Honoo no Mirage

Two days after that night.

They ran around tying up various loose ends the next day, so it was only the day after that when things finally calmed down.

Shigezane brought them hour-by-hour progress reports on Masamune’s battle. Date military forces had overwhelmed the opposition; Nanbu and Oosaki had been destroyed, and Satake sent into retreat. They would return in triumph to Sendai tomorrow.

The dissolution of Mogami’s «jike-kekkai» meant that the ma.s.s hypnosis on Sendai had also been erased, so of course the plan to transfer the capital had gone up in smoke. Peace returned to the city, where one could almost believe nothing of note occurred.

Only the unanswered questions remained, to be taken up loudly by the ma.s.s media: questions regarding the mysterious sequence of events from that night and the reason for sudden furor over the transfer of the capital plan...

Then some good news dropped on them from the hospital.

Kokuryou had regained consciousness.

Clear, bright sunlight flowed into the hospital room from the open door.

Kokuryou smiled at them from the bed.

“Ah, you finally came.”

Takaya stood frozen at the door.

“Gramps...”

Kokuryou’s face had regained a healthy color, and he looked almost like another person. According to the doctor, he had made a rapid recovery, and now looked nothing like a man who had been in serious condition just a few days ago.

“Kokuryou-san. I’m sorry for...”

"Ah, we finally meet again, Yoshiaki.

Kokuryou smiled gently at Naoe, then at Ayako, who was holding a bouquet in her arms.

“Here. Stop standing around over there and come in. All three of you.”

“...”

They closed the door at Kokuryou’s urging and came to stand next to his pillow.

Kokuryou took another look at Takaya in silence.

“In the short time since I saw you last, your face has matured a great deal, young monk.”

“...”

“Have you understood a bit of what I’ve told you?”

Takaya hung his head, unable to bear Kokuryou’s words. His fists shook. He suddenly fell to his knees on the floor and prostrated himself.

“Young monk?!”

“That’s just it, Gramps!” Takaya cried, his hands pressed against the floor. “I...don’t know what I can say to apologize! Even if I apologize...no matter how much I apologize, I can’t get her back for you...! You probably can’t forgive me for that! But I... It was my fault...!” Kokuryou’s smile disappeared as he looked down at Takaya. In a voice wrenched from the depths of his heart, Takaya begged, “Forgive me...!”

Naoe looked at him, frozen in place. Ayako’s gaze was full of pity.

Takaya kneeled unmoving, his head pressed against the floor.

Kokuryou gazed at Takaya.

“... Is this about my wife?”

Takaya didn’t move.

“It’s true that... If you hadn’t come to Sendai, she probably would not have died.”

“!”

Takaya’s head jerked up if he’d been hit.

But there was only a terrible gentleness on Kokuryou’s face.

“If hating you could bring her back... I would curse you to the depths of h.e.l.l. I would hate you with all my heart.”

“...”

“But to continue living, smoldering with hatred... I am already an old man.” Takaya stared at him in amazement. Kokuryou continued quietly but sternly, “Young monk. If you truly want to atone for her, don’t forget her. Carve the death of Kokuryou Shizuko, carve her life into your soul so that it will never disappear.”

“...”

“You shouldn’t think such things. To carve another person’s life into your soul is to carry a heavy burden on your back. A small human being like you would not be able to encompa.s.s it.”

Takaya listened, not stirring an inch.

“You would soon be useless, unable to walk forward. You cannot do it. No one can. However.” And Kokuryou said to Takaya quietly, “Those who do not forget the importance of others will, before they know it, become aware of the importance of their own selves.”

“...”

“Listen, young monk,” Kokuryou said forcefully, “become a big human being. You don’t need to be strong. Be big. Then one day...you will be able to accept your past, your sins, the crimes of others against you.”

Naoe’s eyes suddenly widened. Kokuryou glanced at Naoe, but turned back to Takaya.

“Ougi Takaya. I look with antic.i.p.ation to your future,” Kokuryou said, and smiled.

Takaya felt Kokuryou’s big-hearted affection enfolding his heart, and heat spread in his chest.

He had to reply.

“I promise...” he replied with determination. “I promise. ...I will.”

A satisfied smile filled Kokuryou’s face, and he nodded firmly.

“I like the look in those eyes,” Kokuryou said once again.

The three of them spent around twenty minutes with Kokuryou, telling him of the events of the past few days and of their plans to leave Sendai on the next day. Then they went home.

“I’ll come visit again tomorrow, so see you then.”

