As Sora rode with Date on his horse along with Yukimmura and Kojuro riding beside them, her
thoughts pondered over Toyotomi's words as the troops of Kai and Oshu made their journey to
Takeda's home. In the past, she remembered her enemies had either tried to capture her for her
power or attempted to kill her. But this Toyotomi, he didn't do any of those things to her.
He was giving her a choice; time to decide. He hasn't threatened her or forced her to join him. He
basically asked for her alliance.
However, thought Sora, he threatened everyone else with their lives. Toyotomi would probably do the
same when she refuses.
If she refuses, that is.
When the troops finally reached Takeda's household safely, they immediately held a war council in
Takeda's hall, with Sora present of course. Kenshin and his ninja Kasuga were there as well.
The meeting started with questions about Toyotomi: Where did he come from? How could we have not
heard about him when he raised so many troops in short time? The ninjas were ashamed that they
didn't notice this build up.
Everyone knew one thing: Toyotomi had unbelievable power. Even from far away, they could sense his
overpowering aura about him.
Takeda turned to Kenshin. " My Lord Kenshin, what do you think about Toyotomi's proposal? Are you
planning to ally with him?"
The wargod of Usegi replied, " I will not. I don't like his attitude or his ideals."
Takeda nodded. " My thoughts exactly. And it's obvious that you're not going to join him, Lord One-Eyed
Dragon."
Date haughtily said, "I'm aiming to conquer all of Japan for myself, not for the big guy back there. What
will you do, Sora?"
Everyone turned to Sora .
She sighed and simply shrugged her shoulders.
" You don't know?" said Yukimura.
Sora bowed her head to apologize.
Takeda said, " Do not worry about it for now, Sora. We won't think less of you. Your time to act will
come soon"
Sora thought so too.
" So everyone here, except Sora who hasn't decided yet , have chosen not to ally with Toyotomi. I guess
we're all fighting him then. " said Date.
Sasuke spoke, " I'll send my team to gather more information about Toyotomi and his troops."
Kenshin said, " Kasuga, you will do the same."
" Yes, my Lord" bowed the female ninja.
When the meeting ended, Date took Sora outside to the garden to talk alone with her. As the two
walked side by side through the beautiful flowers and trees, Date said, " You're in danger once again,
Sora. But, I guess you're not surprised. You are, after all, the Crufix"
Sora nodded somberly. She knew her life was going to be like this ever since she left home. Her life will
never go back to the quiet, innocent life as an orphan at Taka's house. She will always be in danger.
Date suddenly halted, making Sora stop to look at his serious expression. He said, " Sora, I'm leaving
tonight. I have to go back to Oshu to gather my men and prepare for another battle. Toyotomi has
changed everything."
Sora watched his clenched fist tremble in rage as Date growled, " I will never bow to that bastard! To
hell with that! I'll rip his body into pieces until my claws are soaked in his blood! Sorry, I didn't mean to
say that in front of you."
Sora calmly shook her head. I don't mind.
" Anyway, " Date continued, " I was wondering…if you'll be coming back with me?"
Date almost gazed with anticipation at Sora; waiting for her answer.
Sora stared into his black eye patch and his left blue eye as she shook her head with a frown ,her
braid annoyingly tickling her neck. Date's shoulders seem to droop from disappointment, but regained
his posture in seconds as he said, " I see, but I'm not angry with you. You made a wise choice. Taking you
to Oshu would be too dangerous. They'll find you there, but you can't stay here either."
Sora nodded in agreement. I know.
Date continued, " I imagine you're planning to go off on another journey to find your Pieces. "
He took a step toward Sora and caressed her cheek against the palm of his gloved hand. He gazed
intensely into her silver eyes while pressing his warm , broad chest against her small one .
Sora's heart pounded unnaturally against her chest, and felt her cheeks warm with blush. Date said to
her , "Let's spend our precious time together, Sora, before we are separated for who knows how long."
Sora raised her hand to Date's to press his warm hand into her face, holding it with her small fingers.
She wanted to cherish his comforting touch forever.
Date whispered, " I promise to end this quickly so we can be together again, Sora."
For the rest of the day, Sora and Date sat under a tree and talked no more about war or the nearing
future. They enjoyed their peaceful time together until it was time for Date's departure. *
That night, everyone stood at the gates of Kai while they watched Date and his men prepare their leave
for Oshu. All the soldiers of Oshu were on their horses, except for Date and Kojuro who paid their
appreciation to Takeda for his hospitality.
" Yukimura!" Date barked. Yukimura perked at his shout.
" Don't get yourself killed", he grinned , " I want to have the honor. You see?"
Yukimura smiled back, " You have my promise! You also take of yourself, Lord Masumune!"
Date chuckled as he turned to Sora and took her shoulders in his arm to bring her to his horse's side.
" Same goes for you, Sora." He said down to her, " Be careful out there."
Sora smiled sadly, wishing he would not go to fight more dangers. She couldn't think of what she'll do if
he suddenly disappeared from her life. Ever since they began to befriend each other, Sora and Date
grown an unbreakable bond. They liked one another's company, and fought to protect each other.
Now, Sora was seeing him go. Not knowing if she'll ever see him again.
