#ikesen shojumaru

[the12thnightproject]

Chapter 8: Charming? Katsu charms a 'Prince,' acquires a maid, and tries to steal her letter back from Mitsuhide.

Mitsuhide x OC; Hideyoshi x MC (Mai)

Mitsuhide x OC; Hideyoshi x MC (Mai)

All Chapters Archived on Ao3 

Logline - With Mai, Hideyoshi, and Aki missing, Mitsuhide and Katsuko reluctantly team up. Disguised as a merchant and his concubine, can they outsmart the man known as the God of Deceit?

Breathe.

Breathe.

If I didn’t get myself under control, this charade was going to have an immediate expiration date.

My hand spasmed on Mitsuhide’s arm, and he spared a quick look at me – as sensitive to physical cues as he was, he had to be aware that my heart was galloping. “Kaya! If you are about to be ill, please do not soil my clothing!”

Shojumaru looked equally appalled.

“This sorry creature is not yet accustomed to rich food or vast quantities of sake.” Mitsu-Kyubei made a little shooing motion. “Go stand by the door. If you are sick, aim for the street.”

The accusation of a hangover was harsh, and of course, untrue, but I suppose it would be a reasonable excuse to Tadayo and Shojumaru. It was also probably Mitsuhide’s way of getting me out of the situation without breaking character. Nor would I argue with an escape route. I relocated to the doorway and took in gulps of fresh dock air. In other words, it kind of stunk of fish.

But at least the ocean breeze was strong. Closing my eyes, I mentally placed myself in the mountains, imagining a clean swath of snow, a fresh trail, and the feeling of being on a snowboard, slaloming down a steep hill. The sea air was mountain air, and I could control each turn with only a slight recentering of my body. Here, I could achieve peac-

“Princess, are you ill?”

A concerned voice pulled me out of my daydream, and I opened my eyes…

Oh shit.

Yoshimoto?

The shock of seeing a familiar face – a person who had only met me as the courier Katsu - did as much to push away the panic as the fresh air. “Thank you for asking, sir. I was simply enjoying the breeze.”

He turned his fine-boned face in the direction of the wind, letting it ruffle his hair.  He didn’t appear to be convinced about the breeze, but, it also didn’t appear that he had connected ‘Kaya’ with ‘Katsu’.

Ok. He doesn’t recognize me.

Or he’s smart enough not to blow my cover.

“It is a sad state of affairs when a lovely young lady would rather look at a dirty street than at silks and brocades.” He waved his hand elegantly (even my tiny acquaintance with him had been enough to learn that Yoshimoto did everything elegantly) toward the interior of the warehouse. “I’ve heard that Shojumaru is able to acquire the best imported fabric in the city… but is that not the case?”

“My opinion wasn’t required, and as I am new to this city, I wanted to take in the scenery.” Not a great cover story, as there wasn’t much scenery, but a simple village girl like Kaya would find Sakai new and exciting.

“Kaya!” Mitsu-Kyubei strolled over and put a possessive hand on my arm. “Making friends so quickly?” He turned to Yoshimoto and once again flashed that feral smile. “My new toy hasn’t yet learned that what is mine stays mine until it breaks.” Without another word, he steered me back to the main conversation, leaving Yoshimoto to stare at our backs.

Well. That was rude. But… that was likely the point. If Mitsuhide and Yoshimoto had ever met before (and they probably had done so) then Mitsuhide would probably want to put as much physical and emotional real estate between himself and Yoshimoto as possible. For that matter, I would be wise to get out of range as well. While I, or rather ‘Katsu’, had only met Yoshimoto twice, our second meeting had been somewhat recently, when I ran into him and my ninja pal Sasuke on my courier route.

It’s too bad I was currently in disguise, because it would be nice to be able to send Sasuke a message. Then again, Yoshimoto, in those bright silks and even brighter beauty, was as conspicuous as a K-pop idol in a shopping mall. If I wanted to find him later, I’m sure I could.

That was for later. Apparently for now, my task was to stand by, and pretend to be interested while Mitsuhide picked out Kaya’s wardrobe for the coming days.

Since Shojumaru was only the middleman here and not a fabric dealer, the process of choosing materials involved a lot of opening crates to determine what colors and patterns were contained inside.  Still, Mitsu-Kyubei proclaimed himself satisfied with the fabrics and before long a pile of pastel silks lay before him. So very… insipid.

Maybe Mitsuhide was trying to smother my rebellion in color theory.

“Also… this one.” He gestured to a beautiful turquoise silk with a faint dye pattern of blue, green, and aquamarine butterflies. For the first time that morning, I didn’t have to pretend I liked the fabric… I loved it.

Ok, that one I will happily wea-

“Hm, yes, this will do nicely for a new haori coat for myself,” Mitsuhide continued.

“If you were mine,” a seductive voice whispered into my ear, as Mitsuhide made arrangements for the fabrics to be sent directly to the seamstress, “I would have you dressed in jewel tones. I am of course, staying at the honjin should you wish to discuss it further.”

I knew that suggestive proposition had come from Yoshimoto, but by the time I turned my head, he had glided to the other side of the room to examine a recently opened crate. He glanced back over his shoulder at me, and a tiny smile curled at the corners of his mouth.

I don’t want to be anyone’s!

“Come along, Kaya.” With a final nod to Shojumaru and Tadayo, Mitsuhide guided me out of the warehouse. Once we were outside, he did that now-familiar single eyebrow raise… oh, ok, this was a double eyebrow. “What happened back there?” Mitsuhide’s physicality was still in the evil-Kyubei persona, but his voice had reverted to that familiar teasing register. As we were still technically in public, but out of hearing range, both made sense.

In the last moment, I decided I’d be better off pretending ignorance of Yoshimoto’s identity. “Some high caste Prince on the hunt for a new concubine.”

“That, my dear brat, I could see for myself.” He patted my arm. It was almost a paternal gesture, and one that was over so quickly that I thought I had imagined it. “I was referring to the moment that you nearly fainted. Is anything wrong?”

He was probably worried that I would mess things up before we’d even started. And though I was a reluctant partner in this, I was determined to see it through. This stupid weakness of mine would not ruin things. “Nothing to worry about. I’m just hungry.” As if to help add to the verisimilitude of something that wasn’t even a lie (exactly), my stomach growled.

Despite the well-timed protest from my insides, Mitsuhide looked like he didn’t believe me. But all he said was, “Kyubei stocked the kitchen in the machiya before he left for Azuchi. I imagine you’ll be able to find something to placate the oni currently residing in your belly.”

By the end of the day, I not only had a new wardrobe in progress, but I also had a personal maid (Mitsuhide had come to the inescapable conclusion that dealing with my hair was not ever going to part of my skill set). He’d managed to locate a local girl, Sho, who was happy to work days only, then return to her mother’s, as apparently she was helping to care for her younger siblings.

Sho happened to be one of the most beautiful creatures I had ever seen, with big green eyes, perfect skin, and shiny dark hair. If she was an advertisement for her own services, then I was probably in the right hands. Unfortunately, she was a bit on the young side, and very much inclined to chatter all day about nothing. Maybe it was her age, or maybe there was truly not much there.

By the time she had left for the evening, after promising to return the following morning with all kinds of Sengoku era hair tools (normally I would worry about what exactly was included in the Sengoku hair tool set – but they could hardly make my hair look worse), I was exhausted by her enthusiasm. “Where did she come from again?” I asked Mitsuhide as he gestured to a pot of stew that he’d thrown together.

Literally. Thrown. Together.

“Please, partake. I could hear your stomach demanding food even over Sho’s monologue.” He handed me an empty bowl. “As for the maid, I had her direction from Shojumaru. Apparently one of her siblings works for him.”

