[FIC] Steel and Lotus
Title: Steel and Lotus
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Fandom: Prince of Tennis
Pairing: NiouYagyuu
Summary: This is actually based on The Little Mermaid, though it bears little resemblance to the fairy tale. It takes place during the Sengoku period in Japan. Historical fact is omitted for creative purposes (though Oda Nobunaga did have a sexual relationship with his page Mori Ranmaru, interestingly enough).
Steel and Lotus
The day Yukimura came to the estate was an inauspicious one. Niou had been there for about three months now, growing increasingly bored with each passing day. He yearned for battle, dreamt of the day Sanada would return home and send him off to fight. Even now he knew that Oda Nobunagu was advancing to the north, and regretted every moment he was not there to help. Instead, he spent his time training Sanada's young heir and protecting the estate from non-existent threats.
News from the outside was uncommon enough to be thought rare, and Niou relished every bit of information that messengers and travelers sent him. Stories of Yukimura had started coming a few weeks ago. Some reports said that Yukimura was a powerful Shinto priest, others held that he was more beautiful than the moon. The only certainty was that Yukimura was the only survivor of a massacre Sanada and his men had staged on his temple, and that Sanada would be bringing Yukimura home with him.
Niou awaited their return one morning alongside Sanada's wife and son. Yanagi was the first to arrive, followed by his young page Kirihara. Of all the men under Sanada's authority, Kirihara was the one Niou liked the most. The two were often found sharing saki and women until late in the night. Despite their camaraderie though, Kirihara unnerved him. While Niou thirsted for battle, Kirihara thirsted for blood, and it was only Yanagi who could calm his blood lust. Kirihara was also fiercely loyal and unforgiving of mistakes, and that was perhaps due to Sanada's influence on him.
About half a dozen of Sanada's men came next, followed by an elegant carriage draped in the finest silk of blue and purple. The carriage was held by four men on foot, and explained the lateness of Sanada's return. Sanada rode alongside the carriage. The procession finally came to a stop beside Niou and the others. The men set the carriage down on the ground, gentle with the precious cargo, and pulled back the curtains to reveal the most beautiful person Niou had ever seen.
Was this Yukimura, the famed priest? The man only sat upon his silk cushions, staring out into nothing. He was enshrouded by a kimono of the finest fabrics, rich purple and gold in color, and had hair so black it looked blue. It was tied back in a short ponytail, though shorter wisps still clung to his face in waves. Niou waved a hand in front of the man's face, but the movement elicited no reaction at all. The man's eyes remained as vacant as ever. Niou was about to reach forward and touch him when Sanada slapped his hand away.
"This is Yukimura." Sanada turned to one of his house servants. "Prepare my quarters. Yukimura will be staying with me."
The usually gruff, violent lord carefully lifted Yukimura while his wife bowed and made her way back to her quarters. Niou watched as Sanada made his way into the house, then turned and ran to catch up with Kirihara.
"So who is this Yukimura?" Niou asked when he caught up. "Is he really a powerful priest?"
"What do you think?" It was Yanagi who responded. "Your first impressions are usually startlingly accurate."
Niou shrugged. "I don't think he's anything more than a pretty doll."
Kirihara cackled at that. "You should have seen him on the trip back. He didn't say a thing- I don't think he even moved once, not even to blink."
"What does he have to do with Sanada and us?"
"We don't know," Yanagi stated, ending the discussion. If Sanada had not confided the secret to Yanagi, then no one knew what it was.
Later that afternoon, just as the evening cicadas were beginning to emerge and began their nightly song, Sanada called a meeting of his most trusted generals. Niou, Yanagi, and a half breed named Jackal were there. Kirihara was also allowed to come, as Sanada tended to be rather indulgent with the youth at times.
Jackal intrigued Niou to some degree, if only because he was a Jesuit, and differently colored than them. His father was enslaved to Portuguese missionaries that had built a church on Sanada's lands; his mother was from a rich Japanese merchant family. Their union had been a crime worthy of death, and Sanada's father had condescended to take Jackal into his household. Other than that though, the rather uptight man bored Niou to tears.
"Yukimura has informed me," Sanada started, "that a neighboring lord is planning to rise against Oda."
"And how does Yukimura know this?" Jackal asked, his voice not exactly snide enough to be accused of insubordination. Jackal was extremely docile to those he considered holders of authority, but even he could not put aside his suspicions about Yukimura.
Sanada frowned down at him, obviously displeased. "I would trust Yukimura with my life. There is no need to question him."
"Have you informed Oda?" Yanagi asked.
"Yes. He has started the journey down, and will be here in two week's time. By then, we will have the situation taken care of."
"And how do you propose we do that?" Niou asked, eager to be put into service.
"We believe his advisor is inciting him against us. We will take his advisor, then deliver his head back to them as a warning."
Niou could see Kirihara start to grin, knew that Kirihara wanted the job, but Kirihara just had a chance to play and he wanted off the estates.
"Let me go," Niou said, and he saw Kirihara's grin turn into a pout.
Sanada nodded, contemplating. "This will require stealth. We know nothing about the advisor, or his habits."
"I can be stealthy." Niou could be anything, and Sanada knew that. The next day he was making his journey East, towards the Marui estate.
