* Sumire Shinanoki *

"You've kept this mystery mission a secret long enough, haven't you, Mitsuhide? Let's go!"

"Do you know what my favorite thing is, little Botan? It's being pestered by you the very first thing in the morning."

"Well, I always aim to please." Indeed, the moment I'd caught sight of the fox that morning, I'd begun trailing him. "But you can't blame me for wanting to get another one of your favors over with."

"You speak as if I'm not also eager to terminate our partnership."

"That so? Then you could always, I don't know, release me from this cruel bondage?"

"Not the best way you could have phrased that, my dear. I could place you under a far more cruel form of bondage."

"Ha! Sure, sure."

"You'll be free to go as soon as your partner in crime for the day arrives."

"Can't you just summon him with your demonic powers?"

"If I did have such powers, the first thing I would do is make you disappear."

"Goodness! You'll hurt my little feelings if you keep that up."

A call from a third voice, Hideyoshi's, made me grin. "Getting along as famously as ever, I see. It's almost like looking at Mitsunari and Ieyasu when the two of you are together."

"I'm right here," Ieyasu muttered, slouching beside him.

I laughed. "If you say that, Hideyoshi, then who between Mitsuhide and I is Ieyasu and who is Mitsunari?"

"You'd have to be Mitsunari, Botan. Without a doubt."

"See, little Botan? Opposites do attract, don't they?" Mitsuhide gestured between Ieyasu and I.

"Er, well, maybe. I suppose that could be true, in some instances, maybe..."

"So shy all of a sudden. How cute," he teased in a purr.

"I - HYAAA!" I screeched when an arm landed on my shoulders, someone having approached from behind.

"Am I late?" Masamune laughed. "Your face isn't that red on account of me, now, is it?" He snuck a kiss to my cheek, laughing again when I swatted him away.

"It was like that before you got here. Don't flatter yourself." I smiled, putting my hands on my hips.

"Really? You seemed pretty into it the other night."

"Other night, hm?" Ieyasu grumbled. "Interesting."

Oh. That. I'd... neglected to mention that, yes, but only because it hadn't had any significance to me. "You making a move and getting rejected doesn't mean I was into it," I laughed, hitting Masamune's arm playfully. Hopefully Ieyasu would understand that manner of explanation.

"Well, at least the two of you get along. That's all that's needed for today's mission, if you're prepared," Mitsuhide said by way of getting back to business.

"I'm always ready. You don't even need to ask." Masamune rested his hand on the hilt of one of his blades and put on a fierce grin.

"I'm ready too." I patted the case where my tekko-kagi rested securely.

"This is about those detestable ronin, correct?" Hideyoshi asked, frowning when he received a nod from Mitsuhide. "This isn't a situation to be rash in, Masamune. Uh, no offense about the robin comment, Botan. Both of you, be careful."

"They won't stand a chance against us, right?" Masamune grinned at me.

"I'd wager not." My hands were itching to test their mettle and see the results of my training. Today, I had something to prove. "I've got the map, so we should be fine. Unless there's something else we need to know, Mitsuhide?"

"No. It's a simple matter of disposing of a pile of waste. The two of you should make it back in time for a late lunch."

"I'll be sure to work up an appetite, then. Come on." Masamune gestured for me to follow him.

I nodded farewell to Ieyasu, intending to leave it at that until later, but Ieyasu seemed to have different plans. "Wait," he said in his usual clipped, neutral tone as he approached me. "Be careful."

"I -" My answer was cut off as he pushed his lips to mine, just for a few beats. Even that was plenty to get his point across, though.

When I let out a huff as he backed away, his eyebrows shot up. "Forgot to breathe again?"

I had, in fact. "That was a sneaky move," I mumbled. "One I'll have to get back at you for later."

A smile quirked on his mouth. "I'm dreading your retaliation."

"My, Botan. Popular aren't we?" Mitsuhide remarked.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm off to kill people, bye."

Masamune didn't even wait until I'd reached his side to start laughing. "I've got to admit that I wouldn't have seen that one coming!"

"Can you just focus on the slaughter of our enemies? Pleasant topics such as that."

"I'll agree that it's pleasant and drop the issue for now, but you'll need to get used to the teasing. It's just too fun to stop."

