Chapter 15

KATSUGAWA MIYUKI-

Katsugawa could never ever have imagined that she would be living the life she was at the moment. Plagued by a constant ache and overhanging threat of death, she had begun to count down the days till her eventual demise, growing hopeless over her situation with every passing second.

Yet the dull ache and hopelessness that had ached her for over a year was now gone. Eradicated, her breaths coming easier, and the future seemed less bleak than it ever had, at least in the last year.

Yet she still remains troubled. The situation in Shinoi lands was tense, and she was not blind to the tension building up, as the guards trained vigorously with their blades. But more than that, she was tense over personal reasons, reasons that concerned her rather abrupt marriage with the young lord of these lands.

The very lord who for now stood in the yard below, in a simple hakama, his blade in hand as four of the castle guards circled him, sweat dripping down their faces.

And despite being aware of Akihito-san's prowess with a blade, she couldn't help but flinch whenever one of those guards swung their blades at him as she stood on the balcony watching the whole ordeal along with the castle's caretaker, Lady Nakiri.

"Nakiri-san, may I ask you a question?" she began, and the older woman nodded politely.

"Of course, my lady," she replied with a small bow. Nakiri-san was basically the person who had raised Akihito-san and was most aware of anything related to him.

She fiddled around with her thumb, trying to frame the question in the best words, as she finally worded out.

"Do you think I am pretty?" she finally voiced out in a near whisper.

"What did you say, my lady?" she questioned again, probably her voice was too quiet for her.

Yet she gulped down as she pinched her thumb before repeating.

"Do you think I am pretty?" she questioned again, and saw Lady Nakiri frown a bit as she answered.

"Of course, my lady. You are, I would say you are the prettiest person I know, but may I ask why you ask this," she questioned, a bit of sharpness leaking into her tone as she moved closer to her

And Miyuki didn't know how to answer that without embarrassing herself, yet she was at the end of her rope.

"My lady, if any of the servants have made an overtur…." Nakiri-san began in a cold tone, aiming to shake her hand.

"NO, no, not at all," she cut in quickly, knowing that.

"Then why did you ask me that, my lady?" she questioned in a soft tone as she looked over her.

Her eyes darted to the man in black hakam in the center of the yard, now standing alone as the four guards he faced lay on the ground huffing, and defeated, as four more walked forward to take their place, giving him no respite.

"You can tell me whatever worries you, my lady, Akihito has ordered that you be made to feel as comfortable as possible," Nakiri-san cut in, as she shook her head. Truthfully there wasn't much she lacked here, she would even argue that her life in Shinoi lands was even better than the one she had had in the capital.

The servants tip-toed around her, bowing and complimenting her at every turn, working tirelessly to fulfill all her wishes. There was a sense of safety here that she had felt for the first time in a year, and Akihito was kind to her. He often dined with her and took her out as he showed her around his lands.

"Do you think Akihio-san finds me beautiful?" she managed to eke out, knowing that given her position, Nakiri-san was the only person who could help her in this regard.

"Of course, my lady, but what makes you question that?" Nakiri-san inquired as she reached forward. She bit her lip, her eyes lowered as she fiddled with her sleeve.

"Then why does he…., um…." And she could feel her face heat up as Lady Nakiri looked at her with a narrowed gaze, before they suddenly widened.

"Oh!" and she gasped, and Miyuki was sure that she had guessed what she had wished to say, and that made her fold into herself even more.

"Yes, he seems to be, you know, rather uninterested," she managed to eke out, and Nakiri-san leaned closer.

"Ohh, though you need not worry yourself, princess," she cut in as she held her hand and spoke gently.

"I believe his restraint was more out of concern for your health, though may I ask you a question of my own?" she began, and she nodded, her face heating up. Yes, she had thought so as well, but with her having recovered quite a bit now, she felt that he simply didn't want her.

"Yes," she replied as Nakiri-san leaned closer.

"Do you wish for him to be with you, my lady? Or is this out of a sense of duty?" she questioned, making her frown.

And she heated up as that.

"He has done much for me, and I wish to….." she was about to continue when suddenly, loud sounds of a bell ringing broke them out of their reverie, and she watched as Lady Nakiri paled at those loud banging sounds.

Her heart lept out of her chest as she watched the guards rush into the castle, arming themselves.

"What is happening?" she questioned.

"We are under attack!"

0000

LAORD HAYAMA MAHIROU

Lord Mahirou sat in his solar with his sons, reading the missive from his ally and comrade from Konoha, with a frown.