The Marui family was not as rich as Sanada; Niou did not know how the head planned to resist Oda. It took him three days to reach the Marui estates, and when he arrived he found it quite defenseless. The wooden buildings were small, simple, quite different from the place he called home, and when he found the storeroom he estimated that there was only about one hundred goku there, definitely not enough for enough men to oppose Sanada's estate, let alone Oda's army.
He climbed onto the rooftops, his movements graceful and silent, his head and body hidden in the night by black cloth. It took a minimal amount of time for him to find the main house, and snuck inside under the cover of shadows. Soon, he was balancing on a roof beam while listening to a conversation between Marui and his advisor, the two men obscured by wood and rafters, though their voices were clear enough. Niou could see Marui almost clearly, could see his crimped red hair and strong profile. The advisor's face was obscured to him, but he was somewhat surprised to see that he was not bowing to his lord as they spoke, but sitting evenly with him.
"Are you sure this is wise?" Marui asked.
"No." The voice that came out was strong, certain. "I'm sure it will be our downfall. But I am also certain that the future of Japan is not with Oda Nobunaga."
Marui sighed. "I'll put my faith in you, Yagyuu. Even if it does mean our deaths."
Niou decided that Yagyuu was a fool. He was a fool for starting a losing fight, and a fool for thinking the future of Japan lay anywhere else besides with Nobunaga. Still, Yagyuu's words echoed in his mind, the strong voice never fading. To fight so foolishly for a belief... it was ridiculous, and yet, Niou couldn't help but think it might have been what people called noble as well.
Footsteps sounded on the tatami mats, and Niou followed them out to the courtyard, where he found himself alone with Yagyuu among lotus flowers and koi. Yagyuu's face was lit by torches mounted to the wall, the soft yellow line accentuating the angular planes of his face. He wasn't beautiful like Yukimura, or even striking like Sanada, but there was something about the dignified contours of his features that appealed to Niou. Even his hair appeared stately, not a strand out of place, and his kimono was crisp and stiff. It was like a perfectly wrapped package, all folds and planes. But then, Niou thought, with packages, you never knew what was inside.
A week passed, and he followed Yagyuu like a shadow. Yagyuu's life was fairly boring. In the span of a week, Niou learned that Yagyuu and Marui were more equals than servant and master. He learned that Yagyuu enjoyed tea, and drank from a set that was given to his grandparents as a gift from the Jesuits. He learned that Yagyuu's eyes were blue, just ten shades darker than his. Niou spent one week ghosting Yagyuu, and for one week, he was content just to do that.
One night, Yagyuu spoke to him. It was in his resting quarters, after his servants had laid out the surprisingly opulent futon that he slept on.
"Who are you?" Yagyuu spoke into the air. "I would have thought that you would be able to finish whatever task you were assigned within the space of a week, but you're still here."
Niou didn't move from the shadows, but he decided that at this point there was no harm in speaking. "I'm not any one you should concern yourself with."
To Yagyuu, Niou's voice sounded like reverberations of laughter, a million sound waves condensed into one. It was striking, and ethereal, more so in the stillness of the night and the wooden room. He knew that voice would haunt him for the rest of his life, although that might have been a short time indeed.
"Not concern myself with my future assassin? You must think me a fool."
Niou smiled, stretching his limbs in the darkness. "Close the windows and turn out your candles."
He had only known Yagyuu for a week, but he knew him well enough to know that he would do this. Soon, the two found themselves in pitch black, and though Niou could not see he had already memorized the layout of the room. He made his way to the futon, not making any noises, and soon found himself hovering over Yagyuu's sitting body. He placed a hand on Yagyuu's chest, his fingers spread, and the other man felt as sturdy as he imagined him to be. He could feel the beating of a heart beneath his pulse, not too fast or too slow, just strong. Yagyuu did not move under his touch, and he moved forward, almost burying his face in the crook of Yagyuu's neck. Yagyuu smelled earthly... he smelled of nature and cedar, with just a hint of the perfume that was the trend these days. Niou moved his hand to Yagyuu's neck, his other to support himself as he leaned forward even further. Their chests were pressed together now, and though Yagyuu's heartbeat had not sped up, Niou's had. It would be so easy to kill the man right now.
"What are you doing?" Yagyuu whispered, and Niou could feel the man's breath on his ear. "What are you doing here?"
Niou wondered at the question, Yagyuu's heartbeat the soundtrack to his thoughts. "I was sent here to kill you."
"Are you going to?" There was no fear in Yagyuu's voice, but then Niou hadn't thought there would be. There was just the barest curiosity, and maybe amusement as well.
Niou had to smile at that. He was all too aware of Yagyuu's body heat through the thin fabric of their clothes, found himself wishing the fabric wasn't there at all. "What if I don't want to?"
"Then I imagine that would be good news for me."
What Niou really wanted to do was kiss him. He was about to, all he had to do was lift the cloth covering his mouth, but then the barest wisp of a light appeared from behind the door and the door was slammed open.
There was candlelight in the hallway, and the light reflecting off of the steel and metal of a sword was all Niou needed to know that it was Kirihara who had interrupted them. He threw himself in Kirihara's way before the boy could get to Yagyuu, could feel Kirihara's sword cutting off his mask.
Yagyuu watched as his eyes adjusted, but still he couldn't see much more than the faint movements of two bodies. There was a slashing of steel on cloth, and the flash of bleached hair, before the two men made their way amid kicks and slashes out of his room and into the waiting night.
