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“Now, when your weapons are dulled, your ardor damped, your strength exhausted and your treasure spent, other chieftains will spring up to take advantage of your extremity…”
-Sun Tzu
Classic of the Hayabusa
The Army of Farmers
The screeching melody of the cicadas resonated throughout the mountains of Owatatsumi. Their unrelenting tune was that of a harsh summer that bore nothing but misfortune for the village of farmers within the forests of the mountains. The farmers toiled relentlessly in the shallow wetlands of their rice fields in order to pick grain that was barely sufficient. Their labor earned them nothing but a sky as barren of clouds as their fields were of food. Nature refused them even a drop of rain or shade but delivered an abundance of dry heat.
The only moisture that seemed to exist came from the sweat that glossed the skin and trickled down the bodies of the farmers. One child hunched over in the fields picked the annoying wedges out of his ragged clothing that kept sticking to him. The boy’s exhaustion showed in his sluggish trek through the field, stopping every minute or so to stretch his back. He’d waste time observing his kinsmen in the field and village.
The boy would look at the other children who worked beside him, some of them younger than he was but just as exhausted if not more so. The boy would only return to his work when the gaze of one of the adults or older children began to fixate on him. He’d bend over to pick up where he left off and to avoid the silent scolding of their eyes. The boy noticed, however, the lack of fire in the eyes of the others; specifically the adults working alongside him. The boy was young so he merely considered it a product of the heat draining them physically. The boy and the rest of the children working were completely unaware of what truly leeched the spirit of the adults. Upon seeing the eyes of one man beside him, he saw a complete an utter lack of hope that he couldn’t comprehend. It unnerved the boy to the point he decided to stay down and work for a while longer than he was accustomed to.
The boy worked for several minutes consecutively before taking another one of his breaks. He bent down to cup a small amount of water in his hands to splash his face and cool off. He stood up straight to stretch and did his scan of the village. When the boy’s eyes looked toward edge of the village, atop the hill above the rice fields, he squinted when the distorted images of two figures came into his sight. The boy raised his hand to block the sun from getting in the way of his vision. He was so enamored with the two figures approaching that he did not notice one of the men in the field look directly at him.
The man called out to the boy for him to get back to work but by that time the boy had gone completely deaf to everything surrounding him. Nothing else around him mattered upon realizing who had been approaching the village. A large smile brighter than the sun itself came onto his face as he called out. “Big brother!”
The child’s exclamation aroused the attention of the others in the field to the two young, brown haired males walking toward the village. Beyond their similar ages and hair, the two could not be further apart in their appearances. One of the men wore garb that was similar to the rest of the members of the village. His clothing was little more than brown rags, crudely sewed and patched in areas that had once been torn. The key differences were his black tabai boots, shin, and forearm protectors. He had a katana strapped to his back and a kusari-gama that he wore around his waist like a belt.
In contrast, his companion was dressed from the neck down in black, well stitched, loose clothing that was taped at his shins, forearms, and waist. The clothing worn by the second man appeared to be of a breathable and durable fabric that was easy to move in. He too wore tabai, forearm, and shin guards as well as a chest protector. He too carried a katana on his back.
When the two men made their way into the village proper, the first to notice their presence was a young woman roughly the same age as the men. She was in in an elegant summer yellow kimono walking along the dirt road. The young woman stopped in her tracks and gave a moderately surprised expression when she saw the two men. The conspicuousness of her staring made others around her direct their attention to the two men. Like her, the members of the village were surprised at the arrival of the two men. A low roar of whispers began to fill the village as a congregant of its members formed near the entrance. When the men came before the woman she bowed politely.
“Lord Hayate, it is a pleasure to see you again.” The woman addressed cleaner dressed of the two men.
“Mai, where is Lady Ayame?” Hayate asked.
“She is safe. She’s hidden in the settlement beyond the forests.” Mai responded.
“Go to her and tell her to prepare to leave, we cannot stay here any longer.” Hayate ordered.
“Right away.” Mai bowed once more making haste to do as she was ordered.
“Hayate please reconsider, there is no place safer for Lady Ayame than here. Nobody knows of her presence here.” The man beside Hayate said.
“I cannot allow her to stay here any longer and put you and your people in jeopardy.”
“She is our princess too, her safety is more important than anything.”
“If we sacrifice others for our own sakes we become that which we are trying to destroy.”
“Big brother Raiden!” The young voice of the child from the fields shattered the tension between the men with his cheerfulness. By the time Raiden and Hayate had turned their attention toward the voice the boy was already airborne, flying into Raiden’s arms.
