By morning they finished the room for Luciel, Masamune allowed those that had helped him to have half the day off so they could rest. He, however, had to tell Nobunaga what had happened to Luciel while she was at the Uesugi castle. He would personally punish him if given the chance to. He looked over at her on the way out," sleep well," he mumbled as he left for the castle. On the way to the castle, he noticed Hideyoshi talking with some of the maids that insisted he take their gifts.
"Hideyoshi, tell your ladies you need to go. Need you to gather everyone, have news about last night," Masamune told him with a serious expression. Hideyoshi stopped and looked at him and then the women and bid them farewell and did as Masamune had asked him. Once he left, Masamune continued on to the main hall. As he entered Ieyasu and Nobunaga were discussing something. As he approached they looked his way.
"So, she told you what happened to her last night?" Nobunaga asked as he sat down and motioned for Masamune and Ieyasu to do the same. As he sat down, Masamune nodded," She did. I asked Hideyoshi to gather everyone else and then I will tell everyone what went on," he told Nobunaga. Thinking for a moment, he nodded knowing if he wanted to wait it had to be important. A few minutes later the rest of the generals had arrived in the room and sat down in their respective spots.
As soon as they were all seated, Masamune stood and looked at each of them," I have news about what happened to Luciel," he told them. All of their eyes moved to him, interested to know more. Mitsuhide had even lost his lazy sitting position and was more attentive. "A ninja under the payroll of Takeda and Uesugi had abducted her in hopes to take her to her time. It would seem, this ninja is like her and from another time. Alas, she stayed with us. While in their stay, they chained her to the floor of a small storage room on the orders of Kenshin," as he informed them about this they all voiced doing something in retaliation to Kenshin.
Nobunaga tired of hearing them bicker snapped his fan to get their attention. He stood and motioned for Masamune to sit, once he did he looked at them all," I guarantee you this, we will get him back for his treatment of our princess, but we must bide our time and ready ourselves for the perfect strike," he told his men. He looked at Masamune, " I don't want you acting on emotion in this though, it is not negotiable. She seems to rely on you more so than the rest of us so you may not die," he told Masamune this with a smirk on his face and then he returned to his seat.
Masamune looked away from him seeing the smirk he had. He had continued telling them about what she had told him, but not all things. Some things he wanted to keep between the two of them. After he had finished, others shared other kinds of information about the movement of their enemies. It was starting to bore Masamune causing his mind to wander to what she was doing at the moment. He hoped she wasn't getting into trouble again, she seemed to wear trouble like a kimono.
Elsewhere, Luciel was in town to pick up the kimonos that Masamune had ordered for her, the man was all smiles when he saw her. She complimented him for his work, the kimonos were beautiful. Placing them in a bag she carried them as she looked around the market. Seeing that there was nothing left for her to do, she headed back to Masamune's estate so she could change into one of the kimonos. As she walked by the quieter parts of the market a man was watching her. She stopped only for a moment, feeling that someone was watching her, thinking nothing of it she continued on.
It was dusk by the time Masamune had returned, little did he know she had also had the shopkeeper make her another outfit, it was like the shrine maiden attire but was instead meant for archery. Though, at the moment she wore the red kimono with black butterflies. Masamune froze as he walked through the door, she turned around and smiled at him. He had gone bright red in the face so he excused himself. Confused, Luciel shrugged not sure what he was up to. Outside, Masamune was taking in some much-needed breaths of air. He didn't want to end up scaring her again so he had been trying to control his desires around her.
"So beautiful, especially with that smile," he muttered to himself. His time for treasuring the sight was soon crushed as Hideyoshi was walking towards his place. He straightened up and met Hideyoshi halfway," What do you need, Hideyoshi?" He asked him as he approached him in the street. Hideyoshi stopped a moment and greeted Masamune and then responded," Nobunaga wants to see the princess, or so she has come to be called by everyone around her," he laughed as he used her nickname. " I see, she is inside I will get her then," he muttered as he headed for his door Hideyoshi had passed him and walked inside. Growling he followed him inside. As he walked inside, his jaw just about dropped as he saw Luciel in her red kimono with her hair tied up with a beautiful cherry blossom pin pressed in her hair. He smiled as he watched her play with Shogetsu.
