And here it is, the great conclusion! Sorry it took so long, have been really busy with school.
I'm curious about what you guys think about this full story. Reviews would be much appreciated!
I will also try and cover the second season and the movie. Might take a bit though. Enough said, enjoy the chapter! I own nothing!
Chapter 11: The Great Battle
They galloped relentlessly, not resting despite the late hour. Be it cliffs, hills or rocks, nothing could make them pause.
"This is kind of reckless," Sasuke commented, running next to Masamune and Yukimura. "We should reach Azuchi before Oda's forces make it back from Honnou-ji."
"Although we would be faster, I can sense that they won't be far behind us."
"Yeah, there is no point in being caught in the middle, is there?"
"Why don't you just leave that to me?" And off he went, leaving Masamune to stare after him I wonder.
"Date-dono."
"Hu?"
"You anticipated all of this happening, did you not? That was why you disbanded your army. It roused me when my spirits were low."
"Every last one of 'em knew it was time to put their lives on the line," Masamune answered, grinning. And apparently, that was all the answer Yukimura needed. "I don't like running in such a big group," he continued. Kaminari snorted incredulously. "But I can't miss a crazy ass party like this. So, boys, are you ready?!"
"YEEAAAHHH!"
"Then let's gun it!"
"YEEAAAHHH!"
"HHUUUUUAAAAHHH!" It came from the other armies.
"In one fell swoop! Azuchi will be Oda's grave!"
"Our future cannot lie with such a heartless savage! We offer him only prayers for the dead!"
"YEEEEEAAAAAAHHHH!"
"That's the spirit! Let's get psyched!"
Their conviction kept them riding and in no time at all, they had already reached Azuchi Castle. A building of the most arrogant and pompous kind if there ever was one. The truly giant gate was left abandoned. But Kaminari soon confirmed for them that the Devil King really was inside those walls. Some of the soldiers had brought explosives with them which they threw at the doors. They went off in a huge cloud of fire and destruction. However, when the dust cleared, the gate was left unscathed.
"No wonder he doesn't have any guards at the gate," Masamune commented.
"Damn these castle walls! They are impenetrable!" Turning to Masamune, Yukimura started with "Date-dono…" but stopped himself when he saw Masamune holding one hand over his stomach, or more precisely, his gunshot wound. His other hand was held up and he clenched it to a fist. "Is your wound bothering you?"
"Just rode a little harder than I thought," he said hoarsely.
"You need treatment!"
"Nah, I'm lovin' it. Been used to pain since I was a kid. Besides" Grinning, he looked over his shoulder. "Kaminari's already at it."
"You should be grateful I came along!" She stated, her hands hovering over his back, emitting a soft blue light.
"That I am, believe me. Don't know what I woulda done without you. Wouldn't even be standing here, no doubt." He focused his attention back on the gate, all serious. "The real issue is, how the hell we get inside." As if waiting for that line, a loud whistle like sound could be heard from behind them. Not recognizing it as anything they had ever heard, all the men turned around to watch what was happening at their rear, or rather in the sky above. Four bright lights flew far over their heads and come down on the gate, going off in an immense explosion, throwing up dust in every direction, thus forcing the man to cover their faces with their arms as much as possible. Aside from Masamune who just looked back over his shoulder after witnessing the explosion. Further whistles could be heard and some projectiles hit right into their midst.
"Shit, where did that come from?!"
"What destructive force!"
"Big Boss," Yoshinao called. "Those things are coming in from clear on the other side of the plane!" Again, bombs hit their rows, accompanied by the whistling of four more explosives closing in. Then one of them hit a part of the castle walls directly and even a sturdy gate like this had to succumb to the destructive force of the cannon ball, opening a path for the allied forces.
"Date-dono!"
"What do you know, looks like we got some western allies," Masamune smirked. "It would be nice if they had better aim, though."
