Chapter 136: Compromise

Though Nobu's way of speaking wasn't exactly inspiring, Hiro could empathize with what he was trying to say. He also knew their mother would be anguished beyond recovery if he and Nobu were to try and kill one another, so, after a moment of deliberation, he answered, "Very well...I will place my trust in Aniue..."

"..."

Not expecting to be called in such a weebish way, unironically, Nobu's mind briefly stalled as he opened his mouth to protest. Instead, he just ended up gawking for a few seconds before closing his gaping mouth and saying, "Just call me Nobu. There's no need for honorifics between family..."

Scrunching his brows, Hiro thought to protest, but, much like Nobu, ultimately decided against it. It helped that he wasn't actually comfortable with referring to Nobu using honorifics. After all, while it was undeniable that the two of them were brothers, they were effectively strangers. Had their father not sliced his arm, their first encounter may have been as enemies...

"I understand. In that regard, feel free to address me as Hiro. It's how my...our mother has always referred to me..."

Noticing the not-so-subtle twitching of his little brother's eye when referring to their mother, an awkward smile developed across Nobu's face as he said, "Hey, no need to force yourself. Like, I get it, okay? You probably had to go through a lot of shit because of my absence. I'm doing what I can to try and make up for it but it's going to take some time. I don't expect you to suddenly see me as your brother less than an hour after our first meeting..."

Furrowing his brows, Hiro wanted to insist that wasn't the case, but, much like before, he found himself unable to find the words to express himself. He had spent years trying to develop the same cold and calculating mentality as his Uncle. He wasn't used to interacting with people like this, so, after a moment of silence, he simply nodded his head, answering, "I understand..."

Forcing a smile, Nobu scratched the back of his head before shifting his attention between Yui and Nohime, asking, "Mind give us a moment? I know I said we shouldn't separate but I'd like to be able to talk to my little brother in private. Man to man."

Having anticipated something like this occurring, a soft sigh emanated from Yui's throat before she rose to her feet and said, "I'll be in the next room..."

Following Yui's example, Nohime returned a polite nod before rising in a far more elegant manner and stating, "The prosperity of a Province is directly related to the unity of its ruling families...I pray Owari becomes even more prosperous from this moment onward..."

Though Nobu had told her she no longer had to bow to anyone, Nohime punctuated her words with another polite, half-bowing nod. She had spent the entirety of her life learning how to speak and behave around her fellow Nobles. Overcoming eighteen years of conditioning in less than a day was simply impossible...

Understanding this, at least to a certain extent, Nobu didn't complain about Nohime's overly polite behavior. Instead, he followed the duo's departure with his blue-grey eyes, silently observing their swaying bottoms before turning to Hiro and asking, "So, got a girl of your own...?"

Surprised by the unexpected question, Hiro found himself at a momentary loss for words before averting his eyes and answering, "Indeed...though I have only met her a few times, I am blessed to be engaged to the Second Daughter of Lord Niwa, Nagahime-san..."

In an effort to try and ease tensions, a somewhat lascivious smile developed across Nobu's face as he asked, "Is she hot...?"

"..."

Unsure of how to answer such a question, Hiro remained completely silent. This caused the smile on Nobu's face to cramp, but, not giving up, he asked, "Do you...find her attractive...?"

Though he didn't believe such questions were appropriate, especially when discussing someone else's fiancee, Hiro only hesitated for a brief moment before nodding his head and answering, "I believe so..."

"..."

Resisting the urge to ask what the fuck 'I believe so' was supposed to mean, Nobu took a moment to collect himself before shaking his head and saying, "I'm not trying to be invasive or pry into your personal life. I just want to get to know my brother. How about this. I'll go ahead and let you in on a few of my secrets. After that, can you at least try to speak casually? You know, like how you imagine a commoner might speak...?"

Furrowing his brows, Hiro was tempted to argue that such behavior was unbefitting of a future Lord of Owari, but, understanding the position would be his brother's long before his own, he ultimately just nodded his head to imply understanding. At the very least, he didn't want to be confrontational when Nobu was clearly making an effort to get along. He owed it to their parents to at least try and do the same...

Fortunately, the explanation and subsequent demonstration Nobu provided was more than enough to allay Hiro's concerns. He still had innumerable doubts regarding his elder brother's capacity as a ruler, but, with the very Heavens supporting Nobu's claim, Hiro understood how foolish it would be to stand in his way. After all, if two people were contending for the same position, who in their right mind would support an illegitimate claim when the rightful heir was in possession of a ludicrously powerful Heavenly Treasure...?

Hiro may have been groomed as a puppet but he wasn't a fool...

...

..

.

Taking advantage of the fact that they were now alone, Nohime took the initiative to break the silence between her and Yui, saying, "I owe you an apology, Yui-do...san..."

Though she was more than a little surprised by Nohime's words, Yui maintained a completely neutral expression as she stated, "Your courtesy, while appreciated, is unnecessary. We are both doing our best to fulfill our respective duties. I would never fault you for that..."

