The Clinic: Hallway
The tension in the air was thick as the masked one smiled while Date glared at him intently, Hanbei couldn't help but chuckle at the one-eyed boys intense glare "Well, I suspected you'd be here." he said "How's Kojuuro?" The question made Masamune's anger boil to rage when he spoke the name of his guardian so casually.
"You have no right to speak his name." he said trying to keep his cool.
"Is that so my dear Date?" his tone seemed perverted causing Masamune to cringe a little. "And what will you do if I continue?"
That was it he couldn't do anything. He had no weapons, which was his first thought, and they were in a public place.
As the two in the hall were talking Yukimura was eavesdropping near the door, he clearly remembered the face and actions made by the silver haired one and he had to keep him from causing any trouble in such a place like this. He began to scramble for anything of use to make the boy scurry away while him and Masamune were in recovery.
'Damn, I can't find anything.' he thought. 'I wish Sasuke was here.' Yukimura continued searching anyway until a peculiar, cold object was found under his hospital bed.
"You son-of-a-bitch!" said Masamune but he also heard an unusual voice from behind that caught him off guard.
"Oh my, such rotten language." it said, a scythe curved around Masamune's neck causing him to shiver at the feel of the blade.
"Oh Mitsuhige, how sweet of you to follow me so closely." said Hanbei sarcastically "Now why is that?"
He smirked at Hanbei but ignored answering his question and continued speaking to his prey "You know Date, I never could imagine capturing you so easily." he said "I wonder how good you would look with your head above my mantel."
"You're such a fucking freak!" he spat out sternly.
"I don't think you have room for insults dragon boy!" said Hanbei "So shut your big mouth."
Such words only made the seemingly fearful boy snicker, "Aw, sorry for being such an ass, but how could you expect any less from me." he said smirking while his eye spots Yumimura peeking his head out the door, Mitsuhide then forcefully pulled his hair and pressed the blade to his neck breaking the skin.
He chuckles, causing Date to shiver as he whisper's into his ear "You should pray boy, dying alone could be quite a chore."
"Then you should do the same..." he said "Because, I'm not alone!"
"HEY! MITSUHIDE!" The red loving clad swiftly swings his metallic weapon putting a deep, purple gash in the reapers head and jaw breaking most of his teeth as the blade of the scythe almost slits Masamune's throat, Mitsuhide howled with pain as his vision gone from being blurry to complete darkness as he fell to the floor unconscious.
"You all right?" asked Yukimura hissing at the reoccurring pain of his own wounds and shaking the blood off his weapon.
"Yeah, I'm cool." he said "Where did that masked punk go?"
"I think he went upstairs." he replied
"Shit!" They raced up the cascading stairs until they discovered that they were lead to the clinics rooftops and to Hanbei who was standing at the very edge.
"Hey! What are you doing!" yelled Yukimura.
Hanbei then conked his head showing a demonic smile "Goodbye gentlemen, you shall see me again very soon." he slid his foot off the edge and fell back still smiling as his head and body disappeared from sight. Masamune and Yukimura run up to where the boy jumped and saw that there was no one in sight.
Takeda Manor: Two Weeks Later
It was quite in the house except for the phone conversation between Takeda and Kenshin. Sarutobi was lounging near the table glancing at his brothers bedroom door wondering if and when he would come out.
"Hey dad?" asked Sasuke fiddling with his coffee cup.
"Oh hold on Kenshin." he said into the phone. "Yes?"
"Hows Yukimura doing?" he asked feeling concerned for his little brothers well being.
Takeda sighed "Well, he's mostly been in his room since we brought him home to finish his recovery." he said "He's probably still trying to cope with everything that's happened and even cope what he's done with himself back then."
"I see." said Sasuke, he stood up from his chair "I'm gonna go check on him."
"Wait." Takedas voice stopped Sasuke at his tracks before he started going up the stairs "Let me talk to him."
Meanwhile, Yukimura slouched over his sketchbook intensely staring at the image he conjured from his head and also still thinking about the the events that occurred in his past. He wished that none of it had happened and he wished that he couldn't still see the eyes of the lives he's taken, he regretted everything and he knew that his sins from the past wouldn't be forgiven that easily.
A knock at the door pulled Yukimura out of his trance "Oh, come in." he said.
"Hey son." said Takeda.
"Hey..." he said.
"What do you have there?" he said pointing to the sketchbook.
Yukimura shrugged and stared at the page. Takeda walked closer to see, as he did so he saw a fierce tiger made from flames and a daunting dragon dancing from lightning making the old man smile a little.
He placed his hand on Yuki's shoulder "Look, I know you've been through a lot for such a long time." he said "But you need to embrace the memories you've received and know who you are."
Yuki looked into his eyes a shocked expression on his face from what he heard "I can't do that, I'm not the same person I was back then." he said "I took peoples lives and I don't think I can forgive myself."
