Around Odawara Castle, people were hurriedly rushing about busy with their daily activities. Pages hastily ran around attending to their lords, servants hurried to and fro cleaning up the place; the cooks were skilfully busy in the kitchen preparing meals for everyone. In the training grounds, many soldiers were busy performing training drills with their superiors, some sat maintaining their weapons while other stood in small groups sparring with each other.

One of the soldiers ran towards a small group yelling excitedly "Look! I got a scar on my forehead! I finally got a wound like Lord Ujiyasu!" He proudly pointed towards the fresh scar on his forehead and beamed as his fellow comrades heaped him with praise. "Good! A warriors pride indeed! I must be bold and do the same!" declared one of his comrades who clenched his fist with determination before getting a pipe thrown at his head. "Quit talking nonsense and get to work!" Ujiyasu yelled irritably at them before muttering to himself "They act like being wound is heroic. With every wound in battle, the pain of every man who died gets inscribed into your soul. Such kids." He shook his head and went to retrieve his pipe before standing back and watching the scenery.

~x~x~x~x~

"New recruits from Yotsuba Village! Get over here this instant! Training starts now! We must always be prepared for battle!" Gen stood on a small platform barking orders at the hundred new recruits standing quietly in front of him. He narrowed his eyes as he counted the number silently. "Wait.. 98? where'd the brats from yesterday go? Ohhh…. This is bad… what if they were spies? He clutched his head and slowly sank to his knees with a groan before the cook came running angrily towards him, dragging a bewildered looking girl behind him. Her face was stuffed with food and her arms were full of food. "GEN! What is the meaning of this? One of your new recuits was found stealing food in ths kitchen! This brat managed to eat all the breakfast! This is your responsibility."

"Ooops! Sorry! I was really hungry and the food smelt really good so I sorta helped myself! Sorry bout that!" Sumire swallowed her food and smiled cheerily before bowing carelessly a few times and poking her tongue out. "Ah! Mr Cook! The dumplings tasted great! Could I have some more?"

Gen would have burst out into an angry rant had Takeshi not stumbled in shirtless "…Uh. Which way was the bathroom again?... I got…lost."

"….." The other recruits silently watched in with interest and curiosity, some desperately trying to stifle their laughter while some looked on with scorn and shock. Gen simply sank to the floor tearing his beard "WHY ME?" he wailed loudly.

Midday~

The new recruits, under Gen's watchful and slightly OCD instructions began sparring with each other. Soon after, Kai decided to join in and began challenging the strongest recruits before beating them easily. Sumire and Takeshi stood to the side watching quietly, in Sumire's case she was snacking on some stolen food while Takeshi was napping as usual. "Oh if it isn't Narita's kid. Causing a ruckus as usual? How many boys have you made cry now? " Ujiyasu walked up slowly to where Kai stood cheered on by some recruits while others buried their faces in shame.

"My Lord! How many times do I have to tell you! I'm not a kid! I'm a woman!" She shouted angrily back at him, stamping her foot for extra emphasis "I didn't make them cry! It's not that I'm strong; it's that everyone else is weak! That's why they're crying" She placed her hands on her hips and looked intimidatingly at the rest of the group who all reflexively took a step backwards in fear of being challenged next. Ujiyasu chuckled slightly before pointing his pipe at Kotaro "How about trying your luck against Kotaro?"

The creepy looking ninja next to him laughed quietly, his shoulders shaking with mirth as he smirked "She's so weak it would be hard to even take it easy against her. I might end up killing her." He shook his head mockingly at Kai who clenched her fists before pointing a determined finger at Kotaro and retorting angrily back. "Who do you think you are! I can take you on! Bring it on!" She pulled out her sword and stood prepared to attack when Kotaro smirked and teleported away. "Ugh! He just ran away because he was scared!" Kai clicked her tongue in annoyance and turned back to the crowd, her eyes scanning everyone, who nervously avoided eye contact before resting on Sumire who blinked back at her.

"You looked at me! Come on! Fight with me!" Kai challenged her and smiled confidently. Sumire widened her eyes and looked to her left and right, Kai's finger followed her movements before jabbing in her direction. "Yes! You! The girl eating my breakfast! I want to fight you!" Kai shouted in annoyance as she slammed her sword onto the ground sending up a few pillars of geysers.

