Chapter 51: Fatigue: Undercurrents


    Confused by Nobu''s remark, Yui was about to ask if anything was wrong when he beat her to the punch, saying, "I''m too tired for this shit. Where am I supposed to sleep?"


    Not expecting Nobu to refuse sex, he hadn''t thus far, Yui found herself at a momentary loss for words before saying, "There are futons and other supplies hidden beneath the tatami mats. Allow me to grab one for you..."


    Ignoring Yui''s remark, Nobu began massaging his head with his left hand as the befuddled beauty quickly set about preparing a ce for him to sleep. It was around the time she was almost finished that Yuriko asked, "Mind if I sleep here tonight? I was originally going to stand guard but if the two of you aren''t going to have sex, I wouldn''t mind caressing your head until you fell asleep..."


    ring at Yuriko, Yui was about to tell her the Nianese form of fuck off, but, before she was able to, Nobu surprised her by saying, "Sure. Whatever. Just don''t try anything. I''m not in the mood for any of that pretentious seduction bullcrap..."


    With a massive grin on her face, Yuriko bypassed the grimacing Yui with the intent of joining Nobu in his futon. This prompted thetter to turn towards Nobu, a visibly anxious look in her eyes as she adopted a seiza position and asked, "Did I say or do anything to offend you? If so, I-"


    Seeing Yui attempt to perform a dogeza, Nobu''s frown deepened as he said, "You''re doing it right now. Seriously. Ever since we first met, I''ve been saying you need to loosen up. Now that you know who I am, you''ve be even more of a tightass than before. I actually preferred it when you were more of a bitch. At least then you were being sincere. Now? Pretty much everything you say and do feels fake. Do you really think I''m so pathetic that I need bitches to spread their legs and service me because of things like duty or obligation? Fuck off."


    Though it wasn''t even close to the first time he had told her to fuck off, Yui felt genuinely hurt by Nobu''s words. Unfortunately, he was currently in a state of mind where even legitimate tears came across as fake or forced. Thus, even when she lowered her head, apologized, and slowly made her way out into the hall, he made no attempt to stop her. Instead, he just rolled over in his futon, back turned as he did his best to force himself to sleep...


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    Observing the ''lover''s spat'' from within the privacy of a dark room illuminated by nothing but a few candles, a silver-haired woman, Hitomi, inhaled a long drag from a kiseru-style pipe before tapping the contents into a golden ashtray.


    Though she had recently turned 58-years-old, a remarkable age for a kunoichi, Hitomi appeared no older than a 25-year-old woman on the surface. The only tell was her silvery-grey hair, but, as silver and even white hair were rtivelymon among the people of Nian, only those who had known her for a long time were aware of her true age.


    At the present moment, Hitomi was still wearing her traditional red and gold kimono. Now that she no longer had to keep up appearances, however, the front was leftpletely open as she sat atop a thin padded pillow without a single garment to conceal her lithe and athletic body.


    Hitomi, like many other kunoichi, preferred being nude over wearing clothes. The crisp evening air helped to cool her perpetually feverish body, a side-effect of ingesting numerous poisons over the course of a fifty-year period.


    Under normal circumstances, a kunoichi would die somewhere between the ages of 25~30. This could be prolonged with special herbs and a sufficiently high cultivation base, but, more often than not, they weren''t allowed to live any longer than that. The Noble ns began to feel restless when ninja or kunoichi gathered too much influence or grew beyond a certain Rank, so, unless there were extenuating circumstances, the age of 50 and Mithril Rank 1 were the invible limits ced on the vast majority of shinobi.


    Exhaling a tremendous volume of smoke, adding to the haze that already existed within the room, Hitomi fondled the glowing crystal ball in herp with a contemtive look in her heterochromatic, blue and red, eyes. Nobu was, quite literally, the only reason she had been allowed to live this long, so, while she had no intention of ying the fool at fate''s behest, it wasn''t an exaggeration to say she had a vested interest in his sess.


    "He''s such an honest yet circuitous young man...he purports to speak his mind but never reveals his true feelings. It makes me wonder...who hurt you, Oda Nobunaga...?"


    Tracing her finger along the somewhat pouty visage of Nobu reflected in the crystal ball, the smile on Hitomi''s face became marginally more prominent as she mused, "Well...it''s no matter. Time heals all wounds. You might be left with a few scars, but, with proper care and attention, it''s only a matter of time before even those fade. The only question is...is Yui up to the task? You must have left quite the impression on that girl for her to mess up this badly..."


    Sweeping her hand across the surface of the crystal ball, Hitomi found her Granddaughter sitting in the hallway with a vexed and teary-eyed expression on her face. She was clearly struggling with her thoughts. Her training should have prepared her for this, but, much like the bestid ns, fate had a habit of humbling those who thought themselves ready for anything.


    "Eighteen years of exhaustive mental and emotional conditioningpromised in a single evening. You must have fallen quite hard, my naive little Granddaughter..."


    As those words left her lips, Hitomi began to think about what she could do to provide the young couple a bit of support. Before she could think of anythingprehensive, however, a faint sound emanated from the ceiling. This particr room didn''t actually have any doors so the only ways to reach it were through the roof or by following one of three underground tunnels. Even then, it was nearly impossible to reach, as, much like the fictional stories back in Nobu''s world, Hitomi had more than a dozen elite kunoichi constantly keeping watch over the room and its surroundings.


