Ten Things I Hate About Mitsuhide

Chapter 21: Mitsuhide's POV - Consquence

"Good morning Master Kyubei." Sho paused in the middle of preparing tea to bow to him. She turned to her brother, who was stuffing a rice ball into his mouth. "Hiko!"

The boy belatedly jumped to his feet and bowed, mumbling a greeting with his mouth full.

Sho just rolled her eyes then turned back to Mitsuhide. "Is Miss Kaya awake yet?"

"Let my sweet lady love sleep this morning. I kept her awake far too late into the night." Mitsuhide allowed a somewhat rogueish smile to cross his face, knowing that the maid would blush and ask no more questions – especially not in front of her younger brother. "If I could, I would have wiled the morning away with her too, but sadly, my work calls me now. I will take her shopping later."

With that, he continued on his way down to the main floor, slid open the doors and lifted the blinds to his import export 'business.' The key to establishing an alternative identity was to keep it as complete as possible. The import business that 'Kyubei' ran, could, if a curious customer entered the machiya, arrange for that customer to receive any number of lacquer items, from decorative vases to armor. As such, Mitsuhide always had the excuse of needing to conduct 'honest' business during the morning hours.

Thankfully, this excuse took him out of the vicinity of Katsuko. Acting the devoted lover in front of the audience of the maid had been entertaining enough when Katsuko had merely been a somewhat rebellious tool – it amused him to watch her grit her teeth, knowing that she could not contradict his teasing when Sho was around. Now that it was becoming less of an act, it made for a dangerous distraction. A distraction he could ill afford.

Thus when the boy clattered down the stairs, with Katsuko following behind at a similar pace, his plan to keep her at a distance was immediately tested. Even simply passing through the room, she was impossible to ignore, especially given her inappropriate attire, with that loose sash dragging on the floor. He was not portraying a man who would let his lover appear to the world in any manner except absolute perfection. "Going somewhere?"

"Only to the entry. Hiko is going to show off his juggling skills, and they're sufficiently random enough for Sho to bar us from the kitchen." She nodded at where the child's toy came close to upending a display shelf.

He ought to stop her and insist that she at least retie her obi properly. Or, even, perform the task for her. A lingering look, a stray touch... perhaps he might even tease a glare from her.

He was halfway to standing when he recalled his vow – made mere moments ago – to stay away from temptation. "Ah." He returned his attention the ledgers he was updating as the two scurried out of the room.

Should he have more merchandise sent from Azuchi? Over the past week, he'd become aware that certain agents, pretending to be customers, had visited the business. It would make sense to at least move the displays around, add new items, to keep up the charade. But, would the replacement stock get here before the Oda ships arrived to move the operation to the next phase?

Given that he had not yet hit upon the proper... enticement, for lack of a better word... to force Shojumaru into revealing Hideyoshi and Mai's location (or even, for that matter, concrete proof that he was the man behind their disappearance), it would be prudent to continue to act as a normal merchant. He got out a fresh piece of paper and composed a coded message to Kyubei requesting more "lacquerware and pottery from the local craftsmen." Kyubei would understand the meaning.

Midway through his correspondence, he became aware of some sort of commotion from outside.

Years from now... even days from now... he would not be able to recall what he had been thinking or doing in the time between hearing the frantic yells, and the moment Shojumaru strode into the Machiya, carrying an unconscious Katsuko. The moment his gut seized in terror.