Segoku Basara belongs to Capcom. I do not own any of the characters with the exceptions of Mego, Aki, Lady Hikari and Nana.

~~~ Mego ~~~

Mego lied under straw she has gathered making a makeshift bed. She was dozing in and out but wasn't really achieving any kind of decent sleep. She watched her guards leaning against the wall casually. One of them had actually fallen asleep, his head tilted down as he leaned against his spear whilst the other one occasionally whistled to himself clearly bored. She'd thought occasionally throughout the day of talking to the guards just to stave off boredom, but she wasn't sure how it would pan out and decided it was too risky to try.

Instead, she watched them and imagined their life. This guard had a wife and a beautiful little daughter, her face smiling as he came through the door after a hard day's work and raced into his arms. The other guard had a farm at home which his old father was tending too, his mother cooking a wonderful meal for the evening whilst thinking of her dear son hard at work for his lord. He dreamed of returning home and running the farm with his father, marrying a lovely woman and having beautiful children. They were mindless thoughts that kept her going. Often she would find her thoughts drifting to her family and friends. What kind of girl would Keiji marry? Hah! That lover boy will probably keep wondering around and never find anyone. She giggled to herself quietly at the thought.

But the best mindless thoughts were when she dreamed of Masamune. She thought of them riding their horses down the countryside of Oshu enjoying the sunshine and breeze. She pictured little boys with eye patches sparing with each other whilst trying to imitate their father. Tsukiyo curled up on the porch watching them whilst dosing in and out. Mego curled up and hugged herself being filled with the warmth of love. It was the only thing really keeping her warm and hopeful.

Suddenly there was a thud as the lock on the door was released snapping Mego out of her dreaming and bringing her attention back to reality. She watched the door as light spewed from it followed by a shady man who was clearly a captain and his posse. Their captain's eyes glowed red as blood and everything about him screamed danger. He was clad in samurai armor, his two swords attached at his hip. A demon thought Mego at first, but she knew he was truly just a samurai of ill nature.

"Hello, little dove." He said, his voice sinister sending chills up Mego's spine. She sat up and glared at him.

"What can I do for you?" Mego said trying to not look directly at his eyes. She felt she would be lost if she gazed at them too long, consumed by his malice.

The man chuckled maliciously.

"Well, I thought it was rather cold tonight and thought I would come and check on our little dove to make sure she was ok."

Mego didn't respond but kept a blank stare. She wasn't interested in small talk with this man. She wanted him to leave her alone. Her instincts were screaming danger. She began to feel uneasy.

He looked at her, making note of her squirming and clear unease. He narrowed his eyes at her and licked his lips devilishly like he was contemplating what she would taste like. Mego then looked at his eyes and saw how he was undressing her with them. She immediately felt frightened and dirty.

Get him away from ME! She was screaming in her head.

She hugged herself physically moving back from him trying to make a barrier between them. He laughed even louder and stepped closer to her cage.

"Don't be shy, little dove. Why don't you let me come and warm you up? The one-eyed dragon doesn't need to know." He said undressing her all over again with his eyes.

Mego felt like she was going to be sick. Anger welled up inside her and fear had adrenalin pumping like wild in her veins. Her whole body started shaking before responding to him.

"How DARE you?" She yelled, adrenaline kicking in even more.

"What do you take me for? Some kind of whore?" She spat in his direction which he just laughed off. Angry she looked around and saw her water bowl next to her. She picked it up and with ease flung it at him. It hit him square in the forehead with a metallic thwack.

His face went emotionless as he looked at the bowl. He immediately turned to Mego, rage in his eyes and started toward her.

"Why you little slut!" he yelled drawing his sword.

Mego gasped as she instinctively moved to the middle of the cage preparing for him to attack her.

She began to sweat and panic, her heart pounding in her chest. She had nothing to defend herself with and she was weak from lack of sleep, water and food. She crouched low trying to think of what she was going to do, her mind racing trying to seek the answer whilst her instincts took over most of her functions.

He yelled and swung his sword at the cage, a metal twang ricocheting from the metal.

Mego braced herself as the cage started to sway from the impact. His sword had only made it halfway through the metal but it still sent shocks through the cage. As he lifted sword back and then brought it down for another swing there was the distinct sound of ravens squawking followed by feathers falling around the room, the distinct sound of steel on steel ringing through the air. A ninja stood in front of him, sword raised against his preventing him from cutting the cage open.

"Fuma." He spat.

"What are you doing. She is my prey!" he yelled trying to push Fuma back, but the ninja wouldn't budge. He tried to swing at him again upon which Fuma dodged and knocked down out by hitting him behind the head. As he slumped to the ground relief came over Mego. She would be safe. For now.

"Sakki*!" The guards yelled as they ran to his side and picked him up. Then out of the shadows Matsunaga appeared.

"Sakki," he said slowly, anger rolling through his words. His face half covered in darkness as he addressed him.

"How dare you try to taint my beautiful dove with your sinister heart," he said before backhanding him across the face. He looked back at him with a grin as if he was enjoying this.
"Try to ruin one of my treasures again and I'll burn you at the stake." He spat before gesturing the guards to take him away.

He turned to Mego, who was still in shock and shook his head.

"It's ok my little dove. I won't let anyone touch you. You must always be pure and innocent." He said looking at her again like a trinket. She shivered as she felt dirty and violated all over again.

She wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. It was just too much for her. She wanted her swords. She wanted to slash her way free and fall into Masamune's arms.

Matsunaga saw her trembling and felt a bit of pity. Shaking the thought from his head he went to leave before turning around to Fuma.
"You will keep guard over her from now on. I don't trust the others with temptation. My dove is a rare beauty after all and some men just cannot resist beauty" He said as he smirked giving another chill up Mego's spine before leaving.

The room grew silent as the door closed. Mego curled back into her makeshift bed and cried some silent tears. Anxiety had taken over her, a state she wasn't used to but the old memories of her childhood were flooding back to her. She lied like that for hours before drifting slowly into a slumber from emotional exhaustion. Please, please, someone come and find me and take me away from here. Was her last thought before her eyes went dark falling into a light slumber.

