Ten Things I Hate About Mitsuhide

Chapter 23 - The Betrayal

When I came downstairs the following morning, it was in time to see two long haired men huddled over a map. The real Kyubei was back – but Mitushide was still wearing the dark wig.

"Are the two of you going to switch back?" I asked, after making sure that Sho wasn't around to overhear. "Or are you going to mysteriously discover your not-evil twin?"

"We have no intention of switching. Would you be disappointed if we did?" He peered closely at me, but I'd already set my face to a Sasuke-esque neutral. "Studied blankness only confirms you're trying to hide something, Kaya. However to satisfy your curiosity, my vassal is only here to move some items and watch over some precious items for me."

Kyubei turned and gave me a quick smile, before rolling up the scroll and tucking it into his kimono. After bowing to both of us, he said to Mitsuhide, "all will be as you have directed, Lord Mitsuhide." Then he whisked himself out the door.

"A truly obedient vassal is such a rare find." Mitsuhide gave me a teasing smile as I exaggeratedly rolled my eyes at him. Then he took a moment to cast a critical eye over my outfit – while I was now obediently attired in one of the pastel kimonos, I'd lost a little weight when I was dealing with the concussion. It did not fit as well as it could. Still, I knew Sho had done her best, adding an extra fold before she tied the obi. To his credit, Mitsuhide didn't comment. He simply poked at my hairsticks to make sure the complicated style was securely pinned up. With a slight smile, he poked at the dangling bellflowers, which in turn tickled the top of my ear. "Meanwhile, it's high time we paid a visit to Shojumaru."

Oh? Were things finally happening? "Better not let Sho hear you say that. She'll want to come with us. Or do you think she will be necessary?" She might actually make a nice distraction if we needed one, should the plan include sneaking around. Although if something dangerous was planned, I wouldn't want her to get caught in a crossfire.

"Sho has just received a note from her mother, telling her that she's urgently needed at home." That Mitsuhide. He thinks of everything.

Indeed, just as the words left his mouth, there was a shriek from upstairs, then a thunder of footsteps as Sho dashed down the steps. "My apologies, Master Kyubei, Miss Kaya, but I need to go home." Mitsuhide waved her away, and she bobbed a quick bow and hurried out of the townhouse.

It probably wasn't worth questioning how Mitsuhide had managed to forge her mother's handwriting. Maybe Sho hadn't looked that closely at it? Whatever the case, we were soon on our way to Shojumaru's warehouse, without the added distraction of a lovestruck teenager.

As we left the machiya, I noticed a large hulking man leaning against the building across the street. He was dressed as a servant, but none of the servants I am familiar with have time to loiter like that. Indeed, as Mitsuhide and I walked down the street the man pushed away from the building and fell in step behind us.

"We're being followed." It was probably not necessary to point that out. I couldn't imagine that Mitsuhide wasn't aware of the man.

"Yes. I would be surprised if we weren't being followed." Mitsuhide had a rather grim set to his shoulders, and I noticed that not only had he reverted to wearing sword, he also had the priest's wheellock pistol tucked inside his sash. "Should I have brought my sword?" Although I had my knife strapped to my ankle, if there was going to be a battle, I was clearly under armed. "Or my bow?"

"Good gracious no, where could you hide them?" When I blatantly stared at his own arsenal, he added, "I'm not planning to shoot Shojumaru."

I took note of the word 'planning.' He didn't say that he wouldn't shoot Shojumaru – only that it wasn't Plan A. I presumed he would be perfectly willing to shoot the man if things went south.