Tyranny of Steel

With the Mōri rebellion defeated, and the ringleaders captured. Itami's reign had been secured. However, rather than returning to the capital city of Heian-kyō immediately after her victory, Itami had opted to spend some time with her family. Her father had passed away shortly after her reincarnation into this world. However, her mother and sister were still very much alive. 

They had heard rumors of Itami Riyo's exploits throughout the past few years, but had hardly believed what they were told. That is, until an army of ten thousand plus men arrived at their home, swearing that they would defend the fortress from the enemy that would soon be arriving. After the battle was over and the corpses were cleared, Riyo entered her home for the first time in years. 

She clutched her chest with her hand, feeling the intense pounding of her heart as he walked towards the entrance of her family's home. The young woman was incredibly anxious as she dreaded the idea of reuniting with her family. The last time she spoke with her mother was when she departed on poor terms.

Riyo had taken up the sword in an act of retribution for her father's murder. Something her mother disapproved of greatly. The woman felt that despite not bearing a proper son for her husband, the duty of the Itami Clan should not fall to such a young woman. Riyo's mother had some choice words to say and in the end, Riyo left her family behind in pursuit of vengeance. 

The moment Riyo stepped through the doorway to her family's home, something unexpected happened. A beautiful young girl no older than fifteen who was dressed in a kimono rushed towards her, and glomped the new Empress, as if her supreme status was nothing compared to the bond the two girls shared. 

Riyo fell to the floor at the Castle's entrance, while her guards gazed in horror. They had failed to perceive or stop such a threat to their Empress; they were about to rip the girl away from Riyo's arms, when she glared at them menacingly, the frightening gaze of the Empress's blood-red eyes froze the actions of the bodyguards who simply stood by and watched as the two young women embraced on the ground. 

Riyo was struggling not to flush in embarrassment as she realized her soldiers were watching her be so intimate with her younger sister. Ultimately, she forced the young girl's face away from her own and scolded her.

"Momo-chan, let go! Is this any way to treat your onee-chan?" 

The girl named Itami Momo immediately pouted, as her jet black hair poured down her face like a river of ink. She had not seen her sister in so long. It was a cause of quite some grief for the girl who always relied on her elder sister growing up. 

"Nee-chan! You're so mean!"

Riyo quickly facepalmed as she rose to her feet and dusted off her uniform. She reached out a hand to help up her little sister, who was more than happy to latch onto it. Standing in the doorway watching the whole scene was Riyo's most loyal supporter. General Shiba Kiyohiko who did not know how to react to what he was witnessing. When Riyo noticed his expression, she introduced her little sister with an awkward smile. 

"This is my little sister, Itami Momo, as you can see she is a little bit clingy..."

Momo pouted once more than she heard this while chastising Riyo for introducing her in such a strange way. 

"Nee-chan! Don't make me seem weird!"

Riyo merely smiled as she petted her little sister's hair. She had more important matters to deal with than entertaining this brat, thus; she was quick to ask about their mother.

"Momo-chan, Is Mibu-san around?"

Before Momo could answer, the mature voice of an older woman interrupted the scene. There was a snide hint to her voice, as if she was scolding her errant child for being so unfilial in her duties. 

"Ara ara, is that any way to refer to your mother? It breaks my heart to see you refer to me so informally. What could I have possibly done to deserve such a thing?"

The curvy figure of a mature beauty appeared in the hallway. The woman, though in her early forties, looked as if she were at least ten years younger. She had a beautifully sculpted face with little sign of age. Her features resembled those of a vixen, and she had the aura of a nine-tailed fox.

The soldiers who normally worshipped Riyo as their war goddess instantly felt compelled to drop to their knees in the presence of such overwhelming beauty. However, under the ever watchful gaze of the Empress, they did not dare do so.

The friction between the two women could cut a diamond in half. Riyo glared at her mother with a complicated expression, while the woman named Mibu Saya simply stared at her daughter with a haughty expression. The years had been kind to her, though Riyo did not explicitly send her regards to her family in the forms of writing, she ensured that her mother and sister were well looked after. 

