Parting Thoughts
7 October 1998
by Ed Rubin

I am, perhaps, a little too jumpy, Naoki thought to himself as he watched Ishi and Marako, heading off to Journey's End City, take a path different from the one on which he, Ozaki, Takehai, and Jinjiro were continuing on their way to Usagi Castle.

Naoki couldn't help but wonder what ulterior motives Marako had in this journey, and he was sure she must have some, for it didn't seem to him that it was absolutely necessary to rush off into the Scorpion lands simply to inform them of something that they could all relate as they passed through on the way to Crane lands. There must be something more, Naoki affirmed. Maybe, though, it was simply the lingering concern that Marako and Jinjiro had, in passing, aroused in Naoki concerning Jadoma's behavior, his secrecy.

They had wondered if Naoki were going to challenge the old man to a duel, or simply strike him down. To Naoki, though, most people seemed secretive, like they had their own agendas, so Jadoma was simply acting normally. In fact, the two of them, especially Jinjiro, seemed to think there was honor involved here, but then if so, wouldn't one of them have acted, since they felt so strongly about the letter of honor? Or perhaps non-Crab honor was merely a game, sometimes one way, sometimes another, as it so often seemed.

Bah! Enough of this! Naoki exploded mentally, Although I am perhaps correct in thinking that this line of thinking is what has brought me to believing that Marako has a secret agenda. Of course, Jinjiro has also just recently proven that we five are not as close as I had begun to think. First he asks me if I want to kill Jadoma for withholding information, then he bluntly tells us that he refuses to discuss the background of the crime he wants us to help him investigate.

Honor! Maybe he is subtly asking me to challenge him? 'You should challenge Jadoma for keeping secrets, and, by the way, there's something that I'm not going to tell you.' If this trip leads to the death of another friend, I may take to dueling anyone who withholds information from me... At least I know Ishi's two or three 'secret' agendas.

With a heavy sigh, Naoki turned back to the road ahead. He was sad to remember that Seiki would not be present at the Hare Castle to greet them when they arrived, for he had died in the siege, and so there would be no friendly rematch of the Jiujitsu sparring Naoki and he had so long ago, it now seemed.

Well, the trip to the Crane lands would be fun, and Naoki was looking forward to sampling their fabled sake and geisha, both of which he had been without for far too long. He was also looking forward to not seeing any walking dead in the near future, and that could last as long as possible, as far as he was concerned.