"Good Lord, how bright and goodly shines the moon!" - Petruchio.

"The moon! The sun; it is not moonlight now." - Katherina.

"I say it is the moon that shines so bright." -Petruchio.

"I know it is the sun that shines so bright." -Katherina

-William Shakespeare: The Taming of the Shrew

Chapter 1

The first time I met Mitsuhide, I was balancing upside down on my hands while my master flung knives at me. You would think with such an introduction that our relationship would have nowhere to go but up.

You would be wrong.

"What did that one do to deserve this treatment?" The man (for I had yet to learn that this taunting stranger with platinum hair and cut-glass cheekbones was Akechi Mitsuhide - yes, 'that one') leaned carelessly against a tree. "Far be it from me to offer pointers on whichever brand of torture you favor, but this seems rather excessive. If you accidently nick an artery, it becomes a race against time to acquire the information before he bleeds to death."

"Training." Aki barely acknowledged the stranger's presence. He sent another dagger spinning end over end toward my throat. I shifted to a one-handed stance, caught the knife, flipped to my feet, and hurled it away.

It buried itself in the tree next to the stranger's smirking face.

I meant to do that.

Hey, it's not my fault he chose to lean next to the target.

The stranger didn't flinch. He pulled my dagger out of the tree and idly examined it. I tensed, readying myself in case he chose to lob it back in my direction. Instead, he simply spun it around his fingers, as if it were a baton, rather than a blade capable of reducing the number of digits on his hand.

Was this man a friend or an enemy? Enemies attack with swords and bullets, not teasing. But something about him made me feel… tense. No. Prickly. That was a better word for the shiver of worried anticipation that passed through me.

Danger, Will Robinson, danger!

I looked to Aki, hoping for a cue. Strangers approaching our campsite weren't a rarity, and they ranged from friendly travelers wishing for company to wandering bands of ronin, mistakenly thinking we'd be an easy target. Aki's relaxed posture suggested the stranger was of the former group. "Katsu, please prepare some tea for Lord Akechi and me?"

Oh, this was Aki's 'penpal,' the infamous Mitsuhide. I'd been delivering messages between them for over four years without catching sight of more than the back of his head. Interesting… based on his silver hair, I had assumed that Mitsuhide was Aki's age, if not older, but this man seemed to be from my own generation.

I bowed respectfully (just because Mitsuhide was kind of snarky didn't negate his position as a General of the Oda… and, well, not to mention, Aki would scold me if I was rude to a guest) and turned toward the firepit as requested, but Mitsuhide's voice caused me to stop in my tracks.

"No need for that, old friend. It's your courier I was looking for. If you will allow me to question…" he paused, and those amber-gold eyes sent a long look at me, starting with the top of my balaclava, which hid my hair. His gaze travelled leisurely down to my feet, as if he, like Superman, possessed x-ray vision. That look upgraded my initial shiver to an artic chill. It felt like Mitsuhide had not only found all my secrets, but also discovered things about me that I didn't know myself. There was something about that stare that made me wish I had missed the tree and hit him. "If you will allow me to question her."

X-ray vision indeed. It was only Aki's training that kept me from reacting. I've been dressing as a boy for seven years. So far, no one had ever seen through my disguise. Even Mitsuhide's own courier Kyubei had never pinged my true gender. Again, though, I deferred to Aki, curious to see how he would respond.

"If you wish to discuss something with Katsu, then you may begin by making the request of her, not me." Aki beckoned me to his side. "Akechi Mitsuhide, this is my daughter Katsuko."

Daughter?!

At his pronouncement, I bit the inside of my cheek to remind myself to remain impassive. Trust Aki to cast me in a new role without any rehearsal. Luckily, I was facing him, and not Mitsuhide. Because Aki is not my father. Mentor. Boss.

Occasional pain-in-the-ass.

In turn, I've played many roles for him over the years. Courier, maid, old man. 'Daughter' was a new cover, but he must have had a good reason to make that claim, so I went with it. "Thank you, honorable and revered Father." I presented him with what I hope looked like an acceptable filial bow (although, were I ever to meet my actual biological father, I would feel far less respectful).

"Ah, yes, there does appear to be somewhat of a resemblance between the two of you." Mitsuhide inclined his head. "Miss Katsuko, if you would be so good as to answer a few questions for me?"

