Chapter Text
« I'm back. »
« Welcome home, Chikage-san. » his wife bowed as suitable.
He smirked when he saw her, kneeling with her hands flat on the tatami, her hair tied on the side with a ribbon that suited her much better than the high ponytail she wore for years when she was prisoner of the Mibu Wolves. Slowly, she straightened herself and smiled at her husband, her eyes squinted. Not enough for him not to notice how swollen they were.
« Have you been crying again ? » he asked when she came to take his haori off his shoulders.
« I... Not really... » she tried but her husband wasn't a fool. She probably had been thinking about the Shinsengumi and all the friends she lost in this conflict. Although he wouldn't admit it, Chikage was respectful of these men's sacrifice, who kept true to their beliefs until the very end. A warrior spirit that was way too rare nowadays.
« If you have time to cry, you aren't busy enough. » he stated.
« I can make you some tea... » she started.
« That's not what I mean. » he cut her curtly.
He had obligations as head of the Kazama clan and was out most of the day. Maybe she was bored to death here in the Kazama estate... But how to occupy a woman anyway ? She still wasn't pregnant and honestly, that would solve all their problems. With a child, she'd be too busy to weep and would have greater things to attend to than mourning dead comrades. The Kazama clan needed a heir, multiple heirs, to ensure its survival and supremacy over other demon clans and his wife, Chizuru, was the only one able to make that come true. That's why he pursued her in the first place, before he found out she was a lot more than just a vessel for her blood purity. She was fierce, stubborn and true to her beliefs but also sweet and obedient as a wife should be. Soon enough, he knew he wanted her to be his wife, not because of her lineage but because of her, of what she was as a person. Now he had her and she was sad every day. That was driving him insane.
« I don't know what to do here... » she confessed, occupying her hands by making some tea even if he didn't order it. « I... I clean and make meals, but... I don't know... Maybe you are right... »
« It isn't much different from the life you used to have in Kyoto. »
« I was also attending to wounds, taking care of warriors who needed medical care... Here, no one is ever hurt and... I mean, that is good ! But... I feel kind of... worthless... »
« As a pure blood Oni, your worth isn't to prove. »
« I... I didn't mean that but more... Useless ? No one ever needs me for anything... »
Chikage nodded. Yes, Oni healing was a blessing but he guessed that for someone with a medical background, it could be confusing not to be needed anymore.
« Come. » he simply said.
« Chikage-san ? »
« I won't repeat myself. » he said as he walked to the door and put back his haori on.
« O... Okay ! » she nodded, all flustered, and she hurriedly put on a light haori for the wind that had been stronger than usual lately, and quickly slid her feet in some geta.
Outside, Chikage took her hand and she blushed, still not accustomed to them being husband and wife, he supposed. He guided her to the stable and saddled back his horse. Chizuru watched him with a puzzled expression, her head slightly tilted to the side.
« Is that really necessary ? » she asked, confused.
« It's a bit far and I don't want to exhaust you by walking, especially with the sun coming down. »
« I walked a lot you know, I hiked through half the country by your side. » she chuckled and he was glad to see her with a smile again. She was a lot prettier that way.
« I know you are stronger than what meets the eye. » he smiled as well « but not today. We'll walk another time. »
He grabbed her waist without warning and lifted her on the horse, her legs together on the right side since her kimono wasn't the most practical to ride. He jumped on the saddle behind her and took the reins in hand.
« Put your arms around me and hold tight. » he ordered and she immediately complied, clenching her hands on the fabric of his kimono, her arms a vise around his waist.
He didn't bother to go slow. Chizuru had full confidence in him and she still had that smile on her face as they were riding. His horse knew the path, the terrain and the land surrounding the village, even with the steep slopes and heights getting harder to pass as they were going uphill. He eventually stopped his mount and witnessed with content his wife's eyes widen in awe. He wished he could see her with that expression more often.
« This cherry tree has been there long before you and me, long before anyone can remember. » he explained « and it will be there long after we are gone. »
The wind was scattering the light flowers, so pale they seemed almost white, illuminated only by the moonlight. The petals were dancing around the couple and traveling downhill, over the edge of the mountain. From there, Chikage could see the Oni village, home of the Kazama clan, and further away, the ocean that was boarding his domain. The houses were hard to see, in this twilight, but the shoji and the windows were lit by oil lamps and candlelight, proof of their presence and of the people living here, who lived under his responsibility.
« Chikage-san... » whispered his wife.
« Humans, Oni... We all meet death eventually. But here... » he said, waving his hand towards the village « here lies what really matters. Here lies heritage, family... a place where you belong. »
« Do... Do I really belong here ? » she asked, doubt in her voice, and he could devine that this question had swirled in her mind a lot more than what he would have deemed reasonable.
« You are the head of the Kazama clan, as my wife. » he smiled, weaving his fingers in her locks to remove the cherry petals there « this is yours and one day, this will be your children's. »
« Yes... »
« From now on, I will take you with me some days. You will soon become familiar with this place, with our ways. And you will become the queen you were born to be. »
« I know so little of Oni... » she said, looking down « But I will not disappoint you, Chikage-san. »
« Humans fight. It is human nature. They fight, they die, without learning nor drawing lessons from their mistakes. But here, you won't suffer from their foolish wars anymore. »
« I... I suppose... »
Maybe those weren't the right words to comfort her.
« This tree... Is a lot bigger than the ones in Kyoto... » she mumbled, as if not to let him hear her thoughts « and its flowers are a lot paler... »
« Do you know why cherry blossoms are pink ? » he suddenly asked and Chizuru winced at the question.
« Why... They are pink ? »
« Many wars, many deaths... Many corpses lie beneath the cherry trees. » he stated, looking up at the tree as if he was discovering it for the first time « The blood of warriors gives the flowers their color. The bloom is their requiem. »
« A requiem for fallen warriors ? » she repeated, looking up as well.
« This tree is big and its flowers pale because war didn't reach it. I played by it as a child. Our children will play by it too, freely. »
Chizuru's eyes drifted to him and her genuine smile painted its twin on his own lips.
« Thank you, Chikage-san. » she said « for showing me these blossoms. »
He waited a bit before answering, gazing at her round face which had a kind of determination shining in her eyes, and he huffed with a smirk.
« Don't cry any more. »
« No... » she shook her head, looking up with a smile full of tenderness and confidence in the future « I will keep missing my friends, I can't forget them that easily... But I will remember these blossoms and consider them their requiem, just like you said. I will see them bloom every year and see our children play underneath it, and it will not be sad anymore, because every bloom will remind me of them. »
Chikage nodded, happy that he had been able to bring some kind of closure to her. The Shinsengumi couldn't be forgotten but her life was elsewhere now, in this village, with him. She'd better understand that.
« It is a beautiful spring night. » she commented, the wind visibly not bothering her as she was extending her hand to catch some of the scattered flowers, looking at the village below them.
« We'll have thousands. » he answered, eyes locked on the horizon. Only thing he hoped was that in the next war, Oni wouldn't be affected. He hoped he could keep his kin safe, his family, and see his children play under that cherry tree, for a thousand spring days, and a thousand spring nights.