Originally, this chapter used to be longer. 37 pages in Word. I think that is too long. It would be okay, but honestly I think splitting it up into two chapters is the better choice. Especially now, because I think re-writing it will make it even longer.

So this chapter will be split. Chapter 10 will be its continuation. Regarding events within the story the same as I said before applies: This story's timeline does not follow a specific canon order.

Chapter 9

Mego knew it was still early in the morning as the sun hadn't risen yet.

She had been restless lately and despite that she was tired, she could not sleep any more. With a groan, she lifted herself off the bed and stretched, tension slowly easing off her body.

To hell with actual sleep, because her beloved Masamune would return to Oshu soon, after his battle at Hasedo castle. According to her messenger, the Date army would intercept the Uesugi at Hasedo, and relieve the castle from Kanetsugu Naoe's troops. As far as Mego knew, the said priest had laid siege there for two weeks. Originally it was a campaign, part of the resistance against Ieyasu Tokugawa.

Though in all honesty, the wife of the one eyed dragon did not care for these facts. As selfish as it might sound, she just wanted her husband to come home and soon, they would be reunited again. Carefully, she clutched the letter that the messenger had delivered to her chest.

'Just a while longer…'

Of course she was very eager to be with the one eyed dragon again. And she was longing to hear the stories he would have to tell. She wanted to know what he had seen, what he had done, and she wanted him to tell her about his bravery in every battle.

Though, Mego also secretly hoped to see the Date's newest recruit. After all, if Masamune allowed a peasant into his army, then she probably possessed no ordinary strength. At least, she sure hoped so, because what other reason would there be to recruit a peasant?

She mentally scolded herself. Regardless of who this peasant woman was, nothing would change. No matter how strong she was, or what she would look like. it was true that another woman would be fighting alongside her husband, but that was all it would be, two soldiers on the battlefield fighting for their lives. Nothing else. Mego had to keep faith.

All that was important, and what she truly needed to worry about was how to properly welcome her husband after his long absence.

With this thought in her mind, she carefully put the letter back inside of her drawers and with a light smile on her face she got ready for today.

The young lord's wife wasn't the only one who couldn't close her eyes despite it being early. Said lord was excited to fight the coming battle and he felt that he was ready. More so than ever. He did not get a wink of sleep, but he felt more energetic than anything else.

After the siege of Hasedo, he would be able to see his wife. He could sleep next to her again and hold her closely, making sure to tell her how much he loves her even though these warring states had kept them apart for so long. Now, Masamune wasn't exactly the type of person to be this affectionate to just anyone, but that is what made Mego so different from everyone else. She was the only woman, the only person in his life, that ever managed to bring out this side of him.

Masamune smiled to himself.

'Just a bit longer…'

That moment, he was approaching Hasedo castle with his army. The Date were stretched out numerously at the front lines, ready to face the Uesugi and relieve the castle so that the enemy had nowhere to run. It seemed like this battle would not be too hard, as the Date were at an advantage. After all, their reinforcements were the Mogami clan and their commander was Yoshiaki Mogami, Masamune's uncle from his mother's side.

At any rate, despite the fact that it seemed like the Date had the upper hand in the upcoming battle, the one eyed dragon could not afford to get careless.

He had to be quick, and sloppiness could not be afforded. His goal was to leave Hasedo with little to no casualties.

The young lord watched his surroundings, observed them closely and grinned because his confidence grew as he confirmed that his army seemed to be just as ready as he was. It gave him joy. Kojuro was at the one eyed dragon's side, and the latter nodded at his lord, indicating that he too, was ready for battle.

Masamune huffed and turned his gaze towards the back and he spotted Magoichi, who returned the gaze at him. Behind the gunslinger was Rin, who seemed less confident than the other soldiers. Her look was wary and she was shivering and trembling as her hands clung tightly onto Magoichi's coat.

Her shoulders were hunched, while she scanned her environment with shifty eyes.

With a sigh, Masamune turned away. He began to wonder if he maybe should have waited or trained her a little more before sending her into battle. After all, she would be of no use if she would be too scared to even lift a finger.

The reason why he immediately made her fight along with the Date is because he could certainly use her abilities during the siege of Hasedo. This was why he appointed Magoichi to monitor her during the battle. It was obvious that leaving her by herself would get her killed, because even though she possessed such amazing strength, she seemed to not be mentally fit. Taking her along was a gamble, but so be it.

Hopefully, Magoichi would be able to guide her so she could set aside her fears.

Normally, Masamune would not care for useless people wasting his time, but he wanted to believe in Rin and her abilities. He believed that she could be an impeccable soldier if she wanted to. Of course, guarding and guiding her was one hell of an investment, but it was all for the sake of his ambitions.

It was now or never.

Magoichi seemed to notice when his lord glanced over somewhat worriedly. The gunslinger looked behind him and reached for Rin's head, making the girl immediately look up at him with fearful blue eyes.

Shiorin understood the gunslinger's gaze. His features were soft and his expression told her: 'calm down and remember what you have been told'.

