"And you seriously expect me to believe that?"
"Considering it's the truth-"
"Don't try it Takechiyo." I jabbed a finger into his chest, "I find it hard to believe your pal Mitsunari invaded Oshu and had his men destroy the village and that you had nothing to do with it."
Locking his fingers around my wrist loosely, Ieyasu pushed the arm back to my side before taking my shoulders, "Mitsunari's snapped. He wants to kill everyone who played a part in Lord Hideyoshi's downfall, and then take control in his name. He's absolutely consumed by revenge."
"He's your friend, can't you do something?"
"I tried!" Ieyasu snapped, recovering almost right away, "He just accused me of siding with them, and won't listen to reason." Stopping to take a breath, Ieyasu spoke again, "He's got this advisor, Yoshitsugu, and he's convinced Mitsunari that I'm a traitor to him, to Hideyoshi. They need to be stopped."
"And you think it has to be you to do it." I stated simply, moving out of his grasp, "That no-one else can take him down."
"Do you think anyone else would be as merciful as me?"
"If mercy's what it's about," Mizu interrupted, Ieyasu jumping slightly at her voice, "Then you're talking to the wrong people."
Turning to acknowledge her, we were confronted with the entirety of the breakfast hall, Hanzo letting Hotaru hide behind his leg. Feeling introductions were in order, I hastily got started, and when I was done, Ieyasu seemed to have only really heard Hanzo's name. Realising this, Mizu elbowed him sharply, indicating he should take over. "I was trained as a ninja, but if there's one thing I've never been able to get, it's why the little people always get hurt when samurai want to play war. Because that's all it boils down to at the end of the day, isn't it?" His voice turned hard, "No matter who's in charge, they always want to play."
It was a speech Mizu would've been proud of, and through the sternness in her face, I saw very real pride in her brother. But Ieyasu was far from rattled, instead looking past Hanzo at Kotone, his face softening to see the bokken she'd hastily looped into her belt before eating. "She asked me to teach her." I explained, folding my arms as he finally looked back at me. "In Osaka, you said you would make a deal with the devil if it meant no more bonds being broken. How's that working out for you?"
"It'll slow going." Ieyasu admitted, "But it'd go faster if I had good allies."
"Consider me signed up." Masamune called from his position against the doorway. "That bastard Ishida attacked my people. If you're standing up to him, consider Oshu on your side."
"Aren't alliances typically more complex than that?" Mizu asked, looking between the warlords, "Eh, what would I know? If it means a crack at Ishida's neck, I might as well go along with this crazy idea."
"Mizu!" Hanzo gaped, small beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead, "You're not a-"
"Born and trained Hanzo. Born and trained."
Ranmaru and Itsuki shared a quick look before nodding their agreement, "We'll come too!"
"Looks like it's just us then." I shrugged at Hanzo, unable to resist grinning. It took a second, but he took up the expression too, looking back at Ieyasu.
"Looks like I don't have much of a say. We're in too."
Unfortunately, alliances were a bit more complex than that, which aside from meaning a few hours in the war room to draw up a proper agreement that could be filed away and forgotten about, meant we had to pack for our trip. Mitsunari had apparently made living in Osaka Castle a bit difficult for Ieyasu, so he and the rest of the Tokugawa forces had relocated to Edo, which was only a few hours ride on horse, and one if you were lucky enough to hitch a lift on Tadakatsu.
Tying my cloak around me, I checked my swords were still in place before tying my hair into a tight braid, examining it in the mirror. Spotting me looking, Mizu smirked slightly, "So this Ieyasu, you had a thing for him?"
"Yeah, I did." I flushed quietly, moving away from the glass to grab my swords from where Kotone was holding them. "But we're past that."
Holding her hands up in her defence, Mizu carried on packing, including to my surprise three different quivers, none of which I'd ever seen before. Looking at Itsuki, who gave an innocent shrug, I hummed slightly, the sound making her freeze, "Presents?"
"Oh haha, I borrowed them from the armoury. Masamune said I could keep them." She pointedly turned her back on me when I raised an eyebrow, even though Kotone was giggling softly at the exchange. Tapping the girl to shut her up, I shouldered her bag and mine, nudging her ahead of me, "You're going to be riding with me, okay?"
