Swords and Promises 3
Hello! Sorry for the delay, my Internet service was bogged down for a while, but I got it fixed! Here is chapter 3! A bit more exposition, to give you a feel of the place, and the new characters!
I don't own One Piece.
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"Zoro, wake up."
He felt himself being shaken lightly by warm hands on his shoulders. The very same hands on him last night, burning across him…
With a start, he jumped out of his sleeping bag and slid over to the edge of the boat, trying to get as far away from Tashigi as possible.
"I made breakfast."
She smiled at him then. His stomach did an unconscious flip that didn't seem to come from hunger. He nodded a bit. Looking at her, he noticed that she had changed into a richly decorated dark blue kimono gathered at the waist by a thread-of-gold obi. He noticed how the neckline dipped at the back to show the back of her neck and a bit of her shoulders. She caught him staring, and blushed.
"This is supposedly the most beautiful part of a woman," she said, with a hand now covering her nape, trying to obscure the view. It was his turn to blush when he remembered his hands right there, just the night before. Cursing inwardly, he gave himself a mental shake. No more thinking of her that way! No more thinking, period. That last thought suited him just fine.
Breakfast was salty miso soup with littleneck clams, crispy fried whitebait on steamed rice, and a stack of sweetened azuki red bean pancakes. As usual, Zoro wolfed down the food as fast as a wink. After eating, Tashigi laid out a neatly folded stack of clothes in front of him.
"Put these on."
"Huh?"
"These are traditional clothes of our clan. As befits a swordsman of your stature, these show your rank."
He took apart the pile in front of him. It consisted of an inner robe, an outer dark green kimono, a sleeveless silver jacket with exaggerated shoulders, pleated hakama pants, split-toe tabi socks, and straw zori sandals. He began to put these on. Tashigi turned away, suddenly very interested in her obi.
A little later, she heard an impassive grunt.
Tashigi looked over at him then. He was totally at a loss on how to tie the hakama strings.
"It's like this," she sighed, going over to him to tie the strings herself. She reached around his waist to cross the strings, and then tied them in the back. The entire time, she tried her very best not to meet his eyes. It didn't help that she had to be this close to him. Again.
"Uh, thanks."
She smoothed the overcoat on his shoulders. "This is the symbol of the Shigatsu clan," she said, pointing at the symbols embroidered at the chest area. It was a five-point sakura blossom that occupied the inside of a thick ring of gold. "A symbol of spring, of change, of determination." And then, she was acutely aware of her fingers on him. She hurriedly pulled away.
"Zoro," she started. "A-about last night…"
He cocked an eyebrow at her, worried.
"What about it?"
"Um," she gulped. How do you start it? "I'm sorry about the suddenness. I guess I caught you off-guard."
His brow furrowed. His thoughts strayed back to their…attempt…at a kiss. A fake one, he added hastily.
"I understand that the nature of this mission is…very personal," she managed to collect herself. She swallowed again. "I do apologize for bringing you into this, but…"
"What I mean is, we should stop each other when things get out of hand."
"Huh?"
"I mean, we should stop if things get too…well, intimate. We're still on opposite sides of the fence here."
"Don't worry, I wouldn't get carried away by the likes of you," he said coldly. "I'm getting paid for this anyway."
What's that supposed to mean? It cut through her, but she refused to let it affect her.
"Do we have a deal then?"
"Deal." And they shook hands.
-0-
"We're here."
The green expanse of a large island loomed in the distance. Nagashima Island was non-descript in appearance for its actual notoriety. As the base of operations for the alleged control of criminal undertakings in the known world, it looked innocent enough, verdant and untouched.
At the docks, there was a large crowd forming the welcoming party. A wizened old man in gray and blue formal robes stood to greet the pair.
"Greetings to you, O-hime-sama. Welcome back," the man said, with a long, low bow. The crowd, in turn, bowed their heads to the ground.
A princess? thought Zoro. Man, she must be a big deal to warrant such a title.
"Greetings to you, too, Adviser Yuan. I am glad to see that you are well," Tashigi said, with a tilt of her head.
"We have a carriage here to take you and your companion to the palace," Yuan said after he recovered from his bow. "Your father and Ensou-sama await you in the meeting room."
The carriage was roomy, painted over in shiny red lacquer with black edging. Tashigi and Zoro sat face-to-face inside as they were pulled along by two sleek chestnut-colored horses.
"I have another problem."
Zoro's hands grasped the dark hilt of his Yubashiri sword. He drew it out, revealing the rusted half of a once-magnificent samurai blade.
