Here's the second chapter! Sorry if my updates are slow. I don't have a lot of time to spare for writing fanfiction updates. College is the gateway to hell, I am telling you all now. It's fun, but it will suck your soul in and never let it go until graduation.

Oh, and remember: the more reviews, the faster I'll update! Maybe. I don't know, I'm just trying to bribe you. Haha. Ha. :| Anywho! Enjoy chapter two. Thanks to the the reviewers as well!

Chapter Two
The Road Less Traveled

His retainers were worried for his current condition. With the inevitable clash between the Tokugawa and the Toyotomi coalition closing in on every man, woman and child, there was hardly any time for pacing around camp with nothing but the thought of a runaway wife to keep him going. The soldiers glanced at each other and wondered what possessed their Lady to leave in such a way. They were no strangers to her wanderlust, having previously run away before as a child, but this? This was pushing it. She was no longer a child, and she was married.

It was simply unheard of.

Tadaoki, aware of the unwanted company spying on him from the tent's folds, simply ignored the staring and focused his energy in venting out a mixture of frustration, grief and anger. Stress could also be added to that list, because he was certainly not in a state of calm at the moment, and nothing in the campsite was helping him ease himself of his troubles. He doubted anything could, really. Not now, not until she returned and he could stop fidgeting at every waking moment.

Back and forth, back and forth, Tadaoki walked feverishly, as if he was trying to walk himself to his own demise. His head was bent down, and his eyes were fixated on the hot earth beneath his feet. There was no telling where that rogue could have taken his wife. And seeing as she was so willing to go with him for "one final adventure"...he groaned and slammed his head on the war table, maps and scrolls momentarily jumping out of their places.

There were so many scenarios playing in his head, none of them pleasurable.

The retainers that stayed and watched their Lord torment himself decided on calling his strategist to help calm him down. Desperate times called for desperate measures, and despite the danger of being reprimanded intensely for disturbing him in his work, they ultimately had no other choice. Nobody could snap their Lord out of his daze but him.

As soon as he felt the prying eyes leave him, Tadaoki closed his own and slumped down on the ground. He was more than aware of the impending doom posed to them by the forces of Shima Sakon, and quite frankly, he couldn't fight them off in his current state. He needed to regain some peace of mind, lest his entire army falls to the hands of the enemy. Plus, what would his own Lord think? All of this commotion for one girl? They would not let him turn the army around to find her.

He stayed on the ground, slumped over with his head bowed down, belittling his own honor. He was only glad that a small mercy was granted to him, in that his soldiers were no longer there. Or at least, so he thought.

"...This is crazy, you know that? Why did I even agree to this?"

"Because we're pals? And you have a soft spot for women everywhere?"

"Tch. You know me too well. I guess."

"It's why I'm your pal."

"That still doesn't make this right. You know that."

The conversation had started out so gently, as a opposed to the sharp silence that enveloped them when they started their trek away from the site of the Hosokawa fire. She hadn't made any moves to speak to him, only content with looking up at the darkening sky, and he in turn was not exactly raring to fire his questions at her after she had gone through such an ordeal. True, he wasn't on the affirmative side when she had made her decision, but time stood witness to her woman's resolve once she had set out to do something, and Magoichi was no more useful in convincing her to stay than a fish is out of water.

A nagging voice in his head told him that he let her follow him, just like before, but he ignored it. He was a man who listened to reason. He'd like to believe that, truly.

"Are you going to take me back there?" Gracia didn't turn to look at her companion, and opted to focus her gaze to the vanishing point of their path. The sun was close to setting completely, plunging the entire background into a calming yet foreboding violent glaze. She looked up waiting for his reply. The stars were starting to come out.

"I think you'll put up a bit of a fight if I did that, little lady. Quite frankly, I'd much rather have you around then drag you back there kicking and screaming, and me with more bruises." He laughed then, and he hadn't realized what he just said until Gracia finally tore her attention away from the twilight sky and on to his own tanned features. Her expression was near unreadable for Magoichi, but he was good at poker faces too. He smiled, and patted her on the head.

