Title: Shadow
Chapter 1/5
Summary: Feudal AU. TezuxFuji. Slight ShiraixFuji. Because he was the Emperor's kagemusha, the Emperor's shadow. And Tezuka was his protector.
Disclaimer: This is fanfiction.
A/N: The term kagemusha means "Shadow Warrior" and actually comes from a film title. Truthfully, I don't know if such things existed in the feudal era (they probably did, I just didn't dig around a lot). In any case, my version is based more off of the manga, Soshite Haru no Tsuki, in which one of the very minor characters is a kagemusha. As to what it is if you don't know...you'll find out. :3
Setting: Feudal Japan ~ late 16th century. For the purposes of this story, I have twisted history a bit. To see what accounts were false, read footnotes.
Part 1: Dusk
~Third Year of Keichou (c.1599)~
A movement. A sound.
But not from him.
Nearby, a small sparrow fluttered restlessly onto a branch, chirping to its absent companions. It had flown ahead of its friends, eager to explore the crisp morning air. Only as it landed on a delicate branch and turned around did it realize it was alone. It twitched around, hopping from branch to branch, jostling the leaves as it did.
"Patience, little one...good things come to those who wait." The youth murmured with an amused curve of his lips. Giving the small creature one last furtive glance, he turned his attention back to the instrument in front of him, a koto.
Gracefully, he used his left hand to pull back the sleeve of his yukata. His right hand hovered hesitantly above the sharp chords. He froze, his body seemingly lingering on the edge of a cliff. Then, without precedence of movement, he plucked the first chord.
The room resonated on that single note, a confident yet humble tone, rich yet simple.
A second note was plucked.
A third...
A fourth...
...until the beautiful tune of Spring filled the room and soared into the gardens. It wasn't long until his melody was joined by the tune of nature. Birds were creatures of music; their calls were vibrantly lulling. He smiled as he saw two more sparrows fly down to join their wayward companion. He closed his eyes and let the music take hold of him. His breath stilled, his mind clear, the melody overpowering his being, enveloping him in a trance-
snap!
He hissed as the string whipped his smooth skin, leaving a thin red cut across the back of his hand. His eyes flew open, revealing deep cerulean orbs, and he stared at the silenced koto. The trio of sparrows, disappointed that the music had stopped, grudgingly left in search of something new and fluttered out of the garden. The tree gave one last shake before stilling once more.
He would sit there, kneeling by the koto for a few minutes, before-
"Fuji-sama?"
Fuji, as he was called, looked up from his koto.
Seeing who it was, he smiled. "Ah...Taka-san."
Kawamura Takashi grinned sheepishly as he asked for permission to enter. He was a well-built young man just two years Fuji's junior, with a heart that did not reflect his outward bulkiness. The younger man was a benevolent soul who had served Fuji for a little over two months and was already his friend and confidant.
As Fuji gently rotated himself to face the newcomer, the latter's eyes widened and he cried out, "Fuji-sama! Your hand!"
Fuji curiously peered down at his hand to see what had gotten his servant so riled. He was surprised to find the cut from the koto actually bleeding. "Oh..." He blinked. The sight of his own blood seemed to fascinate him, enrapture him.
"Um...shall I get you something for that?" Kawamura asked nervously.
Fuji looked back up at the speaker, shook his head and smiled. "I'll be fine," he took out a handkerchief from the sleeve of his yukata and gently dabbed away the blood. Replacing the cloth in his sleeve, he continued, "Is there something you need?" He casually digressed.
Kawamura stared at him strangely before snapping to attention. "Oh yes! Um...Tezuka-dono arrived in the court earlier and asked for you to join him for tea."
"Tezuka-san? Alright. Tell him I will be there shortly."
"Of course!" Kawamura got up to leave, only to stop and hurriedly ask, "Ah! He was in the...um..."
The koto-player smiled as he put a hand up to save the other some breath. "Don't worry. I know where."
Duty fulfilled, Kawamura nodded briskly, bowed, and left.
Fuji closed his eyes and released a breath he had been unknowingly holding back. He tried to calm the frantic beats of his heart. Tezuka was back. Oh gods how he had missed him. A sudden breeze floated into the room, playing with his silky brown hair and making a tingling sound with the wind chimes, as if announcing his arrival.
The honey-blonde could feel his entire being swelling up with an overwhelming sense of longing. He calmed himself once more before putting away his koto, eager to meet the samurai.
