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tireddal · 4 years

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Her heart's flower {douma x reader}

•warnings: may include grammar (English isn't my mouther-language) and historical mistakes, female reader, prostitute's and human deaths mentions.•

Part 6: Return

"My, my...Little beauty has lost this." Douma carefully looked over pin and hid it under his robe. What a pity.

He has felt unknown feelings. On the one hand, Douma was calm as always, with happy and wide smile on his face, but on the other hand he felt something new and unpleasant. Jealousy and anger. How could these jerks took something from you, mostly when it's his present? His smile flinched, revealing sharp teeth.

"M-master..." Girl-servant doubtingly called for him, nervously rubbing her dark-blue skirt. "Your dress is ready..."

Douma's turning abruptly so that caused girl to sob loudly from fear. After this she quickly hid her mouth with small hands, which were in scars from hard work in brothel and went away, has bowed respectfully.

Man only sighed heavily, feeling boredom again. However, maybe this festival would give him some pleasant emotions?

***

You spent few days in family's estate. F/N didn't bother you because of a lot of land and manor deals, so you were relaxing most part of time. Sometimes you and L/N-sama have been eating together and talking about samurai's future. Rarely you wanted to talk about your childhood, but didn't know how your father would react on this, after M/N death he had become other person, so any mentions of her were making him furious and depressed.

Your hands healed a little, because of F/N advice to have a rest before hard times would come and a lot of help from his best healers. So, you were grateful and enjoyed calm evenings with books and green tea from yours lands.

Unlucky, you couldn't stay there forever.

Early in the one day your private servant has helped you to pack bags and change home clothes to travelling.

F/N has given you a weak smile and patted your shoulder, when you were staying near estate's gates. You bowed respectfully, than walked away, thinking about deals which were waiting you at Yuki's estate.

***

"Y/N!" Shiro happily cried out right in the moment when you have reached training corps, holding you an embrace of iron. Other men have already greeted you.

"A-ak-kyama..." You hardly wheezed out, patting his firm back. Takashi was standing behind you two, looking at your weak attempts to get free with restrained smile on his tired face.

"You're right in time, Y/N!" Shiro let you go, so you inhaled in relief, smiling weakly. Seeing his excited expression, you looked at Shiro with confusion.

"Tomorrow will start festival after Tokugawa." Takashi explained you. Akyama nodded, still smiling. Suddenly you hugged him, laughing genuinely. Shiro had understood you without words and started laughing too. Ishikawa looked at you two, mentally calling you both fantastic fools.

"Unbelievable..." Takashi mumbled, nervously tugging his long black hair. "Idiots. This festival is good chance to show our fight skills and loyalty, not..."

Shiro exhaled with growl, letting his hand lay on your shoulder. "What a snob! Of course it's a good chance to hang out!" Akyama huffed, so you only shrugged. For you it was a good chance for making two deals at the same time.

"Hm. Thanks for warm welcoming, but I should go." You slightly moved away from Shiro. "I have heard that I lost one of my bags, so I want to check it. Good luck you two!" Ishikawa nodded while Shiro let out heavy sigh, and you went to your room, had given friends gentle smile.

You slowly got into room, feeling somebody's presence. Sighed, you closed door. Unlucky, your favorite katana has been hidden in one of bags, and short knife was near tatami.

You have fixed clothes and stepped further, clenching fists and looking around.

"Come out!" You hissed. Something has moved and you caught dark silhouette behind yourself. Quickly have turned around, you yanked somebody out of the darkness, feeling strong body in your hold. Man hadn't given you time to think enough-his heavy fist shot near your head while he was trying to escape. You inhaled and tried to undercut him, but trick worked out little bit wrong, and you fell on the cold floor with "guest", who have yelped soundless. Otherwise, you didn't waste time and caught his in grip, squeezing his neck with all of your power.

"Y-Y/N-chan?" Man croaked. His gaze met yours. Obviously, these pale-violet eyes could belong only to Fukuda clan.

"Kami! Yuki!" You released him from your hold, and man swallowed hardly, inhaling more air. You quickly rose up and fired some candles. Yuki hasn't been laying on the floor anymore. He chuckled and sat on tatami, lazily reaching out his limbs.

"Y/N, I have something to tell you." Yuki closely looked at you, who has sat opposite him. "Somebody has stolen pin."

You stared at him with wide eyes.

"Impossible. Fukuda's estate has three stages of protection, every entrance always has some guards. How could it happened? Have you told Yasuhiro-sama about that?"

He shook his head, crossing arms.

"It would create too much problems for us. Firstly, I thought about you, but then I had known that you have come in family estate. However..." Yuki closed his eyes, nervously squeezing fabric of his clothes. "I verified your room with Misaki's help...Sorry..." Black-haired man bowed low in the front of you.

"Urgh...Well, you give me few hours to hang out on the tomorrow's festival and i will forgive you. Now rise." You patted his shoulder, smiling.

'I haven't found anything. I checked some other rooms, but nothing. Guards haven't left entrances, and nobody from women's side has seen this stranger. Masterfully." He chuckled, exhaled. "Kami. I'm fool..."

"Oi!" You shout at him, looking with a scowl. "Is you a proud warrior and honor of Fukuda clan or just a cry-baby?! If you want to find pin then drop acting like that."

Yuki looked at you in unbelief. Slowly he has raised up from tatami and let out a sad snicker.

"Often and often I think about you as a clan leader, Y/N." You gulped, being shocked by his words. He shrugged and went away, leaving you alone. Door has creaked.

You hugged yourself. Too much problems, too much...

#kny x reader #kny anime #kny imagines #kny douma #demon slayer douma #douma #douma x reader #reader #kimetsu anime #kimetsu no yaiba #demon slayer

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chatchalita · 5 years

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I feels like writing something, since I rarely write things these days and I feels like my English will go down the drain soon, if I’m not writing.

Since I impulsively bought a plane ticket again, it’s time for me to summarize my other two trips I had this year as like a build-up for my upcoming new adventure the Taiwan trip in November.

This first post is about my side trip from business trip...I guess

I don’t know how I usually start my traveling post, I guess I start with a disclaimer that this post is not informative at all, just me writing about my trip for future me to reminisce about it.

It has been 2 years since I last visit Mikawa Anjo, the last time was for internship purpose, (which I happened to not write about the experience :/) I was greeted by the familiar feelings, I missed this place. I finally semi-ly made it back. I worked hard in this company for the past 1 year and I feels like it paid off a little.

This trip was my 6th time in Japan and took 14 days (Aug, 18th- Sep, 1st). Since this is a business trip, I’m able to ride Thai Airways, finally something that not low-cost and I’m able to load my luggage lol. The flight is TG644, I arrived at Japan around 8am, I decided to stop by my hotel for luggage storage, then go on an adventure to Okazaki Castle.

Before Okazaki Castle, I visited about 6 Japanese castles, so I know what I should expected from the castle. And spoiler alert, it was disappointing for me, I don’t know why, maybe because I’m burned out from visiting castle, or maybe because I saw a greater castle? Or maybe because I expected something from the castle that said to be the birthplace of Tokugawa Ieyasu? The Evangelion exhibition saved this castle from a total disappointment, at least there are something interesting.

After the castle I went back to my hotel and then meet up with my boss and some Japanese co-workers for a little nomikai. Alcohol intake, not that much.

The second day, which is Monday, it’s the old atmosphere everybody was as welcoming as ever. I only spent half day there because I had to visit other supplier factory in Gifu, I’m still cursing myself for not taken any photos in my phone (for the location purpose), then that night another nomikai, and this time I drunk so much sake that actually made me drunk and made me worry for tomorrow. I’m not the kind of person to have hangover, so I didn’t worried about that, I was more worry about how much alcohol I will have left in my blood, since Tuesday, I will have to attend welcome party.

Tuesday, another nomikai, thank god my body can handle another round. That day, I was not drunk whatsoever, but I did drink Calpis sawla for at least 5 glasses, and other other things...overall probaby 15-20 glasses of alcohol. Those are nothing to sake I previously drunk on Monday though.

Wednesday, nothing worth mentioning ohh except I walked 2 km for Matsumoto Kiyoshi to get the stuffs ppl asked me to buy for them.

Thursday, yakiniku with my co-workers.

Friday, actually nothing?

So one week has passed, most the weekdays activity either hung out” with my co-workers or went to grocery shopping, my co-workers (in Thailand) asked me to buy kimono for them, and they keep called it yukata. It was a short kimono that you wear with hakama, these people want to wear them as “fashion”, these really culture appropriation *sigh*

Saturday, Saturday, where did I go on Saturday...oh Meiji Mura...again. I actually went there two years ago to dress in Hakama while this year is to see very small fireworks with actual same age people. Because I already went there once, not many pictures were taken

Sunday, the manager in charge of me took me to Iga, MIe to see some ninja. Iga Ueno castle is actually in the list of castle I want to visit. If you talking about Iga ninja, Hattori Hanzo, probably the famous ninja from that “school”?

The ninja demonstration was interesting, idk what I expected, I guess I did low-key expected movie stunts ninjutsu, but it turned out to be just ninja technique.

I do loves Iga Ueno Castle since I could see both the life of ninja and samurai in one place. The ninja village is really fun place and touristy.

So far the day went very well and pretty much free since the manager paid for everything, but my dumbass has to be extra and went to Nishio to see lantern festival (alone). And you know what, the taxi cost 6000 yen round-trip just for the station to the festival ground. And this is what 6000 yen gave me...

It only 8pm and the festival already over. I learned something new every time I went to Japan. Apparently, 8pm is late for the festival. I live in the city, 8pm is still early for me.

Monday, kaiten sushi with the same age people

Tuesday, in the afternoon I went to Toyohashi to see printing factory and the person asked me what is the food that I want to eat but have not eaten yet, and I replied “unagi”, which is something very expensive.

I think this was about 5000 yen for a set. In the evening, he treated me tempura like in actually tempura shop, where the chef actually fried tempura in front of us.

As a nekojita, I was suffering but it was so delicious.

Wednesday, I got stood up by the manager that took care of me 2 years ago. No biggie.

Thursday & Friday, spent my last day in Anjo as lonely as ever. (and spent 2 hours try to figure how to pack everything in my suitcase because of what people asked me to buy)

Saturday, I bought a day tour from Klook to Takayama and Shirakawago, the thing about tour is it convenience and probably cheaper than finding the transportation myself, but the downfall always, the time. There are not enough time!! I guess that is something I have to accept when it a day trip. In the bus, I was the only non-Chinese speaking person there.

Takayama...I was eating, so I didn’t had much time to explore, but you know what I feels like if you went to Kyoto, you don’t need to go to Takayama. It has it own charmed, I just didn’t had enough time to enjoy its charm.

The raw beef is the best out of the 3, this Hida beef made visiting Takayama worth it.

Next stop, Shirakawago, the highlight of the trip. The sunlight and everything made the pictures look colorful and amazing. The photos taken there was one of my favorite set of photos of all my trips.

Shirakawago, a place I would loved to visit again during winter and spent more time there. Due to the lack of time, I can only take pictures of here and there instead of absorb myself. I wanted to visit more museum, more historical stuff, but the time is limited :/

After the day tour, I went to Hikone and stay at the hotel there.

