Disclaimer: I do not own the Samurai Warriors series or the characters that come from it, this series belongs to Koei…please don't sue me.

Author's Note: I haven't seen this pairing attempted yet so I thought I might experiment. This is a Yukimura/Ginchiyo fic. Be warned this Fanfic has character death, violence, and other mature material later on, so be for warned this fic is rated M for safety so if your too young to be reading this I suggest you pick a different fic to read, if you are of age where you live, feel free to read on.

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Lightning of the Heart Rekindles the Fire of Love

Chapter 1 – Tragedies of Nagashino and Kyushu

Rain poured down along the fields of Nagashino; however this rain had come too late for the Takeda army. The rifles of the Oda army had decimated the Takeda Calvary, many dead bodies laid across the cold ground. Dark clouds loomed in the air above them threatening to rain down upon them. However, one was not dead, this man wore red armor and his spear lay in front of him. Though injured he had fallen off his frightened horse but stayed down as he went unconscious for a few moments. This was the body of Yukimura Sanada; the dirt of the fields coated the front of his armor. He could hear the reloading of the Oda army's rifles; he could feel the cold breath of death coming for him as he started to come back to himself. But as if seeing his allies fall so easily to the rifles was not enough of a blow to Yukimura's heart, he then lifted his head to see one woman charging the lines of Nagashino from behind his own allied lines. This was a woman in white clothing, known as Kunoichi. Enraged at the thought of her beloved, Yukimura's death, or so she thought, she charged with all of her speed and anger to the location of the man responsible for this…Nobunaga Oda himself.

"Damn you, Nobunaga! I'll leave your blood all over Nagashino, for what you've done!" she yelled as she passed by Yukimura's body. Many had tried to stop her, but the ninja woman would not be denied her chance to avenge the death of her beloved Yukimura.

Both Yukimura and Kunoichi had fallen in love with each other as they fought alongside one another after the late Shingen Takeda had assigned Kunoichi to protect Yukimura. They had become as close as true lovers would, most in the Takeda army thought them inseparable…however no one in the Takeda army had expected the battle of Nagashino to turn out as it had thus far…thus no one could have foreseen the tragedy that was soon to happen.

Yukimura had slowly began to rise as his eyes came back to focus, his spear in hand he looked up and saw Kunoichi charging at the rifle line at where Nobunaga Oda, the Demon King, could be seen. He tried to yell for Kunoichi to get back, but his voice failed him and the sound of firing rifles sounded, and Yukimura could only watch as his beloved's desperate charge had stopped suddenly. Half way between Yukimura and the Oda rifles the body of Kunoichi fell lifelessly to the ground.

It was in that moment that Yukimura saw his life with Kunoichi flash before his eyes, and not long after that the rest of his life flashed before his eyes. His heart broke seeing the lifeless body of his beloved lay amongst the victims of the Oda army. Yukimura saw all that he had treasured taken away from him in a single battle. His pride, his honor, his friends and his beloved, everything had taken away from him. At this moment he simply waited for the bullets of the Oda rifles to fire again and take his life as well, for at this moment he felt that he had nothing more to live for. The rifles reloaded as the next line came up to fire; this line was meant to finish off not only Yukimura but also the last of the Takeda Calvary as they had begun to charge in a last desperate attempt to break through. In that moment, the neigh of a horse sounded out louder than any that had sounded from the Takeda Calvary. Yukimura looked up as a black/grey horse leaped over the barrier made to protect the riflemen, and upon this horse was a man that was tall in stature with long blond hair styled in multiple long defined stripes with a raised ponytail on top. Yukimura looked up at the man as he held on to him as he placed him behind him on his horse, Matsukaze.

"Who are you?" asked Yukimura.

"I am Keiji Maeda, servant of the Oda! But I changed affiliations, and now I'm just a regular guy. What's your name kid?" asked Keiji.

"Yukimura…Sanada"

"Well, come on, Yukimura let's get through this together. The Takeda and the Oda are still here at Nagashino, we can still make a difference. Besides, were gonna have to if either of us are going to make it out of this alive."

With that Yukimura steeled himself as best as he considered what he just lost. He had lost many of his friends, and the love of his life. But now as he stood there holding his weapon in hand he was unsure about his future, and what he should now fight for.

"We've lost everything…I have lost everything, it's over." Said Yukimura.

"Ain't nothing over yet, kid. Just follow me; I'll help you get through this." Said Keiji as he turned his horse around and readied his weapon. "Grab a horse and come on, by now we should be able to break through the rifle line, Nobunaga just sent out the troops, which means there's going to be a lot of openings to go and smash'em up."

