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400 Years Apart	By : Cynthermes Category: +M to R > Mirage of Blaze Views: 4238 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Mirage of Blaze and its characters solely belong to Kuwabara Mizuna. I’m just going to creep into a corner of her sand box and play the part of a wannabe historical writer. No profit has been made in the construction of this story.

Chapter List
- 13
- 14
- 15
Chapter Fourteen:

War of the Usurpers: Part 2

A/N: The Hojo are caught in a confusing pincer tactic deployed by two unusually cooperating (or are they?) rival/ enemy clans.

Warning: Some parts of this chapter may cause discomfort. If you’re squeamish about ‘the ugly thing’ Kousaka mentioned in the previous installment (Chapter 13) please don’t read.

A token of betrayal: Never, not even in his dreams did he expect to receive such.

In the middle of their military assembly, Matsuda Takahide brought him a letter signed by Uesugi Kagetora himself thru a mysterious emissary. This 'evidence' further convinced majority of the Go-Hojoshi retainers that the Uesugi truly aims for war. Ujimasa feigned ignorance and accepted it. Contrary to what he made his brother believe, the twins and their subordinates were given permission to leave the castle premises in search for Saburo.

Typical for deserters, they didn't even count for their deception to fail. Firstly, their tale had many potholes. Wouldn’t it be more appropriate for the emissary to personally hand the message to the Sagami no Kami? The fact that the twins took it upon themselves clearly showed their lack of tact. Even their superior and distant cousin, Hideharu secretly voiced his suspicions to him. Secondly, what foolish vassal would forfeit the honor of staying by their lord’s side in the face of a siege?

Ujimasa took one risky gamble to incinerate the snakes festering inside the house (as Genan-oji phrased it) in the purifying rivers of fire⁵⁸along with the snakes gathering outside. Ujiteru’s emotional predictability just sealed his plan into perfection.

He studied the provocative words on the letter with bland amusement. Whoever wrote this was a stark contrast to the Dragon of Echigo. Though the calligraphy was neat and flowingly pleasant to look at, the message itself was an ugly sight. Uesugi Kagetora, an aesthetician was also deeply religious. He would not choose to attack in the eve of a festivity. Someone was committing dishonor in his name. That was not Ujimasa’s particular concern but rather the emergence of the Takeda storming in for a siege was timed exactly enough to be more than coincidental. Was this the Takeda’s true intentions? What would they gain incriminating the Uesugi name?

He must not overthink. Ujimasa sets the parchment aside and stands by the window. He has isolated himself from the rest following Daidoji Masashige’s departure. There was a certain chill to his bones that made him uneasy. The red moon above stared down at him ominously. Its ruby moonbeams seem to reflect the fires of the jokamachi. If he had to agree with the celestial body, Ujimasa knew they were hardly out of danger yet.

XxXMOBXxX

Saburo kept looking behind as Fuma Akito dutifully fixed the saddle of his horse.

“You can ride now, Saburo-sama.” The lordling appears not to have heard him. His young charge’s line of sight remains fastened on the rallying army ahead. Ujiteru had his back to them barking orders to his men. A large unit of cavalry had arrived and they were all idling only for another set of reinforcements now coming their way.

Their reunion was simply cut short. An urgent report from a courier interrupted the siblings’ bonding. A skirmish was happening at Mimase and it was worsening by the second. Without intervention it would escalate into a full-scale blood bath. Two Hojo generals, Daidoji Masashige and Ueda Tomonao were said to have held the Takeda retreat in a tight grip. At first they have full advantage pushing the Takeda vanguard, Baba Nobuharu and Red Fire Unit (Kiba-tai) leader, Yamagata Masakage in between two flanks. However the tide of battle changed when a force led by Takeda Shingen himself arrived for backup. What made the Tiger of Kai (who was rumored to be ill) march all the way from his camp and personally involve himself?

“You look like him, why?” Akito’s deep thread of thought broke. His contemplation was currently fixated on the battles ahead that he nearly failed to hear or understand what the lordling had spoken.

