Walker of Time

by Ayyarin

Annie - a young researcher - is swept away from her modern day life into the Sengoku period. There, she decides to use her knowledge of that time period to guide Mitsuhide through his life that will come to pass, giving him the advantage in the events to come. However, can she guide him towards the tragic death that waits for him at the end when realises that she loves him?

19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

May; 1545

I found myself in a strange location. Strange, yet beautiful. The vast garden was exquisitely arranged, dotted with winding maple trees in full bloom, their orange and red leaves glowing with an inner light. Its warmth illuminated the stone garden and its patterns of waves like a lake frozen in time. Bright moss blanketed stones and marked the edges of the path I stood on.

There were many paths, winding to and fro in between the trees and the boulders, creating a great tapestry of art within the confines of nature. A pond rippled close by, its waters as clear as crystal, and carp swam lazily beneath the surface.

Between the standing trees and the curtain of low branches and leaves, the red pillars of a wide temple stood in the distance. The light from within it emanated out, as if to enhance the glow of leaves with its own. Yet it was gentle and warm, but still gave a sense of grandeur as I began to see the full size of the temple and its sweeping roofs.

Beyond it, were distant snow-capped mountains and a starry sky, patched with cloud which decided they were not going anywhere in a hurry this night. A few shooting stars arced across the sky. They did not soar in straight lines however. They deviated, this way and that with steady changes in trajectory, as if they were alive with a mind of their own. Perhaps they were celestial beings, flying high in the sky.

Despite the warmth and the beauty, it was eerily quiet. Silent, in fact.

I was aware this was a dream, for no such place on Earth had glowing maple leaves. This was a place of magic. I could feel it in the very air as I made my way slowly towards the temple. There was no rush. I felt oddly at peace and at ease here, like it was familiar. I had visited similar places before in my dreams, but those places were in mythical China, not a mythical Japan.

Pausing by the pond, I stopped at the rocky edge and looked down, seeing my reflection. I wore an attire of pale green, designed almost like a cross between a Japanese kimono and a Chinese hanfu. It was beautiful, and I found myself wondering why no one had ever thought to try and design and sew such a beautiful combination.

"Walker of Time."

I glanced up at the voice, surprised because I had not seen anyone else here. Yet I did not feel alarmed.

On the opposite side of the small pond was a tall pale man, with long white hair and equally pale eyes, but with slitted pupils. He appeared like a humanoid version of a snake, and I recognised him as such, a divine one. Even more so, I recognised him as the snake god, or demon, who pulled me into the lake all those years ago. It was by his hands directly that I found myself in Sengoku Japan.

Over the years I had learnt of them from the Akechi. This pale man was one of the Superiors, the highest beings in Japanese mythology, whether they be gods or demons.

My eyes widened and my lips parted in stunned silence. I had been searching for them for so long. And at long last, I finally found one.

There were so many things I wanted to ask and to say. Why did they bring me here? Why choose me? Would I ever be able to return to my own time? What did they want from me?

All of those questions remained unborn however, sucked from my mind as all I could do was stare at this entity. Even though he did not move and bore such elegance and sleekness to his form, there was such power within his very presence, power and age. Such great age and wisdom within those serpentine eyes.

"Cultivate the gift your father left to you," he said, his voice as slippery as his nature, trickling into my ears like white velvet. "Actively cultivate your Sight, and you shall find us again soon."

He looked down into the water. I followed his gaze to my reflection. Instead of my brown eyes, my irises were pale and icy green, like the waters of the Antarctic.

Like my father's eyes.

They had the slightest of glows to them, as if a cold fire had been awakened within.

Xxxxx

I woke with a subtle jolt, and sprung my eyes wide awake. The same silence met my ears, except this was the silence of a castle asleep. It was still mainly dark, save for the creeping dawn struggling through the screens.

