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. 27 START
There needed to be an order of priorities here though, so if Kojiro was going to be killing the Emperor, he needed Nobunaga far away from the scene of the crime. Not for any reason like Nobunaga somehow taking the blame for killing Ogimachi, but because he didn't want her to get caught up in the aftermath. There were so many ways for something like regicide to go wrong, and Kojiro messing up could see Nobunaga publicly executed. There was no way out of that. Quite simply, trying to murder the Emperor was like blaspheming the goddess Amaterasu herself. He was born from her bloodline, after all. Of course, if the man was dead, Kojiro didn't have to worry about that. The royal family would implode before they could deal with him, too busy trying to determine who should succeed Ogimachi. After all, without a proper transfer of power, there was always sure to be infighting. He reached down and tried to shake Nobunaga awake. He failed. It was like touching a corpse, her skin clammy and her body unnaturally still.
Panic shot through Kojiro's systems. Alcohol poisoning. He cursed, and his hands darted for Nobunaga's neck. There was nothing. He waited and waited, until faintly, there was a beat. Kojiro grabbed her by the shoulders, shook her violently, and thankfully, Nobunaga's eyes opened. She looked confused for a moment, before she took in a sharp breath, and Kojiro hastily pushed her body to his side, where the body of the assassin was. There was a green tint on her face and Nobunaga just kept on heaving. He had to lift himself onto the bed to avoid the vomit splashing onto him. The dead assassin wasn't so lucky and his body was thoroughly desecrated. The vomit flowed out her mouth for perhaps another minute, becoming mostly liquid until the stream of bodily waste came to an end. Fortunately, there were a couple of towels in the bathroom, and Kojiro fetched those before handing them to Nobunaga. After some heavy breathing, wiping herself off, and a jug of cool water Kojiro had gone to get from his room, the woman came back to her senses.
"Kojiro," she rasped, "what's going on?'
Kojiro answered in a calm tone, "You drank too much. Now, you're just dealing with the repercussions."
The water seemed to have cleared her head and she sat up, looking around. That was when she spotted the body on the floor.
Her eyes shrunk to pinpricks and she asked in a flat tone, "Why is there a body in my room?"
"An assassin," Kojiro answered dryly, "you've dealt with him rather neatly."
"An…assassin?" Nobunaga repeated, before worry set itself into her features and she began trying to force herself up, "We have to get out of here. Shit! You warned us about this."
Kojiro helped her up, slinging her arm over his shoulders, and she stood shakily. Nobunaga took deep breaths, before taking a step forward. Her legs were trembling and from the way her eyes were shut tight, her head was pounding too.
In a soft voice, Kojiro asked, "Headache?"
Nobunaga nodded, wincing, and saying, "Yeah. Can barely think."
Kojiro couldn't reassure her, instead stating, "You'll have to bear with it for a while longer. We need to leave."
A grunt was his answer, but Nobunaga kept walking. Before they could get too far from the bed, Kojiro made sure to grab her sword and Nobunaga shakily tied it to her waist. They had reached the door to her room, and Kojiro shoved it open. He needed to get Nobunaga to a safer place, or at least, with people he could trust. No matter how sympathetic the servants were, they were still aligned with the enemy. If Nobunaga had drunk so much and could still function though, there was a good chance that Ieyasu and Hideyoshi were both also up and about. Casual drinking was far too common a habit in this era, but normally, it was relatively harmless. A samurai would have a cup or two to relax themselves before sleep, may even have six cups when with friends, but never as much as Nobunaga had. The amount of alcohol that had been fed to Kojiro's companions was far beyond the norm, and that was what made it an attack. Perhaps the Emperor hadn't known that alcohol poisoning was a thing, but he'd certainly meant for it to put Nobunaga to sleep, given how any alcohol made one sleepy. All the better for the assassin to kill her, Kojiro supposed.
