I, the Nez-chan, do not own Rurouni Kenshin, any of its affiliates or stuff like that. I wish I owned Captain Sagara though. -drools- I don't, of course. That Japanese guy (who's name I can't spell of the top of my head for the life of me) owns Captain Sagara Sozo. Sounds wrong, but he does.
Sakura Love
Young Sozo Sagara walked through the cherry tree orchard and sighed. It was spring and the blossoms were in full bloom, turning the wood into a beautiful paradise. It was going to be his seventeenth birthday in a week and he hoped the blossoms could hold out until then. They had not for the past four years in a row, but with luck they would this time.
"Sozo-sama! Sozo-sama!" a teenage boy cried out, running up to Sozo. It was his best friend, Daisuke. He was slightly shorter than Sozo, who was really tall to being with, and wore shoddy servants' garments, contrasting greatly from Sozo's noble robes.
"Please, Daisuke! We are nothing more than old friends! Friends do not call each other 'Lord' and 'Servant'!"
"I am sorry… Sozo," Daisuke said nervously. His unkempt brown hair fell in his face as he looked at the ground.
"Daisuke," Sozo laughed. "What is it you wanted to tell me?"
"Oh! Your father wishes to meet with you!" Daisuke said. "It sounded really important. I have to go now! Sayonara Sozo!" With that, Daisuke ran off towards the mansion.
Daisuke, you foolish boy. I am merely a childhood playmate, that is all, Sozo chuckled to himself. He walked up to the mansion that belonged to his father, and his father before him. The Sagara Clan had held post as the lords of the surrounding mountain valley land for many generations. Sozo did not mind his family background so much. It was nice being privileged, but he felt that the servants he had grown up together with were his good friends, not persons bound to servitude.
"Ah! Sozo my boy!" Lord Sagara called to his son as he walked into the main sitting room. There were many people in the room Sozo did not know amongst the elegantly painted screens and statues, chattering away to themselves in different languages. He had grown accustomed to this by now. His father had been a political peace-keeper for the reigning daimyo since American Commodore Matthew Perry opened Japan to traders and he constantly had many important foreign dignitaries over to stay.
"Hello Father," Sozo said, bowing at the waist. His father, a portly man with western clothes on, walked over to his much taller son and led him through the crowd.
"Come Sozo," he chortled. "We have to have a talk with you."
"'We', Father?"
"Yes, now come behind the screen."
Behind the sakura tree screen was a foreign man, one that Sozo had seen many times before. It was an elderly Dutch trader who lived in the Spice Islands. Many top socialites in Japan knew him as "Akai-san" or "Mr. Red" for his old red-feathered hat, but the Sagara Clan called the feeble old man by his real name.
"Van Berlo-san!" Sozo cried happily. "It is so good to see you again! How long has it been? Ten months?"
"Yes," the old man chuckled as he stood up. "I see you have grown a full five centimeters since I last saw you."
"I most likely have," Sozo said, grinning broadly.
"You are turning seventeen shortly, are you not?"
"Yes, I am. May I ask why Van Berlo-san?"
"I know you have not been informed of this, but you have a duty to uphold," Mr. Van Berlo said with an extremely serious air to his voice.
"Father, what is he talking about?" Sozo asked. He turned towards his father to get an answer, but was taken aback. Lord Sagara, who was most of the time a cheerful person, had a look of despair on his face.
"Sozo, I have kept a secret from you," he said, trying not to look at his son. Sozo was highly confused. His father never kept anything from him. What was so big about this that made him keep quite about it?
"You know of my trading empire, do you not boy?" Mr. Van Berlo asked suddenly. Sozo nodded his head in reply.
"It is amongst the largest in the world," Sozo stated.
"Yes, and sadly I am not getting any younger. I know I will die soon and my sons have all passed on before me. I want to leave my company in capable hands Young Sozo."
It was almost too good to be true. Was what Mr. Van Berlo telling Sozo going to be true?
"I want you to inherit my company Sozo. My company, and the hand of my only granddaughter."
Damn, I knew there would be a hitch. Sozo had not seen Mr. Van Berlo's granddaughter Erika for nearly eight years. She was about a month older than him and he recalled that she had last been to Japan during his ninth birthday. They did not get along very well back then. He remembered her as a snotty brat who would whine to get her way. Her hair was a bushy and tangled mess and she was very violent. She was able to beat up both Sozo and Daisuke at once by only using a stick she found on the ground. Worst of all, all she really did was complain about Japan being "an ancient pit".
"I am sorry Van Berlo-san, but I cannot accept this proposal," Sozo said, bowing again at the waist.
"Nonsense!" Lord Sagara said. "It was planned out since you two were both children. You have no choice" He still looked saddened by all of this.
"Father," Sozo said. "I always thought I was supposed to marry a zaibatsu girl in a few years, not Van Berlo-san's granddaughter!"
"It will all work out in the end. I know it will," Mr. Van Berlo sighed. "Erika is scheduled to arrive later in the day. You can meet her then." He patted Sozo on the shoulder and walked away, leaving Sozo a very irritated person.
