HYOGOKU - journey to unity-

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In the northeast of the main island of Hyogoku a new generation of leadership was on its way in the province of Oki. 

Oki, a clan with a strong leadership over its province. The main city was gloriously standing on the steep cliffs in front of the ocean. The white dragon emblem of the Oki Clan visible on the dark blue banners of the watchtowers. Unknown lands and with it other enemy territories were close, yet the cliffs and the turbulent sea protected them from attacks. On land the clan had made other provinces their allies to assure safety on land as well. The provinces Bodaisei and Wazaigo, both peaceful provinces, now under Oki’s protection, helped them cover territory and protect their own province from direct attacks.

The Oki Clan was one of the oldest in Hyogoku, one of the old leaders of the country and their pride had them fight for their right of leadership over the entire country in the times of the Great War.

The current leader had only witnessed the fall of the empire while still young, his ambition not as fierce as the one of his father and instead of threatening other provinces, he established a system to ensure their own safety. 

Their clan offered protection and soldiers for those who promised payment and alliance to them. Simple sellswords. But their skills were known all over the country, no province had ever dared to march into Oki for a direct battle.

With the new generation ready to take over, their bonds inside their own clan were put to the test as the clan’s pride was stronger in some of them and they did not agree on the current methods used to create a peaceful era.

The first day of the eighth month, the day the new generals would be officially announced. A great day for the clan as those generals would lead their soldiers into more battles, give their province a stronger name and more territories on their side.

Today was the day Taiga finally felt a tiny bit of freedom in the breath he took. He knew he would pass. There was no way he would fail. He was a great strategist and his archery skills were the best in the Oki Clan. His clan, at least in the eyes of most of the people applauding and congratulating him when the clan leader handed him a wooden plate with the emblem of the Oki Clan engraved into it. General Kyomoto Taiga, Oki Clan. As simple as that the words were engraved, yet it had immense influence and power not just in their own province. 

“The youngest general I ever awarded the symbol of our clan,” the older man spoke. His uncle, the older brother of his late father.

“It’s a great honor to receive it from you,” Taiga said with another bow as he put the plate with the wine red silk string around the belt of his armor. 

Their flexible armors were thin, yet strong, arrows and swords not easily able to damage the material if not used in a brutal close combat fight. It made it possible for them to be swift at fights and use their skills of horse riding and archery even more effectively in battle. Their armor was of light silver color, even their heavier close combat armors equipped with stronger metal and helmets not too heavy for them to still be fast, as their blacksmiths were skilled and their province also offered a lot of iron resources.

For their tests on this day they were equipped with helmets as well, yet Taiga had taken it off, holding it under one arm, his blonde hair up in the typical clan hairstyle of a half up ponytail, visible to everyone around him. He saw the looks, he heard the whispers. He knew that not everyone agreed on the rank he was awarded today, but he didn’t care. He had never cared. Now he was finally allowed out of his province. Out of that limestone castle that was unfortunately like a prison to him depending on his company. Even if a possible death in battle awaited him, this was the freedom he had been longing for. After all he wasn’t the successor of this clan. He was a mere bastard. The son of the younger brother of the clan leader, but with a woman not belonging to their clan. An outrageous act to their clan as they were keeping their line pure, yet Taiga’s father hadn’t cared for those rules. He had loved Taiga’s mother, yet the death of Taiga’s father in battle when he was still young, had led the clan to discuss Taiga’s rightful place inside the castle. An illness had taken away his mother just two years after his father’s passing. Like a thorn in a beautiful bouquet, Taiga was standing out in his own clan. Blonde hair wasn’t part of their genetics. All of them had brown hair, not a single one had ever gotten lighter hair, yet here Taiga was reminded of his status through it every single day.

The fighting and tests of the day had exhausted him, with a lot of clan members and civilians congratulating him and the other few generals who had been awarded the rank to be allowed to go into battle. Taiga was barely of adulthood, just old enough to officially take part in the fights needed to earn this title. He had taken some injuries with him back to the castle, but nothing he couldn’t handle. Unlike the other generals he had never fought in a real battle, but as it was no official condition, he had been allowed to participate.

The castle of Oki was huge, with several floors. High walls and gates around the inner yard and heavy metal doors at the entrance protected it against any possible enemy, but big balconies towards the ocean made it feel welcoming when inside. All the living quarters were in the back on the third floor, Taiga’s room having an amazing view towards the cliffs and at least here he was able to find some quiet and peace, sometimes.

Only clan members were allowed inside the castle, so there had been debates about Taiga even being allowed to stay after the passing of his parents, but eventually it had been his uncle and his extremely lovely wife who had allowed Taiga to stay. After all, he never disobeyed them or gave them any reason to believe that he was going to go against them. 

Taiga had changed out of his armor, putting on a loose white shirt and black pants as he sat on his spacious bed, looking out towards the now darkening blue sky. Carefully he closed the buttons of his high neck shirt and was ready to just call it a day. It wasn’t like there were any servants in their castles who would disturb him later. Their clan forbade servants and punished slavery with death. Everything had to be a fairly paid job, so of course there were people in the castle taking care of certain tasks, but no one would help Taiga with getting dressed or taking a bath. He liked it that way. It was easier to decide his own schedule and needs. 

But while he had hoped for a silent evening the door to his room opened minutes later. No knocking, no greeting of the person entering and that was all Taiga needed to hear for his look to immediately darken. He didn’t turn around when the other one was approaching the bed and stopped next to Taiga. 

“Great job today, cousin.”

There were only two people who would address him like this, but unfortunately it wasn’t the cousin he wanted to see. Not just today.

“Thank you Taisuke,” Taiga said casually as he got up from the bed and looked at the older one.

A half up ponytail, the same as him, but brown hair, not the same as him and Taisuke would never see them as equal in the first place. The smile on his lips was as fake as everything he showed towards Taiga when they were around people.

“If you don’t mind, I am exhausted from the day and would like to take some rest.”

Taiga tried to move away from the bed, but of course Taisuke would step in his way. Not even today he would leave him alone, no, especially today he wouldn’t.

Taisuke wasn’t a general. There was no need for him to be one. He was the son of their leader. Yet he wasn’t lazy or just waiting to take over the province. He was a skilled fighter, but he was also skilled in making everyone believe that he accepted Taiga in their clan and Taiga had no way of telling his uncle about the way he was treated, it would make things even more difficult for him.

“Oh come on, show me how much effort you put into your fight today,” Taisuke said, but didn’t move from his spot. Taiga was used to Taisuke’s manipulative way of speaking, knowing exactly what was giving him satisfaction and as annoyed as he was by the other one treating him this way, he knew that there was no way he would act up now. Not now that he was finally going to leave the province for longer, to his first battle as a general. 

When Taiga didn’t make any move, Taisuke crossed his arms to his chest with a warning look and Taiga had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. He got out of his shirt, turning to the side so that Taisuke could see the purple bruise on his ribs. Beneath it a lot of old scars were visible all over Taiga’s skin, scars Taisuke was aware of very well. The new bruise was big, going all the way from his hipbone up to the back of his shoulder blade. It had been his own carelessness resulting in it as he had not protected his body well enough against an opponent in a three on one fight. He was fast, yet close combat against several people wasn’t his strongest skill. The day had been hard on him, the soldiers fighting with all their might and he had been extremely unfortunate that Iwamoto had been one of his opponents. Iwamoto Hikaru, a general, yet not an official war general, but bound to the castle as he was the assigned general at Taisuke’s side. 

“Oh what a nasty bruise,” Taisuke said as he stepped closer and of course he put his hand on Taiga’s ribs, the boy flinching, but not pulling away. “Was that Iwamoto’s fault?”

“It was a fair fight,” Taiga said, but he had of course realized that Iwamoto had aimed to harm him way more than the other soldiers. 

“Anything else?” Taisuke asked as he moved his hand from Taiga’s ribs up to his shoulder as he stepped behind him and when he closed his hand tightly around Taiga’s shoulder blade, Taiga let out a hiss, pulling a bit to the front out of reflex.

That move had Taisuke put his other hand on the bruise on Taiga’s hip, pulling him back. “You know on the battlefield this is nothing.”

“I am not complaining,” Taiga shot back over his shoulder, knowing that he had to watch his tone.

“Do you really think you will have a chance out there?” Taisuke asked as he stepped back this time, Taiga turning towards him.

“As if you’d care if I die out there.”

Now he had lost his patience. He shouldn’t have, but sometimes he just couldn’t take all that arrogance anymore, especially not after such a long day. Of course Taisuke immediately lunged out and gave Taiga a resounding slap, but then grabbed his chin, turning his face back and moving his hand up to his cheek to caress it. 

“We’re family, how dare you say something like that?”

Taiga wanted to laugh at Taisuke’s perfect game. The way he brought hell over Taiga every single day, while pretending that he was his safe harbor. It was a twisted game, but Taiga knew that he wasn’t a strong enough player in it to take Taisuke down. Like a pawn in a chess game he was able to avoid the bishop, but only step by step. One wrong move and he would be directly in the line of the enemy.

“I will wait for your safe return each time you head into battle,” Taisuke said with a grin as he grabbed Taiga by the chin once more, taking a side glance at Taiga’s neck, yet he didn’t comment on the scar, which Taiga usually hid under his high collar. “I bet your enemies will love your strong eyes.”

Not exactly a praise. Taisuke hated Taiga for his eyes. Not because of their color, as they both shared the same brown eyes, but because of the disobedience they showed towards him. They had lost their shine of fear towards Taisuke long ago. That fear had almost destroyed him before so he would never let it surface again. Not in front of Taisuke, not even alone in his room. Fear was something he didn’t allow himself to feel anymore.

A knock on the door had Taiga look over Taisuke’s shoulder and just when the door got opened, Taisuke released him and stepped back, fetching Taiga’s shirt from the bed with a calm look.

“Taiga, are you- oh, Taisuke, I am so sorry. I didn’t know you were here.”

“It’s okay Shime,” Taisuke said with a perfect smile while Taiga hurried to close the high collar of his shirt.

“I just congratulated our new general and made sure he’s taking care of his injuries.”

Shime thanked him for his concern and of course Taisuke took the chance to remind Shime that he had to work hard as well to become a general.

But Shime wasn’t made to be on the battlefield. He was their second cousin, the son of their fathers’ cousin. With that Shime wasn’t in any way the heir of their clan, but if anything happened to Taisuke, he would indeed have way more right than Taiga to step into the position of the king of Oki, but his poor health would make that task extremely difficult.

Taisuke left the room as carefree as he had entered while Shime walked over to the bed with a last look over the shoulder to the closed door.

“Did he do anything?” Shime asked, Taiga giving him a grateful smile.

“Thanks for your worries, but I told you so often now that everything is okay and that you should not get involved.”

“Nothing is okay,” Shime scolded him. 

“Then what would you do?”

A difficult question as Shime wasn’t even healthy enough to fight. From his looks he didn’t look that much thinner than Taisuke and Taiga, but his heart was weak, his body not stable enough to handle a lot of physical exercise. But he was smart and their king valued the way he studied hard to be of help in their council meetings.

“I will hopefully soon get my first invite, then I will be out of here for a while,” Taiga said as he moved to sit down on his bed, moving one hand to his ribs as the bruise burned now more than before.

“Can I ask a favor when you go?” Shime asked as he knew that an invite would mean Taiga would need to go into battle as a sellsword for another province and battles were getting bigger and more gruesome, so he worried a lot for his return, but he knew he would get scolded if he voiced it out. “Can you bring me back a few books if you get the chance?”

Taiga chuckled at his cousin’s words, but nodded as he also enjoyed reading a lot and he was already looking forward to leaving the province, because that meant he would pass through Wazaigo, the province with their country’s biggest archives and libraries. 

“I will make sure to do so.”

***

Almost a month had passed in which Taiga had tried to not let his impatience show too much. Some generals wouldn’t leave for the battlefield for months if not needed and he wasn’t the only one after all, yet he had made sure to make his voice heard next to his aunt and uncle. They understood how much he wanted to get an invite, not that they understood the reason for it, but him trying to serve their clan was the only reason they needed to know of.

The days were long, the summer hot and humid, so most people spent their time inside the heavy stone buildings, giving them at least some shelter from the unforgiving heat.

Taiga had taken his horse down to the beach. A training course with targets for archery was installed at one side and he had indeed used it in the earlier hours, but now that the noon hours were bringing unforgivable heat towards him, he had let his horse grass on the hillside next to the sand beach while he dared his way out to the water.

Warriors of Oki were trained in various kinds of war arts, the ocean giving them the opportunity to also learn how to swim and sail boats. Taiga had learned almost every single skill faster than any other child. Yet the reason for that had been his instinct to survive. Taisuke had thrown his life into chaos since he could remember. He had tried to drown him, let his horse trample him to death, way more attempts on the list, but the older they got, the harder it got for Taisuke to get his hands on Taiga without it looking too obvious. He was trying to get him out of his way, not that anyone would put Taiga over Taisuke as the leader of Oki, but Taisuke still saw him as a threat and as the bastard he was. He didn’t think he was worthy of the name Oki. 

There were so many scars on Taiga’s skin, all telling horrible stories, but weirdly he had always made it out alive. None of those planned accidents ever took his life and by now Taiga was sure that Taisuke had found too much pleasure in keeping the game up, because he could easily just order Iwamoto or any other soldier to kill him and make it look like an accident, not to forget that Taisuke had stopped him once from ending the game.

Slowly Taiga put one hand up to his high collar, but then walked into the shallow waves with a sigh, until he was in the water until his hips. The water was cold even in summer so in winter they would use it as a training ground to fight through the cold. Their province would barely get any snow, so the water was the only way for them to actually train for colder regions. Maybe he would soon visit a northwest province or maybe one of the desert provinces in the South.

The sound of a horse galloping down from the city made Taiga look towards the beach behind which the huge castle stood strong on the cliffs. It was a fascinating view, a place so beautiful, yet it wasn’t the warm home he wished to have.

Luckily the person rushing down to him was bringing a smile on his lips. The boy on the horse was the same age as Taiga, but he had short black hair, showing that he wasn’t a direct Oki Clan member, which didn’t mean that he wasn’t a part of their city. Most soldiers and civilians were no direct clan members, yet they were of course allowed to work around and in the castle and join their battles. 

But Takada Sho wasn’t a soldier. He was a blacksmith and a very skilled one. He was also the only person Taiga called a friend in this city. Except for Shime of course, but they were family, not that Sho didn’t count as family to him by now as well.

Sho made his horse stop when Taiga walked out of the water and the boy gave him a bright smile. “Trying to escape the heat or life in general?”

“Drowning myself is not really on my list of goals right now,” Taiga teased as the boy got off his horse and walked it over to the grass at the cliffs.

“How did you know I was out here?” Taiga asked.

“Shime told me,” Sho said as he put his horse next to Taiga’s on the grass. “Still no invite?”

Taiga shook his head, but he didn’t look too disappointed. He knew he had to be patient. 

“How is your bruise?” Sho asked and hit Taiga against the ribs, the boy immediately scolding him, but by now it was not that painful anymore. Taiga had told his friend about the injury, but only because he knew that Sho wasn’t the type to ask him questions about it or have him show the bruise.

“It would be better if you would all stop touching it.”

“I bet Taisuke laughed at you a lot,” Sho said as he walked back to the sand and sat down, stretching his arms out with a loud sigh before he fell back into the sand. As he had his eyes closed he missed the shadow passing Taiga’s face, but then he smiled and sat down next to his friend.

His own burdens were for himself, only for himself. Shime had found out by coincidence a few years ago, but Taiga had been extremely threatening towards him at that time to never dare speak to someone about Taisuke’s behavior. It wasn’t his pride stopping him, but his fear of his little cousin being the next one on Taisuke’s list if he ever found out.

“So do you need any extra weapons? New arrows? Or a bow? I can make you some cool daggers as well?” Sho said as he looked at Taiga with a bright smile.

The boy loved his job as he had learned everything from his grandfather. The man was still working, but Sho tried to take over as much work as possible as the man was already too old to stand in the smithy the entire day. His mum was well, living together with both of them in a house close to the shop. His father was unknown to him, a dark past lying over that story, but Sho still grew up to be a boy with one of the brightest smiles and the most honest heart.

“Let me think about it,” Taiga said. “I don’t even know where I will be going so I don’t know what weapons or which armor I will need.”

“Where would you like to go?” Sho asked as he sat back up and pointed out to the ocean. “I mean in general, not for battle.”

Taiga gave it a thought before another smile bloomed on his face. “Everywhere.”

That reply had Sho tilt his head in confusion and Taiga chuckled at him.

“I want to explore. I want to see places, meet people, gather experience in all possible aspects of life.”

“Does that include love?” Sho teased and hit him against the arm with his elbow, Taiga rolling his eyes at him. 

“We talk about love when you finally dare to talk to the young lady of the saddler down your street.”

Sho’s face immediately showed a different color on that topic and he looked away with an embarrassed smile. “I guess we need to wait a bit then.”

“Why is that? Come on, shall I ask her in your place? I bet she’d be thrilled if an Oki Clan member shows up in front of her door to tell her that his friend wants to meet her.”

“And then she will be disappointed that I’m not an Oki Clan member,” Sho laughed.

“Not that I am much of one,” Taiga said with a bitter smile, but Sho hurried to pick up some sand and emptied it over Taiga’s head. With a curse Taiga pulled back, shaking his head to get the sand out of his hair and he jumped up to chase after Sho who had already dashed towards the water.

“You’re as short tempered as them," Sho laughed as he kept running, but there was no way he could outrun Taiga, especially not on the sand. Even training like that had been part of Taiga’s childhood. He wasn’t that muscular or strong, but he was swift and fast. Able to run on any possible uneven ground and soon he tackled Sho to the ground, right when a wave hit the sand, both of them laughing when they got buried underneath it.

“I hope you can find what you’re looking for,” Sho said when he got up, all covered in wet sand.

“Now I have the freedom to finally search for it,” Taiga said as he looked towards the ocean with a smile. One positive outcome of being a bastard of his clan was the fact that he wasn’t allowed to marry back into it. For him it was more about not being forced to marry back into it, so he could freely choose who to love and be with, but if he ever dared that step, then his place in the castle would be lost for good. But his rank as a general would be something he would still keep. Yet Taisuke’s view of that matter was different. He tried to push Taiga out of the important clan business, yet keep him strictly bound to the rules when it came to anything that gave him freedom.

“Does that look like trouble or good news?” Sho asked and Taiga followed his look towards the castle where two soldiers were riding towards them, in front of them Shime was on his horse as well. 

“Definitely something important,” Taiga said as he knew that Shime shouldn’t even be out in such heat and definitely not in full gallop on a horse. So when he stopped with the soldiers next to them, Taiga hurried to give him a hand to get down and take a moment to calm down. His heart wasn’t strong enough for simple tasks like horse riding.

“What’s the hurry for?” Taiga finally asked when Shime’s breathing pace had calmed down. His cousin looked up at him with a bright smile as he grabbed him by the shoulders.

“Taiga, you got an invite!”

Taiga hurried back to the castle, promising Sho to tell him about everything later as he wasn’t allowed inside, but the boy was extremely excited about the news of the invite. So was Taiga, but he tried his best to not let it show too much. After all, this wasn’t a simple invitation to visit another prefecture. It meant that there was a battle going on somewhere and they needed Oki’s assistance.

Shime hurried after Taiga while the soldiers hadn’t followed them up to the great hall. Taiga’s mood immediately dropped when he saw Taisuke standing next to Taiga's uncle, but he tried his best to ignore his presence as he walked up to the clan leader. 

The man waited for him with a scroll in his hand. It was rare to see his uncle in the great hall as they were using a council room for important meetings most of the time. His uncle had always loved good counsel and he didn’t want to be seen as a strict king, a completely different view to what Taisuke had in mind, not that the young man easily let that side of his thoughts show towards his father.

“There you are, young general,” the man said, making Taiga bow slightly as he felt a bit embarrassed about his dirty clothes. “I guess you didn’t take off a single day from training.”

Taiga nodded as he had been indeed training a few hours ago, but now his focus was on the beige scroll in the man’s hand. 

“I received it this morning,” the man said, but his look didn’t seem too excited and Taiga tried hard to not impatiently shift from side to side while Shime remained a bit in the back, but wanted to hear about the invite as well. “I wanted to hand it to another general.”

Those news had Taiga stare back at his uncle in disbelief. Hadn’t he been clear enough? Was his uncle protecting him, because he was family? He was ready to find every possible reason to get that invite, but then the man turned to Taisuke.

“But my son convinced me that you were ready for this.”

Now Taiga had no other choice, but to turn to his cousin and Taisuke gave him a soft smile. So innocent and fake. 

“I am sure my little cousin can handle this invite. He isn’t just the youngest general, but also one of the most skilled ones after all.”

“I agree,” the man said as he turned back to Taiga and finally handed the invite to him, but his look still remained a bit doubtful. “You’re still free to hand it to a more experienced general, I leave that choice to you.”

Taiga nodded for now, not that he would let anyone take this chance away from him. He hurried to open the scroll and he held it a bit to the right on purpose as he knew that Shime would try to read from the back over his shoulder.

“Kita-Shosan,” Taiga read out loud. One of the biggest provinces in the country. Wazaigo was the only province between Oki and Kita-Shosan. None of their provinces had a big battle until now as Kita-Shosan understood that if they dared to attack Wazaigo that Oki wouldn’t stand down. But they weren’t known to be a province to go into battle easily. They had mountains, forests, rivers and huge agricultural lands. Their main city was a harbor city like Oki, but they had an easier access to the ocean and the water was less turbulent, giving them the chance to use boats to cast for fish. They even traded with Wazaigo, Mabara-Kinmitsu and Bodaisei sometimes. But there was one other province at their western border and there was no way they would trade or have any other contact than that of a battle. 

“Basarano,” Taiga read out loud once more and he could hear a gasp from Shime in the back. Now Taiga understood his uncle’s worries, but also Taisuke’s pressure on his uncle to let Taiga take on this battle. It was an easy way to get rid of Taiga without having to be part of it and it would be the same province his father had died against in battle.

Basarano was known for its fearless warriors, but also their chaotic leadership as the Basarano Clan had been destroyed in the great war, leaving many clans in a civil battle for leadership. They were all ruthless and heartless. A battle against them was something Kita-Shosan had tried to avoid for decades. The Seikyo mountain range, a huge mountain ridge lying between their provinces, made a direct battle difficult. Basarano had everything they needed. Unfortunately, wide lands, agriculture and strong warriors wasn’t enough for them. They weren’t known to make trades or friends in the first place. They were known for battles and massacres. 

Southwards the province Kaikakuto had once almost completely vanished through an attack of Basarano 15 years ago. Their lands had been on fire for weeks, their civilians had been killed gruesomely and their soldiers had been tortured to death for everyone to see. The reason for the battle was unknown to them. Their leaders of the now extinct Basarano Clan had been part of the council of their peaceful nameless era, but they wanted more. They became greedy and they were the first ones to ride into battle at the great war, bringing uproar over Hyogoku. Eventually the clan paid the highest price with extinction. 

“We already sent one of our troops from Wazaigo towards them as they will need every possible help they can get,” his uncle said with a troubled expression, but there was no way he would sit back and not help them, especially because they got well paid by Kita-Shosan for their help and they were also their shield against Basarano.

“I will take the invite.”

Taiga’s words hang in the great hall for a moment, his family members all giving him different looks. Shime shook his head, Taisuke was grinning and his uncle gave him a proud yet worried nod.

“You will get the strongest soldiers, the fastest horses and the best weapons,” his uncle explained as he walked up to Taiga and clapped him on the shoulder. The man was getting old, Taiga could see it clearer now. He was tired, not able to ride into battle himself anymore. But he had been out in the battlefield when Taiga’s father had died. It had been exactly the same enemy. They had come to Kaikakuto’s aid after Basarano had rolled over them without any warning. 15 years had passed since then and they hadn’t started another big battle, until now. 

“You need to leave today,” his uncle said. They had to hurry. It would take them at least a week to reach the city of Kita-Shosan. If the enemy had already invaded other territories of the province then they would run into them faster already. At least the weather should be on their side as the northern provinces were sunny and warm around this time of the year as well. A bit cooler than Oki and at least not that humid, so they didn’t need to carry too much extra clothes or winter armor. 

“Shime, would you be so nice and help me with preparations?” The man asked and Shime nodded, but gave Taiga a worried look as he left with his uncle while Taiga remained in the room with Taisuke.

“As expected of you, so fearless,” Taisuke let out as he walked up to Taiga and grabbed the rolled up paper, but when Taiga didn’t immediately let go, the older one raised an eyebrow at him.

When Taisuke stepped closer, Taiga finally let go of the invite, but Taisuke didn’t even bother stepping away as he opened it with an excited smile at the name of their enemy. He rolled it back up and put it under Taiga’s chin.

“I’ve heard stories about them. One worse than the other,” Taisuke said, looking at every single reaction on Taiga’s face. But Taiga knew the stories as well and he didn’t fear them. If death was going to be part of his freedom then so may it be.

Taisuke wasn’t pleased with the lack of reaction and he shifted his weight, putting his free hand into Taiga’s hair and pulled a bit, forcing Taiga to lift his head. “They’re famous for their torture methods. Some of them seem to enjoy scalping their enemies and taking home their hair and skin to sew them into their armor as a token of power.”  

Taisuke gave a harsh pull on Taiga’s hair and this time Taiga let out a small hiss on the rough movement, but that wasn’t enough for Taisuke to show a smile. Not anymore. When they had been younger, Taisuke had enjoyed every single bruise or scar he had caused on Taiga. Now it had become too boring for him and it was obvious how much he would enjoy joining the battle just to be present if Taiga indeed got tortured or killed.

“I will make sure to show you all the damage they caused when I make my way back to Oki,” Taiga replied calmly and this time Taisuke laughed, releasing Taiga, but giving him a few claps on the cheek. Of course a bit too harsh to call it a caressing act.

“You do that little cousin and if you can’t do it, then I will make sure to get what they left of you back here so I can have a look.”

It were those direct words that had Taiga shiver each time. The lack of empathy and the excitement about pain and death. It fascinated him how Taisuke was able to behave calmly around everyone else in the castle, but it was clear that at least Iwamoto knew about Taisuke’s real personality. Yet the general was still at his side and that was another scary fact. Taiga had to watch out more for Iwamoto than for Taisuke. One direct order and Iwamoto could end his life without any consequences for Taisuke.

Taisuke stepped back and handed the scroll back to Taiga, but when he made a move to leave the room he stopped next to Taiga once more and pulled down his high neck part to put one finger right above the long and thin scar on it.

“Just don’t be a coward again.”

***     

The province of Oki was Hyogoku’s fourth biggest province of the country, but what was outstanding at their province was the amount of people willing to fight for their clan. 20,000 soldiers in full, a number so big that only the army of Minami-Hian could be a direct threat to them, but even though the southern province was the biggest of the country it also had the most provinces connected to them and mostly protected its own borders instead of trying to head into battle.  

Basarano could be a threat to them in numbers as well, but they weren’t one organized army, just a lot of clans all trying to fight for leadership. Oki split their soldiers into divisions to protect Wazaigo and Bodaisei and was also offering their services as sellswords to other regions, so usually most of their soldiers were on duty outside of Oki.

Nevertheless the army Taiga led out of their main city was of a strong size. 2,000 brave women and men fighting under his command, no one questioning his age or experience as a general. For the Oki Clan it was most important to trust in each other and obey orders, even if they came from the youngest member of their army.

500 of his soldiers would remain in Wazaigo as they had let the same amount of soldiers head into battle from there already to make sure that the Basarano soldiers wouldn’t storm through Kita-Shosan right to their borders. 

Kita-Shosan had an army of 15,000 soldiers as well, but they were scattered over the province, only around 7,000 at the main harbor city where Basarano had directly attacked. Reports had stated that around 6,000 soldiers had invaded the province, burning down smaller towns and villages on the way. Chances were high that more soldiers were trying to make it to other regions of the province to destroy it the same way as they had done it with Kaikakuto.

Right at their departure Sho had made sure to equipped Taiga with as many useful weapons as he could and Taiga had his bow and quiver on his back, while he had a short sword on his belt and a knife hidden in his long boots. They had provision on their horses for a few days, but they would restock at Wazaigo. For now they had to be swift and couldn’t get delayed by any heavy luggage.

Shime and Sho had both worried for him and wished him a safe return, while Taisuke had of course said the same, his look longed for Taiga to never return. Taiga’s willpower and confidence wasn’t that easily scratched and after a three day ride through their open lands with small towns and villages on their way throwing flowers on the streets they passed, to send them into a safe battle, they had finally arrived in the province of Wazaigo.

The entire atmosphere changed over one day as their surroundings changed from simple wooden houses of their villages to huge houses of red bricks and the most beautiful architecture Taiga had ever seen. 

It had been two years already since he had last been allowed to visit Wazaigo together with his uncle. A province of history and knowledge. A place his uncle wanted to protect under any circumstances. Wazaigo didn’t have a standing army themselves, but their people would fight if needed. 

In the main city they were greeted with an escort of a dozen riders. Their city was lying at the border of the Seishi forest. It was the biggest forest in their country, reaching over several hundreds of kilometers. It gave Wazaigo a natural border to other provinces, but they were on good terms with Bodasei, which was lying on the other side of their forest border.

They were also allowed to use the stone provided from Oki as they had the Renkyo mountain range between their borders. Towards Kita-Shosan the Waru mountains gave them a natural border, but they wouldn’t just use the resources without making sure Kita-Shosan would agree. 

The buildings inside the big city were a mix of wood and stone. Some of them white, others red, the color of the wood also varying from dark brown to light beige. The mix might seem chaotic at first, but Taiga felt at ease each time he visited this place. A lot of the architects and handymen from Wazaigo were called to Oki to help them out with new buildings. The province was led by a democratic council and three of the council leaders were awaiting them at their beautiful council hall. 

They seemed surprised when they saw the plate on Taiga’s belt. The proof of him being the general of this army, but they still greeted him with the respect he deserved. Taiga didn’t waste much time with formal talks as he knew that they needed to hurry. He told his soldiers to rest for a few hours before they’d depart. 

Farriers were taking a look at their horses, while civilians of the city had already prepared food and provisions for the soldiers. They led them to a place close to the forest where there was enough space for all the soldiers to rest and escape the heat of the sunny day. 

Taiga ensured that everything was set and then he excused himself for a moment. He hurried along the streets, knowing his way around perfectly. 

After a few minutes of walking he reached a white paved street. It was short and there was only a single big building at the end. Black ebony wood mixed with beige limestone. High windows and two small conical roofs on each side. The center roof was lower, beneath it a heavy double door with metal rings making Taiga stop to look at them with a nostalgic smile. The first time he had come to this place he had been too small to even reach the rings to open the door.

The doors opened with a creak and Taiga stepped inside the spacious entrance hall. The entire building was connected, the roofs high even inside and the only furniture were hundreds of bookshelves, so high that climbing the ladders to the top shelf would take more time than first expected.

Taiga walked through the main aisle of the library, the biggest library in their country. The floor was out of white and black marble, showing Taiga’s reflection. Taiga’s steps echoed through the building as he looked up to the tower to the left where a beautiful round staircase led up to the newest shelves where no new books were placed yet. Just a few years more and they would definitely need a second building.

“What a rare guest.”

The voice came from a staircase on the right side of the building and Taiga turned towards the young man smiling down at him. Just a few years older than him, brown wavy hair and the brightest smile he had ever known. 

In Oki, Sho was indeed the only person Taiga truly called a friend, but in Wazaigo, Kochi Yugo was falling into the same category. 

“And what do I see there?” Kochi asked as he pointed at Taiga’s belt. “Don’t tell me your uncle actually let you take an invite?”

“I am officially a general now, what else would I do with my spare time?” Taiga teased while Kochi walked down the stairs and stopped at a bookshelf on the way, picking two books before he stopped right in front of Taiga and held them out to him.

“Reading, what else?” Kochi teased and Taiga took the books, giving them a quick read. One was a fictional book, magic and fights, a topic that wasn’t that far off from their world, but Taiga wished their fights would be as glorious as the ones in those books. The second one was about their world. Explanations of trading and economics.

“I guess one is for me and the other one for Shime?” Taiga asked and Kochi nodded before he went off to another corridor and handed one more book to Taiga. 

Taiga had to suppress a laugh when he realized that it was a kind of twisted story about true events, yet explained from the view of an outsider. The story of a mad man riding into battle for his own needs of power, while the people around him watched him rise and then fall through his own arrogance.

“You can hand that one to Taisuke,” Kochi said neutrally, but Taiga had already known years ago that Kochi was good at reading people. While he was taking care of the library he was a council member as well after all. Taisuke had never misbehaved while being in Wazaigo. He had been a calm child around everyone, except around Taiga of course. But Kochi had been able to sense more, especially when Taiga’s uncle had come by with both of them.

“I will have someone pick them up on my way back,” Taiga promised as he put them down on a table. “Could you grab a handful more for Shime later? He will be thrilled to get books recommended by you.”

Kochi nodded, but now the worry on his face was obvious as well. “Make sure you come back to be able to hand them to Shime.”

“It will take us some weeks I fear, but I won’t break that promise.”

“You better don’t,” Kochi said with another smile. “Don’t give Taisuke that satisfaction.”

“Never.”

***

It took them another two days to make it to the border of Kita-Shosan as the Waru mountains weren’t that easily crossed even if they stayed close to the Hokubu river.

As much as Taiga wanted to hurry, the weather was making it hard for them to push their horses and themselves too much. With the sun burning down on them even in the ninth month of the year they had to make sure that they would arrive in a condition to fight, even if that meant a day or two delay.

Around this area the province had no big towns or cities and Taiga had never visited Kita-Shosan before. He had heard stories though. Their main city had no castle, no big towers, nothing that would compare to the big stone buildings they had in the east, but the people were happy. They were loved and protected by a strong leader. While Kita-Shosan was indeed a monarchy, their king seemed humble and put trade over battles.

Taiga made his army hold when he saw two of their scouts riding back towards them. He had sent out three groups of scouts to check on the villages and towns around the borders. For now they should be okay to proceed without delay, but they needed to make sure that their enemy hadn’t already pushed further into the province. The scouts had been ahead a day's ride and it seemed like the way to the next bigger town was safe, for now.

“We will camp around this area for the night, make sure the villages around are getting informed about our arrival,” Taiga ordered.

They needed a wide space to camp with such a big army, but he didn’t want the civilians around them to fear them. They had come to help after all.

The next day they needed to hurry. To the main city it would take them at least another three or four days, but Taiga was sure that they wouldn’t easily make it that far. His gut feeling told him that something similar to Kaikakuto was going on, so the Basarano soldiers wouldn’t just try and attack the main city to take control. That wasn’t their way of handling things. 

After a short night they all hurried towards the next big town at sunrise, people luckily greeting them with grateful expressions as they had already heard the news of the war, but had until now luckily stayed unharmed.

Taiga considered leaving some soldiers behind for protection, but he had to trust in their strength and ability to stop their enemy before they could make it towards the eastern or southern border. His remaining scouts had all returned with positive news, but in the afternoon of the following day Taiga felt an extremely unpleasant shiver when only one of his two scouts came into sight.

“General, Basarano is gaining ground. Around 500 soldiers, maybe more. A three or four hour ride from here.”
“Did you engage in a fight?” Taiga asked and was relieved when the man shook his head.

“We split up as we wanted to check on more of the towns around us to see if more soldiers were trying to get past us.”

“A good decision,” Taiga praised him and let him stay at the back for now to take a break after such a long ride, but now they had to hurry and he decided to take his best 500 soldiers to sprint ahead. For now they had to face them head on and hold them back, the remaining soldiers could push them back completely later on. 

His orders had been clear and in case any scout reported more fights close to them, they would split the same amount of soldiers to fight at that location. Their soldiers were strong and skilled after all, Taiga had to put his trust into them.

They could see smoke rising after a two hour ride and Taiga made their horses hurry even more. 

“Push them back, do everything possible to get them out of that town,” Taiga shouted at the soldiers behind him who were in charge of smaller units which would split up inside the town to push the enemy back. In bigger battles they would use war horns or drums if they were stationed at a battlefield, but right now they used the advantage of surprise and rushed to the front without making themselves known.

They had been discovered before reaching the town and some soldiers were already awaiting them in front of some burning buildings. Taiga could hear people screaming, and see some civilians at the borders of the town who desperately tried to get away. The town wasn’t too big, but there were definitely a few hundred civilians.

“Split up,” Taiga shouted to the back and two units hurried to the left and right of the town, making their enemy move as well. Some were storming towards Taiga’s unit, others were trying to head after the other soldiers.

It was the moment when Taiga had to avoid some arrows getting shot towards them that his strong front finally broke a bit and he could feel the worry and tension filling his mind. He was still moving swiftly, shooting his own arrows while in full gallop and each and every single one of them hit. 

Their armors weren’t the thickest, but even when some of his soldiers got hit by arrows the wounds wouldn’t be life threatening. The material was made in a way that it would slow down the weapon on impact, small fibers breaking bit by bit on a heavy impact. Only a heavy sword thrust would be of lethal danger. 

Taiga hissed when an arrow hit his hand, one of the few unprotected parts of his body as they were wearing helmets as well, but of course his face and his hands he had to protect most. On his forearms he had heavier arm guards, helping him in close combat to block the enemy’s weapons. The injury on his hand was luckily only a graze and the next moment he put his bow on his back and made his horse storm the rows of enemies as they had reached the town. 

Both sides drew their swords, but while the Basarano soldiers had black armors with heavy swords, Oki had lighter weapons and they were able to move faster. It was obvious that it was one of the smaller clans of Basarano which had marched further into the province on its own. They would most likely have to face several different clans on their way, which also meant different kinds of fighting styles and dangers.

Taiga jumped off his horse the moment they had arrived behind the line of the enemy. For now his goal was to make them retreat, but if they wanted to fight, then Taiga wouldn’t hold back. He was new to real war and killing people, but he wouldn’t spare their lives if they threatened the already unsteady peace of Hyogoku.

But as expected the soldiers of Basarano were fighting with brutal strength, making it difficult for them to try and push them out of town. Taiga was forced to jump back at some point, trying to make the alleys around the small wooden houses a tactical retreating place, but after two turns he stopped with wide eyes. 

He didn’t have much time to feel shocked or disgusted by the amount of dead civilians in his way. Slaughtered like animals they were scattered over the ground. Taiga got his bow out to aim for the soldiers chasing him, the narrow alleyway giving him the perfect place to make them slow down and aim for one after the other. But he knew he would soon run out of arrows and then he hissed when an arrow from above hit dangerously close to his neck, his armor luckily stopping it. The high neck part had protected him from fatal damage, but the arrow had been shot from the roof next to him, so close that Taiga would definitely need to treat the wound as soon as possible. He hurried to shoot the archer down, but instead of them pushing the enemy back, they had been forced to split up. 

Taiga tried to dash back to his unit. He needed to make them all gather to get the upper hand. It was clear that these soldiers would rather die than retreat. Out of options and with too many soldiers around him, Taiga dashed to the back, daring his way further into the town. His own soldiers had obviously been cut off at the border as he couldn’t spot any of them close to him, but he could hear fighting noises, so he knew they were close. Even without him around they knew what to do. They needed to stay together, that was also why Taiga cursed himself for getting separated. He had underestimated the strong will of his enemies. 

“And where do you think you’re going?” A soldier asked him as he got stopped at another street. This time one of the main streets, but there were only a few buildings on the sides, no alleys to run off to. 

Taiga drew his short sword and turned at the last second when an arrow came towards him. He had aimed well enough to hit it, but it didn’t seem like the soldier had aimed for any fatal injury. He had aimed for his hip.

“What a fancy plate for such a young soldier,” one of them laughed as he looked at Taiga’s general plate. 

“A general of Oki,” another one said who had obviously seen one of the plates before, but Taiga wasn’t scared of them surrounding him. “So what will you do now, young general?”

Fighting noises to their right finally brought some of Taiga’s soldiers into sight and everyone tried to block the path towards their direction. A wrong move as Taiga dashed right towards one of the wooden buildings and slammed his shoulder into the door. Luckily it broke as it was only simple wood, nothing fancy or strong. 

“Get him!” One of the soldiers ordered and they immediately ran after Taiga. He had seen his soldiers getting the upper hand, that was all he needed to know. He only had like half a dozen around him. He was able to handle them himself. 

In the small rooms of the house Taiga had the advantage of his swift movements. People easily died at his hand and he counted down, knowing that there should be less than four people left, but without a warning he got tackled to the ground from the back. The one soldier who had realized that he was a general now on top of him. He was physically a lot stronger, so Taiga hurried to try and get away from him as the man tried to stab him with his sword. But he was too close to easily lunge out and Taiga succeeded in stabbing his short sword up into the other one’s abdomen first as Basarano’s armors weren't the most tactical ones with a lot of weak spots.

Right after, another soldier had reached them and kicked Taiga's head. His helmet took the impact, but was also kicked away on that move. The soldier on top of Taiga wasn’t going down easily, even though Taiga knew that he had found a weak spot in his armor and the man would die of his injuries. Nevertheless he lunged out for Taiga now that his head was unprotected. 

With two more soldiers showing up, Taiga knew that he had to do something fast and he succeeded in pulling himself up on the soldier’s armor right before another one tried to swing with his sword for his head. With the momentum he brought the hurt soldier finally out of balance and freed himself. He dodged a sword thrust from the side before he hit the soldier behind him right in the face while slashing to the back and with the Basarano soldiers not wearing helmets, he easily hit him fatally. Once more he tried to aim for the door, knowing that only two more soldiers were after him. He had almost made it over the broken door when one fast soldier tackled him down once more and on the way he had raised a knife, Taiga taking a hard impact on the street as his focus was on the knife directed at his face. 

The second soldier was right behind them, ready to lunge out as well, but to Taiga’s surprise both soldiers got stopped. A sword appeared right in front of his face, but got sliced up towards the soldier on top of him, while two other soldiers had attacked the last Basarano soldier. But the armors he saw in front of him weren’t of his own soldiers. Silver metal armors, heavy mail coats protecting them even up to their heads, silver shining helmets covering half their faces with long nose parts going down into their faces. 

“Right on time,” the man behind Taiga said. He had his sword still close to Taiga, but as there was no direct enemy near them he dared to step aside and stretch his hand out to help Taiga up. Taiga’s look immediately fell on the arm part of the armor. The bear emblem of Kita-Shosan on it.

“No need to worry, we’re soldiers from Kita-Shosan. Looking at your armor I think you’re from Oki, right?”

“Indeed,” Taiga said as he looked around, but the fighting noises had gotten less.

“We just arrived. We gathered soldiers in the south, 1,000 in number. We have the situation under control. But without you even more people would have lost their lives, so thank you so much for your early arrival.”

“General,” one of the soldiers said and handed something to the man in front of Taiga. With the long helmet and the heavy armor he couldn’t even see his face that well. But when the soldier handed the Kita-Shosan general a plate, Taiga automatically grabbed his belt. Only the wine colored string was left.

“General Kyomoto Taiga, Oki,” the General of Kita-Shosan read, but then he looked up at Taiga in confusion. In such confusion actually that he finally took his helmet off. This time it was Taiga’s turn to look a bit confused as well, but he had never thought that only he was young for his rank. 

The general of Kita-Shosan was of his age, even thinner of build than him. So thin that Taiga wondered how he was able to even stand with that heavy armor.

“You’re the general of Oki?” He asked and Taiga slowly nodded. 

“And you’re one of the generals of Kita-Shosan,” Taiga said, not knowing how to address him and the general finally handed him back his plate and pulled out a small metal plate with an engraving of his name and the emblem of Kita-Shosan.

“Tanaka Juri, General of Kita-Shosan,” Taiga read the metal plate and he stepped back and bowed to the young man. “Thank you for your help, General Tanaka. It would have been an embarrassing first battle for me if I had died today.”

Juri only nodded, still seeming quite impressed by Taiga’s identity, not that he seemed much older, but definitely more experienced in battle.

“General Tanaka, we got the town back,” one of the soldiers running towards them shouted. “Shall we chase after the remaining soldiers?”

“How many?” Juri asked.

“Less than one hundred.”

“Where are they heading?” Taiga asked and the man first looked at Juri who nodded for his soldier to answer.

“Eastwards.”

“They won’t come far then,” Taiga explained. “I had 500 of my soldiers ride ahead with me, but another 1,000 soldiers are on their way. They will directly run into them.”

“Then I think we should make it a priority to keep the town safe. There are more troops trying to invade more parts of the province.”

Juri’s soldiers nodded, but then Juri looked back at Taiga with a sudden troubled expression.

“My apologies. I will of course let my soldiers chase after them if you prefer that? I do not want to endanger your soldiers over ours.”

Taiga blinked at him in confusion before he formed a smile and shook his head. “I am grateful for the thought, but they will be fine.”

Juri bowed towards Taiga and made his soldiers secure the town while some of Taiga’s soldiers had also finally made it back to him and he urged them to take care of the hurt civilians and stop the fires.

“Do you need any medical assistance?” Juri asked, but Taiga only tilted his head. A move that had Juri point at his neck and then look down at his hand. Taiga had totally forgotten that he was indeed bleeding and that he should take care of those wounds.

“Thank you, but we have medical supplies on us.”

“Okay, then if you don’t mind, I would like to update you about the situation in our province as soon as the town is secured.”

Taiga nodded and once more Juri gave him a small bow before he kept moving.

Taiga put his plate back on his belt and looked after Juri who was ordering his soldiers around with a surprisingly calm, yet strict tone. The young man didn’t seem like a fierce soldier who could easily become a general, but yet again Taiga wasn’t exactly a person like that either. 

With a smile he finally turned away to get himself some bandages. He felt like he had made an interesting new acquaintance.

After Taiga’s remaining soldiers had caught up with his unit they had made camp in front of the town. Juri had offered them to use some of the houses, but with the civilians this shaken he had kindly refused and offered patrols together with Juri’s soldiers over the night to assure their safety.

Now it was already dark outside, close to midnight, but one of Juri’s soldiers had made it out to their camp and asked if Taiga had time to discuss with Juri for a while. The day had been chaotic for all of them so he understood that Juri hadn’t found the time to meet with him yet and he followed the soldier to one of the houses Juri was using with his troop leaders for preparations. To his surprise they all excused themselves on Taiga’s arrival and he was left alone with Juri who told him to take a seat. It was only a wooden table with half a dozen chairs around it. The only light in the house came from several candles on and around the table. It was still possible for Taiga to see the map on the table clearly. A map of Kita-Shosan and on it were black, red and blue wooden pieces, all in a triangle form. 

“6,000,” Juri said as he touched one of the black triangles in front of Kita-Shosan. “Basarano arrived at night, they attacked even before sunrise. We couldn't rescue anyone outside of the city walls. They were slaughtered like animals. 4,000 civilians and soldiers outside of the walls died in less than a day.”

Taiga didn’t respond or nod. He looked at Juri who was staring down at the black piece as if he wanted to crush it in his palm. The devastation and pain was visible in his eyes.

“We lost at least two or three thousand more over one week. Basarano sent troops around the main city. We couldn’t easily bring the main soldiers out of the walls to stop them and troops like mine were still scattered at the borders. We needed too long and after two destroyed cities we finally caught them in this town.”

Eventually all Basarano soldiers had been killed by Taiga’s soldiers as they had tried to flee, but of course there were more.

“How many troops do you think they sent?” Taiga asked and Juri took a deep breath before he moved his hand to the pieces once more. He picked up one red one and put it next to a blue one in Kita-Shosan.

“Your soldiers from Wazaigo arrived a few days ago at Kita-Shosan and are now cornering the Basarano soldiers in front of the city walls. The city hasn’t fallen yet and we sent our own troops for support. By now there should be over 10,000 soldiers on their way to the city and as long as Basarano doesn’t send a huge backup we should be able to push them back.”

“But until then they will slaughter their way through the province,” Taiga concluded with a look at the map.

They had caught one of those troops today in this small town called Aoko. With that one of the black pieces had been flipped over while one blue and one red remained. There was only one red in Kita-Shosan and one at Aoko. Taiga immediately felt like they weren’t helping enough, especially when he realized that there were five more black ones out of the main city, but only four more blue.

“Our troops are trying to trap them before they can spread out too much, but information is passed on too slowly. There could be even more troops and we need to get to the main city as fast as possible.”

Juri looked exhausted, his eyes showing how much he had fought and planned through long nights until this day. 

“May I bring in some ideas on how to corner them?” Taiga offered and Juri nodded immediately. “Looking at the locations and the numbers of soldiers you have the advantage of the bigger numbers. They know that so they are trying to slip through your net. But to be able to do so they will have scouts as well.”

Juri looked on the map in silence, trying to figure out possible routes of the scouts together with Taiga. Only at their borders to Wazaigo, Bodaisei and Minami-Hian they had thick forests and high mountains, so it wasn’t that easy for soldiers to scout without getting noticed. They had a lot of farmland and untouched grasslands with small rivers and lakes, but even with some small forests in between it wasn’t going to be that easy to stay undiscovered, but they hadn’t caught any scouts yet.

“Basarano is usually acting alone,” Taiga said, his words making Juri look at Mabara-Kinmitsu. “Each clan going on their own.”

“So their scouts shouldn’t be as skilled as the shinobi of Mabara-Kinmitsu. They have too much pride to pay them for assistance.”

“Exactly. But their scouts might still be their most skilled warriors in matters of hide and seek. Which means we shouldn’t look for soldiers.”

“But for civilians,” Juri concluded. “But they will fit in perfectly if it’s not a really small village and with our soldiers being this obvious they definitely find spots to hide before we could even start suspecting anyone.”

“That is why you shouldn’t send soldiers,” Taiga said. Juri finally looked up at him on those words and Taiga gave him a calm smile. “Play the game with the same rules. Don’t send your best scouts, send your most ordinary soldier without his armor.”

It was a simple plan, yet it was exactly what Juri needed. He was so focused on the direct confrontation of both armies that he hadn’t even had the time to think about the details in between.

Taiga pointed at a small area between two of the black pieces. “They know that you have spotted them. They definitely spotted your troop already as well, but you have an advantage here. Their troops have two rivers crossing this area, so one troop will definitely aim for a northern passage to not get trapped at the river and the other troop would need to cross both rivers or aim for a forest path, both not the most ideal, but they will go for cover instead of the danger of getting stuck. Head up to that troop of yours. Let them know the circumstances. Send out scouts tomorrow and they will be able to narrow down the paths for your army. They will only have 1,000 soldiers at max and even if there are more you haven’t spotted yet, you can be at their side in less than two days with your remaining soldiers so you will have 2,000 soldiers to block them.”

“Will you ride with my troop?” Juri asked, but Taiga shook his head and pointed at the Shinsai river. The biggest river in their country, dividing Kita-Shosan and Minami-Hian. 

“I will ride down here and move up from the Shinsai river to the Shosatsu forest.”

“You think they could have actually made their way through the Shosatsu forest?” Juri asked, knowing very well how hard it would be to lead a troop through the thick forest. Basarano had used Mabara-Kinmitsu to get to Kita-Shosan as they wouldn’t be able to find an easy path through the Seikyo mountain range with thousands of soldiers. But while Mabara-Kinmitsu had their main city right at the same mountain range, they wouldn’t easily attack if they were left alone.

“They knew that you’re having your soldiers around that area so I doubt they made it directly through the forest on your border, but if they planned this ahead then there might be another path they could have taken.”

“Over the Nanmitsu river?” Juri asked, realizing what Taiga was aiming for at the river. “It would be a huge risk to aim for the forest from the southern side.”

“The mountains are still on Basarano territory, so they could sneak around without Mabara-Kinmitsu feeling threatened by them. Crossing the forest brings them into Minami-Hian, but still northern enough to not draw their attention.”

Juri slowly nodded, realizing how dangerous their move was to gather soldiers from the east and south border to corner the enemy more towards the north. 

“But they need to cross the Shinsai river at one of its widest places,” Juri said, hoping that such a dangerous task would stop them from sending too many soldiers from the south.

“If they indeed dared that move then I think they used their most skilled clan for that task. They won’t go for numbers, but for strength and strategic thinking in the south,” Taiga said and finally moved his red piece down to the south.

“We will leave at daybreak, but I will leave 500 hundred of my soldiers with you and another 500 will head north west to make sure that no other troop can easily try to pass you unnoticed.”

“That would leave you with only 500 soldiers in the south,” Juri said and shook his head. “If they really send such skilled soldiers through the south then you will be in trouble.”

“You’re underestimating Oki,” Taiga said with a smile and suddenly Juri looked a bit taken aback, his eyes falling back on the table as he bowed a bit to the front.

“You came all this way to help us, my apologies for judging your methods.”

It definitely came to Juri’s surprise when Taiga laughed, but he could of course understand that Juri only tried to calculate the risks on both sides.

“I don’t think there is any need between us to speak at such a distance, don’t you think?” Taiga asked.

It took a moment for Juri to move again and he slowly nodded, but he still seemed a bit stiff. 

“This is your province and your war. We’re here to help as you said, so if you want me to cooperate with a plan you have then I will go with your wishes.”

Once more Juri seemed a bit startled. But this time Taiga showed an even more relaxed expression when he smiled and sat a bit more to the front, putting his chin on the back of his fist with his elbow on the table. “I don’t know what image we have in your province, but let me tell you that not everyone from Oki is as arrogant as you’ve heard.”

“I didn’t-,” Juri started, but then bit his lip, obviously not quite sure what to reply, not that Taiga wanted any reply or apology. He knew that Oki soldiers were known for their skills, not necessarily for socializing easily. 

“Take your time to think about my offer,” Taiga said as he got up, Juri following his move. “If you have any other plans by sunrise let me know. If not, then we will head southwards.”

Taiga turned away from the table and headed for the door when Juri didn’t say anything, but he knew that he had startled Juri and put him in a difficult position.

“General,” Juri said before Taiga left the building. Taiga turned back to him with a questioning look and Juri approached him with more confidence in his eyes this time as he stretched out his hand towards him. “May this war end in our favor.”

Taiga smiled at the other one’s words and put his hand forward as well. “May all the gods ride with us over the upcoming days.”

***       

They had to hurry if they wanted to make it to the border town in time and Taiga headed straight down to the Shinsai river. 

It was a cloudy day, but still extremely hot and Taiga made his 500 soldier strong troop hold at the river for a break. 

The river was fast flowing even at this time of the year. It was several dozen meters wide and too deep to stand after a few steps into the water. Swimming through it was no option. There were some trading points where they had bridges and parts where it was easier to cross. Some bigger boats could also make it over, but right now Taiga couldn't spot any boats or suspicious movements on the other side.

Juri had given him a small map of the southern towns and there were only two close by. One to the east and one to the west.

"There are no signs of them having reached the east yet," a scout told Taiga after he had ridden eastwards towards a 600 civilian small town called Kawashi.

"Then we'll head west first," Taiga said and made his army saddle back up. They would need one or two hours to reach the town of the name Sakai. There were only around 800 people in that town, an easy target for trained soldiers even if it were only a hundred or less. 

After two hours Taiga lifted his hand, making everyone stop. Smoke. Right in front of them. Maybe another 30-40 minutes ride. 

"Get ready," Taiga shouted back at his soldiers while he took his bow. "Do not let any soldier escape."

In a hurry they approached Sakai’s border, Taiga hoping that they could still save the civilians as no soldiers had come their way yet. The closer they got the more smoke was rising, but there was not much fire left. Neither were there active fight noises or people trying to run away. The town was indeed small, more like a big village. Wooden houses, easily burned and crumbled. Around them were only flat fields of rice and wheat. 

Instead of entering the town, Taiga made them halt and he got off his horse, taking only around 50 of his soldiers with him on foot while he told the others to ride around the town to scan the area for soldiers and possible escape routes. If they had indeed lost too many soldiers then maybe they had retreated and they could chase them down. But right now Taiga's focus was on the town in front of him. His heart was beating up to his throat. He hated the smell of blood and burned flesh in the air. He hated that he had been right and they had attacked from the south as well.

"General, there don't seem to be any soldiers left in town," one of the few soldiers who had dared their way inside the town first were reporting back. Taiga had moved further down the main street with his remaining few soldiers as well. Once more people around him had been slaughtered in the most cruel way, but then he could see some movements. Only here and there, but some people seemed still alive.

"Let the riders take care of possible nearby soldiers," Taiga ordered. "Search through the city for survivors. Be cautious of possible ambushes from inside any intact buildings."

Everyone nodded on Taiga's orders and they all started moving through the streets. Only a few of the main streets were paved. A lot of the side alleys were just dusty sand streets and most of the wooden buildings were on fire, making it hard to see from one street to the other. 

Taiga had first proceeded with three other soldiers, but they found more wounded people than Taiga had expected. In a hurry he kept walking towards the next alley alone when he heard someone calling for help.

The person in front of him was lying on his back, his clothes bloodstained and ripped. It was hard to even see where exactly he was losing the blood from with the blood being everywhere on his upper body.

"Hey, we're here to help. You're going to be okay," Taiga said as he sat down next to the person on the ground, now realizing that it was a young man his age. Black, slight curly hair, dirt, blood and sweat mixed on his face. The other one looked at him in panic, but Taiga tried to calm him down. There should be no direct threats left in the town.

"They're monsters," the young man said with a disgusted look as he grabbed the shirt over his chest. Taiga wanted to help him stop the bleeding, but he wasn't sure how as he didn't have much on him to help. He dared to put his helmet aside, making the other one look up at him quite astonished.

"Can you tell me where you're hurt? Maybe I can help you stop the bleeding until our soldiers with the medical supplies make it here."

Taiga tried to see if he could rip off anything from the other one's big shirt. A really big shirt indeed, it didn't seem to fit him quite well, but extra fabric would help him now.

There was a sudden noise from somewhere around the town. Taiga could hear shouting and fighting. Had they just waited for them after all? Had they been hiding?

He wanted to grab his helmet and tell the other one to just hold on for a bit longer, but when he turned back all he saw was a sharp blade in front of his face, right after it had cut through his skin. 

The pain of the long cut going from his chin, over his left eye and up to his forehead had put his mind on survival mode and he had intuitively grabbed the knife in his boot before he reached his helmet. When he lunged out to the front the blade of the other one got pulled down again and stopped on the side of his neck right above his high neck armor, while Taiga's knife also stopped right at the other one's neck. The neck of the same young man who had been lying on the ground a second before. Now he showed an entertained expression as they both froze with their knives already cutting each others' skin, but not deep enough to be life threatening.

They were both still sitting on their knees, Taiga's other hand on the young man's arm with the knife, but he knew he wouldn't be fast enough to pull it away safely. 

The other one had his free hand on Taiga's wrist, but it would also be too dangerous for him to try and move.

"Now we're stuck," the other one said.

"You're indeed monsters," Taiga said, making the other one show a kind of annoyed expression. "You killed them all just to pretend to be wounded civilians so we would run into your trap."

"You should know Basarano’s ways if you dare to engage into battle with them," the other one said with a warning look. "But I bet you have more soldiers around? Scanning the area? We don't have much time here then."

Taiga hated how easily he had been played. How had he not thought of this? He had been the one giving Juri the hint of possible civilian scouts and here he threw his own soldiers so easily to the wolves. But the other one’s words meant that there were not enough soldiers to take on all of Taiga’s remaining soldiers, so he needed to play for time.

"So, Oki Clan, right? Yet I thought you had brown hair," the other one asked as he dared to look down at Taiga's plate.

"General Kyomoto Taiga. A bit young for a general, aren't we?"

"And you are not?" 

"Who said that I was a general?"

Taiga had to close his left eye when more and more blood ran down his face, but luckily his eye hadn't been hit. Yet he had to think fast how to get out of this situation.

"That must hurt. But if you don’t watch out, someone will peel off the rest of your skin."

The calmness the other one spoke with made him look like Taisuke, yet the way he spoke about Basarano as if he wasn’t one of their soldiers himself, made Taiga wonder what his status in that province was, but for now he needed to move. He wouldn't just get killed here. No matter if by any general, soldier or other person. He wouldn't give Taisuke that satisfaction.

With a swift movement he pulled on the other one's arm, shifted to the side and pushed his knife forcefully against the other one's neck. The result was as he had hoped and the other one also pulled back, but he was swift enough to cut Taiga on the back of his hand as he turned his blade around in his hand and slammed it so forcefully into Taiga’s hand that it would have been a dangerous deep cut if Taiga hadn't pulled back immediately. Taiga threw his knife when the other one pulled back as he still had his short sword and it hit the other one in the face, a cut under the other one's eye. Nothing as deep as Taiga's wounds.

They had both jumped up,Taiga had his short sword in his hand now while the other one still had his knife, but he retreated to the end of the alley to see how things were going.

"You're lucky today, but this cut will cost you greatly," the young man said when he touched the cut under his eye before he dashed away. Taiga immediately ran after him just to realize that around him everything had fallen silent once more. In shock he realized that his own soldiers had all gone down. His mistake had cost their lives. An ambush he should have seen coming.

He could follow the remaining Basarano soldiers who aimed for the forest at the Shinsai river, but he was on his own. He could hear the horses of his remaining soldiers entering the town borders, but it was too late. They wouldn't be able to fight in the deep forest and they had no clue how many more soldiers could be waiting for them.

Strategically speaking Taiga hadn't lost a high number of soldiers, but he didn't want to think of them as pieces in a game. He hated seeing them dead to his feet. Women and men of all ages. Most of them had fought way more battles than him and yet they had died because of his mistake. He had underestimated Basarano. 

But it wouldn't happen again. He wouldn't let those inhuman monsters slaughter through their country just because they enjoyed showing their power to everyone.

***

It had been a long discussion with his higher ranked soldiers after they had secured the town even through Taiga’s unforgivable judgment mistake that had cost around fifty of his soldiers their lives. But after getting his injuries treated he let the others convince him that he should rejoin Juri’s force to march towards the city of Kita-Shosan and lead the remaining soldiers to victory against Basarano. 

200 soldiers would hopefully be enough to keep the remaining Basarano soldiers away from the southern border, chances were high that they would retreat and focus on the city now as well. But Taiga’s confidence had been more than just a little scratched and for the first time he felt like he’d be better off just defending the border in case Basarano would not give up on marching through the province, burning down villages and towns just because they were able to.

With the remaining soldiers Taiga hurried northwards, leaving the border to his highest ranked soldiers. It took him until the evening of the next day to finally reach a town with soldiers. A good sign as all the villages on the way had still been untouched by the intruders.

“General Kyomoto.”

The greeting came from his own soldiers who had spotted him approaching the town in the evening hours. 

“Update me on the situation,” Taiga requested as he got off his horse, but refrained from taking his helmet off yet.

“As you predicted we encountered a troop from Basarano at one of the rivers. General Tanaka made an impressive decision of splitting up the troops to not have any scouts in between to let a possible second Basarano troop escape. We easily cornered them at the river and in the meanwhile General Tanaka encountered another troop and pushed them back. We were ordered to rest the night and ride for the city tomorrow.”

It was perfect timing for them to return. Taiga let his soldiers rest and asked some of the Kita-Shosan soldiers about Juri’s whereabouts. This time Juri was in one of the tents as well. Way bigger than the soldier tents, with a big table in the middle and the same big map on it, but this time the remaining black pieces were all around the city of Kita-Shosan while the spread out Oki troops would now also all be moved back to this location to ride towards the city.

Juri was discussing with some high ranked soldiers around the table and didn’t realize that Taiga had entered. Taiga remained next to the entrance with his helmet still on and he waited for the heated conversation about tactics to calm down and finally one of the soldiers made Juri aware of his presence.

“You are dismissed. We’re riding at sunrise,” Juri finally ended the meeting and waited for everyone to leave the tent. 

“I heard you had an impressive success with your troop,” Taiga said while still not approaching the table that had some candles on it, the only light in the tent.

“Thanks to your ideas and the help of your soldiers. Is your arrival at this destination a good or a bad sign?”

Taiga felt annoyed by his own behavior. Why was he acting like he had committed a war crime? He had messed up, yes, but he had known that he wouldn’t just come out of this battle with cheers and applause and all of his soldiers returning home.

Slowly he approached the table and stopped on the opposite side from Juri before he took off his helmet.

“Let’s say I am not pleased that I was right and I am definitely not in any way proud of underestimating them.”

Juri didn’t reply. All he did was look back at Taiga with wide eyes. The wound on his face was deep and still freshly sewed together around his chin and cheek area. Around his eye it luckily wasn’t that deep anymore so if a scar remained then only on the lower part.

To Taiga’s surprise Juri turned away from him and walked over to some small black cupboard in the corner before he came back with a small glass bottle. 

“Please have a seat,” Juri said and pointed to two wooden chairs in the corner. Taiga only nodded and sat down while Juri took the second chair to sit and lifted the glass bottle and a cotton fabric in his other hand.

“This is a special medicine we’ve used in our province for a long time already. It helps with disinfecting wounds, reduces bleeding and speeds up the skin recovery to not form too much scar tissue.”

The confusion on Taiga’s face lasted only for a few seconds before he nodded and accepted Juri’s offer to help with his fresh wound. He had expected Juri to scold him, maybe even laugh at him. He had messed up. Yet the general didn’t seem to find any need to make Taiga drown in those thoughts even more.

“This might hurt a bit,” Juri said as he put the soaked cotton on Taiga’s forehead, slowly dabbing it down to his chin. Taiga flinched a bit when Juri reached the deeper part of the wound, but he didn’t pull away.

“Any other injuries?” Juri asked and automatically grabbed Taiga’s high neck to pull it a bit to the side as he could see the bandage on it, but Taiga grabbed the other one’s wrist and shook his head. 

“That one isn’t bad, but thank you for your help.”

His hand hurt just through his sudden movement, but the cut on it was just one more scar on his body, nothing he minded. After all, he usually treated all his injuries himself, making sure that no word about his scars would make its round through the line of soldiers.

Juri nodded with a brief smile before he put the supplies back, while Taiga got up again and moved over to the map.

“Around one hundred, maybe a few more or less,” Taiga said and moved one of the unused back pieces to the Shosatsu forest. Juri walked back to the table and nodded, listening to Taiga’s explanation of the situation. “They had already reached Sakai. No one survived.”

Taiga took a small break, looking up at Juri who seemed to have already feared such an outcome as they remembered what Basarano had done to Kaikakuto before.

“The Basarano soldiers pretended to be wounded civilians. I should have realized their plan. There was no way that anyone could have survived and they wouldn’t have just retreated after such an easy win.”

“But you thought about rescuing lives at that moment, not about hunting down soldiers,” Juri said, making Taiga look back up at him after he had put one red piece next to the black one at the Shosatsu forest. “We’re generals, but no gods. Humans make mistakes, we miscalculate and sometimes it costs lives. But that doesn’t mean you didn’t try to be a good general at that time.”

Taiga was grateful for the other one’s words, yet they were of course hard to accept with his bitterness still being so fresh. 

“A year ago I stood on my first battlefield,” Juri said, pointing at Minami-Hian. “I was just a low ranked soldier at that time. Things had escalated between some minor clans in both of our provinces. We tried to not turn it into a long battle, but things were chaotic, people not willing to cooperate on either side.”

Taiga gave Juri his full attention when the boy put two unused triangle pieces next to the Shinsai river on Minami-Hian territory. 

“Our general was a member of the Kita-Shosan Clan, experienced in war strategies and he had already fought way bigger battles against more fierce enemies. But exactly that made him underestimate the situation and he sent almost all of his first battalion into their deaths through his miscalculations.”

Juri lifted his shirt on the left side as he wasn’t in his armor right now and only had simple black cotton clothes on. Taiga could see a scar over the other one’s hips, the size obviously from a sword he got stabbed with.

“I was lying on the battlefield for two days until our soldiers had finally settled the battle. No side had actually won. The Kita-Shosan Clan and the Minami-Hian Clan had come to an agreement. It had been an irresponsible and unnecessary loss of lives.”

“And you still remained a soldier and even became a general,” Taiga praised him. “But if you don’t mind me asking, you’re not from the Kita-Shosan Clan, are you?”

“What gave me away?” Juri asked with a sheepish smile, Taiga finally feeling relaxed enough to smile too as he remembered that he had already tried to get rid of the formalities between them in the first place.

“You’re too open minded and light hearted for their clan,” Taiga said. “One of their generals came to Oki a few years ago and he as well as the soldiers seemed friendly, yet also kind of distant. No offense to your soldiers though.”

“No offense taken,” Juri said with a laugh before he gave Taiga a longer look this time in silence. “So do you mind me asking as well?”

“Blonde hair, it always gives me away,” Taiga said as he already knew what Juri wanted to know. “My father was the younger brother of the Oki Clan leader.”

“Was,” Juri repeated with a more serious expression this time. “I am sorry to hear about your loss.”

“He was a general as well and fought alongside my uncle in the uproar at Kaikakuto. I heard Kita-Shosan was also involved at that time.”

“The soldiers were indeed,” Juri said. “But my family is not made of soldiers.”

That was a fact that had Taiga startled for the first time as he knew that only a few provinces let commoners become more than just foot soldiers and Kita-Shosan wasn’t one as much as he knew and yet Juri was a general.

“Let me give you the details at a calmer time after this battle is over?” Juri asked and Taiga nodded.

“Then I will remind you of that topic after we hopefully ride to victory tomorrow,” Taiga said with a bow towards the other one. "Let me show you the beauty of Kita-Shosan when the next calm day arrives."

This time they both showed more confidence about their upcoming battle and also a stronger bond between their provinces. A former commoner and a bastard riding into battle was definitely something their history hadn’t seen so far.

It was a horrible picture. Smoke over the city, buildings and fields around the city walls burned to ashes and the dead to their feet were neither their soldiers nor from Basarano. Women, children, older people. Farmers, traders and so many more innocent people had lost their lives in this gruesome and senseless attack. Now the main fight was at the walls. Kita-Shosan had stood their ground impressively, but while Oki had sent backup, Basarano had also attacked with one last destructive backup of around 2,000 soldiers. Too many and too sudden for the walls to hold them all off and now they had finally found a weak spot and had brought the stone walls to fall, burning and killing their way through the city.

"We'll go right after them. With our troops combined and the remaining backup from Kita-Shosan we can corner them inside the walls," Juri spoke next to Taiga as they rode right for the city. 

"What about their soldiers outside of the walls?" Taiga asked, seeing at least around 2,000 soldiers still outside of the walls, fighting against those who were brave enough to leave the safety of the city walls, not that their enemy wasn't right inside their middle already.

"I can let one of our troops take care of them," Juri offered, but Taiga remained silent, looking at the way they fought for actually no reason, but to murder. 

"Let Oki take care of them."

"Are you sure?" Juri asked worriedly, but Taiga nodded, slowing down his horse to give a signal to his soldiers to move left. 

"This is your province, your city. Your people should fight inside of it. We will make sure to not let even more enemies get inside."

"Take care of yourself and your soldiers. They are not fighting for any specific purpose, but that makes them also as dangerous as no other soldiers."

"Because they will gladly die without a purpose as well," Taiga said, knowing exactly what Juri wanted to say.

They nodded at each other and let their troops gallop ahead. Taiga started drifting to the left, the Basarano soldiers immediately sending soldiers out towards them, while Juri aimed for the city. 

"Archers," Taiga shouted and in full gallop his soldiers as well as himself drew their bows and shot arrows precisely at their enemies as they had been on the battlefield too long already to have more than their swords and knives on them.

The first attack of arrows went down right over the first rows attacking and gave Juri the opening he needed to enter the city.

Taiga's soldiers had time to release two more rows of arrows before they changed to swords and jumped into the enemy's lines with their horses.

Taiga's aim was to make the soldiers split up and his high ranked soldiers helped split the lines of soldiers so that they were up against smaller troops.

Without any big injuries Taiga made it through the troops and turned his horse around, aiming straight at the foot soldiers in front of him. 

Some Kita-Shosan soldiers were now mixed in the fight, giving Oki the advantage. Taiga was sure that this time they could overpower their enemy, but it was clear that if he made one wrong move he'd end up like so many other soldiers. Beheaded, disfigured or even worse. The battlefield was filled with blood, leaving red puddles all over the dusty ground.

With the advantage of height, Taiga made his way through the rows of soldiers once more, precisely using his short sword to aim for the soldiers' heads. An arrogant trade of Basarano was to not have a big armor or helmet, it gave Taiga the best advantage to attack. 

After he got hit on the leg three times, his armor would get easily pierced on the next few impacts. But getting off was still too risky. There were still too many soldiers and he dashed ahead, looking for an area where he could surprise some soldiers from behind. 

There was one person standing out from the crowd. Around him a lot of skilled soldiers made it difficult for any Oki warriors to get even near him. Arrows that got shot into the middle, were dodged and even blocked by the man standing grinning in the middle of the circle. A tall figure, black straight hair and a way too satisfied smile. Basarano soldiers didn't wear any general marks or special armor to show their rank, but it was clear that this one was definitely in some way special. The Basarano Clan had been extinct at the great and left several smaller clans fighting over the leadership in their chaotic province. This person could definitely be one of those clan leaders. 

Taiga took his chances as he had the advantage of speed and strength through his horse and he aimed to go through the strong line of soldiers to give his soldiers which were now on foot partly as well, a better chance. 

He surprised the first few, getting a hit on some, but he aimed straight for the one in the middle. Yet there was a movement that stopped him from reaching the young man. Out of nowhere someone else jumped right in front of him, grabbing the reins with such force that the horse turned abruptly to the left, leaving Taiga to fall off to the right, but he immediately rolled over, losing his helmet on the move, but he was still ready to attack. 

"Your attention is at the wrong spot."

The sword right over his shoulder proved the other one's words, but Taiga had been distracted. The one who had jumped in front of his horse was no other than the soldier from Sakai at the Shinsai river.

Now the unknown man from before was standing right behind him, but the sword wasn't really a danger to him. The other one just wanted to show Taiga that he could have killed him already if he wanted to.

"He's mine."

"Oh? Rare to get you interested in any soldier," the young man said and withdrew his sword. "Oh my apologies. General."

The unnecessary correction had Taiga look over his shoulder, but the young man didn't seem to mind leaving the fight to the other one. 

The soldiers around them shielded them perfectly from help reaching Taiga, not that he minded. Their goal was to take down as many soldiers as possible. A one on one was unnecessary.

"So tell me, Hokuto, what did he do that made you look this excited about killing him? Is it that cut under your eye?"

Now he finally had a name. Hokuto. The one in question touched the cut under his eye, but it wasn't even half as bad as the wound Taiga was carrying thanks to him. Juri's medicine had helped a lot, but through all the fighting some new blood was already dripping down from his chin and his hand was also aching.

"I see. General, you have to learn that you shouldn't go for his face."

"Meguro, you're in the way," Hokuto said as he drew his sword. This time he was in the black leather armor of Basarano, without any obvious injuries yet. Taiga kept his eyes on both of them, but Meguro shrugged his shoulders and turned away.

"Suit yourself. Just don't waste your time too much. We've to win a battle here. I bet you can’t wait to head back to your clan."

Hokuto didn't reply while Meguro showed an excited smile before he dashed back into the battle without even spending Taiga any attention. Was he that confident that his soldier would win? No, not his soldier. A member of another clan of Basarano. Yet Hokuto didn't seem like a normal clan soldier, especially with these two addressing each other this easily. But Meguro was definitely of the higher rank with Hokuto calling him by his last name. 

"If you want to keep your head, you better retreat."

"How about you prove that those words are even worth anything?" Taiga shot back.

"Okay, maybe I should go for your tongue first," Hokuto said with a pissed expression and dashed to the front with his sword. The older one's reach was longer, but now that he didn't have the moment of surprise on his side, Taiga could easily dodge and block. But he was sure that if Hokuto got a grip on him, he would indeed cause a lot of damage. Unlike what Taiga knew about Basarano though, Hokuto fought a fair battle. He wouldn’t mind killing Taiga that was for sure, but while their ambush in Sakai had been indeed ruthless, Hokuto seemed to enjoy a frontal attack way more.

Their fight wouldn't take long, that was clear. One of them would die or someone needed to interfere soon. Hokuto kept pushing Taiga to the back until he had enough and actually dared to jump right onto him, even though that caused him a heavy shoulder injury from Taiga's short sword that he had pierced through the other one's skin.

Nevertheless, Hokuto just pulled back, freeing his arm and trying to push his own sword down towards Taiga's face now that he was sitting on top of him.

"Such a shame that I have to put my blade through that beautiful face."

"You did so before, we should already be even," Taiga reminded him.

"A cut for a cut, what a shame that you won’t get my head in exchange for yours," Hokuto laughed while Taiga finally had enough and brought the other one out of balance, slicing his sword over Hokuto's thigh before he kicked him to the back. With the next move he reached out for the knife in his boot and dashed to the front, making it hard for Hokuto to dodge on both fronts. 

When Taiga aimed the knife at Hokuto's face, the older one grabbed the knife with his bare hand. The split second in which Taiga wanted to pull the knife back was already too long and Hokuto had moved his head back just to slam it to the front right against Taiga's forehead now that he was that close. At the same time he slashed up his sword, taking Taiga's short sword out of his hand. Taiga's arm armor had luckily prevented him from any heavier arm injuries, but now Hokuto had switched into destruction mode and he grabbed Taiga by the hair, trying to keep him close while also aiming with his sword for his face. Luckily Taiga still had the knife and he tried to get it in between them.

Taiga lifted his arm to block Hokuto's sword, while he slashed his knife up to Hokuto's neck. This time the older one finally saw the danger and let go fast enough to not get a fatal injury, but he was still heavily bleeding after the knife hit him.

"You look kind of irritated," Taiga mocked the other one when Hokuto reached out for his own neck with an annoyed look that turned to murderous on Taiga's words. "Not used to losing?"

"There is no losing in Basarano," Hokuto shot back, but his anger showed something else as well as if he was disgusted by his own words. "We either win or die."

"Then what is that behind you?" Taiga asked and with enough space between them Hokuto dared to turn to the city. Basarano soldiers were indeed fleeing the city. Kita-Shosan was finally pushing them back.

"So what will it be for you today?" Taiga mocked, but to his surprise Hokuto ignored his own troops retreating and he went for Taiga once more. This time with a strength and determination that Taiga had no time to even try to get his sword back. He got pushed back more and more, but luckily the main fight was already pushed to the back. Oki and Kita-Shosan pushed Basarano southwest so that they would retreat to the mountains and then southwards as they definitely didn't want to get stuck.

"There is no meaning in you keeping the fight up alone," Taiga yelled at the other one after a so heavy impact on his hand with the other one's sword that at least some bones were broken and the cut on its back had reopened as well. 

"This is not for any battle anymore. This is personal," Hokuto hissed back. Different from Hokuto though, Taiga didn't share the same hate or pride and he just turned and ran for the city where more Kita-Shosan soldiers were coming towards them now.

He was sure that he could outrun Hokuto, yet what he hadn't seen coming at all was the other one throwing his extremely heavy sword right into the back of his legs, bringing him to fall in a painful way as the blade had gotten stuck between his legs at full speed.

"Just killing you today will give me the satisfaction of killing an entire army."

"You really are a sore loser," Taiga said when he turned on his back.

"The only one who will lose today is you," Hokuto said as he approached, but Taiga wouldn't let him get back his sword. Yet he was surprised by the weight of it when he tried to take it for himself. Even if his hand wasn’t hurt, it would be a challenge for him to fight with it.

Hokuto took a run up at him and kicked him to the back, Taiga finally losing his knife as well, but like this it was down to a fistfight.

Hokuto tried to strangle Taiga, but the younger one used his legs to wrap them around Hokuto's neck. Like that they were stuck and Hokuto started punching Taiga's body instead, hitting precisely on every wound he could find. With a curse Taiga kicked the other one to the back, but Hokuto wasn't easily brought out of balance.

"And here I thought Oki had too much pride to run from a battle," Hokuto hissed when Taiga tried to get up once more, but the truth was that the battle was over. Hokuto was indeed only fighting a personal battle and Taiga had no reason to engage in it. When Hokuto tried to attack once more, an arrow hit him into his already hurt shoulder. Followed by a second one which he barely avoided.

Finally Hokuto fell back, reaching out for his sword to block more incoming arrows.

Taiga dared to look behind him while staying down. Juri was riding towards him with some Oki soldiers next to him. 

"You could have just stayed out of this," Hokuto said towards Taiga with another death glare. "Now you turned yourself into Basarano's enemy as well."

"Basarano has no allies in the first place," Taiga reminded him as Oki had fought against them before already. "And didn't you just say this was personal?"

This time Taiga's mocking had something changed in Hokuto's expression, but he needed to retreat if he didn't want to get killed. 

"I'll show you how personal I can take things," Hokuto threatened before he finally dashed away, following his own soldiers and getting picked up by some soldiers on horses before Juri was close enough to actually cause more damage.

"Leave him," Taiga said when his soldiers aimed for the fleeing soldiers.

"Are you sure?" Juri asked as he got off his horse and gave Taiga a worried look, but Taiga nodded at him.

"You got your city back. They lost a battle. It's a win for Kita-Shosan today. They won't easily learn their lesson, but killing them has no meaning to them either. Let them dwell in their defeat."

"That somehow sounds cruel," Juri said with a small smile as letting such brutal soldiers suffer a mental defeat could indeed be called cruel somehow.

"Was he a general?" Juri asked when they looked after Hokuto, but Taiga shook his head.

"He's a skilled fighter and he's definitely not just a normal soldier, but I feel like there is more to his outraged behavior."

"Like what?" Juri asked while tilting his head.

"Something dangerous," Taiga replied as he could see way more emotions in Hokuto's behavior than just the random killing behavior of a Basarano soldier.

***

Kita-Shosan, a strong and big harbor city, yet beautiful wasn't the way Taiga would describe it and that was not just because of all the damage the surrounding and buildings inside had taken. Different from Wazaigo, the buildings were out of simple wood, barely any stone buildings, making it easy to burn them in a battle. A fate a lot of the smaller buildings had unfortunately faced and the soldiers were still busy putting out some fires inside the walls.

The city was huge, but it didn't feel crowded. The buildings were mainly only one or two stories high and there was no castle even with the high city walls.

The king of this hierarchy was a wise man, the leader of the Kita-Shosan Clan. Right after the battle Taiga had made sure to meet with the clan leader and his most trusted general. Nikaido Takashi was a Kita-Shosan Clan general who had been in charge of defending the city over the time of this harsh battle and his king praised not only him, but all the generals, including Oki. Nikaido was the one to thank Oki for their help in this battle and promised their alliance for their generation as well, yet that alliance wasn’t in Taiga’s hands as he would never be the clan leader of Oki.

Taiga had reunited with the rest of his army, except for those in Sakai. He had sent some scouts to check on the situation, so had other generals. They were checking the borders and towns, making sure no soldiers were still trying to sneak in. Oki had offered protection with 500 soldiers around the borders to Mabara-Kinmitsu for two months to ensure that no second wave of attacks was coming, but as there hadn't been with Kaikakuto, Taiga was sure this time Basarano had only aimed to reduce enemies as well.

"You were extremely silent," Taiga said as he stepped next to Juri after they had left the wooden meeting hall. It wasn't in any kind as special as Oki's castle, but it suited the purpose of a meeting, all they had needed.

"I know when to remain silent, especially around so many of Kita-Shosan’s clan members," Juri said, but Taiga could see the change in his eyes now. The exhaustion.

"So, what is a good place to have a drink?"

"What?" Juri asked in confusion. He had indeed stood next to himself half of the meeting. But while he should have taken more credit for his battles on the way to Kita-Shosan he didn't even mention them. A heavy atmosphere from the other generals had kept him from saying too much. 

"A commoner becoming a general has quite some burdens I guess. The same as being a bastard in one of the purest clans."

Now Juri's look slowly changed, a bit more life showing in his eyes as he showed a brief smile.

"Right, there was supposed to be a talk."

"And now that we won and other generals are protecting the borders for now, I'd say it's the perfect time."

"Are your wounds okay? We can also wait a few days, you must be exhausted."

Taiga touched his face, but he had made sure to fix his wounds as well as he could for now, while politely refusing to see one of the recommended healers in Kita-Shosan at least for now. His broken hand was swollen and hurt quite a lot, but it could still wait a bit. He had survived one night with it already so he knew his wounds would be fine. A heavy bandage together with a wooden place was making the pain bearable.

"If you're okay to go then I'm too," Taiga finally said. "It's not like you're unhurt yourself, but your city seems strong, they are treating it as another normal day."

Juri slightly limped with his right leg while they walked down the paved street. But Juri had only some small cuts here and there with his armor being heavy. But he had fallen off his horse at some point, hurting his leg and Taiga was right, the people around them towards the harbor had their daily tasks and they took them seriously. Just one day after the battle, a normal routine had settled in. No matter if they were blacksmiths or food supply shops, they all worked as if it was a regular day.

"It suits you by the way."

Juri pointing at Taiga's clothes had him smile as they had both changed out of their armors. Juri's clothes were from Kita-Shosan, simple cotton clothes, nothing too fancy, but also not too simple to look like farm clothes. Some leather parts around the chest, a fancy belt and high boots made Juri look even thinner.

Taiga had brought his own change of clothes. White trousers, high black boots and a silver and white top that was closed vertically over the chest, held together with a silver belt with the crest of Oki as the buckle. The high neck part wasn't typical for Oki if not for their armor, but it was a part Taiga would never easily give up on.

"Our clan always has to remind everyone how fancy we are," Taiga said with a smile, but he had to watch out to not smile too much as the stitches around his chin were still fresh.

"With blonde hair I think the clothes suit you better than them," Juri said, making Taiga want to smile even more, but he held back and only gave a small bow on the comment.

They walked through the city for a while. Paved and unpaved streets on their way. Carriages and horses inside the city as well, as there was a pretty big distance to walk from one side to the other. When they reached the harbor, Taiga was astonished by the calm waves and all the ships lying in the bay.

"It's the same ocean, yet so much calmer than our region."

"I heard a lot about Oki. I would love to see your high cliffs with your castle one day."

"Then come visit," Taiga offered, Juri suddenly a bit reluctant as he walked the last paved street next to the harbor with slow steps. "I have seen other Kita-Shosan generals in Oki, you are allowed to travel, right?"

"With a good reason we are."

"Then I'll make sure to find a reason," Taiga said confidently before he dropped the topic as he could see that Juri was eager to visit other provinces, but was also afraid of asking for it.

"We're here," Juri announced after a few more minutes of walking.

Taiga looked up at a tall wooden building. Three stories high and an interesting structure. Staircases were on the outside, a balcony on all floors pointing towards the ocean. Tables with pillows to sit on were placed on the wood of the veranda while some tables and chairs were also placed close to the street.

"Do you want to sit outside?" Juri asked.

There were some people here and there, but with all the happenings it didn't seem too busy. Taiga was impressed that they had even opened so fast, but maybe distraction was indeed what people needed right now.

"Let's have a look inside?" Taiga asked as he was curious about the inside.

There was a high roof over a big room inside. More verandas were placed on the inside of the building, a staircase going up to all floors, leaving the middle open to look up until the roof. It was indeed a pretty construction with a lot of places where people could sit in silence and not get disturbed. 

It wasn't like a fancy restaurant, they had some drinks and small foods, but nothing too big. On the other hand, Taiga noticed that they had something else on some tables.

"Do you play?" Taiga asked and Juri immediately knew what he meant. The change on his face was also immediate and when he nodded, Taiga aimed for a low table in the back of the room on a small platform, away from all of the first floor seats.

They both sat down on the pillows and between them on the table was a chess board placed. Some of the tables had them and some people were also playing on the verandas. 

An older waitress asked them for their order and after she went to prepare some food and drinks for them, Taiga immediately touched the white pieces in front of him and put a pawn to the front.

"White opens," Taiga said with a grin.

"Do you play a lot in Oki too?" Juri asked as he opened on the black side as well.

"It's not that famous, but my little cousin likes playing so he taught me, yet I doubt I will be a challenge for you."

Juri suddenly seemed embarrassed by his words, but they still kept playing. One rook from white, one knight from black. More and more pieces moved and soon Taiga chuckled.

"What is it?" Juri asked as they took a small break when their drinks and food arrived.

"I see your behavior on the battlefield in your moves."

"Is that good or bad?" 

"You're playing in the defensive, protecting your king, yet also trying to not lose too many pieces. It's a good strategy, unless,"

Taiga moved his knight, taking one of Juri's rooks. Juri carefully decided for his next move, but four moves later he had lost two more pieces.

"Unless my opponent goes in for all or nothing," Juri said with a smile, knowing that Taiga only played this straightforward to tease Juri a bit. A few moves later Juri had cornered Taiga even with fewer pieces.

"Check," Juri said, Taiga looked at the board for a moment before he sighed and put his king down.

"Told you I wasn't a challenge."

"But you are one on the battlefield and that's what counts," Juri replied. "Was this your first battle as a general?"

Taiga nodded, touching his face once more.

"Not the prettiest first victory. I will get a lot of scolding when I get back." Taiga laughed at his own words, while he knew that some scolding from his uncle was the least he had to worry about. A shiver went down his spine on the thought that he had to go back in the first place.

"Are you okay?" Juri asked, realizing the change of behavior, but Taiga nodded, focusing back on the conversation.

"So how come they allowed you to become a general?"

Juri shifted a bit on Taiga's direct question, but he didn't seem unwilling to reply.

"At the battle at Minami-Hian I stood out through strategic thinking and a young general heard the story afterwards. As our general had failed at protecting us, I took over when I realized that we'll all die if we don't change our tactics. I'm not the strongest fighter in a head on battle and to be honest my main goal was egoistic at that time as all I wanted was to get out of it alive."

"Nothing to be ashamed of," Taiga said as he sat back and listened to the other one's story while drinking the hot tea that had been placed in front of him.

"In Kita-Shosan we're allowed to be soldiers even at 15 years old, but to be a general I had to be 18. That one young general took me into his troop, teaching me strategies and fighting skills, but on top of that he taught me how to stand up to those who had been born into high ranks and clans."

"Social skills are important too after all," Taiga agreed.

"I was only allowed to be a general a few months before the attack from Basarano started. I'm not even sure if they can take the title away once more."

"Even if, what counts is your strength and your loyalty to the soldiers and civilians. Let the higher ups do the talking and rule making. We can still do what we want to," Taiga said, trying to lift the other one's mood, but this time Juri gave him a scanning look.

"Are you doing what you want to do?"

"I wanted to become a general, so I guess so?" Taiga said.

"But why? If I may ask," Juri immediately added formalities as he easily got too straight forward, but this time Taiga put his cup back on the table and gave Juri a scolding look. The other one immediately feared he had angered him.

"General Tanaka."

"...yes?" Juri asked when Taiga didn't add anything else. 

"Doesn't sound right," Taiga said as he formed a thoughtful expression.

"What exactly doesn't sound right about it?" Juri asked.

"Call me by my name," Taiga suddenly asked the other one and after a moment of hesitation Juri spoke.

"General Kyomoto," Juri said.

"Yeah, doesn't sound right," Taiga said once more.

Juri was unable to understand what exactly sounded wrong, but then Taiga smiled and leaned a bit to the front.

"Kyomoto Taiga, a bastard of Oki, a general as well, but on top of that I'm a person who wants to gain the freedom to explore the country, meet with other clans and build stronger bonds between the provinces. Taiga."

When Taiga stretched out his unhurt hand towards Juri when he said his first name, Juri finally caught up and smiled.

"Tanaka Juri, a commoner who walked the path from a soldier to a general. My goals are not that clear yet, but I wish for a peaceful era to come between all our provinces once more. Juri."

Juri shook hands with Taiga on his own first name and they both grinned at each other before they started laughing.

"Yeah, this feels better," Taiga said and nodded. "So then, Juri, let me tell you a bit about Oki."

"You did what?" Juri asked way too loud. 

"You don't want to?" Taiga asked with a lopsided smile after he had told Juri that he had asked the Kita-Shosan clan leader for an escort back to Oki and as he had fought alongside Juri for the entire battle, no one could argue with him that he had requested Juri and his soldiers.

"I'd love to," Juri immediately said. "But how did you make them agree? You lost some soldiers and are leaving some with us, but you'll still have enough soldiers to return with."

"I didn't make it about the numbers," Taiga said as he put his clothes, bow and provisions on his horse, now both of them back in their armors, but Juri was wearing a lighter version than the heavy full body armor of the battle. "We will stop at Bodaisei."

“Bodaisei?" Juri asked, astonished. Of course he knew about the province, but he had never visited it.

"You're going to thank the gods with me for our victory and ask for protection and we'll go through some spiritual cleansing. It's a must for Oki warriors before they are allowed back to the province and I made a good point in telling them that because we fought together this time, someone from your province should go as well."

