Poisoned Sakura - Chapter 11 - Back to Kyoto: Part 2

After a few more drinks, Shigezane's speech had become even more slurred and Masamune decided it was time to get his cousin into bed. With Asuma's help, the two walked Shigezane to one of the connected rooms in the suite and Asuma said, "Were in your room now, Lord Shigezane." The samurai nodded, dragging his feet across the floor as he wobbled in, but decided it best to lay down right next to his bedding. "Oh, come on! Why not actually in the bed?!" Asuma cried out and Shigezane began to laugh once more. Masamune sighed, "Eh, just leave him there. He'll figure out where his bed is eventually." Asuma couldn't help but shake her head and giggle. Masamune softly chuckled with her, and after the page found a spare robe to drape over Shigezane, she and her lord left him be in his room.

Asuma closed the door behind her and Masamune softly mumbled, "I'm sorry about him. I think I'll go outside for some air." Asuma arched an eyebrow and questioned, "By yourself, milord?" As his face slightly softened, the daimyo asked, "Do you want to join me?" Swearing to protect Masamune, Asuma nodded, "Yes, I do." The One-Eyed Dragon smiled and the two left the inn.

A coolness was fully settled upon the city, but the heavy wool robes kept the chill off of the two as they travelled through the closed houses and shops. Masamune seemed to be walking aimlessly as Asuma travelled slightly behind but beside him. "Are you happy to be going home, Yahiko?" Masamune quietly muttered. Asuma took a deep breath and replied, "I'd have to say I am. It's been quite a while since I've seen my family." Her answer caused the lord to furrow his brow in thought, "Did you come with me… because you wish me to take you home?" His words were strained and slow to leave his lips, but Asuma shook her head, "No, milord. Yonezawa has become as much a home as Kyoto. I came because I've vowed my life to serving you. To stay by your side."

"I see."

Masamune had slowed his steps so that he was abreast with his page, and Asuma could see a smirk upon the daimyo's face, his eye betraying a look of relief.

The next morning, the travellers awoke early and began their trip once more and arrived in the capital in the evening. Once they were deep in the city, Asuma became overjoyed at the very familiar atmosphere, enjoying the sights immensely. Shigezane had stopped to ask an official about the going ons in town. He rejoined his party and exclaimed, "Masamune, they say that Sanada arrived in town not too long before us." His expression seemed troubled and Asuma asked, "Sanada?"

"Sanada Yukimura. He may be the second son to Lord Sanada, but he is first in battle.

Masamune also frowned upon hearing his cousin's words, "Are you saying we should avoid him?" Shigezane wasn't quite sure how to answer, but before he could attempt to, the daimyo turned to Asuma and said, "We'll be staying in town for three days, Yahiko." Not knowing why exactly she was being told this, she exclaimed wearily, "Okay, milord."

"I want you to stay with your family. I know it is only for three days, but I'm sure you would like to visit them."
"Uh, but-"

Cutting her off, Masamune smiled, "I'm capable of keeping myself safe and Shigezane will be by my side. No need to worry yourself with following me around the clock. Besides, I will be visiting the restaurant while here." Shigezane nodded, "Get going, kid. I heard the same thing from Kojuro that Masamune woul-" but before he could finish his statement, Masamune butted his stallion in to his cousin's mare, startling him from his sentence. Adding insult to injury, Masamune kicked Shigezane in the shin and muttered, "You don't always have to have the last word, Shigezane."

"Ow! Alright, I get it, I get it. But use your own words next time so that I don't have to."

Asuma smiled at the two, "I will do as you say in that case, milords. I am always at your beck and call, should you need me." "Focus on getting some rest and spending it with your loved ones," came Masamune's soft chiding. Dismounting Mayonaka and handing the reins to Shigezane, the woman hurriedly retrieved her trunk from the cart, and bowed to the lords deeply before disappearing into the streets towards home.

Absolute Victory was finishing up servicing the dinner crowd, readying to close shop when Asuma arrived out front. The blue siding and familiar sign made her sigh with happiness and she walked around back. Going inside, the woman walked down the hall towards the kitchen and announced, "Mama, Yahiko, I'm home!" The first face to appear at the end of the hall was her mother's as the older woman yelped, "Asuma?! Is that you?!" Yahiko rushed up beside her and ran to his sister, hugging her around the waist as he yelled, "Sissy!" Asuma's mother followed suit, and the family embraced, enjoying the much needed reunion.

After Asuma's mother rushed her off to settle back into her room, Asuma carried her trunk up the stairs, gratefully letting her luggage rest on the floor. After the restaurant was closed, her mother and Yahiko joined her, and Asuma told them of the position she had earned at the castle, her mind at ease knowing she could tell them her tale in person. The woman did express she wished to continue serving Lord Masamune, and her family was very accepting of the decision. That night, Asuma slept like a babe, her heart light and her thoughts not amounting to many.

