The Captain and the Housewife

Kikukawa Takeshi was the feudal lord of Takata, a small town far north and west of Kyoto. Short of stature, he was a miserable man, always seeking new ways to prove his standing to those he considered his inferiors. His wife, Kikukawa Yukino, did not love him, nor did she care for him very much at all. Their marriage had been one of convenience for Yukino's parents, who had gained favor with Takeshi's father by offering their daughter's hand to his first son. Yukino had wed Takeshi, and soon after found out about his insecurities.

Takeshi would often take his worries and fears out on those around him, especially Yukino who tried to calm him and, more often than not, would only serve to anger him further. He would never strike her, but his emotional battery struck Yukino deeply, who would lock herself away from everyone in order to avoid his temper.

Takeshi had recently made a deal to turn his town over to the Imperial Army. They intended to use it as a supply line for their campaign against the Samurai insurrection that had been mounting in the south. Though Takeshi was Samurai, he had refused to give up the title when he turned his town over to the army, a move that sparked a conflict that would see his end.

Yukino was lying on her bed, staring up at the ceiling and thinking about her most recent escape plans. If I go and explain to father that I no longer wish to be married to this man, I am sure he will listen to me. He already has cause to dislike him. Recently, Takeshi feared that Yukino had plans to leave him and, fearing her father, had forbidden him from setting foot on the grounds. This irked Masahiro, who had his own plans to retrieve his daughter from the hated lord.

Yukino got up from her bed and found her clothes, putting them on slowly. She heard a commotion from outside and opened a window to see several armed men and one woman marching up the pathway to the manor. Curious as to why these military men marched up the path, she ran to the front door and joined the servants, who had gathered around the door to witness the event.

Takeshi was sitting on his porch when he saw the soldiers marching towards him, two columns headed by a tall, light haired woman. He strode towards her and they stopped a foot away from each other. "Kikukawa Takeshi, I presume." Her thickly-accented voice gritted through her teeth at the man, who offered his hand to her in a common American gesture, "Yes, and you are?" She ignored his hand, "Sergeant Haruka Armitage, Imperial Army. Word has been received that you may be sympathetic to the resistance. You are hereby ordered to surrender your status as feudal lord to the Empire or face the consequences."

Takeshi grew enraged, "My status has nothing to do with the arrangement that was made. I remain lord and a Samurai." She drew her weapon, an arquebus with characters Yukino had never seen etched into the side 'DIANA', "If you support our war against the insurgent Samurai, then you will surrender your title to the crown." Takeshi spat on the ground before her, "Who are you to speak for the crown, you American bitch?"

Her anger seethed and she ran at him, striking him in the face with the butt of her rifle, "Say that again, I couldn't hear you." He spat blood at her feet and she hit him again, he crumpled to the ground, "Keep going, I can do this all day." He rose to one knee, spitting teeth out on the floor, "Fine, I shall do as you say." He stood up and walked towards the house, Haruka called after him, "One more thing, your wife comes with us." Yukino clutched her kimono at these words, Takeshi seethed, "She is my property." Haruka rose to her full height of over six feet and raised Diana once more, "She comes with us, or you can lose some more teeth. Your choice." He threw his hands in the air, "Then take her, she's useless to me anyway."

Yukino walked out of the house and towards the loud, violent American, silently thanking her for what she had done. Takeshi did not give her a glance as she walked past him. She approached the American, who paid her little attention as she and her soldiers walked away. Yukino followed quietly after, truly enjoying the freedom of fresh air and the open road.

They were approaching the encampment when Haruka spoke her first words to Yukino, "What's your name?" Yukino bowed her head, a customary practice and a habit she had developed when speaking to those in power, "Kikukawa Yukino." Haruka didn't ask anything else as they entered the encampment and they led Yukino to a large building on the far side.

The soldiers lined the doorway and Haruka opened it, "Stay here, I'll be right back."

