“I should use a new name here in Tonami.” I tell Yaso suddenly. We’ve been living together in this group house that Kurosawa had provided us for a few months.
“Why do you need a new name? I can understand Ichinose Denpachi but Jirou Yamaguchi is well regarded by the elders and it seems like a fine name.” She looks up from where she’s taking some empty sacks to fill the gap between the ground and wall. Although winter is almost over, the wind chills are harsh here.
I don’t answer her right away. She doesn’t know who I am except that I was held prisoner by the Western army in Takada. Of course she’d know, she was a prisoner too and about to be taken away had I not stepped in.
“I don’t want to use Jirou, that is the same name I used in the Shinsengumi just like Saitou Hajime… and Ichinose Denpachi…” I shrug, “That was a throw-away name, I did not want the Western army to know who I really was.”
She stops what she’s doing and crawls up beside me to the fire. Now that I’ve mentioned the Shinsengumi, just like some of the others in Aizu I waited for her judgmental remarks but there was none. Instead she just throws some twigs into the small fire and I remember we had nothing to eat tonight. The tuber crops were not ready for harvesting and I’ve yet to find any meaningful employment.
“You have funny names.” She says with a small smile as she looks into the fire. “Hajime meaning the first, Jirou meaning the second and again Ichinose meaning the first. So why “Ichi”?”
I watch her from the corner of my eye. Such straight black hair, although her eyes are quite sullen. “I was born on the first day of the first month.”
“And why Jirou?”
“I was the second son of a Sotsu.” Again I watch her, looking for signs. Now that she knows that my lineage is only of a Sotsu surely not worthy of her family’s 400-koku status. When we were introduced more formally by Kurosawa-sama, I was surprised to find out that she came from such lineage, that her father and brother died in the Aizu war as well.
“You seem very attached to being the first!” She suddenly looks up to me and grins.
“I am -not-! My brother Hiroaki is a big pain in the neck!” Suddenly I’m very cross at her. “Hurry up and figure out a name!”
She puts her hands together and bows in apology but still with a smile on her face. I guess she didn’t care much about my being a second son of a mere lowly foot soldier.
“Well Fujita is a common family name in Aizu, so that will help with your “secret”. But for your first name? Let’s see…” She taps her chin trying to think. Then she puts up a finger in the air and says, “What about Eiji?!”
“Woman…” I sigh, “Eiji is a name for a second son. If that’s where you’re going I might as well be the fifth!”
“Goro then!” Her eyes light up as if she’s very smart but I roll my eyes.
With a shrug I say, “Fine. My name will be Fujita Goro.”
“Oh you’re unhappy.”
“No I’m not.” I turn my nose up a little.
“But you are.” She looks at me seriously and quietly says, “So why don’t you just use your real name? Is it Hajime?”
I nod, “Yamaguchi Hajime but I don’t like that name.” Of course now that I’ve said that, she’s going to ask me why isn’t she? Women are like that.
“Well Fujita Goro sounds like a -strong- name.” Suddenly she winks at me, “And it will be your -fifth- one Goro!”
I sigh. “If you don’t stop teasing me Yaso…”
She raises an eyebrow at me.
“If you don’t stop teasing me I’m going to marry you and change your name too.” I look at her with a serious look on my face. I half expected her to be surprised but instead, she looked thoughtful.
“Fujita Yaso? It doesn’t sound quite as nice doesn’t it?”
“Do you want to keep your last name Shinoda?” I ask.
“Wait are you seriously asking me to?” I see her blink.
“-Yes.-”
“But there’s no paper?” She reminds me. Of course there wouldn’t be. Here exiled in the land of nowhere, who cares about people like us? Losers of the war.
“But I heard there will be a census soon.” I stare back at her.
Suddenly she looks down at her hands and I see her blush. “Goro.”
Reaching out, I cup those hands in mine. Should she be surprised? After all, she’s practically my wife when she came under -my- protection. “I’ll add us.”
The cock crows and it’s the morning. I wake up tired from last night.
Dreams of the past again huh?
I get up from the futon and find the cigarettes that Hide sent with me. Every time I’m away from her I think of Yaso. Why is that? I light the cigarette and open the window. I guess I’ll not be going to back to sleep. I hope she’s getting some sleep tonight.