Introduction:

Well, this is my first Samurai Warriors fic… and it will be yaoi, glorious yaoi! I try to keep to historical accuracy but in order to accommodate game events, some things need to be altered. For example, in real history, Kanetsugu would have been a baby during the battles of Kawanakajima, and Yukimura would not even have been born; yet the game has them facing each other in the fourth battle and I have opted to go with this.

However, this fic centers around an actual incident. In 1585, Yukimura was sent as a hostage to the Uesugi in return for reinforcements to aid the Sanada against Tokugawa Ieyasu; and released the following year when the Uesugi sided with the Toyotomi.

Characters and Pairings:

KanetsuguxYukimura. Kenshin, Shingen, others mentioned in passing.

Warnings:

Some violence, angst and yaoi. I know some sources state that Kenshin had a sexual relationship with Kanetsugu but this is difficult to prove and very controversial to write about due to their age difference. So I've settled for them being very close; to the extent that they share the same bed (not an uncommon practice in those days); but not to the point of sleeping with each other in that way.

Echigo, 1577

The room where Kanetsugu slept ought to have been pitch dark – its small windows opened to admit the breeze on a moonless, summer night. But tonight it was faintly illuminated by the warm glow of an oil lamp in the next room. Uesugi Kenshin, Lord of Echigo, was staying up late; poring over reports of Oda activity submitted by his scouts and messengers.

It was just as well that he was no longer facing the Takeda, already brutally crushed by the same foe he was plotting against now. Takeda Shingen's son, Katsuyori, chose not to accept Uesugi aid and faced the Oda alone. The Takeda cavalry subsequently went down in a hail of Oda gunfire at Nagashino. Kenshin shut his eyes in memory of his honored nemesis. Never again would he dance Bishamonten's sweet song of battle with a daimyo of Shingen's greatness.

The man sighed. No matter how much his loyal troops insisted otherwise, Kenshin never had the arrogance to see himself as Bishamonten incarnate. He was a favored disciple at most, he reflected; a human borrowing the might of the God of War to work His will, for the duration of his mortal lifespan. And soon that would come to an end. The pain came more frequently now, like an iron cannonball slowly growing and expanding within him, weighing and pressing on his insides. The physicians prodded, fussed over and medicated him, but Kenshin knew no-one dared to tell him he was dying. Once again, he lamented not resolving his conflict with Shingen so that they could face Nobunaga together. Now he had so much to do, and so little time...

He was in the midst of writing a reply to one of the scouts when his grip on the brush slackened. The writing instrument abruptly fell out of his hand and rolled across the table; but Kenshin did not retrieve it. The daimyo continued to stare into space, only half awake; as he slipped into a meditative trance. It was in times like this that Bishamonten often spoke to him, but tonight, Kenshin heard a different voice.

Ah, my dear Kenshin. We meet again!

"I am surprised to hear from you, Nemesis; since I do not believe I am dead yet."

Correct. I have come from the great beyond to remind you of more urgent responsibilities. Tell me, what are you up to these days?

"The Oda have crushed your clan and threaten mine. I live only to battle them now."

And yet you know it will not be long before we are reunited...Listen, much as I hate to say it; in the stereotypical, lingering-spirit-sort-of-way, I have some unfinished business and need your help.

"What is it?"

Do you remember Kawanakajima...?

The flame of the lamp seemed to expand and grow before Kenshin's eyes until he saw the same battlefield spread out before him. He rode his favorite white stallion, followed closely by the young Kanetsugu with his own mount; an unstoppable force that destroyed every Takeda soldier in its path, until it met this one. This soldier appeared even younger than Kanetsugu, but was clad entirely in bright red armor and stood in a circle of downed Uesugi infantry; brandishing a cross-spear to halt his progress. To Kenshin, the memory was a distant one. Though he could not remember his exact words, Kenshin could hear the young warrior yelling at him, challenging him; even as more Uesugi reinforcements poured onto the scene. He saw himself refuse the boy dismissively and turn his horse to gallop away. At the time, Kenshin did not know why he simply did not kill the kid where he stood; now, he attributed this small mercy to Bishamonten's will.

"Yukimura Sanada still lives."

Excellent, I was worried you'd forget his name...that would make things a little troublesome. Now, look at Kanetsugu carefully.

The vision returned. Kenshin saw himself ride away from Yukimura, but Kanetsugu did not. His assistant continued to peer at the red-clad warrior for several long moments; while Yukimura glowered back. When he finally, reluctantly, caught up with Kenshin, the young strategist had already stolen several longing glances in Yukimura's direction.

I think it's time you did something about the fact that our dear Kanetsugu is hopelessly in love.

Abruptly, Kenshin's body shuddered heavily as he snapped out of his trance. He looked around, half expecting to see Shingen's shade hovering over his shoulder; but all was still and silent. Even the breeze had stopped. But in the next room, he could hear quiet murmuring and the rustle of Kanetsugu's blanket as he kicked it aside in the muggy, still night. Kenshin rose noiselessly and carried his lamp to the bedroom. Then he sat on the wide futon that he shared with Kanetsugu and watched him sleep.

Kanetsugu lay on his side, back against the wall, with his hands curled beneath his chin. The young man slept in a loose cotton robe that was appropriate for the weather; his shoulder-length hair released from the tight ponytail he normally wore when awake. Curled up comfortably like this, Kenshin could not help but notice that Kanetsugu's expression was one of peace and content. Come to think of it, when had he ever seen the ravages of war mar his assistant's calm features? He was almost twenty now, but Kanetsugu still slept and dreamt like a child. Kanetsugu's clan was really rather sheltered in a way, Kenshin reflected; its ever-loyal members assured of protection and employment under his clan for generation upon generation. Kanetsugu's father was just as carefree. Kenshin shifted his weight on the mattress slightly, and was mildly surprised to watch Kanetsugu wriggle closer to him in response. The bond between master and young vassal was incredibly close, almost intimate; and accentuated by the bittersweet fact that Kenshin's religious vows placed him in a life of celibacy.

He wondered how his two adopted sons, Kagekatsu and Kagetora, would work with Kanetsugu after his death. Both were powerful fighters; trained by his brother and the Hojo respectively, before he took them in as his heirs. But he had watched Kanetsugu grow from a babe in arms into the honorable man he had trained him to be; and for a brief moment; Kenshin wondered if this was what fatherhood was really meant to feel like. Kagekatsu and Kagetora would inherit his army and finish off Nobunaga; but Kanetsugu's gentle wisdom would remain as his truest and most enduring legacy.

Almost immediately however, Kenshin banished the thought from his mind. The God of War could not possibly sire of a champion of love. The realization brought a fresh stab of pain to his bowels; as if to remind Kenshin that Kanetsugu's lofty ideals were entirely his own. The Lord of Echigo decided that he knew only war and carnage; and his most tender mercies had to be at best some form of battlefield honor.

So Kenshin himself never knew why, on that fateful night; he still chose to silently grit his teeth against the agony and rise to his feet. Perhaps it was nothing less than divine intervention that prompted him to return to his desk, pull out a fresh sheet of paper; and begin writing again.

A/N: Subsequent chapters will be longer, this is just a prelude and the only section that is not written mostly from Kanetsugu's or Yukimura's POV.