ERIA LOUIS
By the time Eria and Mitsuhide left the teahouse, a warmth of blanketed gold coated the sky. A clear indication of sunset fast approaching. "We stayed out rather late," Mitsuhide commented. 'Mmhm.. We did." Eria murmured in agreement. She had been so lost to her thoughts that she hadn't noticed the time. Yet she didn't expect that from Mitsuhide. She recalled her early days here in the Sengoku, back when she'd fled at the mere sight of him. Yet here they were now. Mitsuhide had protected her from those short-tempered Samurai and even treated her to tea and a snack.
Despite the fact that Eria had been asking around about him, completely behind his back. All he'd done in response was laugh it off. It was odd but... '..Maybe I was wrong. Maybe you really are a nice person, Mitsuhide..' Eria glanced at Mitsuhide. He was quite the pretty man, indeed. White hair, pale golden eyes adored by white eyelashes, fair skin, a lithe but decent build and fine jawline. He was elegant, truly. Eria found a new appreciation for the man bathed in moonlight. Suddenly, he looked back at her and noticed her stare, his lips quirking up into a smirk. "Are you looking at me with blushing cheeks?"
His smile was an attractive one. And paired with the long, smooth fingers that brushed softly beneath Eria's chin, it only served to make her heart race. '...What the hell am I thinking? Shit- He's right… I really am blushing...!' "Have you fallen in love with me?" Mitsuhide asked, bringing his own face closer to Eria's as he leaned down. Eria stuttered, leaning away from him as she laughed awkwardly. "As if that would ever...!"
"If only I'd known. I would have treated you to a kiss instead of sweets." With the cooled pad of his thumb, he stroked her lip. Like that of a kiss from winter itself. "...You can treat yourself to a dose of reality, because that isn't and never will be the case!" "Gracious!" Eria gave him a good shove and began walking away. The fact that she could still feel a lingering frisson from his imaginary kiss was a secret, one she'd most definitely take to her grave. "Now, Eria, why the bad mood? It was only a joke." Mitsuhide called out, walking to catch up with her.
Eria clenched her jaw, whipping around to face him- "That is exactly why I'm mad." He still wore that annoyingly seductive grin, "You wished I was serious, then?" He asked. Mitsuhide then lifted his thumb up and pressed his own lips to it, as if he were offering a kiss in apology. Yet it only seemed to frustrate Eria even more. "...That! That right there! That kind of joke- it's not funny, so stop it." She shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at him.
She had been warned not to get involved. The women had warned her, and perhaps they'd be right. Hell, it sounded like the perfect descriptor for this exact moment. The gold sky that seemed to bleed like a flame, and the kitsune who would catch every single opening given to him, yet never give one back. Eria wanted to glare back at him, be angry. But how could she when all he offered in response was a smile of silver and gold?
"You can lower your hackles, little mouse. It's not good to spend so much time looking unhappy." Mitsuhide told her. Eria's gaze narrowed, "You know... Most would place an apology here at this point." "What excellent information." '...Dick.' But it wasn't like she could say much at his lack of remorse. She honestly felt just a slight hint of amusement, amusement at the kitsune for daring to use sarcasm against her and she'd done to him many times before.
'..He should really be the opposite of my type. Teasing with an obvious evil streak but… I find myself growing to like him.'
"Lord Mitsuhide, I've been awaiting your return." Kyubei greeted as soon as he approached the gate. Despite his usual calmness, Kyubei came across as sounding slightly stressed. "Has there been some news?" Mitsuhide asked. "My lord…" Kyubei muttered, leaning over to whisper to Mitsuhide. As he listened with folded arms, Mitsuhide's expression quickly turned from one of a leisurely grin to stern. He turned to Eria, "This is as far as I can take you, Eria. See that you go straight home."
"..Has something happened?" Eria asked. "Nothing you need to concern yourself with." Mitsuhide answered, smiling, "Your concern should be the resumption of our lessons tomorrow." "...Alright." Though she didn't believe him, Eria chose not to argue. Before she left, Mitsuhide that head-pat thing. But... Was it just her? Or had it seemed more tender and sadder than usual?
Returning to her room, Eria opened the 'textbook' for review, yet she couldn't focus. Studying felt boring, so much more boring than normal without Mitsuhide there. '...I like him. Or well- I like him well enough.' That thought alone was probably the reason she hoped the nasty talk of his assumed disloyalty was simply that. Mere talk, rumors. And in truth, it could be. While Eria couldn't tell what he was thinking, Mitsuhide truly did seem like a nice person. She wanted to believe he was, however naive that may be.
With a sigh, Eria returned to her studies.