“Shojumaru suggested her? Couldn’t that mean she’s a spy?” Surely Mitsuhide had considered that possibility. “And, seriously, if you are going to fill your house with spies, why not hire a cook too? Because you… can’t.” I looked down at the pot of…  fruits, vegetables, a mystery meat that I really didn’t want to examine the provenance of too closely and wondered why and how he’d been inspired to toss it all into one dish then season it with fish sauce and what smelled like curry.

Completely oblivious to the taste, Mitsuhide was chowing down with gusto. “Dear me, are you questioning my cooking skills?”

“It wasn’t a question; it was a statement of fact.” No wonder Sho had run out of here so quickly. She’d probably been afraid that we would feed her.

“You are more than welcome to take over the cooking.” He gestured toward the firepit. “As for Sho… of course she’s a spy, although an unwitting one. But as long as we feed her the information we want Shojumaru to have, then we’re ahead of him.”

“I hope the information tastes better than this.” I dumped the remainder of my dinner in his bowl and got up to forage. I wasn’t much of a cook myself, but since he obviously had no taste buds, I had no choice. Whatever I cooked wouldn’t have much imagination, but it would be edible. “You’ve determined that Shojumaru is involved in this somehow?”

Hm, I could manage a quick soup with the veggies and these leftover noodles.

“I have determined nothing – but it’s prudent to view every person as dangerous until proven otherwise.” He looked at his bowl and threw in a few pieces of dried fruit (that I had assumed was to be his dessert, but maybe not). He turned the question back on me. “You seem convinced of his guilt. Any particular reason?”

Thrilled that he’d asked my opinion, I said, “No reason besides the fact that he’s too aggressively pleasant.”

“As logic, that lacks a bit of evidence, but I’ll let that go.” Mitsuhide then spoiled the tiny bit of good feeling I had toward him by announcing that he was going out. “Can you be trusted to actually stay put, or shall I chain you to the wall?”

Of course, he couldn’t trust me, but on this occasion, my plans for the night required that I stay in. Not that I could let him know that. “If you’re worried, take me with you.”

He flipped from teasing to authorative – which I now understood meant he wasn’t in the mood to banter over rules. “Do not leave this building. I will know and it will not go well for you.”

“I have every intention of staying in.” If I gave him my patented ‘I’m innocent and naïve’ look, he’d probably become suspicious, but I did add, “I promise.”

“If you get bored, might I suggest that you clean up the cooking area? We don’t want bugs.” And with that, he was gone.

Briefly I considered ignoring that suggestion. But I happened to agree that bugs were not welcome, and so I put my maid training to good use, cleaned up the dishes, washed out the pot, and banked the coals on the brazier. Besides, if he were planning to come back and check on me, he would see that I was cleaning the kitchen like a good little Cinderella.

Once the dishes were clean, the floor was washed, and all the food was put away… and more importantly the coast was clear, I set about my true goal for the evening: finding Aki’s letter.

It was not, unfortunately, in Mitsuhide’s desk – which was both unlocked and relatively empty of anything interesting beyond a few padlocks.

Huh, perhaps that chained to the wall threat was real.

Nor could I find a lockbox of any sort in the office. Which meant, he was either keeping the letter on his person, or in the bedroom.

Hopefully, the latter.

He hadn’t said how long he would be away, and the consequences of getting caught in his room would likely be humiliating, and potentially painful. Yes. Painful. I pushed away the memory of Mitsuhide telling me that he used pleasure as punishment.

But. It was my letter and it might even have a clue of sorts.

As with the office, Mitsuhide’s bedroom was scrupulously neat – I would need to be extremely careful not to disturb a thing, and to put everything back exactly where I had found it. A faint smell of that cinnamon and sandalwood incense and a fainter odor of sake clung to the edges of the room – I could see a half-empty bottle of it sitting on a shelf.

Also on the shelf… a puzzle box, and a fairly large one at that. Large enough to easily contain my letter. These boxes were just beginning to make their way into the country, but they wouldn’t become common for at least another century (at which point, some of the best puzzle box craftsmen would be domestic). But being from another century myself, I knew what it was, and more importantly, how to open them.

I sat down on the floor (less likely to crease the bedding on his futon) and experimented until I managed press the series of levers and disks in the correct order. The hidden drawer slid open, revealing my letter, and, underneath that -  a tobacco pipe and a lock of reddish-brown hair. Hm. I idly wondered whose hair that was. Who was important enough to him that he would save a bit of their hair in a keepsake box? Did Mitsuhide have a lost love?

Not that it matters.

Or that I care.

Of course, the hair could belong to anyone he had felt close to – a relative, even.

But this was not the time to be distracted. I left the personal items in the drawer and turned my attention to Aki’s letter. He’d written it in code – a special cipher that he and I had devised together. On one hand, this was good, because I doubted it would be one that would be easy for Mitsuhide to break. On the other hand, I was going to have to waste time decoding it.

My very dear child-

Are you surprised by the greeting? I’m afraid you are in for a few more surprises, for… and I hate to begin a letter with the very cliched ‘if you are reading this something has happened to me.’ However, that must be the case. I am sorry to be telling this to you in a letter, but I could never find the courage to tell you in person. In another timeline, my young acquaintance Mister Mikumo once said that you deserve your Cloud City moment.

Mikumo? Who is Mikumo? I momentarily pondered that before the implications of “Cloud City” hit me.

The Empire Strikes Back.

Vader to Luke Skywalker… “No. I am your father.”

Was Aki hinting that he was -- But that… wasn’t possible. I had been born nearly 450 years from now and Aki was of this era.

Except, Aki just alluded to a movie that had been made in the twentieth century.

Aki was not native to this time either… or if he was, he’d visited modern Japan at some point. During which time, he apparently been involved with my mother.

I wish I could give you the details, but even now there is the possibility that someone else may find and eventually decode this correspondence.

Thanks, Mitsuhide.

I’ll simply say that Francisco and I traveled here together.

Francisco? Really? The man couldn’t get from one end of Sakai to the other, and yet he’d managed to time travel 450 years into the past?

If you want to know the story of how your mother and I met and fell in love, ask him, for he was witness to all much of it. Should you decide that you want to make you way back to modern Japan (and… you may not wish to do so after you finish reading this), find Mister Mikumo – who you know as the ninja Sarutobi Sasuke. Sasuke also travelled here, separate from myself, and can help you.

Why Sasuke and not Francisco? Francisco has travelled as an observer of events, but he lacks the understanding of how to make the journey on his own. Additionally, for private reasons, he prefers to settle here permanently. If you elect to return home, the information below will help you in setting up a new life, or resuming your old one. Consider it your trust fund.

The “information below” appared to be a bank account number and password.

However, just as Francisco has his reasons, I am requesting that you stay here. There is an important mission, a vital one that –

Outside, a horse whinnied.

Mitsuhide was back.

Shit…. Shit… I shuttered the lantern – hopefully he hadn’t looked up to this window. Luckily the moon was full and provided enough light for me to carefully replace the letter and put the box back exactly where I had found it.

I’d considered keeping the letter, but – I didn’t want Mitsuhide to realize I had found his super secret squirrel hiding place, reclaim the letter, and force me to find it again. No. I would just have to sneak back in at some point to read the rest.

After a quick eyeball of the room to make certain nothing was out of place, I slipped into the corridor…

…Just as Mitsuhide appeared at the top of the stairs.

“Dear me. Has a naughtly little thief been lurking in my chambers?”

The third thing I hate about Mitsuhide – his timing.

