Tales of the Oniwaban
A fanfic from the Rurouni Kenshin universe
by eriesalia (revised 4/17/04)
Authors' notes: In 1854, the arrival of Commodore Perry changed the landscape of the politcal scene in Japan. The then Okashira of the Oniwabanshu based in Edo, concerned for the political fallout, sent a group of Oniwaban to Kyoto to set up an additional stronghold. Okina was this man charged with tending to the Kyoto Oniwaban.
"I see." The monk raised his eyebrow. "'Take the bride and run' or so Okina used to say. Is this one of Okina's plans?" Chapter 46. "Another Chance"
~~
"Grandpa, tell me a story."
That was how it always began. Blue eyes, Green eyes, Brown eyes – always different ones, but always the same line and the same plaintive look. Followed again by, "Grandpa, tell me a story."
"A story?" He automatically responded. "But it's late and your mother won't like it—"
"Just a short one," the child pouted beautifully. "About when you were young."
Young. Yes. He was young once. But now even he admitted that he was too old to go skirt-chasing as he used to. But that kind of tale – that would have to wait for the little one to grow older.
"Hmm," he paused, thinking carefully about what would interest her. "Shall I tell you the story about the Okashira's mother?"
"Misao-neesan?" The young girl's eyes widened.
He could see the hero-worship in the young child's eyes and chuckled. "Perhaps I shall tell you this story, as I told it to Misao-chan long ago."
He took a breath before beginning. "It was an ordinary day in Kyoto…"
It was an ordinary day in Kyoto
Never mind it was monsoon season and the weather was atrocious.
It was an ordinary day nonetheless for the Kyoto Oniwaban.
Nenji Kashiwazaki sighed as he took stalled under the roof of one of the open storefronts that was near the home of the Itaikana clan.
He pretended to be taking shelter from the rain and ogling the food. In reality he was waiting to catch a glimpse of Sasame.
It was nearing noon, and it was almost time for the Itaikana maid to come to this marketplace to retrieve supplies.
Makimachi Takeo, son of the Okashira of the Oniwabanshuu, had sent him here. Despite the fact that Okina was the young man's elder by a number of years -- he had no desire to argue with the man who would eventually take his father's place as the head of the clan. And with the constant rain, the pigeons they used to carry messages around Kyoto were useless.
Normally, they would not bother. Sasame, although young, was highly skilled. It was unlikely that the Itaikana clan would ever know that the young woman they had taken in nearly five years ago had been feeding information to the Oniwaban all this time on the suspected sympathizers with the Choushu clan.
Nenji dutifully bought five dumplings and sat there eating them while continuing to wait.
He ate five more when after twenty minutes, she did not show.
After his twentieth, the woman running the storefront eatery shooed him off. As enterprising a businesswoman as she was, even she realized that he couldn't handle more.
He pasted a happy, sated smile on his face before turning abruptly away to walk back towards the place he called home. He moved swiftly, aware that something had gone wrong, but trying not to betray his worry as he entered the Oniwaban compound and passed several of the older children.
"Okina," they bowed, stopping their sword practice.
"Where is Makimachi-san?"
"In his office," the tallest of them answered dutifully, ignoring the slight twitch on his companions' faces.
"With the Okashira?" The Okashira had suddenly appeared in Kyoto a few days ago. Normally the Okashira would be himself in Edo, but there were some things that needed to be discussed. Namely the fate of his son and apparent heir to the clan -- who had not dutifully returned to Edo upon his father's summons.
Okina knew the man was highly displeased; or at least displeased enough to make the trip down to the second of the Oniwabanshuu strongholds.
"Yes, sir." The boys answered.
Okina nodded his thanks at the tallest lad – who at nearly ten – was clearly the most reliable of the young wards they had recruited. Shinomori was also one of the best – a matter which rankled some of those who had always been in the clan. Shinomori was a foundling – just like he had been – a child with no parents, relatives or material wealth to protect him from the streets.
Just as the elder Makimachi had embraced him into the clan years ago, so had he extended the same right to Shinomori and several of the other young ones who they had discovered on the streets who were too young to join up with any of the samurai clans that were allied with the Tokugawa clan.
As he turned towards the direction of Makimachi's office he heard the boy organize the others again into practice. "Shoji, Keiki, Atasuke—"
He shook his head as he realized the one flaw that the boy possessed. And that was the overpowering sense of duty which made the child absolutely no fun. He would have to speak to the others about that. After all, all work and no play would make the child absolutely useless in certain types of spy situations.
Okina rapped on the frame of the door to the Okashira's office.
"Come."
Okina opened the door and saw the elder and younger Makimachi in the midst of a meeting. The younger one stood and bowed.
"Since when do you stand on formality and knock?" The Okashira grinned. "You always barge in."
Okina rubbed his head, aware that his leader had seen through all his past indiscretions when it came to invading Makimachi's privacy. "Well," he hesitated. "I'm afraid this time it's a bit more serious."
"Sasame?"
"She didn't show up."
Okina noted the younger Makimachi frown. "Father—we ought to go in and rescue her—"
"Takeo," the Okashira sharply reprimanded. "There is no need to jump to conclusions. Besides which – any drastic action will certainly put us in the open--."
"Okashira—" Okina coughed politely.
