A/N: Hello readers, here is another little ANS fic by me, where Mitsuhide finds himself in a small predicament, and he wonders how he's going to deal with it. Trust me ObiYuki is definitely here. Please R&R!
Life in the castle always kept him on his toes especially around the Elder Highness, Prince Izana. He hated being summoned to his office, especially before he'd had the chance to tell Zen. It wasn't the first time, and every time he was caught the Younger Prince questioned his loyalty.
"I know you'd rather have been attendant to my brother," Zen had once said, sounding a bit hurt and he had felt terrible. Zen was his Master, the two of them had become close, like brothers he would never do anything to hurt him, and always took his best interests to heart.
Especially when it came to matters of the heart. The reason Izana had summoned him was to ask about Zen and his growing relationship with their newest court herbalist Shirayuki. As was most of the castle, everyone was obsessed with the rumours surrounding them. Shirayuki a girl with strange coloured hair from the neighbouring country with no title or status and Zen the Second Prince of Clarines. It seemed that Izana was keeping the closest eye on them of all.
Before he was summoned he had been with Zen in his office, when one of the castle messengers told him that Izana wished to see him Zen's expression darkened considerably, he felt as though he had committed treason. Kiki caught his eye from across the room, giving him a shrug at least she looked a little apologetic.
"Why is it always me?" he wondered to himself, as he made his way to Izana's study. Why did he never summon Kiki or Obi?
Izana was seated behind his large desk, Lord Haruka stood by his side, instructing him on where his signature was needed on various documents laid out on the table.
"Ah Mitsuhide, please do come in and shut the door behind you," his eyes were bluer, sharper than Zen's. His gaze had the ability to pierce through you. Years of experience showed in the way he negotiated, or delegated orders. The day he became King he would be a force to be reckoned with.
As Izana finished with the final document, Haruka gathered the papers on the desk and took his leave, shutting the door behind him.
They were alone, and Izana surveyed him hands steepled on the desk. "I take it my brother is well, how are his state of affairs of late?" he spoke with an air of disregard as though he didn't care for the information Mitsuhide had to offer, but it was polite to ask for it anyway.
Most importantly he definitely wasn't asking him about the state of affairs that Zen was in charge of in Clarines Kingdom.
"His affairs are well, your highness," he responded carefully, knowing that Izana would be less than satisfied with that answer. He gave him a small patronizing smile, gesturing him to come closer.
When he asked again, his voice was low colluding, "I think we both know which affairs I'm referring to Mitsuhide, how is that pretty little redhead doing these days?"
Izana made it his business to know everything that went on in the castle. Mitsuhide had once heard him reprimand Zen for not being more aware of things as they happened.
"She is well your highness, she had recently passed her final exam and was promoted to Official Clariness Court Herbalist she is doing well for herself," he answered providing the prince with more information he was probably already aware of but seemed to relish in asking him regardless.
"Indeed," he leaned back in his chair, blue eyes still fixed on the attendant before him.
"And what of that bodyguard?" he inquired as though it presented something of value to know what Obi's role was in all of this.
"Obi sir?" Mitsuhide was thrown, why would he care about Obi?
Obi's appearance into their lives had come quickly and unexpectedly, but he had almost instantly garnered their respect and integrated himself well.
His skills were without question, whatever his line of work had been prior to their meeting had prepared him adequately for any situation which was why Zen had assigned him to be Shirayuki's bodyguard. Even Mitsuhide had been impressed to witness his tracking skills after she had been kidnapped by the Claw of the Sea in Tanbarun.
There was one thing that worried him though, and he'd never gotten around to asking feeling it was too boorish a thing to ask another man about his feelings for a woman.
It was evident there was something there, but he wasn't one to assume, and though he could be upfront about a lot of things Obi always had a way of skirting around the truth.
"Well?" Izana asked again still waiting for an answer. It felt like a game, answer incorrectly and potentially incur his wrath.
Mitsuhide straightened, "Obi is a trusted messenger to the Second Prince and guard to Shirayuki sir," he answered wondering where he was going with this, why not ask Obi himself?
"They spend a lot of time together don't they," Izana observed, his mouth quirked at the corner, as though pressing Mitsuhide for information was amusing to him.
He wasn't sure what information he hoped to extract from him, but Mitsuhide replied simply with, "He's her guard, of course, they would be spending a lot of time together, it's similar to the relationship between Zen, Kiki and myself."
Even though he said it out loud, something about it didn't seem believable to him.
"You are dismissed, thank you for indulging me Mitsuhide, you may run along back to your Master," Izana stood from his desk looking satisfied with his less than adequate response.
He opened his mouth to say something more but thought better of it. It's not like he had given the man any solid information to work with. Still, somehow he felt that he had probably provided him just enough.
He bowed, taking his leave striding from the room and shutting the door behind him. In the hallway, he let out the breath he didn't know he'd been the intensity of that man's glare alone was enough to sap your strength.
What was all that about? Why was he always so interested in as he put it 'Zen's state of affairs?' He shook his head, deciding to take a short detour around the grounds before heading back to Zen's office. His conversation with Izana replayed in his mind.
There were so many questions he wished he could ask. Why ask about Shirayuki and Obi? Why continue attempting to prevent Zen from finding his happiness, what was suppose to be the endgame here?
