Plum Blossom-other awsome story! Super de duper long

Plum Blossom

            “Rebellions are coming!  Emperor Ryuu, the rebellions are coming! Get ready for battle!”

            “Empress Hoshi is in the middle of the birthing!” called back the maid bodyguard, “Emperor Ryuu is here as well.”

            The emperor looked upon his wife.  He knew that by the size of the opposing army, there is no chance of survival for him he still hoped for the survival of his wife.  He seized his scimitar and knelt in front of the bodyguard Sensei Kasumi.  “I have no chance of survival, but the baby heir does.  I will try to keep the invaders out of the palace long enough for the birthing to finish, but I cannot guarantee any longer and that. Please,” he begged, “when the birthing finishes, the palace wall falls, and it is clear I cannot live - please – take the child and leave.  Keep the heir hidden until it is time for his, or her, revenge.  The mountains should be safe.  I proclaim this child the new ruler of the Kanagawa Empire.” With this said, he handed the maid bodyguard a small golden ring bearing the imperial seal.  “Keep this seal safe.  The person with this would be honored as the new ruler.”

            The attackers’ war cries reached their ears, the emperor took one last glance at his wife and the heir he will never live to see, and hurried to command the samurai and defend until his death.  He will never see is wife again.

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            In a remote village in Japan, a young girl was practicing under a plum tree.  She gazed up at the starry sky, that particular night; the wind was blowing a gentle warm breeze.  A petal from a plum blossom drifted from the tree.  As fast as lighting, she unsheathed her sword and had silently sliced the petal into miniscule pieces.  She sat down, for today had been a tiring and adventurous day.  Her mother, as a treat for her fourteenth birthday, had taken her to watch the balance of the crane, the flexibility of the snake, the ferocity of the tiger, the swiftness of the falcon, the eyes of the hawk, and the patience of the snail.  She then spent the rest of the day jumping trees and perfecting her swordplay.  Now she was meditating and replaying today’s work in her mind.

            “Umeko!” her mother’s voice sounded preoccupied.

            “Coming!” she replied.  Umeko sighed and sheathed her sword.  She could see her mother waving to her around the bend.

            “Hurry, I have something to show you!”

            “Alright!” Umeko came running up panting. “Yes?”

            “There is a place I would like to take you now that you have reached adulthood.”

            “Really?  Is it another birthday present?”

            “Maybe.  I could be a blessing, it could be a curse.  You’ll just have to decide for yourself.”  Perplexed, Umeko followed her mother deep into the plum orchard.

            “Mama! Are you going to take me to the forbidden part of the orchard?”

            “Yes.”

            “But mama, I’m scared.  You said that bad spirits dwell there and kidnap bad little children.”

            Her mother chuckled.  “I only said that so you wouldn’t wander there, to keep you safe princess.”   They had reached two perfect stones in the middle of a small clearing.

            “Monuments? For who? Who would make two lonely monuments in a plum orchard?”

            “I would.”

            “You made these?”

            “Yes these are your parents’ graves.”

            “You aren’t my mom?  Then who were they.  Don’t cry.”  Tear streaks glistened on her mother’s cheeks.  Umeko felt awkward.

            “I am Sensei Kasumi, princess.  Your parents are-,” she sobbed,” your parents are Empress Hoshi and Emperor Ryuu.”  With that she collapsed on the dirt ground in fits of sobbing.

            “How?”

            Sensei Kasumi looked sadly at Princess Umeko.  “When your mother was giving birth to you, rebellions had attacked the palace walls.  Your father, in attempt to save your mother and you, had then joined the battle.  He died a death every man wished to die, a warrior’s death.  Your mother died while giving birth to you, but right before she had entrusted this with me.” Kasumi took out a delicate golden hair pin shaped like a plum blossom.  It looked out of place on the lady bodyguard’s rough callused hands. “She told me that in a dream she had versioned that she would die giving birth to the heir that would revive the Kanagawa Empire.  Then she gave me this hair pin.  Empress Hoshi said that to have the ring and the pin proves that both the past emperor and empress had named you the ruler of Japan.  Originally it had only been the ring, but then too many assassinations occurred for the ring, so they created the pin, that the empress could keep when she went into hiding.  Right before her death she told me to name you Umeko, the plum blossom child.”

            “You are now an adult.” she continued, “I must leave you now to for fill my mission.”

            “Before you go, tell me who killed my father.”

            Sensei Kasumi’s face hardened.  “Your father trusted people too much.  When your father was fighting the leader, he shouldn’t have died; he was too well trained for that.  It was the overpowering sense of grief that eventually let your father down.  Emperor Ryuu couldn’t bear to fight his best friend.”

            “Best friend?” Umeko whispered.

            “Yes, ever since they started school.  His name is Ieyuki.”

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            With Sensei Kasumi gone Princess Umeko was at loss.  Who cares she was the princess?  Who cares she had the seal and the pin?  So she had decided to follow Kasumi and find out what her mission was.