However, despite that she knew, she could not push away the anxious feeling. It churned her stomach and made her feel nauseous. It felt as if invisible hands were squeezing her throat with an icy grip. She could barely breathe all because of an immense fear. Her body felt heavy.

What would she do? What could she do?

Before they reached Hasedo, all the young woman could think of was what Masamune had told her, a message which basically boiled down to, 'kill or be killed'.

Carefully and with a deep breath, Rin reached for her forehead, armored hand reaching for the scar that hid under her bangs. Even though she couldn't feel it because of the iron weapons she wore, she still shuddered just at the thought. It was weird, because Masamune mentioned something about it, about how he assumed that she must have gone through a difficult time. It made Shiorin think.

She absolutely did not know how she got the scar, but when the young lord pointed it out, she thought that it might have a connection with her nightmares somehow. Of course, she didn't know why she got that feeling, and rather she would not find out.

Yet, the inevitability of imminent death was upon her, and for some reason, she did not only fear it because she feared death alone. That sense of familiarity scared her to no end. This feeling of impending tragedy was unsettling, yet she felt like she experienced it before.

Rin finally opened her mouth, trying to raise her back steadily while doing so, then let out a heavy and exasperated sigh. Her breathing was irregular and her body was trembling. She felt sick and as soon as she felt like she was on the brink of losing it, a piercing scream snapped her back into reality.

Horses' hoofs stomped and charged ahead tremendously. Boulderous cries and roars rang her ears and made her heart beat ten times faster than normal.

The battle had begun.

Masamune did not have time to look back any more, so he tugged the bridles on his horse and stormed forth while he yelled at his soldiers to charge. He had to admit though, he was a little concerned with Rin because it seemed like she was on the verge of breaking down, but he had no time to dwell on it.

As the leader and lord of the Date army, he had to fully focus on making this mission successful.

While making his way towards the castle, he took a short moment to reflect upon his battle strategies. The area before Hasedo castle was divided into four garrisons. Currently, they were all taken by the Uesugi. Two of these bases were located in the north and in the south respectively. The other two were connected by the road in between.

Masamune decided to make his way towards the southern garrison, as it was currently closest to his position. His uncle Yoshiaki Mogami would also be there.

Magoichi was headed north, together with Rin, while Kojuro would march his troops towards the other two garrisons.

Eventually, the one eyed dragon reached his destination in the south. He jumped off his horse, then rushed towards the garrison, only to be confronted by screaming and yelling soldiers charging to try and claim his head. Masamune inwardly shook his head. By their bloodthirst and eagerness to kill him, he figured that Kanetsugu, who was currently the Uesugi's commander after Kenshin had passed away, had gone on and on to his soldiers about how the one eyed dragon of Oshu was a disgrace. A Mut. Simply a dog to Ieyasu Tokugawa.

Kanetsugu and Masamune never got along because of their different beliefs and their different approaches.

The one eyed dragon believed that Kanetsugu was nothing but a pretentious fool who used sweet words to gloss over the reality of war. He sent men to his death, ordered soldiers to kill, just like any other warlord, yet for some reason he believed that the Uesugi were more righteous than anyone else. It was absolutely idiotic.

The priest believed that Masamune was hard headed and ruthless. He did not believe that Masamune cared for anyone but himself. He knew that the one eyed dragon would do absolutely anything just to gain power. After all, his father's death proved as much. Kanetsugu could not believe that anyone would go as far as killing their own blood just for ambition's sake. And for what? Just to be someone's lapdog?

Aye. Kanetsugu could not stand Ieyasu either. He could not believe that anyone would follow him. Every next warlord was the same. All they did was kill and sacrifice for personal gain. It was all about power.

Masamune scoffed as he mused to himself. He knew that Kanetsugu thought about him this way. He was aware thanks to their last meeting at Odawara castle. However, he did not care about that pretentious fool's opinion. Why should the dragon bother explaining his dreams and goals to someone who would never understand? He was just a hypocrite and right now, he was just a hindrance. An annoying predicament, a pest, that needed to be exterminated once and for all.

With a roar, Masamune lifted his sword out of its sheath and swung it in a diagonal line across the armor of the soldiers that attempted to attack him. A little musou was stored into the attack, and it was enough to damage the armor and cut into his enemies' skin. A smirk spread across his face as soon as he heard the agonizing cries of his opponents. He would use his gun, but he should save his bullets for Kanetsugu's head.

The bodies fell down in front of him, and one of the soldiers tried to cope with the pain by firmly palming the flesh that had been cut. Sadly for him, Masamune was in no mood to spare any of the Uesugi. They were pesky and had to be gone. If he would spare even a single soul, they would only come after him later. Now Masamune was not a lord with a heart of stone. He would at least end the soldier's life quickly.

Said soldier looked up at the young lord, slightly frightened, but he also seemed angry. While he obviously knew it was about to end for him, Masamune could still see the hate in the soldier's eyes. Obviously, the man wanted to curse the one eyed dragon.

"You…" The man managed to utter with groans and grunts of agony.

Without saying a single word, Masamune silenced the soldier with the tip of his blade. He did not need to hear anything that imbecile had to say. After all, they were just a dead man's ramblings.

