Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Koihime Musou, Shin Kohime Musou, or Rurouni Kenshin.
Chapter 2 – The Oath in The Peach Orchard Garden
Countless stars shined brightly in the sky. "Ne, Aisha-chan, Rinrin-chan doesn't the sky look pretty right now?" A rose colored hair girl with a bright smile asked her two companions walking alongside her.
"Ah...you're right aneja! It's beautiful...!" The short red-haired girl of the group exclaimed. She was resting her spear on her shoulders, it was a wonder to see how she was able to lift something that was easily twice her size.
"Surely, it's a sight to behold." The tall girl with long flowing black hair that seemed to sparkle also agreed with her two companions. "Ah, we're about to reach the town."
"Yippee! Then we can get some meat to eat! I'm hungry nanoda!" The little girl rubbed her stomach.
"Hai hai, just wait a little bit longer, Rinrin-chan. Ne, Aisha-chan. Do you think we'll be able to find the Messenger of Heaven like Kanro-sama said here in this town?" The rose colored hair girl asked.
"I have no doubt, Touka-sama. Kanro-sama's divinations have always been correct so far." The black haired girl named Aisha replied. "Surely, the Messenger of Heaven will help aid us against these turbulent times with the Yellow Turbans."
Touka nodded. They had began traveling together in order to search for the person who was said to descend from the heavens and will lead the country to peace and prosperity. The Yellow Turbans began to grow in power ever since a group of peasants began to rebel and armed themselves after famine, flood, and unemployment ravaged the north. It also didn't help that the Han Dynasty Central Government was losing its power as corrupt officials began to abuse their power and made the lives of peasants even worse through heavy taxation.
"Ah! Touka-aneja, Aisha-aneja, look at that in the sky!" Rinrin pointed towards the night sky enthusiastically. Both Touka and Aisha turned to see what Rinrin was pointing at...it was a bright star that shined across the sky and fell down towards the ground..
"Touka-sama! That must be the sign that Kanro-sama spoke of! It looks like we're on the right path!" Aisha proclaimed.
"Aisha-chan! Rinrin-chan! We must hurry!" Touka smiled.
"Hai!" Both of them said.
Meanwhile, a girl with yellow twin tails that also curled into slight drills stared at the starry sky in the garden of a palace.
"Karin-sama, I have returned with the report." A tall girl with long black hair that had a single strand popping up knelt before the blonde girl.
"Good work, Shunran. As expected, we'll need to start recruiting more people to deal with these Yellow Turbans. I'm a little surprised at how organized they have gotten lately." Karin looked over the report that their spies have sent back. The Yellow Turbans may have been troublesome in the past, but lately, it seems they have been unifying themselves into a coherent army. If this keeps up, then it may soon become impossible to stop their full rampage.
"Karin-sama, I believe I may have found some promising talent for your army." Another girl, as tall as Shunran, but with blue short hair, knelt before Karin. She passed on profiles of aspiring warriors and strategists.
"Ah, good work to you too, Shuuran. I am not one to deny those with talent. With talented individuals at our side, we shall be able to stop this rebellion and realize our ambition."
"Karin-sama, look at that in the sky!" Shunran pointed out. Both Karin and Shuuran turned to look and saw a star that shined brilliantly through the sky.
"That must be the star that Kanro spoke about...this must signify that times will be changing..." Karin mused.
"Should we not go after and search for the one Kanro-sama spoke about...the Messenger of Heaven, Karin-sama?" Shunran inquired.
"Leave it be, we were told to suppress the Yellow Turbans in this area. We don't have time to be chasing rumors. If Heaven is on my side, then I will achieve my ambitions with or without the so-called Messenger of Heaven."
"As you say."
Under a canopy, a tall and pink haired woman poured herself a cup of wine and began pouring for an equally as tall and black haired woman with glasses. "It's a such a nice night to be drinking, ne, Meirin...?"
Meirin sighed. "To you, every night is a nice night to be drinking, Sheren."
