Samurai 2.0 - Destiny: A Harem Fantasy Adventure

by April O'Malley

  She didn't look at him, but he saw her face twist slightly. “No.”

  “You are.”

  She didn't say anything else, she simply stared straight ahead.

  “Kiso,” he said, bringing his mount closer to hers, “you knew that I was to be married. You refused my offer.”

  “I knew you were to be married, yes,” she said, “to someone that you hated.” She finally looked at him. Tears were in her eyes. “I never expected this.”

  “Neither did I, Kiso,” he said. “Neither did I.”

  “Do you love her?” she asked, turning her head back to the front.

  He paused for a moment, then replied, “Yes, I think I do.”

  She scoffed.

  “Do I have to remind you that I asked for your hand? That I asked for you to be my wife? You plainly refused. You don't get to be angry now and shut me out,” he told her. She continued to stare straight ahead. “Fine,” he said, and he pushed his horse forward and trotted up to where a couple of the commanders were riding, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

  Soon, they reached the outskirts of the city where they were to find the gang and the individual they were searching for. They stopped at a place marked on one of the maps and dismounted. Not long after, a scout approached and came over to them. He told Akio of the intel he had gathered. A group led by the newcomer Ratnakar had overtaken the monastery on the hill, killing all of the monks present. Not only was this truly disturbing, the people in the city were also completely frightened of him and his group.

  Akio had to push this out of his mind for now. “We do not have the strength of our force with us to remove that scum from the monastery. We shall have to come back and deal with that later.”

  The scout continued with his report. He told Akio where to find the tavern that the man who killed his father usually frequented. At the tavern, there would be a massive number of his gang members that would not allow their leader to be captured.

  “And what is this man's name?” Akio inquired.

  “Atagi,” the scout said. Then, he pointed out on the map where their hideouts were located around the city if they needed them.

  Akio thought for a moment, considering his options about stopping that man. Then he turned to the scout and asked, “Has news of my status reached this city yet?”

  The scout nodded. “Yes. Most people are now aware that there is a new shogun in charge. Some are eager to see you, others are not so enthusiastic. I suggest that you meet with the daimyo here first before you do anything in town.”

  Narrowing his eyes, Akio said, “Tell me about the daimyo here.”

  “I... I really don't know much about him,” the scout started to say. Akio could see right through his lies. He knew this person all too well. He raised an eyebrow to show him that he knew he was withholding information. The scout cleared his throat and continued, “Well, I do know that he is in the pocket of the gangs here. They pay him and he lets them run free throughout the city. He is a wealthy person, and powerful as he uses the gangs as enforcers and members of his army.”

  Akio nodded, satisfied with the answer, and turned away from the group for a moment, peering out into the woods. He then motioned for a few trusted soldiers to follow him a bit away from the rest.

  When they were at a distance where Akio felt that no one would overhear them, he began. “Here is what we will do. We will take a small group, such as this one here, only trusted members who are loyal only to me. We will make our way to the tavern. A few of you will find out who this Atagi is and we shall wait for him to leave. We will capture him and bring him, and any men with him, back here. Then, we will have a trial, that I will oversee, and we will deliver the outcome.” He looked around. “I do not want the daimyo here knowing that I am in town. I will visit him later – with a larger party.”

  He began to comprehend what Kuninaka was talking about when he had spoken about daimyos that needed to be removed for things to run smoothly. This was definitely one of those men who needed to go. With maps of the town laid out on the ground in front of them, the men planned the best routes to get in and out without being noticed. Since no one in there really knew his face yet, Akio felt that he could move about without any problems. Once the plan was set up, they put it in motion.

  Inside the city, the small group proceeded with wonderful stealth that pleased Akio. Even Kiso moved with the group and seemed back to her normal self. They quickly located the said tavern and were trying to decide who would go inside when Akio realized that Kiso was missing. He looked around in time to see her head inside all on her own, her hair flowing behind her, obvious that she was a girl. Several of the men in his group had their jaws fall open in amazement. Akio wanted to run after her, but knew that it would only jeopardize everything. All he could do now was wait. Trust in her plan, whatever that mad strategy was.

  It seemed like forever before Kiso appeared again. She was laughing and joking with two men as they came out of the door of the tavern. It was almost dark. She led them toward the area where the group awaited, telling them she was staying just up the road here. It was obvious that the men had been promised a fun night with Kiso and had nothing more on their minds. One of them asked her why she had never been in the tavern before and she replied that she was only passing through the town and wanted a little rough sex that could only be found at a dirty tavern.

  She rounded the corner and led the two men with her into the ambush. Within seconds, they were bound and gagged, with no idea as to what had happened to them. Akio looked at Kiso, “Which is Atagi?”

  She shook her head. “He was not there tonight.” She looked back at the two men. “However, this one…” She pointed at one of them, a short guy with the pointy face of a rat, “is his right hand. He will take us to where Atagi is.”

  The rat-faced man made some muffled comment and Akio got the gist of the 'hell no' that he was saying. “Oh, but you will take us to him,” Akio said, bending down in front of him. The man laughed behind his gag.