"Wow, I mean, thank you. I'm really feeling honored."

"Pack for four weeks, only bring as many soldiers as you think you'll need on your way back."

"Why four weeks? I think we could easily make the trip in two or maybe three if we take our time," Juri asked.

"I made a second request," Taiga said with another grin and this time Juri almost seemed anxious.

"You'll come with me to Oki, to thank my uncle in the name of Kita-Shosan for our support."

"Oh my god Taiga, what the hell?" 

The sudden casual and quite emotional outburst had both stare at each other until Juri bowed with an embarrassed look and Taiga started laughing.

"At least you easily stuck to the first name basis," Taiga laughed as he liked Juri's casual side way more.

"I will make sure to not address you like this in front of your clan or soldiers."

"They wouldn't even mind, trust me," Taiga said, not that Taisuke wouldn't totally mind, but he was sure that Juri would definitely keep his general behavior up in front of him. After all, Taisuke would one day be clan leader no matter how horrible that future could turn out.

***

They hurried through Kita-Shosan as they knew that the soldiers of the province were now on high alert, checking on all their borders and cities around the province. So there was no need for them to get delayed or make unnecessary stops. 

Taiga had sent a handful of his soldiers to Wazaigo to pick up the requested books from Kochi. The other one knew about their habit to head back over Bodaisei, but he would definitely be angry if no one informed him about Taiga's safe return.

"You seem a bit too stunned about the area," Taiga said while Juri scanned every field, forest, river and building on their way as they crossed over to Bodaisei.

"You can't tell me that this wasn't amazing to you on your first trip to this province," Juri said and Taiga couldn't even deny that. Especially from Kita-Shosan it was a stunning view after passing through the Seishi forest to be greeted by one of the most beautiful views in their entire country. The Seichi lake was located in a small valley right in front of them with the Shinsai river dividing into two new rivers from the lake. Up to the north the Chirari river made it all through the forest towards the Waru mountains while the Seicho river divided Bodaisei and Sasaku.

"This province is indeed one of the most beautiful ones I've ever visited," Taiga said as they rode down to the riverside with the Seishi forest being the natural border to Wazaigo, but Taiga would know his way through the thick forest while others could easily get lost if they didn't know the area.

"How much longer is it to the city?" Juri asked as Taiga had already explained that most of Bodaisei was only fields and forest. Only farmers in small wooden houses scattered over it.

"A few more hours. We should be there before nightfall," Taiga explained as they had just crossed the Chirari river and were officially in the province of Bodaisei.

"It's so peaceful here," Juri said with a fascinated look over the river and up to the forest.

"That is why we protect them as best as possible," Taiga explained after they had greeted some of their stationed soldiers at the border.

"Did Sasaku or any other province ever try to attack?" Juri asked, but Taiga shook his head.

"A long time ago when the provinces got established there was uproar around here as well, but as you can see most provinces treasure this spiritual place. We even have people from Sasaku coming here to pray as well. Minami-Hian and Wazaigo treasure this place too."

"What about Kyogo?"

It was clear that Basarano wasn't going to ever set foot on these holy lands if not to destroy them, something none of them would allow. But Kyogo was different. They were on the border to Bodaisei and Sasaku, but while Sasaku was a trading province with a lot of desert-like regions, Kyogo was a mystery to them. They had tropical temperatures, not much farmland or even forests. Yet they didn't try to be in much contact with any other province. Only a few of their trading ships were sometimes spotted at the harbors, the crest with two snakes on it usually keeping people immediately away from them.

"Even before the war they had been quiet, but they also never came to form an alliance or ask for help, even years after the great war ended. They remain a mystery," Taiga explained before he lifted his hand, making their soldiers halt. There was a small shrine at the river. It stood almost in the water on a small platform with a small dock connected to the mainland.

"Do you mind if we stop here just for a second?"

Juri of course didn't mind and he walked over to the shrine together with Taiga, impressed by the details they had put into the wood all around the shrine. It was only a small wooden house, not even big enough to actually call it a house as it was barely big enough to store some items in it. 

At the dock there was a red wooden gate and Taiga bowed next to it, Juri following his move as he had never come here to pray, not knowing about any of their religions and prayers.

"Do you believe in gods?" Taiga asked as they walked up to the small wooden shrine.

"I never really gave it much thought," Juri replied honestly. "We don't pray or ask for anything at any places in our province."

"I didn't believe at first," Taiga said as he stopped and bowed once more towards the small place in front of him. Now Juri could see that a sword, an urn and a hair pin were placed inside.

"But you changed your mind?" Juri asked curiously while Taiga put his hands together, closed his eyes and stayed silent for a moment.

"This is the shrine for my parents," Taiga said as he showed a nostalgic smile and Juri hurried to give the shrine another bow, but when he wasn't sure if he should pray as well, Taiga chuckled.

"Don't worry, you don't have to do anything you feel uncomfortable with. It's not like I necessarily believe in gods myself. It's just easier to believe that both their deaths as different and apart as they were had a greater meaning. Believing that they are in a better place, protecting us and looking out for us, makes things easier."

Juri slowly nodded, understanding how the other one was feeling as it indeed seemed easier to grief like this. 

“My father is buried at the castle of Oki, but as my mother wasn’t allowed at the Oki Clan’s resting place, Bodaisei built this shrine, giving me a chance to pay my respects towards both of them at the same time.”

“That is very thoughtful of them,” Juri replied with another side glance towards Taiga, but before he could decide if this was a good timing for personal questions, Taiga urged him to keep going.

They kept riding towards Bodaisei after their brief stop and all soldiers except for Juri's and a handful of Taiga's soldiers were greeted with a cleansing and then sent back towards Oki first as they might be needed soon at another battle.

The city had Juri in awe once more and even Taiga always felt a special inner peace when arriving at this city. No high walls, no gates. Even the Oki soldiers protecting the area were placed outside the city to not disturb the rituals and prayers. Small streets had shops of all kinds on their way to the main shrine, which was located at the center of the city. The buildings resembled the ones from Wazaigo, both provinces often helping each other out. 

"They look so peaceful," Juri said as they walked through a street where a small school was located. People greeted them, bowed towards them and some even walked straight up to Taiga voicing out their gratitude for Oki's protection. 

The remaining soldiers and their horses had made camp outside of the busy area with only Taiga and Juri making their way to the main shrine of Bodaisei.

"You should have left that armor behind," Taiga teased when Juri looked a bit reluctant at the enormous staircase in front of the shrine.

"How can I show my respects without my full armor," Juri asked, knowing enough about Bodaisei to understand that he should indeed be in his armor for this as Taiga was as well. But of course Taiga had chosen his lighter one. Only their helmets they had left behind at the camp, but at least Juri’s armor wasn’t the heaviest he could have worn as it didn’t include any chain mail, but the stairs would teach him that it was indeed not light at all.

"Stop laughing," Juri scolded Taiga after they had finally made it up the stairs and Juri had tried his best to not let show how hard the stairs had been on him, but he couldn't hide a few deep breaths at the top, making Taiga chuckle.

"You did great. Some people give up halfway," Taiga teased before he slowly walked up to another big gate, but this time it was out of stone and so big that Juri kept looking at it for a moment before he finally bowed and followed Taiga.

The shrine in front of them was of dark ebony wood with white stone and an impressive long and high roof. Juri felt like he wouldn't be able to look at all the details on every corner even if he stayed here for a week.

Taiga bowed to someone at the open front door and the monk in his rope excused himself while Taiga told Juri to follow him inside. The inside of the high roofed hall was lit up by a lot of candles with a big open place behind a wooden fence with some offerings for prayers.

"I should have asked before, but can you get out of your shoes easily in that armor?" Taiga asked, but luckily Juri was indeed able to get out of them easier than expected. Shoes were not allowed inside of the main hall of the shrine after all.

"Sit down," Taiga said as he did the same close to the center of the room. The floor was polished cypress wood, so clean that it could almost be called a mirror.

Taiga sat on his knees, but told Juri to sit crossed leg as he wouldn't be able to sit any other way. In front of them a pillow was placed on a small platform and they waited in silence until they could hear steps behind them.

Juri looked at Taiga instead of turning around and when the other one didn't turn around on the sound of steps, Juri also refrained from it and patiently waited for the person to get closer.

What he had not expected at all was a hiss from Taiga after the person had stopped between them and had hit Taiga on the head with a golden fan, which he put back in his belt now that he walked towards the pillow and sat down, giving both of them a scolding look.

Juri gave Taiga a worried side glance, but the older one just smiled in embarrassment while rubbing his head.

"Becoming a general, fighting against Basarano, winning against Basarano and now showing up in front of me all arrogantly like your father."

Juri looked back at the man in front of them. A hair color he couldn't even describe. Brown, but a bit blond mixed into the strands that were short in the back, but got longer to the front. Perfect straight hair and on top of that such a beautiful face that Juri wondered how someone like him was a monk, not that he hadn't thought the same about Taiga before, a thought that had him immediately look down to the floor instead of looking at any of the two. 

"And you!"

The  other one’s direct words had Juri look back up so fast that Taiga chuckled, but then he bit his lip when he got a side glance from the man in front of them once more.

"Tanaka Juri, General of Kita-Shosan."

"Yes," Juri replied with a nod, the man giving him such an intense stare that he realized that even his eyes looked so different. They had a light gray shine in them, but the man was only slightly older than them, yet it was obvious that they shouldn't disrespect him easily.

"You and your soldiers fought bravely. Standing your ground against Basarano is not an easy task. I will pray for your province's safety."

"Thank you, I'm grateful for your words," Juri said, but then realized that he didn't even know how to address the other one.

"Yamada Ryosuke, the most annoying high priest of any Bodaisei shrine you'll ever meet."

Taiga's words had Juri stare at him with wide eyes before he looked back at Ryosuke who first only formed a smile before his hand went to the dark green hakama he was wearing over a golden cross closed shirt. 

"You will forever stay a brat, won't you?" Ryosuke scolded Taiga and threw the fan at him this time. But Taiga only laughed, bowing at him in a playful and apologetic manner. 

"Well, not as much as my cousin."

"If you mean Shime then no, as no one is as nice as Shime. If you mean Taisuke then brat is the wrong word as demons might play around, but won’t ever apologize for their bad behavior."

Juri didn't even understand what they were talking about, but while Taiga grinned at the other one's words he hadn't missed the small shadow passing his face.

"Was our young general of any help to you?" Ryosuke asked and Juri needed a moment to nod and slightly bow. "He led his army perfectly and helped us not just at the city, but also at the border to prevent more damage and losses in our smaller towns."

"And here he could have easily lost an eye or even his head while doing so. You're definitely not used to the frontline yet," Ryosuke said scoldingly at Taiga’s fresh face wound and this time Taiga nodded with a more serious expression.

Ryosuke had been in this shrine since his childhood. Following the path of all generations of his family. He didn't dislike it, but he was also not as calm and collected as most of the other priests or monks. 

He had caused a lot of trouble with Shime and Taiga in their younger days. Often they had just disappeared from the boring prayers and roamed the streets of the city, Taiga teaching them both some fighting skills and while Shime couldn't easily keep up physically, Ryosuke could have become an amazing soldier. Not that he had given up on his training, his skills didn’t just lay in his prayers.

"Take a rest for the night and in the morning we will do the cleansing. You know the routine so be sure to not be late," Ryosuke warned and Taiga bowed to the ground, Juri following his example while Ryosuke got up and snatched his fan from the ground to hit Taiga on the shoulder with it once more, but then he turned to Juri to do the same with him, Juri flinching more than needed.

"Take care of this idiot, will you? He's a nice person, too nice to take care of himself easily."

Juri only sat up enough to nod without directly looking at Ryosuke. The priest chuckled and took his leave while Taiga finally sat straight again as well with a smile towards Juri.

"Not what you expected, right?" 

"Not at all. That makes me scared about tomorrow morning as well."

"Oh if you were scared now already then you definitely have to fear tomorrow morning."

Now Juri looked extremely uncomfortable, but Taiga enjoyed it to make all these new emotions show on Juri's face. Everything that was so far away from the man's usual strict general behavior.

***

"Is it going to be your new greeting to laugh at me?" Juri scolded Taiga when they met outside the building that Ryosuke had provided for them to stay at for the night.

"I'm not laughing that much at you," Taiga said and walked up to the other one, grabbing the white folded collar of Juri's white clothes to fix it. Juri didn't complain, instead he just froze and looked at how Taiga opened the cotton shirt to close it the other way around before he started putting it into the seam of Juri's hakama. That was when Juri stepped back and fixed the rest of his clothes himself with an embarrassed hawk. 

"We don't have many of these folding and tying clothes in the north," Juri complained, while Taiga watched how he tried to fix everything on his own.

"Just make sure the belt is tight, because if it's not then it will get a bit embarrassing later."

"Even more embarrassing than it already is?" Juri asked as they were both in full white clothes and straw sandals, with one single difference as Taiga had another layer of clothes underneath in light gray with a high collar, yet Juri didn’t comment on it as he saw it as a typical Oki feature. 

"What did you expect us to wear when we're doing a cleansing in one of the purest waters of the country?"

"Water?" Juri asked, so perplexed that Taiga couldn't even laugh at him this time.

"Maybe I should have explained a bit more before inviting you, but now it's best to just relax and get surprised."

"I hope we will still be friends after this," Juri let out while they started walking, but then he realized that Taiga had slowed down and looked at him with a hard to interpret expression.

"Did I say something weird?"

Taiga slowly shook his head and smiled. "No, not at all."

They walked quite a while towards the Seishi forest close to the Chirari river and Taiga had feared that once more Juri could get angry after he told him that they had to climb a bit up some hills in the forest and that the entire way might take several hours. To his surprise Juri seemed to enjoy the exhausting, yet calm walk through nature.

"Can I ask you something?" Juri asked after they had walked a while in silence after the mountain path was a bit too steep to talk much, but now a beautiful forest path lay ahead of them and Taiga had just told him that this was the last part of their walk.

"Sure," Taiga said, but looked a bit skeptical on the sudden question.

"If this is too personal then you don't have to reply."

Now Taiga felt even more tense. They had talked about private matters here and there already, but of course not all the details.

"What did Yamada mean when he talked about your cousin as a demon?"

There it was. The one topic Taiga hoped to be able to avoid. The same way as Kochi, Ryosuke was of course aware of parts of Taisuke's mindset, but Ryosuke didn't know details either. For him it was just Taisuke's behavior in common. The perfect son, he played in front of his father, while he showed another face when he didn't watch out around everyone. At some time in their childhood Taiga was sure that he had tried to challenge Ryosuke, as they had been about the same age and Ryosuke had his part of arrogance as well. But different from Taiga, there was absolutely nothing Taisuke could pressure Ryosuke with. Except one day if he took over the Oki Clan. It could end in a catastrophe for Wazaigo and Bodaisei.

"Is he such a bad person?"

"He's not," Taiga replied. Then he fell silent, took a deep breath and gave Juri a smile. A smile that actually hurt him, because the same as with Sho, he hated lying to Juri, because he had indeed become his friend, but there was no way he could tell him. "He can be fierce, but he's the next leader of the Oki Clan so I think he needs to have a strong mindset. For some he might seem cold hearted and threatening, but he's just different to most of us I'd say."

"Different to you because you're a bastard?"

It was easy for Juri to be so direct with him even though he hadn't even visited Oki yet and didn't know all the details about his past. Sho was talking the same way and Taiga didn't get angry at either of them.

"I will never take over the clan even if anything happens to him or Shime."

"If you say so," Juri said and gave Taiga a more relaxed expression. "I never thought I could become a general."

"That's a different level," Taiga complained.

"From your point of view definitely, but for me it's about the same kind of impossible goal."

"It's not my goal in the first place and we're here by the way."

Juri turned towards the direction Taiga was pointing at and he could see a waterfall a few dozen meters in front of them.

When they came closer the sound of the dropping water was getting more intense and soon they spotted Ryosuke sitting on a stone next to the waterfall. His clothes were different from the ones he had worn in the shrine. But they weren't as simple as their white ones. Just simple enough to wrongly guess that he was just a normal monk at his shrine. Beige clothes, the same kind as theirs, but with a big wooden necklace around his neck and a walking stick out of metal next to him with a few rings around the golden tip.

"You're late," he said as he got up and the stick next to him made a lot of noise when he pulled it up.

"I haven't been here in a while. Took us longer than I expected."

"Sorry, I think that is my fault. I'm not used to mountain areas."

"Look, you found yourself someone new to always protect you," Ryosuke said with a teasing smile while Taiga rolled his eyes.

"Let's get over this, it's not like you can be here all day even if it's warm today. You'll be freezing in a moment anyway."

"Wait, we're going in there?" Juri asked, pointing at the small lake surrounding the waterfall.

"Even better, we're going underneath that," Taiga said, pointing at the waterfall.

If Ryosuke wasn't there, Taiga was sure that Juri would have made a snarky comment now, but he held back.

"Get moving, but I warn you. Don't you dare get out before I am done."

Taiga pulled Juri alongside the small lake, to a part where the water was only knee deep and they could reach the waterfall. Juri immediately drew a deep breath on his first step into the ice cold water.

"The waterfall is from a small side river. It goes all the way through the mountains so it's fresh, but also extremely cold."

"When are we allowed to get back out?" Juri asked as he walked as fast as possible after Taiga while he was impressed by the way Taiga didn't even seem bothered by the cold.

"He will do a cleansing prayer the moment we stand underneath the water. You won't be able to hear him, but if he moves from his spot then you know he is done. Before he moves you're not allowed to get out."

"What if I do?" Juri asked.

"Just better don't. Ryosuke will be furious," Taiga said and suddenly took Juri's hand right in front of the waterfall. "I'll lead the way. Close your eyes at first if it's too cold. When I let go of your hand just stop."

Juri nodded, looking at Taiga's hand when they stepped under the ice cold water and he accidentally put way more pressure on his grip than he wanted to, but he got a squeeze on his hand from Taiga in return. Now they wouldn't be able to hear each other easily anyway. 

After a few steps Taiga loosened his grip and Juri let him pull away his hand. At first Juri didn't move at all. He just tried to get his breathing pace under control and get used to the weight of water coming down on his shoulders. 

A few minutes later Juri felt calm enough to open his eyes. The water blurred his vision, but he could indeed spot Ryosuke with one hand on his stick and one lifted to the front of his chest with two fingers pointing up.

Slowly Juri turned his head towards Taiga. The other one was even harder to spot, but he could see the calmness surrounding him. He had his hands pressed together in front of his chest and his eyes closed. Juri felt calmer just by looking at him and he hurried to put his hands together as well and close his eyes for a moment. He was sure that this cleansing wasn't going to be as short as he had hoped for, but he was happy about Taiga allowing him to be part of such a unique experience and he felt even more excited about visiting Oki next.

The first one Taiga spotted was Sho, but of course he couldn't just run in front of his horse and pull him off to hug him. He had to wait for a calmer time. Sho grinned at him from the side where citizens of Oki were greeting him and welcoming Juri to Oki. Most of the soldiers had already arrived before them so they didn't disturb the city too much with their arrival, but his uncle had of course waited for them. Taisuke and Shime were standing close to him and the council, Shime's look pure worry, while Taisuke looked way too excited.

"Welcome back young general," his uncle greeted him as he got off his horse. "And welcome to Oki, General Tanaka."

Juri took his helmet off and bowed towards the leader of the Oki Clan before he also turned towards Taisuke and Shime and bowed once more. "Thank you for letting me and my soldiers escort General Kyomoto back."

"Did you lose too many soldiers to get back alone?"

Juri looked up at Taisuke’s comment and turned towards Taiga. He of course didn't know their faces, but it was obvious that he had already guessed right who was who.

"Without Kyomoto's help we would have lost a great number of civilians at a location we didn't consider as a possible attack point."

"A good strategist like always," his uncle praised. "Let's get you all out of your armor and prepare a welcome feast tonight."

"Let me take that helmet from you little cousin," Taisuke offered so sweetly, while his smile, which he formed as he looked up at Taiga when he stepped right in front of him, showed how much he wanted to see Taiga's face and all the other damage he had taken.

Taiga didn't stop him when he took the helmet off his head, knowing that sooner or later they would all get a closer look at his scarred face.

Shime's eyes grew wide as he lifted one hand to cover his mouth while his uncle only nodded, knowing that war scars were nothing embarrassing as he was covered with them himself.

"They didn't like your pretty face I guess," Taisuke said in a low voice so that only Juri had heard them, but he only waited and looked while Taisuke stroked Taiga's long scar on his face before he dropped his hand to a fresh scar on his neck, which was a bit too high to be hidden under his collar.

"Well, I guess this one wasn't your doing this time?" Taisuke asked in an even lower voice as he leaned over to Taiga's ear, but his look fell on Juri who tried to show him a neutral expression.

"Thank you for your concern, but I'm fine," Taiga said and Taisuke retreated as he was aware of all the eyes on him.

"Let me show you around," Shime offered Juri and the other one gave Taiga a lost look, but then Taiga nodded.

"Take a rest and then we'll meet later at the feast. Trust me my uncle knows how to throw a good one so you should be rested for it."

Juri nodded and bowed once more to everyone before he let Shime guide him inside the castle. 

Taiga had to smile after him as he knew how much Juri actually wanted to stay with Taiga and tell him how amazing the big castle and the huge cliffs were. But they should still find time for that later.

"Well then, let me help you get settled back in."

Taisuke's offer had Taiga's smile immediately vanish, but he still managed to thank his uncle and the council for the warm welcome and promised to report back in detail later.

The walk up to his room felt like a walk to a scaffold. Yes he had taken in damage. He had judged situations on the battlefield wrongly and was at fault for lost lives. But he still felt like he had to take punishments he didn't deserve.

Taisuke pushed him into the room as if he had waited all these weeks just for this moment and Taiga stopped in the middle of the room with a pissed expression while Taisuke gave him a lopsided sneer, walking around him.

"373."

Of course he knew the number. The number of fallen Oki soldiers and while most of them had died in battle at Kita-Shosan directly against Basarano, there were those who had died at Sakai and those deaths had been entirely his fault. 

Taisuke didn't expect Taiga to apologize, because Taisuke didn't care for those soldiers in the first place. He walked up to Taiga and put one hand over his fresh scar, digging his fingers a bit too harshly into the still healing wound.

"So, who is at fault for this one?"

"A Basarano soldier."

"Oh? A simple soldier? How disappointing."

"He was part of a special force. They were strong and thinking way ahead."

"More than you?" Taisuke asked as he moved his hand down to Taiga's neck, but put his hand around Taiga's neck instead of just the fresh wound. 

"Unfortunately yes."

"So is he at fault for the rest of your wounds as well?"

"Only for two more," Taiga said and that was enough for Taisuke to know that there were more wounds than he could see and he closed his hand tighter around Taiga's neck, stepping closer. 

"Show me."

Instead of letting Taiga do it himself, Taisuke moved behind him to help him out of his armor and of course he didn't hesitate to get the under armor shirt over Taiga's head. The cut on his hand wasn't that bad anymore, but of course he had to stabilize it because he had indeed broken two bones. The wound from the one arrow he had gotten hit with also didn't bother him much anymore.

Taisuke scanned every single wound and bruise as if they were his doing as he would of course take pride in them.

"Do you know that soldier's name?"

"Hokuto," Taiga said as he didn't see any reason to hide it.

"Hokuto?" Taisuke said so surprised that Taiga feared he had after all said something he shouldn't have. Without knowing his last name he wasn’t even sure what clan he belonged to.

"Was there anyone else around him you know the name of?"

Now Taiga hesitated, realizing that Taisuke definitely knew more than him, which shouldn't be the case as they all held strategic meetings together and Taiga knew the names of the current clan leaders, but in Basarano a lot of smaller clans were rising so he didn’t know which one was important right now.

When Taiga didn't reply, Taisuke grabbed him by the hair, pulling his head to the back with a warning glare before he put his other hand on Taiga's face. "You know fresh wounds can easily open."

The way he clawed his fingers into Taiga's chin made that obvious, especially because some fresh blood already dripped down to Taiga's collarbone.

"Meguro."

There it was again the surprise on the other one's face and yet he didn't even try to hide that he knew something Taiga wasn't aware of. 

"Do those names mean I messed up?" Taiga asked, but of course Taisuke wouldn't easily answer that.

"Well, they are Basarano members and I bet you didn't kill them, right? So I'd say this wasn't the last time you'll see them."

***

Juri had only left the great hall of the Oki castle for a few minutes as the feast was still at its peak. People were loud and cheerful, but Taiga had been out of his reach most of the time with too many people of the Oki Clan being around him. But now that he wanted to walk back his way got blocked at the next corner and he couldn’t stop from showing a bright smile on the teasing one he received from Taiga.

“Did you by any chance sneak out to find me?” Juri asked.

“Aren’t you the one who sneaked out first?”

“I needed to go somewhere,” Juri explained, not wanting to explain the need of having to relieve himself, but of course Taiga had only waited for such a chance.

“And now I need to go somewhere,” Taiga said and grabbed Juri by the wrist, pulling him down the corridor, away from all the noise.

They made it out of the castle, Taiga explaining some things about their city, their connection to Wazaigo and their past with other surrounding provinces while they walked down one of their main streets with white cobbled paving.

It was already late, the city had fallen silent, just a few candle lights visible in some windows. But Taiga liked the silence and enjoyed being out of that great hall.

“You don’t like the attention, do you?” Juri asked and Taiga couldn’t even hide the fact that he was right and with a sigh he looked up into the night sky. Clear without any clouds and the stars shone bright next to the almost full moon. “I would enjoy it more if I didn’t know that they are waiting for me to fail behind my back. So that they can point their fingers at me and laugh at me. A bastard cannot achieve anything that is what they really think after all.”

“Then I wonder what they think about me,” Juri asked as they slowed down a bit.

“They might wait for you to fail too, but not in our own battle. Maybe they just hope that you will see me the same way they do.”

“So that I won’t protect you if needed on the battlefield,” Juri said, knowing exactly what Taiga tried to say. “Then they can wait a long time.”

Juri read the atmosphere pretty well as Taiga wasn’t talking about his entire clan after all. Instead of they, Taiga would like to say he, but that would be a bit too obvious.

Taiga was grateful for Juri’s words though, but before he could express that feeling there was a movement from an alley behind them and someone jumped on Taiga’s back.

Juri was immediately alarmed, but the only weapon he had on him was a knife, both of them were not even wearing their armors for the feast.

“No need to attack him,” Taiga soothed when he saw Juri’s hand movement to his belt while the man who had thrown his arms around Taiga was pulling him even more into his embrace and then chuckled.

“Took you long enough to sneak away from that boring feast.”

“And you could have greeted us in a normal way, someone else would have maybe already stabbed you,” Taiga scolded Sho as the other one finally let go of him with a bright smile.

“This is Takada Sho, he’s the grandson of one of our blacksmiths.”

“The best blacksmith in Oki,” Sho said with a bright smile and Juri finally relaxed and bowed slightly.

“Sho took care of my armor and weapons for my first invite. He can definitely have a look at your armor later if you want some tips on how to make it lighter?” Taiga suggested and Juri nodded.

“I heard that your armor is strong,” Sho said in excitement. “I’d be really grateful if you let me have a look at your province’s great craftsmanship.”

“Sure, I will bring it to you tomorrow,” Juri said with a relaxed smile this time.

“Sho is no clan member so he can’t enter the castle without permission,” Taiga explained.

“And you wanted to make sure that he gets to greet you as soon as possible. That sounds a lot like you.”

“One battle and you already know each other quite well, I see,” Sho said with a teasing smile towards both of them, but then he looked at Taiga’s face a bit more intensely. “I thought your wound was already better healed. Did it reopen?”

Taiga put one hand on his face, realizing that Taisuke’s damage wasn’t as small as he had hoped, but while Juri had definitely realized as well, he had decided to not talk about it.

“Maybe I should head back to the castle so that you can update each other on all the happenings,” Juri said. Taiga looked a bit panicked when Juri stepped back and even Sho shook his head.

“I don’t mind your company. Taiga is my best friend, but don’t worry I am not the jealous type,” Sho said with a wink, making Juri look to the ground a bit uncomfortable all of a sudden.

Taiga only kept waiting for Juri to say something until Sho hit him with his elbow and made a head movement towards Juri.

“How about I update Sho on the way down to the cliffs?” Taiga offered and Juri finally looked back up at him. “You said you wanted to see them, right? We can go tomorrow again during the daytime, but they have a mysterious feeling at night as well.”
“Sounds good,” Juri said and Sho hurried to hook his right elbow with Taiga and his left one with Juri to drag them along the street towards the ocean. 

“Great, then let’s talk on the way,” Sho said. “I need to know how you got that wound. It will be a pretty awesome scar.”

Their walk wasn’t as weird as Taiga had thought at first and he enjoyed the view as he walked behind Juri and Sho at some point, both of them getting way too invested into Juri’s stories about the battle at Kita-Shosan after Taiga had kept his story about his scar he had gotten from Hokuto as short and simple as possible. 

Taiga shook his head and looked up into the night sky once more as they had walked down to the beach to give Juri a night view of the castle. Taiga had messed up on that day and he could have easily joined his soldiers in the afterlife. “You wouldn’t forgive me if I joined you this early.”

“What did you say?” 

Taiga jolted way more than needed when Sho stood right next to him all of a sudden and he immediately shook his head. “Nothing. Weren’t you just really hyped up in a talk seconds ago?”

Sho nodded, his eyes kind of sparkling when he pointed at Juri. “He just told me about your first meeting.”

“And?” Taiga asked, but Juri had walked ahead, looking up to the castle in awe. Sho hurried to push Taiga a bit to the back, turning them both away from Juri.

“Dude, how come that your talks about Kita-Shosan are all strategic, short and neutral, while he talks passionately and every second sentence starts with your name? Oh and I totally know that he is calling you Taiga, while he keeps calling you Kyomoto in front of me. He almost slipped twice.”

“He is just polite,” Taiga replied, making Sho snort.

“Polite my ass, but sure, stay blind for now, maybe it’s getting more interesting for me this way,” Sho said with a bright smile before he ran over to Juri instead to get more details from him.

Taiga just shook his head, but he indeed noticed how Juri looked so much more into telling Sho about everything. Taiga should take more pride in their victory that was for sure, but he was feeling too ashamed of his mistakes to try and force the story to sound more positive. If he talked more about how the battle was for him with Juri as his counsel and fellow general in battle then he was sure he could definitely tell things way more passionately. At exactly that thought Juri looked over his shoulder at him with a bright smile and Taiga felt caught even though he hadn’t said or done anything. With a weird forced smile he looked up to the castle instead.

They should definitely head back soon or his uncle would start sending out someone to look for them or Taisuke…Taisuke, he was there. On top of the cliffs. Taiga was sure of it. Even in the dark he could spot him thanks to the moonlight. He had his back turned to them, but there was someone with him. The other one was quite a bit smaller than him and not that easy to spot. Black clothes, even half his face covered with a black mask. A shinobi? 

The waves were covering their voices so they wouldn’t hear Sho’s laughs, but they would definitely be able to spot them and just when Taiga thought about telling the others to move on so that they wouldn’t get spotted, the one in front of Taisuke looked down to the beach, of course straight at Taiga.

Whatever was going on was something Taisuke definitely didn’t want Taiga to know, if he turned around now then Taiga’s life would turn into hell. But to his surprise the shinobi looked back at Taisuke immediately, smoothly engaging Taisuke back into whatever conversation they had. 

Taiga saw how Taisuke handed him a scroll and the shorter one with a high up short ponytail nodded as he stepped back. Taiga saw the other one giving him another short side glance when Taisuke stepped away from the cliffs. But then the shinobi left as well and with Taisuke being around, Taiga was sure Iwamoto was close too so he hurried back towards Sho and Juri, making sure to push them more towards the castle, so that they wouldn’t seem suspicious in case anyone spotted them after all. Taiga was okay getting into trouble with Taisuke, but he didn’t want anyone else to be part of it. 

But now his thoughts were racing. Why had Taisuke paid a shinobi for his services, what was going on? Mabara-Kinmitsu was known for its skilled shinobi. There were other provinces with shinobi as well, but Taiga doubted that his cousin would offer money to anyone other than the most skilled shinobi he could get his hands on. Now the question was just for what he had paid him?

***

“You’re up early.”

“And you aren’t?” Taiga asked Shime when he stepped into his cousin’s room. Shime’s room was on the same floor as his, almost the same size and furniture, but Shime had definitely put more time into his own comfort as he spent more time in his room.

There was a reading place for him on one of the wide stone window sills. Pillows, blankets and pelts all around him. Taiga sat down opposite of his cousin who was already half through one of the books Kochi had picked for him.

“How is Kochi doing?” Shime asked as he finally let the book drop on his thighs when Taiga sat down crossed legged and looked out of the window down to the ocean. The only difference between their rooms was that Shime had no balcony, but the boy had said he preferred his huge window sill.

“He is doing great,” Taiga said as he looked back at Shime with a smile. “He is as cynical as always and he already predicted that you will be through all of your new books in less than two weeks.”

“Maybe I should slow down and read them in three, then I can prove him wrong the next time I visit him.”

There was a moment of silence between them before Shime fixed his dark expression. Walking was hard enough, riding a horse for days was out of question and his uncle wouldn’t take him on a carriage just so he could get some books. Not that the books were what he wanted the most.

“Ryosuke is well too,” Taiga said, knowing how Shime was feeling. The last time he had met anyone outside of Oki was already years ago and chances got even lower now for him to be able to go on any long trip.

“I would have loved to see the way he scolded you and praised Juri at the same time,” Shime said with a chuckle, knowing of course how Ryosuke liked teasing Taiga.

They both looked down at the beach when they saw some soldiers on horses gallop down towards one of their regular check points. They didn’t fear any attacks from the sea, but they were still cautious.

“Was Taisuke here the entire time I was at Kita-Shosan?” Taiga asked.

“Taisuke? I guess so? Sometimes I didn’t really see him every day, but it’s not like I am looking for him and we don’t always eat together with our uncle,” Shime said, but immediately leant a bit more to the front with a suspicious look. “Did anything happen?”

“I wish I could tell,” Taiga said, knowing that Shime wouldn’t stop nagging if he didn’t tell him at least a bit.

“That at least means nothing bad has happened to you,” Shime said, but then pointed at Taiga’s face. “But I realized that your wound had opened up at the feast, so don’t pretend like nothing happened at all.”

“There will never be a day when nothing happens the moment I am in his reach,” Taiga said with an exhausted sigh.

“But this time there was something that didn’t really include you, but you’re still worried?”

Taiga nodded and wanted to give at least a small explanation without worrying Shime too much as the boy had obviously not realized anything weird about Taisuke or anyone around them, but then Taiga looked out of the window once more and he was immediately on his feet.

“What is going on?” Shime asked when Taiga walked with big steps to the door without any explanation, but when Shime looked out of the window he realized why. Close to the cliffs, just a bit away from the castle Shime could spot two people walking next to each other and normally that wouldn’t be anything bad, but as it was Taisuke walking next to Juri, Shime understood Taiga’s reaction.

Right at one of the gates Taiga made it out towards the walkway close to the cliffs. He was hurrying so much that he almost ran into the person who blocked his way. At first Taiga didn’t even spend Iwamoto any attention and just stepped to the side to pass him, but when Iwamoto tried to block his way once more, Taiga’s patience level reached its limits.

“I give you one second to step out of my way,” Taiga hissed at the other one.

“Taisuke ordered me to not let anyone interrupt his conversation with the general of Kita-Shosan.”

“How lucky that I am not anyone and if you dare block my way ever again I will make sure that you will end up being no one very soon.”

He could tell how much Iwamoto wanted to just draw his sword and stab it through Taiga’s body as he hated getting talked down to by anyone other than Taisuke, but he still had to listen. No matter if he was Taisuke’s guard or not, Taiga was way over his status so finally he stepped aside.

Taiga gave him another glare before he finally hurried along the cliff. Juri spotted him first and gave him a warm smile before Taisuke looked over his shoulder and of course his smile was more of the mocking kind, nevertheless he acted perfectly innocent when Taiga stopped close to them.

“Cousin, you’re up early. I didn’t want to disturb you so I thought I could hear all the details from our young general. He seemed restless in the early morning hours, wandering around the castle,” Taisuke said, putting his hand on Juri’s shoulder. 

“I was actually just trying to find General Kyomoto,” Juri let out a bit embarrassed. “But I didn’t know my way around and the first one I found was your cousin and he told me that you were still asleep.”

“I’m awake now,” Taiga said with a side glance towards Taisuke as they had seen each other in the morning already when Taiga had walked over to Shime’s room. A perfect coincidence, yet it had been the best moment for Taisuke to try and show Juri his fake kindness.

“Taiga, did you know that Juri became a soldier at an age even younger than you? His experience in battle is remarkable. And here we thought you were special,” Taisuke teased, but Juri immediately shook his head.

“Our paths were completely different and I only got a higher rank through connections. General Kyomoto took so much preparation for it and I think he is way more qualified.”

“Now you’re praising him too much,” Taisuke laughed and walked up to Taiga, putting his arm around his shoulder. “If you get too much praise you might take your rank as granted and we need to make sure that you’re concentrated on the battlefield, right?”

Taiga just decided to leave it at that as he knew that there was no meaning in arguing with Taisuke, especially not in front of Juri; that was what his cousin was waiting for after all. 

“Excuse my curiosity, but as far as I remember all leading family members of the Oki Clan have been generals until now, right?” Juri asked. It was such an innocent question, so neutral and perfectly timed.

There was that small moment when Taisuke’s grip on Taiga’s shoulder tightened a bit, making Taiga almost laugh at his cousin’s try to stay calm. After all, he had just tried to convince Juri of how much of a caring person he was, so he had to keep his act up.

“I feel like our generation has a lot more to offer than fighting skills and war councils,” Taisuke said as he stepped away from Taiga and faced Juri with an expression that was so close to crumbling, a small victory for Taiga. 

“I agree,” Juri replied. Again the perfect way to not overdo the mocking he had started and still have Taisuke take the blow. “Your younger cousin Shimekake seems to be very skilled with writing and education. For calm times he will definitely be an amazing counsel for your clan. For the tough times you have your young general.”

Leaving out Taisuke was the cherry on top of the whole conversation and Taiga saw how Taisuke put his hands behind his back and clenched his fists while showing Juri a smile.

“I feel like we all have our fitting roles in our clans, depending on what times we live in. Maybe one day your roles as generals will also change with the era.”

“Hopefully to something calmer,” Taiga gave his opinion, making it even harder for Taisuke to keep his calm. 

“Of course,” Taisuke said as he turned towards Juri with the most unconvincing smile he had ever shown. “It was a pleasure to get to hear some details from the battle from you before your departure, General Tanaka.”

Juri bowed as the older one excused himself, Taiga looking after him with a satisfied grin.

“Cold hearted and threatening,” Juri said, reminding Taiga of the way he had tried to explain Taisuke to Juri without making it too obvious how much he hated his cousin. “Not really how he tried to present himself to me, but I think I get your point.”

Taiga was happy about Juri not getting too easily played by Taisuke, but he was also still far from discovering the other one’s true personality. If he knew then he wouldn’t have dared to mock him in front of Taiga. After all, Taiga was the one who would suffer through it later, but there was no way he would let Juri know.

“You’re leaving in a few hours, you should get ready,” Taiga reminded him and Juri nodded.

“Do you mind if we continue the walk for a bit? I wanted to talk to you in the morning after all, not to your cousin.”
“Any special reason?” Taiga asked as he started walking alongside the cliffs with Juri and it just had something extremely soothing having him around on a simple walk.

“Not exactly. I just felt that through our time in Bodaisei and with everyone bombarding you with questions at the feast, you didn’t have much time to process everything.”

“So this walk is not for you, but for me?” Taiga asked with a smile, being grateful for the other one's thoughts.

“I wish I had someone to talk to after my first battle as a general,” Juri explained. “As a soldier it was easy to just talk to the other soldiers. They all talk freely behind their higher up’s backs.”

Taiga chuckled as he was well aware of that, especially with his status as he was still a bastard and even though his soldiers fought for him, they also didn’t really hold back with their looks and talks behind his back.

“As a general you’re supposed to be the one in charge. Always perfectly neutral and aware of everything that is going on, but let’s be honest. Except for our rank, nothing has changed. We’re still the same human being.”

Juri’s words had a huge impact on Taiga and he felt weirdly calm just through listening to the other one. Juri stopped to look out towards the ocean and Taiga found himself looking at the other one instead of following his look.

“As generals I think we won’t meet much except for battles and of course I do not wish even more hardship on our divided country, but maybe with one small point your cousin was right. In another peaceful era we might not need to meet as generals again.”

When Taiga didn’t reply, Juri turned to look at him and Taiga immediately looked away, but then he smiled and nodded.

“I hope that even in this era we can meet more off the battlefield as well,” Taiga replied so honestly that he was surprised by his own words and immediately bit his lip, looking ahead towards the ocean this time. “I mean there will be peace councils between the provinces and you’re always welcome here as well, even if it is not for any of our general duties.”

“I am happy to hear that,” Juri said and Taiga dared to look at the other one, Juri giving him such a bright and honest smile that Taiga had to fight the urge to pull him into a hug and tell him not to leave. That would be too much after all. Juri was needed in his province. Kita-Shosan had barely escaped the same horrible fate as Kaikakuto. But that thought had Taiga smile as well, because there were going to be more meetings between their provinces from now on. They had to check up on Kaikakuto as well and now that Taiga was a general he could easily tell his uncle that he wanted to go. An escort from Kita-Shosan and meetings with Mabara-Kinmitsu were also definitely on the list of upcoming necessary events, so Taiga was able to hide his sad feeling about Juri leaving this soon.

A few days had passed calmer than Taiga had expected, but when Taisuke had talked to his father about Taiga needing to get some extra training for his lack of close combat skills, he knew that Taisuke had run out of patience. He hadn't just forgotten about their conversation with Juri. He would never forget any small detail when it was something he got pissed about.

An hour later Taiga found himself violently thrown on the ground after Iwamoto had used his full body weight to tackle him the moment he was distracted with two other soldiers. 

Taiga couldn't deny that he indeed lacked skills in close combat against several opponents. It had been exactly such a situation in which Juri had helped him out. Not to forget that he had gotten his deepest scar through a simple one on one with Hokuto. 

Taiga almost missed a sword thrust towards his shoulder and at the last moment he twisted away, still in a sitting position so once more Iwamoto took the chance and attacked. He just aimed with a kick towards Taiga's chest and while Taiga got his sword up, Iwamoto just kicked it back together with Taiga, making him hit his head quite harshly on the ground this time as they were training in their heavier close combat armors, but without helmets. Different from their flexible armors, they were out of metal, but still lighter than those of Kita-Shosan and also of the same light silver color as their flexible armors.

Usually in training, blows to the head weren't allowed, not that all of the soldiers cared for the rules. They were personally picked by Taisuke for today, meaning that they all behaved like Iwamoto, not giving a single thought if they hurt Taiga or not.

"Already giving up?" Taisuke asked while Taiga remained on the ground for a moment. But the reason for that was that his head was spinning and he could feel that he was definitely bleeding, but for now he wouldn't give Taisuke his desired satisfaction and he sat back up.

To his surprise Shime walked up to the training ground behind the castle with a book in his hand.

"This is no place for you," Taisuke said directly, but Shime only shrugged his shoulders.

"I know. But it's such a lovely day I thought I could read outside and observing the training helps me at least with theoretical knowledge about fighting," Shime said and sat down under the closest tree, ignoring the way Taisuke glared at him.

"Fine, keep going."

The soldiers seemed to slightly hesitate now that Shime had arrived, exactly what his younger cousin had aimed for and Taiga looked at him with a smile when Shime looked up at him briefly.

Taiga put his hand to the back of his head and as expected he was bleeding, but it wasn't too bad and he hurried to get back up, even though he was feeling a bit light headed.

"Wait," Taisuke said when Iwamoto got ready to attack again. They all looked at Taisuke as he walked up to them and took the sword from Iwamoto. "For once in a while maybe I should do you the honor, what do you think?"

Right, the honor. It wasn't like Taisuke wasn't training just because he wasn't a soldier or general. Yet Taiga still hesitated. His uncle wouldn't be pleased if he hurt Taisuke.

"You're not in armor," Taiga tried to reason, but the soldiers already retreated, leaving only the two of them on the training ground. Even Shime had put his book aside now and looked at them skeptically.

"I don't think you're going to actually go for a brutal attack, will you?" Taisuke challenged, knowing exactly how much he cornered Taiga with his idea. 

Eventually there was no way Taiga could refuse without making the situation even worse so he let Taisuke have his unfair fight. Taisuke wouldn't even need to get much into the offensive as he was well aware of the fact that Taiga would only dodge and block, but that fact made Taisuke act even more outraged and soon Taiga received his first few cuts on his face. Nothing too deep and all calculated wounds to please Taisuke. Nevertheless his cousin didn't seem to be satisfied by their fight and soon he kicked Taiga's sword out of his hands and threw his own to the side as well.

"You've seen it yourself, Basarano soldiers don't rely only on their weapons."

Taisuke was right, but now Taiga had to fight more seriously as Taisuke was immediately going for his neck, trying to bring him to fall.

Shime had jumped up from his place when Taisuke had put his arms around Taiga's neck after wrestling him to the ground and while Taiga wasn't holding back at trying to get the other one's arms away, Taisuke had full control over the situation. 

Taisuke lay on his back, trapping Taiga between his legs and pulling him so much to the back that Taiga was slowly losing the ability to fight back through the pressure that was put on his throat.

"Taisuke, stop it," Shime yelled at his cousin as he walked closer. Iwamoto blocked his way, but Shime didn't try to actively interfere. He wouldn't be of any help. 

"Giving up?" Taisuke asked and after another moment Taiga tapped Taisuke's arm, his cousin finally releasing him, but also unnecessarily kicking him in the back before getting up.

Taiga remained on the ground for a moment, coughing a few times before he looked up at Taisuke who gave him an even more pissed expression than before.

"Are you okay?" Shime asked as he finally dared to walk past Iwamoto to crouch down next to Taiga.

"All good, don't worry. I'm just really not good in close combat," Taiga laughed it off. 

"We might need to find you a more serious way of training," Taisuke said before he left with his soldiers. 

Sure Taiga was extremely skilled with his bow and usually as long as he could easily keep up with his opponent he was swift enough to keep them on sword length, but while he had indeed just given up because it was Taisuke, he was pissed at himself. Even if he had fought with all his might he wasn't sure if he could have won against any of his opponents today.

"You're endangering yourself," Taiga finally addressed Shime. "If you get in his way too much then you might end up like me."

"I'm our uncle's favorite. He wouldn't dare," Shime said with a confident smile, but Taiga wasn't so sure of that anymore. Taisuke had changed over the years, to the worse. He had gotten restless and impatient. His facade sometimes broke even in front of his father.

"Let's treat your injuries for now?" Shime asked and while Taiga agreed he didn't find the need to do so as he knew that Taisuke wasn't done. Shime's interference would bring even more trouble to Taiga, but there was no way he would tell his little cousin about that.

***

“Don’t tell me you got another invite?”

“In your dreams,” Taiga said as he walked into Sho’s smithy. “It’s not like I want to ride out into battle every two weeks.”

And as much as that was the truth it was also a lie. He didn’t want to fight and kill, but what would he give for any kind of reason to leave Oki just for a while. Taisuke had been laying low for almost an entire week after Shime had interrupted his so well thought through training, but the only reason for that was his uncle. There was something moving and shifting inside the council, even without being present at the meetings Taiga could read the signs. The way his uncle got calmer and older, while Taisuke gained more control over the province. Soon Taiga had to face the fateful day of Taisuke taking over and he didn’t look forward to what would await him.

“Your wound finally seems to have healed quite well, I guess now it won’t open up that easily anymore,” Sho said while putting a red gleaming dagger into a bucket full of water, making smoke rise to the ceiling of the stone building.

“Hopefully I won’t add too many scars on the next battlefield,” Taiga said as he walked over to the wall where a good dozen swords hang on a shelf. No matter the size, the length or the weight, Taiga was just not getting better with swords. “Sho, how much spare time do you have on your hands?”

Sho put the dagger back into the forge before he cleaned his hands on an already black towel before he got up and looked at Taiga with an excited smile. “I am all ears.”

“I have a list of things I would like you to make for me.”

Of course Sho had been up for all of Taiga’s ideas, but when Taiga walked back towards the castle he didn’t feel in any way good about asking Sho for such a big favor. Maybe he really just needed to train harder, but for now he just wanted to make sure that he would get some extra weapons on his next battlefield. After all, provinces like Basarano didn’t really fight fair in the first place, so why should he?

On his way down the main street he could hear horses trotting down the street and he stepped aside and looked towards the two horses approaching. 

Messengers from another province. They all carried a visible white banner on their armors and except for provinces like Basarano, usually every province would let them through no matter if they were in any kind of uproar or not. When they came closer Taiga could see the crest with the black panther on the left side of the chest part of their leather armors.

“Mabara-Kinmitsu,” Taiga said to himself as he looked at the messengers. He wasn’t even surprised to find two boys on the horses, definitely not even Taiga’s age.

Mabara-Kinmitsu was not just known for their shinobi, but also for their ways of sending children into battles. Quite a difficult topic, but in a case of war, they would fight them, no matter the age of their enemies.

The boy in the front had long blonde hair, up in a ponytail, while the boy in the back had light brown hair, also quite long, but open and quite a mess.

The boy in front looked at Taiga when they came closer, as Taiga’s hairstyle and color was always giving away his connection to the Oki Clan. To his surprise they stopped next to him instead of just proceeding to the castle.

“General Kyomoto?”

“Yes?” Taiga asked, a bit perplexed as he didn’t expect them to know him. If he had made a name through his battle as Kita-Shosan then he was happy about the attention, but if this was about him being a bastard and Taisuke spilling too much information to other provinces just to mock him, then he wouldn’t be able to stay calm. So his mood depended a lot on what was going to happen next.

The boy came closer on his horse and took out a scroll from a bag behind his saddle. “Konno and Yabana, we are messengers from Mabara-Kinmitsu. We have an invitation for you to join us at a council meeting regarding your battle against Basarano.”

Now Taiga was more than excited about the attention and he took the scroll from Konno without hesitation. “Thank you for your invitation. Let me escort you to the castle. Our clan leader will be pleased to hear about the details.”

The two boys nodded and followed Taiga towards the castle. As expected his uncle was more than thrilled about the invitation and let Taiga sit next to him in a meeting with the two young boys, reading with him through the details of the scroll.

Taiga got so excited about the news that he almost couldn’t remain seated when he saw that they also requested a general from Kita-Shosan to join the meeting. Of course the choice wasn’t going to be made by Taiga, but he could at least hope for now, couldn’t he?

“Would you mind if we extended our visit to Kaikakuto as we already planned on checking up on them before winter?”

“Of course, we would love to escort you over to their territory,” Yabana said. “We would like the two generals to meet with our province council by the end of the 10th month.” 

Taiga nodded as he knew that it would take them a good three to four weeks down to their province, so he would leave in no time. There was no need for them to push their horses to make it in under three weeks. The more he was out of Oki the better.

Taiga wanted to ask them about their choice for a Kita-Shosan general, but then the door to the council room opened and Taiga looked at a pretty confused looking Taisuke.

“Taisuke, is your visit an urgent matter?” His father asked and at first Taisuke only scanned the table. The two boys, then the scroll in front of his father and then he looked up at Taiga. There it was, another reason for Taisuke to get mad at Taiga. He had just waited for another small reason to be able to get his piled up rage to explode and now Taiga had given him one without even wanting to.

“No father, it can wait. Sorry for the interruption.”

Such a nice way to excuse himself, yet Taiga knew that he was boiling inside. A meeting without him about an invitation to another province and while his father was the one who had said Taisuke wasn’t involved so he didn’t need to be called for the council, Taiga knew that he would need to take the backlash of that decision. But he didn’t care. He would take in all the rage Taisuke had stored up. In less than a week he would leave towards Mabara-Kinmitsu, so he had something to get him through the remaining dark times.

***

The first arrow hit just a tiny bit off the center of the target, but Taiga didn’t get distracted by that as his horse galloped down the beach and he hurried to get his next arrow out and hit the next target dead center. There was one more target left and he had made sure to set them up differently each time as he hated to just hit targets because he was used to their placements. 

At full speed he let his horse dash past the last target and he was ready to release his third arrow when someone suddenly stepped right in front of the target at the last moment and Taiga had already released the arrow, not having any control of the string anymore, but luckily in the split second he realized what was going on he moved the bow hand and hit his arrow at the last possible centimeters and it flew off to the stone wall of the cliffs just inches away from Taisuke’s face. Taiga got the reins and immediately stopped, turning his horse around, just to jump off and storm towards Taisuke with big steps.

“Seems like you are not just good at hitting targets, but also at avoiding them,” Taisuke grinned at him, but he was definitely more than surprised by Taiga pushing him to the back.

“Do you hate me this much? Am I such a big threat to you that you’d prefer being dead and laughing at me failing as a general from the heavens? Not that I think you would go there in the first place.”

Maybe Taiga had hoped that for once Taisuke would accept that he had done something extremely stupid, but of course it came differently and Taisuke lunged out, punching Taiga on the cheekbone before he pulled him back on his high collar.

“You’re right with one thing. You would still only be a damn useless general even if I was gone, but you are wrong that I would ever leave this world before you, no matter what you’re trying.”

“As if I am the one trying to get rid of you. But you would call me dramatic if I said it was the other way around, right?” Just the fact that Taiga was going to leave the next day with a handful of soldiers to his journey to Mabara-Kinmitsu had him get the confidence to confront Taisuke this directly, but the same reason applied for Taisuke. He had been forced to hold back as his uncle had been with Taiga a lot and of course Shime had sensed the danger and had occupied Taiga’s time a lot as well, trying to help him with training and meetings with Sho to get him out of the castle. But now they had both run out of patience and when Taisuke lunged out again, Taiga actually dodged, grabbed Taisuke’s arm and dared to throw him over his shoulder. This time he wasn’t holding back. For once he didn’t care if he got scolded for hurting Taisuke, not that the older one held back either as he already tried to kick Taiga in the face and throw sand up to distract him.

“Do you really think meetings and councils will change who you are?” Taisuke yelled at him as he pushed Taiga down into the sand and landed another hit on his face, but Taiga got his legs free and wrestled Taisuke down next to him. 

“I am not the one who has to change,” Taiga yelled back and emptied a handful of sand right over Taisuke’s face, resulting in Taisuke slashing through Taiga’s face, leaving some marks close to his left eye, going towards his temple. 

“You just have to get lost,” Taisuke roared as he grabbed Taiga by the hair and tried to turn them around, but Taiga stood his ground this time, trying his best to not let the other one get the advantage this time and he hit Taisuke under the ribs to get a small moment to break free, but of course Taisuke kicked him to the back before Taiga could start his own attack.

“I thought you didn’t fear me taking over? So what is it? Are you jealous? Of a mere bastard?” Taiga’s words were true, he had known it since their childhood and Taisuke had never tried to deny it either, but a bit of jealousy wasn’t all that made him the mad person he was. He was bound to the clan's rules, a huge legacy, but also the strict ways of his father. Not the ways he wanted. Taiga on the other hand had more freedom, his own rules when he was out of the province and while he of course had to obey the same rules, he wasn’t under the same pressure as Taisuke. A pressure the older one wouldn’t be able to shoulder with a soft mindset. 

Taisuke gave Taiga a hateful glare before he turned towards Taiga’s horse and picked up the bow from the ground and reached out for another arrow. Taiga crawled back, not sure if this time Taisuke would just prefer to find an excuse about how Taiga had died on the beach through his own arrow, instead of living with him in the same castle for another day.

Luckily the moment Taisuke got ready to get the arrow onto the string they could hear horses and Taisuke immediately threw the bow to the ground and walked up to Taiga.

“I will still kill you if you make a scene now,” Taisuke said as he held his hand out and Taiga took it. There was no way that after all these years he would let one of their random escalations get between him and his departure.

“I see you’re helping each other with training,” Taiga’s uncle spoke as he stopped next to them with his horse, two soldiers following him.

“My little cousin needs to improve his fighting skills after all. Even if this is just an invitation for a meeting, we cannot be sure if Basarano or another province wants to challenge our new super general on the way,” Taisuke said as he pulled Taiga closer on the shoulder.

“As thoughtful as I expected of you,” Taisuke’s father spoke. “Just make sure to not be too harsh on him. He needs to travel for a few weeks starting tomorrow.”

“He would never do that,” Taiga said with a smile towards Taisuke who grabbed his shoulder a bit too tight on those words, but still formed a convincing smile. 

Taisuke hadn’t gotten the payback he wished for yet. But once more he would need to let Taiga leave for a few weeks and maybe for once Taisuke would indeed calm down instead of being even more enraged the moment Taiga returned.

“I wish you a safe journey,” Taisuke said and this time his smile was definitely way too convincing, making even Taiga question if his words were fake or not.

This time as well Taiga made a stop at Wazaigo as it wasn't like he was in a hurry. He had sent a messenger ahead, telling the general of Kita-Shosan who would accompany him to meet him at the border to Minami-Hian at the Senkyo bridge of the Shinsai river. 

They had sent a messenger to Minami-Hian as well and had gotten the right to move through their province as it was safer than risking using the Shosatsu forest so close to Basarano.

The days had become cooler and Wazaigo's forest was slowly turning to golden and red colors.

"And here you are again," Kochi greeted him, this time outside of the library.

"Missed me?" Taiga teased, but to his surprise Kochi's look didn't brighten up. Instead he looked at Taiga's long scar on his face, then he put his hand on the fresh marks over his eyes.

"He's not giving you a break, not even after such a harsh battle. Such a high pride even without having one single scar on his own body."

"Now he has at least a few bruises?" Taiga said with a sheepish smile and that finally made Kochi chuckle.

"You're forever going to hate each other," Kochi said and waved at Taiga to follow him as he was going to stay for the night and this time in a decent house. There were only four soldiers with him, hand picked by Taiga and they were also on the way to some nicer quarters for the night.

"If it lasts forever then that's all I need," Taiga said in a low voice towards himself as Kochi had not realized how extreme Taisuke's hate was. 

Even the scar on Taiga's neck wasn't something he had let Kochi worry about when the other one had seen it for the first time. An accident while playing with real swords as children, that was what Taiga had told everyone. A lie he'd forever keep. The only one who knew the truth was Taisuke.

"I'll let you stay at the Kigumi," Kochi announced and that had Taiga's dark thoughts clear up as he gave the other one an excited smile.

He loved that old building. It wasn't big or in any way something his uncle would stay at when visiting, but Taiga loved the smell of the old ebony wood of the building.

At a small street, right around the corner to the forest and on a small hill he could already see it. Black wood, white stone walls. The small windows with their wooden crosses and open window shutters made it look so peaceful.

"I need to come back and bring Shime along at some point. He misses you," Taiga said.

"Me or our library?" Kochi teased as he headed inside the house with Taiga. Candles had already been placed around the entrance, where an open living room with a close by kitchen was visible. The staircase led up to two bedrooms. Shime and Taiga had stayed here a lot when they were younger.

"He is still reading the last book you gave him."

"For the second time, right?" Kochi laughed as he knew that Shime wasn't patient enough to read slowly. "Maybe I can make some time to visit Oki instead?"

Taiga got excited about hearing that and immediately nodded. "When I'm coming back from the meeting, you're more than welcome to head back with me to Oki. My uncle will be pleased to see you too."

Kochi's grandparents had been close friends with Taiga's family and his parents had also always been a good counsel to his uncle. Kochi's mother had unfortunately died of an illness a few years ago and his father was too weak to travel, but otherwise he was still healthy.

"Then I guess I have to get enough books together to keep Shime busy until next year."

"Until I come back I guess it will already be close to the end of the year so half of the library will be enough," Taiga said so seriously that they both looked at each other first before bursting out laughing.

This time Taiga felt more at ease with his travels as he knew that no battlefield was waiting for him. For the first time he could enjoy a trip around the country.

***

A week of slow travel led him through the border path between Wazaigo and Kita-Shosan. There were only a handful of small villages around, mostly taking care of the big fields that provided a lot of the province's food for the upcoming winter months. They had been lucky that Basarano hadn't come this far as they had burned down quite an amount of the northern fields and Kita-Shosan would usually also help out other provinces with less space for agriculture, but this winter Oki, Wazaigo and Bodaisei had to ask for the help of Minami-Hian as well for their food supplies.

He had arrived at their destination a day prior to the date they had told Kita-Shosan, but to Taiga's surprise he could see tents close to the Senkyo bridge with the crest of Kita-Shosan, so they must have arrived early as well. The Senkyo bridge was their biggest wooden bridge in the country to Taiga’s knowledge and they needed to have good weather to be allowed to cross over, otherwise the water pressure could cause damage with their added weight on top of the long bridge, but luckily the days were cooler now with not many weather changes.

There were also only a handful of soldiers with the general and one of them spotted them, immediately heading for the tent of their general.

Taiga felt slightly nervous as he had no clue who they had sent out. He had met most of the generals at their last battle. They were all older than him, but had treated him with respect. They were definitely experienced and skilled in meetings so Taiga knew he should see it as a chance to learn.

Just a few meters away from the tents Taiga made his soldiers hold and he got off his horse. As it was no battle he was only in his flexible armor, just his helmet he had brought for an emergency, which he hoped wouldn't occur.

The soldier from before greeted him and told him that the general was waiting in his tent. Taiga nodded and told his soldiers to start making camp. It was already afternoon and they could wait until the next day to cross over to Minami-Hian.

Taiga felt nervous when he stopped in front of the tent and he took another deep breath.

"Arriving from Oki, General Kyomoto," Taiga said before he dared to enter even though his arrival had been brought to the other one’s attention.

Taiga had barely made a step into the tent and when he let the curtain at the door fall shut again he was almost thrown off balance when someone threw his arms around him.

"Juri?" Taiga said completely perplexed while he didn't even hug the other one back. Juri grabbed Taiga by the arms when he stepped back with a bright smile.

"Surprise?" Juri asked and finally Taiga's confusion was replaced by pure excitement as he stepped forward to hug the other one once more, Juri chuckling as he welcomed the hug.

"I didn't expect you to join me," Taiga let out as he finally stepped back, now feeling a bit embarrassed about their emotional welcome. A good choice from Juri to let them meet inside the tent instead of in front of their soldiers.

"I might have made a good point that I need to learn about meetings too and that the experienced generals are needed in case Basarano won't lay low."

"That is amazing," Taiga said, but then shook his head. "I mean that you convinced them, not that you still have to be this suspicious about Basarano. Did they try anything until now?"

"Nothing," Juri said as he finally offered Taiga a seat. There were only two pillows next to a small sleeping place as they didn't travel with much, but that was enough for Taiga. "No scouts, not messengers, nothing."

"Suspicious enough," Taiga said, knowing that Basarano had done the same with Kaikakuto. "We should definitely make this a topic at Mabara-Kinmitsu. They could be next."

Juri nodded, but then gave Taiga an unsure look. "Aren't you nervous?"

"About what?"

"The meeting," Juri said, now looking slightly embarrassed. "I've barely ever traveled and that was only thanks to you. I'm not used to diplomatic talks."

"And yet you wanted to go," Taiga teased.

"That's because I wanted to see you again."

Juri had said the words and immediately looked up at Taiga with wide eyes, not that Taiga had shown any negative reaction. "I mean we made a good team last time, so we can give them some good advice."

"Definitely," Taiga said, letting the topic drop as he saw how Juri's face started turning red, but that reaction had Taiga's heart suddenly beat faster. Could he be that lucky? Had he not overreacted the last time they had met? Taiga was ready to put his own emotions to the test over the next few days.

***

Their travel went without any interruption. They had crossed the Senkyo bridge without trouble as well as they had the invite from Mabara-Kinmitsu and also the scroll with Minami-Hian’s agreement to cross through their province. 

A week passed in which they camped in their tents and only passed by a few border villages. Now they had finally reached a bigger town, Kyokai-machi. The people had nicely offered them to stay in some spare houses instead of their tents. At first Juri wanted to decline the offer, but Taiga was faster and agreed.  

“Our soldiers should get the comfort of a bed from time to time, don’t you think?” Taiga said and Juri nodded as they brought their horses to a blacksmith so he could take a look at them, while the civilians in town guided them to two houses close to each other.

“They are not that big, but we always use them for travelers so each of them has six beds, divided in three rooms, I hope that works for you,” the older lady told them and Taiga thanked her before they walked closer, but then he stopped. One house for Oki and one for Kita-Shosan, the numbers were perfect, but while Taiga also longed for one night in a comfortable bed, he felt like he still had too many responsibilities even without a battle and just a handful of soldiers.

“General, if you don’t mind we will head into town and get supplies, please feel free to take a rest first,” one of his soldiers said. The young woman he had chosen as one of his companions had been someone Sho had recommended. As a blacksmith he got to interact with a lot of soldiers and Taiga knew he could trust his judgment. 

Juri’s soldiers offered the same and they let them all put their luggage into the houses before they left. Taiga was about to head out after putting his luggage onto one of the beds, but Juri was already waiting for him outside. 

“Want to explore a bit?” Juri asked.

“Are you sure the soldiers won’t get mad?”

“Mine won’t and yours seem pretty good at giving you some space and taking some of the responsibility and tension from your shoulders,” Juri said. “Or do you prefer if we help them with the supplies?”

Taiga looked towards the town and then over to the small hills they had around the river area and that was answer enough for Juri who walked behind Taiga and pushed him to the front. 

“We’re not in battle. Just relax. You’re so tense for an entire week already,” Juri complained as Taiga finally walked on his own and Juri started walking next to him.

“Maybe I’m nervous about the meeting after all.” A lie. Such a bad lie. He was nervous, but not about the meeting. Right now he didn’t even care about it. For a week he had done nothing, but talk diplomatic matters with Juri and be the general his soldiers expected him to be, so there was not much interaction at all. Yet he knew that they had barely half a week left to Mabara-Kinmitsu and he didn’t want to arrive there in his current mood.

“I’m the last one who would judge you,” Juri said with a smile as they left the last few houses behind them. Even though Minami-Hian was their biggest province and had the most soldiers, the towns around the border were small and peaceful. Small wooden houses, some out of simple stone and a lot of agriculture around. Towards the border to Sasaku they didn’t have many towns or villages anymore as the border between them was just one big desert-like area. 

“I want to see their castle one day,” Taiga said as they had made it up a small hillside from where they could see over all the fields surrounding the town. To the west the Shosatsu forest was already getting into sight, but they would need a few hours to make it towards it and that part of their journey would be their most dangerous one. Basarano had used the cover of the forest before so they had to make sure to cross southwards towards the ocean to not run into any problems on the way.

“I’ve heard stories about it,” Juri said as he sat down on the green grass spreading over the entire hillside, even stretching out towards the Shinsai river, up until the forest. It looked like a place out of a fairytale. “If they are true then it is ten times the size of your castle in Oki, dozens of high towers, the highest walls ever built and a wide moat around it for protection. Not that I think anyone will ever dare to attack them.”

“Let’s worry for the day they might attack,” Taiga said as he sat down next to Juri, looking at the town, but from up here it was hard to even spot the people clearly anymore.

“Do you think they or any other province would actually try and take control?”

“Minami-Hian was the original residence of the council, right? Except for Oki they are the only ones who have a direct bloodline left with the old times.”

“But Oki is also not trying to bring all provinces under their lead or are you?”

First Taiga didn’t even react until he realized that it had been a question and Juri laughed at his confused expression. 

“My uncle is definitely a too peaceful soul for that,” Taiga said with a chuckle.

“And how about your cousin?” Juri asked. 

“Taisuke is,” Taiga started, not even sure what exactly he wanted to say. “Different. He is young, stubborn and full of ambition.”

“You forgot pride and arrogance,” Juri said, looking at Taiga carefully to see if he had offended him or not, but Taiga gave him an entertained smile.

“That as well,” Taiga confirmed. “But right now I don’t want to think about all the things that could happen in the future. Right now I want to live my own life and figure out my own path.”

“And what path will that be?” Juri asked.

“An unknown one,” Taiga said with an absent minded look ahead. There were so many decisions he needed to make, so many things he had to learn. “There are so many possible happenings that could or could not shape my path, that is up to fate.”

“What about the happenings you can control? The steps you can take on that path?”

Juri’s words seemed extremely thoughtful and deep, so Taiga gave them a long thought before he looked up, just to find the other one closer to him this time, Juri scanning him with his look and all of a sudden Taiga felt overwhelmed just by this conversation.

“I- I guess I need to give them another thought,” Taiga said before he stood up, so sudden that Juri looked up at him in confusion before his look fell on the grass. 

Inside of Taiga everything was screaming. Why couldn’t he just tell Juri how he really felt? He saw hurt in Juri’s eyes or maybe he just interpreted it into the other one’s look and action. That was exactly what was stopping him. What if he misinterpreted the situation? If he made any inappropriate comment now then he could destroy his friendship with Juri and risk the success of this entire journey. 

“Let’s head back for now? We need to rest well before we need to camp in the forest for a few nights,” Taiga finally spoke, unable to get back to the topic. 

Juri nodded and slowly got up, but his enthusiasm seemed to have vanished and it gave Taiga a sting. How honest could he be with the other one? How much would Juri still respect him and see him as a friend if their feelings weren’t in the slightest the same?

***

Everyone easily fell asleep as they had traveled for weeks already and a good meal, followed by a hot bath and then a comfortable bed had them all sleep without trouble. 

At first exhaustion had made Taiga fall asleep as well, but in the early morning hours he lay awake way too early. Sunrise was still an hour away and he kept staring at the ceiling until the snoring of one of his older soldiers made him give up on falling back asleep and he got dressed to head out.

The town was also still quiet, just a light breeze going through the fields and making some windows and wood squeak. Not sure what to do or where to go, Taiga chose to take a walk on a path he remembered from the day before, so even with only the light of the stars and the slowly brightening dark blue sky he wouldn’t lose his way.

The hillside had no stones or trees so nothing was going to be in his way, except for the high grass, but even in the dark that wasn’t much of a challenge. Taiga looked up into the sky while walking alongside the hill. Slowly he could see the color changing from black to a dark blue, some stars slowly vanishing as the horizon brightened up. 

He looked over his shoulder, seeing that the first few windows showed candle light in the town as well, the farmers and shop owners were getting ready for the day. He would also need to get back soon before his soldiers would worry.

Taiga had been so sure of his surroundings that an obstacle in his way, while he had looked back over his shoulder, had taken him so off guard that he stumbled and fell right to the front. What he hadn’t seen coming at all was that obstacle moving and even complaining.

“What the actual- Taiga?”

“Juri?”

“What are you doing here?” They both asked at the same time, now looking at each other in slight confusion and embarrassment, especially because Taiga was still lying half over Juri and finally moved to get off him and sit down next to him in the grass.

“I couldn’t sleep,” Juri replied first. 

“Too used to the outdoors?” Taiga teased, but even with their dark surroundings Taiga could tell that Juri had gone for this walk out of different reasons, maybe the same reasons as Taiga? Once more his heart hammered against his chest, not knowing what to do or say.

“Why are you up so early?” Juri replied, dragging the attention away from him. Like always. Right, Juri was always trying to avoid any attention on himself and maybe that was the hint Taiga needed right now.

“I was thinking about something,” Taiga said, trying to avoid making any dumb joke about snoring people. 

“Well there is a lot to think about,” Juri said, looking ahead towards the town. Now his features were more visible to Taiga, his eyes showing more than just the lack of sleep. “We have the meeting coming up, a travel through dangerous territory-”

“I was thinking about you.”

There he had said it. He had stopped Juri from changing the topic and now he needed to read Juri’s expression, fast and right, because if he waited too long he would back out and if he misinterpreted the situation then who knew how much chaos he would create.

But when Juri immediately turned towards him, there was no doubt left between them. Taiga was too sure that he could read the surprise and excitement between the confusion and right before Juri could try to talk himself out of his own emotions, Taiga leant in for a kiss. Short and a bit awkward, but he wasn’t getting rejected. That was all he needed for now. Juri wasn’t pushing him away and just when Taiga wanted to pull back, Juri’s hand moved to Taiga’s face, softening the kiss with his own movements. 

For just a bit longer Taiga wanted to forget that he was a general out here on a task, right now all he wanted to be was a young man, sharing his first kiss with someone. 

The kiss broke just for a moment, both of them breathing a bit heavier now, foreheads touching, but no one spoke. Taiga finally dared to lift his hand to the other one’s face as well and once more their lips touched, this time greedier, longer and more passionate.

Just when they could hear people down in town out on the streets, horses being put in front of carriages and farmers shouting at the younger ones to hurry up, they finally pulled apart.

This time Taiga sat back a bit more, biting his lip, but he still had his head low and his eyes facing the ground. Doubt was immediately filling his body. What if Juri was just being nice? He was good at that after all. Angering an Oki general would definitely be something Juri didn’t want to do, but would he go this far and lie about his emotions just so Taiga wouldn’t get mad?

Taiga slightly flinched when Juri reached out for his hands and when he squeezed them, Taiga finally looked up at the other one.

“You were afraid to tell me,” Juri said, his smile so bright and honest that Taiga’s doubts immediately disappeared. “And I was too afraid to ask.”

“I wasn’t sure if you were feeling the same,” Taiga replied honestly. “And if you’re not, then-”
“Then I would have totally pushed you away right now,” Juri said, making Taiga look so startled that Juri laughed. “What? Did you think I would go as far as make out with you just to not get into trouble with Oki?”

Taiga remained silent and Juri shook his head with another chuckle. “You indeed thought that. Well, I can’t really judge you. I thought the same on my side. What if I told you and you wouldn’t want to travel with me anymore?”

“I would never want to lose you, even if just as a friend,” Taiga replied, now squeezing the other one’s hands back, feeling how his heart was racing in a different rhythm now. The fear had been replaced by excitement. “But I guess we can try and travel together as more than friends?”

Taiga’s question hung in the air until Juri smiled once more and he didn’t have to move much as Taiga met him halfway for another slow kiss. For now it was definitely wiser to keep this a secret from their soldiers, but their journey had become a lot more exciting and challenging now that their feelings for each other were out in the open.

They left Kyokai-machi at sunrise, thanking the residents for their help and provisions. They reached the Shosatsu forest before nightfall, but they were going to travel alongside it towards the coastline for another day so that the path through the forest would be as far away from Basarano as possible.

They set camp early and had a brief meeting with everyone about their path from here. They would camp one more night in the south before entering the forest. Even if they moved fast they would need to camp in the forest once, but there was a river flowing through it and they wanted to make it to the riverbank before setting a camp as the open space would make it easier for them to spot possible enemies.

“General, are there any other preparations you would like us to take care of?” One of Taiga’s soldiers asked, but he shook his head as he was still sitting in front of the fire they had made to eat. 

“Everything is taken care of. Please take a good rest, we will leave at sunrise tomorrow morning,” Taiga said and the soldier bowed and walked over to one of the soldiers from Kita-Shosan who was on guard duty. 

Juri had excused himself to his tent a while ago and now Taiga felt restless. They had acted like usual in front of their soldiers and Taiga thought they had done a good job and not raised any suspicions. Yet he felt like he wouldn’t be able to keep it this way for their entire travel.

For now he decided to return to his tent as well, maybe later he would find a good moment to sneak over to Juri’s tent without the soldiers on guard realizing. He had to chuckle a bit on the thought of sneaking around, because he was the general, no one should even question him, no matter when he was going where, but it felt more entertaining this way.

His tent had fallen dark by now as he hadn’t lit any candles earlier and for now he wanted to leave it this way as he had no other choice, but to try and sleep a bit.

Maybe it was the fact that he knew that his soldiers were around and that around them nothing but flat grassland was covering the area that he didn’t panic at all when someone stepped right behind him from the dark corner of his tent and flung his arms around him. He had flinched a bit, but that had been all.

“That was a risky move,” Taiga said over his shoulder, coming face to face with Juri who grinned at him. 

“Oh I was prepared to dodge any incoming attacks,” Juri teased.

“I have to say you could become a shinobi with these skills,” Taiga teased back, because he had indeed not realized when Juri had sneaked over to Taiga’s tent. 

“Not going to compete with Mabara-Kinmitsu, but we should scold our soldiers for not noticing me sneaking around,” Juri said in a low voice as they didn’t want the soldiers to hear them.

“Maybe tomorrow,” Taiga said and turned around in the other one’s arms. Now it was way darker than on the hillside and Taiga could barely see Juri’s features. Slowly he put his hand to the younger one’s face and traced his chin line with his fingers. Juri had his hands down on Taiga’s hips and gently pulled him closer. Taiga chuckled before he finally leant in for a slow kiss. Now his emotions took over his body even more than before. Having to keep this a secret made it all even more exciting and soon Juri pushed the other one to the back. There was not much space in the tent. Barely enough to make two steps before they stumbled over Taiga’s sleeping quarters. Just some straw mats, pillows and blankets as they weren’t traveling with much extra luggage to not slow them down.

Taiga pulled on Juri’s collar to pull him down when he sat down and Juri immediately took the invitation and sat on top of Taiga’s hips.

There was no way they could take it as far as they wanted to. They were sure that they wouldn’t be able to hold back sounds, so for tonight they had to remain silent and satisfied with only the small body contact they were able to share.

Taiga’s hands moved from Juri’s collar down to the loose black linen shirt the other one was wearing. Juri shivered when Taiga’s hand made it under the fabric to explore the other one’s upper body. But while Juri had his hands on Taiga’s face to pull him into another greedy kiss, it wasn’t that easy to get under Taiga’s clothes. Even if it wasn’t his armor, his clothes had a high collar and were tight until his hips, so Juri moved his hands to the back of Taiga’s shirt, trying to unbutton the back of the high collar while not losing the contact to Taiga’s lips.

At first Taiga didn’t mind, but when Juri actually got enough space to pull Taiga’s collar a bit to the side he tensed. Juri didn’t notice yet and he broke the kiss to move his lips slowly to his neck. Taiga shivered on the touch, but not in a good way. He had tensed up on the way Juri tried to open the shirt more, one hand now almost down to his collarbone. 

When Juri’s lips touched the scar on Taiga’s neck, he pushed Juri a bit to the back, trying to overplay his insecurity with another kiss. Over all his excitement he had forgotten that his body wasn’t exactly something he wanted to show to anyone. He had felt some scars on Juri’s body as well. Old sword wounds, not even a handful. What Juri would feel if he touched Taiga’s body would be more than different, maybe even disgusting to him.

“What’s wrong?” Juri asked against the other one’s lips. 

“Nothing,” Taiga said, but it was obvious that his body had reacted more intensely than he wanted it to, because Juri had moved his hands back to Taiga’s face and caressed his cheeks with a light touch before he gave Taiga a soft and innocent kiss.

“We have to get up early, let’s try and sleep for now? I can also leave if you-”

“Stay,” Taiga said and grabbed Juri’s hand when the younger one pulled back. “Please.”

Never had Taiga felt such an emotional chaos inside of him. He was still excited about the situation, yet also afraid of how Juri would react if they indeed took it further and the worry about Juri’s possible rejection. But once more Juri showed him how well he was aware of Taiga’s needs as he only pulled Taiga down onto the straw mats and put a blanket over them before he put his arm over the blanket. The indirect touch on Taiga’s back had him feel so loved, yet also so insecure and weak. Not even Sho had seen his scars yet and Shime had gotten a breakdown after he had gotten to know about exactly how harsh Taisuke had been on Taiga over the years. So his fear about Juri’s reaction was making it hard to take any steps further than this, but luckily for now they would be busy with their travel and the upcoming meeting.

***

Right in the morning of the day when they made their way inside the Shosatsu forest the weather changed and a heavy rainfall from the west took over for the entire day. It was hard for them to walk and they had to guide their horses by hand, not wanting to risk them slipping on the muddy ground of the forest. If they had to keep going by foot until Mabara-Kinmitsu then they would get delayed.

“We should reach the riverbank in less than an hour,” Taiga said as he held up a compass, making sure that they wouldn’t lose their way as there were no direct paths through this forest.

“Let’s make sure we reach it in the first place,” Juri said, reminding the soldiers behind them to move slowly. The rain was so heavy by now that they could barely see their surroundings and while they had brought hooded coats that would at least help a bit against the rain, this was a new level of bad weather. Taiga knew typhoons from Oki, heavy rain and strong winds were nothing new to him, but usually they had their strong stone buildings to give them shelter. Now the old forest around them started talking, trees moving and bending, their sounds louder than the rain and the far thunder.

“There should be open ground before the river soon, the question is just if we can access it,” Taiga said towards Juri who was walking a bit behind him and his horse. Another heavy wind gust made it impossible to hear Juri’s reply, but then Taiga could see the other one’s eyes widening and at the same time the sound of the trees changed. 

“WATCH OUT,” Juri shouted, but the moment he tried to get over to Taiga, both their horses spooked through the loud creak from the trees and seconds later a huge tree fell right towards them, taking two smaller ones with it on the way. Juri let go of his horse, but Taiga’s horse had jumped towards him, making it impossible for him to reach Taiga who tried to dash to the front to avoid getting hit. 

Taiga couldn’t see if the trees had caused any injuries to Juri or their soldiers behind them, but before he could even worry for them he slipped after he had made a few steps to the front in a hurry. The problem wasn’t the mud, but the slope in front of the river he hadn’t seen. He tried to fall to the back, turning on his stomach, grabbing whatever he could find to stop himself from sliding down, but he couldn’t get a hold on anything with all the mud. He tried to see if he would easily come to a stop before the river, but unfortunately his hopes were crushed the moment the slope found a sudden end and a drop-off made him fall from the slope right onto the riverbank. 

The impact had been hard and painful, but luckily he hadn’t landed directly inside the river, which he could see now just several meters away from him. Through all the rain it was flowing way faster than they had thought and if he remained down here for too long then the water could easily reach him. 

After a moment of shock Taiga tried to turn on his side, but then let out a painful groan. He had fallen feet first and somehow landed on his back after the first impact. His back was aching, but his right foot was giving him an even harder time. Luckily he had been wearing his high boots, so his ankle was kind of stabilized. He could just hope that he hadn’t actually broken anything. 

For now he remained on his back, trying to breathe slowly while also listening to his surroundings. There was nothing else than wind, rain and the incoming water he could hear. All he could hope right now was that the others were safe, that Juri was safe and that the rain might stop in time to stop the river from swallowing him.

As there was nothing he could do to get himself out of this situation immediately he just remained on his back and closed his eyes. Sometimes he had to leave it up to fate and right now he didn’t feel like he had angered anyone enough to deserve the punishment of death yet, so he remained calm, giving his body a bit of rest to see if fate was really on his side.

*** 

The worst outcome had luckily not occurred and the rain finally got less when Taiga could feel the water reaching him. He couldn’t tell how much time had passed, but when he looked up into the cloudy sky he realized that it was slowly getting dark, so if he wanted to get out of here then he needed to finally move. 

He took a few more deep breaths, hoping that his body had recovered at least a bit from the first shock of the fall and slowly he rolled on his side once more, his back not complaining this intensely this time. It still took him a bit to finally be able to sit up and with a groan he pulled his legs back from the water. Even with their horses they wouldn’t be able to get over the river right now. The water was too deep and the current too strong. If the rain stopped then they could try by tomorrow evening.

That thought had him turn around towards the small cliff he had fallen off from. It wasn’t that extremely high, maybe two to three meters and if he had seen where he was falling to, he could have prevented his injuries. 

“Juri,” Taiga shouted, trying to get any reply from any of the soldiers. Then he bit his lip and realized that he was thinking about something totally unimportant, yet he immediately fixed it.

“General Tanaka,” he shouted this time, realizing that none of their soldiers knew that they were even close enough to call each other friends, even closer than that now. “Is anybody still up there?”

He tried a few times more, but no one was replying. Had they been injured after all? Taiga immediately shook his head, he shouldn’t think this negatively. The horses had gotten loose, so most likely they had gotten after the horses as there was no way Juri would have even tried to get after Taiga in this weather. No matter how worried, Taiga was sure that the other one had definitely been able to think straight and make sure the soldiers were safe and no one else got hurt. 

If they had waited for the rain to get less, they might have moved northwards by now to see if they could access the riverbank somewhere. The way Taiga had easily slided down to the cliff meant that even with less rain it would have been way too dangerous for them to even get close to the cliff. The danger of slipping and falling off as well was way too big.

Taiga had nothing on him, but his coat so he took it off and tried to rip some part off. After a few tries he looked for sharp stones as the fabric was too thick and luckily he finally succeeded in cutting one long part off. Carefully he put his right foot down and the pain immediately shot through his leg. All he could do for now was to stabilize it over his boot. He was almost sure that his bones were fine, but the impact had almost been completely on his right foot, so it would need some time to heal enough to put all his weight on it. But for now he had no other choice, but to get up and try to walk northwards as well. The ground was wet gravel so it wasn’t too hard to walk, but he still had to watch out of course. 

It had already turned dark when he had barely made it a few dozen meters, the pain in his back now also slowing him down as his body demanded more rest. The cliff had unfortunately not become any lower yet, so there was no chance for him to try and get up.

One step after the other that was all he was thinking about. The rain had almost stopped and he had left his coat behind as it was feeling too heavy right now. Left, then right and repeat. Left, then his right foot couldn’t take the weight and he fell to his knees, cursing on the way he hit the gravel with his hands. 

“God damnit, how can I be this useless,” Taiga hissed at himself before he closed his hand and took some gravel on the way to throw it outraged towards the river.

“I would say you made a good recovery until here.”

The shock about an unfamiliar voice lasted only until Taiga found the person who had spoken. Taiga had weapons on him, weapons others couldn’t easily spot. Sho had made sure of that. But luckily there was no need for them as Taiga immediately spotted the familiar black clothes and the crest of Mabara-Kinmitsu on the boy’s chest armor. Another boy, definitely even younger than Konno and Yabana. “I’m impressed that you even got back up.”

“Did you watch me this entire time?” Taiga asked, while the boy was standing on the cliff, the ground obviously not that muddy at this place. 

“Not the entire time. I heard the trees creaking and then I saw horses dashing through the forest and soldiers following them, but one of them kept shouting to not go back and that they would find another way down, so I guessed that someone must have fallen down the cliff. Seems like I was right.”

“And you didn’t think helping me was a good option?” Taiga asked, trying to stay polite as he didn’t want to anger anyone from the province that had invited them, but just looking at Taiga’s misery wasn’t really speaking for the support of the shinobi.

“I’m here now, aren’t I?” The boy said before he jumped down the cliff, easily breaking the jump as he could see where he was going with the rain not blurring his vision and the evening sky still bright enough to see. 

“Did you talk to the other soldiers?” Taiga asked as the boy stepped closer to him. “Are they all okay?”

“I don’t know how many you were, but except for their horses running off, they all seemed fine?”

“That’s good to know,” Taiga said as he slowly got back up and organized his thoughts enough to turn towards the other one with a more calm attitude. “I am Kyomoto Taiga, General of Oki. I was invited by Mabara-Kinmitsu for a diplomatic meeting. A general from Kita-Shosan is with the other soldiers.”

“Oh you’re the one everyone is talking about,” the boy said with an entertained smile as he leaned back to have an unnecessary scanning look at Taiga. 

“And you are?” Taiga asked, still trying to not sound too annoyed, but he didn’t like the boy’s attitude.

“Shinobi of Mabara-Kinmitsu, Sasaki Taiko.”

The proud way he said it made it hard for Taiga to not roll his eyes. There were hundreds of shinobi in this province after all, not necessarily all of them good at what they were doing, but for now he needed help, so he would definitely not argue with the younger one.

“Then would you mind helping me to make it back to my soldiers? We have a meeting-”

“In two days,” Taiko finished his sentence. “And now that the rain has stopped you will still be able to make it, as long as your horses didn’t all run away for good.”

“Are you by horse?” Taiga asked, but the boy just smiled as if he just waited for Taiga to be astonished by his skills. “Let me guess, you’re as fast on foot as we are on a horse?”

Taiga tried to form the question playfully and not annoyed and it worked as the boy indeed smiled happily on the fake praise.

“Then let’s get you northwards tomorrow morning,” Taiko said, making Taiga raise an eyebrow at him. “It’s already dark and you are hurt, I doubt it would be a good idea to risk and keep going. If your soldiers are that worried for you, then they will find you first anyway.”

Taiko had a point, but Taiga still felt restless about just staying put. 

“I will get some firewood and you should get out of that boot and put your foot into the water for some time. I will see if I can find some herbs on the way, which I can use to reduce the pain and the swelling.”

This time Taiga was left speechless as he looked after the other one who easily climbed up the cliff as if there was no danger of falling rocks or crumbling sand at all. Not to forget that he had just offered a lot of help and a lot of knowledge. Maybe he wasn’t just an arrogant brat after all, but Taiga would judge that depending on how well the boy would manage to actually take care of his leg.

And a couple of hours later he had finally given up on trying to find reasons to scold Taiko. He was arrogant, that was for sure, but he was also skilled. He had indeed found the right herbs and Taiga was now sitting opposite of him at the fire, his leg not hurting that bad anymore through the herbs. The water had helped as well and Taiko had made him hope that he would be able to walk kind of normal in the morning if he let Taiko bandage his foot the right way and by now Taiga would be a fool to doubt that the boy could indeed help him with that too.

“Have you been to our province before?” Taiko asked when it was already in the middle of the night, but the rocky surface made it hard to sleep and Taiga didn’t want to miss any sounds of Juri and the others maybe searching for him at night.

“I have only been to provinces around Oki and Kita-Shosan.”

“Right, your legendary battle against Basarano,” Taiko said with a smile as he put more wood into the fire.

“If you want to call anything legendary then try the battle of Kaikakuto and Basarano,” Taiga replied.

“Did your parents fight in it?” Taiko asked, this time his face was a bit more serious.

“My father did, together with my uncle, but my father didn’t make it back,” Taiga said, trying to not sound too sad as he had been only three years at that time. He didn't have that many memories of his father. Not that he had much more of his mother as she died not even two years later.

“I lost both my grandparents in it too,” Taiko said, but he still kept a faint smile. “My parents fought in it as well, but you could say that they were well protected.”

“By your grandparents,” Taiga said and Taiko nodded. For shinobi it was normal to fight in battle years before becoming an adult. But they also shared a deep bond through that and friends became like family, that was what he had heard about them from his uncle.

“Do you like being a general?”

That was a direct question Taiga hadn’t seen coming, but he still gave it a serious thought before answering.

“I like helping people,” Taiga said. “I prefer talks over fights, but having the skills to fight for your loved ones in case talking is not enough makes me feel calmer.”

“Yet I heard that Oki is only making money with their skills,” Taiko said. “Not that I am in any way against that, because we sell our services as well.”

“We are indeed sellswords, but we wouldn’t just offer our service to everyone.”

“Definitely not to Basarano, I guess?” Taiko asked and Taiga didn’t even have to nod to make that point clear. “But I guess you’d always sell it again to Kita-Shosan?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Taiga asked curiously. As much as he knew Mabara-Kinmitsu didn’t have any recent fights or battles with them and even in their country’s bloody past, Mabara-Kinmitsu had often stayed neutral.

“Not telling you not to, I bet the young general of Kita-Shosan would love to travel with you more,” Taiko said and this time Taiga was left speechless. Hadn’t Taiko just said that he had only met them while losing their horses? Had he lied? If not then he shouldn’t be able to know anything about them.

“Why do you think so?” Taiga asked as he had calmed down his racing heart. They definitely had to be careful around this province or someone would definitely find out more about them and Taiga didn’t want talks to spread towards Oki. The backlash would be huge.

“Because he is so desperate to find you that he is risking getting hurt himself.”

At first Taiga didn’t understand what Taiko meant until the boy looked towards the north. Taiga turned around, but couldn’t even see or hear anything, but he still kept looking as Taiko didn’t add anything else and then he could finally see them, torches. Down at the riverbank they couldn’t look for him on their horses so it took them way longer.

“Three people, one woman, one man definitely heavier than us and one young man in the front, the general as I assume.”

Taiga could only shake his head at the way Taiko looked so satisfied at his own skills, but he was indeed impressed. Being able to tell people’s weight and skill level, by the way they were moving was impressive. Even hearing them from such a distance was already out of Taiga’s league.

“Are you sure?” Taiga asked the other one once more and Taiko understood his worry.

“It’s them, I am sure.”

That was all Taiga needed to know and he got up, taking a branch from the fire to start waving with it, while trying to not put any pressure on his right foot as he had it still bandaged with the herbs on it.

“Ju- General Tanaka, over here,” Taiga shouted, not daring to look at Taiko. The boy hadn’t seen them together after all so he shouldn’t know anything, but one small miss like this one would definitely make him suspicious. 

