Kazoku no Moribito

Guardian of the Family

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Part I


Chapter 2

War Prelude

Two years and a half passed since Tanda and Balsa had a filled and happy family.

The proclamations of the Mikado – Chagum's father – to recruit men for the army had begun almost six months before. More proclamations were declared every week, although every village, Yogoese or Yakue, was already suffering from poverty. The reason given was that the Mikado had to protect the nation from a corrupt and impure enemy called Talsh. All inhabitants of New Yogo Empire had to do their part in his service.

The whole country had been slowly preparing for war ever since the first Talsh ambassadors had arrived and given their terms to the Mikado. The New Yogo Empire had therefore closed all its borders; not only with Sangal, but also with Rota and Kanbal. People who tried to leave or enter through the borders were treated as spies and executed on the spot.

Among the people, those who had suffered most from this policy were the poor merchants and the working class of Kanbal and Rota - who often came to New Yogo to sell their wares and work. Those already in New Yogo were not allowed to return home and Yogoese citizens who were abroad at the time of the border closure were also not allowed to return to their home countries.

Balsa was in New Yogo Empire when the borders were closed, with her eldest daughter, Alika, aged eighteen and a half. The two, separately, had spent the past six months guiding the Rotan, the Kanbalese, and the Yogoese merchants through the mountains to their homes, avoiding all the border patrols. They knew many paths through the mountains that were known only by beasts and a few hunters, but all the paths they knew could not be used. There were paths so steep and narrow that many clients and their families could never cross them. Going through the mountains was always difficult and a little dangerous.

Despite this, many people were willing to do in order to return home. They were ready to give up almost everything to return to their homeland. Balsa and Alika weren't the only guards helping people cross the mountains. Knowing that there were ways to avoid the border guards was common enough that the Mikado decided to post guards on the main and well-known mountain roads. Balsa and Alika's job as guard and guide limited them to a tiny number of safe paths. Balsa was happy to still be able to work, even though Alika was not with her every time. She trusted her eldest daughter and her skills enough to defend herself and go unnoticed. Tanda was taking care of their younger children in the mountains, hidden in the hut.

The work was good. It helped them not to think about Chagum. They'd both told at Rota that he was dead. The Mikado had given his son an extravagant funeral. He'd proclaimed that the Crown Prince had returned to Ten no Kami and to the gods, once again, to become the nation's protector. All of the rumors had been embellished. There were rumors that everything that happened in the last year was due to the death of the Crown Prince. Balsa and Alika had heard rumors that Chagum had been captured in Sangal and negotiated his own release, but either committed suicide or was, somehow killed, on his way back.

His father, the Mikado, had made no effort to quash these rumors. The most important thing for him was that Chagum was dead. Alika, who was a medium and had the ability to communicate with deceased people, did not comment about it. She wasn't sure about what she received as information and even the spirits weren't able to answer her questions. Balsa had chosen not to bother her daughter more than necessary with questions about a topic she almost knew nothing about.


After having brought her last Rotan clients safe and sound to their home village, Balsa made her way back to her husband's home and reunited with her children, lost in her thoughts as her only company. It was almost fall, but it was still warm enough to feel like summer. The Talsh Empire and half of the Sangal kingdom had joined forces and declared war to the New Yogo Empire. The life in the mountains was relatively easy and peaceful, so they were somehow cut off from the outside world. Despite this, Balsa could fully feel the heavy atmosphere prevailing.

All men between the ages of fifteen and fifty were conscripted into New Yogo's army. Those between the ages of sixteen and forty were drawn and sent out as recruiters for more men.

The fear that all their young men would be taken away had spread in the surrounding villages. No one knew who would be recruited next. The conscripts left their homes to protect the Capital of Kosenkyo and build fortifications around it. None had returned home since New Yogo had started preparing for war. But Tanda had always been lucky no matter what. Nothing could happen to him.

His voice echoed in the distance and pulled Balsa out of her thoughts.

"I don't like my eyes," Nao said.

"Why's that?" Tanda asked.

"… They make me too different from all of you."

"But I've always loved your blue eyes. You're lucky. If I could, I would happily steal them from you."

