My apologies. This chapter is considerably shorter then the first two. This is what I get for attempting to write Hanbei's POV, and more or less failing miserably at it. I will not attempt this again (sorry Hanbei fans :( )

As for names, they should be fixed for this chapter. Motonari is now properly referred to as Mouri (Mori being the spelling for Ranmaru's name), Motochika's last name should also be fixed. Honorifics are still probably being used incorrectly, but I blame Hanbei and the fact that he doesn't interact with everyone in the game/anime/mange so I have NO idea how he would refer to several of the characters - though just assuming he would call Shingen, Nobunaga and Kenshin something like "-kun" Dx. And, for my personal benefit, I have decided to spell Nou hime's name as Nouhime, just because that's easier. That said, enjoy.


Chapter 3: Separation.

When the dust had completely settled, it became obvious that there was no way the majority of the group would be able to regroup with the four generals on the other side of the crevice.

'This is... unacceptable! To be separated from Hideyoshi and Shingen-kou, Kenshin-kou and Nobunaga-kou...' Hanbei furrowed his brow, eyes flicking in the direction of Matsu. She was hugging Yukimura.

Hanbei sighed, pressing his palm to his forehead. Mitsunari walked up to stand beside him.

"Hanbei-sama, what's wrong?" Mitsunari inquired, his hand clenched tightly around his sheathe. A quick look around the group let Hanbei know that everyone was on their guard, hands on their weapons. The Predator was standing sentry on Toshiie's shoulder, growling softly at the Commander hovering in the sky above. The Earthshaker's squad was no where to be seen; this left Hanbei confused.

"First, we lose Katakura-kun, Sarutobi-kun and Kasuga-chan. Now we've been separated from the strongest generals among us. This is not going in our favour," Hanbei replied to Mitsunari's question, mulling over why the Earthshaker's squad was not with him. Hanbei raised his gaze to the Commander, taking note of his stance, his arms outstretched in front of him as if he were holding something open. His expression was one of concentrated anger.

'Perhaps we've outrun his squad? No... that seems unlikely. Maybe it's because he hasn't ordered them to attack, and they're hiding in the trees... but why isn't the Commander himself attacking? While we're in this state, we would be easy to kill,' Hanbei's thoughts were disrupted by an argument in front of him. He looked up, seeing that Mitsunari was attempting to leap over the crevice only to have Ieyasu hold him back.

"Mitsunari, you can't go!" Ieyasu protested, ducking to avoid being hit by Mitsunari's fist.

"Let go, Ieyasu! I have enough power to easily clear the crevice!"

"That's not what I'm worried about!" Ieyasu retorted, jerking Mitsunari back; the argument got the attention of the other generals, "in case you've forgotten, that guy's name is Earthshaker. What if he makes those stone pillars burst out of the ground again? Or those rock spikes? How can you dodge that in midair?"

The demand made Mitsunari growl; he stalked back to Hanbei's side, grip on his sword even tighter then ever. Hanbei silently wished someone would do something about all the tension.

"Yukimura!" everyone raised their heads to look at Shingen. Hanbei watched as Yukimura ran up to the edge of the crevice, the only thing that kept him from attempting to jump over it himself being Keiji.

"Yes, Oyakata-sama?" Yukimura was eager to know what Shingen was going to tell him.

"You should leave this place. All of you, while the Earthshaker is doing nothing and his squad is no where in sight. Continue to Oshuu!"

"But, Oyakata-sama -"

"Don't argue, brat," Nobunaga butted in on the conversation, "the Earthshaker is immobile; flee while you can. I'm sure we are capable of taking care of our selves," and to enforce his point, Nobunaga drew his shotgun, firing repetitively at the Earthshaker. The man cringed, turning his head every now and again to avoid getting hit in the head, but otherwise he did not move from his spot, nor did he change his stance.

Hanbei furrowed his brow as the generals on his side began to slowly move away, Keiji and Motochika both grabbing one of Yukimura's arms and dragging him along against his will.

'Why isn't the Earthshaker moving? Obviously his armour is durable, but he should be more then capable of dodging everything – could it be?' Hanbei glanced at the crevice, 'could it be that he's immobile because he's keeping that crevice open?'

