pp. 115-210: Winter Cicadas (Fuyu no Semi)

Characters that appear in this chapter: Akizuki Keiishirou, Kusaka Touma, Aizawa. For some reason, BeBeautiful spells Akizuki's name as "Akidzuki," which is incorrect. There is no "dz" sound in Japanese, and the Book 12 tankoban (graphic novel) spells the name as "Akizuki" in both the furigana (pronunciation guide for the kanji characters) and in the English subtitles for the Fuyu no Semi movie.

Setting: Mostly Edo (Tokyo) and Ezo (Hokkaido). Specifically in Edo, most of the story takes place at the riverbank where Akizuki and Kusaka secretly meet, and post-war, at Kusaka's estate.

The story opens with a wounded Akizuki sitting on the ground, leaning against a tree beside a river, with the sound of canon-fire booming around him.

The following two-page title page layout shows Kusaka in full battle gear, and Akizuki sprawled out face-down on the ground, holding his sword. The next page has an inset picture of a bridge and a river, with the full moon shining down from above. A note from Nitta-sensei says, "This is a story that takes place before Embracing Love."

The scene shifts to a map of northern Japan and a brief historical explanation: "It had been 200 years since the Shogunate was dissolved, leading from the Keiou Era to the Meiji Era." Actually, this seems to be a typo or a mistranslation: the Tokugawa Shogunate ruled Japan for over 200 years and fell in 1868, which then began the Meiji Era as power was restored to the Emperor. (The Keiou Era ran from 1865 to 1868.)

The narration continues, explaining that "large numbers of people from the old government" traveled north to form the Republic of Ezo (which was located in what is now known as Hokkaido). However, the new government has gathered an army to attack them and put an end to last remnants of the Shogunate. This appears to be the battle that Akizuki and Kusaka are taking part in now, which would be in the spring of 1869.

The scene shifts to the battle, with Kusaka on horseback, ordering his troops to advance, but telling them not to kill anyone who surrenders. Aizawa shouts for Kusaka not to run off ahead, but Kusaka ignores him. One of Aizawa's subordinates comments that Kusaka always rushes off like that into every battle, and that it doesn't seem to be merely the grudge that most Choshu have against the Shogunate.

Brief historical explanation: prior to the formation of the Tokugawa Shogunate, the Choshu Domain supported the rival Toyotomi clan. Because of this, they lost much of their land, power, and influence when the Tokugawa came to power. Basically, those who supported the Tokugawa in the Battle of Sekigahara (the deciding battle in which the Tokugawa defeated the Toyotomi forces in 1600) became the "inside" clans favored by the ruling Shogunate, while the "outside" domains such as Choshu continued to be shut out of positions of power generations after the battle. This naturally aroused resentment, and led to Choshu taking part in the rebellion against the Shogunate, along with the Satsuma and Tosa Domains.

Getting back to the story...the subordinate goes on to say that Kusaka was overseas "back then" (during the overthrow of the Shogunate, I assume). Aizawa expresses surprise that Choshu sent one of its retainers overseas, and then silently wonders if Kusaka went off now to "search for that man's corpse"--"that man" presumably being Akizuki.

(More history: this gets explained later in the story, but Aizawa is surprised that a Choshu retainer went overseas because Choshu wanted to keep the country closed and expel all foreigners from Japan. Their ostensible reason for rebelling against the Shogunate was that the Shogunate had made trade agreements with foreign countries, and the Imperial Court was opposed to this. The Shogunate didn't really have much choice, since the other countries like England had far superior weapons and used the threat of force to gain the treaties. But it made them look weak, antagonized the Emperor and the Court, and allowed Choshu to stir up resentment against the Shogunate.)

The scene shifts back to Akizuki; we can see now that there is the body of a fallen soldier lying beside him. He has drawn his sword and is glancing around, thinking to himself that he had parted from Kusaka on a riverbank such as this one, and has been waiting for him ever since.