"You are betrothed to that witch?" Daisuke said furiously. He and Sozo were sitting in Sozo's quarters. They usually talked to each other there, where no one else could hear them.
"I know. It is supposed to be a political thing as well. A stronger tie between Japan and the Netherlands," Sozo said, laying down on the mat he used as a bed.
"When are you supposed to get married?"
"The day before my birthday."
"Lovely," Daisuke scoffed sardonically. Sozo laughed.
"I might have to move away from Japan you know."
"Yeah, what about it?"
"I might need someone else beside Erika to be there with me. I could get you out of here you know. I could make you a free man. You could take a last name and live your own life," Sozo said.
"We both know you cannot do that. Only your father can," Daisuke huffed. "Besides, I would be an outsider in the Spice Islands. I would not do well there."
"Suit yourself," Sozo sighed. He lay on his back and stared at the ceiling.
I do not want to marry Erika. I will see her for the first time in years today. How can my father and Van Berlo-san expect me to marry a girl I do not even love?
"Hey, I hear footsteps," Daisuke whispered.
Sure enough, an unfamiliar gait came from the hallway outside. It was not one of the foreign men from the main room. They never took off their shoes. The sound was soft and brisk. A silhouette of a woman in a kimono appeared on the paper screen door and right before it opened, both Daisuke and Sozo hid behind a closet.
"Sozo-kun," a female's voice called out. "Sozo-kun, where are you? Your father and my Opa said you would be in here. Sozo-kun…"
Sozo and Daisuke peeked out from behind the closet to see the back of a thin girl in an ankle-length kimono the color of the sakura blossoms outside. Long brown locks flowed down her back and nearly came down to the deep red ribbon that tied her kimono. She turned around and caught a glimpse of Sozo and Daisuke before they ducked back.
"I see you Sozo-kun. Come on out. You too Daisuke-kun," she said. Knowing that they were beat, both boys came out of hiding to face the stranger face to face. They gasped, seeing that the girl was none other than…
"Erika?"
"I am glad you remember me so well Sozo-kun!" Erika giggled. "Are you both still playing hide-and-seek or were you just afraid of me?"
Neither Sozo or Daisuke were willing to answer that. Erika rolled her eyes and sighed, just like her grandfather would always do when he found something amusing, but not quite enough for a laugh.
"I am sorry for being so mean as a child," she said. She went up and hugged Sozo and Daisuke at once. "I was a little brat and I shouldn't have been."
Well, at least she admits it, Sozo thought.
"Erika-sama!" Daisuke's twin sister Haru called. Erika quickly said good-bye and rushed out into the open hall to see the female version of Daisuke all flustered about her running off.
"Oh, do not worry about it Haru-chan!" Erika said cheerfully. "I know where I am going. I won't get lost."
"Please Erika-sama, I was ordered to be your chaperone until your wedding. I need to keep you in my sights at all times."
"Call me Erika-chan please. All this stuff about calling me 'Lady' makes me feel uncomfortable.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes Haru-chan."
Both girls then walked off to the room where Erika would be staying. Once they were out of an ear-shot was when either Sozo or Daisuke gathered up the courage to move.
"That is Erika the Witch?" Daisuke asked, mouth still gaping.
"I would guess so," Sozo said, just as astonished. He shook his head and he and Daisuke went on talking to each other.
As the week went along, Sozo couldn't help to think of Erika more and more. He would see her talking to her grandfather or eating at dinner or of all things sparring against local swordsmen apprentices. She seemed to have grown out of the nine-year-old shell she had been in before and was now a graceful butterfly. Her attitude towards others was much more pleasant, she was much more accepting and tolerant and best of all, she really was good at swordsmanship. It seemed that Mr. Van Berlo was right saying everything would work out in the end, for Sozo could start to feel something for her.
The night before his wedding day, Sozo took a walk to the sakura orchard. The moon was full and illuminated the path through the grove nicely. He sat down at the base of one of the trees and sighed.
"Two more days," he said. "Hold onto the sakura for two days please." He closed his eyes and was thankful the blossoms had held out this far.
"Who are you talking to?" a voice asked. Sozo jumped only to find it was Erika.
"Are you not supposed to see me until tomorrow? I think it would be bad luck for us to be together right now."
"I do not believe in those silly wives' tales," Erika chuckled, sitting down next to Sozo and placing her head to rest on his shoulder. "Do you want to marry me Sozo?"
"I am marrying you tomorrow, whether we both agree to it or not," Sozo sighed. He could hear a soft moan come from Erika and she spoke again.
"I did not want to come here and get married," she said. "I thought Opa had made a big mistake, having us betrothed. I had wanted to get married on my own accord…"
"…yet as fate may have it, we are here," Sozo said, finishing off Erika's sentence.
"Yes," she sighed. "I have seen you throughout the days you know."
"Same I with you."
"You are good at quick decisions."
"You are good with a sword."
"Oh, so you saw that?" Erika giggled. "I learned some battojitsu from the samurai servant of a Japanese lord living in the Spice Islands. "Hitomo-sensei was a very good teacher and I was his best student. I would regularly beat the boys in my level every day in class."