"I mean, you don't wanna go back, do you? You wanna go on this whole, one last adventure thing, right?" She nodded a bit. "Then who the hell am I to stop you?"

He could answer his own question. He was her best friend; if this journey meant putting her in harms way, he'd be completely opposed to the idea. But then again, Magoichi didn't know what was actually worse. Being taken hostage every time you close your eyes, or bandits. Somehow, the bandits seemed more pleasant. At least he could protect her from them.

"...Mago, I'm sorry I forced you into this." That was unexpected from her part, Magoichi mused. He frowned a bit, but they continued walking anyway, and he decided to find somewhere to stay for the night the moment she stopped talking (which might actually lead them walking till dawn).

"I suppose your offer was too much of a good thing for me to pass up so easily." Her eyes gave it away. She stopped walking then, leaving herself behind his large strides. Magoichi turned back and breathed in slowly. For all the time they joked around after he had set off away from her burnt mansion, Magoichi never really got a good look at her eyes. Now, in the overcoming darkness, he saw them glimmer like candles in an altar. She wasn't exactly going to cry, but the emotion that was harbored within her...Magoichi wasn't sure if it was guilt or loneliness.

"You can take me back, if you really want to. This wasn't a good idea. You're right." Gracia bit her lip and stared up at him, unwavering and all. "Tadaoki is going to get so angry with me. And he'll want to know who took me away, too. I don't want you to get hurt. Mago, I'll go back. Thank you for playing along with me."

Gracia had turned to leave, really. She turned back, and she took large strides like he did, and she was truly going to return. He imagined the lingering troops there would find her, and report back to her husband. He imagined she would be crying, inside a tent, figuring out what she had done. He imagined she'd get scolded and locked up. He imagined he'd never see her again. Or forever. Whichever came first.

The vision of her retreating figure caused something in the gunslinger to snap. He wasn't sure what it was, but he honestly didn't have much care in him to figure it out. Quickly, he grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her back to him, gently. She managed to step back, so that they were facing each other, despite the awkward position. She looked so frightened. It reminded him of his lost village and people. Of her voice, screaming out for him to return. Looking for him.

Magoichi was like steel. He spoke calmly yet surely, as if he knew nothing could ever counter what he was about to say.

"I wasn't joking around when I agreed to this, little lady." He started out. "But before we move on, wherever it is we're going, or wherever it is you're going, you need to ask yourself this; what do you want? What is it that you need to do?" He inched closer to her face, as if to make his point clear. All this time, she was forced back into living in a cage she had escaped from. She told him before that she wanted to see the world, and Magoichi told himself then and there that he would do whatever it took to make that happen. Japan was by far not the whole world, and if Gracia still wanted that wish to be fulfilled, then he would make her understand that. Even if it meant waging a war.

It was what pals did for one another.

"It's my fault. I shouldn't have left you like that. I know and I'm sorry. It won't happen again." Magoichi let her arm go, and she looked down at the ground like it was the most interesting thing.

"But if you really wanted to stay there, you wouldn't have answered me. You wouldn't have went with me, and you wouldn't have had to write that letter." He plopped his gun down, leaning on it firmly.

"I told you. You make your own choices. But you gotta be clear on them, and most importantly, you gotta stick with them." He of all people knew that to be true. Killing Nobunaga and wreaking havoc on the land without his intention for it to evolve into something that horrible...He believed it was eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth, but it went so wrong. Hideyoshi had to pay for his mistake (though he still couldn't get himself to call it that), and despite his desire to take it all back, he can't. Magoichi had to live with the fact that he killed both her father and Nobunaga, and the moment the truth came out to her, he'd have to live with that too.

It's time she learned that as well.

"You determine your own fate, right?"

Gracia replied softly, like a newly born kitten's mewl for a mother's milk. His eyes never left her form, her hands tightly wrapped around the tassels of her cloak, and her hair slightly tousled from the previous bout. Her words had a certain nostalgia to them, and carried a wisdom he hadn't known she possessed. Time really did fly by, especially when you weren't there to watch it.

