Tenji watched Kaguya and Aino being carried off to a secret hideout. Something bothered him about this, but he didn't have time to think about it right now, since time was of the essence. After they were out of view, he turned to Dageho.
"Let's go, Commander."
"Yes!"
"Hanzo, you will protect the castle. Use the plans I created and follow through with them. Notify me as soon as something happens," Tenji told the second commander.
"Leave it to us, Lord Tenji."
"Good. Then let's go."
Tenji moved towards the Land of Ka's camp, where the Ministers were located. Commander Dageho accompanied him with a few soldiers to act as emergency men should things turn south. Commander Hanzo, meanwhile, was tasked with securing the castle, as several valuable objects, such as maps and plans, were stored there, which could give any enemy force an advantage. Unlike the other lands during these times, Tenji made sure to spread his forces across strategic locations in the Land of Ancestors to counter any larger army and hold them off long enough to play to their strengths. It allowed them to keep a smaller standing army and invest in their economy and markets, to grow more prosperous.
The group which transported Kaguya and Aino walked through the paths set up for such a moment. There were several soldiers present who, while not a large force, could at least hold and grant some protection, if necessary. One among them, however, was a spy for the Land of Ka. He walked at the back and waited for the perfect moment to drop a message on the ground. This message was then picked up by another soldier from the Land of Ka and brought back to the military camp.
Minister Suzaku opened the note and smiled.
"So that Kaguya has left the capital of Sou... This is the perfect opportunity to capture that woman," he told Genbu.
"There is no need to rush. The Land of Sou will be ours in no time. Everything they own will fall to us, and you can do with her as you please then. It's just one woman. Be patient," Genbu replied.
"It's my policy to get what I want as fast as I can," Suzaku grinned.
"You're hopeless. Listen Suzaku. I heard some stories about the boy emperor. It was said that he managed to repel our initial invasion plans when he took office after his father. If you ruin this opportunity for Ka, Lord Zanko will not forgive you."
"Heh, you worry too much. If we get her this way, Tenji will panic and make a mistake. His arrogance must come from the woman anyway. By taking that away, he will be ruined."
"Do not mess this up," Genbu said.
"Gather skilled men. We're going after Kaguya," Suzaku told the spy.
"Yes, sir!"
.
The hideout Kaguya was brought to was located on a mountain surrounded by a thick forest. It was meant to serve as a place where the emperor could pull back and hide during times of war. Naturally, it wasn't very well maintained since Tenji preferred to be where the action was rather than hide. He trusted his skills most and would personally lead any attack and war.
Kaguya sat on the patio, looking up at the night sky. Her thoughts weren't on those she was waiting for this time. She was worried, but for Tenji. The two of them had fallen quite hard for one another and came to understand the other deeply. She knew that he was the most skilled man on the planet and could probably even threaten members of her clan if he had access to the same powers as they did. Still, she couldn't help but worry, simply because he didn't have the same energy she had.
"You can't sleep?" Aino asked and sat down next to her. "I'll stay with you."
The two women stayed like that for hours, with Kaguya worrying constantly. Eventually, Aino fell asleep and unknowingly leaned on Kaguya. The ice queen didn't move her and only continued to stare at the night sky. She had also begun to care deeply for her servant. She was, after all, the only friend she had in the world. Tenji was different, since they were lovers. Their wholesome moment was interrupted by a loud chorus of cries and shouts that cut through the silent night.
"Lady Kaguya! Lady Aino!"
"What's going on?" Aino asked.
Before the maid could answer, soldiers appeared and stood below the patio, surrounding them. A grinning Suzaku appeared a moment later.
"So this is where you were hiding!" he said.
"Who are you?" Aino asked, standing protectively before Kaguya. "You dare approach knowing that this lady is Lord Tenji's concubine?!"
"Tenji? I'm from the Land of Ka, why should I care about him?" Suzaku asked. "The Land of Sou will fall very soon. To put it bluntly, what belongs to Tenji will soon belong to me."
