Turning Swallow

Summary:

OR, One morning, four-year-old Sasaki Kojiro remembers a life not yet lived, and decides to do something about it. History changes. SI!Sasaki Kojiro. Expect general lightheartedness, but dark topics when the time comes.

CH. 26 START

In reality, trouble wasn't so much a suspicion as it was a matter of fact. There was no other reason for the Emperor to have gotten Kojiro's comrades so drunk, before separating them, besides assassination. The man wasn't going to perform the act himself, of course, but he had ninja, and aside from assassination, there was little else that ninja were known for. Infiltration, seduction, and intelligence gathering were perhaps the other three things. The ninja was not the openly brandished blades that samurai were, but knives hidden and carried within sleeves. The fact of the matter was this: was there a better time to target someone when they were isolated, insensate, and unconscious? The answer was no. Was there a better target than a nation-conquering warlord, if said warlord was isolated, insensate, and unconscious? The answer was also no. Was there a greater threat to the sovereign power of Japan's royal family that said warlord? The answer, surprise surprise, was no. The Emperor, no matter how much he smiled, was not a friend.

Kojiro could even name the exact moment in time that Ogimachi had decided that trying to keep Nobunaga around was going to be more trouble than it was worth. It hadn't been obvious, happening between one moment and the next. The Emperor had continued to smile and speak kindly, but his eyes had hardened in the space of time between his blinks. What had set that off? Had the Emperor realized that even while drunk, Nobunaga had no intentions of sitting down and obeying him? Had that decision stemmed from realizing that Nobunaga was just as selfish and power-hungry as the Emperor himself was? The woman was a good friend, Kojiro couldn't claim otherwise, but one didn't start a nation-spanning conquest for fun. Regardless of the catalyst for the decision, by the time the group of samurai started to be escorted, the decision was made. As long as Nobunaga was dead, Kojiro knew the Emperor would be immediately launched into a politically sound position. After all, loyalty to Nobunaga was the only thing that was keeping Ieyasu and Hideyoshi out of conflict with one another. Both men were powerful warlords in their own rights, and either could have easily taken over Japan, just like Nobunaga had. They had each ruled in the original history, after all.

Given the fact that Nobunaga was the only thing tying Ieyasu and Hideyoshi together, if she died, it would be a simple matter for them to be pushed into conflict. A simple rumor about how one man was planning to oust the other from power would be all it took to destabilize their former friendship. In a battle between the former allies, the only force who would win would be the Emperor and his royal family. Even if Nobunaga was assassinated, it'd be easy for the Emperor to make up a scapegoat. It didn't matter how she died. If she was foolish enough to eat pufferfish that even Ogimachi avoided and died, all the Emperor had to do was execute the chef for improperly preparing pufferfish and killing Nobunaga to absolve himself of blame. If she was found dead in her bed with a blade in her chest, well, that was the fault of a rebellious cousin, who'd commanded some ninja to do the deed. The ninja and the cousin would be killed, and the issue solved. In either case, Ogimachi and his family got off scot-free, and Nobunaga's generals would begin to war for supremacy. His other self had watched a documentary on Chinese court politics, and that was all Kojiro needed to understand that royalty was not to be trusted.

Kojiro had put far too much effort into keeping the woman alive to let Nobunaga go and die just like that, and refused to even entertain the possibility. Kojiro began to plan. First, there were a few more hours until any attempt at assassination was actually made. The sun was still out, first of all, and Kojiro was 'visiting' Nobunaga's room. The moment Kojiro left, preparation to kill Nobunaga would begin. He had no doubt that he was being viewed as Nobunaga's boytoy, but the fact only helped him. Every action he'd taken since setting foot here had the explicit intent on making Kojiro seem personally harmless. The stories about Kojiro's talent in combat had yet to make their way into the Imperial Palace and into the ears of the Emperor's ninja.

Kojiro could feel time ticking past, and when the sky began to darken, Kojiro began to exercise, making sure to make himself as sweaty as possible. His kimono was gone, which only helped to sell the act, and Kojiro could fake an exhausted walk. After a moment's consideration, he also raised his forearm and bit himself hard enough to leave a visible mark. After that, he pulled his hair free from the loose ponytail he'd been wearing it in, and ruffled both his hair and his clothes to make sure they looked as messy as possible. His clothes were purposely wrinkled, before being pulled back on haphazardly. It was about time for the 'sex' to be over, and Kojiro stumbled his way to the door, making sure that his footsteps were heavy and obvious.

