Ok, so I really hope you like this chapter. I rewrote it like 4 times. I'm not really satisfied with it but a friend of mine said post it anyways. She says I'm my worst critic. So please enjoy, and remember review. I really do enjoy hearing what you have to say. Thanks :)

Masamune finally got her home. It disturbed him greatly that she didn't stir. He looked over her body and didn't see any signs of bleeding, nor did he see any signs of bruising around the head. Unfortunately he wasn't a doctor but he knew from experience that not all wounds bleed on the outside. "Tch, troublesome Short Stack", was all he could mumble under this breath.

Once he laid her down on his futon, he had Kojūrō go fetch his physician and summon Miu. He was going to have her watch over Sam while the man examined her. It didn't matter whether or not he was a doctor, something inside the One-Eyed Dragon didn't like nor trust another man roaming his fingers all over his servant.

While he was alone, Masamune let out a heavy sigh. His eye fell to her delicate features of her ivory face. The smooth curves of her cheeks, the tiny freckles that dotted the cheek bones. Her small, pink, pursed lips and her delicate, thin jaw line. She looked almost frail but he knew she was anything but that.

The man found himself plagued with guilt. He wanted nothing more then the woman to wake up and yell at him. Right now, he'd settled for being called an asshole. He'd prefer it actually. It would be a sign she'd be alright but unfortunately her tiny body laid there, remaining still. The only sign of life he saw was her bosom slowly rising and falling in a gradual rhythm.

Masamune reached out and caressed her cheek gingerly. The man's lips slightly parted. He was surprised by the smoothness of her skin. It felt like he was running his fingers over silk. The rough texture of his pads, scraping her skin caused her to slightly lean her head in his direction. Her brows came together, he quickly cupped the rest of cheek and thumbed her cheek bone. Her expression eased.

The young dragon had to admit he liked the feel of her. She was soft and warm, not cool to the touch like many other women. A faint smile curled on lips. His curiosity got the better of him. With his free hand he picked up a lock of dark brown hair between his fingertips. He brushed the ends with his thumb. He swallowed and almost choked. Her hair felt like a new baby bird's feathers. It was extremely velvety.

He had suspected her to be an actual lady by birthright and now he had proof. There was no way a commoner or a daughter of some long line of doctors would be able to take care of themselves this good. A slight sting of aggravation hit him. She lied, was all he could think about at the moment.

How could he trust her now, was the question running around in his head. Masamune's chest hurt. He felt betrayed. Short Stack, the one person who looked him in the eye and claimed she'd rather tell him what she thought, that same woman whom he felt he could start to trust, lied...

Date's dark, left eye narrowed on the tiny woman. He let out an audible growl and retracted his hands. His lip curled up in a sneer. "If you make it out of this, I swear I'm throttling you." His dark promise went unanswered. Masamune clicked his tongue behind his clenched teeth.

Sam began to stir. A groan escaped her tiny form. Her little fingers begun to twitch as she tossed her head. "Typical, a nightmare", he snarled out between his lips. Tears started to trickle down, her ivory cheeks. Masamune wrinkled his nose and looked away. With all the blood in his life, one thing the man couldn't stomach was a woman crying. Date took a second and wondered why his legs didn't move and why he wasn't getting up as he sat next to her.

The man was at a complete loss. He hated being lied too. This woman betrayed him and yet he still remained at her side. "Papa", she whimpered softly. Date froze in surprise and snapped his head around to look at her. Tears were now streaming down from her eyes, her face was flushed and wrinkled. She took in uneven gasps of air. Sam's full lips quivered. "Papa... Wake up papa..." Her words were in English but he understood from what little of the language he knew.

"Papa..." Her voice was starting to sound more desperate. "Damn it, Short Stack." Masamune assumed something tragic happened and maybe that was the cause of her lies. Lies were still lies, but everyone's human. At least he might be able to understand if she told him.

Now feeling sympathy, the lord leaned across the sleeping woman and whispered into her ear. "It's ok, shh..." His masculine voice, mixed with the heat of his breath on her ear, caused her to stop crying almost instantly. He could hear some sniffles but for the most part she returned to her prior state.

Sam tilted her head slightly away from the lord, exposing her neck and ear a little more. Date nose caught a strong lavender and rose aroma emitting from her hair and flesh. The smell rose from the heat, mixed from the moisture of her tears. Masamune couldn't help himself; the temptation was to great for him. He ran the tip of his nose against her neck line, just underneath the lobe of her ear.

