Everything past that point was a blur.

A day had passed since the night Takaya exorcised UjimasaHoujou Ujimasa (北条氏政) 1538 - Aug. 10, 1590

Title: Sagami no Kami
Also known as: Matsuchiyomaru (松千代丸—childhood), Shinkurou (新九郎—nickname), 慈雲院松巌傑公 (posthumous)

Ujimasa was born in 1538 as the second son of Houjou Ujiyasu and his principle wife Zuikeiin, daughter of Imagawa Ujichika, and was older brother of Houjou Ujiteru, Houjou Ujikuni, Houjou Ujinori, Houjou Ujitada, Houjou Saburou (Uesugi Kagetora), and Houjou Ujimitsu. He became heir to the clan when his older brother Shinkurou died before reaching adulthood.

Ujimasa married Oubaiin, eldest daughter of Takeda Shingen and Sanjou-no-Kata, on the occasion of the three-way alliance between the Takeda, Imagawa, and Houjou clans in 1554. Their marriage was thought to be a happy one.

Ujimasa succeeded his father as the fourth head of the Sagami Houjou Clan in 1559 upon Ujiyasu's retirement. His first task upon becoming heir of the clan, per clan convention, was a a land survey evaluating how the Houjou lands were being used and the condition of the people serving on those lands. His relationship with his brothers was good throughout, and they were be a huge help to him in the governing of the clan.

In 1561, Uesugi Masatora (Uesugi Kenshin) of Echigo laid siege to Odawara Castle with a huge army gathered from the Kantou and south Mutsu. Under the leadership of his father Ujiyasu, Ujimasa was able to drive back the army. After the Fourth Battle of Kawanakajima, he was able to take back a large part of North Kantou from the Uesugi in concert with Shingen.

In 1568, seizing the opportunity presented by the decline of the Imagawa Clan after Imagawa Yoshimoto's death at Oda Nobunaga's hand, Takeda Shingen invaded Suruga, laying siege to Yoshimoto's heir, Imagawa Ujizane in Kakegawa Castle. Ujimasa led the Houjou forces to repel the Takeda army and formed an alliance with Tokugawa Ieyasu of Mikawa in order to rescue Ujizane (his brother-in-law by way of his younger sister Hayakawadono). Ujimasa then had Ujizane adopt his son Ujinao as his heir, thus giving the Houjou Clan a legitimate claim to the territory of Suruga. In order to hold back Takeda, he formed an alliance with his old enemy Uesugi Kenshin, giving his younger brother Saburou (Uesugi Kagetora) as hostage. The severing of ties with the Takeda Clan, however, meant the dissolution of his marriage with his beloved wife Oubaiin.

In 1569, Takeda Shingen laid siege to Odawara Castle, delivering a crushing defeat to the Houjou Clan (though recent analysis by historians indicate that Shingen lost a great many men as well). In 1570, Suruga belonged almost wholly to Shingen.

In October of 1571 upon his father's death, Ujimasa broke off his alliance with Kenshin and reformed the alliance with Shingen in accordance with his father's will, after which fighting between the Houjou and Uesugi clans flared up again.

Kenshin's death in 1578 triggered a fight for succession to the Uesugi Clan between his two adopted sons, Uesugi Kagekatsu and Uesugi Kagetora (the Otate no Ran). Ujimasa was tied up at that time in a confrontation with Satake Yoshishige and Utsunomiya Kunitsuna in Shimotsuke, so sent his brother Houjou Ujikuni to their brother's aid in his place while asking Takeda Katsuyori for reinforcements. Katsuyori betrayed the Houjou and formed an alliance with Uesugi Kagekatsu, and the Otate no Ran ended with Kagetora's death and Kagekatsu's succession.

Ujimasa broke off the alliance with the Takeda clan a second time and formed an alliance with Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu to attack the Takeda territory in a pincer movement, but shifting alliances and hard fighting left the conclusion unclear. In 1580 Ujimasa proposed to Oda Nobunaga, who had just taken Ishiyama Hongan Temple, that the Houjou Clan become a vassal of the Oda Clan, but Takeda Katsuyori managed to form an alliance with Oda first. Ujimasa retired from the position of clan head in the same year, but like his father before him still held onto the government and military affairs of the clan.

In the following years, the Houjou Clan managed to gain control over a vast territory: Sagami, Izu, Musashi, Shimousa, Kazusa, Hitara, Shimotsuke, and a part of Suruga. Interestingly, however, Ujimasa did not seem to hold the ambition of ruling the entire country, a tradition passed down from the founder of the Late Houjou Clan, Houjou Souun. Instead, Ujimasa concentrated on independence for the 8 Kantou provinces under Houjou rule and alliances with other strong warlords such as Tokugawa Ieyasu and Date Masamune.

In 1589, using Ujimasa's refusal to proceed to the capital to attend him as pretext, Toyotomi Hideyoshi gathered an army of 220,000 to lay siege to Odawara Castle. It overran castles in the Houjou territory in quick succession. The siege against Odawara Castle lasted from May to August. On August 4, Ujimasa offered to surrender his life for the lives of his men. Toyotomi demanded the lives of both Ujimasa and his brother Ujiteru, as well as the lives of their vassals Matsuda Norihide and Daidouji Masashige. Ujimasa and Ujiteru committed seppuku on August 10.

Ujimasa left behind the following tanka verses for his death poem:

「雨雲の　おほえる月も　胸の霧も　はらいにけりな　秋の夕風」
「我身今　消ゆとやいかに　おもふへき　空よりきたり　空に帰れば」

translated (Sadler 1978, pp. 160–161):

Autumn wind of eve,
blow away the clouds that mass
over the moon's pure light
and the mists that cloud our mind,
do thou sweep away as well.

Now we disappear,
well, what must we think of it?
From the sky we came.
Now we may go back again.
That's at least one point of view.