Sunday, the last day let’s make it count. I first planned to go see Tonbokiri in western shiga (which I forgot the name of the place), but because it was so far away and I don’t want to wake up early and my main goal was HIkone castle. I ended up with visited Nagahama Castle in the morning. That Sunday probably the day I cursed google map the most because the train schedule in there just not right! I didn’t missed the train, but like the map told me it departs at 9, I arrived at 8:50, the trained in the google map is the train that not stop in this station like what’s going on. And that happened a lot that day, I probably spent like almost 2 hour in (different) train station because the time in google map was earlier than the actual train.

Anyway, back to Nagahama castle, a castle built by Totoyomi Hideyoshi

In my opinion, definitely better than Okazaki, the overall atmosphere made it “feels” more significant than Okazaki castle. The view from the tenshuu is very pretty, in which you can actually see Biwa lake.

I just loves this kind of scenery.

After Nagahama, I went to Omi-Hachiman for some unknown reason. I’m like that awkward person that wouldn’t push the stop button because nobody seem to get off at this stop, and just kept riding the bus until many ppl get off. I mean they are Japanese people, they know what’s good right? Turned out, the popular spot Japanese people are going is like a “dessert park” called La Collina, I called it dessert park because they mainly sell dessert there, and “park” because they have large greenery area.

Their most famous dessert is Baumkuchen, I personally not that big fan of it, so I bought the small size along with macaron.

Then, I followed google map to Omihachiman canal area to find the bus to get back to the station.

The canal area is what I intended to go.

I’m glad I was awkward and decided to follow Japanese people because I got have variety of scenic photos.

Next stop, the highlight of this trip Hikone Castle, 1 of the 12 original castles yayyy.

I love Japanese garden, so first visited the garden in the castle area and just like other garden I visited (except Kokura Castle garden), i was not disappointed.

The Hikone Castle, I loved the castle that I have to work my way to see the tenshu. I love climbing, just to see castle.

The view from the tenshu also amazing.

After HIkone, I went back to Nagoya to see my same age co-workers? friends? comrades? again for the last time, and we ate “Taiwanese Ramen” which just spicy ramen

And then I got back at the airport, which seem very empty at night.

Good bye, Aichi. I hope they will send me there for business trip again next year.

If you read this far, stay tuned for another Japan trip, which is like 2 weeks later from this Japan trip.

#just chatchalita traveling #chatchalita in aichi round 2

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yunohawkeye · 5 years

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Memories of you pt.4

Phew... Finally finished it. I’m sorry for taking so long~

And again thanks to @tarralin for betareading again~

Tagging: @datemasamunemaiwaifu @juminly @the-devilkings-chatelaine @lilster360

Word count: 1813

Days went by with no one daring to talk about the incident. That didn’t mean no one worried about MC or Masamune.

About her, because she shut herself off from everyone and stayed in her room. The scenes she remembered kept her up all day and night, every replay displaying more details. She was so immersed in her past that she even forgot to eat and sleep. Kojuro often had to force her to do that while she only replied with dull eyes not really paying attention.

Masamune, on the other hand, was seemingly holding his composure while he went crazy in his mind. There was nothing he could do to ease her pain and that killed him. Even as he continued with his usual routine with his well-known attitude, everyone knew he wasn’t alright.

But no one dared to come close to the captains chambers as muffled noises came from the other side of the door.

“You can’t just leave her like that!”

A livid Kojuro lectured his captain.

“And why not?! If she remembers her past because of me and has to suffer through all of it again, I’ll gladly let her go! Have you even seen her the last few days? At least she can live a peaceful life then!”

“It’s too late for that now! She remembered some things already and was spotted by the marines. There’s no way her life will be peaceful left alone on an island! You know-!”

Kojuro’s rant was interrupted by the door flying open without warning and revealed MC with a determined look on her face. “I won’t stay hidden in my room anymore. And I won’t cower and hide on an island. I’ll stay. I’ll stay and learn about my past. I won’t just let that go now. But I’m not naïve. I’ll need to learn to defend myself and you’ll help me with that.” The tone in her voice was strict enough to make the other two men stand there in shock and stare at her for a few seconds.

“Were you eavesdropping?”

“Yes, I was eavesdropping. I tend to be interested if people debate about my future.”

After her statement, Kojuro was the first one to regain his composure hand-in-hand with his ability to speak again. “And how would you like to defend yourself?”

The complete calmness in his voice startled both MC and Masamune who looked at his friend as if he’d just thrown all of their supplies over board. But the girl was faster to answer. “Maybe I could learn how to use a sword?”

At the mention of the piece of metal, the captain’s look darkened. I can’t have her fight at the front lines.

But before he can react his friend took his worries off his shoulders. “You would need years of training for your body to gain the agility needed to dodge incoming while simultaneously strengthening your body to be able to crash through your opponents defense. Then you might be on the level of a lower marine soldier.”

MC just looked at him dumbfounded as he continued. “But if you don’t want to wait that long to get out there, I can show you how to properly use a pistol. If the captain has nothing to say about it, of course.”

Kojuro glanced over to Masamune who tried to kill his friend by the pure intensity of his glare. After a few seconds of their staredown, the captain gave up and sighed with a defeated look on his face. “I can’t stop you from learning how to defend yourself… At least you’re not in the middle of a battlefield with a pistol I guess…”

He looked at MC and continued. “Kojuro can teach you the basics but if you want to learn more I’ll send a mes-”

Masamune was interrupted by a crewmember that stormed into the room with a scroll in his hand that seemed important as he explained, “This is an urgent message from Akechi’s ship”

Without a word, the scroll was taken out of his hand his eye flashed over the written words with incredible speed as his look darkened farther with each line. “Kojuro, teach her the basics. Fast. We’re needed on Marayuki.”

MC just stood there confused as the man next to her nodded and ordered the crewmember. “You. Tell the crew we’re setting sail to Marayuki.”

The messenger immediately sprinted away as the girl found her voice again. “Marayuki? I’ve never heard that before.”

Eyes still roaming over the letter Masamune answered. “It’s an island under our alliances control… Or rather was. It got attacked by a special marine force. They took over the kingdom.” Now facing Kojuro he added. “Teach her what you can until then. She’ll need it. I’ll go get her a set of pistols.” He made his way out of the room.

Now alone with the quartermaster, MC’s curiosity took over. “You have an alliance? With who?”

Kojuro looked at her and gestured her to take a seat. “I guess it’s time to tell you so I’ll do that until your pistols are here.”

He poured her a glass of water as he sat down across her and started to explain the situation.

“We are one of the six heads of our alliance. There are others, too. Our Leader is Nobunaga Oda. He’s the captain of our flagship and the most important of all of us. His goal is to unite the sea under his rule so the islands who don’t want to be controlled by the current government aren’t left alone and exposed to slavers and corrupt kingdoms. But this doesn’t help to make friends, you know? The marines, headhunters and of course other pirates are thirsting for his blood. That’s the reason he surrounded himself with allies.

“One of his most trusted vassals is Hideyoshi Toyotomi who functions as his quartermaster. He keeps everything under control to put it simply. From splitting up the crews rations to keeping in check that the crewmembers don’t slack off.

“To help him with that, their navigator and tactician helps him. His name is Mitsunari Ishida. His battle and fighting skills aren’t on the highest level but his intelligence and analytical abilities balance it out quite well. He’s mostly glued to a book and seems pretty dense sometimes but I still wouldn’t want to face him as an enemy. He always has an ace up his sleeve.

“The next one is Ieyasu Tokugawa. He’s the captain of his own ship and specialized in medicine which makes him our main doctor. Most of the times he’s called when there’s a disease spreading on one of our boats but don’t underestimate him in combat. Ambition is his second name and he trained hard to get where he is today.

“Then Masamune and our fleet function as the vanguard of our alliance. Our fighting style goes full on offense as you may have noticed. We’re the ones who are called when a fight breaks out or one of our protected islands is overtaken by one of our enemies. That’s why we were called to Marayuki.

“Then the last one is Mitsuhide Akechi. He operates as our spymaster. As captain of his own ship, he travels around our islands to check if everything is alright. But what mostly makes you have respect for that man is that it seems like he knows everything. Akechi’s spy network is unknown even by us but nonetheless enormous. Doesn’t matter if you need information about the weapon stacks of our enemies or just want to know what the king of an island had for breakfast. He knows. But he’s also one of the best sharpshooters out there. Masamune is probably going to ask him to teach you how to shoot.”

Silent until now, MC asked. “But aren’t you going to do that?”

With a smile on his lips Kojuro answered. “I mean… I’m a decent shooter but he’s a professional. I’ll be the one to only teach you the basics.”

With an acknowledging nod, MC turned her attention back to her thoughts to sort the information she just recieved but there was one thing she didn’t quite get, “I… I understand the ambition behind this but isn’t the current government working? I don’t really know what you mean by ‘islands being controlled by the government’. The village I lived in and the villagers were able to do what they wanted.”

With a cold tone in his voice Kojuro bluntly stated. “They weren’t free.” Taken aback, she looked at him with a questioning look on her face and he continued to explain the situation to her. “Didn’t it occur to you that there was a reason for you to live outside the village? Or that there were no new people deciding to live there or just passing by during a journey? That the people and their problems stayed the same no matter how many earnings the harvest brought? Every little bit which wasn’t needed for the people to have enough power to work was taken by the government to prevent the people from becoming strong enough to form a rebellion. They weren’t able to do what they wanted. Every step they made was controlled.”

With distress visible in her eyes, MC stared at her glass and processed everything she just heard. But a hand that was put on her shoulder ripped her out of her thoughts as Kojuro soothed her. “But we are fighting to end these times. Our goal is to unify islands like these so we can help them to get their freedom back.”

“I…” MCs grip on her glass tightened as her knuckles turned white from the pressure.

“MC-”

“Bring me to this Nobunaga.”

This blunt statement left Kojuro taken aback but as he saw the determined look on her face he calmed down a little bit. Now he knew why his captain had taken such an interest in her.

“Bring me to him so I can officially request to be part of this alliance.”

Still not completely convinced to let her put herself in such danger, he tried to talk her out of it. “I don’t really think Masamune would be too keen on-”

Again he was interrupted by MCs glass being clashed on the table as her anger grew. “I don’t care what he thinks! This is my decision to make and he has to deal with it.”

Seeing the fire in her eyes Kojuro grew more and more convinced that she’d be a fine addition to the alliance. He couldn’t help but smile as he answered. “I’ll talk to him.”

In this moment the door opened and the captain barged in as he threw a pair of pistols at MC. “It’ll take us about a week to arrive at Marayuki. Enough time to teach you the basics. Let’s go!”

#Ikemen sengoku #ikesen #ikesen masamune #masamune date #pirateAU

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httplovecraft1890 · 6 years

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Tomie Head Canon Extravaganza

"'Don't talk about life or death,' she said. 'I've had enough of both.'" - The Waterboys, “A Girl Called Johnny” (1983)

I haven’t actually seen one of these floating around, and most of this is honestly just kind of fic material, but I figured I’d go ahead and just put up a general mapping of Tomie’s personal history that I recently sat down and came up. While it will be used for my own stories, anyone is free to use aspects of it if they so wish for their own stuff (RP, etc.), and while I understand some might be turned off by ‘explaining the monster’ given Ito’s penchant for not giving his audiences explanations, it was a fun mental exercise.

