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.
-()-
Talking Guardians
-()-
"So umm… is Platina-chan doing alright?" Kazuto asked one day.
Tsuna looked up from his paperwork, grateful for a distraction."You mean Mukuro and Chrome's kid?"
"She was always sickly, so I was wondering. Aunt Chrome seemed worried so…"
"She's doing fine." Tsuna smiled "Still going in and out of the hospital, but less nowadays."
"Are you ever going to tell me what she's sick of? Maybe we could get Uncle Shamal to actually cure her?"
"Mukuro has stipulated that Shamal may only interact with her once Shamal has been castrated."
"… O… kay…" Kazuto winced. "So why is she so sick so much? Yoshiko has been mentioning going to the hospital to visit her often."
"Yeah, Yoshiko's been taking care of her. "Tsuna smiled, "I think she's planning on getting her as her Mist."
"Wait, what? But I'm the heir, right? Why is Yoshiko gathering Guardians?"
"Well… you're both heirs, and… your grandfather seems to have goaded her into gathering them. She just thinks of them as a special friend group. Shinta-kun, Ryoko-chan, and Lavi-chan are all part of it now."
"Shinta-kun, Ryoko-chan, and Lavi-chan huh… The children of the current generation's Guardians… But seriously, four already?" Kazuto complained. He still hasn't had one!
"Technically still three? Lavi-chan's her Cloud, Shinta-kun's her Sun, and Ryoko-chan's her Storm. Yoshiko hasn't gotten Platina-chan to approve yet."
"She already decided their roles so early?"
"Can't be helped. Papa dotes on her too much. I think she's trying to get Squalo's apprentice in as well, for her Rain."
"That makes her prepared for five people… Does she have a Lightning candidate yet?"
"Not yet." Tsuna chuckled. "But don't feel pressured, Kazuto. It's only fair that you get to choose your own Guardians. And it's not like I'll be retiring anytime soon." Tsuna rubbed the boy's head. "Just keep an open mind and an open heart. You'll find them."
Tsuna never pressured Kazuto to gather Guardians. It's always had been Reborn, or everyone else. But because Tsuna never gave a hard deadline for him to follow, he has been leisurely waiting. Even as pressure increases, with Yoshiko's Guardian Candidates lining up nicely, he saw no reason to rush. He didn't want guardians gained due to his father's relations. No. He wants guardians that whom he formed a connection himself. It is a shame that his best friends are all Mafia Heirs, and thus ineligible, but it can't be helped.
He'll just keep waiting. Praying. That the one who arrives at his doorstep is someone he'll be willing to entrust his life to.
As a side note: He forgot to ask about Platina's condition till much, much later. To Aunt Chrome.
-()-
Ryofu is charging. On an ordinary battlefield, that in itself would be scary. The commander camp of the Anti-Toutaku Alliance is in front of her. If she can reach Ryuubi Gentoku or Hongou Kazuto, it's her win. So all she needs to do is to rush in. Chouryou is coordinating her forces to attack alongside Ryofu This would've been a stupid idea normally, but…
Shuri breathed calmly. She raised her fan. Lighting it aflame still took too much concentration for a proper field battle, so it remained unlit. She had no need for her crossbow right now, so it was being held by her guard. She predicted as much as she can, using the information she has gathered from Ryofu and Chouryou. And unlike the capital, she knows enough of those two to make predictions. All the soldiers beneath her will follow her orders. This couldn't have been done before. But with both Kanhyoku and Sousou's forces, she should be able to accomplish this. It's just something that is in theory. A method… to deny enemies.
"Follow my lead!" Shuri yelled, from her place on her horse. She had asked Aisha to have their roles changed for this fight. Shuri will not direct the forces this time. Instead, it will be Aisha. And instead of Rinrin leading the charge, it will be Shuri herself. Both of them agreed to a defensive strategy, and so…
Shuri began coordinating the forces as she usually does. And the forces complied. And her soldiers formed a wall that Ryofu found difficult to charge through.
Ougi: Kimon Tonkou no Jin
A technique she devised in theory. The method of divination is to learn and predict the enemy army's movements. And, as long as she tells no one how, imitation is impossible. With this, she secured a defensive victory today. Everything's going well.
-()-
"Impressive planning, Koumei. I can see why you're a student of that Suikyou. Despite Ryofu's charge, you're managing to deny her at every turn. Taking the General role is certainly a precarious tactic for the main strategist of this coalition, but you manage it flawlessly."
"I thank you for your words, Sousou-san." Shuri politely replied as the forces of the Coalition retreated for today. In turn, the forces of Toutaku did not pursue them. "Umm… why is Jun'iku-san looking at me like that?"
"You! How did you pull that stunt off!? I was here and I couldn't make heads or tails of what you've done! Twice, I've seen you do this!" Jun'iku barked. "How did Ryofu do exactly as you expected her to!?"
"That's my secret as a strategist." Shuri firmly replied.
"Stop making threatening faces, Keifa. You're my strategist. That won't change, even if Koumei were to join us." Sousou scolded. "Although your marksmanship could do with a bit more work, Koumei."
"Hawawa… I already know that…" Shuri muttered under her breath. "You don't really need to point it out…"
Sousou continued, "Why don't you talk to Shuuran? A crossbow may be a bit different compared to a normal bow, but she should be able to help out."
"That might be a good idea to take, Koumei-dono." Choukou Shungai said as she joined the conversation, "If you were to learn how to aim along with the best of the generals, you'll be formidable!"
"Are you done trying to entice Shuri to your side?" Kazuto interrupted, walking over to them. "I'd like to go back soon. I need a debriefing on how Ryofu and Chouryou fought. And since Shuri's head general…"
"Understood!" Shuri moved to his side.
"Are you two lovers?" Jun'iku asked, accusingly. "Because she's wasted on such an ugly man. Her intelligence would serve more purpose under Karin-sama."
Kazuto balefully looked at her. "That's nice. In the meantime, we're going on ahead." Kazuto and Shuri began pacing quicker than the others, to return to where the Ryuubi Camp is.
"… How rude!" Jun'iku said, affronted. "This is why men are…" Sousou merely raised her hand to calm all of her subordinates.
