Magoichi woke up slowly. She smiled remembering last night. She hugged Mitsunari tightly feeling him colapse into a soft mushy form. She opened her eyes realizing she held onto her yukata crumpled into a ball.
She heaved a sigh and sat up. She was the only one in the room this time. She hurriedly got dressed and walked out hearing voices coming from down in the open room where the party happened last night. Magoichi was surprised drunken men did not lay scattered about the room, instead it looked as if no party had ever happened.
Motochika stood with Mitsunari talking. She leaned against the rail listening to them talk.
"...I will send a squad of my men along with you. Will that do?" Motochika offered.
"You'd better make it two...and what of yourself?" Mitsunari spoke with more concentration today.
The sea captain grinned. " I'll be stayin' here for a while. There are a few things I gotta...get sorted out. I can join you by the end of the week." Motochika stared intently at the dark king.
Mitsunari smirked inwardly. Magoichi saw it too.
"Fine." Mitsunari accepted the terms. "I will keep a few of my men here as well."
Motochika shrugged. "If that'll make ya feel better." He could tell Mitsunari was not fond of him. He looked up seeing Magoichi walk down the steps.
"Good moring, generals." She stopped a few feet from the two. Mitsunari gave a sidelong glance at her.
"Magoichi." He nodded acknowledging her.
"How'd you sleep?" Motochika chuckled. "I hope my men weren't too loud for ya."
"Not at all. I slept like a baby." Magoichi shot a quick look at Mitsunari who immediately turned away.
"I think my men enjoyed the break as well, Motochika."
"I'd think so!" He patted Magoichi's back. She looked at the pirate smiling slightly.
'Mitsunari's leather glove squeaked against his sword.
"Let's get a move on then." He walked out.
"Not even a thank you..." Magoichi clicked her tongue.
"Don't worry about it. Anything for an old friend." He grinned showing off his pearly teeth.
"Thanks again. I will see you soon then?" She headed to the door, Chosokabe walking her out.
"Aye. Soon enough I suspect."
Mitsunari watched Magoichi exit and mounted his horse pretending to ignore the two.
Motochika offered Magoichi a boost with his hands and she took it easily sitting upon the majestic animal.
Grumpily, Mitsunari pushed his way to the front of their armies setting men aside to stay with Motochika.
Yoshitsugu floated on his litter next to Mitsunari startling the lord.
"Would you stop doing that, Magistrate?" Mitsunari hissed looking away angrily.
"I do not enjoy surprises." He muttered gloomily looking out to the east.
"Aw...why the long face, Mitsunari?" Yoshitsugu teased.
The silver haired man's grip on the reigns tightened.
"Did you not get enough sleep, my lord?" Mitsunari looked into Yoshitsugu's pale eyes seeing a hint of mischief inside those nearly blind orbs.
"...I slept well, thank you."
"Ah. I'm very glad to hear that. While we have a moment, I believe I have some useful information for you."
"Go on. What is it?" Mitsunari asked irritated by Yoshitsugu's teasing. The leper came closer to whisper into his ear.
"Magoichi Saica..." Yoshitsugu trailed off whispering the rest to Mitsunari.
Mitsunari gritted his teeth pissed off.
"What!?" He hissed in a rough voice.
"I heard it from some of Motochika's men last night." Mitsunari looked baffled at the bandaged man, mouth open in surprise.
"Are we going to leave sometime today?" Magoichi asked in a loud voice.
Mitsunari looked over at her with an expression that could kill. Unfortunately, she was too busy fiddling with something on the other side of her horsenotice. He snapped the reigns giving a command and lead their men forward.
Magoichi who had been preoccupied sighed glaring after him.
"What is his problem..." she followed now in the middle of their hoard of men.
Mitsunari gritted his teeth. What Yoshitsugu revealed pissed him off. His blood boiled with pure jealousy.
Yoshitsugu watched the men ride off and followed behind the group of soldiers.
"It is for your own good, Mitsunari..." He mumbled to himself.
