'Blast! My spear!'
"(1) 死ねい!"
'Well, I guess this is the end...'
The red clad warrior closed his eyes, solemnly awaits for the scythe to rip his heart to shreds while lamenting how pathetic his death was going to be. Killed by some petty shadow of a deceased ninja who held grudges against him and his brother. He would die in great shame indeed, but at least he died content.
He was so in great debt to the Heavens which had allowed him to fight alongside his brother side-by-side. Yes, earlier they were trying to have each other's neck, but having intercepted by the *piiiip* ninja, they didn't have much choice left.
He had always wanted to witness himself how graceful, ghostly, and quickly his brother fought, and his reputation as Silent Death proved it. He too, had always wanted to show Nobuyuki how he had grown for the past twelve years within his absence, how fine he had trained his younger brother. He knew his brother had mutual feelings. Eyes never lie. Although they had never seen each other for twelve years, the immense bond they had makes both of them easily read each's true feeling, even by a tentative glance.
'Huh?'
Dense warm liquor splattered onto his body. The blade he was waiting for however, never came. Instead, his ears caught rough voices of
"*Piiiiiip*! How did you?!" Nope, his brother's voice is sooo not dark, gloomy, and grumpy, followed by clattering sound of a blade.
"Like *piiip* (Ouch, he never thought his sooo-polite-and-well-mannered-brother would say something like that) I'll let you know! Go to hell!" Now this is Nobuyuki's.
'Hey, did someone burnt something?'
Slowly, Yukimura opened his eyes to satisfy his curiosity. He silently prayed that his eyes would reveal something good. Unfortunately, it didn't. Shockwaves of electricity that was far more than enough to knock out a five ton elephant invaded his body. His right hand immediately dropped his spear and his feet jumped through one meter gap between him and Nobuyuki.
"NIISAN!" His arms faster than lightning grabbed his brother's blood bathed body, just before he slammed the ground.
He laid Nobuyuki on his lap, quickly tearing a large piece the cloth covering his left arm abruptly and pressed it to his brother's twenty centimeters stab wound crossing his chest. Within few seconds, Yukimura could feel blood massively flowing under his thick purple cloth gloved palm.
'D*piiiip*n! His bleeding's far worse than it looks! Gotta stop it, otherwise Niisan will—'
He shook his head, kicking the horrid image of his brother died in his arms. 'What the hell am I thinking? Niisan WILL make this out. We're going to claim our happy life we had once and nobody will take it from us. Ever. Again.'
Unfortunately, reality decided to say otherwise. The bleeding was nothing compared to one in Nobuyuki's exit wound that already made blood pool wide enough to stain Yukimura's shin guard to the tip of his iron boots.
"Ah, come on!" He screamed in frustration for unable to ease his brother's suffering, fear of losing his only brother when they would finally be living together in peace, anxious of his ninjas would be arrived when it was too late, and a little iritation of 'where's everybody?!'
He ripped another part of his arm protector cloth, gently lifting up his brother's back, and pressed it stronger than to the previous wound.
'Pleasestoppleasestoppleasestoppleasestop...' Yukimura bit his lower lip as he pushed away the horrid thoughts seconds ago and as he restrained tears gathered in his eyes from spilling out.
"Yu... Yukimura..." the raspy voice broke his tear dam, tears freely skidded his cheeks, dripping from his chin.
"Niisan..." his eyes locked with half part of his brother's silvery grey pearls as the other half was hiding under his eyelids.
The older of the two smiled as bright as he could, blood escaped his mouth aggressively.
"Loo... look at you... how... how my baby brother has grown..." violent bloody cough interrupted.
"NIISAN!"
Yukimura took observative looks upon his brother's wounds only to find a painful fact that he really couldn't ease his brother's suffering.
' $+#$?^&/*\-?!' (LANGUAGE!) 'WHY WON'T IT STOP?!'
He was busy trying to stop blood from pooling any wider around him when a wet, sticky, cold, big palm touched his cheeks, drawing his attention to Nobuyuki's corpse pale face—just think, Nobuyuki's complexion itself has already been so fair, added with the corpse-pale state, he's just one way to pair Zhou Yu's paper white— It took all his strength not to flinch from such sight. Nobuyuki's thumb gently and lovingly swept the crystal clear liquor flowing from Yukimura's eyes.
He quickly grabbed Nobuyuki's hand as he sensed it slipping off his cheek and rested it on his brother's abdomen, giving it a tight squeeze like it was his life. Had Nobuyuki didn't squeeze back, Yukimura would have thought he had lost his brother.