“Careful, I’m wearing my weapons Hide!” Raiden warned. Raiden gave a soft smile to his little brother and hugged him firmly. When Raiden’s arms wrapped around mostly thin, frail bone, his smile faded just as fast as it appeared. The scant amount of flesh on Hide allowed Raiden to feel each rib along the side of the child’s body.
Raiden put his brother down and looked at the heartbreaking appearance of his brother. The life in Hide’s eyes was in stark contrast to how his malnourished body looked. Hayate saw his friend’s heart sink and his mind engulf in worry. Raiden fell far enough into his subconscious that he didn’t notice Hide speaking to him.
“Hey bro are you listening?!” Hide said with impatience in his voice. The sudden cut of Hide’s tone snapped Raiden out of his trance.
“S – Sorry, what did you say?”
“I asked why you came back so early? Not that I’m unhappy to see you, but grandpa Muramasa said you were going to be gone an entire year to do your training.”
“Oh, well something came up, I actually need to speak to grandfather and the others.” Raiden explained. “More importantly, did you just come from the rice fields? Why were you down there?” Raiden asked with concern in his voice.
“Father said even the younger kids have to help now. It’s really boring and exhausting but we only have to work half as long as adults. I’m strong enough to handle it bro.”
“I – I see.”
“Hide.” Hayate kneeled down and pulled out a small hand crafted bamboo net filled with four seaweed wrapped onigiri from his robe. “Keep up the good work, you’re making your village proud.” Hayate complimented.
Hide’s eyes lit up even more as though it were the first time he had seen that much food. Raiden looked down sadly at how the sight of so little brought so much joy to his brother’s eyes. Hide accepted the gift from Hayate and went running back down the hill. At the bottom of the hill there were two children sitting taking a brief break. Hide opened the net and shared the rice balls with each of them.
Hayate stood back up and placed his hand on Raiden’s shoulder, “I could see it in your eyes my friend.”
“You didn’t have to do that.” Raiden said remorsefully.
“They’re our future, if anything, they should be the ones with full stomachs.” Hayate responded.
Mai returned a moment later with two men, one elderly and the other rather muscular and middle aged. The short elderly man was hunched over leaning on a cane as he walked. He was completely bald having only gray hair on his bushy eyebrows and beard. The man beside the elder was significantly taller with a more imposing figure. He was not much taller than Raiden and Hayate but he was broader by a significant margin than both the young boys. He was bald like the old man but was completely hairless on his face.
The muscular man approached the boys, stern faced and arms crossed. The displeasure in his expression was directed entirely at Raiden. Raiden bore an equally dissatisfied expression, though his eyes were unwavering in the presence of the imposing man.
“Explain yourself.” The large man demanded of Raiden.
“It should be more than apparent that I didn’t return for some frivolous reason. I didn’t just casually decide to show up with Hayate.” Raiden responded sharply.
“Watch your tongue, I asked for an explanation.”
“It’s more than apparent from your posture and expression that you’ve already concluded whatever reason I give is unjustified since apparently nothing supersedes the orders you gave me. I’d rather not waste an explanation for it to fall on deaf ears.” Immediately following Raiden’s sharp tongue was a sudden strike to the side of the boy’s knee by the blunt end of the elder’s cane. Raiden buckled down to his knee and was pushed over with the pointed end of the cane by his neck. Both movements were swift and Raiden was flat on his butt before anybody could make sense of what happened. Both Hayate and Mai were lost for words.
“Raiden is right Ibiki-boy, your words and body speak opposite of one another. At least give Raiden-boy a chance to explain. I believe in him.” The elderly man said to the young man’s defense. The elder turned around and began back toward the outskirts of the village, “Let us convene indoors, it’s rather hot today.”
Ibiki and Mai followed the old man while Hayate assisted Raiden off the ground. Raiden accepted the hand of his comrade while he coughed and held his throat with the other. It went without saying that Hayate was confused by the conflicting actions of the elder. However, Raiden brushed his friend off with a wave that said “Don’t ask,” as they proceeded to follow the others.
The group walked through the village into the forest beyond it. They traversed through heavy shrubbery and trees across a hidden path until they reached a small settlement against a mountain side. The settlement had two lookout posts hidden within the leaves of two large trees. There were few structures; a few shacks with supplies, small single roomed homes, and a large cave at the base of the mountain. There were a fair amount of people in the settlement, all males, who were dressed similarly to Raiden and Ibiki with weapons and protective gear. A majority of them were around Raiden and Hayate’s age, give or take a few years. There were a few older individuals closer in age to Ibiki. Guards were posted at the top of the lookouts and around the entrance to the cave. When the group entered the settlement, they immediately caught the attention of the others in the settlement.
