Poisoned Sakura - Chapter 9 - Masamune's Smile
Asuma rushed to Masamune's side and felt the daimyo's forehead with the back of her hand. His skin was hot and covered with sweat. The page carefully nestled the lord's head, lifting him into her lap. Calling out the daimyo's name, the woman smacked his cheeks trying to wake him, but Masamune was out cold.
Kojuro's voice called out from behind the door, "Lord Masamune?" Asuma's heart started to pump erratically in her chest and she yelled, "Lord Kojuro, help me!" The retainer slammed the door open and his eyes widened upon seeing the situation. He called out to his lord, receiving no response and the page explained, "He just… fainted."
"I'll call for a doctor as quick as I can. Don't leave his side."
Asuma nodded hurriedly and Kojuro ran from the room, slamming the door shut, it's bang echoing against the walls. Looking down at her superior, Asuma sighed. She needed to get him into his bed, but her nerves were shot so bad, she dared not trust her hands and muscles to such a task. Pulling his head in more securely on her lap, Asuma brushed her fingers through the dark hair that seemed to reflect green from Masamune's robes. The strands were soft and Asuma frowned, looking solemnly upon the handsome face, "Lord Masamune, what have I done?"
As if her voice drew him from the depths of his conscience, the One-Eyed Dragon's eyes fluttered open. A low moan left his throat as he came to. He stared up into Asuma's eyes, his gaze cloudy with delirium. "Can you hear me, Lord Masamune?" Asuma asked quietly, letting one hand hold the back of the daimyo's head as the other rested upon his broad chest. He did not respond, still holding Asuma's gaze, as if her eyes were the only thing keeping him awake. The page could feel her throat closing with grief and she choked out, "Lord Kojuro rushed off to get a doctor, do not wor-" She was cut off as recognition finally seemed to cross Masamune's face, "Yahiko?"
"Yes, it is me."
The daimyo's eyes filled with fear, a terror that Asuma had never seen in the steadfast warrior's gaze before. "It'll be ok, just stay with me! Kojuro is coming back soon," the woman whispered, trying to soothe Masamune's anguish. As if instinctively, the lord grabbed his page's hand with an unknown ferocity, and Asuma squeezed back tightly. His weight grew heavy in the woman's lap, and Masamune allowed his head to lean back while his eyes closed back to unconsciousness.
The door swished open again and Kojuro entered hurriedly, followed by the doctor, and the door was closed once more. Kojuro helped Asuma move Masamune to his bedding and the doctor knelt down beside his patient, examining the lord with a complete thoroughness. After a few moments, he looked up and said quietly, "He's exhausted and malnourished from what I can see." His sigh filled the room and everyone seemed to frown at the same time. Kojuro rolled his shoulders back and spoke, "What does this mean?"
"It's not life threatening, thankfully. Has he not been sleeping at night? Not eating anything?"
"I would have to say so, yes."
"I'll give you some supplements to try and bring his vigor back, but letting him sleep and fixing him a healthy meal would do him a world of good."
Kojuro's brows knitted in concern as if he blamed Masamune's state on himself. The doctor rummaged in his bag and produced a bottle, handing it to Kojuro, "He's to take these twice a day once he wakes. If he worsens after getting rest and food, do not hesitate to call for me." Asuma and Kojuro nodded to the physician, and he bid them a goodnight before leaving.
The retainer sighed in frustration and let his shoulders slump. Asuma turned to him and asked, "He hasn't been sleeping at all on top of not eating?!" Kojuro looked at her worriedly and responded, "I should've noticed sooner. I should've noticed his neglect of his health." He knelt beside Masamune, and hung his head low. Since the lord was a boy, Kojuro had been so close to the family, taking the role of a second father to Masamune. His face written in sadness, Kojuro looked like a parent grieving over his sick child.
Asuma stepped closer and softly said, "We realized what was going on before anything serious happened. Take comfort in that, at least." Kojuro nodded, before he said, "I'll stay with him through the night. You should go back to your room and rest, Yahiko."
"But, I am supposed to tend to him. Why can't I stay?"
Kojuro looked at the page in surprise, processing her adamant question. As if knowing turning the woman away was a futile battle, Kojuro nodded, "I will leave his care to you then." Asuma fell to her knees and bowed to him deeply until her head was touching the floor, "Thank-you, milord."
"About his blind eye…"
"It is as if I never saw it, Lord Kojuro."