The next morning, Asuma excused herself to change into one of her kimonos, and she relished in not having to bind her chest and hide her identity. Her long hair fell down her back and shoulders and Asuma pulled the hairpins from her male robes, laying them upon the silk pouch that had held them. The two adornments looked beautiful in their contrasts, and after putting her hair up, she placed the comb Masamune had gifted her in her hair, carrying her father's in the pouch nestled in her kimono. With the last touch to her ensemble being her apron, Asuma began with her early morning deliveries, picking up life as if she had never left Kyoto.

After delivering a few castella cakes and dango to a client's house, she hurried back to Absolute Victory, only to hear an unwelcome voice behind her. "Oh my goodness, is that my sweet Asuma I do see before me?" Asuma let her head fall back in exasperation, and she turned to stare at the owner of the voice, who was none other than the perverted magistrate, Tamiko. A broad smile on the man's face bunched up the double chins on his neck and he quickly walked towards Asuma. With a sickeningly pleased face, Tamiko exclaimed, "It has been much too long! I've so dearly missed your lovely face, my dear." Asuma rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Right." With a swift turn, the woman didn't even dignify the magistrate with a bow, continuing to walk towards Absolute Victory.

Having no self control over his wants, Tamiko grabbed Asuma's arm, meaning to stop her, but she barked, "Let go, you bastard!" With a wicked grin, the man hissed, "As icy as ever, even with my absence. Surely this is not how a woman treats her fiance!" His smiled turned to a look of fury and Tamiko leaned in close to Asuma, "I don't how Yahiko managed to survive as Lord Date's poison taster, but spurn me again, and you can be assured that your precious restaurant will be burned to the ground." A look of fear crossed the woman's face, wondering how she had been cursed with such threats from the vile human in front of her. Smirking at the terrified girl, Tamiko muttered, "That's right, the best wife is obedient. And silent."

Asuma's body froze as she felt the magistrate's fingers trace the line of her round jaw. She prayed she would not have to hurt the man herself, such a scene surely bound to cause a multitude of suspicions. But before Asuma could decide upon a reaction, a voice yelled out, "You pathetic excuse of a man. No respectable samurai would ever behave the way you do." Asuma turned to see the silver-haired man in red robes who long ago had fought with Masamune in the restaurant, his sea foam blue eyes blazing with disgust.

The memory of him rushed back into Asuma's mind and she remembered the blush that had crossed the samurai's face as he helped her gather the parts from her broken hairpin. She could remember the warmth from his body as she grabbed his arm pleading for him not to fight in Absolute Victory. And she remembered Masamune calling him "Sanada". This was the Sanada Yukimura that Shigezane had warned Masamune about.

Tamiko's face flushed red and he barked, "Stay out of this, boy!" His hands flew to his sword, drawing it quickly, but Yukimura drew his own with an even swifter movement, exclaiming, "If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get!" With sure-footed steps, Lord Sanada pulled Asuma behind him and levelled his blade at the magistrate. Panicking, Asuma cried out, "You can't do this in the middle of the street!"

As she moved between the two, Tamiko began to swing his sword, and out of reaction, Asuma threw her arm up in defense, but not having gauntlets to protect her, the tip of the sword sliced through her skin. Yukimura grabbed Asuma with such a force that she nearly fell over when she was pulled backwards. The lord's blade hit Tamiko's with a reverberating screeches of metal upon metal. After attempting to land a blow, Tamiko stumbled back, stuttering, "W-what?!" His opponent squinted at him, "And here I foolishly thought I had decent challenge out of you." When Asuma looked at the two, her eyes widened as she saw Yukimura standing with Tamiko's blade stopped between his hands, his own blade lying on the dusty road. He growled, "If you leave now, I may have the good grace to forget this ever happened." Once more, the magistrate backed away with a paled face and ran as fast as he could away from Lord Sanada.

Asuma put her hand to her chest, sucking in air after she inadvertently held her breath during the brief battle. The woman turned wide-eyed to her rescuer, "Thank-you for saving me. Again. Lord Sanada." She bowed to him, but Yukimura blushed, asking, "Again?"

"Months ago you approached Lord Date in my family's restaurant. You held off the men trying to destroy the dining room."
"Oh! I remember now!"

"I never got the chance to thank-you properly. So, thank-you again, milord."

"Oh, no need. It was nothing. Really."

Yukimura's face was completely flushed red at Asuma's praise, avoiding her gaze by looking at the hairpin in her hair. He slowly smiled at the sight, "I see you got a new comb." Asuma nodded, "Yes."

"Well it looks… very nice. Very beautiful."