MITSUHIDE AKECHI
Mitsuhide followed behind Kyubei as he led him down to the deepest cell within Azuchi's dungeons. Here, only the stones would watch but not dare tell a single tale. "...He's in here, my lord." Kyubei mumbled. "How rude of me to keep a very important guest waiting. I know this cell isn't exactly…comfortable." He spoke, false hospitality in his tone. The prisoner's eyes widened, "You're…Mitsuhide Akechi!" Mitsuhide's tone was quick to darken, not a single hint of that teasing gentleness he'd shown to Eria prior remained.
"If you know who I am, then I expect you to know what awaits you. I am going to start by asking a series of…questions." He told the man. The prisoner scoffed, "Tch! 'Questions!' Is that what you call them?! Do whatever you like to me, Kitsune. I won't talk even if you kill me!" Mitsuhide's expression turned to a sinister grin as he laughed at the man's words, "Oh. You're very much mistaken if you think I'm going to kill you. …As mistaken as all the others who cry out to me begging for death…"
No one dared to listen to the man's screams.
ERIA LOUIS
Eria sat in her room the next morning, anticipation heavy on her mind. Mitsuhide was scheduled to be there any second. And a part of her wondered if he'd be surprised by just how much information she'd remembered this time. Yet when her door slid open, it was not Mitsuhide who greeted her. "Eria, I apologize for the suddenness. Your presence is requested in the audience chamber." Mitsunari informed her. She stood up, staring at Mitsunari in confusion, "What is this about?" she asked.
Mitsunari was not wearing his usual smile, but rather a frown, something that worried Eria. "Lord Nobunaga has called council. We've learned the name of the man responsible for the attack on Honno-ji." He explained. Eria's gaze widened. '...They know?'
"You are late." Nobunaga spoke, frowning as Eria and Mitsunari entered the audience hall. "I apologize." Eria muttered. A thick tension filled the large hall. "Mitsuhide, do you want to continue where you left off?" Ieyasu prompted, looking to the white-haired man. "...A vassal I sent to investigate managed to capture one of the culprit's men- alive. That is how we know it was Kennyo, former abbot of Hongan-ji, who plotted against our lord's life." Mitsuhide explained.
'..Kennyo.. That sounds familiar...' A scar appeared in Eria's mind, and slowly a face formed around it. Her mind flashed back to the traveling monk she'd met the first night, the one who offered assistance, warned of demons in the woods, and literally called himself Kennyo. Eria had literally run past and met the man responsible for the Honno-ji incident, all without realizing it. "Sounds like he wants revenge on Lord Nobunaga for destroying his temple," Masamune commented.
Ieyasu scoffed, "...If you want to call it a temple. I call it a mountain fortress. With a moat." "And you're sure about this information, Mitsuhide?" Hideyoshi asked, staring directly at the man in question. He nodded, "We investigated the man's background and confirmed he was indeed a monk originally attached to Ishiyama Hongan-ji. And he…eventually confirmed our information." Hideyoshi let out a sigh under his breath. "My, what an intense stare. Would you prefer I shared more details?" Mitsuhide asked, a smirk playing at his lips.
Hideyoshi's gaze darted from Lucille then to Eria before back to Mitsuhide, "No one needs to hear that." Yet that look had only served to leave Eria curious. How did Mitsuhide acquire the information? "...Personally, I don't want to hear any of this. We've still got a war going with Echigo, in case anyone forgot." Ieyasu grumbled. "What news from Kasugayama?" Nobunaga asked. "They remain firmly entrenched on our border, but there's been no more fighting since that opening attack," said Hideyoshi, "We don't know the number of Kennyo's forces, but if he teams up with the Uesugi-Takeda, we'll be in trouble."
"What would you have us do, my lord?" Mitsunari asked. "We will assign more men to keep after Kennyo. It's imperative we locate him. Kenshin and Shingen must not learn of him. Whichever of our opponents first run out of patience and strike, we destroy." Nobunaga decided. With Hideyoshi and Mitsunari agreeing- "Yes, my lord." - in unison. It seemed as though Nobunaga had a lot of enemies. But that only made sense. The more power one were to wield, the larger the target they become.
Ranmaru, who sat beside Eria, appeared to be shaking. "Is something the matter, Ranmaru? You look a bit pale." Mitsuhide commented. Ranmaru refused to meet his gaze, "...Thank you for your concern, Lord Mitsuhide. I was just thinking… it's scary how many enemies we face." Mitsuhide nodded in agreement, "Indeed. And they could be anywhere." Eria couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for Ranmaru. She leaned closer and gently placed her hand over his, smiling when he turned to look at her.
