A/N: Well hello hello again my readers. It's been a while. I decided to write this chapter as a merry xmas gift for those that are following this story. Hope you enjoy it and your xmas. Oh and you may have noticed that I changed the title of this story. I've never been too happy with 'Maiden of Time'. It just sounded lame T_T 'Walker of Time' sounds better in my opinion.

Chapter Eleven

I sat at Mitsuhide's right hand, eating dinner with the rest of the Lords and Ladies. Though to be honest, there were only three Ladies – Miyoshino (wife of Saito Dousan), Hiroko, and me. Other females in the large room were the maids that brought the food and sake, pouring the spirit for the Lords and Miyoshino – and me, unfortunately.

"Osamu-sama, forgive me, but I am still surprised that you are a woman," Hiroko said shyly.

Dousan laughed. "Well no one ever said that she was a man. It is because she dresses as a man more so than a woman that most people believe she is male."

"Osamu has a wonderful skill in switching between the two it seems," Norihiro mused. "For she suits both appearances. Why do you not have her dressed as a woman more often, Akechi-sama?"

Mitsuhide sipped his sake with a neutral expression. "She is my bodyguard, not a maid." He cast a glance at me with a gaze that I could not read, before he turned his attention to Hiroko, leaving me puzzled. That look was odd.

I drank my miso soup, letting them exchange words about me fly over my head. I still felt somewhat miffed that I had been ordered by Dousan to wear feminine clothing for this meal, and it was impossible for me to refuse. Therefore I was dressed in attire fitting of a true Lady of the samurai – which was tight, restricting and uncomfortable, with an insane amount of layers of silk which made the whole attire very heavy. I could barely move my legs. When I did dress as a woman, the simple kimono or yukata of a maid or normal woman was best.

As I sat there, I listened to the conversations being exchanged across the room. I cast careful glances at Mitsuhide and Hiroko occasionally, analysing their body language and tone. Mitsuhide looked controlled and interested but as usual now, it was becoming somewhat difficult to tell what was behind that. I probably knew him better than anyone but as he grew, he was no longer the little boy that liked to act high and mighty on occasions. That inquisitive glint in his eyes was hidden and he was learning how to swallow his pride to earn the love of those around him. He was becoming composed, yet humble at the same time.

It was very easy to read Hiroko though. She kept her gaze down for most of the time. Her posture was stiff and she cast shy glances up at Mitsuhide every now and then. She blushed often. Such behaviour would usually irritate me. Shy and quiet girls often tended to be pathetic. Some of Hiroko's behaviour did irritate me as a matter of fact now that I was having the opportunity to analyse her. However, she seemed to have a good heart. Her plain face also seemed to enhance that attribute. Therefore I smiled. Such qualities would complement Mitsuhide nicely.

The evening wore into the night and Dousan then stood, holding up a bowl of sake. "I award this toast to Mitsuhide-sama, who has passed both my mental and physical tests in becoming my new administrator and officer. Welcome to the ranks, Mitsuhide-sama!"

"Congratulations!"

"Congratulations, Mitsuhide-sama!" Everyone cheered, holding up their sake bowls.

"Cheers," I murmured in English, earning a look from Mitsuhide which softened with warmth.

"Thanks," he whispered.

Over the years I had continued teaching him English to the point of being able to hold conversations in the language. They were not complex conversations, but one could classify him as fluent enough now. I did not think he would be able to keep up the enthusiasm to learn, seeing as most people lost interest early on. But his interest remained as strong as it did when he first saw my notes in English seven years ago. He was better at listening to and speaking it than the other two forms, mainly because I had no English books aside from what I had written in my own hand. Not just that though, from my experience, most people found the writing and reading the hardest when learning any language, unless it was a European language like French or German, so one could make an educated guess to what was written by looking at the similarities in spelling.

"Forgive me, my Lords and Ladies," Hiroko finally said. "I am very tired therefore I fear I must retire."

"Of course, Hiroko-hime," Miyoshino said before her husband could. "A lovely young girl cannot stay up too late otherwise she will develop wrinkles soon."