There is another verse which is sometimes attributed to his brother Ujiteru, but is most often attributed to Ujimasa:

「吹くと吹く　風な恨みそ　花の春　もみじの残る　秋あればこそ」

which may be translated:

The wind's resentment—
Oh, see how it blows against
The flowering spring.
Yet it will leave us anon
The bright colors of autumn. at the ChuuzenjiChuuzenji-ko (中禅寺湖)

Lake Chuuzenji, located in Nikkou National Park in the city of Nikkou, Tochigi Prefecture, is one of Japan's 100 famous views. It is the 25th largest lake in Japan and drains through the Kegon Falls. Lake-shore, and he had spent the entire time asleep. Takaya finally awoke on the morning of the second day to find himself lying on a snowy-white futon at Asaoka InnAsaoka Inn (浅岡旅館)

A Japanese-style inn owned by Asaoka Maiko's family located on the banks Lake Chuuzenji. It has two stories, with the second affording a gorgeous view of the lake.. He opened bleary eyes from his pillow to look dazedly up at the amber-latticed ceiling.

Where am I? He wondered. He felt as if he’d been dreaming for a long, long time, his memories hazy and slightly out of reach.

“Takaya,” a voice said, quite close, and he turned his head

A young man peered down at him. He looked back. After a moment, he murmured, “Yuzuru...?”

Narita Yuzuru smiled. He’d been waiting all this time for Takaya to wake up.

“You’re finally awake. How do you feel? You were asleep for a whole day.”

“Where are we...?”

“Asaoka-san’s inn. You were so out of it that I didn’t want to wake you—”

Apparently no-one had wanted to wake him. He looked dazedly up at Yuzuru’s face for a moment before abruptly sitting up as he remembered—

“Are you okay?! You were tree-bound, your body...”

“Date sent its Black Greaves CorpsKuro Habaki-gumi (黒脛巾組)

The Kuro Habaki-gumi, or "Black Greaves Corps," was a ninja corps originally composed of 50 members said to have been founded by Date Masamune either in the late Sengoku or early Edo Periods. However, based on the fact that the name suddenly appeared in the "Date Hikan (伊達秘鑑)", or "Secret Records of the Date Clan" in the middle of the Edo Period (1770), the possibility exists that the group was fictional.

The Black Greaves Corps was so-named because they bore an emblem of black shin guards. According to the Date Hikan, they participated in the Battle of Hitotoribashi when Date Masamune fought against Satake Yoshishige, Ashina Yoshihiro, Iwaki Tsunetaka, Ishikawa Akimitsu, Nigaidou Yukichika, and Komine Yoshichika et. al, though they are not mentioned in other records of the battle. to protect his body at KatakuraKatakura Kagetsuna (片倉景綱) 1557 - 1615

Also known as: Katakura Kojuurou Kagetsuna (片倉小十郎景綱)

A military commander of the Sengoku era and hereditary vassal of the Date Clan. The Katakura family traditionally took the nickname of 'Kojuurou', so Katakura Kagetsuna is better known as Katakura Kojuurou.

Kojuurou first served Date Masamune's father, Date Terumune, as a junior page, then became Date Masamune's attendant in 1575. He was later appointed a strategist, and participated in most of Masamune's important wars where he rescued the Date Clan from many tight spots. His wisdom was extolled by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and his name was a byword for loyalty. (He was called 'Katakura Kagetsuna the Wise', and he, along with 'Date Shigezane the Brave', were named 'the twin jewels of the Date'.)

Kojuurou died in 1615 of illness.-san’s request,” Ayako, who had just entered the room, supplied. She smiled gently at Takaya as he blinked in surprise. “You did good, Kagetora. I know that this case was difficult for you.”

“Where is this...? Why am I...”

“You broke the female Tsutsuga MirrorTsutsuga Kyou

The Tsutsuga Mirrors were originally a treasure of Futarasan Shrine, formed of a male and female pair. The female mirror has the power to entrap souls, and is called the soul-sealing mirror (Fuukonkyou—封魂鏡), while the male is able to release entrapped souls. Legend has it that when Holy Priest Shoudou founded the first shrine on the Nikkou mountains, he turned the two tsutsuga causing mischief on Nantai-san into magic mirrors with his spells.

Four hundred years ago, the Fuuma Clan mated the two halves of the mirror to give birth to a tsutsuga cub which High Priest Tenkai sealed into the female mirror by order of Tokugawa Ieyasu. and came back to find me before collapsing. You don’t remember?”

He remembered nothing of the return trip, how he’d gotten back. He’d been running on auto-pilot. Ayako folded her arms in amazement, sighing. “I’m not really surprised. I mean, your body died. And then you forced it to start fighting. I would’ve been more shocked if you hadn’t collapsed.”

“Nee-san...”

“Thanks to you, we’ve taken Mt. NikkouNikkou-san (日光山)

Mt. Nikkou, located in the north-west part of Tochigi Prefecture, is one of the 100 famous mountains of Japan and centers on Mt. Nantai, Mt. Nyohou, and Mt. Tarou. back from the Houjou. The folks who were tree-bound were pretty traumatized, but at least they’ve all returned to their bodies, and they’ve all woken up, too. And we dealt with all the unpurified spirits taken from Kegon FallsKegon no Taki (華厳滝)

Kegon Falls is a waterfall located in Nikkou, Tochigi Prefecture, which according to legend was discovered by Shoudou. It was named for the first sutra of Buddhism, the Avatamska Sutra (Kegon-kyou in Japanese). The waterfall is formed by Daiya River, the only river out of Lake Chuuzenji after it was dammed by eruptions on Mount Nantai, falling over a 97-meter cliff. Is it one of Japan's three great waterfalls.

The waterfall is also infamous for suicides, starting with an 18-year-old high school student, Fujimura Misao, who leapt from the waterfall on May 22, 1903 after writing a poem on an oak tree nearby. yesterday.”

“Yesterday? So I...”

Which was to say that he’d been so exhausted he’d slept for all that time. Naoe had taken command in Takaya’s stead for the crucial mop-up (taking care of the possessed riot policemen, dealing with the unpurified spirits, etc.). Working around the media descending on the place had made the clean-up feel almost harder than the battle itself.

Yuzuru’s body, left in an inner parlor of the Houjou mansion for safe-keeping, had fortunately been discovered before any harm had befallen it. Yuzuru’s soul had returned to it without incident, and he had arrived at the inn yesterday evening.

Takaya felt dazed again before Yuzuru’s gentle smile. A glance at the window told him that it was light outside. He’d slept an entire day away, and another sunlit morning had dawned. He tugged at his memories, but everything after Ujimasa was still a blank.

