Chapter Thirty
I woke up early, having still not slept very well during the night as thoughts and emotions surged through my mind like the waves of the sea. I pushed my quilt away, got up and opened my sliding screen to the garden. The fresh snow had settled like a pristine blanket across the grass and stones and trees. The sun had not quite risen beyond the horizon yet, but it was light enough to outline the harden and the outlying buildings of the castle grounds to the side.
In the dim morning dawn, I came out of my room in my single white kimono, barefooted, and stepped out into the snow. A few steps away from the veranda, I came to a stop, feeling the crunch and freezing chill of the snow biting up from the soles of my feet. The kiss of winter touched my skin, and I shut my eyes, inhaling slowly and deeply. With the inhalation, I breathed in the cold breath of winter, feeling, and forcing myself to merge with it, to silence the shiver within my core, to become as cold as the air.
It helped, a little, and I opened my eyes, exhaling. The cold always helped to cool emotion and the mind, if one knew how to utilise its spiritual essence. It was almost empowering, and I felt myself slip into my Sight, guided by a feeling to Look at how likely Mitsuhide's proposal was to follow through.
Instead, an unsaid question and impression came to me from somewhere else. It was multiple, but all from the same source. It was a wonder of why I stood alone in the snow, a concern of its chill against my body, yet a note of how strangely ethereal I appeared, along with the sharp observation of the tingling of sorcery being channelled by myself.
I felt myself returning the questions with a collective answer of equally ethereal impressions, of how I came out into the snow to use the cold to clarify my mind and calm my heart, of how yes it was cold to my body, but invigorating for my spirit, but followed by the confusion of the observation regarding channelling winter's essence as magic. I was not fully aware of what I was doing, but when it was pointed out, I suddenly did have full and amazed awareness of what and how I was doing it.
It was quickly followed by a fully formulated question, but one which I heard before it had finished in the originating mind. It was a stunned observation of wondering how I initiated the telepathic bridge first without it first being opened by the one who usually does it.
My calm vaporised in an instant as I realised who had come through the garden as silent as the snow itself. Startled, I turned around and saw Mitsuhide standing with his arms crossed in front of his chest, tucked into his wide sleeves. He stared at me, surprise in his eyes, and an analytical frown on his brow.
I felt a similar form of shock, for I had read his thoughts first before he had been able to read mine, and that answer and shock was replied to him from my mind.
My mind expanded, feeling and Seeing all the possibilities the Sight suddenly had to offer. I could See the entire conversation which was about to follow, I could See what was about to happen, and I could Hear what was about to be said, becoming my past before it had already begun. I also Heard and Saw many other possible conversations and revelations which could come. And the most bizarre thing, was the innate knowledge that I could choose how to use this Sight. I could decide whether I wanted to focus on just Seeing the visuals, or Hearing what was said, or to converse telepathically through impressions rather than words, as if one communed with a force of nature, or how the Gods spoke and whispered to each other. There was a knowing of everything and anything, of being everywhere. There was the realisation of how limiting the human body was, and how Gods and nature chose to commune in this spiritual and telepathic form as it encompassed everything without having to actually do anything.
All it required was the expansion of the mind, to meld with nature, to respect its flow and ebb in the sea of existence and nothingness.
I became stuck behind the emerald veil, feeling my mind branch out further and further through the chill of the air, the cold of the snow, and the crystalline structure of the ice, as if the cracks and the crystalline lines were pathways for me to channel an ability I never knew I had.
It rooted my physical body to the ground, drawing in the freezing cold of winter through my feet which anchored me to the snow, so that I may allow my mind to rise. I could See it, like the faintest glitter of vapour which coursed through the ice, drawing cold essence from the snow into my body to fuel the Sight. I did not feel any fatigue, because it fed on the cold essence instead of my own energy.