@selenacosmic @bestbryn @mllorei @tele86 @lyds323 @akitsuneswife

[writingwhimsey]

A Mermaid Princess and A Pirate King

Meeting Shojumaru

It took a few days for Hideyoshi to arrange a meeting with his contact and we soon found ourselves in Aki. "This place can be pretty dangerous, I want you to stay close to Mitsunari and me the entire time." Hideyoshi instructed looking at me.

I fought the urge to say Yes, Mom. I just nodded. "Don't worry. Besides, Nobunaga wants me in this meeting. I have my own objectives to accomplish here." I reminded him.

"I know and I know you're very capable." Hideyoshi replied, reaching up to ruffle my hair in a brotherly head pat.

I smiled at him. "And I know you're just a worrywart."

"What kind of big brother would I be if I didn't worry about my little sister?" He reminded me.

"A pretty terrible one." I agreed with a laugh.

"I promise, we will keep you safe." Mitsunari said.

I smiled at him. "I couldn't be in better hands." I replied.

The three of us were heading to the merchant house that belonged to Hideyoshi's contact. In the last few days, I learned that the contact was named Shojumaru. He was a merchant and native of Aki. Judging from the merchant house we were approaching, he was a rather successful merchant.

The door slid open and a man stepped out. His clothes were comfortable, but fine quality...which led me to believe he was likely Shojumaru. He definitely looked the part of a successful merchant. He was also rather handsome, his skin was of the warmest tones and spoke of long days out at sea. His hair was a gorgeous white, yet dark at the base of his skull.

"Lord Hideyoshi, Lord Mitsunari it is my honor to welcome you to Aki." He greeted with a deep western style bow. I guess being a merchant he probably dealt with foreign traders a lot and picked up on some of their mannerisms. When he came back up, his eyes turned to me.

I met his gaze, catching sight of their blood red color and taking note.

"And who must this enchanting woman be?" He asked, smiling at me.

Don't swoon, Ava. Don't swoon. You've had plenty of practice fighting off flirty guys and your head not exploding between Shingen and Masamune. We can handle this guy.

"This is Lady Ava." Mitsunari introduced.

Shojumaru's eyes widened and then he bowed again. "The Oda Princess. What an honor it is to meet you, my lady."

I lifted my hands up, as if in surrender. "Please, no need to bow to me...and just Ava is fine."

Shojumaru came back up to standing. "If that is your wish, my lady." He replied. "Please, let us all continue this inside."

Shojumaru led us inside and we were soon sitting in a large, comfortable, and rather lavish room. Clearly, he was even more successful than he first appeared. I sat back and quietly listened as Hideyoshi began his conversation with Shojumaru.

"Have you been able to find anything, Shojumaru?" Hideyoshi asked.

He nodded. "Yes, as soon as I got your letter, my lord, I began digging for any information I could. Your information is correct, that scoundrel Motonari Mouri is very much alive and kicking. Stirring up trouble and causing problems all over."

"Damn, I was hoping Mitsuhide was wrong." Hideyoshi replied.

"Have you been able to find any information on his whereabouts?" Mitsunari asked.

Shojumaru shook his head. "Not so far, but I have eyes and ears everywhere. I know he has haunts here and in Sakai. We are combing over the city looking for him."

"Your help is much appreciated, Shojumaru." Hideyoshi said.

"I only hope my paltry efforts will be enough to help you and your Lord Nobunaga." Shojumaru replied, bowing his head.

They discussed the topic of looking for Motonari and where he might be hiding for a while longer, Shojumaru pointing out places on a map that he believed Motonari might use as a hiding place. Once they had finished Hideyoshi was speaking up once again.

"Now that we have that settled, Shojumaru, Ava has something to discuss with you." Hideyoshi informed him.

Shojumaru flashed me a kind smile. "I'd be more than happy to help, my lady. I was wondering what brought the Oda Princess along on such a trip."

"Just here to discuss if you can help us in replenishing some of our medical supplies." I replied. I was reaching into my kimono and pulling out the list I made. "The attack on the castle did some damage to other parts and there was some fire and smoke damage to a large chunk of our medicinal herbs."

Shojumaru took the list from me and I noticed for the first time that his hands were clad in white gloves. When he took the paper from me, he seemed to do so almost carefully, as if trying not to accidentally brush my hand.

"This is quite the list, my lady." He said, looking over it carefully. "And some of these are some rather rare herbs."

"Hideyoshi and Mitsunari spoke highly of you as a merchant. I figured if anyone had a chance of getting those herbs it would be you, but if I was mistaken..." I said, working on baiting him.

Shojumaru grinned at me and there was something else that flashed in his eyes a moment. "I am certain I can help you, my lady." He said. "It may take some time, but I do know a few things."

"I was hoping you could rise to the challenge." I replied, smiling.

"I must ask though, why would you be the one requesting these herbs? I thought Lord Ieyasu was the main healer among the Oda forces." Shojumaru went on, a curious look on his face.

"He still is, but he has other responsibilities to tend to." I answered. "So, I help out where I can."

"Don't let Ava's modesty fool you, Shojumaru." Hideyoshi said. "She's proven to be quite the healer herself. She's actually even taught Ieyasu a few things."

"Really? Then is that why there are the rumors of you going to battle with the Oda forces, Princess?" Shojumaru asked.

"I just go to help where I can." I replied. "Helping where I am needed is important to me."

"She is a very hardworking Princess and a boon to the Oda Forces." Mitsunari said.

"Mitsunari is right, you shouldn't be so modest about your contributions." Hideyoshi told me.

Oh, but I should and I will. I replied internally. I just smiled. "I am just doing what anyone else in my position would do." Was my spoken reply.

Shojumaru was watching me, it appeared almost intently. "I am sure that your kindness and efforts are greatly appreciated by all of the soldiers you treat." He said. "And I am sure your efforts are noticed by your lover as well, since he keeps you so close even in battle."

My eyes widened and I blinked. "My...lover? Last time I checked I didn't have one of those." Not for a lack of trying on the part of a few of the warlords. I added mentally.

"Pardon me." Shojumaru said. "I just figured that if the rumor of you going to battle was true then the other rumor I had heard was true as well. Forgive my rudeness."

"It's nothing to forgive, but please tell me, who do the rumors say is my lover?"

"Why, Lord Nobunaga, of course." Shojumaru answered.

"What?" I asked, almost choking on air.

Hideyoshi was chuckling. "You mean you haven't heard the rumor before now?"

"Do I look like the I've heard it before today?" I replied.

"I had no idea you and Lord Nobunaga were lovers. That's wonderful. Congratulations Lady Ava." Mitsunari said.

I smacked my palm to my forehead. "That's because it's not true, Mitsunari." I told him. Boy was such an angel. He was a genius when it came to strategy, but he really lacked in social situations it seemed. "Mother Nerissa have mercy." I muttered under my breath.

Mitsunari and Hideyoshi didn't seem to pay any attention to my rambling. They were used to me dropping random odd words they weren't familiar with. However, it appeared Shojumaru was paying attention, though he didn't say anything.

"So, there is no truth to the rumor at all then, my lady?" Shojumaru asked.

"Goodness, no." I answered. "And when I find out who started that damn rumor...it was Mitsuhide, wasn't it?" I asked this part looking at Hideyoshi. Mitsuhide loved to toy with me and spreading rumors and misinformation is kind of part of his thing. He would also be the most difficult to kill for this.

"I am not sure where the rumor started, but I am sure it came from our lord's fondness of you." Hideyoshi replied.

I sighed. Wouldn't surprise me if Nobunaga started it. The man did ask me to rule the world at his side when we first met after all.

"Pardon me for causing offense, my lady." Shojumaru said.

"It's perfectly alright. Thank you for telling me. At least now I'm aware of it." I replied. And can maybe do something about it. I added mentally, trying to figure out a way to put this rumor to rest.