It took several seconds for the situation to finally sink into Tashigi. Her jaw went slack looking at the destroyed blade.
"It's…it's…d-d-dead!" She took the Yubashiri blade in her hands tenderly, as you would a small child. "How could you do this to such a beautiful sword?"
"Like I had any choice in it," he said, angrily. "Some devil fruit user grabbed it and it crumbled, when we were fighting the buster call."
But Tashigi wasn't listening to him. She just continued bawling over the sword, forcing Zoro to clear his throat, with an irritated "Are you done?"
She wiped away her tears and said, " You can borrow another sword from our stores, one that would suit you."
Just then, the bamboo forest they were traversing gave way to a bustling village. They passed row upon row of simple thatched houses and eventually reached an open square that housed a busy marketplace, full of stalls and teeming with people.
"This is where our workers live. They are very much independent, governing themselves. But they are very loyal to our family. They are well taken care of. Only the best choose to work here. It is pride, too, I guess, to have been chosen to work for the Shigatsu."
A group of children ran, laughing, alongside the carriage, hoping to catch up with it. They passed shops and stalls selling all kinds of things, artisans plying their trade, big and small eateries and other businesses.
Once they exited the village, they passed a great expanse of farmland; with golden rice paddies, and corn plantations. The carriage then began ascending a hilly incline.
"Tell me about him." Zoro said suddenly.
"About this Takumi guy."
She looked out the window. "He's the scion of the Ensou clan, they were into business deals with my father. He was a playmate I had when we were young. He used to visit during summer here. But I haven't seen him in nearly ten years."
She gave a snort. "He was incredibly annoying back then. He was a skinny little shrimp who loved to pull pranks. We used to call him 'roach-boy'."
"Roach-boy?" Zoro barked out a laugh.
"Yeah, he had hair that stuck out here—" she sprouted two fingers from the center of her forehead. "—so that he looked like he had feelers."
"So I'm fighting vermin."
"Laugh all you want, but when he finally left for his formal training, he became famous for his skills. Like I said before, he was trained in the Wakamono two-sword style of fighting."
"How good is he?"
"I haven't been able to really test his skills. All I've heard is that he's been working for other underground bosses as an assassin or bodyguard. He had to defend someone from Dracul Mihawk. He didn't win against him, but he was spared for some reason"
Zoro flinched, recalling his own situation. "My own scar, it's from him."
Tashigi's eyes went to his chest, now covered in fabric. She had seen it, the horrible diagonal scar, marring his perfect form.
"A reminder," he said gravely. "Never again."
"I won't lose again."
The chill in his voice went through her, making her shudder.
-0-
They arrived at an enormous wooden gate guarded by several outfitted soldiers. The carriage driver shouted a signal, and the two massive doors began to swing open.
What they revealed was astonishing.
An outer stone courtyard, as far as the eye could see, stretched before them. It was bordered by a stone wall three stories high running its full length. In the distance, a sprawling massive structure loomed forebodingly.
" The Great Palace."
It was a sight to behold, with its sloping green tiled roofs and vermilion pillars, making it glitter brightly against the afternoon sun. A wide granite staircase led up to the entrance.
They alighted from the carriage when it had stopped in front of the staircase. A new usher had appeared before them.
"Please follow me, O-hime-sama." He was dressed similarly as Yuan was before him. They matched his pace as they entered the building.
They passed the long hallway bordered by the bright pillars into the palace complex, which contained several freestanding buildings connected by raised bridges. Flowering peach and plum trees, rock gardens, and koi fishponds filled the gaps in between. At last, they reached a particularly large covered walkway.
"Is this it?" Zoro was practically cross-eyed from all that walking.
"No, we just passed the outer Greater Palace. We are now entering the Inner Palace," whispered Tashigi on his right.
The walkway entered a large rectangular court bordered by a hallway with the familiar vermilion pillars. At the far end was a white building. A stone staircase led up to its entrance. A tachibana orange tree stood to the left, while a sakura tree was on the right. Their usher motioned for them to follow up the steps. At the door, he faced them and said, "Please, wait here."
Another similarly dressed usher greeted them as the double doors swung open to let them in. At the external receiving hall, they were told to remove their footwear.
"This is it. Remember the protocol." Tashigi gave his arm a quick squeeze.
The ornate doors to the meeting room slid open, and they entered. It was a sparsely decorated room, a stark change from the elaborate exteriors of the palace.
