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Nagata had fallen into a comfortable routine in Sousou's palace. Every morning he would make breakfast, and then go train with Bacho or Kanu. Chou'un would flirt with him, Chouhi would want to spend time with him, and Ryofu would take him along on walks with her dogs. While Ryuubi and Komei weren't too busy running their faction, he spent time with them too.
It felt like how things were back in Touka Village except for his friendship with Iori which was now strained. Nagata was still angry with Iori, and would not be able to forgive him for his involvement in Karasu's death for quite some time. However, Nagata did not want to hold onto this grudge. It wouldn't do anybody good for him to hate Iori as they still needed him. They could not afford to be divided during this war.
Then Iori decided to leave their faction and join Sousou out of spite.
If Iori wasn't berating him, he was ignoring him while occasionally giving him dirty looks. Nagata let him be as he understood why Iori was behaving this way but he was not ready to forgive him just yet. He would, eventually, once things settled down and they had a chance to talk. He did not want there to be any bad blood between them.
He smiled, though, whenever he saw Iori with Riri and Yomi. He was a good father even if he had made some questionable decisions lately. Hopefully, Yomi would not inherit any of Iori's negative traits. Kochu would be a good influence on her, hopefully, unless Yomi decided she wanted to be like her dad someday.
Despite his status as an Armored War God, Nagata no longer held any military or political power in the Alliance. He was just Sousou's cook but occasionally he would be sent out to assist in the war effort. This included providing support on the battlefield as well as making warm meals for the soldiers. This filled their bellies and improved their morale.
When he was not performing his duties, he was left with only his thoughts. His mother had restored his memories, including all of the times he had gotten killed in Purgatory. Every memory of Purgatory was so vivid and it was like reliving every time he got eaten or torn to shreds. It would take him some time and therapy for him to get over what he had experienced in that terrible place. He just hoped Bucky and Nanamomo were okay. The last time he had seen them, they had stayed behind to hold off the Femme Fatales, buying him time to escape.
He started to remember Karasu's betrayal. He remembered that she had been Armored War Devil Jam and they had clashed numerous times. He remembered how she had taken control of Iori and forced them to fight. He also remembered how she had taken control of him and forced him to attack his lovers. He also remembered how he went to save her from Ukitsu, only to be killed by Taiga.
The pain from Karasu's death was still fresh but he was gradually moving on from his grief. Before her death, Karasu had been trying to redeem herself. It was why, even as a fugitive, she decided to help people who had lost their homes. It was her way of trying to atone for her sins. The guilt caused by his death must've driven her to find a new purpose and a reason to live. Tragically, she had died. She had sacrificed herself to save him. Her death had not been in vain as it had allowed him access to a greater power which allowed him to defeat Taiga and Bujin Gaim once and for all. However, he would much rather have her alive and well instead of this power.
He would not forget her but he couldn't let himself be burdened by guilt either. She would want him to live and continue to fight the good fight without her.
Karasu remained by Nagata's side though, even in death. He could still see her, hear her, and speak to her. Nagata knew it was not normal for him to have hallucinations, but his time in Purgatory had taught him that isolation and loneliness were torture and he only managed to stop himself from completely losing his mind by conjuring a hallucination based on his memory of Enya. It helped him to cope with his loneliness, even if she had existed to remind him of his guilt.
Maybe he was hallucinating but it brought him some comfort knowing that she was watching over him and was not suffering anymore. Back when she had been alive, she was jealous of the girls, Kanu especially, for having Nagata's affection. Now, though, she just wanted him to be happy.
There was a lot Nagata had missed during his time in Purgatory. He learned that Fuyu, Ichiro, and Kenshin were dead. Ichiro had been killed by Taiga, Fuyu had sacrificed himself to buy his friends time to escape from Son Go when it had fallen and Kenshin had fallen in battle, killed by Sasuke who turned out to be a traitor.
Masataka was still MIA. Shuutai claimed that Brusa Li had taken him to help him master his new power, but it had been months now.
When would he return? When would he be ready to join them?
Mitsuki had liberated Son Go and the kingdom's refugees were escorted to Sou Gi by his Phoenix Guard so they had a place to stay until their home was restored. Together with Ten'i and the other cooks, Nagata made a fresh hot meal for them to welcome them and fill their bellies. They were happy to be able to eat something that wasn't in the garbage. Under Saito's rule, they were forced to fight over whatever scraps they could get. Sometimes for Saito's amusements.
A lot of people had gone missing too. Komei had shown him the census records of the provinces they had liberated. Many people were listed missing. According to witnesses, they were taken, never to be seen again. Nobody knew if they were dead or alive.
Efforts were being made to retake Shoku, starting with Touka Village. Without Majin Gaim and his Majin Riders standing as an obstacle, the Inves were exterminated and the Helheim plants were also cut down and burned. The fruits were also disposed of in the fire as they did not want anyone turning into an Inves from carelessly eating them. Though there were plans to use the fruit against their enemies, they could not risk contaminating their troops.
