Chapter Text
The room she is assigned overlooks the grounds of Tsutsukajima Palace. It is beautifully decorated in the Takeda reds. A tatami mat is spread on the floor next to a hand-carved chest. When she opens it, she finds silk thread in various different colors and patterns. Her fingers run lovingly over the design and she begins to envision the clothing she can make from it. Out of the several lessons her parents had forced upon her sisters and brothers, stitching and needlework were the only ones she truly enjoyed.
Yukimura, as he has introduced himself, hangs by the doorway looking awkward. As a man, it is improper to enter the room of a lady. He has opted to remain outside while she observes the wing reserved for her. His blush is ever-present and he has a habit of stuttering when addressed, a trait as a result of seldom being near female company. In a way, it is entertaining.
Sasuke does not echo Yukimura’s concerns and follows Rin inside. He takes in the room with a sense of pride and lifts one of the silk patterns up. It is a beautiful red threat with small silver lines arranged in no particular pattern. In her mind, she can see it becoming a beautiful hakama that will complement the rouge in her make up chest.
“Lord Shingen had us arrange everything for you, Lady!” Sasuke grins and his chest puffs up in pride, “I helped pick out the clothing.”
Rin hums to herself and moves towards another chest to one side. This one is smaller than the other and has a clasp she works to undo. Inside it, she finds a wedding kimono folded neatly in the center. It is extravagant, heavy, and a familiar twist of nervousness makes her stomach lurch. All at once, what is expected of her comes rushing back.
The wedding is set for a few day’s time. The realization cascades over her and makes her feel just slightly woozy. She forces the lid shut hiding the wedding outfit from view and leans against the wall to catch her breath.
Having missed her apprehension, Yukimura addresses her. For the first time, he meets her gaze head on and a boyish pride sweeps across his features. A loyal retainer to the Takeda, he is proud to serve the Tiger of Kai and makes no moves to hide it.
“You will like it here,” he vows and his voice is confident, “Milord Shingen is a good man! He is as fearsome of a warrior as one could expect and will make sure you are safe. Being Lady Takeda is an honor. I, Sanada Genjirou Yukimura, shall serve you well, my Lady.”
Yukimura lifts the sword from his side and offers it to her. His own form of a vow.
Awkwardly, Rin accepts the oath. She looks around the room once more and a wave of homesickness fills her.
Despite herself, she misses Owari.
While Owari might not have been the Akai’s home, they had lived in it for years while serving the Oda. Her father had served the former Oda Lord and had remained faithful until the Lord of Fools had taken the mantle. Afterword’s, Oda Nobunaga had proven himself a poor Lord and had lost the Akai’s loyalty. Owari is nothing more than a forgotten land now and Rin misses it despite knowing there is nothing that can be done about it.
“What kind of man is Lord Shingen?” She voices out loud to the room. Her fingers gently brush the blue hairpin. It is not a personal gift, having been sent to whoever her father would have chosen for the marriage alliance, and she can seldom get a reading on the man who chose it.
Lord Shingen had looked powerful and regal on that dais, but what kind of man lurked beneath? A dais was well and good, but the man above it could wear a mask. A person’s true character always rested beneath the splendors of power and control. The man that stepped of the dais and approached his people was much more authentic than the man who presided over them. Rin was curious to know if the Shingen who dwelled in Kai was of the same honor as the Lord Shingen who ruled over it.
Sasuke’s eyes shine with another sense of pride much like that of Yukimura’s.
“Lord Shingen is a great man! He’s strong and powerful! The battlefield comes alive when he’s on it. No one can resist the might of the Takeda army! Even the Dragon of Echigo finds himself faltering when Milord Shingen raises his sword. He will bring about divine rule, you’ll see! Only the Demon King Oda stands in his way and he will be dispatched of soon.”
At the mention of the Oda, Yukimura nudges Sasuke and sends him a look. Some previous tension fills the room and Sasuke returns to himself. He looks at Rin again and makes a quiet, ‘oh’, sound under his breath. The earlier jovial grin is replaced by pursed lips and thoughtful remorse.