Saburo had his back on him and was now openly staring ahead, intently watching his aniue act the fierce general that he is.

“Him? Saburo-sama means Fuma Kotarou, yes?” Akito busied himself with the reins of both their mounts. The horses were fidgety and snorting, already itching for a run. The Fuma acting-commander stopped fiddling with the straps. It was a nervous habit he only managed to suppress even from years of desensitization.

“Your faces are the same but his’ radiates so much coldness it makes me want to look away.” A slight shake in Saburo’s tone draws the shinobi’s attention on tense youthful shoulders and hands clawing on slim upper arms. It seems that the lordling could never consciously utter Kotarou’s name once the effects of the blow dart wore off.

“A cold expressionless mask is typical of shinobi, Saburo-sama. The Fuma’s code of honor revolves around the strict principle of conquering one’s weakness by suppressing emotion. Perhaps I am the only one who isn’t able to comply that is why... Fuma Kotarou-do—ani, my twin elder brother has never really acknowledged my existence.” Akito admits with a somewhat sad smile.

Saburo felt a twinge of empathy. “So they act like we don’t exist.” He said in a barely audible whisper. Akito pretended not to hear and said nothing. The way their lord and master treated his youngest brother was a closeted hot topic among the family retainers. Akito has turned a deaf ear to the countless rumors and malicious whisperings circulating around between the siblings. To the shinobi, gossip was an infesting malady of the psyche. But despite his best efforts to ignore the hushed talks some of their statements bothered him:

“Saburo-sama seems capable of attracting just about anyone…including the daimyo?”

“Isn’t it strange that Ujimasa-kou hasn’t remarried since Obaiin no kata’s death? Is he in a shudo relationship with a certain someone?”

“I heard he keeps a grotesque pregnant statuette of his late wife when she was barren all along! Some say the face of the statuette is not hers at all.”

In fact some of the bushi don’t see the boy as a respectable lordling. The rotten seeds in the bunch think of him as an object of their dirtiest desires and fantasies that it sickens him to no end. Akito would have assassinated them if it wouldn’t cause hostility between retainer families. He would be no different than some members of the Matsuda whose secret coup would have been devastating to their Clan Head, Matsuda Norihide if made public. It might even endanger his position as the Sagami no Kami’s chief vassal. Therefore to resolve such impending crisis, the Fuma with their particular field of expertise in silent executions⁵⁹ were summoned to intervene.

“I’m sorry,” was an apology out of nowhere. “I didn’t mean to mistake you for your brother.”

Akito was dumbstruck. He had never been the receiving end of humility and from the daimyo’s brother no less…

The only thing preserving the lordling’s pride was keeping his back on the shinobi. But even though Saburo hid his face from view, Akito could still see that his knuckles were paper white from the violence of injuriously hugging himself.

“As much as I want to accept your apology, I don’t think I deserve it, Saburo-sama. In fact it is I, I should apologize to you.”

“For what?”

“I apologize if my aniue caused you pain.” Akito responded, unknowingly hitting quite close the mark that it made Saburo uncomfortable. What do you know?

The boy awkwardly shrugged his shoulders. “Are you a fool?” Saburo asked him tauntingly. “I mean, he treats you like air but you’re willing to become the cushion for his faults?”

Akito laughed in a low rumbling purr. “Though Saburo-sama thinks of that as my kind intentions, I don’t in fact have anything of the sort. To apologize for one’s brother is similar to admitting him guilty, correct?”

Saburo faced him, wide-eyed like a boy who suddenly solved the world’s greatest mystery. “You’re apologizing to make him look bad.” A mischievous grin showed pearly-white, perfectly aligned teeth. The boy was almost too perfect to be human. Akito was starting to see why people think of Saburo differently. Perhaps if someone told him that Saburo was the son of a deity, he would readily believe it.

“Saburo-sama knows a younger brother’s mind like the back of his hand.” Akito agrees with a chuckle. He only righted himself when he saw Ujiteru heading towards them.

