Song of the Beloved

Description: A look at the fictional relationship between Akechi Mitsuhide and Mori Ranmaru as presented in SW, told from Ranmaru's POV as he guards Nobunaga at Honnoji. Rated T for violence and references to the shudo tradition.

Disclaimer: Samurai Warriors and its characters are the property of KOEI.

Chapter Two: A Gift at the Threshold

Standing in the dim rays of dawn, I detach my sword's sheath from its usual place on my back. Slowly, I pull the blade free. The early rays catch the metal and cause it to shine. A strikingly merry contrast to the dark determination within me.

I glance briefly at the empty sheath in my other hand before throwing it into a corner of the courtyard. I will not need it anymore.

I wrap both hands around the hilt of my nodachi, feeling the familiar texture of the weapon that has brought me through many battles. The souls that rest upon that blade are numerous indeed. With a released breath of preparation and relaxation, I lower the tip to the ground and bow my head.

And I wait.

I hear their feet first: no horses, just men. They appear around the corner of an outlying building. Several units of solders. The advance force.

The men at the front stop in confusion upon seeing me: one young man of gentle figure and appearance, holding a sword that seems too cumbersome for him to wield, wearing the threat of death upon his face.

One of the captains finds his tongue. "Hey, kid. Move aside. And put that thing down before you hurt yourself."

Another captain grabs the first by the shoulder and hisses, "Fool! That's Mori Ranmaru, Nobunaga's personal bodyguard." The first man looks back at me with a new fear creeping into his face.

"Forward! Why have you stopped?" a new voice calls. A third man pushes his way to the front, and this man I recognize. Atsuji Sadayuki. He sees me and grins, clearly confident in his soldiers' numbers.

"Stand down, Mori Ranmaru. We are here for the Demon, not for you."

"I am Lord Nobunaga's shield," I reply. "If your objective is his life, you must take mine first."

Sadayuki shakes his head at me, disappointed in my answer. "Lord Mitsuhide informed me that, in view of your long and close friendship, we are to offer you a chance at surrender, but only one." He holds out a hand to me, almost kindly. "Come. Join us. Let's rid this world of that monster disguised as a man."

In answer, I bend my knees and lift my sword above my head. "I have sworn my loyalty," I tell him. "I will perform my duty."

Growling in anger and frustration, Sadayuki pulls his sword free and charges. I meet his attacks easily. Our blades ring out harshly in the sharp morning air. His form is weak, his skills low. Mere seconds into the battle, I knock him off-balance and, taking advantage of his lowered guard, thrust my sword into the weakest point of his armor. It pierces him entirely through.

His eyes are shock and pain as I place a hand on his chest and push, freeing my now-bloodied blade. I watch him slowly crumple, the blood pooling underneath him. Once he has hit the ground, I raise my eyes to his soldiers and lift my sword again.

Half flee. The other half attack.

Several minutes later, I clean my blade off on the clothes of one of the fallen men. Then, I begin to push the corpses away with my foot in preparation for the second wave.

I threw open the doors and entered the supply yard. It was empty.

"Damn." My troops had begun to file in after me, ready to fight but finding nothing. Quickly I gave orders to scout the perimeter for remaining soldiers, but I knew it was only out of routine. The Oda army had been and gone, taking everything with them.

As I instructed a messenger to report back to Inabayama, a captain approached me. "Sir? What do we do now? Should we join Lord Mitsuhide against the vanguard?"

I shook my head. "Lord Mitsuhide will be fine on his own. We were told to secure and then guard the yard, so, until I receive further orders, that's what we'll do."

The rest of the night passed quietly. A few enemy stragglers harassed us, but I let my units handle them, not bothering to take on such a simple task myself. I waited for new orders but never received them.

Then, as morning broke, a rider appeared, his horse galloping with fierce intent. Expecting the return of my messenger, I went to meet him but found, to my surprise, the serene face of Lord Mitsuhide staring down at me.

"My lord--" I tried to begin.

"Ranmaru, come with me." An order, and in a tone completely unlike his normal one. He turned the horse and moved as if to leave again.

"What? No! I can't just abandon my post." He paused and turned his head to me. "Why are you here?" I asked him. "Where are your men?"

"My men," he replied, "have defected or fled." He turned his body in the saddle and shouted to my soldiers, "And I encourage all of you to do the same."

The air behind me began to fill with confused whispers. I gritted my teeth, my anger flaring. Had he gone mad?

I stepped up to him and took his sleeve, partly to prevent him from leaving, partly to stop myself from drawing my blade and beheading him. I demanded, "What is going on, my lord?"

"Inabayama has fallen, Ranmaru," he answered in a low voice.

My rage drained away, leaving me cold and stunned. "What? How?"

"Come with me and see." He found a captain with his eyes and ordered, "A horse for your commander."

He led me to the top of a hill and pointed in the direction of Sunomata. The previous day nothing of interest had stood there, but now …

"A … fort?"

Lord Mitsuhide nodded solemnly. I looked back at the structure that had appeared overnight as if by sorcery. It was little more than a wooden skeleton, made from the supplies stolen from our yards. As I watched, I saw periodic bursts of red from its walls, and my astonishment grew.

"And cannons."

"The gates collapsed in a matter of minutes."

I shifted in my saddle to face him. He continued to stare off into the distance, deep in thought. "You were right, my lord. I don't know how, but you predicted this."

He smiled gently and replied, "You made a prediction, too, Ranmaru. Although it has not yet been fulfilled, I have confidence that it will be someday."

Finally, he turned to me and met my eyes. It was all so strange. The land of my birth had been invaded, the clan my family served had collapsed, and yet in that moment, sitting next to my dear friend, I felt a great sense of excitement. As if I had just received a gift that would change my life for the better.

Lord Mitsuhide inclined his head towards the valley below. "There is still heavy fighting in front of the castle and at Sunomata. Shall we go make an impression?"

I nodded enthusiastically, and together we spurred our horses down the hill. Whether Nobunaga would kill us or spare us did not matter to me. I was galloping to a precious opportunity, and I was going to seize it and make it mine.

A/N: I had originally intended to write a scene where Nouhime invites them to surrender and they accept, but after writing this, it didn't seem necessary. Plus, I want to keep this as spare and raw as I can, so I decided not to bother introducting a new character. At this point, I think I can say there will only be two named speaking characters other than Ranmaru and Mitsuhide and they've both already done their bits.