The concern on Kojuro's face softened and he gently smiled at Asuma, "As lord of the Date Clan, he must look self-assured in front of the men who have sworn to follow him. But the death of his father… no one has felt that pain more acutely than Lord Masamune has." Asuma nodded and felt her throat tightening with grief again.
She remembered Masamune's veiled eye staring at her angrily and the horrific yell that accompanied it. For him to show his emotions so extremely… There was no doubt in Asuma's mind that his heart was shattered by Terumune's death.
Kojuro left for the door and called out, "I'll bring a pitcher of water. Fetch me immediately if anything happens." Asuma nodded and Kojuro closed the door silently. The page settled her gaze once more on Masamune and swore she would nurse him back to fearless man had drawn her in and she cared for him more than ever. She wanted nothing more than to see him succeed as Lord Date… and to have him reveal these unseen sides of himself to her.
Masamune tossed and turned through the night from his fitful sleep, and Asuma wiped the sweat from his brow with her cotton sleeve. Kojuro's words rushed back into her mind, when he had once told her that he wanted anyone that Masamune even slightly trusted to be at the lord's side. Asuma was going to fully earn that trust and she whispered, "Lord Masamune, I will never question who you are ever again. They may say you are soulless, but I know those rumors to be utterly false. Rest now, and worry no more."
Without warning, Masamune turned in his sleep and cried out, "Papa! Papa, please forgive me!" Tears began to stain his cheeks and unable to not feel the daimyo's pain, Asuma leaned against his chest and wept with him, her tears falling on Masamune's robes and exposed skin.
Early the next morning, Masamune awoke to the rising sun and the sound of birds chirping from the tree branches. Kojuro sat up from where he had been drowsily leaning on the short table and exclaimed, "Lord Masamune!" Upon hearing Kojuro's words, Asuma awoke hurriedly from across the table and also called out to the lord. Sleep was still hanging onto Masamune's gaze and he squinted in the sunlight that was pouring in from the opened windows. He groggily groaned, "Kojuro… Yahiko…" Kojuro beamed, "You are finally awake," and Asuma nodded, "How are you feeling?"
Masamune frowned and exclaimed, "So I feinted it seems…" Kojuro walked over to Masamune and knelt beside him when he saw the lord trying to sit up. Masamune was still weak and the retainer slipped an arm around his shoulders to prop him up. "Your fever has broken, but do not push yourself just yet, milord," Kojuro gently chided.
"I'm sorry to make you look after me."
"Do you think you can eat something? Yahiko prepared a filling meal for you this morning."
"No, I'm not really-"
Before Masamune could finish his sentence, he noticed Kojuro shaking his head in frustration and Asuma frowning, the two appearing deeply disheartened. The page balled her fists and said, "Lord Masamune, let me tell you what my father once taught me before he died in battle. He always told me, that no matter how hard my situation became, I should always make sure to eat. He explained that eating was the first step in being able to carry on, and to continue to thrive. If you can't find the strength to save yourself… how can you expect to save the Date clan during its moments of need?" Kojuro turned his gaze to Asuma, surprised at her direct words, but Asuma ignored his stare and continued, "You need to eat, not only for yourself, but for your clan, and for your father, so that he too can continue on peacefully, knowing he left you strong enough to fulfill your promise to him."
Masamune furrowed his brow and listened silently, not saying a word in order to stop Asuma's speech. Her words swam in his head for a moment as he stared down at his lap. The daimyo turned to Kojuro, and the retainer crossed his arms, "If you will not eat, Lord Masamune, Yahiko and I will make you eat." "Aren't we living dangerously, now," Masamune mumbled in response.
"Every day I do, milord. But you brought this upon yourself by neglecting your own health. Now it is our responsibility to see you well."
"Forgive me for that."
A slight smirk crossed the daimyo's mouth, making Kojuro and Asuma smile in response. Masamune sighed and exclaimed, "I suppose you're right. It would be such a humiliating disgrace to the name of the One-Eyed Dragon of Oshu if he were brought down by malnutrition." Kojuro nodded, "That it would, milord."
Masamune turned to Asuma and called out, "Yahiko." Asuma nodded her head and ladled fresh miso porridge into a bowl, handing it to Masamune with a pair of chopsticks. Masamune lifted the bowl to his lips and hungrily downed the food, hardly taking time to breathe in between bites. Once finished with his first serving of food, the daimyo exclaimed, "I shall eat and regain my strength, so that I can keep the promise I made to my father. I will unify Oshu." Kojuro smiled and bowed his head as Asuma beamed with happiness and hope.
