So, guess what I still don't own? Anyway, I want to ask you guys a question and you can answer in a review or by PMing me.
Who do you think was the worst of the Three Great Unifiers (Oda, Toyotomi and Tokugawa)?
If you're influenced by any pop culture at all, please name it, I need these answers for my EPQ Project. Don't worry, I won't list usernames if I do use your answer in my essay.
Chapter Eight: The Trap Sprung
Lady Oichi screamed again, the noise lost in the din of over two dozen arquebuses firing at once, the sound completing freezing both battlefields. All of us could only watch in horror as every bullet skimmed past Masamune, one or two bouncing off his helmet but nothing life threatening…because he'd been standing behind Azai, who still stood, but not for much longer.
Still screaming, Lady Oichi made to run forwards, but seeing a few of the core reloading, I hastily tackled her, wincing at the whistle every bullet made as it flew over us, burying itself into her husband's body. Even though I had a death grip on her, I couldn't stop Lady Oichi's head from turning, her eyes full of the hand Azai was extending to her, her ears full of his last whisper "Ichi…"
The world was completely silent, and for a few terrifying seconds, I thought all sound had been removed from the world, in favour of the last sounds the man could make, and the sobs escaping his wife.
Unable to keep her from throwing me off (a feat I never expected of her) I could only lie in the dust, horror-struck at what I'd just witnessed, while she forced herself to stumble over to him, collapsing by him and taking his poor, broken body into her arms. I felt powerless, unable to move as each of my senses opened up again, my nose heralding a faint smell of gunpowder around me. Even after I washed, I had no doubt I'd smell it for a long time.
When my ears finally registered sound again, I picked up on Akechi's low laughter, the sick freak having the time of his life in our shock. Forcing myself up on my side, I shot a glare at him, the effect lost when I stumbled upon finding my feet again. Fuelling my rage was the sight of the next line of gunmen, each centring their shot on the pair behind me.
"Thank you for your services rendered, Lady Oichi." Akechi moved, the serenity in his movements jarring to see. "I do feel it's worth mentioning that you did not accomplish one of your objectives. Worked out in the end though."
"You monster!" I roared, pulling out my sword again. Oda officer or no Oda officer, he'd just murdered a member of Lord Oda's family, an act of treason no matter how aggravating said relative could be.
"I'm the monster?" Akechi laughed again, merely brushing past me without even a look, "You know as well as I do Sayomi, that Lady Oichi's marriage into the Azai was the groundwork for an attack on Asakura."
"He's dying Akechi! Don't do this to him!" Indeed, Azai looked heartbroken, and Lady Oichi betrayed. The power a few words could have.
Feeling the need to elaborate and cause them even more pain, Akechi simply carried on talking, like the demon he was, "Her role was seduction of course. Not just of you, but of your top generals."
"That's enough!" My feet were moving at a speed I'd never thought possible, the tip of my sword angling for Akechi's neck. For a second it looked like it was actually going to be the end of him, but a stronger hand suddenly clamped on mine, Gracia showing no mercy as she twisted the sword from my grip and kicked my legs from under me, pinning the other hand with her foot.
"But Lady Oichi was incapable of this, because like a fool, she fell in love. Like a puppet on a string, too proud to reveal her true self, yet too weak to carry out her secret mission."
Writhing in Gracia's firm hold, I was forced to watch Lady Oichi's tears fall, the small splashes they made forming a puddle of blue beneath her and Azai, more sorrowful than the spirit that had plagued me. Had it only been this morning I was seeking help from Father Haru? "You and the people of Azai, you deserved better. This is all my fault; I'm sorry, so sorry." Lady Oichi cried.
Amidst the pool threatening to drown her, something toned pink and black suddenly cupped her cheek, a few blinks revealing it to be Azai's hand. "How you must've suffered," He whispered, the sound of his death already in his throat, "You needn't be maudlin any longer."
A quick glance at either of the Akechi, samurai or ninja revealed they were unmoved by the scene, Gracia even wearing a small smile. "Foolish are they who allow themselves to fall in love." She mocked, increasing the pressure on my wrist.
Alerted by her voice and my subsequent whimper as I was forced closer to the ground, Akechi turned, a similar smirk to his daughter's adorning his face. At least my pain and humiliation allowed Lady Oichi to say goodbye in peace. "Gracia, you appear to have caught something."
"A traitor, Father. Do not worry, I'll deal with her for you."
"Oh no, I believe that Lord Oda should know of this, don't you?" Gracia's nod sent a wave of ice through me, rooting me to the spot even when Gracia waved some of the men over, tying my wrists behind my back,
"You planned this."
"Planned what? You're the one who attacked a fellow officer without cause." She sneered, kicking the backs of my feet to make me walk. A staunch refusal led to the tip of her knife poking my lower back, where the armour was weaker, and the skin softer. Lady Oichi's crying acted as a second escort, remaining in my ears long after Gracia pushed me into the grip of two waiting gunmen.
My head was still free to move, allowing me to see Honda Tadakatsu take the air once again, landing in the centre of the war I had just been a part of.
"Lord Ieyasu requires aid! Let me go to him!" I begged, struggling to be released, "He'll think we betrayed him otherwise!"
"We have our orders. The decision rests with Lord Oda now." These men were surrounded by a grey aura, their neutrality obvious even in my situation. No matter what they were doing, they were only following orders, and if I killed them now, then I would be further seen as a traitor.