"Sure!" She nodded, making sure to grab her bokken on the way out, "Are you still going to teach me?"
"Yeah, but the lessons will get harder. We'll be around real soldiers remember." Letting her consider that, I nodded to Yoshinao, mounting and holding the horse steady while he lifted Kotone up behind me. "Hey Yoshinao? Mizu and Lord Masamune, can you see it?"
"So it's not just us? Even Master Katakura's noticed." At my surprised look, the Date soldier nodded furiously, even waving the others over, "Every time they go out for a riding lesson, Master Katakura always stays behind, to give them privacy."
"When we passed through the village last, he couldn't take his eyes off of her!"
"And here I thought he was looking at my door." I scoffed, glad nonetheless that we hadn't been imagining the attraction. Spotting Mizu coming, one arm supporting Yori in his sling, the other carrying her bag, I hastily cut the air with my hand, ending the conversation as she got closer.
Leaving the Date men rubbing their noses in a promise to stay quiet, I felt Kotone's arms tighten round my waist. Looking back to make sure she was okay on the saddle, I wrapped the reins around my hand, waiting for everyone else to sort themselves out. Masamune saddled up and pulled Mizu up behind him carefully, letting her hand Yori off to Hanzo, who struggled, but managed to get the sling around him. Ranmaru and Itsuki were allowed to ride their own separate horses, and although Master Katakura had offered, Hotaru had instead elected to ride with Tadakatsu and Ieyasu. Probably for the best though, he'd be able to focus on guarding Masamune, and I trusted Ieyasu not to drop her.
Nodding to the rest of us, Masamune spurred his horse onwards, making Mizu squeak before she increased the grip she had on him, the pair nearly out of sight by the time my horse began moving. Startled by the sudden movement under her, Kotone gave a small gasp, holding onto me until she was certain she was going to stay on the saddle. Above our heads, Tadakatsu soared freely, Hotaru's laughter audible even from the ground.
We stopped after two hours, the box lunches coming out and Kotone shifting about uncomfortably, unused to sitting on a horse for as long as she had. Ruffling her hair as he came to sit by me, Hanzo watched her eventually take some food and settle close to the small stream. Gradually her toes began to enter the water and splash, her head occasionally glancing about to make sure no-one was watching. Smiling to ourselves, Hanzo and I turned our attention back to our food, content to sit in silence for now.
Across the clearing, Mizu was holding Yori securely, hair trailing into his face as she fed him slowly, his fists tying themselves into the black curls before going limp, their owner descending back into sleep. Untangling herself calmly, she looked up and met my eyes, giving a small guilty wave as she propped him up, patting his back. Raising my fingers back, I looked for Ranmaru, finding him and Itsuki talking by the horses, seemingly oblivious to the world around them.
I don't know what it said about me that I was certain we were going to be attacked, but the lunch lasted peacefully, not a twig breaking to shatter the picturesque scene. When Hanzo's arm came around my waist, I felt no fear in dropping my defences for a second, placing my head into the crook of his neck, laughing when he blew softly at my hair, tickling my ear. "I wish it could stay like this."
"So do I, Yomi, I really do."
All too soon we were setting off again, Kotone opting to sit in front of me this time since she felt more confident. At least that's what she claimed, but when I leaned over to grab the reins again, her knuckle bones were nearly bursting out of her skin. Once again Masamune and Mizu took the lead, with Master Katakura following close behind, but this time Hanzo let us go in front of him. Waving to him as we passed, I turned my attention back to the front, ignoring Kotone's uneasy shaking when we began speeding up again.
As far as I knew, Masamune had left some of his other generals in charge of Oshu while he was gone, but had left his uncle out of things. When I'd asked him why, he just looked at me sideways before turning back to his lunch.
Looks like the legendary Date family relations extended to the maternal side too.
Evening was painting the sky crimson when we finally set foot in Edo, our destination easy to see even from the gate of the city, Kotone leaning back into me as she stretched her neck to see the top. I nearly joined her, a low whistle escaping my lips at the sheer size of it. "Well, I'm sold." Hanzo nodded, handing Yori over so he could dismount.
"You made it safely, I'm glad." Ieyasu greeted, Hotaru running straight past him and barrelling into Master Katakura, flustering the previously immovable samurai.
