Disclaimer: See prologue.
Rise of Samurai
Chapter 1
By UesugiKenshin
Keitaro landed on the hard ground with a thump. His left side was still bleeding profusely, and his body was fatigued from the duel he was having with Motoko.
'Damn, is this how I die?' Keitaro thought as he ripped a piece of his clothing to try wrapping the wound, hoping the pressure would be enough to stop the bleeding. He winced in pain as his body tried to reject the movement needed to wrap the cloth around his sides.
Keitaro screamed out in pain, but finally managed to get the cloth around him and tied the knot holding the makeshift bandage in place. He breathed out in pain and grinded his teeth in hopes that his body would soon take over healing and relieving him of the almost unendurable pain. He sat there for at least ten minutes before attempting to move again.
'Now where am…' Keitaro never got to finish his thoughts as he felt the earth shake and people nearby shouting, 'Earthquake? No, it sounds more like a battle!'
Keitaro had no clue where Su had sent him, so in his mind he thought he was just somewhere else in Japan. He thought the nearby battle was a mock battle of some sort, the fighting done by enthusiasts who loved the past. He resolved to get directions back to Hinata house; Keitaro was sorely mistaken on the battle being a faux.
What Keitaro witnessed before him, was a real battle, with real men dying in the valley before him. He watched in horror as both sides, one carrying black flags, other yellow, charge at one another. Both sides hit each other with the force of a raging bull and the first rank was crushed as the ranks after them walked over their backs to reach their opponents.
Over the next hill, samurai horsemen appeared and made a charge down the hill to slam into the flanks of the men flying yellow flags, they were putting up a valiant effort, but their ashigaru spearmen could not keep the charging horsemen at bay. The horsemen swept the foot soldiers aside in one sweep and made another charge to break the samurai center.
The yellow flags broke completely and routed off the field, with the victorious side chasing after them, in hopes of killing more of them.
The remaining samurai that didn't take chase helped their fellow comrades with fatal wounds, onward, helping them commit seppuku if they were able to do it themselves, or giving a quick and painless death by cutting off their heads.
The carnage left behind was vast, the scavenger birds began to appear in the sky over the battlefield, and flies began to swarm the lifeless bodies.
Keitaro threw up when he saw the men die; he continued to throw up long afterwards until there was nothing else to throw up. He glanced up weakly, hearing the battle was finally over. What he got a glance of was forever imprinted in his mind for the rest of his life.
Riding on a majestic charger, covered in well lacquered armor was Tokugawa Ieyasu, surrounded by his elite samurai guards on equally ferocious warhorses.
"Tokugawa Ieyasu…" Keitaro whispered in great deference, this was the man who would bring forth a shogunate for the next two and half centuries. His picture was posted in all of the Japanese history textbooks; anyone who had ever attended school in Japan knew his face. And now Keitaro was meeting the real man.
Keitaro was still in awe when he noticed that the trees nearby were wavering too much for it to be natural, he witnessed in shock as arrows suddenly shot out of the leaves toward Tokugawa Ieyasu and his elite guard.
The several elite samurai fell, trying to protect their lord. A second volley came out, nearly killing Tokugawa. The daimyo tried turning his charger around, hoping to race to his remaining samurai on the battlefield when he was meet by twelve ashigaru laying in ambush. Tokugawa was still trying to get his horse under control, his elite samurai dying by the dozens as they continued to offer their bodies in protection, and the other samurai too far to help in time.
Keitaro saw that Tokugawa would die on this battlefield, never completing his task of unifying Japan under his control, altering history forever. He made the crucial decision, and his body sprung into action.
"Rock Splitting Sword!"
Motoko had taught him the basics of the attack, but he had nowhere near the force that Motoko summoned when she released the attack. But it had done the job, the ambushing ashigaru were swept aside and Tokugawa was able to get away. The elite samurai, now bolstered by the remaining samurai numbers, made a charge toward the trees, killing the archers hiding in the trees and then there were only a few survivors who made it out alive.
