AN: Thanks to reviewers SerasTasha, CherrieBluez, bubble_duckie, Jules, ShadowCub, faystay, and the guest for their kind comments in the last chapter. Once again, for your ease of reading, an updated castle and character list is provided on my tumblr at "seigetsu-ren dot tumblr dot com slash post slash 103161197009 slash as-requested-by-reviewers-here-is-an-updated-list" (just replace the words "dot" and "slash" with actual dots and slashes, and take out the spaces obviously), and, the summary of this current chapter is located at bottom of the page, so for those who would like to first read the summary to help follow the main text, that's where it is. Alright, thanks again for reading and hope you'll enjoy this chapter.
As of Chapter 9 (last chapter), Okuzaki Akira saved Yasukouchi Yoshiko from a deadly attack by Eguchi Sera. Using the opening, they escaped the temple behind Shizuru and Natsuki with Hanada Kirame's forces shielding their retreat. Fujino Shizuyoshi ordered his retainers, Eguchi and Shimizudani Ryuuka, to not give chase, with Shimizudani put on defense within Kiyosu, while Eguchi commanded the cavalry rear during battle to force Shizuru's forces south against an icy river, away from where he presumed her reinforcements would be. During the battle, Hanada was nearly killed, but Yasukouchi came to her rescue. They followed Shizuru's lead across the icy river. Shizuyoshi's forces followed, walking into the trap that Natsuki had set along with Shizuru's reinforcements, Akado Harue, Suzushiro Haruka, and Kikukawa Yukino, all of whom made it to Kiyosu only because Shizuru had previously constructed a hidden road from the depths of Tougoku Mountain to Shobata Castle. Using the arquebus unit transferred from Tate to Akado's command before they departed Suemori, Natsuki opened fire on Shizuyoshi's forces, but at the same time, someone shot at her, only to be intercepted by Shizuru.
Glossary:
tatami armour - armour made of rectangular armour plates (karuta) connected by chainmail, then sewn onto a cloth backing. This type of armour was worn by the samurai class and ashigaru foot soldiers, with the advantage of lightweight and portability.
"Can I see...sleep tonight?" - this sentence is borrowed from a waka poem Dougen Zenji composed the year before his death.
The Nation For You
Chapter 10
Night at Ryuusenji.
Matsumi Kuro sat stiffly at her position surrounded by her guards, the door of the temple's sitting room behind her. The entourage that faced her on the opposite side was far more esteemed, with her former instructor, the legendary Akado Harue, in the middle, the top general of Fujino, Suzushiro Haruka, by her right, the Keeper of Fort Marune, Torii Eriko, by her left, and the famous logistics officer who directly served their princess, Kikukawa Yukino, relegated to the very edge. And she knew full well Shizuka-himesama and their precious visitor, Shimazu Yoshino, were both resting at her guest chambers.
She felt cold sweat drip down the side of her cheeks and struggled to not shake in her seat. How she wished her sister, Matsumi Yuu of Moriyama Castle, could be here to support her now!
"About the letter," Akado began, slipping the papers forward, "Shizuru-himesama has sent a request for our troops to join her at Kiyosu by the next night. By this, I mean Suzushiro, Kikukawa, and myself."
"This is ridiculous! Even if we were to draw a straight line from here to Kiyosu, that'd be four damn rii! Not to mention the roads are mountainous and blocked by snow. Is she mad?" Suzushiro exclaimed. Kikukawa looked meekly towards her friend, pondered, before softly voicing her opinion.
"It is not impossible. We have cleared a path through the forest when we first moved from Shobata to Tougoku Mountain. If we begin marching tonight, we should make it to the outskirts of Kiyosu by noon the next day at the latest. We can even afford a half-day rest before night sets."
Suzushiro was shocked speechless. That damn tea bag is one sneaky bastard - she thought. Akado merely listened and nodded.
"In that case, we shall entrust the safety of Torii-dono, the guest from Shimazu, and the Princess Shizuka to your hands, Kuro," Akado said.
Matsumi gulped, bobbing her head up and down a couple times before making what could only classify as a yelp, "Ye...yes, Teacher Akado."
And thus, after watching from her guest room window the massive army of five hundred spears, two hundred and fifty guns, and two hundred and fifty skilled archers depart in the moonlit snow, Fujino Shizuka schemed.