He had no time to think more on the subject, as suddenly the generals on his side began to run, Mitsunari grabbing his arm and pulling him along; Ieyasu fell in step on his other side. As Yukimura was proving to be difficult, Keiji took his weapons and Motochika slung him over his shoulder; the distressed young general called out to Shingen several times. Hanbei looked over his shoulder to see Hideyoshi send a pulse of light through the air, causing the Earthshaker to falter. Hanbei could have sworn he heard the Earthshaker yell something before the sound of rock slamming against each other was heard, the noise and the dust drowning out everything else.

'Hideyoshi...' Hanbei bit his lip, focusing on the task at hand. Since Kojyuro and Sasuke were no longer with the group, he had the burden of being the strategist, along with Motonari – though Hanbei doubted the green clad general cared about anyone else other then himself.

'First, we need to stop and talk to one another. Sanada-kun is clearly in distress about leaving Shingen-kou behind, and I'm sure Nouhime-dono is worried about her husband...' Hanbei squinted, looking to see who was at the head of their group.

Masamune's jagged overcoat fluttered behind him as he ran, one hand grasping Oichi's wrist while the other held Itsuki's hand. Hanbei set his hand on Ieyasu's shoulder.

"Yes, Hanbei-sama?"

"Can you run ahead and ask Masamune-kun to stop, Ieyasu-kun? Our group needs to... strategize," Hanbei ordered him. Ieyasu nodded his head and sprinted to catch up with Masamune. The two had a brief conversation before Masamune tossed his head to look over his shoulder at the group, his pace slowing.

"Oi, guys! Let's stop for a minute!"

Hanbei breathed a sigh of relief when everyone slowed down, refraining from complaining for the time being. Some members of their group looked to appreciate the stop. Toshiie sat down, rubbing his shoulder.

"Man, that Predator sure has a tight grip..."

"Ah, he just didn't want to fall off, Inuchiyo-sama," Matsu said, affectionately stroking the Predator's head. Hanbei approached her and crouched down in front of her, eyes intent on the Predator. It looked up at him, black eyes unblinking.

"Do you think you can find out where the Earthshaker's squad is?" he asked it. It nodded its head vigorously, tail wagging. Hanbei smiled, "can you go look then, and report back to Matsu-dono?"

Again, it nodded its head and bounded off. Black and white clad legs appeared in Hanbei's peripheral vision and Hanbei rose to look at Kotaro. The shinobi stood there, silent.

"If you would go look as well? But be careful... you're the only shinobi in our group now."

Kotaro nodded his head once and dispersed into a flurry of black feathers. Hanbei turned to the group, seeing that several of the generals were now sitting down. Everyone was quiet, and Hanbei quickly observed them.

'It would be best to make sure Oichi-chan and Itsuki-chan stay with Masamune-kun... though I doubt I would be able to separate them from him either way. Ranmaru-kun should most definitely stay with Mitsuhide-kun and Nouhime-dono. Motonari-kun... is better off alone,' Hanbei sighed lightly, placing his hands on his hips, 'Magoichi-chan... will probably stick to herself, but maybe she'll travel with the Maeda family... as for Mitsunari-kun and Ieyasu-kun, I should keep them with me,' Hanbei's gaze rested on Motochika, who was wearing a very irritated expression and holding onto Yukimura's ponytail, preventing the young general from going back to the crevice. Tsuruhime was standing next to Yoshitsugu, who had been oddly silent the entire time.

'As for Chousukabe-kun, Sanada-kun, Tsuruhime-chan and Yoshitsugu-kun... not sure what to do about those four...' he cleared his throat, getting the attention of the group and sitting down. Kotaro returned, resting on one knee beside Hanbei. He quickly wrote in the dirt, explaining that he hadn't been able to find anything, then asking if the Predator had returned yet.

"No, the Predator hasn't returned. Thank you, Kotaro-kun. Well," Hanbei looked around, seeing that all eyes were trained on him, "we have been forced into an interesting predicament. Hopefully we'll be able to get along for the time being."

The generals nodded their heads, Itsuki opting to crawl onto Masamune's lap and making him complain lightly.

"We've had to leave four of our strongest behind. As it is, we should continue to search for the Snake army however... it is difficult to figure out what our position is."

"That's true. If only we knew where we were... I don't recognize this area. The trees are different," Motonari added, picking up a leaf, "when we were in our Japan, the leaves on the trees were still green, and it wasn't so cold."

"When we get closer to Oshuu, it'll get even colder, you see?" Masamune informed them, leaning back against his hands, "so we have to pay attention to the temperature around here."

