I went on a bit of a hiatus, so sorry everyone! School just really drains me of my motivation to write sometimes! ^^'
I'm glad you liked my fic so far, sis!
I'm glad you have internet again, Arashi! I really do like that Mitsuhide and Hiroko were said to love each other despite Hiroko's disfigurement because it makes for such a good story! I do love adding historical characters that are otherwise ignored in the games so I'm glad you're enjoying that!
Thanks for the reviews! I'll have more important notes at the end of the chapter so make sure you read that too!
The sky quickly darkened and it was nearly pitch black only a few minutes after Yasu fell asleep. "Listen! Everyone!" Nobunaga called out. "There are to be no fires made. Not for light nor warmth. We will wait in darkness for our help to arrive and then we will develope our attack strategy."
Mitsuhide sighed and pulled Hiroko close, whispering softly to her. "Despite being wet and cold, having you with me is enough to warm me more than the warmth the sun could provide."
Hiroko chuckled as she nestled against him. "There you go with your silly poetry again."
"You giggle at them now, but I know it helped win over your heart." Mitsuhide squeezed her gently.
"Perhaps." Hiroko said sarcastically before continuing in a more genuine tone. "But it wasn't necessary. I always loved you."
"Always?" Mitsuhide sounded intrigued.
"Always..." She paused. "I'm so lucky, love. Most women are used as nothing but leverage, forced to marry someone that they don't love. But I got to marry the man I love." Hiroko sighed as Mitsuhide lied down and held her head to his chest. "I was really scared, Mitsuhide."
"Scared? You mean... Today?" Mitsuhide asked as they both stared up at the abundance of stars in the sky through a gap in the trees.
"No. Back then. Ten years ago. When we were supposed to get married..." Hiroko now yawned after speaking.
"I remember, love. I was scared too. But I told you that nothing could break my love for you." Mitsuhide assured her while gently stroking her hair. "It's been a long day. I think we should get some sleep."
"I'm glad to hear that... Goodnight. I love you." Hiroko agreed drowsily before closing her eyes and quickly falling asleep.
"I love you too." Mitsuhide whispered affectionately.
He stared up at the stars a while longer, attempting to stay awake until the Tsumaki's arrival; however, he found his eyelids growing heavier and heavier with each passing moment. Eventually, he succumbed to his drowsiness and let his eyes close.
"Mitsuhide! Mitsuhide!" He heard a voice call to him as his eyes slowly opened. "Mitsuhide! You have to get up! Something happened!"
"What?" Mitsuhide sluggishly sat up from his bed, rubbing his eyes before looking at Saito Toshizo. The room was bright and full of natural light from the sun shining through some open windows.
"It's Hiroko... She's gotten worse. Much worse." Toshizo said grimly.
"What!? She's alive, though!? Right!? Right!?" Mitsuhide spoke frantically before stumbling up to his feet and dashing to his door.
"Mitsuhide! Mitsuhide! Wait!" Toshizo called out which made Mitsuhide stop at his door. "Calm down. She's alive. And you're going to want this." Toshizo held out Mitsuhide's robe.
"Oh, thank you." In his haste, Mitsuhide had forgotten he was wearing no clothes. He took the robe and quickly put it on before exiting the room. Mitsuhide rushed through the halls of Inabayama Castle. A few moments later, he approached a room with a small crowd outside of it. The group was made up of mostly Tsumaki members, but also included Mitsuhide's mother holding her newborn baby Yasuhide in her arms. "What's going on?" Mitsuhide asked his mother, who was the first to approach him.
"Mitsuhide. They don't know if she'll make it." A younger, dark haired Chieko sighed.
Mitsuhide's emotions were already frail, but that sentence brought him to tears. Tsumaki Hirotada was the next to approach Mitsuhide. "I'm sorry, Mitsuhide." Hirotada had obviously been shedding his own tears as evidenced by his red eyes. "I know you two were supposed to wed, but please, you may have my younger daughter instead."
"I don't want her! I love Hiroko!" Mitsuhide shouted suddenly, grabbing everyone's attention. He forced his way through the crowd to the door.
"Mitsuhide! Don't do it! Don't you know how infectious smallpox is!?" Hirotada warned.
"Don't go in there. I'm not losing my son." Chieko added strictly.
Mitsuhide looked back and glared at them both for a brief moment before disregarding their commands and entering the room. Toshizo arrived as soon as Mitsuhide walked in and began to follow Mitsuhide in. "Don't worry. I'll make sure he'll be alright." He called out to Mitsuhide's mother and Hirotada.
Inside of the room, morning sunlight from the window shined directly on the bed where Hiroko lay motionless. The entire room had been cleared of all possessions except for that single bed. "Hiroko...?" Mitsuhide approached the bed with tears streaming down his face. Her body was turned away from the door so all he could see was her long black hair.
"My love..." Hiroko muttered in a weak, raspy voice.
"Hiroko, are you okay?" Mitsuhide stood at the side of the bed, trying to fight off the tears and sniffling to seem optimistic to Hiroko.
"They told me, I'd be okay..." Hiroko coughed. "But I think they're lying."
"No, they're not. You'll be okay. I swear." Mitsuhide said confidently, ignoring Toshizo's entrance into the room.
"Mitsuhide... I'm so sorry."
"Why are you sorry, my love? This wasn't your fault." Mitsuhide rubbed her shoulder through the blanket, but was discouraged by the feeling of multiple bumps along her skin.
"I ruined everything, Mitsuhide... We were supposed to be married. Now you can't marry me..." Hiroko's voice became increasingly somber.