"Why... crying...? We... finally... see each other... right?..." his voice grew weaker and vague by each word. Another violent caught interrupted him.
"Niisan! Please conserve your energy! Focus on recovering—"
Nobuyuki limply shook his head. "(2) 幸村、もういいよ、there's nothing you can do... to help me... that *piiip* ninja had cut one of my cardiac veins, you..." Nobuyuki silently winced painfully as blood filling his lungs, laboring his breath by seconds.
Yukimura shook his head violently. "Niisan! What are you talking about? The land is finally at peace! War shall never touch us again! We're finally will be together again as brothers! We're finally going to see our favorite cherry blossoms in Ueda Castle's garden together again! Isn't it wonderful Niisan?
'He's in denial. He knows I'm not going to make it.' Nobuyuki as smooth as possible chuckled at his brother's forced smile. Too bad he wasn't subtle enough to avoid violent blood coughs.
"NIISAN!" The younger brunette gripped Nobuyuki's hand tighter.
"(3) そうか? Will you... promise me... one thing?"
"Anything within my power..." Yukimura enforced an assuring smile.
"Pro... promise me... you... you'll take care of our clan... pro... promise me... you'll take my place as its leader..."
'No! No! No! No! I'm not going to say yes! Niisan, please don't joke around! You know I'll never be the great leader you've always been!'
Yukimura didn't know how, but he firmly nodded and gripped his brother's ice-cold hand. "I will."
'What?! Oh, I can't believe I have just said yes!'
Nobuyuki knew what his brother had just mentally said, "Do... don't be... so... pessimistic, otouto. If... if you could lead the whole Toyotomi army... and... conjure such attack, why... why couldn't you... lead our clan?"
"What? No... It was all thanks to your teachings! I couldn't never do that if it wasn't for you! Niisan, you should stop joking like that, you know I'll never be the great leader you had always been! I— I—"
Nobuyuki faintly shook his head and chuckled, "Everyone has their own methods of leadership, including yours, Yukimura... do... don't try to be perfect... try... to do... your best... people make mistakes Yukimura, e... even me..."
Yukimura digested every motivative word his brother had just told him. He never knew Nobuyuki had made a mistake, it seemed so odd since his brother looked so perfect, calculative, observative, and full of cautious. These words that had banished his worries and fear of failing his brother away from his heart, and replaced it with confidence and self-believing.
"I'll... I'll try..."
"Now... that's the determined and brick headed Yukimura I know..."
Nobuyuki let out a relieved breath carefully and gazed upon the beautifully radiating orange sky as the king of days retreated from its throne. 'Now I can die content'
"Will… will you sing that song? The one I sang before I departed?" Labored pant trailed each of his words.
"For… the… last time?"
Yukimura gripped Nobuyuki's hand tighter. His brother's slipping out of him. He didn't need much time to recollect the whole song. He had always sung it whenever he feels lonely and missing his brother's caring, protective, wise, and comforting presence near him.
He pulled a deep breath and sang.
"Mamoru tame ni tatakau
Sou kimeta michi mou modoranu to
Tomo ni chikara awaseta
Senaka azukeshi omae ni wakare tsugeru," tears brimmed on his eyes' edge when his brother's chest's weak rhythmical raise and fall starting to stop.
"Nasubeki koto chigae domo
nitsuiro hitomi
Motomurumono wa kawari wa senu darou," Yukimura bit his lower lip and shut his eyes tight, letting streams of tears ran freely down to drip off his chin, swallowing every sobs that were going to escape his lips. Flashes of the brother's happy and innocent childhood saturated his mind.
"Kaze fukedo ame furedo
Taorenu sakura no miki ni narou
Itsuka no haru ni mankai no hana miseyou," Nobuyuki's body had totally stopped its raise and fall.
"Kono kokoro wasereenu," Blood from the silvery grey hair older man finally stopped seeping through his fingers.
"Sugi sarishi hi e no munen
Aa towa ni daite onore no michi wo yukan,
Hitori de mo," His brother's eyes had hidden behind its curtains. And they would never again reveal themselves to anyone. Satisfied smile carved eternally on Nobuyuki's handsome face.
"Niisan?" The younger brother gently rocks the elder's shoulders.
Nobuyuki didn't respond.
