Hey guys~
My friends probably know it's about
damn time I wrote a fanfic on
Sengoku Basara.
This is going to be a shorter multiple
chapter story compared to my other ones.
I think this one's going to comprise of around
four to five chapters.
This story contains BL in it between
Chousokabe Motochika and Mouri Motonari.
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN "SENGOKU BASARA" OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS! CAPCOM DOES!
I DO HOWEVER, OWN THIS FANFIC.

Nichirin. Ware no Aruji. ~The Sun. My Master.~

O great sun that rises in the east

Your light dances upon the ripples of the sea

Come

Embrace this loyal child of yours

Take him before he is wrapped within the crashing waves

Envelop him afore he becomes lost to the Seto Sea.

The sound of seagulls echoed along the horizon. The entrancing smell of sea salt drifted over the surrounding Seto region. And with the scent came the gentle breeze that danced across the slumbering land of Aki. The sun's rays gracefully weaved their way over the waking sea and found their way into the western Chuugoku's daimyo's private chamber. Like a mother waking her child, her hands of light moved through his hair and gently caressed his porcelain face. The faithful and obedient child slowly opened his eyes and began to rise like his mother. His brunette locks cascaded around his face as he awoke.

His eyes stared through the illuminated crack of the fusuma doors. The sunlight begged for entrance. Responding to its wishes the young leader whisked the doors open letting in the rising sun. Its beauty only highlighted by its shimmering reflections on the sea's surface. He closed his eyes as he took the new morning's greeting in. The sea breeze blew through his hair as the sun's warmth took him into her arms. His clothes flowed in the wind.

It had been a long night. The moon was high the last time his eyes were open. He turned behind him to see papers scattered across a small table. The black ink on the brush was dry from being in the open for too long. He let out a small sigh and grabbed a cloth along with a small basin of water and began to clean the bristles. His fingers delicately cleaned the brush and before long he was done. He wiped his fingers carefully and made sure not a trace of black remained. Satisfied, he took up the paper on his desk and read through it. A perfectly flawless poem in every way. What else was to be expected from him?

"Lord Motonari."

He bothered not to turn around. "Enter," he replied. The sound of the door sliding open, cut through the room. "What is it at this early hour?"

"Sir," the soldier voiced, "we have reports an unauthorized ship approaching the south-east coast."

"And?"

"S-Sir?" the officer stuttered, at the sharp reply.

"What is it that you wish for me to say?" he coldly asked. He slowly turned around, with his posture full of both arrogance and nobility. The sun's rays illuminated around him, further emphasizing his position. "If it is unauthorized, destroy it. For it possesses no business on our shores. Can you not think on your own?"

"M-My apologies my lord," he stuttered as he lowered his head. "But it has been confirmed that the ship belong to Chousokabe Motochika," he replied.

The sound of that dreadful man's name made his heart and body cringe. His sharp brown eyes narrowed in disgust. A gull's cry rang out. With the presence of that of a death god, Mouri elegantly rose to his feet. The soldier dared not raise his head at his fearsome lord.

"Fetch me my armor," he coldly commanded, "We depart the minute I am prepared."

"Yes sir!" the man replied as he quickly scurried off. It was not a moment later that the horns of preparation and battle began to ring out.

The warlord stepped out again onto his balcony and gazed upon the sea before closing his eyes to take in the sun.

"Nichirin. Bless this child and the children of this land. I pray for victory in your name," he rang out.

The Mouri army was up in arms within a matter of minutes as was its commander. It was moments after then that soldiers were mounted upon ships and lined up along the shore. Mouri stood on the highest cliff as he looked out onto the sea. His steady eyes finally locked onto a tiny dot on the horizon line. And from how fast it was approaching, he could only assume it was Chousokabe. For no other man possessed the speed, nor power of his ship.

"Children of Nichirin! I send you forth! Defend Aki at all costs!" he ordered as he stretched a hand towards the enemy. The cries of battle rang out as the ships moved forward at full speed. It was not long after that the whistling sounds of cannon fire came whirling through the air and exploding the shoreline. Mouri remained on shore with a decent number of troops as his fleet rushed forward. To another's eyes this would seem like a poor tactic on his part. He was obviously overpowered. Or not.

