On this day, Toyotomi Hideyoshi is currently preparing a massive battle to defeat his greatest enemy, Oda Nobunaga. Fighting along side Hideyoshi is the Takeda Army with their supreme commander, Takeda Shingen, and the Sanada Army, led by Sanada Yukimura. The opposing Oda Nobunaga has already made arrangements to face off with Hideyoshi and the others, along with the Uesugi Army and the soldiers of the Date Army.
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The day before the battle had finally come. The morning mist formed around the open fields that will soon became a battleground. Everyone had already set up their camp a few days ago. Now it's only a matter of time before the war breaks out.
"There is no path to unification unless we win this battle! We are after Nobunaga's head! Move out!" Hideyoshi ordered.
The Toyotomi soldiers let out battle cries as the signal of the war arised.
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Fighting has broken out as the early morning mist rolls across Shinga.
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In the main tent...
Runa and Yuzuki sat in a corner and observed the others, as they discuss strategies for the war.
"The Takeda Army will intercept the Uesugi Army on the northern side of the lake. We will have the Sanada Army observe the Date Army's movements and assess the situation from there." Kanbee explained.
"Right." Hideyoshi nodded.
"Our army will be aiming for the main line of the Oda Army." Kanbee turned to Toshiie and gestured his right hand to him. "Toshiie's squadron will attack them first."
"Alright! It's been a while since we had a huge battle. I'm gonna go all out!" Toshiie smirked.
"But, Hideyoshi-sama, what do you intend to do about them?" Mitsunari asked.
Everyone looked at the girls with concerned looks. Runa can't blame then for worrying. There's a high chance that one of them or both of them will be captured during the fight.
"Are you sure we should've brought Yuzuki to the battlefield?" Toshiie asked. "I know Runa can handle herself since she's strong, but it's still dangerous."
Hideyoshi stood up. "On the contrary... We couldn't leave them in the castle because it's dangerous there." He slammed his right hand flat on the table. "Even our castle isn't safe for them right now."
"The enemy armies knows about her having blood with the same powers as the Himemiko's, and about Runa's intense supernatural powers." Kanbee pointed out.
"On top of it. They also know that Runa can take down a group of yakuma and well-trained soldiers effortlessly." Mitsunari added. "Therefore, we have no choice, then."
"Kanbee, Hanbee, I'll be leaving the girls' care to you during the battle." Hideyoshi ordered.
"Okay~!" Hanbee smiled.
"Yes, sir." Kanbee nodded.
Yuzuki stood and bowed a bit. "Th-Thank you in advance." She stuttered to the two vampires, who are going to be with them.
"No worries, no worries." Hanbee waved, assuring her. "You'll be fine with us!"
"Runa, I know you're strong, but please be careful, okay?" Hideyoshi warned her.
Runa nodded.
"E-Excuse me..." Yuzuki called out.
"What is it?" Hideyoshi asked with his usual smile.
"Why exactly are you fighting?"
"Huh?" She surprised not only Hideyoshi, but Runa as well.
"I've been wondering this for a while." Yuzuki mentioned. "Since that time Hideyoshi-san met Nobunaga-san."
Then the memory of that night played in Runa's mind.
Flashback:
Nobunaga staring down at them at the edge of the cliff with Ranmaru behind him.
"It's been a while, Monkey." Nobunaga coldly said.
"Nobunaga... sama." Hideyoshi said in a low voice.
The two vampires had a staring contest until Hideyoshi broke it with a chuckle, which caught Nobunaga's attention. "Man, to think you would kindly come for my head yourself. Or, rather, should I say that you've kindly brought me your head?" He mocked.
"What did you say?!" Ranmaru shouted, moving forward to lunge at the commander.
"It's fine. Settle down." Nobunaga told the young vassal. He was unfazed by Hideyoshi's mock.
Ranmaru calmed down and stepped back to his original position.
"Monkey, my head is here." Nobunaga took a few steps until he reached the edge of the cliff he's standing. "You are welcome to it, if you can take it." He taunted. "However, no matter how many schemes you come up with or soldiers you try to gather, you will never reach my head."
"Still the same as ever." Hideyoshi smirked.
Flashback ended:
"Is there some other reason you wish to defeat Nobunaga-san beyond just unification?" Yuzuki asked.
Everyone was silent with sad and uncomfortable expressions. Runa knows how they feel when this sort of topic comes up. It's too personal. She knows she would try to avoid talking about it as much as possible.
"You don't need to know why." Hideyoshi stated.
Yuzuki looked at him with a surprised look.
'Hypocrite.' Runa had a feeling Yuzuki was clueless that she won't get a straight answer from a sensitive topic, of which she knew nothing about.
Hideyoshi looked at her seriously. "We are only after unification right now. That's why I will be sure to take Nobunaga's head."
Runa stared at the commander with an unreadable expression.
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The next morning...
The day of the battle finally came. It was bright and early and Yuzuki decided to make breakfast for everyone.
"Hmm? What are you doing?" Hanbee asked, coming up to Yuzuki with Kanbee.