The Imperial Eastern Gardens were a sight to behold; the caretaker had taken great pains and meticulousness to ensure that any visitor to the palace would be struck speechless with awe. There was an assorted array of colors: greens, violets, magenta, reds, blues, oranges, all brilliantly arranged in a beautiful and complex pattern for the viewers' enjoyments. It contained the delicacy and strength that was the Imperial court, so that any lord or lady would immediately feel the power of the emperor.
Even thus, the gardens held none of the interest of one particular man.
Tezuka Kunimitsu, a samurai who had sworn allegiance to the current Emperor, was standing by a wooden post in the far corner of the garden, paying no attention to the colorful display in front of him. His stern gaze swept the garden inconspicuously from time to time, his features otherwise never budging an inch.
It is only after a good quarter of an hour that the person he is waiting for shows up.
Seeing the familiar mop of honey-blonde, Tezuka couldn't help but relax. He still didn't smile – he rarely did – but his lips parted just slightly, as if to allow a small intake of breath in awe of the other's beauty.
He could see the other pause slightly upon recognizing him standing in a dark corner, see his lips pulling into a sweet smile. Fuji continued to walk at the same pace towards Tezuka, until he stopped right in front of him.
"Tezuka-san."
A curt nod.
"Fuji-sama."
A respectful bow.
And then they simply stood, each taking in the others' appearance, memorizing every detail of change that had happened over the month they had been apart.
"Shall we?" The smaller man then offered.
"Ah..." Tezuka acquiesced and followed the former on a stroll around the gardens.
For a while they walked in comfortable silence. The garden was rather empty during this time of day, when everyone was busy with affairs of the state.
"You were gone for very long." The other had stopped to admire a hydrangea of vivid blue, delicate finger tracing a soft petal. If Tezuka were an poet, he would somehow compare the flower to the intense cerulean of Fuji's eyes. Or perhaps it was a contrast? However he had been gifted not with the pen, but the sword. The quiet question lingered unanswered for a moment.
'He was worried...' The dark brunette discerned. Fuji was always good at dancing around with words. He never asked anything directly, yet somehow Tezuka – the man who never uttered more than two syllables in a conversation – could always understand.
"The mission became complicated." His deep, rich voice supplied. Noticing the other freeze slightly at the statement, he quickly added, "Political affairs." 'No one was hurt'.
Fuji relaxed and smiled amiably up at him. "Saa...that's good to hear." 'You're not hurt'.
"Hn."
A chuckle. "I'm glad I have my big bad samurai back," he said almost jokingly and lightly. It was his eyes that betrayed his true feelings: relief, joy...and love. After a few moments of silence, Fuji suddenly straightened up and asked, "Saa...Tezuka. Let's have the tea you invited me out for, ne?"
The addressee was about to respond with a short 'hn' when he felt the honey-blonde's hand on his, tugging him along. And as quickly as he felt the contact, it left. His fingers still tingling from the touch, Tezuka simply let his arm fall to his side. And withholding the urge to see if his hand was shaking, he followed the other to tea.
Kawamura Takashi was a rather new servant in the Imperial Estates. His father was a poor fisherman with little money, and his mother had died when he was young – perhaps when he was two or three. His father had always been a hard worker, doing his best to raise his son and daughter – Mayuri, who had grown up to be a vibrant and cheerful young woman.
And Kawamura had never felt so happy, as on the day when he found out his sister would be marrying the boy she had loved for years. It was just about time really; she was already sixteen, an ideal age for marriage. And although Takashi himself was already eighteen, Mayuri was the one who needed to marry soon. Girls couldn't stay single for long, unlike the boys.
But while he had been utterly elated and ecstatic for his younger sister, his father was more down-to-earth. His father had of course, been happy for Mayuri and approved of the marriage with all his blessings, but only he saw the issue at hand – the dowry.
The boy whom she was to be marrying came from a better family. He wasn't of any noble lineage or anything, but the simple fact remained that he had been rich for a commoner. His parents weren't as eager as Mayuri's father had been, and so were only barely able to approve of the marriage – under the conditions that the Kawamuras would provide a substantial dowry.
In all honesty, the amount they requested was a very kind amount, a workable amount. But with Takashi's father falling ill recently and no one else to support the household, even this small amount was difficult to come by.