Sonken Chuubou, who was nearby, a bit apart from the Sousou camp, quietly looked at them. She turned to her side, to see Kannei Kouha next to her. Her adjutant remains steadfast and quiet in place. Kannei is a recent member, having joined a bit after the Yellow Turban Rebellion after she managed to somehow win against the former pirate. Ever since she's been a loyal compatriot.
Sonken smiled softly at her before turning to the one riding a bit ahead of her.
"Bachou-san."
"Yeah, Chuubou-san?" Bachou asked, slowing her horse down, to allow Chuubou to come after her.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Jun'iku the first one to be rude in that conversation?"
"Of course she was." Bachou shrugged. "Well, Hongou was a bit too casual to Sousou, so Jun'iku's reaction is a bit understandable. Just a bit."
"Good to know that I'm not the one whose court manners are lacking." Chuubou sighed, "How long do you think this battle against Ryofu will last? The capital is just beyond this gate. If we can just secure this keep, we've practically won."
"It's been nearly ten days." Bachou grimaced. "Koumei's still waiting for something."
"We'll run out of food first." Chuubou argued, "Even Enjutsu's coffers won't last that long."
"Maybe. But hey, I'm just a soldier. I don't have much leeway to just decide things."
"You're the heiress. You should be aware of these things." Chuubou remarked.
"Maybe. But I think you're being too worried." Bachou laughed. "Come on, we need to prepare for tomorrow. And you heard the guy. He's gonna get a debriefing from Koumei. If we hurry, we might be able to listen in."
"Alright." Sonken sighed. That is one of the perks of being placed in the commander's camp. They'll be able to listen in on any planning sessions that the commanders are conducting, with little repercussion. As long as they avoid their private quarters, of course.
-()-
"Ryo-chii… This is getting exhausting… How many times do we beat them back for them to get the point?" Chouryou Bun'en sighed.
"You didn't even manage to make a dent in their forces." A smaller voice standing next to Ryofu remarked.
"Chinkyuu~ How mean! We're doing our best here! Besides, you're the strategist, why are you not directing?"
"I'm busy too!" Chinkyuu scoffed, "There have been annoying people trying to barge in whenever Ren-sama is out!"
"Ah, the Enshou army… They've been doing their best to try and get in, aren't they?"
"They're such a big army and it's annoying," Chinkyuu grumbled. "If they weren't there, I'm sure Ren-sama would've already gone in and annihilated the Commander!"
"I suppose so. What are those lords thinking, dangling the commander in our face? Is it some sort of trap?" Chouryou sighed.
"… Probably." Ryofu replied.
"… Good point." Chouryou sighed. "So, now what? Do we just keep this cycle up? If it comes to supplies, it's us that's gonna lose out, you know?"
"… Charge."
"Eh?"
"Fight the Commander. Charge."
"Woah, woah, woah! You just said that this is probably a trap! Are you saying we abandon the keep for a chance to take the head of the commander?"
Ryofu nodded.
"… What do you think, Chin-chii?"
"Don't call me that!" Chinkyuu hissed. "That's just! Ugh!"
"Okay, okay. Kouchan."
"… If that's a dig at my age, I'll kick you." At Chouryou's non-committal shrug, Chinkyuu sighed and simply nodded, "Ren-sama is strong! Before this keep falls, she'll be able to defeat the Commander, then come back to beat the rest!"
"… Do I come with or do you leave me on keep duty?"
"Come."
"Okay, okay. Fine, I'll keep the other armies' officers busy."
"Un."
"Well, then. Tomorrow's the last day of this battle for us. We either lose valiantly, or we win and end it all here."
"You act as if we could lose with Ren-sama on our side!" Chinkyuu scoffed. Both Chinkyuu and Chouryou left the balcony, leaving Ryofu to stare at the sky.
"Ah, Ryofu-dono, I have news from the capital. I was sent here by Kaku-sama to aid your group." Ryofu balefully looked at the new arrival. Staring directly at the enemy's eyes, a sandy sheen glowed eerily through, "You see, I'm a sorcerer, Eunu-GUUHHH!"
The man died instantly, as Houtengeki returned to its steady position at Ryofu's side, blood dripping onto the floor. "… Liar. Not Ei."
"Ren-sama, aren't you co- W-w-w-what happened here!?" Chinkyuu exclaimed.
"Liar," Ryofu responded.
"… Well… he's not a soldier… I guess we can chalk it up to someone trying to interfere with us… I'll have to call someone to bury him in secret… Uuuuuuuu… But it's fine since I'm Ren-sama's strategist!" Chinkyuu smiled.
Ryofu nodded, before only looking at the sky. She blinked a bit as she watched the clouds pass by and the first stars peeking out of the afternoon, "… Sky. Pretty."
-()-
"Are we close, Shuri?" Kazuto asked. "I'm worried about our supply growing thin…"
Shuri smiled before shaking her head, "I checked Enjutsu-san's supplies with her main general, Choukun-san. There's enough for a few months, even without resupplying. We're barely into the first month. To be honest, our win against Kayuu that day was more of a fluke in comparison. Calm down. Campaigns can last as long as a few months to years. We have plenty of time. However, it should be soon."
"Is that so? I guess we need to rearrange ourselves a bit then." Kazuto nodded, "Is something the matter, Chuubou-san?" Kazuto asked, seeing Chuubou's reaction to their conversation. It was subtle, and Kazuto couldn't really tell what her reaction actually was.
"N-nothing," Chuubou replied. Bachou laughed.
"Sorry. Chuubou-san was worried about the exact same thing earlier."
"Bachou-san!" Chuubou complained, before turning to Kazuto. "S-sorry… I suppose I got a bit spoiled with how quickly we beat Kayuu…"
"Ryofu is not as reckless as Kayuu," Kazuto remarked. "Expecting them to act the same is a dangerous mindset. It's like assuming your sister would act the exact same way as your mother when leading her army."
"… I suppose. Although that's a bad example." Chuubou chuckled, "My sister emulates my mother a lot."
"Emulating someone doesn't make them that someone," Kazuto replied. He should know. Reborn has scolded him plenty of times for copying his father and his guardians. "Your mother is honed by experience so she has more leeway in going a bit off the script. Remember. Despite everything, your mother managed to get your army out intact."
"With your help." Chuubou pointed out.
"Are you saying she couldn't have done so without us? High praise, but I doubt that." Kazuto laughed. "Although I guess intact is stretching it?"