What made the fact so much worse, was that to Nobunaga and the rest, Ogimachi and his royal family just didn't register as potential threats. They'd been non-entities for so long for all of the Sengoku Era, all one hundred and fifty years of it, that even with Kojiro's warnings, Nobunaga and her generals had felt no danger. After all, the royal family hadn't had any political, military, or economic power for so long, what were they going to do? They'd been doormats, letting the Ashikaga, Nobunaga, or whoever the reigning power was in Kyoto at any given time, step all over them, retreating to ceremonial and spiritual duty. It was all part of a grand scheme, Kojiro realized. They didn't need any army, given that they'd never be attacked. Their religious power was too great. Any attempt on them would be taken terribly by the public. The royal family needed no economic power, since whoever was in charge provided enough money and supplies in exchange for the royal family supporting them and doing ceremonies. They needed no political power or maneuvering since a single word that someone had broken some divine law would see that person's supporters flock away from them. That power just hadn't been used, since the moment they did, the royal family would become an acknowledged danger. No, what they had were ninja, a force of infiltrators, assassins, and spies. They needed no blatant power, when one well-placed infiltrator could cause a problem's army to crumble. Perhaps Nobunaga had been one of the problems and Akechi Mitsuhide had been one such infiltrator. Or perhaps a close advisor was. Ultimately, however, that was all just speculation.
That would have remained the case, except, Ogimachi was a greedy man. He wasn't content with being in the backseat, he wanted to drive. The Emperor didn't want to drive the nation from the shadows while another person ruled publicly; Ogimachi wanted to do both. He had to die. He was too dangerous, and if his ninja died with him, all the better. Kojiro carried Nobunaga towards his room, with urgency in both their steps. She moved with purpose, even if she moved slowly, aware of the danger that could be lurking. Their only stop was in Kojiro's room to allow Kojiro to grab his sword, which was still in the bathroom. Kojiro held it in his hand, despite its unwieldy nature, since he was using most of his body to hold up Nobunaga. They moved away from his room, took the first left, hurried past two rooms and two branching hallways, before finally reaching Ieyasu's room. Not bothering to knock, Kojiro only took notice of the fact that the room was lit, before tearing the door open, dragging Nobunaga to a chair, and closing the door behind him. That was when he finally got a good look on what was happening in the room.
Sure enough, Ieyasu was here. Yet, he wasn't alone. The man was having sex with one of the ninja servants, judging by the distinctive ribbon in her hair. It was a bright pink, matching the accessory that'd been present in one ninja's hair during the 's face went blank. Neither the ninja or Ieyasu hadn't even noticed that he and Nobuanga had even entered the room. They were likely too distracted by the blood rushing in their ears and the wet slapping of their hips. Ieyasu's actions gave a whole new meaning to fraternizing with the enemy. The plan was much more complex than just killing Nobunaga, then. The Emperor was planning to use these ninja to subvert both Ieyasu and Hideyoshi. Not only would both her generals be distracted while Nobunaga died, and Kojiro had no doubt that Hideyoshi had been similarly seduced, but with the women having had sex with the generals, the royal family could influence the decisions of each general. All they had to do was tell the ninja what to say, and the ninja would relay the words. Pillow talk was a very real thing. Not only that, the ninja would serve as each general's link to the affairs of the palace. Either ninja could easily whisper into one general's ear that the other had had Nobunaga killed. A common practice, at least in terms of inciting conflict, but an effective one. There was no need to wait any longer, Kojiro decided, and stepped forwards.
Ieyasu caught sight of him, and the man spoke in a sort of confused irritation.
"Sasaki." Ieyasu said, "what do you think you're doing?"
Kojiro didn't answer, just kept walking forwards calmly, unsheathing his tanto. Ieyasu jerked backwards, shoved the female servant who was really a ninja off of his genitals, and lunged for his sword. Kojiro didn't stop him, using the woman's confusion at being shoved so suddenly in the middle of sex to strike. He grabbed the woman by the back of her neck as soon as she'd been pushed, slammed her into the bed as roughly as he could, before stabbing his tanto into her neck. She gurgled and clawed weakly at her neck, staring at Ieyasu with a look of hurt and betrayal. The ninja's blood stained the bed.
Ieyasu's face changed, an expression of horror passing over his face, before rage manifested itself.
"Sasaki Kojiro! Have you gone mad with bloodlust?!" Ieyasu roared, drawing his sword from its sheath, "What do you think you're doing? No matter your relationship with Lord Oda, do not think that I'll let your actions go unpunished! You dishonor her goodwill!"
The ninja bled to death in the meanwhile, Ieyasu not daring to approach due to his nakedness. The moment the woman went still, Kojiro let go of his tanto's hilt, leaving the weapon impaled in the bed. He marched to a drawer, pulled out a set of clothes roughly the right size, and tossed them to the man. Ieyasu leaned to the side, letting the garments smack against the wall.
