Il Cielo dei Tre Regni
by Lunar Wave
Disclaimer: This story borrows the setting and characters of the Koihime†Musou series and borrows multiple elements from Katekyo Hitman Reborn. I own neither series as they both belong to their respective owners. Also, considering Koihime†Musou could be considered a fanfic of the Three Kingdoms, I'd like to say I don't own anything related to the stories of the Three Kingdoms.
-()-
Recruitment
-()-
"… Seriously? They go into a sushi restaurant, just to run away?"
"You do realize that they didn't pay for the bill, right?"
"Sorry, I am not related to any of those people. It might be best to just report them to the police." They're all big Mafiosi; they can take care of themselves.
"Nah, no bother, kid." The old sushi master chuckled, "I'll put it on their tab, and tell my son. I'm sure he'll be glad to get my money off of them."
That threw Kazuto for a loop. There aren't many shop owners who would just let someone eat all that expensive sushi and just put it on their tab. But what stuck out to him was…
"… Your son?"
"You don't remember me at all, don't you? Your dad brought you here once, you know, along with my son." The old man barked in laughter.
"Uhh… huh? Are you saying… umm… I'm Sa… Hongou Kazuto. And uhh…"
"Sawada Kazuto, right? Kid of Tsunayoshi. Well, I'm Yamamoto Tsuyoshi." The man smiled easily. Now he could pin the smile on a name…
"You're Uncle Takeshi's dad!" Kazuto almost shouted.
"That I am." The old man chuckled. "Anything you wanna know about your dad when he was your age?"
"Uhh… no, not really…" He was still reeling from the whole this-sushi-guy-is-my-father's-guardian's-dad deal.
"Not sure what to ask? I suppose it would be alright to ramble?" Kazuto gestured for the man to go on. He has no reason to deny the man. Old people loved to tell stories, after all.
"Well then. I first met your dad in this same situation, to be honest."
"Eh?"
"The man, you were with? Reborn, right? Even though he was just a tyke that was barely older than 5, he bailed out on paying as well, along with a few friends. Your dad ended up working here for a while because of him."
"So, apparently Reborn's been doing dine-and-dash since the day he was born, huh… Why am I not surprised?"
The man barked in laughter and the two entered a comfortable silence. The man went back to serving other customers, and he was soon finishing his second plate of sushi. Looking at his wallet, he was glad that he still had enough money. He paid him and smiled as he left.
With that, until he eventually moved out after entering St. Francesca, he continued to visit TakeSushi at least once a week, to talk to one of the few men in town that seemed to still know his dad.
This was Kazuto's first meeting with Yamamoto Tsuyoshi. It won't be until a few months later that he would ask the man to teach him about Shigure Souen Ryu. Simple chance meetings, like these, are what spark many, many friendships and bonds, and this is Kazuto's starting point.
-()-
Kazuto sighed as he watched the soldiers carry out their duties. Because of his stunt, every single soldier, as well as Aisha and Touka, made him swear to NOT do anything for the next few days. While he is a bit drained from the Dying Will Flames, he isn't at risk of suddenly knocking himself out again… at least he didn't think so. They wouldn't hear of it. He did manage to let him swing his sword for morning practice, but he's not an invalid. So he sighed and stepped out only to spot two children (at most teenagers) speaking with one of his soldiers.
It'sthose girls again, huh? Kazuto thought bemused. He knew something was off last time when he first met the blonde 'villager'. After all, he instantly recognized the lie that she had concocted, but he did not see any reason to call her out for it. He couldn't pinpoint what her lie had been about, but he could tell that something was off in the first place.
Next was the letter that she gave him. The script was very wordy yet had very good grammar, and it was clear that it was written by someone who knew what they were doing and didn't need to look up a thousand characters just to find the correct word. Most likely, a scholar. This wasn't the surprising bit, as it was expected from someone like Shokatsuryou. But at the same time, it was hastily written, almost as if said person was confident in his or her writing skills, and is in a hurry to deliver the letter. Why would someone, who seems to be in such a hurry, waste time telling a traveling 'villager' to deliver a message? Why would that person even bother with proper grammar and spelling when they're in a hurry? You'd expect at least a few wrong strokes. Most likely as a test that was made up on the spot. But if it was a test, then the person would need to be nearby to know the results of it, right? Therefore, he concluded that either Shokatsuryou (and Houtou, he added later) is physically nearby. Granted, this was probably still him jumping to conclusions, but it was a conclusion he was fairly confident in.
The fact that the periwinkle-haired girl had also been the one to deliver the second message certainly pointed to it. The strategic mind of the periwinkle-haired girl also pointed to intelligence beyond what a villager is expected to have.
Finally, the tree that the two children hid in, which he happened to look up to… Okay, he noticed them from the corner of his eye because of their violet clothing and brightly-colored hair. They stuck out quite well, if you know to look for them, and you learn to look out for these sorts of things when Reborn's your teacher. Kazuto simply judged that the two wouldn't cause any trouble, so he didn't bother telling Touka.
