A woman sat alone in the middle of her room. There wasn't much for her to do, she had been hidden away from society ever since her birth. Her parents claim that it is for her own safety, but a piece of paper that laid next to her hand would shake everything apart.
Minami Kotori was the secret daughter of the Minami family. The family decided to keep their daughter a secret not only to protect her, but to also use her as a trump card whenever they needed her. She was beautiful, her hair was luscious and her eyes were enough to get any man or woman to fall in love with her.
However, this is the Sengoku period. If anyone were to find out that the Minami family was harboring such a beautiful woman, the surrounding areas would attack and destroy their castle. The Minami family wasn't at all powerful, they were average at best in the art of war. Their focus was more on trade and the Minami family was one of the more wealthier families during the war.
However, due to the pressure from the Koizumi and Hoshizora family, the Minami's seeked out help from the Kousaka family.
The Kousaka's were willing to help the Minami's but they wanted something in return for the protection they would offer. They wanted a majority of the wealth that the Minami family had to provide for their army.
Of course, the Minami's were reluctant to give away all that they worked for, but they had Kotori, their trump card. When the two families met at a negotiation meeting, they introduced their daughters.
The Kousaka family took a liking to Kotori. She looked to be the perfect wife for a family such as theirs. The Minami family also took a liking to the Kousaka princess, Honoka. She was young, pretty, and had a personality and ambition that matched her name.
After the paperwork and negotiations were done, there was one last thing that must be done. As a part of their commitment to each other, Kotori and Honoka must share one night together otherwise the agreement would crumble.
Kotori was reluctant to do it, but her parents had convinced her that this was her destiny and the only way she could save the family.
Now she sits alone in her room with a letter that gave her a notice of Honoka's visit for the night. As a sign of dominance, the Kousaka family insisted that Honoka be the one to enter the Minami castle instead of having Kotori come to theirs.
"Kotori-sama..." a low voice called out.
"Hmm?" she turned around to see a woman with midnight blue hair appear from the shadows, "Oh, Umi-chan, what are you doing here?"
Umi knelt on one knee and kept her head down, "I'm here to watch over you, your mother insisted."
The corners of Kotori's mouth formed a small smile and she crawled over to Umi, "You don't have to be so formal with me, Umi-chan," she lifted her chin so their eyes could meet.
Umi avoided eye contact, "Kotori-sama, I'm not worthy enough to do that."
"Umi-chan, you're always so stubborn," Kotori pouted.
"I'm sorry Kotori-sama, but there are lines that I can't cross," she responded.
Kotori let out a deep sigh and moved back to her seat, "... I don't want to get married..."
"It's for the family, Kotori-sama," Umi responded.
"But... I don't even know who she is."
"Kousaka Honoka, princess of the Kousaka family, one of the strongest military families around," Umi cleared her throat, "With all due respect, Kotori-sama, but their protection is what we need to keep the Koizumi and Hoshizora family at bay."
"Can't you just assassinate them for us, Umi-chan?" Kotori asked.
"I'm afraid it is not that easy, Kotori-sama..."
"But... you're the last kunoichi of the Sonoda Clan, I thought the Sonoda's were legendary assassins..."
Umi let a sigh escape her lips, "I cannot kill unless I am ordered to by my master."
"I am your master."
"Yes you are, but your mother and father are the ones I must obey," Umi retaliated.
A knock on the sliding door filled the room and Umi quickly and effortlessly disappeared into the shadows once again, "Kotori-sama? Honoka-sama has arrived."
"Please come in!"
The sliding door opened and a servant gestured the ginger haired woman to walk inside. Once she stepped past the doorway, the sliding door slid shut and the two princesses were alone together.
"You have a nice castle," Honoka muttered.
"Thank you very much, Honoka-sama," Kotori bowed.
Honoka made her way over and sat next to Kotori, "You can drop the -sama, we're married now, Kotori-chan."
Kotori blushed lightly and twiddled her fingers, "Okay then... Honoka-chan..."
"So... this one night together thing..." Honoka said softly.
Kotori laughed awkwardly, "Y-Yeah, it's a bit strange isn't it?"
She suddenly felt herself get pushed to the ground and something pulling on her obi. The strength of the pull caused her to slightly lift off the ground and roll onto her stomach, "H-Honoka-chan?!"
