The War Room

( Kojuro Hizashi Anzen Hizashi @sayurihirayama )
The commander nodded listening to the boy speak. He had some sense to him at least.

" As Kojuro-Dono has stated; we have learned that Nishida of Tokhung has orgonized this
raid against our people under a guise of "banditry" . My guess this was aimed to disrupt any of our own plans and spread our focus thin as we try and reign in the bandit epidemic.

Using young men from our own lands suggest that we are lacking. " The man said. " The fact our own people would leave to gain title from another suggest we do not have means for them to gain it here, this will have to be addressed or we will end up butching our own...again." Takahashi's eyes lowered, He had not enjoyed his task... but he could not leave loose ends either.

" The current bandit thread has been removed, and a message has been established. Betray the Hizashi at your own peril . Of the twelve odd prisoners I had captured to extract this information, none draw breath."

The aging warrior touched his forehead to the floor. " I hope I did not act hastily Kojuro-dono."

Throughout Anzen’s report, Kojuro found himself more concerned rather than less. Not only about Lord Genji’s condition, although the facts of it pained him deeply, but for Anzen herself, as he knew she would be taking the burden of his recovery personally. Although she was the only one who thought of it that way, another “failure” of her healing abilities would be devastating to her. Their uncle had always been such a healthy and vital man, and more than that, a hero of sorts, it seemed impossible that he could be brought so low by an illness. Kojuro glanced at the doors unconsciously, expecting Genji to just walk in and announce his recovery. “I’m sorry to keep you, Onee-san,” he replied, “once we’re finished here please get some rest. I’m sure there are others who can care for Uncle Genji in the meanwhile. Kaen, perhaps you can see to making sure the doctors are on hand?”

“Noguchi, of Tokhung?” Kojuro repeated the name as he looked back towards Takahashi. “So, were the Omaharu behind this, or was this Noguchi acting alone? If it’s the Omaharu, this could mean war. We’ll need to gather more information, send someone into Tokhung.”

He didn’t quite understand Takahashi’s reasoning. Not every boy who dreamed of being a samurai could become one. If that was the case no one would be tilling the fields, making furniture, clothing, pottery, or anything else the society needed to function in harmony. “It suggests we are lacking in discipline. I have replaced the Magistrate of Shimokawa with a successor and left some of our warriors there to train better guards for the town.”

“Sit up, Takahashi-san,” he replied to the warrior who had bowed low in the expectation of possible admonition. “No, you did the right thing. There was no doubt over their guilt, it would have meant their deaths by any means.”

Kojuro took a deep breath and let it out slowly. With Tokhung at their back a possible enemy, foreigners on their shores and in the mansion itself, plus the possibility that Genji had been poisoned deliberately it left them in a precarious position. “I want your thoughts on this,” he said to all those gathered. “I think that while Lord Genji is unable to lead us we should focus on our defences. The men that have been gathered will be expected to be deployed somewhere, so I suggest we strengthen our borders, with Jeoncho and especially Tokhung. We should also increase the security at the mansion, around Lord Genji. We need to gather information and find out what enemies we may face and from what direction. I also think that it may be a good idea to travel to the capital and renew our oath of fealty to the Shogun.” He knew that Genji had designs on the capital, that he saw the Shogun as a false authority figure that had no claim on the country, and that they would attack Xuandao at some point, but he did not know what those plans were, and couldn’t pretend to be a tactical genius like his uncle. But in any eventuality it couldn’t harm their position, whether it was ultimately sincere or not.

“In the meantime, we have a large foreign ship anchored off the coast at Tamatoshi Bay. We need to determine their purpose. If it’s peaceful, best that we make contact with them before they sail over to Tokhung. If they are here to make war we need to destroy them quickly. Sayuri-dono, if you are still able to deal with the foreigners from Sakand who are here in the mansion, please do so, and cover for Lord Genji’s absence as much as possible. If they get impatient, I can meet with them as well.” Ordinarily the idea of foreign guests and visitors from other lands would be exciting to him, and he would make any excuse to see them himself and ask them questions, but now, he couldn’t help but think of it as rather a nuisance.

He hoped some of the others would have something to say, either to add to his plans with suggestions, or else to tell him that they were terrible and propose alternatives. “Please feel free to speak your minds,” he asked them all, feeling infinitely tired.

    It had been far too long since he'd been on his feet. The world still threatened to twist and spin around him as he refound his balance over the next several hours, and as he was carefully dressed by a handful of servants, he had a hard time standing still and resisting the urge to hold on to something. Yet once he had been properly layered and his swords in his sash, he felt just confident enough to move about on his own.
    Carefully, he walked down the corridor towards the war room. From behind the screen, he could hear familiar voices. He gestured to his two samurai guards, both of whom had been assigned to assure he did not get dizzy, to wait down at the end of the hall. Against their better judgment they both nodded, and their daimyo stood outside the room for a moment before entering, listening to the discussion ongoing. It was as though he were still in a dream, or witnessing his own death as a ghost, as those among his closest family and retainers spoke of his condition with a grave sense of urgency. He absorbed the tones of their voices and the contents of the discussion carefully, his first truly major foray into the realm of conscious thought in many days.

    Slowly, the screen to the war room slid open.

Feigning weakness from a position of strength was one thing, but it could be a while until that strength returned, and until then, better that they kept enemies far from the door. "Perhaps, if word got out. But since very few people know, it shouldn't," he replied to Kaen. His next suggestion though, was very interesting - if anyone were to take on such a dangerous position, Kaen might be a good choice. But before he had a chance to answer, the door opened.

