Bold Italics are for 'Engrish' phrases
Italic Sentances are for thoughts
Author's Note at the bottom
Masamune folded the letter in his hands, closed his eye for a second and rubbed his index finger and thumb against his forehead as he thought everything over. Why did she sound so aggressive in her letter? He sat up, opened his eye and then it hit him. Yoshitane Souma had recently visited her.
Souma was there, there's gotta be a reason for that.
The One-Eyed Dragon continued to search through his mind to find the missing pieces; from the discovery of the female leader to Souma's reason for visiting. Something had to be there, but it just wasn't making its presence known. Unfolding the letter and looking over the map where he circled Megohime's location, Masamune scanned the two pages over and then traced his index finger from the 'Forest of Souls' to Miharu.
Of course, Kiyoaki Tamura has something to do with this...
Probably explains why she's so aggressive now, both men have been cowardly bastards and do nothing but use others.
He read the letter over once more, carefully checking to see if a clue would appear.
"One-Eyed Dragon,
It has come to my attention that one of your subordinates has claimed that you wish to see me. However I cannot stress enough that I have no desire to hear of such oddities from a failure of a ninja – he seems rather determined to sneak a peek of my bathing quarters, mind you. Regardless, I am unconvinced and I request that you make your presence known to me. Your faithful 'ninja' will remain under my care until you come to fetch him. I have entrusted my retainer Junko to not only deliver this letter, but to include a map to guide you to my little village. Know that I mean this with all seriousness and I am not looking for a fight despite the tone of this letter.
Regards,
The Harionago of Mount Osore"
Masamune chuckled quietly to himself after reading the letter and then shook his head as he set it aside. Megohime had an odd way of wording things as well as trying to sound intimidating. Though her style of calligraphy was elegant as any high-born woman would have, parts of her writing showed signs of nervousness. Then there was the peculiar stain in the top left corner, hinting that water touched the parchment. Tears, perhaps?
The door to his quarters slid open as both Kojuro and Shigezane stepped through, the Elites stood behind them. The One-Eyed Dragon nodded in greeting and they mirrored him. Kojuro moved towards his right side, sat down and bowed to his lord, Shigezane remained directly in front of both of them and bowed.
"Anything?" the younger retainer asked and Masamune shrugged his shoulders.
"She wants us to pay a visit instead of Goemon whom she's decided to keep until we go." He replied. Kojuro shook his head in disgust.
"The nerve of her, she speaks as if she has some sort of authority in this area." The Right Eye growled and clenched his fists. Shigezane nodded in agreement.
"You would think that she would be a bit friendlier than that, considering we've let her roam free for a while."
Masamune waved his hand to stop both of the men.
"Slandering aside, she has a right to be aggressive. Look at her bloodline," he said resting his right hand against his face as he leaned forward, "Old man Tamura is insane, Souma is a manipulative little snake and then there are the men who were rumoured to be her suitors. Not to mention the supposed priests who were behind the whole demonic conversion. I think she has a right to be angry, you see?" the daimyo smirked.
Shigezane leaned back in his seat and looked up at the ceiling, "Yeah but, is it really necessary for us to go easy on her? We're not meant to be easy on anyone, cousin. I understand you and her got pretty damn close in the woods years ago and the pair of you were supposed to be married back then. You care about her, we get that, but I just don't see how we can give her the easy route in comparison to others we've tangoed with." He shrugged.
"Lord Shigezane, does have a point My Lord," Kojuro said, slightly leaning forward to look into his master's eye, "Though she is your former lover, her arrogance cannot go undetected. Woman or not, she is a daimyo who has threatened one of our own and has dared to show disrespect towards you and so she must be treated for such inappropriate manners."
Masamune stared back at them coldly, "Are both of you saying that you don't trust my judgement?" The Right Eye shook his head, however Shigezane opened his eyes, leaned forward and stared back at his cousin.
"Masamune, she's known as The Bitch of Oshu, she will be ruthless no matter who you are. She's a bloodthirsty demoness to boot, what makes you think that she will back off once you show up on her doorstep? Do you think she'll just welcome you with open arms and go back to the good ol' days?" The Shield replied, determined to make his cousin see the truth.
"You were never this lovestruck, cousin. Do you show such emotions to your concubines?" he added, watching as Masamune pointed one of his six claws at him. He remained seated and still.
