Ikémen Sengoku: The Goddess of Life

A Chat Between Two Rivals

The tension as Irey left with Mitsunari was so uptight, each of the warlords could've cut through it with their blades. Hideyoshi, with a stern expression on his face, stepped to his lord's right side.

"Nobunaga, are you sure we should accept her proposition? I express the same concern as Mitsunari."

"My friend, there's nothing to fear. I have no doubt in my mind that she's the Goddess of Life, Irey."

"Then why didn't you just say you believed her and moved on?"

At this time, Mitsuhide joined in on the conversation at Hideyoshi's right side; a smile on his lips.

"Because it's more fun this way. How often do you get to see a goddess in battle? It's about as often as Mitsunari drawing his own sword."

"And boy is it a thrill to see that." Masamune commented.

Ieyasu said nothing. The only sound he made was a low and disgruntled, "Hmph."

♡

Meanwhile, Irey was silent as she followed Mitsunari. She had nothing to say. Her thoughts only lingered on Mitsuhide's words.

"I mean, being the Goddess of Life should come with an unprecedented resilience. If anything, she should've come to earth with an image of nobility. But how do we find her? Lying in a pit of her own defeat."

Her fists tightened. They mocked her for her identity, which was a strong sign of disrespect. Not to mention that they kept pointing out that she was a woman. It was almost as if women in this era had little to no importance, opinions, or say in any matter.

"Lady Irey..." The goddess had nearly run into the silver-haired man's chest as he stopped and turned to face her.

"I'm sorry, I must've blanked out. Is something the matter?"

"Actually, I was going to ask you that same question."

"Ask me?"

"Mhm. You looked upset, so I wanted to make sure if there was anything I could do to make you feel better."

Her lips parted slightly in awe as she gazed at the man in front of her. It certainly was kind of him to say something like that, but... for what? Did he have something to gain? No... he didn't seem like the type to take advantage of someone's favor like that.

A kind smile arose on her lips, and it shined bright enough to at least convince him that she was alright.

"I appreciate the concern, but I'm okay. Honest. Your name was... Mitsunari, right?"

"Correct. I'm Mitsunari Ishida, Hideyoshi's vassal."

"Well, Mitsunari, you seem to have a lot of compassion and love in your heart. I'm sure my sisters Iyari and Ai would very much adore you." His angelic features beheld astonishment.

"That's very kind of you to say, Lady Irey. Thank you very much."

"Well it's the truth, so think nothing of it." She placed her hand on his shoulder, and he felt the comforting warmth of her palm through his overcoat. Of course, it was a quick pat before she continued ahead. But as soon as her hand left him, he suddenly felt empty. Shaking his head, the man jogged to catch up to her.

"Lady Irey, if I may..." He stared at the ground beneath his feet, almost as if he were figuring out an equation of sorts. "Why is it that you insist fighting will prove your identity to Nobunaga?"

"Mmm—" Her voice suddenly stopped in her throat. "Well..." She scratched the back of her head, staring up at the ceiling. "I don't know how he did it, but Mitsuhide made me feel lesser of myself."

"Oh? How so?"

"He said that, being a goddess, I should be an image of strength and nobility. And there you all find me... lying defeated in a dirt hole like... like nothing. I know I could be better, and yet... I'm not as wise as I want to be, nor am I as strong. It frustrates me a little, so I want to prove that I'm good enough. Considering you're all warlords, I can imagine fighting is the only way."

"Well... that's not necessarily true. Besides, I don't think you should listen to him."

"Hm?"

"Yeah. Just because someone thinks you're not strong, doesn't mean you're what they say you are. I think you're amazing, Lady Irey. I've never seen a goddess with my own eyes before, but I can tell you're capable of many amazing things. For one thing, being Goddess of Life is a very important task. You give life and maintain it. That's something far too incredible for words."

She smiled at him, but the smile was rather sad. He was trying to cheer her up, and it was a considerate thing for him to do. She appreciated his kindness and started to feel bad for having to fight him later, but the way Mitsuhide had spoken to her reminded her that she still had a whole other responsibility that had yet to be faced. But instead of showing her melancholy, she kept a bright and positive demeanor... even if it was a facade.

"Your words are encouraging. Thank you for that."

"No problem." Upon arriving at Irey's previous room, Mitsunari stopped her before she'd entered. "Lady Irey..."

"Yes?"

"You aren't... going to hurt anyone, are you?"

Her eyes widened and she blinked a bit.

"Of course not. Though I'm a fierce warrior, I fight without killing."

"I didn't mean to offend you. I only hold concern since we'll be using actual swords."

"You didn't offend me. I just turn my blade the other way. It's dull and it won't hurt my opponent."

"Then it leaves you at risk instead."

"Not if I have control."

"But—"

"I've done it many times before. So long as I'm in control, no one will get hurt. And if someone or something slips up, I'll drop everything and be there to protect. There's nothing to fear, so just keep that nice smile on your face, okay?"

Without another word, she entered her room and left him out in the halls on his own. He stood there for a couple moments, placing a hand under his chin in a calculating way.

"Nice smile, hm...?" Shrugging, he did what was asked of him, letting that happy-go-lucky smile shine across his face before wandering off to find a suitable weapon for Irey.

Meanwhile, she stood before a mirror, raising a brow at her kimono. Its flowery design and bright, white silk were indeed beautiful, but she couldn't move in these garments. Taking a firm hold of her sleeve, she ripped the fabric apart from her shoulder, moving her arm about. It wasn't restricting, so she decided to do the same to her other sleeve. Now she looked down at the rest of her kimono, which draped over her legs.

"Hm..."

"Lady Irey?" It was Mitsunari. "I'm coming in." He slid the door open; his eyes widening slightly. "I hope this isn't a bad time. I just brought a weapon for you to use. The armory wasn't too far from here." He presented a sword to her and her face lit up.

"That's... perfect." Quick and sure, she took the sword from his grasp and held it to the fabric at her legs.

"Lady Irey, what are you doing?!" He exclaimed. Without hesitation, she sliced the metal through the fabric at the length of her thighs, watching as the white silk hit the ground. Her legs were free to do as they pleased now. Using a bit of magic, she touched up the ends that looked like they might require stitching, spiraling the extra material into a belt for her sword, wrist wraps, and leg wraps. She also changed her shoes completely for sturdiness and support acrobatic-wise. The goddess now looked like a kunoichi.

"Alright. I'm ready. What do you think?"

"The way you stitched that back up was enough to amaze me. I've never seen anything like it! It looks wonderful, Lady Irey. Shall we head off, then?"

"Yes." Her mind suddenly flashed to the image of Nobunaga's arrogant smirk painting his lips. A fist at her side tightened and her eyes turned towards a new sort of determination. "Yes, we shall."