Yuzuki looked up and saw the two vampires approaching her. "Oh, Hanbee-kun! I thought I'd make breakfast for everyone." She explained with a bright smile.
"You're helping?" Kanbee asked.
"Yes." Yuzuki poured another serving of soup in a bowl, and handed it to the next soldier waiting.
"I would have thought you'd be anxious about going with us to battle."
"That's Yuzuki for you." Hanbee said.
"You have an admirable spirit." Kanbee praised.
Yuzuki gave him a sheepish smile. "Not at all..."
Hanbee giggled, which caught Kanbee's attention. "Such a rare thing, Kanbee praising someone." He teased, glancing at the quiet vampire.
Kanbee averted his face, blushing lightly. He composed himself after a few seconds. "Are you not afraid of battle?" He asked.
"Of course I'm scared, but..." Yuzuki trailed off.
"But you cannot be the only one not doing anything while everyone else is doing their best?" Kanbee guessed.
"Huh?" Yuzuki looked at him, surprised.
Kanbee smirked. "I thought that might be it. I understand how you feel, but it would be terrible if something were to happen to you." He and Hanbee started to walk away. "Do try not to push yourself."
"Thank you." Yuzuki bowed to them before getting back to work. "Here you go."
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The two vampires watched her from a distance with smiles on their faces.
That's when Kanbee noticed someone was missing. "Where's Runa?"
"Ah, Runa-chan said she wants to look around, so she went off somewhere near the woods." Hanbee answered. "She said she would be back soon."
Kanbee just nodded before doing some final preparations.
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As the morning continues...
The fight had already begun. Over on the northern side near the lake, Runa walked out of the woods to meet a destroyed camp of the Takeda Army.
(Runa's view.)
Runa saw this coming. She wasn't planning on going in since she didn't want to risk being seen. No, Runa doesn't want to be any part of this. Runa scanned the area until she spotted a group of three werewolves she recognised; Kagemochi, Kageie and their supreme commander; Uesugi Kenshin.
Runa hid behind a tree and noticed they were talking to each other when they went inside. So, getting some information, Runa decided to eavesdrop.
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Inside the camp...
"Was Shingen among the enemy?" Kagemochi asked Kageie.
"No, I didn't see him." Kageie answered.
Kagemochi turned to Kenshin. "Kenshin-sama, this means..."
"Yes, I guess this means we are being lured in." Kenshin said. "But I am already prepared to dive into the Takeda Army's camp."
With that in mind, Kenshin along with his generals walked further into the field.
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Runa silently followed them in the shadows, seeing more and more dead bodies of countless soldiers, along with small flames in the field was the only thing she's seeing.
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"I've been waiting for you, Kenshin." A voice stated.
The familiar voice stopped Kenshin's, his generals' and Runa's tracks. They all look over near the trees and out of the forest is none other than Kenshin's rival; Takeda Shingen. He held his katana over his shoulders as Masakage and Nobuharu immediately came out after their supreme commander with smirks on their faces.
Shingen was grinning with excitement, feeling his blood boiling with anticipation.
Kenshin looked calm on the outside, but inside, his blood was already burning with fire. He looked at his opponent. "Do you wish to fight with me that badly?" He questioned.
"I've gotta overcome you if I'm going to unify the world." Shingen declared.
Kenshin narrowed his eyes, and at the same time, he was also thinking the same thing. He needs to beat his rival if he was going to unify the world.
"I'll be your opponent." Shingen stated.
"Yes, understood." Kenshin responded.
"No one will interfere here." Shingen unsheathed his katana. "You lot stay out." He told his generals, along with Kenshin's.
Then both commanders dash towards each other. They circled each other a couple of times, holding their katana tightly as they glare at their rival.
"Here I go!" Shingen went for the first strike, charging at Kenshin.
Kenshin blocked it and so they began to throw blows at each other.
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At the same time...
Runa got bored, knowing how the fight was going to end. 'I should go back.' She told herself. Runa knew Hanbee can't stall for her forever. Sighing, she turned around and made her way back to the Toyotomi camp. But not before she left something behind...
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Over in the main forces...
Toshiie was already breaking through the Oda forces. "Come on, what's the matter?!" He shouted, swinging his glave, aiming it at the Oda soldiers. "I'm not done rampaging yet!"
Toshiie swung his glave, cutting down a few enemy soldiers. He took another swing but got intercepted by a katana, that belonged to Shibata Katsuie, a general of the Oda Army, who wielded two katanas at the same time.
"Hmph! You're so full of yourself." Katsuie remarked. "I'm not gonna let you do what you want!"
"Shaddup!" Toshiie shouted, glaring harshly at his opponent.
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At the Toyotomi main camp...
A soldier was reporting in on how the battle was going to Hideyoshi and Mitsunari, who was waiting for an update. "Reporting in!" The soldier announced. "Toshiie-sama has broken through the enemy's front lines."
Mitsunari turned to Hideyoshi with his arms crossed. "All according to plan." He stated.