I lay there, allowing the silence to deepen around me and for my eyes to adjust to the wan light. The faintest sounds of a few early birds trickled to me through the walls, reminding me I was back in reality. There was solace within that thought and realisation.

The haunting echo of the dream was still very fresh however. I was unsure as to where I was. It's beauty still lingered within my memory, and my desire to go back into the dream could not be denied. Indeed I wish I could, so I could speak and talk.

For over eight years I had been seeking and hoping to see the ones who brought me here. I was no longer afraid of them. Living with the Akechi had taught me a great deal of things about living with beyond-human entities. There was respect, for their power, age and wisdom, as well as a healthy level of fear of their extreme strength and speed, not so much of the Akechi, but of encountering more enemies like the Hayato in the future, where their goal was to kill and destroy.

However, I knew the Akechi were very careful to not alarm me with their abilities, and had been done in small doses ever since I was told of their true identities.

With the Superiors though, I just wished I could talk to them. The dream itself had been a fascinating experience! A surprise, certainly, and perhaps even a shock. But fascination and my desire to encounter them again was stronger than my caution for them.

Despite that, instead of having my questions asked and answered, he had spoken to me instead.

Use the gift my father gave me. Cultivate my Sight.

I stared up at the ceiling, remembering my reflection, and most of all, my eyes there. They were pale green, almost an icy green. My father's eyes were that colour. Obviously I never got the gene for those colours of eyes as Asian genetics were always stronger in eye and hair colour as opposed to western genes.

I did have his smile instead however. And it was a smile I knew brought joy to others, as he himself did.

My eyes watered. I chose not to wipe them.

But by Sight, I knew with a dreaded inkling of what the divine snake meant. They meant my dreams and ability to see snippets of the future. That, along with the ability to travel along the astral plane, were abilities passed down from my father's family. We may have been British, but our deeper ancestry was Welsh, and there was a great deal of old magic in those lands still.

Since the series of dreams depicting the exact night and fight of Mitsukuni's death, I had chosen not to delve too deep into those abilities again. Every now and then, I had used snippets of the ability in my waking days for even mundane things, such as to see how the day may possibly pan out. But going further and deeper, was something I chose not to do, especially as I knew what was going to happen anyway since this was my history. I knew what was going to happen within Japan for the next five hundred years. What use was the ability to see the future when I had already read its history?

But no. It could never be as simple as that. The Superiors, like the Akechi, were entities beyond this world. They just chose to have their hand within it when needed, to either guide, or to sow deceit. I did not believe the Superiors were there for deceit. I trusted the Akechi on this matter. Therefore it had to be the former.

Cultivate my Sight, huh, I wondered with a heavy sigh. Did they really want me to actively use my ability? I did not even know how to actively use it. It just sort of came sometimes. I did not really know how to control it.

But . . . if they wanted me to start using it, then it had to be for a reason, didn't it? In the same way there was a reason for their bringing me here. All things happened for a reason. That was the greatest lesson in the magics of the natural world and beyond.

I tried to go back to sleep, to push the prospect of having to follow an impossible message, away from my mind. To let it sit and for the subconscious to work its way through it. Sleep eluded me however, therefore I got up and walked over to the screens leading outside onto the veranda. I pulled the paper one to the side, followed by the wooden one, and let the fresh air of early morning float in through the gap.

It smelt of the dew glittering across the leaves of the trees and bushes. A few birds sang in the trees, while some were still asleep, like the rest of the castle. A wild rabbit hopped carefully over the stone lawn, appearing confused by the lack of grass in that patch. The gardener would go ballistic if he knew a rabbit was in the garden.

The eastern region of the sky had the slightest twinges of pink as the sun lurked beyond the horizon, still sleepy itself, but slowly rising in its own time.