So what now? Are these two children servants of Shokatsuryou? Nope, judging from this world's insistence on turning the famous people of this era into females, like some demented Oikawa fantasy, more than likely the two are…
"What's going on over there?" Kazuto called as he walked to them.
"Sir!" The soldier bowed quickly and gestured to the two girls. Both of them looked rather afraid but they didn't show any signs of backing out… interesting. "You should be resting! The flames that you used yesterday…"
"I am fine," Kazuto replied dryly. "Tell me what's going on first."
"We… we are requesting an audience with the leaders of this Volunteer Army." The blonde girl spoke up.
"And we told you two." The soldier grumbled, "All our leaders are busy right now…"
"I'm not." Kazuto pointed out.
"Yes, but you were explicitly forbidden by"
"Yes, yes, Ryuubi and Kan'u forbade me from working." Kazuto interrupted. Why did the two have to tell their soldiers about the order as well? Kazuto asked himself. "However I am at least allowed to speak with the 'villagers', right?" He pointedly told them, while looking at the blonde girl with a smile. The blonde girl made a small noise before clamping down on it. It seems that she is good at picking up cues. The other girl (Not!Shokatsuryou, he jokingly thought) looked equally worried. The two are clearly at least good friends, judging by how they are slowly inching towards each other in their discomfort.
"That's…"
"… Don't you have something you're supposed to be doing, instead of menacing poor innocent 'villager' girls?" Kazuto argued, "Now excuse me. I'm going to have lunch in the village. I don't need any guards. If you want to have someone guard me, keep them at least 20 paces away from me." Kazuto then turned to the girls, "You two are villagers, yes? You should be able to tell me which food stall has the best stuff." The two were quickly nervous and looked at each other with worried expressions. "Now let's go!" The boy then started walking towards the village. The girls looked at each other with no small amount of fear before they followed the boy.
Kazuto is never usually this forceful. But he has to admit that he was slightly annoyed at Touka and Aisha for treating him as though he can't do anything, and this is his small petty revenge. Figuring out what the two girls were up to is just a bonus.
-()-
He knew… he definitely knew… That she had been lying when they first met…
"Shuri-chan…"
"It's alright, Hinari-chan…" He hasn't decided to arrest them or anything. He just asked them to take him to a good food stall… and he most certainly knew that they were foreigners, who probably don't know a thing about where the good restaurants are…
"Do you two make a habit of climbing trees?" The heavenly messenger asked as they neared the gate of the village. He was looking at a tree… no, it was the same tree that the two of them have been observing the situation from.
"Ah… that's…"
"You shouldn't do that, seeing as you two are wearing such pretty clothes." The boy grinned at them. "… So, where shall we eat?"
"Ah… that's…"
The boy quickly interrupted, "Just lead me to whichever store you went to before to eat. I doubt you two cooked all your meals during your time in this village." The boy sighed. "We'll talk over lunch."
"… I knew it… So you already knew… about us…" Hinari murmured.
"I did try calling you Shokatsuryou when we first met, right?" The boy chuckled a bit. "Well, I haven't figured out if you were servants of Shokatsuryou or Shokatsuryou and Houtou themselves." He admitted easily. "But I am confident that you two are in some way related to the two."
"I'm Shokatsuyou Koumei." No point hiding it anymore, she decided. But why would the boy believe them to possibly be her servants? Her name isn't exactly well-known.
"I… I'm Houtou Shigen."
"It's an honor to meet you two." The Heavenly Messenger nodded, "My name's Hongou Kazuto."
"The heavenly messenger…"
"Whether that is me or not, let's go to that store." Hongou urged, pointing to a store. "I went with Rinrin there a few days ago, and we found the food enjoyable enough. While I'd love to play mind games with you two, I wasn't lying when I said I wanted lunch."
""Mind games?"" Both young girls squeaked in unison. That doesn't sound too good for them.
The boy looked at the two in confusion before sighing and bowing low at both of the girls, "Sorry. I've been rather rude to you two." He sheepishly scratched his head, "I guess you two are the kind of people who takes everything someone says directly as being serious, huh?"
"That's fine!" Shokatsuryou squeaked, "Please raise your head! It would not do for someone in your position to be bowing to someone without status like us!"
"Th-that's right!" Houtou also said. "It's just that we've been imagining since last night how to approachyouandwesortofnotknewhowtodoitbutthenyouwentanddidthisandallourplansbecomerather-" She then felt a tap on her shoulder and saw that the boy had a small frown on his face.
"Breathe." Hongou sighed. "First, let's have lunch. We'll talk then. Is that alright, Not!Shokatsuryou?" The girl mutely nodded. The heavenly messenger then quickly pushed to the door and opened it, gesturing to a table that's a bit outside of the doorway's line of sight. After seating, the trio quickly made an order.
"So… first thing's first, I guess." Hongou prefaced. "What are you two doing all the way out here?"
"Eh?" That's the first question? Shokatsuryou was surprised at that as Houtou herself was too.
"Eh, I figured that I'd meet the two of you long after the Yellow Turbans and stuff…" He replied easily. "So something must have changed enough that you would actually come here so early… Unless of course you're just here for a trip and have no intention of joining up with our group."