There was a sudden explosion from across the river, the shouts of Sanada and Ieyasu betraying the death of Tadakatsu. "The strongest warrior in Japan…dead just like that." One of the gunmen murmured, actually stilled by the shock of it all.
"It does seem a bit anticlimactic." His partner agreed, speaking in a similar reverent tone.
"Tadakatsu…Ieyasu…" I whispered, eyes brimming with light tears. If Tadakatsu was dead, the Tokugawa now longer had any hope. Lady Amaterasu, Lord Bishamonten, please let Lord Oda take mercy on them. And, if not too troubling, I wouldn't mind seeing another New Years myself.
Upon entry to the war room, I was handed back to Gracia, who threw me to the ground as though I carried the pox. I knew from the way he did not rebuke her, nor demand an explanation for such treatment, that Lord Oda had already been well informed of my crime.
He stared down at me with the same cold eyes he'd used on so many others before me, and the sharp scent of sake in my nose, along with the absence of Akechi told me that his punishment had already been delivered. A fresh skull of the liquid was in my Lord's hand already, Lady Nohime standing behind him with a face I truly couldn't describe.
As Gracia cut my binds, my arms sprang free, and almost immediately I got into a kneeling position, head hanging low, and eyes dropped to my lap.
"Explain yourself." Lord Oda demanded in a low growl, eyes sharply piercing my skull.
Ducking into an even lower bow (if that was possible) I tried my best to keep my tone low and respectful, "My Lord, Mitsuhide not only redirected the arquebus core against your orders and killed Lord Nagamasa, but he also insulted your sister, Lady Oichi. As a loyal member of your army I could not allow that to stand!"
"So you tried to kill him?" My quivering nod raised a growl out of him, and I realised I'd given the wrong answer.
"Azai was always a target for us, and his death gives us easier access to the Asakura. And regardless of your personal feelings for him, Tokugawa turned traitor and switched sides. Nohime had no choice but to deal with him."
The words hovered in the air between us, their meaning striking harder than they were probably meant to. Of course it had been one of Lady Noh's rockets that had caused the explosion; no other could've had such a devastating impact on Tadakatsu's armour. "Is Lord Tokugawa…"
"He's still alive." Gracia assured, her malicious tone nonetheless providing some comfort. "Alive and floundering, depending on his new alliance with Takeda to keep him that way."
"I'd worry more about yourself, Sayomi. Your position is far more perilous at present."
There was only one thing that had any hope of saving me now, but I just had to phrase it in the right way, one that wouldn't have me facing down the barrel of a shotgun or penning a death poem. "I acted with cause my Lord. I have reason to believe there is a traitor within the castle walls."
"Is that so? Approach." Breathing a mini sigh of relief, I clambered to my feet, moving up the steps to his throne. Lord Oda's face was unreadable, and for a brief second, I thought I'd be able to get away with sake in my hair too.
It might've been murder to get the smell out and Gracia would hold it over me for as long as humanely possible, but even the most dishonoured samurai could redeem themselves. The thoughts quickly escaped my head when the back of Lord Oda's gauntlet slammed against my cheek, the impact sending me to the ground at his feet.
Not that I remained there long, as he quickly grabbed my hair, pulling me up despite my screaming. There was the sound of fleeing feet, Lady Noh quickly chasing after Ranmaru to check he was okay.
A quick moment of serenity came then, when Oda's lips seemed to form words that I nodded to, and a face of utter victory appeared in front of me, his hand moving to grip my arm instead. But it was gone just as fast, covered up by sheer anger, "You dare accuse anyone of such a crime that you yourself are guilty of? Only a coward performs such an action!"
"Please my Lord, I speak the truth!"
"Silence!" A brief whisper from behind me betrayed Gracia's surprise, her hand most likely grasping at her heart to calm it. "Until you're absolved of any guilt then I will have no choice but to suspend you from your duties."
S-Suspend me?! My shock might've shown in my eyes, but Lord Oda was blind to it, adding more disgrace to my already broken reputation. "I will have you escorted to Kiyosu Castle until this incident can be examined more closely. Until then, you will not carry a sword, nor wear your hair in a topknot. Any questions?" Numbly shaking my head, I asked permission to leave, a request granted.
Despite the staggering unfairness of it all, I knew I had gotten off relatively easy. With Gracia in the room with us, she could've easily demanded my blood in return for the attempt on her father's life, and with her position as head of the ninja core (however small it was); Lord Oda could not afford to lose her loyalty at this point.
Mitsuhide knows his daughter is in the room with him the second she enters. Her laughter is triumphant, and she even bows to him upon being noticed without her usual sneer for the requirement.
Grey eyes settle on Gracia's face, smirking the moment she does. "It's worked out better than even you hoped for, Father."
"Oda assigned the punishment so fast?"
"Yes," Gracia sighs, fidgeting as usual. Despite their family bond, even Mitsuhide questions how she is able to be so successful as a ninja when she detests sitting still for longer than five minutes. "She's been exiled to Kiyosu until Oda can look at things clearly. Of course, if everything continues going so well…"
"She'll never come home." The reaper finishes, relishing his victory. Many more steps may still be before them, but the pair are confident in their respective abilities, helped along by Oda's tendency to make everyone hate him. "The alliance was only the beginning."
Even so, a slight frown rests on Gracia's face as she begins ordering the reports on her father's desk, "I still question your wisdom involving a man such as him."
"A sacrifice that is most needed, I assure you. We need it to appear as though Sayomi had truly betrayed him."
"And when that happens, he'll be at a loss without his sharpened Blade by his side."
"Exactly."
Unknown Source
