Phew, finally the next chapter! I hope you guys like it! And yes, the upcoming battle will be much more dramatic than Ujimasa just screaming "Oh, my back!" the entire time. Until next time!

Chieko awoke from the noises.

They were muffled, soft, and quiet, but something about their voices and the topic of discussion they were having made her brain gather up itself.

Her eyes flickered open and blinked rapidly and repeatedly, but it took her a few seconds to really awaken from slumber. Her body ached, like she hadn't moved in ages and was stuck curled up like a newborn. Gingerly she unraveled her legs and stretched them out. "Erm…" She muttered. It did indeed hurt, no that was an understatement. It seemed to pinch her, but soon after her legs grew accustomed to being used again, Chieko's pain subdued.

Gathering her strength, the girl pushed herself up and sat vertically, staring at nothing but air before her glazed eyes in a dazed way. Raising her arm and pushing the brown hair out of her line of sight, she began looking over her surroundings carefully. She was obviously in her father's house, sitting in a rather large bed made in hast. Wrapped around her were bandages that seemed to be gingerly wrapped around her upper torso. Stains of what only could be blood had seeped through her white wraps and had dyed them a light red; it was obvious no one had changed them in quite some time.

"Father…Did you save me…?" Chieko muttered quietly before hushing herself. She had remembered the voices that had awoken her and instantly began crawling over to the nearest door. Lightly she pressed her small ear to the wood and listened closely.

"…I'm just glad she's alive, Kojuro…"

"As am I, Lord Masamune…"

"My Lord!"

The two men in the room turned to Chieko, who had opened the door as soon as her father's voice hit her eardrums. "C-Chieko…" Masamune stuttered, his single eye wider than usual. "I…I'm relived you've healed enough to finally come out of the room and walk by yourself."

"I'm as strong as any man of your army, Masamune-sama." She said, trying her best to hide the fact that she was having to lean against the wall just to keep upright. "It doesn't hurt, I'm fine…"

"You're one strong girl…" Masamune stated, a satisfied smile on his pale lips. "Kojuro sliced your chest open and you fainted just a few seconds after. We rushed back to camp where I wrapped you up and put you here to rest. You've been in and out on consciousness for the past day."

Chieko opened her mouth in a vain attempt to tell her father that she was sorry for being so terrible of an heir, but Kojuro interrupted her with his actions. The older man quickly fell to the ground and bowed as deeply as he could to the young girl. "Chieko Date…I must apologize for what I did to you! I was too hard on you and nearly killed you! An act like that to a woman like you should be met with death! I will end myself if you so desire!"

Chieko desired nothing of the sort. All that she wanted was… "Kojuro, stand up." She commanded, her voice like ice shattering on a rock in the harsh winter tundra. "I command you to…"

Kojuro did as the thirteen year old requested. Masamune whistled. "Impressive…"

"Now…" Chieko continued, trying to hold in her pure excitement over her father praising her. "Get me a new change of bandages, this instant. These ones are dirty…"

The Dragon's Right Eye stared at the girl for a mere second, disbelief all over his face. "I…right away…" With that, the man scurried away as quickly as he could.

With an exasperated sigh, Chieko rested her arm against the wall, giving her more support. "Masamune-sama…I cannot bow in my state…but I do indeed wish to. Thank so much for bringing me back here and patching my wound up…"

"It was nothing." Masamune Date said, a satisfied smile on his face. "I had to keep you alive after all. Who else could be my heir?"

Chieko held in the urge to scowl at him for that statement. She wanted more than anything for him to treat her as his child, even for a split second. She thought his concernment over her wound was that of a father, but it was apparent to her now it was obviously just a warlord worrying for his future kingdom. In the end all she could do was nod.

"…You know, Kojuro really wanted to kill himself over hurting you…He seems to care for you."

Chieko just let the silence answer for her, not really knowing what her father was trying to imply. "How…unwise." She said finally, not wanting her only time with Masamune being spent in awkward quiet. "He is a high-level general…a loss like him over me would be such a blow to our forces' moral and overall work."

Another sly smile was made by the Dragon. "I swear, you've got the mind of ya mother…"

He spoke of her mother? That never ever happened, so the solders said. "…What was Mother like…?" The instant Chieko said it, she tensed her whole being up for what was to come. Whether Masamune would lose his temper or he would tell her calmly was all up to the gods over watching them.