The fortune the woman had at her fingertips was enough to buy multiple cities. Naturally, she lived a life of total luxury in the castle that Itami had built for her. Never worrying about the security of herself or her youngest daughter. Riyo gazed upon the opulent kimono that the woman was wearing and sighed heavily before making an attempt at a snarky remark.

"Mibu-San-"

However, before Riyo could get the words out, her mother smacked the top of her head with her silk hand fan and lectured the girl on her informal language.

"It is Okaa-san! Refer to your mother properly!"

Riyo struggled to wear a smile as she dealt with her mother's insistence. Ultimately, this was a battle she was not going to win, and she knew it. Thus, with a heavy sigh, she conceded to the woman's demands and referred to her by the proper term.

"Okaa-san... It seems the years have been kind to you. You look even younger than when I departed..."

The mature beauty broke out into a slight giggle as she made a surprising comment.

"It is all thanks to the products you have churned out here in the Itami Domain. The skin creams that your factories produce are truly divine! I suppose if there's one good thing to come from your little rebellion, it is all the little luxuries you have provided me and your sister with. You don't know how many marriage proposals I have had to turn down on little Momo's behalf."

Momo blushed when she heard her mother mention such nonsense and quickly cried out to her in protest.

"Okaa-san! Don't say such weird things!"

Riyo sighed when she noticed that her family was getting along just fine without her, hell it appeared they were not the least bit affected by the siege that was taking place just hours prior. She instantly regretted worrying about the two women when she realized how little they seemed to care about the conflict outside their borders. 

"Okaa-san, I will be staying here for a few days before returning to the capital. I trust that won't be an issue?"

Mibu Saya smiled as she heard this and led the way for Riyo and her troops into her home. 

"Of course. I look forward to your visit. We have much to discuss now that you have finally returned home. Shame on you, girl, you should have visited your mother sooner! Have you no sense of filial duty to your parents?"

At this moment, Riyo wanted to find the nearest cliff so that she could jump off it. Her mother was always like this. Ultimately, she and her guards followed her mother and sister into the depths of the Castle where Mibu Saya had already prepared a feast for them. All the staples that Itami had introduced to Japanese cuisine were present. The mature women continuously fed Sake to her daughter as the two engaged in nonsensical conversation. 

Momo watched from the side with a hint of envy in her heart when she witnessed the special attention that her mother was giving her older sister. It had always been this way. Out of the two siblings, Riyo was their parents' favorite.

She thought that with Riyo gone, her mother would dote on her a bit more, but that did not occur.  Ultimately, the awkward atmosphere between Saya doting on Riyo, and Riyo politely rejecting the woman's kindness came to an end when the mature beauty asked her daughter a serious question.

"So, Riyo, when will you be getting married?"

Riyo nearly spat out her sake as she heard her mother so shamelessly approach the topic that most annoyed her. She instantly scolded her mother for speaking of such things. 

"That is none of your concern! Why would you ask me that?"

The woman had a graceful smile on her face as she rested her dainty chin in the palm of her hand while feigning ignorance.

"Huh? But you're already nineteen, and yet you are still unmarried. Don't tell me you don't have any suitors? Oh my, it is as I have feared. Your gung ho attitude has scared away all the good men. At this point, if Okaa-san doesn't intervene on your behalf, then you will die old and alone!"

Riyo immediately fired back at her mother's attempts to meddle in her love life with a flustered expression on her face.

"Absolutely not! I won't have you setting me up with some unknown man! I refuse to settle down and marry until I find the man who is capable of defeating me in battle! It is not my fault all the men in this country are worthless!"

Saya merely drank from her own sake before shaking her head with a look of pity on her face. She merely muttered the words.

"Oh, you poor thing..." 

After saying this, the woman became dead silent. Riyo looked around and saw the awkward expressions on the faces of everyone present and immediately stormed off.

"Screw this! I need some air!"

Momo tried to run after her sister, but Saya merely shot her a cold glance, freezing the girl in her tracks. Thus, the first meeting Riyo had with her family in several years ended with an awkward atmosphere.