The story then goes into flashback mode to 1862, where we see Kusaka setting off to look for someone named Takasugi, while Aizawa shouts after him that it's too late; he and the others left over an hour ago. Kusaka demands to know why Aizawa didn't stop them, and Aizawa replies that Joui is the will of the Choshu clan, and that Takasugi is unstoppable anyway. A footnote explains that "Joui" is "'Expel the foreigners': A political belief referring to the foreign enemies of Japan at the time of the Edo Era." (The Edo Era refers to the period when the Tokugawa Shogunate governed Japan.)

Historical note: the full slogan is actually "Sonnou-Joui" ("Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarian"). The Emperor was only a figurehead at this point in history; the true power was held by the Shogun, or it might be more accurate to say, the Shogun's advisors. The Choshu and their allies wanted to overthrow the Shogunate and restore the Emperor to power.

Kusaka reveals that Takasugi's plan is to burn down the English Embassy, and he is worried that the people of Choshu will be punished if Takasugi and his conspirators are caught. At the same time, he is thinking to himself that "Japan should open to the world"--a belief contrary to the position held by his clan--but that can't be done while the country is in confusion.

Kusaka and Aizawa arrive too late to stop the fire, and Aizawa says they have to go before they are blamed for it. They are spotted and chased to a cliff overlooking the sea, but a high fence prevents them from jumping or climbing down. They're trying to figure out if they can climb over the fence when they're confronted by a samurai who turns out to be Akizuki. He cuts a hole through the fence with his sword, and Aizawa slips through it, calling for Kusaka to follow him, but Kusaka is standing there stunned, staring at Akizuki. (At this point, Akizuki has the typical shaved forehead samurai hairstyle.)

Kusaka seems to recognize that Akizuki is with the Shogunate, and demands to know why he's helping them escape. Akizuki replies that mere ronin (masterless samurai) could not have caused this, and that killing them would only create more resentment between the Shogunate and their clan, which would create more chaos at a time when the country needs to open up to foreigners. He shoves Kusaka through the fence and off the cliff, and Kusaka falls into the sea with a big splash. Kusaka thinks to himself that he couldn't stop staring at Akizuki until he hit the water, and says (as a narrator) that the two of them would meet again years later.

The scene shifts into the future, where Kusaka is standing outside the Nakama School, arguing with a man--presumably the head of the school or an instructor. He wants to be admitted in order to learn English, because he believes in opening the country and doesn't want Choshu to be left behind, but the teacher says that to admit a Choshu to his school would cause too much disruption.

Another man walks towards them, and Kusaka is startled to see Akizuki, whose hair has now been grown out in front and cut short in back, looking more like the modern-day Iwaki.

The two of them go to a restaurant to talk, and Akizuki says he overheard Kusaka talking about opening the country, and asks why he has abandoned his (Choshu) ideals. Kusaka explains that he was trying to stop his friends at the time they met, and Akizuki says that he seemed different from "those bloody joui types," then asks if it puts Kusaka in a bad position with his clan. Kusaka agrees that it does, then inquires about Akizuki's change in hair style. Akizuki laughs it off, saying that it (the shaved forehead style) is an unnecessary formality, and Kusaka asks if he's a member of the police.

Akizuki replies that he's actually a magistrate's son, but is now "kind of under house arrest," so he's free to do as he pleases. Kusaka is upset, believing that Akizuki has been punished for letting him and Aizawa escape, but Akizuki again laughs it off like it's nothing and offers to tutor Kusaka in English. Kusaka delightedly agrees and they formally introduce themselves to each other.

A montage of scenes shows time passing and Kusaka narrates about their secret, idyllic meetings that were "like a honeymoon". However, in the outside world, the situation between the Shogunate and the Choshu continued to worsen.

The story changes back to direct action when a group of Choshu clan members, including Aizawa, confront Kusaka as he is about to go meet with Akizuki, and accuse him of being a spy for the Shogunate. Kusaka angrily retorts that they are the fools, who blindly talk about joui and think only of spilling blood, and that they have no right to speak ill of Akizuki.

The scene shifts to a bruised Kusaka, sitting alone. His Choshu comrades have apparently beaten him up as punishment, knowing that he won't draw his sword against them. He is greeted by a "Master Sufu" who has apparently just returned to Edo. ("Edo" is the old name for Tokyo, the capital of the Shogunate and the setting for our story. "Master Sufu" is probably Sufu Masanosuke, a Choshu clan administrator.) Sufu seems sympathetic to Kusaka, but tells him that a single ronin won't change anything with his ravings, and suggests that he go to London. He warns Kusaka to keep this a secret, as the rest of the clan might doubt their loyalty if they learned of it, and maybe even kill them.