The young lord moved on, even though he was slightly on edge. A simple hateful stare was enough to make him feel anger. All these imbeciles had moronic assumptions about him. As if he was some sort of tyrant or monster. Of course, Masamune shouldn't care, but at the same time the injustice of it all really irritated him to no end.

Peace. Wealth. Prosperity for all. The young lord of Oshu wanted all of these things for Japan just as much as the next ruler. Heck, maybe even more so than anyone else. Maybe selfish to claim, but the habitants of this land weren't the only one who lost so much in these warring states. Everything was taken from Masamune. He had nothing left. His father was dead. His brother was dead. His mother was gone, even though she was out there, alive.

However, she always despised her youngest son. Masamune used to suffer because of her.

In any case, the young lord understood that war only brought destruction. Japan was such a beautiful place and he knew they were just destroying it from within. People were hungry. Families were robbed of their loved ones. Circumstances were not equal for everyone as a lot of villages lived in poverty, just like Rin's village.

In other words, Masamune understood that what Japan needed now was unity in order to create peace. And in order to achieve this, he had to fight. That was all there was to it.

While the young lord was once again musing to himself, a sudden appearance caught his eye. A large figure approached him and as soon as it got close, it seemed to be grinning at him. The huge man had a very wide grin. His laugh was boulderous and sounded loudly, even among the various screams of other soldiers and clashing of swords and other weapons.

"The one eyed dragon shows himself in front of me, what a pleasant surprise." The gruff voice beamed with some sort of excitement.

Masamune merely narrowed his one eye. He should've known that a man who loved war as much as this, would be here at this moment.

"Keiji Maeda." The dragon called the large man's name.

Of course, Keiji Maeda would be present in an important battle such as this one. After all, he was one of Kanetsugu's most important allies. Furthermore, the Uesugi were at a disadvantage, but if there was anyone out there who would thrive on such misfortune, it definitely would be Keiji. Unfortunate battle circumstances seemed to excite the man. He wanted to be challenged.

The large man's chest heaved heavily when he roared in joy. "You have no idea how thrilled I am to stand in front of you once more. And this soon? Who would've thought." Keiji grinned and clenched the pike weapon that rested on his shoulder.

Masamune waved his free hand dismissively to the side and pointed his sword towards the larger figure. Great, he should've expected Keiji to be strengthening the Uesugi forces. But at the same time, he did not, so this was going to be far more difficult than he had anticipated. He had to hold him off for a while. Hopefully, he would not need to waste any bullets on this man. At least until he could finish him off, which would not be easy. Keiji Maeda was a formidable fighter. Almost on par with Tadakatsu Honda, who was considered to be the mightiest warrior among the Tokugawa, but also among the most famous of samurai.

"I sure hope this is the last that I will see of you." Masamune eventually responded, then immediately charged forth.

While the one eyed dragon was fighting, Magoichi marched towards the garrison in the north. While his horse galloped its way to the front, the gunslinger noticed a pair of hands tightly clutching at his back. He assumed that Rin was probably shaky about staying on her horse without falling off, all while fearing for her life on the battlefield. It made the man wonder if it was a good idea to bring her into battle. He had no problem monitoring her, but she might be a hindrance if she could not fight or even defend herself. Honestly, if he did not witness her strength firsthand before, he would think his lord had lost his mind.

"We're almost there. Are you ready? Because there will be no turning back." Magoichi looked over his shoulder as he called out to the young woman.

Shiorin did not reply. Instead, she scanned her surroundings warily, to which the gunslinger just sighed and he slowly shook his head. How could a little lady like this be so helpless?

He tugged the horse's bridles, to which the horse halted its advance. Magoichi jumped off its back, looked up sternly at Rin, and nudged her leg which caused her to nervously rush off the saddle.

"Ok, so, before we get closer up there," The gunslinger started, "I need you to focus, Rin." He roughly patted her back. "This is the real thing. I know it is scary, but we cannot afford you to slow us down. It will not only get you killed, but possibly also the rest of us." As soon as he said this, she looked up at him, but he just nodded and tried to reassure her, "Just do out here, what you did out there."

"Okay." She replied softly.

"Remember." He quickly added. "I will not be able to save your skin. Don't forget what you have been told." And with that, the gunslinger advanced to the front lines.

Rin followed behind. While her legs did feel very heavy, for some reason she was more so afraid to be left alone or lose Magoichi out of her sight. Her throat became dry just at the thought. She swallowed a painful lump and feared what awaited ahead of her.

Why did this feeling of dread seem so familiar? The whole scenery felt like a déjà vu to her and she couldn't quite place it.

Loud voices sounded from everywhere. Screams and yells grew louder as soon as she and Magoichi approached the garrison. The ominous presence that loomed throughout the area. It felt like she had experienced it before. It made her dread everything. So much that she felt like her stomach was twisting itself.

Her heart was now beating insanely fast and while she tried to focus on what Magoichi and Masamune had told her, it did not help a single bit. She felt that she would lose her wits. She just knew. She could not handle the pressure. She could not do it. Her whole body felt heavy. Her head was pounding. Her limbs were trembling.

