It is the age of the civil wars. The land is divided by powerful warlords, who constantly fight each other. Any internal power struggle is an invitation for your neighbors to attack. So it is decided that the firstborn child, regardless of gender, would become the head of the family. The result of this was the birth of the Princess Generals.

Disclaimer: I own nothing about Ambition of Oda Nobuna or Kamen Rider. The only thing I own here is my OC.

Twenty First Slice: Natural Colour

"You have one of those as well?! Who provided it to you?"

The dark skinned woman merely smiled. "That's my little secret, my lady. But rest assured that the creature that comes out from the trinket will obey my orders without question."

Himiko already realized the implications. Danjou could simply summon the monster and order it to kill Inuchiyo right here before the others from inside the church can react. "You will not be doing any summoning here, witch. We will return to the gates around sunset tomorrow."

'Ah, so she's using the Royal We and invoking that persona.' The dark skinned woman merely replaced the trinket inside her cleavage.

"Now be gone."

"As you wish." With her business settled, the older woman's body changed again before vanishing, leaving only dispersing golden butterflies behind her while Inuchiyo slowly regained consciousness.

"W-what happened? Did I doze off…?" The spear master looked a bit embarrassed at that fact.

"It's nothing," replied the other small girl. "Come on, let's go back inside."

Just as they reached the door to go back in, they could hear the commotion inside before the door opened and an excited Bujin Fourze greeted them. "My master's gonna be a bride! Isn't that awesome?!"

Both of the girls looked surprised at the news before seeing Bontenmaru chatting excitedly with Louise about the awesome wedding dress she would have. And as for the 'groom' in question, his forehead was currently resting on the wooden table.

It didn't take long for Inuchiyo to see where this was going. "Saru, you're the worst."

Motoharu immediately sprung up. "I'll have you know that she decided this on her own! Inuchiyo, I'm sure that I taught you the meaning of 'presumption of innocence!'"

"Ah… I forgot."

"Typical. The only thing that sticks in your head most of the time are sweets and spear techniques," grumbled the Toei Employee.

"Speaking of sweets, I'm gonna have a big feast at the wedding!" exclaimed Bontenmaru. "What do you want to eat?"

As Inuchiyo started listing dishes, Motoharu's forehead went right back to making contact with the table while Himiko patted his back in a gesture of pity.

"She dismantled the Rokkaku so quickly and efficiently that by the time we learn of this, she has already moved on?!" Konoe was not a happy man at all.

"Who would have thought that Oda Nobuna already made it this far and is merely steps away from the capital? These are dark times indeed." The noble's eyes turned to a handsome young man with purple hair in a black general's uniform carrying a red rose in his right hand. He was known as the ruler of Echizen, Asakura Yoshikage.

"If a country countess like Imagawa Yoshimoto takes rule, all of our efforts would have been for nothing!"

"Yoshimoto?" A distant look appeared in Asakura's eyes, not even bothering to address Konoe. "I would love to make her mine and add her to my work."

"Heh, you have quite a hobby," chuckled Tsuda.

Asakura merely smelled the rose in his hands again. "In any case, this wouldn't be an issue if we still had the Ashikaga heir with us."

"Are you implying something, Asakura-dono?" asked Konoe in a cool tone.

"Only that your lack of effort could have avoided all of this. And if you have a problem with what I'm saying, you can take it up with any of my 750,000 men."

"Infighting won't solve anything," chided Gousei in an attempt to defuse tensions. "What's important now is how to settle matters in the capital. At this time, Oda Nobuna will undeniably set foot in the city."

"When she does, we can get the Miyoshi and Asakura to combine their forces against her and trap her there. If we can also get Uesugi and Takeda on board, she will be completely surrounded," murmured Konoe.

"An alliance that size will take time to build," said Asakura. "Perhaps we should have our men withdraw and set fire to Kyoto to have her attention focused there. That will buy enough time for my forces, Uesugi and Takeda to get there."

The blue clad nobleman nodded, snapping his fan shut. "So the task of setting fire to Kyoto will fall to your followers, Gousei-dono. Danjou can also assist in the task."

"Leave it to me." A simple spin of having to burn Kyoto because of certain 'evil' spirit energy tainting the capital would suffice in this case.