There was no wind this early in the morning, and I stood by the open screen, drinking in the early dawn. It was peaceful and calm. Despite how tough it always was for everyone to get up early in the morning, the peace and tranquillity of dawn – like dusk – was beyond compare. They were perhaps the only two times of day where one could actually feel the connection to mother nature, as if the veil between the human world and the natural world were brought together for a few short moments. Similar to how the solstices were supposed to mark the merging of worlds together, dusk and dawn felt like the same thing, except for a shorter length of time. It made me wonder if that was perhaps how my meeting with a Superior in the dream occurred, because our worlds were briefly joined.

I did not want to go back to sleep now that I was awake, thinking. But I did want to take advantage of the quiet and lack of activity before everyone else woke up. Therefore I decided on practising kendo. The training helped focus my mind.

I freshened up first before changing into simple hakama trousers and tied my hair back with a band. As I walked towards the dojo, I thought back to the robes I wore in the dream. A cross between a kimono and hanfu was perfect. A hanfu was far more manoeuvrable and flowing, and a kimono had the beauty of enormous bows and indicating rank. I would love to wear a kimono more often, but they were so restricting. If there could be a cross between the two designs, that would suit me perfectly, because then I could dress beautifully as a woman, and still have the flexibility to fight. I had always been an enormous fan of traditional Chinese dramas were women were as skilled with martial arts as men. Many a night I had spent fantasising over being one of those legendary jianghu warriors.

Of course, Japanese women had their own styles of combat to work within the confines of their robes. The naginata, single dagger and aikido were some of those, and I had learnt them as well, though not as well as I would have liked. It was not the same however as having the full range of movement a hakama provided.

I thought about the dream as I left my sandals at the steps onto the veranda.

The Sight . . . how do I cultivate it? What did he mean by actively cultivating?

There was a small pit of dread within my stomach. Most of the time, when I did See, it showed me what I did not want See. Like life, it was unpredictable and challenging, filled with trials with no way to prepare for them, even if I knew what was coming sometimes.

The faintest sounds of clacks and shuffling feet brought my attention back to reality and to the dojo. Was someone already inside and training early?

Tentatively, I stepped into the front hall which worked around the side where all the gear was usually locked away. There were spaces for people to change here as well. I walked along the corridor, listening. Judging from the sound, there was only one person, and they sounded very practised as they made little noise.

Up ahead, I saw another pair of sandals next to an open screen. There was just the slightest hints of light, possibly from one candle, inside the main hall of the dojo itself, and I watched the shadow of the individual through the paper screens. As the candle flame flickered, the individual moved across the hall, wielding a staff with ghostly grace as the flickering shadow made it dance and skip through space itself.

It had to be either one of the Lords or Makoto, or the guard captain. I could not think of anyone else who would move with such expertise.

Staying within the shadows, I poked my head around the edge of the open screen to see who it was.

The man who practised alone was young. He wielded a spear, it turned out, not a plain staff. He wielded it with such grace and skill, moving from one kata to the next with such a fluidity I could not tell where one ended and the other began. Strands of his hair had come loose from his band, and floated around him like dark ribbons, seemingly mirroring the strikes, swipes and twists of the spear. He moved with an agility that was as lithe as a dancer, yet as deadly as tiger, and as strong and as fast as a demon.

I found myself staring, trapped by his form, his movements and entranced by the presence he seemed to project out like waves from his combat.

He was beautiful.

He was Mitsuhide.

I watched him in stunned awe. I had trained with him so many times, and had watched him train with others as well, and had watched him train alone too.

And yet, I had never seen him move like this, nor had I seen him wield the spear before. But I did recall from previous research that Mitsuhide had become very proficient in the spear, more so than the katana despite being depicted as wielding the katana in paintings and in other adaptions such as games.

Watching him now, I was reminded of the first time I saw him really fight, even when he had been a child and the white hair crowned his head with his true birthright. Such speed, such ferocity, yet with deadly grace and precision. One was lured in by its mesmerising effects, before being killed.

I wondered why I never saw him fight like this in both real combat and in training. But as I stared, I began to understand.

