The Shogun’s Second Son

Chapter 1

Hiro reached yet another fork in the cavern’s maze and stopped to consider his options. Icy, mirror-like walls displayed four reflections of Hiro and his tattered kimono. He turned to his closest reflection, straightened his spine, and pulled his shoulders back.

“You’re not lost.”

He peered down each possible path, all bathed in sunlight from crevasses above.

“You just don’t know where you’re going yet.”

Many men had entered this same cave and never returned. Those men truly had gotten lost. Perhaps eaten. Probably both.

But Hiro didn’t panic, he didn’t cry for help, and he didn’t whip out his sword just in case. Because when you can draw a katana as fast as Hiro, not even a saber-tooth snow leopard can sneak up on you.

He was heading in the right direction, or at the very least, wasn’t walking in circles, because the corpse at his feet was one he hadn’t seen before. Steel armor and a heavy wool coat covered the skeleton. It had to have been a soldier from this winter; it was certainly dressed for the cold.

Hiro eyed the corpse’s clothes. His goose-bumped, thinly covered skin screamed for him to take it, to bundle up, though a grown man’s outfit would never fit him. He should’ve known to wear layers. After all, the locals had called this place the Ice Cavern of Death.

Hiro kicked his hand-carved sandal into the corpse’s steel-toed boot, partially out of frustration, partially out of boredom. The clang bounced off the cavern’s walls and traveled into the cave.

A humming snarl answered back.

Was that…growling? Angry growling? A daring grin spread over Hiro’s face. With a path picked, he continued into the cave, fired up, but still cold. Focused, but still adrift.

---

Outside the mouth of the cave, a bundle of armored spearmen and weary townsfolk shivered not only from the arctic wind, but also from anticipation. The echo of Hiro kicking the corpse’s metal boot reached them. The distorted noise no longer sounded like a simple kick to armor, but retained its violent, steel-gnashing crash. They gasped as a group.

“Is he…?”

“Do you think…?”

“Did he do it?”

Murmurs flared up.

“…Well if the suspense is eating at you that bad,” One townsman told another, “Why don’t you go in and look for yourself?”

“Don’t be foolish,” a woman said, “you heard the boy – nobody goes in but him.”

A young man tugged on the arm of a heavily clad soldier, cloaked in white, scaly steel. “Excuse me…sir? What happens if he is in danger? How will we know?”

“Him? In danger?” the soldier scoffed through his helmet. He turned to his comrades and sent a chuckle their way.

“This isn’t funny! This is life or death!”

A woman grabbed the young man’s sleeve. “Show some respect. These are Lord Howaito’s men…”

“Yes, I know! So why send a child in to do an army’s job? Or better yet, where is the almighty Lord Donzai Howaito?” One-by-one, the soldiers heard bits of the young man’s tantrum. A wave of scowls came his direction, yet he continued. “He’s supposed to be some great samurai, is he not? Why not come do this himself? Surely, he can eradicate this monster!”

“You imbecile,” Someone in the crowd replied, “That boy in the cave IS a Howaito.”

The young man’s face dropped as if he’d been delivered a terminal diagnosis. He rattled off a few deep apologies to the soldiers nearest to him.

A white bearded man in a fuchsia kimono turned around to face the group of citizens. “If you are part of my village, you will refer to the ‘boy’ as nothing more than Prince Yuzuki, if you know what’s best for you. Whoever doesn’t will receive a fine from my office first thing in the morning.” He looked at a soldier who stood a full head’s height above everyone else. “I apologize on behalf of my people…Bin-hama, was it?”

he barrel-chested soldier turned his tree-trunk neck and smiled behind a red mustache. “Please, Mayor, it’s quite alright. And you can simply call me Bin. Or Captain Bin, if you must.”

The village’s mayor nodded. “Remind me. It was the eldest son, Prince Yuzuki, that we sent forth, correct?”