The Mutsu no Kami shed the countenance of a war commander immediately as he met the eyes of their youngest. He gracefully dropped from his high perch and let his retainers scramble after the reins. Fortunately, the large gelding was a tame one and didn’t fuss when other men came to fix the saddle.

Ujiteru clasped Saburo’s shoulders and for an instant was at a loss for words. He really didn’t want to be separated with his otouto so soon. They have just reunited and the excruciating pain he felt when he couldn’t find his sibling was still very palpable.

However duty to his subjects called to him. He had a debt to pay. If his eldest brother turned a blind eye on his shortcomings it was not for free. “Daidoji-san and Ueda-san are in danger. Our spies reported that Takeda Shingen-dono himself is causing them a hard time.”

“You don’t need to explain yourself to me, Aniue.” Saburo said softly meeting his gaze evenly with those cherished clear eyes of amber.

“But I… I almost caused you harm.” Ujiteru’s brow furrowed; his eyes liquefying with emotion.

“Ujiteru-sama,” Joushi with distinct rank intervened. He had a small heart-shaped face beneath the helm but his eyes had a certain cutting edge to it. And though this man was middling in stature and slight of build, he radiates a steady, calm bearing. “Ujiteru-sama, if you are to blame yourself it shall deeply fall on me. You did your best for your brother.” Hideharu bowed to the both of them deeply.

Saburo stared at his brother who either didn’t pay any heed or simply didn’t catch the drift while his second in command remained passive. When neither chose to elaborate further, Akito took it upon himself to sort the confusion. “Saburo-sama, the burning of Odawara was done deliberately. We the Fuma are the ones responsible for it.”

“What?”

“Ujimasa-kou thought it the only unconventional method to deter the encroaching enemy. He constructed this “Moat of Fire” but ensured the people of Odawara seek refuge within the castle.” There was no remorse or guilt that could be found in the Fuma’s words. “And that was why Ujiteru-sama tried to stop you from leaving.”

Saburo slowly began shaking his head. He could not believe how foolish he had been. And to hear his Ujiteru-ani speak as if taking all the blame only heightened feelings of self-mortification.

“I was against it, I truly am but it was the only way… Without true knowledge of your whereabouts… it killed me to command the burning!” Ujiteru clings on threadbare material barely hanging on the Saburo’s skin. He starts on the sensation of warm smaller hands covering his own.

“You have always fought for me, aniue… still more strongly than before. Yet it must secretly shame you that I can never fight for myself. And thus for the first time I have raised a blade to defend my life against those vassals who have shunned their sworn duty to us out of contempt…”

They were both guilty.

A matter of cause and effect that triggered a tragic chain of events:

Was it not Ujiteru’s bitter argument with his father regarding Saburo’s adoption that led to their mother’s death? The impact of her demise had unwittingly brought about his a year later.

And was it not Saburo’s inability to stand up and argue for himself that spurred his aniue’s overprotectiveness?

Now that their eldest became Clan Head, Ujiteru continues to go against him for the sake of their youngest. It was a destructive cycle that will arduously repeat itself if the one caught in between stayed still like a pliant doll.

“What did you say?” An expression of fierce anger quickly dashed the sorrow. Ujiteru had not been aware of this. He did not know that the snakes Genan-oji referred to: the traitors in the clan had managed to confront Saburo. When his otouto left Odawara-jo he had been completely short-sighted of this possibility. Having this knowledge suddenly brought to light awakened the beginnings of bloodlust he rarely exhibited.

“Hideharu!” Ujiteru yelled with a voice sharpened by rage.

Saburo already knew what was to come and stopped him. “No, Aniue. Don’t diminish your fighting force by sending them after those deserters.”

“But Saburo…” His aniue looked at him imploringly.

“I did it. I held them off until help arrived. Aren’t you proud of me? I managed to stand up for myself.” How could he resist? When Saburo was seeking for his approval Ujiteru was most indulgent. He briefly clasped those soft hands back then caressed that youthful face affectionately, “I am proud of you.”

