Ten Things I Hate About Mitsuhide

Chapter 27: Girl Power

With a feral smile on his face, the ronin stalked toward the building where Mai was imprisoned. That smile was a threat, one that I imagined she would see in her nightmares for years to come.

Not if I can help it.

Maybe Mitsuhide would free Hideyoshi in time for them to rescue her... but I couldn't count on it, not when it was possible that Hideyoshi had been tortured and would be in no condition to walk out of his prison on his own. I know I was supposed to stay in the tree. I hadn't forgotten his orders, or his lessons, or his explanation... but I had to get Mai out of there before that man got to her.

Sorry Mitsuhide... but this might be our only chance to free Mai in time.

With half my attention following the progress of the ronin, I swung from tree over the fence, dropping silently down into the same shadow that Mitsuhide had. The ronin was making no effort to be quiet, and if I had made any noise (I hadn't) the sound of his footsteps would have masked mine. As soon as it seemed safe to move, I slid through the doorway behind him, into a gloomy corridor. When he stopped to light a lantern, I was right behind him.

Before he even registered my presence, I slammed the hilt of my sword into his head, with enough force to knock him out. Then I tied his hands, stuffed his shoe in his mouth, stole his haori, and dragged him into an empty room – hopefully those precautions would help ensure I would not be discovered before I had a chance to help Mai – although now that the commander had been alerted by the first missing guard, there was only a finite amount of time remaining before he sent in too many for me to handle. (Ok, technically one alert fighter would be too much for me to handle).

Tick, tick, Katsu. Less planning, more rescuing. Right. I hurried down the hallway. When I rounded the corner into what apparently was once a store room, there was a woman chained to the wall and an unconscious guard at her feet, lying in a pool of food scraps.

The food bucket was in pieces on the floor.

Yep. #Girlpower.

Although... it might have been more powerful if she weren't still chained to the wall.

She clutched the man's sword in her chained hands and awkwardly waved it at me. "Stay back!"

I looked down at the man, then back up at the woman who presumably was Mai. Aside from the stolen sword, she didn't appear to have any weapons on her. "I'm on your side." Not the best form of introduction, but I was in a hurry. "Put down the sword so I can-"

"I'm a witch and I spelled him. You'll be next if you come any closer." The sword trembled in her hands. It was obviously far too heavy and a skilled fighter – or even a semi-skilled fighter/ really determined person ... like me - would have had no trouble taking it away from her.

But I figured I'd start with negotiation first. Mitsuhide would be even more annoyed with me if I accidentally hurt her in the process of a prison escape. "I'm with Mitsuhide. He's breaking Hideyoshi out right now." She was probably mistaking me for one of the Mouri because of the stolen haori.

The sword wavered but didn't stop pointing my way. "You could be lying. I've never seen you before. Tell me something only Mitsuhide would know."

Really? We're doing this now? "If only Mitsuhide knows it, then how would I know? The man only has two forms of communication. Teasing and more teasing." That should at least be enough to convince her I knew him.

"What's his nickname for me?" She rattled the sword and glared.

Meanwhile the man at her feet was stirring and somewhere outside the commander was about to lose patience. The longer we debated this the more likely we'd be found out. "I have no idea. He never said. But if I let you get killed, he'll more than likely kill me in a dozen unpleasant ways."