The same was being done in Rakuyo. Nagata remembered when he was sent to feed the troops occupying the former imperial city. It might be considered a cursed site due to all the bloodshed it had experienced, but Sousou had plans for it.
Sousou had her work cut out for her but she was made for this job and Nagata kept his ear to the ground. She had liberated many villages and towns from the RinJyuKen occupation and held the territory with her army. She also made sure the supply chains were maintained as they were vital to keeping their armies running.
While all this was good, Nagata couldn't help but dwell on Chosen's words when he had last spoken to him. As the final battle drew closer, Nagata had to be ready for anything.
Sangokuden Armored War Gods Saga: End of the Armored War Gods
Co-Written By: Kamen Rider Chrome & Ten-Faced Paladin
Beta Reader/Editor: Busterleader92 & Kamen Rider Goji
Chapter 56: The Blue Dragon King Lives Again
"We are gathered here to bear witness to the complete resurrection of Armored War God Gaim!" Sousou proclaimed from her throne. The Alliance was in attendance to witness the ceremony as they watched in anticipation.
Nagata knelt on the floor while Mitsuki approached with his Phoenix Down feather. Since Mitsuki had proven he could bring the dead back to life, Sousou believed he could return Nagata to normal.
"You ready, Oda?" Mitsuki asked.
"I am. I am ready to come back to life," Nagata stated firmly.
"Fair warning, I've never done this with an undead before." Mitsuki gripped Nagata's shoulder and jabbed the feather into his chest like it was a knife. It entered Nagata's body as the flames flickered.
"OK, that doesn't feel so baAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHH!"
Nagata suddenly screamed and convulsed as he burst into flames, causing everyone to scream in distress.
"NAGATA-SAMA!"
The Shoku Warriors were about to leap to Nagata's aid but the Phoenix Guard held them back to stop them from interfering as Nagata continued to scream and burn.
"RAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!"
He involuntarily shifted into his Reptilian Beastman form before it burned away in his agony. Gradually, his screams faded along with the flames that enveloped him. He passed out on the floor, surrounded by the ashes of his undead form.
He lay still, lifeless.
Had it not worked?
Nagata suddenly sat up and gasped, his eyes shooting wide open with the whites of his eyes no longer as black as tar while his skin was starting to regain its original natural tone.
"I'm alive..." Nagata could barely believe it. He could feel his heartbeat and took in a deep breath of air. "I'm alive!"
Ryuubi was the first to cry tears of joy before she was released and she tackle-hugged Nagata back to the floor.
"Nagata-sama!"
Chou'un, Bacho, and Ryofu were close behind, letting the younger Chouhi and Komei get the safer spots as they all reached for a part of him to hug.
"Onii-chan! Onii-chan!"
They all laughed happily, filled with joy as they just witnessed another miracle. Kanu, however, did not join in the group hug. This was something Sousou was quick to notice.
As everyone celebrated Nagata's resurrection, Kanu decided to retreat to her room. She made sure to slip out quietly to avoid causing a scene. However, she had not gone completely unnoticed as Sousou slipped away from the party to follow after her.
Sousou quickly caught up to Kanu and cut off her escape in the hallway.
"Leaving the party so soon, Kanu?"
"Sousou-dono..."
"I would have thought you would be pleased to have your lover alive and well again," Sousou said as she crossed her arms.
"I...I am not his lover...a-although I am glad he is alive again," Kanu spoke brokenly. "P-P-Please take care of him, S-Sousou-dono. He is in a fragile state and...I'm sorry!"
Kanu tried to flee, but Sousou swiftly lashed out and caught her arm in an iron grip. She may be petite but Sousou had a grip of steel that stopped Kanu's desperate escape. Kanu looked back to see Sousou frowning sternly at her, revealing the tears trailing down her face.
"Tears do not suit you, Kanu. I'd much rather see you happy in the arms of the man we will both share," Sousou frowned. "I would have thought his return to life would have you running back into his arms again since that is where you wish to be. Is it because he was undead? Do you fear being separated again? Did you fall in love with someone else and do not know how to say it?"
"NO!" Kanu shrieked, tears flowing like rivers down her cheeks. "I never stopped loving Nagata-sama! When he returned, I wished to scream in joy! To kiss him and embrace him and just ensure he never disappears again! I want to release all of my happiness and just bask in having the love of my life back again!"
"Then why deny yourself? He yearns for you just as much," Sousou pressed as she released her grip on Kanu's arm. Kanu would have to go around the blonde to escape but Sousou would not allow that until she got her answer. As Nagata would be her consort, his happiness would be one of her priorities.
Plus, if it got Kanu into bed with them, all the better!
