Chapter Thirty-Two: Sink or Swim

"Just hold tight to me, I won't let you sink." Nodding, the little girl began stepping into the water, shaking as she got to waist level. The hands on her wrists slowly moved up her arms, until they were holding her under the shoulders, guiding her further into the pool to join me and her teacher. "Don't look at your feet, look at me, and look forwards."

I saw her force her eyes upwards, smiling sheepishly at the one holding onto her. Grinning myself, I suddenly realised who she was smiling at, shrieking loudly, even as the little girl flinched and submerged herself, Oda swearing as he pulled her back to the surface. Likewise, suddenly there was somebody tugging on my shoulders, pulling me forwards and back into reality. I hadn't even noticed my own feet collapse from under me.

Stunned by my rescuer's sudden appearance, I clung on, shivering from the terror of my nightmare. Clearly surprised by the action, Takenaka wrapped his arms around me properly, stroking my hair to calm me, "It was just a dream, Sayomi. Nothing to worry about."

Eyes properly opening at the sound of his voice, I quickly backed up, drawing my legs closer to my body, "What are you doing in here?"

"The guards on this floor heard screaming and came to get me. You were having a nightmare."

Not quite over my shaking spell, I didn't look at Takenaka as I whispered, "Sorry for waking you up."

Settling back so he was kneeling, he gave his typical smirk, "I would have had to wake up early anyway, I'm going to Aki to finalise an alliance."

As sleepy as I was, I managed to remember the warlord who ruled Aki, as well as Oda's observations on him, "Mori Motonari, the strategist?" At Takenaka's nod, I gave an internal snort. Mori was smart, and that made him a dangerous foe, especially to another strategist.

Both he and Takenaka would be playing an intricate chess game with each other, moving their pieces around each other in a mockery of comradeship, looking for the chance to conquer the other the second an opportunity presented itself. The dance was quite beautiful to watch if all went well. But if all went well, then that meant Takenaka had earned another victory for his master, and Toyotomi would be one step closer to conquering the entire land.

And if his strategist was anything to go by, then the future under his rule could be just as bad as if Oda was in charge. Or perhaps, I thought, narrowing my eyes slightly, even worse than if Oda had made it to the top.

For once unaware of my thoughts, Takenaka got back to his feet, nodding before he turned for the door. Now that he had drawn back to full height, I realised how ruffled he looked, as though he had literally came straight from his bed. A thought of his own seemed to grip him, and he turned again, "Mitsunari and Ieyasu will also be accompanying me. I wouldn't want you to be left here bored."

Now that my shivering was over, I was able to think more clearly, "Doesn't allowing me out of my prison somewhat cancel out the reason I'm here?"

"I've already told you, you're not a prisoner."

Blowing my wayward bangs out if my face, I pouted, "And yet, I'm not allowed to leave unless Ryoko is behind me." Or in front of me, but it was too early to be picky about my arguments.

Considering my point, he nonetheless raised an eyebrow, "I would have thought that you would have jumped at the opportunity to spend time at the beach. Granted it is a two day journey but-"

"I'll come." Smiling at me, Takenaka nodded, actually leaving this time. He was smart enough to know that leaving me in the fortress without supervision would only give me time to either make a run for it, or plan an escape that would have a higher chance of success.
But at the same time, it would be easier for me to get away once we were on the road, which just made the offer all the more interesting. Mori and Takenaka may be dancing around each other, but the waltz I was currently taking part in was equally as dangerous, especially since my opponent was about as easy to read as Sora's handwriting.

Frowning, I pushed everything away, massaging my temples lightly. For now, I just had to get ready and play the part of a princess going on holiday. Pulling the draws open, I searched in vain for an article that wasn't pink or white, but eventually gave up and settled for one of the lighter yukatas, feeling the silk with my fingers. It rippled with each stroke, teasingly reminding of the water that had been claiming me only minutes ago.

Sighing to myself, I eventually started getting dressed, only just shrugging the outer robe on before my usual maid walked in, tying it closed with an obi with her usual efficiency. "Breakfast is being taken in Lord Hanbei's room this morning, my Lady. Ryoko is already waiting outside to escort you there."

Nodding with my eyes screwed shut, I patiently waited for her to deal with my hair before opening them again. Rather than a bun this morning, she was instead securing it at several intervals, leaving it to travel down my back limply. Nodding once she was finished, she waved me off, preparing a bag that I hadn't seen her bring in.

Blinking slightly, I stepped into the hallway, greeting Ryoko with a grimace, which he returned, not even wishing me a good morning before striding off down the hall. Wrinkling my nose and sticking my tongue out at his back, I felt the condolences I was going to give him because he'd had to get up early go right out of the window screaming until they hit the ground and died.