He hid the anger with a gentle smile. In the dark recesses of his mind, Ujiteru secretly vowed to hunt those traitors down and slaughter them himself. For now he was content of the iridescent joy reflected in his favorite sibling’s eyes.

Saburo felt himself glow warmly at the praise. He wanted to tell the story in detail and talk to his heart’s content in the comforting presence of his favorite elder brother but knew that was unlikely. “I will continue to fight for myself from now on. So don’t worry about me anymore, aniue. Akito safely brought me to you, didn’t he?”

“I will try not to worry too much.” Ujiteru can’t really argue with that can he? He should stop now. Prolonging this was making it more difficult to leave. “Fuma Akito.” He called.

“My lord,”

“You are now esteemed in my eye because my brother acknowledged you. You have earned Saburo’s confidence and now mine as well. Protect him with your life. I dare not hope for failure.”

“I swear upon my blood, my lord.” Akito’s answer was a bit different from Kotarou’s. If the former’s words were inclined to use oneself as a shield, the latter’s response had been rooted from a desire to become a weapon. It showed the stark contrast between the twins but nevertheless Ujiteru was still pleased. Both had the same end result: Saburo’s safety.

“Saburo, you are an able young man. I have high expectations of you.” Ujiteru took comfort in Saburo’s happy expression. The rift that appeared between them in days’ time seems to have dissolved. He could now fight the battles ahead without hesitation.

“But for now…”

Saburo yelps in surprise when his feet suddenly leave the ground. Ujiteru carried him like he weighed nothing: was he always this scrawny or was it just because of his aniue’s strength? At first he didn’t know what his brother was up to when he was soon mounted on his horse. “Be an obedient child and go home.”

Akito quickly understood Ujiteru’s intentions and did the same.

“Aniue!” It didn’t take long for Saburo to start his protests when his horse quickly moved forward by Ujiteru’s urging.

“You have to leave now. It is dangerous here.” Ujiteru responded with the words of a strict parent. A steely expression on his elder brother’s face discouraged further arguments.

He had to get a grip. He promised not to let his Ujiteru-ani worry anymore. Blinking away his tears, he resists the urge to look back a second time and takes full control of the reins.

The powerful beating of the horses’ hooves on solid ground trampled Saburo’s doubts to linger. He and his temporary guardian steadfastly head for Odawara-jo.

Ujiteru watches his brother and the shinobi vanish into the darkness and only turned away when he couldn’t hear the horses’ hooves anymore.

A courier immediately hurried forward throwing himself down the Mutsu no Kami’s feet. “My lord…”

“Report,” Ujiteru knew this was nothing good.

“An unknown number of enemy cavalry were sighted breaching through the “Moat of Fire” as contrary to what was expected.”

So much for not dividing the forces… Ujiteru decided that Mimase was still his highest priority and turns to his second-in-command. “Hideharu, I leave you in command of this watchtower. Putting out of the fires shall be delayed for another hour or so just as long as they don’t go out of control. If the enemy numbers prove to be too overwhelming then retreat for Odawara-jo promptly.” The strategic burning of the jokamachi was done in such a manner that hid passable alleys that were untouched by fire. In fact, the Fuma ignited most of the fires on dry canals so the damaging heat was actually concentrated beneath and not on the road itself. But seen from afar, they create an illusion of a “river of flames forming a protective moat.” Any pragmatic general would hesitate to command his troops to brave the inferno. Perhaps the one in command of this Takeda cavalry was a mad man.

“You’ll not wait for reinforcements, Ujiteru-sama?” Hideharu’s query contained a hint of disapproval. He would rather suffer the strain of fewer men than letting his master fight handicapped.

“The more we idle here, the more we give the edge to the enemies at Mimase. Baba-dono and Yamagata-dono are tougher opponents. They are Takeda Shingen-dono’s finest generals,” was Ujiteru’s apt reply. He had known them personally and held both in high esteem. He would have looked up to them if the alliance between the Hojo and the Takeda endured.

