If I owned Sengoku Basara, then Matsunaga Hisahide would be undeniably dead!


Chapter Two: Like Shadows in the Night


Groggily opening my eyes around midnight, I heard a maid knock timidly on my door, letting me know it was time to start the plan. Slipping my dress back on, I nudged the panel open with my shoulder, nodding to Ranmaru as I exited. Now there was a face for tiredness. Poor kid was barely able to keep his eyes open, and his bow seemed to be dragging his arm straight to the floor.

Halting him in his tracks, I adjusted my swords and slung his bow across my back. Making sure they were secure, I turned my back, kneeling slightly so he could grip at my neck. With him piggybacking me, we both exited the castle, making it to the stables a whole lot faster than Lord Oda did.

Gracia nodded in greeting, the events of earlier evidently forgotten as she came over, my horse's reins in her hand. "Imagawa's heading out around sunrise. And believe me, his guys snore."

"And Yamato?" I murmured, giving Ranmaru a leg up onto the saddle. Usually he rode on his own horse, but considering his less than energised state, he was sharing Dango, my bay warhorse. As we spoke, his dark nuzzle was messing up my loose hair, which I hadn't had time to fix yet.

"I got him out and back to his family. He's a nice guy. Little old for you though." Gracia joked, turning me around so she could braid my hair for me. At some point I'd have to learn to do that for myself, or risk depending on someone else for the rest of my life. "Good luck today, you too Ran."

"Why Gracia, you're not going soft on us are you?" Mitsuhide suddenly asked, his voice startling all three of us.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Father. Please excuse me." Patting my shoulder, Gracia took her leave, probably going in search of her bed. Which left me and a half asleep Ranmaru against a fully rested psychopathic Mitsuhide. The day was starting out well.

"Isn't it a little early for you to be up? Children need all the rest they can get."

"I don't see any children. Hey Ranmaru, you're up high, see any kids around here?" Light snores accompanied the end of my statement, Mitsuhide snorting his amusement. Well that was my argument wrecked. By the time Lord Oda approached, mounting just ahead of us, I'd succumbed to glaring at the stars, as though it was their fault I was out here.

As we set out, I made sure to slap the back of Ranmaru's head, both to wake him up and for his lack of comradery earlier. "Ow!"

"No time to whine, we're heading out." Pouting slightly, he leant over Dango's head, looking at Lord Oda's back. Nobody had ever felt the kind of worship that Ranmaru held for the Devil King, and it was well deserved. He gave it because though he owed nothing to Ranmaru, Lord Oda had taken him in after his father died; training him to be the fighter he was now.

The relationship I shared with him was far more complicated, but the situation that had brought us together was enough to ensure my complete and total loyalty. You don't turn your back on the man that took you from the dirt and raised you up, no matter what.

We rode through the darkness, getting into position just before sunrise. Breakfast and lunch had already been eaten, and all that was left to do was wait for Imagawa to show his face. With Ranmaru gone to scout, I sat beside Lord Oda, sword hand twitching at the slightest sound. If the Takeda and Date were involving themselves, there was a shinobi element to think about, and without Gracia around, Lord Oda was an open target.

"Lord Nobunaga!"

"What is it Ranmaru?"

"It's the Date…" Ranmaru doubled over, catching his breath. "They're openly attacking the Imagawa. When I left, a small group of Takeda were just getting involved."

"Hmm," Lord Oda sat back in thought, touching his moustache. "This may prove troublesome. Nohime, Mitsuhide." The pair came forward, glancing briefly at us, and then back to him, "You four ensure that Imagawa makes it here. If he utilises his doubles, kill them until you find the real coward."

"My Lord." Turning to leave, I motioned to a couple of soldiers. "Provide backup for Mori, keep him safe."

"Ma'am." Ignoring the somewhat peeved look I was receiving courtesy of Ranmaru, I broke into a run, clambering up the first likely tree I saw. Jumping from branch to branch like Gracia had shown me, I focused on my assignment, feeling my hands twitch again. So long as you weren't too unsure and didn't let rain worry you, tree hopping was a fast way to get from place to place, and I just made it to the ambush site, before being blinded by some kind of battle aura.

