The rest of Motochika's men, Kiame, and I scouted the area around us for any signs of survivors or signs of who or what caused this until night came over the island, while Motochika stayed on the shore close to the ship as Kiame told him to. We didn't want him to see anymore of the carnage on the island after his breakdown earlier when we first came.

We actually found some survivors, who were worse for wear, but they were mainly concerned for their lord, and we told them to go visit him near the ship and then go inside to get some rest.

When the moon fully replaced the sun's place in the sky, Kiame and I, along with the rest of the crew, headed back to the Motochika, tired and disappointed at how little we actually found.

"Did you guys find anything?", Motochika asked when we came up, his voice low and not sounding like his usual self.

Kiame shook her head. "No… All we saw was destruction…", she muttered.

"Whoever did this, they were swift and wanted to make sure you didn't know who did it.", I said as calmly as I could.

Motochika's head sunk. I could see his fist clench in frustration. He wanted to take his revenge on whoever destroyed his island, but he needed to find out who actually did this first before he did anything.

"Do you want us to go looking again, Motochika?", Kiame asked.

Motochika didn't lift his gaze from the ground, but shook his head. "No. We're not sure if they are any enemies still out there, and even if not it's still unsafe at night… We'll wait until tomorrow to look again…" He sounded like he wanted to keep searching, but was wise enough to know that it wasn't safe to look in the dark of night.

I felt something tug on my sleeve, and I looked down to see a little girl who we found buried under debris earlier, one of her hands behind her back. I knelt down to her height and gave her hopefully a nice smile. "Hey. Is everything okay?", I asked her.

She hesitated for a minute, as if she wasn't sure if she should say anything, then brought out the hand she had hidden. Clenched in her fist was what looked like a military flag, the clan symbol hidden by her hand.

"What's this?", I asked.

"My mom said that I should hold on to this…to let Lord Chōsokabe know…what happened…", she said quietly, tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

Kiame joined me, and knelt down and hugged the girl tightly. "Oh, thank you, sweetie… This will help out a lot… We really appreciate the help.."

The girl nodded against her shoulder, and started crying. Eventually, she stopped and handed the flag to Kiame, and joined the other villagers inside Motochika's ship.

"Well, this is one clue that we didn't have before.", Kiame said hopefully.

"Whose flag is it?", I asked.

She shrugged. "Let's find out." She held the flag open and held it at full length. It had been torn in battle, but you could clearly see the yellow cloth and black, bold symbol of the Tokugawa emblazoned on it.

Kiame and I looked toward each other, knowing full well how bad this situation was becoming.

While on the way to Shikoku, Motochika had shared stories of him and his past exploits, like how he solely united Shikoku and fought other battles in Japan, and among them were stories of him and Tokugawa Ieyasu being old friends and often fighting alongside each other. They would have friendly competitions, and he never said anything negative about Ieyasu.

This one flag would change that entirely.

"What's wrong, you guys? Whose banner is it?", Motochika asked, sounding slightly impatient.

Almost holding our breaths, Kiame and I headed toward Motochika, the flag slightly folded up so that he wouldn't see the symbol at first glance. "Motochika…", Kiame said, her voice already indicating my exact thoughts on what we found.

"What?"

"…Please, don't try to rush off or do anything until we think this out completely, okay?", she begged.

Motochika looked shocked at her request. "Alright..", he muttered.

She looked to me and nodded, and we held the flag to its full length. The instant his eyes fell on the symbol, they widened and immediately flashed with anger and hurt, and eventually they were full of nothing but wrath and he began to rise from where he sat, his giant anchor already in his hand.

"Motochika!", Kiame exclaimed, trying to stop him.

I grabbed my scythe and stood in his way. "Motochika, stop.", I said.

"Move! That cur has to pay for his crimes!", Motochika screamed, all sense of calm completely gone.

"Motochika, please!", Kiame yelled, her arms wrapped tightly around his waist.

Motochika kept his glare at me, but me and Kiame put together made him stop and actually think his situation over, and he eventually slammed his anchor into the ground next to him, making Kiame flinch. He sat back down on the ground, his head bowed and his shoulders quaking.

Kiame didn't say anything, but she stayed by his side, her hand constantly on his shoulder.

"…What do you think of this?", he asked after a few minutes of silence.

"…I'm not sure if this feels right or not..", Kiame said.

"I agree with Kiame.", I said. "Ieyasu doesn't seem like the type of person to do this. If he is, then he's the biggest hypocrite of all of us."