The discussion continued for a bit longer before Shojumaru was having some of his workers showing us to rooms wwe could stay in for the night. They were nice rooms. Everything about Shojumaru's merchant house showed that he was successful and skilled at his job.

I took a nice bath, washing up from the travel before changing into my night robes and crawling into the nice warm futon. Though I had been doing well at hiding how weakened I was feeling, I was completely exhausted. Using my power to put out the fire and to help the few who had been injured in the attack...it had taken its toll on me.

I closed my eyes and fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow. Hopefully with some rest and plenty of food I would be fully recovered soon. Little did I know that the next day, I would be in for a rude awakening...and my powers would be even more drained. And I would soon be coming face to face with the man we were looking for.

[renwritesrandomthings]

イケメン戦国〜政宗本編 永遠の愛 エンド

Masamune's Eternal Love Ending

On Motonari's attempt to flirt

"Princess, why don't you play with me tonight. Oh, I did not know you are of Masamune's. That's rude of me."

Ugh. Motonari ⁄(⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)⁄

ps: In Azuchi, he introduces himself as Shojumaru [one of Motonari's 'nicknames']. I still find his existence with everyone strange, as his grandson should have been the one acquainted wth Hideyoshi. Also, he's already dead by this time. Haha ikesen's so messy.

[the12thnightproject]

Chapter 8: Charming? Katsu charms a 'Prince,' acquires a maid, and tries to steal her letter back from Mitsuhide.

Mitsuhide x OC; Hideyoshi x MC (Mai)

Previous Chapter

Logline - With Mai, Hideyoshi, and Aki missing, Mitsuhide and Katsuko reluctantly team up. Disguised as a merchant and his concubine, can they outsmart the man known as the God of Deceit?

Chapter Excerpt:

“Where did she come from again?” I asked Mitsuhide as he gestured to a pot of stew that he’d thrown together.

Literally. Thrown. Together.

“Please, partake. I could hear your stomach demanding food even over Sho’s monologue.” He handed me an empty bowl. “As for the maid, I had her direction from Shojumaru. Apparently one of her siblings works for him.”

“Shojumaru suggested her? Couldn’t that mean she’s a spy?” Surely Mitsuhide had considered that possibility. “And, seriously, if you are going to fill your house with spies, why not hire a cook too? Because you… can’t.” I looked down at the pot of…  fruits, vegetables, a mystery meat that I really didn’t want to examine the provenance of too closely and wondered why and how he’d been inspired to toss it all into one dish then season it with fish sauce and what smelled like curry.

Completely oblivious to the taste, Mitsuhide was chowing down with gusto. “Dear me, are you questioning my cooking skills?”

“It wasn’t a question; it was a statement of fact.” No wonder Sho had run out of here so quickly. She’d probably been afraid that we would feed her.

@arrthurpendragon

Link to full chapter on Ao3

Full chapter posts on Tumblr tomorrow.

[the12thnightproject]

Chapter 7: Retail... Therapy? In disguise as "Kaya and Kyubei," Mitsuhide and Katsu make their first public appearance, and formally meet the merchant Shojumaru.

Mitsuhide x OC; Hideyoshi x MC (Mai)

All Chapters Archived on Ao3 

Logline - With Mai, Hideyoshi, and Aki missing, Mitsuhide and Katsuko reluctantly team up. Disguised as a merchant and his concubine, can they outsmart the man known as the God of Deceit?

Mitsuhide’s gaze slid over my Katsu drag, making me feel like a child who has been caught in mischief. I raised my chin. I had done nothing wrong, and I had returned by sunrise. Almost.

I held up my pack. “There were some personal items I had stored at Francisco’s that I wanted back.”

“Indeed. Did it occur to you that your master would prefer not to have you traipsing all over Sakai dressed that way?” Before I could react, he had confiscated my pack and my arsenal. “I believe I’ll store these for safekeeping.”

Aki’s letter!

Not wanting to let him know he’d taken something important, I faked a smile and asked, “Did it occur to my ‘master’ that he now has two operatives for the price of one?”

“That rather depends on whether your skill set matches your enthusiasm. Does it?” Before I could assure him that I had the ability to do what was necessary, he continued. “After all, it was your blundering about town that landed you in this situation to begin with.” He rooted through the pack and with one finger, lifted out the ugly brown kimono. “Perhaps you can console yourself with the thought that it will pain Kyubei to be seen with someone wearing this.” He tossed it to me.

Ugh. Fine. I bundled the offensive garment against my stomach as I waited for him to leave the room so that I could change.

 “Dear me, is it your desire that I act as your personal maid? I do not recall that being part of our agreement, but if that is your wish, I aim to please.” He took a step toward me.

Ducking out of his way, I said, “I’ve been dressing myself since I could walk.” Since he still hadn’t left, I waved him toward the door.  “I’m not performing in a peep show. Get out.”

“You’ve yet to prove you can be trusted next to an open window.” He pulled the Yokai panelled screen away from the wall, creating a tiny alcove. He took me by the shoulders and spun me to face the screen. “If you’re that shy, change behind this. Go on now.” He gave me a very gentle nudge in that direction.

It would serve him right if I treated him to a full out striptease, but that was too far to go to prove a point (not that I know how to perform one anyway). “As you wish.”

Behind the relative safety of the screen, I put Kaya’s clothing back on. Then, keeping a tight grip on the kimono and hakama I had just removed, I returned to face my new ‘master.’ If he meant to confiscate Katsu, the way he had stolen my bag, he was going to learn just how rebellious and stubborn I could be.

He reached out his hand, and I took a nervous step back. “My clothes stay in my possession.”

Instead of trying to steal my clothes, he took my hand and placed a little container in the center of my palm. When I didn’t immediately examine it, he removed the lid, revealing some kind of cream that smelled vaguely medicinal. “For your wrists.” He traced his finger along the abrasion left by the rope.

He scooped out a little of the cream, and lightly massaged it into my wounds. His touch, and the cream, were both cool on my skin, and though I hadn’t realized that the cuts needed treatment, I felt instantly soothed, like little bits of frayed nerves were knitting back together. “Thank you.”

He inclined his head, and then, as if it was the gesture meant nothing, continued in a conversational tone. “Did you discover anything useful? You were gone far longer than it should have taken to retrieve your belongings.”

That suggested that he’d been awake – or awakened – when I climbed out the window in the middle of the night. The fact that he hadn’t rushed after or stopped me meant that he had been reasonably confident that I would return. Or maybe just confident that he could find me and bring me back – possibly in those threatened chains. “Maybe? There is a warehouse that I am curious about because five years ago it held a shipment of probably smuggled Nanban muskets.”

“You know this… because?” He turned toward the futon, and then, unexpectedly took a moment to smooth out the sheets and blanket – just as smooth – smoother, in fact - than I had left it. Then he gestured for me to follow him out of the room. “That kimono truly is an affront. Your master intends for you to wear something that is less of a crime against nature.”

I didn’t argue that. I couldn’t. The brown kimono was something I had hated from the first time I’d been forced to put it on. But, for a housemaid, it was practical, and made me nearly invisible when I wore it. “The weapons? It’s kind of a long story.” One in which I was nearly killed and I haven’t had enough tea this morning to discuss it. “Short version – because I was in there and saw them. I’m not clear on who owned the warehouse at that time, but now I think it belongs to a merchant named Shojumaru.”

Mitsuhide stopped in the middle of the staircase, and I nearly plowed right into him. “Shojumaru?”

“Do you know him?” From that reaction, he obviously had heard something about this Shojumaru. I hadn’t known Mitsuhide very long, but even this short acquaintance was enough to make me realize that his brief pause was equivalent to anyone else’s ‘what the hell’ reaction.

