A/N:  This chapter is sponsored by Jessica L. 

“You!”  Jiro exclaimed as he turns around to hit Yasu.  “How dare you betray me!”  

Yasu quickly dodges and runs into the house.  He directly runs towards his Mother, knowing full well that his mother would never let his Fathers lay a hand on him.  

Miyoko laughs at her only son, knowing full well that he was making trouble with his Fathers.  

“Are you digging traps for your Fathers?”  Miyoko asked as she laughed at her son. “You setting yourself up for punishment?”  

“Who me?  Never.” Yasu said as he hugged his mother and hid behind her.  “Quick stand up for me before they get any ideas.”  

“Husbands.”  Miyoko said as she covered her smiling mouth with the back of her hand.  “It’s time for dinner. Settle down now.”  

Soshu and Jiro walk into the room hand in hand as they whisper to each other.  What they said to one another was only known to them, however Soshu’s face had a healthy blush of pink on his cheeks.  

“You brat!”  Soshu shouted as he saw his son hiding behind his wife.  “Hiding behind a skirt are you!”  

“So what if I am.  She gave birth to me, why should I be embarrassed about it?” Yasu bickered back.  

“You scoundrel!”  Jiro shouted as well.  “Talking back are you!”  

“Why can’t I talk?  I have a mouth, don’t I?”  Yasu called out. “See, Mom, how they gang up on me and bully me!”  

“Hush, child.  Let Mother take care of this!”  Miyoko told him before turning to her husbands.  “Late as ever for dinner are you?”  

“What?”  Both Soshu and Jiro looked at each other as if they were wronged.  The both of them had been waiting for Yasu to come home for dinner.  They had been ready a long time ago. Had they not waited for Yasu, they wouldn’t have gotten scolded by their wife.  

“You want your wife and child to eat cold dishes?”  Miyoko asked as she pouted her lips. “Do you not care for us?”  

“Of course we do!”  Jiro quickly gave in, knowing full well who was the boss in the house.  “We love you and our disobedient son.” 

Soshu came forward and quickly hugged his wife.  

“You’re the center of our lives, how could we let you starve or let anything bad happen to you!”  

“Yes.  Yes.” Jiro agreed as he hugged them both.  “The food is still hot. Let us eat. Come. Come.”  

Jiro lead the pouting wife to her seat as he and Soshu sat down as well.  All three of them forgetting their one and only son as if he was never there.  

“Quickly sit down, damn brat!”  Soshu growled out at his son. “Before the food gets cold.”  

Yasu scratched the back of his head and sighed.  In their house, his mother was Queen. Whatever she wanted, she got.  Whatever she said, was done. The house was happy when she was happy and the house was sad when she was sad.  

Yasu sat down between his two Fathers.  Yasu thought he was out of the woods with setting traps for his Fathers when the both of them both slapped him on the back of the head, one after another.  Although the slaps didn’t hurt, it was humiliating to be hit at such an old age.  

“Hey!”  Yasu cried out.  “Mom!”  

“That’s what you deserve.  Now quickly eat!” Miyoko ordered.  

Yasu smiled and began eating only after his elders picked up their chopsticks and all three of them placed food in his bowl.  Yasu smiled even more knowing that his family loved him so much.  

“Yasu has decided to continue his life as it is.”  Soshu commented as they took turns placing food in each other’s bowl.  “Mornings with Jiro and the afternoons with Miyoko.”  

“Is that what you want?”  Jiro asked.  

“Why not?  Here, I’m the Young Master.  Son to a Doctor, General and the most talented Seamstress.  I have a house over my head, clothes on my back, food on the table and a warm bed.  Why would I want to travel the world when I have it so good here?”  

“You don’t long for an adventure?  Don’t you want to meet new people?”  Miyoko asked.  

“Adventure?  No, thank you.  Meeting new people?  There’s people coming in and out of town every day.  I can meet them there.”

“What about meeting someone?  Don’t you want to find someone to share your life with?”  Soshu asked.  

“I’m only 17 years old.  I’m too young to settle down.  If I find someone I like, they’ll have to conform their lives to live here.  I’m the only heir to this fief, I must take care of this fief well.” Yasu told them.  “And besides. Father didn’t meet Dad until he was 34 years old and didn’t have me until he was 44 years old.  I have a lot of time to meet someone, marry them and have a family with them.”  

“Alright then.”  Miyoko said as she sighed.  Somehow she felt conflicted.  On one side, she was happy that her son would stay and keep on living with her and her husbands.  On the other side, she felt that he was meant for more than the life they gave them.  

Miyoko had tried to get pregnant with a second child over the years, however she wasn’t able to.  She could only raise her only son preciously and provide him with the skills that all of his parents have obtained over the years.  

“I hear there’s a new young General taking over your old post.”  Jiro said as he remembered about the rumors that were spreading around town.  “How come they just didn’t promote the person you selected to take over your post when you retired.”  

Soshu shrugged his shoulders.  “From what I heard, General Kio got married and asked for a transfer.  The new young General is from a prominent family from the capital.”    

“Does he come from a family of Generals?”  Miyoko asked.  

“No.  His family are scholars and ministers.  He rebelled against his family’s wishes and became a soldier.  From what I hear, he earned his position by saving the First Prince from assassins.  The Royal Family wanted to give him a post as the Head of Guards for the Imperial Palace, however he requested to be posted on the borders.”  

“Seems like he must have family issues that he wants to be far so away from them.”  Miyoko commented. “When he arrives, we must invite him for dinner. It’s good to have friends close by.”  

“I’ve already sent word to the garrison.”  Soshu told them. “The young General should be arriving to his post soon.  Should he accept the invitation, we’ll get a response when he has time.”  

“No worries.”  Miyoko said. “I understand if he doesn’t send a response.  He just arrived and needs time to acclimate to his new position.”  

