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.
-()-
Daily Lives with Family
-()-
"Nii-chwan."
The first time Kazuto saw his little sister, at the age of 3, he was instantly ecstatic at the sight. This little kid will grow up to be someone who can play with him all the time since they live in the same house.
So, he did everything he can to keep guard over her. He grabbed his sleeping blanket and slept next to the crib. He played in that room as much as he can, bringing his toys in. His parents found it adorable. Hismom'sfriends cooed. Uncle Hayato praised him. Uncle Takeshi laughed, as usual. Uncle Ryohei told him to do everything to the extreme, especially to protect his little sister. (That comment got him chopped in the head by his own little sister.) Uncle Mukuro simply chuckled, before Aunt Chrome dragged him out. Uncle Lambo just poked thegirl'scheek with a laugh, causing Kazuto to tackle the guy, who merely stood there and took the blow without even flinching.
The only one unhappy with this arrangement is Uncle Reborn, who immediately kicked him, and told him that he was still too weak to think of protecting his little sister. He then proceeded to kick his father for encouraging the boy from skipping lessons.
Eventually, his mother took him aside and told him to give the baby some space, and that everyone in the family will protect the girl too. So,Kazuto'snightly foray into his littlesister'sroom dropped. But he still made sure to visit the littlegirl'sroom every day. For three years, unless he was not at home for some reason or another, this became a common thing for him to do. An hour or maybe more.
The novelty never seemed to wear off in the mind of the young Kazuto, and his dedication paid off when her first word was about him. Not his mother, or father, but to him. He was only six years old at the time, and this resulted in laughter that echoed through the Sawada family home in Japan, from the amused father to the shocked mother, to the praising Uncles. His mother quickly reasserted her position and vowed to get the girl's second word to be her.
Kazuto, eventually, due to circumstances, lived in Japan for most of his childhood, occasionally visiting Italy. His sister soon followed when she became old enough to leave. They grew distant however as Kazuto entered Namimori Middle School when her sister opted to go to an Italian elementary school, to be close to her childhood friends.
However, whenever Kazuto came to visit Italy, during holidays and vacations, whenever his sister is brought up by his friends in conversation, they never once stopped teasing him of being a siscon, and that the girl is a brocon. Honestly, Kazuto wishes they would stop. There was no way his sister was a brocon, and his feelings toward his sister never overstepped the boundaries of a brother. They were normal siblings. Besides, none of his friends have siblings. How would they know what it's like to be one?
-()-
It was a normal peaceful morning in the empire. Or, at the very least, for the portion of the empire that serves as Ryuubi Gentoku's new territory.
The territory prospered under Ryuubi's hand. No, there were no such miracles that resulted in the land becoming more fertile and giving them bountiful harvests, but the peace allowed the farmers tranquility that was rare for the past few years. The Yellow Turbans' rampage had caused most farmers to hide as soon as they can, rather than take care of their crops. But now with the Yellow Turbans defeated, the area was allowed to rest easier than it ever has for nearly a year.
A mercantile caravan was wheeling down the road towards the center of Ryuubi's territory. Two orange-haired girls sat patiently in the back of one of the wagons, their matching clothes looking somewhat worn by the long trip. One was short-haired, her turquoise eyes sharp, as she curiously surveys the surroundings of the road. The other was more relaxed, gazing at the sky with her rounder, violet eyes.
"You missies are going to join Ryuubi-sama?" The man driving the wagon hummed. "For someone so young, you are certainly ambitious."
"But of course!" The short-haired girl grinned, "It's an opportunity for our names to be heard all over the world!"
"Yup, yup!" The longer-haired girl nodded. "Joining the Imperial Descendant and the Heavenly Messenger would be amazing! There's no way that they'll remain small-time nobles! If the two of us were to help them get there, wouldn't that make our name more well-known?"
"Exactly!" The short-haired girl nodded emphatically, "A shame that we couldn't join them earlier though… That would really help our chances."
"It's fine! We just need to show them our skills!" The longer-haired girl cheered.
"Is that so… that's nice." The man nodded. "So what are the names of these two brave girls who would aid the Imperial Descendant and the Heavenly Messenger? So that when I hear your names next time, I can tell my grandkids that I knew you."
"Sure, I'm Bijiku! Bijiku Shichuu!" The short-haired girl said proudly. "The older sister!"
"And I'm Bihou! Bihou Shihou!" The longer-haired girl followed up with her own smile. "The younger one!"
The two proudly smiled. They eagerly awaited their arrival. As late as they were, it's time for them to carve their names upon the staircase of history.
-()-
Meanwhile, at the office of the magistrate of the territory, three people laboriously sorted through paperwork that they had no idea would come to them. Now that they have an actual territory, they can't just forego most of the documentation. Which pretty much tripled their original workload. Fortunately, they can do so in short bursts, but…
"Aisha-chan… I want to do something different than just reading and writing and stamping… Can't we do patrols or something?"
"We are no longer just the head of a Volunteer Army, Milady. You're a genuine regional lord now. So, please do at least half that amount."
"But that'd still take a full day!? And besides, most of the time we just look at it and then just put it on Shuri or Hinari's pile."
"They're faster at this too, so that disappears in an instant," Kazuto added. "See, Shuri's stack is empty again!"
"I think Kazuto-sama would also be done soon if he read and wrote faster." Shuri consoled.
"If I make a mistake with this brush, I've already failed you know? I wish I had something more precise… like a pen, or a quill." Kazuto grimaced. Are there any native birds he can pluck a feather from? Or better yet, is there a way for him to refill the pens he brought here to this world?
