Chapter 21: Prelude to War

There was something lacking in this war. He knew that it wasn't normal by the standards he was used to, however he knew there were no warriors enough to fight against a skilled swordsman like himself, therefore he was growing bored. There was no challenges to truly amuse himself. He scowled almost, it marred his features for a moment. Cutting down the soldier in front of him was simply dull, his blood wasn't boiling. His only entertainment was perhaps held in the Offscouring. The glorious battle he desired was taking too long to prepare, many months had he waited for this. If there was no battle or war his life would be meaningless, it was his lifeline and the reason to breathe for another day. He cut down the trash which foolishly had run into their own deaths. The splatter of blood painted the walls a scarlet red, the colour deepening into a crimson as it slowly dried.

He could hear the Oda's rich baritone laughter tremble across the stone corridors, it was at times like these where he truly was the embodiment of the devil. His constant dark chuckles sent chills running down the elves and dwarves alike. The soldiers of Orte stood no ground against the group who were moving swiftly towards the councils meeting. With Yoichi's skilled elves shooting down any strays who dared to run away from confrontation and the dwarves cutting down the ones who even had the courage to stand up against them.

Takeko stepped over the corpses, her eyes trailing along the blood marks, leading up to her leader. His eyes reflected a sort of deranged insanity, bordering towards a murderous rampage. She pursed her lips ever so slightly as she his in his shadow. He could feel her presence behind his back, her steps were soft and it was accompanied by the sound of tinkling bells. But otherwise she was a quiet observer, and something about that was unnerving. She did stay true to her word, being simply the shadow and never allowing herself to be in a spotlight. Letting someone else take the glory from her.

He clicked his tongue, that would be foolish of her to do that. If she was that meek in the first place than she should've never donned on armour and partaken in a war only for men and the mad. On the other hand he knew her prowess so it made his somewhat conflicted. There was a sexist part of him that he knew, it wasn't in his nature that he was like that, he was simply raised that way. There was just a part of him that believed that women belonged in their home tending to their husbands and children rather than taking up arms and fighting like men. However he knew he would be insulting Takeko if he ever brought that up so he kept silent. On the other hand he had somehow made her an exception to what he generally perceived of women.

Toyohisa slowed down his march as he reached the double doors, and with hefty push he shoved the two doors open to see the council in utter chaos. Count fag had an ugly grimace contorting his features as a ghost like bespectacled man grinned slyly. He barely batted an eye when Toyohisa burst through the door with his group of warriors.

"What's up? What's up?" Oda chimed in as he looked past Toyohisa's shoulder, his mouth forming a mocking sneer. "Hey, this is totally different from what you said, isn't it?" His words directed to Germi who had promised that he would have the entire council under his control before they even reached the centre on the citadel. But of course something had gone array, it would be too strange if everything went along with the plan perfectly.

The ghostly apparition smirk widened impossibly as he regarded the Drifters, but he didn't even bother to look them in the eyes. Refusing to deem them of any worth at all he cast his gaze down right at them.

"So you are the Drifters", his glasses glinting against the available light in the room. "It seems like you were the ones who gave our Jeanne and Gilles de Rais such kind treatment. I am Rasputin". Oda narrowed his eyes, he knew these type of men, and so he knew how to deal with them. And they were the easiest to deal with in the right according of the situation.

"Honestly, the Black Lord is so busy that he doesn't have the time to be bothered by you. In any case, the world will be collapsing soon", a loud shattering of glass outside and the sudden burst of light within the city walls drew the attention of Germi and the council members. Rasputin finally drew his gaze upwards as he continued to look down on them, "So, I have taken measures to ensure that".

"Fire is…Fire in the Imperial City!" The council members shouted out in shock and surprise as some peered out of the windows, some couldn't even move in fear of the consequences but that as the last of their worries as double doors burst open with black armoured soldiers brandishing their spears and swords at the Drifters.

Germi clenched his teeth so hard that blood threatened to seep through the gaps of his teeth. His hard gaze focused completely on Rasputin, one too many times that this brat foiled his plans and caused him so much trouble and grief. No again! Not this time! He refused to see failure again!