Everyone nodded their heads, and Hanbei looked at Matsu.

"Our first day here you mentioned that it was spring when we were in our Japan, and yet here, in this Japan, it's fall. Why did you point that out?"

"Because, Hanbei-dono, if you think about it, that Creator we ran into said that the Rifter could traverse realities. What if, in the midst of traversing said realities, it also traversed time? Even if this is a different Japan from our Japan, the seasons would be the same, wouldn't they?"

Hanbei's eyes widened, "so you're suggesting that the Rifter may have... gone forward in time?"

"It's just a suggestion. But yes, that's what I believe," she turned her head to the left; the Predator had returned with a stick in its mouth.

"Why do you – eh, what are you doing?" Matsu asked it when it ran towards the dust that Kotaro had written in. It smoothed its amphibious hands over his writing, erasing it, then it began to draw. Hanbei stared.

'This Beast is far more intelligent then I give it credit for. But what is it drawing?'

Keiji approached then, dropping to his hands and knees. Yumekichi – Hanbei wasn't sure how the monkey had managed to stay with Keiji the entire time – leapt off his shoulder and followed the Predator around as it drew. When it finished, Hanbei had no idea what to make of the picture. Keiji scratched the back of his head and the other generals gathered at different points, curious.

"Well, let's see. This looks like... the place we just came from..."

"Then this bunch is where we currently are," Motonari stated, looking at the Predator to see it nodding its head.

"So this massive... what is that?" Keiji asked. Masamune smirked.

"A jellyfish!"

The group laughed, and Keiji nodded, "right, this jellyfish... is that the squad?"

Again the Predator nodded, then acquired a worried expression, its pitch black eyes narrowing back. Kotaro left the group.

'I should tell them then, that we should stick with people we trust,' he turned to the group, "before Kotaro-kun returns, I should inform you that it would be wise to stay with the people we trust, for the most part."

Masamune sighed, but didn't complain. Hanbei waited impatiently for Kotaro's return while the people behind him separated off into smaller groups. Ieyasu and Mitsunari stood on either side of Hanbei, and then – to Hanbei's surprise – Yukimura stood uneasily next to Mitsunari. Hanbei glanced at him and felt a pang of sympathy.

'Poor Sanada-kun. He looks so lost without Shingen-kou. But maybe this will be a good learning experience for him,' Hanbei decided, then snapped his head to the trees when he saw a black and white blur. Kotaro pointed energetically behind Hanbei, then raced behind the group.

"We follow him," Motonari ordered before anyone else could speak, and quickly the group merged and moved as one.

'Though I would prefer to give the orders myself, it's better if we refrain from arguing amongst ourselves,' Hanbei knew that the idea of who gave orders would be difficult to solve with so many generals. There were too many of them for all of them to be happy following another – that, and there was always the possibility of the one designated to be "in charge" was one that several other generals may dislike.

'None of us can win in a situation like this... we're forced to work together...' he sighed lightly. They ran for quite some distance before Hanbei had to stop; his lungs were burning.

Masamune was clearly unimpressed, his arms crossed over his chest with his head cocked to the side. Hanbei glanced up; he knew why he was unimpressed.

'Even Oichi is keeping up with him. And even if that was because Masamune-kun is dragging her along, still... I never thought she was one who could run for so long,' he coughed, straightening. Ieyasu gave him a pat on the back.

"Gonna' be all right, Hanbei-sama?"

"Yes, now we should continue," he furrowed his brow, looking for Kotaro, "though it would seem our shinobi has gone off to scout."

Hanbei glanced at Masamune again, noticing that the general was taking a deep breath.

'He's refraining from saying anything,' Hanbei changed his gaze to Mitsunari, 'I guess you're the reason why.'

"Mitsunari-kun, if you would be so kind as to stop being so hostile to our allies?"

Hanbei smirked when all the other generals looked at him; of course he would get their attention if he mentioned them being allies. Mitsunari bowed slightly to him.

"Ah, hai, Hanbei-sama."

Ieyasu wandered over to Oichi, which earned him a glare from Masamune. Hanbei stared when Ieyasu smiled.

"No need to get overprotective, Dokuganryuu. I just want to see how she's doing."

"You can see how she's doing from a distance, idiot."

The growled response made Ieyasu bite his lip, like he was refraining from laughing. Motochika chuckled.

"Oi, oi, oi! What's this? Ryuu-no-nii-san doesn't like Ieyasu getting close to his mate?"