"Don't bring those bloodthirsty wolves into this conversation," he growled, "Mego knows better. She may be a demon and the daughter of the Undead Emperor, but she is far from acting like the two." He put the sword away, leaning back against the wall.
"Only I know how her. You see?" he smirked, knowing all too well that both Shigezane and Kojuro would back off. His cousin merely sighed in annoyance and leaned back, and his retainer closed his eyes for a moment to give himself a moment to breathe.
After a while, both men had left Masamune alone in his thoughts, now only the faint sounds of crickets chirping and the occasional whisper from the wind would break the nightly silence. Removing his eyepatch, the One-Eyed Dragon found himself sitting on the porch that overlooked the small courtyard, the odd sense of loneliness and the sinking feeling of his heart grew painfully within him. He slowly moved his eye to look up at the moon, watching the clouds swiftly caress its face as they moved northbound.
Yes, it had been years since he saw her pale face and heard her timid voice. It had been years since he felt her small, soft hands touch his face or seen her hair dance about on its own. It had been years since he felt whole. The empty lust that developed over time would be temporarily hushed as he spent nights alone with his concubines and the occasional mistress in a nearby brothel. Every time he gave in to his hunger, he felt emptier than before. At times, he could almost hear her sobbing in the back of his mind, as if she was witnessing this through him. Some days he wondered if she actually could.
Since their rendezvous in the woods, Masamune recalled a particular night they shared before they had to finally say goodbye. Though young, the pair gave themselves to the other as a promise to one day meet again.
'Forever and always,' as she always said. He thought to himself, feeling a small smile form on his face as let the memory rush through his mind.
Looking down at his hands, he stared at the necklace he had held earlier. The dragon now looked more lost and alone than before, a mere reflection of whom it was based after. Clasping it in his hands, he looked towards in the direction of Mount Osore.
"Soon, Mego. Soon." He said quietly.
Oshu, Dawn
Dawn painted the sky as Masamune prepared his men to march towards the village with directions and a map in hand. He scanned over his choices; Kojuro Katakura and Shigezane Date were his first choices naturally. Yoshinao, Samanosuke, Magobei and Bunshichi also showed an interest in tagging along, more by Masamune's request than anything.
Mounting his horse, he crossed his arms and kicked the stallion into motion, his men soon followed. As they left their home, he turned his torso slightly to his left as he called back to his men.
"Are you ready guys?"
They cheered in response.
Kojuro smiled and Shigezane put his index finger and thumb together as he whistled.
"Let's do this! C'mon, to the Village of the Dead!"
More cheers and whistles followed as the Date Army galloped towards their destination.
Megohime leaned back in the bath, letting the hot water wash over her body and ease her worries as she closed her eyes. Relaxing, she slowly exhaled and rested her head against the edge. Everything had begun to move in rapid motion all around her, time itself disappeared in a matter of minutes. Now it seemed only the bathwater remained in place and kept her safe as all Hell broke loose. Amidst the chaos, she could see only one figure approaching her with an outstretched hand and a missing right eye.
Her mind jolted back into reality as Junko swiftly opened the sliding door and kneeled, Megohime raised her head and looked towards her attendant with a questioning expression on her face.
"Bandits, Lady Mego. They are approaching the village from the forest's clearing." She said quietly, resulting in her lady jumping up and out of the bath.
"Come again? Bandits, again?" the red-headed Harionago said through gritted teeth. Strands of her hair danced about her as she struggled to keep her anger in check.
I hope I can make them laugh, just so I can destroy them all...
Grabbing her bathing robe, she quickly wrapped it around herself and moved towards her room with Junko following close behind. Tossing the robe aside, Mego walked towards her dressing screen and began to put her clothes on, starting with her undergarments and wrapping the sarashi around her torso.
"Junko, prepare the girls, we've got a battle to attend to." She said, adding armour to her clothing before finally reaching for her sword and small dagger-pistol. Junko nodded and left to alert the others.
Looking herself in the small mirror, Mego then reached for the final accessory – her mask. Holding the cold, porcelain face in her hands she stared back at it with blank eyes. She had grown numb to wearing it over time. Though part of her still wanted to be rid of it forever, she still felt it was necessary to wear it in order to hide her face, a shell to hide the fact she was an unmarried woman playing a grown man's game. Putting her 'shell' over her face, Mego prepared to defend her people.
Mounting her horse, she turned towards her army as they stared back at her to hear her command to move forward. With a wave of her arm and a hard kick into the horse's side, the Harionago of Miharu and her flock left their fortress to annihilate their enemy.