"I also took the liberty of putting some troops in this city", a sly smirk stretching across his face as he stared down at Germi. "Well, a vexing amount of trooped really, but…I really must apologize, for all this-".

A flash of red and with a terrifying leap Toyohisa leapt into the air with his sword drawn out, and with one connecting movement he decapitated two of the Black Lords soldiers. In the strange language of the monsters they cried out in surprise but before they could even cut the red clad samurai they were slaughtered by the very same sword which had dispatched their first two comrades. A red blur was the last thing they ever saw before their heads came flying off, landing on the floor in a bloody splatter. Their eyes still wide open in shock unable to register the shock of their head being taken off, detached from their body as their own blood stained the floor. They were monsters however it was still rather surprising to see the purple fluid.

Rasputin suddenly became speechless as he watched his men one by one become dead carcasses with their warm blood trickling down the stone walls. His eyes widening in revolt of the actions of the red clad samurai. Germi had similar reactions as his eyes widened in the revelation of the dead monsters bodies slumped around the room, sweat began to slide down from in his forehead.

'Shoot' Oda thought with a wolfish grin adorning his wrinkled features.

Toyohisa took no notice of the sudden change in the atmosphere in the room and prayed for the departed monsters to reach heaven or hell. He didn't know but he simply did it out of habit, even if they were monsters.

"You're the Drifter…The leader of the Drifters Toyohisa Shimazu, aren't you?" Rasputin began once more determined not to lose his carefully collected composure. "Suddenly drawing out your sword, suddenly attacking…It's unmistakably clear that you're from a region of barbarians".

Toyohisa stepped up onto the council table, Rasputin's words fell deaf to Toyohisa's ears.

"I really must thank you for your treatment of our comrade, Jeanne", Rasputin continued, while his façade remained strong on the outside on the inside he was pondering why he was walking on the table.

Toyohisa strode across the table, his long legs making short of the distance. He came to a halt right in front of the one council member who was still under Rasputin's spell and without thinking twice of his actions he smashed his heel into his jaw. Again, again and again without cease.

Why should he care about this foreigner who was clearly just flapping his lips? Nothing but hot air was passing his tongue. And if he was talking about that pubescent girl well then good for her then, next time they meet her she will become a pile of salt for all he cared. Rasputin's façade suddenly dropped as his expression turned into pure horror and revulsion as his lips upturned into a grimace.

'Ah, this is rough', Oda thought as a devilish smirk spread across his face. 'I don't know who you are, but…my condolences to you. If you lose to this guy, it'll be rough. Just when Rasputin's gloating about his triumph and looking down from his high horse, he's being completely ignored and having his lackeys being beaten up right in front of him. Having that done to him completely disrupts the low of his plans'.

Oda's expression softened for a moment as his thoughts continued further, 'Toyo. Does not read the situation. It is not that he can't. He just doesn't. He completely ignores it. Rather than it being something that he was born with. It is something that he was raised to do. Depending on the situation, it could result in his untimely death. While it is a great weapon, it is also a great weakness'. His eyes narrowed as he watched the scene play out in front of him. Even he wasn't sure if he could control such a person without repercussions.

It was totally different from Takeko and Yoichi. But now he thought about it, those two were just as dangerous. Both of them being so young their thoughts could not be predicted and they had many great strengths and weaknesses. He spent most of his time making sure that Toyohisa didn't do anything stupid but now after thinking about it, he should be equally worried for Takeko. Her mental stability was questionable.

"Toyo-chan, wait, wait." Germi quickly said intervening with the bashing. He needed the councilmen alive, not dead. "That person, he'll die, he'll die".

And throughout this entire spectacle Rasputin did not utter a single a word. For one short moment everyone seemed had forgotten his presence but Oda did not, Oda watched his every single movement taking note of every single reaction he had. And that one drop of sweat was what he was waiting for, the sign of fear. That internally was the submission for something more terrifying and powerful.

"If you give a shudder or even one drop of sweat, it's your loss", Oda cut in. Rasputin blinked his eyes in shock. When had he appeared in front of him? "Smile. It's useless if you don't smile properly. What's wrong counsellor-wannabe? I'll smile if you won't", Oda continued. He smirked in the most mischievous fashion as he looked right into Rasputin's eyes. Refusing to take away his eyes from the Drifter, Rasputin stared right back at him.