Kusaka vehemently agrees to go, and goes to meet Akizuki on the riverbank; his hair has been cut short. He explains about his plans to go to England, and Akizuki congratulates him, saying that he'll be able to make use of his studying. In response, Kusaka confesses that he is a coward, and that the real reason that he wants to leave is because he doesn't want to have to fight Akizuki if the conflict between the Choshu and the Shogunate escalates. He tells Akizuki that he loves him, and begs Akizuki to let him make love to him for just this one night, as a special farewell.

Akizuki tells him that his words are "irresponsible nonsense," and says that all Kusaka had to do was ask Akizuki to wait for him. He kisses Kusaka and says that he has already fallen in love with him. Kusaka is dazed by this confession, saying that it must be a dream. They kiss, and Kusaka starts to undress Akizuki, marveling at how white and unblemished his skin is. Akizuki replies that it's nothing to brag about, since it means that he has only used his sword on "unskilled commoners". Kusaka says that he showed impressive swordsmanship when they met, and says that as for himself, he wasn't raised in an important house like Akizuki's, and was able to play freely as a child. Thus, is skin is darker and marred with scars.

Akizuki touches a bruise on Kusaka's face and asks him about this fresh scar, and Kusaka explains about how he fought with his clansmen and refused to draw his sword, saying that he hates to solve anything by waving a sword around, though it may be considered cowardly. Akizuki replies that is what he finds attractive about Kusaka, that even when his life was on the line, he still tried to seek escape without using his sword. He kisses Kusaka's calloused hand and says that it's clear from his hands that he never neglected his training, and that being strong enough not to rely on brute force isn't cowardly. Kusaka embraces Akizuki and begs him to "light a fire in me," so hot that it won't fade even while they are apart.

They make love on the riverbank, then afterwards, spot a cicada pupa clinging to a tree; Akizuki says it will die soon after it hatches. He say that if they hadn't been born during this era, they might have been able to be together longer, and that he wishes they could sleep like the cicada, until they time that they can meet without worrying about their clans.

Kusaka then narrates as the story carries over from the past into the present day, bringing us back to where the story opened. He says that he fled to England so that he would never have to meet the man he loved in battle, but soon came to curse himself for his foolishness. When the Shogunate fell, he hurried back to Japan, but found that he had left Akizuki in "the worst situation imaginable". Since Akizuki's family was loyal to the Shogunate, he joined the Shogunate forces at the Battle of Aizu (this was part of the Boshin war between the Shogunate supporters and the Imperial troops), then escaped with the Enomoto Army.

(This is most likely a reference to the Republic of Ezo mentioned at the beginning of the chapter, as Enomoto Takeaki fled with some of the remnants of the Shogunate forces to Ezo, and became the president of the Republic of Ezo. As mentioned earlier, the battle taking place now seems to the one between the Imperial troops and the Republic's forces. It is later referred to in the narration as "the Battle of Hakodate".)

Kusaka says that he hoped to end the battle as quickly as possible and rescue Akizuki, though he is aware that he might have to kill Akizuki himself. He silently pleads for Akizuki to still be alive, believing that they can still return to "those days" even if Akizuki is a prisoner.

Kusaka finds Akizuki by the riverbank, about to commit seppuku (ritual suicide by disembowelment), and begs Akizuki not to kill himself, telling him that he'll be treated with honor if he surrenders. Akizuki replies, "It's all right...I'm just glad to see you again."

Kusaka is stunned. All this time, he has been praying to find Akizuki alive, and his wish was granted--but now Akizuki wants to kill himself and asks Kusaka to decapitate him, saying that he'll be satisfied to die at Kusaka's hands. (Since seppuku is an extremely painful way to die, a kaishakunin, or second, decapitates the person immediately after, so that they don't suffer.) Kusaka protests that he won't let Akizuki die and that he'll stop the bleeding--apparently Akizuki is badly wounded.