"… We do have the intention to join your cause." Houtou responded. "Otherwise… there'd be no point in going to your camp."
"… Yeah, I figured that too." Kazuto sheepishly replied, scratching his head. "But what did I do that you would actually come all the way here?"
"Ano… first, can I ask something?" Shokatsuryou took the opportunity to ask first, mustering up her own courage, "Why did you expect to meet us after the Yellow Turbans crisis? And you speak of us as if we are renowned people when we haven't gotten any achievements yet." She pointed out.
"To be completely frank, Shokatsuryou Koumei and Houtou Shigen are relatively famous strategists in my place… I suppose you can call it 'heaven' like Tou… Ryuubi likes to call it. I personally just call it my world, rather than heaven though." He laughed.
"Fa-… famous!?" Both girls looked at each other with surprise and nervousness. They were famous in heaven? How?
"Just because your names are famous in heaven, doesn't mean much though." A chuckle from the eldest of the three, "For one, both are known in heaven as males. So…"
"What, why?" Houtou blurted out, "And why are you telling us this?"
"I see no reason to hide anything from you two." He replied. "And as for why you're male, let's just say that whoever wrote your story back in heaven might not have a high opinion on females." He said evasively, "Well, I answered my questions. Your turn. Oh, the food's here." A waitress had brought out their meals. Kazuto briefly took a moment to clap his hands together. "Itadakimasu." And then he picked up his chopsticks to start on his meal.
"Right." Shokatsuryou nodded, as she took a sip of tea first. She gestured for Houtou to begin eating first. "The two of us came up here because of a rumor… that a Heavenly Messenger has joined up with a commoner descendant of an emperor to bring peace to the lands."
"Explains why you're here." Kazuto nodded. "And why did you decide to join us? Surely someone like Sousou or Sonken would be worth some regard. Maybe Enshou or Enjutsu or even Kousonsan? Why us?"
Houtou took over as she drank some of her own tea to help her swallow her meal. "We thought that, if we were to join a group, it would be best to start with someone relatively unknown. That way, no preconceived notions would be in place. Then…"
"It would probably be easier to join the inner circle of a new group, rather than the more well-known ones." A nod before he picked up another piece of meat and placed it in his mouth.
"That's not all of it, but that's part of why." Shokatsuryou nodded, although worried at that. Most people don't like the idea of people just joining for the sake of being members…
He chuckled, "… I see… Go on?"
Houtou nodded. "We want to join you because… well, we wanted to join a group that will most likely change the country to become a peaceful place and… since the rumors said that you are seeking that so…"
"… You're surprisingly naïve then." Hongou remarked quickly, causing both girls to flinch. "That's not an inherently bad thing, but believing rumors completely is a bit much, don't you think?"
"Which is why we tested you with the letter." Shokatsuryou defended herself. "It's to see how you would respond to the situation at hand."
"… I personally found that letter to be less of a challenge than you'd think." Hongou easily responded, "There was no way our group would've abandoned the city, regardless of the circumstances."
"We didn't spend all this time doing nothing…" Houtou shook her head, "We watched you for the past four days, as best we could. Both you and Ryuubi-sama were working very hard to ensure the safety of the villagers, as well as how close you are to your own soldiers. The way you interacted with them… the way they look up to you two… isn't it clear that the two of you are people that are worth serving?"
"… I see… so you didn't decide based on some ridiculous idea of honor and stuff." The boy smiled, "I'm glad."
"… You're not mad at us for testing you then?"
"I probably would've done the same if I were you." He laughed. "No point being a hypocrite about it. And Houtou-chan still helped me make the plan up. Now, then… you want to join our group, right?"
"Yes." The two replied in unison.
"Well then, I'll help endorse the two of you to the other three." He grinned, "Although, I really only foresee problems when it comes to Ai… Kan'u, so there's no reason to be too worried." Kazuto then gestured to their meal. "Now let's finish up, pay up, and then go back to camp. Is that alright, Shokatsuryou-san, Houtou-san?"
"My True Name is Shuri." Shokatsuryou quickly responded.
"Mine is Hinari," Houtou replied. "Please refer to us by that."
"Is that fine?" Hongou frowned, "True Names are important to you, right?"
"Yes. If you are to be our lord, then it only makes sense to give True Names. That way bonds can be forged easier."
"Is that so…" Hongou frowned, "I guess there was a downside for me having the same True Name and Given Name then… Regardless, I'm Kazuto."
"It's fine!" Houtou smiled, "The True Name takes precedence in most cases, and if it's the same, no one would dare refer to you by it." Although it's still a pretty strange thing to have the same thing.
"… That depresses me more." Kazuto sighed, "So, the two of you are completely fine with me referring to you two by True Names, then?"
"Please stop confirming. It's rude." Shuri pouted. "We already permitted you to call us by our True Names, so please refer to us by it."
"Alright, alright, Shuri-chan, Hinari-chan." Kazuto smiled. "In turn… please refer to me as Kazuto."
"Yes, Kazuto-sama." Shuri nodded.
"Understood, Kazuto-sama." Hinari nodded.
