Chapter Three

"Hiraya, stop riding so far ahead!"

It was early morning. The air was crisp, warning of the encroaching Autumn, the fluffy chickadees were singing…..and Hideyoshi was 'mothering'. With great restraint Hiraya held at bay an aggravated grunt and slowed her steed to a stand-still; her 'bodyguard' caught up. Now side by side they continued down the road leisurely.

Hideyoshi cleared his throat, "You are looking better this morning." He commented thoughtfully.

Hiraya gazed over at her companion from the corner of her eye, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Hideyoshi sputtered on a cough as his gaze met hers; a piercing jade gaze with sapphire speckles. Just the glimpse took his breath away.

"Nothing! Nothing!" he scratched the back of his neck nervously, "You were just looking….very pale after the council."

"Oh." She gazed ahead again, "It takes a while, after my visions, to bounce back. But it's nothing to worry about!"

Before them vast rolling country, blanketed in ivy green clover and grass, stretched as far as the eye could see. The steep mountains framing it all stood defiant against the cloudless cobalt sky above. They continued on in silence for a long while following a lonely dirt road.

"What are they like?" he asked breaking the cadence of their horses' hooves, "Your visions. What do you see?"

Despite being on…..ROUGH grounds for the first six months, ROUGH being used lightly, Hiraya had formed a pretty comfortable relationship with Hideyoshi. In fact he was the only one living that knew about her visions. The others knew something about her was strange but they didn't know exactly what. Or, she assumed, they assumed that she had the world's longest lucky streak. Either way, Hideyoshi being a great secret keeper, and the others unwillingness to probe further than what she would divulge gave her the freedom to operate easily.

"What are they like?" she hummed biting her bottom lip, "Sometimes they come in fragments, bits and pieces, and I have to put them together myself. Other times they're whole and easy to see." She looked over at Hideyoshi who was watching her with his soft honey colored eyes, "The clearer the visions are though the easier it is for me to….um…..manifest myself in that place within that vision. Does that make sense?"

He nodded slowly, "I….think I understand."

Hiraya smiled appreciating his efforts.

"Can you feel things when you m-manifest?"

She nodded, "As much as anyone would in the here and now."

Just on the horizon, a village surrounded by rice patties, was slowly rising like a corpse from a coffin.

"You said you've had these visions since you were little?"

She nodded.

Hideyoshi swallowed roughly as he looked ahead, "That must have been scary."

"Meh." Hiraya shrugged.

They'd passed into enemy territory, posing as a herbalist and his wife, in the wee hours of the morning. This wasn't their first village to come across, nor would it be their last, but as long as those they came across believed the parts they played they shouldn't be in any danger. Hideyoshi painted on a friendly smile but it looked more like he just got pricked by a pin.

Hiraya giggled, "Hideyoshi you look like you need to fart!"

"Hiraya!" Hideyoshi scolded her, "Such a crass talk."

Hiraya's horse, Bo, neighed its laughter along with his rider. Still Hiraya laughed and the sound was precious in his ears. It made him want to laugh.

Sitting back in his saddle Hideyoshi shook his head and hissed under his breath, "You have been around the warlords too much."

In his opinion only such tactless talk would come out of them. But Hiraya…He glanced over at her as she went on about how women were boring, drama, drama, drama, make-up, hair, boys….He suddenly saw the rosy in her pale cheeks. How her golden hair feathered in the breeze, how her eyes lit up with her laughter and her lips….Hideyoshi shook the stardust from his eyes and refocused.

A villager, a man, approached them as they meandered along the road. Hiraya dropped her eyes as Hideyoshi took the lead to meet the man. Outside the walls of Azuchi and the boundaries of the battlefield Hiraya had to take on the guise, her most dreaded of all, of a subservient woman.

Hideyoshi poured on the charm, "Good afternoon sir."

The farmer wasn't impressed. Dirt covered his clothes, mud coated his legs up to his knees, and the sunburned bald spot on his head completed a monk-like appearance.

"What you want?" he grunted.

Hiraya lifted his eyes slightly.

"Not a thing. We are only passing through." Hideyoshi hummed.

The farmer stared at him for a long moment expressionless. Realizing the man was neither a threat nor a hindrance to their mission Hideyoshi called to Hiraya.

"Let's be on our way then."

While the farmer didn't move the two easily made their way around him and down the road. The village they passed through was really more of a hamlet with only a handful of huts and the people that occupied them. A single child with a leather eyepatch watched them pass wearily.

The cave Hideyoshi had found was cozy…Or at least as cozy as caves could get. Notwithstanding the cramped quarters, the low hanging ceiling, and the rough rock surrounding them. But at least the rock was making good use of the heat thrown by the fire by magnifying it. Contently Hideyoshi turned the fish over as the bright flames licked at the pale skewered meat. They'd traveled until the last rays of sunshine had faded from the sky. It left then within a day's journey of Getou-ei; a gateway village to the narrow valley that led to Iga.

"Here you go." Hideyoshi handed her a skewer of meat and their fingers grazed.