His two sons, Sakazuki and Tsukiyama, sat opposite to him, and he couldn't help but feel his disappointment and frustration grow as he looked at them.

"Why have you summoned us, Father? Have you finally decided to have that upstart lord answer for his crimes against us?" Sakazuki snarled in rage, his fiery temper and cruel nature evident in his very body as he towered over his younger brother.

"We still are not sure whether it was indeed Lord Shirahosu behind those explosions in the mines. You must not rush to conclusions," Tsukiyama added, his voice soft and intricate, yet of his two sons, he was the one more like him. He had a sharp wit and an enlightened mind, yet unlike him, he lacked the necessary ruthlessness to make some hard decisions.

"Of course, it was him. That up-jumped bastard thinks he can become a daimyo and wishes to have us impoverished when he hits our mines. Do you have any idea the amount of losses we have had to endure because of those attacks? The mines have been closed for weeks, and some of them may not even be functional again," Sakazuki snarled, and he was right.

The attack on the mines, which had shaken their lands, disrupting their biggest source of revenue, had come as a surprise to many. But not him, when he had heard of the assassination attempt failing, he had known that the young lord would try to retaliate, though he would do so with such precision and intensity, had come as a surprise to him.

The attacks had closed off over three-fourths of their mines, and given that the revenue from those mines was necessary for sustaining their lives and buying food for their people, which was extremely expensive given the war, it was a major headache for them.

Add to that the fact that the biggest exporter of food was also the said lord who had simply raised tariffs on them. They were right now on the precipice of a major riot from the impoverished populace of their lands, something which they could not afford at this time.

And now he had just received a missive from Konoha detailing that he would get little support from his ally there, for some people in the village had begun looking into his activities.

"Your brother is right, Tsukiyama. All of us know exactly who was behind those attacks. You do so as well, so it is time you stop playing, eh, fool?" he snarled angrily and saw Sakazuki smirking at his words.

"And Sakazuki, I sent you to Lord Hattori, to reach an accord with him to bypass the tariffs Lord Shirahoshi has imposed on us, what happened to that?" he questioned and saw Sakazuki frown.

"Bah! Why must we accept that upstart's terms? Let me teach him a lesson, give me four of our samurai and I shall bring you his head, bringing an end to this whole farce!" Sakazuki challenged, and he sighed.

It was a viable plan, yet he didn't like the uncertainty in it. There was too much they didn't know about this young lord, too much that was secret; the robins that had been hired to kill him were not so simple; their leader was someone acquainted with chakra as well, a feat which was rare in men of his station.

Yet somehow, the man had been killed, along with his whole crew. And all that when none of the four samurai sworn to Lord Shirahoshi accompanied him on his trip.

Hayama Mahiro had wished to further his family's legacy, trying to achieve what many others before him had failed to do so. A wish to see their own blood on the throne of the daimyo, and just as it had all seemed a reality, the daimyo had thrown a wrench in their plans, the wedding of his daughter to the young jito of Shinoi, propping up another rival to his grandson.

Lord Akihito Shirahoshi, the young jito of Shinoi, was rather mysterious as well, a boy of only fifteen yet wealthy and smart enough to have transformed his lands into one of the most prosperous regions of the land of fire.

He knew that the daimyo's days were numbered. The man was on his last legs, yet he clung to life, knowing that as much as he did so, it bought time for the young jito to gear up his forces; even now, he had heard rumors of the young lord making an alliance with the neighboring lord Chiba.

A minor lord, but still a troublesome thought, erupted in his mind. The young lord had a good reputation, and that meant many more would approach him with the offer of an alliance, alliances that could end his dreams, just as he was on the cusp of achieving them.

He could not let that happen.

"Sakazuki," he began beckoning his eldest son, who perked up at his words.

"Write to lord Hattori and Saegusa and have them gear up their forces as well," he told him, making his eldest frown.

"You wish to have him divide his forces," he concluded quickly, a feral smirk on his face.

And he nodded.

"Yes, have them engage in small skirmishes on the border while you shall lead the main force; apart from three, you shall have the rest of the six samurai under your command," he announced.

"Six, don't you think it's too excessive for someone like Lord Akihito," Sakazuki challenged, and she shook his head.

"No, I want you to end this whole farce once and for all," he said and saw Sakazuki's eyes glint as he questioned.

"Thank you for this father, and what of his lady wife? She is the princess?" he questioned, assured of his victory. And he closed his eyes as he answered.

"War is a treacherous thing, especially for women and children."

0000

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