"Of course I can. I love you. Nothing can break my love for you." Mitsuhide tried to convince her.
"I'm hideous, Mitsuhide!" Hiroko shouted, which quickly elicited coughing. "I look like a monster! A freak!"
"Hiroko, I-" Mitsuhide started to speak, before Hiroko slowly turned her body to face him to prove her point. Mitsuhide was stunned by Hiroko's disfigured face; he knew the dangers of smallpox but he had never witnessed the effects firsthand. Hiroko's face and neck were covered in a multitude of grotesque blotches and lumps that varied in size and shape.
The sight was too much for Toshizo. He had to turn away from the display and then struggle to not vomit. However, Mitsuhide acted as if nothing was wrong. Instead, he smiled at Hiroko and spoke happily. "What matters to me is that you're alive."
Hiroko gasped at Mitsuhide's response. She was speechless. "But... But..."
Mitsuhide kept his smile and spoke happily. "I love you. As soon as you get better, we're going to get married. As long as you still want to marry me."
"Of course. I love you too!" Mitsuhide had coaxed out the first feeling of happiness from Hiroko ever since her illness began.
Toshizo walked up behind Mitsuhide and put his hand on Mitsuhide's shoulder. "Mitsuhide... We should go. You know you can't stay exposed to this for too long."
Mitsuhide forcefully pulled his shoulder away from Toshizo's grip. "I'll go when I want." He growled.
"No... My love..." Hiroko intervened. "He's right. He's your best friend... He knows what's best."
Mitsuhide sighed. "I won't be gone for long. I'll come visit you as often as I can."
Hiroko gave another smile. "I know you will... I'll see you soon."
Mitsuhide smiled, wanting to give his lover a kiss but unable to muster the mettle to kiss her in her nauseating state. "I love you."
"I love you too..." Hiroko replied.
Finally, Mitsuhide pried himself away from Hiroko and exited the room with Toshizo close behind him. Mitsuhide walked passed the crowd around the door; many tried to speak to him but he ignored them all and walked passed them. Toshizo sighed as he joined Mitsuhide. "Um... Mitsuhide?"
"Yes?" Mitsuhide answered as they both walked into his room.
"Are you really still gonna marry her?" Toshizo asked.
"Of course." Mitsuhide turned to Toshizo. "Why do you ask?"
"Mitsuhide... I don't want to be rude, but..." Toshizo crossed his arms and looked around while he searched for the right words to use. "You know she'll never be the same."
Mitsuhide frowned at Toshizo. "I know."
"Do you?" Toshizo asked. "Hiroko used to be one of the most beautiful ladies in all of Mino. She'll never look like that again."
"I. Know." Mitsuhide paused between each word and spoke sternly.
"Then why do you still insist on marrying her?" Toshizo persisted.
Mitsuhide sat down with his legs crossed. "There are many reasons."
Toshizo himself rested on his knees. "I'm curious."
"Toshizo. How long have you and I been friends?" Mitsuhide questioned.
Toshizo was surprised by the seemingly off topic question, but quickly replied. "All our lives. I'd say."
"Now picture that we're both on the battlefield. I just took an arrow to the knee. No wait. To the chest." Toshizo nodded as Mitsuhide spoke, still unaware of the point of this story. "Lord Dosan just ordered the army to retreat. Do you abandon me so that you have a better chance to escape or do you help me?"
"I help you. Without a doubt!" Toshizo urged.
Mitsuhide nodded. "Exactly. We've know Hiroko since we were children. This isn't a battlefield and she hasn't been struck by an arrow, but she's been struck by something even more deadly. I can't abandon her. I can't leave her to die."
Toshizo shook his head and stood up. "I understand, but those two situations just aren't the same!" He urged. "The Akechi is one of the most prominent clans of Mino. You can have any young, beautiful wife in the land."
"I can't betray her like that. She means too much to me. I love her, Toshizo." Mitsuhide admitted.
"This is real life, Mitsuhide! This isn't some old Heian Period tale! Love like that doesn't exist!" Toshizo said sharply.
"You're too pessimistic." Mitsuhide responded. "We've been blessed. You, me, and Hiroko. We've all been blessed with being born into some of the most powerful families in the land. We're not just some peasants that will never have anything in life. We've been given something great. I'm not going to take what we have for granted. I'm going to use this gift to its full extent, including marrying someone I truly love and want to be with."
Toshizo nodded his head and looked down at the floor. "I see." He responded quietly.
"Toshizo." Toshizo looked up and Mitsuhide smiled at him. "I need your support in this."
"You'll always have my support. Always." A small smile grew on Toshizo's face.
"That's what I like to hear." Mitsuhide reached forward and put his hand on his friend's shoulder
"Mitsuhide... Mitsuhide. Get up." Mitsuhide's vision began to blur as he heard a voice call his name. "Mitsuhide. Wake up." The voice persisted.
Mitsuhide's eyes slowly opened, but it was too dark to see much of anything. "What...?" Mitsuhide said drowsily to the familiar figure kneeling above him.
"It's Saizo. We just got Sadanori's army. Nobunaga's callin' everyone together." Saizo spoke quietly in an attempt to not disturb the other Akechi members.
Mitsuhide yawned as he slowly woke up. "I'll be there in a moment." His arms were still tightly wrapped around his wife.
Well, I hope this chapter wasn't confusing to anyone! This was my first time attempting a flashback/dream in a story and to be honest, I had no idea how to transition properly so I hope it was alright. I'm planning on doing this multiple times throughout the fic so if anyone has any tips on doing better dream/flashback scenarios, make sure to let me know!
Thanks for reading!