To those still facing the dais, shock registered on Kojuro's face, seeing Lord Genji appear in the doorway, looking something like an apparition of himself, but alive, conscious, and walking. He felt a sense of relief so strong it made him light-headed. Immediately he bowed to the floor, "Genji-dono," Kojuro greeted him, and then raised himself from his bow, and vacated the seat at the centre of the dais, in order to cede to its rightful owner, taking a place to the side and facing Genji's spot, once again bowing low to the lord. No one had expected his condition to improve so quickly, and Kojuro was as worried as Sayuri was to see him out of bed and moving around while so obviously still ill, but it was one thing for his wife to show such concern openly, and quite another for Kojuro to do so. Silently he said a prayer to whatever gods had decided to bring Genji back from the edge of death and reprieve him from the responsibility of leading the clan.

The man's head did not raise right away, but he raised after a moment, as if to let the young man settle on his thoughts before letting Takahashi live.

He remained quiet for te time while the others spoke, eyes narrowing slightly as Kaen suggested a straggly, however the young man before him already saw the flaw in the plan, and said as much.A pleased smirk hidden under Takahashi's menpo grew a hair more.

He heard foot fall outside of the threshold only turning an ear slightly to it until he Saw Kojuro's eyes when the screen opened.

The Warrior turned, and touched his head to the floor seeing his lord stand there.

Sayuri couldn't help but smile while trying her hardest to keep her tears back. "Genji..." She had to appear strong for her husband, now more than ever. Just hearing him say her name was almost enough to make her break. The last few days she had been afraid she would never hear his voice again and nobody had expected him to wake up from his illness so soon.

Together with Anzen she would support his weight, letting him concentrate his strength on more important things. She would lead him towards the center of the dais, the place Kojuro had sat only a few moments ago and would sit him down gently. This was his place, his place to rule and lead his people with the gentle heart she knew he had. If he felt like he was strong enough to be here, there was no reason for her to take it away from him. Even if she was determined to see him rest right after the meeting would be done. She would sit as close to him as she could be, letting him lean against her shoulder for support if he needed it.

    "Thank you," he said with a nod that seemed to suggest he was getting his strength back... or at least his enthusiasm to move on to important matters. He looked at everyone in the room, feeling glad that they had supported him through all this hardship. But with his consciousness regaining its sense of urgency, he began to worry about the state of things. These individuals would be the first trusted people to begin updating him on the situation.

    "So... where are we in all things? How is the clan postured? What has become of Sarisu island, the Emperor, Tokhung?"

    "Excellent... I am very pleased with this progress. Very good to be able to count on you, Kojuro... Everything has aligned the way it was supposed to align," he said, a small smile of victory coming to his face after weeks of strain. He was glad he could count on his nephew.
    "If this is the case... we must figure out the Omaharu clan next. Then, with our borders secure, we can turn our sights on Jeoncho and the Shogunate."

    Quietly, he began to wonder how far along the Empress was in her studies, having secured her away almost anonymously in the depths of his compound, where she received the highest grade of education and protection from multiple sources. Surely there would be some improvement when he went to meet her again.

    "The wedding is soon, isn't it... it's a good thing I returned to the world of the living, when I did." His smile following this comment would seem so natural of him, one would start to feel hard pressed to think he had ever been sickly and ill at all, just twenty-four hours ago.

Kojuro knew that he had been putting off meeting his father face to face once again, no matter how many excuses he made to himself. His meeting with Zu Fu had brought his father back into the forefront of his mind, and he had finally acknowledged that he was avoiding talking to Ryuzo, and had the decency to feel somewhat ashamed about it. His behaviour wasn’t exactly “Yuuou Maishin”. He had refused any visitors while he was wounded, but now he was well on the way to recovery, the time had come in which he needed to make firmer plans for the upcoming war. To do that, Kojuro needed to know if he could count on Ryuzo’s assistance or not.

He had summoned Ryuzo to the War Room. The formality of the setting seemed not only appropriate for what he wished to do, but also provided somewhat of a buffer zone from the conflicting emotions he couldn’t help but feel where his father was concerned. He sat at the head of the room, on the slightly raised platform, and considered that the last time he had been here, Uncle Genji, when in one of his more lucid moments, had praised Kojuro’s efforts at leading the clan in his absence. Genji had believed in him, and it was up to him now to show that his trust had not been misplaced.

Once Ryuzo arrived, Kojuro made sure to speak first. He was not intending to let him lead the conversation into other areas before he had made clear what the meeting was about and why he had wished to see him. He observed his father with a serious and formal expression, and once Ryuzo had sat down, he spoke. “Chichi-ue. You mentioned that you had returned to serve the clan. I need to ask you a very important question: Are you a Monk of Reason, or a samurai of Clan Hizashi? If you are to rejoin the clan, take up your sword once again, and pledge your service and loyalty to me, here and now, as your lord and head of the Hizashi clan.” His eyes did not waver as he looked directly at Ryuzo. “If, however, you feel you cannot, then take your leave and return to the House of Reason.” Both paths had honour to them; by taking either, his father would not lose any face. “Father, I feel that I would benefit from your wisdom, your knowledge and experience, and if you were to rejoin Clan Hizashi, your advice would be invaluable to me. But,” and here a hardness crept into his voice, “I cannot have you meddling in my affairs, either personal or that of the clan, behind my back.”