Outside, Niou finally managed to wrestle the sword away from Kirihara, and was holding the boy to the ground. They had come far from the estate, and that was just as well.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Kirihara demanded, angry at what he saw as betrayal.
"Just shut up! What are you doing here?"
"You were taking too damn long," Kirihara scowled. "It's been a week, or have you not noticed while you were fucking the enemy?"
"Just shut up, I wasn't doing anything." Niou spoke brashly, but worry ate at the bottom of his stomach. "Yagyuu's not a threat."
Kirihara's eyes narrowed at that. "You're not the one who decides that."
"Look... let's just go home. Let me talk to Sanada. Just... don't do anything right now, okay?"
Kirihara glared at him fiercely, but at the end he gave in. "Fine. But just to tell you, Oda is there."
The name sent chills down Niou's spine. If Sanada was strict, Oda was vicious. He was the kind of man who was cruel for the sake of being cruel.
A servant met them when they entered Sanada's lands, and by the time they reach the estate word had already arrived bearing news of their homecoming. They were both summoned to the meeting room, where Sanada sat with Oda. Beside Oda was his young retainer and lover Mori Ranmaru, a boy Niou was startled to see was more beautiful than even Yukimura. And, if stories were true, a fierce warrior deserving of his position.
"Lord Oda." Niou kneeled down on the floor, knowing when to check his usually impertinent attitude. "It's an honor to meet you."
"I'm sure it is," Oda replied, insulted that such a statement had to be explicitly stated.
"Niou." Sanada's tone were more stern than usual, probably due to Oda's presence and the tension it brought. "Why didn't you kill him?"
"I don't think they're a threat." Niou hadn't moved from his position on the floor, thinking it was probably unwise to do so. "They have less than a hundred men, not nearly enough to cause trouble."
"Even the smallest threat can cause trouble," Mori added, his tone clipped and arrogant.
"And what do you suppose we do, Niou?" Oda drawled. "Should we just burn down the estates?"
Niou's head almost jerked up at that, his mouth almost formed the word 'no', but he was able to contain himself.
"I doubt Niou would approve." It was Kirihara's voice, still angry. "When I found him he was in bed with the target."
Oda laughed at that, and the sound just made every one tenser. Every one of Niou's nerves was on edge, and he felt very much like a mouse in the presence of a cat. Or in this case, maybe a tiger.
"Well, there's more than one way to pacify an enemy. Brute force has always been my forte, but seduction works equally well. Do you suppose, Niou, that Yagyuu might love you?"
The question was preposterous; Yagyuu didn't even know him. Still, it was a chance, and Niou was prepared to grasp it. "I can convince him to fight with us."
Oda ran fingers down his beard, contemplating, or maybe not. It was hard to tell, between his plastic smile and cunning eyes. "Can you now. I think I'd like to give you the opportunity. But if you can't change his mind in a week, I'll burn both of you down."
It was obvious that Oda could not care less about Marui and his plans of rebellion; Niou had been correct when assessing their threat. Oda was toying with him now, as he toyed all those he considered possessions, and that was every one. Yet he was helpless to be anything other than a toy.
"Thank you, Lord Oda." Niou got up to leave, eager to return to his usual persona, when Oda stopped him.
"You didn't think there would be no repercussions for your failure, did you?"
Niou tensed.
"Come now, I wouldn't be so easy on you. Ranmaru, why don't you slash through his vocal chords. Make sure he can't use that pretty voice of his again."
Niou's head jerked up, shot wildly to Sanada and Kirihara, but they had already turned away.
* * *
Yagyuu rode through Marui's land on horseback, stopping every now and then to make sure people and things were running as expected. He guard was increased now, ever since that man had shadowed him for a week. It had been a strange week- he had noticed the other presence right away, but had decided to allow it. Something about his shadow had intrigued him.
And then the shadow had been so close to him that he wasn't a shadow any more, but a tangible man. He could feel his body heat pressed close to him, his breath across his lips, and he had never felt so exhilarated.
Yagyuu turned his horse, prepared to make his way back home, when something beneath the shade of a tree caught his eye. He vaulted off his horse, making his way to the grassy shade, and found a man laying there. The man was his age, asleep or unconscious, he didn't know what, and looked as though some one had just dropped him there. Yagyuu ran his fingers through the wild, bleached hair, a color both too familiar and too rare to be mistaken. He remembered a voice that sounded like laughter, and thought, this could be him. Yagyuu cradled the man to his chest and carried him to his horse.
When Niou woke up, he could feel the pain send shockwaves through his body from his throat before he could open his eyes. He clenched his fists on soft bed sheets, willing the pain to subside, but it was a full twenty minutes before he could convince himself that it was bearable. When he opened his eyes, he was more than surprised to see Yagyuu's concerned face looking down at him.
Yagyuu reached down, running his fingers through that hair again, his palm ghosting against Niou's cheek. "Are you okay?"
Niou opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out, and he remembered.
For some reason, Yagyuu looked disappointed. "You can't speak."
For once in his life, Niou felt at a loss. The weight of his task sat heavy on his shoulders, and he wondered how on Earth he was supposed to save them. Niou wasn't stupid; he didn't believe in love at first sight, and he wouldn't say that he was in love with Yagyuu. The two had barely spoken. Still, in the week he had spent watching him, he had decided that he would only be content by Yagyuu's side.
