Revision Notes:
04/23/19 - went through consistency, repeated words, grammar
06/10/07 - changed the way Ifuku refers to Sohin
05/29/07 - Uploaded
Special Thanks to:
Tin
Ellen Kuhfeld
Jourdan Bickham
And to the person reading this.
You are all my reasons.
Masters, rulers in all lands!
How will the future reckon with this Man?
How answer his brute question in that hour?
When whirlwind and rebellion shakes all shores?
When this dumb terror shall rise to judge the world,
After the silence of the centuries?
The Man with the Hoe
Edwin Markham
Rendezvous with Fate v.3
by iCe
Chapter 20 ... We stood at the precipice of destiny. One moment we were exiles, in the next we could be liege...
Through their journey, Akane stared openly at their surroundings because she could not help comparing Sanuki to what she considered as her hometown in Sagami. Sanuki didn't smell like the ocean like Sagami, although there was a body of water separating Sanuki and the rest of Japan. The terrain was hillier than the plains of the Kanto region, but the streets of Sanuki were like Sagami in their structure and only differed in the variety of goods that were sold.
However, though Sagami was a prosperous town, Sanuki seemed decrepit. Roofs which did not have enough thatch on them, run-down shoji, and streets which were uneven and filled with rough pebbles.
Akane noticed Sohin shaking his head at the state of the town and Akane looked at Ifuku for guidance. Ifuku lowered her voice so only Akane would hear, "It's Lady Chisei's duty as liege to see that most of the major paths are serviceable and that they keep well the tenants' houses."
Sohin's displeasure was palpable. Especially since he may have prevented these if he had been in his fief. Since he was an absentee liege, and they were in the enemy's stronghold, they were cautious about their inquiry and their actions. Sohin examined the situation, cataloged it for future reference, and simmered in silence.
They had crossed over from Ikkasei territory directly onto Sanuki without stopping in other provinces or the island of Awasi, the midway point between Sanuki and Kawashi.
Their party had divided into smaller groups with different entry points. It was done so the sudden influx of samurai entering Sanuki wouldn't be suspicious. They disguised as a few ronin wandering around coming for work or a few peasants wanting to settle in a new town. Strangers arriving in the span of three weeks would be less suspicious than one hundred fifty samurai out of nowhere.
By the time the samurai came, they had hoped Yuki had enough hold with the Tendo samurai already in place to cover up the amount of people entering the city from Chisei. The siblings wanted to hide the warriors in the guise of a contingent of escorts for the upcoming court that Yuki will demand.
As soon as they had approached the seki for entrance into the stronghold that was Sanuki Castle, Sohin announced Yuki. Sohin had been Yuki's guardian for most of the child's life, but his current status as a servant let the guards easily dismiss him and the rest of the party as Yuki's entourage.
The samurai stood in attention as they were presented with the child that would one day be their daimyo. A samurai quickly saddled a horse for Yuki, for comfort on the last leg of his journey. They sent ahead a scout to inform the main castle, and Chisei of her nephew's arrival and another samurai escorted them into the inner city.
As Sohin helped Yuki on to the horse, he commented, "In the outskirts of the Sanuki, Yuki-sama noticed that someone had burned the villages."
Their escort shifted in discomfort before asking, "Which villages would that be?"
Sohin named the villages they had visited, interspersed between the docks and the capital of Sanuki. The samurai nodded before replying, "We've been having trouble with bandits of late. We haven't enough samurai to cover the lands close to the wharf and far from the trade route."
From what Akane managed to gather since the island was closed off, most of the trade garnered by Sanuki was on land amongst the different daimyo. Sohin had voiced out once that Chisei had no interest in the shipping business.
"Being daimyo means more than just owning land, it also means I have to take care of the people who live in my land," Yuki commented, and the samurai shifted again. Akane recognized Sohin's hand in those words. Sohin might have been an absentee daimyo for so long, and he might not have wanted to be daimyo, but he had taught his charge well. "I was born to protect them. I was taught to prevent such things from happening. I will speak to my aunt about this."
Akane had visited enough castles, and Sanuki castle did not differ from Happosai's or Ranma's own keep at Nerima. The Tendo keep was smaller than Happosai's, its large walls keeping in a small town that was supposedly thriving under Chisei's protection.
A moat separated the main donjon from the town, and a stone bridge connected the rest of the keep to the central donjon. The gold-leaf-plated gates opened to reveal a woman dressed formally in a kimono adorned with what Akane learned was the Tendo seal.
Because some samurai had already sent a word in advance, Yuki's arrival caused a stir. His sudden appearance had caused banners to unfurl at the gateway, lining the grand stone steps all the way to the inner gates. Chisei came personally to receive them at the gates, her arms open wide in welcome.
"To what do I owe this visit, my liege?" Chisei asked in deference. Yuki had not been to the Tendo donjon since two years ago when he was pronounced fit for training. It was clear that he had surprised Chisei by returning so soon after he left.
"I would like to hold court, Aunt Chisei," Yuki answered in an almost imperious voice. Chisei's eyebrows rose at its tone. Yuki waved his hand in beckon, and his four companions bowed. "I would prefer that my servants attend me in court. Their presence will comfort me."
"As you wish, my liege," Chisei answered, bowing low in compliance. Her respect for Yuki bordered on tolerance. "The court will be ready next month."
Yuki nodded in acceptance and dismounted off the horse flicking his fingers for his four companions to follow almost as if an afterthought. They were led around the house towards the main room, clutching a cloak that kept her features hidden.
As soon as they were left alone, Yuki gave out a sigh of relief. "I don't think I'll ever be prepared for handling the court," he said wearily as he sat down on one of the zabutons prepared. Sohin opened an adjoining room surveying their lodgings for the night.
"This court will be your first time in front of all the samurai holding the banner to the Tendo name," Ifuku murmured as she opened the dresser. She took out formal clothes and eyed them skeptically before giving Yuki a once over. "I doubt that you'll fit any of the clothes your father left behind."
"We'll make do. We have a month," Sohin answered as he secured the place for them then kneeled in front of Yuki. "I know this will be a difficult time for you, Yuki-dono so if you want to back away now... you have to tell me. I'm sure I can arrange something instead of a session in court."
Yuki shook his head, determined how to proceed. "We have already talked about this since you fetched me in Tutumi. The court is the fastest way to establish you, 'niisan. Besides Ryou-san wouldn't be able to understand a sudden change in the middle." He looked towards Ifuku and Akane for confirmation. Ryouhei was standing in silent watch near the doorways.
Akane didn't know what to answer, and Ifuku sighed in resignation. "It's true, Sohin. Unless you want to take them head-on, the court is the only way to settle this without too much bloodshed."
"I just wish we didn't have to bring you into this," Sohin said as he regarded his young cousin thoughtfully.
"We've tried to prepare him as much as we were capable of on the way here, but a rehearsal of sorts could be arranged here, right?" Akane suggested, speaking up for the first time. Although the past weeks had deepened the relationship with her siblings, she was still ignorant of court. Ranma had taken her to Happousai only once, and he held no formal proceedings in Rose Brier.
Sohin nodded in agreement as he looked at the boy. "We have a month. Chisei has promised that she'll give you her best advisers, but forgive me if I don't trust her. We'll take information, and we'll work on what to decree."
"Akane and I will prepare your garb. Sohin will teach you the best strategy to win those fickle lords over," Ifuku said as she unfurled the long formal robes.
"I guess we have much to do before the month is over then." Yuki looked at his three elder cousins and then bowed. "Please take care of me."
It was a good thing that Ifuku was with Akane because she didn't quite know what being a maid to Yuki entailed. Fortunately, Ifuku had a lifetime's worth of pretending to be a servant and had taught Akane most of what she knew.
Unfortunately, most of the preparations required for Yuki's ascendancy—or rather Sohin's ascendancy and Yuki giving his blessing—needed formal clothes for Yuki and Sohin. It required skill with the needle which Akane knew she didn't have.
There was also an art to housework that eluded her. She found that her time with servants, be it in Rose Brier or the electric vacuum cleaner, made her inadequate to do most of the basic tasks required of her. If it weren't for Ifuku's constant guidance, they would have been lost altogether. She would have accomplished nothing save for a few scraps of cloth more suitable for rags than for a liege lord.
Sohin spent the day spying and learning what he could of the upper samurai in the guise of touring the city with Yuki. He made sure that Chisei invited all the Tozama daimyos, the outside lords, for court. Ijo, Awa, Tosa, and Awasi were large provinces, more substantial than both Sagami and Musashi combined and therefore had Fudai daimyo, members of the successful races, to lend administrative power. The formal court would admit around twenty samurai into their midst, which gave Sohin enough people to hide amongst.
As future Kokushiu, a Lord of the Province, Sohin held enough power to be equal to Happousai. For the title to mean something, all daimyo under Sohin must acknowledge him. Not a small feat, seeing Chisei had tried her damned best to exile most of those who would follow him.
In the evenings, Sohin reviewed Yuki what he'd learned from the Ikkasei tutors about court protocol and their plan for the fateful day at court. They even went into the receiving room to gauge its layout and get a feel of its defensive capabilities, should anyone suddenly get violent.
Ryouhei followed Akane and Ifuku. The Tendo samurai presumed that he was harmless because he carried no sword, but Akane had seen him work with that umbrella and bandanna of his and knew different. He was silent, and acted like a beast of burden, carrying buckets of water for Yuki's bath and bringing home parcels of fine bolts of cloth after Akane's shopping for Yuki's clothes. It made it easy for the samurai to forget that he was a big hulking male.
Sohin received word from Ryu secretly, although not as often as they liked. Most Saotome samurai were in place within two weeks of their stay in Sanuki. The rest promised to follow on the third week of their preparations since none wanted to enter at the last possible moment. Some found odd jobs around the city, some camped well outside the view of the watcher's tower, aided because they were able to sleep in trees, and some had even the skill to infiltrate the castle. Akane knew one was sleeping in a tucked away storage room. While the youngest of the troupe was playing errand boy, grubby though he appeared to be, but energetic and eager enough to earn his keep.
Their work became routine within a few days of their arrival, and they talked a little of the plan as possible. They had already taken to heart what their duties on their way to Sanuki. They did not need Sanuki's samurai to overhear them plotting to get rid of Chisei.
