SAMURAI

Chapter 20; Noble Girl

    The girl took a stone as a seat. Her cheerful face turned cloudy. Megumi took a piece of wood, scavenging for charcoal aimlessly as if she saw a shadow of her past. She took a deep breath, then opened the box.

    "I'll be honest with you. I'm Adachi Megumi. Adachi Yasumori's youngest daughter. Noble Son of Kamakura." 

    Megumi raised the contents of the box above her head: The emblem of the shogunate family members!

    Before Megumi continued her sentence, Tomoe Aya cried out, then fell to worship the girl in front of her. She pulled my hand to follow her movement.

“Adachi-sama. Forgive this very insolent servant." 

    Aya bowed before Megumi. I followed Aya's movements because I didn't want my lover to face trouble because of my attitude that was considered insolent.

    "See! You must have different attitudes if I introduce who I really am." Megumi stood up, prancing like a child. Her mouth pursed, her face frowned. Aya remained in her original position without daring to lift her body.

     "Forgive me, Your Majesty ... I ... Tomoe Aya doesn't dare to be impudent."

    I didn't know who Adachi Yasumori was, so it made Tomoe Aya lower herself so much fear. Seeing the seriousness of my girl's actions and words, this girl whom he had saved from death must be from a high noble samurai family. 

    As the granddaughter of Tomoe Gozen, the rebellious legend, a flaw from the past still haunted Tomoe Aya. Thus, she also told me to embrace this girl's naked body. If this girl found out what we were doing, it could ruin Aya's future. Of course, my future too.

    "Stop it. Stop all this nonsense! Since you're older, I'll call you 'Sister'. Yes, Sis Aya. I am honored to be the little sister of the descendant of Tomoe Gozen I admired. "

    Megumi laughed out loud. Her voice adorned the clear sky after a night of spewing snow flowers.

     "Adachi-sama… I…." 

    Aya was still too stiff to act normal.

    Megumi took a deep breath. “Fine, you can call me that if there are many people. If it's two or three with us just call me 'Megumi'." This noble girl gave orders to the lowest level of the samurai.

    "Now, please stand Aya Sis. Incidentally, my sister was married. I don't have any sisters except for two nagging older brothers. Tomoe Aya will be my adoptive sister. This is an order!" 

    When she was a dandy samurai she didn't say too many words. After turning into a woman again, a girl's numbness changed it. Or is it the effect of drugs?

    The rebellious granddaughter realized her status. Being an adoptive sister of a noble girl was an honor, as well as pressure. How far she endured receiving the two gifts at once, time will tell. 

    I, who had been stunned, could not help but ask. To others, she was a noble girl, but to me, she was nothing more than a teenager who has just returned from the dead. After all, I was not gokenin. Even so, I was not a ninja. My status was not clear. I was a foreigner who falls in love with a girl from this country.

    I stood up, raised my hands. 

    “Sorry, I don't mean to be rude to noble girls. If you don't mind, introduce yourself further. Because I don't know your father, especially your family," I said half annoyed.

    "Genta, don't be impudent!" scolded Aya.

    I do not care. Megumi laughed. Her white teeth lined up as that mouth opened wide. The skin on her face was reddish after turning pale like a corpse for the past few days. Her molars expanded when laughing. Two eyes were forming a line. She had a straight shoulder with long hair. That hair creaked in the wind. 

    I have to admit Megumi is no less beautiful than Aya. Only that. To me, she was nothing more than a pretty spoiled girl.

    "Sis Aya, please explain to your lover. I don't want him to think of me as arrogant, relying on my family's big name," Megumi pleaded. 

    It might more accurately be called an order than a request.

    My lover pulled me to sit. She looked stiff holding my hand. The intimacy that we showed in front of Megumi slightly evaporated. I know she's trying to keep up with her attitude.

    “Mr. Adachi Yasumori, Megumi's father, is the right-hand man General Shikken Hojo Tokimune, as well as the head of the civilian government Kamakura Bakufu. He is still a close relative of the Emperor. He has two sons and two daughters. His two sons served as commanders of the Shikken army. The Adachi family had a strong influence in government, charging tens of thousands of soldiers."