~~~ Rescue party ~~~

In the dead of the night, they rode. A small group, but one with a mission. At their head a proud stallion charged whilst his rider remained silent, mentally preparing for the battle ahead. The stallion gave a snort shaking its heads resulting in the handlebars used as reigns swinging side to side. Luckily, Masamune always rode his horse when on flat terrain by leaning back in the saddle away from the handlebars.

Motochika rode next to him looking cool with his hands in his pocket and his anchor over his shoulder. He was ready for a fight, his blood boiling. Nana was next to him on her own horse. She'd really hit it off with Motochika and she was always by his side, whether it was on purpose or not.

Kojuro was of course to Masamune's right, never leaving his side. He was calm and collected, running through strategies in his head based on the intel Sasuke was able to relay to him. He was planning every scenario in his mind and figuring out ways to make every scenario result in victory for their team.

Behind this party were Yukimura and Aki. Both looked magnificent donned in the Takeda red and wielding such finely crafted weapons. They rode close together, feeling the need to stay closer to one another as not to lose each other. The sudden kidnapping of Mego had made Aki particularly sensitive to wanting to be within the protection of Yukimura, and Yukimura felt a burning need to not leave her side lest she is taken from him.

Keiji brought up the rear, his thoughts and worries consuming him as memories of a young Mego were recalled. He remembered the day after Matsunaga had tried to take her the first time.

~ Flashback ~

Mego was in her room hiding in her futon crying in distraught. She was a mess, to say the least. Keiji had gone and sat next to her as she cried and instinctively rubbed her back to calm her and give her a sense of security. Lady Hikari and Aki sat next to her on the other side, both unsure how to comfort her.

A brave girl of thirteen had been reduced to fear and anxiety due to one man's greed. It made him so angry. His hand was balled up into a fist just thinking about it. Mego was a beautiful flower who was coveted by so many greedy and perverted men. Men who only wanted her because she was 'exotic' and 'new'. Disgusting he spat in his mind.

He rubbed her back more as he noticed her crying turn to sobs as Mego began to calm down and relax a little. Lady Hikari sighed in relief and began to rub her shoulder softly.
"Mego," she said softly, reaching out with her voice to her daughter.