"I, too have something to say to you. Thanks", Oda's eyes peered right into Rasputin's searching for something. And right there it was, fear. Oh how much did he enjoy instilling fear into enemies.

"We had every intention of fighting a war since the very beginning", Toyohisa finally turned his attention to the Offscouring. "We'll destroy everyone who gets in our way. There's no way you can take a country without spilling blood".

Takeko walked to the severed heads of the monsters, leaning down she carefully picked up one of them cupping the severed neck in her palms. Letting the thick blood ooze between her fingers and drip onto her long sleeves. She brought the head up to her eyes as she peered right into the dull clouded eyes of the monster. She peered right into the glossy eyes of the head, her lips curling into a small smile. Her fingers digging into cut flesh, it was a strange sensation but generally was the same structure of the a human.

With an appalled expression, Rasputin could merely watch. "Spouting all that nonsense for what. Your words have no meaning if there's nothing to back it up", she turned her eyes away from the head and to Rasputin's. "Do you want to know something interesting though?" She held the cleaved head right next to hers, side by side. "Dead men don't talk", a dark chuckle escaped her lips as she suddenly dropped the head to the floor. A small thud, a splatter of blood and the head rolled around on the floor; expressionless.

Oda's let out a short laugh as he watched Takeko step over the heads and returned to their side, blood dripping from her hands, staining her clothes a strange marble purple. The smell of the fluid was strange, not like a humans but closely resembled of an animal. "You really thought you could take this country without any bloodshed didn't you? With us here, you really must want to pout, huh? From here on out, you can make all the threats you want. We drifted to save a country, but also we came to help it. That's some good service for a just cause, isn't it? Thanks".

Rasputin's expression turned dark as his eyes narrowed in revulsion. "Hey, hey. What's with that grimace? Smile just like you were before. Smile, won't ya?" His grin widened impossibly threatening to split his face in half. Baring his teeth which were gritted together. It was such an unnatural smile, so disconcerting and so abnormal. "We'll do it like this", his eyes boring right into Rasputin's who could only stare right back. Speechless; clenching his teeth his apparition slowly disappeared, wafting into a haze like smoke.

'We'll settle things with war!'

Extra Side Story

"This…heat…is unbearable", Yoichi panted out as he struggled to climb up into the trees for shade. Oda fanned himself but found the air he generated to be hot and sticky, groaning out in frustration he snapped the fan shut and tried to sleep the heat off. But soon found that pointless as well. The summer in this world was dry and hot, without even the faintest of breezes to keep them cool.

Takeko had her hair pulled up into a high bun but she had masses of hair so some of her hair had to rest onto her back. Her neck felt sticky and hot and she constantly had to readjust her clothes because the cloth began to bunch up in awkward places. "I don't suppose I can just strip off my clothes and walk around naked now can I?" Takeko mumbled, finding her tongue to be thick and dry.

Oda and Yoichi immediately looked at her expectantly, "Girl, if you were to do that. I can't guarantee that you walk away with…well…" Oda began but his words slowly drifted off.

Takeko gave him a sharp look, "Don't you dare finish that sentence", she hissed through her teeth. Her eyes darkening in the shadows of the trees. Oda held his hands out in defence.

Three weeks. Three weeks they had been here, enough time for them to become accustomed with each other's company and share stories with each other. Well not including Takeko, she refused to give out any information about the future. At one point they even doubted she came from the future, and she merely responded with 'You don't have to believe me. I don't expect you to, because I don't believe who you are either' and with that they didn't ask anymore. But as they began to soften up with each other they began sharing more personal and intimate moments of their lives. Even Takeko began revealing parts of the future, but they were filled with riddles and puzzles. She didn't state the date nor did she say what incidents and actions led to it.

But from what they heard it seemed that the future was no longer a place of warriors but futuristic machinery. Takeko never mentioned her family, other than names she didn't delve into them often. And so they didn't ask.