Kazuto nodded, "Well then, let's eat!" And with that, the three eased into silence as they ate, no more words and they simply enjoyed the company.
Shuri and Hinari noticed how easy it is to be next to Kazuto, who was completely relaxed as he ate. The two smiled at each other briefly. They barely questioned whether what they were doing is the right thing. It feels as if all their anxiety was for naught in the end.
-()-
And the anxiety was back again as they walked towards the camp. It was only that they were so close to Kazuto that the two felt at least some semblance of safety. The soldiers looked friendly enough as they waved to the boy, who waved back with a smile.
"Well, I'm going to introduce you two to the other three, so best keep those chins up. Won't do to act too submissive in front of Kan'u. Otherwise, we'll never convince her to let you two get into the army."
"Right!" The two nodded.
"Master! Where have you been?!" A beautiful girl appeared in front of them, although her face was slightly contorted with barely concealed anger. (If Kazuto could read minds, he'd tell them that no. That's not anger; that's more her annoyed face than her angry one.)
"Speaking of which. Shuri-chan, Hinari-chan, this is Kan'u Unchou, one of my Gua… Generals." The boy cheerfully introduced the black-haired warrior. He then turned to Kan'u before she thought that Kazuto was actively ignoring her. "As for what I'm doing, I was getting lunch," Kazuto replied. "Surely the ban doesn't include me going out to eat lunch, right?"
"Of course not, but we expect you to at least inform us before you leave." The girl sighed before spotting the two girls just behind the boy. "Oh, and who would these two be?"
"Ah, these two? I'd like to wait for Touka and Rinrin to be here first so that we can introduce them properly. But the basic answer is this: They're two people who wanted to join our army."
"Oh?" Kan'u frowned, as though evaluating the two. Remembering what Kazuto told them, they did their best to meet the elder girl's eyes. "They don't look that strong though…"
"Rinrin doesn't look that strong and we both know she can lift all three of us if she truly wanted to," Kazuto remarked, causing Kan'u to have a rather confusing face that leaves no room for emotion (Kazuto's assessment of Kan'u's face: a mixture of lingering annoyance, some bemusement at the example given in his rebuttal, and contemplation.). "So, are Touka and Rinrin in?"
"They should be inside the main tent." Kan'u nodded towards the tent, which Kazuto accepted.
"Great!" Kazuto grinned as he ushered the two young girls into the tent. Kan'u sighed before falling in step behind the boy.
"Ah, Kazuto-kun!" Upon entering the tent, they were greeted by two other girls. A girl with rose-colored hair and another red-head looked were sitting around a table. The names of the two instantly entered the two strategist's minds, having meticulously gone through every single bit of information they had on the group. The first was Ryuubi Gentoku. A descendant of an emperor and recognized leader of the Volunteer Army centered in one of Yuushuu's counties. The second is Chouhi Yokutoku, the other general serving the two heads.
"I'm back, Rinrin, Touka," Kazuto said, approaching the redhead and ruffling her hair a bit, while smiling at his fellow leader.
Chouhi pouted before nodding, "Welcome back, onii-chan~!" Kan'u quickly placed herself on one of the cushions on the floor, her spear laying behind her. This was likely her designated seating space.
"… Are you still mad?" The rose-haired girl asked, worried.
"A bit." Kazuto shrugged, "But I finally felt like I got some work done, so I'm not that bothered anymore. Although I'd appreciate it if you lift the ban soon."
"No." Kan'u's instant rebuttal caused Kazuto to sigh. "And what work are you referring to, Kazuto-sama?" At the question, Kazuto quickly reverted back to a more normal face.
"Recruitment~," Kazuto said before pointing at the two behind him. "These two are new members for our little army of ours." He then gestured to the two to step forward. Both stepped towards the side of Kazuto that was a bit further from Kan'u and closer to the one being referred to by Kazuto as Rinrin (who was closer in age and seemed nicer).
"I'm Shokatsuryou Koumei, and this is Houtou Shigen. The two of us are strategists who studied under Suikyou-sensei. During our studies, however, reading the signs of the situation, we predict a coming time of war that we hope to help mitigate, if not stop."
"That's why we came here, to join your army."
"Ehhhh~ Strategists?" Ryuubi was surprised at that. "I suppose you two don't look that strong. But you two want to join us as strategists?"
"Do we even need one?" Chouhi asked.
"… If they're joining us as strategists… I understand now." Kan'u nodded. "Suikyou-dono is renowned all over for being one of the greatest teachers in many subjects… to think that two of her students would make their way here…"
"But why us?" Touka asked. "Surely there are other warlords that you could choose to serve better?"
"There are many merits in joining a larger force, yes, but…" Shokatsuryou nodded, "We'd rather join a new army than an old one. More than likely, an old one would be more reliant on their preexisting strategists who have to be rather excellent to remain in position, and the ones who would still benefit from our advice aren't known to have any interest in bettering the world…"
"What do you mean?" Kan'u asked.