She said nothing in response and this sent signals of fear through Kotori's heart. Her kimono was torn open and she looked up to see Honoka with hungry eyes. She was completely different from when she saw her at the negotiation, she was scary.
"H-Honoka-chan, what're you doing?!" Kotori attempted to cover herself up but Honoka pinned her arms down.
"This is what they meant by sharing one night together," Honoka answered, "I'm making you mine."
"N-No wait!"
Kotori stared blankly at the wall. She laid curled up into a ball covered by her ripped kimono. Her eyes were blank and her eyes were red from the amount of tears she cried.
She felt herself getting pulled to face Honoka again, "I'm not satisfied yet, Kotori-chan..."
"N...no..." Kotori said weakly. Honoka jumped on top of Kotori and continued for forcefully assault Kotori against her will.
Before she knew it, Kotori had passed out.
Kotori woke up late the next morning. Her eyes stung from all of the tears last night and her body was sore. It was hard for her to move and she laid on the floor with her kimono covering her naked body. Honoka was nowhere to be seen, "U-Umi-chan... are you... there...?" Kotori's voice was dry.
On command, Umi appeared from the shadows and knelt with her head down, "What is it, Kotori-sama...?"
"Come closer..." she begged.
Umi did as Kotori ordered and crawled closer, Kotori used all of her strength to jump up and wrap her arms around Umi. She cried into the kunoichi's shoulder and hugged her tightly, "Why didn't you stop her?!"
Umi wore a pained expression and pat the crying princess's head, "I'm sorry, Kotori-sama... But your mother orde-"
"WHY DIDN'T YOU GO AGAINST HER ORDERS?!" Kotori screamed at the top of her lungs which frightened Umi slightly.
"...I... I wanted to but..."
"I'll never have my innocence back..." Kotori cried into Umi's shoulder some more. She remained silent and let her princess cry until she calmed down.
"Umi-chan..."
"What is it, Kotori-sama?"
"... Will you kiss me?"
"Ehh?! K-Kotori-sama! There's no way I can do that!" for the first time, Umi had over reacted to one of Kotori's requests.
"She didn't kiss me once... I want my first kiss to go to someone I can trust..." Kotori looked up with gleaming eyes.
"I-I can't do that, Kotori-sama. We cannot cross the line between master and servant!" Umi felt herself slowly getting pushed down by Kotori.
"Umi-chan..." Kotori softly whispered Umi's name and pinned the kunoichi down. The kimono covering her before had fallen off to reveal her developed chest which caused Umi to blush profusely.
"K-Kotori-sama!" Umi cried desperately one last time.
Kotori brought her face closer to Umi's and gently pressed their lips together. All signs of struggle had disappeared from Umi and all the two of them could register was their lips pushing together. They shared a long kiss before Kotori pulled herself back.
"Umi-chan..." she whispered again. Her chest felt tight and unlike the night she spent with Honoka, the kiss she shared with Umi left a burning sensation in her heart. It felt gentle and kind compared to the fear she felt the night before. Kotori wanted to feel this sensation more, she wanted to completely overpower the fear she felt last night with this gentle and kind sensation.
"K-Kotori-sama, can you get off now?" Umi begged.
"Make love to me, Umi-chan..." she whispered.
"...eh?"
"I said make lo-"
"I heard what you said! There's no way I can do that Kotori-sama!" Umi covered her face to hide her obvious blush.
"Please, Umi-chan..."
"N-No! I cannot do th-" Umi's hands were pulled away and she felt Kotori's lips on her's again. This time the kiss was more passionate and lustful, Kotori kept her attack up and used her tongue to invade Umi's mouth, "Koto...ri...sama..!"
"Kotori, are you awake yet?" the door slid open.
"Y-Yeah, I just woke up," Kotori answered. She gripped her kimono tightly to keep it from falling off. Her eyes wandered to the side where Umi had escaped from sight, "I'll be ready in a bit."
The door slid shut and Kotori turned her attention towards Umi. There was an awkward silence after Kotori realized how much control she had lost a few moments ago, "Umi-chan..."
"I must go, your mother and father are waiting..." Umi quickly disappeared and left Kotori alone in her room.
"Please don't leave..." she said weakly. She wanted to curl up and cry, but she had to push herself to get changed for breakfast.
Once she reached the dining hall, she was greeted by a number of servants who surrounded the table. Her mother and father sat at the end of the table and she spotted Umi kneeling down next to her father.
