An End for Hideyoshi

Life, Relocation

The hour had grown late indeed, yet Aotsuki Tsukamoto still felt he had very much left to do. With Fubuki and her* troublesome passengers gone, that left he and Abe no Seimei alone in an empty corridor of Ōtsu Castle. Only Aotsuki's glowing golden arm lit the darkness around them. It was an unconventional location for a meeting with his adviser, but perhaps he was wise to take the opportunity before some new chaos unveiled itself.   First, Aotsuki asked about their guest from Kannonji Castle: one Rokkaku no Jakusai. According to Seimei's report, Jakusai had awoken around nightfall as they expected. She kept all memory of their interactions the previous moon, and seemed to exhibit no indication that anything was out of the ordinary. That was much as Aotsuki expected, yet was no help at all in unraveling the One-Night Castle's mystery. Seimei pointed out that perhaps the "Buddha" they'd heard mentioned was the key to all this. If they were to find whomever that was, everything else should fall into place. Aotsuki agreed that this may well be their logical next step before changing the topic.

Next, he moved on to a far less palatable guest. Seimei confirmed it: the Saika Ikki had indeed returned with Toyotomi Hideyoshi. After allowing the Ikki some time off to recuperate, Aotsuki's adviser had relocated Hideyoshi to a secure room, although he was still unconscious for now. Indeed, Aotsuki wasn't sure what he was going to do with the man. It didn't seem like Kuroda Kanbei wanted him back now. At least, not in the way she did before.   Of course, Seimei suggested that they just turn him out into the night. She showed more blatant disrespect to Hideyoshi than Aotsuki had ever seen from her. Not that the rake wasn't deserving. Even so, Aotsuki couldn't agree with that course of action. What if Hideyoshi retired to the Imperial Court in Echizen? There he would surely have allies and would waste no time in making himself a nuisance once again. As a final step, Aotsuki mentally confirmed with Kanbei that there wasn't anything else to communicate between the two.   It seemed there was nothing left to do but to confront Hideyoshi himself.   Seimei brought him to the chamber where Hideyoshi lay, unconscious, on a pallet on the floor. As he squatted by the fallen rake, Aotsuki found the other's hands bound loosely and a great angry welt on the side of his head. It took two tries to wake Hideyoshi up. Finally, the erstwhile Daimyō was up, adopting an infuriatingly relaxed pose as he took in his captors.   What followed was not so much a negotiation as a council to determine Hideyoshi's ultimate fate. Aotsuki kept a terse professionalism in the face of his prisoner's expected disrespect. News of the fallen Tokugawa Clan and Oda Nobunaga's disappearance did little to faze him. Only when told of Kanbei's news that he was still mortal did Hideyoshi sober up. He seemed confident that Aotsuki didn't have the guts to end him, however, and there was some truth to that. Although Seimei's suggestion to simply wash their hands of him was tempting, the Man with the Golden Arm still thought there might be something redeemable in this soul...   There was not. When asked what he'd do next, Hideyoshi spun a tale of the same debauchery and lecherous disregard for others which had brought him so low in the first place. He'd been nearly dead, in a toilet, and covered with tattoos when Aotsuki had found him. It was amazing that he could manage to sink even lower than that. And yet Aotsuki's insightful eyes saw no remorse in Hideyoshi's heart; only self-pity.   As was often the case, Seimei's advice proved sound. Aotsuki prepared to turn their prisoner out into the night. The only issue was where. Hideyoshi himself had a suggestion on that. Why not send him to a foreign land, just like Nobunaga had set out for. That way, he'd get a fresh start without all the baggage he'd rightfully accrued in Japan and Aotsuki would get him out of his life; probably permanently. Golden arm crooked, Aotsuki pondered for only a moment before accepting. Indeed, as the Mugen Gauntlet neared completion, they may have the means to send him far, far away.   Would any distance be far enough?