"I…I…I…" Kanu trembled, gripping the hem of her skirt and looking for a way to escape.
"AS THE QUEEN OF SOU GI, KANU UNCHOU, I ORDER YOU TO TELL ME!" Sousou snapped angrily.
"I DOUBTED HIM!" Kanu shrieked back. Her legs trembled and she dropped to her knees, holding her face in her hands as she cried her tears through her fingers. "I gave up! I just gave up! I believed he had abandoned us! When we learned of his death, Touka believed he would return! Rinrin believed! Ren believed! No one believed he was dead and gone forever! He came back before so they believed he could do it again! Everyone did except for me! I gave up! I decided he wasn't coming back!" She looked at Sousou, eyes clouded by her tears. "How can I dare call myself his lover or even his retainer if I do not have absolute faith in him?!"
Sousou watched Kanu cry and breathed a sigh. So Kanu had given up and believed her lover had abandoned them before she learned of his death. All she could do was move on and accept that he was gone so the healing process could begin. No one could blame her for that.
"Is that all?" Sousou asked her. "You believe you aren't worthy to love him just because you tried to move on? Kanu, I'm disappointed. I would have thought a woman as passionate as you would know better."
Kanu sniffled.
"Wh-what?"
Sousou grinned.
"Let's ask Nagata what he thinks about this little tidbit, hm?"
"Wait, you're really in a marriage agreement with Sousou?! And that wasn't just some rumor!?" Bacho gaped. While conversing with his harem, Nagata had casually brought up Sousou's plan to unite their kingdoms through marriage. Everyone who heard was stunned, more at the fact Sousou would willingly take a male consort, but also the fact it was Nagata of all people.
"Sui, you know this was kind of part of the eventual plan," Nagata sheepishly shrugged. "And, well, weren't you all the ones who encouraged it, especially after you all decided to become my consorts?"
"Well, yeah, I guess," Bacho shrugged. "But it's still shocking! You should have warned us, Nagata-sama!"
"Things just happened kind of fast," Nagata shrugged. "You know how Karin is when she gets an idea in her head. There's almost no talking her out of it."
"I for one think this might be fun," Chou'un grinned. "Sousou-dono certainly won't mind us continuing our romance with Nagata-sama. She may join in as well. I have heard that she is an expert in the bedroom so I think this can work out very well for all of us."
"Sei…" Nagata blushed. Oh, how he was torn by how Chou'un treated the world like one big innuendo. He really did miss that about her.
"Well, okay, I get the need for it," Bacho blushed. She looked to Ryuubi and Ryofu. "What about you two? Are you two okay with this?"
"Hm, well, I guess. We knew this would eventually happen." Ryuubi held a finger to her chin in thought. "And not much is going to change. We just add Sousou to our schedule, right? Well, she probably gets the top of the list since she's a queen as well, but I don't think she'll cut us off from him."
"No, she'll likely try to take us for herself now and then," Chou'un snickered. "I'm looking rather forward to that."
"Ah, well, m-maybe," Ryuubi blushed, having forgotten about that side of Sousou's tastes. She hadn't considered being with girls too often aside from her fellow lovers and those were spurred of the moment depending on how things played out. She never intended to couple with another woman ahead of time!
"Ah...more family. More love," Ryofu nodded approvingly. "More love, more peace, more people happy."
Nagata smiled and while he was trying to enjoy the party the best he could, he was still troubled by Chosen's ominous message, that the final battle was drawing closer.
Could he mean a confrontation with Dai Shi?
And if it was going to be a final battle, would it mean their victory or Dai Shi's?
Honestly, at this point, it could go either way.
Nagata looked around and noticed Kanu's absence. Ever since they agreed to put their relationship on hold, their interaction was rather awkward. She maintained a professional attitude but it often faltered when they were alone together. It was painful to Nagata when all he wanted to do was hold her like the others and reconnect.
"You should go find her," Karasu's ghost urged.
"Karin-sama wishes to take Gaim as her consort!? How could you let this happen, Baron!?"
"Whaddya want me to do?" Mitsuki retorted. "You know when Karin gets an idea in her head, it's nearly impossible to convince her otherwise!"
"But then Karin-sama will take him into her bed, and..." Juniku could not even say it.
"Calm down and think for a second. You know Karin's gonna need an heir someday. It's not like a woman can get her pregnant."
"But why Gaim, though!? Why him!?"
"Do you see anyone else worthy enough?"
"Well, there's you-"
"Let me stop you right there. She's like my sister to me, Keifa. Just thinking about it makes me sick."
"Then no other man is worthy. Damn, this just sucks."
"I don't like it any more than you do, Keifa, but this is what Karin wants. Since we love her, let's support her. And when she does have her baby, she will ask you to babysit."
"Alright, fine. Let's just get drunk and make merry!"
"By the way, have you seen Karin?"