"Well… it's… if…"
Kazuto looked at the two and chose to reply to them, "If it was too complicated here's the concise version they told me earlier: They could have chosen to join a larger, more well-known, army first, but they didn't and chose to join us. These two are strategists, and from what we've seen, are pretty learned ones at that. If a teacher like Suikyou is well-known enough that Aisha would recognize the name, then all these two need to do is prove themselves to us. Having two more people who can probably help us with our domestic issues won't hurt our chances either. Furthermore, we're a volunteer army. We have no right to throw away potentially useful assets, especially if they're volunteering."
"Why are you the one speaking? Shouldn't they be defending themselves in this situation?" Kan'u asked almost frustrated.
"They looked like nice girls who were being terrorized by the great dragon Aisha," Kazuto replied with a grin.
"Master!" Kan'u glared angrily.
"Hawawa! Don't fight because of us!" Shokatsuryou quickly interjected.
"Awawa… if our presence is not good for your group then we'll respectfully leave…"
"You two, that's enough!" Ryuubi quickly interjected. "Kazuto-kun, I know you're angry but please understand what Aisha is saying!"
Kazuto flinched at being scolded before sighing. He then lowered his head to both of them. "I'm sorry for acting like a kid, Aisha, Touka…"
"… I accept your apology, Kazuto-sama… so please raise your head." Kan'u replied with her own bow.
"It's okay. I understand that you're frustrated, but we can't help but worry when you use your flames thingy… you collapsed last time." Ryuubi replied as well. Kazuto nodded.
"However, as I said earlier, I feel fine, so I don't really need to-"
"If you two are going to join up, you better get used to this." Shokatsuryou and Houtou jumped at the sudden voice addressing them, causing both to ignore the current conversation. Turning to the girl that was largely remaining outside of the discussion. Chouhi grinned. "Aisha and Kazuto-niichan always end up fighting because of something Kazuto-niichan does, so someone always needs to mediate. If you two are going to be with us, you're going to have to help me and Touka-oneechan."
"Ah…"
"O-okay, desu."
"Anyway, this has nothing to do with my flames anyway! This is about recruiting two strategists. In fact, Hinari-chan over here was the one who helped me make the plan we used yesterday." Kazuto interjected. These words finally brought the younger trio into focus with the older trio. "So is it a yes, or a no?"
Aisha sighed before pointing out, "It's still too suspicious for two students of Suikyou-dono to suddenly appear in front of us…"
Touka interjected suddenly, "Why don't we give them a chance?"
"If both Kazuto-sama and Touka-sama agree then I have nothing to say to that."
"Of course, you have a say on this." Kazuto interrupted. "You are our right-hand. Your input is very important to us."
Touka nodded, "That's right, that's right!"
"Speaking of which, Rinrin! You aren't uninvolved either!"
"I say let's keep them! They weren't scared off by aneja so they're at least strong with their mind!" Rinrin grinned.
"Exactly!" Kazuto grinned.
"… So is there any point in my vote then, if it's three on one?" Aisha asked.
"If Aisha can make a good enough point then yes," Kazuto responded.
"Then here's how I see it. Kazuto-sama is right; we're a volunteer army, so we should accept anyone that would help our cause. Thus, having two other people capable of strategy would certainly be of use to us. So far, we've been relying on Kazuto-sama for our strategies, but we can't have Kazuto-sama be involved in every skirmish we have. So they would certainly be of help." Aisha sighed, before looking critically at the two, "They don't seem to be bad people either… At least from my view. However, I still am worried if they were to turn out to be spies."
"I'm sorry if we made an unfavorable impression on you but we do have full intention of serving Kazuto-sama and Ryuubi-dono faithfully." Shokatsuryou quickly responded.
"If you're referring to Kazuto-kun by True Name, then call me by mine as well." Ryuubi pouted. "My True Name is Touka."
"Ah, then pleased to meet you as well, Touka-sama. Please call me Shuri."
"Hi… Hinari."
"Then call me Rinrin!"
"Wait, hold up! Why is everyone suddenly entrusting True Names?" Aisha asked.
"Eh, uh? Rinrin just went with the flow…" Rinrin scratched her head.
"… Touka-chan, you are too good at changing the topic." Kazuto sighed.
"Ahehe?"
"… Please refer to me as Aisha, as well then." Aisha sighed.
"Don't feel forced to do so," Kazuto interjected. "I know there's the whole True Name trust thing, but if you don't trust them, then you shouldn't…"
"I've already entrusted it. I will not take back my words." Aisha replied quickly, a blush on her face.
"… Should've known. You're a tsundere." Kazuto sighed.
"W-… what?" Aisha voiced out, while all four other occupants tilted their heads in confusion.
"… Nothing, just a term from my world."
"A word from heaven?" Touka asked. "What does it mean then?"
"Someone who has two distinct moods. One is harsh, hence tsun, while the other is sweet, hence dere." Kazuto replied. "It's more a general term than anything specific."
"Oooh! So heaven has a term for someone like Aisha!" Rinrin grinned, "Alright, I'll use it!"
"Don't you dare-"
"Ahahaha! I won't be fooled, aneja! After all, you're just a tsundere!" Rinrin laughed, as she dodged Aisha's lunge, and sped off out of the tent.
