Note: And now the solution to this little story. I hope you find it satisfactory.

Epilogue

"This sucks," Masanori whined, resting his head on his broom. None of us reacted to him, but I couldn't help but stifle a yawn. Lady Nene's grand scolding was still playing itself over and over in my head, making it very hard to concentrate on the tedious work before me.

All in all, we got off pretty easy. Lady Nene had decided that since we destroyed the roof, we could fix the roof and ordered us all to go clean up the debris left behind in the hall (and of course we were grounded until further notice). I wasn't really sure how long the actual construction would take, but if it was even a fraction of the clean up time…

…I was never going to Hanbei for advice again.

Speaking of Hanbei, he had been sucked into the punishment as well. After hearing the full story, Lady Nene agreed that he was just as guilty as the rest of us and forced him to straighten up and pay attention as well.

I'd call it poetic justice, but I just don't have the energy to even care anymore.

Hanbei hadn't really said a word to any of us. After we'd agreed on how to split the work, he just went to do his share of the cleaning, and had been quiet ever since. He wasn't glaring or grumbling anymore though. That was at least some improvement.

As for Mitsunari, Masanori and me, there wasn't much conversation either. Once in a while one of them would complain, or we'd ask one another how we were doing, but other than that, nothing. Personally, I found that best. I for one had no patience for conversation right now.

Ironically, one good thing had come out of us cleaning. Lady Ina of the Tokugawa clan had showed herself, likely to see just what sort of mess we caused. Fortunately, she didn't deem it worthy to yell at us, but the disapproving look on her face as she passed by spoke volumes. Oh well. At least we now knew who the young dark-haired beauty was.

That was only one mystery solved though. Given that the tale of this incident was likely to have reached the entire castle by now though, perhaps some other things would come to light eventually. Or Lord Hideyoshi (once he realized we were on to him) would bury the truth forever. It was either or really. All I knew was that I did not want to have to face him anytime soon. (And considering how much damage control had to be done so Lord Hideyoshi wouldn't lose face in front of our guests, I would probably even get that wish.)

"Hanbei," Kanbei's voice broke the silence and we watched him approach us slowly. Hanbei looked at him coldly.

"What is it now?" he demanded.

"You have a visitor," he stated and moved aside in time for us to see a young woman in a pink yukata run up to the devious little strategist. She looked like she was about to cry.

"Oyu?" Hanbei stammered. "What are you—

"Brother!" she cried, which drew all of our attention to her, "Are you alright? Lord Kanbei said you fell off the roof!" She got down on her knees so she could be at eye level with her older brother and carefully checked him over for injuries. So this was the infamous little sister that started this whole mess. Seeing her up close, she struck me as a sweet, overly innocent kind of girl. I suppose I could see why someone like Masanori would be interested in her, but she wasn't really my type.

"No, no I'm alright," Hanbei assured her gently patting her head, "As you can see, the roof suffered a giant mace-related accident, but I didn't get caught in it."

"Oh thank goodness," she sighed burying her face in her brother's chest, "I didn't know what I'd do if—

"There, there," Hanbei said and glared at his friend. "Why the heck would you tell her something like that?"

"I didn't," Kanbei replied, "I merely told her the roof caved in and as soon as I mentioned your name, she started panicking and ran off. She misunderstood."

"Right," Hanbei didn't even look slightly convinced. Carefully he pulled his sister away. "Listen Oyu, we need to talk." Now the three of us were listening intently. This was going to be one of those awkward conversations that should have been handled in private, but since Hanbei didn't seem to care that we were nearby, we took it as an invitation to listen in.

Oyu gave her brother a soft smile, not noticing his discomfort. "What is it, Brother?"

Hanbei took a deep breath. "Listen Oyu, I've been thinking. You're not a child anymore, so you can make your own decisions, and no matter what they are, I'll always support you."

"O…kay?" she tilted her head, evidently wondering where he was going with this.

"I can't say I approve of you and Lord Hideyoshi, but if this is what you really want, then I won't object."

"L-lord Hideyoshi?" her eyes widened, "What are you…I don't understand." She didn't seem to have a clue at all. I suppose she really is Hanbei's sister. She plays dumb even better than he does!

