A/N: Boy do I owe some of you an explanation! If anyone read the first chapter of this when it was posted under "Downfall of Us All" then hello, this is my new account! I (formerly TheEndIsAtDawn) made this account because my old one died when my laptop did, and like the idiot I was I forgot my password and used an email I no longer have access too. So basically, I had no way of accessing this and I gave up for the longest time.

But now I've decided to re-write the first part and continue this story. The first chapter is completely different than the previous one, and hopefully my additional years of writing practice will make it a much better read. I hope so anyway, I'd like to think I've improved since those days. ^^;

Anyway, I remembered this fic one day when I was browsing through the other stories on here and it just didn't feel right to leave it unfinished. I will try to post updates once a week but I'm a busy person who works two jobs and goes to University so if I don't post on the next chapter's due date it will be up shortly afterward. I hope you can understand that.

Anyway, I'll stop rambling and let you get on with reading. I'm really looking forward to continuing this story after two years of nothingness.

As always, I must regretfully inform you that I do not own the characters used in this story. The only thing that's mine is the story line itself and the words I use to tell it. Please enjoy! :)

Mitsunari Ishida sighed heavily as he stood on shaky legs, the Greyhound bus he was on grinding to a halt as if on cue. He couldn't help the small smile that grew on his face as he grabbed hold of his "guitar case", the one that secretly stashed away his Ōdachi, even within the confides of the bus he could smell the city air wafting in from a few cracked open windows. The smell made both his stomach churn and his heart yearn for more contact with the place he had once proudly called his own.

Mitsunari didn't necessarily thank the bus driver as he exited the automobile he had spent way too many hours in, but the old driver took the nod of his head as a proper thank you and it brought a smile to his face. He even waved as the lanky silver haired man stalked off of the bus, desperate to stretch his legs and ignore the pang he felt in his heart as he took in the skyline of New York City. It certainly wasn't as pretty as where he had came from, he doubted any city could be as beautiful as San Diego, but it was his. It was home.

Mitsunari tore his eyes away when he heard someone approach him, and it was with the utmost glee that he greeted his former boss, Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Though the swordsman didn't have an exact time frame in his mind he knew it had been at least two years since he had seen the significantly larger man. Hideyoshi hadn't changed a bit, Mitsunari thought as he met his former boss halfway- both stopping a few feet from one another.

"Mitsunari," Hideyoshi said with a small smile, "welcome back."

"It has been far too long," the silver haired man concurred as he looked the older man over. "I apologize about what happened when we last spoke, I hope you can see why I left the way I did. I was afraid that if I stayed you would become another victim to this senseless war. The only way to ensure your safety was for me to leave and not have any communication with you."

"You speak too much, Mitsunari. You did what you felt you had to do and I respect that," Hideyoshi promised as he brandished a key in his hand, the younger man immediately let his eyes drift to the Bugatti logo in the center.

"Everyone still thinks I'm dead, huh?" Mitsunari asked with another elongated sigh as he adjusted the straps on his guitar case, his boss could only nod his head.

"Yes, everyone besides Hanbei and myself believes you're at the bottom of the Hudson."

"Good, then I've done my job." Mitsunari said with a slight smirk as he approached his former boss, closing the gap little by little. Hideyoshi extended a large hand before clamping it down on the younger man's shoulders.

"Welcome back Misfortune King, I'm sure everyone will be thrilled to know you've returned."

"It's good to be back," Mitsunari promised as he allowed his former boss to lead him towards a shiny new Bugatti, knowing his former boss had very expensive tastes it didn't come as a surprise but it was always a bit of a shock to see how well off Hideyoshi really was. Before they could even get around the block Mitsunari demanded for the car to be stopped, Hideyoshi did so without asking why but the Misfortune King wasn't oblivious to the confused look he was getting.