The daimyo walked up his charger to where Keitaro was standing, Keitaro was now huffing in pain, his chi released the vital tool needed to repair his broken body and he collapsed.
He vaguely heard Tokugawa call out for his samurai to help his savior; the world went dark as Keitaro lost consciousness.
Motoko soon arrived in the same time period, but was too late to catch Keitaro walking off toward the battle scene. She noticed that something was wrong and turned toward the location where her senses screamed out in alarm. She saw in the distance, scavenger birds floating lazily above something.
"Keitaro!" Motoko cried in horror, she knew that Keitaro would have gone in the direction where he heard people, not knowing what time period, walking straight into a battlefield.
Her mind was racing, in dread of Keitaro lying dead over there. She did not notice her heart being torn apart as she kept on thinking of bringing back a lifeless body to Naru, and not ever saying to Keitaro her true feelings.
As she ran and reached the valley, she was stopped by a samurai leader and his soldiers holding guard incase the yellow flags tried to make an assault while they were relaxed.
"Halt!"
Motoko gave no notice and tried to sidestep the soldiers, she wasn't successful. All twenty men drew their swords from their scabbard and stood ready to repeal the charging woman.
"Secret Arts Blazing Wind!"
Motoko had no time to individually fight the men standing guard; she released a half powered tornado whirlwind, trying to defer the men from attacking her.
She continue to run toward the battlefield when she felt Keitaro's presence, her mind cried happily that he wasn't dead. But his vital signs were weak, and it was ebbing away slowly. She ran toward where she felt Keitaro's presence when she saw that he was surrounded by more samurai and one man who was clearly their lord.
"Keitaro!" She raced toward him, preparing to kill all the men who killed her student; she did not notice that one man was administrating aid to him.
As she cut down one of the elite samurai down, a strong force grasped her from the behind, stopping her from continuing her rampage. She struggled furiously, like if her life depended on getting free from her cage, she elbowed the oppressor in the nose.
He cried out in pain as he released Motoko, she was planning to kill him next when she heard Keitaro call out weakly her name, "Motoko…"
All her battle rage disappeared in an instant, she raced towards Keitaro, not caring if the other elite samurai tried to stop her, and she raced to his side and touched his face in tender care.
"Keitaro you baka," Motoko was on the verge of tears, she sounded like Naru when she didn't know whether to beat him or kiss him.
Keitaro tried to smile weakly, but failed as pain tore through his whole body, his body went rigid and he began to convulse slightly.
"Keitaro!" Motoko tried to see his wound when the original samurai treating him, shook his head.
"No, you must let his own body heal itself," he explained to the visibly distraught Motoko, "I have already snitched up his wounds, now it is all left to him."
Motoko continued to stroke Keitaro's face when the person holding her before walked up to both of them.
"I see that you know this man?" he questioned Motoko.
She turned around and like Keitaro gave a gasp on whom she was seeing. Tokugawa was bleeding from his broken nose, but he just stood there, ignoring the blood running down his face.
She bowed her head, now that she was in no position to try fighting all the men, if Tokugawa wanted them dead for his injuries; she had no chance of defending both of them.
"Get up woman," Tokugawa chided to the prone Motoko, "While I should have you killed for you causing injures to myself that man saved my life, and I will give you clemency."
Motoko slowly got up, and faced the daimyo, "Keitaro saved your life?" She inquired.
"His name is Keitaro?" Tokugawa didn't even bother to answer her question.
"Yes, Urashima Keitaro my lord." She knew that she better show reverence to the man, saving a life of such an important person only goes so far, they might forget clemency if they aren't treated with the respect their station deserves.
"Urashima Keitaro neh? Yes, that man saved my life from an ambush." Tokugawa turned around and gave orders to his men, "Let us return to my capital at Yedo."
"Yes my lord!" All the samurai moved to complete the order.
Tokugawa turned around to Motoko again, "You may stay by Urashima-san's side, since you seem to be his woman."
