《Tale of Yashima》 Prologue The old man sat in the tiny wooden chair before him, sipping from his tea cup. He set the cup down and clasped his hands over his knees, inspecting the area before him. Not bad, a little poor for his tastes perhaps, but he had seen much worse in these parts. A servant girl ran by him, stopping suddenly when she realised he was sitting there. ¡°Oh! Uh¡­ my lord, I¡¯m so sorry, I didn¡¯t realise you were home already!¡± She bowed low, parallel to the ground. The old man smiled, running a hand up over his elongated forehead. ¡®My lord.¡¯ Yes, this place was not bad indeed. ¡°That¡¯s okay, sweet child,¡± he replied. He gestured to the chair opposite him, a tiny table with a tea pot situated in the middle. ¡°Come, join me for a tea, won¡¯t you?¡± The servant girl looked around nervously. ¡°I am your lord, am I not?¡± She hesitated a moment, confusion fleeting across her face. It faded just as quickly as it had appeared however, and she smiled and began nodding furiously. ¡°Yes, yes, of course, I¡¯m terribly sorry.¡± She continued to bow in apology as she took the chair before him, head kept low. ¡°Tell me, how long have you lived here?¡± The old man poured the girl a cup of tea and placed it before her. She took it without raising her head, continuing to look down at the table. Perhaps she was not accustomed to being the one being served tea. He smiled once more. ¡°For as long as I can remember, my lord,¡± she replied. The cup shook in her hands. ¡°I see. Go, drink, don¡¯t let me stop you.¡± She lifted the cup very slowly to her lips and took a small sip. Steam rose around her face. It was not the prettiest face he had ever seen. Rather average, really. She never expanded on her answer. ¡°And do you like it here?¡± She nodded, still refusing to meet his eyes. It was beginning to feel more and more unlikely that this girl would be the one to engage him with some thrilling conversation this frostbitten evening. She wouldn¡¯t even look at him. ¡°Okay. Well, do you by any chance play Go?¡± he asked in a louder, more cheerful tone. Perhaps a change of conversation. She shook her head. No, of course not. The old man frowned. He took another sip from his own cup, a fine piece of crockery. The lord of the manor had spared no expense there. A cultured man. Very important. He approved. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s try something else. Do tell me, my dear, what do I usually do for fun around here?¡± Finally the servant girl looked up at him and tilted her head slightly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t-¡± The old man smiled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, that¡¯s a strange question, I know. I¡¯m feeling a little ill, would you mind helping me to my study?¡± The girl rushed over to lend the old man a hand. He pushed himself up slowly, leaning on the girl¡¯s proffered shoulder. He was perfectly capable of walking under his own power, but if she was going to offer, who was he to refuse? She lead him into the next room, helping him to the heated pit in the middle. ¡°Thank you so much, you are too kind.¡± He smiled up at the girl as she bowed deeply and shuffled backwards to the door. She disappeared, closing the sliding doors behind her with an audible ¡®thud,¡¯ and the old man let out a sigh. He moved towards the doors leading to the inner garden and slid them open, letting in a cold breeze. Snow drifted softly in the air before him, landing on the bushes and slowly dissipating in the pond. The ¡®thunk, thunk¡¯ of the wooden fountain nearby was calming, even to his old heart. He closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and slowly exhaled.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. This world was boring. This place had proved particularly boring. Not even the servants would engage him this far north of his usual playing grounds. Perhaps it was some northern cultural thing, he couldn¡¯t remember the serving girls being quite this shy in the more populated cities down south. He could usually get at least some interesting conversation out of them, if not the secrets of the household. Servants always knew more than their masters thought they did. Some of these secrets had lead to many a night of fun and games. Yet up here towards the most northern tip of Yashima, an area renowned both for cold winters and cold people, nothing. He stepped down into the garden, leaving tiny footprints in the snow as he proceeded to the wooden fountain. Thunk, thunk. Over and over, the only sound in an otherwise silent world. This was one of his favourite human creations. They had truly exceeded themselves with this simple, yet elegant piece of technology. If only he could have met the human who first thought to cut a piece of bamboo in half and fill it with water. He would shake that man¡¯s hand. Savouring the atmosphere a moment longer, he finally opened his eyes and continued towards the opposite doors leading towards the entrance of the manor. He slid them open, climbed up, dusted the snow off his yukata and continued past a few more servants cleaning nearby. He bowed his head in a marked, precise manner at each one, smiling, and walked into the dark streets outside, brushing past a much larger body. ¡°Wait, who are-¡± the man looked down at him, his brow furrowed. Then his eyes changed and he bowed low. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m terribly sorry, I wasn¡¯t paying attention and didn¡¯t see you there. Please forgive me.¡± Ah, so this was the actual lord of the house. He wore a casual, plain yukata, covered in a light dusting of snow, a sword hanging from his waist. The yukata was a simple, earthy brown colour. Not even patterned. Were all northerners really this dull? ¡°Not at all, my mistake.¡± The old man lowered his head slightly in reply, then continued on his way. The lord of the manor appeared to be the only person on the cold, dark streets at this time of night, and he continued to bow as the old man strolled lazily down the street. ¡°My lord, you¡¯ve returned! Wait, but if you were out, then who¡­¡± The conversation faded into the background behind him. The old man smiled, reaching up to dust some of the snow off the top of his head. He paced the dark streets, taking the village in. Nothing but dreary blackness, snow and never-ending cold. How did these people live? What did they do for fun? In the distance he spotted a dark figure silhouetted against the moonlight. A grin spread from ear to ear. Finally, some fun. He picked up the pace, snow kicking up around his sandals and coating the bottom of his yukata. ¡°Well well, aren¡¯t you just a sight for sore eyes.¡± The smile continued to paint his oblong face. ¡°Please tell me you have some good news for me, if I hang around here any longer I¡¯m going to bury my own eyes in ash.¡± A much taller, slender woman was leaning against a nearby tree. She was like a beautiful, elegant statue carved out of the snow itself. Truly breathtaking. She was one of his favourites. ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s the one.¡± The old man¡¯s face fell. ¡°I see. Well, that is most unfortunate. We¡¯ll just have to proceed without him then.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± She never was one for long, deep and meaningful conversations, but that was okay. She got the job done, that was what mattered. ¡°Not at all, my dear. If it¡¯s not meant to be, it¡¯s not meant to be. Not even I can argue with that.¡± ¡°What would you like me to do?¡± Her gaze never faltered. He felt that, under different circumstances, her gaze alone would rip his still beating heart out and feed it to the dogs. Or perhaps the foxes. ¡°Stay. Keep watching. Wait. He may not be the one, but he¡¯s out there. We¡¯ll find him.¡± He paused, looking up at the woman as a smile spread slowly across his face. ¡°Or her. But for now, stay. Keep your cover. Look for the one who can help us. Such a pity, though, I really thought he would be the one.¡± He stopped in the middle of the road. She was already walking away. ¡°Wait, where are you going?!¡± ¡°I need to get back. My message to the lord has been delivered, now I¡¯ll be expected back. If you want me to keep my cover¡­¡± The old man pouted. ¡°But you just got here, and this town is no fun.¡± She stopped in the middle of the snowy road and turned around. She truly was a breathtaking creature. He could almost see her tails, swishing in the snow. It was a shame she had to hide them. This world needed more beauty in it. ¡°The Parade is in a few weeks, I¡¯m sure you can last until then.¡± His smile grew once more. Yes indeed. Just a few short weeks away. He¡¯d been looking forward to this night for quite some time. Only under a total blood moon were they all allowed to gather in the one place, selected carefully by Nurarihyon himself. He had chosen up north this year, but he was starting to feel a slight tinge of regret about that now. ¡°Will my presence be required?¡± She was still standing there, waiting. He waved a hand at her. ¡°Go, keep your cover. Find him. That¡¯s more important right now.¡± She nodded and turned, disappearing into the snowy night like a wisp. Anticipation began to rise once more. Just a few short weeks until the Night Parade would be unleashed once more. Then, finally, he could have some fun. 001. Sou ¡°We need to do something with her.¡± ¡°What do you mean, ¡®do something with her¡¯?¡± The ¡®her¡¯ in question was Bitou Ayane. Heir of the neighbouring Bitou clan and hostage of the Yashiro for the last 14 months. She had been captured over a year prior in the hopes of forcing her father to abandon his alliance with the Kuroda, who had been increasingly threatening Yashiro lands. However, despite Ayane being his first born and heir to his lands, Bitou Noboru had refused to betray his allies and had called the Yashiro on their bluff. ¡®Go ahead, kill my daughter. That will only strengthen our alliance with the Kuroda and prove our loyalty to them, and fully bring both their and my wrath down upon you.¡¯ And so she remained, a guest slash hostage in Yashiro lands, nobody quite sure what to do with her. ¡°We should just kill her.¡± Yashiro Ryobe. Current head of the Yashiro clan, and getting on in years. ¡°We can¡¯t just kill her, father. We don¡¯t need the trouble that¡¯s going to bring.¡± Yashiro Sou. Ryobe¡¯s only living son and heir and most trusted adviser. ¡°Trouble? What trouble? You mean the Kuroda ransacking our villages to the south, the Bitou raids on our supply lines in the east, or the Wada pushing down on us from the north? Those troubles?¡± ¡°Father, if you kill Ayane that¡¯s just going to bring the full forces of both the Kuroda and Bitou upon us at once. We can¡¯t hold off both clans while we¡¯re still trying to deal with the Wada in the north. That¡¯s suicide.¡± ¡°Bah, they¡¯re already raiding our lands as it is, what difference would it make?¡± Sou placed a black stone on the Go board before him, capturing one of his father¡¯s chains. His father was truly skilled in battle and an intelligent warrior, but endless years of war with other clans was beginning to take its toll on him. He was getting older, less patient and more aggressive. ¡°The difference is that we¡¯re already spread thin enough as it is. We can handle their raids, father, we can¡¯t handle a full scale war on all sides.¡± Ryobe took a sip of his tea, contemplating. He placed a white stone on the board, seemingly ambivalent to the large territory he had just lost to his son. ¡°Well what do you suggest then, son? They haven¡¯t even made any attempts at getting her back. Bitou has other children, he can just as easily make one of them the next in line. She¡¯s just here consuming our food, drinking our water, learning from our tutors, taking up space¡­¡± When Bitou Noboru had refused the Yashiro¡¯s demands, nobody had any idea what to do with Ayane. She was too important to kill, so they had simply treated her as a kind of ¡®forced guest.¡¯ She lived, trained, ate and studied with Sou like his own little sister, and he had grown fond of her.Stolen story; please report. ¡°Ayane has lived here for over a year now,¡± Sou began, placing another black stone on the board to cut off one of his father¡¯s chains. ¡°In that time she has been treated honourably, as one of our own.¡± Ryobe nodded, taking another sip of tea. ¡°We have proven ourselves to be more than hospitable. We cannot be faulted by the other clans for our treatment of this important hostage.¡± ¡°Get to the point, son.¡± ¡°The point, father, is that as long as she remains with us, and as long as we treat her well, the more the other clans will see that we stand by our word. We are not savages like others would suggest we are. We are honourable. We treat those captured with dignity and respect, and we do not discard when something appears to have lost its usefulness.¡± Ryobe pondered his son¡¯s words. There was nowhere left for him to go on the board. Sou had won. ¡°And if all else fails, we can still use her as a bargaining chip in the future. If not with the Bitou directly, then with other clans. There is undoubtedly no shortage of takers who would appreciate access to the Bitou heir.¡± Ryobe smiled. Sou knew that would convince him. He cared a little less about honour and what others thought of them than Sou himself did, but having a hostage that may still prove useful in future negotiations, well that was something he couldn¡¯t pass up. ¡°Surely that¡¯s worth three meals a day and a bed in one of our many guest rooms?¡± The men stood up and Ryobe grabbed his much larger son by the shoulder, smiling. Sou looked down at the man who had always seemed so much larger than life to him and put a hand upon his. He looked so much smaller now, weaker, more fragile. ¡°We¡¯ll keep her a while longer,¡± he agreed. ¡°I¡¯d also like you to keep an eye on her. Learn what you can about what she knows, what she suspects, what she expects. There has to be some useful information left in her yet.¡± ¡°Yes, father.¡± The game forgotten, Ryobe walked over to the window and stared outside. Beyond the mountains to the north stood the Wada clan, lead by Wada Kuniaki. Kuniaki had started out as a simple oil merchant, or so the story had gone, and fought his way to the top, personally killing the former daimyo of Bijo province and taking over his lands. Now he was pressing south through Yashiro territory, hoping to ride the wave of victory before anyone realised what was happening and could mount a defense. ¡°I¡¯m sending you north to deal with the Wada forces,¡± Ryobe said from the window. Sou was surprised by his father¡¯s sudden words, but lowered his head in thanks. ¡°Yes, father.¡± ¡°Choose your men. However many you think you may need.¡± ¡°Yes, father.¡± Ryobe turned around. ¡°I want him destroyed.¡± ¡°Yes, father.¡± This was the first time Ryobe was sending him out to battle alone. He¡¯d taken part in many battles and even a few smaller campaigns, but always at his father¡¯s side, never alone. ¡°We need to send a message. Do you understand? This upstart thinks that just because he got lucky and defeated that useless, decrepit old Saito that he can now come and take our lands out from under our noses, well he¡¯s got another thing coming. I¡¯m taking your sister to the Itami, I want you to deal with this before I return.¡± It was unspoken. This is your test. The Wada would be expecting the Yashiro to be busy with the Kuroda and Bitou forces, and of course his sister Yuki¡¯s upcoming wedding to Itami Motoki, son of the neighbouring daimyo. A successful surprise attack directly against their army should be more than enough to discourage them for a while, if not destroy them outright. They were still a small clan, but they sat on important lands close to the capital. Even if the Yashiro simply waited them out, another clan would attack and they would lose the advantage. It would be a small, yet highly important battle. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it, father.¡± ¡°I know you will. Show them what we Yashiro are made of. Even beset from all sides, we will not fall, will not fail. Remind them of why the Yashiro are among the most feared clans in all of Yashima!¡± 002. Sou ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Yuki looked up from the small tree she was pruning, a smile spreading across her face when she saw who was addressing her. ¡°Good evening, brother. I¡¯m fine, why do you ask?¡± Sou crossed his hands behind his back as he walked past Yuki¡¯s collection of bonsai. They were beautiful, each more intricate than the last. If you followed them from first to last you could see the improvement Yuki had made over the years. They went from plain trees in a bed of rocks to intricate settings, miniature gardens where multiple trees grew in the exact size and direction that Yuki had commanded them to. It was not something he had a skill for, but the works his sister created were gorgeous. He would never see her create them again. Not here, anyway. ¡°You¡¯re leaving tomorrow,¡± he said, as though that answered her question entirely. She smiled. He would miss that smile. Neither of them had known their mother, she had died giving birth to Yuki. Sou appreciated and respected his father, but they had never been close. They had no other family, no uncles, no aunts, no cousins. Technically they were the branch family of a long disowned prince many hundreds of years prior, but throughout various centuries and wars their father was the only member of the family left. Thus Sou and Yuki had grown up with only each other. Now she was leaving to get married. ¡°I am leaving tomorrow,¡± she replied, turning back to the tree before her. ¡°Believe it or not, I¡¯m aware of that.¡± Sou sat down beside her and crossed his legs. She was smiling. ¡°Are you happy?¡± he asked outright. ¡°If you¡¯re not¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m happy,¡± she cut him off. ¡°Motoki seems like a lovely young man.¡± Itami Motoki. Daimyo in all but name of the neighbouring Konoe province. His father, the current daimyo, was on his deathbed, and his son still unmarried. The Itami held a small but vital area of land almost surrounding the capital. Anyone coming from the north or west needed to go through the Itami first, and this included the Wada. Ryobe had offered Yuki¡¯s hand in marriage in exchange for an alliance with the Itami, and they had agreed. She was a beautiful, refined and intelligent young woman whose lineage could be traced back to the emperors of old. Of course they had agreed. ¡°I¡¯m going to miss you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to miss you too, brother.¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°If you¡¯re ever unhappy, if he or anyone ever does anything that-¡± Yuki placed a hand on his and he stopped. ¡°Sou.¡± She so rarely called him that. It was always ¡®brother.¡¯ Sou was reserved for when he¡¯d done something to displease her or she needed to tell him something of great importance. It was scary when she called him Sou. He didn¡¯t like it. When they were younger, only perhaps 10 or 11 years old, Sou had gone hunting in a nearby river for a kappa the local kids had been gossiping about. He went alone, and although he didn¡¯t find the kappa, he did get lost for three days before finally finding his way home, extremely hungry and dirty and without his prize. His sister had greeted him then with a slap and a single word, ¡®Sou,¡¯ before she stormed back inside, tears running down her cheeks. The look of fear and worry on her face had broken his heart. Three years later, Sou found and defeated the kappa. He gave the shell to his sister as a gift and an apology, and with a promise that he would never again go and do anything so risky or dangerous without at least consulting her first. He had never broken that promise, and didn¡¯t intend to start now. ¡°Father¡¯s sending me to deal with the Wada,¡± he finally said. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to travel with you.¡± The words broke his heart as they left his mouth, but Yuki showed no sign of emotion. She simply continued pruning her tree. ¡°It¡¯s okay, brother. Really.¡± She cut off another branch and put the clippers down to look at him. ¡°I¡¯m not going away forever. I¡¯m just going to be in the next province over.¡± She smiled and turned so she could look at Sou better. ¡°We both know I can¡¯t stay here forever, I have to get married at some point, and Motoki is a good man.¡± Sou nodded. It was all he could do. ¡°The Itami are a strong clan, and they¡¯re allied with many other strong clans, now including our own. I¡¯ll be safe. Don¡¯t worry. Go and handle the Wada, make these lands even safer for both of us, okay?¡± It was what he needed to hear. Ever since they were children Yuki had always known exactly not what he wanted, but what he needed to hear. ¡°And once you¡¯ve done that, I think it¡¯s time we found you a wife. I always wanted a sister¡­¡± She was smiling again. ¡°What, I¡¯m not good enough for you?¡± ¡°You¡¯re too tall and smelly and don¡¯t look half as good in my dresses.¡± ¡°My bad. Pink never really was my colour, either.¡± They both gave a small laugh. The reality was settling in. ¡°I¡¯ll come and see you again before you leave,¡± Sou said. ¡°I promise.¡± Yuki grabbed the tree she had been pruning and handed it to Sou. ¡°Here. This is for you. I think it¡¯s my finest bonsai to date, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡± He did. It was exquisite. She had been working on this particular one for quite some time. It looked somewhat¡­ familiar. Then he realised, it was the exact same shape and size of the tree they had often climbed as children, hidden deep in the forest near the castle. The area had been their secret, the place they escaped to when they didn¡¯t want to be found, the place they went to to get away from their father. It was the largest tree in the woods, ancient and crooked but thick and sturdy. They had spent many years climbing it, playing around it, relaxing by it. She had recreated it exactly. How? ¡°It¡¯s beautiful.¡± It was all he could say, but her smile showed that she understood. ¡°Now go on, get. I need to get ready for bed and surely you have better things to be doing than hanging around here all night.¡± Yuki gave him a kiss on the cheek and shoved both Sou and the bonsai out. ¡°Good night, Yuki.¡± ¡°Good night, brother!¡± 003. Sou ¡°You know, that almost looks like a five year old wrote it.¡± Ayane looked up from her calligraphy at the sound of Sou¡¯s voice. ¡°Almost. A five year old would have been neater.¡± Sou smiled and ducked under the paper ball that flew over his head. ¡°If I¡¯m to take cultural lessons from you I might as well take etiquette lessons from a pig.¡± ¡°The pig might have a thing or two to teach you.¡± ¡°Are you here because you¡¯re bored or are there other reasons?¡± Sou sat next to Ayane as she took out a fresh scroll and began a new piece. They were the characters for ¡®courage.¡¯ He put the bonsai tree that Yuki had given him on the table. There was one more thing he had to do before retiring for the night. ¡°Father¡¯s asked me to go north and deal with the Wada.¡± ¡°Congratulations.¡± ¡°I want you to come with me.¡± Ayane¡¯s brush stopped mid-stroke and she looked up at him. ¡°You want what?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like your assistance.¡± Ayane¡¯s eyebrows furrowed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m not sure I understand. I haven¡¯t even been allowed to leave the castle grounds for the last year now, and you want me to go into battle with you?¡± ¡°Put simply, yes.¡± ¡°And your father is okay with this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my battle. I decide.¡± Ayane pinched between her eyes in pain and confusion. ¡°I don¡¯t think this is the best idea, Sou.¡± Sou picked up his own piece of paper and brush. He began writing characters down from memory, swift and accurate. It was one of his favourite sayings, ¡®ichigo ichie.¡¯ Together the four characters conveyed a once in a lifetime chance or opportunity. It was a concept he felt strongly about. ¡°I respectfully disagree, and while I won¡¯t force you to come along, I highly encourage you to assist me in this matter.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Even to his own critical eye the characters were beautiful, although he could also see all the mistakes. This stroke was too long, this one too short. This hook wasn¡¯t precise enough, and this stroke too thick. Overall the design was beautiful, but upon closer inspection it was full of tiny flaws. ¡°What exactly do you want me to do?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t ask you to fight for me. I¡¯m not that stupid.¡± Sou smiled, but Ayane didn¡¯t return the gesture. ¡°But you have an intelligent mind. You have a way of seeing things that other people don¡¯t. These are not your lands. Not your people. I know that. I¡¯d like to think that, despite the circumstances, your stay with us has been¡­¡± he tried to find a suitable word, ¡°¡­ pleasant.¡± ¡°You mean the part where I was abducted and used as ransom against my own father and held captive for over a year when he refused to comply with your demands. That stay?¡± Sou¡¯s face twitched, but she wasn¡¯t wrong. ¡°Yes,¡± he replied. Ayane sighed and put the brush down. ¡°What makes you think that, if I do join you, I won¡¯t just find a way to escape back to my family?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fully aware that you may try to leave. I know that if I were in your place I¡¯d try to do the same. I certainly wouldn¡¯t blame you for trying. Just like I hope you wouldn¡¯t blame me for trying to stop you, whatever it took.¡± Sou and Ayane had grown close over the last year, like a real brother and sister, despite their circumstances. He truly wanted her help during the upcoming battle, but at the same time he understood the risk of potentially losing her as a valuable hostage. It was a difficult situation, perhaps moreso for him than her, but leading was all about dealing with difficult situations to the best of one¡¯s ability. Nobody ever achieved great things by sitting back and hoping for the best. ¡°Alright,¡± she finally replied. ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee how useful I¡¯ll be, but I¡¯ll go.¡± Sou smiled. ¡°Excellent. We¡¯re leaving in a few days.¡± ¡°What do you know about the Wada? I thought the lands north of here were controlled by the Saito clan?¡± ¡°Until recently they were,¡± Sou confirmed. ¡°They were defeated in battle by a man named Wada Kuniaki. Supposedly a former oil merchant, he managed to gather enough men around him to defeat the Saito and then killed off all who didn¡¯t flee or surrender. After securing Daisen Castle he turned his attentions towards us. He¡¯s been raiding our northern towns and villages for the last few months now. Perhaps in his post victory euphoria he sees us as an easy target, or perhaps he just wants our lands for his own as well. It doesn¡¯t matter. The point is, he may have defeated the Saito but he¡¯s still inexperienced, and now weakened from the takeover. He¡¯s also unaware that we¡¯re coming.¡± Ayane nodded. ¡°Has he made alliances with any other clans yet?¡± Sou shook his head. ¡°Not that we¡¯ve heard of. Since defeating the Saito he¡¯s been consolidating his power and hunting down those who managed to escape. If the attacks on our lands are anything to go by, it would appear he¡¯s now finished with that and starting to look elsewhere.¡± ¡°And nobody else has bothered to attack them yet?¡± ¡°Again, not that we know of. Saito was not well loved, his loss is not going to be missed by the majority of the other clans. On the contrary, most probably feel like Wada did them a favour.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Saito was never a direct problem for us, although we had heard about his cruelties. The Wada may be leading attacks into your lands now, but in the eyes of the other clans they¡¯ve saved them the time and trouble of dealing with yet another tyrant. Are you absolutely certain that no other clans have moved to make alliances with them yet? It¡¯s far easier to make a new friend than defeat an old enemy.¡± She was right. It would save the other clans a lot of time, people and resources to just ally with the Wada for the time being while they tried to maintain control of currently unruly lands. Yet they couldn¡¯t just sit by and wait to see what happened while they continued to move into Yashiro lands. Sou stood up. ¡°We move out in a few days. Be ready.¡± 004. Saika ¡°My lord.¡± Kage Saika bowed deeply to the man before her. He continued to stare out the window, not bothering to turn around at the sound of her voice. Kuroda Mitsuhide. One of the most ruthless daimyo this side of Yashima. A man who commited horrific acts on the battlefield with glee, and had a reputation for maiming and torturing even his own men if they displeased him. Rumours of his acts of defilement both on and off the battlefield traveled far. It was the reason she found herself in his employ in the first place. A reputation like Kuroda¡¯s traveled fast. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I have news.¡± He showed no sign of movement. ¡°Regarding the Yashiro.¡± He turned to face her. She knew that would do it. ¡°Well I don¡¯t have all day. Speak.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord. We have received word that Yashiro plans to marry his daughter to the son of Itami Akihito in exchange for their long-term friendship and support.¡± Mitsuhide snorted. ¡°A smart decision, yes, and not one I didn¡¯t see coming. It won¡¯t be long until the other clans hear of this, I suppose.¡± The Yashiro were a small clan with a large history, but until now had been rather harmless. Ryobe was showing his first signs of growing ambition, of strengthening his clan against those that surrounded him. With support and larger numbers, they could become a force to be reckoned with. Very few clans remained that could prove their familial ties to the emperor, but the Yashiro were one of them. Even in this day and age, that stood for something. ¡°We can¡¯t allow them to get any stronger,¡± Mitsuhide continued, as though reading Saika¡¯s thoughts. ¡°He¡¯s been a thorn in my side for far too long now. Policing my trade through to the capital, raiding our farming villages, stealing our supplies, killing our women. I won¡¯t stand for it any longer. They think just because they¡¯re the long distant cousins of the emperor and that they sit on prized lands outside the capital that they can just say and do whatever they want?! Times are changing! It¡¯s not about what 300 year old dead emperor you¡¯re related to anymore, it¡¯s about power! It¡¯s about strength!¡± Saika stood by quietly as Mitsuhide worked himself up. ¡°Look at the Wada! A man after my own heart! He worked his way up from nothing, what was he, some snake seller or something, I don¡¯t know, the point is the man defeated his enemies and took control for himself and it¡¯s the essence of what makes a man that matters, Saika, are you listening to me? The essence. Not who your family was a few hundred years ago.¡± Saika didn¡¯t have the heart to remind him that the Kuroda could also trace their lineage to a family that served the emperor many generations ago, and was the entire reason they possessed the expansive lands they now resided on. ¡°And don¡¯t even get my started on that useless shogun! Why, not even the smaller clans listen to him anymore, doesn¡¯t even have enough money to wipe his ass with a dry leaf. What¡¯s he gonna do, politely plead us to death? Bah, someone should just kill him and be done with it. This country needs real strength. Real power.¡± May the gods above and below help them all if Mitsuhide ever came to rule over all of Yashima. ¡°About the Yashiro, my lord.¡± Saika tried to steer Mistuhide back to the topic at hand. If she let him continue his tirade he would go on all night, and she had better things to do. ¡°What would you like me to do?¡± ¡°What? Oh, no. No. Not just you this time, my dear. Us. I think it¡¯s time we take the battle to them. We¡¯ve been far too patient and far too forgiving of their transgressions. It¡¯s time to make this problem go away.¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Ever since the Yashiro had kidnapped the heir of Bitou Noboru in an effort to make them break their alliance with the Kuroda, tensions between the clans had greatly risen. But while tensions were high, full scale war had thus far been avoided, both sides being too scared to be the first to initiate. It was a land at war, but with war a possibility on all fronts, the daimyo had to be careful in which battles they chose to fight. One wrong move could bring an entire clan and its legacy to its end, much like the unfortunate Saito. ¡°I want you to personally visit Bitou for me so he understands the importance of what¡¯s happening. His assistance will be required, and very shortly. Tell him to gather whatever men he can spare. This is not a small skirmish or spring campaign. This is war. We¡¯re going to wipe the Yashiro out. Every single last one of them. And those who help me, well, they will be greatly rewarded.¡± The threat was unnecessary, but there. Provide warriors as per our alliance or face the consequences. If Bitou hadn¡¯t broken their alliance for his own daughter and heir, Saika didn¡¯t think he would do so now, but Mitsuhide wasn¡¯t known for subtleties. ¡°I¡¯ll also need you to gather what information you can about the Yashiro forces. I need to know where they are, what they¡¯re doing, how many of them there are, who are their commanders. Everything.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± ¡°One more thing.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°See if we can¡¯t send a little wedding gift for Itami¡¯s soon to be blushing bride. Nothing too fancy. But something lasting and full of impression.¡± His grin could almost be considered feral. ¡°Of course, my lord.¡± Saika knew very little of Ryobe¡¯s daughter, but she still felt a little sad for her. It was an unfortunate situation, and Saika wasn¡¯t fond of killing other women. But even that was the nature of war. People died so others could live. Good people died, bad people died, important people died, and often those simply caught in the crosshairs also died. Still, she had a job to do, and while she would be too busy to handle this one herself, she¡¯d find someone to make sure it was done. Personally, Saika was excited to find out more about the Yashiro. She had yet to meet their leader, Ryobe, but she had heard a lot about his son, Sou. A young man who towered over his peers, they said, a giant in both stature and mind. A brilliant strategist, the mastermind behind many of his father¡¯s plans, and also the muscle. Unlike other commanders he always lead his men directly into battle, finishing off staggering amounts of the enemy before the rest of his forces even caught up. Yes, Saika had been hoping to meet Sou for quite some time now. Finally she might get the chance. Perhaps he was the one she was looking for. ¡°Is there anything else you would like taken care of before I leave?¡± Mitsuhide had returned to the window. His mood had picked up at the thought of war. He was looking out over the land, smiling. ¡°No. Actually, yes. Some of the men have been reporting¡­ abnormalities with Mihara Naoto and his wife.¡± Naoto was one of Mitsuhide¡¯s generals. Their family had been retainers of the Kuroda for generations. ¡°Abnormalities?¡± ¡°Yes, the kind you¡¯re specialised in.¡± Awkward silence filled the air as Mitsuhide seemed to just expect her to understand what he was trying to say. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t-¡± ¡°Oh for the love of¡­ they¡¯re saying the wife could be a¡­ bakeneko.¡± He whispered the last word like it was dirty and distasteful to his delicate senses. Ah. Monsters. Yokai. The supernatural. That specialty. ¡°Do you need her taken care of?¡± ¡°Does she need to be taken care of?¡± The real question he was asking was, if we have her killed will something even worse befall me? For a man that was in his element killing and torturing people for both fun and profit, he was also highly superstitious and terrified of the supernatural. ¡°A bakeneko generally exists for revenge. She might kill a few people, cause a few disturbances, perhaps bring an entire family to ruin, but once she¡¯s had her revenge she¡¯ll leave by herself.¡± ¡°How can we tell who she¡¯s after?¡± ¡°Has anyone died yet?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°How do you know there is a bakeneko?¡± ¡°The men said there is.¡± Saika tried not to laugh. ¡°I¡¯ll look into it, but I would say it¡¯s just the tales of jealous men with too much time on their hands. Mihara¡¯s wife is a beautiful woman after all, even in her old age.¡± Likely she had rejected the advances of one of her husband¡¯s ¡®friends¡¯ and he had started the rumour himself for revenge. ¡°Good. Please do. It would be a pity to lose one of my best men right before I have need of his skills and expertise.¡± It was highly unlikely he cared one way or another, but replacing such an experienced general right before going to war would be a hassle he didn¡¯t need. ¡°Will that be all, my lord?¡± Mitsuhide nodded and shooed her away with his hand. She bowed once more and left the room. Things were about to get a lot more exciting. 005. Saika One of Saika¡¯s many skills was that of disguise. Her ability to blend into any populace, find out what she needed to know, and be on her way before anyone realised something was amiss. Before her stood Hirozaka Castle, one of the most southern Yashiro strongholds. Not the most impressive castle she had ever seen, but there was a bustling village at its feet, full of people going about their daily business. Perfect. Looking around, she picked up some dirt and rubbed it into her clothes, her face, even her hair. Not too much, just enough to be effective. She approached a nearby farmer working in his rice field. ¡°Excuse me,¡± she affected the best northern accent she could. The old man looked up at the sound. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m sorry to disturb you. My name is Naoko, and I seem to have lost my way. I¡¯m from the Takamiwa shrine up in Muon province, but there was a storm and I was separated from the company I was travelling with. We were heading towards our sister shrine but I¡¯ve never been this far south before, I don¡¯t suppose you could help me find my way?¡± The Takamiwa shrine chain was one of the largest in Yashima. The miko, shrine maidens, often traveled the country visiting other shrines associated with their own. Not even the hardiest of men would risk attacking a miko and bringing the wrath of the gods down upon them. It was the perfect cover. ¡°Oh dear, are you okay? Come, come inside, you must be hungry, come, let¡¯s get you cleaned up.¡± The old man lead her back to his tiny hut, just as she had expected he would. It was sparse, a single blanket and straw pillow lying in the corner of the room. A lonely old man, even better. ¡°You live alone?¡± She asked casually, as though just making conversation. ¡°Yes, sadly. My wife died a few years ago. Some soldiers stormed through here and, well, she wasn¡¯t one of the lucky ones.