"Mate? The hell – Chousokabe!" Masamune lunged at the pirate general, and they got into a scuffle, Motochika easily keeping Masamune at bay with his longer arms. Ichi had raised her hands to cover her lips in response, her eyes wide.

"Ieyasu-sama, what did Chousukabe-sama mean by Ichi being Dokuganryuu's mate?" she asked the man next to her.

Before Ieyasu could respond Masamune dashed back over to her, cheeks red, "nothing, it means nothing! You see?" then he grabbed her hand and dragged her away from the group, fuming, Itsuki trailing after him. Hanbei couldn't help laughing behind his hand.

A black feather floated into Hanbei's view and he looked up to see Kotaro standing in the trees directly behind him. Matsu stood beneath the branch he was on, her arms outstretched. The Predator appeared on Kotaro's shoulder and jumped down, landing perfectly in her arms. Matsu looked up at Kotaro.

"Well? Do we need to continue forward or has the squad given up in looking for us... for the moment?" she added after glancing over her shoulder at Hanbei. He was glad the woman wasn't entirely against taking silent orders from him.

'Toshiie-kun's wife is most reasonable. A great woman to have... though I wonder how Hideyoshi is faring,' he shook his head from side-to-side, 'ah, why should I even worry? Hideyoshi is strong enough to take on the Earthshaker. That, and he is with Nobunaga-kou, Shingen-kou and Kenshin-kou. There is no way one Commander could defeat them all.'

Kotaro leapt down from the tree, proceeding to write in the dirt. All the generals – except for Masamune, who was still fuming a distance away with Ichi by his side – gathered around to see what Kotaro had written.

"So they're waiting for their Commander... I seriously wish we knew where we were," Keiji sighed, scratching the back of his head and frowning, "and I find it hard to believe this Snake army is here."

"Then, Keiji-dono, what army did those two shinobi belong to?" Yukimura piped up. Hanbei looked at him.

"Two shinobi?"

"Ah, hai..." Yukimura looked away and Motochika picked up the conversation.

"Oh, that's a good point, Sanada. After our first night here, me and Dokuganryuu encountered some shinobi, with Matsu too," he tilted his head to the side, "the boy was dressed in some pale green outfit, and his companion was wearing black with a freaking... chain mail scarf or something. Anyway, I can't remember them exactly but they weren't wearing armour like what the Beast army is wearing."

"Hm... so there is a high chance those two are from the Snake army then. Intriguing, intriguing..." Yoshitsugu was speaking mostly to himself then anyone else. Hanbei shook his head at the man.

'Thinking to himself and already wondering how he could use the Snake army to his advantage... that man. Never gives up on wishing pain to the world.'

Kotaro began to push some generals towards Masamune, confusing them. The shinobi's permanent frown deepened, and he tried to push Motochika forward.

"Okay, okay, I get it. You want us to keep going, right?"

Kotaro nodded his head vigorously. The Predator gurgled and took his place as sentry on Toshiie's shoulder. The group moved quickly towards Masamune while he stared at him, then he too turned and continued heading in a Northern direction, pulling Ichi and Itsuki along with him.

When the group stopped again it was because Hanbei started coughing violently. He leaned against a nearby tree, his back to the group.

'Mitsunari-kun and Ieyasu-kun know to keep their distance but the others... don't come close... none of you can know of my sickness,' he heard footsteps shuffling through leaves and panicked.

"Hanbei-dono?" the voice belonged to Yukimura, "are you all right?"

A smile came over Hanbei's lips at the sound of worry in Yukimura's voice, "I'll be all right, Sanada-kun. I just need to rest."

"... if you need to rest, Hanbei-dono, it would be best if you sat down, don't you think?" Matsu spoke up. Hanbei lifted his head so she knew he had heard her.

'Sitting down... the idea is tempting. I suppose at this one moment I'm glad Hideyoshi isn't with us. It would be embarrassing if he saw me like this,' he slowly sat on the forest floor, leaning his head against the trunk of the tree. Some members in the group were talking in low voices amongst themselves. Hanbei closed his eyes, focusing on breathing slowly.

It wasn't long before a hand rested on his back. At first he thought that the group was going to move out again but the hand moved up to the back of his neck, and down to the middle of his spine. The action was repeated.