Right, the Akai are traitors to the Oda.
The Takeda, sworn Oda enemies, have still not entirely forgiven the betrayal even if it was for them. In a world of samurai honor and code, betraying one clan makes one even less trustworthy.
Rin opts to cut through the tense silence by brushing past it. She shrugs off the name Oda the way one might shrug off a kimono and pretends to let it not affect her. Her fingers tuck a stray lock of inky black hair out of the way and she purses her lips thoughtfully.
“Yes, but what kind of man is he? Not soldier but man?”
That is the true question that lingers beneath it all. If Rin is to marry Shingen and give her his life and womb, she wants to make sure he is a good man. A good Lord comes a dime a dozen in a Japan so feudal and divided, but a good husband is rarer than precious gems. Lady Takeda Rin can appreciate a good Lord, but Rin herself requires a good husband to feel at ease. It would seem a horrid thing to be forever tied to a man who was a cad or a disgrace.
At the question, some of the tension from earlier dissipates. Rin has asked just the right thing to get them to let their guard down. Yukimura flushes again with pride and grins.
“Milord Shingen is a great man! Honorable, brave, and protective. He will guard you with your life and will make a good husband. You will be made at home here, milady. Kai is yours to do with what you want. We here will guard you with our life. Trust in us and the might of the Takeda,” He bows his head in another sworn oath.
Finally, the last of the tension leaves her shoulders. She looks about the room once more and this time sees a home instead of an empty space. Squaring her jaw and raising her head the way Lady Takeda would, Rin raises herself to her full height.
“I will be a good lady to you all,” she swears.
And she means it.
----
The wedding is set a few days’ time from now. The Takeda Clan is scrambling to prepare things and the palace is abuzz with chatter. Rin can hear the servants scurrying about as they ready everything. She paces the length of her room in thought.
As the bride, the ceremony is not hers to prepare. She has been involved in the selection of a few arrangements, been instructed on how to sit and approach the dais yet has not had a direct role in the wedding itself. Her father and Shingen plan everything out for her. Weddings are not a romantic affair, she learns, merely a political one.
It is still a little jarring to remember she is to wed. Her whole life, Rin had always imagined marriage decades away. As little girls imagined their husbands and begged their noble families to choose them suitable matches, she had always brushed aside the topic of romance. Once it had been falsely assured to her that she could choose her husband, she had never bothered to dwell on the topic again.
Marriage was something you did when you were old and ready to settle down. It was something chosen for you if you were unfortunate, like her parents, or something you did for love if you were poor enough to afford it. Asides from that, it was merely a formality for appearances and politics.
Rin’s arms wrap around her frame lightly and she bites the inside of her cheek. She hasn’t seen much of Shingen since being presented to him. He has spent most of his time with her father planning out the alliance to the last detail or ordering things around about the wedding, but he hasn’t formally held a conversation with her. She was lucky if she caught a flash of his scarlet hair rounding the corner of the palace or perhaps a glimpse of him in the courtyard sparring with his samurai.
Who exactly was Takeda Shingen? The question fills her head every time she thinks about it. Yukimura and Sasuke were quick to reassure her that he was a good man, sang his praises sky high, but she didn’t know what to make of the man.
In the few days she had spent in Kai, she has made a few discoveries of her own.
Shingen was beloved by his retainers and servants. They all had something nice to say and painted him as a good lord and even better man. The Main Hall was always abuzz with easy chatter and his people seemed to be able to approach him freely. He made himself available to them and ensured they each knew how much he valued them.
The women of Kai especially favored Shingen. Maids swooned when he came near and they had plenty to say about his good looks. Rin had gathered that he was rather famous with women and had plenty of company in his bed too. She wasn’t quire sure what to make of that information, a part of her worried she was marrying a man who would build himself a harem and lessen the influence of her clan, but she supposed it was to be expected from someone of his standing. It was rare to find a man who was satisfied with just one, her father himself had a concubine, two of her siblings were hers, and she had been raised to accept it like any other samurai bride worth half her weight.