"I saw her leave the party with Kanu," Iori interjected as he walked over to the duo.
"Ah, now that's the Sousou-sama I know," Juniku smiled fondly. Taking a woman into her bed, now that was something Juniku was accustomed to. That was normal.
"So, Ryugen, what made you decide to join our faction?" Mitsuki asked suspiciously.
"Well, since your kingdom is so prosperous, I thought the best thing to do was to throw my lot in with you guys," Iori answered.
"But can we count on your loyalty?"
"Questioning my convictions already?"
"I'm just not sure I can trust someone who just leaves their faction so abruptly. Makes me question if I should trust them to have my back when things get too tough."
"That's ironic, seeing as you have a traitor in your faction. Didn't Shibai used to work for Ukitsu?"
"Gentlemen, please, let's not start something that can ruin Sousou-sama's party," Juniku advised them.
"Please, we all know this is Nagata's party," Iori scoffed, rolling his eyes. "And speaking of Nagata, I couldn't help but overhear you complaining about him becoming Sousou's consort."
"Well, I don't want to question her decision but she deserves better."
"That, we can agree on. First Nagata gets Ryuubi and now he gets Sousou. That's two queens who've joined his harem."
"You think Oda's trying to stage a coup?" Mitsuki questioned.
"No, I just think it's convenient that he's formed a good rapport with Sousou and with Zangetsu currently out of the picture, he may try to claim Sonken and have all three queens under him."
"Do you think Oda's capable of all that?"
"This war's changed all of us, Baron. I wouldn't be surprised if he's changed too. You should watch out. You don't want Nagata's influence to rub off on Sousou. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've been away from my wife for too long."
While looking for Kanu, Nagata bumped into both Kochu and Iori who were enjoying the festive atmosphere.
"Nagata-sama, congratulations on being fully alive again," Kochu smiled.
"Thanks, Shion. So, have you seen Aisha?" Nagata asked.
"I might've seen her leave the party earlier," Kochu answered. "Then I saw Sousou-dono leave as well. Maybe they're together."
"Thanks," Nagata said but as he was about to leave, Iori just had to have the last word.
"So finally decided to get something done?" Iori snarked at Nagata who sighed in response. Their friendship was still strained and while Nagata understood that he just wanted to protect his family, Iori still should not have taken matters into his own hands. It would have spared them all a lot of grief if he had.
"You honestly think I'm still resting on my laurels?" Nagata questioned.
"What else am I supposed to call it after seeing everything you've done wrong? But then again, you can do no wrong according to your harem. By the way, congratulations on your future marriage with Sousou. Let's just hope you don't ruin her and make her soft like you've done with Touka," Iori sneered.
"Iori, I consider you a friend and all that, but if you're going to keep insulting me, why don't you ask Shion what exactly I did during my rule? I'm tired of hearing you belittle me for it when you don't have a freaking clue about the things I needed to do to make sure Shoku rose like it did. Since you won't believe me anyway, I think it is better that you hear it from her." With that said, Nagata walked away to find Kanu. He had better things to do than to explain himself to Iori, especially since he was not going to listen to a damn thing he said.
"Koi, what's he talking about?" Iori asked his wife curiously.
"Airen, you don't honestly believe that Shoku rose to such prominence just by luck and happenstance, do you? He did a lot more than you realize."
"What do you mean? What has Nagata done?"
"For someone with such good eyes, you can be so blind, Airen. Listen, Nagata-sama did a lot behind the scenes when he was not on the frontlines. He secured us many powerful alliances and helped to unite Shoku under his banner. He did everything in his power to bring people together and to raise their faith in him. He may not have been as aggressive as Sousou-dono, but what he did helped Shoku to grow into a kingdom," Kochu explained.
Iori wanted to argue but failed to find the words once he stopped to ponder what his wife just told him. Shoku had not been united until Nagata was made governor. Before that day, it was just a bunch of provinces that did not have a centralized government. While they had answered to the empire, they had not received much aid in defending themselves against bandits so they had to band together. Nise had started all that but he also intended to abandon the villagers he had formed into an army once he made a name for himself and became a general in the empire.
Nagata, despite his fame and the name he had made for himself, did not abandon the villagers who flocked toward him since he was willing to risk his life on the frontlines for them while Nise was satisfied with barking orders from the back. After that, Nagata had a desk job as he went over numerous documents daily.
Iori had filed those documents as he had to occasionally fill in for Nagata whenever he went out on some kind of adventure with the others. He had not seen more than that since he was busy training their soldiers or spending time with his family.
Iori was forced to admit that Shoku had grown under Nagata's rule. With Touka Village acting as their capital, Shoku was united as a kingdom that rivaled two of the biggest powers at the time: Sou Gi and Son Go. They had even done it without conquering other territories. They had done it by drawing people to them.
Still, it did not change the fact that Nagata had made mistakes that had cost them dearly.