The guards at the cave bowed in respect to the elder and Ibiki and allowed the five individuals to enter the cave. Ibiki lit a torch and led the way through the long cave. Their destination was a large traditional style Ryukyu home in a large opening at the end of the long tunnel. There were two more guards outside the home that acknowledged the presence of the individuals. When the group entered the house they were met by two more women who were both dressed in elegant kimono similar to Mai. Upon entering, Mai immediately went beside the other two females and all three bowed their heads in respect to the 4 men.
The oldest of the three women raised her head first and stepped toward the group of males. Of the three women she was the most beautiful and distinguished. Her long, light brown hair reached down beyond to the sash of her robes. Her fair, smooth, skin and lips looked as though she had been hidden from the sun a majority of her life. Her appearance betrayed her age as she appeared much younger than she was. When she stepped to the three males she reached out for Hayate to cup his face with her hands. She stared with her soft brown eyes at her reflection in the boy’s entire being.
“I’m glad to see you well my darling son.” The woman gently.
“The same to you my lady.” Hayate responded respectfully.
The woman gave a smile, “Always so formal, even with your mother.” The woman pulled away from Hayate and led everybody to the center room in the house.
The room, like the rest of the house, was lit by lanterns and candles lined along the side. Ibiki and the elder stat with their backs to the doors and the end of the room on their zafu, cross legged across from Hayate and Raiden. The two young men were in seiza on the wooden floor while Ayame and the two girls sat on zafu off to the side.
“Now then, I assume there is a reason for the two of you having arrived together. Please explain.” The elder spoke.
“I encountered Hayate the day before yesterday near the Tengu Mountains. He was ambushed by members of the Black Spider. I assisted him until the enemy was forced to retreat. He was on his way here with invaluable news so I decided it’d be safer to escort him here myself.” Raiden explained.
“I was traveling with two companions but when we were ambushed I was caught off guard and they…they shielded me from the poisonous weapons of the Black Spider at the cost of their own lives.” Hayate paused for a moment, “Shin and Kousuke gave their lives to protect me.”
The names of Mai’s lover and brother brought surprise to the three females off to the side, but understandably more so to Mai. The weight of their death crashed through Mai’s entire being in a single instant. She held her mouth to prevent heart wrenching screams of despair from escaping involuntarily. Her eyes flooded with tears that she couldn’t hope to fight back.
“Kazuki, please go take care of Mai outside.” Ayame said. The moment the two girls exited the room, Mai’s agonizing cries began.
“You still lack delicacy my son.” Ayame sighed.
“Forgive me, I’ve never been the most sensitive in such matters. They died shortly after we forced the enemy to retreat. There was nothing I could do without the medicine from our village.” Hayate said with remorse. “But more to the point, the reason for the Black Spider’s ambush was to prevent me from informing you all about the intel we recently received about our allies on the southern shore. Lord Chosukabe and his family were recently executed by the Imperial army.”
The news brought shock to the Ayame and Ibiki. Ayame placed her hand on her heart and bore a face of despair. “Brother…”
“It wasn’t just Chosukabe, the entire village he took refuge in was destroyed as well. The men and elderly were killed on sight and the women and children were taken as prisoners, the rest of the village went up in flames. Now it seems they are heading inland to village of miners after Lord Masamune.” Hayate continued.
“They know of Masamune’s location as well?!” Ibiki erupted even more in surprise.
“That is the other reason why I came here. If we are to assume the worst is to come upon Lord Masamune as well, Lady Ayame’s lineage will be the only one left to reclaim the throne for Ryukyu. On that note I –”
“You were reckless to allow the Black Spider to escape. If you believe they were sent to prevent you from communicating this information with us then that must mean you have reason to believe the Black Spider was informed as well if not directly the cause. Who knows what else they are aware of and yet you let them escape and risk revealing our location.” Ibiki scolded the two boys.
“Please don’t insult us father,” Raiden spoke suddenly, “I would never leave a trail or allow myself to be followed by the likes of the Black Spider. Just as well, Hayate is far more experienced than I am and my clear superior. It hurts that you’d believe we’d be so reckless.”
“Don’t overestimate yourself, it will be your downfall.” Ibiki rebutted.