"I'll also send some reinforcements," added Asakura, nodding his head for a large imposing figure in red samurai armour and wearing an oni mask to emerge from the shadows. "This man hates Nobuna more than anything. He'll be useful."

"I gladly accept your offer."

The night had been a somewhat eventful one for Motoharu. While he had been trying to get some sleep, Bontenmaru had kept sneaking into his sleeping space in an attempt to check out her future husband's 'goods'. Thank goodness Louise had kept vigilant and made sure that the younger girl didn't do anything too inappropriate although he did wish that the nun didn't lecture him on the importance of courting a lady properly. Seriously, it was Bontenmaru chasing him for marriage in the first place and he was the one getting lectured?

At least conquering Oshu and forcing the rest of the clan to acknowledge her as the head will eat up a lot of the smaller girl's time. If anything, that should cause her to forget that impulsive marriage proposal and he could move on with his life.

Once the sun rose, they were off again. Louise had been kind enough to provide some supplies for the journey, enough to make it through the day. With Himiko's directions, he figured that they should be able to reach the palace by late afternoon at most unless they kept running into bandits or monsters or some annoying combination of the two.

To be honest, it felt somewhat unnerving that he was simply walking around with the freaking Empress out in the open. It was a well-known fact that they have a 'he who must not be seen' type of feeling. Heck, even in the modern era, the Imperial Family cannot appear or even be mentioned by name in any Japanese media except in new stories and propaganda material. Maybe he should just suit up and bring out the Dandeliner so he could get this trip over with. It wasn't like she was terribly surprised by him transforming earlier in front of her the day before.

"Is everything okay?"

His thoughts were interrupted by Himiko's voice. "N-no! Just thinking about things."

"I apologize. My presence must be disturbing your sense of routine."

Motoharu simply shrugged, keeping his eye on the road ahead. "Well… if you want to make it up to me, then the only thing I'll ask is for you to keep an open mind."

"Ah, yes. In regards to Nobuna, correct?"

"Yeah. Listen to what she brings to the table and make up your own opinion about it without being influenced by the advisors and other politicians around you. That's all I ask."

Himiko took his words in for a moment. "I suppose that's reas-"

She was cut off as a Crack opened in front of the trio, allowing for an Inves to emerge from it before it zipped up. It had a predominantly red colour and looked similar to the Lion Inves except it didn't have a 'woolly' mane and there were black stripes all over the red body.

"So much for my plan to reach the place without hassle," grumbled Motoharu as he strapped his Sengoku Driver to his waist and grabbed his Blood Orange Lockseed.

"Saru, look over there!" shouted Inuchiyo. His eyes darted to where she was pointing to and spotted a woman with dark skin in a tight purple one piece along with purple sleeves covering her lower arms standing casually on top of a thick tree branch just ahead of them.

Himiko's golden eyes locked on to the other woman. "Danjou, why did you go back on your word?"

"You only forbade me to summon the monster at that foreign church. Once you left that sanctuary, anything goes. And I've been itching to see what beast would come out of the trinket and to see the power of that armoured warrior with my own eyes." Danjou inhaled the smoke of her pipe while watching the freshly summoned Tora Inves advance. "Now, don't disappoint me!"

"Danjou…? Why didn't I hear of that name?" muttered Motoharu.

"Her actual name is Matsunaga Danjou," answered Himiko.

"Matsunaga…? As in Matsunaga Hisahide?"

Danjou let out a smoke cloud before addressing the Toei employee. "Hoh? You're really on top of things, Mr. Monkey…"

'Huh… so not only is Matsunaga gender bent but she also has foreign blood in her if that skin tone is any indication. Too bad she seems like a schemer, matching the portrayal in pop culture. I would have preferred to deal with the educated, handsome fellow who enjoyed the arts.' No time to further dwell on these thoughts as he had a battle to fight and someone to subdue as she seemed to be the source of the Lockseeds getting in the hands of common people.

BLOOD ORANGE!

LOCK ON!

"Henshin!"

BLOOD ORANGE ARMS! JA NO MICHI ON STAGE!

"Double, I'll need your help on this one!" Without wasting a moment, he activated the Double Lockseed and summoned his ally to the field.

CYCLONE!

JOKER!

"You go subdue that woman up ahead with Inuchiyo! I'll focus on the monster!"