Chisei sometimes took it unto herself to order Yuki's "servants" around the castle. Akane presumed that it was both to test Yuki's patience with her and to tire them, so they were unable to do anything else in the household but the work she ordered.
It was fortunate then that Chisei did not deign it her duty to talk to the servants in person, or she would have recognized Akane. Someone always took care to hide Akane's face, and Ryouhei acted as a shield to partially shadow her from view.
One such day found Ryouhei and Akane buying items that would adorn the receiving room Yuki would preside. Akane walked the streets worriedly looking at the coins threaded into several bracelets now adorning her wrist. "I hope you know how to shop because I certainly don't," Akane muttered under her breath.
"I will haggle for you if you like," Ryouhei offered, although Akane wondered if he doubted her words because of it. Akane still hadn't gotten the hang of using the currency, and she couldn't very well make responsible decisions because of it.
They had stepped into the central marketplace. The houses opened on one side, beckoning them inside for their wares. Because Akane and Ryouhei didn't know the locations of the merchandise, they passed each of the stores. The looked over porcelain cups for serving tea in one, and paper for the doorways in the next.
Akane smiled in remembrance as they passed by the shops. The last time she had gone shopping, it had been with Ranma. She hadn't noticed that Ryouhei had stopped to watch her. Not until she had spotted dyed cloth that Ifuku had added onto her list for the lining of Yuki's kimono.
Akane turned to him, watching him looking at her with a thoughtful expression. "What is it?"
"Sometimes I wish I was the one who could make you this happy." The yearning was palpable in his voice, no less strong because of the gruffness. "But at the very least you are smiling."
Had she been that obvious in her sadness that her joy was something to wish for? Had she been that callous not to notice what the people around her wanted for her? "You do make me happy," Akane consoled.
He slowly shook his head. There was a distance between them, more than the arm-span that separated them. "I don't. I may make you smile, but I don't make you happy." He stepped forward to shield her from the sun's rays with his umbrella once again.
There was a moment of silence before she addressed his thoughts, "What were we like before I was lost to you? When you thought I was dead?" Ryouhei had known her for most of her life.
"I was your doting elder brother," which probably explained why he and Sohin, her legitimate older brother, didn't get along. "And you were the reason we were able to continue on as we had."
He ended the conversation by turning to the cloth she had been fingering and haggling with the merchants for it. Akane touched the small comb that she always carried with her, hidden in the long sleeves of her kimono. "Sometimes I wish, you could make me happy too," Akane whispered.
Because talking to Ryu amidst Tendo land was risky, Sohin did not do it until a week before they planned to act. Even then they were careful: meeting in a tavern where there was sake, a lot of travelers, and no one remembered faces nor asked questions.
Sohin had been sitting at one of the tables for a while before Ryu arrived. He bought a drink and motioned to the low table before asking, "Would you mind if I shared your table?"
Sohin looked around the tavern, it was full, and there were sparse seats available. He looked up at Ryu's grinning face before he waved at the empty seats.
At the pretense of being a traveling merchant, Ryu pulled out the bunch of baskets that he'd been lugging around and laid them on the table. Sohin tried to exhibit cursory interest while sipping his sake slowly. "Where are you selling your wares, merchant?"
"Around." Ryu shrugged, taking a big gulp of the sake before continuing, "I sold two to the palace but mostly near the marketplace. These are still rough." He made a motion towards the baskets on the table, "But come next week they'll be nicer for sale. A lot of good material is entering the town. You might be interested."
Words that meant he was keeping two guards at the palace but most at the marketplace. They were not in formation yet, but they will be next week, which was when Sohin needed them. He also informed Sohin that daimyo were already starting to trickle into Sanuki and that Ryu would do his best to keep track of them.
"I'm looking for paper for the shoji in my master's hall. Would you know anyone who sells it cheaply, merchant?" He was still looking for the deployment map of the troops inside the Tendo palace. Intermittently, he asked if Ryu had information about it from the two men he had hired inside.
Ryu shook his head in disappointment. "No, I hear Sanuki is renowned for its igusa. You might want to check around yourself. I'm new in the area. I know little about the local wares."
Sohin nodded. He had expected as much. It had been his duty to look for the deployment maps in the first place; they were not where his father had kept it when he was young, but he had a few more places to search. The problem was the weapons. They had to cut off the way to the katana before anyone suspected an attack.
If he counted the two men that Ryu had inside, Ryouhei, Ifuku, and Akane, he had five people that would block samurai access to stored weapons. Most samurai were not allowed to carry weapons inside the gates. Hence, they merely needed to prevent access. The problem was Chisei's personal guard, who most certainly would have their blades on their person. But since they would be in a closed room with high dignitaries, the samurai would be behind the red tassel, a doorway which led to an adjacent room. And since it would be Yuki's court and not Chisei, Yuki had the power to change the samurai who would guard him. Hopefully.
Sohin sighed; the wait was already getting on his nerves. Planning to take fortresses was for generals, not gift merchants. He had practically no experience in leading men into battle. After this, he would have to train in battle tactics.
"And do you think people in your house will open their gates for my baskets?" Ryu asked.
'Right, as if that will happen without some planning,' Sohin thought. "My sisters will open the gates if they want to buy something." At least, Sohin hoped he wouldn't need the samurai, but he would need them to subdue those samurai loyal with Chisei. "Five days from now, my sister might need one of your baskets."
Ryu nodded, that had been the most important message that needed to be relayed: when the court would be held. "All right, I shall wait for your sister."
Sohin stood up, leaving coins at the table for his sake, before ducking out into the night. At least the entrance of the daimyo into the town covered some Saotome men as lagging entourage.
They already have most of what they needed: the deployment maps, weapons, subduing samurai inside the stronghold and letting in the Saotome samurai. They might just succeed in taking over Sanuki without bloodshed.
Nabiki hated pretending to be her brother for long periods of time. The masculine gait was so different from her own that she spent half of the time sitting down, standing still or jumping.
Still, he earned the break. And if Nabiki hadn't urged him to leave, he would have remained in Nerima with his black mood. She wouldn't have minded it much, but he was growling at the samurai for the most minor of offenses. She had caught him shouting at Yuka once for not boiling water.
Reinstalling the samurai they had commanded from Rose Brier into Nerima was much more complicated than anticipated. They had nowhere to allocate the excess number of samurai. Although Ranma's decision to lend out men to Sohin lessened the influx, she would still have a difficult time assigning them new posts. At least, it wasn't an immediate need.
Currently, Nabiki was a he, as was expected, since she was pretending to be her brother. She was outlining plans for the samurai's final posts when they return from Sanuki. A samurai interrupted him from his work by announcing Kuno Tatewaki's arrival. Nabiki raised an eyebrow but allowed it. "Bring him in."
He arranged the papers and piled them in the corner of the worktable before looking up to see Kuno bowing with respect. The nobleman approached the raised dais where Nabiki-kun had asked a maid to bring in a work table. Since the Nerima "house" was their father's main stronghold, it was more like a lesser castle with all the function rooms capable of receiving Kuno in a formal setting.
A zabuton was placed in front of the raised podium for Kuno to sit on. While the servants arranged it, Nabiki-kun heard a few samurai stationing themselves behind the red door, ready to barge in if she shouted for help. "To what do I owe this visit, Kuno-san?"
"Lord Saotome," Kuno said from below. "I have worked in the past to help you with your sister."
"I know of that, and I am grateful for it," Nabiki-kun hedged. Kuno had called him lord. Ranma and Kuno were both heirs to respective provinces; therefore Kuno did not need to refer to Ranma by his title. Kuno had the right to call her brother with the honorific -san. Since Ranma was married to Kuno's sister, and the man had helped with Kodachi's capture, they were close enough to drop the honorifics. A respectful Kuno meant he wanted something from Ranma, something he wasn't sure Ranma would give.
"I think I may know of a way for you to keep Kamakura," Kuno intoned.
Nabiki-kun fisted his hands. "Kamakura has been tied together with Rose Brier for as long as Rose Brier has stood as a fortress. Since it has been turned over to Kuno's hands because of your sister's death, I doubt that there is an offer that your father would accept as payment."
"You could arrange a marriage between your sister and me," Kuno suggested.
Nabiki drew a sharp breath. If Kuno had offered this to Ranma, Ranma would not have accepted. If Kuno had offered it to Happousai, he probably would have approved. But he had offered it to her, albeit unwittingly. "Your father believes Nabiki is dead, as do most of your samurai, Kuno-san. I cannot suddenly resurrect her on your whim."
"My father need not know that Nabiki is my bride. He just needs to know that I am marrying a Saotome. I will invite a few witnesses, some people close to me, my father will give you the land. He need not see a bride, and if he visits, we are capable of renting a courtier to pretend to be her. It would be stupid for him to hold on to something that sits in the middle of Saotome territory, with no one to govern it. And I know for a fact that most of those in Kamakura are already loyal to your house."
Nabiki-kun closed his eyes for a moment. Nabiki had always been practical in most choices that had been dealt out to her. "Nabiki is married."
"It is in her power to obtain divorce easily enough. She hasn't seen her husband in three years. He thinks she is dead."
"Most of your men think she's dead."
"No, a handful of my men think she is dead. And it is in my power to deal them with by sending them to sentry duty in the farthest of my estates, where Nabiki would never go."
"Nabiki also has a son."
"I will keep him as my own until he finds out what he wishes to do with his sword."
"She's too strong-willed for you."
"You dismiss me too easily."
"Give me at least two years to prepare her."
"I will make—" He stopped in mid-argument, his eyes wide in surprise. "Did you just agree?"
Nabiki-kun sighed, marrying the idiot would be the least of her worries. "You must understand that Nabiki is accustomed to a certain amount of power."
"I am willing to give that to her."
"You'd best remember that promise, Kuno-san," Nabiki-kun murmured, a soft smile playing on his face. "And Kuno, nevermake the mistake of mentioning it to Ranko-san or to me in the future."
Kuno looked startled at the unusual request.
"You must promise this, or I will not give her for omiai. If I manage to speed up her divorce or if she tells me that she would rather marry you sooner, I will send for you before the two years."
Kuno bowed in agreement. Nabiki-kun smiled. "Well, better to you than to the Tendo, I guess."