She had to get out of there. But she couldn't. What if she would? She would die. Magoichi would probably kill her or he would tell Masamune and they would hunt her down. No, as a matter of fact. Even if she tried to flee from them, it wouldn't be long before any of these other Uesugi samurai would kill her one way or another. They would not stop until they drew her blood.

Blood.

Deep crimson flashed briefly before her eyes and suddenly she could not breathe anymore. It took her a moment to realize that the very scene she was so scared of was starting to unfold in front of her eyes. Soldiers were fighting in front of the garrison. They clashed swords, some of which were of equal strength. Others got cut by blades and breathed their last breath on this very soil. It was not before long, until other Uesugi soldiers started to rush towards her and Magoichi, but they got shot by the gunslinger before they got close.

Shiorin swallowed. Guns were truly terrifying weapons.

This was what she was dragged into. This was what she would need to confront each time when she was ordered to fight. She had to either take another's life, or either someone else would take hers. It scared her and made her feel powerless and hopeless. It was an inescapable fate.

Suddenly an increasing urge to scream started to burn at her chest.

Magoichi noticed her faltering state when he looked behind him and immediately called out to her. At first, he thought she was just an anxious young lady. However, this seemed to be something deeper. Not just insecurity. She seemed like she was on the verge of losing her mind. Her expression was a confused one, and the only noise she was making were high pitched whimpers.

The gunslinger muttered under his breath while trying to turn and reach for her, but before he could grab a hold of the young woman's arm, a sudden flash of light made its way towards them.

Musou? Only a technique that could be used by most high ranked officers. Great. The gunslinger dived out of the way and managed to push Shiorin just in time so both of them managed to evade the blow.

Warily, Magoichi looked around for their assaulter, only to be met by a soft, feminine chuckle. He immediately darted his head towards that direction to see a slender woman in a white dress slowly walk up to Rin and him.

"Magoichi Saika, isn't it? I recognize that face. I've heard so much about you as well…" She trailed off for a brief moment. "The gunslinger of the west. Quite the skirt chaser. Though, I didn't expect you to bring your little trophy maidens onto the battlefield." She referred to the young woman beside the man.

The gunslinger just scoffed whilst he helped the girl get onto her feet. The latter was just staring at their adversary in confusion.

"I am afraid you are misunderstanding, miss Aya. This young lady over here is a soldier, just like us." Magoichi retorted.

The woman in white, whose name appeared to be Aya, stared at the both of them.

Shiorin heard about this woman before, lady Aya of the Uesugi clan. Supposedly she was the sister to the famous warlord Kenshin Uesugi. This made Rin gulp just thinking about it. Then she must have been very strong.

Aya was also mother to Kagekatsu Uesugi, who was the current head of the Uesugi clan.

A soft chuckle could be heard again. Aya shook her head as she stared at Rin pitifully. "As meek as a little lamb.", She took a step closer. "I would pity her. I can't believe such a sweet little thing belongs on the battlefield. Let alone among such brutes like the Date."

Rin took a step back each time that the woman in white came closer. Was she going to fight her? Was she going to try and kill her? Was there even any time to think and worry about this? In all honesty, all that Shiorin could focus on were the distant war cries. Her first instinct was still to run. Yet, she was afraid that only death awaited her. Also, she did not want to see any more blood. The image of soldiers cutting each other down was not an image that she could so easily ignore.

It was as if the nightmares that haunted her all of her life tried to become her reality at this very moment. The screams of agony became real. The corpses that she saw in her dreams became real. She wanted to push away these thoughts, but she couldn't and at this point, she could no longer separate her nightmare and visions from reality. She could no longer tell the difference. She had lost touch with everything around her.

'Rin…'

Suddenly, she could hear a distant voice call her name. Was it Magoichi? Perhaps he tried to call out to her to snap her out of it, but she was not sure. The voice was so faint.

'…Rin.'

Why did hearing her name suddenly feel so odd to her? It was her name after all. Right? Rin. Shiorin.

She tried to look up and craned her head upwards as she tried to see where the voice was coming from. It still sounded faint, because of all the screams around her.

It was weird. She suddenly couldn't see the battlefield anymore. Her surroundings had changed. Yet this place looked familiar. Where was the garrison? Where were the soldiers?

Her heart stopped beating yet again when the soldiers were suddenly replaced with regular villagers. Common people runned about and screamed. They seemed absolutely terrified.

Shiorin wanted to reach for them and ask them what they were trying to escape from so desperately, but she was too terrified herself. She felt like she couldn't stay either. Whatever was out there, she had to get away from it.

'Rin!'

The voice that she heard before started to call her name louder and louder. Whoever it was, was looking for her, weren't they?

She had to get to safety.

With a small yelp, Shiorin twisted upon her heels and turned around. While her body felt heavy, she still tried to make her legs move fast, one by one.

She kept it up and she felt her body move faster and faster.

What was she even running from? She felt distraught, and it was like some part of her did deliberately try to escape from something. Something she knew of in the deepest of her memories.

