"Um.. I heard a uh.. rumor about Lord Mitsuhide and that guy he captured.. Kennyo's vassal?" I muttered. The smile quickly dropped from Masamune's face..

"So erm.. I heard someone say Mitsuhide's kind of.. well- This guy said.. He told me Mitsuhide's job is to.. torture people.. I had my own suspicions but-" "That's right."

Malachi's POV

My eyes widened as I slowly glanced away, staring down at my hands as I fidgeted. "Is that so shocking? Did you think Mitsuhide's the kind of guy who would take pity on an enemy?" I shook my head, "No. I.. I figured that was the case, I just.. I've seen him-" I trailed off. I've seen Mitsuhidde shoot a man dead while forcing me to watch. I hadn't forgotten that, I'd never forget that. But.. I just wanted to believe Mitsuhide had a kinder side to him. I guess I was wrong.

"Just never thought I'd have to put 'torturer' and 'nice' in the same description." I muttered. Masamune gave me a strange look, "Huh. Did I just hear you right in calling Mitsuhide 'nice?' I don't mean to laugh, but that's pretty funny." Funny? Meeting Masamune's gaze again, it certainly didn't seem like he had actually found my words amusing. "You've heard about the burning of Enryaku-ji on Mt. Hie, right?"

"Erm.. Sort of? Mitsuhide touched briefly upon it when covering Nobunaga's.. harsher acts. With the exclusion of the Hatano incident." I answered. Masamune's frown deepened, "Well, Mitsuhide himself was in charge of that battle. Not that you can call it a battle. But it was his suggestion to completely eradicate the problem." I felt my entire body go stiff as my heart beat harshly in my chest, "..What on Earth do you mean?"

"I mean it was a massacre. A calculated one." A.. A massacre.. A sick and twisted feeling grew in my heart, I didn't want to believe it but.. I also didn't find it unbelievable.. "Enryaku-ji had hundreds of buildings and several thousand people- including women and children." "That's enough.." I spoke weakly, but Masamune continued. "A lot of those were victims of the degenerate monks themselves, but they all died in the fire. Or the resulting hunt." Even innocents? Then what the hell was the point of it all?!

With every breath I took, it felt like I could taste the ash, gunpowder, and the metallicity of the crimson blood.. A part of me didn't want to believe it, but the other part knew it wasn't a lie. In all the time I'd spent with Mitsuhide, the place he had seemed most calm was that damned scorched battlefield. "Everyone on the Oda forces knows what Mitsuhide's truly capable of. So it's no surprise the horrors he'd inflict on a guy who tried to take his lord's life."

"...Was torture really the best option?" "Maybe not. But it's the quickest way. If sacrificing one man will save an army..what other choice do you have?" Masamune's hand clenched his sword as he frowned. I felt my fist clench. "War isn't a game, Malachi. Lives depend on our actions. Ours and many, many more." He glared at me, his tone harsh. His once friendly blue eye was as sharp as polished steel, completely ruthless. Realization that Masamune too, everyone in the Oda forces- must've had to do horrible things as well.

Third POV

"It sounds like Mitsuhide's really coddled you, lass." Masamune spoke, staring down at Malachi. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean..?" Malachi spoke, their tone low and cold. Their anger evident as they avoided Masamune's gaze. "It means you'll never find another person who'd ever mistake Mitsuhide Akechi for 'nice.'" Malachi wanted to argue, they wanted to shout, but they knew they couldn't defend Mitsuhide. Not against someone who'd known him for years. "..I'd appreciate if you didn't tell me something I already knew."

"Huh?" "You think I don't KNOW that, Masamune?!" A hiss escaped Malachi's lips as they glared at Masamune, their once soft green eyes now intense with a fiery hatred. "Do you also see me as stupid and naive like all the others?! I KNOW what Mitsuhide's like! I've heard his horrid acts a thousand times over. I know how hard this life is, just because I'm nothing like the people of this time doesn't mean I'm a stupid, little, naive- I don't need someone to try and teach me that." Their voice cracked, tears pricking the corner of their eyes.

"Then why did you-" "Why did I ask? I didn't want to believe it. I.. I didn't want to acknowledge any of it. I didn't WANT to know." Malachi averted their gaze and wiped their eyes, "I'd rather live in ignorant bliss than get involved with your way of life.. THAT'S why I fight back." Without another word, Malachi turned around and left.

Malachi's POV

I don't know why I'm so upset. I knew the other Warlords respected Mitsuhide for his skill, but they never once talked about him as a person.. The women in town only spoke of his good looks, while only briefly acknowledging his cruelty. And those vassals.. They probably had the LEAST positive things to say about him. It had started to sound like Mitsuhide had a lot of enemies. But.. It also seemed like Mitsuhide went happily out of his way to make enemies. At least, just from looking at how he interacted with others.

Suddenly, I heard Masamune call behind me, "Just because Mitsuhide's cruel streak is the size of Azuchi Castle doesn't mean what you saw was a lie. He's not easy to get along with, but personally, I find him fun." I stopped dead in my tracks, turning my head slightly to indicate I was listening. "You're better off deciding what he is to you than listening to others' opinions." He.. Masamune's probably right but.. I didn't feel comforted by Masamune's words, but it seemed more like he was trying to encourage me. "What does that matter? I shouldn't even be allowing myself to be close to Mitsuhide in the first place." I turned around to meet Masamune's gaze as I spoke.

"What's that supposed to mean, lass?" He asked, clearly confused. "Nothing you need to worry about." I told him, my tone devoid of emotion. Masamune didn't push any further, and left. But even with him gone.. I couldn't focus on cleaning. 'I can't be close to Mitsuhide.. Because too much interaction with a mortal is dangerous..'

But even after telling myself that, I couldn't stop thinking about Mitsuhide. And about how I wanted so desperately to believe that there was more to him. More than meets the eye. He was considered a professional torturer, and responsible for one of the time period's most horrid massacres. And yet.. He was so intriguing to me. I'd never met such a mystery in the form of a mere mortal, and all I wanted to do was keep digging deeper.

It was like Mitsuhide was like one of those deadly, sealed off area warning signs. Shouting 'Danger!' 'Fatal Flaw Ahead!' Everyone knew to stay away, but those foolish enough to stay ignorant were never seen again. And yet, here I was, walking past the signs, ignoring all I'd been taught, ducking under the yellow 'caution' tape, all because this mortal had caught my curiosity. The only question on my mind is when I'd see him next..

In the end, my thoughts twisted around and circled back to where they had started.