Chapter One

Clank. Clank. Clank.

Iron collided with stone, echoing through the dark caverns of Ishigakibaru. Men from all walks of life dwelled there, forced to work and given little time to rest. A rough life, no doubt. In the centre of this prison sat a man, his eyes fixed on the flames that flickered while he held a tattered piece of parchment in his shackled hands. Once known under the baptismal name Don Simeon, he gave that up for the sake of pleasing others. Having been forced to live a life of imprisonment for more than ten years, he began to adjust to the darkness and the solemn atmosphere. A former daimyo in his own right, he was now stripped of his title, with nothing left but his two sons and his name, Kanbei Kuroda.

"Pa, everything alright...?" the eldest of the two asked as he walked up to him. He casually set his shovel down on the ground and seated himself beside Kanbei while his younger brother climbed up onto his father's lap and looped himself in between his arms.

Forcing a smile, the shackled man moved his eyes away from the fire to look at them, his tired, old eyes being greeted by a pair of large, curious ones. It provided a little bit of comfort to him.

"Ah, I'm fine, Nagamasa," Kanbei said, shrugging his shoulders and shifted his weight, "No need to worry about me, I'm managing." Kumanosuke quickly grabbed his tattered overcoat and shot his father a pouty look in response to the sudden movement.

"Papa. Moving. Bad." He said as his cheeks puffed and pointed his index finger at him. The 'Badger' let out a soft chuckle, and moved his arms closer to himself, preventing Kumanosuke from falling. Turning to look at his youngest, he felt a slight stab of pain in his chest now noticing the resemblance between his youngest son's annoyed expression and his late wife's annoyed expression.

Noticing this, Nagamasa moved closer and rested his head against Kanbei's leg, some strands of his curly blonde hair pressing against him.

"We'll get through this Pa, I'm sure Ma is watching." He said quietly, feeling a lump forming in his throat as he thought about his mother. Kumanosuke turned to look at his older brother with a quizzical look and tilted his head.

"I saw Mama. She was high up above there," he said and stretched his arm above his head and pointed. Kanbei raised an eyebrow and slowly turned his head to look in the direction, Nagamasa followed after with an equally confused expression, "She was staring down at us with her hair moving about. She looked so sad."

A few of the miners stopped to listen to little Kumanosuke speak of his mother, some even walked over while scratching their heads. Nagamasa shifted uncomfortably in his seat and gave his father an uneasy look. Kanbei slowly nodded and turned to look at his youngest, trying his best to keep his patience in check.

"Son," he said softly, shifting his arms while Kumanosuke turned to look back at him with wondering eyes, "Mama...Has gone to a better place, you were too young to know what she looked like, and you were brought here when you were a baby. Perhaps it was someone else working in the upper level of the mines?" He began to anticipate a very upset child after he said this, all the more dreading that he would have to try to calm his crying son.

Nagamasa nodded, "Yeah, maybe some of the rocks were shaped into a person and it is hard to see down here."

Kumanosuke furrowed his brows and shook his head furiously, "Nuh-uh! I saw Mama! She looked like one of those angels you speak of, Nagamasa! You said so yourself that she had light hair and kind eyes!" He pointed at his older brother in an attempt to intimidate him.

An angel? She always spoke of angels, given the fact that her eyes seem to give everybody else that thought... Kanbei thought, looking between the bickering boys. He then started to recall memories involving her.

An eye of green and an eye of brown, a sight uncommon that attracted mixed emotions. Her curled, blonde hair always seemed to make her stand out. It never bothered him in the slightest, being fortunate enough to have a wife. Images of her and the lingering scent of wisteria flooded his memories and as quick as they appeared, soon dissolved into the darkened corners of his mind.

"Maybe she is," he said, interrupting the argument and deeply inhaled, "Heaven...Ran out of angels, and that is why your mother is gone. They needed her love and warmth." He added with his voice slightly cracking.

Nagamasa stared at his father with widened eyes, Kumanosuke smiled and nodded.

"See? I told you!" the younger son said with a triumphant grin.

"Maybe...You're right, Pa..." Nagamasa replied, his voice a lot quieter than before. The thought of his mother being an angel was ridiculous, but perhaps it was more believable than thinking his little brother killed her. He needed something to believe in.

Kanbei nodded. He shifted his weight some more to allow Nagamasa sit closer to him and watched his eldest son think it over.

I know it's a stupid idea, son. But just believe in it for a little while longer, at least until Kumanosuke grows up...

"I should probably go back to work." Nagamasa said quietly and stood back up. Grabbing his shovel, he somberly walked off to where he was previously working.

Kumanosuke jumped off of his father's lap and dusted himself off, "I should go to work too. I have ... New things to see." And with that, he ran off into the mine's darkness without a second thought. His father quirked a brow at his youngest son's odd behaviour, but soon shrugged it off and attributed it to his usual shyness and distance from others. He seemed to be struck with it of late.

Kanbei however remained seated where he was, his thoughts occupied over his late wife. He recalled her laughter, her singing and her words of kindness. Though not considered to be famous for her looks and her bi-coloured eyes unnerved those who stared, she was a radiant beauty in his eyes. A woman who always thought of others before herself, always patient and rarely lost her temper - though that never stopped her from having one - and enjoying the simple pleasures of life and offering what she could to make others feel at home. Something that he had begun to forget the more time had passed by. Would he know what it was like to enjoy life again? To know what luck was?

