An Imperfect Science | Ikemen Sengoku

Chapter 15

His horse had pulled to a stop about thirty feet up the road. In the encroaching twilight, his white hair was tinted faintly blue, and his eyes were cast in shadow. He held a large and ornate gun steadily and it was aimed in their direction. He was completely still yet menace radiated from him. To her great surprise, tears welled up in her eyes as soon as she saw him. She blinked them back and refocused on the situation. You're just relieved, that's all.

"Hi, Mitsuhide. Welcome home."

She was proud of herself that she managed to make her greeting sound so casual. Oh please, Mitsuhide could see through you at a thousand feet. Her two would-be kidnappers clearly didn't understand what they were saying but they did understand one thing. The one who held her tensed and pulled her in tightly against him, tightly enough to make her squeak for breath. The other one looked like he might be about to pass out and he breathed out one word.

「Akechi.」

The man himself offered a razor-sharp smile as he assessed the scene in front of him.

「I see you understand your situation, so I will skip the pleasantries. Please release the lady.」

For a minute, it seemed like they might comply with his request. The pale one was breathing shallowly, and she could see a sheen of sweat on his brow. Then the one holding her let out a bitter bark of a laugh and she felt the press of something cold and sharp against her throat. Fuck.

「You're in no position to give orders. Lower your weapon and I might not kill her.」

She took a sharp breath and tried to keep as still as possible. Mitsuhide's ever-present smile folded into a frown for a mere heartbeat, and then he shrugged, the smile returning. She didn't like the look of that smile.

「Then we are at an impasse.」

He shifted subtly, his weapon moving by a hair and his amber eyes cast along the barrel with incredible focus. The man holding her scoffed, but the pale one let out a noise that sounded a lot like a whimper. He's not seriously going to shoot... at me?

"Mitsuhide?"

"Be quiet and still as a mouse, little mouse."

Oh my god, he is.

"Mitsuhide, wait. I don't think this is a good idea. Do you know how inaccurate those things are? I really think we should ta-"

Mitsuhide smirked as she immediately failed to do what he'd told her to. The ear-piercing crack and the thud next to her ear seemed to happen simultaneously. A warm, wet spray splattered over her cheek as both she and her captor were pushed back by the force. His knife dragged a painful path across her collarbone before it fell out of his hand. His arm released her as he collapsed on the spot without making a single noise.

She didn't even notice when the second man turned and ran. All her attention was zoned in on the white-haired man approaching, the sound of his hoofbeats beating a counter-rhythm to that of her thumping heart. He raised a second weapon as he again drew to a halt. The crack of the gunshot was followed, moments later, by a shriek of pain from the grass some distance away. She watched as he holstered his weapons calmly. She tried to think of something to say. Thank you. I'm so happy you came. It's such a relief to see you.

"What the hell, Mitsuhide?!"

"I told you to be quiet and still as a mouse."

"You could have killed me!"

"Your lack of faith grieves me."

He didn't seem very grieved. His smile had a teasing edge that seemed wholly out of place amongst the blood spatter and the bodies. Then the smile vanished. Oh. I'm in big trouble. His eyes bored into her and she squirmed.