“If I may Ibiki-sir, it is true that we were aware of the Black Spider and Vigoor’s knowledge on this front as you suspected. We became aware of spies from the Black Spider within the Imperial Army similar to ours. Neither side could afford to compromise the other without indivertibly revealing themselves so we were at an impasse. When we became aware, so did the Black Spider; it could not be helped. Furthermore, the information that compromised Lords Chosukabe and Masamune came from within the settlements they took refuge. Traitors who sought favor with the Empire loosened their tongues. There is no reason to believe their knowledge extends to Lady Ayame or this settlement.” Hayate elaborated.
“Hayate-boy, you mentioned another reason for coming here other than informing us of this tragedy. What might that be?” The elder’s question swayed the motion of the conversation back on track.
“Yes…I came to take Lady Ayame back to the Mugen Tenshin clan. It would be irresponsible to involve you anymore in our endeavors. Lord Masamune and Ayame’s protection are our responsibility. You have all already done us a great sacrifice by helping in protecting Lady Ayame and I’m truly grateful. That is why from here on I do not want to burden you anymore in this matter.”
“Hayate, if Lady Ayame leaves it would put our entire goal in greater danger. She is safest here in our village which has yet to fall under suspicion of rebellion. If Lord Masamune has been compromised there is little that can be done without exposing ourselves, I’m sure your leaders are aware of this fact as well. That means our primary focus has to be Lady Ayame’s protection. This is much bigger than just her.”
“If I may,” Ayame rose to her feet to address the room, “I have to disagree with you Ibiki, my protection is not the top priority. The priority is the destruction of this Empire and giving Ryukyu back to its people. Ibiki, your clan is our greatest weapon against the Empire at this time. You are the key to us taking back our independence. With Lord Chosukabe gone and Lord Masamune facing similar danger that only intensifies our need for you and your clan. My being here would only take away your resources. I cannot allow that, which is why I will accompany Hayate back to the Mugen Tenshin.”
“Lady Ayame please reconsider –”
“We shall honor your decision and do our best to live up to your expectations Lady Ayame.” The elder’s interjection caught both Ibiki and Raiden off guard. “If I may ask for one compromise. I request you stay the night and depart in the morning with Ibiki accompanying you.”
“Might I ask why, Master Muramasa?” Hayate asked.
“Your father and the heads of your clan will be expecting us. Not long before you arrived we sent a messenger to request an audience to discuss future action against the Empire. Your father has agreed to grant an audience.” Muramasa informed.
“We graciously accept your terms.” Ayame responded.
Ibiki reluctantly settled with his father’s decision and the meeting came to an end. Muramasa exited the room the same way they all entered while Ibiki took to the doors behind him. Ibiki grabbed another torch along the cave’s wall and proceeded away from the house. He was stopped quickly by the hand of Raiden on his shoulder from behind. Ibiki turned to see an expression of urgency in the eyes of his son.
“Father, why are the children working the fields, especially this time of year?” Raiden asked in a demanding tone.
“There is only so much of your disrespect that I will tolerate in a single day Raiden. Don’t question my actions.” Ibiki continued walking as he spoke.
“Hide is only 7 and he already has a meager constitution, he shouldn’t be working so hard in this heat.” Raiden followed, still protesting.
“Our rate of rice production has dropped another 400kg per acre since the beginning of the season.” Ibiki’s words caught Raiden off guard. “Infertility makes less grow and causes what does grow die faster if not harvested in time. We cannot help the former but we can do something about the latter. With what we currently produce we have just enough to pay off the taxes on collection day. The little we have to spare afterwards is depleted within days and isn’t enough to be spread evenly amongst the village.”
The two of them reached the light at the end of the cave. They stood at a cliff’s edge which overlooked the rest of the village in the distance. Ibiki focused his gaze to the edge of the village closest to them, just outside village proper and the rice fields. There were two men digging large ditches with three straw tarps beside them. Raiden looked in that direction and immediately tightened his fist in frustration. Even though it was too far for them to see adequately, Raiden knew what laid beneath the tarps. As much as he didn’t want to admit the truth in his father’s words, Raiden was left with no choice.
“All three of them gave up their rations for the children. They chose to make the sacrifice so the children could have more.” Ibiki informed.
“Mother did the same thing after Hide was weaned…She starved herself for us.” Raiden brought back his own painful memories with his words. Ibiki took his leave to let his son ponder about the miserable situation of their village.