The young Lord Sanada tripped over his words like a young school boy with his first crush. Asuma couldn't help but smile, about to thank him for his compliment, but before she could, the shock had drained from her body, and the wound on her arm began to sting and throb with pain. "He hurt you didn't he?" Yukimura asked, his face covered in shock as Asuma lifted her arm. The cut was a tad deeper than she initially thought and the blood from it stained her sleeve.

"Sanada! Get away from that woman! Now!" barked a chilling voice, and Asuma's heart dropped to the pit of her stomach, spotting Masamune standing down the road. His eye reflected a deadly stare, and with the frightening tone of his voice, the lord looked like the very harbinger of death himself. He stalked toward Yukimura, and yelled, "What did you do to her, you bastard?!"

Asuma gasped, realizing Masamune thought she had been injured by her rescuer. She called out, "Wait, I can explain!-" but before she could finish, Yukimura's pride made him speak up in a mocking tone, "Even if I had hurt her, what would you do about it?" Asuma choked out, "What?!", wondering how Lord Sanada could possibly think that was the best response for this situation.

Yukimura was obviously trying to provoke Masamune, and Asuma thought back to when Shigezane had told her that although the One-Eyed Dragon always looked calm, a burning rage could quickly be ignited behind that cool exterior. The morals in the woman's heart caused her to run out between the two and she cried out, "Wait! Just wait!. Lord Masamune!" Her eyes flew open wide, not meaning to have shown such a familiarity with him such as her alter ego "Yahiko" would have.

Masamune did not seem to even hear her words, drawing his blade quickly as he barked, "Get out of the way." Asuma was stunned by his order as Yukimura laughed behind her, "Finally ready to fight, One-Eyed Dragon?" Lord Sanada retrieved his blade from the ground and dropped into a fighting position. Asuma instinctively backed away as the two warriors approached one another, their feet hitting the ground heavily as their blades clashed. The hiss of metal upon metal filled the air, various grunts and shouts coming from the men with their exertions. The battle looked like the fierce ones Asuma had observed Masamune and Kojuro performing during their training sessions, great skill battling against equal strength, but this fight had the sole purpose of one man determined to kill the other.

Yukimura parried one of Masamune's blows, but the daimyo used the opportunity to push his opponent back, the connected blades acting as a wall forcing his enemy away. As Yukimura's feet slid backwards in the dirt, focused on holding the One-Eyed Dragon off, Masamune swiftly brought his knee up to his opponent's side. Lord Sanada stumbled as Masamune muttered, "Got you."

Asuma watched in horror as Masamune readied his sword for a death blow against the distracted Yukimura. Suddenly a voice yelled out, "Oh, my! I'm so sorry to interject, Sir Masamune!" Before long, the owner of the voice, a white silver haired but cheerful looking warrior, appeared between the two lords, looking as calm as ever. "Would you mind letting dear Lord Sanada go, just this once?" the stranger asked, almost acting bored of the fight. Masamune sheathed his sword and muttered, "Kirigakure Saizo."

"After all, the little lady wants you to stop, don't you?"

Asuma turned to him, confused and wide-eyed. She instinctively nodded, staring at Masamune, pleading in her head for him to stop. "Lord Masa-... I mean… Lord Date, Lord Sanada did not hurt me!" came the woman's hurried speech, and Masamune's face flushed with surprise, "How did you get hurt, then?"

"Lord Sanada actually rescued me from the man who wounded me."

Saizo smiled, "See? Nothing to worry about. Sounds like quite a good idea to let him go, yes? So sorry for his behavior. Little Lord Yukimura seems to always get in trouble. Many apologies." With a perfectly unbothered smile, Saizo picked the doubled over Yukimura up by the collar and drug him down the road like a dog on a leash. Yukimura cried out, "Dammit, Saizo! Let go of me!"

"Little Lord, what am I going to do with you? Taunting the One-Eyed dragon is like poking a bear. Did you not see how cross he was with you? Try not to cause me unneeded trouble."

As Yukimura prodded dejectedly beside his friend, Asuma let her shoulders slump, as if a storm had passed with Lord Sanada's departure. She turned to Masamune and called out, "Are you all right?" She hurriedly walked towards him, but before she could check the ripped fabric on his arm, Masamune wrenched himself away. "Don't touch me," came the daimyo's heavy words and Asuma sighed. She had reacted as Yahiko would have. She was having a much harder time behaving as her true self than she thought.

The woman's eyes fell to the ground, cursing herself for thinking Masamune would treat her differently than other women. As she looked back up to him, a handkerchief construed her vision. Asuma asked in startled voice, "What's this for?" Masamune was looking away, his face written with worry, "You should stop the bleeding." His eye darted towards Asuma's arm, and her mouth fell open for a moment before she smiled and gratefully took the handkerchief. Asuma bowed deeply to the lord, and they both stood silent for a moment, their cheeks growing flushed.