Pushing himself out of the car, he all but stalked over to a concrete retaining wall that had been marred with stickers and graffiti. That didn't bother him, but what did was the fact his own clan's crest had been covered by a metallic yellow sticker, one Mitsunari instantly recognized as Tokugawa Ieyasu's. There, covering the crest of his former boss the sticker lay, almost taunting Mitsunari. Reminding him that everything he knew and loved about his hometown was no more. The Misfortune King felt his blood boil.

"Don't tell me this whole city is infested with this lunatic's crest," Mitsunari hissed as he began to pry the emblem off the wall. Much to the dismay of Hideyoshi who commanded him to stop, which the younger man did with some reluctance.

"It's not, but our territory has been downsized to our neighborhood and that alone." Mitsunari felt his eyes grow wide, "Hanbei has been ill, Mitsunari. We couldn't continue to fight constantly and he needed my attention more than this city did. I knew you would return one day, I trust that you'll make the right decision."

"Anything for you, I'm sorry to hear about Hanbei," that man's very name sent a chill down the Misfortune King's spine. Hanbei was seemingly harmless, frail and polite, but slier than a fox and more dangerous than a wild lion. It went without saying that Mitsunari was glad he was on the same side as Hideyoshi's...whatever he was, anyway. Imagining the all wise Takenaka Hanbei ill was something Mitsunari never thought he would have to see.

"Mitsunari," Hideyoshi began as he took a step forward, standing a few feet behind his former subordinate, "it is time for Hanbei and myself to take a step down."

"What?" Mitsunari practically screeched, completely at a loss for words at the mere suggestion that his former boss would ever consider stepping down.

"I need to concern myself with Hanbei and the stress of winning a gang war will only shorten what time we have left together. We will be here to support you and do whatever we can but Mitsunari, it's time for you to raise your own banner. It's time for you to take control of this city as the head of your own clan. As I said, Hanbei and I will do whatever we can to help but I do not wish to spend all my time conquering the city when I could be spending it with him. He needs me more than ever, I hope you can understand that."

Hideyoshi's face was sincere but the words stung like a thousand bee stings in Mitsunari's chilled heart. He couldn't even begin to imagine how he would lead his own clan, nor did he want too. He had always been a subordinate of the Toyotomi. Not once had he considered himself as something different, he never even dared to dream of anything different.

Sensing his distress, Hideyoshi spoke up again.

"Ieyasu has gotten quite strong, Mitsunari. He's not the little boy you knew all those years ago. He's twenty now, you know? Strong as a brick wall and built like one, too." Mitsunari felt his nostrils flare.

"Why would you even mention that man to me?"

"Because I want you to know that the battle for this city is far from over. If you think Ieyasu is bad then wait till you see Date and Sanada, they've grown to be forces to be reckoned with. Word has it Takeda has given Yukimura complete control of the Bronx. Masamune's taken over Manhattan in it's entirety, and Queens is painted yellow with Ieyasu's crest and his alone. Boy managed to take the biggest land straight out of Uesigi's hands, too." At this the Misfortune King could only widen his eyes.

"What of the other territories?" Mitsunari asked quietly as he reached out to touch the emblem that shone brightly in the dark, he tried ignoring the fact he was deep within Ieyasu's territory at the moment.

"Brooklyn is still Mori's and Chosokabe still has claim over Staten Island. That has not changed and somehow they have not killed each other yet." Hideyoshi explained with a puzzled look, one his companion was all too eager to return.

"So what do you call home? What land have you not lost to these war villains?" Mitsunari asked with a sigh, completely at a loss for words. How the Toyotomi went from controlling the entire city to owning but a small part of it was a long story but he was completely awestruck by the fact they had basically lost everything but a single neighborhood. "Just Bayside?"

"Just Bayside," Hideyoshi confirmed with a grim look. "Mitsunari we were too vulnerable when you left. We didn't have the resources to keep our allies in check and with everyone thinking you were dead we could no longer strike fear into their hearts for ultimate control. How did you survive that assassination attempt, anyway? It's not like I doubt your skill but a hired hit man stalked you down until you were utterly alone and-"

"Hideyoshi that's where you are wrong, I wasn't alone that night." Mitsunari said bitterly as he recalled how the events of that evening had played out.