"Luciel, you look lovely," Hideyoshi told her with a smile, she flushed in the face. Shogetsu jumped down and growled at Hideyoshi and then ran off into the other room. Luciel stood to meet Hideyoshi, not wanting to be rude to a guest. "Thank you, Hideyoshi," she murmured shyly. He nodded and then remembered why he had come in the first place," Lord Nobunaga wanted to see you Luciel, he tasked me with escorting you to see him," Hideyoshi explained. Luciel gave him a sideways glance and then looked over at Masamune," No offense, I rather go with Masamune," she explained to him calmly. His eyes widened and then he nodded with a smile, "Yes that is fine too," he responded as he bowed and went on his way to report back to Nobunaga. Masamune and Luciel looked at each other for a moment, then she followed him out and together they went to meet with Nobunaga.
Once they arrived at their destination, Nobunaga nodded at them," I have heard of what happened last night, I want you to know your suffering will not go unpunished. Now, what I want to know is if you saw anything that could help us win a battle against him possibly," He watched her with studious eyes to see if her body language would betray her. Thinking for a moment of all she saw while there, she shook her head," No, I was inside the small room mostly, then I was led out of the castle through the back halls and slid out of the back door where they kept their horses. I suppose the only information that could help you, is the knowledge of the back door to the main castle," she told him. He nodded for a moment thinking on the information she had told him. "That is helpful, not much but a little. We now know there are at least two ways into the castle. You are dismissed," he told them as he waved them off with his hand.
Weeks had passed since she was called in by Nobunaga, they seemed to fly by almost uneventful. When Masamune wasn't busy he was always seeing to anything she needed. Shogatsu had now become her personal shadow that was growing with the day. Hideyoshi had found that she didn't like him around Luciel so he would only visit her when she wasn't with the tiger out of fear of being attacked. Though during this time, she was unaware she was still being watched by someone in the shadows. Seeing as she came and went with the generals, the man was seeing her as a possible key to Nobunaga.
Something felt off when Luciel woke up, she couldn't pinpoint it but it felt as if something would happen, something bad. Putting this thought aside, she put on the archery outfit she had made, grabbed her bow and left to practice her archery. Looking up at the sky, it looked like there would be a storm moving in soon. Biting her lower lip she walked on trying not to think about her gut feeling. Practicing her archery always helped to clear her mind, so it should do some good she thought to herself. Despite thinking that, as she let her arrow go she missed the target completely, this never happened. She picked the arrow up and returned to the estate she shared with Masamune, putting her archery stuff back and changing into day clothes, she instead thought to visit the market.
"Maybe something is just clouding my mind, some unnecessary anxiety," she said more to convince herself than anything else. She left for town with nothing but a bag to carry groceries and an umbrella just in case. The town was bustling, as usual, this always made her nervous, she took a deep breath and continued on her way. Masamune had errands to run today so she wouldn't see him until tonight. Once she reached a corner with a hidden alley someone pulled her into it. Surprised she fought to get loose of the person, turning her head she could see it was Sasuke again.
Glaring she elbowed him," Again with antics like this? What do you want?" she demanded as she shot a glare at him. He sighed at her reaction," I didn't mean to startle you. There is one more wormhole, it will be your last chance to go back. Are you sure you don't want to return to our time?" he asked concerned for her. Her glare never ceased as she put some distance between them," Yes, I am sure. Now leave me alone, you only cause trouble for me," she told him as she tried to get away from him. Defeated he nodded and left the area. Just as she thought the day had gotten bad, it went from bad to worse, she sensed someone watching her from behind. By the time she could see him, they had knocked her unconscious and carried her off.
The man carrying her off muttered," You will be the key to Nobunaga's head for all he has done," her bag had been left behind as he walked off. As he walked, he hadn't noticed her hair pin fall and hit the ground, making it shatter. Once he got to his hideout he laid her on the ground, tying her to a chair and then waited for her to come to. By the time she stirred the sun was setting. As she woke she looked around, noticing she was bound she looked for the one responsible. Finding he was leaning against the window, his short black hair moving in the wind from the window, a scar went from one side of his face to the next, almost completely across. Noticing the staff he had leaned against the wall, she deduced that he must be a survivor from Nobunaga's attack on the monks.
He opened his eyes, noticing her staring at him," So you are awake are you?" he asked as he stood up from the wall. She only glared at him from where she sat, though she was working at the knot behind her blocking his view from that. "What do you want? I've done nothing to you, so release me," she demanded hardening her glare. He laughed at her demands," Why would I do a thing like that? I have the key to Nobunaga right here, his woman," he declared as he continued to laugh. She raised a brow," Nobunaga's woman? I don't know where you got such information but it's inaccurate. I'm no one's woman but my own," she retorted which caused him to stop laughing.