"Sounds like a plan!" Inuchiyo twirled her spear around before lining herself up beside Bujin Double.

"Then let's get to work!"

Drawing the Daidaimaru, Bujin Gaim struck first against the Inves and managed to land a hit on the torso. The monster barely seemed affected though as it swiped with its claws for a counterattack, forcing the Rider to duck underneath before attempting to thrust again with his weapon. This time, the Inves used a bit of leg power to avoid the attack and smashed its elbow into the warrior's back armour, sending him tumbling a bit.

'Hm… similar attack patterns and aggression as the Lion Inves but with less power and some more speed. Let's adjust for that.'

In the meantime, Bujin Double and Inuchiyo engaged Danjou who had transformed her pipe into a spear to fend them both off. Her combat skills were formidable, being able to hold off Bujin Double's attacks while using small bursts of magic to distort Inuchiyo's senses and prevent her from participating fully in the battle.

"Che… if we're doing a staff battle, then we need to be properly equipped!"

METAL!

Without wasting a moment, Bujin Double swapped out the Joker Gaia Memory on his Driver before pressing them both down and triggering the mode change.

CYCLONE!

METAL!

With the black left half of Bujin Double changed to a silver colour and the warrior now armed with his own pole weapon, his movements began changing which caught Danjou off guard to an extent. His feints and attack patterns were harder to read now and despite her attempts to shake him off, he kept the pressure going. It wasn't long until he found his opening at the base of her neck but just as his pole shot forward; it got deflected by Inuchiyo's own spear.

"What are you doing?!" Bujin Double's red optics then spotted the oddly empty look in the smaller girl's eyes.

"It's no use. That girl's continuous exposure to my magic accumulated enough to the point where she sees you as the enemy instead of me," explained the other woman with a smile on her face.

"For real?!" Before he could try anything else, Inuchiyo's spear thrust knocked him square in the chest while Danjou's own sword slash enhanced with magic struck him hard and forced him stumbling back, sending a few sparks flying.

"You won't escape!" Just as both ladies rushed forward on the attack, Bujin Double swung his Metal Shaft once to generate a strong gust of wind to slow their advance and buy some time for another Memory Switch.

HEAT!

METAL!

The right side of Bujin Double changed colours from green to red as he took on his Blazing Warrior form. Just as both Inuchiyo and Danjou attacked with their weapons, the Metal Shaft blocked both strikes at once and emitted a rather short but intense heat wave that caused the both of them to stumble back briefly. He took advantage of the opportunity to attack Danjou with a hard knee to her abdomen, causing her to inadvertently release the Lockseed she had been gripping in her hand.

"Whoa, this thing's going wild!" Bujin Double glanced quickly to the right to see his master desperately trying to keep a hold of the Tora Inves as it pursued the loose Lockseed.

"This is bad!" Before he could move though, Inuchiyo attempted another sneak attack from behind and he reflexively countered by grabbing her weapon and snapping it in two before elbowing her in the stomach and sending her back to the ground.

"Hm, looks like things are getting out of control here…" Deciding to retreat, Danjou transformed her body into golden light before it split apart into many golden butterflies flapping their way into the sky. With the Witch no longer present, the magic released itself automatically from Inuchiyo, causing her to groan and clutch her head.

"What happened?"

She would get an answer in the form of a tossed Bujin Gaim landing right next to her as the Tora Inves greedily ate the Lockseed and grew out a pair of large metallic wings similar in shape to what would be seen on a gargoyle. "Don't worry about what just happened! Worry about getting to safety with the other kid while we take care of that monster!"

"Considering this guy's power, I'll need a new Lockseed." But which one would be suitable? Maybe that Pinecone one…?

He had no further time to think as the metallic wings of the monster glowed before firing energy projectiles at the Riders. Without thinking about it, Bujin Double hastily grabbed Inuchiyo and dived to one side to avoid the attack while Bujin Gaim dived to the other, scrambling to his feet so he could get to Himiko and protect her. Of course with him being identified as the primary target for Lockseeds, the Tora Inves wasn't too far behind so instead, he moved in another direction so that the monster would follow him instead and stay away from the girl.