Hideyoshi got up from his seat. "Right, let's go." He started walking out of the tent with a smirk on his face. "We'll attack the Oda Army's camp at once!" He declared.
Many soldiers let out battle cries, holding their weapons up. They followed Hideyoshi, who drew his katana from its sheath.
"Our goal is the Oda Army's camp! Charge!" Hideyoshi yelled.
Hideyoshi led his army into the Oda Army's camp, cutting down many soldiers with Toshiie and Mitsunari at his side. Then they finally made it to the main tent where Hideyoshi hoped to see his enemy. As soon as he used his sword to move the cloth to the entrance of the tent, he finds the inside empty.
Hideyoshi's eyes widened in shock. He looked around until he noticed over at an opening area of the tent, stood Nobunaga with Mitsuhide and some soldiers. The soldiers were holding torches that were all lit up.
"Burn it all." Nobunaga emotionlessly commanded.
All of the Oda soldiers toss the torches, creating a massive fire that started to burn the whole tent.
Hideyoshi stared at Nobunaga, full of rage. And at the same time, he remembered a memory from the past as the fires were burning in front of him.
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At the same time...
Mitsuhide glanced at Nobunaga from behind, remembering the same thing Hideyoshi was thinking.
Flashback:
A village that was burning in flames, and Mitsuhide came just in time to see the scene before him.
Standing near the village, staring at the state it was in was Nobunaga and at his side was Hideyoshi.
Nobunaga noticed Mitsuhide and glanced at him with Hideyoshi with similar expressions. The flame before them gave the two like firing phoenixes just burned down their greatest enemy.
Flashback ended:
'Nobunaga-sama...' Mitsuhide thought.
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"Nobunaga and Mitsuhide, huh?" Hideyoshi murmured, looking at the two vampires standing next to each other. It felt so long ago, and at the same time, it was the same night when he felt betrayed by Nobunaga.
Flashback:
The very same night, Hideyoshi and Nobunaga were attacking each other inside the burning village. Nobunaga was winning, flipping the katana out of Hideyoshi's hands, sending it flying a few feet away from them. Nobunaga cornered Hideyoshi to a wall and pointed his katana at his throat.
"Why...?" Was all he asked. A word that holds multiple questions.
Flashback ended:
Hideyoshi stared blankly at the two vampires in front of him, lost in thought.
Mitsunari and Toshiie came running up to their supreme commander.
"Hideyoshi-sama!" Mitsunari called out, snapping Hideyoshi out of his thoughts.
"Tch. Burning everything?" Toshiie scowled. "His typical inhuman methods."
Mitsunari looked at the flames, observing the movement of the wind was blowing. "With the way the wind is blowing, this will cause devastating damage to our army." He observed.
"What'll we do, Hideyoshi?" Toshiie asked.
"Attack immediately, before the fire surrounds us." Hideyoshi responded, almost immediately.
"As the supreme commander, you cannot go by yourself, Hideyoshi-sama." Mitsunari pointed out. "We must first rebuild our camp."
"I'll leave that to you, Mitsunari." Hideyoshi responded. "I'm going to destroy that man with my own hands." He was already feeling the rage inside of him. He didn't want Nobunaga escape his grasp. He already felt his hands were already within reach of his goal. "This is the only chance I'll have to attack Nobunaga!" He attacked before charging into the forest.
"Please wait!" Mitsunari called out, but Hideyoshi ignored him.
Toshiie turned to Mitsunari. "I'll go with Hideyoshi. You go back to camp." He instructed.
"Understood."
"Hideyoshi gets all crazy when it comes to Nobunaga." Toshiie mentioned.
"I have a bad feeling." Mitsunari looked a bit concerned.
Mitsunari left the area, heading back to camp to lead the army away from the flames, as Toshiie chased after Hideyoshi.
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Over deep in the forest near the battle...
Kanbee, Hanbee and Yuzuki were jogging through the forest. The fire spreaded through the forest, but not too bad.
Kanbee noticed the smoke rising up nearby. "The enemy has set fires in the area." He mentioned. "We're taking you to a safe place."
"Okay." Yuzuki said.
"Yo! Long time no, see." Katsuie smirked at the two vampires.
Yuzuki silently gasped when she saw the vampire, along with a few Oda soldiers blocking their way. She, Kanbee and Hanbee slowed down, now slowly walking towards Katsuie a bit and stopped.
"How awful~" Hanbee complained. "We didn't want to run into you here."
"Hand over the girls." Katsuie demanded.
"What girls?" Hanbee asked, innocently.
"Don't play dumb. The one with powers. Nobunaga-sama had set his eyes on her and the girl for a long time." Katsuie mentioned.
Hanbee felt anger building up inside. He kept his innocent face on, but inside, he isn't gonna let Katsuie take someone precious away from him. There's no way he's handing his sister over to the Oda Army, that might make her remember that.
"Hypocrites..." A familiar/unfamiliar angelic voice said with disdain, breaking the tension between the two parties.
Everyone looked around until they saw Runa sitting on a tree branch with her hands on her lap. Her blindfolded eyes stared emotionlessly down at them. The stare could match Nobunaga's.