“Stop thinking about it for now. We’ve contacted your family. Rest a little more. You’re exhausted, physically and mentally.”

“...”

He no longer felt tired, but Yuzuru nodded in favor of the idea. Now that he was his normal self again, there was no trace in him of the terrifying aspect which had emerged at the Houjou mansion. Being released from the tree-binding and returned to his body seemed to have sealed his «power» as well.

“I’m fine, stop worrying about me. I’ll be here, so just rest.”

Yuzuru pushed on Takaya’s shoulder until he slowly sank back down. Takaya pressed his head into the pillow as his consciousness began to fade, and Yuzuru covered him with a blanket. But as he looked up at his friend, he suddenly had the feeling that he’d forgotten something important.

(What is it...?)

There was something... Something he’d forgotten, something about himself and Kenshin. Some important piece of knowledge. Something missing from his memories.

(About Yuzuru...?)

What had he remembered while fighting Ujimasa? What had he told himself? He couldn’t remember. Why couldn’t he remember? The words had been so clear, so powerful. But now they were gone.

“What’s wrong?” Yuzuru peered at Takaya with concern.

Still uneasy, Takaya opened his mouth to answer. That was when he quite clearly sensed the supernatural change in Yuzuru.

“Yuzuru...!”

“What?”

“Your forehead...”

Takaya saw Ayako’s shoulders twitch and the tiny change in her expression.

Yuzuru’s face stiffened with discomfort.

Something that looked like a red bindi was now affixed to the center of Yuzuru’s forehead. A singular aura of pure evil radiated from it. This feeling, this aura...

He remembered it. There could be no mistake.

Takaya paled, for he knew what it was.

(No...)

“Looks like Kagetora’s awake,” Chiaki remarked upon his return from looking in on Takaya in the next room.

Naoe glanced at him from his position beside the window before returning his gaze to a spot on the distant lake outside.

“I see...”

“You’re not gonna go see him?” Chiaki asked Naoe’s profile.

At last Naoe’s eyes fell. “I’ll make my report to him later.”

“...” Chiaki stared at Naoe’s back, huffing a silent sigh. “Ujimasa’s dead, the Houjou Clan is more or less done-for. Rumor has it that it’s only a matter of time before Mt. TateTate-yama (館山)

There are several mountains called Mt. Tate ("tate" meaning "mansion" or "small castle") in Japan. The Mt. Tate referenced in the Houjou arc of Mirage of Blaze is located near the south-western tip of Chiba Prefecture. It was a part of Awa-no-kuni in the Sengoku Era and ruled by the Satomi Clan, who built Tateyama Castle there. Tateyama City grew out of the old castle town. falls. The Date are moving with astonishing speed. They’re faster than any army we‘ve ever seen. Mobility without inefficiency. They’ve worked with us so far, but if we’re not careful they’re gonna become our Achilles’ heel.”

“Takeda has entered SagamiSagami-no-kuni (相模国)

An ancient province in south-central Japan which was ruled by the Later Houjou Clan during the Sengoku Period. Now a part of Kanagawa Prefecture..” Naoe added in a businesslike tone. “But apparently the remnants of the Houjou are resisting with all their might. Even Shingen’s going to find it a tough fight.”

“Must be a weight off his mind that the Tsutsuga MirrorsTsutsuga Kyou

The Tsutsuga Mirrors were originally a treasure of Futarasan Shrine, formed of a male and female pair. The female mirror has the power to entrap souls, and is called the soul-sealing mirror (Fuukonkyou—封魂鏡), while the male is able to release entrapped souls. Legend has it that when Holy Priest Shoudou founded the first shrine on the Nikkou mountains, he turned the two tsutsuga causing mischief on Nantai-san into magic mirrors with his spells.

Four hundred years ago, the Fuuma Clan mated the two halves of the mirror to give birth to a tsutsuga cub which High Priest Tenkai sealed into the female mirror by order of Tokugawa Ieyasu. are broken. Too bad we couldn’t manage to use them to seal ShingenTakeda Shingen (武田信玄) 1521 - 1573

Also called: Takeda Katsuchiyo, Takeda Harunobu
Title: Shinano no Kami

Historically: Daimyo of Kai who became the head of the Takeda clan by rebelling against his father. Conquered Shinano and fought against Uesugi Kenshin. The two clans clashed five times on the plains of Kawanakajima, where neither gained complete victory until Shingen died of illness in his campaign against Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu. or NobunagaOda Nobunaga (織田信長) 1534 - 1582

Also called: Oda Kippoushi
Title: Kazusa no Suke, Owari no Kami

Historically: The first of the "Three Unifiers"; born in Owari to a samurai, his unbridled, ruthless ambitious and military tactical genius enabled him to gain control of the imperial court in 1573 after having driven the shogun out of Kyoto. His seal read "the realm subjected to military power". Murdered at the age of forty-nine by his vassal Akechi Mitsuhide in the Honnou-ji in Kyoto. before destroying them.” Serious again, Chiaki transitioned, “But the problem is...”

Naoe, catching the change in topic, nodded. “Narita Yuzuru?”

“That bump on his forehead, that’s gotta be Nobunaga’s ‘Seed of the Demon King,’ Naoe. It not just dangerous, it could be the end of everything.”

“I know.”

“Oda was behind Date KojirouDate Kojirou (伊達小次郎) 1568? - 1590

Also known as: childhood—Jikumaru (竺丸)

Second son of Date Terumune and Yoshihime, Kojirou was favored by his mother over his older brother Date Masamune for succession as head of the Date Clan. However, Terumune favored Masamune, who became head of the Date Clan in 1584.

Yoshihime planned the assassination of Masamune, but after she failed to poison him in 1590, Masamune ordered Kojirou's death. all along, just like we thought. Those bastards implanted that thing in Narita. I’m pretty sure it was Mori RanmaruMori Ranmaru (森蘭丸) 1565 - 1582

Also called: Mori Nagasada (森長定), possibly Shigetoshi (成利), Nagayasu (長康)

Historically: A vassal of Oda Nobunaga who served as his attendant from
an early age. His father, Mori Yoshinari, was also a vassal of Oda Nobunaga. Favored by Nobunaga for his talent and loyalty, he also followed the tradition of shudo with his liege-lord. He and his three younger brothers died with Nobunaga at the Honnou-ji on June 21, 1582. who awakened him at the Houjou mansion. It looks like he’s back to normal after being release from the tree-binding, but his control’s paper-thin. He’s too unstable. His true self could re-appear at any moment.”