"Mother seems convinced that her wound on her arm is not as serious as it looks." Chuubou told him, "Although, you seem to view Mother in quite high praise yourself."
"Maybe you should ask your mother what she would have done if we had not come to help," Kazuto replied. "You might learn something." Kazuto hummed. "There's a reason why she was not slumped on her horse or being carried out the battlefield before we arrived."
Chuubou looked surprised. "Uhh… and what reason would that be?"
"As I said, ask her. I only have theories." Kazuto shook his head.
"Kazuto-kun~ Are you done?" Touka's voice cheerfully called in from outside the tent.
"Not much. Was waiting for you three." Kazuto welcomed the new arrivals. "Although Sei's not here, huh?"
"We left her to supervise the army." Aisha nodded, taking her seat to Kazuto's right. Touka took her place on his left. Rinrin took the seat next to Touka, pouting at Aisha. "So what are we discussing?"
"Ryofu," Kazuto replied. "Aisha, Rinrin, Bachou, all three of you saw how Ryofu fought, twice now. How do you judge her?"
"… Strong." Aisha winced.
"Yeah." Rinrin grumbled, "Rinrin will take your rule seriously. No fighting Ryofu in a duel."
"Same here." Bachou winced. "She's both strong and skilled. The way she swings that halberd… she makes it look easy."
"I never planned on letting any of you do so in the first place. The question is, how many do you need to match her? How many generals do I have to pull out just to fight her? And how confident are you to win that fight?"
"I believe Rinrin and myself would be enough." Aisha replied. "Bachou-san and Sei should be able to substitute for us in the meanwhile."
"You don't need Sei?" Kazuto confirmed. Factoring in the fact that she has no horse, maybe that would be the case. In the novel, it took the three brothers to do so, but if Kan'u believes so then he supposes he could allow it…
"I know how Rinrin fights by heart and she, in turn, knows me. Sei is… also skilled, but I doubt she'll be able to match both of our paces. Maybe one of us, but both is hard." Aisha confirmed.
"It'll be hard to win, but Rinrin just needs to delay her, right?" Rinrin asked. "It's boring, but it'll be fine, niichan! We won't lose."
Kazuto nodded, "Then… Bachou-san, can we count on you to lead the vanguard?"
"Sure, no problem." Bachou nodded. "The kid can do it, so I'm sure it'll be fine."
"What did you say!?" Rinrin raised her voice, glaring at the older girl, "It's not that easy!"
"Now, now. Calm down, everyone." Touka smiled. "But what about Chuubou-san?"
Sonken straightened her back before, "I believe I'll be suited to protecting you two this time. Since Bachou-san is going to be in the frontlines, it should be fine if I were to take the protector role."
"Oh yeah, that's a thing." Bachou nodded. "I'm counting on you then, Chuubou-san!"
"Yeah." Sonken nodded. Then she hesitantly looked out to the entrance of the tent. "What's the plan for Bun'en?"
"Sousou's group should be able to at least keep her out. Sousou has some strong generals as well, after all."
"Now that you mention it, most of the soldiers were following Bun'en-san instead of Ryofu-san, right?" Touka pointed out. Kazuto nodded.
"That's true." Aisha nodded, "It looked more like Chouryou is just following Ryofu's lead, and the soldiers following her lead."
"Good point." Kazuto nodded, "Then… if, upon separating the two, Chouryou winds up with the majority of the army at her side… I'll have Kanhyoku's forces, led by Choukou to help out the Sousou Army."
"Then, the other armies, led by Enshou, will then try and take the keep." Sonken finished.
"I believe that's everything for now." Shuri finished. "Bachou-san, Sonken-san, thank you for being here."
"No, no. Thanks for letting us in." Bachou chuckled. "Although, why is Kanhyoku or Sousou not here?"
"Kanhyoku-chan… is taking care of Hanhou. Choukou-san is organizing the Kanhyoku forces. As for Sousou…" Touka's eye twitched at the mention, but her smile did not waver. "She's welcome to come. But I'm not inviting her."
"She essentially rejected coming anyway." Kazuto yawned. "I directly stated that Shuri and I are going to have a debriefing session and she did not come with, so…"
"You didn't explicitly invite her though?" Sonken thought back.
"Do we have to?" Kazuto asked. "There's no reason why Sousou didn't just come with us in the first place if she wanted to come. It's not like we invited you two either, but we most certainly appreciate your input."
"You did say it was our privilege as part of the commander camp." Chuubou nodded. "But that doesn't really explain why you are rather dismissive of them."
Kazuto just smiled in amusement, "Let's say Sousou's group and our group have some bad blood between us. We don't hate each other, but something about her really rubs us the wrong way."
"To be honest, it's her officers that really give us trouble. It takes everything for us to remain cordial with them." Aisha sighed. "The amount of times I've had to hear Kakouton insult Kazuto-sama and Touka-sama while praising Sousou is… Let's just say, infuriating."
"Jun'iku-san too." Shuri sighed. "She's not exactly subtle whenever she insults Kazuto-sama." Kazuto shrugged. Her misandry was never a problem for him, so he basically ignores it.
"We're fine with them, but we do not have to like them," Touka replied.
"Yeah, that little girl in their group is just as annoying! Even though she's so weak, she keeps acting like she's stronger than me." Rinrin said, affronted.
"… More conflict between our groups? Who's next? Sei?" Kazuto sighed. "Which one is this one, Rinrin?"
"Don't remember her name. She's just a weakling." Rinrin dismissed. Kazuto sighed.
"Great… hopefully, no one from our side is doing the actual antagonizing… right, Rinrin?"
"That's right. Play nice, Rinrin~"
"Even if we don't like them, we shouldn't act too mean to them, alright, Rinrin?"
"Ah! Now the three of you are just picking on Rinrin!" Rinrin pouted at her sworn siblings, simply returning her accusation with wider smiles. Everyone else simply laughed.
"Just tell me which of Sousou's group you quarrel with, next we see them." Kazuto smiled.
"We'll put you as far from her as possible," Touka promised.
"Well then, it seems we're devolving into small talk. We'll take our leave." Chuubou smiled politely, standing up from her seat.
