Act VI - Winter’s Blood (Finale)

Sunpu Castle

In the winter of 1614, year nineteen of the Keicho era, the Shogun’s campaign for the siege of Osaka had begun. The siege was planned to put an end to the last major opposition to the shogunate’s establishment; the Toyotomi Clan. In an effort to circumvent this attack and bring a swift end to the conflict Toyotomi Hideyori, sends an army of assassins to Sunpu Castle to assassinate the supposed retired Shogun Ieyasu. The attack was led by the Iga Ryu’s most lethal ninja, Kumorigachi. Having successfully infiltrated Sunpu, the ninja warrior stands in the courtyard of the Shogun, with only Ieyasu’s most trusted bodyguard, Lady Yukichi separating Kumorigachi and the Toyotomi Clan from complete victory over the Tokugawa Shogunate. With the screams of battle all around them, Kumorigachi and Lady Yukichi stand ready for the final battle that will determine the fate of Japan…

ACT VI – Winter’s Blood

(An image of both warrior’s in their fighting stance is shown)

Lady Yukichi: I shall take your head, a prize!

Kumorigachi: Come and claim it!!

[The two opponents come at each other both with a fierce determination in their eyes. The initial clash of their steel creates a flash and both twist away from each other and offer counter slashes that alternately miss their marks. They exchange a handful of short quick strikes that meet each other’s blades and both retreat out of range of their katana.]

Kumorigachi: (confident) Your reputation is much deserved, Lady Snowblood! Long have I awaited crossing blades with the Demon Samurai, they say your Phantom Blade is unmatched.

[In an elegant display of an attack formation, Lady Yukichi gently puts both knees together and bends them slightly, placing the palm of her left hand along the width of her blade, placing her sword a few inches from her face. Kumorigachi can see her eyes, peering at him from the edge of her blade.]

Lady Yukichi: (smiles) Toyotomi chose his assassins well, for you are said to be the spawn of the Thunder God himself. I too have longed for this match…tell me Broken Cloud, do you believe in fate?

[Kumorigachi bends his knees and spreads his legs far apart, bringing him closer to the ground and holds his Katana back with both hands and looks at her.]

Kumorigachi: I believe we do what we can, until of destinies are revealed to us. Then we do what we must…

[Lady Yukichi has a flashback of Gennosuke Raizo by the river saying those exact words on their last meeting together all those years ago; a forgotten memory, buried underneath all the hate inside. Kumorigachi notices Yukichi shift her eyes downward and takes advantage by suddenly engaging her. The two offer strikes and counter strikes that are mutually met with cold steel. They both spin away and towards each other in equal displays of great fighting ability.]

Kumorigachi: You’re more assassin then you are Samurai my Lady! Your thirst for blood is evident in each stroke of your blade. A samurai’s duty is to protect and defend the interests of his lord, not to kill!

Lady Yukichi: (still confused by the memory) You are no mere Shinobi! Who are you? Why are you here??

[Just then Kumorigachi dodges a backhand slash and counters by ducking and spinning away and countering with a backhand slice of his own. Lady Yukichi puts her knee up and quickly places her blade in front of her knee to block the ninja’s sword from slicing her leg in half. They both recoil and retreat out of range of each other’s katana.]

Kumorigachi: (answering) I’ve come to take the life of the man, who took mine, a man who also perverted the life of one whom I loved. I wasn’t always like this…I had honor and love before his wickedness corrupted it.

[Maybe it was because of what he said, but something inside Lady Yukichi changed. He reminded her of Raizo. He looked different, but a familiar feeling of love crept back into her heart]

Lady Yukichi: You fight for a memory, one that hides behind the shadows in your dreams. It is but a whisper that vanishes in the careless wind. Why fight for the loved and lost?

Kumorigachi: Because love can overcome even the spectre of death and because justice is the great equalizer… Step away my Lady. This is not your fight!

Lady Yukichi: It is not justice you seek, Assassin. It is revenge and it’s the deadliest of vices. Take your men and leave. No harm will come to you…This mercy; I extend to you only once.

Kumorigachi: I’m afraid, I’ll have to decline your generosity my Lady.