Yuzuki got chills just looking at the stare the raven-haired beauty was giving them. It may be emotionless, but it held disdain and pure rage.
Runa grabbed the branch she once sat and gracefully jumped down, landing gently between the parties.
"You're coming with me. The both of you." Katsuie stated, smirking.
"We're not going to just hand them over because you say so." Hanbee stated. He and Kanbee glanced at each other, sending each other a knowing look. "Kanbee!" Hanbee ordered, grabbing the girls by their wrists, leading them away from the group.
"Right." Kanbee nodded before charging at the enemy.
The Oda soldiers charged at Kanbee, who killed a few before more surrounded him.
With Kanbee distracted, Katsuie took the chance to run after Hanbee and the girls.
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Meanwhile...
Hanbee continued to drag the girls down the small pathway. Then they reached a clearing, only for it to be the edge of a cliff. Below the cliff was a rapid river that stretched far and wide.
The sound of metal swords being unsheathed and clanging of armour made the trio turn around. They saw Katsuie and his men blocking both the exit and the entrance.
"Is this a desperate situation?" Hanbee wondered, raising his arm protectively in front of the girls.
"Seems like it." Yuzuki answered, hiding behind the vampire.
"Aw~ but I didn't want to die." Hanbee whined. He turned around and faced Runa with a smile.
Runa knows that smile so she played along.
Yuzuki on the other hand was confused. She watched Hanbee brought Runa into an embrace, as the girl was unfazed at the sudden action.
Hanbee brought Runa closer to him, bending his head down a little. "I love you..." He whispered.
"H-Hanbee-kun?!" Yuzuki stuttered with a flushed expression on her face. She was still trying to process what was happening. And she couldn't believe what she was hearing!
Hanbee's eyes stared deeply into Runa's blindfolded eyes, passion filling them. Their nose were close to touching. "Truthfully, I was hoping to take you away somewhere." Hanbee whispered. "Somewhere that has nothing to do with Hideyoshi-sama and fighting."
(Runa's point of view.)
Runa saw a spark of sadness filling his eyes when he said about fighting. "Me too..." She whispered, buring her face in his chest.
"Huh?" Yuzuki was still surprised.
"H-Hey, you!" Katsuie called out, shocked.
Hanbee turned to him and swiped his parasol from left to right. "Katsuie." He started, glaring at the vampire. "I don't have the slightest intention of handing her over to you. If I had to hand her over to anyone..."
Runa pushed Yuzuki into Hanbee's waiting arm, as he slipped an arm around her shoulders.
"... I would choose for us to die together."
Yuzuki looked at the vampire, surprised as Hanbee pulled her closer and opened his parasol. He raised it up into the air and Yuzuki felt his hold tightened onto her. Before she knew it, Hanbee jumped off the cliff.
"Hey!" Katsuie shouted, shocked at the same time at the suicidal action.
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Yuzuki screamed as she and Hanbee fell into the water with a splash.
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"There they go..." Runa mumbled as she looked down at the rapid river. She turned around and blankly stare at the redheaded vampire.
Katsuie's face turned red like his hair. He couldn't help but admired how beautiful Runa was right now.
"Katsuie... right...? If Nobunaga wants to capture me and... the other girl... Tell him... and all his generals... has to play... with...me..." Runa told him with a stoic look on her face. She bowed and jumped off the cliff.
Katsuie and his men ran to the edge and looked down at the rapid water, shocked.
"Seriously?" Katsuie blurted out. How is he going to report this to Nobunaga?
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Down at the river...
Runa gasped for air when she swam up after her extreme dive. She only hoped the river would lead her to the duo. She saw a water creature and it came over to her.
"You girls... show u-"
*Splash!*
Water forced Runa under before she swam up, coughing the water out of her lungs "...when *Cough!* needed..." Runa choked.
The creature neighed and carried the raven-haired beauty downstream, leading her to the location it saw the duo went.
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Somewhere in the burning forest...
Hideyoshi was still chasing after Nobunaga. For a while, he still couldn't find him. But then he heard a gunshot and stopped in his tracks.
That's when Toshiie managed to catch up to Hideyoshi.
"Nobunaga, where are you?!" Hideyoshi demanded, drawing out his sword. He began to look around, hard, trying to spot his enemy.
"Hey, Hideyoshi." Toshiie called out. "We don't really need to keep chasing him this far, do we?"
"No, they should be having trouble moving in this smoke, too." Hideyoshi observed, smelling the smoke everywhere.
"That's true, but..." Toshiie tried to reason with Hideyoshi, but no vail.
"Nobunaga is definitely close by!" Hideyoshi stated.
Suddenly, an arrow shooted directly towards Hideyoshi, who managed to deflect it.
Toshiie tried to call Hideyoshi down, knowing that he's not thinking clearly. "Let's stop this. Chasing after Nobunaga without any soldiers is way too reckless!" Toshiie told him.
But Hideyoshi runs off again.
