[His eyes flicker open briefly. For a moment, it's almost like he can see the flames again, burning and reaching into the sky, dyeing it a blood red colour.]
[His eyes close softly. She's told him what she wants to hear now.]
Faced him? I betrayed him there, to stop a tyranny, and set Honnouji alight to try and draw him out. We faced in a one on one battle, he lost. That's the short version.
[A sigh, full of pain.]
I don't supposed history pays much attention to the others who lost their lives for that tyrant of a man. They were as deluded as I was, that he could truly be the right one to rule the land... but some were my dear friends. Lady Nouhime and Ranmaru perished that day, and I...
[She listens quietly, taking in what he had said. What she has heard in her past is somewhat different from what he has just narrated to her, but she does not care; she believes her Mitsuhide, and not the hearsay of history. And just as Ken-san has had many stories concocted about him as Battousai, she knows that hearsay cannot be easily trusted.]
History has a tendency to only highlight certain incidents and events. People are selective, sometimes hearing or seeing only what they want to, and never looking beyond what is there.
[She sighs softly, her heart aching as she brushes away the tear upon his cheek.]
I am sorry, beloved. I know how much it hurt you, and how much it hurts you now . . .
[She resumes stroking his hair, her gaze now distant as she recalls the pain of history. From his era to hers.]
Well . . .
[Steeling herself, knowing how much this will hurt him, she begins softly.]Toyotomi Hideyoshi seized control afterwards, but had left no successor upon his death. He left the Council of Five Regents, comprised of
( ... )
[He listens silently to the history of his country, or at least, his country's history as it happened in her world. Hideyoshi, it seems, had made a poor choice of regents, which Mitsuhide is not surprised by. He always disliked the man...]
[Hearing about Ieyasu also causes him to frown. He caused a corrupt era? Certainly he and the man were only formal acquaintances before, but he hadn't expected that of a Tokugawa rule...]
Ieyasu... he...
[A sigh.]
I see. I won't ask about how they say I died. It might be different in different worlds, anyhow, and anything in the records will probably be a 'death of karma' regardless of the truth. In my world, at least, I...
[A pause.]
How long after Honnouji did they say I died, or disappeared, or whatnot?
Time of peace... I hope I can know that, somehow...
[A soft sigh. His eyes are closed again, and he is trying to stop the tears from flowing freely like they want to. Peace... it was all he wanted, for the people. Everything he had ever done was for the benefit of the innocents, those who just wanted to lead a normal life.]
[Gently, she holds him close, stroking his hair soothingly. Her own tears settle upon her lashes, the sight of his anguish making her heart ache for him, with him.]
You don't have to hold back, anata . . . I'm here . . .
[She cups his cheek softly, whispering words of comfort.]
Mitsuhide, all you ever did was fight for the people. You faced and defeated a tyrant, who, under his rule, would have caused pain and suffering. You did the right thing. It takes a truly wise person to see beyond what society dictates and into what is right.
That was your duty to history--to stop a tyrant's rule. One that you have fulfilled.
I know that it hurts, my love. You bore much pain to do what is right.
[And now, her eyes are determined. She has come to a very important realization--one that she knows, with all her heart, will bring him peace and happiness through the grief.]
But now, anata, you can know a time of peace
( ... )
Reply
Anything. Everything. What you want to say. What you feel, love.
[Soothingly, she presses close, her hand reaching up to stroke his cheek before once again settling upon his chest.]
I am here to listen . . . hold you close, beloved . . .
Reply
[His eyes flicker open briefly. For a moment, it's almost like he can see the flames again, burning and reaching into the sky, dyeing it a blood red colour.]
You know the story of Honnouji, don't you?
[A sigh.]
I wonder how accurately history speaks of it...
Reply
I do, though of course, the stories differ and they are sometimes vague.
It was there that you faced Nobunaga, after which Honnoji went up in flames . . .
But never mind history. I want to know it from your perspective, love.
[She strokes his hair softly.]
Reply
Faced him? I betrayed him there, to stop a tyranny, and set Honnouji alight to try and draw him out. We faced in a one on one battle, he lost. That's the short version.
[A sigh, full of pain.]
I don't supposed history pays much attention to the others who lost their lives for that tyrant of a man. They were as deluded as I was, that he could truly be the right one to rule the land... but some were my dear friends. Lady Nouhime and Ranmaru perished that day, and I...
[A trembling breath, and a single tear.]
Megumi, what happened after that? I need to know.
Reply
History has a tendency to only highlight certain incidents and events. People are selective, sometimes hearing or seeing only what they want to, and never looking beyond what is there.
[She sighs softly, her heart aching as she brushes away the tear upon his cheek.]
I am sorry, beloved. I know how much it hurt you, and how much it hurts you now . . .
[She resumes stroking his hair, her gaze now distant as she recalls the pain of history. From his era to hers.]
Well . . .
[Steeling herself, knowing how much this will hurt him, she begins softly.]Toyotomi Hideyoshi seized control afterwards, but had left no successor upon his death. He left the Council of Five Regents, comprised of ( ... )
Reply
[Hearing about Ieyasu also causes him to frown. He caused a corrupt era? Certainly he and the man were only formal acquaintances before, but he hadn't expected that of a Tokugawa rule...]
Ieyasu... he...
[A sigh.]
I see. I won't ask about how they say I died. It might be different in different worlds, anyhow, and anything in the records will probably be a 'death of karma' regardless of the truth. In my
world, at least, I...
[A pause.]
How long after Honnouji did they say I died, or disappeared, or whatnot?
Reply
Yes. Tokugawa Ieyasu.
I was a child when the Tokugawa shogunate ended, as you know. And it was a time of anarchy and chaos. A bloody end to a bloody era.
After which they say is the time of peace . . .
[She shakes her head, her heart heavy.]
Thirteen days. What I heard is thirteen days. After which you vanished from history altogether . . .
[A pause, after which she turns to him, her eyes wide and determined.]
After Honnoji, you returned to the City on the thirteenth day, ne?
[It is obvious that she has an idea to share, and has thought about it previously.]
Reply
[A soft sigh. His eyes are closed again, and he is trying to stop the tears from flowing freely like they want to. Peace... it was all he wanted, for the people. Everything he had ever done was for the benefit of the innocents, those who just wanted to lead a normal life.]
Hmmm?
[A nod.]
Yes, thirteen days after I slew Nobunaga...
Reply
You don't have to hold back, anata . . . I'm here . . .
[She cups his cheek softly, whispering words of comfort.]
Mitsuhide, all you ever did was fight for the people. You faced and defeated a tyrant, who, under his rule, would have caused pain and suffering. You did the right thing. It takes a truly wise person to see beyond what society dictates and into what is right.
That was your duty to history--to stop a tyrant's rule. One that you have fulfilled.
I know that it hurts, my love. You bore much pain to do what is right.
[And now, her eyes are determined. She has come to a very important realization--one that she knows, with all her heart, will bring him peace and happiness through the grief.]
But now, anata, you can know a time of peace ( ... )
Reply
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