Hiroko looked shocked and touched her face worriedly. "Wrinkles? I am not yet fifteen."

I chuckled. "It will be a long while before you have to worry about such things, Hiroko-hime. Apply creams to your skin to keep it moist. Dry skin is no good for the body."

Mitsuhide raised an eyebrow at my comment.

"Who would have thought that you know about how to treat the skin?" Dousan chortled. "It is an odd thing to hear Osamu talk of womanly things. Ow!"

Miyoshino smiled innocently as she pinched the skin above her husband's knee. "Dearest," she said sweetly. "Do remember that Osamu is a Lady of the Akechi clan and an officer of Mino."

Hiroko looked to me with something akin to awe. "It is said that Osamu-sama is knowledgeable in many things. May I have the pleasure of being able to talk to you tomorrow?"

"That probably won't be the best idea," Yoshitatsu mused. "She will be suffering with a painful head tomorrow."

Hiroko looked confused. "Why so?"

Yoshitatsu smirked. "Mitsuhide cannot hold his alcohol too well, therefore Osamu will have to drink in his place. She can hold hers quite well."

Mitsuhide sighed. "Yoshitatsu, was that really necessary?"

Yoshitatsu shrugged. "I am merely stating the after-torture that you put your bodyguard through after nights like this."

If that comment had made Mitsuhide guilty, then he did not show it. I knew him well enough now to note that he cared about those around him more so than any other Lord or Lady I had ever encountered, therefore feeling guilty was something that he was plagued with when a certain event occurred. I however seemed to be an exception to that. While his expression would fall in sympathy to others, it was sometimes the opposite of me. I guess he knew me well enough to know that I would not take insult to his stricter side. We were like best friends who could throw insults at each other and laugh at them as jokes, for that was what they really were.

In the end, Hiroko bid everyone goodnight, retreating back with her maids. The rest of us stayed and the dishes were cleared away. True enough, Mitsuhide had stopped drinking and I was forced to drink instead.

"I am impressed, Osamu-sama," Norihiro said. "You drink very well."

I fanned my face which was feeling hot. "Thank you, Tsumaki-sama." I had reached the happy phase of drunkenness, and so enjoyed the rest of the night. It seemed like my father's prediction was coming true after all. He believed I would become just as foolish as he was in his younger years. I never believed him, and yet here I was, drinking like him, laughing like him, telling stories like him.

Like father, like daughter.

That night, after everyone had gone to sleep, Mitsuhide remained awake. The moonlight was fleeting, coming out and then hiding between the clouds that drifted across the night sky. He leant against the banister of the veranda of the castle's second floor, gazing down at the town in the distance. Yet that was not what he was seeing entirely.

He glanced behind him. The screen behind was slightly open. Aki was behind it, on the floor. Judging from her position, she had been closing the screen and then simply passed out on the spot from the sake. Therefore the screen was still open, and she was still face down on the tatami.

Mitsuhide exhaled softly, his expression falling slightly as a pang of guilt hit him upon considering whether he should just leave her like that. He turned and opened the screen, letting his shadow fall over her.

It looked like she had thrown the heavy outer garments off as soon as she got into the room, leaving her in just the simple white under-kimono. Mitsuhide went down on one knee and sighed, pushing her over onto her back gently. Aki did not stir, the alcohol having put her deep into sleep.

Truth was, he did have a strong endurance for alcohol. He was of Oni blood after all. But he wanted others to see him as weaker, hiding his true strength. Alcohol still affected him as any other person though.

Mitsuhide brushed Aki's hair from her face. His fingers tingled where it touched her skin.

He sighed. Alcohol was dangerous, made worse that Dousan forced Aki to wear such feminine attire. It made him remember the first time he had seen her dressed like that, when he was still young and his mother had made her dress so.

There were a few reasons as to why he supported Aki's desire to not wear such clothing. One such reason was the reason he gave to everyone else. She was his bodyguard and she could fight far better when in the looser clothing of a man, or even in a simple kimono.

