Death and Taxes

First Published: FIXME Dark Horse Presents 140 (?)

• Miyamoto Usagi

This eight-page story opens with Usagi entering a village, where there is a celebration in progress. One of the villagers explains they have just finished their rice harvest, hence the celebration, and that the surplus has been sold and they plan to deliver their taxes to the local magistrate the following day. Usagi relates he has heard news of bandits in the area and offers his services as a bodyguard. However, an older villager, Kaikei, interrupts and says they would rather handle the business themselves. However, he offers his services to guide Usagi to the next city on a little used but scenic mountain pass: "We may be ignorant peasants but we know these mountains." (Throughout the rest of the story, just being "an ignorant peasant" becomes Kaikei's refrain.) Usagi agrees to Kaikei's offer.

Later, while traveling on the mountain path, Usagi and Kaikei see the villagers transporting the taxes get ambushed by bandits on the main road below them. Too far away to help, they helplessly watch the bandits capture the villagers' cart, though the villagers escape with their lives at least. Shortly thereafter, Kaikei and Usagi are accosted by a small group of brigands themselves. Already in a bad mood, Usagi makes short work of the bandits after they refuse to let them pass in peace and attack.

A short while later Kaikei and Usagi reach the city without further incident. Usagi endeavors to make a polite goodbye, but Kaikei demands payment for guiding him on the mountain path. Usagi maintains Kaikei never said anything about a payment, but Kaikei ends up playing on Usagi's sympathies over the stolen tax money, and Usagi relents, giving Kaikei the single gold coin he requests.

After Usagi grumpily departs, Kaikei is greeted in the street by his cousin. Kaikei recounts recent events, revealing the villagers robbed on the main road were actually a decoy and that he, Kaikei, actually carries the tax money. Kaikei goes on to say he even had a bodyguard that he did not have to pay for-that he made money from instead-and that there are four dead bandits back on mountain path that they can collect the reward money for. Kaikei ends the conversation with, "I guess for a bunch of ignorant peasants we're pretty smart after all, neh?"

Last change: 19. May 2003

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Usagi Yojimbo, including all prominent characters featured in the stories and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of Stan Sakai and Usagi Studios. Usagi Yojimbo is a registered trademark of Stan Sakai. Names, characters, places, and incidents featured in this publication either are the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons (living or dead), events, institutions, or locales, without satiric content, is coincidental.