"That is amazing," Sozo said. "Most girls will not even pick up a sword, yet you can use one in battle."
"Flattery," Erika sighed. It was silent for a moment. Neither one spoke. Both of them just sat there in the cool night without exchanging a word.
"Do you still feel the same way about tomorrow?" Sozo asked after a while. "Do you still want to stay unmarried?"
"I did not think it possible, but I have fallen in love with you Sozo," Erika said. "Less than a week's time has let me done that." She nestled herself into Sozo and closed her eyes.
"I am glad, for I seem to have done the same thing," Sozo said. He gently put his arm around Erika and softly smiled.
If only we stay like this, everything would be alright…
It was about a year since Sagara Sozo married Erika Van Berlo. Sozo's father had gone away to the Spice Islands to accompany Mr. Van Berlo home. Not too long afterwards they had gotten a letter saying that Mr. Van Berlo had died during the boat trip and that Lord Sagara was going to manage figuring out Mr. Van Berlo's estate so that Erika did not have to come down to the islands. She would not have made it to see her grandfather buried anyways and Sozo promised her that they would both go to see his grave as soon as his father returned. Lord Sagara however, did not return. The Dutch merchant ship he was on was attacked by pirates in the middle of the return trip to Japan and everyone who was onboard died. This made Sozo Lord Sagara, the new Foreign Relations Chairman for the daimyo. After news of his father's death had come, Sozo received orders to report to Kyoto to meet with the daimyo.
"Oh, please be careful my dear," Erika told Sozo as he and Daisuke prepared their mounts for travel.
"I will be careful," he smiled. Sozo looked at his wife and kissed her affectionately. They were expecting a child in spring, which would be about four month's time and he wanted to hurry so that he could be there for the child's birth.
"Come on Sozo, we need to hasten the pace if we want to make it to the next village before sundown," Daisuke said, mounting his white horse. Sozo gracefully sat on top of his horse and then with a final farewell, he and Daisuke rode off towards Kyoto.
Finally, Sozo and Daisuke rode their horses down the path back to the village surrounding Sagara Mansion. They were delayed getting out of Kyoto by a few weeks and the cherry blossoms were already blooming.
"I bet Erika had the child already," Sozo said.
"Maybe," Daisuke answered with a chuckle. Sozo had not been able to get his mind off of Erika ever since they had left. They strode happily into the village around the mansion, but were greeted with saddened looks.
"Daisuke! Sozo-sama!" Haru cried, forcing her way though the crowd. She looked very upset.
"Haru!" Daisuke called. "What is the matter?"
"Its Erika-sama!"
No.
Sozo charged his horse through the street, trying to be careful not to run anyone over. Once he got to the path to his home, he kicked his horse into a full gallop. He rode uphill and bust through the gates. He ran past the servants and into the bedroom him and Erika shared…
She was dead.
Erika was laid out on the sleeping mat, a blanket covering her body. At her feet was a small figure covered by a separate blanket. Sozo started to shake so bad he could barely stand.
"Sozo-sama!" Haru yelled, running up to Sozo all out of breath.
"When did this happen?" he asked, tears forming.
"Two nights ago, someone who was hired by one of your father's old political enemies came and attacked the mansion. He killed Erika and the baby she had had only three days ago. We all tried our best to stop him, but a bunch of servants against a trained assassin…"
"Enough Haru," Sozo said. Tears streamed down his face and his whole body shook. He just stood there for a bit, then turned around to find Daisuke and Haru still standing there.
"Sozo…" Daisuke began. Sozo cut him off.
"Daisuke, I need you to do something for me."
"What is it?"
"Take my position."
"What?"
"Take my place as lord of this mansion," Sozo said. "Take my spot in the daimyo's cabinet. I am not needed here anymore." He started to walk away to the exit.
"Sozo!" Daisuke cried. "Where are you going?"
"There is talk of a revolution against the daimyo. His own men are turning against him. Farmers talk of taking up arms and last names. It is because of that wretched daimyo that Erika died. I want to help to overpower him once and for all."
"You can do that as Sagara-sama!" Daisuke retorted. Sozo just scoffed.
"I am a lord no longer…"
"Then at least help us bury your wife and son!" Haru yelled.
"So… we had a son…" Sozo said, mind drifting off. Even with Haru's hollering behind him, Sagara Sozo mounted his horse and rode off towards Tokyo. Rumors had it that there was going to be an army of farmers forming around there. The Sekiho-tai…
Ah, touching, no? -nearly passes out- It took me nearly ten hours to write this. Of course I was interrupted by things like adult swim and bathroom breaks, but I still finished it. Wow. Six A.M. Meih. Please do not yell at me if for some reason this fiction cannot compute with the RK world. I was fairly sure about Captain Sagara's past being a nice clean slate. Hopefully this works. I know it is a bit... alright, very jumpy. I hope it was not that hard to follow. Please review. This is a one-shot, so do not ask me to update, for I shall laugh if you do. Domo Arigato. -bowspasses out- Zzzzz…