Interlude
It was dark out when tired, green eyes blinked open in the dim light of the workshop. He looked up at the familiar ceiling in silence for a while, then he uttered a soft, hoarse groan. He sounded relieved.
What he saw, when he turned his head, was Ness. She was lying next to him on the floor, sleeping peacefully, with her head resting on a kitsune's lap. Mitsuhide's white haori was draped over her small body like a shield. Mitsuhide sat with his head bowed, his eyes closed, and his fingers running gently through Ness' soft hair. Ieyasu's lips twisted in a displeased grimace. He let out another groan. This one did not sound relieved.
「It's about time you woke up.」
The kitsune's smile seemed pleased but it had a sharp edge to match the sharp yellow eyes that opened to look at Ieyasu. The two men watched each other, for a moment, their expressions... wary. Mitsuhide did not stop slipping his fingers through her hair.
Ieyasu broke the lengthening silence first. His voice was quiet and hoarse, but it was steady.
「How long have I been out?」
「Three days.」
His eyes drifted back to the sight of Mitsuhide's pale fingers in her pale hair. He let out an irritated sigh, his emerald eyes flashing.
「You took advantage in my absence.」
「No more than you did, in mine.」
「I should have killed you before I left.」
「I've always admired your restraint, Ieyasu.」
Ieyasu bared his teeth and made a sound that most closely resembled a growl. Mitsuhide's sharp smile transformed into a smirk of amusement. This only seemed to irritate the doctor more. He lifted his head, as if he was about to sit up, then the shadow of pain crossed his face. He let out a groan and closed his eyes. There was silence, for a long few minutes.
「You're the one who came for me?」
「You were late,」said Mitsuhide, 「Is this where you shower me in gratitude?」
「It would have been easier for you if you hadn't.」
「I don't expect life to be easy. It's a trait we have in common, is it not?」
「I don't have anything in common with you.」
He made this claim with little conviction. Ieyasu opened his eyes again and his gaze was drawn to the woman who slept peacefully through their quiet conversation. Mitsuhide followed his gaze to her face, his expression softening.
「That's not exactly true, is it?」said Mitsuhide.
Ieyasu sighed but he didn't agree or disagree. He kept his eyes fixed on Ness. She was pale and drawn, and there were dark circles under her eyes.
「She looks terrible. You were supposed to take care of her.」
「She refused to rest until she had done everything possible to save you.」
「It's been three days, Mitsuhide!」
「She is very hard to deter once she has set her mind to something.」
Ieyasu sighed, 「Yes, I'm aware.」
「In any case, I judged it best for her emotional health to allow her to continue,」said Mitsuhide.
「Her emotional health...」
「It would have broken her, if you died,」he said quietly, 「I'm not the only one she clings to.」
Mitsuhide added weight to his words with a meaningful look at Ness's small hand, placed over Ieyasu's. She had not let go of him for even a moment while she slept. The doctor's eyes widened then he looked back at Mitsuhide's face, a small frown creasing his brow. The kitsune smiled and shrugged lightly, the amusement clear as day on his face.
「What are you implying, Mitsuhide?」
「What do you think I'm implying, Ieyasu?」
Ieyasu growled, 「Why are you such a slippery bastard?」
「It amuses me.」
「It pisses me off.」
「I know,」said Mitsuhide, 「That's why it amuses me.」
Irritation flashed in Ieyasu's green eyes but before he could speak, the woman lying between them let out a whimper in her sleep. It sounded afraid. Her hand gripped Ieyasu's tightly enough to make him grimace. Both men fell silent. Mitsuhide gently stroked her hair and she let out another whimper before she grew still again, her other hand tangled in the fabric of his white kimono.
「You met our target, did you not?」
Ieyasu frowned, his expression filled with bitterness, 「I did.」
「And what is your assessment?」
「My assessment... is that I do not know how Ness survived her encounter with him. He appears to be highly motivated in his pursuit.」
「She survived because he does not want to kill her,」said Mitsuhide.
「Then he wants her to suffer.」
「I believe that is only one of his goals.」
Mitsuhide made this statement with confidence. He dropped his golden eyes from Ieyasu's face to look at Ness. His expression was dark. There was no hint of his usual smile. Ieyasu examined this rare sight with narrowed eyes.
「Did she tell you what he did?」
「She told me what he wants. What he did...」Mitsuhide sighed, 「I don't think she has the strength to tell us that.」
Ieyasu's expression grew just as dark as the kitsune's, his eyes sparking with an anger that bordered on rage. He looked like a man who was ready to go to war.
「We need to deal with this. No more delays.」
「Agreed. But first...」said Mitsuhide calmly, 「We need to renegotiate the terms of our alliance.」
A/N: I wanted to share this scene with you but it got too long to really fit within the next chapter. So, think of it as a short interlude before the next installment!
It's a lot of fun to explore the relationship between Ieyasu and Mitsuhide so I hope you enjoy it.
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An Imperfect Science | Ikemen Sengoku
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