Bin’s eyes widened as if his pants had fallen down. He regained his composure, leaned towards the mayor, and whispered, “Both of Lord Howaito’s sons are samurai. Does it really matter which one the palace sent?”

“I actually may have the note from the bat hawk here…I’ll check…just to avoid any confusion -”

The mayor withdrew a finger-sized scroll and started to read it, but Bin snatched it. “I suppose I wasn’t clear…Does it matter which of his sons Lord Howaito sent?”

---

Back in the cave, Prince Hiro - not Prince Yuzuki - followed the rumbling, growling sounds. But if their volume was any indication, Hiro wasn’t getting any closer to the source.

He put his hand on the shimmering, wet wall and closed his eyes. Perhaps Ice would tell him where the creature stirred.

A few minutes passed, and Hiro felt it. A slight tick grazed across his palm, a vibration. Hiro had called on Ice, and Ice responded, telling him that something was down the cavern. Hiro grasped the handle of his katana and marched.

---

Outside the cave, a woman drew a cotton blanket around her chilled neck. “That boy’s too young to be Prince Yuzuki. He’s got to be Prince…was it Hairo?”

“Who?”

“Prince Hairo?” A man repeated. “Lord Howaito has a second son?”

“It’s Hiro. Like hero, only spelt different,” a woman coughed, “and yes. Lord Howaito has two sons. The other one’s nearly a man, and Hiro…Well, he’s about your age, wouldn’t you say?” She looked to a boy standing off to her side, no taller than her shoulder.

“Yep,” The boy said. “They say he can lift a wagon over his head. That he can talk with nature.”

“I heard he can control his sword using only his mind,” An old man said.

“A Howaito that’s also a samurai. In other news, the sky is blue,” a man snarked.

“I heard he’s ruthless. More ruthless than his father.” Another townsman chimed in.

“The Sogenese call him The Mad Marauder for what he did to prisoners in the war.”

“No. You’re getting the two confused,” a woman replied. “That’s the elder son, Yuzuki. Hiro would’ve been too young to fight in the war.”

The huddled group felt and heard a rumbling. This time, it wasn’t coming from the cave. It was coming from behind them. One by one, they turned to see a unit of ostrich-back cavalry fast approaching. The unit carried a white banner with swords spelling “H” in the center.

“Speaking of their eldest…” The woman added with a lump in her throat.

“All kneel!” A soldier shouted before removing his helmet and lunging forward. His comrades and the townsfolk followed suit, taking a knee, lowering their heads.

One of the ostrich riders pulled to the front of the huddled mass of townsfolk and ripped off his helmet, revealing a full head of brown hair with white streaks. Whispers sparked across the crowd.

The teenage rider took one gloved hand and ran it through his brown and white hair, forcing it back behind his ears. Once his hair slicked back and stayed in place, the boy scanned the townsfolk with radiant blue eyes. His structured, handsome face nodded, as if to approve of their presence. After a forced cough, he addressed the crowd with a deepened, almost theatrical voice.

“Fear not, loyal servants to the White Empire. Your leader is here. I will expunge the world of this creature, make no mistake about it. My father, his holiness, has destined me with this most…destined task. I will -”

The boy stopped abruptly and furrowed his brow. “You.” He pointed at Bin. “What are you doing here?”

“Prince Yuzuki,” Bin bowed his bald head. “I apologize for the confusing situation. I am here by order of Prince Hiro, who said –”

“That was a rhetorical question!” Yuzuki roared with vein-popping suddenness, causing the crowd to stiffen.

Bin’s bearlike frame usually kept him from cowering from any man, but things like size, strength, or courage didn’t come into play when speaking to a member of the royal family. So when Yuzuki snapped at Bin, he shuddered like a kicked puppy. “I’m sorry, sire, it’s just that sometimes, it’s not quite obvious whether I’m supposed to answer or –”

“That’s enough!” Yuzuki dismounted, stepped toward Bin, and whispered, “I don’t care WHAT my brother ordered you…Tell me this, you utter buffoon, because this is not rhetorical. Where is my brother now?”

