The Brilliant Royal Divorce Plan Chapter 73
Dear readers: The Kamenashis are in the house.
Run for your lives~
As the court decided what to do with this man who spoke nothing but clear reason, the main door opened and two men accompanied with a child entered the courts like they owned the place.
“Make way for Lord Kamenashi and his brothers!”
They DID own the place.
The court rose to their feet and knelt respectfully but Kamenashi Kazuya remained standing, face ash white mainly from makeup, but also from shock at seeing his brothers once again after so long.
Ryo gave a few desperate tugs on his sleeve to hide him but Kame remained as stiff as ever, fists clenched.
The elder Kamenashi turned to scrutinise what seemed like a beautiful woman.
He came close.
He came closer still.
“Young lady,” he mused and raised Kame’s chin with his fan, “you look positively familiar to me.”
“I’m sorry Lord Kamenashi I positively think you are confusing me for the wrong person,” Ryo stood up and grabbed Kame protectively.
“Indeed,” Jin tore Kame away from Ryo with a smile on his face and a death glare, “She is engaged to be married to me.”
Lord Kamenashi took a few steps back and unfolded his paper fan and started whispering to his brother while the young boy started tugging on his kimono. Growing bored, the small boy skipped over to Kame and started playing with his kimono instead, awed by the number of colours on the lavish fabric. “You look like my brother…” he smiled innocently.
“See?” Kamenashi #2 said a little too loudly, “even little Yuya thinks so!”
“You’re mad Kouji!” Kamenashi #1 hissed, “he died more than a decade ago!”
“Yuuichiro-niisama stop being blind!” Kouji hissed back, “That girl is more than just someone who looks like Kazuya! She looks like Kazuya himself dressed in girl’s clothing!”
“You’re mad I tell you!”
“You’re-
“Niisama!” the child came back and started jumping up and down to gather attention, “I want that lady to stay over and play!! She’s really pretty!!!”
[Sendai Castle]
“I feel like I’ve jumped out of the pot and into the fire,” Junno looked around the extravagant guest room they had been led to, “I also feel under surveillance.”
“Then you’d be right,” Jin jumped in through a window, “there are a grand total of 30 guards around this room alone, but I think the main purpose is to avoid us from leaving. None of them are stationed close enough to listen to what we say… this is very odd. Very, very odd…”
“Our main concern is who they are really after,” Maru whispered, “Are they after Kamenashi or His Majesty?”
“Does it make a difference?” Ryo hissed, “they’re going to try and kill us either way…”
“Of course it matters!” Maru said, “if they only want Kamenashi, they have no obligation to kill us all! Especially Junno! But if they are after Junno… we’re all in danger!”
“Guys, I’m in the room.” Junno didn’t sound impressed, “We have to be very careful of every step we take in here. I’ve read secret service blueprints before…. Sendai castle is a maze that can be shifted depending on which doors open and it is regularly changed every month. If we barge around in here, the traps will take us out before the Kamenashis do.”
“That explains the crossbows that almost killed me on the way out,” Jin remarked, “thanks a lot Your Majesty!”
“Miura Seiji!” a guard flung open the door, “Lord Kamenashi wishes to see you. Follow us!”
Junno gave Maru a desperate, pleading glance but nobody could do anything rash. Every wall to the centre hall looked exactly the same, every turn as well. In the grand hall usually set for entertaining guests, the Kamenashi brothers (minus the youngest one) sat side by side and stood up upon Junno’s entrance.
“You may leave us,” Kamenashi Yuuichiro, the oldest, flicked his sleeve and the guards excused themselves. “Good morning Miura Seiji-kun, my name is Kamenashi Yuuichiro and I am the Lord of Sendai. This is my brother, Kamenashi Kouji. Would you like to tell us your real name or would you like us to torture it out of you?”
“How do you know this isn’t my real name?”
“I certainly hope Miura Seiji isn’t your real name,” Yuuichiro pulled out a slip of paper, “because otherwise I would have to treat you like a Hokkaido palace guard and do you know what we do to those? Hmn?”
“If you know who I am,” Junno glared, “I suggest you untie me.”
“If you were the emperor himself, of course I would untie you,” Yuuichiro beamed, “so, are you?”