The other reason was one he had kept to himself.

Another presence neared him, but he did not react to it. A woman stood close by on the veranda.

"She is a very beautiful woman, both physically and in her heart," Miyoshino said gently.

"She does not think so," Mitsuhide murmured.

"Honest women never do. That is why they are rare and precious," Miyoshino gazed up at the sky. "You will need to watch out for her as much as she does for you. Soon enough, people are going to start noticing her lack of aging."

Mitsuhide picked Aki up, an easy weight with his Oni strength. "She will have to live as we do, moving from place to place, dressing differently, behaving differently, all to make it seem like she is aging." He stepped silently to Aki's futon and laid her down on it properly.

"It makes me wonder," Miyoshino breathed.

Mitsuhide glanced at his aunt. "Wonder what?"

She turned her gaze to him. It was an old gaze of wisdom. She was a Pureblood of great age.

"I wonder what she is," Miyoshino said, holding his gaze until she looked away. Mitsuhide looked back down at Aki. Her sleeping face was peaceful and carefree. It was an expression which forever took away any tension and wariness that was in his body.

Mitsuhide smiled faintly. "She is my friend." He draped the quilt over her.

"Is she really?" Miyoshino whispered.

Mitsuhide frowned. "What do you mean, Miyoshino-hime?"

Miyoshino remained silent, and the silence stretched on. "What do you think of Hiroko?" She finally asked.

Mitsuhide's eyes narrowed, sharp enough to know that Miyoshino had danced around his question. Upon hearing Hiroko's name, he thought of the day just gone, of the girl two years younger than he. Hiroko was a pleasant girl with an honest expression. Her shy innocence was attractive, even if her looks were average.

"Looks aren't everything, Mitsuhide-sama," Aki had chided him once. "What is the point in being drawn to someone with a beautiful and handsome appearance when they have the heart and mind of a snake? Do you want a trophy just for aesthetics? Or do you want a loyal companion and friend who will value you for who you are?"

Mitsuhide's expression softened. You truly are a wise friend, Aki, he thought. He looked back up at Miyoshino.

"Why do you ask?"

Miyoshino smiled slightly. "Aki is expecting something."

Mitsuhide blinked. "Expecting what? How can you tell, Miyoshino-hime?"

She merely tapped her eyes behind her smile. "These eyes are old. I can tell many things." She then turned. "Good night, Mitsuhide-sama. Choose wisely."

By the time Mitsuhide had registered her last statement, Miyoshino had already gone, leaving him sitting beside Aki.

Choose what? He thought to himself.

Aki stirred. "Hurry up and . . . stop . . . faffing about, Dad . . ." She muttered in her sleep, rolling over so her back faced Mitsuhide. He sat as still as a rock, and then relaxed as Aki fell silent again, her breathing slow and steady.

He found himself smiling at Aki's comment in her sleep. Throughout the years, he had noticed that she spoke sometimes in her sleep. It was difficult to decipher on some occasions, for her ramblings were in English and slurred together with tiredness. But just hearing such talk sometimes made him want to laugh from the light-heartedness of it all.

Was Hiroko just as entertaining as Aki? They were both polite, both with good hearts from what Mitsuhide had been able to judge of Hiroko so far.

But Hiroko was fragile and openly nervous, while Aki was strong and masked any nervousness behind a mask that was impossible to penetrate. Aki was intelligent and adventurous. Was Hiroko the same?

For some reason, Mitsuhide's gaze was drawn to Aki's neck which was exposed. Even in the gloom of night, his Oni eyes could see the faint scars from acne along her jawline which Aki said she had suffered from in her youth.

Hiroko also had scars. Much of her nervous personality must have come from that. There was a lack of confidence in Hiroko in her appearance. Then again, it was the same as Aki. It had made Aki rather sensitive to the topic of appearances, to the extent that she no longer seemed to respond with much interest in it anymore.

It made Mitsuhide curious as to what went on in her head. He could tell the thoughts of many around him from their reaction to certain appearances. Hiroko was a good example. She had made little eye-contact with him today, and when she did, she blushed. It seemed to be a normal reaction.