Aki had already given me tacit permission, but I couldn't imagine what Mitsuhide wanted to ask me. Did he know about the 'observing' I had been doing in Azuchi a couple weeks ago? If so, why would he care? He was already aware that Aki's bookstore existed, and what its true purpose was. He'd used it himself on occasion. "Of course, Lord Akechi, although I am not certain I possess any knowledge that you are not already aware of."

"Dear me, child, you would be wise to wait until you have heard my questions before determining your usefulness to me." This statement was accompanied by a patronizing grin that made my 'like meter' dive from 'business contact' to 'the sooner we say goodbye, the better.' It was the annoying diminutive 'child' that really tweaked my nerves. Sure, I am, as they say, 'vertically challenged,' but I doubted he had more than three or four years on me.

Fine, let's get this over with.

"As you wish." Spoiler alert. This will not be the first time I tell him 'as you wish,' and mean 'I hope you fall off a cliff.'

Mitsuhide settled himself on a rock with as much je nais se quois as if he were lounging on a chaise being fanned by slave girls. To counter the impression of 'child,' I gracefully knelt across from him and folded my hands politely in my lap. At this close distance, I could see that his eyes were more gold than amber, though that could simply be a reflection from the campfire. A faint scent of incense clung to him, something mixed with sandalwood…. Cinnamon, maybe.

Meanwhile, Aki ambled over to the fire pit – he was close enough to listen to us, but he allowed Mitsuhide the illusion of privacy.

My interrogator got right to the matter, without bothering to ease into a conversation with small talk. "Perhaps you have heard that last month someone tried to assassinate Nobunaga at Honno-ji temple."

Or maybe that was his idea of small talk… it could use some work.

I nodded, as I had not been living under a rock the past few weeks. In fact, I had been living under his nose, disguised as an elderly bookseller in Azuchi, but… details.

"As you are one of the couriers who regularly delivers messages throughout the Kansai region, I believe that it is possible that you may have witnessed someone, or something that night." His eyes stayed on my face, but he managed to broadcast the impression that he would notice if I even twitched my pinkie toe.

Another time, I might have been impressed by that skill, but having it focused on me was somewhat unnerving. "I was returning home from Osaka that night when I saw the temple fire. I did go closer to see what was happening and I joined the monks and the Oda vassals to help douse the flames. But if you want to know if I saw someone out of place at the scene, I honestly would not have noticed. It was smoky and confusing."

One eyebrow went up (a skill I have never been able to develop, in spite of much practice). "What did you do after the fire was out?"

"I knew Aki would want a full report," I risked a short look at Aki, who was still by the fire, still pretending not to listen. "There was nothing more to be learned at the temple, but when I got to the forest outside Kyoto, I climbed a tree. The forest was full of soldiers – most were Oda's but some had the blue and white Uesugi banners. All I learned was that Nobunaga had been rescued by a woman, who had then run off. Is he still looking for her? I'm sorry, I never saw her."

Are we done? Please be done.

"This all has a ring of truth, and yet, as Akihira's daughter, you surely have been well trained in scouting and reconnaissance. This feels like the rough outline of a story." Those eyes stared into mine, and a brain freeze started in the center of my forehead.

"It's a rough outline because it, as I just mentioned, it was dark and smoky. But if you want more…" I thought back, trying to recall any details safe to share. "One of the soldiers asked if Nobunaga was alright. Another one said that Hideyoshi took him back to the camp, and that Masamune was out looking for the woman."

I did that whole opening my eyes wide and staying still and calm, hoping that it would project the illusion of truth.

Big mistake.

He leaned closer, pinning me in his gaze like a butterfly in a museum. "What are you not telling me?"

"What makes you think there's more?" Actually, what did make him think there was more? I am very good at this.

"You're breathing faster." He touched his throat, mirroring my breath. He was close enough to touch me to make his point, but the fact that he projected it into the air between us made it all the more menacing.

"Maybe I'm simply out of breath from talking… or thirsty." I eyed Aki, hoping he'd take that as a cue to interrupt. In response, he rattled the tea kettle – maybe just as reassurance, but otherwise, he seemed to believe I could handle things on my own.