"If he didn't play around so much, Gien would still be alive," Iori argued defensively.
Kochu sighed, rubbing her forehead.
"Airen, hindsight is very easy to claim. In honesty, did we even have any proof that there was something amiss with Idunn?"
"Her behavior? The ease she showed at how she killed others? When she tried to convince Tanpopo to kill Zhong?" Iori listed. He had been watching Karasu since he started to suspect that something was not right with her and noted that she displayed murderous traits.
"All of those things we did not like about her which caused us not to get along, but nothing that implied she was a traitor to what we stood for," Kochu replied.
"And we may have been better prepared to deal with her if Nagata would just have looked into it!" Iori retorted.
"He did. He spoke to her several times," Kochu returned. "I even spoke to him about it."
"And I bet all he said was 'It's just how Kara-chan is. Please try to get along'," Iori sniffed.
"Not when it came to Riri." Kochu shook her head. Iori stopped and looked at his wife.
"W-what?" Had Karasu done something to hurt Riri and he had not heard about it?
"I caught her going on about how the strong survive and her views on things where Riri was listening," Kochu explained. "Tanpopo is one thing since she is old enough to understand and can make her own decisions. Riri, on the other hand, was far too young to be learning about things that woman was spouting. So I went straight to Nagata-sama and told him. Being cold to us is one thing, but threatening to influence a child, our child especially, with her views? He took quite a dim view on that."
"You called for me, Naga-kun?" asked Karasu as she entered her cousin's office. She saw Kochu standing beside him as he sat behind his desk, neither of them looking pleased.
"Could you shut the door and sit down Karasu?" Nagata asked. Karasu immediately grew concerned since it was rare for Nagata not to call her 'Kara-chan'. Did she do something to make him angry?
Karasu kept her reserve and sat down in the chair across from him, noticing Kochu not looking too pleased with her.
"What is this about?"
"Kochu's come to me with concerns about your behavior. With the incident with Zhong, I think it's time we start talking about your attitude," Nagata frowned. "Kochu tells me you've been actively encouraging people to follow your way of doing things, and generally being cold and mean to everyone around you. What's worse, you're doing it around impressionable children who have been causing some ruckus among the household because of it. She's worried you're negatively influencing children, especially her daughter."
"Oh," Karasu blinked. "Well, I'm sorry I caused a bit of trouble, but better they learn from me than the hard way outside and-!"
"Karasu, stop!" Nagata frowned, cutting her off. "I was lenient with some of your behavior because you're my cousin. I know how you were raised and I know the harsh lessons that your father decided to force you to learn because he's a misogynist who couldn't accept reality for what it was instead of his traditional delusions for the Oda clan, going as far as to strip everything that made you a woman."
Karasu's right eye twitched. Her father was a touchy subject, and one Nagata knew not to prod. However, with her recent actions, he would prod it to make sure he got his message across.
"I knew you closed off since you were in a different era and surrounded by new people. I knew you could be cruel, especially with enemies since this place can be very dangerous for those who travel alone, especially a woman. I knew it would take you time to adjust and get used to how things are," Nagata frowned, his gaze zeroed in on Karasu. "My hope was that by being away from your father, his unrealistic expectations, and being inside a place where people would like to get to know you and maybe genuinely like you and not just try to suck up to our name would help you open up to them like you do me."
Karasu twitched more, not especially liking where the conversation was going.
"Instead, you're constantly rude, disruptive, and dismissive of everyone. Now it seems almost like you're purposefully trying to undermine the household with your 'strong survive and weak perish' bullshit and trying to press it onto everyone around you. Worse with the stunt you pulled with Tanpopo!" Nagata's gaze grew sterner. "And now you're encouraging kids to disobey their parents and run amok simply because they're strong enough to do it? Karasu, are you trying to undermine my authority and break the measure of peace we have here in Shoku?"
"No, Naga-kun!" Karasu cried. "I believe what I believe and if people ask for advice, I give it and better the children learn how harsh the world could be from a lesson instead of it happening out there like I-!"
"THIS IS NOT AND WILL NEVER BE THE ODA COMPOUND!" Nagata yelled, standing up while slamming his fists into the desk. "I will not allow your father's delusions to taint how I teach or lead people! Believe what you want to believe, but I will not allow you to undermine me or my leadership with it!" He stood straight. "The world can be harsh, but the children will learn at their own pace in their own ways. Riri may one day learn that, but I will not allow you to teach her the same way your father taught you!"
Karasu twitched again, Nagata hitting another subject she did not like to speak about.
"I welcomed you here and maybe we do have the same power, but remember I am the governor here. I hold responsibility and authority here that I cannot shirk. If you become too much of a disruptive influence, and a worrying one, and I will put my foot down, cousin or not!" Nagata hissed. "Now, since you can't seem to stop spewing your father's poison even if you hate him, I'll stop it for you. For the next three days, consider your free passage privileges revoked. No training room, no access to our recreation facilities, no library, none of the free things many in the town alone would pay huge fines to have which I gave you for nothing."
