Mii-dera (Temple of the Three Wells), Ōtsu in Ōmi province
Lake Biwa was beautiful in the autumn, so it was written in the Man'yoshū. Perhaps the real sight on this cloudy day was not quite as impressive as the flowery terms the shut-in court poets used to describe it three hundred years ago, but with the leaves all around it turning shades of red, it did have a certain majesty to it, the young man in white thought as he drew his brush, dipped in ink along the canvas, swirling it, starting and stopping, as a character formed. It was "love". He didn't quite know why he had chosen it, only that it had been the first thing to come to mind.
Being shut in the temple for almost a year was quite taxing on the mind, but not so much as the recent events that the messengers from the capital had brought news of. When he had first heard them, he did not give grief or become enraged; he simply nodded. He was forced into seclusion here because he had earned the enmity of the Chancellor of the Realm, for daring to question his grasp of power and descent into tyranny. His older half-brother did not, and now he was dead, and no one was left to stop the mad Heike's control of the entire country
Now, he was not safe anymore. It would not be long before the imperial troops came marching into Mii-dera, caring not that it was a sacred place, to drag him back into the capital and die a commoner's death in front of all the nobles of Heian. In this age, being born into the imperial family was more of a curse than a blessing, thought the Prince. He sought to avoid it, and he wished to be a nameless monk living a life of solitude among the mountains. Yet just by existing he drew the wrath of Taira no Kiyomori, and by daring to speak what others could not, he drew his eternal hatred.
An old man, dressed in blue decorated with the white bamboo-leaves of his family, entered the hall where the Prince sat, shuffling along. His age was so advanced he could hardly walk anymore; he grimaced when each leg moved forward. Still, his age had not stripped him of his wit. The elder was still one of the most dangerous minds in all of the Eight Islands, and had served as a general under the same number of emperors, winning many battles in the north and east, and overthrowing the Emperor in the Hougen Rebellion before aiding the Taira in the Heiji Rebellion. Minamoto no Yorimasa, even at seventy-nine, was a name that chilled the heart of any man tasked with opposing him.
"Your Majesty," Yorimasa announced, dropping to a knee with an audible creak, "the sons of my brother Yoshitomo have arrived."
"Do not use that title," the Prince gently rebuked him, "for I am no Emperor."
"Neither is the Chancellor, but he thinks himself to be."
"Then I am not the same as him. Tell the monks to welcome my honored guests, and to bring their horses to the stables and provide them with food."
Within a few minutes, the screen doors to the Prince's chamber opened, giving a view into the temple beyond. Weapons lined the walls, and the monks, though of shaved head and in tunic, were muscular as any soldier; these were famed throughout the land for their skill in battle, but inside the temple they were forbidden to carry any bow or blade, for it was a sacred place. The monk who opened the door bowed to their guests: three men in full dress with the same golden eyes, almost like cats, that signified a Minamoto. It was widely written that their father had the same eyes as them, and that only the Minamoto, out of all the nobles, bore that eye color.
The tallest and oldest had hair of orange and a squared jaw, the second was brown-haired, small, and looked like he could barely keep his eyes open, and the third, though young, had long hair the color of violets; each of them bowed in turn, then sat before the Prince. Behind him, Yorimasa took the same seat.
The first of the Minamoto brothers began. "Greetings to you," he said in a loud, authoritative voice, "o great Prince Mochihito, and to you, honorable Uncle."
"It is the same to you," he addressed them in turn, "Yoritomo, Noriyori, and Yoshitsune. I suppose I was small the last time I saw you last. My, how things change."
"It's unfortunate," Yoritomo replied. "I have heard the news. I did not wish for them to be this way, but it is out of my control. My brothers and I are fortunate that Kiyomori did not bother to pursue us, or we would not be here talking to you."
The Prince bowed his head and sighed deeply. "I wished not to believe it. I wished that even when he betrayed Yoshitomo that somewhere deep in the heart of the Grand Chancellor was a small speck of light, but I can say so no longer. I fear the country is ruined if something is not done."
He paused. It was starting to become humid: it was like he could smell rain on the wind. "I apologize. I know you three do not wish to hear this from one whose mother was a Taira himself. But, there is no other option. The Grand Chancellor is mad. I do not wish to call you to war…but there is nothing else I can do."
