RIVALS INCARNATE

Chapter Sixty-One: Playing Hard, Getting Even

PRESENT, 2020 (Modern City of Kyoto)

Whenever things become so overwhelmingly depressing and extremely hard for Kyouhei Kurosaki to take and manage, he would always find himself unable to find some sleep, twisting and turning over the bed, frowning and distracted, while thinking about all of his endless worries constantly. He just could not help it. It was a bad habit that he could not remove from himself. He would always be stressing over things repeatedly and over and over again, worrying too much, and struggling to find some better way to comfort him and to reassure him that days would eventually get better over time. Even when he knew it was way far from that ever.

Bad things would always happen.

Yet he just wanted to hold onto that blind faith and still believe that things will fall in a much better place. That was his coping mechanism. And as he stared up to the white ceiling of the hotel room where both he and Yuko was staying that night, he was doing the same thing again. Thinking.

He was just overly worried about this whole damn thing. About the thought of safety, about Yuko's life. It did not matter if he was the one who could be in great danger, he could still get through that, and he could manage the pressure of being targeted by someone out there. But it was totally different when things were going to affect other people who he cared about so deeply. It made him feel restless and completely distracted with concern. And as the thought of Yuko being out there and probably in any form of danger made him utterly paranoid. He slowly turned his head and look in the direction of the bed where Yuko was lying down.

She was not moving but he knew, even in the dark, she still had her eyes wide opened.

She could not sleep yet too. They were already both exhausted after the long drive but neither was in the state to sleep well tonight. At least, with the thought that someone out there was trying to make things hard for them now. It was reason enough to make them keep an eye open at all times. And the feeling of nervousness and caution might never fade away for a long time after this. Unless not until this will all be finally over.

Yuko Amazawa could sense him moving over his bed, the sounds of the sheets rustling in the silent background and the soft sounds of weary sighs he kept making were clearly perceived. He was too stressed and he was thinking too much again. And Yuko could sense his worry. Yet, on the other hand, she just remained still, lying on her side with her body facing the huge tinted windows beside her bed. The moon gleamed over the city with its full light illuminating through the glass panel. It was a peaceful night but not that peaceful for her and Kurosaki. There were just too many things that were keeping them both awake and both were unable to find slumber.

She thought about her plan at the moment. The things that she had been wanting to achieve from the beginning, all the sacrifices, the difficult decisions, the rough days, and everything else in between. There was no doubt that she had suffered a lot already. Through all those years that she had spent trying to make this all work now. She was not going to let someone just easily put it all in vain.

She would fight back.

She knew the dire risks of trying to stay unfazed after what she had already heard and discovered. Osamu Sato had promised her that they will get through it. He told her that they will be making it there. And she was going to believe him, good gods she would believe him. He was the only thing that gave her enough reassurance to think that this will all be going to work. There was no stopping them now or ever. They will have to make it.

She looked up to the moon again, and she thought of that very same night when Shin had been murdered under the hands of Rei. That had been the turning point and the very fire that had ignited this passionate urge inside her to get her revenge against him after all this time. Yuko Amazawa knew right then that she was not going to let anyone come before her and stop her from getting what she had always wanted.

She will make Rei pay for what he did.

If Kurosaki gets to be the Prime Minister she will make him go through the same thing too. She will make him be the receiving end of her hatred and vengeance for all the sins that he had committed in his previous life. She knew that this might be unfair for Kurosaki's present innocence and ignorance of the whole truth in this lifetime, but she was no longer feeling guilty or remorseful about it. If she really made him suffer through it all, she will be satisfied and will never bat an eye. She was no longer in the state to give any form of pity remark nor even a slight amount of forgiveness for him.

Rei and Kurosaki were on and the same, even they don't resemble anything about each other, they had the same soul that made Yuko's blood boil whenever she remembers how Shin had been killed and betrayed.

No matter how much she had felt and realized that Kurosaki was trying to love her out of his own will, she was not going to make that a reason to stop herself from doing what she had planned anymore. Feelings are all fleeting nonsense. She had learned it long enough for her to feel numb from everything else. Fear was constant, however. Same as anger and resentment. That was what had been keeping her moving from where she had been and was now.

She was going to get it back... The justice that she and Shin had deserved.

The only thing that deeply mattered to her was to give the utmost retribution to the man who had done Shin wrong in the past that had never gone away in her heart. If this anger kept on, she would terribly suffer and she had to do something to get rid of it. And as long as she would find herself waking up from those horrid nightmares of Shin's death, she would continuously chase down the satisfaction of her revenge.

There were only a few more days left before the final judgment comes and this was pressure. She only had limited time left to put all of her plans into work. She knew that she had to rush and she had to make sure it will all fall into place just as how she would expect it to. If there was something she should be worrying about most now, that would be the fact that she had to make sure Kurosaki will be elected as Prime Minister on that very big day. He will be the one sitting on that seat, and she will make him pay after that.