(Unknown who the original artist is, but I believe they’ve deleted their Tumblr account since making it)

Family History

“Gonna hang myself from my family tree.” - Sparks, “In My Family” (1974)

The Kawakami family’s origins lie in the southern half of Japan in what is modern day Shimane prefecture before they traveled further south to the port of Nagasaki, where for much of their history they remained as a family of fishermen. In 1588, they were among the first to be converted by the Portuguese at their diocese in the region, a faith that Tomie’s father maintained up until his death in 1974. Her mother’s family, the Hashimotos, had historically always been soldiers and could trace her ancestry to samurai in the employ of the Tokugawa shogunate in the city of Sagamihara in Kanagawa prefecture.

Her father, Abraham Kawakami (1937-1974) - Japanese Christians oftentimes adopt Western names or will utilize both a traditional one as well as another and there was no way I was missing out an opportunity to have her dad’s name mean ‘father of many’ - was part of the country’s noveau riche that had sprung up during the post-World War II American occupation that benefited with the abolition of the aristocracy and breaking up of the zaibatsu following their nation’s defeat. The Kawakami family under the enterprise of Abraham’s dad, Peter, changed professions and began a steel plant back in their old homeland of Shimane, based out of Tokyo. With an eager foreign backer ready to help rebuild the islands to prevent the spread of Communism, Peter’s competitiveness and aggressive but fair business practices led his family to wealth virtually overnight. Despite this, Peter always had poor health throughout his life and was really only building an empire so that his son might take over in his stead after he passed on. His mother, Mary (also descended from a line of Japanese Christians), was a homemaker and did not adjust well to being a CEO’s wife, preferring to avoid functions as much as she could

Tomie’s mother, Chouko Hashimoto (1932-present), was one of the most popular actresses - and sex symbols - in the 1950s and 1960s in Japan, starring in everything from TV shows, movies, and even radio programs, getting her start in the 1951-1957 historical soap opera, How Silent Fall the Cherry Blossoms, set during the Meiji Restoration at just 19. Chouko’s, and Tomie’s, good looks are somewhat genetic as her father, Toshiro Hashimoto, was a prestigious pilot for the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service and was known for appearing in news broadcast reels as propaganda for the war due to his clean cut, handsome appearance. He did not live to see the end of the war, however, and his plane was shot down during opening hours of the Battle of Okinawa (April 1, 1945). Though she would always deny it publicly in interviews, her radio body of work was directly inspired by her mother’s, Ai, role as a ‘Tokyo Rose’ during the final days of the war (a term used by Americans to refer to female Japanese broadcasters fluent in English who tried to goad them into deserting the armed services).

Despite Peter’s religiosity, it was something that only came intermittently to Abraham. Scarred by the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the war’s end, for a long time he was a lapsed Catholic, and didn’t take going to church particularly seriously - a source of friction between his parents and himself. It also didn’t help that in his father’s waning years before losing his battle with stomach cancer, Abraham took to all sorts of debauchery and heavy drinking, the latter causing his own inner demons to unleash themselves for the rest of his short life.

Chouko and Abraham met at a Christmas party hosted by Kawakami Metals in Tokyo in the winter of 1968 and hit it off. Quickly seeing one another for casual hookups, the situation became much more serious in early 1969 when Chouko found out she was pregnant, and a marriage ceremony was quickly held to save public face for both parties (in Abraham’s case especially important as Peter had died not long into the new year and he had been confirmed by the board of his family’s company as the new CEO). Given Japanese social mores, it was effectively the end of Chouko’s career as she would be expected to retire and raise the baby, as well as any other she and Abraham might have in the future - something that greatly disappointed and angered her.

Tomie was born on October 31, 1969 in Tokyo, Japan (this is a reference to her first appearance in the shoujo magazine Monthly Halloween, as well as being 18 years from that year, a safe bet to assume the first chapter’s story takes place in as there is no mention of DNA testing on her remains - something that became commonplace as part of police procedures roughly at around this time).

Her baptized name is Anna - a diminutive of Hannah, ‘favor’ or ‘grace’ in Hebrew - was a name her dad would refer to as, but something her mother wouldn’t, and was a source of tension between the two of them (given she was not a Christian), something that became more important to Abraham in the wake of his dad’s passing. This is a reference to the movie Tomie: Forbidden Fruit; the bit about her family being Christian is a nod to a throwaway scene from Tomie: Beginning where she quotes the bible, of all things.

Though much more bearable when her father was alive, Chouko’s treatment of Tomie as a child was always one of general detachment and disinterest at best, something that grew into actual abuse once Abraham’s illness, alcoholism, caught up with him in 1974 when after a night of heavy drinking at a party hosted at his family’s home, ended up with him drowning in his own vomit, only to be discovered by a 5-year-old Tomie the following morning.

Despite never marrying again, Chouko mistakenly believed herself set for life as she had taken the Kawakami surname, and the company’s founding documents made provisions for the family to receive a cut of the profits once control had been turned over to the board of directors. Never one to manage money well, despite the stipend she received, she and Tomie eventually found themselves living barely above the poverty line.

Childhood

“Mama's gonna make all your nightmares come true. Mama's gonna put all her fears into you. Mama's gonna keep you right here under her wing. She won't let you fly, but she might let you sing. ” - Pink Floyd, “Mother” (1979)

Unlike the girl that the manga-reading public is familiar with, Tomie growing up was a much different character at first. Despite being photogenic, she had an incredibly shy nature that often meant she would not open up to others easily, something that ultimately evolved into outright being emotionally stunted due to the frequent and varying types of abuse she received at the hands of a mother who hated her, seeing her as the reason her future had collapsed.

With the idea that talking = being hurt seared into her, Tomie’s school life was not much better than being at home. Her beautiful appearance meant that girls were frequently jealous of being shown up by her and her reticent demeanor towards others meant that boys saw her as stuck up or seeing herself above them. With school administrations loathe to address bullying, Tomie was an easy target for her peers to pick on. This only served to further the idea in her mind that human beings are capable only of cruelty and that kindness by others is only as good as how much they believe it will benefit them to act that way.

Reiko Mizutani was Tomie’s first - and only - real friend. They met in middle school in their first year, with Reiko being the first person who ever tried to reach out to her and establish some kind of human connection. Despite many of her initial attempts being rebuffed, Tomie ultimately relented in the hopes she would finally be left alone, but quickly latched onto the other girl when it became apparent that someone, at last, was treating her well. Even if perhaps on some level she believed it was a lie, it was a worthwhile delusion to hold, making her the one exception to Tomie’s rule about mankind. She’s also the only victim of hers that Tomie has ever felt any kind of remorse in eating/absorbing.

Speaking of Reiko, her efforts at getting Tomie to come out of her shell are also the very same thing that set her on her eventual downward spiral. At first simply trying to avoid further harassment, it became readily apparent to Tomie that it was easy to get things out of others by using false promises or at least feeding them enough bread crumbs that they’d be strung along by her for no other reason than they felt she was attractive or they happened to be intimidated by her. The older she became, the worse she got, though she she always did spare Reiko her later attitude when they were in private together.

The positive feedback loop of being awful to others yet simultaneously cowing them never made much of a difference at home. Even if she could put on a brave act while at school, it didn’t matter when facing Chouko’s wrath. Tomie being on the receiving end of physical violence didn’t begin with men, it instead began with her mother hitting her for minor mistakes, using her firsts or the closes object to her. Tomie’s numerous ‘boyfriends’ often remarked that the only thing imperfect about her were bruises or scars.

There was nothing particularly special about her relationship with Yamamoto or Mr. Takagi; she’d cheated on those she’d been in relationships before, but it was the first time that it had ever blown up in Tomie’s face. Despite not caring much for Yamamoto personally, it was Takagi who made the first move, which Tomie did reciprocate (the signature mole underneath her eye vaguely reminded Takagi of a porn star he liked) and being middle-aged meant that his tenure at Tomie’s school gave him a bit of money to throw around for compensated dating.

Manipulative and cruel as she ended up becoming in spite of Reiko’s best efforts, Tomie’s fear that she was pregnant was correct: she was indeed with child and afraid of the consequences, not only from the rest of society, but her mother especially. His later status as a thrall of Tomie’s posing as her father on numerous occasions is meant to reflect his attempted shirking of responsibility.

It fudges with the time frame a bit, but Tomie’s (first) death was on July 13, 1987 occurred exactly one week when they were supposed to go on summer break and the events of the first chapter occurred shortly after class 1-B’s return in August. (This date in particular was chosen as it’s inverse of Junji Ito’s birthday July 31).

Life After Death

“I don't want a cycle of recycled revenge, I don't want to follow Death and all of his friends." - Coldplay, “Death and All His Friends” (2008)

Despite being close to her father growing up, it turns out his conception of the afterlife was wrong - or at least not applicable to her. Tomie ended up in Meido, or the Buddhist version of hell with some Chinese folklore tossed in. After crossing the River Sanzu to proceed onto the afterlife, Tomie’s soul immediately faces problems from the underworld’s bureaucracy. Namely that her life was a complicated one and that’s seriously effecting their judgment on her fate. None of the kings present can decide on what to do with her or what level she should end up on. Her lecherous and selfish behavior is something that would’ve normally damned her... but the circumstances of her death shock them. Betrayed by not only her teacher, but a classroom that almost entirely hated her? It was clearly an unwarranted punishment from mortals, an idea that they balk at. However, what seals Tomie’s fate is that among those who betrayed her is someone whose life is relatively free of any kind of bad karma: Reiko. Unsure of what to do in extenuating circumstances such as this, the kings make their decision.

With no options left, they kick Tomie out of Meido and onto a diferent plane entirely: that of the more traditional Japanese afterlife, Yomi. This, too, is much like the Western conception of purgatory though without any kind of the fire or brimstone seemingly found in the former location. Meido’s judges have determined that the only being who has the right to see Tomie’s fate decided satisfactorily is the primordial goddess Izanami.

Izanami, annoyed that this trivial matter is being brought before her, almost does away with Tomie’s soul entirely but she stops her, mentioning that the two of them are kindred. Since Izanami’s bet with her brother-husband eons ago saw her committed to killing more humans than he could bring into the world, Tomie believes that the only sensible solution is to have someone working in the mortal realm who can help expedite the process of creating strife. After all, the terms and conditions of the bet were vague and there was no specification from either party that the same soul passing on had to be different. With that in mind, as well as having her own deep seated desire to hurt men, Izanami acquiesces.

Tomie lays out her terms: she will be allowed to return to life as an agent of Izanami’s on her own terms. She cannot die permanently though her physical body may be destroyed, will not age unless she wills it, luck must forever fall in her favor, and she can manipulate anyone she chooses. Izanami agrees since to her something like this is trivial and it allows her to get back at Izanagi, but she requires one last thing: proof that Tomie is willing to uphold her end of the bargain. To that end, Tomie offers her the soul of her just formed child as compensation and is allowed to return to earth, setting up the events of the original Tomie.