"I'm so sorry Mego..." She said trailing off. Tears came to eyes as she realized not only had been not only been naive to the danger but unable to stop it. She cursed to herself and her desire to train her girls was a new.
"I made a terrible mistake." she started and looked at Aki.

"To both of you." She continued as she looked at the ground.

"I have taught you basics, but in this world, that is not enough. I must teach you to be warriors not just wives," she said with conviction.

Mego stopped crying and pushed the blanket off revealing her face and red puffy eyes. She looked at Lady Hikari with such fierce eyes, eyes that were determined to never let the events of that day happen again. She felt strength from that look and grabbed Aki and Mego's hands in hers.

"I will teach you so that no man may ever lay a finger on you again." She said.

But ninjas were another story thought Keiji as they continued riding under the dark of night.

From that day both Mego and Aki had trained hard honing their skills, and their master pushed them beyond their limits to make them the strongest they could be. She was determined to keep them as safe as she could but more so to train them so they wouldn't have to rely on others for protection. Through blood, sweat, tears and rain they trained. For the first couple of years, they both had constant injuries and rough hands from the vigorous training but both were determined to impress their master and both were determined to never be weak again.

Over the years they became fierce and even honed their skills in battle as the Kitsune twins. Lady Hikari had thought by fighting bandits they could get some real practice and learn how to cope in the heat of battle. It wasn't long after they started that bandits started fearing to come anywhere near the villages within the Lady Hikari's lands that were guarded by the Kitsune twins.

~ Present ~

Mego currently had no way of defending herself. Without her swords, (which were broken) she was left with only her wit and cunning to save her until someone came to rescue her. Keiji scrunched up his face in reaction to his thoughts. If only she had her swords she'd rip through the castle like a dragon and soar out of there. Keiji chuckled at the thought.

"What's so funny?" asked Masamune.

Keiji hadn't even realised the party had stopped. He had been too deep in thought to have taken notice.

"Nothing," he said smiling before looking at Aki.

"I was remembering something from the past." Aki looked at him as if to ask "what?" but he shrugged it off.

"We'll stop here tonight. We are close enough for now but far enough to not be detected by enemy troops." Kojuro stated before getting off his horse to prepare camp. Keiji nodded and followed suit. They headed under the canopy of trees as to remain hidden from the road and started setting up camp. Motochika made quick work of starting a fire and Aki and Nana got set into cooking some dinner.

They made their beds around the campsite with Aki and Yukimura camping close together and Nana setting herself close to Motochika but next to Aki as to not make it look too obvious that she wanted to be close to Motochika. Masamune watched as they bustled around each other, seeing the glances that Aki and Yukimura exchanged and he felt a pang in his heart. He suddenly heard a voice next to him.

"Aren't they cute?" said Mego flashing a cheerful infectious smile. Masamune smiled toward the imaginary figure agreeing with her. She might not be here but I can still imagine what she would say if she were Masamune thought. She giggled at him again poking his nose with a finger before disappearing from his sight.

Masamune sighed and walked off into the woods wanting some space and distance from the others. Kojuro watched him go without saying a word. He knew he needed some space but also made a mental note of the direction he went.

Masamune found a quiet spot a few hundred meters into the woods and sat on an old tree that had fallen down years ago and had become a log. He let out a loud sigh, taking off his helmet and resting it next to him. Suddenly a pair of eyes shone out of the forest followed by the silent steps of a black shadow. As Tsukiyo came into the light of the moon her crescent moon mark gleamed. She made her way gracefully to Masamune's side where she nuzzled her face under his arm and onto his lap. Masamune chuckled and petted her head. Lately, she wouldn't leave his side.