Yoritomo bowed low, followed by the youngest, although Noriyori took a second to do so until his older brother prodded him. "We are greatly saddened by the loss, Your Majesty."
The Prince bowed his head, too, sighing a little. "My brother was a kind soul…maybe too kind. We were never meant to rule, not when a wolf such as Kiyomori is alive. It was just the misfortune of our generation. I could never hope to match him, and he could less so. It's just that…I knew I should have stayed by him, but I ran away here, and now he is dead, indignantly slain in a 'fire'. If only…It is too late for that, I suppose. I ask your help."
"Our help we gratefully provide," Yoritomo said piercingly. "The Grand Chancellor did something unforgivable twenty years ago at the end of the Rebellion of Heiji, when he executed my father, the same man he fought beside no more than two years earlier. The Genji remember, and we will pay him back in kind. And now, he has committed a sin so heinous toward even the heavens itself…to slay the very divine Emperor…he is no man, he is a demon, and our role is to save the country from him. We will mass the armies to remove the tyrant Heike from the throne Heaven has not prescribed to them, but that they have taken by force. They spit in the face of the gods above, and of men below. And to that end, o Prince, I proclaim you the Emperor of Yamato and all the Nine Islands here beyond. Hail, Heavenly Sovereign, Ruler over all the Land in which the Sun Rises, Amaterasu in the flesh!"
And he bent low. After a second, Yoshitsune followed his genuflection, but the second son was fast asleep on the table. An angery Yoritomo noticed him and slapped the back of his head hard, abruptly rousing Noriyori from his sleep, before pushing his head down.
"Raise your heads, noble sons of Yoshitomo," the Prince said. "I wish to be no emperor."
The three hesitantly raised up, with Noriyori still rubbing the welt his older brother had given him.
At that time, a young priest hurriedly burst through the door. His robe was covered in sweat, and he was gasping, his hands on his knees. His bald, tanned head glistened with perspiration.
"S-sir…I come bearing news from the capital…the Grand Chancellor has called forth the armies to arrest you and they set to march on your location as I speak…please, escape from here while you can…the Heike will surely have you all…leave…"
The Minamoto sons stood, their faces growing pale. "No one knew of our arrival here…on this instance, the only ones were the monks and ourselves…a traitor? No, that can't be…" Yoritomo muttered.
"Sir, should I tell the Head Priest to find the traitor?" the messenger piped up.
"There is no time," Yoritomo replied. "We will come north. Please come with us…you too, beloved Uncle…"
"And then I would bring the Heike to your door. No, I cannot do that. I cannot allow more than what is absolutely necessary to die, for then it would be pointless, and the tyrant would reign over all. You go before me. Lord Yorimasa, call your sons, your retainers, and all your men who stay here to arms. I gave away my royal duties, and I will live no longer as a coward."
"My lord, you cannot!"
"You were the one that proclaimed me your ruler, Yoritomo. I order this of you. You will flee, and leave your uncle and I, to conduct a plan. And when it is done, you will mass all of your men across this nation, all who love their freedom and the great gods above, and free the Nine Islands from Kiyomori's tyrant grasp. This is my last command as your emperor, o Genji. I know it comes soon, but were I to flee here, all would be lost. Promise me this, Genji, that you will emerge victorious."
"I swear it to you, my lord!"
"Remove that shake from your voice," the old man Yorimasa harrumphed. "You are no boy anymore."
"And what of you, Uncle?" the eldest Minamoto asked.
"I have five hundred of my guard with me; it is suitable to hold them off for a time. We will stay here, until Kiyomori's army is close, and then mass and break for the capital. He does not seek the head of the Prince with so much vigor as he seeks those of you three. I will make it seem as if you are with our number. Once he finds that he has been lied to, you will already be far away, in Kamakura, at the head of all your men, and marching to fight him. You there!" he said, addressing the young monk who had brought the news. "Will you aid our escape?"
"The Head Priest will stall the Heike for you, my lord," the novice replied. "It is our honor."
"Death's spectre is soon to take me. It is better for that to happen in an honorable way," the old man mused. "Young priest, if you please, inform the monk that we head toward Heian."
"Thank you, Uncle. May you be blessed." Yoritomo, still trying his best to look brave, turned and walked quickly toward the door to where their horses were.