Nothing made sense, and somehow he got the feeling there was a vital piece of information he was missing.
Walking aimlessly had brought him to the garden, a place he rarely visited unless it was to see Ryu or Shirayuki. It was around midday Shirayuki would potentially be busy attending to something or the other. The girl worked hard in whatever capacity was needed.
Approaching the garden he could hear voices, and what sounded like Obi's laughter. As he rounded the corner he immediately stepped back realizing he had walked into something that he wasn't supposed to see.
The two of them were in the middle of the well-manicured garden Shirayuki kneeling amongst the many herbs and flowers while Obi lounged on his elbows, reclined comfortably on the stairs. He was prattling away about something, and she was laughing, but it was a sound Mitsuhide had never heard from her before. It was the sound of genuine happiness.
He quickly retreated behind the wall unsure of whether or not they saw him. Peeking out from his vantage point he could see them still carrying on, but it didn't seem that they had noticed him.
He watched the both of them intrigued, their easy conversation was playful and light. Obi was a great conversationalist, but Shirayuki seemed genuinely enthralled with what he had to say. She was pointing at the various herbs speaking animatedly about whatever they were talking about. From his spot behind the wall, he couldn't make out what they were saying.
Spying was something Obi did, this line of work definitely did not suit him, but now that he had started it was hard for him to stop.
During their conversation, the short distance between them seemed smaller somehow. He had seen Zen and Shirayuki interact on multiple occasions, but she was always shyer and reserved somehow. There was a nervous uncertainty in the way she spoke to him, perhaps his station intimidated her. However, watching her here in the garden carrying on with Obi there was no trace of it to be found.
With Obi, she seemed comfortable and at ease, as though she didn't have a care in the world and realization dawned on him Izana's words making more sense.
"They spend a lot of time together don't they." It wasn't a statement, more like an invitation for further investigation, exactly what he had stumbled into right now.
"What are you doing?" Startled he spun around coming face to face with Kiki regarding him suspiciously as he tried to disappear into the wall.
"I-um...Kiki!" he stammered trying to look like he hadn't been spying. He was so absorbed in what was happening on the other side of the wall, he hadn't even heard her coming.
Kiki leaned around the corner to see what he'd been looking at. "I don't understand why you are lurking around here spying on our friends," she accused eyebrows knitting together.
Mitsuhide gulped trying to figure out how to explain himself, "I uh was headed back to Zen's office and I got sidetracked?" she folded her arms across her chest unimpressed.
"That doesn't explain the spying," she stated unconvinced gesturing to where Obi and Shirayuki were still ignorant to their presence.
Mitsuhide sighed looking resigned, "Okay listen I didn't mean to spy, but just look at them for a minute and tell me if you notice anything...um well different," if Kiki could see it too then maybe he wouldn't be so out of line for spying.
Kiki squinted at him skeptically but decided to humour him peeking out from behind the wall.
Shirayuki and Obi were still sitting the garden, perhaps they were taking a break, chatting like two old friends. Suddenly the breeze picked up rusting the floral around them and Shirayuki giggled as her hair was swept into her face. Obi looked surprised his head falling back to look at the sky, bits of leaves and flower petals swirled around them settling in their hair and clothes.
They began to pick up and dust themselves off and Kiki watched riveted as Shirayuki reached up and tousled Obi's hair to make sure all of the leaves fell out. They were so close, almost nose to nose, their eyes locked in the moment.
Suddenly the clock chimed signalling the top of the hour and the spell was broken. The sound made them jump, and Obi scratched nervously at his cheek giving her one of his signature smiles. Shirayuki dropped her hands, immediately, a rosy blush rising in her cheeks. He shrugged saying something that made her shoulders visibly relax and she smiled back at him as well, leaning down to pick up her basket of herbs before proceeding to walk back together towards the pharmacy.
When she finally turned back to face him, Mitsuhide was standing there almost beside himself. Kiki kept her face blank completely unaffected by what she had just witnessed and proceeded to walk past him back the way she came.
Mitsuhide practically tripped over himself running to catch up, "KIKI!" he cried incredulously, he was at a loss for words, and she was acting completely unbothered by it all.
"Tell me what you make of that!" his finger jabbed in their general direction for emphasis.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she answered tone devoid of emotion.
"You...don't...know," he sputtered almost choking on her lack of reaction. He wasn't sure what to do now, and he felt like a complete idiot.
"That wasn't nothing," he said quietly and Kiki stopped walking glancing over her shoulder. Mitsuhide seemed at war with himself, one where struggled between his loyalty to his friends and his duty to his master.
"What do you think you saw?" Kiki asked back still turned. Izana's words echoed in his mind, but Mitsuhide was no expert when it came to matters of the heart.
Zen had once asked him, "One day when I meet someone, how will I know they love me for me?" He had told Zen then that he would know if it were real, if it were meant to be, and what he had just witnessed between Obi and Shirayuki, well it was more genuine than either of them realized.
When he looked up Kiki was watching him carefully, her expression softened and she sighed defeated, her partner really was hopeless when it came to things like this.
"These things have a way of working themselves out, it's not our place to pass judgement especially where we shouldn't get involved." her words of assurance made sense, but he still felt unsatisfied, obligated even, to speak up.
Kiki shook her head like she knew what he was thinking, holding a single finger to her lips, "It's not your place to tell."
Thanks for reading! 3