"Who? You mean-…"
"Masamune-sama, I believe we should get moving…"
"Okay, let's ride, Yukimura." Not really waiting for him, he spurred his horse. Luckily, Yukimura was not far off at all, because shortly after they moved, a bomb hit the place they had been previously standing on. A giant crater was left from which Masamune's retainers crawled out of.
"Go get 'em, Boss!" Yoshinao cheered.
"We have faith in all of you!" Bunshichi screamed.
"Kick some ass, Sanada!" Samenosuke called.
"It's up to you!" Magobei added.
"You men handle things here!" Yukimura ordered as he rode in with Masamune and was met with an impassionate war cry. From the corner of their vision, they could see the roof of Azuchi Castle lighting up for a moment, a lightning bolt shot out and destroyed several cannon balls in mid-air.
"Gotta say, that's some nice defense system he has there," Masamune murmured. He smirked then, seeing the many soldiers, running to greet them. His hands went to his Dragon Claws. Behind him, he could hear Kaminari aiming an arrow, not missing her strained groan when she did.
"Stay here and try to lay low." Without waiting for an answer, he jumped off the horse and unleashed his swords, sending bright blue blades of pure energy down on them. Each of them went off like a landmine, throwing soldiers into the air left right and center. Yukimura, he knew wasn't doing a shabby job either, creating a hurricane of flames, teaching his own fair share of hostile soldiers how to fly. He could also hear the sound of arrows flying close by him, but he wasn't worried. Now that Kojuro wasn't here to protect his back, Kaminari was simply making sure that Kojuro would not be in a foul mood for the next few days.
At times, Masamune felt like he and the Cub had some sort of silent, unconscious understanding as they always seemed to know what the other was planning to do next. In perfect sync, they flew across the battlefield, blue and red-orange being the dominant colors of this particular battle.
The soldiers were nothing now that Mitsuhide and that brat were not there to keep them occupied, but the simple number of their troops still slowed them down more than Masamune would have liked. Still, they made steady progress and eventually, they had fought their way up to the top floor. Needing no further encouragement, Masamune and Yukimura cut down the shoji screen, the last blockade between them and the Devil King just as a gunshot could be heard. The screen cluttered to the ground, revealing the sight of a woman slowly falling backwards, tears streamed down her face and sparkled in the moonlight. Incredulous, they watched as the woman hit the ground with a thud.
"Sister of the Devil King," Masamune stated lowly.
There, in the middle of the room stood Bontenmaru, his clothing smeared with blood and a real sword in his hand just as bloody. To his feet laid his brother, Kojiro, completely motionless.
"I'd been hoping we would be able to live peacefully, maybe next time," Bontenmaru mumbled.
Masamune's eye narrowed at the memory. This was a different situation as far as he was concerned.
Oichi turned her teary eye to look at him. Feeling an urge to do so, he approached her fallen form.
"One-Eyed Drag…" She whispered weakly. Masamune halted. Yukimura joined him. "Thank you… Nagamasa-sama…you" She rambled something hardly comprehendible. "Having met you…on the battlefield… I'm certain, he…would have…" She spoke no more. Nobunaga lowered his gun which he had no doubt used to kill his sister. None even flinched as more explosions went off outside, lighting up the room. Masamune's head shot to the man responsible.
"Devil King!" He growled. Next to him, Yukimura knelt down and lifted Oichi up. She did not move. "All this and for what?!"
"Two more fools now. Did you come here looking to take my head?" A ridiculously strong gust of wind came from behind the Devil King, throwing his cape high up. "LUDICROUS!" Suddenly, a tall and colorful window appeared behind him, with its appearance, the wind immediately died down. Yukimura laid Oichi back down, her face no longer stained with her tears. Masamune drew his sword and going into position. The blade horizontally level with his head, the sharp blade to the outside.
"Before we cut you down," Masamune spoke up. "There's something I wanna ask." To his right, Yukimura puled his two spears from his back, assuming a fighting stance, ready to strike. Masamune narrowed his eye at the Devil King as its pupil grew slitted. "Who the hell are you?!" Perplexed, Yukimura watched him. "'Cause you know, with my one good eye, all I see is a monster! All the malice and evil that ever has or ever will run random in this world, twisting into something resembling a man!" With a frown, Yukimura turned back to the Devil King, wondering just how Masamune was able to see something like that.