"Any reason we shouldn't have?" Mizu criticised, sliding back onto the ground and unhooking her bow.
Looking towards her sternly, Ieyasu gave a curt nod, "I had reports from other allies that they were attacked as they were making their way here. Luckily Mitsunari's forces underestimated them, but a few others have yet to report back."
"Other allies? You have been busy." I praised, "Anyone I know?"
"I wish I was so productive. I was mainly speaking about my ninja core, although the Saica mercenaries are unaligned at this point. That would be a worthwhile trip."
He would be hard pressed to find anyone who disagreed, and a quick glance around proved it. The Saica mercenaries were highly skilled with firearms, surpassing even the Oda's arquebus core in that respect. For that reason, Oda had hired them to prevent their skills from belonging to anyone else. Of course, he kind of dug his own grave by killing the leader and expecting the band to stay with him.
Long story short, they didn't.
Clapping his hands together, Ieyasu drew me out of my musing with a gesture at the castle, "Come, I'll show you your rooms, and you can make yourselves comfortable."
"Sounds good." Mizu groaned, clicking her back into place again, "My arse hasn't quite allied itself with the saddle yet." Striding past our host in the same movement, she missed mine and Hanzo's joint sighs, our hands firmly covering our faces. On the other end of the scale, Masamune was still grinning, following her in wordlessly.
If the outside of the castle was beautiful, then the insides far surpassed the definition. Maybe it was my previous experience with castles as a rule that coloured my judgement, but all I knew was that Ieyasu's new home was one worthy of his position. Clinging close to me, Kotone was staring at everything we passed, while Ranmaru and Itsuki seemed more focused in the view we saw from every balcony we passed, eventually breaking away from us entirely to stand and gape at the town spread below them.
Promising to have a maid show us down when dinner was ready, Ieyasu bid the girls a good evening on the floor below where the boys would be staying, Mizu glancing into our room with an impressed whistle, "Sayomi, if you won't marry this guy, I might."
"Who told you about that?" I demanded, forgetting any and all teasing with the heat spreading across my nose and cheeks.
"Hanzo did when he was asking me for courting advice. He hides it, but I can tell he's nervous about your friend."
Folding my arms crossly, I kept one eye on Kotone and Hotaru, only following Mizu into our room when they went to inspect theirs, "He's got nothing to be nervous about."
"Then show that. Because when my brother tried to kiss you for the first time, you pushed him away, and then ran off crying for your dead fiancé." Propping her bow against the wall, Mizu tried to give a careless shrug, but it came across as forced, "Not that it's any of my business, mind. Just try to remember what I said."
"I will." I promised, tensing at how hard my tone came out as. "I will." I tried again. This time the huntress nodded, going back to her nosing. Letting her get on with it, I placed my pack on the floor, pulling out my kimonos and placing them delicately on the shelves provided, sensing that Mizu had been claiming the other side for herself simply by putting her weapon down. Following suit, I tucked my swords in front of the silk, moving to put my personal stuff on the shelf above them.
"Hey, do we have to change for dinner or anything?" Mizu suddenly asked.
"I don't think so, why?"
"Just asking. Scratch that, I might anyway." Ignoring my questioning look, she took one off the shelf at random, retreating behind the screen to change.
Deciding to let her get on with it, I tugged my hair ribbon free, winding it around my hand to straighten the knot out of it before coiling it on the shelf. Pulling the braid onto my shoulder, I slipped my fingers in, pulling at the weaves until it was all free and beginning to slip onto my back.
When Mizu appeared again, she could've been someone else entirely if not for the curls that she was trying to deal with as she walked. Her bottom lip was between her teeth, and rather than the green yukata she had been wearing that morning, she was clad in a soft tone of orange, a startling array of red leaves falling down her sides. Without saying a word to me, she grabbed a ribbon from my hair box, wrapping it carefully around some of the locks, until she finally let her hands and lip drop, turning side to side to check the style.
The worst curls in front of her eyes had been tugged behind her head and braided, while the rest hung straight down. Without those pieces hiding her cheeks, I realised how soft her features actually were, whereas before I'd just assumed that the curls hid a sharp face, since she usually let them hang.