Abilities and Powers

“I thought that I was in heaven But I was sure surprised. Heaven help me, I didn’t see The devil in your eyes.” - Elvis Presley, “(You’re the) Devil in Disguise” (1963)

Functionally speaking, Tomie’s manipulation of others works like she were an emotional vampire: the other person must be emotionally vulnerable, just like she was when Reiko met her years ago, for her to have an ‘in.’ If at some point you ‘fall in love with her’ or are weak enough to be unable to resist her, there’s nothing you can do to rid yourself of her until it’s too late. This ability is also not based on sexual attraction either. “Orphan Girl” proves that she can manipulate people based on nothing more than platonic affection as well, so straight women or gay men can’t even consider themselves safe.

Tomie prefers to revive herself from her own body rather than absorbing others. There are a few reasons for that, but the foremost one is that it’s simply less taxing on her. The other is that occupying the same body means sharing the same soul as another, and this is the reason why Tomies who are generated in others are far less cooperative than those who come from Tomie Prime (for lack of a better term). Traits from the previous girl’s life often find themselves seeping into this new version of Tomie and it’s something she absolutely despises.

Eating human flesh as a quicker way of healing herself is, obviously, not something she agreed to do, but something Izanami forced her to do as it 1) amused her and 2) didn’t want Tomie getting too arrogant about her newfound powers.

Despite what was mentioned above about Tomie’s preferred regeneration methods, there is a benefit to taking in those who aren’t her. Tomie’s memories function much like a cloud computing system - they’re all accessible by any of the ghost clones and still exist even in the inevitable death of those who’re using them. Similarly, skill sets that Tomie could gain such as being able to speak/read/write English fluently, learning how to be a stewardess, the intimate knowledge of a particular mathematician become hers once her mind mingles with another’s. Once again similarly to a vampire, though, Tomie must manipulate the girl into letting her absorb them into herself (seen arguably in the manga chapter “Hair” and a frequent subject of the Tomie movies). She does this, in true Hollywood movie monster fashion, by keeping all the souls of the girls she’s absorbed over the years (or men who’ve been manipulated by her and died) to further her own abilities’ growth, thus explaining why she seems to get stronger as the series progresses. They are collected in a place her mind can sink into once it’s damaged enough called the ‘In-Between Place,’ a kind of personal fiefdom she has in Yomi itself.

Her effect on men, or women, who become attracted to her is very similar to a heavy sleep, with few being able to recall any details of their experiences while under her sway, but going from relatively normal and functioning within society to raving lunatics hellbent on her murder.

Unlike characters such as Deadpool or Wolverine, Tomie isn’t immune to the pain of being hurt. Getting cut, stabbed, electroctued, drowned, beaten with an object, etc. all still feel just as horrible as they would to a regular human, it’s just that they aren’t permanent obstacles.

Shintoism places a high premium on the phrase “cleanliness is next to godliness.” The worlds of the living and dead are not meant to intertwine and historically even people who so much as touched corpses like butchers, graveyard workers, etc. formed an underclass called burakumin who were treated as the dregs of society (and soft discrimination still continues to this day despite the Meiji reforms abolishing the shogunate��s caste system). Fire being one of the few things that kill Tomie is an extension of this idea, as a common superstition is that corpses that are buried or left to rot above ground can become haunts for evil spirits, but turning someone to ashes prevents that possibility. It’s her one Achilles’ heel due to the paradoxical nature of her origin.

Though Tomie occasionally refers to herself as a ‘demon,’ as I explained early on, this is not accurate: she’s a ghost, albeit a physical one. Calling herself an oni, though, is more of her cheekily referring to the idea that her purpose is, technically speaking, a divine one... just in a very twisted manner as oni are often in depictions of versions of the afterlife among Japan’s main religions of Shintoism and Buddhism acting as tormentors or obstacles to be overcome in some fashion.

Her luck powers are not readily apparent, usually not even to her, and they often simply just ‘happen’ rather than occur by her will. Whether it be from a traveler who just happens to pass by her, surviving something just long enough to spin it in her favor, etc. there’s usually an out for Tomie, especially as her strength grows.

Once she’s powerful enough, Tomie probably could use men to revive herself with - or even those who aren’t ethnically Japanese - but she’s not quite there yet.

Tomie doesn’t like for there to be too many copies of herself at any given time if she can help it. Not only does it put suspicion on her presence in multiple locations at once, it’s something of a mental drain on her to be split into so many different bodies at once.

Similarly, while she hypothetically could leave Japan and go abroad, Tomie doesn’t dare do so out of the fear that at least one version of herself will die for good as her magic might very well be tied to the land itself. But, again, if she were to grow stronger then who knows what she could do...

Miscellaneous

"...Look at me, I'm all the fishes in the sea." - Fiona Apple, “Daredevil” (2012)

If you scrape underneath the surface, there really isn’t much of Tomie from a personality perspective. Even with her immortality, she never really ever developed a personality or interests. In many ways she’s still the terrified little girl cowering underneath her sheets at night, wondering if her mother will find an excuse to hurt her. Her sociopathy is learned, not inherent, but she still lacks genuine interests other than hoarding wealth just the same.

That said, her demand of caviar and foie gras is something of a personal joke for her. They were Chouko’s favorite luxury food items and she would often lament that she could no longer afford them after Abraham’s death. Even after all this time, Tomie is using her powers to spite her mother by obtaining something she knows she can’t have.

Despite the fact she seems virtually fearless on the surface, outside of Chouko, Tomie has developed an intense entomophobia (fear of insects) and helminthophobia (fear of worms) ever since she returned to life. If she’s partially healed like, say, a decapitated head she can still feel something like a cockroach nibbling at her flesh. Despite this, she does feel a spiritual connection so to speak with their hardiness.

The only man she’s ever genuinely loved was her father. She’s less angry at him dying than she is of him leaving her alone with her mother. All others are expendable tools at best to further her own goals.

Her favorite flowers are lilies, owing to Abraham’s childhood nickname for her (also ironic symbolism as white lilies are a common item in funeral arrangements in Japan as symbols of death).

She probably does enjoy sex, but is almost certainly highly selective of which of her thralls gets the ‘honor’ of touching her in that way (though innuendo is likely employed by her to get those who are more hesitant than others to give in to her). Even if she does find her partner agreeable, she probably still puts him down anyway, but playing it off as a kink.

In a break with many other Tomie fans, I don’t particularly think she’s lesbian; I’d personally phrase her sexuality as “doom” more than anything else. Men are her ‘preference,’ if it can be termed that, to stomp their egos into the dirt and ruin their lives, but if employing her usual tricks on women is necessitated in some manner, she wouldn’t hesitate to do so. Any perceived gentleness towards them is more due to having to break down Japan’s traditional sexual mores and get them to lower their guard, however.

She sees herself as personally being above morality, hence why disturbing chapters like “Boy” portray her as being overly physical with someone much younger than herself, while in “Passing Demon” an 8-year-old copy sees no issue with trying to seduce someone much older. That kind of thing is for humans - something she doesn’t believe herself to be anymore.

That said, in the In-Between Place, Tomie has kept Reiko’s spirit ‘alive’ as best she can. Unlike its ‘roommates,’ it’s the closest thing to how she was in life that’s still possible for her in her prison. If there’s anyone other than her father that Tomie can said to have loved, it would probably be Reiko, and she’s the only person Tomie probably romantically had any affection for (not that she would recognize it as such).

The laugh she’s often portrayed as having, a light, airy thing meant to imitate a noblewoman’s speech pattern, is actually something she manufactured. Tomie’s laugh - still possible to coax out of her if you surprise her well enough - is extremely dorky, including snorting and all.

#tomie #junji ito #tomie kawakami #horror #manga #head canon #random notes

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thatlongspringnight · 6 years

Text

Mistakes (Mitsunari/MC)

This is angst (with a happy ending I think.) and it got way out of hand (its like 5,000 words)

But i had to get the idea out!~

I am pretty sure I’ll make a smutty epilogue, but this is safe.

Special thanks to @han-pan for giving me ideas and listening to my ridiculousness, and helping me edit. <3

Tagging: @tinydadkanetsugu @frywen-babbles @jemchew @pseudofaux @dear-mrs-otome and really anyone else who wants to go through this emotional roller-coaster.

fic under the cut!

She was smiling, an excited grin on her face as she waited for his reaction.

Still, he felt faint, staring at the letter in his hands. It was like everything had gone silent, except for the sound of his blood pounding in his ears.

“I got accepted!” She had yelled, just moments ago, throwing her arms around him, pulling away to hand him the slip of paper. “I even beat out Tokugawa for it.”

Her words had fallen short of reaching him, too transfixed on the paper in his hand.

He couldn’t take his eyes off the words on the page. Vague memories of her mentioning study abroad surfaced in his mind.

She’d gotten accepted.

Details emerged. A golden opportunity, a full ride, a once in a lifetime chance.

A full year. She’d be gone a full year if she took it.

A year if she limited herself, it was fully possible she could be taken on as a resident. Then what would it be? Two years, five?

The rest of her life laid out before his eyes, without him in it.

His impassive look was failing, replaced with a simmering anger he couldn’t place. They hadn’t talked about this, not once, not really. Only in passing when she said she doubted she would get in.

Never planned for it, never gave him time to prepare. He wouldn’t be able to go with her, that wasn’t an option. He still had a year of school before he completed his degree.

“You’re taking it?” His voice was harsh, the words spilling out with an edge he couldn’t stop from bleeding in. Her smile faulted, confusion taking its place.

“Of course, I’m taking it.” She stepped back, arms crossing. “It’s a full ride for a year, Mitsunari. All I have to pay the cost of living.”

She couldn’t grasp what was wrong, that was obvious on her face.

Maybe she didn’t hear the sound of his world crashing around him.

“You’re just going to do this? No warning-“

“I told you about it when I applied, it’s not like I kept it a secret. “She bit back. “Unless you didn’t think I was capable-“

“Being capable and actually attending are two different things.”

“Mitsunari-“

His breathing was faster, his chest felt tight.

“You’re just going to pack up and leave for a year? Just like that?” His voice was loud in his own ears “This says you’ll need to be packed and leaving in two weeks.”

They were planning on moving in together in the fall, once his lease was up. They were going to adopt a cat. Hazy days spent relaxing together, talking about paint colors and

“I was on a waitlist, so it’s not like I was sure about anything.” She huffed.

A waitlist. If she was on a waitlist that meant-

“Did you-“He frowned. “Did you know you were on a waitlist?” That did it, she looked away, a pained expression on her face.

She had known. She knew and didn’t tell him. How long had she known? How long had she kept it from him? The pain in his chest took on a different note.

“Mitsun-“

“I’ll take that as a yes then.” His dry response. “What an interesting secret to keep.”

“I didn’t know, I didn’t want to tell you if I wasn’t sure-“

“Why? An attempt to spare my feelings? As though this isn’t worse?” She reached out to touch him and he pulled away. “I don’t know why I’m surprised.”

“What does that even mean?” She sounded frustrated. “Its not like we can’t make this work, lots of couples-“

“What makes you think I want to make it work?” The words left his mouth before he even realized he said them, and her eyes widened.

“W-what?”

“Why would I want to be with someone so dishonest. Someone who treats me like a child.” Why would he want to be with someone who was just going to leave him? His thoughts darted back and forth, not making sense in his head.

“I wasn’t-“

“You sat with me two days ago talking about us moving in together!” He rounded on her. “Did you know then? Did you? You must have. Yet you sat there, letting me prattle on when you knew. Letting me hope like an idiot.”