"Dammit, I'm fine! Why would you do such a thing, you fool!?" Mitsunari shrieked as he lunged forward, sword in hand as he cut down his would-be assailant. The man's head rolled from his shoulders, falling to the ground with a thud. The Misfortune King kicked it away in utter annoyance.

"Mit...sunari," the man who had blocked the assassin's shot began, but Mitsunari silenced him with a kick to his side. Careful not to his bullet wound but enough to shut him up, too. Tokugawa Ieyasu ground his teeth in agony, but found the situation worthy of a laugh- something the Misfortune King gawked at him for.

"Are you all right?" Ieyasu dared to ask as he propped himself up, his left hand snugly wrapped around his torso as he worked to stop the bleeding.

"Am I all right?" Mitsunari hissed as he lunged forward, knocking Ieyasu back to the ground with a swing of his fist, landing firmly on his ally's collarbone. "How dare you ask such a thing, you know damn well I'm all right. Now why would you do that? Why jump in front of me? Why would you take a bullet for me?"

Ieyasu choked, blood splattering the pale haired man in the face as he loomed over him, concern and anger fighting in his irises. Neither emotion taking over complete control.

"Damn you, Ieyasu..." Mitsunari scowled as he mustered all the strength he could to hoist the man into his arms. He wasn't exactly sure how he got Ieyasu into his car but somehow he was able to do it without any problems. After they were secure in Tokugawa's obnoxious yellow mustang, Ishida floored it. Taking the quickest route to the hospital possible. From there he did what anyone in his position would do, he got the man who had so annoyingly saved his life the help he needed before pressing a note into one of the nurses palms. Asking her to deliver the note to Ieyasu on his behalf.

It was simple but spoke volumes for his actions both past, present, and for what would be the future. A simple I'm sorry, two words that Mitsunari had never said to Ieyasu before, but two words he hoped he'd never say again, either. Obviously he didn't stick around to find out what the then smaller man would have to say about it.

"Damn you, Ieyasu..." Mitsunari repeated aloud as he punched the emblem on the wall. Fracturing the concrete in it's stead, his former boss pulled him to the car with a new found haste.

"Mitsunari let us go, Tokugawa will have scouts out at this hour and the last thing we need is for your return to be soiled. Hanbei has been looking forward to seeing you since we received your coded letter." The former Toyotomi leader said as the pair got back into the Bugatti, the heater blasting on high to try and take away the chill from the brisk fall air that hovered over New York City.

"So it was Ieyasu who saved you that night, wasn't it?" Hideyoshi's voiced boomed over the silent car, shaking Mitsunari from the daydream he was falling under, half asleep from the exhaustion of the days events and several days worth of travel. He hadn't slept in four days and everything at this point was just as overwhelming as stepping off the bus to face his fears once again.

"It was," he confirmed with a slight yawn, excusing himself out of embarrassment when the other man looked at him quizzically.

"That's odd, if he knew you weren't dead then why did he go along with it?" Toyotomi wondered aloud as he sped up to merge onto the highway towards Bayside, his passenger merely shrugged. "You do know there was a story going around that Ieyasu had been the one to hire the assassin, right?"

"That I did not know, but despite everything that little Judas did I do not believe he would try to kill me." Ishida answered with yet another yawn as he gazed out the car window, his hometown flying past him in a colorful blur.

"Ieyasu asked to leave the clan, Mitsunari. He didn't just leave without announcing it." Hideyoshi corrected as he slowed down to avoid a parked cop car, not in the mood to deal with the police, though he and every other clan leader had them paid off.

"Still didn't explain why he wanted to leave but I guess it makes sense now, he's gotten that strong, huh?" Mitsunari asked with a frown as he shifted the position his guitar case leaned against him, he was honestly surprised his sword even fit in the tiny sports car. Hell, he amazed his former boss could fit in the car, and comfortably at that.