Takaya left the room as Kokuryou nodded at Ayako. Ayako and Naoe followed.

“Yoshiaki.”

“?”

Naoe stopped and turned as Kokuryou called to him. Kokuryou beckoned to him.

“There is something I would like to speak to you about.”

“To me?”

Looking a little dubious, Naoe told Ayako and Takaya to go on ahead, then shut the door and returned to Kokuryou’s side.

“What is it?”

Kokuryou looked at the door for a moment, then told Naoe in a low voice, “It’s about your young monk...”

For dinner, the five of them, including Yuzuru and Chiaki, went down to the hotel lounge. Now that they could relax at last, they finally had the time to savor the food.

Over after-dinner coffee, Naoe said to all concerned, “We’ll withdraw from Sendai tomorrow. Nagahide and Yuzuru-san can go straight home to Matsumoto. Haruie...”

“You want me to go to Akita, don’t you? Geez, I never get a break.”

Naoe smiled wryly and nodded as Ayako pouted. Takaya asked, holding his cup, “What about me? What should I do?”

“I will need to ask you to go with me to Tokyo. We must «exorcise» Ashina Moriuji from his spirit vessel, Representative Hirabayashi. I have already purchased tickets for the bullet train, so please accompany me for a little while longer.”

“Ack—! We’re gonna do it again?!”

“Huh? Didn’t you come here by car, Naoe?” Chiaki asked, and Naoe made a face.

“It was demolished in Yamagata.”

“What?! The Benz?!”

“The Cefiro. What should I tell my family...?”

Ayako immediately followed up with, “So then so then are you going to get a new car? I think you should go for a Supra! Definitely a Supra!”

Chiaki glared at her.

“Ugh! Dammit, Haruie, you have horrible taste!”

“What? What’s wrong with my taste?!”

“If you’re looking for a Nissan, the Skyline is nice...it’s really pretty cool,” Yuzuru said, and Chiaki and Ayako immediately yelled him down. The conversation suddenly devolved into a new car selection conference.

Takaya interjected in exasperation, “But Naoe, the Cefiro really does suit you, don’t you think?”

“Are you telling me to buy one before going home?”

The debate, completely disregarded by its purported beneficiary, flared white-hot, and their last night in Sendai broke up on an odd climax.

In the hall on the way back to their rooms, Naoe called to Yuzuru, “Yuzuru-san, a moment.”

“Yes?”

 
Yuzuru followed Naoe to the D-Room on the first floor. There he heard what Kokuryou had told Naoe.

“I see...” Yuzuru murmured, sighing. “So he did see his mother.”

“Yuzuru-san, do you know her address here in Sendai?”

“Yeah. I mean, I got a little worried when I heard that he was in Sendai.” Yuzuru looked off into the distance. “When I met Takaya, we were in first year of junior high—that was when he was most out of control. It was a really awful time. He would smoke and not do his cla.s.s-work and looked like he could become violent at any time. He didn’t talk much and would always stare right at you, so most of the students were too scared to go near him.”

“...”

“There wasn’t anything else she could do—he probably knew it too, but... That was a short while after his mother left. He tried riding a motorcycle and inhaling paint thinner and stuff like that. But because of his dad’s drunken rages, at least drinking was one thing he didn’t try.” Yuzuru gave a little laugh, his eyes fixed on the ground. “You’d probably laugh if I told you what finally happened. ...Even though he was so out of control, somewhere in the back of his head he must have wanted someone to care about him. ’Cause he was a kid, too,” Yuzuru said, and smiled. “Takaya is fine.”

“Is he?”

“Yeah. If he had the chance, he’d probably be more honest. Even though he pushes her away, his mother is definitely there in his heart. He feels like he needs to apologize. It’s just that he can’t say it straight out. I think Takaya wants an excuse, too. He probably can’t do it unless someone helps him out. So,” he added, smiling at Naoe, “he’ll definitely be okay if you’re with him.”

“I’m being encouraged, then,” Naoe smiled too, just a little. “Thank you so much for coming. It was certainly thanks to you that we were able to resolve this incident. We’ll probably have to ask for your help again in the future...”

“Yeah. Though I wish I knew what I did to help...” Yuzuru wondered with a still-mystified expression on his face.

Looking at him, Naoe recalled what Kousaka had said on another occasion.

“If Kagetora is to fulfill Kenshin’s last wishes, then control of that person is his aim,” Kousaka said, looking at Yuzuru. “What happens twice will happen thrice. Take care to avoid repeating the same thing a third time, Naoe.”