Date mounted his horse, and once settled, he shouted to his men with a strong, proud voice that echoed
down the road, "Are you ready guys!?"
" YEAH!", the men crowed back.
" Burnin' up!?" Date cried again.
" YEAH!"
" Now, before we put on our guns on, I have one more thing to do."
Before anybody could blink, Date leaned from his saddle to Sora, and grabbed the back of her head to
lift her to his lips. His mouth covered hers; breathing in her surprised gasp as he tasted her with his
tongue. Sora's eyes flew wide open; shocked by Date's soft lips kissing her. His strong jaw was rough
against her mouth, but the pressure felt good to her. She ignored the tip of Date's helmet digging into
her forehead; the kiss distracting her completely.
Date's fingers sank into her hair, holding her tightly as if she would slip away into the darkness of the
night. He held her in the shining, silver light of the smiling crescent moon where she can be seen.
After what seemed to be an eternity, Date finally released Sora's lips. She let out a long breath of
exhausted pleasure. It was the first time Sora has ever been kissed.
Date's face was still close to her as he traced his fingers over the lines of her neck.
He whispered into her ear with a smile, "I've been dying to steal a kiss from you for a long time. Please,
my Sora, be careful. Farewell."
Date straitened his back and turned to his stunned right hand man and his troop. They were too stunned
for words.
" What are you idiots looking at!?", Date barked, " Let's get to it!"
The men shook the rare images of their hard core, boss kissing from their minds and kicked their horses
into a gallop. Date galloped ahead of the troop as the horses charged into the forest to be swallowed up
by the hunger of the night.
Sora watched Date go, still breathless from his kiss. She turned to the gates slowly to see Takeda ,
Yukimura and Sasuke's surprised faces. Sasuke whistled at her playfully while Yukimura stayed silent
with his reddened face.
Takeda suddenly bursted laughing, " Young people and love! It never ends!"
Sora looked up to the moon to be bathed in its pure silver light like water.
Date. His name resounded in her head as she turned to walk back inside the household with an aching
heart. *
The next day, while eating an afternoon meal with Takeda and the others in the dining hall, Sora's
thought of what Date said to her in the garden the day before. She remembered him mentioning about
the four Pieces, but she had another thought in mind. She had to leave…Today.
After lunch, when everyone was busy preparing battle, Sora slipped into her room without being seen.
She found her old backpack in a chest; faded and torn from their travels together. Sora didn't have the
heart to toss it away. It was a gift her foster parent, Taka, gave to her before she was sent on her quest.
The simple pack brought fond memories of the orphanage to Sora.
Sora gathered her gear: extra clothing, camping supplies, food from the kitchens, and the knife she
never used. Once Sora shoved it all into her backpack, she went to the paper door to slide it to the side
when it slid by itself.
Standing before her in the hallway, Takeda, Yukimura and Sasuke had their arms crossed while wearing
smug looks.
" Busted." Sasuke sang.
" Did you think we fell for that trick?" Takeda laughed, " We knew you left us that night when we took
you to my home for the first time."
Sora bowed her waist with a pleading look; showing her deepest apologies for her rude behavior.
Takeda waved his hand to push the notion aside as he said, "We are not angry with you, Lady Sora.
What you did was right. It's your decision alone, and we will not stop you."
Yukimura spoke up, "We are here to bid you a safe journey and the best of luck, Lady Sora. AS your
guardians, we will follow whatever your decisions are."
Sasuke scratched his nose at Yukimura's passionate words. " Yeah…same here. But keep your wits
about you Sora. There's danger at every corner."
Tell me about it, Sora's expression seemed to say but nodded to the ninja's advice. Suddenly, Yukimura
bolted to Sora and embraced her against his chest. His strong arms held her shoulders against him as he
nuzzled his face into her shoulder. Sora kept still against the tall warrior's bare chest; once again
surprised by a man's show of feelings.
She heard Sasuke say, " You know, Young Master, if Date was here seeing you hugging Sora, he would
kill you."
Yukimura released Sora and coughed, " It was a harmless farewell. "
Takeda said, " Sora, if you need any assistance in any matter, come find us or we'll find you."
Sora bowed her grateful appreciation toward the kind man and bid her farewell to Sasuke and
Yukimura. She hoped they will all survive this ordeal.
She then headed for the gates like she did six months ago in the dead of night. This time, Sora knew
exactly what she had to do.*
The warm afternoon quickly fell into night by the time Sora was walking on a road through a dense
forest. She had traveled quickly to reach a certain city that wasn't far now.
The woods, although dark and haunting, was singing with life as the owls hooted to the moon and the
frogs croaked to their mates. These sounds comforted Sora, but then a sudden crack from a bush made
her halt in her tracks.
Her heart pounded as she stared at the bush with alertness, knowing someone was watching her.
Reaching for the knife in her belt, she stalked slowly towards the bush as it rustled even more. When
Sora stood over the bush, a ball of fur exploded from the leaves and went for her face with a squeak.
The creature hit her forehead before scurrying to the top of her head, and then peered from her bangs
to look at her in the eyes. The face that looked at her was a small monkey with a smile on its face, happy
to see Sora again.