He narrowed his eyes as he looked at her," You are constantly with his generals and it is a known fact you are well protected around here. He will come to your aid," he told her confidently. She shook her head chuckling," You are sadly mistaken, he won't come here personally. He'd send the generals to find me. He may have some curious interest in me, but he is not emotionally attached to me," she assured him. He growled at her as she kept telling him he was wrong, it was annoying him," What is your name ?" she asked. His eye twitched at her comment," My name is Kennyo, now be silent." he snapped in response. The sun was sinking as it set.
Meanwhile, Masamune was just finishing his work and was on his way back to the estate, he looked up and noticed clouds moving in. Not long after he noticed them, rain poured down on him making him run to the estate. As he crossed the threshold his eyes widened, Luciel was gone. He looked around the estate asking if anyone has seen her recently. No one had seen her since noon that day when she had left for the market. Grabbing a parasol, he ran out the door heading to the market and asked questions of the people there. It was then he saw the bag and umbrella in the alleyway, picking both up he followed the path in the alley not far down it he found the shattered hairpin. He wrapped it in his hand as he made a fist.
As he left the alley, the person he wanted to see the least stood waiting, Hideyoshi. He put the umbrella and hairpin in the bag and cast a glance at Hideyoshi," What is it? Going to lecture me about her missing again?" He asked irritably. Hideyoshi shook his head as he backed up so Masamune could leave the alley," Someone took her again?" Hideyoshi asked as he looked at Masamune's hand with her bag and her belongings inside of it. Masamune nodded at him," It would seem, we must conduct another search. I will look on my own this time," he told Hideyoshi with a somber tone to his voice. Hideyoshi nodded and left for the castle to inform Nobunaga.
As soon as Hideyoshi left, Masamune made his way for his estate leaving her things in her room. Remembering how her hairpin had fallen a little farther than her umbrella and bag he went back to the alley and see where it would lead him. He had a feeling that was the path taken to where Luciel was being held. While he was heading for the alley, Hideyoshi had arrived at the main hall where Nobunaga had been. It had been ordered to have every able body out searching for Luciel.
While they were searching Luciel had been working on that knot, attempting to get it loose so she could use her hands and be able to escape. Kennyo had been keeping an eye on her or outside the window, as if he were paranoid. She had a feeling it would be Masamune coming for to save her. However, that did not mean she should just wait either and be the damsel in distress. As she neared getting the knot undone, she could hear the sound of swords clashing not far below them. Kennyo must have heard it and he stood and walked towards Luciel," Time to move up more," he informed her as he grabbed her by the arms. He had a look of irritation when he noticed that she had almost got the knot undone.
As he took her up to the top of the building the sound got closer by the second. It would not be much longer she thought to herself. He must have felt the same thing as he had her arm in his grasp as if waiting to use her against whoever came up those stairs. She looked down at the ground as she focused on the knot and as it came loose Masamune came up the stairs," Release her or taste my blade," he warned Kennyo. Luciel's eyes lit up as she saw she was right. A tight feeling crept inside her chest and her heart beat faster despite her not knowing why.
Masamune looked her way," Are you alright Luciel? He didn't hurt you did he?" Concern was heard in his voice as he asked. She shook her head and smiled at him happy to see him. The two men had a stand off, Luciel was hoisted closer to Kennyo in his attempt to use her as leverage once again. To his surprise, Luciel had used her weight against his so she could off balance him and get her arm free from his grasp. Seeing this as an opportunity, Masamune lunged forward grabbing Luciel and the two went off the side of the building.
As they fell, Luciel grabbed onto Masamune for dear life. He laughed and then held her close to his body so he could break her fall. The other generals arrived on the scene and arrested Kennyo as Masamune and Luciel landed in the water below them. Ieyasu had men run to the nearby river to look for the two of them, to make sure they survived the fall. Once they had landed in the water, Masamune helped her out of the water despite all the aches and pains in their bodies they made it to the shore and collapsed next to each other.
"Why did you plunge us off of the building like that? We could have died!" Luciel asked in surprise at his recklessness. He laughed," It was a rush for certain, it was the best thing I could think of to get you away from his reach. I didn't want anything to happen to you," he admitted as he sat up and looked at her, placing his jacket around her body so she would not get cold. "I want you to know something, if ever you disappear like the last two times I will always come for you," he assured her, he then took his hands and cupped her face in them and leaned over and kissed her hoping for a better reaction than their first kiss.
To his surprise, she leaned into his kiss and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. As the two separated from each other they held a matching flushed face. Helping her stand up, he led her back to their estate so she could warm up, thinking only of how those that had hurt her would pay. He had not forgotten that they had chained her to a floor and would not forget it anytime soon. He was not the only one that felt this way, every member of their army shared this same sentiment. Without intending to, Luciel had become the princess of the Oda army.