Professional Integrity

Courtside Courtship

They didn't sleep in the RV that night. Hideyoshi insisted on the Princess having his bed, and Mitsuhide and he took futons in the living room, something they both sorely regretted in the morning.

The blinds flew open, bright light lancing straight into their eyes.

"Wake up!" Masamune shouted cheerily, pouncing on the two men.

"Goddamnit," Mitsuhide snickered, trying to hide under his pillow.

"How the hell did you get in?" Hideyoshi groaned. Masamune cracked a grin and dangled a pair of keys in front of him.

"You should have checked your pockets before kicking us out last night. I brought the boys. Don't worry. I'll make breakfast."

Everyone settled around the table on the balcony for breakfast, served up in true Masamune style on what felt like all of Hideyoshi's plates. The Princess smiled gratefully at them, sipping on fresh squeezed orange juice. "What's the plan?"

"Well, I'm glad you asked." Masamune grinned. "Last night, Nobu and I made a bet that I could beat him in basketball."

"No," Nobunaga corrected, "I advised you that I would take you to school and wipe the court with your last good eye."

A resounding ooooh echoed around the table. Mitsuhide grinned and finished stirring his breakfast together in a bowl, making an unappetizing orange mess. "So we're doing this again, hmm? Can you play, Princess?"

"I can try. I haven't played in years and years."

"We can bring you up to speed."

Ieyasu huffed. "Maybe don't. You all play like hellions."

"Like you don't." Masamune clapped a hand over his shoulder and grinned. "My boy Ieyasu here has to be on my team. He'll fuck everyone up any day of the week."

"Come on." Hideyoshi joined in, perhaps against his better judgement. "Mitsunari is a force on the court himself."

By the end of breakfast, the battle lines were drawn.

It was a sweltering day, and the lack of shade on the city court wasn't helping matters.

"Fuck it." Masamune was the first to cave. He bent over and stripped off his shirt, tossing his eyepatch down with it. "It's making my damn eye sweat. Nothing worse."

"You just wanted to show off your tattoos," Ieyasu grumbled.

"I mean..." Flexing, Masamune struck a pose, the huge dragon winding Yakuza-style down his spine, koi and waves swirling around it in tandem over his whole back. "They're pretty cool."

"You're ridiculous." Ieyasu snapped on some fingerless gloves.

"Two can play at this game." Nobunaga announced, and stripped off his shirt as well. On his chest was a large, black ink crest of a flower, straight over his heart. "Hideyoshi, you're on my team."

"And I'm bringing Mitsunari." Hideyoshi kept his shirt on, shaking his head at the other two. "What about you, Mitsuhide?"

"You know me." He mimed knifing someone, grinning at Nobunaga. "Always stabbing you in the back. I'll be on Masamune and Ieyasu's side, if only for evenness sake."

"Et tu, Mitsuhide?"

"I'm afraid so." He drawled, and with one hand, stripped off his shirt, casting it to the side and baring that huge snake slithering over his shoulders at last. "Who starts?"

"Whoever is fastest!" Masamune laughed, and immediately started down the court.

"That is not how the rules work–" Hideyoshi sprinted after him.