"Hey! Are you even listening to me?" Toshiie grabbed Hideyoshi's arm.
"Don't you trust me?" Hideyoshi questioned.
"That's not the point!" Toshiie snapped. "You're acting a little crazy. I'm just saying you need to calm down!"
Hideyoshi turned his back to him, shrugging his arm away. "I am plenty calm."
Out of the blue, Toshiie pulled Hideyoshi behind him when he saw a rain of arrows coming straight towards them. Toshiie spinned his glave in a circular motion in rapid speed, deflecting all the arrows. However, one managed to graze his forearm.
As well as another landed a hit to his right thigh.
"Toshiie!" Hideyoshi fretted, concerned.
Toshiie applied pressure to the wound on his forearm, seeing as blood was trickling down his arm. "This is why I said we shouldn't go any further." He groaned. "These are just flesh wounds."
If things can't get any worse for them, many Oda soldiers came out of their hiding places from the bushes, or the trees, holding their weapons ready.
Toshiie took a deep breath and pulled the arrow out of his thigh, bearing the pain. Then he and Hideyoshi started to attack the Oda soldiers.
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Over in the forest...
Not far from the Toyotomi Castle, the Sanada Army had been keeping an eye on the Date Army's movements since the beginning of the war.
Yukimura walked over to a large tree, where Kamanosuke was up on one of the high branches. "Any movement from the Date Army?" He asked, cupping one of his hand to his mouth.
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Up in the tree...
There was a long pause when Kamanosuke looked through his telescope. "None." Kamanosuke finally answered. "They're so quiet, it's making me sleepy." He yawned, covering his mouth with one hand.
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Back down...
Yukimura sighed and he felt a bit uneasy. Then a gust of wind blowed right behind him. Yukimura looked behind him to see a small tornado of wind.
When the tornado died down, it revealed Sasuke.
Yukimura looked at Sasuke in a curious manner as the werewolf looked seriously back at him.
"Yukimura! There's trouble!" Sasuke announced. "It's a surprise attack!" He explained. "The Date Army is heading towards Toyotomi's castle!"
"We have to let the Toyotomi Army know right away." Yukimura stated. "Let's hurry to the castle."
Yukimura, Saizou and Sasuke rode on horseback, heading straight to the castle as fast as they could.
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At Toyotomi Castle...
The Date Army began making their move. Their supreme commander; Date Masamune was at the front lines.
"Lay siege at once!" Masamune commaned.
All of the Date soldiers began invading the castle, fighting many Sanada and Toyotomi soldiers.
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Meanwhile...
Yukimura managed to make it in time and headed straight over to the main hall, finding Mitsunari looking over the balcony with his arms crossed.
"Fire!" Mitsunari ordered the archers.
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The Toyotomi archers began firing rain of arrows down at the invading soldiers.
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Then Sasuke and Saizou appeared right behind Yukimura, already on their knees.
"We're going, too!" Sasuke said.
Then the two werewolves jumped out of the room to join in on the fray.
Sasuke ran down from the roof tops and pulled out his short dagger, then slayed a few enemies.
At the same time, Saizou pulled out his three pronged knife and clawed at several soldiers like a blood-thirsting bloodhound.
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From the main hall...
Yukimura and Mitsunari stayed at the balcony, watching the battle before them.
"Seems like their plan was for Date to lay siege to the castle in the confusion of the fires." Yukimura noted.
"If we had realised this any later, things could have been bad." Mitsunari added. "We have to hold out somehow until Hideyoshi-sama returns."
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That being said...
Hideyoshi was supporting Toshiie as they walked on the bridge to the castle town. But they stopped and gasped at the state of the town. Smoke was everywhere, buildings burned down and battle cries could be heard from the castle.
"So this is what they were after." Hideyoshi said.
"But the castle hasn't fallen yet." Toshiie pointed out.
They both watched the Sanada and Toyotomi soldiers, along with the generals, fought against the Date soldiers, trying to protect the castle.
"You're lucky you have such amazing comrades, Hideyoshi." Toshiie smiled at his commander, who was watching the fight.
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At the castle...
Despite the allianced armies' attempts, things were not looking good for them. Most of their soldiers had been cut in half, and they were not going to hold out for much longer.
However, at that moment, a small miracle happened.
"Grrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!"
Letting out battle cries, Hideyoshi and Toshiie charged into the castle and started slaying down the enemy soldiers.
The soldiers from the Toyotomi and Sanada Army cheered at the sight of the two Gegga Tribe members.
"Hideyoshi-sama has returned!" A soldier announced.
"We will protect the castle!" Hideyoshi declared.
With new strength found in their hearts, the soldiers started pushing the Date Army back with Hideyoshi taking the lead.
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Somewhere in the forest...
Runa pulled herself out of the rapid river and into shore. She took a deep breath as the creature swam off. Runa then helped Hanbee out as he pulled Yuzuki, who immediately gasped for the need of oxygen. They've been in the water for so long, Yuzuki felt like they're not gonna last much longer.
