As I stood up, I brushed the dirt from my clothes and collected myself. My arm ached, but I ignored it. My mind wanted to push away what happened earlier and since my arm was related to that incident, it, too, was pushed away. The air was chilly as I made my way back to the encampment and it began to sprinkle. I could hear the groans of the lookouts as they prepared for rain as I walked through the front gate. The person I had caught a glimpse of earlier was gone, and I couldn't remember who it reminded me of. However, someone was outside that I hadn't seen earlier, and I instantly recognized him.

"Yoshitsugu," I spoke, approaching him as he seemed to be gazing at the sky, "I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but may I ask you for a favor?"

"Something isn't right…," He answered, off subject, "The weather isn't natural…"

I kept quiet, noticing he was pondering something important. Whatever it was, it had Yoshitsugu uneasy and I didn't want to interrupt his thought process. After a good minute of his mumbling, he looked over to me, fully aware that I was waiting.

"What is your request?" He spoke with slight impatience.

"I wanted to know if you could spare me a few sheets of your paper and a bottle of ink. I'll repay you, if you'd like."

"Come with me to my tent," Yoshitsugu spoke quickly, "I'll give you what you need."

"Alright," I answered, noticing an anomaly in his attitude.

Usually he was sarcastic and bitter, but now he seemed serious and on edge. Something about the weather had him up in knots. He even seemed to be traveling quickly towards his tent, without uttering a word to me. The change in his demeanor would be pleasant for me if it weren't so ominous. I was getting anxious just following him.

I entered the tent behind him, which was filled with the warmth of incense and candles. The map from earlier was on the table, marked up and pinned. Yoshitsugu let out an uneasy, tired sigh and turned to me. Whatever this was, it wasn't about the paper.

"There might be an attack tonight," He spoke, "Someone is tampering with the weather to catch us off guard."

"Someone can do that?" I ask.

He looks at me with an annoyed expression, "Do you ever wonder how I use my levitation or suspend those beads in midair?"

"…I was always curious about that," I spoke foolishly, blushing at the thought, "So, magic?"

"That's what you would call it. I call it divine power." He continued, "However, the individual that's stalking us has a power similar to my own. It's a certain darkness only a few can handle."

"A certain darkness?"

"Only a few have this amount of talent," He begins to gloat, "You could say we're all attracted to one another, as well. Like magnets."

"So it's partially your fault?" I smirked.

"You could say that…," He smiled, evilly," But Mitsunari and you yourself are to blame as well."

"Why is that?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.

"You'll understand soon enough…," He continued, with a terrible grin," Until then, you need to alert Lord Mitsunari of what's going to transpire tonight. You won't have time for the paper you requested."

"That's the least of my worries right now," I sighed," I'm leaving immediately."

I bowed slightly to Yoshitsugu before exiting his tent and entering a steady downfall of cold rain. Men around me were huffing and puffing, getting under shelter if they weren't busy with their duties. Some of the soldiers enjoyed the rain and even played in it, cheering up some on-looking men. I only shivered in it, not exactly happy it was around but not upset by it either. I was more annoyed with the prospect of Yoshitsugu personally bringing danger to our company by simply being around us, however, if he were correct, I was just as big a culprit. Maybe it was just fate.

Passing the center of camp, I searched for my lord. I would think his silver hair would be a dead giveaway, but looking through the countless soldiers made it a difficult search. I had no idea why he would be with the lower ranks, for he usually stayed away from the infantrymen, but he wasn't out in the open, either. Nearing the far end of camp, I was just about to turn back when a voice stopped me.

"General!" A commanding, sharp tone called out from behind me and I instinctively turned to bow to my lord, Mitsunari Ishida.

"M-my lord, I was just looking for you..." I began to speak, but noticed his attention shift from my face to my arm.

"What's this?" He asked sternly as he pointed his scabbard at the cut I sustained earlier, "How did this happen while you were supposed to be in camp?"