The four of them ate and conversed until the end of the meal.  Afterwards, Jiro and Miyoko walked hand in hand towards the park for a nightly walk, while Yasu and Soshu went to the training ground to train with the guards.  With Soshu screaming at them, the training for that night was especially harsh. The guards all looked at Yasu as if he was the cause of Soshu’s anger.  

Yasu just smiled at them and worked hard during the training.  He knew that if he slacked, his Father would make them train longer.  The training lasted for 2 hours and when they were finally dismissed, all 30 of them either sat or laid down in heavy breaths.  Sweat dripped off of their bodies as the cool air blew around them.  

“Bunch of lazy, sacks of fools!  Even if you’re guards now and no longer soldiers, you should always keep your soldier mentality!  An attack could always happen, even when there is peace time. Now quickly get up and clean up!”   

Yasu and Soshi walked behind the guards as they all made their way to the bathhouse.  The bathhouse was divided into two sections. The left section of the bathhouse was for the servants and guards.  While the right section were for the Masters of the house and guests. As for Miyoko, she had her own room, beside the main bedroom that was for her personal use.

With all of the servants and guards being male, there was no reason to be modest.  Yasu and Soshi walked to their side of the bathhouse and there were two servants already there to attend them.  The servants helped them undress first then rinsed their bodies with warm water, before scrubbing them down with a cloth.  They then were washed with soap and rinsed again before soaking their bodies in large wooden tubs.  

For Miyoko, no servant served her during her baths.  It was her husbands who took care of her when she took a bath.  No servant was allowed to be alone with her, there was always two or more servants that followed and protected her throughout the day.   

“Did you know that your Dad has gotten several requests to accept a disciple?”  Soshu spoke with his eyes closed.  

“The Royal Family?”  Yasu asked.  

“The Empress Dowager.”  Soshu told him. “The man apparently is a talented individual with no backing.  He offend a prominent family and is having a hard time in the Palace. The young Doctor saved the Tenth Prince from drowning about a year and a half ago.”  

“Then are we also expecting a new face in town?”  

“Yes.”  Soshu told him.  “How could your Dad turn down the Empress Dowager who gifted him this fief for us and married us?”  

“Where will he live?”  

“We have already provided a house in town for him.  He too should be arriving soon.”  

“A new young General and a new young Doctor.”  Yasu said as he smiled. “Doesn’t it remind you of someone’s love life?”  

“Ha. Ha.”  Soshu said as he opened his eyes and looked over at his son.  “You just make sure to take care of them when they arrive. It is not our older generation that needs to make a connection with them, but you.  This fief is your responsibility when we are gone. Getting to know the young General and the young Doctor will be of service to you and the people.”  

“Yes.  Yes.” Yasu said.  “I know very well what my responsibility is.”  

The door to their private bathhouse opens and Jiro enters with a servant behind him.  He too was quickly undressed, scrubbed, washed and rinsed before he climbs into a wooden tub.  

“What were you two speaking about?”  Jiro asked as he looked between the two.  One was the love of his life, the other was his son.  Who somehow looked like his mother however also has features of both Jiro and Soshu.  None of them could tell who was Yasu’s biological Father.  

“You’re new apprentice.”  Soshu told Jiro. “What’s his name again?”  

“Ah.  That.”  Jiro sighed.  “His name is Shiro Yada. That young and talented man has a sad past.  Don’t ask about it when you meet him.”  

“What happened?”  Yasu asked. His curiosity couldn’t be held back.  

“He comes from a family of farmers.  They saved and lived a frugal life to send him to the academy.  When he was 18 years old, during the monsoon season, there was a mudslide that killed his Fathers that had been trapped in a hunting shack in the woods.  They had stayed in the hunting shack to take cover until the rain stopped but… Anyways, his mother had always been sick after she gave birth to Shiro.  When Shiro found out what happened to his Fathers, by the time he arrived back home to console his Mother, his Mother also died. He buried his whole family within one week.

“He sold everything that was of value to his family and went back to the Academy to study.  Instead of continuing his education to become a minister, he changed his field of study into medicine and became a Doctor instead.  He tested first in the Imperial Doctor’s examination. However he didn’t have good luck. Jealousy is a scary thing when a talented individual is being recognized.  Especially when that talented individual doesn’t have a backing. I don’t know the specifics, but he was set up by a fellow Doctor and made a mistake with a prominent capital family.  According to the Empress Dowager, the young Doctor Shiro has been enduring the bullying for a year now. The Empress Dowager felt sorry towards Doctor Shiro and wrote a letter to me. Although the letter is asking me to take on an apprentice, it is basically the Empress Dowager ordering me to take him in.  I’m pretty sure Doctor Shiro has no say in this as well and is forced to come here.”  

“The Empress Dowager is kind and wise.”  Soshu said.  

Everyone knew that the Empress Dowager is only sending Doctor Shiro to Jiro because she didn’t want to owe Doctor Shiro favor.  Because Shiro helped rescue and save the Tenth Prince, the Empress Dowager's favorite grandson, she owed Shiro a favor. Once she found out that Shiro was having a hard time in the Imperial Palace, she took the opportunity to send him to apprentice at Jiro’s country clinic to pay Shiro back for his services.  This way, not only did the Empress Dowager pay Shiro back for saving the Tenth Prince, but she also “saved” Shiro from his predicament, thus giving Shiro a life saving grace.  

 “Yes.  The Empress Dowager is kind and wise.  May she live for a 1000 years.”  Jiro agreed.   

“Long live the Empress Dowager.”  Yasu said.  

The three of them soaked in the warm and scented bath for another 15 minutes before they came out and was dried off by servants.  Then the servants helped them dress and the three of them walked to the house side by side, enjoying the night.