"Mmhphay! Desh dhow!" Sumire frantically stuffed the last of the food into her mouth before summersaulting upwards, pulling out her swords in one swift motion and landing gracefully on her feet and pointing her swords at Kai. Kai grinned in excitement and circled around Sumire before aiming at kick at her stomach and striking upwards with her sword. Before her kick could connect, Sumire had taken a step back and stabbed her wakizashi upwards, blocking the strike from Kai's weapon and taking advantage of her momentary loss of balance to take the back of her tachi and smack Kai on the head.

"Ow!" Kai fell to the ground clutching her head. The sound of her sword clattering to the ground made her look up to see the shining silver of the wakizashi being pointed at her neck. "Yay! I win!" giggled Sumire as she beamed innocently at Kai who grimaced slightly at her loss and widened her eyes in shock as Sumire's eyes took on a bloodthirsty gleam. "Hey!" She recoiled backwards in shock before Sumire blinked almost innocently and tilted her head, before handing her the weapon "Is something wrong? Did I hit you too hard? " She placed a hand on her cheek in worry " I only used the back of the blade as well! Don't tell me you're that WEAK?" she looked down at Kai with a chuckle."Ugh! I am NOT WEAK!" Kai stood up angrily and pointed her sword at Sumire "That was a fluke! Rematch!"

"Sure thing! But let's up the odds this time! If I win, I get to eat all your food and I won't lose so let's go!" She stuck her tongue out mockingly and spread her swords out, preparing to guillotine swipe Kai. "Grr! Who said I was going to lose!" Kai roared angrily and began to charge forward when Uyjiyasu stepped forward, using his cane to block the girls movements and hit them both on the heads. "Hmph, you two are still babies. You have a lot of growing up to do. Kids."

"We're not kids!" Shouted Kai and Sumire in unison as Ujiyasu began walking off with a low chuckle.

~ Koriyama Castle~

Inside Motonari Mōri sat at a table surrounded by books and piles of papers calmly writing, next to him was a brown-haired girl with an autumn orange kimono who sat deeply absorbed in a book. Seated in front of them was an elegant woman wearing a white hood who quietly watched the two with slight annoyance. "Motonari, you didn't call me out to watch you write did you?" A quiet yet deadly voice cut through the silence as the woman lost her patience and spoke.

"Ah, my apologies, Lady Aya. Forgive my rudeness, I was so caught up in writing I never noticed you come in." Motonari rubbed his neck lazily before putting down his brush. "About what I wanted to talk to you about. The Uesgui and the Takeda have now allied with the Mōri, however the threat of the Imagawa in the East is still strong. Hence, I would like to send some troops with you to observe the Hojo when they battle the Ashikaga, if all goes according to plan, they will join with our alliance." He placed a hand on the bewildered girl's shoulders "This is Aki Hanako, my protégé " he smiled proudly as he introduced her to Aya who nodded and smiled slightly back. "I will send her to accompany you"

"…I-is it alright? ..M-Me?" Aki questioned nervously as she bowed her head, the long gold ribbon on her braid trailing over her shoulders. Motonari smiled kindly at her, "I know you would prefer to read, but sometimes it is not enough to know history, you have to make it too. I want you to accompany Lady Aya and see for yourself the strength of the Hōjō." He gave a her gentle tap on the shoulder and pushed her towards Aya who smiled and stroked her cheek "Ara! Such a cute little girl, I'll take care of you. Don't worry."

~Afternoon~

By the afternoon, the Hōjō troops had been resting and were ready for battle. Inside the commander's room, Ujiyasu stood at a table studying a map, surrounded by his strategists and highest ranked officers. "The Ashikaga have allied themselves with the Uesugi and are intending to wage war against us for rule over the Kantō region. They have an army of 80,000 strong while we, even with our new recruits, only have 8000 men." He stood silently for a few minutes smoking his pipe while deep in thought. "Those fools."

"My lord, I've also heard from my spies that the Mōri have lent their assistance to the Uesugi, we should be prepared for a sneak attack as well. No doubt Motonari the trickster will have devised some cheap tactics." Lord Narita interrupted Ujiyasu's thoughts as he remembered some valuable information.

"Is that so? Heh, those idiots are even more foolish than I thought" He laughed, "This siege has been going on for 6 months. Even though they vastly outnumbered us, they aren't winning at all. Now they've increased their numbers expecting to finish us off, those imbeciles had their way home before them; and they threw away any chance of victory they had." He paused and relit his pipe. "They were overconfident. Huh, 80,000 soldiers, they must have given the people so many hardships to muster an army like that. I will not give Kantō to such fools!"