"Kazuto-kun, it's not convincing when you still haven't looked up from your desk. How did you become faster than me?"
"By learning to throw paper in a way that it lands on Shuri's table." As if to demonstrate that, he grabbed a new sheet. He blinked a few times before throwing the thing towards Shuri, in a way that it eventually fluttered down on Shuri's desk, neatly at the position just above her stack. The diminutive girl sighed, before looking over it. Scrawling a few words, she then placed it onto her completed stack.
"You got too good at doing that, Master," Shuri said as she smiled.
"And our lovely secretaries seem to keep making the mistake of sending those sorts of things to our desk when they're not our problem anymore." Kazuto cheerfully responded. "Army logistics stuff is your job now, Shuri~"
"I argue that you still need to see it," Shuri replied. "Your insight is still quite valuable, Kazuto-sama."
"Then let's make a stack of things that I just need to see and separate it from the stack I need to work with. That way, if my hand is sore, I'll just look through them as I rest. Or sleep on them."
"Is it really tiring to move your hands that much?" Aisha asked.
Kazuto dully looked at her, "It's not just my hands. It's my legs from lack of use. I'm a swordsman; I like moving around. If I don't get enough activity, I'm going to be wasting away. I need at least a few hours to myself just swinging my sword."
"You said it was just an hour. And we gave you it this morning. Stop extending your break time." Aisha critically responded as she skimmed the stack of papers regarding army things. "Is it really alright to reject this one, Shuri?"
"We're still too small to afford so many heavy metal armor sets. As much as I'd like our army to be well-protected, right now, under Rinrin and Aisha's leadership, fast and mobile is still our greatest advantage" Shuri grimaced. "And that number of arrows is wasteful on us, without as many skilled archers."
"Archers don't need to aim if there's many of them." Kazuto pointed out, to which Shuri laughed. "And well-protected is still good, especially considering your strong preference for defensive strategies."
"I just like being cautious…" Shuri looked down. "I can't afford to take big risks, at least not yet. Every soldier right now is too precious to be risked. I'll consider another armor budget, but the other one still orders too many."
"Just make sure the Shokatsuryou, Houtou, and Ryuubi platoons all have decent armor, as well as at least half of our men. Don't encumber the members of Kan'u, Chouhi, and Chouun platoons seeing as those three likes to move quickly through a battlefield. If you still have the budget, give my platoon some too. I probably won't be rushing off like Aisha and Rinrin, but I still do like moving quickly."
"We'll have to dip into the budget for that, but it should be doable." Shuri nodded, "I can only promise a fourth of our army though. Decent armor is rare nowadays. I already approved a budget requesting enough armor for that." She then turned to Aisha, "Simply put, the number in that request is simply too excessive."
"I see." Aisha nodded, "I'll tell the guard captain. I think he got a bit excessive."
"We're in peacetimes now; surely we can diversify?" Kazuto asked as he finishes another paper. "Trained archers are much too useful on a battlefield."
"Archers would be fine, but we're still too few to actually impact an enemy threat. No, right now our advantage is mobility. Which is why I asked Aisha, Rinrin, and Chouun to train our soldiers for cavalry battles." Shuri nodded, "Here up north, our advantage is having access to horses. Kousonsan is currently making use of the white horses, and we struck a deal with her to send any non-white horse to our side." More specifically, Sei sent a request, and Kousonsan just approved it.
"I never understood why Pairen-chan's army has a lot of white horses." Touka frowned. "Won't she risk getting rid of better horses?" It's not as if the color of the horse decides how well the horse runs.
"I think I can answer that."
"Ah, Sei-chan!" Touka says, pleased. "You're earlier than expected. Weren't you with Chihou-chan and Hinari-chan going to the village west of here?"
"We're done." Hinari toddled in before collapsing near her friend's desk, who immediately stopped her work and removed the girl's hat so that she can pat it. "The village agreed to host another show for Chihou in two weeks. Sosou stayed behind to work out the specifics." Sosou seems to have taken a shine in making merchandise for Chihou. Hopefully, he doesn't go overboard. They specifically had to warn him against it. As in, if he ever overpromises, it will come out of his paycheck, and he'll be cut off from the job for a month. This clearly devastated the boy.
"Kazuto-niisan!" Chihou bounded into the room. "Look, look, we earned so much!" Kazuto looked up to see a paper budgeting, seemingly written by Hinari. A net positive. This should be the result of the show two days before. He has not seen the girl since.
"Good job. Don't overdo it." Kazuto smiled, as he rubbed the younger girl's head. "I say take the week to relax for now, till your next show. Shuri's still teaching you how to read and write, so work on that with her." Shuri nodded, absentmindedly reacting to her name being mentioned, as she went back to her work. "Besides, I think, if we finish this set, we'll be free for at least a week. All of us can have some fun then."
"Thanks!" Chihou grinned as she took a seat in the chair in front of him. Hinari had since moved to her chair and collapsed there.
"Hinari, if you're tired, you should go to your room." Kazuto pointed out.
"Debriefing…" Hinari's sleepy tone says.
"Isn't Sosou in charge of your budget? Let him do the debriefing for once, Hinari…" Kazuto sighed. He then looked at Sei, "Now, before Rinrin hears that we're all here in this room without her, finish what you were saying, Sei?"
"Of course, of course." Sei nodded. "The northern barbarians regard white horses as sacred. So Kousonsan makes use of that to scare them away. Besides, the image of an army on white horses running down the hillside is quite impressive, no matter who the enemy."
