One Bright Day in the Middle of the Night

Chapter 44: Spies and Assassins

I awoke to the sounds of many men in the courtyard, voices and horses moving in a steady stream, the sounds of tack jingling and the ring of armor. I was more than surprised I had slept through the assemblage of troops, and only now awoke as they were leaving. I sat straight up in my futon. They're leaving! What the Hell? The realization slowly dawned on my sleep-addled mind that neither Sasuke nor Kenshin had even come in to say goodbye.

Yesterday, it took a bit for me to calm down, but Sasuke is very good at evading an attack. I suppose I have Kenshin to thank for my old friend's ability to keep himself safe. Four years of sneak attacks will definitely hone the senses, and Sasuke wasn't much of a slouch to begin with. Agile Bastard. I wasn't even able to land a good hit, but I did scratch him with one of the swords Kenshin had lying around in his room.

Once I had calmed down a little, Sasuke was remorseful enough to take me straight to the training dojo where I could vent my frustration in a more meaningful way. It took a couple hours, but it did allow me to get a bit of training in before the Army left, with the side benefit of allowing me to at least attempt to bludgeon Sasuke to death. Well, at least for the first thirty minutes or so. After that, I was able to concentrate on actual training and not my sexual frustration. Damn Ninja.

After a good workout and a bath, I was in a decidedly better mood, and Sasuke continued to apologize for his earlier blunder. He even accompanied me to Takumi's cell where I was able to check up on the failed assassin. According to Sasuke, Kenshin had effectively blocked Takumi's presence from his mind, but that didn't mean he would ignore the man once he came back from effecting the utter destruction of his employer. So far it looked like Takumi would be in decent shape when that happened, as there was no sign of infection, and from the looks of it, he shouldn't have a problem with the shoulder with enough rest and a bit of therapy.

I was still a bit stunned, shocked that neither of the two men I care for, albeit in different ways, had come to say goodbye before going off to fight. What the Hell are they thinking? Never mind. That's a stupid question. Kenshin wouldn't even bother to think about it. In his head, it's a foregone conclusion that he would be coming back, so why would he bother to say goodbye. For Sasuke it's different. He wouldn't consider it his place right now to reassure me as to his safety. He would leave it up to Kenshin. I had to shake my head. While I fully believe that Kenshin loves me, he is apparently still deluding himself that I am some sort of property of his. Ok, fine. The 'spoils of war' comment he had made was still bugging me.

I ducked behind the screen and changed clothes, finding that the basket of dirty clothes from yesterday morning had been emptied, my clothing having been cleaned in my absence. It really was weird not to have to wash my own stuff. I put my hair back up, and realized I was in a pretty crappy mood. The guys not saying goodbye before they left really bothered me.

It was around the time that I was starting to get hungry and wondering who would be coming down, when I heard faint footfalls on the steps. One of the castle maids came down, bearing a tray of rice balls, tea and some kind of sugary looking pastry. The girl looked familiar, and for a minute I couldn't place her.

She was somewhat young, maybe a year or two younger than me, and she wasn't exactly pretty. She wasn't ugly by any means, but she was very.....ordinary I guess would be the word. Her black hair was done up in a neat bun, and her clothes were simple and well kept. I didn't place her until she spoke.

"Good Morning, Princess. I have your breakfast.."

Well, I'll be damned. It's the same girl. The last time I saw her though, she was nervously telling me that Nobunaga wanted to see me in the tenshu. With all the talk that I was Nobunaga's mistress, it suddenly made sense. I didn't immediately oust her though. There were three sides to this weird coin of war, Nobunaga, Shingen, and Kennyo. I couldn't say anything until I had more information, specifically, who she was truly working for. I took the tray as she handed it to me though the bars of the cell, looking over the contents.