Disclaimer: As usual, owned by Koei not me.
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Written for a private challenge between me and sesshomaru-haku.
Theme: I once pledged my loyalty to you, and that vow holds true even now.
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The earth itself had been bloodstained.
Where dead bodies once lay to rot, now were patches of green grasses, shrubbery. The plains were growing back, covering the once devastating battlefield. The rhythmic thuds of hooves on the flattened earth carried easily through the land. A peregrine falcon uttered a fierce screech, as it was disturbed from its feast of easy prey. It took to the air in a heartbeat, blue-gray feathers allowing the fearsome hunter to take flight with a flap of its powerful wings.
The ashen stallion slowed to a trot, and finally came to a halt by a smooth stone slab that stood roughly rooted in the earth, in the shade of a great tree. A breeze blew past, and several leaves fell to its feet, almost as if it were making an offering. The rider dismounted, and loosely tied the great warhorse to a thin sapling – loose enough for it to come galloping should the need arise.
Armoured greaves strode closer, unhurried yet determined. The rider stopped by the unmarked stone, and fell to one knee, kneeling to the stone and all whom it represented. Hands came together, lips moving slowly in a silent prayer for memory and for loss.
A slight, bitter smile crossed the warrior's face as smooth fingertips brushed over the cool surface of the stone. They traced a name that should have been carved there, but had not been, for he had lost in his bid for the land. "Lord Mitsunari..." The name fell from the rider's lips, a slow breath that did nothing to conceal the obvious emotion felt by the speaker.
Pain was overwhelming the samurai's heart. It was almost too much to bear, the memories of a past they had shared, the times they had fought side by side for the one man Mitsunari had called his lord. Too much had passed between them, and too much also had been held back. Professionalism had led to his death, and the thinning dam holding back the emotions had given way.
Lifting a hand to swipe away hot tears that were beginning to fall, the warrior stood, and went over to the ash grey stallion who stood by the tree silently, seemingly knowing the somber mood of the moment. Reaching into the saddlepack, the samurai took out a cloth-wrapped bundle, and quickly removed the wrapping.
Its bladed edges glinting in the early morning sun, the tessen with the Ishida family crest had been Mitsunari's favored weapon. The samurai laid it down before the smooth stone, before producing a neatly folded piece of paper – presumably a letter, or a poem – from a fold in the loosely worn robes. The paper was settled underneath the tessen, before the samurai took a step back, preparing to leave.
Just before turning back towards the direction of the warhorse, a slightest of smiles found its way onto the warrior's face, before beginning to speak.
"I once pledged my loyalty to you, and that vow holds true even now." Directed at the slab, spoken for the commander of the Western Army at Sekigahara.
"Farewell, Lord Mitsunari." The samurai mounted the grey steed and whirled it around to canter away from the shaded glade of Sekigahara.
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A servant bowed low to the rider of the ashen stallion. "Welcome back, my lady. How was your journey?"
The warrior dismounted and handed the reins to the servant. "It was a time of bittersweet memories." She smiled wryly at the thought.
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To Lord Mitsunari:
A thousand times a year may pass,
Yet there is one place time won't change.
The memory that's in my mind.
I once loved you, and always will.
Because it's not the separation that's painful,
But rather the memories of you.
Tachibana Ginchiyo
A/N: My first time delving into the world of angst. Not too bad an attempt, I think, so please do leave a review on your way out. For readers of my other SW2 stories, you can easily tell that I really love Mitsunari/Ginchiyo as a couple, yeah?
I'm sorry for the long hiatus on Understanding Romance... but my muse has temporarily deserted me. Sessh, like the two lines? XD