Author's Note: We are now officially entering Part Two of Memoirs of a Blade, and I would like to know how you would like the story to continue. Would you like more scenes sent in the present day, or do you find the intervals annoying?

This part was also the hardest to write, since it focuses a lot on Sayomi's past, and I was unsure of how to integrate it into the Basara canon. Even so, I hope you guys enjoy it.


Chapter Thirty: Welcome to Osaka Castle


I think I might have woken up at some point as we were travelling to wherever Takenaka was taking me, but whoever was in charge of keeping me astride the horse simply whispered soothing words, before wetting my lips with an extremely sweet liquid that returned me to oblivion. Looking back, it took me only seconds to realise who it was, but at the time, I was as ignorant as a newly born child.

When I was finally allowed to wake up fully, my mind pushed through the haze, clearing the mist from my eyes and revealing elegant crossbeams that wouldn't look out of place in Gifu castle. Still within the grips of exhaustion, I allowed myself a weary smile, believing that the past two years had never happened, and that everything could start over.

But the illusion was shattered nearly the second I moved, my leg crying out in protest despite the thick bandage I could feel on it, and when I brought it up to massage my head, the pink scars on my hand told no lies. Scrunching up my face in confusion, I began trying to sit up, biting my lip whenever my leg was jolted suddenly.

Once my arms were straight behind me and seemed content to stay that way, I let my eyes travel the room, taking in its features. The mat I'd been placed on was in the centre, placed directly before the folding doors that I assumed led to the hallway outside. There was a small table located behind the head, strangely with Western style seats, on a slight dais under a window, the sun's rays shining down on its surface.

To my left were a chest of draws, vanity mirror and something that Nohime had called an armoire when I had asked what the cupboard in her room was. To my right was...there were books of every shape and size, and placed on the shelf underneath were ink stones and fresh brushes.

Though my mind hungered for their content, the sight also unnerved me, especially considering the reason I was here in the first place. Lifting my nose to the air, I managed to pick out the incense on the chest of drawers, grimacing slightly when I recognised the mixture.

Deciding to throw it out of the window now when I had the chance, I kicked the quilt off of me, freezing almost immediately when I saw what I was wearing. A light pink –peony pink, my mind provided with the hint of a sneer- underdress, with no sign of what I had been wearing when I'd faced Takenaka before.

Redirecting my target to the drawers themselves, I was startled by one of the panels suddenly sliding open, the surprise knocking me off balance and back to the floor. As I flailed, my arm had knocked the incense burner, sending the ash everywhere.

Unimpressed by my groaning, the maid in the doorway simply gestured to the soldiers with her, directing them to get me back to my feet, "Barely a minute awake and you're already in a mess," She sighed, indicating for me to be placed in front of the mirror, waving them away once I was kneeling carefully.

Taking a seat behind me, she began to brush my hair, ignoring my suspicious face, "Lord Hanbei will be here in around an hour to have dinner with you," She explained, meeting my eyes in the mirror, "I was told to get you ready."

"Where am I?" I finally asked, turning only for her to grip my head and make it face the mirror again.

Shaking her head as if I was a disobedient child, the maid began tying my hair back from my face, forming the beginnings of a chignon bun, "Osaka Castle, as if you'd be taken anywhere else."

Grumbling to myself, I allowed her to finish tying my hair up, feeling its absence off my back nearly immediately. Once that was dealt with, she came round to sit in front of me, taking some of the cosmetics off the shelf, beginning to mix the lip paint, "I don't wear makeup," I finally murmured, expecting to have to fight to keep it off my face.

Instead, the maid shrugged, setting the pot back down and then moving over to the chest of drawers. Her apparent ease for my wish to remain unpainted set me on edge, especially considering the fact that I was only here because Takenaka had apparently brought me here as his captive. But this woman was treating me more as a guest than anything.

While she pulled out more and more garments, setting some to the side, I kept on eye on her, nose crinkling when I realised that other than the bandages for a sarashi, everything was some shade of pink.

"I'll be along shortly to help you with the rest of your gown, miss." Bowing as she left, the maid left me alone again, closing the panels with a soft tap. Setting aside my plans for escape, I turned to the clothes, letting my mind slip back into the layering system I hadn't needed for two years.

Once the outer robe was draped over my shoulders, the panels slid open again, the maid returning so she could tie my obi, humming softly while she did. "You're very skilled at this," I murmured, watching her progress in the mirror, "Is there another lady in this castle?"