Kuga Natsuoki, brother of Natsuki-hime and son of Kuga Natsuhiko, was staying at nearby Taigakuji across the Shounai River. He had come to negotiate her adoption into the Kuga Clan and was scheduled to meet with the Fujino representatives the next noon. Considering that the Fujino-Kuga alliance was still young, and the turmoil in Fujino territory with the Ishigami-Kanzaki attacking in the southeast, his mission could be deemed a dangerous one. If rumours were to be trusted, Natsuoki and Natsuhiko's relationship was rocky, and might have deteriorated even further upon Natsuki-hime's marriage into the Fujino Clan.
Would it then be possible to turn Natsuoki against her sister, Shizuru? If Shizuru fell, Natsuki-hime's power would cease, and Natsuoki would then be safe in his seat as the Kuga successor. Granted, the Fujino-Kuga alliance would likely collapse and Fujino territory swallowed either by the Kuga or the Ishigami-Kanzaki, but Shizuka didn't think that far. She would be adopted into the Kuga anyway - what was the use of her staying loyal to the Fujino? If things went well, she could side with Natsuoki instead, and when the time was ripe, turn against him to take Kuga and Fujino all for herself!
The thought of this led her to sneak out her room, down to the river, cross it via an old stone bridge, and make her way towards the nearby temple. Her pale brown hair was knotted and wet with sweat by the time she got there, her feet numb from the cold trek. Still, she held her head high when she knocked on the front gate.
The gate creaked open, revealing a pair of narrow, green eyes from the gap.
"Oh? What have we got here?"
Shizuka clenched her fists and withstood the insulting tone. She had to. This was not home, and her mother could no longer protect her. She was on her own, this being her last chance.
"I am Fujino Shizuka, second daughter of Lord Shizuo of Fujino. I hereby request an audience with the honourable Kuga Natsuoki, son and successor of Lord Natsuhiko of Kuga."
The woman behind those green eyes smiled widely as though this were all very amusing. I'll claw your throat out and throw your dead body into Fujino Bay one day - was what Shizuka told herself over and over in her mind to rein in her temper. The woman didn't seem to mind her glare though, slowly drawing her slender fingers over the side of her face to brush those crimson locks behind her ear.
"Lady Fujino Shizuka, huh?" she said, "If I am not mistaken, is our meeting not scheduled for next noon?"
"That should be none of your concern. Just go announce my arrival to your master!"
"My master will see whoever I bring to him," the woman answered, but did open up the gates to let her in. As Shizuka crossed the doorway, though, she leaned in and whispered, her breath caressing Shizuka's exposed nape, "Patience is a virtue, Lady Shizuka. I would recommend that you work on it, else your throat will be the one slit, and your body tossed to the sharks of Fujino Bay..."
Though the breath was warm, Shizuka thought it felt like a cold blade, pressed against her neck, then slicing through, inch by inch, into her spine.
"This way, Lady Shizuka," the woman spoke again to bring her back to reality. Apparently, she had been rooted to her spot while the woman had taken a good twenty paces forward already.
"Keep walking. I am behind you," Shizuka commanded. The woman made silent chuckles, puffs of white rolling out her nostrils to fade into the winter air. Soon, they reached a large chamber guarded by two men at the entrance.
"Announce my arrival, and hers, Lady Shizuka of Fujino."
"As your command, Lady Yuuki."
Shizuka's eyes widened. This woman...was Yuuki Nao, high retainer of the Kuga Clan and their chief strategist!?
"We may enter," Nao said after the guard returned with her master's approval. She stood to the side of the opened door, "After you, Milady."
Shizuka removed her long sword and handed it to the guard, then stepped through and into the chamber. Kuga Natsuoki sat waiting within, a knee propped up to where his elbow rested, cup of wine swirling in his fingers. He tilted his thick neck back and downed it with a gulp.
It was hard not to be intimated by the man easily twice her size. Shizuka lowered herself to the seat as steadily as she could and didn't dare remove the wakizashi from her belt.
Natsuoki didn't say anything about it though. In fact, he didn't even bear arms. Nao came in and sat by his side.
"Lady Shizuka. I am delighted to hear that your clan wishes to send you to us. I would much like to have a sister, after my sister at birth married into your clan," he began. "But is it not early for us to discuss the details tonight? I'm sure even your burning desire to join us can wait till daybreak?"
