They assembled at the appointed time the next day, and left the port on schedule. Motonari worried that one of the sea creatures might come after them, but the waters were silent.
He glanced up at the white sails of the ship, with the Chousokabe crest glaring boldly from them. That he was sailing on Motochika's ship, of all things, was almost too ridiculous to be true. And being surrounded by the pirate's crew made him uncomfortable. They glanced at him as he passed by, but he knew they barely tolerated his presence here. Only Chibi stepping on his toes reassured him.
Mitsunari stood near the helm of the ship, watching with fascination as Motochika handled the wheel. Wanting to distance himself from the pirate as much as possible, Motonari decided to head to a more isolated spot near the bow. Chibi went with him.
As they sailed, one of Motochika's crew began humming before he burst out into song. A few joined him, and then another and another until the whole crew sang together to pass the time. Motonari turned towards the sea and wrinkled his nose. He much preferred the calls of the seabirds and the crashing of the waves to this uncouth noise.
"Trying to be inconspicuous is difficult when you're wearing such a monstrosity on your head," Mitsunari remarked.
Motonari looked over his shoulder as the swordsman joined them. Chibi barked, its tail wagging furiously.
"I suggest you rethink your choice of words," Motonari said.
"I'm simply telling you what I see." Mitsunari bent down to rub Chibi's head before straightening, a teasing glint in his eye. "You're only as tall as I because of that helmet. Are you trying to compensate for something?"
"I'm in the mood now to push someone over the railing."
"Try me."
Motonari snorted. "You seemed rather intrigued with the wheel."
"I've never seen anything quite like it before." Mitsunari looked towards the sails. "Chousokabe's ship isn't what you would call normal."
"And I can't wait to get off it."
"It really makes you that uncomfortable?"
"How comfortable would you be if you had to sail on the ship of your mortal enemy?" Motonari said dryly.
Mitsunari fell silent and the strategist regretted his words.
They reached the spot where the island was to appear and dropped anchor to wait. Chibi whimpered and stuck close to Motonari. A chill settled over them, and he shivered.
"Do you feel that?" Mitsunari asked, a hand resting on the hilt of his katana.
Motonari nodded. "I don't like it." Chibi ran over to him and hid behind one of his legs.
Mitsunari glanced at him. "Stay close to me."
He stepped a bit closer, gladly taking the offer.
A heavy mist closed in around them. Motonari slipped his ringblade over his head. It felt like something unseen stalked them. Motochika continued walking up and down the deck, reassuring his nervous crew, but his steps were no longer relaxed.
The mist lifted. The island leered before them, and up close it was much larger than it seemed. The swordsman edged a little closer to Motonari.
It was silent except for the sound of the ship creaking and floating on the water. They got as close as possible to the rocky shore, and Motochika told the crew to guard the ship and wait. Then the four disembarked and waded ashore.
The island was barren and lifeless. A sinister orange glow wavered from beyond the top of the ridge forming the island's "face," and they heard cracks of thunder. Wary, the four climbed up the slope to the ridge. The hard, jagged rocks gave way to tiled stone. As they cleared the ridge, the cliffs forming the island's horns rose up around them on all sides. A great bridge extended across the island, ending at the foot of a tower. Far below, liquid fire seethed and roiled, and an ashen smell wafted through the air.
"Well," Motochika said, "I wasn't expecting that. Someone lives here."
"Whoever it is can't be human," Motonari said.
Mitsunari looked towards the top of the tower. "This whole place reeks of youkai, and I doubt it's the friendly sort."
"What makes you so sure, Ishida?" the pirate asked.
"Just a hunch."
Motonari glanced at him. No, the answer couldn't be that simple, but now wasn't the time to ask.
They crossed the bridge, and as they reached the tower, its massive steel doors creaked open for them. Despite the obvious danger, they edged inside, and the doors closed with a thud.
A great hall stretched around them, the ceiling tall enough to house two warlike statues, each holding a nine-pronged sword. There were three doors, two on each side and one in the middle.
"Whoever it is must be at the top of the tower," Motonari said.
Assuming that the middle door would take them to a stairway, they went through. Instead, they stepped into a tiny room with sliding doors on all four sides. They kept going straight, but then their path stopped in a dead end.
"Wonderful," Mitsunari grumbled. "It's a maze. Whoever built this had too much time on their hands."
"Or doesn't want to be found," Motochika said.
They worked their way through the maze easily, but once they climbed up the stairs to the second floor their progress slowed to a crawl. It seemed that each of the floors had the same layout as the first one, with three rooms all filled with the sliding door mazes, but only one contained a stairway leading to the next floor. When the frustrated group finally reached the third floor, Motonari suggested that they split up, each taking a door.
"Will you be all right by yourself?" Mitsunari asked him.