With the passing days, Masamune gained back his strength, was training his page once more, and was beginning to sleep on a more regular schedule. One night, Asuma brought a tray of roasted marinated duck, with an assortment of vegetables and boiled millet to her lord's room. When she entered the royal chambers, she noticed the porch doors open, and Masamune was sitting on the veranda looking up at the rising moon. He called out, "Yahiko, is that you?" Asuma stepped in further and responded, "Yes, milord! I've brought your dinner!"
The page walked out onto the porch and looked upon the night sky. She exclaimed, "The moon is so beautiful tonight, don't you think? Would you like to eat out here?" Masamune looked at her momentarily and softly replied, "Yeah." Asuma settled onto the porch beside him, placing the tray of food between them. The garden sands were raked into neat rows, complementing the ripples that moved across the pond waters. A gentle breeze made the leaves on the bushes and trees quietly rustle. Asuma sighed at the relaxing view and Masamune took up his plate, eating the meal as he continued looking upon the moon.
The daimyo's voice seemed to suddenly join the soft sound of the wind as he spoke, "Since my father died, I can't help but wonder if my decision to fire was the wrong one." Asuma quietly said his name, but Masamune frowned and continued, "No, it's not just that decision I've thought about. For so long, I've wondered if my father naming me as Lord of the Date Clan was the right thing to do." A sigh escaped his throat and the daimyo looked upon Asuma with saddened eyes, "What do you think? When you think of me, what kind of man do you see?" The page stared at him with an odd calmness and replied, "If you're asking me what I think of you, to be honest, I really don't know. You've let your emotions affect your decisions every now and again. But, never have I ever thought, that once all was said and done, that you had made the wrong choice."
Masamune stared at his page, examining every facet of her face as the moonlight shined upon it. Asuma stared deeply into the daimyo's emerald eyes, and continued, "Your decisions didn't save the lives of those you wanted to save, but they nonetheless saved someone." A look of surprise swept over the One-Eyed Dragon's face and he questioned, "My decisions saved someone's life?" His gaze turned back to the moon, and he accepted Asuma's words, holding them close to his heart. Asuma joined him and said, "However…"
"However?"
"I do not ever want to see another battle like that one. I never want to see another victory won in such a horrific manner. No battle brings me joy. Even those of revenge."
The two looked at one another once more and Masamune tilted his head in curiousity, "You said you lost your own father to war… Did you never once have any thoughts of revenge?" Asuma wryly smiled, "Never."
"Why?"
"Not even revenge can bring my father back. It only creates a vicious cycle of fury. If I got revenge, it would only cause someone else to want the same revenge on me."
Masamune listened to the words, skeptically pondering them as Asuma continued, "I know it is not my place to say such things, Lord Masamune. Please forgive me." "It's not that, Yahiko," Masamune replied softly, shaking his head, "But I'm glad I asked you." His body exuded an aura of relief that extended to Asuma, allowing her to relax her own muscles. Grateful to have helped Masamune, and for being allowed so close to him, Asuma smiled such a smile that would've lit up a whole palace with its happiness. The two chuckled before enjoying the night sky once more in silence.
Several more days passed peacefully and Masamune seemed to be back to full health and regular sleeping. His mind was sharper than ever and he was engrossed within his politics and usual duties again. Hatakeyama Yoshitsugu, the man who had kidnapped Terumune, was sending threats to Masamune. The Soma, Satake and Ashina clans had forged an alliance against the Date and were preparing to march north. Looking out for the clan's safety, the One-Eyed Dragon sent reinforcements to several forts between Yonezawa and the Seto River that had reported of encroaching Soma and Ashina forces.
After a short conference with his war council one night, Masamune called out, "Kojuro. Shigezane." The two vassals bowed to him and followed the lord back to his quarters. As everyone entered the room, Shigezane smiled, "Seems like you're finally back to your old self, huh, Masamune?" The daimyo turned to him with a face of stone, causing his cousin to ask, "What? What is that face for?" Masamune watched as Kojuro closed the door and replied, "I've been thinking about tomorrow." The men sat down at Masamune's low desk and Kojuro studied his lord's face. Masamune continued, "I will bring us to victory tomorrow. I have been thinking of how to do so… will you hear me out?" The two retainers looked at one another smiling, glad to have Masamune back to himself, and turned back to their lord to listen.
