Finally, my first Samurai Warriors fic! It also happens to be my first yaoi fic! Hope you enjoy reading it, and review to let me know what you think!
Chapter 1- A Friend in Need...
"Lord Mitsuhide, your presence is requested in Lord Nobunaga's tent."
"Tell him that sleeping with him again can wait a few minutes," Mitsuhide Akechi replied groggily, still very much asleep.
"This is for a meeting among the generals, my Lord," Nobunaga's messenger persisted. "Not...that..."
Mitsuhide bolted upright. "Oh, damn it, I completely forgot about this meeting!"
"I suggest you get ready and attend as soon as possible, my Lord."
"Better late than never, I suppose. Thank you for reminding me of this."
"You're very welcome, my Lord. I'll give you some privacy now, just get to Lord Nobunaga's tent as soon as you are ready."
The messenger left Mitsuhide's tent, leaving Mitsuhide to get himself dressed. As he pulled on his casual robes, as this was not a formal occasion, he began to think about what Nobunaga would do to him for being late. "He'll probably be extra rough next time, just great," he thought aloud. Nobunaga greatly enjoyed having sex with all of his generals, but he seemed to prefer Mitsuhide more than everyone else, even his own wife, Nō. Mitsuhide found himself being privately summoned to his Lord's tent almost every other day. He usually didn't mind though, for he would do anything for his Lord. Only when Nobunaga was especially rough with him would Mitsuhide have any complaint. As Mitsuhide left his tent for his Lord's, he could only hope Nobunaga would not have this in mind. Mitsuhide soon reached his Lord's tent and quietly crept inside, hoping to not interrupt the meeting.
"Well, it seems you've decided to attend after all!"
Mission Failed.
Nobunaga Oda rose from his chair and strode up to Mitsuhide, his dark eyes devouring him. Almost any other man would cower in fear of this, but Mitsuhide's complete trust in his Lord negated any fear he could've had.
"May I ask why you were late, Mitsuhide?" Nobunaga whispered to him.
"I'm terribly sorry my Lord," Mitsuhide apologized. "I had completely forgotten about this meeting. Please forgive me, my Lord."
"You have my forgiveness. Now, to make up for the time lost, I'd like you to meet me in my bedroom after this meeting has ended." Nobunaga winked at him slyly.
"Yes, my Lord."
"Good. Now please, take your place, and we shall resume this meeting." Nobunaga turned and walked back to his chair, then sat and waited for Mitsuhide. Mitsuhide took his place at his Lord's right side and observed the room. At Nobunaga's left sat Nō, his wife. Though she loved her husband very much, she was a loyal retainer to him, not just some petty whore. Nobunaga actually had a good deal of respect for her and treated her with such. To the left of Nō was Katsuie Shibata, an old and reliable general who had served Nobunaga for many years. To Mitsuhide's right sat Ranmaru Mori, a young warrior who Mitsuhide mentored. Ranmaru was probably the only other general of Nobunaga who had as much blind faith in him as Mitsuhide did. Next to Ranmaru sat Hanbei Takenaka, an idealistic young strategist who proved to be very valuable to Nobunaga's army. Across from Hanbei, next to Katsuie, was Kanbei Kuroda, the other of Nobunaga's strategists. Hanbei and Kanbei were both best friends and polar opposites. Kanbei was always preparing for the worst and was deathly pale; Hanbei was optimistic and full of energy- when he wasn't taking a nap, that is. Mitsuhide smiled, for he was part of a powerful group of individuals. It gave him a certain sense of pride to know that everyone else in the room could probably kill him in some way.
"Ahem, now that everyone is here, let us discuss the most pressing matters at hand."
Nobunaga broke the silence, and when he spoke, he commanded total attention. "Hanbei, Kanbei, would you like to explain our current situation?"
"Of course, my Lord," Kanbei replied. He and Hanbei stood up and faced the rest of the generals. "It appears that Motonari Mōri, who we assumed was dead, is very much alive and out to deter us from gaining any more land in the west."
"That really is a bummer, isn't it?" Hanbei joked. "I mean, he disappears to avoid fighting anymore, and then he reappears just for you, Lord Nobunaga. You must feel very honored, no?"
"Certainly," Nobunaga grumbled, rolling his eyes.
Kanbei rolled his eyes as well, then continued. "Contrary to Hanbei's belief, this is no laughing matter. While normally our massive army would be able to crush this nuisance with little effort, unfortunately we will have to fight him in a naval battle."
"I'm really surprised," Hanbei cut in, "that we have such a huge army but barely any navy. Whose grand idea was that? Oh wait, ours..."
"Mostly yours, actually," Kanbei said flatly. "It is also rumored that the Saika Rebels, led by Magoichi Saika, have joined forces with the Mōri."
"So now we have that idiot of a gunslinger against us too," Nō quipped. "He's really more of an annoyance than a threat though, no? He'll probably just try to hit on me, being the damn womanizer that he is."
"Magoichi himself? An annoyance," Kanbei agreed. "But a whole brigade of his rifle-wielding rebels? A threat."
"So, what are our options?" Katsuie asked. "We can't just sit and watch a man who was supposed to be dead come and repel our advances."