"Well," I sighed, knowing this wasn't going to go over smoothly with him, "I was pacifying an unruly soldier. Our battle with the Saica wasn't sitting well with him. He claimed that there were too many casualties and that I was a careless general. I couldn't persuade him without a fight, my lord. He should be fi-"

"Who is he and why isn't he dead?" Mitsunari spat, "He questioned our motives, which questions the will of Hideyoshi himself. This man even doubted my judgement in naming you one of my generals. That's a sleight against your honor, General."

"It was just an outburst of emotion, my lord," I tried to plead for the man, "I have it under control."

"An outburst of emotion that left you with a bloody wound. How do you know he won't strike up against you after the next battle? How do you know he'll keep his word after he's already slandered the lord he pledged to years ago?!" Mitsunari's eyes gleamed in the low-light, his face twisted and knuckles turning white around his scabbard.

"We can't afford to lose more men, my lord. Making an example of him would only make our soldiers more unhappy than they are now. If this backfires, then I'll gladly take the responsibility. Please, just allow this one slip-up. It's only a shallow cut, anyway."

"He drew the blood of his superior," He scowled, but it seemed that his mood was passing, "If you continue to bend for these men you'll eventually break. This man threatens the safety of your fellow soldiers, General. If he slips again, it will be your responsibility to end him."

"Yes, sir." I nodded quickly, a sour taste in my mouth.

"As your lord and as the lord of these men, I have to look out for the safety of the faithful. The faithful are precious to our cause, Sehkoshi. They are the true followers of Hideyoshi, and I will protect all those under our banner. I cannot allow those who question us to go unscathed. They do not deserve our lord's favor," Mitsunari spoke in a more natural tone, lowering his scabbard, "Now, what is it that you came to see me for?"

"Yoshitsugu senses that there will be an ambush on our camp tonight. He wished for you to stop by his tent as soon as possible, my lord, to discuss strategy."

"Damn it," Mitsunari cursed, "How dare they fight us like cowards?!"

"I'll get the men rallied and ready." I spoke quickly, raising my body and standing ready for his dismissal.

"No," He turned my way, his eyes so sharp they cut right through me, "Deal with your wound and report back to Yoshitsugu's tent. It's an order."

"Yes, sir." I bowed again, and he quickly left me behind.

I allowed him to leave my presence before returning to my tent. On the way, the men were anxiously watching me after noticing Mitsunari's urgency. I ignored them, keeping my head up, and entered my tent without hesitation. Hurrying to bandage up the cut, I bound it up tightly without worrying about how neat it looked on the outside. I grabbed my sword and was outside once again.

The rain was coming down harder now and even the men that were taking the carefree approach had gone to sit under shelter with the others. Each raindrop was heavy and caused a chill to run down my spine as the wind bit into the exposed skin uncovered by my armor. Thinking about the ambush, I realized that I couldn't think of anyone that could manipulate the weather, no matter how strong they were. Maybe Yoshitsugu was just fooling me.

I ducked into the tent door, the warmth inside a gracious gift. Yoshitsugu acknowledged me with a quick glance while Mitsunari shot a hard stare at my arm before looking in my eyes for a second, relaxing just a bit as he turned back to the table. I take my place at the end of the table, feeling deja vu from the other day.

"I know for sure they will attack our weak points first," Yoshitsugu speaks, placing tiles on the board freshly drawn up to mimic our temporary base, "The western wall, our front entrance, and the far side."

"May I ask again why you would know this?" Mitsunari crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes.

"Surely you do not question the tactician who won you this fortress?" Yoshitsugu boasted, almost forcing words from me that would be unpleasant, but I held my tongue.

Mitsunari looked over at me, as if he expected my input. His eyes were relaxed when they looked in my direction, holding something I couldn't read. In the span of a second he read my thoughts without me speaking them, and for some reason, he put my unrest at ease. He understood me more than I understood him, but still questioned me for answers.

"Yes, Yoshitsugu, but at the cost of several men," Mitsunari spoke, taking the words from my mouth, "We cannot afford another risky plan."

Yoshitsugu, out of the corner of his eye, looked over at me and smiled before giving his attention back to Mitsunari, "It was a gamble, my lord. Look where we are now. If I had been any more hesitant we wouldn't be sitting here in the Saica fortress. But enough of that; we need to discuss tonight's strategy if we wish to keep our foothold."