Motochika didn't say anything, but I could tell by his expression that he thought the same. After some thought, he stood and looked straight to me. "What do you think we should do?"

"You're asking me?", I asked.

"Well, I guess I should get everyone's opinion on what to do in this type of situation, since you two are the ones that kept me calm when I would've gone to kill Ieyasu without finding out the whole story."

"I think, since you two are such good friends, that you should have an audience with him and ask about it.", I said.

"That sounds good, but… Motochika's technically part of the Western Army, so we'll have a hard time convincing them to let us see Ieyasu, even if they are friends.", Kiame said.

"That's true.." I paused a minute to think. "I could go and ask for an audience."

"You?", Motochika asked.

"Well, since I've kept to myself these past few years, I'm probably barely known by anyone, so no one will identify me as part of the Western Army, and I'll be able to get in much easier."

Kiame nodded. "That sounds like a good plan." She looked to Motochika. "We'll head back to Osaka and wait for her to get back. It's a good 5 days ride from Osaka, so it'll be a while before she gets back."

"Hahahaha, it won't take me that long to get to the Eastern main camp.", I laughed.

"What? Isn't it a good ways from Osaka?", she asked.

"Yeah, for you guys who only take public routes or obvious forest trails. For someone like me, who travels through woods for fun, it'll take me about 2 or 3 to get there."

Motochika's face lifted into a small smile, something he hadn't done since we'd first arrived to Shikoku. "I really appreciate you going to the trouble of asking for an audience with Ieyasu. If there's anything I can do to repay-"

"Stop there.", I said, holding up a hand to stop him. I almost laughed at his shocked expression, but continued, "I don't require any payment. I'm doing this for a friend of mine in need."

"Are you sure?", he asked.

I sighed heavily. "Do you really want to reward me?"

"If you'd like."

I smiled. "Stay my friend, no matter what happens."

He didn't reply for a minute, then started laughing. "That's it?"

"You have no idea how much that would mean to me.", I said.

"Very well.", he said, the smile staying on his face.

Suddenly, I felt myself being tackled from the side, and I fell to the ground.

"Ow! What the crap?", I exclaimed as I sat up to see Kiame hugging me tight as she could.

She looked up at me, a big smile on her face. "You were so sweet just now! I didn't think you would ever say anything like that!", she said excitedly, as if she just got the best birthday present of her life.

"Um… Why?", I asked.

"'Cause you're always down and never really talk about stuff like that! It was really sweet!"

I chuckled. "Thanks, I guess.."

I was being honest… The only reward I could ever ask for from people close to me is for them to stay with me forever, no matter what. That was one other thing that I loved about him.. He felt as I did, and asked that I stay close to him, no matter what our relationship with each other was, or what happened to us down the road.

I was tired of losing things, so I would do whatever I could for Kiame and Motochika, even if it meant giving my very life away.


We returned to Osaka before the night was over, and arrived shortly after morning fully dawned on the land before us. I immediately got myself ready to journey to the Eastern main camp, which was located at Mikatagahara, close to Kai in the east. I bid Motochika and Kiame farewell, and headed out on my horse eastbound.

As I told Kiame and Motochika, I was in Eastern territory in a little over a day, and I caught sight of the castle that served as Ieyasu's main camp shortly afterwards.

The terrain around me was much more mountainous than Osaka; cliffs and crags of rock towered over me and my horse as we rode to the Eastern main camp. As I approached the main gate, I could tell that the castle wasn't nearly as tall as Osaka Castle, but made up for it in length and width.

I stopped my horse before I attempted to go through it, dismounting and leading him toward the gate on foot. I was shortly stopped by two samurai who looked too high in rank to be mere foot soldiers.

"What's your business here?", one asked, his arms crossed across his chest. He wore a blue coat that covered gray armor, and his helmet was decorated by a bold, golden crescent moon over the front of the helmet. Brown hair to his shoulders feathered out underneath his helmet down to his shoulders, bangs just barely covering the eyepatch that concealed his right eye.

The other didn't say anything, but I didn't make the mistake of dismissing him as unimportant. He had black hair that was slicked away from his stern face, the scar just under his cheek only adding to his warrior aura. He stood a few inches taller than the first man, but I could tell from his stance that the first man was his leader in some way and he would await his orders before taking any actions of his own. He wore two katana on his right side, suggesting that he fought using his left hand, which was rare.

"I take it you're Oshu's One Eyed Dragon, Date Masamune, and you're his famous Right Eye, Katakura Kojūrō?", I asked, looking at the man in blue first, and then the other second.