¡± ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry to hear that.¡± Saika bowed her head deeply. The man did the same. ¡°Thank you. But sit, sit. I¡¯ll get you something to eat. I don¡¯t have much, but is rice okay?¡± ¡°Of course. Rice would be lovely.¡± He sat a bowl of rice down in front of her, most likely the leftovers of his own breakfast. ¡°I saw soldiers outside,¡± Saika began as she ate a mouthful of rice. To her pleasant surprise it actually wasn¡¯t bad. The Yashiro did like to boast of their superior tasting rice. Now she could see why. ¡°Are you at war?¡± The old man sat across from her and gave a small laugh. ¡°We¡¯re always at war, my dear. Before the soldiers came I wanted to take my wife and move somewhere quieter, but where would we go? The entire land is at war.¡± ¡°Yes, I suppose it is.¡± The rice really was fragrant. How did it manage to taste so good? ¡°I¡¯m too old to fight myself anymore, but I¡¯ve heard the soldiers mention going north soon. I guess there¡¯s something going on up there.¡± ¡°Up north?¡± ¡°Yes. The troops started gathering a few days ago, we¡¯ve all been busy trying to supply as much rice as we can before they leave.¡± North. The Wada were north. Interesting. ¡°And when is that?¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°A few more days, I¡¯d say. Not that it makes much difference to me, but things will get a little quieter, I guess.¡± He smiled. It was a warm smile despite his weathered appearance. ¡°Anyway, we don¡¯t have a Takamiwa shrine here, but I¡¯m sure if you asked one of the lords at the castle they would be happy to escort you on your way, a young lady such as yourself shouldn¡¯t be travelling alone, especially now.¡± Saika ate another mouthful of the rice, feeling a slight tinge of sadness that it was now finished, bowed her head and gave her thanks. ¡°Thank you so much for your kindness, I will not forget your hospitality.¡± The old man stood up and bowed. ¡°No, no, it was my pleasure. I don¡¯t get to meet many new people these days, let alone beautiful young mikos. Shall I take you to the castle?¡± ¡°No no.¡± Saika stood up. ¡°You¡¯ve already done more than enough for me.¡± ¡°Well at least let me get something to clean you up.¡± Saika smiled and nodded, and was gone before he had returned. *** The castle was even less impressive up close, all utility and no style, however it sat on valuable high ground overlooking the path below, which was heavily trafficked. Soldiers, peasants, ox-drawn carts, the odd mounted samurai. Saika was unfamiliar with most of the Yashiro lands, at least these days, but Hirozaka Castle and its surrounding village were a popular trade spot. That¡¯s why she had chosen it. Finding a quiet spot behind the castle, she discarded her dirty miko garbs and scaled the wall. The castle grounds were oddly quiet, and she faced no opposition on her way into the lord¡¯s manor. For a clan about to go to war they had some awful home security. She accosted a serving girl carrying a tray of tea and within moments found herself in the main room of the manor, several young men seated before a makeshift war table. ¡°How many men are we waiting on?¡± ¡°The men from Oogawa are due tomorrow and the men from Harata should be another day or two. Everyone else has either already arrived or is on their way to Oohara.¡± ¡°If the men from Harata aren¡¯t here tomorrow they can just catch up, we can¡¯t wait any longer.¡± Saika sat the tea down in front of the men and retreated to the corner. The samurai were so engrossed in their conversation they didn¡¯t even notice her. ¡°Do we have anything about the Wada army yet?¡± ¡°Not yet, but they¡¯re not to be underestimated. They destroyed the Saito after all.¡± ¡°Too long coming, if you ask me.¡± ¡°But Lord Sou is leading us this time, there¡¯s no way we can lose!¡± Sou was leading the charge? Interesting. ¡°Even more reason why we must not underestimate the enemy. We should have more numbers, and with Lord Sou at our lead, more cunning, but it only takes a change of the wind for it all to come crashing down. If we crush the Wada, we¡¯ll be better situated to finally deal with the Kuroda. If we lose, well¡­ We must win this. Do you understand?¡± The men at the table bowed their head. A kabuto emblazoned with an ume flower sat before the young samurai at the head of the table; he was clearly the leader here. An older, more stately looking man entered the room and the young samurai dismissed his party. ¡°Father.¡± ¡°Son.¡± ¡°The preparations are going well. We should be leaving come morning.¡± ¡°Excellent. Try not to kill all my men, hey.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of it.¡± ¡°And bring back some of those Wada heads.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± So the old man was sending his son into battle in his stead, which meant he would remain to watch the castle. She quickly memorised his features. Old, weathered, white hair and neatly trimmed beard. Average height. Walked with a limp. He could have been any old man ever, but there was a lengthy scar that ran from his eye to his chin. Perfect. ¡°I¡¯m trusting you, son. This is all we have. The other generals, they don¡¯t believe in Sou too much, they think he¡¯s too young, too hot-headed. They¡¯re just waiting for him to mess up so they can swoop in and take over. We don¡¯t work like that. Your honour is everything. You¡¯ve pledged yourself to him, and that word means more than your life, just as I have pledged myself to Lord Ryobe and would gladly die for him, even now.¡± ¡°Yes father.¡± ¡°A samurai without his honour is nothing. All of these men just waiting for the opportunity to betray their masters, it¡¯s disgusting. They¡¯re no better than filthy animals.¡± The man was old school. Saika admired that. It would be a pity to have to kill him. Men with ideals like him were a dying breed. Now it was all about who could stab the most backs on their rise to power. The old man sat down and poured himself some tea. He turned, noticing Saika sitting in the corner of the room. ¡°Hmm? What is this?¡± Saika feigned surprise. ¡°I¡¯m sorry my lord, I don¡¯t know what you-¡± ¡°The tea. It¡¯s cold. Fetch me a new pot, would you?¡± ¡°Oh, ah, yes, my lord, my deepest apologies.¡± Saika grabbed the tray with the cups and left the room as quickly as she had entered. She had heard what she needed anyway. It was time to give Lord Bitou a visit. 006. Saika ¡°Noboru-chan.¡± Bitou Noboru, head of the Bitou clan, threw his teacup into the air in shock. Saika tried to hide her smile as the drink landed on top of his head and began to slowly drip to the ground. ¡°Mother of¡­ I thought we had discussions about how you weren¡¯t supposed to sneak up on me anymore. My heart is weak, you know.¡± ¡°I know, but I never agreed during any of those discussions.¡± Noboru frowned and wiped some of the spilled tea from his arm and face. ¡°To what do I owe this pleasure?¡± Saika poured both herself and Noboru another cup of tea and sat down in front of him. He was alone in his bed chamber, getting ready to sleep. ¡°How have you been?¡± she asked. His skin was pale, and he looked tired. He was almost half the man she had known years ago. ¡°I¡¯m not dead yet,¡± he replied. ¡°No thanks to you.¡± ¡°If I wanted you dead I¡¯d hardly announce myself first now, would I?¡± ¡°No, knowing you, you actually would.¡± ¡°You wound me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re looking well.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not.¡± Saika had first met Noboru as a precocious young man, ready to take on the world at any cost. Their affair had been brief and violent, and if she were entirely honest, one of the happier periods of her tumultuous life. Noboru was a good man, to the very bottom of his soul, but on top of that he had been exceedingly handsome in his youth, extraordinarily brave, and supremely mischievous. A rogue who knew how to have fun but also stuck to his word no matter what. She might have called it love at first sight, if such a thing could ever happen for her. Sadly it was not meant to be, but they had remained friendly over the long years that passed. Now, looking at him, she wasn¡¯t sure how much longer he had. Time was an evil mistress. ¡°I¡¯ll cut to the chase,¡± she spoke again. ¡°Lord Kuroda needs your army. They¡¯re attacking the Yashiro.¡± Noboru swallowed his tea and slowly put the cup down. ¡°I see.¡± ¡°How many men can you bring?¡± ¡°How many do you need?¡± ¡°All of them.¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Noboru leant back and gave a small laugh. ¡°May I ask why now of all times has he decided to press forth with the Yashiro? They haven¡¯t bothered us for quite some time now. Not since¡­¡± Not since they took his daughter, Ayane. ¡°We¡¯ve received word that Lord Ryobe¡¯s daughter is getting married to Lord Itami¡¯s son. Combined the two clans present quite the threat, especially when you take into consideration the Itami¡¯s close relationship with the Arai. We¡¯ve also received word that the Yashiro are planning an attack on the Wada, further north. I¡¯ve seen it myself, their men are on the move. The south is there, ready for the taking.¡± Noboru considered her for a moment. The fire that had once lit up his eyes so brightly was now extinguished. He was old. He was sick. He was tired. It almost broke her heart. ¡°And what of my daughter? Who¡¯s to say that the moment we attack they won¡¯t just kill her.¡± ¡°They¡¯ve held her captive for over a year now. They don¡¯t want to risk what might happen if they did that.¡± ¡°They might feel more urgency once the wolves are at the back door.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have something in mind. We¡¯ll get your daughter back, that I promise. Take it as a sign of good faith, and acknowledgment of the strong, personal pain you have been through to keep your alliance with the Kuroda alive. That has not been forgotten.¡± In truth, Mitsuhide had said nothing at all about Ayane. In fact, Saika doubted he even remembered her at all at this point. But Noboru held a special place in Saika¡¯s heart, even to this day, and returning his daughter to him was the least she could do. A sick old man deserved to see his child one last time before he died. ¡°Then let me be honest with you. Our forces have diminished quite a bit recently. I will provide you with what I can, but with the fighting in the east we¡¯ve had an influx of ruffians and criminals and refugees. People are trying to reach the capital, as though that will somehow miraculously save them. I have gangs of thieves attacking our merchants and pillaging our farms. Just last week we had some Togawa men storm one of our villages. They killed everyone and then burnt it to the ground. Everything, gone.¡± ¡°Togawa?¡± ¡°They bore the Togawa crest. Abandoned their commander and tried to escape through our lands and decided they¡¯d have some fun along the way.¡± ¡°Did you send word to Lord Ryosuke that one of his units was causing trouble in your territory?¡± ¡°I sent him their heads.¡± ¡°What did he say?¡± ¡°¡®Thanks for saving me the trouble,¡¯ I believe was the official reply.¡± Noboru gave another small laugh. ¡°I lost an entire village, a year¡¯s worth of crops, not to mention a large number of men to deal with them and all we got was a ¡®thanks.¡¯¡± If the Bitou-ruled Misen province were to fall, it was a slippery slope to both the Kuroda lands and the capital. They couldn¡¯t allow that to happen, on either count. Perhaps it was time to visit the Shiroyama and discuss a more detailed alliance. Mitsuhide was married to Shiroyama Daisuke¡¯s half sister, although he never saw her. He had shuffled her off to some distant castle ¡®for her own safety.¡¯ Her brother Daisuke, although young, was the current clan leader, and one of the greatest samurai the land had ever known. A more concrete alliance between the Kuroda, Bitou and Shiroyama clans would not only consolidate all the lands south of the capital, but would present a fearsome front to all who might oppose it. She would have to bring it up once the upcoming battle was dealt with. ¡°So how soon do you need us?¡± Noboru brought Saika back from her thoughts. He looked weary and ready for bed. ¡°Make preparations in the morning. We need you as soon as possible.¡± ¡°And you say that you¡¯re going to get my daughter back?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll see you in a few days. It was nice seeing you again, Saika. You haven¡¯t aged a day.¡± He nodded politely and retired to bed, leaving Saika to see herself out. 007. Kazu Before him stood the tanuki that had killed the rest of his band of men. For days Kazu tracked it through the forest, and while the creature knew this particular mountainous area of the forest better than he did, Kazu never let up. Unbeknowst to Kazu and his band at the time, the tanuki had killed one of the men and taken his form. Over a period of a few days it proceeded to kill the remaining men one by one, each time shifting into someone else, until finally the remaining men had no idea who was real or not. That¡¯s what the tanuki enjoyed. The chaos. The fear. The last two men accused each other of being the beast and died with their swords in each other¡¯s hearts as the tanuki laughed above them. Kazu wasn¡¯t particularly close to any of the men; they all needed to make a living and they did that better together than alone, especially on the road. Regardless of his personal feelings for those men however, this creature needed to die. It had stalked them and played with them and murdered them. Kazu was the only one left. Now it was the tanuki¡¯s turn to know fear. He loosed an arrow and leapt towards the tanuki before it even landed. The creature turned at the sudden noise and took the arrow in the chest, right above its heart. It had no time to react as Kazu¡¯s sword pierced through its eye. The creature dropped, trying to shift into a man, any man, while its claws struck wildly at Kazu. Blood fell from his cheeks as claws connected, but he felt nothing. The sight beneath him was horrific, as though the wounded, panicking tanuki couldn¡¯t fully form the man it wanted to be. It was a constantly shifting wave of man and beast. ¡°You¡¯re next!¡± it screamed, the voice unnatural and blood curdling. It continued swinging its claws at him, Kazu¡¯s sword hanging from its eye. Foam speckled its mouth. It tried to hurl more abuse but the fear and panic were taking over. Kazu held on for dear life, he wasn¡¯t going to let it escape again. He tried to squeeze his hands around the creature¡¯s throat, but the constant shifting made it difficult to keep hold of anything. ¡°I know who you are, Kazu,¡± the creature finally spat out. ¡°What you¡¯ll be.¡± Kazu, eyeing the sword hanging from the tanuki¡¯s eye, stopped. ¡°What did you say?¡± The tanuki laughed, a horrible, choking laugh. ¡°Oh yes, I know, Kazu the clanless, Kazu the common born, Kazu the poor merchant¡¯s son. Kazu the drifter with no family name who floats from place to place fighting and thieving and trying to find the one thing he¡¯s missing.¡± Kazu swallowed but kept his eye firmly on the sword. It could just be another trick. Perhaps the creature had gotten the information from one of the men before he died. It made more sense than a tanuki that could see into the future. ¡°And what am I missing, huh?¡± he asked.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. The tanuki gave up trying to shift and instead lay back on the ground, blood running down its face and chest, its breathing becoming more and more laboured. ¡°Acceptance. Family. People who will love you despite who you are¡­ and what you¡¯ve done.¡± Kazu let out a surprised laugh. Ever since his father died and left him orphaned as a young boy Kazu had done whatever it took to survive. Some of those things were regrettable, but he¡¯d done what was needed to survive. No acceptance or love could change that now. ¡°I¡¯ve seen what¡¯s in store for you, Kazu the wanderer. Achieve great things you will, oh yes. Amazing things.¡± The tanuki coughed up more blood. ¡°But you¡¯ll never get what you¡¯re looking for. Never find what you seek. Thousands of men at your command and all you¡¯ll feel is a crushing loneliness.¡± Kazu could no longer tell if the creature was laughing or choking. ¡°Be careful what you wish for, Kazu the forest bandit. You might not like it when you get it.¡± This had gone on for long enough. ¡°You can see the future, huh? Well then how come you didn¡¯t see this?¡± Kazu pulled his sword out of the creatures eye, stood up and rammed it into the creature¡¯s heart. He took a step back and then swung the bloodied sword down with all his might. With a sickening crunch the tanuki¡¯s head split from its body. The remains of the creature twitched a few moments longer before it finally stopped. Blood pooled slowly on the ground where its head had once been. Kazu collapsed to his knees, blood drenched and face burning. He had finally done it. After endless days of very little sleep and very little food, he had finally done it. The tanuki¡¯s last words spun around in his head as he fell forward and the world turned black. *** Kazu sat up, his head pounding and body aching with fatigue and hunger. His face burned from the tanuki¡¯s scratches on his cheek. He wiped his face a few times and the cuts began to bleed again. He looked around. He needed food. He needed shelter. He needed somewhere to recuperate for the night. The sun was rising in the east. He followed it. He knew the way. The sun was high in the sky when he finally reached the edge of the forest. He could see a castle in the distance. Oohara Castle. Finally. Kazu was born in the south of Miharu province, the lands ruled by the Yashiro clan, and while he¡¯d never been to their main stronghold himself he¡¯d heard enough stories about the splendor kept there. Enough to keep a ragtag bunch of criminals going for quite some time. That plan was up in smoke now. He stumbled forward, leaning against a stick he picked up in the forest. He wouldn¡¯t mourn for the men, they had known each other barely a few months. But he would miss the safety in numbers, and the ease of making a living that a larger group of men provided. Soldiers were marching towards the castle in the distance. They were wearing the crest of Yashiro. He kept as far as he could from the main road, doing his best to keep out of sight. More samurai and their men were advancing towards the castle. They were getting ready for war. Kazu found a small farm on the outskirts of town. While soldiers continued their march to the castle he snuck inside and closed the door behind him. The world was spinning again. He put a hand against the wall to steady himself and looked around. A small pot of rice sat over a long burnt out fire. He knocked a chair over in his haste to get to it and began shoveling the rice into his mouth. Even cold it was the most delicious meal he¡¯d ever tasted. Within minutes it was gone. He sat back against the wall and closed his eyes. Just a little rest, before the owners¡­ The door opened. Two faces appeared. ¡°What is¡­ who are you?¡± 008. Kazu ¡°Hi.¡± Kazu smiled meekly and held his hands up, showing he held no weapons. It was nothing he couldn¡¯t talk himself out of. The old couple stood frozen in the doorway. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry to intrude upon you like this. You see, my men and I were attacked last night¡­ or was it a few night¡¯s ago¡­ it doesn¡¯t matter, anyway we were attacked, and they took everything from us, I barely escaped with my life.¡± Most of it was the truth. Sometimes half truths fared much better than full ones. ¡°I was just trying to find somewhere to rest, when¡­¡± ¡°Oh my, you poor dear.¡± The elderly woman finally entered and grabbed Kazu by the shoulders, directing him to the nearby chair he¡¯d just had lunch in. The elderly man looked more suspicious, but as long as he could keep the woman in his good books they wouldn¡¯t kick him out. He was lucky. Not all people - even friendly elderly women - looked so kindly upon finding a beat-up young man in their house unawares. ¡°Are you alright? Look at those scratches on your face. I don¡¯t have much, but let me get something to clean it off. Dear, fetch him some food, would you?¡± The old woman shuffled away while the man, his gaze at Kazu unwavering, finally turned and went to retrieve the requested food. He returned with some fruit and nuts. Fancy. Not just any old farmer could afford to have that lying around. ¡°Thank you, you¡¯re too kind.¡± Kazu gave his brightest smile and gratefully accepted the food. The woman returned with a bucket and cloth and began to carefully wipe the dirt and blood off his face. ¡°What¡¯s your name, son?¡± the old man asked him. He leaned against the wall, arms crossed and eyes focused on Kazu. They almost burned. ¡°Kazu, sir. Just Kazu.¡± ¡°Well, just Kazu, you sure are a sight. What did you say happened to your men?¡± ¡°We were traveling from Konoe province to sell our wares. We¡¯re traveling merchants.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t look like a merchant¡¯s outfit to me.¡± Kazu looked down. He very much looked like a sell-sword. ¡°I took this from the men that attacked us. My clothing got torn apart in the battle and uh¡­¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± The old man¡¯s tone was dull, but he made no move to call any of the soldiers marching by outside. Perhaps grumpy was just his manner. ¡°We sell pottery, and sometimes highly crafted ceremonial weaponry. We donate those to temples, for good will, of course.¡± Kazu smiled again. The old woman finished cleaning his face and he nodded gratefully at her. He took a bite out of a persimmon and his eyes rolled back in pleasure. ¡°Ma¡¯am, this is once again the most delicious thing I¡¯ve tasted today.¡± ¡°Once again?¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Whoops. ¡°I helped myself to some of your rice before¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± She smiled. ¡°Not at all, I¡¯m glad it went to good use.¡± ¡°So like I was saying, they attacked us in the forest, killed the rest of the men I was traveling with, and then took off with our goods. I managed to kill one myself before I barely escaped with my life¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m truly sorry to hear that,¡± the old man replied and sat down opposite Kazu. He had seemingly decided Kazu was harmless after all. ¡°I know many others don¡¯t, but I have the utmost respect for craftsmen and merchants, particularly those that travel from town to town selling their goods. These great lands can¡¯t operate without them.¡± Kazu smiled and bowed his head again. ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± ¡°My father was a merchant. He sold enough that when he passed on I was able to buy my own land, take a name, and though I may not look it, I was quite the successful samurai in my day.¡± ¡°A samurai?¡± ¡°Is that so hard to believe?¡± The old man gave a wry grin. ¡°No, no, not like that. I mean, the samurai¡­ you can¡¯t just become a samurai.¡± The old man¡¯s smile grew even larger. ¡°Ah, but you can. With enough money, of course. It¡¯s not like old times where only important clans could become samurai. Now, even the lowliest peasant can rise with enough initiative and skill behind him. And enough money, of course.¡± So if the old man was a retired samurai, that meant they were wealthy. They¡¯d have luxury goods. They¡¯d be well-off. What a fortuitous find. ¡°I see. So do you still have your gear?¡± The old man stood up. ¡°Come with me.¡± In the corner of the bedroom sat the former samurai¡¯s gear. The sword, still gleaming and as sharp as the day it had been made, was clearly well looked after to this day. The helmet was rather plain and beat-up but dignified all the same. The body armour was clean and polished as well; as clean as it could be after endless years of battle, anyway. The Yashiro crest shone brightly on the chest. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± Kazu whispered. It was the first time he¡¯d seen a samurai¡¯s gear up close. You generally only saw it right before you died. It stirred something deep inside him. That was the dream. Never having to worry about where your next meal would come from, a home to return to with servants, a wife, kids¡­ ¡°You can rest up here, my wife and I still have work to do, but we¡¯d love to have you join us for dinner tonight.¡± Kazu bowed. ¡°Thank you, sir. I truly appreciate it.¡± He was asleep before he even hit the floor. *** It was dark outside when Kazu opened his eyes. The sun was just setting. Or was it rising? He sat up and looked around. The old couple slept on the hard floor in the corner of the room. They had let him sleep the night through on their bed. He was oddly touched. The samurai sword glistened in the corner. It called to him. The old man¡¯s words returned to him; anyone with enough initiative could become a samurai now. He rose on unsteady feet, his face wincing in pain. He picked the sword up, holding it as though it were a newborn babe in his clumsy hands. It felt lightweight but sturdy. Powerful. Intimidating. The couple were still asleep. ¡®I¡¯m so sorry,¡¯ he thought to himself, as he took the sword and snuck past them. It was not part of his original plan, but one learnt to be adaptive on the road. The streets were coming alive as the sun rose. Farmers were moving out into their fields, animals were being released, merchants were setting up their wares. In the distance Kazu could hear the sounds of the smith at work. But moreover there were soldiers. Soldiers everywhere. He hid the sword under his clothes, kept his head down, and made for the castle. The original objective was to break into the castle grounds and take whatever they could before the guards were alerted and cut their heads off. A high risk venture, but with high risk gains. Now everyone was dead, and it wasn¡¯t a job he fancied doing alone. Perhaps he could hide himself amongst the soldiers for a while. He was a Miharu man after all. Was it not his duty as a young, able-bodied man to join the war effort? He even brought his own weapon. A family heirloom. ¡°You there, halt!¡± Kazu turned. A spear was pointed at his neck. 009. Kazu ¡°I¡¯m sorry, can I help you?¡± Kazu followed the spear tip pointed at his neck up to the soldier¡¯s face. He wasn¡¯t a samurai, just a guard. Just a guard who could end his life with a single thrust. ¡°What¡¯s under the vest?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± ¡°The vest. What¡¯s under it?¡± ¡°Oh this?¡± Kazu feigned surprise. ¡°This is nothing, just an injury, see.¡± He pointed to the slashes on his face. ¡°Some men attacked me and-¡± He dropped the sword and grabbed the spear with his right hand, pushing forward so the guard let go in surprise. ¡°I don¡¯t appreciate sharp things being pointed at my throat, thank you very much.¡± The guard snarled and charged him. Kazu swung the spear and connected with the man¡¯s face, crumpling him to a heap on the dirty road. He rammed the spear into his throat, moments before he hit the ground himself, blindsided. This was not how he intended his morning to go. ¡°Get him!¡± A group of soldiers rushed him. Five, maybe six. The world was still a little blurry. He grabbed the sword and stood ready to attack. It felt like an extension of his arm, perfectly weighted and like it had been forged for his hand. He wasn¡¯t unskilled in the use of swords, but this was something else. Blood splattered as the sword sliced through a man¡¯s face. It was still as sharp as ever. He dropped and rolled, ducking under the soldier¡¯s attack before it came. He broadcast his moves for the entire world to see; if this is what classified as a guard here the Yashiro were in serious trouble. He grabbed dirt and threw it into a nearby soldier¡¯s eyes, kicking him into a ditch. A slash split open his leg. He spun and felt the blade connect cleanly with a soldier¡¯s neck. He fell to the ground, blood spurting out through the fingers now clasped around his neck. A foot connected with Kazu¡¯s face and he felt the world spinning again as he was pushed backwards. The soldier ran at him, but the spear he held was too long and he was too close. Kazu waited and thrust his sword up, pulling and spilling the man¡¯s guts over the road. Only one man remained. ¡°Stop!¡± The soldier¡¯s face contorted in rage and his breathing laboured, but he did as he was told. Kazu tried to find the source of the sound. A large man in full samurai armour towered above him. Large was being kind. He was more tower than man. With the sun high in the sky and blood running into his eyes, it was like being face to face with a demon from the legends of old. He swallowed.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Why have you disturbed the peace and killed four of my soldiers this early in the morning?¡± ¡°They¡­ they attacked me first.¡± ¡°So you killed them?¡± ¡°They would have killed me.¡± ¡°Stand up.¡± He did as he was told. Kazu himself was taller than the average man, but the samurai before him was at least a good head taller and far wider in the shoulders too. His aura was oppressive, as though his spirit might reach out and crush him just for fun. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Kazu, sir.¡± ¡°Kazu?¡± ¡°Just Kazu.¡± ¡°I see, just Kazu. My name is Sou. Yashiro Sou.¡± Oh. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my lord.¡± Kazu dropped to the ground and bowed as low as he could. Well that explained it. He was standing in the presence of a daimyo¡¯s son - a future daimyo - and he had just killed four of his men right in front of him. He had escaped many hairy situations in his brief, tumultuous life, but Kazu feared this may finally be the end. ¡°They were trying to kill me so I defended myself and¡­ I¡¯m sorry, my lord.¡± Kazu didn¡¯t dare look up. The very large daimyo¡¯s son¡¯s feet didn¡¯t move. Yet there was no swift death. No mind crushing pain. Nothing. ¡°Stand up,¡± the larger man ordered. Kazu did as he was told once more. ¡°I¡¯m in need of a new sandal bearer. You just killed my last one.¡± Kazu gulped. ¡°I watched you fight. You¡¯re good. Very good. I was impressed. I¡¯m not often impressed.¡± Kazu continued his silence. ¡°But you¡¯ve killed four of my men, so now you¡¯re going to have to work just as hard for all four of them.¡± Kazu blinked a few times, confused by what he was hearing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my lord, I don¡¯t think I quite understand¡­¡± ¡°I can chop your head off right here and return that sword you unlawfully removed from it¡¯s rightful owner¡¯s residence, or you can work for me, do something for the people of these great lands, and live. It¡¯s up to you.¡± He was smiling. It was like looking into the grinning face of a demon. Kazu opened and closed his mouth a few times, at a loss for words for the first time in his life. He carefully handed the sword to Sou and dropped to his knees again. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my lord.¡± ¡°So¡­ is that a yes? I¡¯m not sure what this position at my feet is. Do you want me to cut your head off with this sword or what?¡± Kazu instantly jumped up. ¡°No, no, I mean that yes, of course I¡¯ll work for you my lord, whatever you need me to do, I¡¯m your man, I¡¯ll do it.¡± Sou smiled. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I wanted to hear. Now first of all you¡¯re gonna clean up this mess and bury these bodies with your friend there.¡± He pointed to the remaining soldier, who was intensely staring daggers into Kazu¡¯s back. ¡°And then I want you in my chambers by lunch time. We¡¯re moving out by nightfall.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord. Thank you, my lord.¡± As the larger man continued on his way Kazu stood in the middle of the street, dumbfounded. His tired brain tried to process everything that had just happened. He¡¯d stolen a sword, gotten into a fight with some soldiers, and had walked away from it all with a job. A job serving the daimyo¡¯s son. It felt too contrived. A set up. He remembered the tanuki¡¯s words. ¡®You will achieve great things. But you¡¯ll never find what you seek.¡¯ Was this the tanuki¡¯s dying curse? ¡°Are you going to stand there all day or what?¡± The disgruntled soldier brought him back to the present. He was looking at the mess of blood and bodies surrounding them. ¡°Yeah, sorry.¡± Any man can become a samurai. You are destined for great things. The words of both the old man and the tanuki swirled in his head. He picked up a body and dragged it off the street. 010. Sou Sou was joined by his generals as they surveyed the castle before them. Daisen Castle, home of Wada Kuniaki and the stronghold of Bijo province. It sat high upon a mountain top with a clear 360 degree view in all directions. The Daisen River, where the castle took its name, flowed at the foot of the mountain, providing easy and constant access to fresh water. This would be beneficial to the Yashiro forces, but it would also allow the Wada to hole up in their castle for a long period of time. Sou couldn¡¯t afford that. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°Intelligence reports very few forces in or around the castle, sir. From what we can gather it¡¯s simply the castle garrison. They either don¡¯t know we¡¯re coming or they don¡¯t have the forces to deal with us right now.¡± Arai Riko. Samurai, personal attendant and one of Sou¡¯s closest friends since childhood. She understood him like no one else and had a habit of getting things done before he even asked. She was swift and tiny and excelled in gathering intel. Some say she would have made an excellent ninja, but she was happy with her lot in life. ¡°If we were to meet them on the field, we¡¯d outnumber them 10 to one. Easily.¡± Sou crossed his arms. The Yashiro camp sat nearby, close to the river beyond the hill they were currently standing upon. They had brought everyone they could afford to spare without leaving their homelands entirely undefended. Sou¡¯s father, Ryobe, had likely reached Konoe province by now for his younger sister¡¯s marriage to the soon-to-be daimyo, Itami Motoki. His father had left a loyal retainer behind to keep Oohara Castle running, but neither of them could afford to be away for too long. ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that we¡¯re looking at a siege?¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Exactly what they didn¡¯t need. ¡°Have we investigated the castle? Is there no way to get in?¡± ¡°Nothing that we have yet discovered, sir,¡± Riko replied. ¡°It¡¯s a fortress. The walls are 20 feet high, there are innumerable traps set within the rock walls themselves, if we even got close enough we¡¯d likely find ourselves taking a nice hot oil shower before we could attempt to mount them.¡± ¡°Wonderful.¡± Sou turned to Harada Toshio. Third son of five, his father was also a loyal retainer of Ryobe¡¯s and current head of Hirozaka Castle. Toshio was a skilled warrior from whom Sou had learnt many things growing up. He trusted him with his life, and greatly respected his thoughts and ideas. ¡°What do you think?¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°I think this is futile.¡± ¡°So optimistic, as usual.¡± Toshio ignored the crack. ¡°In known history nobody has even been able to break into Daisen Castle. At best we can hope they don¡¯t know we¡¯re here and count on the element of surprise to gain entry. At worst, we¡¯re looking at a few months of starving them out. We could send some of the men back home, but we¡¯re going to be spread thin regardless, and while we¡¯re trying to starve them out who¡¯s to stop the Kuroda or the Bitou or even the Shiroyama from advancing upon your lands, my lord.¡± ¡°My father won¡¯t attack so long as I¡¯m still alive,¡± Ayane retorted. Toshio had never been particularly kind to her. He had warned Sou many times not to get too friendly with his captive, that given even the slightest chance she would betray him for a single grain of rice. The Harada had been Yashiro retainers for many generations now. Like his father, Toshio was highly suspicious of anyone or anything that might bring harm to the family they so proudly served. ¡°Even if we assume that Lord Bitou doesn¡¯t think his daughter is dead and refuses to make a move on your territory, we cannot safely assume the same of the Kuroda,¡± he continued. ¡°The Shiroyama have also made their intentions to move on the capital quite clear, and while they may be busy dealing with the other clans in the east, we still stand between them and their goal. Their forces are massive. If they decide they want to take your lands while simultaneously fighting in the east, they undoubtedly could.¡± ¡°I think Daisuke¡¯s too busy trying to decide whether he wants to fuck or kill the great ¡®Dragon of Goeshi¡¯ to be bothered with Yashiro lands right now,¡± Riko laughed. The rivalry between Shiroyama Daisuke and Togawa Ryoma, the so-called Dragon of Goeshi was infamous Yashima-wide. They had met in battle several times with neither managing to emerge as the victor. They danced back and forth over the same lands to the point where some suggested neither actually wanted to win. They enjoyed the fight too much. ¡°We¡¯re getting off track here,¡± Sou reminded them. ¡°Okay, so we have two choices. We wait them out, or we find a way in.¡± ¡°We could wait them out. They¡¯ll run out of food sometime,¡± Riko proposed. ¡°I don¡¯t think we have the time or resources for a long siege, my lord,¡± Toshio said. Sou turned to Ayane. ¡°And you?¡± ¡°I think everyone is right.¡± She looked pointedly at Toshio. ¡°You can¡¯t afford a long drawn out siege, but you also can¡¯t charge the gates head on. It¡¯s a tough one.¡± Sou turned around and looked at Kazu, who had been waiting quietly in the trees a few paces behind them. The young man had already proven himself in combat, but Sou was still unsure of how his mind worked. ¡°Kazu. Tell me your thoughts.¡± ¡°Me? Uh, well, I think that¡­¡± Kazu suddenly stopped mid sentence, his eyes widening in horror. He charged at Sou frantically. ¡°My lord, get down!¡± He pushed Sou into a tree and covered his face as an arrow whizzed above their heads. ¡°What the-?¡± Everyone turned in the direction it had come from. A woman dressed all in black smiled and waved at them before taking off. ¡°Shit. Well if they didn¡¯t already know we¡¯re here, they do now! Get back to the men! We charge now!¡± Riko and Toshio bowed their heads and took off. ¡°Kazu, I want you to-¡± he turned but Kazu was already gone, chasing after the mysterious woman. 011. Sou ¡°Well I suppose there goes our element of surprise option,¡± Riko said with a slight grimace. Several units of men were heading up the mountain towards the outer castle gate. They needed to move now, the longer they waited the more the Wada would be able to prepare. Kazu had taken off after the woman who had tried to shoot Sou but still hadn¡¯t returned. ¡°Do you know who that woman was?¡± Sou asked Riko. Toshio was leading his men in the charge up the mountain. He never did like standing around doing nothing. ¡°I can¡¯t say for certain as I only caught a glimpse of her, but I¡¯d bet my younger brother on that being Wada Izue, sir. Kuniaki¡¯s daughter.