Chapter 4: Taken down-Aname

Aname was sitting down eating breakfast with her father. The wound in her back was still in need of much recovery but after arguing with the medic and boss Masamune several times she was allowed with assistance to visit her father in the village. Aname wanted to make sure that the old man was okay after the incident on the hillside the other night. "I'm sorry I put you through all that trouble. You could've been helping master Katakura but instead you had to worry about me." Aname but down her cup of tea. "Father don't worry about it too much. As soon as my wound heals I'll go after master Katakura. He'll be safe and everything will be fine. You might not be my real father but I love you all the same and I'm glad your okay."

The old man smiled. "Do you remember the day I found you?" Aname shook her head. "It's been so long ago." The old man laughed. "Indeed it has over 10 years it was. You were fifteen if I remembered correctly.

In a small village not far from where the One-Eyed Dragon lived there was a bit of a commotion. People all over the village gathered there to see what was happening. A girl about the age of fifteen was being pinned to the ground by a strong looking young boy. The girl tried to wrestle her way out but the boy held her in place. The girl spat into the boy's face and kicked him in the stomach freeing herself. She stood up and got into a fighting stance. "Mikai what are you doing boy!" an older woman made her way through the crowd. "Fighting in the middle of the streets like a hooligan! And with a girl nonetheless!" The boy got up and dusted the dirt off of his clothes. The woman looked at the boy who was getting up and girl who was waiting for him. "And to make it worse you losing!"

The boy walked away with the woman and the girl lowered her fist. Then an older man walked up to the girl and she immediately brought her fist back up. "Back off I don't want to hurt you." The man could see the fatigue in the girl's movements and knew she was exhausted. She was a thin girl, too thin even. You could tell she had muscle and she definitely had an attitude. "I don't want to hurt you either." The man held his hand out to the girl. "Here come with me." The girl still stood there with a scowl on her face and her first raised. The man laughed. "You're hungry aren't you?" At first she made no response but then as if to answer for the girl her stomach grumbled. "Come on and have dinner with me.

The man led the girl back to his house and the girl sat quietly at the table. When the food was out they ate mostly in silence. "What's your name girl?" She didn't respond. "Do you need a place to stay?" Again she didn't respond. The man smiled. "That's okay you don't have to answer if you don't want to. But if you like you are welcome to stay here." Then the man heard her speak. It was quiet and low and he didn't quite catch what she said. "What was that?" The girl lifted her head to the man and said in a louder voice. "Thank you." The man smiled.

"I remember now. After that night I agreed to stay with you and eventually I started calling you my father. You were more of a father than the real one ever could've been anyway." Aname smiled. I was always nice to sit down and talk with her father. Karia was there with her but she was fast asleep in the chair on the other side of her. Karia had been out late the previous night with big boss. She laughed at her sleeping friend for a minute then returned her attention to her conversation. "That reminds me, how have you and Mikai been getting along since that day?"

Mikai had joined the Date army at the same time she did. After the first day Mikai had grown some respect for Aname and they became friends. He wasn't all that bad when he wasn't wrestling you down in the middle of the street. Mikai was funny and kind . "Much better. Mikai is one of my closet friends along with Karia and Toshihiko. But Mikai has only been just that a friend nothing more than that." Her father raised a brow. "Oh I see. So then is there a man that has caught your eye then." Aname's thought went immediately to Kojuro. "Maybe." The old man's smile turned into a sort of wrinkly grin. "Oh come now girl give me the man's name." Aname then started laughing. "You sound like a gossiping old woman!" Her father was laughing just as hard. "Even so I still want to know the man's name at least the last name then I might be able to guess."

Aname sighed. She was hoping desperately that Karia was indeed out cold. "Alright fine his last name is Katakura." The old man's eyes grew wide in shock. "Katakura Kojuro? I would've never thought." Then his expression grew into a sad one. "You must be terribly worried about him then. I'm sorry dear." Although she still had a smile on her face her eyes were tinted with sadness as well. "I am worried about him but yet not for the reason's the boss might be. When it comes to his safety I know that he's alright. But what I'm concerned about is his thoughts. That bastard Hanbe is probably trying to convince Kojuro that I'm dead. And maybe even the boss as well."

Aname was about to continue when loud knocking could be heard from the door. "Lady Aname! Lady Karia! The Toyotomi army has launched an attack! Big boss is already at the battlefield. He requested that Lady Aname get back to the castle in safety while Lady Karia is to report to the battlefield immediately!" Karia was awake and standing along with Aname. "Sorry father but we must go." They ran out the door and quickly mounted their horses. They flew into the gates of the castle and to their rooms. Aname grabbed Kojuro's sword and her Shuriken. "Aname what are you doing boss wants you to stay here!" Aname had to admit that the wound in her back was already starting to hurt because of the sudden movement but she didn't really care. "I'm going end of story!" Aname ran out and mounted her horse and took off not waiting for Karia.

She got to the Surigahara Battle field and rode her horse straight into the sea of samurai. She had the sword in her hand and was slashing down Toyotomi left and right. She ducked dodging a horizontal slash and counted with another horizontal slash taking down another man. She was stuck in a blade lock when she heard her name being called out. "Aname! What the hell are you doing here!" The one calling out her name was none other than boss Masamune. "I heard you needed a little back up." Masamune was now fighting next to her his six swords slashing through the enemy. "Well yea but I meant Karia not you. You wound still needs to heal you in no condition to be out here and where is Karia anyway.?" As if on que Karia came bursting in with fire and lightning.