Chousokabe's war fortress easily glided through the line of ships but at the cost of them blowing up as he did causing damage to his defenses. As small as the Mouri's ships were, the explosions they were causing with their destruction was proving to be troublesome. Moreover, there were a great number of them. Chousokabe quickly realized this and ordered a halt. But at this exact moment, archers on the shorelines fired thousands of fire-tipped arrows down upon the ships. Setting off large explosions around the surrounded fortress. Bodies of both armies were flying left and right.

At the sight of such cruel destruction, Chousokabe angrily cringed. "Mouri, you bastard. You sent these men to their deaths," he raged under his breath.

"Captain!" called one of his sailors. "We've taken too much damage! We can't move from here! We need to repair it now! If we move we'll sink!"

The Demon of the Western Seas let out a curse. "Understood! Get some men and repair her! I'll buy ya' some time! The minute we're repaired retreat!"

"Leave it to me!" he answered as he ran off.

"HEY YA' DOGS! DEFEND THE SHIP AT ALL COSTS! I'M COUNTING ON YA' GUYS!" he roared to his crew.

"AYE AYE SIR!" They cried in unison.

Chousokabe leapt off the ship and kicked his anchor into high gear as he weaved around the Mouri Army's suicidal ships. As he passed by one of the enemy ships he saw a soldier crying hot tears as he shook in fear for his life. Yet his gaze was hysteric. Shifting back and forth from the enemy to his allies on land. As Chousokabe skid through the line of ships he saw more men with similar reactions.

"Dammit! I just want to go home!" one cried as he fired an arrow towards the fortress. His voice full of fear, sorrow, and desperation.

The cries of Mouri's men set the pirate's rage ablaze. How could someone send these soldiers to their deaths without so much as a care in the world? No. That man didn't see these soldiers as men. He saw them as nothing more than pawns to use. Such a despicable man. He felt sorrow for the men who had to serve under such a lord.

In his fiery rage, Chousokabe ran through several of Mouri's ships that were far enough away from causing any damage to his. They exploded neatly in a domino fashion as he rushed towards the shore. "MOURI!" he rang out as he surfed over the raging waves.

Mouri's cold stare locked with the pirate's heated gaze. "Order the pawns to hold their ground and to strike down anyone who tries to set foot on the shore," Mouri commanded.

"Yes sir," replied the general who quickly relayed the message to the soldiers. As Chousokabe approached, a shower of arrows came raining down on him. With the ones he couldn't dodge, he deflected them away or they were simply burned by his anchor.

"Useless fools," Mouri quietly snapped under his breath, before hopping down the cliff and onto the rocky shore with speed and grace. His blades configured into their ring shape as he spun them around revealing the beautifully destructive light. As Chousokabe approached, the pillars of light exploded and forced the pirate to change course as he skid along the coast, to which he was shot at by a barrage of arrows. Much to his luck, they seemed to miss him by a hair. As he began to turn towards the coast line, he was intercepted by Mouri who was skating on the water beside him.

"You bastard!" Chousokabe roared as his anchor clashed with Mouri's blade. "You planned for this didn't you?" he fumed. Their weapons clashed several times, each filled with their burning desire to fight and kill the other. The two were fighting along the coastline, tracing the line of land and sea.

The two landed themselves on two steady rocks that jetted out of the water. The sun barred down on them through the clouds. "Fool," Mouri hissed, "my calculations were perfect. Those men are nothing but expendable tools in this war. They were born into this world as pawns and they shall have suitable deaths. Do you show pity for them?"

The waves crashed against their footing. "Heh, you haven't changed a bit have ya', Mouri?" laughed Chousokabe as he held back is anger, "Still the cruel and heartless bastard you've always been." The waves crashed sending shimmering droplets of water into the air. "And yeah, I do pity the men out there that fight for you. If I was one of them, I would've killed you in your sleep," he said grinning as he prepared to attack.

"Such worthless sentiments, as expected from an idiot who relies solely on brawn," Mouri coolly replied as he braced himself, "I would have cut you down the second you tried such a folly attempt on my life." The two leapt into the air simultaneously and began their strikes once again. Their fight went on for what felt like hours. Their weapons' clashes seemed like nothing more than blurs of light and steel. The waters' splashes only further adding to their weapons forceful impacts with each other.