Lady Yukichi: Well then, if it is justice you seek…I’ll be your deliverer…

[With the snowflakes steadily falling and having already gauged the other’s skill, the two slowly come together and connect blades. The pieces of steel slide together inching closer to each other as their feet dig in the snow to commence the battle. Kumorigachi thrust his body forward, in order to use his upper body strength to gain separation and land a quick slice to her throat. As Lady Yukichi is propelled back, she bends her body backward and the ninja’s sword goes over her face barely missing her. She quickly recoils forward and drives her blade forward towards Kumorigachi’s mid section, which because he was in mid swing, left it exposed. Kumorigachi having anticipated her move, somewhat impossibly, bends his wrist clockwise to whip his sword in a circle back around to intercept the strike. Lady Yukichi’s blade is redirected upward and away from the ninja. The two stand with their swords pressed against each other towards the sky. Lady Yukichi stares over Kumorigachi’s shoulder in amazement.]

Lady Yukichi: (whispers) Setsuju ken tai!

[Setsuju ken tai translation The way of the intercepting blade. Both Miyuki and Raizo grow up under the tutelage of Master Swordsman Irako Kogan. Only to the top ranked Samurai’s of the Kogan school was given the knowledge of the Setsuju ken tai technique. The form was unique in that it offered no offensive strikes; its moves were based solely on defensive maneuvers, to block strikes from a sword when in positions where no block was possible. The moves originate at the wrist; it calls for the hyper contortion of the wrists in order to deflect a blow. Learning the technique is pure torture as learning it often lead to dislocations and outright breaking of the wrist. Because of its sheer brutality, Kogan only taught his best students the technique. To date only two of Kogan students were known to have mastered the form. Lady Yukichi and a long dead Ronin called Gennosuke Razio.]

Lady Yukichi: (peering into the distance) How did you come by the technique?

Kumorigachi: It was taught to me by my Sensei. Master Koga…

[Lady Yukichi interrupts him and disconnects from his blade as she holds her fighting stance a couple of meters away from Kumorigachi. She refuses to look into his eyes, perhaps out of fear. Like a child is afraid to peer into the darkness. Maybe her heart could not fathom the man in front of her to be her beloved, Raizo. She could not let the possibility enter her mind. There must be another explanation]

Lady Yukichi: (angry) You lie! Sensei Kogan lived long enough to teach that form to only two Samurai.

[She engages him again, this time more fiercely than before. Kumorigachi counters by increasing his agility as well; his moves become crisper and more evasive. They begin a graceful, yet violent dance. Kumorigachi swings his blade around Yukichi’s thrusts as their feet come so close together they could touch. Shogun Ieyasu remains in the distance seemingly happy to see that Lady Yukichi has gained the upper hand on the ninja assassin. A warped smile can be seen on his face. Her blows begin to get closer to their target.]

Lady Yukichi inner monologue: (refusing to believe he is Raizo) He can’t be…he’s a thief, a worthless vagabond, an assassin for hire; who would adorn any identity for a kill.

[As she speaks to herself Kumorigachi is busy blocking each glancing blow trying to keep pace with his opponent until ultimately he is down to one knee, Lady Yukichi plunges her blade downward and says]

Lady Yukichi: Did you take his life? Did you kill Gennosuke??

(Kumorigachi blocks her stroke as they both stop to catch their breaths. Kumorigachi looks up at her through the blades and says)

Kumorigachi: (whispers) Miyuki, how could you… (breathes deeply) How could you massacre all those people? Do you not understand, I would’ve died for you, my beautiful snow…

[Lady Yukichi slowly pulls away in disbelief and with tears in her eyes. The years have not be kind to her, as the guilt of the massacre on the night of blood,Yorochi , ate away at her conscience. She lived her life in a quiet depression, knowing all the blood spilled that night was innocent. Though her legend was born that night and because of it, she lived well off, no one ever dared question her about that night. To Miyuki it was a nightmare she couldn’t wake up from and topic she could never talk about. Kumorigachi’s question was like a knife through the heart]

Kumorigachi: (gets up slowly, angry) I didn’t want this life for me… I didn’t want it for you!

