This story is a combination of ID eNTITY (Yureka), Sword Art Online, and 1/2 Prince. Basic premise is that the characters of SenBasa are stuck inside a virtual reality game created by Hideyoshi (for Keiji). The problem is (like in SAO), if you die in the game, you die in real life. To get out of it, you need to defeat the game. The game console itself (and the creation of avatars) was taken from ID eNTITY (Yureka), and a very strong presence of 1/2 Prince would make itself known as the story progresses. However, even without knowing any of the above three, you can still enjoy this story.

This is supposed to be in 2 parts. Trials: the game part of the story. Tribulation: the aftermath of the game. Whether I actually write both parts, however, is the unknown.

Warnings (this warning is for the entire story): Video game violence, technically underaged couples, foul languages, eventual character deaths, and lots and lots of domestic fluff.

End Pairings: MasamunexYukimura, MotochikaxMori, IeyasuxMitsunari, NagamasaxOichi


2 Months Before the Launch

"What's this?" Ieyasu asked as he stared at the box in his hands. He glanced up at his father, who beamed at him. "It's not a special occasion, is it?"

"Well, you've been working hard recently," his father explained, his grin widening. "And I wanted to let you know that it's okay for you to relax and have fun once in a while. Ah, that's on the assumption that you don't completely slack off after this."

Laughing, Ieyasu opened the box and was surprised by the content inside of it. "Sengoku Basara? Dad! This game isn't even out in the stores! How did you get it?"

His father held up a finger to his lips. "This is our little secret, okay? You can't tell your mother about it." Then he patted Ieyasu's head and said proudly, "But back in the day, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and I used to be good friends. So when I heard that he had a new game in the make, I gave him a call, and he agreed to send a special one just for you."

"Dad! Thank you so much" Ieyasu exclaimed.


To be purely honest, Tokugawa Ieyasu never was the gamer type. He wasn't too interested in the newest game on the market other than talking to his friends about it. He had been more of a gundam boy himself, preferring the solitude of working by himself on the newest model. However, that didn't mean that he was completely cut off from that world. Even he had heard about Sengoku Basara.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi's fifth game that was rumored to outblow every other game in the world. It was a combination of the recently popular virtual reality game with the familiar MMORPG to deliver 99% realistic gaming experience. It had been in the make for the past two years with the best programmers available in the entire nation. And in two months, the game was due to be released to the public, which meant that there was no way for Ieyasu to play it, since it hadn't even been launched.

However, for everyone who had preordered the game, they received a USB device and a special program. It was meant to contain the character data for the game so that once the game was released, you wouldn't waste countless hours redesigning your character for the game.

Because you could only get one character.

And this character was meant to be in perfect sync with the player. In order to achieve this, every big-named game shops (and those who wished to become big) went out to buy a specialized scanner from the Toyotomi group. This scanner did a complete run-through of the player's body, storing the data inside the USB. Then the player could connect it to a computer to edit the character information using the program. This character could be remade multiple times as the player wished until the player logged in as the character.

Then that character would be set as the only one that the player could use.

All of this information came from careful reading through of the instruction manual (not to mention remembering all of the gossips his friends had spewed about the game). Armed with this, Ieyasu gulped and marched into the local game shop that he had never been to before.


Ieyasu stared at his computer screen, feeling his cheeks burn up. He had already skimmed through the instruction manual at least 15 times now, so he understood. The stats for his average body (freshly scanned without any kind of additions or stats changed) were way below average. Well, he knew that. Sure he did. He had never been that interested in taking care of his body.

But to be told so bluntly by a game?

With a small pout, Ieyasu tapped on the stats bar. What could he do to have an actual playable character?

He noticed with a start that there was an age bar. Curious, he moved the clicker, grinning when he realized that with age, his avatar filled out and became a rather muscular and hot piece of hunk. Just by adding six years to his character, the stats jumped up pretty impressive amount as well.

"Awesome," he found himself whispering. And with a giant grin, he became lost in the creation of the perfect character.


1 Month Before the Launch

"Yeah! That's another win for the great Ogre of the West Sea!" Chosokabe Motochika shouted proudly as he stood over the body of his victim.

"Damn it!" came the screams of his victims. They punched the sandy beach, cursing loudly.

Laughing loudly, Motochika placed his surfboard firmly in the sand, using it to lean against it. "No one can defeat the mighty me!"

"You know what?" one of the victims growled, looking up at Motochika with passionate eyes. "I bet you can't win against me in Sengoku Basara!"

"Ah? A video game?" Motochika asked. "Not interested."

"Why? Afraid you're going to lose?"

Now let it be known that Chosokabe Motochika did not like to lose. Everything that he did, it was for the sake of victory. Whether it be surfing, eating, fighting, or studying, he had never lost a match once he deemed it a challenge. And to be told there in the middle of the beach that he might lose in some stupid game?