Yet Aki did not respond in any such way. Her usual reaction would be a raised eyebrow in questioning and would say, 'What?'

Curiosity burned within him as he reached to brush a few strands of hair from her neck. Why are you so different to other women, Aki?

The tips of his fingers touched her neck. Eighteen year old women are still very young. Only two years older than me.

Her skin was warm. It was like a spark of energy kissed his fingertips, and he froze.

"Choose wisely."

Mitsuhide stood abruptly and exited the room, closing the screen behind him and stood on the veranda. His body was strangely hot. His heart was beating fast. Women in thoughts and conversations . . .

Wait, he realised. Was Miyoshino referring to them? Chose the women wisely?

He was a man now, no longer a boy. He stared at his hand, the fingers that touched Aki's neck.

Miyoshino said that Aki was expecting something with Hiroko. Or was it him? Or was it both? But . . .! He had only just met her, whereas he had known Aki for seven years.

He pressed his hand to his forehead and shut his eyes. That was not a good idea. Behind his closed eyelids he saw the nape of Aki's neck and the curve of her jawline, feeling the comfortable peace he felt when in her presence.

"Not good," he whispered under his breath with realisation.

I have come to like her more than I should.

I sat against a tree at a perfect angle, so that the sun was behind me, and the wind blew into my face from the front. It felt nice against my pounding head. I sat by myself, back in men's clothing, with my katana resting against my chest and arms tucked into my sleeves. My eyes were closed. The sound of the wind through the trees was soft, mingled with sweet birdsong that brought lightness to the rustling of the leaves.

This was definitely another good factor of living in the past than in the present. There was more time here, less pressure pushed on my shoulders by society to get things done. Here, I could rest for a bit, allowing some time to adjust to the pain of a hangover. But that was one bad thing about living here. In the twenty-first century, I simply said no to peer pressure. Here though, I had no choice.

If Mitsuhide could drink better, then my hangovers would not be as bad as they were.

"Your senses really do decrease severely under the effects of alcohol."

I cracked open an eye. Mitsuhide stood nearby, leaning against another tree.

"Mitsuhide-sama," I croaked. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough," he said, sitting against the next closest tree to me. "I could have struck you down quite easily."

I closed my eyes again, feeling embarrassed. He must have seen me dozing then just a moment before. I did not hear him approach at all. Aside from the wind and the trees, the pounding in my head was all I could hear.

"Do you not begin your new post today?" I asked when I could think clearer as I wondered what he was doing here.

"I am on a break at the moment. The workload is much."

I frowned and opened my eyes. "But it's not even midday yet."

"I've been working since dawn, and I am tired already," he sighed.

I winced. "Since dawn?" I could barely keep my eyes open as it were. "How much work is there?"

"A lot. Saito-sama was not joking when he said his last administrator was incompetent. It will take me days to get the mess back in order!"

I looked at him. He looked overwhelmed. So young and yet already with such a heavy responsibility. But he was a young man now, and so would be given duties as expected from a man.

I smiled at him gently. "You will do a superb job as an admin. You have energy and discipline."

He rested his head back against the trunk of the tree. His loosely tied hair fluttered in the breeze. "But it is still a huge job. I wonder if I can cope."

I laughed softly. That laugh quickly turned into a dry sob as the motion thumped against my skull. I pressed my hand against my head with a groan.

"Let me give you some advice, Mitsuhide-sama," I eventually said once the pounding had eased. "It may seem like the workload is too much, that you will never get it all complete. But you will find that in the end, it is never as much as you think. Starting is the hardest step. Once that is passed, just do a set amount of work every day and soon it will be finished. Like I said, you are disciplined and strict, you don't like disappointing people. Therefore I know you will do a good job of it."

Quiet stretched between them. But it was a peaceful quiet. It made me feel at ease, just being in his presence. One did not always have to reply to avoid an awkward silence. I knew Mitsuhide well to know that he was a deep thinker.

"Aki."