"Kotori, please join us," her father beckoned.
Kotori walked over to her chair and sat on it slowly, she couldn't help but peek over at Umi whenever she had the chance to. After all, if Kotori's father were to find out that the two shared a kiss, Umi would be executed.
"Where is Honoka-sama?" her mother asked.
Kotori heart started racing when she heard the name and thought back to last night, she cleared her throat before speaking, "She... She must have gone home early in the morning."
"I was under the impression that she was still with you in your room," her father showed some concern.
Kotori shrugged, "When I woke up, she wasn't here."
"That's rather strange, isn't it? Isn't she supposed to stay until the morning and leave in the afternoon?" her mother asked to her father.
"Yes, the Kousaka's agreed on this," he answered.
The doors to the dining hall flung open and a small distressed man fell to the floor, "My lord and lady! We are being attacked!"
The family stood up in unison, "What?! Who is attacking us!"
"The Hoshizora and Koizumi family are attacking us from the east and west wall!" he yelled.
"Get our defences up, we'll hold them off until the Kousaka's come to our aid!" her father commanded.
"Sir we have sent a messenger but he hasn't returned yet," he replied.
"Send a homing pigeon!" He yelled back, he turned to face his family, "You two, take shelter in the basement and you," he pointed at Umi, "Protect them with your life."
Umi bowed to her master and quickly led her lady and princess down into the basement for shelter.
"Wait, Father!" Kotori called out.
"Don't worry Kotori, the Kousaka's will come to save us..." he reached for his katana and marched off to command the little army that they had.
Kotori huddled together with her mother as Umi kept her guard up. There may be a war going on, but that doesn't change the fact that the Hoshizora's and the Koizumi's wouldn't send assassins to kill the Lady and Princess.
In her mind, it would be the easiest and most strategic way to get an army to surrender. However, Umi planned to guard the two of them with her life because of her sworn loyalty to the family.
She herded the mother and daughter to a corner and piled a few boxes and barrels to keep the two of them out of sight. She kept herself hidden in the shadows so she could get the jump on anyone who she wasn't familiar with.
The war raged on for several hours, and it was clear that the Minami army was desperately clinging on to a fine thread. The castle grounds were littered with the bodies of dead soldiers who bore the Minami emblem. From both sides of the castle Kotori's father could spot the Hoshizora emblem and the Koizumi emblem.
Their armies showed no signs of fatigue and if the Kousaka's don't show up soon, the Minami family would be done for.
And almost as if it were a timed miracle, the Kousaka emblem could be seen approaching from the north of the castle. Their army much larger and better equipped than the Koizumi and Hoshizora armies combined.
Kotori's father grasped her katana a little tighter, "Thank goodness... We're saved..."
He watched as the Lord of the Kousaka army raised his katana. On command the army of archers raised their bows, took aim and fired. However, the hailstorm of arrows didn't fly towards the Hoshizora's nor the Koizumi's. The arrows rained onto the Minami castle and devastated most if not all of their small army.
"W-What's the meaning of this?!" Kotori's father yelled. He looked onto the castle grounds to see all of his soldiers either dead or too wounded to fight. All that remained was a small group of soldiers that were smart enough to use their dead allies' corpse and himself.
"Raise the flag..." he said in defeat.
"But sir! We can still-"
"Do you really think the 8 of us can defeat 3 armies...?" he replied with no hope.
The soldier flinched and bit his tongue to keep from expressing himself. He quickly ran to the roof of the castle and raised a white flag to signal that they surrendered.
The Minami family had fallen.
Umi held up her hand to quiet the mother and daughter, "Do you hear that?"
Kotori sniffled, "Hear what? I don't hear anything..."
"Exactly... is the attack over...?" Just as Umi had said that, a loud crashing sound could be heard on the upper floors.
"I thought we had an agreement!" Kotori's father yelled.
"We did... and you broke it," the deep and intimidating voice from Honoka's father could easily be heard through the floorboards.
"What are you talking about?! I allowed for your daughter to have mine!" Kotori's father argued back.
"Then explain this!" Honoka's father gestured to his men and Honoka walked in. She wore a bandage over her eye, "Explain to me how my daughter ended up like this!"
Kotori's father couldn't find the words to say anything back, he hesitated before answering, "I-I have no clue as to how she was injured."
"Your daughter stabbed mine in the eye during her stay here!" Honoka's father yelled.