Maybe she was trying to run from death. She knew she wanted to run from the fights that were taking place all around her, but they were nowhere to be seen anymore. In fact, she could not see anyone anymore. She couldn't even see where she was headed to. Her sight was hazy and whenever she tried to squeeze her eyes shut, all she could see were the dead bodies from her nightmares.

Usually, in her dreams, she couldn't recognize the figures. However, at the moment it felt like her vision became clearer and suddenly she felt like she could recognize their faces.

'Rin…'

The voice that called out to her sounded distant again and Shiorin could already feel herself slow down her pace. Her heart, on the other hand, raced even faster than ever before.

She had to keep running. Even if it was just for a little while longer. Just a bit further. A little more.

Eventually she collapsed onto the ground because of exhaustion, her knees and palms colliding harshly with the stones and dirt. Her body had given in, and all of the dread that filled her took its toll.

With loud pants and deep inhales and exhales, she tried to catch her breath.

For a moment the girl closed her eyes as well.

'Rin…'

Why did they not stop? Why would they not leave her alone?

'Rin.'

An icy chill ran down her spine when she re-opened her eyes, which immediately shrunk in shock at the sight before her. She forgot to breathe as her body froze up.

A large man took heavy steps towards her until he was only a few inches away.

"Shiorin."

Her name was called by a very gruff voice. His small lips formed a tight line and his hard eyes stared down at the small woman in front of him.

It seemed like the young woman had gone through a severe psychosis episode, which she was unaware of herself. She had lost touch with reality for what seemed like an eternity to her. Suddenly, after snapping out of it she found herself back on the battlefield. The figure in front of her however, seemed to be very real. It was not a part of her nightmares.

And she knew this man.

Fate could be the most terrifying thing.

Kanetsugu Naoe was a faithful retainer of the Uesugi, a priest who believed in honor, love, righteousness and justice and he believed that Ieyasu Tokugawa lacked these concepts completely. That is why the Uesugi must win today's battle and live on. The Tokugawa's reign must be stopped and while the Uesugi were a great opposing clan, they still were without their great leader, Kenshin Uesugi.

Of course Kanetsugu believed in Kagekatsu, who was the current head of the clan, but if the Uesugi would falter today, there would no longer be a clan to lead. They could not hand over Hasedo castle, or else they would no longer be able to retreat safely. And if they could not do this, then they could not strengthen their allies in future battles to come.

Originally, Kanetsugu had hoped to overthrow the Mogami clan from here on out, but the interception of the Date army was quite surprising. Thankfully, the Uesugi still had greater numbers.

The priest was on his way to assist his friend Keiji. Apparently the man had run into Masamune at some point. Kanetsugu's messenger had informed him of the situation and while the priest knew that his friend was a formidable fighter, he could not afford to let his guard down. Despite the fact that he despised the one eyed dragon, he knew that the young man could not be underestimated.

Besides, Kanetsugu inwardly admitted to himself, he wanted to face Masamune personally.

The lord of Oshu was very young, and probably had the potential to become a powerful ruler. However, Kanetsugu could never acknowledge the young man. He was cruel and unjust in his eyes.

Kenshin Uesugi was different from other daimyo and rulers. His clan believed in honor above all else. This was why the priest was loyal to them.

They had to prevail and Masamune needed to be defeated. This needed to happen fast.

While Kanetsugu was making his way to the south, he knew he could count on Kagekatsu Uesugi to defend the other remaining garrisons. If he remembered correctly, Lady Aya was headed for the north.

The priest had absolute faith that the castle was in good hands.

Kagekatsu was a capable fighter and leader. He was a reliable general, met all requirements on physical strength and his stern manner earned him the respect of his underlings.

Aya was a skilled wielder of the naginata, a long poled sword. The priest had to admit that if one would anger her, she could become quite scary even though she was a truly kind hearted soul. There was no doubt that she could hold her own even against the Date's greatest soldiers.

So in fact, Kanetsugu had little to worry about, yet there was still a small event that had occurred earlier, which made him somewhat uneasy throughout the entirety of this battle.

Before the Uesugi had finished their preparations, Kanetsugu sat by a river side to think through his plans for the siege of Hasedo. He analyzed every step over and over again, because there was a lot at stake. The pressure was high and they could not afford a loss.

His head was pounding as he could feel the blood pumping through his veins and temples. The priest reached out and immediately rubbed the spots with his fingertips.

He sighed and groaned heavily, until his breath suddenly hitched when a rustle made him aware of his surroundings.

"Intruder! Whoever is near, do know you have been detected, thus you would be wise to show yourself this instant!" Kanetsugu spoke loud and clear, hand ready to reach for his weapon and his fingers bent slightly as they brushed the hilt of his sword. He could draw it at any moment.

Nothing happened, so the priest was about to move in closer to the noise, until he heard a low, gruff chuckle.

Alarmed, the priest looked up only for a tall figure to emerge from the dark greenery of these woods. A man whom Kanetsugu had never seen before. A samurai perhaps? No, judging by his attire and rugged appearance, he did not seem like he belonged to any clan or master. Was he a ronin then? They were wandering rogues who did not serve any master, and mostly lacked a lot of the original codes that real samurai did go by.