'Must be Matsu-dono,' he turned his head slightly to see that it was indeed Matsu who had crouched down behind him, rubbing her hand over his back. She gave him a smile and Hanbei noticed that Toshiie was no where in sight.

"Where did Toshiie-kun go?" he asked. Matsu tilted her head to the side.

"I guess you must have fallen asleep. Inuchiyo-sama went with Kotaro and the Predator to find something to eat. Everyone here decided it would be best to take a break."

"I see," Hanbei bit his lip, 'I fell asleep? How preposterous... at least Hideyoshi isn't here...'

"All right you guys, we caught some birds. Now if Sanada-dono and Chousokabe-dono would be so kind as to fry them for us..." Toshiie returned with several birds in his hands, as did Kotaro. The Predator had one in its mouth that it quickly began to devour.

"And he won't be needing you to fry his," Toshiie adding, making several in the group laugh. While Motochika and Yukimura cooked the birds to the best of their ability, Hanbei observed the rest of the group.

Mitsunari and Ieyasu were quietly sitting nearby, both with their eyes closed but clearly not asleep. Masamune, Itsuki and Oichi were sleeping, Masamune's helmet in Itsuki's hands. His head rested against the top of Oichi's, and both girls were leaning heavily against his sides.

Motonari was having a conversation of some kind with Yoshitsugu, and Tsuruhime wandered over to Yukimura, watching him intensely as he cooked the birds. Hanbei couldn't resist smiling when he noticed that Yukimura was getting nervous about her being so close to him. Magoichi had her hand on Keiji's face, preventing him from talking to her – but Hanbei didn't miss the fact that she was trying not to smile at Keiji's attempts to flirt with her.

'As for the rest of Nobunaga-kou's group...' Hanbei's eyes drifted over to Mitsuhide. He stared in shock. The long-haired man had his arm around Nouhime, whom was asleep next to him. Ranmaru was also asleep, his head in Nouhime's lap. Mitsuhide's expression as he watched Nouhime was one Hanbei had not expected to see on the crazy man's face; he looked far too gentle and caring. Hanbei's staring caused Mitsuhide to look up, and the gentle expression was immediately replaced by a crazed grin. Hanbei quickly looked away.

The birds were cut up by Kotaro and passed out by Matsu, Tsuruhime and Magoichi as they were the only girls awake. Matsu woke up Masamune, Oichi and Itsuki while Mitsuhide woke up his two companions. The birds were eaten in semi-silence, and when the meal was done, Hanbei coughed lightly.

"We should find a place to rest. The sky is growing dark," he bit his lip to prevent himself from worrying about Hideyoshi.

"Good idea, Takenaka. We really should find a place to rest... and away from that damn squad too," Masamune said, leaning his head back against the tree, "I doubt they've given up on finding us yet."

"There are some mountains in that direction; if we're lucky we'll find some caves," Motochika suggested, pointing slightly behind him in a north-east direction. Motonari glared at him and Hanbei suppressed a sigh.

"And your suggestion, Motonari-kun?" he asked before the green clad general could argue with Motochika. Before Motonari could reply Toshiie spoke up.

"When Kotaro and I were looking for birds, the Predator ended up leading us along a river bank. We would have caught some fish but we didn't have the net with us. There wasn't really any place to rest though..." he admitted, scratching the back of his head. Several members of the group looked interested in going towards the river – Hanbei was sure this was because, though no one had mentioned it, they hadn't bathed for about a week already. It the Earthshaker's squad couldn't find them by sight then they could probably find the group by smell.

"The choice is entirely up to personal preference," Mitsunari piped in, "I'm sure some of us would like to go to the river, while it's obvious that some of us want to proceed forwards to find the Snake army," he turned to Hanbei, "maybe it would be best if we split up here."

"No," Hanbei replied sharply, making Mitsunari falter, "we cannot by any means split up. We have to rely on each other, as much as most of us will dislike the idea... but we can't afford to be separated anymore then we already are," Hanbei let the group think about this as he himself thought, 'for all we know Katakura-kun and the two shinobi with him are dead. Hideyoshi and the other three could be dead as well... no, no Hideyoshi can't be dead. Definitely not Hideyoshi.'

"Then I propose we go to the river," Motonari finally said, looking around the group. Motochika snorted and Hanbei dreaded an argument.

"Is there something wrong with that, Chousokabe?"

"Not really, Mouri. It's just bothersome how you're talking like you're the one in charge," there was an initial staring contest between the two rivals. Keiji tried to mediate between the two.