Akizuki says that his body won't last much longer anyway, and he prefers death to accepting pity from an enemy. On the following page, we can see that part of Akizuki's right leg is missing; Kusaka bandages the wound, shouting that he won't let Akizuki die and demanding to know why he took part in this hopeless battle. He says that Akizuki could have stayed in Edo despite the shame, or submitted at Suruga as Tokugawa (the Shogun) did. He demands to know why Akizuki couldn't have been patient when the world they dreamed of was so close at hand.

Akizuki replies that the Shogunate had dreams, too, and wanted to make their own world, "without having to live as the losers". Kusaka starts to argue further, but they are interrupted by an Imperial soldier, who asks why "Lord Kusaka" is treating an enemy soldier. Kusaka tells Akizuki to close his eyes, and Akizuki does so, telling him to do it quickly. He is obviously expecting Kusaka to kill him, but instead Kusaka cuts down his own soldier. He exchanges the dead soldier's surcoat for Akizuki's, saying that he'll save Akizuki by pretending that he's one of their own soldiers. Kusaka looks crazed with determination, and Akizuki wonders if this is really the calm man that he used to know.

The narration tells us that the Shogunate forces surrendered to the new government, and the Boshin war came to an end. Soon a manhunt went on, and many of the old Shogunate members were arrested, even the doctors who had served the Shogunate forces.

The story resumes in the fourth year of the Meiji era, January of 1871, approximately two years after the Boshin War ended. Kusaka is at home in his mansion, dressed in Western clothes with his hair cut short. An elderly maid tells him that his meal is ready, and he says he's coming, then leaves the house; the maid tells him to wear a thick haori coat, because it's chilly today.

As the maid watches him leave, a younger maid wonders if "the master always takes his meals away like that," and wonders if Kusaka, a foreign affairs official, might be taking care of a foreigner. The older maid sharply tells her not to ask so many questions if she wants to work here. The young maid gets flustered and offers a hasty apology.

The older maid turns away, looking sad and worried. She thinks to herself that she's looked after Kusaka since he was a child, but now his eyes look so cold and lonely, as if he's still on the battlefield, and it makes her shiver.

Kusaka carries the tray of food over to a separate house or cottage on the estate--this is where he is keeping Akizuki. He announces that he's brought some food, but Akizuki doesn't reply. He is sitting up on a futon, with a blanket covering his legs, his back facing towards Kusaka and his eyes downcast.

Kusaka sighs, looking unhappy, and places the tray on the floor, saying that he'll leave it there so Akizuki can eat when he feels like it. He drapes his coat over Akizuki's shoulders, apologizing that he can't light a fire even though it's cold, because he can't risk leaving "anything dangerous" around Akizuki unless he promises not to do "something rash".

Kusaka's narration tells us that Akizuki has attempted suicide several times, and that Kusaka has kept him caged away here, protecting him from death, the government, and even himself. He has told only the head maid (the elderly woman from before) that Akizuki is here.

Akizuki pleads with Kusaka to kill him, or if he can't do that, to turn him over to the government. He says he can't live like this when all his fellow comrades have been imprisoned. Kusaka gets angry, grabbing him by the shoulders and saying, "You're still saying that!?"

The lower half of Akizuki's kimono parts to reveal the bandaged stump of his amputated leg. Kusaka pushes him down on the futon, saying that he won't let Akizuki die after nearly losing him before; he swears he won't let go of Akizuki again.

A small pouch on a cord strung around Akizuki's neck slips out of his kimono, and as he glances at it, a tear falls from his eye, and Kusaka asks why he is crying. He shouts that Akizuki is the one who said he wanted them to be together. He pulls off the obi of Akizuki's kimono and pulls the garment open to reveal Akizuki's naked body and covers Akizuki with his own still-clothed body. Akizuki thinks to himself that his misery, frustration, and the shame he feels for "enjoying Kusaka's warmth" will all combine to break him.

Meanwhile, Aizawa (dressed in a military uniform) is waiting in the parlor of the main house for Kusaka, and is angry that he has been kept waiting. He says he is on public business, and demands that the head maid send Kusaka out if he's still in the house. The maid apologizes and says that the master is "detained with urgent business," and says she will let Kusaka about him as soon as possible, so please leave for now.