"Oh no, miss. Lord Hanbei simply told me that you may require help dressing when you woke up." We returned to silence then, the only sounds between us being my sighs and her humming. Once her work was done, she bowed again, telling me that dinner would be on its way soon, and would I like to sit at the table?

Feeling the strain on my injured leg, I complied, stopping by the window first. Leaning out of it slightly, I felt my heart plummet straight to the floor. I was in the central tower, and while there may have been a balcony close by, the ornamental roofs would be hard to traverse and even if I got past them, and then survived the drop, I doubted the courtyard filled with training soldiers would let me pass unhindered. I needed my weapon.

Clenching my fists, I pulled away, hobbling over to one of the seats, falling onto it with a grateful sigh. That was the last time I decided to fall out of a tree with an arrow in my leg. Tipping my head back against the headrest and closing my eyes, I missed the panels opening again, only snapping out of my nap when the smell of food hit my nostrils, along with the overbearing presence of another person in the room with me.

Opening one eye warily, I grimaced, "So you deign to eat with your prisoner, Takenaka?"

"I'd hardly call you a prisoner, Botan." Sitting up straight again, I pointedly ignored the plate in front of me, letting the 'Botan' thing go over my head. For now.

"So what am I? You took two children hostage to lure me to you, you bring me to your castle where I have to wear pointless gowns, and my weapon seems to have gone missing. And I'm supposed to believe that I'm not a prisoner?"

Raising an eyebrow, Takenaka slowly poured two cups of tea, "I understand the situation must seem less than ideal-"

"No shit."

"However, you are not a prisoner inside this castle."

"Then let me go home."
Pushing one of the cups towards me, Takenaka picked up his hashi, "That I cannot do. I have a feeling your father would be rolling in his grave as it is." Narrowing my eyes, I realised that this was the third time he had mentioned my father, once again in that familiar manner.

Taking a sip of my tea after sniffing it for anything suspicious, I slowly began to eat, trying to find the way to ask the question without inviting unneeded complications, "Why do you care?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Nobody cares about dead traitors." I hadn't realised that my other hand had crept over, covering my scars, until Takenaka's head turned a little, eyes fixated on the spot.

Raising an eyebrow as I hid them under the table, he returned his gaze to me, challenging me with a smirk, "So nobody would mourn you, nobody would miss you if I were to kill you this very second?"

Hanzo and Ranmaru…"I suppose not." Silence passed between us then as I began eating again, Nohime's strict etiquette lessons keeping the urge to murder my host at bay. Part of me wanted to question him and get some answers, but the other half was quiet, still swimming with the incense's lingering effect. Deciding to push against the tide for a last time, I selected my question carefully, "Why do you act as if you know me?"

"For you to ask that, things are far worse than I had thought." When nothing else came, I set my food to the side, suddenly full. Glancing upwards, Takenaka hummed slightly, calling out for the guard in the hallway, "Ryoko, please show Lady Sayomi the gardens. I believe Mitsunari should still be out there."

"Of course, Lord Hanbei." Bowing first to Takenaka and then to me, Ryoko helped me to stand, leading the way from the room. Sparing a glance back at Takenaka, I followed close behind, settling my mind into escape mode, my head turning from one side to the other.

Most likely guessing at my intentions, my escort gestured all around him, not even turning to look at me, "Osaka Castle is impenetrable, and was built to be ninja-proof. The only way out, my Lady, is through one of the gates."

"I hope you don't mind my taking that as a challenge," I murmured, rubbing at my neck to ease the strain my heavy bun was putting on it. If I found a single ornament in it later, I'd throw them and any like them out of the window.

"Take it however you wish, I just hope you still enjoy living here." You could-could-say that it was that exchange that set me to disliking Ryoko, but if it wasn't, then the real reason probably wasn't too far off. The walk down the tower was fairly devoid of human contact, but Ryoko was still able to joke around with practically everyone we came across, barely paying an iota of attention to me.

Unfortunately for whatever scheme his master may have cooked up, this just gave me a reason to slip back into my Blade mind-set, watching everyone from down my nose. It was while I was doing this, musing just how easy it would've been to kill him from behind that the last thing I ever dreamed of happened. "Lord Tokugawa, how are you today?"