After a while, Tsukiyo retreated to curling up around his feet and napping whilst he sat there in silence. He began to recall the plan they'd made last night, mentally preparing himself for the morning to come.

~~~ Flashback ~~~

Shingen rubbed his chin deep in thought as the party looked over the map Sasuke had made that identified the enemies' defenses. Matsunaga had gone to a lot of trouble fortifying his new home. He'd built it so enemy attacks would not come easy, meaning they couldn't use an army without being detected. According to Sasuke's intel Mego was locked up in the highest tower of the castle. Breaking the silence Shingen decided to start off the conversation of this war council.

"We're going to need to find a way for a small party to rescue Mego. To do so we need also a distraction to draw enemy troops away." He suggested. Kojuro shook his head.

"Ordinarily that would work but this is Matsunaga we are talking about." Motochika also chimed in.

"Last time the one-eyed dragon and I had a run in with him he had set up explosives all across the cliff. He's a sneaky bastard." Masamune nodded in agreement.

"If only we knew what kind of traps he had set up around his fortress..." Masamune said whilst looking thoughtfully at the castle's schematics.

"Regardless, we know we have to look out for traps and we need to get to her before they have time to do anything," Sasuke said bluntly. Aki and Yukimura gasped in horror.

"But Matsunaga wouldn't do anything like that!" Aki exclaimed. Sasuke laughed a little whilst scratching the back of his head.

"I meant that he might find a way to sneak away with her if he can. " But that didn't give Aki any sort of relief. She looked at Yukimura her hands clasped to her chest. Her eyes begged for him to save Mego, but also reflected the fear she had if she had been taken instead. he grabbed her arms in his and looked at her smiling softly.

"Don't worry Aki, I will protect you no matter what. We will rescue Megohime. I, Sanada Genjiro Yukimura swear it!" he said boldly. Aki smiled back and nodded. She had complete faith in him.

"Do what you want but leave Matsunaga to me." Masamune spat, as an eerie aura surrounded him. Everyone could feel the dragon being awoken from a deep slumber, and it was angry. Kojuro sighed and looked back at the map. Then he noticed something.

"Sasuke are there five gates?" He asked. Sasuke turned his attention to the map.
"Yes. Here, here, here, here and here," he said pointing out each one. Kojuro looked deep in thought as everyone waited to hear what he had to say. The gates formed a star shape providing entry from five unique angles. Two were close to soldier's huts. One was close to what would likely be the artillery and the other two covered the front and back of the castle. Kojuro looked around the room and counted off. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 mentally excluding Shingen and Lady Hikari from the count. Shingen was best to remain in Takeda and guard Lady Hikari whilst they conducted a small rescue operation. They needed at least one more person if not two to cover the fifth gate. Kojuro stared at the map in thought. It would be best to go in groups of two… he thought to himself. Finally breaking the silence, he looked up at Shingen.

"Is there any chance we can send a message for Ieyasu for help?' He asked looking at Shingen. Lord Shingen nodded. Everyone waited for Kojuro to explain the plan.

"If we attack the gates separately in four groups of two and have Ieyasu and Tadakatsu attack the gate from the back of the castle, we may be able to unleash a surprise attack that might confuse the enemy. By doing so we may be able to sneak in and grab Megohime before Matsunaga has enough time to retreat with her." He finished, looking confident in his plan.

"Heh. Always the mastermind Kojuro." Masamune complimented. Kojuro made a small smile. He knew his lord always counted on him to get him out of sticky situations. Kojuro continued to delegate roles for the operation. Everyone listened intently.

"Masamune and I will attack from the east, Keiji from the north, Motochika and Nana from the northwest and Yukimura and Aki from the southwest. Our aim will be to confuse the enemy causing them to scatter and be distressed. Once we achieve that, Masamune and I will break into the castle and retrieve Megohime whilst the soldiers work to get some order in their ranks." As he delegated roles he pointed to the map showing the attacking formation and locations of each individual's role.

"Sasuke, we will need you to seek out enemy traps and either disarm or warn us of them." He said looking at Sasuke directly. He nodded in agreement.

"No sweat," Sasuke replied. Kojuro continued.
"We should attack at first light but travel under the cover of night."

"You mean?" Aki said before Kojuro cut in.

"Get some rest and prepare yourself for tomorrow. We leave at daybreak." With that everyone nodded and returned to their sleeping quarters preparing themselves for the battle to come.

Masamune stayed back looking at the map, in particular at the tower. He imagined Mego in there all cooped up and lonely.

"Mego..." he whispered to himself softly. His hand reaching out to the castle as if trying to reach out to her.