It was then that Yukimura and Keiji took their steeds and charged forward with the next wave of the remnants of the Takeda Calvary and as the soldiers of the Oda charged from behind the lines, the riflemen opened fire on the horsemen; while a few fell both Yukimura and Keiji entered and began to slay riflemen. After good deals of them were gone, Yukimura and Keiji ended up back to back as Yukimura asked Keiji as they were surrounded by foes.

"Why did you save me?"

"Aw shucks, I couldn't let you die. Not when you've got a great heart on you."

"My heart is broken, Kunoichi…"

"You mean that ninja chick that charged after your line was shot up. You two were close weren't ya?"

"Yes, we were…"

"Though your heart is broken, it's still great, if you let it stay broken, I don't think you'll be doing her memory justice. Look here, Yukimura. If you need something to fight for to at least make it out of here, fight for her memory, Yukimura, don't let the sacrifice she made be in vain. When we make it out of this, you can go from there." Said Keiji as he charged forth and struck out against the samurai that now surrounded both he and Yukimura.

'Poor guy, he lost a woman that means a lot to him…suppose I cant blame him for feeling this way. But if he dies here, he'll never get the chance to find himself again, and that would be a real shame.' Thought Keiji as he watched Yukimura charge back to the fort that the Takeda were using as a base.

As the battle raged on, Yukimura brought many enemies down with his spear as he eventually fought to protect Katsuyori Takeda's escape. Eventually, Keiji caught up to them and began fighting with Yukimura side by side again.

"The Takeda have lost much…we may never recover." Said Yukimura.

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean that you can't keep on living." Said Keiji

"But why? Why must I live?"

"You'll find that out soon enough, but for now you just have to keep fighting. So come on, Yukimura, let's go out and make the best of this." Yelled Keiji as he charged forth leaving many dead Oda soldiers in his wake. They broke through Nagashino Castle, Yukimura defeating Mitsuhide Akechi in the process to help them break through.

"Hey, Yukimura, I just got word that Tadakatsu just showed up, let me take care of him you just make sure that Lord Katsuyori makes it through, and take care of the Oda." Called out Keiji as he charged back towards the crossroad bridge where he planned to meet and cross spears with the mighty Tadakatsu Honda. Leaving Yukimura to protect Katsuyori's escape. Eventually, as they charged forth the infamous Iga Ninja, Hanzo Hattori appeared with his unit of ninjas.

"A ninja! You will not get your hands on Lord Katsuyori!" Yelled Yukimura.

"You will not stop me; here is where Katsuyori Takeda's flesh will rot." Said Hanzo with his normal steadiness. "If you get in my way, the way of my master, I will send you to see your white ninja woman in the other world."

Yukimura steeled himself and growled angrily as Hanzo's words got to him. He met Hanzo's charge and the Ninja and the Samurai clashed each collision of their weapons a reflection of Hanzo's determination and loyalty to his lord, Ieyasu Tokugawa and the rage and strength of Yukimura. Eventually, Yukimura got the upper hand on Hanzo as his soldiers kept Hanzo's ninja squad at bay long enough for Yukimura to force Hanzo to retreat. Yukimura could no breath a sigh of relief now that he knew his master would be safe, taking the path near the northwest garrison, Yukimura watched as Katsuyori Takeda escaped. After a few moments, Keiji showed up again.

"Lord Katsuyori escaped but what more do I have to live for now, the Takeda may never recover from this blow and Kunoichi she…." Yukimura said as he clutched his Crimson Fang cross spear.

"You still have a bright future a head of you Yukimura. If you give up now it will be as I said before a shame upon Kunoichi's sacrifice. She wanted you to live, and thanks to her, you got that chance."

"It wasn't just her; you gave up your place with the Oda to save me."

"Maybe, but I'm sure I can say that we both know that you have a bright future a head of you. Your heart for love may be broken my friend, but you still have the heart of a warrior, and trust me you can use that for more than just war. But come on, if either of us are going to make it out of here were going to have to get Nobunaga."

"But what…"

"Yukimura, why don't you just chill out for a bit and just concentrate on ripping Nobunaga's ugly head off? After that you concentrate on what happens next." Said Keiji as he charged forth towards the Oda main camp on Matsukaze. For some reason, Yukimura felt compelled to follow Keiji and survive this. Yukimura with the help of Keiji would survive the battle of Nagashino…even though the Takeda would not.

After the battle, Yukimura took personal care to give Kunoichi a proper burial and along side those of his men who survived and Keiji paid his final respects to Kunoichi as he buried her with the best he could do…it was only fitting for the woman he loved.

'Don't give in completely on love yet, Yukimura. You never know when fate is going to throw something good your way.' Thought Keiji as he saw Yukimura walked away.