"What was…Mother like…?" Masamune re-stated, his voice slow like he was having a hard time understanding the words. "Your mother was strong-willed and fierce…her name wa-"

"I've returned!"

Chieko cursed the god of luck as Kojuro came sprinting back, the bandages she had requested in her hand. As much as she was grateful for the new change of bandages, she wanted to know more about the one who delivered her into the world. "Thank you, Kojuro. This is repayment enough…" The girl then produced to turn around to face the wall and gingerly unwrapped her used wraps. It stunk as she did, but it didn't matter.

The cut was large, but not too deep. Kojuro's katana had been so sharp that it had cut through her metal armor and then into her skin. It went from the edge of her right side all the way to the beginning of her left breast. While it was healing, it began bleeding again as soon as she unwrapped the strips of clothes from her body. Letting out a small sound of pain, Chieko swallowed up her pain and quickly re-dressed her wounds. Once she was sure the cut was alright, she pulled the top of her kimono back up and turned back to her father and his Right Eye. "Alright…So…If it is indeed my place to ask, may I ask what now?"

"What now?" Masamune tapped his fingers against his leg. "Well, Kojuro and I were thinking about the many ways we can shape this war with our next attack."

Chieko's eyes widened. "Really? That sounds so…so, cool as you would say Masamune-sama."

"Now that's my heir." The blue-clad dragon said with a smile. He then proceeded to get down and sit on the floor. "Now, Chieko, Kojuro, let's discuss what we're to do and whom we'll attack in three days…"

The two others nodded and sat down across from him, intently staring at their Lord. Chieko was first to speak up. "M-Masamune-sama," She stuttered, "Who currently holds most power?"

"Right now? Currently it's Yukimura and his thirteen year-old son, Katsuro, who have been rapidly gaining land. However, I think it's unwise to meet them in battle currently. I believe it is much wiser to attack someone closer, and regardless of land they own." Kojuro stated, his voice monotone. "In the end, the decision is all up to Lord Masamune."

"Sanada had a child the same year my mother conceived me?" Chieko asked, laying her hands on her thighs. She had heard much of her father's fierce rivalry with the Young Tiger of Kai, but never anything of him "I suppose this boy, Katsuro, is his heir?"

Masamune nodded. "Yeah, he's been training that stubborn mule of a boy since he could walk. I saw him once when he was only five, and he already had the look of a warrior. The kid even bore a scar across his left cheek."

Chieko held in her urge to hold her cheek with the birthmark burned into it. It was one thing to have a scar from fight, but a scar from being born was something worlds different. "I see…Are there any other people we could attack without the risk of losing too many men?"

"Well…" Kojuro seemed hesitant to speak, but he did anyway. "What about the Saica Faction? They are both close and currently suffering from heavy blows from Kenshin."

Masamune looked at his Right Eye blankly, like he was studying him so he could paint him. "Hm…Well, that is always an option…I'm not too into it though. We've had a neutral alliance with them so long, I feel attacking them would be something we'd later regret."

"I see…" Kojuro replied, his eyes averted from his Lord. "Chieko, what do you suppose?"

For a moment, she stood there in pure disbelief. Did her father's Right Eye just ask her to do something that could affect the tide of the war? This had to be something only an heir could do, right? "Well, I don't know too much about geography, but I do know about the other opposing warlords…"

"That's a start." Masamune muttered, his stare still blankly ahead of him. "At best, you have a pretty good idea of who would be best to attack?"

Chieko swallowed her fear and nodded. "Indeed, Masamune-sama. I believe that attacking the Hojo clan would be our best bet. Their Lord is on his deathbed and the general in charge is heavily unexperienced. If we strike there at sunset, we have a good chance at getting them off guard. Everyone knows that the dumb Hojo clan have no guards at night…The only problem is that they are a bit of a way away…Never the less, I think it's wise to attack them."

Chieko's statement was met with a bright smile and nod from her father. "You're really a lot like you're mother…Kojuro!"

"Yes My Lord?"

"Inform the troops we're to head out to Odawada tomorrow at noon. We should reach there an hour or so before dusk." Masamune sighed and yawned, like he was bored. "Also, inform them that Chieko Date is leading the attack, with me second in command. It'll be one hell of a party."