I drew my gaze towards him from the sky. "Mm?"

"Thank you," he said quietly.

I blinked. "For what?"

He looked at me for a very long time, beginning to make me feel self-conscious, before he snorted softly and smiled. "I had best head back. Long breaks on the first day do not give a very good impression," he said with finalisation, standing up.

"Wait," I blurted, also rising. "Do you need any assistance with your work? I can . . . help . . ." I trailed off, swaying with dizziness. Mitsuhide caught my arm before I lost my balance.

"Careful," he warned. "You should know better than to rise quickly after last night."

I stood with my feet apart, staring at the floor and waited for my vision to clear. His grip was firm, stronger than it appeared. A funny feeling squeezed my chest and I frowned. I shook it from my head.

"I'm fine," I said. "There is a lot of work to be done, Mitsuhide-sama. I know you can do it all by yourself but we are here for a limited number of days."

His hand slipped from my arm and I felt like I lost something.

"It is alright," he said. "I have an assistant. And Akito helps me when he can."

I sighed in relief. "Good. That makes me feel much better."

"Your concern is touching," he chuckled. I opened my mouth to defend myself when he carried on. "Seeing as you're already on your feet, you should walk back with me. Hiroko-hime is anxiously waiting for an opportunity to talk to you."

I stood where I was, debating whether I should go or not. My normal twenty-first century reaction would be a very blunt 'no.' My head hurt, I felt sick and I just wanted to lie down. However, here was different. Even with my pounding head that was dehydrated, there was an image of respect I had to uphold here.

"Fine," I sighed, walking back up the hill with Mitsuhide through the trees. "What do you think of her, Mitsuhide-sama?" I asked as I stepped carefully, trying to walk in a way so it did not cause my head to jolt with the movement.

He cast me a thoughtful glance. "She is well-mannered and soft-spoken, someone I believe who has a good and beautiful heart behind her appearance."

I smiled smugly to myself, nodding. "Would you like to talk to her more?"

"I suppose that would be nice, provided I have time," he mused.

"Make time then," I said. Mitsuhide looked at my oddly.

"How do you expect me to do that?" He asked dryly. "You should see my new office before you say that."

I snorted. "Trust me, compared to the workload of my world, yours doesn't seem so bad." I paused where I was and looked back down the hill at the town below and the rolling hills in the distance. It was a beautiful sight. "Back in my time, I had to study every day," I murmured. "The older we got, the more we had to study and work and less time was available for the fun things. It drove me insane. Suicide was a common thought in my mind, for if I could not write my stories, then it was better if I was never alive in the first place. I live to think and write, but society was taking that away. So I made time. I gave up many hours of sleep just to be able to do the little things I enjoyed for if I didn't, I would go mad. It made me very tired as a result. They say that everyone is born for a reason, that life is precious so you should enjoy it while it lasts. But what is the point if one cannot achieve any of their desires in life? How can one enjoy it if you are doing something that makes you miserable? You have to work in order to survive. You wake up, you work, you eat, you sleep, and you wake up again. Only those with money could live as they dreamed. The rest of us struggled." My voice was bitter. "But, at least we valued companionship more so than the rich. The rich were greedy. Their money corrupted them, as it does in every era."

While I wished to see my real family, the more I stayed here, the less I wanted to go back. I could not face living in the confines of modern human society again. There was so much pressure to get a good education and go to university and get a degree. That would have been my path had I not wiggled my desperate way out into writing. True, I would not earn much of a salary as a writer, but I was content with it. I could find work in a shop to earn enough money for rent and food and bills, then spend every other bit of time in my writing.

However, the world and modern day society was unstable. It changed and became harder on a rising exponential curve. Soon enough, my life as a writer would not be enough to keep me alive.

"I never knew," Mitsuhide said softly.

I turned back to find him watching me with sorrowful eyes. "It is in the past," I exhaled with a slight smile. "I am sure of one thing though – I am happy to be here." And truly, I was.

Mitsuhide returned that smile and turned away. "As are the rest of us," he said while I followed him back up the hill towards the castle.