“I’ll hold my post for as long as possible my lord.” Hideharu actually had no intention of surrendering even at the cost of his life. He still thinks himself completely answerable to the conflict in command.

“Carry on then.” Ujiteru said curtly before gathering his army.

XxXMOBXxX

Ujimasa held his katana firmly, ignoring the small twinges of pain from the previously injured hand. Though only a scab remained from the cut, the nerves there seemed to remember the sensation of being slashed. He almost smirked at that. Kotarou was truly intent of rendering him almost incapable of wielding a weapon just for Saburo’s sake.

And now look at where that brought him… Three cloaked figures have him cornered in the room singly illuminated by an undisturbed lamp.

He had arrived too late. The previous occupant of this room has been abducted.

Hanaiin’s scream rang once before a disturbing silence followed. As much as he didn’t want to believe that she could be in danger, his gut told him otherwise.

Ujimasa rushed out of his drawing room to find an empty hallway. Not a single samurai was guarding the door. As he headed in the direction of her chambers, deserted corridors quickly alerted him that something was very wrong indeed. His hand automatically closed around the hilt of his blade. He now approached with caution drawing his katana silently before bursting inside the room.

An unmistakable figure of a man was already halfway out of the window carrying a limp body of a young woman over his shoulder. The dangling hem of her sunflower-colored kimono was a great contrast to his dark drab clothing. With sharp eyes only focused on this scenario, he storms forward only to almost lose his balance from something tangled down his feet.

The obstacle on his path was a bushi sprawled unceremoniously on his stomach. He wasn’t moving but there wasn’t a single visible wound on his body— Before Ujimasa could let himself be distracted further he shouts, “Halt!”

The intruder didn’t even turn at the sound of his voice and disappeared into the night taking Hanaiin away. Ujimasa moved to follow but a pair of others swiftly intercepted him. They checked his advance with throwing daggers on each hand: Short weapons with a double purpose. They were effective in close (stabbing weapon) and mid to long-ranged (throwing weapon) combat.

One forward thrust of the dagger was side-stepped by Ujimasa and not the least bit intimidated, he raises his katana and swings towards them. They cross their twin blades to shield and parry the force of his blows. Undeterred, the daimyo brings his sheath in to match. He uses it to unpredictably strike interchangeably with his blade for distraction. This time they couldn’t parry effectively and only avoided getting hit. They choose to evade while close combat forced them to only use mild melee attacks.

From their more evasive movement and half-hearted counterstrikes, Ujimasa gauged that they were seeking to gain distance, which he wasn’t about to allow. He pursued them keeping a straight offensive while they remained on the defensive. It appears that they simply wanted to run from him now that they reached their objective. As the pair struggled to do away with his persistence and focused on escape, Ujimasa tore through their flimsy defense. One of them foolishly tried to match the strength of his katana. Ujimasa didn’t waste his opportunity and slides his blade up to the enemy’s hilt. Metal catches against wood and with the sharp twist and flick of his wrist; he flings the weapon off disarming one of the pair. But just as when he was about to go for the kill, a slight movement behind him brought his senses to flare in high alert.

A sharp object darted towards him and only his brisk reflexes made him jump away just in time.

The pair had a third companion lurking in the shadows! And he was obviously tired of observing. Without missing a beat, he hurled another dagger on the Sagami no Kami. Ujimasa deflected it with a precise stroke of his blade.

The intruders’ demeanor changed as the third one slowly walked into the shafts of lamplight to reveal himself. Like the other two, he was wearing a dark tattered cloak, while fitted lower garments peaked underneath. A pair of sly orbs was the only visible part of his covered face making any sort of identification difficult.

Caught in between the pair and the third one, Ujimasa refused to show an unguarded back and retreated at the far end of the room. Was it a trick of the light or did the third one just smirked with his eyes? Shinobi were devoid of showing amusement. The accomplishment of their mission is what drives them. So if these intruders weren’t shinobi, what are they?