“Niisama you’re pushing this too far,” Kouji tried to intervene the stabbing questions.
“….What have you heard from Yamada Ryosuke?” Junno let out a long breath.
“I can’t tell confidential information to people who aren’t the Emperor of Honshu I’m sorry,” Yuuichiro kept a cold smile on his face, “and while I’m at it, I probably wouldn’t tell the emperor anyway because he’s a good-for-nothing coward who knows nothing about the loyalties of his subjects and what they’ve been doing behind his back. If he came here, I might even kill him. So, are you the emperor?”
“…Yes.”
“Good, I see His Majesty has balls.”
“Niisama you’re being insolent to His Majesty!” Kouji hurried to bow in apology, “Your Majesty I’m so sorry, I think my brother is a bit-
“He’s right about me it’s okay…” Junno shook his head and laughed, “I’m not clever for coming into Sendai when I don’t know if my Lord of Sendai is a loyal subject or a scheming evil traitor.”
“Maybe Your Majesty can tell me what I should become?” Yuuichiro dared point his paper fan at Junno’s head, “My enemy is not you, and if you can help me find my enemy, I would be glad in helping you ascend the throne once more.”
A guard knocked on the wall five times.
“Bring them in,” Kouji ordered.
The six other men were thrown into the room bound and gagged, three of them dressed as women.
“So my darlings, which one of you is Nishikido Ryo?” Yuuichiro mused.
Ryo stood up slowly.
“Excellent!” the Lord of Sendai exclaimed, “Kouji, would you like to stab him or should I do it?”
“Allow me the honour Niisama…” Kamenashi Kouji jumped off the raised seating and lunged at Ryo, blade gleaming and bloodthirsty. Tegoshi closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, Kame and Ueda were both off their feet, ropes cut and engaging in battle.
Ueda hurled himself at Ryo to defend him, sending a shower of thick metal needles at Kamenashi Kouji, who fended them off with his sword and dove back, defensive stance up. He lunged again, and Ueda caught his wrists with and used his strength against him, flipping the older man to the ground effortlessly. But Kouji was more flexible than he let on. Bent in a perfect bridge, he pushed off the ground with his legs and catapulted into the air, driving his katana down, aimed at Ueda’s head. The younger man dodged just in time before being skewered, managing to get one kick into Kouji’s abdomen that sent him flying into and breaking the paper door.
Ueda took this time to slice everyone’s rope bonds and scanned the room for Kame’s fight.
To be expected, Kame was winning by a long stretch and the elder Kamenashi was in a bad way. While Ueda had no intention of landing a fatal blow in his fight, Kame’s every move was poised to kill with a single strike and it was pure luck that his older brother wasn’t a corpse lying on the ground yet.
“Kame stop it!” Ueda rushed to the other side of the room and tried to pull Kame back, but was rewarded with a deadly strike to the chest which he barely had time to fend off. “STOP!! YOU’LL KILL HIM!!”
“SO WHAT?!” Kame spat back, “If he has the guts to try and kill ME, I should return the favour!!”
“I’m not trying to k-kill you… what are you talking about?” Kamenashi Yuuichiro spat out a mouthful of blood, “I’m try to kill-
He was grabbed by the collar and lifted chin height by Kame, whose burning eyes almost bored holes into his skull. “How about you remember Kamenashi Kazuya huh? You-
“And what about Kamenashi Kazuya?” Yuuichiro hissed.
“I am he.”
“You,” Yuuichiro scowled, “are a fake.”
A fit of coughing came from the other side of the broken paper door as Kouji struggled to his feet, also bleeding. “I think we need to talk this through…” he stumbled into the room once more, “before we decide who walks out of this castle alive.”
“Maru,” Ryo whispered, “we have to play our cards right. The Kamenashis can be our biggest ally, or our biggest nemesis…”
“You know what we should do Ryo?” Tegoshi sighed, “We should start telling the truth instead of lying every second sentence.”
[Another meeting room, since the other one got trashed]
“If you have anything to say, say it now or I’ll kill you,” Kamenashi Yuuichiro winced slightly as a medic tended to his wounds.”
“You’re in no position to be saying this line,” Ryo mused, and jerked his thumb to Kame and Ueda, still dressed like women.
