Chapter 20: Hi There Fag!

"I'm not getting in there", Takeko said obstinately. She looked at the already packed carriage with a grimace, they somehow had managed to pack the two hundred dwarves and two hundred elves into so few carriages but not without a price. Everyone was squashed up next to each other, it was hot inside and it smelled funny. There no was personal space at all and there was always someone touching another, it was all rather uncomfortable.

"Just get in there!" Oda shouted at her angrily, he pulled her arm and despite using all his strength he could not drag the girl any closer the carriage. He soon decided to grab her legs instead but Takeko clutched onto the nearest tree and wrapped her arms around the trunk.

"I am not moving!" Takeko cried out. She increased her hold onto the tree trunk and tried to shake Oda off of her legs.

"Toyohisa! Get your ass here and help me!" Oda yelled out to Toyohisa who had only just managed to stuff himself inside one of the carriages, he groaned out in annoyance. He squeezed himself out again and being very annoyed and irritated he merely used his brute strength to wrench her from the tree, he swung her body over his shoulder and tossed her into the carriage. He wasn't worried that she would get hurt because of the many bodies inside to cushion her fall.

Takeko quickly sprung to her feet and with one final attempt she tried to leap out of the carriage, But Toyohisa was fast to act and fastened her feet and hands with his sash. "There. No more moving", Toyohisa said with an approving nod, Takeko responded by giving him a dark glare and a low feral growl. Toyohisa simply ignored her and pushed her further to the back of the carriage where Yoichi was already suffocating with Hannibal. Now how do I get back in; Toyohisa thought for a moment.

After half an hour of pushing and shoving everyone somehow managed to fit themselves into the carriages. Flemi and Alester began closed the doors of the carriages and soon began the long and tedious ride to Orte's capital. How they got there without dying was nothing short but a miracle, with the random mumblings of the dwarves and the odd smell that kept on wafting around the carriage Takeko soon found herself losing her mind. And every now and then she felt a stray hand groping at her breast and backside. She growled a little as a warning to the unknown offender and the hand soon disappeared. However Olmine was not so lucky and was repeatedly assaulted by an unknown assailant during the trip.

Takeko had managed to wiggle out of her bounds but found that pointless as nobody could even move anyways considering how packed the carriage already was, bodies were pushed up against each other and Takeko found this most uncomfortable because she knew the dwarves were enjoying it. Several times had she hit a dwarf for touching her inappropriately not to mention that there were times where she couldn't even tell which of the dwarves or elves were touching her. Everyone was suffering in the carriage and since they could not stop at all during the ride it made even more exhausting.

Toyohisa knew with his large frame and figure he was the most annoying out of everyone in the carriage as his arms and elbow would collide into someone's face when he turned his body or moved when he moved them around. Several times had he elbowed Oda in the face and accidently smacked the back of Takeko's head when he tried to move. By the third time Takeko swore she would cut up both his arms and legs if he didn't stop moving so much.

Squished up against the wall was Yoichi, he had the smallest and thinnest frame out of them all so he was considered luckier than the rest, he also didn't have to deal with so many bodies being squeezed up next to him. But he did have some trouble trying space to breathe, all the personal space had been taken up either by the dwarves of elves. It absolutely ridiculous.

"Screw this shit…" Takeko muttered as she struggled to push Hannibal off of her back, "Get off of me!" She shouted out in frustration but Hannibal payed no mind and he soon fell into a slumber while still being on top of her. Drool began dribbling from his mouth and dripped onto her shoulder. "You must be joking…" She hissed, she proceeded to grab Hannibal by his scarf and chuck him onto Toyohisa and there he lay limply for the rest of the trip. Toyohisa swore at Takeko for while though but she beared through it for it was better than having a decrepit old man on her.

"Come up to window Kotake", Oda called out to Takeko. Takeko pushed herself past the elves and dwarves and finally after a few struggling minutes she reached the window of the carriage. She took a peak outside only to be disappointed.

"Kotake?" Toyohisa questioned.

"Pen name", Takeko said absentmindedly. "This is rather underwhelming", Takeko remarked as she looked outside her keen eyes observing everything.

"You're right on that", Oda said as he pushed the curtain a little higher up so he could get a better view.

"This is the capital of Orte?" Toyohisa said as he watched the people go about their business but there was nothing really special about it. There was nothing that made the city stand out above from the rest, it seemed more like a cesspit for the rotting.

"'Velrina' huh", Oda said in a bored manner.

"It was a rough trip", Toyohisa commented but when Takeko gave him an odd look he knew he was undermining the word 'rough'.

"Yes, but this won't be our capital", Oda stated, "It might look splendid on the outside, but it seems like it's a city where the light has vanished", he declared. Takeko absentmindedly nodded in agreement. "Look. Even though it's a market on a main street in the capital city, there are so few goods lined up. The distribution has stopped. And there're no young ones by the few street shops that do exist. Moreover, there's not many people on the street at all". Oda furrowed his brows, as a grim smirk spread across his face. It was totally different from Japan, when he was still in power he would never let his people and city come down as low as this.

