Disclaimer: I do not own any characters. From RK. Or from anywhere else. I own nothing. This story was just a figment of my imagination.
A/N: This is neither a sequel nor a prequel. I realised that Crimson was just progressing too slowly, and I decided to change a few things here and there… … and voila! Though I believe this fic will be progressing even slower than Crimson, but please bear with me! This story is the end product and I shall be using some unused ideas from my previous fic. Though they are not linked in any way.
~~~~~~~~~~~ Ceteris Paribus: Prologue~~~~~~~~~~~
It started out as an ordinary day, where the Kamiya family was at home enjoying their quality time together. Rare as such opportunities may arise, every single member appreciated the fact that Kamiya Koshijirou was home with them; he had been out for months, involved in skirmishes along the border because of the war. No thanks to Nobunaga for that.
"How's my hime-chan doing?" Koshijirou inclined his head towards his wife's rounded tummy. "Are you feeling all right koishii? Any discomforts?"
The lady's face was practically aglow with happiness; "The doctor says she'll be due any moment now."
"Take care of yourself my dear. Your health is of the utmost importance, to me and to the family. Why don't you lie on the bed and rest, since you have already been sitting up for quite awhile."
"Anata, you're too restless today. I've only been sitting here for less than five minutes!"
With that Lady Kioku Kamiya affectionately stroked her husband's cheek "Don't worry yourself excessively, dear. Didn't I birth Soujirou just fine? The second child is often much easier to deliver."
Without warning, she winced. Breathing heavily, she huffed out "I think my water broke."
"Soujirou! Go get the midwife! Quick! Your mother's in labour!"
Soujirou had a knack for running. He took his first steps much earlier than his peers and that astounded his parents. At the age of five, he is an able runner who is able to cover distances that most children his age couldn't dream of. A talent in the making. Little did he know that his particular aptitude would come in handy a few hours later.
"Obaasan! Please! My mother's in labour! We need you there to help!"
He just about dragged the poor old lady there; his speed was too much for her to bear.
"Otousan! She's here!"
Panting hard and out of breath, she had to put her hand to her chest in a bid to slow her thumping heart. "Go… Go boil the water… and prepare…prepare… the towels."
Father and son were both booted out of the room immediately after her required items were handed over and were instructed to wait patiently outside.
Few minutes ticked away, but to the anxious father, it seemed like eons had passed him by. His incessant pacing did nothing to calm the poor child, who never saw his mother's face that contorted before.
"Will Okaasan be all right?" Soujirou asked his father.
"I sincerely hope so." And that was the end of the conversation.
~~~~~~~~~
Loud, healthy wails of the baby were heard after ten minutes. Excited as they were, both father and son dashed into the room to meet the new addition to the family.
"Koishii, she's beautiful. Just like you. She has your eyes."
"Okaasan! Are you all right? Do you feel fine?" then, after seeing his sister for the first time, he was amazed at the depth and colour of her eyes. "Can I hold her, mother?"
"Of course you may. Here." She placed the baby snugly into her son's outstretched arms.
"Hajimemashite Kaoru-chan! I'm your oniichan." He smiled down at the soft and cuddly entity in his arms that was his little sister. She smiled up at him in return, and while she was at it, she grabbed hold of his index finger and began to swing it around, amused at her own little game.
Koshijirou was touched by the scene that was unfolding before him. After encountering so many deaths at the battlefields, witnessing his daughter's birth had a miraculous healing effect. As long as he believed that he was fighting for peace that would lead to many more births such as this, whatever he had to go through will be worth it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
While the Kamiyas were celebrating the birth of a new life, back in the camp, the Yukishiro shogunate was plotting the death of another, one we all knew, in a way, and loved.
"Koshijirou Kamiya would have to die, and I will see to it personally, at all costs." Demanded General Yukishiro.
The long-standing feud between the two families was bitter, and with the war fanning the flames of hatred between the two, the hostilities would be even more difficult to resolve. Though they were both working for the same lord, internal struggles were consistent, and the Yukishiros never fail to see the Kamiyas as a competitor, fighting for Nobunaga-sama's favour and constantly going against their devious plans. This time, he would take them Kamiyas down, slowly, one by one, starting with Kamiya Koshijirou.
He already stirred up feelings of animosity and distrust between Nobunaga and Kamiya, by working his way into Nobunaga's mind by insinuating that the Kamiya family was about to stage a rebellion.
"Nobunaga-sama, Kamiya is not back yet? But you already sent him twelve sealed orders to demand his presence here at court! What matters of importance could there be at the borders that are able to cause him to defy your orders so?"
Truth was that the orders were issued, but none reached our honest to goodness general out there in the battlefields. Yukishiro saw to it. He couldn't help but allow a small smirk to cross his otherwise expressionless face.
"This is outrageous! Who does he think he is! Drag him back from the borders if you must, but I want that insolent man back here alive!" The man that went by the name Nobunaga bellowed.
"At once, my lord." With that Yukishiro backed out of the court, head bowed and grinning inwardly at brilliance of his plan.
~~~~~~~~~~
Days later, news of Koshijirou Kamiya in Kyoto with his family reached the sly Yukishiro's ears. Scheming as Yukishiro was, he managed to work this unexpected twist of events to work in his favour.
"Nobunaga-sama, my troops discovered that Kamiya is already back in Kyoto, so we believed that he already paid his due respects to you, did he not?" General Yukishiro queried.
Nobunaga was seething by now. "Who does he think he is? Ignoring my commands at whim! That man needs to be taught how to respect authorities! Men---!"
"A moment, your highness. Kamiya is such a loyal subject. He must have his reasons behind his actions. Maybe you should---" All for feigning purposes.
"Are you telling me what to do, Yukishiro? Are you in a hurry to die? Do not try to persuade me. My mind is set. Men---"
At this point Yukishiro was counting down in his mind, 'three, two, one, now!'
A subject entered the gates, and brought with him this piece of astonishing news. "Nobunaga-sama! Word has it that Kamiya is plotting a rebellion right now at his abode! You must destroy him at once! Before he fights his way into the palace!"
Needless to say, this particular subject belonged to Yukishiro, and this piece of news was made up. By who you ask? Well I guess we all know. Trust Yukishiro to get his men to do his dirty work for him.
"Men! Send forth orders to exterminate the clan of Kamiya right this instant!"
~~~~~~~~~
Note to readers: I'm sorry, forgot to
mention that the abovementioned General is not Enishi. Think of him as… Enishi's
father… sorry… *bows deeply*
A/N: How is it? Do you like it? Hope you did! There might be errors, historical ones even, but I sincerely hope that you will understand that I tried to research but were met with obstacles. I had wanted to uproot all the characters out of Japan and plant them all in China or anywhere else where I knew more about the histories of, but the story will lose it's flavour right? Probably there weren't shougunates under Nobunaga. Probably Nobunaga wasn't that gullible (I agree, but for the sake of the fic…). However, experiences tell me that some readers are pretty particular about such errors, so tell me in a review and I'll see what I can do, ya? I would need as much help as I can get for this fic! Thanks a lot!