Surely, he presented an unfaltering, but thoroughly convincing picture, of a person who'd just been through a tough night. It was pitch-black outside, the garden lit only by lanterns leading to an outhouse, but in spite of the time, there were servants waiting near the door. The moment Kojiro opened the door, the servants rushed to support him, and Kojiro let them, pushing most of his weight onto them.

Voice raspy from a few hours of silent, yet frantic, scheming, Kojiro said, "Water, please."

One servant nodded immediately, dropping Kojiro's weight to get water. Kojiro winced as he let his body drop towards the floor, only for the other servant to catch him.

The man asked in a concerned tone of voice, "Kid, are you alright?"

Kojiro took a shuddering breath, forced himself to cough, and said, "Y-yeah. Just a little sore. Usually, Lord Oda isn't that rough."

As he spoke, Kojiro purposely raised his forearm to begin readjusting his clothes, acting as if he'd just noticed how messy he looked. He made sure the bite mark slipped into the light more than once as he 'cleaned himself.' By the time Kojiro straightened out the juban, the undergarment meant to keep the kimono from getting dirty, the other servant had returned with a cup of water. Kojiro received it, shooting her a thankful look, and sunk to the ground with a tired sigh. As he drank the water, he heard the whispers of the servants.

The female servant who'd brought the water asked quietly, "What's happened to the boy? He looks terrible."

"Lord Oda has strange…tastes, apparently. The boy's body was marked. With teeth. He walks like the girls who've caught noble attention." the man hissed back.

At this moment, Kojiro made to get up, but didn't put any effort into the action, so that it looked like he simply was too weak to move.

When the servants looked at him, Kojiro spoke in a pained tone, "I need help. Can't move. Too weak."

His youth was the most useful factor here. The man apparently saw Kojiro as a kid who'd been abused by someone of higher standing. No longer was Kojiro of a higher social status, he was one of them. The concern was obvious, now, it was time to cement that impression. Slowly, he untied his sword, before weakly raising it towards the man.

"Can't lift it," he muttered, "too heavy."

Despite this, the man hesitated to pick it up, having long since learned that touching the swords of samurai was a big no-no.

"Not mine," Kojiro said tiredly, "Lord Oda's. For horses."

The man picked the sword up, while the woman picked up Kojiro. Slowly, they dragged him back to his given room. Kojiro made sure it was an effort, using his strength to mimic uncooperative muscles.

On the way, Kojiro made sure to ask, "Is the bath done?"

The woman spoke up, her voice so caring that Kojiro actually felt some guilt for deceiving her, explaining, "Your bath was finished a few minutes ago. It should still be warm."

"You've had some difficulties, kid. Relax now." the man supplied.

He just nodded in thanks, choosing to not speak. Kojiro was brought to his borrowed room, and the two helped him into the bed.

"Sorry for the trouble," he said, "but can you bring me a new set of clothes? I feel dirty right now."

The woman shot the man a look, and the man left to go get clothes. The woman leaned over Kojiro's form, and asked if he was okay. Kojiro nodded, but the woman didn't believe him. After she asked again, Kojiro 'broke down,' weaving a sob story about how Nobunaga had taken a liking to him and taken him from his home after paying off his parents. The woman looked heartbroken, and spoke words of reassurance.

"Why don't you try to run away?" the woman suggested.

Kojiro shook his head, answering, "To where? If I run, what if Lord Oda gets angry? My family might get hurt. Usually, it doesn't hurt as much."