~Night, Kawagoe Castle~

Ujiyasu Hōjō stood on top of a platform as he addressed his troops who were all lined up in front of him. "We're attacking their main stronghold under cover of darkness. Remember, we will first eliminate their patrol through a covert operation, following that they should be sending out their reserves in waves. Next will be a raid on the Southwester Garrison, this will be a vital stronghold once we take control. We will then proceed to sweep through their armies and attack their commander. Roar, my brave lions of Hōjō! This farce ends tonight!"

"Raaah!" The entire Hōjō army cheered in unison and prepared to march out. "I will now put my plan into motion" Benchiyo Fukushima, one of the strategists bowed to Ujiyasu before leading his small army towards the heavily guarded Eastern fort. "Narita's kid. You go and accompany Benchiyo. Do yourbest, you fools" Kai nodded briefly to Ujiyasu before following Benchiyo who slowed his pace and began updating her "We'll need to eliminate Norikage Nagao in order to divert the Ashikaga's attention, then we'll be able to stop the patrols."

Takeshi and Sumire had been allocated to the strike-team because of their skills and were now placed in a squad under Ujiyasu Hōjō. As they were marching towards the Garrison, Ujiyasu began making small talk "Benchiyo is Tsunashige's brother. They say he's quite handsome, but I'd wager my face against his any day." Takeshi's poker face twisted into a slight smirk while Sumire and Kotarō were less successful in hiding their amusement and burst out laughing. "Bastard! What's so funny!?" Ujiyasu glared at them irritably before pulling out his cane as a group of enemy soldiers began to charge towards "Alright, let's get started. Time to see what you kids can do. An old man like me should be taking a break you know."

Without needing any further encouragement, Takeshi rushed forward, knocking down the captain with a charge attack, a circle of fire surrounding the helpless soldiers who held up their hands in surrender. Sumire ran behind them and skilfully ran her swords through the enemy soldiers, lightning streaming from her weapons paralysing them.

"Hmmm, you two are quite skilled, I wonder how you would fare against Yukimura" An elderly man's voice boomed through the sounds of battle as a robust man rode in on a white horse, his large fan cutting through the Hōjō soldiers.

"You? Why are you here? This has nothing to do with you!" Ujiyasu yelled at Shingen Takeda in disbelief while the older man shook his head slowly. " It does now. The Takeda have allied with the Uesugi and the Mōri, before long, you'll have joined us too. Else face the threat of the Imagawa alone."

"Heh, more join the chaos" Kotarō laughed menacingly to himself before standing in front of Ujiyasu and extending his claws. "Go on ahead."

"Finish it off quickly eh, Kotarō?" said Uijiyasu as he began running towards Kawagoe Castle with Takeshi and Sumire in close pursuit.

~x~x~x~x~

"Lord Hojo! En-enemy ambush!"

A tired scout ran quickly towards Ujiyasu, "*huff* Ahead… *cough* The fort's under attack by.. *huff* the Uesugi Army! They're led by Aya Gozen!" He panted as he caught his breath and took a drink of water. "My lord?". He looked up at Ujiyasu who was staring blankly ahead. *pfssh* Ujiyasu exhaled from his pipe and scowled disapprovingly, "That ghost keeps following me around huh? Alright, you two – he jerked his pipe at Takeshi and Sumire- follow the scout and help the boys out. Time to see what you're made of." Sumire pulled her swords out of the scabbard and swung them around expertly, "Hey old man, will we get a bonus for this?" she grinned cheekily as Ujiyasu smiled wryly at her "Get going kid. Gold and riches won't benefit a dead soldier."

"So… it's a maybe? Yippee! Nii-san! We're off!" With a cheerful smile, Sumire grabbed Takeshi's wrist and ran off towards the garrison leaving behind a bemused Ujiyasu and his advisers.

"That's one interesting kid."

~x~x~x~x~x~

"Ara, the Hōjō really are ill prepared for this, it's a good thing Motonari sent you to us, isn't that right Aki?" Aya Gozen smiled gently and addressed the girl standing next to her, who was silently firing off arrows from her bow, each time never missing. She nodded slightly, her light brown bangs briefly covering her face before nervously readjusting her bowstring; all the while keeping her eyes lowered modestly. "Th-thank you…." She stammered nervously.

"You mustn't be so nervous." Aya shook her head elegantly and laughed softly as she gazed out onto the battlefield. Many of the Hojo men were encased in ice while others were in the midst of fleeing before Aki's arrows pierced them in the legs. "Soon this land will be entrenched in chaos, the time to stand back is over. Even scholars like Motonari know that they must take part in the chaos to truly understand it."

