To live and die without
regrets was one of his goals…
His rough treatment could be
excused as a heat of passion, and through it all, he hadn’t fought back. There
were blemishes on his skin that hadn’t been there when he’d left home a month
or so prior, a scar along his cheekbone, a bruise on his neck, rope burns
around his wrists…Still, he had steadied himself. Acting out on his captors
wouldn’t bring him any favor, he’d thought, and he had been right. It was the
reason why he was now fairly free compared to those around him, those who had
been in place to protect him. (He didn’t accuse them of failure. Anyone could
have been caught off guard the way they had.) They were bound as tightly as
they could be, tied together like horses on a lead. He felt for them, wanting
nothing more than for them to be unbound. However, he knew that it was only his
restraint that kept his hands apart, and even then, he wove them together
beneath his sleeves. They knew he wouldn’t run. He had no choice.
Behind them, he knew, there was
another force, kept there in case anyone decided to try to rescue them. Based
on his own knowledge, he could have told them that their army had no chance,
but he’d held his tongue. He was polite, but he wasn’t going to give them
tactical advise.
Up ahead, the man who had held him
captive in the first place waited. His home was a fair distance beyond the
river they were preparing to cross, so he’d gone earlier to avoid the potential
for conflict. His confidence was enough to make one worry even if they were at
this point enemies.
Terumune had tried to warn him, of
course. He had told them plainly that he wasn’t in control of his son’s
actions, that he was his own person. He had even told them that it was mostly
advisors who were making the decisions and having the young lord put his name
to them. Most of what he himself had been doing with the child was comforting
him so that he could fall asleep at night. There were things going on within
their family that were more important than the affairs of other clans, but he
wouldn’t put them out in the air where they didn’t belong. When he had
mentioned that there would only be more risks heading toward them if they truly
held him captive, he had gotten a laugh. He had been called weak. His son had
been called weaker.
That was when he had lost all respect
for the man.
As the sound of moving water
reached his ears, he looked up from his thoughts and acknowledged the wetness
that had surrounded his feet. So they had made it to the river. Had they
discouraged him after all? Had they told him that it would be easier to
negotiate within a castle instead of on a battlefield? If so, things were worse
than he had thought. Had Yoshihime’s neglect impacted their child so much that
he would sit idly by while his father was, as far as they knew, in jeopardy? He
didn’t consider it an obligation to come to his rescue, but he had expected a
rash decision on the boy’s part, backed up by his retainer.
“M-Milord!”
All heads turned back toward the
way they’d come. A messenger ran through the middle of their parade, stopping
in front of the general in charge and hitting the ground with the force of a
boulder. “T-The Date army has practically annihilated our rear
forces! They’re coming toward us at full speed!”
The general’s face reflected the
fear in his heart for just a moment before he barked an order to the men that
encircled the prisoners. “Two of you stay on either side here in case he gets
any funny ideas to escape! The rest of you, get into position to defend!”
Terumune couldn’t help but feel
offended that they thought he would run at the first sign of an opportunity. He
was more honorable than that, and by the looks on his men’s faces, they knew it
as well. The general went on, however, addressing the messenger once more. “Run
ahead and get our lord! He’ll want to be here for this!”
As the young one sprinted onward,
the general met eyes with his captive, whose expression was amiable as usual.
He hoped it made him sick. If things turned sour, he planned to end his life in
front of the rescue party as an example. It was cruel, but it
was something he’d come to expect from Nihonmatsu and his retainers. If
the general was looking for words, Terumune was finished giving them.
The sound of hoof beats proceeded
the advancing army, the defenders stepping backward in awe. Their hostage
turned, waiting for them to appear on the hilltop.
It was then that he’d decided what
he needed to do.
Behind them, the lord approached
with a small train, taking leave of his horse and coming to stand close to his
captive. “I told you that it would come to this…Let’s see the true shade of
your son’s courage.”
Glancing to the side, Terumune
caught sight of a blade, one that he knew was meant to end his life at the
first sign of trouble, which he would create if he needed to.