"I know everyone's acting so calm but... It's okay to feel afraid, Ranmaru. I… I would be lying if I said I felt completely fine." She told him. "...Really? Heh. It's really…impossible to be calm when I know what's coming…" Ranmaru mumbled. But it went without a response as Nobunaga spoke- "Mitsuhide, you are to continue to search out Kennyo's movements." "As you command, my lord."
'.."Continue?" That would mean… Mitsuhide has been working on this since that first night.' Something panged within Eria's heart. Mitsuhide had been continuing his duties as Nobunaga's left-hand man, all while instructing Eria. One of those things was nothing like the other. Wasn't it strange for him to be spending what little precious time he had on her? Mitsuhide had claimed that it was to prevent her desertion, yet it made no sense. Mitsuhide could've assigned someone to watch her. Instead, he chose to go beyond his duties to teach her. …Had watching her only been an excuse?
Had Mitsuhide simply said that to mask his real purpose: teaching Eria the skills necessary to survive? Glancing at him, she saw nothing that could resemble any sort of answer. However, it would fit her slowly budding theory that Mitsuhide was actually a nice person. A part of Eria felt happy to learn something new about him, even if it was small. But she couldn't rush to conclusions. Not without proper evidence. Like Hideyoshi had said. Mitsuhide carried too many secrets to ever be considered or even completely transparent.
With council concluded, Eria filed out of the chamber with Mitsuhide falling into step beside her. "As you've no doubt begun to realize, my opportunities to play with you will be severely curtailed." He told her. Eria frowned, "I hate the way you said that." "Yes, I know. And I'll miss you too." He smiled. Eria felt her frustration well up, '...Keep talking that way and I'll begin thinking you do this JUST to piss me off.' Eria rolled her eyes, "You know, you really should refrain from jokes like that, Mitsuhide."
"And why not?" He asked. She narrowed her gaze, "Because then it'll only be more difficult to tell when you're actually upset." Mitsuhide blinked, puzzled. '...What did I say?' Eria's face flushed, "I... I meant, if you're constantly joking around, nobody will believe you when it actually matters. Meanwhile, I WON'T miss you. Not even the slightest, so enjoy your long, boring assignment!" He smiled, "I will. And I will do my best to check in on you from time to time." He reached a hand out towards her head, like always-
Only for Eria, filled with frustration, to dodge away from his hand. "Not in the mood to be consoled?" He asked. Eria gave the fakest smile she could muster as she replied- "You're just not particularly consoling, that's all. Goodbye." Mitsuhide's laughter followed behind her. But she only found it more vexing than usual. Nice or not, no matter what she did, she could never seem to get one up on him. Did she still find their back-and-forths fun? Was she so used to them that she was even enjoying them?
…Those were questions Eria would never dare to answer.
YOSHIMOTO IMAGAWA
Several days later… In Kasugayama Castle, Echigo.
"Nobunaga's forces have doubled?" Kenshin questioned; his mismatched eyes wide. Sasuke nodded in confirmation, "Yes. Yet there are no further signs of aggression. I believe this is a psychological attack meant to impact our morale." Kenshin frowned, "He expects me to cower before numbers? …Perhaps Nobunaga needs a lesson in who he's dealing with. A deadly lesson." "Down, Kenshin. He's trying to rile you up. Even you can see that, can't you?" Shingen scolded. But Kenshin only growled in aggravation in response.
"So, you're saying he's trying to bait us into riding headfirst into his trap? Damn. Just the kind of dirty scheme I'd expect from the Devil King!" Yukimura frowned. "Good things come to those who wait. We'll just have to wait a little longer." Shingen told him, wearing a relaxed smile. "My lord, if we wait much longer, you'll-!" Yukimura tried to argue, only for Shingen to silence him. "Don't worry about me, Yuki. I'll last as long as I need to take down Nobunaga. …Do you trust me?"
Yukimura glanced away, "Like that's a question. And- I'll obey whatever my lord decides." Shingen nodded, turning away from Yukimura, "Yoshimoto, see what you can do to calm down those hot-headed vassals of yours." Yoshimoto nodded, frowning, "...It seems I must. But first, I have an important errand to see to." Yukimura narrowed his gaze, looking suspiciously at the other man, "What's more important than relaying a message that could affect the war?"
Yoshimoto smiled, "I've finally gotten ahold of a certain painter and dancer that I've long wanted to introduce to each other." "Will you get out of your own head? You can play artistic matchmaker later!" Yukimura scolded. "Sasuke, all this talk has bored me. I require a sparring partner- now." Kenshin demanded. "I would, but I've just made plans to be unavailable for the rest of the day." Kenshin glared at Sasuke, "Don't you dare run from me!" Yukimura crossed his arms, staring at the blonde, "Lord Kenshin, you need to get out of your own head too." He scolded, before whispering to the ninja- "Psst, Sasuke, now!"