"Yeah yeah, we keep telling you about our problems and not the solutions," Hanbei chuckled. "Well, how about this? The Mōri got some help from the Saika to help take us down, right? So why don't we just get some help from someone who has a big navy?"
"Do you have someone in mind, Hanbei?" Nobunaga asked, propping his elbow on his chair and resting his head on his fist.
"Well, umm...no," Hanbei admitted sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.
"Of course..." Nobunaga shook his head. "Why did I even get my hopes up? Well, does anyone else have someone whom we could ally ourselves with? Mitsuhide, Ranmaru, you've both been rather quiet. Do either of you know a person?"
"Are we not always silent and attentive in these meetings, my Lord?" Ranmaru reminded.
"That you are. Mitsuhide, can you at least answer me?" Receiving no answer, Nobunaga glanced at Mitsuhide and saw him deep in thought, staring straight ahead. Ranmaru waved his hand in his mentor's face in a futile attempt to get his attention. Finally, Mitsuhide spoke.
"I believe I have someone, my Lord."
On the island of Shikoku, a lonely tune of a shamisen rung in the still air. Motochika Chōsokabe sat cross-legged in his tent and strummed his shamisen lazily. With the war far away from his secluded island, he had a lot more free time to simply relax and play some music. While he enjoyed this break from conflict at first, he grew terribly bored of just doing nothing. Sighing, he continued to play, until a sour note made him stop.
"Hmm? That's odd," he thought aloud. "I tuned this yesterday... Or was it the day before? Either way, it should be tuned properly." Motochika plucked at the strings of his instrument and listened closely after each one. He went through his routine rather quickly, having done it for years. After all, he used this very instrument as his weapon. It was simply more natural for him than a sword or a spear. Even though some questioned its ability, Motochika's shamisen had proved to be a force to be reckoned with. Finally he came to a string that sounded just a little bit off. "Ah, there you are, you little rebel." He adjusted the string until the note sounded perfectly pure, then retried the same tune as before. He played it through flawlessly and smiled in content. "Perfect." Motochika noticed his son, Morichika, standing in the entrance to his tent. It always seemed as if people waited for him to finish playing before they entered the tent. It wasn't as if Motochika would be angry with them, they just enjoyed listening to the soothing melodies that almost always could be heard from his tent. "Hello Morichika," he greeted.
"That song was amazing, Father," Morichika admired.
"You know, you don't always have to wait for me to finish before you enter."
"And miss your performances? I could never."
"So what is it you seek, my son?"
"A daimyo by the name of Mitsuhide Akechi is here and has requested to speak with you."
"Mitsuhide?" Motochika repeated, his interest spurred. "Why, I haven't seen him for quite a few years. I wonder what he's been up to, and why he's here, for that matter. Please allow him in."
"Yes, Father." Morichika left the tent, and after a few seconds, a man with long black hair and sullen gray eyes entered the tent. He knelt on one knee and bowed, then, remaining kneeling, spoke.
"Lord Motochika, thank you for seeing me on such short notice," Mitsuhide said with gratitude.
"Not a problem, Lord Mitsuhide," Motochika replied. "It's been a while, hasn't it? Tell me, how have you been?"
"I've been well, thank you for asking. And yourself?"
Motochika smiled, this was just like Mitsuhide, always putting others before himself. "Just enjoying the peace, it's not often that one gets this kind of break, you know. Now, I believe I asked about you, didn't I?"
"Yes, that you did... Well, I'm serving as a general under Nobunaga Oda, and of course, the war has been brutal. But I believe in Lord Nobunaga, I know he can bring peace to this land." Mitsuhide's face seemed to light up like a lantern as he spoke about Nobunaga.
"Good, it's nice to have something to believe in." Motochika nodded. "Gives you that sense of security, doesn't it?"
"That it does, although right now we're not feeling very secure at all..."
"Hmm? Why is that, Mitsuhide?"
"The Mōri, led by the presumed dead Motonari, are trying to halt our advances in the west," Mitsuhide explained. "We do not have a big enough navy to counter them. They are standing in the way of my Lord's dream."
"And you feel sorrow because you have no power to help your Lord in this situation, I see," Motochika observed.
"Precisely. Which is why I come to you for help. You have a large navy, correct? Please, I beg of your assistance."
"It just so happens that I do have a big navy. But why should I leave the peaceful shelter of my island for the battlefield?"
"To help my Lord unify the land for peace, so that you may never have to experience war again." Mitsuhide's eyes sparkled at the thought.
"Hell, I'm bored here anyway," Motochika laughed. "I can help you out."
"Thank you so much, Lord Motochika. I swear, you will not regret it."
"No problem, just promise me one thing, will you?"
"Sure, anything."
"Loosen up a bit, will ya?" Motochika stood up, slapped Mitsuhide on the back, and helped him up. "Tell Lord Nobunaga that he can count on my aid."
"I will. Again, thank you. I must get back to Lord Nobunaga, I will see you soon."
"Sure you can't stay and catch up a bit?"
"No, he will be waiting for me." Mitsuhide then realized something and shuddered. He muttered under his breath, "I can only imagine what he's doing to Ranmaru right now..."
"What was that?"
"Oh, nothing..." Mitsuhide turned and walked out of the tent. Once he was gone, Motochika sat down again and resumed playing his shamisen. One day, I'll get him to open up, he thought, although it was more of a hope than a promise.