“Maybe the Sendai Castle elite forces can say it?” Kouji scowled at Ryo’s arrogance.
“You know your brother here can kill every single one of them without a second thought!” Ryo sighed, “He’s a lot more capable than he was as a child, I can say this much.”
“You mean the fake?” Yuuichiro waved the medic away, “You mean the fake you’re intending to sabotage the Kamenashi clan with?”
“What are you talking about?” Ryo looked genuinely puzzled, “This is your brother whom you tried to kill once and failed to!”
“Insolence!” Yuuichiro pointed his fan at Kame, “Who in the world would want to kill their adorable little brother?!” Kouji sent Ryo a death glare.
“Then explain why all the Sendai delicacies you personally sent Kazuya were laced with slow-working poison!” Ryo accused, “And why all attempts on his life stopped he died!!!!”
“SEE?! YOU KNOW THE REAL KAZUYA IS DEAD!!!” Yuuichiro yelled, “THIS ONE IS A FAKE!!! And for your information, the one that poisoned the food was my mentor at the time, and as soon as I came into power, I had him decapitated!!”
“He’s not a fake!” Ryo sent Kame a ‘look’.
“I’m not a fake!” Kame repeated earnestly, still trying to work out how all of this complexity has arisen.
“Let me explain how we saw through your lies, Nishikido-san,” Kamenashi Kouji’s death glare never ceased, “At around the same time as Kazuya’s poisoning, which was nearly ten years ago, Yuuichiro-niisama was given the Sendai lordship by our father after an upheaval in the secret service . Upon doing so, the first thing he did was exterminate all those who had part in plotting the poisoning. We soon discovered that Kazuya had somehow survived, so we had him protected in secret. This is why the killing attempts stopped. But, after His Majesty’s crowning and you took the lead political role, we also discovered that you were pushing Kazuya up through the ranks up to the point where he, a boy of no more than 17 years of age, was the head of the secret service! And one day quite by chance, we found the original documents of the poisoning case. And do you know which copy we found Nishikido Ryo? We found the confidential one. The one that states that Kamenashi Kazuya had died when he was 9 years old! The official documents say that he survived, but in fact he’s dead. So I beg to differ, who is THIS Kamenashi Kazuya, why is he your puppet and why are you trying to replace the ruling power in Sendai with him?”
“…Ryo…” Junno shook his head in disbelief, “…what have you DONE?!”
Ryo took in all the accusing glances directed at him and stared at the ceiling, heaving a long breath. “This is not really as complicated as you think it is… I must admit I did write all those documents but the one saying that he died is the red herring. I knew whoever wanted Kazuya dead would look into it carefully and I assumed they would find the ‘truth’. I just had no idea it wasn’t you guys behind it! Rest assured, your brother isn’t dead! This is all just one horrible misunderstanding and I’m glad you don’t really want to kill your brother…”
“Prove he’s the real one then,” Yuuichiro didn’t sound convinced.
“Yuuichiro-niisama stop being unreasonable,” Kouji smiled, “you recognised him on first sight, didn’t you? Don’t forget that you said to me you’re only keeping this title because you want to pass it on to Kazuya himself when he became old enough. This might be the time…”
“This is not! I did say that Kazuya deserved this title more than us, but that was BEFORE I found out that he’s been replaced! Kouji, how do you know that he’s not a look-alike phoney?!” Kamenashi Yuuichiro stomped down to where Kame was sitting and scrutinised him carefully, “Oi, can you prove you’re our adorable Kazuya?”
Kame let the tense air build up a bit then smiled sweetly, beckoning his brother to lend him an ear. “Yuu, if you don’t stop being stubborn,” he whispered, “I’ll never make a windmill for you ever again.”
[One hour later]
“Kazu,” Jin ruffled the younger man’s hair, “how did you manage to convince the fan-man that you’re his brother in one sentence?”
“Ah that…” Kame laughed, “When I was little, my big brother used to adore me and we’d hang out all the time. But when he found out I was being sent to Kyoto to learn more about spying, he cried. I’d never seen my big brother cry before and I was at a loss what to do… so I dragged him outside and made him a leaf windmill in the garden!”
