Deceive the Heavens

Deceive the Heavens



Author's Notes: Ahahaha, this was originally intended to be a nice, quick, PWP porno... and then somehow I ended up trying to retcon a PLOT into Warriors Orochi... orz. In the Japanese game, Mitsunari calls Cow Pee by his full name (translated to "Souhi") without any title or honorifics so I did the same here. The story title is from the proverb "deceive the heavens to cross an ocean," which is one of the 36 Stratagems sometimes attributed to Sun Tzu or Zhuge Liang. The chapter titles are taken from the same book. Mmm, educational. There will be porn later, I promise.



Chapter 1 - Hide A Knife Behind A Smile



Dry maple leaves crunched under Mitsunari's boots as he strolled through the private courtyard garden attached to his quarters. Chrysanthemums bloomed in fiery shades of orange and yellow that blazed in the setting sun. The tactician was grateful for this brief respite from battle, especially since he was able to enjoy the hospitality of the Cao family's residence at Luoyang. In contrast to the spartan, military lifestyle he'd been accustomed to in Japan, Cao Pi's palace was literally fit for a king. Even in the garden, the cascading flowers had been carefully trimmed to suggest silk curtains and plush cushions. The dappled sunlight that filtered through a red maple created a brocade-like pattern on the ground.



Still, Mitsunari found it difficult to relax. The early evening air was cool and crisp with the fragrances of autumn - the sweetness of fallen leaves and the sting of smoke from braziers and cooking fires. Yet the wind seemed to carry a faint, acrid tinge of sulfur from some distant place... Mitsunari tapped the well-worn edge of his fan against his lower lip and frowned, his eyes closed in concentration. Orochi.



Orochi was a fairy-tale villain for children and fools who still believed in the eight million gods of Japan. Mitsunari believed in nothing he couldn't verify with his own eyes. The idea that a demon snake had altered time and space for the sole purpose of observing history's greatest warriors struck him as an utterly ludicrous story - to begin with, Mitsunari was a scholar, not a soldier. A man barely qualified to be a military strategist had no place among legendary heroes. He may have been Hideyoshi's gifted bookkeeper, but battles weren't won by the abacus.



Still, even a skeptic like Mitsunari could not deny that forces on mythic scale were at work here. The peak of Mount Fuji and the Kunlun mountains of China shared the same horizon, as if great hands had grabbed great handfuls of earth to build a child's toy battlefield. This crudely built world was scarred where molten rock had welled up through cracks in the earth. When mountains could be leveled, it was a miracle that frail buildings made by human hands could manage to survive. However, many castles had crumbled and entire battle fleets had been decimated. Armies were scattered, and leaders had been captured or killed by blue-skinned, snakelike soldiers that claimed allegiance to the snake god Orochi. And yet in the midst of this strife, warriors from different lands and times discovered that they could suddenly understand the other's language. Tentative alliances had grown into a full-fledged resistance movement.



Separated from his lord, Mitsunari had been approached by a woman who declared herself to be Orochi's chief tactician. She'd offered to provide him with troops and provisions if he'd agree to join the counter-resistance, and he'd accepted immediately. There was little he could accomplish without an army, after all. She'd laughed at his willingness to switch allegiances so fast, but claimed to trust him out of what she termed "professional courtesy" between members of "the same species." Mitsunari had never been able to shake his embarrassing nickname, the "Fox of Sawayama," and this woman styled herself "Da Ji" after the legendary fox demoness who'd single-handedly toppled China's Shang Dynasty. Fox demon or not, he sensed that she was an extremely dangerous woman (in Mitsunari's experience, there was no other kind of woman - Lady Nene was a prime example of that).



And now thanks to the caprice of yet another figure out of children's stories, he was a direct tactical advisor to Cao Pi, the young man who had inherited the throne of Wei after his equally legendary father had been killed in Orochi's initial attack. The new king had been desperate for capable officers since the demon snake had scattered most of his army, and Da Ji had thought Mitsunari would fit in quite well in Wei. Her exact words had been "a match made in heaven," he recalled with distaste. The lord of Wei was arrogant, inexperienced, sharp-tongued and generally unpleasant. They had nothing whatsoever in common.