Rather than answer the accusations, Kojiro scoffed and said, "Cover yourself. Like you're one someone who can speak to whether I have honor. Someone's tried to kill our Lord today, in the very bed that she'd been sleeping on. I saved her life. Where were you? Here, naked as the day you were born, rutting with one of the enemy. Was your carelessness in leaving her undefended not enough for you? Perhaps you'd turned your sword upon her at the request of just any seductive woman?"
Ieyasu tried to defend himself, "I have never done anything to dishonor Lord Oda-!"
Kojiro's next words cut the man's next words down in his throat, "You're free to check her room. Or better yet, ask her yourself. Cover yourself first, though, she's just survived an assassination and a poisoning. There's no need to assault her again."
Perhaps Kojiro was a little angry about his words being so easily ignored. He could rationalize it and even understand it, but he was still pissed. Ieyasu happened to be an easy person to get angry at. Kojiro could apologize later, when this was all over.
Just then, Nobunaga seemed to decide that enough was enough, saying, "Kojiro. Please stop. Ieyasu, he speaks the truth. Dress yourself and prepare to leave. Bring your blade."
The reprimand cooled Kojiro's engines a little and Ieyasu went white as a sheet.
"You…weren't lying? An assassin? Here? In the Imperial Palace?" Ieyasu questioned, "Who would dare to-?"
His eyes snapped to Kojiro's and his next words were disbelieving, "You said the maid was an enemy. The Emperor himself?"
"A ninja. Did you truly not notice how silently they moved, without a sound? How she was hanging off of your arm the entire time? She was a trained seductress and you fell right into her arms. We need to hurry, I have no doubts that by now, Hideyoshi is doing the same things you were. And yes, the Emperor doesn't like the sight of Nobunaga." Kojiro explained swiftly.
Ieyasu nodded slowly, before he remembered he was naked and his face went red. Kojiro turned around, choosing to help Nobunaga to her feet. Soon enough, Ieyasu was dressed, and Kojiro handed the duty of carrying Nobunaga to him. Kojiro needed his strength if he was to kill Ogimachi. Together, they made their way to where Hideyoshi was staying, Ieyasu choosing to carry Nobunaga over his shoulder to make her easier to move. Kojiro took a left, walking past two halls and four rooms, before taking a right and walking until they'd reached Hideyoshi's room. The room was also lit, and Kojiro shoved the door to the side, gesturing for Ieyasu to enter the room. Sure enough, there was another ninja servant here too. She was fully dressed, rather than nude, and a tea set currently in use neatly explained why. Rather than act suprised or flustered like her cover dictated, the woman reacted with instant aggression. To her Ieyasu and Nobunaga's arrival must've meant that her companions had failed.
She moved to finish the job, first throwing the cup she was drinking from at Kojiro, before stealing the sword off of Hideyoshi's waist, and charging Nobunaga. He reacted equally quickly though, letting the liquid splash over him, rather than dodge out of the way. The cup had only been thrown as a distraction and the liquid inside would have cooled from exposure to air, so as long as Kojiro prevented the liquid from searing his face, he was fine. He ducked through the liquid, surprising the ninja, who'd expected him to dodge away, and straight into her guard, bringing his tanto up in a reverse grip, cutting at the woman's throat. The woman dropped the sword instantly, bringing up her hand and slamming it into Kojiro's arm to prevent the blade from connecting. The other hand balled into a fist and slammed towards Kojiro's stomach. A raised knee meant the ninja had punched tough bone rather than a vital organ, and the woman hissed in pain. That didn't stop her from trying again, this time jabbing her other hand at Kojiro's throat. Unfortunately for her, Kojiro had a monopoly of throat finishers and leaned his body out of the way. The arm went over his shoulder, and Kojiro dropped his tanto in order to react. He grabbed the overextended arm, yanked it towards him, then rammed his elbow into the woman's throat. The woman let out a pained gasp at her air supply being so violently shut off, and dazed, failed to react as Kojiro spun himself behind her, drove his elbow into her spine, and planted her skull-first into the ground.