That's why Kawamura was so thankful he had gotten a position in the imperial court. To say the truth, he has no idea how it had happened, for someone of his status to be able to serve someone like Fuji. But he did, and he has to say that he is probably one of the luckiest men alive.
He hummed a jovial little tune as he gathered up some small savings to deliver to his sister. As a servant, he didn't exactly receive pay or anything of the sort. He had come to court on the rumors that nobles tended to pay servants 'extra' for certain 'services'. Kawamura had been uncertain what these services would be, no doubt illegal, but he had been willing to do so for the sake of his sister.
However, Lady Fate was kind enough to land him with a master like Fuji-sama.
And at the thought of his liege, his heart gave a small squeeze, causing him to stop midstride. Fuji no Syuusuke-sama was the most gentle and beautiful person he had ever come across. As soon as the other learnt of his predicament, the blue-eyed man gave him a small pouch of coins, telling him to take it. At first Kawamura was embarrassed, humiliated almost, even though he was a humble person. To take money so easily was never in his book of honor.
But the honey-blonde just smiled at him.
"Consider it a bribe for you to be nice to me, ne? And your first task...is to sneak in some sweets for me!"
Kawamura had sweat-dropped. Yet at the same time, he relaxed and laughed. From then on, Fuji always managed to come up with an excuse to slip him some money. It became a little game between them, something Kawamura greatly appreciated and thanked.
Fuji was always so considerate of others. Not only did he give him money, he also eased away the guilty feeling that rose within him whenever he accepted money from the former.
Fuji no Syuusuke...
...was a shadow.
At first, he didn't understand just who his master was. He had expected to serve some lord, some noble, some statesman or just be part of the staff. But when he was introduced to a small, sandy-haired man who smiled all the time, Kawamura was confused.
It took him weeks of digging around and hopping about the rumor mill to realize what his liege was.
A kagemusha.
The Fuji family was of noble lineage and distantly connected to the Emperor. But the reason why Fuji no Syuusuke lived so close to the Emperor whereas all his other family lived elsewhere was because he was the Emperor's body double.
It was a shock to think that Fuji would go about impersonating the Emperor from time to time. No doubt such a secret was well-kept, for even around the court rumor mill, there was little to nothing said about such a fact.
While he had gathered from here and there that Fuji-sama didn't live in the Imperial Court for the same reasons others nobles did, it was actually by chance he found out the other was a kagemusha.
It was night, and he was heading over to Fuji-sama's room. He stopped a few feet short of the door when he saw two shadows through the door. He tiptoed close.
"Alright, that's fine." Fuji.
"Are you sure? Is it tight enough? We can't risk it falling off." A stranger.
He could see his lord smile. "Ah...don't worry too much, ne? Mitsu..."
'Mitsu' scowled. "It is my job to worry."
The honey-blonde noble chuckled. "It's fine. I just have to parade around as Kuranosuke, right?"
Kuranosuke?
"Syuusuke! You really oughtn't address His Majesty like that." The stranger reprimanded the smaller man as though he were a child.
Fuji laughed. "Maa...it's fine, isn't it? As long as no one finds out. Besides, if I don't loosen him up, Shiraishi-tennou would probably go insane on us, wouldn't he? With all the rigid and formal affairs. And no...that statement would not be treason, Tezuka-san. You really need to lighten up." He gently shushed the other as he was about to interrupt.
Shiraishi-tennou? The Emperor?
Kawamura staggered a bit from where he was standing, a few footsteps down from the sliding door that led into Fuji's room. He panicked as he realized the voices had stopped and footsteps were now heading towards the door.
Suddenly the fusuma slammed opened, and he met eye to eye with cold murky brown. Tezuka, the man who was now staring at him, said nothing, only glaring at him with the intensity of a killer.
Kawamura couldn't move, couldn't speak.
"Tezuka-san!" The annoyed voice of his lord sounded from behind the fusuma.
Tezuka snapped his head around at the sound of his name. Fuji was frowning. "You really shouldn't scare my new servant like that. He's a really nice boy."
The 'really nice boy' gulped as the taller samurai seemed dissuaded by the statement. "You will not speak of this." And with that, he left.