Suzaku lustfully glared at Kaguya. The look in his eyes disgusted her to no end and proved to her that there was only one man who seemed to keep his composure when in her presence.
"The rumours were right... Such a beauty. And very refined. From this moment on, you are mine!" Suzaku declared.
"Lady Kaguya, please run!" Aino said, alarmed.
Kaguya grabbed Aino's hand and ran around the house, trying to escape the soldiers. It was no use, however, as they reached the corpses of the guards who were meant to protect them. Seeing them surrounded and with no hope of running, Kaguya stopped pretending. She slowly descended the stairs and stood before the Ka soldiers.
"Lady Kaguya!"
"Even in this situation, you are not scared... Well, that just makes me like you more!" Suzaku almost couldn't hold himself anymore. "Take her!"
The soldiers moved forward and touched Kaguya's shoulders to take her with them. But before they could fully grab a hold of her, a repulsive force hit the first two soldiers and made them fly through the air and fall to the ground.
"Do not touch me," Kaguya said.
Her words were spoken with the same calm, detached way she always talked. But this time, if Tenji were there, he would recognise the disdain for those who stood before her. Seeing what just happened and not being able to explain it, the soldiers backed off one step. But Suzaku grew angry instead of fearful.
"Don't back off!" he commanded them.
Hearing the command, the soldiers advanced again, wanting to capture Kaguya. This time, a similar repulsive force hit half a dozen men. The only difference was that it was much more powerful compared to the initial blast. When the wave of power hit the men's bodies, they were ripped to shreds. Bloody puddles splashed on the ground and on the remaining soldiers. The maids of Kaguya, Suzaku and the Ka soldiers had their eyes wide in disbelief. Such power was unprecedented and impossible. Kaguya, meanwhile, remained as she was, with her head held high in pride and defiance.
"So the bewitching beauty is actually a monster... T-The Land of Sou... is ruined now..."
.
As morning arrived, Tenji had reached the military camp and sat before Minister Genbu. Suzaku's absence was worrying, and it made Tenji want to return immediately, but he knew it wouldn't be a strategically sound move. He needed to deal with the head of the snake, not run from it. So he came straight to the point and didn't beat around the bush.
"I want you to withdraw your troops from my lands immediately."
"You seem to be under the wrong impression, Lord Tenji. We are not at war. This army is just to protect our boundary," Minister Genbu said.
"Such a large army just to protect the boundary is..."
Tenji interrupted his commander.
"Drop your nonesense, Minister. This army is not for protection at all. If that were the case, you wouldn't sit here in full armour and ready for battle. And your men also wouldn't constantly send provocative attacks on my farmers."
"Attacks? You clearly misunderstand. The Land of Ka would never be the aggressor in war. I take this as a personal attack on our intentions and an attempt to slander our reputation."
"Again, you waste my time. Your attempts to expand into my lands have failed because your claim to have found ancient texts and to own more lands was a lie. Now you didn't have any other choice but to use threatening tactics to get what you want," Tenji said.
"You are calling us a liar? That's a serious accusation, Lord Tenji!" Genbu said.
"It's a fact. And you are a pathetic politician if you think that it's going to work as you intended."
Genbu grew angry. He didn't like being disrespected this way, especially not by a man so much younger than he was. Tenji had seen through all of their cheap attempts and called them out on it.
"You seem to want a war, Lord Tenji."
"On the contrary. I desire peace. I have decreed that those who take actions against the Land of Ka first will be punished. However, I do enjoy a good fight and wouldn't shy away from it either. And if you had paid more attention, then you would know what happened the last time the Land of Ka grew too bold."
"Oh, is that so?"
Everyone turned to look at the arrival of Minister Suzaku. He approached them with one of Kaguya's maids, whom he had used a rope to pull along.
"If you truly ordered anyone to be punished if he or she took actions against the Land of Ka, then I want you to execute Kaguya."
Tenji narrowed his eyes, and his presence started to change slightly.
"What are you talking about?" he asked.
"This woman, known as Kaguya, killed my vassal, and then tried to kill me!" Suzaku yelled.