A few hours before they either took back what Chisei held from them or died on the blade, Sohin faced both his sisters. Ifuku solemnly handed him the formal kimono he would wear, bearing the marks of an obscure house, but a house of the successful families nonetheless.
He looked at both of his sisters and hugged them. "If I die, please go back to Ranma." He dared not use the title nor the last name lest someone overhear them through the paper-thin walls. "He would take you."
"You won't die," Ifuku said with more confidence than she felt, but she would be stronger than her brother for their sakes. "You are our hope, dearest brother, and our heart. You carry with you our future."
Akane smiled as she leaned over and covered his hair with a large hat that was a piece of the kimono marking him as part of the daimyo class. And she stepped back to fall in line with Sei who was now all dressed in his formal garb.
"I take my leave, my lord," Sohin bowed towards his cousin, and Ifuku led him outside.
Yuki looked after them as he looked up to Akane. "We'll wait behind the rooms of the receiving chambers," Yuki finally decided. "I am nervous."
"So am I cousin, so am I," Akane murmured as she followed him dutifully.
It had taken an excessive amount of time of waiting beside the hallways before the daimyo, led by samurai, walked the halls of the receiving chamber. Sohin counted them one by one, waiting until they had reached the last that they would encounter. They waited until he disappeared inside the room before they made their move.
Ifuku stepped into the hallway, briskly bowing as a servant would and trying to look like she was leading a dignitary to the entrances of the receiving room.
A samurai stopped her, "Who goes there?"
"Ifuku, sir. Yuki-sama instructed me to lead my lord to his receiving chamber." Ifuku motioned towards Sohin, who had just followed her into the hallway. Her brother's head was raised, although most of his face shadowed by the hat he wore.
As a servant, Sohin did not bear a second look, as a daimyo, the samurai were wary of him. One guard frowned, "I don't remember admitting him. Where is his invitation?"
"It is with Yuki-sama. They had been talking just a while ago." Ifuku shrugged she let a little steel enter her voice, though it was uncommon for a servant to do so. But pride which has been stung was easily recognizable, and they would see it as that. "You recognize me as Yuki-sama's maid, and you doubt my word on this?"
The samurai shifted uncomfortably, uneasiness warring with doubt. Sohin spoke mildly. "Ifuku-san, do not trouble the samurai so, they are doing their jobs." He turned to the samurai, holding out his arms in a motion that made him look harmless. "I'm sure he might not remember all of those who passed by the gates, seeing that there were daimyo and more retainers than we could count. The young lordling could be in danger. We might as well call in Yuki-sama or Chisei-sama to verify that I am who you say I am before they admit me inside the chamber. You are, after all, just Yuki-sama's maid and trusting easily will displease Chisei-sama."
At his suggestion, the two guards became more alarmed. They did not want to be called incompetent by Chisei knowing what that entailed, and they preferred not to bother Yuki.
Ifuku bowed as she presented the door to Sohin. "My lord, they are about to start, it would bring Chisei-sama great displeasure if one of her guests were late, held just beyond the gates of the hallway. And Yuki-sama requires that I be on the raised dais when he enters."
The samurai visibly sweated. "Maybe we were hasty, Ifuku-san. Yuki-sama has expressed that he has been with you for years. We need not check."
It also helped that yesterday, when they were preparing the receiving chamber—unfurling banners and replacing tatami—Yuki had announced that he trusted his entourage:Ifuku, Akane, and Ryouheiwould prefer it if someone followed them for the court's opening.
The samurai opened the door for Sohin. "My lord, enter, please. Ifuku, please come back to Yuki-sama's side the soonest."
Ifuku bowed as Sohin entered the room and then turned around to return to Yuki. She needed to be near Yuki because he was nervous and her presence calmed him. She closed her eyes, their predicament has not soothed her nerves, but she could pretend to be strong for them.
Although the quantity of samurai had increased because of the number of daimyo entering the stronghold, the guards were more intent on the arrivals than those who were leaving. They did not notice Ryouhei until he struck.
Ryouhei, along with the two other Saotome men, had taken out the patrols at the southern gate before they sounded the alarm. He wiped his hands clean before hiding the evidence and opening the large doors towards the inside of the donjon.
Ryu was the first one in the room. Outside, the city was ignoring the number of samurai entering, knowing that Yuki was in the palace and that samurai would accompany their daimyos inside.
The samurai following him dispersed along the garden while Ryu pored over the deployment map in Ryouhei's hands.
He frowned, Ranma had told him that there were four donjons in the castle. Hallways where the samurai would receive their weapons and ordered connected the donjon. The corridors also contained most of the katana.
"The hallways are already on fire. One of the men is keeping an eye on it, and the rooms where the guests store their weapons for the visit have already met an accident."
Ryu nodded and opened the sizable war fan designed to give orders to the men, waving the signal for attack. The samurai dispersed, going to the central donjon—which from Ranma's and Sohin's depiction of the castle—they had ingrained into their memories. "Seek and destroy, eh?"
"There shouldn't be too much resistance. They're weaponless except for those on-duty."
"I have to hand it to Tendo, for a rookie, the plan is cunning." Ryu laughed as he unsheathed his sword. "It would take a headache to rebuild though."
Yuki squeezed Ifuku's hand as he sat down in the middle of the zabuton made especially for the liege lord of the Narikaido. The platform it rested on was half of his height, so he required a bit of help when he stepped to the 'throne.'
Akane and Ifuku flanked him. They were there for two things: moral support and defense in case the samurai were more loyal to Chisei than they had anticipated. On the small stage, one seat was reserved for Chisei.
The situation created difficulty for Akane, who was not trained in court and had trouble keeping her head below Yuki's own. Had Yuki been a full-grown man, the raised dais should have eradicated that small difficulty and allowed them to stand the entire session. Sitting should have solved their problem neatly, but servants were not allowed to sit on the platform which left them kneeling with a conscious effort to keep their head low.
When Yuki settled, he gave Chisei a small gesture. "Yuki-sama will grant you audience now. Are there any grievances you would like to air?"
All of those present had their heads bowed low until Chisei had addressed them. Each raised their hand for a right to speak. Chisei would have determined who would have spoken out if Yuki did not hold his hand out to stop her. "I will listen to them all, Aunt Chisei."
Chisei flashed her fan out to hide the sudden flicker of anger at being ordered by a seven-year-old boy. "We will be here for the entire day if you do that, my lord. I suggest the lords of the Western border."
"Aunt Chisei, I am rarely home. I grant audience to all who wish to speak with me," Yuki maintained. He looked towards the samurai who journeyed to see him. "I have given my word for their audience."
Chisei shook her head but let everything progress. The noblewoman wanted to leave out those who would speak up. Akane wondered if it were because it would shorten court time or because there were things she'd rather that Yuki not grant or hear.
Most of Yuki's advisers had already told Yuki the state of affairs in Sanuki: how much produce Sanuki generated, how much koku is handed out to samurai, how many farmers were under his hand. Too much for a boy of seven to remember, but he held his ground as he listened to the complaints.
A number of the initial cases were open-and-shut ones that didn't need a good deal of inner workings of the court to solve. The complaints were minor: they needed more koku, they needed to patch their houses, roads need to be maintained, the dams need to be fortified. All of which Yuki listened to. Yuki granted most but denied an increase in the koku uptake.
"I cannot give out more koku to my samurai. I've seen the reports, and we don't produce enough for me to hand over." Yuki gestured towards the walls of the stronghold. "Our cities are not made for rice production, so we cannot farm enough for our needs. Our fields are still vastly mishandled. When we sell enough igusa to export and trade into koku, we will start increasing the koku distribution."
The daimyo nodded, bowed, and Yuki turned to look at the southern heads. "I would like to ask two towns to dedicate their craft to seafaring. Sanuki was known for its seafaring before my father's time. It would be a waste not to capitalize on it."
"Most of our ship makers have moved on to other shores, my lord," one hatamoto informed him. "We haven't been paying much attention to that side of our industry. There was no need."
"The East Sea Way is a port, and ports that dock ships need facilities to repair these ships. I'm sure the Portuguese did not travel half the world with their ships undamaged." Yuki answered, looking tentatively at Ifuku for support. She nodded slightly, not wishing to make it look like Yuki depended on anyone for the answers. "It would be easier for us to trade with the mainland if we have small seaworthy crafts, and the Chinese have their goods as well. We will create the demand on our shores."
"As you wish, my lord. I shall take care of it," the daimyo from the south answered. Yuki smiled, the southern borders were facing the sea, not like the northern borders which, though open to waters, were bordered by the rest of Japan. A Southern port would be suitable for foreign ships and would also be beneficial if trade with the mainland arose.
Yuki looked at the lords seated before him, noticing no more hands raised. "Does anyone else want an audience?"
There was silence, and Chisei stood to proclaim the court order finished. All the samurai bowed low enough for their foreheads to touch the ground when one of the samurai seated at the back raised his hand. "Wait, Aunt Chisei," Yuki said pointing out to the daimyo who had called his attention. "I want to listen to this last person."
"My lord," he started his address straightening up from the low bow. He was old, older than Yuki's father, Yamashina if he had lived. "We have glossed over our changes in leadership for a long time now. Will you still leave the leadership of the clan to Lady Chisei?"
Yuki steeled his breath at the issue. They hadn't even dealt with more complicated aspects of property boundaries and rights to water, but they were tackling the difficult topic of just who would stay as head of the Tendo clan. Not an easy or safe question for the years that Chisei has been ruling.
Chisei turned around abruptly to see who was speaking. "We agreed when Lord Yamashina died that Lord Yuki needed to be at least sixteen when he took over Sanuki. He is still too young to hold court."
"Lord Yuki is doing well now," he countered gravely. "I have supported you up to a time when he could, Lady Chisei. Remember that your time on that throne is limited."
Yuki raised his hand for silence. "I will not question my aunt's right to rule Sanuki for my sake. But I have come to court to clear up what happened twenty years ago."
The silence after the words, all eyes swiveled to Chisei. She said in a calm voice, "My lord, it would be best if we discuss family matters as a family."
"I would like to clear it up now, in front of the whole court," Yuki announced. "Who rules Sanuki naturally rules the East Sea Way and so the person who rules Sanuki matters to this court."