“I didn’t-“

“Just stop!” He sounded wounded, he hated himself for it. “There is nothing left to say. There is nothing left at all.�� He was at the door and she was teary eyed.

“We can work through it, though” She sounded helpless.

But he was already at the door.

He put her calls on silent. All but locked himself into his room, and no amount of prodding, pleading, or political plays from Hideyoshi could budge him.

Why was he doing this?

If he thought about it, he wasn’t sure he could name why. He wasn’t being reasonable, had no desire to be reasonable.

No amount of writing, and he had written pages at this point attempting to express himself, seemed to solve it.

And he knew why.

He was scared.

Scared of confronting this unknown, scared of not having control, scared of staying involved when in the end.

Well, in the end he knew how it would turn out, didn’t he?

“Hideyoshi.” She sounded desperate, pleading on the other end of the phone.

“I know.” Hideyoshi was standing outside of his door, a calculated move, Mitsunari wagered, given that he had her on speaker phone. “I know, but he refuses.”

Mitsunari had never thought it was possible for him to be frustrated with Hideyoshi, until this moment. Of course, he wanted to open the door and take the phone.

Of course, he wanted to talk to her.

“I leave in two days.” He tightened his fists, the feeling vanishing. He didn’t want to talk to her.

He could end this right now.

He could walk into that airport. Run, even.

He could pull her close, kiss her hard and let it all be water under the bridge.

The rain was soaking through his shirt, and he shivered.

He could- He could

Ask her to stay.

He frowned at the thought.

No, she wouldn’t stay.

She would leave.

There was a pain in his chest and he felt like he couldn’t breathe. He ran a hand through his hair, sighing.

She was leaving no matter what.

The flash of anger, stubborn and burnt, weighed down his chest. Catching the kindling of his own insecurities. She was breaking a promise.

The fire was burning now.

Memories of his father, a distant and dark figure, promising to visit, to be good to them.

He thought of those nights he cowered in the closet of the room he shared with his mother, he thought of the screaming, the stark sounds of thrown objects, the crying.

Empty words.

Memories of his mother, eyes filled with unshed tears, limp and listless as she laid on the couch. He could see her, clear as day, promising that she would take care of him.

Promising that she wouldn’t leave him like his father had.

She had broken that promise too.

Broken it, snapped it like a ribbon, like a rope around her neck.

He could remember the sound of his own sobbing.

He thought of the girl he loved, fiercely, and the broken promise that laid between them.

He could go up to her and end it for good, tell her that they wouldn’t work it out. The distance was just too much.

She was leaving him, like she swore she wouldn’t. Promised over and over again as she lay under him, as she kissed him hotly.

Promises given in ecstasy, broken at his feet.

He rocked on his heels, time passed. Rain. It fell in the darkness and swallowed him whole. It cooled his heated blood. His feet wouldn’t move, couldn’t move.

Something hot spilled down his cheeks, a stark contrast to the chilly rain.

What was he doing? Waiting for her like a child. Waiting for her like he had waited for his father, for his mother.

They would all leave him in the end.

A choked sound left his mouth, and he bit it back.

He could see the plane, hear the heavy whir.

It was already too late.

Hideyoshi found him there, in what seemed like an eternity later. He was frowning, and as much as Mitsunari tried his best, he couldn’t find it in himself to care.

“I hope you’re happy.” Hideyoshi mumbled, ushering him off. “Because she’s not.”

The first letter came two weeks later.

And the next the day after. Like a flow of water. At least one a week. Mitsunari didn’t know what to do. At first, he considered opening them.

Then he thought about it. He knew himself. He knew his weaknesses. He didn’t want to read her explanations.

He didn’t want to try and make it work out.

Not right now.

But he couldn’t bring himself to throw them away, tossing them carelessly (or rather, filing them meticulously) in a small box hidden in his closet.

Maybe one day he’d open them, but that day was not today.

“Why don’t you go on a date?” Hideyoshi sat across from him, the light from the window spilling into the too-small apartment kitchen.

Mitsunari looked up, a little too quickly, breath in his throat.

“What?”

“Go on a date, you know. A date. Find someone, take them out to dinner. It’s been three months since you broke up.”

“I don’t-“ He stopped abruptly, looking away. Three months, an unbearable amount of days. He had thrown himself into his studies, into his job.

He came home late to sleep and left early.

He cursed himself for his own feelings, he had been fine alone before he met her.

“Come on, it could be fun.”

“I don’t want to have fun.” He mumbled. “I don’t have time to waste on flighty, inconsequential would-be lovers.”

“Huh.” Hideyoshi shook his head. “I wonder if she feels the same way.”

He didn’t want to think about that. Didn’t want to think about her in the arms of another, smiling at another man. But that was why he had done this in the first place.

The panic swirled in his stomach, almost painful. No he didn’t dare address it. It made him want to throw up. Even now, he kept waiting, like he expected her to appear one day, on his doorstep, and wash it all away.

He took a breath, long and low. Trying to give himself some calm.

He needed to be reasonable.

And reasonably, it was inevitable.

She was going to find someone new, someone better than he could ever be. Someone who wouldn’t hold her back because of his own anxieties.

And it was better for the both of them.

He was willing to believe that. To believe that they were both better off, to shut himself off from his memories of his time with her, and his own mistakes, like he had shut away so many other things.

Until the letters stopped.

They had trickled down to one every week, sometimes two.

He didn’t even realize how he waited for them, for the ritual of putting them away.

The connection they gave him to her, even still.

He put away one particularly wrinkled envelope and waited for another to come.

But it didn’t.

A week bled by, then two, a third, and a fourth. A month until he was pacing in his room, staring at the letters in front of him, tucked neatly into a box.

He had finally crumbled, asking Hideyoshi if he had heard from her lately.

He had been met with a shrug, a sigh, and a no. Only serving to further his nerves. Was she okay? Had something happened?

Scenarios he hadn’t thought to consider tore him apart.

And then, as though he couldn’t control it, he tore open the first letter.

Mitsunari,

Its colder here then I was expecting.

Isn’t that an innocuous thing to say? I can picture the way you’re frowning as you read this.

But really, it is cold.

One of the professors made a comment that it was unseasonably cold, even.

I suppose I must have brought the icy chill with me, since it clings to me, seeps into my bones.

“Conversation about the weather is the last refuge of the unimaginative.”

Who said that? I figured if you went so far as to read my letter, I might as well have you brush up on your British lit.

Anyway, I love you.

It was Oscar Wilde. Mitsunari sighed, setting down the letter.

It was Oscar Wilde and he could read the loneliness in her words.

Mitsunari,

The flat I’m staying in is quiet, but basically on campus, which is good because everything here is so hectic.

So very hectic.

I’m more than a little overwhelmed.

I found a cute bookmark in the airport when we landed. It’s in envelope, as is my new phone number, that was a hassle to get.

You know, if you decide you want to call me.

I want you to call me, desperately.

Even if its just to fuss at me, or to tell me you hate me, or anything really.

I love you. I love you and I miss you, and I wish I could see you.

But I’m not sorry I’m here.

She wasn’t sorry she was there.

For some reason that didn’t sting like he thought it would.

He looked at the number on the paper, and the bookmark, a scenic foggy wood with something on the back.

He turned it around.

“How do I love thee, let me count the ways.” The words spilled from his lips, and he felt something in his throat.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s love poem.

He set it down, unable to look at it.

Mitsun,

There is a cat living in the alleyway next to my flat. He seems thin, a little worse-for-wear. I think he might be abandoned.

I heard him meowing at me when I got back from class today, like he expected me to feed him.

So obviously I went down the street to a corner store and bought him some food.

He is very prickly, and he hissed at me when I set the food down.

I know sending you this many letters in one week may seem a bit excessive.

But you told me that letters were always more welcome than emails.

I think you’re a romantic at heart, to think that.

Are you glaring at the paper yet? I hope so.

So maybe if I send you enough letters you’ll write back.

And we can try to be okay again?

Just maybe?

I love you

Mitsunari,

Its been a full week since I got here.

It doesn’t really feel real to me.

The jet lag is pretty well gone, I think because I’ve been sleeping most of my days after I get home once I get back from class.

I’m still feeding the outside cat, I think I should name him but I’m not sure what. He’s got beautiful eyes, blue like what I wish water looked like.

He’s looking a little muddy, its been raining nonstop. I guess I probably look a little muddy too.

I wonder if I can get him to come inside. I think he’d be happier if he had a friend.

I think I’d be happier if I had a friend.

Love you.

Mitsun,

I’m lonely.

Can I say that? Is that too much? I don’t mean to be blunt.

But I sat in front of my closet today and cried for what felt like forever because I accidentally packed one of your shirts and it smells like your cologne.

I don’t really know what to do.

I couldn’t even call home because of the time difference. I wish I could hear your voice.

I love you, I miss you, I hope you’re doing well.

He wanted to hear her voice too.

More at this moment than he ever had. His hand lingered over the phone, looking at the number she had sent him.

No, it was too late for that, wasn’t it?

Mitsunari,

I let a week pass. I don’t know why.

I hope that you reply, you know. I still do. I know that letters take a long time, and you probably haven’t even gotten the letters I’ve been sending, yet. I know I’m being a little ridiculous.

I imagine a hundred different scenarios where my letters never reach you.

And you don’t know how much I love you, how much I want you to respond.

Mr. Kitty let me pet him this morning. Also, I’m keeping up with my reading. There is quite a lot, along with much more hands-on lab-work.

But it is worth it, I know. And I feel good doing it. I’m learning so much.

Love you.

Ishida,

I talked to Hideyoshi earlier. He says that I don’t sound like myself.

He also said you aren’t acting like yourself.

I’m sorry to say that that made me a little happier, I don’t know what I would have said had he told me that you were just fine. Happier without me.

Please talk to me.

Love you. Now and always.

Mitsunari,

The cat’s name is Haru, because he reminds me of the first white blossoms of spring.

I found out that there is an international student’s group for the graduate programs. So, I think I might go.

It’s almost been a month since I got here.

One month and two weeks since I talked to you

I love you

Mitsunari,

How are you? I know the semester has already started. I hope your last set of classes are going well. You know, there is a graduate program here in library science.

You could be one of those librarians that works in one of these centuries old libraries.

I could see you before the school year was out.

It’s just a thought.

I don’t plan on staying here.

I just think you’d love it. Its cloudy all the time, and sweaters are always in fashion.

I would love to be here with you, too.

I love you.

Mitsun,

I caught Haru!

He was really scared and he scratched me pretty good.

And that was even before I gave him a bath.

He’s sleeping now.

I took a picture of Haru and I with the polaroid, its in the letter.

Love you

She was smiling in the photo, leaning down next to the sleeping cat. Looking at her made his breath catch. She looked tired, even in the picture.

He had forgotten until he saw her face just how much he truly missed her. Missed the way her eyes lit up, missed the sound of her laugh.

He could conjure it even now.

He felt something in him break just a little.

Why had he given her up? Was it worth it?

Mitsunari,

I went to the international club today.

There is a guy from our university here!

Date something-or-another. I don’t really remember. We were in the same communications course ages ago.

He’s here for economics, though.

There are a few other students from the school here too, but I don’t know any of them just yet.