Early the next morning, the soldiers and retainers gathered before the castle gates, and Masamune rode his black stallion through the autumn breeze, everyone eagerly watching him. Asuma sat upon Mayonaka, and felt pride as she watched the daimyo ride back and forth, honored to call him her lord. Masamune yelled out, "If we decimate every last one of our enemies in southern Oshu, it will only make the survivors more willing to fight for revenge. We will bring peace to this glorious land we call home, but in a way that is not forged purely in blood!" It took a moment for the soldiers to realize what their fearless leader was proclaiming, but not before long, the men shouted cheers and huzzahs in support.
Seven thousand men marched with Masamune to Hitotoribashi and the troops split into three different units, one lead by Masamune, one by Kojuro, and one by Shigezane. The troops stood silently as they stared across the Seto river, and Asuma felt the nervousness entering her body just as it had at the Abukuma River. Mayonaka danced anxiously and the page did her best to focus on the landscape to distract her mind and settle her horse. The air was a comfortable temperature, the leaves on the trees still trying to cling to their green, but a few had begun to yellow. The river flowed swiftly underneath of the Hitotori bridge. It was the point where the Hatakeyama and Satake allied soldiers would be forced into a bottleneck.
"Lord Masamune! Our scouts have confirmed the enemy is advancing towards the bridge. They estimate the Hatakeyama have come with a combined force of thirty thousand men," A retainer called out to the One-Eyed Dragon after conversing with one of the clans many ninjas. As Masamune sat silently on his steed, he nodded in response, continuing to watch the horizon. Asuma's heart began to beat faster, realizing the huge difference in numbers between Masamune's forces and the enemy's.
After an agonizingly long hour, the enemy army began to approach the bridge, and as the main forces crossed over, two Satake units volleyed arrows across the river at the Date. Masamune yelled out, "FIRE!" and his unit shot the approaching men with their rifles. As the lord'a soldiers reloaded, Shigezane yelled out to his unit, their guns also firing. In a continuing cycle, Kojuro ordered his men to fire as Shigezane's reloaded. Bodies began to pile on the bridge and the Hatakeyama were forced to throw their fallen comrades into the Seto in order to continue their advance.
The cycling of firing while another unit was reloading continued on until the enemy forces had amassed considerably and Masamune yelled out further orders. The soldiers at the front of the Date forces put up a wall of shields, their comrades behind them shoving their spears defensively between the barriers. More of the Hatakeyama fell, unable to breach any of the soldiers behind the shieldwall.
However, as the evening waned on and the Hatakeyama continued forwards in their large numbers, the shield wall began to break, and all out sword and spear warfare commenced. Asuma made sure to keep close to Masamune, the retainers around him keeping any attackers far away. She could see the Date army decreasing in size as the allied enemy forces continued forwards. "Milord, our defenses have taken out many of the Hatakeyama, but do you think we have enough numbers to stand up against them? I feel we may need to retreat," Asuma asked hesitantly. Masamune looked at his page only momentarily before responding, "We may fall back, but not right now." He seemed calm as ever and the woman gulped, her throat dry from anxiety.
More men spilled over the bridge before a general approached Masamune, "Hatakeyama Yoshitsugu has just crossed over the bridge, milord!" A rage seemed to boil inside of the One-Eyed Dragon and he yelled at Asuma, "Yahiko, stay here!" "W-what? Where are you going?!" The woman tried to protest, but Masamune barked back with anger, "Stay here!" Asuma nodded feverishly and Masamune called for his close contingent of soldiers, galloping off into the fray of the battle. The words Asuma had told him of revenge doing no good, had completely left Masamune's thoughts as he rushed towards the man who killed his father at the head of the bridge. He was determined to take Yoshitsugu's head as a trophy.
Yoshitsugu recognized the young Date bolting towards him and smiled voraciously, hungry for blood. His courage had been emboldened by having the Satake forces at his back, and he readily called for his closest retainers to join him. The two clan heads galloped furiously towards one another and their swords clashed as their horses barely passed each other. Yoshitsugu fell hard to the ground and Masamune leapt from his stallion, pouncing upon his prey mercilessly. Yoshitsugu, parried the attack, and scurried to his feet as one of his men attempted to lunge for Masamune. The One-Eyed Dragon shoved the blow backwards and the soldier reeled before a Date general quickly dispatched him.
The elder Hatakeyama met Masamune's every jab with his own block, and the two fought viciously amongst the flurry of soldiers on the battlefield. "You'll never kill me with that bum eye of yours, Masamune!" Yoshitsugu barked. The young Lord Date growled, not offering his opponent the satisfaction of a response. The two men breathed heavily from exhaustion as they battled on, and Yoshitsugu leapt at Masamune, the two face to face behind there clashed swords.