¡± ¡°You mean the¡­¡± he felt silly saying it, ¡°¡­ the witch?¡± Riko tried to hide the grin forcing itself upon her lips. ¡°You say that like it¡¯s such a dirty word.¡± ¡°No, not at all, I mean¡­ nevermind. How did she know we were here?¡± Three units of men, one led by Toshio himself and two of Toshio¡¯s own samurai had nearly reached the castle gates. There were no signs of movement from the castle. ¡°I don¡¯t know the how, sir, but I think we can safely assume the why.¡± ¡°To assassinate me.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Sou wasn¡¯t new to assassination attempts, but until now he could say that at least they had never been attempted by a¡­ he felt silly even thinking it. Many rumours existed about Wada Izue, the only daughter of former oil merchant current daimyo of fertile Bijo province Wada Kuniaki. They called her the second great witch of Yashima. She communed with demons. She had unexplainable powers granted to her by the darkness. She gave blood sacrifices to powers mortal man didn¡¯t even know existed. It was all nonsense, of course, but it still made him feel a little uneasy. The truth of the matter was that she was extremely skilled at what she did, and what she did was espionage, murder, and chaos. A type of ninja without a clan, without morals. ¡°My lord!¡± Sou was drawn back from his thoughts. Kazu had returned, empty-handed. ¡°I¡¯m couldn¡¯t catch her my lord, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Kazu bowed deeply. ¡°I lost her along the way, she must have a secret entrance to the castle hidden somewhere on the mountain.¡± A secret entrance? Sou turned to Riko. As though she had read his mind she nodded silently and disappeared into the trees.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Thank you, Kazu. You saved my life. That won¡¯t be forgotten.¡± Kazu smiled. He was at times still overly formal and nervous around Sou, but he had already proven his usefulness. Sou felt justified in bringing him along. His father often berated him for his habit of ¡®picking up strays,¡¯ but Sou felt strongly in finding a person¡¯s worth, regardless of where they came from or what they may have done. ¡°They¡¯ve reached the gates.¡± Ayane made herself known, joining Sou and Kazu. Another of Sou¡¯s ¡®strays,¡¯ an enemy that by all rights he shouldn¡¯t be friends with, yet here they were, on campaign together. She could have slit his throat at any time over the last year, but she had been nothing but a good friend. He wanted to believe that was true. Toshio had taken the main gate, sending his men forward. Some were hacking at the wood with axes, others were setting up ladders to scale the wall. There were still no signs of movement from within the castle. ¡°It¡¯s as though nobody¡¯s home,¡± Kazu muttered. He was still out of breathe from the chase. ¡°Maybe they heard you were coming and abandoned the castle?¡± Ayane suggested. It seemed unlikely. As Toshio had said, Daisen Castle had never in its history been penetrated by outside forces. There was no safer place in all of Bijo. That was when it began. In an instant the castle itself seemed to come alive, eating his men. No, not seem. The castle was eating his men. A large section of wall near the gate broke off and began devouring his men. The ranks broke as men fled in terror. Long, thin arms picked men up with ease and tossed them into a huge, fang filled mouth. Bones crushed and blood spurted. The panicked screams reached Sou¡¯s ears all the way from his vantage point. ¡°Nurikabe!!!¡± Sou was both shocked and fascinated. He¡¯d never seen a nurikabe before. He¡¯d heard stories of them, of course. They liked to play tricks on people traveling at night, appearing suddenly in the middle of the road as though out of nowhere. There was no way over or around them. As a young boy his nurse had once mentioned that tapping the dirt in front of them was the only way to scare them off. Sou watched the yokai grab more of his men, moving with ferocious speed for something so large and ungainly. Discarded limbs and torn apart bodies littered the ground around it. He didn¡¯t thinking tapping the dirt would work here. Toshio signalled to his men to retreat. They were not equipped to deal with a yokai, and it had already torn through half of one of his units. The screams were horrific. As the panicked men tried to flee the monster something else caught Sou¡¯s attention. There. In the holes in the walls. The Wada forces, waiting for their moment to strike. A shower of arrows began to rain over his men, one after the other, a constant stream. Then came the oil, just as Riko predicted. Those who had yet to flee soon found themselves burning alive. ¡°Oh my god.¡± Ayane eye¡¯s widened in shock. Men were being eaten by monsters. Men were being burnt alive. Volley after volley of arrows from holes hidden in the walls felled even more as they ran. It was carnage. From atop the castle walls they all spotted her at the same time. Izue. The Black Witch. She waved at them and unsheathed her bow. Toshio was still running. He hadn¡¯t seen her yet. Sou tried to yell out, but Kazu was already running. There was no way he¡¯d reach him in time. Izue took aim and fired. Toshio hit the ground. 012. Sou Kazu and Sou dragged Toshio back to their makeshift camp. The arrow had pierced his shoulder through a gap in his armour. He screamed out in pain with every bump and jolt. ¡°Here, put him down here!¡± Riko cleared a bed for him, and the two men put him down as gently as they could. ¡°We need to get the arrow out.¡± Sou snapped off the end and noticed something was attached. He looked at Riko. It was a note, wrapped around the end of the shaft. He unrolled it. ¡°¡®Settle in. The fun¡¯s just getting started.¡¯¡± The characters were beautiful, elegant even. But the message behind them made Sou¡¯s blood boil. ¡°She¡¯s toying with us.¡± ¡°Settle in? What does that even mean?¡± Riko asked. Sou stood up and put a hand on Kazu¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Riko, Ayane, you two get that thing out of Toshio.¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°Come on Kazu, let¡¯s go.¡± Toshio would live. He was supposed to live. If she wanted him dead, he would be.That was the message. The fun¡¯s just getting started. ¡°What are we gonna do?¡± Kazu asked, running to keep up with Sou¡¯s strides. A few brave men had refused to run and were still trying to take down the nurikabe. Most had fled. The scene before the castle gates was carnage. He had lost hundreds of men, all for nothing. ¡°We¡¯re gonna kill that nurikabe.¡± ¡°We¡¯re gonna¡­ wait, what? How?!¡± Sou unsheathed his sword and ran up the hill. In full armour he looked like a demon out of hell, and that was exactly the impression he hoped to make on his enemies. Next to him Kazu looked like a child, but he also drew his sword and ran screaming towards the monster. Sou smiled. That spark he had seen in him back at Oohara Castle was there again, as though another person was in control of his body. They hit the nurikabe at the same time, both plunging their swords into its back. Sou wasn¡¯t sure if the creature could bleed. It turned out it could. It turned and swung wildly, hitting Kazu in the head with the remains of the body it had been chewing. Its arms were long but thin, its legs short and bulky. If they could tip it over, perhaps it would be unable to get back up. The creature looked at Sou and seemed to smile. Its face was covered in the flesh and blood of his men, the sight grotesque. It made his blood boil even further. Out the corner of his eye he could see Izue sitting on the castle walls, watching them with her legs crossed like it was some kind of game.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Kazu!¡± he yelled. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Kazu stood up, holding his head. ¡°Just got hit in the face with a torso I think¡­ I¡¯m good.¡± ¡°We need to tip it!¡± ¡°Uhhhhh tip it? How?¡± One of the nurikabe¡¯s arms swung back towards Kazu. He saw it coming and ducked, slashing it with his sword as it passed overhead. Foul smelling blood landed on the grass beside him. ¡°Your back!¡± ¡°My what?!¡± ¡°Get down!¡± Sou began moving uphill. The nurikabe was slow to turn, and its focus was on Kazu. ¡°Turtle!¡± Kazu ducked another arm, looking at Sou with a blank stare before the lights finally came on. He smiled and nodded. ¡°Got it!¡± He kept the nurikabe¡¯s focus on himself while Sou ran uphill. He could see archers hiding in the walls. They didn¡¯t fire at him. ¡°Now!¡± he screamed. Kazu dropped to the ground and braced himself for impact. Sou took off running at full speed down the hill, whispering a silent apology to Kazu. He leapt, hit his back in a single bound and continued forward, letting momentum take the full mass of his size and weight into the top of the nurikabe. He hit it shoulder first, so hard he heard his shoulder crack. The nurikabe landed face-down in the grass, arms swinging wildly behind it. It worked. Sou ripped his helmet off and began hacking at the creature. He had no idea where its brain was, or if it even had one, but it had to die at some point. Blood splattered everywhere, and the creature¡¯s muffled screams were thunderous. Sou continued to stab and hack, a wild fury taking over him. Eventually the creature¡¯s movements began to dull, and then finally stop. It was dead. Sou jumped off it and wiped the blood and sweat from his face. Kazu hobbled over to him, holding his back and wincing in pain. ¡°That was¡­ uh¡­ something¡­¡± He looked scared. ¡°Thank you,¡± Sou said, putting a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Kazu gestured with his hand that it was nothing. ¡°I¡¯ll have a giant foot sized bruise for a while, but nothing¡¯s broken. I think. Looks like I can still walk so hey, my spine¡¯s still in-tact!¡± Sou smiled and Kazu winced. He supposed it wasn¡¯t the most handsome smile in the state he was in. Izue continued watching them from her vantage point. She began clapping. ¡°Well done, Oni of Miharu,¡± she began. ¡°Truly outstanding. I¡¯ve never seen anyone deal with a nurikabe like that before. Well, to be honest, I¡¯ve never seen anyone deal with a nurikabe to begin with!¡± The grounds before the castle stank of death. Sou had never seen so much blood before. ¡°How did you do it?¡± Izue tilted her head, the smile still on her lips. ¡°Do what, my dear?¡± ¡°Why was it working for you?¡± She shrugged her shoulders and began to inspect her nails. ¡°What makes you think it was working for me? Why, I¡¯m just as surprised as you are that it was there.¡± She was lying, of course. The rumours that she was a witch suddenly didn¡¯t seem any less credible now she was right here in front of him. She stood up. ¡°Well, as fun as this has all been, the stench is terrible. Oh, and please make sure to clean up before you go. All these piles of flesh are terribly unsightly.¡± She blew a kiss and disappeared behind the castle walls. Sou clenched his jaw. Kazu handed him his helmet. ¡°What are you going to do, sir?¡± His helmet was covered in the blood of the yokai. The blood of his men. Good men. ¡°I¡¯m going to burn them all to the ground.¡± 013. Ayane Days passed as Sou¡¯s forces recovered from the nurikabe attack. Sou himself spoke little of the encounter, although Kazu hadn¡¯t stopped raving about how amazing it was. Toshio had lost use of his arm for the time being, but was otherwise healthy and redoubled his efforts to come up with a new plan. ¡°I just don¡¯t think allowing Ayane to join us in battle is a good idea.¡± ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± ¡°She¡¯s your hostage, not your friend.¡± Toshio was either unaware or couldn¡¯t care less that Ayane was sitting outside the main camp tent. Knowing him, probably the latter. ¡°You sound just like my father.¡± ¡°In this case your father is correct.¡± ¡°I brought her here, it¡¯s my decision. She¡¯s a skilled fighter. She¡¯s joining us.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t blame me when she takes off in the middle of battle then.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll blame you for many things but I was never planning on blaming you for that.¡± Ayane had nothing against Toshio herself, but he was a bit of a stick in the mud. He never liked how friendly Sou was with her, and if he wasn¡¯t outright ignoring her he tended to treat her with utter contempt. Yet what he was saying was correct. If she were in Sou¡¯s position would she bring a hostage along, friend or not, knowing they might use the opportunity to escape? Would she try to escape? It was true, she had not been treated poorly. Sou had become a good friend and she had learnt a great deal during her stay in the Yashiro stronghold. She was free to pursue whatever extracurricular activities she wanted, and the finest tutors provided to her. But at the end of the day she was still a hostage. She couldn¡¯t just freely leave whenever she wanted to. More than that, she missed her family. She missed her father, her younger brother and sisters. They must have gotten so much bigger now. Did they miss her? Did the youngest even remember her anymore? And what of her dog, Haruto? Was he well? Were the younger children looking after him? Given the opportunity, would she actually take it and run? The sounds of screaming and swords clashing drew her from her revelry. It was close. That wasn¡¯t the sound of men practicing their swordsmanship. That was the sound of battle. Of men dying. Of ambush. Sou pushed his way out of the tent. ¡°What is that?¡± A spear flew passed his face, passing through the tent. Ayane looked up at him wide eyed. ¡°We¡¯re under attack!¡± It was Riko. She came running, a hand on her shoulder trying to stop the blood that was flowing down her arm. Sou grabbed his helmet and sword. ¡°Get in there. Watch Toshio,¡± he said to Riko. ¡°Ayane, come on!¡± He was difficult to lose. Even amongst the camp tents he towered, in full armour and helmet he appeared twice the size of a normal man. Fighting had broken out on the outskirts. ¡°But where did they come from? How did no-one see them approaching?¡± Sou grabbed a man by the throat, a strangled choke escaping as he drove his sword through his abdomen. He tossed the man like a rag doll.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he said, chopping the head clean off another man. ¡°We¡¯ll worry about that later.¡± Sou¡¯s forces were once again in disarray. The men wore no crests on their armour, and most of Sou¡¯s men were simply sitting around, relaxing, playing games, entirely unprepared for battle. It was chaos, and extremely difficult to tell friend from foe. A man charged Ayane. Sou had given her armour before they left, although he had been respectful enough not to make her wear the Yashiro family crest into battle. Still, it was not difficult to tell which side she was on, and she dropped to a knee as the man¡¯s sword swung overhead. She thrust upwards and the man fell, blood running down her sword. She yanked and blood splattered her face. He looked down at her, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water as his final breaths left his body. His life was the first she had ever taken. It took a moment to sink in as the sickening realisation hit her. Ayane was only 16 when the Yashiro had captured her. She¡¯d had both her 17th and 18th birthdays in their company and never once participated in a real battle. The look in the man¡¯s eyes as her sword left his body and the life drained out of it, it wasn¡¯t something you could train for, or something you could prepare for. Time seemed to slow down around her. All of the noise, the chaos, it faded away. She had killed a man, a real person, and she had done it for her enemy. A head fell on the ground at her feet. ¡°Mourn the dead after, not during.¡± It was Sou. He threw a punch into a nearby soldier¡¯s face and crushed his nose. The man fell, struggling to breathe as one of Sou¡¯s men finished him off. Sou stalked through the crowd, cutting down men left and right, leaving a trail of blood in his wake. A soldier swung his sword wildly at him, the blow glancing off Sou¡¯s gleaming red armour. How much of that red was blood now? Sou punched him with his right fist and thrust his sword into his belly with the left, discarding the body and moving on as though he had been a mere nuisance, not a serious threat to his life. To her left Ayane spotted Kazu. In complete contrast to Sou he was smaller, faster, more furious. He wore little armour and moved much faster for it, mounting men in single bounds, jumping and rolling through the enemy like an acrobat. He fought not with a sword but with two daggers, allowing him to stab and move on before the body had even hit the ground. He smiled, a gruesome, bloody smile, as though enjoying himself thoroughly. To her right Ayane spotted a clearing through the dead men. A clearing straight through to the forest. Her hands felt sticky with blood. The metallic tang in the air was sickening. Toshio¡¯s words came back to her. ¡®Don¡¯t blame me if she takes off in the middle of battle then.¡¯ It was as though the gods had heard him and were now testing her. Sou had his back to her, busy dealing with three men at once like they were children¡¯s toys and he was no longer in the mood for games. In the chaos she could easily slip by and no-one would know until it was too late. She could be halfway home before anyone could mount a decent search party to find her, and even then they might not have the resources to spare for it. She could escape. She could get home. It had been over a year since she had seen her father. Her younger brother and sisters. Her dog. Even her tutors and the castle servants. Over a year since she had seen the blue robins, the symbol of Misen province playing in the sakura trees that decorated the castle¡¯s inner garden. Every spring she looked forward to their arrival, the sound of their beautiful singing as they played in the light pink trees. She loved sitting in the garden with her father and a cup of tea and watching the birds flutter from branch to branch. Was he sitting there now, watching the birds without her? Sou screamed out in pain, a sword piercing his side through his armour. He grabbed it with his bare hands and pulled it out, blood gushing out through the hole. He smashed the handle into the soldier¡¯s face, crumbling his body like his bones no longer had the strength to hold him upright. He threw the sword down in disgust but another man was upon him. Ayane looked back towards the forest. She looked towards Sou. Either decision was going to cause her regret, but which regret would she be able to live with right now? She sighed and ran towards Sou, thrusting her sword through a soldier¡¯s neck. Sou backhanded another, sending him crashing into a pile of dead bodies. ¡°Thank you.¡± He looked down at her. She smiled despite herself. Even though she knew Sou was underneath it his oni kabuto was still terrifying. Even moreso now that it was covered in the blood of his enemies. ¡°Let¡¯s finish this,¡± she said. Sou picked up a man, his legs kicking in the air beneath him, and tossed him at two oncoming men. ¡°Let¡¯s finish this,¡± he repeated. The path to the forest was still clear. Ayane turned and threw herself back into the battle. 014. Ayane Ayane and Sou walked through the carnage of the battlefield. They had won, but it was hard to call it a win. It was a surprise attack meant to dishearten and confuse the Yashiro forces, and it had certainly done that. Scores of Sou¡¯s men lay dead amongst the Wada. The northern part of the camp lay in ruins. Tents had been knocked down, destroyed and set on fire, and hundreds of men were dead. ¡°What I want to know is where did they come from?¡± Ayane asked. ¡°How did so many men manage to get this close before anyone saw them?¡± Sou grunted. He wiped his forehead, smearing more blood. ¡°That witch.¡± The witch? What did they call her, Izue? Could she really have done this? ¡°I think you¡¯re giving her a little too much credit.¡± ¡°Perhaps.¡± Sou said nothing more. Men began the task of recovering what they could of the camp remains, moving further south with the rest of the men. ¡°Hey, this one¡¯s still alive!¡± One of Sou¡¯s men pulled up a soldier from beneath a pile of dead bodies. He was bloody and weak but still breathing. Sou stormed over to him. He grabbed the soldier by the front of his shirt and pulled him up in the air as though he were a child. ¡°How did you find us without anyone seeing you?¡± he growled. ¡°How did you get into the camp?!¡± The man laughed, a strangled laugh, blood running down his chin. He flopped in Sou¡¯s grip like a rag doll as he shook him. ¡°How?!¡± He continued laughing. The sound was off-putting, to say the least. His hand moved towards his waist, grabbing for something tucked inside. ¡°Sou, look out!¡± Ayane screamed. The man pulled out a small dagger, but instead of stabbing Sou his hand swiftly moved upwards as he stabbed himself in the neck. Blood slowly ran down over Sou¡¯s hand and the body went limp. ¡°What the¡­?¡± Sou dropped the body. He turned to look at Ayane, confusion written across his face. The man would rather kill himself than give up his secrets. What kind of people were they fighting against here? ¡°She said the fun¡¯s just beginning,¡± Sou began, flicking the dead man¡¯s blood off his hand. ¡°I suppose this is what she meant.¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Ayane asked. ¡°If she thinks her tricks and attempts to confuse and scatter my army are going to send me running home with my tail between my legs, well she¡¯s got another thing coming. If I have to pull down every single rock of that castle wall by hand, by the gods I will.¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Ayane nodded. It seemed unlikely that Sou would leave the area in defeat. He would rather die first. ¡°Thank you, by the way.¡± Ayane looked up, confused. ¡°Hmm? For what?¡± ¡°For still being here. For not running off like you could have. I know Toshio and the others are hard on you, and really you have no reason to stick by me¡­¡± ¡°I doubt I would have gotten very far before you followed to cut my head off anyway.¡± Ayane laughed, trying to lighten the situation. It was silly of her to think he hadn¡¯t expected her to run. He no doubt had contingency plans in place in-case she did. Maybe he¡¯d just been testing her, to see if she would try to escape. ¡°When we get back home¡­ once we¡¯ve dealt with this situation¡­ I¡¯m going to talk to father. I¡¯m going to petition to have you returned home.¡± ¡°¡­ oh.¡± Ayane was unsure of what to say. After thinking about it so much it was the last thing she expected to hear from Sou. She was confused. Of course she wanted to return home, very little else had filled her thoughts for the last year now. The urge to run had been strong. She had very nearly done it. Now here she was, in the aftermath of her first battle - fighting for her enemy, no less - being told that she may soon be allowed to return home. But she had also grown fond of Sou. He was like the big brother she never had. Ayane¡¯s father was already quite old by regular standards when she was born. He was a great father and she loved him with all her heart, but there was always some kind of gap between them, and she often wished she had an elder brother or sister, someone closer in age that she could talk to. Then Sou came along. He had taught her a lot over the last year and treated her as family. They trained together. They ate together. He taught her swordsmanship and she taught him calligraphy. Sou alone had celebrated Ayane¡¯s birthday with her last month, and he even gave her a hand carved wooden statue; a blue robin. The gesture had touched Ayane more than words could say. Putting aside the strange situation in which they had met, she had become attached to Sou, she realised. She would be sad to leave him. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know what to say.¡± ¡°Until then,¡± Sou continued with a cough, as though nothing had happened, ¡°we need to figure out our next move. We can¡¯t just keep reacting to what they throw at us.¡± Ayane smiled. He never was the best with feelings. Toshio came walking towards them, stepping carefully through the dead bodies. He cast a cursory glance at Ayane before looking up at Sou. ¡°I don¡¯t like this, Sou. It¡¯s one thing for a single person to appear and disappear, but for this many men to just magically appear out of nowhere, without warning¡­ I don¡¯t like it. Not to mention the yokai that was working for them. It¡¯s unheard of! We don¡¯t know what else they might be capable of.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying you want to run?¡± Sou asked. ¡°No,¡± Toshio retorted. ¡°I¡¯m saying whether the rumours are true or not, that woman is dangerous, and they know these lands far better than we do. We can¡¯t even get close enough to the castle to figure out a way in yet, every man that¡¯s approached it has been killed on sight.¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware of this.¡± ¡°We need to find out how to deal with that woman, and we need a way to get into that castle, or they¡¯re just going to continue picking us off one by one. They can afford to take their time. We cannot.¡± Sou nodded, scratching his chin. Stubble had begun to grow, giving him a more weary look. ¡°I know. I¡¯m working on it.¡± Toshio nodded, cast Ayane another glance and walked away. ¡°You have a plan?¡± she asked. Sou looked over at Kazu, piling dead bodies in a heap. ¡°I¡¯m working on it,¡± he repeated. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m going to get cleaned up. You should do the same. Blood doesn¡¯t suit you.¡± As he began to head back to camp his words continued to weigh heavily on her mind. Return to her family. Freedom. So why did she feel so bad about it? 015. Ayane Ayane watched as a blue robin landed in the grass nearby. She was alone, but within earshot of the camp. Sou had placed his trust in her, and despite the protests of others she had no intention of betraying that trust just yet. She was just going to the nearby stream to wash up, she had told them, but the silence of the forest was somehow soothing, relaxing even. Her heart fluttered as she looked at the bird. It was rare to see a blue robin this far north. A good omen, perhaps? Suddenly the bird dropped, a tiny stream of red trickling down its soft blue feathers. Its little chest began rapidly moving up and down, up and down, the bird taking shallow breaths before finally all movement stopped. In shock, she ran over and picked up the bird to found a tiny dart sticking out of its side. Someone had killed it? But why? ¡°Hi.¡± Izue was sitting on a nearby log, one leg crossed over the other. Ayane started and opened her mouth to scream. ¡°I¡¯d think twice before yelling out if I were you. You¡¯ll be long dead before anyone can help you.¡± Ayane bit her lip, trying to control the urge to run over and cave the witch¡¯s face in. ¡°I just want to talk.¡± Izue smiled. ¡°Sorry about the bird. That particular type of bird is precious to you, is it not, Bitou Ayane of Misen, heir of daimyo Bitou Noboru?¡± Ayane clenched her jaw. Izue smiled once more, apparently the reaction she had been hoping for. ¡°Your father is not well, I hear. Why, I believe he¡¯s even on his death bed as we speak.¡± Ayane said nothing. Could say nothing. She didn¡¯t think anything about the witch could surprise her anymore, so why would it be surprising that she apparently knew all about Ayane herself as well? ¡°It would be a terrible shame if he were to die before you could return home.¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± Ayane finally asked. The blue robin¡¯s blood had pooled in her hand. It was warm. Izue stood up and began pacing. ¡°What do I want? What don¡¯t I want? No, the question perhaps is what do you want, and what can I do for you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t. But I have a proposition for you. I think you¡¯ll like it.¡± ¡°A proposition?¡± Izue stopped pacing and placed a hand on Ayane¡¯s cheek. The hand was unexpectedly soft and gentle. Her face, mere inches from Ayane¡¯s own, was extremely pretty. Elegant, even. The effect of her standing so close, staring deep into her eyes was slightly confusing.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°I don¡¯t-¡± ¡°Stop trying before you make a fool of yourself and just listen. What I¡¯m offering you is safe passage home. Right now. Your father is dying, do you understand? He won¡¯t live to see the summer. A terrible tragedy, yes, and nothing you can do to stop it, but at the very least you can see him before he goes. I personally guarantee it.¡± Ayane let the words sink in. Her father had been ailing for a while, that was no secret to anyone, but she had heard nothing of him being so ill that he was dying. They had considered the possibility that it may be coming soon, but now? Already? Perhaps Ayane being away had taken more of a toll on him than she thought. ¡°How do you know my father is dying?¡± Izue stroked the dead blue robin, lying still in Ayane¡¯s hand. ¡°I take it the Yashiro don¡¯t deliver all news to you then.¡± She looked up, a hint of a smile on her lips. ¡°It¡¯s common knowledge, my dear. Several clans are preparing to make their moves right this very moment. You sit in valuable territory, as I¡¯m sure you know. Once your father dies, it won¡¯t be long until the rest of your brothers and sisters are taken care of and the Bitou clan is wiped off the map.¡± It was a lot to take in. It was true, the Bitou lands sat close to the capital and despite being one of the smaller provinces it was also one of the most fertile. A perfect launching pad towards the capital itself or any of the surrounding provinces nearby. ¡°We¡­ my father has an alliance with the Kuroda. They would come to his aid.¡± She was trying to convince herself. ¡°Yes, and the infamous Kuroda Mitsuhide is known for his trustworthiness and compassionate nature.¡± Izue spoke as though consoling a child. ¡°But who am I to argue, I mean, that¡¯s why you¡¯re here after all. Dear old daddy thought his alliance with a monster more precious than his own heir. His own daughter.¡± Ayane said nothing. Not once had she blamed her father for the position he had been put in. He had made the best decision for the clan, for their people. She could not argue that. Hearing the words said out loud, however, they stung. ¡°Assuming you can safely get me back home,¡± Ayane began, coming back to the original question, ¡°what do you want in return?¡± Izue sat back down, crossed her legs and put her hands on her knees and looked up, smiling. She was very pretty, almost distracting so. Perhaps that was at least part of the secret behind her charms? ¡°Tell me about Sou.¡± Ayane laughed a little despite herself. She hadn¡¯t been expecting that. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sou?¡± ¡°Yes. The big tall man. Your captor and current leader. Likes to disguise himself as an oni when he crushes men beneath his palm. Destroys yokai single-handedly. Fights with a passion unseen in these lands for quite some time.¡± ¡°You¡­ you want to send me home in exchange for information on Sou?¡± This time Izue laughed. ¡°No, that was just my own personal interest. I want you to betray him, of course. The Yashiro are causing quite a fuss on our lands and we¡¯d like them gone.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°None of us want a long siege, least of all the Yashiro, so let¡¯s just end this right now, woman to woman. We are the intelligent ones, after all. You can go home and see your dying father and protect your family and lands before they¡¯re all burnt to the ground. The Yashiro can go home and protect their own interests, and we Wada can return to our peaceful way of living once more. Everyone wins.¡± Ayane somehow doubted that. ¡°You just need to bring me Sou. Alone.¡± Ayane looked down at the blue robin lying in a pool of its own blood in her hand. What was she to do? 016. Saika ¡°What news do you have of the Yashiro? How are they faring against the Wada?¡± Mitsuhide settled comfortably into his chair, looking at Saika expectantly. After visiting Bitou Noboru she had informed the Kuroda daimyo of all she had learnt, and send out spies to uncover the state of affairs elsewhere while they prepared for their own attack. ¡°Not so well, my lord. I¡¯ve received word they¡¯ve taken multiple losses and have yet to breach the castle walls.¡± ¡°Excellent.¡± Mitsuhide smiled, clearly the news he had been hoping for. ¡°A smart man would have waited for the right opportunity to attack, especially such a well-fortified castle as that.¡± ¡°My sources tell me they were also surprised by a nurikabe, supposedly under the employ of the Wada.¡± ¡°A nurikabe?!¡± Mitsuhide¡¯s eyes opened in shock, his distaste for yokai clear once more. ¡°You mean they¡­ how?!¡± Saika shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know, my lord. If you listen to the rumours, some say Kuniaki¡¯s daughter has a certain way with the powers of darkness.¡± ¡°A way with the powers of darkness¡­ what does that even mean? Nonsense, pure nonsense¡­¡± The daimyo shuddered and took a sip from his cup. Sake, not tea. A long sip. ¡°On that note, did you deal with our little¡­ uh¡­. cat problem?¡± ¡°The bakeneko, my lord?¡± ¡°Yes, that thing.¡± Saika had looked into it, for what it was worth. Mihara Naoto¡¯s wife, Sachiko, had been accused of being a bakeneko, but she had found zero evidence of it. On the contrary, she was one of the most normal, dutiful, and filial wives she had ever seen. Which was likely the problem, as she was also extremely attractive. Saika couldn¡¯t place who exactly had started the rumours, but she had her suspicions about another of the Kuroda vassals, a certain Yamada Ichiro, a man who had been making far too blatant advances on her for years now. ¡°I¡¯ve found no evidence that she is what she¡¯s been accused of. I dare say the rumour was simply begun by a jealous suitor, my lord.¡± No point in mincing words. ¡°Hmph. Well, that¡¯s good I suppose. Now I don¡¯t have to kill their entire family. That would be a terrible loss.¡± Saika could feel the pity in his voice from across the table. A knock at the door drew their attention. ¡°What?!¡± Mitsuhide yelled gruffly. The sake was beginning to warm his face. ¡°The Bitou have arrived, my lord. I have with me the young lord Kenichi.¡± Kenichi? Bitou Kenichi was Noboru¡¯s eldest son, but the boy was only 12 years old. If he were here, then that meant¡­ ¡°Let him in!¡± The door opened and a young boy walked in. He bowed deeply. ¡°Kuroda-sama, it is an honour and a pleasure to greet you in the place of my father. He has taken ill and sadly could not make the trip, but he hopes that I will suffice in his stead.¡± The boy was tall, and his shoulders just beginning to widen. His face was that of a child, however, and it was difficult to see him as anything but. A child entering a man¡¯s world. ¡°Come, my boy, sit, have a drink, you must be exhausted.¡± Mitsuhide gestured to the spot next to him at the table. ¡°And call me Mitsuhide.¡± The grin was almost lecherous. Mitsuhide himself poured a cup of sake and handed it to the boy, who nodded his head gratefully in thanks.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°This is a gift from my father,¡± the boy bowed his head deeply and held out a finely carved bottle of sake. ¡°One of our family¡¯s finest brews, my father hopes you will accept this and continue to look favourably upon us.¡± Mitsuhide took the bottle and smiled. ¡°Thank you very much, and I¡¯m truly sorry to hear about your father. I had very much been looking forward to catching up with him.¡± He almost seemed sincere. Almost. ¡°But I¡¯m also very pleased to see you. How long has it been, my boy?¡± Kenichi put the cup down on the table. ¡°Over a year, sir.¡± ¡°Over a year¡­ ah yes, since that terrible ordeal with your sister.¡± ¡°Yes, sir¡­¡± ¡°And I told you, call me Mitsuhide! No need for such formalities between close friends!¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Mitsuhide.¡± The boy looked at Saika. She nodded slightly. He looked so much like his father. In younger, stronger days. ¡°So your father has sent you to join me on this campaign in his stead. He must have a lot of faith in your abilities, son.¡± The boy gave a shy smile and nod. ¡°I¡¯ve had a lot of practice in sword fighting and horse riding, sir, but this is my first real battle.¡± ¡°Your first real battle!¡± Mitsuhide smiled and pretended to look shocked at Saika. ¡°Well, what do you know? I¡¯m honoured that your first time will be with me. You only get one first time, you know. But that¡¯s okay, between you and me, it¡¯s all uphill after that.¡± Mitsuhide leant close to the boy and winked. Saika did her best to bite her tongue. ¡°And I tell you what,¡± Mitsuhide continued, relaxing back in his chair and taking another sip of his sake, ¡°if you do well with me on this campaign I¡¯ll do my best to support your claim to the Bitou clan. As one man to another.¡± There it was. Mitsuhide was already planning two steps ahead. The boy looked confused. ¡°My¡­ claim? I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t-¡± ¡°Yes. You are Noboru¡¯s eldest son, unless I¡¯m mistaken?¡± ¡°Yes, but-¡± ¡°I know, your sister. But where is your sister? How do we know she¡¯s even still alive? Your father needs an heir, an heir that¡¯s here and ready to take over and provide strong leadership for your clan. I¡¯m just saying, I¡¯m willing to support you in this. You won¡¯t get much better backing than the entire weight of the Kuroda.¡± Impressive, but also not unexpected. Noboru likely didn¡¯t have much longer, and with his heir still a hostage of another clan they could use her to their advantage and move in. But if Mitsuhide set up his own heir, one he could easily manipulate, the Bitou people and lands would essentially become his to do with as he pleased. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know what to say.¡± If he were anything like his father, Kenichi would grow up to be a physically strong and imposing man, but as of right now he was simply a scared, 12 year old boy, trying to do what he thought was right. ¡°¡®Thank you,¡¯ would suffice.¡± Mitsuhide smiled that awful smile again. ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± ¡°Mitsuhide.¡± ¡°Sorry, thank you, Mitsuhide.¡± ¡°Saika! Take the boy to a guest room and see that he settles in, would you? We¡¯re leaving in the morning, I want the boy well and rested. You must be tired after your travels.¡± Saika stood up and Kenichi followed suit, bowing to Mitsuhide and following Saika out of the room. The sound of another sake bottle being opened followed them into the hall. ¡°How is your father doing?¡± Saika asked as she lead him to one of several guest rooms in the residence. ¡°Not so well, ma¡¯am. Lately he¡¯s been too weak to even get out of bed.¡± Noboru had seemed under the weather when Saika last saw him, but such a dramatic turn in his health didn¡¯t bode well. ¡°Kuroda-sama called you Saika? Kage Saika?¡± She looked down at the boy. ¡°Yes?¡± The boy pulled something out of his pocket, a tiny bag with a beautiful ribbon around the top. ¡°Father told me that if I were to see you to give you this.