Chisei raised her eyebrows and looked at the entire court, most of whom were not present before the time that her husband had died twenty years back. "The Tendo patriarch died leaving children for heirs. It left Lord Yamashina as regent for the three children, but they fled the island shortly after their father's death. Lord Yamashina stood in for my husband and was gifted with you. He died shortly after producing an heir. He was a debilitated man."
"Fled the island, Lady Chisei, or chased out?" one figure bowed in front of them asked. Murmurs arose from the samurai kneeling below them.
Chisei slapped her fan shut, glaring at the samurai. "Who are you to question my words?"
The bowed daimyo stood up, revealing his face for Chisei to see. To Chisei's credit, she gave no outward sign that she recognized Sohin. "I'm hurt that you don't recall me, mother," Sohin bit out as he walked towards the platform.
"You lie," Chisei answered, her voice still strong, she turned towards Yuki who was looking at the scene impassively. "You're almost my age. I had no offspring with my husband."
"True, my father had no children by you. But you cannot deny that I am his child." He unsheathed the Tendo sword holding it high for everyone to see. A sigil long lost from Sanuki's lands. "He gave this sword on his deathbed for his chosen heir. You all knew that Tendo passed down the sword as a sign of leadership."
The murmurs grew louder; there was no doubt about the veracity of the katana. Each of the older samurai had pledged under its blade and kissed its sigil. When it was lost, each new samurai had vowed to find it under Yamashina's hand until he died.
"Uncle Yamashina was loyal to my father, not to you, Chisei. He made sure all the Tendos knew on whose authority they served." Sohin brought down the sword and pointed it at Chisei. "Who am I to question you?"
He paused so that he was certain all eyes in the assembly were on him when he said the next words, "I am your liege."
The pronouncement, as expected, caused chaos in the court. Murmurs rose from the group of daimyo seated below the dais, and Chisei howled in outrage. She called guards to her, lunging for Yuki, but Ifuku was in front of the boy in an instant, guarding him behind her back.
"You would not want to harm our cousin in the presence of this court, mother," Ifuku said slowly, her eyes on Chisei's fan. It was challenging to bring a sword in court, but it was easier to carry assassin's weapons, and Chisei could wield a deadly fan. Ifuku had known that much.
Chisei swiveled around and turned to the daimyo who were watching the tableau before them. Some of her honor guards had already started to reach for Sohin, but Yuki pointed at them and ordered, "Cease!" It was the first time the cousins had seen Yuki holding power. He peeked from behind Ifuku, watching Chisei and the people assembled in the room. He looked up at Ifuku, smiled at her before turning to his aunt.
"Aunt Chisei, as of this moment, samurai are flooding the inside of the Tendo stronghold. The weapon storage is burning, and your samurai are defenseless. All that's left are those of your honor guard, who are in this room, and you," Yuki informed her. As if his words had triggered the events, someone had sounded the alarm for fire, and they heard the clashing of the few remaining swordsmen outside the chamber. "Give Eruchii-oniisama what you have snatched from him, aunt."
Chisei flipped her fan and slashed at the boy, but Ifuku had shoved Yuki out of the way and countered with one of the brass candlesticks.
At that moment, samurai also moved against Sohin, forcing him to take the three that were present. Akane gathered Yuki up and ran towards the entrance. She looked at the daimyo present, "Why the hell aren't you helping them?"
"Pardon me, my lady, but who exactly are we supposed to help?"
Akane raised her eyebrows in disbelief before opening the locked gates of the courtroom to the waiting samurai outside. It was Ryu who greeted her. "I thought you were never going to open the doors."
Hefting the cloth that doubled as his backpack, Ranma looked up into the sky to note the direction of the setting sun. He probably couldn't coax a boatman to bring him to Sanuki this late.
He looked around the town wondering if he should opt to stay in the comforts of an inn or sleep out in the open. There was a multitude of inns spotting the harbor just waiting for travelers like him. But he didn't know just how much money he needed when he crossed the islands.
Deciding that it would be better if he saved up money, he doubled back towards the road he took earlier that day. He found himself a secluded spot away from the roadside and the bustling town.
He wasn't hungry, so he didn't bother trying to buy food. He did nibble on some dried kelp Nabiki arranged for his trek while looking for branches he could use to start a fire. She had been eager to see him leave and prepared most of the things he needed for the travel even before he knew he would embark on it.
He wondered what he would make Nabiki do as soon as he got home. He wasn't the vengeful type, but it would be nice if he saw Nabiki squirm over something he did, for once.
Mindlessly setting up the area for his sleeping arrangements, he deposited the dried branches in a bare spot and started with making a fire. While he set on the routine tasks of setting up camp, his mind wandered to why Nabiki had sent him to Sanuki.
After Nabiki's request to fetch the father of his soon to be nephew, there had been few options left to him.
He left for Sanuki the following morning.
Ranma shook his head at the recollection. Nabiki was the most responsible person he knew. How could she get herself pregnant of all things, to someone who she might never see again?
Desperation, perhaps.
Madness, definitely.
He looked at the letter that Nabiki entrusted him to deliver and held it up in the light. Nabiki did not seal it, so he had the damndest of times pretending he didn't care about the contents.
Finally, he kept it in the pocket of his pants. He would find out what it said soon enough.
Sei entered the gates of the Nerima house with a little trepidation. Although he was sure his uncle would not tell his mother the reason for his brief leave, the Ikkasei samurai that was accompanying him would warn her of the duplicity. If that didn't alert her, his kimono's symbols would be a glaring sign. And his mother didn't respond well to deceit.
He was unsure if his father's samurai would betray his mother's whereabouts to his father. He also did not want to come face-to-face with his mother without talking to his uncle first.
Sei absentmindedly rubbed his father's insignia on his kimono. The design was that of a three hatched circle with three flames moving towards the center of the flag. The three fires meant wisdom, heart, and power.
The circle was his father's standard symbol or mon, and the paulownia flower was father's liege's symbol. Fortunately, his father had only given him his own mon to wear and not that of his liege's.
Most of the kimonos Sei owned had the Saotome seal, so he had not brought them over to Ikkasei land. Instead, he had worn an unmarked peasant garb. So before he had left Ikkasei territory, his father gave him the marked kimono. His father's samurai did not want him entering the Saotome household without the brand.
The kimono was earning him stares in his uncle's house already. His father had given him a kimono only worn by a daimyo's immediate family. Seamstresses sewed the symbol onto both sides of the chest, on both sleeves and they embroidered a large one at the back. No amount of arm crossing would cover that one.
He steeled his gaze as he entered his uncle's receiving room, both Omokage and his father's samurai behind him. Someone seated Ranma before a low table and had prepared a cushion for Sei to sit on. Sei frowned, his uncle was rarely formal even when receiving other dignitaries. His gaze swiveled to his uncle's face, and his puzzled frown froze in its place.
"Seiichi, you've grown," Ranma's voice was warm with welcome, but there was masked anger in it too. He motioned for Sei to take a seat using a fan he was holding. If Sei had been unsure of who was sitting before him, the fan was proof. Ranma never used a fan, and Nabiki used one to signal people who know about the Jusenkyou curse that she was taking her brother's place.
Dropping his arms from their clenched position, Sei bowed. It had been to show respect, but in part, it had also been to hide his panic. His uncle never referred to him using his real name, and his mother only used it when she was angry at him. He had explicitly requested Ranma, but apparently, Nabiki was taking his place for the time being. "I am pleased to make your acquaintance, uncle."
"Oh, we were introduced when you were younger, but since it had been some time ago, you must have forgotten it already. It's easy for children to forget their elders." Nabiki-kun smiled congenially. "I received your father's letter informing me of your arrival a month ago. I was so excited I wrote to Ranko, and her reply explained everything about your trip. I must say, I was surprised to hear that you were requesting training here. I thought you were already training."
Sei did not want to puzzle out the reprimand in that statement. There would be time for his mother's lectures later. "I wanted to see my mother's hometown, and father said that the Saotomes were one of the best in martial arts. I would learn from no one but the best."
"Sugoshi-san entrusts me with much," Nabiki-kun commented wryly. It was the first time Sei heard his mother mentioning his father's name in years. Nabiki turned to the Ikkasei samurai. "Could I have a private word with my nephew? I want to test his skills, and I think it would be best if Saotome secrets remain between Saotomes."
"With all due respect, Saotome-sama, Sugoshi-sama has entrusted Sei-sama to me—"
Nabiki-kun cut off his explanation midway. "If Sugoshi-san didn't want to entrust Sei's well being to me, then he might as well have kept his boy home." She turned towards Omokage. "The samurai who announced your arrival mentioned your name was Omokage?"
Sei had to admire his mother's ability to remember all the identities they needed to keep from the Ikkasei samurai. He had already forgotten that Nabiki wasn't supposed to know who Omokage was. Omokage nodded, and Nabiki continued, "I'm sure you must be tired and hungry from the long travel. The samurai outside the doors will lead you to the dining area."
"Thank you, my lord." He left, followed by the reluctant Ikkasei samurai.
As soon as the room was clear and their visitors' footsteps on the tatami were not heard, Nabiki approached Sei. Before he could speak, she slapped him lightly on the face. "How could you think that someone else is more important to me than you are?"
Nabiki-kun kneeled in front of him and wrapped his arms around the boy, a direct counterpoint to the blow. "I killed Kodachi not just because of my brother; I killed her because she was hurting you. And I was willing to die not because of that foolish man you tried to save. I was willing to die because I wanted you to be able to reclaim what leaving the Ikkaseis lost you.
"You act so much like an adult, I keep forgetting you are a child. If I lost you, I wouldn't know what I'd do." Nabiki's voice was teetering on the edge of tears.
"I'm sorry, mother," Sei whispered. "But you were cruel too. You can't just decide to die because of me. It would scar me for life."
Nabiki cracked a smile. She'd forgotten that Sei's humor was unusual and was roused at the oddest of times. "Don't ever scare me like that again."
"As long as you never scare me like that again," Sei countered.
Nabiki released her son. "It's a promise then. Okaeri (1), Sei."
"Tadaima (2), okaasan," Sei responded in kind. "I'm home."
Ranma didn't know what to expect when he arrived in Sanuki. He'd seen enough battles to see how such conflicts could swallow up small cities, so he had prepared for the worst.