Despite having nothing in common, they got along unexpectedly well. Cao Pi often found it necessary to drop by Mitsunari's quarters unannounced and late in the evening - ostensibly to discuss plans for the next battle, but the practical Japanese man wondered why he didn't simply voice his ideas at the weekly strategy meetings set up for that express purpose. Besides, he frequently spent the entire evening drinking Mitsunari's liquor and talking about some work of literature or poetry. Social skills were not his forte, but Mitsunari had been educated in classic literature and the Analects of Confucius so he might have enjoyed these little conversations... if only he didn't feel like such a hypocrite afterwards. Da Ji would expect a full report, right down to what Cao Pi's favorite book was.



Hadn't Cao Pi guessed that he had been sent by Da Ji as a spy? His father had been a retainer to Azai Nagamasa before the latter's unfortunate death, but the man's message of honor had been a great inspiration to Mitsunari in his youth. Of course, Mitsunari had discovered that "honor" was something difficult to uphold on the battlefield and virtually absent in politics. Although his fickle moods and harsh actions had earned him the hatred of many peers, he'd always been able to rationalize that whatever he did had been in the best interests of his lord. Now he'd sword loyalty to three masters - Hideyoshi, Da Ji and Cao Pi - yet he couldn't fully serve any one of them without betraying the others.



The creak of Cao Pi's footsteps on the courtyard porch did not come as a surprise to Mitsunari, although his eyes had been closed and his mind far away. He didn't remember leaving the door unlocked, and he certainly didn't recall setting out a bottle of the strong-flavored Chinese wine that the lord favored, but perhaps he subconsciously looked forward to these visits...



"Do you have some business here, Cao Pi?" asked the tactician, his voice filled with obvious irritation.



"Can an emperor not consult the officers that serve him?" The lord of Wei stepped from the raised wooden porch into the courtyard, spreading his arms in a gesture of mock supplication.



"Oh? Did you proclaim yourself emperor while I was in the bath, then?" asked Mitsunari coolly. "The last time I checked, you were still taking orders from Da Ji." He ignored Cao Pi's indignant snort and walked past the blue-clad man towards his quarters. With an airy toss of copper-colored hair, Mitsunari looked down on his new lord from the veranda before heading inside.



Whatever Cao Pi's faults, he had denied his guest nothing. Mitsunari's spacious apartment was lavishly decorated in exotic woods and thick carpets. Tapestries depicted robed women with impossible hairdos strolling through lush gardens, and porcelain vases held wilted flowers that Mitsunari rarely bothered to water. He had a sneaking suspicion that he'd been placed in concubine's quarters, given the delicate furnishings and unusual proximity of Cao Pi's own rooms. Was the king of Wei so friendly with all of his strategists? Mitsunari snorted as he tucked his fan under his arm and began to remove his gloves. How frivolous to worry over paintings and silk curtains when there was a war going on - Cao Pi hadn't even wasted precious time to search for his own missing wife. Technically they shared the same rank in Orochi's army, but the other man had spent his entire life grooming to become a warlord. He was focused, practical and brutally efficient when it came to commanding his army. His country was in chaos, but Cao Pi had the bearing of an emperor. Despite his apprehension and irritation at his new lord, Mitsunari was glad to be treated as an equal.



Not that he would let Cao Pi have the satisfaction of knowing that. He tossed his gloves and fan on a low, cluttered table that functioned as a writing desk whenever he bothered to clear it off. The table and much of the floor were covered in maps, supply orders and military texts. Mitsunari nudged a stack of books with his foot so he had room to sit, and began crushing the stiff tip of a dried-out writing brush against his inkstone. When he'd managed to restore some usefulness to it, he began writing lines of notes on a map in a compact, scratchy script. Nobunaga had taken Xia Pi, and Sun Ce's army had occupied Chang Ban - Mitsunari hoped that success wouldn't cause the young heir of the Sun clan to forget that he was in Wei's debt. His scowl only deepened when Cao Pi's shadow crossed his map, but he resolutely continued to ignore his annoying comrade. Maybe he was only imagining things, but Mitsunari could almost feel the other man's stare on him like an unwelcome touch.