"Me too!" the young Motoko added, almost seven years old. "Me too!"

Torogai's voice mingled with theirs.

"And what about my eyes?!" their GrandMa grumbled. "I have blue eyes too, and look what I can do! I can see the two worlds of Sagu and Nayug; I'm a shaman and I have the best title ever: to be your GrandMa!"

"I don't doubt about it in any way," Tanda said. "We love you, Master Torogai!"

"Me too! Me too!" Motoko repeated.

"Pooh!" Torogai said as she was stepping inside the hut.

Balsa put herself on guard, sensing a presence in the bushes. Soon, two small figures emerged from it and jumped on their target.

"Rawr!" said Karuna, the eldest of the twins.

"Mommy is there!" Jiguro said, the youngest. "Mommy is there!"

Balsa let herself be captured and ended up imprisoning both of them in her arms. Karuna was being held like a "potato bag" mode, and Jiguro was only held by the waist. With her pack on her back, Balsa continued walking towards the meadow. Motoko, dressed with her dark purple short-sleeved Kanbalese dress and gray belt, ran to meet her and hurriedly picked up the spear, which had fallen on the forest ground when the twins had jumped on their mom.

"Welcome home, Mommy!" Her second daughter smiled.

"Thank you, Motoko. I'm happy to see you again, I missed you, too!"

"I'm going to tell Daddy to make his special stew!"

Near the hut, Balsa put her sons back on the grass, in front of the big cherry blossom tree in honor of Kasem, her deceased second child. She opened the door.

"I'm back," she announced as she cleaned her legs and feet with the bucket of water and a towel at the entrance.

"Balsa!" Tanda exclaimed. "I'm glad you're here. The kids were starting to worry about not seeing you again."

"I promised them that I'll watch over them and always come back home. Hmm? Alika didn't come back from her guard job yet?"

"I haven't seen her for a few weeks. But I trust her. If anything had happened to her, she would've warned me with a soul call."

"You're right. She's old enough to go out and must have freedom. She won't be our little daughter forever."

"Daddy! You have to make your wild stew!" Motoko said, insisting and overjoyed.

"Of course, sweetie," Tanda said.

Balsa looked for her eldest son and didn't find him in the family living room or in the kitchen. Tanda, almost reading her thoughts, pointed to the top floor. Despite her tired legs from walking, she straightened up and climbed the stairs. Nao read his books like a scholar. Tanda used to say that Nao spoke like a book, taking care to articulate and well pronounce the words. He didn't force himself to speak like that; it was just as natural for him. Moreover, he was born like Alika. He had mediumistic abilities and saw the same things as his older sister. He also took the chance to put his knowledge as a medium on paper. Something that Alika had never had the slightest interest in. Nao didn't even raise his head when he felt his mother's energy.

"Aren't you bored, alone here, sweetheart?" she asked.

"No, I'm never bored when I'm alone."

"You're like your father."

"Is it wrong to be calm like me?"

"I never said that," Balsa fixed him. "I'm just afraid you'll be bored, that's all."

"It will not happen."

"All right, sweetheart. I'll be downstair. Dinner will be ready in about half an hour."

She ruffled his hair and kissed his forehead before coming back down. Nao had never been a martial arts fan. He had never expressed a wish to own a spear or to train with Balsa and her sisters in the morning.

"What can I do to help with supper, Daddy?" Motoko asked.

"Do you want to set the table?" Tanda said.

"Yes!"

Tanda gave her daughter the plates and then the chopsticks - and the spoons for the twins - to put on the table. Torogai stayed in her corner, drinking sake, until supper was ready.

"Mommy, do we pray Kasem for the meal?" Motoko asked.

"Of course, as always," Balsa said.

They made their blessing and prayer to Kasem before starting to eat. Dinner passed in a good mood with the twins stealing food of their plates from each other. Balsa decided to swap their dishes and the show went on regardless. Motoko had, in turn, decided to mix their two plates together. As if that wasn't enough, they started stealing food from other family members.