Turning her head to the side to look behind her, Mego yelled out to her girls.
"Girls! Unrivalled Goddesses of Mutsu! Hear my call! What do we stand for?" she cried.
"Revenge!" cried Hisoka, the eldest of Mego's chosen. Her mahogany ponytail swayed in the wind as she lifted one arm in the air.
"Anarchy!" cheered Chieko, her own golden red hair swishing back and forth as she grinned.
"Equality!" yelled Kotone, Chieko's younger sister. Like her sister she had a similar hair colour, though done in a much more flamboyant fashion as hundrends of curls cascaded down her back.
"Freedom!" declared Yori, the youngest of the four and was Mego's prime medic and chef. She clapped her hands in the air as the rest of the army riled up.
"We are Saviours!" The girls yelled in unison, lifting their arms and waving them about. Junko smirked a little while Mego chuckled, kicking her horse into a faster motion.
Their spirits were high as they galloped through the fields, breaking the tranquil silence with their cheers and movements. A typical day for the Harionago and her followers; being alerted for an incoming threat, deal with threat, go home to celebrate, and rest. Wash, rinse, and repeat, all in a day's work, so to speak, and so on. Dealing with mountain bandits was nothing to Megohime and her band of rebels, having gained high status among the vulnerable villagers who seemed constantly threatened.
"I live for this..." Mego said, a smirk appearing on her masked face as she led her followers to the location of the bandits.
However, things seemed off the closer she got to the bandits' path. There was an ominous chill in the air as the wind picked up. Darkened clouds cast themselves over the once clear sky; thunder began to rumble lowly followed by a brilliant flash of lightning. How quick the storm came made the rebel leader uneasy.
"Something wrong, My Lady?" Junko asked, leaning a bit before picking up on the strange feeling as well. The fair-haired kunoichi then started to survey their surroundings, keeping all senses open.
Megohime slowed her mare to a stop and quickly lifted her left arm to stop the others. Clearly, something just wasn't right. Shifting her mask so she could see a little better, she began to sniff the air.
Just as I thought... He's here. Just over that hill...
She turned to Junko and gave the older woman a silent nod. Megohime turned her body more towards her girls, signalling them to keep quiet as they slowly approached what was beyond the hill. And then with a loud cry and her sword raised, she signalled them to descend down the hill towards their enemy.
"TO THE DEATH!" she cried, kicking her mare into overdrive as she and her followers moved swiftly, hoping to catch their enemies off guard.
As she galloped down the hill, her eyes caught onto a shade of blue, followed by a golden crescent glittering amongst the dark. Her heart stopped as time froze in her mind, making the Harionago stare intently at this creature.
The man turned around, chestnut brown hair tucked underneath a samurai's helmet with a golden crescent perched on top surrounded his face. Everything seemed relatively normal about him except for his missing right eye; the empty socket was covered by a black cloth eye-patch. His remaining left eye - an icy shade of blue with a sharp pupil – stared back at her, widened in shock. Though she couldn't hear him, she could see his mouth move. Slowly, the man mouthed the words.
"Megohime." Masamune said quietly, watching at the wild, red-haired woman approached him on horseback. Her face covered by that hideous porcelain mask, making the One-Eyed Dragon annoyed.
He turned to face her, then out of the corner of his eye, Kojuro Katakura charged at her in an attempt to knock her off her horse. He watched as Megohime fell off the frightened mare, landing on her back with her mask gradually slipping off from her pale face. It shattered into hundreds of pieces, leaving a faint puff of dust where it broke. He quickly ran in between his Right Eye and her, barely missing the blonde haired woman's attack.
"Don't. She's mine." Masamune said to Kojuro, who looked at him for a second before nodding. He then moved to block his lord from the kunoichi's wave of attacks. The Lord of Oshu turned back to the rebel leader, who remained on the ground, her body completely tense.
Everything about her seemed to stay the same, minus her rather mature body and the brilliant shade of red hair. It fluttered about her for a moment before it began to become more rigid, ready for attack. The One-Eyed Dragon watched as she pushed herself off from the ground and quickly moved into a fighting position. Her eyes locked onto his, determined to read his movements.
"Good to see you." Masamune said as a small smile formed, however Megohime didn't return the gesture.
"Took you long enough." She muttered, slowly walking around him while he watched her. Neither of them made a move to attack, only to observe. Their armies fought against each other, though neither man nor woman made the effort to kill the other.