"B-But, Naga-kun!" Karasu cried. Raised as she was, Karasu's only real escape was her reading, training with her sword, and her doll making. What was available in town was plebeian, no one besides the generals and Nagata could offer her a challenge in a spar, and she didn't have much of the funds to buy doll making material on her own.
"But nothing!" Nagata snapped back. "Your father poisoned you enough and it's clear, despite everything you say, you still can't get away from him. So I will not allow his stupidity to affect my court! This is my only warning, Karasu Oda! Rein it in or else I will take steps to do it for you!"
Karasu sputtered in confusion and perhaps desperation but Nagata was having none of it.
Kochu watched the exchange with interest. Iori had been complaining about Nagata's reluctance to do anything about his cousin's attitude, but it seemed when that attitude was affecting innocent children, he would step up.
"Wait, he was actually punishing her?" Iori blinked in complete disbelief. "But he was always taking the soft pedal approach! He dismissed our concerns for no reason!"
"Because we just weren't getting along and nothing serious was happening," Kochu stated. "Before Zhong, it was just her cold attitude and her beliefs which we didn't agree with. Nothing to truly get excited about. After Zhong though, Nagata saw there was something wrong and he explained to me about the lessons his uncle - her father - taught her."
"Daddy issues, sure." Iori rolled his eyes.
"No, that would be an oversimplification," Kochu said grimly. "What father would deny his daughter help after being sexually assaulted?"
"...What did you just say?" It was something Iori did not expect to hear.
"Don't let what I am about to tell you next reach Nagata-sama, but I followed him when he was going to reprimand her for attempting to coax Tanpopo into killing Zhong," she explained. "It seemed that what he tried to do with Sui reminded her of an incident that happened to her. While she punished the ones responsible, her father didn't seek her help so she could recover from her trauma and even forbade her from telling him. I can assume that Nagata-sama believes that the lack of help was what contributed to her mental instabilities."
Iori grimaced as he clenched his fists. Sexual assault was a sensitive issue for him as he had seen girls suffer from it. The trauma scarred them for life.
"OK, so she was raped and her father didn't even bother to get her the help she needed. I can agree that it's something that shouldn't have happened to her, but it had nothing to do with us, and the fact that he let her risk everything and killed Enya doesn't excuse that!"
"It doesn't, but none of us saw it coming. Would any of us? You can say we should have done something about it, but at the time, did you really believe that she was going to betray us as deeply as she did?" Kochu frowned.
"Well, she...I…" Iori paused as he blinked. If he could be honest with himself, Karasu's betrayal had come as a surprise. She had hit them hard, fast and showed no signs of her true intent. Yes, he figured she had been a manipulative bitch who wanted to keep Nagata to herself but to sell them out to the Armored War Devils? No, he hadn't expected that.
"Now you see just how much of a surprise it was," Kochu nodded. "And likely the most shaken by it was Nagata-sama himself. Would you have reacted much better if your brother was the one who turned on us?"
"Nii-san would have never done that!" Iori immediately hissed. How dare she spit on his brother's memory by asking such an outrageous question?!
"And Nagata-sama believed, despite her harshness and aloof personality, she would not have done the same," Kochu retorted. "I saw him in the aftermath, actually saw him. Not just being angry at him all the time or judging him. His world was shattered, and his trust in her was also broken. How could any man, much less one with so much responsibility make the best decisions when his entire world was turned upside down? Idunn left a very deep wound that almost broke him. Did he make poor decisions? Arguable. Was he responsible for Enya's death? No, that was Idunn. She took advantage of familial ties and tried to eliminate us simply because she was jealous and felt threatened when Nagata-sama was closer to us than he was to her. How could he be expected to do something harsh to her when all we had was a simple dislike of her and her methods?"
"But...he could have…" Iori grunted.
"Could he have taken a firmer stance with Idunn? Yes, but why? Just because we didn't like her and weren't getting along with her like we do each other?" Kochu pressed. "That would just be petty and impulsive, something he had strived not to be in his dealings as our leader."
"But if he would just have stepped up-!" Iori argued.
"He has stepped up every day since he became our leader. Remember, Airen, we were the smallest and weakest of the kingdoms. We had to keep our heads down and play it safe. We mastered that strategy, focused on the fights we couldn't avoid instead of showing off and playing rulers equal to Sousou and Sonsaku. That was our strategy: draw in the people, unite them, and show our power in our ability to protect rather than make war. Just because we have the power, does not mean we have to make grand, explosive shows of it."
"Yet he decided to abandon us to save his cousin. Then he got himself killed and put our home at risk," Iori reminded, unwilling to lose this argument even to his wife.