With his neck veering down, Bin pointed to the cave, like a child who’d been scolded into tattling.

Yuzuki stepped back, slicked his hair once more, and gave a military bow to all of his father’s soldiers. He then turned to the largest soldier who arrived with him, another bald soldier who shared Bin’s mountainous size. Instead of having a distinctive red mustache like Bin, he had a straight scar that extended from his forehead, over his eye, and down to his nose.

“Konimara,” Yuzuki said to the scarred man, “you’re in charge.”

“Sir,” Konimara bowed.

Yuzuki jogged into the cavern. As soon as he was out of earshot, Konimara turned to Bin. “See that? I’m in charge.”

Bin slapped Konimara behind the knee, a space left unguarded by armor. Konimara buckled. The townsfolk suppressed their laughter.

---

In the tunnels, Hiro approached the turn where Ice had led him, where the vibrations originated. Whatever was in the cave should be right…here…

Hiro stalled with a raised eyebrow. Instead of a saber tooth snow leopard, Hiro found another fork in the cavern, this one with a mildewy odor.

A slow, moaning creak echoed. Hiro listened. On the other side of the wall, something weighty snuck across the mushy floor. Something stood but an arm’s length away, separated by a thin wall of damp rock.

Hiro took a deep breath, a pause. A moment of resolution. In one fluid motion, Hiro stepped from the corner, withdrew his katana, and swung it mercilessly at –

Yuzuki.

The razor-sharp edge of Hiro’s katana stopped a hair’s width from Yuzuki’s bare neck. Two brothers, nearly identical in appearance, stared half angrily at one another with their cheekbones high and jaws clenched. Their uncommon blue eyes locked. Yuzuki may have had four years on Hiro and the height to prove it, but Hiro had a more sinister stare, trademarked by the bean-shaped birthmark that rested just beneath his right eye, making it look eternally swollen.

Hiro held the katana to Yuzuki’s neck for one blink too many. Yuzuki slapped the sword to the ground. “Idiot. Get that thing away.”

“So. You found out,” Hiro said. “Who told you?”

“Let’s just say I had a feeling. Didn’t hurt that the guards on the tower walls saw your little escape.”

“Does father know?” Hiro asked.

Instead of saying yes, Yuzuki gave Hiro a flat-mouthed stare. Stating the obvious wasn’t worth the breath.

Hiro held out his hand, and his katana zipped back into his grasp, like someone had tossed it his way. “You just missed it. I think I’ve finally bonded with Ice.”

“Oh?” Yuzuki smirked in a way that advertised his disbelief.

It wasn’t easy, but Hiro let Yuzuki’s slappable face go unslapped. Instead, he turned his attention to the sheets of ice as he cracked his knuckles. “I’ll show you. Step aside.”

Hiro placed his both bare hands on the wall and focused all of his intention into his palm. By passing off his energy into something familiar, such as Ice, Hiro could get it to do his bidding. For example, he could make Ice reveal if something existed further down the hall, a sort of echolocation. Or so he thought.

A sneering grin trickled across Yuzuki’s mouth as Hiro tried so hard, yet had nothing to show for it. “Time for you to step aside,” Yuzuki said as he removed his glove and placed his open hand on the wall, right next to Hiro’s. The ice on the wall rippled gently, like a pebble hitting a calm pond. Yuzuki looked at Hiro with toying eyes. “You felt my bond.”

“I knew it was too good to be true.” Hiro huffed and started walking.

Yuzuki jogged to catch up. “When you bond with an element, you’ll know. It’s much different than bonding with an object, like your sword, for example. It’s much stronger.”

“If your bond with Ice is so strong, why don’t you tell me – where’s that stupid leopard?”

