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Everybody loves princess Mika except Oishi. (Perchance Riku’s beauty was plainer than the mistress’s when observed by objective eyes but her husband thought she was the perfect woman.) The nobles, the peasants, and even the half-breed Kai was in love with Mika. Oishi’s own son – even when he was way too small to recognize his feelings – had followed the young mistress with sparkling eyes. (This might have been Oishi’s fault, partially. When Chikara had been too young to lift either sword or pen Oishi oft told him tales about heroic samurai who served with excellence and loyalty. Sometimes he might have overdone it but Oishi couldn’t regret it.)
With time Chikara grew out of his infatuation and his eyes looked at other people, men and women both. Oishi wouldn’t have minded if his son found the one who could make him happy but as long as Chikara was careful with his... explorations Oishi did not say a word. (Oishi did not say anything. However, his watchful eyes noticed it whenever one of his samurai sought out Chikara whilst avoiding him. As long as Chikara was all right.)
Then Chikara brought home Kai.
Oishi arrived back home unexpectedly after leaving only a couple of days before as the spring thaw made the roads impassable. Riku wasn’t at home, she was visiting her parents for a few days. (Oishi’s heart clenched with something akin to pain when he understood that she knew and kept a secret from him. Then it eased as he realized the truth: a mother’s duty was higher than a wife’s.) Sliding the door open Oishi froze with surprise. The half-breed was kneeling on his tatami next to his son. Kai was on his belly half a second later, his forehead touching the ground, waiting mutely. His shoulders and back were tense anticipating the pain that was surely to come but not wasting any words with useless pleading or explanations. The situation was perfectly clear.
Chikara was slower and Oishi could see the desperation there before his son bowed down. “Father,” he murmured with the greatest respect. Hearing this foreign form of address from his son made Oishi unfreeze.
Taking a deep breath that could be mistaken for a sigh Oishi took a step forward and left his door open. He watched as Kai startled at the noise.
“Out, half-breed,” he whispered and watched as Kai scrambled to his feet with surprising grace and scurried away. (Kai did not scurry. His movements were precise, elegant, calm. Despite being a half-bred he was more satisfied with his life than many of the noblemen.) Oishi closed the door. Chikara stole a glance upwards but stayed bowed as he waited for his father’s judgement. An unaccountably long time (only a few heartbeats) later Oishi took the place next to Chikara, where only minutes ago Kai was kneeling.
He should have stayed silent while his white-hot fury burned in him. However, Chikara’s desperate gaze was in front of him and made his resolve sway. He tried to gain control of his emotions, he made sure his hands were open and not fisted, and he didn’t slap the silly boy thus sparing their family even more shame by keeping his self-control.
“This... friendship is beneath your rank,” he said slowly, making sure that every word was the correct one. “As a child you were not aware and it did not really matter. Now, you are an adult.”
“Father, I’m,” Chikara said and fell silent. He couldn’t say he was sorry for he wasn’t and lying would have been an even worse sin than the one he had already committed. He lifted his head and pleaded only with his eyes for his father to understand.
Oishi shook his head. “If he comes here again I’ll break his legs. If anybody but me knows what happened, what you did, you will lose everything. Your friends and the respect people felt for you will disappear. You know perfectly well, that,” Oishi made himself use the half-breed’s name, “Kai is at your mercy. You don’t need to take his will into account. Such... implications would poison the people against you.”
“I didn’t force him,” Chikara protested vehemently. “Kai is my friend!”
Something melted in Oishi’s chest and left only tiredness in its wake. “No, Chikara. Kai is a half-breed, without a family, he has nothing and nobody but what was granted to him by mercy. Even our mistress Mika, as a child, used him to take the blame for all her mischief. This friendship cannot be real because he cannot be your true friend. How could he protest your friendship?”
Oishi watched as his words found their target and sank in deep. Desperation found Chikara once more but for a different reason. Oishi nodded once; this painful conversation was over. “Tomorrow call Kai, I have to speak to him. And now go to your mother and let her know that my trip had to be postponed and I am home.”