Motoko blushed at being mentioned Keitaro's woman but Tokugawa gave no notice. The whole procession moved along slowly, beginning to pick up pace as they moved along.
Motoko continued to stroke the feverish Keitaro's face, thinking to herself, 'Keitaro's woman…'her thoughts remaining on those two words as they reached Tokugawa's fortress at Yedo.
Keitaro woke from the pain, but to his training, he didn't cry out like he would have done before. He looked around his surroundings; the room vaguely looked like his own room. But without his glasses, he wasn't sure. He heard a soft groan from behind himself, and thought Su was in his room again. He hoped to get her out of the room before Naru witnessed the scene and punched him to the other side of Japan. He slowly turned around and beheld the most peculiar sight.
It wasn't Su, but Motoko lying behind him, she wasn't wearing her usual gi and hakama. She was wearing a rather loose fitting kimono that showed off the top of her cleavage to Keitaro. Keitaro scooted back till he hit the sliding door with a clunk.
'What the hell?' His overloading mind screamed, 'did I sleepwalk into Motoko's room by accident? '
He turned around, trying to halt his bleeding nose. 'Crap, crap… better get out of here before…'
He heard a soft knocking behind him.
'Shit! That is going to be Kitsune or Naru, and while Kitsune takes pictures, Naru is going to double team with Motoko to kill me!'
"Urashima-Sama, is everything alright in there?" A soft, unknown voice to him called out in concern.
Keitaro was flustered but not point that he didn't hear the Sama honorific.
'Sama?' All thoughts before vanished before him, 'No one in the house calls me that…'
He opened the door and at his feet was a bowing woman. She looked to be in her twenties and also in a kimono.
"U-urm…" Keitaro mumbled, "Who are you?"
'This has to be a dream, I find myself waking up to staring at Motoko's breasts, and an unknown woman calls me Sama and is bowing before me. What is next, Naru dressed up in a wedding gown, asking me to marry her?'
Keitaro pinched himself to awake from the supposed dream world he was currently in, "Ouch."
"Urashima-Sama, are you alright?" The woman looked up in concern, she was a rather attractive woman, the instant they made eye contact, and she bowed again. Keitaro didn't see the blush appearing on her cheeks.
Then Keitaro saw that he was only in his undergarments, he jumped back in horror and proceeded to hit his head on top of the doorframe.
"Shit!" Keitaro shouted, not caring about anything now but his throbbing head. His shouting awoke Motoko from her slumber.
"K-Keit…" Motoko yawned, not able to contain the yawn in time, "What is going on?"
She peered at a maddened and semi-naked Keitaro, who rubbed the top of his head furiously like he was rubbing a cue ball, and the house servant still in bowing position.
"A-Aki?" Motoko called out the prone girl, trying not to blush but failing as she stared at Keitaro for a moment, then trying to focus her attention at the prone girl.
"Yes, Aoyama-san?" Aki answering the call.
Keitaro decided to voice his two cents as soon as possible, "What in god's name is going on here?" "Where the heck am I? And why did this woman call me Sama?"
"Hrm… Keitaro…" Motoko was trying not to laugh, Keitaro looked so comical jumping around, asking questions in the half nude.
She pointed at his apparent nakedness before turning her head around so he couldn't see her blushing like the sun.
"Oh… crap," Keitaro dragged the blanket off the ground and covered himself with the sheets, "Ok, I am decent, now is anyone willing to give me the 411?"
"I will tell you after breakfast Keitaro," Motoko trying to sooth Keitaro before his jerky movements torn the battle aid that the elite samurai gave him.
"A-alright," Keitaro calmed at Motoko's voice, "B-but will you cover yourself as well?" He pointed at the tops of her ample chest still visible through the open kimono. He felt his manhood growing and turned and faced the wall so she didn't see his embarrassment.
"Aiee!" Motoko wrapped her arms around tops of the kimono, she wanted to beat up Keitaro for seeing a part of her, but her conscious told her he would likely die if he were to be hit in such a weakened status.