"Sure." As we broached the forests surrounding Azuchi on our path following Mitsuhide's written directions, we made a plan of attack. Masamune would enter the building first and start the chaos while I'd get a feel for the perimeter of the building from behind and watch how our enemies reacted. Doubtlessly, some of them would flee towards their valuables first rather than trying to flee for their lives. I could follow the trails left by that goal in their minds and see what they wanted to hide. We needed to make sure this wasn't part of a larger organized movement, after all. Just where Mitsuhide had noted it would be, a ramshackle hut loomed among the trees. "Fancy lodgings befitting of the scum occupying them," I muttered while affixing my tekko-kagi to one hand and gripping a newly sharpened short sword in the other.

"It could use a touching up, don't you think? The walls will look good with a bit of red on them." Masamune was fearsome and overzealous, yes, but I agreed with his fervor in this instance. Those who would so callously prey on innocent travellers deserved no mercy.

"Without further ado, then."

"I'd ask for a kiss as a reward afterwards, but since Ieyasu wouldn't be happy, how about a drink, Botan?"

"That, I can agree to."

"Good." He smashed the door in, and I heard the expected screams, watched the expected scattering of panicked men once they realized death had come hunting in the form of a bloodthirsty tiger. There was an upper and a lower floor, and some came swarming from those levels only to be caught by Masamune's blade. Some jumped out of upper windows to escape but only landed themselves broken legs and my sword in their backs. Really, the work I was doing now was much the same as it had been when I'd been a ronin. Someone with power (and enough money) decided who needed to be killed and hired those with the least amount of feeling to get it done. Once there was no more sign of rats trying to escape outside, I rushed into the house. A few men scrambled back upstairs, so I followed in hot pursuit. One I lied on the steps by slicing the back of his knees first before driving the clawed blades on my hand into his neck to finish it. Others made it into two separate rooms, and I went into the left first. The one who had run here didn't even have a chance to fully turn around before I'd driven my sword into his stomach and ripped it through his side. From behind, I heard a screech, and I whirled around to find a man brandishing a sword as he rushed towards me. It was easy to counter, sending it flying from his hands by catching it in the claws of my tekko-kagi before decapitation him swiftly with the sword in my free hand. Goodness, did it feel nice to have free movement again. I paused, listening, and all was silent.

"Masamune? Everything alright on your end?"

"I'm disappointed," he called back. "The walk here was longer than the action. Hardly worth it."

I peeked downstairs to find him kicking at a groaning victim, the only survivor. "I suppose we'll have to lug him back," I sighed.

"We can take turns. Mitsuhide always appreciates a hostage to question."

"Just let me inspect up here."

"Take your time."

I found money, fine silks and other wares stolen from merchants and other travellers, but there wasn't much of interest until, hidden among the folds of some of these silks, a key was found. There wasn't a locked door or any type of chest on the top floor, so I scaled down. "Any doors or boxes here this key might fit?"

"Let me check."

"I'll check the lower floor. Holler if you find something." The bottom floor seemed to be mostly for storage, with boxes strewn about. However, it seemed strange that the walls were lined with hanging tapestries when there wasn't any other comparable decoration elsewhere in the house. Following a whim, I started moving them all aside until a door was revealed behind one. "Masamune!" He joined me, dragging our hostage down the stairs behind him.

"What's this?"

"Not sure. Be ready." As he drew his sword once more, I unlocked the door slowly. Behind it in a small room lined with stone was... "Hey!" I gasped, rushing to kneel next to a young woman lying prone on the floor. "Wake up. You're safe now, we..." I faltered, trembling sinking into my body in an instant.

"Botan..."

"I know." She was clearly dead. At least a few days. There was hardly anything to be done. Still, I studied her. Black hair, brown eyes, dressed in simple robes. Freckles across her nose and a mole on her cheek. There was no telling what she'd suffered. It was because there was no telling that my mind went to the worst possible place, and that led to my next actions. It was unclear, really, and it was through a fog that I moved to the howling man next to Masamune and drove my blade into his thigh. He screamed, and these cries only intensified when I stabbed the same spot a few times before moving down his leg, pulverizing it with blows that slowly rendered flesh to mincemeat.

"Botan -" Masamune touched my back.

"Stay out of this!" I snapped, nearly feral. He hesitated but nodded, taking a few steps back to let me finish my work. It felt like a blink before I returned to reality, but I found myself kneeling in an undefined puddle of crushed pulp, blood splattering my clothes and soaking through to my skin. "Masamune," I said, dazed. He pulled me to my feet, holding tight to keep his grasp on my slippery hand.

"Let's go back, Botan."