“That’s… random,” Jin admitted, “but pretty cool. I’m so glad you seem happier now.” He pulled Kame into a tight embrace, “You family has always been on your mind haven’t they? I’m glad you got an answer to your problems…”
“Did I look sad before today?” Kame wriggled slightly in Jin’s arms. He was happier than he was willing to admit. In fact, inside, Kame was jumping off the walls in joy. The family he thought had betrayed him was actually never evil, and his older brothers seemed to adore him… everything was perfect.
A couple of knocks on the door snapped the lovey-dovey couple out of their session.
“Come in,” Jin’s face twisted into a scowl.
“KAZUYA MY DARLING!!” Yuuichiro burst into the room followed by Kouji, “Why are you still in women’s clothing?”
“No Niisama,” Kouji interrupted, “I think our question is why is OUR Kazuya in that man’s arms?!”
“Oh,” Kame quickly stepped away from Jin, blushing. “Umm… this is-
“I know he is Akanishi Jin, His Majesty’s bodyguard and the young head of the Akanishi Clan,” Yuuichiro retorted, “He’s a notorious playboy, likes erotic novels, has many inappropriate hobbies and-
“We’re lovers. I’m marrying this man.”
“I’m telling you he’s- WHAAAAAT?!?!?!” Yuuichiro dropped his fan in shock, “YOU WHAT?!”
“Kazuya I hope you’re kidding,” Kouji’s face looked like a steel pot, “Your sense of humour is terrible, if that’s the case.”
“He’s not kidding,” Jin replied smugly, pulling Kame back into his arms, “I’m glad my future in-laws are such intelligent beings.”
“Jin stop it!” Kame sighed and looked back at his oldest brother, “…and that’s the story. I’m sorry he’s a man but I love him!”
Behold, the very picture of Hell ensued after that.
Rule of Sendai #1: NEVER, EVER encroach on the territory of a Kamenashi with serious brother complexes.
[Later]
“That went down well didn’t it?” Kamenashi Kouji and Jin stopped running. They could still hear yells of ‘NO WAY AM I LETTING MY ADORABLE BROTHER GET TAKEN AWAY BY THAT PLAYBOY!!!’ from the castle itself.
“I think you running out here with me isn’t a good idea,” Jin fretted, “can Kazuya handle that barbaric brother?”
“Yuuichiro-niisama would never hurt Kazuya so it’s fine,” Kouji admitted, “and don’t get friendly with me. I’m just trying to save your ass so adorable Kazuya won’t hate us…. I still don’t approve.”
“Why?”
“You’re the head of a family, for one, but that’s not important,” Kouji turned to face Jin, “I’ve read your files… your past relationship with Yamashita Tomohisa is questionable. I will not let Kazuya be involved with you any further! Does Kazuya even know about this?”
“I don’t love him anymore!”
“Did you used to? If yes, why do you change so often? If no, why did you engage in a relationship with him? Either way, I will not let Kazuya marry you! Akanishi, I don’t plan on letting Yuuichiro-niisama or Kazuya know about this, so I hope you back out gracefully. Kazuya will inherit the Kamenashi clan and he will move to Sendai after this ordeal. Are we clear?” Kamenashi Kouji narrowed his eyes and Jin could see the eyes of a man desperate to repay what he’s owed his little brother all these years.
“Have you thought about how Kazuya feels?” Jin replied calmly before heading back to the castle, “What right do you have of denying Kazuya love?”
[Deluxe guest room, 3 days later]
“I think I like the Kamenashis better now that they don’t want to kill us,” Ueda lazily stretched out on his new futon and gazed at the ceiling. It was covered in gold leaf.
“You’re right,” Junno lay down beside him, “They’re such nice people… when you’re on their good sbooks. I think we can afford to stay here for a couple more days here and figure out a plan to get back to Kyoto without Yamada Ryosuke killing us. But before then….” The emperor’s lips curled into a lecherous grin as he snaked his hand into the collar of Ueda’s kimono, putting his hand places where they really shouldn’t be.
“Eep!” Ueda squeaked at the sudden cool sensation and blushed, but made no attempt to fight it off.
Junno grinned wider. “Well… my Tat-chan is not resisting. We haven’t had any alone time recently and it’s killing me - if you get what I mean.”