Takeko leaned against the cool side of one of the crumbling stone walls, relishing in the refreshing feeling. Oda watched the day slip by with half open eyes, he wasn't very interested. Everything seemed meaningless now, there was no purpose and so he felt wasted and lethargic. But on the bright side, he never felt so relaxed and never had he let guard down so much. Back in the Land of the Rising Sun, he was surrounded by enemies. His life was in constant danger and everything he did was watched and surveyed by the people around him. Every single action and statement he said meant something and if taken the wrong way his head could be dangling from someone's hands.

He had nothing to fear from these two children, throughout their time together they never showed any intentions of harming him or any hostility and they all seemed to be in the same boat. They had all met the same foreigner in the same corridor, whisked away from the clutched of death. It seemed that that man had sent them here for some purpose. But they just didn't know it yet.

The strange ears never came up to the forests to bother them and they never bothered to go down and so nothing ever happened. They had so much free time and nothing to do with it, it bothered them so much and they just didn't know how to handle not having their lives in some sort of impending doom. Takeko had some sort of semblance of what to do, to consume her time she took apart her clothes and resewed them into a yukata. She stashed away her armour in a wooden box she found in the castle ruin, throwing aside the various pots and pieces of fabric which were inside it.

And after doing that she began to sweep the entire castle clean until there was not a single cobweb left or a speck of dust. She would also regularly wash their clothes and resew them so they were always in mint condition.

"Why does she always do this? I'm pretty sure she comes from nobility or some sort of high ranking family. So why does she spend her time like a servant?" Yoichi asked Oda as they watched Takeko carrying buckets of water to wash their clothes and to cook their dinner that night.

"Women have their standards for a home, I'm guessing she doesn't want to spend her time in a dingy old castle which smells like dust and mould. She needs something to keep her moving, or she grows bored and tired. So leave her be, besides my clothes haven't look this clean since coming here", Oda pointed out.

Yoichi let out a defeated sigh, "Whatever you say, Nobu".

Takeko would make sure that there was variety in their meals, most of her time was spent outside in the forests. Whether it was hunting down a game of animals or foraging for edible plants. It was hard to tell which were but through trial and error she finally figured out which were and which weren't.

Oda however made use of this time by mentally mapping out the surrounding land and forestation in his mind, making sure that every little detail was not missed. He would spend his days wandering around the mountainside looking at the other parts of the crumbling castle which were beyond saving. And if not he spent his time dozing off into a dreamless slumber. His age was catching up to him and he no longer had the body to keep up with his mind, Takeko notice of this so she specially sewed together a blanket and pillow which were filled with down feathers. Oda had never seen something this before and she merely told him that she learnt this from the Europeans.

Yoichi would follow Takeko most of his time, she would elaborately tell him about the future coming up to the point of Oda's time. She would tell him amazing stories and tales of wondrous warriors and the consequences of his actions. And how he was hailed as a hero in the future and a famous historical figure. It made his pride swell in happiness but he never showed it. Often would he hunt with her and help her prepare meals, enjoying the leisurely conversations they had which only they could relate to as being similar ages.

Oda thought once that listening to those two talk was like listening to two bats chirp and squeak, their wavelengths just did not match with his so he really didn't get what they were talking about.

"Your battle…do you think you left a mark on history?" Oda suddenly said out of the blue. Takeko knew he was referring to her, even though his eyes never left the skies.

She followed his gaze and looked up into the sky with half-open eyes. "Hopefully it did", she said absentmindedly.

I hope you like this chapter! I'm going to add these side stories where I show you how Oda, Yoichi and Takeko spent their days before Toyohisa showed up and how they interacted with each other. The manga updates to slowly so if you see one of these stories take up a whole chapter, I'll have you know I probably sent several hours on it. I will also add bits and pieces that didn't make it into the final copy of the chapter because I deemed it unecessary but in the side story bit I can add what I want.

And finally I'm asking you guys, the readers of my fanfiction this very serious question. Do you want romance? I will add it in whether you like it not but it will be a terribly slow romance, maybe you won't even realize it's there. But I am going to ask you of your opinions. Leave a review of what you think, but remember I get the final word.

Fave, follow, review.

Peace out.

Edit: 25/12/16 Merry Christmas my dear readers. Lol I bet you think I'm dead. Did some edits here and there, added some more detail and fleshed out some character thoughts. Okay bye.