Well, perhaps it wasn't entirely unwelcome. Despite Mitsunari's resentment of the man, he couldn't deny that the lord of Wei was somewhat attractive. He had expected reflexive resentment towards Cao Pi when he'd made a flashy entrance to save Mitsunari from an ambush at Kuzegawa, but the first, completely unbidden thought in his mind had been that being rescued by a handsome prince was sort of nice. The following rush of embarrassment at letting such a shallow impulse cross his intelligent, disciplined mind had brought him back to his senses. Even if relationships between men were common in his homeland, the conditions of such unions were deeply institutionalized and fundamentally unequal. Teacher and student. Master and servant. Mitsunari was well aware that he was somewhat pretty, and many of the other men in Hideyoshi's court had been aware of that fact too. Shima Sakon had made no secret of his interest, but the red-haired bureaucrat had been too proud to act on what he grudgingly admitted was mutual attraction. If he loved another man, Mitsunari would have to lower himself... and those were terms he could not accept. On top of that, he'd sworn not to allow his tentative friendship with the impudent king to affect his judgment. It was impossible for Mitsunari to serve Cao Pi as a loyal retainer, but it was even more impossible to be his lover.



After a few minutes of irritated scribbling on his map, he turned his head to demand that he be left in peace. Instead, he found himself staring into a pair of vivid blue eyes. Cao Pi's face was usually so cold and emotionless that his eyes burned with the intensity of a blue flame. Momentarily startled, Mitsunari cursed his own inattention - so that insolent lord had been looking over his shoulder the whole time.



"Is there something you want?" he asked in an icy voice.



"Sun Ce has seized the supply depot in Chang Ban, I see," stated Cao Pi as if he hadn't heard Mitsunari's question. "Another victory for the Orochi army," he added with barely contained irony.



"You sound so disappointed." The lord shrugged.



"If the Sun family is wiped out, it will be that much easier to seize their territories."



"Apparently you've forgotten that Wu and Wei are allies..." Mitsunari set his brush aside, since it was obvious that he wasn't going to get any work done. Besides, the sun was rapidly sinking below the walls of the garden outside his open door. Soon it would grow cold, and he'd have to light the lamps. As if reading his thoughts, Cao Pi knelt and struck a flint to ignite one of the paper-covered lanterns on the floor. Normally such menial tasks were left to servants, but Cao Pi was remarkably self-sufficient for a spoiled prince from a wealthy family. Or, mused Mitsunari, perhaps he was simply too paranoid to allow servants into his room. After all, the palace was crawling with spies.



"Which is why I had the decency not to kill him myself when I had the chance," he clarified. Da Ji had ordered them to capture Sun Ce, but Cao Pi had brazenly chosen to release the rebellious heir to the Sun family. With maritime skill typical of the men of Wu, Sun Ce and his advisor, Zhou Yu, had stolen a ship and rejoined his army. However, with Sun Ce's father still a prisoner of Orochi, the son had quickly relented and vowed to fight on the side of the snake god if his father's life would be spared. The inevitable outcome of the entire foolish drama had hardly been surprising. What had surprised Mitsunari was his role in the action. He had lied to Da Ji to support Cao Pi's assertion that the Wu commanders had escaped from high-security confinement on their own, risking his own safety if the fox woman ever found out about their deception. He rationalized his choice as payment for the time Cao Pi had rescued him from an ambush... but in actuality, his intervention had been entirely unpremeditated. A dangerous impulse, an emotional attachment, a moment of foolishness had prompted him to speak. If Mitsunari could no longer trust his own lips not to betray him, then what could he trust?