Realising the possibilities of what I had come to comprehend, I found myself following through the expansion of my mind, leaving behind the feelings of what had held my heart just moments ago. The human world fell away, as my mind plunged into the land encased in snow, and flew into the sky where the sun rose and set through all the Ages of the came and went as the land woke up and fell asleep. It supported life that lived upon it, and took it in and recycled it when life passed away. It was life, and it was death, where the two danced an eternal dance of perfect harmony.
The life of the birds in the skies, the fish in the seas and rivers, the deer in the forests, humans in the cities, and even Oni and deities, were but a blink in the eyes of the natural order.
I could feel its slow and steady heartbeat, like a silent thump which reverberated through the entire world, as a gravitational wave would send ripples throughout the fabric of space-time. What the Earth saw and felt, I saw and felt. I could See its history, and I could See its future, as a constant cycle which rotated as binary stars would orbit each other.
An uncomfortable sensation forced the tendrils and expansion of my mind to constrict, to return to the body it forgot it had. The closer the arms of my mind came to the source, the more I began to remember and feel I had a body. That body had been cut off from the source of the energy feeding the icy emerald window, and my senses snapped back with an aching jolt.
: Aki, snap out of it! Mitsuhide commanded, both telepathically and verbally. I found myself standing on the veranda again, with Mitsuhide's hands beneath my arms from where he must have picked me up from the snow to stand me back onto the wooden floor.
I blinked, dazed, finally seeing him properly again.
Aki. I was Aki. The window to what I had just achieved, was slammed shut. But I still remembered the experience, even though an overwhelming sense of nausea surged through my body.
I pushed him away, dropped down onto my and knees and clamped a hand over my mouth as I heaved from the power of the nausea. Nothing came out, as dinner had been fully digested a long time ago yesterday.
Mitsuhide pulled my hair back in case I did vomit. My pulse pounded in my ears.
I did not look him at first, but as violently and as suddenly the nausea came along, it began to fade again, and after a few seconds, I took a slow and steady breath, before sitting up properly again with an exhaustive sigh, "I'm fine. Thanks."
Mitsuhide watched me with a very careful, concerned, but analytical stare. A frown creased his smooth brow.
"Aki," he said carefully. "What did you just do?"
I did not answer him immediately, for I myself was trying to recollect my experience. "I . . ."
"What happened? I felt something very strange just now," Mitsuhisa said, dashing around the edge of the veranda to where we sat.
I blinked, looking at both of them. They were fully dressed, meaning they had spent the night awake, either somewhere out in the land, or in Yomi. I did not ask.
Two more individuals appeared from opposite directions. Mitsuyasu and Lady Akechi. These two were in night-attire, having stayed the night in the castle. Both of them wore guarded frowns as they arrived, looking around cautiously.
"What sorcery did I just feel?" Lady Akechi asked.
"I have never felt such a magic before. Do we have a visitor from Takamagahara?" Mitsuyasu queried.
"No," Mitsuhide assured them. "It was Aki, though I am not sure how."
They all looked to me with raised eyebrows. "That was you?" Mitsuhisa exclaimed.
"I – I think so," I said, with a thoughtful frown and looked out over the snow again to where I had stood. As I thought about what had happened, an element of understanding, and excitement, crept into my voice. "I think I have discovered a stronger way of using my Sight. I Saw everything, as if it was connected to the Earth itself. I flew in the sky, delved into underground burrows, and swam in the rivers. I even heard you, Mitsuhide-sama, before I realised it! And normally I feel really tired afterwards, but this time I only felt sick for a second and then it went. I think it was the snow! I must try it again."
Mitsuhide clamped his hand down on my shoulder. "Wait, Aki. Maybe later. What you did just now was very strange, very foreign, and very big. The magical signature was enormous."
I sank back down. "Oh."
"I thought it . . . nevermind," Mitsuyasu murmured, shaking his head in thought.
"We will need to analyse this," Lady Akechi said. "It is an impressive feat, once again making us forget your human origins. Practice is strongly recommended, but with such a large signature, we will need to develop a secure environment to not draw unwelcome attention."