It was just the right thing to say to get him fired up.

"Fine!" Motochika shouted. "Let's play the bloody game!"


Motochika frowned as he stared at the computer, scratching his head. Stats? Numbers? Bars? What the hell? Why couldn't he just use his own body as his character? Why did they make this game so hard to figure out?

With a loud scream of frustration, he gave up. He was just going to let it be. Surely his surfer body was more than enough for a game.


3 Weeks Before the Launch

Blood fell to the ground, dripping down from his fists. A crazed grin grazed the boy's confident face, sharp with no mirth. He looked down at the weaklings that dared cross his path with his one eye.

"Oi," he called, kicking at the unresponsive bodies. "Get up. You can't seriously tell me that this is all you have. Hey. You're the one who challenged me. You can't just leave it like that! OI!"

"Masamune-sama, that is enough."

Date Masamune, the heir to the Date business empire, paused to glance over at his retainer, Katakura Kojuro. The man's usual serious face was twisted into a look of concern and guilt, as if he couldn't quite figure out how to deal with the moody teenager or the fact that all of this was his own fault for not learning how to take care of Masamune.

"Did you just give me an order, Kojuro?" Masamune demanded, tilting his head to the side so that his bangs fell over his blind eye. Blind because of that stupid car crash. Blind – not because his right eye was no longer useful, but because his brain could no longer send signals to it. "Well?"

"I apologize," Kojuro responded as he always did. "And you may punish me for my impunity later, however, this is too much. Masamune-sama, I beseech you to abandon your wild ways."

Masamune's teeth gritted and Kojuro expected a blow. But instead, there was a small "Tch!" and Kojuro was surprised by his young master walking away from the injured in the alleyway.

"I will call you an ambulance," Kojuro assured the people on the ground. "Only on the promise that you will not report my young master."

There was muffled agreement, but Kojuro was fine with that. He knew that he couldn't protect Masamune forever, especially not when the young Date heir was acting this recklessly. He sighed softly. He had to find a way to contain his young master.


It happened all too fast.

One moment, Kojuro was driving the car. The next, he was swerving off the road, hand reaching out to grab his young master. He remembered the shock on Masamune's face the most vividly. He remembered the crushing feeling that he had just failed his master.

And when he awoke later, they were in the hospital. Lucky, the doctors had said. But Kojuro hadn't felt like it. He had failed his young master, who had taken the loss of his eye very harshly. Since then, Masamune had taken to the streets, challenging anyone and everyone he thought looked at him wrongly. All in vain hope that all the fights would ease the pain in his heart.

All because Kojuro was stupid and he hadn't told Masamune to buckle up. All because Kojuro was stupid and swerved off the road. All because Kojuro was stupid and couldn't do his job right.

That was why he had to make it up to his master.


"Sengoku Basara?" Kojuro asked as he picked up the game.

Once upon a time, when Masamune had still been a child and hadn't been as interested in taking over the Date business empire, he and Kojuro spent hours together playing video games. Often times, they put something silly on the line (usually chores or study hours). And they played to win, competing against each other with friendly companionship that Kojuro dearly missed.

Then wasn't this the perfect way for redemption? Sengoku Basara, the game that had the entire world in a buzz.

Kojuro didn't hesitate to buy it.


"Ah?" Masamune asked as he kicked at a dumpster. "You want to what?"

"I believe it'll be to your tastes," Kojuro explained, holding up the USB drive up to his young master.

"Sengoku Basara?" Masamune frowned. "So what's the wager?"

Trust the young master to know exactly what Kojuro was getting at. Taking a deep breath, he talked. "If at the end of one month period of playing this game, you still feel the same as you do now… Then I shall help you destroy the world, if that is your wish. However, I would like for you to try and see the world with new eye."

Masamune seemed to consider this carefully. Then he nodded slowly. "Alright. So what you're saying is that you want me to get out of this rut I'm in. Fine. Let's do it. It sounds like it'll be fun. Let's party."

Kojuro smiled.


2 Weeks Before the Launch

Mori Motonari cocked the gun in his hand. He heard the rest of his teammates over the comms, shouting orders and calling for backups. Hah. What stupid idiots. Didn't they know that they were all just sacrifices for Motonari's sake?

He waited until the screams died down before he jumped in. Firing rapidly in succession, he shot down all those who had dared challenge him. Within minutes, the words, "Victor!" appeared on the screen, grazing Motonari with his rightful title.

"That's pretty cruel, man," someone complained over the comm when Motonari came out of the arena area. It appeared that his 'teammates' had been waiting in the menu screen for him to return.

