The oppressive rains pounded the village for the third straight night. And yet all this water could not wash away the grief of the last raid. The lord of this region kidnapped several more young men and even a few young women for his pleasure. Though mothers wept for the loss of their children, no one openly uttered a word against their lord, for to do so would result in the severest of punishments. A peasant is nothing more than the property of the lord that governs him. To speak against one's lord would be to speak against the gods that rule the fates, the very order of man's existence, or so many believed.

Little Tora didn't understand. To his young mind what punishment could be worse than to be stolen from one's family in the middle of the night. Although none in his family suffered from this latest raid, at the age of twelve he realized that the next raid may include him, as well as his thirteen year old sister. The thought of losing Hitohana to those night raiders made Tora shudder. Though none have ever opposed the daimyo Toritofu, Tora's heart burned with a rebellious fire. "Providence be damned!"

The rains faded as they always do. The village returned to the fields in the service of their master. For their labors they would receive a portion of food, a simple place to live and protection.

Unlike the rains though, the memories didn't fade. Tora sought the council of his peers and he found a small band of friends that shared the same discontent against their fate as he did. As they grew older they plotted strategies to avoid the night reaper's hand. Recognizing they could not confront Toritofu's men in hand to hand combat, they created several hiding places to conceal themselves from their dreaded fate. Most would hide in the fields covered in mud and vegetation.

The months and then the years past. Although the soliders came regularly to collect the daimyo's taxes, the raids had ended for a season. However, the planning of the peasants did not. More devices and plots were hatched, just in case the soldiers returned to take more than just the produce from the fields.

Tora loved Hitohana along with his parents and yet he could not bring himself to tell them of these secret plans. Though the fear of his father's wrath was fading, he still could not trust him. The lad's papa-san spoke too much of the way of the kami and of the order of man.

Therefore, with great caution Tora entrusted Hitohana with one secret. Actually, it was a gift, if one could even call it that. A small vial of the deadly poison. His words brought her no comfort when he gave her the venomous drug.

"It would be better for you to die, Hana, than to allow those beasts to make a waste of your precious life. Should those men come for you, you may drink this to escape their wretched designs. Your passing will come quickly and without a sound."

Though it pained her to think of it, she swore an oath to Tora that she would carry it at all times.

To be continued...