¡± It was Saika¡¯s turn to be surprised. ¡°What¡­ why?¡± The boy shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know, ma¡¯am. He just said to give it to you because he didn¡¯t think he¡¯d have the chance to himself, and to tell you that he hopes you find what you¡¯re looking for.¡± Saika opened the bag. A small pearl dropped into her palm, indescribably beautiful. It sparkled and shone so brightly she could almost see her own reflection in it. But beyond the beauty it was the meaning behind it that caused her heart to skip a beat. It was a feeling she hadn¡¯t felt in a long, long time. The feeling that, for once, she had been the one found out and not the other way around. She stopped before the door of one of the guest rooms, feeling choked up. She opened the door and let the boy in. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said, trying not to bite her lip. ¡°Truly, thank you.¡± The boy nodded and turned to leave. ¡°Be careful,¡± Saika warned him. He turned back to look at her. ¡°Just¡­ be careful.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± he replied in turn, giving her a smile. He really was his father¡¯s double. Saika returned the smile and softly closed the door, grasping the pearl tightly in her hand. 017. Saika Kenichi rode by Mitsuhide¡¯s side as the combined Kuroda and Bitou forces made for Hirozaka Castle. The daimyo chatted with the young boy as though he were his own son. He told tales of his many exploits in battle, bragged about the multiple women he¡¯d bedded, and continued to shower the boy with words of praise and encouragement. In turn, Kenichi told Mitsuhide about the multiple sword masters he¡¯d trained with recently, and how he could easily defeat boys twice his size. ¡°Noboru has done a wonderful job raising you,¡± Mitsuhide continued his barrage of praise. ¡°I sure wish I had a son like you.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have any children, sir¡­ uh¡­ Mitsuhide?¡± It was common knowledge that he didn¡¯t, but the boy was just being polite. ¡°Sadly, no. I adopted a son, once, but he died in battle against the very enemy we¡¯re going up against today.¡± Kenichi¡¯s eyebrows raised. ¡°The Yashiro killed your son?¡± ¡°My adopted son, yes. I found him on the streets and took him in, raised him as my own. Such a good boy, Yasutaka was. He was destined for great things. But then he was killed during a Yashiro raid on our farming lands. Monsters, they are.¡± Saika bit her tongue. Yasutaka had been adopted, forcibly, from one of Mitsuhide¡¯s vassals because the daimyo had taking a liking to the boy¡¯s penchant for violence. He was killed by soldiers when attempting to rape a woman in Yashiro lands. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that,¡± Kenichi replied. ¡°Yes, terrible. But who knows, perhaps one day I might adopt you as well! Such a fine boy as yourself, I would be lucky to call you my son. Think of it, you could rule over both the Bitou and Kuroda lands, such a vast territory under your control, and yours alone.¡± Kenichi said nothing, but Mitsuhide continued to smile lecherously at him. The pearl Kenichi had given her the previous night pressed against Saika¡¯s breast. She played with it mindlessly, scanning their surroundings. Everything was quiet, the only sound that of the combined forces of Kuroda and Bitou marching forth. All this time Noboru had known. Who she was. What she was. He had known and he had gotten close to her and even when things soured between them he kept her secret and continued to treat her well. Why? Why would he do that? How had he known? Saika prided herself on uncovering other people¡¯s secrets, not having her own found out. Now he was dying and she was here with his son, his son who looked so much like him, his son who had no idea what was coming and wasn¡¯t ready for the world he was being forced into. He was dying and and she would never be able to ask him how he had known, or why he had said nothing all these years. It tore at her heart.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. At the very least, Saika would do whatever she could to protect his children. She had promised him that she would bring Ayane home. She fully intended to keep that promise. She made a silent vow to do whatever she could to protect Kenichi as well. For the time being Mitsuhide would do nothing, he would merely start grooming the boy, but a war was coming. Not just a fight between clans over land or resources or power, but an internal war between brother and sister. There could be no winner there. Saika hoped beyond hope that Noboru would live long enough that such a war would never come to pass. If she could get to Ayane quick enough, if she could bring her back in time, all of this could be avoided. ¡°The path ahead is clear, sir! Not a soldier in sight from here to the castle.¡± One of the scouts had returned, relaying what he had seen. ¡°Excellent. Thank you. You know, Kenichi, I was about your age when I fought in my first battle.¡± He turned to look at the boy beside him, smiling. ¡°I was not quite as tall or broad of shoulder as you are, but I held my own.¡± ¡°Which battle was that, sir?¡± ¡°Mitsuhide.¡± ¡°Sorry¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, I do believe that was the great battle of Aogawa, between my father and the then daimyo of Kaya province, Shiroyama Ryunosuke.¡± ¡°You mean Shiroyama Daisuke¡¯s father?¡± ¡°Yes, the one and only. He and my father were long-time rivals. The Shiroyama, you see, claim descent from the emperor many centuries ago. They¡¯re a very proud and noble people, extremely touchy about their lineage. To this day they claim their ancestor, the emperor¡¯s brother, was the true heir and through deceit he was tricked out of his throne.¡± ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t know that,¡± Kenichi replied. ¡°Spend five minutes with a Shiroyama and you soon will. Anyway, my father claimed no such royal descent, merely through hard work and carefully built connections did our clan rise to power, and after a little disagreement about which clan owned a certain river, well our families went to war.¡± ¡°Who won?¡± ¡°We did, of course!¡± Mitsuhide smiled. ¡°Aogawa now proudly runs through Toshiga province, providing my people with both beauty and a wealth of resources. The Shiroyama went running home with their tails between their legs, their borders tightened, and it was that day I had my first true taste not just of battle, but of victory in battle. You need to fight not just for the sake of it, my boy, but for a reason. For your people. For your family. For their long term prosperity.¡± Mitsuhide sure had a way of putting a spin on things, Saika thought. She couldn¡¯t wait until she was done with the man, but unfortunately she had to put up with him a little longer. She still had a job to do. ¡°Yes, my boy,¡± Mitsuhide patted Kenichi on the shoulder, ¡°today is sure to be a glorious day! The Yashiro won¡¯t know what hit them!¡± 018. Saika The sun was beginning to set behind the hills of Hirozaka when the castle came into view. During her previous visit Saika had discovered that dusk was when the castle gates opened for storage and supply runs and personnel changes. It was the time when the castle was least protected. Men would be preparing dinner, others would be moving supplies, others would be having a chat before the guard change for the night. There was no better time to strike, and Mitsuhide had planned their arrival to coincide. Saika had to give him that, had they arrived half an hour earlier or later, things would probably be a little more difficult, yet somehow he had still gotten them there within that small window. He halted his army and took a moment to consider the castle in the distance. Saika had informed him of all she had seen in and outside the castle walls. Not terribly well defended, and a barebones staff that would be even more barebones now that men had been called north to fight the Wada. ¡°Alright Kenichi, I want you to watch and listen very carefully. I want you and your men to wait here. The Yashiro forces in and around the castle are going to see us coming and try to close the gates. That¡¯s okay. They¡¯re not going to succeed. Once we get in, I want you to follow us and provide support from the rear, just in case any other units are hiding someplace we don¡¯t know about, okay?¡± Kenichi nodded, but his eyes betrayed how scared he was. Mitsuhide slapped him on the shoulder. ¡°Chin up, boy! They don¡¯t get much easier than this! Why, the castle is just there, ripe for the picking. How kind of young Sou to take his men north and leave all these fruitful areas unattended. Like taking candy from a baby, really.¡± Kenichi nodded again, Mitsuhide¡¯s words providing him with little strength. ¡°Remember, once we¡¯re inside the castle gates, okay?¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Mitsuhide motioned to Saika and she joined his side. ¡°If your information proves good¡­¡± ¡°Have I ever let you down yet?¡± she retorted. ¡°No, no you have not,¡± Mitsuhide agreed. ¡°Once we¡¯re inside the castle walls, find whoever¡¯s in charge. Bring him to me. Alive.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± Mitsuhide drew his horse forward and turned to his men. His bannermen came running up beside him, flanking each side of his horse with his personal motto flapping in the wind, ¡°Umisen Yamasen.¡± A thousand seas, a thousand mountains. Saika found it to be a strange motto for a man to choose for himself, the meaning amounting to a sly old fox who had seen and done everything, and could handle any situation through pure cunning, but it sure did fit him to a tee. ¡°Alright men, listen up. I¡¯m not going to give you any rousing speech today. Why? There¡¯s simply no need! Hirozaka Castle sits before us, waiting to be rescued. To bring her into our fold. We¡¯re going to do what we always do, we¡¯re going to go in and we¡¯re going to win!¡± The men cheered. Mitsuhide smiled, turned his horse and began charging for the castle, his men in hot pursuit. The mounted samurai led the way, followed by their units of spearmen and archers, and the remaining foot soldiers bringing up the rear. The sound of hooves and feet on the dirt was thunderous, and as they closed in on the castle a horn finally sounded. It was the Yashiro men, who had realised too late that they were under attack. Mitsuhide¡¯s men were inside the castle walls before they were able to close the giant gates.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. It was a massacre. Mitsuhide dismounted from his horse and in full armour - making his otherwise average build look far more impressive than it really was - stalked through the men, cutting down any in his path. The residents inside the castle walls were unarmed and unprepared. Kuroda forces flooded the yard, slaughtering all before them indiscriminately. Saika entered the castle and quickly made her way to the lord¡¯s residence. It was empty, everyone either already hiding or outside in the fray. It didn¡¯t matter, she knew where the main room was, and it was there that she found the vassal who had been left in charge. He was attempting to put his armour on, and looked up as the door opened. ¡°Who are you-¡± One of Saika¡¯s small daggers swiftly landed in his shoulder. It was non-lethal, but incredibly painful. He dropped to the ground with a loud cry and Saika walked over, yanked the dagger from his shoulder and held it to his neck. ¡°This way, if you don¡¯t mind.¡± She lead him outside, stopping at the entrance. The sight was horrific. Everyone had been slaughtered, even the women and children. A few stragglers were still trying to escape, but Kenichi¡¯s forces had closed in on the gate. There was no escape. Mitsuhide stepped forth, covered in blood. ¡°And who might you be?¡± ¡°Ha¡­ Harada Makoto,¡± the man mumbled, taking in the carnage before him. Mitsuhide removed his helmet, revealing his face. He tapped the crest on his helmet. ¡°Kuroda Mitsuhide. What a fine castle you have here, yes, very nice. But I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be requiring your services here any further. It belongs to us, now. Kenichi! Come here, my boy.¡± The young boy made his way through the men, his sword held precariously before him. He was covered in blood. His helmet was just a little too big for his head, his armour sagging just a little too much. In a year or two he would fill it out nicely, but right now he just looked like a child playing grown up. ¡°There he is.¡± Mitsuhide smiled as he walked up beside him. ¡°I have a present for you. I present to you¡­ sorry, what was your name again?¡± ¡°Harada Makoto.¡± ¡°Yes, that was it. Harada Makoto. I present to you Harada Makoto, vassal of the Yashiro, clan that kidnapped your sister.¡± ¡°Hey now, I didn¡¯t¡­ that was nothing to do with¡­¡± the man began stuttering again, his hands held up in defeat. ¡°Silence! Have some dignity in the face of death. It¡¯s more than you¡¯ve granted others, I¡¯m sure.¡± The man fell silent. Mitsuhide looked down at Kenichi. ¡°I want you to do the honours.¡± ¡°Me? Why?¡± ¡°Do you not want revenge for your sister?¡± ¡°Well, yes, but¡­¡± ¡°So, here you are. He¡¯s not the first, and he won¡¯t be the last of those loyal to the Yashiro to fall. Killing him is nothing to me. But to you, my dear boy, to kill the vassal in charge of such an important castle in his first battle, well! That¡¯s surely something to remember.¡± Mitsuhide gave Kenichi a push forward. The boy was still scared. He looked up at Saika, her arm around the man¡¯s neck, dagger pointed at his throat. He was begging her with his eyes. This wasn¡¯t battle. It was murder, and he was a scared 12 year old boy with no idea what to do. ¡°Come on, son, finish him!¡± Kenichi nervously looked back and forth between Mitsuhide and the pleading man before him. He looked up at Saika, perhaps hoping she had some answer for him. If he didn¡¯t kill the man he would be humiliated and Mitsuhide would simply move on to the next child to start his claim war, but he was frozen in place. He¡¯s probably never even cut a man with his sword, let alone killed one, Saika thought. The man was going to die either way, whether Kenichi held the knife or not. She nodded to the young boy, quickly thrust the dagger into the man¡¯s throat and kicked him in the back of the knees. He fell onto Kenichi¡¯s sword, gasping. The tip of the sword emerged from his back, the man¡¯s body slowly sliding down towards the hilt. Kenichi pushed him aside in horror, blood gurgling from both his throat and chest. The men cheered. Mitsuhide looked snidely at Saika. She shrugged. The deed was done, and as far as any of the men could tell, Kenichi¡¯s blade had just tasted its first blood. The boy had just taken part in his first successful battle, and the castle was now Kuroda¡¯s. ¡°Get rid of the body, but keep his head. I must send Ryobe a gift in exchange for this beautiful castle we have received.¡± Mitsuhide put a hand on Kenichi¡¯s shoulder. The boy started. He was still looking at the dead body before him. ¡°Come, my boy, let¡¯s have a drink and celebrate. I¡¯m almost a little disappointed at how easily this all went, but now I¡¯m thirsty! Come! Let¡¯s inspect my new quarters!¡± Kuroda men set about hanging those still alive from the castle walls, while Mitsuhide and Kenichi went inside to celebrate their successful takeover, perfectly executed with minimal casualties. It would be their launching pad for further excursions north. The Kuroda expansion into Yashiro territory had officially begun. 019. Sou ¡°Sou, can we talk? Alone.¡± It was Ayane. Sou dismissed the men inside his tent and waited until they were out of earshot. ¡°What is it?¡± She sat down opposite him and ran a hand through her hair. ¡°I ran into Saika.¡± Sou straightened up. ¡°And? Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine.¡± Ayane nodded. ¡°She didn¡¯t do anything. She just wanted to talk.¡± ¡°What did she want to talk about?¡± The fact Izue had managed to get to Ayane without being seen was concerning enough, but what game was she playing now? ¡°She wants me to bring you to her.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°She said if I brought you to her, alone, that she would free me and guarantee my safe passage back home.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Sou swallowed. It was a good deal. Hand over your captor for freedom. ¡°So why are you telling me all this then?¡± Ayane stood up and began pacing the tent, trying to find the words for what she wanted to say. ¡°You¡¯re a good man, Sou. I truly believe that.¡± She stopped in front of him, looking him directly in the eye. ¡°You¡¯re like a brother to me. You¡¯ve never treated me like I was some bargaining chip in the war. You¡¯ve trusted me when you had absolutely no reason to, and so now I¡¯m trusting you.¡± ¡°I appreciate that.¡± He truly did. Initially Ayane had reminded him of Yuki, but over time they had become true friends. Over the last six months Sou felt he had spent more time with Ayane than he had with his beloved younger sister. Yuki was his blood, he loved her more than life itself, but he had also come to love Ayane, who as heir to her own clan understood Sou in ways that Yuki never would. She had proven herself incredibly resilient and good natured when forced into a horrible situation, and Sou admired that greatly. ¡°So when are you supposed to bring me to her?¡± ¡°Tomorrow. This same time.¡± Sou smiled. ¡°Well, it would be rude to leave the lady waiting. Let¡¯s go see what she has to say.¡± Sou listened to the wind blowing through the trees as Ayane fidgeted beside him. This was the spot, she said. He scanned the area, looking for places the witch might appear from. She was somewhere, watching them, he could feel it. He just couldn¡¯t see where. As though on cue she appeared in a tree branch above them. ¡°Well well, I wasn¡¯t sure if you¡¯d actually go through with it, but perhaps you have more balls than I thought.¡± Izue dropped down from the tree, landing at Sou¡¯s feet without a sound. Not even a leaf rustled. ¡°Leave us.¡± She gestured at Ayane, shooing her away.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°But-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I don¡¯t break promises. Unlike some. Now go. I want to talk to Sou alone.¡± Ayane gave Sou a lingering look before she finally turned and exited the small clearing. Izue stalked around Sou like a tiger inspecting its prey, finally stopping right before him. ¡°Do I meet your standards?¡± He asked. She smiled. ¡°You¡¯re even larger up close. Impressive. But that¡¯s what they all say, I¡¯m sure.¡± Sou shifted uncomfortably. ¡°What do you want?¡± Izue ran a finger slowly down his jawline. Sou batted the hand away, causing her to grin again. She turned and sauntered away, moving to sit on a nearby log. Sou noticed not one but two kusarigama sitting in her waist band. He was meant to see them. ¡°Your surrender.¡± Sou laughed. ¡°My surrender? And why would I do that?¡± So quick he almost couldn¡¯t see it, Izue removed a dagger from her belt and stabbed something beside her. A centipede squirmed beneath the point of the blade, struggling, before it finally stopped moving. ¡°Because you won¡¯t win this battle. Surely even you are aware of that by now.¡± ¡°All I see are some scared people hiding behind some big walls.¡± ¡°Walls that have never been penetrated.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a first time for everything.¡± ¡°There certainly is, Oni of Miharu.¡± She looked up from underneath her eyelashes, a coy look that would likely bedevil any man she wanted. ¡°But while we relax inside the comfort of our impenetrable fortress, your men are going to keep dying. They¡¯re going to get sick. They¡¯re going to get cold. The rains will be here soon, and then what? Those men who manage to survive aren¡¯t going to put up with these conditions for much longer. They¡¯re going to mutiny. They¡¯re going to run. Some of them may even try to turn you over themselves simply so they can return home. And what will they even return to? How long can you sit on our doorstep before someone else moves into your own, hmm?¡± Sou said nothing. ¡°I think my proposal is quite reasonable. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m asking you to lay down your neck for me. Surrender, become my prisoner, and all your men can safely return home without fear of retribution. You can¡¯t ask for a better deal than that.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather die than become your prisoner.¡± ¡°I wonder if that girl feels the same way?¡± Izue smiled when she saw Sou flinch. ¡°What¡¯s good for the hen is not quite so good for the cock, huh?¡± Sou had no response. Izue removed her dagger from the dead centipede and wiped it clean on her pants leg. ¡°How did your men breach my camp without anyone seeing them coming?¡± It had been bothering him. By all rights they should have heard them coming a mile away. He lost a lot of good men in that fight, he deserved to know how they had been caught unawares. ¡°You can¡¯t expect a girl to give up all her secrets.¡± Izue smiled. ¡°What fun would that be?¡± ¡°Tell me.¡± ¡°How about I ask you something. Why are you even here? What do you hope to gain with this pointless siege?¡± Sou was taken aback. He laughed in surprise. ¡°Something funny?¡± ¡°No, no, I just¡­ you¡¯ve got yokai defending your castle, and men appearing out of nowhere, and you want to know why we¡¯re here? It¡¯s just¡­¡± The look she gave him was bemused. Sou cleared his throat. ¡°We¡¯re here because ever since your father wrestled control from the Saito there have been constant attacks on our lands. We didn¡¯t come here for fun. We didn¡¯t come here just for the hell of it. We came here because you¡¯ve been threatening our people. Making excursions into our lands. Stealing our crops. Killing our villagers. Burning our farms. You wanna know why we¡¯re here? Because my people are being threatened, and it¡¯s my job to protect them.¡± Izue smiled. ¡°Oh my, so honourable. So noble. What a fine man you are.¡± He could feel the sarcasm dripping from her words. ¡°Well if you want to protect your people, noble lord, it¡¯s really quite simple. Surrender yourself to me and you can save them, just like that. Or, if you¡¯d prefer, feel free to continue watching them die one by one until there¡¯s no-one left. It¡¯s all the same to me, really.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather my people die than surrender to a witch.¡± Izue stood up, stretched, and gave a nonchalant shrug. ¡°So be it.¡± She threw the dagger at Sou¡¯s face, using the distraction to pull out her kusarigama and attack. 020. Sou Chains whirled furiously through the air, almost too fast to see. One wrapped around his arm, giving Izue the leverage she needed to strike him with the blade on the other. With a deft flick of her wrist the chain unraveled and she swung again, this time wrapping around his neck. She pulled and it tightened, choking him. Sou ducked as the blade of the sickle swung over his head, then yanked on the chain and using Izue¡¯s own momentum threw her to the ground. He stood up, unwrapped the chain and cast it aside into the bushes. ¡°Good thing I always bring two, huh?¡± Izue smiled as she stood up, wiping a trickle of blood from her lip. Sou tensed as the chain spun in the air above her head, waiting for the pain of impact. He could feel the bruises on his arms and chest already, and the quick strikes she was getting in between were beginning to add up. His forearms felt like they were on fire, like being cut by a thousand reeds at once. She continued her flurry of strikes and cuts, relentless in her aggression and pushing him back. Defenseless and without a weapon, there was little Sou could do but take the hits and look for an opening. His back pressed into a tree. There was nowhere else to go. The chain encircled his forearm as he tried to protect his face. The blade nicked his arm, his neck, his chest. It seemed to be everywhere at once, stinging him like some enraged wasp. He tried to pull on the chain to rip the weapon from her grasp again when he felt a sudden warmth spreading down his face. The blade had connected with his eyebrow, and blood was quickly pouring forth. ¡°Enough!¡± Sou lifted a leg and booted Izue in the stomach, sending her sprawling to the ground. As she tried to stand he yanked the kusarigama away. Rage flared up within him, the pain all over his body fueling his anger. He was tired of being played with like some cat¡¯s toy. This had gone on more than long enough. ¡°Sorry for marking such a handsome face.¡± Izue smiled. She launched up with a foot, connecting with Sou¡¯s throat and causing him to cough violently. In an instant he was on his knees, a kick to the back of the legs dropping him. Izue slid a slender arm around his neck, but he grabbed and flipped her, making her land roughly on her back. She quickly rolled to her feet and threw herself at him again, but Sou was ready and caught her by the neck. He slammed her against a nearby tree. ¡°I said enough!¡± She laughed, the sound more of a rough choke. ¡°No more games!¡± ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± She choked, smiling. ¡°You feel it too, don¡¯t you? The fire deep inside. The strength. The power.¡± ¡°All I feel is your neck about to be crushed.¡± She tilted her head up, as though offering it to him. He squeezed harder and her face started to turn red. She coughed, but she was still smiling. Sou could feel the blood rushing to his own, the same rush he got whenever he was on the battlefield. The thrill of the kill. The power to end lives, to bend others to his own will.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Blood continued to run into Sou¡¯s eye, forcing him to close it. The cuts all over his arms and neck were burning, like a thousand fire ants nipping at his skin. The blood loss was starting to make him feel woozy. He shook his head and squeezed harder. ¡°Surrender.¡± ¡°And if I don¡¯t?¡± Izue choked. ¡°Then¡­ then I have no use for you anymore. I will kill you. I will kill you and¡­¡± black dots swam before Sou¡¯s eyes ¡°¡­ and I will burn every last one of your people to the ground.¡± His grip began to slacken. He squeezed tighter again, but it was becoming more and more difficult to tell how much pressure he was applying. She just continued to smile that infuriating smile at him, like this was exactly what she wanted all along. Who knows, perhaps it was. The trees began to sway. Maybe it was just him. He couldn¡¯t tell anymore. ¡°Join me,¡± she said again. ¡°Give yourself to me and together we can conquer this wretched land.¡± Conquer this wretched land¡­ yes¡­ He would be lying if he said he hadn¡¯t considered it. Hadn¡¯t they all? Even the most lowly of peasants must surely have at least once considered what it would be like to take power and unite the warring clans. The emperor had lost his power, weakened over hundreds of years of internal manipulation and treachery. The shogun had fared no better, with no money and thus no army nobody had no reason to fear or listen to him. He sat in his castle decrying all the clans fighting each other but had no real power to stop them. No, now the true power of the land lay in the hands of the daimyos. For many years now they had fought each other, trying to lay their claim as number one. Someone had to unite them. Someone with enough strength, enough power to bring them all under his heel. ¡°Oni of Miharu,¡± she whispered, bringing Sou¡¯s attention back. He shook his head again, trying to focus. Blood landed on her face. It wasn¡¯t an entirely unattractive look. ¡°Think of what we could achieve together. This battle here, this is nothing. You¡¯re wasting your men over nothing. You should be focusing your attention elsewhere.¡± ¡°Yeah? And where would that be?¡± ¡°With the Wada by your side¡­ with me by your side¡­ you could be unstoppable. You have the Bitou girl. Through your sister you have the Itami, and through the Itami the Arai. With such forces you could crush all that oppose you. But if you waste your men and time here, you will have nothing.¡± Sou loosened his grip. Izue didn¡¯t move. ¡°If there¡¯s any man who can unite this land, it¡¯s you, Yashiro Sou, Oni of Miharu, son of Ryobe, noble descendant of Prince Genji.¡± It sounded kinda nice when she put it like that. ¡°The moment I saw you, I knew you would be the one. The one to finally bring an end to all this fighting. You have a strength this land hasn¡¯t seen in hundreds of years, Sou.¡± The way she said his name made his heart jump. Or perhaps it was the blood loss. ¡°Surrender. Send your men home. End this pointless battle and together let¡¯s move on to the real fight.¡± There it was again. That word. Surrender. ¡°Or how about you surrender to me, and I won¡¯t burn all of your people to the ground, along with that impenetrable castle of yours?¡± A noise nearby drew his attention. It sounded like a stick breaking. Someone was coming. Interrupting him before he had gotten what he truly wanted out of the woman. ¡°Looks like our time is up. Well this has been terribly fun,¡± Izue began, before she jabbed him in the neck with something. ¡°But it would appear that someone has come to break up our little party.¡± Sou¡¯s hand went to his neck and he pulled out a tiny dart. He looked at Izue confused. ¡°Do think about what I said. Nighty night, dear.¡± ¡°Oh come on¡­¡± The ground rushed to meet him before the world went black. 021. Sou ¡°Sou! Sou!¡± He was dreaming. A beautiful dream. Was it a dream? He was standing upon a cliffside, looking out over the ocean. Waves crashed on the rocks below, and the sky was a grey-green. A storm was rolling in and yet he felt peaceful. Content. Someone stood by his side, someone important. A woman, yes. He looked down to smile at her, but he couldn¡¯t see her face. Why couldn¡¯t he see her face? Lightning flashed in the distance, followed shortly by the accompanying boom. This is how things were supposed to be. Everything was as it should be. The woman looked up¡­ ¡°Sou!¡± Sou opened his eyes. Ayane¡¯s face slowly came into focus above him. She was shaking him. ¡°Oh thank god,¡± she cried. ¡°I thought you were dead!¡± Sou sat up, groaning in pain. Fire. He was on fire. His entire body was both hot and itchy at the same time. ¡°Be careful, you¡¯ve lost a lot of blood,¡± Ayane warned him. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Sou held his head in pain and looked at her. ¡°Do I look okay?¡± ¡°Well you still possess your sarcasm, so it can¡¯t be that bad.¡± She smiled weakly. ¡°What happened? When you didn¡¯t come back I got worried.¡± ¡°She wanted me to join her.¡± The world was spinning. His head ached. He felt nauseous. ¡°Join her?! Why would she want that?¡± Sou flinched. It was like she was screaming into a horn placed directly against his ear. He propped himself against a nearby tree to stand up. ¡°Seems to think we could rule all of Yashima together.¡± Ayane laughed and then bit her tongue. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean it like¡­ Why would she think that you¡¯d just agree to join her?¡± ¡°Who knows how she thinks,¡± Sou replied. ¡°When I didn¡¯t agree with her plans she attacked me, then stabbed me with this before she ran off.¡± He was still holding the dart she had stuck in his neck. He sniffed it. It didn¡¯t smell poisonous. Guess they would soon find out. ¡°We should get you back to the camp,¡± Ayane told him. She positioned himself under one of his arms and looked up at him. ¡°Come on, I don¡¯t know how much help I¡¯ll be, but I¡¯m not gonna let you die here.¡±You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. The sight seemed familiar somehow. She gave him a reassuring smile. Thunder boomed in the distance. ¡°Come on, we should hurry, it¡¯s gonna rain soon.¡± By the time they reached camp Sou¡¯s head had begun to clear, but at the same time the pain burning in his arms and face raged ferociously. They sent men to find Riko, and she came running to help before they had even reached Sou¡¯s tent. Rain began to fall. ¡°You should have told me what you were doing,¡± she chastised Sou as she covered some of his more serious cuts with an awful smelling poultice. ¡°That was stupid.¡± She was one of the very few people who could get away with telling Sou off, the only other person being his sister, Yuki. He sat in silence, quietly accepting her painful bedside manner. ¡°And you too!¡± She pointed at Ayane, who was already watching the scene in fear. ¡°What if she had killed him, huh? Then what?!¡± Sou placed a hand on Riko¡¯s arm. ¡°It was my decision.¡± Riko sighed and continued her work. ¡°This one on your eyebrow is going to need stitched up. Will be quite a nice scar once it¡¯s healed. Sit tight.¡± Sou let out a growl of pain as she began threading it up. Ayane turned around so she wouldn¡¯t have to see. ¡°Get Toshio for me,¡± Sou said through clenched teeth. Ayane nodded and left so she wouldn¡¯t have to watch any longer. ¡°I had a dream,¡± he told Riko once Ayane was out of earshot. ¡°So did I. I was being chased by a cat. A really big cat. So big, just-¡± ¡°No, not like that. This one felt¡­ different.¡± Riko tied off the stitching and put the thread and needle down. ¡°Do you think it was the witch?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. There was¡­ a storm was coming. There was someone with me. A woman. But¡­ I couldn¡¯t see her face. But it felt like despite the coming storm I was in the right place, you know? Everything was how it was supposed to be.¡± Riko pondered it for a moment. ¡°Could be a warning. Could be nothing. Could just be your mind¡¯s way of dealing with whatever toxin was on that dart she hit you with.¡± ¡°Yeah, maybe¡­¡± So why couldn¡¯t he shake this strange feeling? Thunder echoed again outside and the wind picked up. They were going to be in for a rough night. The rains were coming, Izue said. Your men are going to get sick and die and eventually start abandoning you. Would they? Would they really? ¡°My lord,¡± Kazu suddenly appeared at the door, bowing deeply. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for- oh my. Are you okay, sir?¡± The look on his face was comical, but Sou couldn¡¯t bring himself to laugh. ¡°I¡¯ll live. Just some cuts and bruises.¡± Kazu¡¯s eyes were the size of saucers, but he said nothing more. He shook his head and returned to what he had come for. ¡°Sir, the men camped near the east forest have been complaining of onibi appearing at night. Some men followed them out into the woods last night and didn¡¯t return. This morning we found their bodies. Well¡­ what was left of their bodies. It was like their life force itself had been sucked dry.¡± Sou rubbed his pounding head. Sure, why not? What else could go wrong? Nurikabe, witches, men who could appear from thin air, an incoming storm, now onibi. What next? ¡°Some of the men have deserted, sir¡­¡± Kazu¡¯s voice trailed off and he flinched, unsure if he was about to take a beating or not. ¡°Thank you, Kazu,¡± Sou replied with a sigh, rubbing his forehead. ¡°I¡¯ll look into it.¡± Perhaps the witch had been right. When he realised a beating wasn¡¯t coming Kazu stood up straight again, relief evident on his face. ¡°One more thing, sir.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that, Kazu?¡± ¡°I think I have a way into the castle.¡± 022. Kazu ¡°You have a way into the castle?¡± Both Sou¡¯s voice and face were full of disbelief. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°How?¡± Kazu began making a clearing in the dirt at Sou¡¯s feet. ¡°Ever since I was a child I¡¯ve been getting in and out of difficult places. Those with the biggest defenses tend to have things worth protecting, and things worth protecting means things worth money.¡± He looked up at Sou and smiled meekly. ¡°Anyway¡­ I¡¯ve been inspecting the castle defenses. The castle itself is protected extremely well on three sides.¡± He grabbed a stick and drew three lines in the dirt, the front and side walls of the castle. ¡°The main keep is here.¡± He drew a smaller square slightly closer to the right wall than the left. ¡°I can¡¯t tell until we get in, but there are likely storehouses here,¡± he drew a few more squares, ¡°and the daimyo¡¯s residence either here or here.¡± Kazu marked two Xs on the map. ¡°The residence isn¡¯t important. Not unless you want me to also set that on fire, maybe?¡± Kazu stopped talking and looked expectantly at Sou. Sou blinked but said nothing. He stared at the smaller man, arms crossed, expression unreadable. Kazu coughed to mask the awkward silence. ¡°Okay, anyway, what I¡¯m looking for is the storehouses and the gates. Again, we can¡¯t tell from the outside, but once we¡¯re inside we should be able to create a diversion, the Wada men themselves will open the inner gates to come see what¡¯s happening, and we can head to the outer gate and let everyone in.¡± Another silence followed before Sou finally spoke. ¡°This is all well and good, but you still haven¡¯t explained to me how you¡¯re going to get into the castle.¡± ¡°Yes, right, that!¡± Kazu drew two lines in the dirt, curving away from the castle walls. ¡°So the castle sits here, at the top of the mountain. These three walls have a clear view of anything coming, trying to climb them is suicide. But here,¡± Kazu drew dashes in the dirt to signify the back wall, ¡°this wall is undefended.¡± ¡°Undefended?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way to reach it so they never built defenses for it. The castle grounds sit right at the edge of a cliff. The forests leading up to the cliff are too dense for any army to get through, the cliffs too high for any army to climb. It¡¯s the best natural defense the mountain has to offer. No army can climb it¡­¡± ¡°¡­ but a single man can.¡± Sou finished his sentence for him. Kazu smiled and stood up.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Sou pondered his words for a minute. ¡°So, you want to navigate this impassable forest, scale the cliffside, mount the castle¡¯s rear wall, all without an army or siege gear, and open the gates from the inside for us, is that correct?¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± Sou looked up at Riko, standing silently behind him. ¡°What do you think?¡± She was looking at the diagram in the dirt. ¡°As Kazu says, my lord, there¡¯s no way to penetrate the castle walls from the front or sides. There¡¯s also no way for an army to mount an attack from the rear. I mean, I¡¯m not even sure a single man could do it. The castle was built here for a reason, it¡¯s nature¡¯s perfect barricade. You¡¯ve got the raging waters of Aogame River at the foot of the mountain, dense forest covering a good deal of the mountain side, and then the cliff face itself that no sane man would try to climb.¡± Kazu grinned again. ¡°But what other choice do we have?¡± The grin grew larger. ¡°Can you do it, Kazu?¡± It wasn¡¯t so much a question as asking confirmation of whether he¡¯d really like to try this. ¡°Nothing in life is guaranteed, sir. But I believe this is not only our best shot, but our only shot, and if anyone here can do it, it¡¯s me. And besides, if I fail, what do you have to lose? I¡¯m just a lowly foot soldier, after all.