"Eh? Oh, right, sure. I guess I'll go to my father's camp for a bit." Bachou stretched. The two soon left the tent. Silence covered the group before…
Sei poked her head in the tent, "No one's left. Sousou didn't even come knocking."
"Great. So, I guess we're discussing this now." Kazuto sighed, turning to Shuri. "Okay, I've seen it twice now from you, but what was that?"
"I… uh…" Shuri poked her fingers together. "It's just something I learned to do."
"… You learned. To use fortune-telling. And information on the enemy general. To predict exactly how to maneuver your forces. To basically reject the enemy's advance." Kazuto blinked. "I don't know what to say anymore. Can other strategists do this too?"
"None that I know of." Shuri shook her head. "It's one of the few things that I devised for myself. I don't know how well it would work if I had taught it to Hinari-chan or Genchoku-chan."
"… One of the premier strategists of the era indeed." Kazuto muttered as he rubbed the girl's head for a bit.
"Hawawa… Umm, Hinari's is just as good, though! While I didn't teach it to her, I'm sure she is–"
"I know. I know." Kazuto rubbed the girl's head again. "Hinari-will get her chance next time."
"Sei-chan, is everything clear now?" Touka asked.
"Hmm? All clear~" Good, that means no one should be coming near the main tent for a while.
"What did I say about the wine?" Kazuto-asked.
"I'm not drinking any." Sei voiced out, slightly offended by the accusation.
"So, training time?" Shuri wondered as she looked at her ring.
"I guess so."
"I'll go get us some food before we start if that's fine with you." Kazuto stretched. "It's good that Sonken-san and Bachou-san left before now, but I'd rather at least have something to eat before we go."
"Ooh, sounds good!" Rinrin nodded, "Thanks niichan!"
"I guess, I do have something I need to talk about with the others," Touka said, gesturing to the other girls.
"… does it have anything to do with me?" Kazuto asked warily, his eyes looking straight at her.
"N… no?"
"Liar." Kazuto sighed. "Fine. Have your girls' talk. Although now I feel like I'll regret it if I don't know what's going to happen." Kazuto started leaving, "Coming Sei?"
"I'll stay here~, Have fun!"
"This is why I want a male member of our circle… At least then I don't have to feel left out. Wait, who exactly will carry the food back with me!?"
As soon as Kazuto left, Touka looked at the rest.
"I want to talk about something."
-()-
"Not for the last time, I wish there were more males near me." Kazuto was still complaining by the time he left carrying his own food. He had a few soldiers go ahead and send his friends their own meals to the tent ahead of him, but he's going to take a bit of time on his own. After all, just outside he saw a girl waiting patiently. Someone he wanted to talk to.
"Trouble in paradise already, Hongou?"
"Hello, Sousou, and no, I won't give you Aisha or Shuri."
Sousou laughed, carrying a bowl of food, "I'll give you some of my finest men?"
"Your finest men still pale in comparison to both of them, no matter how many you give me." He replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "As much as I miss having close male friends, I'm not desperate enough to pawn off anyone I like. And neither are you, for that matter."
"Fair enough." Sousou nodded, an equally amused smile on her face. "Then what about the secrets to your sorcery?"
"Hmm? Hang around me long enough, maybe you'll figure it out." Kazuto shrugged. "It's not a big secret that I'm hiding. I just won't teach outsiders." Theoretically, if she follows him back, then she'll get a glimpse of the training, but he'll keep that to himself.
"A shame." Sousou sighed. "And what if the emperor asks to learn?"
"Would the emperor even ask? Sorcery is not so easy to learn, and the emperor will be busy enough as is, just maintaining this fragile empire."
"I see." Sousou nodded.
"Why didn't you come to the debriefing?"
"I didn't need to." Sousou shrugged. "The plan continues until Ryofu gets impatient enough to get reckless, correct?"
"Fair enough." Kazuto nodded. "Nothing particularly noteworthy was talked about, although Shuri seems to think that Ryofu would be prepared to attack soon." Why? Kazuto doesn't know. But Shuri isn't a mindreader nor does she have some future-seer ability. So she must have deduced so from the actions of Ryofu. This is the main reason why she took the role of lead for the past skirmishes with Ryofu, to be able to see for herself exactly how Ryofu acted.
"I see," Sousou smirked. "I'll be prepared then. Thanks for the information." Kazuto nodded, as he began moving, but, "Wait." Sousou raised her voice again, "What did your group do with Chouhou's magic tool?"
Kazuto discretely looked at her face, before shrugging. "Left it at home. We saw no purpose in bringing it with us."
"Hoh? But according to the report, Ryuubi used it. Why did you not bring it if it's usable?"
"Amplifying sound is a great trick, but in the end, that's all there is to it." Kazuto sighed.
"Hoh, you didn't deny you used it?"
"That's what the report said, right? I don't see a reason to deny something already in an official report." His reply was said in a nonchalant voice, but his mind was racing. Is this a chance? "What about you? What happened to Choukaku and Chouryou?"
"Their magic tools?" Sousou asked, "They were useless to me so I stored them away. I don't have the means to make use of them. At least yet." Sousou sharply looked at him, "So how did you use it?"
She lied, Kazuto observed. Specifically when she said that she stored them away. In other words, she does not consider what she did as storing them away. So she was making use of them somehow, even though she wasn't lying when she said they were useless to her. So he asked his next question carefully, "How do you think we did?" Kazuto asked. "Did you not ask Choukaku and Chouryou?"
"We slew them long before that." Sousou shrugged. Lie. She doesn't have any obvious tells but they were there. And her clothes aren't exactly loose enough to hide them.
"I never did get the full story about that." Kazuto hummed. "Did you defeat Choukaku and Chouryou separately or were they together when you defeated them?"
"Oh?" Sousou hummed. "My army found Choukaku's army first. However, she managed to escape and join up with Chouryou. That's when we killed both."
Kazuto nodded shallowly. Did Sousou lie? Kazuto is uncertain. There was no sensation of a lie, but he can tell Sousou is avoiding something. She had something to hide. And there's a keyword there. She. Sousou knew that Choukaku and Chouryou are females. Yet she doesn't call out the fact that Chouhou was reported as a male. Furthermore, the "Chouhou" that they produced is clearly older than Chihou, and Chihou claimed that Choukaku was around Touka's age, maybe a bit older. Therefore…
"Is that so…" Kazuto nodded. "Choukaku must be pretty skilled to escape from your group."