"I'm sorry." Hanbee apologised, releasing Yuzuki's wrist. "You must've been shocked by us jumping over the ledge like that."
"Katsuie fell... for it..." Runa added, not bothered by how soaked she was. She didn't even bothered moving her hair out of her face.
Hanbee chuckled as he used his fingers to move her soaked raven hair out of her face.
"Why did you do something so crazy?" Yuzuki asked after getting some air back in her lungs.
"It went just as I expected." Hanbee smiled at her. "Since they didn't come after us, apparently we were able to fool Katsuie long enough for us to get away." He explained.
'In other words, he's an idiot.' Runa thought. Then she felt the rush of nausea when she smelled something metallic.
"You're bleeding." Hanbee looked down at Yuzuki's knee.
Yuzuki looked at her leg and saw a cut on her knee, that's trickling blood a little. It looked painful, but it isn't bad either.
"It's no big deal." Yuzuki assured as she put pressure on her leg, getting on one knee. "I can still walk." She then looked at Runa and that's when she saw the cut. "Your arm, Runa-san!" She fretted.
"Hm?" Runa looked down to see a nasty sunburn running down her arm to her wrist, through her ripped sleeve.
(I get it. My drawing of anime needs work.)
"When did... that happened...?" Runa wondered, staring at her wound. She could barely feel it since her arm felt numb from being in the water too long.
When Runa looked back up, she saw Hanbee looking at her wound with delight. He licked his lips like he was about to have a meal. Runa wondered if she should let him lick the blood off, but went against it when she saw him resist the temptation.
"Let's hurry back to the castle." Hanbee said as he helped Yuzuki up.
*Rustle!*Rustle!*
Hanbee and Runa became alarmed, and immediately glared at the bushes behind them.
"Be careful." Hanbee warned.
Then a yakuma jumped out and launched itself at them.
The three were shocked to see it and Yuzuki screamed I fear.
Before Runa could process anything, her thorns went out on their own and began attacking everything it saw as a threat to their master.
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At the lake...
Shingen was still fighting Kenshin. The fight had been going on for hours, both were almost out of breath, but neither one didn't backed down.
Kenshin raised his sword, striking at Shingen over and over again.
But Shingen continued to block the incoming attacks. He narrowed his eyes. "Kenshin! Why did you join forces with Nobunaga?!" He demanded, swinging his sword.
"I could ask you the same thing." Kenshin responded, blocking the attack before striking. "Why is a man like you with Hideyoshi?!"
They both dashed towards each other, still striking and blocking each other's moves.
"Hmph. It doesn't matter. It has nothing to do with my fight with you!" Shingen stated.
"True." Kenshin smirked. "How we got here is merely a trivial matter!"
"I can't just drop dead in a place like this." Shingen declared.
"Do you somehow think you are going to fight me and return home alive?" Kenshin questioned, still having the smirk on his face.
"I will!" Shingen snapped. "Without a doubt!"
They continued to fight, but then a loud screech echoed throughout the forest. Both Shingen and Kenshin stopped their attacks when they heard the screech.
"Yakuma?" Kenshin wondered.
"What are they doing here?" Shingen also wondered.
"*HOWL!!*"
Then the werewolves saw something that was green running towards them, coming out of the forest. When the figure drew closer, they saw it was a yellowish green wolf with what looked like thousands of black needles swarming behind it. The werewolves were flabbergasted at the majestic creature and the thorns were being chased by a swarm of yakuma.
The Takeda Army could have sworn they recognised the thorns as Runa's Astral Thorns.
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With the creature...
The wolf saw the group but was too busy killing any yakuma that tried to claw it with the thorns protecting it. The wolf turned its back towards the werewolves, dodging each claw as it clawed back with elegance and skill. Before the wolf knew it, it came closer and closer to the group until it finally hit its tail against someone's chest.
The wolf looked over its shoulders, noticing its long tail touched Kenshin's chest. The wolf gave the Uesugi commander a blank look before it pulled away from him, and looked ahead at the swarm of yakuma. The wolf howled loudly as if commanding the thorns that were caging the Gegga Tribe members.
The wolf walked forward as the thorns got into position; pointing their tips at the army of yakuma.
"O-Oi!" Masakage called out in worry.
The wolf's grey eyes glanced at the young vassal for a split second before glaring at the monstrous creatures. "*HOWL!*" Its howl echoed throughout the area as it commanded the thorns to attack.
The thorns launched into the air and glowed a galaxy purple as it rained down over not only at the yakuma, but at everyone as well. It was raining needles everywhere!
The wolf quickly turned around and sped out of the way. It grabbed Kenshin's sword by the mouth and Shingen's sword by the tail before dashing off with them.
"H-Hey!" Shingen shouted. He couldn't believe the wolf took his sword.
Kenshin and his vassals were stunned as well.
Shingen and his vassals chased after the green wolf, along with Kenshin and his vassals. The wolf was so fast, the werewolves were having trouble keeping up. Making it even harder, the wolf's fur makes it practically invisible with the forest. It blended in with nature perfectly. But there were times where they spotted the wolf waiting for them in some corners. The werewolves wondered if the wolf did it on purpose so it made sure they were following it.
