Past which resulted in the present
Chapter 3
Hideyoshi rode as first showing the way and Jeanne rode after him. They rode almost the whole day but they stopped three times to have a break. When they had the third break, Hideyoshi sat next to Jeanne and said: "I was just thinking that you have never speak about your life on the Star of West." Jeanne flinched and said unsurely: "Well..." "What kind of parents you have? Do they know that you are here? Or... Are they gone?" Hideyoshi asked curiously. Jeanne started to think. Actually she didn't want to tell about her family and life on the Star of West but Hideyoshi has told about his life so Jeanne decided to tell a little bit about her life. "My parents are farmers in the Domrery's town," Jeanne started but Hideyoshi interrupted her: "Farmers? Just like my family!" "Yes," Jeanne said and continued telling: "And they know that I'm here." "Wow. You are so lucky because you have both of your parents alive. It's quite restless in the Star of East so it's quite lucky if somebody have even one of his or her parents alive," Hideyoshi sighed and rose his gaze toward the sky. "Hideyoshi... You don't answer in this question if you don't want but are your parents..." Jeanne asked carefully. "Dead?" Hideyoshi supplemented Jeanne's question and answered while petting Asahiko who had climbed in his lap: "Yes, they are. My mother died in illness when Asahi was three years old and father died as Oda army's peasant foot soldier in the war couple of years later. "Hideyoshi... I'm so sorry..." Jeanne said carefully but Hideyoshi just waved his hand: "Just like I told you, it's quite common tale here. Here is many people who have lost their parents or family... But we are now talking about you. Have you ever operated the Giant War Armor before? You must have because your parents let you come here." "Ummm... No. I haven't operate the War Armor before Orleans," Jeanne answered: "There isn't war on the Star of West so I have actually never touched the War Armor before coming here." "Wow. Your parents must trust you very much because they let you come here," Hideyoshi said but he fell silent when he noticed Jeanne's sad face. "What's wrong?" he asked. Jeanne flinched and said: "It's nothing. Is it a long way to your home village? I was just thinking that we should continue our trip." "It's not far anymore but I think that we would continue. I don't want hear Mitsu complaining that we aren't back in time," Hideyoshi chuckled while getting up and let Asahiko climb on his shoulder. "At least you have friends on your home star," Jeanne said quietly. "Did you say something?" Hideyoshi asked. "What... N-no!" Jeanne said hastily while getting up: "I go to get Yuri and Momiji." So Jeanne run to winghorses. Hideyoshi watched after her with confusion.
They continued riding until Hideyoshi pointed forward and said: "Just a little bit, Ranmaru. We will ride over that hill and then we are there." Jeanne nodded as answer and led Yuri to follow Momiji. They stopped when the village was finally in front of them.
The village was ruined and empty, it was clear that nobody had live there years. Despite this the place reminded Jeanne for her own home village and Jeanne noticed that she was thinking her home and parents. "Ranmaru!" Hideyoshi's voice made Jeanne wake up to reality. She turned and noticed that Hideyoshi motioned her follow him.
They walked through the village until the duo arrived in the area where were stone monuments. Jeanne guess that it was the village's graveyard. Hideyoshi and Jeanne took bouquets from inside of saddlebag which they have made before arriving in the village and let winghorses go. Asahiko sniffed air and growled a little bit. "Can kitsunes smell spirits of deaths?" Jeanne asked while watching worriedly at the fox. Hideyoshi glanced over his shoulder and shrugged. "I'm not sure..." he said and called Asahiko. The kitsune fox hestitated a little bit but it ran to it's master.
Jeanne, Hideyoshi and Asahiko walked in the graveyard until they stopped in front of two monuments. First Hideyoshi placed his bouquet to the monument where read "Asahi". Then he motioned Jeanne place her bouquet to the older monument. When Jeanne had done it, Hideyoshi put his hands together and closed his eyes, possibly to pray. Jeanne did the same althought she didn't know any gods of the Star of East and she didn't know who to pray. After a while Hideyoshi opened his eyes and began to talk: "Hello mother and Asahi. I here again, just like the last year and the previous year... you know. I have stayed healthy and alive. Nobu-sama has also been healthy but lord Nobuhide is unfortunately dead. Nobu-sama has treat me well and he has already become the clan lord of Oda. Oh yeah... I didn't come here alone this time. Here is Ranmaru from the Star of West with me. She is actually a girl but Nobu-sama want her dress up as a man so she wouldn't catch attention of wrong persons." Jeanne blushed slightly because of Hideyoshi's words and said: "Good day, Mrs. Toyotomi and Asahi. My name is Jeanne but everybody call me Ranmaru here. It would been nice to meet you..." "Here has been lot of westerns recently but Ranmaru is the nicest of them. Of course Da Vinci-dono is also quite nice and really smart – without that horn thing. He help Oda in the war, he paint lot and he know lot of War Armors. I have a Giant War Armor, by the way! I stole it from the westerns but the situation forced me to do it. I had to protect Nobu-sama and our soldiers from an annoying western! I named it as Goku! And Nobu-sama gave the Regalia of Wind, so I will serve him better in war," Hideyoshi said and took his Regalia in his hand. Just then Asahiko nipped Hideyoshi's leg and barked. "I haven't forgotten you! Here is Asahiko. She is a three-tailed kitsune fox. I named her after you Asahi because both of you are quite small," Hideyoshi chuckled but then he turned serious: "Mother. Asahi. Althought I'm already a man, I still miss father, my teacher and both of you. You all are important for me and that's why I continue serve Nobu-sama, so he will unite the earth and heaven and the war would end. So nobody would suffer anymore." Jeanne listened Hideyoshi's words. She had always though Hideyoshi as wild and hyperactive but she wasn't surprised when she noticed gentler sides of the young man. He gave food to street children and he believed sinceritely that the war would end if Nobunaga unite the earth and heaven. Just then they heard sudden voice:
"Have you mourn over enought?"