“What?”

“Since separating Kagetora from those most important to him is your forte.”

That was what Kousaka had said to him before leaving.

Did he mean that Naoe would tear apart the friendship between Yuzuru and Takaya?

(No...)

Naoe set down his coffee cup softly.

(I would never do that.)

That alone he would never do.

Even as he made that inward vow, Naoe suddenly remembered.

That it was he who had torn apart Kagetora and Kagekatsu, two adopted sons, two friends, with the laws of the Sengoku in the Otate no Ran.

And then...

Before the nightmare of thirty years ago, he had unquestionably made this self-same inward vow in front of Minako...

Cars flowed slowly by beyond the windows.

A bustling city night.

“Welcome home!”

Shigezane and Megohime had gone out to greet the returning army that same night. The victorious Masamune had returned to the Date mansion unharmed, in front of which Megohime and Shigezane stood waiting for him.

“I have returned,” Masamune said, no discernable trace of tiredness on his glowing face. “Did aught of note occur while we were away?”

“Not at all. My... That was thanks to thee as well.”

“Good.”

Masamune nodded in satisfaction, then handed his sword to Kojuurou beside him and stepped inside.

“The battle was a complete victory for us. That accursed Satake ran off with his tail between his legs in total defeat.”

“Truly, if the haleness of the Date army were made known to the other lords, we have a good opportunity.”

“Dono—” Shigezane presented a letter to Masamune. “Uesugi-dono came to visit thee today.”

“What?! Uesugi-dono?”

“Aye. He seems prepared for departure from Sendai tomorrow. He wished to bid thee farewell, but thou wert not yet returned. So did he entrust this note to me.”

Masamune took the letter.

“He left his best regards.”

“...”

He opened the letter and began to read. Kagetora had written of his thanks for the a.s.sistance of the Date and included tidings of his mother, Ohigashi, and Kojirou, his brother. “Tell my brother,” Kojirou had asked of Naoe...

That I do not hate him.

(Kojirou...)

Masamune looked down quietly.

As if in prayer for his mother and younger brother. Then Masamune’s single clear eye opened.

“Kojuurou. Shigezane.”

“Yes, my lord!”

“I am resolved.”

Kojuurou and Shigezane’s eyes widened in surprise.

“We will form an alliance with Takeda.”

“!”

“Dono!”

Masamune stated, his eyes hard with determination, “That Oda doth advance into the Northeast is a fact we cannot ignore. We cannot battle Takeda on the one hand and Oda on the other, both at once. Far better to smash one side first.” Masamune’s single eye smiled. “To take the country, we must one day destroy both.”

Everyone spoke at once in surprise.

“Dono! That’s...!”

“This battle hath changed the course of my thinking,” Masamune said, and cast his gaze far into the distance. “I have finally remembered. In my previous life, I could do naught but regret my late birth. Times beyond counting did I mourn that fact, for if I had been born but twenty years earlier, I would certainly have ruled the country. —That thought remained unchanged in my heart even as I grew old.”

Masamune looked at his two commanders, his eyes bright.

“Just twenty years. Perhaps now that I am dead, my wish hath finally been granted.”

“Dono!”

“For the One-Eyed Dragon who came too late, is this not the greatest of opportunities?”

Masamune cast his gaze over his trusted va.s.sals.

“The ambitions of the One-Eyed Dragon have revived at last. Yea, the dream of the Date’s j.a.pan is not over. Most surely will the sun rise over a country ruled by the Date!”

His va.s.sals yelled, their faces aglow:

“Dono!”

“Dono—!”

Masamune turned to Kojuurou and Shigezane, overflowing with confidence.

“Well? Shigezane. Kojuurou.”

Shigezane’s face blazed.

“Yes! This is our lord! This is Date Masamune, our One-Eyed Dragon, Lord Masamune!”

Masamune looked at Kojuurou. Kojuurou’s smile was wry, resigned—then his eyes filled again with a warrior’s fighting spirit, and he answered, “I, Katakura Kagetsuna, will follow thee to the ends of the earth!”

“Good!”

Masamune—the One-Eyed Dragon Masamune—proclaimed loudly to all, “We will enter the battle of the «Yami-Sengoku», and certes will Date rule! I, Date Masamune, will take the country!”

Oooooooo—!

The mighty shout thundered through the mansion.

And following, a great victory cheer.

Ei-ei-o—!

Ei-ei-o—!

The roar of the One-Eyed Dragon pierced the heavens.

The Sengoku Age began now.