I feel a little less lonely, but having friends from home isn’t quite the same as what I want.

Love you

A man.

Mitsunari stared at the words for a while, his memories conjuring the two Date cousins that he had seen in passing.

The quiet one was still here, but the loud one?

He frowned, a flare of something in his blood. That Date was a womanizer.

And she was vulnerable.

A thought filtered through, that she was allowed to do whatever she pleased. But still.

Mitsun,

Haru knocked over my glass of water today while I was watching him.

I left you a blank postcard, a train pass, and some more pictures.

I found an old pocket watch at an antique shop and I’ve slipped it in too.

I love you much.

Mitsunari,

Its rained for three days straight and yesterday I napped most of the day. So that was lovely.

I have culled some of my coffee habit with tea now, not green tea, that is still too healthy. But a strong black tea with milk and sugar is great on days where the sun doesn’t shine and all you want to do is nap.

I can hear you scoffing, because what’s the point in switching to something that is just as bad for you.

I miss that face you always make.

That’s all really.

Love you

_________________

Mitsunari,

I heard that Toshiie proposed to his girlfriend. How wacky!

I feel like they just got together.

But then again, I guess they were friends growing up, so maybe they just felt like it was time.

Hideyoshi was heavily lamenting that, since he’s still single.

I asked him about you and he evaded my question.

Are you okay?

Love you.

Mitsunari,

I stared at the paper for a little while.

It’s been two months.

60 days.

I know you’ve been getting these letters, HIdeyoshi ratted you out.

I guess my feelings are hurt, but I think…I think yours must be hurt worse.

I want you to know that my feelings haven’t changed. I love you.

I haven’t left you, not really. I’ll be back soon. Its just till June, its freshly October.

Don’t make me wait that long to talk to you again, please.

Love you

Mitsunari,

Even if you do make me wait, I’ll wait.

I’ll wait for you as long as it takes, if you still want me.

I love you.

That choked feeling wouldn’t leave him and maybe, just maybe, his vision was blurry.

He rubbed at his eyes. He wanted her to mean that, still even. He wanted to be waiting for him. So he could apologize. So he could make it right.

Mitsunari,

Some girls from the university and I went on a hike today. The weather is amazing and chilly, I adore it.

We pressed leaves into a scrap book after and I finally got around to using the espresso maker I bought.

No complaints from me, it’s been a great weekend.

I took some photos of the scenery, enclosed here.

I think next weekend we’re going to go tour a castle. So that is exciting!

Hope you are well.

I love you

Mitsun,

I’m sorry I’ve been so busy with school, but honestly, I have to say touring a castle isn’t as much fun as when we did it.

I think you would have known more about the place then our tour guide, and you could have held my hand.

A win/win I think.

But I stuck the brochure in here, so you can look at it. There are so many places here that I want to go to, I’ll be sure to keep you updated.

Love you

Mitsunari,

There was a thunderstorm last night and Haru cried and cried. Eventually he settled down and half-smothered me all night. He’s a good kitty, I think. Wary of strangers and not very trusting at first.

He really likes behind the ear scratches and only eats the fancy kind of cat food, so no wonder he was struggling so much outside.

He is soft and a little bit fluffy and I think he must be part Siamese or something, with those blue eyes.

I’ll have to figure out the easiest way to move him back with me when the time comes.

I think you and Haru would get along really well, he even sleeps at the foot of my bed (when he isn’t smothering me).

Love you

There was a dozen more along the same lines.

Little details here and there of the life she was learning to live without him.

She wrote about nonsensical things, serious things.

Always signing them “Love you.”

He read about her burgeoning friendship with Date, whose name, as it turned out, was Shigezane. He learned of nights of karaoke and pizza, late night confessions and her neighbor’s attempts to set her up with anyone and everyone.

They got shorter as time went on, sadder, even among the little joys.

She asked him often how he was. She told him how much she missed him with increasing frequency.

He cursed himself for all the nights he spent considering reading the letters and not.

He hated it, hated himself, more as he read those letters than he ever had.

He was a coward, nothing more than that.

There were two more, the last two.

He was shaking, fear having stolen his anger from him. There had never been a reason to be angry in the first place.

If anyone could have made it work it was her. Strong, beautiful, lovely her. Who took his misery and gave him back happiness.

Mitsunari,

I wish I would have done things differently.

I think at first I refused to see your side. I thought that for sure that you would come around quickly.

But I never asked myself why you were really hurt.

I only trivialized your pain before I left. Thinking that it would all be resolved before I got on the plane.

Now I think it must be too late.

I’m sorry I hurt you. I’m sorry I kept this a secret from you. It was selfish. It really was. I didn’t want to lose face if it didn’t work in my favor, but had I been in your shoes, I think I would have been angry too. More than angry, hurt.

I was too busy focused on my own success to even think about how it would affect you. About how I was pulling our lives, your life, out from under you.

How in one fell swoop I managed to ruin everything.

I’m sure you’re tired of these letters

Tired of me because I don’t know when to stop. I’m sorry about that too.

I’m asking for forgiveness. I want to know that you are happy, even if that happiness is without me.

I’ve been thinking that I might accept that position, and stay another year or two.

Mostly because I’m too scared to go back to a town that has a you that doesn’t want me.

I know that is very selfish too.

I love you.

One more. He opened it too quickly, nicking his finger on the envelope. Blood stained the paper, but his eyes were too focused on the words

Mitsunari,

This is my last letter.

I don’t know if you’ve read them all or if you’ve read none, but I think its time to stop.

For the both of us.

I don’t want to haunt you with my presence, I don’t want to constantly wonder about if you think of me.

Its snowing today, just like it was the first time we kissed.

I’ll be accepting the job in March.

You’re always on my mind.

I love you, still.

Mitsunari’s hands trembled, the last letter fluttering onto his bed.

She had been so hopeful, at first. Ever optimistic he would come to his senses. Holding on, still, somehow in the wake of his silence.

Of his childishness.

He had sat back, the tear stains on the paper made it almost seen translucent in the light of his room.

And he knew what he needed to do.

He needed to stop running.

He called her, he called her six times and with every voicemail he became a little more erratic.

The snow swirled around him, and he pulled his scarf over his mouth.

He was so close, he knew it. The university to one side of the street more than enough to serve as a guide. His steps stuttered and started again, he didn’t know what he would find.

He could only hope.

A voice stopped him in his tracks, so familiar he almost broke into a sprint.

“Shigezane, I don’t think so.” It was her, and she laughed, a beautiful sound. Just ahead, a familiar head of dark hair.

Date Shigezane.

Standing at the door.

For a moment Mitsunari really did falter.

Only for a moment.

He’d come too far, he needed to say his piece. Even if she was dating someone else, even if she didn’t love him anymore.

None of that mattered.

He couldn’t leave it as it was between them.

If anything, he’d win her back.

He increased his stride, the snow sticking to his clothes, melting against his skin.

He heard the door close and Date step away. Impeccable timing.

For a long moment he stared at the door in front of him, before reaching out and knocking.

He fidgeted with the watch on his wrist, the anxious energy in his body all at once expended and resurrected when she opened the door.

“Shigezane what do you-“She looked up, her words trailing off as she started at him. “Mitsunari?” She looked as though she had seen a ghost. His name on her lips broke the dam inside of him and he surged forward, arms wrapping around her as he held her close.

“I- I’m sorry.” His voice sounded hoarse and distant to his own ears. “For everything. I want you to myself. And I’ve-“

“Shh” Her hand smoothed over his shoulder as she cradled his head with the other. He was aware of his own labored breathing, his own sobs shaking her body. “How did you get here?”

“Doesn’t matter.” He mumbled, face pressed against her neck “This is all my fault.-“

“Mitsunari.” She cut him off, “Why are you here?” She didn’t sound angry, but almost defeated.

“I shouldn’t have let you leave.” The words tumbled from his mouth. “I should have opened your letters. I shouldn’t have waited so long.”

She kissed him, interrupting him mid speech, mid-plan, just like she always did. It was soft, and it make his legs feel weak.

“Come home.” He murmured against her lips. “Come home to me.”

There was silence for a moment as she stared at him. His heart was beating out of time in his chest. She wasn’t going to say yes-

“Alright.” She nodded, brushing a piece of hair from his face. There were tears glistening in her eyes. “I can’t believe you’re here.” She whispered, catching herself at the end.

“I love you, you know.”

“I…I know.” His tense body relaxed against hers and for a moment they stood in silence.

“Mitsunari.” She shook her head, pulling away from him. “From now on, we- we have to talk about these things.”

“I know.” His response was rushed, “I’ll”

“We’ll figure it out together okay.” She was gentle, kind, like he hadn’t put her through hell.

“I’m sorry Mitsunari.”She kissed him again. “But seeing you again is worth the time we were apart.”

And he agreed.

#ishida mitsunari #slbp #samurai love ballad party #julie writes #college au #angst #angst with a hopeful ending #date shigezane #tokugawa ieyasu #fanfic #otome

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nahret · 5 years

Text

For Honor

This is where it all started. Before I discovered the gods from the stars, my first love in this newly discovered world of otome games were the brave men of the Shinsengumi, a group of samurai in 19th century Kyoto. It’s a funny thing how I got there. Apparently, my browser had realized that I had started to learn Japanese, and in a well-targeted add, it showed me the title picture of this particular set of stories. I have to say, I do love it when the algorithm gets stuff right. And here we are, one year and countless stories later, and yet I’ve never written about the Shinsengumi.

The truth is, I needed a break. After reading a few of the stories, I was desperate for something more frivolous, more light-hearted. The stories of the Shinsengumi are good. They are very good. But because of their very nature, they have a capacity for tragedy unmatched by titles set in the modern world, for example. Death is possible every time the men set foot outside the compound; and when they come back alive, there’s still no guarantee that they will be healthy in body and mind. If, like me, you get emotionally invested in characters, that really takes a toll.

But it’s been a year, and I thought I’d pay a visit to my favorite samurai (I know, they are technically ronin, themselves). Maybe with some light-hearted holiday fluff? But first, obviously, I owe you an introduction.

What’s the Story?

Kyoto, 1863.

After the untimely death of her father, a doctor, the MC takes over running his clinic. While not fully trained, she is able to make simple remedies, using her father’s notes and journals for guidance. One day, a young man she’s never seen before stops by the clinic to have a minor wound treated. Overhearing the patients in the waiting room talking about a band of ronin who are supposedly in town, the man advises the MC to be careful “around those wolves”, lest she be devoured. When she chides him, he apologizes for his thoughtless words and is on his way.

A stranger at the clinic…

A chance encounter in the streets…

Are we surrounded by wolves?

That very same evening, the MC comes across an errand boy being accosted by just such a ronin. Being who she is, she is ready to rush into the situation, even though the ronin is armed. Fortunately, a casually dressed stranger steps in and defeats the ronin. As he runs for his life, the ronin shouts something about wolves. Could this stranger be one of the wolves the young man at the clinic mentioned?

When the MC tells her friend Oryo what happened, and how she was saved by a “wolf”, Oryo is shocked. She tells the MC that, of all the ronin in the area, those wolves are the worst ones. They dress in pale blue coats with a jagged white pattern on their sleeves, and they apparently loot and pillage their way through town – or so she heard from a customer. Another man standing nearby, reassures the women: those wolves will soon be expunged from this world; peace will come once again.