“Suffice it to say that his name has come up in the past. But thus far, we have yet to meet face to face.” He continued down to the street level, then suddenly put his arm out.

Yeah. It’s your arm. What about it?

I must have hestitated too long for he said, “Put your hand on my arm, brat. Kyubei is about to have fun dressing his new concubine.” He drew his fingers across his lips, miming a smile. “Try for at least some semblance of enthusiasm. I was under the impression that women liked shopping.”

Right. In public, I had to pretend to be intimate with ‘Kyubei,’ and ‘outside’ definitely counted as ‘in public,’ though, actually there didn’t seem to be anyone paying attention to us. You agreed to this, I reminded myself again, as I lightly placed my hand on his forearm. His skin felt cool to the touch – like a snake’s - but I kept that thought to myself. “So, he’s a person of interest?”

“Who?” Mitsuhide strolled with me down the street, walking so slowly we might as well be going backward. “Person of interest? Sometimes you come up with the oddest way of phrasing things… almost like…” He trailed off. It seemed like the words had frozen in his throat.

I turned to look at him, trying to read his face, but his expression hadn’t altered. Still, there was something about the way he’d cut off his words that made me think he’d stopped himself, not to self-edit, but because the topic was painful to him. So instead, I pushed the conversation back to where it had been. “Shojumaru. Do you think he is involved in this?”

He didn’t answer.

Before we entered a shop that looked to be a storefront for a seamstress, Mitsuhide underwent a rather creepy transformation, somehow managing to turn what was normally an attractive profile (I don’t like him, but I can’t claim he isn’t good looking) into something dark and sneering. Having seen Aki perform similar tricks, I shouldn’t have been unnerved by it, but Mitsuhide’s ability to inhabit a character far exceeded Aki’s and this new creature seemed volatile and sinister.

He gave my arm a bit of a tug, pulling me off balance, causing me to stumble as we crossed the threshold.

“Graceless child. Did no one teach you how to walk?” The look of disgust he gave me was chilling.

But under that attitude and the dark wig, it was still Mitsuhide, and Mitsuhide had a way of always daring me to snark back at him. “Next time, don’t pull me off balance.”

He whirled suddenly, gracefully and his fingers gripped my chin. “Do not forget your place.”

The pinch didn’t hurt, nor had it hurt when he pulled me into the building, but the cold indifference when he addressed me created a different kind of pain. It told me I was worth nothing; that this man would toss me into the gutter at the slightest provocation.

He half-dragged me to a counter area where the proprietor was watching with appalled fascination. “This sorry creature needs a full wardrobe. I’ve been informed that you are a seamstress of adequate ability.”

The seamstress looked pissed at that insult to her skill but her expression changed when ‘Kyubei’ dropped a heavy coin purse on the counter. “Of course, my lord.” She let her gaze drift down my brown kimono and I could see her repress a shudder. “However, I do not sell fabric. If you have a preferred vendor, material can be sent to me, or for an added fee, I will purchase some.”

Mitsuhide gave the seamstress’s own kimono a long look and raised that eyebrow. Clearly ‘Kyubei’ thought he could do better on his own, although I have no idea what he thought wrong with her taste. Then again, I’ve never had the luxury of thinking about that – clothes were part of my uniform, they kept me warm, and that’s all they’ve needed to be for the past seven years. “I will have fabric sent to you. In the meanwhile, perhaps you have something already completed that I can purchase today. My pet’s,” he reached out a finger and drew it down the side of my face, “clothing needs to reflect her new position in life.” The slight emphasis he gave the word ‘position’ was a bit extra.

Yes, yes, I’m sure the woman already figured that I would be spending most of my time on my back.

The seamstress hesitated until more coins were laid upon the counter. “Indeed, yes, I might have something suitable.”

By which I understood that to mean some poor woman was going to have to wait much longer for her kimono.

“Good.” He turned to me and leered. “I do hope you will show proper gratitude for my generosity.” He hooked a finger around the edge of my kimono and pulled me closer to him.

He was acting. I knew this was a performance pitched specifically for the seamstress. He might tease and suggest, he might order me around, but he wasn’t cruel or sleazy. Or… was he? Maybe the Mitsuhide I knew was the act and this man was the reality?

But whatever this was, I didn’t have to reach far into my own acting bag to feel repulsed. I slapped his hand away. I might have agreed to play his concubine in public, but even the concubines I had seen around the city were not passive victims to this kind of behavior.

The seamstress looked horrified – whether it was on my behalf or because of a potential loss of sale, and before Mitsuhide… no, Kyubei, it’s Kyubei, it’s an act, as much as Kaya is, and Kaya needs to stop rebelling so overtly… before he could do more than reach for me again, she intervened. “My lord, I need to measure this one in order to properly fit her.”

Mitsuhide directed a look at me that clearly conveyed this matter wasn’t over yet, then waved at the seamstress. “Yes. Take that off. And bring her back in something that less offends my eyes.”

I gratefully followed her to a back room, where she silently began measuring me with leather strips. The physical measurements were neutral. The measurement of my character was much more scornful.

How should I play this? Kaya might want to run away, but this woman hadn’t given me any suggestion that she would be willing to help. Maybe she’d seen this scenario play out all too often. Maybe she felt like the concubines had brought this on themselves. Asking her for help wouldn’t result in any help… but I didn’t want help.

I wanted information.

And so, I lightly probed.

“I was a housemaid.” I put a note of defensiveness into my voice. “My lord and his wives were killed in the war and his castle was burned.”

She ignored me in favor of unwrapping an addressed parcel – that turned out to contain a peach-colored kimono that, as I had guessed earlier, had been destined for someone else.

“I was taken prisoner in the melee and sold to Master Kyubei.” Underneath my defensiveness was actual fear. Seven years ago, if Aki had not rescued me, this might have truly been my fate. I owed him everything. And if this masquerade with Mitsuhide was the way to find him, I needed to stop fighting it, and go all in. “But I’m a trained maid. Please do you know anyone who might need-“

She pinched my arm. “Do you think you were special? All over the country, people are starving. Be grateful you were sold to him, and not one of the dirty foreigners.”

“Could… that have actually happened?” I made an effort to sound suitably shocked. Now… now, please give me some useful information, lady.

“It happens all the time.” She yanked the brown kimono off me and quickly dressed me in the peach confection. There had been some matching hair pins in the packet as well, but when she unbraided my hair, she looked appalled.

Now she looks appalled. Sex slaves can’t shock her. Bad hair can. Good. To. Know.

And my hair was truly awful. It had never recovered from the time Aki’s chatelaine chopped the turquoise streaks out of it – and admittedly, I had not helped matters much, by sawing off chunks of hair with my dagger whenever I felt a bit falling into my face.

“What am I going to do with this?” She muttered to herself, then yanked it into a tight knot and shoved the pins in. I imagined that I now looked like a porcupine. A peach porcupine. And given my hair’s properties, it would likely succumb to entropy by noon.

Mitsu-Kyubei looked marginally less disgusted at my appearance when we returned. At his expression, pieces of my hair escaped the knot and spronged outward. He scowled at my hair, then turned back to the seamstress. “I will send materials to you. There is a bonus in it for you if you complete the order quickly.” To me, he simply offered his arm. “Come along, Kaya.”

I gave the seamstress one more not completely faked look of ‘help me’ (which she ignored), then took his arm. He waited until we were in the street before saying in quiet tones, “Dear me, if that was your idea of obeying me in public, we need to spend some time learning vocabulary.”

“I didn’t run away, did I?” More hair fell down as a pin bounced off my shoulder and clinked to the ground. “I decided my character Kaya is rebellious and hasn’t yet accepted her new life. That in turn allowed me to question the seamstress.”