"Perhaps you didn't understand the question. What are you not telling me?" He didn't raise his voice at all. He might have been discussing the weather for all the passion he was displaying… and it was creepy as hell.

Letting go of my piously folded hands (he'd seen through that anyway), I rooted myself to the ground. I tried to harness the feeling of soft forest grass and pine needles under my fingertips, the heavy solidity – the honesty - of earth, to calm my so-called fast breathing; to dispel that buzzing feeling from my nerves. "I cannot tell you anything more."

"Can not?" He leaned closer, but his voice quieted even further, tempting me to close the gap in order to hear him clearly. I stayed put. I was close enough as it was. "Or, will not?" He was clearly trying to Darth Vader me into telling him everything I knew. But this knowledge was not for sale, not for money or torture, no matter how condemning that cold amber gaze became.

Miming a zipping of my lips would be useless in an era where zippers had yet to be invented, and yet I had a childish urge to do just that. Instead, l lifted my chin and stared back at him, determined not to be the one to blink first.

We were trapped in a bubble, and the air around us felt almost too thick to breathe, even as that aroma of insense tickled my nose. From that moment onward, I would always, always associate the scent of sandalwood and cinnamon with Mitsuhide.

He tapped his fingers on his legs, once, twice, three times… then paused. Those long fingers resting patiently on his knees kineticly warned that his calmness was an illusion. If this man wanted something from me, he would keep pushing until all my resistance evaporated.

Enough of this.

I tried to get control over the conversation, push that storm-laden air away, push him off balance. "The end result is the same, isn't it?"

I had recognized two people in the forest outside of Kyoto that night. Two people who were not part of Nobunaga's forces. One was a friend, and I would not rat out a friend. The other was someone who had once saved my life, someone I owed – and though a man who would save a stranger's life might in another circumstance kill another, I could not condemn my rescuer for walking through the forest that night.

"Not at all, Katsuko." He smiled then, as if my attempts to deflect him were amusing. "If you are unable to tell me more, so be it. If you are unwilling, then I will simply have to discover what would make you willing. Mark my words, I will discover it." He paused, long enough for me to start to imagine how exactly he intended to discover it, before adding, "you are aware of my reputation, are you not?"

We have ways of making you talk…

Pulling a cartoon villain into my mind – well maybe it was bad timing, or maybe it was what I needed to become braver. Or some might say my response was reckless. Would I have been less brave or less reckless if my 'father' hadn't been close enough to rush to my aid if things escalated?

With more bravado than intelligence, I said, "I'm aware that many people believe you were the one responsible for that attack – if I knew something and if I revealed it, maybe I would be signing my own death warrant."

Truthfully, I didn't believe that Mitsuhide had anything to do with the attack. (Even though, even though in the future, that is what would be taught in schools… that Mitsuhide betrayed and murdered Nobunaga at Honno-ji, and he himself lived only ten more days before Toyotomi Hideyoshi killed him in battle. In this timeline, however, things were different, and Nobunaga and Mitsuhide had already lived past their expiration date).

As they say, the best defense is a good offense.

And I had just offended Mitsuhide.

"If harm comes to Nobunaga – harm that you could have prevented – I will make you wish for your own death." He reached out and cupped my chin. I braced myself, anticipating that he would dig his fingernails into my skin, but all that happened was that he lightly stroked the underside of my jaw with his finger.

It was a threat all the same.

I felt like a cat in a thunderstorm, fur standing on end as the seconds elapsed between the flash of lighting and the anticipated crash of thunder; willing myself not to shudder or flinch while I waited for the boom.

He held himself equally motionless, except for his thumb, brushing slowly along my chin.

Once…

Twice…

Thr-

That feeling of his hand caressing my jaw became too much, and I flipped my spare dagger out from the inside of my sleeve and held it in front of me. "You could try."

"Enough." Suddenly Aki inserted himself between us. Though he had no weapon, the menace in his voice was clear. He turned to Mitsuhide. "You are my friend, but if you harm my daughter, I will not let that go unpunished." Then, more calmly, he continued. "When Katsu returned from Kyoto, she made a full report. If there had been something in it worth mentioning to you, I would have let you know."

"Are you certain of that?" Though Mitsuhide seemed to hold Aki in respect, he did not immediately stand down.