"Lord Natsuoki, you are an intelligent man. You know I am not here for such trivial matters."
"Do not praise me so. I have no ears on the walls nor eyes in your heart. I am clueless until you enlighten me."
He was forcing her to speak. Knowing this, Shizuka tried to choose her words cautiously, "Akado Harue, Suzushiro Haruka, and Kikukawa Yukino just left Ryuusenji with a thousand troops. This is after they took Torii Eriko and the guest from Shimazu to Ryuusenji from Fort Marune."
Nao shook her head lightly, a little tired of Shizuka's roundabout way of saying something so obvious, "My Lord, I think Shizuka-hime means to say that Shizuru-hime is secretly requesting reinforcements to join her at Kiyosu Castle. You know, where Lord Shizuyoshi is hosting the late Lord Shizuo's funeral?"
"You..." Shizuka thought about whether she should deny, but realized that she had gone too far either way. Fear gripped her in its claws and her stomach turned, its contents rising to the back of her throat. She was now at the mercy of Natsuoki and his strategist. If they valued the alliance with her sister more and turned her in, wouldn't she be executed for treason?
Reading the apprehension etched on her features, Natsuoki said with a smile, "My future sister, be at ease. You have done nothing wrong by coming to me with a complex problem you do not understand. I will do what I can as your brother to aid you."
Shizuka nodded, but Nao mused that her face was still pale as the moon. What a fool. You would think if one had the guts to turn against a lady with half a province in her hands, she would have been prepared for a gruesome death.
Clearly, Shizuka had not thought hard enough about it. Or maybe with her meagre intelligence, more thinking wouldn't have helped anyway.
"I think it'd be best that you return to Ryuusenji as soon as possible, Fair Sister. I'm sure it is expected of a young lady as yourself to remain at your chambers so late into the night."
Nao stifled a snort at the way her lord was chiding Shizuka's uselessness. Perhaps the young beauty of such rare ruby eyes was really better suited for warming a bed than carrying a sword. For once, Nao agreed with the conservatives' sentiment.
But Shizuka being naive as she was did not understand the subtle message. "Then Brother, would you be sending your forces soon? Kikukawa is a skilled one. If you do not hurry, you will not catch up..."
"What forces, Lady Shizuka?" Nao feigned surprise, then returned to her playful smirk as Shizuka's eyes widened, "An entourage, you mean, to attend the funeral as representatives of our clan. It is best to be clear with our wording, in case someone shall accuse our lady of staging another rebellion."
"I did not! I...I..."
"Tokiomi, escort the princess back to Ryuusenji," Nao ordered the guard outside, cutting Shizuka off. Shizuka gave Natsuoki a pleading gaze, but he pretended not to have noticed, staring out at the vivid red plum blossoms under a thin blanket of snow.
Shizuka was forcefully escorted out, the door closed, and again there was just silence in the room. Nao's smirk wore off as she landed a hard gaze at Natsuoki. Unlike Shizuka, she had patience, but only so much. It certainly was wearing thin where this man was concerned.
"Fujino Shizuru will fight Fujino Shizuyoshi at Kiyosu. The Ishigami-Kanzaki are starting an invasion. There is no better chance of taking Fujino as our own. Is that what you are thinking?" She asked bluntly. Natsuoki just tilted his head towards her.
"What's important is what you're thinking, Yuuki. Your value is in your brains, is it not?"
Nao didn't even try to conceal her snort this time, "The Ishigami-Kanzaki could've taken Terabe and Kariya by now if they really tried. Clearly they're waiting past sowing to amass a stronger force. But if we decide to march into Fujino? Who knows what they would do? Fujino is our buffer zone. If we take it without negotiation, they surely would wage war on us."
"And we won't win?"
"They have more people, they have more horses, they have better equipment, they know the terrain better...where can we best them? Nothing. If we were to win, we'd have to draw them towards Inabayama and crush them on our own lands."
"With our allies, the Karauchi Clan?" Natsuoki asked, but clearly he wasn't looking for an answer. The statement made Nao grit her teeth. He laughed lightly, then continued, "I'll take your advice and wait my time. You know that I can care less about Fujino Shizuru."
"You mean to say you want to kill your sister instead?" Nao remarked flatly, "The real deal. Not the bedwarmer who just left."