The three torches moved faster on his shouting and after a while their steps were louder than the river. The water flow had calmed down by now, but it was still a sound that had made it impossible for Taiga to hear them as soon as Taiko.

“He’s a shinobi from Mabara-Kinmitsu,” Taiga said before they were even close enough to realize that someone was sitting next to the fire. Taiko hadn’t even bothered getting up and he didn’t have any reason to feel threatened as Juri walked right up to Taiga as he gave his torch to one of the soldiers. Taiga hurried to put his branch back into the fire as well before Juri could get burned as he had already guessed that Juri would reach out for him.

Juri held back and only reached out for Taiga’s shoulders, but the worry in his eyes made it hard for both of them to stay this neutral.

“I was so worried. I am sorry we couldn’t make it earlier. The horses only stopped at a steeper hillside in the north and we needed to find a safe way to get down to the river.”

“Was anyone else hurt?” Taiga asked, but Juri shook his head.

“The trees missed us, just a few scratches from the smaller branches, but- wait, anyone else?”

Juri had been so busy with his own worry that he hadn’t even checked up on Taiga completely yet and he immediately gasped when he saw Taiga’s bandaged ankle.

“He’ll be fine. It’s not broken and if he sits down again then I can adjust the bandages in the morning so that he can walk.”

Juri looked at the boy and then back at Taiga who gave him a knowing smile. “Sasaki Taiko, shinobi of Mabara-Kinmitsu. He helped me with my injury.”

Juri nodded before he turned to the boy and bowed. “Thank you for your help.”

“You’re totally welcome.”

Juri looked back at Taiga with a raised eyebrow and Taiga needed to take a deep breath to not start laughing as he could read Juri’s annoyed expression perfectly.

“So are the others at the riverside towards the north?” Taiga changed the topic.

“They are. You two should head back and let them know that we will join you in the morning,” Juri said and the two soldiers bowed and headed back. 

“How long will it take to reach them?” Taiga asked.

“If you walk then two hours, if someone carries you then an hour or less,” Taiko replied instead.

“How..?” Juri started, but Taiko gave him a smug expression.

“I have known this forest since my childhood. There is only one place where you could have camped after you said your horses stopped at a hillside and you needed a safe place to make it to the river.”

“Right,” Juri said before he turned back to Taiga. “Let’s sit down for now. You should rest your foot as much as you can. But don’t worry I will carry you tomorrow.”

“That’s unnecessary. We have enough time to walk,” Taiga said. 

“I said you could walk, I didn’t say it was a good idea if you have another option,” Taiko said as he got up. “I will get more firewood, but you should consider putting that pride aside and let him carry you.”

They both looked at Taiko dumbfounded, but the boy didn’t even care and just headed back to the woods.

“Don’t,” Taiga said and raised his hand before Juri could say anything. Then he leant closer towards him so he could whisper. 

“I find him arrogant too and trust me I thought that he was only big words, but he is skilled and I am more than sure that he can still hear us.”

Juri nodded as he realized that they should leave certain topics aside, but he still reached out for Taiga’s hand and squeezed it while putting their hands in between their legs so that they weren’t that visible. 

“I was worried and I am sorry that-”

“That you didn’t make it here faster, you said that before,” Taiga said, still trying to keep his voice down. “You did what you had to do as the general. No matter what, our priority is our mission and the wishes of our own provinces.”

It was a complicated topic and they both didn’t like the truth behind those words, but they weren’t just two random soldiers who could run away together and live a happy life in secret as farmers. Not that they planned on something like that, but knowing that their status would always be more important than their personal feelings was going to make their relationship a way bigger challenge than they wanted it to be.

“Which means I have to make sure to not anger Oki or my province will scold me. Which also means I will carry you tomorrow, end of discussion.”

This time Taiga couldn’t hide a laugh on Juri’s straightforward words and he squeezed the other one’s hand while suppressing the urge of putting his head on his shoulder. The hardest part of their journey was still lying ahead of them, but knowing that they would finally get more private time on their way back made it easier to stay patient for now.

“And here we are,” Taiko announced when they finally made it out of the forest around noon on the second day. 

“Thanks for the help,” Taiga said from on top of his horse, now feeling way better already after he had been able to give his ankle a rest. Taiko could have just returned to the city first, but he had stayed instead and had kept treating Taiga’s leg. 

“Not that we couldn’t have found the city by ourselves,” Juri whispered on Taiga’s right side as he looked up at the city. 

“It’s hard to miss after all,” Taiko said, ignoring Juri’s cynicism. 

“It’s beautiful,” Taiga said as he scanned the buildings along the rocky surface of the Seikyo mountain range. Only one mountain range was splitting four provinces. Basarano had already attacked Kaikakuto and Kita-Shosan. Mabara-Kinmitsu was even closer through their city being built not just on the bottom of the mountain, but als on the side and inside of it. Taiga had heard the stories about long caves, hidden paths and a fascinating structure of buildings alongside the steep rock surface, but seeing it in person was making him smile. There was so much more he wanted to see of their beautiful country and he didn’t want it to always be out of diplomatic reasons.

“So you have no castle as I assume?” Juri asked as they approached the outskirts of the city. There were no high walls or any towers, but that didn’t mean that the shinobi around hadn’t already spotted them. 

“We don’t like fancy big buildings,” Taiko laughed.

“More like you cannot build that big on the side of a mountain,” Juri guessed as the only bigger wooden buildings were on the bottom of the stone surface, but then only mountain paths and wooden staircases were leading upwards. Some houses seemed to have not even any connection, so most likely they had entrances from a cave.

“If you think so,” Taiko said with a challenging expression and Taiga was already looking forward to seeing more details of the caves behind this enormous mountain. The houses only reached up a few dozens of meters, but the mountain itself was thousands of meters high, the top not even visible from this close as some clouds were also hindering the view.

“Let’s get settled in,” Taiko said and they hurried through the first small wooden houses. Civilians and farmers looked at them from everywhere, but they didn’t seem suspicious and didn’t even stop their work. Taiga didn’t feel as welcome as in Kita-Shosan, but he also didn’t feel mistrused.

After finding a place for their horses, Taiko brought them up to the first cave. He took a torch from the side of the wall and led the way for a few minutes after they could see light once more.

Taiga couldn’t hide a gasp when they had walked up quite some time and were now looking down on the city. They were up over a few dozen meters already and while the city was small, it had a special charm and a weird silence lying over it.

“Fascinating isn’t it,” Taiko said with a grin, obviously knowing what made Taiga feel so astonished.

“Are we immediately heading for the meeting?” Juri asked as he stepped next to Taiga, asking him with a look to his foot if he was okay and Taiga nodded.

“No rush, we can still have the meeting in the afternoon. I bet you would want to take some small rest for now?”

“If that is okay, then we would appreciate it,” Taiga said. “But if we should meet with anyone first, then-”

“No worries, formalities can wait.”

“He speaks like he is the head of the entire city,” Juri whispered towards Taiga while Taiko had already started walking up the next staircase, this time on the outside of the mountain.

“Their system is different from ours, so let’s see what surprises will await us,” Taiga said and squeezed the other one’s arms without being too obvious towards their soldiers.

Two staircases later the first living quarters came into sight and Taiga was once more left speechless about the way they constructed this in the first place. There were several doors alongside the cave, torches every few meters so it was bright enough to clearly see. The doors were round on top, a bit smaller than usual so that they had to duck to get inside. But when Taiko told them to take a look at the first place, Taiga entered first, followed by Juri, while the soldiers waited outside.

It felt weird to step out into a wood construction that was more or less hanging off a rock, but while Taiga felt some shivers as he looked out of the only big window of the big single room, he enjoyed the view. 

The room had a bed, a cupboard, even a desk with a mirror on it. There were even details like a really nice carpet, Taiga had avoided stepping on for now, as he was still in his dirty boots and even curtains next to the window.

“All of these cabins are about the same size and style. We have enough for you to all stay in one separately,” Taiko explained.

“Then let’s not waste too much time and rest for a bit,” Juri said and ordered the soldiers to follow Taiko as he announced that he would take the cabin next to this one and Taiga didn’t even have to choose as he had already put his bags on the floor.

“I will come by later to call you, so don’t hesitate to really go to sleep for a while,” Taiko told Taiga before he left with the others. Juri gave a look over his shoulder towards him before he closed the door.

Taiga had given him a soft smile and a nod, knowing that there was no way Juri could easily just come back to his cabin without risking Taiko or anyone else getting suspicious. But maybe later he could get up a bit before the meeting if his exhaustion let him wake up early enough and then he could check up on Juri without being too suspicious. 

But for now he was more than happy about the rest and he hurried to get out of his boots and changed into some new clothes as he had still been in his dirty clothes from the forest, not seeing the need to change them before the meeting. He had cleaned them a bit in the Naimitsu river the day before so they weren’t too dirty.

His foot felt way better when he sat down on the bed and touched the slightly swollen part on his ankle. For a second his expression darkened as he hoped that he could keep this happening a secret from Taisuke, because he wasn’t in the mood for getting made fun of for just being a freaking normal human.

So for now he tried to focus on succeeding in this meeting and the remaining weeks of travel he had ahead of him. Checking up on Kaikakuto was going to be another challenge for them after all.

***

"Is this a joke?" Juri asked so directly that everyone in the room had heard him, but even Taiga was a bit confused after Taiko had picked them up for the meeting.

At first he hadn't even been concentrating on the members in the room, because the high ceiling of the cave had had a huge first impression on both of them.

Even though it was a cave, it looked similar to a great hall of a castle. Candles and torches on the walls, the ground with even and smooth stone instead of an uneven cave ground and a podium at the end of the cave with a round metal table. The table had beautiful engravings on it, showing the mountains and the city of Mabara-Kinmitsu. 

There were seven chairs at the table,  five were out of metal and two wooden ones seemed to have been added for Taiga and Juri. All of them were also engraved and of thin build yet obviously quite stable as Taiko half jumped on one of the chairs instead of just sitting down, but that was when Juri had looked around the table and voiced out his concerns.

"Didn't you know that Mabara-Kinmitsu had a council and no monarchy?" Taiko asked, but that wasn't the problem.

Taiga had recognized Konno and Yabana immediately, but besides them and Taiko there were two empty seats and it didn't look like anyone would fill them for the meeting.

"We expected someone older," Taiga said before Juri could get too triggered. Especially because Yabana and Konno had delivered the message to Oki themselves. Something other provinces would use normal messengers for.

"You're not really the oldest generals we've talked to either," Konno spoke up as he stood up and pointed at the two chairs in front of them. "If you think we're not competent enough for this meeting then you're of course more than welcome to leave, but if you'd like to proceed then please have a seat.”

Juri and Taiga exchanged a skeptical look before they sat down.

"Great," Konno and sat back down. "As you have already met us in Oki, you know us already, which I think will make this a bit easier. General Tanaka, you have also met us briefly in Kita-Shosan."

Both of them nodded as Juri hadn’t been chosen as a general yet at that time, but he had briefly met them. 

"What about the empty chairs?" Juri asked as he was not giving up hope that there was an older leader in this council.

"We're missing two members at the moment," Yabana replied and Taiga could see how they didn't really want to go into details with them, which was fair as they were all strangers right now.

"Don't you think it's easier this way?" Taiko asked, making Juri and Taiga give him a questioning look. "I mean having a council with only young people. I bet you're used to being around older generals and leaders, most of your own soldiers are older than you. Isn't that tough sometimes?”

"Well, it definitely doesn't feel as strict, but we also don't want to be impolite. Sorry for the first reaction, we are just not used to the generations being the same," Taiga apologized and Juri nodded.

"Don't worry about that," Yabana said, all of them quite relaxed about the meeting. "It's not like we don't have higher ups in the city, they were actually the ones to pass the torch early."

"And if we feel like we can't handle the responsibility we can always ask them for advice," Konno explained.

"That's actually a pretty nice system," Juri said. "Not saying that the other systems don't have their positive sides, but handling so much responsibility at a young age and still being able to receive guidance is definitely a good idea."

"And we're taking it seriously, so don't worry," Konno said. "We don't want to lead our province to war if it is not necessary after all."

Taiga nodded with a knowing smile, but his mind had drifted off a bit. How much he suddenly craved a system like this. Unfortunately he knew that his uncle would not give the leadership to Taisuke before he wasn't severely ill or in the worst case dead. Which meant that Taisuke would have no leadership at all and that was what Taiga was afraid of.

They started the meeting with random updates on all sides. Leadership, wars, battles, the harvest for the winter months. Here in Mabara-Kinmitsu the end of the 10th month was already extremely cold and they had made sure to bring their winter clothes as they were going to be in Kaikakuto later on until the end of the year and snow would easily fall there.

"I would like to discuss a pretty direct topic," Juri said after the easier topics had been discussed.

"Go ahead," Konno told him with a nod.

"You've fought against Basarano when Kaikakuto got attacked," Juri started and everyone already knew where the topic was going. "But when they attacked Kita-Shosan you did not answer our call for help."

There was something between the council members Taiga couldn't read. The looks they shared weren't too obvious, yet Taiga could tell that no matter what their reply was going to be, it wasn't going to be the entire truth.

"We discussed with the older leaders at that time," Yabana explained. "There had been tension between Basarano and us since Kaikakuto. They could have easily invaded us before making their way up to you."

"Yet they didn't," Taiga said. The only reason he said it directly was because he wanted to see their reactions. Taiko was the most obvious one while he of course tried to just remain neutral.

"Right, they sneaked through instead and as much as it looks like a cowardly act to you, we wanted to leave it at that," Yabana explained.

"Oki had already offered their paid services at that time," Konno added and Juri couldn't even argue as they had called Oki first while the shinobi would have also moved if their province had been in danger too.

"But this doesn't mean that we wouldn't stay on your side if they ever went completely ballistic," Taiko said. Taiga had wondered if he would say anything in the first place, but somehow the others didn't seem pleased with what he had said while it was exactly what they wanted to hear. They had come here to make allies and not enemies.

"We'd gladly fight at your side if that time ever comes," Juri said and the slight cynicism in his words was obvious, but no one could blame him. A lot of lives could have been saved if Mabara-Kinmitsu had moved before Oki, as they had needed longer to send their army. 

Minami-Hian hadn't been an option to ask as they had been on bad terms for quite a while. Another reason for Mabara-Kinmitsu to stay neutral in between the uproars around them. 

"Please don't hesitate to let us know if we can be of any help to your province in the future," Taiga offered, Taiko immediately looking up at him.

They went back to more basic topics for a while until Yabana told them to stay in the city for a few more days to rest if they liked and that they could have another meeting after they had thought everything through. 

They excused themselves after the meeting, Taiko remaining with the council for now as they knew their way around already.

Taiga let his soldiers know about the plans and had them take a bit of time for themselves as they were allowed to freely walk through the city.

Taiga's foot was still giving him a hard time so he had excused himself to his room. In his thoughts he sat at the wide windowsill. The weather was already too cold to open the window, not that it was much warmer inside as the backside was an ice cold cave, but he had put a blanket over his shoulders and scanned the city. 

He didn't want to see them get attacked next, but something told him that he didn’t need to worry. Not right now. 

In his thoughts he missed the knock on the door and flinched when the second knock was a bit louder.

"Come in," Taiga said and turned towards the door, ready to get up.

"Stay there, it's just me," Juri said as he entered.

"Just you," Taiga said with a chuckle. "Because I'm usually not supposed to properly get up when another general enters the room."

Juri gave him a teasing smile on those words before he lifted up a small silver box in his hand. "I saw someone heading to your room earlier with this and when I asked him about it he said Taiko had ordered him to hand it to you."

"So you took the chance to hand it to me yourself," Taiga said while Juri walked up to him and handed the small box to him. "It's medicine for your foot."

Taiga opened the box that had a green gel in it, but before he could make a move to use it, Juri had snatched it away.

"Let me do it."

Juri sat down on the windowsill and took Taiga's leg on his thigh. Taiga flinched a bit when he put the cold gel on his ankle and while he had kept his trousers as much over his leg as possible, there were some small faint scars around his ankle too, a burn mark under his foot as well, but Juri was completely ignoring it. 

"Does it still hurt?" Juri asked, but Taiga shook his head.

"Not when I'm not moving around all the time."

"Then it's rest time for now. It's getting dark outside anyway," Juri said and remained where he was, softly massaging Taiga's leg a bit over his trousers. Taiga observed him with a smile until Juri looked up at him. "What?"

"Nothing. Thank you. I just thought you might be too irritated to even bother with me right now."

"Over diplomatic talks? Me of all people?" Juri asked a bit astonished. "I asked them what I was told to ask them, but I personally don't expect any province to come to anyone's aid. Our provinces' rivalry is just too big right now."

"Do you think someone will reunite it?" Taiga asked. Juri gave it a longer thought before he shrugged his shoulders. 

"Hyogoku? Without years of gruesome battles I don't think so. A peaceful solution will definitely never be found."

"Unfortunately not," Taiga said as he thought exactly the same.

"But enough of the dark talks, let's rest?" Juri asked as he pushed Taiga's leg carefully away to get up and offer his help over to the bed, not that Taiga couldn't easily walk by himself. 

Taiga sat down on the bed and to his surprise Juri did so as well.

"Are you staying?" Taiga asked.

"You don't want me to?"

"What- no, of course I want you to. It's just that-"

"I might have told our soldiers to not disturb us before the second meeting tomorrow and told the person Taiko had sent that we'll also contact them if we need anything."

Juri's smirk had Taiga shake his head at him with a grin. He was pleased by the attention he got from the other one and the way Juri tried everything possible to be close to him.

"I still think we should rest though," Juri said and crawled more on the bed, getting the sheets up for Taiga and as they had already both changed into comfortable clothes Taiga immediately joined the other one. 

Yet he wouldn't just sleep this obediently now that they had gotten such a chance and when Juri put the sheets down, Taiga had already sneaked closer, one hand on Juri's neck, his fingers gently stroking the skin up to his ear.

"I see, still not tired," Juri teased before he copied the move, but at the last moment he moved his hand up to Taiga's chin line instead. Taiga tried to not feel bothered by it, but while he was grateful for Juri's understanding he also didn't want to keep secrets from him for too long.

Their noses touched and Taiga chuckled on the other one's playful behavior.

They took their time exploring each other's faces gently with their hands before they even thought about a real kiss. Taiga enjoyed the slow pace and the calmness lying in their actions. 

Juri put his lips first on Taiga's forehead, then down on his nose and while Taiga was impatiently waiting by now, he pressed his lips on his cheek next, letting out a small chuckle on the way Taiga let out an unpleased sound.

"So impatient," Juri said right against Taiga's lips this time and Taiga moved one hand more demandingly behind Juri's neck to finally push him into a kiss. 

At first it remained harmless until Taiga licked his tongue over the other one's lips and Juri pulled himself even more into the kiss to deepen it. When Taiga let out a low moan into the kiss he knew that what they were doing was getting a bit too dangerous for their surroundings and luckily Juri had still enough control over the kiss to pull back with a guilty expression and Taiga bit his lips with an embarrassed look as they hadn't even touched each other much in the first place and yet he already got so excited about sharing some kisses.

"Finally time to rest?" Juri asked and Taiga only moved closer, putting his head against Juri's chest, making the other one laugh as he put his hand on Taiga's hair. "We'll have all the time in the world."

Something Taiga hoped for, even though he wasn't sure how much he could hold back over their remaining travel, even if that meant letting Juri know more about his situation in Oki.

***

“You’re more than welcome to take a rest here on your way back from Kaikakuto,” Konno told Taiga after they had a more detailed meeting the next day and now on the third day they were preparing to leave for Kaikakuto. They were going southwards to avoid getting too close to Basarano territory before crossing the Wari river, which split into Nishi and Higashi Wari river soutwards, so to not have to cross two rivers they were heading towards the splitting point.

“Thank you. We’d like to take that offer on our way back,” Taiga replied.

“Be careful on your way. The weather is getting colder, the region is also known for their wolves and bears and I am not talking about Basarano, even though the explanation fits them too,” Yabana said as he walked up to them.

Taiga thanked them for the advice as he looked towards his soldiers who were already getting the horses ready. Konno and Yabana excused themselves as they wanted to talk to Juri as well, while Taiga had already talked to everyone except one person and exactly that person he couldn’t spot right now so he made his way around a few houses around the outskirts of the city until he found Taiko sitting on a rock, staring into the open fields towards the south.

“Do you have any advice for us?” Taiga asked, making the boy flinch to his surprise. As a trained shinobi he should definitely be more on alert, but his own city was maybe the only place where he could let his guard down. But exactly that fallen guard was something Taiga wanted to use.

“I bet the others told you everything useful already,” Taiko said as he looked to the side as Taiga sat down next to him on the stone. He barely reached it without having to jump up, but his foot was feeling way better so he could have maybe even risked trying to jump a bit.

“Yes, I think all the important parts about Kaikakuto are clear. But I wonder if everything about your province is clear, even after all these meetings.”

“And here Yabana is usually known to be extremely direct, do you think he wasn’t honest with his opinion?” Taiko asked, but Taiga shook his head.

“Everything you told us is definitely true and we are grateful for your support, even if you cannot easily enter fights that aren’t yours,” Taiga said and then turned to look at Taiko directly. “But if there is any fight you need our help with then remember that you can always call us. Kita-Shosan isn’t known for holding grudges and while I might need permission from my clan to ride out if it is not a paid invite, I promise you that I will always answer your call if there is the need for one.”

The sudden change of expression and visible insecurity in Taiko’s eyes made the boy look even younger. He seemed ready to say something, but then he looked to the ground before turning away. 

“Just make sure to be careful on your way. We’re fine here,” Taiko said, still not looking back at Taiga. The boy’s behavior showed that Taiga had read the atmosphere right between the council members, but while they had met some of the older leaders the day before as well, no one had given them any reason to worry. Yet it wasn’t their journey Taiga was that worried about, more the fact that things could get out of hand at a certain time in the future if some alliances were forged by force. 

“Then I guess we will see you in a few weeks on our way back,” Taiga said as he got off the rock and walked away. 

“General,” Taiko said, making Taiga turn around and to his surprise the boy was now looking directly back at him as he had jumped off the rock. “The western regions can be tricky. Borders aren’t that easily controlled. Make sure to always check on people’s intentions.”

Taiga slowly nodded with a grateful smile. “We will make sure to do so, thank you.”

“Why are you in such a hurry?” Juri asked as he rode next to Taiga on the third day after their departure from Mabara-Kinmitsu. They had already crossed the Wari river and were now on the east side of the Hiun forest and while the forest would give them cover, it could also get them into trouble so Taiga took his distance. In the uproar of Basarano a lot of soldiers had found their eternal grave inside that forest. A place Taiga felt uncomfortable being around.

“My father lost his life in that forest,” Taiga said with a look towards the old trees. It was a cloudy day, rain or maybe even snow definitely about to fall sooner or later. They had gotten their winter coats out the day before already and now Taiga was happy about this not being a battle as he was able to wear his gloves without having to worry about his arrows, as he hoped that he wouldn’t need them.

“Sorry to hear about that,” Juri said as he had already heard about it, but of course he didn’t know the details. “Do you want to make a stop?”

“At the forest?” Taiga asked, a bit confused.

“I feel like it has a dark aura, but as much as it feels haunting, I think those souls shouldn’t be forgotten.”

Taiga was impressed by the other one’s words as he had been straight forward with his thoughts about religion and gods. 

“Then let’s pay them our respect, shall we?” Taiga offered and even though he felt kind of unwelcome by the forest they dared their way closer to the old cedar trees, which made the forest look even darker than any of the forests in Oki would ever look.

Their soldiers waited a bit in the back, the open land around them not being used for any farming or living. Since the uproar, Kaikakuto had retreated to the south of the Hiun forest and only used the northern parts for hunting. A good idea in Taiga’s opinion as they had a lot of open land for wildlife to roam free and they could still have their eyes on possible incoming enemies.

“You don’t have to go inside,” Juri said as he realized how Taiga hesitated at the first trees. Years had past and the forest seemed to have found back to its natural use, birds, deers and other animals all around the thick forest, but Taiga wasn’t sure if he could take the view of all the remaining armors and weapons that would definitely still be around, covered by moss and buried under leaves and trees. So many people have never been brought home, never had found their rest like his father did. 

Slowly Taiga dared to take a few steps inside the forest until he had reached the stump of a huge tree. It had most likely been used at the battle for firewood and weapons. He took the bottle from his belt and opened it over the wood.

“Sorry that I didn’t bring anything better,” Taiga said, hearing Juri chuckle next to him as he had only emptied water as he had nothing else on him. 

Taiga closed his eyes and lifted his hands in a silent prayer. He wasn’t sure if Juri had done the same or not, but as he was taking his time, Juri was waiting patiently in the back for him to be done.

“Thank you,” Taiga said.

“It’s not like I did anything,” Juri said, shrugging his shoulders.

“If you say so,” Taiga teased as they walked back towards the edge of the forest. Without Juri, Taiga would have completely ignored the forest, trying to suppress his grief even after all these years. If his parents were still alive his own life would be so much easier.

“General Kyomoto!” One of the soldiers shouted as they approached in a hurry as they looked northwards.

Both of them followed their looks and then saw the reason for the soldiers’ haste. There were riders coming towards them.

“They are coming from the north, could they be from Basarano?” Juri asked and immediately had his hand on his sword.

“I doubt that. It’s only three people and they don’t look like soldiers,” Taiga said, but didn’t make a move to get back on his horse. “Stay alarmed, but do not attack if they do not attack first.”

Everyone nodded on his orders and while Taiga didn’t get either his bow or sword, he played with the arm covers on his lower arms. They looked exactly like the ones he was usually using when in his armor, but they were different. Sho had installed a few surprises on Taiga’s clothes. Two extremely thin and sharp throwing knives inside his arm guards were one of those surprises.

The riders slowed down a few dozen meters away from them. Taiga could see that they were all men, maybe a few years older than him. One of them got off his horse and approached them on foot. A good move as it took the tension away. 

“Are you sure?” Juri asked when he grabbed Taiga by the arm as he made a step to the front as well.

“Better one of us than all of us,” Taiga said with a nod and unwillingly, Juri let him approach the other one alone.

Taiga realized a few meters away from the other one, that the man looked very young, but he felt like he was older than he appeared. He had a calm smile on his lips and he stopped first, letting Taiga approach him instead. His clothes were leather clothes, a knife at his belt and a bow and arrows on his back. Hunting gear.

“Sorry to surprise you like this. We’re on a hunting trip, please do not worry,” the man spoke and when Taiga stopped in front of him he realized that he was way smaller than him. 

“Thank you for approaching us this carefully. We are on our way to Kaikakuto for a meeting with-” Taiga suddenly realized that he for once had absolutely no clue who he was meeting. Of course he knew a name, but not much more. They hadn’t heard much from Kaikakuto over the last few years. His uncle had only told him that the last leader had died two years ago and that he had no sons or other family members to succeed him, so another Kaikakuto Clan member had taken over the leadership over the province. It had also been the first time his aunt had argued with him if this extra trip to Kaikakuto was really necessary. But they needed to make sure that Basarano hadn’t gotten their hands on the province after all, but right now it looked peaceful.

“You’re here to meet with Ueda, that’s great. What province are you from?” The man asked, but then waved his hand and bowed slightly. “Where are my manners? Excuse me, I am not used to seeing a lot of soldiers, my name is Yasui Kentaro. I am one of the hunters in the outer part of the province. I don’t really spend much time in the city.”

“No offense taken,” Taiga said with a nod. “We are from Oki and Kita-Shosan.”

“Oki?” Yasui asked with a fascinated look towards Taiga, now his eyes were scanning his clothes and face. Taiga felt a bit exposed, but patiently waited for Yasui to keep talking.

“I heard a lot about your battle skills and your craftsmanship. I am honored to meet an Oki Clan member in person.”

Taiga didn’t even know what to reply. He felt a bit embarrassed about Yasui’s excitement as he was nothing more than a normal Oki general and on top of that a bastard, but he was glad that the other one still looked that excited.

“May I offer you an escort to the city?” Yasui asked to Taiga’s surprise. “We were on our way back from a hunting trip, so we will be heading south to the first villages anyway.”

There was a moment of hesitation before Taiga turned towards Juri who gave him a questioning look, not sure if he should walk up to them or not.

“If you prefer traveling alone, then that is of course no problem. Towards the south there should be no trouble lying ahead. Most wolves and bears have traveled to the north over the winter months.”

“Thank you for the offer,” Taiga said and looked up towards the other two men. One had a lot of bags around his saddle, obviously small animals they had hunted, while the other one had a sled behind his horse. Easy to drag along on the dusty ground around the area and obviously a bear under the sheets. “We would be pleased to have you join us.”

Yasui’s look changed from confused to stunt as he had obviously thought Taiga would refuse and with a bright smile he nodded. “Thank you. We’re more than honored by your trust. We will make sure to not cause you any delay or trouble.”

Taiga nodded as Yasui hurried back to his horse while Taiga walked back to Juri and told them that they were going to tag along.

“Are you sure?” Juri asked when they both got back on their horses and waited for Yasui and the others to make it over to them.

“What is the worst that can happen?” Taiga asked. “I am not going to let them camp around us without our soldiers on guard, but I just realized that I have not a single clue about what is going to await us here, so getting some information on the way might help?”

Juri couldn’t deny that he was also a bit clueless as Kita-Shosan didn’t have much contact with Kaikakuto either, so he would also like to get to know more about the province before meeting with Ueda, a leader they didn’t even know anything about yet.

***

“But it’s still a monarchy, right?” Taiga asked on the second day as they had finally reached the first smaller villages around Kaikakuto’s main city and with it the end of the Hiun forest. 

“Indeed, but Ueda never declared himself the successor of the clan leader. He is a member of the clan so people easily accepted him as their new leader as there was no one else who was as suited as him, but he sees himself more as a temporary leader,” Yasui explained while Juri and Taiga rode on his right and left, while the others were following in the back as there was now farmland around them and they needed to be more careful where they were going.

“So was he a general?” Juri asked and Yasui nodded.

“He fought in the war against Basarano.”

“But wait, didn’t you just say he is in his thirties?” Taiga asked with a raised eyebrow.

“You’re not the only young generals out there,” Yasui reminded them and they had learned that in Mabara-Kinmitsu already. No matter the system of the province, skilled fighters were of many ages.

“Is there anything else you can tell us about him?” Juri asked and Yasui gave it a thought for a moment, but then he shook his head.

“Unfortunately I can only tell you what I have heard from others. We’re from one of the villages. I never lived inside the city walls and I know I will never meet any of the clan leaders personally, we’re just hunters after all.”

“A really important job in my opinion,” Taiga said and gave the other one a smile. “Just because we have titles and clan blood, doesn’t make us more important than any other person in this country.”

Yasui gave Taiga a stunned look on his words before he showed an embarrassed smile and rubbed his dusty brown hair. Yasui indeed looked way younger than he was, but Taiga meant what he said. Every single citizen was important. Without their work and effort no leadership would hold for long.

“Woah,” Juri let out while suddenly stopping his horse and Taiga looked up at him, but then followed his look as he was staring straight ahead after they had made it through a small village on a hillside. 

What Taiga saw next were the stunning city walls of Kaikakuto. A coastal city just like Oki, but on another scale. Now that so many people have retreated towards the city, they made sure to protect their city under any circumstance. 

There was a wide open area in front of the gray stone city walls with their high stone towers and an impressive high build castle in the back of the coast, staying strong on a mountainside declining towards the city walls, so that it was possible to overlook the entire area from it.

“Impressed?” Yasui asked with a bright smile as the other soldiers also finally caught up to them and were at a loss of words too. “Make sure to take the main road down to the east gates. If you just make it over the open land they might just attack you.”

“Are you not coming with us?” Taiga asked, but the other two hunters had already stopped at the village.

“As much as I would like to offer you a direct escort, we have to deliver food,” Yasui said as he clapped on one of his saddle bags. “We were out there for a week already, now we’re on a day's delay. We don’t want the food to go to waste, right?”

“Thank you for all the information and help,” Taiga thanked him with a light bow, making Yasui bow even lower with a bright smile.

“It was an honor being allowed to help you out. I hope you will have a safe stay. Maybe we will meet again on your way back.”

“We would appreciate your company on our way back towards the border,” Taiga said and looked after Yasui as the boy hurried back towards the other men. He turned back to them once more and bowed with another bright smile before they hurried back.

“Interesting, isn’t he?” Juri asked.

“A cheerful and open person,” Taiga said with a smile when the other three were out of sight, but when he turned his horse around he found Juri giving him a weird judging look. “What?”

“Nothing,” Juri said and ordered their soldiers to ride ahead to make sure that they would be let in at the gate. 

“Oh come on, what is it?” Taiga nagged when they were slowly following their soldiers who galloped ahead. Juri gave him another side glance, but when he remained silent, Taiga rode closer towards him and pinched him on the upper arm as Juri wasn’t in full armor.

“Hey,” Juri complained and pushed Taiga to the side, but still kept a teasing expression.

“I will only stop nagging if you tell me what’s wrong.”

Once more Juri remained silent, but this time Taiga only had to lift his hand with a challenging look so that Juri rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue.

“You were flirting.”

“I was what?” Taiga asked in surprise. It took him a moment to even realize what exactly Juri meant and then Taiga burst out laughing. “Wait, you think I flirted with Yasui?”

“He definitely flirted with you and I didn’t really see you complain.”

“So jealous,” Taiga teased, getting a scandalized expression from Juri in return. “Do you think he can snatch me away from you?”

“So you’re not even denying it,” Juri confronted him with a pouting expression.

“He’s cute, I won’t deny that,” Taiga teased, but he couldn’t stop laughing when Juri got more and more stunt by his replies. So eventually he rode closer once more and looked towards their soldiers who were now already down in the valley in front of the gates and the city itself was still too far away for them to spot them clearly. With a swift movement he grabbed Juri by the collar and pulled himself a bit out of the saddle to give him a short and rushed kiss, resulting in Juri almost losing balance as his horse slightly spooked to the side and forced Taiga to get back into his saddle. 

“But no matter how cute he is, I am not up for sharing right now,” Taiga said with a challenging look before he made his horse jump right into a canter as he gave Juri another teasing smile. This time the other one shook his head, but showed the same bright smile as he hurried to follow him. This journey was just for them and while the diplomatic parts were unavoidable, they would make sure that their private time was only for them and no one else. 

***

"This place is huge," Juri let out after they had been let into the city without any trouble. A guard was guiding them through the streets towards the castle, but Taiga was still looking back towards the huge gate. The city had a moat and it wouldn't be possible for anyone to reach the gate if they didn't let down a bridge for them to pass over to the gate. 

Now they were pulling up the bridge hanging on heavy metal chains. A pulling system was installed on the backside and it took four soldiers on each side to make the mechanism move. 

The gate was heavy wood, strengthened with metal and Taiga could fully understand why they had rebuilt their defenses this intensely. 

"The structure reminds me a bit of Oki," Taiga said as they were allowed to move down the wide streets on their horses. People were pointing and whispering, but the path wasn't too crowded. Markets and shops were obviously not close to the gate, a good structure. 

"Except that you don't have such high walls or heavy gates," Juri teased. Not that Oki needed it. They had allies around them and no one would easily surprise them or corner them with their soldiers all around in three provinces.

"I hope they won't need to make use of theirs," Taiga said as they kept moving a bit more uphill now as the castle was lying way on top of a rocky cliff at the ocean. The way soon started to get steeper and at some point the guard asked them to leave their horses at a nearby blacksmith as the rest of the way was all stairs.

"Now I'm happy that I'm not in full armor," Juri said as he walked last with Taiga. Their soldiers walked ahead with the guard while Taiga gave Juri a teasing smile.

"We should head to more mountain areas," Taiga said and Juri hit him on the shoulder. 

"Do not make fun of me having trouble with stairs and mountains."

"Then what else is there to make fun of?" Taiga asked with a playful grin while Juri only rolled his eyes as he tried to concentrate on his steps.

"It's a good defense," Taiga said. "We built our castle on the cliffs for the same reason. Stairs and hills will slow the enemy down while we have an overview of the incoming numbers."

Juri only nodded and Taiga finally stopped teasing him and slowed down a bit, giving Juri enough time to follow him to the top of the last staircase. 

Juri took another deep breath before he walked over to the castle as he didn't want to seem too exhausted in front of the soldiers.

"You can wait outside," Taiga ordered his soldiers and Juri gave the same orders. The guard let them inside the castle while leading the way. 

The wide double doors of the castle were open, a lot of open windows letting light inside the long hallway connected to the entrance hall. Even though it had been quite cold outside, the cold inside was more bearable than Taiga had thought. The Oki castle easily felt cold over the winter months. They walked towards another staircase, but this time way shorter and with another tall door in front of them.

"Please wait here for a moment."

They nodded as the guard excused himself and shut the door before they could even see anything. 

"Do you think we should leave our weapons outside?" Juri asked as he had his sword on his belt and Taiga carried his short sword as well, a knife and a few more small weapons hidden, but he shook his head.

"If they ask us to, we will put them down."

A few moments later the guard called them inside. A great hall, but not too much over the top. On the left and right a handful of pillars with candle stands around them made the room look more inviting. There were windows in this room as well, but some wooden panels were placed in front of them so they had no direct view outside, yet Taiga was sure that they were pretty far up by now.

The warmth inside the great hall came from two fireplaces on both sides of the throne area. Definitely a good idea for one of their snowiest and coldest provinces. 

"Did enough sightseeing?" Ueda directly greeted them as the boys were of course looking through the room while approaching the podium where Ueda was sitting on something more of a wooden bench than a throne. He wasn't even really sitting. He had one foot up on the bench, his back against a few pillows on the side and his elbow resting on his knee as he looked at the two boys.

They hurried to walk up to the podium where the guard excused himself. They both bowed before they stated their business as Ueda was indeed not looking like the calmest person, exactly like Yasui had told them. His clothes were mostly of cotton and leather, casual in black and brown. His hair was blonde though and the short strands were standing up, making him look a bit too wild for a leader, but once more Taiga had to put those thoughts aside. By now he should know that age and appearance had nothing to do with good leadership.

"We came to-"

"To discuss diplomacy. Two generals from Kita-Shosan and Oki. Even without messengers we already knew," Ueda cut Taiga and suddenly stood up, making Taiga lower his head. "A bit too young to know much about diplomacy, aren't you?"

Juri looked up at the other one's words and nodded. "We might not have that much experience yet, but we fought our fair share of battles and would like to open up our horizon towards diplomatic topics with other provinces."

Ueda grinned at Juri before he chuckled and grabbed a sword that was placed next to the bench. Compared to their swords it was huge. Even though Juri's sword was already pretty big, compared to this one it was just a toy. Heavy dark metal, a two hand long hilt in black with the wolf emblem of Kaikakuto on it in bronze color.

When Ueda walked down the few steps towards them they intuitively made a step to the back. Ueda stepped in front of Juri first, giving him a scanning look.

"Name?" 

"Tanaka Juri," Juri replied a bit tense.

"Doesn't ring a bell. So you're lowborn, aren't you?" 

Juri slowly nodded, feeling a bit exposed. But Ueda seemed to be fine with that one reply and he stepped over towards Taiga.

"Kyomoto Taiga," he said before even being asked. Ueda scanned him as well and then he lifted the hilt of his sword up and put it under Taiga's chin, making him look up at the older one questioning. Ueda moved the hilt so that Taiga had to look to the side and with a hum Ueda pulled the sword back.

"Kyomoto was it?" Ueda asked and Taiga nodded, realizing a change in tone in the other one's voice.

"Yes," Taiga replied with another nod.

"The bastard of Oki."

Taiga wasn't even surprised that Ueda knew that much. His hair color was already giving him away like always.

What none of them had expected was Ueda suddenly lifting his sword after making a movement of turning around, just to swirl back and slice the sword through the air.

Taiga stepped to the back, while Juri jumped to the side. Juri had his hand on his hilt immediately, while Taiga still didn't look that alarmed.

"Then let's see if you have the guts of your father or the soft heart of your mother."

Now Taiga looked startled for the first time. Sure Ueda could easily know his father as he had fought in the uproar against Basarano, but his mother? But on the other hand Taiga didn't know as much about his own mother as he wished to.

"What are you-" Juri tried to interfere, but Ueda pointed his sword at him. With one hand on neck height as if it was as light as a wooden sword. 

"You want to talk when you know nothing about diplomacy. So I will give you another option. Show me how strong you are and then we can consider further talks. I don't want to waste my time on weaklings."

"Very well then," Taiga said as he drew his short sword.

"Tai- General Kyomoto, that is not a wise decision," Juri interfered, but Ueda gave him a warning look. 

"You're two totally different kinds of generals, but maybe that is exactly what makes you a good team. Come help him if you dare."

Without waiting for a reply, Ueda attacked Taiga and while there was a lot of space to fight, Taiga needed to watch out to not get trapped at the pillars or hit the candles. On the other hand the pillars gave him the advantage of his speed, while Ueda didn't seem to mind damaging his own castle as he brought the sword down so heavily in front of Taiga that the stone floor took a huge crack.

Instead of following Taiga, Ueda lifted the sword and stabbed it to the back, Juri barely avoiding getting hit as he had tried to attack from behind. 

"You're putting your own defensive thinking to the back to help another general, one point for you. But you have to make sure to not become his weakness through that."

Ueda immediately showed him what he meant as he forced Juri back, his sword thrusts so heavy that Juri needed to dodge if he didn't want his own sword to get damaged.

When he hit one of the stone pillars with his back he was sure that he wouldn't be fast enough to avoid a hit, but then Ueda got brought out of balance when Taiga used one of his hidden throwing knives. It had only cut the side of Ueda's thigh, but that was enough for Juri to jump to the side and get out of reach.

"Tactical thinking and not overdoing it with heavy attacks," Ueda praised Taiga as he looked at the ripped part of his trousers. "But in a real fight showing mercy can cost you greatly."

Ueda didn't give them a break and showed how seriously he took this fight as he pushed them apart and hit one of the candle stands to throw it right towards Taiga. 

With a hiss Taiga stumbled to the back as the hot wax had hit him right in the face and Juri wasn't fast enough to make it towards him when Ueda lunged out for him. 

Taiga got both his arms up, letting the sword crush on his arm protectors while he tried to redirect the pressure of the hit to the ground. He somehow succeeded, but his arms were shaking after taking the hit and he had lost his sword on the move. Without losing time he pushed himself away from Ueda while kicking the other one's blade to the back, slightly bringing Ueda out of balance.

Juri was now next to Ueda, barely missing him when he tried to hit him with a sword thrust on the side. Ueda ducked away and tackled Juri on the side of the ribs, making Juri fall and slide right into one of the stone pillars. 

Before Ueda could try and lunge out for him, Taiga had brought out the knife from his boots and he tried to get into Ueda's reach so that he couldn't swing with the sword at him, but Ueda let the sword drop to his surprise and went right for his knife. Taiga had been taken so off guard by the other one's fast movements and tactical thinking that he was the one who got stabbed with his own knife after Ueda had twisted it out of his hand and with the lighter armor Taiga was wearing this time the blade went through to the side of his ribs. There was still resistance from the material, but the impact had caused some damage.

When Ueda tried to lunge out again, Taiga let himself drop to the back, bringing distance between them, instead of pulling Ueda with him.

"Impressive," Ueda said, but he was obviously not done. "But still open on both sides."

With a fast hand movement he threw the knife at Juri who had just gotten back up. Juri fell to the back with a hiss as the knife hit him in the shoulder and while Taiga shot up, Ueda had gotten his sword back and lunged out for Juri who wasn't able to get his sword up fast enough to block the incoming attack. 

Ueda wasn't faking the attack and he wouldn't stop, but Taiga still dashed over and somehow got his own sword back from the ground on the way. The only thing that had stood between a fatal injury and the one he had just taken in to protect Juri.

"The weaker one will always need protection," Ueda said as he looked at Taiga's back. The boy had thrown himself over Juri and had his sword on his back, but now it had broken in half, Ueda's blade now on his back. Luckily through his sword taking the impact the wound wasn't too bad, in fact it wasn't even a cut. It had just been an extremely heavy impact, leaving Taiga's back aching horribly. "But a general who doesn't do everything possible to protect the people around him isn't worth my attention. So you're welcome to come back later for a talk."

Casually Ueda stepped back while Juri looked at Taiga with wide eyes. The boy was crouching over him, his face now a grimace of pain and when he fell to the front, Juri immediately reached out for him.

"Taiga," Juri let out in worry, not caring if Ueda was hearing him or not. The older one was slowly walking back up the stairs while Juri put his arms on Taiga's back, but immediately withdrew it when Taiga flinched on the touch. "Damn it, why the hell did you do this?"

"He did it to protect you," Ueda said when he sat back down and put his sword aside. "You should thank him, but the scolding should be for yourself. I can see that you're a great general as well, but if your worry about someone else is too big then you won't see the bigger picture anymore."

"I'm fine, don't worry," Taiga said as he pulled on Juri's sleeves as he felt how the other one tensed and wanted to get up. Ueda was right after all. They tried to protect each other, but through that they could have easily gotten themselves killed. It could have easily ended the other way around. They had a lot to learn.

"Ask the guard for some medical assistance. There are some rooms you can use to rest. If you're still up for talks, find me in the evening."

Taiga slowly stood up with Juri's help and looked over to Ueda who gave him a challenging smile. "Your father's willpower, but your mother's heart."

"You don't have to stay. Our soldiers are definitely worried by now. You can come back after letting them know about the situation," Taiga said after the guard had brought them towards another room. It looked way too fancy to be something like a medical station, but there were indeed tables with ingredients and a man and a woman who already waited for them.

"They can wait a bit longer and I need to get my shoulder fixed too," Juri said when he helped Taiga to sit on a high bench, where the medical staff wanted to have a look at the cut on Taiga's ribs first, but for that he would need go get out of his tight armor and luckily the man walked over to Juri first as his injury was easier to take care of.

"We prepared a place for you to stay, our guard will show you and the soldiers the place."

An unfamiliar voice from the door had them turn towards a young man their age. A high ponytail with ash gray hair. His clothes were similar to Ueda's, with a lot of leather protection around his chest and arms with high boots. The wolf emblem on his chest.

"I will watch out for General Kyomoto. You can come back as soon as you settle in."

"And you are?" Juri asked, way too impolite as it was obvious that the other one was a clan member.

"Abe Aran. Ueda's right hand and general of the Kaikakuto Clan."

Juri nodded with a slightly embarrassed expression, but then gave Taiga another look.

"I'm fine, don't worry. My flexible armor might not stop a cut from happening, but the impact on my back wasn't too bad even with that heavy sword."

Reluctantly Juri got up after his shoulder got bandaged and followed the guard who was showing him to their quarters, while Aran remained in the room, but closed the door.

"If you don't hurry then he'll be back before they're done," Aran said to Taiga's surprise.

"You already knew my name, did the guards let you know that we arrived?" Taiga asked instead.

"I watched your fight. You stood a good chance against Ueda, but only because he held back. And you're trying to change the topic. I can leave, but I already know what is going on."

Taiga didn't even question that as he hadn't realized Aran's presence at their fight, which means that the other one had good skills in sneaking around and reading people.

Finally Taiga opened the front of his flexible armor and the woman who seemed to be the medical assistant took the shirt carefully off from his back to not hurt the bruised area even more. She tried to remain unaffected when she looked at Taiga's back, but it wasn't like he wasn't used to people’s reactions.

"No one here cares for the story and no one will tell, so don't be so tense," Aran said. "But you two really have to watch out more."

In several meanings they definitely had to and Taiga appreciated the other one's words. 

"But Ueda challenging you is something you should be proud of."

"Why is that? Does he usually greet other guests even worse?" Taiga asked and luckily Aran chuckled as he sat on a chair opposite of the bench Taiga was sitting on. The medical staff told Taiga that they had to sew the cut on his ribs, while the bruise on his back had to heal on itself. Luckily no bones had been damaged. He had gone through worse and the faster they were done the better. He flinched a bit when the man put some liquid on his side to numb the skin.

"If he takes his sword then that means he cares. He saw something in you so make sure to take that opportunity. For future battles it's definitely better to have us on your side, even though Oki is strong by itself."

"I'm not the successor of Oki, so I can unfortunately not forge such a strong bond."

"Obviously," Aran said, having gotten that part easily already. "But maybe you have a connection that is worth even more."

Taiga raised an eyebrow at that statement, but Aran got up and walked over to the door. "Maybe you want to have a talk in private with Ueda over the next few days. For now I'm going to hold off your boyfriend."

Aran gave Taiga a wink as he left and Taiga immediately looked at the two remaining people and while the woman had a teasing smile on her lips for a second, he didn't feel like either of them were going to say anything in the first place. Not that Ueda hadn't easily realized more than he should as well. Maybe their visit to Kaikakuto was going to bring them even more knowledge than they had expected.

***

“Weren’t we supposed to have a talk?” Juri asked after Aran was the one bringing them to the castle this time as their quarters were in a building close to it.

“You will, but Ueda hates doing table talks,” Aran explained as he walked past the great hall and kept walking further into the castle.

Taiga was impressed by the details of the decoration, the expensive marble floor and golden ornaments on a lot of doors and furnishing. The castle and most of the main city had been the only part almost untouched by the war with Basarano, which didn’t spare them a gruesome few months of blood sharing and the death of way too many citizens and soldiers.

“I hope he doesn’t want to play chess, because I cannot concentrate on talking while doing so,” Juri said, making Taiga laugh next to him.

“You can’t even concentrate enough without the talk part.”

“Hey, I beat you last time.”

“No worries, as I said, sitting down and talking is not what Ueda likes,” Aran said once more as he walked through an open corridor with the sun throwing long shadows of trees and stone pillars onto their stone floor. But soon their focus was on something else and they slowed down while Aran gave them a knowing look over his shoulder. 

“And I already thought of the castle as impressive,” Taiga let out in awe over the scenery in front of him. The castle was standing completely on the cliffs, but different from Oki, the cliffs weren’t just stone walls. This was something completely different. They had built the castle around the cliff. A beautiful green scenery with a waterfall dropping right from that green grassland down the steep cliff, several dozen meters into the ocean. There was no way any arrows would ever reach up here from any ship, the waves making it almost impossible for an attack from sea in the first place.

“Take a look around, Ueda will join you in a moment,” Aran said and Taiga hesitated to even step on the grass. There were no paths or stones to step on. Kaikakuto had a lot of green areas, following from the Hiun forest to the ocean, but this was a different kind of fresh green. It was also not just a small area. The entire castle seemed to be cut in half through the sharp rocks that were sticking out between some bushes, trees and flowers over the side of the garden like area.

“I did not expect Ueda to have such a taste,” Juri said, not that he meant it in a bad way. He walked over to one of the trees to touch its wide trunk. A beautiful widow, waving its long branches in the breeze from the ocean.

“I think this garden was here way before our time,” Taiga said with a smile as he dared his way a bit closer to the edge. Huge stones made it almost impossible to accidentally fall if they didn’t actually climb on them, but he could still see the water from the calm small stream vanishing into the depth of the cliff.

“Where does the water even come from?” Juri asked as he followed the stream back with his eyes, but then he hit Taiga on the arm and the older one followed his look. Ueda was walking up to them, his clothes the same as before, but this time without his sword.

“It flows beneath the castle,” Ueda explained. “Its origin is a mystery to us as well, but it decided to surface at this cliff, to then reunite with the ocean,” Ueda said as he stopped next to the boys with a calmer expression than before.

“It’s a really beautiful place,” Taiga said.

“I thought you would like it.”

Ueda’s words had Taiga tilt his head, but the older one walked over to the willow instead with an absent minded look. “I hope both your injuries were treated well?”

“Yes they were. We are also extremely grateful for the spacious quarters,”Juri said.

“You are a good speaker. You just have to watch out for your facial expression,” Ueda said and pointed at Juri who gave him a confused look. “Being polite with other provinces and higher ups is always good, but if your expression gives away that you’re lying then it’s good for nothing.”

“I am no-”

“You’re angry, that is fair,” Ueda interrupted him. “Just try to keep that anger for the right moment and the right person. Analyzing people comes first. If you’re not good with that then you might bring a war right to your doorsteps.”

“We would never want to have Kaikakuto as our enemy,” Taiga said, putting his hand soothingly on Juri’s back for a moment, knowing that Ueda was right. Juri took a deep breath on the touch and gave Taiga a grateful nod.

“Your father was a good analyzer. He helped us a lot with war strategies and without him the war would have broken loose years before it actually did.”

“So my father came here even before the war?” Taiga asked.

“He and your uncle did,” Ueda explained. “But your uncle was more of the straight into war type at that time.”

Something Taiga couldn’t easily believe seeing his uncle now, but on the other hand maybe all the losses he had suffered had changed him. Bringing his dead younger brother back home to a wife and child had definitely left a lot of scars. Taiga was feeling those scars in his chest as well, but he had been too young to even get what exactly had happened in that war.

“Let me ask you two something,” Ueda said as he walked back to them. Both of them waited patiently for him to speak and this time Ueda’s look was a bit more serious. “How do you want the future of this country to be?”

A difficult question to answer right away, but Ueda wasn’t going to give them much time to think as he already stretched his arm out towards Juri who was at a loss of words for a moment. 

“Peaceful,” Juri replied as simple as that, because that was indeed something most of them were longing for. “The unity of the country has ended way before our time, so I cannot say if there is any way to restore it, but if the only way towards it is war, then I prefer it the way it is.”

Ueda only nodded before he looked at Taiga. 

“United.”

Taiga’s words had even Juri look at him a bit confused, but Ueda showed him a small smile. “I am not saying that I wish for any war or that I want any province to storm ahead to slaughter their way to get to a forced unity, but I do not want this country to drift apart even more. Needing permission to cross borders, selling services and protection, not even being in contact with several provinces, it just doesn’t feel right.”

Ueda gave Taiga a thoughtful nod to his words. “Basarano is preparing for war.”

“What do you mean?” Taiga asked as the Kita-Shosan scouts hadn’t reported anything suspicious yet.

“They have always and will always prepare for war, for that one big war to force the country under their leadership,” Ueda explained. “Since the unity of the country had broken apart and Minami-Hian had lost control over the provinces, Basarano had seen their chance. All their battles until now were to pave an easier way for them towards other provinces.”

“But we have Oki behind us and Minami-Hian would overpower them,” Juri said.

“If they were alone,” Ueda said and with that statement Juri and Taiga exchanged a worried look. “Let me be clear. We have our scouts and we are prepared for another attack for a long time, but I am pretty sure they will march east at some point, but maybe not in the direct way we expect them to. They have allies, the question is just where. They wouldn’t risk as much as they did over the past years if it wasn’t for a bigger goal. The Basarano Clan brought itself to fall through starting the great war, now all those clans which are left are even more bloodthirsty.”

“Shouldn’t we all attack them first then?” Juri asked as he was sure Kita-Shosan, Kaikakuto and Oki together would stand a pretty good chance.

“As long as we don’t know if and where they have allies that would be extremely risky,” Taiga interfered. “If we leave other borders unprotected then things could escalate. Just imagine if Sasaku or even Kyogo were their allies. They would run us over without us even having an escape route.”

“But Basarano wouldn’t share a leadership. What province would join them?” Juri asked.

“Basarano doesn’t make allies through friendship, but through threats,” Ueda explained with a pretty dark expression this time. “If Oki hadn’t helped us out back in the war, then who knows if we wouldn’t be forced to be their allies as well by now.”

“They showed their strength over all these years and the mercilessness they fight with, so the moment they get a leverage against a province, then they are forced to at least stand back or join their fight at some point.”

“What leverage would be big enough to threaten an entire province?” Juri asked.

“Hostages,” Ueda replied, making Juri’s expression turn to disgusted by the mere thought of a province going that far just to pressure the remaining country under their leadership.

“You can rest assured that we will remain on your side even if Basarano gets into any upcoming battles with our provinces,” Taiga said, but Ueda gave him a weird look.

“Don’t promise that too fast. I am not judging any province if they lay low or fight against us, because it is for their own safety.”

“Then we just have to make sure that they won’t get any leverage against us,” Juri said with the same determination as Taiga.

Ueda looked from one to the other before he showed an amused expression. “This country’s hopes and its future is with your generation. You will have to shoulder a lot of responsibilities over the next few years. Maybe I should give you something to think about before you leave.”

“And what may that be?” Taiga asked, but to his surprise Ueda stepped back.

“You will find out tomorrow, for now have a good rest.”

They didn’t stop Ueda from leaving as they didn’t want to pressure him into giving them more information, but now they gave each other a worried look. It wasn’t that clear if Ueda wanted to keep them as allies or just tried to explain to them that in the future they could all become enemies and they should prepare for that outcome.

***

“Is he just taking us to different places to show off?” Juri asked when he and Taiga arrived at the harbor the next morning. Aran had picked them up, but had told them to leave their soldiers in Kaikakuto and as they didn’t fear any attacks where they were going they had agreed.

“This is not even one of our biggest fleet ships,” Aran said with a smirk over his shoulder. 

But the size of the ship in front of them was impressive enough. It was a multi-decked sailing ship, an impressive Galleon. 

“How long will it take us to Awako?” Taiga asked.

“Depending on the wind, two to three hours.”

“But we still need to get to the city, that will take us quite some time as well,” Juri said, but to their surprise Aran shook his head.

“We’re not going to the city.”

Juri and Taiga exchanged another confused look, one of way too many over just a few days, but they knew that Awako had always been an ally of Kaikakuto so there was no reason to be suspicious about Ueda’s invitation to sail over for a day.

The ship was spacious, but as they would only need a few hours, they decided to stay on deck after getting a small tour by Aran. Ueda was in the main cabin under the quarter deck and had only greeted them onboard. 

“You don’t look too well,” Juri said after Taiga had stood at the same spot for quite a while, leaning on the railing of the quarter deck. 

“We have ships in Oki as well, but I’m usually not on them for too long and I'm not really fond of being on them in the first place.”

“Finally something I can tease you about as well,” Juri said with a bright grin.

“Don’t forget that Awako might have some stairs or mountains for you to climb later,” Taiga teased back, making Juri laugh.

They turned towards the front of the ship when a crew member shouted to get the ship ready to enter the port. They were able to make it to the port directly with Awako having deep water all around their island.

The island itself didn’t have high mountains, but the landscape already showed some white. The clouds were also already heavy with snow ready to fall. Luckily they had brought their winter clothes, but even with them Taiga felt cold already, mostly because he was feeling sick as well. 

“Let’s see what this invitation is about,” Juri said and put his arms around Taiga’s shoulders to rub a bit of warmth into him. Taiga gave the other one a grateful smile on that move.

Taiga couldn’t wait to get off the ship and he hurried down the docks until he finally had firm ground under his feet.

“Not that good with ships, I see,” Aran teased as he waited for Juri to catch up to them.

“Definitely better on land,” Taiga said as they patiently waited for Ueda to get off the ship.

“This is your last chance to rethink your alliance with us,” Ueda suddenly let out. Both of them only nodded with a serious look as they saw no reason to not keep their opinions about wanting to stay on the side of the province that had fought at their side for a long time already.

Taiga flinched a bit when a snowflake suddenly landed on his eyelashes and he lifted his hand to get it off, but several new ones were already following.

“Then let’s go.There is something I want you to see,” Ueda announced and he walked ahead, only Aran following him. Taiga and Juri hurried after them up a small dune around the harbor area, but then Juri tilted his head.

“What is it?” Taiga asked.

“Do you hear this?” Juri asked and Taiga concentrated on the sounds around him. With the wind and the waves it was hard to catch anything else, but then he could hear a familiar sound. He immediately gave Juri a worried look, but what they were hearing might not be a bad thing. 

“Hurry,” Aran told them as Ueda was already stopping on top of the dune and they sped up just to stop dead on their tracks when they were able to see what was going on at the other side.

Soldiers. Thousands of them. A training camp, hidden from every possible enemy. The fighting noises they had heard weren’t a bad sign after all. They weren’t at war, they were preparing for one.

***  

Thousands of soldiers, all of them on an elite level of skills. Kaikakuto had lost a lot of soldiers in the war against Basarano and Awako hadn’t been known for having a lot of skilled soldiers, but now they had forged an alliance that didn’t need the highest number of soldiers, it just needed a lot of ambition and the right amount of hatred and desire for revenge.

A knock on his door made Taiga jolt as he had been in his thoughts for what felt like hours. They had left Awako after a meeting with some generals, soldiers and leaders of Awako who were in charge of that enormous training camp.

As the city lay on the other side of the island they had not greeted the clan leaders, but Taiga hoped that at his next visit he could finally do so.

“Are you already asleep?”

Juri’s worried voice made Taiga stand up and open the door for him and somehow it made him feel better to see Juri’s expression as exhausted as his own.

“Come in,” Taiga invited him and they sat on his bed in silence for a while. The quarters were big, but also private with shutters for the windows and heavy wooden doors, so there was no problem with Juri risking it to sneak around. Not to forget that this time it was indeed for diplomatic reasons.

“I had expected a lot when we decided to visit Kaikakuto, but this was definitely not part of it in my wildest dreams,” Juri admitted.

“Everything I knew about this province seems to have been false,” Taiga said and Juri gave him a questioning look. “After the war with Basarano my uncle had changed, a lot of the council members had said so as well. He didn’t like talking about my father or what had happened back then. It seemed like he tried to put the blame on Kaikakuto for being too weak. Maybe they were at that time, but what if they decide to stand against us now? Even with the amount of soldiers we have-”

“Stop,” Juri interrupted him. “I know why you worry, I share the same thoughts, but Ueda didn’t show us the biggest secret of his province to threaten us into an alliance or do you think so?”

“No,” Taiga said right away and shook his head. He didn’t think so at all. Weirdly he felt more welcome in Kaikakuto than he had ever in Oki. “There was one person who told me something beautiful about this province.”

“And who was that?”

“My mother,” Taiga said with a nostalgic look ahead. “She liked telling me stories of so many provinces. Stories about what she and my father encountered while traveling through the country. But I can barely remember any of them, yet somehow Kaikakuto stayed in my mind.”

“I wonder why their opinions about the province were so different,” Juri said.

“I think it is time to find out,” Taiga said with a determined look. If Ueda already shared such an important diplomatic secret with them, then he shouldn’t refuse to answer Taiga’s personal questions. Not that Taiga was sure he wanted to know the answer. What if the answers would make him feel even more distant to his own clan?

***

The next day was their day of departure, yet it was still early in the morning so not many people crossed his way when he made it over to the castle alone. Aran had already expected him and he showed a weird soft smile when he told him that Ueda was waiting in the garden area for him.

Taiga had fought battles, challenged his own feelings with Juri and had had so many other challenges in life, yet his heart had never beaten this strong in his chest when he walked into the garden area at the cliffs and found Ueda sitting on a bigger rock under the willow.

Ueda also gave him a softer look this time, but that couldn't calm his racing heart. He had only come for diplomatic talks and yet he was going to get way more out of this journey, at least he hoped so.

“Have a seat,” Ueda offered and Taiga sat next to him on the stone that almost had the form of a bench. The tree was giving them shade while they had a view of the entire garden, stream and the cliffs. “This was your mother's favorite spot.”

Taiga's heart immediately made a jump. He had been prepared to ask, but Ueda was obviously already prepared to just tell him straight ahead.

“Your father came for diplomatic meetings with our clan leader a lot when I was still a child. He was a young adult at that time. He had an incredible aura. Sometimes your uncle was visiting as well, but his attitude was different. Not rude or dismissive, but he was always seeing the worst sides of life. Always prepared for war.”

His uncle had indeed changed. Now he sounded more like his father, something that had Taiga smile a bit. With it a small sting hit him as well, because he unfortunately doubted that Taisuke would ever change in that direction. He had the attitude of his uncle in his younger days, but a lot stronger.

“After a few years he came more often and diplomatic talks weren't the main reason anymore.”

“But I bet officially they were?” Taiga asked and Ueda gave him a knowing smile from the side. 

“Your clan is strict with your ranks, the purity of your clan and your pride. We're different. For us everyone is welcome who wants to join our clan or become our ally. But that is what brought the biggest trouble upon both our clans. I am sure that your family was against you coming here in the first place, but I am happy that you fought for your right to make your way down here, even if your intentions were only diplomatically at first.”

Taiga clenched his hands into fists on his thighs as his heartbeat got heavier again. But he wanted Ueda to tell him. He didn't want to ask. 

“Eventually they risked everything for each other and I'm happy they did. The tragic ending of their story is unfortunate, but I know she wouldn't have become happy here. Yet you're always welcome here if this place makes you happier than where you are now.”

With those words Ueda stood up and gave Taiga a bright smile. Taiga didn't even know how to reply, how to react. He just waited in silence for Ueda to clarify everything.

“Taiga, your mother was my older sister. You're my nephew and with that a member of the Kaikakuto Clan.”

“Taiga. TAIGA.”

“Sorry, what is it?” Taiga asked as he ripped himself out of his thoughts. 

They had departed from the city around noon. Juri had of course already guessed his part as well, but Taiga wanted to find a more fitting moment to let him know all the details.

At their departure Aran had looked so excited and he had told Taiga to come back whenever he felt like it, no matter if for any official reason or not. It would have been great to get to know him better as he was also a clan member and with that more or less a family member to Taiga as well. 

“We need to get our remaining provisions together,” Juri said and that was when Taiga realized that Juri had already gotten off his horse at the village in front of the city. The soldiers were not even in sight anymore as Juri had told them to get everything from the list.

Taiga looked back to the city and the castle once more before he also got off his horse. Most provisions they had gotten inside the city, but Aran had given them a list with places in the farmer village from where they could get fresh food and water easier for their travel.

“Just do me a favor and tell me if you're standing next to yourself because of good or bad news?”

Taiga gave the other one a confused look before he smiled and nodded. “Good ones. Definitely good ones.”

“That's great to hear,” Juri said in relief before they started walking towards one of the shops to get provisions.

“Do you think I should make a visit to Kita-Shosan to thank your clan for letting you join this diplomatic journey?”

Juri thought about it while picking up some food and then shook his head. “I don't think they think of it as such a big deal to be honest.”

What Juri had not seen coming was the pain in his left arm when Taiga took the chance to pinch him quite harshly.

“Ow, what was that for?” Juri complained.

“Let me ask again. Do you think I should take a detour to your province before returning to Oki?”

Juri blinked a few times before his look changed. “Yes, of course you should.”

The late realization of what Taiga wanted to achieve with that side trip made Taiga give the other one a teasing smile. “Great, then I will send one of my soldiers back to Oki as soon as we're back at Minami-Hian. Then he can report and also let them know that I might not return before the end of the year.”

“You're more than welcome to stay even until the new year,” Juri said as he handed Taiga a bag of rice and they looked at each other with a knowing smile.

“You're so cute, do you know that?”

Juri immediately withdrew his hands from the bag, as his fingers had been half under Taiga's hands. On that action Taiga almost let the bag drop before he turned to the person who was standing next to the shop.

“Yasui?”

“Now I feel quite honored that you remember my name. Had a good stay in the city?” Yasui asked, ignoring the death glare he got from Juri.

“Yes, everything went well. We're getting ready to head back. We were told that there will be a lot of snow falling soon, so we want to leave before we can get trapped in the open spaces of your province.”

“Then today is your lucky day,” Yasui said and clapped Taiga on the shoulder. A move that had Juri growl to himself, but Taiga didn't seem to mind the other one's open attitude. “We were about to head out for another hunt, how about we give you an escort to the border to Mabara-Kinmitsu?”

“No.”

“Yes.”

Juri and Taiga exchanged a look on their simultaneous reply and Juri only looked away and pretended like he hadn't said anything.

“Was that a yes or a no?” Yasui asked in amusement.

“A yes. Thank you so much. You know the area way better than us, so if snow really starts falling then we'll be faster with you.”

“Great, then I'll let the others know. We will meet you at the blacksmith in a bit then?”

Taiga nodded and waited for Yasui to be out of sight before he turned to Juri who immediately rolled his eyes.

“Still jealous?”

“Oh shut up,” Juri said as he paid for the provisions and threw one way too heavy bag at Taiga who stumbled to the back while catching it, yet laughed at Juri's pouting behavior.

“I'll promise you some calmer times as soon as we're in your province.”

“Right, as long as you don't flirt there as well.”

“As long as you don't have any sexy roommates I think I'll be fine,” Taiga teased as they started walking.

“Good for you that I'm living alone.”

“Even better, then there won't be any reason anymore to hold back at that time.”

Juri raised an eyebrow at that before it clicked on Taiga's inviting look. 

Taiga had made a decision. The moment they finally had some real privacy in Kita-Shosan there would be no secrets between them anymore. If he told Juri about his mother then there was no need to keep Taisuke a secret to him either. Maybe it was time to share his story with someone in the most honest and private way he had dared until now.

***

“Now you’re happy that we are with you, aren’t you?” Yasui teased on the second morning as they were getting their tents and provisions on their horses as fast as possible as snow had finally started falling. 

“It’s just snow,” Juri complained. They were at the Hiun forest, close to the place where they had met Yasui the first time and one more day would lead them to the Nishi-Wari river and with that to the border of Mabara-Kinmitsu.

“You won’t say that in a few hours anymore. Everything around you will look the same. There will be fog in the air, making it impossible for you to tell north from south.”

“Right, because snow will make our compasses fail,” Juri hissed as he got his last bag strapped to the saddle, but when he turned around he flinched when Yasui had walked right up to him, still an entertained look on his face.

“You haven’t been much out in the outdoors, haven’t you, young general?” Yasui teased. “But maybe this day will be a good lesson for you then.”

Juri only snorted while Yasui got back on his horse and told the other two hunters to ride ahead to make sure that the path was clear.

“Aren’t we riding eastwards?” Taiga asked as he also got back on his horse, but Yasui shook his head.

“Later we will, but there is too much swamp land ahead. With the snow we wouldn’t be able to pass it safely. There is a passage close to the forest, let’s use it until the ground gets rockier in the north.”

“And waste another half day ride,” Juri complained, making Yasui ride closer to him.

“The next night out in the snow might not be this comfortable. If you thought it was cold already, try to survive with a blizzard ripping your tent apart.”

“You seem to have too much outdoor experience for your age or a lot of imagination,” Juri replied with a doubting look.

“Well, some of us lived a life that isn’t that easily visible on our faces,” Yasui replied with a bright grin before he made his horse canter and followed after Taiga who had already gotten ahead a bit with his soldiers.

Juri tried his best to ignore the delay and more important Yasui’s endless flirting with Taiga, but with the snow getting even heavier around noon there was no way for them to even see where they were going. Their last resort had been to enter the Hiun forest. They were staying right at the edge, proceeding northwards while guiding their horses by hand. 

“Shouldn’t we take a break?” Juri asked as he walked up to Taiga while Yasui was talking to the two hunters who had come back from the northern path a while ago.

“I am fine, but if you want to?” Taiga said, but then he slowed down and gave Juri a thoughtful look. “This is not about breaks, is it?”

“I know they are helping us, I shouldn’t be annoyed,” Juri scolded himself.

To Juri’s surprise Taiga walked closer to him, hiding them a bit between their two horses as they were walking behind everyone right now. Taiga dared to reach out for Juri’s hand and give it a tight squeeze. “I promise you as soon as we’re back in your province all this struggle will be worth it.”

“If you make me feel too excited then I will make everyone gallop their way through the provinces,” Juri teased, making Taiga laugh, but then his expression fell as he looked up and stopped. Just that one move had Juri tense immediately.

“What?”

Taiga didn’t reply as he listened to something Juri couldn’t hear or he didn’t know what to listen for. He could hear Yasui’s voice and the hooves of the soldiers’ horses. The snow wasn’t exactly making any noise in the first place, but then at the last second Juri heard something as well. 

Taiga’s senses had been sharper and he had felt the presence of people around already, but Juri had only heard the sound of arrows getting shot. Three arrows. One had hit one of Juri’s soldiers, making his horse spook and run off. But there would be no need for it anymore as that one shot had been deadly.

Another arrow had hit close to the hunters, their horses spooking as well.

The third arrow had hit Taiga’s horse, making it rear and Taiga stumbled to the back when he got hit by one of the hooves in the face. 

“Soldiers, attack!” Juri shouted and drew his sword as he grabbed Taiga and shoved him behind him. Taiga felt a bit dizzy and he had some blood running from his forehead, but he was sure he could still fight. More arrows were coming their way, but this time they were prepared and used the trees as cover.

“There are not more than a handful of people,” one of the hunters shouted as he and Yasui had taken out their bows and arrows as well to shoot back. “We should be able to shake them off in the snow.”

“That’s suicide,” Juri shouted back. “We don’t even know what they want.”

“General Kyomoto, do you want to risk your soldiers' lives in this forest or take your chances in the snow?” Yasui shouted at him while they kept shooting arrows forth and back. Taiga had to decide quickly as they would get attacked the moment they ran out of long distance weapons. He gave Yasui a troubled look and the hunter waited impatiently for his reply. 

“Let’s run,” Taiga said, making Juri shake his head. “We have better chances out there with Yasui. He can lead us away. We can make it, trust me.”

Juri wouldn’t trust the hunters to get them away against who knew what kind of soldiers, but he would trust Taiga’s judgment over his own behavior right now. 

“Fine, let’s go,” Juri said, but unfortunately their horses had run off, leaving Taiga without most of his weapons as his bow and arrow had been on it and he had left his broken sword in Kaikakuto, kindly refusing Ueda’s offer to give him a Kaikakuto sword as replacement. 

“General, we need to hurry,” Juri’s soldier said and offered to get on his horse with him. Juri took the offer while Taiga looked for the remaining soldiers, but they were too far away, all trying to keep the attackers at distance with throwing knives and every possible other weapon they could throw.

“Ride with me,” Yasui shouted as he threw his empty quiver to the ground and jumped on his horse, the other two hunters covering him as he made it over to Taiga, helping him on the back of his horse.

Juri gave Taiga a worried look as they all started galloping towards the east. The hunters had finally gotten on their horses as well, while one of Taiga’s soldiers had been hurt too and had fallen behind with one more who was trying to help him on his horse. But unfortunately they couldn’t wait for them, not that the soldiers wanted them too. 

Oki soldiers were trained to fight on their own, to not let others sacrifice themselves to rescue them. Taiga could only hope that they would catch up to them.

“Don’t get separated in the snow, head east until the river. If we lose sight of each other just meet at the river,” Taiga shouted at everyone as he was clinging on to Yasui, trying to not get himself thrown off with the way they had to hurry through the uneven and slippery forest ground. 

Juri was already a bit ahead of them, but looked over his shoulder when they reached the forest border and dashed out into the white wall of heavy snowfall. The one horse in front of Juri was out of sight in bare seconds, so was the forest behind them even though it was still right there. 

There was nothing else they could do right now, but Taiga still turned to the back as well, just hoping that they wouldn’t lose too many lives today. Their journey had been too safe until here after all. His thoughts were racing with questions, not that he hadn't already figured out who had attacked them, but the question was why. Why here, why now? Was it a coincidence? Just a few scouts? Maybe them coming down here for diplomatic reasons had nothing to do with this attack in the first place. A bad place at a bad time, that's all Taiga wanted it to be.

With a worried look he turned back to the front, finding Juri looking back at him, but while Taiga wanted to shout something at him, tell him and the soldiers to hurry, his attempt to talk got interrupted by a sudden pain in his back.

With a sharp breath he closed his arms around Yasui’s body and the younger one immediately realized the change and looked at him with wide eyes. They had been too slow. Whoever was after them had been faster. 

The arrow in Taiga’s back was only one of many following and the second one hit Yasui’s horse, a third one made it towards Juri’s direction, but they were out of reach. 

Taiga could see Juri’s wide eyes, see how he shouted out for him, but he couldn’t hear him. Juri’s soldier refused to stop the horse, a good move! Taiga wouldn’t want it any other way. Juri’s remaining two soldiers were close to him, forcing the horses to keep going and stopping Juri from jumping off. 

Taiga had only one or two soldiers left as well, he wasn’t sure where exactly they were or if the other hunters had made it, but while he watched the scene unfolded in slow motion, reality hit him when Yasui’s horse stumbled on another arrow hitting its legs.

With a violent movement to the front Taiga and Yasui got thrown off the horse to the front right into the already deep snow. The horse remained immobile on the ground, while Yasui was able to get back up to draw a knife. 

They could barely see two or three meters around them and Taiga had unfortunately landed half on his back, breaking the arrow and pushing the arrow head further into his flexible armor, so that it got stuck next to his shoulder blade. For now he was just lucky to be alive. The question was for how long.

With a growl he forced himself on his knees, trying hard to fight off the cold that was already taking over his body together with the pain. There were no soldiers coming into sight, no noise was reaching his ears and while his heart was heavy he felt relieved that he couldn’t hear Juri’s shouting. At least one of them would make it home safely. 

With shaking hands Taiga drew the knife from his boots as he only had that one and the two throwing knives in his arm protectors left. When he got up and finally looked ahead he was met with silence and nothing but snow.

“Yasui?” Taiga whispered at first, completely confused by the other one vanishing like this. It hadn’t taken Taiga more than a few seconds to get back up. There had been no arrows, no direct attacks. 

“Yasui,” Taiga shouted louder this time. Why should he stay silent? He would die one way or the other. Alone in the snow or killed by weapons. 

This time there were no arrows, just steps and Taiga got ready to face whoever was approaching in the deep snow. He felt dizzy and cold, realizing that he would never stand a chance, but he wouldn’t just stay down. All his brave efforts were good for nothing though when the next attack came from behind.

***

There were so many thoughts racing each other in Taiga’s mind. Why hadn’t he heard anyone approaching him from the back? Had he miscalculated who their possible enemy had been?

The entire scene repeated itself in his head until it froze on his last look over to Juri. The realization of not knowing if he and the others were safe made him finally land back in reality. 

With a breaking headache he opened his eyes, his body now not that ice cold anymore, but also not really warmed up. His back was also aching from the arrow wound, the metal tip still stuck in his back. Right in front of him was just wood and he immediately realized that they were moving. A carriage, horses pulling it through the heavy snow. The cold still made it through the gaps of the wood.

Without even doubting that he was alone he sat up with a painful groan, just to come eye to eye with someone sitting in the other corner of the small carriage. There were no seats, just a straw mat on the floor of the carriage that was even too low to completely stand up.

At first Taiga tensed on an enemy right in front of him, yet he couldn’t make the connection right away. Black clothes, a mask covering half his face with a high ponytail. A familiar sight. But unfortunately in two ways.

“I guess the shocked expression means you caught up?”

“Why?” That was all Taiga could ask, there was nothing that made sense to him right now. He hadn’t been close enough that night in Oki to see his face clearly with the mask on, but now it was more than obvious that he was talking to the same person.

Yasui finally pulled the mask down and gave Taiga a stern look. “That’s your main question?”

What else was it supposed to be? There were dozens of other things he wanted to ask, but right now he just couldn’t voice out anything else.

“Because I was paid to do a job,” Yasui replied. “And do not start asking details, because I will not give you any answers, but you will soon be able to find your missing pieces.”

There were not many left in the first place. Taisuke had sold him off. Taiga clenched his fists, but there was nothing he could do. His body was aching, his head having two heavy injuries by now, dried blood all over his hair and clothes. Right now his rage was what kept him conscious. He would not let Taisuke get away with this, not this time. 

When Taiga looked up at the other one again, Yasui gave him a questioning look as Taiga’s rage had changed. Taisuke was a problem for the future, right now he needed to get other information. 

“You killed our soldiers,” Taiga said, observing every movement on Yasui’s face.

“Well, they did,” Yasui said and pointed to the front of the carriage.

“Did you kill everyone just to get to me?” Taiga asked and this time Yasui formed a grin, making Taiga almost jump at him, not that he could threaten him right now.

“So worried for your little boyfriend, aren’t you? What would you do if I told you that I killed him, because he came back to rescue you?”

Despite his injuries Taiga leaped to the front, taking Yasui by the collar, but the boy just laughed. “Calm down or you will just make yourself faint. Your jealous boyfriend is safe, if he and the soldiers made it through the snowstorm alone that is.”
That was all Taiga needed to know for now, but he still didn’t back off. Unfortunately his arm guards were gone so Yasui had obviously realized that he had knives hidden in them. “You’re from Mabara-Kinmitsu.”

It wasn’t a question. It was obvious. There was no way Yasui was from any other province with the skills he had. Just the way he easily vanished and sneaked up on Taiga was proof enough.

This time Yasui grabbed Taiga’s wrists and forced him to let go. “I will not give you any answers, remember?”

Sure he had told him about Juri, but everything else was definitely something Yasui wouldn’t easily spill. This part was something Taiga had to figure out by himself. The reason for Yasui taking on this job. Had he cut ties with his province and just did jobs for money or was there more going on? 

“Trust me, you will soon have way bigger problems to solve,” Yasui warned him, but this time he didn’t show any mocking expression. “My mission ends with handing you over, but if you want revenge then you need to fight your way out on your own. There won’t be many who would easily take your side at the place where you are going.”

By the time the carriage stopped Taiga had lost track of time. He had been asleep most of the time as his blood loss and the pain of his injuries had forced him down. Now he forced himself up into a sitting position, but the arrow head in his shoulder caused him growing pain.

“Don't even think about an escape, you won't be able to stand on your own for long,” Yasui warned him and pulled a black bag from his pocket, while the people on the carriage were getting off and opened the lock from the back.

“Don't give me that look,” Yasui said when Taiga gave him another judging look, but what else did Yasui want? Forgiveness wasn't something Taiga would give him for what he had done, no matter the circumstances.

“I'll make you both pay for this,” Taiga said and for the first time Yasui’s expression showed something softer, something hurt.

“I already paid more than you could ever make me,” Yasui said, but didn't explain more as he forced the bag over Taiga’s head before they pushed him off the carriage.

Yasui had to stabilize him while walking as he indeed felt more than dizzy and for now he knew that there was no way to escape. He didn't even know exactly where he was.

“Bring him inside. He'll be back in the evening,” someone said and Yasui pushed Taiga through something like a gate as he almost stumbled over a step on the ground.

They kept walking for some time, stairs, corridors, the sun Taiga had felt on his skin not reaching anymore, but it wasn't as horribly cold as in Kaikakuto. They had definitely traveled for two days or longer, Taiga had been able to tell that much at least. But the only main city they could have reached in that time was Mabara-Kinmitsu and he was sure that the province they were in was definitely not that one, so there was only one place left.

“Oh, where do you think you are going?”

It wasn’t just Taiga who tensed, but also Yasui, it was obvious on the way he immediately stopped and tightened his hand around Taiga’s arm, but to his surprise the other one relaxed once more when he had obviously spotted who had talked to them. His greeting wasn't friendly nevertheless.

“None of your business.”

The snappy reply came to Taiga’s surprise, but while he was still not allowed to see his surroundings, he was almost certain about where he was now through the person who had just spoken.

“In such a bad mood this time and here I am always so nice to you two,” the other person said and Taiga wished he could see them, analyze Yasui’s expression and get a better picture of what the hell was going on. “You can leave him with me.”

“I was told to bring him in directly.”

“And I am telling you that you don’t have to or do you want to risk him changing his mind about your reward game each time you come by?”

Another moment for Yasui to tense, but then he let go of Taiga and shoved him a bit too harshly to the front. The touch on the front of his shoulder to stop him came with an amused chuckle, but as much as Taiga would have liked to try and aim for the other one just to show him that he wouldn’t just let them keep him here, he held back for now.

“He’s in the east wing as always.”

Yasui walked away without another word before the person in front of Taiga spoke again.

“Oh and Yasui, remember to not do anything stupid. Don’t make me repeat myself.”

His threat was met with silence before Yasui finally walked off and that left Taiga in an awkward position for now as well until he got grabbed by the arm and shoved down another corridor.

“Well if this isn’t a surprise. I feel like Yasui wanted to hand me a present today, how nice of him.”

Taiga didn’t believe his surprise at all, but for now he remained silent until they stopped and a door got slit open and this time he was pushed so harshly that he landed on the ground with a hiss. Before he could even try to get back up the bag was finally taken off and he came eye to eye with Hokuto who gave him an entertained smile.

“Welcome to Basarano, young general.”

***

This wasn’t the main city of Basarano. They hadn’t been on the road long enough to reach it. The city was lying at the bottom of the Seikyo mountain range, the border to Kita-Shosan, but taking the weather and their travel time into account it seemed to be a city around the Hiden river, which was lying close to the south of the province. Since the Basarano Clan got extinct at the great war, the city wasn't of much value to the remaining clans in the first place.

The room was of a simple straw mat flooring, dark wooden walls and almost paperthin doors, the light somehow making it in, but the white color of the paper made it impossible to see through it. 

The room itself was mostly empty. All four sides had sliding doors and only the corners had wooden walls. The only thing that was inside the room was a heavy wooden pole right in the middle of the room. It was part of the wood beneath the straw mats and went on all the way to the ceiling. There was not even the need to try and move it, there was no way it would break.

The only reason Taiga had been able to do so much analyzing was because he had been tied to the pole and left alone. But that move was causing him even more pain now, because Hokuto hadn’t even bothered helping with any of his injuries, why would he?

He had left in such a hurry that Taiga was sure that he wasn’t even supposed to have encountered Taiga on his way in. Someone else was definitely supposed to be here. Taiga had heard the words, someone was going to be back in the evening, so why had Hokuto even bothered if all he did was put him in here and leave? 

Taiga tried his luck with the ropes once more, but there was no way he would get them off this easily. He had enough space to actually sit down and lean against the pole, trying to relax his body from all the pain it was feeling, while his hands were tied to the back of the pole.

It wasn’t clear to him what time of the day it was as he couldn’t see any daylight, but the fact that there was at least some kind of light making it through the thin paper doors, made him believe that it was still not night time. 

“I’ll make you pay for this,” Taiga hissed and remembered Yasui’s words. Most of his hate was towards Taisuke in the first place, but he couldn’t tell right now if he wouldn’t just lift his sword against Yasui as well with all the rage he was bottling up.

With time passing tormentingly slow Taiga had tried to give his body and mind another break and he had somehow found a calm moment to actually drift off into some kind of exhaustion sleep, not that it was helping him enough to get any strength back.

Then the shock came when he got ripped out of his dreamless rest with ice cold water getting emptied over his head. With a curse and some short gasps and coughs Taiga looked up, finding Hokuto grinning down at him.

“Had a good rest?”

“What the fuck was that for?” Taiga complained, Hokuto immediately amused by his temper.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Should I offer you a hot bath instead and new clothes?” Hokuto mocked before he turned towards the door and looked at a boy Taiga hadn’t noticed at first. “Make sure he’s not dying on me before nightfall.”

The boy nodded and Hokuto gave Taiga another look over his shoulder. “I’ll make sure that this will become an unforgettable stay for you.”

Once more Hokuto just left, making Taiga curse in silence while he shook his head, trying to get the water off his hair and face, but on that move he hissed as he caused himself even more pain.

“If you let me then I can treat your wounds.”

Now Taiga scanned the younger one from head to toe, but the boy just stared back at him with a neutral expression. Short black hair, cotton clothes and a bag with medication and bandages. There seemed nothing suspicious about him, but Taiga still laughed at himself, making the boy raise an eyebrow at him.

“For what reason would you want to help? So that you can cause even more damage later? Saving the cow right before the slaughter so that it can grow back the meat for you?”

It sounded exactly like something Basarano would do. They were known for their tormenting methods and Hokuto was already enjoying himself way too much just through some small mocking, so it was clear that he would level things up a lot.

“If you prefer being in pain through the process I can take my leave,” the boy said, still no change in his eyes. “But if Matsumura wants you treated then I will find a way to do so if you want to or not.”

“Matsumura,” Taiga repeated Hokuto’s name. He hadn’t heard his last name yet, but this time he finally knew who he was dealing with. Basarano had no direct blood line clan left after the destructive ending of their great war, instead they had several clans around the province, managing and training the soldiers or providing food for the long winters. 

Even though Taiga had never heard of Meguro before, Taisuke had and that should have already given him a hint that something suspicious was going on.

Matsumura on the other hand was a name Taiga had heard of from Ryosuke before. A clan of soldiers. They were sent in special units, mostly to special locations in low numbers. Taiga should have guessed it after the way he had encountered Hokuto the first time. They were ruthless and smart, knowing exactly how to get information and how to reach their goal. Unfortunately they were also known for their horrible torture methods. Being at this clan was definitely going to be a challenge of life and death, not even knowing what exactly their goal was. 

“So what will it be?” The boy asked once more and lifted the bag.

“Fine,” Taiga said and leaned back against the pole. By now he wasn’t even sure how to sit anymore without being in pain. “But first tell me your name.”

The boy looked a bit startled as he stopped before approaching Taiga. “Reia.”

“Well then Reia, do what your oh so awesome master is telling you to do.”

The mocking was clear, yet Reia didn’t react at all. Taiga tried to make sense out of the boy. Was he a clan member? A servant? Maybe even a slave? He didn’t look like a medical professional, but also not like a person who was only staying inside, taking care of the house.

“We should get that one out,” Reia said as he pointed at the wood that was sticking out from Taiga’s shoulder blade on the back.

“You can try, but don’t complain if I kick you,” Taiga said, but Reia only moved next to the pole and grabbed the short piece of wood, making Taiga hiss. 

“I need to cut the fabric, your armor is going to stop the arrowhead from making it out.”

Knowledge of the fabric of the Oki Clan armor made it clear that the boy was definitely not just a casual servant. 

“Good luck cutting it,” Taiga said as he knew that trying to just cut alongside the fabric was going to be extremely tough and if he didn’t want to slash through Taiga’s back then the boy had to be careful. 

“I will manage,” Reia said as he reached to the back of the light jacket he had on, reminding Taiga of the way his body was slightly shivering as he was completely wet now. Then again he realized that Reia had a towel with him as well, so while that move had been to Hokuto’s obvious satisfaction it had also helped him. The cold had slowed his blood flow and the wounds on his head would be easier treated now that the cuts were visible. 

The knife Reia pulled out from the back of his belt made Taiga look at it in pure awe. “Is that wolfram?”

“A good eye,” Reia said, finally with some kind of emotion on his face. He showed a nostalgic look towards the thin knife. So thin that it would break if it was another metal, but wolfram was the strongest metal in existence and the hardest to find as well. “And now hold still, I don’t care if I cut you.”

And right back into the state from before. But knowing that the boy could show some emotions made Taiga wonder if he could try to get some information out of him, depending on how the next days were going and how long they were planning on letting him live. After all, Taisuke had definitely not sold him off for an easy two weeks tormenting trip just to get back home.

***

Reia had left without any further explanations, not that Taiga had asked him anything important, not yet. It was too early to calculate risky moves like that, not that he was sure that he would even be alive by tomorrow.

Luckily his condition improved a bit with the arrowhead finally out of his back and while Reia hadn’t really used much effort in treating his wounds, the few things he did had been enough to stop most of the bleeding and give Taiga a more pleasant rest. Which was interrupted once more by steps in the corridor, but this time it was hard for Taiga to see when he opened his eyes. So night had finally arrived and with that someone else had entered his room once again, but this time Taiga was slightly confused about a familiar face.

“Well, here we meet again. I am surprised that Hokuto hasn’t already ripped you to pieces.”

Meguro’s look was even more excited than Hokuto’s earlier, but his arrival made Taiga wonder if he was part of the Matsumura Clan or not. “I bet he will be looking forward to taking care of you over the next two weeks. What a shame that your arrival had such bad timing.”

“You can reinvite me at a better timing,” Taiga hissed and Meguro showed a mocking smile as he stepped closer, eyeing Taiga closely as he moved around the pole just to stop right in front of him before he crouched down. 

“What a shame that Basarano doesn’t invite guests.”

“I don’t remember making myself your personal enemy,” Taiga shot back, but this time Meguro’s laugh was shorter, his eyes darker before he lunged out and punched Taiga’s face so hard that for a moment he wasn’t sure if his cheekbone hadn’t cracked under the sudden force. Meguro immediately grabbed Taiga by the hair and pulled him back with a suddenly murderous expression. “You’re not even worth being called an enemy, but for now you can call yourself lucky. I will hand you over for Hokuto’s revenge, so that he can have a bit of fun while I am gone and then I will see how much is left of you in two weeks.”

This time Taiga didn’t reply when Meguro clapped him on the cheek before he got up. Whatever Meguro’s status in this clan was, he was definitely enjoying his chance to throw Taiga into hell and while two weeks didn’t sound that long, Taiga was sure that he had to somehow get out of here fast or Meguro’s return could mean his certain end.

***

His next greeting was even more unpleasant than the ones he had already received. It was definitely in the middle of the night or maybe extremely early in the morning when Hokuto appeared once more. 