She turns and walks away, ignoring Aizawa when he calls out after her. He grumbles to himself about a woman telling a general to leave. He spots the inquisitive young maid and asks her where Kusaka is. She says that she doesn't know, but her eyes glance out towards the garden, and Aizawa notices this. He goes out into the garden, thinking to himself that it's ridiculously huge when it's not even much of a mansion. Then he notices a separate building--the house where Akizuki is hidden.

He spots a lattice screen, like one would see in a pleasure district, and peers through it to see Kusaka and Akizuki having sex. Kusaka is still clothed, though his trousers have been opened, and Akizuki is on his lap, straddling him. He is shocked to recognize Akizuki, a Shogunate supporter, and wonders why he is here when he had thought Akizuki was at the battle of Hakodate. Then he is even more stunned as a second realization comes to him, and he thinks, "It can't be," before he turns and walks away.

The scene shifts to another day--probably the following day, although it's not explicitly stated. The head maid brings Akizuki his breakfast and asks him to please at least eat a little, since his health will fail if he doesn't eat. Akizuki begins eating, and the maid sighs with relief. He asks if Kusaka has gone out, and the maid replies that he "left this morning on important business". She leaves, and we see that Aizawa is hiding nearby outside the house. Meanwhile, Akizuki holds the small pouch that we saw earlier and stares at it.

Then the door slams open, and Akizuki looks up with a start to see Aizawa, who taunts him about living in shame, saying that it's miserable "for a vassal worth 3,000 goku to live out his fate as his enemy's mistress". A footnote explains that "goku" is a measure of rank, the value of the land given to a vassal by his Lord. (Actually, the word is "koku," but the "k" sound softens to a "g" when it's used as a suffix; one koku is the amount of rice to feed one person for a year. Therefore, before the Shogunate fell, Akizuki--or perhaps his family--had enough land and resources to support 3,000 retainers.)

Aizawa flings an envelope at Akizuki and says that one of his soldiers went missing at the battle of Hakodate. The soldier had followed Kusaka, who had run ahead of the other units. He says that he only knew the soldier as "one of many," but he is investigating the disappearance at the request of the man's father, who is his superior.

He says there are many mysterious factors involved in the disappearance, such as the fact that he was not meant to have been in battle that day, and there was evidence that he was treated with others who had suffered cannon injuries, but Kusaka tried to cover up his existence. The physician who treated this soldier said he had lost a leg.

Aizawa pulls out a scabbarded weapon--it looks like a short sword, but the length of the blade seems closer to that of a dagger when we see it unsheathed towards the end of the story. He says that the army will search Kusaka's house tomorrow because of an "anonymous tip" that he's harboring a war criminal, and that they're sure to find out what happened to the missing soldier. Aizawa hands the dagger to Akizuki, saying that he knows what he should do if he doesn't want to tighten the noose around Kusaka's neck--if he still has the heart of a samurai.

The scene shifts to Kusaka, riding home in carriage, recalling the way he was questioned at the Department of Military Affairs, where he denied any knowledge of the missing soldier's whereabouts, saying they couldn't expect him to know what happened on every inch of such a huge battlefield. He wonders how far he'll have to go to fool them.

Kusaka arrives home and brings a tray of food to Akizuki, and is startled to find Akizuki sitting up and writing something. Akizuki smiles at him and says that he's late today, and apologizes for troubling him after all the work he does during the day.

Kusaka is overjoyed at this change in his lover and asks if Akizuki is feeling better today. Akizuki says yes, but tonight will be cold, and asks if Kusaka will keep him warm tonight. Kusaka hugs him, saying that he finally got to see Akizuki's smile again. He thinks to himself that it's as if Akizuki has come back to him. However...

As they are lying together, presumably after making love, since Kusaka is nude, the head maid calls out to Kusaka and tells him that the military are here. He hastily pulls on his clothes and rushes back to the main house to find Aizawa ordering his men to "search everywhere". Aizawa gives him a knowing smile and says that they received an anonymous tip that he is harboring a war criminal.