The next day, I walked through the town with Hiroko. Given her delicate and fragile nature, I did not think her father would allow it. But he seemed to be happy with it to my surprise, and so Hiroko, two of her maids and I, strolled through the streets as four women cruise shopping, seeing as I was in female attire. It would have looked inappropriate for me to walk with her as a man, considering many were not aware that I was a woman. Rumours would have started and soon enough, they probably would have started shipping us together. It would have been worse for Hiroko, being the obvious woman.

I felt somewhat bare, walking without my katana. It made me raise a questioning eyebrow of irony at myself. Although I would never think like a true samurai, there were some aspects of their code which I carried. The katana is their honour, their life. Without it, they are nothing. In place of a katana, I held a dagger tucked within my kimono.

"Do you go out shopping often, Hiroko-hime?" I asked.

"Yes," she said lightly with a bright expression. "I am usually accompanied by a few guards though, so I never feel entirely comfortable with shopping to my heart's content because their expressions are always so cold."

I smirked. "Men do not like shopping. Mind you, neither do I to be honest."

Hiroko was shocked. "Osamu-sama does not enjoy shopping?" Her maids also looked stunned.

My eyes trailed the stalls we passed. "Not really, especially clothes shopping. But I enjoyed shopping for food and books. I could spend hours in a book shop."

"You must be very well educated. The Akechi Lords must have taught you well," she said with admiration.

I looked away so they could not see how my expression fell. "They did."

But not in academics, I added silently. That knowledge is from my own time.

"Oh! Hiroko-hime! Look at these rolls of silk," one of her maids exclaimed, hurrying over to a tailor shop which was draped in beautiful silks and elaborate embroidery.

"How stunning!" Hiroko shared her maid's exclamation, viewing a pale pink roll embroidered with lotus flowers.

"Such fine needlework," I breathed. "And all done by hand!"

Hiroko glanced at me. "You speak as if that is an odd thing, Osamu-sama."

I blinked. "D-don't mind me," I stammered, dismayed that I had let such a statement out and went to admire a deep green roll of silk embroidered with silver ducks in flight.

Boy, have to remember the era I'm in, I mentally kicked myself. Machines for mass production were not invented yet.

The three of them spent some time fussing around until Hiroko decided on the pale pink silk and bought it.

"Do you like pink?" I asked her, seeing as her face looked very pleased with her purchase.

She nodded. "It is a lovely feminine colour of delicacy. It is warm and innocent. Does Osamu-sama not think so?"

"Blue is my favourite colour."

"That is an unusual colour for a woman to like," Hiroko said curiously with a hint of nervousness, worried that she may have offended me with her statement.

I laughed gently. "Indeed. But it is a good colour, for it is the colour of the seas and the skies."

"Have you seen the sea before?" Hiroko asked. The tone of her voice made me look back at her. She was very young, therefore unlikely to have travelled much. Judging from her tone, she had never seen the sea, but wanted to. It was a common wish for many of those that lived inland.

"Seen it?" I repeated. "I've been on it and sailed on it."

Hiroko's eyes widened, and she and her maids listened to me talk about the sea as we continued our shop for the rest of the morning. It was nice, seeing their eyes glitter with imagination. Everyone had dreams.

Soon, our time to leave Inabayama came.

"Mitsuhide-sama," Norihiro said before we left. "I would be honoured if you could come to visit us soon at my manor."

"The honour would be mine," Mitsuhide said with a bow.

Nou tugged on my sleeve. "I expect you to return soon, cousin Osamu," she said with dignity, like a little princess. "I will be much better at conkers when you come back."

I grinned. "Good. You must practice and show your skills to me as proof when we next meet."

"I shall practice with Kenji-san," Nou declared.

"He is coming back with us I'm afraid," I said, shooting her down already and she sniffed.

"Fine, I shall practice with Ani-ue."

"That sounds like a good idea."

"What does?" Yoshitatsu questioned with suspicion.

"A game," Nou said.

Yoshitatsu cringed. "I am too old for games, Nou."