"Aaah, looks like it's going to be a hassle…" Noriyori muttered.
The two older brothers had left, but the third still stood, staring the Prince in his eyes. For the first time, he was not able to read this person just from his expression. Good, bad…he saw nothing in the face of Minamoto no Yoshitsune.
"My lord and my family are my honor," he said, and then just as quickly he left.
And with that, the Prince and the old general were alone again. "My Prince, my army will march when the order is given."
"Bring me my bed," said Mochihito. "I am grown weary."
Somewhere in Ise
"Do you even know where we're going?" the girl asked, her frustration beginning to show.
"Like I said, I know a guy in Echizen who would probably be able to help. It's gonna take us a couple months to get there, though." her companion replied.
"It'll take more than that if you keep going in circles!" Aki cried indignantly. "If you had just stayed on the main road we could have been all the way to the next town by now! But no, you just had to take a shortcut, didn't you?"
"Like I said, I know my way around here!" Yato shot back.
"Then why are we out wandering in the forest? Where even are we?"
"Shut up and keep walking."
This hat that samurai were supposed to wear, according to his charge, really itched, and the top of Yato's head was beginning to soak his hair in sweat. And the snicker in the back of his ear didn't make it any better. He made a mental note to hit his Shinki once they had made camp for the night.
I never thought the genius of a god could get any smarter, Sukune smirked.
Shut it. You're lucky I don't just throw you out in the forest.
Yeah, because that would make you safer, wouldn't it? The god of wisdom strikes again.
Yato hissed out. His weapon sure did have things he couldn't counter.
Why don't you just be thankful for this? I even put you in Vessel form, and you're still being rude…
Stop being stupid and then I won't call you on it. Seriously, I can understand not being able to read letters, but a map? It's just a picture!
You tell me where we are, then!
Actually, I'm just a ronin's sword. I'm not supposed to be talking. And with that, Sukune would say no more.
He did have a point, though. Yato vaguely knew the location of the god he was seeking, but just because he himself was a god didn't mean he had a good sense of direction, or that he could fly, or anything of that sort short of just walking to his destination like any peasant.
The girl wholeheartedly believed him to be just some samurai who she had found squatting in a temple, and Yato had no reason to tell her the truth. He knew someone-he knew exactly who, but he quickly pushed that thought out of his mind-was looking for him, and it sure would make it easy for them if he didn't keep his identity a secret. If he told her, or he did something that no human could do, who knows who would overhear, or see, and how quickly more would know, until it reached the Stray, or…him?
Getting clothes wasn't very hard, though. He felt a little bad that some samurai and lady in the town outside the shrine had woken up to find their clothes missing, but he had to do what he had to do. The robe he had picked up for himself was dark blue. It was common, but that just made him blend in more. The girl who walked beside him had on a red robe: it wasn't peasant attire, but it wasn't particularly indicative of a noble either. They could just be any local landlord's daughter and her guard travelling.
He was still not sure how the girl managed to see him, though. Apparently because she could see him, others could too, because a few people had looked at him when they were both on the main road. But did that mean that when he wasn't near her, like when he had gone to steal clothes, people didn't see him? No one in the brothel he took them from seemed to have any clue he was there, and before Aki showed up, no one at all save for other gods and the dead could see him. And why couldn't she see Sukune even when he was in human form? It didn't make sense.
The light shone down from in between the cloud cover, making a dapple pattern on the dirt and grass, a few green leaves here and there. There wasn't even another traveler on the road, as far as they could tell. It was the back way, but even so, it wasn't too far from the main road to the west coast, and yet there was no one on it. If not for his companions he walked aside, Yato would think himself the only man alive.
But he was no man.
Nature must feel much better as a human, he thought, because there was only so much time to live in it, and then it was done. They did not know who had created it; they did not worry about powers greater than them. They just saw it for what it was. It had ceased to be anything special for Yato; after all, there were forests just like it anywhere else in the world. He knew who made these forests, and the ground and the animals. It wasn't anything special to him, and yet to them, it was.
He listened, just out of curiosity. It was curiously quiet; even the birds were not singing. It was as if time, for just a short moment, had ceased to flow-
No. That's not what it was.