“I stand corrected.” He gestured for me to pick up the hairpin. “And what did your rebellious ‘charade’ yield in terms of information?”

He could stand to be less sarcastic.

I grabbed the hairpin and randomly poked it into my hair. “Not much.” It hurt to admit that. “Just that our people are frequently sold to the Nanban… which, we already knew… and she personally finds her life easier if she ignores this and never thinks about it… oh, and besides… you didn’t warn me or ask me to give approval on your character either!” I couldn’t glare at him because we were in public. “That was disturbing. Where did you pull that character from – because if there’s a real-life model for him, I never want to meet him.”

“There is and you don’t.” He steered me around a pile of animal poo that some large beast had left in the street.

I waited for a longer explanation, and when I didn’t get one, picked up where I was going with my previous conversation. “I didn’t realize that Kyubei-the-merchant was such a …” I searched for a word that would be period appropriate and settled upon, “an abusive employer. Does the real Kyubei know how badly you slaughter his reputation?”

“The real Kyubei, which as it happens, is not his true name either, is happily ensconced in my manor, pretending to be me, and I’m certain he could, if he wanted, do equal damage to mine. He won’t, however, as he at least, understands the meaning of obedience.” He raised one eyebrow as the hairpin shot out of my hair again. “You cannot be making those fly out on purpose.”

“I’m not.” I again retrieved the pin and stuck it in my kimono – clearly it was not going to stay put. “My hair is impossible to work with.” With perfect timing, the whole knot unraveled, and my hair tumbled past my shoulders in its ragged, uneven glory.

“Do your best to fix that. Kyubei isn’t going to play lady’s maid in the middle of the street. Or even in,” he added, as we entered a fabric merchant’s shop. The merchant in question was deeply involved in a conversation with another customer and paid us no attention. “Here.”

My best was Katsu’s braid, but that wasn’t going to be appropriate for Kaya. And since I fully intended to go outside sometimes as Katsu, keeping our hairstyles as different as possible would likely be advisable. With a sigh, and to Mitsuhide’s silent condemnation, I grabbed my hair, haphazardly twisted it all up again, randomly sticking the pins in where it felt like it needed help in the structural integrity department.

“A maid would seem to be necessary. However…” He picked up my arm and resumed his ‘evil Kyubei’ character, just as the Merchant wound up his sale and turned to look at us. “There is the matter of privacy.”

Right. A live-in maid would mean we’d have to keep this charade up a lot more. Maybe all the time. Did Mitsuhide even have another bedroom in the townhouse? “Too bad I can’t just cut it off.”

“Would you be willing to wear a wig?” At what was likely my look of horror, he said, “I thought not,” then turned to the merchant. Without bothering to greet the man, he simply pointed to various fabrics. “That one. That one. And bring both of those down. I must examine those more closely.”

Since my opinion wasn’t needed (or wanted), I took the opportunity to look around. The store was well organized and it looked like – if my very limited knowledge of fabric was anything to go by – the stock was of very high quality. Probably imported from China or India. There even seemed to be some kind of fancy quilted (was that the word?) stuff that looked vaguely European.

Someone in the back of the shop waved impatiently to the merchant, but Mitsuhide was keeping him busy – making him pull out fabrics, them rejecting them all at a closer glance. Finally, the other person, an apprentice, it seemed, approached us to tell the merchant that a ship had recently docked in the harbor, and if he wanted to have his pick of things, he needed to go to Shojumaru’s warehouse immediately, before his rivals got there first.

Shojumaru!

The merchant seemed torn, but Mitsu-Kyubei flapped his hands at the pile of fabric and said, “we shall all go. If this warehouse has such high-quality inventory, then I must be the first to see it.”

That was the moment that I realized I didn’t know what Mitsu-Kyubei’s cover story was in terms of his own imports. Obviously not fabric. I asked Mitsuhide himself that very question, as we followed the fabric merchant (whose name, I had finally learned was Tadayo) toward the warehouses that lined the street closest to the docks.

“At the moment, it’s lacquerware as an export and spices as an import. The storerooms in the courtyard behind the townhouse are filled with both.” He again offered me his arm and I took hold of it easily – it was startling at how quickly we’d fallen into a pattern. “However, I’ve let it be known that I’m interested in acquiring Nanban muskets.”

That was a lot of trouble to go to in order to find two people and I wondered if there was more of a bigger issue behind the search. Then again, Nobunaga certainly had the personal resources to help create the background for this story – easy enough to acquire the spice in Kyoto and repurpose one of his armorers to create the lacquerware. I supposed if I went into the storerooms, I’d find examples of it all artfully staged in case anyone was suspicious enough of Kyubei to check things out.

The interest in muskets though? Was that why Hideyoshi and Mai had been in Sakai? My mind worked through the possibilities. Unfortunately, Mitsuhide was not likely to use me as a sounding board. I should have put “compare notes” in our contract. As a substitute for Aki, Mitsuhide was sadly lacking.

Realizing that Mitsu-Kyubei was making idle small talk with Tadayo, I tuned back into the conversation, just as they were in fact discussing Nobunaga. “Do the rest of the merchants also agree that Oda is a threat to Sakai’s self-governance?”

“For years, the Kaigoshu have collected ruled Sakai. We’ve needed no daimyo. Why then should we bow to the Oda?” Tadayo paused to allow a two-wheeled cart laden with crates to lurch past us.

“Why indeed? I’ve never tolerated interference in my own affairs.” Kyubei sent a glance my way – presumably he was warning Tadayo off me, but given that he was still unhappy over the Kennyo incident from earlier this year, it was an implied threat to me as well. “However, widening the moat appears to be a waste of time and resources, not to mention an unsightly blight upon the landscape.”

Tadayo laughed, having apparently gotten past his initial annoyance. “I’m in agreement with you there, Kyubei. But the advantage of self-governance is balanced by the difficulty of getting twenty-odd merchants to come to a decision on anything. Council meetings can be long and contentious – longer now that the Nanban merchants are permitted to attend.” He drew to a halt, and I realized we were in front of that warehouse again.

“You invite the foreign barbarians?” There was a note of incredulity in his voice, although I was willing to bet that this was something MItsuhide had known already. In fact, he’d probably been working toward this subject of conversation from the start.

Really… I could… learn a lot from him.

Tadayo gestured for Mitsu-Kyubei to go inside. Unlike yesterday, the warehouse was full of crates, several already open and being inspected. “They do not, of course, have any voting rights or privileges, but we determined that it was most expedient to get their information and thoughts when everyone was already gathered, rather than in fits and starts so that by the time it is all relayed to us, it has changed out of all recognition. Ah, good morning Master Shojumaru.”

Shojumaru (for that was indeed the man I had spied on early this morning) had changed clothes – not simply wiped the mud off – since the incident with the mud and the crate, so that my first close view of the man left an impression of crisp cleanliness. Even his white hair seemed to sparkle. When he saw Tadayo, he stepped forward to greet us, and in that moment he and Mitsuhide sized each other up like gladiators in a ring.

From my position clinging to Mitsuhide’s arm, I was momentarily ignored, allowing me the position of pure observer. He smiled at us, a polite, friendly smile. Nothing in that smile said, ‘I’m dangerous,’ in fact, the smile seemed to be going out of the way to suggest the opposite. And yet my pulse sped up like it did when it sensed danger, so much so that Mitsuhide had to have noticed. “Greetings Tadayo, as always you are bright and early to look over the newest arrivals… and whom have you brought with you?

Tadayo introduced Kyubei, stating that the man was interested in purchasing some fabric and would prefer to evaluate the material in person.

After a bow that was right on the line of being ingratiating, Shojumaru said, “Of course. It would be my pleasure.”

