Haruto was woken up by one of the maids. He could see that it was still dark outside. He groggily shifted in his futon and got up.
A maid older looking than the others addressed him.
"Young master, your bath is ready. You must get ready to leave for the imperial court soon. Yori-sama is already prepared and is waiting for you."
Haruto got ready quickly. He rinsed in warm water with the help of his caretakers before getting into the warm bath.
He got out and soaked the water on his body with a towel.
A maid helped him wear a blood-red kimono. He ran to the castle's grounds.
Like yesterday, Yori was tending to his horse while clad in full armour. The chainmail was being set upon the horse as it held its head proudly.
Yori smiled upon looking at Haruto. Haruto smiled back.
Suddenly, his eyes were covered by someone's gentle hands. He turned around startled.
A woman was standing behind him. Her hair was held high with several silver pins. Her face was beautiful with makeup that greatly complimented her look. She wore a green kimono with a blue haori on top.
A fan was in her hand. It looked as beautifully decorated as her. She was really short, reaching not even five feet in height.
Her feet were adorned in a pair of slightly elevated sandals made from silk. She beamed at Haruto.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Haruto. I am your elder sister-in-law, Akechi Ichika. You are really cute and unique, divine child."
Haruto felt his cheeks go red as he looked down.
She asked the maid behind her to bring her something. The maid quickly left and came back. She bowed while handing Ichika a small doll.
Its head was abnormally large and round with a face on it. It lacked arms and legs and only had a head and a body.
"I would like you to have this kokeshi doll. I bought this for you when I heard about you from father."
She handed the doll into Haruto's arms.
Haruto felt her soft hand touch his arm. He saw a scar on her right wrist. It covered her wrist. Haruto wondered how she got it.
Yori looked at the doll. He said, "Haruto, protect and cherish this doll well. It is the first gift given to you by your sister-in-law."
Saying this, he called a maid and gave it to her for safekeeping. Ichika ruffled Haruto's hair happily and said, "You must be going to the Saburou. It is a beautiful kingdom. I have been there once. You must leave now."
She walked away from them into the castle.
Haruto was scooped up again by Yori who made him sit on the horse. Haruto stroked the horse's coat as it neighed in delight. Yori got on as well.
A group of soldiers dressed in bright red robes with armour over it followed them in horses as well as they left the castle for the imperial court.
A tranquil feeling filled Haruto's heart as they took off. They rushed through a lush forest. Tall trees with reddish bark surrounded them. The green leaves enshrouding them increased their majesty. Haruto stared at the beautiful sight. His eyes basking in the beauty of the forest.
"These are Hinoki trees. Gorou is surrounded by forests of Hinoki."
Yori explained as he saw the fascination in Haruto's eyes. Haruto nodded vigorously as he tried to memorise this information.
They had travelled for five hours when Haruto's stomach grumbled. Sleep and tiredness were yet to overcome him due to the pleasant and exciting scenery around him.
Yori motioned the soldiers to stop. They sat down near a Hinoki tree. Food was packed in a parcel carried by a soldier.
Haruto gobbled down his food with ravenous hunger and sighed happily after eating the tasty meal. Yori and the soldiers laughed at the young boy's behaviour.
Soon they got going again. Daylight peaked through the clouds as the sun came into view. The warmth of the sun was welcome in the cold atmosphere as they picked up speed.
When they were about to cross the forest and the trees started to decrease in number, Yori put on a hood on Haruto's head.
"We cannot let anyone know about you. It would endanger you."
Haruto remained silent. They had entered neutral territory which did not belong to either clan.
He missed the beauty of the forest as they saw only barren land with a meagre amount of trees.
A slashing sound followed by something breaking was the only thing Haruto heard as Yori held him closer.
Yori's sword was in his hand. Two arrows lay on the ground beside them. One was broken. Both arrows were blue and looked like they were made of ice.
"It is an enemy attack. Speed up. Protect Haruto!" shouted Yori as he told Benimaru to speed up.
Benimaru neighed and increased its pace. The surroundings blurred due to its speed. Suddenly, Yori stopped his horse. A wave of blizzard was in front of them.
Yori got down from his horse and raised his sword. The other soldiers surrounded Benimaru and Haruto.
The soldiers were moving their hands in unison forming a pattern. His eyes widened as a pillar of translucent flame covered them.
Water enveloped Yori's sword. It shined in deep oceanic blue as waves seemed to form on its sharp edge.
"Show yourself, Oda clan dog."
His body seemed to be towering and menacing as he readied his sword for an attack.
A man in a sky-blue kimono emerged from the blizzard. His visible skin had countless scars and burns.
He looked at Yori and said, "If it isn't Yori-sama. Champion of the Shirou subjugation at the age of nineteen."
"Kazamaki Takumi. You dare attack us in land claimed by the imperial court. Do you Oda clan dogs have no shame?"
Takumi's smile withered as he raised the fan that he was holding in his hand. Ice materialized in the air in the form of crystals.
With a crash, the ice crystals sped towards Yori. He swung his sword at a dazzling speed. A wave of water surfed through the blade destroying all the crystals.
Before Takumi could move, Yori charged at him, his sword forming a whirl of water. Takumi barely dodged the blow as the front of his kimono was ripped revealing a gash on his chest.
His face contorted with pain and fury as hundreds of ice crystals formed around them. Ice arrows from multiple directions were aimed at the burning pillar in front of Haruto.
As the arrows clashed with the pillar, the soldiers gritted their teeth and the intensity of the flames increased. Yori was busy countering the ice crystals aimed at him.
After what seemed like an eternity, the ice crystals stopped. Takumi was panting. It was clear that Yori had won.
Multiple gashes were visible on Takumi dying his kimono red. Takumi tried to run but his endurance was no match for Yori who quickly caught up and hacked Takumi's head with a swing of his blade.
They had no time to collect Takumi's body or give it a burial. They got on their horses again and left for the imperial court.
It was late in the dark when they reached a city. Houses spanned across it and lanterns hung everywhere. A huge castle stood tall in the centre.
It seemed to be made of purple light rather than wood.