Kuroda Kanbei stood with Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Nene along with their three adopted sons Ishida Mitsunari, Kato Kiyomasa, and Fukushima Masanori. Hideyoshi had just won the battle of Odawara castle and had successfully brought the country into a state of total unification. Currently, the five that were previously mentioned were setting up a victory feast to celebrate, but the dark strategist kept his distance from the merry-makers. "I did it, dear friend. I helped Lord Hideyoshi bring peace to the land, just as you asked of me in your last wishes." Kanbei said looking up towards the sky. These words were in reference to Takenaka Hanbei. The one person he had ever truly considered a true friend. That friend had died of illness however and was now gone. However his last wish, like Kanbei said had been to see the land that Hideyoshi had created. Knowing that his friend didn't have much time left in this world, Kanbei vowed to work out the path that would bring this to existence. For some reason at this moment Kanbei's mind wandered to the day that the two of them first met…
The two strategists first met each other under the names Kuroda Yoshitaka and Takenaka Shigeharu. The day that they had met was after Hideyoshi had visited the strategist three times after the Oda had captured Inaba Castle. The younger-looking one cheerfully introduced himself and held out his hand to the older-looking one who simply turned away. But the cheerful strategist was persistent, and eventually Yoshitaka took his hand and reluctantly shook it, introducing himself in the process.
Eventually, despite their awkward first meeting, the two of them became very close. The two began to depend on one another for strategy development, and almost all of their combined plans went along smoothly. Because of this Hideyoshi gave them the nicknames Hanbei and Kanbei, translating to half and whole, almost implying that the two needed one another to be whole in their plans. Soon everyone took to using these names, much to Hanbei's slight annoyance. With their names sounding so alike now it seemed easy for people to get them confused with one another. But the ever-cheerful strategist came up with a solution to that problem.
"You see, the one in black is the bad strategist, Kuroda Kanbei, and here dressed in white is the good strategist, Takenaka Hanbei!" He would tell people jokingly, to which Kanbei would reply, "All strategists are bad people. You especially."
"Aw Kanbei, you don't have to say it like that." Hanbei replied. "Besides, there have to be some good strategists in this world, right?"
"Let's find out, shall we?" Kanbei asked. "Answer me this. What do you see when you look at me, Hanbei?"
"I see poison." Hanbei replied both simply and straightforwardly.
"Oh? So you believe that I will be a poison to Lord Hideyoshi?" Kanbei questioned.
"Maybe, but in ancient times, it was said that poison can be turned into good medicine. I, the good strategist, will turn you, Kanbei, from poison into medicine!"
"You're absurd…" Was all Kanbei could say as he shook his head in disbelief…
Thinking back on it now, he didn't feel that Hanbei was as absurd as he had said. In fact this moment was one of Kanbei's most fond memories with his dear friend. The worst thing that had happened to both of them was the day that Kanbei had discovered Hanbei's illness…
Hanbei had always seemed so cheerful and acted like nothing in the world could ever knock him down. But in all honesty, the cheerful demeanor was basically a mask that he wore in front of others so they wouldn't worry. However Kanbei didn't know this until one of the strategy meetings that were recently held.
Everyone was gathered, but they were waiting for one more person (Hanbei) to arrive. All of the Oda officers had been waiting for several minutes which was honestly a natural occurrence seeing as Hanbei often slept in. However today was a longer wait than usual. After giving it a few more moments, Hideyoshi sent Kanbei to go and wake up the other strategist since they all assumed that it was another one of the usual situations. As Kanbei walked up to the room though, he heard coughing. A lot of coughing. He slowly slid open the door and saw the now very frail-looking strategist lying down dressed in his sleep-robes. He was shivering very slightly and the sleeve of his robe had a faint red tint. Kanbei then walked over to him, mentally, but not physically worried.
"Are you all right Hanbei?" He asked crouching down next to the weakened strategist.
"I'll be fine, how sweet of you to worry though Kanbei-dono." Hanbei said jokingly before falling into another coughing fit. "In all seriousness though, could you let Hideyoshi know that I don't think I can make it to the meeting?" Kanbei nodded, then gently pulled the nearby blanket over Hanbei, and quietly left the room.
When he arrived back at the meeting, everyone was surprised to not see the ever-cheerful Hanbei with him. Knowing that Hanbei probably didn't want his illness known to everyone, Kanbei simply muttered the message to Hideyoshi (who already knew) and the meeting got underway…
As his memories faded back to this moment, Kanbei realized that he should have known that the one that he felt genuine care for was far more ill than he let on. After that day though, Hanbei had never shown any signs of being in any sort of weakness from it. But Hanbei being Hanbei only didn't show it because he wanted to help to create the unified land that Hideyoshi dreamed of. He worked hard and remained his cheerful and sometimes snarky and sarcastic self until the very end simply because he didn't want anyone to worry about him. And Kanbei never did until after the Battle of Kizugawa…
Hanbei and Kanbei were fighting side-by-side at the Battle of Kizugawa. Both seemed to be doing fine. Since that day before the strategy meeting Kanbei often worried about his friend just a little, though, he almost never showed even the slightest sign of it. Despite Hanbei's protests that he was fine, his illness seemed to be getting worse, and both Kanbei and Hideyoshi had advised against Hanbei coming to this battle. But the young looking strategist insisted that he would be fine, and the two of them reluctantly agreed that he may join the fight. Kanbei was beginning to believe that perhaps the one that he now truly considered one of the few people he genuinely cared about was fine, and that he and Hideyoshi's suspicions were wrong. But that was before the one fatal moment that Hanbei passed out right in the middle of the battle. The poor guy had fought past his limits and to the point of exhaustion.
