Spirit of Fire

My sisters and I would walk through our village, visiting the bakers, and the various shops that are just opening in the mornings. This was what we did every day, or at least I did every day. If the weather wasn't favorable, my younger sisters would stay home and when I returned from my trip they would sneer and make little jokes about how foolish I was for risking my health on particularly harsh days. It didn't matter to me though, and it was always on the coldest, windiest, and least relenting days I would be invited into a home and offered hot tea or soup by a fire.

I knew all of them. I visited all of them. I knew some of them since they were in their mother's bellies. More than once I stayed with women when their husbands were away, fishing or fighting, and they were laboring for their child to be born. I will never forget the look in those women's faces as they pushed through the worst parts of labor with so much strength and watched as they fell in love with their children. I will never forget the way those newborns, who only weighed a few pounds, felt so heavy in my arms as I looked into the faces of the future.

Every year our village sent out lanterns on the water with letters written on them to our lost loved ones to read. Every year I wrote the same letters. One to my ancestors, thanking them for their hard work. A letter for my twin brother who was too frail to survive past our third birthday, telling him how I think of him often and like to pretend that he's with me when I play go with our father. My third letter goes to the children who were lost to the world before they could truly know it and the mothers who lost their lives during childbirth, promising them I will think of them as I raise my children and be grateful for the time I get with with my family. My fourth letter goes to the men who's lives have been lost while protecting our village, thanking them for the sacrifices they made, promising them I will honor what they gave up with my own life if need be.

Their faces, their names, the smell of the food and life that used to fill this village have all been decimated by the Dragon of Echigo. His piercing blue eyes saw my homeland and decided to make a meal of it, swallowing all of its life in one large bite.

When I awake I find myself in my parent's chambers. The red and purple silks hanging from the ceiling are pushed by the night air as I begin to remember why I fainted before. My guards have been increased, there are now two at the door that leads to the rest of the house and two by the door that leads to the balcony that looks out over the city and stairs that lead to the path down to the gazebo where father and I would play go on the water.

"Where is my husband?" I ask as I stand from the futon and realize that my clothes have been changed. I'm no longer in the black riding kimono I had on before, someone has put me in a many layered red sleeping gown. As the lead guard informs me that the warlords are in council in the audience chambers of this building I find one of my mothers robes and pull it on. The white robe with peacock feather embroidery smell like my mother and brings me a small sense of comfort as I walk towards the door and the guards stop me.

I restrain myself from slapping him, he's only doing as he's been ordered by either Nobunaga or most likely by Hideyoshi. "Let me through." I demand and he doesn't budge he only informs me that he's been given orders to keep me in this room until they return. "They?"

He swallows awkwardly. "Lord Oda and Toyotomi were very unified on this my lady." The way he speaks, the slight blush in this man's cheeks. My best guess is that other than this current council session "they" have been by my side the whole time, together, in bed, caring more about staying close to each other than who sees.

I take advantage of his moment of their awkwardness to kick the doors behind him open, and before he has a chance I slip into the shadows of the hallways I know much better than anyone else here. I quickly find a spot in the shadows to hide and wait for my guards to pass by as they attempt to pursue me. Once it's clear I head towards the audience chamber.

As I emerge from the shadows, and begin to walk the halls towards the audience chamber I see why they wanted me to stay in the room; blood. There are blood hand and footprints along with streaks and smears along the walls above puddles or drops of dried blood. What once were simple cream colored panels are painted with my people's blood. I want to scream again, but an overwhelming need to seek revenge drives me to find my way to the council.

The room is lit from inside, the shadows of the men inside dance on the screens and I can here their voices before I approach, although what they are saying only becomes clear as I approach.

"We all agree that Mitsuhide will need to be taken down, however, splitting our forces in half in order to meet him at Honnoji is what's in question." I'd recognize that concerned voice anywhere as Hideyoshi continues. He goes on to remind the room that the number of soldiers that Mitsuhide may be unknown but is definitely less than Kenshin's army in the North before turning to Mitsunari.The gentle voice of the violet angel of strategy is calm as he suggests that they send most of their forces North and a smaller, more skilled, force is sent to Honnoji.

"Two days from now." The baritone and commanding voice of Nobunaga rings clear, and unquestioning. "Masamune and I, along with two thousand men will ride to Honnoji to take care of Mitsuhide. Hideyoshi will lead the remaining Vassals and nine thousand soldiers to Kenshin. Once Mitsuhide is taken care of we will ride to join you in the North."

"And what about your wife?" Masamune questions.

Hideyoshi speaks up, his voice a little shaky and betrays his worry. "She should travel with Nobunaga until the turn to Azuchi, and remain there."

I slam the doors open.

Once they take their hands from their katanas and see me standing there seething Masamune speaks up. "I sense a lover's quarrel. Perhaps we can finish this council tomorrow and leave them to it."

The vassals begin to shuffle past me as they exit the room and I glare at Nobunaga and Hideyoshi. As Toyotomi begins to move to leave I huff. "Where do you think you're going coward?"

He looks stunned and hurt as I step into the room and slide the doors closed behind me. Nobunaga also looks stunned but that quickly turns to a warning look that ignore.

I stride towards Nobunaga, ready to strike him. "You're an idiot." He grabs my wrist before I can swing a slap to his strong features.

"Rina. Stop." His red eyes are intense, but I can see the pity he's trying to hide and it only makes me more enraged. I spin and bend to remove my wrist from his grip as I nearly spit my words at him. "Don't touch me Oda fool!"