"Morale destruction. Morale boost. Seems she planned out the logistics at least." Kazuto nodded. "Now if we can just afford the same…"
"Chouseihei-san is looking into starting a horse-rearing company, but he needs skilled horse raisers in the first place. We have plenty of space here, so… it might be possible."
"Now that's a problem." Ryuubi sighed, "I know a few people who lend me horses for my mat and sandal selling but…"
"Leave it to Chouseihei to find the men needed." Kazuto interrupted. "This is his specialty. Besides, horses are, by themselves, costly. The food, the regular care… We'll need to at least consider lending some to the farmers for a fee, maybe selling them to progress their farming faster… Just remind the people buying how to properly care for them."
"That sounds like a good idea…" Shuri nodded. "I don't think Kousonsan would send too many horses our way either, seeing as she sometimes sells to Kyoshou."
"Kyoshou… is Sousou's territory, correct?" Kazuto cautiously says, as Chihou sharply stood up in her seat. It seems she too remembers the report on her siblings.
"They've been expanding quickly." Shuri nodded. "Kousonsan can't really afford to just give things to us for free all the time too," Hinari says, seemingly rested. "Eventually people will want to tax us." A quiet nod echoed through the room before the door suddenly burst open.
"WHY IS EVERYONE HERE!?" Huh, Rinrin took longer than anyone in the room imagined. "Rinrin was busy training soldiers, and everyone is relaxing in this room! Not fair! You should call Rinrin, at least, aneja!"
"Wh-why is it my fault?" Aisha balked at that.
"Because…" Kazuto cautiously says, "You're the only one who doesn't have anything to do here? Touka, Shuri, and I are working. Hinari, Chihou, and Sei are here to report. You're here to pick up papers that you still haven't picked up…"
Kazuto, for the life of him, couldn't remember the last time he saw this face on Aisha, but he swore he can see her pouting. Honest to God pouting. This disappears immediately, making Kazuto question whether it existed at all or not. "Of course. Let's go Rinrin." Aisha walked over and picked up a bunch of papers from Shuri's desk and started marching out.
"But I haven't stayed here long enough yet!" Rinrin cried out.
"Let's go Rinrin!"
"Aisha-san, umm… that's the wrong stack." Shuri cautiously says. "That's the stack for Chouseihei…"
Aisha blinked, looking down to see a bunch of logistics numbers before marching back and leaving it on Hinari's table, before grabbing the stack she absolutely made sure was for military requests that are to be granted. It wasn't a lot, so she safely tucked it under her arm before grabbing her sworn younger sister by the collar and dragging her out.
"This is not fair!" Rinrin cried out. "Why can't I do anything fun!?"
"Let's go, Rinrin!"
Silence reigned in the room as the door closed.
"I'm not the only one who thinks Aisha-dono is cute when embarrassed?" Sei asked.
"No," Shuri responds, Hinari already asleep.
"Not at all." Chihou smiled.
"Aisha-chan tries very hard to seem perfect." Touka cheerfully says. "She should relax more."
"Well, let's get this done so that we don't have to face it for the rest of the week! Hurry before it multiplies, Touka!" Kazuto cheered.
"Don't say such horrible things…" Touka says, now instantly depressed. "I don't want it to get more than it already is…"
"Awawa… I'll heeeelp…" Hinari says as she pushes herself up.
"Sei, drag the sleepyhead back to her room. Some of us are trying to work." Sei lazily bowed before easily picking up the girl and heading to the vassal quarters. "Chihou, sing for us so we don't get bored," Kazuto says, as his phone was charging just near the window. Not for the last time did he wish he had a flame-based charger.
"I'll consider it practice, okay?" Chihou cheered, humming into the mic. "Don't laugh if I make a mistake, okay, Kazuto-niisan?"
"No promises."
"Mou!" Chihou smiled. "I'll even dance for you three, so if you think I'm doing well, praise me~"
And so, the group cleared their schedules in record time.
-()-
"I'm starting to think your mic is much more complex than I thought," Kazuto remarked, as he walked around town, with Chihou hanging from his arm.
"What do you mean?"
"I barely felt any fatigue when you sang. And I'm pretty sure no one outside the room heard you sing so…"
"Ehhh… But I used it as I usually do?"
"But you didn't want to make yourself louder, right?"
"If I distracted you, it will just make you spend more time doing boring things. I wanted to have fun with people…"
"So why me? I'm sure Touka, Shuri, and Hinari would be happy to accompany you?"
"Touka-sama went to visit her mom, right?" Kazuto nodded to that, aware that this was the first break Touka had in weeks. "Shuri and Hinari spend their free time with their books too…" Again, a good point. Neither is the outdoorsy type. "Aisha-san is too scary." Fair point; Aisha really needs to relax more. "And well… Rinrin is…" She looked to the side. "We have a sort of rivalry going on?" Huh? When did that happen? And what sort of rivalry would an idol who has no fighting prowess and a warrior with no interest in singing or dancing have? And why did she say that as if a question? "A-anyway! Rinrin might just try to get me to use a weapon, though!"
"I think you, Shuri, and Hinari should carry a knife on your person, for self-defense." Kazuto automatically said. "In case of, you know, bandits. At least you won't be defenseless."
"Right! I'll do that!" Chihou's voice was high-pitched, to which Kazuto patted the girl's head.
"What about Sei?"
"She's too… much for me." Chihou finishes lamely.
