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He unfoiled the bloody roll of paper as the scout was carried away and he read it to himself in a whisper. "The enemy likely know that you have retaken the fortress. Come morning, they may decide to throw all their forces at you. If that happens, I will lead my men to hit them in the rear when the time is right. If they decide to continue to attack me, then you will be able to cut them to pieces against the wall. If they decide to do nothing at all, then we should also do nothing."

It was lucky that they had managed to conclude their plan before their scout was put down. Their messages were straight and to the point and with them, both he and Matsudaira would be able to act together, despite the miles between their two armies.

Akiko had stayed awake alongside him, as the rest of the camp went to sleep. They sat together quietly, their breath misting in the cold morning air.

"There was a time when all I dreamed of was sitting enjoying the crispness of a cold day with a pretty girl at my side to share conversation with," he told her suddenly.

She glanced up at him, resting her head on his shoulder. It was rare that he ever spoke sentimentally with her. "Just like this?" She asked.

"Haha, maybe not quite like this. I never imagined that I would find my calling upon the field of battle. Less still that I would reach such heights. To think that I – a virtual nobody – have crossed swords with such great men as Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin... and even Oda Nobunaga," he said, looking up at the bright stars of the dark night’s sky as he ran his fingers through the silky hair of his beloved wife.

"You’re Miura Tadakata, the greatest warlord Japan has ever seen," she told him, as she leaned in to plant a kiss on his cheek, "and my beloved husband – the father of our child."

He smiled at her. "I would never have thought such things would be said of me. There was a time – when I was much younger – that I would sit alone upon the banks of a river and simply stare at the waters of its current, dreaming of a different life. I would do that everyday, when the ground was hard from frost and when the skies split open from rain. It seemed that I was always cold... always wet... and always so lonely. What life did you dream of, Akiko?"

"To think that there was a time when even you felt that way," Akiko said softly, tracing the lines of his face with her fingers. "I always dreamed an unwomanly dream of becoming a warrior. I thought that if I became strong enough, then my father wouldn’t have to be pushed around and we could live quietly again... I always told myself that I would never marry, no matter what, yet here I am. It was you that helped me achieve my dream, even beyond it... You know how you said that you were always cold?"

"Mhm..?" Gengyo murmured.

"It’s funny, because I think that you’re like the fire that warmed all of us. A great big fire, as hot as the sun, and being next to you, we were all unfrozen a little bit. It’s as though only now am I truly seeing the world, and that I’m truly feeling," Akiko said passionately. "Rin feels the same too, you know. She swears she’s got the best big brother in the whole world. And Sasaki too – he’s the only one who admits it, but everyone else feels the same."

"Is that so..?" Gengyo asked quietly, his mind full of thoughts, the suggestion had taken him off guard, for he had never considered it that way.

"Absolutely. You were always going to be a great man, no matter where you went, but you chose to be a good man as well. Maybe that’s why we can overcome the impossible – because all of us are willing to die for you," she told him.

"I’d ask that you don’t," Gengyo said, taking her hand in his. "The world would feel so much colder if it wasn’t for your presense."

"And I’ll say the same to you, and just hope that you listen," Akiko said back, her soft brown eyes looking deep into his. "But you keep making me more and more worried... I know that I shouldn’t say that to you, because there’s no one better than you at battle - you wouldn’t fight if you thought you would lose. But it doesn’t stop my heart from trembling when I see you getting hurt."

"It shouldn’t be too much longer," Gengyo assured her. "We will reach a point where we no longer have to fight the impossible, but we can go into battle with even terms, and that way we can be certain of our victory."

"In time for our son to be born?" Akiko asked.

"Our son?" Gengyo repeated. "How do you know it’s a boy?"

"It’s definitely a boy," Akiko said firmly, "I can feel it. He’s got a fiery heart, just like his father. I can feel it burning. He’ll make us both very proud, you can be sure of it."

"A son... I wonder if he’ll surpass me? Or whether he’ll avoid my path entirely? It might be that he despises the sword and seeks to change the world through his writings? Either way, I’m excited to see."

"As am I," Akiko seconded.