"Is this the assassin spy thing?" The voice belonged to Marui, who had peeked in from the doorframe and was looking at Niou accusingly. "I still say we kill him now, before he starts trouble again."
"No, he's not." Now Niou was certain that Yagyuu was disappointed. "This man is mute."
But it was me, Niou wanted to say, except he couldn't.
"Good." Marui was instantly warmer, walking into the room with a carefree smile on his face. "You're way too obsessed with that guy, Yagyuu. Romancing men who want to kill you is definitely not a good way to go."
"Well. We better leave this boy to get some rest."
The topic effectively dropped, Marui stepped out of the room. Yagyuu was about to join him when Niou reached out for his wrist, ending his attempt to get off the bed.
"I'm sorry," Yagyuu said. "Do you need anything? Food? Water?"
Niou shook his head no and tried to mouth 'just stay', but Yagyuu didn't seem to understand. He finally just moved over and patted the now empty area beside him.
"Do you want some company?" Yagyuu asked.
Niou nodded eagerly, a smile spreading over his face, and Yagyuu answered with a soft smile of his own.
"I don't know if I'll be good company," Yagyuu admitted, even as he made himself comfortable at Niou's side.
"Can you write?" Yagyuu asked, the idea just coming to him.
Sadly, Niou shook his head no. He had never felt to need to learn how to write, though Sanada had volunteered to teach him. There were just too many characters to learn, and it was a skill that seemed unnecessary on the battlefield. He did know some kanji though, mostly for names of people he knew. He grabbed Yagyuu's hand, pointed at himself, then carefully traced the characters on Yagyuu's palm using his finger. He hoped that Yagyuu would be able to follow.
"Niou Masaharu? Is that your name?"
Niou smiled and nodded.
"My name is Yagyuu Hiroshi." Yagyuu took gently flipped Niou's hand over, tracing the characters of his own name. "If you'd like, I can teach you how to write. Then we can communicate."
Niou nodded again, though even as he did so he was aware of the short time span he had.
Somehow, Niou managed to tell Yagyuu that he wanted to start his lessons right away, and later that afternoon the two were sitting in the drawing room. Yagyuu's hand rested over his as he led him through the motions, and Yagyuu's chest was against Niou's back. Niou could smell Yagyuu's scent in the air, could almost pretend that reality didn't exist outside of the room.
The days passed too quickly, and still Niou was still so far away from his goal. The only thing he could do was treasure the time he spent with Yagyuu, and as Yagyuu sat behind him, guiding his hand, he pretended that he was being embraced by a lover. He knew that Yagyuu's touches were limited, so he stole them any moment that he could.
On the fifth day, Niou walked into the main hall to find himself surrounded by women. He was curious, but then he saw an old woman wearing the robes of a matchmaker walk by, and he could guess who these people were here for. Yagyuu found him standing there, and led him away.
"I never considered getting married," Yagyuu explained. "But I'm of age to produce a heir. I believe the matchmaker has already chosen a girl; the wedding will take place tomorrow."
Niou knew that news of Yagyuu's wedding would spread to Oda, and Oda would know that he had failed. That night he made his way to Yagyuu's bedroom, straddled Yagyuu's body as the other man looked at him through thin confusion, and kissed him. Yagyuu's lips were soft and wet against his, and he kissed him urgently, wrapping arms around strong shoulders. If nothing else, he just wanted this moment. But Yagyuu could only remember a voice that sounded like laughter, and he pushed Niou away.
"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I can't."
So Niou had to endure the simple wedding ceremony, and on the seventh day, all morning and afternoon he imagined he smelled smoke and burning wood. He had resigned himself to cruel fate when Kirihara appeared before him. Niou would have had to be blind to miss the pity that was visible in Kirihara's every expression and word.
"Oda knows you failed," he explained. "He says that if you kill Yagyuu and his wife, he'll let you live."
Niou didn't have to speak for Kirihara to know what he wanted to ask.
"If Yagyuu is not dead by morning, I'm supposed to kill you." Kirihara's eyes flashed, and Niou knew that Kirihara would follow through with his orders. As an afterthought, Kirihara added more. "But he won't touch Marui and Yagyuu. It seems Marui is not enough of a threat for him to bother."
There was a clatter in front of him and then Kirihara was gone. He looked down at the floor to see his old katana, sharpened and ready on the cold tile. The steel felt even colder against his fingertips, and he slid it into a familiar place in the folds of his kimono.
He knew the way to Yagyuu's room by heart, could make his way there even without the convenience of candlelight. The moonlight illuminated Yagyuu's room, lit up the contours of his face as he slept with his new bride. One of Niou's hands held the hilt of his katana, while the other reached down to ghost over the smooth skin of Yagyuu's cheeks and chin. He watched Yagyuu just breath, and he couldn't bear to bring the sword down. Instead, he turned his face to the window, knowing the Kirihara waited outside. He leaned down, one last kiss, and stole one last moment.
His sword still in his hand, Niou made his way to the entrance of the house, looking out into the night and the still trees and ponds of Japan's landscape. One shadow moved, out of place among the others, and he knew what was waiting once he stepped through that simple wooden doorway. He calmed his breath, held on to one last memory of Yagyuu's fleeting touch, and stepped through.
Cold steel fell to the floor, and fireflies danced on perfect lotus flowers.