"I'll kill you on this battlefield, boy! Then you can join your fath-," Yoshitsugu began to say, but his last words came as a gurgle, blood and bile rising from his throat. Masamune swiftly withdrew the wakizashi he had shoved into Yoshitsugu's gut, and slid it back into its sheath. As Lord Hatakeyama fell to his knees, Masamune knocked the helmet off of his enemy's head and grabbed him by his salt and pepper top knot. Yoshitsugu stared at Masamune with terror written in his amber eyes, his silver mustache trembling from his quivering lips. The One-Eyed Dragon blinked at his foe once more before cutting the clan head's skull clean from his body.
Putting the trophy head complete with helmet upon his spear, Masamune mounted his horse once more, prepared to rejoin Asuma, but the Hatakeyama forces had closed around him and his men during his battle with Yoshitsugu. The Satake forces continued to hang back on the other side of the river as another unit of men crossed over, led by Hatakeyama Kuniomaru, Yoshitsugu's son. Once the younger Lord Hatakeyama caught sight of his father's head on Masamune's pike, he screamed out with a horrific yell, urging his men to slaughter the Date and their leader.
Kojuro stared upon his trapped lord and felt a panic rise in his chest. His instincts told him to rush to Masamune's side, but with the amount of land between them, the daimyo would surely be killed before the retainer could reach him. Knowing no other way to free the man he swore his life to, Kojuro galloped to retrieve one of the clan flags. Waving it fiercely through the air, the retainer bolted across the battlefield shouting, "I AM MASAMUNE!" The enemy forces had begun to panic at Kuniomaru's shouts to kill Masamune, and upon hearing Kojuro's taunt, a good majority of the forces began to move towards the retainer, their fire now focused on him.
Realizing the opportunity Kojuro was giving him, Masamune bolted forwards with his generals through the field. He yelled for his men to fall back, Shigezane and Kojuro yelling out the same upon hearing the order. The Date army began to slowly retreat, and Asuma galloped after her lord once he rejoined her. Kuniomaru shouted in anger, wanting his men to chase after the enemy soldiers and cut down everyone of them, but the Satake forces had only just begun to cross the river. He dared not follow Masamune without the Satake by his side, and clenched his fists and jaw, struggling to hold back from chasing what he knew he shouldn't.
The Date army retreated back to Motomiya castle, and rested for the night, tending to the wounded and filling their stomachs with dried meats and pickled vegetables. Asuma stood in front of a dusty mirror in one of the castle rooms, washing her wounds with hot water. While Masamune had chased after Yoshitsugu, she had been left in the fray, but thankfully with the weeks of training before the battle and the heavy armor she wore, the woman escaped mostly unscathed save for the slices that had reached her skin between the metal plates. After a few more winces and grimaces of the water stinging the cuts, Asuma had finished and redressed in her armor.
She left for the upper levels of the castle, joining Masamune, Kojuro and Shigezane as they looked out from the windows upon the fortifications. Fires burned within the castle walls as soldiers huddled around them. A few lanterns flickered from the battlements as men patrolled, keeping eye out for any enemy advances. Far upon the horizon, an orange haze scattered across the land, caused by the multitude of the Hatakeyama's camp fires.
"Milord, our spies have heard that Kuniomaru plans to advance upon the castle in the morning," Kojuro said deeply but quietly, returning from conversing with a dark clothed ninja. Masamune nodded, "How are our numbers?"
"We have lost about two thousand men, the Hatakeyama losing around four thousand."
"Another battle would do us no good."
"No, milord."
Masamune returned from the window and softly said, "Come early in the morning, before they advance, we shall continue through with the plan I proposed." Shigezane and Kojuro stared at their lord seriously and nodded. In order to save his men, Masamune was going to have to turn to a tactic that would hopefully stop the blood shed. Kojuro sent orders off with the shadowy ninja still lurking in the corner of the room, and the figure left silently and swiftly. Asuma had never seen such a stealthy warrior and she intently watched him leave.
The One-Eyed Dragon finally allowed himself to sit down, taking off his armor. The retainers and page followed suit, welcoming the lessened weight upon their shoulders. The men's faces were covered in dried blood, their underclothes stained with the red life force. Asuma tended to cleaning their wounds as the men conversed about their tactics for the various "what if" situations that could occur any time between that night and the following morning.
Amongst the darkened treeline before the break of dawn, Masamune's ninjas captured a Satake messenger, swiftly killed him, and replaced him with one of their comrades. The false courier carried a forged letter that the young Lord Date had ordered to be fabricated, and delivered it to Satake Yoshishige.