With Tezuka now gone, the figure behind the door stepped out into full view and Kawamura gasped. "Fuji-sama?" He was staring at the garb that enveloped his lord's body. It was the garb of the emperor. He had no idea how the emperor actually looked – rumors said he was astonishingly handsome – but even if he had, he was sure he would've been duped. Fuji smiled at him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. His eyes seemed to sparkle with a tint of sadness – just for a moment. "I was hoping you would find out some other way, you know?" His smile faded a bit. It looked as though he were about to say something else, but was held back.
Then suddenly, Fuji's entire composure changed. He straightened his back and tilted his chin slightly, holding himself with an air of confidence. "Well then, Kawamura-kun. Oyasumi-nasai."
He then walked off to where the other man was waiting in the distance.
Only a few moments later did the entire conversation register in his mind.
Fuji Syuusuke was a kagemusha.
...which really meant that he was a sacrifice.
He freaked out for a good while afterward, thinking the other meant to say goodbye, and that his final statement was a farewell of sorts.
It was a shock for him the next morning when he was awoken by his master, who looked rather amused to find him out cold in his room.
The older youth explained everything soon enough with a laugh here and there at Kawamura's expressions. His job was to basically trick any possible assassins, attend a few social events that required the Emperor's presence but wasted his time, and sometimes sit through a few boring state sessions – this last part was because the emperor sometimes played hooky, according to Fuji.
Since then, they haven't really discussed the subject of Fuji's occupation.
"Onii-chan! Onii-chan!"
He looked up smiled. "Mayuri-chan!"
"I heard you spent the afternoon with Tezuka-dono."
"Hmm..."
A stroke.
"How is he?"
"Fine, I suppose."
Another stroke.
"Syuusuke..." He stared into the mirror, at the person kneeling behind him.
Clatter.
"Yes, Your Majesty?"
Fuji smiled playfully as he bent over to pick up the dropped comb. He then resumed his previous activity of brushing through fine tresses of golden-gray silk. He could see the emperor staring at him through his peripheral, but paid no heed to it.
"I love you."
The hand didn't stop, didn't falter. His shadow kept combing his hair, gently, routinely. He could feel Fuji's petal-like fingers dancing across his scalp with each stroke. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the experience.
"Syuusuke-" He then started, this time firm.
And was cut off as he felt the ghostly finger now on his lips. He opened his eyes, looked into the mirror, and saw Fuji smiling at him. "You love an imposter."
The emperor sighed. His confessions always ended in that statement. He was never reciprocated, no matter what he did to please the other. It was ironic, really. He was the emperor, commanded an entire army, yet he falls to his knees every time in the presence of one Fuji Syuusuke.
Tezuka was one lucky bastard. Shiraishi-tennou was no petty man and was not one to begrudge anyone for anything. Tezuka was one of his most loyal and faithful subordinates – honest, determined, strong – something difficult to find among the cunning aristocracies. But in the case of the young man from the Fuji household, the sovereign was stumped.
Of course, he wasn't about to do anything drastic like send the samurai off on a suicide campaign; that would be plain stupid because he would lose one of his better men. But oftentimes he wondered what Tezuka had that he lacked.
Deciding that mulling over the subject would be rather pointless, he brought up something new. "Shogi?" He offered as a truce of sorts. The hands stopped. Blue eyes stared into his, as if testing him for something. His companion smiled. "Sure."
Shiraishi nodded. "I'll get the board and pieces."
"Hmm..." The other hummed. The emperor smiled a little. He knew that Fuji loved puzzles, especially Japanese chess. Taking the shogi-ban and placing it carefully on the floor, he began setting up each piece. His guest joined him in the action.
When everything was in order, he turned to the other and asked, "Shall we begin?"
Fuji smiled. His only response was the pa-chi! of a piece hitting the board. "You're one step slow already, Kuranosuke."
Shiraishi laughed. Pa-chi!
Yes, this is how it would be...for now.
End Part 1: Dusk
A/N: Woop! First chapter done! What did you guys think? There are five parts total, so I'm pretty sure I can finish it. I'm not good with updating past the first five chapters...so this time I made it only five chapters!
This is definitely inspired greatly by the manga, Soshite Haru no Tsuki. Even though the part about the kagemusha was brief , it seemed like such a juicy plot I couldn't help be extract some of it.
Historical inaccuracies:
1) Well for one, the emperor of the Keichou era was not Shiraishi Kuranosuke. It was Go-Youzei-tennou.
2) I don't know how much about kagemushas a real, so...this is up for grabs
3) Glasses were not introduced to Japan back then. Although glasses were somewhat invented in the West.