“Oda Nobunaga has never been like anyone else. Instead of embracing tradition, he turns his back on it.” Such as promoting Kato’s and Pim’s fathers when no other daimyō would have. Others might have allowed them to serve, but they would never have been honored. “Nobunaga was hated by his own family—so much so that even his adviser committed seppuku to protest his rise to power over the Odas. You know it’s bad when your head adviser would rather kill himself than serve you.”

Kato smirked. “What do you think happened to my father? And why do you think I’m here?”

Ryuichi wasn’t sure what he meant. “Pardon?”

“My father’s first two advisers did the same thing to protest having to serve him. He lives in constant fear that my mother will not only take her own life but the lives of me and my brothers. Even though my mother loves him and us—and would never do such a thing—he cannot make himself trust her. There’s nothing she can say or do to take away his fear. Because of his fear of her harming us, we’ve all been sent to separate schools, far away from home.”

He felt for his newfound friend. How sad to be forced from home because one parent didn’t trust the other.

And why?

Because he was different? Why should that matter?

Nobunaga believed those differences should be your strength, not your weakness. Let go of hatred and turn it into something useful. Pain only makes you stronger if you grow from it.

That was why he wanted to be more like Nobunaga. To become more than what others thought he was. To prove to the world that he was honorable.

Worthy.

“I’m sorry, Kato. There’s wisdom in your words. It’s just not that easy to let things go.”

Kato shrugged with a nonchalance that Ryuichi was pretty sure he didn’t feel. “It’s all right. We all have pain to bear. It just wears different faces and attacks us in different places. The past is like a shadow. It’ll always be a part of us, but we control the shape it takes. At least that’s what my father says.”

Before Ryuichi could respond, he realized someone was coming up behind him. He whirled, weapon raised.

Takara stood there, frozen. “How do you do that?”

Ryuichi arched a brow. “Do what?”

“Know whenever someone’s behind you? It’s so eerie.”

Now he understood what Kato had meant before, about his spear work. Some things were just natural. “No idea. It’s like breathing. I just know.”

“Wish you could teach it to me. It’d save me so much pain from Mikito.”

Just as it had saved Ryuichi much pain from other boys over the years.

“Hai!”

Ryuichi paused at the fierce sound. In fact, everyone did.