From the corner of Chousokabe's eye, he saw his ship was retreating. The Demon's only thought was for his crew's safety. And from the looks of it, they were going to be alright. Seeing his opponent's attention drifting off elsewhere for a moment, Mouri struck a blind spot with ease. The pirate barely managed to defend himself and was forced onto the defensive.

"Shit!" he cursed, "I was careless!"

Seeing their boss in trouble, Chousokabe's mates took aim at his assailant. Mouri's officers were frozen in place, only praying that the two's fight would not hit their mine-like ships. Mouri's attacks had no stop to them. His blades spun and struck like lightning. If there was a pause it was only for a split second.

Chousokabe managed to push Mouri back just enough to find landing on top of one of Mouri's ships and Mouri landed directly across from him on the same boat. Chousokabe's men took aim with their cannons, rifles, and arrows. The two men were standing on a time bomb. If they fired and missed their boss would be caught in the explosion. The Mouri soldiers on the boat took aim at Chousokabe yet they too did not fire. They were at a standstill.

The remaining boats of Mouri's fleet all had their archers and gunners aimed at the sailors on Chousokabe's sea fortress. It was a tense situation. A single shot could set everything ablaze. The two commanders stood facing each other but neither daring to move.

Ideas began to swirl in Mouri's head. If he were to lunge for the pirate, there would be no doubt that some idiot would take the shot at him and obviously miss, yet in reaction to the attempt at his life, his mindless pawns would shoot thus enraging the pirates who would in turn, return fire only to blow them all out of the water. If Mouri were to retreat, the arrow and cannon fire would no doubt leave him badly injured, if not kill him. There were not many options.

Chousokabe's instincts weren't breaking down the options like Mouri was but they were telling him not to move. His one visible sea blue eye was locked in a stare off with Mouri's darkened brown graze. Neither of them giving any attempt for an opening. Not a sound could be heard except for the waves hitting the sides of the boats.

The pirate let out a taunting laugh. "Are we just going to stare at each other all day, Mouri?"

Mouri narrowed his eyes in response. "I would rather not," he replied sharply, "But it appears I have no choice but to."

The long silence continued. The cry of a seagull passed overhead. Yet something that neither of the two expected to happen did. Nerves had gotten to someone as an explosion rang somewhere out of their sight. And a moment later, just as Mouri had predicted, the soldiers and sailors began shooting at one another. Mouri and Chousoukabe quickly jumped as arrows and cannon fire hit the ship they were on. Yet the explosion was far too great with the added explosions from the ships around them. The two were sent flying in unknown directions. The last thing they saw was an eyeful of flames and destruction.

The sound of waves and footsteps along the sand approached. The wet sand beneath him was a comfort. His body, far too tired to move. His eyes refusing to open.

"Over here! Hurry!" he heard as someone placed a hand on his back. "Lord Motonari! Lord Motonari!"

"Is he alive?"

"Yes! He's breathing!"

The young lord's limp body was handled gently by his unnamed officers. His mind blank and fuzzy. His only thoughts were to sleep as his body was numb. His consciousness faded once again under the cloud covered sky.

He was drifting somewhere. The sun was high and her rays stretched across the sky. How wonderful. Such a lovely sight. Yet the scene faded as the waters beneath him began to grab at his limbs and violently ravaged him. He wanted to move yet his body remained still. As the waters dragged him under their surface, the violence stopped. Their currents wrapped themselves around him holding him. He wanted air. He wanted to see the sun filled sky. Under the sea, the sun was becoming nothing more than a circle of light. Yet as he sank deeper into the abyss, his mind began to drift away. The water that had once pained his lungs now became a comfort. The currents passed over his body and embraced him. He was being taken by something. Or someone.

The next time he woke, he was in his bed. His wife's crying and his son's (Takamoto's) voice from down the hall stirred him. His young son, who was barely five, was trying to comfort his mother the best he could. He blotted out the noise and slowly turned his head to the open doors. The sun was peeking behind the clouds. He was reminded of his dream by a lone ray of sunlight. His thoughts pondered hazily on what his dream could have meant. His daze was cut through when the doctor entered the chamber.

"Lord Motonari!" he let out in shock. "You're awake! Thank goodness! It's been three days you've been out," he said.

Three days. Was that all?

"You are lucky, my lord," he continued, "You have a couple of broken ribs but nothing else seems to be out of place. You need to take it easy for a while. Too much excitement for you could hinder your recovery."