Chibi padded up to Motonari's side and barked. I'll go with him!
"What's the worst that could happen?" Motonari shrugged.
Mitsunari seemed about to argue, then thought better of it. "Fine. Do as you please."
Motonari watched him go. He felt a little less secure without Mitsunari's ferocity at his fingertips. But it was best that he didn't become too reliant. He and Chibi went on their way. As they started working through their end of the maze, a loud thumping noise from the middle room echoed through the wall. It sounded like gears turning.
They returned to the hall. The thumping noise stopped.
Mitsunari emerged from the left doorway. "What happened?"
The middle door opened and Motochika stepped through to join them. His anchor was gone.
"Ack," he said, rubbing his head. "That was close. There was a trap in one of the rooms. You ought to be careful."
"Are you all right?" Mitsunari asked.
"Fortunately, except I lost my anchor getting out. Guess I'll stick with Motonari."
Mitsunari shrugged and left. The other three walked back to their end of the maze, and Motonari darted a sideways glance at the pirate. Motochika never called him by name. They weren't friends. Hearing that particular voice say his name offended him greatly.
Perhaps he hit his head on something.
One of the doors in the maze opened up into a small chamber. Standing in the doorway, Motonari peered inside, checking the room for any odd holes in the ceiling or walls. It was clearly a dead end.
"Don't go in," he said, and turned to leave.
"Wait, Motonari," Motochika said. "Come here."
His body moved automatically, turning and walking towards Motochika, who stood in the room. Chibi started barking but its voice didn't reach him.
"What's the matter?" he asked.
"Come closer."
He obeyed. Their eyes met and his body froze. Chibi ran up to him, snarling. Motochika ignored the puppy and placed his hands on Motonari's shoulders. The moment his fingers made contact, the ringblade slipped out of Motonari's numb hand, clattering against the floor.
Something's wrong, his mind screamed, but the pirate's vivid silver gaze swallowed him. He was powerless. His last thought before his brain went blank was that Motochika's eye was the wrong colour.
Smiling, Motochika spun him around, steering him backwards towards the wall. "That's it, Motonari. Let me guide you."
Then Chibi sunk its teeth into Motonari's hand, hard enough to draw blood. The pain woke him from the trance and he shoved Motochika away, making a dive for his ringblade. He seized it and jerked it up, the edge resting against the pirate's throat.
"What are you -" Motonari shook his head. "No. You're not Chousokabe! Who are you?"
Something glimmered on the ringblade. Motochika's reflection didn't match. Instead, Motonari caught a glimpse of gold fur and a narrow snout.
A puff of thick black smoke went up in front of him and he coughed, waving at it with his free hand. Chibi barked and a light breeze blew through the room, clearing out the smoke. A bushy tail rounded the doorway and was gone.
Chibi tugged frantically at his armour. He looked over his shoulder and leaped away with a yelp. Behind him was a pit full of spikes. The fake Motochika had intended to push him to his death while he was helpless.
Chibi whimpered and licked at his hand in apology.
"No, don't be. You saved my life." He distanced himself further from the spike pit, shivering. "How long have we been fooled...?"
There was only one place where the fake Motochika could have switched with the real one. Motonari darted out of the room and back to the main hall, shoving open middle door, with Chibi bounding after him. He hesitated. The creature might go after Mitsunari next. He had to warn him. But what had happened to the real Motochika? The fake one had mentioned a trap. Perhaps he was imprisoned, or worse.
He ran through the doorway. Mitsunari could handle himself until they met again. Right now Motonari had to know if Motochika was dead or alive.
They followed the trail of opened doors to a room not unlike the trap room they had just been in. There was another pit in the floor, but this one had a metal grate covering it. Nearby lay the pirate's anchor.
"Mouri!" Motochika bellowed from somewhere inside the pit. "Is that you? Mouri, you backstabbing bastard! I'll kill -" He choked and started coughing.
Motonari and Chibi hurried over. Motochika clung to the grate, up to his neck in water.
"Mouri!" he growled when he saw them.
"I didn't do this," Motonari said. "Calm down and tell me how to get you out."
"Don't screw around with me! You told me to stand here, and then you did something and dropped me in here, and now you're -"
"That wasn't me! I could say the same of you, trying to push me into a spike pit!"
"What? I wasn't even with-I did no such thing!"
Chibi barked, seeming alarmed.
"Come to think of it, the puppy wasn't there -" Motochika coughed and spluttered as the water sloshed over his face. "Uh, Mouri? Help."
The grate was set below floor level. If the water continued to rise, Motochika would drown. Motonari looked around but couldn't find any switches. The only objects in the room were a bunch of pots and vases on a table, each worth a considerable sum. But what were such valuables doing there?