When night came Raiden was restless with anxiety. He laid awake with Hide sleeping beside him in their one room shack of a home in the village. His mind roamed through bittersweet memories of his late mother and meager constitution of his younger brother. Raiden stared at the ceiling, eyes wide awake, in desperate contemplation as he tried to think of a way to curb his feelings of helplessness. His eyes did not close that night…
***
The next morning came after what felt like an eternity for Raiden. Though he was plagued with anxiety driven insomnia through the entirety of the night he was not short of energy when morning came. He left the hut and his brother before the sun peaked over the horizon and went to the temple of the Watatsumi Sanjin in the center of the village. Raiden lit incense and gave prayer to the three mighty dragons to guide him and give him strength. After praying Raiden took to the road toward the entrance of the village. His eyes sparked with the fires of unwavering resolve. At the entrance of the village Raiden approached his father, Muramasa, and the others from the Mugen Tenshin clan just as they were about to leave.
Just as the group was ready to depart Raiden called out to them. They all turned their attention to the young man that approached them. “Father, I want to come with you to the Mugen Tenshin village to participate in the meeting.” Raiden said.
“Absolutely not, you’re not in any place to participate in these proceedings.” Ibiki rejected Raiden without hesitation.
“Why not?”
“You lack the clarity of mind and patience required for such important conversations. You are too rash, impatient, and short sighted to provide anything feasible to consider.” Ibiki said bluntly.
Raiden grew angry with his father’s belittling, “I’m not some naïve child who only knows how to swing a sword. I’ve trained myself much better than you give me credit for.”
“This has nothing to do with your age or skill but where your mind is at. I can see it in your eyes, your eyes are that of a frightened dog backed against the wall who can only show its teeth. A mind like that isn’t fit to discuss strategy –”
“And in yours I see dog whose tail is between its legs quivering behind the dog who is at least able to show his teeth!” Raiden snapped back at Ibiki harshly. Ibiki nearly struck out at Raiden with rage but Muramasa beat him to the punch. Muramasa struck Raiden in the back of the knee, once again causing the boy to buckle to the ground. Muramasa’s next strike as across the face, again with the blunt end of the cane. Raiden fell to the side, face first into the ground. He was not unconscious but he did not move.
Mai and Kazuki averted their eyes with the sleeves of their kimono while Ayame merely placed her hand to her mouth in shock. Hayate’s were wide, Muramasa’s beating seemed much more vicious than the day before. Ibiki did not react to his father, he simply lowered his fist and calmed down. When Raiden finally picked himself off the ground he simply sat cross legged. His expression was completely barren in spite of the bruise on his face.
“I remember a time when Ibiki-boy was so full of energy and hair just like you Raiden-boy. You’re making these old bones feel nostalgic.” Muramasa said.
“We’re nothing alike…” Both Ibiki and Raiden said in perfect unison.
“Ibiki-boy, you’ve lost more than your hair over time. I believe it will be beneficial to take Raiden-boy along with you. His perspective could be valuable, not to mention he is the future of our people. If his insight isn’t worth something I don’t see who else’s would be.”
“If that is what you believe then so be it. But I won’t tolerate any disrespect to our hosts in the Mugen Tenshin.” The last part of that sentence was directed to Raiden.
“I promise to behave.” Raiden said as he got back to his feet.
With the addition of Raiden, the group of six set off toward the Mugen Tenshin clan. The sun began to rise and at that time Hide did as well. The boy noticed his brother was gone and in his place was a mud plate with another onigiri rice ball. Hide smiled but not like the previous day, his smile was filled with a warm pride and faith in his older brother. As Hide ate his meager breakfast he closed his eyes and wished his brother good luck.
Author's Note
This chapter was intended to be about 5k words but as I was writing I thought that maybe that would be too much for the average attention span of NBers. So I decided to cut this chapter short in terms of the plot content. As I went back and re-worded things, cut, and added a bit more I went from roughly 3500 to about 4600 words...so yeah, ended up being the same length.
Anyway, this is the beginning of the Guerrilla Farmers Arc, which takes place prior to Hagoromo and Hamura v. Jubi in the Nverse canon. Some point I leave intentionally ambiguous for trial and error reasons so give feed back if you wish. Hope you all enjoy. Also I'm the only person proof reading this work so if there are any mistakes please point them out. I usually go over it 3 times before submitting.
Anyway, this is the beginning of the Guerrilla Farmers Arc, which takes place prior to Hagoromo and Hamura v. Jubi in the Nverse canon. Some point I leave intentionally ambiguous for trial and error reasons so give feed back if you wish. Hope you all enjoy. Also I'm the only person proof reading this work so if there are any mistakes please point them out. I usually go over it 3 times before submitting.
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