"GJ, Yukimura." "Even with your weird, indecipherable incantations, you can't escape!" Kenshin shouted. "Lord Kenshin! Put that dangerous thing away! Yoshimoto, stop laughing and help!" Yukimura yelled. "I'd much rather have the chance to behold Himezuru Ichimonji in action. It's a masterpiece of a sword." Yoshimoto replied. Shingen playfully rolled his eyes, smiling fondly, "Here we go again." "Indeed. I never thought I would find myself growing used to this bedlam." Yoshimoto commented, "Yet it is strangely delightful. And I wish these days would never end…"
"Something on your mind, cousin?" Shingen inquired. "No… It's nothing."
"Our orders are to stand by and WATCH?!" One of the vassals shouted. Yoshimoto frowned, glaring at the men, "Yes. Your orders. And you are expected to obey them." "This is ridiculous! It seems we've chosen the wrong allies after all." One of the vassals complained. "...What other allies would you suggest?" Yoshimoto questioned. One of them stepped forward, "Lord Yoshimoto, there's someone we think you should meet. He's a better man than both Lord Kenshin and Lord Shingen. A proper ally for the proud Imagawa clan."
"If you suggest turning our backs on Kasugayama's hospitality, I will have none of it." Yoshimoto frowned, seeming to immediately shut down their suggestion. "Fine. Then you can stay, but you'll be alone!" One of the men threatened, "We'll take the restoration of the Imagawa clan in our own hands!" They declared. Yoshimoto's expression darkened, "...Again with this talk… I would let you go where you wish were I not worried about the results. Very well- I will meet this potential ally."
"Hmph. You should have listened to your vassals in the first place! We depart tonight, by the way. And just to remind you, the rest of us aren't coming back." The vassals left. Yoshimoto watched as they went, like a bird trapped within its cage. "...'A proper ally for the proud Imagawa clan?' I'm afraid they reach for heights without considering the depths one can fall... But I cannot abandon the blood that made me. I am an Imagawa… and I must remain one until the end." He muttered.
ERIA LOUIS
'I wonder where he could be? It used to be he'd just pop out of nowhere and surprise me... Perhaps that'll be today?' Eria let out a sigh as she cleaned the halls. Everyone passed through, so why had she yet to see him do so? It had been three long and boring days since she'd last seen Mitsuhide. He had said he would check on her from time to time. And she sort of ran from him immediately after. But when it came to Kyubei, she'd already seen him plenty of times. Kyubei would often assist Eria with her riding and self-defense lessons.
Yet it wasn't the same. But perhaps that was what happened when one spent so much time with someone like Mitsuhide. Eria wasn't lonely, absolutely not. Just... bored. "...You?! You're that maid..err, the… chatelaine!" The man went bug-eyed when he saw Eria and began backing up in fear until he smacked into the wall. "Hm? ...Oh, hey! You're that asshole who loves to talk bad about people but can't take even the slightest ounce of criticism." Eria replied, staring impassively at him.
The man frowned, "G-Give me a break! It's not like I didn't have my reasons for saying that about…you know who." He began looking around for Mitsuhide, only to relax once he realized it was just him and Eria. Eria stared at him, '...You act as if speaking his name will summon him or something. What, is Mitsuhide the Sengoku Era equivalent of Harry Potter's Voldemort?'
"You seem pretty obsessed with that guy, but from the sound of it, you don't know what he does." The man said, "Clever he may be, but no one does that kind of work without having a few screws loose." Eria raised an eyebrow, "...What sort of work are you referring to?" "You heard Mitsuhide got information from Kennyo's agent, right? …Do you have any idea how he got it?"
'Well... I was not expecting that...' Even after the man left, Eria stood there. Despite a part of her understanding that may have been the case, she still felt numb. "What're you doing standing in the hallway, lass? Trying to earn a lecture from Hideyoshi?" "...Masamune?" Eria muttered. '...He would know the truth, right...? He can confirm whether that guy was lying or not...' "Um... I heard a… a strange rumor, regarding Mitsuhide and that guy he captured... Kennyo's agent?" she stuttered out.
The smile quickly left Masamune's face. "...I heard Mitsuhide's kind of… well, the guy said… er- He said that Mitsuhide's job is to… torture people." Eria muttered, uncertainty and hesitancy filled her tone. She didn't want it to be true despite the logical part of her head screaming that it was. Until- "That's right."