Almost halfway there. I am also rewriting introductions as you can tell. This is because I think my previous introductions made me look insane. I can't believe I was such an annoying teenager. I cringe at the way I introduced every chapter. Also, it seemed that I had a strong habit of defending myself beforehand in case of any errors in my writing. This is something I will remove from all of the coming introductions and outro's.

Note: This chapter consists of some lore that I based upon actual Samurai Warriors 2 playthroughs. I think I also read some facts from the game on its wiki. Now, this has been many years ago, so I might not be accurate, but it will not hinder the flow of the story. If there is any pointer to give, feel free to say it in a review, or feel free to message me privately. Either is fine.

Chapter 4

Another day passed as Masamune made his way towards Osaka castle. He actually didn't finish business in the fisherman's village back then, but Ieyasu called him personally because he heard of Masamune's deeds.

The young man worked hard and ascended to higher ranks among the lords of Mikawa's officers. Now, Masamune didn't suddenly throw away his own ambitions for conquest. He was just planning to take Japan for himself when he knew the time was ripe.

The dragon thought about Shiorin, who recently refused his offer. It might be a good idea to revisit the place when she would expect it the least. That way it should be easier to persuade her. He knew that she was probably afraid, but she is no fool, nor is she weak. He would take her.

That would have to wait though, because as of this moment, he was going to take Osaka castle. Toyotomi's retainers were surrounding its gates.

Masamune prepared himself mentally for battle. He thought of his wife who was back in Oshu, waiting for him to return.

Masamune's wife was Lady Mego, daughter of Tamura Kiyoaki who was the owner of Miharu Castle in Mutsu Province.

Though Masamune didn't necessarily feel strongly connected to his wife's family and affiliations, the marriage between her and himself was a good one. He loved her, she loved him. They stayed faithful to one another, supported each other, and so on. Of course, they also argued typically, like any married couple would.

Scratch that. Not like any married couple at all.

Mego and Masamune got married by arrangement. They didn't choose each other, which resulted in a lot of bickering. It was not an easy time, but in the end, the couple started to love each other in earnest.

A smile spread across the dragon's face. He stood upon the battlefield, in front of the castle and its awaiting soldiers, who were ready to strike when commanded to do so.

'I'll come back soon, Mego, I promise.' He inwardly made his spouse a promise.

A loud yell was heard. The Toyotomi commander ordered his soldiers to attack and they roared right onto the field, going straight for Ieyasu Tokugawa and his allies.

The dragon fought his way through while thinking about his wife gave him strength, will and determination. It made the dragon desire his home and he wanted to end this battle quickly.

In order to do so, Masamune figured that he wanted to target the castle directly, which was probably the most foolish thing anyone could do. If he would survive this, not that he doubted that he would, Ieyasu would surely accost him for this. Either way, the young lord didn't care.

Soldiers charged towards him in an attempt to stop him. Masamune fought back as hard as he could. He shot the soldiers down with his pistol in one hand, and slashed them with his sword in the other. Of course he didn't remain unscathed himself, but that was to be expected.

Eventually the one eyed dragon made his way through the castle gates. It was quite a struggle, but as he would always say, no one and nothing could stop a dragon from soaring and ascending to the skies. He would do whatever it takes to achieve his goals, even if it meant that he had become a little reckless in battle.

The young lord gazed around until he noticed a tall man who was guarding the entrance of the castle. Masamune smirked.

With a sneer on his face, Masamune approached the man who immediately aimed his rifle upon the young lord. Something about his expression made it clear that he would not back down easily. Which was fine, neither would Masamune himself.

The tall man spoke, "Masamune Date, the one eyed dragon of the north… once again shows his face to make his ambition and name known throughout the land."

Masamune laughed. "Move aside. I am not here for fame. I came for conquest." the younger male said as he took a few steps closer.

The older male's finger was closely pressed against the trigger, ready to pull when necessary. "Listen, Hideyoshi's going to make this land prosperous and he will make it flourish. I won't let someone like you ruin that."

The young lord laughed again, this time louder than before, much to the tall man's dismay.