Compared to the cold water from before this was a horrible next step. The water emptied over him this time was hot. To a degree that Taiga jolted and let out a small scream on the shock as the boiling water was immediately burning his skin.

“You should thank me, I was so nice to offer you a hot bath this time,” Hokuto said as he threw the bucket into the corner.

He was in the same kind of cotton clothes as Reia before, no armor, no clan crest anywhere visible, so this place was obviously not for a lot of official meetings or diplomatic talks or he wouldn't run around like that. 

“Such a sore loser,” Taiga replied when he had finally calmed down a bit, but his words brought more rage on Hokuto's face, but right now Taiga needed to know if there was a chance to throw Hokuto off enough to actually get a chance to get away. “The scar fits your personality.”

That had done it. The scar on his face was still visible. Right under his eye after Taiga had sliced his sword through it. Not that Taiga's wounds had completely healed. His scar was deeper, longer and way more obvious, yet he didn't have the pride to sulk about it and seek revenge. 

Hokuto on the other hand stepped closer and kicked Taiga back into the pole, making Taiga hiss as his back and head were still hurting a lot. 

“I'll make you beg for your life by the end of this week,” Hokuto hissed as he pulled out a short sword from his belt and grabbed Taiga's armor. 

“Good luck with that,” Taiga said and his meaning was for both. Begging for his life and Hokuto trying to go for his armor with a normal blade.

But different from Reia, Hokuto didn't care for the force he used and he slashed the sword down so harshly that Taiga hissed when it cut right through the armor. Hokuto had to repeat that move several times to actually cut the material enough to be able to pull it off Taiga's shoulder. The part on his back was already cut so Hokuto was able to pull the entire armor off without causing too much damage, but Taiga's shoulder had several new cuts now which would cause him increasing pain.

Trying to cut the entire material was out of question, so Hokuto left the flexible armor hanging around Taiga's arms before he walked back to the sliding doors and got a candle holder from the corridor. There was no direct light inside Taiga's room so Hokuto wasn't able to see more than dark shadows between them.

Taiga tensed when Hokuto walked closer to him with the candles and he waited for the other one's reaction. Hokuto just stared for a moment, his expression hard to read before he moved around to look at Taiga's back.

There was no mocking, no laughing, but once more Hokuto had taken him off guard when he had moved the candles so that the hot wax dripped directly on his hurt back.

Once more Taiga jolted and hissed, but succeeded in calming down fast.

“One or two more scars won't hurt, right?”

There it was, the mocking. Taiga was used to it, not that many people had seen his scars.

“I wonder if you were just extremely weak or really annoying to get all these ugly scars.”

“Careful or you'll join me on that ugly side sooner than you think,” Taiga threatened and this time he actually got Hokuto to laugh.

Hokuto crouched down in front of him and put the candles right under his face, making Taiga pull back, but Hokuto grabbed him by the hair so that he couldn't escape the heat.

“A scar for a scar that is what I gave you, but I can disfigure you for life if you prefer that?”

The flames were already hurting his jawline and Taiga tried to pull away and when his hair actually caught fire he dared to pull his legs up and kick Hokuto to the back.

The candles landed on the floor, the flames vanishing and luckily Taiga's hair hadn't caught fully on fire as it had still been wet.

Hokuto growled when he sat back up, but what else had he expected? 

“Let's see how long you can keep that spirit of yours.” Hokuto said before he actually left without hurting Taiga even more. 

***

Three days. No food, no water, no visitors. It actually surprised Taiga that Hokuto had been able to be this patient. Actively hurting Taiga was definitely giving him more satisfaction, but now it was indeed getting difficult for Taiga to even think about any escape plan.

The moment Hokuto entered the room was already making Taiga worry for another kind of shower, but this time Hokuto only had a short sword on him and without any explanation he cut Taiga free from the pole.

“Well, you think you are tough, right? Then let me see you walk out of this room by yourself.”

“Why would I even bother,” Taiga shot back, pulling his hands to the front to get the ropes off. By now the skin around his wrists was red and itchy, his untreated wounds were also infected and he was sure that soon he’d come down with a fever if not worse.

“You prefer dying inside here this easily, fine with me.”

No, it was definitely not fine with Hokuto, but that fact was making Taiga remain on the ground with a stubborn look. Hokuto waited another moment until he realized that Taiga would indeed not get up.

With an annoyed growl he grabbed Taiga by the hair and forced him to his feet, but the lack of nutrition forced Taiga to stabilize himself on Hokuto’s shoulder or he wouldn’t be able to follow him. He tried to take in as much as possible from his surroundings while Hokuto pulled him down the corridor, but there was nothing much to look at. The same white paper sliding doors, dark wooden floors and walls, candle holders and lamps at the side of the corridors, until a more bright light made Taiga spend attention to the front.

The corridor ended on some kind of veranda. There was no roof over an area in the middle of the house. It wasn’t as big as any of the castles, but definitely big enough to get lost inside of it as the veranda went around all four sides of the garden that was in front of him. 

In summer it was definitely a nice garden, a pond and a big fir was part of it as well, but now it was all covered in snow and Taiga’s body was shivering through the cold he was exposed to through just being outside.

Another person came in sight at the other side of the veranda and when Taiga realized that it was Reia, he wanted to try and analyze his reaction as the boy looked a bit taken aback by the scene in front of him. Unfortunately there was not much time to keep analyzing as Hokuto shoved Taiga right from the veranda into the snow. 

The snow was only a few centimeters deep, not as bad as in Kaikakuto, but that also meant it didn’t stop Taiga’s fall and he hurt his knees and hands on the impact. The cold immediately took over his body as well.

“As you said you wouldn’t mind dying alone in that room, I thought I would do you the favor and speed things up for you,” Hokuto said as he took a few steps down to the snow. Taiga got back up, but Hokuto immediately kicked him back down. “Why are you even trying? Right now, you’re no challenge for me in the first place.”

“Are you even allowed to let me die?” Taiga asked as he remained on the ground this time and somehow that question had even more rage showing on Hokuto’s face and this time Taiga avoided the next kick and jumped to the back, but Hokuto was right, he wouldn’t even have any chance right now, but he still tried to stop Hokuto from causing even more damage, not that he would be able to run away or dodge for long. 

The next time Hokuto landed a hit on Taiga, he shoved him head first into the ground and stepped onto the wound on his back, making Taiga hiss. “You wish I was the one killing you.”

Instead of explaining himself, Hokuto stepped back once more just to wait until Taiga was back in a sitting position, then he kicked so harshly to the front that even with Taiga’s arms lifted the force threw him to the back and unfortunately with that, right into the pond behind him. 

The ice cold water made his body jolt and he swallowed a dangerous amount of water through his body forcing him to take a breath before even being back at the surface.     

With a painful cough Taiga broke through the surface again, his body in a state of shock. He tried to get out of the pond, but the moment he put one hand down to the snow, Hokuto stepped on it.

“Already done with your little swim?” Hokuto asked, but Taiga had switched into survival mode. No matter how exhausted he felt, right now his body wanted to get out of the cold and with one quick move he moved his other hand to Hokuto's leg and brought him out of balance.

If it had been a steadier surface maybe Hokuto could have pulled back faster, but the snow made him slip and Taiga got his hand free and got both hands on Hokuto's clothes like that, pulling him straight into the pond as well.

Taiga could see Reia running towards them, but he didn't get off the veranda yet. Before Taiga could decide what to do next, Hokuto had already reached out for him. He had recovered from the fall into the ice cold water faster, but he hadn't been injured or exhausted in the first place. 

“Fucking bastard,” Hokuto roared as he went straight for Taiga's throat and forced him back underwater. Taiga tried to fight the other one off, but there was no way he could get the upper hand right now.

He could hear Reia shout something above the water and Hokuto shouting something back and while he couldn't understand what they were saying, he was dragged back to the surface the next second.

Hokuto pulled him right up to his face, Taiga trying hard to fill his lungs with air without getting a coughing fit while his body was already shaking violently.

“If you think this was already tough, wait until I make you walk through real hell.”

Hokuto pushed Taiga to the back before he pulled himself out of the pond and stormed off without another comment. Taiga was able to drag himself to the side of the bond, but he didn't feel like he could even drag himself out of the water anymore.

To his surprise Reia made it down to him and helped pull him out of the cold water.

Taiga fell down to the ground right away, coughing the remaining water out while his body slowly shut down through the cold and the pain.

“Come with me,” Reia said and helped Taiga up. It surprised him how much strength the boy had, as he had to carry a lot of Taiga's weight. When they made it back to the veranda Reia stopped for a moment and Taiga immediately spotted the two Basarano soldiers in armor and equipped with weapons. 

There was no way Taiga was allowed anywhere on his own in the first place, for a moment he feared they would just throw him back into the room from before. He'd definitely just die of the cold then.

“Ignore them. As long as you don't try a suicidal escape, they will leave you alone.”

There was no way Taiga was going to try anything in the first place right now and he let Reia drag him to the other side of the veranda. The room Reia opened looked exactly like the one he had been before just with more furniture and without the pole. 

“Here, take this,” Reia said as he threw a blanket at him. “I'll get you some new clothes.”

Taiga couldn't even voice out anything at the moment and he just threw the blanket over himself and sat down on the ground, still shivering.

“Why are you helping me?” Taiga asked after he had calmed down enough to speak.

“I'm keeping you alive, that's all,” Reia said as he put the same black cotton clothes he was wearing in front of Taiga.

“I will not interfere in anything Matsumura or Meguro are doing.”

“You shouted at him to stop earlier, didn't you?”

“I reminded him that he isn't supposed to kill you,” Reia said before he got up and moved to the door. “The soldiers are outside. There is nowhere you can run to from this room. Feel free to take a rest here, but later they will escort you back.”

Of course they would and his new given clothes wouldn't last for long either, but for now Taiga wouldn't refuse a small rest. The warmth of the blanket and the luxury of being able to lie down for even a while was too inviting to turn it down.

Reia left the room without another word and for now Taiga could only hope that even though Reia wasn't really an ally, he would keep being around to stop Hokuto from losing it.

***

It would have been better to just wait and rest, but after Taiga had indeed been able to fall asleep for a while he actually hurried into the clothes Reia had put out for him and then he did what he was not supposed to do.

The room had sliding doors to all sides, so Taiga tried his luck getting out of the room at the back, hoping that no soldiers were right next to it and to his surprise he was really alone in this corridor.

He immediately hurried down the corridor, trying to hear if anyone was close, but except for the soldiers at the front of the room no one seemed to be guarding him directly. 

A move he couldn't understand as they should realize that he was not going to just sit still and let himself get killed.

There was only one way he could go as the corridor ended at one side and he carefully opened other doors, trying to find anything helpful. Weapons, escape routes. Whatever could be of help he'd use. 

Every single door ended in disappointment and eventually he just hurried down another corridor, hoping he could find a way out. 

Soon he reached another veranda, this time not with a garden area, but with an open space in front of him. But there was the problem. He had no shoes on, didn't bring the blanket and it was still heavily snowing. So that was what Reia meant with there being nowhere to run.

But there was one more thing he realized when he looked up at the banners moving in the wind at the side of the unused training ground. Those were not the Matsumura Clan banners. The Matsumura Clan had a red flag with three black crossing swords, while this flag moving in the wind was blue with two white daggers and something that looked like a blood drop between them.

“Feel free to try your luck.”

Taiga didn't even feel caught. He had stopped pretty obviously in the middle of the wide veranda, finally realizing how big this place was. It wasn't just one complex, but several ones connected with roofed walkways and long corridors.

“What clan is this?” Taiga asked as he turned towards Hokuto. The other one had of course changed clothes as well, but his mood hadn't brightened up.

“You're not well informed about our territory and yet you're trying so hard to get rid of us.”

“You're the ones riding out into unnecessary battles,” Taiga shot back. “It's not like you invited us to learn about your province over the last 52 years.”

“Did you?” Hokuto asked back, this time his hand on a longer sword on his belt.

A pointless conversation, yet Taiga also didn't want a pointless fight either.

“Why the hell did you bring me here?”

“Quit the whining,” Hokuto let out in annoyance as he walked up to Taiga and drew his sword, holding it right next to Taiga's neck. “No one here will bother giving you information and for now I'll teach you your place while you're here.”

Hokuto made a head movement to the ground and Taiga immediately let out a snort.

“You're a really sadistic asshole, you know that?”

“I take that as a compliment,” Hokuto replied before he changed the position of his sword so that it rested on Taiga's shoulder and then he pushed it down.

Taiga flinched, but other than that he didn't move.

“Is your pride more important than your life?” 

“Would you be satisfied if it wasn't?” Taiga asked and went down on his knees without any complaint, making Hokuto's look immediately turn disappointed. 

Taiga could finally make more sense out of Hokuto's actions, but unfortunately there was not much he could do against the other one enjoying hurting him. If he obeyed, Hokuto would hurt him because he was annoyed, if he didn't then he'd hurt him to discipline him.

“You really think this is a game, don't you?”

“Isn't it for you?” Taiga asked while Hokuto had put the blade under Taiga's chin to lift his head up. “I doubt there is any way for me to win, so why should I bother?”

Taiga's snappy reply made Hokuto pull the sword up, leaving a cut on Taiga's jawline, but luckily not too deep.

With the next move Hokuto grabbed Taiga by the hair and moved the sword up once more. A ridiculous move, but Taiga just watched how Hokuto cut his long hair off and threw it to the ground. The most harmless thing he had done so far.

Taiga watched his hair on the ground while Hokuto stepped back. There was a moment of silence between them, a weird moment of peace, but of course Hokuto wouldn't leave it at that. 

“Well, you made it all the way out here, then let me see how long you can last in the snow.”

And he was at it again. But once more Taiga didn't care. Somehow seeing his long strands of hair on the ground had given him some push back into reality. He was only a bastard. His own cousin had sold him off, so what was even the meaning in trying to get away? There was no place to run to.

Taiga got up and walked out into the snow without another word, looking right back at Hokuto who gave him a more impressed than annoyed look before he sat down on the veranda. And that was it. In silence they looked at each other. For minutes, then for hours.

Once more Taiga had started shaking bitterly and he couldn't even feel his feet by now anymore, but he didn't care. If this was how Hokuto wanted their day to end then he was going to give him that satisfaction. It was definitely better than other torture methods he could use on him.

When it was already getting dark, Hokuto suddenly stood up and walked out to Taiga in the snow. When he stopped right in front of him he gave him an arrogant smirk.

Taiga didn't move, he couldn't move. His entire body had tensed up by now and Hokuto had realized that.

“Do you know how pathetic you look right now?” Hokuto asked and reached out for Taiga's face. Taiga didn't pull away, right now every single movement hurt and even Hokuto's touch hurt as his warm hands on his cold skin burned like fire.

There was a change in Hokuto's eyes when Taiga only looked back at him and when he withdrew his hand he moved back just to punch Taiga in the stomach. 

This time Taiga wasn't able to remain in a standing position and he folded to the front, his entire body screaming at the movement and he let himself drop to his knees.

“You can stay out here tonight,” Hokuto said as he walked back to the veranda, but then he stretched out his hand and pointed in front of him. “Or you can beg me to let you back inside.”

Once more he wanted to show his power, but while Oki was known for their pride, Taiga wasn't even carrying half of it and he was aware of the fact that he'd die if he stayed here even an hour longer.

Carefully he got back up, his steps so unsteady that he had to use his hands to make it back up the few steps and then he sank to his knees once more to Hokuto's obvious satisfaction.

“Well?” Hokuto asked while Taiga tried to keep his eyes on the floor before he put his hands down and bowed to the front.

“I'm waiting,” Hokuto said as he stepped on Taiga's hand without any hesitation.

Taiga took a shuddering breath, trying to get his lungs to work properly enough to even say anything. His words didn't come out as steady as he wanted them to, but if it satisfied Hokuto then even better. 

“Please let me come back inside.”

Hokuto didn’t withdraw his foot when he crouched down and grabbed Taiga’s chin to make him look up. He didn’t even have to say something, Taiga could read the annoyance about Taiga’s obedience in his eyes.

“No. I will put you in an even better place.”

Both their stubborness had brought Hokuto and Taiga into a dangerous game of life and death. Taiga was sure that Hokuto wasn’t allowed to kill him and as he seemed to be more annoyed than satisfied if he acted obedient, Taiga had completely stopped even responding to anyone approaching him, not that he could move anywhere anyway.

Another three days had passed, but while Reia had indeed tried to give him food and water at some point he had completely ignored him. A risky move, but he hoped that at some point Hokuto was going to stop this game of his, but while he was definitely not trying to kill him that easily, Hokuto was waiting for real begging from Taiga.

The place he was at this time was outside, the only positive thing was that the snow was not directly reaching him and that he hadn’t been stripped of his clothes, not that it helped much with the thin cotton clothes. His hands had been chained up to two poles on his left and right. The lowest he could go was down on his knees and that was exactly where he had been sitting for days now. 

His wrists were bleeding from the pressure he had put on them after fainting several times, unable to stay awake. His body was so frozen by now that he couldn’t even feel the pain anymore. 

It was a sunny day for once and the snow was slowly melting, but it was still far away from warm and one or two days more would definitely be too much for him. So the battle of stubborness continued on this day as well.

Hokuto showed up around noon and while he had only mocked him over the past two days, he was coming prepared this time. 

“You really think I would care if you died, don’t you?”

He didn’t think so, he knew it. Whatever the relation between this clan, Meguro and Hokuto was, Taiga doubted that Hokuto had a higher saying in this than Meguro and he wanted Taiga alive over the remaining one week until his return.

“You didn’t ask a single question over this entire week,” Taiga let out in a hoarse voice, his throat burning on every breath. “You don’t want any information and you’re definitely not dumb enough to think that you can trade a bastard for anything, so why would you want to keep me alive?”

Taiga wasn’t going to let them know that he had figured out the connection between Yasui and Taisuke, but he was curious if they’d come up with some stupid lies or tell him the truth.

“Didn’t I already tell you at our last meeting that I will get my revenge?”

“So you planned all this through just to get to me, right,” Taiga replied, knowing by now that Hokuto wasn’t the one who had set this up or his reaction would have been different when he had encountered Yasui bringing in Taiga.

“If that is what you want to believe,” Hokuto replied before he walked up to Taiga with the bucket he had brought. It wasn’t cold or hot water, it wasn’t going to be this easy this time. 

Taiga had seen the heat escaping the bucket from afar already and now the bucket with the hot coals was dropped right in front of him.

“Are you sure you don’t want to beg to get released?”

“Why? You wouldn’t be satisfied by that anyway.”

“Also true,” Hokuto let out casually before he pulled out a leather glove with which he was able to touch the coal and he moved one piece right up to Taiga’s chest. The lack of preparation made Taiga try to move back, but the chains stopped him from moving much. He was also too weak to get back up or even try to kick Hokuto away, so after a moment the heat made it through the thin clothes and the cotton burned right into his skin, making him bite his lip, as he tried hard not to scream out.

But after a few tormenting moments Taiga couldn't take the pain anymore and screamed out while trying to pull himself even more towards the back, but his wrists couldn't take the pressure of the pulling anymore either. 

Hokuto removed the coal just to grab Taiga by his now short strands of hair. He immediately took out another piece and brought it right in front of Taiga's face.

“Still no change of mind?”

Taiga couldn't even form any kind of words or mocking expressions anymore. All he did was look back at the other one, wondering how someone could grow into such a hateful human being.

The next moment Hokuto moved the coal right behind Taiga's ear, luckily deciding against burning his face straight on. But the pain of having it pressed right against his head was worse than any pain Taiga had been in so far. This time his scream remained short, the pain taking over his body and then finally everything went numb in an instant.

***

The next time Taiga woke up he was flat on the ground, a blanket covering him, but right now even that couldn't help the bad state he was in anymore. His body had reached its limits and some warmth wouldn't change that anymore.

None of his previous wounds had gotten the chance to heal, some of them had started turning black, getting infected.

“If you try to run again then I doubt Hokuto will even try to keep you alive this time,” Reia was heard and Taiga moved his head to look at the boy who had just walked in, a soldier outside the room again.

Reia put some food and water on a small table before he sat down and got out his medical supplies. At this point they looked like a joke to Taiga though. Bandages and herbs wouldn't do anything if another torture was awaiting him the next day. That thought had him laugh at himself, Reia raising an eyebrow at his reaction.

“Again only here to keep me alive,” Taiga said, understanding that Reia wasn't doing anything else than ordered. Some food and medical care would keep him alive for the next week if Hokuto didn't overdo it.

“Indeed and if you keep refusing your food I have no choice but to shove it down your throat. Should be easy enough by now.”

Reia pulled the blanket from Taiga's shoulders to have a look at the infected wounds. The ones that looked the worst though were the new burn marks. The coal had burned away the hair behind Taiga's ear and his chest showed a big burn mark, huge burn blisters on his skin.

“If you now say this could hurt I will laugh at you,” Taiga said and for the first time he saw a smile on Reia’s face.

“That's exactly what I won't say,” Reia let out before he started cleaning the wounds and the pain was indeed a joke compared to what he had endured so far.

“This is not the Matsumura Clan, is it?” Taiga dared to ask when Reia was getting ready to leave.

Reia gave him a side glance as he packed his stuff and got up, but to his surprise the boy didn't immediately leave.

“Basarano is changing. Without an old bloodline, they fight for the leadership inside their own rows. So old clans fall, new clans rise.”

There was a change in the room’s atmosphere with Reia's words, but the boy immediately snapped out of it and turned towards the door.

“Remember what I said, if I come back to food being left or you being on the run again, then this is going to get even more unpleasant.”

Taiga only looked back at the ceiling after he had been left alone. His feet were hurting without any direct caused wounds through the cold they had to endure so running away, even just standing up was out of question. 

Right now he was losing his battle and his dry throat and aching stomach were craving for that food and water.

But there was one more thing he had realized through this conversation. This wasn't the Matsumura Clan, that was clear now, but Reia was also no member of either of the two clans. 

***

Taiga felt furious inside when he had been put back out into the cold the next morning, but what else did he expect. He had eaten as he had realized that his body had reached its limits, but he couldn't even keep the first food in as his body was shutting down too much. But even with the next meal he couldn't regain any strength. He felt numb and dizzy, unable to even walk on his own and the soldiers who had brought him back outside hadn't really handled him carefully so they had just dropped him next to the chains, this time with the positive outcome that he wasn't chained directly up to the poles, but was allowed to sit on the ground. Like that he could at least pull his body together and try to protect himself from the cold.

A bit of the snow was still there, but while it was cloudy today, no new snow was falling.

Deep in his thoughts Taiga found himself begging someone to get him out. Juri was the first one that came to mind. Sho wouldn't even know yet that something was wrong, because even if it was reported to Oki, Taisuke would make sure no one got to know.

Ryosuke and Kochi were in no position to ride out and help him as they were no soldiers. With a cold breath forming a small cloud in front of his face, Taiga let out a bitter chuckle. How pathetic he was.

Just a while ago he had been told that his mother was part of the Kaikakuto Clan and he had been so excited about spending more time with Juri and passing through Kita-Shosan on the way back. Now he was just a shadow of himself, not even understanding what exactly was going on.

He was just a bastard after all so this would be his final destination. No one was going to come. No one even knew where he was in the first place.

Taiga heard the steps, but he didn't look up when Hokuto stopped right in front of him. This time he hadn't brought anything to torture him, not that it was necessary. Taiga was doing that part to himself by now.

“Pathetic, aren't you.”

Taiga almost laughed at the words as that was exactly what he thought about himself right now.

Taiga slowly looked up at Hokuto, both of them just looking at each other this time. There was that disgust in Hokuto's eyes each time he faced Taiga. But somehow it looked different from the pride Meguro or other Basarano soldiers were showing. There was something scolding and challenging in his look.

“Are you jealous that Meguro is the one who is going to end it?” 

Taiga didn't even know why he had asked. But there was a small movement on Hokuto's face before he showed an arrogant smile. “Suddenly preferring me to end it instead?”

Taiga wasn't sure what he wanted in the first place. Death still didn't sound that inviting to him, so for now his mind was still fighting. But he knew his breaking point was close.

***

Taiga had given up counting days, but he was sure that Meguro’s return was close, because he was suddenly thrown back into the room he had been in right at the start. 

“Leave us,” Hokuto was heard saying when the guards had let Taiga drop to the ground and didn’t even bother tying him up. Standing up was hard enough, running away was no option anymore.

Hokuto didn’t even have to do anything in the first place with Taiga having developed a high fever all by himself, unable to keep water in for two days straight and with that Reia had not even tried with any food. Yet Hokuto still didn’t seem satisfied.

“Did you hope I was stronger?” Taiga asked when the other one remained in the room with him, looking down at him as if he was scolding him. It was a laughable situation for Taiga as his mind wasn’t working logical anymore. 

“If I wanted you to fight back, I would have handed you a sword.”

“And yet I didn’t need one to anger you,” Taiga said, weirdly able to still form a smile while his body was in so much pain that it seemed impossible.

“Your small games will be nothing for Meguro,” Hokuto said. “If you thought these two weeks were hell, then wait what he can do to you in just one day.”

“And again you seem jealous,” Taiga said, his balance almost giving up on him as even sitting was a hard task for him right now. Most of his wounds were still infected even with Reia trying to somehow keep him alive. One week longer and Meguro wouldn’t even have to do anything, he would just have died on his own. “If you were more talkative I’d love to hear those arrogant thoughts in your mind. The story that made you such a hateful person.”

Truth was that Taiga really wanted to know. But the reason for it was more the despair and anger he felt about being left in the dark about what was even going on, than any personal interest in Hokuto or Reia. But he wanted to know what Taisuke was achieving with this. Why Basarano? Why now? 

“Well, you won’t get to know, because you are not as strong as me or you would live long enough to find out,” Hokuto replied.

Taiga heard his own laugh echo in his head, a breaking headache stopping him from laughing too much, but the way Hokuto looked almost pouting made the situation too awkward for him to feel frightened. He knew that things would end.

“No strength in the world will keep me alive here,” Taiga said, this time his face was a bit more serious. 

To his surprise Hokuto pulled out his short sword and sat down in front of him, putting it right over the scar on his neck. Not the one Hokuto had caused, but the one that had been there for years already.

“Coward.”

Taiga’s heart made a huge jump on that word and his eyes grew wide. Just this small chaos in his mind was immediately making him feel dizzy, but when Hokuto put more pressure on the blade and pulled it over Taiga’s skin, he intuitively reached out for Hokuto’s wrist and stopped him from moving the blade deeper into his neck.

“Oh? I thought no strength could help you here?” Hokuto said with a smirk as he actually let Taiga pull his hand away. If he really wanted to kill him, then Taiga was done for, but once more Hokuto was not allowed or not willing to end it. 

But Taiga wasn’t sure if he could find enough willpower to keep fighting against Meguro. If the other one was going to play his games even more than Hokuto then he would eventually break under the pressure.

“Well then, let’s see if I get to see that confident look again or if I will look down at what is left of a coward after all,” Hokuto said as he stood up. 

It was the weirdest situation they were in. They had met on the battlefield, Hokuto had sworn revenge, Taiga had suffered greatly under his torture and yet they exchanged confident looks as if they were just two friends trying to win a bet.

“If Meguro is as dangerous as you say, then you will already know at the first sunrise,” Taiga said, being sure that the next day could already be his last, but Hokuto’s look didn’t change. The challenge was still there and Taiga wanted to see him lose that confidence. Just for that moment he wanted to stay alive for one more day.

***

“Hokuto has either no interest in you at all or too much.”

Such a harmless greeting, yet Taiga’s heart was beating like crazy when Meguro entered the room. He had been tied up for the night, but not to the pole as sitting for long was a hard challenge by now and he was lying on the ground with his hands on his back. By now the soldiers knew as well that there was no way he could escape.

Meguro showed an entertained smile when he cut Taiga’s hands free with his knife. Taiga only looked at him while he slowly tried to sit up, his body already complaining on that move.

“You should know that Hokuto is known for taking things extremely personal, so I thought you would have lost at least one or two limbs by now. That you still have your eyes is impressive.”

It wasn’t the fact that Hokuto could be that ruthless that made Taiga shiver, but the fact that Meguro spoke about it like a daily task and not the torture it actually was. “But such a shame that he cut your beautiful long hair.”

Meguro touched the short strands, a few of them still long, parts of them burned through the coal Hokuto had tortured him with. But then Meguro just looked at him before he got up and stepped back.

“Show me.”

Something about the way Meguro said those words had Taiga boil with rage. The arrogance was exactly the same as Taisuke’s. “Come on, get up. Show me Hokuto’s work.”

Taiga could refuse. He could pretend that he couldn’t stand up. Maybe he wouldn’t be able to, but he was still trying. It wasn’t clear if it was fear, anger or just the lack of energy to even think straight that he easily obeyed, but slowly Taiga got up, his body aching horribly on every movement and his legs started shaking when he finally managed to stand straight for the first time in days.

“I guess he got you obedient at least,” Meguro said with a pleased look before he made a hand movement, signaling Taiga that he was indeed going to demand to see everything.

Shame was the last thing Taiga was feeling at the moment, but the cotton shirt he was wearing had to be pulled over his head and his infected back and arm made it a tough challenge to get it off. Meguro seemed to enjoy the show as he didn’t try to help, even though he could have cut Taiga out of his clothes.

His trousers were another level of a challenge as he wasn’t going to be able to keep balance if he tried to get out of them normally and it was clear that he had to, so he crouched down, dropping them to the ground. It took him a moment of dizziness before he was able to stand up straight once more.

Meguro clicked his tongue in a scolding manner as he walked closer again, slowly walking around Taiga. “Such sloppy work.”

Meguro put his hand on the arrow wound on Taiga’s back, making him jolt. “Most of these are not even his work. He just let you suffer on your own, how boring.”

Taiga was taken completely off guard when Meguro pulled him to the back, clawing his fingers into Taiga’s infected arm cuts which had been caused by Hokuto on the first day.

Taiga jolted and tried to pull away, but Meguro didn’t seem to be satisfied by such a small action and he kept his hand clawed in Taiga’s shoulder, while pulling him back. “Still some energy left, I see.”

It was more the pain that was left. It gave Taiga the adrenaline to fight back, not that he was much of a challenge right now. He tried to get away from Meguro, but the other one laughed at his effort and easily kept a tight grip on him. When he clawed his other hand into the wound on Taiga’s back, he tried to swirl around, to make the other one let go, but that movement cost him his balance.

Meguro didn’t try to keep a hold on him when he stumbled and hit the floor in such an unfortunate way that he was sure he had broken something in his arm. His body wasn’t able to break even a simple fall right now.

“So helpless,” Meguro said with a wide grin this time. “But you know that is exactly what makes torture so interesting.”

This situation was indeed a lot worse than it was with Hokuto. Taiga had been able to somehow read the other one, recognize signs and make moves to get himself out of the worst outcome, but with Meguro that option didn’t exist.

Fear was taking over Taiga’s movements when he crawled to the back, but Meguro immediately stepped on his leg and he put so much pressure on it that Taiga winced and tried to pull it free. Meguro could easily break his ankle with the force he used. 

“Swords and arrows are great for the battlefield, but this method is so much more fun.”

Taiga couldn’t agree less, but Meguro’s twisted idea of fun was making this the worst situation. Meguro only moved his foot so that he could kick Taiga right against the head. With a hiss Taiga fell to the side and covered his head with his hands.

“There is no way you can protect yourself,” Meguro said and with his next move he stepped on Taiga’s shoulder instead. No matter how much Taiga tried to protect himself, there was no way to escape the pain. 

Just when he tried to grab Meguro’s leg, the other one finally crouched down to him once more and pulled him back up by his hair. Of course aiming for the burned part to make it even more painful when the freshly burned skin got pulled harshly.

“You know what’s the best part?” Meguro asked when he moved one hand up to Taiga’s neck. “Even if you want to give up, your mind will make you fight. It only knows fear so it won’t just let you die. Which means I can make you suffer for as long as I like.”

He proved his point when he pushed Taiga into the ground, strangling him. No matter how exhausted Taiga was and even if he had made peace with death before, his mind indeed forced him to struggle. His body was already at its limits, the pain so unbearable that Taiga screamed out when he tried to pull Meguro’s hands away from his neck. 

The laugh Meguro let out on Taiga’s suffering was already inhuman to his ears and for a split second he felt relieved when Meguro pulled his hands away, giving Taiga a second to cough and take some sharp breaths. But that relief only lasted for seconds and Meguro sat down on top of him, throwing punches at his face.

“Look at the way you’re forced to fight. You’re so exhausted, yet you can’t give up.”

It was the bitter truth and the worst part were all those tiny moments of rest in between. The false hope his mind was getting that the torture was over. Meguro knew exactly what he was doing.

By the time he finally got a longer break the room had turned darker and the straw mats on the ground were soaked with blood.

Taiga’s wounds had all reopened by now, he was coughing blood as well. His eyes were bloodshot, some of his bones already broken and all he wished for was to finally faint. He wanted it to be over, even if it was for good. His confidence to face Hokuto once more had completely vanished.

“Long wars and battles are not as satisfying as this, no matter how many people I get to kill,” Meguro said when he sat on top of Taiga and stroked his swollen cheeks, blood all over Meguro’s hands as he hadn’t cared at all injuring them while punching Taiga.

Taiga shivered on the touch, fearing the next incoming pain already, but this time Meguro took his time and traced his hand down to Taiga’s collarbone, using way too much pressure on every wound he could find. Then he sat a bit to the back, moving his hands to Taiga’s hips and with that his look changed to something even more dangerous.

He leant over to Taiga’s face once more as he moved one hand violently down to Taiga’s crotch, making Taiga jolt once more. “Because in situations like this I can do whatever I want and that for as long as I want. I will not leave a single part of your body unbroken today.”

It was a last effort of Taiga’s mind to fight the other one off. There were no logical reasons like fear or shame behind his actions anymore. He just couldn’t endure the ongoing pain. 

Meguro’s goal was to prove the full control he had over him and he had made that point extremely clear already.

Taiga had no chance to even try and stop the other one when Meguro pulled Taiga’s legs violently to the side and got himself out of his clothes enough to take full advantage of the situation. 

The pain of Meguro pushing in, thrusting deep without any hesitation wasn’t even the worst one Taiga had felt over these two weeks, yet his mind was finally at the point of giving up. 

Taiga tried to say something, his voice giving up on him when he could only let out a hoarse whimper while he grabbed Meguro’s wrists with shaking hands. But he didn’t want to make any effort to stop him anymore, it didn’t matter. 

“Look how your mind still wants you to fight, without any sense or reason,” Meguro said, enjoying himself to the fullest. 

All the rage and fear Taiga had been fueled with while fighting back, finally changed into despair and shame of his own weakness as he let out a shuddering breath, tears filling his eyes as he tried to hold back screams. But Meguro wouldn’t just leave it at this. 

He wouldn’t just calmly enjoy his own dominance and he pushed Taiga more into the ground, reaching out for every wound he could find and when Taiga could finally not hold back another scream he went for his throat once more, making Taiga’s body shake in pure panic over the real fear of dying as Meguro put so much pressure on his throat as he pushed in harsher this time, that Taiga was sure he would black out any second.

Meguro fell a bit to the front with a mix of a satisfied moan and laugh before finally releasing Taiga, making the younger one take the most painful breath of his entire life. His entire body was shaking by now, but Meguro didn’t seem to care as he sat up and made Taiga jolt when he forcefully pulled out, but immediately reached out for Taiga’s crotch once more, clawing his hands into it with another laugh.

“So what is your mind telling you now? Does it finally want you to give up?”

His mind was blank at this point and Taiga could only let out some painful gasps between heavy breaths. 

“I can keep going the entire day, you know? Maybe tomorrow I should level things up a bit. Did you know that castrating someone can be extremely painful?” Meguro threatened, but this time when he moved closer, Taiga’s body reacted in its final attempt to rescue itself and he tried to claw Meguro’s eyes, screaming at the other one to stop and let him go. His own words were inaudible, blood rushing through his ears, making him feel dizzy. 

Meguro actually let him slash through his face and released him when Taiga crawled to the back and broke down next to the wall, with his body crumbling under the pain and the stress.

Slowly Meguro got up and put one hand to his own face, a small claw mark visible under his eye. He grinned at the small red mark before he walked up to Taiga once more, but when he crouched down this time, Taiga pulled himself into the tightest position his body was allowing him. A last effort to protect himself from new pain.

Even though Meguro only put his hand on Taiga’s hair, he immediately jolted and let out a whine. Meguro’s chuckle made him shiver and while he wanted to resist, his body was feeling too numb to stop Meguro from grabbing his chin and pulling him up enough so that he was forced to look at him.

“Let me tell you that I had tougher people than you. You’re pretty entertaining, but unfortunately for you this is not the best I can do.”

Of course not. Hokuto had warned him and while Taiga had kept his hope high at first that he could go through more torture, he was proven wrong in less than half a day.

“But you know, I feel sorry for you,” Meguro said as he stroked Taiga’s cheek with a fake caring expression. “So I will show you mercy.”

The mercy he was talking about got clear when Meguro pulled out the knife from before and moved it slowly over Taiga’s face. Of course he left a long cut, but it wasn’t too deep and pain like that wasn’t even noticeable to Taiga anymore. “So choose wisely, because if you let me, then I will keep playing with you for every single day now.”

Taiga let out a shuddering breath when Meguro closed his hand so strongly that Taiga’s already hurt jaw took even more damage. But then Meguro pushed him back and put the knife right in front of him before he got up, one last mocking look down at him before he left the room without another word.

Taiga just stared ahead for a few minutes, breathing in and breathing out. Slowly reality crushed onto him and this time his shivers were accompanied by tears and loud sobs. For the second time in his life he was about to lose the battle against fate.

Like trapped in his own mind Taiga had ended up as a shadow of himself. He hadn't moved from his spot at all. All the pain and exhaustion had finally taken his mind to the point of self destruction.

The night was dark and the only light came from some lamps out in the corridor, just enough for Taiga to see the dark silhouette of the knife in front of him.

It had been a long time since a sharp object looked that inviting to him. But he had lost the battle and the morning hours were getting closer and with that the possibility of Meguro showing up once more. 

A sound in the corridor had Taiga jolt in a way that would make others laugh at him and he had immediately grabbed the knife. For others a self defense move with the knife pointed towards the door, while Taiga had pulled the knife towards him, right up to his chest, clenching it with shaking hands.

Even rats on the ceiling would make him freak out in his current state and that was when he realized that there was no way of surviving another day. He had lost the battle for good. 

Slowly he lifted the knife up, looking at the silver blade with a broken expression.

Even holding it up brought unbelievable pain over his body and yet he would suffer even greater pain in a few hours. Pain he wouldn't be able to endure any longer.

“You won the war, cousin,” Taiga whispered in a hoarse voice, the sound of it so unfamiliar. He felt a slight sting of guilt for leaving Shime and Sho behind without them ever being able to get to know what had been the reason for his sudden disappearance. And Juri, if he was still alive then how long would he look for Taiga? When would he forgive himself? 

But in his last moment he was going to be egoistic. He needed a way out and he had been offered the fast way so he was going to take it.

It took him a while to move again, his body aching and shivering when he turned the knife around in his hands, pointing it at his throat. His tears had dried hours ago and with his eyes closed he only felt emptiness inside. There was no hesitation left when he put his last strength into lunging out with the knife, making sure he would use enough force to stab it right through his throat.

The confusion of someone grabbing his hands lasted only for a split second and then panic took over. He wasn't even surprised that he missed someone entering the room as he wasn't even able to stay focused enough to think straight. But the fear of someone taking this chance from him and throwing him back into hell had him twist away, trying to keep the knife and aim for his throat as fast as he could.

But there was no way he could overpower anyone in this state and when the knife was ripped out of his hands he furiously slashed around.

“GIVE IT BACK!” Taiga shouted enraged while his throat was burning on his outburst. “YOU OFFERED ME TO END IT!”

Taiga lost his orientation when he got shoved into the ground, the knife now pressed against his neck.

“I offered you nothing.”

Hokuto. No logic lay in Taiga's reaction when his panic changed to relief. He shouldn't be relieved. Hokuto had tortured him as well. Hokuto was taking away his fast death. 

“Then end it yourself,” Taiga yelled once more, his voice unable to stay steady and his hands violently shaking when he grabbed Hokuto's wrists, trying to force him to move the knife down on his skin. “Or do you enjoy it so much to let Meguro end it for you.”

“No one will end anything right now,” Hokuto said and pulled himself out of Taiga's grip, taking the knife with him. Taiga remained on the ground, unable to even move. He had used strength he hadn't even been sure where he took it from and now his body was unable to even get back up. But the pain filling Taiga's body made the empty and numb feeling finally fade. The fog in his mind cleared as well and he closed his eyes, taking one deep breath after the other.

“I dare you to stay alive.”

Hokuto's words remained unreplied for a while until Taiga finally opened his eyes. It was slowly getting brighter outside and Hokuto was clearly visible to him. The other one was sitting close to the door in the back of the room, looking at Taiga in a scolding manner.

Somehow Taiga had missed that look. It gave him a bit of life back. A kind of arrogant spirit inside of himself was reawakening.

“Why should I try? So you can enjoy the show for longer?” Taiga whispered this time, his voice finally giving up on him.

“If you stay alive one more day I'll do you a favor.”

There was no logical reason to laugh and yet Taiga formed a mocking grin when he looked at Hokuto who still seemed serious.

“What kind of favor could you possibly do me in this situation?”

“Spare you an afterlife in real hell.”

Now Taiga was dumbfounded for a moment. A province like Basarano, a person who tortured others for the fun of it, how could someone like him talk about something religious like heaven and hell?

“So your offer is?” Taiga asked, knowing the answer already, but he still wanted to hear it. His heart was finally beating with a will to live, even if it was only going to be for one more day.

Hokuto's look changed when he slowly nodded, realizing that Taiga had understood him. “I'm offering to kill you tomorrow night.”

***

Even fate seemed to try and torture Taiga with false hope. After Hokuto had left with the knife, there was not much for Taiga to do than wait for Meguro. Maybe he wouldn’t even survive until night time. Meguro seemed surprised, amused and angered at the same time by Taiga still being alive and of course now the most dangerous question hung in the air.

“So did you take a walk or where did that knife go?” Meguro asked as Taiga had still no clothes on to hide the knife as he hadn't bothered getting back into them. He was prepared for Meguro to keep torturing him after all. He wasn’t sure yet if it was going to be worth it. Dying by Meguro’s hand would be way more painful than killing himself or letting Hokuto do it.

But while Meguro seemed more than ready to force the answer about the knife out of him, a soldier appeared in the door and handed Meguro a letter. The other one read it and clicked his tongue before he told the soldier to wait outside.

“It’s your lucky day,” Meguro said, but still crouched down in front of Taiga and grabbed him by the hair. “I guess having you wait for my return once more is going to put you into even more despair. Let’s see if you will take that knife the next time I offer it.”

Meguro left the room without any further explanation and Taiga sat back against the wall, unable to feel calm. There was no way he could be this lucky. Was Meguro playing him? Was he just waiting for him to calm down enough so he could torture him even more? Maybe at night fall he’d come back, a thought that kept Taiga awake the entire day, but no one was visiting him. Neither Reia, Hokuto or any of the soldiers. Then night arrived and he forced himself to stay awake, each time he fell asleep he woke up jolting and looking around panicked. His fear of being set up was way too big to calm down. 

The night was cold once more, maybe there was snow falling again and he was shivering even inside the room. There were noises in the corridors here and there. Soldiers walked around and changed shifts, but then it all fell silent after a while. Too silent. Taiga could hear far noises of rats underneath the building, some noises on the far end of the house, but other than that everything was silent.

It was even more dangerous for him to fall asleep in this situation and the door suddenly getting pulled open without him hearing any footsteps made him jolt once more. 

He watched in silence when Reia entered the room and put his finger to his own lips, holding a lamp and carrying a big bag on his back. At the other side of the corridor Taiga could see one of the soldiers sitting on the ground, obviously asleep.

Reia hurried to close the door and put the lamp down, but when he walked up to Taiga, the older one pressed himself even more into the wall, eyeing him with sheer panic in his eyes.

“We have not much time. You either have to trust me or you won’t have another chance.”

“Another chance for what?”

“To get out of here,” Reia said as he put the bag down and pulled out clothes and shoes for Taiga. There were also bandages and medication in the bag, way more than he had been using on him over the first few days. Even food and water were in it.

“Why would you help me,” Taiga asked. “If Meguro finds out-”

“He won’t,” Reia said confidently and something about his look made Taiga realize more about the boy.

“You’re not from Basarano,” Taiga said, a fact that he had already figured out earlier. He wasn’t just not from the clans, he wasn’t from the province. “You’re from Mabara-Kinmitsu.”

“I would love to chit chat with you, but we seriously have no time. The soldiers are out for now. They will wake up in a few hours. I put something in their food. But other soldiers are around too.”

“Hokuto-”

“Is not here. He and Meguro got called out to an urgent meeting.”

That was too much of a good timing and definitely something Reia shouldn’t even be aware of if he wasn’t actually a clan member.

“You’re a prisoner,” Taiga said and Reia gave him a scolding look as they had to hurry. But luckily Taiga was calm enough to let Reia help him with his heavy injuries. They had to bandage his wrists and ankles if Taiga wanted a chance to even stand and walk. His bleeding wounds needed to be at least bandaged as well.

Reia was fast and skilled in what he was doing, but once more he didn’t answer any of Taiga’s questions.

“He’s in the east wing as always,” Taiga repeated the words Hokuto had said to Yasui and Reia suddenly stopped when he bandaged Taiga’s wrist with a strong wooden part under it so that his wrist was stabilized. “Yasui was here for you.”

“Do you have such a death wish that you care more for others than for yourself?” Reia scolded him once more when he threw the clothes at him and helped him to get into the winter coat and his shoes, because Taiga wouldn’t be able to easily move on his own. 

“Why are you not running? You are definitely skilled enough to get away if you can get me out,” Taiga said, enough strength fighting its way back into his body after some hasty bites of food and water, not that he was sure that he could keep it in for long.

“You’re not here for the same reasons I am,” Reia said as he got the bag packed for Taiga to take it with him. “You can leave and ask for help. I am helping through being here.”

Taiga understood exactly what he was saying, but it didn’t make the fact that he had to accept Reia’s choice of staying behind easier. The boy was a diplomatic prisoner. A leverage to keep Mabara-Kinmitsu from interfering in their battles. As long as he stayed, they wouldn’t get attacked.

“Yasui and you are the two missing members of the council.”

“Not exactly,” Reia said and a shadow passed his face, but then there was more noise at the other side of the building and Reia hurried to help Taiga up and leave the room with him.

“I prepared a horse for you. Just try and stay on, no matter what.”

“They will definitely know that you helped me,” Taiga complained in a low voice when they left the main building behind them, Reia knowing exactly where to walk to not draw any attention. Taiga had problems even keeping up with his pace, his legs were already shaking, his entire body aching. 

“Trust me I am a good liar, I will find a way to not make this too obvious and it’s my choice, so shut up and let me help you.”

Taiga was slightly amused by the braveness of the boy, but he also understood that he had to play his part as well if he wanted to protect Reia.

“Do not pass the Hiden river. We are on the south side of it. This is the hideout of the Meguro Clan. They are protecting the area to the south, so make sure to ride westwards. Follow the river and never lose sight of it.”

“The Seikyo mountain range is in the west, how am I supposed to flee Basarano,” Taiga asked while Reia had brought him out to the stables, putting the bag securely on the back of the saddle before helping Taiga on the horse. It was a painful and tough challenge, Taiga’s ankle definitely having broken bones the same way as his arm and wrist, so every movement made him feel dizzy and exhausted.

“There is a path. It won’t be easy and you need to send the horse back at the end of the river. There is no map, but if you follow my instructions you will make it out to the Shosatsu forest in less than a week.”

A week that was a tough journey in his condition and with only a bit of supplies, no tent or blankets and without a horse in the mountains, but he still nodded. This was indeed his only chance to survive. If he lost his life in the mountains then that was going to be on him.

Reia gave him a detailed explanation of the path he had to follow and Taiga tried his best to remember his words, not letting his mind get taken over by exhaustion and pain.

“Here, take this,” Reia said and handed Taiga his wolfram knife. Taiga wanted to refuse it, but Reia hurried to put it on Taiga’s belt.

“Stay alive,” Reia said with a serious look. “Your life shouldn’t end here. This country needs people like you.”

Taiga felt like shaking his head. He was only a bastard. Reia didn’t even know him, but the boy’s effort to get him out had Taiga nod.

“I will not forget this.”

***

His adrenaline got Taiga going for the first hours. It was a pitch black night, a good cover for him to escape, but at some point he wondered if he shouldn’t try to make it to Kaikakuto after all. But Reia was right, the south was definitely the heaviest protected and if he got caught then Meguro would definitely find out the truth and Taiga wasn’t ready for more torture. Just Meguro’s face showing up in his mind gave him another shiver and a moment of panic. If he got caught he would use Reia’s knife to kill himself before they could bring him back.

His horse was carrying him safely for two days straight. He had made sure to stay away from every possible town or city, not that he saw many buildings close to the river in the first place. The clans seem to be located more towards the north and the main city of Basarano was also too far away to be of any direct danger. On the evening of the second day he was finally at the bottom of the mountains. He had seen them from the first daylight of the first day already. The mountain range was huge, snow all over the top already. But luckily it wasn’t snowing right now and the warm clothes protected him enough from not feeling like fainting.

He was still extremely exhausted and he had to slow his horse down a lot as he couldn’t take the pain of his body enduring a long canter, but he hadn’t dared to get off even once, not sure if he could get back on.

Now he finally dared to get off in the shadow of the first huge mountain, a small forest giving him the chance to light a fire over the night, hidden from everyone around him. 

On the third day he should reach the end of the river or more like where a waterfall started in the mountains. That was where he had to take his provisions with him and let the horse make it back by itself. 

The tough part was going to start then. Steep mountain paths, the risk of heavy snow and Taiga’s broken body on foot for almost a week. It seemed like an impossible task, but he was ready to at least try. His goal was Kita-Shosan. Someone was waiting there for him. He was sure of it. He had the hope that his safe harbor was lying just on the other side of these mountains.

***

“Here our paths divide,” Taiga said as he took the bridle of his horse and gave him a small clap on the neck. “Get home safe.”

As if the horse understood him it put its head against his chest and pushed him a bit before it lowered its head and let out a snort as it slowly walked away.

Slowly, step by step Taiga followed the path Reia had explained to him, up until night time where he dared to make camp once more.

The nights were horribly cold in the mountains, but he luckily didn’t have to get up too high with a path going between the thousands of meters high tops of the mountain range. 

Nevertheless, the snow caught up to him in the afternoon of the next day and Taiga felt too exhausted to keep going fast. He had started taking breaks every few minutes, his body feeling so heavy and exhausted by the steep paths and the heavy snow. But this time he won the battle against his mind and he kept going even though it took him way longer than he wanted to. 

On the fifth day he was finally at a path going down the mountain. It wasn’t even a real path. Usually no one from either province would easily try to make their way through here, it was dangerous territory, wolves, mountain lions and bears all around. It was just luck that Taiga hadn’t encountered any problems so far.

When the Shosatsu forest finally came into sight, Taiga felt pure relief. He was still in danger. There was no way he would let his guard down now. The battle between Basarano and Kita-Shosan had left both sides with spies and soldiers all over the place. Exhaustion and injuries were his enemy over the next few days. If he wanted to make it all the way north to Kita-Shosan he would need a lot more time for his travel and he had to cross the Shinsai river as well.

This part of the forest was in Mabara-Kinmitsu territory, but with his knowledge of what was going on between them and Basarano, he was sure that no one was going to patrol in the woods. And even though their city was the closest he understood that he couldn’t ask them for help, it would bring even more trouble to them and spies of Basarano were definitely in their city as well.

The first night inside the forest was the longest rest Taiga had gotten in weeks. His body had forced him to let his guard down and get several hours of deep sleep, ignoring the aching of his body and the risk he took.

Luckily that rest had helped him make it to the Shinsai river the next day before the noon hours, but with the ongoing snow, the river was fast flowing and not easily crossed. But close to the mountains it was luckily not that wide and after a few hours of traveling alongside the mountains, Taiga had found an area where he was able to cross.

He had to put his luggage over his head while walking through the ice cold river. The current was strong and he was in it up to his hips, but he succeeded in crossing it. He immediately made a fire to dry his clothes and warm himself up, but now all his bandages were soaked as well, some of his wounds had also reopened over his journey, but he knew that he couldn’t give up. This journey was a joke compared to what he had survived and Hokuto’s words echoing in his head, made him feel stronger when he got ready to leave.

There was no need for him to get killed or kill himself anymore. He would live. For his own sake and the sake of this country.

He was sure that there was going to be at least one town outside of the forest. Maybe at nightfall he would finally get a proper rest and be able to get word out to Kita-Shosan.

He put his bag carefully over his shoulder, but when he wanted to head towards the forest from the riverbank he could hear a noise. A familiar noise and usually he would have been able to avoid it, but with his injuries he hadn’t been fast enough and an arrow had hit him in the thigh.

He fell back, landing on the ground with a hiss as that fall caused him more pain than the arrow itself. Then he heard horses stepping out to the rocky surface of the river bank.

“Who dares to enter Kita-Shosan territory,” A general of the province spoke. A handful of soldiers surrounded him, swords and arrows raised against him.

But Taiga felt relief, not fear. The face in front of him was familiar. A general he had met in the previous battle months ago, Nikaido. He easily forgave the arrow in his leg. 

“General of Oki, Kyomoto Taiga,” Taiga spoke, but stayed down.

The general seemed surprised by his words and lifted his hand, telling the soldiers to stand down when he got off his horse. They had only met once and Taiga must look like a slave to him with his bad condition, cut off and burned hair.

“Where is your proof,” the general asked, but he didn’t seem angry or doubtful when he walked up to Taiga who was still sitting on the ground.

“Everything was taken from me. I was taken prisoner for the past weeks after I was on my way back with General Tanaka after our diplomatic meeting in Kaikakuto.”

Nikaido seemed stunned by the fact that Taiga was even still alive and he finally seemed to believe him as he was right in front of him. 

“I am sorry for the harsh greeting. We still have to be on high alert around the borders. We heard what happened.”

Just the fact that they knew had Taiga’s heart racing. “Did General Tanaka let you know? Did he safely make it back to Kita-Shosan?”

“Two of his soldiers returned,” the general spoke, making Taiga’s heart drop in an instant. “General Tanaka had refused to immediately return and had kept looking for hints in Kaikakuto and Mabara-Kinmitsu, but he should return soon.”

Taiga let out a long breath, realizing that Juri had survived and was safe. He would scold the other one for looking for him, while his soldiers left without him. If he had tried to make it to Basarano then they both could have been dead by now. But maybe Ueda had heard about his situation as well by now. There was so much to talk about and Taiga hurried to grab the arrow and pulled it out of his leg. The soldiers gave him a stunt look on the way he got up right away. But pain like this was a joke to him right now.

“Can you escort me to Kita-Shosan?” Taiga asked and Nikaido nodded.

“Definitely. It’s the safest place for you right now. Someone will be relieved to see you.”

Taiga wondered if he meant Juri and while the other one was usually good at hiding their private relationship, he had definitely been extremely worried this time. Maybe even scolding himself for not being able to help Taiga.

There was so much Taiga wanted to immediately ask, but then Nikaido had to reach out for him when he suddenly lost balance after a few steps.

“You’re in a horrible condition, we need to immediately bring you to one of the border towns.”

Taiga couldn’t even complain as he felt extremely light headed. His condition was way worse than it seemed to everyone at first. He had fought for his life for three weeks straight and finally his mind was feeling safe and with that it demanded a full rest. Long talks and explanations could wait for later after all.

The next two days were tougher on Taiga than he had thought. He had felt relieved at first, but then things got complicated. A healer in the next town helped with treating his wounds and luckily Taiga could at least somehow excuse his scars on the recent happenings, even though it was definitely clear to a medical professional that they were already too well healed to be from any recent events. But luckily no one asked him about them. 

Until their departure towards the city, Nikaido had made sure to let Taiga rest, but there was a still ongoing storm inside of Taiga, keeping him from finding any calm moment. Every sound, every unknown person, they were all driving him insane. He was stuck in survival mode and it would take more than just a few soldiers for him to calm down.

They had unfortunately no carriage to help Taiga out with the travel, but he felt fine enough to ride for the next two days. About a dozen soldiers were with him, but they all took their distance while Nikaido wouldn’t leave his side.

Taiga had admired the man at the battle against Basarano already. He had seen him fight in front of the city walls when he and Juri had arrived.

The heavy armor suited him so much more than Juri. He was older than them, more experienced on the battlefield, but there was something calming about him. He was fierce in battle, but showed them smiles in private. But right now he gave Taiga a more worried expression and it took a moment until he even realized that he was staring a bit too much at the other one.

“Let me know whenever you need a rest,” Nikaido said.

“I will not delay you any further. It is already too much to ask to escort me all the way,” Taiga replied. He was grateful for the help, but he also felt extremely useless and on top of that insecure. He couldn’t wear any armor because of his injuries so he was wearing loose beige clothes with a black winter coat. He had left Reia’s clothes behind at the border town as he felt like he needed to leave everything behind that reminded him of Basarano. Just Reia’s knife he had put on his belt.

He had let the wife of the healer cut his hair and now it was at least all the same length, but it felt so strange to him. It would take months for the strands to be even long enough to cover his burn mark. But he still felt embarrassed about the burned part of his head and the lovely woman had given him a gray cloth to wrap around his head and with the cold weather it wasn’t even looking weird.

“Oki came to our aid against Basarano, there is no way we would not help you out this time,” Nikaido said with a supporting smile, but when Taiga only nodded, Nikaido’s look turned a bit more serious once more. “I will not demand any explanations, but if there is a chance of any attack, I would like you to let us know.”

Of course sooner or later Nikaido would run out of patience, but Taiga wasn’t even sure what to tell him. “As much as I am aware, this has nothing to do with Kita-Shosan and it will hopefully not escalate into a direct battle.”

That was a way too vague explanation, Taiga realized that himself, but Nikaido seemed to understand his confusion and hesitation.

“Will you at least let me know the province?” Nikaido asked, while it was definitely already obvious to him.

“Basarano,” Taiga said without any hesitation. He didn’t have to hide that fact. But there was so much more he was hiding right now. Mabara-Kinmitsu’s involvement, his own discovery in Kaikakuto and the fact that he was aware of his own cousin teaming up with Basarano.

“General Tanaka must have stood extremely beside himself to even refuse to make it back, I can only imagine how sudden the attack came for you. The soldiers said he had hoped that some hunters you had met on the way might have been able to lead you to safety.”

Right, the hunters. Yasui and the Basarano soldiers they hadn’t been aware of at all. A huge set up they had been unaware of for their entire journey, while Yasui had spied on them for weeks, just to make sure to have the perfect timing to always run into them. His skills were impressive that was for sure and Taiga couldn’t hate him for what he had done. He was only protecting his province.

“I apologize for causing so much trouble to your province while you have your own battles to fight,” Taiga said as it was only thanks to their border patrols that they had found him this early. The new year was about to arrive soon as well.

“Do not worry young general, we are not a province you have to fear,” Nikaido teased him a bit this time. “I doubt Oki will ever give us a reason to turn our backs on you.”

Something Taiga wouldn’t put his hand into the fire for, as the leadership was about to change in a few years and with that more trouble could await them. But right now he wasn’t calm enough to occupy his mind with future diplomatic talks. Right now he just wanted the day to turn so that he would finally be able to take Juri’s mind off his ongoing worry the moment the other one would be back to the city as well. For the first time in weeks he had found enough calm inside of his mind to think about someone else and it brought the very first smile back on his face.

***

The walls of Kita-Shosan. Finally they were right in front of them. Taiga felt restless and exhausted, but he refused to take more rest than absolutely necessary. It would take him weeks to recover, some injuries would take months, but as long as he could somehow move around he was going to hurry towards the city.

Nikaido had to help him off his horse as his right ankle was still giving him a harsh time walking and he couldn’t put any pressure on his arm or wrist. “You should definitely stay a few days or maybe even weeks here to heal before a long trip,” Nikaido told him and Taiga couldn’t agree more. This was where he had aimed for with Juri in the first place and he was looking forward to finally getting those calm weeks.

“My messengers should have already let them know about your arrival. I will escort you to the meeting hall,” Nikaido said and helped Taiga down the narrow streets.

It felt kind of nostalgic being back and he still hadn’t seen the entire city. This time he wanted to make sure to take his time and explore, maybe even ride out of the city with Juri when he felt better to see more of the province in a peaceful manner.

This time he was the one who had problems with stairs and his breath, but while his injuries were at fault for that he had to chuckle at the thought of how Juri would laugh at him if he saw him now and suddenly his heart beat faster and that not because of his exhaustion.

“He’ll be relieved to see you safe,” Nikaido said as they reached the meeting hall.

“At least now I am,” Taiga whispered, not wanting to get stuck in his dark thoughts again, but each time he didn’t watch out his mind got occupied with the happenings of the past weeks and then everything shut down when he remembered Meguro’s face. Never in his life had he feared someone this much.

But now he wanted to shut those thoughts out. When Nikaido opened the doors for him and he stepped into the familiar meeting hall, all he wanted to do was to tell Juri that he was sorry and that he was okay. Nikaido’s words implied his return after all. He knew that together they would be fine and he would heal. Mentally and physically.

“Welcome back.”

No, he was wrong. There was someone he was afraid of almost as much as Meguro and with that realization his entire strength immediately crumbled once more. The step he made to the back had Nikaido look at him a bit worried, but then he turned back towards the person waiting for them.

“I heard that you traveled the entire way here in less than a week through General Tanaka’s urgent request. We apologize for the trouble Kita-Shosan was causing for Oki.”

A laugh, so fake, yet so innocent and pure sounding. “Not at all. My hurry seemed to have been in vain though.”

The step Taisuke took towards Taiga, had his entire world shatter. Of all people, he didn’t want him to be here. He should have seen it coming. He should have known that the situation would have seemed serious enough for Juri to call Oki for help. But now he had put Taiga from one lion cage into the next.

“Cousin, you must have gone through a harsh time over the past few weeks, I am so relieved to see you safe.”

Everything in Taiga’s mind screamed to step away, but he couldn’t move. Taisuke didn’t know yet that Taiga knew what was going on and that one fact was what kept Taiga from freaking out completely. He just froze completely in his movements when Taisuke hugged him. A painful hug, of course. Taisuke knew exactly what he was doing, but Taiga refused to break this easily. His hate was overruling his fear and he fought back the tears of panic forming in his eyes when Taisuke backed off without causing much damage, for now.

“What did they do to you,” Taisuke asked as he put his hand to Taiga’s face. Cuts and bruises were still extremely visible and of course Taisuke reached out for the cloth on his head. The shine in his eyes could easily be mistaken for sympathy, but Taiga knew what it was. Sheer excitement. 

“You should rest.”

“Let me escort you to your quarters. You also only arrived yesterday,” Nikaido offered and Taiga cursed in silence that he hadn’t been faster. Just two days earlier, he could have faced Taisuke’s arrival easier. 

Just when Taisuke wanted to reach out for Taiga’s arm to turn him towards the door, someone was heard rushing up the stairs. Seconds later Juri dashed through the doors, stopping right in front of Taiga with heavy breaths and wide eyes.

He should apologize to Nikaido and Taisuke for his rushed entrance and he should definitely not have done what he did next, but Taiga was the last person who would ever scold him for his hasty decision. 

Juri threw his arms around Taiga and pulled him so tightly against his chest that Taiga would complain if it was anyone else.

“You’re alive,” Juri let out in a shaking voice, tears of relief visible in his eyes. 

Taiga’s body complained a lot about the pressure put on his injuries and Nikaido seemed concerned as well, but he didn’t interfere when he saw that Taiga fought the pain and lifted his arms to hug Juri back.

“Sorry to make you worry,” Taiga said as he finally felt safe once more. 

He just wanted to remain like this, but then he felt a hand on his shoulder and while Juri immediately made a step to the back, Taiga clawed his hands into the other one’s clothes, unwilling to let go.

“We’re all extremely happy to see him safe, but we should let him rest for now.”

Taisuke’s manipulative ways of turning the attention on him at every possible second had Taiga’s rage overflow once more. Especially when Juri pulled back and gave Taiga an apologizing look.

“Of course. Sorry, I must have hurt you.”

“No-”

“He’s definitely not in the condition for long reunions right now, but we will take your offer and stay for a few days,” Taisuke said as he remained right behind Taiga, his hand tightening around his shoulder. His hurt shoulder of course.

“Please take a long rest and let me know if you need anything,” Juri said.

I need you, was what Taiga wanted to say so much. But after Juri’s first emotional outburst he was now more careful. Taisuke was the one with the highest status in the room so Juri had to pay him respect and also watch out to not be too overprotective with Taiga or they would be in trouble as well.

Taisuke pushed Taiga more towards the door, Nikaido stepped out first, but Taiga reached out for Juri’s hands once more and the way Juri immediately tightened his grip on the other one’s hands as well, showed how much he also wanted to stay with him. 

Juri wanted to know what had happened and Taiga wanted nothing more than to talk to him in private. Yet all they could do for now was to exchange a look in silence when Taisuke kept pushing Taiga out of the room.

Once more Taiga felt like a prisoner. Nothing had changed when he stepped in the room that had been prepared for him. Taisuke was staying at the same building, a few soldiers were also around as they had arrived with him. 

When Taiga stepped into his room he halted when he wasn’t alone, but of course Taisuke pushed him inside after he had told Nikaido that they were fine for now and would ask if they needed anything.

Iwamoto had of course come with Taisuke and now he was trapped with both of them. 

The room was beautifully decorated. It didn’t look as cold as the guest rooms they had at their castle in Oki. The wooden frame of the bed had beautiful flower engravings and the entire room smelled of ebony furniture. 

With the heavy wooden door falling shut, the atmosphere immediately changed. Taiga just stopped in the middle of the room while he would love to sit down. All he wanted right now was some rest, but of course he wouldn’t get it.

“You’re the most useless general ever,” Taisuke let out as he walked past Taiga with his hands on his back while Iwamoto stood next to the windowsill. The room was on a higher floor with an open view towards the city walls. “When my father got the message from Kita-Shosan that you had gone missing in a sudden ambush he was furious.”

That was a lie. Taiga knew that his uncle was definitely extremely worried and not furious at all. 

“Luckily I offered my help. Not that you seem to have needed it.”

Right, his help. Taiga bit his lip from the inside, making sure he wouldn’t say anything out loud. Right now he would most likely make Taisuke freak with his snappy attitude and he didn’t want to accidentally give any hints about him knowing that all of this had been Taisuke’s set up in the first place. If Taisuke got to know then it would be Taiga’s death sentence.

“Do you have anything to say?” Taisuke asked when Taiga remained completely silent. He was too exhausted for all this and it showed when his next action had Taisuke speechless for the first time in ages.

Taiga bowed to the front, even though the movement hurt him a lot. “I am sorry for all the trouble I caused. I will make sure that we can depart as soon as possible.”

Right now he just wanted to get out of the situation, even if that meant leaving Kita-Shosan way sooner than he wanted to and leaving Juri behind. There was nothing he could do as long as Taisuke was around.

“Do you expect any sympathy now?” Taisuke asked as he stepped closer and lifted Taiga’s head back up. “If you are that sorry then let me hear what happened.”

Taiga closed his eyes for a moment, unable to keep a straight face for a split second as Taisuke knew of course what had happened, yet he would make Taiga tell him, just for his entertainment.

“You can start with this one,” Taisuke said as he finally ripped the cloth from Taiga’s head, revealing the burnmark behind his ear. “Or how about these?” Taisuke asked as he grabbed Taiga’s face and traced the long thin line on the side of his face before he moved his hand to his neck. The skin on his neck was still heavily bruised and Taisuke’s hand immediately found the cut on it.

“Were you a coward aga-”

“No,” Taiga cut him and grabbed his wrist, pulling Taisuke’s hand away. A move that had the other one look at him in astonishment and annoyance.

“Mh, so no self caused wounds, that’s at least something.”

Which was only thanks to Hokuto. A thought that had Taiga’s mind fogged with heavy memories once more. He wasn’t grateful for what he had done. Hokuto wasn’t on his side. He had only offered to kill him. Maybe it was an act of mercy in his eyes, but for Taiga, the other one was the same enemy as Meguro.

“Well, then show me how tough you have been over this time,” Taisuke said and walked behind Taiga to remove his winter coat. Taiga didn’t refuse, yet he looked up at Iwamoto who didn’t even seem to care for what was going on. 

“I want him to leave.”

“Oh?” Taisuke let out with an amused smile. “Rare for you to order people around.”

“I am not ordering you around, but him. I do not want him present.”

Iwamoto was a clan member, but not a leading family member, so he had to obey Taiga’s wish, but if Taisuke told him to stay, then Taiga had to obey as well. To his surprise though, Taisuke made Iwamoto leave.

“And here I was doing you a favor,” Taisuke said. “You hate being alone with me.”

“I hate being around you no matter the situation.” Here he had finally lost his patience. Nothing new. It kind of made Taiga proud that he could still find the courage to speak up for himself even after all this mess and with the danger lying in each word he spoke.

Taisuke moved his arm up and Taiga got ready for a slap or punch, but Taisuke only put his hand on the younger one’s face. But then he moved it to the burn wound behind his ear with way too much pressure, but Taiga didn’t move away.

“So what did they use? Just a burning stick? Maybe heated metal?”

Taiga didn’t reply, but he was sure that Taisuke didn’t want to get interrupted. He knew what was coming.

Taisuke traveled with his hand over Taiga’s short hair with a disapproving sound. “And here everyone loved your long blonde hair.”

Again Taiga didn’t comment. Taisuke moved his hands to his face, touching all the bruises before he went to his neck and then Taiga flinched when he reached his collarbone. “Mh, I guess that one is not the only broken one.”

Of course it wasn’t, but Taisuke would see for himself. Taiga was more than grateful that Nikaido had thought of his injuries and had gotten him a shirt with buttons, so it wasn’t that painful to get out of it. Yet for the very first time he felt reluctant to let Taisuke see his wounds. 

“An arrow,” Taisuke said as he touched Taiga’s back, making him slightly shiver. That injury was one of the few that had somehow healed by now, but Taisuke was still ripping off all the bandages that had kept the cuts from getting reinfected.

The cuts on Taiga’s shoulder left Taisuke uninterested, his broken wrist had him chuckle in amusement and Taiga was more than relieved when his cousin wouldn’t try to get off the wooden parts and leather strings keeping his wrist stable. It was hard enough to move without pain, if he moved it forcefully now, then it could get damaged for good.

“Doesn’t seem like metal to me,” Taisuke said when he touched the burn mark on Taiga’s chest and this time he waited for Taiga to reply.

“He used coal.”

The fact that Taisuke didn’t even ask about that he or the place of his torture in the first place, showed that he didn’t try as much as he should to hide his involvement, but he knew that Taiga wouldn’t be able to do anything in the first place. If anything happened to Taisuke while he was around then his uncle would never forgive him.

“Interesting torture,” Taisuke said when he kept looking at more bruises and cuts until he reached Taiga’s hips and that was when Taiga tensed. Taisuke raised an eyebrow when he saw that his cousin was clenching his fists, but still proceeded in pulling the other one’s trousers a bit lower.

His hip bones had a few of the heaviest bruises, huge violet marks going all the way down to his thighs and claw marks still remaining on his skin.

“That’s... unexpected,” Taisuke let out with such a serious expression that Taiga clenched his fists even harder. Instead of examining the rest of his wounds, Taisuke put his hand on Taiga’s thigh, but that movement had Taiga take a step back for the first time and he grabbed his trousers, pulling them back up.

“If you don’t mind, I would like to take a rest. I have been fighting for my life for weeks,” Taiga said, trying to not sound too desperate or demanding.

“Of course, how rude of me,” Taisuke said with a chuckle when he stepped in front of the younger one once more. This time there was so much more in his look then when he usually got excited about people hurting Taiga. There was something more this time. In between the excitement was a hint of distaste. 

He didn’t touch Taiga when he leant a bit to the front and whispered next to his ear. “You made it out alive, but it cost you your pride, not that you had much as a bastard. Disgusting.”

Taiga’s eyes widened on Taisuke’s last word as the latter left the room. After everything that had happened, words could still hurt him this much and he hated himself for it. Why did he even care if he was disgusting to him?

“In your eyes I’m no Oki Clan member,” Taiga whispered as he clenched one hand into the seam of his trousers. “I don’t owe you anything. I will not obey your rules.”

Taiga hissed the words under his breath, while his body slightly shook with rage. This journey had brought him to his knees. It had shown him the darkest side of life and pushed him right over the abyss. But it had also shown him light. A light he shouldn’t forget about, because it was hope he had to hold onto in these dark times. His life wasn’t over. He had gotten a second chance and he would use it.

***

Taisuke had made it to Kita-Shosan in the short time of one week, but that was only because they had been able to ride through most of the nights as well. If they took Taiga back with them then it would take at least double of the time and it was clear that they would head home over Bodasei. The disgust over Taiga’s situation was visible on Taisuke’s face each day. But thanks to that he was giving him some space and with that the rest he had needed.

Exhaustion had forced him to sleep and stay in his room for two days straight, only Taisuke and Iwamoto checking up on him, but on the third day he finally felt calm and rested enough to actually get up. 

He stopped in front of the door, knowing exactly that he couldn’t just walk out. With a careful touch he checked his wrist and ankle before he made it over to the window. Back in Oki he had often sneaked out of the castle in the most dangerous ways. But this time he was hurt, yet he took the risk. 

Carefully and slowly he made it over to the roof of the next wooden house, biting back the pain of too many hurt bones in his body while trying to get down a few houses later. No one had seen him, but he knew that Taisuke would be furious later if he realized that he wasn’t in his room.

Even in this situation Taiga was still a general and with that he dared to find some soldiers of Kita-Shosan who could give him information. No one suspected anything as it wasn’t weird for him to walk around alone as they didn’t know Taisuke’s behavior around him.

A few streets later, Taiga had finally found the right house. Around this area, towards the ocean, there were bigger houses. The wooden houses were replaced by more stone and more detailed structures. The houses of soldiers and generals.

Taiga wanted to knock, but then he hesitated. Was he in the right mindset for this? He immediately shook his head and knocked. After all, Taisuke would make them leave soon and he wouldn’t get a second chance.

Fast steps were heard inside the house and Taiga took a step back when Juri ripped the door open a bit too hastily and then they just looked at each other.

“Did you by any chance wait for me?” Taiga asked, trying to smile at the other one, but Juri’s worried look had him lose his smile. “May I come in?”

Juri nodded, but then he looked around, obviously surprised that Taiga was alone.

Inside the house it was quite warm, Juri had a nice fireplace with two chairs, a low wooden table and a big cozy carpet. Somehow Taiga had imagined the other one’s place differently.

“Did you sneak out?” Juri asked when he closed the door. “No one came with you?”

“I know I shouldn’t have with my injuries and Taisuke around, but-”

Taiga turned back to the other one while explaining, but then Juri was already right behind him, cupping his face and pulling him into a soft yet greedy kiss.

At first Taiga tensed, but when Juri gave him a moment to adapt and he caressed his cheeks while softening the kiss, Taiga relaxed more as well and slowly put his hands on Juri’s chest, deepening the kiss. This was the first body contact he was enjoying after all these weeks. 

Juri was the one to break the kiss as he tried to not get too excited again. His first greeting had been a bit too rough on Taiga already and this time he was obviously trying to hold back as he only kept his hand on the other one’s face while putting his forehead carefully against Taiga’s.

“I thought I lost you. I am so sorry for not having been able to get us both out at that time.”

“You did what I would have done as well,” Taiga said, not sure if he had been able to actually leave like Juri, but it had been the most logical choice. Juri hadn’t been their goal so Yasui would have just killed him if he had come back.

“Who-, I mean, I don’t want to pressure you to talk-”

“Basarano,” Taiga let out when he stepped back to look at the other one with a serious expression. As it was Juri, he didn’t mind talking about certain details, at least about those which were necessary. But Taiga had still covered all his wounds and scars, a high collar back on this time, not that Juri would be able to see much with a lot of bandages on his body. The cloth on his head was replaced by a new one as well, as Taiga didn't like to show his burn mark yet.

Juri offered the other one to sit down and Taiga carefully sat at the fireplace, the heat on his face feeling so amazingly calming to him. Instead of sitting on the other chair, Juri sat down on the armrest and put his hand with a soothing touch on the cloth on Taiga’s head. 

But this time Taiga wasn’t taking it off, because he was asked to, but because he felt comfortable enough doing so.

Juri’s hand moved carefully to the bandage around his head, a healer having put a lot of herbs and bandages on his wounds so that they could finally properly heal.

“Did you get to know any more details?” Juri asked, not sure how much he should ask.

“It was the Meguro Clan, they are a newly established clan. I thought at first it had been the Matsumura Clan, but something weird is going on inside Basarano.”

“Weird?”

“I feel like they are having something like a revolution in their own province and on top of that they are preparing for something bigger,” Taiga said, knowing that he had to talk about the details later with his uncle as well. With Taisuke present he couldn’t easily just talk freely with the leaders of Kita-Shosan.

“By the way, what happened to Yasui and the hunters?” Juri asked.

Taiga gave him a confused look at first, but then he shook his head. Of course Juri would at least pretend to worry, because no matter if he liked Yasui or not, he didn’t wish for the other one to die.

“I lost sight of them in the snow. I hope they are okay, but I am not sure if they survived.”

He didn’t have to cover Yasui, yet it felt like the right decision for now.

With the noon time arriving there were more voices and sounds heard outside in the streets and Taiga worried that it was going to be discovered soon that he was missing.

“There is something else I need to tell you,” Taiga said and Juri looked at the other one with a serious expression when he nodded. Juri didn’t need to know the details of his torture. Right now Taiga wasn’t strong enough to face all the hardship at once, but he needed to make sure that he had a lifeline.

“I wanted to tell you on our way back, but I didn’t get the chance,” Taiga explained while Juri’s expression turned a bit worried, but that made Taiga reach out for his hand and squeeze it. “Don’t worry, this is amazing news. Something I was thrilled to let you know about.”

Juri’s face immediately softened, making Taiga form a smile. 

“My mother, she was a Kaikakuto Clan member.”

“What?” Juri asked so confused that it made Taiga chuckle. Whatever he had expected to hear right now hadn’t been this topic that was for sure. “I mean, I remember that there was something between you and Ueda that seemed extremely important and I didn’t even have a doubt at that time that your mother was from that province, but a direct clan member? Taiga, does that mean…?”

“Ueda is my uncle,” Taiga let out with a bright smile, having Juri shake his head in disbelief as he got up and started walking up and down the room. 

“I considered at that time to ride back to ask them for help,” Juri said. But Kita-Shosan was the easier direction with all the snow. If I had known, we could have helped you sooner.”

“No you wouldn’t have been able to help me,” Taiga said as he got up and stopped the other one from pacing. “I am grateful for your thoughts and your help, but trust me when I tell you that no matter who you would have asked for help, no matter how fast you would have found my whereabouts, it would have been too late.”

The realization and fear in Juri’s eyes, had Taiga reach out for him this time and touch his cheek with a knowing smile. “I didn’t tell you to make you feel guilty. I am telling you so that you know who you can trust in the future in case there is going to be any other hardship coming our way.”

“Do you think I will be allowed to escort you back?” Juri asked, the hurt so visible in his eyes now, especially when Taiga shook his head.

“Not this time. But I promise you that I will be fine. I will not hide in my province from now on. I might need some months to heal, but I promise you that I will find a way for us to meet again.”

This time it was Taiga who moved in for a kiss, giving Juri no chance to reply. Once more Juri would need to wait to get to know more about Taiga. Something that would be difficult for both of them, but it was also the lifeline Taiga needed right now. He wasn’t alone. He had allies in Oki and now also in Kita-Shosan and Kaikakuto. He would find a way to overcome his fears and find his own way in between the lines of enemies around him.

The journey back to Bodaisei was as horrible as Taiga had imagined it. Taisuke hadn't given him many days to rest and of course he had caught up to his relationship with Juri more than he liked so he had tried to stay away from Juri on their final day, even though it had been hard.

Now they were finally at Bodaisei and Taiga got the one moment of peace that even Taisuke couldn't take away from him when they passed the shrine of his parents.

Even if Taisuke would want to forbid Taiga to stop, with the soldiers around this was even too much for him.

“You kept secrets from me,” Taiga whispered in his prayers as he finally got a moment for himself. “But I am grateful for them. I understand that my uncle didn't want to talk about it. Unlike Taisuke he wants me in the Oki Clan.”

Taiga remained silent for a prayer before he stepped back with a faint smile. “Father, I'm sorry that I might not be able to become a proud son of Oki, but I hope you'll support me if I decide that the Kaikakuto Clan will be my new home at some point.”

“You took your time. We should hurry,” Taisuke said, trying to sound as if he was worried about Taiga exhausting himself.

By now Taiga was somehow able to get back on his horse by himself, but his body was still aching through the ongoing travel.

“Make sure to apologize to Ryosuke,” Taisuke said when they were close to the city. The shrine was already in sight. 

“Right,” was all Taiga said, because Ryosuke wouldn't need any apologies. It wasn't like he was bothered by Taiga passing through and he wasn't going to be angry about what happened. The only one who was indeed angry and not worried was Taisuke himself.

The monks greeted Taisuke first, but their worried looks towards Taiga surprised him. As much as he was told, Taisuke had not sent out any word to Ryosuke yet.

When Taiga tried to get off his horse he accidentally stepped down with his hurt ankle first, stumbling to the back in pain. 

Iwamoto grabbed him before he could fall over, but of course the soldier wasn't careful with him and stopping his fall had caused the same amount of pain as if he hadn't helped him. 

Taiga just looked at the other one, not thanking him as he didn't need to. Luckily Iwamoto just let go of him and Taiga walked up to the shrine without another comment. He was ready to get some scolding as Ryosuke had to at least pretend in front of Taisuke that he was not happy about the situation. Yet when Taiga stepped into the main hall first it wasn't Ryosuke who greeted them, but two faces he hadn't expected to see here at all.

“What are you doing here?” 

Taiga's words had Shime and Sho jump up as they had been patiently waiting.

“Taiga, oh my god you're safe,” Shime shouted as he dashed over to him, but then he stopped right in front of the other one, hesitating to hug him and just putting his hands on his arms. Shime was always good at reading the atmosphere.

“What the hell are you doing out here?”

Now Shime pulled himself even closer to Taiga when Taisuke stepped inside. Sho had also walked up to them, Taiga giving him a grateful nod.

“Uncle let us go. We knew that you would go through here after your messenger came back to Oki with the news that you found him.”

“Shime, you should have waited at Oki,” Taiga said. “But I guess uncle gave his permission because you offered to go with him?”

“Indeed,” Sho said with a nod. “Me and a handful of soldiers. We arrived two days ago.”

“Don't you delay us on our way back,” Taisuke let out in annoyance before he asked one of the monks to get Ryosuke.

“Are you okay?” Sho asked when Taisuke finally gave them some space.

“As okay as I can be right now,” Taiga said and he patted Shime’s shoulder as he saw that his cousin was already close to tears. “Let's sit down and wait?”

Finally Taiga felt a bit calmer with their unexpected arrival and he gave Shime a side glance when they sat down and Sho went to get another pillow.

“You came to interfere, didn't you?” Taiga whispered.

“Of course,” Shime said, not even denying it. “Taisuke definitely made your way back tough enough. I won't let him put you through even more trouble.”

Taiga chuckled on the other one's determination, but he was indeed grateful.

“I have amazing news,” Taiga said, making Shime’s eyes sparkle. “But they are for later.”

“Of course,” Shime said, understanding that this wasn't the right time or place.

“Everyone out.”

A pretty direct and strict greeting. Ryosuke entered the hall in his typical long rope and he had his fan out in his hand with an impatient look.

Sho put the pillow down and carefully patted Taiga's shoulder before he and Shime stepped out without any complaints.

“You too.”

Taisuke raised an eyebrow at him, but Ryosuke stood his ground. “In these halls there are rules and even you have to obey them.”

Taiga grinned to himself while Taisuke reluctantly went outside and Ryosuke closed the heavy double doors.

“Stand up,” Ryosuke said while he looked at every movement Taiga did while carefully standing up.

“Any extremely heavy injuries?”

“An arrow wound on the back, a hurt arm and a broken collarbone, wrist and ankle. Other than that it should all be better by now,” Taiga said, even if better wasn't the right word yet.

Without any other words, Ryosuke lunged out with his fan and hit Taiga on the head with it. Even with his head injuries already better than the rest it hurt way more than usual, making Taiga feel nauseous right away. But there was no second hit coming.

“This was for making all of us worry,” Ryosuke said as he put the fan back in his belt. 

“And this is for being the toughest asshole out there to survive whatever shit went down there,” Ryosuke said before he hugged Taiga. Of course watching out to not put pressure on his back.

“This might be the first time you ever hugged me.”

Taiga's words had Ryosuke pull back and put a hand back on his fan, making Taiga step back with a chuckle. “I didn't mean that in a bad way.”

“Well, you're still not getting a second hug,” Ryosuke scolded him, but then his look softened once more. “I will try to convince Taisuke to go easy on you.”

“That won't happen,” Taiga said with a beaten expression. After a battle they would do the waterfall cleansing in summer and just some water cleansing in the shrine in winter. After a loss it was all a bit more. A bit rougher, longer and harder on the body. But this time things were even more complicated.

For their clan this place wasn't just a random place to go through. Their religion was demanding strict rules and one of those rules was why Taiga feared his visit this much.

Ryosuke gave him a worried look as he saw Taiga's broken expression and he let the other one sit down for now and sat opposite of him.

“You're not just afraid of him throwing you out into the cold even in winter,” Ryosuke concluded, because it was clear that Taisuke would demand the purest cleansing even if that meant going out to the waterfall. There was luckily no snow in this region, but the cold would still be extremely tough on his broken body. 

“Taiga, what happened,” Ryosuke asked. For the first time Taiga had to be more precise and while he had been able to tell everyone off for later, Ryosuke needed to know. 

Taiga let out a shaky breath, trying to find the right words. It was easy to explain. No complicated words needed, yet for the first time he felt ashamed. 

“Something that made Taisuke call me disgusting,” Taiga let out instead of saying anything directly and his voice immediately gave up on him. When he grabbed the fabric on his upper thighs with shaking hands, Ryosuke’s look finally changed.

“I'll rip his tongue out one day,” Ryosuke hissed, making Taiga look back at him with wide eyes. “What? You thought I'd say anything as stupid as him? Taiga, I have no clue what exactly happened, but trust me that I'm not here to punish you, but to support you. If Taisuke wants this cleansing that badly then we will do it. But I know you Taiga. This will just be another scar for you eventually.”

The other one's words had Taiga's heartbeat calm down and he relaxed his hands, slowly bowing towards the other one.

Sometimes he needed to be reminded of his own strength. Because Ryosuke was right. Taiga wouldn't break now after everything he had survived up until here.

***

The white clothes didn't even help that much against the cold, but Taiga wasn't going to complain. Right now this part wasn't even the worst. As usual he wore another layer underneath with a high neck.

“I want you to wait here.”

“What? No way,” Shime immediately complained as he and Sho had gotten ready to go with Taiga after they had heard that they would do the cleansing in the mountains even in the cold.

This time Ryosuke couldn't stop Taisuke from coming, but he could at least stop Iwamoto and the soldiers. Taiga on the other hand could only forbid Sho to come, not Shime. So he had to ask.

“I know you want to help, but I'm gonna be okay,” Taiga said and brushed his hand over the other one's hair. “Sho, would you mind waiting here with him?”

“Sure,” Sho said, knowing that here he had no saying in what was going to happen and what not. Nevertheless he gave Taiga a worried look.

“Are you really sure?” Shime asked once more with a side glance towards Taisuke who was already impatiently waiting next to Ryosuke.

“I am,” Taiga said with a grateful look. “We'll be back soon.”

They weren't going to be back soon, but Shime didn't need to know that yet. He didn't need to worry about things he couldn't control.

They walked up the mountain in silence. Ryosuke's presence stopped Taisuke from complaining about Taiga's walking pace. He shouldn't be walking with his hurt ankle in the first place. The only clothes Taiga left at the side of the waterfall was his head cover as he didn’t want to lose it in the water.

“Well, get on with it,” Taisuke said as he stood in front of the small lake that was forming in front of the waterfall before it went on into the river going down the mountain.

At first Taiga was going to just go under it like usual, but Ryosuke was already worried about that part. He was hurt and exhausted. The pressure on his body through the cold of the winter would make this extra hard.

“If you can't take it let me know at any time,” Ryosuke told him and while Taiga nodded he was confident that he would be able to manage.

The first steps under the ice cold water took his breath away, but then he relaxed and put his hands together. Ryosuke went over to the rock in front of the waterfall and started his prayers. 

It felt so much longer than usual and soon Taiga's body started shaking, his wounds hurting through the impact of the water.

Just forcing his hands together was hurting his wrist badly, but just for today he knew he had to endure the pain.

With Ryosuke leaving the rock he knew that he had made it through the first part, the easy part.

He stepped out from under the waterfall just to stop right in front of Ryosuke. He gave a side glance to Taisuke, but the older one didn't show any change of mind. 

“Go slowly,” Ryosuke said.

Taiga took a deep breath before he dared the first step into the lake. It was deep enough to go in until his shoulders, but he indeed needed to go slow or his heart would give him his last beat. The waterfall already hurt, but this was like thousands of needles all over his body. 

When he had entered the lake completely, Ryosuke went back to his spot and started another cleansing. The longest and deepest they had. Exactly what Taisuke had ordered. This was just his personal disgust making him do this, but Ryosuke could unfortunately not help in this situation.

Taiga closed his eyes when his body didn't stop shaking. He knew that he had to endure this way longer than it was actually in any way healthy for his body. A few minutes even in winter would be possible, but this cleansing was longer. A cleansing up until the mind, bringing him to his limits once more.

But remembering the cold from Basarano, the snow, the ongoing torture, Taiga was able to calm down and get his breathing into a steady pace to support his body.

He wouldn't give Taisuke the satisfaction of crumbling here. Taisuke wanted to see him dead and now he only got him hurt, so he wouldn't let Taisuke kill him this easily with dirty tricks.

Luckily there was nothing else Taisuke could demand. They didn't have any cleansing or rituals that would harm them in any way except for the cold. Not that they would usually do this outside in the winter. 

Unfortunately it also started raining at some point so even Ryosuke started shaking a bit after a while. Taisuke on the other hand didn't seem to care the slightest. Taiga kept his eyes mostly shut, to not get distracted by the other one, but through that he missed it when Ryosuke was finally done.

“Taiga, it's time.”

Right, the last task. Simple and immediately over, but Taiga's heartbeat was so slow by now, his skin almost blue and he wasn't even sure if his body could last a few seconds underwater. He took a deep breath and dived under the surface. He was supposed to stay down at least ten seconds. Right now the most tormenting ten seconds of his life.

He let out a cough when he broke through the surface and Ryosuke was already waiting for him at the side of the lake with a coat that he was allowed to cover himself with while he was unfortunately not allowed out of his wet clothes, not yet.

Ryosuke had to help him out of the water, because his body was still too weak to easily withstand the cold and his ankle was complaining even more than before.

“You're done here. Let's head back,” Ryosuke said as he threw the coat over Taiga. Just when Taiga made his way over to Taisuke, his cousin stepped in front of him with crossed arms. He didn't look satisfied at all. “Let this be a lesson to you.”

Taisuke turned away and started walking, leaving Taiga to stare after him with empty eyes.

“Don't let it get to you,” Ryosuke said. “You know how he is. Nothing that happened was your fault.”

“Maybe it was.”

“Taiga!” Ryosuke cut him harshly, but Taiga didn't mean the entire part. But trusting Yasui had been his first mistake. Not being able to fight his way out with his soldiers had been his lack of experience on the battlefield and not mentally healing from what had happened was his own problem as well.

“Let's head back. Shime and Sho are definitely worried,” Taiga said and while Ryosuke still gave him a scolding look he agreed and they started walking. There was one more step left after all, but luckily it wouldn't be as tormenting as what he had gone through already.

***

Shime had loudly protested when he realized what was going on as Taiga wasn't allowed back inside right away, but had to sit at their open prayer place in front of the shrine. He had to repeat a certain prayer one hundred times before he was allowed back inside. The rain had unfortunately not stopped, but it wasn't too heavy so while his white clothes got drenched even more he didn't mind. 