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Fandom: Prince of Tennis
Pairing: NiouYagyuu
Summary: This is actually based on The Little Mermaid, though it bears little resemblance to the fairy tale. It takes place during the Sengoku period in Japan. Historical fact is omitted for creative purposes (though Oda Nobunaga did have a sexual relationship with his page Mori Ranmaru, interestingly enough).
Steel and Lotus
The day Yukimura came to the estate was an inauspicious one. Niou had been there for about three months now, growing increasingly bored with each passing day. He yearned for battle, dreamt of the day Sanada would return home and send him off to fight. Even now he knew that Oda Nobunagu was advancing to the north, and regretted every moment he was not there to help. Instead, he spent his time training Sanada's young heir and protecting the estate from non-existent threats.
News from the outside was uncommon enough to be thought rare, and Niou relished every bit of information that messengers and travelers sent him. Stories of Yukimura had started coming a few weeks ago. Some reports said that Yukimura was a powerful Shinto priest, others held that he was more beautiful than the moon. The only certainty was that Yukimura was the only survivor of a massacre Sanada and his men had staged on his temple, and that Sanada would be bringing Yukimura home with him.
Niou awaited their return one morning alongside Sanada's wife and son. Yanagi was the first to arrive, followed by his young page Kirihara. Of all the men under Sanada's authority, Kirihara was the one Niou liked the most. The two were often found sharing saki and women until late in the night. Despite their camaraderie though, Kirihara unnerved him. While Niou thirsted for battle, Kirihara thirsted for blood, and it was only Yanagi who could calm his blood lust. Kirihara was also fiercely loyal and unforgiving of mistakes, and that was perhaps due to Sanada's influence on him.
About half a dozen of Sanada's men came next, followed by an elegant carriage draped in the finest silk of blue and purple. The carriage was held by four men on foot, and explained the lateness of Sanada's return. Sanada rode alongside the carriage. The procession finally came to a stop beside Niou and the others. The men set the carriage down on the ground, gentle with the precious cargo, and pulled back the curtains to reveal the most beautiful person Niou had ever seen.
Was this Yukimura, the famed priest? The man only sat upon his silk cushions, staring out into nothing. He was enshrouded by a kimono of the finest fabrics, rich purple and gold in color, and had hair so black it looked blue. It was tied back in a short ponytail, though shorter wisps still clung to his face in waves. Niou waved a hand in front of the man's face, but the movement elicited no reaction at all. The man's eyes remained as vacant as ever. Niou was about to reach forward and touch him when Sanada slapped his hand away.
"This is Yukimura." Sanada turned to one of his house servants. "Prepare my quarters. Yukimura will be staying with me."
The usually gruff, violent lord carefully lifted Yukimura while his wife bowed and made her way back to her quarters. Niou watched as Sanada made his way into the house, then turned and ran to catch up with Kirihara.
"So who is this Yukimura?" Niou asked when he caught up. "Is he really a powerful priest?"
"What do you think?" It was Yanagi who responded. "Your first impressions are usually startlingly accurate."
Niou shrugged. "I don't think he's anything more than a pretty doll."
Kirihara cackled at that. "You should have seen him on the trip back. He didn't say a thing- I don't think he even moved once, not even to blink."
"What does he have to do with Sanada and us?"
"We don't know," Yanagi stated, ending the discussion. If Sanada had not confided the secret to Yanagi, then no one knew what it was.
Later that afternoon, just as the evening cicadas were beginning to emerge and began their nightly song, Sanada called a meeting of his most trusted generals. Niou, Yanagi, and a half breed named Jackal were there. Kirihara was also allowed to come, as Sanada tended to be rather indulgent with the youth at times.
Jackal intrigued Niou to some degree, if only because he was a Jesuit, and differently colored than them. His father was enslaved to Portuguese missionaries that had built a church on Sanada's lands; his mother was from a rich Japanese merchant family. Their union had been a crime worthy of death, and Sanada's father had condescended to take Jackal into his household. Other than that though, the rather uptight man bored Niou to tears.
"Yukimura has informed me," Sanada started, "that a neighboring lord is planning to rise against Oda."
"And how does Yukimura know this?" Jackal asked, his voice not exactly snide enough to be accused of insubordination. Jackal was extremely docile to those he considered holders of authority, but even he could not put aside his suspicions about Yukimura.
Sanada frowned down at him, obviously displeased. "I would trust Yukimura with my life. There is no need to question him."
"Have you informed Oda?" Yanagi asked.
"Yes. He has started the journey down, and will be here in two week's time. By then, we will have the situation taken care of."
"And how do you propose we do that?" Niou asked, eager to be put into service.
"We believe his advisor is inciting him against us. We will take his advisor, then deliver his head back to them as a warning."
Niou could see Kirihara start to grin, knew that Kirihara wanted the job, but Kirihara just had a chance to play and he wanted off the estates.
"Let me go," Niou said, and he saw Kirihara's grin turn into a pout.
Sanada nodded, contemplating. "This will require stealth. We know nothing about the advisor, or his habits."
"I can be stealthy." Niou could be anything, and Sanada knew that. The next day he was making his journey East, towards the Marui estate.