She sighed sadly as she raised her staff and sent out a burst of ice shards which surrounded the entire garrison coating it in white."Ara! I spy two little mice sneaking around. Time to see if you can put the skills Lord Mori taught you to good use." She lead her horse towards the outside of the garrison. "….." Aki nodded and headed off towards the other direction.

~x~x~x~x~x~

"C'mon Nii-san! Keep going! The second wave's been defeated, we should be able to cut through here" Sumire tightened her grip on her wakizashi and broke through a group of enemy soldiers while Takeshi silently pressed his back against hers and fought off attackers from behind. "…Sure…" he mumbled before suddenly moving at breakneck speed. *clang* Takeshi's odachi swiped outwards in front of Sumire's stunned face and deflected an arrow. The icy cold wind streaming from it dissipated as it fell harmlessly to the ground, coating the grass with ice. He shook his head slowly, "…..stay alert..." Takeshi's sleepy eyes sharpened as he turned towards the arrow's origin and fired a shot from his tanegashima, the bullet burning a hole through the garrison gates.

"Uh!" A girl's surprised exclamation rang out the two entered the garrison. Aki trembled slightly as she readied her bow before standing frozen to the spot in fear of Takeshi's overwhelming aura of menace. "….My prey…" He pointed his odachi at the girl before nudging his sister softly "..Aya…"

"Oh! Sure! You can count on me Nii-san! I'm off!" yelled Sumire as she held her swords with the blades pointing backwards before running off quickly into the garrison. "Gosh that girl looks like a weakling, hopefully Nii-san won't go easy on her. He's always had a soft spot for girls. I think?"

~x~x~x~x~x~x~

"…Do I look that weak?..." Aki's quiet voice interrupted Takeshi's thoughts as she frowned slightly "… you shouldn't judge others based on appearance….."

"…" Takeshi made no reply and stifled a yawn before leisurely rubbing his eyes "..I'm tired…" he murmured softly before rubbing his neck and closing his eyes. "…..?" Aki tilted her head in confusion before widening her eyes in surprise as Takeshi made a move. His odachi sliced through the air aiming for her neck, Aki flipped backwards just barely missing the deadly swipe and spun around, her long braid whipping the air as she dodged a follow up shot from Takeshi's gun. She tightened her grip around her bow and pulled out an arrow aiming for the barrel of the tanegashima " I can do this! Just.. a little more.." She narrowed her eyes and pulled the bow back as far as she could, the purple wind surrounding the arrow intensifying.

~x~x~x~x~

"Ara, so more little mice show up.I shall personally teach you a lesson." Aya smiled an icy smile which seemed to suggest a cat toying with a mouse and raised her staff, sending a barrage of ice towards Sumire. "Ugh!" Sumire crossed her swords in a defensive stance and grunted as she took the full brunt of the attack. "Hah!" She separated her arms and pushed herself forward before slicing inwards with her right arm and stabbing downwards with her left before spinning around and clashing directly with Aya. The lightning from Sumire's weapons sent sparks around Aya who screamed and staggered back.

"You fight quite well for a mere child." Aya had a faint smile on her face as she laughed softly "Would you care to join the Uesugi? Your talents will be able to shine brightly that way. Why waste your efforts on the Fool of Sagami?"

"….." Sumire stopped and slightly lowered her weapons while Kai gasped in shock before pointing a finger at her "Don't even think of that! You've been part of the Hojo for a month now." She paused and looked at Sumire with puppy dog eyes "Aren't we friends?." Umm… yeah! I guess!" Sumire smiled back at her and unleashed her Musou at a stunned Aya "This is my answer!"

"Aaahhhhhhhhhhh!" screamed Aya as she was pushed back into the wall and fell to the ground with a thud. "…. This can't be….." She weakly picked herself up and dusted her robes before whistling for her horse and riding away.

~x~x~x~x~

"Ah!" Aki let go as the arrow sped forward with blinding speed, a purple flash heading for Takeshi's loaded barrel. Surprisingly, he hadn't moved an inch and had stood watching curiously while Aki was loading the bow, but just as the arrow was about to home in on its target, he moved. "…Goodbye…" he whispered softly as his finger hit the trigger and the combination of his fire bullets and the slaying ability of Aki's arrow was directed back at her."…!" Aki closed her eyes expecting to be hit but opened them slowly to see Aya's back.