'As much' was the key word here. That implied that it still hurt. Man, Nobunaga was going to have a terrible reputation if she survived the night. The male servant returned soon, with a set of servant's clothing and handed it to Kojiro. The man stood to the side, and Kojiro gestured weakly towards the room with the bath in it. The two understood the request and held Kojiro up, bringing him to the tub. It was full of water, as he'd been told. The clothes were brought in too, but before the two servants left him alone, he made sure to ask for his sword. He explained that he couldn't let it out of sight, since he'd get punished if he did. It was laid behind the paper screen, the shape visible through the paper. He turned to enter the room, and the woman started hesitantly, before she offered to help Kojiro prepare for his bath. Kojiro declined, saying that he didn't want her to see his body. Implied here was that there were marks on the rest of his body too. The woman nodded, but decided to wait with the man for Kojiro to get in the bath, before leaving.

Once he'd 'gotten in,' Kojiro called out, "Thank you for your help today, miss. I want some time alone. Can you please, ah-?"

The woman nodded, saying, "Don't worry kid, I'll tell everyone to not bother you. Take your time."

They left in a hurry, obviously late in reporting to their boss, but they'd provide a solid cover for where Kojiro was and why he was there. He waited for a few minutes to pass, before changing quickly into the servant's clothing and stepping out of the bathroom. He left his sword there, as the most obvious indicator of his presence. He wouldn't get much use out of it either, given how small the corridors were. They were wide enough to walk through comfortably, but not large enough to swing an odachi carelessly. A bad swing would see his sword stuck in a wall. His tanto, though, was secured tightly beneath his clothing. Kojiro darted towards Nobunaga's room, shutting the door. He made sure that Nobunaga was still sound asleep, before ducking under the bed and making himself comfortable. It was just tall enough that Kojiro could squeeze himself underneath, even if the fit was a little bit tight. The night wore on, and the shadows seemed to darken further, almost coalescing around him. The day of maintaining constant caution had tired him. Yet, Kojiro kept himself alert, making sure his breaths were as quiet as possible all the while. After roughly thirty minutes of waiting, the light that shone in from the lit hallways seemed to shift, before he heard the door to the room slide open softly. Through the paper screen, Kojiro saw the silhouette of a man holding aloft a lantern, before the light dimmed. The footsteps got closer and closer, until they stopped, and actual feet slid into his vision. The lantern was placed on the ground next to the bed, and fortunately, the assassin didn't see him. The person straightened, and that was when Kojiro struck.

Limited in ability to swing by his position under the bed, Kojiro chose instead to stab, He slammed his tanto as best he could into the assassin's achilles heel, intent on severing it straight though, and judging by how they collapsed, Kojiro seemed to have succeeded. The person fell backwards instantly, sense of balance completely lost, and failed to even brace for impact. There was the clattering of metal against the wooden floor and the person bit out a curse. A man, judging by the voice. Kojiro used the assassin's distraction to push himself out from the other side of the bed. He darted around it, and the man saw him far too late to do anything, only able to lock eyes with him, before Kojiro slammed the tanto through the man's throat. The thin fabric around the man's throat parted easily, and the blade lanced through flesh. As Kojiro watched the man die, he made sure to check if he recognized the man's face. He didn't, the man's face not matching any of the servant's faces, known ninja servants included. The man bled out fast, and Kojiro left him there on the floor, only dragging the corpse around the bed in order to hide it, just in case. The blood that'd been spilled was easily wiped clean, and Kojiro tossed the stained towel onto the body as well.

Kojiro glanced down at the floor, where the intended weapon of murder lay, having been knocked out of its' sheath by the impact. He grabbed the sword from the ground, hefting it. It was also a small wakizashi, a decent bit longer than Kojiro's own blade. It was relatively unadorned, marked only by a crest that Kojiro knew as the royal family. Kojiro grabbed it, just in case. The Emperor had gone with assassination, so Kojiro had been right after all, and as he watched the dead body cool on the floor and glanced at the still sleeping Nobunaga, he decided on a new plan of action. Just because this assassin was dead that didn't mean the danger was over, no. The assassin probably had to report to someone and was going to miss it, which would bring up all sorts of unfavorable questions. He needed backup, and the only people he could trust in this castle were Nobunaga, who was dead asleep, Ieyasu, and Hideyoshi. He had maybe fifteen minutes before any alarms were tripped due to the assassin failing to report, so he had to be fast. Once his allies were aware of the danger and secured, he had an Emperor to kill. Ogimachi seemed determined to keep the Sengoku raging, and in the face of that fact, what did it matter if Kojiro partook in a little regicide?