Instantly, the sound of footsteps, as loud as an elephant in the silence, broke toward the east.
"What's that-" Aki was cut off by a young man, wearing the black robes of a monk and white scarf around his head, but dirtied, his sash hanging off his shoulders, running for his life. His terrified eyes caught those of Yato's, flashing just for a brief second, but even with that time he could tell the boy was terrified.
Aki stood beside the god looking at the young man who had broken the silence, the maroon jewels of her eyes covered over by confusion, and then grass began to crackle all around them. Yato saw the black smoke before the six men, their weapons drawn, emerged. Aki's eyes widened and she took a step back.
It's a greed ayakashi. I knew it. Bandits are easy targets for them. But six men at once…it must be a powerful one.
The people who lived in such poverty that they were forced to rob travelers to live…their hearts were easy prey for ayakashi to feed on. And this one had possessed an entire gang.
In one move, the god drew his sword, holding it at the ready, the steel glinting in the sunlight, and pushed Aki behind him. "Don't let them get near you. Take the kid and stay back."
She just slightly nodded with wide eyes, edging back.
The bandit in the lead, directly across from Yato, who held a short sword, called out, "Get outta the way!"
"Who are you, and what do you want from me?" the god replied, not averting his gaze.
"We got no quarrel with you. Just move."
"Let me guess. You want him?" The young man in the monk robes was sitting on the ground, his jaw dropped, clutching a satchel tightly in his arms and edging backwards. Aki was trying to slowly move him away, but he could barely back up far.
"Just move!"
"Can't do that."
"Listen, buddy, I don't want to have to rob you too, but we will if you don't move out of the way…" All the bandits edged forward. The smoke of the ayakashi was beginning to move off their shoulders and back, as they begin to grin unnaturally as one.
"You were always gonna do that, weren't you?" Yato growled. He cocked his arms into a fighting stance. "Come, Kyuuki," he whispered.
"Ah damn. I guess you found us out," the bandit leader smirked. "Who are you anyways? Some kinda samurai?"
"Guess you could say that."
"Aren't you supposed to proclaim your name and master? You're a sorry excuse for a samurai. And who's the little girl beside you? Your kid?"
"I'm not under any obligation to tell you that."
"Well, too bad." And then he moved.
The leader of the bandits took to Yato, so fast he was almost surprised. The others were with him, matching him. It was as much as he could do to block.
The ayakashi is increasing their abilities. A normal human would be no match for me.
One of them slashed forward with his knife, barely catching Yato. He fell back, his guard still up.
His hand bled.
Are you sure you should have picked this fight? Sukune piped up.
Sukune, barrier, now. Like I taught you.
To do what?
Split them apart.
Wouldn't that break the charade?
She never saw you when you weren't in your weapon form the first time. Could work.
Whatever the great god says.
With a single move, Sukune flashed out of his sword form into his human form, drawing a line across his body. A ray of golden light moved on the ground, splitting between each of the bandits. They started to murmur in surprise, shielding their eyes. That was his opportunity. Yato slammed into the first bandit with the hilt of his sword before he could react. As the man lay on the ground, struggling to catch his breath, he raised the sword up.
It was an easy way to get rid of an ayakashi when they possessed someone. All you had to do was kill their host.
He lifted Kyuuki up…it would be finished soon. He had won.
As he swung it backwards, he looked, and saw the girl behind him was staring in an expression of terror, her wine-red eyes beginning to glisten over.
Kyuuki hung limply at his side, mere inches from the bandit's neck.
Nobody had prayed to him that this man should die. It wouldn't be right for him to make his own wish, would it?
It was then that he saw her face…Sakura, and she smiled at him.
Can you do something for me? he asked his Shinki.
What would that be?
Purification.
Sukune flashed out of his weapon form again, the silver-haired youth standing beside his master.
"Make a barrier around him," Yato commanded. "I'll clear the ayakashi out."
Moving his hand in the shape of a box, the Shinki hemmed in the man with golden light, and Yato began to chant, in a tone of voice so songlike as to be almost incomprehensible to speech. Perhaps it was the tongue of the gods, or perhaps it was the tongue of man.
The bandit's body began to smoke and heave violently, and above him the black cloud of the ayakashi began to form into a shape. The other bandits' bodies were being wracked, as well, as the horrid black smoke began to wrap violently around them.