"Too many men have been enlisted, so there's no-one left to work", Toyohisa said, it was true. There was not many men on the streets, and the ones that were, were either already old or cast aside by the army because of injuries.

"They take too much without return", Takeko claimed, she finally had enough of sightseeing and pulled back from the window.

"Yeah, it's not good. The country will really fall apart like this. It'll just suddenly burst up in flames", the air of wisdom ran along Oda's words. He was the greatest lord of his time, an undisputable to be reckoned with and in his times of glory he saw many things. Good and bad, and throughout seeing these things he was learning. Never was he too old to keep on learning.

"That's right, this country has completely stopped breathing. It needs help to commit suicide", Toyohisa declared with cold eyes. He was truly a man made for war, a man who strived a lived only for war and nothing else.

"Coud eat? What' coud eat? Some sort of barbarian food?" Toyohisa said not understanding what the count had said.

"It's coup d'état. It's when you make a direct hit at a capital with the intention of taking over", Germi said sarcastically. "I will guide you all the way in. I'm selling Orte to you. It sounds good, right?" He had a smug grin as he glanced up at Toyohisa, his eyes narrowing in mischievousness. "Who is your commander", he snapped his fingers.

Oda, Yoichi and Takeko pointed to Toyohisa immediately.

"The conversation went in a weird direction. But it's turned to being about me", Toyohisa dully with bored eyes. Those three kept emphasising that he was their leader but he couldn't care less, to be honest Oda was the one that was pulling the strings. He had no clue why someone as terrifying and knowledgeable like Oda would want him to the commander when he could be the one.

"You…What are your names? If you're Drifters, I might know who you are", Germi said calmly not fazed at all in the turn of the conversation. Toyohisa was the first to speak.

"Shimazu Nakatsukasa Shosuke Toyohisa", Toyohisa claimed proudly, his eyes staring right at Germi's.

Germi took a moment to think and then finally he spoke, "Toyohisa Shimazu…Hmmm…Ah", he narrowed his eyes in revelation. "Battle of Sekigahara. 1600".

"Nasu Yoichi Suketaka", Yoichi said with a surprised expression.

"The Left Hand of the Genpei War, is it? You're famous", Germi remarked as he looked at the young boy with less the pure thoughts running across his mind. He turned his attention to Oda, "You are…?"

"Oda Nobunaga!" Oda cried out shamelessly with his arms waving high up in the air.

"You're extremely famous", Germi deadpanned at Oda's strange antics.

"Hahahaha! Naturally, naturally!" Oda declared with the air arrogance and supremacy. Germi sweat-dropped in exasperation, his eyes finally turned to Takeko who attempted in hiding behind one of the dwarves.

"And you girl. Your name?"

Takeko hesitated but she said her name nonetheless, "Nakano Takeko".

"Hmmm…Oh yes. The leader of the Joshitai in the Boshin War. That's quite recent history", Germi remarked after a few moments in thought. Oda, Yoichi and Toyohisa turned their attention to Takeko in confusion, Joshitai? Boshin War? Oda was especially curious, because he and Yoichi had been the first one to find her in a bloody state but during the six months they were together she never mentioned about the battle she was whisked away from in the clutches of death. She hinted towards it in a couple of their conversations but she never delved further into it. But from the fragmented pieces of information she occasional gave him he could understand the idea of it. He kept silent though because he knew when the time came she would tell the full story, that or he would force the information from her, either way was fine by him.

Germi finally turned his attention to Hannibal who was in a drunken stupor, every now and then mumbling in his incorrigible tongue to which only Takeko and Germi could understand. However he didn't know who he was so the ideas of who he was endless.

"Who's that gramps?"

"We don't know his name. He's gramps Kiichigo", Oda said absentmindedly. Takeko raised a brow in question, she was about to speak out and tell Germi his name but decided against it. He could find out later. "It seems you're from an era after the ones we lived in", Oda continued he eyes narrowing in the revelation of the fact. "You must have floated in from a far distance, huh?" His brows furrowed in suspicion, he couldn't trust this man completely, call it instinct or the gut feeling. There something about him that made him wary.

Germi chuckled to himself, they were right about that. He may have never met Oda Nobunaga in real life but there were plenty of documents and historical facts about the warlord about his conquests and his fickle attitude so he didn't even have to meet him in real life to know him. It was the same with Yoichi, but not so much with Toyohisa and Takeko. There much mystery surrounding Takeko, even her birthdate was unclear.

Germi turned to Toyohisa with his arms crossed behind him as a manic grin split across his face. "Would you like to know what happened to the Shimazu after the battle of Sekigahara? I don't mind telling you". Germi's grin widened impossibly, as he cast his gaze upon the red clad warrior.

"Even if you don't tell me. I already know", Toyohisa began as he looked at the count. He was a fool, he knew that for sure. He didn't need Oda to tell him that but if there was one thing he knew for sure is that to have faith. Whether it be an impossible mission or an incomprehensible plan, he knew to have some faith and confidence in the people he believed in. Not only that but he was sure that everything would come to an end someday, so he didn't need some strange fag to tell him what had happened in the future.

"Eh?" Germi was confused for a moment, was is that he didn't hear the boy properly?