As the wolf ran off again, its ears twitched when it heard Runa's thorns shattered into thousand pieces of stars, meaning all of the yakuma were killed.
The wolf came to a clearing in the forest and stopped, setting the swords down neatly before it. It sat down and waited a few seconds as the two rivaled armies caught up, out of breath.
The wolf tilled its head as its grey eyes stared at the commanders.
"Y-You're a fast one..." Shingen rasped, catching his breath as he placed his hands on his knees.
The wolf got on all paws and gestured its head to their swords.
"To think Runa-chan left some backup for us." Masanobu joked with his usual smile.
"'Backup'?!" Nobuharu questioned. "You call those 'backup'?! We could have been killed!"
"Now, now. Enough you two." Shingen cutted in. "What matters is that Runa saved our skin."
"Twice now." Masatoyo added.
The Uesugi soldiers were quite surprised with the thorns, and about how casual the Takeda Army was talking about the supernatural girl. Was she with them?
"Are you talking about the girl with supernatural powers?" Kagemochi asked as Kenshin went over to the wolf and picked up his sword.
Shingen picked up his sword and glared viciously at the Uesugi Army. "It's none of your business." He growled.
The wolf went up to the growling werewolf and rubbed its cheek against his leg.
Shingen looked down and his gaze softened. He bent down and rubbed the wolf behind its ear, earning a satisfied tail wag. Shingen chuckled at the sight. "You're a fascinating one, aren't you? Stay out of danger, okay?"
As if the wolf understood, it nodded and quickly took off in the woods.
"H-Hey!" Kageie shouted at it. He was about to run after it, but Kenshin held him back.
"Don't." He said.
The vassal stared at his commander in shock.
"There are still more yakuma around."
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Somewhere...
Runa applied pressure to her wound as she looked around the forest. Being alone is giving her the sense of insecurity as she felt like she's being followed.
*Rustle!*Rustle!*
"Eh?" Pausing in her steps, Runa went on high alert when the bushes moved.
Turning her head at them, Runa sensed bloodlust and after a deafening silence, a group of yakuma lunged at her.
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At Toyotomi Castle...
The armies continued to fight. Endless rain of arrows continued to shower, slashes of endless bodies and bloodshed.
◇◇◇◇◇
At the same time...
Deep in the shadows, a group yakuma began emerging from the forest. Their glowing bloodlust eyes shined brightly out of the dark as they made their way to the battlefield. When they got near, they began attacking the soldiers.
The soldiers became frightened and began running for their lives, as there are too many yakuma to even begin to counterattack.
The yakuma began to kill the soldiers from left to right, slamming them into the stone walls until their skulls cracked, or bleed to death, clawing them with their claws to mark their presence.
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At the entrance...
Masamune watched the situation, realising that there was no way to fight so many yakuma in so much chaos. "We've lost our place to fight." He stated.
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The battlefield fell into chaos with the sudden appearance of the yakuma.
Each army was forced to withdraw, and the curtain fell on the battle without a decisive victor.
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At the Oda Army's main camp...
The mystified purple-winged baby bird stared at the vermilion sky from the steps. By the time the day turned evening, the chaos has settled down with the yakuma. The bird watched the fight, and was kind of amused at the 'gift' Runa left for the Takeda and Uesugi Armies.
Now at the main camp of the Oda Army, the little one eavesdropped at their war council meeting from outside.
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Inside the tent...
"Yakuma, eh?" Nobunaga wondered, sitting on his throne.
"The castle was just about to fall when they interrupted us." Mitsuhide explained before he quickly did a small bow. "I am very sorry."
"It doesn't matter." Nobunaga dismissed the matter.
"I wonder why the yakuma suddenly showed up, though?" Katsuie questioned.
"The frequency of their appearance has increased significantly recently." Mitsuhide mentioned.
Nobunaga's eyes went slightly wide at hearing the news. He began to wonder, what would make the yakuma come out in more numbers than before?
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Outside the tent...
The baby bird's left eye twitched in annoyance. 'Come on, Nobunaga!' It internally yelled. 'You're smart! The pattern is so obvious! Why does no Gegga Tribe member realise the connection yet?!' It whined.
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Inside the tent...
"Katsuie, what about the girls?" Nobunaga suddenly questioned.
◇◇◇◇◇
The baby bird stopped its mini rant when it heard Nobunaga mentioning the girls.
◇◇◇◇◇
"Umm... T-That's..." Katsuie couldn't find the words to explain.
"Katsuie-san, tell us." Ranmaru pressured.
"They jumped off the cliff with Hanbee while I had them cornered." Katsuie explained. "But before the girl with raven hair jumped off the cliff, she wants me to tell all of us something."
"All of us?" Ranmaru blinked, curious.
"What did she say?" Nobunaga demanded.
"S-She said that if we want to capture her and the other girl, all of us, including Nobunaga-sama, has to play with her."
"Huh?" Nagahide raised a brow in question.
