Jyuunini no Enkei
Monogatari
Chapter Five, Eleventh Zodiac: Inu
by
Ina-chan
First Posted Online: January 29, 2003
History: A Theory on the Origins of the Souma Family Curse
The sun was shining brightly, but the cool breeze blew
away whatever uncomfortable heat it was emitting. Yet, the mood
of the small caravan trekking towards the Souma territories was
as jovial as a lark singing a song under a thunderstorm. Save
for a random small talk among the ranks, the entire procession
was uncomfortably silent.
The Meishu secluded himself in his carriage, refusing to
talk to anyone. The healer’s young apprentice was wearing a
miserable expression on his face since the day before. It was
only a clear indication that whatever ill feelings transpired
behind closed doors after the young master’s unfortunate…
circumstance… was still being carried over today. A line of
worry furrowed the strategist’s forehead…
He didn’t want to be insensitive to everyone’s
feelings with his thoughts, but if this continued, there was no
way they could hope to succeed with what they were trying to get
away with.
It was only logical to send the Mizugawa princess as a
substitute envoy. In fact, Yukino would have been a better
choice for the negotiation process. But one doesn’t need to be
a genius to realize the risk that they were taking. The Souma
Clan was expecting the new head of the Mizugawa Family.
Regardless of the situation, seeing the heir’s sister instead
would cause serious complications. It will look very bad if the
Souma Family perceives Yukino’s appearance as a form of
underhanded deception…
…of
which ironically, bead
of sweat slid down the strategist’s forehead as the thought
occurred to him… was what exactly what they were doing. It
would seem that from here on, everything from here on, would
depend entirely on Yukino’s skill.
To
be honest, he was just as surprised as everyone else to see the
ice princess appearance that morning. It wasn’t a secret. It
was expected after the commotion that happened the night before.
However, it still cane as a shock… if not sacrilege… to see
their princess, whose beauty rivalled that of the legendary
Princess Kaguya… dressed up and disguised to look like a
pubescent boy... a rather effeminate-looking boy… but still a
boy nonetheless.
Kouyou-kun
even started bawling uncontrollably at the sight.
What
a mess! There was no way they could introduce their ice princess
as Kaji. But it was even more impossible to introduce their
leader’s impostor’s true self. The strategist has been
wracking his mind on thinking of a plausible excuse for the new
Mizugawa leader’s absence. So far, the best plausible
situation he came up with was a temporary debilitating accident
and a trusted new and very young advisor was personally sent as
the young Master’s envoy. Kaji let out another long sigh,
there’s still enough time to brief the entire troop before
they reached their destination… and as long as Yukino manages
to control herself and allow him to do most of the talking…
they should be able to get away with murder.
But
before anything else, he had to figure out a way to mend the
rift between their ranks, or the Souma Clan will immediately
sense that something was amiss.
His eyes strayed to the front of the group where the ice
princess was riding between her two self-proclaimed protectors.
They have been riding for more than half a day. It will still
take them until the next morning before they arrive to their
destination. Though they just had a rest break a few hours ago,
it was obvious that she wasn’t used to long travelling by
horseback. The weariness in her body was clearly showing despite
being hidden underneath her brother’s armour. Both brothers
had been trying to convince the princess to retreat into the
carriage. Of course, the young woman repeatedly refused.
Obviously, it was due to the combination that stubborn streak
and the desperate need to prove her self.
Mizugawa
Kenju made an involuntary glance to the healer’s carriage near
the end of the caravan and made a long breath of exasperation.
The desperate need to prove her self to a certain person, to be
exact. Despite of himself, a soft chuckle managed to trickle out
of his throat.
Definitely…
like mother, like daughter. The scholar hastened his steed to
trot faster, silently motioning her bodyguards to make way. The
two younger men complied as they slowed their paces to a short
distance away, to give them privacy. The scholar desperately
tried to keep the amused smile that threatened to touch his lips
as he rode beside the young woman in relative silence.
“It
took your mother three days,” He simply stated
“What?”
The Ice Princess immediately turned to the scholar in
bewilderment
“When
your mother was your age, your father was given his first
responsibility. He was assigned to lead a trading convoy to
Tokai. It was an arduous weeklong journey just to get there. Ta-chan
was apprenticing under his father at the time, so he came along
to purchase supplies. I went just for the heck of it… and of
course, your mother refused to be left behind, seeing all three
of us going,” The scholar said, his face softening at
recalling the memory, “Your grandfather would not hear nothing
of it, of course. After all, riding in a week-long journey
accompanied by smelly men was not something young women of fine
upbringing are supposed to do. More so, as the daughter of the
Family Head.”