"I suppose so." Sousou laughed. A small smile appeared on his face, as he caught her evasion. Sousou didn't think so. So… she allowed Choukaku to escape, then.
Kazuto nodded, "Well then, let's split up here before your overprotective subordinates find us."
"Chouhou's alive, isn't she?" Sousou said as Kazuto's back was turned.
It took everything in Kazuto to not react strongly. So. Just like he was observing her, she was observing him as well. Kazuto admits that his body language is not the best. Still, he needs to respond. "Chouhou is dead," Kazuto replied. Before hesitatingly adding, "The only one left is the young minstrel slave in his service, Chihou." Time to make or break. This is his chance. To reunite the Chou Siblings. It's a risk. And would be dangerous.
"… I see. That makes sense." Sousou nodded. "And what conditions are you willing to impart to allow this… minstrel to leave your service and come to my side?"
She wants her. Not to kill. Good. "Same conditions as before. If she chooses to go with you, she'll go with you." Kazuto shrugged. "However…" Kazuto glared at her, "If she does… she is to be treated as a vassal. Not a slave. And she must be allowed to leave your service whenever she wants with no consequence."
"That's more requirements than you did for Kan'u and Koumei." Sousou chuckled, "You enjoy her company?" An accusation.
Reply evenly. Do not show weakness. Reborn's words echoed in his mind. Negotiations are his main battlefield, so he should know this by heart."I do, but not for the reasons you are implying," Kazuto replied. "And the reasoning for the requirements are different. The reason why I did not give those requirements for Kan'u and Koumei is that they are military personnel. If they join you, they'll be privy to certain organization secrets. Probably not top-secret ones, but I cannot hold anything against you for refusing to allow a general and an advisor to leave your group freely. However, Chihou is, for all intents and purposes, a civilian. She has no need for your organization's secrets. She has no inherent skills that will aid you in military and political matters."
"I see. You're right, I suppose." Sousou chuckled. "But you underestimate her value. Regardless, I refuse. Either she joins me for life, or she leaves in death."
Kazuto breathed slowly, something bubbling inside of him that he is thoroughly suppressing. Before patiently looking at her, "… So this is why Touka doesn't like you."
"Hmm?" Sousou said, surprised.
"Never mind. Then I guess we're at a standstill."
"And if I were to raise that Chouhou's status is a lie?" Sousou asked.
"What lie? I personally slew Chouhou with my own blade." Kazuto replied. "He claimed himself to be Chouhou and the remnants of the rebellion agreed with him."
Sousou scowled, "Don't make fun of me. You know full well that Chouhou is-"
"Is what?" Kazuto stared at her. "Yuushuu suffered under Chouhou's army. Why would I allow Chouhou to survive? The leader of that bandit troupe pretended to be noble revolutionaries, who killed innocents and pillaged villages. No matter what, Chouhou had to die. For the peace of mind of those whose lives were ruined. Do not say something so borderline heretical like 'Chouhou lives on'."
Sousou stared back at him, before smirking. "You'll owe me, for keeping your secret."
"I owe you nothing." Kazuto shot back. "Choukaku and Chouryou are not dead nor are they your vassals. They're your indentured servants. You, for lack of a better term, enslaved them as war criminals, and are using their lives as the collateral."
Sousou sharply looked at him, "I did not think their activities would go to such a remote location as your territory. Nor that…"
"So you did not deny it." Kazuto laughed derisively, "Even though it was all conjecture on my part." Yeah, he had no evidence other than her words.
Sousou could only stare at him before laughing. "… It seems… your mind is just as valuable as your ability." Sousou smirked. "A shame that you're a rival though, otherwise I would've loved to recruit you."
"Truly a shame." Kazuto nodded. "Will Chihou be allowed to meet Choukaku and Chouryou, who are the last known people to have seen her siblings?"
"… I'll allow her to visit once. Only once." Sousou nodded, "After that, the minstrel will not be able to meet them again unless she joins me."
"I'll pass on the message." Kazuto nodded.
"Then you better not die before then, Coalition Commander." Sousou laughed.
"Sounds like a challenge," Kazuto replied.
"You know that this empire is reaching its end, right? You said it yourself. 'This empire is fragile as it is.'"
"Whether it does or doesn't, is not my problem. All that matters to me is that the people survive."
"That's a funny statement, coming from a warlord." Sousou nodded, before walking away.
Kazuto sighed, as Sousou made her way back to camp. He too turned to leave. His food had gone cold for a while now.
-()-
"You took a while." Touka pouted as she saw Kazuto enter the tent. They were already halfway through their meal, as he plopped onto his seat. He pulled out his sword, lit it on fire, and laid it on top of the bowl with his food.
"Kazuto-sama, what were you doing while we waited?" Aisha asked. "If you just needed help, Rinrin would've gladly aided you."
"That's right! Rinrin could've carried all the food!"
"Chihou's sisters are alive," Kazuto replied, as he removed his sword and began eating his food. Ordinarily, Kazuto would've made a retort here, probably something along the lines of Rinrin eating it all before it reaches the tent, but it simply didn't feel right, right now.
"Th-that's wonderful!" Touka said, her eyes shining, "Where are they?"
"They're with Sousou-san," Shuri noted. "Otherwise, there will be no way you found out here in the coalition."
"Are they here?" Rinrin asked.
"No. Of course not. Otherwise, we would've seen them over the past ten days." Kazuto sighed. "No. Sousou cornered me about Chihou, so I accused her of the same thing."
"So she found out…" Touka grimaced. "Even though we did so much to hide it…"
"She has enough clues to figure it out in the first place. Since her sisters are alive and in her service, she knows who Chihou is."
"Are we in danger, then?" Sei asked.
"The eldest sister is more damning than the middle one. Even the younger sister, who is known to be more cunning than the other two, would be more damning than the middle sister. And she has both." Kazuto scoffed. "Any accusation she levees against us, we can levee at her with interest. She'll keep our secret, if only because of that."
"Then? What?" Aisha asked, worried. "What else did she say? I doubt it ended there."
"Sousou promised to allow Chihou to meet them once. However, she won't be able to meet them again if she doesn't join them."
"She's holding them hostage," Aisha growled.