The sound of rustling brought her to present again, and in the middle of her musings, she felt Kyouhei getting out of his bed. His footsteps light but still clear in the silence. He was not going to sleep anymore, she deduced. He was going to stay awake and think again. That was his habit after all.

But before she could even register the sound of the door clicking shut, probably him entering the bathroom, Yuko was slowly feeling the waves of drowsiness hit her out of nowhere. She just could not understand how and why, but for some reason, the knowledge that he was there for a moment, was making her feel safe after everything.

And maybe she already knew the reason why, she just did not want to acknowledge. Because deep down, Yuko had already figured that even when he was the very one who had killed her in the previous life by the form of Rei Takugawa, Kyouhei Kurosaki of this present life will never do the same thing. He was never going to kill her the way he had done in the past.

And with that thought in her mind, Yuko fell into sleep... the most peaceful one she ever had. And probably the very first time that she had never even dreamt of that same horrid nightmare again. There was only blackness in her mind and that unusual feeling of relief and security.

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When the morning finally came the next day, it had been so abrupt and Yuko Amazawa soon found herself rousing from her deep sleep through the jolting sound of the phone ringing from the bedside table. She slowly squinted her eyes into the blinding view of sunlight entering through the windows near her bed.

The room was so bright and overwhelming in the sight of the morning, and she felt the wave of utter relief to see another day coming as it hit her with a ray of optimism and motivation. She stretched her arms over her head and felt the need to check Kyouhei Kurosaki behind her in his bed from the near distance. But when she turned and looked that way she found it all empty with the sheets and the pillow freshly made. No creases and no signs that he had been there the night before. He must have not slept a wink at all.

That made Yuko wonder where he was now. And so she slowly got up from the bed, rubbing her eyes and feeling the good soreness seeping into her muscles. She had surprisingly slept well last night. That was strange and very rare. It was just a surprise that she did though, and she did not even wake up sweating and moaning in total fear and pain again. She sighed out loud, feeling a little much better. And right away, she was setting down her feet on the cold floor, and soon she heard the faint noises of the TV turned on just from the living area outside the bedroom. The door had been left open and she knew that Kyouhei was out there. Yuko then immediately stood and got out of the bed as she walked her way towards the bathroom first. The morning was just starting. Then she disappeared there for a few minutes.

When she finally came out, refreshed and renewed, she moved to the bedside table to check her phone. She immediately saw a couple of missed calls from Osamu Sato. He must have gotten a new lead and a new plan. She remembered that she had been wakened up from the noise of her ringing phone and realized that she had never even tried to answer it. And so with the thought of urgency to call him back, she pressed the re-dial button and heard the first few ringings before the call came through.

The static sound of the other line greeted her and immediately Osamu was speaking in his clipped tone, "How was your stay there so far?"

It was an unusual way to start the conversation early in the morning and Yuko slyly smirked as she settled herself down on the bed again, pressing the phone against her ear.

"Peaceful," she replied after a short pause, "Nothing unusual yet, and he seemed not to mind the sudden vacation."

Osamu briefly chuckled upon hearing that and then he said, "I've been preparing the stuff for you. You know, about the party this weekend. The invitations had been sent so I arranged everything else once you return back. I called in some connections to put a close watch on Ebisu too."

Typical of Osamu to went straight down to business when necessary and Yuko momentarily let out a breath of relief. She was glad that he was there with her, and she was not really all alone doing and organizing all of those things now.

"Thank you, Sato," she found herself saying, not long after. She meant them, she was really grateful and she actually even smiled when she said it. Rarest to happen but she did not really mind. Sato was the only person she felt very comfortable and grateful to have. He had been the most loyal even back in the past, he had never let Shin and Yuko down at all.

"Anything that would help you," Osamu said in a soft voice, and the affection in his tone was very apparent. It felt like they were in some kind of intimate conversation yet it did not feel weird. They both treated each other as a family. Even from the very beginning, despite all the flaws that Shin had and continued to show, Kaoru, the previous life of Osamu, had always tried to protect and support him all the way.

"We will be back soon, but right now we still had to check something," Yuko admitted, trying to sound casual now after just being quite too open about her feelings. And Osamu quickly moved on, trying to get on with the words she just told him.

"What will you be checking there?" Osamu inquired, deeply curious.

"It's something we should have done already a long time ago," Yuko said, almost as if she was voicing out her thoughts, as she stared blankly across the room.

"What do you mean, Amazawa-san?"

She had always wanted to come here, to Kyoto. In the very place where everything had ended and also started for her. The place where all these plans and revenge had come from. She was going to face the very thing she had always wanted to run away from. And despite the edge of anxiousness and hesitance seeping deep inside her, she wanted to do it... Once and for all.

"We'll be visiting the old shrine," Yuko said, without missing a beat. For a few seconds, the line from Osamu's end suddenly went silent. She wondered if he even really heard her, she had said it in a whisper and she gripped the phone as she waited for him to speak back.