"Ahaha, I suppose so." Kazuto laughed. "She can be a bit of a tease, don't you think?"
"My, my. Milord is quite rude." Chihou immediately jumped, Kazuto turning to greet the new arrival.
"Hello, Sei." Kazuto greeted.
"I only wished to bond with the newcomer. After all, we joined you at the same time. I'd like to think we have to be close, don't you agree, Chihou-dono?"
"You're not officially part of the group, yet though…" Chihou muttered. "I'm still senior."
"My, my. I'd like to think that we could get along." Sei smiled, "Do you want me to accompany you two?"
"No need!" Chihou says, hiding behind Kazuto. "I still have nightmares of you coming to kill me!"
"That's not fair." Sei pouted, "I already said I won't."
"You said that if I start that up again, you will!"
"Which you won't, right?"
"I won't, but that doesn't change you saying so!"
"Calm down, Chihou. Sei really doesn't mean anything by it. She's just that certain that you won't do it."
"My sisters and I managed to do it by accident!"
"Breathe, Chihou." Kazuto sighed, as he rubbed the girl's head. "He is already dead. There is only Chihou left. And Chihou has no relation to them."
"I… I…" Chihou took several breaths, trying to calm down.
"Please stop triggering her, Sei." Kazuto sighed looking pointedly at her. "She had a traumatic experience during the event, so it's best not to bring up bad memories."
"Hard not to when my mere presence does so." Sei sighed. Kazuto chuckled.
"Well then, just make sure to pop up around her a lot, so that she'll get used to it. Just don't stick around."
"That's kind of mean… Kazuto-niisan…" Chihou mumbled behind him.
"You'll have to get used to her eventually." Kazuto laughed. "Now come on. Maybe we can go shopping for those knives we talked about."
"Muuu… you don't go shopping with girls a lot, do you, Kazuto-niisan." Chihou dryly says.
"I don't, but I can imagine. Still, I prefer to use my money for things I'm willing to buy, not the eighteenth dress this month." Kazuto shrugged. "Besides, your fashion sense is better than mine, so I expect that you can figure out your own clothing."
"I already know we don't have that much money." Chihou grumbled, "Also, all the clothes I like are handmade by me so…"
"Oh yeah, you did mention you're the fashionable member of your trio?"
"We're all good at it." Chihou shrugged, "But when it was just us three, we usually separated it that way. Tenhou-neechan makes the songs and dance, since well… even though neechan is an airhead, or maybe because she's an airhead, she gets these amazing ideas…"
"Including the military book?" Kazuto slyly says.
"We were drunk," Chihou grumbled. "If we didn't get our success get in our heads, maybe we'd just be famous entertainers going around the empire. I don't even know how that book got us that far in the first place…"
"Is that so…?" Sei nodded, walking alongside the duo.
"You're staying, huh?"
"You spoke of knives, and I want to make sure none of you get hurt." Sei teased.
"A-anyway, I do the fashion stuff, while neechan is busy." Chihou says proudly, "Clothes are important for entertainers like us! If we look like we're just poor kids begging for scraps, then we wouldn't get much success, more sympathy."
"As long as no one thought you were selling your bodies, you should be fine." Kazuto sighed, as he glanced at Chihou's clothing. "I wouldn't want you hurt."
"It's fine…" Chihou sighed, "We never really stayed in one place once people started being that bad… We emphasized Tenhou-neechan as our leader to avoid that. With Tenhou-neechan, she just screams pure, you know?"
"No. No, I don't." Kazuto remarked. "Never met her."
"Y-yeah, well… that's why we tried to get the… fans to have weapons so that they can bat off anyone who tries to get us… well, that turned… well…"
"No kidding." Kazuto sighed. "I don't think any of you are that good at forward-thinking."
"When it comes to that, it's usually Renhou. She holds the purse of our group, not because we think she's the best at it, but because we both knew that we were bad at it. She made sure our group didn't starve. We always had enough…" Chihou's mood seems to go down a dark path, prompting Kazuto to just put his hand on her shoulder.
"We don't know if Sousou killed your sisters or not. The reports on the warlord make it seem that she's ruthless enough to do so, but… you can't give up hope. Not until you see the bodies."
"I… yeah. Of course."
"Now, this is your break time. And you dragged me with you. So let's go find a knife store so we can do everything else."
"I doubt you'll find anything for defending yourself in a public shop, milord," Sei remarked. "Isn't it better for us to just get Chouseihei-dono to get a few samples and let them choose at their leisure?"
"Fair point." Kazuto chuckled.
"Does that mean!?" Chihou's eyes sparkled.
"Yes. Lead the way." Kazuto nodded.
"Yay!" Chihou hopped towards another nearby store. "Hey, hey, can I buy that?" That being a food skewer.
"Go ahead." Kazuto nodded. "Just remember that my money is not infinite. The moment you want more that I can't pay for, it's your own money on the line."
"Stingy."
"You have more pocket money than I do," Kazuto says, amused. "I'm willing to pay, but I'm not going into debt for it." When Chihou said she'll pioneer the idol scene in the empire, she went for it. Therefore, she gets more money in an instant than any of them do, especially since everyone else works in what basically is a government office. Any money they get is generally for their people, rather than their own. They can skim some of it for themselves, but they generally don't and live frugally. Fortunately, most of the members aren't high-ranking noblemen and can perform just fine with a commoner's paycheck, plus some extra pocket cash that they use for their hobbies.
Touka spends most of her money sending to her mother, although she has since been forced by her mother to use it for herself. She has since taken to taking care of a personal horse of her own.