My eyes widened at Ryoko's words, only growing in size when the man he was addressing entered my field of vision. He wore very little armour, other than a short breastplate, and his gauntlets. His jacket had no sleeves, but one arm was covered with what looked like black chainmail, leaving the other exposed to show off his generous muscles. Yellow trousers covered his bottom half, cinched in at the ankles.

He wore no hollyhock helmet, and his brown hair was ruffled, as though he'd recently been sparring. But there was a glint in his eyes, familiar and warm to me, even if it wasn't my eyes it was shining at. "Well enough. Who is our guest?"

Turning so as to acknowledge me, Ryoko floundered when I stepped forwards, but introduced us anyway, ignoring my slight frown when Ieyasu showed no sign of recognition, "Lord Tokugawa, this is Lady Hiroto."

"Ah, Lord Hanbei's guest? It is a pleasure to finally meet you, my Lady." Before I knew what was happening, Ieyasu had taken my hand, and was kissing it lightly.

Even Ryoko was a little taken aback, clearing his throat awkwardly, "Lord Tokugawa? Is Lord Ishida still in the gardens?"

"Yes, but he's practising so I'd keep your distance. Good day to you both." Nodding as he passed us again, Ieyasu cleverly waited until Ryoko had begun to walk again, gently pulling me closer to better murmur in my ear, "We'll speak later, Sayomi."

He did remember who I was! Nodding quickly as we passed each other, I carefully followed my guard, feeling my footsteps become lighter than air. If Ieyasu really was here, then my chances of escaping increased significantly, only getting larger if Tadakatsu happened to be about the place. If they had repaired him that was.

But there was something else hidden in my thoughts. A huge weight had left my mind when I realised that he was alive contrary to very popular belief, but it also invited worry there. How the heck had he survived the sting of Akechi's scythe?

Pulling one of the panels open, Ryoko bent over the decking side to look for a pair of sandals, leaving me to evaluate the landscape. In the centre of the lawn was a large pond, with a red wooden bridge arcing over it. There was a teahouse in the back, and other than the large willow tree on a small hill, the only foliage was the flowerbeds growing all around the pond's rim.

When no impressed sounds left my lips, Ryoko huffed, settling my sandals down while he slipped his own on. Feeling my leg throb again, I carefully sat down to put them on, this new level revealing something that had previously gone unnoticed. A pair of feet was moving about under the willow's tears, locked in sword katas that I'd never seen before.

Following them with my eyes, head tilting fora better look, I was surprised when Ryoko murmured something, speaking up when he realised he had caught my attention, "Lord Mitsunari practises iaijutsu everyday. He is our fiercest warrior."

"Good for him," I shrugged, stepping into the garden properly. Bristling again, Ryoko hurriedly followed, faltering slightly as I began crossing the bridge. Turning my head enough to see his hesitation, I smirked, returning my sight to the front, just as the tip of the katana sliced out of the curtain, hovering an inch from my neck.

Freezing sharply, I didn't dare move, cursing the kimono not for the first time that day. "I already told Ieyasu I didn't want to be disturbed." The owner of the sword hissed, drawing the blade back as slowly as possible, clearly trying to scare me. Unfortunately for what little dignity I could still claim dressed as I was, whoever it was had succeeded perfectly, beads of sweat forming on my forehead.

When my attempts to gasp out an answer failed, Ryoko managed to put aside his own fear, making it the rest of the way towards us, "Lord Hanbei asked that you be introduced to his guest, Lord Mitsunari. I apologise for disturbing your training."

Huffing to himself, Mitsunari stepped out from under the willow, narrowing his eyes as he returned his katana back into its sheath. He was about my height, and his white hair tapered into a point down the centre of his face. His armour was silver with a crest on the breastplate, but unlike Ieyasu, only his face was uncovered, and the tails of his haori flared outwards.

Even though he had the kind of face that didn't seem to smile very often, Mitsunari managed to lose the menacing look at Ryoko's words, turning back to face me again. He wasn't glaring to kill anymore, but I still shrank back at the intensity in his eyes. "I apologise, my Lady. I ask that you don't disturb my practise again."

"Got it." I managed to nod, stepping away just as he let the leaf curtain fall again as he retreated. Barely a second had passed before the tears were rustling again, moved by the actions of his sword.

Turning to face Ryoko again, I was stunned by how nervous he seemed, almost as though he was itching to get out of there. The expression was eerily familiar, even after all this time. Taking my silence as a request, Ryoko began to lead the way back over the bridge, visibly relaxing with each step that took him further from the willow. The same way people used to walk away from me.