There was the solid thud of flesh against hard wood, and in the dim light, Kojiro could see blood begin to flow from the woman's head. All but dead then, but that wasn't good enough. Kojiro disentangled himself from the woman before picking up his tanto and slamming it through her throat. It was the most effective, given the fact that his weapon was curved. It could bounce off the dense bones of the skull if he stabbed poorly when aiming at the eyes, so the throat was the best target; vital, wide, and fleshy. He was getting far too used to this.
Hideyoshi spoke up, saying bluntly, "There seems to be a situation. Can any one explain why the maid that I've been seducing has tried to kill Lord Oda and Sasaki-sama?"
"Enemy action," Ieyasu voiced quickly, "ninja. One managed to seduce me, before Sasaki-sama put a stop to it. They tried to kill Lord Oda while we were distracted. They'd have succeeded if not for him."
"I…see." Hideyoshi answered, "Sasaki-sama, what now? Obviously, you have the best grasp on this situation."
Kojiro replied instantly, "Hideyoshi, you and Ieyasu need to get Nobunaga out of here. I'm not sure where, just away, maybe the city barracks. Don't let your guards down again. Have yourselves guarded by loyal men, that you know for certain will not betray. March back with the army, surround the Imperial Palace and kill everyone inside, if I've not left by dawn."
"You will not be coming with us," Hideyoshi noted, "what are you planning?
With a savage grin, Kojiro said, "I'll be taking out the garbage. This isn't over until Ogimachi is dead and buried. Once you're out from the grounds of the Imperial Palace, I'm going to set it on fire. Come, you three need to get going."
They traveled down the hall back towards the dining hall without issue, encountering no servants at all. The place was just as decorated as it'd been before, and upon seeing that there were no people in the area, Kojiro beckoned his comrades to follow him. He escorted them to the door, cleared the immediate area, before sending them off. They stopped before leaving, and Nobunaga tried to convince him otherwise.
"Kojiro, this isn't worth it." she pleaded, "we can return later to finish him off."
Kojiro shook his head, and raised his sword to Hideyoshi, whose hands were free.
"This is Suzue's, if I fail to return," Kojiro told him.
Hideyoshi gave him a sober nod before stepping back.
Ieyasu spoke up, simply telling him, "Return safely."
Kojiro nodded. With the farewells done, all that was left to do was complete his disguise. Kojiro raised his tanto to cut his ponytail off. In a single sawing motion, his long hair had been severed. The next moment, Nobunaga let out a strangled noise, and Kojiro glanced at her, only to notice that Ieyasu and Hideyoshi had similarly pinched expressions. Ah. Long hair was also a sign of status and cutting it off could be a sign of weakness or shame. They probably saw this as some sort of self-sacrificial action, or a suicide mission. It wasn't. Long hair would mess with his disguise. He needed to ad-lib. Quickly, he snatched the bundle of hair up, still tied together with a thin ribbon, and handed it to Nobunaga.
He spoke the first appropriate sentence that came to mind, and the words, "Don't write me off just yet, understood? Return this to me when I come back."
Nobunaga took it with some reverence, and Hideyoshi clapped him on the shoulder, his voice thick with emotion.
He spoke, "Return quickly. I've yet to properly thank you for saving Lord Oda's life."
Hideyoshi turned to leave, walking away quickly to maintain composure. Ieyasu gave him a deep bow, before leaving too.
In all honesty, it was a real tragedy. He'd grown used to long hair, but needs must. If any of the Emperor's men were to look for him, they would be looking for someone who didn't exist. After all, Sasaki Kojiro was a youthful samurai with noble bearing, with long hair and elegant clothing. Right now, he was a messy-looking boy with choppy hair in rough servant attire, not a samurai. Kojiro stepped towards the dining hall's main table, where several candles remained lit. Obviously, this was a frequented area, given that these candles had been changed a few hours ago. When Kojiro had first left this room, the candles had been all but burnt out. He plucked it from the table, where the candles were secured in holders to prevent wax or flame from spreading. He arrayed them directly next to the wall, close enough that the wood of the wall began to char. By the time he'd moved all the candles, the wall had caught fire and within a minute, the walls were blazing merrily as flames climbed upwards towards the ceiling and outwards to the remaining walls. Kojiro watched for a few minutes longer, to ensure that the fire couldn't be easily put out, before turning around. The dining hall was firmly on fire now. Then, a door on the opposite side of the room opened, and a voice rang out.
"What are you doing?!" it screeched.