I nodded but turned first to remove my overcoat, wrap the girl's corpse up in it, and hoist her into my arms. Masamune moved to take her, but I didn't allow it. When we had returned to the castle, however, after receiving many shocked and utterly horrified gazes from Azuchi's residents, I passed her over gently once we had found Mitsuhide. Sensing a spectacle, a few maids gathered to watch with bated breath while a few others ran off, though I didn't consider it would be to get help at the time. "Mitsuhide!" I howled, catching up to his back and hitting his chest as hard as I could after he turned.

Uncommon shock flashed across his face. "What in the devil happened to you?"

"Did you know?" I seethed, hitting him again. "Did you know she'd be there?!"

He caught sight of the girl in Masamune's arms, and his expression became grim as he gathered what had transpired in an instant. "You know I wouldn't have sent you if I had."

"You, who know everything, didn't know?! Please! As if I'd buy that!"

"I didn't know. There haven't been any reports of a local woman disappearing."

"No..." So this was a girl no one cared about? Was that it? Why did this have to be the reality we lived in? "Why...? Mitsuhide, why...?"

He grasped my shoulders as if to keep me tethered. "As with everything else, I'll try to find answers. But you have to gather yourself. We can't have you falling apart at one instance of cruelty. You'll be facing much more."

"I..." I looked past his shoulder to see Mai running towards us, having been fetched by a few maids to help defuse the situation.

"S... Botan!" She looked terrified as she looked me over. "Where are you hurt?"

"None of it's mine," I murmured. "Mitsuhide... What do we do with her?"

"That's for me to contend with now and inform you later. Go on."

"But -"

"Listen. You're creating chaos just with the way you look right now. Go take some time to collect yourself."

He was right. Anyone who might have walked by had gotten caught up in watching, thus halting all business. It wasn't that they weren't used to seeing blood, rather that I'd gone and caused a scene on my own. Before we could find out who the girl was, I needed to clear my head. "I'm sorry," I whispered.

"Go." He brushed past me to address Masamune, and Mai took my arm.

"Let's get you cleaned up, okay?" I let her lead me, going through the motions of cleaning myself up and changing clothes. Luckily, finding them too nice to risk that morning, I hadn't worn the clothes Mai had made for me and gotten them ruined. Mai brought tea and kept me company for a while, but she left when other business came up. After taking a bit more time to myself, I set out in search of Mitsuhide and Masamune. Self-pity was a waste of time. My energy was better spent on apologizing. I found Masamune first after some searching as he walked the halls with Hideyoshi.

"Masamune!"

"Ah, Botan. You clean up well," he commented.

"There was a lot to clean up," I mumbled. "But I'm sorry. I did something uncalled for."

"No need to apologize, lad. If you direct that same kind of energy to every fight, I'll feel safe having you at my back."

"Thank you." I bowed my head, grateful.

"Everything is fine as long as you all come home safely." Hideyoshi patted my head.

"What a good big brother you are," Masamune laughed.

"Someone around here has to be considerate."

"Do either of you know where Mitsuhide is?" I asked. He in particular I needed to apologize to. I'd whacked him pretty hard.

"He went to visit Ieyasu. To get the body examined."

"Right." Ieyasu was our resident medical professional, after all. "I'll go there, then. Thanks."

"Have fun, Botan. Just not too much fun," Masamune teased.

"Do you really think it's the best time for comments like that?" Hideyoshi scolded.

"Moments like these are the best time for comments like that, as you put it."

As I waved farewell before running off, part of me had to agree with him. Why not tell a joke to help get through when times were tough rather than dwell in misery?

Luckily, Mitsuhide hadn't left by the time I got to Ieyasu's residence. "Back in the land of the sane, are we?" He asked, smiling his cool smile at me.

"Mostly." I put a hand to where I'd hit him. "I'm sorry. I know you'd never do anything careless."

"Of course not. I'm far above such mistakes."

"I know. Again, I'm sorry."

"Ieyasu examined the body. There were no signs of assault."

"What?" I stared at him, startled by the sudden segue.

"I knew that's what you'd be wondering, so I asked him to check."

"Mitsuhide, I..."

"You're welcome. Just count yourself lucky I'm still accepting this ordeal as fulfillment of one of the favors you owe me, alright?"

"I will."

"Do take care to remain more collected in the future, little Botan. A warrior who breaks so easily has no use."