Motoko started screaming and whining as Nao held his plate close to him possessively. Balsa found it comical for a moment and Tanda, who normally would've laughed with them, was still deep in his thoughts. It was when Karuna threw a cooked carrot at his father by accident that the latter came out of his thoughts. Balsa burst out laughing.

"Well!" Balsa announced suddenly. "That's enough, I've tolerated nonsense enough, but now that's enough. Stop playing with your food or you won't get hekimooms."

"What?! Hekimooms?!" Her daughter second daughter exclaimed.

"Yes, I bought some on the way back."

Karuna and Jiguro stopped their circus and ended up eating their plate without quibbling in it. After the meal, everyone feasted on the sweets, but Balsa noticed that she was less fond of sugar compared to the previous years.

Tanda chose to take care of the vegetable garden, accompanied by Karuna as Balsa spent time with Motoko, training her in martial arts and the art of the spear.

"What are you doing?" Karuna asked, leaning over his father's shoulder.

"I put fertilizer."

"For what?"

"To help plants grow better."

"Oh…?"

"Do you want to help me put some fertilized, or to take out the weeds?"

"Help with the weeds!"

Tanda showed him how to do it and Karuna quickly imitated him, getting dirty with the dirt. Suddenly, Tanda laughed.

"Daddy? Why are you laughing?"

"Mommy never had a green thumb for planting plants or even caring for flowers."

"Oh!... she doesn't like flowers?"

"Yes, but she doesn't like to maintain them. She says she forgets all the time. So, she leaves all the flower-related tasks to me."

"Flowers are pretty!"

"You're right."

A little further in the meadow, Balsa did not hold back her spear thrusts towards her second daughter and pushed her to her extreme limits.

"Put your foot back, it's in the wrong position," she commanded.

"S-sorry…"

"Stop to apologize. You won't have time to feel sorry for your opponent. Maybe it's time for a break…"

"No! I want to be as strong as Alika-Onee-ny-chan!"

"So, you want to improve your stamina?"

"Didn't you already make me practice it, Mommy?"

"Yes, but I was curious to see the skills in which you excelled the most. You see, your big sister preferred power and agility. You, the stamina and analysis of your opponent's movements."

"We start again, Mommy!"

Motoko lunged at her mother and gave her strongest blow with her bamboo stick. Balsa blocked and then attacked again. Her daughter went on the defensive and pushed her spear away almost immediately.

"Oh ho! Not bad!" Balsa complimented her.

"Thanks! Do you think I've improved?"

"Yes, a lot. You always get better every time. You'll be as good as your sister and me."

"I hope! This is my dream!"

Suddenly, the young girl dropped her bamboo into the soft grass and threw herself towards her mother's legs, wrapping her arms around them, causing Balsa to fall on the ground. Balsa dropped her spear while and crashed against the grass with a muffled squeak.

"Motoko! But what is that… move — attack?!"

"A little entertainment... I managed to let your guard down! You have to admit!"

Motoko chuckled as she moved over her to wrap her small arms around her and nestle her face in her neck. Balsa looked at her and rolled in the grass laughing.

"So… it's time to have some fun!"

Nao had still not moved from his book and Jiguro, his little brother, had fun doing imaginary fights with figurines carved in wood. Balsa gave the twins a bath, managing to distinguish them perfectly – or almost. She tucked them in and went to clean her spear under the gaze of Motoko who was watching her with attention, lying on her stomach.

"Mommy?"

"Hmm?"

"Alika had a spear when she was seven, didn't she?"

"Yes."

"I'm almost seven years old…"

Balsa tilted her head.

"It's true. Soon, we'll have a spear forged for you, what do you say? I believe you'll be able to wear a real one very soon."

"Really?!" Motoko cheered up, straightening up quickly on her elbows.

"Yes. As soon as I'll have the time for. You have to remind me, however, because with what's happening in the country, it's very complicated."

"Yes! Mommy?"

"Hmm?"

"I want to take my bath with you!"

"That would be fun, indeed. Let's take it right away, then."

"Yes!"

When they had finished cleaning themselves, Tanda and Nao took their bath at their turn. Balsa led Motoko in her arms to her futon unfolded in the family living room, alongside those of her brothers who were already asleep. The four futons formed two rows of two beds together. The twins shared the same one for the moment, due to their small size and Alika's was empty and a little further back.

