The young man tried to repel another blow, but then the sheath fell apart — it was not even possible to fight back. One of the Yamauchi-shu hit the young gentleman on the leg, and he lost his balance.
Immediately the second one broke his arms and knocked him to the floor.
Coming to his senses, the young master saw that the third guard had put a sword to his throat: obviously, he wanted to kill the heir with his own hands to be sure.
The young gentleman was grabbed by the hair to expose his neck, the blade was already approaching, and he held his breath, as if suddenly...
“I see you are having a great time!”
There was a thunderous laugh, and something flew into the window. The shoji frame flew to pieces, the shutters broke — and sunlight broke into the gloomy room, illuminated only by sparks of flames.
Someone landed heavily on the floor for a moment, but the next moment he skilfully jumped off and cut off the head of the guard who dared to direct the sword at the heir. Splashing the young master's cheeks and not letting him catch his breath, the man shook the blood from the sword and took it back to make.
Episode 10, Assassinating the Crown Prince, anime vs the original work by Chisato Abe
The anime crew added the scene where Wakamiya slipped bc of the dead chicken, Atsufusa’s prop, therefore making him vulnerable.
Episode 10: Assassination of Wakamiya, anime vs manga vs the novel
"Is it... caron?" he muttered, but his tongue twisted. Atsufusa didn't answer. Instead, he threw away the blanket, jumped up, put his hand in his sleeve, all wet, and took out a leather bag with the blood of a wild animal. Silently jumping up to the heir, he threw away the sword of the unconscious Sumio, so that it could not be reached.
“Stop!”
Roughly throwing away the hand of the young gentleman, who made weak attempts to resist, he took away the lacquered sheath with the sword of tachi. Tearing his own sleeve, Atsufusa made a gag and put it in the heir's mouth, but froze after hearing footsteps in the corridor.
“Young master! The gentlemen from Yamauchi-shu have arrived.” Atsufusa did not answer.
“Young master! Your Highness?” The owner of the place asked, but Atsufusa was silent this time as well. Then something landed heavily on the floor.
….
“He's not here.”
“Who?”
“There's no page. Where did he go?” There was only the owner of the Shogetsu-ro in the corridor.
“When the heir came in, he said: ‘Be here,’” Atsufusa shouted. “Where's the page? He should still be in the building. Find him!”
Noticing that something strange was happening in the room, Yukiya immediately rushed after the owner of the place, but immediately heard voices from outside.
…
“Here he is!”
Yukiya turned around at the scream and saw a man running from the front entrance to him in the feather robe. So there is only one way left.
Yukiya, in the fluttering ue, loudly calling for help, rushed down to the basement room.
“Stop!” Feeling that someone was approaching from behind, Yukiya turned around, pulled out a dagger and stood in front of the attacker.
“Don't come near!” The Yamauchi-shu, at whom he aimed the knife, looked at Yukiya with a smile, like a fool.
….
Yukiya stumbled against a stone and fell to the ground in complete darkness, before he even had time to cover his head. The poor young man smashed his face badly, but the tears came rather not because of the pain, but from great disappointment. He really didn't know who he could trust anymore. But suddenly Yukiya realised that he had already heard the word that had just flashed in his head: “To trust?”
“If you are worried about how much you can trust him, then know that I would entrust my life to him first.”
This is how the young gentleman said about his informant who was hiding among Natsuka’s supporters.
Excerpt from Chisato Abe’s “The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master”
Written for @flashfictionfridayofficial using the prompt #FFF311 ~ true colours. The first part is already out on AO3 and I am still weaving the second, which I already started a while ago. I love that the prompt has given me an idea to continue. So thank you. This is a conversation that has taken place in this universe. An alternate universe, yet canon related.
—
Fandom : Yatagarasu/The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master
Characters: Lord Natsuka, Lord Tōru, mention of Yukiya, Wakamiya (a.k.a. Nazukihiko and the Crown Prince), Rokon and Atsufusa
Word count: 879
"I HEARD a rumour."
The tone was tinged of malice, of something sinister, as Lord Tōru opened his greetings to his nephew, Lord Natsuka, the Meikyo-in shrine director. The latter was on a visit to ensure that there was no disagreement between them concerning their goals when it came to ruling Yamauchi in the near future.
"What did you hear, Uncle?" Lord Natsuka furrowed his brows, but he was all ears.