"Understood." I sighed as he left. Each time I took a step forward, there was always another stumbling block. The most important thing was not to let my feelings get in the way anymore. But still, who was that girl? Would there be anyone who knew anything if I asked around Azuchi? It was worth a shot.

"Sumire?" Ieyasu's approach jolted me from my thoughts.

"What are doing here?"

"I'd come to apologize to Mitsuhide, but I stayed for you."

"That's nice." Without warning, he put his arms around me tightly.

"Um... What are you...?" Not that I was complaining. The instant feeling of safety that washed over me when being near him was almost intoxicating.

"I don't know much, but this seems like a situation where one lover would comfort the other. So... here."

I smiled and closed my eyes. "Thank you."

He squeezed me before letting go. "What happened, and are you okay?"

It was a short story, telling him of how simple the mission had been before the dreadful discovery and my ensuing reaction. "I know I'm swayed by my feelings too much, and I failed today."

"It could be worse. I'd be more concerned if you felt nothing."

"Well, I appreciate you saying that."

"What now? I don't get the sense you're just going to let this go."

"Mitsuhide said he'd look into it, back it won't hurt for me to go and ask some questions."

"I thought so." He took my hand, opened it palm up, and placed something into it. "She was wearing this. Hopefully it can help identify her." It was a simple and rather cheap hairpin, a lily with some frayed tassels hanging from it. Still, maybe it would indeed be distinctive enough to get some bites.

"Thank you. I can't say that enough to any of you."

"Let's go, then."

"Hm?"

"You didn't look like you intended to wait, so let's go. I've got nothing more important to do."

I brushed a kiss to his cheek. "Since I've already said thank you enough, this will have to do."

"I'll tolerate it," he mumbled, taking my hand as we set off.

It made a few citizens around Azuchi a bit uncomfortable to have a person who had walked around the town covered in blood shortly before then to have that same person approach them about a missing person, but most were friendly and as cooperative as they could be. Still, no one seemed to know the girl with dark hair, freckles and a mole. After a few dozen misses, though, we got some luck. A merchant recognized the pin, her eyes widening as she studied it.

"That sounds like the girl that was running around the other day... Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's hers. She stole some food from a merchant a few stands down."

"What happened?" I asked urgently.

"He let her go with it, though I'm not sure why. Go ask him yourself." She pointed, nodding when I quickly offered thanks.

After getting through the usual line of questioning about appearances, the next merchant in question quickly remembered the incident. "Yeah, she snatched a damn heap of bean buns. Hard for me to forget losing that much product."

"But you let her go yourself, isn't that right?" I pressed.

"Well, yeah. She was skin and bones, and I'm not heartless. Some of us see her around, but mostly hanging with the Sakura girls."

"The what?"

The merchant blushed. "That is, uh, the Sakura Palace."

I frowned, frustrated at his reticence. "I don't follow."

"It's a local brothel," Ieyasu supplied.

"Then that's where we'll go. Thank you, sir." I turned to run off but spun back around just as quickly. "Would you mind offering a few directions?"

"I know where it is. No need." Ieyasu led the way, and it wasn't until we'd turned through several streets that something occurred to me.

"How do you know where it is?"

"Masamune and Nobunaga dragged me there once, a long time ago. I waited outside."

I snorted. "That sounds like you."

"Maybe I should have gone in and learned something at the time. Then both of us wouldn't be so inexperienced."

"In that case, we figure everything out together, right?"

"Fair." He squinted at a building marked by glowing pink paper lanterns. "Here we are."

We arrived in the middle of quite the scene. A man who hadn't even had time to fix his robes properly was yelling on the street with a woman in a deep red kimono with its shoulders pulled down to reveal her bust. Her shoes made her taller than the person she was facing. "No money, eh? Then none of my cherry blossoms for you, good sir! Consider yourself banned until you can learn to give and take."

He spat out some insults but fizzled out when I came to stand next to him, hand on the hilt of my sword. "Is there a problem, sir?" I asked smoothly. Mumbling more curses, he stomped off. "Does that happen a lot?" I asked, rolling my eyes.

"Not particularly. Most people are civil, and they understand the rules. But never mind that, sweetie. Here for business or pleasure?" She laughed when Ieyasu scolded at her. "Such sweet little boys. Your innocence sparkles."

"We're trying to find information on a girl who might have worn this pin." I held it up for her to peer at. "Do you know anyone like that, maybe a girl with black hair and freckles? With a mole on her right cheek."

"That might be..." The woman frowned. "Why are you asking?"

