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OiRanze| Anxiety
🕑 Added 2020-04-27 00:57:23 +0000 UTCAutumn bled into winter, with only a trickle of letters to tell anyone about the preparations being made.
-b-
Winter had brought news of a negotiated peace. One that sounded like a defeat, despite her father’s best attempt to sound optimistic. Yet... many of the men were staying. Ranze couldn’t understand it.
It seemed one defeat was not considered enough to call the campaign. Yoshikiba, whose family had chosen to remain behind, had called the idea foolishly honourable.
-b-
It was spring when Ranze caught Yoshikiba buying provisions, a fresh horse following him. She’d heard a rumour his father was gathering several men and horses, and felt sure they must be headed to the front as well.
“I thought you had called my father foolishly honourable,” Ranze said as she slipped over beside her friend and sparring partner.
“Ranmaru! I... er, Ranze, apologies,” he said, his bow awkward and stiff as it always tended to be when she was a girl around him.
“It’s no worry. I’m me, either name and either face,” Ranze said, giving him a friendly smile, the same as she tended to do as her male form. She hoped it read the same.
“I... no. It’s not just for that,” Yoshikiba said, his face remaining downcast even as he straightened back up.
Ranze leaned in, to make eye contact despite Yoshikiba’s best efforts to focus on the ground. “If not that, then what for? Embarrassed about leaving late?”
“My... my father says that any last stand is foolish. Tokugawa won during the winter, and scattered many of Toyotomi’s men, along with disassembling the defenses of Osaka castle. He says that the only thing to be done now is for those on Toyotomi’s side to defect, and... and for those of us with allies or family who fought on Toyotomi’s side to prove our loyalty to the shogun. To... to Tokugawa,” Yoshikiba said, having turned away from Ranze halfway through.
“Prove... don’t tell me you’re heading to fight against Kikunosuke!” Ranze hissed, her tone sharper and louder than she’d planned.
“It is my father’s decision. I am honour bound to follow his command. He is both my father and, due to the lands we own to protect law in the north, effectively his own master. Only a direct order from the Emperor could give me an honourable alternative,” Yoshikiba replied weakly.
Ranze could only stand in shock, no idea how to process the betrayal.
“I... I promise you, if I find him, that I will not hurt Kikuhiko,” Yoshikiba offered softly. “I could never hurt him.”
Ranze found no words could escape her throat as Yoshikiba began to walk away, leading his horse with him.
-b-
Summer had arrived, and Ranmaru found himself sweating as he prepared some firewood for cooking. He refused to let himself think of anything bigger than these menial daily tasks of late. Thought brought worry, especially as the days without any letters from his father or Kikunosuke built up.
“Ranmaru,” Fuji’s voice said, sounding hollow and distant.
Turning, expecting to find her on the edge of the family property, he instead realised she was barely more than a metre from his side, a letter clasped in her hands.
He saw how dead her eyes looked, and fought the urge to chase her off, so that he might live in denial of whatever horrid news she brought for another day.
“It’s a letter from Yoshikiba’s father... it’s quite polite. He always was an honourable man...”
Ranmaru’s heart sank further. Fuji was in shock. It reminded him of when they were young, and her mother had just passed away. How she’d closed herself to all emotions for nearly a year after. It had been so hard to break her out before.
“What does it say,” Ranmaru asked, not sure if he had any emotions left himself.
“Oh! Oh yes... father... my father... Sakai confirmed his death. Saw his face unblemished while Tokugawa’s men were looting. Your father... he said he was not completely certain, but that he believed he found his body as well. There was damage, but his frost scarred hands were distinct,” Fuji said, her eyes no longer focused on anything in particular.
“And... and Kikunosuke?” Ranmaru asked.
Fuji stayed silent. Ranmaru stepped forward, placing a hand on each of her shoulders. “What about your brother?”
“He said he could confirm nothing, but not to hold our breath,” Fuji said, before tears well up in her eyes and she collapsed into Ranmaru’s chest.
He held her, perhaps a little too tight, as he found his mind going blank.
-b-
It became clear very soon after the news arrived that Ranze’s father had accrued rather massive gambling debts in his ever longer and more frequent nights out drinking. It was only a matter of a month before the Mei family home was all but empty, selling possessions to try to appease the collectors, now that the family had no income. No income and two extra mouths to feed as Suki and Fuji moved in, orders from the distant daimyo insisting that a family with no men did not deserve the samurai’s home they’d been provided for their father’s past service.
Ranmaru had tried to find work, but, as the son of a dishonoured family he had little luck. Most of the village was awaiting the return of the Sakai family and their retainers, who would no doubt extract revenge on the families of those who’d been loyal to Toyotomi. Some seemed determined to chase the two families from the village ahead of the Sakai’s return as a proof of their own loyalty, throwing rocks and other such things at the Mei family home.
It didn’t really get through to Ranmaru, though. His heart was still in mourning mode. More for Kikunosune than his father, which in turn led to him beating himself up over a lack of proper respect to his father’s memory.
He found himself staring blankly at the table, having initially wondered if they should sell it before his mind had drifted to a blank void, when the door opened with actual energy. Turning, he saw his mother with a definite spark in her eyes.
“What’s going on?” Fuji asked, looking up from the sewing she and Saki were working on.
“My friend down in Edo has finally written back. She’s willing to take you girls in. With your good educations, she can offer you access to some well paying jobs.”
Fuji raised an eyebrow, showing some intellectual interest. “We’re going all the way down to Edo?”
“You girls will be. I wouldn’t really be of much help, so... I’ll stay behind. I think I can work something out with my sister if it’s just one mouth to feed,” his mother explained.
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