            It had been a week since sensei had left the plum orchard and all she had done was walk.  Umeko was getting frightened.  She had just found out that her sensei was heading toward the palace, and she had realized that Kasumi was planning an assassination mission.  Umeko knew she had to stop her, but how?  An idea stuck her.  This was risky but there was no other choice.  She ran to Kasumi.

            “Sensei, sensei, you can’t go!”

            “Why, Umeko, why?  Don’t you want revenge?”  Kasumi demanded.

            “Yes, but I know a better way.”

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            Umeko had seen the hard ships of the farmers on the way to the palace.  If she must put herself in danger for the people, then she will.  She decided to reveal herself to the people.  With that goal set firmly in her mind, she walked to the town square and boldly stepped on the platform.

            The people were shocked by her daring.  Only the king’s royal messengers were allowed on that platform.  Surely they wouldn’t send a maid to read royal proclamations given that she could read.  People started to turn away.  Let the guards deal with her, they thought.  Then the young girl took out a scimitar and sliced a drifting plum blossom petal into miniscule pieces.  That grabbed back all the people’s attention.  They wondered who she was..

            Umeko smiled in her head.  That sword-work was impressive enough.  She cleared her voice, “I am here to tell you all an announcement that would likely change your lives.  All who will stand by me will benefit, but nothing will change if you don’t.” People started to gather around her. “I will change the conditions here.  Make the roads safer, make the market areas cleaner. I will make the farmers and civilians have better status.”  Umeko held up the small but every inch significant imperial seal, and the delicate golden plum blossom hair pin.  The crowd gasped.  Can this be true?  At last, the rumored heir of Emperor Ryuu and Empress Hoshi? “I am Princess Umeko Kanagawa.  The rightful ruler of Japan.”

            Suddenly, guards who had been listening burst into to square. The townspeople decided to believe the young girl and make her their ruler.  They swarmed in front of her to protect their new ruler, but the guards told her to come.  Umeko smiled and reassured the people that she was not afraid to tell the truth and would be alright.  Then much to the people’s amazement, she walked away, on her own free will, with the burly guards.

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            Emperor Ieyuki gazed at the young girl.  How much she looked like her father!

            Umeko walked into the room.  She threw a look of pure hatred at the emperor.  Then she firmly said to him, “I have heard that my father, Emperor Ryuu, was killed at your hands.  I demand to know the full story for I only heard a vague outline from Sensei Kasumi.”  The samurai guards in the room guffawed upon hearing this, but Umeko was watching the emperor.  Would he think this was a joke and laugh along?  Instead he just looked at her with a peculiar expression.

            Ieyuki asked curiously, “What kind of ‘vague outlines?’”

            “Oh just some stuff about killing, traitors and best friends.  Sound familiar?”  Umeko had sounded casual, but gave him a piercing stare.

            “You know, it is time I have told you the entire story.”

            “And you expect me to believe you?”

            “Just let me tell you and you will believe me,” he replied confidently.

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            “When we were little, we went to a royal institute for all children of the royal blood.  We were best friends. .Throughout elementary, middle and high school, we were two sides of the same paper.  If you spoke of one, you were also referring to the other.  We were popular, cool, smart, everything a kid dreams to be.  Our best friends: Hoshi and Kasumi.  Then came the big question, “Who was going to be emperor?”  Ryuu was the leader; we all wanted him to be emperor.  But my father thought he saw my potential and pushed me to be hostile to by best bud.  So I took the cowardly route, I fled, from my father, from pressure and my biggest mistake, from Ryuu.  When I heard he had become emperor, I wasn’t surprised.  My father had died, so I thought those days of turmoil were over and I returned home hoping Ryuu would forgive me and put me in his imperial court..  I went to make a peace treaty with my once best friend, but Ryuu thought I was invading him and attacked.  My army, as self defense, attacked back and a bloody fight continued.  It kept on until I meet Ryuu in person.  Then he realized the truth.  He made me general of the samurai.  Then one of my father’s most loyal friends killed Ryuu from the behind.  I was shocked and devastated.  I just lost what I worked so hard to earn again!  I killed him with my own sword.  Sensei Kasumi must probably hasn’t heard the whole story either.  I grieve as you do.”

            In the middle of his story, Umeko had started to really believe him.  He really did look like he was grieving.  Then she caught a glint in his eye.  It was only there for a fraction of a second, but she was trained to have the eyes of a hawk and caught it.  Umeko knew this entire story was a fraud.  He thought he could trick her, but she will still win in the end.

            “You were right, I do believe you.  I will call you uncle from now on, and you will help me rule this kingdom along with Sensei Kasumi.”

            “No, not Sensei Kasumi, she is very biased.”

            That was all Umeko needed to confirm her theory.  “Then a handshake for legal purposes?”

            “Yes, a must.”  Ieyuki was too intoxicated in what he thought was his victory that he didn’t notice that Umeko still had her sword with her.  During the handshake, Umeko impaled his body with her scimitar.  Blood squirted every where.

            “Then this job is done.”  Umeko said when the samurai knelt to her, “The Kanagawa Empire is reborn.”