"That is, well..." I faltered.

"She was found dead," Ieyasu stated.

The woman closed her eyes and sighed. "Why don't the two of you come inside? This is a talk I'd rather have where I'm comfortable."

"Of course." She led us into the Sakura Palace, past sliding doors and sounds of pleasure that wafted among the scent of flowers and incense to create a lulling fog aimed to draw patrons in. At the end of this hallway of temptation, the woman led us to a room decorated with more cushions than I had ever seen in one place.

"This is my office. Make yourselves at home."

I perched on a large pink cushion while Ieyasu settled down with some distance between us. "May I ask your name, Miss...?" I requested.

"Everyone calls me Hime, though I'm undeniably the queen of this palace, not the princess. The girl you found goes by Yumi."

"Yumi..." I echoed. "How do you know her?"

"She came poking around sometimes, asking questions about employment. I take good care of my girls, and everyone knows that. We talked about cleaning duties."

"Do you know if she had any association with a local band of ronin?"

"I don't know anything about that, but she came here with a rough man sometimes, said he was her employer. He brought her along when there was no one else could watch her. Complained about it all the time and had her wait outside while he finished his business."

"What did this man look like?"

"He had a crooked nose. You could tell it had been broken once or twice before. Short but muscular, probably got into lots of fights. A scar on his shoulder, light hair in a topknot."

I frowned, thinking. Yes, yes, it sounded right. I'd killed a man fitting that description earlier that day. "So we can assume she was employed by those ronin. And she was likely planning to leave in order to work here. So could her death have resulted from punishment for that...?"

"I don't know much apart from what I've said already, but she was going to come here soon," Hime stated. "She seemed nervous about leaving, but she said she didn't need help. Maybe I shouldn't have taken her at her word..."

"I see," I murmured.

"I'm sorry I can't tell you more."

"Do many of your workers come from similar circumstances?" Ieyasu asked.

"Unfortunately, yes. That's why I take good care of them."

"There's not always much other choice. Either way, I think the answers we have are enough," I said tiredly. "Thank you, Miss Hime, for taking the time to talk to us."

She stood to see us off as we rose. "Thank you as well, for giving Yumi what closure there was to give."

"On that note..." I handed her the hair pin. "You might be the person this matters the most to."

"Another lost blossom," she said quietly. "Gone before she could bloom."

"Is that why you call this place the Sakura Palace?"

"In part, yes, besides the fact that it's just an appealing name to customers."

"Well..." I managed a smile, though my feelings were still trying to process themselves. "Thanks again."

"Of course. Feel free to come back another time, both of you. Maybe for a happier occasion."

"Take care, Miss Hime." Once we were back outside, I took a deep breath. The late afternoon air felt thick and heavy, even more so than it had inside the Sakura Palace.

"It's likely Yumi joined the ronin for the same reason she wanted brothel work," Ieyasu said quietly. "There was nowhere else to go. And they killed her rather than let her leave, maybe because she could implicate them in their crimes."

I shook my head, grateful when he linked his hand with mine as we made our way back to Nobunaga's castle. He really didn't care one whit about who saw us. "Those are the options to those without wealth, property, status or ties. I considered it back then, too, before I became a ronin."

"Prostitution? You?"

"Yeah. Funny to think about, isn't it? You warlords might have met me in a completely different context if that were the case." I laughed weakly.

"You don't have to joke around to stop being sad."

"It works for Masamune."

"Yes, but that's him. You're you."

"The truth is that I don't know how to feel. No matter how just a world Nobunaga makes or how many wars are fought and won, there will always be these everyday tragedies. People will slip through the cracks, and lives will be lost. Is it enough for us to just say we have to do everything in our power to uphold justice?" I sighed. "I suppose it has to be."

"It does."

"Is it enough for me to just try and remember them all? To carry them with me?" I wondered.

"That's part of what it means to live, I think. Carrying all of the burdens you gather and turning them to power instead of letting them crush you."

He knew that better than anyone else. "Then, for us, nothing has changed except for that one extra burden being added. Our goals remain the same."

"And that has to be enough."

"I feel okay letting it be. For now." I grasped his hand more tightly once we entered the boundaries of the castle. "Ieyasu?"

"Sumire."

"I'm sorry for dragging you here. If you don't want to travel home tonight, you're welcome to... there's room for you."

"That's a thinly veiled request."

"Point." I lowered my voice. "More clearly... I'd be happy if you stayed with me."