"No! No! No! This can't be! Please! Please! Please don't take my brother! We had just met for few *piiiip* minutes after twelve *piiiip* years of total lost contact! Please don't snatch Niisan away from me! Please let me spend some more time with him! There are so much I wanted to talk with him! Please! Please, if it's just for one *piiiip* minute!'
"Niisan?"
Yukimura silently pleaded to Heavens again while trying to look for any signs of life on Nobuyuki's neck and wrists.
He found none.
'NO! NO! NO! NO! This can't be! My... my brother can't possibly be dead! He's way too strong to die for such a small wound!'
"Niisan?" he inquired in frenzy. "Niisan, answer me!" His brother's body only moved of his frantic gentle rocks.
"Niisan! Open your eyes! Please! Do… don't leave me alone!" He could no longer hold back his loud and heart piercing sobs.
Nobuyuki's eyes and lips were still shut tight.
Tears ran his cheeks twice as profusely than before, a half part of him starting to fade away, leaving a large gap within his heart.
"NIISAN, WAKE UP THIS INSTANCE! Stop this joke at once! This is so unfunny! Please!" sobs escaped his lips.
"Niisan, if… if you think you… you've fulfilled your promise, you're wrong! This is NOT kind of situation I want to reunite with you… and you know that! Please open your eyes! Do… don't leave me alone! You're… you're not going to break your promise… are you?"
He stared at Nobuyuki's lifeless face that smiled like he didn't die at all. He looked so peaceful as if all of his burdens vaporized away, content as if all his wished had been granted, and kept no regret whatsoever.
His self-blaming and full of denial eyes that were still crying stared Nobuyuki's limp face that was inclined to his arm. Yukimura put his palm on his brother's cheek.
"Niisan?" he inquired pleadingly.
Alas. His efforts to wake his brother from his sleep and his denial were fruitless. His brother had truly departed to his eternal home. Which door would never be opened no matter how hard the younger brunette knocks and shouts, pleading for the household to let him join his brother, it won't before it was Yukimura's time to join him.
Yukimura hugged Nobuyuki's limp body tightly and cried like he never cried before.
Guilt tripped his head, knocking some sense that if he had paid more attention, his brother wouldn't have to shield him from the creature, and right now, both of them would surely had returned to Ueda Castle to celebrate the peace and merrily living their lives together.
"NIIIIIISAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!"
Epilogue...
Twelve years ago…
"Remember this well, Yukimura. This will not be our last time of seeing each other," young Nobuyuki wiped the tears of his brothers. "I promise, someday, somewhere, we shall be together again."
Yukimura bit his lower lip with all the strength he could muster—without spilling any blood from it—to roll back the tears in his eyes. With his mental walls of defense crumbled into ruins, he enveloped himself to Nobuyuki's body as tight as possible and dug his head into the elder's chest, allowing the stable heart beat underneath it to cure his aching heart—spilling all cries he had hold since two hours ago— The innocent child blames destiny or whoever responsible for this cruel plan! How dare they took Niisan away from me?!
Glimpses of pain, hollow, solitude, silence, and his brother's absence from his life haunted little Yukimura as he felt Nobuyuki's arms tightly embraced him, chin rested on his right shoulder. Nobuyuki silently cried. He spilt out his every emotions since his father briefed him three hours earlier. Unlike Yukimura that sobs once in a while, Nobuyuki cried in total silence, letting only tears escaped his eyes.
Both of them froze in that manner until there were no more tears to spill or sobs to cry. Wiping away his tears, Nobuyuki gripped Yukimura's shoulders firmly, gazing straight to a pair of hazel brown eyes before him.
"Look at me, Yukimura," the brunette braced himself to grant his brother's inquiry. He spotted pain, sorrow, hollow, regret, helplessness, and strong desire of wanting to decline this duty that was perfectly covered by undoubted obstinacy that will put even the tallest and sturdiest mountain to shame.
Nobuyuki smiled while cupping his brother's cheek, thumb gently swiped away tears that raining down from his eyes. Forcing a warm smile that always put the most vicious storm In my heart to cease down.
"(4)ねえ, なからないでよ。別れではないから。いつか, 必ず, お前と私が会おう。分かるの、幸村?".
'No! No! No! No! I don't care and I don't even want to know! Niisan stay with me! I need you! I can't live without you! Please don't leave me alone!'
Despite being in such denial, he nodded, "(5)わー分かってあります、兄さん。"
The elder of the two replied with a smile and engulfed Yukimura's smaller body with his arms for the last time. For he had to depart Ueda Castle before sun rises to its throne. Realizing that this would be last chance of being together with his beloved brother, Yukimura pleaded Nobuyuki to company him till the land of dreams came to him.
