Tale of the Warrior Geisha Read Online Free PDF

a thousand ants crawled on her. She scurried to the shade by the koi pond. “
Ai.
No. It’s awful out here.” It felt like she’d stepped into a suffocating, steamy bath.
    Akemi shrugged. “Tell me a poem. Take your mind off the heat.”
    Yamabuki closed her eyes and recited the first line of a poem that came to mind.
“In the sky, as birds that share a wing / On earth, as trees that share a branch.”
    â€œPretty. What does it mean?” Akemi sat down next to her.
    â€œHow should I know?” Yamabuki felt petulant. Her stomach hurt. She clenched her fists, the heat continuing to sear at her skin. Then she bent and scooped up a handful of pond water, splashing Akemi full in the face.
    Akemi looked as startled as Yamabuki felt. She hadn’t meant to hit her friend directly in the face.
“Sumimasen,”
Yamabuki said immediately.
    â€œOh, you want to play like that, do you? I bet you can’t take it.” Akemi splashed Yamabuki back, soaking her head. The water felt good.
    They stared at each other, then began splashing in earnest, the koi fish scattering to the far end in fright. Yamabuki shrieked as Akemi held open her kimono, sending a handful of cold water down her front. “Cooled down yet?” Akemi shouted.
    â€œHow about you?” Yamabuki had never felt so bold. She poured water down Akemi’s front.
    â€œIt’s slimy!” Akemi shrieked as the liquid coursed down her bare chest. “Get it off of me! I think there’s a fish in it!”
    Yamabuki laughed. “There’s no fish.”
    â€œI feel it! It’s in my kimono!” Akemi danced around.
“Ai!”
    â€œStop moving.” Yamabuki put her hand inside Akemi’s kimono. Her flesh felt cool. She patted around Akemi’s ribs. “I don’t feel anything.” Her hand went upward.
    Akemi gasped, her long lashes fluttering.
    Yamabuki froze, looking into Akemi’s eyes. Akemi’s were as dark and deep as a well. Both of them held their breath. Warmth overtook Yamabuki’s whole body, shaking her, and she stepped away, confused. What had just happened?
    Akemi stuck her own hand into her robes. “Here,” she said triumphantly. In her palm was a tiny tadpole.
    â€œGirls!” Yamabuki’s father stood only inches away, his mouth open and eyes wide. His slight, scholarly frame swam in his brown kimono. “What are you doing?”
    Both of them clasped their kimonos closed tight. “Nothing.” Yamabuki couldn’t bear to look at either her father or Akemi.
    He pushed her aside and bent down. “You’ve gotten my book wet. These are not cheap, you know.” He picked up the damp
Tale of Genji
, holding it tenderly in his skinny hands.
    Yamabuki blew out a long breath. She bowed.
“Sumimasen, Otōsan.”
    Akemi bent even lower, all the way to the ground.
    Otōsan sighed, glancing up at the sky. “It should dry quickly on a day like this. But clean yourselves up before your mother sees you.”

SIX
    Tomoe Gozen
    H IRAIDE R UINS
    S HINANO P ROVIN CE
    H ONSHU , J APAN
    Spring 1169
    T he boys were too far ahead.
    They were hiding again, as they had when they were small. Back then, they had hidden for fun. Now, they hid to test themselves. To see if Tomoe could find them. If they had done well, she should not be able to.
    They had gone to the Hiraide Ruins, not far from their farm. This place was home to Japan’s oldest ruins—pottery dating from ancient times had been found here, and there were remnants of pit houses, too. The deep holes the ancient Jomon people had dug out were still here, their walls squared off. They lived in the pit, putting roof structures over the top. Tomoe shivered to think of all the people who had once made this their home. She hoped there were no ghosts.
    All of them had played here as children, hiding in the pits and springing out at each other. Yet Tomoe was not