The Satake general had been in the middle of dressing into his battle gear, not expecting any correspondence when he received the dispatch. His eyes flew across the words and Yoshishige growled in anger. He turned to his generals and yelled, "Round up the troops! Word has come of those Hojo bastards invading our lands!" Surprise filled the room, and the orders for an immediate pull out ran through the camps. The army swiftly packed up, and the Satake forces headed back to the Hitachi province.
Kuniomaru received word of Satake's retreat in order to defend his homelands, and screamed out in fury as he threw books and dishes around his tent. His generals looked on in fear, watching the lord completely destroy his quarters. Once the raging samurai began to settle down, one of his retainers sheepishly asked, "What of our orders, milord?" "We're fucking leaving! That's what your orders are! Damn Satake have RUINED my victory!" Kuniomaru hollered. He knew he would face heavy casualties if his greatly reduced army attacked the Motomiya palace, and he leapt upon his mount and lead his men back to Nihonmatsu castle.
"Milord! The enemy forces are retreating!" Yelled a retainer to Masamune, out of breath from running from the battlements to his lord. Masamune bolted upright and rushed to the window. Kojuro and Shigezane joined him, Asuma squeezing between them. Sure enough, the flags of the Hatakeyama clan began to move slowly across the land before disappearing. Shigezane began laughing with relief, and Kojuro let out a sigh, smiling at Masamune, "Good job, milord." The retainer clapped a hand upon the daimyo's back and Masamune nodded. Asuma could not help but cheer with Shigezane, and she caught Masamune's gaze, smiling her million dollar smile at him as she thanked him for their win.
Shouts of victory rang throughout Motomiya castle, and the soldiers seemed to come alive, invigorated with the positive outcome from their recent battle. "What of the surrounding villages, milord? Are we ransacking them?" asked one of Masamune's generals. The One-Eyed Dragon looked briefly at the man, shaking his head before he turned back to Asuma, "No, leave them be. Mercy can speak volumes more than destruction." The woman felt her chest thump, so glad that Masamune had taken her words to heart. Despite exacting revenge on Yoshitsugu the other day, the daimyo had realized that his emotions clouded his judgement, and he decided to turn the tides of battle through more "peaceful" means.
The Date army began the long journey home, the fall sun at their backs, warming their bodies and pushing them forwards with the blessings bestowed upon them that morning. A sense of calm swept over Yonezawa castle when they returned, Yoshitsugu's head displayed out front as a sign of their power, and the men celebrated joyously, a unified Oshu holding steady for now.
Upon their arrival home, a victory feast was promptly ordered, and that night, the main hall bustled with soldiers, generals, maids and servants as large dishes of seafood, vegetables, nuts, fruits and grains adorned the tables. Sake flasks feverishly rounded the room as glasses were promptly filled, and the room grew drunk with happiness and alcohol.
Masamune stood before his men, and all eyes turned to him, a silence sweeping over the boisterous celebrations. However, the silence wasn't the customary one of dread, the men were eagerly listening to their lord's words. Holding his cup out in congratulations, Masamune spoke, "With our recent victory, we have brought peace to our lands. I, and all of Oshu, owe you a debt for the sacrifices you have made. I offer my utmost gratitude to you all. Enjoy yourselves tonight, you have earned it." A tiny smirk played at the corners of Masamune's mouth and his men cheered not just for their win, but for their lord too.
The daimyo quietly sat back upon his dais and the men continued their partying. As Asuma filled her plate with different foods, she could hear the men remarking at Masamune's change of heart, and how they had never seen him smile before tonight. A warmth of appreciation filled the page and she was so happy to see Masamune's growing favor with his men.
Once returning to her seat near Shigezane, Asuma caught sight of a young boy, who looked a few years older than Yahiko, his eyes the same color as Masamune's and his hair a deeper shade of black. He wore beautiful purple robes with silver designs upon it. As the lad ran up happily to Masamune, Asuma finally recognized him as the daimyo's younger brother, Kojirou.
Shigezane turned to Asuma and said quietly, "Lady Yoshihime declined to attend the feast, so little cousin is here in her stead." The silver haired samurai poured himself another cup of sake, his gray eyes filled with a mixture of happiness and sadness. Shigezane continued, "Thankfully with her out of the way, Kojirou is able to be himself. There is no one he looks up to more than Masamune." With a small grin, Asuma said, "They do seem to be very close."
"They are. When Lady Yoshihime is present, the two make an effort to stay away from one another, due to, you know… the favoritism. But when she's gone, they're free to be themselves. It is a shame they cannot act the way they do now all the time."
