#also norage i still plan on writing that other hisamichi drabble soon lol

[nexu101]

Matsunaga Hisamichi Drabble #3

For @vengrych - a tense encounter between Rion and Hisamichi

I’m most creative when I am procrastinating... (AKA I should be studying for my tests this week, but I got caught up in AU stuff and needed to write this idea out). Context is this - Mitsunari was taken captive after the Battle of Sekigahara, and Rion & Co. want to rescue him. Ieyasu has recently wiped out the last vestiges of the Toyotomi resistance with brutal warfare tactics that unsettled Hisamichi, who is allied with the East. (Also warning for violence! It’s not too bad, but be safe if you’re squeamish!)

Manase Rion. He had seen her before, at Mitsunari's side. She went missing after the Battle of Sekigahara and was presumed to be dead. But there was no mistaking those fierce eyes. His hand instinctively grasped the hilt of his sword, ready to unsheathe it at the first sign of danger.

Rion tensed and began to sort through her options. The guards were around the corner, just a few meters away from Hisamichi. Any sound or disturbance would alert them to her presence, and their only opportunity to rescue Mitsunari would go to waste. A paralyzing poison might incapacitate Hisamichi and prevent him from calling for help, but she might not be able to close the distance in enough time. A dart, then? But his body slumping to the floor might make too much noise. A vial of gas? That could take care of the guards too. But she wasn't wearing a mask, and if she tried to put one on, it would indicate to Hisamichi that he should cover his nose and mouth. She softly exhaled the breath she had been holding and angled her wrist against the poison needle in her sleeve. Whatever happened, she was prepared to take her own life if it meant it protecting those of her companions.

Several moments passed. Hisamichi realized Rion would not attack first. Her piercing gaze wasn't one of aggression; it was one of pleading. Pleading to be reunited with her lord.  Pleading to right one of Ieyasu's wrongs. Ieyasu may have championed his bond with Mitsunari, but he was miserable as their prisoner, angry that not only had he failed to avenge Hideyoshi, but he could not even join his comrades in an honorable death. An honorable death... Ieyasu had denied an honorable death to those at Osaka... The flames, the screaming, the stench of charred flesh, and the knowledge that somewhere in the pile of burning bodies lay his friend Tomoe... Hisamichi let go of his sword and took a step back.

"Hisamichi-dono?" One of the guards called out, having noticed that Hisamichi looked uneasy. "Are you alright?" Hisamichi's golden eye gleamed at Rion in the dim light. She gritted her teeth and slipped the gas vial into her hand. It was now or never. 

"Yes, sorry!" Hisamichi turned to the guard and grinned, looking like his usual friendly self. "I just remembered that my father left me some paperwork to finish up." Hisamichi turned away from her and walked down the hallway to the staircase, sending her one last look before leaving. She remained poised for combat, half-expecting him to ambush her with reinforcements at any second. But nothing happened. The cawing of a crow outside interrupted her racing thoughts. She couldn't waste any more time overthinking this. Sakon was waiting for her. Rion sighed, put her vial back in her robe, and merged with the shadows once more.

Thank you for indulging me, uwu.