Squinting her eyes, Nohime suppressed the feelings of hatred and disgust swelling within her chest and stomach as she added, "Even so, I feel obligated to apologize. Observing the efforts of our Lord has inspired me to do what I can to change myself. After all, we will be living alongside one another for the foreseeable future..."

Understanding the actual reason for Nohime's sudden change in mentality, a faint smile developed across Yui's face as she said, "Worry not. As peculiar as our situation is, I have no intention of trying to supersede your status as Nobu's First Wife. I am a Warrior at heart. As for my compatriots in the Yoshitsune Clan, they are content with remaining Nobu's Kunoichi. You do not have to worry about them rallying against you unless you actively endanger or oppose our Lord..."

"..."

Staring into Yui's obsidian-blue eyes, Nohime found no traces of deceit or subterfuge contained within. This did little to alleviate the plethora of negative emotions she was experiencing, but, for the sake of her future and the futures of her children, she suppressed her growing indignation and said, "You have my gratitude..."

...

..

.

"Holy shit. Is this really your fiancee? Damn, man, you really hit the lottery on this one..."

Though the image wasn't true to life, Hiro was in possession of a hand-drawn portrait of his fiancee. Upon learning this, Nobu convinced(read as forced) Hiro to pull it out. When he saw that Nagahime was a buxom beauty with long hair and piercing blue eyes, he couldn't help whistling aloud before offering a few words of praise.

Feeling slightly embarrassed by his brother's words, Hiro attempted to return the portrait to his breast pocket before Nobu promptly snatched it out of his hand and asked, "When are the two of you supposed to be married? I thought fourteen was considered to be an adult...?"

Resisting the urge to steal back the portrait, Hiro's expression gradually solidified into a glower as he explained, "Our father had arranged it so that my marriage with Nagahime-san would occur on her sixteenth birthday. There are still fourteen months until our wedding..."

Raising his brows, Nobu turned the portrait towards Hiro, asking, "You're telling me this bombshell is fourteen years old? You're even luckier than I thought..."

As someone who had always appreciated mature beauties, Nobu actually felt a little envious when he saw his brother's fiancee. It was concealed beneath a kimono, but, even at a glance, he could tell she had an amazing body. This could be a liberty taken by the portrait artist, but, considering how reserved the Nianese people were, it was exponentially more likely that Nagahime's figure was even more amazing...

Shaking his head, Nobu returned the portrait to his clearly unamused brother before asking, "What about your Kunoichi? Shouldn't there be someone protecting you?"

Accepting the portrait, Hiro gave it a once-over to make sure it wasn't damaged before placing it into his breast pocket and answering, "Only the firstborn son of the Oda Clan is given the privilege of being accompanied by his entourage within the castle grounds. Most of my Kunoichi have only recently completed their training so I haven't met them since our foundation training..."

"Right..."

Recalling that Kumiko had explained something similar in the past, Nobu briefly mulled over his thoughts before asking, "Want to come along when we return to the mountain? Since we're going to be working together in the future, I'll talk to our old man about letting your entourage operate in and around Shuto. I probably won't be staying in the castle all that often so it would be better to let you begin laying a solid foundation. That should make things a hell of a lot easier once I'm finished wrapping up everything I need to take care of."

Taken aback by his brother's words, a look of utter disbelief spread across Hiro's face. What Nobu was doing was unheard of in the history of Nian. He was basically allowing his greatest competitor free rein to operate in his territory. While this demonstrated a tremendous amount of trust, it was also a remarkably foolish decision as there was no way of knowing what the future held. All it would take is a single disagreement and they could be at each other's throats...

Feeling a wave of realization wash over him, Hiro's disbelief turned into suspicion as he asked, "Will you be extending the benefits of your Heavenly Treasure to the members of my entourage...?"

Catching Hiro off guard, Nobu didn't even hesitate before answering, "Not all of them. There is a limit to the number of people my power can affect. For now, I need to focus on bolstering my own forces. I can help you and your fiancee grow stronger, but, until you get a good feel for the types of people your Kunoichi are, I wouldn't feel comfortable with boosting their strength..."

Realizing that his words might be misconstrued as distrust, Nobu allowed his words to trail off, a frown forming on his face as he added, "Tell you what. Once you and your wife are married, I'll let you nominate three people, excluding the two of you, as a wedding gift. If you feel you can trust your kunoichi by then, I don't mind bolstering their strength. Either that or you can save them for when you and Nagahime have children. Just make sure you discuss it amongst yourselves rather than making the decision on your own."

Understanding that Nobu was already making a lot of compromises, Hiro didn't blame him for not promising more. If Nobu was serious, it wouldn't take him long to build a force capable of crushing his competition and unifying the Oda Clan. Instead, he was willing to compromise with someone he hardly even knew. This was behavior worthy of respect, so, while he found Nobu's personality more than a little odd, a faint smile developed across Hiro's face as he lowered his head and said, "Thank you..." in a sincere tone of voice.

...

..

.

(A/N: Nobu is kinder than he purports himself to be...)