Sam's emerald green eyes fluttered open. A warm and soothing presence was next to her. The world and her vision was fuzzy. The poor woman's mind wasn't fully grasping what was going on. It was like a pleasant soft blanket folded around her chest and nestled next to the lobe. A feathery moan escaped her throat.

Something rough and hot cupped her other side and lifted her head up just slightly. Masamune didn't realize the female was a wake. He was to much into his own curiosities to be paying much attention. Sam tugged on the warm blanket as heat trickled further down her neck. She pulled white, soft fabric up to her chin. The fog in her mind wasn't clearing and the wonderful heat filling her ear was so distracting.

Sam moaned again, this time a little louder. The delectable sound caught the general's attention. His body tensed. The man's mind raced as his lips grazed her tender flesh. He wondered if he should continue or stop due to her betrayal. He felt gentle hands slide up his ribs through the opening of his haori. The fingertips caressed his flesh. Masamune started to pant. He decided he couldn't stop now. Not with her light, feathery touches causing his own skin to dance with delight.

Samantha's mind wasn't grasping a lot of facts about the situation she was in. Her mind was numb to the facts at hand. Blankets don't move on their own. They don't breath into one ear and gently thumb the outer shell on the other side. Not only that, they don't suckle on one's lobe and flick it with their hot, moist tongue.

The woman was feeling sensations she had never before felt. Sam touched the flesh of a hard ridged chest, it vibrated as she began stroking it. She was trying to assess what it was and why it was there. The man's lips started making their way up her jaw line. Her eyes were now half lidded from the pleasure swelling inside her. Sam let out another delicious sound that traveled straight to his core.

Masamune was filled with want and need. He couldn't get over how good everything felt. The lord chuckled to himself. The most experienced woman couldn't even get a rise out of him like Sam was doing. The young dragon's heart was beating rapidly and his breaths were becoming heavier, more erratic.

Date tired to drink in her essance slowly, like an expensive rice wine. The smell of roses across her skin wasn't over powering but yet it was taunting; the lavender aroma of her hair was sweet and tantalizing. His rough pads of his fingertips kneaded the back of her neck while the other held him up. He didn't want to crush her if she had broken ribs.

His thin lips finally came to hers. He picked her head up a few more inches, tiliting it back so he could have better access. He paused a moment, his dark, left eye was soaking in her beauty. Some guilt tugged at him. The woman was disorented and yet he was taking full advantage of that fact. He was a man of honor but his need out weighed his sense. He seemed to be acting on impulse then using his head. He had to admit, she seemed to have that ability to do that to him.

Sam's green eyes shimmered in light and dark shades of green. Her mind was coming around slowly. She could feel a warm breath on her chin and lips. Samantha tilted her head up a little more. The woman didn't realize really what was going on, even with the fog slowly lifting. Her lips grazed his. Masamune was shocked how pleasant they felt.

Samantha's body grew stiff. Her green eyes widened. She clearly saw a dark brown, left eye and a black leather patch staring back at her. She felt like an electric bolt traveled all the way through her. Masamune couldn't help but smirk as her cheeks flushed. Sam sucked in some air and began to cough. Her ribs hurt.

Instead of backing away to allow the woman some air, he wanted answers. Masamune pulled Sam into him. He balled her up in his lap and sat back on his rear. Sam found herself ensnared beween arms and legs. Once she stoped coughing, the man forced her nose to nose with him again.

Samantha tried to push Masamune away. It was futile but she felt like she had to try something. She felt a headache in the frontal lobe of her mind and her ribs ache. Not to mention she didn't want him that close to her. She felt as if he was suffocating her. "Masamune, what's going on? Why are you doing this", she asked sharply.

"You lied to me. Why?" He asked with a frown on his face. Sam was confused. She looked disoriented. "Why, Sam?" His grip became tighter around her body, pushing her nose closer to his. "About what", she asked sharply again. "Your birthright", he growled. "Huh?" Masamune could see she wasn't really catching on to what he was asking. "You being a noble. You should have just told me." "I don't have a title. What makes you think that?"