En route to confront Ieyasu, Mitsunari rode fast at the head of his army. He snapped the reigns making the horse go as fast as he possibly could.
Magoichi watched him wondering just what was going on inside his head.
Mitsunari began his decent down a grassy hill. He was a good ten yards ahead of everyone else. He frowned lost in thought. It took everything within himself to not turn around and confront Magoichi right now.
A sharp noise passed Mitsunari's ear. He looked ahead and many arrows were being shot directly at him.
"Shit!" Mitsunari growled taking out his sword to deflect them. "It's an ambush!" He called back to the others.
Magoichi gasped seeing the arrows aimed at the other general. He expertly sliced the arrows up not a single one hitting his body.
The men were laden with red armor and carried the flag of the Takeda.
Pushed past the point of being annoyed, Mitsunari eagerly sliced at the men blocking his path.
"Get out of my way!" Mitsunari jumped from his horse and ran through the crowd of men sending them scattering towards the air, blood and screams filling the void. The Takeda men were running wild out of their hiding place in the thick foliage. He took off running into the thicket of trees.
Magoichi sent her men out to gain control over the situation. She sped off after Mitsunari. He was acting too brash for her liking.
"Mitsunari!" She called out chasing after him. "Why must you be so quick? Hya!"
She snapped the reigns moving faster trampling men as she went.
Mitsunari arrived at a break in the fighting. A small stream trickled through the forest.
A rat tailed man stood across the stream, spears in hand, flames biting at the blades.
"What reason do you have for ambushing my army? Speak!" Mitsunari pointed the tip of his long odachi in the man's direction.
"I come to ask for an alliance!" He yelled down to the other lord.
"Tch! If that's all you wanted, you should have just asked! How childish!" Mitsunari spat out his insult.
"Mitsunari Ishida, I Yukimura Sanada humbly ask to forge an alliance with you!" He clenched his fist tight wielding his spears.
Mitsunari crouched down sliding his foot through the sodden earth beneath. He raised his sword ready to fight.
"I will allow it... if you can defeat me, boy."
Yukimura nodded affirmatively.
"Let's begin!"
Magoichi shot down the line of archers blocking her way wielding two pisitols. She quickly reloaded and looked up seeing Mitsunari kneeling in a stream up ahead. A warrior in red stood across from him.
Magoichi came closer gracefully jumping down from the horse she rode.
Yukimura healed his spear high. From what Magoichi could tell, Mitsunari was wounded. He panted heavily glaring from the other man to Magoichi.
Quickly, she drew her gun pointing it at Yukimura. She glared hard at him deeming him the enemy.
"Drop your weapon." She slowly came to stand in front of Mitsunari blocking his path.
"Please, miss," Yukimura smiled scratching his head. "I-" Magoichi fired a round straight past Yukimura's head nailing the tree directly behind him. Magoichi was used to men not taking her seriously. Naturally, shooting was her answer to everything.
He nervously laughed looking back at it and lowered his spears.
Mitsunari winced looking up at his ally. "Magoichi," His voice was hoarse with pain.
She turned looking down at him with a concerned expression.
"Are you able to stand?" she reached out her hand to Mitsunari. He almost decided to reach for her, but he remembered Yoshitsugu's awful tale and looked down.
"I'm fine, woman!" He turned away standing up.
Magoichi turned her attention back to Yukimura. She raised her gun again.
"Allow me to finish him off."
Yukimura stepped backwards. "Please, miss! It is not my intention to-"
"Put your gun away, Saica." He spit out her name. She looked over he shoulder a bit confused by his tone, but returned the pistol to it's rightful holster.
"He is working with us now."
"Well," Magoichi looked over Yukimura inspecting him. "aren't we lucky."
Yukimura laughed awkwardly."I guess so..hahaha..."
Magoichi turned her attention to Mitsunari who limped away holding his side.
"Mitsunari. Where are you going?"
He hissed in pain stopping to look back at Magoichi. "I am returning to my troops."
"I can give you a ride back." The orange haired woman offered walking up to him.
"I can walk by myself! I do not need help from you!" He gritted his teeth as he spoke.