"I tried to get Sousou to agree to let Chihou be free to leave her whenever she wants, but Sousou refused. We weren't able to resolve that dispute." Kazuto sighed. "And the worst part is that I can't twist her arm to grant her any rights. Not only that but I already confirmed that Chihou's sisters are basically Sousou's slaves. If Chihou joins them…"
"There's no way to guarantee that Chihou-san's future would be safe." Shuri sighed.
Granted, none of them are aware of how Sousou treats her slaves, but it doesn't sound good for Chihou, who is currently free to do as she pleases, to drop to the level of a slave.
"What should we do?" Touka asked.
Now that's the question, isn't it? They could retaliate. They could stage a rescue. They could do all sorts of things, but, in the end, the best course of action is…
"… Nothing." Kazuto sighed. "This is Chihou's choice. She can go whenever she wants. I can't stop her."
"But you don't want her to go, right?"
"Of course not." Kazuto grimaced. "The same way I don't want any of you to go. I don't want to let go of anyone." Just imagining Chihou leaving hurts him. Not wanting to let go. That feeling of possessiveness that he has developed over the past few months, toward the people that he cared about. He wanted to spoil them a bit, to take care of them, which is why he dedicates so much of his own free time to them. He would never want anyone to leave his side.
"Then just tell Chihou to stay," Shuri said. "I think… Chihou would be happy to stay if you told her to do so."
"I refuse," Kazuto replied. "I won't entrap Chihou for my own selfishness. The same way I let you and Aisha choose your path, I'll give Chihou the same option." No matter how much he hates it. Because he is Chihou's friend. And what he wants is, "I want Chihou to be happy. To make choices that she won't regret."
"You give us too many chances." Shuri sighed. "It makes us think that we're replaceable."
"I will never, ever, want any of you to leave me." Kazuto laughed painfully. "But I have no right to your freedom."
"Then, we're free to choose to stay." Aisha nodded. "Besides," Aisha grimaced, "I believe that being with Sousou would just suffocate me."
"Then again, I'm not letting go of any of you the moment you become proper Guardians." Kazuto cheerfully added. "So these days will be the last chances you have."
"As far as I'm concerned, I'm already your Storm Guardian." Aisha bowed. "I now only await the time that the other two guardian candidates are chosen, to make it official. I won't leave you."
"Ah, Rinrin too! Rinrin's your Sun Guardian!" Rinrin cheered.
"I, Shokatsuryou Koumei, pledge to serve faithfully as your Mist Guardian." Shuri smiled. "I've already decided to stay at your side. You will not be able to shake us off. We've made our choice, so please take care of us."
"I suppose that makes me Rain Guardian, then?" Sei chuckled. "So, speaking of guardians… are you going to start the session yet?"
"Right, we only have a couple of hours, before we need to get some sleep" Kazuto chuckled. "So where were we at?"
-()-
Kazuto hummed as he finally dropped from his hovering status, as his shoes disappeared into its box. After the first few minutes, the others were more or less fine with just practicing on their own. Rinrin even left the tent to train on her own outside.
"Kazuto-kun~ Look, look!" Touka cheered from her place as she waved a flaming sword. "I did it!"
"Didn't you already do it during the fight with the sorcerer?" Kazuto dryly asked.
"That's different!" Touka frowned.
"Right, good job, Touka." Kazuto nodded.
"Ehehehe~"
"So what did you and the others talk about when I was gone?"
"Nope. Not telling."
"A shame." Kazuto sighed. "But it definitely has something to do with me."
"N-no?"
"You suck at lying." Kazuto laughed. Kazuto then walked to the second-longest student in the room.
"Well, Shuri?" Shuri looked up from her fan, which was now lit up. It went out with a wave before Shuri lit it once more.
"I think I got it." Shuri smiled.
"Good, that means it's time for you to start actually using the flames." Kazuto chuckled.
"Eh?"
"What? Did you think your flames are just that, flames? I said that Mist Guardians are usually illusionists, remember?"
"Y-you mean!" Shuri looked at the flames on her fan before turning back.
"I mean you could light things on fire with it." Kazuto shrugged, "But the most important characteristic of Mist Flames is its nature for 'Creation'. Simply put? It allows a person to make any object they shape with their flame be real."
"Our flames can do that?"
"The same way that sorcerer back then can manipulate plant life," Kazuto replied.
"What about us?" Touka asked from the side. "What can Sky Flames do?"
"It's this vaguely defined term called 'Harmony'," Kazuto replied, with a sigh. "The other flames are much more obvious with what they can do."
"… So you don't know?"
"I know general characteristics, but I don't know how to simplify them."
"Try?" Touka asked.
"Simply put? It represents a state without contradictions or flaws. An ideal state of balance."
"… That really doesn't answer anything."
"I know, right?" Kazuto sighed. "General overview of it is this: In any situation where a flame of another type is needed, Sky Flames are perfectly capable of substituting." Sky Flames can open all boxes, but the concept of boxes is not here yet. "Sky flames also have the best propulsion ability of all flames, making it the best for high-speed maneuverable flight." This is why he could kick a sword to a place that even the best archers couldn't hit. "It is capable of purifying corrupted auras." Anecdote from Uncle Mukuro, "It can petrify. To be honest, the flame has so many varied uses that it's hard to have a catch-all term for all of them."
"Flight, purifying, petrifying… that's a lot…" Touka frowned.
"They're all considered an aspect of 'Harmony' though… so if it works, it works."
"Mist Flames have 'Creation'… which allows us to bring forth what is in our minds." Shuri nodded. "It sounds rather complicated…" Shuri frowned. "I'll start looking into it when I have time."
"Ooh, it seems Shuri-chan is really confident with her ability to use Flames now!" Touka teased. Shuri could only bashfully turn away.
"Sky is 'Harmony'," A new voice entered their conversation, "and Mist is 'Creation'." Aisha looked at Kazuto, "But what about Storm? You mentioned that it was the most dangerous of the flames beforehand."
"Storm Flames' characteristic is 'Destruction'," Kazuto replied, now, acutely aware that everyone around him was paying attention now. Even Rinrin had come in, listening intently.
"Destruction?"
"If Aisha wanted to, she can be a siege engine all by herself." Kazuto chuckled. "Just light the door on fire and watch it be eaten away within the next few seconds. Yes, seconds."