Yumichiki!? Sora gasped, what are you doing here!?
Sora smiled back at the monkey when another rustle erupted from the bushes as Maeda Keiji rose with
leaves and twigs in his hair.
" It's you Sora!" the young man exclaimed in happiness, " I thought you were an assassin with that knife
there, so we hid in the bushes. Sorry if we scared you."
Sora shook her head with a smile, too glad to be angry with him. She was happy to see a friendly face.
Keiji's carefree smile slowly turned to a concerned frown as he asked,
" Why are you alone, Sora? You should be at Kai, safe with Takeda."
Sora averted her gaze from Keiji; turning her solemn eyes to the pebbles on the road. Yumichiki
climbed down to Sora's shoulder to pat his paw against Sora's cheek and made a small worried chitter.
Keiji was waiting for answer, but it seemed Sora wasn't willing to explain; she still unsure of him.
He sighed, " You don't have to tell me. Anyway, we should make camp for the night. Yes, I mean you
and me. You need your rest , and I bet you're hungry. Come on, I have food at my camp that I've just
started to set up."
Sora sighed and followed Keiji into the woods. Although she didn't completely trusted him, Sora didn't
see Keiji as a bad man. She couldn't imagine him hurting her.
Keiji led her to an small clearing where a circle of stones surrounded a pile of wooden kindle. Keiji
kneeled beside the fire pace and took a flint out from his furs. Sora sat beside him and she wrapped her
arms around her chest as she watched Keiji expertly start a fire.
The flames rose from the wood with a whoosh and began crackling with warm light. Sora watched the
flames dance for a while before turning to Keiji to see him glaring into the fire with a serious face that
didn't belong to him. He seemed to be in deep thought, so Sora left him alone and looked back at the
fire.
The orange light of the fire swam in the silver pools of Sora's eyes until Keiji's voice spoke,
" Toyotomi."
Sora jumped at the name and turned her wide gaze on Keiji. He didn't notice and continued,
" I can't believe he became a General. It isn't in his nature. He was a gentle, goofball like me. How did he
become this?"
Sora guessed Keiji must've known Toyotomi in the past and waited patiently for more. Keiji finally
noticed Sora watching him intently, and he smiled grimly at her.
" Once upon a time, he was just a big farm boy and left his home to see the country. " Keiji said, "That's
how we met. We wondered into each other."
Sora felt a throb in her chest. Her body seemed to pull her toward Keiji as her hand shook
uncontrollably. She had felt this sensation before and couldn't believe it.
She quickly crawled over to Keiji and leaned into him. Keiji grabbed her shoulders and exclaimed as he
tried pushing her away, " Whoa, easy there! What are you doing!?"
Resisting Keiji's grip on her, she reached for his chest and touched her fingers on his breast.
Immediately at her touch, a pink glow appeared above Keiji's heart, clashing its light with the orange
glow of the fire. Keiji stopped struggling as he stared wide eyed at his chest with wonder; watching Sora
move her hand to reveal a strange symbol different from the rest she seen.
Keiji was her Piece.
The pink glow soon died and the symbol disappeared. Keiji touched his chest as his jaw hanged
gapping. Yumichiki looking just as stunned.
" I'm your guardian!?" Keiji gasped but then chuckled with a small smile, " Well, isn't that something. I
thought I would never be your guardian. Sora, I have something to confess. I knew you were the Crufix
from the moment I saw you."
Sora figured as much; she remembered Keiji's sudden interest in her when she was still living with Taka.
" I had meant to talk to you, but there was always something separating us. But now, I don't think that
will be a problem."
Sora gave Keiji her undivided attention.
" Sora, " he began, " I want to discuss about your powers. I wish to know what you plan to do with them
once you found all of your gaurdians. Are you going to use it for yourself or for others? Now, I know you
defeated Oda to protect us all, but isn't there more to your powers than just killing? Have you came
here from the heavens to bring peace or war?"
Sora pondered on Keiji's questions and looked for a stick to write with. When she found one, she
carved her words into the dirt for Keiji to see,
"I can't answer that. I can't reveal my secrets to anyone. This earth is not meant to know what I 'am. It's
too early. But to be honest, I don't know"
Keiji was about to say more when Sora quickly erased her words to write,
" Are you going to see Toyotomi? Is that why you're travelling to that city?"
Keiji nodded, " Yes, I'm going to talk to him. I want to convince him that what he's doing is not going to
help Japan. His war with the warlords will only cause pain. I'll beg him to stop if I have to, just so I can
save the ones I love."
Sora noticed his hands clenched into fists, his teeth gritted together in stress. She erased her writing
and wrote, " I understand how you feel. I want to talk to Toyotomi too. I want to see if this man is really
looking for the wellbeing of this country. Can we go together?"
Keiji looked up from her writing, and gazed kindly into her eyes.
" Yes, " he answered, " I think that would be beneficial for both of us. Toyotomi knows me, but he is
eager to meet you most of all, so it'll be no problem for us to gain entry into his castle."
Keiji sighed and then smiled, " Yosh. Now that our plan has been set, let's eat and get some rest. We
have a big day tomorrow.