“Just what is his true self?” Naoe wondered gravely. “From the looks of it, someone has sealed away Yuzuru-san’s power. Any idea who that might be?”

“If I knew, this wouldn’t be such a problem. Feh,” Chiaki tsked, taking a seat on the tatamitatami (畳)

Woven straw mats used as traditional Japanese flooring.

Japanese rooms are traditionally measured by the number of tatami mats laid out in it, the dimensions of which are 90 cm x 180 cm x 5 cm.. “That humongous power is stronger than any weapon, and would make a pretty handy trump card for any of the «Yami-SengokuYami Sengoku (闇戦国)

Lit.: "Dark Sengoku", the civil war still being fought by the spirits of the warlords of the Sengoku period in modern-day Japan.» conqueror-wannabes. I’m pretty sure Kagetora performed kanshoukanshou (換生)

To possess another's body, driving out their soul, so as to be reborn with memories intact. Only Naoe of all the kanshousha has the power to perform kanshou on another soul. so he could watch over Narita because he knew that. He’s probably the only one who knows exactly what secrets Narita’s hiding.”

“...”

“So if Kagetora dies, I doubt anyone else would have the power to protect this monster called Narita...” Chiaki concluded with a sidelong glance at Naoe, whose own gaze was fixed again on the lake outside. Naoe’s expression didn’t change, but his hand tightened its grip on the curtains.

“Nagahide,” he asked stiffly, with forced calm, “can the ‘Seed of the Demon King’ be sealed? It may prove difficult to remove, but I know you should be able to at least cut off its influence. No, just go ahead and do it, Nagahide.”

His emphatic inflection near the end revealed his sense of impending crisis. Message received, Chiaki nodded wordlessly. “If Nobunaga claims a bomb like that as his toy, none of us are gonna come out of it alive.”

A knock at the door interrupted their conversation. Naoe opened it to admit Maiko.

“My brother has just returned from the hospital, and we wanted to thank you. Is this a good time?”

Maiko’s brother Shinya followed her into the room. Dressed in a navy-blue blazer over a white T-shirt, he looked very much like the college student he was. His features were a close match for his sister’s, and, with healthy pink in his cheeks and youthful animation in his wide eyes, completely changed from his unconscious appearance in the hospital room.

“Hello,” Shinya greeted the two men, bowing deeply. “Thank you so much for saving me. My sister told me everything. I really don’t know what I can do to repay you...”

“Your thanks is enough.” Naoe’s expression gentled, and he smiled with gracious dignity. “You opened the door to your own rescue. If you had not called for help, no one would have noticed the abnormal supernatural events out here until it was too late. We’re the ones who should be thanking you.”

“I don’t really remember what I did, just that I called out to my sister.” Even now he felt as if he’d dreamed everything. Shinya looked thoughtful for a moment before chuckling slightly. “But if my wanting to be saved actually saved other people, it would make me very happy. ...I’ve never been able to save anyone before...”

A shadow crossed his face. Understanding what he had not said, Naoe remarked, “Your sister told me of your mysterious precognitive abilities.” Shinya’s head jerked up. But before he could reproach his sister, Naoe interjected, “I’ve known that people with special abilities like yours exist.”

In all probability, it was for his ‘psychic abilities’ that Shinya had been chosen as a sacrifice for the tree-binding in the first place... Not touching on that point, Naoe continued in response to Shinya’s look of surprise, “I doubt any outsider could truly understand the burdens you bear, and you have the right to reject my words as mere sympathy, but please listen for a moment. ...Even if you have borne the torment of this ability since you were born...” Naoe stated very, very quietly, “you must not surrender to it.”

“...Tachibana-san...”

"I think you already understand, but please allow me to say this: do not allow its weight to crush you. You who see those who are fated to die—you more than anyone must know the preciousness of life. For your own sake, and for the sakes of those who cherish you: your sister, your parents...

“...”

“I beg you not to lose yourself to it.”

Shinya stared at Naoe, stunned. Naoe’s words had brought back all the horrifying memories he had experienced through his ability. His eyes filled with tears. No one had spoken to him with such straightforward plainness before.

Closing his eyes, Shinya bowed deeply once more. “Thank you...so much.”

Naoe regarded Shinya as he might someone he had known for a long time. To Maiko, it was as if her brother’s heart were opening again, as it had been when he was young, before his ability had manifested itself. Shinya kept his head bowed against the ache of tears.

“Tachibana-san!” Naoe, in the corridor on his way to the phone, paused at the top of the stairs as Maiko followed him out. “There’s something I would like to say to you. Will you hear me out?” she asked.

Naoe looked a little discomfited, but responded gently, “What is it?”

Maiko hesitated, then lifted her head. “About what you said earlier...” she began, meeting his eyes, “what you told Shinya—I want to say the same to you.”

“...” The smile disappeared from Naoe’s face.

“Don’t allow yourself to be crushed.” Maiko repeated Naoe’s words to him with sincerest solemnity. “It may hurt, but please don’t surrender. Even if the one who is most important to you is also your greatest burden.”

“Asaoka-san...” About to ask what she was talking about, Naoe fell silent when he realized she was referring to himself and Takaya.

Hand clenched hard at her chest, Maiko gazed at Naoe with all her heart and soul in her eyes. “I love you, Tachibana-san.”

“...” Naoe’s expression reflected his surprise.

Maiko didn’t wait for a response before continuing, “I’m worried about you. I worry so much, and I know there’s nothing I can do for you. I love you more than I’ve loved anyone, and it hurts me to see you in pain!”

Stunned, Naoe looked back at Maiko. Her wide eyes searched his beseechingly. “I can see how out of control you are when you’re with them.”

“...”

“Why won’t you take better care of yourself? Even though you know how cruel they are. Even so, you’ll never leave, will you? Because you don’t want to leave.”