“Sometimes you forget I’m actually male,” Ueda rolled his eyes and attempted to act indifferent to the groping until Junno’s palm swept across his right nipple, making him stiffen and draw a sharp breath. “…what if someone sees us?”
“I think you want this a little past caring,” Junno smiled innocently and continued his ministrations, “If there’s one good thing about being the emperor, it’s that if you’re caught having sex with a legitimately married spouse, it’s a cause for celebration.”
“Yes, but I’m not going to be getting pregnant any time soon,” Ueda looked down his body, past Junno’s hand down his kimono, to the mirror on the far side of the room. If one did not look too closely, he was impossible to tell from a woman but there lay the problem.
He wasn’t one.
“You know I couldn’t care less about that,” Junno cooed, and sensing Ueda’s sudden change in mood, he withdrew his hand and watched the copper-haired man tidy up his clothing. “When we get back, I’m going to introduce you as the Prince of Hokkaido and we will form an official allegiance by matrimony. I’ll back-write some documents and make a plan of you seeking refuge as an infant in the Tegoshi house so that nobody can question you, and you will be the empress once more!”
Ueda stifled a chuckle.
“…or whatever the husband of the emperor is called,” Junno corrected himself, “So don’t worry!”
“You’ve missed the point of the problem Junno,” Ueda smiled and shook his head, “I can’t leave you any children, Prince or not. And you have no other living relatives to make an heir… Sooner or later you’ll have to-
“No way in hell am I having sex with a random lady the court officials pick out for me!” Junno wailed, “This is EXACTLY what I’ve been trying to avoid by that plan when I first met you!”
“I thought you’ve matured over this entire journey?” Ueda sighed deeply, “You can’t run away from this problem forever.”
“Not doing it!” the emperor pouted like a child, “Tat-chan you’re so cruel~ Forcing your own husband to have sex with someone else! Shouldn’t you be more jealous and cute and demanding attention like an honest lover?!”
“I’m not happy about that thought either you idiot!” Ueda threw a blanket over himself to hide his creeping blush, “… I just want you to know that even if you do, you know… I won’t blame you.”
“Stop acting cool,” Junno dove over Ueda’s blanket bundle and attempted to hug the whole thing, “I know you’ll freak out, go into a jealous rage and stuff so I’m not even going to consider anyone else but you! Aren’t you happy?”
Yes I’m happy. I’m so happy I could die… The unexplainable feeling of having the one I love all to myself is pure happiness. He knows me… Junno, even if you’re infuriatingly slow at times, you know me so well that I can’t hide anything. I want you all to myself, that is the truth.
But as the lover of a ruler, I know my boundaries. A ruler without an heir is a civil war waiting to happen but how are we supposed to deal with this? Gods, are you not too unkind to bestow such a task to us?
“Maybe,” Ueda replied curtly, “if you’d like to take your hands off my crotch dear, we have a visitor outside. Come in!”
“EEEEH?!” Junno quickly retracted his wandering hands, “Why spoil the mood now?!”
As expected, room door (which was an entire wall) slid open and Nakamaru, poker-faced as ever, stepped in. “As far as I’m concerned, this is no time to be engaging in such activities,” he coughed.
“Aren’t you glad to know your emperor won’t be leaving a trail of illegitimate children around?” Ueda smirked, “he’s only interested in ME.”
Nakamaru’s eyebrow twitched. “I am aware,” he scowled. Such a childish display of dominance…. Tsk.
“So what’s wrong?” Junno shifted around uncomfortably, “say it quickly so I’m not left in this physical state for longer than I have to…”
“It has come to my attention that Jin has become Public Enemy Number 1 in Sendai castle because of his relationship with Kamenashi,” Maru stated briskly, “And he’s been sulking in his room. Should we do anything about him?”
“I think we should let them sort things out by themselves…” Junno shuddered, “the thought of negotiating with that Kamenashi Yuuichiro makes me scared, right Tat-chan?”
“I must say I don’t like the thought of meddling with a brother complex as big as his,” Ueda nodded profusely, “It’s more dangerous than a room full of Yamada Ryosukes! Isn’t Kame trying to solve this problem at all?”
“I think he’s been trying very hard,” Maru reported, “he’s tried everything from read Jin’s achievements out loud from a scroll to sneaking out to meet him, but he gets caught by his big brother every time and now they’re at a dead end. Are you sure we shouldn’t help them?”
