Chapter 16

IEYATSU GIN

"This is disastrous," Ieyatsu Gin gasped as he stood opposite the young lord, with a detailed map of the land of fire opened in front of him, as they planned their eventual response to the incursion by Lord Mahiro's forces.

A response that seemed more and more complicated and unlikely as he noticed their precarious situation.

"With the constant skirmishes between our forces and those of Lord Saegusa and Lord Hattori to the East and West, the attack from the Northern border is devastating, and from my intel, is being led by the heir to Lord Mahiro, Sakazuki, who has at his back six of their nine samurai.

"Six!" Nakiri-san gasped from the side at those words, at the sheer number, for this also showed the intentions of the invading force.

They wished to end the Akihito family.

Though he cursed himself for not seeing this development, the skirmishes initiated by Lord Saeagusa and Hattori over the lasty few days should have been hints enough yet they had overlooked the intensity of Lord Mahiro's attack.

"Our four samurai are right now defending our Eastern and Western borders, we will have to pull them back," and as he was about to move the four general pieces towards the Norther front, the young Lord's voice cut in.

"No, we cannot do that," he cut in, surprising him.

"If we do so, we will be pincered by a three-pronged attack. Lord Saegusa and Hattori wield a considerably less force than Lord Mahiro, but it is a formidable force nonetheless. As soon as we pull back our samurai from there, we will be overrun," he added, and he could understand his fears.

"But what else can we do? We cannot let Lord Sakazuki approach the capital of our lands like this; we need to have someone combat his substantial force," he asked, and the answer to his worry took him by surprise.

"I will lead that force," Akihito cut in, startling all the three residents of the room with his words.

"Have you lost your mind! You alone will face six samurai, Six!" he nearly shouted at the absurdity of the notion and Akihito shook his head.

"I won't have to face them all at once, and I will lead a small and mobile force and try taking on them one at a time; with the best of my men, I could turn this whole thing around," he offered, and he shook his head.

"That's a massive risk! You are the lord of these lands, if anything were to happen to you, everything becomes meaningless, I cannot let you put yourself in danger like this," he said resolutely, yet Akihito appeared to have made up his mind.

"I could write to father," Lady Miyuki cut in from the side in a worried tone. Her face was pale, and her demeanor anxious as she looked towards the young lord.

"Maybe he could intervene and have Lord Mahiro pull bac…"

"It won't happen," he cut in, knowing that such a thing would be futile.

"The daimyo-sama will not be able to intervene in time, let alone the political situation in the capital makes it very difficult for him to make any such intervention. The pace at which Lord Mahiro's forces are moving, we would be overrun before any such directive makes its way to this part of the land, and even then, Lord Mahiro could simply claim that he didn't receive it or manufacture any legitimate cause for this overture," he replied and saw her nod nervously, as the young lord added.

"We must face this ordeal ourselves, with an expectation of no intervention from the capital."

"I see, then what will we do?" she questioned in a worried tone, and he grit his teeth as he scanned the map once more.

"We will do as I have commanded. Have Kazuto prepare the men, I will leave within the hour," he announced, and he grit his teeth, for though he was a valued advisor to the young lord, he was still an advisor and the final say would always lie with the young lord himself.

"Akihito, listen to me. You have no heir and are the pillar that holds our forces together. You are like the King in shogi, and only an idiot ever lets his King step into the foray," he tried, but the young lord was unmoved.

"You doubt me too much," he announced, sounding more impassive and colder as he looked at him.

He grits his teeth as he accepts defeat, yet even then, he wouldn't let him go on like this.

"Then let me write to Lord Chiba, with him allying with us we could force Lord Sakazuki to divide his whole force, he could attack him from the side, buying us enough time," he offered as he moved the two general pieces from Chiba lands into the Norther's front's side.

"You know I have already made my decision regarding this," the young Lord announced as he stood up, making him grit his teeth.

"Damn it! Just listen to me, Akihito, and don't be so stubborn!" he shouted at the young lord, who, without answering him, began to move out of the room.

"I need to make preparations," he called out as the door closed in behind them.

And in his rage and frustration Gin punched the table as he shouted.

"That damned idiot!" he cursed the young Lord for his stubbornness as the table cracked into two.

"Gin-sama," a demure voice from the side cut in, breaking him out of his trance as he looked to the side and found Lady Miyuki staring at him with a frown.

Yes, my lady," he replied after a gulp, knowing that he had debased himself enough for today, though if they all died in a few days, he doubted his honor or mannerism would matter much.

"Why is Akihito-san against an alliance with Lord Chiba?" she questioned, startling him, and he looked towards Nakiri-san by her side, who gave him a nod, beckoning him to tell her the truth.

"Lord Chiba has sought an alliance with young Lord Akihito for some time now, and to cement that alliance, he has proposed a match between young Lord Akihito and his sole daughter," he replied and saw her eyes widen.

"That means…"

"Yes," Nakiri-san cut in from the side.

"Lord Akihito refuses this because he made a promise to you that he would not take another wife, and while under normal times none would begrudge either of you this, in these times for a lord in his situation, the truth is that he cannot fight all his enemies with a hand tied behind his back," Nakiri-san added and he saw Lady Miyuki gulp at those words her eyes moving to trace the lines of wood on the floor as silence reigned through the room.