Shigezane let a small frown slip through his happy exterior, and Asuma sympathized with him. But the two Date brothers looked so cheerful together, Kojirou freely laughing and talking as Masamune eagerly listened and responded to his brother's statements, all thoughts of Lady Yoshihime left behind.
That night, after the feast when Asuma was cooking Masamune's nightly meal, she decided to push her luck with the lord's lifted mood and make him heavily seasoned, peppered, grilled tuna with a salad of cucumbers, carrots, scallions, and snow peas with various seasonings. With the Shinto and Buddhist injunctions that often prohibited meats besides seafood, Asuma wanted to widen the variety of her foods not only so Masamune could honor religious customs in front of his men, but so that during the winter months, she could cook with the stockpiles of fish Yonezawa kept in their stores.
Masamune sat at his usual spot on the tatami mats in his small private house, and Asuma served him the dish with a cup of tea. "What is this?" the daimyo asked in a low mumble and Asuma swallowed before responding, "It is grilled tuna, Lord Masamune."
"I don't want it."
"Try it."
"I said I don't want-"
"Has my cooking failed you yet, milord?"
The two stared each other down fiercely and Masamune relented, taking up a small portion of the fish in his chopsticks before hesitantly chewing the morsel. He chewed for a moment longer before swallowing and sat still. Asuma picked at the corners of her fingers anxiously before asking, "How is it?" Masamune frowned before telling her quietly, "Even I must admit, this fish is delicious. I never thought I'd see the day that I could say that in all honesty." Asuma sighed with relief, and walked back behind the cooking fires, throwing another tuna fillet over it to grill.
As the fish cooked, Asuma looked towards Masamune and asked, "I saw you and Lord Kojirou having a good time at the feast." Masamune simply replied, "Yeah," in between bites.
"You seem to get along really well."
"We do."
"If it is not too forward of me to say so, milord, it must be hard to be so torn between a brother and a mother."
Masamune's chewing slowed down as he looked down at his plate. The daimyo always struggled with the subject, blaming himself for the strife that hung between Kojirou and himself. Masamune had been slowly opening to Asuma since she helped nurse him back to health, and the woman decided to push him, "Have you discussed with your mother how you feel?" As if the idea had never crossed his mind, or the thought of doing so at least scared him witless, Masamune looked at his page in surprise, "Speak to my mother?"
"Yeah. I mean, you are her flesh and blood. Surely deep down, some part of her would understand."
"It is far more complicated than that."
The lord's words came out as a soft whisper and Asuma pursed her lips, unable to understand how a mother's love could grow so cold. Knowing the subject to be a delicate one, the page asked no more questions of her superior that night, letting him finish his meal in peace.
The next day, Yonezawa castle received a quite prestigious guest, Masamune's maternal uncle, Mogami Yoshiaki. Asuma put on her crispest of clothes, and walked to the castle entrance to welcome Lord Yoshiaki. She nervously waited for the Mogami party to approach, not knowing what kind of man to expect on this visit.
A small group of horses and men arrived, and a tall, handsome, older gentleman with sleek black hair pulled into a short ponytail, golden brown eyes, and pale purple robes dismounted his war horse. He removed his riding gloves, sighing in relief as he walked to Asuma. The page bowed deeply and said, "Welcome to Yonezawa castle, Lord Mogami. Lord Masamune has been eagerly awaiting your arrival, if you would follow me right this way." The arrogant looking warrior gave a shallow bow, following Asuma into the castle.
"So, you are Masamune's new page, no?" Yoshiaki asked deeply as the two walked silently. Asuma dared not turn to him and replied, "Yes, milord. My name is Yahiko."
"How are he and his mother getting along?"
It seemed a natural question considering the gentleman was Lady Yoshihime's older brother, but the question caught Asuma off guard and she did not know how to answer, her finger tips growing sore from her clawing at them. As if her hesitation was answer enough, Yoshiaki frowned, "I knew better than to expect them to mend things so easily." Asuma blindly asked, "Milord, why does Lady Yoshihime-" but she caught herself asking the question before she could finish and promptly closed her mouth.
Masamune's uncle did not seem to mind the slip up and he calmly replied, "Do not fret, as Masamune's page this is not a boundary you shouldn't cross. My sister does detest Masamune, it is true. But she does so because she believes he is inhabited by a demon. When my nephew was born, his right eye was a bright blue color, causing Yoshihime to think her son cursed in some way. In childhood, smallpox took hold of Masamune, causing him to go blind in his blue eye, turning it the filmy white it is now. Once this happened, his mother was convinced a smallpox demon had entered his body, taking residence in his blind eye. Preposterous notions in my opinion, but it is impossible to sway a woman's silly ideas created from her imagination." Asuma looked down at the ground wide-eyed at Yoshiaki's words as they continued to the main hall.