[Lady Yukichi’s face displays a heart broken and ashamed look. She desperately tries to justify her actions that night]

Miyuki: (teary and angry) It was my duty as a Samurai, I did the job you weren’t prepared for. You hid your cowardice behind the Busido Code . You decided our fate the moment you traded your honor for fear! You killed us!

Gennosuke: (determined) There was no duty or honor it what you did. It was murder.

(Gennosuke slowly takes out three Shuriken “ninja stars” and a handful of black pearls. This signifies that he will now employ ninjutsu tactics and begin to fight as a true ninja.)

Kumorigachi: Let’s end this.

[They both begin to run towards one another and as Kumorigachi launches his shurikens and pearls. Lady Yukichi blocks the ninja stars with her blade. The pearls where thrown on the ground to disrupt her advance and they exploded as they landed, which prompted Yukichi to flip in the air to avoid further explosives all the while blocking incoming shurikens. Kumorigachi began advancing with his blade all the while still throwing projectiles in her direction. He began to shadow blend and seemed to vanish whenever Yukichi delivered a blow in his direction. These tactics started to frustrate the Samurai, as she began an aerial assault on the ninja, to keep from getting hit. At one point Kumorigachi appears behind her and she flipped in the air and twisted her body mid flight to get directly on top of him and she thrust her katana downward, only to have his body disappear before the blade could penetrate.]

Lady Yukichi’s Inner Monologue: (looking for a disappeared Kumorigachi)Where are you?

[She closes her eyes and slowly picks up her katana with the blade facing downward. She stands seductively, her body appearing curvy and coiled. She raises the katana over her head, the blade piercing forward, ready to be plunged into a facing enemy. Her breath can be seen in the cool winter air and the large snowflakes begin to slowly fall from heaven. She keeps her eyes closed and listens for any movement. Suddenly Kumorigachi appears in front of her sliding on one knee ready to slice her. His momentum is propelling him in front of her. He is careful to avoid the plunging blade, when he notices that a few inches from the hilt of the sword a single large snowflake is cut in half. In that split second he realizes the Lady Yukichi’s sword has a blade at both ends. One which is invisible…A Phantom Blade. He ignores the thrust of the solid blade and instead blocks the incoming glancing blade from up top. The lighter and more brittle blade shatters, upon clashing upon his steel, into hundreds of smaller chards of pink and white. Lady Yukichi’s Phantom Blade Technique has been exposed and she stands in her follow through in disbelief.]

Kumorigachi: (Confidently smiles) You don’t really think you’ll win do you…

[Just then a loud thunder clap can be heard and it begins to rain]

[Not being able to hear a word the two warriors are saying, the retired shogun Ieyasu can only see the fight in anxious anticipation. He has seen the two celebrated swordsmen live up to their reputations has skilled fighters. Indeed in his 70 years he has never seen a duel so evenly matched and beautifully executed. A small part of him wished that the entire nation could witness this duel, but throughout he was confident, Lady Yukichi would win out. He never thought about escaping, the safest place in Sunpu Castle was nearest Lady Snowblood. Back in the courtyard the rain starts to come down steadily. The ground begins to get slushy and muddy as the two fighters try to get good footing]

Miyuki: (amazed) Rain… (looks up) It really does follow you everywhere.

[Raizo begins to display his sword wielding techniques, he swings it behind is back, over his neck and back around, twisting it in his hands. The water that reflects off his blade catches faint lights and appears blue and white. Like the color of lightening, his blade is brilliant in the rain. Miyuki stands in awe of her opponent]

Miyuki: I would’ve loved to hear your story. It must’ve been a hard and lonely road you travelled since that warm day by the river.

Raizo: And I yours. There’s still time Miyuki. Ieyasu must die today, just step aside and let’s end this.

[An image of a young Raizo, shielding her from the taunts of the other students flashes in her head, as the water from the rain collects on her hair and pools down across her eyes, she temporarily closes them]

Miyuki: (tears well up in her eyes) I can’t!

Raizo: (angry) Too many peope are depending on me to survive. If I don’t do this thousands will die! Those that put their trust in me, will die.

Miyuki: (upset) Then we have the same problem. If I let you hurt him, those that put their trust in me will surely lose their lives, as well. I will never again be responsible for the blood of innocents!

