Strength

Several hundred men had sifted through the ashes in search of my body. When they were certain they had gone through every inch Ieyasu sent most of them to a base camp near by and Hideyoshi began searching again for another two days without very much rest or food until he dropped to his knees finally allowing himself to give up and cry the tears he had been hold back since they first came upon the place. His vassals were there to support him and bring him to the base camp to rest and that was when the ashes moved and they heard a strange groan before the ashes were shaken off to reveal the last person in this world they thought they would see, much less naked and half way through a pregnancy only Hideyoshi really knew about.

Hideyoshi wrapped me up in as many of his layers he could before carefully scooping me up out of the ashes and refused to let my feet hit the ground until we returned to the base camp and to his tent. On the walk there he explains how long they searched and everything leading up to my appearance. "You never cease to amaze." He nearly laughs. His vassals stay close, creating somewhat of a guard around us as we walk through the camp and the men there stare in awe or excitement as we pass them. When we got to the tent Ieyasu attempts to follow us in. "I should examine her… and the pregnancy… and…" he was stuttering as both Hideyoshi and I stared him down until he left. Has he ever looked at me with so much concern? I'm assuming that's what I see in his face, but it could also be curiosity and intrigue at the rapid change in my physical state.

Hideyoshi lays me down on the futon and lays down next to me, eyes fixed to the belly. "Where were you?" He asks before his honey colored eyes look up at me. "I was so close to giving up hope…" He swallows hard.

I reach for his cheek. "I was with the phoenix—" he nods but stops cold when I finish, "and Nobunaga." His eyes widen now.

I tell him everything I can remember from the encounter and he is just as perplexed as I am. "What did he mean, 'remember him as he was and find him there'?" I shake my head tiredly.

I try to sound excited, but the exhaustion is hitting me too hard as my head continues to sink into the pillow. "I'm tired! I haven't rested in—" I sink into a dreamless sleep too fast to finish.

The feeling of movement inside of me stirs me half awake. Hideyoshi is fast asleep beside me, his soft breaths as he sleeps, probably for the first time in days make me smile for a moment. At first I think the movement I felt in my core is some kind of residual affect from the phoenix's powers until it happens again and I realize, its completely natural, it is my child moving inside of me, making himself known to his mother for the first time. As my hand meets my belly to feel the way my skin moves when I can feel him dancing inside of me something like a shadow grows near the entrance of the tent. The shadow has form, It's not the shadow of someone approaching from the outside, it is definitely a figure inside of the tent already. My eyes continue to adjust to it's presence as small details of the shadow's attire become visible and as soon as they do, as soon as the red and black clothes, the district flower symbol of his clan, I know it is my child's father, I know it is Nobunaga appearing to me again even if his features don't appear before me. "I see you." I whisper and Hideyoshi stirs beside me. I don't look at my sleeping husband, my eyes are glued to Nobunaga's shadowing figure as it begins to fade again and slide away before deep sleep overcomes me again, this time holding me tighter.

When I wake up the next morning Hideyoshi is already gone from the tent and some of my clothes have been set out for me to change into. I manage to get up from the futon, not without great effort, and start to pull my clothes on. I am still struggling to tie my own sashes when Hideyoshi reenters. "May I help?" He asks as his chin rests on my shoulder. I run my fingers through his hair briefly before asking for help.

When he is finished helping me dress I turn to find food that he must have set down before coming to help. While somewhat queasy, I am starving, and eat all of my portion, and some of his, which he gladly gives and lightly chuckles. Once I've finished and begin sipping on some hot tea he speaks in a careful tone. "Ieyasu still wants to examine you…" One of his eyebrows raises with his smirk. I nod and he goes to fetch the curious physician.

I lay on the futon as Ieyasu examines and after a barrage of questions that I hardly know how to answer, after I explain to him how the baby was held by the phoenix and kept safe I get the pleasure of seeing him in shock for a brief moment until his face finally returns to his normal, unimpressed, expression. "Now that the war is over we should get back to Azuchi. I will have our supplies shifted and have a cart set up to carry you, it won't be as comfortable as the your usual palanquin, but it won't jostle you as much as riding horseback." I huff as he continues to give me instructions and restrictions and he is getting more irritated with me the more I react with indignation. His words are harsh and yet somehow the context warms my heart. "You're carrying Nobunaga's child, so wipe the sour look from your face and take that responsibility seriously."

Hideyoshi looks stunned and his ears begin to turn bright read before he speaks. "Thank you for your time Ieyasu. You can leave now." The shock has turned stern towards the healer until he leaves and his golden eyes soften as he helps me up from the futon. His entire being changes and warms towards me as he pulls us close. "How are you feeling?" He asks while rubbing my lower back which helps ease the nausea and intense pains in my joints and skin that has stuck with me since emerging from the ashes.

I rest my head to his chest with a huff. "Like I am being treated like I am a child." I pout.

His chest rumbles with laughter. "Perhaps because you are with child. A very important child to everyone you know."

I quickly look up to see his smile. "I hate feeling so helpless, so suddenly after being-- whatever I was during this war…"

His smile warms as one of his hands strokes the back of my head. "You are still the strongest one here Rina." He kisses the top of my head. I was never the strongest, even when I had the phoenix's powers, I was only able to endure more than them, I was only able to recover faster, it was only thanks to my flames I was able to win against Mitsuhide and Kenshin. How could he possibly be calling me the strongest here when I don't even have those flames anymore?

My voice turns worried as I speak. "Where is my sister?"