He hurried over to the table, looking down at the assortment. There. One of the vases had been moved, revealing a raised button. He pushed the vase back over the button.
"Chibi," he called. "Did it work?"
Chibi barked frantically. He ran back over to the grate. There was no way to reverse the trap. Out of desperation, he started striking at the grate with his ringblade, but he wasn't strong enough to break it.
"Of all the ways to die," Motochika groaned. By now the water was up to his ears. He had to press his face against the grate to breathe.
"Move aside." Motonari tossed the ringblade up into the air.
"Don't hit the water! You'll boil me!"
Motonari summoned a heat ray, angling it so that it didn't touch the water while still scorching into one side of the grate. It melted under the intense heat, leaving a large hole big enough for Motochika to fit through.
Motochika dove under, popping up where the hole was while avoiding the still-hot metal. He waited for the water to rise so that he could climb out. Motonari offered a hand and pulled him out.
Motochika hefted up his anchor. "Well. I guess I owe you one."
"You didn't think it was odd that Chibi wasn't there?" Motonari snapped.
"About that…" Motochika rubbed the back of his head. "I wasn't really paying attention."
"Useless idiot."
"Hey Mouri, not all of us are as observant as you."
"Let's go. I'm worried about Mitsunari."
Mitsunari was nowhere to be found. They followed his trail to the next stairway. They reached the next floor but nobody was there. The middle door stood open this time. He had gone ahead, and that worried them. He wouldn't have continued without them.
"Chousokabe," Motonari said, "how, exactly, did you get tricked into standing there?"
"You don't want to know."
"Good. Neither do you."
"Now that you put it that way, I'm curious."
Motonari ignored him. "The…thing tricking us looked like a fox. I saw its reflection."
"A kitsune of the evil variety?"
"Likely. If we run into Mitsunari, we need to make sure he's the real one."
"The kitsune can't copy our weapons. The fake you showed up saying that you lost yours in a trap."
Mitsunari had opened the path to another stairway. This one revealed a large circular chamber, without a roof. The black, smoky sky swirled overhead, and even the stars carried a sinister glint.
They froze. Standing in the middle of the chamber was a gigantic figure that could only belong to the former leader of the Toyotomi army.
Mitsunari knelt before him. "Yes, Hideyoshi-sama. I'll do anything you say."
"Mitsunari!" Motonari cried. "Don't listen to him! He's a fake!"
"Look over there," the fake Hideyoshi said, sweeping an arm in their direction. "Will you allow them to slander me? Go on and punish them."
Mitsunari got to his feet, turning towards them. His eyes were glazed over and he advanced, his hand reaching for his katana.
"Stop this!" Motochika yelled. "Wake up! Don't let him control you!"
"Those who…slander…Hideyoshi-sama…must die." Mitsunari's sword-arm trembled violently, as if he were struggling against himself. His hand clasped around the katana and drew out the blade.
They backed away. Mitsunari could slice them to pieces before they even got close, so trying to strike him to knock him out of the trance was not an option.
Motonari slipped off the ringblade and held it upright, towards him. "I know you can hear me. Look, the reflection. Your lord is dead, and the dead don't come back to life."
Mitsunari halted. Then he gave a start, the life returning to his eyes. Behind him, the kitsune revealed its true form, leaping into the air and landing gracefully, its nine great tails swaying.
"You…!" Mitsunari whirled. "How dare you defile Hideyoshi-sama's image? I'll kill you!"
"Clever," the creature said as it locked eyes with Motonari, its sibilant voice sending chills down his spine. "Very clever, for a mere human."
"What do you want?" Motonari asked. "Are you responsible for that mess in Shikoku?"
"I went through a lot of trouble to lure you here. Perhaps we can reach a deal that will benefit us both." The kitsune's eyes flickered. "I did this all for that katana. Had you not interrupted, he would have handed it over and I would have let him go. Give it to me, and I'll leave the humans in peace."
"Does it belong to you?" Motonari asked.
"That doesn't concern you."
Mitsunari glanced at the katana he held. "This was a gift, and I will not part with it! Not to an evil creature like you!" He hunched over into his battle stance. "I will execute you for impersonating Hideyoshi-sama!"
The kitsune laughed. "Very well. I'll just take it from your dead body." Its eyes narrowed and its head swung in Motonari's direction. "I think I shall have that ringblade too!"
It lunged at Motonari, teeth bared, and jerked its head down as if using something on its back to strike. Mitsunari flashed in front of him. He took the blow and went flying across the room, skidding on the floor before he scrambled to his feet.