"Agreed," I sighed, trying to hide the shiver that was being driven away by the warmth caused by the candles and incense.

"They will use the weather to lower our morale and the cover of darkness to strike," He continued after my remark, "Most of the work will be done by General Sehkoshi and you, Mitsunari. Our men...may be seasoned, but they will not be skilled enough for this. Our opponent defies any experience our soldiers have ever had."

"So what will we be doing?" I prodded.

"We will keep our guards on the walls to keep out as many of the enemy soldiers as we can. It should hold for a few minutes before the gates are worn down, but we want to avoid the loss of our gates more than anything since they are currently irreplaceable," Yoshitsugu began, " In this case, we need to directly attack our ambushers before they enter our gates. Our camp cannot sustain any more damage than what we inflicted upon it a few days ago."

"You want us to take them out without backup?" Mitsunari spoke, seemingly annoyed.

"There will be a few soldiers with you, but knowing your skill, this shouldn't be too hard a task with just the two of you."

"I wasn't criticizing you…," A twisted grin spread across Mitsunari's face, "It would be a privilege to send them all to hell myself."

"I knew you'd like this plan, my lord," Yoshitsugu smiled, too, and it made my stomach squeeze, "General Sehkoshi will accompany you to the front gate. They will very unlikely attack the rear, knowing it to be a disadvantage without the cover of the forest. I will be waiting there just in case, but should they strike there I'll signal for help. If you do take men with you, make the groups small. It will be likely that they will be slaughtered tonight."

"Understood. I will go without them." I spoke, sure it would be better without more blood on my hands.

"I'm sure this shouldn't be too big a challenge for us," Mitsunari acknowledged me, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye, "Keep your senses about you, Sehkoshi. I expect no hesitation from you tonight. These men are our enemies. They thirst for the blood of you and your men. Leave none alive."

"Yes, sir." I bowed my head slightly, knowing what he said was correct and that I shouldn't hold back tonight. Afterall, I will be fighting alongside my lord tonight. I should try to impress him.

"One more thing, before you leave to get ready…," Yoshitsugu spoke quietly, "We might have a spy in our ranks. Whoever it is has been delivering information to enemy factions…"

"Sehkoshi," Mitsunari's attention immediately snapped to me, "If you see any suspicious actions by the soldiers, be sure to discipline them…"

"Of course," I nodded, knowing what he really wanted me to do.

"Knowing there might be a spy among us, we need to be careful about our actions and about whom we share information with. Let no soldier leave camp today. We cannot afford our enemy knowing our intentions tonight," Yoshitsugu informed.

I nodded, then got up to leave. Mitsunari followed my example, knowing this meeting was coming to a close. Giving Yoshitsugu a short bow, I promptly exited the warm tent. The wind was atrociously cold and the raindrops hit heavily on my shoulders and hair. I looked over our men on the walls and under shelter. No matter what happened, they seemed to stay a big, mismatched family. The tent door behind me slid open and I cleared the way for my lord to exit.

The rain bounced off his shining silver hair and rolled off his shoulder armor, making it look polished and new. For how bad this weather was, it made him look like an other-worldly being. He simply sparkled in the worst conditions like a gem of misfortune. I averted my eyes after noticing I had been staring for a few seconds and watched him walk to the center of camp, where everyone had gathered.

"Everyone is ordered to stay in camp! If I catch a single one of you leaving, I will cut you down where you stand!" Mitsunari shouted, voice cutting like a razor and as cold as the wind, "Close the gates and prepare for battle! Guards, equip your bows and arrows! Tonight we will fight to keep our fortress and our lives. Leave not a single enemy in your sight!"

"Aye, sir!" The soldiers replied a mixed response of assurance, rushing out of their cover to fetch armor and weapons as the gates were closed by the guard.

Mitsunari then turned to me, a raindrop falling from the point of his bangs, "I will watch the soldiers. Get your armor."

"Yes, my lord," I bowed, then hurried to my tent.