“...”

“Don’t let the pain convince you to push them away, even if the one you love is also the one who hurts you. Not when they’re so precious to you. Because you’ll always regret it.”

Unable to bear the torment in Naoe’s downcast gaze, Maiko bit her lips and looked down.

“I’m sorry for babbling about something that’s none of my business. But I love you so much...so very much. And I’m really just...bitter and so jealous...I’m a horrible woman. But I’m speaking from the heart. I think I can understand a little of how you feel...”

“How I feel...?”

“They’re so beautiful. It has nothing to do with whether they’re a man or a woman... Their presence alone is mesmerizing...so much so that it makes you lose all bearing...”

Pain suddenly flickered across Naoe’s eyes. Maiko faltered and fell silent, her tight-clenched hand trembling at her chest. Her eyes flashed up as her tears began to overflow.

“They’re so cruel, so selfish! Even though you love them so much! Love them so much that you hurt with it! They’re so self-centered! They don’t even know how rare a love like that is!”

“Asaoka-san.”

“Even though I would give anything for your love! Even though I could never have it no matter how much I hope, pray, and yearn for it...! They’re so cruel! Crueler than anyone in the whole wide world!” she wailed, and began to sob.

Naoe gently cradled her cheeks in the palms of his hands. Startled, Maiko lifted her head, lifting his hands with the motion.

“Tachibana-san...?”

Looking at her with calm, sincere eyes, Naoe said nothing, only shook his head. As if to say, “That’s not really true.”

“Don’t...speak ill of them,” Naoe said, pain on his face.

“...Tachibana-san. You really love them, don’t you. Love them so, so much?”

Naoe smiled slightly.

Maiko asked with her last hope, “But he’s a man, isn’t he?”

“...”

“Even so...?”

Naoe neither confirmed nor denied it. But it was clear the small smile hovering at his lips was not for her. Maiko, who could not help but wish for that smile to belong to her alone, always, grew sad again.

“Can you promise me?” Maiko looked down. “Don’t run away... Please promise me you’ll be happy. If they’re the only person who can make you happy...” Maiko lifted her head, ignoring the tears sliding down her cheeks. “...don’t leave them!”

The smile vanished from Naoe’s face. Expressionless again, he answered, “I won’t leave.”

“...”

“Not until the day I die... No, I will remain even beyond death. And...” Naoe closed his eyes tightly. “I want...to find happiness with that person. With the one I love.”

Maiko held Naoe’s eyes with all her might. This would be the very first and the very last time she would be so close to him, to meet his gaze which such openness. Yet tears blurred the sight of this man she loved. It was for the better, she wanted to think, but she knew in her soul how much of a lie it was. Pushing away that knowledge, Maiko added, “Don’t forget those words.”

“...Asaoka-san.”

“I would never wish unhappiness on you. Please remember that.”

The rest of the mopping up kept them busy that day, but they managed to finish up and restore calm as evening fell. None of the structures on Mt. NikkouNikkou-san (日光山)

Mt. Nikkou, located in the north-west part of Tochigi Prefecture, is one of the 100 famous mountains of Japan and centers on Mt. Nantai, Mt. Nyohou, and Mt. Tarou. had suffered heavy damage, fortunately, though areas around a few mountainside cliffs sustained landslides. All the tree-bound souls had been returned to their bodies without incident. Katakura of the Date returned to SendaiSendai-shi (仙台市)

The capital city of Miyagi Prefecture, it is also the largest city in the northeast region of Japan. It is home to one million people, and is aptly nicknamed Mori no Miyako, the Capital of Trees. after making his report. KousakaKousaka Masanobu (高坂昌信) 1527 - 1578

Also called: Kousaka Danjou Masanobu (高坂弾正昌信), Kousaka Danjou Nosuke Masanobu (高坂弾正忠昌信), Kasuga Toratsuna (春日虎綱), Kasuga Gensuke (春日源助)
Title: Danjou Nosuke/Faithful True-Shot (弾正忠)

Historically: One of Takeda Shingen's most loyal retainers who was one of his Twenty-Four Generals and played a key part in the fourth battle of Kawanakajima.

Kousaka was born in Kai to a wealthy farmer, Kasuga Ookuma (?) (春日大隈). His father died when he was 16, and he lost a lawsuit against his elder sister's husband for ownership of his father's lands. He then enrolled in the service of Takeda Shingen.

Kousaka first served as a messenger for Shingen. He distinguished himself in battle, and rose swiftly through the ranks of Shingen's trusted retainers. He participated in most of Shingen's battles. He did not hesitate to retreat when required, which earned him the nickname of "Escaping Danjou". However, he was calm and logical in the midst of battle, and was perhaps the best of Shingen's generals.

There are anecdotes that in his younger days, Kousaka and Shingen were engaged in a shudo relationship, and Kousaka rose so quickly in Shingen's service because of Shingen's affection.

After Shingen's death in 1573, Kousaka continued on to serve Takeda Katsuyori. He sought an alliance between the Takeda clan and their old enemy, the Uesugi clan, in order to unite against the threat of Oda Nobunaga.

Kousaka died in 1578 of illness at the age of 52. He was succeeded by his second son, Kousaka Masamoto (高坂昌元), his first son, Kousaka Masazumi (高坂昌澄) having died in the Battle of Nagashino in 1575.

In Mirage of Blaze: A kanshousha who, along with Sanjou-no-Kata, breaks the barrier over Takeda Shingen's tomb, the Maenduka, in an attempt to resurrect Shingen by using Narita Yuzuru as a vessel for his spirit.

According to Haruie, Kousaka has a high level of spiritual sensing ability (reisa), such that he is able to recognize someone he had met before even after their soul has undergone purification. He warns Naoe that Narita Yuzuru's existence is a threat to the Roku Dou Sekai. had managed to vanish in the midst of the confusion, but in light of Ujimasa’s younger brother UjinoriHoujou Ujinori (北条氏規) 1545 - Mar. 22, 1600

Title: Mino no-Kami

Houjou Ujinori was the fifth-born son of Houjou Ujiyasu (fourth son to survive childhood), younger brother of Houjou Ujimasa, Houjou Ujiteru, and Houjou Ujikuni, and older brother of Houjou Ujitada, Houjou Saburou (Uesugi Kagetora), and Houjou Ujimitsu. He was the master of Misaki Castle in Sagami and chamberlain of Nirayama Castle in Izu. He married Kougen'in, the daughter of Houjou Tsunashige.