"I never expected you to be so honorable," he mumbled as Cao Pi finished lighting the lamps. "It's hard to believe that you would do anything unless there was some benefit in it for you. I had my suspicions, actually... I thought you had released Sun Ce in order to undermine Orochi. You're an ambitious fool, Cao Pi... perhaps you thought the loss of one incompetent, reckless commander would weaken his army enough to allow you to take over?" Mitsunari let out a short bark of laughter, but Cao Pi's arrogant smirk remained unchanged. "If that was your plan, I'm afraid it's completely backfired. Sun Ce won't make a move while Orochi's scythe is at his father's neck. I could have told you that much - I am your strategist, after all."



Cao Pi moved a stack of books and sat beside him, spreading another large map on the floor. Mitsunari was searching for a fresh cake of red marking ink when he suddenly felt strong, gentle fingers in his hair. "That's right, you are my strategist. So tell me where we go from here." Mitsunari froze. Cao Pi had never touched him - he had spent a few idle, daydreaming moments during particularly boring meetings wondering what he would do if the arrogant man had laid even a finger on him, but he hadn't expected to be paralyzed by a mere touch. "You don't have to wear your headdress indoors, Mitsunari," said Cao Pi with a trace of bemusement. His face reddening, Mitsunari snatched the gold headband from the other man's hands and flung it aside.



"Be serious." He took several deep, calming breaths and tried to remember how to scowl.



"I was being serious. I want your opinion on the battle plan I devised."



"Then present it at the next tactical session."



Cao Pi shook his head and smiled slightly. "I think you're the only one who could fully grasp my plan. I'd like to keep this conversation private."



Mitsunari growled under his breath and waved his hand for the other man to proceed. Of all the ill-mannered, exasperating things that man did... and why had Mitsunari blushed like some stupid village girl? His cheeks ached as a reminder of his foolishness. It was very likely that Cao Pi was a traitor to Orochi, which meant that Mitsunari would be forced to betray him. Thinking about it brought on a dull pain in his chest to match the one on his face.



"Were you listening, Mitsunari?"



"Ah?" Cursing inwardly, Mitsunari pulled together the shreds of his composure and sat up straight and stiff. "Of course... just repeat that last bit. For clarification." Although he refused to glance aside, he knew the other man was smirking.



"Clarification. Right. As I was saying... we'll fortify the defenses at Fan Castle. Fan is too close to Nobunaga's Azuchi Castle - right now, it has no strategic value so Nobunaga hasn't bothered to seize it, but it's only a matter of time." Cao Pi gestured to the locations of the two castles on the map, each of which was labeled with troop numbers and estimated ration stores in Mitsunari's meticulous handwriting.



"That's true, but any sign of activity at Fan Castle will alert the Resistance to the plan. Besides, even if Azuchi is our obvious target, its defenses are too strong," he reasoned, using his iron-spoked war fan to tap the map lightly. He had to focus on Cao Pi's words and not the velvety voice that was saying them. Military strategy was a good distraction. "We managed to fight Nobunaga off at Tian Shui, but there we had the advantage of fighting a defensive battle with numbers and terrain on our side. Don't forget that Hideyoshi's Nagahama Castle is nearby, so he'll have extra troops. Even if we had a spare five thousand Wei soldiers to station there, a direct attack on Nobunaga would be suicide. You'd only draw his forces into a siege on Fan Castle."



"Exactly. If the defenses were built up and the floodgates opened, it could withstand a prolonged siege. Obviously we'd need to request more of Orochi's reptilian soldiers to make up for Wei's serious lack of troops, though...."