"Katsuko has never had any reason to lie to me." Aki's hand came to rest on my shoulder, and he squeezed it gently.

No. I never had. When a random twist of fate had flung me from modern Japan into this era, it had been Aki who rescued me from bandits, taken me in and taught me how to survive. I had only disobeyed him once, and it nearly got me killed. I owed him everything… but more importantly, he was family. I might not be his daughter by birth, but I was in every way that mattered. I would do anything for him.

That aside though, had I told him everything I remembered about Honno-ji? I'm sure that I mentioned seeing Kennyo – I don't know if I specifically brought up seeing Sasuke, but I had told him about seeing Uesugi warriors.

Mitsuhide finally stopped looking at me, and if I hadn't already been sitting, I might have fallen back a few steps. It was like the opposition in a game of tug-of-war had suddenly dropped the rope. It took all of my willpower not to react.

"Tonight, I am staying at an Inn in Nagahama. If your memory improves before morning, you will know where to find me." Mitsuhide got to his feet. "If it doesn't. I know how to find you."

His parting bow to Aki and myself was far less polite than his greeting had been. Moments later, he had disappeared into the forest.

Perhaps realizing that I would need some food and sustenance after this encounter (or perhaps suspecting Mitsuhide had stayed nearby to listen to whatever conversation came next), Aki was silent while he served up our dinner and tea. It wasn't until we had finished eating that I dared say anything, and even then, I kept my voice too quiet to be overheard over the crackle of the fire and the hum of summer cicadas. "You knew I didn't tell him everything."

He nodded. "I imagine you had your reasons."

"I did." I swirled the tea around in my cup – Aki at least deserved the full explanation. "I owe him my life." No need to state Kennyo's name out loud. I was certain Aki remembered that day as well as I did. "You obviously never mentioned it to Mitsuhide either… and you could have. I know you saw him while we were in Azuchi."

His jaw clenched for a moment – if I didn't know him any better, I would have said that the reminder of that time was painful. "No. As you say… he saved your life."

I had never known Aki to be that sentimental about the bits of information that found their way into his hands, but since I was currently the beneficiary of that, I let it go. Besides, I had something else I wanted to discuss with him. "So. Field promotion to daughter?"

He hesitated a moment. "It seemed to be the best way to protect you." He poured the rest of his tea on the fire and watched the coals sputter and steam. "I am …proud to consider you as a daughter."

"Awww… that's sweet." If Aki had a family, he never mentioned them to me. "Better you than my real father."

He looked away, as his hands briefly spasmed. "You've never mentioned him."

Well, when you're trying to avoid telling people you're a time traveler, you don't bring up your past. "He's not worth mentioning. I'd rather have you as my adoptive dad… especially if I can have a pony for my birthday."

He laughed, as I had intended. "Don't you think Moonlight would feel slighted?"

"Might be the best way to teach her some manners." I glanced over to where my occasionally bitchy horse was grazing next to Aki's, then tossed her a piece of carrot. Though I loved her unconditionally, Moonlight had a few quirks… one of which was her habit of dumping me in mud puddles when she was in a bad mood. Or wet. Or… both, as getting rained on often was the cause of the bad mood.

I watched the coals sputter and pop before I returned to our previous conversation. "Should I have told Mitsuhide that I saw Kennyo in the forest that night?"

For a while, he too gazed into the fire, although I guessed he was calculating out different scenarios in his head. "Mitsuhide makes a good ally and a formidable enemy. But if Kennyo had anything to do with the attack on Nobunaga at Honno-ji, Mitsuhide has other means to discover that, and is likely to do so in the near future. The Abbot is not exactly quiet about his intentions."

That was profoundly true. I'd been hearing rumors about a renewed Ikko-Ikki uprising for a while now. "You think my information wouldn't make any difference in the long run."

"I believe he already has the information he needs." Aki reached over and gruffly ruffled my hair. "That said, Mitsuhide is not someone you want to make an enemy of."

Duly noted. I hadn't missed the furious look Mitsuhide had aimed in my direction when he left. But I pushed back that memory, and the frission that went down my arms at that memory. Aki would keep me safe.

Unfortunately, what didn't occur to me in that moment was the possibility that Aki would not always be around.