But Sanuki seemed fine if neglected. The harbor continued with trade, the shops were open, and there were no signs of blood and smoke that came with takeovers.
Ranma wondered if the Tendos reached the shores of Sanuki. So when he arrived at the gates, he wondered just who he should ask for. Dressed in his usual Chinese shirt and pants, he looked like he was a peasant making his way. He didn't know if the samurai would even tell Tendo, whoever that may be at the moment, that a straggler was requesting an audience.
Sometimes, he wished he didn't make too many impulsive decisions. Coming alone on the island without an entourage was easier for travel, but gave him difficulty with accessibility.
He bowed at the samurai standing watch at the side gate. "I have a message for Lord Sanuki," Ranma announced holding out the thin parchment that was entrusted to him in the air. He'd never used the land as a title before, but it seemed more apt. "From Lord Sagami."
"I will deliver the message to my lord," the samurai informed him.
'Right,' Ranma thought. 'Accessibility.' "It's a private message which Saotome-sama wishes me to deliver in person. I would like an audience with the lord."
"Surrender your weapons." the samurai commanded as he knocked at the heavy door, a small panel opened as another samurai studied the situation.
"I have no weapons," Ranma declared as he held out the bag for inspection spreading his arms so that the samurai could confirm his statement. When the guard was satisfied that he was not carrying anything, the guard knocked on the massive doors again. Another guard from the other side of the gates escorted him through the fortress.
The Tendo Donjon was still, it didn't have the bustling vitality that the donjons of Happousai exuded. The samurai were silent in the shadows, and there were no ladies of court flitting about the gardens. Four of the inner towers were being reconstructed as if a fire had ravaged it. Ranma frowned as he took those in, wondering what part the towers had played in the Tendo's recapture of their keep.
Ranma sighed as his escort brought him to one of the waiting rooms. With Sanuki just regaining power, he might have a long wait ahead of him.
Regaining the stronghold was the easiest part of the mission, Sohin soon found out. It was reestablishing himself as head of the clan and cleaning up the mess they left behind that would be difficult.
He replaced most of the samurai serving directly under Chisei with samurai loyal to his uncle and to his uncle's heir, Yuki. When that was established, he had to change his councilors and judge which of the daimyo under him were still loyal. He was using the samurai Saotome had lent him to weed out those that he could not trust. He used these trusted men as his primary guard before he picked out those who would serve him.
He sent out messengers to those he had contacted on the islands about his regaining his father's place and sent out more letters to those who were in exile.
That done, he had to visit the lands and see what they were doing and what happened during the last twenty years. He'd been taught to become liege, and he'd been trained to become a samurai, but he'd never had experience leading. So Ifuku suggested something he was reluctant to accept: take a wife that was high born enough to teach him the rest of the things he didn't know.
He already set most of what he needed to do in motion except Ifuku's suggestion. He wondered if he would ever be desperate to make that choice.
And he still had an obligation to do something about Chisei. And make the people outside of the samurai caste recognize him. Something easier said than done.
Before he managed to ponder more on the situation, a samurai knocked and announced his visitor. "There is a messenger from Sagami downstairs, my lord."
Sohin stood. He'd expected a message from the Saotomes, but not a little over a week after he retook Sanuki from Chisei. Although the position was secure, the samurai acknowledging him; it was the people that worried him. And he didn't know if he could fulfill his duties.
Waving the thoughts aside his guard led him to the room where the messenger waited and was surprised to find Ranma Saotome himself. He smiled as he crossed the threshold.
Whatever his reasons for coming, the Saotomes had shown them hospitality when they were on their lands. He'd not have it if Saotome were not given the same treatment now that he was on Tendo's own grounds.
"I expected a messenger, I didn't expect the head of the Saotome House to come calling," Sohin said as looked at Ranma. Ranma inclined his head in acknowledgment flicking the letter his sister had sent him. Sohin looked surprised as he caught it just behind his ear. "So this isn't a state call then, you showed up here for someone else."
He would travel to Sanuki for no one else than Nabiki, and on some level, Sohin understood that. He scanned the missive before resting his eyes on Ranma and noticed, for the first time, the anger in the other man's eyes.
"You came here for the wrong reasons, Saotome-san," Sohin intoned folding the paper carefully, giving Ranma careful consideration. "My siblings and I have regained Sanuki through the court. My sisters will care for my cousin and current heir in Sanuki."
Ranma faltered briefly at the name to call the Tendo liege. He wondered if he should call him Sohin, the name Ranma knew him as, Eruchii, the name the man was born with, or Sanuki, the name of the land the other man was tasked. In the end, he settled for none. "You may have a son for an heir," Ranma enunciated slowly, curious if Nabiki mentioned that in her letter at all.
Sohin smiled as he gestured to the gardens, abandoning the rooms, and headed to the open air. "I've heard so much of the Saotome Anything Goes School of Martial Arts. That's the only thing they could sing praises to while in Sagami."
Ranma balled his hand into a fist, hating the polite indifference that Sohin was using. 'It didn't take long for him to get accustomed to all the liege lord crap,' Ranma thought as he followed.
When they got to the gardens, Sohin faced Ranma. "Would you care to fight me?"
It wasn't unusual for Sohin to challenge Ranma to a fight. Most liege lords liked to pit everything against their guests. Ranma couldn't count the times he's had to play go or pretend to think of a poem on the spot. Thankfully, Nabiki had always penned down something for the poems beforehand. Sometimes, lords do it to save face, a way to get something without asking for it. Ranma regarded Sohin coolly. "I wouldn't care to, no. But do I have a choice?"
"I don't know," Sohin answered truthfully, breaking into a smile. "You've been longer in this daimyo business than I have."
"Not the best time to look inexperienced Tendo-san," Ranma cautioned as he unshouldered his pack and set it down on the dirt. Then, he slid his hands into his pockets, crossing one foot over the other in a relaxed stance. "When I win, will you come with me?"
"Whether you win or lose, someone will accompany you back to Sagami," Sohin answered amused. "Your win will decide just who will go with you."
Ifuku's knock on her door had been so frantic that Akane thought they were under attack by some insurgent group rallying under Chisei's banner. When Akane opened them to admit her sister inside Ifuku waved pleasantries, clasped her hands and all but dragged her to the gardens.
The noise of fighting registered with Akane even before she saw the combatants. There was no mistaking the sound of flesh against flesh, and the sounds were graphic enough even without seeing it.
When she stepped out in the porch her eyes adjusted from the dimness of the house towards the well-lit grounds. She had to catch up with the blurs that were no doubt fighting. The grunts and the hits emphasized this.
"Who—" Akane asked.
"Eruchii-oniisama," Ifuku pointed out as she followed the blurs with trained precision, already reverting to their old names for the house. "He received a caller some time ago, a samurai just informed me."
Akane had never imagined that Sohin—Eruchii—could move this fast. She could barely follow what was happening. She frowned her eyebrows knitting. Sohin's competition had his back to her, but there was no mistaking the red shirt or the pigtail. Her sharp intake of breath alerted Ifuku that she suspected who it was.
"They're evenly matched," Ifuku commented as Ranma rebounded off one tree to hit Sohin, who had already evaded and was moving for a counter-attack. "I've never imagined that the style oniisama practiced was so close to Saotome-sama's own."
"Sohin—his moves are fast, and there's a lot of power behind those punches," Akane assessed, wanting to focus on the fight instead of the people fighting. "If this turns out to be an endurance match, Ranma might not win."
Ifuku watched closely when Ranma evaded Sohin's blow neatly, then followed up with a foot swipe on his own, which sent Sohin stumbling. "Oniisama might not be able to hit him though. Saotome-sama is too fast for solid hits. Eruchii-oniisama barely clips him before Saotome-sama dances away and counters."
"Who's faster?" Akane asked as she watched the fight progress, feeling like her heart had stopped. She didn't know what would happen if Ranma lost. She didn't know what would happen if Ranma won either.
Ifuku frowned, she was used to watching lightning fast moves, after all, she had spent most of her childhood in the Saotome household. And this was her brother that Ranma was fighting. "Saotome-sama. Onii-sama is larger than Saotome-sama and only needs an arm's length to hit Saotome-sama. Therefore, Saotome-sama compensates by moving faster. Saotome-sama is shorter than a lot of people, hence his speed training."
As if to prove her words, Sohin recovered from the kick and came face-to-face against Ranma. They delivered a strike at the same time, emphasizing that Ranma's reach was indeed shorter than Sohin's own. Ranma received the blow, recovered, and rushed against Sohin again, finally putting Sohin down.
"They're not using chi blasts," Akane observed as the fight continued, with Sohin back-flipping to stand. They broke apart, a moment's respite to reassess each other's fighting style.
Instead of re-engaging, Sohin bowed, signaling an end of the duel. "They don't sing false praises of you in Nerima. You are as good as they say."
"I am the best in Sagami," Ranma said half in pride, half in irritation. "You should come down there when you have free time. If you challenge Ikkasei for Nabiki's hand, you will give him a good run for his money."
Sohin laughed and motioned for his two sisters to approach them. Akane had not realized that he had noticed their presence and was reluctant to go, but Ifuku tugged at her. Ranma didn't look towards them, his eyes still trained on Sohin. "What does this mean, Sanuki?"
"You claimed similarities in our style when I was a mere peasant at your doorstep, Saotome. I understand it now that I've fought with you." He beckoned for Akane, and his hands settled lightly on her shoulder. "It would be a waste not to reunite the two schools as my father has undoubtedly planned before me."
Akane swiveled around glaring at her brother shaking her head in defiance. "He's already married."
"Is he?" Sohin asked inclining his head towards Ranma. He didn't give Ranma the chance to answer by addressing Ifuku, "Shori, please arrange for the maids to have Saotome-san's accommodations for the night. Both he and Akane will leave tomorrow."
"What about Nabiki?" Ranma asked.
"I have already seen to Nabiki's wishes," Sohin said as he handed Nabiki's letter to Ranma. "Excuse me, I have to see to Chisei before the day is over."
Before either Ranma or Akane could protest, the brother and sister walked back towards the house leaving the two of them alone. They both stood in silence before Ranma relented and took out a small item wrapped in brown paper. "I was going to give this to you as a farewell gift, but everything happened all at once. I never had the chance."