"That would weaken Resistance morale, and they'd exhaust their supplies," agreed Mitsunari with a slight nod. He'd almost forgotten Cao Pi's earlier actions when a few loose strands of red-gold hair, now freed from the headband, fell in front of his eyes. He irritably pushed them behind his ear, but they immediately fell back. "Provided that the floodgates hold, of course. Still, it's a huge risk with a relatively small return. And it's not like you to go for something as obvious as an attack on the enemy main camp. If I were you... I'd use Fan Castle as a distraction and send a small force to destroy Hideyoshi's castle while the bulk of his forces were 'defending' Azuchi. By taking the smaller castle, you'd divide Nobunaga's territory and gain a base for further incursions into Resistance-held lands... It's a good plan... too good." He glanced up through a curtain of hair and met Cao Pi's eyes for a fraction of a second, but immediately knew that he had guessed his lord's true objective. The minor annoyance of his hair was entirely forgotten. "You're attacking Hideyoshi," he stated, careful to keep all emotion from his face. This was war, but... it felt too much like betraying the trust that Hideyoshi had put in him.


"No. You're attacking Hideyoshi." Cao Pi seemed amused by Mitsunari's speechlessness, and he leaned across the map until the strategist could smell the pleasant, woody fragrance of the other man's hair oil. "Do you think I'm a cruel man, Mitsunari?" he asked with a tone of mock hurt. "That does seem to be the consensus... but I had hoped you would be more perceptive. You know the defenses at Nagahama better than anyone, and if I leave Fan Castle, it will only arouse their suspicions. Hideyoshi will undoubtedly be participating in the siege, so you should be able to capture his base without fighting him directly."



Mitsunari had to admit that Cao Pi's strategy was sound, although it seemed... dishonorable. Winning a castle through subterfuge and misdirection went against the samurai way that he'd always halfheartedly attempted to uphold. Mitsunari didn't care that others generally regarded him as unlikable and domineering... but he feared being seen as a cruel, callous man. His status was precarious enough as it was - he knew that if anything ever happened to Hideyoshi, many of the other retainers would turn on him.



Cao Pi seemed heartless, but he had allowed Mitsunari a way to fight against the Resistance without confronting his former master. Was he supposed to interpret that as a kindness? "I still don't like it," he muttered, his brow deeply furrowed in thought. "You'd be starting a winter campaign, and no sane commander would willingly fight a battle against nature. It's too difficult to maintain supply and communication lines. Wei lost so many men in the initial battle with Orochi that we're entirely dependant on Da Ji for her snake soldiers. And then there's the cold..." A chill went through Mitsunari's body as he realized the implications of Cao Pi's plan. The sound of his heartbeat seemed unnaturally amplified in the silent room. "Do you think I'm stupid?" His voice dropped to a soft, dangerous whisper. "Do you think Da Ji is stupid?"



"Not at all."



Mitsunari took a deep breath. "You plan to 'kill with a borrowed knife,' then. You're going to sacrifice Fan Castle," he said slowly. "Orochi's soldiers are like snakes... the cold will weaken them. If you let Fan Castle fall in midwinter, you might manage to escape to safety at Nagahama with your Wei troops, but they won't be able to keep up. Nobunaga won't pursue you in the snow, and if I know that man, he'll guess what you're up to. Thousands of Orochi's forces will be completely wiped out..." His jaw clenched tightly, Mitsunari slowly met Cao Pi's gaze and found no shock, no denial, nothing that would contradict what he had just claimed. "This is... this is treason."



It was also brilliant. And it was going to get them both killed.



He ran his fingers through his hair as if he could detangle his thoughts so easily. "I... I'm meeting Da Ji tomorrow. You must have known that... so why are you telling me this now?" Mitsunari's voice became a hiss. "Why are you doing this, Cao Pi?" He grabbed the other man by the front of the heavy cloak he wore and dug his fingers into the fabric until they turned white. "Why are you doing this to me?"



Cao Pi brusquely grabbed his hand and detached the clutching fingers from his clothing. With a swirl of his cloak, he stood up and turned away from Mitsunari. The strategist reflexively reached for his fan and jumped to his feet as if he were preparing for battle - there was no mistaking the subtle shift in Cao Pi's body. Lithe muscles were tense beneath the embroidered blue silk, ready to react. If Mitsunari chose to side with Da Ji... would Cao Pi hesitate to kill him?