    Since there were only six people who could advance this far unannounced, Hitomi didn''t even need to spread her senses through the area before calling out, "Enter, Suzune." in a calm yet authoritative tone.


    Dropping in from the higher than average ceiling, Suzunended a few meters away from Hitomi before dropping to a knee, head lowered and fist ced against the ground as she said, "You were right, Hitomi-kacho. The first things he asked about were his identity and his situation. His behavior is also unlike anyone I have ever met. Were it not for the fact our kunoichi have been watching over him for the past eleven years, I would find it difficult to believe he is the son of Lord Senken..."


    Nodding her head, Hitomi allowed the crystal ball in her hands to turn dark before setting it aside and exining, "I have already informed Lord Senken of his arrival. However, I also exined that he is feeling fatigued from the journey. We have approximately two weeks to increase our rapport with the Young Lord before he meets with his parents. He doesn''t appear to be the type to hold a grudge but it will be a detriment to the entire n if his impression of us worsens in the days toe. I was originally thinking of having your daughter coordinate with Kumiko but it seems our Young Lord has developed a particr distaste for her presence..."


    Though it didn''t show on her face, Suzune couldn''t help feeling annoyed by Hitomi''s words. Even if the incident was ultimately Shizune''s fault, she still felt that the Matriarch had set her daughter up by sending her on a mission without adequate information. Her daughter was, after all, training to be an information specialist. She couldn''t resist the temptation to learn more, so, with someone as strange and interesting as Nobu around, she was bound to do something foolish without knowing who he was.


    Sensing Suzune''s dissatisfaction, the edges of Hitomi''s smile curled upward as she asked, "Is there something the Information Elder wishes to say? Please, speak freely."


    Raising her head, Suzune made her displeasure known with a grimace as she asked, "Why did you send Shizune on the mission to interfere with Yui? She could have been a tremendous asset to the Young Lord. Now, because of Waka-sama''s inhibitions towards women under the age of eighteen, it could take years for her to earn his favor. Had things yed out differently, I might have even been forced to sacrifice my life just to make amends for a mistake that could have easily been avoided..."


    Instead of denying Suzune''s ims, Hitomi nodded her head in a sagely manner before waving her hand over the crystal ball and exining, "I wanted to test Waka-chan''s fate. Shizune was a suitable candidate for this. Also...you understand better than anyone that your daughter isn''t suited to being a kunoichi. She doesn''t talk about it, but that girl''s dream is to leave the n and find a way to raise her children without the n''s influence. This time around, I believe she was trying to make sure her daughter was a part of the Young Lady''s private force. Do you sincerely believe this is the mentality a future Elder should possess...?"


    Clenching her teeth, Suzune lowered her head without responding to Hitomi''s question. She knew her daughter had once dreamed about being a Princess, but, after realizing this was impossible, she settled on trying to make sure her daughters wouldn''t have to suffer as all kunoichi do. Most would consider this a pure and innocent dream. However, as the Hitomi had pointed out, it wasn''t exactly a train of thought suitable for a kunoichi, much less a future Elder.


    Empathizing with Suzune''s struggles, Hitomi''s expression indiscernibly softened as she adopted an inaudibly gentler tone and said, "Worry not, Suzune. Contrary to what others might think, this is an opportunity for both you and your daughter. You have undoubtedly seen it for yourself, but Waka-chan''s personality and outlook are distinctly different from the people of Nian. He seems to cherish sincerity far more than matters of status, pride, and honor. I wasn''t privy to your conversation, but I can imagine him telling you exactly what you need to do to win his favor. So long as you stick with that, it won''t be long before you have more than just his ear. That boy is in a particrly vulnerable state right now. Treat him with care and he will doubtlessly respond in kind."


    Raising her head, Suzune tilted her head ever so slightly to the side as she asked, "Are you certain? I didn''t get that impression during our conversation...unless...ah, I see...he is confrontational as a self-defense mechanism. Shizune must not have been the first to hurt him..."


    Though she didn''t know what kind of life Nobu had experienced while his soul was wandering, his behavior made it pretty clear he hadn''t lived an easy life. He was far less mature than someone his age should be, but, more important than that was the fact he reacted hostilely even when he knew he was in a disadvantageous position. He wasn''t suicidal so this pointed towards the possibility that he had been unjustly persecuted or suppressed. He refused to let others see his weakness, so, even if it guaranteed him pain, he wouldsh out the moment he began feeling anxious, ufortable, or afraid. In other words, he was basically a victim of post-traumatic stress disorder.


    Understanding what the Matriarch was trying to tell her, a smile spread across Suzune''s face as she bowed her head and stated, "Suzune has received the Matriarch''s wisdom. Thank you for providing my daughter and me with this opportunity. We will not fail your expectations..."


    Smiling in response to Suzune''s obsequious words, Hitomi returned her attention to her crystal ball, now reflecting Nobu''s sleeping visage as she answered, "I''m well aware. That''s why I have allowed you to remain Information Elder despite your and your daughter''s natures. Now, go. I''m sure your work has been piling up ever since you began keeping watch over Waka-chan..."


    Offering a wry smile in response, Suzune bowed her head onest time before promptly departing the dimly lit room. As for Hitomi, she allowed her kimono to open again before resting on her side, right arm supporting her head as she caressed the glowing crystal ball with her free hand...


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    (A/N: Hitomi and Aizen would get along...'')