"It's draining them…" Sukune muttered, looking up. The ayakashi being forcibly removed from one of its human hosts meant it was going to consume the energy of the others and leave them…to attack.
A clawed arm began to form from the shape in the air, and an unblinking eye opened.
"Smells good."
One blow would end it.
"Come forth, Kyuuki!" Yato barked, and as the sword materialized in his hand launched himself in the air, cleaving through the monster before it even had time to attack. A shimmering crystal formed in the air, then burst apart in a rush of light and wind as the god landed on the ground. It was over.
As the barrier lines disappeared from around him, the bandits were slowly and groggily getting up. Their leader caught Yato's eye and immediately prostrated himself. "S-Sir, spare me, please!"
"You're not armed," the god harrumphed. "Do you think I'll kill someone who's already been defeated?"
"J-just spare us, please! We'll never do it again!"
It really isn't their fault in the first part, Yato thought. Damn ayakashi. They'd all probably be just out in the fields right now if that monster hadn't possessed them.
"Listen, I don't know anything about your situation," Yato replied, sheathing Kyuuki. "So I'm not gonna act like I can tell you what's right and wrong. Just let me warn you…the next guy you try to pull this on may not be willing to see it your way. I'd just stay out of trouble if I was you."
"T-thank you, sir!" the bandit chief exclaimed, and motioning to his men they all ran away about as fast as Yato had seen a human run in some time.
Look at you, trying to act all moral all of a sudden, Sukune gloated.
What's wrong with that?
You would have happily cut them apart if someone had given you a coin for it. You're about as noble as a pig.
The way Sukune mouthed off to his master, Yato was surprised he hadn't been stung yet. It seemed like it was going to happen one of these days.
Aki was still staring straight ahead, although as Yato approached her, she blinked, appearing to rouse herself from her trance. The monk was still seated on the ground, absolutely terrified.
"Hey, you," he snapped, motioning his hand across the face of the terrified boy. "Somebody in there?"
The boy in the monk robes instantly made a noise halfway between terror and surprise. "A-are they gone?"
Yato scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, they're not gonna bother you anymore."
"Who are you?"
"Just someone who has to protect an annoying little girl."
Aki, in the background, puffed her cheeks out.
"Y-you can make light come out of your hands and things like that?"
"Huh? Don't be stupid."
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" the young man cried, bowing down. "Please don't rob me!"
Seems like he knows you well, Sukune smirked.
Like I'd do that.
"Get up. And close your mouth, you look like a fish after it's been caught," Yato harrumphed. The boy scrambled to his feet.
"M-my name's Chiku…I'm a new monk at Kiyomizu-dera in the capital. I was on a journey to the Wakasahiko Shrine with my sect when we were attacked by those raiders and I got separated…thank you for saving me. They were going to take this-" he held out the small sack he carried- "it's all I have."
"You think this had anything to do with you?" Yato replied. "It was only because they got in my way."
Aki shot daggers at her charge.
"Sir, I don't mean to be rude to you, but is it possible you can help me find my sect in Wakasa?"
"No way. I've already got one annoying kid to haul around."
"B-but, sir, I'll do anything…"
"Then I'll tell you what you can do: leave and not bother me."
It was at that time a large, heavy object landed squarely on Yato's shoulders, wrestling him down to the ground and an arm wrapped around his throat. "You STUPID EXCUSE FOR A SAMURAI!"
Yato tried to yell out that he was being choked, but Aki's rage hold meant he couldn't get a word out edgewise. "He's begging for help and you just IGNORE HIM? You scum! You coward!"
"L-let him go! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" the young monk wailed.
"Is this okay?" Chiku asked, holding out a coin, as Aki sulked in the background, nursing the bump on the head she had just been given.
Capital money again.
"Well, Wakasa is on the way to where we're going, so I guess we could do that. But I'm not helping you out specifically. It's just…a promise, I guess."
"Thank you, sir! Oh, thank you!" the monk exclaimed, falling at his feet.
"Get up," Yato harrumphed. "That's embarrassing, groveling like that."
"Right! Sorry!"
He's going to be a handful. Great. Just great. Now I have two kids and an annoying Shinki.