He felt those sharp eyes move in his direction. "You have a suggestion as to how to get her out of there."
"The Itaikana family is way too pleased with her—"
"Of course they would be," Takeo interjected. "She was well-trained as a cook and as a housekeeper—"
"Which means they would never let us hire her away."
"Then what do you suggest?"
Okina grinned. "It would cost us a considerable sum, but I'm sure young Takeo wouldn't mind."
~
"Misao-neesan's mother was a maid?" The young child
gave him a suspicious look.
"No, she wasn't just a maid—" Okina smiled as patiently as he could. "She was a spy."
The girl yawned. She was clearly not interested in spies. "When are you going to tell me about Misao's mother?"
He sighed. He'd have to skip all the details about the negotiations, secret messages being carried back and forth via the younger children of the clan, the nervous Takeo, and the suspicious Okashira and the sum of money he had to lend Takeo in the end…
"Did I tell you that Misao's mother was a very pretty woman? And
a very smart one too?"
~~
"What do you mean that the dowry isn't enough?" The Okashira glared at Shinomori and Shirotome -- who as young recruits had been sent off to take a message to the Itakana household.. "A maid is a maid – any more and we start to look like fools."
With a courage that belied his age, the elder one answered. "Sasame-san is very well liked. And she seemed indifferent enough to the match, and the family is supportive of that feeling."
Okina took a glance at Takeo, who looked completely undecided whether to look offended or horrified. "Okashira," he spoke up, deflecting the man's attention away from the two boys and his son. "I underestimated the Itaikana family. Either they are truly more generous than we give them credit for or they are too intelligent to simply let this pass."
"Okina?" The more senior man gave him a puzzled look.
"Even though the Makimachis are nothing more than businesspersons of humble means, it is still beneath them to seek such a disadvantageous match unless—"
"Unless it's love—" Takeo spoke up.
"Takeo—" The Okashira looked displeased by his son's admission, particularly in front of the other members of the clan.
"I'll go right now—" The man did not care at all for appearances. "And prostrate myself before the Itaikana family, and beg for them to release her. And if they don't--"
The okashira looked most upset. "They'll be laughing at you all for eternity."
Okina considered Takeo's apparent desperation. He had thought Takeo simply protective of his fellow clanswoman, but as it turned out – it went far beyond that. He continued slowly. "Takeo wouldn't be completely unjustified in carting off Sasame. At this time of day—none of the men would be home – and I'm certain none of the women would mind."
The Okashira clearly did not like this suggestion. His pride made him want to refuse this idea, and yet as he looked Okina in the eye, he saw something there and relented. "Fine. If my son wishes so then so be it. But Okina, you'll have to see this through. It is not my place to chase my son around town.And we must return to Edo as soon as possible."
"Of course." Okina took Takeo by his arm and dragged him out past the staring boys and out of the compound before the Okashira could change his mind.
~~
The child sneezed.
Okina looked up for a moment, startled by the noise. As he looked at the sleepy expression of the child, he remembered that he had yet to get to talking about Misao's mother.
Mentally he skipped past Takeo's heartwrenching pleas to the women of the Itaikana clan, and then the apparent relenting by Sasame to the young man's request for her hand. Once that had been accomplished and Okina had paid considerably more in money and silks to the Itaikana clan, Takeo literally took hold of Sasame and dragged the poor woman home, leaving Okina to the mocking of the Itaikana women.
If he weren't so fond of Takeo and thought so highly of Sasame, he would have boxed the young Makimachi's ears for that.
There was no need, however, to share that with the young child. Violence was something he would have to gloss over for now. Her mother would be displeased by such discussions.
"So Takeo-san and Sasame-san were married upon their return to Edo
in front of the entire clan."
Noticing that the girl's face perked up slightly, he continued. "Sasame-san
did not have the most beautiful kimono that day, as her poor husband had paid
quite a huge dowry for her, but it didn't really matter. Even the old
grumpy Okashira said that Sasame was probably the most beautiful bride that
the clan had seen in generations, with her blue eyes and her funny laugh. Of
course her poor husband was hyperactive with worry about the whole affair—but
she managed to calm him down."
"Blue eyes," the child giggled. "Misao-neesan has blue eyes."
"Ah yes," Okina laughed with her. "Misao is the spitting image of her mother, but when it comes to her actions – she's like her father. All emotion some times— it was a good match," he sighed a bit sadly as he considered what happened to them later.
The child rubbed her eyes, trying to keep them from drooping shut. "I want to hear more."
Okina shook his head. "Not today, little one. Stories are meant to be savored, one by one. I told you that I told this story to Misao-neesan before, and that's where I left off with her."
"Then next time, Grandpa." Her brown eyes flickered open as he lifted her into her arms. "Another story."
He paused for a moment, thinking of all the things that he could tell her – that he wanted to tell her of the people she lived with, and the place she called home. And inevitably he answered, "Of course."
Author's note: Revised. Argh. The manga has pointed out a few things to me -- first that Edo was the primary base of the Oniwabanshuu, not Kyoto. So some restructuring is in order in order to keep this someone more consistent with the manga. also, this story fits into the continuity in some ways of "Another Chance." Hence there are some things that may pop up that will be unexplained.