Nobuyuki fulfilled his plea and let Yukimura clutched into his hakama as strong as a newborn baby, diving his face deep into Nobuyuki's warm chest, memorized his body scent every time he inhaled it into his lungs, being possessive of his only brother's protective arms around him that makes him feels so secure and comforted even in the harshest and most vicious storms, allowing Nobuyuki's stable heart beat to lull him and banish away nightmares that clouded his sleep. Yukimura carved this memory in his heart and mind to seal his brother's promise, that someday, somewhere, they shall meet again.
"Niisan?"
"Ng?"
"Can... can you sing something? You... you know... as a token of parting..." Yukimura, as shy as newly independent kitten requested his brother.
"Alright, let me see..." The older recalled back a poetry he had made by his seventh birthday.
'I suppose this should work' Nobuyuki started to hum
"Mamoru tame ni tatakau
Sou kimeta michi mou modoranu to
Tomo ni chikara awaseta
Senaka azukeshi omae ni wakare tsugeru,"
Yukimura nuzzled his head to Nobuyuki's chest deeper.
'Niisan has wonderful voice...'
"Niisan..." Yukimura mumbled in comfort. Every word meant so much for him. 'I wonder when did Niisan acomplish this song?'
"Nasubeki koto chigae domo
nitsuiro hitomi
Motomurumono wa kawari wa senu darou,
Kaze fukedo ame furedo
Taorenu sakura no miki ni narou
Itsuka no haru ni mankai no hana miseyou
Kono kokoro wasereenu
Sugi sarishi hi e no munen
Aa towa ni daite onore no michi wo yukan,
Hitori de mo,"
Another hum escaped Nobuyuki's lips
"Mamoru tame ni tatakau
Sou kimeta michi furikaeranu to
Tomo ni ayumi susumeta
Tamashii waketta omae ni yaiba mukaru
Amatanaru inochi seou
Hitotsu no karada
Mada maku hikenu mezasumono wa tada
Ikusa yori katana yori
Minna ga yutaka de aru hi wo egaku
Arasoi koeta sono saki no seihon wa
Futamata no michi yukedo
Kakageta omoi onajiku
Aa
Mamorubekimono tagaini tagawanuyou
Hanarete mo,"
Another hum, deeper than before graced the silent room.
"Sou kimeta michi mou modori wa shinai
Kaze fukedo ame furedo
Taorenu sakura no miki ni narou
Itsuka no haru ni mankai no hana no shita
Kono kokoro wasureenu
Sugisarishi hi e no munen
Aa towa ni daite onore no michi wo yukan
Ima wa tada,"
For the last time, Nobuyuki hummed nearly resembled as his previous hums, giving Yukimura's hair gentle brushes as his hum came to silence. Yukimura, blown away by his brother's outstanding performance became completely forgot that starting from this very moment, he shall never see his brother again. And right now, Nobuyuki's song had succeeded driving his little brother into his dreamland, where both of them shall never part away and tears of sadness never exists.
"(6) ありがとう、兄さん… 愛してよ…"
Translations:
(1) DIE! (Shinei!)
(2) Forget it, Yukimura (Yukimura, mou ii yo)
(3) Is that so? (Souka?)
(4) Hey, don't cry. This is not the end. I promise you, someday, we shall be together again. Do you understand, Yukimura? (Nee, nakaranaide yo. Wakare dewa nai kara. Itsuka, kanarazu, watashi to omae ga aou. Wakaru no, Yukimura?)
(5) Yes... Yes, Niisan. (Wa... wakatte arimasu, Niisan)
(6) Thank you so much, Niisan... I love you... (Arigatou, Niisan... Aishite yo)
Oops!
Slipped my mind!
Nobuyuki's reputation as Silent Death refers to the swiftness of his agility that ables him to attack fast, straigth to his opponents' weak attack (ex: certain muscles in arms, legs, or right through his heart) effective, and efficient just before the enemy could sense his presence among them, when they do, Nobuyuki's blade has already pierced through his heart, they can't let out any painful cries because tremendous fear froze their entire bodies as their eyes met with Nobuyuki's ice cold, blade sharp, and strangling silvery grey eyes.
I know I know you're probably wondering why would I dare to update another fic during my second semester final exam?
Because the subject is English! Thus, I translated this chapter as one of my exercises.
See ya next week!h
And don't forget to review!
Finally, thank you for reading!
Have a nice day!