He blinked lightly in response as the doctor bowed and took his leave to inform his family of his awakening. It was moments after that his wife and child came into the room. She was crying tears of joy as Takamoto silently watched over her. After Mouri managed to calm her down, she and their son retired to their chambers. After the two had left, he managed to properly sit himself up despite the sharp pain. After a few minutes, the pain receded a bit and he promptly called for an officer for a report of what had happened while he was out. One of his generals entered the chamber and showed some shock at his lord's respectable appearance despite his current condition. Mouri's dagger like stare stabbed through the officer, causing a sudden chill to run up his spine.

The man cleared his throat. "Sir, I am pleased to see that you are recovering nic-"

"That is enough," he interrupted, "I want to hear what has occurred in my absence."

"Yes sir. The pirates fled back to their homeland and we have not seen or heard of them since," he quickly answered.

"What of Chousokabe?"

The lord noticed the soldier tensed up. The officer swallowed hard. "He washed up on our shores. He was injured and unconscious," he replied trying to keep it together, "he woke up about two days ago and is currently in the lower dungeons."

Mouri's eyes narrowed. So he is still alive. Then again, it came as no surprise considering that barbaric man's physical build. Yet this came as a rather unpleasantly interesting development.

"You kept him alive?" The young lord's monotone voice merely echoed both his irritation and keen interest.

The soldier began to panic. "W-Well sir, we were unaware of what to do with him," he began. "I thought you wanted to be the one to execute him or at least be the witness to his death, my lord. So I suggested we imprison him."

There was another pause. "…You thought?" Mouri mused emotionlessly.

"Yes my lord," he said trembling.

The young ruler of Aki opened his mouth again. "I gave you orders. To kill anyone who sets foot on Aki's shores," he said, the darkness behind his voice growing. "And you brought this intruder into my home."

The general quickly realized his mistake and raised his head in desperation. "No sir! It was not my intention to bring him into our walls as a threat! I was only thinking of yo-"

"Do not mistake your negligence to my direct order as a gesture of service to your lord," Mouri cut in. He eyed the two soldiers by the door forward.

"Please my lord! Show mercy! I really was only thinking of you!" he begged, burying his head into the ground. "I can still have him executed!" The two summoned soldiers grabbed the man by the arms and began to drag him away. "PLEASE! SPARE THIS LIFE!"

Mouri raised a hand to the soldiers to cease and the two dropped him hard on the floor. "I spare your life on a whim. I shall deal with Chousokabe Motochika. Till then, I suggest you pray that misfortune does not befall upon Chugoku from your failure to follow my orders," he icily stated. "Now leave my sight before my mind changes."

The officer bowed deeply and quickly shuffled out of the room. Mouri excused the two soldiers by the door to leave him in peace. The room regained its silence and the daimyo found himself thinking in it. The young lord gently fell back on his futon and slowly closed his eyes. He would deal with this pirate lord tomorrow. For now, all he wanted was to rest and not think at all.

Down in the dungeons below, Chousokabe Motochika sat leaning against a wall. His only comfort was that his boys appeared to have gotten away. Of course, he also would have liked to have joined them but when Mouri's soldiers found him, he was already out like a light. Not to mention when he came to he was transported to this god forsaken prison. Furthermore, he had no idea of the whereabouts of his anchor.

His only light were the dimly lit lanterns as his shadow flickered against the damp walls. It was cold, dark, and not to mention it reeked of death. Yet regardless of his current surroundings, he was thankful that the Mouri patched up his wounds, despite how poorly done it was. But since they did so, he could only guess that their commander was either unconscious or had gone a sudden personality change, to which the latter seemed unlikely.

He stood up and ventured to the bars. "Wonder what that scoundrel Mouri's up to," he muttered, "If he's unconscious, I hope he stays that way. It'll give me more time to regain my strength and bust out of this hole." He strolled back to the wall as he crossed his arms and leaned against the cold stones.

At that moment, he heard the main door to the dungeon open. Slow and precise footsteps echoed off the walls. The pirate simply remained against the wall staring harshly in front of him through the bars. The footsteps continued toward his cell and finally their owner came to view.

A cocky smile came across the pirate's face. "So, what brings the lord himself down here?" he asked.

Mouri was not in his usual armor; rather, he was in his shrine robes. "So you really are down here," he thought aloud. "I hear you failed to even put up a fight…A shame coming from you."