Aisha spends her pocket money caring for an orphanage for those whose parents were lost in the rebellion. Chihou also spends a bit of her own towards this, mostly out of guilt than anything.
Shuri and Hinari use them for books, generally for their own personal entertainment. Kazuto borrows some on occasion to practice his reading comprehension. The two of them seem to deliberately choose which to give him though.
Chihou spends her money on clothing options, for her idol activities. Usually cloth, sometimes ribbons.
Both Sei and Rinrin use theirs for food, Sei particularly for menma and sake, while Rinrin is just about any type of meat dish. Rinrin seems to use up more energy than normal, so she tends to eat out a lot.
Kazuto spends most of his money on treating the girls on their breaks, hence Chihou's request.
"Calm down, the skewer isn't going to run into Rinrin's mouth just yet."
"Can I have some too, milord?"
"No!" Chihou yelled, "Kazuto-niisan's money today is mine!"
"It's still mine, and I can still refuse to buy you things, Chihou-chan." Kazuto pointed out, "Also, Sei. You've just had some skewers. You were literally right there when we arrived. Don't hide those sticks and place them properly in a trash bin."
"Shame." Sei grinned. And so the three continued on their merry way, bickering and laughing.
Kazuto has since earned a new title, "Heavenly Stud-Horse", much to his dismay.
-()-
"Okay, I think it's time for us to actually talk about things that matter," Kazuto says, as he sat in his seat at the dining table. Today is one of the few days of the month that all of them could afford to sit at the same table. Kazuto, Touka, Aisha, Rinrin, Shuri, Hinari, Sei, Chihou. Two others were here, Chouseihei and Sosou.
Kazuto invited Chouseihei, Sosou, and Kouhei to join, but Kouhei declined since he wished to eat with his family.
"Kazuto-sama, please do not sidestep the issue. Chihou-sama's image of a pure maiden idol is at stake here." Sosou grumpily says.
"I go where I want." Chihou stuck her tongue out. "There's a reason why I don't call myself 'Everyone's Girlfriend' or something that silly."
"Enough." Kazuto wrapped his hand on the wooden desk. "I want to talk about Guardian Roles."
"O-oh!" Touka says, blinking. "I thought we were going to keep that hidden for a while?"
"Guardian roles?" Aisha asked, confused.
"Forgot already?" Kazuto asked, "he will gather his guardians. Remember? The prophecy from Kanrou?"
"A, ah!" Aisha nodded. "Sorry, it's been a few months since then…"
"But aren't we already guardians?" Rinrin asked, confused. "I mean, our job is to protect you two."
"Hawawa… can you go back to the part about a prophecy?" Shuri asked, a bit confused. "I know Kanro is well-known for her prophecies, and I know that there's one saying about the Heavenly Messenger bringing peace. But I don't really know the whole thing…"
"Neither do I." Hinari nodded.
"Basically, a messenger arrives from the heavens, clad in sky's flames, meets a descendant of the emperor, gathers his guardians, then brings peace to the land." Kazuto summarized. "I came here from out of nowhere. These three spotted a shooting star landing where I was found. Touka's descended from an emperor. Now I just need to gather guardians and bring peace to the land. Supposedly."
"Hawawa… I see… so that's why there's such a rumor about you…"
"Then the two of us heard that part and came here…" Hinari nodded.
"If you hadn't, we'd probably have gone to your house three times just to try and convince you to come to our side." Kazuto chuckled.
"That's… quite a lot." Shuri said, nodding.
"So… you said something about the roles of the guardians?"
Kazuto nodded, "Yep. You see there are six special positions in my family, called Guardians. Each has a specific role that they need to fill."
"And why did Touka-sama say that you were keeping it a secret?"
Kazuto shook his head, "it's not a secret. It's just that we didn't really have a lot of people at the time. We only had Aisha and Rinrin. But there's quite a lot of us now. So I think it's safe to explain the roles, now that we have the time."
"Are we giving the roles out now?" Touka asked.
"No. Not yet." Kazuto sighed. "We'll just tell them which role we think suits them best and go from there."
"Okay." Touka nodded.
"So… there are six roles for guardians, seven counting Sky. Each is named after a weather phenomenon." Kazuto says, everyone now looking interested.
"That's Rain, Storm, Sun, Cloud, Mist, and Lightning," Touka says. "It took me a while to remember all of them…" She admits sheepishly. "I still can't recite the roles from memory though…"
"Which is why I'll tell them now." Kazuto chuckled.
-()-
Rain: To become the blessed shower that settles conflict and washes everything away.
Storm: Continuously at the heart of the attack, the furious storm that never rests.
Sun: Destroying the misfortune that attacks the Famiglia with his own body, he becomes the Sun that brightly shines upon an area.
Cloud: To be the aloof, drifting Cloud that protects the Family from an independent standpoint, and whom nothing can ever bind.
Mist: Creating something from nothing, and nothing from something thus bewildering the enemy, to render the Famiglia's true form intangible with visions of deceit.
Lightning: To draw damage to himself and away from the rest of the Famiglia, serving as a lightning rod.
Sky: Rain, Storm, Sun, Cloud, Mist, and Lightning, he influences all of them. He understands and accepts all of them.
-()-
As Kazuto finished, everyone had faces ranging from amazed (Chihou), contemplative (Aisha, Shuri, and Hinari), and confused (most everyone else).
"… I don't like the Cloud Guardian role." Aisha says after a while.