"You got it."

The woman in questioning closed her eyes and took deep, calming breaths. Her decision now scared her more than her decision to fight back the Western Army. This would change everything, and she was aware that this was more than selfish. This was sinful. She couldn't run away from her responsibility, yet Magoichi told her that her responsibility was to herself. Was that actually true? Did it matter what she wanted? Gracia already experienced a lifetime's worth of journeys with him, in her youth. But now...now when things were heating up for the future of the country...this was when she decided to leave? Though she was going to return, she was compromising the lives and worries of the people that care for her.

It wasn't so easy to run away anymore. Not when you're not sure what mattered the most; the duty to who you are now, or the duty to who you knew you truly were.

Are.

She took a small, feeble step towards him. She was frowning deeply, and she shook her head. Strands of red hair fell down her face. She looked tired.

"Mago, I need to be home. It's where I belong."

His face was set in stone. "You're going home, little lady."

Her grimace seemed to be permanent. "What do you mean?"

A smile finally crept its way up to his lips. He looked relaxed all of a sudden, that confidence returning to him like a gushing waterfall to a spring. "You'll be coming back. You'll go home. You're only taking the road less traveled."

Gracia stared on with only the steady humming of the crickets ringing in her ears. Without a blink, or another word spoken in retaliation, the woman dressed in green moved to Magoichi's side and he, in turn, did not speak either. Their walk took on a familiar pace, and soon, they were lead to a humble resting place by an uninhabited glade, beacons of light shining down on them like guardians. She laid down on the dry grass, and closed her eyes to the scent and taste and feel of the road she knew she was meant to take one more time. With him.

Gracia smiled and whispered a quiet thank you, before allowing herself to be lulled to sleep by the wind.

Magoichi set his gun down and felt his own mouth twinge upwards in fondness. The moment her breathing calmed, Magoichi turned his head upwards and exhaled stressfully.

He still wasn't sure if he was convincing Gracia, or himself, that this was the right thing to do.

"My, my. Is this the kind of posture a leader should have?"

Tadaoki growled before pushing himself up off the ground. He dusted his elbow pads and shoulders, and as he watched the tall man approach him, arms filled with scrolls and books, Tadaoki twisted his neck to the left and heard a satisfying crack.

"I wasn't expecting your company."

Shimizu Makoto only shrugged in reply and set his supplies down on the table, before realizing his friend's tendencies to hit solid objects when in trouble, so he opted to place it on an empty chair instead. True enough to his deduction, Tadaoki slammed his head down on the table once more and clenched his fists to the point that his gauntlets loosened by the strap. The newcomer only watched nonchalantly, and soon enough, Tadaoki regained his composure and fixed his armor, as if nothing ever happened.

"Are you finished?"

"Yes."

"You're men have been telling me all sorts of nasty reports about your behavior, you know. Care to explain what's going on?"

Tadaoki fumed in silence and threw the strategist a torn up letter. Makoto eyed it with some interest, before opting to piece it together. Tadaoki would calm down as soon as he finished decoding the pieces of paper. He was so very used to his outbreaks whenever things did not go according this plan. That was mainly the reason why Makoto joined in his ranks as his head adviser. The title of strategist was more ceremonial than anything. The entire army knew that it was their commander-in-chief that lead the war, on the field and off of it.

Long story short, Makoto was there to make sure Tadaoki had someone to help him with his touchy moods.

"Were you given a death threat, my Lord? To tear this poor letter so violently like this..." He tutted jokingly, successfully repairing one third of the letter with minimal effort. At least Tadaoki tore in clean cuts.

"This is no laughing matter. Hurry up and finish reading that letter." His voice was filled with impatience, and the sweat dripping from his brow down to his neck was not helping his fumbled state of being. Was it a hot day out or was it just him, and all his pacing around in full body armor?