The sun was slowly setting behind the forest when the rain finally got less, but Taiga wasn't done yet. Sure he could lie about having done one hundred already as his ankle complained a lot about the kneeling position he had to stay in. He also had to bow down and sit back up, putting his hands together all the time, so his wrist wasn't his friend either right now. All his wounds had worsened once more, but not to a degree that it was worrying him.

What was worrying him was that Taisuke had been standing at the shrine the entire time. So it was clear that he was counting and he would definitely make him go from zero if he missed even one bow.

Right before sunset Taiga finally remained in a relaxed sitting position as he was done, but he couldn't immediately get up. His legs were numb and the only positive outcome was that the rain had stopped a while ago. He was still shaking a bit when he waited patiently for Ryosuke to walk down to him. 

Ryosuke lifted his arms, spoke a few last words and with that it was finally over. 

“And now we get you a nice room, a bath and a break from Taisuke,” Ryosuke whispered when he helped him up.

“Where are Sho and Shime?”

“Always thinking about everyone else,” Ryosuke scolded him while finally dragging him up on shaking legs. “I told Sho to make sure Shime would stay in his quarters. His outburst at Taisuke had caused him a long coughing fit and I didn't want your uncle to get angry at me for worsening his health.”

“So you're not thinking about others first, right,” Taiga teased.

Luckily Taisuke didn't  make a move to follow them and Taiga was more than grateful for a room with a fireplace, new warm clothes and the announcement of a heated bath.

Ryosuke had excused himself and promised to let Shime and Sho know that he was okay. Later he'd make sure to let them know directly, but just this once he wanted to be egoistic and get some calm time for himself.

The bath had two effects, a positive and negative one. His body warmed up, but at the same time not all of his wounds liked the warm water, not that they had liked the cold water either.

Carefully Taiga got back out of the wooden bathtub, knowing that if he stayed too long that he could easily fall asleep and he didn't need the risk of drowning now after everything he had gone through.

The bathtub was in a room next to his quarters so he had only thrown a towel over his shoulders after carefully wiping his body dry enough to not take all the water back to his room. He had to take it slow even though he had left the leather around his wrist and ankle in place for now, while he had taken off his bandages in the morning already, knowing that they wouldn’t make it through the cleansing.

He moved the towel through his short hair once more while walking back, but when he heard a gasp the moment he had closed the door he swirled around with wide eyes.

Taisuke wouldn't have been a problem, Ryosuke had known enough to not question the old scars and Shime wouldn't even be shocked about any new wounds, but of all the people who would have dared to just enter his room without asking it had been Sho.

“I- should have knocked. Sorry. I'll just- sorry…”

His apology was so innocent, his reaction so pure that Taiga couldn't even be angry. He would never be angry at Sho. That wasn't why he had always kept everything a secret. 

“Wait.” Taiga said when his friend wanted to hurry back outside. “Stay. It's alright.”

Reluctantly Sho closed the door, but didn't turn back around. Taiga hurried to grab his clothes and get dressed. “Let's have a talk.”

Finally Sho turned back around. His look was so confused and sad. Exactly what Taiga didn't want his friend to show, but now he had seen everything so he wouldn't just pretend like nothing was going on.

Sho sat down on one of the chairs at the fireplace, while Taiga sat down opposite of him. For a moment he was reminded of Kita-Shosan, but his feelings for Juri and the fact that he wouldn't see him for months had nothing to do with the current situation so he shoved them to the back of his mind.

“If I said this all happened in Basarano, would you believe me?” Taiga asked.

“No,” Sho replied right away. The older scars were just too obvious, too healed to be new. No one would believe him even if he tried to find excuses. “But if you don't want to talk about it then I won't ask.”

That was exactly why Sho was his closest friend. Taiga gave him a soft smile before Sho spoke again.

“But can I ask who knows?”

“Shime knows,” Taiga said. “Ryosuke knows parts. Kochi as well.”

There was a moment of silence between them. Something Sho didn't have to voice out. It was clear that Taisuke knew as well, but the fact that Taiga hadn't said his name gave Sho the passive answer he needed. He didn't seem surprised, but luckily also not angry. The least Taiga needed now was Sho risking his life going against Taisuke.

“How is Shime?” Taiga asked and luckily a bit of tension fell from his friend's face with that topic change.

“He fell asleep a while ago. When Ryosuke told me that you were finally done I just couldn't wait to check up on you.”

“Thanks for checking,” Taiga said with a wide smile. “I'm really grateful for you and Shime making your way out here.”

“I'm really glad we did,” Sho replied, now having even more reason to say so. “What is your plan from here?”

“Plan?” Taiga asked, trying to shrug his shoulders, but immediately whined on the movement his collarbone didn't like. “Right now I'm only thinking about healing. Then hopefully I can depart in spring once more.”

“Hopefully not into another's battle,” Sho said, but there was another worry nesting in his eyes now that they were talking about Oki.

“Is there anything I should know?”

Sho biting his lip just confirmed his suspicion.

“What is it, Sho.”

“Shime told me to leave it to him.”

“Now he is asleep so you tell me now or I'll get angry at both of you later.”

“It's your uncle,” Sho finally spilled, making Taiga's heart feel heavy. “You departed almost two months ago so you couldn't have known, even when Taisuke departed it had still been a bit better, but he's not well.”

That was harsh news. His uncle and aunt were like his parents and he didn't feel ready to let go of any of them this early.

“Do you think he'll get better in spring?” Taiga asked, hoping that the winter was just making it hard for him. But unfortunately Sho shook his head. The winter months weren't that harsh in the east. If his health had changed then it wasn't going to be fixed just through the weather.

“Then we should head back as early as we can,” Taiga said, knowing that this might be the last chance for him to safely return to Oki.

***

Their return to Oki was the smoothest part of Taiga's entire journey back, but while he hoped that their arrival wouldn't be that much of a deal he saw the people pointing and whispering. Of course Taisuke’s departure hadn't gone unnoticed and his cousin would take every possible chance to turn the people even more against the bastard of Oki.

Back in the castle Taiga felt a little bit more at ease and Taisuke had lost most of his influence over him with their arrival so while Sho hadn't been allowed in the castle, Shime had made sure to immediately call their aunt. 

“My dear, I'm so relieved to see you safe.”

“I'm so sorry for all the worry I caused you,” Taiga said as the woman carefully caressed his face.

“Taisuke was so worried for you when we got the message,” the woman said. Showing how perfect Taisuke played his game in front of his parents. But now he had excused himself. Not for long that was for sure, but he was waiting for a more vulnerable timing.

“How is he?” Taiga asked, her aunt's expression immediately darkening a bit.

“It's not one of his worst days. Let's see if he's awake?”

Shime and Taiga followed her to their uncle's quarters and luckily the man was indeed awake.

“My boy,” the man immediately greeted Taiga with an excited look.

“No need to get up,” Taiga said as the man was sitting on a chair at the window. He was sleeping a lot and sometimes couldn't even easily get out of bed his aunt had told him.

Shime had stayed outside with their aunt, giving them a private moment.

Taiga walked up to the older one, but his uncle still got up and Taiga hoped that the situation wasn't as bad as he had feared, because he seemed to be steady on his feet.

“You're hurt,” the man said, looking at Taiga's leg and carefully stroking over his bandaged and stabilized wrist. His eyes also went up to his hair, but he didn’t ask about the cloth covering it.

“Trust me, right now I wouldn't even say any of these are real wounds anymore, compared to what they had been a month ago.”

Right, it had already been a month. His escape, his stay in Kita-Shosan and Bodaisei and all the traveling in between had brought them back to Oki at the end of the year.

“Your beautiful hair,” the man said as he touched the short strands that were visible under the cloth.

“Your mother's hair was even lighter in color.”

“I remember,” Taiga said with a faint smile, not even trying to bring the topic of Kaikakuto up, but there was something in his uncle's eyes this time. The exhaustion of his long life and all the wars and battles.

“She loved long hair. She used to put flowers into the back of your father’s hair when he rode out to battle. The last flower she put in was a primrose.”

Taiga didn't even know what to answer as it was rare for the other one to even talk about such topics.

“I bet she was a loving person already in her younger years,” Taiga said before he stepped back. “I will need some months before I can ride back into battle, but hopefully in spring we can have more discussions about diplomacy again.”

His uncle nodded with a brief smile, Taiga making his point clear that he wanted to ride out into other provinces again. He wasn't scared. He knew he was going to be okay. He just needed some rest. 

***

It felt too calm with the new year making it into the third month already. Taisuke had left him so much space that Taiga had even started looking for him instead just to make sure that he wasn’t up to anything. But maybe for once the worsening condition of his father had him indeed lay low.

“Taiga, Taiga!” 

Shime’s shouting was heard from the staircase, but he didn’t sound panicked, there was excitement lying in his voice. Taiga had just gotten ready to make it to the training ground inside the castle walls. With two months of rest, he was finally healed enough to start at least light training once more as long as he didn’t put too much pressure on his ankle or wrist. His arm and collarbone were also still complaining when he used swords with too much force. His hair hadn’t grown much so his burn mark was still visible, but by now he wasn’t covering it anymore.

“What made you this excited so early in the morning?” Taiga asked, but Shime needed a moment to catch his breath. After all, he shouldn’t even sprint up the stairs in the first place.

“We got a guest,” Shime said with a bright smile and while Taiga’s first thought went into a completely impossible direction he didn’t find himself feeling sad, knowing that he was wrong. Shime wouldn’t be this excited about Juri visiting and there was no way he would just show up unannounced.

“Your castle has way too many stairs.”

Taiga showed a wide smile at the sight of their visitor. Definitely one he was more than excited to see as well. “And your library doesn’t? Last time I was there you had one up until the roof.”

Kochi couldn’t deny that and shrugged his shoulders before he opened his arms and Taiga walked up to him for a welcome hug.

“What brings you here?” Taiga asked and his friend gave him a scolding clap on the back on that question.

“Oh I’m not sure. Maybe all the bad news I’ve heard over the past few months?” Kochi asked scoldingly when he pulled back. “But I guess I do not have to worry for you. You seem fine.”

“Mostly, yes,” Taiga replied.

“Right, mostly. So I will take that for now,” Shime interfered and grabbed Taiga’s sword. 

“I trained for over a week already.”

“An even better reason to not train for one day. I will put this back into your room for now,” Shime said and excused himself.

“Well then, let me hear all the news,” Kochi said as he stepped aside, giving Taiga no choice but to have a talk and a walk around the castle for now. 

The condition of his uncle and everything that had happened around Taiga was definitely no secret to him anymore, but there was positive news as well after all.

They walked over the high castle walls, overlooking the city beneath. It wasn’t often that Taiga came up here. They weren’t on high alert for any attacks and the city had been peaceful over the winter as well.

“Soon the first flowers will bloom,” Kochi said as he looked towards the cliffs, the open lands northwards of the city already becoming greener again with warmer winds sometimes brushing over the cliffs. But it was still a month or two until it was indeed warm enough for more colors to show.

“Hopefully my uncle’s condition will get better with those months as well.”

“The news has spread,” Kochi said while looking ahead towards the ocean. “Travelers have picked up on the news. I am not sure if it will affect your province, but Taisuke should get himself ready.”

“I wonder if he’ll ever be ready to lead an entire province.”

“If he stays sane enough to listen to the council and keep you and Shime close,” Kochi said, but gave Taiga a knowing look. “That is, if you want to stay here eventually.”

“Taisuke wouldn’t even care if I abandoned the Oki Clan,” Taiga said, knowing that he could be honest with Kochi. “In his eyes I am not even a clan member.”

“And yet he still feels threatened by you,” Kochi reminded him as they slowly kept walking. “You are kind hearted and strong willed. He knows that you can win over people easier than him as you don’t have to fake your affection.”

“Yet the people of Oki still stand with him.”

“Because they have to,” Kochi reminded him. Oki was a proud province. An old bloodline. Rules have always been the same and people have gotten used to just going with the obvious. “Maybe one day there will be the need for change.”

“I feel like the change has already begun,” Taiga said as he stopped over the gates, looking down to the main road of the city. 

“You haven’t fought many battles yet, but you have fought important ones. You made it to the most crucial diplomatic meetings of this generation. All the stories and whispers I hear, they tell me that a big change is lying in the air. Make sure to know who you can count on.”

Kochi’s serious words had Taiga look back at his friend with a stern look. He hadn’t told his uncle or Taisuke about certain details, exactly because of these thoughts. Mabara-Kinmitsu was in a difficult position, Yasui and Reia were mixed up in the chaos as well. There was so much more lying ahead of him in Kaikakuto, a future that was still out of reach. But between all of that the danger of Basarano was lying, not to forget that another danger was right in front of him. 

“Make sure to visit before you ride out into any new battle,” Kochi reminded him with a softer look this time. “I brought a lot of books, but I guess Shime will be done with them before I am even back in Wazaigo.”

“Oh definitely,” Taiga said with a laugh. Right now times were calm, but only on the outside. The storm inside of Taiga hadn’t calmed down even once. He could feel that a lot of chaos was lying ahead and he would make sure to protect those important to him, no matter the cost.

Taiga put the book aside with a look over at Shime. The boy had fallen asleep and that while he had been the one to drag Taiga to his room to force him to read one of the books Kochi had originally brought for him. It was about their country’s history, nothing Taiga would find interesting enough to pick up himself to read as he had learned all the important parts since childhood, but now he understood why Kochi had brought it here in the first place and why Shime wanted him to read it.

All the books he had read so far were about diplomacy, wars and leadership. The battle of power and pride between the leaders that had brought the fall of Hyogoku as a united country. But this book was written from a different perspective. 

Taiga moved his fingers over the leather cover, there was no author name, the title also just saying a history of Hyogoku. But it was way more than just that and Taiga had found himself reading until the late night hours with a candle stand next to the window being the only remaining light source.

“We’re so busy with ourselves that we forget how beautiful our country is,” Taiga said. The book had made him remember exactly that. Even though it was a history book, the descriptions were still fitting their country today. Cities have grown, some castles have fallen, villages were built and burned down. The entire country was shifting, but the beauty of their flora and fauna was still there and Taiga realized that he had still not even seen half of it.

Whoever the author of this book was, they had made their way all around the once peaceful country. Beautiful drawings inside of it showing that even a place like Basarano had its beauty. Even Kyogo sounded like a place worth visiting. Desserts and hidden dangers in daily changing weather from dangerous high day temperatures to freezing night times. Just the thought of a new adventure had Taiga’s mind drift off. 

It was finally the fourth month and he felt ready to ride out once more, but his uncle’s health was getting worse by the week. But if he remained too long then he feared that he would get trapped once more. His life wasn’t in these walls anymore.

Taiga carefully took the book Shime was half holding on his lap, ready to fall to the ground. He put both books on the nightstand and put a thick blanket over Shime. The boy was used to sleeping on the windowsill so Taiga didn’t worry much about leaving him there.

He hurried to blow out the candles and leave for his own room, but on his way back he could hear the sound of horses making their way up to the castle.

It wasn’t uncommon for people to arrive at night. If they were close then they would try to make it to the castle instead of camping in front of the city another night. Taiga hurried to one of the balconies and he spotted three riders, talking to the guards at the gate.

He was too far up to make out any faces, but he clearly saw what was handed to one of the guards and he dashed over to the stairs. Like a child he got excited, not even knowing if this news would have anything to do with him.

By the time he had made it to the gates, one of the soldiers had already guided those who had arrived to their night quarters, which meant that the news wasn't urgent. No battle then. Definitely good news.

“General,” the soldier said with a bow when he saw him approach. Taiga hadn’t mistaken, his eyes were fixed on the rolled up scroll in the man’s hands.

“What is the news?” Taiga asked, trying to not sound too excited.

“Please read for yourself,” the soldier said and handed the scroll to Taiga.

Without hesitation he opened it, reading as fast as he could. An invite. Finally. It didn’t state any general’s name, a chance for Taiga to claim it for himself and he was going to fight for the chance to go. 

“Oh, a late night arrival?”

Taiga immediately took the scroll down and put it half behind his back when he turned around. The soldier bowed once more and took his leave on Taisuke’s arrival.

“An invite,” Taiga said calmly. Taisuke stepped closer, getting ready for his typical threatening attitude, but Taiga was faster.

He held the scroll out towards the other one with a calm smile. “Minami-Hian is inviting us for their yearly tournament. They want to make sure to have more allies than enemies this year as well. The snow in the north west has already melted. Basarano could make a move so they want to hold it early this year.”

Taisuke raised an eyebrow at Taiga’s attitude, but still took the scroll to read it himself. “And let me guess, you think you can go.”

“I will certainly ask,” Taiga replied. “You should stay by your father’s side after all. Not that you showed any interest in any tournament so far. That is part of a general’s job after all.”

Taiga was challenging his luck, but somehow Taisuke’s silence was also making Taiga feel restless. There was not just a silence before the storm in the north, but right in front of him as well.

“We have way more experienced generals to take care of these matters,” Taisuke said as he rolled the scroll up and pushed it against Taiga’s chest when he stepped closer and leant a bit to the front. “Or do I have to remind you what happens to weak generals out there when they don’t watch out?”

Taiga took the scroll and Taisuke stepped back with a satisfied look, turning around. But while Taiga wanted to yell at him for what he had done, he held it all back. All that anger had to be released at another time. He had no proof, no allies to help him fight Taisuke in case he would make him his enemy. 

“I definitely learned to always watch my back and expect enemies even the closest to me.”

Taisuke stopped in front of the stairs and turned back. His look was still calm, but Taiga’s challenging attitude had his facade break a bit as he pointed at the scroll.

“I will remind you of your allies and enemies in case you dare to ask to get chosen for that invite. I will not let you embarrass our clan again.”

Finally a direct threat again, somehow Taiga had missed them. But he would not stand down just because of it. He was sure that he could even convince the other generals to let him go. With his uncle in bad health, his aunt was also making council decisions and she valued his opinion a lot luckily. 

“Please make sure to remind me then before my leave,” Taiga challenged with a stern look back at the other one.

***

Shime waited for Taiga to stand up first then he excused himself from the council as well. He wasn’t making any decisions, but his aunt would always let him be part of meetings so that he would learn the proper etiquette and diplomatic value of them.

Taiga had first talked to his uncle and aunt before an official council meeting, making sure to get their opinions on the invite. Luckily his uncle’s opinion still had the most value in the council, so even Taisuke’s opinion could get overruled.

Shime hurried to close the heavy wooden door before he dashed after Taiga who had already walked down the corridor towards the next corner. Shime grabbed his arm when he had reached him and turned him around. 

They looked at each other in silence for a moment, before Shime cracked a smile and then they both started laughing in excitement, Shime jumping up and down.

“You got it! You got the votes on your side. I’m so happy for you,” Shime said as he threw his arms around his cousin. “I wish I could go with you. I really would like to see the castle of Minami-Hian.”

“One day I will bring you along,” Taiga promised as he squeezed his cousin a bit too tight. “I will bring you to more than one province. There is so much I want you to see and know.”

“Right, there are still secrets here, I can see that,” Shime said with a finger pointed at Taiga’s face while pouting. 

Taiga had not told the other one about Kaikakuto yet. Of course he had told him about the beauty of the castle and the journey in general, but just to keep his cousin safe from possible harm from inside Oki, he kept details still a secret.

“This time bring back some books, okay? I understand that you couldn’t even think of something like that last time, but the south definitely has some, which Kochi does not have in his library.”

“Right, as if you have read through the entire library already.”

“I would have if I was allowed to Wazaigo more often,” Shime said with a grin. “But now you should get ready. They said you will need to leave in two days already, right?”

Taiga nodded, being excited about a fast departure, but he was also worried as this journey would cost him another one to two months so he needed to make sure to give his dearest farewell to his uncle. From now on it wasn’t given anymore to come back to his leadership in Oki. A scary thought, but a future he needed to get ready for.

“But you will be bound a bit more to rules this time,” Shime said with a sigh, but Taiga shook his head.

“It’s okay. This is definitely an outcome I am still completely satisfied with,” Taiga said, as his uncle had been the one to ask Taiga to accept the presence of an older, more experienced general next to him for his journey. It was clear that his uncle was also worried, but he was good at making everyone believe that it was out of diplomatic reasons as that general was experienced with diplomatic talks. He had already fought alongside his father and uncle against Basarano and had been part of this tournament before, so Taiga was grateful for the opportunity to learn from him.

***

Shime had helped him prepare for his departure, but he had one more night to calm his excitement and worry about the upcoming trip. He had told himself for months that he was alright, yet he found himself sitting at his desk, staring into the mirror with a disgusted look. His hair was still way too short to put it back up, but the burn mark was at least not that obvious anymore. But all the scars from his previous battles were still visible on his face. None of them were too deep, too ugly, but he traced the long scar on his chin, cursing Hokuto in silence. Other cuts had healed better, but of course that one remained as an eternal reminder, the same as a new scar on his neck. He had so many by now. But only two were extremely visible. The oldest one he had caused himself years ago and the newest one he had also caused himself. Once more Hokuto’s face showed up in his mind. The other one had almost taken his life, then he had stopped him from taking it himself, just to offer to take it the next day. An almost laughable connection was between them.

A knock on the door made Taiga jolt as he had been deep in his thoughts. Shime had told him that he would bring him a few books later. After all, Taiga wasn’t out for a fight, so he would have time to actually read.

When he opened the door he was confused about Iwamoto standing in the corridor. As always the general didn’t seem pleased to be anywhere near Taiga. But that feeling was equal so Taiga gave him an annoyed look as well.

“What do you want?”

“Taisuke wants to see you.”

“Then where is he?” Taiga asked, not in the mood to leave his room at this late hour. He was already in his nightgown and Taisuke’s room wasn’t exactly that far away. There was no need to send his lapdog to give him messages. 

“He would like to talk in private.”

Taiga let out a snort on hearing that. Usually he wouldn’t even care to just humiliate Taiga in his own room, but while he had challenged Taisuke before he was now hesitant to actually go and meet him.

“Now,” Iwamoto said, making Taiga give him a warning look. 

With another annoyed snort, Taiga left his room and wanted to walk down the corridor, but Iwamoto stepped in front of him.

“This way.”

Now Taiga raised an eyebrow at him as Taisuke’s room wasn’t that way. His cousin had indeed just waited for the worst moment to get his game back on, but Taiga was used to it after all. There was no way Taiga would let him take away this chance, no matter what he had planned.

With a skeptical look towards the other one, he followed Iwamoto towards the staircase down to the lowest floor of the castle. There were no rooms of importance down here. Open halls, the kitchen and spare rooms were usually all they had here as it was the easiest floor that could get attacked by an enemy. 

Iwamoto led the way to one of those rooms which were usually only storage rooms, a perfect place for Taisuke to not be too obvious. Taiga was prepared for any kind of set up when he stepped into the almost empty room. There was not even any candle or lamp in the room, just the moonlight pierced through one of the windows.

What confused Taiga was that he found himself alone in the room. Taisuke was nowhere to be seen and then Iwamoto shut the door.

“What is this about?” Taiga asked, but his annoyance was suddenly replaced. There was no way that he was going to feel afraid in his own castle, that was what he had told himself. He had stood strong against Taisuke his entire life, but maybe he had overestimated his own ability to heal this time and he didn’t mean his physical wounds.

Just the fact that Iwamoto didn’t say anything showed that Taisuke had ordered him. But exactly the fact that he had ordered him was what Iwamoto wasn’t allowed to say. In case Taiga was going to blame anyone then Taisuke could still pretend that he didn’t know anything while Iwamoto was going to take the entire blame.

Iwamoto took another step into the room while Taiga wasn’t sure how to react. Iwamoto didn’t seem to have any weapons on him. He wasn’t in armor either, but there was also nothing in the room he could fight with. Just some empty boxes, sheets and ropes. All completely covered in dust in the corner of the room.

“Do you really want to risk your rank as a general of the clan for Taisuke’s dumb orders?” Taiga asked, but Iwamoto didn’t seem to care about his attempt to talk him out of exactly those orders. 

Taiga backed off towards the wall, but without any of them having weapons he wasn’t sure if he could fight his way out that easily, not that Taiga understood what satisfaction it would bring Taisuke to have Iwamoto hurt him. 

When Iwamoto tried to reach out for Taiga, he took his chances and just tried to push the other one out of the way and make it towards the door. Iwamoto didn’t let him escape and he pulled him back on his arm, but of course Taiga didn’t hesitate to lunge out for him.

Unfortunately when it came to close combat without weapons, Iwamoto had the upper hand. 

It only took a moment of struggling before Taiga got a harsh punch in the face that made him stumble right into the wall. All his tries to make it to the door got blocked. Even when Taiga hit some punches, they didn’t show much effect. He couldn’t get enough space to actually think anything through. After hitting a kick at the other one’s knee, he had finally created an opening to almost reach the door. At the last moment he got harshly pulled back on the hair this time, Iwamoto throwing him to the ground, now hovering over him.

“This fight has no meaning,” Taiga hissed at the other one, wiping away some blood from the corner of his lips when he tried to get back up, but Iwamoto kicked him back down, forcing Taiga to block the kick with his arms. The force had been enough to make his head collide with the stone floor and he closed his eyes with a hiss.

“This is not supposed to be a fight,” Iwamoto said, now crouching down over Taiga. 

The confusion on Taiga’s face lasted only until Iwamoto suddenly reached out for Taiga’s trousers. Then a whole new level of fear and panic took over him when he twisted away, harshly kicking up towards Iwamoto, so that the other one was forced back. But Taiga wasn’t getting back up. All he did was crawl towards the corner of the room.

“Get out,” Taiga hissed, his voice cracking. He wanted to sound demanding, threatening. This was his clan. He was a member of the leading family, while Iwamoto was only a general assigned to protect Taisuke. No matter the orders, he would face a death sentence if he proceeded. That was if Taiga told anyone…

“I command you to leave,” Taiga said when Iwamoto ignored him and took another step towards him. Taiga hurried to get back up, but his legs were shaking and his mind was already fogging. This was not supposed to happen, this was not going to happen. 

The moment Iwamoto reached out for him once more everything crumbled in Taiga’s mind. One flashback after the other hit him like a knife through the heart. 

“DON’T TOUCH ME,” Taiga roared this time, slashing his hands over Iwamoto’s face, but his panic made him unable to fight with full strength. He had been thrown back into hell while being at full strength and at a place where he should feel safe. 

Iwamoto ignored his struggling and tried to force him back to the ground, while Taiga kicked and slashed around him until Iwamoto had enough and landed another harsh punch on Taiga’s stomach before he hit his elbow against Taiga’s head, making him feel so dizzy that he almost threw up.

Once more he felt Iwamoto’s hands on his clothes when he was forced on his knees, Iwamoto holding him down from behind. Taiga took some erratic breaths while clawing his hands into the other one’s arms. 

“No,” Taiga said in a shaking voice this time, his mind already in a numb state. “I won't let this happen.”

But it was going to happen, there was no way he could get himself out of the situation. The one who would take the most pleasure was going to be Taisuke and that thought had Taiga find a bit of strength once more, not that he could free himself. 

Iwamoto had left claw marks on his hips already when Taiga tried to stop him from ripping the cotton fabric.

“TAISUKE!” Taiga shouted, so loud that he made Iwamoto flinch, but he wouldn’t let him go that easily. Taiga tried to twist, to claw Iwamoto’s face when the other one tried to force him down on his stomach. That move had Iwamoto go for his throat this time, but Taiga was able to twist and fight enough to not completely get overpowered. “COWARD!”

That had done the trick. The one thing Taisuke never wanted to be called had lured him out. Of course he had been outside. He would take way too much pleasure in hearing what was going on, even if he should have indeed stayed outside. If he wasn’t present then he could have easily made everyone believe that he didn’t know of anything.

“Oh little cousin, you’re misunderstanding the situation,” Taisuke said with a satisfied look as he remained at the door. “I’m just making sure that you’re pure enough once more to ride out there as an Oki Clan member.”

Now Taiga’s anger was boiling over his fear once more. After all the tormenting rituals Taisuke had already forced on him, he still found his situation disgusting enough to go this far. Just as an excuse that was for sure.

“This is even cheap for you,” Taiga roared at his cousin and tried to get to him, but Iwamoto was running out of patience and when Taiga started shouting at Taisuke, having enough of feeling scared and being humiliated, Iwamoto forcefully put his hand over his mouth and pushed his head down to the ground.

“Careful there cousin. Just because I am here, doesn’t mean I will take any blame. Also do not forget that if you’re mentally unstable your general status can be easily taken away from you.”

Now tears of rage formed in Taiga’s eyes. No matter if he tried to leave the province or obediently stay in the castle, Taisuke would always be unsatisfied. But he was going to lose this battle and maybe this time he should just lose it in silence. Taisuke was right, there was not much he could do. Even if directly witnessed, this wasn’t something anyone would easily take Taiga’s side.

Iwamoto felt the resistance fading, but he still left his hand over Taiga’s mouth as there was of course still fear and panic inside Taiga that made him fight back. Yet the effort wasn’t a challenge for Iwamoto and soon Taiga had to accept defeat. 

The fact that Taisuke didn’t even care to leave the room once more, made Taiga close his eyes and bite his lip when Iwamoto finally removed his hand as he was now forcing Taiga into a better position for himself. 

It wasn’t even the pain, that part was a joke to him after everything he had gone through. It was the humiliation. Never had Taisuke dared to go over his limits this much. He risked more than just Taiga’s hatred reaching a dangerous level like this. If he was aiming for obedience then he was taking the wrong path. This was a lost battle, but that didn’t mean Taiga wouldn’t get back up for a war.

His mind protected him from even more damage, making everything more bearable by shutting his surroundings out. Iwamoto’s forceful movements had his body shaking, but other than that he was able to not completely lose it. 

Just when Iwamoto got back up, leaving Taiga on the ground like a broken tool, Taiga’s mind caught up. When he finally dared to open his eyes, it was Taisuke he saw first. His cousin was walking up to him, while Iwamoto didn’t even pay them any attention as if he had done nothing at all.

“Now, doesn’t it feel better?” Taisuke asked as he crouched down. When he put his hand on Taiga’s face, the younger one flinched, but he didn’t make any move to attack. There was no reason to. This battle was indeed lost. “Still stained, but you weren’t pure in the first place, were you?”

Like a knife Taisuke wanted to push the words into Taiga’s chest. Never would he miss a chance to remind him of who he was. 

“I guess I will see you tomorrow to send you off into hopefully safer travels this time,” Taisuke said as he clapped him on the cheek and got up. 

Iwamoto waited at the door, as neutral as always. His lack of emotion was in a weird way fascinating. Random thoughts like those went through Taiga’s mind for a while until he found the strength to sit up after being left completely alone.

With shaking hands he fixed his clothes and then just stared down at the ground. He should have known that he couldn’t challenge Taisuke without losing. As long as he was in Oki, Taisuke would always have the upper hand, but Taiga didn’t feel defeated. At least not to a degree that he would let Taisuke take pleasure in seeing his broken expression on the day of his departure and he would depart, no matter what.

It had only been a few minutes in which Taiga tried to calm his racing heart and stop his body from shaking when he heard the squeaking noise of the door. There was no way Taisuke would come back, yet Taiga’s mind immediately broke out into panic once more. 

He crawled to the back before even looking up, just daring his eyes up after he had reached the wall. 

In an instant his panic and fear was forgotten as it changed to plain sorrow. He shouldn’t be here. He shouldn’t have witnessed this, but just one look at Shime showed that he had indeed witnessed it, even if it was just from outside the door, hidden in another corridor. 

Taiga shook his head, yet held his arms out when he saw endless tears streaming down Shime’s face. His cousin immediately hurried over to him, throwing himself into Taiga’s arms. 

“I’m so sorry that I didn’t interfere,” Shime tried to say between sobs, but his voice was cracking too much to say more.

“Idiot, I warned you to never get close to Taisuke if you ever see anything,” Taiga warned his cousin, pulling him even more into his embrace. He was the hurt one yet he hated seeing Shime this broken. Taiga wanted to protect him no matter what and for that Shime had to keep pretending that he knew of nothing. How much he wished he could have spared Shime this experience. Now the younger one would worry even more after Taiga’s departure.

“You will be safe,” Taiga said, pressing a shaking kiss on his cousin’s hair. “Just remain silent, you hear me? No matter what.”

Shime didn’t reply as he only cried against Taiga’s chest even more, but if he wanted to stay safe then he had to indeed remain silent. If Taisuke ever dared to lay a hand on him then Taiga would not hesitate to put his own life at risk to expose Taisuke and turn the tables, if that was even possible. 

But for the time being they would remain silent. Their wounds would heal and their hearts would grow stronger and one day Taiga would find the right path to break out of his cage.

Everyone wished him all the best. The smiles on their faces were so honest, while Taiga’s was played. He had tried his best to hide the new bruises on his face and luckily no one commented on them.

His aunt had warned him to not cause the other general any trouble, his uncle had told him to give him a detailed report when he was back, a hopeful gesture that they would reunite once more. This time his uncle hadn't even been able to send him off at the gates. Sho had only given him a worried look after a hug, because Shime was hovering behind Taiga like a ghost when the dozen soldiers and the general were waiting for Taiga to mount his horse.

“Are you sure, everything is okay?” Sho asked worriedly when he squeezed Taiga’s shoulder. He could of course spot the new bruises, but he also knew now who to blame for them. Taiga nodded with another fake smile and while he knew that Sho could read his expression quite well, he luckily was also extremely good at reading the atmosphere.

Taisuke was standing next to Shime and a few council members, making the situation even more awkward. Shime had to play his part as well, but he wasn’t that good at it. Yet his health condition was of use in this situation as people only worried for his physical health.

“I will be fine this time, don’t worry,” Taiga promised. “Please keep an eye on Shime from time to time?”

“Always,” Sho promised. “Are you sure you don’t want any extra weapons?”

Taiga let out a chuckle as the small tools had been quite useful, but he still shook his head. “Maybe next time when I ride out into battle once more, but let’s just hope things are really going as planned for this trip.”

Taiga was in his heavier armor this time like all the other soldiers as well. They were equipped with swords, knives and bows. But the reason for that was different than being overly skeptical of their travel. 

“Then kick their asses over there,” Sho said and hit Taiga on the shoulder.

“I will try. I shouldn’t embarrass the Oki Clan after all,” Taiga replied. 

Taiga walked up to his horse, but then Shime made his way over to him. He tried to walk slowly and pretend to be calm, but he was clawing his hands into his long coat. Taiga hurried to reach out for his hands, squeezing them tightly.

“Everything will be alright. I will be back in no time. If anything happens, Sho is there for you.”

“I know,” Shime said, but of course Shime wasn’t worried for himself. He wanted to say something else, but then Taiga gave him a warning look and Shime bit his lip exactly when Taisuke put his hand on his shoulder.

“Look how much you make our little cousin worry this time with your departure. Make sure to stay safe or he might not forgive you.”

Shime’s grip tightened on Taiga’s hands and he kept his head low, the anger in his posture visible, but he had to stay strong as well. Nothing good would emerge if any of them broke under the pressure now.

“I will make sure to not give any of you reasons to worry again,” Taiga said with the hardest played smile. It was hard to look Taisuke directly into the eyes this time, but Shime’s presence made it easier for him to lay low. 

“Please return safe and fast,” Shime said before he let go of Taiga’s hand, but before he stepped away, Taiga reached out for him once more to give him a brief hug.

“I will,” Taiga said, knowing that it wasn’t weird for them to be emotional. Shime was known for it after all.

Taiga turned towards his horse, but then Taisuke let out an unpleased snort. “No hug for me? I know you have a favorite cousin, but is this too much to ask?”

Now he was putting his game to a dangerous level, but all eyes were on them after all, so Taiga turned around. Taisuke was already waiting with spread arms and when Taiga had no other choice, but to move in for a hug, Taisuke pulled him closer.

“If you ever end up in trouble again remember that I can always get you out. I can send Iwamoto to your rescue at any time as well.”

The soldier in question had been standing aside the entire time, but of course his presence alone had made the situation even more awkward.

“No need to trouble yourself with that,” Taiga said as he pulled back, Taisuke of course not immediately letting go of him.

“He is in good hands this time.”

The interference came from the general, Taiga was traveling with. He was waiting patiently on his horse. He was a bit younger than his father would be by now, but also older than Ueda. Yara Tomoyuki. He was known to be a swift fighter and Taiga had learned a lot of his archery skills from him, but was also always scolded for his lack of close combat skills. 

“My apologies to trouble you with my useless cousin,” Taisuke said with a teasing attitude before he pushed Taiga towards his horse. “Safe travels, cousin.”

Taiga finally got on his horse, giving another nod towards Sho and Shime. Right now his heart was as split as his mind. A part of him wanted to run. To get away as far as possible. The other part wanted to stay to make sure that Shime was safe and that Taisuke wouldn’t just take control while he was gone. 

“Let’s depart then,” Yara said, making the soldiers ride ahead. He waited for Taiga to ride next to him and gave him a supportive nod. This journey was going to be even harder than the last one even if they didn’t encounter any deadly surprises this time.

***

“We will stay here for the night,” Yara announced to Taiga's surprise. The sun was still up. There was even a smaller city ahead Taiga knew of, but he was in no position to make any decisions on this journey.

They had traveled through Bodaisei this time, heading straight to the Senkyo bridge to have the easiest path to Minami-Hian.

“You're definitely wondering why I won't let us stay in nice beds in a city,” Yara said when he approached Taiga after they had put up their camp for the night.

“I was indeed wondering.”

“Then why didn't you ask?”

Yara's look was soft and understanding, he wasn't a strict person and he wasn't looking down at Taiga just because of their age gap or Taiga’s status as a bastard.

They had stayed at several towns on their way, including Bodaisei directly. Ryosuke had been relieved to see Taiga healed and luckily Taiga had managed to hide the recent happenings.

“I sent soldiers to the city to get supplies,” Yara explained. “I want them to be back before nightfall so I put up camp early. But now we're in Minami-Hian and we're not going to be the only ones.”

Taiga slowly nodded. Kita-Shosan, Mabara-Kinmitsu, Kaikakuto, even Sasaku would be present. If they all answered their invite. Basarano was of course out of question and Kyogo would never even consider going.

“You want to avoid conflict,” Taiga finally realized.

“Correct,” Yara said. “And I want space.”

“Space?” Taiga asked while Yara went over to Taiga's horse and took his sword off to throw it at him. Then he turned to his soldiers with a searching look.

“Yuma, come here.”

One of the younger soldiers hurried over to them. Longer brown hair, the same as Yara. Both of them were clan members after all. Yara's hair was long enough to have a small half up ponytail in the back, but Yuma kept it a bit too short for that. It was rare to see clan members who wouldn’t put their hair into a ponytail, but it wasn't forbidden to keep it short. 

“This is Nakayama Yuma, one of my best close combat fighters.”

The young man bowed towards Taiga, not that they hadn't met yet, but they had indeed not really spoken much or even trained together.

“Let's see how much we can get you prepared for the upcoming tournament,” Yara said, making both of them let out a questioning sound. Yuma looked a bit embarrassed at his own reaction while Taiga just grinned at him. 

“Weren't I supposed to just take part in the archery event?” Taiga asked, but Yara shook his head.

“Sure, if we want to show off then we will only put you on your horse, let you be amazing with your arrows and leave the rest to me,” Yara said as he waved both of them away from the camp to an open grass field.

“But you're the main family's only member here. It's your job to make this a diplomatic connection and not just a fun show off.”

Yara's words were true, but Taiga immediately got ready to complain. Yet he was stopped when Yara lifted his hand.

“Yes you're a bastard, we all know that. Yet neither Taisuke nor Shime are here, are they? And I'm not your babysitter.”

Yara's direct words left Taiga speechless for a moment and even Yuma didn't move, looking at the general.

“Okay, so now that's clear, right? If you want help then I'm here to do exactly that, help you with your training and with all the diplomatic talking, but I won't just pat your back and praise you.”

This time Taiga slowly nodded. His heart was suddenly beating faster, but he wasn't angry. Not at all. He was excited. Someone like Yara was exactly what Taiga was missing recently. 

“So?” Yara asked while Yuma waited patiently with his sword next to the general. 

Taiga slowly walked towards the open field before he drew his sword and turned to them with a determined look.

“I'd be more than honored to receive that help,” Taiga replied.

Yara showed a smile and made a head movement at Yuma.

The boy bowed towards him before he also drew his sword and walked up to Taiga.

“Are you sure you want to use that sword?” Yuma asked as Taiga's sword was way shorter and lighter than the ones they were usually using.

“You will soon see why I prefer this sword,” Taiga said with an inviting hand movement. Yuma looked at Yara once more, but the general gave him a nod.

It was definitely a complicated position for Yuma, as he was around the same age as Taiga, yet he was of course aware of the other one being a general and a direct main family member, bastard or not. 

“I will not scold you for any injuries, those are my responsibility after all,” Taiga soothed him.

Yuma tightened the grip on his sword and finally dared to attack first. His sword was similar to the one Juri was using, but Oki swords were still lighter even if the size was the same. Yuma was skilled with that weapon, precise and strong, but not as fast as Taiga.

As always speed was what Taiga made his main priority and he tried to avoid getting hit while analyzing the situation and finding an opening. All his tactical thinking was cut short when Yuma’s fist collided with his face out of nowhere, sending him straight to the ground with a perplexed expression.

Yara started laughing when Yuma bowed while Taiga touched his cheek with a still lost expression. He had not even seen the punch coming.

“The pride of Oki,” Yara said, making Taiga look at him in even more confusion. 

“You’re fighting the way you’re getting taught. Clean and fair. You don’t see Yuma as an enemy so you will not fight for your life, but you need to exactly pretend to do that. Then you would have seen his punch coming.”

Taiga finally got back up, understanding exactly what the other one was saying. He wasn’t wrong. Not at all. 

“My eyes are always on the weapon,” Taiga realized, making Yara nod. 

“Find the balance between a real fight and a training fight. It’s a fine line between heavy injuries or even death and a fight that will actually teach you more than just fancy fighting moves.”

Taiga nodded and got back into a fighting stance while Yuma seemed a bit unsure this time, but Taiga wouldn’t give him a chance to hesitate as he jumped into the fight first this time. 

It was a good chance for Yuma to get to know Taiga’s strong points as he was fast and with his light sword he was swift and able to push Yuma back without giving the other one a chance to even use his sword. 

“Wrong focus,” Yara said exactly when Yuma jumped to the front instead of to the back, giving Taiga no space to swing his sword. When he tried to make a step back, Yuma had already hooked his leg with Taiga’s and gave him a strong bodyslam with his shoulder, taking Taiga off his feet once more. 

This time Taiga remained flat on the ground for a moment, putting his hand over his chest with a deep breath and a following cough as that fall had taken all the air out of his lungs.

“Am I being too harsh?” 

The soldier had definitely gotten ready for a round of scolding, but when Taiga started laughing, he raised an eyebrow in confusion, while Yara only grinned at both of them. It was weird how Yara wasn’t one of the closest people around him in the clan, yet just a few days of traveling together had been enough for him to read Taiga’s mood. 

Taiga was getting back up and shook his head at Yuma with a bright smile. “If anything, then you’re being too nice. No one would give me a break after getting such an advantage in a real fight,” Taiga said. 

This was exactly the distraction he wanted right now. His mind needed something to keep itself busy with and Yara was right after all, if Taiga just showed up in Minami-Hian to show off the skills he was always perfect in, then he would just prove to everyone that their clan had a way too high pride.

“Let’s go again,” Taiga said. “But this time don’t hesitate to take all the advantages you can get.”

Yuma nodded, still a bit unsure if he should really go out that much. But while Taiga could easily win against all of the soldiers present if it was about long distance weapons, he would also easily fail against most soldiers in close combat. His first real battle had shown him his limits, without Juri he wouldn’t even have made it out alive.

Juri…

Taiga shook his head and concentrated back on Yuma when the soldier lifted his sword. Right now he had to concentrate on himself. He wanted to become stronger, not just for himself, but for everyone who always had his back.

***

The nights weren’t too cold anymore with spring already covering the fields with colorful flowers, so with their tents and some blankets and sheets it was bearable, but Taiga still kept a long coat on when he got ready to sleep. He had only a small lamp in his tent, but it was giving him enough light to see the wound on his arm more clearly after he had put the coat over his shoulders to be able to roll up his sleeves.

Yuma had indeed not held back for the rest of their training and Taiga had gotten way more bruises and cuts than the other one, but he had not even once scolded him. He was grateful for the lesson and the advice Yara was giving him.

He had cleaned the few cuts earlier at a small river, but this one cut was a bit deeper, running on the back of his forearm as Yuma had pushed Taiga's foreman protectors down without noticing, leaving a deep injury. Yara had offered to bandage it, but Taiga had kindly refused and done it himself. But it had come off after a while and without the pressure the wound had reopened.

Taiga pulled the loose shirt for the night up to his upper arm, trying to get a new bandage tighter on his arm, but of course it wasn’t that easy with just one hand free. 

“General, may I enter?”

Yuma’s voice. Taiga hurried to pull his shirt back down and put pressure on the only half closed bandage under it.

“Come in,” he said. The young soldier entered with another bow before he sat down in front of Taiga.

“Okay first of all, can you stop all that bowing?”

Yuma gave him a confused look, making Taiga roll his eyes. 

“Yes I am a general and yes there are times you should bow, but come on, you’re not bowing at Yara each time you see him.”

Yuma slowly nodded, stopping himself from actually turning it into another bowing movement. 

“So what do you want?” Taiga asked, making Yuma pull his bag to the front and he lifted up a glass vial.

“I got this from General Yara. He told me to help you fix your bandages for the night and put this on your open wounds. It is a mixture to stop the bleeding and make sure the wounds won’t get infected.”

Taiga appreciated the thought, but when Yuma reached out for his arm, Taiga pulled back. The other one gave him an apologizing look, but didn’t make a move to get up. 

“I can do it myself,” Taiga said, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to actually do a good job. At least not on his arm. 

“How about I just help you with tightening the bandage when you’re done?” Yuma asked and put the vial in front of Taiga, before he turned his back on Taiga without another comment.

Taiga looked at the other one’s back for a moment, not sure how to react. Yuma was good at reading the atmosphere, but that fact made Taiga realize something else. He slowly pulled up his sleeve again and let the bandage drop to apply the medicine. Yuma remained silent and didn’t make any move to turn around. 

“How many rumors are there amongst the soldiers?” Taiga asked.

Yuma had understood what he meant, but it was definitely not the easiest question to answer.

Taiga’s arm showed so many scars by now that it wouldn’t even be obvious to anyone if they had all been caused at the same time or not, but they were still an eyesore to Taiga. 

“We were told not to ask questions,” Yuma finally replied, making Taiga shake his head.

“Of course. The oh so high and mighty Oki Clan main family in trouble, that is something no one wants to hear about.”

The mocking was clear, but Taiga knew that inside the castle a lot of talking was happening behind their backs. Word had spread to the clan members, then to the citizens. 

“So what is the most common theory out there?”

Taiga had to smile at himself, because he didn’t actually care that much, yet he was hiding from everyone. All his clothes, even his nightgowns had a high collar, long sleeves and no see through parts. With the way he was hiding it was more than easy for the soldiers to gossip.

“You were captured by Basarano,” Yuma dared to let out. 

“Correct,” Taiga said without any outrights and this time it was hard for Yuma to not actually turn around. He had definitely not seen Taiga’s straightforward answer coming. “And?”

Yuma remained silent for a bit longer, as the fact that it was Basarano which was behind all this wasn’t even something people had to gossip over, it was obvious. 

“The rumors say that they tried to use you to pressure Oki to stay low so that they could invade another province without Oki being able to come to their rescue.”

“Incorrect,” Taiga replied. “Turn around.”

Yuma hesitated for a moment, but Taiga only held his already bandaged arm out towards him. His skin was not visible at any part except for his hands. One of the few parts of his body without too many big scars.

“They didn’t try to keep me alive,” Taiga said, not even knowing where he took the courage from to speak about it. Maybe he wanted to test his own limits. Maybe it was because Yuma wasn’t as involved as everyone around him that it was easier to talk. Almost like a game.

“Trying to pressure a province like Oki with a bastard would be a dumb idea even for Basarano, don’t you think?”

Yuma nodded while he carefully tightened the bandage, making sure it wouldn’t easily come off again. 

“What do the rumors say about the rest of the story?” Taiga asked when Yuma lowered his hands.   

“They say that your cousin was able to make a deal with Basarano to let you go.”
“Wow, that easy?” Taiga said and Yuma looked a bit confused when Taiga smiled back at him. “I mean, come on. There must be more interesting rumors. Taisuke fighting his way through Basarano, killing an entire clan. Getting out his useless cousin. Nothing like that?”

There was a change on Yuma’s face, something that made Taiga look at him even more intensely. Yuma was trying not to laugh. That was a reaction he had not seen coming and this time it was Taiga’s turn to look confused.

“Are you going to enlighten me about what exactly was so funny about what I said?”

“I’m sorry, it’s not that I think any part of what happened to you is in any way funny,” Yuma apologized a bit more seriously once more, bowing this time a bit to the front.

“But?” Taiga asked curiously.

“But, there is not a single soldier in Oki who thinks that Fujigaya could fight his way through any province in the first place.”

Now Yuma’s frankness had Taiga speechless for a moment until he started laughing. Taisuke was not a general after all and even if he had been the one to ride out to get Taiga back, he had only done so, because he had been the one to set all this up in the first place. With the difference that he had thought he would pick up a corpse from Basarano. That was a miscalculation from his side.

“Please never tell him that I told you this?” Yuma asked, the panic clear in his eyes.

“Oh trust me, I am the last one who would tell him any secrets,” Taiga said, still chuckling. “But let me tell you that Taisuke might be a better fighter than you think.”

It was rare for Taiga to say anything positive about his cousin, but even if he didn’t ride into battle and only had the same unit of soldiers around him, he was doing his fair share of training since childhood and he wasn’t easily defeated in a direct battle. Especially because he was mentally strong. Way stronger than Taiga.

“Do you mind me asking?” Yuma asked in a low voice, not even able to keep a straight eye contact with Taiga.

He didn’t have to voice out more and Taiga thought about it for a moment. He still didn’t feel comfortable talking about it, but if he wanted to test his limits then he could start here.

He moved his hand up to his hair, pulling up the strands behind his ear while turning his head towards Yuma.

The boy let out a small gasp as the burn marks would never completely heal and not give new hair the chance to grow, so Taiga could only cover the scars with long strands.

“I will leave the rest to your imagination, but let’s say this is one of the most harmless things that have happened over that time.”

Taiga’s words had Yuma give him a sorrowful look, but Taiga didn’t want him to apologize for asking. Yuma didn’t seem like the kind of soldier who would run off gossiping with all the new information.

“I’m grateful for your help with my training,” Taiga added. “While no training in the world would have helped me at that time, it is good to know that there is still something I can put effort into. Something that is worth trying to get better at.”

“You’re already an amazing fighter,” Yuma replied. “The strength that is needed to even get back up after such hardship is unimaginable even for those who have fought their fair share of battles.”

Taiga wanted to reply, but then he decided against it. He was going to make fun out of himself. Tell everyone how weak he was and how this recovery wasn’t going as smooth as he wanted it to, but was he really that weak? He was still here, he was still fighting. It had taken some help at the most critical time from the worst enemy to make him stay alive in the end, but the outcome was the same. 

“Not bad for a bastard, I guess,” Taiga said instead, but Yuma shook his head.

“Not bad for a human being.”

Taiga looked back at the other one with a startled expression as the older one had finally found the courage to speak more openly and honestly without ending up apologizing for it each time. 

When Taiga cracked a smile, Yuma scratched his head with a sheepish smile as he wasn’t sure if he hadn’t said too much after all.

“Thank you,” Taiga let out honestly. While Yuma had only said what was on his mind, it was a big help for Taiga to actually make it back to his feet.

“Chuomachi is the last big city before Minami-Hian, they should have enough accommodations for us to stay,” Yara said when they made it close to one of the biggest cities Taiga had ever seen and Minami-Hian was even bigger than this one. 

Huge stone houses, most of them in gray color with wide cobblestone pavement streets, giving enough way for carriages, horses and people on foot.

They indeed found a place to stay easier than Taiga had expected and of course he and Yara got rooms for themselves while the soldiers had to share. Taiga wouldn’t even mind sharing his room if it was necessary. 

A knock on his door had him put his bags down for now. Yuma was waiting for him and Taiga lifted a finger warningly towards him when he tried to bow. The soldier bit his lip and remained upright.

“Sorry to interrupt your rest time,” Yuma said instead. “I just wanted to let you know that most of the soldiers are out to get a few more provisions and I will be out for a while as well.”

“Let me help,” Taiga said and didn’t even let Yuma reply as he turned around just to get a few of his things. 

“What? But you should rest,” Yuma said, but Taiga was already pushing him back inside the corridor.

“Why? Because you were kicking my ass for a week straight?” Taiga asked with a smile. When Yuma remained silent, Taiga hit him against the shoulder, making the other one flinch.

“You should finally loosen up a bit around me,” Taiga said. After all, Taiga had talked to Yuma about extremely private topics already. 

“Take him with you,” Yara said from the other side of the corridor. “We will be getting watched inside Minami-Hian for an entire week. It’s a good time to just relax.”

“We will make sure to be back as fast as possible,” Yuma said with a bow, but Yara shook his head, pushing both of them down the corridor.

“You better don’t. I want some calm time as well. Just explore the city. Do whatever you young people would usually do on a vacation day. Just don’t forget the provisions on your way back.”

Yuma looked at the general in confusion when he stepped back at the stairs. 

“You heard him,” Taiga said and walked down the stairs, not even waiting for Yuma. The soldier finally caught up to him on the street, but he still seemed unsure about what he had been told.

“It’s not an order, you know?” Taiga said as they started walking down the street towards the center of the city. There were no big natural rivers nearby, but they had some handmade canals with beautiful bridges over them. Taiga tried to give every building and structure a close look, Shime definitely wanted to know as many details as possible. 

“So where should we go?”

“What?” Yuma asked and almost bumped into Taiga when he abruptly stopped. 

“If you prefer going alone, then I won’t stop you,” Taiga said. “Neither Yara, nor I will order you to stick around if you don’t want to.”

“My apologies if that is how it seemed to you,” Yuma apologized, making Taiga roll his eyes at him.

“What are you doing in Oki when you’re off duty?” Taiga asked instead.

“A lot of the soldiers go drinking I think? Some also enjoy the nature around the city.”

“What are you usually doing?” Taiga asked again.

There was a soft smile on Yuma’s face before he replied. “I am spending time with my family.”

That reply came as a surprise, but Taiga didn’t interrupt him. Finally Yuma seemed to relax more, now that he had found a topic he liked talking about.

“My wife takes care of so much when I am not home. I want to spend as much time as possible with her and our children.”

“Children?” Taiga asked, his confusion making Yuma form a sheepish smile this time.

“Two daughters. The older one is three years old, the younger one is still only a year and a half of age. My wife’s mother is trying to help out as much as she can, but her husband died in the battle of Kaikakuto and her health isn’t the best. My parents have both lost their lives in battles as well.”

“I am sorry to hear that,” Taiga said and then suddenly Yuma’s look changed once more and this time he bowed before Taiga could even scold him.

“I shouldn’t bother you with private talks like this,” Yuma said, but this time Taiga formed a smile. 

“You know what,” Taiga said as he pointed towards a tavern close to the canal. “Maybe that is exactly what you should do. Let’s go.”

Yuma seemed even more uncomfortable when Taiga invited him to drink with him. It was already late afternoon, the tavern was in a good way crowded. They still easily found a seat, but it was loud enough for no one to overhear them. Not that they were going to spill war secrets.

The tavern had two floors, they had chosen the second floor, close to an inside balcony. It wasn’t a fancy place, but that wasn’t what Taiga was looking for in the first place.

“Do you drink?” Taiga asked as he ordered them something and Yuma nodded. The young waitress gave them both a scanning look and a soft yet intriguing smile when she came back with their drinks. 

They were in their typical clan clothes, Taiga’s outfit a bit more fancy than Yuma’s. But both of them were tight outfits, the emblem of the Oki Clan on their chest as it was official business they attended, but inside the city they didn’t have to wear their armors.

“Then let’s have a toast to your family and our hopefully safe return,” Taiga said while Yuma took the small ceramic cup for the toast, but when he brought it to his lips, he let out a cough after the first sip, making Taiga laugh.

“Well, I guess when you said you drink, you didn’t mean stuff like this.”

Yuma made a grimace that had Taiga keep chuckling, but this way it was easier for him to talk to the soldier.

“Is your wife a clan member?” Taiga asked and to his surprise Yuma shook his head. But as long as they were from Oki or surrounding provinces, and the partner wasn’t of the main family, then no one would even ask.

“She is from Wazaigo,” Yuma explained. “I met her after I went with General Yara to a diplomatic meeting in Kita-Shosan a few years ago,” Yuma explained. “She has beautiful green eyes and both my daughters luckily got her eyes.”

“And here your eyes aren’t that bad either,” Taiga said before taking another sip, not missing the way Yuma seemed to feel embarrassed through that statement.

“Do you have your father’s or your mother’s eyes?” Taiga asked.

“My mother’s eyes,” Yuma said with a nostalgic smile. “But she always told me that I had my father’s sheepish behavior.”

“Without even knowing him I can tell you that she's right,” Taiga added. 

“Who do you resemble more?” Yuma asked. “If you don’t mind me asking.”

“It’s alright,” Taiga soothed the other one as he realized that Yuma was going to panic again, thinking he was impolite. “I was recently told that I had my father's willpower, but my mother's heart. I can barely remember my father, but my mother was indeed a loving person. I don’t think I can compare to her.”

“But you are a good person,” Yuma said with a smile. “You are trying your best in diplomatic matters and battles.”

“I wish trying my best was enough,” Taiga said, remembering his first battle. “I was selfish when I took my first invite. I wasn’t experienced enough, yet I wanted to prove to everyone that I could be of use. But on my return I had learned my lesson. I had known from the start that real war wasn’t going to be in any way something glamorous. Even if your side wins and you make it back home, there will always be those who gave their lives to make that outcome possible. I wish I had been more experienced at that time. Better in guiding my soldiers and treasuring their lives more.”

“We all know the risk,” Yuma said, but something had changed in his look after Taiga’s words. “No matter how small the task, a soldier could always lose their lives. Their families know about that as well, but hearing your thoughts on war makes it easier to cope with those losses.”

Taiga kept staring at him while Yuma’s look turned into a mix of sorrow and gratefulness.

“When my father rode into battle with the main family, I already knew that this might be the last time I would see him. It was a huge battle. The streets were filled with flowers on their departure. He told me to stay strong, no matter what. My mother was the one who was definitely the most devastated when he didn’t make it back, but she kept fighting.”

“Your mother didn’t die in the same battle,” Taiga said in realization and suddenly his stomach felt heavy.

“They had made sure to never ride into battle together. They wanted to make sure that one of them remained. That was until I became a soldier myself. I knew my mother wanted to fight. She had high pride. A real Oki warrior.”

Yuma’s proud smile was a bit shaky this time, but he still continued. “I am so grateful that she got to meet both of my daughters though.”

Yuma had talked himself into a nostalgic state. He was a bit teary, but he seemed to have made peace with the fate soldiers could easily face, no matter their age or family situation.

When he looked back up, his eyes grew wide on Taiga staring back at him. Taiga had fallen numb on realization of the timeline in Yuma’s story.

“I am at fault for your mother’s death,” Taiga let out in a low voice. There had been no other battle in the past one and a half years so Yuma’s mother had been one of the soldiers who had ridden with him towards Kita-Shosan.

“Don’t say that,” Yuma replied, his voice cracking a bit. “I didn’t tell you, to make you take responsibility.”

Of course not. Yuma had made his point clear. He had made peace with the possibility of himself and his family dying in battle and he was grateful for Taiga’s thoughts about his duties as a general. 

But for Taiga a new kind of wound had opened in his heart. He had never denied the fact that it had been his fault that his soldiers had died in that battle, but he had never let it come this close to him. To protect himself he had never given their friends or families a closer thought. He hadn’t been able to, until now. 

Taiga wasn’t even sure what to say when he fought himself out of his dark thoughts. But then Yuma held out his cup towards him, making Taiga look at him with wide eyes.

“You told me to be more direct with you, then let me tell you this,” Yuma said with a serious look. “I am not judging you for anything and I am going to ride into battle with you and any other Oki General no matter the risk. This is the path I chose, the path my family chose as well. Honor them by accepting our decisions.”

Those were indeed the most direct words Yuma had spoken so far and Taiga took the cup in front of him and cleared his throat.

“I am grateful for your honesty and trust,” Taiga said, looking directly back at Yuma. “As a General of Oki I will make sure to honor your decisions and make it my task to become a general you can follow into battle without any second thoughts.”

Yuma gave him a nod and moved his cup against Taiga’s, a toast towards both of their paths. Life wasn’t always going to be good to them, but as long as they were still part of it, they had to give it their all. 

***

“You forgot.”

“And you didn’t?” Taiga complained and shoved Yuma a bit to the side on the shoulder.

It had gotten dark outside and with that they had both finally realized that they were running way too late and they had forgotten to get the provisions.

But they showed each other a teasing smile while hurrying down another street. The lovely waitress had given them directions to a place where they could still get the needed provisions at a later hour.

It was quite a walk so they needed to hurry, but the cold night made Taiga take in another deep breath. They had been able to not dwell on the negative parts of their stories and with two more drinks, Yuma had finally stopped being overly polite. Now he had to watch out to not be too impolite, not that Taiga would mind.

“Wait, how many do we need?” Taiga asked, but Yuma shook his head and then shrugged his shoulders. 

“I forgot.”

“At least you are honest,” Taiga said with another laugh. It wasn’t like they needed tons of provisions as they only needed two or three days more to Minami-Hian, but the rice they were supposed to get was going to be the main food source for their soldiers so there should be enough.

They finally found the shop that luckily still had three big bags of rice for them so they just took what they could get.

“Here,” Yuma said and threw one bag at Taiga. It wasn’t too heavy, yet Taiga had been taken by surprise. Yuma laughed at him stumbling back and actually dared to take a second bag and threw it in such a bad way that Taiga had to jump to the side to catch it.

“Don’t you dare waste our food,” Taiga scolded the other one and with both bags he was almost not able to even see the other one anymore.

“Let’s say it’s part of your training,” Yuma said and held up the third bag with a lopsided smile.

“Don’t you dare,” Taiga warned him, but he was the one who had made the other one drink, so now he couldn’t complain about his playful behavior.

“Catch,” Yuma said and threw the bag up high. It went straight over Taiga’s head so he kept his eyes on the bag while turning around and trying to not let the other bags fall while chasing after the last one. Unfortunately, still a step too far away from catching it, Taiga collided with someone as he had his eyes up high. 

Taiga gasped when he was sure that the rice would now scatter all over the road, but to his surprise the person he had collided with was swift enough to stretch out his arm and catch the bag.

“Oh my god, I am so sorry,” Yuma said, now his politeness finally finding its way back to the surface when he dashed over to them and immediately bowed to the other one.

“A soldier training a general, that is interesting.”

Taiga finally moved his attention away from the bag to the person in front of him and a familiar face made his look immediately brightened up.

“General Nikaido.”

“How have you been, young general?” Nikaido asked while he threw the bag at Yuma with such force that Yuma missed catching it and it hit him right in the stomach. 

Yuma gave them both a confused look, obviously curious about who the other general was, but Nikaido just took the two bags from Taiga and gave Yuma a warning look when he didn’t immediately move. 

Yuma hurried to take the bags from him while Taiga gave him an apologizing look as he had to carry them all now while Nikaido asked Taiga where they were staying. Of course he immediately offered to escort him back so that they had some time to talk.

“You are on your way to Minami-Hian as well,” Taiga concluded and Nikaido nodded.

“The same as you, we also thought Chuomachi was a good place to stay before the last few days of travel.”

“How many generals did Kita-Shosan send?” Taiga asked and Nikaido immediately gave him a knowing look.

“I have to give you disappointing news, but General Tanaka did not join us.”

Taiga felt a bit embarrassed about how obvious his question was, while he had tried to form it as neutral as possible. “But I am surprised to see that you have made your way down here.”

“Another general is with me,” Taiga said and somehow he didn’t even feel as annoyed about it as at first. Nikaido wasn’t the only general from Kita-Shosan either. Most provinces would have several generals take part in the tournament, so it wasn’t even weird for Oki to send more than one general as well.

“So I guess you have healed enough to show off your skills next week then,” Nikaido asked. “I will make sure to let Tanaka know about your recovery.”

How much he would love to tell him directly, but he only gave Nikaido a grateful nod. Their reunion still had to wait, for now he had to focus on not making a fool out of himself in a few days.

***  

Minami-Hian, a city of such beauty that it was going to be impossible for Taiga to describe it to Shime later. They had seen paintings of it, heard a lot of descriptions from their uncle and soldiers. But seeing it in person was a completely different experience.

Most of the province was wide land without many mountains, but right behind the main city there was a massive volcano standing tall. The same as the Seikyo mountain range, its height had the tip still white even in the fourth month of the year. 

The city itself lay right under its shadow. Different to Mabara-Kinmitsu, the architecture of this city was enormous. They had used the mountain for their high buildings and their castle, definitely having some caves and escape routes underneath all those structures, but the fact that they had built the biggest city in all of Hyogoku, right on the foot of a volcano was a huge risk in itself.

“A message to the rest of the country,” Yara said as he stopped his horse next to him. “They are blessed and protected by the gods. They are the only true uniters of Hyogoku. That is what they wanted to prove with building this city here thousands of years ago,” Yara explained.

Taiga had heard the stories and he couldn’t deny that it was fascinating that the volcano lay silent while there were other active ones in the country that had already destroyed villages and towns. 

“So I guess their ultimate goal is the unity of Hyogoku once more,” Taiga said and while Minami-Hian definitely had the strength and number to actually try and fight their way back to the top, he hoped that their ongoing diplomatic meetings would stop them from running over the country.

“Just make sure to not anger them and trust me that will be a tough challenge,” Yara warned him. “Our clan’s pride is high, but theirs is different. They talk about pureness and blessings, but what you will encounter inside those high walls will be a new kind of challenge.”

Taiga didn’t like the sound of it, but he would try everything possible to not start this off on the wrong foot. 

The closer they made it to the gigantic city walls, the taller the castle looked to him. It melted perfectly with the buildings around it. As if the mountain itself had carved them into its stone. 

A wide moat was stopping them from directly approaching. While all the other cities in the prefecture had only their inner circles inside city walls, if they even had any, Minami-Hian was completely surrounded by them. 

There were only two gates, the main gate right in front of them, held up by huge chains, while a second smaller gate was more of an escape route to the south, not that they would ever need to escape from an enemy, Taiga was sure of that.

Nikaido had told him in Chuomachi that they would wait another day to depart to not all make it to the city on the same day. They still had a few days until the main event, the tournament. The diplomatic talks would take part at the same time, but feasts and other events would be part of it as well, so Taiga hoped he could get a few days to train inside the city and get used to his surroundings.

The sound of the chains slowly letting down the bridge had Taiga flinch a bit and even the horses spooked on the noise. 

Inside the city walls a lot of soldiers were patrolling the high walls and guarding the gate. The streets and buildings around seemed in such a beautiful harmony that Taiga felt like it was a real life painting. Nothing felt out of place.

On the lower levels most of the civilians were having their houses and shops, while the buildings grew with every path they took up the mountain. Instead of stairs, there were slopes, allowing them to reach the castle on horseback.

No one was outside of the castle to greet them, but Yara didn’t seem to be surprised. The soldiers who had brought them to the castle had only been their escort and excused themselves, leaving the horses to some young squires, hurrying to take the horses and also the heavy provisions from them.

“Yuma, let them show you our quarters, General Kyomoto and I will join you later,” Yara said and the young soldier nodded without any complaint.

They would all stay inside the castle, not that it seemed like there would be any space problem. Even just the entrance hall was gigantic. The high ceiling had paintings which Taiga couldn’t even imagine how they had made it up there to put them up in the first place. But the paintings showed a lot of different motives. Wars, battles, death and blood, but on the other side also family, love and quite an amount of naked bodies Taiga tried to ignore. 

“I will ask a lot of you now, but try to do as I say?” Yara said while they walked along the long hall, their steps echoing in the empty place.

“Why do I feel like we should have had this talk earlier?” Taiga asked when they reached a staircase to another level of the castle. Now even more paintings were on the walls, only visible through the torches next to them. Once more Taiga tried to ignore them as he had already figured out that the taste of paintings was definitely extraordinary.

“You know who the leader of Minami-Hian is,” Yara said, not even asking. Taiga had to be aware of at least the leaders and the system of a province, especially after he had been unprepared in Kaikakuto.

“Kamenashi Kazuya, leader of the Minami-Hian Clan for ten years. Succeeded his father after his passing. Their bloodline is even purer than the one of Oki,” Taiga explained and Yara nodded before he stopped at the end of the corridor where a wooden double door was visible. There was no need for soldiers inside the castle. They knew how strong their city was and there was no way any enemy would make it up here without their knowledge.

“They don’t think they are just blessed by the gods, they think of themselves as special,” Yara explained, giving Taiga a stern look. “They will not accept a no. Politeness is asked of us, but not a part of their vocabulary.”

Now Taiga understood why Yara had not told him earlier. There was not really any preparation for what was going to await him and he would have just freaked himself out if he had known.

“I can’t promise anything, but I will try my best,” Taiga promised.

“You better do. New people are always to their liking and I fear that you’re definitely on top of their list of people they want to meet.”

“You keep saying they? Kamenashi is the only leader as far as I’ve heard.”

“See for yourself,” Yara said and gave Taiga one last warning look before he opened the doors, without even knocking or announcing their arrival.

Just one look inside showed why he had not even bothered. The room itself was as fascinating as the rest of the castle. High walls, more paintings and definitely what a great hall should look like, if they overlooked the interior and the way Kamenashi didn’t even pay them any attention.

There were obviously times when the room was used for the usual purpose as the middle showed a wooden table with a dozen chairs, but it was of no use right now. Two more people came into sight on their arrival. There were a few couches on the sides, silk curtains hiding them a bit from the main room and two young men walked towards Kamenashi, yet had their eyes on them. Taiga tried to not look at them as they were not really properly dressed for such an official greeting.

Yara had walked straight up to the throne, while Taiga felt a bit more hesitant to even follow. 

“Yara, old friend, good to see you again.”

Finally Taiga dared to look up at the throne. At least that one wasn’t too weird looking. It was more of a bench than a chair with wine red cushions and finally Kamenashi sat up straight, while he had half rested on the pillows while watching them approach.

“Good to see you healthy as well,” Yara said and bowed, Taiga following his example. The two men who seemed a bit older than Taiga walked up to the throne and waited next to Kamenashi without any greeting.

“So who did you bring with you?” Kamenashi asked, making Taiga wonder if he was even leading his clan in any way. They had sent the invites to them and received the list of generals and soldiers so that they could prepare their rooms and the tournament accordingly.

Yara gave Taiga a wave and he moved up to the few steps in front of the throne and bowed once more. “Kyomoto Taiga, General of Oki.”

There was an excited sound from the two younger men next to Kamenashi, but when one of them tried to move down the few steps to them, Kamenashi put his hand around his wrist.

“Do not overwhelm our young guest, Shota,” Kamenashi said with a warning glance and the younger one stepped back with a pouting expression. “You and Ryota can escort him later to his chambers.”

Just them looking at Taiga gave him somehow the creeps and he definitely didn’t want to be escorted by anyone in this room. 

When Kamenashi got up and walked down to him, Taiga made a step to the back and took a closer look at the leader.

Most of his clothes seemed to be silk. High boots with black silk trousers and a half opened marine colored top. Taiga noticed two earrings on his left ear and the silver shine in his eyes. The younger men had the same shine in their eyes, so most likely they were clan members.

Their hair colors were all different, Kamenashi had light brown hair, Shota’s was close to it with a bit more of a darker color, but Ryota’s hair was black.

Kamenashi’s hairstyle was close to the one of Oki with a ponytail, but it was way messier than they would ever put their hair up. 

Kamenashi walked way too close to him and didn’t even hesitate to put his hand on Taiga’s face. “The bastard of Oki.”

There was not even an insult in those words as Taiga was used to hearing them. Kamenashi put his hand up to Taiga’s hair, then traced the scar on his chin before he put his hand on Taiga’s chest.

“Your clothes are always so over the top, but they suit you,” Kamenashi said with a luring smile. “So with what skill will the young general entertain us at this tournament?”

“As you seem to like surprises, how about you wait and see?”

Taiga was playing with fire, but he wanted to understand Kamenashi and for that he had to try and step over some boundaries or he wouldn’t know how to behave around him from now on.

“Strong words,” Kamenashi said with an entertained smile as he brought his hand back up. This time Taiga was close to pulling away when the older one dared to put his pointer finger way too close to Taiga’s lips. “Then you better show me an entertaining show later or I might not consider inviting you again.”

Finally Kamenashi stepped back, making Taiga realize that he had held his breath and tensed up. Now he dared to relax once more as Yara stepped back next to him with a scolding look. 

“We are looking forward to the upcoming tournament, I will make sure everyone is getting settled in.”

“No need to burden yourself with that,” Kamenashi said at Yara’s words. One look at Shota had the younger one smile widely as he jumped down the stairs and approached Taiga. Ryota also walked up to him, but took his distance for now. His shirt wasn’t even closed in the first place and looking at him felt distracting. Both were also mainly dressed in silk, but their colors were of black and gray. “Let the younger ones take care of all the explaining.”

Yara hesitated a moment as it was obvious that Kamenashi was waiting for him to leave first. Taiga gave him a worried look, but Yara had no other choice but to excuse himself for now. 

“Well then, let’s get you settled in,” Shota said and reached out for Taiga’s wrist, pulling him along. 

Down another corridor there was another bigger hall, tables and chairs scattered over it like a meeting and eating space and to Taiga’s surprise there were already people present. Some of them might be clan members, but others seemed to be from other provinces, so they hadn’t arrived first. Taiga would have liked to exchange a few words, greet them and get to know who he was going to fight in the upcoming tournament, but Ryota pushed him ahead.

“The boring talk can wait for later. Don’t worry there will be way more boring people coming you can waste your time with.”

“Are you not participating in the tournament?” Taiga asked, trying to get to know the clan members better.

“We are,” Shota said while he still kept an unnecessary hold on Taiga’s wrist even though he dropped back to walk next to him now. “The system is a drawing one, so hope you won’t face us first.”

“Well you can’t do much to his beautiful face anymore, someone was faster than you,” Ryota said and Shota pouted when he looked at Taiga’s scar on his chin.

“Let me know who it was and I can totally take revenge for you.”

That statement had Taiga almost grinning as Shota didn’t seem to have any visible scars and yet he was offering to jump at Hokuto without even knowing what kind of opponent he would have to face.

“You better not go for Shota’s face though,” Ryota warned him as he walked to his other side as they reached a wide corridor after two circular stairs. There was a wine red carpet on the ground and several doors on the sides. Their living quarters as he assumed. But the fact that neither Yara nor any other soldiers of his were here yet, made it clear that Yara knew Kamenashi well enough to not interfere in his game, even if that meant to put Taiga through an uncomfortable first day.

“Then you better don’t lose your helmet at the tournament,” Taiga said, but Shota didn’t seem to take this lightly as he stopped at one of the doors and pulled Taiga to the front so that he ended up right in front of it, with Shota putting one hand right next to his head.

“Better don’t challenge your luck. I don’t necessarily need a wound for a wound, but I will get my payback one way or the other if I have to and with you that would be my pleasure.”

When Shota stepped even closer, Taiga wanted to escape to the side, but Ryota put his hand on his shoulder, pushing him back into the door.

“If you play nice, we will too. We can be a lot of fun to be around, but if you try to make us your enemy then we can also turn the tables.”

Taiga decided to not reply at all. Right now all he wanted was to be left alone. He clenched his fists at the side of his thighs, trying to hold back his anger together with some panic creeping up in the back of his head. He could handle insults and injuries. He would even be able to handle a defeat in the tournament even if he got laughed at, but getting cornered like this was something he couldn’t handle right now. Yet he didn’t want to give them an advantage. If they knew how they could throw him off, then they would definitely try to do so even more.

“So, I hope we made ourselves clear?” Shota asked as he lifted his other hand to put it on Taiga’s face, but then he froze when out of nowhere a blade got lifted right under his hand.

“You made it clear that you want to cheat for the tournament. How about you give all the fighters the same fair chance?”

Shota didn’t even flinch and pushed the blade down with his hand, but still backed off. That was when Taiga realized who had walked up to them. It was hard to contain his excitement, but the attention wasn’t on him right now. It was on Aran.

“Abe-chan, you’re always such poor sports,” Ryota complained as he wanted to approach the other one, but the Kaikakuto General lifted his blade right towards Ryota’s chest. 

“Good that you’re aware of that, so back off.”

“Don’t ruin our reputation in front of our guest,” Shota pouted, but to Taiga’s surprise Aran laughed and stepped closer to the other one. So close that it was a distance that could be called extremely dangerous. 

“If you want to let him know that you’re an easy fuck, then sorry I think everyone already knows that.”

Shota grinned at the other one’s words and put his hand up to Aran’s cheek to give him a scolding clap. “And yet you always seem to enjoy it.”

Aran’s blade appeared right between their faces once more, making Shota lift his hands and step back. Then he looked at Taiga once more, but he didn’t seem angered. Entertained was the better word.

“Well, here are your quarters and I guess Abe-chan will have the pleasure then instead to take care of you,” Shota said as he gave Taiga a wink and retreated with Ryota. 

“Make your boundaries clear, because they have none.”

Aran said and pushed Taiga inside the room. Instead of giving the spacious room a scanning look he immediately turned back to Aran when the other one had closed the door.

It was an instant reaction to hug him and he wasn't surprised that Aran froze on the sudden greeting. He was definitely not the hugging type, not that he wasn't used to physical contact, Shota had made that point clear.

“I'm happy to see you here,” Taiga said and pulled back, before he could make the other one feel even more uncomfortable.

“Ueda asked me to check up on you,” Aran said without any outright. “Sorry that it took some months, but we considered it a bit weird to show up in Oki after the news had made it to us.”

It had definitely been a wise move not to directly come. They had just had a diplomatic meeting and there should be no reason for Kaikakuto to be overly concerned with Taiga's whereabouts or health. 

“I bet you went through hell and back,” Aran said, not wasting useless energy on asking if he was alright. He was obviously not and in front of Aran he didn't mind not feeling alright.

“A lot happened, that is for sure,” Taiga said. “But I'm not going to sit around sulking.”

“You better don't or I will hit you,” Aran said as he stepped further into the room. Now Taiga finally gave it a closer look. A beautiful engraved wooden bed, a desk and chair with the same engravings. The color of the room was also mainly red, Kamenashi’s favorite color wasn't hard to guess.

“You came here before,” Taiga said after that greeting between Aran and the clan members.

“I did. For a few years now. We were all just young boys at the first tournament. Up to even less good than now.”

The fact that they had all been in that mindset already then gave Taiga another shiver, but luckily he should have enough allies around to keep himself company with.

“Just a nice advice though,” Aran said as he walked up to the door. “These two are assholes, but they can indeed be good allies as well. They won't sulk over you pushing them away, so don't let them play with you too much if you're not up for it.”

Taiga nodded, but didn't say anything as he realized that Aran was not done.

“Kamenashi on the other hand might not stop that easily. If he has his eyes on someone then it's going to be hard to get his attention somewhere else. Just be ready for that.”

Taiga had rested for some time, not willing to even engage with anyone else until he felt ready to explore the castle. But instead of going alone he searched for everyone's quarters for now. They were all supposed to be on the same floor, together with Kaikakuto as Aran had told him.

Luckily two of his soldiers crossed his way and they told him that Yara had left his quarters a while ago. 

Taiga decided to knock on someone else's door instead, but when he didn't get a reply he had to smile.

“It's me, you can stop pretending that you're not there.”

In an instant Yuma opened the door and he looked extremely uncomfortable, not that Taiga could judge him.

“Let me guess, you thought of Minami-Hian as a different kind of place, right?”

“Totally,” Yuma said, looking right and left down the corridor.

“Well, you're not the only one, but that doesn't give you the right to hide. Come with me.”

“Where are we going?” Yuma asked as he hurried after him, obviously as uncomfortable alone as Taiga was feeling.

“We'll explore. Don't you want to see more of the castle? The tournament place for example.”

“Depends on who will be there,” Yuma said, but then bit his lip, not wanting to sound too impolite.

“Let's see who we will find. Kita-Shosan will arrive tomorrow, Kaikakuto is already here, but I haven't heard about other provinces yet.”

They made their way through the castle, back to the lower levels and from there towards a yet unexplored area. With no guards inside no one stopped them and Taiga was sure that there were no hidden or forbidden places this obvious for everyone to just stumble upon.

“Do you hear that?” Yuma asked when they had reached another corridor with a bright light at the end and they hurried outside. It was early afternoon, the sun almost hiding behind the side of the Vulcano.

When they stepped on the upper end of a staircase they were able to overlook a training ground beneath them.

It wasn't big enough to be the place for the tournament, but it had an open space to train, weapons needly put at the sides of the stone ring two people were using.

“Oh, a training place,” Taiga said in excitement and they kept watching the fight.

“Do you want to bet on one of them?” Yuma asked while the two men circled each other.

“That wouldn't be fair. I know one of them.”

Yuma gave him an intense look on that, Taiga pointing down at the left fighter. “Abe Aran. General of Kaikakuto. The other one I do not know so I cannot fairly bet.”

“I'd say the light blonde one has better chances.”

Maybe he had. He was smaller than Aran, but he showed a playful smile. His blonde hair was curly and already falling into his eyes, but it didn't seem to distract him when he charged to the front. 

Aran was a calmer fighter, dodging and blocking only with the strength needed. Strength wise they gave each other a good challenge, but Aran was a bit faster. The other one was a good tactical thinker and forced Aran to step out of that passive fighting style if he didn't want to get hurt as they were fighting with real swords. 

Their fight got faster and closer, their movements hard to analyze from such a distance until Yuma let out an excited sound on the way Aran had swirled around the other one and had taken the other one’s sword with a swift movement of his own sword. 

Now he stepped back with his sword pointed at the other one's face while he had gracefully caught the other sword.

“You should try your luck,” Aran shouted and looked up at them.

“Even this concentrated he realized our presence,” Yuma said in awe while Taiga started walking down the stairs towards them.

“I fear I won't be a challenge for either of you,” Taiga said as he stopped close to them. 

“Already giving up before the tournament even started,” Aran complained, but then pointed at the other one.

“Let me introduce you. Sakuma Daisuke of Awako.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Sakuma said with a bow and a bright smile.

“He knows you, so no introduction needed,” Aran said before Taiga could say anything. 

“Do you want to try your luck?” Sakuma asked and pointed towards the ring. 

“Without my sword and my armor I doubt that would be a good idea,” Taiga declined, not that the other two were in full armor.

“It might be good to train with a heavier sword from time to time.”

Yuma's words had them all turn to him and he immediately felt like vanishing into thin air.

“And you are?” Aran asked, obviously not even that interested.

“Nakayama Yuma, one of my soldiers. He's helping me out with my close combat training,” Taiga replied.

“I see,” Aran said and suddenly threw Sakuma’s sword at the other one. Yuma caught it with a squeal as he didn't want to get himself hurt.

“Then show me how good your close combat skills are.”

Yuma looked at Taiga when Aran waited for him in the stone ring and Taiga gave him the okay to take on the fight. 

“I’m not going to stop you,” Taiga said and with that Yuma had to take the challenge.

“Are you confident in your soldier winning?” Sakuma asked when he stepped next to Taiga to observe the fight.

“Let's say if he easily loses then I'm certain that I will get ripped to pieces at the tournament.”

Sakuma laughed on hearing that while Aran gave Yuma an inviting wave to attack first.

Taiga was so used to Yuma’s movements by now that he could tell what his next move would be. But so could Aran. That was exactly what Taiga needed to get better at. Aran had never fought Yuma before and yet he avoided all those kicks and punches Taiga had fully run into at first.

Soon their fight sped up the same way as the one before, but while Taiga had totally bet on Aran this time, Yuma actually got the upper hand and blocked one of Aran's swift attempts to get through his defense. The kick Aran had to take in after his failed attempt left him without air for a moment, but he seemed to enjoy himself.

“A tough soldier,” Sakuma said with an approving nod. “I can understand why someone would let you train with him. It's not a shame to lose against someone of a lower rank. I bet you've amazing other skills.”

Sakuma wasn't wrong, but Taiga still felt that he should improve his strength and tactical thinking for close combat.

Clashing swords had Taiga's attention back on the fight and Aran started pushing Yuma to the back, but he didn’t have enough body weight to try and win against him with his strength so he relied on his sword.

A move that had Yuma try to avoid it at all cost and slow Aran down. With them not wearing armors, Taiga got slightly worried that they could get heavily hurt before the tournament, but then he saw how they both showed a smile in a small break.

“That's definitely a fighting style that could help in this tournament,” Aran praised him and gave Taiga a side glance. “Not everyone fights clear and fair here.”

There had been a reason for Aran to say so and the next moment he turned around and slashed through the air, hitting a throwing knife and sending it to the other side of the ring.

They all looked up at a balcony on the opposite side from the staircase where someone was sitting on the railing. Just the way he was balancing on his feet while crouching down made Taiga worry that he could easily slip. But his skill level seemed to be high enough to calculate the risk. Next to him a second person was standing, both looking down at them.

“Nice catch,” the one on the railing said while playing with another knife. Straight black hair, a beautiful face in Taiga's opinion and a dangerous smile.

The other one was a bit smaller than him, also straight black hair, but a bit younger. “Aran, you need to let us hit from time to time.”

“Right, as if I'd let you get an advantage before the tournament even started,” Aran said as he pointed his blade up at them. 

“Well, we'll find another chance then,” the one on the railing said before he looked at Taiga. An intense stare, but such a soft smile. Too nice to be meant that way. “Or we'll just meet you head on in the tournament later. Won't be too much of a challenge as it seems.”

Taiga clenched his fists on those words, but the two young men just left without another comment. Their beige clothes were of no province he recognized and he gave Aran a questioning look when he and Yuma walked back up to them. Yuma was obviously happy that he didn't have to keep fighting.

“Nakajima Kento and Matsushima Sou,” Aran explained. “They're from Sasaku.”

“They actually came,” Taiga said, knowing that it was rare for them to show any interest in other provinces.

“They came so they could cause trouble,” Sakuma added.

“Watch your backs. They won't just come after you and kill you in your sleep, but they are known to fight unfair and that not just directly at the tournament,” Aran warned them all.

“You met them before,” Taiga said, being more than surprised by how many people Aran actually knew. 

“Nakajima was at this tournament before. Matsushima I met in Sasaku. Last year Ueda made a trip to Sasaku and Kyogo. It wasn't that highly diplomatic. More of a test.”

“A test for what?” Yuma asked.

“To see if they would feel threatened,” Taiga concluded and Aran nodded.

“Sasaku is just trying to stay out of the province's businesses, but won't stay back if things could turn out fun for them.”

“And Kyogo?” Taiga asked curiously.

“Well, they didn't really greet us. But that was a good thing. Ueda risked a lot showing up there. If they wanted to, they could have just taken us prisoners or slaughtered us without any reason. They treat their province as an independent country and everyone who makes their way inside does so at their own risk.”

“Sounds like Basarano,” Sakuma hissed under his breath.

“With the difference that no one would ever dare to make it close to their border,” Aran explained before he finally put his sword down. “But enough of the diplomatic talks. Let's get together for a calm evening, shall we?”

“Please no drinks,” Yuma said, making Taiga laugh while the other two didn't understand the reason. 

“Well, now I definitely want you to drink,” Sakuma said and pushed Yuma towards the stairs.

Taiga grinned at them while Yuma already pouted. For now he knew who to stick with and with all the warnings he'd try his best to watch his back at every possible time.

***

Luckily no one caused them any trouble for the rest of the day, but with the next day more people arrived and with that it was hard to avoid anyone in the first place.

Taiga was excited when he spotted Nikaido in the big meeting place the next morning, but he was talking to Yara so he didn't want to interrupt.

There were a few of their soldiers as well, but also a lot of people from other provinces and when Taiga didn't spot anyone he wanted to immediately talk to he wanted to retreat, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

“Let us join you. Breakfast alone isn't fun,” Shota said and pushed Taiga to one of the tables without even waiting for a reply. Ryota immediately sat down on the other side of Taiga, making it the most uncomfortable breakfast he could have.

Kamenashi at least knew how to feed guests, because the tables were always full with food and drinks, servants were always ready to bring something new.

The servant system was something Taiga wasn't that fond of. The younger women seemed uncomfortable with all the soldiers and with the rude behavior of some of them they had all right to not like their presence.

“Here try this,” Shota said and held out some small bread towards Taiga.

“I'm not hungry, thanks,” Taiga said and pushed the other one's hand away. 

“Then how about some drinks?” Ryota asked, moving closer when he pushed a cup towards him. 

“I'll literally punch you if you don't back off,” Taiga finally lost his calm, but he had been able to keep his voice down.

“And here I thought you'd be as much fun as Abe-chan,” Shota pouted, but indeed moved a bit away from Taiga. 

“Well, maybe after the tournament when you're more relaxed,” Ryota said with a wink before he claimed the drink for himself.

Taiga wanted to tell them that there was never a time he'd say yes to anything, but then they all flinched when someone sat down opposite of them and hit a metal cup on the table.

“Is Oki out of good generals or does the main family just not have any good fighters left?”

The person opposite of him was maybe the same age as Taisuke and his behavior showed something playful yet dangerous. His clothes immediately showed that he was from Sasaku. Taiga knew he was right when Kento and Sou sat down next to the other one.

“Get your eyes off him Yaotome, we're already on him,” Shota growled.

“I'm not here to fuck any of you, but to fight and win against all of you. So Kyomoto, right?”

Yaotomo had wavy bronze colored hair, his look was calm, but the same as the other Sasaku members he was sure that there was more behind that attitude.

“I am taking part in the tournament on my own request. The main family doesn't have to send anyone here if they don't want to,” Taiga replied before he gave a side glance through the room. 

Yara and Nikaido had their eyes on them, but Taiga hoped that no one would start a fight two days before the tournament.

“Right, you have such a high pride that you'd be shamed for life if you lost here. But as a bastard I guess you don't really care? I heard you had some fun time in Basarano as well. Not much pride to hold onto anymore now.”

Taiga clenched his fists on the table while the other one gave him a mocking smile. He couldn't know details, but rumors had of course made their way to every province. Some more dangerous than others.

There was no need to lecture the other one,Taiga would just endure it as always, but then he flinched once more when Ryota suddenly took his cup and emptied it right into Yaotome’s face.

A move that got the attention of the entire room on them, but luckily no one jumped up to start a fight, not even Kento or Sou.

“If you're just here to mock our guests, you can take your leave,” Ryota said as he put the cup back on the table with a satisfied smile.

Yaotome moved his sleeve up to his face and let out a chuckle on the other one's move. “How rude of me. My apologies,” Yaotome said, not even hiding how he didn't mean his words. “Then let's get on good terms with a small game, shall we?”

Before anyone even agreed, Kento and Sou pulled two full cups to the middle. Without any hesitation both of them pulled out a small vial and emptied some white powder into both of them.

“Are you now trying to kill your opponents before the tournament?” Shota asked with a raised eyebrow at the cup.

“Don't be so overdramatic,” Yaotome said and pushed both cups over to Taiga. “This is not poison, no one will die drinking this. But I have to admit that one will have a positive effect and one a not so nice one.”

“Then why should I even drink any of them?” Taiga asked.

“See it as a chance for payback for my rudeness? If you choose right then I will have a not so nice day from now on, but be warned, you could put some hardship on yourself as well if you choose wrong.”

Taiga looked at Kento, then at Sou, but he couldn't tell at all who could have put in what.

“Better don't do it,” Ryota warned him and usually Taiga would indeed not even consider it, but with all eyes on them and the word coward repeating itself in his mind he decided to take the risk. He believed the other one enough to dare it as he hoped he wouldn't recklessly try to kill him with this just for a tournament win.

Taiga grabbed the left cup, then looked at the three in front of him once more, but again no readable expression so he proceeded to put that cup in front of Hikaru and he took the right one.

“Well then, to a fair tournament,” Hikaru said and lifted his cup for a toast, drinking even before Taiga.

“I feel like you'll regret this,” Ryota said with a skeptical look when Taiga emptied his cup. 

But it seemed like it would take a while for them to find out if Taiga had made the right choice.