"Yeah, that would be us.", the one in blue, Masamune, said. "Mind telling us who you are?"

"I'd rather not, but if my name makes you happier.. It's Tsukiko.", I said.

"Just Tsukiko? You don't claim a family name?", The other man, Kojūrō, asked.

"I do, but I'd rather not disclose it. It tends to cause unnecessary problems."

Masamune shrugged. "Alright then.. What do you want?"

Would it be alright if I speak with Ieyasu for a moment?", I asked.

Their gazes both narrowed at my request. "Why do you need to see him?", Kojūrō inquired, his eyes pure ice as they tried to see anything suspicious of me.

"I just need to ask him something. I won't be long." I turned to my horse's saddle and unstrapped my scythe. They both tensed up at that, but I held out my hand to make them relax. "I'll give this to you if it makes you feel better." I laid it at their feet, my hand still out in surrender. "That's the only weapon I have on me, and I don't give it out lightly."

"I think she's shown us that she means no harm."

We all turned to the main gate to see a man walk toward us as the gate closed behind him. He wore a friendly smile, was clothed entirely in bright yellow with dark armor, and had bracers covering his fists.

When he reached us, he held out his hand. "I apologize for their behavior, miss.", he said.

I took his hand cautiously, even though I felt as if betrayal wasn't even in his vocabulary. "It's alright. I understand that, in this time of chaos, we all have to be cautious of others."

His smile dimmed. "Yes… But hopefully that time shall pass soon." The smile returned as quickly as it faded away. "But enough of that. I am Tokugawa Ieyasu, as I'm sure you've guessed already. May I ask your name?"

"..Tsukiko.", I said.

Unlike Masamune and Kojūrō, Ieyasu smiled and didn't seem to be bothered by my lack of a family name. "That's a beautiful name!" His smile widened, if that was somehow possible. I found it truly hard to even entertain the thought that this man would slaughter all of Shikoku while Motochika was away.

"If it's alright, Lord Ieyasu,", I began, "I would like to ask you something alone."

"Of course! Follow me.", he said, then turned to Masamune and Kojūrō. "Thank you, both of you, for guarding the gate."

"Yeah, yeah..", Masamune said, his tone sounding like one he'd take with someone who interrupted an important discussion he was having with someone.

Ieyasu led me through the main camp, asking me about my journey and if I was alright. The castle was very open; there were many courtyards and open places where trees freely grew and people stood or sat around, drinking tea or talking and laughing loudly.

"There sure are a lot of people here…", I muttered.

"Most of them came of there own accord… From what they say, I'm much friendlier than Mitsunari.", Ieyasu said, an almost bashful tone in his voice.

"Well, if I'm gonna be honest, they're right… Mitsunari isn't nearly as nice to others as you are..", I said.

"…but?", Ieyasu urged, sensing that I didn't finish my statement.

"…but I do see where he's coming from. And he really does care for other people..just not nearly as many as you do. It's like he's more hesitant with letting others know how he feels, whereas you're more open with your feelings and have a better understanding of people."

He nodded. "That makes sense.. And I do agree with you. I used to be friends with Mitsunari, so I completely understand how you see that.." He looked directly at me. "But by listening to you say it, it seems like you also understand him more than I ever could."

"What do you mean?", I asked.

He smiled, but this time it was a solemn smile. "The way you say it, it's as if you have been or already are in his situation, and therefor fully understand what he's going through."

"…I guess you're right."

It was true that I knew how Mitsunari felt to an extent. All my life, I've had difficulty getting to know others, and sometimes no one would even give me a chance and would brush me off from the start. Even my parents, when I reached a certain age, pushed my feelings away and only thought for themselves. Only one person stood by my side, vowing never to leave me alone and to always be there for me…

"That's me, right?"

I froze. That voice… It sounded different, but… I could recognize that voice anywhere… It couldn't be…

"Is something wrong?", Ieyasu asked, concern evident in his voice.

I shook my head, more to get the crazy thoughts beginning to form in my head out rather than to tell him that nothing was wrong. "Sorry.. Kinda spaced out for a minute there..", I muttered.

He smiled warmly. "You shouldn't push yourself too hard.. Why don't you rest here after you finish talking to me?"

"Thank you, but I really need to make sure I tell my friend of what you say when we're done." I said.

"Alright, if you say so..", he said. He stopped where he was, and I followed suite. We were in a non-populated part of the camp, the voices of other people almost out of hearing range further down where we originally came from.