"I haven't even started yet, thanks to you." Makoto said, though it was mostly a lie. He was reading through it as he arranged the torn pieces, and had actually finished reading the message since it was only one sentence long. He pretended to mess with it some more, until finally Tadaoki closed his eyes and sat on his place at the head of the table. Makoto took this as a sign that he was ready to hear what he had to say regarding the message. He feigned a surprised look and tutted again. Tadaoki stared at him, seeing through his guise (because being childhood friends with the sarcastic man helped).

"Well?"

Makoto walked towards him and leaned on the side of the table. "I expected as much."

His lord wasn't too happy with his answer. "What do you mean by that? I don't want any cryptic answers."

The strategist shrugged with his head and repeated himself. "It's not cryptic at all, my lord. I meant what I said; that I expected as much." Before Tadaoki had a chance to explode at him, Makoto cut him off completely by adding to his statement. "Your wife, as beautiful and charming as she is," He paused for a moment, subtly checking if complimenting his beloved would manage to calm his nerves a bit. It did, as he expected as well, so he continued.

"...has had this insatiable wanderlust that you of all people should know about. She was given the opportunity, and so she took it. It's like dangling a fresh bone in front of a rabid dog's face."

Tadaoki stood up abruptly, anger laced in his tone. "She is not a rabid dog."

Makoto rolled his eyes calmly. "Now you're taking things too personally."

The man dressed in dark blue ran his hands over his face and leaned on his knees. "Do you know why she left, Makoto?"

"No, I'm afraid not. All I'm certain of is this is not a surprising matter, at least, not for me."

"Why aren't you surprised?"

Makoto played with the string of his belt. "I stated my reasons already, haven't I?"

Tadaoki shook his head and stood up, touching his friend by the shoulder and facing him towards him. Makoto wondered how many faces Tadaoki could have in one sitting. When he entered the tent, he was a raging pile of testosterone. Now, he looked like the complete opposite. Helpless, scared, worried. While he is used to it, it's still unsettling to witness.

"You know what I'm asking of you. Is it because of my orders? Did she run away because of what I did?"

Makoto finally faced him of his own volition and gave him a certain look. He knew he'd bring it up sometime. "I doubt it, my lord. Despite her lack of priorities, I highly doubt she's stupid enough to get angry at you for your orders. This is a time that requires such desperate acts. My Lady would not hold that against you."

"What husband would want to kill their own wife?" Tadaoki's hand slipped from his shoulder.

"Many would do the same. You were protecting her."

"She fought back and she won. Who is protecting who now, Makoto?"

"The chances of her winning that fight were minimal. Luck happened to be by her side, and that is why she was able to push them back. Your choice was still the most logical."

"I underestimated her strength. Both of heart and of her will." Makoto watched him impassively, though he the underlying concern still hovered about him. Tadaoki leaned back on the table, mimicking his own position, and closed his eyes. What his wife did left Tadaoki feeling more than guilt and concern. He was being filled now, with doubt. Makoto had to act fast. As the leader of their army, there was no room for doubt or for guilt. War did not allow such luxuries.

And Makoto would not allow it either.

"My Lord, would you have wanted her to fight back, then?"

"What? Of course not!"

"So ordered your men to kill her should her honor be at stake?"

"...Yes." He faltered a bit. "Yes, I did. We...I believed, that I was doing the right thing. I would rather give her up to Death than to allow her to be tainted by the hands of the enemy."

"Then you have answered your own questions."

Tadaoki looked up at him, eyes still uncertain and longing for the right decision. He was becoming clouded and lost. He wasn't so sure of things anymore.

"I am not following any longer."

Makoto sighed to himself. Sometimes he wondered if Tadaoki was as smart as he seemed.

"My Lord, your decision was to have her killed if and when the enemy put her in harm's way. She did not follow you, so she fought back. She won, and when the troops came back, she was no longer there and left you with this letter of a hasty retreat." He held up the said letter for emphasis. "Instead of wallowing here and questioning yourself, you should be out there, commanding this army. Leave me with a search party, and we will find your wife. This is no longer your priority. The war, however, is."