Aki couldn't help but laugh, she was a trained as a servant, but the sight of her lord and his lady acting like peasants themselves, she couldn't stop herself in time. She felt a fear race through her, 'Urashima-Sama will strike me down…'
She recoiled in terror but something happened that she never expected both Motoko and Keitaro started laughing.
"A-A-A-Aki…" Motoko said finally catching her breath, "please prepare breakfast…"
"Y-yes mistress." Aki stuttered and proceed to run to give the order to the head cook. 'I… I am alive?' She wondered; she definitely had some gossip to talk about to her fellow servants…
Fifteen minutes later, Motoko again dressed in her gi and hakama and Keitaro in a simple brown kimono walked toward the dining room. Keitaro was dead confused on what was happening so he just followed Motoko, she seemed to know where to go.
They both entered a medium room with the floor covered in bamboo mats and the food already awaiting them. The food looked simple, just one cooked fish with pickled vegetables as a side dish, miso soup, and rice.
Keitaro's stomach rumbled, he hadn't eaten since the night of the duel and the thought of food made his hunger even greater.
He dug in, eating with ravish. He looked for something to drink when another servant girl came up with tea for him. He looked at the girl leaving and remembered why he was here.
"Motoko, tell me what is going on," Keitaro looked serious, he really wanted to know what was going on, "I can take whatever the truth is."
Motoko looked equally serious; she had already finished and was waiting for Keitaro to be done. She really did not want to tell Keitaro the whole truth, about the threat Naru laid on herself if she didn't get back Keitaro in one piece.
"Well, it goes like this," Motoko sighed and took a deep breath before telling what happened.
"When… when I struck your side with my sword, Su activated her machine, do you remember that far?"
"Yes," his memory was clear up to the point where he saw Tokugawa, "just get to the …"
"No Keitaro, you don't understand," Motoko lightly chided Keitaro, "I need to tell you something important, you do remember seeing Tokugawa?"
"Yes, I thought that was just a dream…"
"No, it is was really him, you see, Su's invention sent us to the past, to be exact, the date September 15, 1599."
"Wait… September 15, 1599?" Keitaro's mind raced as he remembered vaguely the date from the Toudai examination. The truth hit him like a ton of bricks, "One year before Sekigahara?" He exclaimed.
"Yes, Su's machine did send us back one year before 1600, the actual date of the battle," Motoko continued, "Now we need to get back before the war starts Keitaro."
"Wait Motoko, think of the artifacts we could see, the places we could only see now!" Keitaro exclaimed happily, his archaeological side taking over.
"Keitaro, Listen to me!" Motoko said in exasperation, she knew that if she didn't stop Keitaro soon, he wouldn't be listening to her at all.
"There is going to be a War!" Motoko emphasized the word war, hoping it would bring memories of what happened during a war.
Keitaro stopped his ranting and looked horrified. He remembered the men who died before in the valley. The screaming and shouting, men crying out for easing of the pain from their wounds, sounds of war echoed in Keitaro's memories.
He did not ever want to encounter that kind of event once again in his lifetime. One battle was far enough for the timid landlord. No one should ever have to experience war a second time.
"Now what?" Keitaro questioned Motoko, looking depressed that he couldn't stay here any longer but he knew the consequences of remaining, "I don't know how to go back, do you have any idea how? Not like you and I could build a time portal."
"But there is a way to contact Su to have her bring us back."
"How?" Keitaro was genuinely curious; he could see nothing on Motoko that looked like it was from the future.
"Before I left, Su gave me two retrieval chips."
"So, where are they?"
"U-urm… I kinda lost them on the way to find you…" Motoko tried cover her face with the teacup, hoping what implications her words could be covered up.
"Oh, I see," Keitaro murmured, "Now what?"
"Well, Tokugawa said he would send his men back to search for the objects that I described."
Keitaro pushed aside the dishes to the corner and laid back onto the bamboo mat, "So there is a possibility that we could never go back to the future."
Keitaro got up from his back, "I am going for a walk Motoko." He stood up and started out for the front door.