"I am Oda Nobunaga!" The Devil King simply shouted, throwing his cape dramatically. "The Devil King of the Sixth Heaven!" Another strong wind blew from him, nearly succeeding in throwing away his two opponents.
"Devil King! Facing you now, I fully understand!" A particular strong wind hit him, causing him to pause. "That is not merely a name!" The wind died down as Nobunaga spoke up again.
"Then do your worst. I will drink sake from your empty skulls!"
"Ah, give me a break. You rehearse that crap you're spewing?"
"You once carried out the cruelest deeds. Doing the bidding of your stagnant and arrogant heart. We will put an end to them here and now!" Nobunaga smirked.
"Yes, of course you will." The two charged at the Devil King, who pulled out his sword and rammed it into the ground. Cracks appeared and red-black thorn like thing shot out from the ground, steadily closing in on them. The froze where they were until Nobunaga's elongated cape hit them hard, throwing them several feet away, leaving red and blue craters where they hit the ground.
"Imbeciles! Prostrate yourselves now, or be sent to the world beyond!"
Outside the castle was also a heavy struggle going on between the Oda forces and the allied ones. Kojuro had finally caught up after disposing of Mitsuhide in the temple.
"They have broken through!" He exclaimed happily upon seeing the battles. He did not need long to find Kaminari sitting on Masamune's horse, shooting enemies where she could, Masamune's four retainers covering her. Kojuro wasted no time in joining her and getting rid of a few enemy soldiers that had gotten too lose to her for his liking.
"Boss Katakura!" They shouted.
"Sorry it took so long, guys. How is the situation?"
"Our side seems to be holding up very well. The Tiger Cub and Masamune-sama are currently engaging Nobunaga at the top floor of Azuchi Castle as we speak," Kaminari reported, pointing to where she sensed their presence.
"Alright then, we will make sure they will be undisturbed. Right, boys?"
"YEEAAAH!" Suddenly, Kaminari froze, her hand still pointed to the sky. Her mouth stood agape in shock and twisted in fear as her entire form shivered.
"Chief?" Yoshinao spoke up concerned.
"N-Na…Naraku! Naraku is up there!"
"Soaring Phoenix!" Yukimura shouted, but was slapped away like a fly by Nobunaga's cape. He pulled out his gun and shot at him, but each bullet missed his head just barely. Having used him as cover to safely advance on his target, Masamune appeared behind the Cub.
"WAR DANCE!" The flying lightning blades burst on the cape Nobunaga used as a shield, like a log hitting a metal surface with force. His momentum brought Masamune still closer, but as soon as the last projectile disappeared, the cape lashed out at him throwing him through the wall and sending him flying to one of the lower roofs. From the shock and pain, he had dropped his Swords he had in his left hand. Crashing down onto the roof, he could just barely ram his sword into it to not slid down further. He remained crouched, his left hand clutching his obviously bleeding abdomen. Before he was able to collect himself, however, Nobunaga was there. His hand shot out to the Dragon, his middle and ring finger parting to lift Masamune up with his one hand, also strangling him in the process.
"Time for funny games is over!" Nobunaga smirked. "Now, you will pay for your ignorance with your worthless life!"
In the castle, windows were opened, revealing riflemen, who now shot into the midst of the battle going on at the base of the castle.
"Damn, he's gunning down his own men!" Kojuro cursed, pushing Kaminari and the men closer to the castle wall, a blind spot they wouldn't easily be shot from. Kaminari took a deep breathed and steeling her resolve, she tipped her head up.
"Kojuro-sama, I'll leave things to you here. I gotta go!" Without waiting for an answer, she turned into a dragon and shut up into the sky.
On the roof, Nobunaga chuckled, then shifted his hold on his prey so that his thumb was right in front of Masamune's left eye, which widened in shock and fear.