Akane looked at the gift with uncertainty. Sagami seemed like a lifetime away. She opened the package slowly, her hands alighting on the lotus pin she had been interested in when they walked around the marketplace of Kamakura.
She held it up to scrutinize it. It was worked silver with cut sapphires. An extravagance she wouldn't have bought on her own. She had thought the bridal comb had been enough.
"I'm sorry things didn't work out, Akane," Ranma apologized before returning to the house and disappearing in the hallways.
Before he could turn around completely, Akane caught his sleeve. "I'm sorry too." With that, she fled in the direction of the inner sanctum of the Tendo donjon.
Ranma pulled out Nabiki's letter from his pocket. He had no idea where to go in this foreign house, the Tendo siblings all left him behind, and there was no one to ask for directions. He stopped just inside the corridors that led to the gardens, hefting his pack against his shoulder and leaning against the wall, to unfold Nabiki's message with one hand.
Lord Eruchii Tendo,
My brother will be a little angry and more than a bit tired when he gets there. He might be unreasonable. He thinks I am with your child, a notion which I leave you to correct.
My cousin's husband was included in the Saotome samurai to aid you in Sanuki. I would appreciate it if word could be sent to him that his wife, at the moment of this writing, is two months pregnant. The expedition to Sanuki had left before there were any signs. If my calculation is right, his swift return might get him home in time for the birthing.
I would be in your debt if you would welcome my brother into your house and challenge him to a fight. As liege, you can grant him anything — if you deem his performance worthy enough. It is a common occurrence in samurai households so that the upper class doesn't lose face when giving something away.
I sent him to you so that he could cool his head away from home. Kodachi has died under Saotome blade. I find that I can't stand my brother being besotted while shouting at half of the household because he can't get what he wants.
Thank you for your time Lord Tendo, and I wish you well.
If he asks, the 'condition' that prevents me from traveling isn't medical in nature, but orders from our liege.
The note was unsigned.
Ranma crumpled the paper as soon as he read it. He didn't quite know if it was because his sister had tricked him, something which he'd been expecting but still hadn't quite been ready for, or because she had just described him besotted and tempered herself not to include 'spoilt child.'
Condition. Ranma's eyes almost crossed at the wording. Happousai had ordered Nabiki to stay within the confines of Ranma's ruling land while she was in the Tokaido. Those conditions kept her from traveling.
He might have misheard words while they were talking, and he misinterpreted it. And Nabiki never wasted an opportunity. Sometimes he wished he could strangle her.
"So, Saotome, your sister has sent you to fetch a bride," Sohin said when Ranma finished reading the note. Ranma looked up to see Sohin stepping out of the shadows.
She hadn't worded it that way. She hadn't even implied marriage of any sort, but it had been obvious enough. "So it seems," Ranma answered irked because Nabiki couldn't leave things alone. "Why did you give your sister to me?"
"Saotome, I gave you my permission to take her," Sohin drawled. "It's up to her to leave with you."
Ranma nodded. Since Akane had not been his mission when he traveled to Sanuki, he would not mind whether she came along with him. He could not provide for her since good fighters make poor husbands. Being samurai wasn't for rearing families. Warriors die young and die hard. They lived by the sword, and they'll die by the sword. "I'll be out of your hair tomorrow, Sanuki."
As soon as Ranma found his room, he saw Ryu waiting for him by the door. Ranma raised an eyebrow as he entered the lit room and dumped the traveling bag that contained his things near the entrance before waving in Ryu.
Ranma took tea that had been served earlier in a low table and gulped it down. He was weary from the travel and finding out that the entire business of Nabiki tricking him had left a sour taste in his mouth.
As soon as he set the ceramic cup down Ranma started, "Send word to Takashi that his wife will deliver a baby soon." Ranma noted the surprise on Ryu's face before he smiled in acknowledgment.
"Wouldn't you want to inform him yourself?" Ryu asked. Had it come from another samurai, it could have sounded impertinent. But Ryu was not Ranma's subordinate, he was Happousai's, and thus they were almost equal in standing. That and the fact that most of those equal to Ranma had a certain disdain for hierarchy. "If I recall, he's a distant cousin of yours. It makes you an uncle."
On any other occasion, Ranma might have agreed, but he was still a little irked over Nabiki's use of his cousin for deception. That, and sometimes, when people are happy, they forget the misery of other people around them. Ranma didn't think he could handle either sympathy or his own jealousy, so he stayed away.
"I'm not sure if I should announce my presence here," Ranma said instead. "It would go against what Tendo has achieved if I make him look weak now. What would it look like if they find out that most of the samurai holding his court are Saotomes?"
Ryu nodded his head in agreement. "Are there any more orders?"
"I'll wait for your full report on what happened here in Nerima." Ranma didn't want to think about the politics between the Tendos and the Saotomes, so he put it off until later. "I could spare samurai to stay here until Tendo could get a few trustworthy men, and his hold more stable. I've been relieved of land, so I don't require as much samurai as I've been using. Six months should do.
"Happousai has not looked for me?"
Ranma smirked. The Saotome house was an informal court, they allowed the samurai liberty as long as they followed their liege and came when summoned. "Nabiki took care of it. As for your return, I don't need to remind you to be careful about crossing Ikkasei territory. We have strained relations with them, so just try to break the samurai into small groups before returning. I trust everything went well."
"Yes, Sei-sama was surprisingly adept in handling the situation."
Ranma winced when Ryu reminded him of another thing he had to deal with when he got home. Nabiki might just decide to kill him for risking his son in the small expedition. "I imagine he would be. He was trained well. That would be all, Ryu."
Ryu bowed in respect before he left to follow his orders.
Ranma sighed as he looked at the empty guest room. He really needed to think of a way to get back at Nabiki for this entire mess.
Sohin went down to the dungeons passing the guards who were stationed there. Traditionally, there were no holding cells in castles, but that was amended long ago. It helped keep the prisoners at least.
He snorted at the Portuguese influence and moved towards his stepmother. Two guards held her in place, her hands tied behind her back. But her feet were free for movement, and she stood to address him if only because she hated tilting her head up to meet anyone's eyes.
"Hello, mother," Sohin whispered, noting Chisei's state of dress. Smudges of black from the travel towards the holding cell marred her lavish white kimono, its imprinted Tendo crest in gold threads was muddy. The red rouge that she used on her lips was smeared across her face. She spat out to him in greeting.
"We could have lived here. Together. I would have never asked you to leave Sanuki. Why did you force us out?" the question had been twenty years in the making. It would grant him closure if not peace.
"You are not my son," Chisei shrieked.
Sohin tilted his head as he looked at her. She was just five years older than he was. She had been young when his father had died, exceptionally young to have taken the burden of leading the entire clan at such an early age.
She should have been too young to be power hungry. But then, age could only dampen that much greed, and age could hardly whittle what was there. "I revered you like a mother, I loved you like a sister. Have you bedded anyone since father's death?"
She looked away, and it suddenly dawned in Sohin that she probably tried. At least within the month that his father died, just to gain a male heir and pass it as his father's own. "Do I have a stepbrother I need to know?"
"If I had someone to save me from your clutches, do you honestly think I would tell you?" Chisei spat out vehemently.
"No," Sohin answered, slowly drawing nearer. Chisei was too smart for that. He inclined his head in thought. "But you never knew I would come, so he would have been here, in the lap of luxury, given the things you did not want to give Yuki."
There was a long pause of silence. "You're barren, aren't you, mother?" She gave a small whimper. "For two years my father visited your bed and not once did you conceive."
"I was thirteen, you idiot," Chisei shouted back at him. "It wouldn't have been my child-bearing years."
A smile played on Sohin's lips. "But your parents arranged the marriage, gave their consent, the monthly bleeding already visited you. And the fact remains that even after thirty years you have yet to conceive a child."
Because he was so close to her, the first slash of her comb against his eyes surprised him. Later, Sohin would laugh at the thought a comb would do the damage that cost him his sight. Now, he flinched back as the two samurai held Chisei back gripping the hands that had escaped the rope through her comb.
"Yes, Tendo-noh-Eruchii, I am barren. And yes, I have tried to conceive numerous times after your father's death, if only to provide me with companionship." There was a long telling pause. "But now, I have robbed you of your sight, and you will never know your wife's face. May that scar repulse all those women who would want to bequeath you children."
With that, she impaled herself on one of the samurai's drawn swords.
Sohin cursed when he was informed of the outcome, his eyes stinging in pain. "Get me sake to dull the pain and someone to clean Chisei's body."
With that, he promptly passed out.
Because Ranma was bone-weary from having traveled straight to Sanuki without rest, he had imposed and use the donjon's bathhouse to clean the dirt of travel. It had helped to ease his mind and his body from the fact that his sister tricked him into getting there and Sohin challenged him to a fight as soon as he stepped over the threshold.
He had thought he would have a day to rest his feet before setting out for Nerima, but seeing Ranma was here on a non-errand, he was left with nothing but to go back home and try to pretend to make Nabiki squirm.
And there was another problem waiting in his room. Akane's old bodyguard, someone who reminded her of her husband, Ryoga, was standing on the entrance to his guest room. There were certain disadvantages to everyone knowing where you were sleeping.
Ranma wondered if he should just offer the man to break his bones and be done with it. Ranma tilted his head in acknowledgment as he opened the door to his room. "And what might I do for my lady's honor guard?"
"Lady Akane cannot be married to someone like you," Ryouhei's displeasure on that note was palpable. Ranma was curious about how long Ryouhei had served under Akane to give him the right to scare off her suitors. "She should have marriage on equal footing."
"I always thought Sagami equaled Sanuki. If not in land then in koku intake," Ranma pointed out, irritated that someone had questioned his ability to provide for her. "And you're just her guard, not her father. This shouldn't concern you."
"It concerns me when the choices that are set before her are poor," Ryouhei countered. That much arrogance could only mean that Akane let him get away with much when Ryouhei served her. It was born of both length of service and tacit trust.
"I never knew that being Lord of Sagami was not enough to woo the hand of Sanuki's lady," Ranma muttered. He understood a challenge when he saw one, and Ryouhei would have taken his fist to Ranma's throat if he could have gotten away with it.