"Heh, so says the guy who's been out cold for days," he sneered, "and what's with the clothes? Back from a funeral?"

The lord's eye twitched at the comment. "I was expecting to hear of your escape," he stated ignoring the pirate's previous remarks, "yet here you are."

"Sorry for killing your expectations," Chousokabe mused with an arrogant grin.

"For you, I had very little to begin with," Mouri countered. "It's been four days. Your men have yet to return for you. If they try to, they'll be killed instantaneously with the absence of your leadership."

Chousokabe stepped towards the bars. "You don't need to worry about those guys. They got guts and they'll be fine without me for a while," he said. He slammed his forearm onto the bars as he leaned his head towards his captor, "So don't you go writing them off just yet."

"You think too highly of such expendables," he said unflinching. "It will not be long till I take control of the entire Seto Sea region."

"HAH. You got some nerve," he sneered through the bars, "The only way you'd be able to accomplish that is if you kill me."

"That is being arranged as we speak."

"Oh~ you don't say?"

Within a matter of milliseconds, Chousokabe lashed his arm out through the bars and grabbed Mouri by the neck. Mouri glared as the hand began to squeeze. The two exchanged daunting looks at one another. Their auras starting to bubble up as they locked heated eyes.

"So the caged sea monkey resorts to violence as a last resort?" Mouri spat trying to retain his calm façade.

"I can break your neck like this," the pirate replied, "I'm not called the Demon of the Western Seas for nothing."

With the lord's neck in his hand, Chousokabe started to see some mysterious radiance coming from him. Mouri Motonari's eyes narrowed unyieldingly. So full of cold pride and nobility all while containing such beauty. The brown orbs glowed brightly in the dim light. His dark chestnut hair dangled from his head over his pale neck. The young lord's delicate yet strong hands found their way to the Demon's wrist. He had a solid fragile touch and surprisingly, his hands were warm. Mouri's physical appearance was striking, much like the sun itself. Despite his harsh and frozen personality, there was warmth emanating from this man. Chousokabe was at a sudden loss as he looked into his sworn rival's eyes. There was something lonely behind that dark gaze.

Being in this brute's grasp rattled the lord of Aki. He knew full well of how strong Chousokabe Motochika was, yet this strength was something to marvel at. It was as if the seas had taken the shape of a man—the crashing waves were his strength. However his uncovered eye sparkled with all the beauty of the calm yet powerful waters he had sailed on. Indeed this man had earned his title of "Demon of the Western Seas". His hair as white as that of a demon forged from the sea foam. Truly a sight to behold, especially when one is in the grasp of such a being.

Chousokabe's grip loosened for a moment, to which Mouri took the chance and jolted backwards while forcing the hand away. Releasing himself from the pirate's hold, the two stood staring at each other with mixed expressions. Silence drifted between them and remained there till Mouri left the dungeon.

The captive pirate lord slid back against the wall and closed his eyes. Why was it that he hesitated to take that man's life? He could have easily done it. The image and feel of the delicate radiant being came back to mind. He sat in silence feeling the unexpected warmth that lingered in his hand.

Like a wandering spirit, Mouri quickly and elegantly passed by his men as he returned to his quarters. The door slid shut behind him as he drifted over to the shoji door that revealed his armor and swords. How many times had he clashed with Chousokabe? He reached out to touch his cold blade. How many times had these swords reflected the Demon of the Western Seas' appearance? The man's appearance and touch bubbled up in thought, causing the lord to bring a hand to his slightly battered neck. The Demon's haunting touch filled his senses with the intoxicating smell of sea salt and sand.

The sun began to sink below the horizon as the moon began to rise. The sun did one last peek at the land below. Curious about her faithful son; yet, equally concerned about the boy of the sea. As the sun melted away into the waters, the moon's light swayed whimsically over the ripples. The sea's voice, of gently rolling waves upon the sand, cried out to her trapped son. Her interest in the sun's child's intentions, however, piqued her curiosity. What the two children were thinking, was far beyond their celestial mothers' comprehensions. All sun and sea could do was watch over their sons and hope that this sudden turn of fate would make the two learn to coexist with one another.

And end of chapter 1.
Hope you enjoyed it.
Please R&R!
I enjoy reading comments!
Thank you and look forward to
chapter 2!
-Lin