"He's very strong now, but he will be no match for you. You will take control of this city and do it by storm, with Hanbei's advice and my former allies at your back you will be unstoppable. Unless you've gone soft over these past two years," Hideyoshi suggested with a smirk, which his companion eagerly returned.

"Of course I haven't, Hideyoshi. It's time to show these pathetic men what a real leader is like. I will take control of this city and create from it a place that you have only dreamed of, I'm sorry I didn't get things right the first time but I will not make the same mistake twice. I have learned my lesson," Mitsunari promised with a bitter smile as he once again turned his eyes to stare at the colorful city reflecting back in the waters surface.

"Do not blame yourself so much, it just wasn't the time when we last tried this. I believe this city will do great under your banner, Mitsunari." Said man spared a glance over at his lifelong mentor before closing his eyes.

"I sincerely hope that you are right."

"We're home," Hideyoshi proclaimed after an hour spent in the car, an hour too long Mitsunari thought to himself as he grabbed his guitar case, his sole possession he had brought with him from California.

With utterly exhausted movements the lanky man crawled out of the car, stashing the case on his back as he walked towards his familiar three story home. It wasn't lavish on the outside but if things were still the way Mitsunari remembered them being than the inside would be a far cry from the exterior. And he was right, he noted as he took in the sight of his home- for the first time in way too long. Nothing had changed, hell it didn't even look like anyone had touched it since he had left originally.

The same red and black decor accented the dark red walls that elegantly sported the Toyotomi crest on them, and the same dark leather furniture sat proudly in the same place he remembered it being in. To his surprise, Hanbei was sitting on the marble fire place, a fire burning brightly behind him. Ignoring Hideyoshi's questioning as to why he was out of bed the tactician stood from his spot in order to properly welcome the Misfortune King home.

A hug had not been what Mitsunari was expecting, and he could only wonder how sick Hanbei truly was in that moment.

"Welcome back, Misfortune King!" The white haired man practically sang as he tightly squeezed the slightly larger man. Mitsunari awkwardly patted him on the back, only repeating the action when Hideyoshi smiled at them approvingly.

"It's good to be back, Hanbei," he answered honestly as he relinquished his grip, eyes fighting to stay up. "Hideyoshi would it be all right if I went directly to sleep? I'm quite exhausted."

"There are some things you do not need my permission for, Mitsunari...well I suppose you don't need it at all. You're your own boss from here on out, just think of us as advisers." The former Toyotomi leader said with a sincere smile as he waved as if to dismiss the silver haired man, Mitsunari didn't see the need to intrude any longer so he dragged himself up the stairs.

"Everything is exactly as you left it," Hanbei weakly called after him, "I've only dusted and cleaned the sheets for you."

"Thank you," Mitsunari answered as he walked down the dark red hallway, nearly smiling as he saw the familiar black and white checkered flooring that decorated his entire floor of the house. Hideyoshi and Hanbei got the first floor, the second floor was for guests (now since Ieyasu was gone) and the third was purely for Mitsunari, who almost felt spoiled in having an entire floor to himself.

As he swung open his black bedroom door he couldn't fight the grin that rose to his face, sure enough everything was exactly as he left it. Same checkered floor, same dark purple walls and bed sheets, same flat screen TV, and same personal possessions. In that moment Mitsunari felt as if he was the only thing in the room that had changed at all in the past two years and something told him that assumption was right. Items, after all, couldn't change as much as people did.

He let his thoughts drift to Ieyasu as he pulled his boots off of him and slipped his black over coat off of his shoulders, carefully draping it over a leather office chair. He climbed into bed and flipped the television on, the lights coming off the second he clapped his hands. Ieyasu used to be the loudest housemate, but he hadn't been a terrible one. He cleaned and did his part, much to everyone's surprise, but he had odd habits of popping in on people when they were busy or asleep. Instances that had been an utter nightmare when you were dead asleep to wake up to have someone hovering over you.

Or worse, walk in when you had just gotten out of the shower.

