Cardfight!! Vanguard: Heiwa - Volume II

#8: Legacy of Heian

Out in the far western side of Tokyo, all the way amongst the peaks and trees that covered Okutama Mountain, there was a mansion spanning three stories high, tall enough for someone to see the tops of the trees from the top floor, and big enough to house the entire population of Okutama. 

However, only six people lived there, with a staff by the hundreds living either at their own homes or at a separate building near the mansion, so that they would be able to provide their services in the middle of the night should it be required.

Its habitants were the Yoshikawa, descendants from the long gone Taira clan, one of the big four clans during the Heian Period, alongside the Fujiwara, the Tachibana, and the other most known clan, the Minamoto.

Four of the habitants were the eldest sons of the current head of the family, Shigemori and Munemori, a politician and company owner respectively, and their respective wives. Neither of the couples had children of their own, despite being well into their thirties, with the eldest Shigemori one year away from fourty.

One of the other habitants was the current head of the family, Yoshikawa Gakuganji, who took the mantle after his father, whom he shares name with due to now gone tradition of the family heads naming their eldest son Gakuganji, after he passed away the year before. Despite being widowed to his second wife right after his youngest son's birth, he raised his sons to be people of power, and handle the bettering of the Yoshikawa name with his own hands. Currently, he was the headmaster of a school in Shinjuku.

And finally, there was Gakuganji's youngest son, Kagekiyo, named after one of the samurai to fight for the Taira clan. An almost ironic name, considering that Taira no Kagekiyo was originally part of the Fujiwara clan and later adopted into the Taira, the same way this Kagekiyo was born with a different mother than his brothers, but still brought into the main branch of the family. Though he always scored great marks and became a greater fighter, even reaching the status of King, there was one thing he was fated to do.

And today, he would accomplish one of his father's greatest works: to end the Heian conflict after centuries, by uniting the descendants of the Taira and Minamoto clans through marriage. And of course, the media ate that like starved dogs.

With one hour to go until the moment Gakuganji spent decades preparing, he visited his son's room as he finished putting on his suit.

"Yo. I hope you didn't get cold feet at the last second. You have a beautiful bride waiting for you." Gakuganji chuckled, stepping into the room.

"Of course not, father..." Kagekiyo sweatdropped, looking at his father through the mirror in front of him. He was adjusting his collar. "After today, the family will grow more. It's what you've always desired. But still... This could have been something for Shige or Mune to do."

"I don't believe Okutama's age of consent agrees with that." The older man laughed, approaching his son. "The suit your grandfather picked for you is truly wonderful. The old coot had taste, that I can say for sure."

"Don't go calling that to grandfather..." Kagekiyo deadpanned, looking at himself in the mirror again. His suit was a nice white suit, with a dark blue tie, and thin dark blue line going down the lapel.

"You know I'm just messing around. Of course I miss him too. And I'll always be grateful to him for raising you when I was too busy with other things. He was dy- More excited for this day than anyone else. Since Shigemori and Munenori were born while he was still working on his oem businesses, he never really had time to be his grandsons. And then one day, me and your mother were blessed with you, may she rest in peace." Gakuganji said, looking at the mirror aswell. "But even your grandfather knew his health was like a candle in strong winds. That's why he left this for you, his closest relative."