A/N: Here's another Chapter! Sorry if it's disorganized

RosyMiranto18: Author: Uh-Oh! (*Taking a sword*) Let us fight with honor, Kazada!

Kazada: (*Battle*, managed to knock out the author)

Hana: Oh no, he's knocked out. So maybe I'll do the reply. Well Battle of Mikatagahara doesn't involve the Mōri so I skipped it. You will know the second battle soon enough

Here's Chapter 9!


Chapter 9: Retreat to Tokugawa & Showdown against Oda

Odawara, 1572

-Hayakawa's PoV-

It's been two years since Munekatsu and Nagachika visited us and giving news about Hana. Part of me was very excited, of course. At least I still got chances to meet her, although when, I don't know.

As such, I was pretty surprised that my daughter was now married to my own retainer, and Takakage's, if you squint.

I am looking forward to visiting her, but one obstacle had just postponed my dream.

Right now I was packing my belongings, ready to leave Kantō. I was reluctant at first, but I had no choice.


-Flashback-

Odawara, 1571

"May the Gods bless him on his journey to the afterlife." A priest said.

I knew this day might come. Even the scary but well-liked Lion of Sagami had one thing he can't take care of: Death.

Yeah, my father, the Lion of Sagami, succumbed to illness. The Hōjō had just lost our great leader, the well-liked Government Official, the man who keep on protecting the people , who blames himself if the people were harmed.

We will always miss him, no matter what.

Yes, I would think like that, until I found out about something that might change my faith forever.

A few days later

I was sitting on my room, trying to release the stress and sadness from our father's passing. Apparently another news also passed along this year. Some days or months prior, Takakage's father, the great Motonari Mōri also died, leaving the legacy of Mōri under his grandson Terumoto Mōri. Munekatsu managed to visit us, although Nagachika didn't accompany him, which I found it no-brainer since Nagachika was busy taking care of my beloved Hana, of course. He offered condolences from him and the entire Mōri household, which I humbly accept. Being loyal to two lords, let alone the fact they died at the same year should've put him in a double-down state, but apparently he managed to deny all his sadness.

Many of our comrades visited us, offering deep condolences, that includes my husband's protector Ieyasu Tokugawa, even our used-to-be invaders Kenshin Uesugi and Shingen Takeda. Although I was still on bad terms with them, I managed to hold it back and accepted the condolences.

But that was the only I tolerate them about. I can't put my belief on them if they did want another alliance with us. Nothing more than utter lies.

I will stay to keep the Hōjō safe. I wanted to do the best from Hōjō like I used to before.

But it soon faded after I see a group of Takeda cavalries marched towards us.

"What the..." I thought.

Do they have another business with us? Isn't invading us not enough? Isn't burning our town of peasants and harmless merchants not enough?

All of it was answered by Ujimasa entering my room.

"Ane-ue, can you please come with us to greet our guests?"

Guests? How come that invaders now acted as our guest?

"The Takeda...I assume?"

"Right..."

"How can they become our guest? Do we invite them to do so?"

"Actually, Father's last will summoned them here. I myself couldn't say much but we seem to have no choice, for the sake of Father and the Hōjō."

Confusion rose within me. "Father's last will? Could you tell me about it?"

"Well, Father wanted us to renew our alliances with the Takeda."

I froze

That was the most unbearable thing I don't wanna hear.

Father, have you lost your mind?

Of course we can't forgive them on what happened with us because of them. We've lost our family, we've lost Saburō, and now we are going to ally with them again?

How foolish can we become? This is ultimately not right!

I can't hold this anymore. I don't want to suffer under Takeda again. I don't want to lose the ones I loved again.

"Ujimasa, I hope this is not our last time we meet. I have to go."

"W...Wait, ane-ue, Why?" Ujimasa was shocked on my outburst.

"I can't stand being with Takeda, they're the cause of Saburō's parting with us, the cause of the peasants' death."

"But I know what father planned. By allying back with the Takeda, we can maintain the peace in Hōjō from Uesugi and Oda's attempt of invasion."

"But, I disagree if we sought protection from the one which even have invaded us. We can't maintain peace if we just make many more alliances even with the ones which caused us drawbacks. I can't help it, but I'm moving away." I said.

Ujimasa kept his head down. He knew really much how I hated the Takeda from that time on. And now he just wanted to renew the alliance at father's will? I personally won't agree with that!"