"What do you recommend, sister-in-law?" Mitsuhisa asked.
"Let us meet in the private hall in two hours," Lady Akechi suggested. "There will be much to discuss."
I did listen, but I returned to thinking of what I had just done, deciphering the mechanics of how it worked. The lack of fatigue was an enormous feature I latched on to. If the same could have happened in my last battle, I would never have been so badly wounded. The clarity and extent of the ability was vast, so vast that I had lost myself within it, and that was a concern which was equally as prominent as the advantages to the lack of fatigue.
The uncles and Lady Akechi left, but Mitsuhide stayed. "Are you actually alright?" He asked quietly.
I frowned to myself, excitement subdued and converted into serious curiosity. "I am fine," I said honestly. "But I need to really think about what I managed to do just now. I'm not sure how to describe it, besides an expansion of my mind. This will take ages for me to try and understand. Is it worth having a meeting still when I don't really know what to say?"
Mitsuhide pressed his lips into a fine line as he thought for a moment. "It will still be wise to discuss it, because I will be honest, I have never felt so much magic before. Our magics work in a different way, and what you produced is something which is not experienced in our world. If the talk does not amount to much, it will still be beneficial to you in at least establishing a starting point in where to direct your thoughts and practice, even if that is just to create a secure environment for you to meditate on your Sight."
I exhaled softly. "You are right." I nodded, and stood with him. "I will get changed then and see you in a few hours."
He nodded in agreement.
X
Back in his quarters, Mitsuhide placed his katana back on its stand, and ended up staring at it without really looking at it. His mind's eye and memory went back to seeing Aki standing in the snow. Her eyes blazed a pale green as sharp as the ice. The edges of her form possessed a similar glow, though far more subdued and visible only to his demonic vision. Her physical body stood there, yet she herself was not there. Or rather, she was, yet she was not. She was everywhere and everything, as if she had become winter itself and merged her sentience with the essence of the winter season, bringing it thought and clarity.
Mitsuhide saw it, how Aki fed on the chill of the ice. He saw the ethereal shimmer flowing from the snow and into her body from where she stood.
When she did not respond to him verbally or even physically, it did not take him long to debate if cutting her from the snow would bring her back to her senses. And luckily, he was right. Once he lifted Aki off from the ground, the sense of magic which had wafted from her like a great expanding cloud, snapped back like a recoiling leather band which was released from being held taut.
It reminded him of the previous day when she seemed to be channelling the chill at the lake in a similar way, but not to this extent. It made him wonder if Aki was capable channelling such a natural force for her own use. Would it work similarly with other elements?
"I honestly thought it was a Superior who had appeared in our castle," Mitsuyasu said in his low voice from deeper within the castle. "And from Takamagahara, because the essence was too pure to be from anywhere else."
Mitsuhide listened.
"Dear me, I thought the same!" Mitsuhisa exclaimed. "I actually felt apprehension for the first time since the night of Mitsukuni's death. But Osamu's signature most certainly was not native. Nor even similar to that of our neighbours in the Middle Kingdom."
"Indeed," Lady Akechi chimed. "Mitsuhide has said before that one of Aki's parents possessed a form of the Sight. But he said it was her father, not her mother. Her mother we know is of Chinese origin. But the father is from a different land we do not know. And even more unusual for a male to possess the Sight, as such abilities and spiritualisms are kept within female lines."
"Osamu's father must be particularly strong then in that case to have the ability, and then with it passed down to his daughter, the ability must have amplified ten-fold due to Osamu being female," Mitsuyasu said.
"And as we have just experienced, she has the capacity to project in a way that is equivalent to a Superior," Mitsuhisa said. "Is that even possible? How can a human do that? Is she still technically a human for that matter? Because it is impossible for a human to possess such a presence."