"I take it you got my love letter?" Megohime added sarcastically, raising an eyebrow as she continued to walk around him.
He laughed and shook his head, "When did you become so hostile? What happened to the scared little masked girl I knew so long ago? But yes, I did. Mind telling me why there was little water stains on the side? Can't be bothered to send it with better parchment?" he turned to look at her with a smirk and reached out to grab her. She jumped back in retaliation.
"Nitpicky little brat. As always." She snapped back and quickly slapped his hand away from her. He caught it with his other hand and pulled her close to him, causing her army to yell out in anger at his bold move.
"Correction. I'm a man – no, a dragon – who likes things done his way." He replied, moving his face closer to hers.
Mego waved her hand to calm them down and to prevent Junko from attacking. She then pushed herself away from him and gave him an annoyed look. Her left hand unsheathed her sword, the blade still eager to slay its enemies.
"As I said. Nitpicky." She smirked back at him as he made a 'tsk' sound. She raised her sword at him, now narrowing her eyes and her mouth forming into a frown.
"You didn't come here for idle chitchat, I know that. You came here for your little ninja, correct? Well, as fate would have it, I'm a little busy at the moment Lord Date. Negotiations will have to take place at a later date."
Masamune lightly tapped her sword with one of his six, causing the two to let out a clanging sound. Their soldiers stopped their fighting and watched the pair in silence, Kojuro and Junko stood on either side of their leaders.
"You're here for the bandits too, huh?" he asked. She nodded.
"Yeah. They've been a bit of a problem in these parts. Why are they a concern for you?"
"Just as much of a pain in the ass to me as they are to you, Mego. So why don't you and I form a temporary alliance and then figure things out from there?" he smirked at her, slowly walking towards her while she remained still.
"Fine. Just a simple, leader-to-leader alliance, Lord Date. Nothing more, nothing less for the time being. Deal?"
"Deal."
Megohime sheathed her sword and stuck out her right hand to shake, Masamune obliged and took her hand into his. Whether it was his desired element or a sudden change in emotions she wasn't sure, but the Harionago could feel a sudden jolt go through her as her hand locked with his. She forced herself to stay calm and keep things professional. Straight-faced and giving off no signs was something she perfected, despite staring back at the One-Eyed Dragon's smirking face.
With a nod, both leaders turned and walked over to their horses, cantered them to the centre of the two armies and with raised arms both announced the hasty alliance.
"Alright guys! We've agreed to form an alliance, for the sake of taking out those damn bandits! Protect and work with them!" Masamune yelled. Some of the men cheered while a few like Yoshinao glared daggers at the girls.
"Girls! Take this alliance with care, for we have now become a part of the Date for this short amount of time. Try not to scuff them up too much, their leader will have my hide for clothing ... If he could catch me." Megohime said with a grin as her girls laughed and cheered. Hisoka gave Yoshinao a cocky grin before turning to the rest of her fellow females.
Masamune smirked at her, "If I could catch you? Mego, I don't plan on turning you into clothing, but I wouldn't mind taking you out of your clothing." He reached over to gently brush his hand against her leg, Megohime quickly batted it away.
"I'm unmarried. You're married, committed, whichever. The past is the past, and soon this will be a part of the past." She said with annoyance, though part of her voice cracked in-between. The Lord of Oshu couldn't help but wonder if something was wrong with his newest companion. He motioned himself to speak when she raised her hand to silence him, she looked at him with a faint, reassuring smile.
"We'll talk later." Was all she said before nudging her mare into motion, Masamune followed as their armies did the same.
Though the alliance seemed like a good idea, a part of him made the One-Eyed Dragon wonder if he was only hurting the Harionago more after having been separated for some time. Soon enough, he could see a trickle of blood stream down her face before she wiped it away. It occurred to him that she wasn't injured, but somewhere along the grapevine of rumours he heard that demons cry blood. He felt a stinging pain of concern in his chest but brushed it aside.
We'll talk later... she said.
Yeah, we will. He thought now turning his focus on the task at hand – Mountain Bandits.
Author's Note: Hey everyone, sorry that I've been in radio silence. A lot of stuff happened over the summer holidays with regards to moving cities and I'm currently battling my way through college! So updating has been pretty scarce since lol. I'm hoping I can get more written soon, but we'll see how my workload goes. Enjoy what's here, and next up will involve battling bandits, negotiations and possible steamy goodness :)