Before long, the hoof beats gave
way to the horses that made them. At the head of the party rode two familiar
faces, belonging to his son and his retainer. Breathing deeply, he exhaled,
asking for strength from whomever would listen. A fair distance away, the
opposing army stopped, and he could see more clearly who had come for him. He
recognized the faces of several men that he had fought alongside not so long
ago, including that of one of his other closest friends. Their leader brought
his horse forward, distinguishing himself and making himself the focus.
The young lord spoke, his voice
still showing signs of the youth he had. “So we finally meet, Nihonmatsu
Yoshitsugu, close relation to the Hatakeyama…You have violated the terms
of the agreement that you sent along with your messenger by
transferring my people from their original prison.”
In response, from next to him,
Nihonmatsu spoke. “Those are some big words for you, brat. You sure you know
what they mean?”
Terumune shifted his gaze back to
his son, momentarily catching sight of the retainer to his side. The two shared
a gaze, though it wasn’t clear what he was trying to convey. He understood
clearly what was being told to him. I will slaughter every last
one of them to get to you.
“It means I caught you red-handed
taking my father back to your castle when you said you’d be noble and
stay put.” He paused, letting it soak in. “So let’s get to business. You let my
father and his men go, and I will give yours back to you.” Showing proof
that they were safe, the wall of mounted men parted as the captives were
brought out. They seemed relieved to see their lord once more, like they had
been worried about execution the entire time.
Pride showed in the smile on
Terumune’s face, and by the look on Nihonmatsu’s, he wasn’t impressed. The child was
already getting on his nerves. “You think you’re so smart. You’re the reason
we’re here!”
Before anything else could be said,
an arm forced itself around his waist and brought him closer to his captor. The
blade that had once been securely in his hand now hovered just above his
collarbone. The clear shift at the foot of the hill was apparent, a gasp from
the young lord and a quick draw of the sword from his retainer. “You really
believe that I care about them? That’s hilarious. I sent them in
hopes that you would execute them and make this easier for me, but it looks
like I’m going to have to be the bad guy.”
His messengers on the other side
showed fear, looking to the soldiers around them and expecting their death to
come after all. “Sending Daddy to make up for your mistakes…It’s cute, really.
Did you ever even consider that this would be the outcome?
You’re going to listen to me now, you hateful brat.”
The young lord held out his hand,
his retainer lowering his offensive stance despite his gaze never leaving
opposing lord.
“You can either forfeit yourself,
your land, and your people to me…or I can spill your father’s blood in front
of your eyes and slaughter the rest of the men down here. The choice is
yours.”
Terumune felt Nihonmatsu’s grin
growing as he watched his child struggle with this decision. He could also see
the retainer’s anxiety rising, his urge to make a move present in all of his
features. He had enough restraint not to, but watching it made him uneasy.
Among the turmoil on the boy’s features, the impatience of his captor grew
until he pressed his blade against his collar bone, a wound opening and
painting red a line down his front.
The retainer’s outrage increased, and
the young lord’s fear grew. He didn’t know what to do, and that was clear. He
was just a child, not yet ready to carry such decisions. He
couldn’t be asked to choose between his father and everything else, especially
when the two of them were so close. It wasn’t fair.
“No! Don’t you dare hurt him! I’ll
do anything, just let him go!”
The army seemed to collectively
gasp, all eyes on the young lord. He had broken to the threat of losing the
only person who he thought cared for him. His terror was clear, and it pained his
father to see it.
Nihonmatsu released his hostage,
letting him stand alone and freely. The first thing he did was wipe the blood. “There’s
a good boy…Now come here. Exchange yourself, and take responsi–”
“That is enough!”
Not only did the people around him
stand to attention but those in the other army did as well. It was a voice they
knew. It was the voice of their lord. Before they knew it, he had disarmed the
lord and swung the blade until it almost touched the other’s neck. “You will
stop antagonizing my son…”
“What do you mean to do? If you
strike me down, you’ll die anyway soon after, and surely, you understand that
your precious son would hate to see that happen.”
