Feng Shui doctor Shukoku Shun was not entirely pleased with his predicament. Having the egg of an angry dragon in his possession was a very dangerous matter. And there were far too many unanswered questions, such as the motive of the thief. It was unlikely in the extreme that a simple craftsman would take it upon himself to steal something so precious from Benten and that bad-tempered serpent she called a husband. Either the Shogun or the hermit knew more than they were saying. While he could not very well question the Shogun, he would make a point of inviting the hermit to dinner to learn more. Nor was Dr. Shun entirely displeased. The Shogun had shown him great honour and raised his status considerably by calling upon his expertise to investigate and care for the dragon egg. And his household now included three worthless assistants who would bear watching and five esteemed Bushi who would guard him and the egg with their lives. While the Bushi made themselves scarce, the assistants got under foot at every turn and whispered among themselves. They thought he could not hear them, but he had sharp ears and keen powers of observation and knew most of what they were up to. The rest he could guess. They in turn were pensive about the egg and about him, and in fact, not very helpful at all. Not only were they terrified the dragon would appear out of thin air and rip them all to shreds, they were suspicious of their new employer's strange approach to medicine. He was the first Feng Shui practitioner in Kamakura and according to the rumour mongers, a demon in disguise. His assistants would run away if they dared, but the Bushi would only hunt them down and throw them in prison. They had no choice but watch the dragon spawn, help the doctor with his dark arts and wait for an opportune moment to change their fortunes. One day, while the doctor was out on a call, the egg moved. His assistants became agitated and began to plot its destruction. "Do we dare destroy it? What if we're caught?" Taroji worried aloud. "They would know it was us. Where would we hide?" Yugoro asked, biting the hangnail on his thumb to the quick. "We'll make it look like an accident," Ryoichi, the brightest of the three, explained patiently, wrinkling his nose at Yugoro's disgusting habit. "How? The egg is wrapped in silk and kept secure in a trunk. Why don't we sell it instead? It would make up for living beneath our station," Taroji wheedled. "No! They would know it was us for sure!" Yugoro whined and began chewing his other thumbnail. "Listen to yourselves. You sound like a pair of women!" Ryoichi sniffed in disdain. "It's really very simple. We must be very careful NOT to get caught. As soon as Dr. Shun returns, we will tell him straight away that the egg moved. Then we'll wait until the next time he's out, tip the trunk over so that the egg falls out and smashes into tiny pieces. One of us can discover the tragedy and wail at the top of his lungs to attract the attention of the Bushi. When everyone sees it was an accident, we will be relieved of our duties here and go back to the palace where we belong," Ryoichi said with such confidence his peers were convinced his plan would work. "Ah! That is a very clever plan!" Taroji smirked. "Very clever! But won't the goddes Benten and her black dragon lord be furious?" Yugoro asked excitedly, spitting out a piece of nail, which happened to hit Taroji in the face. "Hey! Keep your filthy spit to yourself!" "Shhh! You will attract needless attention. We will not be to blame. The dragon egg is the good doctor's responsibility - and the Shogun's. We are merely humble assistants," Ryoichi said with a humble bow and a devious smile. "Yes and humble assistants are often the first to lose their heads," Yugoro muttered around his thumb. They had no idea the Shogun had sent them on this mission to get them out of his hair. He was constantly hearing complaints about them and would gladly get rid of them were they not the sons of some of his wealthy supporters. Failing such an important task would give him the perfect excuse. Neither did they know the doctor had returned and was in the next room listening to them plot and scheme. Idiots! thought Dr. Shun. Did they not know that both the Shogun and the dragon would hold my ENTIRE household responsible? Possibly even the Bushi! They would not earn their families a single rin of respect from other Bushi should their plan succeed. Quite the opposite. I'll teach these wretched baka a lesson they'll not soon forget! Dr. Shun also had a plan - one that would allow him to catch them in the act. The next day he pretended to be called away on an urgent matter. When he was sure he was out of site, he took a little-known path through his tea gardens to the back of his house, gathering herbs and flowers along the way. He did not wish to make the Bushi more nervous than they already were over the rebel traitors who were skulking about Kamakura these days, especially as he lived on the outskirts of the city at the foot of the mountain on which they were hiding. Once inside, he padded down the hall quiet as a fox and waited just outside the door for the right moment to surprise his scheming assistants. _______ 1 rin = 0.001325 ounce (0.0375 grams) baka - idiot, moron, fool or "dimwit;" also the condition of being stupid; widely used in conversation and, while derogatory, is not taboo