“And give you a chance to put a bone on your belt? To get in dad’s good graces?” Hiro scowled at this, which Yuzuki matched. “Fine,” Yuzuki said with a drawn-out exhale, “I’ll lead the way, you can do all the heavy lifting - but no more stealing my missions.”

Yuzuki kept on hand on the wall as he led Hiro deeper down the narrowing passageways, until they reached a dome-shaped dead-end, a chamber. Curled up at the far end of the chamber, a snoring, white-furred cat slept with its man-sized saber teeth in full view.

Hiro extended his arm. His katana flew from his belt and into his hand, as if a ghost had unsheathed his sword for him. “He’s mine.”

Yuzuki chuckled.

“Is something funny?” Hiro asked.

“…You’re going to use your sword? To kill an animal?” Yuzuki scoffed. “Where’s the honor in that? You might as well kill it in its sleep.”

Hiro’s glacier blue eyes turned to slits as his suspicions rose.

Yuzuki put his hands up defensively. “Do what you need to do to kill the thing. All I’m saying is…father was wrestling – and beating - bearhogs when he was your age.”

“Bearhogs aren’t saber-toothed leopards.”

“You’re missing the point. Look - if you use that,” Yuzuki eyed Hiro’s katana, “father’s not going to be impressed.”

That seemed true. Still, Hiro studied Yuzuki like he’d dealt too many bad hands. “This is one of your games, isn’t it?”

Yuzuki shrugged and plopped down on a rock perfect for sitting. “Like I said, do what you need to do…no judgement here…” Yuzuki put his index finger and thumb close together. “Well…maybe just a little…but don’t let me stop you!”

Steam practically sputtered out of Hiro’s ears. He stabbed his katana into the black soil. “Fine. I’ll do it with my bare hands.”

The leopard woke to the crush of Hiro’s sword. Its head jerked towards the two brothers, as it let out a defensive hiss.

“Sheesh - someone’s grumpy,” Yuzuki said.

Hiro removed his flat straw hat and shoved it into Yuzuki’s chest. “Hold this.”

“Floor’s all yours.”

Hiro marched to the center of the chamber. The cat matched his steps, crouching low and approaching Hiro with a predatory swagger. Instinctively, both Hiro and the leopard stalked in a clockwise direction, sizing one another up. For Hiro, there was a lot of size to take in. The cat’s yellow eyes were larger than Hiro’s head; each claw was longer than Hiro’s legs.

“He likes to swallow men whole,” Yuzuki yelled.

“Thanks for the warning,” Hiro mumbled as he took a wrestler’s pose. As the leopard lowered into a stalking pose of its own, Hiro reached for a pebble and tossed it to the corner of the chamber. A click echoed. The cat looked to see where this came from.

Partial distraction was good enough. Hiro leapt onto the leopard’s back.

But only for a second.

The leopard bucked. Hiro cannoned straight up. His head shot through the ceiling. From the neck down, Hiro’s body frantically flailed.

“Bahhh-ha-ha!” Yuzuki busted, keeled over, and grabbed his gut. “Way to use your head!”

“Shut up or you’re next!” Hiro managed to mumble through a thick layer of granite.

Truth be told, it was a close call, and Hiro knew it. Had the cat bucked him in any other direction, Hiro may have been impaled on any one of the pointed, refined icicles that dotted the ceiling.

While Hiro’s body remained stuck, something grazed the bottom of his sandal. Then again. A third bump. Then some more.

Down below him, the leopard curiously clawed at Hiro’s feet, like a cat to a string. Because, well, it was a cat.

Hiro pulled his knees to his chest and put his heels on the ceiling. Using both his hands and feet, Hiro pushed and strained and pushed some more until his head popped his head free of the ceiling. Hiro started to fall back to the ground, back to the leopard, but used his last moment near the ceiling to kick off of it. With blurring force, Hiro bombed into the back of the leopard.