¡± Sou gave a short laugh. Kazu knew he would be unable to refuse him with that. ¡°How many men do you need for this mission to succeed?¡± ¡°Two, maybe three, sir. Not including myself. Any more and we¡¯re likely to get noticed and take more time. Any less and we won¡¯t be able to pull the plan off.¡± ¡°You realise that if you don¡¯t make it and you die on that mountainside, or if you do make it and you get captured inside the city walls, there¡¯s nothing I can do for you, right? You¡¯ll die without a burial, or you¡¯ll be tortured until they rip every single little thing they want to know out of you.¡± Kazu swallowed visibly. ¡°Yes sir. I¡¯ve considered that to be a possibility. But better to die in glory with a name the people will remember than to run home with your tail between your legs.¡± Sou considered him for a moment. Kazu shifted slightly, his master¡¯s eyes seeming to burn a hole into his face. He unconsciously brushed an imaginary something off his cheek. ¡°How did you get that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what sir?¡± ¡°That.¡± Sou was pointing to his cheek. ¡°Those nasty scratches on your face. They¡¯re too big to be a lady¡¯s claws.¡± Kazu touched his own cheek. It was still tender, but he had otherwise forgotten it was there. ¡°A tanuki, sir.¡± ¡°A tanuki?¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°I assume you won?¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°And why were you fighting with a tanuki?¡± Kazu¡¯s eyes flicked to Riko. ¡°I was travelling with a group of¡­ men.¡± ¡°Bandits, you mean?¡± Riko clarified for him. Kazu blinked a few times and cleared his throat. Sou continued to look at him as though Riko had said nothing. Kazu continued. ¡°It attacked us. Pretended to be us, and then killed everyone until only I was left. I spent a few days tracking it in the woods and when I finally found it, it attacked. Gave me this.¡± ¡°And did you kill it?¡± ¡°Yes sir, I did.¡± Sou slowly stood up, pain visible on his face. He walked over to Kazu and put a hand on his shoulder. Kazu felt so tiny next to the much larger man, and looked up uncertainly at him. ¡°Tomorrow night¡¯s a full moon. You have until then to prepare.¡± 023. Kazu Kazu and the three men he¡¯d hand picked to join him on his mission made their way up the Aogame River. They had a single night to reach the castle, get inside and open the gates. Sou and his men would be waiting at dawn. Everything was riding on this. He couldn¡¯t let them down. ¡°What are we gonna do if they catch us?¡± ¡°They¡¯re not gonna catch us.¡± ¡°But if they do, I mean, that witch¡­ do you think she eats people?¡± ¡°How am I supposed to know. If we¡¯re lucky maybe she¡¯ll eat you.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Kazu rolled his eyes. Perhaps he should have picked quieter men. Something splashed nearby. They all froze. ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that¡­¡± his voice trailed off. A group of kappa were swimming nearby. ¡°Shh!¡± Kazu whispered as loud as he could. ¡°Out! Get onto the bank! Now!¡± The men quickly made for the shore and struggled up. Kazu followed, but it was too late. The kappa had seen them, and the largest was heading their way. ¡°Shit, shit, shit!¡± Kazu grabbed the tufts of grass on the riverbank and tried to pull himself up. The grass gave way and he fell back into the water with a loud splash. ¡°Kazu!¡± Motohisa, a large yet surprisingly nimble man put his hand out. ¡°Come on!¡± The kappa was getting closer. On land kappa were easier to deal with but still a struggle. They were more likely to kill a man than not, and a kappa protecting its family could be ferocious. But trying to deal with a kappa in the water, its natural habitat, well that was suicide. Kazu grabbed Motohisa¡¯s hand and pulled himself up. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t thank me yet, it¡¯s still coming.¡± ¡°Get back.¡± Kazu held his arm up. Motohisa didn¡¯t argue with him. Kazu backed up warily. The kappa climbed out of the water and slowly approached him, sizing up the situation. The scratches on Kazu¡¯s face began to throb when he saw the size of the claws on it. Not again. He didn¡¯t need matching whiskers. ¡°Hi!¡± Kazu smiled widely at it, holding up a hand in greeting. Perhaps he could charm his way out of the situation. Kappa weren¡¯t exactly known for fall for human charms, but it couldn¡¯t hurt to try. The creature continued its slow approach, its eyes scanning both Kazu and his men for any sudden movements. ¡°Uh¡­¡± He needed to think quickly. The kappa had closed enough distance between them that if it decided to leap now, he would be dead. Painfully dead. ¡°My name is Kazu! It¡¯s nice to meet you!¡± Kazu bent over at 90 degrees, hands dead by his sides, waiting for pain to rip through him. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Motohisa hissed. The kappa stopped moving. Kazu waited. He chanced a glance at the yokai and it was staring directly at him, frozen on the spot. Was it deciding which part of him to tear off first? ¡°Good evening, Kazu. It is nice to meet you, too,¡± the kappa greeted him and also bent over at a full 90 degree bend. The men behind him gasped. It was impossible for a kappa, a proud and honourable creature, to not reciprocate a greeting. Kazu had heard that somewhere once, but he wasn¡¯t sure if it was true and had staked his life on it. It worked, and as the creature bent the water from the bowl on top of its head spilled out. A kappa without its water was significantly weaker and Kazu seized the opportunity. He leapt and grabbed the creature around the neck as it let out a gasp of surprise, wrestling it to the ground. It struggled wildly, stabbing Kazu several times with the barbs on its shell. He refused to let go, no matter how much it rocked and bucked. He squeezed around its neck tighter, holding on for dear life. It might live in water but even kappas needed to breathe, and its neck wasn¡¯t protected by its large and spikey shell. Finally the kappa¡¯s movements slowed, and then stopped. It was out of air.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°What do you want?¡± The words came out ragged. ¡°Swear your allegiance to me.¡± A defeated kappa had to remain loyal to whoever defeated it. Kazu had won. The creature sighed. At least, it sounded like a sigh. ¡°You win, Kazu the Deceitful. You have my allegiance.¡± Kazu smiled at his men. They were looking at him absolutely dumbfounded. He patted the kappa on the cheek and stood up, dusting off his soaked clothes. ¡°That was amazing, Kazu! How did you know it would do that?!¡± The men came running over once they saw the kappa no longer planned to eat their intestines for dinner. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know I¡¯m quite knowledgeable on many yokai,¡± Kazu boasted. The men turned to the family, still swimming in the water nearby. ¡°Look, there¡¯s another three of them still there! If we sold the shells we could live like kings!¡± The kappa growled and made to move towards the men. ¡°Hey, hey!¡± Kazu yelled at it. ¡°Stop!¡± One of the men, Tomoki, fell harshly on his backside as he attempted to retreat in fear. ¡°We¡¯re not killing its family. What are you, barbarians? It¡¯s going to be our guide up the mountain.¡± ¡°Our guide?¡± ¡°Are we deaf as well now?¡± Kazu turned to the kappa and pointed. ¡°Do you know the way up that mountain?¡± ¡°Yes, master.¡± ¡°Good. We need to reach the top before the sun rises. You¡¯re going to show us. Lead the way.¡± The kappa side-eyed Tomoki as he stood up and dove back into the water. ¡°Very well. Come, humans. We don¡¯t have all night.¡± The men cautiously followed the creature back into the water, waiting to see if it would betray them the moment it regained its strength. It didn¡¯t. A short while later they approached the bottom of the mountain. The moon shone through the clouds above as a soft rain fell, but the forest ahead was pitch black. The kappa turned and swum up a small stream descending from the mountain. ¡°Come, humans, this way. Humans may ascend the bank if the water too difficult, but this way is quickest.¡± Kazu was already breathing hard, as were his men. They quietly followed the kappa into the darkness. ¡°I sure hope you can trust it,¡± Tomoki whispered. ¡°I can,¡± Kazu replied. ¡°You should be a little more kind to it however, it owes no fealty to you.¡± Tomoki stopped talking. ¡°I¡¯m a ¡®he,¡¯ you know. And I can hear you,¡± the kappa replied from up ahead. ¡°Hurry up.¡± The men reached a small waterfall. The kappa quickly scaled it like a lizard on rocks and looked down at them from the top. ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m gonna be able to do that,¡± Hisayuki, hand picked after Kazu saw him mount a man like a horse and slice him 10 different ways before he hit the ground, looked uncertainly at Kazu. ¡°Humans may ascend there,¡± the kappa pointed to a slope nearby. The men climbed onto the bank and helped push each other up the steep slope. They crumpled at the top, struggling for air. ¡°Humans so unfit,¡± the kappa remarked, swimming in circles on its back in the stream. Kazu just looked at him, his breathing slowly returning to normal. ¡°You can feel free to invade the castle for us then.¡± ¡°Kappa have no interest in human wars.¡± ¡°What do you have interest in?¡± ¡°Human meat.¡± ¡°¡­ oh.¡± ¡°Also cucumbers. Human have cucumber?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Kazu stood up. The forest around them was so dense that only the tiniest slither of moonlight shone through. He could only see the kappa by the sparkle in its eyes. They brought no lanterns that would give them away, only gourds of water to get through the night. ¡°Alright, lead the way.¡± They followed the kappa alongside the bank of the stream, but as the kappa had warned them, it was slow going and the rain was making the ground wet. Tree roots continually tripped them up, mud kept trying to suck them in, and branches kept trying to scratch their eyes out. ¡°We¡¯re not gonna make it by morning if we keep going like this¡­ how much further is it?¡± The kappa dug its claws into the bank and looked up at them. ¡°At current human speed, humans reach castle in three nights.¡± ¡°Three nights?!¡± ¡°Humans terribly unfit.¡± ¡°Okay, okay, that¡¯s enough out of you. How much longer does this stream go on for?¡± ¡°Human speed?¡± ¡°Yes, human speed.¡± ¡°Hmm. Human speed, we reach waterfall at end of stream when moon is high in sky. From there, humans must continue on land. Takes time, very dangerous for kappa and human, but humans reach castle before sun rises, if unfit humans move faster.¡± They had no other choice. ¡°Get back in the water.¡± The men sighed and jumped back into the stream. The kappa swum a circle around them and continued upstream once more. ¡°I hope you know what you¡¯re doing,¡± Motohisa whispered. Kazu hoped the same. 024. Kazu After what felt like hours navigating the treacherous stream and surrounding landscape, Kazu and his men finally reached the end of the road. A giant waterfall stood before them, at least five men in height from top to bottom. ¡°River begins up there. End of line for kappa.¡± ¡°Wait, how are we supposed to get up there?¡± ¡°Climb.¡± ¡°You want us to climb this? How?¡± The kappa rolled its eyes. ¡°Humans, so useless. Here, look.¡± He grabbed onto a small rock ledge underneath the raging waters and pulled himself up, then another, and another. The raging waters cascaded around him like it was nothing. Kazu clenched his jaw. ¡°You forget us useless humans aren¡¯t aquatic creatures like you,¡± he told the kappa. ¡°It¡¯s not quite that easy for us.¡± The kappa shrugged, let go and dove back into the water before emerging not far from Kazu and his men. ¡°I bring humans here, like Kazu asked. Now humans go. From top of waterfall go straight. Do not be distracted. Only straight. Humans struggle, but humans reach castle.¡± Kazu looked up. The dense forest lightened up a little and he could see the moon behind the clouds above them. It was past the high point of the night sky. They had perhaps a few more hours at best. The rain continued to drizzle. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s get moving. I¡¯ll go first.¡± Kazu grabbed onto the rock like the kappa had. It was slimy and slippery, but enough to grip. Water pounded his face incessantly. He closed his eyes and felt under the water for the next rock. Slowly, hand after hand, foot after foot, he scaled the waterfall. ¡°Yes, good! Slowly, master! Don¡¯t want to have to eat master when master crushes head on rocks below.¡± Kazu stopped to regain his breath for a moment and chanced a look down. His men were following him, slowly. The kappa was lazily swimming in circles on his back, watching them. ¡°Thank you,¡± Kazu muttered, trying not to look at the jagged rocks below. Up. Just have to go up. After what felt like an eternity Kazu grabbed onto a large tree root near the top of the waterfall and he pulled himself up. He¡¯d made it. There was a tiny lake, oddly calm compared to the raging waters below. He pulled himself onto the bank and lay back, breathing raggedly. Soft drops of rain fell on his face. After countless hours of dense forest he never thought he¡¯d be so happy to see clouds. A few moments later Motohisa pulled himself over. He lay his face on the bank, unable to pull himself out of the water. That just left Hisayuki and Tomoki. Kazu peered over the edge.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Nearly there guys, come on!¡± Hisayuki was nearing the top, but Tomoki was still half way down the waterfall, his arms shaking. He was frozen on the spot. ¡°Tomoki!¡± Hisayuki pulled himself over safely, but Tomoki refused to move. ¡°It¡¯s just a little further, come on! You can do it!¡± Tomoki shook his head. Water continued to pound against him. ¡°I can¡¯t! Go on without me!¡± ¡°What are you gonna do? Go back? We¡¯re nearly there, you can do it! It¡¯s just a little further!¡± His arms still shaking, Tomoki looked down at the rocks below. His shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t!¡± ¡°We¡¯re gonna reach the top, Tomoki. We¡¯re gonna reach the castle, we¡¯re going to break in, and we¡¯re going to win this war. People will remember our names for hundreds of years. Do you hear me, Tomoki? People will be talking about how you, Tomoki, against all odds, broke into the impregnable fortress right underneath their very noses and helped win the war.¡± He was silent, contemplating. The kappa continued swimming below. Waiting. ¡°You can do this!¡± Finally Tomoki looked up. ¡°Okay. Okay! I¡¯m coming!¡± He grabbed for another rock and pulled himself up, slowly but surely. Motohisa gave a small, tired laugh and patted Kazu on the back. ¡°Inspiring words, Kaz-¡± And just like that, Tomoki was gone. His hand slipped, he fell backwards and with a splash hit the water below. He emerged a few metres away, blood pouring out of a wound on his head. He wasn¡¯t moving. Kazu¡¯s eyes shot open wide in shock. ¡°Is¡­ is he okay?¡± The kappa swam over to Tomoki¡¯s body leisurely and turned him over. ¡°I did warn humans.¡± He looked up. ¡°Sorry master. This one is dead. Can I eat him?¡± Kazu had seen a lot of death. If he lived to old age this would be just another in a long string of people who had died around or because of him. But right now, it stung. It stung like when the tanuki had picked off his band of men, one by one, even though he wasn¡¯t particularly close to any of them. But they were still his men, and Tomoki was also one of his men. It hurt. It hurt more than he could let on. ¡°No, you can¡¯t eat him.¡± The kappa¡¯s face dropped. ¡°Bury him for me. Then I absolve you of your fealty to me. You may go.¡± He turned and didn¡¯t look back. There was no time. He could mourn later. As the kappa had said, it wasn¡¯t an easy climb, but the remaining three men kept a steady pace and continued straight up the mountain. At some point Kazu could have sworn he heard voices in the trees, calling to him. Was this whole land haunted? They nearly lost Motohisa, who claimed his dead sister was calling to him. After some struggle they got back on track, and by the time they emerged from the thick forest the moon was gone, the rain had let up, and the castle walls stood before them. ¡°We made it.¡± The three men, covered head to toe in mud and scratches and looking like they had just emerged from the pits of hell scaled the cliff before them and mounted the wall. Kazu couldn¡¯t believe they had actually made it. The plan had worked. At least so far. They surveyed the area below. Soldiers were moving about the open yard, getting ready for the upcoming day. ¡°There.¡± Kazu pointed to a few buildings in the distance. ¡°The storehouses. We need to find the powder house and set that on fire. That¡¯ll create a distraction so we can get the front gate open. Come on.¡± As Kazu had expected there were no guards on the back wall. Judging by its state of disrepair nobody had even been on it for quite some time. They jumped down and snuck behind some of the residences towards the storehouses. It was still dark, and the covering of mud worked to their advantage. ¡°Hey! What are you-¡± Motohisa punched the guard who had spotted them in the throat, then spun and slashed his neck open before he could even finish his sentence. The lantern he was holding dropped to the ground. Kazu smiled and picked it up. ¡°Let¡¯s get this party started.¡± 025. Ayane Sou was motionless. He stood ready for battle, his entire army behind him at the foot of the hill. They waited in silence. They were waiting for a sign from Kazu that he had succeeded, that he had done the impossible and broken into the impregnable castle. They were waiting for him to open the gates and let them walk right in. Day was just starting to break. The sky was dark but the faintest shades of orange and yellow were beginning to peak over the horizon. Sou¡¯s entire army stood behind him, ready for battle, and yet it was so quiet Ayane thought she would be able to hear a pin drop. The air was tense, so tense you could cut it with a sword. As the sun rose from its slumber in the distance, peaking its head out and casting a faint glow over the land Ayane once more looked up at Sou. The shadows cast on his armour and mask made him even more frightening than usual. It was almost as though the oni mask was leering at her, just waiting for the right moment to gobble her up. Sou¡¯s eyes stared straight ahead but the mask was looking right into her soul. Finding her weakness, feeding upon her fears, laughing at her pain. ¡®You¡¯re a fool for trusting me. Soon I will drink your blood, too, and that of your family¡¯s. There will be nowhere to hide. You¡¯re mine, and you always will be.¡¯ Ayane shook her head to rid herself of the vision. She was just tired and imagining things. She had no reason not to trust Sou, not anymore. She couldn¡¯t let that little voice inside her dig up any more doubt. It wouldn¡¯t lead to anything good. Toshio paced slowly before his men, his arm still in a sling. The only sound she could hear was that of his horse¡¯s hooves in the mud with each step it took. He looked nervous, likely still scared after the traumatic beating his men had taken at the hands of the nurikabe. His unit was slaughtered, but not entirely wiped out. His men stood firm behind him, the Yashiro crest displayed proudly on their chests. He turned back, his horse trotting once more towards Sou and Ayane. She noticed the flower sitting in the middle of his kabuto. It was an ume, a common tree in Miharu province. An odd symbol to decorate a kabuto. ¡°Why does he wear that on his helmet?¡± Ayane asked, her voice barely above a whisper. ¡°Miharu people are very proud of the ume,¡± Riko explained. ¡°While the rest of you may enjoy the sakura for your spring drinking parties, we enjoy our ours even earlier under the blossoming of the ume tree. We drink umeshu and eat pickled plums, there¡¯s nothing like it, really.¡± For a moment she seemed wistful, as though remembering fond memories. ¡°It¡¯s also said to ward off evil and used in many medicines. He wears it for protection, and for the pride of his people.¡±The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. As though on cue Toshio¡¯s horse trotted back towards them. He dipped his head as his eyes met Riko¡¯s, the ume sparkling in the soft glow of the sunlight, and he turned back again. Interesting, Ayane thought, and turned her attentions back to Riko. Ayane had yet to see Riko participate in any battles, come to think of it, but she sat next to Sou in full samurai armour for the first time. Her helmet was impressive. For such a tiny woman her helmet stood high and large, the middle of her kabuto emblazened with characters that signified her devotion to Shaka, the god that had been brought to their lands by travelers from the west. Should she die in battle it would allow her safe passage to heaven. It was evident there was a lot about both Toshio and Riko that she didn¡¯t know yet, but somehow it didn¡¯t strike her as strange that Riko would be a deeply religious person, particularly to a god that had been introduced to them from outside lands. On the contrary, it was very fitting. The sun was now visible behind the horizon in the distance. The world was rapidly brightening around them. If Kazu didn¡¯t get those gates open soon, Sou¡¯s entire army would be sitting ducks. They had hedged everything on this. Either Kazu got the gates open or the Wada would awake to Sou¡¯s full forces just waiting below their city walls, once again defenseless to whatever attack they might unleash from above. ¡°Sou, are you sure he can can do it? The sun¡¯s rising, we don¡¯t have much longer.¡± Riko voiced what they were all thinking. ¡°Yes.¡± Sou said nothing more, and Riko didn¡¯t question him again. Suddenly a loud explosion ripped through the air. A giant fireball erupted into the sky within the castle walls, soon followed by the sounds of screaming. ¡°Well I¡¯ll be damned,¡± Riko muttered. Toshio stopped pacing and looked determinedly at the castle gates. He wanted revenge, perhaps more than anybody there. ¡°Remember, if you come across the witch, don¡¯t kill her. She¡¯s mine.¡± Sou seemed to rise even taller, the horns on his helmet jutting menacingly into the air. Ayane and Riko both nodded in unison. They waited, all eyes focused on the castle gate. They could hear the screams coming from inside and black smoke rising high into the sky. Kazu must have lit the black powder magazine on fire. Risky, but ingenious. It would create the distraction needed to clear all men from the gate, but it would also greatly increase the risk of getting caught himself, alerting the entire castle grounds to his presence. Still, nothing in life was gained without a little risk, Ayane supposed. She had risked her faith in Sou, choosing to trust him over fleeing back home. She hoped that trust had not been misplaced. The gate started to move. First a wobble, then a shake, then finally the entire gate opened inwards. Sou didn¡¯t wait. He took off charging towards the castle and his men sounded the horn as they realised. The Yashiro army charged up the hill behind him, ready to end this battle once and for all. 026. Ayane Sou reached the gates before Ayane was even half way up the hill. How his horse could carry so much weight so fast she would never know. Toshio followed not far behind his lord, his men hot on his heels. As usual Riko was nowhere to be seen. Screaming inside the castle walls let Ayane know the fighting had already begun. If you could even call it fighting, she supposed. It was more likely to be a massacre. Kazu was standing by the gate as she reached the top of the hill. He was covered head to toe in mud and blood. He looked horrific, but he smiled and winked when he saw her. Unsure of what to say, Ayane simply bowed her head at him and entered the castle grounds. She spotted Sou up ahead, heading straight for the lord¡¯s residence. Toshio and his men had taken a detour left, riding for the samurai¡¯s residence. Men were rushing them with nothing but swords in hand, rudely awoken from their slumber by the invasion of the enemy. They had no time to get dressed and they fell, one after the other, to the swords of the Yashiro. Ayane dismounted her horse. Despite all her riding lessons she felt most comfortable with her two feet flat on the ground. She spotted Riko in the distance, ordering men in different directions to cover any possible surprise attacks on their lord before she was gone again. Sou moved through men like a god amongst ants. Several men in their sleeping clothes attempted to hold him back, only to be batted away like insects. One soldier, who had managed to get the top half of his armour on, ran straight for Sou with a loud scream, his legs as bare as the day he was born. His sword landed uselessly on Sou¡¯s shoulder, glancing off his armour with a loud clang. Sou cut his head off without a single break in stride. A scream sounded just behind Ayane. Instinctively she dropped, a sword swinging just over her head. She twisted and thrust upwards, her own meeting the torso of a Wada soldier. He gasped and dropped to the ground, slowly bleeding to death. Another man charged, this time hitting Ayane at full speed and sending them both tumbling to the ground. A fist hit her face and her jaw exploded in pain. So this is how it ends, she thought. Dead underneath a half naked man while fighting for the enemy. Only death didn¡¯t come. Her face continued to ache, in fact the pain just got worse. But she wasn¡¯t dead. The weight on her lifted. When her eyes finally focused she saw a large, dark grinning creature above her. All she could see were teeth and eyes. ¡°Need a hand?¡± It was Kazu. She¡¯d never been so happy to see the foot soldier. She took the offered hand and he pulled her up. ¡°You should be careful, ma¡¯am. These men in their undershorts sure are a dangerous lot.¡± He smiled and ran off with what she could only describe as a high pitched giggle before she had the chance to thank him. He ran his dagger through another man¡¯s neck, kicking him off and dropping into a roll to avoid yet another man charging him in his undershorts. He¡¯s like a monkey, Ayane thought. So tiny and nimble and perhaps not quite cooking with a full tub of rice upstairs. In the meantime Sou had reached the lord¡¯s residence. Six men stood before him, fully armed and armoured. Wada Kuniaki¡¯s elite guard. The courtyard was littered with dead bodies. Very few men remained standing. An eerie silence descended over them.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Give me your lord and I¡¯ll allow you to live.¡± Everyone had stopped to listen to Sou. The guards didn¡¯t move. ¡°You¡¯ll have to kill us first, Oni of Miharu.¡± Were they crazy? Even six against one they had to know they wouldn¡¯t win. Couldn¡¯t win. And even if they defeated Sou, what then? They were surrounded, most of the Wada forces dead or captured. There was no way out. ¡°Very well. That can be arranged.¡± The smallest of the guards moved first. Sou¡¯s sword swung clear over his head as the tiny man slashed at Sou¡¯s leg. Without even missing a step Sou booted him in the face, crushing his nose. Two men approached him at the same time, both swinging dual swords in front of them like a tornado of steel. Sou watched, waiting. The first man attacked and Sou thrust his sword up through his chin and out through his helmet. He grabbed the dying man¡¯s sword as he fell and used it to lop the head off his companion. Three moves, three men dead. The remaining three men eyed him cautiously. The man standing furthermost to his left had his hands clenched tightly around his sword, so tightly that he was shaking. Sou stood up to his full height and looked at the man, his companion¡¯s lifeless head now sitting at Sou¡¯s feet. ¡°Would you like to die next?¡± The man dropped his sword and threw himself prostrate on the ground before him. ¡°Please don¡¯t kill me, I¡¯m sorry, please don¡¯t-¡± The guard standing next to him pulled his sword from the prostrated man¡¯s back, the words dying on his lips. ¡°Coward,¡± the guard muttered. Sou gave a small laugh. ¡°I take it you haven¡¯t reconsidered my offer then.¡± The guard nodded with his head and the man to his right charged. Sou grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the ground, his legs swinging beneath him. It was a sight Ayane had seen before but it never failed to shock her. The guard planted his feet firmly against Sou¡¯s chest and pushed off, allowing him to escape and fall to the ground with a loud thud. He pulled two daggers from his hip, throwing them towards Sou¡¯s head. They bounced off his helmet, but it gave him the chance to attack again. Sou saw him coming and planted his hand over the man¡¯s face as he ran towards him, in one swift moving shoving him down into the ground, hard. The guard stopped moving. Sou stood back up. ¡°Last chance.¡± The head guard cracked his neck and stepped forward. All five of his men were dead before him, killed almost effortlessly by this giant of an enemy. There was no way to overpower him, he was simply too strong. Ayane wondered why he didn¡¯t just surrender, there was clearly no way he was going to win this fight. Yet still he charged, sword in hand, running headfirst into his own death. Unlike his companions this guard actually managed to give Sou a run for his money. His blows were not hard but they were calculated. Each hit mattered, and he timed them precisely. It was as though he could read Sou¡¯s movements before he made them, and was waiting to connect when he did. He was also nimble enough to dodge each of Sou¡¯s attacks before they hit him. Sou was so used to using overwhelming power to annihilate his enemies that he struggled with one much faster than he. The guard¡¯s sword connected with Sou¡¯s calf, forcing him to one knee, blood running down the back of his leg. He picked up a sword lying on the ground before him and swung to his blindside. The guard crumpled, caught unawares in what he thought was a safe spot. Sou stood up, kicked the man over and placed his foot on his neck. He was breathing hard. ¡°You fought well. Your ancestors would be proud.¡± Ayane felt something sharp press into her neck. Not again¡­ ¡°Sou, my dear! How nice of you to join us! I¡¯ll have you kindly unhand that man or your little girl here dies.¡± Well, she had found Izue. 027. Ayane Sou pressed his foot harder into the guard¡¯s neck. He let out a choke. ¡°You have three seconds. Two. One.¡± Sou let his foot up and dropped his sword. He held both hands up in the air. The guard sat up slowly, coughing. He grabbed a sword and held it level at Sou¡¯s throat. Something moved behind them. It was Kazu, crouching in the darkness. His hand moving slowly to his hip, trying to grab the dagger tied there. ¡°Tell your little pet monkey there to drop his knife or this pretty young thing will soon take her last breath.¡± Unfortunately, Izue had seen him too. Kazu stood up and stepped out of the shadows, smiling. Izue eyed the state of him. ¡°I suppose we have you to thank for all this?¡± Kazu shrugged, the smile never leaving his face. ¡°Come over here sweetie and perhaps we can discuss it a little more.¡± Izue refused to dignify him with a response. ¡°Kill him.¡± The guard looked between Sou and Kazu. There was only one of him, and two of them. ¡°Oh for the love of¡­¡± Izue muttered in Ayane¡¯s ear. She grabbed her own dagger with her left hand and threw it. It zoomed past Sou¡¯s head towards Kazu. As though in slow motion he fell backwards, hitting the ground with a dull thud. ¡°No!!¡± Sou punched the guard while he was distracted and took his sword. He ran at Izue but she pressed the knife harder into Ayane¡¯s neck. Ayane screamed out as blood started to trickle down her throat. ¡°Down boy,¡± Izue warned him. ¡°There will be other pet monkeys, but only one Bitou heir. Now drop that sword and submit to me and I¡¯ll let her live.¡± Sou¡¯s arms were shaking, he was clenching the sword so hard. He was fighting the urge to crush Izue with all he had. ¡°Just do it, Sou!¡± Ayane yelled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, kill her! ¡± The knife pressed harder into her neck. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Ayane. I can¡¯t. I won¡¯t.¡± Sou dropped the sword. It was the first time Ayane had seen him defeated. Izue laughed in her ear. ¡°Well well. I must admit, I¡¯m disappointed. I never thought you¡¯d give it all up over a girl, a hostage no less.¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. This time Sou laughed. He removed his mask and stood up to his full height. His smile was terrifying. ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong.¡± His eyes drifted to Ayane¡¯s right, and she heard a loud thwack. Izue¡¯s head collided with her own before the witch hit the ground, knocked out cold. ¡°What the-¡± Riko was standing there, holding a long spear. She smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve been wanting to do that for a while now.¡± Ayane laughed. Not out of joy but out of panic, confusion and fear. Battle wasn¡¯t really her forte, she understood that now. Horses were big and scary and just as likely to kill her as man was. The battlefield stank of blood and excrement and death, and oh boy did she hate the smell of blood. There was something about it that made her skin crawl. Then there was the constant rush of people trying to end her life, but most of all she was sick and tired of being a pawn, used by others to get what they wanted with little regard for her own feelings, her own life. She turned around and, seeing Izue¡¯s prone body on the ground, booted her in the stomach. ¡°Next time it¡¯ll be your stupid face,¡± she said, trying to wipe the blood on her hand off on her armour. It did nothing. She sighed. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t know it was in you, Bitou.¡± Riko grinned at her. Ayane bowed her head. ¡°Thank you for your assistance.¡± She turned to Sou. ¡°There¡¯s your witch. Now kindly remove her before I¡¯m no longer able to keep my promise.¡± Something started to move behind him. ¡°Sou, watch ou-¡± He turned and grabbed the man before she even had a chance to finish warning him. The guard was still alive. ¡°You¡¯ve lost. Don¡¯t make me kill you.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you?¡± the man choked out. Anger flared to life in his eyes. He was humiliated and his mistress defeated. He had little left to live for. ¡°Because I hate to see good talent go to waste.¡± The guard frowned, confused. Another groan nearby drew their attention. It was Kazu. He sat up, pulling the knife from his shoulder. He was still alive. ¡°Who is she calling monkey?¡± he muttered, dropping the bloody knife on the ground. Toshio rode through the courtyard and pulled his horse to a quick stop before Sou. Both he and his horse were covered in blood. ¡°We¡¯ve rounded everyone up, sir. Those that resisted were killed. The castle is yours. The Wada are defeated.¡± Sou smiled, a smile unlike any Ayane had seen before. Once again it terrified her. Sometimes, just sometimes, she felt like she was looking at a stranger, not someone she had spent nearly every single day of the last year of her life with. She trusted him with her life, but she also feared him. Perhaps that was a good thing. Perhaps she was finally starting to think like a daimyo in training. Riko dragged Izue through the dirt and dropped her unconscious body at Sou¡¯s feet. Toshio snarled at the sight of the witch before him, but Sou put a hand on his chest and pushed him back. Toshio snorted and stormed off, the unspoken message loud and clear. Don¡¯t touch her. She¡¯s mine. A figure appeared in the doorway, yawning loudly. ¡°What is all this commotion about? Can¡¯t a man get any sleep around here? And what is it that you¡¯re doing with my daughter?¡± 028. Sou Wada Kuniaki. The man was finally before him. The self-made daimyo stood at the door in his bed clothes, wiping the sleep from his eyes with one hand and holding an apple with the other. How he had managed to sleep through all that, Sou would never know. ¡°I¡¯d most appreciate if you didn¡¯t kill my only daughter,¡± he indicated to the unconscious body lying on the ground before them. ¡°She¡¯s all I have, you know. I assume you¡¯re the Yashiro boy? You don¡¯t look old enough to be Ryobe, and I¡¯m pretty sure I would have heard if he were a giant.¡± He took a bite from the apple and then held it out at arm¡¯s length towards Sou. ¡°Would you like some? We have the most amazing apples here in Bijo, amazing. Tastiest you¡¯ll find in all of Yashima. Sweet, yet super crunchy.¡± Sou wasn¡¯t sure what to make of the man. ¡°Uh, no thank you, sir.¡± Kuniaki shrugged and took another bite. ¡°Your loss. Although really I suppose it¡¯s my loss, isn¡¯t it, judging by the pile of dead bodies you¡¯ve created in my courtyard. Well played, boy, well played. You won fair and square, I surrender. The castle is now yours.¡± He smiled as though he had simply lost a game of Go and there would be more games later, it was no big deal. He turned and walked back into the residence, his voice trailing behind him. ¡°Might as well come on in, then. Let¡¯s have some breakfast.¡± Sou looked over at Riko and Ayane. They both shrugged. Toshio was gone. There was nothing they could do. They followed him inside. The residence was luxurious. Sou wanted to call it opulent. For such a small province they certainly gave off at least the impression of being a rich one. Each panel of the walls was painted with a different scene of battle. There was the Yamata, the Gashadokuro, the Great Tengu and various other legendary yokai battles all in full colourful detail, as well as countless smaller paintings of man vs man, legendary warriors from times past. Sou stopped before one panel that caught his eye, a figure, large and imposing and covered in blood, forcing his sword down the throat of a man in Imperial garb. ¡°Ah yes, that one is your ancestor, is he not? Prince Genji. The first samurai. The wronged prince, cast out because of Imperial corruption. A tragic story, that one. But he got his revenge in the end anyway, didn¡¯t he? Even if it cost him his life.¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Kuniaki¡¯s smile was not friendly. Sou gave the painting one last look and moved on. ¡°And yet your ancestor also knew the value of surrounding himself with good people, did he not? The choices he made were his own and he paid for those with his life, but he never would have achieved even half as much as he did in such a short time if he hadn¡¯t surrounded himself with intelligent advisors and powerful warriors, don¡¯t you agree?¡± He set about making a pot of tea and motioned for Sou to sit at a large table in the middle of the room. Sou nodded his head and Ayane and Riko sat either side of him. Riko flopped Izue¡¯s unconscious body to the side of the table. The small trickle of blood that had opened up from where the shaft of the spear had hit her had dried up and mattered her hair to her face. ¡°I guess so,¡± Sou finally replied. Kuniaki was unreadable, he still wasn¡¯t sure what to make of the man. He returned with a tea pot and started pouring cups of tea for everyone, before pouring one for himself. ¡°I¡¯m just saying, you¡¯re a smart man to have such intelligent women by your side, young lord.