  Akio motioned to one of his warriors. That person, wearing a black hood, knelt down in front of the bound man and began to take tools out from his pockets. He signaled a couple of the others and they pulled the bound man's hands up and held them. The hooded man grabbed a long, skinny metal rod with a wicked point on one end. He moved it toward the bound man's fingers. Atagi’s accomplice began to struggle and try to pull away. Others with Akio quickly were on him, holding him still.

  The hooded man inserted the pointed end under the fingernail on the bound man's right hand. Slowly, he pushed the rod and the man screamed under his gag. Akio finally had to turn away, even though this could be one of the bastards who had tortured his father. He could hear the bound man breathing hard in between screams.

  “Are you ready to tell us?” Akio asked. “Or should we start on the next finger?”

  The man changed his mind very quickly and started to mumble through the gag, nodding that he would help them. Akio gestured for his gag to be removed a little. As soon as it was, the man flooded their ears with information, begging for the rod to be removed. Within a few minutes, they had learned everything they needed to know to get their hands on Atagi.

  Outside one of the safe houses where Atagi was staying that night, Akio and his group counted up the guards on the perimeter. Akio was worried there were too many to deal with here. He wished that Atagi had been at the tavern and they had been able to follow the original plan. However, with the torture of the man Kiso had brought out, they could not go back into the tavern as the missing man might be noticed if Kiso went back in. Instead, Akio posted scouts around the safe house and they were to let him know immediately if anyone left the building.

  All night, the scouts stayed on the building, while Akio, Kiso and a few others moved to a small inn down the street. Just before dawn, one of the scouts came to Akio's door with news of movement. Atagi was heading out to the house that Ratnakar had been at to see if th
e rumors were true that the boy had taken over the monastery. Akio knew that this would be the perfect time to ambush him as the man moved through the woods. He quickly gathered up the group and they headed out, using the maps that the scout had given them to skirt the roads and make their way to a solid spot in the woods on the side of the road that Atagi would take toward the farm house.

  It was only about thirty minutes before they heard people coming up the road from the city. Kiso was in place, looking as if she had been mauled or attacked. Her clothing ripped, her hair everywhere, Akio fought the urge to help her himself. Men's voices and laughter approached, and Akio knew the exact moment that they saw the woman in the road. They rushed over to her as Akio and his group watched through the bushes. The scout confirmed that one of the four men was Atagi and gave the whistle.

  As the men burst out of their hiding places, Kiso sprang up from the ground as well, taking one of the men from behind with a quick dagger to the ribs. He dropped immediately to his knees but she was behind him in an instant, her dagger now at his throat. Akio's soldiers took up positions, covering the others with their swords. The men held up their hands, except for one.

  “What the hell is this?” he asked. “You don't attack people like this on a road.”

  Akio allowed one of his samurai to do the talking. “Are you Atagi?” the samurai asked.

  “Who the hell wants to know?” the man said, keeping his arms crossed over his massive chest. “Besides, I think you already know or you wouldn't have gone through this trouble.”

  Quickly, the group was bound and gagged. They were led through the woods with the help of the maps and the scouts so that they were not spotted. No one wanted to answer questions about what was going on. It took a little while but they finally reached the spot where their larger group was waiting. They noticed immediately that something was wrong when they came into view. Akio once again allowed the samurai to speak for him so as not to give away his position in the group.

  “What is going on here?” the samurai asked.

  A man rose from a chair that had been brought out for him. He had several guards with him. “I should ask the same,” he said. He bowed slightly, never letting his eyes leave the group of men who had just approached. “I am Usami Suenaka, the daimyo of this district. And why do you have my officers in your custody?”

  Akio looked the man up and down for a moment. The force that the daimyo had with him was small; however, he assumed that there were more close by. He had to figure out what to do to keep this from being a battle. He stepped forward. “I am Ide Akio,” he said without a bow. “I assume that you know who I am.”

  The other man looked a bit surprised. “Ide Akio, the new shogun.” He bowed deeply. “I am surprised that you did not come to see me upon arriving. I could have had these men brought to you if needed.”

  Akio had to choose his words wisely. “These men are wanted for crimes against the shogunate, I could not risk them getting wind of my coming. I deeply apologize for any dishonor that I have caused.” But he still did not bow to the other man.

  Realizing that this was in fact the new shogun and that he would be in the wrong if anything were to happen now, the daimyo backed down a bit. “It is me who should apologize. I was told there was an invasion force at my gates and I came to determine what was brewing. I should have waited on your word.” His face betrayed his lack of respect and Akio knew that this man was going to be a problem moving forward.

  Akio simply stood there for a moment. Suenaka continued, as he motioned to his men, “I shall retire back to my compound then. I will expect that you shall come and visit with me once your business is finished?”

  Akio looked at him. “Yes, your expectations are correct.” He did not say anything else until the daimyo and his soldiers were far gone from view. Kiso appeared next to him as they watched the spot up the road where the group had disappeared.

  “He knows,” Kiso said.

  “He will be ready for us if we try to come to his compound.”

  “He will fight to keep his seat,” she continued.

  “I'm counting on it,” he said with a smile.