The tension finally broke when the king stalked outside onto the porch, his hands folded behind his back. The sun had finally settled below the horizon, leaving a few pink streaks in a sky that was rapidly being consumed by the blue of night. Cao Pi motioned for Mitsunari to follow him. Mitsunari's feet were planted as if he had grown roots into the floor.



"You would have figured it out anyway. You've been suspicious of me all along." The other man shrugged. "I never thought for a moment that you were stupid."



"But... why me?" Exasperated, Mitsunari willed his limbs to work so he could rub his temple to relieve the headache growing there. "Because I'm your strategist?" With a huff he grabbed the bottle of liquor he'd left on a side table, along with two small porcelain cups. His hands shook almost imperceptibly as he poured the clear, pungent liquid and thrust a cup into Cao Pi's hands. "Do you know why Hashiba Hideyoshi appointed me as his advisor? It wasn't for my stunning performance on the battlefield, and it sure as hell wasn't for my sparkling personality." Mitsunari let out a short, ironic laugh. "No, he hired me because I could pour tea. I was a master of tea ceremony, not military strategy or politics... and it showed. I bungled my assignments and alienated my colleagues. I managed to shift enough of my blame onto others that I held my position, but everyone knew better than to trust 'Ishida the Fox.' There were many who criticized Lord Hideyoshi for allowing an inexperienced, unpleasant man to hold such a high office in his government, but Hideyoshi had something... something that you don't have."



"Is that why you can't serve me?" asked Cao Pi with a tone of detachment. His eyes were fixed on some indeterminate point in the darkness now that the light had faded completely from the sky.



"It's something I lack too," he admitted ruefully. "The ability to trust people." Cao Pi scoffed without breaking his gaze from the dark garden, which was not the reaction Mitsunari had been hoping to elicit from his confession. He drained his cup in one harsh swig that burned a line from his throat to his stomach but did not at all ease the cold feeling in his chest. He expected Cao Pi to snort in amusement at his subsequent coughing fit, but the man beside him only grew tense as he squinted into the night. "Whatever," he said finally, forcing himself to shrug. "I'm going inside. I have to leave early tomorrow to meet Da Ji, so I should get some s..." Mitsunari was abruptly silenced by an abrupt, iron grip on his wrist.



"I'm jealous, Mitsunari. Jealous of Hashiba Hideyoshi." Cao Pi's harsh whisper sounded above the gentle rustle of wind in the maple trees. "There is something else he has that I do not... you." By the time Mitsunari had regained enough presence of mind to struggle, Cao Pi had pushed him against one of the thick wooden posts that supported the palace's heavy, ornate tile roof. Dry, warm lips were on his a moment later. Mitsunari's unconscious gasp allowed the lord's tongue entrance to his mouth, silencing any protest. Truthfully, Mitsunari didn't know if he could protest. A pure, animalistic jolt of want sent a spasm through his body, and only the sound of his dropped liquor cup shattering on the floorboards was able to restart his suspended thought processes. He roughly shook his head to break the kiss and wheezed out a single, barely coherent word.



"Wh... what!?"



"Tell me where we go from here," replied Cao Pi, his voice a whisper in Mitsunari's ear. The sound of ragged breathing nearly drowned out the smaller man's answer - the cool scrape of steel as he unsheathed the short blade at his belt and pressed it against Cao Pi's stomach.



"You're not the first man to have underestimated me, Lord Cao," spat Mitsunari from between tightly clenched teeth. "At least you smell better than Katou Kiyomasa." With a swift blow, he struck the other man's arm away with the hilt of his knife. "I'm a strategist, not a concubine. Now get out."



Cao Pi briefly rewarded him with a look of surprise that softened into apology, but it was quickly replaced by the customary glare. "Very well, Ishida." His boots made a soft squeak against the wood as he spun and stalked back inside. Mitsunari heard the door slam as the other man left his room.



"I thought we were smarter than this," he mumbled under his breath before extinguishing all of the lamps.




END Chapter 1