"Ah, how mean, Meirin." Sheren pouted. "The Yellow Turbans seem to have been rising in power lately..."
"It's a little shocking to see it happen this quickly, but it's not like it was unexpected. I already began to instruct Rikuson to prepare our army." Meirin commented.
"As expected of Meirin, you seem to be always prepared!" Sheren smiled, then frowned silently. "It's probably likely that Renfa and Shaoren will be involved in war soon. Even though it was our mother's wish to unite this country, I still worry it might be too early for them to get involved with this. If it was possible, I would rather bloody my hands than let them."
"Don't worry. Renfa-sama and Shaoren-sama are studying hard to become capable leaders. Also, they are being supported by Kannei, Shutai, Ryomo, and Kogai. Nothing bad will happen to them. Plus, you have me as well. I'll always be by your side, no matter what happens." Meirin reassured.
"You always do know what to say, Meirin." Sheren took Meirin's hand into hers. Gazing into each other's eyes, they were slowly drawing closer. Then sudden, a bright white light shone through the sky.
Both Sheren and Meirin followed the star's path with their eyes.
"As expected of Kanro-sama, her divination of a falling star was true after all." Meirin remarked.
"The Messenger of Heaven, eh...I wonder who it'll be. Although if they get in our way, I'll cut them down whether or not they were chosen from the Heavens." Sheren laughed.
"As expected from Sheren...either always looking for wine or looking for fights." Meirin chuckled.
"It can't be helped...they are the joys of my life: family, good drink and food, good fights...and you, Meirin." Sheren caressed Meirin's hand.
"Sheren..."
Birds filled the sky with their joyous chirping. Kazuto began to wake up, slowly opening his eyes. The bright sunlight shined until his eyes adjusted as he saw the blue sky.
"...It's morning...? I guess today will be a nice day...wait a moment...why can I see the sky...?" Kazuto sluggishly stirred around, confused. "...Shouldn't I be in my dorm right now...? I remember having a weird dream where I fought a strong guy with our school's uniform...wait a moment! That wasn't a dream, was it? Ah, better get ready for school...why didn't my alarm ring?"
Kazuto slowly got up and began to look around. "Whoa...forget about going to school...where am I?" From what he could see, none of the scenery looked familiar. It looked like he was in some sort of rural area... "Did I sleepwalk into the park or something...but wait, I don't think St. Francesca's park looked like this...and there are mountains over there...WAIT WHAT!? MOUNTAINS!?"
With that observations, Kazuto woke up immediately. "That doesn't look like Mt. Fuji...maybe it's Mt. Moon...ah, what am I thinking about?" Kazuto began took a deep breath, slowly calming himself with each breath.
Kazuto pinched the bridge of his nose and began to think about what happened yesterday. "Okay, I went to school...then I had kendo club activities. Right, then Oikawa showed up and we went to the museum to do our report...that's where we bumped into that strange guy...THAT GUY! That's right, he was the one who stole the mirror from the museum's exhibit. He then attacked me and I defended myself, but the mirror broke All I can remember then is a bright light..."
This was still a little confusing to Kazuto. "If I passed out back then, then someone should have seen me. Then again, I'm in some strange place that I don't recognize so I guess it's safe to assume that I'm not near St. Francesca. Did I get kidnapped by that guy or something...?"
A loud growling noise came from Kazuto's stomach. "Ah...I didn't eat dinner last night and I missed breakfast too...so tired..." Kazuto laid on the ground, beginning to fall asleep.
A moment later...
"Well well...what do we have here..." A snide voice sounded out.
"Hey aniki, I haven't seen clothes like these around!" A high pitched voice spoke excitedly.
"Clothes...look...expensive..." A low, deep voice spoke slowly.
'Ah...what's with all this noise...can't a guy get some sleep around here...?' Kazuto grumbled.
"Hey aniki, what should we do with him?"
"Take off his clothes, we can probably get some good money for them."
"Hey, Fatso, you heard aniki, help me take his stuff."
"We...could...just...wake...him...up..." The one called Fatso shook Kazuto around. "Wake...up!"