"Come on guys, we really don't need to argue about this..." a glare from Motonari quickly made Keiji back off, though he still looked worriedly between the two. Motochika waved a hand at Motonari.

"Eh, it's fine. We all know that you really want to go to the river so you can wash off; the smell must be getting to you."

The comment made Motonari stand and stalk towards Motochika.

'Oh he just had to say that didn't he,' Hanbei wanted to slap the both of them over their heads, but that might make matters worse, 'please no one else join in. Please.'

Thankfully, everybody looked much more interested in staying out of the argument. Hanbei didn't like how loud they were being, over going towards the river or towards the mountains no less, but Motonari made a very good point.

"If we go to the river at the very least we'll have food! If there is a river there are usually fish; in the mountains, animals have more places to hide. Getting to the Snake army is priority for safety, yes, but staying alive so we can find them is more important, is it not?"

Hanbei was hoping that would end the argument – because for Kami's sake Motonari had a very good point – but Motochika was not someone who liked to lose. Matsu must have sensed the impending fight, because she suddenly stood and hit Motochika on the head with the butt of her javelin.

"Ow!"

"Don't make me hit you too," she hissed at Motonari when he looked like he was going to jeer at Motochika, "because you know I'll be more vicious with the likes of you."

Motonari backed off as Matsu walked to stand by Motochika's side; he was rubbing his head, glaring at her with a pout on his lips. Hanbei's lips quirked up in a smile, 'interesting.'

"Did you have to hit me that hard?" he complained and she grabbed his ear, yanking him down to her height. The group snickered.

"Chousokabe-dono, Mouri-dono made a very good point," she released his ear, "however, I think the decision should rest with Masamune-dono," when Motonari made to argue she raised her javelin blade first and threatened to hit him with it. Toshiie quickly intervened while Motonari jumped back.

"Matsu!"

"Masamune-dono should be the one to choose because he is the general of Oshuu, and Oshuu is where we are trying to go because that is where the Snake army is located," she explained further, still poised to strike Motonari; Toshiie had a firm grip on her weapon to prevent her from doing so. Hanbei looked at Masamune to see he was glaring up at the sky.

"So, the final choice rests with me?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the sky. Hanbei furrowed his brow and answered the general's question.

"I will say yes."

"You really like watching us argue, don't you, Earthshaker?" he growled. Several people gasped, all heads turning to look up at the sky; Motochika took a defensive stance in front of Matsu and Toshiie.

"I find it highly amusing. All I have to do is wait till two of you start arguing, then you give away your position yourself."

He left them no time to think and raised both his arms into the air, bringing them down. His pose suggested that he had a broadsword in his hands, and he was smashing it against the ground so hard that it elevated him – though he was in the air while doing this action. The earth split, Motochika turning and grabbing Matsu while Toshiie pushed her towards the pirate general and leapt to the other side.

Mitsunari had grabbed Hanbei and dashed to the right, Ieyasu and Yukimura following. Yoshitsugu had gone to the left, floating near Masamune who had his arms wrapped around Ichi and Itsuki; the young girl had coiled her arms around his thigh tightly.

"Shoumei: Kiseki!*" he said, making Hanbei stare up at him. At certain points under people the earth rumbled; several members of the group stumbled. Hanbei was glad that Mitsunari had such a strong grip on his arm. If not for that the two of them would have been separated.

"Sousa: Sekichuu!*" this made matters increasingly worse; pillars shot out from under them, where the ground had been rumbling, leaving certain people on the ground. Ieyasu and Motochika were running around in a frenzy, Yoshitsugu keeping Matsu back. Mitsuhide had effectively avoided the pillar that should have had him on top, Nouhime clinging desperately to his arm.

"If it could have been avoided, I would have preferred to have you on the ground," Earthshaker said, his gaze focused on Masamune. The young general snarled at him and pushed Itsuki off the pillar.

"Catch her, Ieyasu!" he yelled, trying to get Ichi off the pillar as well; she refused to release him. Hanbei suddenly found himself being held above Mitsunari's head.

"M-Mitsunari-kun?" he exclaimed, looking down at the man. His eyes widened, 'is that... a stone clasp?'

"Ieyasu!" Mitsunari yelled, dropping Hanbei behind him. Hanbei couldn't see what the Earthshaker was doing, but whatever it was it wasn't good. Ieyasu caught Hanbei easily, setting him on his feet.