¡± He smiled at Riko and Ayane, before turning to his daughter. ¡°And I appreciate that you didn¡¯t kill my daughter.¡± He closed his eyes, took a long, deep breath, appreciating the aroma of the tea, and then finally took a sip. ¡°I suppose you¡¯ll be wanting me to commit seppuku now, yes?¡± Sou put his own cup down on the table. ¡°Not at all, sir. In fact, I want you to remain here as leader.¡± The surprise was evident on his face, as on Riko and Ayane¡¯s. ¡°My lord, what are you-¡± Sou held a hand up to silence Riko¡¯s objection. ¡°You¡¯re right that a good leader needs even better counsel around him. These lands are now Yashiro lands, and if you object I will personally kill you and set fire to every single village in the province.¡± Kuniaki let out a hearty laugh, but didn¡¯t object. ¡°But it would be foolish of me to try and rule this land by myself. You are a small clan, Wada-sama, and if I so willed it we could wipe you off the face off the earth.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t doubt that is true, my boy.¡± ¡°It is not my intention to destroy you, however. I want you to join us. You will continue ruling Bijo province as-is, but you will do so in the name of the Yashiro. When we call, you will come running. Do you understand?¡± Kuniaki rolled back on his cushion and took another sip of tea. ¡°You want me to become a vassal of the Yashiro, is what you¡¯re saying?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Why would I do that?¡± ¡°Because, sir, I wish to marry your daughter, and it would be a shame to have to kill my father in law.¡± 029. Sou ¡°My lord, have you gone mad?!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be serious?!¡± Both Riko and Ayane began their assault of heated words while Kuniaki sat across from them laughing. It was about the reaction he had expected. ¡°Oh my, my boy, you certainly are a fascinating creature, I¡¯ll give you that. But how can I argue with those terms? Agreed.¡± ¡°Sou, you can¡¯t-¡± Sou held both hands up this time to silence the objections coming from either side. ¡°Enough!¡± Silence fell over the room. Sou tried to gather his thoughts. ¡°I will marry Izue, with her consent, of course.¡± He looked over at the unconscious body. Various feelings flooded through him. Perhaps not love, no. Far too soon for that. But something. There was something about her, and this decision felt right. ¡°Our clans will be joined, and you will continue to serve us as daimyo of Bijo province. As a Yashiro vassal you will assist us when needed, and of course we offer the same in return to you. An attack on Wada lands is an attack on Yashiro lands, and we don¡¯t take that lightly. Through your daughter and any future children we may bear you will also find legitimacy.¡± Sou felt that wasn¡¯t terribly important to the self-made daimyo, but he figured he¡¯d put that out there anyway. ¡°You certainly make an offer a man can¡¯t refuse, young lord,¡± Kuniaki replied. He set his empty tea cup down on the table. ¡°Not that I think she will, but if my daughter refuses you?¡± ¡°You will remain as our vassal, but I cannot guarantee that in your time of need our people will be fast enough to respond to your call of assistance. Sir.¡± The threat was unspoken but loud and clear. Kuniaki let out a loud, bellowing laugh again. ¡°I like you, my boy. But what makes you think that your father will agree to all this? Surely he has loftier plans for the marriage of his only son and heir than to the daughter of a former oil merchant?¡± ¡°I agree, my lord, I don¡¯t think Yashiro-sama will-¡± Sou held his hand up to silence Riko again, giving her a look. ¡°Go outside and see what Toshio is doing for me, would you?¡± Riko bit her tongue and stood up. ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± He turned to Ayane on his other side as Riko left the room. She shook her head. There would be no further objections from her.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°My father will agree.¡± Sou turned back to Kuniaki. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about that. There¡¯s one more thing, however.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Your head guard. What¡¯s his name?¡± ¡°You mean Kikuchi? That boy¡¯s been with me for years now. Used to help me peddle oil. What about him?¡± ¡°I¡¯m promoting him. He works for me now.¡± ¡°Oho, is that so?¡± ¡°He fought well. I was impressed by his talents, and we could use more men like him. Where are the most valuable farming lands around here?¡± Kuniaki poured himself another cup of tea and pondered the question. ¡°Hmm. Aozaka has proven to be quite fruitful this last season, it certainly provided one of the richest crops¡­¡± ¡°Good. That land is now his. Make it happen.¡± Kuniaki snorted and took a sip of his steaming tea but raised no objections. ¡°Very well, young lord. I¡¯m sure young Kikuchi will be most pleased to hear that.¡± ¡°One other thing.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°That nurikabe¡­¡± Kuniaki laughed out loud once more. ¡°Ah yes, that thing. Quite the pest, wasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°It killed countless scores of my men.¡± ¡°Yes, well, that is the nature of war, son.¡± ¡°How did you control it?¡± ¡°What makes you think we were controlling it?¡± ¡°It was camouflaged with your castle. It attacked my men.¡± ¡°Again, what makes you think we were controlling it? It attacked your men because they attacked it. We left it alone and it left us alone. It was a good arrangement, really, until you came along and killed it.¡± Sou fell silent. It still struck him as odd that such a vicious yokai would happily co-exist with humans, but he said nothing more. A groan sounded nearby. Izue was waking up. ¡°Ugh, what¡­¡± she sat up, holding her head. ¡°I was¡­¡± she turned and looked at Sou, then Ayane. ¡°You!¡± She pulled a dagger at the same time Ayane pulled her sword, the tips each pointed at the other¡¯s necks. Kuniaki let out another belly rumbling laugh at the sight. ¡°I don¡¯t think you quite understand the situation you¡¯ve gotten yourself into with all these women, my boy.¡± ¡°Ayane, put the sword down!¡± ¡°Not until she does first!¡± ¡°I should have killed you the first time I saw you!¡± ¡°The feeling is mutual!¡± Kuniaki placed a hand on his daughter¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Izue, sweetie, calm down. We were all just having a friendly chat, there¡¯s no need to spill blood all over my expensive table. You know how difficult it was to get this thing.¡± She nervously eyed Sou and then Ayane again, before finally lowering her blade. Ayane did the same. Sou placed a hand on her forearm. ¡°Go and help Riko find Toshio, would you?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± She stood up, gave Izue another glance and then exited the room. ¡°Good, good. We have a lot to catch you up on, my dear.¡± Kuniaki smiled. Izue took her father¡¯s tea cup and drained it. She poured herself another cup, took a small sachet out of a bag hanging by her hip and dropped some green powder into it. ¡°My head is pounding. Do I have you to thank for that?¡± She drained the cup in a single mouthful again and then turned to Sou. ¡°No, but that¡¯s no longer important. Your father and I were just discussing the terms of your surrender.¡± ¡°Surrender. I see.¡± She cast a glance at her father. He shrugged. ¡°And what were those terms?¡± ¡°Your father is to remain here as a vassal of the Yashiro.¡± Izue seemed surprised for the first time at that. ¡°I¡¯d also like for you to marry me.¡± Surprise crossed her face for the second time. 030. Sou ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I think the blow to the head made my hearing go a little funny, you what?¡± ¡°I want you to marry me.¡± ¡°I think I need more tea¡­¡± Izue poured herself another cup and downed it. Sou sat in awkward silence. Not exactly how he envisioned his marriage proposal to go down, but nothing he could do about that now. ¡°I don¡¯t want to seem rude or anything, but why?¡± ¡°You said it yourself. We¡¯re a good match. It will also allow your father to remain here safely as daimyo. An attack on your father¡¯s lands is an attack on Yashiro lands.¡± ¡°And it¡¯s not like we¡¯ve had an influx of suitors, dear,¡± Kuniaki interjected. Izue cast her father an angry glance. ¡°You¡¯re not going to find a better offer than this.¡± Izue sat in silence. Kuniaki turned back to Sou. ¡°There¡¯s nothing more important to me in this world than my daughter. All of this-¡± he spread his arms around, indicating the room ¡°-was for her. To give her the best possible life I could give her. To give her the life I never had. My parents were poor. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I had a nice enough childhood and they showered me with affection, but we never had money. I spent many a day and night going hungry, wondering where the next meal might come from. My father was also a merchant, but not a terribly good one. He was killed by a passing samurai one day, for no reason at all. Just wanted to test out his shiny new sword, I suppose. But we found his body lying in the side of the street, a single slash opening him up from neck to hip. He bled out on the side of the road and not a single person stopped to help him.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that,¡± Sou replied. It wasn¡¯t uncommon of samurai even today to strike down peasants just for the hell of it. Kuniaki gave a small, sad smile. ¡°It¡¯s okay, it was a long time ago. But not long after that my mother also passed. Heartbreak, I think. I took over my father¡¯s business and did my best with what I learnt from him, and discovered that I was far better at talking to people than he was. In time I started to build a base of wealth and I met Izue¡¯s mother. It was love at first sight.¡± He stopped and looked at Izue with the eyes of a doting father. ¡°She was the world to me, at least until this little one was born. I didn¡¯t think it was possible to love another human being so much, but the first time I laid eyes on her I knew it was true. I would die for her, and I would do absolutely anything to protect her.¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Father¡­¡± ¡°But the day of my greatest joy was also the day of my greatest loss,¡± Kuniaki continued. ¡°My wife died in childbirth. She never even got to see her baby before she passed¡­ and I swore to myself, then and there, that my daughter would not have the same life I had. She would not go hungry, she would not find her father lying dead on the side of the road, just another anonymous corpse. I built my trade empire, I made the right connections, I assembled my army and I destroyed all who stood in my way. You can accept your lot in life, or you can choose to do something about it. I chose to give my daughter the best life I could possibly give her, and now that extends to you, my son. I¡¯ve done all I can for her, but you, you can give her a happiness that I never could.¡± Sou didn¡¯t know what to say. It was an impressive story, to be sure. He could most certainly understand the feeling of wanting to do whatever it took to protect those he loved. He thought of Yuki, and hoped that she was doing well. ¡°You are a remarkable man, sir,¡± Sou began. ¡°It it a pity we had to meet under such circumstances, but nevertheless, I am glad we met.¡± Kuniaki waved his words away. ¡°I have no regrets, my son, for if we hadn¡¯t met like this then who¡¯s to say what the future would have had in store for me and my daughter. Now it¡¯s more secure than it¡¯s ever been, and that¡¯s all I wanted. What¡¯s a little loss of power compared to that? Power is useless unless you have a reason to need it, son. Remember that. Power just for power¡¯s sake is a good way to quickly lose everything you¡¯ve worked so hard to gain. A smart man knows when to give and when to take.¡± Sou looked over at Izue. The so-called witch. The woman who single-handedly nearly destroyed his army, not just once but several times. The woman who had constantly given them the run around, who had nearly killed Toshio, who had nearly cut him into tiny pieces in the forest, who had threatened Ayane and done all in her power to bring him down. She was smart, resourceful and skilled. He found that even through her attempts on his life and those of his men that he admired her. Respected her. Was he not here trying to do the same thing? War was war, but enemies were not forever. His grandfather had told him that when he was just a small boy. Find good people. Bring them to your side. A good leader has many enemies but even more allies. A great leader turns those enemies into his allies. Izue and her father were two of those people. She was an incredible woman, his heart could not deny that. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to meeting your father,¡± Izue finally said, drawing his attention back to the room. Sou smiled. So was he . At that moment Riko came barging into the room, her eyes wide with fear. ¡°Riko? What is it, did you find Toshio?¡± She shook her head, trying to catch her breath. ¡°We just had a messenger, my lord. It¡¯s about your father¡­¡± Sou¡¯s back straighted. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Your father, Sou¡­ he¡¯s dead.¡± Interlude Asagawa Tora walked through the streets of the quiet, snowy village. The world was silent. Not a single soul came to greet him. Dusty snow tumbled over his boots as he walked through the abandoned streets. ¡°What on Earth happened here?¡± He ordered his men to search the village for survivors. Something had gone down here, something big. He hadn¡¯t heard reports of any battles taking place in this region and yet the village showed clear signs of attack. Houses were on fire, sending dark smoke high into the sky. The snow, piled high despite the rest of the country experiencing the first signs of spring, was splashed with red. Blood. He had a bad feeling about this. Like the rest of the country, the north was at constant war with itself. It felt like not a day passed without someone taking offense and sending their clan into battle over it. But this was a tiny village in the middle of nowhere. Tora pushed open the door next to him and it fell to the floor with a loud bang. He stepped over it and into the house. ¡°Oh gods¡­¡± He was assaulted by a foul smell. The floor, walls and roof were painted with streaks of red. The owners of the tiny abode, or at least what remained of them, lay in a pile of mutilated flesh in the middle of the room. Nearby sat a tea pot, completely undisturbed. There wasn¡¯t even a single drop of blood on it. A single cup sat next to it, a few dregs of tea leaves sitting in the bottom. It was as though it sat in its own space and time, oblivious to the devastation that had taken place around it. ¡°What could do such a thing?¡± he muttered. This wasn¡¯t the work of humans. He spotted a tiny cot in the corner of the room. Unlike the tea pot it was also covered in blood. Tora swallowed and prepared himself for the worst. He stepped through the bodies as carefully as he could, which was difficult when pieces of them littered the floor. What a horrible way to die, he thought. It was one thing to kill a man on the battlefield, to watch his body drop lifelessly before you when he was also trying to end your life, but this, well this was something else entirely. The room was eerily quiet, the only sound he could hear was the fire crackling outside. He knelt down and pulled back the blanket, steeling his heart in preparation for what he might see; there was nothing. The cot was empty. Tora¡¯s head dropped in relief. But if it was empty, where was the baby?This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Sir! You¡¯d better come and take a look at this!¡± One of his men was standing in the doorway. He faced recoiled in horror when he saw the state of the room. Tora dropped the blanket and stood up. ¡°Set it on fire,¡± he commanded. The soldier nodded his head but was horrified by what he saw before him. ¡°May these poor souls find peace in the afterlife.¡± ¡°May they find peace¡­¡± the soldier repeated, his voice barely above a whisper. Tora patted him on the shoulder as he exited. The man was young, perhaps only 15 at best. He knew his father, a good man who had died in the service of the Fuuma clan. The north was a tough place, and the boy had no family of his own left. No blood family, anyway. Tora¡¯s men were his family now. They would die for one another, and he would die for them. It was how they survived in the north. A group of soldiers were huddled around something nearby, whispering in hushed tones. They stood to attention as Tora approached. ¡°What did you find?¡± A large body nearly twice the size of a small man lay motionless in the snow. As he got closer he could see the red skin beneath the straw leggings and coat covering its body. Large horns protruded from beneath its long, messy hair, and what appeared to be pieces of flesh were stuck between its teeth. A namahage. ¡°What¡¯s this doing down here at this time of year?¡± he asked in surprise. ¡°They don¡¯t usually bother us until the new year.¡± A pitchfork was sticking out of its back and several arrows protruded out of its chest. There were numerous slashes on its arms and legs. The villagers had certainly put up a fight before they managed to bring this thing down. ¡°That¡¯s not the only thing, sir,¡± one of his men said, handing him a torn piece of paper. It was a charm. A common charm to keep demons out. ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like it was very helpful.¡± Tora looked around the village once more. The entire place was on fire, several buildings completely destroyed. The villagers had either all fled or been killed where they slept. Now he had an onmyodo charm to protect its owners from harm. It clearly hadn¡¯t worked. If the owners were still alive he¡¯d suggest they find the onmyoji and get their money back. ¡°You know what all this is, right?¡± he spoke to the soldier who had handed him the charm. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir?¡± ¡°Nothing. Behead that thing. We¡¯ll take it back to Lord Fuuma. Check the rest of the village and then burn it.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Another soldier approached him. ¡°Sir, we found tracks leading out of the village.¡± ¡°Tracks?¡± It had been snowing on and off for the past week. How could there be tracks? ¡°Well, to be more accurate, a track, sir. A single one.¡± Tora was confused. ¡°Take me there.¡± The soldier was right. A large, single track led out of the village from one of the nearby houses and continued into the forest. The ground beneath it was scorched, like it had been set on fire. He walked into the house and nearly threw up as soon as he entered. He turned and pushed the soldier back. ¡°You don¡¯t want to go in there.¡± Something awful had befallen this village. He needed to get back to Lord Fuuma. Something evil was afoot. 031. Sou Their father¡¯s body was buried in a small temple in the mountains near Oohara Castle, as per his request. Sou stood at the temple gate, overlooking the land below. Oohara Castle spread out over a wide plain in the distance. That was how it got its name, being one of the few castles at the time not built on the top or side of a mountain. ¡®What good is a castle that can¡¯t even see its enemies coming?¡¯ they said. ¡®How are you going to defend yourself if you¡¯re not on high ground?¡¯ they said. The Yashiro clan had forever faced adversity. You could trace it all the way back to Prince Genji. But that¡¯s what made them strong. Made them powerful. Made them a force to be reckoned with. All that land down there was his now. His father had been preparing him since birth but Sou still wasn¡¯t sure if he was ready to do this alone. Usually a daimyo retired and then assisted his successor well into old age. A brilliant mind full of experience working with a sharp mind full of ideas, surrounded by intelligent men loyal to the cause. There was nothing they couldn¡¯t achieve together. Now Sou was alone. He wasn¡¯t even sure if his father¡¯s men would listen to him, he was so young. A hand on his shoulder drew him back. ¡°How are you holding up?¡± It was Yuki. ¡°Do you want the honest answer or the official answer?¡± ¡°Honest, of course.¡± Sou sighed. He needed to be a lot more careful with what he said and did now. He was no longer just a green daimyo¡¯s son who could say and do stupid things and get away with it. Now he was the daimyo, what he said was law and one wrong move could drive his clan to extinction. ¡°I¡¯m scared,¡± Sou replied. ¡°I¡¯m terrified that you and I are the only ones left. I¡¯m angry at father for leaving us like this, for not teaching me more, for not preparing me better. I¡¯m angry we didn¡¯t go out and enjoy things as a family more, and I¡¯m furious that in what should have been one of his happiest moments someone took everything from him. From us. This wasn¡¯t some attack over a territorial dispute, this was personal. He was murdered, and he was murdered at his daughter¡¯s wedding. I can¡¯t forgive that.¡± Yuki squeezed his shoulder harder but she said nothing. No tears rolled down her cheeks. She remained as beautiful and elegant as ever, not like someone who just a week ago was wearing the blood of her own father on her kimono. Sou felt like he was being torn apart but she kept her head held high and let nothing show to the outside world. Sou wasn¡¯t sure he could do that, and now of all times he couldn¡¯t afford to let weakness show. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do, Yuki,¡± he admitted. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m falling apart.¡± Yuki turned him so he faced her. She grabbed both his arms and forced him to look her in the face. ¡°Sou.¡± She never called him Sou. ¡°You¡¯re the best man I know. You¡¯re stronger than you realise, stronger than you give yourself credit for. Look at what you¡¯ve already achieved! Father didn¡¯t teach you more because you were the one teaching him. Don¡¯t you see that?¡± Sou gave a small laugh of disbelief but Yuki shook him harder. ¡°The Yashiro clan doesn¡¯t end this way, brother. We don¡¯t go down with a whimper. Now with you at its head the Yashiro will become greater than ever. You could have every daimyo in this land offer you his sword, you just don¡¯t realise it yet. And you know why you don¡¯t realise it yet? Because you have a good heart, brother. Something that¡¯s lacking in these lands these days.¡± She punctuated the point with a light punch to his chest. ¡°These lands don¡¯t need another tyrant. They need someone with an honest and open heart. With a vision to make things better. That¡¯s you, dear brother, and it¡¯s about time you started believing it.¡± Sou was at a loss for words. He brushed a lock of hair from Yuki¡¯s face. ¡°When did you grow up, little sister?¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Around the same time you didn¡¯t.¡± She smiled. Sou turned back to the castle town spread out beneath the mountain. His castle town. All of it was his now, as far as the eye could see. ¡°I will get revenge for father.¡± ¡°I know.¡± He heard Yuki¡¯s footsteps as she left the temple. It was time to do what he¡¯d been dreading. He needed to call a meeting of all his father¡¯s retainers. The group of old men sat before him, the air so thick with silence that it was almost suffocating. So far, so good. ¡°I¡¯d like to thank you all for coming here on such short notice to attend my father¡¯s funeral,¡± Sou began. ¡°I know the journey was difficult for many of you with very little time to plan.¡± There were a few murmurs from the group. They were his father¡¯s men, through and through. They would listen to Sou as the new clan leader, but he knew it would be a struggle to get them to follow him willingly. Toshio sat near the end of the long table, Riko by his side. His arm hadn¡¯t regained full movement yet; they feared it was nerve damage. He may never regain full use of his sword arm again. On top of the news that Sou¡¯s father had died they had discovered that Kuroda Mistuhide and Ayane¡¯s younger brother, Bitou Kenichi had taken one of their castles. Hirozaka Castle, Toshio¡¯s home. In one foul swoop he had lost his arm, his family and his home. Nobody wanted revenge more than him. Sou cleared his throat. The room quietened. ¡°We need to discuss what we¡¯re going to do about the Kuroda.¡± ¡°Clearly we need to take the castle back! Anything otherwise is a sign of weakness to the rest of the clans!¡± Atsuda Motosa. One of his father¡¯s most senior retainers and the oldest man in the room. He had a young daughter, Manami, who Toshio was particularly fond of. She was almost young enough to be his granddaughter, really. ¡°We need to be very careful about this, young lord. We don¡¯t know what the Kuroda are up to yet, we mustn¡¯t be hasty.¡± Tanabe Hiroki. Watched over lands close to the Toshiga border and likely the first to be attacked if the Kuroda were further provoked. ¡°Mustn¡¯t be hasty? So you just want to sit back and let them continue to make a mockery of us? They need to be punished! We have the Bitou girl, we need to show them we¡¯re not just gonna take this lying down!¡± Baba Junpei. His family ruled these lands long before the Yashiro came in and took them from them. However, for countless generations they had served loyally and were always up for a fight. Junpei¡¯s daughter Ane had until recently served Sou, but just like her father was a fiery spirit and a certain incident had her cast out of his favour. A certain incident where she had tried to kill him. Sou had chosen to send her away rather than kill her, but Junpei had taken an aggressive stance with him ever since. But, to be fair, he took an aggressive stance with everything. ¡°He¡¯s right, that Bitou girl has been sitting around here enjoying our hospitality for too long, it¡¯s time to show them we¡¯re not playing games anymore. They think they can just come in and steal our lands and we won¡¯t retaliate? Why do we even have a hostage if not to use her? And we all know it was the Kuroda who killed your father - rest his spirit - I don¡¯t care if there¡¯s no evidence.¡± Ando Mutsu. Riko¡¯s father. Made his name fighting and would go down fighting, probably alongside at least some of his many children. ¡°We can¡¯t go starting a war over unsubstantiated claims! That would just bring the wrath of the other clans down upon us, we¡¯d have no footing in future negotiations.¡± Hamada Tatsuki. Sou always saw him as the biggest pushover of his father¡¯s men. Always happy to just sit back and let things happen, never wanted to stir the pot or poke the angry snake. The table erupted into a war of words, each man trying to get his say in louder than the next. They clearly weren¡¯t going to reach a consensus like this. Sou looked at Toshio and Riko, each sitting down the end in complete silence. ¡°Enough!¡± He pounded his fist on the table, causing it to crack. His father¡¯s retainers - no, they were his retainers now - sat back down, silence descending over the room like a blanket. ¡°Arguing isn¡¯t going to get us anywhere. I know we¡¯re all tired and worn out. I know that feeling better than most of us here, I think.¡± A few of the men shifted uncomfortably. ¡°But acting like children isn¡¯t going to help us deal with our problem.¡± There was a knock at the door. It slid open and Izue stepped inside. The men shifted even more uncomfortably. No-one was happy she was there, and in fact most of the castle had been actively trying to avoid her since she arrived. Sou did his best to ignore it, but Izue seemed to actually enjoy the fear her mere presence inspired. ¡°The priest would like to conduct the seven days rites now, my lord, if you would like to accompany him back to the temple.¡± The men in the room refused to look at her. The meeting was going nowhere anyway. ¡°Of course, tell him I¡¯ll be there shortly.¡± Izue nodded, looked around the room, then smiled. ¡°My lords.¡± She closed the shoji screen and the room remained uncomfortably silent until the sound of her footsteps down the hall disappeared. Sou sure had some fun ahead of him. 032. Sou The seven day rites were short and sweet. Sou thanked the priest and he went back to his duties around the shrine. ¡°They¡¯re not listening to me.¡± Yuki looked up at Sou¡¯s sudden words. ¡°Who isn¡¯t?¡± ¡°Father¡¯s men. My men.¡± ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Sou stood up and paced before his father¡¯s coffin. ¡°I can see it in their eyes. They think I¡¯m too young to effectively run the clan. I wouldn¡¯t put it past at least two or three of them to be plotting my death right now.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re being a little hasty, brother. It¡¯s barely been a week.¡± ¡°There have been daimyo with shorter reigns. They don¡¯t like Izue either. They avoid her like just looking at her is going to bring the demons of hell down upon them.¡± ¡°The stories of her are known far and wide,¡± Yuki admitted. ¡°You cannot force them to like her, or even to follow you. All you can do is your best. Get results, and the rest will follow.¡± ¡°How many swords am I going to have to remove from my back in the meantime?¡± Yuki watched him pace in silence. ¡°Do you think it was them?¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°The Kuroda. Do you think they assassinated father?¡± Yuki stared at the coffin. She was the target. That much had been made clear before the assassin killed himself to avoid capture. Whether their father had known this before he stepped into the line of fire they could only guess at. But he had taken the poison arrow meant for Yuki on her wedding day and he had died. ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know. Why would they try to kill me? I am nothing to them.¡± No. Yuki was incredibly important. She was the link between two powerful, old bloodlines. A political goldmine. Her life assured a powerful political alliance, and should anything happen to Sou her children would be first in line to make a claim to Yashiro lands. They would control nearly all the land surrounding the capital. That was a powerful threat to any who wished to stake their own claim over the land. The clan with the most to gain from her death was the Kuroda. ¡°Tell me about Motoki,¡± Sou quickly changed subject. He knew very little of the man running Konoe province in his father¡¯s name. ¡°Motoki? He¡¯s very kind and sweet, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about,¡± Yuki replied. She continued to sit seiza style on the floor before their father¡¯s coffin. She hadn¡¯t shifted once the entire time they were there. Sou couldn¡¯t do it. His legs started to go numb after sitting like that for too long.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°No, I mean, do you think he will support us? If we go to war.¡± ¡°If you ask him for help I think he will do his best. He is an honourable man, brother. He was the first to rush to father¡¯s aid when he was shot, and paid for the return of his body himself. But if you are looking to start a war, brother, perhaps it would be better to do so under a clearer head, and not with the grief of father¡¯s death fresh in your heart.¡± Sou said nothing. Yuki stood up and put a hand on his arm. ¡°Enjoy some time with your new bride. Show father¡¯s men that you are a capable leader they can freely follow. Don¡¯t rush headlong into a battle that will have disastrous consequences for us all.¡± Sou gave a small smile and left the room. Itami Motoki was waiting at the entrance to the temple, talking to one of his men. He bowed his head deeply when he saw Sou emerge. ¡°Lord Yashiro.¡± ¡°Lord Itami.¡± ¡°Please, we are brothers now, call me Motoki.¡± ¡°Then call me Sou.¡± ¡°Very well, Sou.¡± He smiled politely, but it was a friendly smile. ¡°Thank you for looking after my sister, and for bringing my father back to be buried here.¡± ¡°Not at all, it was the least I could do. We did try to apprehend the assassin, but he committed suicide before we could capture him.¡± ¡°Do you have any idea who it might have been?¡± Motoki shook his head. ¡°There was nothing on the body that could identify him.¡± Of course not. A good assassin would leave nothing behind to betray their master. ¡°I think it was the Kuroda.¡± Motoki raised his eyebrows in response. ¡°An astute guess. They would have much to gain from either my wife or your father¡¯s death.¡± My wife. She was Motoki¡¯s wife now. Not Sou¡¯s sister. There was a slight twinge of pain in his heart. He looked out over the land below. It looked so peaceful, calm, while his heart was a raging storm. ¡°You would like to exact your revenge, I¡¯m guessing?¡± He looked back at Motoki. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you?¡± Motoki gave a small laugh. ¡°Perhaps I would. But I must also keep my people in mind. What good is my own personal revenge if I take everyone down with me?¡± ¡°What good is sitting back and allowing the other clans to run all over you?¡± Motoki gave a polite smile. ¡°Ah, and there is my beautiful wife now.¡± Yuki exited the temple and walked towards the two men. She went to Motoki first and accepted a kiss on the cheek, then turned to look at Sou. He was second now, and he always would be. ¡°And on that note, where is your blushing bride?¡± Sou looked up. ¡°At the castle. She had other matters to attend to.¡± ¡°Other matters? More important than your father¡¯s funeral rites?¡± ¡°You will be returning home soon, yes?¡± Sou forced as polite of a smile as he could. His passive-aggressive attempts at trying to one-up Sou were quickly beginning to tire. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll be leaving in the morning, in fact. Your hospitality has been greatly appreciated.¡± ¡°Yes, well, you would be wise not to forget it, and wise not to forget where your allegiances lie, too.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure I know what you mean.¡± Sou looked at Yuki, then once more at Motoki. ¡°I¡¯m just saying, don¡¯t forget where your beautiful new wife has come from, and how you obtained her.¡± He began walking down the stairs, not sticking around for a reply. He regretted the words the instant they left his mouth, but they were out there now. He didn¡¯t mean to use Yuki as a bargaining chip, an object of exchange between two men, but in reality that¡¯s exactly what she was. A tool of their father to gain an alliance they needed to survive. Now that threat to their survival may be coming sooner than they had anticipated and he needed to to remind Motoki of it. Remind him of what his father had died for. 033. Sou Sou had seen this picture before. Ayane was sitting alone at her table doing calligraphy. Last time he saw this image they were better, more light-hearted times. He¡¯d barely seen Ayane since they¡¯d returned. Too much was going on. ¡°I see you¡¯ve upgraded to a six year old level,¡± Sou tried to joke from the door frame. She didn¡¯t laugh. Didn¡¯t even bother to turn around. There was no crumpled up ball of paper flying past his head, no dig at his own failings. Nothing. It stung. He closed the shoji screen behind him and entered the room. It was sparsely decorated, but the window to the inner courtyard was open and he could see the ume trees in full blossom. They were beautiful and always reminded him of happier times. The blue robin he carved Ayane for her birthday sat on the table beside her inkstone. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Sou.¡± He was confused. ¡°I don¡¯t-¡± ¡°I know why you¡¯re here. And it¡¯s okay.¡± Silence descended once more. A messenger arrived not long after Sou returned from his successful defeat of Daisen Castle informing them of the Kuroda takeover of Hirozaka. They had gained one only to lose another. It wasn¡¯t just the Kuroda, however. The Bitou banner had also been spotted during the takeover. It wasn¡¯t Ayane¡¯s father, however, who had taken part in the fight. It was his son, and Ayane¡¯s younger brother, Kenichi. Ayane had yet to be informed of that little fact. ¡°I am going to set you free,¡± Sou told her. She continued her calligraphy as he spoke. She had improved greatly compared to when she had first arrived in the castle. The brush flowed as though it was an extension of her hand. ¡°But I can¡¯t just yet. It¡¯s too dangerous.¡± She pulled out a new scroll and began writing her next character. ¡°Too dangerous?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t your father that rode into Hirozaka Castle under the Bitou banners.¡± Sou paused. ¡°It was your brother, Ayane.¡± Ayane put her brush down and turned to look at him. ¡°My brother? Kenichi? But¡­ but he¡¯s just a boy!¡± Sou rubbed his forehead. ¡°That¡¯s not all. It wasn¡¯t Lord Kuroda that killed Harada¡­ Toshio¡¯s father.¡± Ayane shook her head. ¡°No. He¡¯s just a boy. He would never¡­ he couldn¡¯t¡­¡± It had taken everything Sou had to keep Toshio from killing Ayane in revenge. It was merely his honour as Sou¡¯s vassal that had stopped him. But if he didn¡¯t like Ayane before, he certainly didn¡¯t now.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Lord Kuroda has also proclaimed Kenichi as his choice of successor when your father dies¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± Sou had debated whether to tell Ayane or not, but in the end he hoped it would help her understand why he couldn¡¯t let her go just yet. It was too dangerous, especially now. If Mitsuhide or his men got their hands on her she would be dead. But alive, she still held her claim over her family¡¯s clan. She had gone from hostage to refugee. ¡°I¡¯m going to keep my promise, Ayane. But I can¡¯t let you go, not now. They¡¯ll kill you.¡± She fell silent. Sou put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Ayane picked up the blue robin carving from the table. She stared deeply at it. ¡°Please don¡¯t kill my brother. He¡¯s just a boy. He doesn¡¯t know what he¡¯s doing.¡± Sou stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll do what I can.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Her voice was barely a whisper. He nodded. There was nothing he could say. Ayane went back to her calligraphy and he exited the room. There was still someone else he had to see. He found Kazu training in the yard. He was a thin, wiry man, more like a monkey than a soldier. It frustrated his opponents greatly. ¡°Kazu!¡± he called out. The man who had helped lead them to victory smiled and ran over, bowing deeply. He was shiny with sweat. ¡°Lord Sou, to what do I owe this honour?¡± ¡°The honour is all mine. Without you we would never have taken Daisen Castle. You did well. Thank you.¡± The younger man beamed. ¡°It was nothing, really.¡± ¡°It most definitely was not. We really couldn¡¯t have done it without you, Kazu. You¡¯re an extraordinary soldier, and a waste to my army as a foot soldier.¡± Kazu¡¯s brow furrowed in confusion. ¡°I¡¯m promoting you to samurai.¡± Sou watched the myriad of emotions that ran through his face, before finally he tried to suppress his smile and bowed as deeply as he could. ¡°Thank you, Lord Sou, thank you!