He really does spend too much time solving unnecessary puzzles when more important matters like recovering his cousin, defending his life and his fortress are at stake.

Maybe the pain in his hand was a stinging reminder not to get carried away. Ever since she died going against the norm, going against logic, and going against himself have become Ujimasa’s ugly habits. He superficially wonders what she thinks of him now if she were to see all this… his madness.

“Tono⁶⁰, it’s no use going against us now. No retainer would come to your aid. They have all been subdued. Let us go and we can guarantee your safety.” The third one spoke, unyielding to this silent face-off.

The Sagami no Kami dismisses the bluff and counters deftly, “Go right ahead, the windows and doors are open. I remain the only obstacle to you. If you can dispatch me you would need no such threats.”

The third one actually laughs at that. His posture boasted of arrogance and nonchalance the other two didn’t possess. His manner of speaking was too eloquent to be that of a commoner’s. Ujimasa wasn’t dealing with ordinary thugs if this interesting persona was concerned. All things considered, he must be their ringleader. “On the contrary, we would be needing threats since you refuse to let us be. Atop this bastion’s roof is our hostage, Hanaiin-hime. We could just kill her now and take you in exchange.”

“Ho, that would make things better in my favor. While you busy yourself fighting with me, the Fuma are headed right this way. Shall we wait for my shinobi to come?” The throbbing in his hand was beginning to become unbearable but this man was just too intriguing to miss.

“Tono⁶⁰, are you saying you don’t value her life at all?” With a doubtful tone, the third one made a show of examining the dagger in his hand before suddenly hurling it at him.

The action was so detached from his words that it took an instant’s delay before Ujimasa blocked it with his sheath. This man’s temperament was as fickle as a woman’s… what in the name of the Buddha is with this one…? “I found your words untrustworthy since you already made a clear aim for my life.” He hissed.

“My hand slipped. You know the same thing could happen to our comrade taking the hime hostage if you don’t consider your words thoroughly.” The ringleader replied nonchalantly still along the lines of negotiation, which was becoming irritatingly redundant in Ujimasa’s opinion.

Somehow the sound of horses neighing permeated through their verbal swordplay. It seems too out of place even in the striking silence of a moonlit night. The cavalry units headed out into position an hour ago so who could be entering the outer gates at this time? It couldn’t be…

Ujimasa swiftly loses interest and slid the blade back inside its scabbard. He stirred clear of their escape routes. “If you could ensure Hanaiin-hime’s safety, what are your terms?”

Instead of a reply, the ringleader tossed him a round blunt object. Deeming it harmless this time, Ujimasa catches it in mid-air. Then in his open palm a coin lay flat.

“Negotiations to be done at Hatsushima Island.” This message was roughly inscribed on it. They dare go that far? Hanaiin was the last thing on Ujimasa’s mind. What niggled at him were the sounds of the horses unmistakably coming from Odawara-jo’s outermost bailey. He didn’t even move from his spot when the intruders left. The rapid beating of his heart echoed every painful throb of the old wound on his hand.

Showing signs of returning consciousness, the bushi lying on the floor groans.

~TBC



58 – The Hojo’s Hindu-derived patron goddess, Benzaiten was said to slay a three-headed divine snake called ‘Ahi’. Both are said to be associated with rivers. When the snake died, three of its scales remained. The goddess bestowed them to the Hojo as a blessing to their reign. These became the symbol of the Mitsuuroko* lit., “Three scales” found in the family’s Mon or crest, hence the three parts forming one big triangle in their war flags.

59 – This actually goes both ways. Execution could mean assassination or simply performing an action/intervention as mentioned in the next phrase.

60 – Similar for the honorific, dono. It could singularly be used to a person of high status.

Post A/N: This went a little looonger than was expected so sadly… (Avoiding angry stares) Kotarou is put on hold for the next chapter *hopefully… (Runs from sharp objects and giant panda hurled this way)
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400 Years Apart