"Hanbei-sama, what do we do?"

"I have no idea..." Hanbei watched in horror as Tsuruhime was suddenly launched off her pillar. With her fell Oichi.

"Yoshitsugu-kun!" he yelled frantically as Ichi grabbed Tsuruhime and changed their positioning so that she would hit the ground first. The floating man rushed towards them, Motochika alongside him. Hanbei dashed around the pillar Mitsunari was on and saw that Masamune was on the Earthshaker's back, trying to break his neck – 'so that's why Oichi-chan and Tsuruhime-chan suddenly fell.'

"This is exactly why I – would have preferred you stay on the ground, you, dragon!" the Earthshaker managed to grab a hold of Masamune and hurled him towards the ground, close to Mitsunari's pillar. Hanbei watched in surprise as Mitsunari used the fact that he was clamped to his pillar to his advantage, and grabbed Masamune's leg; Mitsunari's face contorted with pain and Masamune was bashed against the pillar.

"Shit! Let go, Ishida!"

"If that's what you desire," Mitsunari released Masamune. The general of Oshuu didn't need anyone to catch him, and he landed expertly on the ground himself. Itsuki dashed over to him.

"M-Masamune!"

"Stay back, Itsuki! You don't even have your weapon with you. Oi, Takenaka! Make yourself useful will you?" Masamune demanded, glaring over his shoulder at Hanbei. Hanbei glared back, 'and just what do you expect me – wait.'

He touched a hand to his weapon, 'I could probably... yes, I need to ground the Earthshaker,' Hanbei unsheathed his blade, running up to stand next to Masamune; the Earthshaker was glaring at them, and he lowered his pillars, deciding against having them in the air. Everyone else who was originally in the sky was now on the ground again, and Ranmaru dashed back over to Nouhime and Mitsuhide.

'It is unfortunate that Mitsuhide is without weapons...' Hanbei grit his teeth as the Earthshaker prepared to do something else, 'what I don't understand is why he isn't with his squad. Is he really so powerful that he doesn't need them?'

"Mitsuhide-kun, please lend me your strength!" Hanbei requested as he pulled back his arm and whipped his blade towards the Earthshaker, causing it to disengage and become a whip itself. The Earthshaker's eyes widened considerably as the whip coiled around his body, binding his arms to his sides. Mitsuhide grabbed part of the wire in his hands, pulling mightily. Motochika also joined in, and then Masamune and Yukimura; Ieyasu grasped the hilt with Hanbei while Matsu and Toshiie worked to free Mitsunari from the clamps that were still covering his feet. Yoshitsugu stayed back with Oichi and Tsuruhime. The Earthshaker was doing a good job at resisting their pull, for the time being.

"I'm at the ready, Hanbei-san," the floating man informed him. Hanbei nodded.

"Everyone, pull at the same time, on my count!" he yelled and the generals all grunted in acknowledgement of this.

"One!"

"Who would have thought..."

"Two!"

"That you possessed something like a whip-blade," the Earthshaker commented, his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Three!" everyone that was grasping Hanbei's whip jumped backwards, fell over each other and tripped in order to bring the Earthshaker smashing down to the ground. It was at that moment that Kotaro came flying through the woods, and quickly he jumped away from the Earthshaker as Hanbei disengaged his weapon and Yoshitsugu's orbs funnelled down into the ground, causing decent explosions.

Matsu and Toshiie had finally freed Mitsunari who rushed to Hanbei's side, then decided to yank several of the generals still on the ground to their feet.

Hanbei turned to Kotaro, "report, as quickly as possible, shinobi! Where's his squad?"

Kotaro gestured towards the woods, then ducked as a sword went soaring over his head.

"Commander!" the rough voice made Hanbei sweat.

'Oh this is not good,' he looked up, seeing the Earthshaker's squad was now lining the trees, 'oh this is not good, not good at all...'

To Hanbei's dismay the Earthshaker was uneffected by Yoshitsugu's attack; one of his assassin's had thrown himself over him, protecting him from the blows.

'No... that assassin is a woman!' the Earthshaker looked up at them, rage evident in his eyes; there was blood streaming from the assassin's mouth, her face contorted in pain. Yoshitsugu's orbs had blown off her helmet and some parts of her armor.

"You will pay for this!" the roar made Hanbei turn tail and run; he assumed that everyone else was following him.