"The Crown Prince's aide is not a male Yatagarasu from a provincial nobility, but a princess and a granddaughter of His Serene Prince Gen'ya, masquerading as a knave. His mother was the late Lady Fuyuki. I hadn't met her but I heard from the military top brass that she was an intelligent young woman who was highly opinionated regarding military strategies and excelled in board games when she was alive."
"Was she? Well, as for your question I cannot confirm that, Uncle. As far as I know, Yukiya has been convalescing at the palace. I don’t know the exact reason. Anyway, where did you hear this idle talk?"
"Idle?" He turned to look at Lord Natsuka's left side where his nephew's adviser, Atsufusa, was seated. The head of the Southern Family contemplated to drink the cup of sake he was holding in his hand. The aide lifted his head and nodded. The monk caught the brief exchange. Slowly, the true colours of his adviser unravelled before his very eyes. Who was his real master? Whose side was he on? According to Rokon, his loyalty to Lord Natsuka was shaky at best.
“Yes, idle chatter. Not only because His Highness Wakamiya is satisfied with him. But he’s a normal teenage Yatagarasu that gets sick from time to time. Often he has to deal with the Crown Prince’s peccadilloes alone by himself. He’s still learning the ropes." The priest smirked for good measure and then quickly added, “at least that’s what I have heard.”
The imperial court was full of shadows, no secret was safe, and the rampant perpetration of lies was a typical order of the day, especially if the Golden Raven substitute, who happened to be their father, was the ruler. He had weak constitution and a puppet of the Empress.
"I have witnesses say that the child went to the Valley. What was his business there?"
Lord Natsuka shook his cup, his food left untouched. He glanced at his close relative, who his mother, the Purple Empress, truly loved. It was an open secret that she was negotiating with the authorities to install her little brother as the head of the One Hundred Officials of the country, the position of the venerated Yellow Raven, next to the Golden Raven. Curious now: how did his uncle find out about the Valley and Yukiya’s background? His lips were sealed, neither confirming nor denying, but his uncle's determined eyes urged him to say something. Lord Natsuka noticed that he was again watching behind him. Atsufusa’s eyes were close.
“I haven't the faintest."
“Wakamiya hasn't visited the consort candidates at the Sakura Blossom Palace, has he?” Lord Tōru swiftly changed the topic and eyed him, as if gauging his reply.
“As far as I know he has the plans to do so in the coming days, just in time for the Tanabata.”
“Hmmm…" The older aristocrat finally swallowed his sake. At the moment it seemed it was the end of the discussion. The monk stared back at his relative. Lord Tōru and Lord Natsuka’s mother shared the strong jaw of the clan, and the high, well-defined cheekbones that he also inherited. He thought of his mother whose love for his uncle was unmatched, yet knew very well that his uncle did not reciprocate that affection. In fact, he found her quite meddlesome. What the Purple Empress felt for her sibling was bordering on indecency. The priest shook his head in annoyance. To think this was his own mother.
“I am glad that you granted my request. You know very well that I dote on you, my dear nephew, confirming once again that there is trust between us.”
“I am a member of the main family and my task is the check and balance of the four houses’ power and authority. It is a tale as old as maintaining good relationships with every faction, with every house.”
Lord Natsuka showed him a winning smile, but he resolved to inform his younger brother Wakamiya about Lord Tōru’s declarations as soon as he had the chance to meet him in secret. Truth be told, he knew a few things. He even raised this topic to Nazukihiko the first time the Crown Prince met the Taruhi children many moons ago. But there was nothing could stop his younger brother once he decided to do something. For now, he must keep his feelings under wraps so as not to add more fuel to his uncle’s supposition. He must retain this façade until Wakamiya’s ascension to the throne. Later he would order Rokon to doubly watch Atsufusa’s dealings with his uncle behind his back. Or it would be the source of their trouble in the future. Alas, he took a sip of his wine, sweet and dry at the same time, like he always wanted. A moment of relief.
Episode 11: The Loyal Retainer, Chapter 46: The Ravens do not choose their masters, Anime vs Manga
There’s something about Matsuzaki Natsumi’s rendition of the beautiful Lord Natsuka. This is Atsufusa’s dream, now botched, bc the monk will never turn his back from his brother. In it Natsuka’s face was full of remorse.
While Atsufusa talked to Yukiya, the images he supplied stemmed from his imagination where Lord Natsuka never mistrusted him. Real experiences vs reel ones.
And Nadeshiko? She’s not seen anymore. Hopefully, she’ll become irrelevant.
Understand that this is the mangaka’s interpretation and it is amazing.