"Regret is something that I know you can overcome, I also know that your passion, your powers and your strength from that era are not gone yet." he said "Young Tiger."
Yuki began to show a small smile as Takeda started to walk towards the door "Oyakata-sama." he whispered.
He turned "What?"
"Oyakata-sama." he said louder.
"Yukimura?"
"Oyakata-sama!"
"Yukimura!"
"OYAKATA-SAMA!"
"YUKIMURA!"
"OOOOYAKATA-SAMAAAAA!"
"YUUUUUUKIMURRRAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"OOOOOOOYAKATA-SAMMMMMMAAAAA!"
"Here we go again, jeez." whispered Sasuke peeking by the door.
Date Manor
'Goodbye gentlemen, you shall see me again very soon...' That very thought that ruined his day even when he's not trying to think about it, it would still pop up randomly in his head. It was the voice of Hanbei that threatened his clans very being when he was a war general, and it completely pissed him off. He had a goal in mind ever since he saw that masked boys face and that was to keep him away from his guardian and younger sister no matter what the circumstances.
"Big brother...?" said Itsuki softly knocking on Masmune's door opening it and then catching him gazing at the moon lost in thought.
She strode closer to snap him out of his hypnoses by clinging to his arm. He flinched at the sudden grip of his arm "Oh, hey..." he said softly.
"Why ya so moody?" she asked sweetly.
"I'm not moody I'm just, thinking." he said defensively.
"About what?"
He sighed "Even if I did tell you, ya wouldn't understand."
She pouted and glared "Do you really think I'm that stupid!" she said. "Just like you, I also have my memories and you know what I remember about you?"
"I didn't..."
"I remember when you changed my opinion about the samurai, I remember how kind you were, and I remember that you never sat around and moped when you were ever defeated you'd always get back up and fought no matter how long it took even when..." she said with a hint of sadness in her voice and in her eyes. "Even when someone took Kojuuro away from you and I remember that it almost tore you apart."
After enduring the small speech from the young one he smiled and pulled Itsuki into a half hug "Take it easy and stop frowning okay!" he said, "I'll be alright."
"Hmph, sure you will." she said sarcastically.
"You can be a smart ass you know that?"
"Not true!" she said her voice sounding muffled against Masamune's shirt "Oh wait! I almost forgot!"
"What?"
"Kojuuro wants you to get ready to leave." she said. "He said we're gonna be going to a special meeting."
"Is that so?" he asked.
"Yup!"
Tokugawa Corporation: Main Building
The night was cool outside as Yukimura looked up into the stars of the night sky, he wondered how many comrades would be attending this and more importantly if he'd see Date here.
While him, Sasuke and Takeda got out of the car Sasuke's eyes grew wide at how huge the place was "Well, it seems he's been pretty busy huh?" he said, breaking the silence barrier.
"You can say that again, who knew he'd have such a business this big." said Takeda. "Anyways, lets hurry in before they start without us."
They approached the room and their ears filled with muffled conversation from behind the cracked golden double doors. Yukimura's eyes roamed the large room, he wasn't surprised the buildings architecture it seemed to be a lot like Ieyasu's style but that's not what he truly cared about he was strictly here for business, at least that's what he told himself.
He wandered around trying to mingle with the others and trying to find out where Sasuke ran off too until he collides into someone.
"Oh hey, didn't see ya there!" said the person he collided into. "My bad."
"Ow." Yuki said out of impulse while rubbing the back of his head, Yukimura looked up to see it was a spiky silver haired boy with a purple patch over his left eye, he wore a white button up shirt, dark purple pants and had an over exaggerated grin. Yukimura also smiled softly when he realized that it was one of his allies, Motochika Chosokabe.
"Jeez pirate, try to watch yourself." said a familiar voice from behind the silver haired boy.
"What, I said sorry already." he responded while pouting in the process.
"Masamune-dono?" said Yukimura.
"Whats up little tiger?" he said "I didn't expect you to be here."
"Well it's uh just for business, nothing more."
Masamune smirked and helped him back up to his feet "Sure it is."
"Yo guys, look!" said Motochika. "Someone's by the podium."
The noise of multiple conversations began to tone themselves down as they heard footsteps on the stage, a young man wearing a yellowish pinstriped suit treading quickly to the podium to make his announcement. The microphone made a screech as the man cleared his throat nervously, causing everyone in the room to cover their ears.
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen, welcome to my building." he said oddly mono-toned. "I'm sure you all understand why I called you here so abruptly."
He paused for a moment and continued his voice becoming slightly uneasy, "In the past few weeks most of us encountered something strange and something that no one thought would rise again, we believed that the darkness of that era would be put behind us and that we would never be in this situation. My theory is..." he paused again clenching his fists "The angered spirit of Oda Nobunaga, the demon that terrorized our country, took our lives, children, soldiers, back stabbed my clan and so many others, is back for vengeance."