"My uncle Yoshihiro already left that hill, he should have gotten away while we bought him time. As long as Yoshihiro-sama was able to get back to Sasshu, it's obvious. The Shimazu clan might not have been destroyed at that time. And I don't know how many tens or hundreds of years it will take, but the Shimazu has definitely been destroyed", Toyohisa declared with an outspoken confidence which seemingly came from nowhere.

"Wha…What's with this child…?"Germi said as his face contorted to confusion and disbelief. "How can he think of something like that, in this time of flight? What nerve!" He couldn't believe the audacity in the brat's words, did he not know how presumptuous he sounded? Did he not have Oda guiding his actions and holding him back this child would've long ago died off.

However Takeko thought differently, as being from the further future she knew exactly what happened to the Shimazu. But hearing it from Toyohisa's made her laugh, it was so full of confidence, as if there could be no wrong. And the fact was that he was right, which made her laugh even more. She was soon clutching her stomach and cupping her hand over mouth to muffle her laughter. The four men looked at her in confusion as she continued to giggle.

Germi narrowed his eyes, well of course she would laugh. She knew exactly what happened in the future, and the consequences of these two fools' actions as he looked at Oda and Toyohisa.

"Well that's…This is the kind of child he is, sorry, Okama", Oda said but he pushed the subject aside as he was eager to know how his accomplishments and how it shaped the future. "By the way, what about me? What about me? How am I looked upon by the world?"

"I can't tell you anymore! Not about the enormous flying mysterious lights, or about how you basically brought hell on earth. Or that yo-you're a famous weapons maniac!" Germi cried out angrily, he wasn't going to say anything else. Their little girl could tell them but he certainly was not going to say anything for the moment, it could change the direction of their decisions and actions and he wasn't going to let that happen. He needed for theses Drifters to be completely themselves, naïve and unaware of what has happened in the future to be themselves.

"What happened in the future?!"

Olmine was the first to stumble out of the carriage with a gasping breath, "Fresh air!" She coughed out as she regained her balance, and soon the rest came clambering out in a daze. Dwarves, elves and finally lastly the Drifters. Never had they felt so relieved and free, Takeko was repeatedly beating Yoichi's back as he was choking on someone's hair which had been shoved in his face in the ride.

Takeko slouched against the cold stone walls of the one of the buildings and let out a huge sigh, breathing in the outside air. She was never going to ride in a carriage the same way ever, not with all those horrible memories. Yoichi was running his mouth in water, repeatedly rinsing and washing until he could no longer taste the rancid flavour in his mouth. Oda was cracking his bones and stretching his muscles but he soon went to business commanding the elves and dwarves to ready for battle. Toyohisa simply readied himself by pulling his hair back and straightening out his clothes, he was seemingly undeterred by the fact that they were crammed in a carriage for half the day.

Yoichi and Takeko watched with a deadpanned expression, "He's not human is he?" Yoichi asked sarcastically.

"I wouldn't know honestly…"Takeko replied with a twitching eyebrow. She looked around the courtyard, Oda was a quick man. He had already pulled out most of the weapons and readied the elves and dwarves for the raid, but he gathered a small group as he left the main group for the imminent battle, they too were geared up and prepared for battle. "I suppose we should get ready as well then", Takeko said to Yoichi. She unwrapped her naginata and pulled out her rifle and began loading it. Yoichi beside her nodded absentmindedly and drew out his bow and readjusted his string and checked the tension. Once satisfied he got up and patiently waited for Takeko to finish with her fiddling.

"You two ready", Oda called out to them. The both of them nodded simultaneously. "Toyohisa", he signalled the red clad warrior over, "Do you remember the way in?"

Toyohisa gave a brief nod and pulled out his sword, "Let's begin the madness", his eyes reflecting nothing but a blazing red of an undeterred passion for war. His body was buzzing and humming in energy, he couldn't wait, any moment now he felt as if he would burst into flames if he didn't fight any sooner. But he bided his time, soon enough he would get his glorious war. Pure and unspoiled.

No update for a month...Well to be honest I had lots of time to do this but I was just lazy. Also there are not much chapters left in the manga, so I am left with two choices. I put this fanfiction on hiatus and wait for the manga to have like 70 chapters or so, or I update only when the manga updates with an extra gap of ten chapters of something like that so I know the what to plan ahead and not have a totally oblivious outcome. Either way you guys will have to wait a long time for the next chapter to come out.

Character development is usually left with the author but I could tweak characters every now and then but I don't want them to stray from their true personalities. Many times have I read a fanfiction where the characters are just out character, it's come to the point where the fanfiction writer is just controlling their emotions. A story like that becomes boring and uninteresting. It is the same with OC's, they either become to overpowered and the author twists the entire storyline around them. And no! That's not why people are reading your fanfiction! People are reading your fanfiction because they were interesting by the plot-twist of the new character, but the OC is not the main character. I try my best to keep the side character. She will not take the main roles, she will take the side roles because she is the extra character. Not the main one.

Sorry for the rambling, tell me if my OC takes too many scenes and I pull her back a little. Fave, follow and review. I'm still waiting for another fellow fanfic writer to write a fanfic about Drifters, because I feel really lonely here...