Here, he moved and fought according to his actual limits. Here, I saw the inner Oni emerge. Captivating and beautiful like a vampire, yet as dangerous as the devil himself.

I was reminded that that was who he actually was. Heir of the Oni, he was the great leader of all demons and celestials alike in the lands of Japan. This boy . . . this man, would soon be the most powerful being in Japan, both in the human and the supernatural world.

Here however, he lived in the human world, and therefore had to act and behave as such. Likewise in the Toki-Saito battle, the Toki could have won easily had they revealed their true abilities. But they chose not to, and kept their limitations within human expectations.

It dawned on me that was what Mitsuhide had been doing, even in front of me. It was a bitter and sad reminder of how weak, and how fragile I was compared to him. Why did Mitsukuni place me as his son's bodyguard when I could never hope to compare against such a person? Just thinking back to the ambush and murder brought a chill to my bones. I could do nothing against such powerful enemies, nor had I any strength to help Mitsukuni and Mitsuhide.

I was useless, essentially.

For the first time in a while, I felt a keen sting in my heart, one which had nothing to do with memories of my original family. This bitterness was to do with my new family here, for once. I may be as strange as them as I was to everyone else, but that was all a lie. I was just a normal human woman, with a standard education and a variety of hobbies. I had some strange abilities as well. But that was nothing by comparison.

I . . . I don't belong here, I thought miserably.

It was a thought I had pushed away to the deepest recesses of my mind over the last eight years. It was the only way I could survive here, by latching onto a family I could try and become a part of, so the void left behind by my own would not swallow me.

But I could not hide from the truth. How was I supposed to protect a young man who was clearly so superior to myself? Watching Mitsuhide's skill brought a flash of jealousy to my heart as I wished for such skill and grace myself. What was I even doing here? He could take care of himself in battle.

On the other hand, if I was supposed to be guiding him through his future, then that had also already gone horribly wrong by Chigusa's confession being for me, not for him. Likewise Mitsuhide and Hiroko were also supposed to be engaged by now. It should have all happened when he was sixteen. He was seventeen now, and there was nothing. The only things which had gone according to the timeline were Mitsukuni's death, Saito Dousan's victory, and Mitsuhide becoming Mino's administrator. But in none of those could I have ever taken into account the fact that the supernatural existed very much.

All of this was like a wave of failure as it crashed over my head, and I felt tears sting my eyes. The wave was expected, but the tears were not as some slipped down my face. I turned away quickly, holding a hand to my mouth and nose to keep within a sniffle and sob which threatened.

Last thing I wanted was to interrupt Mitsuhide. He most likely knew I had been watching him regardless. Nothing missed his keen eyes and ears. However, I most certainly did not want him to see my tears. The last time had been Mitsukuni's death. I had never seen Mitsuhide cry after that, and likewise he had never seen mine since then either.

My place in this world, in this family, was something I had to piece together myself, for no one else knew where I fitted into the grand puzzle aside from the Superiors themselves.

I just wished I did not have to figure it out alone.

I went back to my rooms and looped my arms through the sleeves of a haori and let loose my hair. It would still be another hour yet before those of the household began to waken to prepare for the day by cooking and cleaning.

I left my screen open and sat on the edge of the veranda, hugging my knees beneath my chin as I watched the garden and the early birds. The rabbit had gone. Despite the peace and tranquillity of the garden, I still felt miserable. For many years I had kept the depression at bay by distracting myself with the kindness of the Akechi, making new friends in the town whom I could chat and joke with, and learning to fight. There were so many things I had done to self-cultivate myself to improve myself, as well as trying my best to help others using what knowledge I had.

However, I knew one day the hidden depression would catch up. The pain of not having my true family with me was unbearable. The fear of being cast out by the Akechi because I was not truly one of them, was enough to cripple me. I could not deny being envious of Mitsuhide's supreme martial skill, and it made me feel stupid and pathetic to be labelled as his 'bodyguard' when it would be more likely that he'll be the one protecting me, not the other way around.