He smiles again. "She's resting in a nearby tent. It is safe to assume that once he left here, Ieyasu joined Mitsunari at her side." My eyebrow raises higher than ever before in response and he laughs. "At least one of them is always by her side. They seem to be entranced by her."

An eyebrow does not lower as I speak as a protective older sister. "You sound approving..."

"After what Sueko has been through…" His smile remains calm as he gently grabs my chin. "I would hate to take any kindness away from her." He brings his face closer to mine.

"She needs to heal before she can think about anything remotely close to romantic." I tighten my eyes on him. He nods and hums an agreement.

"I think she will be safe from anything too obviously romantic from those two. Unlike Masamune they can be in a room with someone they fancy without trying to seduce them..."

Oh gods, the idea of the one-eyed dragon carrying her from the brothel flashes in my mind, and the way he spoke and looked at her. "Does he also spend time with her?" I ask, not sure what answer I want.

"He only guards her tent, other than coming to the ashes yesterday to try to bring me back to base camp, he just stays by her tent… I think out of the three of them he might actually —" I quickly press my fingers to his lips and shake my head.

"Let's be done with this conversation and go see her for ourselves." I smile and replace my fingers with my lips for a quick kiss. His eyes close as he pulls me closer to him, his long dark lashes shuttering as I close my eyes and succumb to his lips and soon his tongue is twisting and pressing my own.

When he pulls away he apologizes. "All I can think about since you returned is how badly I want to touch you." His fingers line my jaw as his golden eyes stare into me.

I laugh. "I won't let go of your hand unless absolutely necessary."

His returning laugh is not as light as mine as his hand grasps mine. "That's not exactly what I meant…" He half smiles.

"I know…" I my eyes drop to my swollen abdomen. "I don't know if I am— ready for so much stimulation right now…" I can feel the blood racing to my cheeks. We went four months without a break, and now that I am returned I need time to adjust to my body and the pregnancy.

He squeezes my hand before kissing my head. "I will wait, as long as you need." I look up with a calm smile before he begins to lead us towards the tent's opening. "Let's go visit Sueko and her three suitors." He smiles, knowing full well it irks me to hear it.

The tent is easy to spot if you know that Masamune Date in his dark blue and black attire is guarding the entrance. "Don't you have food to prepare or some kind of training you can be doing?" I ask, perhaps a bit harsher than I intended since his face looks ashamed.

His voice is equally humble. "I try to leave… but all I can think of is the promises I made her when we left you…" Ugh, I can see it in his one eye: commitment. Of all the vassals to fall into infatuation with my last sister, why Masamune Date?

"What kinds of promises? Better not have been anything lewd." I sneer.

Hideyoshi gently squeezes my hand to draw my attention to him. He speaks in a careful tone. "Rina, go easy on him." He whispers, although it hides nothing from Masamune who grunts at the suggestion he needs protection from me.

"I promised her that I would keep her safe…" He looks away with pursed lips.

"How long is this promise?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.

He mumbles. "Always." With that I roll my eyes and brush past him and enter the tent, pulling my husband with me.

It's not any better inside… She is sitting at a low table eating with Mitsunari and Ieyasu on either side of her, laughing with closed eyes and a hand to her abdomen at something Mitsunari has just said. Mitsunari is laughing pleasantly with her while Ieyasu is… is he pouting? I'm internally groaning, which I am sure my husband can hear as he tightens his grip again with a soft, nervous, chuckle.

Sueko's bright green eyes snap to us when she hears his chuckle. "Rina! Quickly men, help me to my feet!" Did she really just command them? Is that why they are so infatuated they don't even hesitate to obey? She still needs help to walk, four months, twice as long as my time in Kenshin's hands. I only have a moment to be sad for the state of her mobility until I notice… how did I miss that when she was naked? "Sueko… you're— with—"

"Yes." She interrupts with a slightly ferocity in her eyes. "I am with child. This baby saved me from being killed before you could save me." Her smile, how can she smile, how can she look like she loves that child when she is still recovering from it's father's torture?

I look up at Hideyoshi and smack his chest. "You didn't tell me! How cruel!"

Sueko laughs again. "Goodness Rina, is that anyway to treat your husband, the Emperor of Japan?"

"Emperor? How many things have you been keeping from me? Is all you do think about my lips?!" I smack him again and when I go for another he grabs my wrist and stares firmly into my eyes. "Striking the emperor is a very serious crime Rina, I will have to reprimand you for it later." My entire face flushes. He must have lost some of his sanity when I was missing from this reality because he would never be so brazen otherwise.

I turn back to Sueko and try to smile. "What would you like to do about the child once they are born?" I ask.

Her brows pull together, a faint line forms between them as she tries to stand a little straighter. "There is only one way I can think of thanking this baby for helping save me." She manages to stand as she continues. "To raise them myself." She smiles gently. I feel shamed by my youngest sister, still full of so much light and joy after everything we have lost, after everything Kenshin did to us, she still seems so happy. I nod my head in respect for her choice, her response is an attempted lunge that is more like a fall into my arms as she starts to cry. I keep her supported as out bellies touch when we hug. He voice is still so happy when she rubs her forehead to my shoulder. "Rina, I'm so happy we still have each other."

Her sweet words, the smile that she got from my father, the eyes and nose she got from my mother, all of her, somehow cracks my heart and tears threaten to fall from my eyes. "I'm happy to have you too Sueko." My hand rests on the back of her head as tears start to fall into her shiny black hair.