The Marui family was not as rich as Sanada; Niou did not know how the head planned to resist Oda. It took him three days to reach the Marui estates, and when he arrived he found it quite defenseless. The wooden buildings were small, simple, quite different from the place he called home, and when he found the storeroom he estimated that there was only about one hundred goku there, definitely not enough for enough men to oppose Sanada's estate, let alone Oda's army.
He climbed onto the rooftops, his movements graceful and silent, his head and body hidden in the night by black cloth. It took a minimal amount of time for him to find the main house, and snuck inside under the cover of shadows. Soon, he was balancing on a roof beam while listening to a conversation between Marui and his advisor, the two men obscured by wood and rafters, though their voices were clear enough. Niou could see Marui almost clearly, could see his crimped red hair and strong profile. The advisor's face was obscured to him, but he was somewhat surprised to see that he was not bowing to his lord as they spoke, but sitting evenly with him.
"Are you sure this is wise?" Marui asked.
"No." The voice that came out was strong, certain. "I'm sure it will be our downfall. But I am also certain that the future of Japan is not with Oda Nobunaga."
Marui sighed. "I'll put my faith in you, Yagyuu. Even if it does mean our deaths."
Niou decided that Yagyuu was a fool. He was a fool for starting a losing fight, and a fool for thinking the future of Japan lay anywhere else besides with Nobunaga. Still, Yagyuu's words echoed in his mind, the strong voice never fading. To fight so foolishly for a belief... it was ridiculous, and yet, Niou couldn't help but think it might have been what people called noble as well.
Footsteps sounded on the tatami mats, and Niou followed them out to the courtyard, where he found himself alone with Yagyuu among lotus flowers and koi. Yagyuu's face was lit by torches mounted to the wall, the soft yellow line accentuating the angular planes of his face. He wasn't beautiful like Yukimura, or even striking like Sanada, but there was something about the dignified contours of his features that appealed to Niou. Even his hair appeared stately, not a strand out of place, and his kimono was crisp and stiff. It was like a perfectly wrapped package, all folds and planes. But then, Niou thought, with packages, you never knew what was inside.
A week passed, and he followed Yagyuu like a shadow. Yagyuu's life was fairly boring. In the span of a week, Niou learned that Yagyuu and Marui were more equals than servant and master. He learned that Yagyuu enjoyed tea, and drank from a set that was given to his grandparents as a gift from the Jesuits. He learned that Yagyuu's eyes were blue, just ten shades darker than his. Niou spent one week ghosting Yagyuu, and for one week, he was content just to do that.
One night, Yagyuu spoke to him. It was in his resting quarters, after his servants had laid out the surprisingly opulent futon that he slept on.
"Who are you?" Yagyuu spoke into the air. "I would have thought that you would be able to finish whatever task you were assigned within the space of a week, but you're still here."
Niou didn't move from the shadows, but he decided that at this point there was no harm in speaking. "I'm not any one you should concern yourself with."
To Yagyuu, Niou's voice sounded like reverberations of laughter, a million sound waves condensed into one. It was striking, and ethereal, more so in the stillness of the night and the wooden room. He knew that voice would haunt him for the rest of his life, although that might have been a short time indeed.
"Not concern myself with my future assassin? You must think me a fool."
Niou smiled, stretching his limbs in the darkness. "Close the windows and turn out your candles."
He had only known Yagyuu for a week, but he knew him well enough to know that he would do this. Soon, the two found themselves in pitch black, and though Niou could not see he had already memorized the layout of the room. He made his way to the futon, not making any noises, and soon found himself hovering over Yagyuu's sitting body. He placed a hand on Yagyuu's chest, his fingers spread, and the other man felt as sturdy as he imagined him to be. He could feel the beating of a heart beneath his pulse, not too fast or too slow, just strong. Yagyuu did not move under his touch, and he moved forward, almost burying his face in the crook of Yagyuu's neck. Yagyuu smelled earthly... he smelled of nature and cedar, with just a hint of the perfume that was the trend these days. Niou moved his hand to Yagyuu's neck, his other to support himself as he leaned forward even further. Their chests were pressed together now, and though Yagyuu's heartbeat had not sped up, Niou's had. It would be so easy to kill the man right now.
"What are you doing?" Yagyuu whispered, and Niou could feel the man's breath on his ear. "What are you doing here?"
Niou wondered at the question, Yagyuu's heartbeat the soundtrack to his thoughts. "I was sent here to kill you."
"Are you going to?" There was no fear in Yagyuu's voice, but then Niou hadn't thought there would be. There was just the barest curiosity, and maybe amusement as well.
Niou had to smile at that. He was all too aware of Yagyuu's body heat through the thin fabric of their clothes, found himself wishing the fabric wasn't there at all. "What if I don't want to?"
"Then I imagine that would be good news for me."
What Niou really wanted to do was kiss him. He was about to, all he had to do was lift the cloth covering his mouth, but then the barest wisp of a light appeared from behind the door and the door was slammed open.
There was candlelight in the hallway, and the light reflecting off of the steel and metal of a sword was all Niou needed to know that it was Kirihara who had interrupted them. He threw himself in Kirihara's way before the boy could get to Yagyuu, could feel Kirihara's sword cutting off his mask.
Yagyuu watched as his eyes adjusted, but still he couldn't see much more than the faint movements of two bodies. There was a slashing of steel on cloth, and the flash of bleached hair, before the two men made their way amid kicks and slashes out of his room and into the waiting night.