"Eh?" Kazuto says, blinking in surprise at the declaration.
"Isn't that role basically not even a guardian?" Aisha asks, "Someone who remains in a distant position… how can someone like that serve as a guardian?"
"It's been part of my family for generations," Kazuto replied. "So, let's start with Aisha."
"Eh?"
"Aisha. Touka and I consider you for the Storm Guardian position." Kazuto looked at the surprised face of the girl, before continuing. "However, we are aware that you would fit the position of Sun Guardian as well, especially because you are starting to become something of an icon for our army."
"That's…" Aisha thought silently, looking at the rings that Kazuto had pulled out to demonstrate the different attributes.
"Think about it for now." Kazuto smiled. "You can decide whichever suits you better. Just so you know, the Storm Guardian is traditionally the right-hand of the Sky." There were obvious exceptions (Uncle Byakuran's Cloud serves more the role), but this was true for Vongola, at the very least.
"Th-that's!" Aisha looked surprised. "Then isn't that practically…"
"It's not a hard tradition," Kazuto warned. "It's been broken plenty enough times, with no repercussions. If anything, you're our right hand regardless of what ring you'll carry."
"Is it important for Aisha-chan to choose one?" Touka asked. "Don't flames come naturally? So, if Aisha wears the Storm Ring, if she lights it, won't that make it good enough?"
"Some people find it harder to light rings than others." Kazuto replied, "So there's no guarantee that that method will decide a person's position." There's also a theory that Skies mold the flames of their allies implicitly, turning them into the flames that suit the sky best. Because, frankly, how do the six roles given by the Vongola consistently produce flame users of that attribute? Personally, in Kazuto's opinion, it's likely personality-based. Uncle Hayato can use five different flames, all except Mist and Sky, and Kazuto can see Uncle Hayato filling any of the other four roles just as easily as Storm. But if he had been Mist, he'll probably do just fine with it, too. If Uncle Hibari was the Strongest Guardian, Uncle Hayato is the Super Guardian, capable of anything if he puts his mind to it. "At any rate, just consider it for now, especially once you hear Rinrin's considerations."
"Eh?" Rinrin asked. "What's Rinrin's?"
"We're considering you for Sun Guardian, but you could also be suitable for Storm Guardian," Touka replied.
"That's basically the same as Aneja!" Rinrin, said, surprised.
"Lightning is also possible," Kazuto added.
"So, I get three while Aisha gets two! That makes me better, right!?" Rinrin said excitedly.
"We considered Aisha for Cloud, but she's already made her case about it." Kazuto chuckled. Rinrin pouted.
"O-oh…" Aisha said, awkwardly. "I won't mind if that position goes to me too… at least the position would have someone loyal in it…"
"Aisha, you're the top candidate for Storm," Kazuto replies in a no-nonsense tone. "And if Rinrin shoots to the top for the position of Storm, you're Sun." Aisha had the decency to blush, trying hard to not smile.
"So now Shuri and Hinari…" Touka grimaced. The two looked up, noticing the frowning faces of the two.
"Sorry, I honestly don't know." Kazuto apologized to the two. "I can't see either of you fitting the roles of any of them… maybe Mist, but you aren't really illusionists so…"
"Th-that's fine." Hinari nodded, but she looked put out. Shuri, however, was contemplative.
"Kazuto-sama. What are we?" Shuri prompted.
"Eh?" Kazuto blinked. "Umm… you're our strategists."
"What are strategists?" Shuri started smiling.
"People who come up with plans for the army's direction?" Kazuto asked, trying to confirm.
"And what is the most common tool for strategists?"
"…" Kazuto was now confused. However, Hinari was able to catch up.
"Misdirection." Hinari nodded. "And the role of the Mist Guardian is…"
"To protect the family with visions of deceit." Shuri finished. "Isn't it suitable?"
"Huh…" Kazuto frowned. "Never thought of it that way… but you two are still not really combat roles… but if you learn to use Mist Flames, then you could potentially… ah, screw it. Alright, you convinced me." Kazuto grinned, "Shuri and Hinari, Mist Guardian Candidates."
"I guess the fact neither of us fights is what made you worried…" Shuri frowned.
"Yeah…" Kazuto sheepishly said, "Plus the smartest members of my family frequently didn't use flames at all. But if you two are sure you can accomplish the position of Mist Guardian, then I'll put you on reserve."
"But only one of us can be the Guardian…" Shuri frowned.
"My father has two," Kazuto remarked. "It's not the norm, and most people think only one of them is the Guardian, but dad considers both of them guardians." Hinari and Shuri nodded.
"So next is Chihou…"
"Lightning, Sun." Kazuto rattled off. "But again, non-combat role and I sort of want those two positions to be combat roles… since they are basically the vanguard of the family." Some consider Sun Flame users back row, all because their flames are suited to healing, but in the eyes of a Vongola Heir, Sun Flames are always, always up in your face. Reborn, Uncle Ryouhei, Uncle/Aunt Lussuria (he's still not sure, the person doesn't care enough to correct either designation and reacts the same to both)… all of them Sun Flame users, and none of them shy away from close-quarters combat, even Reborn, a sniper! The only Sun Flame user that Kazuto is aware of that doesn't go frontline is Uncle Shouichi.
"It's fine, Kazuto-niisan." Chihou smiled. "Besides, I have my mic! As long as I can serve as your idol, I don't mind!"
"Chihou-chan, you're supposed to be everyone's idol." Sosou sighed.
