HIROMI

Chapter 8

"Is there anything else I can do? You are the most beautiful girl in Oshiro, Hiromi Gushiken!" his father hugged her with tears.

Suddenly, Hiromi's birth father flashes back to her in the exact real-world Lord Haruto said.

When Hiromi came out of the Ninomaru palace with Yumi and the soldiers, they met Hanzo, who had been waiting for a while.

When Hanzo turned around, he was surprised by Hiromi's beauty. But because it is forbidden to stare at the shogun's daughter, he immediately vowed to show respect. Then he turned his eyes.

Hiromi notices this, so she says they have to leave. Hiromi threw something at Hanzo so it wouldn't be awkward between them.

"We need that scroll for our journey," said Hiromi.

"Young mistress, it will follow," Hanzo answered.

Hiromi's group started to travel. As usual, he and Hanzo were the two riding a white horse. Meanwhile, Yumi was riding a horse with a soldier. They also had some soldiers with them.

They journeyed till the first day's midday, afternoon, and night.

If they spend the night, they will only go to the forests. By chance, they can stay at the Minka house where farmers, fishermen, artisans, and merchants live.

Their journeys second and third days went by without any rain.

One night on the fourth day of their journey, they stayed at the Minka house where Hanzo's foster mother lives. Hiromi's group knew what had happened to Hanzo's mother.

Outside the Minka house, a gathering of soldiers was talking. While Yumi was folding the clothes inside the house, Hiromi said she would look at something for a moment.

Hiromi looked for Hanzo because she couldn't find him. Until she found it in the back of the house, she approached slowly and hid on the side. Hiromi saw that he was silent as if he were mourning. She watched as Hanzo placed things in a wooden box that looked like it would be buried.

Hiromi knows that those are his mother's things. Even though time has passed, the pain in Hanzo's heart from his mother's death has not gone away. Even though this is not his birth mother, he considers her a birth mother.

When she was about to leave, Hanzo caught her peeking. For the first time, Hiromi saw Hanzo's full face without any covering.

They looked at each other as if she was dumbfounded because Hanzo was so handsome that he looked like he was drawn in an anime.

"I thought... Because... I mean..." Hiromi stammered while speaking.

"Young mistress, I'm sorry if I didn't tell you that I needed to forget what happened. Because I won't live in the sad past forever," Hanzo said.

Hiromi has a flashback of Haru and her birth parents. She can therefore felt with Hanzo's grief over the loss of his mother.

"You smile! Don't be sad. Go ahead. That will make you ugly!" Hiromi said.

Hanzo was shocked by what the young mistress told her. Hanzo tried to smile in front of her.

Hanzo saw that it was Hiromi's beautiful eyes that attracted him. He knew this was a big taboo, so he said, "Let's go inside because we will be leaving early tomorrow."

A taboo or tabu is a ban on something based on a cultural sensibility that perceives it as excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only by certain persons. Such prohibitions are present in virtually all societies. Taboos are actions that custom and religion expressly forbid.

On the tenth day of their journey, they arrived near a part of the Yamato province south of Oshiro. Their journey was not easy, as the heat and rain they passed through were no joke, even though they stopped to rest.

They hurried to go inside but were astonished when they were halted because they could be identified by the color of the flag hanging from the soldiers' backs.

This flag has a symbol of four blue colors divided into four using the white color. It represents belonging to the Oshiro clan.

Hiromi and Hanzo looked at each other because of what was happening. It has a significant barrier gate so no one can enter right away. Yamato province is the road leading to Oshiro castle. There is another path, but Hiromi's group went through it because it was a shortcut.

Hiromi spoke to the two guards at the gate. She said they were from Gushiken province in the eastern part of Oshiro. The two men guarding the entrance talked first.

"Young Mistress, you are not allowed to enter. If you insist, don't blame us for being rude."

"There seems to be something strange here," explained Hanzo.

"What is why they don't want to let us in?" Hiromi wondered.

"Young mistress, let's be careful because they might be enemies!" said Yumi.

A soldier replied, “It's impossible because they are our Oshiro clan companions. It was the emperor who ordered that there be a leader and watchman in the four parts of Oshiro.”

Hanzo spoke to the group as if something strange was going on. A soldier said it was impossible for this to happen because they knew the guard at the gate.

Hiromi thought that maybe she was right in her suspicion that they weren't from Oshiro. So she tells Hanzo that it looks like the enemy is attacking them.

Suddenly, someone shot an arrow at them and hit one of their companions. Yumi screamed because of how fast it happened.

One of their fellow soldiers fell from his horse. They immediately approached him, but he was dead. Hanzo immediately took out his hira-shuriken and threw it at the two soldiers guarding the gate.

When Hanzo hit the two guards at the gate, they were shocked because the gate opened. Hiromi's group was stunned when many enemy soldiers came out of the gate towards them.

Enemy soldiers riding their horses. They come from inside the gate of Yamato province.

Opposing horse soldiers rushed towards them and shouted, "Kill them!"