Outside, Niou finally managed to wrestle the sword away from Kirihara, and was holding the boy to the ground. They had come far from the estate, and that was just as well.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Kirihara demanded, angry at what he saw as betrayal.
"Just shut up! What are you doing here?"
"You were taking too damn long," Kirihara scowled. "It's been a week, or have you not noticed while you were fucking the enemy?"
"Just shut up, I wasn't doing anything." Niou spoke brashly, but worry ate at the bottom of his stomach. "Yagyuu's not a threat."
Kirihara's eyes narrowed at that. "You're not the one who decides that."
"Look... let's just go home. Let me talk to Sanada. Just... don't do anything right now, okay?"
Kirihara glared at him fiercely, but at the end he gave in. "Fine. But just to tell you, Oda is there."
The name sent chills down Niou's spine. If Sanada was strict, Oda was vicious. He was the kind of man who was cruel for the sake of being cruel.
A servant met them when they entered Sanada's lands, and by the time they reach the estate word had already arrived bearing news of their homecoming. They were both summoned to the meeting room, where Sanada sat with Oda. Beside Oda was his young retainer and lover Mori Ranmaru, a boy Niou was startled to see was more beautiful than even Yukimura. And, if stories were true, a fierce warrior deserving of his position.
"Lord Oda." Niou kneeled down on the floor, knowing when to check his usually impertinent attitude. "It's an honor to meet you."
"I'm sure it is," Oda replied, insulted that such a statement had to be explicitly stated.
"Niou." Sanada's tone were more stern than usual, probably due to Oda's presence and the tension it brought. "Why didn't you kill him?"
"I don't think they're a threat." Niou hadn't moved from his position on the floor, thinking it was probably unwise to do so. "They have less than a hundred men, not nearly enough to cause trouble."
"Even the smallest threat can cause trouble," Mori added, his tone clipped and arrogant.
"And what do you suppose we do, Niou?" Oda drawled. "Should we just burn down the estates?"
Niou's head almost jerked up at that, his mouth almost formed the word 'no', but he was able to contain himself.
"I doubt Niou would approve." It was Kirihara's voice, still angry. "When I found him he was in bed with the target."
Oda laughed at that, and the sound just made every one tenser. Every one of Niou's nerves was on edge, and he felt very much like a mouse in the presence of a cat. Or in this case, maybe a tiger.
"Well, there's more than one way to pacify an enemy. Brute force has always been my forte, but seduction works equally well. Do you suppose, Niou, that Yagyuu might love you?"
The question was preposterous; Yagyuu didn't even know him. Still, it was a chance, and Niou was prepared to grasp it. "I can convince him to fight with us."
Oda ran fingers down his beard, contemplating, or maybe not. It was hard to tell, between his plastic smile and cunning eyes. "Can you now. I think I'd like to give you the opportunity. But if you can't change his mind in a week, I'll burn both of you down."
It was obvious that Oda could not care less about Marui and his plans of rebellion; Niou had been correct when assessing their threat. Oda was toying with him now, as he toyed all those he considered possessions, and that was every one. Yet he was helpless to be anything other than a toy.
"Thank you, Lord Oda." Niou got up to leave, eager to return to his usual persona, when Oda stopped him.
"You didn't think there would be no repercussions for your failure, did you?"
Niou tensed.
"Come now, I wouldn't be so easy on you. Ranmaru, why don't you slash through his vocal chords. Make sure he can't use that pretty voice of his again."
Niou's head jerked up, shot wildly to Sanada and Kirihara, but they had already turned away.
* * *
Yagyuu rode through Marui's land on horseback, stopping every now and then to make sure people and things were running as expected. He guard was increased now, ever since that man had shadowed him for a week. It had been a strange week- he had noticed the other presence right away, but had decided to allow it. Something about his shadow had intrigued him.
And then the shadow had been so close to him that he wasn't a shadow any more, but a tangible man. He could feel his body heat pressed close to him, his breath across his lips, and he had never felt so exhilarated.
Yagyuu turned his horse, prepared to make his way back home, when something beneath the shade of a tree caught his eye. He vaulted off his horse, making his way to the grassy shade, and found a man laying there. The man was his age, asleep or unconscious, he didn't know what, and looked as though some one had just dropped him there. Yagyuu ran his fingers through the wild, bleached hair, a color both too familiar and too rare to be mistaken. He remembered a voice that sounded like laughter, and thought, this could be him. Yagyuu cradled the man to his chest and carried him to his horse.
When Niou woke up, he could feel the pain send shockwaves through his body from his throat before he could open his eyes. He clenched his fists on soft bed sheets, willing the pain to subside, but it was a full twenty minutes before he could convince himself that it was bearable. When he opened his eyes, he was more than surprised to see Yagyuu's concerned face looking down at him.
Yagyuu reached down, running his fingers through that hair again, his palm ghosting against Niou's cheek. "Are you okay?"
Niou opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out, and he remembered.
For some reason, Yagyuu looked disappointed. "You can't speak."
For once in his life, Niou felt at a loss. The weight of his task sat heavy on his shoulders, and he wondered how on Earth he was supposed to save them. Niou wasn't stupid; he didn't believe in love at first sight, and he wouldn't say that he was in love with Yagyuu. The two had barely spoken. Still, in the week he had spent watching him, he had decided that he would only be content by Yagyuu's side.