I felt lost and uncertain since history had gone astray. I still did not know what I was supposed to be doing, whether it was to follow the original timeline, or to change it. Both were such heavy responsibilities of which I was not sure I was ready for. Was that why my dream told me to cultivate my Sight? Would my Sight be the one to guide the way?

Things were complicated enough by being in Sengoku Japan. Trying to follow the original history would be hard enough without the added factor that Oni actually existed and played their hand in human politics.

It changed everything! Would that therefore change history? Would it change time? Would I cease to be born because my family would never have been created?

I bowed my head against my knees. What help and advice I needed was far beyond my reach, while my problems and thoughts were overwhelming.

How I wished and yearned for my parents or sister to talk to.

The faintest vibrations of footsteps made me look up, surprised. No one should be up yet.

Mitsuhide walked over to me, as silent as a cat. I inhaled sharply, eyes wide. He finished his katas sooner than I expected. Either that or I had been trapped in my thoughts for longer than I realised.

I turned my face away and tried to wipe the tear smears from my cheeks, both mortified and embarrassed, and forgetting to greet him at the same time, which had completely escaped my priorities.

He did not say anything though, and gently sat down next to me. Mitsuhide leaned back and gazed up at the sky through the strands of hair which had come loose from his ponytail. He really was beginning mature in both physique and his face. Even just sitting like this, he was now taller than me, and muscle had replaced the childhood fat of his boyhood. He was still so young, still not really a man until he was eighteen. But the round face of his childhood had gone, replaced by fine, slender features, and the physique to match.

It was hard to remember sometimes that he was no longer a child.

A few beads of sweat dotted his forehead from his training. I could almost feel the warmth of his body from where I sat. Yet he was not out of breath.

As the silence stretched on, I felt I knew why he was here.

Company.

I looked down at my hands which wrapped around my legs, feeling shame. I dwelled too much within my own past, missing it so much that I had forgotten my current present, which was here. And the one person who had always been a steady constant in all of it, was Mitsuhide.

Perhaps that is why I am so afraid of being cast out. I am afraid of Mitsuhide-sama deciding I am no longer needed in his family. He is my only anchor here. Without him, I literally have nothing. Absolutely nothing.

"I like using the spear," Mitsuhide said softly, breaking the silence. "It is a simple weapon with great flexibility and range. I feel lighter when I use it, as if I can fly, like the birds."

I knew what he was doing, and I couldn't help but smile as I sniffed. He was putting aside his rank and just being there, as a friend. He was the greatest friend I could ever have.

"I know," I said, having to clear my throat as some emotion still choked it. It was a relief, to not be asked why I was upset.

Mitsuhide peered at me with a raised eyebrow. "How can you know? You had never seen me wield one until now."

The Akechi already knew I understood a great deal of the future to come, and Mitsuhide was no different now that he was older. They had also respected the fact I could say very little on the matter as well, despite how much I really wanted to tell them about it.

So I just looked ahead instead at the garden. "It's the way you move while wielding it," I said, thinking back to the recent memory. "I think you'll favour the spear above the other weapons out there."

"I feel you are correct in that assessment. You can watch me practice, if you wish," he offered.

A warm flutter blossomed in my chest. "I think . . . I think I will like that . . . Do you normally practice this early before everyone wakes up?"

Mitsuhide raised one leg up so he could rest his elbow across his knee, while the other leg hung over the veranda edge.

"On most mornings," he said thoughtfully. "For the last year."

"Only a year and already so skilled. Your blood really does have its advantages," I mused, but then fell quiet for a moment. "Is that why you train so early, so others do not get alarmed by the speed of your progress?"

Mitsuhide tilted his head to the side in thought. "It is not so much that. They would put it down to being a protege," he said quietly and glanced at me. "It is because they will see more of my actual abilities. I . . . don't want to alarm them, nor do I want the soldiers creating fanciful stories and descriptions describing my movements and starting rumours."