"Ah...shut up Oikawa, let me sleep a bit! You're being too noisy..." Kazuto murmured.
"What...does...he...mean...by...OIKAWA?"
"Ah, you're doing it too slow Fatso." The pale tall man with the snide voice kicked at Kazuto.
"Ow, the hell you're doing Oikawa!" Kazuto woke up immediately.
"Finally awake now, aren't you, bastard! Now take off your clothes and give them to us!" The snide one raised his sword up.
"Huh?" Kazuto glanced the three people before him. One was short and scrawny, one was tall and menacing, and the other was a giant. They seem to all be wearing armor with yellow turbans around their heads, and they were holding swords threateningly. "What...are these guys cosplaying as Yellow Turban rebels from the Three Kingdoms or something...? But...those swords look a little bit too real to be cosplaying with..."
"What do you mean take off my clothes? What do you want?"
"Your clothes are nice and shiny! They'll probably fetch several gold pieces!"
"Haha, you guys are hilarious. This is just a school uniform you know?"
"I don't care what this "school" of yours is, but you heard me. Leave your clothes behind right now or we'll kill you."
"Huh?" "Aren't these guys getting into their cosplay roles too much...?"
"You heard aniki, you idiot. Take off your damn clothes now!"
"Take...them...off..."
"Man...first I run into that mirror thief, and now I run into a trio of thugs that want to steal my clothes...just my luck. What's next, maybe I'll run into Lupin the Third or Kaito Kid..." "Look, I have no idea why you're trying to take my clothes, but you should stop." Kazuto looked around the area. "I should still have my shinai around here somewhere...ah, there it is."
"Stop? Or else what? You're going to fight us unarmed against three of us with swords?" The tall one laughed menacingly.
"Or else...I'll do exactly that!" Kazuto kicked the ground hard, causing dirt and dust to fly up and hit the three Yellow Turbans' eyes.
"That bastard! I'll kill him!" The short one swung wildly around, temporarily blinded by the dust.
Kazuto took advantage of that and used a technique that his father said was developed after the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu changed from a style that killed to a style that protect. "Hiten Kasshin-ryu: Hadome!" Kazuto crossed his wrists and stopped the blade with the back of his hand. Then he strengthened his grip and jerked the sword away from the short thug and threw it away. Kazuto rolled back and then grabbed his shinai and delivered a thrust to the short thug's neck.
Kazuto was not out of danger yet since the fat giant and the tall one were able to see again. The fat one swung heavily at Kazuto. He may be big and strong, but he was too slow for Kazuto. "Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu: Ryushosen!" Kazuto evaded the attack, leaped, and smashed his shinai under the giant's jaw, knocking him out.
"You bastard...don't think you can escape from this after what you did to Shorty and Fatso!" The tall one slashed rapidly at Kazuto. It was clear to Kazuto that these three guys had little training in swordsmanship and merely used their size and numbers to overwhelm their opponent. Kazuto managed to evade all the wide swings and countered with a simple thrust to the chest.
"Wow...Onii-chan is pretty strong..."
Kazuto turned around to see three girls behind him. One was short and was holding a spear that was definitely too big for her. The other was a black haired beauty that wielded an elegant spear that had a dragon designed on it. The last girl was breathing quite hard.
"Mou...Aisha-chan and Rinrin-chan are fast..." The rose-haired girl panted.
"Sorry Touka-sama, it couldn't be helped after we saw him under attack by these Yellow Turbans. Although he was able to hold them off by himself." The black haired girl remarked with admiration.
Shorty woke up and paled after seeing the newcomers and their weapons. "Hey, Aniki...Fatso...wake up, we got some more company!"
The tall one and fat giant slowly got up and raised their swords. Kazuto, preparing to fight again, got into a stance.
"Let us fight with you, Onii-chan! Rinrin and Aisha are pretty strong." The little girl proclaimed and readied her spear.
"Okay, I don't know who you all are, but thanks!" Kazuto smiled.
