Yamato faltered, stalling his approach, and stared at Jack who lay pinned down under Kazuki.

‘How could you let that happen, Yamato? A gaijin, part of your family. The disgrace!’

Kazuki’s words rebounded off the walls of the Butsuden, echoing ‘Disgrace! Disgrace! Disgrace!’ in Yamato’s ears.

‘I can end this dishonour. I can break his arm such that even Masamoto could never fix it. I don’t know many one-armed samurai, do you, Yamato?’

Jack could see Yamato weighing up his options. On the one hand, how much better it would be for Yamato if he was gone, and on the other, there was the debt of honour he owed Jack for saving his life. But that was not the real issue here; the wrath of his father would be the deciding factor.

‘Masamoto will not punish us,’ egged on Kazuki, as if reading Yamato’s thoughts. ‘Nobu is my witness. He saw the gaijin strike me first. I have every right to defend myself.’

Yamato stepped back a pace.

‘That’s right, Yamato, let me rid you of this gaijin. You and I both know he has been a thorn in your side.’

Kazuki twisted Jack’s wrist a notch further to emphasize the point. Jack cried out, the pain searing through his arm like a hot iron rod. Then suddenly the pressure disappeared.

Akiko had slammed her foot into Kazuki’s back, using a mae-geri, the simple but effective front kick they had been taught that day in taijutsu. Kazuki was sent sprawling across the floor.

He flipped over and started towards Akiko.

Instinctively she threw up her guard to counter his attack, but Kazuki checked his strike at the last moment.

‘This is foolish,’ he said, stepping away and raising his hands in a sign of peace. ‘We’re fighting over a gaijin. Masamoto decreed that we should be loyal to the samurai of this school. I will not fight you.’

‘Yet you will fight Jack and he is samurai too,’ retorted Akiko.

‘No, he isn’t. He never will be and he knows it. Just look at him.’

Jack lay on the floor, cradling his arm, his face bruised and swelling where Kazuki had struck him. Akiko looked down at Jack, her eyes filled with pity.

Jack didn’t want pity. He was hurt and ashamed, but not beaten. What he wanted was acceptance, but perhaps that was too much to ask. He turned away from her.

Kazuki bowed and calmly walked over to the door, Nobu faithfully following him, still clutching his stomach. Kazuki wiped the blood from his lip with the back of his hand, then turned and faced them all.

‘I don’t want any of you telling the sensei about tonight.’

‘I’ll tell Masamoto, if you ever touch Jack again,’ threatened Akiko.

‘No, you won’t. If you do, we’ll all be thrown out of the school. Fighting is forbidden within the Buddha Hall.’