"Then that's what I'll do."

After taking care of the day's last business, like updating Mitsuhide on Yumi, checking on Mai and eating a quick dinner, we shut ourselves away in my room. The futon didn't exactly fit the both of us at once, but there was room enough if we pressed close. Several different positions were run through before we got comfortable, settling in with my back to his chest and the comforting weight of his arm over me. Before sleep, I cupped my hands to my mouth and whispered Yumi's name, closing my fingers around the words. Though it wasn't much, the least I could do was remember, always.

* Ieyasu Tokugawa *

I couldn't quite tell the following morning if it was Sumire who woke me up or if we stirred at the same time, but the first thing I felt was warmth and movement against me. Definitely a new feeling, but not unpleasant. By way of saying good morning, I swept her hair away from her neck and pressed my mouth to it. She caught her breath and let out a soft gasp as I trailed kisses down her neck, stopping when I reached the border of her collar.

"Morning," I said quietly.

"Good morning." Her voice was shaking a little.

"Should I take that to mean that wasn't bad for you?"

"It was... nice," she admitted in a mumble. "Wait, are you saying you didn't even do that knowing it would feel good?"

"It just seemed like the thing to do. We mentioned it yesterday, right? That we would learn together."

"Right." She rolled over and smiled up at me. "I'm looking forward to learning more."

If I'd known what to do about the response my body had to that statement, I'd have done something. Since I had no idea, I sighed, kissed her forehead and got up. Really, I had no idea what to do with her at any point. We seemed to share the same vague interest in sex while also being equally ignorant about it. While that wasn't a bad thing, I'd rather have been a bit more prepared so any attempt didn't run the risk of turning into a clumsy mess, just unpleasant in the end for us both.

"The library," I realized aloud. It had just about all kinds of texts. Maybe there would be something I could use for reference there...

"What about it?" Sumire asked as she combed her hair with her fingers and tied it up.

"There might be something there..."

"About what?"

"Nothing. Nothing."

"Seriously, what's on your mind? Can I help?"

"Ideally, you would at some point..." No, it didn't do any good not to be frank with her. "I'm very interested in having sex... Making love? Whichever way you want to put it. With you. Is that something you want too? Or is it too soon?"

Her cheeks turned bright red, but she nodded. "If the attraction is there, I don't see shame in acting on it, but it does make me very... nervous," she admitted.

"Okay." I couldn't ask anyone else for advice. "I'm going to do some reading on it."

"There are those kinds of books here?"

"Probably some found a way to sneak in. I'll get back to you."

She laughed. "You're so clinical about things."

"Does that bother you?" I didn't really know another way to be.

"No. It's just how you are. I like it."

After getting properly ready for the day, we parted ways. She'd be with Mai, chatting about whatever topics two women as different as the two of them could find common ground on, I figured, and, lacking any other tasks for the day, I went to the library.

It was disappointing but not a total surprise for there to be nothing for me to reference, as most texts were concerned with tactics and warfare, as would naturally be the most useful to us. So I had to find other avenues of information. After some thought, it hit me. Hadn't we just found the perfect source the day before? Though it would be humiliating to ask advice from another person in general, talking to a stranger whose opinion of me didn't matter would be much easier.

That said, I found myself at the Sakura Palace in the middle of the day. How dignified. As I entered the building, it was a small relief to meet Hime first rather than someone I didn't know.

"Not here with your friend today?" She asked.

"No. I've come to ask for advice."

"Advice? That's a new one. Well, normally I'd tell you to figure things out on your own, but I'll do you a favor just this once. What is it?"

I looked around, finding a few of her girls as our only audience. Oh, well. The humiliation was worth it for Sumire. "I'd like to learn how to properly pleasure a woman," I stated.

This earned the laughter I'd expected it would. "My girls would be happy to teach you if you've got some coin," Hime suggested.

"No. It's in reference to a single woman. I came for your expertise."

"Ah, I see. In that case, I suppose I could just offer you a few tips." She gestured to one of her girls. "Can you watch the counter just for a bit? I'll be back soon." She led me back into her lush office and started pulling out drawers and sifting through them. "These manuals will give you ideas for new positions."

Positions... The texts she gave me were highly detailed ink drawings with sparse notes accompanying them. Most of what I saw there were things I hadn't even thought of and didn't particularly care to, but education was education.