That night, as the MC is poring over her father’s books, several ronin break into the clinic. They are looking for a place to hide, since they are being pursued. Despite blowing out the candles, it is not long before the men who are after them find them. They are all wearing sky blue coats with a white, jagged pattern on their sleeves… As the newcomers fight the ronin in the MC’s house, a fire breaks out. The MC, who had made it outside, runs back into the flames to save her father’s medical journals. As she loses consciousness, she feels that she is lifted from the ground.

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The MC comes to in an unfamiliar room. Beside her, a man is sitting, apparently watching over her. He gives her a change of clothes, and one of her father’s journals that he was able to save from the blaze. It is thus that she is formally introduced to the men in the blue coats: they are the Shinsengumi, an elite police squad under the patronage of the Aizu clan, come from distant Edo to provide protection to the shogunate, and root out the lawless ronin that have been terrorizing the city. Since her house was burnt to the ground by the ronin, Kondo, the commander of the Shinsengumi, asks the MC to stay with them. She has nowhere else to go, and they could use the assistance of a fledgling doctor. Also, the Chōshū – the ronin sowing terror in the city – know her face, so, it turns out, it is actually in her best interest to remain under the protection of the wolves…

Left to right, top to bottom: Hijikata Toshizo, Okita Soji, Harada Sanosuke, Saito Hajime, Kondo Isami, Takasugi Shinsaku

The Guys

Hijikata Toshizō, also known as “the Demon Deputy” is a harsh man. As Kondo’s second in command, he supervises the Shinsengumi with iron discipline. There is, however, a softer side to him, for he likes to gaze at the moon and write poetry.

Okita Sōji, renowned swordsman and a bit of an ass, is as fierce in battle as he is irreverent outside of it. He is charming and surprisingly good with children, who love hanging out with him. He generally gets on well with people. It’s a good thing they don’t know he comes home every night, drenched in blood.

Harada Sanosuke is a tall, forbidding, and taciturn young man. He wants nothing to do with weaklings, and by extension, with women, since they are weak. His opinion on the latter is, as we can imagine, subject to change. So much so, that he puts his life on the line to save the MC.

Saitō Hajime is one of the best swordsmen in existence, which is notable especially since he is left-handed. He is also a blank canvas, a man with no memory of who he was before he was found by the Shinsengumi. What we do know is that he cannot cook to save his life.

Kondō Isami, the commander of the Shinsengumi, is an honorable, benevolent, and warm person. Nothing is more important to him than the well-being of his men, and of the citizens of the capital who have been entrusted to him.

Takasugi Shinsaku is a traitor. That is to say, he is not one of the Shinsengumi, but of the opposing Chōshū. All I know is that he is a very handsome man, as is commented upon in almost every route, but he is also the enemy, and I never considered playing his story.

Why would I date you?

You mean, apart from the fact that they are samurai? There needs to be an additional reason? Have you no honor? Okay then, how about this: these characters are men that actually existed. Yes, indeed, the Shinsengumi were real.

History

Since European wars have a way of spilling all over the world, an incident between England and the Netherlands in which Japan was collateral damage, led the Tokugawa shogunate to double down on its policy of “Sakoku”, closed country, which prohibited foreigners from stepping foot on Japanese land. The strictest application, which also sought to expel foreigners from Japan, remained active until 1842.

Friction arose between factions of differing philosophy regarding the usefulness of employing technology and knowledge gained from the limited exposure to foreigners the Japanese had had so far. Some argued that only traditional Japanese methods should be employed to stave off increasing foreign influence, others felt it necessary to “control the barbarians with their own methods”. In the end, it was again the white people who forced Japan’s hand, this time in the person of Commodore Matthew C. Perry, who simply threatened the Japanese with violence if they did not open up to trade.

Japanese depiction of Perry’s ship. Looks benevolent.

The results were political and economic instability. The shogunate was weakened after having had to concede in the treaties with the Americans and the Russians, which came soon after. Since the exchange rate between gold and silver in Japan was “cheaper” than in the European-controlled world, foreigners bought gold in massive amounts in Japan, thus destroying the Japanese currency and its economy. As is also the norm, the foreigners brought a heretofore unknown disease with them. Cholera wiped out several hundred thousand people.

Finally, in 1863, an Imperial Order was issued to “expel barbarians”. And while the Emperor was the head of government, of sorts, his role was understood at the time as ceremonial, much as it is today. Therefore, an order issued by the Emperor that contradicted the policy of the shogunate was… difficult. The Chōshū clan, however, immediately began to carry out the order, in open defiance of the Tokugawa shogunate. After a failed attempt by the Chōshū to restore Imperial order over the shogunate, the Tokugawa, Aizu, and Satsuma clans expelled the Chōshū from the palace.

This is when the Tokugawa gathered an elite force to patrol the capital and protect the interests of the shogunate against the Chōshū incursions. After a predecessor of the group fell apart, the Shinsengumi were formed. They then also requested permission to patrol the streets of Kyoto from the Aizu, a request which was granted.

The real Hijikata Toshizō

The Serizawa faction of the Shinsengumi, however, was more disruptive than beneficial to the capital, which is why the Aizu ordered Kondo to eliminate Serizawa and his officers. Yamanami Keisuke and Hijikata Toshizo ordered one of Serizawa’s men to commit seppuku for breaking regulations. Serizawa himself was assasinated by a small force led by Hijikata. This left Kondo as the leader of the Shinsengumi.

The showdown in the main stories of our fictional Shinsengumi is the real-life Ikedaya Incident: there, the Shinsengumi killed a group of ronin in the employ of the Chōshū, who had apparently planned to kidnap the daimyo of the Aizu clan, and set fire to Kyoto.

Kondō Isami, born in 1834, was the youngest of four siblings. The son of a farmer, he was adopted by the third generation master of the Tennen Rishin-ryū, Kondō Shūsuke, who had seen him train in his dojo. He became the fourth generation master, and took over the running of the Shieikan (the main dojo). It is there that he first met Hijikata. Kondō was known to be an avid reader and scholar. He was apprehended by Imperial forces in April 1868, and was executed by beheading on May 17th, 1868. His head was publicly displayed on a pike.

The son of a well-to-do farmer, Hijikata Toshizō was born in 1835, the youngest of ten children. It is said that he was uncommonly tall compared to the average male at the time, and he was handsome. It seems that he was also a bit of a spoiled brat when he was young. He helped in the family business of selling their Ishida sanyaku, a herbal remedy for treating bruises and broken bones. Through his brother-in-law, he was introduced to Kondō and the Shieikan. He never fully mastered the Tennen Rishin-ryū, but instead developed the “Shinsengumi-Kenjutsu” fighting style. In the final battle of the Boshin War, Hijikata gave his page his katana, a photo of himself, a letter, a few strands of his hair, and a death poem, to be taken to his brother in Hino: “Though my body may decay on the island of Ezo, my spirit guards my lord in the East.” On June 20th, 1869, he died by a gunshot wound sustained while leading his men into battle.

Okita Sōji‘s older sister Mitsu was adopted by Kondō Shūsuke, so that she could marry the adopted son of the Okita family. This is, of course, the same man who had adopted Kondō Isami. Okita started training at the Shieikan at the age of nine. He was unusually gifted, and had mastered all the techniques by age 18. He was born in 1842 or 1844, which made him one of the youngest recruits of the Shinsengumi. He is described as charming and polite, but also as strict as an instructor of kenjutsu for his students. He was appointed by Kondō to become the fifth generation master of the Tennen Rishin-ryū. Okita developed a signature technique, called “Mumyo-ken”, which could attack the opponent’s neck, left shoulder, and right shoulder in one motion. Okita was hospitalized during the Boshin War, and when the shogunate forces retreated, he stayed behind in Edo in the care of his sister Mitsu. He died of tuberculosis on July 19th, 1868, at the supposed age of 25.

Nihonbashi bridge in Edo

Harada Sanosuke was born in 1840 into a family of chūgen: better than commoners, but less than samurai. He was trained in the Hōzōin-ryū style, using a spear as a weapon, rather than a sword. Once, he was taunted by a higher-ranking retainer of the Matsuyama clan that, given his low social class, he didn’t even know how to properly commit seppuku. Upon which he immediately drew his sword and attempted to actually do it. The wound, however, was shallow, and Harada survived. After leaving the Matsuyama’s service, he went to Edo to train in Kondō’s Shieikan.Having left the Shinsengumi after the defeat in the Battle of Kōshū-Katsunuma, he returned to Edo, where he fought with the Shōgitai, who also sided with the Tokugawa shogunate, in the Battle of Ueno. He was severely wounded by enemy gunfire, and died two days later, on July 6th, 1868. There is, however, an interesting rumor, that Harada did not die, but was able to flee to China, where he then became the leader of a gang of bandits on horse-back. He is also rumored to be the mysterious old man who came to the aid of the Imperial Forces in the First Sino-Japanese War in 1894/5…

Little is known about the early years of Saitō Hajime. His birthname was Yamaguchi Hajime, and his father was a foot soldier in the employ of a samurai in Edo. Saitō left Edo after accidentally killing a hatamoto (a ronin in the direct employ of the Tokugawa shogunate). He was of an age with Okita when he joined the Shinsengumi, making him one of the youngest in their ranks. Saitō Hajime was, even in real life, the dark, mysterious kind, in that he spoke sparingly. He was also known for his immaculate appearance and exemplary posture, typically sitting in the formal seiza position. Believed killed in the Battle of Nyorai-dō, Saitō managed to escape alive and rejoin the ranks of the Aizu. However, when Aizuwakamatsu Castle fell, he, along with other Aizu soldiers, was held as a prisoner of war. The surviving Aizu traveled to Tonami, the new domain of the Matsudaira clan of Aizu, and Saitō with them. In 1874, he returned to Edo, which in 1868 had been renamed “Tokyo”. There, he began working for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. In a twist of fate, he fought, in this capacity, on the side of the Imperial Army against the Satsuma Rebellion*, former allies of the Aizu. In 1875, he assisted in setting up a memorial for Kondō Isami and Hijikata Toshizō. Saitō Hajime died in 1915, at the age of 72 years, in his living room, while sitting in perfectly straight seiza posture.

Takasugi Shinsaku was born in 1839 in Chōshū Domain, present-day Yamaguchi Prefecture. He was a samurai and a brilliant military tactician. In 1862, Takasugi went on a reconnaissance mission to China, to observe the effect of western influence on the country. Shocked by what he saw, he returned to Japan determined to avoid the fate of colonization. He formed the revolutionary shotai, a militia comprised of not just samurai, but people of all classes. Apparently, everybody from farmers and merchants to sumo-wrestlers and priests could (and did) enlist. He also provided this new militia with western weapons and tactics, thus outwitting the traditional Tokugawa forces. In the end, his approach proved successful: the Tokugawa shogunate fell in 1868, and the Meiji Restoration restored (hence the name) the Emperor to power. Takasugi, however, did not live to see the day; he died in May 1867 of tuberculosis.

* The Satsuma Rebellion was the last stand of samurai Saigō Takamori. The movie “The Last Samurai”, featuring Ken Watanabe and Tom Cruise, tells his story.

What’s with the history lesson?