"It's fine~" Chihou nodded. "Besides, Guardians are supposed to be good at protecting the family, so they should be fighters. I get that much, at least." Seems Shuri and Hinari reacted to that, but Kazuto simply interrupted.
"Alright, if that's what you think Chihou, but for now, prospective Lightning… if you learn to beat people up by singing and dancing, and I've seen it done before, you're perfect." Kazuto finished. "Sei's still part of Kousonsan's army, but for fun, let's consider you as well. Is that alright, Sei?" Kazuto asked.
"Sure." Sei chuckled. "I'll even keep this little secret out of my reports to Hakukei-dono."
"Thanks." Kazuto says, grateful, "So I think you're good for Cloud, or Rain."
"Fair enough." Sei nodded. "Although, I think I'll enjoy Cloud more if it helps." Aisha's eyebrow twitched in response but says nothing.
"Chouseihei, Sosou, do you want us to consider you two?" Kazuto asked cautiously.
"We're merchants, milord." Chouseihei laughed. "Not to mention, I'm old enough to be your father. I'd rather not have to do something as tedious as that. The fact that my position as your mercantile officer keeps me from having to go to war as a soldier is more than enough for me."
"I… don't think it's good for me either." Sosou hesitantly says. "Merchant, and all that. Besides, I'm having fun just making merchandise for Chihou-chan."
"Is that so?" Kazuto laughed. "Well then, that's all I can think of right now, but you now know the criteria."
"They're all vague though…" Aisha muttered. "But when will you give us the positions officially?"
"When all six spots are filled," Kazuto replied. "Tentatively speaking, Storm is Aisha, Sun is Rinrin. Mist is now Shuri or Hinari, Lightning is Chihou. We're still missing a Rain candidate and a Cloud candidate."
"I suppose if I were to join you officially," Sei chuckled, "I'm basically guaranteed one spot."
"I guess that's all." Touka nodded. "Mou, Kazuto-kun, I didn't get to talk all that much…"
"Can't be helped." Kazuto shrugged his shoulders, "It's my family's tradition."
"Family's tradition? Does that mean…"
"Come hell or high water, all of you are now family." Kazuto smiled. "We might not be related by blood but take care of me."
"Same with us." Aisha smiled, "Did we not already swear it back then? Kazuto-sama, Touka-sama, you're our elder siblings."
"And now, we're drawing in everyone here." Touka smiled.
"Then, that makes Touka-sama, Touka-neesama, then?" Chihou asked, with a smile.
"You don't really need to change how you call us. Just do as you please." Touka laughed. "Besides, it'll be weird if Chouseihei-san were to call me neesan…" Touka seems to start imagining it, and a fearful expression came over her face. "Please don't… I don't want to feel that old just yet…" Touka turned teary-eyed to the merchant, who only barked out in laughter.
"Hohohoho, you're way too young to be making those sorts of jokes, Touka-sama." Everyone else only wryly smiled. "Oh, right!" Chouseihei coughed. "Speaking of, during one of my trips, I encountered a pair of unusual guests."
"Unusual?" Kazuto asked, wondering.
"Indeed." Chouseihei rubbed his beard. "Two girls, from the Joshuu area."
"Joshuu?" Aisha asked.
"Mmhmm. A spritely pair, those two. They asked me to help take them up here. The pair didn't seem to be the bad sort, so I allowed them in my wagon."
"A wagon?" Kazuto blankly asked, "Don't you usually use a carriage?"
"Ohoho. Allow me to finish, Lord Kazuto." Chouseihei chuckled, to which Kazuto was a bit embarrassed at his faux pas. "So I was moving around, looking for good horse trainers. Thought I'd get a bit of luck southwards since the good horse trainers up here are all under Kousonsan's wing." Naturally, Kousonsan pays better than they could and is closer to the capital. Why would they even consider leaving to join their territory? "I got a few that might be good, so I had my men recruit them. However, just as I was leaving, my son informed me of two girls who were serving under the area's lord who wish to leave his service and join up with us. Naturally, I saw no reason to decline. So, I took control of one of the wagons to observe the pair."
"I see. Thank you for that." Kazuto nodded. "So who are these two?"
"The young girls are Bijiku Shichuu and Bihou Shihou. An interesting sibling pair, both with bright personalities to match their hair."
"… Bijiku, and Bihou…" Mi Zhu… and Mi Fang. Mi Zhu was a retainer of Liu Bei, who was loyal to the end. Even blessed Liu Bei's marriage to his sister, Lady Mi. However… Mi Fang is… Kazuto looked at Aisha, whose body stiffened at the mention of the name.
"Do… do you know them, Aisha?" Kazuto cautiously asked.
"No. I do not." Aisha replied looking genuinely confused… "This is the first I've heard the two's names. Why do you ask, Kazuto-sama?"
"No reason, you looked… tenser than usual."
"A… am I?" Aisha asked, looking at her form. She didn't recognize anything wrong with herself, but it seems Kazuto noticed something she didn't.
"… Should I have not brought them here?" Chouseihei asked, concerned.
"No. It's fine… The Bi Clan… huh…" Kazuto murmured. "An influential merchant group in Joshuu."
"Indeed! I'm surprised you recognized the name so easily, Lord Kazuto." Chouseihei praised. "Yes, that is precisely why I allowed them with me. You've always been complaining about the lack of officials who have economic knowledge, so I thought the pair would do well for our cause."
"What do you know of them, Kazuto-kun?" Touka asked, worried. "You seem a bit… off."