However, fate did have something planned for Yukimura Sanada…and for one other warrior of this age. While tragedy has already struck Yukimura…it would be a few years after the fall of Nobunaga and the rise of Hideyoshi Toyotomi that tragedy would strike…on one Ginchiyo Tachibana.

On the island of Kyushu, a feud between two of the island's most powerful clans was well under way. This feud pitted the Tachibana clan against the Shimazu clan. The two armies lead by two of the greatest warriors of these clans, Ginchiyo of the Tachibana and Yoshihiro of the Shimazu met again on their normal battlefield on the Island of Kyushu. Both sides were evenly matched in their battles to begin with but slowly but surely the Tachibana lost many in their ranks. Family members that Ginchiyo had to watch die in the defense of the Tachibana name. As the only daughter of the famed Dosetsu Tachibana, she was now Lord and Lady of the Tachibana and she had to bear the loss of many of her known family. The Tachibana set out to fight the Shimazu again but this battle on Kyushu would be far different than any she had fought before on her tragic battle. By this time Hideyoshi Toyotomi who had conquered most of Japan's main land had come to Kyushu looking to add the island to the lands that he controlled. Hideyoshi had aligned himself with the Tachibana and with reinforcements and supplies Ginchiyo would set out to defeat the Shimazu and not only rip the island from the clutches of the Shimazu but also try to restore the greatness of the Tachibana name.

When the battle began Ginchiyo was looking out for her recently married husband, Muneshige Tachibana. Following the orders of Hideyoshi Toyotomi and his retainer Mitsunari Ishida, Ginchiyo was to attack the east, and work her way around to Tsunga Castle, while her husband Muneshige was to go south and attack Tsunga Castle directly. As the battle, raged Ginchiyo was able to force some of the Shimazu forces to retreat while her husband was having much success on his charge to Tsunga castle. Ginchiyo fought with great valor as her sword, given to her by her father sparked with the power of lightning.

"Wow, look at her go, Lady Tachibana was quite a find don't you think?"

"Indeed, she and her husband have turned out to be useful indeed, Lord Hideyoshi." Said Mitsunari.

It was then that a tap on Hideyoshi's shoulder caught the attention of him as he turned and saw his wife Nene.

"What is it, Nene?"

"Now I know you're impressed by Lady Tachibana, but you better remember who your wife is, Okay?" She said with her normally cheerful expressions.

"Nene you know you're the only one for me right?"

"I know, that's why I love you!" Yelled Nene cheerfully as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Ugh…Lady Nene, Lord Hideyoshi this is not the time." Said Mitsunari as he shook his head.

It was then that a scout had returned to the main camp with urgent news…

"Lord Mitsunari, It's Lord Tachibana sir, he has arrived at Tsunga castle and is engaging, Yoshihiro Shimazu, my lord."

"Keep me informed of their progress."

"Yes sir." Said the scout as he returned to the battlefield.

Meanwhile back at Tsunga castle, Muneshige had fallen into an ambush that was laid in wait by none other than Ginchiyo's rival, Yoshihiro Shimazu. Many of Muneshige's men were laid to waste by the ambush of the Shimazu Devils. Ginchiyo had finally broke inside of Tsunga castle's east gate…however what she saw when she gained entry was something she had hoped to never see. As her soldiers pushed open the gate, Ginchiyo began to slash her way through many Shimazu soldiers but after she cut down her last group she saw Muneshige battling Yoshihiro himself. However, Muneshige made a grave mistake as he blocked another swing from Yoshihiro's large war hammer, he moved to block another soldier and then killed him but he lost track of Yoshihiro, but he heard Ginchiyo cry out to look out as more Shimazu soldiers surrounded her. He turned towards Yoshihiro too late and took a powerful shot from Yoshihiro's hammer sending him into a nearby wall with such force that many heard the sickening sound of bones break. Ginchiyo saw this and her anger flared like never before, she had to get to Muneshige, the lighting surged around her as she then cried out as she was surrounded by a powerful orb of lightning as she floated in the air. Many soldiers were blasted into the air as the orb pulsed and sent many away from her, killing all of the soldiers it touched. Yoshihiro stood in amazement of Ginchiyo's power, when she landed all of the normal soldiers and two generals under Yoshihiro had fallen. Ginchiyo stood and looked with a great fury in her eye at Yoshihiro; she then held her sword horizontally in front of her and ran her left hand down the length of her sword enveloping it in lightning.

"Well, I'm satisfied, everyone left pull back." Yelled Yoshihiro as he retreated from Tsunga castle.

"Come back here, you coward!" yelled Ginchiyo as she charged after Yoshihiro alone.