"I think that is up for debate now," Mitsuyasu replied. "Besides the fact she has to sleep and eat as a human and has human strength, every other aspect of her is resembles one of our own."
"Nevermind the capacity of her ability and its equivalents," Lady Akechi interjected. "We should focus on two main points, I think. First, understanding the nature of her power's signature, as it is foreign and if we are to help her master it, we must help her understand it and vice versa. Secondly to lead on from the first, we need to bring out our Barrier Stones again. We cannot risk our enemy sensing her growing strength, lest they come to steal her away. We must protect her."
Mitsuyasu sighed. "I agree. Osamu will not like it, but it is for the best. Hopefully no one passing by the outskirts sensed the wave, otherwise that will be more fuel for the fire to our Oda enemies. That had enough nerve already approaching her directly. With this however, they will be like bees to honey."
"Jubei," Lady Akechi said, her voice softening. "Is this acceptable?" The three of them would have known Mitsuhide listened as well.
Mitsuhide clenched his fist. He was worried only about the latter. He was not too concerned regarding Aki's power's origin. It was from a culture he did not understand, but she understood it, and therefore she would know best how to connect the two together.
What worried him the most was the Oda. If they knew of what had transpired just now, the events of the battlefield would be dwarfed by comparison. The power signature and its range was equivalent to that of a Superior. If the Oda began to think the Akechi had a Superior in their midsts, besides Mitsuhide himself, they would come for Aki without a doubt. They would take her by force, and force her servitude.
The only way to ensure it never happened, was to make them think she was insignificant again. The Oda would not forget her battle against their assassin, but at least she could remain below their level of attention if she did not draw the attention. Give them no reason to think she was even more valuable than what she already was.
Mitsuhide sighed, and released his hands. "Only in part," he answered his mother. "Instead, I think it best if Aki refrained from using her ability entirely until after the coronation. The less she uses it, the more insignificant she will appear, and the Oda will not be tempted. Once I have ascended, I will have greater capacity to defend her as she trains, and this castle and this family as a whole."
Mitsuyasu hummed, and it was a sound which rumbled in his chest from his deep voice. "This sounds reasonable. Will Osamu react to it favourably?"
"I believe she will, once she understands our concerns regarding the Oda's interest in her. Osamu has never been unreasonable. And it is only three months. It will not last forever," Mitsuhide said.
"Very well," Lady Akechi said. "That is what we shall do."
It was not ideal, but it was the best compromise Mitsuhide could think of.
Aki will be disappointed no doubt. She looked very excited upon her accidental discovery. But she is not unreasonable, therefore she will understand, he thought and hoped. We will have to keep her busy with other tasks. Training, calligraphy, embroidery and many more.
He could not risk the Oda finding out. At least not until he had ascended. Once Mitsuhide was ascended, he could take on anything. But until then, he was not strong enough for the combined task required.
He hated himself, but simultaneously, he was quietly forgiving of himself for admitting his current lack of strength.
"Admitting when you are wrong and need help, is one of the first steps to becoming great and strong."
They were the words of his father, and he held them firm in his heart.
X
March; 1546
The dining hall was full. It was filled with all five Akechi Lords and Ladies, key figures from the town in business and trade, and even farming, and some close friends such as Ichirou and others. The hum of chatter buzzed in the hall, the smell of delicious food scented the air, and sake was passed around to fill the cups of all.
Mitsuhide looked around the hall at everyone enjoying themselves, dressed in the finest they had, despite the modest gathering. The farmers had been worried, for they seldom had fine clothes to adorn, but Mitsuhide insisted, because the farmers served a greater role in society than most would ever admit. And in this hall, everyone was the same. They were all people, all who deserved to be treated well and fairly. No one person was greater than the other, for each one served a role in the grand scheme of things which could not function without the aid of others.