"You swines, you can either flee now or choose to face the three of us right now!" The girl named Aisha proclaimed majestically.
"This is bad...oi Shorty...Fatso, we're leaving!" "Right with you, aniki!" "...Leaving..." The three thugs ran away, leaving a cloud of dust behind them.
"...That was a close one...thanks." Kazuto sighed.
"Are you alright?" The rose haired girl asked.
"Yeah, I am, they didn't managed to hit me, but who are all of you?" Kazuto stared at the three girls. They were a lot prettier than some of the girls in St. Francesca's, and that was saying something since it used to be a prestigious all-girls school.
"Ah, that's good to hear. Let me introduce myself. My family name is Ryu, my first name is Bi, and my common name is Gentoku."
"Rinrin's name is Chohi nanoda!" The little girl grinned.
"My family name is Kan, my first name is U, and my common name is Unchou. It's a pleasure to meet you." The black haired girl stated.
Kazuto blinked. "Ryubi, Chohi, Kanu...? The three famous people of Peach Orchard Vow from the Three Kingdoms era? But...they were men, weren't they?"
"Ano...would you grace us with your name?" Ryubi asked.
"Ah, sorry for being rude. My name is Hongo Kazuto. Thank you for helping me against those thugs."
"There's no need to thank us, it was our duty to help protect the Messenger of Heaven." Kanu said proudly.
"The Messenger of Heaven...? What is that?"
"Weeks ago, an oracle named Kanro-sama had a divination. She foretold that from the stars, a Messenger of Heaven will descend and help bring peace and prosperity. We heard of this and began searching for the Messenger of Heaven." Ryubi explained.
"Last night, we saw a big shiny star fall down from the sky! That's why we were able to find you, onii-chan!" Rinrin exclaimed.
"Furthermore, your very clothes seem to emanate with the light of Heaven. Would it not be proof that you are the Messenger of Heaven?" Kanu added.
"That's because they're made from polyester, which reflects light."
"Po-ly-es-ter? Heaven has strange words. Although, your clothes are indeed very beautiful." Ryubi admired.
Kazuto was still confused by their sudden looks of admirations. "By the way...where are we exactly?
This place doesn't look like any place in Japan to my knowledge."
"Ja-pan...? Where is that? Is that the Heavens from where you came from, Hongo-sama?" Ryubi inquired.
"Wait a minute...this isn't Japan?"
"We are currently in the Zhuo District of the Youzhou Province as you can tell by the mountain ridge alongside Mt. Wutai in the distance. There's a village a short distance to the west from here." Kanu explained.
"Hmm...Mt. Wutai? If I remember correctly from my grandpa's history books, it's a famous mountain in China known to be one of the Four Sacred Mountains for Chinese Buddhism. Although, I'm not sure how far Buddhism has progressed in this era. It's probably safe to assume that I'm no longer in Japan. Furthermore, based on their names, it's possible that I may have somehow have been transported to China during the Three Kingdoms period."
"It's not quite exactly Heaven, but it was where I came from originally. I think I somehow stepped into a time slip into the past 1800 years from my time." Kazuto explained.
"...Time...slip?" All the girls looked confused at the terminology.
"It means...I came from the future...I think..." Kazuto rubbed the back of his head.
Then a loud noise erupted from Kazuto's stomach. Everyone else looked surprised as Kazuto blushed as he grabbed his stomach "Ah...sorry about that...I didn't eat anything since yesterday..."
"Ah ha, onii-chan, let's go eat together! The town nearby sells delicious dim sum!" Chohi pulled onto Kazuto's arm.
"Hey Rinrin, don't be too clingy onto Hongo-sama!" Kanu scolded.
"It's alright, I don't mind. Although, is it okay that I eat with you all? I don't have any money with me."
"Don't worry about it! I'm sure you're quite hungry, it's better to think about your health!." Ryubi smiled brightly.
Two figures clothed in white stood far off in the distance, staring at the tall browned hair boy and the three girls that accompanied him. "So...he has arrived in this world..."
"As according to the plan, we'll let him play around in this world for now. Eventually he'll prove useful to us."