"Come on, it's time to sleep. Otherwise, you won't be in good shape for your training tomorrow morning."

"Good night, Mommy."

"Good night, sweetheart."

Nao came back from the outside and went on his futon. He was also tucked by Balsa into bed.

"I still want to read," he said.

"You remind me of Jiguro, your grandfather; he was a real bookworm, too."

"Can I read another ten minutes?"

"Hmm… no, not tonight. I would like you to sleep."

Her son pouted, but he understood. He put his book down by his side and mentally promised himself to continue to flip through the pages as soon as he woke up.


Two weeks after Balsa returned home, it was Alika's turn to come back to the region. Armed with her spear and a quiver that featured Rotan arrows and a bow, Alika made her way to Lower Ougi. No one noticed her. She approached a small house near a river: there was an adjacent shop where seamstresses could make alterations and sold children's clothes. As a neighbor, totally stick to the small shop, there was a daycare that could accommodate four to five toddlers.

She knocked on the back door. Footsteps were heard inside and the door opened to reveal a young woman with brown hair tied in two low pigtails. She has brown eyes and a pale complexion, typical of Kanbalese people. She wore a navy-blue sweater, with a teardrop collar with orange bias. Underneath, she wore a purple Kanbalese dress and her sash was white. She was physically taller than Alika, but had less hips and less breast than her. She gave a cry of joy when she saw her.

"Alichoue!" She welcomed her into a big hug, locking her lips against hers.

"It's good to see you again, Amaya," Alika said, once released.

"Come on in. How was your last escapade with the Rotan clients?"

"It went well, although a little exhausting. And you?"

"The children were wonderful and we did a lot of crafts."

Amaya ran the daycare that allowed her to look after the children of poorer parents in Lower Ougi. She also sewed children's clothes from old kimonos, sheets and curtains that she unearthed in Yogoese shops as well as the thrift shops to offer them at affordable prices. She was a real mom and loved children. Since Kanbal was poor, people's poverty touched her more deeply and she did not charge much in fare. It was enough to pay her rent and personal expenses.

She went into the kitchen while Alika put down her weapons and took off her cloak. The interior of the little house did not have the same structure as the Yogoese dwellings. It was more like the ones in Kanbal, with a high table, with wooden counters and beams.

"I made lossos!" Amaya announced happily.

"Even if we aren't in Kanbal, your resourcefulness will always continue to amaze me, beauté," Alika said.

"At least, there are potatoes and flour in New Yogo. A little oil for frying and we can stuff them with all kinds of ingredients, even without goat cheese! The ones I made are stuffed with beef."

"It's going to be tasty!"

Alika grabbed a plate and grabbed two lossos. There was a bond that linked the two young lovers together: they had already met in the past. When Alika had been in Kanbal with her parents and had been placed in Aunt Yuka's good hands, she had first met Amaya at school, who was a year older than her. Immediately, a solid friendship was born. Although they were young, Amaya knew right away that she was in love with Alika and already knew that she was attracted to girls. Before leaving, she had told her that she would become her wife later.

Amaya was a pure Kanbalese and had immigrated to the New Yogo Empire with her parents from the Muga clan. The reason was that her father had found a good job in New Yogo and they could no longer stay in Kanbal, where the salary was too hard to earn despite the giving ceremony. It was around the age of nine, a year after Alika returned to New Yogo that Amaya had moved into the same kingdom as well. She had slowly learned to speak Yogoese, although with her parents, they only spoke Kanbalese. Moreover, she no longer had this obligation to marry a man from the age of eighteen.

Nine years later, Alika and Amaya met again, quite by chance, in Lower Ougi. They recognized each other thanks to the adjustable bracelets that Alika had woven to seal their promise. Amaya always wore hers, white with pink flower patterns, but her girlfriend's had fell over time, following her rigorous spear training.

"Alichoue?" Amaya called out to Alika, as the latter bit into her second lossos.

"Hmm?"

"You still haven't told your parents that you and I have been together for half a year, have you?"