Such things weren't uncommon, as they were the sign of a powerful warrior, but watching two clash against each other in this manner was spectacular to view. Red and blue colliding in a blazing manner, calming down only so their controllers could glare at each other again.

From here I spied a crescent moon atop a helmet, Date Masamune most likely. But the young man in red…He wasn't Takeda Shingen, that much was obvious. That's when I tore my eyes from the bout, swearing to see the four palanquins already in place. So it was a game of chance Imagawa was playing. Four palanquins, and two-no three, I corrected, spying the Right Eye, Katakura Kojuro, generals.

Unluckily for him, there were four Oda generals waiting for him. There was a rustle of leaves next to me, Mitsuhide wordlessly laying claim to the one on the far right, indicating I should take the one next to it. Nodding my agreement to the plan, I moved a couple of branches over, waiting for the inevitable bolt for freedom.

I didn't have to wait long, the palanquin rushing underneath me in a frenzy. No whinnies followed it, indicating I'd gotten lucky, and grabbed the Imagawa not being chased by another general. Which left plenty of time to catch up with him. Every tap my sandals made against a branch was a step towards my target and possible praise from Lord Oda. Unsheathing my sword as I jumped, I recklessly leapt, plunging the blade through the roof. The driver whipped round in fear, but was knocked in the head by my bokken and forced from his seat. It was over so quickly, I was almost disappointed.

Turning to pull my sword free, I nearly knocked heads with the ninja crouching there, shuriken poised to kill me. Even in the dim rain, I could tell he wasn't one of Gracia's, and I gave a determined tug on the grip, freezing when it didn't budge.

The unknown ninja took in my face, standing up straight. "Wrong Imagawa, kid." An explosion came from the distance to my left, distracting the ninja long enough for me to hang over the side and duck into the palanquin, ignoring the corpse with my sword piercing his brains. "Damn, Master Sanada!"

A brief tap on the roof indicated it was safe to come out, just as the unmanned horse tore round a corner, throwing me out of the window and onto the dirt path. Breath knocked out of me, I winced at the ringing sound of a sword, opening one eye just enough to see my sword had pierced the ground an inch from my head.

The palanquin lay in ruin around me, and the body of Imagawa's fake was mangled beyond recognition. Footsteps approached me, Mitsuhide looking down at me a little. "Resting, Sayomi?"

"Not now you're here." I spied the scythe he had resting on his shoulder, a barely conscious piece of flesh hanging of it.

Following my eyes, Mitsuhide waved it about, "Meet Imagawa Yoshimoto, former lord of Suruga."

"Charmed." Holding out a hand, I let Mitsuhide pull me to my feet, retrieving my sword from its resting place as we walked. "Are you sure he's the real one?"

"Most definitely, the One Eyed Dragon was certainly put out that I'd stolen his prize." Rolling my eyes, I looked back at Imagawa, meeting his blurry gaze with my own. He knew his death was at hand, but he didn't know who was delivering it, only that it wasn't us. Or he did, and was simply steeling himself for it.

Probably not helping was the very wide grin I wore when I flicked my sword, splattering the blood on it onto the otherwise clear ground.

Lord Oda was waiting for us on top of a cliff, his eye registering our appearance, but otherwise waiting for something. Moving to stand next to Ranmaru and giving his topknot a quick ruffle, I looked down into the valley, just as Date stumbled out into our grip, his hands hovering on the hilts of his… "Six swords?" I breathed, eyes wide with awe. Was that even possible?

Apparently not, because he hesitated in drawing them, eyes fixed on our figures above him. A quick glance at Lord Oda showed he was giving Date his full, terrifying attention. "Boss Masamune!" Katakura called, running into view to join his boss. Unlike Date, his sword was out already, but he too was staring at us.

Yet another man came into view, the youth in red from the fray, clutching at both a spear and the reins of a horse. Judging by the ninja following him, this was 'Master Sanada'. Unlike their enemy faction, these pair hurried forward, Sanada going as far to yell up to Lord Oda directly. "Lord Oda Nobunaga, so called Devil King of Owari! My name is Sanada Genjiro Yukimura! I am the vassal of Takeda, the Tiger of Kai." My ears strained to pick up anything else he might've said, but judging by his look to Date, he'd been ordered to shut up.