Following him anyway, I managed to remain sweet, and he managed to remain breathing long enough for us to reach Takenaka's room. The man himself was seated at the small table, looking over some reports. "Lady Sayomi, Lord Hanbei." Ryoko bowed, barely waiting for Takenaka to dismiss him before exiting the room, grumbling about his early start.

Watching him leave, I gave a small snort, "I thought he was a soldier."

"With conscription you have to take what you can get. Keeping him in the castle means he gets to boast and we don't have to listen to his whining on a battlefield." Moving his gaze upwards, Takenaka indicated the seat opposite him with a smirk, "Mitsunari and Ieyasu should be along soon. Until then, would you like some tea?"

"I'll wait until everyone has arrived, thank you." Shrugging, Takenaka returned to his reading, occasionally frowning or nodding to himself at something. Uneasy sitting there in the silence, I cleared my throat, getting his attention, "About earlier…"

"What about it?"

"Thank you."

Freezing slightly, Takenaka looked up, a bemused smile on his face, "You're welcome."

He couldn't have been that startled, surely? As I searched his face, I realised that yes, he was. "You didn't have to wake me up, or invite me to Aki with you. Regardless of why I'm here, or how I go there, I at least owe you that."

As Takenaka nodded again, dropping his gaze back to his paperwork, the screens rattled with someone's knocking, opening a second later when Ieyasu opened it for the servants carrying large trays, following them in. While Mitsunari immediately bowed to Takenaka and sat down, Ieyasu hesitated before eventually kneeling down too, taking great care not to meet my eyes. Never before had I wished to take back my words more than then.

Looking at us with intrigue, Takenaka nonetheless began to pour the tea, only for Mitsunari to tug the kettle away, taking over the job. "The horses should be ready soon, unless you'd prefer a palanquin, Sayomi?"

Snorting quietly, Ieyasu began tucking in, ignoring the twin glares me and Mitsunari sent him. Keeping my eyes on him, I turned my head back towards Takenaka, shaking it a little, "I'd prefer my own horse, thank you."

"I didn't know you could ride side saddle, Yomi." Only a dangerously high amount of self control prevented me from throwing something at him. Gritting my teeth, I upped the venom in my eyes, internally smirking when he backed off. More than anyone else at this table, Ieyasu had seen me fall off Dango whenever I attempted side saddle.

I'd either just slip suddenly, landing in the dirt, or Dango would get impatient with our slow pace and then bolt, knocking me off. What he didn't know, and what I was counting on was that Takenaka really was all knowing, and would choose a gentler mount. Or at the very least, he'd tie me to the saddle. I was really hoping on the former though. And I mean desperately. Getting tied to a saddle was not comfortable…I was going to end up tied to a saddle, wasn't I?


The horse that was led towards me was unnaturally graceful, a true lady's horse, not as stocky or broad shouldered as Dango had been. And the saddle tied around her middle was actually meant for riding side saddle. Well, that just proved that Oda had been wrong when he told me that you could ride a warhorse and still look like a presentable lady. The bastard must've been rolling in his grave.

Approaching her slowly, I held my hand up to rest on her muzzle, getting a low snort in return. "You're not going to help me escape, are you?" Unable to get an answer from her, I dropped my hand, patiently waiting for a mounting block to come near me, only for a colossal man to appear out of nowhere, lifting me on instead. Shrieking and trying to escape, I missed Ieyasu's amused laughter and Mitsunari's groans, both of them perfectly comfortable on their own horses.

Unperturbed by my struggling, the gorilla of a human being simply placed me on the saddle, allowing me to arrange my skirts by myself as he stepped away. "Come to see us off, Lord Hideyoshi?" My feet firmly in the stirrups, I felt confident enough to turn to face the man properly, gulping when I realised that even mounted at this height, I still had to look up to meet his red gaze. Red eyes…like Oda's.

The face may have been completely different, but those eyes had paralysed me all the same, even as they turned to look at Takenaka instead, obviously softening. Lord Toyotomi Hideyoshi wore his greyish hair in a traditional top knot, with mutton chops either side of his face, offset only by the red armour he was wearing.

Perhaps even more crazy than his height, or his eyes was the fact that I couldn't place a weapon to him. His build was nothing like anyone else I had ever seen, seemingly too…brutish to master any art. "I hope your trip goes well, Hanbei. I'd hate to be put back by a useless pawn." Looking to me, he hummed before turning back to his strategist, "Is this the girl?" Takenaka nodded, the action mirrored by his Lord, who suddenly placed a hand on my shoulder, sending a shudder through my body. "Hanbei has been searching for you, Blade of the Oda. Perhaps now he'll finally rest."