"Sousa: Futami kiretsu!*"

The group's attempt to escape was futile. Dust was everywhere, several screams heard and when Hanbei regained his senses he could see that the entire group had been separated, some on elevated land others on a small island of it.

'What... what happened? How...' Hanbei furrowed his brows. They had been separated into quite odd groups. Motochika was with Matsu, Nouhime and Mitsuhide. Motonari was on the same small island as Keiji, Toshiie and Magoichi.

As for Masamune, he was oddly with Ranmaru, Oichi and Yoshitsugu.

'Then Itsuki-chan is – with me!' Hanbei stared at her and she stared at him. The longer he stared the more uncomfortable he made her, so she quickly spoke.

"Well it – it was either ya get crushed or ah save ya, s-so ah saved ya," and she looked away from him. Hanbei blinked then sat up and rested a hand on her head.

"I see. You have my thanks."

She looked back at him, a light red dusting her cheeks. Hanbei smiled at her then looked around at his group, seeing that Tsuruhime was being hugged quite tightly by Yukimura, whose eyes were wide with fright. Ieyasu and Mitsunari were standing uneasily side by side until Kotaro dropped in front of them.

"It looks like the Earthshaker has inadvertently blocked his view of us," Ieyasu commented, eyeing the huge stone wall that had shot up between them and the Earthshaker, "uh, maybe we should re-group?"

"No," the comment came from Masamune. Yukimura realized that he was still clinging to Tsuruhime so he released her in a hurry and dashed in the direction of his rival. The young girl was left standing there, cheeks bright red – 'Sanada-kun must have grabbed her in the confusion.'

"But, Masamune-dono -!"

"Sanada Yukimura, listen up. That Earthshaker isn't going to give up in his pursuit of us. And since he's here, you can only guess what happened to those old men. Don't give me that face, you idiot!" Masamune snapped, making Yukimura falter, "right now it's just us, and these are our groups. We have to split up, you see? We have to get away from that guy and we have to do that in the groups we are now, got it? Don't argue! You have to be a general now, and if you aren't one now, then you never will be, damn it!"

Yukimura's head drooped as Masamune set his gaze on Hanbei, prompting him to stand and brush of his pants.

"Yes, Masamune-kun?"

"My group will go this way," he jerked his arm up and pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. Hanbei nodded.

"Then mine will head towards the river, since we are closest," Motonari added, picking up on what Masamune was doing. Hanbei nodded at him as well.

"Our group will go towards the river as well, but back the way we came. If we can regroup, we will, but Masamune-kun is right. Since we've been forced to split up, it is best we stay apart," Hanbei looked at Motochika, "Chousokabe-kun?"

"Uh, right, we'll go this way. Uh..." the pirate looked between Matsu and Toshiie; Motonari was already heading off. Toshiie was torn between following Motonari and trying to get over the large crack that separated him from Matsu.

"... Chousokabe-dono, please take care of Matsu," he finally decided, and hurriedly followed Motonari. Matsu reached towards her husband, but recoiled immediately, staying by Motochika's side.

"All right, see you guys with at the Snake army's city then," Masamune gave a salute style wave and grabbed Ichi, pulling her along with Yoshitsugu and Ranmaru trailing after him. Motochika then dashed off with his group.

Hanbei lead his group in the general direction of the river, following after Kotaro as the shinobi stayed ahead of them. In the distance Hanbei heard the Earthshaker yelling angrily.

"Find them! Find those pests! They'll pay for what they did to that which is mine!"


(A/N) Earthshaker is pissed. Which means one of the groups is in BIG FACKING TROUBLE. As for my starred parts:

*Shoumei: Kiseki = Manifest: Foundation Stone (this is pre-Sousa: Sekichuu, and must be done in order to use Sousa: Sekichuu).

*Sousa: Sekichuu = Manipulate: Stone Pillar

*Sousa: Futami kiretsu = Manipulate: Forked fissure (high level Manipulate for Earth).

For your information, I don't really care if these are incorrect. I'm using a website called Suteki to find the closest matches I can for what I want. Manifest and Manipulate (Shoumei and Sousa respectively) are different forms of using one's element, and the Earthshaker's element is (kinda obviously) earth. If you want a more in-depth explanation on how Manipulation and Manifest works with the elements, you will have to wait for about three more chapters, I think. I have my OCs explain it to Basara family, so that Basara family can begin training in using Manifest and Manipulate. So please, be patient.