As a child, Ujinori was sent to Suruga as a hostage of Imagawa Yoshimoto. It was said that he became friends with Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was also a hostage in Suruga at the time, during this period. He returned to the clan somewhere in the period between 1558-1570, and in 1571 was again sent as hostage to the Takeda Clan in Kai along with his younger brother Houjou Ujitada.

Though his brothers Ujiteru and Ujikuni were known for their diplomatic skills, Ujinori surpassed both of them. This finesse was evident in his negotiations with Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Katsuyori, and later in alliances with Tokugawa Ieyasu, Date Masamune, and the Ashina Clan. Tokugawa Ieyasu saw Ujinori as his window into the Houjou Clan, and communicated with him extensively.

Ujinori journeyed to the capital several times to negotiate with Toyotomi Hideyoshi as his brother Ujimasa's representative, but these negotiations failed, and Hideyoshi attacked Odawara Castle in 1590. Ujinori withstood siege from Hideyoshi's army for 3 months, but finally surrendered on Ieyasu's recommendation. He was also given the role of persuading his brother Ujimasa to surrender.

After the battle, Ujinori followed Houjou Ujinao to Mt. Kouya. He was pardoned in 1591 by Hideyoshi and given a territory of 2000-koku, then 6,980-koku in Kawachi and Sayama Castle in 1594. He died of illness at the age of 60, and his son Houjou Ujimori was allowed the continued governance of Sayama-han. His line continued until the Meiji Restoration.’s demise at Mt. KunouMount Kunou (久能山)

Mt. Kunou is a steep mountain 216 meters high (709 feet) high located on Suruga Bay, Shizuoka Prefecture. In the Asuka Period Kunou Tadahito of the Fujiwara Clan began building a temple near present-day Kunou-zan Toushou-guu which the monk Gyouki named Kunou Temple in the later Nara Period.

In 1570 Takeda Shingen built Kunou Castle there, moving the temple to what is now Shimizu Ward. The Tokugawa Clan took control of Suruga Province after the fall of the Takeda Clan and continued to maintain the fortifications on Mt. Kunou. After Tokugawa Ieyasu's death, his son Tokugawa Hidetaka erected the first Toushou Shrine on Mt. Kunou and buried Ieyasu there. Though Ieyasu's grandson Tokugawa Iemitsu relocated Ieyasu’s grave to the Nikkou Toushou-guu, it is held that a portion of his deified spirit remains on Mt. Kunou., all indicators pointed to a Takeda plan to invade the Toukai regionToukai-chiku (東海地区)

Lit.: "Eastern Sea Area"; the region of Japan south of Tokyo along the Pacific Ocean. using SagamiSagami-no-kuni (相模国)

An ancient province in south-central Japan which was ruled by the Later Houjou Clan during the Sengoku Period. Now a part of Kanagawa Prefecture. as a launchpad.

And they had one remaining problem: Narita Yuzuru.

“Kagetora said he performed the freeze-binding ritual on the ’Seed of the Demon King,” Ayako told Chiaki. They were in the inn lounge where they wouldn’t be overheard by the young man in question. “That’ll temporarily prevent it from being used. Best-case scenario, it’ll necrotize, but I doubt it’ll be that easy. Those who’ve had the seed implanted in them before suffered horribly...” Ayako murmured gravely. “I can’t believe this is happening again...and now Yuzuru-kun’s caught up in it.”

“Fucking Oda. We shouldn’t have taken them so lightly just because Nobunaga’s still out of it.” Chiaki, seated on the sofa, gnawed on his thumb. “At least he’s not behaving like a spoiled brat anymore.”

“Kagetora said it was his miss. He’s blaming himself, but you have to give Oda credit for being so ingenious. I mean, to use Kagetora’s capture as an opportunity for something like this...” Ayako sighed, looking up at the high ceiling. “And now he’s really back to being ‘Kagetora,’ isn’t he. That transformation was scary. I wonder if it’s because his birth clan was involved this time.”

“He’s feeling down in the dumps, huh?”

“Yeeeeah. He doesn’t really let on, but... Sometimes...he has this look on his face, you know? I want to comfort him, but he’s always pretending he’s so tough, and I don’t know how. If I’m not careful and I say something to injure his pride, he’ll hate me and then I get scared and I can’t do it...”

“...Yeah, I guess.” Chiaki responded. Reminded of Takaya’s taciturn mask, he gazed out the entrance. “It’s even worse when the only person who can comfort him is acting like that.”

“You mean Naoe?”

“I don’t even wanna know what happened. They’re gonna have to deal with this going forward, or we’re gonna get dragged into this Cold War or whatever it is going on between them. I’m just praying that their personal affairs don’t screw up our work more than it already has.”

Chiaki crossed his arms and closed his eyes, falling silent as he listened to the grandfather clock’s chime. Its stained-glass exterior sparkled in the light of the setting sun. Ayako, too, quietly turned her gaze to the entrance out of which the two men had gone.

Lake ChuuzenjiChuuzenji-ko (中禅寺湖)

Lake Chuuzenji, located in Nikkou National Park in the city of Nikkou, Tochigi Prefecture, is one of Japan's 100 famous views. It is the 25th largest lake in Japan and drains through the Kegon Falls. was stained with twilight, its quiet waves glittering and lovely with the reflection of the last of the falling light.

Takaya had summoned Naoe out to the wharf to hear his ex post facto report.

The wind traversing the lake already carried a hint of autumn. Though long-sleeved, the thin material of his too-large shirt offered little protection, and his skin felt chilled as the loose material fluttered in the breeze. He had tucked his right hand against the open collar as if to warm it.

Takaya stood at the end of the wharf, his eyes fixed on the silhouette of a sightseeing boat gliding slowly across the lake. He did not turn to the man waiting behind him.

Naoe stood quietly gazing at Takaya’s back.