***

It had taken half an hour until Taiga realized that whatever Yaotome had put in his drink really had an effect on him. If it was positive or negative he couldn't quite tell as Yaotome had left before anything had even happened.

He wasn't feeling bad, not necessarily, but he had still immediately excused himself and refused Shota’s and Ryota’s company, as they had of course immediately offered to bring him to his room.

Right now Taiga tried to just retreat to his room, but his body felt weird and it took him quite some time to even make it to the stairs. He felt lightheaded and disoriented. 

“Shouldn't you be training?”

The voice came from down the corridor and Taiga immediately froze. He was still thinking straight enough to be polite, but it was indeed difficult.

He turned towards Kamenashi who walked up to him and Taiga immediately bowed. That one movement had him close his eyes as his balance seemed off as well.

“Don't tell me you're falling ill right before the tournament?” Kamenashi asked with an intense look and of course he put his hand on Taiga's cheek. This time though Taiga weirdly didn't mind.

“Hopefully this will only last for a while,” Taiga said, his mind feeling too slow to form detailed explanations.

“Then it's definitely better for you to rest for now,” Kamenashi said and moved next to Taiga. He hooked their elbows and started walking, but not towards the staircase.

“Stairs don't seem to be in your favor right now,” Kamenashi explained and Taiga couldn't even say anything against that. 

There was another room close to the great hall, which Kamenashi invited Taiga into. 

It wasn't a guest room, yet it had two comfortable long couches in front of a fireplace. Right now that looked like a really inviting place to Taiga so he didn't refuse at all when Kamenashi offered him to sit down. 

Red velvet and comfortable pillows had Taiga immediately close his eyes for a moment, but he didn't miss the weight suddenly increasing on the couch and when he opened his eyes again Kamenashi had sat down next to him.

“Do you think you won or lost the game?” 

“What?” Taiga asked in confusion, but didn't even care that Kamenashi had started putting his hand on his long coat he had been wearing over his high neck shirt. Like his shirt it was a bit too over the top like most of all Oki clothes, but this coat was one Taiga really liked. It had fur around his neck down to the seam of the front and that was where Kamenashi had put his hands now to play with the fabric.

“You're not the first one I've seen in this state. Let me guess, someone from Sasaku invited you to an unfair game.”

Of course it was obvious, but it was also not surprising that it had been unfair.

“I guess there was no losing or winning,” Taiga said in realization and Kamenashi chuckled while he traced the fur up to Taiga's collarbone.

“In their games there is usually no side indeed. They like creating chaos and this one could be good or bad depending on you.”

It was a warning, but yet this was also the way Kamenashi liked games. As Sasaku knew the liking of the Minami-Hian Clan, Yaotome had played Taiga right into Kamenashi’s hands. 

“But I have to warn you, even if you let me play I will not choose favorites.”

“You already did.”

It was Taiga's sudden straight forward attitude that had a smile appear on Kamenahsi’s face as he dared to pull Taiga's jacket down one shoulder. 

The situation felt dangerous yet weirdly calming to Taiga. It wasn't like he did anything bad, in Yara's opinion he was even doing something good as he shouldn't deny Kamenashi his games. If he was in his right mindset he'd freak out completely just through this small interaction, but like this he wouldn't give away his weakness to Kamenashi. It might haunt him later once more, but at this certain moment it was definitely the better outcome to not care for anything.

When Kamenashi put his hand down on one button of Taiga's high neck top he dared to grab the other one's wrist. 

“Not the positive outcome after all?” Kamenashi asked.

“Right now I wouldn't deny any game,” Taiga said. “But that doesn't mean I won't regret it later and if it doesn't put me in any favor then I should maybe not play.”

If Kamenashi didn't agree then there was no way Taiga was going to be strong enough to refuse, but to his surprise the older one pulled his hand up to his face instead. He wouldn't leave with nothing that was already visible in his greedy look, but luck was on Taiga's side that he was also not going to force anything with Taiga not being in the right mindset to refuse.

“Then let me have a taste of that strong mindset before I let you rest,” Kamenashi demanded and this time Taiga didn't pull back when the other one brushed first his thumb over his lips and then replaced it with his own lips. 

The kiss wasn't harmless, but nothing Taiga couldn't handle, especially right now. It was even the opposite. He was the one who let the other one deepen it and he had his hand on Kamenashi’s sleeve to keep him in place, not that the older one would easily back off.

If Kamenashi changed his mind Taiga was sure that he wouldn't stop him, but he'd hate himself later for exposing himself in such a cheap way. Not that he thought Kamenashi would even care about his scars, but he'd also not care for Taiga's feelings and that was why Taiga had to treat it as what it was, a game, nothing more.

When Kamenashi finally backed off, he licked his lips in excitement, but suddenly showed a scolding expression.

“Well, I guess if I went further I'd risk some scolding.”

Kamenashi's words didn't make much sense to Taiga as he would do whatever right now and he was sure that Kamenashi wouldn't even care if Taiga complained later. But nevertheless Kamenashi just brushed his hand over Taiga's lips once more before he got up.

“Feel free to stay and rest as long as you want. It would definitely not be in your favor to wander around in your state.”

“Thank you,” Taiga said, meaning it in more than one way. He was still aware of his actions and with Kamenashi's reputation this could have ended in another haunting memory, not that Taiga could have complained as he had taken the risk himself by entering Yaotome’s game.

It took Taiga some time to even calm down enough to dare and close his eyes after he was left alone. He wasn't feeling overly exhausted, but he also wanted to make sure that he wouldn't accidentally stumble upon anyone else. Right now he wouldn't even be able to keep his hands to himself and he wasn't in the mood to stab himself in the hand to clear the fog in his mind. 

He hoped that some rest would bring him back to his senses before anyone could worry too much about his whereabouts. It was a dreamless rest until the fog in his mind finally started clearing and his dreams awoke the possibilities of his irresponsible behavior. He fought himself out of his own nightmares, but immediately felt like he was still asleep when someone was sitting next to him again. The way he jolted and pulled his legs up had the other one snort at him.

“Dude, don't pretend like I'm worse than Kamenashi. But at least that reaction shows that you're back to normal. By the way how dumb are you to take a challenge against someone from Sasaku?”

Taiga just kept staring while listening to all the scolding until Taiko was done and waited for him to say something.

“What are you doing here?”

“Seriously, that’s the first question coming to your mind?”

There were several others, all things he couldn’t ask, couldn’t just voice out, because he didn’t know enough about the situation in Mabara-Kinmitsu, but he hadn’t expected any of them to show up here after what he had figured out about their situation in Basarano. On the other hand it might just be strategically for them the same way as they had asked for their last diplomatic meeting with Oki and Kita-Shosan, if that hadn’t been arranged out of other reasons that was…

“Well, we are here for the tournament, the same as you,” Taiko replied.

“Who else came with you?”

“Konpi, but seriously can you stop changing the topic?” Taiko scolded him. “Each time I meet you, you’re in some kind of trouble.”

“You were here earlier already,” Taiga realized.

“Brightspark. Do you really think Kamenashi would have left you alone otherwise?”

The thing that impressed Taiga more was the fact that Kamenashi had been aware of Taiko’s presence, while Taiga hadn’t even realized that he had been most likely already present in the meeting space. “Anyway, how have you been?”

Finally Taiga sat up straight and luckily his mind had indeed cleared by now. “Not perfectly well if you wanted to hear that.”

“Right, as if I didn’t know that. Tanaka threw a huge fit at our province on his way back.”

“I doubt he asked you for direct help though, did he?”

“Should he have? Didn’t you get yourself in trouble? It’s not our province's problem.”

“Why are you so on edge?” Taiga asked and that question had Taiko stand up and walk through the room. When there was no immediate reply Taiga wondered if the other one wanted to ask more directly. How much did he know? Was he or any other council member directly in contact with Yasui? If yes, did Yasui mention anything about what he had done? This was definitely not the place and time to talk about such things and it made Taiko’s unsettling state understandable.

“Well, then let’s go meet with Konno for now?” Taiga changed the topic and got up. “Now that you’re already here I should do a proper greeting, right? And I can introduce you to General Yara as well, I think you haven’t met yet.”

“Right,” Taiko said, finally able to calm down a bit. “Just please do not get yourself in even more trouble over the tournament?”

“I have my own soldiers and friends here to help me out in that case, because that will then be an Oki problem,” Taiga said and while it wasn’t in any way meant as an insult, Taiko’s look darkened a bit. “But you’re always welcome to keep scolding me for dumb decisions.”

“Oh I will for sure,” Taiko said before he walked outside to the corridor first. They had only met once until now, yet Taiko had already decided for himself that Taiga was going to be his friend, no matter if he wanted that or not. If that friendship was established through guilt was something Taiga had to find out for himself at some point.

“And you’re sure that nothing happened?”

Taiga growled and gave Yuma a warning look.

“This is the time when I want you to shut up, bow and apologize,” Taiga let out, making Yuma bite his lip, but he did not proceed to do so as he was worried. “How the hell did you even hear about it?”

“Well, word travels fast inside this castle,” Yuma said and before they reached the staircase Taiga stopped and turned to the other one.

Yuma had knocked on his door early in the morning the next day after he had heard rumors about Yaotome’s challenge and Taiga had more or less vanished for some time after that. But now it was the day of the tournament and they all had to concentrate. Taiga was in full armor while Yuma wasn’t supposed to fight in the tournament. As many soldiers they were just the convoy and would only fight if any of the generals would be down through heavy injuries. Something that could unfortunately easily happen.

“I am grateful for your worries, but for the next few days please remember where we are and what this event is, okay? I am truly happy that you warmed up like this, but in this tournament there is nothing you can or should do, no matter what happens, am I clear?”

Yuma nodded with a worried expression as he knew his place in this tournament, but like so many of them he was worried for the outcome. Deaths weren’t something uncommon in tournaments after all.

They made it down to the main floor and Yara was already waiting for them. He was also in full armor, holding his helmet under his arm while talking to the other soldiers. He was giving them the same warnings Taiga had just given Yuma.

“Ready?” Yara asked as Taiga walked up to him.

“I wish,” Taiga said, but got a supporting pat on the shoulder before Yara pushed him ahead, leaving the soldiers a bit behind them. They had to leave the castle to reach the tournament site that was lying outside of the heavy walls of the city.

Their horses had been prepared for them outside and the people of the city applauded them on their way towards the gates. All clans left the castle at a different time, their soldiers carrying banners with their emblems through the streets.

“Are you really going to be alright?”

“Are you going to start this conversation now as well?” Taiga asked when they kept riding down the street, nodding and waving at the people. Oki had a high status in Minami-Hian and they were something like the crowd favorite after their own province of course.

“Good to know that Yuma was worried as well, but that means everyone knows by now.”

“Knows what? I took a stupid bet, it’s not that big of a deal,” Taiga said, trying to keep his voice down and his face relaxed. He was sure that the commoners were all aware of the way the clan worked and so even if more had happened they would definitely not judge.

“Well then I will not hold back with criticism later if you’re okay,” Yara said with a teasing smile.

“Trust me, losing in this tournament won’t hurt my pride at all. I know that I am not the perfect choice for this.”

“Yet you fought for your right to be here so give it your best shot,” Yara encouraged him and that was exactly what Taiga would do.

A while later they were all gathered at the tournament site and of course the people of Minami-Hian were allowed to watch. Each day they would be at a different location and today they were out on an open dust field, just a bit of grass on the sides. There was a forest a short ride ahead, there the grass was greener, in the middle of it a lake gave the trees a strong dark green color. 

Alongside the dusty track there were targets, different heights, sizes and distances. It wasn’t just a bow and arrow competition. Some targets had to be hit with throwing knives, while their time would also be part of it. Kamenashi liked games too much to make it too easy for them.

All the targets were placed on the left, a long rope guiding the way for the horses to follow so that they wouldn’t cheat for the distance to the target. The people were standing on the right side, at a safe distance to observe while Kamenashi had placed a platform right in the middle so he could see everything from the top. But now he was standing with the generals in front of the people, announcing the opening of the tournament. 

“As this is a yearly tournament, most of you are aware of the rules and well, that doesn’t make it fun.”

That announcement had Taiga immediately worried and he exchanged a look with Taiko and Konpi, both of them standing to his right. Some whispers were going through the crowd, while Ryota and Shota gave the others a teasing smile. Of course they had already heard of the upcoming changes. Now the two looked so different to Taiga though as they were in full armor as well, with the lion emblem of Minami-Hian on their chests. Gold colored and beautifully engraved. Not as annoying to the eye as the close combat Oki armors, but also not as heavy as the ones from Kita-Shosan. 

Sasaku wasn’t even really in armor. Their clothes were more of some layers of leather, not much metal involved and only a belt with the horse emblem on the buckle, while Mabara-Kinmitsu wasn’t even bothering with that. They were trusting in their skills and risked everything, by just having metal forearm covers, similar to the ones from Oki, plus the same covers for their shins and their emblem on the side of their chest on normal leather clothes. Not that today’s event was about combat, they were free to choose their armors and clothes freely, which had made Taiga choose their flexible armor as he didn’t have to worry about incoming attacks.

“You are all used to your own surroundings, so the only thing today that is new for you is the place,” Kamenashi explained while walking up and down in front of the generals before he took a small basket from one of the servants and held it up. “To make it more interesting all of you will pull two names from the basket. The first name is going to be the person you switch horses with.”

“Oh shit…” Sakuma let out next to Aran as that was definitely going to be a disaster. Sakuma only had the wave symbol of Awako on the hilt of his sword, while his armor looked like Aran’s just without the wolf emblem on the chest. Yaotome seemed overly excited about the news and gave Sou and Kento a knowing look. 

“The second name is going to be the person you will exchange weapons with.”

“This is going to be interesting,” Konpi said, not seeming that worried about the new rules.

 “What if we draw ourselves?” Nikaido asked and Kamenashi walked up to him, holding the basket right out to him first. 

“Then you are extremely lucky. Especially because all your names are in here twice, so who knows, maybe one of you will have an amazing advantage?”

The chances of that were extremely low as there were generals from seven provinces. Some provinces were only competing with one person, like Awako, others with up to three like Sasaku. That was also why the win wasn’t directly for the province, but for the person itself. Numbers didn’t matter and eventually they would need to fight each other as well. Taiga having to face Yara in one of the upcoming battles was a high possibility.

Nikaido proceeded to draw the first paper and unfolded it. 

“Please read the name out to everyone,” Kamenashi said, extremely excited about his sudden rule change.

“Kyomoto Taiga.”

The relief and excitement was visible on both their faces. Taiga was more than happy to help him out with his horse as he knew that his mare would carry Nikaido through the task without any problems. The second name was from another general of Kita-Shosan.

“Lucky draw. You won’t have any problems with your weapons then,” Kamenashi said with a smile before he walked up to the second general. He drew Aran’s horse and the weapons from Kento. That was going to be a bit more of a challenge as their weapons were different from the shape and weight, but at least he would get a good horse.  

The next one who drew were Aran and Sakuma. Aran got Yara’s horse and Yaotome’s weapons. Not too bad of a draw.  Sakuma got Nikaido’s horse and Sou’s weapons. Taiga felt like the weapons were still something manageable as long as they had a good horse. The only weapons he feared were those of Kita-Shosan, because they were too heavy for him, even if it wasn’t the long sword. At least not for now, who knew if Kamenashi would make them switch later in close combat as well.

The Sasaku members were drawing next. Taiko and Ryota’s horses for Yaotome and Kento, Sou was lucky to draw his own horse. Yaotome drew Taiko again so he was getting the entire set from the other one, also more or less a lucky draw. Kento would use Aran’s weapons and Sou those of Konpi.

Now Kamenashi stopped in front of Yara, the general pulled out the name of the second Kita-Shosan General, so they could exchange horses this way around too. 

“Nikaido Takashi,” Yara announced on the weapons and while it was a lucky draw to get both from the same province, the weight of Nikaido’s weapons was exactly what Taiga had feared for himself. Yara wasn’t of tall build either, but he seemed calm about his draw.

“Then let’s see how lucky you are?” Kamenashi said as he held the basket out to Taiga.

Taiga hurried to draw the first name, but cursed in his head before he read it out loud.

“Yaotome Hikaru.”

The one in question gave him a lopsided smile and a fake polite bow. Taiga only turned back to the basket to draw his weapons. 

“Watanabe Shota.”

Not too bad of a draw as Minami-Hian weapons weren’t that different to theirs, but now he had to worry about his horse.

“Good luck,” Kamenashi said before he moved on to Konpi and Taiko.

Sakuma’s horse and Ryota’s weapons for Konpi. For Taiko it was a lucky draw as he got Konpi’s horse. Then he drew the weapons.

“Kyomoto Taiga.”

Taiga was relieved that he was able to give his weapons to someone who would be able to handle the light weight, because it could also be a disadvantage for people who were used to heavy weapons.

Kamenashi had been fair and kept his own generals for last. Shota got Kento’s horse and Sakuma’s weapons. While Ryota got Shota’s horse and Yara’s weapons. Another lucky draw.

“Then get ready,” Kamenashi said as he gave them the time to exchange weapons and prepare their horses. At least a brief first ride on them was something Kamenashi allowed them. Not that they were allowed to enter the tournament ground yet. It was a one time challenge. There were no second chances.

Shota was exchanging weapons with Kento so Taiga walked over to Taiko first. As Taiko could still give his weapons to Yaotome when he was giving him his horse.

“I don't want him to use either of them,” Taiko said when Taiga stepped next to him.

“At least you don't have to use his horse,” Taiga said. 

“Right, then let me see your weapons,” Taiko asked and Taiga handed him his bow and arrows first. Taiko put the arrows on his back and put one into the bow with a hum. “Not bad. Definitely not too hard to use for me. A bit long maybe.”

Their bows were indeed way shorter than the long ones of Oki, but they could shoot easier from a distance with them.

“You’ll manage,” Taiga said before he reached out for the knife on his belt, but then he halted.

“Is your knife too good for me?” Taiko teased at the other one's hesitation. 

Taiga gave it another thought and then he decided to leave the knife where it was and he went to his sword and helmet that were on a table behind them, but next to it was a bag with other small things and he got another knife out from there.

“This one might be easier for you to use,” Taiga said and held the knife out to the other one. He tried to read every single reaction on the other one's face. 

Taiko wasn't reaching out for it, but he was also trying hard to not show too much of a reaction. When Taiga looked over to Konpi instead, who was already walking over to the horses with Sakuma and Sou, he could see the same reaction. They tried, but they failed. They knew this knife. Reia's knife.

“This one was something like a present, so make sure to not lose it,” Taiga said as he grabbed Taiko's hand and put the knife in his hand. “I bet it'll be your lucky item today.”

Taiko slowly looked up at the other one, but then only nodded. 

Taiga didn't need more. He just wanted to know the connection. Even though Reia had said he wasn't a council member, Yasui definitely was. More secrets were going to be revealed over this tournament, that was for sure.

Taiga hurried over to Shota, knowing that they didn't have much time for small talk now.

“It's shorter than yours and heavy to pull,” Shota said when he handed Taiga the bow. “The arrows are also shorter, but don't worry you won't be able to over pull.”

He was definitely not going to, because when he pulled the string, the resistance was heavy. The furthest targets would be a challenge for him.

“Make sure to sit back.”

Taiga gave Shota a questioning look as he just handed him the knife and then joined Kento to get his horse.

Taiga hurried to get his horse as well and bring it over to Nikaido. “She's really fast, so the speed shouldn't be a problem. She's sensitive to balance, so just make sure to keep her straight.”

“Thank you,” Nikaido said and took the chestnut mare from him and gave her a gentle pat on the neck.

“This might be the most fair and unfair tournament at the same time,” Nikaido said with a smile and Taiga nodded.

“At least no one drew all their own things,” Taiga said before he excused himself. Yaotome was already waiting with another bright grin next to his horse. A beautiful black stallion. Yet of course the horse was spirited and also way too big for him. It had a huge neck, a short back and strong legs. It would be hard for Taiga to sit and aim, so why would he even sit back on such a big horse? He gave Shota another look, but the other one was busy with receiving his own horse.

“I hope he's not going to be too much for you,” Yaotome said as he handed the reins to him. “Had a good day yesterday?”

The direct question had Taiga boil inside, but he had agreed on the stupid game himself so he wouldn't complain.

“Could have been worse,” Taiga said as he proceeded to fit the stirrup length to his own legs. Even the saddle was completely different to theirs. It was flat in the front, easy to fall off if lost balance. 

“Let me give you a hand,” Yaotome offered when Taiga didn't even bother hiding the fact that he would not easily get on by himself. 

The Sasaku general gave Taiga a hand and took his leg to help him up. Just that movement had the stallion almost rear, yet Taiga was lighter than Yaotome and not harsh on the horse’s reins, which made him calm down again.

“Any advice?” Taiga asked as it was clear that the other one wouldn't be so nice to let him know much about his horse.

“Don't fall off?” Yaotome mocked and gave his own horse a clap under the stomach, making the horse rear this time. But Taiga had good balance and wouldn't be thrown off that easily. But the horse's movements were indeed big while he was wondering if he was going to be fast as his back wasn't that long. He seemed a bit too heavy for fast sprints.

Taiga gave the other one a scolding look after the horse had calmed down again. Yaotome only gave him another mocking look before he walked over to Taiko to get his weapons and horse. The Mabara-Kinmitsu shinobi gave him a scolding look when he approached, but there were no rules after all for them to give advice about their horses or weapons.

“Don't try to hold him back,” Aran said next to Taiga as he approached on Yara’s horse. A perfect fit. Aran would have been able to control any horse, Taiga was sure of it.

“I hope he will even move,” Taiga said as riding forward was already a challenge for him as the horse was not reacting that well on his leg aids.

“Trust in your skills and let the horse do its job. He knows what he is doing after all,” Aran said and then they were already called in for the start of the tournament.

Taiga watched in silence as the first few people made it through the targets, fast and precise. Some targets were missed, some horses weren't going as fast or straight as wished for, but no one had any huge problems yet.

Sakuma had a bit of trouble with Nikaido’s horse as he was too nice to the heavy stallion. He hit all his targets, using Sou’s weapons impressively, but he had been the slowest of them all.

The fastest of them had been Sou. Used to his own horse he went for speed, but that cost him the furthest arrow target.

Sakuma, Yara, Aran and Yaotome had been the only ones to not miss any targets. 

Taiko was also going with full hits, but then he didn't throw the knife at the last target. Taiga gave him a questioning look when he made it back, but the younger one clenched the knife next to his belt. 

“Good luck,” Ryota said next to Taiga as he was up next. Taiga nodded at him and proceeded to the start point.

As expected the stallion knew what was coming, but he was so hot blooded that when Taiga told him to go, he reared once more and almost pulled Taiga out of the saddle when he dashed ahead right after.

Not able to sit the heavy gallop, Taiga stood in the stirrups and took a few calm breaths before the first target. It was an easy first hit. He wasn't used to the shape of Shota’s quiver and didn't get the next arrow out in time, but he still succeeded in turning back enough to hit the target from the side. It still counted as a hit.

Three more arrow targets and the knife for the last target. The next target was the furthest away, but while Taiga would not win this event as his horse wasn't fast enough for that, he wanted to get a clean hit. This was his strongest event and he wasn't going to fail at it, no matter the horse or weapon.

He took another deep breath, finally getting used to the big jumps of the horse and he hit the target dead center. He could hear the crowd cheering, but luckily the horse didn't get unsettled through the noise.

The next two targets weren't that far away, but they were small. Taiga's arms weren't used to the heavy string of the bow and he almost missed the next target as his hands had been slightly shaking. After all, he had to put in a lot of strength for the previous target. 

The next target had the challenge of the knife target coming right after it, so he had to be fast and precise.

The moment the arrow lost contact to the bow he drew the knife, trying to remember its shape and weight before aiming.

The cheers told him that he had hit the last arrow target while his focus was on the last one. 

He didn't have much time and he balanced the knife in his hand, trying to adjust the force he needed to the weight, which was heavier than his own knife.

He threw and hit. Right at the side, but the knife still hit the target. Right before the crowd started cheering again there was a whistle. As part of the cheering it wasn't even something uncommon, but what Taiga hadn't seen coming at all was his horse's reaction to that whistle and at full speed the stallion pushed down his back legs, sliding into a full stop. 

Taiga had been still standing in the stirrups, his weight over the horse's neck and with the slim saddle, the sudden movement took him right over the horse's neck.

The cheers changed into some gasps when Taiga had fallen right in front of the horse, but unfortunately the horse hadn't completely come to a stop yet and the stallion ended up trampling right on top of him. 

The fall itself hadn't been that bad. The ground wasn't too hard and it wasn't the first time for him to fall off a horse. It was the intensity of the abrupt stop and his inability to get away fast enough that worsened the outcome. 

The horse tried to come to a stop right above him, Taiga not having his helmet on as it wasn't needed for this target exercise and that made him pull his head between his arms, trying to avoid the horse's hooves. 

The horse luckily didn't try to hit him on purpose so after a few seconds of shock on both sides the horse jumped back, stopping with a loud snort.

The entire crowd had fallen silent and Taiga took another deep breath before he dared to sit up. Of course all eyes were on him, Kamenashi resting his face on his palm with an entertained look up from the platform. But Taiga wouldn't feel ashamed. Falling off wasn't going to disqualify them and he had hit all targets, exactly what he wanted.

The path was extremely long, the other generals not that clearly visible at the other side of it, but they had of course seen what had happened. Taiga dusted off his clothes before he held out his hand to the stallion. To his surprise it came towards him. There was a moment where Taiga wasn't sure if it wasn't better to walk back, but then he patted the horse's neck and walked up to the saddle, putting the bow on his back. Luckily the weapon hadn't broken and the quiver had actually helped with the impact of the fall as well.

The problem was his right leg. It had been fine on the impact, but then the horse had accidentally stomped on it. Now it was heavily shaking, but Taiga was sure that the bone was fine. It was more the shock of the situation and he put his hand on his leg, trying to calm down enough to get back on the horse. The adrenaline helped him to pull himself up on the tall horse and to his surprise the horse waited patiently for him this time to sit back down.

He hurried to turn him around and this time he took Shota's advice and he sat back while cantering back. A few meters on his way back, the silent crowd finally started cheering once more. They had stared in shock and silence, but with Taiga being more or less okay, they cheered even louder for him than for anyone else.

In front of Kamenashi he stopped the stallion and gave the clan leader a bow. Kamenashi stood up and gave him a slow nod. He was definitely impressed and amused. An outcome Taiga could live with.

He hurried back so that the tournament wasn't going to be even more delayed. Right before he reached the others he spotted Sou standing a bit at the side, half behind the crowd. On his left he had his horse, but on the right he had Taiko's horse. Yaotome's horse for now. 

Scanning the area he didn't immediately spot him and then Aran, Taiko and Yara rode up to him so his focus was on them.

“Are you okay? What happened?” Taiko asked.

“I'm not sure. Someone from the crowd whistled. Maybe he got startled by it?”

“A whistle?” Yara asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Definitely not something a war horse should lose its calm over,” Aran said, but Taiga looked at Ryota and Shota as the two showed an extremely pissed expression. When he followed their looks he finally found Yaotome who walked up to Sou from the crowd. 

“Whistles are used to train some horses,” Nikaido said as he rode up to them. “Every province is using other methods and sounds to train them.”

“And what a coincidence that Sasaku uses whistles,” Taiko hissed under his breath. 

Taiga turned towards Kamenashi and he was surprised to see the other one's look also on Yaotome and quite annoyed. 

“Shouldn't we -”

“It's alright,” Taiga interrupted Taiko. “I hit all the targets, that was my goal. The fall doesn't matter.”

They all nodded at him, agreeing on not making a scene. Even if it was cheating, it didn't cost Taiga any points so he wouldn't point fingers now.

“Is your leg okay?” Yara asked when he saw Taiga's right leg shaking.

“It will be fine in a while. It's just the shock of the impact I think.”

The general nodded as they all went on with the tournament, but he looked skeptical.

***

After Taiga’s run the only one with a clean hit had been Ryota. With that six out of thirteen had made a clean run, but of course the time had been what gave the points in the end.

Everyone who didn’t hit all targets wouldn’t get any points.

The winner with four points had been Ryota as he had the advantage of a horse of his own clan. It was clear that it hadn’t been the first time he had been on Shota’s horse. The second place with three points went to Aran and to his surprise Taiga had made the third place so he at least got two points for this event. While the remaining clear hits all only got one point no matter their times.

Now he was in his room, letting out a long sigh after everyone had been in a huge dining room for the evening to celebrate the first day with Kamenashi. Taiga had been in pain the entire time, but he had been able to overplay it quite well. Now he finally got out of his clothes. He had put the flexible armor already aside earlier, but now he carefully got out of his trousers and he wasn’t surprised to find a dark violet bruise on his thigh. The size was already double of the size of his hand and it had traveled down towards his knee. It would definitely be hard for him to move without trouble the next day.

He tried to ignore the pain when he changed clothes. For now he couldn’t do much but try and put his leg up a bit over night. When he got ready to blow out the candles in his room, a knock on the door had him stop. It had already fallen silent quite a while ago. 

“Anything urgent?” Taiga asked a bit worried when he found Aran in front of his door.

“More or less, follow me,” Aran said and left Taiga a bit startled when he just started walking. “You don’t need anything. Just come.”

In a hurry Taiga closed his door and went after the other one. Aran was also already in casual clothes, but he was carrying a small bag with him.

“Where exactly are we going?” Taiga asked when Aran had made him walk down way too many stairs and his leg had started shaking again.

“To a place where we can get that a bit under control,” Aran said and pointed at his leg. “You can pretend like it doesn’t hurt, but everyone has seen your fall. They will aim for your leg tomorrow.”

Taiga was aware of that, but as it wasn’t as bad as a broken bone he didn’t give it that much of a thought and a bandage wouldn’t help either. When he wanted to ask Aran about what he was up to he realized that he didn’t know the corridor they were in, but he realized that it had gotten warmer and the air had gotten more humid.

“I know you refused because you didn’t want anyone to see, but this is definitely the best you can do right now,” Aran said and walked to a room that was only lit by two torches.

“Wow, it’s bigger than I thought,” Taiga said on the sight of the stunning hot bath. It was a natural one as the volcano gave the area a lot of hot springs, so Kamenashi had of course created a hot spring right inside of his castle.

The bath was indeed huge, the black stones around the room with a low ceiling kept the warm air inside and the hot water formed some steam in the room through which it wasn’t that easy to see.

“I will wait here. Stay in until I tell you to come out. I brought you a towel and I have some herbs on me. The hot water will speed up the blood circulation so that the herbs can do their work better afterwards.”

Taiga gave the other one a perplexed look, but Aran only pointed at the bath. “I am not going to stand here the entire night, so hurry.”

Taiga slowly nodded before he showed a bright smile. “Thank you, Aran.”

The other one smiled back at him, but then proceeded to push him towards the bath. “Don’t get used to getting special care.”

Usually he wasn’t getting any special care that was exactly why he was so confused, but also so grateful to Aran. The tournament was important to all of them and Aran could have just ignored him, taking his advantage in having one hurt opponent, yet he even waited until late at night to make it possible for Taiga to use the bath alone. On top of that he even offered to stay guard and had prepared herbs. 

Taiga kept shaking his head as he felt like he didn’t even deserve to be taken care of. Until now he was always the one who had taken care of others. He had to protect Shime, be in charge of his soldiers and obey the Oki Clan’s laws. 

When he got into the bath he was surprised to not find it way too hot as the steam was already such a high temperature. With a long sigh he went in until his neck, closing his eyes for a moment. This was indeed something he would love to do daily. Especially with the tournament and his hurt leg this was his personal heaven.

A passive thought that was supposed to be meant positive had him open his eyes once more with a troubled expression. His first thought was that Aran had been the first person to ever take such good care of him and that the Kaikakuto Clan was indeed where he belonged. But then he remembered his time on the battlefield, when the first one to actually help him was Juri. Since then they had helped each other out several times, yet it would still take months to meet again now that Juri wasn’t at the tournament. He didn’t want to push him too much to the back of his mind as he was more than excited about a hopefully soon reunion.

Then another thought made his look darken as there had been one more person who had saved him. Reia. Without the boy he would have not made it out of Basarano. 

With a deep breath, Taiga vanished under the surface, trying to stop his mind from drowning in bad thoughts. Right now he needed a clear mind for the tournament.

“Good morning sunshine,” Shota greeted Taiga when he left his room the next morning. “Ready for round two?”

“That depends on how many surprises await us this time,” Taiga said as the second day was supposed to be a duel between them. Here it was normal for them to draw their opponent, but Taiga was sure that there was going to be more than that.

“You will find out soon, but I promise you it will be entertaining,” Shota said and instead of being too close as Minami-Hian didn’t seem to know the word personal space, Shota actually stepped back a bit for the first time and held up his arm. “Shall we?”

It almost made Taiga laugh how much Shota tried to get closer to him. It was clear that others were way more open for the invitation. Aran had taken it before and Taiga had seen that Kento and Sou were not that much against the ways of Minami-Hian either as they had vanished from the feast the evening before in the middle as well, of course at the same time as Ryota and Shota.

“I didn’t break my leg if you’re that worried,” Taiga said and refused to take the other one’s invitation, but Shota didn’t seem too disappointed when he lowered his arm and started walking next to him instead.

“Maybe I should be disappointed that you didn’t? After all, you already have points while I am still at zero.”

“Who knows maybe today is your lucky day? You just have to draw me from that basket,” Taiga teased, knowing that right now he wouldn’t be the hardest opponent to beat.

“That would be too boring,” Shota said. “But the next time I give you advice you better take it if you want to keep getting points and not end up with a heavier injury next time.”

Taiga didn’t get the chance to reply as they had reached the meeting area and Shota excused himself to his clan members as they were leaving before them. 

“Are you cheating?” Sakuma asked as he stopped next to Taiga.

“Cheating how? Trying to become Kamenashi’s favorite by gracefully falling off a horse?” Taiga asked, making Sakuma laugh. But Shota had indeed given him advice at that time. He had told him to sit back, but he had tried to focus on the target so he had stood in the stirrups. That was exactly what had thrown him off eventually. 

“If anyone is cheating then it’s them,” Konpi was heard as he walked up to them and looked at the members of Sasaku who got ready to leave as well.

“They will hopefully not have many chances for any cheating today,” Taiga said.

“How is your leg?” Konpi asked.

“Better,” Taiga said with a grateful nod. “Where is Sasaki?”

Taiga had to watch out to call them all in a polite way, even if Taiko never even once called him by his last name.

“He told me in the morning that he was going to wait outside,” Konpi said and excused himself as well to head out with his clan. 

Taiko had put Taiga’s bow and arrows on the table next to his helmet in the middle of the tournament, but he hadn’t been surprised to not find the knife with them. Yet he patiently waited for Taiko to return it. He was sure he would, but the timing had to be better.

“Good luck to us today,” Sakuma said as he excused himself as well.

They all headed to a closer location this time. There were seats for the people watching and Kamenashi had a podium close to the arena like place where they were going to challenge each other in close combat this time.

Luckily there seemed to be no huge surprises as there was only sand in the arena as always. Yet they had to put all their weapons on a few tables lined up in front of them while Kamenashi looked at all of them with an entertained look. Of course there was a basket to draw from again and Taiga was already sure that they would need to draw weapons again.

“Good morning and welcome,” Kamenashi greeted the crowd, everyone was still as excited as the day before. Until now they didn’t have any big injuries or generals who had to get replaced by soldiers, yet that was definitely what the crowd was waiting for. As gruesome as real battles were, for them this was pure entertainment. A bit of blood was going to make them cheer even louder.

“Today you will draw your opponents for your close combat event,” Kamenashi explained and pulled the basket to the front. “The one with the highest points will draw first. But-”

“Of course there is a but,” Sakuma whispered. 

“You will exchange weapons with the opponent you are drawing.”

“And here we go again,” Taiga said towards Sakuma as they had already seen this coming.

“As we have an uneven number of generals this time there will be one voluntary entry,” Kamenashi announced and held up a folded paper. “Let’s see which of you will be lucky today.”

With that Kamenashi put the paper into the basket with the others and told Ryota to step to the front. They would draw in order of their points, but in case they drew someone with high points or who was under the first six from the speed of the event from the first day, someone from the last seven would draw. 

“Did Kamenashi assign another general?” Sakuma wondered as no one else was standing with them for the drawing. 

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Aran let out next to them, making Taiga already feel restless. Aran’s herbs had helped a lot with his leg, but the bruise was of course still huge and the pain while walking was not miraculously gone.

There were two outcomes Taiga didn’t want for this part. Having to fight someone he was too close to or fighting anyone from Sasaku. But that left only a handful of people he would feel okay with fighting against and none of them were in any way easy opponents.

“Yara Tomoyuki,” Ryota read and Taiga gave the general a worried look, but the older one just smiled at him when he walked up to Ryota as they exchanged their weapons. It wasn’t a bad draw after all.

Aran stepped towards the basket next. “Nikaido Takashi.”

“Now I feel sorry,” Nikaido said towards the other Kita-Shosan general before he moved up to Aran. The sword Aran had to use was going to be way too heavy for him, but they could still fight without weapons. The only rule was that they weren’t allowed to use their own weapons even if they were able to take them from the other one. So Aran could just try his luck and get rid of both their weapons.

Taiga felt how his hands were trembling a bit when he walked up to Kamenashi next. He wasn’t afraid, but worried about whether he could keep his calm depending on the opponent. With Yara, Aran and Nikaido already drawn, the chances of having to fight a Sasaku member were extremely high. 

“I bet you will draw a good opponent,” Kamenashi said as he held out the basket. “Not that there are any bad ones, right? It’s just a tournament after all.”

“Right,” Taiga said as he reached for a name. Just a tournament. Yet some of them would take it a bit more seriously than others. Taiga hurried to unfold the paper, but then he froze on the spot.

“Can it be that bad of a draw?” Sakuma whispered towards the other general from Kita-Shosan who shrugged his shoulders. None of them wanted to face Sasaku, but they could even end up facing each other. The only name they were allowed to put back was their own after all. It didn’t matter if they had to fight against their own province.

“Not a lucky draw?” Kamenashi asked and slowly Taiga looked up at him. The people got restless and started shouting when Taiga didn’t voice out a name. They wanted to know his opponent. 

“Just read the name,” Kamenashi said and now his expression had changed. He knew already. Of course he did.

Taiga finally took another deep breath as he knew there was nothing he could do about this outcome. It wasn’t against the rules and it was a typical Minami-Hian game.

Taiga turned the paper around and held it up for the other one to read.

“Kamenashi Kazuya.”

“What the actual fuck…” Taiko said way too loud. The boy had remained silent the entire morning, but now there were whispers in their rows before a huge applause went through the crowd.

“That I call unlucky,” Yaotome said with a smirk.

“Leaves you for someone else to beat up,” Shota hissed at him.

“Oh so aggressive today. Didn’t have a good fuck yesterday?” Yaotome mocked.

“Your province isn’t the most satisfying fuck,” Shota said, making Kento snort next to Yaotome. 

“Then how about we make this a challenge?” Kento replied. “The one who loses will get laid for the rest of the tournament days.”

“By you or by everyone who wins?” Shota asked with a smirk.

“Guys, you know we can all hear you, right?” Konpi let out in annoyance and for now they zipped it, but Kento still gave Shota a challenging look. 

“Don’t you dare lose on purpose,” Ryota whispered towards Shota.

“No fun in that,” Shota said before Yaotome stepped away from them when Taiga had returned.

“You seem to have a lot of bad luck coming your way this tournament,” Yaotome said next to him before he walked up to Kamenashi.

“He’s not wrong about that,” Sakuma said with a worried look towards Taiga who didn’t even say anything when he stood back in line. 

They all concentrated back on the draws for now and then Yaotome laughed and turned towards them, pointing straight ahead at one of them.

“Wata-”

“YES,” Shota shouted back at him. “Oh damn, this is going to be so good.”

The excitement of the other one had Taiga look at him questioning, but then Shota hit him on the shoulder.

“This is going to be payback for your leg. Oh I have hoped for this so much.”

Now Taiga was even more confused. Shota being excited about fighting wasn’t something new, especially because he seemed to have a weird love hate relationship with Sasaku, but the excitement about fighting Yaotome, because he saw it as payback had Taiga feel weirdly excited.

“Shota,” Ryota said as he hit him on the shoulder while Shota kept shouting in excitement. Ryota made a hand movement towards Taiga and when Shota looked at him there was a huge smile on Shota’s face. Taiga needed a moment to understand why, but then he realized that for the first time he had actually smiled at Shota and of course Ryota knew how happy it would make Shota to see that smile.

“Well then, please kick his ass for me,” Taiga said, making Shota nod.

“Oh I totally will.”

Sakuma and Taiko had to face Sasaku as well. But Sou and Kento didn’t have such heavy weapons luckily, but Taiga was worried for them, because he feared the other two would fight unfairly.

Konpi didn’t have to draw as the other general of Kita-Shosan was the last one left. Again heavy weapons for someone who was usually using lighter ones, but at least no province members had to fight against each other.

“Well then, let the event begin,” Kamenashi shouted, making everyone cheer while they retreated from the main arena. They were fighting in full heavy armor for those who had them. Some of them like Sasaku and Mabara-Kinmitsu would risk a lot even at this event as they had no helmets or heavy metal armors.

There were tents behind the seats, outside of the arena and Taiga had wished Yara luck for his fight before he was getting ready himself. 

For this tournament even Oki had heavier close combat armor. For the battlefield they relied on speed and long distance weapons so they risked battle in their flexible armor, but close combat was something more dangerous for them, so Taiga grabbed the shoulder parts from the table in his tent.

“Let me help you.”

Yuma had walked into the tent after he had helped Yara with his armor and brought his weapons to the arena.

“Thanks,” Taiga said as it wasn’t that easy to put the chest, back and shoulder parts together all by himself.

“I can’t believe he put his own name in there,” Yuma said as he had put the last heavy metal part on Taiga’s back. Their armor was silver, yet not the same as the one from Kita-Shosan. The color was a bit more shiny and the armor was lighter as they used different materials for it. 

“Trust me, I couldn’t believe it myself either,” Taiga said as he put on the gloves. It felt weird to him to wear gloves, but for sword fights it was definitely easier. The back part had metal on it, while the rest was out of leather.

“Do you think he is a strong fighter?”

“Would he have put his name in there if he wasn’t?” Taiga asked when he took Kamenashi’s sword. It was heavier than a regular Oki sword, but not at all too heavy for him to handle. It had a lion head, the emblem of Minami-Hian, on the hilt and golden parts on the cross guard, making it look more like decoration than a weapon.

“Maybe he thinks you will throw in the towel, because this is his province?”

“I doubt anyone else would do that,” Taiga said. “Even his own clan members would have definitely fought him.”

“So he just wants to show off,” Yuma said with a sigh.

“Hopefully not too much,” Taiga said as he couldn’t read Kamenashi’s intentions. Would he go easy on him? Would he show him mercy if he was losing too easily?

There were already some cheers from the arena and Yuma looked over his shoulder in worry.

“Have a look for me, will you?” Taiga asked and Yuma reluctantly walked towards the arena to see how Yara’s fight was going.

A whistle from the back had Taiga turn to the entrance of the tent once more when Shota stepped inside.

“Well that I call an armor.”

“Yours isn’t that bad either,” Taiga said when Shota walked in with full armor and a helmet under his arm. The golden color on the armor was almost annoying to the eye, but it indeed fit Shota extremely well.

“Mine definitely goes better with that sword,” Shota said as he took Kamenashi’s sword from Taiga. “If you don’t use both hands, you will be too slow.”

“Oh, do I hear some help here?” Taiga asked with a teasing smile, but this time Shota remained more serious as he pointed the sword at Taiga’s chest.

“Give him a show, because if you won’t then he will also not show you any mercy.”

That was the advice Taiga had needed. His thoughts had been racing with the same questions Yuma had asked him. Why had Kamenashi put his name in there? What kind of fight was he hoping for? Was throwing in the towel an option? Now it was clear. This was going to be like every other fight as well. Kamenashi didn’t want special treatment. He wanted to be part of the fun and if Taiga didn’t give it all he got, then Kamenashi would win without any trouble.

“Then let's see if I can make the crowd cheer for me instead?” Taiga asked and this time Shota showed a smile.

“You’re a crowd favorite after all. Give them the show of their lives.”

***

Yara had won his fight, barely. Ryota was as good at close combat as he was with bow and arrow, but Yara was faster and had been able to win in a risky fast strike exchange, but luckily none of them had any heavy injuries. Some bruises from the heavy sword thrusts and getting thrown to the ground were normal for them after all.

Taiga was waiting at the side of the arena while Nikaido and Aran were at their fight for quite some time already, but Aran had lost his sword as it was way too heavy for him anyway. He tried his best to somehow avoid Nikaido’s attacks, but Nikaido’s heavy armor didn’t give him much of an advantage even with his speed. Bringing him to fall was only giving him a break to think, but Nikaido was a quick fighter as well, so getting close to him was dangerous.

Eventually Aran took his chances and tried to somehow get Nikaido’s sword even if he wasn’t allowed to use it. A fist fight would be easier for him, but Nikaido was faster and grabbed Aran at the last moment. With a swift movement Nikaido threw him over his shoulder and immediately pointed his blade at the other one’s face after Aran’s helmet had fallen off through the throw.

One of Kamenashi’s soldiers looked at their leader and Kamenashi lifted his hand with a smile. That signal had the soldier raise the banner of the bear, a win for Kita-Shosan. As the crowd cheered, Nikaido pulled back his sword and offered Aran a hand. 

Taiga didn’t miss that Aran was putting his left hand out after his right shoulder had definitely taken some damage after the throw.

Kamenashi stepped down from his seat after the fight and just to entertain his people he put on his armor right inside the arena. His people loved him, that was for sure. Of course not every citizen had the same opinion about the clan and its way, Oki was the same, but at least mainly everyone seemed to be supportive of their leader, which made this fight even harder.

“Good fight,” Taiga greeted his two friends as they walked out of the arena.

“For him yes,” Aran said, turning his shoulder with a pained expression. 

“You did great, but our swords are definitely a bit too heavy for everyone else,” Nikaido said with an apologizing expression.

“That’s why I still wonder how Juri is able to lift it,” Taiga said with a nostalgic smile, but then he realized that Aran, Nikaido and also Yuma were staring at him. It took him a moment to realize why, but then he showed an embarrassed expression. 

“Well, trust me he needed some training with it at first too,” Nikaido said with a bright smile, not bringing up the fact that Taiga had just called a general by his first name. He was doing so with Aran as well, but that was out of different reasons and he wasn’t doing so in front of everyone else.

“Good luck,” Aran said as Kamenashi was waiting for him in the middle of the arena.

Yuma gave him his helmet and Taiga took another deep breath. He just didn’t want to embarrass himself, that was his only goal. 

Everyone else had also gathered at the side of the arena, Shota and Yaotome already in full armor for their fight, but they obviously didn’t want to miss this event. 

“I hope the attention won’t distract you too much,” Kamenashi said as he waited with Taiga’s sword. It looked way too innocent for the golden armor Kamenashi was wearing. The mark of the lion on the sword Taiga had was on Kamenashi’s helmet and his chest as well.

“I will be alright,” Taiga said as he stopped, not sure what to do. Usually they were opening the fight by turning towards Kamenashi and raising their swords. Luckily Kamenashi raised his sword towards Taiga, so he copied that move, the crowd already cheering just on that.

“To a fair fight.”

“To a fair fight,” Taiga repeated the other one’s words. 

Somehow Taiga had thought that Kamenashi would wait, have Taiga attack first maybe, but what he hadn’t seen coming at all was the other one not wasting any time and attacking head on.

Taiga blocked and dodged, trying to analyze the other one’s fighting style as he wasn’t used to a heavier sword and he didn’t want to miscalculate an attack right at the start. 

Kamenashi had good stamina and quick movements. He kept attacking nonstop, using Taiga’s light sword perfectly and even breaking through Taiga’s defense. Only his armor protected him now from heavy injuries.

The crowd got louder with every sword thrust Kamenashi brought down on Taiga’s armor so Taiga finally tried his luck with a counter attack. He was able to stop the other one from pushing him back, but a direct hit wasn’t achieved that easily. Their styles were similar, their fight more of a sword dance, beautiful to watch, but deadly if it wasn’t for their armors. 

In the middle of another try to twist out of Kamenashi’s frontal attack to get a hit from the side, Taiga was completely taken off guard when Kamenashi pulled his sword back instead and body slammed Taiga so hard that he landed on the ground.

The crowd started whistling and shouting even more, a lot of the people telling Taiga to get back up and that was what he was immediately doing. 

“Taken off guard,” Kamenashi said with an entertained look. Taiga had been told so often to not only watch out for their swords, yet with Kamenashi’s style that had been his focus all along. A mistake that could have cost him greatly in a real battle. 

“You have a beautiful style,” Taiga said and he meant it. Kamenashi’s swordplay was easily taking his focus off other attacks.

“Don’t admire it too much or it will cost you greatly,” Kamenashi warned him as he attacked again. The same style, the same movements. This time though Taiga was the one to change his style and he took Kamenashi by surprise when he changed from speed to brutal strength, not that he could keep it up for long. Yet he had the heavier weapon for now, so he started pushing Kamenashi to the back, stopping him from any possible side attacks. 

When Taiga was running out of stamina, Kamenashi saw his chance, but that was when Taiga dared a bolt move and he threw his sword at the other one, forcing Kamenashi to stop his attack and protect himself from the incoming sword. At the same time Taiga dropped down to sweep Kamenashi’s legs.

He actually succeeded, but his sword had fallen down next to Kamenashi so he had to be fast if he wanted to get it back. He could end the fight here if he was fast enough, but when he got a grip on the sword he received a heavy kick into the stomach, pushing him away from the other one. 

There was still a chance for him to keep going, but his tactic had cost him a lot of strength, his leg was aching and his arms were shaking. He was back on his knees and ready to try again, but to his surprise Kamenashi had been faster and he was back up, already right in front of him. With Taiga’s sword being light and short, it didn’t have the longest reach so Kamenashi used his legs instead. Taiga wasn’t fast enough to get his sword back up and the kick hit him right against the head, taking his helmet off when he fell back.

Kamenashi was ready to end the fight, trying to pin Taiga down, but Taiga didn’t want to give up that easily. 

He blocked the other one’s sword and guided it away from his face before he kicked up, forcing Kamenashi to back off enough for him to get back on his feet.

Kamenashi started laughing in excitement and stepped back a bit to take his own helmet off. He tossed it to the ground and pointed his sword at Taiga. “This is what I call spirit.”

The crowd immediately cheered louder again, but Taiga didn’t get distracted. They both took a moment to breath and collect themselves, but their next attacks would most likely be the final ones.

“Give it your best shot,” Kamenashi challenged him. Taiga took another deep breath, trying to make his mind forget about any pain in his body. He would treat this as a battle of life and death, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to stand a chance.

Kamenashi moved first once more. His style was still graceful, but his attacks were faster and more precise. 

Taiga was ready for kicks and punches, not getting distracted by their swords clashing midair. Kamenashi tried to not let any distance get between them, a pushing and pulling battle emerging with their swords dangerously dancing close to their faces. 

Taiga tried once more to go for the other one’s legs, but Kamenashi had seen it coming and he copied Taiga’s move from before and threw his sword. Now that move was even more dangerous as he had aimed for his face and in the one second Taiga pushed up his own sword to block the blade, Kamenashi kicked his leg. Maybe if he wasn’t hurt he would have reacted faster, but what if questions were not going to help him.

Taiga went down on one knee, while Kamenashi gracefully caught the sword once more, but while he had been ready to put the blade down on Taiga’s neck to call it his win, Taiga had pulled out the last strength in his body and had ducked away, thrusted the sword up to make Kamenashi step back. Both of them refused to back off though and Taiga turned on his knees, trying to get back into an attack from below, while Kamenashi lunged out from the top. Both their attacks stopped in an instant. Kamenashi had his sword resting on the side of Taiga’s neck, while Taiga’s sword was pointed right at Kamenashi’s throat, so close that one inch difference would draw blood.

The entire arena had fallen silent, it felt like no one was even breathing. Kamenashi’s expression was serious, yet calm. After a moment the clan leader formed a smile and pulled his sword back, lifting his hands. “Impressive.”

Taiga pulled his sword back as well, but when he tried to get back up, he hissed as his leg had given up on him. To his surprise Kamenashi held out a hand to him.

“Let me award you a point for this draw,” Kamenashi offered and Taiga finally took his hand.

On that move the crowd finally started cheering once more. As loud as never before. Their reaction had Taiga relax a bit as he didn’t want the people to stand against him if he had hurt or even won against Kamenashi, so this outcome was definitely the best.

Kamenashi even offered to help him to the side of the arena and he handed him back his sword, Taiga hurrying to give Kamenashi his sword back as well.

“You are an impressive fighter,” Kamenashi said.

“Not as impressive as you. In a real battle I wouldn’t have stood a chance,” Taiga replied politely.

“That is why you have to always be ready for a real battle,” Kamenashi reminded him. “Out there mercy and hesitation will only guide you to your grave faster.”

“I will keep that in mind,” Taiga said with a bow before Kamenashi hurried back to his seat as he needed to get out of his armor.

“Nice fight.” 

Yaotome had been the one to say it, but he had also put his sword with a bit too much force right against Taiga’s leg at the same time. The armor over it was protecting it from cuts, but not from the pressure. Taiga pulled back his leg, but before he could even lose his patience someone else pulled him away and stepped in front of him.

“I will show you a nice fight now, so hurry,” Shota said as he pushed Yaotome towards the arena before he turned back to Taiga. “I would love you to see this fight, but you should definitely get a rest for now.”

Taiga nodded, but then he shouted after Shota when the other one put his helmet on and walked with big steps into the arena. Shota turned back to him with a questioning look and then his eyes grew wide when Taiga held out his fist. “Show him how it’s done.”

Shota smiled at him and held out his fist as well even though he was too far away to reach him. “I will kick his ass for you.”

***

Shota had indeed won his fight and that in a pretty spectacular way. They had ended up in a fist fight over most of it and fairness wasn’t part of it anymore, but Shota had had enough rage bottled up to win and he left Yaotome with a bruised face, not that he looked much better.

Sou, Konpi and Taiko also got two points for their victories and with that the second event had come to an end as well. Even though Konpi had won he had suffered a dislocated shoulder, luckily something they were able to fix so he could keep going for the next day. Aran’s shoulder would also hopefully be fine, the same as Taiga’s leg. 

There had been some bruises and cuts, but no one was out of the tournament for now, so they all had a calm second evening once more. Of course with another feast.

“I will be too heavy to fight if I keep getting all this amazing food,” Sakuma said as he grabbed another piece of meat.

“You don’t have to eat it, just because it’s there,” Aran told him.

“That would be a waste,” Sakuma replied.

“I agree,” Yuma said as he also filled his plate with more food.

“You are not even fighting,” Taiga reminded him.

“That is exactly why I can eat this much,” Yuma teased.

Taiga just chuckled as he let his eyes wander around the big hall. Shota and Ryota were talking to Kamenashi, most likely about the event on the third day, the last day and until now they haven’t even been told what exactly the event would be. They just knew that they had to bring all their weapons and their choice of armor was up to them, which was difficult not knowing if speed or strength was going to be needed.

Shota looked up at some point and their eyes met. After his fight he had been extremely hyped and Taiga had even allowed him a hug, something he was bragging about to Ryota for the rest of the day. 

“Make sure you know your own boundaries,” Aran reminded Taiga when Sota was back at his conversation.

“I feel like he has already figured my boundaries out himself,” Taiga said and he meant it. Shota wasn’t behaving the same as on the first day. He wasn’t trying to force getting closer, right now he was trying his best to become a trustworthy person and that was something Taiga was willing to let happen.

“Having a nice dinner?” Sou was heard behind Aran and Sakuma as he leaned over the backrest of Aran’s chair. 

“You obviously didn’t have. Did you even eat anything these days?” Sakuma asked, looking at Sou’s way too thin body. 

“You ate my share I fear,” Sou teased, actually making Yuma laugh and Sakuma giving him a scolding look.

“What do you want?” Aran asked as he was sure that he wasn’t just there to ask about their wellbeing. Sou gave Aran a wide grin before he leaned down to whisper something in his ear. He gave his shoulder a squeeze before he excused himself. Right after that he left the feast together with Kento who had talked to Shota and Ryota after Kamenashi had joined other generals for the feast.

“I know that look,” Taiga said and Aran rolled his eyes, but got up nevertheless.

“What is going on?” Yuma asked, making the others grin.

“Kento lost a bet,” Sakuma said. “Have fun.”

“You’re all the worst,” Aran said, but still left at the same time as Ryota and Shota.

“Don’t hurt your shoulder even more,” Sakuma teased.

“Don’t even ask,” Taiga said before Yuma could ask for any details. So he shrugged his shoulders and kept eating.

“How is your shoulder?” Taiga asked as he turned to Konpi, the only one who was sitting in silence. 

“It will hopefully be fine by tomorrow,” Konpi said neutral.

“Is Taiko okay as well?” Taiga finally asked as the younger one hadn’t shown up at the feast. He had won his fight against Kento quite easily without any injuries, but one look from Konpi showed that injuries weren’t the reason for his distant behavior. 

“He is keeping his focus on the tournament.”

“Right,” Taiga said, not trying to force any complicated topics right now. They all had to concentrate after all.

The third day was the last day of the tournament, but they had not been told anything about the last event. In the past the last event had always been different. There had been a lot from agility courses, to races and even fights all against all, until the last man standing. So it was hard to tell what was going to come.

In the morning Taiga had to choose between his light flexible armor and his heavy close combat armor as they weren’t allowed to change later. They had to decide for themselves what they wanted to bring. One of the parts Kamenashi enjoyed to the fullest of course. Everything could be an advantage or disadvantage right now. 

Taiga had made sure to give Konpi a hint about the knife and that Taiko was allowed to keep it for the event. The boy was trying so hard to avoid talking to Taiga that he didn’t want to force him to hand it back right now.

“Don’t even think about taking that armor,” Shota said as he entered the room without knocking as Taiga had left the door open in the first place as Yara had been discussing exactly that topic with him a few minutes ago.

“Another hint?” Taiga asked with a smile.

“More of a personal advice,” Shota said as he grabbed the thin flexible armor. Taiga was only wearing a thin shirt underneath it as it was pretty tight, but that was exactly what made it so easy to wear in battle. He was fast and agile with it, so if speed was of any advantage in his last event then it would be the better choice.

“You look better in this one,” Shota said and threw the armor at Taiga.

“I hope you won’t find out how I look in it when I am dead,” Taiga teased as this armor wouldn’t hold up well if they had to go for a close combat event, but at least he could bring his arm covers and also his bow, so he would be prepared for several kinds of events.

“I wonder if your skin could get even paler,” Shota teased back. “And here people from Oki are usually known to have darker skin, because of the hot summers you get there.”

“Then I wonder how people in Kyogo look, because that desert environment might make my skin catch fire,” Taiga said with a chuckle.

“I have no information about this event,” Shota changed the topic as it got louder in the corridor as everyone got ready. “But remember that we love games here, so be prepared for every possible and impossible outcome.”

“Always,” Taiga said with a smile, but he didn’t miss the worry lying in Shota’s look this time. It was rare to see the other one this serious and Taiga walked up to him, taking Shota more than off guard when he held out his hand towards him. “To a fair last event, at least between those who want to keep it fair.”

Shota needed a moment to look up from Taiga’s hand and then he finally nodded, forming a bright smile. “With me you will have at least one fair opponent. But that doesn’t mean I won’t kick your ass if I have to.”

“Wouldn’t want it any other way,” Taiga said with a bright smile before Shota shook hands with him. 

As long as they all treated it as the tournament it was, they would have nothing to worry about, except for getting defeated.

***

“If this event only gives one or two points, then there are not many people left who could win,” Sakuma said with a thoughtful expression when they all gathered in front of the gates of Minami-Hian. They had brought their weapons and their horses. Some of them were in full armor like Kita-Shosan, others had chosen lighter wear like Sasaku and Mabara-Kinmitsu. 

“Four,” Aran said.

“What?” Taiga asked.

“There are exactly four people left who can win if this event doesn’t give high points,” Aran explained.

“Ryota has the highest points,” Taiga remembered. No one else had four points yet.

“And then there are Yara, you and me with three,” Aran added.

“So it’s between you guys then,” Sakuma said, not being that down that he might not have a chance with only one point so far.

“I doubt that,” Sou entered the conversation from the side. “I bet there will be a way to get high points in this one.”

“Definitely,” Kento said with a nod. “If not then I don’t even have to participate after all. If I can only go from zero to one or two, then there is no meaning for me to even try.”

Kento had a good point and with Kamenashi walking up to them they would finally get answers. This time the people were standing around them, no seats were prepared as they didn’t know if they could even watch the event depending on where it was going to be and what it was going to be about. But they wanted to hear about it of course.

“We’re already at the last day of the tournament. Some of you have high chances to win, others might not even know if there is any meaning in taking part in this last event,” Kamenashi opened his speech, making it clear that he was indeed going to do something about that.

This time there was no small basket, but 13 small clothes lying on a long table behind Kamenashi. They could see that something was underneath them, but it wasn’t clear what yet.

“This event will be a new one. Something you haven’t done yet,” Kamenashi announced with an excited look while the crowd already started whispering. “A hunt.”

“A hunt?” Nikaido asked in confusion, Yara only shrugging his shoulders as everyone else seemed to also be a bit confused. It wasn’t like some of them hadn’t gone hunting before, so that wasn’t something new, even if it was new in this tournament.

“Don’t judge too fast,” Ryota said, knowing Kamenashi well enough to wait for further details.

“A hunt,” Kamenashi repeated with a nod before he walked over to the table. “Each of you will choose one of the bracelets which are underneath these clothes, but only one bracelet has a red stone, while all the others have a green one.”

Taiga looked over at Aran who gave him a knowing nod, they were slowly realizing what kind of game Kamenashi had come up with this time. Even Konpi and Taiko exchanged a worried look, not that a hunt would be that difficult for them, but in this situation it was going to be hard to form teams even amongst clan members.

“The green bracelets are for the hunters,” Kamenashi said and then gave them all another long and excited look. “The red one is for the prey.”

“That’s going to be unfair,” Yaotome said.

“Exactly the right event for you,” Shota hissed at him, but they didn’t really hold a grudge against each other. Taiga had figured out the weird dynamic between Sasaku and Minami-Hian, but it was still weird to watch.

“But this is not just about hunting one prey,” Kamenashi explained. “The hunters are allowed to fight each other and each bracelet taken from someone will be an extra point.”

“So we all start with one point,” Kento said as he moved his hand around his wrist. “Guess I just have to defeat enough people to still get a chance of winning.”

“There is definitely a catch,” Konpi said.

“Not to forget that I bet there is no rule about when someone is defeated, so if we refuse to hand over the bracelet then this could get ugly,” Sakuma said with a worried look. 

If they wanted to win then they had to fight until they really couldn’t stand up anymore, but if they just wanted to survive the event in the first place some would maybe give their bracelets to others to not sustain heavy injuries.

“The bracelets can be taken back as well if you can still fight and have enough time left,” Kamenashi kept explaining and pointed towards the north. “The event will take place inside the Shiromi woods. You are not allowed to leave the woods or you will not get any points, no matter the amount of bracelets. If you leave, then that means you give up.”

“Means we can still drown people inside the lake, because it’s inside the forest,” Yaotome said towards Shota who gave him a challenging smile.

“I can swim, I am not that sure about you though,” Shota mocked.

“You might be able to swim, but that armor certainly cannot.”

“Guys, can we stop talking about killing each other?” Sakuma said while nervously moving from side to side.

“At sunset we will shoot a cannon. That sound will mark the end of the event. If you dare to keep fighting or steal a bracelet on your way back out of the forest you will be disqualified.”

“If anyone sees it,” Sou said with a smile towards Kento who also nodded.

It would be hard to tell who was lying if only two people were involved, so Taiga was aiming to not be close to anyone at sunset.

“Will you finally let us know how many points the red bracelet will bring?” Ryota asked as it was clear that the rules for it were different.

“The best part for last,” Kamenashi said with a smile as he walked closer to the generals and walked up and down their row while explaining. “The bracelet of the prey has two different values.”

Again something that wasn’t taking them by much surprise, yet the crowd behind them seemed to get even more excited about this event.

“The one who draws it now will receive three points if he can keep it until the end. Every bracelet he can get will award him the same one point as everyone else.”

“And if the bracelet is taken from him?” Taiga asked when Kamenashi stopped in front of him and turned towards him with a smile on that question.

“If the bracelet is taken from him then it will award the hunter five points.”

Now the crowd was in uproar. Cheering, shouting and a lot of speculation going through the rows.

“Interesting,” Yara said with a nod. “If someone with high points gets the bracelet then he will try to hide and run the entire day, hoping that no one can get too many bracelets together to beat his score.”

“Yet everyone with low points will try to hunt him down instead of fighting the hunters as they would need to fight a lot to get enough points,” Kento said.

“And if a person with low points gets the prey bracelet at first then he still has to fight or the three points won’t be enough for him to win,” Taiko added.

“Interesting isn’t it?” Kamenashi asked as he still remained in front of Taiga, but gave side glances to all of them. “Then shall we start the event? May the luck of drawing be with you.”

Kamenashi stepped a bit to the side and made a hand movement and because Taiga was the one in front of him he started walking over to the table first. But everyone else followed as they were all going to choose at the same time. Chances were the same for all of them after all.

After a moment of going forth and back between the long table they had all settled for a cloth and were facing Kamenashi and the crowd behind him now.

Konpi was standing to Taiga’s left and Sou to his right, but there was really no guarantee at all how this was going to end. Depending on the person being the prey, Taiga had to make a plan for himself. Fighting one person everyone was after or going for several ones, his entire plan would change with the outcome of this drawing.

“Well then, on my sign please take the bracelet under the cloth and hold it up for everyone to see.”

They all put their hands underneath the cloth and Taiga could feel the cold metal of the bracelet in his hand. Kamenashi lifted his hand and then made a movement for them all to pull away the cloth and hold up the bracelet.

The crowd was again in a mix of cheering and shouting as they all had their own hopes about who would be the prey, but most of them seemed thrilled for this event, even if they had to wait for the outcome next to the woods, unable to see the fights.

In the rows of generals everyone had fallen silent as everyone’s eyes had immediately searched for the red stone on the top of one of the bracelets.

Taiga had spotted the red stone right away. As it was right in front of him, on his own bracelet.

“Luck is definitely not with me in this tournament,” Taiga complained and Konpi gave him a worried look while Sou seemed excited.

“Everyone will go after you,” Sou said with a smile. He wasn’t wrong. Taiga had three points, so another three points put him on top right now, but if Ryota got just two more bracelets then he would win, so it was going to be a difficult decision. This was more or less a survival game so generals with zero points could easily win this event if he didn’t watch out. 

Mabara-Kinmitsu had the advantage of the forest, a habitat they were used to and could use quite well. Strength would only help if caught, so Taiga needed to make sure to be fast and choose extremely wisely if he wanted to challenge someone for another bracelet.

“Now that is a fascinating opening,” Kamenashi said in excitement as he walked up to Taiga and had him come up towards him with the bracelet. He took it from his hand and put it over the arm protector of his armor. It had a leather band with a metal buckle so they could easily take them off.

Kamenashi put the bracelet on and then turned Taiga towards the crowd. “I know it is a shame that we will not be able to see the fight between the hunters and the prey, but I am sure an interesting outcome will await us at sunset.”

The people cheered and applauded, all ready to depart for the forest, but the others had to wait a moment.

“General Kyomoto, there is a camp in front of the forest, two of my soldiers will escort you to it. You will get only a small advantage, but use it wisely.”

At least he was allowed to leave first, that was indeed easier than having to run away from everyone right from the start.

Taiga thanked the other one and hurried over to his horse as there was no time to waste as Kamenashi wanted everyone to leave as fast as possible.

Taiga gave a look at the others once more when he was on his horse. Yara gave him a nod, Aran also didn’t seem too worried, others seemed excited, because they knew that they could win against Taiga if they caught him, so it was really a mix of strategies for all of them.

“May the best general win,” Kamenashi said with a hand movement on which Taiga turned his horse and galloped away with two of the soldiers. He had tried hard to not show any hesitation or fear about the event, but his heart was hammering like crazy in his chest when he departed from the city. Even if it wasn’t a real battle, the feeling of being a prey to people was frightening.

***

Taiga left his horse with the soldiers at the camp and hurried over to the forest. The others were still not in sight, but he had to get used to his surroundings. The forest wasn't too big so they wouldn't just get lost in it. Yet it was of importance to know his surroundings, so he dashed ahead, looking for hillsides, small rivers and hiding spots. When he made it to the lake he had to decide if he wanted to stay close to it to have a better view around or if he wanted to get away from it to make sure that he was not getting thrown into it. That wasn't forbidden after all and while he was a good swimmer, he didn't know if the lake was dangerous. Crocodiles or other animals as well as plants that he could get tangled in could await him. 

The soldiers had told him that there were several camps around the forest so that they could make sure no one cheated and they were allowed to leave the forest towards the closest camp at sunset.

With a sigh Taiga put his hands to his hair. This was a disaster. He couldn't think straight enough to make a good plan. No matter what he chose he immediately found a weak point in each plan.

A cannon shot had him jolt and then curse. The others had arrived. The event had started. Taiga was a good few minutes into the forest, but now he had to decide extremely fast where to go. 

Eventually he decided for the west side of the lake and he found a river in a small valley with high rock formations all around. The forest was also thick around this area so he hurried to find a hiding spot from where he could get away towards at least three directions and then he waited.

At first everything was silent, but after a while he could hear the first movement in the forest. He realized that someone was close to him, but he couldn't spot anyone and soon it fell silent once more.

Some time later he could hear fighting noises, but luckily once more too far away for him to need to worry.

The closest who came towards him had been Yaotome, and Taiga had tried to vanish between some of the rocks as best as possible. The other one had been so close that Taiga could see the second bracelet on his belt. The other one didn't look that hurt, so he had either started a surprise attack or maybe whoever his opponent had been had decided to hand it in to stay without wounds. After all, there were still chances for that person to win if he defeated Taiga.

The afternoon hours came without anyone finding him so far, but Taiga forced himself to not let his guard down. 

“We looked at the entire east side.”

Kento’s voice. Extremely close already.

“I looked over here earlier as well, but I think this area is the only one where he could hide extremely well,” Yaotome was heard next.

“Or he's just really fast and keeps running away from all of us.”

Even Sou. Of course they had teamed up. For them it was only important that one person was going to win, Kento and Sou would definitely easily hand their bracelets to Yaotome in the end so that he would get higher points.

They appeared on the other side of the river first. Yaotome had gotten a third bracelet, while the other two still only had one. Chances were high that they had attacked as a pack to get the third one. Yaotome was at four points, so Taiga’s bracelet could easily give him the win and if the other two Sasaku members handed him their bracelets then Taiga would lose as well if he didn’t fight for another bracelet.

When they had split up to look for hiding places Taiga panicked a bit. Even if he had three directions to which he could run, he wouldn't know where everyone was and if he had to fight against all three then he could just give the bracelet to them without a fight. 

He moved back towards another rocky part from where he  could climb up and dash out if needed and unfortunately he could hear someone close to the rocks around him and he got ready to climb up.

Just when he decided to turn and climb, he was taken by surprise when someone pulled him back from the rocks and covered his mouth with his hand. His shock lasted only for a second until the other one shoved him into the wall with his back and signaled him to stay silent. The fact that it was Taiko had Taiga follow without questions when the boy waved him towards the back of another stone formation.

Taiga was still sure that they would easily get discovered here and now they were definitely cornered, but then he could hear shouting from further up the rocks and then fast steps from the person who had closed in to them. A few moments later it turned silent again.

“Let me guess, Konno got their attention so that they would follow him?” Taiga finally asked.

“We are way faster than them in this environment,” Taiko said as he made it swiftly up the rocks to see if it was safe to get out. 

“Which means you could have just ignored the situation, except…” Taiga said as he touched the bracelet on his wrist, but that move had Taiko laugh.

“Don’t you think that if I was after it I could have just snatched it from your wrist earlier?”

That was indeed true. Taiga hadn’t even realized that the other one was around and if he wanted to he could easily get it even now.

“But you still don’t need to help me,” Taiga said as they both dared to get out a bit towards the river as no one was around for now.

“I can still decide who I would like to see winning this tournament and who not,” Taiko said, making clear that Konpi had the same opinion. Sasaku wasn’t a province they wanted to win.

“Well then, I guess I have to thank you for the help and I will make sure to not get myself into the same trouble once more.” Taiga looked up into the sky and the color had slightly changed to something darker already. One or two more hours and the event would be over.

“You better go and help Konno, just in case he runs into even more of the others. No matter how amazing your skills are, you cannot defeat everyone alone.”

Taiko remained rooted to the spot with his eyes on the ground and Taiga waited patiently for the other one to move on, but then he drew Taiga’s knife from the back of his belt. 

Instead of giving it back to Taiga he sat down at the riverside and put the knife in front of him. Taiga just looked at him and remained silent when Taiko bowed to the front.

He stayed in that position for a while, not making any move to get back up or speak. Taiga clenched his fists on that movement as he knew what the reason for his reaction was and while he knew he couldn’t easily point fingers, he still hated the fact that they had known.

“I should have warned you,” Taiko finally said, but still didn’t lift his head. “I did not know that Basarano was after you at that time, but I was well aware of the fact that things weren’t as calm as they seemed to other provinces.”

“Yet you gave me a small warning,” Taiga said, remembering that Taiko had at least passively warned him about not trusting people too easily, yet he had done exactly that with Yasui.

“It was still a cowardly act. But as you said we cannot always win.”

“Do you think putting two lives over the safety of everyone in this country is the right decision?” Taiga asked.

“At first it was three, but there are way more now.” Taiko said and Taiga could have guessed that. 

Now Taiga’s look went wide as he slowly put some pieces together. “Yasui said something about a price he paid.”

“A price we all had to pay. A gruesome price and a warning from Basarano.”

Finally Taiko sat back up, his look desperate and hurt when he lifted up the knife once more.

“Reia is Yasui’s little brother,” Taiko explained. Something that didn’t even shock Taiga that much. 

“But Reia wasn’t a council member,” Taiga said, having heard that much already.

“He wasn’t,” Taiko said as he clenched his fingers around the knife. “This knife didn’t belong to Reia at first, but to their oldest brother. He was gruesomely murdered by the Meguro Clan to show us what would happen to everyone else if we kept interfering in other province’s businesses. It’s not just the Meguro Clan having hostages of our province.”

And the next one on their list was Reia. There were still a lot of open questions and Taiga’s anger hadn’t completely settled through Taiko’s confession, but fighting noises close to them made Taiga refrain from asking for more details, for now.

He walked up to the other one and held out his hand, but it wasn’t an act of help and Taiko understood. The younger one handed him the knife and remained on the ground for now. But together with the knife something else ended up in Taiga’s hand. At first Taiga wanted to refuse the bracelet that was handed to him without a fight, but Taiko didn’t seem willing to take it back.

“If you really want to change something about your situation and want me to believe your apology then do not run away after this tournament.”

They looked at each other for a moment until the fight noises got too close and Taiga hurried to dash along the river, leaving Taiko behind. 

***

Taiga made it away from whatever battle was happening close to them, but that had brought him close to the lake and with that into an area that was way more open and with less trees he was easy prey for all of them. 

A whistle had him swirl around and he was relieved when it was Shota who was walking up to him. Not that the other one wouldn’t take this chance.

“Finally came out of your hiding place?” Shota asked with a smile before he looked up into the sky. “This could be my chance to get my hands on that bracelet and run fast enough to make it to the forest border when the event ends.”

“That is if you catch me,” Taiga said with a playful smile. He wouldn’t even mind losing to Shota, but he would of course not just hand the bracelet over. “You already got yourself another bracelet I see.”

Shota touched the new bracelet on his belt. “Yet I feel sorry because now I leave someone desperate for your bracelet. So I have to make sure that he won’t get into my way.”

“At least that means you haven’t overdone it to get it, hopefully you will be nice to me as well then,” Taiga asked with a smile, but he already took a step back when Shota touched the hilt of his sword. 

“To you, always,” Shota teased, but still dashed to the front, pulling out his sword. At the same moment Taiga turned around and dashed away. He had scanned this area before and knew that there was an area in front of the lake where he could get an advantage.

Right in front of the lake a small swamp had formed and while it was risky, Taiga had to trust his speed and balance to make it through it and leave Shota on the other side.

“Oh come on,” Shota shouted when he realized that he could easily get stuck if he didn’t watch out for his steps. 

“Did you really think I would make it that easy for you?” Taiga shouted back, not losing his focus on the ground, trying to jump from one steady surface to the other, but that move made him miss an arrow coming his way and while it had definitely not been aimed to hit him, the shock about it landing right in front of his face in the next tree had him lose his balance and he got himself stuck with one leg in one of the deeper parts of the swamp.

“Nice tactic and if it had been only one person then it would have worked perfectly.”

Ryota. The other one stood a few meters away on a fallen tree, but it would also be tricky for him to make it over to Taiga fast, but now he had to run from two people and he had actually aimed for the path Ryota was standing on, because it was easier to walk there.

“You can just throw us the bracelet, then we will help you out,” Shota said with an inviting hand movement, but Taiga easily got himself out of the deep mud.

“Wouldn’t that be too boring for you?” Taiga asked as he turned around and started running again, but this time he made sure to keep his eyes on Ryota in case the other one would try to shoot another arrow.

The swamp ended on stable ground next to the river, but he had to get over quite some fallen trees and thick forest at the end. It was a good place to get more distance between himself and the others.

Yet when he finally dashed out to the lake he got taken off his feet when someone had waited for him and had slammed him right into the ground. Luckily Taiga was faster than the other one and had pulled out the knife from his boot on the fall and was now holding it right under Yaotome’s chin while the older one had his hand already on Taiga’s wrist, but didn’t dare to rip the bracelet off even if Taiga wasn’t going to seriously harm him.

“You were a bit too loud out there to stay hidden,” Yaotome said, but backed off on the threat of the knife. Taiga immediately jumped up and pulled out his sword as well, but then he could hear steps behind him. Sou and Kento. 

“Nowhere to run now I guess,” Sou said with an entertained smile.

“You neither,” Shota said as he and Ryota stepped outside of the forest and faced the others instead of Taiga, leaving Taiga looking confused at their backs to his right and left.

“So instead of helping out you want to protect him,” Kento said. “You totally have your favorites here.”

“Oh I definitely do,” Shota said as he pointed his sword at Sou and Kento. “If we cannot get the bracelet then we will definitely not leave it to you.”

“Then better hurry, because we are almost done,” Yaotome said with the darkening sky and he dashed to the front, crossing swords with Ryota who had thrown his bow to the ground for now. Yaotome had another bracelet on his belt now, giving him the chance of winning if he got Taiga’s bracelet now.

Sou tried to go for Taiga as Kento went for Shota, but he didn’t even make it close because Shota was extremely skillful at fights with several opponents and he had put his weight on his sword, while turning around and hitting Sou with a swift kick against his knee, making him land on the ground with a hiss. 

Taiga was indeed grateful for the help, but he knew that he had to hurry to get away. He tried to make it back to the forest, but Yaotome was faster than Ryota and had made it over to him, Taiga was luckily fast enough to block his sword and twist away before the other one could try and get his bracelet.

This time Kento had also made it away from Shota and Taiga dared to attack the other one first, pushing him back with fast attacks. Kento tried to kick up some stones from the ground to distract Taiga, but by now he was used to the unfair fighting style so he kicked to the front himself, bringing Kento to fall and creating an opening for him to dash away at the side of the river.

Luckily no one else seemed to be close enough to get in his way, but then he heard shouting behind him and he turned back just to see how Yaotome had taken Ryota’s bow and shot an arrow right at Taiga. He had been too late to realize it and the arrow hit him straight in the chest and he fell to the back with a painful gasp.

“DUDE, WHAT THE HELL,” Shota lost his calm and took Yaotome by the collar, threatening to punch him.

“Relax,” Yaotome said while pushing the other one back. 

With a groan Taiga sat back up, making Shota swirl around to him with wide eyes. 

“Their armors don’t look like much, but they are incredibly resistant, especially against arrows,” Kento said as he had known of their special thin armors.

Taiga grabbed the arrow and pulled it out. It wasn’t like the arrow hadn’t caused damage, but it was indeed just a small wound, nothing so deep that it would be life threatening. Without his armor though the arrow would have gone right into his heart.

Instead of calming down, Shota swirled back around and punched Yaotome in the face, making the other one take a step back with a confused expression.

“Still, how dare you,” Shota said, making Ryota laugh. 

Before any of them could decide if they wanted to keep fighting or go after Taiga they could hear the sound of the cannon and with that Taiga took a deep breath and dropped to the back. This could have ended way worse for him and if they had found him sooner than he wouldn’t have been that lucky.

“Are you okay?” Shota asked as he had hurried over to him right away. 

“Just a small wound, nothing to worry about,” Taiga said and took Shota’s hand when the other one offered him help to get up.

The members of Sasaku were already retreating, as they had to make it back out of the forest now. 

“Well, if it wasn’t for that special bracelet I would be even with you now,” Ryota said as he calculated their full points.

“You and Shota can put your bracelets together,” Taiga said.

“If I gave mine to Ryota then you’d be even,” Shota said.

“Let’s not forget that it would be against the rules. The cannon was already shot,” Ryota explained.

“Not that Kamenashi said that exchanging after it was forbidden. Taking them after it was forbidden,” Shota said with a teasing smile. “But if you’re even then you would need to have an extra event. Let’s spare everyone that drama.”

Taiga understood that they wouldn’t just hand him their bracelets to get an advantage, but he was also grateful that they didn’t try to win over him with an extra event. 

“Let’s just hope no one else got more bracelets together. Are you coming?” Shota asked.

Taiga nodded and slowly walked after them with a faint smile.

Towards the side of the forest they could see the camp of the soldiers outside. It wasn’t the main camp so they had to ride around to meet with Kamenashi and the waiting crowd at the other side of the forest.

A few minutes of galloping down to the next camp they caught up to Nikaido and Yara who were also getting ready to leave for the main camp.

“Oh, I guess we have a winner,” Nikaido said with a bright smile when Taiga stopped next to him.

“And I see they didn’t go easy on you,” Yara said, pointing at his chest.

Taiga put his hand on the damaged fabric, but only shook his head. “I had some help as well, so I shouldn’t complain too much.”

Nikaido looked over at Shota and Ryota before he gave Taiga a knowing smile. “Happy to hear that.”

“You have your bracelet on your belt?” Taiga asked as he couldn’t spot the bracelet on Nikaido’s wrist, but one at his belt.

“I lost my own to Yaotome at some point. All Sasaku members were present and I didn’t want to risk too much so I didn’t put up too much of a fight, but I got one back from General Yara later, not that he tried that hard to keep it.”

When Yara only shrugged his shoulders, Taiga knew that the other general hadn’t even bothered to try and win this event in the end, not that Nikaido seemed to have tried either. They seemed to be satisfied with the outcome.

They all rode back to the main camp together, but before they made it close enough to be seen by the crowd waiting with some torches and fires lit around the place Kamenashi was waiting at, Aran was riding out towards them instead.

The others hadn’t noticed him or had ignored him as he had come from the side of the forest and was now right next to Taiga who slowed his horse down.

“Everything alright?” Taiga asked, but Aran hurried to reach out for his own wrist and Taiga looked in confusion when Aran took his bracelet off and hurried to put it on Taiga’s belt.

“What are you doing? This is cheating.”

“No it’s not. Kamenashi didn’t forbid giving them freely after the event. Why should we give others an advantage?” Aran asked with a serious expression before he turned his horse around and galloped ahead as if he had done nothing at all.

Taiga looked back at his belt in confusion and with a lot of people knowing that he didn’t have that bracelet on his belt before he wasn’t sure if he wanted to keep it. On the other hand Shota and Ryota were the ones who said they wouldn’t see it as cheating either and Aran’s words meant that they weren’t the only ones who had done it. It wasn’t taken in a fight, but given, so the rule shouldn’t apply.

When Taiga finally made it closer to the main place the crowd was getting louder as they realized that he still had his bracelet on. But when he got off his horse and took a look at everyone who had gathered he realized why Aran had given him his bracelet. 

Kento and Sou were standing without a single bracelet, while Yaotome had now five bracelets on his belt.

“Welcome back everyone, I see you all went more or less easy on each other,” Kamenashi said as he scanned them all and his eyes rested a moment on Taiga’s chest and then he gave Ryota a questioning look as he had been the only one with a bow except for Taiga himself, but the boy just shrugged his shoulders as it hadn’t been him shooting after all.

“Please present your bracelets to me,” Kamenashi said as he stood at a long table once more.

Konpi and Taiko didn’t step to the front as they both didn’t have any bracelets left. So one of Yaotome’s bracelets was Konpi’s, which meant they had taken a huge risk after all when they had helped Taiga escape.

The other general from Kita-Shosan had also lost his to Yaotome as well and Nikaido had gotten one from Yara, while Ryota only had his own.

Not to forget that Aran was now also without a bracelet and stood next to Sakuma who had also lost his to Shota before and hadn’t been able to get one back fast enough while he had indeed tried his luck with Nikaido at the end, but hadn’t succeeded.

Shota put his own and Sakuma’s on the table, but even with those points he was still one point behind Ryota who had been leading until now. Nikaido also didn’t have enough points to win.

The only two left were Yaotome and Taiga. They both stepped to the front, Yaotome slowly putting one bracelet after the other on the table.

“A skilled hunter,” Kamenashi said. “But maybe you chose the wrong prey.”

Yaotome had gained six points through this event while only having one from the previous one, so he would be even with Taiga if he only had his red bracelet and the one from Taiko.

Taiga took the bracelet off and put it on the table, but then Yaotome’s look fell on his belt when Taiga took off Aran’s bracelet together with the other green one and put them next to the red one.

Yaotome didn’t seem in any way annoyed. He started chuckling and shaking his head. “Well I guess the hunter became the hunted one this time.”

“Sometimes hunters stab each other in the back to get the biggest prey,” Kamenashi said. “And sometimes a prey turns out to be the hunter. That is why you have to learn as much as possible about your enemy. Because sometimes they could also become your strongest allies.”

Yaotome gave Kamenashi a knowing look on his words before he held out his hand towards Taiga. “This was a great hunt.”

“And a good lesson,” Taiga said as he reached out for the other one’s hand and the crowd finally cheered louder as Kamenashi declared Taiga the winner of the tournament.

The last evening wasn’t just a feast, but a banquet. Until now it had been only for the generals and soldiers so it had taken place in the great hall, but this time Kamenashi had invited more people so they had moved it to a ballroom and with that dancing had become part of the last evening. They had known that Kamenashi liked throwing such banquets so they had been told to bring fitting clothes for exactly this last night.

“Wow and I thought I would already be overdressed,” Yuma said when Taiga made it out of his room and immediately gave Yuma a scolding look.

“Everyone in Oki is always overdressed,” Taiga replied. “And you look great by the way.”

Yuma looked a bit embarrassed at his own clothes. A silver suit, with a white shirt underneath, but of course nothing of it was that simple. The shirt had some ruffles while the suit had beautiful embroideries, including the dragon emblem of Oki on both arms. 

But it indeed looked simple compared to Taiga’s clothes. White shoes, white pants and a long tailcoat over it in white and gold. The dragon embroidery on it went over the full length, including the back. The shirt underneath it was more silver than white and it had a beautiful amber under the high neck part of it. He wasn’t able to put his hair up into a ponytail without revealing his burn mark so he had left a few longer strands falling down around his ears and only put up half of the remaining part in the back.

“But all the attention will be on you tonight,” Yuma said as the banquet was for the winner of the tournament and with a lot of luck and help that had been Taiga in the end. 

“Then let’s get this over with,” Taiga said, not feeling that comfortable with all the attention being on him. He was used to banquets and feasts through Oki, but that didn’t mean he enjoyed them.

They all gathered in the huge hall with a high ceiling and a beautiful yet again kind of too extraordinary painting under the ceiling. 

There were so many people present that Taiga was sure he wouldn’t even have the time to greet half of them, yet he knew already that everyone would want to talk to him, except for those who gave him hateful glances on his entrance. Yes he had won the tournament, but he was still a bastard and not welcome by everyone. 

The others had also all dressed up, some more than others. Sasaku was dressed quite simply in brown and beige with only Kento looking a bit more elegant with a long tailcoat like Taiga. Kita-Shosan had kept it simple as well, their suits similar to that of Yuma, the color just darker and with less embroideries. 

Yara was a mix between Taiga and Yuma, white and gold, yet not as flashy as Taiga. Aran and Sakuma also looked simple, their clothes not really a suit or coats, more of some simple shirts, but they looked stunning on Aran as he had black trousers with a wide belt on with the shirt inside of the belt and the high boots he was wearing were making it the perfect outfit for him. 

Taiko and Konpi were almost completely in black, also only with simple shirts, yet they had some bracelets and necklaces on as well, making them look more elegant.

Taiga walked up towards Kamenashi who was waiting for him on a platform on which the higher ups of the Minami-Hian Clan were gathered. 

Shota and Ryota were standing on his right and of course there were more members sitting in the back. Some of them had watched the tournament, some Taiga was seeing for the first time. He knew that two of them were Kamenashi’s younger sisters. One girl seemed to be the daughter of one of them, still younger than Taiko and Konno. The husband of one of the sisters was giving him a hateful stare. Not that he was minding it. Minami-Hian had a high pride as well and their bloodline was purer than the one of Oki.

Kamenashi was dressed in a silk shirt, wine red with a golden necklace, a golden earring and a few rings on his hands. Shota and Ryota had also chosen silk once more, but this time their shirts were at least closed, but Shota looked elegant with his dark blue shirt and a wide belt in black and white over it. The outfit was similar to that of Aran and it suited Shota a lot as well.

Ryota looked a bit like he had copied Kamenashi with a lighter red shirt, but he had chosen to only wear one single earring and simple shoes and trousers.

“Welcome everyone to the last evening of this special event,” Kamenashi greeted everyone after Taiga had walked up to them and had stepped between Kamenashi and Shota.

“You’re looking great,” Shota whispered from the side, Taiga only giving him a small smile for now.

“It was a tough challenge for all our generals, but I am happy to announce that all the events have ended without any unfair fights or bigger injuries.”

Taiga had to bite his lip to not smile on the way some of them looked at the Sasaku members who didn’t even feel caught. They hadn’t cheated in a way that it was unforgivable after all and they hadn’t won the tournament. Even though Yaotome had been extremely close to it.

“Hopefully I can invite our friends to other events as well, including diplomatic talks of course, but for now let’s have a carefree and fun evening.”

Everyone applauded Kamenashi and also Taiga who was shoved a bit to the front by Kamenashi as he congratulated him once more on winning the tournament. 

“Well then, would you do my clan the honor of opening the first dance tonight?” Kamenashi asked and of course Taiga wouldn’t refuse. It was also clear that he had not much to say about who his partner was going to be and the young girl looked a bit nervous when Kamenashi looked at her.

Taiga was so used to events like this that he made his way over to the girl and bowed to her parents first, her father giving him a calmer look this time, obviously impressed by his manners.

“May I ask for your daughter to do me the honor of being my partner for this first dance?” Taiga asked and the girl’s mother immediately nodded. Taiga held out his hand and waited patiently for the girl to take it and get up.

She was too shy to look directly up at him, but didn’t seem too overwhelmed as she was used to banquets as well after all. The dance was easy for both of them, their provinces still honoring the history of it even with their country having fallen apart.

The musicians had everyone ready to join as well and they luckily did soon so that Taiga could finally relax a bit with the attention not completely on him anymore.

“She will talk about you for the rest of the week,” Ryota said after Taiga had escorted the girl back to her parents and had exchanged a few words with her father. The man was now finally warming up a bit towards him.

“As long as she doesn’t want to suddenly marry me I am fine with that,” Taiga said as he accepted a glass of wine from Ryota.

“Oh trust me, even if her father seems nice now, I doubt he would let a bastard marry his daughter even if Kamenashi wanted it that way.”

“With her status I bet she will be able to find someone in a few years,” Taiga said with a smile.

“So, as you are not the successor of your clan and not even what they would call pure, what are you planning for your future? Already anyone in sight?”

The sudden topic change had Taiga gulp down the rest of his cup in one go before he started playing nervously with the golden cup.

“I see.”

“It’s complicated.”

“It always is,” Ryota said with an understanding nod. “No need to explain yourself. Do what makes you happy and not your clan.”