If this was the case, it would make Kanetsugu even more wary. He knew nothing, thus he could only make way the man carried his sword was odd. It was loosely seated at the front of his waist, held by a sash.

"What do you need?" Kanetsugu asked, not taking his eyes off the stranger. The man was extremely tall, maybe about the same height as his friend Keiji, though he did not seem as buff. He also had very light coloured hair, a combination of gray and blonde. His locks were swept backwards, save for the few strands of hair that were hanging over his forehead.

While the priest was observing his adversary, the gruff voice answered, "Well, well, well. If it isn't the Uesugi's trusty marionette. The faithful and determined priest fighting for the beliefs of the dragon of Echigo. What was it again? Love…" The man took a few steps forward. "Honor…Justice."

Kanetsugu scoffed in response at the man's mocking demeanor. "For a rogue such as yourself you sure seem to know a lot."

"Heh. Even if I am no longer a samurai, that does not mean that I am ignorant." So Kanetsugu was right after all. The man is a ronin. "Though, you and I are not all that different." Said man stood now right in front of the priest.

"We both shed blood in order to live. We all take the same path to wealth."

This caused Kanetsugu to let out a hostile growl at the man. "Do not compare me to the likes of you."

"What?" The man grinned widely. "Are you telling me that I am wrong? Prove it to me. Do you not kill and claim that it is for the sake of Japan? Do you not need to stay alive in order to accomplish that? To do any of that, do you not need to shed blood like any other soldier?" The man's shoulders started to shake tremendously until he threw his head back with a booming laughter. The thing that Kanetsugu did not like about this, was that the tone in which the man spoke suddenly changed. It was like a shift in behavior. While he seemed calm, his laughter seemed maniacal. It alerted the priest. His mockery was probably the least of his problems.

The rogue continued, while Kanetsugu just observed him quietly for the time being, "The only difference between you and me is that you are a dog who follows orders. While I am a lone wolf. Tell me, how different are these animals? They are separated by their origin, but both of them are canine beasts. They howl. They growl. They bite…" The man smirked and gritted his teeth and clenched his jaw multiple times, as if he was going to bite Kanetsugu at any moment.

"You still have not answered my question." The priest was having none of it. "What do you need from me?"

"I know of Uesugi's situation." The man smirked. "You lost your clan's leader and your other allies, the Sanada and the Toyotomi loyalists, are fighting their own battles. Currently, Tokugawa Ieyasu is the most powerful ruler and even if you make it out of here alive, you would still have to face him with what little numbers you would have left." The rogue explained everything. Kanetsugu did not like this. Not only was this man suspicious because of his appearance, but how would a lowly ronin be this well informed? What if he was hired by the enemy. He could be a spy. If this was the case, who was his ally? The priest highly doubted that Ieyasu would resort to such a measure. Probably, not even Masamune.

"What are you trying to say?" the priest informed cautiously.

"Take me as your ally." The rogue offered while his grin grew. "Of course, this is not a free of charge request."

"Do you really believe I would taint the name of the Uesugi by hiring the likes of a rogue like you?" Kanetsugu uttered in disbelief.

"Do you have a choice?" Said rogue chuckled. "Rather, do you have anything to lose? Except for that head of yours."

Kanetsugu glared intensely.

The man was not fazed though. He leaned back and relaxed his posture, then made his way closer to the river. "At this rate, the Tokugawa will win this war, even if you win your next battle without my help. You will always be at a disadvantage."

The priest clenched his fist. While the man had a point, he did not understand what difference hiring a rogue would make. "Even if that may be so, we still need to try. Besides, I do not see how hiring you would change anything. You are just one man. You are not even a real samurai. There is not any possibility of you defending us." Kanetsugu turned his gaze away. "Also, I cannot trust you. I don't even know why a ronin like you would want to serve a clan. It makes no sense."

A small chuckle left the rogue's lips. "Even if you do not trust me, my motivation shouldn't matter to you, as long as I am fighting for you. Though, maybe I need to tell you something more convincing." The man smirked. "The truth is, there is literally no reason for me to fight for you. I have literally nothing to lose. All I do is wander these lands because I have no place to go to. All that matters to me is to stay alive." The rogue paused, then spoke again. He held up his hands in front of him, staring at them intently. Kanetsugu noticed that the man's hands were quivering, and his expression changed. It caught him off guard for a moment.

"There is a lot of blood on these." The rogue started while still staring at his hands. "I once had something that drove me to fight, but I lost that a long time ago."

Kanetsugu did nothing but stare. He was wary, but judging by the rogue's expression and his suddenly vulnerable state, he could tell that the man was actually telling the truth.

"The only reason why I am still alive is because I know how to kill. I kill, I earn money. I need money? I kill and take it. It is all for the sake of survival." The rogue laughed, yet his voice was devoid of any amusement. "I try to indulge myself into earthly pleasures, but none of that helps. My existence is miserable and I know it. All the gold I own is coated in blood."

Finally the priest understood. In front of him was a man, completely damaged by the guilt of war. After all, there was not a single soldier out there who did not have blood on their hands. Even Kanetsugu himself, even though he also wished it were not so.