Knowing full well the implications,
he shifted his gaze to his people, the ones who had come to rescue him. His
decision was made, and so, he called out. “Yoshinao! The two of us have known
each other for a long time, as long as I can remember, and I would be honored
to pass on my word to my son so that he may direct your hand and your
weaponry.”
Everyone present seemed to hold
their breath. From where he stood, he could see the skeptical looks on his
men’s faces, including those who were a short distance away from him. He saw
the tears on his child’s face, helpless and terrified. It was all right. He
wouldn’t have to live with this decision. In the end, it was his own. “Bontenmaru…You
always took my advice and my word seriously, so please understand when I
tell you what I want you to do.” He breathed deeply, his lungs expanding fully
before he exhaled. “Give them the order to attack. Regardless of who stands in
the way, let their aim be true!”
Slowly, it dawned on all present
what he was saying. The arquebus core could take down more men faster than just
those with blades. Nihonmatsu’s eyes widened. “You fool! Do you think that your
boy is going to order your death? He could barely pass up the opportunity to
sell himself to me to save you!”
In a voice already filled with
tears, the young lord answered for himself. “You can’t ask me to do that! I
won’t do it! I can’t!”
Nodding as if that was what he had
expected, Terumune looked back to the head of the arquebus core, his friend,
and nodded. “Then I suppose it stands to me to do so…Ready yourselves.”
Though they hesitated, the men
gathered themselves and assumed position. The cries of protest from their young
lord were drowned out by the noise. His retainer reached over and put his hand
on his arm, trying to calm him.
“This is insane! You are
insane!” Nihonmatsu started to panic, but he saw that nothing would change the
outcome now that it had been turned against him. All he could do was turn and
run, leaving the men behind him as he splashed across the river. He wouldn’t
die this day, but his men would. In fact, they seemed to condone his escape.
Now that the imminent threat on his
end was gone, he dropped the blade, a tainted thing that he no longer wanted
stuck to his fingers. Looking to that familiar face, the retainer who he cared
for dearly, the one who was so good with his child, the one who had been his
friend for life as well. Disbelief was on his face, a horror that couldn’t be
mistaken. He was loyal, however, and when his lord spoke, he would listen. “Kagetsuna…Please
take Bontenmaru away from here. He should not have to witness this…”
So many more words that he wanted
to say caught in his throat. He couldn’t in front of all of these people. They
were too private. They couldn’t be out in the air so long as so many ears could
hear. Understanding replaced shock, and before anything else could take place,
the retainer lifted the young lord from his horse and put him on his own. He
would have to be quick, the child’s protests already growing in intensity from
a simple “Put me down!” to a “Don’t do this! Let me stay! Let me
help!”
As an extra incentive, he looked
straight across to the men in front of him, the ones he would soon order to end
his life. He watched as the horse carrying the two that he cared for turned and
started in the opposite direction. His son was spared the sight. He could
freely choose this option and not regret it.
He was doing the right thing as a
person, and though it would harm the person most important to him, it would
save so many more lives. If his could save others’, he would feel no regrets.
Inhaling sharply, he extended his arms out perpendicular to his body. “Waste no
time…Take aim, and let it be true! Care not for which targets are hit! If
all fall, your duty is fulfilled!”
With only a second’s hesitation,
the boom of the muskets firing rang through the air. All at once, they had done
it, just as they had always done before.
At first, he felt nothing. There
were no differences aside from the knowledge that the shots were in the air. A
burning first grew on the tip of his right ear, and soon, others joined him in
his leg, his torso, his left cheek, and several places around his chest. The
others around him fell, but he stood, the realization of what he’d done dawning
on him. The strength in his legs failed and soon he joined the others, falling
backward into a hazy plain, one surrounded by a sparkling sea of light.
He hit the ground, and there his
sight cut out entirely.
The horse stopped, its riders both
hanging their heads. The boy’s mournful cries covered the muffled ones of his
companion, their tears both falling with the knowledge that the person they
loved had fallen despite all they’d done to come to his rescue.
He was dead, and neither of them
had saved him.
