Tsuki no Shippo Ch.50 Summary

It's time to head to Okazaki, but Mosuke the orangutan has wraped his arms around Usagi and wont let go. While Ranmaru and associates attempt to pry him off the Hanzou's discuss the situation. No one in Okazaki knows what has happened and will not be prepared to back up their story. "Hanbee" ask's Ranmaru for a horse so Hanzou can ride ahead to Okazaki. He gets it and rides off, thinking (I think) that he's got to convince Ieyasu to play along.

Mosuke has finally been pried off Usagi and is sobbing as she walks off. Ranmaru asks her to come back and visit Mosuke sometime. She thinks that although she doesn't hate mosuke or anything she doesn't like the idea of ever coming back to Azuchi. She pouts because they should be going back to Iga to get married but now they can't. Suddenly she feels a hand touching her hair. She jerks in surprise. It's Ranmaru, who explains that her hair was a bit messy.

Usagi: That's okay. I'll fix it myself.

Ranmaru: It's a secret from Hanbee, isn't it?

Hanzou: What's a secret?

Ranmaru: If we told you then it wouldn't be a secret anymore, now would it?

This, of course, pisses Hanzou off and he warns Ranmaru not to tease an adult. Ranmaru counters by saying an adult wouldn't submit to childish jealousy. Usagi is freaking out at Ranmaru's goading of Hanzou. But then it hits her, COULD his foul mood actually be jealousy? If it was, it meant that he loves her. They continue on their way.

Out of nowhere Mamezou jumps out (off a nearby wall) and latches on to Usagi, crying his little eyes out. Sobbing he tells her that Uribou has disappeared. Ranmaru wonders who in the world this child is. Oops, now Usagi and Hanzou are in a pinch! Hanzou quicky responds that Mamezou is their child. Then he turns to Mamezou and tells him to greet Ranmaru (who is VERY surprised at Mamezou's leap). He tries to tell Mamezou (either by whispering or without words..) that if it's discovered that they are shinobi their lives will be forfeit. Mamezou seems to get it because he's now scared stiff, but manages to get out the greeting. Hanzou praises Mamezou which is pretty cute.

Ranmaru asks Usagi how old she was when she had Mamezou. Obviously the numbers aren't going to match up, so Hanzou jumps in quickly, saying that Mamezou is the child of his first wife who died soon after delivery. (Usagi does NOT like the way this story is turning out ^_^)

Because Usagi is exhausted from all the walking they stop for the night. In their room Usagi and Mamezou are talking loudly. Hanzou tells them to keep their voices down and their guards up until the mission is over. Then he asks Usagi about the secret Ranmaru was talking about. She answers that he asked her about how she and Hanbee fell in love. Hanzou asks if that is really all and she says yes (though her heart aches at lying to him) because she doesn't want Hanzou to find out about Ranmaru being in Koga. He says that's fine then and asks her never to hide things from him. (STAB) While Usagi wallows in guilt Hanzou has Mamezou practice calling him father (Otousama).

Ranmaru joins them for dinner, though for once Usagi isn't very hungry. Ranmaru leans over and tells Usagi to come to his room later that night. She painedly thinks that she doesn't want to have to keep anything else from Hanzou. Later that night Hanzou and Mamezou go off for a bath. Hanzou tells Usagi not to leave the room until they get back (and not to trust Ranmaru, I think). But as soon as they are gone she goes over to Ranmaru's room, feeling like something bad is going to happen. He invites her in, but she tells him to state his business there and now, because she is Hanbee's wife and won't enter a man's room in the middle of the night. Ranmaru asks her if she truly loves Hanbee from the bottom of her heart. (he uses "ai" for love rather than the "suki" which Usagi always uses.) She ponders this in her thoughts. "'Ai' is a stronger feeling than "suki" right? Do I LOVE him…? I do…

Ranmaru had left as she was pondering but he now comes back and offers Usagi a foreign sweet (a sponge cake from Namban). He asks her to keep it a secret as he only has one of them. She takes it, he says "that's all" and shuts the door on her, leaving her speechless in the hallway. Relieved that was all he wanted, she prepares to eat the snack before returning to her room. Then all of a sudden Hanzou and Mamezou appear and she shoves the cake into her mouth and gobbles it up to hide it. Hanzou and Mamezou both noticed it, however.

Hanzou snaps and beats her into a bloody pulp…just kidding. Let's try that again…^_^
Hanzou snaps, yelling that she broke her promise and that she had gone to see Ranmaru, hadn't she. Hadn't he just told her not to keep things from him!! She replies that all he did was give her the sweet. He asks her if that is really all that happened and she says yes. Then she asks him if he doubts her and Ranmaru (does he think that there is something going on between them). She thinks, "I tell him all the time, but it still hasn't sunk in!?" then she says, "The one I love is you Hanzou sama (using suki). I've always LOVED (ai) you…"

"Silence!!" he yells, and then he kisses her (right in front of Mamezou too). "Don't get me wrong. Right now, I'm Hanbee. …..I'm sorry for doubting you… From the first time I met you, I knew you'd be the one who would truly fall in love with me."

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