A burst of snow shot to every wall of the cavern, and a feline yelp filled the chamber. Yuzuki went from wiping his eyes in laughter, to covering them from the sudden cloud of debris.

When the smoke finally cleared, when Yuzuki lowered his arm, he could see Hiro backing up from the now thoroughly riled leopard.

“Uh oh…you’ve gone and made him mad…” Yuzuki said.

“No, really?” Hiro said as he backpedaled. He felt a wall tap his back, and stopped. He’d run out of room.

The two human-sized fangs of the cat’s top jaw crashed down onto Hiro’s shoulders. Hiro snatched them. The cat bit down, and it took every ounce of Hiro’s strength to keep the fangs from digging into his flesh. The cat’s bottom jaw came swinging up. Hiro put up his feet, and met the cat’s bottom row of teeth with his heels before they crushed his back. With his arms pressing up and his legs pushing out, Hiro pronged the cat’s mouth open. He could feel the warm, oozing stench coming from the leopard’s mouth. A slow drip of saliva crawled onto Hiro’s chest. He started to lose grip of the saber teeth, and they started to dig into his shoulders, nearly breaking the skin.

That’s when Hiro heard laughing.

“Not…helping…” Hiro grunted.

“Can I tell you something funny?” Yuzuki yelled.

“I’m a little busy…” Hiro felt the cat’s bottom teeth dig through the bottom of a sandal.

Yuzuki continued anyway. “I forgot – father told me specifically that I should take a sword with me today. He said it’d be too dangerous to try and wrestle a saber-tooth leopard by myself.” He paused for effect. “Oops.”

“You’re telling me this now?”

Yuzuki put his face in his hand. “That was my bad. Apologies.” After a soft, likely fake chuckle, he added, “Okay. To make things even, let's say you can go all Howaito on it.”

“You serious?” Even as the leopard’s coarse tongue grazed Hiro’s leg, this offer brought a smile to his face. “Because once I start, I’m not stopping.”

“Yes,” Yuzuki chuckled.

“Sure?” Hiro asked.

“Go for it.” Yuzuki said.

Hiro’s palms, still clenched to the teeth of the leopard, emitted a faint green light. Hiro’s eyes heated to a brighter, pearly shade. Some of his brown hair lightened to a visceral white.

The leopard’s jaw pressed down a little softer. Hiro’s body tightened and stiffened. Strengthened.

Hiro rolled to the side, out of the leopard's mouth. Once he regained his footing, Hiro ran full steam at the cat, shouldering it against the wall. Snow, ice, rocks, and dirt piled on top of them, as the leopard scratched and clawed and fought for freedom, while Hiro landed rabid punches, body blows.

Hiro spent himself beating down on the cat, and the strength he had borrowed began to wane. His hair darkened back to brown. His eyes deepened back to ocean blue. His punches landed a little softer.

Time was limited. This had to end, now.

Hiro grabbed hold of the cat’s fur, taking a smidge more energy. Then he feigned a retreat by jumping backwards to the center of the chamber. He looked up to the ceiling, where thick icicles hung. This better work.

The leopard pounced, and as he did, Hiro expelled the rest of his borrowed energy at once. He leapt up as hard and as fast as he could, catapulting his body into the ceiling above, just as had happened before. Only this time, Hiro landed spread-eagle among the icicles.

The chamber rumbled. A cascade of sharpened ice crashed down into the chamber below, burying the leopard.

Hiro landed and took a knee. With heavy breaths, he watched the pile of ice and snow for movement. For growling. For signs of life. For anything. When the last dust of snow had settled, Hiro let out a manic laugh and fell to his butt. “Wow…” He shook his head in disbelief. “Father said to bring a sword, huh? Wait till he hears about this.” Hiro looked his brother’s way. “Right? I mean, that wasn’t so –”

The bloody leopard bounded out of the snow and lunged at Hiro.

Hiro didn’t have time to react. He hunkered down and shielded his face.