Mitsunari shook his head at the thought.

"Ieyasu...I will defeat you..." he mumbled under his breath as he pulled the now warm blankets around him. The words being the last thing that left his lips before he was pulled into the deepest dreamless sleep of his life.

Across town Ieyasu awoke with a gasp as he lunged forward blindly in his bed. His breathing was ragged like had ran a marathon but he figured that was only understandable considering the magnitude of a dream he had gone through. He fought the urge to cry out for someone, anyone, to make sure he had truly awoken from his nightmare and instead he took it upon himself to clamber out of bed and hastily pull his UFO pants up his legs before he strapped his boots to his ankles. Hastily throwing on a black v-neck before slipping on his half jacket he left his room like a storm, slamming the door and stalking down the stairs of his semi-lavish home without a care in the world.

He made quick work of grabbing the keys to his mustang before he looked himself over in the mirror, taking a moment to adjust his hair before he moved to open the door- a deep grunt coming from the other side of the room freezing him in place.

"Ah, Tadakatsu...I didn't expect you to be awake." Ieyasu said innocently as he removed his hand from the door knob and shifted his weight awkwardly from one foot to another. The unreasonably large man didn't look pleased with the explanation his young boss offered him.

"Where are you going?" To anyone else it would be strange to hear the impending man speak, considering he only talked to Ieyasu, but even hearing such concerned words come from the man's mouth made the Tokugawa clan leader bite his lip anxiously.

"Out?" He offered weakly, not wanting to disclose his true destination to his Lieutenant.

"At three in the morning?" Tadakatsu asked with a blank tone, not finding humor in the situation at all. Ieyasu visibly tensed.

"Yes, I find the night air to be refreshing."

"So you're going on a walk?"

"Yes."

"With your car keys?"

Ieyasu tightened his grip on the keyring in his hand.

"I needed something out of my car?"

"Where are you going, Ieyasu?"

The yellow clad man sighed in defeat before looking his second command in the eyes.

"I had a dream about Hideyoshi's house burning to the ground and I need to go see if it was another one of those weird premonitions or if I'm just paranoid and crazy. I know I'm weak minded, I can't help it. I still care about them, even though Nari is gone...if I had no heart I would have crushed them already." Ieyasu said in utter shock at his own words as he placed his hand on the doorknob once again.

"That's a two hour drive, Ieyasu." Honda tried to reason with his boss but it seemed to be in vain.

"I'm aware of this."

"So you are," Honda stated blandly with a sigh, shaking his head in disapproval- something his young boss frowned at.

"Well I gu-"

"Ieyasu!"

Before said man could even finish thinking of what he was going to say a guardsmen of the Tokugawa rushed into the room, clearly out of breath and obviously freaked out about something.

"Out with it," Ieyasu said with a laugh as he approached his subordinate who profusely apologized to the clan leader.

"There's a rumor...going around that...Mitsunari Ishida...has returned from the dead..."

Ieyasu hid the shock he felt and instead merely gawked at the man, who was still trying to catch his breath, before forcing a laugh at the suggestion. His Lieutenant and messenger exchanged confused glances.

"That's completely insane, Mitsunari Ishida is dead." Ieyasu said through a fake smile as he patted his guardsmen on the back reassuringly. "Don't freak out over these silly rumors, I assure you there is nothing to be afraid of."

"Sir?" Honda asked when the young leader finally opened the door to his home, taking a step out of it but looking back to offer an explanation.

"I'll be back later, if you need me just call." Ieyasu said with a wave as he closed the door, calmly walking halfway to his bright yellow mustang before he sprinted the rest of the distance. Desperate to see if the rumors he was hearing were actually true or not. He backed out of his driveway as quickly as he could before he pulled onto the highway and pressed the gas petal to the floor, his modified American sports car roaring to life.

Tokugawa Ieyasu was thrilled over the fact that paying off the cops had been his first course of action as a new clan leader.

Two hours to Toyotomi's house, huh? Bet I can make it there in one.