On the elevated dais, in the center of the room, in resplendent dark blue robes sat…
Kuina's father!!
Zoro halted his steps abruptly. He clearly wasn't ready for another blast from the past. The same pale skin, smiling eyes, posture, all the way down to the round, wire-rimmed glasses…everything was unmistakably similar.
"What are you doing?" Tashigi hissed from his side. Without turning his head, he directed his eyes at her. She had on a look that was pure venom. "Don't you dare mess this up."
He continued walking. What a twisted family, he thought, shivering.
Six officials sat next to the dais, three to the left and three on the right. They knelt down a distance away from the group, giving their respective bows of respect. Their usher then announced them.
"To our esteemed leader, Shigatsu Kanemitsu, may we present our returning princess, Shigatsu Tashigi. She has brought with her the challenger."
"May I present to you Roronoa Zoro," Tashigi swept an arm to indicate him. "Former pirate hunter, currently part of the Strawhat pirate crew under Monkey D. Luffy. His bounty is set at 120 million bellis after fighting against the Buster call at Enies Lobby."
"Welcome, my daughter. It has been a while since we last saw you," the elder Shigatsu smiled at them. "Welcome, too, Roronoa Zoro."
Through his round glasses, he spotted the white hilt of Zoro's sword on his hip.
The Wado Ichimonji, he thought, his eyes narrowing slightly behind his lenses. But he recovered quickly.
"We must introduce the one you are challenging for my daughter's hand in marriage."
On the right side, a figure entered and made a bow as well. When he straightened, they were able to get a good look at him.
Tashigi's breath died in her throat.
Dressed in a rust colored kimono with an outer jacket of cream shot through with gold, and embroidered with a black crest, Ensou Takumi was very far from the scrawny boy of 10 she had impressed upon her memory. He was lean and dark-haired, with tilted, brooding eyes. He had a graceful type of beauty in the manner he carried himself. When he turned his head, two tendrils of hair fell across his face. His lips parted in a blindingly white smile.
Zoro immediately felt an instant hate for him.
"Ensou Takumi, successor to the Ensou clan of North Blue, trained in the Wakamono style of fighting."
He still looks like a Roach boy to me, thought Zoro.
"His qualities are what we require of an official protector and successor of the clan. However, " Shigatsu nodded towards Zoro. "your achievements are considerable and excellent indicators of your eligibility."
"But we were wondering, how was it that you have met and fallen into agreement when you come from a different profession as hers? What attracted you to my daughter?" Shigatsu Kanemitsu's eyes were like ice.
Oh no! thought Tashigi. She had practiced all the right protocol and correct etiquette with Zoro, but didn't once go through such personal details as how they could have "fallen" in love. Which was a stupid mistake now that she delved into it. Frissons of fear began to work their way through her insides. What would he answer to that?
"She tripped and fell in front of me, then lost her glasses."
The entire council roared in laughter. "That's definitely my daughter!"
The marine blushed furiously. How embarrassing…
Zoro continued. "Determination, persistence, belief in ideals; she's a hard person to shake off."
Tashigi's blush only deepened.
"You know her well." Tashigi's father smiled again. The first test had been passed.
"For now, let us celebrate your coming with a feast in your honor. The ritual Tea ceremony will be in two days, and the contest in six, before the actual betrothal ritual."
The councilmen then exited the room. Later, they found themselves ushered back into the anteroom. Tashigi sidled up to Zoro and tilted her head up to his ear.
"Quick thinking. How did you make that up so fast?"
"I didn't," he said, brow furrowing. "I really meant what I said."
A strange warmth bloomed in her heart, though she could not understand why. She made a move to tell him something more, but the ushers came to whisk them away to the dining hall before she could put in another word.
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The meal they had was a tense affair. They were all seated apart from each other while Tashigi and her father caught up with each other. Zoro was able to sneak some icy looks over to his "rival". When they had finished, they were waved away and told to retire to their quarters.
"Zoro, I have to speak to you."
Tashigi pulled him aside when they had exited the dining area. She moved in close to him.
"Listen, you have to be careful of Takumi. I just recognized the daisho he is wearing. The longer katana is the Juuchi Fuyu."
"So what?"
"It's name means 10,000 Winters. It's a Muramasa sword. Like your Sandai Kitetsu, it is reputedly cursed. It will try to cut anything in its path. They also say that before it is returned to the scabbard, it must first draw blood, or else force its wielder to injure himself."
"Well, that should make it interesting."
