‘How can you? Who else here has blond hair and a big nose!’ he said, pointing at the throng of samurai all with dark hair and small features. They both laughed out loud.

A samurai came over, a bemused look on his face, and handed them each a bowl of rice and smoked fish.

Sitting down to eat, Akiko said, ‘There have always been female samurai, Jack. Six hundred years ago, at the time of the great Gempei War, lived Tomoe Gozen whose courageous deeds are honoured with a verse in the Heike Monogatari.’

‘The Heike what?’ asked Jack, through a mouthful of rice.

‘The Heike Mono-ga-tari is the epic tale of the struggle between the Taira and Minamoto clans for the control of Japan. Tomoe Gozen was a female general for the almighty daimyo Minamoto Yoshinaka. She rode into battle and fought as skilfully and valiantly as any male samurai.’

‘Go on,’ encouraged Jack, taking another portion of smoked fish with his chopsticks. ‘What was she like?’

‘The Heike describes Tomoe as exceptionally beautiful, with white skin and long dark hair. She was an outstanding archer, and as a swordswoman she was a warrior worth a thousand men, ready to confront god or demon, mounted or on foot.’

‘She sounds invincible.’

‘To many samurai she was. Some thought her so powerful that they believed she was the reincarnation of a river goddess.’

Akiko put down her bowl and looked directly at Jack.

‘She could break wild horses with unparalleled skill and could ride down perilous descents unscathed. Whenever a battle was imminent, Yoshinaka sent her out as his advance guard. She wielded a katana and a mighty bow; and she performed more deeds of valour than any of his other warriors.’

Jack was stunned into silence. There was more to Akiko’s fervour than a simple respect for Tomoe Gozen’s achievements. Akiko clearly had something to prove – as a female samurai herself.

‘What did Dragon Eye mean by a… rutter?’ asked Akiko suddenly, keeping her voice low so that the samurai eating nearby wouldn’t overhear.

‘Err… I don’t know,’ mumbled Jack, taken off-guard by her directness. He knew this was a poor answer. He had been struggling with his conscience ever since he’d decided to keep quiet about the rutter.

‘But Dragon Eye demanded it from you. What is it?’

‘It’s nothing…’ Jack made a move to leave. He was not used to such forthright questioning from Akiko.

‘Jack, it is a mighty nothing for Dragon Eye to risk his life for… and for Chiro to lose hers!’

Her voice had risen in frustration and several of the samurai nearby glanced up from their bowls. Akiko forced a serene smile, bowing her head slightly by way of an apology for her outburst, and they returned to their meals.

Jack considered Akiko for a moment. Could he really trust her?

He had to. She was his only friend.