"I told you," Motonari answered calmly. "This game doesn't keep track of deaths or who delivered the final blow. Just that the team won."

"You still sacrificed all of us for this gameplay!" the guy insisted.

"I would offered the position to any of you, if you guys had the skills to pull it off."

There was a low growl before someone else quickly changed the topic.

"So… Sengoku Basara is going to come out soon!"

Motonari detested small talk, but he couldn't help the rush of thrill at the mention of the game. When it had been announced a year back, Motonari had jumped at the chance for a new game. After all, if there was one thing he prided himself in, it was his gaming skills. He wasn't going to lose to anyone.

"Anyone got the game already?" someone asked.

The boy ignored the rest of the chatter. Until the game launched, he was forced to play other mediocre games like this one with boring people. Ah, he couldn't wait until Sengoku Basara was out.

Then he would truly rule the gaming world.


1 Week Before the Launch

Uesugi Kenshin laughed at his best friend, who was excitedly describing his newest character design.

"You know you won't be able to change it once you log in, right?" Kenshin asked, making sure that his friend wasn't going to make a stupid mistake.

"Of course!" Takeda Shingen answered, grinning broadly. "But doesn't it make your blood boil? I can't wait to play this game!"

Kenshin nodded. "Me neither, but I'm pretty good at controlling myself."

"Aw don't be such a bore! If you want it, then you have to reach out and grab it. C'mon! Let's go over to your place and look at your character."

"What? Shingen, my character doesn't-"

But his friend wasn't listening, already talking a mile a minute about things to update.

Kenshin just decided to let it go.


3 Days Before the Launch

"What the hell is this?" Ishida Mitsunari demanded as he glared at his caretaker before him.

"It's yours," Takenaka Hanbei answered calmly. "Your beloved Hideyoshi-sama had it made specially for you before he died."

"You have got to be kidding me. I'm not playing this stupid game," Mitsunari snapped. "This game is what killed Hideyoshi-sama!"

"But doesn't it make you curious? What was it that he became so obsessed with that he literally worked himself to death for?" Hanbei asked, not even bothering to look at Mitsunari anymore.

"No." With that, Mitsunari moved to give the USB device back to Hanbei.

"Keep it," came the answer from the elegant man. "Maybe you'll change your mind."

Mitsunari didn't think so. But he pocketed the USB anyways.


1 Day Before the Launch

Maeda Keiji felt his back arch with anger and indignation. "We went our separate ways," Keiji reminded Hanbei, who looked at him with eyes filled with just as much hatred. "Even if you got to your hands and knees, there's no way that I'll participate."

"This game contains a message meant only for you," Hanbei said firmly. "Of all who plays, you must complete it."

"Why don't you just tell me the message yourself? Or better yet, play the game and then tell me?"

Hanbei looked down at his hands. "I don't have enough time."

It was more than enough and Keiji found himself sighing heavily. After all, they had all believed that Hanbei would be the first to die, not Hideyoshi.

"Alright," he said, accepting the USB device offered to him. "Fine. I'll bite. Sengoku Basara, eh?"

The smallest smile touched Hanbei's lips. "I promise you; you will not regret this."


The Launch of the Game

Sanada Yukimura hummed lightly under his breath as he enjoyed the breeze of the Sengoku Basara world. He held up his hand, smiling softly as a butterfly landed on it briefly before it flew away. He closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of the sun on his artificial skin.

99% realism, huh?

The menu beeped next to his ear, letting him know that he had a new message waiting for him. Using his hand, he brought up the menu and selected the message (in actuality, you didn't need to use your hands to use the menu. Just thinking about it made it work just as efficiently. But Yukimura had found it much more comforting to use his own hands so that he could see what he was doing).

"A message from Toyotomi Hideyoshi?" he read out loud. "Gather at the Beginner's Town Square…?"

The brown haired boy frowned. Must be the welcoming announcement. How troubling. He was going to have to say goodbye to his resting place for now. With that thought in mind, he teleported to the Beginner's Town.


"What the hell?!" came the cry that was echoed throughout the town.

Hideyoshi's digital face laughed at them from the sky, informing them with a digitized voice that this was it. There were two ways out of this game: By dying (which would also mean that they were forfeiting their real life in the real world) or by completing this game to the end. There was no way to log out.

And with that announcement, the face disappeared, leaving all the players trapped in a game that they did not sign up for.

"How exciting!" Yukimura couldn't help but to exclaim with a fist pump. "A game of a lifetime! Doesn't it just get your blood going?"

"Haha! I like your spirit kid, what's your name?" asked a hulking figure of a man clad in red.

"Call me Yukimura."

"I'm Shingen," the man said, holding up his hand. "Would you like to team up with me to complete this game?"

Yukimura shook the offered hand. "Sounds awesome!"