They heard footsteps behind them. The pair of them turned.
"It's been a long time, Gi-chan." Ensou Takumi had materialized behind them.
"Taku-kun…"
"My, how you've grown," the dark-haired swordsman said, looking directly at Tashigi. Gi-chan? Taku-kun?? Zoro felt the urge to gouge out the man's eyes from the way he was looking at her now.
His tilted eyes suddenly darkened. "And yet you waste your time putting on one hell of a show."
"W-what are you talking about?" Panic stole through Tashigi. How did he know?
"I can see through this lie you've concocted. You can fool your father, but not me," he drawled out, confidently.
"Don't ruin your good reputation, Gi-chan. I know you would never agree to marry an unskilled, common pirate."
Zoro had had enough. He would wipe the face off the roach boy right now! In a flash, he unsheathed his katana and brought it down to strike.
In another quick movement, Takumi brought up his blade to block the attack. But he used the entire sword, scabbard and all, blocking Zoro's blade with only a hint of dark steel peeking out of a midnight blue sheath.
Takumi didn't even flinch, even if Zoro had put his entire strength in that one blow.
They held that position for an arduous second, before Tashigi's voice halted them with its urgency.
"You are not permitted to duel before the official rites. You will disqualify yourself if you persist." She wrapped an arm around Zoro's stomach to pull him away, but he wouldn't budge.
"Please, Zoro, don't stoop down to his level," she said, giving Takumi an angry stare. Only then did Zoro relent, and allowed himself to be pulled away by her. "Let's go," she whispered, and she tugged at a very irate Zoro to make them leave that place. Must get away…
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They had found an usher to take them to their particular quarters in the Inner Palace complex. As they made their way around, Tashigi said worriedly, "He knows."
Zoro scrubbed a hand through his green head, still very angry. "I could have taken him there, you know."
"It would get us nowhere. Besides, if he ratted us out, it would be perceived as weakness. He will still choose to fight you to preserve his honor," she reasoned out. "But did you see how he wouldn't remove the blade from the saya? I was right; either he has tested the legend, or believes in it anyway."
They reached a pair of elaborately carved wooden doors guarded by two soldiers at the end of a large hallway. "This is my room. The servants will take you to yours." The wooden doors slid open to permit her.
Before entering, she stopped. Without turning around, she said, quietly, "Don't do anything rash, Zoro. I don't want you to lose to him."
Just then, he took a step forward, catching her elbow in one hand, his breath tickling the shell of her ear.
"I promise you, you'll never belong to that man. He'll never have you as long as I'm here, " he said, in a harsh whisper.
The steel in his tone made her swallow. She entered her room, her heart pounding, his piercing eyes on her as the doors slid shut.
Why did he have to say that? she thought. It only added to the jumble of feelings in her heart.
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To be continued…
Yey, the end of chapter 3! Please leave a review! I really, really appreciate anything you would have to say! Thanks!
Culture notes:
I based Zoro's clothes on standard samurai clothing as was described here. It kinda looks like the Shinigami captain's uniform in Bleach, to give you an idea. I'll try to make sketches on Deviant art when I have the time.
In ancient Japan, the nape of a woman is considered the most beautiful part of her body (this is why the geisha leave this traditionally erotic area unpainted).
Shigatsu – means April in Japanese. April is the official start of spring and the month when the Sakura trees are in full bloom (it seems fitting that they have sakura as their family crest).
O-hime-sama – title used for a princess (hime means princess).
The Shigatsu complex is patterned after the Heian Palace located in Kyoto prefecture. As was depicted, it is made up of an outer Greater Palace (Daidairi) and an Inner Palace (Dairi) that houses the Shishinden or Throne Hall reserved for official functions (the white building that they entered).
Daishō – name for the paired swords worn by a samurai, consisting of the longer katana and a shorter wakizashi or shoto.
Juuchi Fuyu (10,000 Winters) is a sword of legend made by the sword smith Muramasa who lived in 16th century Japan. According to the legend, this sword would cut everything that passed its way without discrimination. Muramasa was known to have made such extraordinarily sharp swords. His swords fell out of favor when Tokugawa Ieyasu established the Tokugawa shogunate in 1603. It is said that Ieyasu had lost many friends and relatives to Muramasa blades and had cut himself badly with one, so he forbade his samurai to wear blades made by Muramasa. This just added to the stigma attached to his blades. Some anime and games have him as a character (Like Samurai Deeper Kyo, I think).
Saya – the scabbard of a katana.