[They both raise their swords, as the thunder echoes in the halls of Sunpu Castle. The lightening rips apart the heavens, as the two combatants prepare to engage. A memory of his Sensei flashes in his mind with the lightening. Suddenly he is back in the dojo of Master Kogan, Irako orders Raizo to fight Miyuki, the two students are forced to go against their loving instincts and fight each other. Thunder brings Raizo back to reality, as he stares at Miyuki, he looks behind her and sees the Shogun sitting on his throne in the distance. He looks towards the rooftops and notices a clear path on the roof to get to the Shogun. He jolts for the nearest wall leaving Miyuki behind.]

Miyuki: Raizo! No!!

[She follows him up the roof and uses her flash step technique to come up in front of him. An image of them on the rooftop can be seen, rain and lightening all around them in the failing light of twilight. Miyuki engages him and they both begin to trade blows, careful not to lose traction the slippery rooftop]

Miyuki : (referring to the Shogun) He will not die by your hand or any hand you command. If you go near him, I will kill you.

[Raizo again evades her by jumping down to the court yard and she follows, they trade a couple of my glancing blows and Raizo again jumps high to the rooftops. They continue this way. Unknowingly they both are fighting images in their minds of the countless sparring sessions they shared. At one point Raizo sees a beautiful young Miyuki in front of him, wielding a wooden staff. While she chases Raizo to the rooftops Miyuki has a flashback of herself chasing a laughing teenage Raizo through the halls of the dojo to get to the swords first. She remembers the time she was so mad he won a race, that she punched him because of his cocky smile afterwards. A lightening flash brings her back to reality as she catches up to Raizo and they began to fight]

Raizo: I’m not going to hurt you, Miyuki! But you have to let me do this. This is bigger than the both of us. Why do you defend him?

Miyuki: It’s the lives he and his son control that I protect. If he dies, the Toyotomi Clan will execute them all. I will not let that happen, just because Toyotomi sins different from Tokugawa doesn’t make him any better!

[They both arrive at the edge of a rooftop closest to the seat of the Shogun. It’s close enough that Raizo can see the whites of Ieyasu’s eyes. All he needs to do is jump 20 yards in either direction and he will land at the feet of the Shogun, but Miyuki is stands between them. Raizo stands catching his breath has the rain streams from his face. Raindrops drip from Miyuki’s ear lobes as she herself attempts to catch her breath. Raizo knows there is no turning back, and no scenario will end well for either he or Miyuki.]

Raizo: Why is fate so cruel to those who believe in it the most? Standing here in front of you, my destiny has finally revealed itself to me…now I do what I must.

[He gently lowers his sword. Out in the distance he can see his army of ninjas, dying valiantly, holding on, just to give him the window of opportunity to kill the Shogun. A window that is slipping away… Miyuki lowers her katana in response to Raizo. Unknowingly, she has given up. She will no longer stop him from killing the Shogun. All of the memories that have come rushing back to her mind while fighting Raizo, have brought her right back to the day by the river and the last conversation they had. She couldn’t bring herself to hurt him. She drops her katana and it lands by her feet. Upon seeing this, the nervous Shogun gasps in fear]

Miyuki: (tired) Raizo…

[Suddenly Gennosuke lifts his katana and slices it through the air in the direction of Miyuki’s neck. In Raizo’s mind the blade is going so slow, he can see the single rain drops being cut in half as it moves closer to its target. The move was so quick and sudden that Miyuki had no time to react or to think. Upon instinct alone she unsheathes the shoto (short sword a Samurai must carry, located by the mid section) and plunges it into Raizo. Based on the speed of Raizo’s strike, her head should’ve been on the floor before her hands could grip the shoto, she didn’t have time to land a counter strike. But Raizo stopped the blade within an inch of her neck. He meant to provoke her, knowing she would react with her shoto. He knew this was the only option. It was his destiny…Miyuki landed a fatal blow into his torso. For the briefest of seconds she taught he had decapitated her. Only to realize the blade never touched her skin and that he was mortally wound by her sword.]