Kusaka is angry, and threatens Aizawa, but Aizawa laughs and asks if he thinks that a foreign affairs official can silence the military. He says that they both grew up as men of Choshu, but have led very different lives. He talks about how the Shikoku Fleet bombarded the Choshu over and over again, and how Kusaka knows nothing of that Hell. Kusaka only came back after the fighting was over and the Emperor was restored, but even so, "Everyone made a fuss over you," and Kusaka received a higher promotion than Aizawa--something he seems quite bitter about. He accuses Kusaka of deceiving the Emperor and "dirtying the name of our great Meiji government" by harboring Akizuki.

One of the soldiers reports to Aizawa that they have not yet found the traitor. Kusaka sighs with relief, but then Aizawa says that perhaps Akizuki has "already passed judgment on himself," because after all, he did warn him.

Kusaka looks shocked and stricken, and then his expression turns to anger as he tells Aizawa that even though his actions are unacceptable by Aizawa's beliefs, he has always fought for his own beliefs. He says that the Choshu created a world that was only convenient to themselves, and that the "Shogunate supporters only wanted a world they could survive in". Kusaka says that everything he has done, everything he has fought for, was to create a world where he and Akizuki could be together--he would erase any obstacle, perform any action for that goal, and that is what "belief" truly is.

Aizawa flinches, and Kusaka runs out of the house as Aizawa stares after him, saying that Kusaka has the eyes of an ogre--the same eyes that the Choshu gained from fighting through their Hell. He thinks to himself that perhaps Kusaka has seen a different Hell.

Kusaka rushes back to Akizuki's house and finds it empty, but a letter has been left addressed to him. Tears and sweat run down his face as he reads it. In the letter, Akizuki apologizes to Kusaka for putting all the blame on him, but says he would have broken otherwise, and that he could never honestly admit his feelings.

As the letter continues, we see Akizuki determinedly crawling through the snow further into the woods, clutching the dagger that Aizawa gave him. The letter says that when they first met, Kusaka refused to "exert his strength" even when his own life was at risk. Akizuki says that he hated himself for the changes that he caused in Kusaka, and says that he should have done "this" sooner instead of making Kusaka suffer for so long. He says he was weak for not choosing death, and that he didn't have the courage to kill himself even though he was burdening Kusaka.

Kusaka runs through the forest, desperately searching for Akizuki. Then he spots him lying in the snow and calls out his name. Kusaka shakes Akizuki's body, still shouting his name, but he is already dead. The letter concludes with Akizuki telling Kusaka that he should at least know that Akizuki did want to be with him, and that he has no regrets even though their time together was short, "Because the time I spent with you through this era of winter was not a lie."

Kusaka screams in anguish, pressing his face against Akizuki's neck. Then he spots the pouch that Akizuki always wears, and opens it. A powdery substance spills out into his hand, and he wonders what it is. Then he realizes that it's a crumbled cicada pupa, and recalls their conversation on the riverbank when they saw the cicada on the tree. He remembers how Akizuki had said, "If we hadn't been born into this era," and Kusaka smiles slightly, tears running down his face, and says, "That's right...Until that era comes...We should just sleep, like that cicada." He takes up the dagger, pulls open his shirt, and plunges it into his stomach, committing seppuku.

Later, Aizawa finds Kusaka's body slumped over Akizuki's, with his blood spilled all over Akizuki and the snow. There is a close-up of Aizawa's pensive face, and then of Kusaka's and Akizuki's faces, partially obscured by fallen snow and looking peaceful. The narration says that the Shogunate supporters were pardoned, thanks to the help of an officer at Hakodate named Ryousuke Kuroda.

The story concludes with the image of a cicada flying, gleaming in the sunlight.

***

p. 211: Afterthoughts by Youka Nitta

Nitta-sensei thanks her readers for their support, and says now that the trouble with Asano is over, she hopes to write a story where Iwaki and Katou can relax and be happy--"until the next event"! She adds that she hoped her readers enjoyed the "Winter Cicadas" side story, and says that she has always wanted to do a period piece.

She closes by describing how she went to America for a vacation "September of last year" (at the time of the original writing), but "something awful happened...the terrorists". (I assume that she must be talking about the terrorist attacks on 9-11.) So unfortunately, it wasn't much of a vacation, and she ended up staying in her hotel room and sleeping for 8 days.