¡± He smiled. ¡°Stand up. That¡¯s not all. I can¡¯t have a samurai running around without a name. I¡¯m granting you the surname Mori, in reverence of the great feats you achieved in conquering the forest that stood between you and Daisen Castle.¡± ¡°I¡­ I have no words. Thank you, my lord.¡± ¡°Go see the armourer when you have the chance and let him know how you want your kabuto made. He¡¯s working on the rest of your armour as we speak. I also have the swordsmith working on your new swords, they should be ready in a week or two. I see a bright future for you, Mori Kazu. I would be proud to have you fight by my side again.¡± He slapped Kazu on the shoulder. The smaller man grimaced in pain but smiled. ¡°Thank you, my lord, really. I don¡¯t know what to say.¡± ¡°You see those men over there?¡± Sou pointed to the men Kazu had just been training with. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°They¡¯re under your command now. I¡¯m trusting you to whip them into shape.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± ¡°Now go. Don¡¯t forget to drop by the armourer, he¡¯s expecting you!¡± Riko walked by as Kazu practically skipped back to his men. He could hear the congratulations when he told them what just happened. ¡°Riko!¡± She stopped. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I need you to do something for me.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°I need you to get in contact with Ane. I want you to bring her back.¡± Riko was taken aback. ¡°Are you sure? Last time she was here she tried to kill you.¡± ¡°I know. But some difficult times are coming, and I¡¯m in need of her¡­ unique skills.¡± Riko tilted her head. ¡°Okay. But it¡¯s your funeral.¡± Sou sighed. Big changes were coming. He hoped he would be ready for them. 034. Ayane It was hard. As much as Ayane understood Sou¡¯s situation and why he couldn¡¯t release her, not now, it was still hard. But the way she saw it, she had two choices. Sit and dwell on the matter, becoming more and more resentful about how the world had treated her badly, or accept it and move on. Try as she might, she was still concerned about her brother. There was a six year age gap between Ayane and Kenichi. As a young child Ayane had always wanted a little brother or sister, so when Kenichi was finally born she doted on him. They did everything together. From a young age Kenichi had hero worship; he constantly pestered Ayane to tell him stories of the great heroes of old. He couldn¡¯t get enough of them, and proclaimed that one day he¡¯d fight some great monster and save the world, too. They spent their time hunting imaginary yokai in the forest near Sakuradane Castle, their birthplace and father¡¯s main residence. It was a happy childhood, pretending to fight ferocious beasts together and saving the day. Until one time they accidentally found one. It was a cold, snowy day not long before the coming of the new year. Their mother was at home taking care of their two younger sisters, and their father was in a neighbouring town visiting some of his men. With nothing to do they decided to climb the nearby Mount Hijo and look for some adventure, only the adventure found them instead. At first it was quiet. Just a sense of unease. But soon they both heard it. A rhythmic ¡®thud, thud, thud¡¯ in the snow, like the sound a large man jumping might make. They picked up speed but so did whatever was following them, keeping perfect pace. They reached a river, its icy rapids halting their progress. Kenichi, a tiny wooden sword held in both hands, turned to his big sister and asked her ¡°Ayaneechan,¡± he always called her that, ¡°what are we going to do?¡± ¡°Just stay calm,¡± she told him, pushing him behind her. She was the older sibling and a full head taller than him. It was her duty to protect him, and she would do whatever it took. Only it wasn¡¯t Ayane who saved the day that day. It was Kenichi. ¡°Who dares trespass upon my mountain?¡± The voice boomed around them like thunder. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we didn¡¯t know anyone lived here,¡± Ayane replied, looking around frantically. ¡°We were just playing.¡± ¡°Playing? So you like to play, huh? Then let¡¯s play a little game.¡± Kenichi¡¯s grip on Ayane¡¯s arm tightened. The world became white as snow exploded in the air around them. Ayane pulled Kenichi tighter, trying to protect him from whatever had just landed in front of them. As the snow settled they finally saw it; an ippondatara. A hideous yokai with a single eye and a single leg. Blood dripped from its teeth as it threw down the limb of whatever animal it was just eating. It was huge, at least twice the size of Ayane and covered in thick, coarse fur. Nurses told stories of ippondatara to keep children from travelling too far into the mountains. She was starting to regret not believing them.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°Y-you leave us alone!¡± Kenichi, only six years old at the time, tried to threaten the creature with his tiny wooden sword. His hand shook furiously. The ippondatara bellowed, causing more snow to fall off the trees around them. Ayane took a step back; her foot landed in the ice cold water of the river. She felt a shiver run through her body. She wanted nothing more to be inside and warm and eating some of her mother¡¯s raddish stew and listening to stories about monsters, not facing one right in front of her. ¡°Little boy, little boy. Careful where you swing that thing. If you¡¯re gonna play the part, you better be ready to actually use it.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m not afraid of you!¡± ¡°Say that again with a little more conviction, boy.¡± The creature was blocking the only exit. They would have to fight or jump into the icy cold river. Neither choice was appealing. With another scream the creature leapt high into the air and disappeared. For possessing only a single leg its jumping power was tremendous. ¡°Where did it go?¡± Kenichi asked. Snow landed on Ayane¡¯s nose from the tree branches above. She shoved Kenichi towards the exit and then the world went black. When she awoke her arm was screaming in pain and Kenichi was beside her, crying. ¡°Wha- what happened?¡± ¡°Ayaneechan,¡± Kenichi sobbed. His tiny wooden sword was lying on the ground beside her, covered in blood. A trail of red drops ended by the riverside. ¡°I thought you were dead!¡± Her arm was broken, that much she knew. They were far from home and nobody knew where they were. But somehow they were alive. ¡°Where¡¯s the monster?¡± ¡°It¡¯s gone. When it attacked you I stabbed it in the eye. It fell over into the river and floated away.¡± Ayane felt a sense of shame. She was the older sister, she was supposed to protect him, not the other way around. His eyes were wide with fear and his lips were starting to turn blue. Ayane stood up, trying to ignore the searing pain in her arm. A shadow in the corner of her eye caught her attention, high on the mountain-side, but as soon as she looked it was gone. Nothing. Just her eyes playing tricks on her after she hit her head. She put an arm around Kenichi to try and keep him warm and they slowly descended the mountain. Ayane survived that day thanks to Kenichi. They told their mother that Ayane tripped so as not to worry her, and she spent the rest of that winter indoors, recovering with the best healers her father could find. Every now and then when it got especially cold Ayane still felt pain in her arm, reminding her of that day. She wondered what happened to the ippondatara, and what might have been if Kenichi hadn¡¯t gotten so lucky. Perhaps the monster would have killed him, and then her along with him. But he had protected her, and now¡­ now¡­ Now he was her rival. The little boy she had grown up with telling monster stories to, the little boy who had proclaimed he would save the world but instead saved her had gone and killed a man in cold blood. Had proclaimed himself as their father¡¯s heir. It wasn¡¯t him, Ayane knew that. It was Kuroda Mitsuhide, their father¡¯s ally, using the boy for his own gain. Ayane feared for the type of man Kenichi might become under Mitsuhide¡¯s guidance and control. Moreover, she feared for his life, and what might come were they to meet on the battlefield. Now both children had become pawns in a game that was much larger than they were, and Ayane wasn¡¯t sure they¡¯d all make it to the other side. 035. Ayane Sou was sitting alone, looking at a half finished Go board before him. He picked up a piece and added it to the board, paused, then removed it with a grimace. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ayane asked from the door frame. He looked up at her voice. ¡°What? Oh, sorry. Just trying to figure out a strategy from this position on the board. No matter what I do I just can¡¯t win.¡± ¡°Maybe you¡¯re not thinking far enough ahead.¡± Sou laughed. ¡°You play?¡± Ayane shook her head. ¡°No, but my father enjoyed it when I was younger.¡± ¡°Pity, I could use a new opponent.¡± He gestured to the table opposite him. ¡°Come in. What can I help you with today?¡± Ayane sat down as he went back to pondering the stones on the board. ¡°I was wondering if you might allow me to visit the Takama Shrine. It¡¯s my family shrine, and I know it¡¯s outside the castle walls but-¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°-it¡¯s not far and wait what?¡± Ayane wasn¡¯t expecting that. ¡°I said sure. But you¡¯ll have to have an escort with you at all times, of course.¡± He looked up and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m not a total monster, you know. I know father never allowed it, but I¡¯m not him, and I don¡¯t want you to feel like a prisoner here, Ayane. As difficult as that is.¡± Ayane bowed deeply. ¡°Thank you, Sou. Truly.¡± His face suddenly lit up and he put a piece down on the board so hard the other stones jumped in unison. ¡°That¡¯s it! Gotcha! Haha! See, the answer was there all along, I just had to look deep enough to find it.¡± Indeed. The walk to the shrine was rather brief, and like most Takama shrines it lay in the northeast, not too far from the castle grounds. According to onmyodo the demon gate, the gate through which evil could enter, lay in the northeast, and so outside large towns or villages you could usually find a temple or shrine built there to ward off evil. This particular Takama shrine was also dedicated to the head Takama god, Wakenaru, a god of lightning and thunder. It was much smaller than the main shrine which could be found in Ayane¡¯s ancestral lands, but it would do. The shrine gate stood before her, its red colour shining brightly in the harsh light of midday. She entered, crossing a small bridge and walked into the small open courtyard before the main worship hall. There was a miko going about her work, tending the garden and conversing with the head priest. Ayane walked over to the holy water fountain and filled the dipper with water, washing her hands. The miko turned around at the sound of Ayane¡¯s feet on the pebbles and smiled brightly. ¡°Good morning!¡± ¡°Good morning,¡± Ayane replied, returning the dipper. The guards stood patiently behind her, covering the exit. At least they kept a reasonable distance and didn¡¯t smother her, she had to give them that.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Is there anything I can help you with today?¡± Ayane shook her head. ¡°This is my family¡¯s shrine, so I just thought I¡¯d stop by and pay my respects.¡± The miko was taken aback. ¡°Your family shrine? Are you¡­ Oh. I mean, I heard that Lord Yashiro had taken one of the Bitou as a prisoner, but I never really¡­¡± Ayane smiled. ¡°That would be me.¡± ¡°Well it is an honour to meet you, young lord.¡± ¡°The honour is all mine.¡± She was very beautiful, Ayane thought. Her hair and clothing were immaculate, her features gentle and kind. She looked older than Ayane, perhaps by five or ten years, and taller too. There was something almost familiar about her that she couldn¡¯t quite place her finger on. ¡°This might sound strange, but have we met somewhere before?¡± Ayane asked. Maybe she had once worked at the head Takama Shrine in Bijo. ¡°What? Oh no, no, I don¡¯t think so.¡± The miko smiled. ¡°This shrine took me in when I was just a young girl. Both my parents were killed in battle and I had nowhere else to go. There aren¡¯t exactly a lot of options for an orphan girl in this world, so¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry to hear that,¡± Ayane replied. The miko shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s all long in the past now, and I couldn¡¯t have hoped for a better life here. I¡¯ve dedicated my life to this shrine and to Wakenaru-sama and he has been benevolent enough to bless me.¡± ¡°Bless you?¡± Ayane asked, confused. ¡°Yes. Sometimes he speaks to me. Tells me people¡¯s futures. Would you like to hear yours?¡± Ayane turned around. Her guard were still waiting by the entrance, watching her like statues. ¡°Uh¡­ sure, why not.¡± It was better than going back to the castle to spend yet another day doing the same thing over and over again. The miko smiled and gestured for Ayane to follow her into the main hall. The hall was richly decorated the same bright red as the shrine gate that welcomed her in. The roof panels were painted with several different images of Wakenaru in varying poses, telling the tale of his birth and rise to becoming a god. The miko led her through to the back of the room where it was dark and at least 10 degrees cooler than outside. She began by lighting some herbs to purify the room and then washed her hands and face with some holy water. She nodded and two priests entered, sitting on either side of the room with a drum between their feet. The miko gestured to the middle of the floor where Ayane sat, feeling very strange. The priests began to beat their drums and the miko started her dance. She swayed gracefully before her, a well rehearsed ritual she had clearly done many times before. Ayane¡¯s eyes followed her around the room as she began chanting, the sounds incomprehensible to her. It was no language she had heard before. The sound of the chanting rose as the drums sped up; Ayane turned around and wondered if the guards might come running in to see what all the noise was about, but the entrance stood clear. It wasn¡¯t polite to go charging into a worship hall, and it was especially forbidden to enter with a weapon. She turned back and the miko danced past her once more, before finally falling to the ground. The drums continued unabated. The miko was saying something, but she couldn¡¯t hear it. She edged closer and put her face to the ground next to the miko¡¯s. ¡°Die, die, soon he will die. Gone, gone, all will be gone. Betray, betray, someone will betray. Darkness, darkness, surrounded by darkness. Coming, coming¡­. They are coming.¡± The miko kept repeating the mantra, over and over. Ayane sat up, confused. It was all terribly vague. Who was going to die? What was coming? Who would be betrayed? Suddenly the drums stopped and the miko sat bolt upright. The voice that came out of her was not her own. ¡°Prepare yourself, Bitou Ayane. A great evil is coming. Find my sword. Find the Raikiri. Only it will light the darkness that is coming. Find it.¡± The miko fell backwards and silence once more descended over the room. Ayane looked for the priests but they were gone. Find the Raikiri? That was the name of Wakenaru¡¯s sword, the sword he possessed during his rise to power. But that was just a myth, wasn¡¯t it? Wasn¡¯t it? Ayane grabbed the miko by the shoulders and pulled her up. ¡°Hey, hey! Are you okay?¡± The miko¡¯s eyes came back into focus and she looked at Ayane with a terror she¡¯d never seen before. She looked as though the end of the world was coming, and she had seen it first hand. Then just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone. The miko was herself again. ¡°So, did you get any good news?¡± 036. Ayane Ayane stood outside the main worship hall. The miko¡¯s words kept repeating in her head. Someone would die. Someone would be betrayed. Something was coming. Sure would have been nice if she could have been a little more specific. Was the betrayer Kenichi? It was certainly not something she ever thought he might do. Despite their age gap they were incredibly close growing up, and he had never once showed signs that he wanted to take over once their father died instead of Ayane. He wanted to go out in the world and be a hero like those in the stories he loved so much, not sit at home managing finances and listening to old men delivering briefings of how much rice they had grown and how much they expected to grow. The voice that came out of the miko afterwards, however, shook Ayane to her core. Find the Raikiri. Only it can light the oncoming darkness. How was she supposed to find some legendary sword that she had spent her entire life thinking was only a myth? And what was this darkness that was supposed to be coming? Find the Raikiri. ¡°Can I ask you something?¡± She walked back over to the miko, who was busy cleaning up the worship hall after her dance. ¡°Of course. I don¡¯t know if I can be of any help, but if it¡¯s within my power I¡¯ll do my best.¡± ¡°What do you know about the Raikiri?¡± ¡°The Raikiri? Wakenaru¡¯s sword?¡± Ayane nodded. The miko frowned. ¡°I know the story, of course. All miko and priests of the Takama Shrine know it. When Wakenaru was just a youth he was playing in the forest when he saw something shining in the river bed. He dug it out and discovered it was a sword. He trained with that sword in the forest every day, until one day he heard about an oni terrorising a nearby village. Without consideration for his own life he ran out to meet the demon and faced it in single combat. He was small and he was strong but the oni bested him. As the oni was about to make his final strike with his kanabo, Wakenaru summoned all his strength and focused it into the sword. It was then he realised it was surrounded by lightning. He had the power to call it forth at will. He slay the demon, saved the village, and using his newfound powers dedicated the rest of his life to destroying yokai.¡± It was the same story Ayane heard several times as a child herself, but that didn¡¯t give her any information on where she might find this sword. She¡¯d spent her life thinking it was just a work of fiction. She had no idea where to even begin looking for it.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°What happened to the sword after that?¡± ¡°Nobody knows. They say when Wakenaru ascended to the heavens he left the sword with his son, Tomotaka. Several Takama Shrines have claimed to possess the Raikiri now but most have been proven to be fakes.¡± ¡°How can you tell?¡± ¡°Shoddy craftsmanship is usually the first sign.¡± The miko smiled. Again Ayane couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that she knew the miko from somewhere. She seemed familiar, she just couldn¡¯t place where. Perhaps she¡¯d seen her around the castle before. ¡°A simple strength test on most blades find a great majority to be lacking. It¡¯s very easy to forge a sword. It¡¯s very difficult to forge a good one, and no swordsmith worth his weight in gold would want to be discovered creating forgeries.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ so did any swords ever pass the test?¡± The miko paused and scratched her chin. ¡°Hmm. I¡¯ve heard of two that exist. There was one in a rather small Takama Shrine in Azunari to the west. The other was in Muon, in the north. Both passed the strength test with flying colours. Since then very little has been done with them. Both sit locked away out of sight. There¡¯s no real way to prove one way or another whether they¡¯re fake or not. The priests claim they are so people come to visit the shrine and leave donations. It¡¯s how they survive.¡± So she could either go and find this tiny shrine somewhere out west, or she could find another tiny shrine somewhere up north. It wouldn¡¯t take too long to find out exactly which shrines held the rumoured sword, but getting there was another matter entirely. How was she going to test it anyway? Just channel her lightning powers through it? Ayane laughed. ¡°Something funny?¡± Whoops. Ayane didn¡¯t realise she laughed out loud. ¡°No, uh¡­ supposing you had one of these swords, would there be another way to test if it was fake or not?¡± ¡°May I ask why you¡¯re suddenly so interested in the Raikiri?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ interested. Our clan is supposedly descended from Wakenaru and I just wanted to learn a little more about him.¡± The miko eyed her but said nothing. ¡°Well, it has the power to slay an oni.¡± Ayane laughed again. ¡°So you want me to test it against an oni? I¡¯m sure that¡¯ll end well.¡± ¡°If your family is truly descended from Wakenaru, as they claim, then you should know the Raikiri when you see it. It¡¯s in your blood.¡± Even if it were true, Ayane doubted that this many thousands of years later any of Wakenaru¡¯s blood remained in her family. It was just a claim they made to try and give themselves even more legitimacy. Like being descended from ancient emperors wasn¡¯t enough. At some point someone decided they had to be descended from gods as well. ¡°Thank you,¡± she replied finally. ¡°You were very helpful.¡± ¡°I can make some inquiries if you like? Find out exactly which shrines claim to have the Raikiri right now?¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ayane¡¯s face lit up. She immediately tried to play it cool. ¡°Oh, uh, yes, that would be nice, if you have the time. You don¡¯t have to worry if you¡¯re too busy, of course. It¡¯s not that important or anything. Just a general interest.¡± The miko smiled. Her smile was warm and comforting, like a mother¡¯s. A mother who was only ten years older than her. ¡°I¡¯ll keep it between just us, don¡¯t worry.¡± Ayane smiled, a genuine smile. ¡°Thank you. It¡¯s just¡­ no, it¡¯s silly. But thank you. I¡¯ll come back next chance I get.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be looking forward to it, Bitou Ayane.¡± 037. Kazu The loud clanging of metal on metal reminded Kazu of his younger days. He apprenticed briefly as a swordsmith but it wasn¡¯t for him. Too hot, too sweaty and not enough real action. What fun was sitting over a hot anvil all day shaping pieces of metal for other men to use? Very few swordsmiths ever made a name for themselves. In fact he could only think of two off-hand. Sonsho, known for blades so sharp they could slice a single hair in two, and Seishu, his former master. Having reached the extraordinary age of 95 he retired from making swords and instead moved to teaching. To own a Seishu sword was said to bring the owner automatic glory in battle and honour in death. A Sonsho sword, however, was said to be imbued with the creator¡¯s own madness. It was just as likely to bite its owner as it was its foe. Kazu had heard rumours that Lord Sou¡¯s swords were the work of Sonsho¡¯s - a gift from his father at his coming of age ceremony - but he¡¯d yet to get close enough to check for himself. If that were true, and if he believed the rumours, that would certainly explain a lot. Kazu cleared his throat and stepped inside. It was like stepping into a wall of heat trying to choke and smother him to the ground. It brought back awful memories. Kazu did not deal well with the heat. He was a winter man all the way. Steaming hot rice, warm sake, hot bodies¡­ The swordsmith was busy hammering away and didn¡¯t notice his entrance. Kazu just wanted to get in and out as quickly as possible. Both to escape the heat but also so he could show off his new samurai swords. His own swords, made especially for him. He¡¯d never had a greater honour in life. His parents would have been proud. Kazu opened his mouth to call out but stopped. Something familiar by the counter caught his eye. He walked over and picked it up. It was a single sword, sitting in a scabbard he knew well. It was the same one he stole from the old farmer a while back. After the tanuki attack, before Lord Sou had taken him into his care. Why had no-one returned it? A rush of guilt swept over him. The old couple had trusted him and he repaid them with the theft of their most precious possession. He walked over to the swordsmith, wiping sweat from his brow. ¡°Excuse me.¡± There was no response. Kazu cleared his throat and tried again a little louder. ¡°Excuse me!¡± The swordsmith brought his hammer down one last time and then turned around. He was a large man, well muscled and well tanned.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°Yes? Can I help you?¡± ¡°Whose sword is this?¡± Kazu held up the scabbard in question. The swordsmith removed his gloves and stood up, moving to get a drink. ¡°Dunno. Lord Yashiro¡¯s men dropped it off here a few weeks back hoping I could find the owner. It¡¯s not my work but I¡¯m the only swordsmith in town. No-one¡¯s come forward for it yet.¡± ¡°I think I know who the owner is. Do you mind if I take it?¡± The swordsmith put his cup down and shrugged. ¡°Go nuts. It¡¯s just taking up space around here. Is that what you came for? If so I need to get back to work.¡± Kazu scratched the back of his head. ¡°Oh no, I¡¯m here to pick up some swords. Lord Sou said they would be ready. The name¡¯s Kazu.¡± ¡°Oh yeah!¡± The swordsmith¡¯s face lit up. He moved over to the corner and returned with two swords. ¡°You¡¯re gonna love these. Some of my best work. I¡¯ve been working on these day and night to meet Lord Yashiro¡¯s standards. Take them out, give them a try.¡± Kazu put the old farmer¡¯s sword down on the counter and took his own with trembling hands. There were two swords sitting in fine, pitch black scabbards. They were so well polished he could see his own face reflected back at him. Here they were. His very own katana and wakizashi. The true signs of a samurai. He¡¯d really made it. If only his parents could see him now. ¡°Go on.¡± Kazu slowly removed the katana from its scabbard. ¡°This¡­ this is beautiful,¡± he stammered. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying out a new technique, you¡¯re the first to receive it. See that hamon there, I¡¯ve been working on refining that pattern for years now. This is the first time I¡¯ve succeeded. See? Look closely and you can see it. There, along the edge. Waves, like the crashing waves of the ocean. Full of nature¡¯s fury. Unstoppable, even by gods. Just like its owner will be.¡± The swordsmith beamed, clearly proud of his work. Kazu couldn¡¯t help but smile. The sword really was beautiful, unlike any other he¡¯d seen. But was it functional? ¡°Do you have something I can test it on?¡± The swordsmith nodded like he knew that question was coming and drew Kazu further into the heat of his forge. There was a large wooden pole in the back wearing a samurai¡¯s chest plate. It was covered in tiny scratches and cuts. ¡°Give it a try.¡± Kazu held his sword and took a stance like he¡¯d seen Sou do in battle and swung. It sliced right through the leather to the wood below, a clean cut. If that were a person he wouldn¡¯t be dead, but he soon would be. He took a few more swings, getting a feel for the weight in his hand and how it moved through the air. It was like nothing he¡¯d ever used before. He really did feel like a god. Kazu put the sword back in the scabbard and bowed deeply to the swordsmith. ¡°I have no words. I don¡¯t deserve such a prize. Thank you.¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± The swordsmith smiled. ¡°This is my life¡¯s work, my passion. Put it to good use. Protect Lord Yashiro and protect Miharu. That¡¯s payment enough for me.¡± Kazu took the old farmer¡¯s sword with him on his way out and made for his next destination, feeling on top of the world. There was one more thing he needed to get. 038. Kazu ¡°Here it is, good sir. Just like you ordered.¡± The armourer sat Kazu¡¯s helmet down on the counter between them with a loud clang. It was perfect. Even better than he expected. A samurai¡¯s kabuto was his brand. It was how people knew who he was on the battlefield, and where he was on the battlefield. It inspired fear, it inspired terror, but it also inspired hope. Kazu chose what he felt best represented his rise from a no-name peasant to that of a samurai working under the command of daimyo of Miharu, Yashiro Sou. Long strips of metal fanned out from the top of the kabuto, like the rays of the sun. Only they weren¡¯t rays of the sun. No. If you looked closely enough you could see what they really were. Kazu had to give it to the armourer, it was exquisite work. They were bamboo leaves, like those he and his men fought through on their way up to Daisen Castle. His most dangerous and important mission to date and also his biggest success. This helmet would be a constant reminder of that. Of his origins as a peasant and the hard work that got him to where he was now. But he also hoped it was at least a little fear-inspiring to his enemies. ¡°Can I try it on?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what it¡¯s for.¡± The armourer smiled and gestured for him to go ahead. It was heavier than he thought, but with so much metal sitting on it he supposed that was to be expected. He¡¯d get used to it, in time. He tied the straps beneath his chin and threw his arms out to the side. ¡°How do I look?¡± ¡°Like a samurai.¡± That was what he wanted to hear. ¡°Lord Yashiro¡¯s crest here on the fukigaeshi is made of real gold. No expense spared. The leaves here are made from the finest metals mined from the Itani Mines. These metals aren¡¯t cheap, you know. Very dangerous mines. They say they¡¯re full of yokai. Many miners go in, few come out. But I digress.¡± Kazu wasn¡¯t listening. It was strange, seeing Lord Sou¡¯s family crest right there on this helmet. The three ume flowers surrounded by a double ring. Kazu never had a family. Never had a name, a home. Never had anything but the shirt on his back to call his own. Now he was a samurai of the Yashiro. He had men that relied on him and trusted him. Already they were like the family he never had. For the first time in his life, dare he say it, Kazu actually felt happy.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°¡­ but even if you were to cross paths with some wild oni on a rampage, why, one look at your helmet and the sacred metals of Itani rising high into the sky from it would scare him right back into the mountains he came from.¡± The armourer was still talking. ¡°Anyway, here, here, the rest of your armour is back here. A kabuto is no good if you¡¯re not alive to wear it! I see you have your swords¡­ all three of them¡­ okay but come, get dressed, let¡¯s introduce the world to its newest samurai, the illustrious Mori Kazu!¡± And Kazu thought that he talked a lot. The armourer continued the entire way, using several large words Kazu wasn¡¯t sure he even knew the meaning of. But that wasn¡¯t important. What was important was that the man did fine work, and the sight of his armour sitting on the wooden mannequin before him was breathtaking. This was it. The final piece. He took the kabuto off and set it down on the table. He never once took his eyes off the armour. ¡°Can you help me get all this on?¡± It was mostly brown with highlights of red and blue. Not the flashiest colours, but again he felt the brown suited him. Normally his men would help him into it before battle but the armourer had him fully armoured in no time. He tied his two swords around his waist and once again lifted the heavy kabuto back onto his head. ¡°And there he is. Mr Mori Kazu. How do you feel, good sir?¡± The armour and helmet were so heavy he felt like he was going to collapse under the weight. ¡°I¡¯m supposed to be able to fight in this, right?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I can move.¡± ¡°Well you are a little thinner than the majority of samurai I work with, it is true¡­ but nothing a little exercise and second helping of dinner can¡¯t fix!¡± Kazu smiled painfully. He took a few wobbly steps before finally removing the helmet and holding it beneath his arm. The leaves stabbed him in the face. ¡°Baby steps.¡± The armourer smiled politely. ¡°Indeed. Baby steps.¡± ¡°Thank you so much for all your hard work, it¡¯s really so much better than I expected.¡± The armourer continued to smile and nodded his head towards Kazu. ¡°Not at all, young samurai. I await the day we hear of the great deeds of Mori Kazu, running into his battle with his metal leaves of Itani striking fear into the heart of his enemies. Why, did you know that-¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Kazu quickly cut him off before he started yet another story. He grabbed the old farmer¡¯s sword from the table and with his hands full made his way towards the door. ¡°I¡¯ll let Lord Sou know of the great work you¡¯ve done here. He¡¯ll be very pleased.¡± The armourer waved and shouted more words of encouragement as Kazu stumbled as fast as he could down the dirt road. Despite all the leather and metal trying to drag him down Kazu felt uplifted. People¡¯s heads turned as he walked by, noticing him as the samurai he was for the first time. Or maybe they were just watching the odd spectacle of a man in full armour in the middle of town trying not to trip over his own feet. There was one more destination waiting for him today. He clutched the farmer¡¯s sword tighter and made his way to the outskirts of town. 039. Kazu Kazu hesitated as he held his hand up to knock on the door. Would the old couple even want to see him after what he did to them? He broke into their home and yet they treated him kindly. Fed him their food and dressed his wounds. Let him stay the night to rest and he repaid them by stealing the old man¡¯s sword. What would he even say to them? ¡®Hi, sorry about all that, but hey, here¡¯s your sword back, it¡¯s all good!¡¯ Kazu sighed and knocked on the door. He waited, feeling awkward in his samurai armour. It was still early spring but sweat was starting to run down his forehead. No-one ever said all this armour would be so hot. He lifted his hand to knock again when the door opened. It was the old lady. ¡°Yes, how can I¡­ oh.¡± ¡°Hi,¡± Kazu said. He suddenly felt even more awkward. He held up the old farmer¡¯s sword. ¡°I, uh¡­ I brought this back.¡± ¡°So I can see.¡± They both stood there, looking at each other. Kazu offered up the sword even higher and after hesitating the old woman took it. ¡°Is, uh, is the old man around?¡± ¡°He¡¯s in bed,¡± the old woman replied. ¡°He¡¯s taken ill.¡± ¡°Oh. I¡¯m so sorry. Is he okay?¡± The old woman¡¯s eyes were red and puffy and the life he had seen in her just a few weeks ago was gone. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve been doing what I can, but we don¡¯t have enough money to see a doctor. He just sleeps all day and¡­¡± the old woman sighed, ¡°¡­ I just don¡¯t know what to do.¡± ¡°Can I come in?¡± Kazu knew he had no right, but he wanted to make it up to them. It was the least he could do. She opened the door wider and let him in. ¡°He¡¯s in the bedroom.¡± Kazu put his helmet down on the small table and went to the old man¡¯s bedside. He was awake, but just barely. ¡°Hey. Hey old man, it¡¯s me. Kazu. Remember me? I, uh¡­ I took your sword. But I brought it back!¡± The old man turned his head slightly but didn¡¯t respond. Kazu shifted uncomfortably in his armour.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°They¡­ Lord Yashiro, that is, he made me a samurai. See? Me! Can you believe it¡­¡± No response. ¡°No¡­ no, me either. Gods know I certainly don¡¯t deserve it. Not after everything I¡¯ve done.¡± He looked up at the old woman standing in the doorway. She nodded and smiled softly at him, but it didn¡¯t quite reach her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m gonna make this right. I¡­ not just the sword. I don¡¯t have much, I¡¯m pretty much just a samurai in name, I don¡¯t have any land or holdings, but at the very least I can get you a doctor. I¡¯ll ask Lord Yashiro directly about it. We¡¯ll get your husband better. I promise you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re very sweet, Kazu.¡± Her tone didn¡¯t suggest she was very confident in his words. ¡°Mori,¡± he said. ¡°Lord Yashiro granted me a surname. It¡¯s Mori Kazu now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m very happy for you, dear. I¡¯m sure Kazuo will be as well.¡± Kazuo. The old man¡¯s name was Kazuo. ¡°Mo¡­ Mori Kazu¡­¡± The old man¡¯s hand slid over and grabbed his own. ¡°Con¡­ congratulations.¡± His voice was barely above a whisper but it was enough. Kazu squeezed his hand tighter. ¡°Lord Yashiro himself chose it.¡± ¡°He must¡­ think very highly of you¡­¡± ¡°Look, I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry about the sword. I brought it back. I know that doesn¡¯t make up for what I did, but-¡± Kazuo squeezed his hand and smiled. His eyes closed and his breathing was ragged. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ okay¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to get you a doctor, okay? You just relax. Well, don¡¯t relax too much, I mean¡­ but I¡¯m gonna get you help, okay? On my honour as¡­¡± it still felt strange to him, ¡°¡­ as a samurai.¡± ¡°A samurai¡¯s honour is all his has¡­¡± the old man muttered. ¡°All¡­ he has¡­¡± He stopped talking again. His chest rose and fell softly. Kazu wiped some of the sweat from his face and stood up. ¡°Kazuo¡­ Kazu and Kazuo. Huh. Interesting.¡± He turned to the old woman still standing in the doorway. ¡°If it¡¯s not too rude, I mean you don¡¯t have to tell me or anything, but-¡± ¡°Mitsuko,¡± she replied. ¡°You can call me Mitsuko.¡± ¡°Mitsuko. That¡¯s a beautiful name for a beautiful lady.¡± She smiled and moved aside to let Kazu through. ¡°So why did he give you the name Mori?¡± she asked as they walked back towards the main room. ¡°There was a battle in Bijo against the Wada clan. That¡¯s the new daimyo there now. I helped Lord Yashiro break into the castle which won him the war. The castle was supposedly impregnable. It sat atop this mountain where one side was nothing but cliffs and dense forest. So-¡± ¡°Ah. Well like Kazuo said, congratulations. Perhaps you won¡¯t have to steal from old couples who show you hospitality anymore.¡± She said it without menace but Kazu still flinched. He sat down on the small chair and suddenly felt very large and awkward, strange for a man who was always the leanest and smallest in any given room at any given time. He rapped his fingers over his kabuto. ¡°Mitsuko¡­ you and your husband, you saved my life.¡± He stopped rapping and looked up at her. ¡°I¡¯m going to repay that debt. I¡¯m going to repay you for your kindness. I might not ever make up for betraying your trust, but I¡¯ll spend the rest of my life trying. It¡¯s because of you that I¡¯m even in this position in the first place.¡± He picked up his helmet and walked over to the door, clanging the whole way. ¡°I¡¯m going to get a doctor for your husband. He will get better. I promise you that.¡± Mitsuko smiled. She looked so old and frail. Whatever it took, he¡¯d look after them. He closed the door behind him and made for the castle. 