The generals were not expecting that kind of request. But they were wondering, why does she want them to play with her?
Nobunaga smirked. "Interesting."
◇◇◇◇◇
The bird had a glint of amusement in its blue eyes. 'My, my... What a request.'
◇◇◇◇◇
At Toyotomi Castle...
Nightfall came around in the Toyotomi territory. Hideyoshi, along with Kanbee, Toshiie and Mitsunari, were all a bit frustrated at what happened with the sudden appearance of yakuma.
A heavy silence came over them until the door to the main hall suddenly opened.
"Hideyoshi-sama..." A voice weakly called out.
Everyone turned their heads to the door to see Hanbee badly wounded.
Hanbee used the doorframe for support since he could barely feel his legs.
"Hanbee!" Kanbee exclaimed, surprised.
"I'm sorry..." Hanbee apologised. "Yakuma appeared when we were... on our way back to the castle..." After that, his legs finally gave out.
Before Hanbee could hit the floor, Kanbee managed to catch him.
Hideyoshi was stunned to say anything at the moment.
Hanbee was breathing very heavily, drained from not only fighting off the yakuma without his weapon, but making it back here as well.
"Are you alright?" Kanbee asked, but Hanbee was too exhausted to reply.
Eventually, the vampire passed out.
Hideyoshi looked at everyone, pursing his lips in frustration. He looked at Toshiie, who's applying pressure to his untreated wound on his forearm.
"Are you okay, Hanbee? Hang in there!" Toshiie fretted.
Then out of the blue, Hideyoshi ran out of the room, surprising his generals. He ran straight towards the balcony, looking at the state of the town was in with a frustrated look.
Not only the town was destroyed and his friends are injured, but he lost the girls. Vulnerable girls that could be anywhere right now.
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Somewhere...
Darkness...
Black...
Emptiness...
Nothing...
They were all Runa could think about. She couldn't remember what happened, but all she knew was that she was exhausted. She could just barely feel her wounded arm.
'It's likely swollen by now.' Runa thought. Her body felt like its underwater. All she wants to think is that, everything was all a bad dream.
"Please wake up! Hey!"
'Who's there?' Runa wondered.
Runa slowly opened her eyes to see a small pink feline cat with forest emerald eyes and sunny eyeshadow. It wore a tiara with emerald gems, along with a matching necklace. It also has light emerald green wings on its back as well.
"Please hang in there." It said.
"Mavis...?" Runa wondered, still in a daze.
The little creature identified as Mavis looked at Runa in worry, flying above her face.
Runa realised she was laying under a tree. She used her good arm to right herself up and leaned against the tree trunk, exhausted. 'I want to take a nap.' Runa sighed, leaning her head against the trunk. 'I want to cuddle up against Hanbee or Shingen, or Yukimura, Sasuke, Kamanosuke, Masanobu... The list just goes on...'
"Are you okay?" Mavis flew down and sat on Runa's lap.
Runa nodded. "Somewhat..."
"What a relief!" Mavis sighed. "I was so worried."
"Where... are we...?" Runa asked.
"In the forest." Mavis answered. "When me and Ula were on our way to Toyotomi Castle, we found you collapsed here." She explained.
"Ouch...!" Runa hissed. She and Mavis looked down to see her arm had multiple cuts over some nasty sunburns, as well as the wound was all red. The bleeding stopped as some stained her sleeve. "Wait..." Runa turned her gaze back to Mavis. "You said... you came with... Ula... Where... is... she...?"
"Ru! Mavis!" A voice shouted.
The girls looked up ahead to see a baby crocodile with purple eyes and lighter shade of eyeshadow. It has pink cheeks, a purplish pink bow on its head and matching wings.
The little creature was also carrying a black Huawei classic backpack by the straps.
"Ula..." Runa mumbled as the little crocodile placed the bag before her.
"I'm really glad you're alright." Ula smiled, wiping happy tears from her eyes. "What happened?" Her eyes trailed to the nasty wound on Runa's arm.
Runa sighed. "I... was on my... way back to the castle... with Hanbee and... the other girl... when... yakuma... showed up..." She explained, remembering the event. "My thorns... went out of control... and attacked everything... I couldn't move anymore... because I'd forced myself... to run so hard..."
"It's amazing you're okay." Mavis smiled.
Ula nodded in agreement. "Anyway, we have to hurry and treat your arm."
*Rustle!*Rustle!*
"Huh?" The three got spooked from the sudden movements from the bushes. Who, or what could it be?
Runa could hear her little friends' hearts beating fast out of fear. She picked them up and held them close. The sound of footsteps leaded Runa to know that who or what was making them wasn't a 'what', but a 'who'. It wasn't a yakuma for sure. It didn't give off any bloodlust but instead of a calm and king-like aura. And it sounded like the footsteps were made by horses.
'If it is an enemy soldier or something... well... I don't care, right now...' Runa thought, feeling more drained she possibly can be. All she wants to do was go back home and sleep in her bed, or sleep with one of her sister figures on a soft, warm, cloud-like bed.