Chibi barked and with a deafening crack a shard of lightning blasted down from the sky, striking the kitsune. It squeaked and split apart into nine humanoid figures, each wielding a weapon. Motonari directed his companions to engage as many as they could and hold them off. Mitsunari and Motochika obeyed, keeping themselves in front of him and preventing the creatures from reaching him. Snarling, Chibi bounded towards him and fought with a lone one approaching him from the side. He worried for the puppy's safety, but it held its ground just fine.
He spun the ringblade over his head, gathering energy.
"Pull back!" he cried as he tossed a ring of light.
The other two fell back. Eight of the creatures pursued them and the ring fell neatly over them, constricting and making them squeal. Mitsunari and Motochika went to Chibi's aid and together they made short work of the ninth one, which vanished in a puff of smoke. The ones trapped in the ring perished shortly after.
The kitsune leaped up out of the smoke, panting. Now it no longer seemed like a supernatural entity - it was just an old, feeble fox.
Mitsunari rushed towards it, his face contorted in fury.
"Wait -" it began, trying to save itself.
He lashed out with the blade, severing its head from its body. "May you rot in hell!"
The island rumbled beneath them. Cracks spread along the walls.
"Let's get out of here!" Motochika shouted.
Motonari scooped up the puppy and they ran. They made it back onto the bridge just as the tower started collapsing. Fearing that the bridge would fall apart as well and plunge them to their deaths below, they didn't stop. They scrambled down from the ridge, nearly tumbling the rest of the way as the ground quaked under them. The entire island was breaking up. Motochika hollered at his crew to raise anchor as they splashed their way back towards the ship.
Once safely on board, the ship retreated from the crumbling island. Motonari set Chibi down and bent over, catching his breath. Chibi pawed at his leg and made an inquiring noise.
"I'm all right," he said. "But I was hoping to find your mother there."
Chibi sat down and whimpered. Behind them, the island split apart into chunks of rock, the sea frothing as the pieces tumbled into the water. Soon the island was gone, leaving behind only a few disturbed waves.
#
Instead of returning to port, Motochika wanted to check the surrounding waters and see if the sea creatures had fled now that the island and its master were gone. Motonari tried to dissuade him, but Motochika insisted that it would be all right, as he and his crew managed to repel one of the creatures during an attack. So far, the waters were calm.
Motonari was feeding Chibi some dried meat when Mitsunari approached them.
"Motonari, are you all right?"
Motonari straightened. "Yes, not a scratch. All because of you," he added as an afterthought. "It hit you quite hard, I recall."
Mitsunari shook his head. "It's nothing. But I want to apologize. What I did was unforgivable. I was willing to turn against you and Chousokabe so easily. I'm ashamed of myself."
"It wasn't your fault. That demon tricked all of us."
"But it was so obvious. I knew better, but still I gave in…" Pained, he looked away. "I was weak, and Hideyoshi-sama does not forgive weakness."
"You gave in because you hold him so close to heart. You couldn't have raised your blade against him. Don't think on it anymore."
Mitsunari hesitated, then smiled wistfully. "I suppose you're right. It would have been impossible for me not to look at his face. That kitsune...it was both powerful and evil, having nine tails. The moment you make eye contact is the moment it enslaves your mind."
"You're oddly knowledgeable about youkai."
To Motonari's surprise, Mitsunari's eyes filled with pain. It was the kind of look when recalling someone dear who had passed away a long time ago...one that the strategist himself was not a stranger to.
"It's...something I inherited," Mitsunari said at last. "I'm sorry. I don't really want to talk about it now. Maybe some other time."
"All right."
"Motonari, I..." The swordsman hesitated. "Do whatever you wish to me. I won't resist."
Motonari blinked. Mitsunari felt so badly about what happened that he was asking to be punished. But he hadn't done anything wrong. Chibi padded up to him and sat up on its haunches, cocking its head and making a comforting noise.
Motonari smiled at the puppy's antics. "He's right. It doesn't matter, Mitsunari. We…we're…" It took him a few tries to get the word out. "We're friends."
"Friends," Mitsunari said softly. "Is that what we are? You're too kind."
"Then do you want me to yell at you?"
"Yes. Very much. But it's no longer necessary." Mitsunari turned to leave. "Thank you."
They watched him go. Chibi's tail wagged wildly and it looked up at Motonari, awe shining in its eyes.
"You admire him, don't you?"
Chibi barked.
"I agree." He gazed at Mitsunari's retreating back. "He is noble."
Mitsunari had such pure character. Motonari could only marvel at it. And his loyalty was beyond compare. It was a shame that Mitsunari hadn't been born in Aki. Motonari could have used a right-hand like him from the very beginning. Mitsunari always placed his safety first and protected him out of his own will. He didn't have to be told or coerced, he just did it. And that intrigued Motonari. What made him just do it? Was there really no other intention?
Maybe it was because Mitsunari liked him.
He shook his head. What was he thinking?