"What? My daughter would never turn to violence!" He argued back.
"Minami-sama, Kotori-chan attacked me after we slept together. Whether it was an assassination attempt or not..." Honoka explained.
"My daughter is pure of heart! You're the one who corrupted her!" Kotori's father cut Honoka off and stood up but was quickly held down by the Kousaka soldiers. Honoka's father pulled his katana out of it's sheathe and hovered it over Kotori's father's neck.
"The only way to pay for this betrayal is with your lives... where is your wife and daughter?!" he yelled.
Kotori's father laughed, "You'll never find them..."
Honoka's father spat and turned to his soldiers, "Search the entire castle, leave no stone unturned."
Kotori's father giggled as if he had gone mad, "You'll regret betraying the Minami family, Kousaka-sama..."
Umi heard the order and quickly sprang into action, she pulled on a hidden passageway, "Please hurry my lady and princess, there is still time to save you two!" she yelled in a hushed and rushed voice.
"N-No, we can't leave father behind!" Kotori yelled back.
Umi quickly shut Kotori's mouth, "Please stay quiet Kotori-sama, they'll find us..."
Kotori felt a push from behind her and it caused the two of them to stumble into the passage, "My lady!"
"Sonoda-san... please protect my daughter," her mother begged.
Umi stepped forward but Kotori's mother quickly pulled out a small blade, "M-My lady... We can't leave without you..."
"Our daughter is our most important treasure, please, run away and protect her," she begged.
"Mother no! Please come with us, don't leave me alone!" Kotori rushed forward but Umi kept her back with her arm.
"I love you Kotori, but this is the last thing that we can do for you," Kotori mother smiled gently as a few tears rolled down her cheeks.
"My lady, you're coming with us!" Umi stepped forward and grabbed her hand.
She quickly escaped her grasp and pushed Umi, causing her to stumble backwards even further into the hidden path. As soon as Umi recovered, Kotori's mother shut the hidden passage and used her body to keep them from opening it again.
Kotori banged against the stone wall, "Mother! Come with us! Please! Please!" tears rolled down her cheeks and she pounded on the stone wall until her hands were numb and red.
Umi pulled Kotori back and used her hand to cover her mouth.
"So this is where you were hiding..." a voice called out.
"I guess you found me..." Kotori's mother held the blade out to intimidate the individual.
They laughed in response, "Do you really believe that you can defeat a Nishikino kunoichi?"
Kotori's mother remained silent and began her attack, she was easily disarmed and subdued, "Alright, up you go."
Umi and Kotori remained quiet and stayed in place until they heard a thud from above, "Where is the princess?!"
"We couldn't find her, my lord. She must have escaped," a soldier answered.
"No matter... She is nothing without her parents... Present their necks!" Honoka's father raised his katana and the parents were held in place.
"Where is she... is she safe...?" her father whispered over.
"She escaped with Sonoda-san..." she whispered back.
"Thank goodness... Now I can die knowing that my daughter is safe..." he hung his head in acceptance.
"Me too..."
Honoka's father lined up his katana and swung it down, "It looks like we have to turn to the Kira family now..."
Kotori heard two small thuds and was overcome with an unbearable grief. She felt her heart sink and her tears started to stream out. Umi quickly swung Kotori around to face her and hugged her tightly, Kotori cried into Umi's chest, "Mother... Father..."
Umi pet Kotori's head and listened to her sob, "We have to keep moving, Kotori-sama..."
Kotori shook her head but Umi persisted. She lifted Kotori up with her arms and made her way through the secret passage. Kotori kept her face buried against Umi's chest during the walk. It was cold, but Kotori's tears were the only thing that burned.
After an hour of walking, the two women emerged from a hidden cave entrance covered by greenery. Umi looked back to see the castle burning and kept Kotori from turning her head to see what remained of her home.
Umi let a heavy sigh of grief escape her lips before hositing Kotori up to reinforce her hold on the weak girl, "If we travel for a few days, we should be able to meet up with the Toujou Family..."
Kotori wiped her tears away and sniffled, "T-Toujou Family? What about them?"
"The Yazawa Clan serves under them, we should be able to take refuge there..." Umi answered.
Kotori looked down and Umi started walking off without a response. This was the only option they had left if Umi wanted Kotori to live a life her Lord and Lady would have wanted for their daughter.