Hanbei, master of reading people, wasn't fazed at all. "I do want you to know that you should be careful though. Lord Hideyoshi is a good man but he is also very fickle, and goes through women like cups of sake. He may treat you well for a while but you shouldn't expect any loyalty from him." I raised a brow in confusion as Oyu's jaw dropped and she started turning a very bright shade of red.

"There's also the matter of him being a married man, but that's probably the least of it. I'd rather you avoid Lady Nene for a while though, at least until after I talk—

"Brother! Stop! Please! L-Lord Hideyoshi and I…h-he…I…we—I'm not having an affair!" Oyu shrieked burying her scarlet face in her shaking hands. She was absolutely mortified. Hanbei paused.

"You're not?" She shook her head furiously.

"But then…" Hanbei frowned, "What about all of your sneaking around? And the business with Lord Hideyoshi and the tailor?" Oyu gasped.

"You…you know about that?" she asked dejected. Masanori and I exchanged looks. I guess she really did have something to hide. We watched as Oyu looked down, biting her lower lip. Then she turned to Kanbei, as if asking for his help. He caught her eyes and nodded at her.

…Huh?

"I didn't want you to find out about this," Oyu said sadly, "It was supposed to be surprise but…Brother, is this whole mess my fault?"

"No! Of course not!" Hanbei told her hurriedly.

"It is the fault of a group of idiots with overactive imaginations and too much time on their hands," Kanbei added, glaring at us while he spoke, "You need not blame yourself." Well that was just rude. As if he and his vague warnings and dodgy answers had nothing to do with this!

"T-thank you, Lord Kanbei," Oyu sighed softly and faced her brother with a determined look. "The truth is…I wanted to give you a present." Hanbei blinked, completely dazed by this confession. The three of us were rendered speechless as well. Oyu gently clasped her hands over Hanbei's loose jacket and started pulling at it lightly. "It's just; you've gotten so thin since I last saw you. Your clothes are so loose."

"Ah yeah, I kept meaning to fix them up a little, but…" Hanbei laughed nervously. I suppose as long they actually still fit and stayed on, it wasn't high on his list of priorities.

"That attitude's no good," Oyu pouted, "But I thought I could get something nice made for you in town. You're always so kind to me, I just wanted to do something nice for you as well." Hanbei looked like he was on cloud nine. No doubt his brotherly pride was enjoying this immensely. But I was starting to feel uncomfortable. If Oyu really wasn't the cause for Lord Hideyoshi's elation, what was? And how would I explain myself to Mitsunari and Masanori who were no doubt getting ready to kill me for dragging them into this?

"I'm afraid I don't know this area very well though, so I asked Lord Hideyoshi for help. He thought it was a wonderful idea," she smiled brightly, "Lord Hideyoshi is so kind. Even though he was so busy preparing for Lord Ieyasu's visit, he took the time to introduce me to a good tailor and accompany me into town and he even helped me pick out a design. Brother, I just know you'll love it!"

There were several things she said that made me curious, but before I could question her, Mitsunari cut in. "Hey, you. How did you know about Ieyasu's visit?" I didn't get a chance to reprimand Mitsunari for his rudeness before Hanbei glared at him. It seemed that he was perfectly okay with Mitsunari mouthing off at him, but not even one false word directed at his sister would be accepted. Oyu looked a little frightened at being addressed so directly, but she brushed it off.

"Lord Hideyoshi told me," she explained calmly, "During our trips to town; we talked about a lot of things." She suddenly giggled. "Lord Hideyoshi is quite talkative when he's excited, like a child. It's really adorable." I really wish she wouldn't use "adorable" to describe my Lord. I still wasn't fully convinced of this present story.

"Lord Ieyasu's visit was supposed to be a secret," Kanbei elaborated, "Only a select few were supposed to know he was here at all, which is why none of you were allowed in the East Wing."

"And yet he goes and tells Little Sis?" Masanori grumbled, "That doesn't sound right at all."

"He wasn't supposed to tell her either," Kanbei sighed, "But what's done is done."