"Ginchiyo, wait…" she heard from the direction of Muneshige. Ginchiyo ran to him quickly and kneeled down by his body.

"Muneshige, are you alright?" Asked Ginchiyo as she held him.

"No, I'm not sure…" Muneshige started to cough up blood; he could feel death coming down upon him.

"Muneshige…" said Ginchiyo as she begins to cry knowing what was soon to happen to her beloved husband. She had seen so many of her Tachibana kin fall in this war against the Shimazu…now she was seeing the one person she never wanted to see fall.

"Please, Ginchiyo…don't cry…I shall always be with you…please, take care of our clan." Was the last thing he said before he tensed up and then turned limp as the last of his life left him.

"No….Muneshige...Muneshige….Mune…shige…….NOOOOOO!!!!!!" Ginchiyo's cry could be heard all over the battlefield of Kyushu. She laid his body to rest and then took her sword in hand. Her tears continued to fall as her right hand gripped her blade. She charged out alone from Tsunga castle with her soldiers struggling to keep up with her. The rage she felt in her heart swelled like a great typhoon with great bolts of lightning striking around. She rushed through many of the Shimazu ambushes leaving many dead bodies, soldiers and Shimazu alike.

"Oh no, I was afraid of this, darling, I just found out Muneshige was killed and Ginchiyo has flown into a rage just blindly charging." Said Nene as she just got back to Hideyoshi.

"Are you serious, we need to get men to support Lady Tachibana, Mitsunari get as many men as you can and help Ginchiyo charge their main camp. If we can't stop her we better help her."

"Alright, if that is what you want, Lord Hideyoshi." Said Mitsunari as he turned to his men. "All units, charge the main camp of the Shimazu assist Lady Tachibana in any form you can."

"YES SIR!" The soldiers called out as the charged.

The battle would not last much longer, as all of the units of the Toyotomi charged, the Shimazu were quickly out matched and were forced to retreat. During this retreat, Ginchiyo, her rage still apparent, caught up to Yoshihiro.

"I can see the blood of my Kin and my Husband on your hands, Shimazu…but when I am finished here, the only blood that will flow from you will be your own! For what you've done Yoshihiro, I'll make sure that you die!" She yelled as she charged at him. Yoshihiro braced himself and blocked her first strike with the haft of his hammer.

"How are you supposed to enjoy this battle if you continue to hold that grudge?"

"You bastard!"

Ginchiyo pushed him away and swung wildly at him. Yoshihiro blocked each of her quick strikes with his hardened haft. She refused to stop her assault on him even as her strength began to ebb. Adrenaline and rage continuing to fuel her attacks. As soon as Yoshihiro saw an opening he knocked her back with the butt of his hammer and before she could recover he made a powerful swing towards the ground, powerful energy fueling his attack. When the hammer struck the ground, Ginchiyo tried to leap away but the shockwave created sent her back into a nearby wall of the garrison that was being used as the main camp for the Shimazu.

"Perhaps we can continue this another time when you actually have your sense about you." Said Yoshihiro as he followed the rest of his troops in the retreat.

As the last solider, escaped out of her reach, Ginchiyo dropped to her knees, dropping her blade and began to cry. She tried to stop herself but now she could no longer hold it in. Her physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional wound she had just received at the hands of the Shimazu clan. She was consoled by Nene, but her heart had already been broken as she walked away from the battlefield, Nene thought…

'Poor Ginchiyo, I think I would be the same if I lost my darling, Hideyoshi, like that. I can only hope that one day she may find someone who can help mend her wounds far better than I ever could. Even if it doesn't happen in the near future, my darling is fighting to create a new, happy Japan…so I know someday you'll smile again.'

They buried Muneshige with the other members of the Tachibana family at their home on the island of Kyushu. Later the Toyotomi would count both the Tachibana and the Shimazu amongst their ranks. Yet Ginchiyo could never forgive Yoshihiro for what he had done to Muneshige.

Two warriors, two broken hearts, Yukimura Sanada and Ginchiyo Tachibana now walked lonely paths…but a few years after the battle of Kyushu, Yukimura and Ginchiyo would meet for the first time, as Hideyoshi gathered his troops outside of Odawara Castle to attack the Hojo.

………………………………………….

Alright everyone that's the end of the first chapter. I hope that you all enjoyed reading this fic and look forward to the next one. I'm simply experimenting with this coupling so I ask you all to review to give me your opinions on this fic. Okay for now I'm out of here but look for the next chapter hopefully to be updated soon.

Red Ninja1

Next Chapter: Siege of Odawara Castle, a Flame Ignites with a Tiny Spark