~~~ Present ~~~

Tsukiyo had fallen asleep at Masamune's feet. A gentle snore was audible that made Masamune chuckle a little. He'd never imagined in his wildest dreams that a wolf would become one of his most faithful companions. It wasn't hard to become fond of the wolf, he understood more over these past few days why Mego was so fond of Tsukiyo. You couldn't tame her, you could only befriend her and she would decide how she treated you. Suddenly Kojuro appeared from the trees having given Masamune some time to himself.

"Lord Masamune, you should really get some rest for tomorrow." He stated, knowing he wouldn't sleep unless Kojuro made him. Masamune sighed and gave in to Kojuro's request.

"Alright." He said lazily picking up his helmet and getting up waking Tsukiyo up in the process. The three of them returned to the camp where everyone was fast asleep except Sasuke who was sitting in front of the fire. It was a rather adorable scene. Aki and Yukimura slept apart but had their hands entwined between each other. Nana and Motochika slept with their heads close together but bodies facing opposite ways. Didn't take long for him to catch that fish. Masamune thought, smirking.

"Welcome back," Sasuke said a cheeky smile on his face as always. Suddenly he looked sternly at Masamune.

"Sleep. I will keep watch. You'll need to have your wits about you tomorrow." He said though it sounded more like an order. Masamune waved him off and headed to his bed for the night. He slept with one claw in his hand picturing himself cutting down Matsunaga and receiving a smiling Mego jumping into his open arms. Tsukiyo laid curled into his side deciding to stay as close to Masamune as possible. He gave her a pat on her head before closing his eye and allowing sleep to take hold.

~~~ Mego~~~

The night was cold. Mego shivered against the breeze that was drifting through the window. What time is it? she thought to herself. She looked up and saw Fuma still leaning casually against the wall. She looked at him and suddenly a shiver overcame her body. She looked down and hugged her body closer to herself before looking back towards Fuma. When she looked he was gone. She blinked a few times and then suddenly he re-appeared again, crow feathers dancing around him as he held out a blanket in his hand. Mego was taken aback, instinctively moving away from Fuma who was offering her a blanket. She looked at him trying to judge what he was up to.

Fuma, getting the hint the Mego didn't trust him, appeared in the cage, placed the blanket next to Mego and returned back to his position in an instant. Mego was left putting the pieces together of what just happened but she was still a bit groggy from lack of sleep. She looked back and forth between Fuma and the blanket three times before letting it go and taking the blanket, suddenly relieved by the warmth it brought and shielding from the wind.

"Thankyou." She said looking at Fuma. As expected he said nothing. But, Mego thought she'd indulge a little more.

"Why would you be kind to me?" She asked still getting no response.

"Is it because I'm a woman?" She said. Fuma moved a little. Aha. Mego thought.

"Is it because I remind you of a special someone?" she asked. Fuma moved his head to look away from her as if acknowledging it.

"How did you end up like this anyway?" She asked, becoming more confident in herself. Fuma turned away from her as if to say "I don't want to talk about it." She giggled to herself before rolling into the blanket and closing her eyes.

"Fuma," she said softly.

"It is ok to let emotions rule your decisions every once in a while." She said before shutting her eyes and attempting to sleep again.

Fuma looked back at her in thought. A slight pain in his chest had been aroused from her words. As a shinobi, he was bound to serve his master, but as a man, he didn't feel this was right to leave her shivering in the cold. Besides, his master's 'treasure' would get sick and perish at this rate from negligence on his behalf. Whilst it wasn't his duty to do things outside his master's orders, it's not like he would get caught. He was too skilled for that.

He watched her sleep, the rise and fall of her chest as she was finally able to relax a little and sleep properly for the first time since she had arrived. It was probably the first time she'd been able to fall into a deep sleep too. The bags under her eyes told him she'd barely gotten any sleep at all over the past 2-3 days. She was strong and brave, like someone else he knew. A young girl with her bow at the ready appeared in his mind. He shook his head dispelling the odd thoughts and feelings. He had a job to do.

*Sakki - Means thirst for blood.

Update

Sorry for the long wait again. Life has been really getting in the way. I plan to make are least one chapter a month with chapters remaining to be a length of 4000+ words. Thank you all as always.

Next chapter will feature fighting! This chapter is a little dark and mellow but I wanted to cover some important themes.