The last part was directed at Takenaka's back, which stopped walking, throwing a tired smile at Toyotomi. Clearly this was an old discussion between the pair. With a last check to the other men behind us, Takenaka hummed, mounting his own horse, and beginning our charge.

Mind you, it wasn't an actual charge; the horses were actually proceeding at a fairly slow pace. Maybe not jumping off to make a break for it slow, but the pace resembled more of a procession than a desperate bid for allies. The people certainly thought so, bowing low as everybody passed, not even the children daring to take a peek.

As we left Osaka and began speeding up, the guard to my left suddenly slowed, falling back to the flank. Turning to wonder why, I nearly missed Mitsunari speedup to take his place, his horse falling into step with mine. "You're scared of falling off." He said it as a statement, not as a question, making me look away, partly annoyed and partly embarrassed. "Castella won't rear up or try to throw you."

"Is that her name?" I asked, looking again at my mount's creamy coat, and brunette mane. She did sort of look like the cake. Reaching forwards to pat her neck, I quickly sat back up straight, wrapping the reins around my hand again to keep steady.

Feeling Ieyasu's eyes on me, I quickly tossed my head, putting my hair back behind my ears. Spotting the surly expression, Mitsunari turned in his saddle, flashing a frown to whoever was behind him, before leaning in close, "Exactly how adept are you at riding side saddle?" He murmured out of the side of his mouth, pretending to be checking something in his saddle bag.

Clicking my tongue to keep Castella's pace even, I leaned forwards again, this time keeping a hand on the pommel, "I'm very adept at falling off when I'm riding side saddle." Was that a smile on his lips? The hint of mirth vanished as he straightened back up, but he'd trusted me with it all the same.
"Ryoko said you were a practitioner of iaijutsu. How long have you used that style?"

Thinking for all of a second, he answered back with, "Since I first took up swordsmanship, I think." Letting out a low whistle, I nodded, actually very impressed. When Ryoko had informed me about it yesterday, it had been his bragging tone that had shifted my usual amazement. Uesugi Kenshin was well known as a master of that same style, and he was known as the freaking War God. It focused mainly on clean cuts, precise and lightning fast, and then the return of the sword to its sheath again. Come to think of it, it seemed a perfect fit for Mitsunari considering his form.

"What about you? You're a sword user too, but I've never heard what discipline you use."

"That's because I learnt two, not counting basic forms, and switch between them: jigen-ryu, and tamiya-ryu."

"They're very different. Was it hard to learn both at once?"

The question made me think for a second, enough that the guard on my right had to lean over to tug at Castella's reins so that we both made the next turn. "Oda wanted me to focus more on jigen, but I'd already set my heart on mastering tamiya. So we compromised." Turning to look at the front again, I suddenly bit my lip, "I suppose my sword was left in the field."

Looking away himself, Mitsunari descended into silence, before humming to get my attention, "I wouldn't worry. Even with your mix of skills, I'd only win the spars."

"Oh is that so?"

"Of course, my speed would get past both the jigen slices and allow me to dodge any tamiya steps."

"But there's an opening when you're preparing to pull the sword out again. A quick dash and then slice, and you're dead."

Our debate lasted for another three hours, the pair of us briefly teaming up against Ieyasu who took over from the other guard, deciding that we were both wrong, and that bare fists were the only way to succeed on the battlefield. "Or at least in the taverns." He added with a wink.

"If you're getting that drunk you should consider avoiding them." Takenaka lectured without even turning around. He hadn't stayed out of the discussion, but had acted as a neutral force, giving valid points for both sides. The strange thing was that even though he commended near enough every aspect of iaijutsu and tamiya, similar as they were, he seemed to abhor jigen, which naturally made me focus my points on that, enjoying every small hesitance he gave before presenting his next argument.

My thoughts were still on escaping, and by playing along for now, I knew I was putting him on edge. I was surrounded by his men, ironically more than had ever been a threat in Osaka, which severely limited my options. And as much as it pained me, when I did bolt for it, I'd be leaving Castella behind. She was too docile, and I wouldn't have enough time to swap her saddle over before my absence was noticed. And my sword…Maybe someone from the village had found it, taken it back to Ranmaru and Itsuki.

As I thought, my eyes widened, even as Mitsunari and Ieyasu continued to bicker. What if my sword hadn't been left behind? A man who claimed to know my father, even sparingly would recognise his sword's saya, and with how Takenaka had appraised both me and it for himself, there was more than a passing acquaintance hidden there.

Groaning to myself, I realised that the puzzle would be a lot easier to solve if I could just remember where I had heard his name before.