XV: Ju Go

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Shigeru seems to be in a worse mood than he was the night before. His former men have made a point to bow deeply to me as they go to take their seats while merely turning their backs towards him.

Each of the clan leaders that have gathered here in the Fujioka fortress are elevated on piles of pillows with their retainers clustered around them, either on pillows of their own or standing against the wall. All weapons have been left outside of the council, per usual, to prevent disagreements from becoming bloody.

That rule may have been made especially for situations such as the one I found myself in, where Shigeru looked mere moments away from leaping up from his spot and strangling me.

Ryuu doesn't even give him the satisfaction of looking towards him when he enters. Instead, he simply takes his place to the right of me in silence. A streak of dirt has marred his cheek, giving confirmation to the fact that he had vanished to the extensive gardens.

Shogun Fujioka, with his daughter upon his arm, enters the room to take his seat upon the raised dais. His dark eyes scan the gathered masses as Rika settles in her place.

"It has been almost two years since we all last gathered here," he says, words echoing in the near silence of the hall. "Much has happened since that last meeting. Blood of our comrades, of our sons, has stained the saturated soil of the battlefield. With each passing day, we draw closer to our hopes of a united Japan, yet some would hope to thwart our efforts.

"This war, these battles, is the legacy which our forefathers have passed onto us. They, too, had the hopes that we would be able to settle our differences and reside under one command. Let us not forget that, allies, during the duration of this meeting, regardless of what anger we may stir in each other's breasts."

With those words, he gestures for the first order of the meeting to begin before settling back.  The two petitioners bow lowly, almost low enough to kiss his feet if they stood any closer, and proceeded to attempt to talk over each other.  The shogun merely sits silently until the flow of words run out.

"Do you know when we'll be called forward?" I ask Ryuu quietly, already surmising that I did not care to hear whatever was going on at the moment in front of me.

He leans closer while keeping his eyes locked on the two retainers.  "Due to the severity of what has happened and the rank of both Shigeru and you, we will not be called forward until the end," he says before giving me a crooked grin.  "So settle in for a long wait, Amachi Junichi."

Unable to resist, I turn up the corner of my mouth and whisper, "Did you enjoy the dirt so much this morning that you had to bring some of it with you?  One might think that my general is forced to labor in the fields."

Ryuu subtly brushes a hand across his cheek, but the streak remains firmly in place.  I, without giving thought to it, lick the pad of my thumb and scrub away the dirt.  When I pull away, he is looking at me with a curious expression; I pretend not to notice and focus my attention towards the dais.

The sun is high in the sky by the time that Shogun Fujioka calls for a break.  My body has gone numb from sitting, and by the way most of the others stand, it is clear they are feeling the effects of the long meeting.

"Lord Amachi," the lady Rika hails me after many of the lords and their retainers have filed out, "will you give me a moment of your time?"

When I pause, she steps off the dais, daintily making her way through the maze of pillows.  I go to bow to her formally, but she tugs her hands out of the sleeves of her kimono to stop me.

"Do not bow, Junichi," she says with a light laugh, "for I like to think that after all this time we are friends.  When we are standing on the same ground and not on ceremony, I would prefer not to have to go through such formalities."

"Of course, Rika; it shall be as you wish.  Now, why have you asked me to linger in the hall after the time I should have departed to take my respite?"

She links her arm through mine like we had done when we were both younger.  "Why, I thought that my old friend would like to take a walk in the gardens that his general is quite fond of and speak with me.  There are so many places there to speak more privately than within the rooms of the fortress."

I allow her to lead me outside where the sun singes my eyes for a moment.  The gardens that her mother had tended until her death are filled with vibrant colors and throw scents far beyond their reaches.

"There has been much talk between my father and his advisers," Rika tells me, words nearly drown out by the birds.  "While he has allowed me leniency, he has warned me that the time for me to wed is swiftly approaching.  Our line is secure in the hands of my older brothers, but I believe he fears what will happen to me if he dies."

I gaze out at the ginkgo tree we are walking by before answering, "Men in the position of our parents fear a great many things.  They fear what will happen if they do not have a boy to carry on the family line, they fear what will happen to their daughters if they do not marry well, and they fear, above all, what will happen to their legacy if they do not work to protect it while they are still among the living."

She tugs on my arm until I look towards her.  "Father may force me to marry; however, he will not allow me to wed someone that I have no affection for.  Junichi, I know that..."

Ryuu turns the corner, and his sudden appearance steals the words from Rika's tongue.  His sharp amber gaze locks on the way she is clinging to my arm before he says, "The council is about to resume, Jun.  We best get back lest we borrow more trouble than we have already found."

Hearing the warning in his voice, I turn to the lady on my arm and bow slightly.  "It was a pleasure walking with you, my lady.  We will have to resume our discussion at a later time."

The shogun's daughter gives me a faint smile as I join my general.  How would she look at me when she discovered what I truly was?  Ryuu has already shown how difficult it was to resume a friendship after the revelation.

"Have you told her?" He hisses under his breath as we walk back to the fortress.  His gaze tells me of his concern but none of his reasons.