“I’ll see what I can do then,” Ueda sighed, “I feel a bit jealous of Kame actually. Having a family that loves you must be pretty special… haha…” He felt Junno take hold of his hand and give it a slight squeeze, as if to say ‘I’m here for you’.
“Kame~~~” Ueda stayed on his position in the ceiling beams and called down to Kame’s room. The secret serviceman had been given the best room on grounds that he’s ‘the head of the secret service therefore deserves better than an overthrown emperor and his transvestite husband’.
“There aren’t any guards out to get you so just come in by yourself,” Kame growled from inside the room, “I can’t really get up and open the door.”
“Huh?” jumping down and opening the door, Ueda finally understood why Kame had been so reluctant to leave his room lately, “Kame, WHAT are you wearing?!”
“Can’t you see? It’s a Juunihitoe!” Kame sat in the middle of his room, surrounded by luxurious food a two maidservants fanning him, apparently unable to move due to the OTT 12-layer kimono he was in. “This thing weighs about 20kgs, I can’t even move and my brothers think it looks amazing on me!”
Ueda did his best to keep a straight face. “Well, a Juunihitoe is very expensive and err, courtly. Yes, your brothers must think it suits you because you’re a princess in their hearts!”
“Are you making fun of me?!” Kame moaned, “Oi you guys stop fanning and get out of the room!”
Once they were alone, Kame completely broke down. “Tat-chan what am I supposed to do?!” he bawled, “I’m stuck in here wearing this heavy dress, my brothers think I look adorable as a girl even though they call you a transvestite, Yuuichiro-niisama thinks Jin should go to Hell and every time we get together he appears out of nowhere to interrupt us, I swear Kouji-niisama is plotting Jin’s murder and THIS CLOTHING IS WAY TO HEAVY HAVE I MENTIONED?!?!?!”
“…maybe the clothes are eccentric but they mean well,” Ueda said hopefully, “Isn’t it nice to have siblings who care for you?”
“That’s not the worst part!” Kame wailed again, “Little Yuya didn’t grasp the situation and now he thinks I’m his older sister!!! He asked me why ladies need their bed sheets changed so often at certain times of the month just before you came!!!”
“…oh. That may be a problem.”
“MAYBE?!?!” Kame shook his fist (or sleeve), “This is insane!! Tat-chan, you HAVE to help me!!”
“I’m not going to carry you outside dressed like this,” Ueda joked, “I can deliver a note to Jin and ask him to meet you in the garden at night, romantically.”
“YES!!” Kame cried, “Let’s do that! Here, I’ll write a note now!!!”
“EEEEHHHHH?”
[That night]
“Yuuichiro-niisama,” Kame suggested innocently, “it’s getting quite late and I think you should retire for the night.”
“Oh no Kazuya,” the Lord of Sendai made a puppy face, “My whole plan was to bond in a brotherly fashion, the fours of us~!”
“Yuya is asleep,” Kame pointed to the lightly snoring child, “Kouji-niisama has passed out from the alcohol so don’t you think we should call it a night?” It was two hours after the time he had written on the note to be passed to Jin and Kame had a niggling feeling that his oldest brother knew exactly what he was planning, hence the dinner part in his room.
“Kouji just can’t hold his alcohol,” Yuuichiro waved dismissively, “but we can still go on! Hey Kazuya, remember when you were little and you used to be afraid of mice? You’d always come crying to my room if you heard mice around the castle and we’d just lie awake, counting sheep until we fell asleep?”
“You’ve always been the closest to me even though we were far in age,” Kame nodded, “that’s why I became so withdrawn after I found out that you had tried to kill me. For a while, I hated myself for turning you into something like that…”
“but it wasn’t even true,” Yuuichiro laughed, “isn’t it ironic how in my bid to protect you, I let this misunderstanding go on for a decade? How many decades does one have in their life to waste? Let’s not make any wrong decisions, right Kazuya?”
A clap of thunder, and it began to rain. Kame shifted uncomfortably at his brother’s manner of speech that hinted at different people with one sentence.
“I don’t think I’ve made any wrong decisions so far,” he replied curtly, “not in loyalties, not in love.”