"Don't worry, my sister can be trusted. Look how well she's been keeping secrets from me!" Hanbei sighed, "But you took a big risk going out with him like that," Hanbei told her, "Even if it was ultimately innocent, what would Lady Nene have thought if she'd caught you two together?" I nodded.

"But…Lady Nene did know about this," Oyu said and frowned, "Brother, just what kind of woman do you take me for? Of course I told Lady Nene about my plans! Lord Kanbei too!"

"Hmph," Kanbei scowled, "I have nothing to do with this."

Hanbei chuckled. "Ah, so that's why you were so secretive. I should have known. Geez Kanbei, you're a really high maintenance guy, you know that?"

"That should be my line," Kanbei retorted. Hanbei smirked just grew wider.

"Haha, you two really gave me quite the runaround with this little scheme, you know," he shook his head, "Eh, who cares? I have the greatest little sister and best friend in the world." The only words that described the scene before us were "pure bliss". I don't think I've ever seen Hanbei look so happy, and he was (usually) a cheerful, easy-going guy. And the tiny smile on Kanbei's face didn't suit him at all.

So that was really it then. All that sneaking around and associating with Lord Hideyoshi was for the sake of getting her brother a new outfit that fit him properly. And Lady Nene and Kanbei were both in on it. That was nice and heartwarming and all, but it still left one question unanswered.

"So then," Masanori spoke up, surprisingly guessing my thoughts, "Did the Old Man tell you what he's so excited about?" Oyu tilted her head and gave it some thought.

"I don't think there's any particular reason for it;" she said finally, "According to Lord Hideyoshi, things are going very well right now. My brother's health seems to have improved splendidly, and he has had a lot of time to spend with his family, and he's even been trusted to entertain an important guest." She smiled softly, "He said he's a little embarrassed about how energetic he's been, but peaceful moments are so fleeting that he can't help but enjoy them as much as he can."

I froze. Those words sounded very familiar. In fact, they were the exact same ones that Lord Hideyoshi told me when I asked about his good mood.

…Now that I really think about it, maybe he wasn't nervously dodging the question…maybe he just didn't have an actual answer to it.

I felt a couple of deadly auras behind me and suddenly my left shoulder was caught in Masanori's tight grip and my right shoulder was a resting place for Mitsunari's heavy tessen.

"Did ya' hear that Kiyomasa?" Masanori asked me, smiling coldly.

"Got any more bright ideas, Idiot?" Mitsunari's demanded in a low voice. I gulped. There was no good answer to this.

Hanbei wasn't paying attention to me anymore (he was still in paradise), so only Oyu and Kanbei saw my predicament. Oyu looked confused, and Kanbei just couldn't be bothered to help.

"We should get going," he told Oyu calmly, "Hanbei still has to clean up this mess his misunderstanding caused."

"Ah yes," she nodded and stood up, "I'll see you later, Brother. You can try on your gift then."

"Okay," Hanbei waved as she was led away, grinning like an idiot the whole time. He still didn't notice Masanori and Mitsunari ganging up on me.

"Oh come on, it was an honest mistake!" I told them, "By the way, did you notice how polite Kanbei was towards Oyu? Do you think—

"Finish that sentence and I'll cut your tongue out," Mitsunari threatened, tapping his fan against his palm in slow rhythmic hits.

"Geez Kiyomasa, are you really that love-struck that you're seeing it in Kanbei, of all people now?" Masanori's voice was both pitying and mocking, "As soon as we're ungrounded, I'm getting you a courtesan!"

"I'm not…That's not…H-hold on you two…"

I was never going to Hanbei for advice again!

Note: And that's the end. In the end it was all nice and innocent (and I'm going to put it out there right now that there is nothing between Oyu and Kanbei either. He just knows better than to not be a perfect gentleman to her in front of her brother :P) Poor Kiyomasa though...

I hope I put enough hints in the main story to make this solution plausible. (Also my self-imposed deadline of Sept 27 was because it was Hanbei's birthday.)

For Oyu's character, I used her Taiko characterization. She is probably my favorite character in the novel (yep, she even beats out her brother), although in the novel she really was having an affair with Hideyoshi...and I really feel it got a lot more focus than his relationships with Nene and Chacha...weird.

Thanks for reading. Until next time :)