“So
what happened?” Yukino asked, her curiosity awakened
“She
disguised herself as a soldier and snuck in the ranks of the
convoy,” Kenju replied with a chuckle
The
young woman’s eyes widened in surprise, “Mother managed to
disguise herself as a soldier?”
“It
was a challenge, but it wasn’t too hard. Your mother was an
excellent marksman, her skills in archery would probably have
become infamous, had your grandfather allowed her the chance to
show it off publicly. She would probably lose based on strength
and endurance, but your mother’s hand to hand combat skills
was quite impressive too,” The older man grinned, “Of
course, she also had a lot of friends in the lower ranks who
were willing to protect her with their lives. She probably would
have gotten away with it.”
“How
did she get caught?” Yukino asked
“Well…
your mother may have been successful in taking the guise of a
soldier… but it didn’t mean that she was one. Like I said,
it was an arduous weeklong journey. On the third day, she fell
off her horse out of pure exhaustion. Dislocated her shoulder
and almost broke her neck in the process,” The scholar sighed
and shook his head in exasperation, “Your grandfather was
furious! Actually, both your grandfathers were… they had a big
fight that almost ended up in a duel to the death. Fortunately,
your grandmothers were both sensible women and they managed to
come up with a plan to avert it.”
“How?”
The young woman asked again
The
scholar closed his eyes, “Your father married your mother. It
was only logical and the most honourable thing to do. After all,
it happened during your father’s first duty.”
“I
see…” The young woman mumbled quietly, as an unreadable
expression crossed her delicate features, “So they married out
of duty.”
“Actually…
It was more complicated than that… At that time, there were
two other men who were more than willing to take responsibility
for what happened. But in the end…” Kenju sighed, before
making a small sad smile, “…your mother decided between the
three of them based on the wishes of her heart.”
“Kenju-san…”
Her voice was so quiet that it was almost inaudible. The ice
princess bowed her head, hiding her eyes behind her newly
cropped hair. Her hands tightened reflexively on the reins of
her mount and fell into relative silence. For a moment, he
thought that he was not going to continue what it was she was
going to say. “Kenju-san…
why are you telling me this?”
“I
just wanted conversation,” The scholar shrugged in casual non-chalance,
before breaking into an impish grin, “Besides, if you keep up
with this tension, by the time we reach the
Souma
Territories
, you
won’t even have enough energy to lift a finger. Tatsu will be
more upset than he is now if that happened.”
The
Ice Princess remained silent. The scholar swore under his breath
as he sensed the young woman burying even deeper into her shell.
“I’m
sorry, I didn’t mean for it to sound like that,” Kenju
quickly continued, turning on a more serious tone. “It’s
difficult, isn’t it? Being born in a position of duty.”
“Oniichan
doesn’t seem to be having a hard time with it,” Yukino
replied quietly
“Ah,
that’s because your brother is a man. When it comes to matters
like that, men don’t have the privilege of being allowed to
act based on emotions. It makes us look less…” Kenju paused
for dramatic effect, “… manly.”
The
young woman frowned, “But it’s not fair. Everyone treats me
like I’m some kind of fragile flower that needs to be
protected. I can take care of myself. I bet I’ll be less of a
burden if I was born a man…”
“Stop
it,” There was an uncharacteristic hardness in Kenju’s
normally light-hearted voice that even their horses faltered
with their steps in surprise.
The
young woman looked up to stare at the older man, only to find a
hardened and angry face glowering back at her. She opened her
mouth to say something, only to find her voice stuck inside her
now parched throat. All her life, she’s always seen the
Mizugawa Family’s head strategist and advisor as the
easy-going opposite of the Mizugawa Family healer. Like a lot of
people, she too silently questioned at times how this man was
able to attain such an important position in their clan when
most of the time he acted more like an overgrown playful puppy.
Then
again, dogs could also become ferocious, especially when
protecting something they held dear.
“If
you say another self-depreciating word, I will put you across my
knee and give you the spanking a spoiled little brat like you
deserves,” The man continued in his low and angry tone, “In
my opinion, when it comes to skill and talent, I believe that
you are more suited to be the Mizugawa Family Head over your
brother. But all your skills and talent are all useless because
of that attitude.”
“My
attitude?” The young woman managed to utter
“Your
attitude,” Kenju stressed firmly, “Belittling yourself and
whining for not having what other people have. It only proves
that underneath that illusion of adult maturity, you are nothing
more but a spoiled little brat. Your brother may not be as smart
as you, or as well composed… but he tries his best. He tries
to fulfill all the responsibility given to him by using all of
his abilities, and resourcefully asking help from those who
support him on matters that are beyond his reach.”