"What is troubling you Keitaro…?" Motoko softly inquired to the retreating back of the landlord, "the fact that you could never see Naru-sempai again?"
Keitaro got out the front of the house, and was amazed at what he saw. A polished garden, only visible in modern Japan in animes. Color bloomed, and the trees were beginning to lose their shades of green for the upcoming fall. There was a peasant gardener who worked caringly with each plant and flower like they were his own children, so immersed in his job that he didn't hear Keitaro walk up to him.
Keitaro took a misstep and two pebbles lightly clinked, alerting the gardener to an approaching presence. He turned around and saw whom the intruder was. The gardener instantly dropped to his knees and bowed deeply into the dirt.
"Forgive me sire, please do not kill this undeserving man, I have children to feed, and …" He stopped speaking as he felt the man touch his shoulder. He looked up at Keitaro's face; he wasn't angry but showing pleasure.
"Please get up… Gardener," Keitaro didn't know what to call the man, "I was enjoying the view, you care about these plants and flowers a lot don't you?"
"Yes milord," the gardener was confused, but he knew that the man wanted a straight answer, "I always loved growing things, ever since I was a lad. Back then, all I grew was rice but now, Tokugawa-dono has placed me here to tend to your garden."
"I feel tranquil here; keep up the admirable work, Gardener." Keitaro turned around to continue his walk.
"Yes, milord," the gardener bowed again, 'what a strange samurai, but he has saved our Lord in battle and he deserves our gratitude.'
He went back to weeding the plants and watering them so Keitaro would have a place of peace and quiet.
Keitaro had made the trek around the whole fortress and some parts of the countryside. The people greeted him with great deference, even other samurai bowed when he came across them.
The fortress looked impregnable to Keitaro, but he knew that soon Tokugawa must march out his forces to fight against the Western Army that would sweepinto the Sekigahara area. 'So much blood has to be shed so our futures remain the same,' Keitaro thought somberly, 'would I do the same thing if I were Tokugawa Ieyasu?'
He finally made it back to the house he was given as his quarter, actually looking at the house; he compared it to the Hinata house. 'Well it is much smaller, but it does look like it is home,' Keitaro walked through the front door, greeted by house servants and the offer of hot tea.
He was so occupied in his thoughts that he didn't notice Motoko viewing from the upper windows.
The time flew by and suddenly it was nighttime. Motoko and Keitaro dined together like they did during breakfast and lunch. He asked more about what happened, and she gave him half-truths, not able to fully express everything to him yet. When Keitaro got that she was hiding something, all conversation died and they ate in silence.
They both decided to sleep early, thinking that by tomorrow, the men sent out to the search for the buttons would have found it by then. Keitaro got into the room that he found himself in the morning, Motoko followed suit.
"Motoko?" Keitaro looked at her questioningly, "Don't you a have separate room?"
Motoko looked like she was about to do as Keitaro asked but her heart said something else. She looked up at Keitaro and he saw her eyes betraying fear that he had never seen.
"Keitaro, let me stay here with you," Motoko asked pleadingly.
He was about to say no, but seeing her so fragile, he couldn't get his mouth to say the words, "alright, should we get another futon in here?"
"Would it be alright if you held me?"
"Motoko, I love Naru, I can't possibly betray her like this!"
"I know, just hold me Keitaro, these couple of days when you were drifting out of consciousness, I thought I lost you." Motoko finally telling the truth to him.
"W-what? I had been out for several days?" Keitaro asked incredulously.
"No, you been out for far longer, about two weeks. And in that time I was deathly afraid that I would have to bring back a corpse back to Naru-sempai."
Keitaro put two and two together, "And I guess you were there by my side the whole time?"
"Yes," Motoko's answer so dim, that Keitaro's ears had to strain to catch what she was saying.
He walked up to her, and hugged her ferociously; letting her know how thankful he was. 'Is this what Naru-sempai feels every time Keitaro hugs her?' Motoko questioned her rapidly beating heart, 'why can't I have Keitaro for myself…'
He held her in his arms until both of them drifted off to sleep.