    Aya turned her gaze to Megumi, trying to joke to break the stiffness that had twisted. "It means, if our little sister is sulking and eyeing our heads, she will only complain to her brother and father. Then We're dead."

    Megumi burst out laughing. She pulled Aya's body to her feet, clutching Tomoe Gozen's granddaughter who still didn't believe that she had a new foster sister who was very powerful. The two beautiful women embraced tightly.

    “You saved my life. There's no way I can hurt you."

    "It's not just me. Genta saved our lives.”

    "Yes, your lover too. You are lucky can get the heart of a handsome knight. "

    Aya sighed. "You will be able to have more if you want, Sis."

    Seeing that the world seemed to belong to both of them and I was only a compliment, I cleared my throat.

    "As a savior, I also deserve a hug, right?"

    Megumi pretended to be annoyed. Her lips pursed, her two ripe cheeks puffed up. "Still not satisfied hugging all night?"

    I laughed nasally. Tomoe Aya's face turned red.

    Aya changed the subject after releasing Megumi's embrace. "How did you get here?"

    Instead of answering, Megumi picked up the stone beside her, then threw the stone into the forest with all her might. My three friends were peeking surprised. They roared. I calmed them down. I explained to the noble girl who they were.

    After understanding the role of my forest friends, Megumi continued her story, “My father planned to marry me to a noble family. I refused. He was furious. Since I was young, I studied literature, swordsmanship, martial arts. After I grow up, they'll lock me up as a housewife? I also have the right to know the outside world!”

    "You left the house without saying goodbye?" guessed Aya.

    "Yes. I'll just run away, "replied Megumi free. Her adopted sister shook her head.

    “To trick insolent boys, I disguised myself as a male samurai. Traveled to explore many cities. From the capital city of Kamakura go along Ishihashiyama, Awazu, Kyoto, to Nara. I continued from Nara to Kojima, Mizushima, crossing to Kyushu. Interested in the movements of the Higo and Hizen samurai, I followed them to Iki Island. Until your future husband is caught! "

    "My future husband?" asked Aya investigating.

    "Big, ugly, rude, robbing pirates, a gangster!"

    Aya and I laughed. Megumi told her story like a sister who hasn't seen her family for a long time.

     To tested the girl's literary skills, I tried singing the famous Waka.

Shika bakari 

Chigirishi naka mo

Kawarikeru

Kono yo ni hito o

Tanomikeru kana

(So strong is our promise

But between us

Everything has changed

In this world, on her,

Will I put my trust in?)

    Megumi and Aya stared. The beautiful waka sung by strangers made the two girls stunned. I tried to chant one more Waka.

Konu hito o

Matsuo no ura no

Yunagi ni 

Yaku ya moshi no

Mi mo kogare tsutsu

(Like salted seaweed

   burning in the quiet night

   on the coast of Matsuo

   all my forms are burning

   waiting for him who never came)

    The two girls clapped their hands. 

    Aya looked at me for a long time, intimate, full of amazement. She tasted all the implied words from the waka I chanted. Her lips moved erratically, ending with the words softly spoken, "I love you ...."

    Megumi prancing chaotically. Running here and there as if a child got a birthday present. She shook her head in disbelief. Her eyes stared at me without hiding admiration.

    “Fujiwara no Teika. Yes, it's Fujiwara no Teika poetry! You sang it very well, very full of feelings. You're great, Knight. Luckily my sister got your love."

    Getting compliments and affectionate words from these two beautiful girls made my soul temporarily float, returning to earth when I heard my three bear friends restless. Pythons crept rapidly through the trees. They changed their attitude not because they were fascinated by hearing me read poetry. His animal instincts smell danger. 

    Not wanting to be dissolved in the cradle, I signaled the two girls who were immersed in the euphoria of poetry to be quiet. Yes. The sound of rustling and cries of war could be heard.

    "Be ready. They're coming," I whispered.