"Well, Wakasa is this way, so let's get going," Yato announced, yanking his hand in the ahead direction."
"Yes, sir!" Chiku cried, immediately running as so not to lag behind. Aki followed behind him somewhat more slowly, still sulking.
After they had continued a few more minutes down the peaceful forest road again, the girl came up beside him.
"You're horrible…" she muttered. "A samurai doesn't hit his lady like that…"
"A lady doesn't choke out her samurai like that," Yato shot back.
Aki rubbed the bump on the back of her head, pouting. "You were being rude to him, though…"
"Why is it never your fault?" the god muttered. "Anyways, why are you clinging up here all of the sudden? Got another stupid thing for me to do?"
"No, well, when you were fighting those guys, I saw all these strange lights going across the ground, and your sword disappeared and reappeared, and you…flew…is there something you're not telling me?"
"You're hallucinating."
"No, I'm not!" Aki replied, indignantly. "I saw it!"
"Yeah, and what samurai does that? You've just got an overactive imagination."
"Hmpf! You're a super liar! I saw it happen!"
"Whatever you say, Princess Idiot."
And as they continued to bicker as they walked down the road, the young monk following close behind, Yato was at least grateful his weapon wasn't causing trouble for now.
Uji, Yamashiro
The wind blew in a stiff breeze off the wide, flowing river. It was particularly cooling in the summer heat, where the water in the air hung muggily all around the Kinai. Today, the clouds blanketed the sky, and it seemed as if everything, from the trees to the grass and the water itself, had taken on a shade of gray. It was fitting, thought the man upon the horse, the leftmost of the three that stood on the banks of the river as they stood, looking out upon a grand temple, and the hundreds of men, both warrior-monk and samurai, bearing Minamoto banners, across from them. Behind the samurai on horses stood thousands of soldiers, the Taira crest flags flapping violently in the wind.
The Taira that the three men stood at the head of outnumbered their enemies nearly four times to one. The Grand Chancellor, the man's father, had sent them out upon finding that three sons of Minamoto no Yoshitomo had met with the Imperial Prince at Mii-dera, and they had marched there only to find that the men had fled south, and they had pursued the Genji for months. But now, it was at an end. The Taira controlled the capital and all south from it, so they were cornered. They could go no more.
The man in the center was a tall, handsome, ruddy youth, who had piercing eyes and a strong body, who was surveying the army in front of him. He turned to the man on the horse beside him, saying: "Lord Tomomori, have you caught sight of the Genji princes?"
The man sighed. "I have not, Lord Tadatsuna. They must be inside the great hall."
Many years of being born into the family of Taira no Kiyomori had taken its toll on his thirdborn son. Tomomori had always considered himself unlike his brothers. While his father was always extolling the virtues of battle, and Shige-nii and Mune-nii would always dream of fighting battles, he took his swordsmanship lessons only because he was forced to, and no more than that. There was nothing he wanted more than a peaceful life, to have a family and retire to a far reach of the empire, living among nature.
Yet, with Kiyomori as your father, that wasn't really possible. That was why, despite all of his protests, most of his twenty-eight years had been spent commanding armies, and even when he willingly did that his father would still look down on him. He wasn't like his two older brothers; they were skilled and brave and loved combat. Tomomori wondered if his father wished he had birthed eight Shigemoris instead of one.
The man to the right of Ashikaga no Tadatsuna, the young general who commanded this army, was Tomomori's younger brother Shigehira, who was completely like him. He always wanted to be like Shige-nii, and this was his first chance to get to be in the lead of an army. He was trying hard to hide his excitement, but his older brother could see his eyes sparkling and his mouth trying to smile as he looked out upon the large contingent of Minamoto who were to be their opponent.
Tomomori wondered if he would be so excited after this one was over. His brother hadn't quite realized what battle could be like.
As they watched, the doors to the temple opened, and an old man, accompanied by two younger ones, walked out. Tomomori recognized him on sight; what noble worth half his salt wouldn't? Minamoto no Yorimasa was the greatest general in all the Nine Islands still living, and he was one of the ones his father wanted his sons to be like. Tomomori surely thought one day he would serve under him, but now, he was their enemy.
"The Scourge of the North…I was afraid the Genji would have recruited him…" Tadatsuna muttered, running his hand through his short, reddish-brown hair.