Then, he noticed her eyes sharpen as she glanced up into his eyes as she began.

"Then would Lord Chiba be satisfied even if his daughter is but a second wife?" she questioned, and he nodded as he frowned.

"Of course, my lady. An offer came even after your marriage to the lord, but he refused it," he replied.

The Princess then halted and he saw her mind race as she stood there and stared at the map of their territories, her fists clenched around the fabric of her kimono until her demeanor shifted as she replied in a resolute voice.

"Write to Lord Chiba and tell him that Lord Akihito accepts the match for an alliance between our two lands!" Lady Miyuki announced, and he was struck by her words, unable to believe them.

"But my lady…." he tried to say, yet she shook her head.

"Do it, leave Akihito-san to me," she added in a sharp regal tone, and he looked towards Nakiri-san, who had a small smile on her face as she gave him a nod.

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AKIHITO SHIRAHOSHI

Akihito was in his room, strapping up his armor when the door suddenly slid open, and he glanced to the side and found his lady wife standing there.

"May I enter?" she questioned demurely, yet this time, he didn't miss how her eyes were trained in his form, glinting sharply.

"Of course," he replied as picked up the shoulder guards, as Miyuki stepped behind him.

"Let me help you," she said as she began to tie it up as he held it in place.

Their eyes met through the mirror, sitting opposite him as she voiced out.

"You planned for this, didn't you," her voice cut through the air, making him frown. He was caught by surprise by those words, for of everyone else, she had been the only one to see through it all.

"How could you tell?" he questioned as they moved to the next piece, and she nodded.

"You expected this to happen, or at least planned for it. That was why you were training with those guards for all these days," she added, and he was surprised that she hadn't missed that detail.

She was still a princess, born in a perilous capital. And while she was innocent enough, she had fangs of her own, fangs that she beginning to bare as the shadow of death looming over her head receded.

"Lord Mahiro and his heir were most probably involved in the assassination of your brothers, for he is also the biggest backer of the Third Prince's bid for the throne, and I remember I made a promise to you that I would escape justice for your brothers," he replied, and indeed that had been the major part of this.

Yet even though he had been caught off guard by the intensity of this strike, he had expected a much-measured response from Lord Mahiro, given the man's cautious nature. Yet this time had gone all out on the first move.

Their eyes met once more, and he saw a glint pass through her eyes as her expression softened.

"I know you promised me so, but I have waited years for this. I could have waited for much longer," she said in a worried tone as she wrapped his face in her hands.

"I don't wish to see you risk your life like this for me. For the first time in years, I have felt at peace by you in these lands, felt hopeful; I cannot lose this all once more; I cannot bear to," she gasped out as water welled up in her eyes.

He smiled as he wrapped her hands in his and held them tightly as he turned to face her, and smiled.

"While concern for my well-being is cute…" and he saw her blush at his words.

"…nothing will happen to me. I am much stronger than I look, you must believe in me, and while this may seem abrupt, conflict with Lord Mahiro would have happened sooner or later, and I believe it wis better that we dictate the timing and pace of this rather than him," he assured her, and he was not even exaggerating. While their lands boasted fewer samurai, the quality of their forces was superior in regard to regular men, especially when it came to his special guards.

The conflict with the man was a necessity, more so after his brazen attempt on his life. If he had let him be the man, could have gotten even more brazen and could have hampered his rise, so it was better that he dealt with him now, rather than during the eventual open conflict, this way eh would be able to chip away at the Third Prince's strength.

He had trained these guards and were a force to be reckoned with. She stared into his eyes, and then, with an abrupt movement, he felt her cold lips land on his as she held his head in her hands and her weight shifted into his arms.

Akihito pulled her into himself as he wrapped his arm around her waist, as he felt his won body heat up, their lips conjoined still as they hungered after each other, and he could feel the saltiness of her tears on her lips as they separated, both gasping for breath as she stared into his eyes.

"Promise me then. Promise me that you shall return victorious," she said resolutely, and he nodded as he stared into her eyes.

"I promise," he replied, and then before he could react, her lips crashed into his own once more, yet this time, her hands ruffled through his hakama, tearing through the knots as she clumsily rushed to pull it off him.

And in that moment, he let himself indulge as he forgot about the incoming battle as the two of them became once for the first time.

.

.

.

.

And then, as he stepped into the yard, apart from the guards, he was surprised for he found another person standing there clad in armor.

"Gin. What are you doing here?" he questioned as he saw the blonde smirk as he replied.

"Did you really think I was going to let you go on this suicide mission all alone," he said rhetorically, and he shook his head as he gave the older man a pat on the back.

"Don't hold me back, old man?" he said as he moved forward, as Kazuto brought forward their horses.

"Who are you calling old, huh? I am in the prime of my life, let me tell you. Prime," he retorted as they mounted their horses, much like the rest of the force.

At this, Akihito chuckled before his eyes darted to the group of men standing in front of him.

"Today we ride to face an enemy with more men and weapons, some would argue even more experience," his voice cut through the clearing, and he could see the castle staff gather behind him as well as he continued.

"Even a coward would fight when victory is certain, yet only brave men march into a battle where defeat is the likely outcome, for that is the definition of bravery!" he shouted as he pulled out his blade and arched it up.

"Then tell me, are you brave men or cowards!" he shouted, and the roar that came shook the whole clearing, was answer enough.

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