"What? Kaguya did... how?" Commander Dageho asked.
"If you think I'm lying, ask this woman," Suzaku said, pulling the maid forward.
She looked scared and didn't dare meet Tenji's eyes.
"It's true, Lord Tenji. Lady Kaguya... dispatched the soldiers of Ka with frightening power..." she said.
"Lord Tenji! Unless you behead Kaguya, this will not end!" Suzaku exclaimed.
"End?" Tenji asked. "Your fellow minister Genbu here just assured me that we weren't at war and that you were solely protecting your borders."
"Huh? Well, we weren't. But we will be, if you don't kill Kaguya."
"Really?"
Tenji stood up slowly. He was furious.
"Tell me, Minister Suzaku... What were you doing at the secret hideout where Kaguya was located? Why did she act the way she did?"
"What? H-how is that important?! She attacked us, and you will do as you said yourself, or the Land of Ka will attack and destroy everything you are so proud of!" Suzaku yelled.
Tenji ignored the madman and turned to the maid.
"Tell me, did Ka soldiers attack before Kaguya retaliated?"
"They--"
"That's not important right now! She--" Suzaku interrupted the maid, but was in turn interrupted by Tenji.
"Silence."
Tenji's presence took on a dangerous tone and silenced the minister right away. He moved his eyes over to the maid and waited for her to answer his question.
"S-she... the Ka soldiers attacked us first, L-Lord Tenji..." the maid stuttered.
Tenji clenched his fists in anger. Kaguya had been attacked, and she had defended herself. Sure, this now confirmed what he suspected all along, but it hardly mattered. What did he care about her possessing special abilities? If anything, it made her more appealing to Tenji. But to think that she had been attacked filled him with boundless rage.
"Where?"
"W-what?"
"Where is she now?" he asked.
"She a-a-and Aino... they ran north, L-Lord Tenji..." the maid managed to say.
"Dageho, take the men and move to the capital as fast as possible. I want you to--"
"Now hold on! What do you think you're doing?! So what if we took out the soldiers, we were still--"
Minister Suzaku was silenced when a powerful hand gripped his throat. He looked at Tenji, who suddenly appeared in front of him, and lifted him off the ground. Fearful, Suzaku tried to get his hand off. His eyes moved to Genbu, begging for help. Genbu and all the soldiers were caught off guard by this sudden turn of events and didn't act immediately.
"No one touches Kaguya," Tenji said.
"A-Attack!!" Genbu suddenly shouted to the soldiers.
And that's when chaos ensued. The Ka soldiers grabbed their swords and bows and attacked. Tenji moved Suzaku to block the arrows which were flying towards him and then dropped the dead body. His body jumped into action. Gone was the relaxed young man. What they were left with was the most talented fighter in existence, who had honed his body since he was a teen. He charged forward and ducked under a sword swing, grabbing the arm of the soldier and moving him to block another attack, while slashing out and cutting off the head of a third man. He then pierced the first soldier and took his sword to dual-wield.
The small group of Sou soldiers created a circle and defended against the attacks, while Tenji killed all opposition. He slashed through throats and pierced chests, becoming the embodiment of fear to the Ka soldiers. Minister Genbu fell off his chair and backed off when he saw Tenji approach.
"You should have informed yourself better about what I was capable of."
"Y-you... you love peace! You're a peace-loving, naive boy! What are you doing? How can you..."
"Has no one ever told you? If you want peace, prepare for war."
Tenji walked forward.
"No! No no no, please!! Please don't kill me!"
"You threatened Kaguya. MY WOMAN!"
"I-I-I'm sorry. I can--"
A thin line could be seen on Genbu's throat. Blood started spilling out, and he died right then. Tenji stood up and looked around, seeing that most of his men were still alive, and all the soldiers of Ka who were stationed here had been taken out. That only left the army, but if they hurried, the chaos of losing both ministers would give them enough time.
"Dageho, take the men and move back to the capital as fast as possible. I want you to inform Hanzo about what happened. Prepare the plans, we are officially at war. Go fast!"
"Yes, Lord Tenji!"