040. Saika A god had chosen to speak through her. The power was intoxicating. Saika had been telling fortunes for many years now, but never once had a god chosen to speak directly through her. Even Saika didn¡¯t understand the power she channeled when telling someone¡¯s future, it just happened. Energy buzzed throughout her body and she spoke the words, but they weren¡¯t her own. She saw the images, but not with her own eyes. She experienced the feelings, but they belonged to another. Never in all her time practicing this particular craft had she been chosen by a god. It was another level entirely. How could she even begin to describe it? It was as though, for that brief moment, she was a god. The power of creation and devastation at her fingertips. Time was inconsequential. The mechanisms of mortals a mere trifle. She wanted to experience it again. It reminded Saika of the first time she was able to transform into a human. After hundreds of years as a fox of the void, slowly accumulating the power required to take the next step, the first and possibly biggest hurdle any kitsune would face. Not just any kitsune could transform. It was earned. Earned through countless years of hard work, sacrifice, cunning and know-how. Only the worthy could gain the ability, all others doomed to eternal life as a creature hunted by those they wished to become. Kitsune tails were said to grant the bearer strength. The more tails a kitsune had, the more strength to be gained. The closer they got to their goal, the more perilous it became. But this was another level altogether. Saika wondered whether she¡¯d ever be able to take the final step on her journey. Climb over the last hurdle and transcend into a golden kitsune. It was the most difficult of all for a kitsune of the void, but she¡¯d come this far and didn¡¯t plan to give up yet. She just needed to get her orb back from that infernal little creature. Even the thought of him made her blood boil. As long as he had it, she was under his control, a fate only slightly better than death. His time would come. She¡¯d waited this long. She could wait a little longer. Kitsune were nothing if not patient. The priests cleaned the shrine around her. Not a single one said anything about the spectacle that occurred days earlier. The sounds of brooms on dirt and the nearby bamboo fountain were the only noises in the otherwise silent shrine.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. Saika excused herself to attend her other duties. A good master of disguise was always prepared. In addition to her miko garb, one of her most useful outfits, she also had servant¡¯s wear. She walked through the castle gates unnoticed. Nobody cared about servants. A young samurai was training nearby. Three claw marks across his cheek scarred his otherwise unremarkable features, but that wasn¡¯t what made her notice him. Something stirred deep within her. He withdrew the sword hanging from his right hip and disarmed a man with a single swoop. He stood with both hands holding the sword up, waiting for someone, anyone, to attack him. A left handed samurai. Those were few and far between, and the most difficult to deal with for men who spent years training to defend attacks coming from the opposite side. No-one moved. ¡°Come on!¡± he screamed. One man took a tentative step forward, his sword raised. With a deft flick of his wrist the samurai turned his sword and hit the man on the forehead with the blunt edge. He fell to the ground, blood pouring forth. The samurai returned his sword to its sheath and held out a hand to help him up. They exchanged a few quiet words and he returned to the ranks, blood running down his face. ¡°Again.¡± The samurai once more placed his hand on his sword, and the same man stepped forth, this time with more confidence. The samurai drew, just missing the man as he stepped back. He pressed his advantage, swinging his sword in a flurry as the man stumbled backwards. Yet this time he managed to withdraw his own sword and defended himself, getting in a single cut in before he found himself at the pointy end of his master¡¯s sword. He smiled at him, patting him on the shoulder as they returned to the rest of the men. They laughed and chatted amiably like friends. ¡°Alright, who¡¯s next?¡± Saika moved on. There were several samurai residences to her left and right, lining the path to the lord¡¯s residence ahead. The main keep stood tall in the distance to her right, towering high above everything else on the flat plain the castle town was named for. A single man watched the horizon. They would be alerted to enemy forces long before they could reach the castle. A young samurai stepped out of one of the residences to her left, talking to another man. He was in full armour, an ume flower on his kabuto. Saika had seen him before. They noticed each other at the same time. Hirozaka Castle. Saika put her head down and hurried along. The chances of him recognising her were slim, but not outside the realm of possibility. She heard footsteps. She picked up the pace. The sound of shoes crunching on the dirt followed her. The residence was just a little further. Mitsuhide had tasked her with finding out what type of man Yashiro Sou was. Was he a threat to the Kuroda, or could they use him to their own advantage? Was he going to retaliate for the taking of Hirozaka Castle, or was he going to wait and see what happened next? All of that would become mute if she was recognised before she even got in the door. She slid open the door and stepped inside, right into something large and solid. She looked up. It was Sou. 041. Saika ¡°Can I help you?¡± He was even larger up close. The power emanating off him was suffocating. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was just looking for the tea stores.¡± Saika turned back; nobody was there. Sou gave her the once over. ¡°You won¡¯t find those in here. Have we met somewhere before?¡± ¡°I usually work in the kitchen, my lord.¡± ¡°I visit the kitchen a lot.¡± ¡°Down the back.¡± ¡°I see.¡± He didn¡¯t believe her, that was evident all over his face. The doors behind him to the main room were open. A Go board sat on the table. ¡°Why are you here? It¡¯s clearly not for tea, which is an awful lie, by the way.¡± Saika gave a weak smile. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry my lord, I just¡­ I heard that you played Go, and I¡¯m a fan myself and I just wanted to see what type of board a lord would have, and¡­¡± ¡°You play Go?¡± His eyebrows raised. ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± It was not the most common way for a servant to spend their time, but she was willing to take the chance that his intrigue would win out over his disbelief. ¡°Are you any good?¡± ¡°Well I¡¯ll never be a champion but I like to think I can give people a run for their money.¡± Sou smiled. ¡°Come. Let¡¯s play a game.¡± He gestured for her to sit at the table. ¡°This is a gorgeous board, my lord,¡± she complemented him. ¡°Thank you. It¡¯s made of 300 year old Kaya tree. It was a gift from my father at my coming of age ceremony.¡± ¡°Kaya tree? I thought they stopped making boards from those because they exhausted all the Kaya forests?¡± Sou¡¯s eyebrows raised in surprise again. ¡°You¡¯re very knowledgeable.¡± Saika pretended to blush and looked down at the table. ¡°Not at all, my lord, I just really like Go, so whenever I get the chance to read about it-¡± ¡°You can read, too?¡± This had the potential to get messy. ¡°A little, my lord. My mother taught me women¡¯s characters when I was younger so I could better serve¡­¡± She let the sentence trail off, hoping that would be a good enough answer for him. ¡°I see. And if you are such a Go fanatic, do you keep up with the test problems the scholars put out?¡± ¡°I¡­ no, my lord.¡± No point lying about it. It seemed to be the correct answer anyway as his smile widened.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Excellent. This will give me the chance to test out my answer against a real opponent, then.¡± He set black and white pieces on the board in a pattern he had memorised well. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind if we start from here?¡± ¡°Of course not, my lord.¡± ¡°While we¡¯re playing, call me Sou. We¡¯re all equals at this board.¡± ¡°Yes my lo-¡± Saika smiled. ¡°Sorry. Yes, Sou.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Saika¡¯s Go skills were extremely rusty. The game had been around for hundreds of years, and she had dabbled in it every now and then, but she was by no means a pro. Sou handed her a bowl of white stones and took a black one from his own. He placed it on the board with a soft ¡®clack.¡¯ ¡°So, what is your name?¡± he asked as Saika took out a white stone and observed the board. ¡°Natsumi.¡± It was the first name that came to mind. ¡°And how long have you been playing Go, Natsumi?¡± ¡°Since I was a child. My father taught me.¡± ¡°Me too.¡± He fell quiet. The ninja Saika hired to deliver Mitsuhide¡¯s ¡®gift¡¯ to Yashiro Yuki had botched the job and killed their father, Ryobe, instead. Saika didn¡¯t feel epsecially sad with how events played out¡ªgiven a choice she would have rathered the old man died instead of his innocent daughter¡ªbut she was still responsible for his father¡¯s death. Responsible for his current position. But the longer she spent with Sou the less bad she felt about his father¡¯s death; he was already a far more pleasant man to be around. Sou captured one of her chains. ¡°Impressive,¡± she smiled. He grinned in return. ¡°Not gonna lie, I¡¯ve been practicing.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s paid off.¡± Every time she tried to force his hand, he would return with capture or a threat of his own. Either Saika had grown incredibly rusty, or she had greatly underestimated his intelligence. Perhaps a little of both. ¡°Let me ask you something,¡± Sou began, placing another black stone on the board with a soft ¡®clank.¡¯ ¡°Of course.¡± Saika picked up a white stone; the clamshell it was made of felt cool to touch. She surveyed the available spaces on the board, looking for any type of advantage. ¡°If someone took something from you, something important, would you try to get it back?¡± There. She placed the stone on the board. It would provide no advantage now, but played correctly it could lead to capture several moves down the track. ¡°Of course. It¡¯s only natural.¡± Her orb. She would see it returned soon. ¡°But what if taking back what was yours caused even more damage in the process?¡± ¡°It is up to each person to decide for themselves what they are willing to risk in the defense of their own. Perhaps it is better to wait and fully understand the situation and risks before committing to action. Perhaps it is better to strike when the strike is unexpected or unprepared for.¡± Sou placed a black stone on the board, cutting off Saika¡¯s play before it could even begin. His ability to read the game was tremendous. ¡°That¡¯s terribly insightful for a serving girl.¡± Saika opened her mouth to refute him but he was grinning. She said nothing and picked up another stone. ¡°So, let¡¯s say someone took something very important to me. Important to my reputation,¡± he continued. He¡¯d cut off nearly all avenues of attack on the board. She was boxed in. ¡°I can either sit back and just let it settle, losing my reputation at a time when I need it most. There¡¯s also a very good chance that those closest to me would be unhappy with the decision, losing me favour in their eyes.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a daimyo, what does that matter to you? Uh¡­ my lord.¡± Perhaps best not to challenge him, even if he asked her to drop the formal speech. ¡°What does it matter, whether I¡¯m a daimyo or a peasant? Nobody likes to hurt those closest to them, not when it can be avoided.¡± ¡°So, why don¡¯t you avoid it?¡± ¡°Because avoiding it could bring about further pain and humiliation, worse than if nothing had been done.¡± ¡°Only you can decide what is worth more to you. Whether it¡¯s the right or wrong choice is meaningless. There is no right or wrong. In the end, we all turn to dust, regardless of our choices. But you need to live with those choices until that time, and that¡¯s what defines a man.¡± Saika had nowhere to put her stone. Sou knew he¡¯d won, he was just giving her the time to realise it herself. He played her into a corner without her even noticing it. ¡°Good game, my lord,¡± she said, putting the white stone back in its bowl. He smiled. ¡°I¡¯d like you to join me for another game soon. I¡¯m going to be out on some business for a while, but when I return.¡± ¡°Of course, my lord. I would love to.¡± He¡¯d already said all she needed to know. ¡°Excellent. Natsumi, was it?¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± ¡°The tea is in the storehouses.¡± ¡°Of course. Thank you, my lord.¡± ¡°Natsumi?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°The other way.¡± 042. Saika There was no better feeling in the world than running free in her true form. Disguising herself as a human allowed her to blend in, but returning to her true form allowed her incredible speeds to travel the great distances she often needed for her line of work. No human could travel as fast as she could. And for as much as she struggled to achieve it, somehow her human form always felt like a prison. It wasn¡¯t really her. It was just holding her in. She was less powerful that way, more easily controlled. It was her human form that had gotten her into this whole mess in the first place. ¡®I¡¯ve found him, Nurarihyon. I¡¯m certain of it. Time to keep your end of the deal and return what you took from me all those years ago.¡¯ Hirozaka Castle stood high in the distance. Kuroda banners flew proudly in the air. Time to get back into her role. Mitsuhide was training with Kenichi in the yard when she entered. The boy, taller than the Kuroda daimyo, had his shirt off and was hitting some poor soul with a wooden sword. Mitsuhide let out a grand laugh as the man fell to the ground and threw up his arms to protect his face; he didn¡¯t even have a weapon. It wasn¡¯t training so much as an exercise in cruelty, and Mitsuhide was the only one enjoying it. Saika cleared her throat loud enough to be heard. Both Mitsuhide and Kenichi turned around. ¡°My lord. I bring news.¡± Mitsuhide dismissed the boy, leaving a hand lingering on his sweaty shoulder just longer than was comfortable for all involved, and walked inside. ¡°Good news, I hope.¡± Mitsuhide sat down and poured himself some sake. Saika remained standing. The man was losing his usefulness to her and it was becoming less important to remain on his good side now that she no longer needed him. Mitsuhide was not the person she sought, that much was clear. Her trip north had proved quite informative, and she suspected she had now met the one she was truly after. Soon she could stop pretending she actually served this wretch of a man and get one step closer to her true goal; getting her orb back. Taking control of her own life again. Just a little longer now. Soon everything would fall into place.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Lord Sou appears to be a highly competent and intelligent daimyo.¡± ¡°And¡­?¡± ¡°And it would appear that he¡¯s not going to sit back and let this castle go freely.¡± ¡°Are you certain?¡± ¡°He never stated in such words, but it would certainly appear that way.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need appearances, I need to know.¡± ¡°I would prepare the men for defence, my lord.¡± Mitsuhide took another drink. A full scale war was what he wanted, after all. Wipe the Yashiro out, steal their lands, move one step closer to the capital. Once the Yashiro fell the clans supporting them wouldn¡¯t be too far behind. The Wada were tiny and would be crushed under the Kuroda¡¯s weight. The Itami were small and mostly peacekeepers. The Arai were busy with clans further east. Nothing and no-one would be able to stop his march on the capital. He just needed to defeat the Yashiro. A tiny clan with an inexperienced and unproven daimyo. Like taking candy from a baby. ¡°How big is his army?¡± ¡°Assuming he brings all his men, large enough to put up a fight.¡± ¡°I see. Can we win?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a good chance.¡± Mitsuhide set the cup down and fell silent. He was thinking. ¡°There¡¯s a good chance,¡± he repeated, thinking out loud. ¡°Do you truly think he poses a threat? He¡¯s just a boy.¡± Saika was reminded that Mitsuhide had never actually seen Sou in person. She would hardly call him ¡®just a boy.¡¯ ¡°He has a sharp military mind and the skills to back it up. He did break into the impregnable fortress, after all, a feat achieved by none before him.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, I heard about that little matter.¡± ¡°And while his father may be dead, his vassals and their armies are not. You killed one of their most beloved rulers. The entire clan is out for your blood.¡± Mitsuhide smiled at that. The more others despised him the more he enjoyed it. ¡°Yes, well, I can¡¯t take all the credit for that one. The boy did help, after all. Such a good boy, that one. Yes. Such a good boy¡­¡± Saika wondered whether it would be worth it to stab him through the eye right now and end his miserable existence. But she couldn¡¯t. Not just yet. She needed to let this play out. ¡°Alright. Send for Shiroyama. It¡¯s time for that pompous prick to lend his beloved brother-in-law a hand. Threaten him with his sister¡¯s head if he refuses again.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± Another person who wouldn¡¯t lose sleep over Mitsuhide¡¯s horrible death, Saika suspected. ¡°Oh, and did you see the Bitou girl?¡± ¡°No, my lord.¡± Handing her over to him would be the last thing she¡¯d do. ¡°Hmm. They probably have her under strict lock and key now. Nevermind. I have the boy. Their lands will soon be mine. Thank you, Saika, you may go now.¡± He dismissed her with a wave and poured himself another drink. Saika bowed and closed the door behind her, happy to see the end of the ungrateful wretch of a man. His time would come soon. Sooner than he realised. 043. Sou ¡°What, you ain¡¯t never seen a lady before? Sketch a picture, it¡¯ll last longer!¡± Something¡ªor more correctly, somebody¡ªmade a loud crash outside the lord¡¯s residence. ¡°I guess Ane is here,¡± Sou muttered to himself. Moments later the shoji screens flew open. One of them hit the wall so hard it fell of its tracks and landed on the floor. Sou watched it arc like a rainbow. It was almost beautiful in a way. ¡°Sou-chan! You great big piece of shit!¡± Onibaba had arrived. ¡°Ane, it¡¯s nice to see you ag-¡± A fist connected squarely with his jaw. Sou recoiled in pain. Ane had certainly not lost any of her strength during her period of exile. The samurai was almost as big as Sou; together they made a fearsome team on the battlefield. Where Sou liked to wear red, she wore black, and the darker, the better. Even from a distance they were unmistakable, Sou with his oni mask and Ane with her onibaba mask. The foot soldiers referred to them as the ¡®Oni Futari,¡¯ the demon couple. Their relationship was far from romantic, however; Ane had her heart set on Yuki ever since Sou could remember. Through the pain setting his jaw alight he wondered if she¡¯d heard the news yet. ¡°Yes, nice to see you again¡­¡± Sou repeated, rubbing his jaw. ¡°You¡¯re lucky I don¡¯t chop your useless head off right this instant, you useless sack of meat.¡± She certainly hadn¡¯t lost any of her fire, either. Riko came running in, sweat trickling down her brow and breathing hard. ¡°Sou, Ane is¡­ here¡­¡± Sou forced a smile. ¡°Yes. Thank you, Riko.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just¡­ be going now¡­¡± Ane walked over as Riko mouthed silent apologies and pulled Sou into a giant bear hug. ¡°How someone as stupid as you survived all this time without me I¡¯ll never know.¡± ¡°It¡¯s truly a mystery,¡± Sou replied, coughing as she squeezed all the air out of his lungs. Ane, daughter of Baba Junpei, was affectionately called Onibaba by the men. She reveled in the name and made her mask to fit it. Facing an actual onibaba would be easier than trying to deal with Ane and her fiery fits and tempers, but she had skills necessary to Sou¡¯s success, and if he was honest with himself, he missed having her around.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Ane let go of him and dropped to one knee, lowering her head. ¡°Yashiro-sama, my life and that of my kin are at your command. My sword is yours, my body is yours, not even death will sever my servitude and into the afterlife I will continue to serve your interests. I cannot make up for my past mistakes, but I will endeavour the rest of my life to make sure you won¡¯t regret it. It is an honour to be able to serve you once more, my lord.¡± Sou smiled. ¡°Ane, stand up. The past is the past. I¡¯m just glad you¡¯re here now.¡± She stood up and with a big smile hugged Sou again. ¡°Come. Walk with me.¡± They exited the lord¡¯s residence and strolled down the path towards the main gates. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry to hear about your father. He was a great man.¡± ¡°Thank you. That¡¯s sort of why I¡¯ve asked you here.¡± ¡°Who do you need me to kill?¡± Patience never was her strong point. ¡°Kuroda Mitsuhide.¡± ¡°He killed your father?! That piece of¡­¡± ¡°The Kuroda have taken Hirozaka Castle. They killed Toshio¡¯s father and all the men, women and children. I believe it was also him who had my father killed. I can¡¯t just sit back and do nothing. We¡¯re going to war, and I want you by my side.¡± ¡°Whatever you need, I¡¯m your woman.¡± Sou patted her on the shoulder. ¡°I know you are, Ane.¡± They stopped before the training grounds. Kazu was with his men, flashing around his new swords. ¡°Ah, good timing. Kazu, come here for a moment, I¡¯d like to introduce you to someone.¡± The smaller man ran over with his new swords in hand and halted when he saw who Sou was with. ¡°Ane, this is Mori Kazu. Kazu, this is Baba Ane.¡± ¡°Ni- nice to meet you,¡± Kazu bowed, his eyes wide with fear. Ane stood a clear foot taller than him, and like Sou roughly twice his width as well. ¡°Kazu, huh? You any good with those things?¡± Ane nodded towards the swords he was just showing off. ¡°Ane¡­¡± ¡°Sshhh. I just wanna see how good the little guy is.¡± ¡°Little¡­ guy¡­¡± Kazu whispered. His eyes made contact with Sou, both offended and scared. ¡°Come, little one. I could use some exercise.¡± She¡¯d just travelled several days straight and wanted ¡®a little exercise.¡¯ The woman was crazy. That was why Sou needed her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not gonna kill ya. I don¡¯t promise I won¡¯t cut anything off, but I¡¯m not gonna kill ya.¡± Her smile was like that of a feral animal about to devour its prey. That probably wasn¡¯t too far off the mark. Ane moved over to the open field and motioned for Kazu to follow. He cast a nervous glance at Sou to see if he was really supposed to go ahead with this, and sighed when nobody stopped him. ¡°Come.¡± Kazu drew his sword. He wielded it effortlessly, taking a few test swings as Ane casually circled him, waiting. He jabbed at her, testing its reached. She stood aside, watching as he stabbed air. She hadn¡¯t even removed her own sword yet. Sou really hoped she wouldn¡¯t kill him. Kazu began a flurry of strikes that Ane deflected with her scabbard. He was holding back, testing her. Ane smacked him on the forehead, causing him to cry out. ¡°Stop playing, little man.¡± Kazu¡¯s face contorted in rage. A welt was already developing, angry and red. He pushed forward again with the power of his rage propelling him. Sou grimaced. This was about to end badly. Almost before the thought had even finished, Kazu was face-first in the dirt, Ane¡¯s boot on the back of his neck. His sword was just out of reach. Well, at least she didn¡¯t kill him? That was something. He struggled but she just pushed down harder. ¡°Sou, what have you been teaching these peasants since I was gone? If this is the calibre of your army, then we should prepare to meet our ancestors right now.¡± Sou gave her a pained grin. Nobody said it was going to be easy. 044. Sou Izue was sitting in the middle of the bed, surrounded by scrolls and books. Some were sprawled all the way down to the floor, and several books were being held open by other books. ¡°I never took you to be the studious type,¡± Sou joked. Izue looked up, a small brush clenched between her teeth, and smiled. It made Sou¡¯s heart flutter. ¡°One of us has to be in the intelligent one,¡± she retorted, taking the brush out. Sou looked around the room, pretending to search for something. ¡°Intelligence? Nope, don¡¯t see any of that around. You must be sorely mistaken.¡± He walked over and leaned against the bedpost, scanning the variety of scholarly works taking up their bed. ¡°What are these? I can¡¯t read any of it.¡± Izue smiled and went back to work. ¡°I know. Very few people can. These are very old characters, I¡¯ve discovered over 20 000 of them so far.¡± ¡°20 000?!¡± ¡°The knowledge contained within these scrolls isn¡¯t meant for just anyone. Only the most dedicated can read them.¡± ¡°So, what¡¯s in there then?¡± Izue picked up the scroll before her and held it up. ¡°This one details the exploits of the first great witch of Yashima, Tsukiyomi. One of your ancestors, if the Yashiro legends are to be believed?¡± The Yashiro long claimed descent from the shamed Prince Genji, who had only two children during his lifetime. One of them went on to father several clans, one of which became the Yashiro. The other was Tsukiyomi, the first great witch of Yashima, which made her a kind of great-great-great-great-great aunt to Sou. The other clans liked to bring up the Yashiro¡¯s dark ties to the past whenever political talks came up, just to try and goad them into saying or doing something they could hold against them. Sou¡¯s father had taught him to be proud of his ties to the past, however, and he saw no shame in either of his ancestors. They simply did what they thought best for their people, no matter the cost to themselves. ¡°She is my ancestor, yes,¡± was all Sou said. Izue smiled. It wasn¡¯t a cruel smile, in fact, it was just the opposite. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard many things about the horrible deeds she committed and all the people she killed, but I admire and respect her. Her family was taken by a corrupt government, and she fought against it with the only means available to her. It takes a true hero to stand up for what they believe in, even against overwhelming odds.¡± There was a look in her eyes, almost wistful. ¡°Anyway, this scroll talks about the spell she created to conjure the gashadokuru that she unleashed upon her enemies.¡± Sou blinked a few times. ¡°Are you¡­ You¡¯re not planning on summoning a gashadokuro, are you? I mean, I don¡¯t really need a giant skeleton warrior right now, but-¡± ¡°Who says it¡¯s for you?¡± Izue interrupted him, raising her eyebrows. Sou opened his mouth a few times before she laughed. He let out the breath he didn¡¯t know he was holding.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°The gashadokuro itself isn¡¯t important. How she created a spell powerful enough to summon one is. Her ability to not just follow spells written down, but create her own from scratch is unrivaled. And you can¡¯t just call on a yokai and expect it to willingly follow you. The power required to summon one alone is quite extensive.¡± ¡°Is that what you did with the nurikabe?¡± ¡°The what now?¡± ¡°The nurikabe? Really? You¡¯ve forgotten about it already? The thing that was protecting your castle and tore up half my army the first day we arrived.¡± The lights turned on in her eyes. ¡°Oh, that thing. Oh no, yeah, I summoned it, but that was all. That was more of a test, really. I was bored one day and thought to myself, ¡®you know what this castle is missing?¡¯¡± ¡°¡­ a giant murderous wall?¡± Sou interjected. Izue laughed. ¡°Daisen Castle is terribly dull. Father suspected your armies would march on us soon enough, so I thought I¡¯d spice things up a little. I called it, yes. What it did after that was its own work.¡± So the monster that had eaten a large number of his men was summoned because his now-wife was simply bored. Perhaps something to keep an eye on in the future. ¡°So, when did you first start learning to read these, then?¡± ¡°I found some scrolls in the forest one day when I was a child. I took them home and kept them secret from father while I tried to decipher them. It took me three years to understand the first one. I located all the scrolls and books I could on ancient writings, characters from overseas, women¡¯s script, you name it. Day and night I poured through them until finally one day I could read a word. Then a sentence. Then a paragraph. The scroll itself was nothing. A simple spell to make the man you love come back to you. It was several years later that I realised that actually meant after death, not before.¡± ¡°So like, an undead husband? Why would anyone want that?¡± ¡°The loss of a loved one can do powerful things to a person.¡± Izue looked up at him at that. He couldn¡¯t quite read the look in her eyes and it confused him. ¡°Please don¡¯t bring me back if I die,¡± he joked, trying to lighten the dark mood that had suddenly descended over the room. ¡°Who says I¡¯m going to let you die?¡± Again Sou couldn¡¯t read the look in her eyes. ¡°You can¡¯t protect me forever. Some day a stray arrow or sword is going to find its mark and I¡¯ll join my father and mother in heaven. I suppose we should have an heir or two before then though.¡± Sou gave a small laugh but he was beginning to feel more and more awkward. Izue got up from the bed of scrolls and moved towards him. She placed a hand on his chest and looked up into his eyes. The awkwardness was replaced with nerves and a rapidly beating heart. ¡°You underestimate my powers, Lord Sou. Do you remember that day in the forest? The day we fought. I told you that I believed you were the man who could rule this country, and I was the one who could help you do it. I wasn¡¯t lying. I truly believe in you and I will let nothing get in your way. Not Kuroda, not Shiroyama, not that Bitou girl you keep around as a pet, not even your own men. Nothing. Do you understand?¡± Sou swallowed. She was so much tinier than him, but at that moment he had no doubt she could destroy him if she wanted to. Thankfully, it was the exact opposite. Her words filled him with confidence. Power. Direction. ¡°Not that you need my protection, but I¡¯ll never let anyone hurt you either,¡± he said. Izue laughed, as though the gesture were cute, and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. ¡°Enough talk about spells and monsters and wars. There are other things I¡¯d rather be doing right now?¡± ¡°Hmm? And what¡¯s that?¡± Izue cleared the scrolls off the bed and lay back. She smiled and beckoned with a single finger. ¡°Oh.¡± 045. Sou ¡°We¡¯re going to take back Hirozaka Castle.¡± Several of the older men in the room smiled and nodded, like they knew that was the only course of action all along and Sou had picked wisely. After deliberating for weeks, it was the only conclusion that Sou could live with. He couldn¡¯t let the Kuroda take their castle, take their lands, kill their retainers and let them sit there and gloat about it. Sure, they had the larger forces and more powerful allies, but give a man an inch and he¡¯ll take a mile. Not only the Kuroda, but the other clans needed to know that the Yashiro wouldn¡¯t take things sitting down. ¡°A wise choice, young lord,¡± said Baba Junpei, Ane¡¯s father. He couldn¡¯t hide the grin on his face. ¡°Let¡¯s show those uncultured barbarians exactly what it means to take on Miharu Province!¡± There were cheers of agreement. Only Tanabe Hiroki, one of his father¡¯s weaker men, sat silently. ¡°You have something you want to say, Nabe?¡± Junpei turned to him, leaning in close as though awaiting a delightful and thrilling answer. Hiroki frowned but said nothing. ¡°Cat got your tongue, again?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not the one who¡¯s going to lose all his land and people next.¡± Hiroki¡¯s nose twitched. He turned and looked at Sou at the head of the small council of men. ¡°I would advise you to think this through once more, my lord. Their armies are much larger than ours, and their allies much stronger. Lord Kuroda has made no attempt to continue his excursions into our land. In fact, they have stopped entirely. I think he¡¯s made his point. We should cut our losses, allow him the castle and continue to strengthen the lands we do have.¡± Junpei burst out laughing and slapped him on the back. ¡°Oh, oh you sure are rich, Nabe. Which gutter did Ryobe pick you up from, anyway? How do you even live with yourself being so chicken shit? Have you ever even worked a day in your life, or do you let all the women do that for you? Not that I could blame you, they¡¯re certainly more competent than you¡¯ve ever been.¡± ¡°Now hold it right there!¡± ¡°Enough!¡± Sou held up a hand. He looked at Hiroki directly. ¡°My decision is final. We¡¯re taking Hirozaka back. Your assistance in this matter won¡¯t be required. You¡¯re free to return to your lands and secure them for potential future invasion. That is your task, do you understand?¡± His face was sullen, like a child being told off by his father for not doing his chores. He nodded, excused himself from the table and left the room. ¡°You¡¯re just going to let him go like that?¡± Junpei asked, his voice full of disbelief. ¡°With such disrespect?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll deal with him later. Right now we need to focus everything we have on Hirozaka.¡± He stopped and looked at each man sitting around the table before he spoke once more. ¡°I know you all consider me too young to lead. Too unprepared. Too naive and not worldly enough. Nor do you agree with the choices I make or the people I surround myself with.¡± Thoughts of Izue flashed through his mind, as a few of the men shifted uncomfortably in their seats. They always did whenever Izue¡¯s presence was brought up. ¡°Well, that¡¯s going to end today. If any man or woman here has a problem with my rule they can feel free to step forward right now and challenge me. Let¡¯s end this right here, right now. Anyone?¡± Sou looked around the room. The men were looking at anything but him, perhaps wondering if someone else would be the stupid one to stand up and accept his challenge.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°No?¡± Behind him Sou felt Ane stand up. A few of the men began murmuring to each other. Her father sat silently, his face unreadable. She put a hand on Sou¡¯s shoulder. He turned to face her. ¡°You have my full support, Lord Sou. Should any man or woman challenge you, let them first challenge me.¡± Sou let out a breath, not realising his heart was racing in his chest. He smiled, and put a hand on top of hers. ¡°Thank you, Ane. I appreciate the gesture. But I will handle this alone.¡± She nodded and returned to her position behind him. ¡°No-one? Then good. From now on I won¡¯t be questioned. If you¡¯re not brave enough to step up and challenge me now in front of everyone, then don¡¯t go doing it behind my back. I¡¯ve given you all the chance to face me honourably and air any grievances you may have in an open and free manner, no recourse. If there are no more objections, I¡¯d like to put all this behind us and get on with matters. Lord Kuroda needs to be stopped. We¡¯re going to stop him. Baba-dono,¡± Sou turned to Junpei, sitting like stone before him, ¡°I¡¯m putting you in charge of Oohara Castle while we¡¯re gone.¡± ¡°Wait, what?!¡± The shock was evident on his face. He wanted to be in the fight, not sitting around with the other old folk talking about the glories of days gone by. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m honoured, Lord Sou, but I¡¯ll be of more use to you on the field than I will be here.¡± Sou shook his head. ¡°I need you here. You¡¯re the only one I trust to be strong enough to defend our capital should the need arise. Our lands are in your hands. Look after them.¡± Junpei could say nothing at that. He nodded his head and sat back in his chair, biting his words. Sou turned to the rest of the men. ¡°You¡¯re also to return to your lands. Many of you have made it very clear that you¡¯re my father¡¯s men, and that¡¯s okay. But my father is dead, and I¡¯m the daimyo now. I respect your wisdom and experience greatly, and will rely on your further in the future, but for this excursion I will be taking my own retainers with me.¡± There were again murmurs, but no argument. Sou didn¡¯t expect there would be. ¡°I¡¯m also issuing a double guard on our prisoner, Bitou Ayane. I want to make this very, very clear, just in case anyone is having any ideas to the contrary. She is not to be harmed. If there is so much a single split end in her hair that wasn¡¯t there when I left, I will personally kill every single man responsible. There will be no honour in taking your own life. I will drag you out to a ditch and I will cut your head off and leave you to rot in the summer heat. Are we all,¡± Sou looked around the room again, one by one, making every single man meet his eyes, ¡°in agreement?¡± There was no answer. ¡°Are we in agreement?!¡± His voice boomed across the room, causing several of the men to jump in their seats and spill their tea. ¡°Ye- yes, Lord Sou.¡± ¡°Dismissed.¡± The men filed out and Sou stood up. He turned to Ane, Toshio and Riko standing in silence behind him. ¡°Get your men ready. We¡¯ll be moving out shortly. I¡¯ll handle Ayane¡¯s arrangements myself.¡± Two guards stood before the door to Ayane¡¯s room. A rather recent arrangement, and not one he enjoyed, but it was better than some bitter samurai deciding to take out his anger on her, or worse, one of Kuroda¡¯s many ninja. He knocked. ¡°It¡¯s Sou. Can I come in?¡± The door opened. Ayane looked at the guards and pulled Sou in, closing the door behind him. ¡°Just the man I wanted to see.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°I need to ask you something.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Do you have any books on old swords or perhaps tales of ancient heroes and gods?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Sou wasn¡¯t sure how to answer the look of excitement in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, why?¡± ¡°Oh, no reason. Just wanted something new to read. If you do remember any, can you have them sent to my room?¡± ¡°Okay, but I¡¯m not going to be here for much longer.¡± Her shoulders slumped. She could probably guess what was coming. ¡°We¡¯re going to take back Hirozaka.¡± ¡°I assumed you would.¡± An awkward silence filled the air. ¡°Please don¡¯t kill my brother. He¡¯s not a bad kid, he¡¯s just been drawn into all of this unwillingly because I¡¯m¡­ here. Just get him away from Kuroda. We can get him to see sense, we can end this war before it even begins. Please. Just, don¡¯t kill him.¡± Sou didn¡¯t want to make any promises he couldn¡¯t keep. The idea of killing a 12 year boy was far from his idea of fun, even considering what the young boy had done to his people, but he would do what needed to be done if that¡¯s what it came down to. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡± He smiled, knowing it didn¡¯t reach his eyes.