"Don't be a liar, Ani-ue," Nou said stoutly.

I giggled. "You can never be too old for games, Yoshitatsu-sama. I still play them when I get the chance."

Yoshitatsu looked away and harrumphed. Nou and I shared a sneaky and secretive glance as he walked off. "He likes games, doesn't he," I whispered.

"Of course," Nou muttered. "He's just too proud to admit it because he is the heir of the clan."

We giggled, and the back of Yoshitatsu's neck turned red with embarrassment. Before he could say some snarky comment, something else took our attention. Mitsuhide and Hiroko stood opposite each other, exchanging comments on safe journeys. Hiroko's face was burning and Mitsuhide looked on her kindly, letting her blush go over his head as to not make her feel anymore awkward than what she was already feeling. He really was a thoughtful person. A gentleman.

Hiroko bowed to him and he bowed in return, a sign that I also had to give my farewells until next time. Mitsuhide, Kenji and I mounted our horses, and began the ride back to Akechi Castle.

A few weeks later

Mitsuhide sat in his room with the screens open to the garden where he admired the colours of the falling leaves, translating it into words of poetry upon his scroll.

Fire floats from a cloudless sky,

Golden stars from nature's wooden fingers,

Its warmth,

Cold,

Seasons pass yet felt only the burning heat of summer and bitterest winter,

Human touch is warm,

A comforting limbo beside immortal time,

Mitsuhide heard the padded feet long before the knock came. "Mitsuhide-sama."

"What is it, Yuko?"

"Our guests have arrived."

Mitsuhide looked up. "Thank you, Yuko. I am on my way."

"Very good, Mitsuhide-sama." She rose, and left.

Mitsuhide put his brush down and analysed his incomplete work. Autumn was filled with fiery colours, but the air was cold, yet not as cold as winter. Oni cared little for the changes in seasons. It was but a fleeting sensation. However . . . human touch lingered.

The young Lord stood and left his work on the table to dry. No one was going to take it. He wondered whether he should show Aki. He found that talking to her about his poetry and the ideas in his head helped develop them further. She listened and showed an enthusiasm that urged him with his own internal excitement to write more. She suggested many ideas and offered criticism, never laughing at his work or looking at it with disappointment as some might, for he was still young, and needed much practice. But nor did she ever praise him greatly either. It was only once before when she showed such praise. Her advice was constructive.

He walked to the meeting hall and he smiled faintly to himself. Aki was easy to talk to.

Understanding.

A rare trait.

He entered the meeting hall and sat down beside Mitsuyasu who sat in the middle. From left to right, it was his mother, Mitsuhisa, Mitsuyasu, Mitsuhide, then Aki. As an adoptive daughter of Mitsukuni, she was recognised as a Lady of the clan, and she was dressed as such again today. Her appearance made him feel light. Her expression was unreadable, but it was open as always.

Before them at the other side of the hall, a man and a young woman sat, bowed before them.

"Yamagishi-sama," Mitsuyasu said. "Welcome to AkechiCastle."

The Lord sat up. "It is a pleasure to be welcomed back, Mitsuyasu-sama. It has been a while since I have last seen everyone. Ane-ue, you look as radiant as always."

Lady Akechi inclined her head and the Lord turned his gaze to Aki. "How beautiful you look, Osamu-sama. I am glad to see you look after my nephew well."

Aki bowed. "Thank you, Yamagishi-sama. It is my duty."

The Lord gestured beside him to the young woman. "This is my daughter, Chigusa. She will also be staying this winter."

The young woman raised her head. Mitsuhide was unable to stop part of his expression from faultering upon gazing at this woman. She was truly beautiful beyond comparison, with eyes as dark as onyx and skin as white as milk. She was the same age as Mitsuhide, and like Mitsuhide, she too was a Pureblood. It was in her bearing. She rose from her bow with elegant grace, yet the strength of the Oni lurked beneath.

"It is an honour to be introduced to the Akechi Lords and Ladies," she said smoothly. "Please guide and take care of me."