Takaya had already heard Ayako and Chiaki’s reports, and there was nothing especially noteworthy in Naoe’s, the details of which he recited with dispassionate professionalism. Takaya did not respond or nod, merely listened with his back turned.

“...That concludes my report,” Naoe closed in a monotone. “Do you have...any questions for me?”

“...”

Takaya did not turn. His face was turned downward, his eyes closed. The wind slipped past his shoulder to gently ruffle Naoe’s hair. Naoe bore Takaya’s silence quietly.

“—If there is nothing further, I will be heading home.”

Takaya’s eyes snapped open.

“Please allow NagahideYasuda Nagahide (安田長秀) 1516 - May 8, 1582? 1585? 1592?

Title: Jibu Shousuke (治部少輔)

Historically: Master of Yasuda Castle. The Yasuda family had served the Nagao Clan from the time of Nagao Tamekage (late 1400s). Nagahide supported Nagao Kagetora (Uesugi Kenshin) in the coup d'etat against Nagao Harukage, so was a close aide of Kenshin from early on. He fought in many of Kenshin's wars against Takeda Shingen, Oda Nobunaga, and Houjou Ujiyasu.

He received a commendation for bravery at the 4th battle of Kawanakajima along with six other commanders, including Irobe Katsunaga.

He supported Uesugi Kagekatsu in the Otate no Ran after Kenshin's death. He died in 1582 of illness in the midst of Shibata Shigeie's rebellion. (Other accounts mention 1585, 1592.)

Though he shared the same family name as Yasuda Kagemoto and Yasuda Akimoto, also vassals of the Uesugi Clan, he was descended from a different family.

In Mirage of Blaze: he was summoned by Uesugi Kenshin to become one of the Yasha-shuu and is second in power only to Uesugi Kagetora. to accompany you back to MatsumotoMatsumoto City (松本市)

The largest city in Nagano Prefecture, Matsumoto is surrounded by mountains and is acclaimed for its beautiful views.. Your father and Miya-san are very worried. I hope you will be able to reassure them that you are well with all possible speed.” Naoe bowed deeply. “I will take my leave.”

But before he could go, Takaya spoke for the first time: “Naoe.”

Naoe stopped and turned. Takaya was still faced away from him.

For long moments Takaya said nothing more, but it was a silence Naoe understood. For a few minutes more... Naoe gazed quietly at his master’s back.

“I can guess at your feelings, forced as you were to kill those who were once your own flesh and blood, ” Naoe said. “I honor you for performing your duty despite them. Please steel yourself to continue doing so in the future.”

“...”

These were not the words he wanted to hear, Takaya’s heart whispered. Though he knew the thoughts around which Takaya obsessively circled, Naoe deliberately refused to utter the words of comfort he wanted and awaited. Takaya’s hunched shoulders shivered minutely in resentment.

“Don’t act like a spoiled child with me,” he cut Takaya off before he could give voice to his vexation.

Takaya’s head jerked up.

“You only did what was necessary. You can console yourself with that.”

“Why are you...!”

“Shall I comfort you with this flesh, if that’s what you want so much from me?” Takaya’s shoulders quivered. Naoe continued coldly, “I can give that lissome body pleasure enough to make you forget every last hint of guilt. With a little patience, the pain will turn to pleasure soon enough. Be my prisoner, and I will never let you go. I would give you such delight, as a toy might...”

“...!”

“Have I angered you?”

Takaya whirled, so choked with indignation that he could not come up with a response. Naoe’s cold eyes narrowed slightly.

“...These words—” Naoe flung them at Takaya over the quiet murmur of waves, “—are...not a lie...” Pretending not to notice Takaya stiffening, Naoe continued in a measured voice, “I love you.”

“...”

“It doesn’t matter to me whether you’re a man or woman. I will always love you. I want you. Your body, your heart. I want all of you. I want you to be mine alone.”

Takaya stopped breathing. His nails bit into his chest. Was Naoe sincere? Or was it all an act? Naoe’s expressionless tone told Takaya nothing. The coldness of those words, spoken as if alluding to something in the far dead past, belied their content. There were meanings hidden behind those words that Takaya could not decipher. Losing all patience and unable to endure any longer, Takaya turned his back. Naoe was silent for a moment, his eyes bare of emotion.

Then he said, the words coming quickly, “...I will not ask what you think of me. Do as you wish, if you can’t even bear to look at me. But this is our job, and I will continue to assist you. I will be with you in my capacity as your subordinate, but that has no bearing on our private affairs.”

“...”

“We must handle this matter with Yuzuru-san with the greatest care. It is a problem that must be solved with logic instead of emotion, harsh though it may be. I have no doubt you will find the best solution with your usual composure, but please continue to be on your guard.”

Takaya bit his lip as he looked out over the lake. Naoe gazed wordlessly at his back, which seemed very lonely against the blue expanse.

“...”

The wind chilled him.

Naoe quietly slipped off his jacket. He walked up to Takaya and gently placed it over Takaya’s shoulders, whispering into his ear, “Please take care of yourself...”

“...”

“Be careful getting home.”

His emphatic “good-bye” sounded like an attempt to tear himself away. And at last Naoe turned and headed back to the shore. Takaya didn’t call to him again. He stared at a point on the lake as he listened to the footsteps receding down the wharf. Afraid now to look at Naoe’s back, he could not turn.

The footsteps faded into the distance.

And still Takaya could not move.

Waves broke against the wharf with tiny splashes: the boat’s ripples finally reaching the shore.

Naoe, too, faced resolutely forward. He had shoved all emotion beneath the surface, as if he had discarded even the capacity for feeling. He climbed into the Windom parked at the front of the wharf.

Takaya shook with helpless dismay at the sound of the engine behind him.

(I’m losing him—) He thought with agonizing uncertainty—an uncertainty approaching panic, thrusting into Takaya’s heart like a dagger.

He had felt this intense grief before: the day his mother had walked away—had left him.

(Even you, Naoe? Would you leave me again?!)

He felt an overwhelming impulse to call Naoe’s name once more. If he did, would Naoe come back? But another part of him brutally quashed the urge, leaving him mute.

(I don’t have that right.)

It was not Ougi Takaya Naoe wanted, but Kagetora.

(‘Takaya’ doesn’t have the right to call him back...)