She shook her head. "Don't be unreasonable, Mitsunari."
"I am not being unreasonable, if anyone is, it would be you- hey! Put me down, woman!" Mitsunari yelled in discontent.
Magoichi slightly smirked to herself setting Mitsunari in front of her on the steed. Over his persistent grumbling, she looked at Yukimura.
"You should make your way back as well. The more men left alive the better."
With that, Magoichi set the horse to a trot walking away from the young cub. She slid an arm around Mitsunari and he wiggled trying to remove her hand only hurting himself in the process.
Magoichi forced him to lean back into her until he gave up going lax against her.
"Why do you pull away?"Concern bit at Magoichi's brain. She whispered into Mitsunari's ear.
"Mitsunari." Her hold tightened around his small waist and he gasped in pain.
"...sorry." He loosened her grip.
"I know all about it." Mitsunari growled half from the pain and half from his own anger.
"About what?" Magoichi rested her head on his shoulder and felt his shaking intensify.
"You...and that pirate!" He shouted turning slightly to look back at Magochi's surprised expression.
"It's true then?! Your face says it all!" Mitsunari pushed Magoichi away and jumped down from the horse immediately falling to one knee from the jolt of pain in his side.
"Ah!" Mitsunari curled into himself.
"Mitsunari!" Magoichi was at his side. He glared hard at her, but her passive expression made him waver.
"We can talk about this later."
After coaxing the dark king to get back on the horse, Magoichi rode at a gentle pace back to their men.
"Do not allow my men to see me like this..." Mitsunari muttered. He sat up more straight holding his breath. The men were already setting up for the night; Yoshitsugu happened to be near by. He noticed his friend's pained expression and came closer.
"Mitsunari? Are you alright?"
Magoichi dismounted the horse and watched Mitsunari follow slowly.
"Ah...it's just a scratch." Mitsunari took another look at the rip in his clothing.
"It's almost stopped bleeding...damn that boy!" He grumbled moving into a tent that had been prepared for him. Magoichi tucked her hair behind one ear looking after him hoping he might ask for her to follow. Instead, Yoshitsugu tended to his injury.
Magoichi crossed the field and began setting up her own place to sleep for the night. She was deep in her thoughts when someone tapped on her shoulder. He turned around looking up at Yukimura's smiling face.
"Here. You must be hungry." He extended a bowl of rice to her holding another bowl in the other hand.
"Maybe later." Magoichi answer curtly and resumed tying her knot.
"Miss, I didn't mean to injure lord Mitsunari. He asked for a fair fight, so I gave him one."
She scoffed standing up. "Don't be sorry, kid. That's just part of being a warrior."
Yukimura looked down at his fist. "But if I had killed Mitsunari, there would have been no one to ally myself with against the Tokugawa..."
"don't get so full of yourself. He's not that easy to kill off." She said taking the bowl from Yukimura.
"thanks, by the way." She raised her bowl and sat on the ground to finish eating. To her surprise, the ambitious man sat down next to her grinning big and ate his portion with her.
They ate in slience. She could feel Yukimura looking at her with curious eye.
"What?" Magoichi looked at the young cub annoyed at his outright staring.
"So, are you Mitsunari's wife?"
Magoichi nearly spit her rice everywhere. "N-no! I'm nothing of the sort! I am the Saica faction leader! Like you, I joined alliances with Mitsunari!" Her face flushed like a tomato.
"Ah." Yukimura rubbed his neck feeling awkward.
"It's just, the way you held on to him... it was really-" He saw Magoichi's pissed expression and looked away.
"Um, never mind!" He rose to his feet. "thanks for eating with me, Magoichi!"
Magoichi rolled her eyes watching Yukimura walk away.
Yoshitsugu approached her moments later.
"Good evening, Otoni." She greeted him.
"Yes, it is a pleasant evening." He looked at her. "Mitsunari requests an audience with you."
That was a new one. She stood and walked towards his tent.
'Are you his wife?'
She shook her head trying to rid herself of the embarrassing blush she knew was still on her cheeks.