"This is a similar situation as with Shuri and Hinari." Kazuto sighed. "Although Bijiku and Bihou join Ryuubi earlier than either Shokatsuryou or Houtou but still…"
"When were they supposed to join then?" Chihou asked, curious. She had been silent the entire time since she wasn't really sure what to say about the new recruits. All she could think of is the fact that they could be more useful than her.
Kazuto merely nodded, "Ryuubi is invited by the Lord of Joshuu to help defend it from… invaders." Kazuto replied, deliberately biting out any specific names. "Bijiku and Bihou were part of Joshuu's officials, thus met them. The Bi family pushed for Ryuubi to become the Lord of Joshuu after that. Also, Ryuubi marries Bijiku and Bihou's sister, who in the story is only known as Lady Bi."
"Married?" Touka asked.
"You're a male in the story, remember?"
"Oh, right."
"I see…" Aisha nodded. "And this Ryuubi eventually becomes the lord of Joshuu, with Bijiku and Bihou serving under him. Makes sense…"
"If they're joining us now, then that means something changed." Kazuto sighed. "Which is likely me."
"Probably." Aisha sighed.
"Rinrin thinks so too!"
"There's no reason it couldn't be, I suppose…" Shuri murmured, with Hinari nodding.
"Hey! So far we've been receiving positive changes!" Kazuto shot back at them. "And there's still the fact that most of you are girls! I'm not the only possible reason here!"
"So… what do you think, Lord Kazuto?" Chouseihei asked.
"… Let's give them a chance then." Kazuto nodded. "When they come to request our audience, presumably tomorrow, Aisha will screen them."
"Understood." Aisha nodded. "I won't let you down." A formal bow, as she smiled.
"Do your best, Storm Guardian Aisha!" Touka cheerfully said.
"She's still just the candidate though?" Kazuto said, amused.
"It's not as if we'll change our minds though?" Touka asked, confused. "It's not as if there's anyone more suited to the position than Aisha."
"Sure, but formalities and all that." Kazuto shrugged, "It's like the whole Volunteer Army situation. Or should I start calling your Lord of Joshuu?" Touka shook her head, and Kazuto wryly smiled.
"How does one officially become a Guardian?" Shuri asked.
"We'll work on the ceremony later. Basically, we give you your ring, then you make a vow along the lines of the role you are assigned to, and then you kiss our rings to swear fealty." Kazuto shrugged.
"Oh!" Touka said in surprise, as she looked at her own ring. "But why 'kissing the ring'?"
"It's just a method of showing fealty. Nothing fancy." Kazuto shrugged. He actually mostly just made that on the spot. The proper ceremony involves his father and inheriting the Treasures of Vongola. The lack of contact between himself and the Vongola does make it hard for them to do so. And besides, inheriting the treasures would also require him to become the Vongola Boss, so that's a long way away. Regardless, he is somewhat influenced by books he's read of Kings and Knights, so he just based it on that. Though he's not going to do the whole knighting ceremony.
"I see…" Aisha nodded.
"I promised to protect you already! I'm going to be the best Sun Guardian in the world!" Rinrin cheered.
"We… we'll do our best too!" Shuri nodded. Hinari nodded alongside her.
"I don't mind not being a guardian, but I'll still swear loyalty to you, Kazuto-niisan." Chihou smiled.
"As I said, you shouldn't be so quick to make these promises, Chihou-chan…" Sosou sighed.
"Finally got your tongue back?" Sei chuckled.
"Where exactly was I supposed to talk, huh? The only things that I've been doing the entire time are managing Chihou-chan's merchandise!"
"It's already a miracle that you were invited to this table in the first place, with that attitude." Sei sighed.
"Shut up, you drunkard! Don't you think I didn't see you pilfer a few more cups of sake than the rest of us!"
"This is rather fun, now, isn't it?" Touka asked Kazuto who could only shake his head with a laugh.
"Let's all do our best, okay! A toast to us all!" Kazuto raised his glass, and the others nodded with a cheer.
"""""""""OOOHHH!""""""""" All of them cheered in unison.
Nine glasses were raised. Two hands holding them had their rings shining brightly. In the box in the middle of the table, six rings shone. Among the hands in the air, four twitched, feeling empty despite not commonly wearing rings themselves.
Tomorrow, a new day begins. Those who live under Ryuubi's Flag are cheerful as usual.
-()-
The sky continues, it continues and continues, eventually stretching over even the horizon. But spread itself too thin, and it will collapse on itself. That's why the elements gather within, to fill the gaps that the sky misses.
Each and every part is important. As two skies are melding, their elements gather quickly. And one day, one day, each element will gain its purpose. The wind will become a storm. The vapor will become clouds, mist, and rain. The ray of sunshine will become a clear sky. The static will become lightning. The empty sky will become full of life.
And as it stretches across the horizon, may it never forget the path forward.
-()-
Chapter End
-()-
Chapter Release Date: August 17, 2019
Last Edited: June 7, 2022
-()-
Beta Reader: No one, at least, yet.
Next week, the chapter will be the start of a sort-of hiatus until I finish writing the entire Toutaku Arc. Basically, the next chapter's the end of this particular Halcyon Days Arc, and I'm going to be working on the Toutaku Arc. Why is that? Because if I suddenly realize I dislike the path the arc is taking in the middle of writing it, I'm just gonna hate myself for it. Like with KLLP. So writing in arcs is much better for my continued mental health. Toutaku Arc is a really big turning point for this series. Especially all these new characters that I'm already committed to working with. So, see you next week.