I cast my eyes down. "Is that why you also never showed me? So I would not be alarmed by the true capabilities of your nature?"

Mitsuhide did not answer. Instead, he also looked down, and I saw some remnant nervousness creep into his expression.

"Why show me now?" I asked gently.

"I . . . I was always worried, after you saw my true form when I was a boy, that you would fear me, especially as I grow and mature and become stronger. You have been here for the majority of my childhood, and I must admit, I have very little memory wherein you are not there. They have all been good memories," he said softly. "Therefore I did not want you to have any bad memories of me, either. The last thing I want is for my true nature to frighten you. It would change everything, and I don't want anything to change." He sighed. "But as I grow closer to becoming eighteen, it is beginning to dawn on me the longer you stay with us, the more likely you are to be wrapped up within the politics of the divine and demon worlds. You will see me for who I really am, and . . . I don't want that to frighten you away. So that is why I let you see me this morning, as a way to ease you into our ways over the coming months and years."

I stared at Mitsuhide. He kept his gaze down, unable to look at me as he exposed his feelings. What a fool I had been. All these years I had feared I would be cast out by them, by him, for being the one who did not belong, and for being a human in their Oni world.

It had never occurred to me that Mitsuhide had his own fears as well, and had been so similar to mine, except he feared I would leave because his strength would frighten me.

I touched his arm. It surprised him and he jumped slightly. I held his gaze when he brought them to mine. He was holding his breath.

"The power to protect, is one I will never fear. And yours, Mitsuhide-sama, is the power and strength to protect those who are important to you."

No tears welled within his eyes, but the emotion was strong. Likewise the emotion within my own heart was strong, except it was also accompanied by moisture in my eyes. I could almost feel his entire body relax as the tension was released, and a new, positive energy, replaced it.

I laughed slightly to myself. "I am such a fool. All these years I had also feared. I feared my usefulness within this family and in serving you. Even now, I still cannot see how I could possibly protect you as a retainer. I am the only human in your family, and by that definition, I do not belong here. But I . . . I cannot imagine losing another family – this family." My voice broke at that moment as the prospect of it swelled in my throat again. I cleared my throat so I could continue speaking, but it came out strained. "Likewise how I have been there for most of your childhood, you too have been my only anchor of stability in this world. Being your retainer seems to be the only reason I can stay here, but even that title is a lie."

I hunkered down into my knees, feeling exposed. I had never said this to anyone, least of all so emotively. They were my fears, laid out and offered like a full plate. But would he accept them, as I had accepted his?

"It is no lie, Aki," Mitsuhide eventually said. "Being my retainer gives the family the perfect excuse to have you stay beside me so as to not bring questions from the public. And my father loved you enough as if you were his daughter, and that is what you became. You belong in this family, Aki, regardless of the blood in your veins." He then snorted, ever so gently, in amusement. "I may be more skilled in combat than you, but there are other things of mine you protect, besides my life. And most of these things are not visible nor obvious to see."

I glanced at him warily, perking up with meek hope.

He smiled. "Rest assured, Aki. We will not be letting go of you so easily. And . . . I am quite happy to remain as your anchor, if you will also allow that."

It was like the sun broke through the clouds, and finally, the inner fears dissipated, like vapour in the air. All I had to hear was that I was wanted, that I was needed. And it had to come from Mitsuhide, not his mother or uncles or cousins.

Here and now, I could truly feel the bond of friendship between us. And it was as secure as a mountain was to the land.

Mitsuhide handed me a silken, lilac handkerchief from his sleeve, noticing my stray tears before I did, except these tears were a mix of the old fears and new peace and joy.

"Thank you," I said, accepting it and dabbing my eyes. "And you don't need to ask something so silly. But yes, I will definitely allow that."

