Chapter Text
The castle rose high above the villages in the valleys below. The sun bore its beautiful rays over everything and everyone under it, it had a beauty to it that Michikastu could not put his finger on. He was outside, awaiting his teacher to help him master the art of sword fighting. The walls around the castle were so tall, he wondered how anyone could climb over them to get inside.
He had heard stories of people trying to assassinate their liege lords, it scared the seven year old boy. Michikastu fiddled with the sleeves of his purple kimono while getting bored of waiting.
It had been on one such day that he had noticed a boy with black and red hair looking at him from behind the trees. He had seen him around the estate before, it was his younger twin brother. His mother had explained to him that twins were often seen as a bad omen, though she also said that he was too young to understand why just yet.
Michikastu approached the boy behind the pine trees. He was small and substantially thinner than himself. He wore a simple red kimono, the boy looked more like a peasant than the son of a lord. His bright red eyes looked distant as he approached, his pale skin looked washed out. He had a pair of earrings as it was thought that the boy was deaf.
The older twin tilted his head slightly
“Are you unwell?” He asked the boy before him. The truth was Michikatsu had figured out that his younger twin was not deaf, just scared to speak. The boy flinched as he reached out his hand.
“It’s alright, I’ll take you to mother” He held out his hand again. At the word ‘mother’, the boy perked up. He was hesitant, but took the hand of his bolder brother who led him through the castle. A couple of the servants spotted the two, curious to see the hidden younger brother.
The little boy looked down at the floor, frightened that looking up at someone would result in another beating. Finally, they reached their mother’s room. Akeno Tsugikuni was sat up in bed, having been unwell recently.
“Michi, my son” She spoke lovingly “Did you bring your little brother to me?”
He nodded “He looks sick”. The boy beside him finally looked up, his mother was the only person who really treated him with any care, apart from his big brother. Yorichii cuddled into his mother and fell asleep; not before Michikastu saw the bruises on his skin, old and new.
“Mother, is he hurt?” He asked innocently. Unaware of the treatment his brother received from his father. Akeno sighed sadly. “Yes, he is hurt. I can’t explain it now but I will one day. I promise. I try to protect when I can but...” Her lip trembled, she put her arms protectively around the younger boy “...I’m only a sick little woman”.
Michikastu felt something pull at his heart strings. Then, he recalled that his twin didn’t have a name.
“Mother, we should name him!”
Akeno smiled sweetly. “He already has a name, my sweet boy” She stroked her older son’s hair as the boy looked down at the younger boy. Soundly asleep in the safety of his mothers arms.
“His name is Yoriichi, Yoriichi Tsugikuni”
-
It had been three years since that conversation.
Yoriichi followed his brother around when their father was away, it had not gone unnoticed how the younger boy was starting to gain some weight to him. Akeno was always trying to find ways for Yoriichi to learn the same things as Michikastu, she wanted to make sure that both her sons would be alright if the worst came to pass.
The truth was that she was uncertain as to how much time she had left in this life.
Her health had worsened significantly after one night, Yoriichi was beaten within an inch of his life. It had come to pass that he was extremely gifted in swordsmanship, something that Michikastu had babbled to her about with glee. She had worried that this would sour the boy’s relationship but it would seem that she was wrong to worry.
Then, she had gone into Yoriichi’s little room to find him bloodied and bruised. Michikatsu had been right behind her without her realising. She had tried to shield the truth from her older son as much as she could, after that night she could no longer.
“Iichi!” Her boy had cried, rushing to where his brother lay on the floor. He cried openly. “Did father do this to you? Mother, why would father do this to Iichi?” He wept, trying to get Yoriichi to speak or move. She tried to pick up her son, only for him to let out a pained squeak.
“Mother, he’s alive!” Michikastu sobbed through his tears. She sat with her back to the wall, her long hair flowing to her hips. Yoriichi said nothing, he trembled in her arms as Michikastu continued to cry.
Her body was getting weaker by the day, Michikastu had whispered promises to his younger brother that she knew he would never break.
“I’ll protect you, Iichi. I won’t let father hurt you, I promise”
-
In the end, Sadatomo acknowledged that he had indeed been too rough with Yoriichi that night. Killing the boy would not do.
Gossip from the servants said that Michikatsu had been the one to find his younger brother like that by pure accident. He rubbed his temples in frustration. His son now scowled when his father was around, as if his very presence was enough to put Michikatsu in a bad mood. He had to tell him why they were treated so differently at some point.
Yoriichi’s behaviour changed too after that night.
He would be spotted in various places staring directly at Sadatomo. There was no fear nor anger. The only thing he could really sense was indifference. It unsettled the lord. Those bleak red eyes staring into his soul.
Then, Akeno had entered the room and dashed towards him. He recalled only one other time she had done that, it was when their sons were born. Sadatomo had seriously considered killing the younger boy before she had grabbed him in a way that startled everyone around them.
Now, a smack echoed through the room as he fell to the floor. When did she have that much strength? He eyed a shocked Michikatsu looking in from the doorway.
“I do not have much time left thanks to you.” She ground out “You nearly killed our son!”
“A-Akeno, please. Understand that it was not my intention to kill him” Another smack caused a cracking sound to come from his nose. He was bleeding profusly.
Then, she coughed up blood that splattered on his dark blue kimono. “I curse you, Sadatomo Tsugikuni” She hoarsely spoke “I curse the days you laid hands on our son. He will neither forgive or forget your neglect and the pain you inflicted on both of them. He will never forget every time Michikatsu cried because you hurt my Yoriichi.
Michikastu will never forget your cruelty to his younger brother. By all the gods above, Yoriichi would never harm his brother. He loves him too much, but you! I pray I see the day when Yoriichi makes you pay for what you did with your life! I will be watching you from the hearth of Yomi!” She coughed again and her final breath left her lungs.
“Akeno?” He shook her slightly. “Akeno!” He cried out.
Michikatsu had not expected to watch his mother attack his father like that, not especially with how ill she was. He had ran when she coughed up her last breath. He dashed as fast as his little legs could carry him to Yoriichi’s room, he was not there. A book and a letter was on the simple nightstand.
The letter was addressed to Michikatsu. He opened it swiftly.
‘To my brother.
Mother has told me that she will not be here for much longer because of her health, she told me that she feared for my life once she was gone. By the time that you read this, I will have already left.
Please don’t blame yourself brother. This is not your fault. I just want to make sure that I am safe for the rest of my life, so I am going somewhere to be safe. Please look after yourself brother. If you do find me in the future, then I shall welcome you with open arms.
Yoriichi’
Then, there was the book. He realised that it was there mother’s diary. Her sickness had been something that Michikatsu had sensed early on, but the pages of abuse his little brother had suffered pained him the most.
Purposely being starved, beaten, given food with too much salt in so he couldn’t eat it. No servants to help him grow up. No toys to play with as a child.
Again, the older twin cried. These tears were hot with rage, he could feel his nose bleeding as the blinding anger wove through his little body. His father had done this! He had upset mother, making her sicker than she would have been if he had just learnt to love his brother.
He killed her, she had dragged herself off her own deathbed to teach their father a lesson!
Feeling his eye twitch, he made a wish.
‘I hope Yoriichi makes you suffer, father’