"I thought you wanted to be careful with our wording," Natsuoki retorted. Nao just snatched the wine bottle and poured the liquor directly into her mouth.
"There is just you and me here now. If it's not 'killing your sister', then it is 'slaying your sister', then it is 'cutting off her head and displaying it on a post by the city wall'. Even that Fujino Shizuka guessed your intention. Why else would she come and rat out her sister's movements to us?"
"In that case, how do you think I should go about 'cutting off her head and displaying it on a post by the city wall', as you so aptly coined?"
Natsuoki looked amused. Nao not so much. She glared at him and stood to her feet.
"As though you can let anybody else know about this..."
He stared at her eagle eyes and steady hands, the way her breath came in and out of her without detectable movement in her chest.
"I don't need anyone else to know. A gun is enough to take care of this. A gun, only if it were in your hands."
"Shizuru-sama!" Natsuki cried. Shizuru stumbled back from the impact of the shot, but steadied herself before lowering to the ground.
"I am fine," she uttered, her voice still strong and steady, "When I purchase an arquebus, I also purchase the armour that could intercept its shots. The assassin would've had to grow a spine and come directly in my face to get that bullet into my flesh!"
Nao made an annoyed tsk at how Shizuru-hime stopped her assassination attempt. Not only did she fail in taking Natsuki-hime's life like she intended, but she also failed to kill anybody for that matter. Now who the hell but the Fool of Fujino would wad through an icy river in heavy western cuirass in exchange for the lighter, foldable tatami armour?
She didn't have time to ponder her own question as she made a run for it before the Fujino army tracked her down by the trail of smoke she left behind. Speaking of the negatives of a gun versus a bow!
Luckily for Nao, Natsuki had no spare time for her. Shizuyoshi's spears were coming towards them despite their volleys of fire. It was probably a desperate effort, because they had nothing but water to fall back on. Nonetheless, she knew the guns were not enough to stop them, especially when Eguchi Sera was forcing her cavalry around to shield the infantry's flanks, keeping its formation. Shizuru recognized Natsuki's struggle. She was slow to rise, but leaning on her naginata, she managed to stand.
"I can still execute the plan. Yasukouchi and Hanada had gone ahead to draw their exhausted troops behind your lines. I will follow them. Give me your horse."
"Yes, Shizuru-hime," Natsuki answered with a nod. She must trust her wife. The best way of ensuring her safety would be to win this battle here and now!
"Okuzaki, accompany Shizuru-hime to the rear. Signal the horn blower to call the cavalry."
"As you command, My Princess," Akira answered, helping Shizuru onto the horse, then flinging herself on the back and disappeared from sight.
Soon, the war horn was blown. Hearing it, Akado Harue readied her red stallion, and at the wave of her saihai, galloped forward with the remaining two hundred horses at her disposal. Eguchi Sera couldn't believe what she was seeing! Them horses, them horses! They were waves! Tall waves, armoured and trained for battle. These were the war horses given to Shizuru-hime as a wedding gift from the Kuga Clan.
So the smoke at the back of Kiyosu Castle wasn't to conceal the number of men present, but the number of horses. They had pulled most of the cavalry into this ambush.
"Sweep them out of the way!" Akado cried. A deafening roar answered her command. Akado was known for her speed. The smallest of weaknesses she could detect, she would swiftly attack there. This was what was happening to Eguchi as Akado drew her horses towards the units farthest away from her command. While Eguchi could control the units closer to her, the ones farther away couldn't hear her commands above the noise of gunfire, and visibility was poor in the residual smoke. The resulting panic scattered them in Akado's rush, exposing the vulnerable infantry files.
At this time, another horn sounded - recognizing the notes, Suzushiro understood it was Akado's message for her to get ready.
"I have waited long enough. My hand is twitching for action!"
Suzushiro commanded the rest of her horses and the main body of five hundred spears towards Shizuyoshi's infantry. "Charge!" her voice boomed above even the gunshots and war horns. She held her pike below her arm and rode right through Shizuyoshi's first file. She had no mercy even on the wet and shivering enemy, neither did her troops. They moved as a solid wall, pushed, stabbed, and continued.
The extra half ken on Suzushiro's troops' spears was highly effective. The increased range let them pierce the enemy before they could return an attack. When they were getting killed before they could even reach their opponents, it wasn't difficult to imagine that they would lose all hope. This was when Shizuyoshi's men lost formation, many even falling back against the river.
