Ikemen Sengoku: Nobunaga Oda

Chapter 8

I'm not going to run away. I'll see Nobunaga tomorrow. But until then, I want some time to sort out my feelings. I followed the foot path aimlessly for a time, until--

Someone is here? A dark shadow fell over me.

Kennyo: "Have you come to enjoy the moonlight, young lady?" Before I could think to struggle, my arms were pinioned. Armed men in black slithered from the darkness, surrounding me. I turned to see the man who held me. The scar on his face twisted with his smile.

Kennyo: "You and I met once before in Kyoto, yes? I gave you some good advice, and I'm sad you chose to ignore it. Demons lurk in the woods at night. See them and you die." Kennyo! "Be good and keep quiet. If you don't, I'll make sure you never make another sound again." He means it! If I'm going to cry for help, I better make it count!

Man in Black: "Abbot! This is the woman! She's Mai!"

Oh no. Oh no no no. I turned around to see two men staring at me.

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Assassin 1: "Nobunaga, prepare yourself!"

Nobunaga: "You finally decided to show up. You should be ashamed of yourselves, attacking a man taking his evening's pleasure. You obviously lack the skills to please a woman."

Assassin 2: "Go ahead, prattle on!"

*-*-*

It's the men who attacked Nobunaga and me at the hot springs. And they recognize me.

Kennyo: "So you're the one? The luckless woman who won the devil's favor. Bad things come to those engaged with the Devil King."

Mai: "Take a good look at yourself before you start calling people names." I struggled against him. Kennyo had the look of a monk, but he had the strength of a bear.

Kennyo: "Do you know what it means when they call him 'The Devil King of the Sixth Heaven'? It refers to the devil who rules over worldly desires and corrupts the human realm. A fitting name for that monster." A devil. A monster. I've heard him called both, but--

Mai: "You have the wrong idea about Nobunaga. So why don't you keep quiet and listen!"

Kennyo: "You have an objection?" I've seen the coldness in his eyes melt when we're together. He's not unkind. He's had to harden himself to bring about his vision.

Mai: "Nobunaga has killed people. And he's done it without regret. But he has a heart, too. A heart that carries the weight of his deeds. A heart that's not dead to kindness in spite of all he's done." That's why I found him so confusing, and why I ran away. I glared up at Kennyo. Now, I need to get back and let Nobunaga know that Kennyo's here! "Let go of me!"

Kennyo: "I'm afraid I can't do that. You see, Nobunaga killed one of my men, just to save you." There wasn't any anger in Kennyo's eyes, there was pity. "And I heard what happened tonight, when you collapsed from the poison. The Devil King held you in his arms and didn't let you go until you showed signs of life." He did? "He's a remorseless monster, a murderer driven by ambition-- And yet he put everything aside for a frail confection like you."

I thought Kennyo might have been lying to distract me, but—

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Ieyasu: "Because I've never seen Nobunaga as upset as he was when you conked out."

Mai: "Really? Well, now you have to tell me."

Ieyasu: "He didn't panic or cry or anything. But he--"