"What is it that you'd like to ask me?", he began.

"A friend of mine, Chōsokabe Motochika, wanted to ask for an audience with you to discuss some things with you.", I said.

Ieyasu's eyes widened. "Motochika? Aah, I haven't seen him in ages!"

The way Ieyasu was acting, the idea of him destroying Shikoku was starting to dwindle in eligibility in my head.

"Of course I'll see Motochika! He could've come to ask me himself to save the trouble!", Ieyasu continued.

"Well, he didn't want to cause any issues dealing with the drama between you and Mitsunari.", I said.

"Wait… Why would he… Is he part of the Western Army?", Ieyasu asked.

"Not officially, but it has been wavering in his mind."

Ieyasu's face immediately darkened. "….I see.." He looked straight at me. "…Did I do something to him to betray his trust?"

"I'd rather he discuss that with you himself, but I will say that this is very important for the two of you to talk with each other."

"…Of course.", Ieyasu said quietly. "I'll be awaiting Motochika's arrival."

"Thank you.. I'll make sure to get word to Motochika as soon as possible."

"Uh… L-lord I-i-ieyasu…"

Ieyasu and I looked behind us to see a small man shuddering as he stood partially behind a tree's trunk, looking at us fearfully. He was a rather pudgy little man, wore a stag beetle helmet and dressed in tight, red and white clothing.

"What is it, Hideaki?", Ieyasu asked.

"C-c-c-can I sp-sp-speak to that girl?", he stuttered.

Ieyasu looked toward me, a confused look on his face. "If she wishes, but..why?"

"It's alright, Ieyasu. I'll talk with him for a moment.", I said. If the little guy needed me, I'd go to him, but it had to be quick. I had to get to Motochika quickly, before he got impatient and went after Ieyasu.

"Do you want me to go with you?", Ieyasu asked.

I shook my head. "No, I'm fine. Thank you."

Ieyasu nodded once. "Tell Motochika to come whenever he wishes. I shall be waiting for him."

"Thank you again."

His reply was a sad smile, and he walked away, leaving me alone with Hideaki.

"O-okay… F-f-follow me, please..", Hideaki muttered.

As I followed Hideaki, I contemplated what he could possibly want with me. I've never met him before, so it wasn't like he could know me. What did the little guy want?

Hideaki lead me into a secluded courtyard, sitting himself on a bench and not making eye contact with me.

"Alright, what is it that you need from me?", I asked, trying not to sound impatient.

"S-s-s-someone told me to bring you h-h-h-here…", he said.

"Who?", I asked.

"M-m-m-my bodyguard…"

"And who would that be?" Before he could answer, however, I could feel someone approach me from behind, and, thankful that Ieyasu let me keep my scythe with me, I spun around and my scythe clashed with the handle of another weapon. I heard Hideaki scream and scramble away from me and my opponent.

"Well…. You still fight the same way.. I'm glad."

It was that voice from earlier… It HAD to be him… It couldn't be anyone else…

I looked up toward my attacker, my eyes widening when I met his. Long white hair cascaded down, almost past his waist, and his pale face was partially covered with a mask that hid his mouth and nose. His eyes were slender, but I could see an insatiable taste for battle in them, so much so that it sent a shiver down my spine. His weapon was a scythe almost identical to mine, tinted purple and holding sturdy against my own.

"You… Who..are you?!", I yelled, anger and confusion mixed together in my voice.

"Who am I, indeed?", the man asked, leaning as close to me as the deadlock would allow, his face unreadable due to the mask concealing his face.

"That's what I'm asking!" I had a feeling who it was, but…I wanted to make sure. I didn't want to get any sort of childish hope rising only to have it fall again.

"…You should be able to tell me, should you not?", he laughed. He slung his scythe away from mine. "All this time, I haven't known who I was… Tell me, who am I to you?"

I couldn't speak. The voice… The face, even though I couldn't see most of it.. The feel of his scythe against mine…

I held my scythe toward the ground, then let it drop. The man gave me a confused tilt of his head at my actions, but I ignored him as I walked toward him. He didn't make any advances with his scythe toward me, just standing there and waiting to see what I would do.

I finally got close to him, and I lifted my hands to his mask, ready to take it off. He didn't move, and I continued, taking off the mask to reveal his mouth and nose, a gruesome burn mark covering his right cheek and part of his mouth.

"…Mitsuhide…", I whispered, shock almost completely muffled by a sense of relief and happiness I'd never felt in a long time.