He was pleased to see everyone getting along. It took some time in the beginning for everyone to open up, but Mitsuhisa and Ichirou were loud and friendly men, with limitless confidence. Their friendly nature made it easy for the guests to relax into gathering. Kenji was calming and soothing. Aki had fallen into conversation with the farmers and it did not take long for the farmers to speak of their work and describe their techniques. The interest in her expression was evident, and the farmers took great delight in seeing a Lady no less, take such an interest in their profession. She always had, and they did already know her as well, and it was what helped them settle into the party with more ease.
The traders and business men and women spoke with Mitsuhide's mother and Mitsuyasu on slightly more serious topics. However, there was a lightness to their conversations. There was hope and belief in the province's economy, and excitement from all to welcome Mitsuhide into the chieftain position of the clan.
Mitsuhide looked at all of them in turn, feeling pride and warmth, to know that this was his family, his clan, and his people. He would govern them fairly, with discipline and care, for he loved them all. It made him smile to watch Ichirou chat so cheerily with Mitsuhisa. It made him feel relieved to see the traders open up to his intimidating mother and other uncle. And it filled his heart with love to watch how enthusiastically Aki engaged with the farmers and everyone else in the room. She may have been dressed as befitting for an imperial Lady of the court, but her presence was open and that of being a normal woman speaking to normal individuals. There was no rank. They were equal.
Mitsuyasu cleared his throat to draw everyone's attention. The chatter stopped smoothly, and all turned their attention to him.
"The time has now come to make the announcement. Since the passing of Akechi Mitsukuni, Lady Akechi and my younger brother and I have led the clan until our successor became of age. Today, Mitsuhide turns eighteen. Like his father before him, he has become great, and like his mother, he is fair and just. Surrounded by friends, family, and our esteemed townsmen and women, we pass full leadership of the clan to you, Mitsuhide." Mitsuyasu held up his sake bowl. "Therefore, I hereby propose a toast."
Everyone followed suit, holding their sake bowls up in honour.
"To Akechi Mitsuhide, our official, and eternal, clan leader," Mitsuyasu announced. "Congratulations."
"Here here! To Akechi Mitsuhide-sama! May fortune favour you and bless you with long life!" The guests cheered, raising their sake bowls with vigour and delight, and drank.
The smiles and cheers were genuine, and Mitsuhide half wondered what he had done to deserve such high praise. Whatever apprehension he felt becoming the new chief, was overshadowed by the support of those around him. His uncles and mother toasted to him appraisingly with modest pride. Kenji nodded a bow of pleased respect to him. Ichirou grinned and winked. And Aki beamed, until her face suddenly flushed with an unknown thought which made her embarrassed and she looked down.
Mitsuhide wished they could be with him during his ascending coronation as well. But they could not. So he would have to enjoy this evening while it lasted.
Therefore, he did. They ate, they drank, and they laughed. It was a strange feeling, of a happiness Mitsuhide had never quite experienced before, and felt as if he would not experience again for some time. So he enjoyed every minute of it, drinking the simplicity of it in. Because the following night, he would be setting off for Yomi, where the real coronation would begin and take place for the next nineteen days, no part of which was going to be simple, nor easy.
X
Once the Akechi had distributed the guests to their separate sleeping quarters in the castle, Mitsuhide returned to his quarters, but sat out on the veranda. He listened to the quiet of the night, of owls hooting in the distance, wolves howling, and the occasional cricket chirping. The air was still cool, but the promise of spring hinted within the coolness. Some pollen already scented the night-time air.
Flames still burned in the castle and some guests stayed awake to chat a little longer within their quarters. Guards patrolled the edges of the castle grounds with their lamps, and the servants were finishing cleaning up.
It was a peaceful night, and Mitsuhide was quite content.
He heard the footsteps long before they arrived.
"You still awake, Mitsuhide?" Ichirou's voice came after the tap on the screen behind him.
Mitsuhide grinned. "Yes, come on in, Ichirou."
Ichirou slid open the screen and stepped into the room "Ah, enjoying the late evening breeze are we?" He mused and shut the screen behind him.