"You look lovely." I finally managed to say, getting a small smile out of her nervousness. "Getting a head start on that marriage scheme?"
"Shut up." She elbowed me hard, "I just don't want to look scruffy, that's all."
Since she didn't want to be the only one who bothered to make an effort, she semi-forced me into swapping into one of my better yukatas while she went to sort out the giggling pair across the hall from us. Itsuki was trusted to change of her own accord, and sure enough when we were finally called by the maid, she was wearing the dress Asuka's mother had made up for her last birthday, the teals and yellow she had worn in childhood very prevalent, even if it was supposed to be for when she needed to fight.
Apparently hearing her from upstairs, Ranmaru and Hanzo had clearly just scrubbed their faces furiously, but hadn't spent an agonising amount of time choosing clothes, just settling for something they hadn't travelled in. It was at times like that that you appreciated how much easier the men had it.
"Wait," I suddenly said, holding up my hand before anyone went for the stairs. "Who had Yori?" Everyone looked at me funnily, and then the realisation set in, faces shifting to panic. "Okay, Hanzo you had him on the horse…"
"I passed him down to you Ran."
"And I gave him to Itsuki so I could carry our bags." All eyes went to her, her eyes wide as she tried hard to think.
Suddenly, the answer came to her, just as it did to Kotone, "He's in our room!" They both shot off, leaving us practically on the floor in relief. Another scare like that, and there wouldn't be anybody left from Kodokuna. We were just counting our blessings when the girls reappeared, shifting about awkwardly, "He wasn't in our room."
We decided there and then that Chiyome was going to come back and give us hell if we didn't find her surviving child right that second. Leaving Hotaru in the corridor to tell the Dragons what we were doing if they happened to arrive, we all dove into the girls' room, lifting bags up frantically and listening for anything that sounded like Yori's little wailing. Suddenly, Hanzo stopped dead, holding his hand up for quiet. Staring at him in silence, we pinned our ears back, sighing with relief at the small snuffles we could hear…above us? "Well, I've been found out."
"Sasuke?!" The Takeda ninja dropped between us, Yori safe in his arms. "What're you doing here?" Hanzo demanded, "You guys joining this crazy scheme too?"
"At the minute, I can't say." Sasuke confided, easily slipping Yori back into Mizu's arms, "You've got a cute kid there, he could be a great ninja when he grows up."
Blushing faintly, she shook her head, "He's not mine." She whispered, looking towards me and Hanzo. Misunderstanding, Sasuke discreetly looked between us and Yori, just as I shook my head,
"He's not mine either. If you're not here to sign up, what are you here for?"
The ninja's eyes flickered towards Kotone, who got the message and left, closing the door behind her. Only when he was sure she was gone did he look back at me, rubbing the back of his head, "The head grave keeper in Kai told a guard that someone had been tampering with one of the graves. Considering whose, Yukimura sent me to investigate. After my report, he ordered that you be told as well."
"Told what?"
Sasuke stared at me seriously, trying to find the words, "When we all thought you'd died, we didn't have a body to bury, so Lord Shingen asked for Gracia to be given the respectful burial we would've given you. It was her grave that's been tampered with."
"Hang on," Mizu interrupted, holding up a hand before replacing it under Yori's body, "Gracia was Oda's ninja right? Akechi's little slaughter demon?"
"That's the one." I laughed, "So what happened? A bit of graffiti or the offerings getting stolen?"
"Her body was removed from it." Any hint of mirth vanished from the room, mine and Ranmaru's mouths dropping open. "I thought that might get your attention."
Hanzo's hand found mine, his fingers gently running over my knuckles as I fought hard to push the words out, "Who…Do you have any idea who it was?"
"I'm afraid not. Yukimura just thought you'd like to know." He looked at the door again, and when I turned, it had been opened by the tiniest crack, Kotone's eye staring right at us. "I'd better get back to Kai."
"Give Yukimura our best." I nodded, not moving until he had leapt off the balcony again, the burst of his glider signalling his exit. The door slowly slid open again, Kotone clearly stuck as to whether she was going to be scolded for listening in.
"Hotaru's been taken down to dinner." She whispered, looking at the ground. "Lord Masamune and Master Katakura took her." A moment's hesitation, "Who's Gracia?"