"Boss!" Once he placed Inuchiyo down at a safe distance, Bujin Double hurled himself back into the action and attacked the Tora Inves with his weapon but its thick hide helped protect it from the heat. Because of the lack of effect, the monster ignored Bujin Double and kept going for Bujin Gaim, even tackling him causing him to drop the Matsubokkuri Lockseed and another black component stored in the back of his belt toward Himiko.

Spotting an available treat, the Inves lunged towards the item but Bujin Double blocked his way while Bujin Gaim used his Musou Saber's gun function to lay down some cover fire. While the two kept it busy, Himiko walked over to pick up the dropped items. "What are you doing?! Get out of here!"

The small girl merely closed her eyes for a moment before she closed her right hand around the Matsubokkuri Lockseed. Then in an astonishing display of power, her hair changed colour from black to gold while her right eye turned red before her right hand glowed briefly and changed the nature of the Lockseed held.

"What the…"

"… bloody hell?"

Both Bujin Riders were thrown off by the Inves thanks to that distraction from earlier but before it could advance, Bujin Double recovered first and ran interference to buy some time while Bujin Gaim got up and ran over to the newly blonde Himiko. "Why are you just standing there? You need to get to safety!"

"Do you wish to continue fighting?"

He was startled to hear her voice sound different. It sounded much older and wiser. "What do you mean?"

"You were never meant to be dragged into this world. You can still return. But if you continue on this current path, you will have to fight to the bitter end until the world is dyed in your colours. Is that your true desire?"

"Seriously, we have a monster itching to get its hands on that Lockseed and you want to spend time asking cryptic questions? You need to get your priorities straight!" Bujin Gaim turned around to face the monster with his Daidaimaru ready. "But if you want an answer, the world won't be dyed in my colours. The world will keep its natural colour so that Oda Nobuna can see it herself with her own two eyes. And for that to happen, we have to save this country and get the people to smile again. Will we succeed? Who knows? But right now, all we can do is think about what we can do in the present and act upon it."

"You are willing to conquer. But you do it for the sake of the people and that girl?" The changed Himiko then smiled. "So that's how it is."

"Look, we can chat afterwards and-" He was startled as Himiko placed her tiny left hand to remove the Rider Indicator on his Driver before slotting in the item given to him by that strange man in Helheim earlier, causing the Blood Orange Lockseed to unlock itself from the central portion of the buckle. 'It… fit?'

She then held open her right hand where a Lockseed with a slightly bulky side, a clear body and the image of a pinecone rested in the palm. He could see the code marked on it as 'ELS-05'. "You want me to use this?"

Himiko pressed the item into his free hand before her eyes and hair changed back to their normal colour and she collapsed to the ground. In an instant, Inuchiyo was close to her so she could lift the body to safety. "Saru, I have this."

"Thanks." He then pressed a button on the side to activate the new Energy Lockseed.

MATSUBOKKURI ENERGY!

One second later, he strapped in that Lockseed to the left portion of his buckle before securing it along with his Blood Orange Lockseed to the Driver.

LOCK ON!

He pushed down the Cutting Blade and the Arms generated by the Blood Orange Lockseed and the Matsubokkuri Energy Lockseed seemed to collide with each other before forming a sphere which came back down onto Motoharu.

MIX!

As it opened, the sides and front folded together to form shoulder pads and a chest plate while the sides around the chest plate folded out as well, giving the image of wearing a Jimbaori, a short sleeved coat which some high ranking samurai in this time period wore over their armour. It was coloured black and brown and patterned with images of pinecones while the personal insignia of a short katana within a circle was inscribed on the left. The visor and the sword ornament remained red. The helmet attachment on the back turned black while the side attachments turned silver. As for his main Arms weapon, the Daidaimaru vanished and was replaced by a long black yari with a short blade at one end and a pronged blade at the other.

BLOOD ORANGE ARMS! JA NO MICHI ON STAGE! JIMBER MATSUBOKKURI! HA-HA!

Upon hearing that transformation, the Tora Inves tossed Bujin Double to the side before snarling at Bujin Gaim who merely twirled his new weapon once before getting into a natural position, remembering all the training that Shibata and Inuchiyo had given him ever since he arrived in this world.

"Well, let's get this show on the road!"

TO BE CONTINUED…

Not sure if I'm fully satisfied with this but it at least moves things along for now.