Miyuki: (tears in her eyes and in disbelief) No!! Why did you do that? Why??

[Raizo takes her hand still holding on to the shoto and drives it deeper into his body, thereby pulling Miyuki closer to him. He then caresses her beautiful rain soaked face]

Raizo: (smiles) You know I could never hurt anyone that looks at me the way you do.

[Something that he would always tell her, as kids, after letting her win]

Miyuki: (crying) Please don’t leave me again…I’m so sorry…

[Raizo is now struggling to stay up and speak. The rain continues to fall gently on their faces. The thunder rolls faintly in the back ground. The lightening has ceased.]

Raizo: I told you long ago…that I’d die before… becoming…anything less than… the man you loved. Now I will no longer be ashamed to have spoken…those words.

Miyuki: (wiping the blood from the side of his mouth) Why would you let me hurt you?

[No longer being able to support the weight of his body, Raizo doubles over and falls off the edge. Miyuki holds on to the shoto, Upon seeing this, Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu smiles in victory. As his body falls to the ground Raizo sees Miyuki, elegant and beautiful surrounded by a white light. She is no longer wet and crying but smiling and extending her hand to him. Falling he extends his hand out to touch her]

Raizo: Mi..yu…ki…

[He lands on his back a few feet below. The thunder grows silent and the battle outside the walls is over. All the ninja’s lay dead. The rain becomes a light drizzle, as Ieyasu speaks to a stunned Miyuki standing looking over the edge]

Shogun: Well done, Lady Yukichi! This truly was an epic battle between Dragon and Tiger…Finish Him!

[Miyuki jumps down to Raizo below and gently lands by his side. He is barely conscious, but is looking up at her, with blood streaming from his mouth. She sits beside him and places his head on her lap. He tries to speak..]

Miyuki: (teary) Don’t speak my love… It’ll all be over soon…this crazy life of ours!

[She looks out over the courtyard and sees a cherry blossom tree naked and cold. Choked out of life by the sting of winter’s chill. In her mind she can see it displayed in all of its colorful glory in the spring time, when their love was still pure.]

Miyuki: (crying, caressing his face) You were right my love! The cherry blossoms are all perfect…We will be together again, you and your beautiful snow. When our soul’s destines collide once more…

[These words were uttered by Raizo in their last meeting all those years ago and Miyuki repeated them to him as he drew his last breath…the rain finally stopped…]

The Shogun: (angry) What are you doing there? Is the worthless assassin dead or not??

[Miyuki gently grabs Raizo head and places it on the ground. Tears are no longer in her eyes. She takes her short sword and cuts off the samurai bun in her hair, a symbol of her samurai honor and status. Her hair falls to the floor into a poodle of water and mud. She walks ominously towards the shogun.]

Miyuki: That worthless assassin is Gennosuke Raizo, the Greatest Samurai in the empire. And he is not dead! He is waiting for me in the afterlife. There is just one more thing left for me to do…

[Miyuki’s eyes are cold and blank as they pierce deep within the Shogun. Her walk towards him is the scariest sight he’s even seen. He pleads for his life…]

Shogun: What are doing? I command you to stop!!! Don’t come any closer…noooo!

[A single image can be seen of the throne in which the Shogun was seated drenched in blood, dripping off the edges.]

A caption reads:

The Siege of Osaka was divided into two campaigns (Winter and Summer) and lasted from 1614 through 1615.Because the war against the Toyotomi Clan was already under way, the assassination of Tokugawa Ieyasu was covered up, in order to avoid devastating the morale of the soldiers, his death was announced one year after the war and the official statement was that he died of natural causes. Hattori Hanzo’s rebellion at Edo Castle and his men’s attempt to assassinate Tokugawa Hidetada failed and Shogun was unharmed in the uprising. With Toyotomi Hideyori’s plans ruined, Tokugawa’s forces lead directly by the Shogun, reached Osaka Castle in the summer of 1615. On June 3, 1615 at the Battle of Tennoji, Toyotomi Hideyori committed Seppuku and the final major uprising against Tokugawa rule was put to an end, leaving the Shogunate unchallenged for approximately 250 years…

For all the fallen Samurai and Ninja who helped shape the future of Japan.