Jeanne and Hideyoshi flinched and turned around. Asahiko growled with flattened ears next to them. Brutus stood with fifteen soldiers who point their weapons at them some distance away from them. "You!?" Hideyoshi gasped: "Why are you here?!" "What kind of question that was?" Brutus snorted: "I want that you two come with us without resistance. And I want you give up your Regalias." Jeanne and Hideyoshi stared Brutus without believing their ears. "You bastard!" Hideyoshi finally yelled angrily: "Do you really think that we would give up our Regalias and nicely become hostages? Are you really that stupid?" "Actually, you are quite stupid. You left your Giant War Armors in the Oda's castle, you didn't look after your winghorses and you are completely on the losing end," Brutus said with smirk: "It would be better for you if you two just give up."
Hideyoshi clenched his teeth and tried to think a plan. He was experienced fighter and he believed that he would surprise western soldiers with some eastern martial art tricks but that doesn't change the truth that they were on the losing end. In addition Jeanne wasn't very strong fighter, so Hideyoshi must take care that Jeanne would be able to run away. Yes, that's what he would do.
"Ranmaru," Hideyoshi said quietly and gave his Regalia of Wind to Jeanne: "Escape with Asahiko. I stay here to delay them." "What?!" Jeanne shouted unnecessary loudly: "B-but-" "Do it," Hideyoshi said strictly: "I will be fine." Jeanne stared Hideyoshi. He wanted that Jeanne would escape with Asahiko and leave Hideyoshi fight alone against all of those soldiers. Jeanne definitely doesn't accepted that but she saw from Hideyoshi's face that he wouldn't change his mind. Jeanne gulped, picked up growling Asahiko and took couple of steps backward while Hideyoshi took his sword. "So the hard way," Brutus said coolly and gave an order: "Capture them!" Hideyoshi rushed toward soldiers while Jeanne ran in opposite way.
The fighting was furious. Althought he fought alone against all those soldiers, Hideyoshi managed survive well. The western soldiers weren't used Hideyoshi's speed and acrobatical tricks and Hideyoshi managed kill three soldiers althought he himself got multiple wounds from his enemies. Unfortunately the situation started turn worse Hideyoshi's point of view. While fighting with a soldier, an another soldier attacked behind of Hideyoshi but Hideyoshi dodged the attack, making the soldier kill his comrade. Just then an another soldier managed tackle Hideyoshi, making him fell on the ground. After that another soldier stomped on Hideyoshi's hand holding a sword, so he wouldn't continue fighting. "You cowards!" Hideyoshi hissed when western soldiers pulled his sword from him hand and two soldiers held him still. "We gave you a chance to surrend but you wanted to do it the hard way," Brutus said and then he turned speak to soldiers: "Search the girl! She can't be far." Just then the another of soldier who was holding Hideyoshi released his grip and fell on the ground as dead.
Jeanne stood behind the soldier's corpse with shocked expression and bloody knife in her hands which she have just used to kill the soldier. Confusion took just couple of seconds but Hideyoshi was first in action. He kicked the another the soldier still holding him and the grabbed Jeanne's arm: "Ranmaru, you idiot! I told you run! Why you didn't so?" "I-I couldn't – Look out!" Jeanne gasped when a soldier attacked towards them. Hideyoshi punched his fist in the soldier's face without looking the soldier. "We will talk more later! Let's go!" Hideyoshi decided and pulled Jeanne with him. They didn't manage run far when they noticed four western War Armors pointing their weapons toward them. Hideyoshi cursed, those soldiers in War Armors looked ready to kill them. Hideyoshi's gaze wandered around and he made worrisome observation: they were surrounded.
Soldiers pulled the knife from Jeanne's hand and tied them up with a rope, after it they were forced on their knees. Brutus walked in front of them and said arrogantly: "In the name of warlord Julius Caesar I proclaim you two as our hostages. Take them in the carriage." Hideyoshi and Jeanne were pulled up and led in the waiting carriage. Hideyoshi noticed that two soldiers were holding Momiji and Yuri. Just then Hideyoshi realize something: Where was Asahiko?
Asahiko observed the situation some distance away. It would like attack on those mean-minded humans but Asahiko's master would had like Asahiko escape with the foreigner girl. The foreigner girl had decide to stay there to help Asahiko's master and let Asahiko escape. Asahiko watched as her master and the girl were forced in the carriage and then it left, the last order obviously in its mind: Return in the castle and tell to the master's lord that the master and girl are in trouble. Regalias of Wind and Purity clinked in the fox's neck when it ran away.
[flashback]
Hideyoshi stood in front of the monument and sighed deeply. His mentor Ogikaze had died couple of days ago when he was executed as punishment. "Here I'm again," Hideyoshi thought to himself: "First my mother died, then father died, after him Asahi and now my mentor Ogikaze. How many important person for me will die? When this stupid war will end?" Hideyoshi sighed again. He knew that complaining wouldn't help anyhow but the young man must continue living. Ogikaze had teach fighting skills like swordmanship, martial arts and archery to Hideyoshi many years since he found Hideyoshi as child in his hunting trap. Hideyoshi throw his bag over his shoulder and left. It was time to search a job to supporting himself.
[flashback end]
I wrote Hideyoshi use a sword as weapon in this chapter because I have no idea what those "two-stick weapon" what Hideyoshi (and Goku) use as weapon in the anime are called as...
