Fandom: Sengoku Basara

Genre: Drama, Retrospective

Rating: K+

Disclaimer: I do not own Sengoku Basara or its characters.

Author's Note: This fanfiction was inspired by Masamune's second flashback of Kojuurou in the Sengoku Basara 2 anime. I wanted to explore Kojuurou's thoughts in that flashback. My understanding of Sengoku Basara is limited to the anime, having never played the game, and I chose to be a little more historical (with a few creative liberties) in my interpretation. Thus, I'm not sure how accurately I've portrayed the SB characters. I'm open to any constructive criticism.

The sky was clear tonight, allowing the stars to reveal themselves in an magnificent display of brightly-colored specks. Kojuurou was resting in his quarters, his eyes closed and legs crossed in a meditative posture. The discussion he had with Masamune earlier in the day lingered in his thoughts. The time had come for the Date to widen its area of dominion. With the major warlords currently at a deadlock at Kawanakajima, it allowed opportunity for a new power to steal into the scene should the Uesugi, Takeda and Oda exhaust their resources. That was supposed to be the primary focus of their discussion, the future of the Date, but Masamune's unexpected question on a past incident had caught Kojuurou slightly off-guard and it now occupied his thoughts.

Kojuurou had been with Masamune since the latter was a boy and he believed he could safely presume to understand the basics of his master's character. Having been regarded as a less than worthy heir to the house of the Date due to the loss of his right eye at a young age had inspired a fiery impulse in the young master to excel in all of his undertakings. But the events that transpired against him made it seemed like even fate was doubtful of him in the beginning. Kojuurou witnessed the entire tragedy that led to Masamune's decision to kill his younger brother and the resulting exile of his mother, Lady Yoshihime. As heartless as Masamune may have appeared, perhaps it was a test that he needed to pass to dispel all concerns that the lack of a right eye might be disadvantageous to him as a leader and warrior. Perhaps it also prepared him for the brutal climate of the Warring States era where war not only came from outside the fortress' walls but also from within.

Kojuurou had seen the duel between Masamune and his brother. He remembered no bloodlust in his master or malice in his strikes. There was only a fierce, almost frightening determination to stake his claim on the position which, by all accounts, was rightfully his. After the duel, Kojuurou found Masamune in his quarters with an expression that was unreadable. Masamune had said nothing when Kojuurou entered and sat respectfully beside him. Nor did he chase him out. Masamune was only 17 then and Kojuurou knew that his presence was appreciated as a form of emotional support, especially after such a battle, despite the fact that the young master remained silent throughout. As he sat there, Kojuurou had thought about the life-changing challenges that his lord has had to overcome. Masamune's first brush with death came when he was only a child where a severe case of smallpox nearly took his life. But the young master had an inspiring tenacity and survived the disease, much like the way he survived this duel. However, where he lost his right eye for holding on to his life, he now lost his brother as a result of holding on to his inherited right. It did not completely harden his soul though as Kojuurou would find out when Masamune's father was taken hostage by the Hatakeyama. While Kojuurou felt it was a poor show of resolve when Masamune faltered despite his father's shouts to kill him together with the enemy, which was the right course of action to take, strangely enough he was also glad that there was still some emotion in Masamune's heart, which he assumed had steeled from the hardships and responsibilities he had to take on at a very young age.

In Masamune's first battle, Kojuurou had saved his life by pretending to be Masamune himself to confound the enemy and allow his lord to escape. Kojuurou never intended to have such a flashy means of rescuing his master but as the situation was desperate, it was the only solution he could think of given the time constraints. Although he succeeded in his rescue, Masamune found some delight in poking fun at the makeshift helmet he had made in a effort to mimic Masamune's famous head piece. Masamune had also reminded him that he was five katana short when Kojuurou declared that he was "Masamune" on the battlefield, to which Kojuurou cited his haste as the reason for this oversight. But more importantly, this marked the beginning of Kojuurou's acclaim as the man who safeguarded Masamune's back. To Masamune, Kojuurou was an invaluable source of support.

While Kojuurou was humbled to be held in such high regard among the men of the Date, he felt Masamune's dependency on him increasing with each successful conquest. The Battle of Hitoribashi was a reckless one despite their victory. Kojuurou had been against it due to the high risk factor and the possibility that they would lose many of their men. However, Masamune had remained stubborn about it and Kojuurou suspected that part of his master's confidence rested on Kojuurou's own skills and resourcefulness. He would not have made such a rash decision otherwise. Kojuurou knew that, as a retainer, he duty was to serve and protect his lord's life and interests to the best of his ability. And thus he felt that it was in Masamune's best interest to not be controlled by his reliance on this one retainer. At that point, Kojuurou had started to feel that Masamune was becoming dangerously over-dependent on him. He loathed to imagine a scenario where an enemy could exploit this dependency to cripple Masamune in battle. The fact also remained that he had failed to prevent injury to his lord during the Battle of Hitoribashi, which added to his decision to commit seppuku.

"When are you going to stop treating me like a kid!"

Masamune had stopped him as he expected but in that moment, Kojuurou felt a little guilty. Perhaps he had underestimated Masamune's strength a little. Perhaps he had been a little too presumptuous and arrogant to think of using his own life as a lesson for Masamune.

Still, he was not sure if Masamune understood had the reasons for his actions as his master never talked about it until the discussion about the situation at Kawanakajima they had this evening. It came as a surprise to him that Masamune was still brooding over the time he tried to commit seppuku. Masamune's anger reflected the agitation in his heart. Kojuurou's attempt at seppuku probably forced Masamune to consider the possibility of actually losing someone who, in this case, was not only important to the Date military but to himself. It became clear to Kojuurou that Masamune had realized that he could not take anything for granted; Kojuurou was no exception. Inadvertently, Kojuurou had taught Masamune a slightly different lesson.

"I won't let anyone else die."

As a leader, he was partly responsible for the lives of his men and to preserve what he had required effort on his part as well rather than sheer recklessness. It was true that without Masamune, the Date clan would cease to exist but what was a lord if he did not have the loyalty and love of his men? If Masamune had faith in his men, then it was their duty not to disappoint him. If Masamune had the utmost trust and confidence in him, then Kojuurou had the responsibility to always be there for him.

Kojuurou opened his eyes upon hearing some movement in the courtyard. He could easily tell from the sound of the footsteps that they belonged to Masamune. The young lord was standing in the courtyard, gazing at the stars, when Kojuurou approached him.

"Masamune-sama."

"Beautiful night isn't it, Kojuurou," Masamune remarked without turning back.

"Indeed it is."

Kojuurou looked up at the crescent moon, glowing with unadulterated splendor. It was indeed a beautiful night.