I held out the handkerchief and he shook his head. "Keep it," he offered.

I hesitated, before wrapping the rest of my fingers around the cloth. It may seem insignificant to him, but to me, it was now as precious to me as my katana was.

"Mitsuhide-sama. You will never have to worry again in the future of my being frightened of you," I said. "I know there is great power within you, but I also know you. Such power could not be in better and safer hands."

He looked down at his hands.

"And besides," I continued, trying to lighten my tone. "How could I possibly be afraid of the same boy who's cheeks I used to pinch? Even if you have grown much bigger since then."

Mitsuhide's distracted expression was transformed by the smile, and I saw the fondness of memory within them. It would be impossible to try and pinch those cheeks now. The remains of childhood chubbiness had all gone. But also it would be incredibly inappropriate of me to do such a thing to him at his age now. A wrong conclusion could easily arise from it.

Distant activity drew both of our attention back into the castle and towards the direction of the dojo and barracks. Life was stirring and the castle was beginning to wake up. We would both have to prepare for the day as well, and I could not help but feel the disappointment of having to end our conversation here. It was nice, to have a heartfelt conversation with Mitsuhide. It made me feel closer to him, and it made our friendship stronger. He was my family.

I still sighed with grim acceptance. "It appears that we have to start the day."

Mitsuhide exhaled softly. "It appears that we do. Time never stands still, even for an immortal." He moved to stand, but stopped and turned to face me. "Aki . . . When it is just the two of us, you do not have to use my honorific title. Just call me by my name alone."

My eyes widened, astonished by what he was asking. He was my Lord, therefore it was only natural I addressed him as such. Purely first name address was incredibly personal and represented a very personal, intimate and trusting relationship. It was something between family, a husband and wife, and extremely close friends. For him to ask me to drop his title when he himself was a Lord, implied he felt and believed that strongly in our bond.

I was speechless, mildly aware of my partial gape, yet unable to close my mouth.

Mitsuhide saw and a look of entertainment passed his face. "Think about it," he suggested, then finally stood up. "I shall see you after the morning meal. We will need to prepare for our trip to Inabayama Castle today."

I watched him leave, still speechless.

He is such a good young man. His future wife – whoever that may be at this rate – will be a lucky woman indeed,I thought quietly, and my heart ached. It's just such a shame . . . that I am so much older than him.

I pressed my lips into a thin line as the thought wrecked havoc within my mind and heart. Such a thought was absolutely outrageous. I was a twenty-six year old female retainer for goodness sake. Old and unmarriable by now in traditional standards for this era. Additionally I was not from this time-era. Even if I wished to marry, it would be impossible. I would need the Akechi's blessing. But even if I did have their blessing for any sort of marriage to anyone for that matter, it would only end in failure because none would understand my origins, and therefore no husband would ever understand me.

Besides, I had made the vow to serve Mitsuhide until my time here was complete, whether that meant I died in battle, or was eventually sent back to my own time. By the very nature of my service to Mitsuhide, I was forbidden to marry anyone.

If circumstances had been different, if he were older, or I were younger, then I would probably risk dreaming of such a fantasy. But even then, he was Oni, I was human. The blood alone was factor enough to reject such a union.

I turned my head away rubbing my eyes with a heavy sigh. It was all just stupid thoughts and they needed to be banished. All that mattered was my friendship with him, and that was more than enough for my peace of mind. I would be supporting and guiding his decisions no matter what in the future. I still had to see if Mitsuhide had the potential to show interest in Hiroko. She was the only other one aside from Chigusa who had become his wife.

Deep down however, I could not help but take a sudden U-turn in my initial approach to the two as a couple. Where at first I had fully supported it, I now partially wished it followed Chigusa's development in being directed elsewhere. Perhaps then at least Mitsuhide could remain as my stable rock in this world through our friendship.

I dared not think of the consequences to the future should such a development between Hiroko and Mitsuhide not happen, however.