"Thank yo-"

Hideyoshi gasped, "YOU'RE FREEZING!" as his honey eyes shot open wide.

Hiraya snatched the meat out of his hand as her stomach growled angrily at her, "I am a woman, Hideyoshi-"she took a bite tasting salt and pepper, "I'm ALWAYS cold….?"

Suddenly he closed the distance between them until their shoulders were touching. Hiraya snorted a laugh. Out of all her friends, all the warlords, Hideyoshi always treated her like a delicate creature…..Even if she wasn't.

It was something both appreciated and irritating.

Opening his haori up Hideyoshi draped one side around her pulling them even closer. It was a snug fit beneath the warm fabric but Hiraya knew she'd be a liar if she said it was unfortunate. Feeling a blush rise in her cheeks Hiraya looked aside. Beyond the cave mouth the world was dark and she could hear their horses nibbling about. She told herself to focus as her heart began to race. Hideyoshi eyed the saddlebag she was leaning back against.

"What's in the bag?" he asked around a bite of fish.

She tapped it, "Bells and a little surprise for our friendly cavalry."

"You scare me when you get that look in your eyes." He sighed.

Hiraya balked a laugh as she watched the flickering flames of the fire.

"The last time you got that look you nearly demolished a tea house." He grunted.

"What was I supposed to do?" she squeaked as she finished off her dinner, "Just let those assholes bully the shop owner? He was old enough to be your grandfather!"

Hideyoshi looked over at her, "You broke the ronins' leg."

"He tripped."

"You shoved him."

"Okay, okay….So it was both of our faults."

Hideyoshi shook his head and finished his dinner. For a long time they sat in silence listening to the soft wind outside and enjoying one another's company. Suddenly Hideyoshi leaned back. The smell of earth and vanilla filled his nose; it was the scent of Hiraya.

"You know I think about it from time to time-"

"That will drive you crazy."

He snorted a laugh, "Indeed. But I have to wonder why you joined lord Nobunaga's cause."

Hiraya yawned, "Well if you remember he didn't really give me an option."

Hideyoshi remembered. He couldn't forget. It was the first time he'd seen lord Nobunaga threaten a woman. He shook his head at the memory.

"He didn't have to really, though. I was planning on joining the Oda forces anyways."

He frowned and glanced over at her, "You were?! Why?"

"I believe in his vision. Pretty simple." Hiraya stretched and then curled up, "But the hard part was getting in. After all, like you said, I'm a woman. I doubted strolling into the castle and demanding a soldiers' ranking would have worked."

Hideyoshi shook his head, "No. It wouldn't." and chuckled a bit, "But it would've been impressive."

Hiraya blinked slowly. Just imagining it put a smirk on her lips.

"How is your family doing?"

Her thoughts drifted back to her baby sister, Ayaka, father, Reo, and mother, Hanae. She missed them. With the war going on it was rare for her to get the chance to see them. In fact most of her time was spent among the warlords and soldiers. Knowing that she was able to negotiate their safety and placement within the walls of the castle made her at ease while on missions.

"Fine I guess. I haven't seen them all that much lately."

Hideyoshi pulled a stick from the fire, it was partially charred, "We have been busy lately." He commented thoughtfully as he began to drawn in the dirt of the cave floor.

"Isn't Getou-ei your home town Hideyoshi?"

His face darkened as he stared at the ground, "It was."

Hideyoshi had been born to a low class prostitute and was tossed on when he turned eight by the brothel owner; his mother died a few months later from smallpox. Living in that town, under the shadow of his mother's reputation, he was shunned, beaten and abandoned by everyone. Hiraya had listened to him intently that night she had found him, drunk, on the porch of his bedroom that looked out onto the eastern garden.

It had been Nobunaga, a young Nobunaga, who had come across Hideyoshi by chance as he prepared to kill himself. Starved, all skin and bones, he was ready to end his suffering unable to make an honorable living. Nobunaga had stopped him, had offered him a home, had given him rank and honor.

It was Hideyoshi's reason for fighting and working so hard for Nobunaga.

But still to this day he felt shame at his start.

Hiraya sat up and wrapped an arm around his neck, "Hideyoshi you need to do what Buddha says." She ruffled his soft sandy colored hair.

He wriggled free and tried to straighten it, "Oh? And what does Buddha say?"

"Let. That. Shit. Go." She emphasized the words and stared into his eyes.

"Buddha does not say that."

She shrugged, "I paraphrased."

Hideyoshi rolled his eyes.

"It doesn't matter where you came from, who you were born to or what other people say." Hiraya gave her friend a pat on the back, "What matters is what you're doing in the here and now. Yea?"

He smiled a little and suddenly the shadows of the past were gone.

"You know I don't think you've ever told me about your family." He looked over his shoulder at her.

Hiraya got a funny look on her angelic face, "You've met them."

"You know what I mean."

Yawning loudly she stretched and popped something in her back, loudly, "Its late Hideyoshi and we have an early morning tomorrow. Let's go to sleep."

With that she rolled over and curled up on the ground. Hideyoshi frowned, slightly annoyed, but didn't want to push the subject.