako had been motionless for many hours, osako thought he was dead or uncouncious.

"Hey, Kubo." Osako called,

Kubo's head trickled up, he looked at osako, with paleness smeared over his appearance, he could barely open his eyes, his lips were tick out of thirst.

"Just hold on little guy, am about to get us out of here." Osako said.

Kubo gave him a slight nod, and closed his eyes, his head rested downwards, he hasn't much strength to ask osako how he plans to break them out.

"How do you plan to break us out.?" Mitsuo asked, he was hung behind Osako, he spoke with the remaining scraps of his strength, he hoped he would get a valuable answer from osako,

He was weary too, given his coarse voice.

"Look at my hair." Osako said.

Mitsuo drove his head up, to see his hair.

"What Happened to it?." Mitsuo asked.

"It's unpacked." Osako said,

"How will that set us free?," mitsuo asked, with a little stern in his voice, he had began believing, osako had nothing valuable to say.

"It was packed with an ivory pin, now they are in my hands." Osako said.

Mitsuo's eyes opened wide a little at the hearing of that, yes, osako's hair was packed before with an ivory pin, but now it spreads along his neck, ivory pins are sharp thingies, that is usually used by Ninja's to break into safes and break into homes, ivories are called the annullers of a blacksmiths magic, osako could use that to rid his chains and rid others of their chains too.

While in his thoughts, osako jumped down from his chains, unwillfully it made everyone in there lively, including Kubo who stayed half dead,

"Osako how did you do that?." Takeshi asked.

Mumbles made its way into the keimusho, the thirteen ronin's whispered softly to eachother,

"How did you do that master.!" Atsuki yelled, one amongst the ronins,

"Shh keep your voice down." Osako cautioned atsuki, in order not to alert the guards standing outside, not too away from the keimusho, Atsuki has a crude nature, a little bit naive and dumb, he's just one amongst the ronins because of skill and dedication, he is the least graceful amongst the ronins and lacked intelligence.

"Get back in the chains osako, said bunji, you will bring us nothing but trouble."he added he saw osako's action as a potent habringer of their deaths,

"Why do you discourage people a lot?." Osako asked bunji, his dumpy physique, dangled in the air as he stared at osako.

"Why do you think you are always right in your actions.?" Bunji reproved, osako barely knew what to say next, bunji's question was hard to answer, osako made as if to utter a word, but refrained, it seemed he was unsure of the reply he intends to give.

"How do you even intend to get us out of here?" Bunji asked, he mowed to hear the craps osako had to tell, bunji would still call osako's explanations and plan nonsense, even if they sounded great, and intelligent, osako knew that, it made him to not give bunji a reply.

"Bunji, Would you rather die by, execution or die while fighting?." Takeshi intruded with his words,

"I rather die fighting." Mistuo said.

We rather die fighting, me too,a few more answered, disregarding the question was for bunji, bunji delayed in replying takeshi.

Osako casted a fierce stare at him, they said, is dying with disgrace desirable than dying while fighting, which has honour.

"For fear, you 'd rather not try at all, than try and fail," osako said to bunji, bunji turned his head away from his scrutinizing eyes, he felt a little shameful, osako's words convicted him, the words judges him to be a caword.

"We die with nothing more than honour." Osako said with a tight voice, it showed a strong will, he went about freeing everyone else.

Osako chose to start with Kubo, the little guy, quite a few protested against that, they felt they were more deserving of early attention considering their old ages.

"Hey Master, start with me." Said gen, the oldest amongst the ronins, old gen, almost at the verge becoming a sexagenarian,

Just like Kubo but in an opposite way, his bones are too old for the sort of scourge he is going through.

While osako was rummaging in kubo's chain hole with the thingy ivory, spright footsteps came alive suddenly, the steps clattered, signaling there were more than one person coming to the keimusho, the footsteps had also chattering sounds coming with it, to osako, the chattering sounds seemed to come from a set key hung and dangling by somebodies hips or hands,

The ronins mumbled, making suggestions for osako.

"Go back into your chains." A few said, "take the guards out, some audacious ones suggested, osako chose to go back to his chains for some Reason best known to him.

It didn't take long, mastumoto takahiro the emperor, appeared before the keimusho door with three samurai's, takahiro looked observantly at the ronins, he took a quick roll call, and also checked to see if anyone wasn't in his chains anymore, ronins are once samurai's, they are to be carefully dealt with, it was what takahiro was doing.

The samurai's with him opened the keimusho door, the emperor walked in first