8 The Shogun's decision

Chapter 8 The Shogun's decision "Hello again," said the friendly guard, waving Kojima, Sarah, and Jackson through the gate and into the sprawling grounds of Edo Castle. They passed small walled-off areas, which Kojima explained were called citadels, and houses of different sizes, each with its own garden. "Those houses are used by Daimyos when they visit," Kojima explained. He stopped at the entrance to the largest citadel. "This is called the honmaru. It's where the Shogun lives."

Once inside, Kojima led the Timekeepers to the palace, and spoke to a guard. Sarah saw him show the inro. The guard took the three friends to a grand hallway. At the other end was a pair of sliding paper doors. These weren't plain like the ones in the Silver Moon. They were painted with countryside scenes of birds, flowers, trees, and streams. On either side of the doors were two huge porcelain vases, decorated in blue, red, and lots of gold.

The doors slid open to reveal four samurai warriors. They bowed at the Timekeepers and Kojima then moved apart to let them enter the room. The Shogun was in the center. He wore black robes and was sitting on piles of colorful pillows. His head was partly shaved, and the rest of his long hair was pulled into a topknot. "Welcome," he said to Kojima. "You have a message for me, young samurai?" Kojima bowed and handed over the inro. Sarah watched anxiously as the Shogun opened it and took out the paper scroll. His eyes moved slowly up and down as he read the columns of Japanese writing. Please believe the message is genuine, Sarah thought. Please don't be suspicious of Daimyo Matsuzo... The Shogun passed the scroll to an attendant and examined the inro itself. Sarah held her breath. She could see that Jackson was twiddling his fingers. He's nervous, too, she thought. "Ah!" said the Shogun. "I know this octopus design well. Daimyo Matsuzo always has it embroidered on his kimonos." He looked up at Kojima, his face serious. "Are things really bad in your province?"

The samurai nodded. "The earthquake has destroyed so much. It will take a long time for us to rebuild our homes and replace the paddy fields of rice that have been lost. We fear that many will starve if they don't have help. Daimyo Matsuzo could not leave them." "No one will starve," declared the Shogun. He turned to one of his samurai. "Please arrange for local farmers to pack up rice and food to be sent to Daimyo Matsuzo's people." Kojima bowed and thanked the Shogun for his generosity. "Thank you for bringing me the message," the Shogun said. "Now, we must send building materials for new houses too..." The Timekeepers beamed at each other and high-fived behind their backs. "Mission accomplished!" Sarah whispered. The people will be helped, she thought, and Japan will continue to be at peace! Outside the Shogun's castle, the friends were saying goodbye. Tempo chirruped on Kojima's shoulder. "Cuck- ook-erook."

"Thank you, Sarah and Jackson," Kojima said. "Who knows what awful things might have happened to our people if I didn't deliver that message? I couldn't have done it without your help." "CUCKOO!" Kojima laughed. "Thanks to Tempo, too. I can't wait to tell my friends back home about our adventure." Sarah grinned. "Our friends will enjoy the story as well." To herself, she thought, It has given me lots of ideas for new stories, too! Kojima bowed and wished them well. "I must begin my journey home. Everyone will be so pleased to hear that help is coming. Goodbye, my friends." He adjusted his armor and started off. "Bye, Kojima!" Sarah called. "Safe journey!" Jackson yelled. The young samurai raised a hand, turned a corner, and disappeared. "Time for us to go, too," Jackson said. Tempo flew around them, faster and faster, until... Flash!

Sarah blinked. They were back at the History Hub. The other Timekeepers gathered around, eagerly asking questions. "Was the mission successful?" "Did you see any samurai warriors?" "Did you meet the Shogun?" Sarah and Jackson were just finishing their tale, when Hannah cried, "Whoa! Look at that!" She pointed to the Moments in Time pin board on the wall. Among the postcards and other images from the Timekeepers' adventures in history, there was a new picture. It was a beautiful woodblock print of Tempo and