What? Like this isn’t interesting? I guess not everybody gets a kick out of history, huh. What I’m quite impressed with, though, is how some of the corner-stones of the real Shinsengumi’s peculiarities were worked into the stories here. I really appreciate that, because research has clearly been done, and the stories are better for it. No, that doesn’t mean they’re historically accurate. That wouldn’t be very… romantic. But the characters are recognizable from their templates.

I choose you!

I’ve read the main stories of Hijikata, Okita, Saito, and Harada. And yes, we call them by their family names. Kondo was too pure for my tastes, and indeed, my friend The Librarian found his story to be rather boring. Don’t get me wrong, he is a very good man, but the vibe is more “guardian” than “lover”, I guess. All the stories are really intense, as the threat of death constantly hangs over the men. Especially Saito practically seeks it out. If you’re looking for gut-wrenching, you’ve come to the right place.

A word on our MC: I like her. As opposed to her modern-day counterparts, this girl is actually a virgin, so all the blushing has a place. What she also is, though, is courageous, and capable. She learned medicine from her father, and continued his clinic on her own after his death. She is not squeamish around blood (it’s just that sometimes, there’s a bit much of it). Actually, she is not squeamish in general. After initially being intimidated, she finds her place among those “brutes”, as Kondo calls them.

This is still one of my favorite titles. Even if it’s a bit much for my poor heart…

Era of Samurai: Code of Love A historical drama about samurai who were actually people in real life. Includes a history lesson. You're welcome. For Honor This is where it all started. Before I discovered the gods from the stars…

#Bakumatsu #Edo period #Era of Samurai #historical #Love 365 #otome #otome game #Shinsengumi #Tokugawa shogunate #Voltage game

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heartofbasara-blog · 6 years

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A Deal With Mori

The moment I learned of the forging friendship between Tokugawa and that uncivilized pirate of the west, I knew the gods had placed a gift perfectly in my lap. Anyone with an inkling of a brain knew of the passionate ‘love affair’ that Chosokabe Motochika and Mori Motonari’s rivalry. Chosokabe, who was rumored to be close friends with Tokugawa, has paid less attention to his little quarrels in the Seto Sea. Leaving Mori all by his lonesome. Mori Motonari…a poor fool, isolated by his own pride, left him nothing but a hollow existence as he tries to make himself relevant in the minds of others. His ego was fragile, so fragile that if he learned that Tokugawa, who mirrored the ‘legendary’ Child of the Sun, could wipe him from the face of this country.

Which made him the perfect candidate for an alliance, one that would engulf that traitor with sunlit smile into a never ending abyss of despair!

And so I arranged to have an opportunity to speak with Mori. I had told Mitsunari that I would be combing the west in search for potential allies, though I didn’t name any specific candidates. This would have to be off the record, of course. Mitsunari had too much on his mind to worry about something such as this. Not to mention I do not believe he would approve, being so indirect as this plan was. He would rather confront Tokugawa face to face, whereas I knew that plan was destined to fail. After all, to defeat a traitor you had to play them at their own game.

When arrived at Mori’s palace, his guards were all in shock, a tad fearful perhaps based of the wild look in their eyes. But I was able to convince them to have an audience with their leader, even they told me it was be futile. Mori was a private man, after all…but even a private man could not help but be curious of an unexpected visitor. Which was a correct assumption, for to the surprise of the Mori solider, he was to bring me to him.

When arrived at Mori’s office, I was not surprised by its state. Large, but barren. Grand in its architecture, but hollow with no sense of personal belonging. Mori sat in the far back behind his desk, his tiny self absorbed by the nothingness around him, the nothingness in his dark, distant eyes. He appeared lost in thought, where his solider had to speak a little louder to get his attention. He blinked, somewhat startled, but he was quick to dismiss the solider so that we may talk. Amusement flowed through me, sensing just how lost he appeared, bring him to my side may be easier than I anticipated.

“I thank you for this opportunity, Mori Motonari,” I began, giving him a small bow as a sign of respect. “I am pleased to see that Aki and the rest of your providences are doing well.”

Mori blinked. “It is to be expected. I take great care for my lands, my city. Now, state your business here.”

His voice was harsh and cold, clearly not in the mood for pleasantries. The walls were put up high, and I could not help but let out a small chuckle.

“No need to be so hostile, Mori. You act as if I was a parasite draining you of all your energy.” I levitated up to his desk, in an attempt to make a better connection with him. “Would it not be beneficial to leave an option for simple greetings? Negotiations may fall better in your favor if friendly banter can occur.”

“Perhaps,” he replied, “but that is not in my nature. I have no interest in keeping alliances based off ‘friendships,’ or go to war because of ‘enemies formed from hatred.’ I do what I simply must. So I ask you again, what is your business here?”

Ah…already on edge. While it only lasted for a second, in his narrowed eyes I could see a flash of discomfort in them. I wonder…has this man been so alone that just simplest interaction, a positive one at that, cause him waver and become undone?

“I see…” My voice trailed off as I got to the point of my being here. “…The west does like to stand on its own. You do not have a large amount of conflicts, do you?”

For a split second, Mori’s stoic expression cracked with a look of annoyance. “We have as many conflicts here in the western and southern factions as you do in the north and east. The difference is that there is a hierarchy, a type of balance that keeps everyone else in line to make sure there is some order in these chaotic times. I happen to be at the top of that hierarchy.”

“Oh, no doubt. I can remember Takenaka expressing how impressed he was with your skills.”

I was partly amused by that comment. Back when he was an ally of the Toyotomi, Takenaka would say the little Aki general was, how he had a great eye for detail and to keep order. He had a strange fondness for him, as he did for everyone who was under his watchful eye. If he were allowed to live to see the damage Tokugawa has done…

“He mentioned,” I continued, trailing my thoughts to the present, “if I recall correctly, you had the potential to take the entire country for yourself if you wanted. However, going back to this hierarchy you mentioned, do you not have a rival who causes you such dismay?”

Mori hesitated. “…Possibly.”

“And isn’t that rival the current warlord of Shikoku, Chosokabe Motochika?”

That made his mouth shut tight. Though subtle, Mori’s shoulders tensed up, to where his arms that rested on his desks grew closer together. His eyes locked on mine where I gave the ghost of a friendly smile.

“It appears that I am correct, that the rumors and stories about the intense rivalry between Mori and Chosokabe are true. Have you heard of these stories, Mori? About how the stoic, callous, heart as cold as stone Mori Motonari becomes a light of undeniable passion when his ringblade collides with the anchor of the ruthless, full of life, Sea Devil of the West?”

I went into further detail about these tall tales and myths, all of them I was able to get from the villagers on my way here. And to see the heatless general crumble before my very eyes was a beautiful sight. There was only so much a human with a heart could hide, and unlike myself, Mori did indeed have one. His dark eyes gave the faint longing for someone close, but not just any someone, a someone with the roar of the sea around them, with white hair that blew wildly in the wind… A someone who he was destined to never have, but was the someone who he wanted to have. A glorious story of unrequited, miserable love…

“It is just with all these tales in mind, it makes your previous statement about how friendships and the intense emotions towards your enemies seem rather…inaccurate.” I suppose I should end the torture. From the way Mori shook, I couldn’t have him break just yet. “Whether you say it or not, Chosokabe has made an impact on you. On your heart, on your soul…”

“…Where are you going with this?” He stood up from his desk, pure anger filling his gaze. “What is your point? I have far more important matters to attend to than listen to your tales of peasants. The Toyotomi is dead, I doubt you will have anything to interest me. So unless you actually have something for me, I suggest you leave.”

At the mention of the Toyotomi being deceased, I can feel my body unconsciously tense. In that split second, images of my dead men and collogues, Takenaka and Toyotomi himself standing out the most, played in my mind. The disrespect in Mori’s tone…he had no sense of respect for the dead, for those who died in an unjust way. How dare…

“I advise you to keep your speech in line, Mori,” I finally replied, holding back my rage I couldn’t afford to lose control of. “We are not dead, only slowly being revived by Toyotomi’s successor, Ishida Mitsunari.”

“Is that so?” Mori’s expression became stoic once more, his tone emotionless. He isn’t a fool, so I am not surprised he caught my little moment of weakness. A mistake on my part, but not something I could not fix. “Is that why you are here? On Ishida’s behalf so that I may align with you to regain power?”

“No,” I answered. “Mitsunari had nothing to do with this. I am here for my own purposes. I do wish for you and Mitsunari to form an alliance in the future, but what I propose right now is a far more personal issue for the both of us. That through working together, we can both benefit.”

“…Is that so?” Mori paused briefly. “And what would that be?”

“Tokugawa and Chosokabe’s friendship.”

I had put a little extra emphasis on the word ‘friendship,’ for as far as I knew, it could be much more than that. Chosokabe is a pirate after all, it wouldn’t take much to seduce him, or the other way around. It was unknown at this point, which placed Mori right where I want him, as his walls collapsed with the unavoidable truth if his beloved rival were to steer further and further away from him.

“I’m sure you have noticed how close the two of them have become recently. Dangerously close, enough to form an alliance. Tokugawa is the reason for the fall of the Toyotomi and I wish to see him feel the consequences, the misery he brought. And if he and Chosokabe become allies it would make him much more influential, much more powerful than he is already. And I’m sure you would like to see their friendship fall…for Chosokabe cannot be fighting his rival all the time if he is seeing arrangements through with Tokugawa. You would become a side thought; someone he needs to make sure doesn’t wander too close to his shores as an insignificant warlord of the west whose potential has been wasted on clans, on warlords who matter little. Tokugawa, the rising hero, will take your light away, become the new Child of the Sun that Chosokabe chases after. Tokugawa will be all that you were never to achieve, and unless he is put an end to soon, you will always be in his shadow.”

I intentionally paused once I saw the panic fill his expression. The fear of not being acknowledged by others, to be forgotten and to be as little as those under his ‘hierarchy,’ was one of the most pathetic moments I’ve seen in a leader. His heart was hideously weak, no wonder he kept himself so isolated. Just the tiniest amount of companionship, the smallest amount of positive interaction could give his heart pause, and then once the walls were back up it would shatter to return to the loneliness of before. The slow, agonizing journey to isolated despair was the path Mori was going on, whether he or Chosokabe knew it or not.

“If you are not careful, Mori my friend,” Otani said, “Tokugawa will effortlessly steal away all you have worked for. Your rival, your lands, your image… You will become a ruin just as you claim the Toyotomi to be. I have a plan to put an end to this unholy alliance, and it can only be accomplished by your assistance, Motonari.”

He flinched at the use of his first name, confirming my theory even more. His internal struggle was obvious, vicious even, for he knew that he was trapped. He knew he was going to be used, but he could not deny I was offering him a chance to take back what was ‘his.’ I am a patient man, so I allowed him to take his time, till finally, he spoke, where he claimed that for the Mori Clan’s sake, he would accept my offer.

I knew full well that was a lie, this was about himself and only about himself, but I smiled and complimented him on making the right decision. For in the end, it didn’t matter, who this was for. What mattered was that without Chosokabe’s alliance, Tokugawa would hit a severe blow, bringing him one step closer to destruction.

One step closer to Tokugawa’s death, and the vengeance of all those who have been wronged by him.

#Yoshitsugu: Headcanons.#Yoshitsugu Drabbles.

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