"… Should we restructure our plans to take advantage of that?" Shuri asked, worried.
"Best not," Kazuto replied. "As far as everyone's concerned, we can light things on fire with our rings. Let's keep our flames' characteristics a secret for our group to hold over everyone. We can't afford to have an even bigger target than we already have."
"Alright." Shuri breathed freely. Thousands of plans seemed to have whirled in her head for a moment there, but she seems to be mentally shelving each of them for later. No doubt she'll be imagining uses for them when she gets the time.
"Any questions, Aisha?"
"I can see why you didn't want Rinrin to have the Storm Guardian position," Aisha replied with a small smile. "Even though Rinrin is the one who normally serves as our center of attack, she shouldn't be trusted with such a potent flame."
"And I'm a Sun Flame user!" Rinrin said, offended. "What do Sun Flames do, niichan?! Come on!"
"Be patient." Kazuto told her off, causing the girl to pout, "So, any questions, Aisha?"
"You said that Storm Flames can destroy things… then isn't it dangerous to use on my blade?" Aisha asked. "You did say that if either of you or Touka-sama uses your flames to make your blade stronger, then you'll just destroy your weapon, right?"
"Oh? That? There's a big difference between us." Kazuto yawned. It's getting late. "Flames generally don't hurt their user's bodies, unless the user loses control over it." The man who exploded in Forest Flames comes to mind, "So a general solution is for a person to consider their weapon as part of their body."
"I see. Since us warriors live our lives considering our blades as part of us…" Sei hummed. "There is no need for us to worry about destroying our weapons."
"… And since I don't like using my sword that much…" Touka sulked, already getting the point.
"You don't have an instinctive reason to think your weapon is part of you." Kazuto chuckled. "As for me, it's more because I know way too much about what fire does to things. My mind thinks, 'I'm heating this sword up to burn my enemies', and automatically goes to, 'my sword is going to get ruined'."
"What about me?" Shuri asked, looking at her feather fan.
"Mist Flames aren't as destructive as other flames. Even the heat it provides is weaker than it should be. In terms of destructive capability, Storm is on top, followed by Sky, then Lightning. The other four are more or less on level with each other. All of this is due to their respective characteristics."
"I really want to know what Sun Flames do now!" Rinrin pouted.
"Aisha?"
"I think that's it." Aisha smiled back, as she looked at her ring and her blade. She grimaced as she tried to light her ring once more. It's still difficult but it lit up before Aisha covered her Seiryuu Engetsuto easily with the flames. Aisha hummed as she looked at the edge of her red flames. She put it out as Kazuto turned to Rinrin.
"Sun Flames have the characteristic of Activation."
"… what?" Rinrin said, confused.
"Used on projectiles, you can make arrows faster." Kazuto smiled.
"That doesn't help." Rinrin pouted. "I don't use bows enough for me to use that."
"Also… healing." Kazuto chuckled.
"… Eh?"
"Sun is the best flame when it comes to healing injuries. Or healing in general really. Activate a person's natural healing ability, and it will accelerate. Of course, there are limitations, but that is the main use most sun flame users do with it." Then Kazuto noticed everyone's eyes going shaded so he headed them off, "And before any of you suggest Rinrin keep our soldiers healthy with it, all it does is activate. It can't do something like healing anything instantly fatal or regenerating body parts. Because normally people don't have said ability in the first place. Sun Flames can only activate what's there. And, at the same time, it might be the most common use of the flame, but it still requires so much knowledge of how the human body works for it to work. You could just as easily kill someone by throwing the flames into the wrong place at the wrong time. Rinrin needs advice from an actual expert before she can consider using the flame for anything that useful."
"Didn't you mention someone capable of regenerating body parts?" Touka asked, noticing the contradiction. "An uncle Deiji?"
"Only works for himself. I don't have a clue how."
"""Eh?"""
"He's from a different family and that family does stupid things with their boxes. Moving on." Kazuto replied, clearly uncomfortable with this topic.
"… Then what can I do with it?" Rinrin pouted.
"I mentioned you could make arrows faster, right? Why not make yourself faster as well?" Kazuto shrugged. "Or, strengthen your arms to make your weapon move faster? You did have a hard time swinging the blade fast enough to hit me, remember?"
"That! That I can do!" Rinrin grinned. Then she frowned, "But I wish I can do the healing too…"
"It can't be helped." Kazuto smiled sadly, "I just don't want to accidentally teach you the wrong thing and cause more problems down the line."
"But you could teach me?"
"Maybe back home," Kazuto replied. "It's getting late. We need to be ready for whatever happens tomorrow."
"You didn't mention the other three flames yet." Sei pointed out.
"Is there a point to doing so? We don't have a person who is actively using it yet." Kazuto teased.
"Is that a challenge?" Sei grinned back. "And I might be like Aisha and use it in the middle of combat. So?"
"Fine, but only briefly." Kazuto sighed. "Rain is Tranquility. Simply put, it's the opposite of Sun. Instead of making things faster, it slows them down. Cloud is Propagation. It can either duplicate things or make them bigger. Lightning is Hardening. It can make things harder. Also, it's more lightning than flame."
"… That's useful to know…" Sei hummed. "So if I can get the Rain Flame to work, I can slow down Ryofu."
"Possibly?" Kazuto shrugged.
"A shame then."
"I did invite you to come in during our past training sessions. Multiple times. Miss Peeper." Kazuto scoffed.
"It didn't feel right at the time." Sei shrugged.
"W-w-wait… does that mean? SEI! YOU WERE WATCHING US THE ENTIRE TIME!?" Aisha yelled.
"Loud." Sei covered her ears. "Also not all the time."
"I count five times you weren't there," Kazuto called out.
"You were seeing things." Sei dismissed.
"White clothes stand out in the nighttime, Sei," Kazuto said as if reprimanding a child. "Also, all five times were times you were out of town, either to go to Kousonsan's place or to guard Chihou."
"How did you even know I was there?" Sei finally gave up.
"Intuition." Kazuto cheerfully replied.
"You're not a woman." Sei accused. "You can't make that excuse."
"Not 'woman's intuition'. Just intuition." Kazuto smirked. "Some would say it's Hyper Intuition."
"I'm sorry, what?"