  Chapter Twelve

  Akio and Kiso argued over what to do with the men as they made their way back to the shogun's compound. Akio fully intended to torture and slay them, as they had done to his father. Yet, Kiso made a powerful argument that he was now in a position where he could not afford to be so brash. His heart wanted to take full revenge, to get even, but his brain sided with Kiso's logic. He pouted all the way back after realizing that she was correct. The court system would have to handle the issue.

  At the compound, he was amazed to learn the emperor was still there, waiting for him. He returned to his chambers to find the man sitting in a chair, reading.

  “Ah, the new shogun has returned,” the emperor said as Akio shut the door behind him. The man's voice startled him and he instinctively drew his sword. “Oh come now,” the man said, “you wouldn't really draw your sword on the emperor now, would you?”

  Akio immediately sheathed his sword. “I deeply apologize,” he said, with a sweeping, formal bow. “You startled me is all, sire.”

  The emperor stood and paced lightly in front of the chair. “Akio,” he said, “I have promoted you to shogun, as the insane old Kuninaka demanded.” He continued pacing as Akio watched. He had never met the emperor before and was startled at how young he really was. “Tell me why this old coot was so impressed with you that he demanded you over all of the other daimyos? Why you over all of his generals who are battle-tested? Why you, over everyone else?” The emperor stopped and focused his intense eyes on Akio.

  Pausing for a moment, Akio decided to tell the other man the truth. “Truthfully, sire, I ignore the reason.”

  They stood facing each other for a moment, the emperor in his silken robes laced with gold fibers and Akio in battle dress. Finally, the emperor burst out laughing. “Well, you're honest at least,” the man said, returning to his chair and folding one leg over the other. He crossed his hands in his lap and looked at Akio carefully. “So, what was so important that you left directly after your wedding and your appointment to shogun?”

  “Sire,” Akio said as he moved a little closer and sat down on a pillow close by, “I had a lead on the men who murdered my father. I made a vow to find them and bring them to justice – nothing was going to stop that.”

  The emperor raised an eyebrow. “And where are these men now?”

  “They are in a holding cell here on the compound,” Akio replied.

  “Mmm hmm.” The emperor was quiet for a moment. “You did not want to exact your revenge on your own?”

  Akio did not hesitate. “Oh yes, with all my being,” he said. “But it was not the right thing to do. Not now.”

  The emperor nodded slightly. “No, I suppose not. Not now.” He chewed on the side of his lip, considering what to say next. “Akio,” he said and then paused, “I'll admit I'm a bit dumbfounded at why Kuninaka chose you but I am starting to admire your honesty.” He stood and walked a bit closer to where Akio sat. “I would like to know more about you, especially if you are now the shogun. We shall be working closely together – very closely – and I feel that we need to become friends. Do you agree?”

  “I do agree, wholeheartedly.”

  “Excellent!” the other said, clapping his hands together. “In a few nights, the two of us shall celebrate your wedding and your new position. I have arranged for a party here at the compound with local influential people that you need to meet.” He paced again. “There will be multiple things that you need to learn, people you need to memorize, and more. Are you ready for that?”

  Akio stood up and bowed. “I am ready and I am honored that you would have this arranged for me.”

  The emperor stopped pacing and stood in front of Akio. “Good. It is settled then.” He bowed lightly to Akio, who bowed back formally. “In the meantime, I wish for you and
I to get to know each other better. I ask for you to join me for dinner.”

  “I would be honored, sire.”

  “I shall see you this evening then,” the emperor replied. With that, he turned and left the room swiftly as if he had better things to attend to. Akio was startled still at this private meeting and was trying to process it when a light knock at the door pulled him back into now.

  “Come in,” he said.

  The door opened and Seki's beautiful face poked in. “Akio?” she said. “Is this a good time?”

  A wide smile creased his face. “It is always a good time for you, my wife.” He rushed to the door and greeted her with open arms, which she fell into. Their faces met in a wonderful, warm kiss and he closed the door behind her.

  ***

  Anger boiled through Usami Suenaka like molten metal. The very audacity of that boy to come into his town and kidnap his men! The sheer idea of another daimyo sneaking in, without warning... He cared not that Akio was the new shogun. He was too young, too inexperienced and too stupid to realize what a position he was now in. As he paced across his balcony, Suenaka's face was screwed up in anger and planning.

  One of his soldiers approached and handed him two scrolls, bowing as he backed away. Suenaka opened the first scroll and read the contents. The new shogun was having a party thrown in his honor in a couple of days and his presence was requested. He would go, only because to not show up would be a slap to the emperor that he did not want to make.

  The second scroll contained information he had been waiting for. His men that Akio had taken were to be tried for the murder of a daimyo. He was furious. Tried in the court of the shogun, they stood no chance. This would not do as these men were some of his best and he needed them, and their information.

  With a yell, he called a servant and another soldier to him. He crushed the scroll in his fist. “I want arrangements – grand arrangements – made for traveling to the shogun's 'party'. Right now! GO!” he yelled at the servant. The servant scampered off quickly, not wanting to bear the brunt of the daimyo's anger.