It was nice to hear those words from another strict clan, not that it was going to be that easy.

“But maybe you can make someone else happy tonight?” Ryota asked. “I only mean in a friendship kind of way of course.”

Taiga followed his look and of course Shota had been looking over towards them, but had hurried to get himself busy with some conversations.

“You know if he’s only up to get into someone’s pants then he won’t hesitate to drop his interest completely if he sees no chance. He usually doesn’t have a grayzone. It’s nice to see him try this hard to make you like him.”

Taiga kept looking at the other one until other people were walking up to him. Ryota clapped him on the shoulder and excused himself, leaving Taiga to some diplomatic talks.

The early morning hours arrived so fast that Taiga didn’t even have time to feel tired. He had been asked for a handful more dances and a lot of talks. He had barely even had time to drink or eat, which was for the better, otherwise he would be drunk by now.

Some of the guests had started excusing themselves, especially those who were not staying at the castle and with that Taiga finally got a moment for himself. At first he wanted to walk up to Aran and also have a talk with Nikaido before they all were going to leave the next day, but then Kamenashi announced that it was going to be the last dance for the night.

Taiga immediately scanned the room and got a glimpse of Shota holding a drink and stepping out on one of the wide balconies when people gathered on the dancefloor once more.

It was a spontaneous reaction for Taiga to hurry over to the balcony as well and luckily he found Shota alone. The other one was leaning on the railing, playing with the empty cup in his hand while watching over their silent city.

“Not that much of a dancer?” Taiga asked and Shota looked startled on his arrival. 

“Just picky about my dance partners,” Shota said as he put the cup down and turned around. “Done with all your talks and dances?”

“Almost,” Taiga said and gave the other one a smile when he held his hand out.

Shota’s eyes had never shown this bright before. It was just a dance, yet it seemed like an offer Shota couldn’t wrap his head around. He needed a moment to even move, but then he didn’t hesitate to take Taiga’s invitation and with that his hand. 

They were staying out on the balcony as they could hear the music out here as well. Different to everyone else Taiga had danced with tonight, Shota had his eyes straight on him. He moved so on point without even looking at where he was going. 

What Taiga realized the most was the way Shota kept his distance and didn’t take advantage of the close dance. Yet when the dance was about to end he dared to get a bit closer and Taiga let him. There was an intense stare exchange between them on the last turn and they froze in that position for a moment until Shota found the strength to actually step back and bow.

“Thank you for the dance.”

Taiga smiled back at him and bowed as well. “It was my honor. You are an excellent dancer.”

Shota showed a sheepish smile on hearing that and the shine in his eyes had grown even brighter. 

“I am looking forward to your next visit to our province, General Kyo-”

“Taiga.”

Now Shota looked at him a bit perplexed while Taiga’s smile grew wider. “If you feel the need to keep your distance I won’t stop you, but I am totally okay to be called Taiga.”

This time Shota seemed so happy that he was close to tears and he nodded with a bright smile. “Then I am looking forward to hopefully seeing you back in our province soon, Taiga.”

The feeling was the same for Taiga, yet before he could voice it out there was a small uproar inside and they both looked over to the open balcony door and soon Yuma came in sight, obviously looking for someone in a hurry.

“There you are,” Yuma said as he rushed over to them. “Messengers have arrived. From Oki.”

“This late at night?” Shota asked, knowing that this meant the news was urgent.

Taiga hurried back inside and by now most of the guests had left, only the clan members of the tournament remained and at the doors were two messengers from Oki waiting for him.

Yara was already talking to them while one of them had a scroll in his hand. Still unopened, so Yara wasn’t allowed to open it.

“What is going on?” Taiga asked as he hurried over to them, Yuma taking a bit of distance, while all eyes were on him now.

One of the messengers bowed towards him and held the scroll out towards him.

“My apologies general for disturbing you at such an important time, but the news couldn’t wait.”

Taiga reached out for the scroll, but his hands were already shaking a bit. He didn’t want to be right with his bad feeling. He could step out. He could keep everything to himself, but what would it help?

He hurried to open the scroll and the entire room fell silent while he read through it. Slowly he lowered the scroll before he took a deep breath. When he looked up at Yara he could already read in the other one’s expression that he was also already guessing the news.

Taiga turned around towards the others and Kamenashi was approaching him with a serious yet curious expression.

“If you need time to discuss with your clan, you are more than welcome to use one of our meeting rooms.”

“Thank you for the offer,” Taiga said, but then shook his head. “But to be honest I feel like it will be easier to have a talk right now. The news will travel anyway, so you can bring it to your provinces first hand instead.”

Now everyone started exchanging worried looks as most of them didn’t know details about other province’s situations if not brought to them by a messenger. And as that would be happening soon anyway, Taiga could just give them the news first hand.

“My uncle, the clan leader of Oki has passed away.”

Now there was a lot of whispering and talking going on between everyone, but Taiga didn’t mind. He had known that sooner or later it would come down to this, but he had hoped it would have been a bit later. His uncle would have been so proud of him for winning this tournament and now it wouldn’t even matter at all, because Taiga would head back to a clan that could be his biggest threat.

Aran gave him a worried look from the side of the room, but he knew that right now he couldn’t help. Taiga needed to head back tomorrow, now in an even bigger hurry than actually planned. 

“That is extremely sad news at such a late hour and at such a joyful night,” Kamenashi said. “Please take as much time as you need for your preparations to depart tomorrow. Let me know if you need anything.”

Taiga thanked the clan leader, but right now he needed a moment to even get his own thoughts straight. The danger lying ahead of him now was only known to a few of them and no one could actually help him. This time he had to face his new life in Oki head on. 

***

Taiga had arranged everything as fast as possible, but he had told everyone to rest before they were going to hurry back to Oki. Even if they rode the entire day and took as few rests as possible, they would still need over a week to make it back. So another night wouldn’t change that much.

Kamenashi had ended the banquet after the messengers had arrived and Taiga had felt more than sorry for the bad news at the end of such a cheerful week. While Taiga had told his clan members to get as much rest as possible and that they wouldn’t depart before noon the next day to give them time to prepare, he wasn’t really resting. He hadn’t even changed out of his clothes and the pitch black room was slowly filling with light when sunrise was near.

He had been sitting on his bed with his knees hugged to his chest for hours. 

Slowly the news was finally crushing him. After losing his parents, his uncle had always been the most supportive family member, after Shime of course.

His aunt would always welcome him back as well of course, but Taisuke…

Even if they somehow kept the council, Taisuke was now a lion on a worn-out leash, ready to break free and Taiga was trapped in the same cage, unable to find the key. 

His thoughts had driven him in such a corner that he had considered just running. What if he just made it back to Kaikakuto? He was only a bastard, he wasn’t worth a war. Taisuke wanted him gone, so wouldn’t that solve everything?

Yet again he had thrown that thought overboard with dozens more. He had a cousin to protect and friends to take care of as he feared not just his own safety.

A hesitant knock on the door had Taiga move his head to the side, but he didn’t say anything. Then there was a second knock, a bit louder this time. Did he want to see anyone? Was he even ready to talk about anything? 

Maybe it was Aran or Yuma, Shota would also maybe want to drop by to see how he was. But right now he had enough pity for himself, he didn’t need even more.

The door got pushed open without him even saying anything and he got ready to get angry, but then he just remained in the same position, looking at Taiko who stepped in and hurried to close the door.

“I could tell that you were awake.”

“Of course,” Taiga said, not even doubting his skills.

Taiko just remained at the door, looking more than uncomfortable to be even here.

“At least you didn’t just let me leave in silence,” Taiga said as he slowly got out of his pathetic position, but his legs had fallen numb and he needed a moment before he was even able to stand up. “I told you not to just run away after the tournament and here I am the one who will have to leave in a hurry.”

“Your hurry is understandable. Your clan needs you right now. Your cousin will need as much help as possible.”

The anger that shot through Taiga’s body was ripping him apart from the inside and Taiko looked a bit taken aback when Taiga made a few big steps towards him with an upset expression.

“How much do you know about what Yasui is doing?”

“What?”

Taiga clenched his fists, trying to stay calm, but he was running out of time and patience.

“You knew that Yasui was running missions for Basarano,” Taiga said, waiting for Taiko to react. Slowly the younger one nodded.

“Did he help them against Kita-Shosan?” Taiga asked, making Taiko suddenly seem extremely stressed out. “If you don’t answer you can leave.”

“As much as I heard he only helped them cross the Shinsai river.”

“So he helped the Matsumura Clan,” Taiga said, but to his surprise Taiko shook his head.

“At that time, yes. But now there is no Matsumura Clan anymore.”

Now Taiga was the confused one, but Basarano wasn’t easy to spy on after all, so they didn’t have much information.

“The Meguro Clan slaughtered them.”

Now Taiga was left speechless. He knew that Basarano had civil wars as well and that they lived by the survival of the fittest, but he had heard so many stories about the Matsumura Clan, how they were one of the oldest and strongest clans, but also one with the most gruesome methods. Not that the Meguro Clan seemed to lack that part.

“But, Matsumura Hokuto…”

Taiko seemed to know the name, so Yasui was giving them at least enough information so that they knew what was going on in Basarano.

“He was a clan member,” Taiko said with a nod. “I don’t know the details, but Meguro Ren, one of the younger leaders of his clan seemed to have kept him alive when he was actually supposed to be killed with the rest of his clan after arriving back in Basarano.”

Taiga needed a moment to even process all the information and he stepped towards the window, shaking his head and massaging his temples. Why did he even care? No matter his backstory or current situation he wasn’t going to be excused for his actions.

“Is Basarano in contact with any other province?” Taiga asked, changing the topic back to what was important right now.

“They didn’t take any other hostages as far as we know,” Taiko said. 

“I don’t mean it in that way,” Taiga said and walked up to the other one with a stern look. “Taiko, I will ask you this just once. Make sure to think about your reply very carefully. Having Basarano as an enemy is definitely bad enough, but putting Oki on that list as well, will corner you in the worst way possible. So, let me ask again, does Basarano stand in contact with any other province?”

Taiko’s reply would show the truth behind the boy’s visit. Was he only staying true to his word and not running away from the situation or was he worried for Taiga because he knew what was going to await him from here on?

So much was changing on Taiko’s face in seconds and Taiga knew how hard this question was on him. He was risking so much already by telling Taiga as Yasui was definitely not even supposed to be in direct contact with his own clan right now. If anyone found out that information leaked all the way to Oki then who knew if Reia and Yasui were safe. 

It was a small step back. Just that. Taiko had lowered his gaze and stepped back. That action had Taiga explode and he ripped the amber from the neck part of his shirt and threw it with full strength right into the mirror.

Taiko jolted and looked up with wide eyes, but Taiga wasn’t done. With tears of anger in his eyes Taiga grabbed the collar of his shirt and ripped it open, leaving the buttons on the floor and the fabric ripped. With an angry snort he threw the shirt to the ground and then pointed at Taiko.

“This is not even half of the trouble Reia is going to have to go through if Yasui messes up, if your clan messes up.”

Of course Taiko knew of the danger, they had lost a council member already, Yasui and Reia had lost a brother and Taiga was sure that it had been already one of the most gruesome sights ever, but hell was going to be upon them even if still alive.

Taiko’s eyes wandered from one scar to the other, his look now shattered and the color of his face gone. 

“I believe you that you didn’t know that Yasui was after me, but I know for sure that you realize that my cousin needs everything but my help right now.”

It was that one look up into Taiga’s eyes that spoke all the truth Taiga needed to know. 

“Oki is already standing against you, but I don’t have to. Know your allies in a battlefield full of enemies.”

Taiko took a shaking breath before he lowered his gaze back to the floor and slowly sank to his knees. Once more he bowed to Taiga, but this time it wasn’t an apology. This time it was a promise. 

“I owe Reia my life and I am not holding a grudge against Yasui or your clan. I know how hard it is to feel responsible for the safety of others. Yet I hope I made myself clear that I will not be this forgiving if you ever dare to backstab me.”

Taiko sat up straight and took another deep breath before he nodded. “I wish I could be of more help, but rest assured that I have seen my ally amongst enemies as clear as never before.”

“Then let’s hope there will be a day when we can fight together,” Taiga said and stretched out his hand. This time Taiko took it and let himself get dragged back up. “Let the gods show their blessings to those who unite and let punishment rain on those who force bonds apart.”

***

There had been no time for long goodbyes and maybe it had been better this way. Taiga knew who he could count on even if for now everything was going to be his own burden to carry. 

A week of troublesome travel had finally brought them back to Oki. The weather hadn’t been in their favor and they had been forced to ride through a three day long thunderstorm. The streets of Oki were empty when they arrived in the late evening hours. They hadn’t even sent out a messenger first as Taiga was concerned about the safety of his soldiers so he had decided to have them all head back together.

“There is no need for long greetings now,” Taiga said as he stopped Yara from walking up to the castle gates with him. Yuma had also followed as it was tradition to report back about the tournament. “It is late and I do not want the weather to take a toll on your health, so head back to your homes tonight and leave all the greeting part for tomorrow.”

Yara looked a bit reluctant to follow his orders, but they were indeed orders. Now they were back in Oki and they had to listen to Taiga if they wanted to or not.

“We will be back at sunrise,” Yara said before he told the other soldiers to get their horses into the stables and take shelter from the heavy rain.

“You should hurry as well, your family is waiting,” Taiga said, but Yuma gave him a worried look. It wasn’t anything regarding Taisuke he was worried about though as he wasn’t aware of the truth, but he had of course seen Taiga’s broken mirror before their departure and while Taiga hadn’t told him any details he had of course said that he was fine. Something Yuma didn’t believe that easily.

“Oki will definitely change now, but so does every province with a change in leadership,” Yuma said with a serious expression. “But I promise you to be there for you no matter what this new era might bring.”

That was a huge promise to a mere bastard as Yuma’s oath lay with Oki and with that his loyalty should be with Taisuke.

“I appreciate that,” Taiga said before Yuma bowed and headed back with the other soldiers. 

Taiga hurried inside the castle, but told the soldiers to remain at their posts as they wanted to report his arrival. He made it up to the great hall by himself and no other soldiers or clan members passed his way. Only a few torches were lit in the corridor before the great hall and the wooden double doors stood open, Taiga’s steps echoing on the stone floor when he made it inside.

A few candle stands on the sides and two big torches at the wall left and right from the throne were all that was needed for him to see Taisuke clearly. It had been a long time since Taiga had greeted someone on that throne. His uncle hadn’t been fond of it in the end after all and he had usually always awaited him at the gates or had used the council room instead. 

Taisuke on the other hand was more than suited for that cold and desolated standing chair. In their clan they didn’t have any crowns or royal clothes, yet Taisuke’s presence had drastically changed in those few weeks of his absence.

The moment Taiga stopped at the bottom of the few steps up to the throne, Taisuke looked at him in silence. His legs were crossed and his hands resting on the side of the throne. It was a moment he had definitely waited for his entire life, but once again Taiga wasn’t proud enough to even think about his actions. As it was the proper greeting he went down on one knee and put one arm in front of him with his elbow bend before he bowed to the front. 

“Greetings to our new leader, may the gods protect your era,” Taiga greeted him, but it took him a moment before he was able to actually look up at his cousin. 

The satisfaction in the other one’s eyes was obvious, but he was trying his best to hold back, at least for now. No matter his sadistic character, he had just lost his father and Taiga understood that pain. Even if he wanted to become the clan leader he had never attempted anything to force his way up to the throne. The only part Taiga was sure about was that Taisuke would never attempt to hurt his own family, at least the part of them he accepted and Taiga wasn’t on that side of the family.

“I am sorry that I couldn’t be here at such a dark time. We hurried back as fast as possible.”

Taisuke slowly stood up and Taiga hurried to get back up as well. It was the silence between them that made it difficult to tell what Taisuke was thinking. 

“How was the tournament?” Taisuke asked. The neutral question was maybe the best outcome for now and Taiga took out a golden scroll from a leather bag, he kept protected from the rain under his coat.

The scroll itself already told Taisuke the outcome of the tournament, yet he took it and slowly read through the details. Only the winner of the tournament got handed the golden scroll from Kamenashi. But the details of the tournament were what Taisuke was looking for. Luckily no detailed incidents like his fall off the horse were written down. 

“A fight against the Minami-Hian leader himself,” Taisuke said with an approving nod before he closed the scroll again. “My father would have been proud of you.”

Taisuke held out the scroll towards Taiga, but the younger one looked up at him instead. This time he was challenging Taisuke, just a tiny bit, but he wanted to see how much of that calm facade was still existing. Taisuke pushed the scroll against Taiga’s chest and formed a convincing smile. “And I am proud of you as well of course. Congratulations on your win, cousin. Oki is going to hold a celebration for your triumphal return.”

“Thank you for your words, but don’t you think that it should wait a while?” Taiga asked, knowing that he was supposed to show this reaction and he wasn’t pretending. He was mourning the death of his uncle and he wasn’t in any way ready for another feast or banquet. Right now he wanted to just pay his respects to his late uncle as he hadn’t been able to be present for his burial and his shrine in Bodaisei would still not be ready yet to visit either.

“Such thoughtfulness as expected of you,” Taisuke said before he stepped back. Just like that he completely retreated. It was another calm before the storm, but this was the best outcome Taiga could have wished for. Right now he wouldn’t be able to take any of Taisuke’s games.

“Rest for now and pay your respect tomorrow. All the important talks can wait,” Taisuke said as he sat back down. Taiga bowed once more before he turned away. As much as the situation seemed calm for everyone who would see them, Taiga’s heart was beating up to his throat as he clenched his hand around the scroll on his way out of the great hall. 

It was like a bad act between them and one of them would eventually lose their patience first. But right now Taiga would keep his own act up as long as possible.

***

Taiga had made sure to let his aunt know about his arrival as well. She had been so relieved that she had cried for some minutes before they could even have a talk about everything that had happened.

It was a relief to hear that his uncle hadn’t suffered much and that his health had become worse in just a few days and that he had passed away in his sleep. His aunt had left him a message from his uncle. I am as proud of you as of the rest of my family. You are as worthy as everyone else to find your own happiness, no matter where that might be.

After that it had been Taiga’s time to keep his emotions under control, but his aunt had told him the same and knowing that he still had support in Oki made it easier for him to accept whatever was going to come with Taisuke’s leadership.

When he made it down the corridor towards Shime’s room the storm had finally calmed down a bit outside, but by now it was already in the middle of the night, yet he knew that he had to tell Shime that he had made it back or the boy would scold him in the morning.

He knocked on his cousin’s door, waiting for a moment, then he knocked again. At this time he would definitely be already asleep so Taiga dared to open the door to have a look inside.

Shime was indeed deep asleep, but once more not in a comfortable way. 

Some candles were still lit in the room, while a book had fallen to the ground after Shime had fallen asleep on his windowsill once more. It was a comfortable place with all the blankets and cushions that was for sure, but Taiga still walked over to him to wake him up.

“Shime,” Taiga whispered as he shook the other one on the shoulder. At first he only got an annoyed groan when the other one turned away from him and snuggled into one of the cushions. 

“Well, if you don’t want to wake up, then I won’t tell you about the tournament.”

It took Shime a moment to even realize who had spoken and then he finally swirled around with wide eyes.

“TAIGA,” he yelled and almost fell from the windowsill when he threw himself to the front into a hug. Taiga laughed as he had to half catch him before the boy even got his legs on the ground. “Welcome home.”

“Sorry to make you wait,” Taiga said and caressed the other one’s hair while Shime seemed more than unwilling to let go of him. “It must have been a hard time for you.”

“Did you meet with Taisuke already? Are you okay? Did anything bad happen at the tournament? Are you hurt?”

“Calm down,” Taiga soothed the other one as he pushed him back on his shoulders to make him sit on the bed. Taiga hurried to take his cousin’s hands and sit down next to him.

“Yes I met with Taisuke already, everything is fine. The tournament was tough, but no one got hurt to a dangerous degree.”

The worry in Shime’s eyes was still there, but for now they could do nothing but wait and see how their own province was going to handle the new era. 

“I am happy to hear that. Let me visit uncle’s grave with you tomorrow morning, okay?”

“Of course,” Taiga said with a squeeze of the other one’s hands and Shime closed his own hands around Taiga’s with a soft smile. 

“So how did the tournament go?”

“I guess you will scold me if I ask you to leave the details for tomorrow morning?”

The pouting expression on his cousin’s face was answer enough and with a chuckle Taiga pulled his hands back and took out the scroll from his coat.

“No way,” Shime said as his eyes already sparkled when he took the scroll from him to open it in a hurry.

“Did you not believe in me or why are you so surprised?” Taiga teased.

“It’s not that I didn’t believe in you, but I was sure there were enough people present who would cheat their way through the tournament.”

“Oh there were, trust me.”

“You had to change horses and weapons? And a hunt? Damn, this all sounds so exciting,” Shime said when he read through the scroll. 

“And I promise you to give you all the details tomorrow, okay? But I am exhausted too and would like to rest for a bit.”

“Of course,” Shime said as he closed the scroll, but didn’t let go when Taiga tried to take it. The smile he showed made Taiga roll his eyes as he knew what Shime wanted. “Oh come on. Just one thing. Please?”

Taiga gave him a scolding look, but then sat back with a thoughtful expression for a moment while Shime’s look turned more and more excited.

“The horse I got was from Sasaku and the weapons were from Minami-Hian. I had a clean hit through all targets as the scroll already shows you, but what it doesn’t tell you is the way Sasaku tried to cheat their way through that event by interfering and trying to get me unable to attend the next event.”

Shime only nodded, because he wasn’t surprised that Sasaku tried to cheat. 

“Their horses were trained with whistles and at the end of my run someone whistled and in a spectacular way everyone saw me falling off my horse.”

Shime kept looking at him for a moment before he formed a smile and then burst out laughing, making Taiga hit him against the shoulder.

“I would have loved to see that.”

“Ask Yara or Yuma about it later, they have seen it,” Taiga said with a pouting expression.

“But were you alright?” Shime asked, a bit more worried this time.

“More or less. Injuries happen after all,” Taiga said as he grabbed his leg. “But eventually those who tried to win through cheating might have become future allies, who knows. But the rest will have to wait for tomorrow.”

Now Shime was ready to throw a fit at the way Taiga stopped explaining at the most interesting part, but he understood that Taiga needed to rest as well.

The first thing Taiga had to attend in the morning was the council meeting about their tournament. Yara, Yuma and a few other soldiers were present and they held the meeting in the great hall as the council room wasn't big enough for so many people.

It felt great to be back in dry clothes and Taiga made sure to talk to Yara and Yuma once more before he headed to the chairs prepared for the council members on the right and left of the throne. 

Taisuke was already present, Iwamoto this time present as well and Taiga went up to Taisuke first and bowed, giving a side glance to Iwamoto who was standing at the side of the stairs, before he wanted to sit down next to Shime.

His cousin had already updated him early in the morning and Taiga wasn’t at all fond of the news that Taisuke had allowed Iwamoto the rank of a war general in the middle of the year without any trials. Iwamoto had always been Taisuke’s personal general, so he had never really taken part in the official general selection, but now Taisuke could unfortunately just give him any rank he pleased and let him ride into battle if he wanted to, but Taiga doubted he would let the other one leave the castle.

“Come up here.”

Taisuke said and after giving Shime and his aunt a small confused look he went up to Taisuke. The other one stood up and put his arm around Taiga with a smile before he faced the soldiers in front of them.

“The tournament was a bigger success than I could have ever imagined. You all did great and I couldn't be prouder of my little cousin.”

Yara bowed towards them, the soldiers following his example. 

“As you are all well aware, in your absence my father unfortunately passed away and I will hold an appropriate welcome event for all of you in a while. I hope you understand that for the time being it wouldn't be appropriate.”

They all agreed on that and Taiga wasn't fond of such events in the first place. Right now all he wanted was to calmly head out towards the Oki main family’s burial hill alongside the cliffs to pay his respects and also let Sho know that he was back.

“I have one more announcement to make.”

Now Taiga looked at him in confusion when Taisuke pushed Taiga a bit to the front. Taiga's eyes grew wide on the sight of the small golden broach Taisuke pulled out.

He held it up for everyone to see and now even the council members started whispering.

“My father didn't appoint someone else after the passing of Taiga's father, but as it was tradition until now I want to pick it up once more and declare my right hand.”

The golden broach had belonged to Taiga's father who had been his uncle's advisor until his death in battle. The burden of appointing someone else had been too much so his uncle had never filled the spot.

But when Taisuke turned towards Taiga the calm was over. It had taken only one single day for Taisuke to show his power. For Taiga this wasn't an honor, it was just another cage. Something that would keep him in Oki, unable to leave easily.

Taisuke held the round broach with a dragon moving around the ring out towards Taiga. “You are experienced in battle, already had your first diplomatic meetings, even won one of the toughest tournaments in the country and on top of that you've survived a lot of hardship at your young age. So I think there is no one more fitting for this position.”

Taiga clenched his fists, trying hard to stay calm. All that hardship had been thrown at him by Taisuke in the first place, yet while he could actually refuse there was no way he would do so. It would just cause even more trouble and give Taisuke even more reason to torment him.

“It would be my honor,” Taiga brought out in a steady voice while his mind was screaming. 

Taisuke smiled at Taiga's words and put the broach on Taiga's clothes around his chest. “It suits you as much as it did your father.”

All the praising and sweet talking had Taiga ready to burst, but he succeeded in remaining calm. The council and soldiers applauded him and Taisuke dismissed the meeting, heading out first. 

The moment he had left the room Taiga finally took another deep breath, but Shime was already next to him, grabbing his arm. “That was unexpected.”

“Totally,” Taiga said and touched the broach while Shime gave it a skeptical look.

“I'm so proud of both of you,” their aunt said as she walked up to them and patted both their shoulders. “I'm so grateful for your support. Taisuke needs you two now more than ever.”

Of course both could only nod and agree. Slowly the room emptied as the council members congratulated him before they left.

“That was an impressive announcement,” Yara said as he bowed when Taiga walked up to him and Yuma.

“He knows how to surprise everyone,” Taiga said with a fake smile. “Who knows maybe you would have gotten that spot if you had won.”

Yara laughed and shook his head. Taisuke would have found whatever reason to have Taiga take this position no matter what, but for everyone else it indeed seemed like an honorable position.

“I guess we won't ride out to battle together then,” Yuma teased.

“Oki has other amazing generals for that after all,” Taiga said and pointed at Yara. 

“Your father rode into battle and had diplomatic meetings even as the right hand,” Yara reminded him. But unfortunately that was another time, another era. 

“I will make sure to not completely vanish now, I need to stay in shape for next year's tournament after all.”

“Now you have to defend a title,” Yuma laughed.

This was how Taiga wanted it to be. Easy going and calm, yet everything was slowly crumbling and he wasn't sure for how long he could stay in this new cage.

***

Shime and Taiga rode out towards the cliffs. It wasn't too far, but Taiga made sure that Shime wouldn't overdo it. 

Their burial mounds were on beautiful grass land with several different flowers blooming almost all year around. Now that it was already the fifth month the wide grass fields in front of them were covered with pink and white flowers. Only the new burial mound was painfully visible to Taiga when they left their horses close to the beach to walk up to it.

“The flowers will need some time to cover it,” Shime said with a sorrowful look. “We also still need to go to Bodaisei for his shrine.”

Taiga nodded, knowing already that Taisuke won't allow a shrine close to Taiga's parents, but at least the burial mound was next to the one of his father. It felt weird to see his parents ripped apart like this even for the afterlife, but at least their shrine was for both of them.

“I'll give you a moment,” Shime said as he walked back to their horses while Taiga made it to the freshly put down flowers and offerings. He slowly went down on his knees and put his hands together. He remained like this for a moment, his mind completely blank until he took a shuddering breath. 

“I wished I could have shown you the golden scroll. I know you were excited about the outcome of the tournament.”

The last time Taiga had cried in silence was at his mother's funeral. The tears he showed here weren't shameful after all. Tears of sorrow weren't something he was afraid of and in silence he shared some tears for his uncle. 

“I know you have faith in your son and I doubt he will throw Oki to the wolves just like this, but I wish you would have seen behind his facade.”

It wasn't like he tried to point fingers now, he could have said something his entire life after all. If anyone would have believed him was another topic. 

“Please watch out for all of us together with my parents. I promise to do whatever I can to keep everyone safe.”

Slowly he rose to his feet and walked up to his father's grave for a moment to pay his respects as well. 

His legs felt heavy on his way back to the beach, but then he could hear another horse approaching. At first he worried for even worse news, but his heavy heart immediately found a faster rhythm again when he started running on the sight of Sho making it over to Shime at the beach.

Shime gave the other one a smile and took his horse, not even stopping him when he ran up to Taiga. Just when Taiga had reached him halfway Sho abruptly stopped.

“Wait,” he said, making Taiga raise an eyebrow at him when the other one scanned him. “Any injuries?”

Taiga blinked at him in confusion for a moment before he formed a bright smile and shook his head. “Not this time.”

Taiga spread out his arms and Sho didn’t hesitate to hug him. 

“I’m sorry that I came out here, I just heard the news about you coming back, I knew I needed to catch you outside the castle.”

“It’s okay. You are never disturbing anything,” Taiga said with a smile. Sho was more of a family member already than a friend after all. 

Sho smiled at hearing that, but then his look fell on Taiga’s chest. It took a moment until realization hit him and he pointed at the broach. “Wait, isn’t that…?”

“The symbol of the right hand of the king, yes,” Taiga said with a forced smile.

“You’re coming back to the news of your uncle’s passing and he is already putting diplomatic burdens on you,” Sho said with a snort.

“If that is all he’s up to then I am more than okay with that for now,” Taiga said. Sho furrowed his brows with a skeptical look, but for now they couldn’t do much about the situation. 

“Well, let’s hope the next weeks will be so busy that he has to leave you alone. By the way, how was the tournament?”

“And here I enter the conversation,” Shime said as he walked up to them with a wide smile.

When Taiga rolled his eyes, Sho looked forth and back between them. 

“You really can’t wait to hear details, can you?” Taiga asked.

“Now I want to hear more as well, not that I have heard anything in the first place,” Sho said as he sided with Shime.

It was luckily a nice day, the rain had stopped the night before and the sky was bright blue with the temperature already high enough to spend the day outside. 

“I guess then it is storytime,” Taiga said a bit reluctantly as he pushed Shime towards the beach. He enjoyed times like this more than he would enjoy his time in the castle so he would take all the time he could spare to be with those he treasured most.

***

The sword thrust was a distraction, something Taiga was more than sure of, but Yuma had found new tactics as well and the bodyslam he would usually use was stopped halfway when Taiga tried to avoid it. Yuma had dropped his sword into his left hand and swirled around, trying to hit Taiga from the side to which he had just stepped, but Taiga blocked the sword at the last moment, yet he was forced to take a few steps back on the heavy impact.

The soldiers around them cheered for both of them and Shime grinned at their fight with a book in his hand, sitting under his favorite tree at the training ground inside the castle walls. 

“You’ve become a lot better at reading my movements,” Yuma said, while he circled around Taiga once more.

“I wouldn’t be a good general if I didn’t learn anything in over two months of training with you,” Taiga teased before he moved in a defensive stance, holding his light sword on the back of his arm cover.

It had been two months since their return to Oki and until now everything had gone well, way too well. They had gotten their welcome feast a month after their arrival and the way Taisuke behaved made Taiga almost believe that the death of his father had changed him. But he wasn’t letting his guard down that easily, even with the end of the sixth month still showing no change. Taisuke’s strong point was patience after all.

Yuma dashed into the next attack, but Taiga was faster this time. He turned their training into an all or nothing exercise and with heavy armor on he could actually dare to take the risk. 

He had gotten faster even with the armor on and he remembered all the fighting styles he had seen at the tournament in Minami-Hian, trying to get stronger against all of them.

He was training daily with Yara and other generals and soldiers. At first some of them had been reluctant, some not even accepting him as the right hand of Taisuke, but now things had taken a turn for the better. With Taiga being in Oki nonstop he had gained the trust and also the respect of most of the soldiers stationed around the castle.  

Taiga went down on one knee, swiftly escaping a heavy thrust of Yuma’s sword to the ground before he kicked the other one’s leg and while Yuma was fast enough to actually get his sword back up, he hadn’t seen Taiga’s movement to his belt. Yuma froze when he felt the knife’s metal right between his armor and helmet, next to his neck.

“Finally another win for me,” Taiga said with a smile.

“Not that you didn’t win a lot recently,” Yuma teased.

Taiga got up and pulled back the knife, giving the wolfram knife a thoughtful look before he put it back on his belt and helped Yuma up.

“Maybe I need to put more pressure on you to take the training more seriously,” Taiga said.

“You really think I am going easy on you?”

“Maybe you just need a bit more motivation to go all out?”

“Now I wonder how you could possibly motivate me,” Yuma laughed as he put his sword back into the sheath.

“How about some time away from your duties?”

Now Taiga had gotten Yuma’s full attention, not that they didn’t get their time off, especially with the provinces being calm this year so far.

“I heard a rumor and I thought maybe you would like some more time than usual,” Taiga said with a knowing smile. 

Yuma looked over his shoulder at some of the other soldiers who played innocent, but he knew of course where Taiga had gotten his information from.

“Oh come on, don’t be angry at them. I might have overheard some conversations here and there and was a bit threatening when I wanted to know more,” Taiga said with a wink. “And it’s amazing news after all. So what do you say?”

“I am grateful for the offer, but-”

“No but. I have enough soldiers around and I can command you to take a leave as well if you don’t want to take the challenge.”

“That would be so boring,” Shime said as he had walked up to them, holding his book against his chest with a teasing smile towards Yuma. “Congratulations by the way.”

“Why am I not surprised that you all know already,” Yuma complained.

“I know everything Taiga knows,” Shime said with a wide grin. “Do you think it will be a girl or a boy?”

Now Yuma looked a bit embarrassed, but still formed a smile. “I just hope the child will be healthy like my two daughters, but I have the feeling that it will be a boy.”

“I am sure the gods will bless your family with another healthy child,” Taiga said with a nod. “But you still have to win against me if you want me to give you some time off with your family.”

“Fine with me,” Yuma finally took the challenge. One or two more days wouldn’t make a difference, but Taiga really wanted the other one to show his full potential and not hold back just because of Taiga’s new high rank.

“And here comes the mood destroyer,” Shime hissed under his breath and when Taiga turned around he saw Iwamoto walking up to them.

While everyone else had warmed up to him, Iwamoto had turned into his worst nightmare. Not that he hadn’t already been one before, but he had definitely hoped that Taisuke would have given him the title of the right hand with his leadership. Taiga had always been higher of status and yet Iwamoto had committed an unforgivable crime against him, yet it still lay in the dark and that was where Taiga was going to keep it. He wasn’t going to expose everything just to get Iwamoto’s head. 

“Taisuke wants you to join a council meeting,” Iwamoto said without any polite greeting and Shime gave him a death glare and tightened his grip around the book. 

“Let him know I am on my way,” Taiga said as he put his helmet aside while Shime hurried to help him with his armor. “You’re allowed to leave.”

The way Taiga gave Iwamoto an unnecessary smile, made the older one give him an annoyed look before he turned around and left.

“Seriously, sometimes I just want to smash his head,” Shime said, but then Taiga put his hand on his shoulder with a warning look. 

“Yet you will never do so, because you know of nothing, remember?” Taiga reminded him. “And now head back inside, you should rest.”

“I didn’t really do anything exhausting,” Shime pouted.

“Yet you look like a walking ghost,” Taiga said with a worried look as he put his hand on Shime’s cheek. His cousin’s health wasn’t getting better either, but with summer approaching he hoped for it to stabilize once more. Neither the heat of the summer nor the cold of the winter were excellent for Shime, but the warm months were still easier on him. Taiga still hoped that he could find a healer who could help Shime, as their healers had tried to help him with several kinds of medicine and herbs, but nothing showed much effect.

“If you rest today I might teach you some archery tomorrow,” Taiga promised and while he had indeed taught Shime a few weapon skills on his good days, he wasn’t sure if he could keep those promises. 

Yet Shime looked excited and hurried back towards the castle with a bright smile. Taiga escorted him up towards the staircase, but then headed right towards the council room. It felt easier to meet in this familiar room than having meetings in the cold and empty great hall. Luckily Taisuke had also agreed on using the council room more often.

“Sorry to make you wait,” Taiga said as he made it inside, but then he stopped as he realized that the council meeting wasn’t as he expected. The chairs were empty, the only other person in the room was Taisuke who was sitting at the end of the table with a calm expression.

“Have a seat.”

Taiga hesitated a moment before he walked up to the right side of the table, sitting down at the chair closest to Taisuke as this was his seat at the council now after all.

“Wasn’t this supposed to be a council meeting?” Taiga asked, worry now taking over him.

“It will be a council meeting, but only later, for now I want to speak to you alone.”

Usually Taiga sensed danger right away when he was alone with Taisuke, but his cousin appeared calm when he leant to the front and put his elbows on the table, resting his chin on the back of his hands with a soft smile. 

“What would you say if we had our own tournament?”

“Our own tournament?" Taiga repeated with a questioning expression. 

“Think about it, Minami-Hian is holding their tournament yearly, they also invite provinces for diplomatic talks regularly and we also visit other provinces a lot, but the last time we had them all gather here was already before our time.”

If his uncle had come up with such an idea then Taiga would have been thrilled, but Taisuke’s goal wasn’t just a calm tournament. Not even Kamenashi had such a harmless goal with it. The tournament was a symbol of strength. Minami-Hian wanted to remind everyone of their strong army, the resources they had and the almost indestructible walls of their city.

If Taisuke wanted to challenge them now then a tournament of their own would be exactly how he could do so. Finally Taiga could see that shine in Taisuke’s eyes returning. He was slowly losing his patience with all those talks and calm meetings in the castle. He wanted more.

“Do you want to hold that tournament out of diplomatic reasons?”

“What other reason is there?” Taisuke asked. “I am a young leader and I could ride out to meet with them as well, but why not turn it into something more entertaining? I bet Minami-Hian would be thrilled about some competition.”

“I think the council should hear about that idea so we can debate about it,” Taiga said, but fell silent when Taisuke put one hand a bit too forcefully on the table.

“I am asking you right now, not the council. You were at that tournament. I need your help if we want to show them the glory of Oki.”

There it was, the competition Taisuke wanted was more of a bragging, but maybe Taiga should let him have it his way this time. 

“You’re right,” Taiga let out to Taisuke’s obvious surprise. It was a selfish decision, but with Taiga unable to ride out into other provinces, he felt the need of seeing other faces again. So why not have them come directly to them? “I will take your side in the council meeting for this tournament. It will be a great chance for diplomatic talks and it will strengthen our bonds with our allies.”

“You seem to have really enjoyed that tournament,” Taisuke said with a hint of amusement when he leant back in his chair. “I should make sure that you get to enjoy this tournament even more then.”

***

It had been the first time that Taisuke and Taiga had the same opinion, yet Taiga didn’t agree with everything his cousin said in the council meeting. He was selfish that was all, yet they were surprised when Taisuke’s mother completely stood against the idea of a tournament. On top of that she had way better arguments than Taisuke. 

As much as Taisuke was a perfect son around his parents until now, his mother wasn’t someone who would just sit back and say yes to everything. She was more than well aware of the provocation lying behind such an idea, so eventually she got the council on her side and while Taisuke could overrule them if he wanted to he actually agreed on their opinion in the end. After all, they didn’t oppose the entire idea, they just wanted to make it more of a diplomatic meeting and a greeting of the new leader of Oki. A good opportunity to welcome their allies to Oki for the first time since the great war.

For Taiga nothing changed through that as he had just hoped for other provinces to be allowed to visit Oki and he had gotten exactly that.

“We will send out messengers as soon as possible then,” Taisuke concluded as they had decided on holding a banquet, small feasts and diplomatic meetings all together over the time of one week. It would take weeks for the provinces to receive their messages and depart to Oki so they had set it for the last week of summer in the 7th month. 

“Don’t you think a general should make their way to Sasaku and Minami-Hian?” Shime spoke as he was always good at thinking ahead when it came to diplomatic talks and wise decisions.

“I agree,” Taiga’s aunt spoke with a grateful nod towards her nephew. “The other provinces will easily agree even with only some messengers, those two I think won’t even reply if no one of the higher ups will make their way there.”

“Very well,” Taisuke said and while Taiga gave him an intense look he of course ignored it when he ended the meeting, but Taiga immediately hurried after him.

“Let me go to Minami-Hian.”

“You are needed here, Yara can go. He was at the tournament as well.”

“Yet I won it,” Taiga said, resulting in Taisuke stopping in the middle of the corridor and turning towards him with a warning look.

“And so what? Are you telling me that Kamenashi will only take an invitation when it comes from you even though I am the one who actually asks?”

“I am only saying that Minami-Hian will be the most difficult to persuade,” Taiga said, trying to find a good argument.

“If they do not take the invitation then they are giving me a reason to doubt their intentions,” Taisuke said. It took a lot for Taiga to not roll his eyes at him.

“It’s not like any of the provinces are trying to get into a war right now, as long as you don’t invite Basarano.”

“Maybe I should.”

The look Taiga gave Taisuke on his way too serious words couldn’t even be called shocked, it was scandalized to a degree that he wanted to take his cousin by the collar for such a dark joke. 

“Calm down cousin, Kyogo and Basarano will have to wait for another time.”

“You should never engage with Basarano,” Taiga reminded him. “You’ve seen what they can do. Even your father made sure to only ride against them if asked to by other provinces.”

“I should take your advice,” Taisuke said when he put his hand on Taiga’s shoulder. “After all you have seen the most of what they can do.”

That reminder had Taiga boil inside once more, but he wasn’t going to lose his calm that easily. 

“Yet I will still not let you go,” Taisuke said as he patted his shoulder and turned away, walking down the corridor. “You will wait here for the arrivals of the provinces’ generals and leaders. I need you to prepare a warm welcome for them.”

Taiga let out a sigh when Taisuke had walked down the staircase to the great hall, but he knew that he wouldn’t be easily allowed to leave. Yet for now he just needed to be patient for a few more weeks. The only time he had been out of Oki was when they had made their way to Bodaisei to build the shrine in honor of Taisuke’s father.

It had indeed not been close to Taiga’s parents, but still alongside the Seichi lake, so Taiga had used the chance to visit his parents’ shrine as well.

Ryosuke was going to be present for Taisuke’s big event as well so at least he would see some more familiar faces.

“This doesn’t suit you at all.”

“I am happy to see you too,” Taiga greeted Kochi when he showed up at Oki with some of the council members of Wazaigo. He was in charge of the library, yet he was also part of their democratic council. It was way bigger than the one of Oki and their civilians had a lot of influence in their decisions as well.

“Still, that broach isn’t for you,” Kochi said as he actually dared to flick his finger against it. 

“Yet I am doing my job pretty well,” Taiga said with a teasing smile. 

“Can you say the same about Taisuke?”

“Maybe you should see that for yourself,” Taiga said as he was in charge of welcoming those who were arriving for the event. They had received replies from all provinces they had invited. To Taiga’s surprise they had actually all agreed on sending someone. While Wazaigo had sent three council members, Sasaku had said they would send one general, Minami-Hian was going to send two generals and others hadn’t made clear who was attending, but they were going to all arrive over the next week.

“Well I will try and not laugh at him, I will leave that to Ryosuke,” Kochi teased before he gave Taiga a clap on the shoulder. “But you are right, you are great at your job. I just still think it doesn’t fit you.”

Taiga just chuckled on the other one’s words while he looked after him and the others entering the castle while he remained at the gates. Minami-Hian was supposed to arrive today as well as a messenger had let them know, so Taiga made sure to be around the gates.

Kochi was right after all he was fantastic as the right hand of Taisuke, but his heart felt heavy under the burden of being chained to the castle. 

In his thoughts he missed the sound of horses coming up the street to the gates, but when Taiga looked up there was only one person and then he saw the emblem of Kita-Shosan on the soldier’s armor and his heart immediately felt way lighter.

“General Kyomoto I assume?” The man asked with a bow from his horse. Taiga nodded with a smile when he put one hand through his hair. As so often he was easily recognizable and by now his hair was long enough to hide all his scars.

“Kita-Shosan will arrive tomorrow morning if the weather remains steady,” the messenger said and held out a scroll to him. Taiga hurried to take it from him and read through it. Two generals were joining from their province. It didn’t take Taiga by surprise that the leader himself wouldn’t easily make it over to them, yet he had signed the scroll with an apology of his absence as he still feared for attacks from Basarano.

Taiga wanted to ask, but then he decided against it and told one of his soldiers to show the messenger his quarters. They had prepared buildings around the castle for the soldiers, but the generals and leaders of the provinces would stay in the castle with them.

Now Taiga’s heart was beating even faster as he clenched the scroll against his chest. He didn’t want to get his hopes up so he put his thoughts about Kita-Shosan aside for the next day. 

Luckily he got some distraction just a while later. Minami-Hian had arrived and Taiga had known who was going to come and while Taisuke had definitely hoped to lure Kamenashi himself to Oki, Taiga was more than happy about the company he would get for this week.

“I hope you didn’t get lazy now that you’re in that boring position,” Shota greeted him as he got off his horse. 

“Oh no worries, I can still kick your ass,” Taiga said with a bright smile.

“You know that we will test that, right?” Ryota said as he joined them. They had only brought a handful of soldiers with them and both of them were for once dressed appropriately in long boots, beige and white trousers and shirts with a thin yet long coat over their shoulders.

“Your province is beautiful, I have to say that,” Shota said with a look towards the cliffs. “But making it here over Bodaisei, I would say you’re losing.”

Taiga laughed and shook his head, not even being mad. “Let me show you Wazaigo one day, even your city loses against the beauty of their houses.”

“For that you would need to leave your gorgeous castle,” Ryota said with a wink, not realizing that this was indeed a problem. 

“Well then show us around?” Shota asked as he pushed Taiga towards the castle and as there were no other arrivals he walked inside with them, explaining a bit about the castle, the surroundings and of course about the situation.

“We won’t embarrass you, don’t worry,” Ryota said as he put his arm around Taiga’s shoulder after Taiga had told them to behave in front of Taisuke.

“I won’t stop you, but I am sure he will,” Taiga warned them.

“Oh come on, you know that we never act out of line,” Shota said, but then pulled Taiga a bit towards him and the grip on his hips wasn’t in any way harmless, but Taiga didn’t mind as he knew that Shota wouldn’t just stop playing around, yet he would also never take it too far.

“You already do.”

The interference came from behind and they all looked over their shoulders and Taiga’s mood immediately dropped when he saw Iwamoto approaching them. To his surprise Shota just turned Taiga around towards him and pulled him even closer while Ryota left his arm around his shoulder as well.

“Oh, we are so sorry about that. Who are we offending if I may ask?” Shota mocked.

Of course they didn’t know that Iwamoto’s patience level was the shortest they had ever seen and he immediately drew his sword, pointing it at Shota who raised an eyebrow at him.

“Whole of Oki if you dare to lay hands on a member of the clan,” Iwamoto said and this time Taiga couldn’t hold back a small mocking chuckle and he stepped away from the other two, putting himself right in front of the other one’s sword.

“Not just a clan member, but part of the leading family and the right hand of the king, so I would say I can totally decide for myself what is appropriate and what is not? Maybe you want to enlighten me about what is an act out of line in Oki?”

The tension between them had Ryota and Shota exchange a look, but then Iwamoto lowered his sword and Taiga turned back to the others. Shota immediately gave him a questioning look, but Taiga tried hard to stay calm and overplay how shaken he actually felt by speaking up for himself. How much he would like to still grab that sword and pierce it right into the other one’s chest. 

“Well then, let’s go on to more important business,” Taiga said and left Iwamoto standing in the corridor while Shota and Ryota both gave Iwamoto an annoyed look before they followed Taiga. 

“Whoever that is, I don’t like him,” Shota said as they walked into the corridor towards the great hall.

“Oh trust me, you will dislike him even more the longer you are here,” Taiga said, trying to keep the atmosphere as light as possible, but he saw Ryota’s scanning look and Taiga hurried to put his hand on his sword hilt to stop it from shaking.

***

Taiga woke up from a knock on his door. He had planned on getting up as early as possible, but of course he had to keep those who had arrived already company and as usual Shota had taken up his time a lot. 

Luckily Taisuke had only greeted all of them so far, not trying to get into any detailed talks until all of them arrived.

“General, I am sorry to wake you up this early, but there are arrivals.”

Taiga sat up with a groan after he had had way too many drinks the evening before, but then he gasped and jumped out of his bed.

“I will be there immediately. Tell them to wait at the gates,” Taiga shouted towards the soldier in front of his door and he got dressed as fast as possible. He hurried down the corridor and spotted the riders on their way to the gates through the city, so he had at least not made them wait.

The sun had barely risen so they had definitely been close already and departed on the first sight of light. Taiga hurried down the stairs and dashed through the inner ward, making those who were on duty look at him questioningly.

He arrived at the gates at exactly the same timing as the arriving province, but he had dashed out in such a hurry that he had made a horse close to him spook and rear. 

The one on top of it immediately soothed his horse and gave him a gentle pat to calm him down.

“My apology for the rough greeting,” Taiga said and bowed, but when there was no reply he dared to look back up and then he just froze.

“For me any greeting is fine as long as it comes from you.”

Juri. He was there, right in front of him. Taiga felt like he had still not woken up from his sleep and he looked at the remaining people arriving. A handful of soldiers and another familiar face now walking up to him after getting off his horse.

“General Kyomoto, so soon we meet again,” Nikaido said with a bright smile. “Yet General Tanaka had to wait a bit longer, but he already had the honor of visiting your province before.”

“That was also why it was so hard to even be chosen for this,” Juri said with a teasing smile when he got off his horse. “Is everything alright?”

Taiga needed a moment to even realize that Juri had spoken to him and Taiga hurried to fix his expression and posture. All eyes were on them after all.

“I am glad that you two were chosen for this event. Let me help you settle in.”

Juri smiled at him before he bowed and brought his horse up to one of his soldiers to take care of it while Nikaido gave Taiga a knowing look.

“I want a thank you,” Nikaido suddenly said.

“What?” Taiga asked, immediately apologizing for his rude reaction, but Nikaido only laughed.

“I had to come up with a damn lot of arguments for General Tanaka to be allowed to come.”

Taiga felt extremely grateful and yet also caught at the same time and he failed in giving a reply before Juri made it back to them.

“Well then, let's do all the official business for now?” Nikaido said, not seeming at all angry at Taiga. It was dangerous enough to have Aran already figure everything out, but Nikaido had already put pieces together as well and with that Taiga had to be even more careful.

Taiga tried his best to be as neutral as possible until they made it to the great hall. Taisuke had also just arrived as Taiga had told one of their soldiers to let him know about the early arrival.

“Our apologies for our early arrival,” Nikaido said as he and Juri walked up to Taisuke, while Taiga remained at the door. 

“I am grateful for your hurry. You must be exhausted. We are awaiting the remaining provinces by tomorrow so please take a rest,” Taisuke said while he walked up to them and looked at Nikaido. “I have heard from my cousin that your province showed a lot of strength in the tournament in Minami-Hian. My soldiers would definitely be pleased if you honored them with some training exercises.”

Nikaido bowed with a grateful smile. “Unfortunately we couldn’t win against the excellent skills General Kyomoto showed at the tournament.”

“He indeed improved a lot since his first invite as a general,” Taisuke said as he turned to Juri. “You were the general helping him out at that chaotic time if I remember correctly. It is a pleasure to be able to greet you back in Oki.”

The politeness Taisuke spoke with had Taiga tense as he knew that Taisuke was known for showing his spite through the calmest attitude. 

“It is my honor to be invited once more into your beautiful province,” Juri said with a soft smile. “Hopefully one day I can prove myself worthy enough to join a tournament as well.”

“Maybe one day we can invite you for one,” Taisuke said, making Taiga almost let out an annoyed sound. He should have dropped the topic, especially in front of the other provinces, yet he still tried to show his determination towards them.

The generals from Kita-Shosan were luckily known to be neutral and not easily offended so they both just expressed their excitement if a tournament was going to take place in the future.

Taiga felt like he had stopped breathing until they were back in the corridor and he showed them around. “On this floor your quarters are located. Feel free to explore the castle or the city, no one will stop you.”

“Well, I guess now I have to actually get myself useful and ask you for a training session later,” Nikaido teased when Taiga showed him his room.

“We didn’t have the pleasure of fighting each other at the tournament, but let me warn you, even with my current position I haven’t just been sitting around.”

“Then I am looking forward to a challenging fight later,” Nikaido said before he excused himself into his quarters for now.

“The right hand of the king,” Juri said with a teasing smile when Taiga stopped in front of Juri’s room and he gave Taiga’s broach a closer look. 

“If you also start telling me now that it doesn’t suit me, trust me I know.”

“And here I wanted to say that you look way better in these clothes than in your armor,” Juri teased. It wasn’t just the broach after all. His clothes were a bit over the top as usual, but for the arrivals of the provinces he had chosen a high neck long sleeve shirt that had a long back part, close to a coat, but the front was short and while it was a simple dark blue, there were golden embroideries on it, which made it look graceful.

“I hope you didn’t bring your full armor this time,” Taiga said when he opened the door to Juri’s room. “It’s not like we have any use for it this time, but luckily for you there are not so many steps in this castle.”

Taiga kept a teasing smile when he held the door open for Juri, yet the other one turned around, looking along the corridor for a moment. When Taiga wanted to ask what he was looking for, Juri had already grabbed Taiga by the arm and pushed him in his room, closing the door behind them in a hurry.

The risk Juri was taking should make Taiga scold him and leave. This wasn’t a battlefield where they were hidden from everyone’s eyes. Even in Kita-Shosan the risk had been less. Oki had strict rules and if they got caught then hell would be upon them.

Yet Taiga wanted to be selfish once more and he didn’t even think about stopping the other one when Juri reached out for his face and immediately pulled him into a greedy kiss.

It had been months since the last time they had met, yet Taiga felt drawn to the other one as much as on the day of their first kiss. 

While Juri had taken control over the kiss at first, Taiga moved one hand to the other one’s chest and pushed him back into the door, making Juri gasp which gave Taiga the chance to deepen the kiss. 

As if still in his dreams Taiga explored Juri’s face with his hands as if he had never gotten the chance of touching it before. Juri didn’t complain about the attention he got and while they had to part in between, they didn’t speak. They just kissed again, forgetting about the risks they were taking.

Slowly Taiga pulled back once more, one hand now back on Juri’s chest as he clenched the other one’s shirt as he put his forehead against the other one’s shoulder.

“I am risking your life with my selfishness.”

“No, I am voluntarily risking my own life,” Juri corrected him as he put a soft kiss on Taiga’s hair and put his arms around him. Just like this Taiga’s life felt fine again. This was exactly how time could freeze forever and he would be okay with it.

“Even worse,” Taiga scolded the other one, but still didn’t move away. Instead he let his hands slowly move around the other one’s back, pulling himself closer.

“Life must be hard on you right now,” Juri said and there was absolutely nothing Taiga could reply. Juri didn’t need to hear any excuses, he could read Taiga’s expression like no other by now. He was aware of his position being no honor, but a cage.

“I was extremely happy when General Nikaido told me about your presence at the tournament. I am sorry that I couldn’t meet with you sooner.”

This time Taiga finally pulled back, just enough to look at the other one and put his hand on Juri’s face. “Even if I have to wait an entire lifetime, trust me I will never have you apologize for making me wait. You’re risking so much for a mere bastard, I am not even worth your attention.”

Juri didn’t try to argue with him, but he leaned in for another kiss, way more passionate and softer this time. “I will take on the entire world for this one foolish bastard if I have to.”

It was already enough to take only Taisuke on, that would already be the first and last challenge for him, yet Taiga couldn’t easily let the other one go, even if it was for both of their safety.

“I promise you to be careful, but you have to promise me to stop drowning like this,” Juri asked of the other one, knowing how hard Taiga was battling against his inner demons.

“Until your departure I can promise that I guess,” Taiga said with a soft smile before he pulled the other one into another long kiss.

Even if he could only escape his cage for a week he would gladly take the risk.

***

“We should draw,” Shota said when they had all gathered at the training ground and everyone wanted to have a training fight against Taiga, making him laugh at the attention. 

“We have an entire week, it’s not like Taisuke will keep you busy with talks and feasts the entire day,” Taiga told them, but Shota had already prepared some sticks for everyone to draw from.

“Well I guess we should stand back and watch,” Yuma said towards the other soldiers and as most of them hadn’t been present at the tournament they were more than excited to see the generals train together.

“You get to train with him daily, so I will definitely not let you draw,” Shota said.

“Yuma didn’t fight me for some time though. He had more important things to do,” Taiga said, making Yuma look to the ground with a bow after he had received a few weeks off duty before the arrival of the provinces to be with his family. The birth of his child was still lying a few months ahead, but Yuma had indeed fought his way through the challenge. 

“Still,” Shota said with a pout and Yuma laughed, stepping back with an understanding look. “You go all out. We will gladly watch.”

Shota held the sticks out towards everyone present. “One of them I broke off so one is way shorter than the others. You all pull first, like that I don’t have any chance of cheating.”

Nikaido pulled first, then Ryota, but both their sticks were the same length so they stepped back for now.

“I leave the first fight gladly to you,” Juri said, but Shota wanted him to try.

“I can draw for you if you want.”

Everyone turned towards the castle when two of Taiga’s soldiers let someone enter who Taiga didn’t expect as they hadn’t received a message about his arrival time.

“You will have to beat my ass first before I let you close to him,” Shota said as he pointed at Yaotome who walked up to them with an entertained expression before he stopped next to Taiga.

“We didn’t receive any message about your arrival. My apologies that no one properly greeted you,” Taiga greeted the other one. After all, this wasn’t a tournament anymore. They were guests of Oki now.

“You could greet me with a fight?” Yaotome challenged.

Shota got ready to explode, making Juri step back a bit as he wasn’t even trying to fight Taiga. He was just here, because Nikaido had told him to show up. 

“Well then, here is your chance,” Taiga said and let Yaotome approach Shota. “Let him draw.”

“Fine,” Shota said, but now there were only two sticks left as Juri had not drawn and Yaotome grabbed one of the sticks with a mocking smile towards Shota. When he pulled it out, the other one cursed and reluctantly stepped back.

“Luck seems to be on my side today,” Yaotome announced as he held up the shortest stick. 

“Do you want me to lend you any armor or helmet?” Taiga asked, but the other one shook his head. 

“You’re not in heavy armor either and I am not trying to injure the right hand of the new Oki king on the first day.”

“So considerate of you,” Taiga teased before he invited Yaotome away from everyone towards the open space.

Taiga had his light sword and Yaotome a similar one from his province this time. They had only faced each other in the forest fight before, so this was going to be an interesting fight. 

Yet when they were about to start, there were some whispers going through the rows of soldiers and when Taiga looked over to them, he saw how they were looking up at one of the balconies.

“What honorable spectators,” Yaotome said when they both looked up and saw Taisuke standing at the balcony. Iwamoto was with him as well and soon Shime showed up next to him too.

“You can still back out,” Taiga said, but Yaotome didn’t seem like a person who would easily feel pressured through the presence of higher ups.

“As if I wouldn’t take the chance to provoke your province a bit,” Yaotome said with a teasing smile as he played with the sword in his hand for a moment before he dared to dash into an attack first. 

Without heavy armor or helmets they were not going fully out, yet they were prepared for injuries. Yaotome wasn’t holding back much, but Taiga had gained a lot of fighting experience as well so their fight was even for now. Dirty tricks were something Taiga was more than used to by now, so Yaotome trying to use other methods than direct sword attacks to get Taiga out of balance had Taiga go for the same style of fighting.

“Impressive,” Yaotome said when they clashed swords right between them and remained in that position for a moment as they both had run a bit low on stamina after a first fast exchange of attacks.

“If you want a real challenge feel free to fight in full armor next time,” Taiga said with a lopsided smile and pushed the other one to the back.

Yaotome had obviously thought that he had the better stamina, but Taiga had gotten faster and more precise. He knew when he got the chance to win a fight so he kept pushing Yaotome back, trying to bring him out of balance and getting his attention on his kicks and punches. Eventually Yaotome failed to read one of Taiga’s fake moves as he tried to sweep the other one’s legs, but actually twisted around at the last moment to thrust up his sword. It had missed Yaotome’s head by inches as the Sasaku fighter had used his own sword to block the attack at the last moment, but that was also when the fight had been decided.

Yaotome’s attention had been too much on the sword and when he looked down he found Taiga’s knife pushing against his chest. 

“Well, I would say you are dead.”

Shota whistled before he started shouting in excitement, Taiga’s soldiers also excited about the impressive win.

“I have to say you are indeed surprising me each time we meet,” Yaotome said when Taiga pulled back his weapons and to his surprise Yaotome held out his hand towards him. If it was just a move because Taisuke was watching or not, he couldn’t tell, but he still shook his hand. 

“Maybe you will get your revenge next year in Minami-Hian,” Taiga challenged.

“Or already over the next few days, I might take you up on that armor fight later.”

“For now you’re out of the drawing, you had your fight,” Shota interfered as he jumped at Taiga’s back and pulled him away from Yaotome.

“Don’t forget that you’re not here for me though,” Taiga reminded them, but when they looked back up at the balcony only Shime was left, but the boy was looking over his shoulder, so Taisuke had watched the fight until the end.

“We will have enough time for boring diplomatic topics later,” Ryota said as he joined them. “Let’s just enjoy the evening for now.”

“There is not even any feast yet,” Taiga complained. 

“Which means more time for us to go on your nerves instead of meeting with your cousin,” Shota chirped as he hooked his elbow with Taiga’s and already aimed for the castle.

In the evening Taiga had indeed not been able to excuse himself as even his aunt had told him to just enjoy the free time and she had made sure to keep Taisuke away from trying to start topics that should wait until everyone was gathered.

“Okay so introduce us,” Shota said as they all met in one of the castle’s common rooms. It was one of Taiga’s favorite rooms as it had a cozy feeling to it, different from a lot of their other big empty meeting rooms. He had heard that his grandmother had been the one to decorate the room and his mother had made sure to keep it while his uncle had not often used it.

A big fireplace and candle holders on the walls lit the room up brightly and the ground had carpets and pillows so that they could even sit on the ground instead of the many couches and chairs in the room. There was no meeting table or any simple wooden chairs, so that the atmosphere was indeed not of a meeting.

Not everyone was present yet, but Shota and Ryota had already walked up to Kochi as they didn’t know him. The young man had settled down with a book in an armchair close to the fireplace and looked up at them questioning.

“You will all get your introduction at the first official meeting anyway,” Taiga complained.

“Still, I want to know who I am around,” Shota said.

“Kochi Yugo, member of the council of Wazaigo. Also the librarian of the Wazaigo library and one of the few people who is allowed to tell Taiga when he behaves like an idiot.”

Kochi’s self introduction had them all look at him, but he hadn’t even stood up. He just gave them all a bright smile before he turned back to the book in his lap.

“Well, here you got your first introduction,” Taiga said, not even feeling offended as Kochi was indeed one of the few people who needed to tell him things straightforward sometimes.

Yaotome was also present and had listened, but he had only grinned and then had closed his eyes again as he was lying flat on one of the long couches.

Nikaido hadn’t joined them yet as he wanted to meet up with the soldiers who were staying outside of the castle, so Juri was sitting alone in front of the fireplace. 

“Then let’s keep going,” Shota said as he pulled Taiga towards Juri and sat down in front of Juri with his finger pointed at the other one, making Juri finally snap out of it as he had looked into the flames a bit absentminded until now.

“Tanaka Juri, General of Kita-Shosan,” Shota said while Ryota sat down next to him.

“No introduction needed then,” Taiga said as he dared to sit down next to Juri as it wasn’t in any way a bolt move at the current situation.

“I only know his name though. You are pretty young for a general,” Shota said.

“He is my age,” Taiga said. “But he actually became a general before me.”

“You seem to know each other already,” Ryota said with an analyzing look and while Juri shifted a bit uncomfortably on all the sudden questions, he froze when Taiga put his arm around his shoulder. 

“He might not have been at the tournament, but trust me he would have kicked your ass at the hunter event.”

“To protect you from us getting your bracelet I guess,” Ryota already guessed right, making Juri get even smaller next to Taiga.

“Maybe I should let you two fight against each other tomorrow and the winner is allowed to fight against me,” Taiga teased when he pulled his arm back, making Juri relax a bit again.

“I don’t need to fight you,” Juri said again, making Shota snort.

“You are really an interesting fellow. Do you think you are so much better than him or is there a reason why you don’t want to challenge him? Afraid to lose? Or afraid of hurting him?”

Ryota pulled Shota a bit to the back as he had leaned over to Juri in a way that could almost be called threatening, while he still showed a smile and laughed at Ryota’s reaction. 

“Fine, have it your way then, but I will fight you, no matter who I have to fight to get to you,” Shota said as he pointed at Taiga. “If you already push me away in private then I can at least hunt you down in an official battle.”

This time he had gotten Juri’s attention as he had looked up at Shota first and then turned towards Taiga. They didn’t say anything, yet that one look exchange had Shota gasp before he pointed from one to the other. Right before he could say anything out loud, Ryota covered his mouth with his hand.

“Remember where we are,” Ryota reminded him and while Kochi was pretending to not pay any attention, they were sure that Yaotome was listening as well. 

Shota pushed the other one’s hand away, but didn’t say anything, yet he gave Juri and Taiga an intense look before he nodded with an entertained smile.

“Well at least I understand now why you don’t want to fight against him.”

“I am better at fighting with him,” Juri dared to let out. “Not against him. So in case you want a two on two, I am up for it.”

“Oh, that is an interesting challenge,” Ryota said and Shota seemed excited as well.

“You were the first one to save my ass out on the battlefield after all,” Taiga said with a nostalgic smile.

A knock had them turn towards the wooden door when one of Taiga’s soldiers walked in and reported an arrival. 

“Seems like a lot of provinces don’t care for messengers anymore,” Shota said when Taiga stood up and hurried over to the door.

“I can hear you,” Yaotome said, but then Shota grabbed a pillow from a chair behind him and threw it at Yaotome who looked a bit perplexed by the sudden attack.

Taiga laughed at them from the doorframe, but the next moment he whined when he got hit with something against the back of his head without a warning, making everyone look at the door.

“This is how you greet everyone, I see.”

“You could have let me know of your arrival,” Taiga scolded the other one who was still not visible to everyone in the room, but then Juri saw the golden fan in the other one’s hand and gasped.

“What is going on, who is he?” Shota whispered towards him. 

“Yamada Ryosuke, he’s the high priest of Bodaisei,” Juri explained.

“As the right hand of the king, you should be more aware of sudden arrivals two days before the event,” Ryosuke scolded him with his fan lifted towards Taiga’s face.

“Hear that?” Yaotome said teasingly towards Shota, but then Ryosuke looked into the room and walked right in. His clothes were more simple than when he was in the shrine, but it was still obvious that he was a priest. Yet he looked a bit more fancy than usual with his hair up in a ponytail and his clothes more colorful.

Yaotome sat up when the other one entered the room, yet he was left speechless when Ryosuke lifted the fan and actually dared to hit him on the head with it. 

Shota burst out laughing, but immediately shut up when Ryosuke gave him a warning look.

“Not sending a messenger when someone of your status is arriving, is also not acceptable,” Ryosuke scolded the other one.

“That is why every other general sent messengers out,” Ryota said teasingly, but Taiga didn’t miss the look from Ryosuke over to Ryota and back to Yaotome. There was a silent interaction between them before Ryosuke dropped the topic.

“Don’t you dare,” Kochi said and lifted his hand warningly when Ryosuke walked up to his armchair with his fan still in his hand. Ryosuke gave the other one a teasing smile, but finally put the fan away. 

“I have no clue who has what authority here,” Shota complained. 

“You definitely have the biggest mouth of all of them,” Ryosuke said towards him, making Shota pout. 

“But I guess there is enough support for our young right hand here to not have to worry for him too much,” Ryosuke said as he looked at Juri who only gave Ryosuke a small bow as he didn’t dare to get into the other one’s reach. “Taiga, announce me to your annoying cousin.”

Taiga nodded as he waited in the corridor for Ryosuke and everyone just looked after them in disbelief and Taiga gave them a small apologizing hand gesture from the door.

They would definitely need to get used to Ryosuke’s attitude, not that he was taking it too far. Ryosuke knew when he was allowed to act a bit out of line and when not. But he wouldn’t just behave all obediently around Taisuke that was for sure.

***

The next morning Taiga was up early enough to ensure that the last arrivals would be properly greeted by him and the first messenger announced the arrival of Mabara-Kinmitsu. Konpi and Yabana were the ones to greet him.

“Do not worry, Sasaki took on the boring part as he calls his duty of taking care of the province,” Yabana explained. 

“It’s not like he didn’t want to meet you again,” Konpi assured him.

“Yet you are here to meet with my cousin,” Taiga reminded them, feeling still a bit weird about greeting so many familiar faces while the main reason they were here was for diplomatic talks with Taisuke.

“Indeed, but we still hope we could get the chance to talk to you in private at some point over the next few days?” Konpi asked and while Taiga nodded he realized that Taiko had definitely told them about their talk. They were all involved, but Taiga didn’t want everyone to handle him with kid gloves now.

Taiga wanted to guide them inside to greet Taisuke, but at the same moment another messenger arrived, letting him know about the arrival of Kaikakuto and Awako.

“I will bring them inside,” Shime was heard from the gates. 

“My younger cousin will help you if you don’t mind,” Taiga said and the other two accepted Shime’s offer. His cousin seemed excited about meeting people from Mabara-Kinmitsu and while they were around the same age, Shime looked so much younger compared to them.

Taiga remained at the gate, waiting for Kaikakuto to arrive. He knew that Aran and Sakuma would be part of this meeting as they had let him know about it weeks ahead already, so he wasn’t too nervous about their arrival.

The weather was cloudy, but not too cold and the citizens were busy with their shops and daily tasks. In the middle of the main street up to their gate Taiga could spot a familiar face, but while it wasn’t uncommon for Sho to show up at the castle, he seemed in a hurry.

Especially around this event Taiga had told him that it would be better if he didn’t come visit, yet he started worrying when Sho ran up the small hill up to their gates.

“Did anything happen?” Taiga asked, but Sho needed a moment to catch his breath before he pushed Taiga a bit away from the main gate.

“Sorry, I couldn’t come earlier, my grandfather needed help with the smithy in the morning.”

“Do I have to worry?” Taiga asked.

“That depends,” Sho said as he looked around, making sure that no one was hearing their conversation. “I could be totally wrong, okay? I don’t want to give you wrong information, but I also thought it’s better if I at least let you know.”

“Come to the point,” Taiga urged his friend.

“I was out late last night, running a last minute errand and I spotted Iwamoto.”

“And?” Taiga asked, knowing that it wasn’t anything unusual for their soldiers to be out even at night, especially since Iwamoto was often patrolling the city with his men.

“There was someone else.”

Now a slight panic rose inside Taiga, but he needed to let Sho speak first. 

“It was dark so I couldn’t clearly see him, but whatever is going on is definitely not supposed to be out in the open. The other one was a shinobi.”

This wasn’t possible. Why would Taisuke take such a huge risk at such a critical time?  

“Did Iwamoto hand something to him?”

“Yes, a scroll. I couldn’t hear them, but the shinobi took it and left. I have a bad feeling about this. Mabara-Kinmitsu just arrived, right? What if-”

“No, they are not involved,” Taiga said, shaking his head. “Sho, do not mention this to anyone, am I clear?”

“Taiga, if you know what is going on, let me help?”

“Unfortunately I do not know what is going on,” Taiga explained as he wasn’t sure about Taisuke’s intentions this time. Was it really Yasui? Would he involve Basarano in such a critical meeting? One horrible thought after the other went through Taiga’s mind, but it was too late now to even give messages to Basarano and their soldiers would have realized any incoming army from Basarano, so Taiga tried to calm down. Most likely this was just about information and no ambush.

“Just be careful okay? Let me know if anything is going on. You can send over Shime as well.”

“Thanks for your worries, I will make sure to inform you if I get to know more,” Taiga promised. 

Steps from the main gate had them turn around and of course no one other than Iwamoto had shown up.

“Thanks for the offer,” Taiga immediately changed the subject when he walked out a bit towards the street with Sho. “I will ask when everyone has arrived. I bet they will be more than pleased to receive some of our Oki steel weapons.”

Sho just bowed, pretending as if that had been the talk all along before he left. 

“Anything urgent from Taisuke?” Taiga asked when he walked up to Iwamoto.

“The fact that you let Shime bring in council members from Mabara-Kinmitsu made him skeptical about what you were doing.”

“Shime definitely let him know that I was waiting for the arrival of Kaikakuto,” Taiga said with a played smile. 

“Didn’t seem to me like you were waiting,” Iwamoto replied as he looked after Sho.

“Well, how amazing it is then that this is not of your concern in the first place?” Taiga shot back, losing his patience. “You can report back to Taisuke that I am indeed still waiting for Kaikakuto to arrive and that our most talented blacksmith just sent a message about an offer to present the generals with a knife of Oki steel on their departure. Taisuke can decide if  he wants to take that offer or not. Or is he that busy with something else other than greeting the generals?”

“You’re his right hand, aren’t you? So you should know.”

“Indeed, so as long as there is nothing going on behind my back I am pretty sure he will have some spare time to listen to you, so how about you head back?”

Iwamoto was annoyed enough to actually pick a fight with Taiga in front of the castle, but luckily they got interrupted by the arrival of Kaikakuto and Awako. 

“If you’d excuse me, I have more important business to attend to right now,” Taiga said with a mocking smile. What surprised him was that Iwamoto was easier angered than usual and he dared to grab Taiga by the arm to turn him back around, but Taiga immediately shook his hand off with a warning look.

“Dare that again and I will have your hand,” Taiga hissed at the other one, but Iwamoto took his chances today.

“Why not go for my head instead?” Iwamoto asked under his breath, ignoring that the horses of the arriving soldiers were already close to them. “Maybe you would like to cut my cock off instead? I bet that would give you the biggest satisfaction.”

It wouldn’t even matter if Taiga lost his patience completely now. Even if he punched Iwamoto or lifted his sword against him, he wouldn’t be the one getting into trouble for it, yet he didn’t want to give the other one that satisfaction.

“One day all that arrogance will lead you to your grave,” Taiga replied with a way too calm expression when he realized that the horses had come to a stop behind them. “Life will show you real cruelty one day, but for now I will have you wait and obey my orders, because that is all you are useful for. So move, puppy or do I have to tell your owner that you are not behaving.”

The deathglare he received from Iwamoto had him satisfied enough to turn away and apologize to Kaikakuto for the wait, yet Iwamoto dared to reach out for him once more, but Taiga didn’t stop him. He would be most satisfied if Iwamoto dared to lay a hand on him in front of arriving generals. 

What both of them hadn’t seen coming though was an arrow hitting straight into the wall next to the gate the moment Iwamoto had reached out for Taiga again. It hit close to Iwamoto’s head and he immediately made a step back, letting go of Taiga.

“As much as I know the right hand of the king should be treated with respect and I will gladly make it my first diplomatic topic to relieve you of your duties if you cannot come up with that respect.”

The threat had Taiga already enjoying the situation to the fullest, but what had him swirl around with the most excited smile ever was the fact that the voice he had heard wasn’t from Aran, after all a general would have never dared such a bolt move.

“Ueda,” Taiga let out in disbelief when the other one handed his bow to a soldier next  

to him and got off his horse. Close to him Aran and Sakuma were also present, both giving Iwamoto an annoyed look, but the Oki General was now remaining in the back when Ueda walked up to Taiga.

“Why didn’t you inform us about your participation?”

“Because I like surprises and I don’t want any special treatment,” Ueda said as he patted Taiga’s hair before his look changed and he walked up to Iwamoto instead.

“Yet I will also not allow any disrespectful acts in my presence,” Ueda said. Iwamoto needed a moment to fix his annoyed expression, but then he finally bowed towards the other one. “What are you still standing around here for? Make yourself useful and announce our arrival.”

Iwamoto balled his fists, but still left to do as he was told. 

“Who does he think he is?” Aran asked in annoyance as he and Sakuma walked up to them.

“Who is he?” Sakuma asked, not knowing Iwamoto at all.

“No one of any importance right now. Excuse the rough greeting. With so many people around, everyone gets easily triggered,” Taiga said. “Welcome to Oki by the way. I hope your travel wasn’t too rough?”

“It has lost a bit of its beauty,” Ueda voiced out as he let his eyes wander over the city and the ocean, but then his eyes remained at one of the balconies at the inner ward and Taiga followed his look, finding his aunt watching them.

“She knows, doesn’t she?” Taiga asked in a low voice when they started walking towards the castle. 

“Of course she does, so do most of the council members, but your cousins don’t know and I would make sure to leave it at that,” Ueda warned his nephew. 

It would spark even more problems if the younger ones found out now that Ueda was his uncle. Especially Taisuke would find a way to ban Kaikakuto from Oki for good and luckily his aunt had never made it a topic until now either so she would most likely prefer to keep it a secret, not aware of the fact that Taiga already knew.

“But just in case you want me to kick anyone’s ass while I am here, please let me know.”

The serious way Ueda voiced it out had Taiga smile with a grateful nod. This diplomatic summit had a better outcome than Taiga could have ever hoped for.

“Do we have to participate in this?” Yabana asked when they all gathered at the training grounds.

“I bet Shota won’t yell at you if you don’t, but I can unfortunately not back out,” Taiga said after he had gathered the last arriving generals in the backyard area, yet they were all in full armor this time.

Shota had begged nonstop for them to have another training in the afternoon and with nothing else to do until the next day Taiga had agreed, but he had left the participation voluntarily for everyone.

“Are we all gathered?” Ryota asked when he got some sticks together.

“You are not drawing,” Shota pouted when Yaotome had also shown up in full armor.

“Let him join,” Taiga demanded and while Shota was about to complain he let it drop with an annoyed groan.

“Let us join too,” Aran was heard as they made it out of the castle, but while he and Sakuma were of course always welcome, everyone started whispering and gasping when Ueda was joining them in full armor.

“Are you sure?” Taiga asked when Ueda stopped next to him.

“Just if everyone isn’t too afraid of me,” Ueda said as he brought down his sword into the dusty ground, giving everyone a challenging look.

“Fine with me,” Yaotome said, Ueda giving him a scolding look and slowly the others nodded as well, but some of them seemed indeed nervous.

“Great, then-”

“Taiga, Taiga!” Shime was heard as he was still not even visible to the others. He dashed out towards them, Taiga hurrying to walk towards him so that he would stop running.

“Breathe,” Taiga soothed the other one when Shime came to a stop with a handful of coughs. “What on earth made you hurry this much?”

“Taisuke,” Shime started and only that name had Taiga worry. “He wants you all to gather in the inner yard.”

“Now?” Taiga asked in confusion.

“He said bring your armor and weapons.”

Taiga looked over to the others, but no one seemed to know what was going on and Taiga wasn’t in a position to easily refuse.

“Well then, I guess we have to move locations,” Taiga said, making everyone follow.

To their surprise there were quite a lot of people gathered by now in the inner yard. Even Taiga’s aunt was up on the inner balcony with some council members, but her look was everything but amused.

Some of their soldiers and clan members had gathered around the inner yard and the moment Taiga spotted Taisuke, he finally understood what was going on. He was in full armor as well, next to him Iwamoto too.

“May I ask what this is about?” Taiga asked as he walked up to his cousin together with Shime.

“No meetings will start until tomorrow and Iwamoto was so nice to let me know about your training, so I thought why not join.”

Taiga’s look went over to Iwamoto for a moment, but then he turned towards the others. No one seemed annoyed or offended by that request, not that they could refuse the leader of his own province to join a simple training, yet this was exactly what Taisuke had wanted. It wasn’t a tournament, yet he got to at least partly get everyone to enjoy some fighting, depending on their opponent.

“My apologies for interrupting your training,” Taisuke said as he walked up to the others. “As I see everyone joined so I thought to not show bad manners I should join you as for tomorrow we will be stuck with some more dry topics.”

Everyone bowed towards him, except for Ueda who gave a side glance to Taiga and then towards Iwamoto before he stepped towards Taisuke. There was a moment of absolute silence, but Taisuke kept a playful expression. 

“I think I am speaking for everyone saying we will gladly welcome you to this training,” Ueda said. “But I must remind you that most of us are battlefield experienced and on the request of some members we decided to turn today into a serious close combat training. While some might show you mercy, I have to let you know in advance that I will not soften my sword no matter the status of my opponent.”

“Lucky for you I would never ask you too,” Taisuke said with a smile before he pointed at one of his soldiers behind Iwamoto. “I was so bold and prepared a drawing system if you want things to be a bit more fun.”

“Now this is what I am talking about,” Shota said, getting excited in the back. 

“But I am also not going to force anyone to participate of course,” Taisuke said as he stepped back towards Taiga and Shime while they decided who was going to join.

Taisuke, Iwamoto and Taiga were of course already decided and Yara, Yuma and other Oki members stood back for now.

Mabara-Kinmitsu decided to only have Yabana participate as the evening hours were approaching and they couldn’t fight until the dark hours.

Ryota left the participation to Shota while Yaotome stepped next to him. Sakuma also didn’t seem too fond of joining while Aran gave Ueda a questioning look and the older one waved him over to join.

“May I request another participation?” Taisuke was heard when no one else immediately moved. They all waited when Taisuke walked up to everyone in the back and then Taiga clenched the hilt of his sword when he stopped in front of Juri.

First he looked up at Nikaido. “I’ve heard of your fights in the Minami-Hian tournament, but I haven’t gotten the chance yet to see the skills of your young general even though we have met before. Would you do me the honor of participating?”

When Taisuke looked directly at Juri, there was nothing else Juri could do but nod and agree. Taisuke seemed pleased by his change of mind, but Juri immediately looked at Taiga when he stopped next to Shota and the others.

“Well then, let us draw, this might be an interesting training,” Taisuke said after the soldier had adjusted the drawing to the members.

“We are one member short,” the soldier said, but that could easily be changed because Nikaido seemed willing to join now that Juri was going to fight as well.

“Let me take part in it.”

“Woah, what the actual hell is going on?” Shota said when he saw Ryosuke and Kochi walking up to them. While Kochi was in his usual clothes, Ryosuke was in full armor. An armor they didn’t see that often. Almost white, tight and light, similar to the one of Oki, but with the flower emblem of Bodaisei.

“Are you underestimating me already?” Ryosuke asked. “Is my fan more threatening than my sword to you?”

“Great, then we have an even number,” Taisuke said and proceeded with taking the box from the soldier. “There is a paper with a color written on it. Please draw one each, but do not show the color to anyone.”

“Making this a game,” Shime whispered next to Taiga, but if it was going to end just like a harmless game then it was still going to be the best outcome.

They all proceeded to draw their papers, Taiga showing his color only to Kochi and Shime who were standing close to him now. 

“Pink,” Shime whispered, but couldn’t of course see who else had gotten the same color.

“Great, then let the fun begin,” Taisuke said as they all stepped aside, leaving a big area open in the middle of the inner ward.

Taiga didn’t miss Taisuke’s brief look up to his mother, but he ignored her unpleased expression.

“Shime, would you do us the honor of drawing the colors?” Taisuke asked and Shime nodded before he gave Taiga another worried look and moved over to another box and drew one of the papers as they had prepared a third set. Taisuke had been prepared for this way too well.

“Violet,” Shime said loudly, and slowly the first two people moved and then met eyes when they realized they were going to fight each other.

“General Abe Aran against council member Yabana Rei,” one of the soldiers announced for everyone in the yard to hear. 

With no civilians present there was not much cheering, but the soldiers and generals in the back were still going to pick sides.

As it was the opening fight they took it quite slow, not that they were in any way holding back. Taiga was thrown back to the tournament in Minami-Hian while he watched them, but luckily this time they had their own weapons. 

Somehow Taiga had immediately put his bets on Aran, yet Yabana stood an impressive chance, so impressive even that he took Aran off his feet at one point with a heavy kick to his stomach. Aran needed a moment to even get back up and by now the soldiers had indeed started cheering. Some of their clan members in the back had also started enjoying the fight.

Ueda on the other hand was watching emotionless, not reacting to any injuries Aran was taking in. 

They were on such an even level that the fight took quite a while until they both took each other off their feet with a simultaneous kick. 

They both remained on the ground for a moment, heavily breathing and definitely already with several bruises underneath their armors. 

Yabana threw his helmet to the ground when he got back up, as Mabara-Kinmitsu didn’t even like wearing heavy armor in the first place, but Taiga had requested them to wear full armor. Aran copied that move and put his helmet down, they were going for all or nothing, but luckily with those two, Taiga didn’t have to worry for them accidently or even purposely going for each other’s faces.

Aran gave a side glance towards Ueda, but the other one only looked back at him. So Aran turned back and dashed into his last attack. Their exchange of attacks was impressive. Both skillfully read each other's movements, but while Aran was fast, Yabana had the better stamina. The moment Aran had slowed down just a little bit, Yabana had found an opening and forcefully brought down his sword on Aran’s shoulder. The hit brought Aran down on his knees and even though he put his arms up in time, Yabana had kicked him to the back with his knee and then put his sword to the other one’s neck.

Everyone had fallen silent until Yabana pulled his sword back and held out his hand instead. When Aran took it and let himself get dragged up, everyone finally started yelling and cheering.

They both turned towards Taisuke and bowed, before Yabana helped Aran over towards Ueda. They had both taken in quite some heavy blows, but luckily none of them seemed too hurt.

Taiga smiled when Ueda put his hand on Aran’s shoulder and while he couldn’t hear them, he was sure that Ueda had asked him if he was alright and Aran nodded.

“Thank you for such an entertaining fight,” Taisuke said with a pleased nod before he looked at Shime who hurried to draw the next color.

“Red,” he read and at first only Shota moved and then looked into the round when he stopped in the middle.

“Is my opponent already scared?” Shota asked with a smile, but then a second person finally walked out of the rows.

“Maybe your opponent was considering showing you mercy,” Ryosuke said as he stepped in front of the other one. “But now I guess I will teach you a lesson instead.”

“Now this is going to be interesting,” Ryota said with a teasing smile, waiting for them to start.

“You will regret putting yourself into this training session,” Shota said, but he kept his entertained expression. “I will fight myself through all of you if I have to.”

“He did not understand that we’re not getting the chance for another training over the next few days, did he?” Sakuma whispered towards Aran.

“If that means we’re going to get an interesting fight now then I am fine with that,” Aran said as he knew that Shota was going to let out his anger about still not having fought Taiga in this training.

The fight went fast and rough at first, Shota using way too much force, but Ryosuke didn’t seem to mind. His sword was light, but long. Through which he could easily dodge and redirect most of Shota’s attacks. 

“You should analyze more instead of just trying to break everything with pure strength,” Ryosuke told him when Shota had to step back after way too many attacks. His breathing was already heavy, but he had also needed an outlet for his anger right now.

“Then let me tell you what I already analyzed,” Shota said as he pointed the tip of his sword at Ryosuke’s head. “There is no need for me to aim high in this fight.”

“Well, he just robbed himself of any possible chance of Ryosuke going easy on him,” Kochi said while Taiga hid a smile behind his hand. 

Ryosuke’s face wasn’t that clearly visible with the helmet, yet the small nod Ryosuke showed while moving one hand slowly over the side of his sword, showed that Shota was going to get taught a pretty clear lesson now.

Ryosuke’s movements changed immediately and Shota was pushed back so fast that he let out some curses in between, trying to avoid getting hit by the other one.

“Dude, we’re not at war,” Shota scolded him, but Ryosuke was going to prove him wrong. Right now Ryosuke was at a personal war against Shota.

“Then what are you training for if not a real battle?” Ryosuke asked after he had moved behind Shota, stopping him from running away. “You wouldn’t even be a challenge for Taiga, so don’t waste his time.”

Taiga shook his head at their quarrel mid fight as he wasn’t even part of what was going on.

But somehow Ryosuke’s words had provoked Shota once more and he hit his elbow to the back, Ryosuke barely getting his sword up in time to block the attack.

From that moment on their fight escalated, but no one seemed too concerned, Ryota was even laughing while Kochi kept shaking his head.

It took only a few more attacks for both of them to lose their swords and actually push each other until they landed on the ground, throwing punches instead. 

When Shota cursed as his hand hit the stone ground, Ryosuke hurried to trap him between his legs, making it hard for Shota to breath or free his arms.

“Your aim sucks,” Ryosuke mocked.

“Your head is just too small to hit it,” Shota complained as they had both lost their helmets when they had ended up on the ground. Ryosuke just tightened his legs on those words and Shota seemed to have severe breathing problems. 

“Give up,” Ryosuke told him, but Shota was still trying to reach the other one’s face, but there was no strength left in his arms. If he had reacted faster then he could have lifted Ryosuke off the ground, but now it was too late.

“Come on, is your pride that important?” Ryosuke yelled at the other one this time when Shota was indeed fighting for his life by now, but then he finally tapped Ryosuke on the leg and he got released.

With some coughs he broke down on the ground, taking a few painful breaths. 

“You might want to keep calmer while fighting,” Ryosuke told him when he got up. But then he actually stretched out his hand towards him. “But if you ever dare to make a joke about my height again I will seriously turn this into a war.”

Shota formed a smile on the other one’s words and let himself get dragged up. “I cannot promise that, but I will try.”

“I will gladly teach you another lesson in case you forget,” Ryosuke said before they hurried to bow towards Taisuke and open the yard for the next fight.

“You’re so reckless,” Ryota scolded the other one who was still touching his neck, his breathing still a bit too heavy. 

“Shut up.”

“If you die then you won’t get a chance to fight Taiga,” Ryota teased.

“I know that,” Shota said and looked over to Taiga who shook his head at him, but showed a teasing smile at the same time, making Shota feel embarrassed.

“What the hell is going on between you two?” Ryosuke asked when he walked up to Taiga and Kochi.

“He’s just competitive,” Taiga said, making Ryosuke snort.

“Yeah, of course.”

Taiga only rolled his eyes before he focused back on Shime. The boy looked nervous by now, because the remaining members would all be a dangerous match for Taiga, except for Juri, but both were not really hoping for that outcome.

“Blue,” Shime read and waited for someone to move. 

Taiga held his breath when Juri started walking towards the yard, but once more no one else moved and the tension in the air was at its peak.

When the next movement was close to him, Taiga cursed in silence. He shouldn’t allow this fight. He should say something, but he knew that right now he would not have enough arguments to stop Iwamoto from stepping into the yard.

“Oh, that is going to be extremely interesting,” Taisuke said with an entertained expression while Taiga looked at Juri who gave him a short side glance before he focused back on Iwamoto.

Nikaido seemed a bit worried as well, but he wouldn’t be able to stop the fight either, at least not for now. Juri bowed towards Iwamoto, but the other one didn’t do the same as he only drew his sword and got ready. Juri just had to give up at some point and everything was going to end without problems, that was how Taiga wished for the fight to go.

At first Iwamoto just tested the other one’s strength and gave Juri enough space to dodge and attack himself. It was still fascinating how fast Juri could move with that heavy armor and sword, yet in matters of strength he wasn’t going to be a challenge for Iwamoto.

It was the moment when Iwamoto sped up the fight and started attacking more seriously that Taiga clenched his fists so strongly that his hands started shaking. He flinched when he felt a hand over his and then he turned to see Shime who had walked over to him. His cousin didn’t say anything, but just his presence made it easier for Taiga and he let Shime pull one of his hands closer to him to take it in his hands with a tight grip.

When Taiga focused back on the fight he immediately tensed when Iwamoto used an opening and body slammed Juri so hard that it took the other one off his feet. Instead of stopping there, Iwamoto lunged out for the other one, but Juri was fast enough to roll to the side, but when he tried to get back up, Iwamoto slashed his sword up, hitting Juri’s helmet and pulling it off with one heavy movement. Unfortunately through that move the blade had reached Juri’s face and he stumbled a bit to the back holding the right side of his face.

Shime grabbed Taiga’s hand even more tightly when Taiga wanted to step to the front.

Nikaido had also clenched the hilt of his sword, but looked relieved when Juri lowered his hand and the attack had missed his eye, even if just barely.

Iwamoto actually gave Juri some space as he looked over at Taisuke, but he wasn’t getting stopped. It would still be a fair fight if Iwamoto held back, but when Juri wanted to pick up his helmet the fight changed and this time even the others seemed concerned.

Iwamoto didn’t let the other one pick up his helmet and approached him for another attack instead. Juri was still concentrated enough to block and dodge, but Iwamoto’s strength was making it impossible for him to find any opening to attack and soon he went down on one knee, unable to withstand the force with which their swords clashed. 