"Come on, it's getting late. We need to be ready for tomorrow."
"You do realize I'm going to ask you questions while we go to sleep, right?" Touka pouted.
"And I thought it was Shuri's turn," Kazuto replied.
"Eh, that's, uhh…"
"I'm coming too." Touka pouted.
"I'm pretty sure we tested that with Aisha before, and we barely fit. So, no." Kazuto replied. Aisha, in turn, blushed and looked away.
"Shuri's smaller than Aisha."
"Just go to sleep, Touka." Kazuto sighed. "And stop bullying the other girls to share their turns with you. Especially when it was you who started the whole turn thing."
"I wasn't being bullied…" Shuri complained in a small voice.
"Let's go. Before we drag this out for far too long." Kazuto sighed, sensing a pattern.
"But…"
"I am invoking my right and duty as a co-head of this family, as well as elder sworn brother to three of you, and commander of the rest, go to sleep or, so help me, I'll rescind all your turns."
"I'm going!" Rinrin yelped.
"Kazuto-kun is a meanie." Touka sulked but hurriedly left.
"I'll… make sure they're going to do so." Aisha stood up, noticeably hurried too.
"I'll prepare for sleep. Please wait for me." Shuri bowed, walking quickly.
"Huh. Why didn't you do that before?" Sei chuckled in amusement.
"You can't abuse it, otherwise they stop listening." Kazuto shrugged, "Also, for you Sei, I'll ban you from the menma. For a month."
"You wouldn't…"
"I firmly believe that addictions should be excised as soon as possible."
"Menma's not bad for a person."
"Don't care enough. Now go to sleep, young woman. March!"
"Already gone." Sei walked out of the main tent.
Kazuto sighed as he stood up and began leaving. He called one of the guards to take care of the lighting in the tent.
The chill of the night hit him for a bit, and he instinctively warmed himself up with his flames. "… It's almost winter." Kazuto muttered. By now, Hinari would have already begun harvest. It's a rather huge surprise that it's been almost half a year since he arrived in this world.
"I wonder how everyone's doing." Kazuto thought back. "Have they noticed I'm gone?"
No answer came, nor did he expect one. All that was there is the dark night, with only the stars in the sky.
-()-
In a dark location, lit only by an eerie light, Saji looked upon Ukitsu, who was packing up his things.
"Well?"
"I sent an agent as you demanded." Ukitsu scoffed. "However, Ryofu simply slew our 'sorcerer' without even hearing him out," Ukitsu grumbled as he rubbed his chest, where a phantom pain of a halberd slicing through him was still felt.
"And will you try again?"
"This obsession with a mere boy is rather unbecoming of you. I acquiesced to your demands and sent a sorcerer. That sorcerer died. I see no reason to interfere any further."
"And you would just give up? Why? Any chance to kill the bastard should be taken! Leaving him alive only delays us!" Saji snarled. "If you have no intention of killing him, then allow me to go!"
"And if you fail again?" Saji stopped at the accusation, turning hatefully towards him, but Ukitsu pressed on, "Then the boy will know that the incident with the mirror and our interest in his death are connected."
"Are you telling me I'd lose?"
"There are better uses for you. One of which is to use your absurd strength and help me move all these things out before this location closes." Ukitsu shrugged.
"I'm not your damn servant!"
"You might as well be, considering your failure with the mirror. Sure, the mirror was destroyed, but not properly, and it even brought the boy here. Not only that but the mirror was collected before we could arrive at the scene to dispose of it. Who collected it is unknown nor do we know where it went."
"It was!?" Saji said, shocked. "Why did you not tell me before! What if someone were to learn of its properties?"
"Calm your temper, and maybe the elders would be willing to let up on your restrictions. The mirror cracked during your bout. There is no reason anyone who found it would believe it to be anything but a broken piece from the museum."
"Then why was it not found in the museum?"
"Who knows?" Ukitsu sighed. "The reports by the museum's authorities merely claim that it was stolen. It was not returned."
"Is it possible for us to claim that it was the boy's fault? Ensure that he has nothing left to go home to?"
"That is rather devious of you." Ukitsu laughed, "I thought you eschewed such tactics." Saji merely growled at him, and Ukitsu shrugged, "Unfortunately, that's not an option. The law enforcement received an image of you carrying the mirror."
"How!? Who was there to take the said image? It was the dead of night, and the lights were… it was not our plan to take their power out, correct?"
"No. All that was in the plan was to remove any memory of your presence from their devices."
"Then who turned out the lights?"
Silence loomed over the two.
"It appears that this mystery is deeper than expected," Ukitsu grumbled. "I believe the boy may have connections that we do not know of."
"If you refuse to send me, and your sorcerers are worthless, then how would we kill him? Or are we going to wait for some stupid reason?"
"Oh no. The boy will die during this event. I never said we would leave him alone. All I mean is that we will not do more than that."
"How. How are we killing him?"
"Not directly. No. We can't reveal so many of our tricks. It was already a mistake for me to have revealed our use of the Flames. No. Either Ryofu kills him during this next battle, or…"
"Or?"
"Well, let's just say, we have a method to deal with him…" The man's glasses glinted in the light. "But that can only happen at the last possible moment."
To the side, a single person watched from the sidelines. Neither of the two seems to have noticed his presence. Or rather, it's not as if the two of them cared that they have a chance to be overheard. The only ones here are people who should be loyal to the cause.
The observer grumbled, pulling at the white clothes, uncomfortable, before moving away. The observer walks away and into another room. He moved to close the door silently and only two words, only heard by the observer, were voiced.
"Ciaossu, Chousen."
-()-
Chapter End
-()-
Chapter Release Date: December 20, 2019
Last Edited: June 12, 2022
-()-
Beta Reader: Seraphius
Hope you're having a Merry Christmas. I'm not. Sick even as I'm posting this chapter, so some things I normally would've changed by this point are staying in.
Ahh, I'm looking forward to not needing to call Renfa "Chuubou-san". It feels so wrong on so many levels. I'm so used to calling her Sonken… Why do Sun Jian and Sun Qian have the same pronunciation in Japanese as Sun Quan?! Wait… Sun Qian is a Shoku Character… Welp, she's stuck as Chuubou-san until she shares her True Name with Kazuto. No matter how much it grates on me. And that would be a long, long time into the future.