-End Flashback-


-3rd person's PoV-

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Ujizane asked "Although we knew that the Tokugawa had been protecting our family, but I felt the man like Ieyasu is one who sought peace by force. Why didn't we go to the Mōri instead? "

"Well, I planned to sail to the Mōri household, but seems like I can't. Your family is protected with Tokugawa, and as such we can't risk on going to the Mōri. What's more, Ieyasu is now allying with Nobunaga, from what I have heard, and Nobunaga is now in war with the Mōri, so we can't just go there, right?"

"How do you know?" Ujizane asked

"Munekatsu told me. He said that the condition at Mōri itself is also not as good as we had thought, his allies were attacked by Nobunaga, and since I learned that Nobunaga allied with Ieyasu, then that makes us, a little part of Ieyasu, become Mōri's enemy instead." Hayakawa said.

"Oh, now I get it. By the way, how was Munekatsu? How can he make his way back to the Mōri?" Ujizane asked.

"That's his benefit on having two lords. He was a Hōjō retainer so he could make it safely to the nearby port which is owned by Nobunaga. From there he could change his crest to the Mōri and sailed onto Mōri's area." Hayakawa said. "I've sent a message through Munekatsu to keep their allegiance to the Mōri and not worrying about us anymore."

"So, it's a goodbye then, we won't be sending letters to Takakage anymore." Ujizane said.

"Sadly, no. But I sure hope we can reunite somehow." Hayakawa replied. "Okay, so we're set to go."

On the first floor, however they bumped into one of their trusted retainers, Ujinaga Narita.

"I...Is it true? That my lady wanted to move away?" he asked.

"Yes, you're right, Ujinaga-sama." Hayakawa replied. "We have no choice. We were really sorry for abandoning the Hōjō, which I vowed to protect, my family. But I can't just accept the fact that Hōjō wanted to ally with Takeda again. I will seek protection from Ieyasu instead, and see if he could help us defend the Hōjō."

"In that case, let me join you, my lady. I also wanted to get Hōjō protected from the Takeda."

"No, you can't. You're still our family and I don't want you to take part on this dangerous quest. Please stay here and do your best for the Hōjō." Hayakawa ordered. "Please, take care of little Kai too, she could have been a great help to the Hōjō one day."

"I understand. Thank you, Hayakawa-dono." Ujinaga replied.

Hayakawa and Ujizane then mounted their horses, ready to leave for Tokugawa's Manor not far from there.

From afar, Ujimasa looked at his sister leaving, and beat himself for the cause of her departure.

He was unable to see much more forward, the threats from the alliance.

He knew he was less capable than his father.


-Aki, 1573-

"How was the battle going?" Takakage asked one of his pages.

"It's not going well, Nobunaga's forces had almost breached the castle town, the civilians there are in danger." The page said.

"The arrows they shot was piercing its target." Takakage muttered. "The damages to the peasants will be irreparable if this keeps going on. We need to devise a strategy to help the peasants." Takakage said.

Hana just looked at her father, she could see his tension rose on this battle.

It had been three years since she had been married to Nagachika, but at the same times it had been three years also that Nobunaga decided to attack their allies, the civilians and the Buddhist priests residing near them.

"I can't believe this is really happening. Nobunaga's waging war on almost every provinces." Hana said to her husband.

"He was already making his own move, to end this chaos. However I supposed that he was too ruthless by attacking our harmless allies there. The ikko-ikki, they have no intention of waging wars, and they were just attacked by that force. I really could say that Nobunaga looks more like a demon." Nagachika replied.

"D...Do you think this war will be over soon?"

"I really hope so. But as long as our lord refuses to bow to Nobunaga, then he will always try to dominate us with all cost. But bowing down to Nobunaga might cost also our peasant's lands. They will suffer without their lands." Nagachika said. "It seemed like we have no choice but to resist while at the same time, tried to protect the innocent. That was what I learned from your father." Nagachika replied.

"F...Father..."

"He was one soft and kind-hearted strategist, yet a hard-working and determined one at a time, a rare breed, if you want me to tell." Nagachika said.

"I wonder if I could sail there and take part of this battle forcefully." Hana replied. "But I can't just leave Tadayasu behind." Hana said.