"Oh dear, were you showing off again, Masamune?" A jovial voice spoke, surprising the two. Lord Shigezane slowly came into view and smiled at his cousin, but his eyes widened when he looked upon Asuma. He asked, "I assume you are Yahiko's sister?" The woman bowed and responded, "Yes, my name is Asuma."

"I am Date Shigezane. My my, you really do look like your brother!"

Shigezane flashed a giant smile at her and Asuma smiled back, unsure how to feel as her hand gripped the handkerchief around her cut tighter. Masamune straightened his robes and softly said, "Shigezane, you go ahead." His cousin smirked, "And what are you going to do if I leave you all alone?"

"I'm going to escort her home."

Shigezane was internally surprised by his cousin's actions, but just smiled, continuing on ahead to where he was meeting Hideyoshi. Asuma looked sheepishly upon Masamune, the lord's jaw visibly clenching and unclenching from nervousness, and she herself began to pick at the corners of her fingers from her own anxiety. The One-Eyed Dragon began to walk towards Absolute Victory, and Asuma followed behind him.

As they continued down the streets, Asuma spoke up, "Thank-you, Lord Date." Masamune nervously looked away and replied, "Don't. I have business at your family's restaurant anyways. And-" With his last word he looked back at Asuma, but he balked, his eyes growing wide with fear. He uttered, "D-don't walk so c-close!" Inadvertently, the woman had been following right behind Masamune as she usually did as his page, and she quickly took a few steps back, apologizing repeatedly to the daimyo.

As if satisfied by the distance, Masamune continued on, and Asuma followed along once more. Occasionally, the lord would look back at her over his shoulder to make sure she was still following him, and Asuma could feel the blush heating up her cheeks and ears from the constant stares.

"Um, Lord Date?" Asuma spoke up suddenly and Masamune quietly replied, "What?"

"Thank-you for the beautiful hairpin. I will make sure to keep it safe.

"Good."

A smile flashed across Masamune's face, and Asuma's heart raced, wanting nothing more than to feel his lips with her own. He turned back around and exclaimed, "I'm sorry for what happened to your family." Asuma sighed, "No, milord, I should be the one to apologize. I didn't even get the chance to thank-you for helping us. May I ask a question?"

"What?"
"Is my brother, doing well for you, Lord Date?"

Asuma's heart had jumped into her throat as it pounded, but Masamune turned to her with a soft gaze, "He's doing very well. He is amongst the few men I can truly say I trust." The words hit Asuma like a punch to her gut, and she feared that her heart would break out of her chest. He had come to trust Yahiko, despite this whole time being so deceived. Sorrow overtook the woman, and she bit at the insides of her cheeks, praying she would not cry in front of Masamune.

The two arrived at the restaurant as the dinner crowd was beginning to flow in, and Masamune took up his usual residence in a dark corner of the restaurant and Asuma left to put on her apron in the kitchen. She came back out with a pitcher of sake to fill Masamune's cup and as she did so, she asked, "What would you like to eat tonight, milord?" The daimyo hesitated for a moment before answering, "Karaage chicken." Asuma bowed with a smile and left for the kitchen. What felt like ages ago, when Masamune was refusing to eat, the woman had tried to serve him karaage chicken, only to be met with refusal. Ever since, Asuma had avoided cooking the dish, but she was more than happy to cook it for him tonight, excited to see how he would like the taste of it.

Masamune had completely finished his food and Asuma took up his dishes to be washed. As she reemerged to wipe the table down, instead of Masamune usually disappearing before she came back, the lord stood next to the table, as if waiting for her. Once she neared, the One-Eyed Dragon softly said, "I shall visit when I am back in the capital." Asuma bowed, "Thank-you so much, Lord Date. Many apologies for my brother's absence while you visited."

"It's quite alright. I'll be taking him out again the day after tomorrow, so I am glad he is spending this time with you all."

"Yessir. Please take care of my brother, Lord Date."

The two bowed to one another and Masamune left for the inn he was staying in. Asuma watched him exit, and her mother walked up next to her, "He seems so kind. He has definitely opened up since the last he visited here." Asuma nodded and she quietly muttered, "Yeah." It was all she could respond with, for her throat was closing from buried cries.

As her mother spoke, Asuma had finally connected all of the dots in her mind. Masamune had gifted her an exquisite hairpin. He had readily defended her from Sanada Yukimura. He even escorted her home, making it a point to say he'd be visiting again. Asuma was the marriage prospect Masamune had said he was visiting in Kyoto, and he was slowly trying to open up to her in his own way. Asuma couldn't breathe under the weight of the realization, and she rushed to her room before her tears could fall.