"Here's an idea. Let's gouge out your remaining eye!"
"Just try it. My eye will bear its fangs and bite back!" Masamune rasped hoarsely, barely getting enough air for his statement. A menacing growl was the only head warning they had, before two long rows of giant, very sharp teeth closed themselves around Masamune, forcing Nobunaga to quickly retrieve his hand. The dragon flew into the sky, 'watching' as Yukimura also appeared and how Nobunaga shot his gun at him to stop him in his tracks without even turning his attention away from them.
"Do not interfere in an business you have no place in!" Following the dragon with his eyes as it circled the skies, Nobunaga grinned. "Who would have thought we would get to meet again, Kagome?!" He yelled into the skies. Kaminari did one final round and then descended somewhat to better face her archenemy.
"What's happening?" Masamune's strained voice came forth from her mouth. She had opened her mouth a bit to let him see what was happening while she concentrated what energy she had left on healing his reopened wound. Nobunaga's red cloak, which had always appeared to have a mind of its own, twisted and morphed into a different shape. Masamune's eye widened as the red cloak gradually became the naked upper body of a man with long, dark locks, glowing red eyes and a sinister grin on his face. From his back sprouted things like tentacles and large insect-like legs.
"Long time no see, Miko. Frankly, I thought you had died back then," the form spoke. Kaminari growled.
"I can only return the sentiment, Naraku." Masamune's mind had trouble keeping up with all the new revelations and Yukimura was clearly not far behind in that aspect. This was the one who had killed her and her friends? That thing was the reason why she had sometimes trouble sleeping and would suffer from nightmares? "I was already shocked to see Kageromaru again, but I never would've thought you were behind all this."
"So you were that dragon he had been bragging about. If I had known you were so close, I would've dropped by for a visit. You don't just so happen to know where the Jewel is, do you?" She growled.
"Even if I did, you would be the last person I would ever tell."
"You don't need to. You just indirectly stated that it still exists and knowing you, you must be carrying it close to your person." His grin grew. "I'll just have to kill you again."
"Like hell I'd let you!" Masamune squeezed through Kaminari's teeth and launched himself at him, sword first.
"No, Masamune-sama!"
"Imbecile!" Nobunaga screamed and aimed his gun at him. Three shots fell of which each and every single one missed miraculously. Otherwise unhindered, Masamune crashed into the roof since Nobunaga evaded the attack in time. Naraku aimed a spiked tentacle for him, but sharp teeth closed themselves around it as Kaminari tried to drag him away from the vulnerable Masamune, who was being helped to his feet by the Cub. Naraku lashed out at her with his free limbs, but she did not budge. She felt the miasma infiltrate her body, weakening it.
Yukimura untied his red headband and used it to tie Masamune's right hand around his sword, preventing him from losing it in his slightly shivering hand. He was lacking strength and was not in his best condition, but it was now or never.
"Only got one more left in me," he admitted. He assumed his fighting stance. "We'll finish it."
"I swear on my life. Anything to bring down this monster."
"After all this, you are still trying to win," Nobunaga taunted. "You are but insects to defy my military rule." Purple smoke rouse from all around him. Yukimura and Masamune each held a hand up to cover their nose and mouth.
"What's this stuff?"
"It's highly toxic miasma. Do not breathe it in!"
"Wasn't planning to," Masamune muttered. Naraku now managed to throw Kaminari off, who crashed down on a lower roof.
"Bastard!" Masamune charged at Nobunaga/Naraku, but was quickly fought off by a combination off tentacle attacks and gunshots.
"Date-dono!"
Suddenly, Masamune could sense a new strength filling him, practically ordering him to lay waste to this foe. Yukimura seemed to be in quite the same situation.
"Boss of Ôshu, Date Masamune, full speed ahead!"
"Takeda general, Sanada Genjiro Yukimura! The flame in my heart shall never extinguish!" He went off first, quickly followed by Masamune, both charging their target head on, their blades clashing with the Devil King's sword simultaneously. Below, Masamune could faintly make out the rising chaos as, from the sounds of it more people decided to join the party.