"Come back here!"
Kazuto simply shook his head and laughed.
"Sh-… shouldn't we stop them?" Shuri wondered. Touka and Kazuto looked at each other with similar grins before turning to the other two remaining occupants.
Kazuto then spoke, "Nah! Let them be. Aisha needs to unwind anyway~"
"Welcome to the army, Shuri-chan, Hinari-chan," Touka added, still smiling. "I'm sure the six of us will get along great!"
Shuri and Hinari looked at each other before returning their own soft smiles. ""Please get along with us!""
-()-
Chouun Shiryu casually slashed a nearby charging Yellow Turban. She didn't bother chasing them down too hard. As they are, the various town garrisons nearby should be enough to take any of them down. They were disorganized and were pretty much screaming for their lives. Easy to take care of. She wasn't here to deal with the rabble. She was here to provide support for the Volunteer Army.
"Seeing all this yellow reminds me of the time I was in Enshou's army." Chouun chuckled, as the white horse continued marching onward. Of course, there were differences, and the Enshou Army's color is mainly gold, not yellow, but the color scheme was certainly close enough. "Well, not going back there anymore…" It was almost cathartic to be able to fight the Yellow Turbans, as her time with Enshou's troops was not particularly fun.
Speaking of Yellow Turbans, it's been a few days since she headed out, alongside the two messengers that the Volunteer Army sent out.
"How much further are we, men?" Chouun asked the duo.
"It's still a day's distance, Chouun-dono." The man reported nervously.
"Is that so… What about these random Yellow Turbans running and screaming? Surely that means there's the main bulk coming soon?" After all, if these cowards were the first to escape, then the rest have either been completely subjugated, or the Volunteer Army had managed to hold a stalemate long enough to discourage them. Most likely the former if the screaming was to go by.
"Maybe so…" The man grimaced. "Should we prepare to be in a fight soon?" A group of three people… fighting an army? Impossible, by any normal person's standards.
"Likely so." Chouun shrugged, "It seems that we have an army marching ahead of us. Can you read the flags they wave?" The man in front nodded, and looked forward, before grinning broadly.
"Kan… Chou… Ryuu… the cross of Hongou… That's the leaders of the Volunteer Army! It's Ryuubi-sama and the Heavenly Messenger." The other man grinned as he looked ahead too.
"It seems that two new flags are waving alongside theirs, though… Shokatsu, and Hou… Are they new generals that the Heavenly Messenger appointed?"
"Oh my, it seems that my help was unnecessary in the end." Chouun gave a fake sigh. To be fair, there really isn't much one person can accomplish even if she did meet up with them. For what it was worth, she was only supposed to use her experience to help with any form of strategy, and then use her strength for the most part.
"That may be so, but we are very grateful that Kousonsan-dono would lend your strength to ours."
"Well, we're already here, so might as well meet up." Chouun nodded. "I'd like to meet this Heavenly Messenger and Imperial Descendant. I'd like to know how they drove off ten thousand enemies with only their half. Their army doesn't seem particularly lacking in numbers."
"Very well." They marched on.
-()-
As for the army, Shokatsuryou and Houtou are having a bit of difficulty coping with the sudden situation. They were suddenly inducted as members, so easily? Not only that; the circumstances were stranger than they thought. Many men from the previous village wished to join their army, and Kazuto decided to appoint the bulk of them as personal squads for the two new strategists. Of course, there were some of the more veteran members in the army (as veteran as one could get in the two months that the Volunteer Army has been active), but they were mostly kept as members of Shuri and Hinari's squads to personally command. According to Kazuto, it was best to do it this way. While Shuri and Hinari would receive the least trained soldiers, their primary duty is mostly to be reserve forces, while Shuri and Hinari would actually spend more time giving advice to Touka and Kazuto.
"First of all, I'm really happy you and Hinari-chan decided to join us… if only because you two are actually good at logistics." Kazuto said cheerfully. "Especially for someone without much experience."
"Ehehe… That is one of Hinari-chan's specialties, better than me." Shuri cheerfully nodded.
"We took quite a bit of food from the last village, though…" Touka said in worry. "Would they really be alright?"
"Yes." Hinari nodded. "I made certain that they will have enough to last, more than enough time for the letter you sent back to your territory to reimburse them for stock."
"I know, but I still am worried, you know…"
"Nyahaha~. You worry too much, Touka-oneechan~" Rinrin grinned. "You should relax a bit more."
"Quick reminder, Hinari-chan." Kazuto interrupted, "It's not our territory. We're a volunteer army centered in that territory."
"Ah, sorry." Hinari hurriedly bowed.
"It's fine." Kazuto grinned, "It's just something for diplomatic purposes. Can't trip up the sensibilities of people with larger egos." Seeing Hinari's rather complicated face he quickly added, "At least, not until we become stronger than they are."
"Don't worry! With Rinrin and Aisha around, our group will become the strongest of them all!" Rinrin immediately followed up.
Kazuto grinned, "Exactly. Now until that day comes, it will be up to Shuri and Hinari to keep us out of trouble."