"Akane-sama is sister to a kokushiu. You are merely a tozama," Ryouhei boasted, observing Ranma's surprise. Kokushiu, a Lord of the Province, it was a title that equaled Happousai's own. No wonder Ryouhei wouldn't settle for an outside lord like Ranma, it wasn't of equal standing.
Ranma inclined his head in acknowledgment. "I am leaving tomorrow. I guess you have fewer complaints about that."
Ryouhei crossed the room with those words. As soon as he was side by side with Ranma, he cautioned, "As long as we understand each other." After a threatening glare, Ryouhei left. Through the window.
"What do you know, someone who knows how to use these things," Ranma muttered, opening the window wider, allowing the cooling breeze of spring to waft inside.
Ranma sighed as he prepared his futon. It had been half finished in the middle of the room, Ryouhei had presumably asked the maid who had started to unroll it to step out.
He mulled about his brand new engagement. As much as Sohin had given him the easy way out of the ordeal, he hadn't wanted to learn that she would willingly stay instead of going back. That decision would destroy him. He had seen her with her siblings, and they were treating her well.
And Ryouhei brought up a valid point, Eruchii held a higher standing in court. What could Ranma offer to someone like Akane? His own fief might have equaled Sanuki, but not the entire Narikaido. He didn't know what to do about it, so he went about it the only way he knew how: he ignored it. Hoping it would pass.
He was about to snuff out the lights when someone entered the room. Assuming it was the maid, Ranma waved his hand dismissively. "I don't need anything."
"Sorry," was the fast reply.
Recognizing Akane's voice, Ranma snagged her arm before she ducked back out of his room. He looked her over before he allowed her to leave. She was wearing a kimono he commissioned for her. The blues hadn't set well in Kodachi's coloring, making the woman look almost yellow, but it complemented Akane, letting her hair almost shimmer. "What did you want?"
"I was afraid you would leave without letting me talk to you," Akane whispered as she moved towards the inner room, still not used to the house.
"It would only be fair, seeing that's how I dealt with you." Ranma shrugged and wondered, not for the first time, how she was settling in her new life.
She closed her eyes in recollection, and he winced at his mistake. He had the uncanny ability to start a fight without even talking. "Go back to your wife, Ranma. You don't need another one, and you have made it perfectly clear that you wouldn't take any other."
He wondered if he should tell her the truth now, as she stepped away from him. She had made it so easy, his pride made it so difficult. She was almost out of the door before he admitted, "Kodachi has been dead for some time now."
She turned around, and the glimmer of hope there was almost painful to watch. But she didn't approach him, and he couldn't bring himself to walk to her. "Did you come here for me?"
"No," the answer was swift because it was a truth. And because it was true, it hurt Akane. Sometimes a lie was better than fact, but Ranma had always been blunt in his dealings with her.
He sent her with Sohin because of Kodachi. When Kodachi died, he had been honor bound to see to it that the Tendos would arrive in Sanuki as the three heirs. After that, there was no way he could knock at the doors of Sanuki to ask for Akane. It asked too much from his pride to do so.
More so now that Ryouhei has enlightened him about their positions in life.
"Explain it to me," Akane pleaded. She walked towards him, touching his hand briefly as if a longer touch would brand her. "I want to understand."
He left her side to look out of the window of his room. It afforded a view of the river and some flickering lights of the village. He couldn't think about the encounter, so he thought about the town. It was not so different from Sagami. Sanuki was mishandled, but since Tendo seemed to be competent, he might make a bustling town of it yet. "You have a beautiful place here," he evaded, the conversation with Ryouhei fresh on his mind.
"Why do both you and Sohin do that?" Akane whispered slowly not willing to let it go, her knuckles white as her hands clasped each other. "Try to protect people that could protect themselves. Try to make decisions that aren't theirs to make. Hurt people without even trying."
Ranma wanted to reach out to fold her hands between his—and had turned around to do so—but stopped short when he saw her. Pain that exposed was raw. He didn't know if he could do anything to heal it. He had never been good at comfort. It was an action that hadn't entered his marriage. "I can't explain things I don't understand, Akane."
Akane reached for him, demanding the kiss that had sealed a multitude of promises for them. Her lips connected with his cheek and her eyes blinked open.
"Don't," Ranma said belatedly as he backed away from her.
Knees collapsing, Akane bent on the tatami. She had known that his rejection would hurt. She didn't realize how potent a drug it was. "Don't what?" Akane asked brokenly, wanting to hear the words so that she could put everything behind them.
"Kiss me," Ranma supplied putting his weight entirely on the wall, looking just as broken as Akane was at the moment. "Not if you don't really mean it... not if you want another goodbye. I've used up all my goodbyes."
An eternity passed.
When pain breaks for Akane, it gives way into anger. And its first stirrings in her heart were welcome. Anger was an emotion she could handle. "Then why give me a moment to carry for forever if you wouldn't do anything about it? Why hand out false hope?"
'Because it had been a kindness?' But that would have been the wrong answer. 'Because I needed it too?' or 'Because I thought I could keep you then.' Instead, he settled for, "Why don't you tell me?"
She stared at him disbelieving as if he'd asked the moon and the stars from her. "I asked you because your answer would mean something to me. I can't try to explain what you—" she cut herself off with a slashing gesture as she paced around the room.
Ranma watched her move around wondering, 'Is she ever going to focus all of that energy for anything other than—' he stopped the thought abruptly and pulled her hand. "Come on."
She followed him, although bewildered at the sudden shift the conversation was taking. "Where are we—" she stopped the sentence as Ranma stepped out of the window and jumped. To her, their window seemed like the third floor of her high school.
She should have been accustomed to his habit of jumping off windows, especially after the inauguration. But his route still surprised her, and she was just as surprised that they were still in one piece. Ranma set her down gently. He was always careful with her. "What were you thinking of again?"
"You jumped from your room to resume the conversation in the middle of the garden?" Akane asked as she looked around her. The house was quiet, and the only other people in the courtyard were the samurai who were tasked to guard it at night. They gave her a wide berth after the first surprise of their drop.
"Yeah," Ranma said as he faced her giving her space. Knowing that it would goad her into a fight, he said, "What are you going to do about it Akane?"
She threw a punch and Ranma's frown broke into a grin. He evaded all punches neatly. If there was one thing more frustrating than trying to get rid of anger, it was trying to get rid of anger when your punching bag wouldn't stay put. "Damn it, if it weren't for this kimono, you'd be sprawling on your ass Saotome."
Ranma's eyebrows rose at her language, and he faltered by almost letting her hit him. He executed a double flip before landing on a branch of a tree a few feet above the ground. "So get rid of it. I'll stay here until you change."
Akane scowled at him but went towards the porch, undoing the ties on her knees. The ties were something she hated about the formal dress. She took shoes from a set that was under the small hallway. She untied the obi and let it drop on the wooden elevation before tossing the kimono down with it.
Akane was wearing gauze, like what Nabiki used to bind her breasts when she would fight, and some Chinese pants she probably pilfered from the safe house before she left. He raised his eyebrow in question. "The peasant's garb was useful, but you were the only one I knew in this godforsaken island that had gartered pants. I am absolutely not going to wear that kimono around you without them."
"You were expecting we'd fight?" Ranma asked confused as he jumped down from his branch.
Akane inclined her head. "I wanted a skirt. I wanted freer movement, but I guess pants will have to do." She lunged for him again, not expecting to connect. She didn't. If she could shout out her frustration, she would have. She managed to do it in a battle cry.
If Akane thought about it more, she would have realized that there was a pattern to Ranma's movements, a repetitiveness to the way he was forcing her to move in her offensive. Always ending with her solid punch towards his gut which she missed. Suddenly, amid all the lunging and kicking, Ranma stopped, providing Akane with a clear hit.
"Yama Arashi!"
Ranma blinked his eyes open in the middle of the branches of some unknown tree while a search went on around him. He shook his head to clear it. He must have been out for a little while. "That's my girl," he said tiredly.
He had known for some time now that the only reason she couldn't execute the move was that she didn't know how to get enough energy to wield it. That and every time she got the energy, she always thought through it or convince herself that she wouldn't hit.
Chi wielding wasn't about logic, it was about instinct. The practitioner had to believe strongly enough that it would hit. Ranma made her think she would succeed... which was to hand her a non-moving object in the first place, but he hadn't found out how to tap that energy. Until now.
Well, now he knew just how powerful her chi blasts could be. He just wished that he hadn't been blown away that far. Collecting himself, he jumped down the tree and leaned heavily against its trunk. 'Deciding to meet a chi blast head-on isn't the best of my ideas.' His nerve endings were all screaming in pain.
"So... you've finally taught me to control my chi," Akane drawled, her breath coming in gasps, unused at the energy expenditure that the chi blast asked of her. From the way her voice carried, he knew she was standing on the other side probably leaning on its trunk too.
He wondered if he could pull himself together without looking like the blast hurt him too much. He had received worse before, but it didn't mean that it hadn't left him in pain. "Congratulations. Consider this graduation."
He shoved off from the tree hoping that he was aiming for the correct general direction. He Hopped down in more jumps than his body cared for, knowing that in his condition, he couldn't do it in one. Akane shuffled after him. "If you leave here, we're probably never going to see each other again."
"When I leave here, we'll never see each other again," he corrected her. Ranma's pace was measured and slow as they moved back towards the house. "This is the second time you've executed the move. I'm guessing that by this time, you know how to elicit it consciously. Chi becomes easier to wield when you exert it often. It becomes reflex. You should be able to control it better after this one time. Like the sword, it should never be unsheathed unless you want to use it."
The silence rang in the air. One samurai spotted them, and with Akane's nod, they were all sent back to their posts. The use for them, finding Ranma, was now gone. "Variations could be made in time, but you have to master what you know now before you try any of that. Chi is deadly to an opponent if you wish it to be. You should never use it unless you think you cannot beat your opponent any other way. Do you understand?"
"I could use small amounts in practice, but can't in real fights unless I want blood on my hands. I understand," Akane whispered. He had just literally handed her a gun.
"Chi doesn't necessarily kill but..." He heaved a sigh. "It's a long process, just be responsible."
"So it's come to this then," Akane commented as they approached the porch, picking up her discarded kimono and shrugging it on. "The only thing we'll talk about is martial arts."
Ranma took the obi and helped her with it, looping it around her waist. "Could we stop fighting enough to talk about anything else?"