"The most important thing," Hime began as she paced the room, "is not to rush in. Be sure your woman is properly ready before worrying about yourself. Nothing a lady hates more in the bedroom than a man who can't be bothered to take care of her. For me, if she has the stamina, I would advise making her climax once before entering her, but it's not exactly necessary. If you turn to that manual there, the one on your right, it will point out tried and true methods of foreplay. The main point is to absolutely be sure she's wet enough, or you'll end up hurting her. Remember that if you forget everything else I tell you."

"The woman in question has told me that the thought of intimacy makes her nervous. Not that she doesn't want it, but..."

"Then communicate during the act. No shame in asking if she's okay with something."

I nodded. That had seemed to best thing to me from the start, so it was good to hear it confirmed. "May I borrow these?" Sumire and I could study them together.

"Just be sure to bring them back. I won't hesitate to track you down and cause endless embarrassment."

"I'll have them to you within the next few days." It would take that long to just review them with Sumire when we both had the time.

"Any other questions?"

"No. Thank you for your time." As I left, the girls sitting in the front giggled. Yeah, the whole thing was strange. I was far more worried about anyone I might run into at the castle, so I clutched the manuals tightly to my chest and walked with purpose. Luckily, I made it back to Sumire's room without incident. Through the thin walls, which I now realized might pose a bit of a problem, I could vaguely hear she and Mai talking. Not wanting to interrupt, I just placed the manuals on top of the futon for safe and left. There were bound to be other ways to occupy myself, though my thoughts were a bit clouded now. After some time spent back in the library with good clean reading about medicinal herbs, most of which was a rehash of information, though I learned something new about yarrow being considered a plant for divination in some areas as well as an astringent, and a trip to get a small bite to eat, I just wandered back to Sumire's room. I'd have to be excellently productive tomorrow to make up for being so useless today. It wasn't so bad to stay here, though.

To my surprise, Sumire was sitting on the futon with her back to the door when I entered the room. "Oh. Hi." It made no sense, but I felt nervous just seeing her.

She let out a screech and whirled around after scrambling to cover up what we both knew she was looking at. "Oh, Ieyasu... I was worried you'd be someone else."

"No. Just me." It felt like something significant when I closed the door behind me, though it was just the normal thing to do.

"So I'm assuming you left these here?" She held up one of the texts.

"I thought we could look over them together and see what interests both of us."

"I-I see... In that case." She moved over and patted the space beside her. "Um, this one... With all of the positions. Maybe we should just think about stuff like this later, after we're more... competent?"

"That's fine."

"By the way, where did you even get these?"

"From the Sakura Palace."

"You went there?" Her eyes widened with alarm.

"Hime gave me these for reference, along with a few tips."

"That's..." She tried not to let it out, but she collapsed into laughter. "I can't even imagine that! You're insane!"

"I'd prefer to call it dedicated."

"Well, it would be a shame to waste the fruits of your dedication, then," she snickered. "Erm, I talked to Mai, and she gave me a bit of advice..."

"Anything useful?"

"A bit. I feel a bit more confident, I think." She turned to one of the manuals. "But this is interesting, isn't it? I was looking at it before you came in. The ears and the inside of the wrists are erogenous zones. The neck too, though I think we gathered that this morning." She peered up at me. "Hey, stay still."

"Okay..." She angled to have her lips near my ear, me spreading my legs to met her kneel between them.

"Um, it says... Bite it, right?" The whisper felt so hot.

"That's what it says." She nibbled lightly on my earlobe, sucking on it some, and ran a hand through my hair. An unexpected shiver ran through me.

She leaned back, smiling shyly. "Good? Bad?"

"Mm." I kissed her cheek and took her hand, exposing her wrist to me. "Good." I pressed my lips to her palm, drifting down to her wrist. "What's it say?"

"Erm..." She fumbled with the page a bit. "Kiss and lick slowly."

I did so, listening for her reactions. Her breath hitched and picked up in patterns, and she reacted especially to my tongue. "Good?"

She nodded. "It's strange."

"How so?"

"It's a vulnerable place. So having you touch it like that is... Well, it's the same concept with the neck. I didn't think it would be so exciting." After I let go of her arm, she leaned in to nuzzle my neck. "Is it the same for you?"

I tilted my head back as she pressed kisses up and down my skin. Little bursts of heat bloomed and spread from where she touched, and, idly, I ran my hands over her back. When they moved to pull her clothes apart at the front, she paused.

"So I can assume you liked that well enough?"

I nodded. "Well enough, yes."