"No… for the moment, we look like two friends…"

Amaya put her hand on her girlfriend's free hand.

"Are you afraid of their reactions?"

"Not Mom's… it's Dad who scares me a little more."

"Because he's half-breed and has Yakue values that differ from Kanbalese's?" she tried to understand.

"I don't know how to explain it, to be honest… for now, you've already met my family, at least."

"Yes. Motoko is always after me, she's really cute."

Alika smiled. When Motoko had seen Amaya for the first time at the hut, she had asked Amaya a lot of questions and not wanted to leave her alone. Nao's gaze had struck her with amazement, as blue eyes were not common to the Yakue people, but he could undoubtedly have received this gene from the side of Tanda's Yogoese ancestors. Nao was the nerd, the scholar and the Yakue of the family.

"You should still tell them anyway," Amaya insisted. "I find it really sad that you have to hide yourself, while you radiate love when you're with me. We've been together for half a year after all."

"… You said exactly the same thing as my spiritual guardian," Alika laughed.

"So, it's probably because Jiguro is the voice of reason at this level! If he agrees with me, then that means we're probably not wrong."

Amaya was the first woman with whom Alika shared her intimacy and her heart. On the other hand, for Amaya, Alika was not the first woman she had dated. Amaya had about four previous girlfriends before they both cross path again, but these women were one-night stands and had never been serious, although she had already had a few intimate experiences. Amaya's parents were aware that their daughter was in relationship with Alika and they were very happy for her.

"N'amour," Amaya said suddenly. "I missed you so much and I want you so much."

"Uh… here, now?" Alika asked.

"Yes."

"Can you at least allow me to clean myself? I sweated and I'm dirty…"

"We can take our bath together in the river!" she suggested.

Without waiting for Alika's answer, Amaya walked over to a wardrobe and pulled out a tray that contained soaps and clean towels. They went outside and arrived in front of the river, where sheets were hanging on branches and acting as a curtain for more privacy. Alika slowly took off her clothes and Amaya watched her movements with a watchful eye. She admired the beautiful natural curve her hips made from her waist, which was slender. The young Kanbalese woman had always found slim waists sexy and sensual, and Alika's silhouette was in an X-shape - or hourglass - figure like her mother. Her swayback gave an envious silhouette when viewed from the side and Amaya liked to dissect with her eyes the shape of her breasts and her nipples of a beautiful soft pink.

"Are you coming with me, Amaya?" Alika asked.

"Oh, yes of course," she replied, coming out of her analysis. "I just wanted to tell you what a beautiful woman you are."

A smile bloomed on Alika's lips. Amaya had less forms than her, but she had an almost perfect body and never got fat, even if she persisted in repeating that she would've liked to have more breasts. Alika had already finished soaping herself when the young woman entered the water.

"But where's the fun of taking a bath together in the river when you're already done?" Amaya exclaimed, almost offended.

"Well… I haven't cleaned my hair yet, if it can make you feel better."

Amaya pouted.

"Do you want me to help you clean up?" Alika asked, hoping to forgive her speed of execution.

"I don't mind… do as you wish."

As Alika passed the soap-soaked towel over her girlfriend's hand, she felt hers being trapped in Amaya's. She lifted her head up and received her lips against hers.

"At this rate," Alika breathed, "I couldn't clean you up quickly…"

"Who said we had to hurry?" Amaya asked, amused. "And then, you still haven't washed your hair."

"What?!"

Amaya pushed Alika back into the deeper water and hugged her to suddenly carry her with her into the river. When Alika emerged her head out of the water, she brushed her hair back from her face. She splashed Amaya who burst out laughing and went to grab the shampoo. After a long time into the river, they went out and let themselves dry for a moment under the sun.

Alika got pushed onto the bed and lost her towel.

"Now I'm clean." She smiled.

"So, what do you want tonight?" Amaya asked, climbing over her and hooking her wrists against the futon. "Do we play easy or hardcore?"

"You choose. You waited so impatiently for my return…"

Amaya's lips quirked into a smile and she kissed her on the neck, a very sensitive spot for Alika. A moan escaped her lips. The real serious things could finally begin…