He growled. His heart was pounding in all sorts of directions. Her words and expressions seemed honest enough but she had to be lying to him. No one ever smells this clean, this fresh or feels this soft. Even the nobles he's encountered didn't. That left only one other thing, maybe she wasn't lying; he just wasn't asking the right questions but he knew how to get the answers out of her.

"Tell me Sam", he demanded. His scowl had darkened and his heart started to beat even harder. Samantha could feel it under her fingertips. The organ itself was practically vibrating both of them. "I'm telling you the truth! I swear! Why are you doing this", she asked half panicked. He was holding her so tightly she thought she was going to break.

"Because I don't like being lied to", his scowl was dark and scary in Sam's mind but his voice was husky. His tone was deep. Masamune's expression said he was going to eat her. The man's voice said he was going to kiss her. Samantha was very confused.

"I'm not lying." Sam said in almost a whisper trying desperately to find her voice. The thought of him kissing had her red as a cherry in the cheeks. "I don't believe you", he continued in a thick, velvety voice. Masamune could feel the tiny woman shiver in his arms. Her bottom lip quivered. "Honest, I have no title." Sam would have been able form that last sentence with out having it hitch in her throat, if it wasn't for Date's rough hand gliding up her back under her yellow tank top.

His hand froze. Masamune couldn't get over her wide eyed, look of fear. If she was telling the truth then he could possibly ruin the friendship they were developing with what he planned next. Visions of her running away and never being seen again actually stung. For the first time coming home, he actually wanted to be there. She gave him something to look forward to and it wasn't just soba noodles and sake.

"Damn it", he growled between his teeth as he removed his hand from her back. Sam's eyes darkened. "Don't tell me you were doing this to see if I was telling the truth", she spat. A devilish smirk quirked up at the corner of his lips. "You are..." Sam started talking with her hands and becoming animated. "Gerrr..." The woman's eyes filled with flames. Masamune couldn't help but be captivated with the swirling colors in her large orbs.

"You know if someone looked up the meaning of asshole, your face would be next to it. God, if I knew how to throttle you, I would." Masamune started laughing and couldn't stop. She started to try and push him off but he didn't let go. The man didn't want to. Her pushes were light and had no real strength behind them. It was amusing to see how hard she was trying and how red her face was turning as he failed.

Sam started coughing. She was really feel her ribs now as she laid her forehead on his chest, clutching herself. Pain was starting to register in her body. Now that she thought about it, her whole body hurt. Masamune's devilish grin, smoothed into a gentle smirk. "Here", he said as the man laid her back down on his futon.

"You know this is all your doing." His heart stopped as he gulped air, his grin was quickly erased. The young dragon's eye slowly fell to the wooden floor, he knew it was his fault too. "If you hadn't got me so pissed off at you, I wouldn't be coughing so bad." He realized she didn't blame him for getting hurt, only for being an asshole. A part of him felt worse for not trusting her. He scolded himself for being so reckless.

Sam roled over on her facing away from him. She missed his solemn look but her ears did pick up his movement. Something warm and soft was laid across her like a blanket. She recognized the white material, it was his haori. "Thank you", she mumbled softly as her eyes started to slowly drift shut. Sam was incredibly tired after what she had been through. Date wasn't surprised she went back to sleep.

"Thank you", he answered back but she missed his gratitude. All he could hear was her exhaling softly after each slow breath. He let out a light chuckle. Masamune started thinking about why he really thanked her. Other then Kojūrō, he's never really had a friend. As the One-Eyed Dragon, a supreme commander, a ruthless general, and lord over his territories, he never got to have such pleasantries. Even as a child he was taught the arts of war and friends would either slow you down or be your weakness.

One could argue Sanada was a friend as well as his enemy. Hell, there wasn't anyone else who he'd rather party with. That man literally made Masamune lose his cool demeanor and allowed him to go all out. Sam on the other hand wasn't like that. She rattled his cage in a different way. It was mainly because she just as defiant as he was and willing to risk it all for the sake of another. He liked that about her.

Masamune sighed. The room had grown dark as the lanterns burned out. The cool air nipped at his bare flesh. He didn't mind it. It seemed soothing to him. The One-Eyed Dragon was in deep thought as he heard footsteps approaching the room.

The man stood and gave Sam one last glance over his shoulder. He'd have the doctor look at her in the morning. She needed her rest. "Good night, Short Stack" he said before leaving the room slowly...