Haruka entered the building and Yukino felt the eyes of the men turn to her. One of them approached her and she lowered her head, he grabbed her by the chin and pulled her eyes up to look at him. She looked away, he spoke to her softly, "Hey, it's alright. I know it must be hard to be alone after all this time. I would love to help with that." Yukino shook her head and backed up, two of the others moved to her side. His voice was still soft, "Don't be like that, we can have fun together."

She turned to run and he grabbed her wrist. Before she could turn back around she heard a crunch and a shout. The two men around her immediately fell back and she turned to see the man who had propositioned her on the ground holding his nose, towering over him stood Haruka, blonde hair blowing in the wind. "What the hell are you doing?" He stammered an apology and she struck him again, knocking him on his ass, "Go back to your bunks, dismissed."

The man and his fellow soldiers walked away, Yukino stood before Haruka, she wouldn't admit it but the American took her breath away. Haruka gave her a compassionate look, "Are you hurt?" Yukino shook her head and Haruka's expression turned unreadable again, "You're free to go." Yukino looked at her quizzically, "Where am I to go?" Haruka shrugged, "You're free now, you can go wherever you want." Yukino wrapped her arms around herself, Haruka walked passed her and smiled, "Why not go see your father, he pulled the strings that got you out of there." Yukino turned to watch the woman walk away, "I told you my name, but you never told me yours." Haruka turned to look at her, "Haruka Armitage."

Yukino followed Haruka down the hill, until she turned to her, "Where are you going?" Yukino held her hands in front of her and bowed, "I don't have a place to sleep, what should I do?" Haruka sighed, "Well, we lost a man recently so there is an open bunk in our tent. You can have it for the night, but after that you need to find your own place to sleep." Yukino bowed her head again, "Thank you, for everything." Yukino didn't see it, but Haruka smiled the rest of the way to the tent.

The next day Yukino made the trip to see her father, he lived on a large estate on top of a hill overlooking the town. She made the long climb up the hill and was met half way up by her father, "Yukino, darling, are you okay?" She fell easily into her father's arms, "Yes, father, I'm okay." Masahiro held his daughter close, "It was a mistake letting you go with that man, I'm sorry." Yukino lay her head on her father's chest, "It's okay, father, you saved me."

Masahiro took his daughter inside and her mother, Shizuko embraced her, "Yukino, it's good to see you again." She hugged her mother while Masahiro poured them both tea, "Were the army soldiers gentle with you?" Yukino nodded, "Yes, they sent a very strong woman to deliver your message and fetch me. Takeshi tried to protest and she clubbed him with her rifle, he must have been terrified." Masahiro sat across from his wife and daughter, "What is her name? Perhaps she is deserving of a commendation." Yukino found herself smiling, "Haruka Armitage, she is a sergeant." Masahiro grabbed her daughter's hand and held it, "I owe her a great debt for bringing my little girl back to me."

Yukino ate lunch with her parents and sat in the garden with her father afterwards. "Yukino, I am so sorry for what I did. If I hadn't pushed you into doing something you didn't want to do, it wouldn't have come down to this." Yukino put her hand over her father's, "I don't blame you, father. I'm just happy to be home." Masahiro held his daughter's hand, "Do you have a place to stay?" Yukino shook her head. "We have plenty of room and your old bed, you can stay here." Yukino nodded and her father did not like the way she acquiesced, "You seem tired, you should get some rest."

Yukino lay in her bed in her parent's house, for the first time in her life feeling free. Her thoughts fell on a blonde haired woman whose thoughts were on something else entirely. Haruka sat on her cot in her unit's tent, fingering the officer's bars on her new uniform. They had come in recently, word was that she was promoted due to her service in the field, but she knew the truth. She smiled when her thoughts came to a little mousy woman, and her powerful father to whom she owed her new rank.

This is the first chapter of the new arc that focuses on the conflict that is about to erupt across Japan between the army fighting to become the national power and the Samurai who are struggling to retain their place in a world that doesn't need them anymore. Shiznat will take a bit of a sabbatical, but hopefully the new pairing will keep you interested, along with the war that is taking place.