Tadaoki was being circled as Makoto spoke. He still couldn't understand what he wanted to do.

"You're saying I should let her be?"

Makoto nodded. "More or less. You must stand by your decisions."

"I cannot do that. No. I refuse." Tadaoki stood and started pacing the room once more. He put his fingers underneath his chin, thinking and plotting and the scenarios kept returning.

"My Lord..."

"No, Makoto. I know where my responsibilities lie, and she is one of them. I cannot leave her be to go on this...this futile expedition! Not when she is with that vagrant, alone and defenseless." He snarled at the image, and he cursed that man who allowed her to follow her wild instincts. The way he said the moniker for Magoichi was filled with disdain. He would stand by his decision indeed, but the decision he had made then had already passed. Now, it was time to make a new one, and only he could make it happen. They don't know Gracia as he does. They wouldn't be able to find her so easily.

However, Makoto's interests were piqued at the mention of another person. He quirked his eyebrow. "Vagrant, you say? She was kidnapped, then?"

Tadaoki waved him off. "No. She has told us stories of a man named Saika Magoichi, yes?" Makoto nodded slowly. "It seems that he was there to save her when the Western Army attacked the manor, and after the flames had died down, she decided to go along with him, promising to return before the war would begin."

Makoto's eyes widened. He knew about her strange obsessions with the man, but to run away at the turn of war? Now that changed everything.

"If I leave her be, she might not return home. His hold on her heart is too strong, too strong even for me to cut through it." Tadaoki spoke with a certain longing, though Makoto was too busy thinking. Something had to be done about this. Their Lady was being too liberal. There would be repercussions.

"...Makoto, I leave you in charge of the army. I will return with the Lady Gracia not before long."

Makoto was not surprised with his decision either. "Sekigahara will begin in a week's time. They are only waiting for the forces in the South to gather. You don't have much time." The urgency in his voice was overwhelming. For once, Makoto was taken aback by something.

"I know that. We will both return before that begins. I assure you. You can handle things from here, yes?" Tadaoki was already re-dressing, finding his swords and grabbing his helmet with haste. His decision was clear. Makoto had told him that he should stand by his decisions, and he was doing so now. He decided to have her killed, and he went through with it. Now that her safety was being compromised again, Tadaoki's decision involved her once more, and he would do everything in his power to make sure she came home. Clean and swift; that would be his mission. Sekigahara would not start without him.

Makoto half-heartedly allowed his Lord to go. But his hesitation was fueled by his reason telling him this was a bad idea. A week's time would not be enough to find her, and if he was delayed...their army would fall.

"Tadaoki, reconsider."

The man, donned in his helmet, nodded and saluted a goodbye. "Take care. You'll explain to the men, use any excuse you can find. I won't be long."

The moment he left the tent, Makoto tapped his foot impatiently and stared all around him. He wouldn't have let his Lord go if he hadn't know that another person was involved in the mess, but somehow, learning about Gracia traveling with that man she idolized so much changed his opinions. He wondered why, and realized at the sound of the horse's hooves trampling out of camp, that it was because if it was not Tadaoki who left to retrieve her, she might not return, despite promising them otherwise. Makoto allowed Tadaoki to leave because he was a sentimental man. And Makoto knew his sentimentalities would cause him to function out of propriety if they were not quelled.

Makoto stared out into the distance, the dust cloud following Tadaoki's wake. He had to bring her back. If not, the Eastern Forces might fall. Most importantly, Tadaoki's heart would be crushed.

"What did you ever see in her?" He mumbled, before gathering his things and preparing to explain to a crowd of ten thousands where their trusted leader ran off to in the middle of the night.

A/N: Shimizu Makoto is not a real character. He is an OC I made for the story, to parallel with Magoichi and Gracia's friendship. If you notice, the theme of this chapter is about decisions, and Makoto will be a recurring character to act as Tadaoki's partner-in-crime. His name respectively means "pure water" and "truth".