The Beauty Of The West

Chapter 13: Putting a Puzzle Together

So again, I was on Motochika's ship. Let me tell ya, I was not enthused to be there, after the way he had treated me the last time we met. His crewmen were sweet, however, and made me feel at least a little welcome.

It wasn't so bad, since I had Sensei, Keiji, and Kanbe with me too. I was happy to be with them since we were going to be on the ship for a few days while we traveled West to Osaka castle.

I sat on the deck of the ship just thinking about what was going to happen. I hardly noticed Sensei come and sit next to me.

"So, little Raven, what happens from here?" She asked with a smirk.

"I don't know, Sensei..what exactly do you mean?" I returned the question. I mean, how was I supposed to know what happened next?

"We are going to Osaka castle to meet Yoshitsugu. Mitsunari will be there."

"That man who was mad that we joined the east? Why is that relevant?" I laughed. She did too, and I wondered why.

"It is. You'll know soon enough." She stood up and began walking away.

She knew, alright. She knew something I didn't and she wasn't going to tell me. I wanted to know, but I was too tired to chase her.

I lay back and looked at the stars, a perfect view from the middle of the ocean. I almost didn't want to leave, but then I remembered I was on Motochika's ship.

Sensei's last comment about Mitsunari kept lingering in my thoughts. I wanted to know what she was talking about and I was too impatient to wait for Osaka. So, what did I know?

1.) Mitsunari and Hideyoshi Toyotomi were close, and Ieyasu killed him, resulting in the current war.
2.) Hideyoshi had a daughter, one that went missing around the same time I was taken by the Oda, and had the same name. It was possible that we were the same person.
3.)Both Kanbe and Sensei were related to Hideyoshi somehow. Kanbe was possibly training with him, and sensei was maybe his mercenary. Roles were unclear. But they both knew something.

"So, let's say for a second that I was from the Toyotomi family." I spoke aloud. "Obviously he didn't care for me, just letting me go like that." I closed my eyes and thought of my dream. There wasn't anyone except a kid with black hair. I knew my dreams were memories. But Mitsunari was no where around. Wouldn't I have dreamed of Mitsunari being there, since he was so close to Hideyoshi? Maybe I wasn't related after all. But it was nice to think for a moment that I knew where I came from.

The whole thing made my head hurt. I took a deep breath and tried to slow my pounding heart. It was as if my head and my heart were simultaneously trying to remember something important. Something emotional.

It was safe to say, I wasn't going to be getting much sleep until my questions were answered.

When I looked around, I saw everyone getting along for this temporary truce. To an extent, I felt a little left out. Sure I had friends and adoptive family, but I knew I really had no place on that ship.

I walked around, hoping that in doing so, I would be able to sleep soon. I knew I needed to be at full strength for what was coming up, but it was really hard to ready my nerves.

Upon exploring the ship, I ran into Ieyasu, who greeted me with a smile.

"What a surprise..." He seemed nice. A little too nice for my taste. "Shouldn't you be resting?"

"Hello, Lord Ieyasu, I was just taking a stroll before bed."

"I see...may I join you?"

"Sure." I needed the company anyway.
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I talked to Lord Ieyasu for what seemed like hours, and I didn't even realize the passing of time!

I learned so many things about him, and his movement to unite the country by the bonds of peace. It sounded wonderful, but much like a fairytale. Could such peace even exist?

Then the crucial information: Ieyasu was related to Lord Hideyoshi too. I knew that he was the one that killed him, but I didn't know why.

"Well, that is quite the story.." He began. "Long story short, he wanted to take the country by force, killing all of those who disagreed with his ways. I defected from his side as one of his best generals. And I killed him. I'm not proud of it, but it had to be done for the safety of this country."

His story was believable. This Lord Hideyoshi gave up his own daughter because he didn't want to pay to get her back. I wouldn't doubt that he would kill people to get his way. He seemed heartless to me.

"So...did you know Kanbe before you Killed Hideyoshi?"

"We trained together. Then one day he went crazy, started accusing Hideyoshi of serious crimes. I never understood why."

"I see..."

"But then he tried to kill him. Mitsunari saw through that though, and put him in a dungeon ever since. I think this is the first time he has been free from that chain since then."

Another piece to the puzzle. Ieyasu didn't tell me anything that I didn't already know, other than his side of things. But now I knew that at some point Kanbe, Ieyasu, and Mitsunari had trained together.
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After walking around a little bit with Lord Ieyasu, I saw Kanbe leaning over the side of the ship. I wondered what was wrong.

"Maybe you can find out what made him so crazy all those years ago." Ieyasu told me as we both stared at him. "

"I know what it was." I stated. "He lost his best friend and no one believed him when he knew what happened to her. I think...I would go crazy too, if I were to be punished for speaking the truth."

"Are you talking about the young Lady Hideyoshi?" He asked "she had run away, that's what I was told."

"What if she wasn't, and what Kanbe said was true? What then?"

It was silent amongst the two of us. It got him thinking, but he didn't linger on it for long. I did wonder though, how would everyone make it up to Kanbe if I was living proof of what had happened?

I felt almost offended by the way they had treated him. If I was indeed a Hideyoshi, and none of them believed I was taken because of their leader's selfishness and didn't even look for me, there was going to be a ton of issues between me and his former subjects. At this point, I was on the fence about being this missing girl. Part of me wanted to be her, but part of me didn't. It was only a matter of time before I knew for sure.

I walked away from Lord Ieyasu and approached Kanbe as he slumped over the side of the ship. The closer I got, the worse he looked.

"Are you okay?" Was all I could think of to say.

"I do NOT belong on the seas, kid." He sounded like he was forcing himself to talk before he gagged. I tried not to laugh. "Good thing we're stopping in Oshu."

"Where's that?" I asked.

"To the north. Gonna try and get an alliance with the One Eyed Dragon."

"A dragon???" My eyes sparkled.

"Not a real dragon, just what people call him. Ugh.."

"We should be there soon then...hang in there Kanbe."