His attention was redrawn from the fights below in a heartbeat as Nobunaga easily threw him and Yukimura high up into the air. And then he could see it. The auras of all the people fighting for them, their energy leaked out from them, shooting to the sky to form a circle around them. They were not flying anymore then. They were floating as the energy passed through them. A gentle and warm sense of comfort filled him, a feeling he was very accustomed to. The headband tying his hand around his sword, ripped apart. Their auras almost burst with the newfound energy.
"It's the last shot, Sanada Yukimura!"
"I'm right here with you, Date-dono!"
When the energy disappeared and they started to fall, Kaminari was there to catch them on her head.
"Full speed ahead, no holding back!" Masamune shouted. Kaminari obeyed instantly, diving down sharply, utilizing all her remaining strength for the most momentum. Masamune and Yukimura lost contact to her at sometime and instead flew next to her, weapons ready.
Kaminari crashed into the castle, breaking it into small splinters, while Masamune and Yukimura had crossed their blades with Nobunaga's, which was miraculously holding its own. But with the energy they had resorted to and the momentum they had gained for their strike were eventually too much and it broke, opening the path to its master. For a moment, everything was engulfed in a frenzy of blue and any and all action froze.
When one could see again, they had a beautiful blue sky to admire and a ruin that had been a pompous castle just some hours ago. On the top of the ruin, Yukimura rose, one arm around Masamune to help him stand. Masamune could already hear the lecture he was going to get. But for now, he could only smile down to all the people that had gathered to help them defeat this nemesis as they cheered gleefully and celebrated their victory.
When he got down, however, he did not receive a lecture from Kaminari as he had expected for being so reckless, he gave himself one. He was greeted by Kojuro who held an unconscious Kaminari in human form in his arms. She had gotten a high dosis of this miasma injected directly through her mouth. He really did suck in repaying favors, didn't he?
On the way back home, she rode with Kojuro.
With Kaminari out cold, it took Masamune around ten days to fully recover. Kaminari did not wake up for another ten. In total twenty days in which Masamune rarely left her side, shutting down any disagreement by saying that he had medical knowledge and knew what to do.
When she awoke, it was in a mean kind of way. It is difficult to tell if someone is sleeping or not when their eyes are covered, after all. Thinking no one would hear him, he had started a long cheesy speech, listing just why he really did not believe he deserved someone this great and loyal (especially when they were a fucking dragon that technically had the option of eating him and his entire army should hunger knock on her door). A really cheesy speech she had patiently listened to until she could not take it anymore and laughed. Unarguably the most embarrassing day of his entire life. And then she went and told him how the Date Clan had given more than she had ever wished for in the last lonely century. One could offer her the world, she would not trade her place in his Clan. Her words not his. And he totally did not blush! Worst of all, his men had been eavesdropping on them from behind the screens! Kaminari seemed like she would never stop laughing only to then whack him over the head and giving him the lecture he had originally expected, screeching about how he could be so reckless to face the country's most dangerous man on his own with Yukimura, a man she herself had died fighting against. Nevermind the fact that none of them had known just who had been controlling Oda this entire time until Kaminari had faced him.
"Do you have any idea of how worried I was?! I thought I would never see you again! It was the same in the battle I died in! We split up to catch our nemesis off guard, we very narrowly got the upper hand and won, but almost everybody died!" She grabbed him by the kimono he was wearing and pulled him closer. The men watching grew restless as they simply bore witness to what was happening. "Do you want to be so selfish and simply take away everything we worked for in all these years?!" Feeling dizzy from the overuse of her telepathic powers, she released the kimono from the hold of one hand to place in her head, trying to fight it and regain focus. Not having any of that, Masamune laid her back down on the futon. "Asshole." Masamune chuckled as the others relaxed, sensing the lack of tension in the insult.
"Would you expect any less?"
"Less stupidity would be nice." The room broke out in roaring laughter.