" My my, " Aya smiled kindly at Aki who trembled slightly, before unleashing her Musou. Takeshi grit his teeth as he defended himself against the attack. "Hmph." Aya coldly surveyed him before motioning to Aki, "We're leaving, I can't afford to harm Lord Mori's precious protégé. That would make things difficult for my dear Kenshin."

"Argh! I surrender! Forgive me! Just let me live!" Haruuji Ashikaga screamed pitifully as he was backed into a corner by the Hōjō. Ujiyasu walked silently up to him and tapped him on the head with his cane "Learned your lesson yet? You were an idiot to challenge me and my lions. As punishment, go to that ghost and tell him the Hojo will join the alliance."

As Haruuji ran off with several of his retainers, Ujiyasu raised his hand high and shouted "Victory! Good job you fools" while the rest of the Hōjō soldier let out a cheer, Sumire and Kai turned to each other with a smile and shared a laugh as Ujiyasu walked up towards them. His normally gruff and stern features slightly softened as he approached the siblings. "You two did well, you show promise for someone so young."

"Ah! Thanks! I'm strong aren't it? You should be glad you hired me, you know. I could have joined up with the Uesgui and you would have lost!" Sumire boasted as she placed her hands on her hips and nudged Kai, " Well, at least I know I'm stronger than SOMEONE!". Kai angrily nudged her back hard and the two began fighting before earning a glare from Lord Narita. "…Thanks…" Takeshi murmured softly before bowing slightly.

"You're strong I'll give you that, young one. But that alone won't help you survive the chaos, even if you do, it wouldn't be very interesting. You need a purpose. A reason to fight, a reason to survive." Ujiyasu's face became stern as he looked off into the distance; the wounded soldiers were being carried back to camp while the dead were loaded onto a wagon to be buried elsewhere. The siblings watched silently before Takeshi answered, " … I disagree. Life isn't always…. just fighting for survival."

Ujiyasu raised an eyebrow in amusement before shaking his head with laughter. "You're an ambitious kid. I can see you want to do things your own way; not learn from anyone else. Use your own eyes to see the world. Then, find one thing to cherish in this world and protect it"

"Oh.. but I just want to pay off Daddy's debt" Sumire replied in a sulking voice as she stiffly kicked the ground. Ujiyasu raised an eyebrow questioningly "What kind of a parent is that?" He shook his head " Parents shouldn't ever pass on all their problems onto their children. The troubles during their lifetimes have to be solved before they die."

"…How nice…" Takeshi looked down with a strange look on his face "your sons…..are lucky… our…. Father, gambled and got into debt….. he's disappeared…..so…..we're paying it off….."

"Oh..so that's…" Kai placed her hands over her mouth in surprise "You shouldn't have to carry burdens like that on your own! If you ever need help, I'll be glad to provide it!" Lord Narita interrupted the somber atmosphere that threatened the cheeriness from before "I know that this is sudden, but seeing as you two are skilled mercenaries, why not go assist the Mōri next? You can tell them the Hōjō sent you. You'll be able to earn more money that way."

"Sure thing! See ya!" Sumire grabbed Takeshi's hand and dragged him off before cheerily waving towards the dumbfounded group. "Yay! I hope the Mōri are rich! And have nice food!"

"Why do I have the feeling they'll be back? Odd mercenaries."

Whew! Two chapters done! *:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:* Teehee, how was it? Mei is still a huge novice so any feedback is greatly appreciated! Battle and action scenes are not my forte so I apologise for the crappiness! Just so you know, I've changed the history around, well KOEI does that too so yeah!… ;p. To the awesome people who gave me ocs, I hope I met your expectations!(or almost met at least!) It's the contributions of readers which make writing the fic more fun! Also, if you want to recommend me some cool fics or give me some ocs, go right ahead!.(≧∇≦)/ Teeeheee! Until next time

Next time….. (Imagine an anime style preview! Background music is City of Flowers!)

Motonari Mori: Oh! You are from the Hojo? How interesting, do you like history?

Aki Hanako:… Y-you're that guy…..why are you here? Eh? Helping…us?

Nagamasa Azai: Chisa, what do you think of this plan? You'll support me right? Chisa? Where are you?

Chisa Hanabira: *wandering around* I'm SURE I'm supposed to turn left now….. or was it turn right? *scratches head* Maybe go straight ahead?*confused* Where am I? Nagamasa?… where did he go?