Clumsy and luckless as he was, Kushihashiteru never minded his quirks and he never asked why. And he never minded her naivety, surprisingly being patient with her. He wasn't fond of animals, but she tended to the resident doves that lived at their former estate and that suited him well. He would read over documents detailing politics while she played the shamisen and harpsichord, the sounds often bringing comfort to the silence. At dinner they would sit down and converse over their daily activities, he spoke of his duty to the Toyotomi and as daimyo of the Kuroda while she chatted on about her little get-togethers with other women and the occasional discovery of one thing or another. At night before they turned in he would read to her pages of Japanese literature, poetry and share his ideas with her. She would listen, nod, smile and offer her opinions. They prayed and slept together, arm in arm. A simple, but loving life.

She had to be patient, putting up with a guy like me.

With a sigh, he pushed himself off from the metal ball. Hesitantly, he slowly turned his head up towards the area where Kumanosuke spoke of the sighting. His heart began to beat a little faster, giving himself that tiny glimmer of hope that perhaps she was there.

Nothing. Just rocks.

Sighing again, he shook his head and walked towards the current construction site, dragging the iron ball and his burdens with him.

"They said I could see angels."

"Could you?"

Kushihashiteru gave the miner a warm, reassuring smile before sipping on some lukewarm miso soup. Moving her eyes downwards, she set the bowl aside and leaned back against the wall of rock, letting out a soft sigh.

"At times I thought I could," She said softly, looking back at the miner, "With eyes like mine, you are either a Heretic or you have eyes that can see both Heaven and Earth. A green eye and a brown eye is what I have."

"Heretic?" the miner said, tilting his head to his left in confusion.

"Heresy. Heretic. Those who conflict with God and those who believe in Him. Something I am not, I am a faithful daughter." She smiled, her hand gently touching the cross that dangled from her neck.

"Isn't that what got both you and Lord Kanbei in trouble, though M'lady?" he asked, scratching the back of his head and leaned forward.

"It is. We had to drop our faith and pretend. He chose another name – Josui. I reverted back to being called Kushihashiteru instead of Alicia, or Arisu." She replied, her expression darkening as she gripped the cross, as if something was threatening her faith.

"It wasn't long until Josui was arrested, taking Nagamasa with him. A couple of days later they took little Kumanosuke, I was then arrested under false accusations and brought here. Ten years later and I'm still waiting. Patiently."

The miner stared back at her, then turning to sip his share of miso soup. Setting the bowl down, he turned back to her with a confused expression.

"M'lady, weren't you given a letter stating they all died recently?" he asked quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.

She let out a long, soft sigh and nodded. But her expression changed to suspicion.

"I think it's rather suspicious," she replied, "Why would Lord Otani personally write to me about my husband? They never liked each other, so the only plausible solution is that there a much more sinister plan being made."

Reaching over, she grabbed an old, clay cup and poured herself a helping of tea. Putting the cup to her lips, she sipped on the lukewarm liquid. Her nose crinkled at the lack of warmth from it as she drank from the cup.

"None of it makes sense. Otani was never the type to be sympathetic. Heavens, not even the remnants of the Toyotomi knew mercy. Hanbei Takenaka to some degree, but he was selective. Josui was fortunate enough to be within that circle, being a talented strategist. But things changed, almost everyone seemed to become a darker version of themselves, as if being consumed by an evil force..."

"M'lady, maybe that's a bit much."

"No. Ever saw Osaka Castle? It's a dark, foreboding place now. Never sees sunlight, always winter." She felt a bit saddened and a little sheepish from her own description, wondering if perhaps she was over-exaggerating. She sighed.

"Perhaps we should stage a rebellion."

Kushihashiteru looked up and over at the man with widened eyes, "Pardon? Surely you jest."

He shook his head, "Serious. To avenge Lord Kanbei."

She leaned back and looked up at the rocky ceiling, trying to take it all in. A rebellion would do well, but the problem would be strategy. She had no knowledge of such things – her husband yes, but even then that landed him in prison and later death. Her roles were that of a wife, bestowed upon her since she was young. Kanbei taught her a few tricks but never fully taught her how to handle a battle! A few sessions of swordplay here and there, but even so she was a pacifist and the art of war meant little to her. They would need more time.

What in the world would Josui do...?

The words echoed in her head, chanting to her and making her think about how he would take action. Her thoughts were shaken when the mines began to rumble and quake, some of the construction nearby toppled over and collapsed. Could it have been an earthquake? She quickly braced herself, keeping her eyes and ears open. The miner she spoke to kept his arms over her, making sure none of the rubble would hit her. Kushihashiteru silently prayed that they would all make it through this tremor alive and hopefully without injuries. She needed them all to carry out the rebellion and she needed their support to keep her going.

Please let us make it through and let us find hope. Please give us a chance to see freedom and life again...

Little Kumanosuke stared up at the machine with pride, his hands placed firmly on his hips while his face broke out into a triumphant grin. A mechanical beast rumbled and growled before him, awaiting his command. He walked around it, its body consisting of scrapped pieces from others with a large, corkscrew drill fashioned at the front. It was finally complete. Months of hard labour and sneaking off between sleeps finally paid off. He patted himself on the back and marched over to the ladder. Climbing up onto it, he pushed one of the levers and set the metallic monstrosity in motion. Clumsy at first with his driving, he pressed on with determination. He called out to the miners to move with haste, grumbling a few apologies when they tried to dodge it and landed into a pile of rocks.

Eager to find his father and brother, he drummed his fingers on the control panels and drove on. He thought about how he could set everyone free, avenging the Kuroda clan and finding his mother again. She was alive and he would prove his brother wrong. The next step would be finding a way to free his father from those infernal chains, he had spoken of a key but no one knew where it was or who had it. First things first were to display this and show off its power for its debut, he knew that much.

"Papa will love you," he said quietly to his creation, petting it lovingly, "He'll love you Drillatron."