"No, he did not abandon us," Kochu countered. "He showed that he had faith in us. If he had not been killed that night then he would've joined us to defend Touka Village and Shoku. And you know this. You know that he would never abandon us. Like he would never abandon his cousin despite everything she had done. You know he'd do the same for everyone else here."
"But why did he let her go?" Iori demanded, clearly losing his steam with the revelations his wife was pushing into his face.
"Because Idunn still had her abilities. Nagata-sama was one of the only ones who could face her, track her down, and confront her," Kochu replied. "He was likely the only one she would listen to considering her obsession with him. Anyone else, she would likely cut them down ruthlessly in anger for 'turning' Nagata-sama against her. And before you ask, perhaps he still cared about her as any good family member should, but she also may have had vital information about us or about the Armored War Devils which could have been gravely important to us."
Iori groaned and hung his head, his fire of indignation towards Nagata and his do-nothing style of ruling put out as his wife made it clear that Nagata had done much more than he believed.
"How...I...what…?"
Kochu smiled sadly and approached, pulling him against her breasts while she stroked his head.
"I understand that you are frustrated. You want to deal with all the dangers, return to our home, and get things back to those pleasant days we had before. Correct?"
"Well...yes...among other things," Iori sighed, closing his eyes while enjoying her embrace which had a calming effect on him.
"I know why you accepted Sousou-dono's offer to join her faction," Kochu spoke softly. "It seemed like she was the one getting things done instead of holding back and waiting, wasn't it?"
"She's always getting things done. She's making plans and sending men out to get things done," Iori replied. "Nagata, it just seemed like he was always sitting back, doing nothing, and waiting for the threats to come at us."
"Well, it may seem that way, but I have been a big part of the strategy meetings," Kochu explained. "Nagata-sama had numerous contacts at the borders and in neighboring nations to pass us information so that if our aid was needed, we would send out the necessary forces needed to deal with the threat instead of sending an army to have everyone see us flaunting our power. With our late founding, sticking our heads up and making a show would have only invited Sou Gi and Son Go to see us as a threat. They would try to deal with us before we became too powerful."
It was another blow to Iori's indignation and conviction. He knew very well, like all of the other Shoku Warriors, that Sou Gi and Son Go took any opportunity they could to get some kind of advantage in their efforts to conquer the whole nation. This also applied to dealing with any threats that may interfere with their goals. If it seemed like Shoku was quickly gaining massive power in such a short time, they would step in. At the time, they had more or some of the most powerful of the Armored War Gods on their side. It would have been a race to try and annex Shoku first and force Nagata and Iori himself into their ranks. If diplomacy would not work then they would use force to get their way.
Iori slumped against his wife. If it had been Nagata telling him this, he likely wouldn't have believed it. There was too much self-righteous anger there. Now that Kochu was telling him all this, it was breaking through any of his normal stubbornness and indignation. After all, he knew very well that his wife was out there fighting on the frontlines as she helped keep Shoku running.
"Why didn't I see it?" he questioned. "I mean, I did all his paperwork while he was gone. I attended meetings and...How could I have missed it?"
Kochu continued to hug her husband, smiling warmly. "Your duties were to keep up the defenses and assure that our home front was strong and stable. Sometimes our duties did cross, but I had to attend more meetings than you did. As for his paperwork, well, I assume you just read them, made notes of what was going on, but you didn't consider the deeper implications. You often prefer a more straightforward approach."
Iori couldn't argue with that. When it came to Nagata's paperwork, he just signed off on what needed to be signed and compiled what Nagata needed to personally oversee without reading it too deeply. His job was to keep Shoku functioning, not deal with politics.
"Have I burned my bridges?" he voiced quietly.
"You have damaged them but it's nothing that can't be fixed." Kochu shook her head, releasing Iori. "You've allowed your anger to cloud you and you've been speaking too harshly to see reason. Many of the others are likely angry that you spoke so harshly about Nagata-sama's rule when you really did not seem to understand what it entailed. You also spoke harshly to Ryuubi before you chose to defect."
Iori winced. Here he was accusing Nagata of doing nothing serious during his rule, but in truth, it was he who didn't have the slightest idea what it took to rule Shoku. No wonder the others were angry at his defection and his dismissive attitude towards Nagata. He was angry about the blatant favoritism, but Iori had no excuse for what he had done. You can choose your friends but not your family, and Nagata made it clear that he loved his family since the day they met. If Iori had to deal with his brother betraying him, would he have...?
"Looks like I did something impulsive again." Iori rubbed his head. This was the kind of thing his brother constantly warned him about doing back home. "Nii-san would have whacked me for this."
"I can still do that," Kochu giggled lightly. "Now, it is time to begin mending things with Nagata-sama and the others. It's not too late to make things right but it will take time. I hope I did not marry someone too stubborn to admit their faults or try to fix them, did I?"