I merely shake my head, not trusting my voice not to betray the fact that I plan upon telling her soon.  Ryuu's entire body relaxes, but I cannot tell if it is in relief for me, our dead fathers, or the clan in its entirety.

My general halts before we enter the council to toss a bundle to me.  "I know that neither Lady Fujioka nor you ate.  There should be plenty there to satisfy you until the evening meal."

"Thank you, Ryuu," I say, wondering how long he had been watching and listening to our conversation.  "I feel that it would not have made a good impression if I were to faint from hunger in front of the other clan leaders."

A smile tugs at his lips, one that lingers until the council has drug on for another two hours.  The shogun works through a minor land dispute between two of the other lords before making eye contact with me and gesturing.

"Lord Amachi Junichi, there are differences between the stories that Lord Aikawa Shigeru and you have told.  Will you tell your version of events once more for the council?" Fujioka asks, revealing nothing of his thoughts on the matter.

With the council to my back, I recount the events that had led us to this present moment.  I start with the fact that this was not the first time that I had been abandoned on the field of battle by Shigeru, though never nearly as soon.  From there, I tell of Raiden's challenge and of the battle the day after, where I had found the Aikawa lord and most of his clan gone.

When I had finished my accounting, the shogun motions for me to sit back down and calls Shigeru up to tell his tale.  I listen to his version of events before Ryuu is summoned along with the men that had been abandoned.

"Lord Amachi, Lord Aikawa, from the accounts that have been told here, I will decide what is to be done," Shogun Fujioka says after the hall has fallen silent.  "The Aikawa and Neji clans have constantly been at each other's throats, as most gathered here know.  Both of the lords of those clans have deliberately provoked each other into battle, and each time, Lord Aikawa has turned tail after summoning his allies.

"Because of this fact, Lord Amachi, who is the one most frequently called, has requested that his clan be allowed to deny the call to battle.  However,  I fear that having the responsibility fall to another one of the clans here will fare no better than it has with the Amachi clan."

He pauses for a moment, staring at Shigeru until the younger man pales a shade.  "Lord Aikawa, on the charges of cowardice and the abandonment of not only your ally but your own men as well, your alliance with the whole of the clans here has been severed."

The uproar is immediate.  No one has ever been kicked out of the alliance, as the whole point of the constant battles is to unite Japan and forcing someone out is like a backwards step.  Shigeru doesn't dare protest though as the word of the shogun is final.

"The men you left upon the battlefield may choose to remain with Lord Amachi, and you will allow them to gather their belongings and families if they choose that course of action.  That is my final words to you.  If you meet any one of us upon the battlefield, it will be as enemies," he tells him before turning that sharp gaze to me.  "Lord Amachi, despite your actions, you and your general will be under my service for a minimum of three years or until I release you from your service.  During this time, Lord Motome Taro will remain in control of your clan, though he is still accountable to you."

A smile appears upon Lady Fujioka's face when her father announces that, and that tells me that this was a planned move.  Ryuu goes white next to me, but I stand and bow politely.

"Lord Igarashi and I accept the sentence under you, milord.  May our service bring glory to both of our clans," I say as my general clamors to his feet and manages a bow as well.

"Very well," Fujioka answers before he stands.  "The evening meal will be served shortly.  May the honor that we seek on the battlefield one day lead to a country where everyone will live under one rule."

Ryuu seems frozen to his spot after the crowd has dispersed.  I touch his arm lightly, and without moving, he whispers, "What are we to do, Jun?  It's one thing to hide the fact that you're female from those at home, but it's a whole other thing to try to hide from a constantly changing pool of people."

I place my hands on his shoulders and turn him to face me.  "The best thing that my father ever taught me was to not turn down opportunities when they present themselves.  Do not fear for my sake, Ryuu, for if the truth is discovered, I will offer myself to whatever punishment willingly.  No one else will be punished for something that is the fault of those who have already passed on."

"I do not fear for any one of us," he answers through pale lips.  "I fear for the fate of the clan if you are deemed unfit to lead us because of your gender.  You have no relatives, no descendants.  The Amachi name may very well fade from all memory."

"Forget honor and legacy," I mutter fiercely.  "I would rather die because of the secrets I hold, knowing that Taro or you was leading the clan, than worry about what people will remember of me in a hundred years."

Ryuu opens his mouth as if to argue, but instead, he pulls me into an embrace, fists clenched tight around the back of my kimono.  His body shakes with emotion as his tear-thickened breath brushes my ear.  "I will not stand by and allow them to kill you for something that was not your choice.  Do not order me to do that."

"I promise," I manage to whisper, gently running my hands across his back.  His grip relaxes slightly as he rests his head against my shoulder, reminding me of so many other times.  "I promise I won't force you to leave me."

How much more could we take before we lost sight of all we had been?  I fear that answer even as I feel both my child self and the leader I had been slip from my grasp.

Author's Note: Here ends the first part.  The next part will be from Ryuu's perspective.  Thanks for reading so far!

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