Funakubo Hiroko knew she couldn't let this continue. "The guns are powerful but they are slow. We need to make a charge while they are loading and drive through their thin, light infantry rear before their heavy infantry and cavalry on our either side completely closes in."
Shizuyoshi nodded to the good advice. He might be overwhelmed by the ambush, bitter about what now turned into a crushing defeat, but as an experienced commander, he did not lose his cool. He admitted to his mistake of chasing his niece across the river, but now was not the time to ponder it. "We have far too few horses to pit against their cavalry. Use them instead as messengers. Round up the infantry and bring them out from the center to fill the sides and rear. We will move as a square, not looking back."
"Ha!"
Funakubo and Nijou Izumi took charge on either side, directing the troops to fill the gaps in their lines. They had to stay solid. If there were an opening, Akado and Suzushiro would collapse them from there. Eguchi Sera took the role of rear guard. It was chaos back there, but she managed to rally enough men to fill the remaining side of their square. Once they did that, they started to regain some control of the battle. They were deflecting Akado and Suzushiro's attacks. They were moving forward again.
The front that Shizuyoshi personally commanded charged through Natsuki's gunners and crushed the weakened troops under Yasukouchi and Hanada, breaking through onto the plains in the south and into the forest ahead. "Do not give chase!" Natsuki commanded, knowing she'd only lose more men if she did. Besides, the objective was getting rid of Shizuyoshi, and that would be accomplished by the few she secretly stationed, still waiting in the south.
Deep in the forest, Kikukawa and her bowmen notched their arrows. Most of her troops, being skilled horseback archers, had gone to Akado's cavalry unit, but the few that she kept were now here.
The trees forced Shizuyoshi's square into a thin line. They had narrowly escaped Kuga Natsuki, but Shizuyoshi knew he could not pause here.
Snow was falling. It dusted his armour, frozen in the winter cold.
He took a breath, turned his head upward, and stared the perfect moon above.
"Can I see autumn again? So grateful am I to watch this full moon, how can I sleep tonight?" He whispered.
Those would be his last words, as Kikukawa then answered his poem with an arrow through his throat. He fell in a spray of bone and blood.
End of Chapter 10
Unfortunately, it was another short chapter. I wanted to get to the juicy ShizNat part after the battle, but had no time to finish writing. Oh well, it'll be the focus of the next chapter now that Shizuyoshi is dead.
Summary of Chapter 10 (this chapter), The night before Shizuru arrived at Kiyosu, a letter reached her troops at Ryuusenji. Akado, Suzushiro, and Kikukawa were to take their troops via the road Kikukawa built to join Shizuru at Kiyosu. Witnessing their departure, Fujino Shizuka sneaked over to Taigakuji to deliver the news to Kuga Natsuoki, soon to be her adoptive brother. Natsuoki was in poor relations with his father, Natsuhiko, who favoured Natsuki over him. Shizuka hoped Natsuoki would help her kill Shizuru while she was vulnerable in battle with Shizuyoshi. Natsuoki promised to do what he could, but sent his retainer, Yuuki Nao, to assassinate Natsuki instead. Nao followed the reinforcements to Kiyosu where she fired at Natsuki with her arquebus, but was intercepted by Shizuru who appeared unscathed because of the heavy, western-styled armour she wore. Shizuru moved with Okuzaki, Yasukouchi, Hanada and their weakened troops towards the rear while Natsuki called for Akado's cavalry and Suzushiro's heavy infantry to come out of ambush on Shizuyoshi's either side. Realizing that the fake attack on the rear of Kiyosu Castle was not to hide the number of men Natsuki possessed, but the horses that went to Akado, Eguchi found herself outnumbered and swept away, leaving their infantry vulnerable. Shizuyoshi's men started to scatter and fall back onto the river. Funakubo urged Shizuyoshi to push forward through the loading gunners and Natsuki's weak rear troops to safety in the south. Shizuyoshi agreed, and with Eguchi and Nijou's aid, consolidated his remaining troops into a hollow square that sucessfully broke free. But as they fled for the woods in the south, Shizuyoshi was shot dead by a hidden Kikukawa.
(2016-11-13): This fic is on hiatus until May 2017. Monthly updates will resume then. Thanks for reading.