"Of course. After such a pleasant evening, it is nice to enjoy the ambience to make the good feelings last a bit longer."
"Such a romantic," Ichirou chuckled, crossed the room and came out onto the veranda, where he sat down next to Mitsuhide. It turned out Ichirou had brought with him another bottle of sake and two cups, which he placed between them.
"More wine, I see," Mitsuhide noted the obvious.
Ichirou smirked a cheesy grin. "A toast between friends. Quite fitting I think." He poured the glasses, and handed one to Mitsuhide. "Congratulations on becoming a big-shot now. Despite our enormous differences in rank, let us drink to our friendship, which hopefully is not influenced by your new fancy title."
Mitsuhide chuckled. "Even if I became the Emperor, you would still be my fool of a friend."
"That's my man," Ichirou exclaimed, before the two of them drank their cups. The irony was that even though Mitsuhide said it as a joke – and that is all it would be to Ichirou as well – Mitsuhide's statement was very true. He would indeed become Emperor, and it wasn't as simple as being a human Royal. Mitsuhide was an immortal Royal. But despite his soon-to-be imperial demonic title, his friendships would never change.
Ichirou sighed a hearty sigh after his gulp, and he leaned back, bracing his hands behind him to look up at the sky.
"It's weird," Ichirou began. "I always knew you were going to become the clan leader some day. Now that you are, it's weird to think that my best friend is actually quite a powerful Lord in reality, and it's pretty intimidating actually. Yet simultaneously, I can only see you as Mitsuhide, an old friend of a near similar age to me."
Mitsuhide snorted. "Never change, Ichirou, because to you, I will always be just Mitsuhide. And I think I will rely on that quite a bit, as a reminder that I am as normal as everyone else, to keep me level-headed, so to speak."
"That fine with me," Ichirou said with satisfaction. He put his arm around Mitsuhide's shoulders like brothers. "I will always be around to make sure the power doesn't go to your head. Though speaking of being clan leader now, do you have any special plans?"
"Like what?"
"I don't know," Ichirou shrugged, letting go again. "Reforming any part of the town? Expanding territory? Changing any rules?"
Mitsuhide raised an eyebrow. "Do you want me to?"
"Not particularly. Things here in Tara are very stable. Compared to what we hear from elsewhere in Japan, we have it pretty good here. Hopefully it never changes."
Mitsuhide sighed. "Hopefully. Though the power plays across the country are extremely volatile and constantly changing. You won't notice it so much here in the town. But along the boarders of Mino, it is very interchangeable. You should consider honing your existing martial skills and kendo."
"I am a smith at heart, Mitsuhide. I make things. I would not make a very good samurai."
"I think you will be better than what you believe. I will not ask you to go to the field, but perhaps you should consider becoming proficient at least for the sake of the family you will create with your wife," Mitsuhide advised.
Ichirou groaned. "You make a fair point. There's always an occasional lout out on the street. I've got to be able to defend my wife and her honour, you know? And that of my future children." Ichirou then glanced at Mitsuhide from the side. "Did you ever tell Osamu how you felt? You never brought it up again after the last time we spoke about it, and that was months ago!"
Mitsuhide turned his gaze on Ichirou and smirked. "Curious, are you?"
Ichirou's smile grew wide. "Of course! I always wondered who would eventually catch your interest. You're the most handsome man in the town, yet you never mentioned having a fancy of anyone, even when you hit puberty, which is usually the time when we suddenly realise that girls can be pretty and we like them. I half wondered if you had a stone cold heart, because you had Osamu by your side for years. Don't you ever hear what the other young men of the town say about her?"
"What?" Mitsuhide asked, his voice sharper and harsher than he intended. Ichirou picked up on it, but just smiled even more.