Without a word passing between them, Mitsuhide lifted Imagawa high enough, both for the men below us to see, and for Oda to take aim with his gun. Keeping my eyes steadily downwards, glaring at the ninja that had landed me with bruising knees and hands, I didn't let the shot scare me, even as Imagawa dropped to the ground below.

His corpse landed at an unnatural angle, neck and various appendages twisted into positions that no man should ever attempt. With another paralysing look to Date, Oda turned his back on the scene, Lady Noh's hand on my shoulder guiding me away.


"What do you mean you lost a weapon!" Lord Oda snapped, looking down on me from his horse, all set to head off to Mino with most of the force. We'd just been about to set off when Ranmaru had noticed my bokken wasn't in my belt. Lord Oda had heard the observation and summoned me forwards, asking to see my belt. "A weapon only has worth when used, not lost on the battlefield. Go and find it!"

Barely stopping to bow, I charged back into the forest, looking for the ruins of the palanquin again. The environment had changed drastically from my tree running, and I slipped more than once in the mud that had been stirred up. By the time my legs were covered, I'd found my palanquin, and was beginning to search through the rotting planks of wood.

Lifting a much larger piece, I reeled back at the corpse lying there, landing bottom first in a puddle, but not registering right away. "Y-Yamato…" I whimpered, getting back to my feet. This wasn't the carriage I'd pursued…The slashed throat of my friend testified to that fact. Mitsuhide was the blood demon, not me. Yamato's eyes were staring into mine, his silent scream accusing me of murder.

Swallowing back my fear, I stepped closer, kneeling down beside him. This was the part I hated.

Fiercely shaking my hands to get rid of the quiver in them, I untied the knot on Yamato's sash, gently tugging his daisho from underneath him. There was solemnness in this duty, the promise every general made to their men that if their bodies couldn't be returned home, their swords would be.

And yet…I blinked back the torrent threatening to overcome me, ignoring the shadows moving in for the kill, placing my attention anywhere but at the contorted shapes they created. Several inched closer to me, their touch hotter than any fire, licking at my shoulders and hands.

Finding a new urgency, I yanked on the wazikashi, pulling it free just as the darkness tried to leap for my face. Ending up in the puddle again, this time clutching Yamato's soul, I forced myself to regain composure, even taking the time to wrap the swords in one of the curtains from the palanquin, protecting their lacquer sheaths from the rain around me.

There were no shadows leaping for me, nothing to suggest anything other than myself breathed in this area. With a deep intake of air, I strapped the rudimentary pack to my back with the other curtain, finally going in search of my bokken.

When I got back to the castle, Gracia would have a lot of explaining to do. Teeth firmly gritted with this determination, I barely noticed the small hint of light in my peripheral vision, the source disappearing when I tried to acknowledge it.


Like most ninjas, Gracia didn't like to be caught sleeping. As far as they were concerned, they were on the job at every hour of every single day. Unlike most ninjas, she found it hard to get started in the mornings. She'd barely been able to sit up before I stormed into her room, glaring at her through the bricks in my rage. "You liar!"

"I'm a ninja, we lie. Care to be a bit more specific?" Her eyes were still foggy from her disturbed nap, but when they cleared, she noticed the daisho I was holding in my arms. "New gift from Oda?"

"No, Yamato's corpse!" My words hit her, and Gracia was up, scattering her blankets as she got back to her feet. "You said he was out of there!"

"I did, he…he must've gone back." There was real guilt in her face, real worry. "I was tired, he said he'd be able to get home from there…" Gracia held out her hands for the swords, which I selfishly kept close to my body.

She knew what duty I now had to perform, and the hard stare I wore forced her into getting dressed, following me from the room dutifully.

The plan had gone off flawlessly, with no man losing his life. Or so we'd thought. Gracia's mistake had cost us a soldier, and as his general, it fell to me to deliver the news to his family. Passing a message to Lady Noh through a passing servant, I returned to the stables, hearing the coins Yamato had given me clink in one of my pockets, Gracia turning her head at the unknown sound.

"Might as well finish all my business in town." I cruelly whispered, setting off and leaving her in a cloud of dust.