"And so the waiting begins...you better enjoy your moment of peace...Hongo Kazuto..."
A chill flowed down the back of Kazuto while he was eating a piece of shumai.
"What's wrong, onii-chan?"
"No, nothing...it must be my imagination.. By the way, if you don't mind me asking, why are you called Rinrin?"
"Because that's Rinrin's true name nanoda!"
"...True name?"
"Everyone has their own true names which they only share to those they trust and value the most. It's also considered extremely rude and an insult to their honor if you use their true name without their consent." Kanu explained.
"Oh, I didn't know that. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude, Chohi."
"It's okay, Rinrin doesn't care about that. Onii-chan can call me anything nanoda!"
Kazuto smiled at the girl's optimism. He was rather surprised at how much she could eat for having such a small body. As the four of them had finished eating, they were walked out of the streets after paying. Then he paused when he hears whispers from the local populace.
"Did you hear the Yellow Turban Rebel Army is growing rapidly?"
"Ah, how scary...and yet our government still hasn't been doing anything to stop them..."
"Things might get tough around here too...I heard the Rebels were growing in activity near here..."
"That's right...there are rumors from nearby provinces that the Rebels ransacked their towns..."
Kazuto frowned silently. Ryubi and Kanu caught his saddened look, but did not press the matter as they continued walking down the path. Eventually, they find themselves upon an orchard of peach blossoms. The wind rustled through the tops of the trees, causing a flurry of blossoms to drop down upon them.
"Wah, it's so beautiful!" Rinrin gasped.
"Mhmm, you're right Rinrin-chan! It's amazing..." Ryubi was amazed.
"They remind me of the cherry blossoms back in my world." Kazuto smiled as he reminisces.
"As expected from Heaven to have such magnificent beauty." Kanu nodded.
"No...my world is not that special..." Kazuto shrugged his shoulders. "By the way...I heard from the town people about the Yellow Turbans...is it really getting that bad?"
"As you can see, Hongo-sama, that our country is in tumultuous time right now. The Yellow Turbans are rising in power with every day. That is why Aisha, Rinrin, and I decided to seek for the Messenger of Heaven to help bring peace back to the country."
"That's right, the three of us didn't know what to do nanoda..."
"I understand what you're saying, but I don't think I'm this Messenger of Heaven that you speak of...I'm just merely a student back in my world."
"But Onii-chan, you were able to fight back those three thugs by yourself before! I haven't seen someone use techniques like yours!"
"Well, that's because I have been trained by my grandfather and father to inherit our ancestors' swordsmanship style, the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu, since I was a kid."
"I am amazed to have meet someone with such dedication to their familial duties. Surely with your skills, you can help us fight against the Yellow Turbans." Kanu nodded.
"I'm not sure about that...I mean...I never fought in a war before, much less even a small battle. The fight I had with the three thugs was the most dangerous I ever been in..."
"Were there no wars in Heaven, Hongo-sama?" Ryubi asked.
"I can't say that there wasn't war in my world, but it was peaceful where I lived. Even if I say that I was to inherit my family's style, it was just a matter of tradition. I'm just still a student. I'm sorry if I got your hopes up."
"No no, it's our fault for making such assumptions on you. I'm sorry Hongo-sama." Ryubi and the girls look crestfallen.
"...They look really sad...even if I'm not this Messenger of Heaven, could I not help them? What kind of man would I be if I refused to help these girls? Grandpa would've killed me. I would be insulting my ancestors' wishes to protect."
"Say...people will unite under this Messenger of Heaven, will they?" Kazuto asked hesitantly.
"Of course. The people are waiting for the hero who will help bring peace to their lives. They will warmly welcome the Messenger of Heaven and will gladly for them!" Kanu exclaimed.
"Then...will it be possible to gather enough volunteer soldiers if they were to unite under the Messenger of Heaven?"
"Yes because everyone has heard of Kanro-sama's divinations before. Her previous divinations came true after all. If they knew that Messenger of Heaven was real, they will have hope that peace will come in the future." Ryubi explained.