That night, as Masamune tried Asuma's shrimp stir fry, the woman revealed to her lord everything that Lord Mogami had said to her. In a soft voice Masamune mumbled, "So, uncle explained everything to you… Sadly, he's right. My mother believes me to be some kind of demon." He scratched at the skin around his eye patch and continued, "She is among one of many who believe in such illogical superstitions." Silently leaving the kitchen of the annexed house, Asuma knelt to the floor and bowed to the One-Eyed Dragon, "Allow me to ask for your forgiveness. It was foolish of me to offer you my advice when I knew nothing of your circumstances."
"No need to apologize. You have seen this 'demon eye' of mine already. I believe it a poor decision to hide it from you anymore… But what mother wouldn't despise their child with such a an accursed affliction? So many times I've wondered how my life would've been without it."
Asuma gasped, "Don't say such a thing!" A look of resignation covered Masamune's face as he whispered, "This is why i distance myself from others. I'm sure many have noticed I do not care much for the company of women, but my mother may be the one to blame for that. She is still one of my weaknesses in this strong life I try to lead." A self-deprecating chuckle escaped the daimyo's mouth and Asuma gave her lord a wry smile. Turning away from his page, Masamune mumbled, "I may have said too much." Unable to hold her thoughts back any longer, Asuma blurted out, "But, it's so beautiful. That eye of yours."
The woman's eyes grew wide upon realizing what she had just said and Masamune looked at her in shock, his lips slightly parted in surprise. Knowing she had passed the point of no return already, Asuma continued on, "Though I may never be able to make Lady Yoshihime see it in the same light as I do, I feel it is her own loss. To not appreciate such a handsome gaze, and the strength that was forced to grow from it, how could anyone think it was evil, or even a hindrance?" Masamune seemed dumbstruck at his page's words and muttered, "H-her loss?"
"The color is beautiful. It is that pale shade of blue that occurs when cloud meets sky, or when the waves splash in the ocean. For anyone to not see it's beauty, marks them as a fool."
An awkward air permeated the house after Asuma poured out part of her heart to the man she cared for and Masamune struggled to find a proper reaction for what he had just heard. Trying to break the tension, the woman sighed, "I know my words come from the heart of someone who has already seen your eye, and your words come from the heart of your struggles, but do our differing views even matter? It's impossible to foresee how or when we let others behind our walls, but why not let it be for something they see as beautiful instead of ugly?"
Asuma's heart felt like it had lodged itself in her throat, it's beats seeming to echo through her body. But after only a moment's silence, Masamune started to softly laugh, "Ahahaha, only you would say something like that, Yahiko." Her jaw dropping in shock, Asuma uttered, "Oh…"
"But you may be right. Although your words are strange, they are uplifting nonetheless. Perhaps even I can see my eye as a blessing instead of a curse." His small smile came so naturally, and the woman just stared at his handsome grin, holding her breath as if to keep her affection from spilling over. If Masamune went around showing this expression of his more often, Kojuro would be beating the girls off of him left and right.
The One-Eyed Dragon tilted his head to the side, some what confused that someone so opinionated as Asuma had no more words to offer, "What's wrong?" Asuma shook her head, "Nothing is wrong, but you smiled just then, didn't you?"
"Did I really look that strange in doing so? Kojuro is always telling me I should smile more so that people will warm to me much more easily. I should've guessed it would be such an odd sight to see a smile on my face, huh?"
"No! No no no, I mean-"
"I'm sorry that it was unnerving for you."
Masamune looked so pained with his furrowed brow, and grabbed his chopsticks to finish his meal, but Asuma could hold her emotions no longer and let out a hearty laugh. Her mouth widened in a million dollar smile, and she shook her head, "Unnerving is not the word to describe it, milord. I can assure you of that! Please smile more. If not for yourself, do it for me. It is wonderful!" She continued to laugh, unable to get the gorgeous image of his happiness from flooding her thoughts. Masamune could feel his own chest tighten with fondness, and the beautiful sound of Asuma's laughter made his pulse rush. A laugh, louder than any other that had erupted from the daimyo's mouth, filled the room and the two smiled and giggled uncontrollably at one another, and Asuma prayed this would not be the last time she felt such a pure happiness.