"Is this the assassin spy thing?" The voice belonged to Marui, who had peeked in from the doorframe and was looking at Niou accusingly. "I still say we kill him now, before he starts trouble again."
"No, he's not." Now Niou was certain that Yagyuu was disappointed. "This man is mute."
But it was me, Niou wanted to say, except he couldn't.
"Good." Marui was instantly warmer, walking into the room with a carefree smile on his face. "You're way too obsessed with that guy, Yagyuu. Romancing men who want to kill you is definitely not a good way to go."
"Well. We better leave this boy to get some rest."
The topic effectively dropped, Marui stepped out of the room. Yagyuu was about to join him when Niou reached out for his wrist, ending his attempt to get off the bed.
"I'm sorry," Yagyuu said. "Do you need anything? Food? Water?"
Niou shook his head no and tried to mouth 'just stay', but Yagyuu didn't seem to understand. He finally just moved over and patted the now empty area beside him.
"Do you want some company?" Yagyuu asked.
Niou nodded eagerly, a smile spreading over his face, and Yagyuu answered with a soft smile of his own.
"I don't know if I'll be good company," Yagyuu admitted, even as he made himself comfortable at Niou's side.
"Can you write?" Yagyuu asked, the idea just coming to him.
Sadly, Niou shook his head no. He had never felt to need to learn how to write, though Sanada had volunteered to teach him. There were just too many characters to learn, and it was a skill that seemed unnecessary on the battlefield. He did know some kanji though, mostly for names of people he knew. He grabbed Yagyuu's hand, pointed at himself, then carefully traced the characters on Yagyuu's palm using his finger. He hoped that Yagyuu would be able to follow.
"Niou Masaharu? Is that your name?"
Niou smiled and nodded.
"My name is Yagyuu Hiroshi." Yagyuu took gently flipped Niou's hand over, tracing the characters of his own name. "If you'd like, I can teach you how to write. Then we can communicate."
Niou nodded again, though even as he did so he was aware of the short time span he had.
Somehow, Niou managed to tell Yagyuu that he wanted to start his lessons right away, and later that afternoon the two were sitting in the drawing room. Yagyuu's hand rested over his as he led him through the motions, and Yagyuu's chest was against Niou's back. Niou could smell Yagyuu's scent in the air, could almost pretend that reality didn't exist outside of the room.
The days passed too quickly, and still Niou was still so far away from his goal. The only thing he could do was treasure the time he spent with Yagyuu, and as Yagyuu sat behind him, guiding his hand, he pretended that he was being embraced by a lover. He knew that Yagyuu's touches were limited, so he stole them any moment that he could.
On the fifth day, Niou walked into the main hall to find himself surrounded by women. He was curious, but then he saw an old woman wearing the robes of a matchmaker walk by, and he could guess who these people were here for. Yagyuu found him standing there, and led him away.
"I never considered getting married," Yagyuu explained. "But I'm of age to produce a heir. I believe the matchmaker has already chosen a girl; the wedding will take place tomorrow."
Niou knew that news of Yagyuu's wedding would spread to Oda, and Oda would know that he had failed. That night he made his way to Yagyuu's bedroom, straddled Yagyuu's body as the other man looked at him through thin confusion, and kissed him. Yagyuu's lips were soft and wet against his, and he kissed him urgently, wrapping arms around strong shoulders. If nothing else, he just wanted this moment. But Yagyuu could only remember a voice that sounded like laughter, and he pushed Niou away.
"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I can't."
So Niou had to endure the simple wedding ceremony, and on the seventh day, all morning and afternoon he imagined he smelled smoke and burning wood. He had resigned himself to cruel fate when Kirihara appeared before him. Niou would have had to be blind to miss the pity that was visible in Kirihara's every expression and word.
"Oda knows you failed," he explained. "He says that if you kill Yagyuu and his wife, he'll let you live."
Niou didn't have to speak for Kirihara to know what he wanted to ask.
"If Yagyuu is not dead by morning, I'm supposed to kill you." Kirihara's eyes flashed, and Niou knew that Kirihara would follow through with his orders. As an afterthought, Kirihara added more. "But he won't touch Marui and Yagyuu. It seems Marui is not enough of a threat for him to bother."
There was a clatter in front of him and then Kirihara was gone. He looked down at the floor to see his old katana, sharpened and ready on the cold tile. The steel felt even colder against his fingertips, and he slid it into a familiar place in the folds of his kimono.
He knew the way to Yagyuu's room by heart, could make his way there even without the convenience of candlelight. The moonlight illuminated Yagyuu's room, lit up the contours of his face as he slept with his new bride. One of Niou's hands held the hilt of his katana, while the other reached down to ghost over the smooth skin of Yagyuu's cheeks and chin. He watched Yagyuu just breath, and he couldn't bear to bring the sword down. Instead, he turned his face to the window, knowing the Kirihara waited outside. He leaned down, one last kiss, and stole one last moment.
His sword still in his hand, Niou made his way to the entrance of the house, looking out into the night and the still trees and ponds of Japan's landscape. One shadow moved, out of place among the others, and he knew what was waiting once he stepped through that simple wooden doorway. He calmed his breath, held on to one last memory of Yagyuu's fleeting touch, and stepped through.
Cold steel fell to the floor, and fireflies danced on perfect lotus flowers.