Osamu had guessed it right, and when he heard her admit it with her own words, he felt a little wary of her plan. But he did not want to question her intentions, he trusted her enough to doubt what she was going to do and why she was going to bring Kyouhei with her there. And so with a brief sigh, as he finally came to senses, he only said what he thought would be the most appropriate, abandoning all of his judgment.

"Then, please make sure you both would be safe," he said, eventually, "And come back here in one piece, Amazawa-san."

Yuko smiled through the receiver, she needed those words. And she replied with a short and well-intended, "Yes."

Her affirmation sounded like a promise and the call ended too quickly right after that. The sound of the TV continued to fill the background and Yuko put her phone back to the bedside table. She picked the clip she had also placed there before she had gone to bed. And setting her hair with a tight knot behind her head, she stood up and walked out of the room, preparing to tell Kyouhei of the next itinerary they will be visiting that she had been planning to go in her mind.

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434 AD, 9th Century of Old Japan (Kyoto)

***Both Emperor Shin and the newly-acknowledged General Rei of the new reign was twenty-six years old; whereas, Empress Aoi was twenty-four years old during this time***

The sound of the blaring horns, prompting the signal for a new royal announcement was hailed that early morning. All the residents in the empire were required to attend the tribunal gathering at the front gates of the palace to wait for what the royal family was going to proclaim. There had been many rumors now of the upcoming war in the East. Even when there was no official statement from the Emperor himself, everyone in the empire had been told to prepare for the consequences of famine and shortage of resources.

The curse of the coming foretold plague of war was due and it was really going to happen, and Emperor Shin was already in the middle of trying to come up with a much more redeemable plan to save as many of his people once the shed of blood and fights begin. He knew himself that there was nothing much he could ever really do to stop it, this would require his great sense of leadership to overcome this entire challenge to his ruling. He must live up to the expectations of the Royal Ministry and of the people who were all relying upon his power. He must know what to do.

But despite the knowledge that he had total control over everything, deep inside, Emperor Shin was nothing short of a coward. In fact, he was incompetent, as he hardly admitted himself. He knew that he was far from being as great and noble as his father, the late Emperor before him. 

He saw the entire future ahead, all dark and terrible as if giving him the doom from his incapability to rule over an entire nation and he felt the insecurity seeped into his nerves, poisoning his intentions and his ego. He wanted to become the Emperor that everyone would look up to. He wanted to become the ruler that this country will be proud of and become a legend of the next era. He wanted to be the greatest.

However, it was never going to be easy. And this was one of the challenges where Shin must prove his greatness. But it seemed like even before he could prove himself worthy of the throne, things were starting to go awry. When the royal announcement came out that morning, he had been expecting a good deal of work from the Royal Ministry who had promised him that they would come up with a good alternative plan to reassure the people of Royal's power and strength.

"In line with the nearing biggest battle that we might face in the next few months, and would probably be one of our hardest in the last decade of this century," the announcer had begun his line in that manner when all the people had finally been gathered and Emperor Shin, together with his wife, Empress Aoi, the extended Royal family, and the rest of the Royal Ministry and staff, listened closely to it.

"... The Empire had pushed forward a big military power in order to obtain order and security amongst the nation and its people. This, with the unanimous decision of the ministry for the greater good of the country and the royal family, the empire presents the new line of defense that will uphold its objective to protect and defend the power of our nation... We present, the new General of the new reign of Japan, the Emperor's strongest weapon, General Rei of the Takugawa household."

He should have expected it already. Emperor Shin should never have been surprised anymore when he heard that name being called. He had almost forgotten that he existed as well. Almost forgotten that he was also trying to make his way into the Royal Palace. Almost forgotten that he was his rival, his nemesis, his mortal enemy. But when the announcer proclaimed the officiation of his promotion as the Emperor's General, Emperor Shin staggered in his seat from where he sat looking shocked about it.

He had been blindsided. Those damn Royal elders had planned again behind his back and they did not even seem to include him in the decision of that change. And he glared at the man who had been sitting on the cushions just below the platform where the Royal Family were all seated. He should have expected it, the Royal Ministry chairman was Rei's father, after all. And Emperor Shin had miscalculated his trust in the man. Did he even know that his own son was a spy and a rebel?

Perhaps, he did. And maybe he, himself, was also a part of that coup d'état. And now they were both planning to take over the royal family and steal the throne from Shin's family. But there was no way in hell that Shin would ever let them.

He slowly masked his anger behind his fake smile and tried to keep a straight face as he watched Rei walked up towards the platform to present his polite greeting to the Royal family. Scum.

That was a hypocritical bow that he just did and Shin knew that he was not the benevolent man that everybody thought he really was. Rei was a traitor of this country... But this was not the right time yet to expose him. And Emperor Shin knew... someday. 

Someday, there will come a time that he would face his own punishment. And on that very day, he will never get to reclaim his innocence ever again.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------next chapter: Chapter Sixty-Two