"Imbecile." Masamune started, "Don't you realize that Hideyoshi's time has passed? You want a better land? Then I am the one you should serve." he continued while slowly approaching the tall man who narrowed his eyes, seemingly unsure of what to believe.

"So… you think you got what it takes?" The man questioned, while staring at the young lord with a hard gaze.

Masamune sheathed his sword and took his other pistol in his free hand, aiming both guns at the man in front of him. His smirk grew. "I'll prove it."

The taller man returned the same grin as he pulled the trigger, making the one eyed dragon move out of the way in response. He dodged the bullet and afterwards he charged towards his target, trying to get up close to he managed to do that, he quickly drew his sword again and raised it swiftly to slash down.

The sound of metal clashing echoed within the battlefield, as Masamune's sword met with the cold hard steel of his opponent's blade, which was– upon further inspection– attached to his rifle. Interesting weapon.

After their clash, Masamune jumped back to sheath his sword again and swiftly grabbed his pistol again. This man was good. A fellow gunner as skillful as he is would surely be a good addition to the dragon's army.

Meanwhile the tall man was in doubt. He wondered why someone like Masamune, a warlord and ruler, would recklessly head into the castle with scarcely any allies to assist him. Was it his determination to conquer, or was it something else? He wish he knew the answer.

'Yet I don't even understand what I am fighting for… I kind of lost my purpose.' The man interrupted his thoughts as the dragon was suddenly rushing towards him. Before the tall man could strike back, he had to move quickly to dodge the bullet, which gave Masamune an opportunity to attack. The young man took his sword and swung his leg so the man tripped, lost balance and fell down.

As soon as his opponent hit the ground, Masamune raised his sword and pointed it in the man's face then lowered the tip of the sword close to his throat. A smirk spread across the lord's face while the man in front of him sighed in defeat.

"Not bad." Masamune admitted. "Though you were obviously not focusing on the battle. Otherwise it wouldn't have been that easy to bring you down. Tell me…"

"Magoichi."

Masamune raised an eyebrow as the man spoke.

"Magoichi Saika, that's my name."

The dragon nodded and withdrew his sword and kneeled before the man so he could look him in the eye. "Magoichi, tell me, what do you stand for? What do you fight for?"

Magoichi bit his lip for a second, pondering on what to answer the young lord. He didn't know to be honest, he didn't know what he fought for anymore. After his home got destroyed and his comrades got murdered, rage and sorrow were all he knew for a long time. What he really wanted though, was a land without war. A land, where the ones he cared about would be safe. Could this young man in front of him really accomplish something like that? Could he restore peace?

A soft sigh left Masamune's lips while he understandingly nodded at Magoichi. The dragon was not nosy. He would not pry into personal issues that were not his to know. He would ask no more questions.

"Join me, Magoichi. I will give you what you're looking for." Masamune got up from his crouching position. "If prosperity is what you search for, I will lead you the way." The young lord said as if he made a promise. He turned around and craned his head up to look at the sky above him.

A smile appeared on Magoichi's features as he too started to gaze up at the sky. "You're quite a dreamer." He replied to the young lord. "But I guess we all are, one way or another."

"We all dream, we all like to see dreams, but not all of us can make them reality." Masamune responded.

"Right you are." The taller man stood up and held his rifle in both of his hands. "Alright, I'll join you and will be fighting alongside you, but you better keep your promise."

Masamune nearly laughed. "Never doubt me."

From that moment, Magoichi assisted the dragon in further infiltrating Osaka castle as more soldiers tried to hinder them from doing so. They made their way past the gates and headed right inside of the castle where the Toyotomi soldiers were fighting back against their enemies.

Ieyasu and his men had already surrounded the castle and forced their way in from different sides. The head of the castle, Hideyori Toyotomi , the son of Hideyoshi, was easily pushed back, and eventually Osaka castle fell.

Masamune and Ieyasu were victorious, meaning that both of them came a step closer to ruling the land. The dragon wasn't planning on opposing Ieyasu just yet, but he could feel that fateful day slowly approaching.

After going over their accomplishments and achievements with the lord of Mikawa, Masamune prepared to leave.

Magoichi stood next to him while he was in deep thought. He wondered where they were headed next and to where the young lord would lead him.