"Hauuu… That's a lot of responsibility, desu…" Shuri said from the side.
"Hey, you volunteered for this," Kazuto said jokingly. "Now stop looking so down on yourself; else I'll start telling you about how Touka and I convinced Aisha to stop calling us Master and Milady."
"No," Aisha interjected. "That story will not be told to anyone. Also, I only agreed until the time comes that you are an actual governor."
"Umm… what happened?" Hinari asked Touka, who grinned in response.
"Well…"
"Touka-sama, no." Aisha sharply responded.
"Ahh… our lips are sealed." Touka said cheerfully.
"It's not that bad," Kazuto interjected. "All we did was… Okay sorry, please stop glaring at me like that!"
"Just so you know, Kazuto-sama, Touka-sama…" Shuri interjected. "We'll also call you Master and Milady when the time comes."
""… Why?"" Both Touka and Kazuto simultaneously asked with deadpan faces.
"At the very least, we will call you as such when around outsiders." Hinari immediately compromised. "It will not do for our current master to not be given due respect."
"Promise?" Touka pouted.
"Pr-promise!"
"Fine. For you two, I'll let it slide." Kazuto cheerfully said. "But for Aisha, I won't relent." Aisha looked appalled. Kazuto grinned at her, "After all, we're supposed to be her elder siblings."
"That's right, that's right!" Touka nodded. "She will refer to us as elder siblings properly in front of everyone else, regardless of proper decorum."
Aisha sighed, "I understand… Why is it that both Kazuto-sama and Touka-sama are so similar?"
""Kazuto-niichan and Touka-neechan."" The two corrected.
"I… I understand…"
"Nyahahaha! Aneja got scolded!"
"Rinrin!"
"Excuse me!" A voice sharply caught all six's attention, as they turned to the speaker. "There is something I wish to report!"
"Speak!" Kan'u quickly responded, inwardly thankful, while the other three siblings just snickered slightly.
"Our messenger who has been sent to Kousonsan-dono's camp has returned!"
"Who else came with them?" Kan'u quickly asked.
"One of Kousonsan's Generals, Chouun Shiryuu, sir! She requests an audience with you."
'So even Chouun's a girl in this era.' The thought went through Kazuto's mind but didn't voice it. Sheesh, when is he going to meet an important general that is actually male? That was the complaint in his heart.
"One of Pairen-chan's huh? Alright, we'll receive her." Touka quickly responded. The man left with a salute. Touka then turned to her allies with a slightly sheepish look on her face, having realized that she had decided for them, without asking for their opinions. Kazuto simply smiled back and nodded. Aisha looked impassive. Rinrin was as laidback as ever, almost eager to meet this new person. Shuri and Houtou bore similar faces of concern, but no reprimand was on their faces.
"Don't worry. That was a good call." Kazuto told her, surprising Touka, "Although, I think everyone would call me biased."
"I did say that you and Touka-s… oneesama think too similarly." Aisha replied. "But I agree, this time around. The fact that she is a confirmed ally means a quick response should honestly be expected."
"She did come back with our messenger, after all." Shuri nodded.
"And besides. If she proves to be a problem, then our beloved little sisters can stop her before it happens." Kazuto replied cheerfully. "It's not like she's [Lu Bu Fengxian] or anything~"
"Ru bu fen chan?"
"Heaven's name for a certain general that we'll eventually meet," Kazuto replied. "Like [Liu Bei Xuande] is Ryuubi Gentoku, or [Guan Yu Yunchang] for Kan'u Unchou."
"… Heaven has different names for us?" Kan'u frowned. "I think having four names is already difficult on its own."
"It would be nice to know which names are ours though!" Hinari pointed out. "That way we can refer to each other with a sort of codename if we needed it."
"Let's talk about this later." Kazuto sighed, regretting bringing up the topic now. "Just put it on a note so you won't forget."
""Understood."" The two newly minted strategists nodded.
"Milord, Milady! I've brought her!"
"Ara, so this is the Heavenly Messenger, as well as Hakukei-dono's friend." A woman, with mostly short blue hair, with a long tail behind. White seemed to be her main coloring, being the color of both her hat and dress. Her dress was… Needless to say, Kazuto felt a small pinch at his side, courtesy of Touka, for staring too long. In her hand was a strange red-bladed bident, and she seemed proficient in its use if the way she handles it shows that she's used to carrying it on a day-to-day basis. But still! Her clothes are too risqué!
"… What's with this place and their insistence on wearing clothes that don't have any defensive value whatsoever?" Kazuto sighed. Too many… tempting… openings.
"What?" The group of girls around him asked, confused.
"Everyone's an Anime character." Kazuto dully replied, before schooling his features, and bowed. "It's an honor to meet you, Chouun Shiryuu. I am Hongou Kazuto, co-leader of this Volunteer Army of ours." Looking at the others before nodding to Touka. "Touka."
"Ah, yes, I am Ryuubi Gentoku, co-leader, as well. These are our two trusted officers and sworn younger siblings, Kan'u Unchou, and Chouhi Yokutoku." And turning her hand to the other two… "And these are our strategists and advisors, Shokatsuryou Koumei and Houtou Shigen." Each respective member of their group bowed.