"Rina—" Hideyoshi sounds somewhat broken as he gently says my name and wraps his arms around me from behind. The comfort of his embrace isn't lost on me as I feel the ice like agony fill me again, it's so cold it feels like it's burning. His face presses to the side of mine as the glare I had fixed to Nobunaga begins to melt into sobbing. "They're all gone, aren't they?" I cry out as my knees fail me and Hideyoshi quickly sits and keeps me in his lap. Nobunaga follows us as he goes to his knees but looks unsure of how to approach.

My ribs hurt from the crying and my eyes burn from the tears and I'm beginning to wonder how many tears I will have to shed before this all stops hurting so much. I watch, blurry from tears, as Nobunaga begins to melt, his commanding posture crumbling and angry tears begin to spill from him as he speaks low and hoarse. "Please forgive me Rina." I cant respond, I can't stop crying and his words are only making it harder to stop, harder to breath. "My reinforcements failed your people... I failed your people." His head falls forward as he begins to cry.

I speak between gasps of air as I try to be done with the tears. "How— did— they— die?"

They look at each other, trying to figure out how to tell me until a resolute expression washes over both of them and Nobunaga speaks. "Your people fought, they tried. You can be proud of your people for how hard they fought to the bitter end."

I take a deep, shuttering, breath before speaking. "My family?" I ask. I need to know.

Hideyoshi's arms tighten around me as he speaks in a tone that should be calming. "Rina, I think it would be better if you didn't know."

Yes, he's loyal and caring, he is also cunning. He knew I would be enraged, part of the reason he tightened his grip I'm sure of it as I struggle to break free, wanting to claw at him as I yell. "Tell me! Tell me what that bastard did to my family or I will never look either of you in the eye again!" I'm locked by his arms, unable to break free because of the way we are sitting, none of that stops me from making this difficult on either of them.

It's Nobunaga who starts, or tries to anyway, until Hideyoshi sternly shushes him, and I held back to urge to bite the blonde. Nobunaga looks resolute as his eyes shift from me to his vassal. "I'm telling her and whatever consequences you think there will be for telling her the truth are mine to bear from here on out."

He comes closer, silently ordering Hideyoshi to release me so he can take my hands. As soon as his arms loosen I push away from him, landing on the floor between the two men and I take Nobunaga's hands. He composes himself, looking calm as he continues. "We found them outside, on pikes." I gasp for air and quickly refocus, he has to see that I can hear this without collapsing again or I do deserve to go back to Azuchi and wait this war out. "Their bodies were burned, just like the rest of your village."

I take a deep breath, fighting to speak despite the tension in my throat. "Are there any survivors?"

Nobunaga shakes his head. "None that we can find."

At first I think maybe some of the villagers could have gotten away, they could have escaped through the forest or out on boats, but when I see the dark expressions of both Nobunaga and Hideyoshi I realize that is not what they are thinking. Kenshin is a man with a lust for blood and pain, he wouldn't let even the youngest child slip through his grasp. If any of my people are alive, it would be because he took them for his twisted pleasures. There are too many reasons why he might take a man, woman, or child and my mind goes to the darkest of places.

I turn to Nobunaga and with fires in my belly and my face that make all previous passions look like small embers I speak. "I am not going back to Azuchi." I hear the beginnings of protest from behind me and whip around to slap him. As the shock of my actions cross both of their faces I continue. "Don't be such a coward, it repulses me."

"Rina!" Nobunaga has regained the commander in his voice.

"There you are." I turn to him with a lusty smile. "I don't need your apologies for failing me and my people. I need the Demon King that strikes fear into people's hearts. I don't need Hideyoshi to try and stop me, I need the fierce warrior that the injured men I used to treat wouldn't stop talking about." As I stand so do they.

Hideyoshi's voice is thick with lust now that I have given him permission to be himself. "I'm here." He says against my neck as he presses himself against me. He may be cautious, but when he's challenged he rises.

Nobunaga pushes me harder against Hideyoshi with his body. His velvety voice full of intention brings his warm breath against my lips. "It seems I won't be able to enter battle without my phoenix." With that he closes the distance between our faces.

It was as if my words poured gunpowder on the flames we had before. Their hands no longer leave comforting trails of warmth, now it's explosion of need along my body. All sense of preservation left our minds as they filled me in the audience chamber where anyone could walk by and hear the moans of pleasure or see the shadows of us all connected.

We lay on the bamboo floor in a pile, me still straddling Nobunaga and Hideyoshi curled beside us stroking my lower back. As we continue to catch our breath a piecing, otherworldly, scream pulls all three of our attention.

I rise and begin to pull my robes back together and whisper. "Why do I feel like I know that sound?" As they rise from the floor they also say it feels familiar. Hideyoshi slowly opens the doors and we head towards the room I escaped earlier. Hideyoshi hesitates at the door. When I turn around to see him standing there I huff. "Get in here before I embarrass you in front of these guards." He mumbles something that I choose to ignore as he enters and the doors close.

The light from the moon is so bright coming in from the balcony where the guards have left. As I begin to walk towards the futon I remember that just the other night it was a new moon, it's not possible that so much light comes from the sky and I rush to the balcony. A gasp escapes me, drawing the attention of my warlords that had already lay down on the futon and they quickly join me in my amazement as I gaze upon a giant, glowing, white peacock resting in the sky in front of the moon.