The next day Motoko woke up first, a tribute to her training since childhood. She saw that Keitaro still held her in his arm in a death grip, like he was afraid to lose whatever he was clutching in his dream. She wiggled out of his arms carefully, trying to avoid waking him. She succeeded and rearranged her clothing to make herself presentable. She was about to walk out of the door when she heard Keitaro mutter her name.
"Keitaro?" she whispered, thinking that he had awoken from his slumber.
"Motoko…" He muttered again as he rolled over to his other side.
'Is he dreaming about me?' Motoko was curious but there was no way to really know what was going on in Keitaro's mind. She decided to ask if the time was right later on. Walking outside to train in the dusk, she hoped to see the sunrise.
'Sunrise always gave me happiness…'Inside Keitaro's dream, he was having a nightmare.
He was reaching for a Toudai examination booklet; he had decided to retake the test, trying again for his promise. "Keitaro?" He looked up and saw that he had reach for the booklet at the same time as Naru had done.He turned around and started to run, "Keitaro wait!" With Naru chasing after him.
They ran all over until she was able to tackle himinto a park bench. They were in an embarrassing position and they quickly straightened themselves out. They both looked into each other's faces and began to laugh.
"Keitaro, you were going to try for Toudai again, weren't you?"
He looked sheepily, "Yeah."
Naru's eye stared into the distance, "Lets go to Toudai together, alright?" She whispered softly.
"It is a promise."
It jumped to another scene, what happened last night.He was staring at Motoko's genuine face; she was finally telling him the truth, something she hadn't done all day.
"I was out for several days?"
"No, you been out for far longer, around two weeks. And in that time, I was deathly afraid that I would have to bring back a corpse back to Naru-sempai."
"And I guess you were there by my side the whole time?" "Yes,"Keitaro saw himself hugging Motoko like she was everything to him. She had stayed by his side for weeks, no one, not even Naru had done such thing, even when he broke his foot. Her voice, sincere and in his dream state, her love for him was clear as a bell. He didn't know what to feel any more, his heart said yes to Naru and Motoko both.
No, no, NO!"NO!" Keitaro awoke in cold sweat, drenching over all his body as he tried to shake off the lingering feelings of uncertainty the nightmare had left with him. "I love Naru…" "But now, I think I am falling for Motoko."
Aki hearing Keitaro screaming out thought he was in pain again. She brought medicine that the doctor had dropped off yesterday, hoping it would ease his suffering.
Knock"Y-yes?"
"Urashima-sama, I have brought you medicines for your wound."
'There is no medicine for the wound in my heart,'Keitaro contemplated, "No Aki, I am fine, I had a nightmare."
"Oh Keitaro-sama, do you need something to drink, some tea to calm your mind?"
"No, no I am fine Aki, where is Motoko?"
"Aoyoma-san is outside, practicing her katas."
"I see, I will be out soon, please prepare our breakfast," Keitaro mulled over what to do with his feelings, 'maybe I should talk to Motoko…'
He heard the clutter of horse hooves outside his house, and he got up to the window to see Motoko speaking with a fully armored samurai holding out a message to her. She accepted and looked like she was viewing whom the message was for.
Motoko disappeared from his view when she walked into the house after receiving the message, the samurai raced off back toward the castle. Keitaro heard her footsteps approaching the door.
Knock Knock"Keitaro are you decent?" Motoko called through the paper-thin door.
"Yes," Keitaro called out, he was already dressing himself when he saw Motoko enter the front door, the brown kimono simple to wrap around himself and tie the knot.
She slides the door open, message in hand. "Tokugawa Ieyasu wants you at his castle now."
"Alright…"
A/N: I know you history bluffs know that there is no battle where Tokugawa gets ambushed like that but I have to play God to make this story function. Motoko OOC will lose me a lot of readers, I am saddened by the fact but, it has to be done for what I am planning later.
Thanks to Peacemaker for continuing to be my prereader. I dunno why, but I thought my prologue was much better then this chapter.