Yes, after the marriage between Hana and Nagachika, two years later was born their first son, Tadayasu Nomi, just a few days before 1573. Hana was on her rehearsing state, she was unable to go to battle for a while, although part of her still wanted to. Besides, Tadayasu was still needing her care, so for this reason she stayed on the castle, helping her father and her husband planning on reinforcements and strategies to help the Ikko-Ikki against Nobunaga's expansion.

"So, I guess the best way to help the civilians is to supply the surviving members with food and weapons, while the disabled ones could be transferred to our domain." Takakage said, "What do you think, Motoharu?"

"Well, since we were unable to defeat Nobunaga by head-to-head combat, then that was our only choice." Motoharu said.

"If that's the case, then I'll send some ships to carry the disabled right now, is it okay, uncle?" Terumoto said.

The two veterans nodded.

Suddenly a man barged in, startling the other Mōri members.

"Oh...Munekatsu, you're back." Takakage greeted his chief retainer.

"Hi, Father!" Nagachika greeted the same person

"Nice to meet you again, Nagachika. And Takakage-sama, it seems that Hayakawa-dono had left some news and letters for you, a very important one."

"Sure, apparently we've just finished our brief meeting, so what kind of news is it?" Takakage said.

"The situation is not good in Kantō. It seems that Ujimasa Hōjō, son of the deceased Ujiyasu Hōjō had decided to renew his alliance with the Takeda."

"I...It can't be! And anyone just accepted it, like that?" Motoharu replied.

"No, Lady Hayakawa objected this alliance, but since it was her father's last will, she had no right to deny it, so, she had no choice but to flee from Kantō." Munekatsu said, shocking the Mōri family, except Hana and Takakage.

Hana never knew about Hayakawa before, so she wasn't surprised of that. While Takakage, on the other hand, knew this possibility, and knew very well where she could have been fleeing to.

"I suppose she only had one choice if she wanted to flee, the most safest place for her and her husband." Takakage said, before Munekatsu said it for him.

"Tokugawa Army."

Takakage just nodded.

Since Hana was in the room, Hana listened to the conversation, and one thing now glimmered in her heart.

"Who is this Hayakawa? What is her relation to father?"

This curiosity was the beginning of the revealing of Hana's ultimate secret.


(Timeskip)

Aki, late 1576

Six years have passed since Nobunaga's domination against Ikko-Ikki, Saika-Ikki and Mōri clan. The battles oh Ishiyama Hongan-ji was reaching its peak since the supplies of the Hongan-ji warriors (Ikko-Ikki and others) began to plummet.

To make matters worse, Nobunaga had enlisted another campaign against the Mōri.

"Terumoto-sama...I bring news!" A Mōri page barged into the Mōri's household. "It seems that Nobunaga's ships are approaching our supply ships."

This made the Mōri warriors surprised. Terumoto was not expecting that, but not for the mind of the Mōri.

"Terumoto, let me devise a plan to counter them." Takakage suddenly said.

"U...Uncle, you are allowed to do so." Terumoto replied.

"Okay, Munekatsu, Nagachika, Hana, Motoharu, and Hiroie, come with me." Takakage ordered.

The said warriors nodded and followed Takakage into the meeting room.


The retreat from Tatarahama was successful, as the Mōri forces safely made their way back to Aki.

One year later, however, the daimyō of Owari province, Nobunaga Oda, began to rise in unifying the nation.

He ordered Ieyasu to take care of the eastern side, battling the Takeda, and he himself to the west. He began to strike forward to the west, and began assault on Ishiyama Hongan-ji.

However, the warriors inside Hongan-ji managed to hold out against Nobunaga's assault for quite a long time, thanks for the supplies from the Mōri clan.

To lessen the threat, in 1576, Nobunaga ordered his retainer Yoshitaka Kuki to sail towards the Mōri waters, with his goal to destroy Ikko-Ikki's supply lines from the Mōri.

In response, Takakage requested Terumoto to began a mission to repel the Oda fleet. He also appointed his daughter, Shinhana Kobayakawa, his son-in-law Nagachika Nomi, his brother Motoharu Kikkawa, and his retainer Munekatsu Nomi to participate on the resistance.

Thus, the Mōri and Oda will begin their first naval confrontation in the Mōri's naval area of Kizugawa.

The Forbidden Girl: Battle 2: 1st Battle of Kizugawaguchi


That ends this short filler chapter. The next chapter will be another battle that is quite important in the Mōri history of war against Nobunaga.

Please R&R