Akane licked her suddenly dry lips as Ranma finished up with the belt, his hand lingering on her hip. "If I tell you what you want to hear will you tell me about Kodachi's death?"
Ranma spun her around, so she was face-to-face with him, a small smile playing on his features. "And what is it I want to hear, Akane?"
Akane took one swallow, a breath for confidence before letting the words rush out with her shaky breath, "That I love you."
He let her go. "You can't love me. I have trouble believing anyone could love me." He leaned against the porch post, his arms crossed in front of him. "I believe in family, in friendship and that there is need and that there is desire, but there is never love."
"If not that then what will you believe?" Akane asked abandoning the pretense of straightening her kimono. Akane brought her palm against Ranma's cheek to steady him and keep it level with her own. "It's my only truth."
But he shook his head, gently removing her hand. He bowed politely to her. "Goodnight, my lady."
Ryouhei watched Akane as he had watched her for most of his life. She was the strongest person he knew, but she was all but broken because of Saotome. He would have snorted in disgust. He should have been happy that Ranma had left her when he set out early that morning, but her pain was significant enough to bleed into his heart.
He had never seen her with this much pain.
I wish I could make you happy.
I wish you could make me happy too.
Had he made a mistake because he didn't want to lose his mistress a second time? He could have been her protector if she chose Saotome, but he knew, in his heart of hearts that his role would have been redundant. Saotome would care for her, and Ryouhei would be relegated in the background.
Sohin used Yuki as a guide and stepped beside Ryouhei. He listened to the unshed tears of his sister. Ryouhei hadn't known that those tears shouted despair louder than wreaking sobs.
A soft sigh escaped from Sohin as he cocked his head to the side. "I expected a bit of stupidity from him, I didn't expect it from her."
Ryouhei's hackles rose at the criticism. Ifuku, who was behind Sohin, spoke before he could interrupt. "You expected them to be stubborn, oniisama. They aren't that much different from Nabiki-sama."
"Manipulative and scheming?" Sohin smiled as he angled his head towards Ifuku.
"Not good at handling emotions," Ifuku quipped.
Yuki had abandoned his post as a crutch and sat beside Akane, doing what all three adults had failed to do. He shed her tears for her. His soft sobs echoed in the room's silence.
"She will never get the courage to face him again if we don't let her go," Sohin whispered. "She has never been yours, so lend her the courage to take her own destiny."
Red hot anger burst from Ryouhei. How dare this man accuse him of keeping her here? He had not barred her from leaving.
It concerns me when the choices set before her are poor, words spoken in panic and anger.
But before he could retort, Sohin strode into the room. The newly blind liege did not fumble, his steps were slow, but he stopped right beside Yuki who had held out a hand to him.
Sohin knelt down, wiped Yuki's tear-stained cheeks on his sleeve before turning towards Akane, groping for her hands before she reached out for him. "Don't make me an excuse to stay, Akane. I've always had Shori and Yuki with me. You on the other hand... you belong with him more than you belong with us."
"How could you ask that of me?" Akane asked, and although her voice didn't break, her heart did. "You need me here."
"I needed you here," Sohin corrected.
Ifuku sat down beside Sohin. "Akane, you promised to carry one moment forever," she paused waiting for Akane to look at her. "It's sad when forever lasts a little over two months."
"You're turning me out. Me. Your sister." Akane realized with incredulity, looking at her two siblings with shock and disappointment.
Sohin shook his head. "I offered your hand in marriage. It is still your choice to walk away or not. We don't want you to choose something out of lost pride."
I wish I could make you happy.
Ryouhei stepped forward. Ifuku, Akane and Sohin turned their attention towards him. He stood before Akane and then bowed respectfully at her before kneeling in front of her. "I can't make you happy here. But though I am loathe to admit it, he could."
"He left me," Akane pointed out.
"You let him go," Ifuku breathed.
"I can't take another rejection."
"Oneesama." Yuki sniffled before he continued, "You would always be welcome in the House of Tendo. But please, try for happiness this one last time."
And Ryouhei let her go.
Ranma decided that after this little trip to Sanuki, he would rest up for an entire month and stop traveling. He cursed darkly when he missed a branch from tree hopping. He landed on his feet, but he cursed nonetheless. He hadn't fallen from a tree hop since that cherry blossom incident in China—and that entire neko-ken business back in Happousai's donjon.
"Ranma," someone behind him whispered. "I thought I missed you. You were here all along."
Ranma whirled around spotting Akane on the dusty road. He hadn't been paying enough attention below the tree-line to notice her. "Did I forget something?" he asked unsure why she was going after him.
"Yeah," she said stepping forward. "Me."
Ranma closed his eyes at that, not knowing how to respond to the tentative voice. He wanted her to come. He wanted her to stay. How could he be that indecisive?
How could he turn his back against the most unselfish thing he'd ever decided on? Even now, his conscience and his wants were still warring if it was a noble choice or just colossally stupid. He knew that he might not survive the decision, even though Ranma had to, even though he didn't want to.
"Someone needs to keep you insane." When Ranma opened his eyes again, Akane was offering him a hesitant smile. "You wouldn't be Ranma if you weren't a little bit insane."
"Ahh, but in this relationship we have, my lady, I'm not the one who's crazy," Ranma pointed out to her. He didn't want the conversation, so he coped by doing what he always did with significant emotional problems: he ignored it.
He turned his back to her and walked towards the direction of the Sanuki port.
Let her decide if she comes or not, he can't make rational decisions when she was present. Akane could take away his sanity in an instant. She walked a step behind him.
She was content to talk without his responses. "We never had the right questions between us, you and I," she said conversationally.
"I think it's important to know the answer more than the question," he argued, exasperated. "Do you have answers?"
"That's just the thing. I don't have the answers. I don't know," Akane said while she laughed as if those words solved all of their problems. "You gave me forever, Ranma, don't take it back now."
He hadn't taken it back. He didn't know how to begin again. He expected Akane to turn away at his unresponsiveness, but he hadn't expected her to rest her forehead against his back and sigh. Akane implored, "If you're not willing to look for your own happiness then at least, please try for mine."
Uncomfortable at the display of affection that anyone wandering at the road could see he whispered, "You look happy with them you know." It was one reason he didn't want to take her away. He had given her enough pain.
"My siblings?" He noticed that she was settling into her family now. The hesitation of calling Eruchii and Shori as her siblings were gone. "Let me choose my ending for once okay?"
There was a long pause. Did Ranma really want to leave without her?
"Don't complain if you want to come back here," Ranma muttered under his breath, his soothing hand on her back a direct contradiction to the protest in his voice. "I suspect that I would never get the time to do this again."
"Is that a yes?"
"It is for as long as you want it," Ranma answered as he pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her. He shouldn't have put up a fight. He should have known she would have stubbornly tried to weather the situation with Happousai instead of staying with her siblings. She elbowed him for the comment, and he glared at her. 'At least let her want me forever.'
"Remember what I told you when you failed mid-air combat?" Ranma asked.
Akane squeaked, taken by surprise when he lifted her off the ground her, clasping her hands around his neck. Ranma carried her like he would a bride. When she regained her breath, she answered, "No."
He frowned for a moment. It figures Akane'd completely forget the most important thing he'd ever told her. "About Anything Goes. About the feeling."
Finally realizing what he was referring to Akane whispered, "You don't mean we'll literally do that, are you?"
Ranma gave her a smile before he jumped off the ground towards the trees. "We are going to fly."
Author's Notes:
17434
TWO MORE Epilogues to go :)
When I was writing this, I was bleeding over Alias fics of Irina Derevko x Jack Bristow. I just wish the results weren't fight fight fight and then violent sex. I worte out a good deal of fight fight fight before I actually finished writing a passable ending. And I deleted a lot of sappy things! Hopefully this is a better turnout.
06/07 edit: I was re-reading parts of this and realized Ifuku was calling Eruchii in such a disrespectful manner! Coming from a society where we have honorifics for older siblings, I was apalled that I made that mistake. Hence all Eruchii's have been converted to Eruchii-oniisama or oniisama.
Research, as always I had to follow the specific path from Sagami to Sanuki in this fic. It took me endless poring over maps and debating over the length of time it takes for a large group to actually reach from one end of the island to another. And since we actually use bullet trains for this, it was quite difficult.
Rankings, Kokushiu, Lord of the Province, etc were researched from a book when I was in college. They're written out in chapter 14 for your guidance and in my livejournal, or my webpage. (It would be so much simpler if there were dukes and earls in Japan , but it would be less fun, wouldn't it?)
The layout of the Tendo Castle was based off a true Japanese castle, one in Himeji called the White Heron, and the same castle was referred to in previous chapters of the fic. Other descriptions of the Tendo castle & its donjon were taken from my very fortunate visit to Japan last October in both Osaka Castle and Nijo-jou. Nijou-jou was more informative with regard to castle structure, but Osaka Castle was very informative on all the other details of warfare (pictures could be found in my livejournal, I'm really sorry there can't be any direct linking, but you could search by date it's around October 2006.
The idea for the entire court taking over inspired by watching Juni Kokki (12 Kingdoms) a great anime and reading too much Anatolia Story by Chie Shinohara. It's licensed by Viz Video, and I need to get my shipment once a year when people actually travel to the US before I get mine. Haha, The latest book was released a mere days after my parents left the US , and therefore I have no copy. :) The entire Ranma spiel about chi was influenced by a Japanese movie in the turn of the era about swords and assassinations, of which I never could remember the title. As always the chapter exploded from 10,000 to 17,000 pretty fast. And all that while I was editing to send to my pre-readers. (Now you understand why it takes a few months for me to edit)
Thank you to Celes Tempest for When there is Hope! Because Of which I managed to start and finish this story.
I confess that the honorifics in this fic are giving me trouble. -sama could be translated as Lord or Lady, but I use Lord and Lady as well. How do I choose between them? I give a shade more respect to -sama and Lord or Lady as simply a title, even though they're the same. I'm going back and revising the gender nouns for Ranma and Nabiki, but that will take more than a while, but I have changed Yuki's honorifics to -dono, whenever Sohin refers to him becuase of subtle loyal servant-master interaction that my sister has pointed out. The entire Tendo business is a little bit confusing on honorifics too.
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