Her lips purse thoughtfully as she leans against a balcony overlooking the courtyard. The men are training below and her brother is facing off with Yukimura. Ichiro, as heir to the Akai, has become popular as of late with the retainers. Each one wanted to face off with him and learn just what exactly Owari had taught him.
She watches as Ichiro and Yukimura spar. Yukimura is plenty adept with a sword, can hold his own, yet her brother is matched in strength. The force of their blows rattle in the courtyard and some of the other sparring samurai pause to watch. It is hard to tell who is winning, they both seem to get the upper hand as often as they are forced back, but no one seems to care. It is entertaining to see the Heir of a Traitor and the loyal retainer of a Lord face off.
Rin watches quietly and brushes a stray lock of dark hair behind her ear. Now, Ichiro is becoming tired. That is often one of his misgivings, she knows, he tends to put all of his strength on display in the beginning of the battle and tires himself out pretty quickly.
Yukimura looks a little worse for wear himself but he still manages to hold his own. With a last shout and push, he manages to disarm Ichiro. Her brother skids to the floor and his weapon falls as Yukimura disarms him. The point of his weapon is aimed at his brother’s throat and Ichiro yields.
A loud, deep laugh sounds from the courtyard and Rin turns surprised.
The man of the hour himself, Takeda Shingen, has now arrived. Having finished some peace talks with her father, the Tiger of Kai himself enters the scene. He takes in the duel good-naturedly and pats Yukimura on the back. The strength of his pats are almost enough to make Yukimura budge.
Rin observes him from her vantage point high up. This is one of the few times she has seen more than a passing glimpse of him since being presented.
He is tall, she realizes, and handsome. His red hair is pinned back in a loose pony tail and his chest is bare with his clothing being tied loosely around his waist. He takes a sword from someone and hefts Ichiro up to his feet. Her brother greets him with enough propriety and then thanks Yukimura for the sparring match.
Shingen says something to Ichiro but whatever it is, is lost to Rin. Her brother seems to be jovial, however, and he accepts the offered sword from Shingen.
A gift, she realizes, the sword is of Shingen’s personal collection. For a Lord to give such a prized gift is a beautiful show of respect.
Something within Rin begins to feel warm and she can’t stop the way a light smile plays on her lips. A part of her, so used to being the daughter of a traitor, delights in seeing her family be welcome. If Kai is to be her home, after all, she wants nothing more than to see her family welcomed by her husband.
Ichiro bows to Shingen in appreciation and some of the other retainers congratulate him on his gift. Shingen turns away from him with another loud laugh and musses his hair the way he has done to Yukimura in the past. There are no signs of ill will or distrust between them, the Tiger of Kai is a good Lord willing to give anyone who pledges allegiance to him a chance.
Some of Rin’s earlier apprehension over the marriage leaves her then and the wedding looming so close no longer seems frightening. She feels herself relax and the smile on her lips flourishes.
Below her, Shingen looks up.
No doubt having sensed her gaze, his eyes seek hers out. Amber connects with navy and Rin pauses. He has lovely eyes, a deep, pronounced amber, and she feels the weight of them, the power, the longer they look at each other. A warmth spreads through her and they maintain eye contact just long enough for Ichiro and Yukimura to begin sparring again.
At the sound of the clashing swords, Shingen breaks the contact first. He angles his body to watch them spar but throws her another gaze over his shoulder. Whatever he sees in her, he must like because the corners of his lips turn up.
Rin breaks his gaze after another pause and turns around. Having lingered too long, she decides to return to her room to continue her letter writing.
Still, as she walks away, she can feel the force of gold eyes on her back. Heart beating just slightly quicker, she presses her fingers to her lips in thought.
Perhaps Kai will feel like a home with time. After all, she thinks, a man with such powerful and true eyes cannot be a bad person.