Kanbei quickly brought his friend to one of the escape points, and then to his room on the Oda's main ship. He set Hanbei down on his sleeping place, gently placing his head on the pillow, and pulled the white blanket over him, then walked off telling Hanbei that he'd return after the battle, even though he was sure that Hanbei couldn't hear him.
When he later returned, Kanbei knew his dear friend wasn't going to last much longer. Hanbei's breathing was becoming shallow and his fever had rapidly increased as well as the occasional cough that was similar to that day. Even though they both knew it would be their last talk together; it sounded like any other conversation they had had before. The traditional argument over whether it should be Nobunaga or Hideyoshi that unites the land. Hanbei's worry for his friend's habit of making young and powerful enemies and the fact that one day one might decide to have him killed, as well as Kanbei's not caring one bit since if they killed him his lord would not become the target of their animosity. Then Kanbei added that only one fool would morn his death and that fool would soon be gone.
That was when everything went quiet within their conversation. Hanbei was staring up at the ceiling, while Kanbei looked at his dying friend. It was completely silent between them for several long moments, until Hanbei weakly turned his head towards Kanbei. "Hey, can you promise me one thing?" He asked.
"I do not wish to lie to a dying man." Kanbei replied, his voice completely unbetraying of the emotions he felt inside.
"Alright then listen," Hanbei starting to say; making sure that he had his friend's attention, "Even after I am gone, I will be the light that watches over you."
Normally Kanbei would scoff, but to this he only asked, "Even at night?"
Hanbei smiled weakly at this. "I'll be the moon and the stars." He replied.
"And if it rains?" Kanbei asked, now struggling to keep his stoic demeanor.
If it rains?" Hanbei's smile faded as he repeated his friend's question. "Well, I haven't though that far ahead yet. But I'll work something out. Somehow. Right… After my nap…" Hanbei's voice weakened completely in the last part, as he closed his eyes and his head tilted to the side. Then Kanbei felt something he hadn't felt in a long time. A single tear fell down his face. Then he blew out the candle and held his friend's now coldening hand in his own.
"Sleep. I will bother you no more." Another tear fell knowing that his friend would never wake up this time. Hanbei would never see the peaceful Japan that he fought so hard for. After a moment Kanbei added to his words. "I will work it out. The road to peace."
Several years had now passed since Kanbei had stood by himself thinking back on his friend at the victory party. In that time Hideyoshi had passed away and conflict to decide who would be in charge once again broke out. The Western Army, led by Mitsunari, supported continued rule of the Toyotomi, whereas the Eastern army, led by Tokugawa Ieyasu, supported rule by the Tokugawa. Kanbei, along with Kiyomasa and Masanori, joined with the East, but for Kanbei it was simply because he thought that Ieyasu was the more likely of the two to successfully keep the peace of the land. Many battles raged on until the year 1600, when the Battle of Sekigahara was fought. Both sides lost many noble and warriors but in the end it was the West that lost. All that was left was the Toyotomi's final stronghold of Ōsaka Castle.
Kiyomasa, by this point had begun to realize his mistake, and was currently staring across towards the mighty fortress that he had once helped to build. The castle balcony he was currently looking from was that of Nijō Castle where he had arranged a meeting of the two clans hoping to reach some kind of hopeless peace settlement.
"They're just delaying the inevitable." Kanbei said as he snuck up on him, breaking Kiyomasa's thoughts.
"What would you know?" He asked angrily, as he quickly turned towards the gloomy strategist.
"What is that moves history? Is it trust? Loyalty?" The strategist paused as he asked his rhetorical questions. "No, it is power. Power draws people and they build empires. Right now, it is Ieyasu who wields that power. The Toyotomi are currently just sparks that threaten the peace. The wisest course of action would be to stamp them out. Indeed, it is their destiny to be extinguished." Kanbei glanced towards Kiyomasa as he finished his speech.
"You shut your mouth!" The white-haired man shouted as his hand clenched around a sheathed dagger. Then he once again turned towards Kanbei. "Have you no heart at all!?"
Kanbei simply laughed a little at the last statement. "And what good would that do? It is human pride and loyalty that ruin houses and destroy the peace. You and Mitsunari are a fine example. Had you two not gone your separate ways, the Toyotomi would have been unbreakable."
Kiyomasa could no longer hold back his anger. He drew the dagger, and thrust it towards Kanbei's throat, stopping a mere inch before driving it in. Then he looked towards Ōsaka once again and lowered the dagger. "You say what you like. That is still my house. I will give my life to see that is rebuilt."
True to his words, Kiyomasa did give his life to see that the house of the Toyotomi was rebuilt. However, he failed. While he did switch back to the Toyotomi's side at the Battle of Ōsaka Castle, the Toyotomi's army lost to Ieyasu's forces. As Kanbei walked through the battlefield through the pouring rain, in the aftermath, he came across Kiyomasa, lying on the ground seemingly dead with his scythe still in hand. The strategist bent down to feel for a pulse, but apparently felt none. "The Toyotomi were the greatest threat, but they have been extinguished." Kanbei said as he stood up and began to walk away. "The few remaining sparks will simply be ground into the-"
Kanbei was swiftly cut off as Kiyomasa rose up with the last amount of strength he had and slashed him across the back. "You won't… Break… Our house…" He said weakly as he swiftly collapsed back to the ground.
"You come back from the dead, just for such an empty avowal…?" Kanbei said slightly glancing back before he too fell to the ground. "But I too… Am a spark that can threaten this land."
As Kanbei looked at the sky in his final moment, the clouds began to part revealing the golden light of the sun that began to spread across the desolate battlefield. A faint smile began to form on Kanbei's face. I see you figured out my dear friend. When it rains you'll simply part the clouds so that your light may continue to shine.
This was the third time in his life that a tear fell down Kanbei's face…