"...Okay then. I don't consider myself a Messenger of Heaven, but I will help you all fight against the Yellow Turbans. That way, you'll be able to gather enough volunteers for an army, right?"
"What you will be true, but Hongo-sama, you don't have to do this if you aren't the Messenger of Heaven." Ryubi replied.
"Even so, I will be disgracing my ancestors if I refused to fight when I am able to. I also do have some knowledge on tactics, if that may help."
"Your skills are indeed great from what I saw, and it will be helpful if you do know tactics, but why would you go so far to help us?" Kanu inquired.
"...I'm not that cold-hearted to refuse to help three beautiful girls when they're in trouble..."
"...Wow, onii-chan, that was a bit embarassing right there..." Rinrin and the others blushed.
"Ah ha...anyway, I'm not the one to decide that I should am the Messenger of Heaven or not. You three can believe what you want, I won't stop you from doing so. However, for now, you can use me as the Messenger of Heaven for your means, but promise me this. If I ever become unworthy to have that title, then abandon me. I don't want anyone to suffer because of this lie."
"But Hongo-sama...is that what you really want to do? It seems a bit...sad..." Ryuubi frowned.
"Yes, I think I've thought about the good and bad merits about doing this. As a man and the successor to the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu, I have made my decision to help you all. If anything, I am more sorry that I have to force this lie upon you all."
"No, it wouldn't do for us to refuse your help nor should you be sorry about this." Ryubi smiled gently. "If anything...this just further proves that you're really the Messenger of Heaven." She then looked at Kanu and Chohi. Aisha-chan, Rinrin-chan, I think we have found our Lord."
"Wait...your Lord...?"
Kazuto's eyes widened as Ryuubi, Kanu, and Chohi bowed before him.
"I, Ryuubi Gentoku, hereby acknowledge Hongo Kazuto-sama as my Lord. Please call me by my true name, Touka as a sign as my trust and treat me as your vassal."
"I, Kanu Unchou, hereby acknowledge Hongo Kazuto-sama as my Lord. My true name is Aisha and I promise to serve you as your retainer."
"Rinrin will protect Onii-chan nanoda!"
"Wait a moment, stand up. You don't have bow in front of me like that. If anything, I would like for us to be friends instead."
"My Lord, you're really kind, aren't you?" Ryubi laughed.
"Hehe, Onii-chan looks embarrassed."
"I look forward to working with you, My Lord." Aisha smiled.
"Alright, I don't know much about being a Lord, but let's work hard together."
Under the flowing peach blossoms, Aisha raised her spear. "The four of us have come forth!"
Tohka raised her sword. "From this day forward, we together shall uphold justice with all our power!"
Rinrin raised her spear. "We shall save and protect those in need with all our hearts!"
Kazuto raised his shinai. "Together we shall perform our duty and bring peace to this land!"
The four of them clashed their weapons and cheered out.
Note about the characters:
I'll be using the Japanese names and their "True Names" for the most part of the story. I'll only use the Chinese name if only I decide to introduce a character that was not originally from Koihime Musou, and I do not know their Japanese name (But this is highly unlikely...) Also, this does mean that all of the characters haven been introduced yet. I'll update the list with each chapter.
Ryubi – Liu Bei – Touka
Kanu – Guan Yu – Aisha
Chohi – Zhang Fei – Rinrin
Sousou – Cao Cao – Karin
Kakouton – Xiahou Dun – Shunran
Kakouen – Xiahou Yuan – Shuuran
Sonsaku – Sun Ce – Sheren
Sonken – Sun Quan – Renfa
Sonshoko – Sun Shangliang - Shaoren
Shuuyu – Zhou Yu – Meiren
Rikuson – Lu Xun – Non
Kannei – Gan Ning – Shishun
Shutai – Zhou Tai – Minmei
Ryomo – Lu Meng – Ashe
Kogai – Huang Gai – Sai
Ryofu – Lu Bu – Ren
Kanro – Guan Lu