Will you continue to run away from me?

(I’m not running away.)

He only rejected Naoe’s ambiguity. Perhaps it was true that Naoe—that he could ease Naoe’s pain. Though by what obscene acts he could not even imagine...

Would he be satisfied if I gave him this body? Even if it’s ‘Takaya’s’? Yet if it’s only ‘my current body,’ and not ‘Kagetora’ after all, could it mean anything more than a passing diversion to him, an hour’s escape from his pain?

(I won’t let that happen.)

Yet...Takaya circled, thoughts in disarray.

(Why, Naoe?)

Naoe’s heart was incomprehensible to him.

What he comprehended all too well was how little he knew of this man.

Was the tender affection of a protector for his charge the same as the love of a man for a woman? And what of lust? How could any love Naoe felt for ‘Kagetora’ be accompanied by such, when they were both men?

(I don’t understand you at all.)

How was he to understand this desire to hold in one’s arms a body of the same sex as oneself, when it seemed so unnatural to him? What was so wrong with the friendship they’d had? What had driven Naoe to spew those coldly offensive threats?

(Is that really ‘love,’ Naoe...?) he wanted to ask—though to do so was to invite more evidence of Naoe’s hate for him, more of that cruelty which crushed him mercilessly.

If he acceded, would Naoe stop before going too far? Would forced acquiescence satisfy him?

He wanted to know what lay behind that hatred—most of all, he wanted to know what in him ‘threatened’ Naoe. Without that knowledge, he could do nothing.

It doesn’t matter. I don’t need them—he had always pushed people away; why, then, was he allowing himself to be manipulated so thoroughly now?

The sense of betrayal was very real, for how could he forgive a trusted companion who had harbored such unnatural lust for him behind a selfless façade, and who now expected Takaya to tender payment with his body? For that was how it felt to Takaya, deny it as Naoe might. So why could he not bear to turn his back?

He didn’t want to see Naoe so wildly out of control; it was not the true Naoe. He truly wanted to believe that Naoe’s coldness and hatred toward him were due to some sort of misunderstanding between them, for that coldness was not in Naoe’s true nature. And even if both were genuine, surely there was some other, less twisted way to ease Naoe’s suffering?

Yes, there must be some way to release him from his pain without resorting to such perversions of the flesh.

(I don’t want to lose you like this...)

He didn’t know why that was the thought running through his head. Only...Naoe affirmed everything he was without saying a word. He wanted to answer that faith, repay that debt of gratitude.

(Liar...)

Even if Naoe were to leave him, there were others who never would. There was Miya, and Yuzuru. He didn’t have to be alone. Why, then, was he so shaken at the thought that Naoe might abandon him?

(It can’t be...)

Takaya fought furiously against his own heart. How could this have happened? This was not him. He felt only fear at his own weakness.

(It can’t be true!) his heart cried—but another part of him knew precisely how arrogant such a thought was.

He had only confused himself.

The choice was not his to make, for ‘Kagetora’ was the one Naoe wanted, not ‘Takaya.’ He didn’t want to be a substitute for ‘Kagetora.’ But the Takaya-that-was didn’t have the guile to use Naoe’s desire to bind him.

Who was this ‘Kagetora’ who would go to far to entrap Naoe?—who had he been thirty years ago, before he had lost his memories? When he’d been the person who should have saved Naoe—

He wanted to know what Kagetora had felt then, Takaya thought sincerely for the first time.

Why had Kagetora sealed his memories? What happened thirty years ago? Why did he torment Naoe so? He wanted very much to know the answers to these questions. More than anything else, he wanted to know his thoughts from that time—why had he locked his memories away?

Then, surely, he would know what his thirty-years-ago self had wanted of the present him, reborn into a new body without his memories.

And then...

(If I become Kagetora as he was before he sealed his memories...)

Takaya bit his lip.

(Would I have the right to think about him?)

If he discarded his current self...?

 

The colors of sunset set Mt. NantaiNantai-san (男体山)

Also known as: Futara-san (二荒山)

Mount Nantai is one of the 100 famous mountains in Japan, located in Nikkou, Tochigi Prefecture and formed from a stratovolcano. It is worshiped as a sacred mountain and was first scaled by Shoudou in 782, who founded the first shrines there. afire—yet the glittering lake before him rivaled it in beauty.

His determination to plumb his past self’s heart had changed something inside him, shifted a gear into a dangerous position.

Though it was not something Takaya as he was now could have noticed.

Naoe had begun to call out of him those forgotten feelings buried deep in his secret heart, more enigmatic to him than the beautiful lake before him.

As Takaya’s lone figure on the wharf receded in his rear-view mirror, Naoe forced his eyes forward.

He suspected now that to have turned his back after confessing his love thus would lead the person he loved most in the world to commit dire transgressions one day.

(I want to know Kagetora’s heart...) Takaya resolved—a resolve which was without question the key to opening that door barred with the dread of knowing. Kagetora had sealed his memories, in all probability, to evade this very danger.

Takaya pulled Naoe’s jacket close and buried his face in the upturned collar as he fixed an anguished gaze at the lake.

Their parting had left so many things unsaid and unfinished, their hearts helplessly passing each other by.

Takaya narrowed his eyes against the glittering shards of reflected sunlight.

The splendor of the remaining light flooded Mt. NantaiNantai-san (男体山)

Also known as: Futara-san (二荒山)

Mount Nantai is one of the 100 famous mountains in Japan, located in Nikkou, Tochigi Prefecture and formed from a stratovolcano. It is worshiped as a sacred mountain and was first scaled by Shoudou in 782, who founded the first shrines there. and Lake ChuuzenjiChuuzenji-ko (中禅寺湖)

Lake Chuuzenji, located in Nikkou National Park in the city of Nikkou, Tochigi Prefecture, is one of Japan's 100 famous views. It is the 25th largest lake in Japan and drains through the Kegon Falls. with a golden glow. Nikkou’s clear wind swept across the lake with its cool mantle of autumn.

A skein of waterfowl took flight.

Those taking the first steps on their journey could not know where their path led. How could anyone?

Even so, they had to stumble their way through the darkness.

That shadowy and unlit path stretched before him now.

 
END