Hideyoshi stared coldly at the smirking one-eyed dragon in front of him. His tactician lay out beside him still unconscious.
Masamune tilted his chin at two men standing by Hanbei's form. They quickly picked him up setting him at Date's feet propped up limply against the chair he sat on.
The blue clad warrior lifted Hanbei's face inspecting his scuffed skin and his gently parted soft pink lips.
"Hmph..." Masamune let go allowing Hanbei's head to flop down resting on his armored thigh. He didn't see what was so special about him. Why would Kojuro want him?
"Hanbei." Hideyoshi's voice bellowed. He tried to wake the helpless man, failing to cover up the shiver of worry in his voice.
"Relax. He's just fine... for now anyway." He grinned staring right at Hideyoshi. "You better worry about yourself right now." Masamune warned coolly.
The large man stayed quiet glaring even harder at Masamune.
"I want my right eye. I know you got him here somewhere, but no one can seem to find him. So I'll give you one chance Toyotomi, where's my strategist?"
Two spears crossed in front of Hideyoshi's thick neck. He swallowed hard and glanced back at Masamune.
"Don't know."
"Oh. Well, that's a shame." Masamune was soon presented with a sharp wakizashi. He gave a look at Hanbei's sleeping form and glanced at Hideyoshi before taking a fist full of his tactician's wavy white locks holding Hanbei's head up and pressing the blade against his soft skin.
"..." Hideyoshi bit his tongue watching the scene unfold before him. Masamune gave him another look.
"If you don't tell me where Kojuro is, then I'll just have to make things even. An eye for an eye." Date muttered threateningly.
Hanbei grunted softly twisting on the ground. His head was pulsing with pain from his hair being pulled.
"H-Hanbei." Hideyoshi stuttered in surprise. He struggled, but the sharp blades kept him at bay.
Hanbei gulped realizing his position, the knife still pressed against his throat.
"Careful. Don't move too much, or you might get hurt." Masamune grimaced at Hanbei.
"Hide-yoshi...sama-!" Hanbei whispered to his lord fearing for his charges life.
"I don't suppose you would know where my right eye is?" Masamune poked the sharp blade at Hanbei's bobbing adam's apple.
"Speak!"
Hanbei took one look at his lord, a slight hint of fear showing in his eyes.
"He...ran away." Hanbei whispered.
"Ran away, huh? Where? Tell me!" He shook the small tactician threatening his life with the knife.
Hanbei's eyes met Masamune's. He could see the anger and the pain Masamune felt.
"He's...headed home." Hanbei admitted closing his eyes. "To Oshuu."
He heard the dragon exhale loudly, the blade being taken from his neck.
"Alright then..." Masamune nodded to his men to leave them for some privacy.
Masamune stood from his chair. Hanbei flopped onto the ground, his ankles and wrists still bound.
He blinked watching the Oshuu lord approach his own lord, blade still in hand. They were muttering heated words to each other.
Hanbei struggled to get closer. He watched Hideyoshi fall onto his side, his eye wide and staring straight at Hanbei.
"H-Hideyoshi-sama?" Hanbei scrambled closer, Masamune stepping over Hideyoshi's form. He dropped the soiled blade, blood coating the dirt around them.
"HIDEYOSHI-SAMA!"
Hanbei saw it- the gash in his lord's side. He whimpered helplessly. Tears formed in his eyes watching his lord's chest heave as he bled out.
"Hanbei..." Hideyoshi beckoned his subject. Hanbei held on tightly to his jacket looking desperately into the eyes of his lord.
"Hideyoshi- hang in there...HANG IN THERE!I'll get you help!" Hanbei said with sencerity.
"No, Hanbei... it's too late for me..I was a...fool." Hideyoshi winced. Hanbei tried desperately to cover the wound, but the flow never ceased.
"Hideyoshi, please! You can't leave me!I...I'm sorry about what I said earlier- I didn't mean it, I- I don't want you to die-!"
Hideyoshi's eyes stayed glued on Hanbei. The smaller man sobbed resting his head against his own sweaty brow.
"Please, let me see your smile. It has been...so long..." Hideyoshi sighed wishing to touch Hanbei's face.
Hanbei tried hard to smile for his lord, but his emotions overtook him and he sobbed into Hideyoshi's chest.
"My lord! Please, you cannot die...! You promised me you would rule this country- Remember?" Hanbei touched Hideyoshi's face with his shaking bound and bloody hands, his lord reveling in the simple gesture.
"It's alright, Hanbei... I'm..sorry...All I ever... wanted was..grkk!" Hideyoshi's face scrunched with pain. "-...to see...you smile...because of me...again... Han...bei..." He heaved one last sigh, his eyes staring unblinking at the heavens, breathing no more.
Hanbei's tears fell upon his lord's softened face. His shaky hands closed his eyes and he cried over his lord's lifeless body, silently telling him to get back up and fight. Never in his life had he imagined seeing his lord die in this manner. He only wanted to be free and with Kojuro.
He looked around not hearing any sound from outside the tent aside from the howling wind and accompanying rain. The wakizashi lay covered in dirt and his lord's life fluids. Hanbei grabbed it steadying himself to cut the bonds around his ankles and carefully cut his arms free.
He looked back at Hideyoshi wishing he would suddenly rise and follow him.
He closed his eyes saying a small prayer for his lord and touched his pale chest.
'Hideyoshi...'
Meanwhile, Masamune sat on horseback over looking the area where their camp was set up. He winced feeling his wound twitch in pain.
"He's come out, boss! What should we do?"
Masamune's eyes focused in on the small white figure dashing out of the tent. From where they stood, the archers had a clear shot. He smirked knowing he had the man right where he wanted him.
"Fire." Masamune's anger lay beneath the command. The archers aimed their arrows at the unsuspecting and defenseless man. They released at the same moment, the wind catching the thin arrows guiding them towards Hanbei's staggering form.
The white haired tactician gasped seeing an arrow land near his foot. He glanced up panicking seeing nothing but arrows coming his way. So he ran. He ran on foot away from the archers.
"Again." Masamune seethed.
They let out another round of shots, each one only a millisecond behind Hanbei.
The small man came upon a cliff, beneath which lay the raging sea. Hanbei turned his back to the cold waves crashing upon the land. The rain and the wind swept across Hanbei's bare body. He saw the flock of arrows coming and knew this was the end for him.
He closed his eyes preparing himself for the pain. The ground collapsed from under his feet and he lost balance falling backwards. A single gasp escaped his lips, the arrows being the only thing in his view. His limbs flailed in surprise. Pain ripped through his body. He could see the arrows protruding from his body.
Hanbei's body hit the icy water with a hard slap, sinking down further and further.
Date's men arrived on the scene staring down into the roaring waves searching for any sign of their target. They spotted him drifting further away from land.
Masamune grunted watching his men return to him with the news of Hanbei's death. He smirked to himself secretly overjoyed to hear those words.
"Let's go home, boys. What do you say?"
His men whooped in unison and headed back towards Oshuu.
Kojuro waited. He waited through the rain for Hanbei, yet he never came.
Guilt ate away at Kojuro's heart. He knew something bad happened to Hanbei.
After hours of aching worry and enuring the elements, Kojuro saw the image of his lord upon a healthy steed coming his way. He almost laughed believing himself to have gone insane.
"Masamune!" Kojuro could not hide his utter surprise. All thoughts of Hanbei were blocked out of his mind. He could only focus on his lord before him, his lord whom he thought to be dead.
"There you are, Kojuro." His hand extended outwards to Kojuro. He greatly took it staring in awe at his living lord's smirking face.
"Come on. We're going home."