Kanetsugu could tell that the rogue probably had no choice. While he did believe it was absolutely disgusting to kill for gold, by the looks of it, this rogue was already once a samurai of low stature. Death was basically his only outcome and in all honesty, this very fact was not something just any person could handle. The priest knew that it drove some insane. It seemed that this rogue was no different.

If he thought about it, could anyone really embrace death so freely? Especially after knowing how much pain and death you yourself caused? It was a frightening thought, even to Kanetsugu himself.

It probably was the same for Yukimura, Mitsunari, Hideyoshi or heck, even Keiji, despite the fact that the latter loved battle so much.

Perhaps even Kenshin and Shingen felt the same.

Maybe even Masamune.

Kanetsugu narrowed his eyes when he approached the southern garrison.

The rogue soldier he met went by the name of Mamoru. An odd name for a man like that, Kanetsugu found. When the priest asked him for a last name the man simply replied that he forgot who he was a long time ago. And Kanetsugu had no problems believing him immediately.

The priest did not know if it was a good idea to let that rogue fight alongside his army, even if it was temporarily. However, the man's story did make Kanetsugu not want to outright refuse him. Mamoru was obviously a man who lost something important to him long ago, and now he simply struggled to survive. He was just another victim of this war, thus Kanetsugu felt like it was not his place to judge him for now.

There was no loss to be had. It was not exactly the most noble of acts, to pay a rogue to reinforce their army, but then again, if it was for the sake of the unity of Japan, then he was allowed to go through with it. Kenshin's ideals will make this land prosper. Even if it would be the last thing he did.

Kanetsugu silently grumbled to himself, then he jumped off his horse.

This war truly brings out the worst out of him and his fellow soldiers. It really needs to end. He tried to calm himself by justifying every single mistake he made during his conquest alongside the Uesugi.

Justification is all he had. Because if he stopped believing in his own actions, they would have all been for naught. It kept him sane. He was sure it was the same for every single officer. Heck, it was probably the same for every single person on this earth.

After all, if we stopped believing in ourselves, then all would be over.

Still, while different beliefs and ideals are essential parts of being a human being, a person with wrong ideals or beliefs could become a threat to his surroundings. In such a case, justification could only make them more dangerous.

Mamoru knew this very well. As someone who ended so many lives, he definitely had no right to speak about what was right, what was wrong or what would be justified. He truly hated himself for all the innocents he had murdered. It was not that he regretted this though, deep in his heart, he did not feel sorry at all. Deep down, he just knew that what he did was wrong, but while this was the case, he was completely devoid of any other feeling. War had made him a monster. Yet, he still wanted to stay alive.

Somewhere, deep in his heart, he wanted to find his purpose in life again. He knew that she would have wanted this.

Though at the same time, Mamoru feared death more than anything else. He knew that after all that he did, all that he stole, all the lives that he took, he would definitely go to hell once his life would end. She would definitely be in heaven and once he would be in the afterlife, he would never meet her again.

Maybe that was for the best though. She would probably be disappointed in who he had become. He was no longer the man that she had fallen in love with. That man died long ago once he lost her.

Tsuru was a beautiful woman. She had long, silky black hair and pale skin. Her cheeks were somewhat rosy and so were her lips. Her eyes were blue like sapphires. In his eyes, she was the most stunning woman he had ever seen.

Mamoru loved her with all his heart. She was his world and his world stopped existing the moment that she died.

From that moment, the rogue's vision on right and wrong became warped. In his eyes, all the murder, all of his theft, they were all justified, because cruel people stole his love from him. The day that she died, he swore that he would seek his revenge, but he had lost his way so badly, that his revenge no longer was exclusive to a single target. He became a cruel monster to all of humanity.

What was justice anyway? Does such a thing truly exist in a world as messed up as this one? He did not believe anymore. If this was true, then this godforsaken war would have ended long ago.

'I might have lost my purpose…but I haven't stopped thinking of you.' The rogue closed his eyes for a moment. He brought his clenched fist close to his face, opened his palm and examined its contents. In his hand, he held a hair ornament that used to be of his lover, Tsuru. It was the only thing he had left of her, aside from memories of course.

In fact, her face never left his mind. Wherever he would go, he could see her face. He missed her so much that it physically hurt him.

Mamoru tried his hardest to live with this, and he tried to convince himself that she was nothing more than a memory now, even if his heart said otherwise. He managed this for a long time, until he failed and broke down about ten years ago.

There was no way to save him from his guaranteed doom in the afterlife.

When he thought about it, he could still see the blood drip from his fingers and if he would really focus, he could even smell the scent of death still lingering. It was enough to make him dizzy. His head pounded and his vision blurred.

As an ex-samurai, he should be used to the smell of blood.

But this was different.

She resembled Tsuru so strongly that it was insane.

It was indeed insane. That is why he could never forget the day that he assaulted a fishermen's village. Originally, he just wanted to raid them all. Peasants were easy to deal with and easy to overthrow. While it was completely unjust, Mamoru knew it was just a matter of survival.

His strategy was simple: Make them cower in fear. Then, as soon as he saw a certain young woman, everything went blank.

