Unfortunately, I’m Not A Hero 48: Interlude: Kurama

Unfortunately, I’m Not A Hero 48: Interlude: Kurama

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Wordcount: 2500

Commissioned by Arksoul

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As a girl, my mother told me that every ruler must control three things to truly call themselves the one who leads their lands.

First, one must have true strength, which one can call upon in crisis. For us, whose ancestors came from lands beyond, there was no ancestral claim to the land we held nor the people who inhabited it. Our rule is entirely based upon the strength of our Kunoichi, Kitsune, and Onimusha. Through our power, we tamed the lands, enforced our will upon it, and ensured that our rule remained unchallenged. Thus, our lineage called the land our own, and will until our strength is utterly broken by outside force.

Second, she told me, is that we must have influence and allies from beyond our borders. Again, as we are not native to these lands, to be acknowledged by others as rulers is imperative. However, before those from beyond, those from within must acknowledge us as true rulers first. That must be achieved either by swaying the hearts of those who lived upon the land first, or replacing them with loyal bannermen. My ancestors chose the latter, and welcomed those displaced by the avarice of the Empire long ago, and so looked upon lands rich not only in magic and fruits, but loyalty. 

Through the bounties of the land, agreements in trade even at cost to ourselves, we sent our homeland’s exotic treasures and crops through the whole of the Kindred empire, thus gaining happy allies both near and far.

However, the third and final requirement to be a true ruler in my people’s eyes is the hardest to attain.

The ability to impress upon the world their vision.

My ancestors and my mother have devoted themselves to a singular ideal, to avenge what we have lost centuries ago, and to create a jewel of the East in lands that sought to oust us from it forevermore. Through generations that singular idea has been pursued by the Matriarchs of the Kuzunoha. We crafted our beloved land, while increasing our wealth, and ensuring that the Empire bled lives a hundredfold for every one which they took from us. 

That idea, that vision, separates a true leader from a mere steward of a land, or occupier of a territory.

Leaders shape the world with their nation, which they have honed and made prosperous, and all hold their breath when they move.

Because when they move, the world must move in response.

Hikigaya Hachiman, however, does not merely move.

He has seized the world by the throat, brought it low, and has a dagger against its spine to force it to become what he wishes it to be. Mercilessly, he has taken all his power, and consolidated it into a poisoned needle that threatens both the Empire and the Kindred. His Amazons, his ideas, and his wealth is feared and lusted after by all, while the Demon Lord herself must meet with him to ask him to cease his offensives against the Empire, as she takes what she can of his knowledge to match the growth of his own nation. 

The man to whom I stand beside overshadows me utterly and completely.

And, the thought excited me immensely.

For so long, I believed in my mother’s words, even as I acted against her wishes. As I’d stayed my hand, holding myself back from interfering with him out of curiosity, I’d inadvertently saved my own life. The moment I’d considered overtaking his authority, or drugging him as my mother suggested, the sword would have fallen upon my head and that of my companions as I would’ve have become an obstacle to his plans. 

All this time, I’d thought myself in power, luxuriously doing nothing while he gave me responsibilities without question, yet the entire time I lived and breathed because he allowed it. 

He is a true ruler. 

A being to which shall shape history, the world, and perhaps even fate. 

So, how could my blood not boil in excitement and need, knowing that such a man was promised to me?

…

Sayuri paused upon reading my new goals for my next meeting with mother. Unlike my Kunoichi, who liked to overplay their emotions in private, she merely raised an eyebrow at all that I now desired for Ylstu from my home.

A score more of Onimusha, five more squadrons of Kunoichi, and a smattering of professionals. Tailors, blacksmiths, carpenters, potters, and more were included into what I desired, to be brought to Ylstu and set to work, as we don’t merely ask for financial aid but something else entirely.

“Your mother would give you all of this without question, if you had a child on the way… along with the rest of us.” Sayuri laughed lightly and shook her head at the impossible notion. Had Hachiman been so swayed in our favor, that all my Kunoichi and Sayuri were with children, mother would see Ylstu as mine and all that I asked would be a matter of course. It would all be mine, because it would only be mine. “I would never be able to convince her to give you all of this, as untouched as we all are.”

“But, I can, if I do my utmost… especially with father’s help.” It took some time to discern the nature of my father’s relationship with Hachiman on my own, but knowing it now granted me the opportunity to approach him to soften mother up, before I dealt with her. As capable of a leader she is, her mind is that of a warrior’s first and foremost, and her years of experience as a stateswoman can be softened by my father’s care and affection. “And, of course, if I can convince the Hidden Village to agree with my path and lean upon mother as well.”

At my statement, before Sayuri could question my path, a scroll appeared on my desk, which I opened to find a simple question to which I could only laugh before handing back to my Kunoichi. 

“Well, it seems father has already thought of that and thoroughly convinced my dear aunt.” How could I have not seen my father’s machinations all these years? While the leader of the valley all enjoyed him, I never considered that he held that over them without hesitation, and learned of their weaknesses over so many years. “It says he’s going after the captain of the guard as of this moment with all his power and strenght.”

“Captain Jin will fold with utter ease, against him, so you can be sure of her support.” Sayuri took a cross-legged seat on the tatami mats of the study room, placing my plans back on the low table that was between the both of us. She gratefully accepted the tea offered by one of the Kunoichi who were hiding beneath the floor, and took a sip, before directing another question my way. “However, I still do not see your mother giving you all of this, even with all that is amassed against her, unless you are at least with child.”

I was prepared for the unasked question she posited, but I struggled with the answer anyway.

It felt as though I was attempting to force a ball through my throat, whilst an inferno surged upon my face, as I uttered the truth to my trusted friend.