Iwamoto took the chance to thrust his sword against Juri’s hands instead this time and with that Juri lost his sword, but still used his arms to prevent a direct hit on his upper body when Iwamoto lunged out again. The force brought his arms down to the ground and while Iwamoto could easily end the fight he kicked the other one to the back instead.

“Give up,” Taiga whispered under his breath, Shime giving his hand another squeeze.

But Juri was standing his ground. He had gotten back up once more, escaping Iwamoto’s heavy attacks and even trying to bring the other one out of balance even without a sword.

Shota was analyzing Taiga more than Juri, but Taiga didn’t even realize. His eyes were fixed on Juri.

It had been a dangerous move for Juri to get close to Iwamoto and while he had brought him out of balance with a kick against his knee, he hadn’t been fast enough to actually cause damage or get the other one’s sword. Iwamoto had taken the chance to grab Juri by the neck and pull him down, but Juri was struggling with all his might to not get thrown to the ground, so eventually Iwamoto kept him down on his knees, sitting behind him and closing his arm around his neck. He still had his sword in his other hand and could like before just call it a win, yet he ignored his own weapon and used his right hand to pull even harsher on his other arm so that Juri couldn’t breath.

“Don’t,” Shime said when Taiga was trying to walk up to Taisuke. “General Tanaka can end the fight by himself. Don’t embarrass him.”

Shime’s warning was something Taiga should indeed consider. He wasn’t Juri’s protector. He wasn’t supposed to interfere or end the fight, but Taisuke was definitely waiting for him to do exactly that. Taisuke wouldn’t end the fight himself, no matter what.

Juri seemed stuck and eventually he would need to give up just like Shota, but even Iwamoto seemed surprised when Juri used his last strength to reach out for Iwamoto’s sword hilt and then he pulled himself so sudden to the front that the sword got slashed up to the back and if Iwamoto hadn’t still worn his helmet, then it would have left a long cut on his face.

The hit hadn’t hurt, but it had startled Iwamoto enough to let go of Juri who kicked to the back just to get some distance. He was still on the ground, but now Iwamoto had fallen to the back as well and everyone had started cheering for Juri, even Shota.

But now Iwamoto was showing his true character as he got back up and grabbed his sword. Now he wouldn’t show any mercy at all anymore. 

Juri crawled over to his own sword and got a grip of it at the last moment, but he could barely use it as he wasn’t even able to get back up. Iwamoto slammed his sword so harshly down on his, that Juri could only remain on his knees, crawling back with each thrust until his arms felt too heavy to even lift his sword back up. 

Once more Iwamoto landed a kick on the other one, throwing Juri to the back and while it was clear that Juri wouldn’t be able to get his sword up in time, Iwamoto was bringing his sword down right towards the other one’s head.

Taiga was ready to shout at him to stop, but at the exact same moment someone else stepped in and stopped Iwamoto’s sword with his own before it could cause lethal damage.

“I think you showed us enough of your brutal strength.”

Ueda’s words were hanging in the air while Iwamoto didn’t retreat. Instead he put even more pressure on Ueda’s sword.

“I advise you to not try your luck. Even if this is your clan, I will not hold back if you dare to rise your sword against me.”

Nikaido had frozen close to them as well, waiting for Iwamoto’s reaction. He had moved at the same time as Ueda, but the other one had been closer to them. 

Just when Iwamoto pushed Ueda’s sword a bit to the back before he stepped back with a pissed expression, Taiga finally released a long breath and then realized in shock that he had clawed Shime’s hand.

“Don’t worry,” Shime soothed him before he could apologize.

“Iwamoto,” Taisuke said. Just that had the other one finally walk back towards him with another hateful glare towards Ueda. 

Taiga watched how Nikaido helped Juri up and had a look at the cut close to his eye. Ryota was offering a piece of cloth to stop the bleeding and then Ueda walked up to them, holding out Juri’s helmet towards him.

“You’ve learned a lot since our last meeting.”

Ueda’s words had Taiga finally realize why Juri hadn’t given up. Now he felt like a fool for trying to stop the fight and hoping that Juri would give up. Juri wanted to prove that he wasn’t going to back out even if he got overpowered. The weak ones always need protection, that was what Ueda had told him before. But Juri didn’t want to be on the weak side. He was an amazing strategist and in no way weak in direct battle. But a one on one against a strong opponent was a different kind of challenge.

“This brings us to the last four fighters,” Taisuke said as he looked at Shime who hurried back to the box. “Unfortunately we might not have enough time for both fights, but let’s hope the next one will be an interesting final.”

The sky was darkening already and with that the next fight could easily be the last. Yaotome, Ueda, Taisuke and Taiga were the last four fighters and while Taiga would be more than honored to be allowed to fight Ueda once more, he would be more than okay if he didn’t fight at all for today. He was feeling a bit too shaken right now to even concentrate on his own fight. Yet when he looked at Shime he found the other one looking right back at him and that was already no good sign.

“Pink,” the boy let out and Taiga cursed in silence. Shota on the other hand cheered when Taiga slowly walked over to the yard, giving Juri a worried look when he made it closer to him, but the other one just nodded at him.

Ueda and Yaotome exchanged a look, but when none of them made a move to join, Taiga cursed even more when he turned around to Taisuke who lifted up his paper with the color pink written on it.

“Well, well. I guess this will indeed be an interesting last fight of the day.”

Taiga wouldn’t refuse the fight, yet he had to figure out how he wanted the fight to go. If he overdid it then Taisuke would scold him, yet if he just let himself get defeated then his cousin would also not be satisfied.

“Be careful,” Shime said from the side and while he had said it in silence, Taiga had understood it.

He looked over to Yuma and the other soldiers, but they all seemed excited for the fight. Most of them hadn’t seen them train together yet, but each time they had tried to train together things had escalated eventually. Taiga rested his eyes on Ueda for a moment and the other one gave him a kind of challenging nod.

“Don’t go easy on me,” Taisuke teased when they got ready for the fight.

Taiga felt too tense to say anything so he just nodded and gave the first attack to Taisuke. They were both swift and good at analyzing, not that there was much they didn’t know about each other’s fighting style. At least Taiga knew how the other one fought, but Taisuke hadn’t trained with him since his return from the tournament.

“It’s definitely the most beautiful fight to watch today,” Yabana said from the back.

“At least for now,” Konpi said, knowing like everyone else that they were just testing the waters right now.

“They are giving us a show,” Sakuma said. “They could leave it at that.”

“Which they will definitely not,” Aran said as he was sure that soon one of them would lose their patience.

“Don’t you think a tournament would have been indeed more enjoyable for everyone?” Taisuke asked when they crossed swords once more.

“No one is stopping you from adding some training sessions over the next few days,” Taiga said before he pushed the other one to the back and tried to hit him from the side, but when he swirled around, Taisuke had already moved as well, blocking the attack. “But for that you need to leave everyone injury free.”

“Oh, do you think I went too harshly on them?”

Taisuke pushed him away before he could reply and for a moment Taiga had trouble blocking when Taisuke picked up the pace while Taiga ran out of space and was forced to stop before he was getting too close to Shime and the soldiers around him.

Taisuke used that moment to put the tip of his sword right in front of Taiga’s face, but he still stepped back, giving Taiga space to move back towards the yard.

“You didn’t fight any of them yet,” Taiga replied when he lifted his sword and put it against Taisuke’s, pushing it away from his face. “Yet I wished you would take more responsibility for your own general.”

“Maybe I should give you the chance to challenge Iwamoto then? You seem to feel the need for revenge.”

Taiga attacked instead of replying and this time he pushed Taisuke to the back and while he could have just left it at that he dared to use a fake thrust before he ducked and escaped Taisuke’s counter. When he was right next to Taisuke he locked his foot right behind Taisuke’s leg and then he pulled, bringing Taisuke extremely ungracefully to fall.

“Maybe I am taking my revenge already,” Taiga said as he stepped back instead of trying to end the fight. 

Taisuke’s look had changed when he sat back up and the entertained shine had changed to something more dangerous.

“Now he has done it,” Ryota said, making Shota raise an eyebrow at him, but before he could even ask what he meant, Taisuke had moved in for another attack and this time he was taking the fight more seriously as well. Showtime was over. Their dance-like training fight had changed to a battle of beasts, leaving a lot of the spectators in awe. 

“I didn’t even expect him to be such a good fighter,” Sakuma whispered.

“That depends on what you consider good,” Ueda said next to him with his eyes fixed on the fight. “Your strength can change with your emotions, but so can your focus and your stamina.”

“No matter what happens I guess we can only watch this time,” Nikaido said as he was aware of the fact that they wouldn’t be allowed to interfere.

Taiga took the next fall after Taisuke had brought his sword down on his shoulder two times in a row and then on his arms, giving him the opening to kick Taiga to the back.

But Taiga went down just for a brief moment, not even taking a hard fall. He rolled over and was back up with his sword pointed at the other one immediately.

“If I didn’t know better I would say you’re taking the side of another province,” Taisuke said, but his smile was gone. He was dead serious about this fight, but so was Taiga.

“I am taking the side of fairness,” Taiga replied before they both moved at the same time. The sky had darkened to a degree that it was definitely difficult for those on the balcony to even clearly spot them by now, but they wouldn’t just stop. No one would dare to make them stop.

“So will you stand against me if I fight unfair?” Taisuke asked when he pushed Taiga’s sword back, overpowering him in their stuck position as Taiga knew that Taisuke could easily bring him to fall if he didn’t stand his ground.

“Do you have a reason to fight unfair?” Taiga asked before he took his chances and crouched down, moving Taisuke’s sword away from him on the way while trying to go for his legs, but Taisuke had been faster and he had kicked up, hitting Taiga under the chin.

Taiga fell to the back with a hiss, the helmet landing a few meters away from him. This time Taisuke didn’t give him the space to recover and while Taiga was tasting blood in his mouth he hurried to get his sword up and make it back on his knees to stop Taisuke from slashing down on him.

Taisuke tried to keep him down, but Taiga somehow succeeded in making it back on his feet while Taisuke made a move Taiga hadn’t seen coming when he took off his helmet just to throw it at Taiga. It wouldn’t cause much damage, but while Taiga had lifted his arm to push it away, Taisuke had dashed up to him. 

Taiga tried to get his sword up, but then Taisuke changed his attack at the last second and didn’t aim for his armor, but right for his swordhand and with a curse on the impact Taiga let his sword drop. Even with their armors there were some unprotected parts and Taisuke had hit right on the inside of Taiga’s wrist. Luckily the leather gloves had prevented a cut, but Taiga’s wrist had taken damage that was for sure.

Before Taiga could even come up with any counter move, Taisuke’s blade was right under his chin and Taiga was forced to stand up straight, because his cousin was putting a high amount of pressure on the blade, threatening to cut his skin if he didn’t move.

Taisuke moved up all the way to Taiga’s face, leaving the blade between them and this time a bit of his amused expression was back. “I have a reason to win and I will let no one stand in my way, so as long as my path is clear I have no reason to fight unfair.”

Taiga gave the other one a stern look, but didn’t reply anything while Taisuke formed a smile when he finally pulled back and turned to the spectators with a raised sword. 

The clan members and soldiers were the first to cheer and congratulate him on his win, while the other province members needed a moment to even move, but as it was only a training fight they shouldn’t take sides. Not that Shota could easily fix his expression when he clapped his hands with a murderous look towards Taisuke. But luckily Ryota was with him so Taiga didn’t have to worry for him to make a scene over a ridiculous fight.

“Sorry to keep you all out here for so long. And my apology that one of the fights couldn’t take place today, but who knows if our talks go well over the next few days, maybe we get the chance for some rematches.”

Taisuke walked up to the other provinces’ fighters to thank them for their participation and he stopped in front of Juri with a soft smile. “My apologies for the rough fight, I will make sure that you get immediate medical care.”

Juri only bowed towards him, not wanting to make such a big deal out of it and while Shime immediately offered to bring Juri to their healer, Taisuke excused himself, leaving with the remaining clan members towards the castle, but Taiga was sure that his aunt was going to give him a tough evening as she and the council members didn’t seem pleased when they left as well.

“Taiga, you should go with them,” Kochi said as he picked Taiga’s sword up for him. 

“It’s fine, Shime can take care of him.”

“That’s not what I mean and you know that,” Kochi said as he dared to touch Taiga’s wrist and of course got a hiss in return. “Even if there is no fighting tomorrow you need to get this fixed.”

“It’s not that bad though, let him have a look at Tanaka first.”

The next second he got hit with his own helmet against the back of his head by Ryosuke. “And yet there is no reason for you to remain outside here with us. Go after them.”

Shime had already left with Juri, but Taiga felt like he was getting too obvious no matter if he tried to take his distance or not.

“Your cousin can be really ruthless,” Shota said when he walked up to him, looking at his wrist. 

“It’s the second time for it to get hurt so you better hurry, the bones were definitely still not that strong,” Ryosuke said and pushed Taiga a bit more forcefully to the front.

“The second time?” Ryota asked when he stopped next to Shota.

Taiga had already started walking and didn’t listen to the rest of their conversation, but he still walked slower than needed.

“The first time happened in Basarano,” Ryosuke said, not even making it a secret.

“I was more than impressed that he was even still walking with all the injuries at that time,” Nikaido entered the conversation. 

“Right, you were the one who found him close to the Seikyo mountain range,” Kochi remembered and the other one nodded. 

They all looked after Taiga with a worried expression, but they knew that Taiga didn’t want their pity. 

“I still wonder what exactly happened at that time,” Sakuma said, not daring to even ask. Aran didn’t know details either, but wasn’t going to be the one to interfere where he couldn’t be of help.

The only ones who weren’t commenting at all on the conversation were the members of Mabara-Kinmitsu and they excused themselves first, Ueda giving them a thoughtful look when they made it towards the castle.

“Would they go that far?” Aran whispered next to Ueda when the others also finally made it out of the yard as it had fallen completely dark.

“Not them directly,” Ueda said, having enough spies himself to know that Mabara-Kinmitsu had been in a pretty tough position until now. “But I am sure that those involved are not as hidden as we think.”

“There you are,” Shime said when he ran up to Taiga in the corridor. “Why didn’t you come immediately?”

Shime looked at the other one’s wrist, but didn’t dare to touch it. 

“Is Juri okay?”

Shime nodded, but then looked up a bit questioning. He had done it again, but Shime only grinned, not mentioning his slip in form of address.

“You can go check up on him. The healer said the cut isn’t that bad, he will have time to check up on your wrist right away.”

Shime pushed him down the corridor and didn’t let Taiga complain at all when he opened the door and told the healer to check up on Taiga as well and then report back to him when he was done.

Taiga and Juri exchanged a look in silence while the healer took a look at Taiga’s wrist and when he needed Taiga to get out of his armor to be able to stabilize it, Juri offered to help. 

Shime had put Juri’s armor to the side for now as well and his cut had finally stopped bleeding while the healer had told him that it wouldn’t need stitches if he watched out over the next few days.

“The bones were still fragile after your last fracture. Make sure to not strain it over the next few weeks. The bone is not completely broken this time, but it definitely has a crack so you need to make sure to keep it still.”

Taiga waited patiently for the healer to put a tight bandage around his wrist before he told both of them to rest for the night and see him in the morning once more so he could see if everything was healing well.

Taiga thanked him and then fell silent when the door fell shut. He looked up at Juri with an apologizing look, but the other one showed a brief smile.

“I am grateful that you didn’t stop the fight,” Juri finally said.

“I was close to doing so.”

“I know it was reckless, but maybe I was lucky that my opponent was only one of your clan generals and not Fujigaya directly.”

“Trust me you got yourself the most unlucky fight of the day,” Taiga explained. “Taisuke wouldn’t have hurt you. He has a reputation to lose.”

“And Iwamoto doesn’t?” Juri asked, but the way Taiga actually let out a bitter chuckle had Juri get up and sit down next to Taiga on the wooden bench. “I promised you to never pressure you to tell me anything.”

“But?” Taiga asked, feeling torn apart all this time already as he had never gotten the chance to even talk to Juri in peace until now, not to forget that he hadn’t even been able to bring up the courage to talk to anyone openly yet.

“You’ve changed.”

Now Taiga looked at the other one in a loss of words. He hated the worry he could see in the other one’s eyes.

“I am not saying that no one would change after what happened to you, but I feel like you’re still struggling and that while this place should give you a safe shelter.”
“Things are…complicated,” Taiga said, cursing himself for trying to find excuses. 

“You don’t want to be Fujigaya’s right hand, do you?”

Now Juri dared a lot with his question, but as they were alone he could do so. If anyone ever heard that question, he would get into trouble.

“I don’t need you to reply,” Juri said as he got up and walked through the room, stopping at the window of the high tower they were in. “I still mean what I said. I will never pressure you to tell me anything you don’t want to share, but I will also not keep my thoughts a secret from you.”

Juri turned back to Taiga who had now stood up to look at him, but while Juri kept a soft expression, Taiga felt like the worst person existing. How weak was he to keep secrets from the one person who cared this much for him? Why was he trying so desperately to protect Juri, while he couldn’t even protect himself?

“So I will be honest with you,” Juri said as he walked back towards Taiga and took his unhurt hand into his with a soft touch. “The moment this week is over and all the diplomatic talks are done I know that you will fall back into whatever dark place you have been in for these past few months and I hate myself for not being able to be there for you to pull you out. I am sure that you have trusted people around you and that some of them might know more than I do, but as foolish as it might sound, if you are going under in this place then I will pull you out eventually even if that means risking my life.”

It sounded indeed ridiculous. Their relationship shouldn’t in any way be as important as their lives, no matter if they were about to become miserable with them being forced apart. At least they would be alive.

“I-” Taiga didn’t even know what he wanted to reply and he let out a sigh, looking down at their hands instead. “I can’t risk your life. I would never forgive myself if anything happened to you because of my selfishn-”

Juri’s hand moved so fast up to Taiga’s face that he let out a small gasp when Juri shut him up with a quick kiss.

“And once more I have to explain to you that this is what I am doing, because I want to do it, not because you want me to do it,” Juri reminded him as he moved back to hit Taiga on the forehead. “Do you really think I will prefer a life as a general in my province? Maybe getting killed in the next uproar against Basarano? What goal is that for me?”

Taiga wanted to say something, but Juri gave him a warning look when he put his pointer finger over Taiga’s lips.

“Don’t push me away to protect me,” Juri said a bit more seriously this time. “If you keep suffering in silence without letting me help you, then I will not accept your help or worries.”

Taiga felt as if his mind was ripping him to pieces and he remained silent, unable to even give a proper reply, but Juri only moved his hand up to the other one’s hair with an understanding look. 

“We have three days of meetings, feasts and banquets ahead. I know you will be busy with dozens of other thoughts, but maybe you can make some space to find a reply to my thoughts?”

Taiga slowly nodded, immediately stopping Juri when the other one wanted to leave. He knew that he didn’t have to apologize. He didn’t have to voice any clouded thoughts out right now, but he still wanted the other one to understand that his situation wasn’t just black and white. 

But Juri was well aware of that fact and gave Taiga an understanding look when he grabbed Taiga’s hand on his chest, softly making him let go. 

“I’m not going anywhere for now,” Juri reminded him. “Just don’t let me leave with an uneasy feeling, okay?”

***

Taiga had taken an extra amount of time putting his armor back and while the entire castle had fallen silent by now he just didn't feel like returning to his quarters.

He was sure that Taisuke wouldn't do anything provoking at their first meeting tomorrow especially now that Ueda was present as well, but while there would be only meetings and feasts inside the castle for two days, Taisuke had of course made sure to organize a huge banquet at the last day and Taiga was already getting exhausted by the simple thought of it.

Lost in his thoughts he went up to one of the open corridors towards the side of the inner yard. They had three stories with open corridors connected to inner balconies and the moonlight was enough for him to see where he was going. 

There were no rooms on the outside corridor and he had an open view towards the inner yard. He stopped with a sigh and leaned on the railing. It was ridiculous to even have to think about all the chaos in his mind. It shouldn't be this difficult and if he hadn't been born into the Oki Clan then it would indeed have been way easier.

The clouds hid the full moon for a moment, making it harder for Taiga to see his surroundings, but he still turned and kept walking. When he walked around the corner to the next corridor from which he could enter the castle he stopped. In the shadow of the round door frame he could spot a silhouette.

Their soldiers weren't patrolling inside the castle, only at the gates, so Taiga was sure that someone else was around. Especially because that person didn't seem to have a lamp on them.

When the clouds revealed the moon once more Taiga could clearly spot the person standing in the door frame and looking straight back at him.

His reaction shouldn't be this panicked. He was a general and this was his clan, his castle, yet he froze dead on the spot, looking back at Yasui with wide eyes. 

It took only one movement, one small step from the other one for Taiga to turn and run. The other one shouldn’t be here inside the castle walls. Even if Taisuke had turned a blind eye or had him sneak in on purpose this was even risky for him. If anyone saw him then maybe this time he wouldn’t be the lucky brother to survive.

Unfortunately Taiga’s mind wasn’t seeing it in any way as a tragic story right now, because he feared that his story could take another dark turn with the other one. He made it back around the corner, dashing down the next corridor. Just on the other side there was another entrance and if he was close to any living quarters he was sure Yasui wouldn’t dare to do anything, yet he abruptly stopped when the other one jumped in front of him. Right from the railing. 

“What? How?” Taiga asked out of breath, looking behind him as he couldn’t even figure out how Yasui had come from that direction. Once more Yasui made a step towards him, but this time Taiga drew the knife from his belt, the only weapon he had on him right now, but he was more than grateful that he had indeed carried it.

Yasui looked at the familiar weapon as he stopped. This time he wasn’t wearing anything to hide his face, but he was also not holding any weapon, not that he didn’t have his sword on his back.

“Do you fear me that much?”

Why did he sound so hurt? Taiga indeed felt sympathy for him and Reia, but that didn’t change the fact that this situation had him freak out.

“I don’t fear you as a person,” Taiga said, not daring to take his eyes off the other one for even a single moment. He didn’t even dare to blink. “I fear the hell you could throw me into once more.”

Even months later he hadn’t recovered. He wasn’t sure if his mind could ever recover. That was exactly why he was still keeping everything such a secret, especially in front of Juri. He was afraid of shattering. 

“Yet the one who put you into that hell in the first place stands beside you every single day,” Yasui said, knowing very well that Taiga had figured everything out by now. “Don’t you fear him?”

“He can’t know that I fear him,” Taiga replied, not even knowing why he was so honest with Yasui.

Before Yasui could reply anything there was movement in the yard, just a change of soldiers from the gate, but if Taiga wanted to he could easily make them realize about the situation and he wasn’t calm enough to not give it a thought. Even if he was able to exchange some words with Yasui, he still wished for the other one to be gone.

Yasui realized his thoughts and jumped to the front at such a speed that Taiga almost stumbled when he tried to get out of his reach. Taiga was known to be fast, but Yasui was way faster and he immediately had gotten the knife from Taiga and shoved him into the wall with it pointing at his neck before Taiga could even take another breath.

“I am not here to take you anywhere or to harm you tonight,” Yasui explained in a low voice, waiting for the soldiers to leave the yard and Taiga couldn’t do anything but try and get his racing heart to calm down. 

“Then what did Iwamoto order you to do so that you dared your way in here?” Taiga was finally able to let out after he had calmed down enough to make his mind realize that Yasui would not just kill him.

“Who says that his orders have anything to do with me being here tonight?” Yasui asked, showing a small smirk this time. “I am just nice as I know that your blacksmith friend has already told you about my presence.”

Of course he had noticed and this time Taiga actually tried to move, but Yasui put the knife closer to his neck while shaking his head. “I didn’t do anything to him if that is what you fear for.”

“Then what the hell do you want?” Taiga hissed this time, finally a bit more confidence finding its way back into his voice and Yasui seemed to be impressed by the change of attitude. 

“I am letting you know that everyone in Oki will be safe, for now. Don’t waste your energy on looking over your shoulder when the real enemy is standing in front of you.”

A hint that his mission had nothing to do with directly harming anyone over the next few days, but that didn’t mean any of them were going to be safe after the meetings were over.

“I know you won’t easily believe me,” Yasui said, but to Taiga’s surprise the other one stepped back and turned the knife around, holding it out to Taiga. “But you believed in Reia and while you are protecting yourself from more harm, I am protecting him from harm.”

“I cannot judge you for that decision,” Taiga let out as he kept looking at the knife. “But I will also not become a puppet in their game ever again.”

“I like that determination,” Yasui said as he waited for the other one to take the knife and then he took a step back. “I fear for tonight I’m running out of time, but keep those words in mind. If you surrender to their game then no one can rescue you, but if you break their rules then others can do so as well.”

Yasui retreated even more towards the railing and then Taiga realized what he had meant by running out of time when there were more silhouettes in the shadows. Two to be exact. To Taiga’s right and left.

Taiga was once more impressed by the skills of Mabara-Kinmitsu. While Yasui had realized their presence immediately, Taiga had been in the dark the entire time. 

“What a shame that a reunion is not on my schedule tonight,” Yasui said as he looked left and right before he jumped to the back, making Taiga gasp when he jumped off the railing. They were up on the third floor, but when Taiga hurried over to the railing he couldn’t even spot the other one anymore. He had most likely stopped his fall at the railing of the second floor and dashed away into the dark.

“Should we follow?” Yabana was finally heard, but Konpi shook his head.

“Let him go, I doubt he came here with any murderous intentions. Am I right?” 

The question was for Taiga, but he just looked at them approaching, needing a moment to even make sense out of what had just happened.

“Do you believe him?” Yabana asked and slowly Taiga nodded.

“It might be naive, but as I told Taiko before as well, I am not holding a grudge against any of you or your province and while I am everything but okay with Yasui’s presence, I do not doubt his words.”

“Then we will let him go,” Yabana said. 

“Did you know that he was around?” Taiga asked.

“We had a guess,” Konpi said, apologizing.

“We can keep watch for the night if you feel safer that way?” Yabana offered, but Taiga immediately shook his head. Yes he didn’t feel safe with Yasui around, but that wasn’t because he doubted the other one’s words, but because he was sure that Taisuke was up to something bigger. Something that had nothing to do with this one conference and with that Taiga had to consider the meaning of Yasui’s words. What if he stopped playing by Taisuke’s rules? What if he dared what he had been too afraid of doing until now? Would anyone really stand by his side? Would he be worth a war?

***

“Here,” Taiga said as he put down the cup in front of Juri the next evening. 

The younger one looked at him a bit perplexed yet took the cup when Taiga sat down next to him at one of the long tables in the great hall. 

Their talks had been calm, no one actually daring to make any bolt statements, but they had all been quite tense and that is why Taiga was done with all the tiptoeing at their first feast in the evening. 

“What’s this for?” Juri asked as he looked at what seemed to be normal wine. 

“It’s a drink?” Taiga said, showing a teasing expression when he held up his cup towards Juri and while the other one still seemed a bit taken by surprise he put his cup against Taiga’s before they both drank.

“Feasts are diplomatic talks as well, you know,” Taiga said, looking into the round where everyone had scattered to different seats by now after they had more or less eaten in silence, Taisuke once more perfectly playing his role as a calm leader. Not that he hadn’t dropped one or two passive provocations at the meeting before.

Nikaido was talking to Ueda, while Ryota and Shota were a bit too daring with Aran once more and the boy was about to lose his patience, but luckily Sakuma was there to interfere for now. This wasn’t Minami-Hian after all so they had to hold back.

Yaotome had walked up to Taisuke and with that his cousin was luckily busy. Shime was in an intense talk with the Mabara-Kinmitsu members, but luckily they didn’t seem annoyed by all his questions. Especially Yabana seemed to enjoy explaining their system and clan to him.

Konpi gave Taiga a side glance here and there, but they had decided to keep Yasui’s presence a secret to everyone else. Taiga was sure that not even Taisuke was aware of it.

Ryosuke and Kochi were the only ones who hadn’t moved from their seats yet, enjoying the talks and quarrels around them from a safe distance.

“Do you think your cousin will take the first step into trying to unite the provinces?” Juri asked to not keep the awkward silence between them.

“He’s talking big at meetings, but while Oki would have enough soldiers to start a war if he wants to, I doubt that a direct attack is what he would dare.”

“So he will ask us for alliances tomorrow,” Juri said, taking another sip while looking over to Taisuke and Yaotome. 

“Will your province agree?”

“I don’t see any reason not to,” Juri said honestly. “You helped us against Basarano and you’re protecting Bodaisei and Wazaigo already.”

“But what if he wants you to ride against those who don’t agree?”

“Would he start a war just because a province is refusing an alliance?” Juri asked.

“It depends on what his ultimate goal is,” Taiga said, playing with the half empty cup in his hand while also looking up at Taisuke, but then he realized that Iwamoto was looking back at him from the other side of the room and he sat back with an annoyed look. Juri had followed his look for a moment and then turned his attention back to Taiga.

“Are you still mad at him for our training fight?” Juri asked and one look up at Juri’s cut face showed that Taiga was indeed still angry about that, but that wasn’t all after all.

“I just hope that everything is going to end calmly,” Taiga said. “A lot of provinces have changed leadership to younger generations over the past few years and I feel like the entire country started moving.”

“If it’s a good direction I am totally on board with that,” Juri said with an encouraging smile. “The problem will be Basarano.”

There it was, the one topic Taiga hated, yet it had to be part of diplomatic talks and it would come up the next day, no matter what.

“Taisuke will not start a war against them.”

“Are you sure?” Juri asked a bit skeptical.

“Trust me, I expect him to attack Kyogo without any reason before he would touch Basarano.”

The annoyance Taiga spoke with had Juri refrain from asking more questions regarding that topic and then he suddenly got up, making Taiga look at him in slight panic. “You got new company,” Juri said with a brief smile before he nodded at Ueda who was walking over to them and Juri joined Shime so that the others could get a small break from his ongoing questions.

Taiga reached out for the wine bottle on the table when Ueda sat down next to him to offer him a drink and Ueda held out his cup towards him.

“Your aunt had a talk with me,” Ueda opened the conversation so abruptly that Taiga almost spilled the wine when he put the bottle back. His aunt and the council members were also present, but right now they weren’t spending them any attention.

“About?” Taiga asked nervously.

“About you,” Ueda said as he brought his cup to his mouth with a look ahead at Taisuke this time before he swallowed almost all the wine down in one go. “And about your cousin.”

There was something dangerous nesting in his eyes now and weirdly Taiga was excited about that shine in the other one’s eyes.

“Is she concerned about you telling us?” Taiga asked, not that he didn’t already know about everything.

“Of course,” Ueda said as he asked Taiga for another cup of wine. “But I am concerned for you.”

Now Taiga looked up at the other one with a lost expression. What was he supposed to reply? 

“Your aunt isn’t as clueless as you might think.”

Taiga had known that as well. Even if Shime had never said anything to them, there had been too many obvious moments. Especially when they were younger. But until now Taiga was sure that neither his aunt nor his uncle had ever figured out how severe Taisuke’s mood swings were towards Taiga.

“You’re the right hand now, so you are bound to the castle. You are trapped in these walls. Exactly what he wants, for now. But if you remain here then eventually he will throw you to the wolves again.”

Taiga had ended up in a completely motionless state, unable to even find any possible reply. Ueda had figured out way more than his aunt had, that was for sure. The hate in the other one’s eyes would be dangerous with someone who wasn’t that good in keeping his calm even in such situations. 

Taiga finally moved when Ueda kept looking at him, obviously waiting for a reply. With a sigh Taiga sat back in his chair and played with the high collar of his white shirt. Then his look automatically went through the room, finding Juri now talking to Aran as he had finally made the Minami-Hian members get themselves some other company. 

“He will risk everything for you.”

“I don’t want him to.”

That was the right topic to get his courage to speak up and Ueda knew that. He had realized that long ago. By now freaking everyone had realized and that was exactly the problem.

“I will take care of my problems alone. I have been in enough cages to know the risk I would put him in if I dared to drag him down in one together with me.”

“Are you sure?” Ueda asked and for once Taiga dared to give the other one a warning look.

“If you figured out this much already then why don’t you understand that pushing you all away is to keep you safe?”

Taiga had to watch out to not raise his voice. They were all still in the same room and while the cheers, laughter and talks were keeping their conversation private, there were still a lot of eyes on them.

“Did you ever consider that while you don’t want our pity and try to convince yourself that you don’t want our help, that we think the same? We don’t want you to protect us.”

“That is because you cannot imagine the consequences that will await you if you fail,” Taiga said, trying to keep his expression neutral while playing with the empty cup in his hand.

“Your fear is keeping you in your cage. You put yourself back into it.”

This time Taiga couldn’t suppress his anger and he slammed the cup back on the table. Luckily it didn’t break or he would have gotten an even bigger reaction from the people in the room. Just the people close to them had even realized about it, but no one actually paid them extra attention.

“I prefer to be in a cage alone if I give everyone else the chance to walk away from a cruel death,” Taiga spoke honestly this time. “If death is what awaits me in that cage eventually then I will gladly accept it, but I will do so alone.”

Ueda didn’t have to say it out loud, Taiga was well aware of the fact that fear was indeed speaking for him. He wasn’t fearing death. He was fearing to see others suffer the way he had suffered for his entire life. 

“Excuse me for a moment,” Taiga eventually brought out in a lower voice as he got up in a hurry and walked out of the great hall. 

He could have gone to his chambers, maybe just the training ground in the back of the castle, but he made his way right towards the cliffs. He kept it together as well as he could, telling the guards that he was just going out for a small walk to clear his head. Nothing uncommon at a feast night.

But the moment he knew he was out of their sight he started running, he didn’t stop until he had made it down to the beach and with heavy breaths he fell to his knees in front of the water. The wind was strong, the waves crushing loudly on the shore. 

In between all those noises his sounds got swallowed when he bent to the front and let out a tormenting scream.

All his effort to keep his emotions hidden from everyone over these three days were gone in an instant. He had lost the moment the others had arrived. His cage had been more tormenting than he had accepted. Everyone was worried for him and they had all the right in the world to be, yet Taiga’s worry was swallowing him whole. He knew what real torture looked like and just the thought of even one single person he cared for to have to suffer under Taisuke or Basarano had him break into a thousand pieces.

With an empty stare he looked towards the ocean, his breath heavy, his throat hurting. Now there were only silent tears falling into the sand. 

“I cannot lose any of you,” Taiga whispered. “I won’t let them hurt any of you.”

Too many people had gotten to know about his cage, too many people were in danger. With that realization Taiga’s mind changed direction into the darkest way possible. 

“I don’t care if I am a coward,” Taiga said as he got up on shaking legs. He wouldn’t mind if they thought he was just too afraid or too weak to stand his ground. If his cowardly act would protect them, then he would gladly die a coward.

With slow steps he walked closer to the ocean. The waves were already reaching his feet. Even in summer the water was still ice cold. When the highest waves reached his hips he stopped, his tears had dried now, his voice was lost. 

The faces of those dearest to him flashed in his mind, a shaking smile appearing on his lips when he remembered all the times that kept him going. Shime and Sho always being there for him, Juri’s first encounter, their travel to meet with Ueda. The discovery of his lost family. There were so many precious memories and people he wanted to protect.

It was a sacrifice he alone could make, but his legs still refused to take another step and then he clenched his fists in anger. Why was he so weak? How could he be this egoistic? He drew a shaking breath before he looked over the dark ocean.

“Please…” he let out in a shaking voice, the cold already getting the best of his body. “Please, someone…anyone…”

Once more he started crying, unable to make his desires to save everyone and get saved himself find the right solution. With the next step he dared forward he forced one thought to win over the other, but right before the next big wave he got stopped.

Hands were suddenly around his body, violently pulling him back and while he tried to fight at first, his egoistic desire had him easily follow back to the shore.

When his feet were back on steadier ground he got turned around and without a warning received a punch to the face, taking him off his feet. He landed in the sand on his back, hurting his wrist once more on the impact before he got taken by the collar.

“How dare you push me away to then run off to hell alone?”

Juri was outraged, in a way that Taiga had never thought possible, but while he should feel sorry, he just felt grateful. 

“Not telling me about your burden is one thing, but taking away every single chance to help you is something I won’t let happen. I will not let you be that egoistic.”

“Egoistic,” Taiga let out in a low voice. But he wasn’t angry. He actually showed a shaking smile as their definition of egoistic couldn’t be more different.

“Why won’t you let us help you? Do you not trust our ambitions? Don’t you trust my love?”

Taiga stared back at the other one in silence when Juri shoved Taiga back into the sand before he dropped to the back, sitting down with a troubled expression, his hands now shaking from the cold and the stress.

“Do you really think any of us could just go on with our lives like this? Do you think Fujigaya would just change if you were gone? So many people inside of that castle are ready to raise their swords for you, way more than those who are raising it against you. Why won’t you understand that?”

“You are brave,” Taiga let out, so quietly that Juri almost missed it. Slowly Taiga sat back up, but when Juri tried to help him when he stood up, he pushed him gently away. 

Juri gave him a worried look, but remained a few steps away when Taiga reached out for the buttons of his shirt. Juri looked in silence when Taiga slowly pulled his wet shirt down from his shoulders, the light of the moon revealing all the scars he carried.

There was a moment when Juri took a small step to the front as Taiga reached out for his trousers as well, but eventually Juri didn’t say anything and just remained silent until Taiga had completely exposed himself to Juri.

“You are brave,” Taiga repeated after a shuddering breath. “But I am afraid. I am a prisoner to my own fear. I am egoistic that is for sure. I cannot have the same happen to any of you. I cannot lose any of you and…”

Taiga slowly moved his arms up to his own body, taking another shaking breath. “And I am too afraid of it happening to me once more.”

For a few moments silence fell between them until Taiga struggled with the cold and started shaking even more, but he didn’t move and didn’t dare to look up at the other one.

“Basarano was a part of my cage, but they weren’t the only ones to bring hell upon me.” Taiga lost his voice for a moment, unable to keep speaking. He wasn’t even sure if he was able to continue. “I am a bastard, I don’t carry the same pride as Oki, yet what they did to me was…”

He had once more lost his voice, the last few words swallowed by sobs, but then he gasped when Juri had walked up to him and pulled him into his embrace. “Screw ranks and clans,” Juri let out. “What they did was unacceptable no matter your position or birth. Every single one of them should pay for what they have done.”

Taiga froze in the other one’s arms while Juri was the one to take a shuddering breath this time while he tightened his grip around Taiga. “I cannot take away your past, but I can shelter you from the fear. I cannot promise you that we’re going to be stronger than our enemies, but if you’re ready to end it all then might I be egoistic as well and ask you to at least fight until there is no hope left?”

Taiga put one hand up to Juri’s chest and pushed himself a bit to the back while Juri immediately put one hand to his face, caressing his cheek with a gentle touch.  

“If we lose the battle then I want to lose it together with you,” Juri let out with a determined look and slowly Taiga nodded. Maybe he could risk it all after all. Maybe this was the key to his cage he had needed all along and for once he won against his fear when he let Juri pull him closer for a soft kiss. If they were already choosing a path through hell then they could at least walk it together.

As much as Juri didn’t want to leave Taiga alone in his state, they couldn’t just walk back to the castle together. Juri had even made it out of another gate, taking a longer route down to the beach to avoid being seen by the same guards.

Juri had made Taiga leave for the castle first, knowing that he needed to get out of his wet clothes as fast as possible. They had stayed at the beach for just a while longer for the clothes to not be too obviously wet or the guards would question Taiga about what had happened.

Taiga had made it back to his quarters right away, while Juri had told him that he would let Ueda know that he was alright. It had been his uncle after all who wanted to go after him as well, but then Juri had caught up to him in the corridor, as he had already guessed that Taiga was upset about something, so eventually Ueda had let Juri go after him.

They had taken quite some time so the feast was definitely already over by now and Taiga felt guilty about having Juri make excuses for his long absence.

A knock on his door just a few minutes after he had gotten changed into dry clothes had him suspicious and he opened the door with a cautious look, but luckily it was only a very worried looking Shime. He let his cousin inside his room, closing the door in a hurry. 

“What happened?” Shime asked.

“What do you mean?” Taiga asked back, knowing that Juri was supposed to tell everyone that he had seen Taiga come back from a walk outside the castle and that he had made him tell the others that he was going to retreat to his chambers for the night. It wasn’t something uncommon. The feast had no official ending time and some of them had slowly left around the same time when Taiga had made it down to the beach.

Shime turned around and looked through Taiga’s room and of course he immediately found the wet clothes, which Taiga hadn’t been able to hide yet and the fact that he was trying to bandage his wrist with a dry bandage showed that something had happened.

“A walk outside, right. Iwamoto disappeared just a while after you and also Juri was suddenly gone, do you know how worried I was?”

“Iwamoto?” Taiga asked, now his worries crushing him once more. 

“He came back before Juri, so I don’t know where he went, but he talked to Taisuke about something and you know when Taisuke gets excited about something. Are you by any chance doing something extremely stupid right now?”

He definitely was, but he wouldn’t tell Shime. As so often he wanted to protect the other one and there was no way he would let Shime be part of anything dangerous even if he got scolded.

“Sorry to worry you,” Taiga said. “Everything is fine, okay? Nothing bad happened. I just needed to clear my head.”

Shime remained extremely doubtful, knowing that Taiga was usually better in keeping his calm and a sudden swim in the ocean wasn’t what he would usually do. 

“Fine, if you don’t want to tell me then I can’t do anything, but be careful, okay?”

“Thanks for your worries,” Taiga said with a smile, feeling sorry for lying to his little cousin, but right now he was taking enough risks.

Shime reluctantly left, but it was already late and the castle had fallen silent so Taiga made him leave, trying to not have him worry too much.

For the next few hours all he did was sit on his bed with a lost expression. Reality was slowly crushing on him. He would need to apologize to Ueda the next day as his uncle had only said out loud what Taiga was too afraid of admitting.

Still shaken by the irresponsible action he had taken just hours ago he was trying to figure out how to face everyone the next day, but then he was ripped out of his thoughts by another knock. Hesitant and quiet. It was in the middle of the night after all and no one should be around.

This time Taiga was up faster though and he opened the door with the right expectation and while he felt his heartbeat increasing through Juri’s sudden appearance he also immediately pulled him inside before he closed the door in a hurry.

“Are you out of your mind?” Taiga scolded the other one right away, but he was more than taken by surprise when Juri pushed him back into the door with a greedy kiss. His worries always showed in a physical way and Taiga couldn’t even judge him for his impatience after he had to leave Taiga alone in such a fragile state.

“I needed to make sure that you are okay.”

“I am fine now,” Taiga said as he moved his hands up to the other one’s face to pull him into another passionate kiss. “But you shouldn’t be here.”

“I know.”

Yet none of them made a move to change that fact and Juri’s hands moved around Taiga’s hips with an impatient touch while Taiga needed exactly this right now. A dangerous distraction.

“Stay.”

“I would even if you didn’t want me to,” Juri said as he dared his hand up to Taiga’s shirt this time and for the first time Taiga didn’t stop the other one from touching him. There were no secrets left. 

“I need you tonight,” Taiga said against the other one’s lips while he pushed Juri a bit to the back. Juri immediately grabbed Taiga’s arms to pull him down on the bed with him.

“I will be there for you not just tonight,” Juri said when Taiga sat down on his lap and cupped his face for a greedy kiss while Juri’s hands were already pulling Taiga’s shirt down his shoulders. Taiga shivered under the other one’s touch and he felt the urge to pull away when Juri dared his lips on Taiga’s chest. 

“It’s okay,” Juri said as he stabilized Taiga on top of him, realizing the other one’s discomfort. 

Taiga put his own hands on the burn mark on his chest, but Juri hurried to place a kiss on the back of his hand before he looked up at the other one. “You’re beautiful no matter any marks on your skin.”

It was a hurdle Taiga had to overcome. He had to stop his mind from connecting each and every scar with his dark past. It was definitely a challenge, but he wanted to try so he removed his hand and let Juri explore his body even more. 

Taiga had to make sure to pull his arm away and relax a bit or he would hurt his wrist even more. Juri realized the movement and gave the other one an apologizing look as he had treated him a bit too rough at the beach, but luckily the pain hadn’t remained for long.

Every scar Juri found, every place he touched and kissed, burned Taiga’s mind like fire, but he succeeded in shutting his thoughts out enough to relax. Juri felt the change and pulled Taiga to the side, making him lie on the bed under him instead. 

Taiga had his hands on Juri’s body the moment the other one had gotten rid of his clothes and Taiga only lifted up his hips a bit for Juri to be able to get Taiga’s remaining clothes out of the way as well.

Juri’s skin was soft, his body thin yet muscular. The few scars Taiga found on his body were sword marks and slowly he moved his hand up to Juri’s temple, pulling himself a bit up to place a soft kiss on the fresh wound. 

“I never want to hurt you,” Taiga let out in a sweet tone, making Juri smile back at him.

“And I promise you to never hurt you either,” Juri replied, placing a kiss on Taiga’s forehead before he let his lips travel to Taiga’s jawline. When he touched the deep scar on it Taiga clawed his hands into the sheets for a brief moment. His mind was forcing pictures in his head, but Taiga didn’t want anyone else to occupy his thoughts right now.

His enemies would have to stay out of his bedroom and he forced his eyes to focus back on Juri, only concentrating on every single feature of the other one. 

Juri’s touch was soft, his lips tracing its way down to Taiga’s neck, but this time Taiga remained calm when Juri found the scars on his neck. Juri was the one to show a change of body tension on finding them and Taiga gasped when Juri dared to bite the skin on Taiga’s neck a bit too roughly. 

“I will protect you no matter what,” Juri whispered when he moved his lips back up to Taiga’s ear, but at the same time he moved more determined, his hands traveling down to Taiga’s thigh and the silent request had Taiga pull the other one into their most passionate kiss so far while they both shifted positions.

Taiga didn’t dare to lose the contact to the other one’s lips as he gave him the silent okay to proceed with a light touch on Juri’s hips. 

It was the first time that someone was gentle with him. The first time that he felt this much need and love through physical contact. For once he wasn’t losing to his fear. He felt safe. 

Juri handled him in exactly the right way. He wasn’t too overprotective, but he was also controlling his excitement and gave Taiga all the time he needed to adjust, reading every single motion of his body the right way while he slowly thrusted into him.

The first low moan Taiga let out felt extremely embarrassing to his own ears, a simple night together was what brought him the biggest pleasure he had ever felt in his life so far.

Juri dared to move a bit more demanding after a moment and he pulled back from another kiss, searching for one of Taiga’s hands to entwine their fingers while he pushed their hands into the sheets.

Taiga kept his free hand on Juri’s face, tracing the line of the other one’s lips as Juri was breathing heavier now, his lips slightly apart.

Juri had one hand down on the bed to stabilize himself and he shifted a bit to make it more comfortable for Taiga, but to his surprise Taiga stopped him when he wanted to put his hand down to Taiga’s crotch. 

“Let me watch,” Taiga said, his need so obvious in his husky voice, yet right now all he wanted was to observe the other one. 

Juri showed a sheepish smile on that request, but still moved his hand up to Taiga’s face instead, engaging their lips in a messy kiss. A few more moans found themselves in between their lips while Juri’s body was becoming sweaty under Taiga’s touch until he denied Taiga that touch as he trapped his other hand on the sheets as well. 

The way Juri observed Taiga’s reaction to all his actions made him feel the safest he had ever felt. He wasn’t tensing up, he wasn’t haunted by his past. Right now he lived only for this moment. For this small happiness.

When Juri’s look turned a bit too desperate and he bit his own lip, Taiga thrusted his own hips up, giving Juri the okay to move as he desired and Juri gave him a dark look through his sweaty strands of hair before he thrusted deeper, finding release with a deep moan while Taiga observed his muscles twitching on reaching his climax. 

Juri was breathing hard, but he was still hovering over Taiga, giving the other one the chance to free one hand to put it on Juri's face. 

“You're the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Juri's smile was so honest and bright that Taiga wanted to stay with him like this forever. Why couldn't they have met under other circumstances?

“And I'll make sure to forever stay at that position,” Juri teased before he allowed Taiga to pull him into a slow kiss. 

The need Taiga felt wasn't of the simple physical one and he was calm enough to have Juri lay down next to him to brush slowly through his sweaty strands of hair. The other one enjoyed the attention and put his chin on Taiga's shoulder, giving him a soft kiss on the cheek. 

“I'm here for you no matter what you need,” Juri whispered and pulled Taiga closer who turned to his side to face him. He could feel Juri's heartbeat slow down and with that Juri closed his eyes for a moment, letting Taiga brush his fingers over his eyes.

“I wish I could wake up next to you.”

A thought that had crossed his mind when he was reminded of the danger they were putting each other in. The risk was too big so Juri had to leave. 

“Maybe at another place and another time I will be able to accompany you through longer nights and slow mornings,” Juri said, Taiga smiling back at him.

“I'm looking forward to that day.”

They remained next to each other for a while longer until Taiga's impatience got the upper hand and he had to make Juri leave. One more day of meetings and one relaxed day with just an annoying banquet at the end. Enough time for both of them to steal some risky time with each other here and there.

“I won't be able to stay away tomorrow night,” Juri said as he got ready to leave.

“And you don't have to. I made up my mind and I won't push you away,” Taiga said while the danger in his words was more than just a simple game.

Juri moved back to him for one last passionate kiss, before he hurried over to the door. The smile he gave Taiga was making it hard for Taiga to not jump up and go after him right away.

Yet when Juri was half out of the door and had already pulled the door half closed he suddenly stepped back in.

For a brief moment Taiga wanted to scold him for being too clingy, but then he realized that Juri's eyes had widened when he stepped backwards into the room, letting go of the door.

Taiga immediately tensed as he slowly walked over towards him. His heart was beating up to his throat the moment he dared to look out to the corridor.

“No…” 

That was all he could say. He couldn't make any excuses. There was nothing he could say that wouldn't be seen as a lie right now.

“Had a good rest, cousin?”

Of all the people who could have caught them, it was Taisuke. One risk had already been too much. 

Iwamoto was standing close to the other one, but there were no other soldiers present.

“Well then, let's hear your excuses,” Taisuke said as he gave a look towards Juri before he ordered both of them to follow him to the great hall.

Taiga had only been able to put his boots on, while he was only dressed in his night gown, but Taisuke wouldn't give him any time to change. He looked calm towards the outside, but it was clear that he was furious.

Taisuke sat down on the throne with Iwamoto standing closer to Taiga and Juri. Both of them stood at the steps up to the podium.

“So? What do you think will happen now?” Taisuke asked.

Taiga wasn't even sure what to say. They had followed in silence, knowing that there was no chance for them to get away. 

“As father as son I guess,” Taisuke said.

Taiga immediately clenched his fists on hearing that, but to his surprise Juri stepped to the front.

“I am sorry for causing such an uproar while being invited for a diplomatic meeting,” Juri started, Taisuke letting him speak. “General Kyomoto is a good friend of mine through all the battles we have fought and the journeys we have taken on together. I am still deeply sorry for not having been able to stop Basarano from taking him. My guilt had me take a step too far, too close. I realized that the young general was struggling with his new position and the stress of this event. I thought I could be of help and counsel to him. But I didn't want to cause trouble. It was an inappropriate step to sneak around like this on such official business.”

Juri bowed towards Taisuke, waiting for his reaction. Taiga could only stare at him with wide eyes. It had been an impressive lie, but was it going to be enough?

Taisuke didn't move at first, he kept looking at Juri with a calm look until he started chuckling and got up.

Juri tensed when Taisuke stopped right in front of him and the tension was splitting the air. 

“I bet you're aware of the rules of the Oki Clan,” Taisuke said and Taiga could immediately read the danger in his calm attitude. “And here you dare to step in front of me, in my own castle, telling me a lie straight in the face. That makes two broken rules already.”

“I-”

It happened so fast, so unpredictable that Taiga flinched after Taisuke had dared to slap Juri before the other one could speak again. It hadn't been a hard punch, just a slap, yet Taiga got ready to explode. But when he stepped to the front Iwamoto drew his sword and held it right in front of Taiga. 

“I'll get to you in a second so don't make this even more complicated,” Taisuke said, pointing at Taiga before he turned back to Juri. “So, do we want to try this again? Your province could get into huge trouble through your actions. You want to tell me what really happened?”

Juri remained silent this time. There was no way they would tell Taisuke the truth, no matter if he already knew.

“Okay then,” Taisuke said while he put his hands on his back and stepped even closer towards Juri. “I will give you my version then. You thought that you could overlook the rules of Oki, because Taiga is a bastard. But he is still an Oki Clan member, furthermore my cousin and you dared to lay hands on him. And I bet not for the first time?”

“Taisuke-”

“One more word and I have you escorted straight to the dungeons,” Taisuke lost his calm this time on Taiga's interference. “You knew what you were doing as well. Do you think it's okay just because it happened willingly this time?”

There was that small moment of rage on Taiga's face, that look over to Iwamoto, not that Taisuke meant him. It had been too obvious and with that Juri was actually the one to connect some more dots and his expression drastically changed.

“You're protecting your cousin from the wrong people.”

Now Taisuke looked back at Juri with an annoyed expression, but still let him speak. “You should protect him, the Oki Clan should protect him, yet you didn't. Now you're even trying to punish him for breaking rules that should indeed not even apply to him. I know the Oki Clan's rules, which means that I know that as a bastard Taiga is not seen as a clan member. He would not even be allowed to marry a clan member.”

Taisuke let out a mocking chuckle as he walked up and down in front of Juri. “So you're saying that you're not a threat to Taiga or my clan. You're also saying that I'm not taking care of my clan the way I should and on top of that you're saying that I should excuse your behavior because Taiga is a bastard.”

Taiga moved at the same time as Taisuke, but Iwamoto tried to stop him.

Taisuke had drawn a knife from his belt, grabbing Juri by the neck and lunging out at him. 

Taiga lunged out with his elbow to the back after Iwamoto had grabbed him by the arm, trying to stop him. He took the other one by surprise and got his sword. At the same moment Juri had somehow avoided a fatal blow to his face, the knife only hitting him on the arm while he struggled with Taisuke over the weapon.

It was a risky move, yet Taiga brought the sword down on Taisuke’s thigh, forcing him with a hiss to let go off Juri, but he immediately turned to Taiga with the most threatening look he had ever shown. Taiga hadn’t wounded him badly, he just needed to distract him, but now Taisuke’s rage would know no end. 

“How dare you,” Taisuke hissed at him.

“Taiga, watch out,” Juri yelled and the next moment Iwamoto had tackled him to the ground, the sword sliding over the stone floor. 

Taisuke held the knife out towards Juri once more while Taiga threw punches at Iwamoto, but the other one tried to hold him down. 

“I could execute both of you at first sunlight for treason,” Taisuke shouted at them.

“Then you need to step on that platform first,” Taiga shouted back, while Iwamoto had gotten a grip on his arms, but he still tried to kick the other one off him.

“What did you just say?” Taisuke asked and walked over to get the sword, leaving Juri in a state of panic about what to do.

“Iwamoto.”

That was all Taisuke had to say and the general shoved Taiga harshly to the ground before he got up and took the knife from Taisuke, stopping Juri from interfering while Taiga hurried to get back up and that right in time before Taisuke lunged out without any hesitation towards him. The sword made a horrible sound when it collided with the floor.

“You dare to threaten me in my own province.”

“Right, your province. You can not have it all. You were not the one who wanted me here, your father was. You tried to get rid of me and then again you tried to enslave me under your rule, just to pretend as if I was a loved family member when someone else actually cares for me.”

This time Taisuke’s chuckle turned into a loud laughter as he pointed the sword at Taiga once more. “Care for you? You really think you are worth anyone’s attention? You’ve just shown me that you possess no pride, no loyalty and pure is a word that I would never have used for you in the first place, so yeah maybe you’re right. Maybe I shouldn’t see you the way my parents did. You are not an Oki Clan member, but that doesn’t change the fact that I will have at least one head by sunrise.

“You will not,” Taiga said, shaking his head with tears of rage as he looked over to Juri who was calculating what to do. 

“If you think so then I will get it right now,” Taisuke said and nodded at Iwamoto.

“JURI, RUN,” Taiga shouted on top of his lungs while he launched himself at Taisuke. At the same time Juri turned and tried to make it to the huge double doors. They wouldn’t get out of the castle, at least not without help, but if they got everyone to know about the situation then their chances of getting out of this situation were way bigger.

Taiga hadn’t been able to avoid a wound on the side of his ribs when Taisuke had slashed the sword up in his outraged state and now they were both struggling over the weapon while Iwamoto had caught up to Juri at the last moment, harshly pulling him back by the hair so that Juri landed on the ground with a hiss. He immediately crawled to the back before Iwamoto could aim for him.

Taiga’s focus on Juri cost him another blow as Taisuke pulled the sword up between them, hitting it right under Taiga’s chin with the hilt first before he kicked Taiga to the back.

“You’re right, I guess I will just get two heads.”

“How pathetic can you be to ask for justice for a crime you have committed before,” Taiga hissed back at him and this time he dashed away from the other one, aiming for Iwamoto and throwing his whole body weight onto him so that he stumbled, but then Taiga gasped and fell to the back. Juri was up on his knees and caught him, immediately realizing what was wrong.

“No, no, no, no,” Juri let out in sheer panic after Iwamoto had been fast enough to actually stab Taiga with the knife before taking the fall and now Taiga had a deep wound on the side of his abdomen. 

“Deserves you right,” Taisuke said as he walked up to them.

“Please stop this,” Juri begged now. “If you want to take our positions and banish us from our provinces and clans then we will take the punishment, but this is going too far.”

“You will see how far I can go,” Taisuke said as he lifted the sword in front of both of them, but then the huge double doors opened. Just a bit, a tiny careful look inside was what Shime did at first, but then his eyes grew wide and he dashed to the front.

Iwamoto immediately stopped him from interfering, but he had definitely not seen Shime's exploding rage coming and he screamed at the other one and clawed his face, leaving Iwamoto no other choice but to let him go if he didn’t want to get even more people hurt.

“What is going on? Oh my god Taiga? What happened?” Shime asked in sheer terror when he fell down to his knees next to Taiga, while Juri refused to let go of him. He had his hand over the wound, trying to stop the bleeding as well as possible. 

“Shime, get out of here. This has nothing to do with you,” Taisuke warned the other one, but the younger one shot up and approached him with big steps, shoving Taisuke to the back.

“YOU MONSTER!” He roared on top of his lungs, shoving him back once more. “Are you only satisfied when you can hurt others? You’re pathetic! You shouldn’t be the leader of our clan. If anyone should take a fall then it’s you!”

This time Taisuke stopped Shime when he tried to push him and the way he shoved Shime to the back was so harsh that Shime fell. His breathing had already sped up in an unhealthy way and Taiga wanted to tell him to leave, to not get involved, but he felt dizzy, the pain getting the best of him.

“Iwamoto, take him outside.”

“DON’T TOUCH ME,” Shime yelled as Iwamoto approached him, but all he could do was crawl away while his breathing turned into coughing and his body forced him to stay on the ground. “A filthy bastard like you should have lost his hands a long time ago.”

“Oh, I see what is going on here,” Taisuke said with a nod as he looked from Shime to Taiga. “But this time no information will help you out of this.”

Taisuke walked up to Taiga and Juri once more, while Shime kept yelling at him to stop, but Iwamoto wouldn’t let him approach the others and if he kept forcing his body even further he would make himself faint.

Juri pulled Taiga protectively into his arms, knowing that if he ran now he could only save his own life, something he did not desire.

“You seem to care more for each other than for your lives, then have it your way,” Taisuke hissed and lifted the sword once more, ready to bring it down on them.

“ENOUGH.”

The interference came at the last second, but luckily with exactly the authority they had needed for Taisuke to actually lower his sword, not that his look wasn’t proof enough that he would take revenge for this interference as well.

Shime looked over to the door in relief when Ueda stepped inside, luckily not alone. Aran followed with a handful of council members and eventually Taisuke’s mother stepped in with the most disgusted expression she had ever shown her son.

“Oki will not allow selfish acts and hasty decisions when it comes to our laws,” she said, walking up towards them while Aran and Ueda made sure that neither Iwamoto nor Taisuke would actually lose it to an amount that they would consider an uproar that could actually cost Taisuke his leadership.

“Whatever happened will be discussed with the council by sunrise and only then a decision will be made.”

“There is nothing worth discussing,” Taisuke said, pointing at all the council members. “If you take their side then you take the side of traitors. I will not have anyone backstab me.”

“Taisuke, for god’s sake,” his mother interfered once more. “Did they try to kill you in your sleep? Take over the province or plan to overthrow the entire land or why are you reacting as if your life is taken away right now? That cut on your thigh looks like a harmless wound compared to the injuries you have caused tonight, maybe you should leave it at that?”

It was indeed a pretty fierce reaction for what Taisuke had brought them in for questioning in the first place. Oki had strict rules indeed, but even Taiga’s father had been allowed to marry a woman from Kaikakuto. It wasn’t a deadly sin and the council members would not easily take their lives for what they had done, but now Taiga had put himself into the open. Shime’s life was now in danger as well. Even if the council could help them out this time, Taiga’s life would never be safe in this castle ever again. 

“Fine,” Taisuke roared as he threw the sword to the ground. “Have it your old fashioned way, but I will have them wait in the dungeons for their trial, all of them.”

When he even pointed at Shime the boy looked back at him with wide eyes. But right now Taisuke was furious and just this condition was something his mother easily agreed to just to finally get the situation under control.

Taisuke sent Iwamoto to get soldiers together to throw them into the dungeons and keep an eye on them, but he didn’t wait for them, instead he gave all of them another hateful look before he made it over to the door. Next to Ueda he stopped, giving the Kaikakuto Clan leader a judging look for his interference, but he couldn’t hold him responsible for any crime. He had escorted the council members that had been all. It was Taisuke’s own fault to create such a chaotic scene in the middle of the night. Of course someone would realize what was going on sooner or later and luckily this time it had been right in time.

When Taisuke was out of the door, Aran finally dashed over to them and had a quick look at Taiga’s wound. “They both need medical care. If you put them in the dungeons like this then at least Taiga will not survive until sunrise,” Aran told the council members and Taiga’s aunt nodded. 

“I will have our healer head down towards them as soon as he arrives.” The older woman headed over to Shime, helping the boy up and patting his hair with a sorrowful look. “You shouldn’t have gotten involved, whatever is going on.”

“I should have gotten involved way sooner,” Shime said, trying to suppress another cough. “Aunt, please let me talk to the council before you meet with Taisuke. I need to report something to you.”

“Shime…don’t…” Taiga was heard in a weak voice and Juri immediately told him to not talk, but he looked up at his younger cousin.

But Shime looked determined. With Taiga’s decision to make a risky change he had put a lot of movement into his surroundings. Now it was too late to stop everyone from interfering. They would all fight together and if the gods were going to stand against them then they would also all fall together.

Taiga’s aunt had at least managed to keep Shime out of the dungeons as his health was bad enough and the cold and wet surrounding would be the worst environment for him.

They had allowed the healer to take a look at Taiga, but he couldn’t do much for him in this place, but stitch and bandage the wound tightly and tell him to not move too much. He didn’t lose too much blood and the injury didn’t seem to have hit any vital spots, but the healer was still concerned, yet Taisuke would not allow him to be brought somewhere else.

“Taiga, please stay awake, okay?” Juri asked, not able to reach him as they had of course been put in different cells, Juri only able to look at him from across the corridor. 

There were only a handful of cells, metal bars dividing them and a corridor leading to a heavy wooden door. Oki wasn’t using this place often so the place had a rotten smell.

“I cannot promise that,” Taiga said while he lay on his back with his eyes closed. He was exhausted and irritated to a degree that he would definitely raise his weapon once more against Taisuke if he got the chance. 

“I should have been more careful,” Juri let out while hugging his knees, having to watch out for his hurt arm as he had also only received quick treatment. Taiga turned his head towards him, but he had no encouraging words left. They had taken the risk together and now they had to live with the consequences.

“I actually prefer it this way,” Taiga said, making Juri look over at him with a confused expression. “I kept pushing you all away. I was ready to go down this path all by myself and while I am indeed more than disappointed in myself for eventually dragging you down this path with me, I prefer it over the way I pushed you away. Having to leave you behind with the regret of never letting you close, would have made my eternity in hell even worse.”

“For someone who believes in gods, you easily judge yourself as a sinner,” Juri scolded him. “We might have broken laws that have been established by humans, but do you really think the gods did this to punish you?”

“What would you say brought this upon us?” Taiga asked curiously as Juri’s beliefs were different.

“Maybe it was a lesson, maybe a challenge or a hurdle. I wouldn’t necessarily say it is a punishment. The darkest places can be filled with light as long as the sun is rising.”

“So poetic,” Taiga said, now finally finding his smile. “Soon everyone will be up and get to know about what is going on. This is definitely the most satisfying ending for Taisuke. A diplomatic meeting with an execution in front of all those other provinces.”

“Do you think the council will side with him?”

“I don’t think they have to,” Taiga said, closing his eyes with a painful expression for a moment before he took some flat breaths. His forehead had turned sweaty while his hands were turning colder. This place was definitely not ideal for his condition. “Oki had been a clan of warriors since the old times. Both our fathers have fought their way through half of their lives. Death in battle was an honor for every Oki Clan member. Taisuke wants to reawaken that spirit and he has more followers than visible at first sight.”

“Some soldiers want to follow that lead,” Juri guessed.

“Not just some. Especially the older soldiers want to live their last days in past glory, out on the battlefield. With Taisuke they know they might get the chance to do so once more.”

“So he could try and overthrow the council,” Juri said in worry as he looked over to the door. The morning hours were close, they would soon be taken to an open trial and there was no chance for them to escape it, even if Taisuke was indeed going to be cruel enough to order their executions. 

Juri stood up and looked at the lock of his cell, but there was no way he could break the lock or the bars.

“We can’t get out and we are both not in a state to fight our way through the guards,” Juri said as he gave up on searching for any escape route. There was only one exit, no windows and no way to fight their way out. “I wish I had hopes for the other provinces to interfere, but I know what is at stake for all of them.”

Juri looked over at Taiga on the lack of reply, the other one still had his eyes closed, but now his breathing had turned a bit more unsteady and his hands were clenched in the fabric of his thin shirt. They hadn’t even let him change clothes or get at least a coat or blanket. 

“Taiga, talk to me.”

No reply. Juri sat down at the closest bars, but of course he wouldn’t be able to reach over to him. “Taiga, stay awake. Taiga!”

“I’m fine,” Taiga let out in a low voice.

“Not exactly the word I would use right now,” Juri complained, but was satisfied by the reply he got. With every passing minute he feared for the door to open. “Taiga, if this-”
“I will not have a farewell talk yet,” Taiga interrupted the other one. “I am not at that point yet.”

Not that they would get a chance for long talks later, but Juri still showed a brief smile on the other one’s words. 

A sound in the corridor had Juri tense. Even Taiga let out a long breath as he feared that the time had finally come and the door indeed opened a few seconds later. 

They expected to see the light of a torch, but someone stepped inside alone and in silence, his steps echoing in the empty corridor until he stopped right between both their cells.

“Who the hell are you?” Juri let out on the person having his back turned to him. All dressed in black. He was looking at Taiga and the other one finally opened his eyes, but he wasn’t in any way alarmed by the other one’s presence, not this time. 

“Who would have thought that you would keep your word,” Taiga let out.

“I cannot judge you for not trusting me.”

“What is going on?” Juri asked, ready to grab the other one through the bars, but then the person in front of him turned around and pulled the mask from his face.

It took a moment for Juri to react. He was startled at first, but then he connected dots and his expression turned to furious.

Yasui didn’t pull back when Juri reached out for him through the bars and pulled him closer on the collar.

“You were part of this all along,” Juri hissed at him. “I was right not to trust you. How dare you show up here.”

“Not happy to see me even in your situation,” Yasui mocked. “I can leave if you prefer that? The guards should wake up in a few minutes.”

“What are you planning? Do you really think we would trust you? As if we’d thank you for getting us out just so you can sell us out to Basarano.”

“Unfortunately I already got paid for tonight, so Basarano will have to wait this time,” Yasui said as he turned his head to look at Taiga who was slowly sitting up, even though the movement caused a lot of pain. “It’s your decision. You can stay and die or you can fight.”

Yasui held up something in his hand, Juri finally letting go of him as he wouldn’t be able to cause any damage right now. Taiga on the other hand stood up and looked at the knife in Yasui’s hand. Reia’s knife. 

“You can take the risk and put your trust in me or you can take your chances in Fujigaya’s unfair game once again,” Yasui said and held the knife out towards him.

Taiga looked up at him before he looked at Juri and while the rage in the other one’s eyes was understandable there was no way he wouldn’t take the chance to get out of this alive. He reached out for the knife through the bars and Yasui gave him a proud smile.

“Good decision,” he said before he pulled out the keys he had gotten from the guards. “And you focus on getting Kyomoto out of here. I will gladly take on your rage later, but not tonight.”

Juri clenched his fists on the other one’s words, but still just shoved him out of the way when he opened his cell. Juri hurried to take the keys from him to get to Taiga and stabilize him so that he could walk.

“Well then, follow me if you want to live.”

It was going to be a challenge to get out of the castle now that all soldiers were on high alert and Taiga’s condition wasn’t the best to make a fast escape. After two failed routes, almost getting caught, even Yasui got restless.

“The east corridor on the first floor,” Taiga said as he knew of no other route they could possibly take. “At this time of the day no one should be there and while I think there will be soldiers around the east gate it’s usually not used by anyone.”

“It goes right to the cliffs,” Yasui noticed. “It will be quite a detour, but we have no other choice.”

“Detour from what?” Juri asked, but they immediately had to stay quiet and hide in another corridor when they could hear voices on the second floor.

“Shota, don’t you dare,” Ryota was heard, but they were still not in sight. “If you disturb that council meeting then Fujigaya will have every right in the world to start a war with Minami-Hian.”

“Right, because he is already in a battle with his own clan. This is ridiculous.”

Now they could see Shota on one of the inner walkways on the second floor, while Ryota tried to stop him. 

“It might be, but don’t you think we will be more of a burden than of help right now?”

“Then what are we supposed to do?” Shota asked, waving his hands in the air in anger.

“Nothing.”

The voice came from the other side of the corridor and slowly Yaotome walked up to them, Shota obviously ready to punch him for that comment.

“This is not your province and their laws have nothing to do with your personal opinion.”

“I will make this really personal if you don’t shut up,” Shota hissed at the other one, his expression furious by now.

“He is right though, Shota,” Ryota soothed him with an understanding expression. “We cannot interfere in their decision.” 

Taiga and Juri had watched the conversation in silence when Yasui suddenly let out a whistle next to them. 

“Are you out of your mind?” Juri hissed at him, but the others hadn’t even realized it as it hadn’t been a normal whistle, it sounded more like the howling of the wind, nothing uncommon in the long corridors of a castle.

“Shut up and wait,” Yasui said as they couldn’t leave their hiding place or the others would see them. Even if they wanted to help them, if they helped them escape then they would be in trouble as well.

There were more footsteps heard upstairs now that the morning was way too close for them to even lose time and the next person to come into sight was Yabana.

“May I offer some counsel?”

“What kind of? Break them out and let them get away?” Shota asked, definitely capable of doing exactly that, but Yasui had been faster. “More of the kind that your outburst might drag the wrong attention at the wrong timing. It might be wiser to change locations.”

“I agree,” Yaotome said as he kept walking, vanishing from their view.

“You weren’t part of this from the start,” Shota shouted after him. “Let’s look for General Nikaido or someone from Kaikakuto, I feel like they will be of more help.”

“Let me accompany you,” Yabana offered and waited for both of them to start walking. Yabana remained alone on the walkway for a moment before there was another whistling noise heard. It hadn’t come from Yabana, but he still looked down at the first floor at the same time, pretending as if he wasn’t aware of their presence.

“They are risking a lot,” Taiga noticed as he realized what was going on. 

“They are risking it for you, not for me, so let’s keep going,” Yasui said and they finally made it to the east gate. Yasui took care of the two soldiers guarding the small gate, but when they stepped out onto the cliffs the sun was already rising at the horizon. 

“Let’s hurry,” Yasui said and Juri moved in front of Taiga.

“No complaints,” Juri said before he pulled Taiga on his back. They wouldn’t be fast enough if Taiga had to walk.

After sneaking away through the shadows of the cliffs, they finally reached the place Yasui wanted to guide them to on the south side of the castle, down a hill, away from the eyes of the soldiers patrolling the walls.

“How prepared were you for this?” Juri asked when two horses were waiting at a small forest in front of them. The trees would give them cover for now, but they would be out in the open soon no matter what path they took.

“I told you, I got paid. I just followed orders, this is not my preparation.”

“Then who-”

“Don’t see me as your savior,” Yasui warned them when Juri let Taiga down so that he could help him on his horse. “I might have been paid for this and I risked a lot myself to take this job, but that doesn’t mean that I cannot become your doom the next time we meet.”

Taiga gave the other one a thoughtful look before he touched the horse next to him, the bridle and saddle were already giving away whose horses these were, but right now Taiga would take every help he could get.

“I am still grateful,” Taiga said. “As you said you took on a way bigger risk than us with this and I hope that it will not become your doom instead.”

“Then let’s hope we won’t meet again or one of us will definitely meet their fate next time,” Yasui said before he handed Juri a map after he had helped Taiga on his horse.

“Follow this route. Make sure to stay at the signed location until further notice. If you get discovered there is a second place marked to which you can escape.”

Juri took the map and hurried to get on his horse. He immediately realized that there was even food and water, on top of that new clothes strapped to the saddle.

“May our paths never cross again,” Juri said, not able to thank the other one like Taiga did as his rage against Yasui was bigger than his gratitude.

Yasui didn’t reply anything and he just nodded at both of them when they hurried to depart towards the forest. 

In this situation a lot of enemies could become allies just for a selfish purpose, but Taiga knew that Yasui wouldn’t have easily accepted any payment, no matter how high. If Oki found out then it wasn’t Yasui’s life that was going to be in danger in the first place and that was exactly why Taiga wished for this escape to remain hidden from every possible enemy.

***

They rode southwards around the Renkyo mountain range, not daring to stop even once. They could only go over Wazaigo to Bodaisei for now, but Juri had studied the map and the place they were supposed to wait at was close to the Seicho river, at the border to Sasaku. It was risky to travel so close to Sasaku and Kyogo, not many cities or villages were located down there, but maybe the soldiers wouldn’t chase them, thinking they would seek shelter in bigger cities.

They had crossed the border to Wazaigo at nightfall, but they were still way too close. It wasn’t clear how furious Taisuke had been on the discovery of their disappearance, but with another day of diplomatic talks scheduled and the banquet at the last day, they hoped Taisuke would actually try and hide the happenings instead of making a huge hunt out of it.

“Taiga, you know the area better, is there any place nearby where we could camp for the night?” Juri asked, knowing that it was a risk, but they needed to take a break at some point.

When there was no reply, he turned towards the other one who was riding a bit behind him, but as it was already dark he couldn’t see him very well.

“Taiga?” Juri asked, slowing down his horse. He was on his horse that was clear, but he wasn’t replying and when Juri rode right next to him and touched his shoulder the other one suddenly lost balance and fell to the side. Juri was fast enough to grab Taiga as well as the reins of his horse to make both of their horses stop before Taiga could fall off. “Damnit.”

Juri hurried to somehow get off his horse while not letting go off Taiga and luckily their horses were calm enough to let Juri drag the other one off without them running off. 

“How can you pass out and not fall off,” Juri scolded the other one, but what else had he expected? They had galloped most of the first half, trying to get as far as they could and now the long day had taken a toll on Taiga’s health. Juri hurried to look at Taiga’s wound and the bandages were already soaked with blood so the stitches had opened. 

They were in a small valley, only grassland around them, but unfortunately no trees to hide and all Juri could do for now was to get some bandages from the saddle, thanking whoever had prepared the horses for thinking this far.

Taiga let out a painful groan when Juri tightened a new bandage around his stomach, but when Juri put his hand to Taiga’s forehead he cursed. They wouldn’t make it through the night like this. Taiga wasn’t able to travel and even if Juri carried him they would be too slow.

All he could do right now was to pull the new clothes from the saddle as they hadn’t gotten any time yet to change. He himself was still in pretty obvious clothes and luckily the new clothes were just simple cotton clothes, nothing that would show their high ranks. He threw his own clothes into the high grass, trying to hide them as well as possible before he put a jacket over Taiga for now and he used the remaining clothes to put them under his head. 

It was a rest for Taiga, yet it was a tormenting time for Juri. Except for Taiga’s knife they had no weapons on them and Juri had taken the knife from Taiga’s belt, walking up and down the small valley, not daring to light a fire, even if that was exactly what Taiga needed right now.

“You need to wake up,” Juri said as he crouched down next to Taiga, but the other one wasn’t reacting. His breathing pace was a bit too fast to call this a rest for him. His fever was getting the best of him and even unconscious he was shaking. In between the quiet noises of the night Juri could suddenly hear something. Only a light breeze had moved the grass, no birds were singing at this time and luckily no dangerous animals seemed nearby, but then he could hear it again. Talking. No. Laughing even.

Whoever he could hear seemed to be up on the other side of the small hillside next to them as they had chosen the valley on purpose and no easy accessible road.

Juri looked at Taiga once more before he dared to get up the hillside. He ducked in the high grass, trying to find out from where he could hear the noise and soon he could spot the light of some lamps. Then he could hear it again, laughter. It seemed even a bit too loud for the evening hours as it was definitely close to midnight already.

Juri hid completely in the high grass as he saw the others approach. It was a farmer’s carriage. A cow was pulling the simple open wooden carriage and two young men were sitting on the front part, while carrying some provisions on the back. They had most likely gathered them at a city close by. The city they had avoided. If their village was close then that would explain their long travel as they would need at least a day with this kind of carriage to make it forth and back.

“I got a good deal for it,” the taller one of them said with a bright grin. He had short black hair and a full beard and was as tall as Iwamoto and his laughter was indeed way too loud for this late hour. The other boy was stronger of built, his hair wavy and a bit longer. They both looked like they were spending a lot of time out in the fields, especially the shorter one seemed to have quite a dark skin tone.

“That doesn’t mean we should have bought it. You don’t even know how to cook that radish.”
“I bet your wife does?” The taller one said with another laugh.

“Don’t invite yourself over to dinner all the time.”

“Hey, I am working extra time on the fields for it and always offer to run errands to Higashi-Gyoshi, aren’t I?”

“Yet I am here, having to accompany you,” the shorter one complained.

Their conversation seemed harmless and Juri stayed hidden until they had passed him, but then he hesitated. Maybe he shouldn’t take the risk, but did he have another choice? Would they make it through the night?

“Maybe this is what your gods are good at,” Juri whispered as he looked down to the valley. The night was so dark that he couldn’t even spot Taiga or the horses. “They always bring the right people at the right time, hopefully.”

Not that Iwamoto spotting them at the beach and then Taisuke discovering them was a good thing in any way, but maybe, just maybe, this was the hardship they had to go through first, to eventually break Taiga’s cage for good this time.

It was a risky move when Juri stood up and stepped out into the road, not that it was more than just a small cart track in the middle of the high grass.

“Excuse the sudden disturbance at such a late hour,” Juri said in a loud voice from the back and as expected the two men were startled from the voice coming out of nowhere in the middle of the night and they hurried to stop the carriage as they swirled around. “I intend no harm.” Juri added as he lifted his hands and slowly walked closer so that they could see him in the light of the lamps, put on the side of the carriage.

“What the hell are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere?” The shorter one asked as he got up and Juri wasn’t even offended when he held his hand over a short sword at his belt. It wasn’t a sword for battle, but definitely sharp enough to harm him if they attacked. Juri had left the knife at his belt, not daring to use it yet if he could make the other two believe him that he wasn’t here to rob or attack them.

“You scared us,” the taller one said, but he seemed more relaxed, not holding any weapon when he walked to the back of the carriage.

“My apologies,” Juri said with a slight bow.

The taller one chuckled a bit, making Juri look at him a bit confused.

“Sorry, I just find your way of speaking quite amusing. You talk like those clan members we sometimes see in the city.”

“That might be because he is one?” The shorter one asked and Juri wasn’t sure what to reply for a moment.

“My status is indeed of a higher rank, but I am not in any clan.” It wasn’t a lie as he was lowborn and had only gotten his status through connections. 

“Then what is someone like you doing out here all alone? There is no village for good another two hours of walking,” the taller one asked.

“I am not alone,” Juri said as he looked over his shoulder. “My companion and I got into some trouble on the way and he needed to rest, but he got a fever.”

“I don’t see any fire,” the shorter one said as he looked down to the valley. “With running into trouble I guess you mean quite a big trouble if you try to stay hidden.”

“We do not want to be a burden for anyone around us,” Juri started and the shorter one immediately lifted his hand.

“No questions asked. You don’t have to tell us who you are or why you are here. You need help, right? Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get your companion up here. Jesse, go help him while I take care of the carriage and make some space for them.”

“We have two horses with us, I can ride or walk, my companion just needs a place where he can rest,” Juri explained.

“Then let’s go,” Jesse said with another bright smile. “I will be back in a second, don’t run off with the food Shintaro.”

The shorter one snorted at him and rolled his eyes before he started to make space at the back of the carriage.

They came back up to the path in no time. Jesse carried Taiga on his back, while Juri had taken the horses up the hill. But Jesse’s look had turned a bit more serious after he had realized Taiga’s bad condition. Now Shintaro looked a bit worried as well when Jesse put him carefully on the back of the carriage.

“If there is any place we could find some rest and warmth at, we will be on our way tomorrow morning,” Juri said again, trying his best to not make the other two too suspicious. “We are already grateful enough for your help, we do not mean to cause any trouble for you.”

“You’re not the ones attacking so it’s alright,” Shintaro said. “You seemed to have had a tough time and while I am usually quite skeptical of people, I feel like we can trust you two enough to help you recover to get going wherever you are headed to.”

Juri bowed once more towards Shintaro before they hurried towards the small village of Nohan where they were offering them to stay the night.

The village was indeed small, just a dozen huts around when they arrived. But there were a lot of fields. 

“We are trading with the bigger cities around the area,” Shintaro explained. “We produce most of the grain for the eastern part of Wazaigo and even parts of Oki.”

“It seems peaceful,” Juri said when they stopped at one of the few houses that had still some light on. “Are you really sure-”

“We already told you that we would help you so stop asking, okay?” Shintaro said as he told Juri to give him the horses to help Jesse carry Taiga inside.

The hut they entered wasn’t in any way a big house, but it still seemed cozy inside and it was spacious even for being made out of simple wood and straw. There was a fire place in the big room with two more doors leading to other rooms and when they stepped inside, Juri heard a female voice, but then the young woman stepping inside the room stopped and looked at everyone in confusion.

“Sorry my dear, as you can see we ran into some people on the way. I hope you don’t mind that we offered some help?” Shintaro said as he walked up to the beautiful young woman and while Juri was sure that she would freak at them immediately, she gave her husband a nod. She seemed a bit unsure about the situation, but still offered to help and they put Taiga down at the fireplace. Some animal fur was spread over the ground as a carpet and Jesse put Taiga down, Taiga letting out another groan on the move and Juri was immediately next to him. Taiga opened his eyes for a moment, but he seemed disoriented and not in a state to have long talks.

“Everything is okay,” Juri soothed him. “Rest some more. I’m here.”

Even if Taiga didn’t want to rest more, his fever forced him down with a painful grimace and he turned to his side, clenching his hand over his wound.

“He is hurt, isn’t he?” The young woman asked, but Juri wasn’t sure what to answer when all eyes were on them. 

“We really don’t want to cause you even more trouble, but if you have some bandages to spare-”

“I doubt that bandages will be enough,” the woman let out, making Juri look from her to Taiga and as the blood was already visible on his clothes it was obvious how serious his injury was. “Let me prepare something for him.”

She left the room, giving Shintaro a nod and the young man smiled at Juri.

“Ayaka is extremely skilled with herbs and has quite some impressive skills when it comes to treating people.”

“Is she a healer?” Juri asked.

“Not officially, but she is fixing most of the people in our small village,” Jesse said as he revealed a faint scar on his lower arm. “We would need to travel hours to the next city to find a healer and if we get hurt at work she is usually treating us. She can fix wounds so skilled by now that scars will barely remain.”

“I think she is preparing some herbs to stop the bleeding. You should let her sew the wound shut.”
“No.”

Juri’s reply came so suddenly that both men looked at him in confusion and Juri stood up with an apologizing look. “I am grateful for your help and I will gladly accept the herbs. I will fix the wound myself.”

“Can you do that alone?” Shintaro asked with a raised eyebrow. “If you don’t trust my wife, because she is a woman-”

“No, that’s not it,” Juri immediately added. “Sorry if my words came across in such a way. That is really not the problem.”

“Well, for now just stay with him and see if he wakes up until she is done preparing everything?” Jesse suggested and excused himself for a moment as he had to unload the provisions they had brought.

Shintaro also left the room for now, helping his wife, while Juri put some pressure on Taiga’s stomach, resulting in Taiga moving slightly, but he had finally calmed down a bit with the fire giving his body a break from the cold night outside. Even with the warm summer days, the nights were still too cold for him in such a condition.

Even though Juri was on high alert he had actually fallen half asleep after a few minutes, just when he was about to fall over in his sitting position he fought himself back out of his sleep, but then he flinched when he came eye to eye with a curious boy looking at him.

“Hi,” Juri said as the maybe three or four year old boy sat right in front of him. 

“My name is Taka.”

“Nice to meet you Taka,” Juri replied, still not sure what was going on until Shintaro walked into the room with a smile. 

“My oldest son,” he said proudly. “He woke up through the noise. If he is in the way then-”

“No, it’s okay,” Juri said, not minding the boy’s presence.

“Is your friend hurt?” The boy asked as he put his small hand on Taiga’s shoulder and somehow that innocent movement made Juri smile.

“A bit, yes.”

“My mum will fix him for you,” the boy said and moved his hands to Taiga’s face, brushing his cheek and right on that move Taiga actually opened his eyes again. 

Juri waited a moment for his reaction to see if he was really clearly awake this time. Taiga needed a moment to even react to his surroundings and then his look fell on the boy and he blinked a few times.

“You will be fine soon,” the boy said and when Juri chuckled on the boy’s words, Taiga finally looked up at him and then scanned his surroundings. “I will call my mum.”

“Please do so,” Juri told the boy and he ran off to the other room. They could hear the faint noises of a baby crying in the other room so they had woken both the children up with their presence.

“Juri, where are we?” Taiga asked, trying to get up, but Juri immediately pushed him back down.

“At a safe place for now. Don’t move. We will immediately move on after we get your wound treated, okay?”

“Is this still Wazaigo?”

“Taiga-”

“Juri, is this still Wazaigo?” Taiga asked a bit more demanding this time and Juri pulled out the map and put it down on the floor. “Yes it is. We are about half a day's ride from Higashi-Gyoshi.”

“We need to leave,” Taiga said and forced himself to sit up this time, but immediately hissed on the pain on his stomach.

“You can’t get up. You passed out on your horse. How are we supposed to keep going?” Juri asked.

“I don’t know. But we cannot stay. It’s too dangerous.”

“Now you’re already here, so you can at least stay the night,” Ayaka said when she came back into the room with some herbs and Shintaro had prepared some tools for her to sew the wound. 

Jesse came back inside at the same time and seemed relieved to see Taiga awake, but through all the unknown faces Taiga got even more restless.

“I appreciate the help, but we really need to leave. You are putting yourselves into a lot of danger by letting us stay.”

“We figured that much,” Jesse said as he crouched down when Taka ran up to him. He lifted him up in his arms when he approached them. “But now you’re already here and I doubt that a few more hours will make any difference in the middle of the night.”

“Every minute could make a difference,” Taiga said and tried to get up, but he couldn’t even find the strength to make it into a standing position. 

“Would you just sit still and let me help you?” Ayake let out, so demanding that Taiga looked back at her with wide eyes. “You don’t want to cause trouble. You are putting us in danger. We understand that. Yet we still offer our help. Could you just respect that decision or do you have such a high pride that you won’t let some normal farmers help you? We have our own pride and determination as well and I would like you to respect our decisions.”

Taiga looked at her for a moment before he gave Juri a side glance, but the other one seemed calm, almost a bit teasing. 

“You don’t want to drag people down in whatever is going on and we respect that,” Shintaro added. “But letting you leave just to die out there in the fields in the next few hours is something we won’t let happen either. We won’t ask you anything if you don’t want to talk. All we want is you to accept our help.”

It was indeed a topic Taiga often clashed with everyone. He always kept everything to himself, shouldered all his burdens alone and tried to keep everyone out of his cage. But now he had bent the first bar of that cage after risking it all by letting Juri come closer and he shouldn’t stop there.

“My apologies for my rude words,” Taiga said, making Jesse smile at him before he took Taka out of the room to take a look at his little brother. The boy shouldn’t see too much blood at his age after all.

“You are not rude, you are worried and that is okay,” Ayaka said and put the herbs down. “So what will it be? Do you want us to leave it to you?”

Taiga looked at Juri after the woman had asked him the question and Juri gave Taiga a questioning look. 

“She is really skilled, you will feel better after a few hours of rest. You should be fine to even get back on your horse tomorrow morning if you watch out for the wound after it’s sewed,” Shintaro said. “But we leave that decision to you.”

Taiga felt a bit overwhelmed by the entire situation as he had still not completely caught up, but he understood why Juri had not immediately accepted their help.

“I will repay you for your help,” Taiga said before he slowly lay back down. “The sooner we can keep going the better. I will gladly accept your help.”

“Are you sure?” Juri asked and reached out for Taiga’s hand. He wanted to make sure that Taiga was aware of what he was doing, but the nod Taiga gave him showed that he was indeed feeling well enough to make this decision, knowing what it meant. But this was also part of his cage and it didn’t have to be any longer.

“She’s right after all. The sooner I get better, the faster we can keep going.”

Juri gave him another worried look, but still moved aside when Ayaka sat down next to Taiga. Shintaro asked him if he wanted to assist, but Juri made space for Shintaro instead. Taiga knew what he was doing so he could only give him space for now.

“You have spare clothes?” Ayaka asked and Juri told her that they had some so she cut Taiga’s shirt and the bandages to not waste time. The blood around the wound immediately took over and Shintaro had to put some pressure on the wound before they could apply some herbs to stop the bleeding enough for her to renew the stitches.

“Just stay like this for a moment,” Ayaka said while Taiga had his eyes closed. The pain was still bearable, almost laughable even, as his mind reminded him of all the pain he had already gone through in his life. “You’re next by the way.”

Juri blinked in confusion at her words, but then Shintaro pointed at his face. “You can use some herbs too and I noticed your arm as well.”

Juri only slowly nodded, not needing treatment immediately, but still felt grateful for the thought. 

When Ayaka proceeded to wipe away the blood around the wound while Shintaro kept a bandage pressed on the wound itself she suddenly slowed down her movements. Shintaro was now also looking down at Taiga’s exposed skin with wide eyes and when he looked up at Juri, the other one looked away. 

The blood had hidden all the scars, but now they were all in the open. Burn marks, cuts, even scarred claw marks. One scar looked uglier and deeper than the next one, but Taiga was calm. He had made peace with them for the first time.

“I will make sure to be fast,” Ayaka said, but Taiga shook his head.

“Take your time, it’s fine. One more scar will not change anything.”

“Oh, her treatment will not leave any scars with you,” Shintaro said with a proud undertone, making Taiga smile, but he didn’t dare to open his eyes. Even if he was feeling alright at this very moment, he knew that he was pushed to the abyss emotionally. 

They hurried to treat his wound and while it was indeed uncomfortable to get the wound sewed, it was luckily not infected and the herbs had helped with the bleeding and the pain. Juri was way faster treated, but his wound on his arm needed some new sewing as well after all.

“All done,” Ayaka announced and handed the used bandages to Shintaro. “We will give you some space. Let us know if you need anything.”

“You already helped more than we could have ever asked for,” Juri said with another bow before both of them joined Jesse and their children in the other room for now.

“Here,” Juri said as he pulled the bag with the clothes towards him. “The clothes are simple, but it will be easier to travel in them and they are way warmer than yours.”

Taiga slowly sat up, letting Juri help him get changed. His wrist was the only injury he couldn’t do much about so he just had to keep reminding himself about not putting pressure on it. “I know you want to hurry and I am worried too, but I have seen the village and the path leading to it. I doubt anyone will ride this way in the dark to look for us. If Fujigaya even sent out anyone in the first place.”

“I know. I am just worried. I don’t want to drag anyone else into this.”