Her long black hair was the same as Tsuru's. Her blue eyes were the same as Tsuru's. Her face was the same, hell, even her body was a deadringer to Tsuru. It made him lose control. At first he thought she had resurrected from the dead, but it took him a few moments to realize that this was not his love. When the woman spotted Mamoru, she ran for her life inside her house, where her husband was. For whatever reason, Mamoru followed them inside. He remembers clearly what happened. Both of them died because of him. He killed them with his own hands. Their child too. A daughter, if he remembered correctly.

Honestly, what happened after is still dark to him. All that he remembered was that he was angry. Tsuru died because he failed to protect her from scum. Now this Tsuru look-alike was living with this peasant in this dump? Seeing this couple hold each other and stare at each other made Mamoru sick to his stomach, even if he knew that the woman in front of him was not his love. It reminded him of his failure to protect what was dear to him and here he was, thieving for survival. Before he knew it, this thought made him go berserk. From here, his memory is completely blank.

When Mamoru left Kanetsugu's ranks after assisting him defending the other garrisons, he thought he would manage to push every single thought aside once more so that he could fight. Fight to survive, kill to survive, as he always had. Sadly fate would not have it. The sight in front of him shrunk his pupils to the size of peas. He too, was reliving the past.

He gazed upon long black hair and pale skin once more.

A young woman stood in front of him and he felt as if the ground was crumbling from underneath his feet. He stared at her wide eyed. That same woman stared back at him.

Blue eyes like sapphires.

At that moment, he knew that he was just cursed. He understood now. This would never end.

Ten years ago, Mamoru had encountered that family and the mother looked so much like his love that he lost control. He even killed the child and honestly he felt sick after realization hit him. Though, it appeared that God was as merciful as he was cruel.

Before him, was this same child. Except that she was no longer a child. She was a grown young woman. Still very petite, but she had obviously matured. She was a deadringer to her mother and also to Tsuru. It was uncanny. Honestly he was not a man that believed in coincidences, but that made it all the more terrifying.

Was it truly that same child from back then? He examined her face and he noticed a scar. If he was correct, then he would be the one responsible for that.

In all curiosity, Mamoru tried to call out her name. 'Shi…o…' It took him a while to get to it. It was the name that the mother screamed before he got his hands on her. It had to be her. Their faces were the same. Honestly, Mamoru wanted to cry at how much both of them resembled his dead lover.

Looks were all they had in common, it seemed. The cowering petite woman was nothing like her mother. Or like Tsuru for that matter.

'Shiorin.'

Ah yes. That was the name the woman screamed, he remembered now. "Shiorin."

The rogue watched the young woman flinch and she fell onto the ground, struggling to get up.

Mamoru didn't understand. She seemed to react to the name. So it was her then? The child whose family he murdered ten years ago. Look at this. A young woman clad in armor, but she can barely stand on her feet. He immediately snapped out of his earlier shock and confusion, because unlike Tsuru and Shiorin's mother, who were much braver, this little girl was a pathetic sight.

Of course Mamoru didn't know the young woman's mother at all. However, that day, when she died by his hands, she had never stopped looking him in the eye. She was brave until her last breath. So was Tsuru, a very feisty woman who wasn't afraid to stand up for herself.

Thinking about all of this, made him extremely angry and his gaze hardened, which seemed to startle the young woman, who was now at his feet.

Coming to think of it…

He walked closer to her, lifted his arm and slammed his hand down, pushing off her helmet as it fell to the ground with a loud thud. The girl looked up at him horrified, but Mamoru didn't care.

The rogue reached out and raised her bangs with a fell swoop of his hand.

The large scar he gave her back then presented itself. It started from her forehead and reached down to a little below her eye. For such a tiny little thing, she had to be pretty strong. She was only a child back then, yet she survived his cut and if you think about it, that is no small feat. Surviving such a cut from a samurai at such an age.

While it was kind of amusing on one hand, it was also infuriating on the other. It was like God himself was laughing at him and mocking him by making him meet yet again another look alike of his dead lover. It was as if fate was constantly reminding him of his failures and his wrong doings. What made matters worse was that this girl in front of him just sat there. She did not move. Only looked scared shitless.

He had enough. Mamoru did not want to think anymore about things. He could continue to mourn or continue to weep at his mistakes, but that would be pointless. He reached out, and before he knew it his cold grip was around her neck. The rogue did not know what happened after, but it only took a few moments before an ear piercing scream rang his ears.

Note: Mamoru, the murderer of Rin's family, has been renamed. I used to call him Namerakana Modoru (because I was a funny kid and thought calling a villain slickback would be hilarious).

Now because I am an adult and I know that Modoru is not an actual Japanese name (afaik?) but just a verb, I decided to rename him Mamoru. Not only because it sounds familiar and is an actual common name (and it is also a verb haha gotcha), but also because it is perfect for who he is. He is obsessed with the fact that he cannot (or could not) protect anything. Mamoru means 'to protect' in Japanese. I thought this was a nice little thing to know about my OC villain.

His lover used to be nameless, but I decided to name her too because she is an important reason as to why he became the way he is.

That is all from me today folks. Chapter 10 will hopefully be up soon.