Although completely innocuous, his words sent another jolt through me, and for a moment the room grew dim, and incredibly warm. My breath caught in my throat, and if I didn’t know better, I would think I was having a heart attack.

I did know better.

It was the beginning of a panic attack.

But just because I recognized it, did not mean I had the ability to stop it.

Breathe. Breathe.

This is nothing.

Was it simply being in this warehouse again, the building where I had been trapped five years ago, was enough to bring it all back?

Breathe.

You are safe.

I could hear my heart echoing in my ears.

Not now… not here.

@selenacosmic @bestbryn @mllorei @tele86 @akitsuneswife @lyds323

[writingwhimsey]

A Mermaid Princess and A Pirate King

The Attack

Before I knew it, a year had passed. I’d made myself a home with the Oda forces. Nobunaga had insisted on taking me into battle with him. Though I could fight, I thought it best to keep that secret to myself. Instead, I helped in more subtle ways. I worked with the healers, using my knowledge and occasionally a boost from my powers to help heal the wounded. After each battle, when the fields were scorched with fire and blood, I would bring forth rain to help heal the land…and throw in a bit of healing for anyone the rain fell on.

I was doing some work around the castle, helping to check on supplies when I heard my name called. “Lady Ava!”

I turned smiling at the bright and chipper face of the sweet Ranmaru. He’d returned to Azuchi not long after I had met up with Sasuke. There had been several of Nobunaga’s vassals calling for him to hand over his head for abandoning Nobunaga at Hono-ji. I hadn’t been able to stand for that thought and spoke up without thinking of the consequences. Though my appeals had apparently worked and Nobunaga spared his life and reinstated him as his page.

From that moment on, I had gained a new friend and ally in Ranmaru. He was what I imagined having a little brother to be like. He was so cute and sweet. That had also been a turning point in my relationship with Hideyoshi. He’d lost suspicion of me and now took me on as a little sister…though one could argue that he was more like an overprotective mother.

“Hey, Ranmaru.” I greeted him as I put down the dusting cloth I was using. “What’s up?”

“I just came in from town and I thought we could enjoy this mochi I picked up together.” He answered. “I know how hard you work, so I thought it would be nice to have a break.”

“I guess I could use a break.” I replied. “Thanks, Ranmaru.”

The two of us made our way to the garden and found a nice shady spot to sit down. “This is really delicious.” I said after taking a bite. “I really appreciate you sharing these with me.”

Ranmaru smiled cheerfully at me. “Anything that brings a smile to your face, Lady Ava.”

“So, what’s new around town?” I asked.

“There’s a new bakery coming in. There’s also another merchant moving in to town who is bringing in a lot of imports.” Ranmaru explained. “Oh, and that kind old lady you helped the last time we were in town together, she wanted me to tell you she was doing great and her daughter was all better.”

I smiled. “I am just glad I was able to help.”

“You may show up Lord Ieyasu with all of the stuff you know, Lady Ava.” Ranmaru said with a laugh. “I hadn’t thought I would ever meet anyone who could do more for someone who was sick or injured than him.”

“Shh, we just won’t tell him that.” I replied. “Besides, I’m not here to show anyone up. I just want to help where I can.”

“I’m really glad you’re here with us, Lady Ava.” Ranmaru said.

“Ranmaru, Ava! There you two are!”

We both turned to see Hideyoshi walking towards us. “I was just making sure Lady Ava had a nice little break.” Ranmaru said.

“I’m glad you’re helping me look after her, Ranmaru. I don’t think she’d ever take a break on her own.” Hideyoshi replied.

“Like you have room to talk.” I teased. “You’re the hardest working one here. How many times have I caught you with your lamp still lit when I’ve gotten up for a cup of water in the night?”

Hideyoshi looked slightly abashed. “Someone has to make sure everything runs smoothly around here.” He countered.

“So, you didn’t come looking for us just for this teasing, Lord Hideyoshi?” Ranmaru asked.

“I came because we are having an emergency council. Lord Nobunaga wants everyone there.” Hideyoshi answered. “Keiji has come back with some really important news.”

“Keiji?” I asked as Ranmaru and I got to our feet.

“Oh, that’s right you never got to meet Lord Keiji.” Ranmaru said. “You’ve been with us for so long now, I forgot you two hadn’t met.”

“It does feel like you’ve been with us forever.” Hideyoshi agreed.

“Hideyoshi…why is that vein in your forehead throbbing?” I asked as we all began our walk to the castle.

“Let me guess, Lord Keiji is being his usual self?” Ranmaru asked.

“Yes.” Hideyoshi answered.

“What is Keiji like?” I asked. “Wait…we’re not talking about Keiji Maeda are we?”

“The one and only.” Ranmaru answered.

“The wild child of the Oda forces.” Hideyoshi said. “He causes me no end of headaches with his antics.”

We were just a few meters from the main hall, when I spotted a tall man clad in the brightest, flashiest colors I had ever seen since coming to the Sengoku. So much orange and bright colors, all topped with red hair.

“Keiji, what are you doing out here? Shouldn’t you be in the council room?” Hideyoshi scolded.

“What? You expected me to wait in there when you’ve got the princess coming?” The tall redhead replied. He then turned golden eyes and a big grin on me. “You must be the princess.”

“And you must be Keiji.” I replied.

Keiji grinned at me. "Never seen a princess that dressed as a maid though." He said.

"Just helping out where I can." I replied. "And you can just call me Ava."

"RIght, Princess." He replied, still grinning at me. "Wish we were getting to meet under better circumstances."

"Yes, now let's get in to this council. You're the one who showed up saying you had something serious to tell us about." Hideyoshi replied.

"Right." Keiji agreed.

The four of us were walking in the audience chamber then and all taking our seats. "Alright, everyone is here. Keiji, speak what you have returned to say." Nobunaga declared.

"And it had better be important for you to have been away for so long." Hideyoshi added, his scold face on.

Keiji nodded. "It's really important. You see I've been undercover in enemy territory. I've learned of an attack coming. They've brought in some big foreign weapons that they plan on using to attack Azuchi."

"How soon is this attack coming?" Nobunaga asked.

"By my guess they should be ready tomorrow." Keiji answered. "I couldn't get all the details before I left, but I know it's coming and it's something big."

"Do you know who is behind the attack?" Hideyoshi asked.

Keiji shook his head. "I never got to see who the boss in charge was. I was on a ship for most of my time. Crewed mostly by pirates and mercenaries. Never saw the captain or the guy he was working with."

"We must act quickly." Nobunaga declared. "Evacuate the city and rally the troops. We will defend our city."

"Right away, my lord." Hideyoshi replied.

Nobunaga began to give out orders, who was to be in charge of the evacuation and such. I was working with the healers to make sure we had plenty of supplies for any casualties we would take. "Ava." Hideyoshi said coming up to me.

I turned to him. "What is it?" I asked.

"I think you should evacuate with the civilians." He told me.

"I am not about to go hide when I can help." I replied.

"Ava..." Hideyoshi began.

I stopped him. "How many battles have I come to with you guys now?" I asked. "I'm perfectly capable of handling myself. And more importantly, I want to help. I won't just stand aside and hide when there is work I can do to help."

Hideyoshi sighed. "I should have known you'd say that."

"Would you expect my lucky charm to be any other way?" Nobunaga asked as he came up to us.

I smiled. "Besides someone has to look out for you guys. I mean who was it that took care of you when you took that arrow to the shoulder a few months ago?" I asked, looking at Hideyoshi.

Hideyoshi let out an awkward cough. "I do appreciate your care during that time." He said, his cheeks reddening slightly. "Just make sure you're careful. I'd hate for anything to happen to my little sister." He was then patting my head in an affectionate brotherly manner that had become so familiar over the last year.