“I-I will be t-telling mother that I will accept no one else, besides Hachiman and that I shall never leave him, Sayuri.” I was aghast at the difficulty involved in saying the words, as well as the outcome. The inferno upon my face traversed to every inch of my body, while the ball blocking my throat cracked apart into a strong set of shivers which resonated through all my bones. If I felt this way before and after uttering it to my closest friend, how was I to feel declaring it to mother? “I wish to stay beside him, to see his dream come to life, and to support him forevermore.”

I half-expected ridicule for my words, as I am Kuzunoha Kurama, the heiress to one of the greatest Kindred territories upon the continent. Even our Empress from across the seas sends missives and gifts congratulating our success, and she has written to me once a year in expectation that I shall replace my mother one day. That I would find myself besotted and infatuated with a slave of the Empire, willing to risk the history of my clan for his dream, was laughable to any Kindred noble sane of mind.

Therefore, I expected my compatriots to laugh at my words.

So, I felt immense relief at the sight of a deep blush spreading across Sayuri’s face, and presumably upon that of my Kunoichi as well. 

“S-so, you’d truly discard all others for him, e-eh? That’s how much you adore him, huh?” Sayuri was so frazzled by my declaration that her speech became unrefined and casual. One of her arms lifted up her bound breasts, whilst the other twirled one of her bangs, as she suddenly began staring at me from the corner. “Y-you can’t even think of being with anyone else now… can you not?”

In the corner of my vision, the leader of my Kunoichi was… demurely fidgeting in place and obviously eavesdropping and clinging to each and every single one of the Onimusha’s words. 

Ah.

It appears that I’m late in regards to my realization and commitment.

Unlike my companions.

“Were any of you going to tell me that your loyalty to me began to waver in the prospect of a man telling you to serve him and only him?”

Sayuri helplessly shrugged her shoulders and managed a singular, shameful chuckle.

In contrast, the leader of my Kunoichi gestured to me in their silent language to convey her thoughts on the matter.

//We swore loyalty to you to the end. We also know you. Therefore, our loyalty never wavered, because we knew from that start that you want a man to force you on your knees and tell you to beg.//

To my Kunoichi’s words, I had no response.

Neither did I have a response to Sayuri pursing her lips and hesitantly nodding along to my Kunoichi’s words.

No.

That is a lie.

I knew exactly what to say to my servants throwing me upon a man they knew would utterly defeat me in every possible way.

“All of you are going to be last on every possible rotation or schedule that we compose.”

I delivered the mercilessly threat with the most saccharine, deadly smile I could muster, only for my servants to share glances with one another, shrug, and for Sayuri and the leader of the Kunoichi to “speak.”

“Honestly, ojou-sama, we’re sure that’s going to be you.”

//That lowest place upon the hierarchy, my lady, is where you shall be the most deliriously happy.//

At their simultaneous statements, I had another answer ready, one courtesy of Hachiman himself.

“I despise you all.”

…

Father’s room was largely bereft of furnishings. It was simply a place for him to rest and recuperate, thus it lacked anything beyond what was necessary for such things. Normally, he slept in the beds of others, enjoyed their company, and relaxed in other, more luxurious places. Thus, he kept the cost of living down by having a small, simple room all his own within the household.

At least, that was what I believed, until I finally had control over my own room, and looked upon Hachiman’s.

One’s room is a reflection of oneself. 

Hachiman’s, for example, is utilitarian to the extreme. It was a bed, a table, and lamp which he dimmed after reading what reports he wished to finish before bed. On the table beside his bed, he had a journal, within which he wrote in the tongue of his homeland. Instead of a wardrobe, he had a walk-in closet, in which there was not only his clothes but a set of leather armor one could put on themselves, as well as the sword he recovered from an Empire noble. His room was nothing more than a safe location, a place where he would rest the hours he was needed, before returning to his duties.

Therefore, upon entering my Father’s official room in the manse, I raised an eyebrow at him… to which he laughed lowly.

“You’ve gotten sharp, my dear daughter.” His hands were large and calloused, as they flowed in a familiar manner upon my head. I sighed and patted it away only for my father to laugh at my actions. “This room is not mine. Your mother mewls quite terrible, if I don’t spend the night with her, if I am at home.”

The information would’ve surprised me months ago, when I first left home, but such was no longer the case. 

“Mother has her own weaknesses. Ones that she does her best to hide.” Always and forever, I recall my mother as the perfect leader. An individual who I cannot hope to contend against no matter how strong I become. In the depths of my soul, perhaps, I even considered her above the Demon Lord. “She is not perfect. She can be swayed… and you have done it many times already.”

My father laughed and stroked his short, groomed beard with eyes full of fondness.

“Your mother is very shy, so she must be strict in order to be strong. When she is strict, she is both herself and not, and that is how she has survived for so long.” Ah, just as Hachiman has a different face in front of his subjects and those he trusts, mother has a hidden side to her that I’ve never known. “You would have never realized it, if you stayed home forever. I’m glad that you know that now. If you never learned it, I’m sure that you would’ve come to either hate her or fear her… and that would’ve broken her heart.”

The knowledge my father shared with me put great unease upon my heart. I had many questions in regards to the woman I believed I’d known all my life… but I pushed them all aside in order to accomplish what I desire.

“Father, I need you to look over my plans, and see what I can convince mother to do—

“All of it. You can convince your mother to do anything for you, my child.” Father interrupted my words with a smile and a shake of his head. He took a seat on the small bed of the unused room and leaned back upon his arms. “She wants you safe. She wishes to grant you happiness. She would wage war alone upon the Empire, if they harmed you… and she is eternally grateful to your husband for protecting you and making you happy.”

At my father’s words, I could only blink and stand speechless, as I found no dishonesty whatsoever.

“So, my dear, the question is… what shall you not regret taking from your loving mother, hm?”