"I suppose it is my turn? Well, as you have heard, I am Chouun Shiryuu, associate General under Kousonsan Hakukei." She bowed. "I suppose your group is traveling to aid my liege, I presume?"
"Yes." Touka nodded. "We received a plea for aid after all, and we are a Volunteer Army formed to drive off the Yellow Turbans."3
"I knew. However, according to your most recent letter, you had requested some aid from us to drive off the bandits, correct?"
"Any that you could've spared without compromising your position. Yes." Kazuto replied. "I assume, due to the seeming lack of troops, you alone came?"
"Unfortunately, Hakukei-dono was unable to do so." The girl smiled. "Although, seeing your condition, I presume that what strategy you did to drive off those ten thousand bandits paid off?"
"It was all thanks to our strategists here." Kazuto smiled, surprising the other five. "They discovered the location of the enemy and helped me devise a plan to drive off the bandits."
"But it was still mostly everyone else's work!" Shuri quickly exclaimed, "The two of us barely did much!"
"Schemers are like that, Koumei-dono~" Chouun chuckled. "Although my escorts claimed that you two are recent additions?"
"Yes… just the other day, actually." Houtou nodded.
"Credit's where credit's due." Kazuto shrugged. "These two were already helping out before they even joined."
"Hawawa…"
"Awawa…"
"If Kazuto-kun says so," Touka added cheerfully. "So, Chouun-san, how is Pairen-chan?"
Chouun was rather surprised at the sudden byplay that happened in front of her that she took a while before realizing that she was being spoken to. "Ah, yes. She seems fine, so to say. While she is being harassed quite a bit by the bandits, with your troops added, she should be able to drive them off."
"That's good." Touka nodded. "How long have you been her subject?"
"Hmm? Well, about half a year I suppose?" Chouun thought, "I was part of Enshou-dono's forces a little before, and I soon transferred to Kousonsan-dono when I saw that Enshou-dono wasn't… a ruler worthy to serve, I suppose."
"So, Pairen-chan is?"
"She's acceptable." Chouun chuckled, "But even she seems to be reaching the limit of what she could eventually accomplish."
"How long till we get to where she is?" Kazuto interrupted.
"She should be only a few days away, so I suppose I'll be traveling with your group for a while." Chouun chuckled.
"… Nee, Chouun, right?" Rinrin quickly interjected. "Are you strong?"
"Quite a bit, Chouhi-dono." Chouun grinned, "Would you like a match?"
"Sure! Let's fight when we stop marching!"
"Rinrin! Don't be so hasty." Aisha scolded.
"Eh? It's fine! I won't lose anyway!"
"Hoooh, so the little girl is quite proud, huh?" Chouun teased.
"Nyahahaha! Yup!" Rinrin stuck her chest out with her finger under her nose.
"Rinrin, that wasn't really praise."
"Oh? But it was, Kan'u-dono~ After all, proud warriors are worthy of praise."
"Chouun-dono!"
"Hawawa… Chouun-san joined in so easily…"
"We need to do our best too…"
Kazuto shook his head, 'I suppose this is my life now. Full of war, horseback riding, long trips, and conversations with genderbent generals.'
Well, it's not like he hated it.
-()-
"It's been a long time, Pairen-chan!" Touka greeted upon arrival at the camp. Aisha and Rinrin had remained back with the army. Chou'un had escorted them up till halfway, before going off on her own after pointing to the main tent.
"It's been a while, Touka-chan." A red-haired, white-armored girl cheerfully bowed to her. "Thanks for coming on such short notice."
"Sorry, for taking this long, actually. Although you already know what the delay was."
"It's fine. If you're coming here still with a substantial number of soldiers, I'm more than grateful." The girl grinned, before looking toward Kazuto, "So this is the heavenly messenger?"
"It's good to meet you, Kousonsan-dono. I'm the co-leader of this Volunteer Army." Kazuto replied. "My name is Hongou Kazuto."
"… Kazuto is also his True Name so…"
"Touka… we should probably stop clarifying that part." Kazuto replied bluntly. "It's going to get annoying after a while."
"It's not our fault that your circumstance is so weird." Touka bluntly replied.
Kazuto nodded with a sigh, "Anyway, Kousonsan-dono, can you please inform us of the situation?"
The girl nodded. "Very well. Here's how it went…"
-()-
"… We're running out of supplies." A young girl, with light blue hair tied into a ponytail, wearing yellow clothes that revealed a bit too much skin. "We need to get out of this siege as soon as possible…" The young girl murmured.
"… Nee-san… Renhou… I'm coming home as soon as I can…" The young girl looked out of the supply room, into the canyon's exit. Beyond that wall of stone, were Kousonsan's forces.
-()-
Chapter End
-()-
Chapter Release Date: July 28, 2019
Last Edited: June 12, 2022
-()-
Beta Reader: Seraphius
So… what reason is the past-life scene connected to this one? At best, I just wanted to set up a future past-life scene.