“Hmn, you’re still so young,” his brother sighed, “is being used as a weapon that important to you?” Again, his words were coated in double meaning.
“It’s a matter of honour,” Kame admitted, “Whether to Nishikido-san for saving my life, or to His Highness for accepting me, or to His Majesty for trusting me, or to Jin, for loving me unconditionally. I will repay them all in any way I can, and if it means becoming a sword to kill - that will be my calling.”
“Well said,” Yuuichiro poured his younger brother a cup of sake, “I always feared you growing up like this. Did you know I had that windmill coated in molten glass so as to never lose it? After I did that, I realised that it will never turn again. Kazuya, if I coat you in a glass cage with Sendai’s Lordship, will you hate me?”
“There’s no need,” Kame smiled, “He would follow me to the ends of the earth. Niisama, I know you’re worried about me, but if you only know half the things I’ve survived, you’d come to trust your little brother a bit more.”
“Maybe because I’ve always been a pacifist,” Yuuichiro stroked little Yuya’s hair affectionately, “The family has always thought of me as a failure first son… I don’t want anyone around me to get hurt and I know I lack what it takes to guide the Kamenashis. I inherited this lordship to hopefully pass onto you, Kazuya. I trusted you’d take us further so I never allowed Yuya to advance in combat practice. You’ve always been different - a genius. But as much as I have hopes for you to cover what I lack, I don’t want you to lose your humanity. Don’t be a weapon Kazuya, live to protect something.”
“I live to protect SOMEONE and his dreams,” Kame started shedding his elaborate kimono and wiping off his makeup, That someone has been standing out in the rain for the past two hours waiting for me in the garden. Yuuichiro-niisama, I know you don’t want me to go but I must - he’s the only thread of humanity I have left.”
“Must you? How do you know he’s still there?”
“Because,” Kame shrugged, “He’s an idiot. Someone he used to love waited for him in the pouring rain too, and I have a feeling he’s idiotic enough to keep precious memories in his heart and do the same for me.”
Kamenashi Yuuichiro stilled for a moment then clapped twice. The doors of their room opened. “I hate idiots,” he put simply, “but my Kazuya is so smart, anyone would dull in comparison so I might give him a shot… do you need an umbrella?”
The last part of his sentence was left unheard. Kame was already dashing through the castle dressed in nothing but women’s under-kimono, bare feet pounding on the wooden floorboards.
“There he goes,” Yuuichiro sighed, “Kouji, wake up. You chose to escape this conversation and now the conversation is over…. Wake up and talk to me.”
“I don’t like idiots either,” Kouji huffed from his position on the tatami, “so right now I’m pissed off with you. Why did you bother with that conversation if you’d changed the castle plan to the same one as when Kazuya left home? You’ve been meaning to let him go the entire time!”
“Oh, was I a bit obvious?” Yuuichiro smiled sadly, “we can’t really lock him up forever Kouji…”
“I beg to differ.”
“You’re such a brother-complex-
“I don’t want to hear it from you!” Kouji remarked, “…I’m never going to let Yuya get married, just so we’re on the same page.”
“Excuse me interrupting your family time,” came a knock on the door, “Maybe I speak with the Lords of Sendai?”
“It depends if I’m talking with the transvestite empress of Honshu or the Crown Prince of Hokkaido,” Kamenashi Yuuichiro made no attempt to hide the disdain in his voice.
“As much as I would love to play word games with you Sir,” Ueda curtly replied, “I have no time. I would like to know whether you are going to help us in our cause or-
“Or you’ll kill us?” Kouji scoffed, “such a Hokkaido way to do things!”
“I mean no harm,” Ueda sighed, “but essentially, yes. If your care for Kame does not correspond to our political needs, I may be forced to smite you where you stand.”
“Come in then,” Yuuichiro laughed, “we’ll discuss this over a cup of hot sake.”
A.N. We see lots of sides to everyone here.... and the reason this chapter is so long is that before the end of November, my life will be busy to no end. Sooo.... err, expect lack of updates? *gets shot* 8 exam papers, 2 part-time job interviews, 2 scholarship interviews and a statistics paper.
Real life is great eh? ><' I will try to be back in the first week of December! Until then, please be kind to meeeeee~