"Well, let's just say a lot of them took a fancy to her, regardless of how often she wore men's clothing to hide her figure. But, naturally, they were very intimated and respectful of you. Because you do put out quite an intimidating air sometimes," Ichirou said, tapping a finger to his chin in thought. "Especially after the battle in October. They really backed off then. Probably because they could sense the union finally coming. Though a lot of them – including me – did always wonder how you never got tempted to go further with her."
Mitsuhide closed his eyes for a long moment. He was not surprised to hear of the fancy and admiration. It did not stop the ugly sting of jealousy however.
He opened his eyes and exhaled through his nose. "In answer to your previous question; yes, I did tell her. I asked her to marry me."
Ichirou's eyes widened. It was a good thing he was not drinking at that moment in time, or he would have choked again.
"And what did she say?" Ichirou croaked when he managed to bring himself to speak.
"I do not want to say no, but I do require time to reach the other answer. In ten years, ask me again, and I will have the answer you seek. Because despite my slip of the tongue last night, what I said was true, in that I have come to love you."
Mitsuhide remembered her words clearly, and the powerful urge to speed up time, to hold and embrace her, to kiss her, surged through him again.
He laughed softly, but it was tinged with an element of sadness. "She did not say no," he finally said. "She wants to say yes, but she is afraid of me. And so she asked me to ask her again in a few years time."
Ichirou's mouth was still ajar. But it gradually turned into a smile of triumph. "My friend, you have nothing to worry about. I can see why she's a bit scared of you, but even I can see she has feelings for you. Fair play if she needs some time to fully accept your proposal officially, but if that is what she has said, then Osamu has essentially already said yes, just in a rather roundabout way."
"If only it were that simple," Mitsuhide sighed with a frown.
"It is though!" Ichirou exclaimed and grasped Mitsuhide's shoulder. "The key thing is she didn't say no, and wants to say yes, but doesn't have the courage to say it yet. So actually – though unofficially – you are both engaged now. She is your betrothed."
Mitsuhide stared at him. He had not looked at it that way before. Now that Ichirou pointed it out, it was the most logical explanation for the current status quo between Mitsuhide and Aki. The surge of excitement through Mitsuhide's body was so powerful he almost leapt up from where he sat.
"Trust me," Ichirou said. "Love doesn't have to be complicated. The only thing which is complicated are a woman's moods. Sometimes it's like trying to learn a foreign language. But love itself? No, that is actually pretty simple."
Mitsuhide smiled wide. "I am glad I have you to talk to, Ichirou."
Ichirou poured more of the sake. "In addition to toasting to your promotion in rank, let us toast to your engagement. Congratulations, Mitsuhide. Honestly, you both make a perfect pair. I cannot wait to see you get married and have children."
They drank to their toast, and chatted late into the night. The conversation moved from Aki, to Aimi and her pregnancy, to affairs of the heart, to philosophy, and to politics. It was the most enjoyable evening Mitsuhide had had in a very long time. He rarely had a chance to spend time with his friend like this.
It was the very early hours of the morning before Ichirou finally called it a night.
"Well, I think it's time I went to bed," Ichirou announced and stood. He wobbled and Mitsuhide steadied him.
"I think I had best escort you back to your sleeping quarters," Mitsuhide suggested. "You're so drunk you can't even stand straight."
"M'fine," Ichirou mumbled, still swaying. "Don't need escorting."
Mitsuhide chuckled under his breath. "Oh certainly," he agreed sarcastically, but he looped Ichirou's arm over his shoulder regardless, and walked him back through the castle, and helped Ichirou lie down. His friend was already asleep by the time his head hit the pillow, snoring softly, and Mitsuhide clicked his tongue as he stood over, shaking his head with a hand on his hip.
"Well, I'm not going to help you get changed," Mitsuhide muttered under his breath. But he did sweep the quilt over Ichirou's form, and left him there to sleep off the alcohol.
Mitsuhide walked back to his quarters, where he stayed up a little later to go through the coronation ceremony and ascension process in his head, before he finally went to sleep for a few hours, think of the near and far future and all it could hold for him.