"I say he made that decision himself," Tomomori replied. "The old man can't leave the thrill of battle behind."
Yorimasa, hobbling, his old bones wracked with pain but still walking with a fierce determination, made his way to the riverbed, staring down the three Taira commanders with those cat-like yellow Genji eyes.
"Noble Uncle," Tadatsuna announced, his voice booming across the river, "you can go no further. Surrender the Prince and the three sons of Yoshitomo."
"Tadatsuna," the old man replied with a shaky but firey voice, "why stand you at the head of the Heike, against your own family?"
"I made an oath to Lord Kiyomori, the same as you, Uncle," Tadatsuna replied. "You are the one I should be asking why you bed with traitors, standing against the Realm. Did you not make that same oath to the same lord as I? And yet here you rise against him."
"No Heike binds me, young Tadatsuna. Do you wish to fight me, Tadatsuna? Raise arms against your own bloodline?"
"With all honor afforded to you, great uncle, I made no same oath toward the Minamoto house as I did toward the Grand Chancellor."
"So you stand with that tyrant's sons and army, and you will fight me?"
"No, Uncle, I do not wish to fight you, only for you to turn over the Prince and the Minamoto sons to me."
The old man grinned. "I'm afraid you will have to. The sons of Yoshitomo are already at their castle at Kamakura raising their forces, not with us. It is remarkable how easily youth can be deceived."
Tadatsuna gritted his teeth. The Grand Chancellor would be furious that he had sent such a large army after his enemies, and they had escaped. Tomomori had expected something like this, but…he had no way of figuring out what it might be. The old man was just too devious.
The young Ashikaga drew his sword. "Surrender now, and the Grand Chancellor might spare you!"
"Grovel before that bastard? I'd sooner die, instead of shaming my family like you have, boy."
There was no choice, Tomomori realized. The old man was goading them to fight no matter what, and the young noble was going to be goaded into it. He'd been played like a court lady plays a shamisen.
"No man of the house of Minamoto would ever put any loyalty above that to their own kind. So let me ask you, boy, has your manhood perhaps taken a leave of absence? Did the Taira, perhaps, make you a eunuch? For a man would not be such a coward to raise even a finger against his family!"
"Do you question my honor, Uncle?" Tadatsuna roared. "If you would rather die than bow to the Emperor and the Grand Chancellor, then that is what you will do! I am Ashikaga no Tadatsuna, of the line of Seiwa Genji, and I shall take your head, traitor! Men, charge!"
Tomomori had wished to avoid a battle, but as the horses and soldiers charged behind him, he realized that wouldn't be possible anymore.
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Hello again! I know updates have been slow, but it's final season, and I've finally gotten a big enough break from them to write a little bit. I hope you enjoy this chapter, even if it is a little slow…I saw a positive reaction after just one chapter of this story, so I finally figured out what to do to continue it.
For all those asking about the warrior monks and what they did, in the Heian period Buddhist monks were expected to be warriors, not ascetics. Just like the Shaolin of China, which I'm sure some of you have heard of, they were trained not only in hand-to-hand combat, but also with weapons. While it's curious why followers of a religion that proclaimed nonviolence would wield weapons in battle, it's a part of Japanese history nonetheless, and in the time I write of, temples were powerful enough to pretty much be equal to lords, as they owned lands and could field armies. The support of Buddhist temples with warrior monks was important for any noble who sought to expand his power. Chiku is a member of a sect that trains in weaponry but only for defense, not for war.
The battle I describe is the First Battle of Uji (today an outer area of Kyoto), which was the opening conflict of the Genpei War. Although it did not occur exactly because of the reasons I described (the Minamotos were already at their castle in Kamakura, central Kanto at the time), the commanders and locations that I write about were true in actuality and not embellished. The problem with inventing personalities for these real historical people is there is not a lot of writing on what they actually were like in thought or feeling, and a bunch of samurai who act the same just aren't memorable. So while they may not look and act like they really did, it's kind of necessary to build a good character to have them be unique.
Well, considering I'm off to college this summer, I may not have a lot of free time, but I will try my hardest to continue pumping out chapters of all my works. Thanks for reading! Please leave a review if you can, it really helps. See you soon!
-mrcmc888