But nothing happened.

Hiro uncovered his eyes. Floating just above the cavern’s floor, the leopard was wrapped in a layer of ice and snow, like a layer of light armor.

Across the chamber, Yuzuki stood with his arm outstretched, his concentration high. With one fluid motion, Yuzuki took the same arm and made a spear-throwing motion. The leopard flew into a wall at neck-breaking speed. The cavern rumbled. An explosion sent a plume of snow and dust across the chamber.

The rumbling settled. A few frozen seconds passed. Smoke cleared, revealing a lifeless, limp paw sticking out of a pile of crushed boulders.

Hiro exhaled. Realizing the close call, Hiro started to chuckle, but stopped abruptly when he heard clapping from the other side of the room. This wasn’t a victory. At least, not a victory for himself.

Yuzuki sauntered forward, still clapping. “Well done, well done. You not only charged into battle without the slightest clue as to what you’d do, you also needed me to help bail you out. Your lack of progress is truly remarkable.”

Hiro snatched his straw hat back from Yuzuki’s head. “I didn’t need your help. I had that handled.”

“Sure you did.”

Both boys stopped. Their heads turned to a pocket of the room, an alcove around a slight corner. From the alcove came scratching, gnawing. Whimpers.

“…Do you hear that?” Hiro asked.

Yuzuki shushed him.

For a few controlled breaths, they listened.

Yuzuki broke the stillness and tiptoed towards the commotion. He waved Hiro to follow him. With modest steps, they took time reaching the corner. The sounds got louder, more intimate. Yuzuki carefully withdrew his sword. “Stay back.” Hiro didn’t have to be told twice. After a calming breath both in and out, Yuzuki jumped out from behind the corner. He lowered his sword, let his guard down, and put a palm to his forehead.

“What?” Hiro asked.

“Come see for yourself.” Yuzuki pointed at Hiro’s katana, which was still sticking in the ground. “You’ll need that.”

Hiro held out his hand. His katana flashed across the chamber, and the handle landed cleanly in his palm. Only when he had his sword did Hiro round the corner.

At their feet, nestled in a bed of twigs and leaves, was a litter of five newborn saber-tooth snow leopards. They were no larger, no more dangerous than a housecat.

“They’re…so small,” Hiro smiled.

“For now.”

Hiro held up his sword. “…Why do I need this?” He caught on to Yuzuki’s serious disposition. “You don’t mean…”

“Someone has to do it,” Yuzuki said.

Hiro sighed. “We could sell them. Have the larger teeth extracted when they come in. There are people in the northern Aisume that’ll train them. They can be broken, made into hunting pets.”

“Good idea. Try telling that to the villagers outside, who’ve lost loved ones to these things,” Yuzuki said coldly.

Hiro stared at the crying litter. Perhaps they were hungry. How long could they last on their own?

“Hiro,” Yuzuki nudged. “It’s now or never.”

The leopard, the big one, was merely a mother defending its own kin.

“Don’t be weak,” Yuzuki said.

“I’m not being weak,” Hiro said. “I’m just…thinking.”

“That’s a first,” Yuzuki scoffed. “How about this. If you finish the job here, I’ll tell father that you took down the leopard all by yourself.” Yuzuki looked intently at Hiro, who stared at the ground, offering no signs of agreement. “No?” Yuzuki asked. When Hiro still did nothing, Yuzuki pushed him aside. “Fine then. Suit yourself.”

Yuzuki raised his sword. Hiro turned away and moped to the other side of the chamber, towards the exit. “What, you’re not even going to watch?” Yuzuki asked playfully.

Hiro turned back. “If you’re going to do it, at least do it in a…less painful way. Use Ice or something. Put them to sleep.”

Yuzuki nodded contemplatively. “You have a big heart, Hiro.” Yuzuki put his sword away, and held out his hand towards the litter. “Just wait until father finds out.”