The
Ice Princess turned away and bowed her head once more, feeling
humiliated as the older man’s words stabbed painful daggers on
her entire being.
“It’s
only natural for Tatsu to be angry. I know that your intentions
were good, but still… what you did was wrong and very
selfish,” The scholar’s voice dropped to a more gentler
tone, “But what’s done is done. You’re our leader now.
Your father and your brother aren’t here to protect you, and
all of us are looking up to you to protect us. If you really
want to prove yourself worthy… then take responsibility for
your actions.” With that, the older man directed his mount to
trot faster towards the front of the convoy, to leave the Ice
Princess with her thoughts.
“Yukino,”
Izumi called out to her worriedly, trotting closer beside her
after noticing that his charge posture still hadn’t changed
long after the older man had left her
“Izumi…
am I being childish?” The Ice princess asked in a quiet tone
“Ha?”
Izumi gave her a bewildered look, “What are you talking
about?”
“It’s
nothing,” The young woman shook her head before lifting her
chin to face him and give the young man one of her
heart-stopping smiles, “Ne, Izumi-chan. I’m feeling a bit
tired now. I think I’ll ride at the back in the carriage.”
A
line of concern furrowed on the young man’s forehead, “Are
you sure? Tatsu-meishu is back there after all. He still looks
very scary…”
“Yes…
I’m sure,” A bead of sweat lined on the young woman’s
brow, but her smile didn’t falter, “After all, it’s time
that I start taking responsibility, ne?”
“Ha?”
Izumi uttered again in that same bewildered manner
The
Ice Princess simply let out a peal of laughter as she manoeuvred
her mare to turn around. As the young man made his mount to
pause to make room for the young woman’s horse, a gust of air
swished just a few inches from his cheek before causing a
strange sickening thud. The young woman’s horse whinnied in
surprise. Izumi immediately grabbed the other horses’ reins to
calm the animal, while his elder brother rushed other side the
young woman.
“Yukino
are you----” Izumi began, only to stop in horror at the image
before him
“What’s
wrong?” Yukino’s voice barely came out as a soft rasp as the
young man’s horror-struck expression immediately registered on
her face.
It
was as if time itself stopped. There was a strange tightness in
her throat and she instinctively reached out to her neck only to
find a long foreign object expertly lodged between the spaces of
her armour, piecing the delicate flesh above her collarbone. It
was only then that she noticed the strong salty metallic taste
of the liquid quickly filling her mouth, threatening to drown
her, accompanied by the painful throbbing in her throat.
“Ittai…”
She whined almost inaudibly as fell backwards, Nagusami deftly
catching her in his arms.
“AMBUSH!!!”
Everything
was a muffled blur after that. She barely felt Nagusami carrying
her away. She barely heard the sound of fighting in the
distance. She barely saw the anguished faces arguing above her.
She already knew what was happening. She was being trained to be
a healer, after all. The world around her no longer mattered.
There was no longer any need to see, hear, or feel the world
around her. Her heart ached in sorrow as the image of what’s
most important flashed brightly in her before her unseeing eyes.
She
failed. She failed before she’s even begun. And he was crying.
He was crying because of her. She reached out for him, her own
tears of grief generously flowed from her eyes, as she felt a
pair of hands cover her own.
I’m
sorry…
I
couldn’t protect you…
I’m
sorry…
I’m
sorry…
Oniichan…
End
of 11th Zodiac (Chapter 5)
Return to Chapter
4
Continued on Chapter 6
Author’s
squawk:
“Tokai” is a made up place. The word literally means
“city”.
I was actually dreading for this chapter to come. I hate killing
off characters… but it has to be done!
HAAAA! The climax of Ina-chan’s version of Jyuunishi
tale has started to climb! Special thanks to my
chat-comrade-in-arms… Rae-chan, Mona-chan, Juuji-chan,
Merrow-chan… most especially Rae-chan and Merrow-chan who
really helped me get back my focus on this storyline by allowing
to me to throw my ideas at them. ^_^. ARIGATOU!
To
everyone else who read this fic, as well to those who reviewed
it… I know it’s a big pain, since it’s more like an
original story than a FURUBA fanfic, so you need extra effort to
get to know the characters. So I really appreciate the feedback!
Your comments are my guidelines to remind me if I’m steering
the story toward the right direction.
Ja!
Ina-chan
|