Iori sighed but shook his head.
"No, no you didn't."
Iori was glad that he married Kochu, not only because she gave him a loving family but also because she could make him see sense and admit when he was wrong. It showed how much she loved him.
Nagata stepped out of the party to go look for Kanu when he bumped into Sousou in the hallway.
"Leaving your own party early, Nagata?" Sousou asked.
"I'm just looking for Aisha, Karin," he explained. "I heard you were with her."
"Yes, and we had a very engaging conversation about you."
"Me?"
"Yes, and it seems like you both have a lot to talk about. Come with me. She's waiting for you." Sousou took his hand and led him to Kanu's bedroom.
Meanwhile, Kanu fidgeted nervously on her bed as she waited. Truth be told, she was anxious about her talk with Nagata but this was too important to be put off for much longer.
When the door opened, she saw Sousou enter with Nagata.
"A-ah, N-N-Nagata-sama," Kanu stuttered as she stood up. "I...ah...Sousou-dono...um…"
"Kanu has something she needs to explain to you," Sousou interjected.
"What?" Nagata wondered out loud.
"What are you waiting for, Kanu?" Sousou asked to prompt an answer from Kanu. "Explain yourself as to why you have failed to reconcile with Nagata."
Kanu grimaced, almost crying at being put on the painful spot again, but Sousou was insistent and she so dearly wished to be back with the man she loved.
"It's because...I'm unworthy…"
Nagata stopped and blinked, confused by the confession.
"Aisha, what do you mean by that? Unworthy of what?"
"Of you, Nagata-sama. I-I believed you had abandoned us after you went missing. When...when we learned that you had-had d-died…It hurt...so much," Kanu whimpered. "Just like...like with Braco and the Madoku. Only...only...It didn't seem like you would come back. How could you? You were...were...just gone! I couldn't grasp at straws like that! So many people needed us and..."
Finally, it dawned down upon Nagata why Kanu was being so distant. She thought he had abandoned them, and she hated herself for losing faith in him. She knew he was dead and while he did come back from plenty of things that should have killed him before, actual death didn't seem like one of them. With her responsibilities, and the pain so acute, she had decided to accept that he was gone and move on.
"Aisha..." he sighed.
"I...I'm not worthy…" Kanu whimpered, crying again. "I gave up...I can't...I can't be with you if I don't have faith...I'm no lover or retainer...I can't...MPH!"
Kanu found herself wrapped in Nagata's arms before his lips took hers in a warm kiss. Kanu briefly tried to resist and struggle, remembering how unworthy she felt, but that part soon lost by the kiss. The warmth of her lover had her melting in his arms as she returned the kiss, feeling like someone who was drowning suddenly being given the means to stay afloat.
"Mph...Nagata...I can't...mmmm," Kanu tried to argue, but it was a losing battle. Meanwhile, Sousou just watched. Now, this was the mood she always wanted in her bedroom.
"Aisha, there's nothing to be sorry about," Nagata spoke as he finally broke the kiss. "I was dead. People who were still alive needed you. I don't blame you for focusing on that and trying to move on when there was so much left to do. The fact you were able to do that and lead so well despite the pain, it means you are still the woman I love and who I want to be by my side no matter what."
"Nagata-sama," Kanu whimpered, almost breathless.
"So please, please, come back?" Nagata asked. "Our family won't be the same without you."
Kanu sniffled, but the words wouldn't come to her. Instead, she lunged and ravenously stole a kiss from Nagata, whimpering with the warm pleasures it brought to her as he tightened his hold on her once again. Her body relaxed and her heart was finally free from the deadly grip of her guilt.
She was back where she was meant to be, in her lover's arms and part of his family.
With an oddly endearing smile, Sousou left the couple to properly reconcile. She may be a pervert, but she knew when not to disturb an intimate moment like this, especially when her future lovers so desperately needed it.
KRC: This chapter went through a big revision, deleting scenes and merging two chapters into one. A lot of good content was lost but it was a necessary sacrifice for the sake of moving things along. More or less, removing all unnecessary filler. Anyway, I showed Nagata coming back to life, and finally, he and Kanu reconciled. Back in each other's arms.
Oh, a lot of this chapter's content and the content of the last chapter were provided by Ten-Faced Paladin, aka my buddy and partner in crime, Matt. Oh, and some of the next chapter too. Please look forward to it.
Sasuke Takeda was many things. He was a musician, an Armored War God but he was also a traitor. However, he was no murderer, no matter what his past actions may imply.
After learning what Dai Shi planned to do, he decided it was the time that he finally made his move. There would be consequences and he doubted that he would be accepted with open arms, but if there was anyone who could stop Dai Shi's twisted ambition, it would be them.
Hopefully, he could appeal to them to grant him asylum and convince them that he was on their side.
