Samurai: Asai Kyou

Task 1: Tokubetsuna Shunkan (A Special Moment)

Kyou stared aimlessly at the bright sunlight spilling over the horizon as he sat on the engawa, which encircled the large goten at the center of Odani-jō. The rest of his family and many of the servants were still asleep at this early hour. Kyou was only up because he had never gone to bed.

Someone cleared their throat, snapping Kyou out of his stagnant state. "Are you going to mope for the rest of the day?" Naoki inquired, sitting down cross-legged beside Kyou.

"I'm not moping," Kyou huffed.

Naoki raised a brow. "No? Well, have you even been to bed?"

Kyou shook his head, fiddling with the hem of his haori. "Iē... I'm not tired." Kyou hunched his shoulders. Why does he have to bother me? I don't feel well, and I'm not in the mood right now...

"Is there a reason you're squinting and wincing every time I talk?" Naoki crossed his arms.

"Was I?" Kyou asked. "Well, you're a bit too loud, and I have a headache."

Naoki laughed. "Oh, now I get it." He leaned forward and looked down at the ground. Several discarded skins lay there, and he shook his head. "Are you insane? Sake won't make this better, Kyou-kun. So Oda-kun attacked your lands again? What of it? Will you let him win by drowning your sorrows in sake? Do you think he'll stop if you do that?"

Kyou laughed. "No, I don't." Shading his eyes, he looked up at the blue skies and sighed. "I can't beat him head on, Naoki-kun."

"Your point is?"

Kyou shook his head, wishing the pounding that was starting would just go away. "I'm not planning to fight him at all."

"What?" Naoki's eyes widened, and his voice rose.

"Would you quiet down? My head really is killing me."

"You might wish that a headache was the least of it when I'm done with you," Naoki snarled. "You do not get to give up and let him have his way! Iē, what you're going to do is retaliate and take back the land he stole in his second attack. And you are also going to give Magoichi-kun a good lesson about manners. Otherwise, he'll think he can get away with having his way with your little sister. Which is another reason you can't lose this fight. You don't want her to land in Magoichi-kun's hands..."

Kyou clenched his fists in the folds of his kimono's sleeves and bit the inside of his cheek. Shut up, he thought. I don't want to even think about that as a possibility... The idea that my sister could fall prey to that womanizer...

"Hey..." Naoki pursed his lips and glanced at Kyou. "Didn't you and Magoichi-kun have a past?"

"Where did you hear that?" Kyou's fingernails started to bite nastily into his palms as he clenched his fists even tighter. The tension inside became harsher and wilder, but he kept it under control, his voice level and his expression blank.

"Your sister, actually."

"You've been talking to my sister?" Kyou asked.

The sun was completely up now, and it was blinding him. He stared at his lap, squinting and thinking about how much of a baka he had been to decide to drown his sorrows in sake last night. Why hadn't he found the company of a woman like he had in the past? He could've unburdened his woes on her and let her take the tension from his body. Several of the noblewomen in his court were willing enough, especially now that he was daimyo. He wrinkled his nose. The problem is, they're only after marriage and my money. Beyond that, I gave up that lifestyle long ago.