"You're no normal princess, are you?" Keiji asked as he came up to me.

"I think being normal is overrated." I answered, smiling.

Keiji grinned at me. "I think you're going to be a lot of fun."

I returned his grin. "Let's get through this battle and we'll talk about the fun later."

"A princess who has her priorities straight. I like it." Keiji replied.

The rest of the day and night passed by in a flurry of battle preparations. Nobody got much sleep as we worked to evacuate the city and stock the castle with supplies. It was soon just after dusk on the day of the attack. The warlords had gathered to stand at the frontlines, soldiers all with them, forming a protective barrier around the castle. I was inside with the healers, prepared to take in wounded.

I won't lie there was a part of me that wished I could be out on the front lines, but I knew it was better to hide myself. Though I had run through time to hide, if I made too much notice of myself then I was more likely to be found. I couldn't just run from the changes I had made to history however. Nor could I say I regretted saving Nobunaga. Though his attitude at times grated on my nerves, I found him a rather enjoyable person to be around. I genuinely cared for all of the warlords in fact. Azuchi was my home now...the first place to actually feel like home in such a long time now. The warlords my new family.

"Lady Ava, I finished checking all of the medical supplies, we are fully stocked and ready." One of the other healers told me.

I nodded. "Good."

Just as this conversation was finished, there was a loud boom and then a crashing sound. The entire castle shook. I could tell from the direction the sound came from that the Tenshu had been hit. We really weren't far from the tenshu actually. I looked at the walls around us and noticed some cracks forming.

I could also smell smoke coming from the tenshu. "We have to get out of here now!" I shouted. Everyone grabbed a few supplies and began to run out of the room. I was the last one out, making sure that everyone made it out safely. I sent them to the garden while I made my way to the front line to see what was going on and take a look at the castle.

Flames shot out from the tenshu which was now mostly gone. I gripped the pendant at my neck as I hastily walked towards where the warlords were gathered. I used my power to summon the rain to put out the fire and restore the spirit of anyone the rain touched.

"Ava, there you are!" Hideyoshi called as he ran up to me.

I looked at him. "Are you guys all okay?" I asked.

"Yes, what about you and the healers?" He asked.

"Everyone got out before anything could happen." I answered.

The rain began then. "Thank goodness for the rain. It would be hard to get that fire put out." Hideyoshi said.

I nodded. "Yeah. So, what happened? Where's the enemy?"

"A good distance away hiding it seems." Hideyoshi answered. I don't even know how they managed that."

"Keiji did say foreign weapons right?" I asked, as I wracked my brain for historical information that could indicate where this weapon had come from.

"I sure did." Keiji answered as he came over to join us. "Though I didn't see what it was. I didn't expect it to be anything that could cause this kind of damage."

"We need to assess the damage and find out who did this." Hideyoshi said.

"We shall find the coward who has the audacity to attack Azuchi without even being close enough to observe the damage." Nobunaga declared as he and the others all joined us.

It took us a few days to fully assess the damage to the castle, but it appeared the tenshu and only areas immediately adjacent to it were affected. The tenshu having been pretty much completely destroyed. Thankfully the rain storm I summoned had been able to put out the fire before it could spread too quickly. We'd gotten the people to return to the city. Thankfully no one had targeted them and their homes and businesses were all safe as well.

I was helping with some cleaning and moving the healers around when Ranmaru came to get me. "Lady Ava, Lord Nobunaga has asked that you come to the war council." He greeted me.

I turned to the others I had been working with. "I'll be back to help with more later."

"Just be sure you don't tire yourself out. You've been working so hard with us, my lady." Kinu, one of the maids said to me.

I smiled at her. "You had better take your own advice. Make sure all of you are getting adequate breaks." I replied before bowing and heading off with Ranmaru to the council chamber.

Once we arrived, I took my place. "Sorry I'm late."

"You are here now, that is all that matters." Nobunaga replied. "And I commend you on the work you've been doing to help restore the castle."

"Just doing my part." I replied.

"Now that everyone is here, let's get down to business. Mitsuhide, I believe you have a report?" Nobunaga prompted.

"Yes, my lord." Mitsuhide replied. "It appears that the mastermind behind the attack is Kicho."

Everyone seemed to be stunned. Remembering my history, Kicho was another name used for Nohime...who had been Nobunaga's legal wife. However that did not appear to be the case.

"So, after disappearing four years ago, he has decided to return? And now he works against us?" Nobunaga asked, wearing what appeared to be an amused smile.

He? So, clearly Kicho was NOT Nobunaga's wife. Had I changed history that much? Or did this stem from Sasuke's involvement as well? Or...had history gotten it wrong? I pondered to myself.

"That bastard." Hideyoshi said, clenching his fists.

"Rumor has it that he is now a merchant working out of Sakai." Mitsuhide went on. "A rather successful one at that."

"That would explain how he was able to get his hands on a foreign weapon to attack us." Masamune said.

"He had some help with getting this weapon." Mitsuhide went on. "Keiji, I believe you said that the ship you were on was crewed mostly by pirates and mercenaries, correct?"

"Sure as sugar." Keiji answered.

"It turns out that the Tiger of Kai and the Dragon of Echigo are not the only ghosts rising from the dead to come for us." Mitsuhide went on.

"How do ghosts and mercenaries and pirates have anything to do with this attack and who Kicho is working with?" Hideyoshi asked, clearly frustrated with the way Mitsuhide tended to draw the suspense out.

"Motonari Mouri." Mitsuhide answered, that ever present cheshire grin on his face.

"That bastard is still alive? I thought he'd gone to Hell a long time ago." Hideyoshi replied.

"As I said, we are having enemies rise up from the dead all over." Mitsuhide replied.

I sat silently, thinking about all of this. Motonari was the famous head of the Mouri clan, who dominated the south. The Mouri had a strong navy and Motonari was skilled in naval battles. He was also known to have thrown his lot in with the Murakami Pirates and did plenty of less than savory things in the name of piracy. And as most of the other men I had come to know in this time, he was supposed to be dead at this point in history. Was supposed to have died some time ago if I remembered correctly.

This is getting trickier and trickier to make sure that history stays on course. I thought to myself. I also knew that it wasn't that long ago that the Oda forces had signed a peace treaty with the Mouri clan. So clearly that was all a lie.

"If Motonari is involved, I'd like to investigate and find him, my lord." Hideyoshi spoke up. "We can use our contact in Aki. The merchant who had helped us with the negotiations."

"Very well, I give you permission to reach out to your contact, HIdeyoshi." Nobunaga said. "He will be useful to us in more ways than one."

"Is there something you have in mind, my lord?" Hideyoshi asked.

Nobunaga nodded...and then those carnelian eyes were on me. "Yes, Ava how are we on our stores of medicinal herbs and salves?"

"We lost several necessary items in the attack. The healers and I managed to get out what we could, but we lost a lot." I answered, honestly. "And despite what Ieyasu has given us from his personal garden, we have still lost a lot of important herbs."

Nobunaga nodded. He then looked at Hideyoshi. "You will take Ava with you when you go meet with your contact. Once you have finished discussing trying to find Motonari, Ava, you will discuss trying to gain some herbs and anything else we need for the castle."

"I would be happy to." I replied.

"If that is what you order, my lord." Hideyoshi replied, clearly he didn't want me to come along. At least I knew now that it was because he was worried about my safety rather than about me being a spy now. I sat silently, listening to the rest of the council and planning out the herbs I would be asking this merchant contact for. I also tried to think of anything else we needed for the castle and the city...anything that could be a good morale booster for everyone. I would do my part to be sure we recovered and were back on the path to unification and having the bright future that I knew was to come.