"Um, here..." She moved to help me disrobe her, tugging away the bindings around her chest. "I'm embarrassed..."

"No need. But I'll admit I'm nervous too, a bit."

She smiled. "That makes me feel better." She averted her eyes when I ran my hands up her sides and onto her breasts. They were fairly small but soft, pleasant to cup in my hands. Her shape wasn't what one might consider to be typically feminine, with hard muscle that made her the lines of her body more straight rather than curvy. She'd clearly worked hard to be strong.

"Lay back," I murmured, pushing the manuals around us out of the way as we eased down. I kissed her neck and worked down to tease her nipples with my tongue and teeth, noting how her hips squirmed and the soft sounds she let out were gradually starting to sound more suggestive. After stripping away the last of her clothes by untying the straps of her hakama, I rubbed at her thighs, easing her legs open.

"Wait," she gasped. "Wait, I... have an idea."

"What is it?" I watched, curious, as she drew one of the scattered manuals, the one we had disregarded earlier that had to do with positions. Well this was bound to be interesting.

"Sorry, I'm trying to find it... I didn't look at it thoroughly." She flipped back and forth until she found the right page and turned it to me. "This."

"Ah. Is that what you want to do?"

"I just thought that, this way, we could... It'd be very mutual, don't you think?"

Somehow, I found it immensely adorable that this was her concern. "Alright." We shifted, her straddling me while I sat, tossing aside all of my clothes in the somewhat clumsy process.

"Okay..." Nervously, she checked the image again. "I think this is close enough...?"

I gently kissed her cheeks, then her lips. "Relax. We're doing just fine."

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right." She laughed, sliding the manual aside to drape one arm over my shoulder. "Okay. Then..." Her free hand ran down my chest, hovering at my stomach as her cheeks flushed even further, and lower. Simultaneously, we used our hands to pleasure each other, her hand rubbing up and down with gentle squeezing while I buried my fingers inside her, being sure to lend attention to her clitoris. When I pressed and stroked it, she gasped, moans resounding in my ear as she trembled.

"You can..." I breathed. "Do it harder, and faster."

She buried her face in my neck, clearly trying to silence the noise she was making. "You too..." She let out a muffled squeal when I responded to her direction. "Ie... Ieyasuuu," she moaned.

"Sumire, look at me. Look up." I locked my lips with hers when she tilted her head up, moving the hand not working her from where it had been squeezing at her rear to cup the back of her head. Wild and desperate, our tongues tangled, hunger making us disregard how awkward it might have been for our inexperience. She broke away to gasp for breath now and again, but our lips always met again, coming back together after these breaks.

After several of these meetings and separations, her hips started to move even more along with my touch, driving my fingers deeper in doing so. "I'm... close," she whispered.

So was I. Soon, she buried her face in my neck again and let out a string of moans, not ceasing her touch on me even as her body jerked all over. This put me over the edge as well, and I clung to her back, shivering. The tension flew out of each of us, our bodies going slack. She fell against me, her arms around my neck. I fell onto my back, catching my breath while petting her hair. In silence, together we occupied a languid space of being pulled towards rest but wanting to relish in what had just happened.

After a long while, I whispered to her. "You awake?"

She nodded. "I just don't want to move."

"Then I suppose I'm stuck here."

She laughed, easing herself off of me to sit up. "No... Though you're welcome to stay. We should show ourselves in the world."

"Why do we have to? We could just stay." I moved to put my head in her lap, just for a few moments, before I sat up too. "No, you're right. Work to do." There were endless amounts of medicine to be made before the fighting started. No matter how much I made every time, it seemed to vanish instantly. On that note... "Start bringing Mai with you to my place every day. Between the three of us, we could prepare much more medicine."

"Good idea. Mai's been feeling anxious, too, so I'm sure that will help her feel better." We redressed, me helping her make sure her bindings were secure.

"You know, you could go without them if you wear layers."

"I know, but I don't always do that. I feel safer having them."

"Hm." I bent down slightly when she started combing my hair with her fingers.

"You're a mess," she laughed.

"And whose fault is that?"

She snuck a quick kiss to my lips, and, with one last check that we were both put together, we left. The coming days were spent in this kind of idle light, with Sumire, Mai and I sitting together, making piles and piles of healing salves that never quite felt like enough. These teasing conversations, the simple warmth of Sumire next to me, the giddiness sometimes brought about by something as simple as a smile.

The time dwindled, however, and, in a blink, the moment to go to war fell upon us.