Heelllooo~~~ Teeheee! Enjoy this chapter! Hopefully this one will be much better than the previous ones! Teeheee! I'm in such a good mood today~~~ *giggles crazily* I love all my wonderful readers and reviewers~~*ahem* CHAPTER START!

~Inabayama~

"*hic* Hurgh haha ha!" Tatsuoki Saito was sitting drunkenly in his room. Hanbei, Izanami and Mitsuhide were seated silently in front of him. The Saito army had just fended off some rogue samurai who had tried to capture Inabayama after hearing that Yoshitatsu had retired. Hanbei had been able to devise a quick strategy and turned the tables against the invaders, saving the castle.

"Hmph! Don't get too haughty! Remember Hanbei.." He stopped to take another swig of wine before waving the bottle dangerously "This victory was all thanks to...hey!" He snarled in anger as Hanbei sat precariously on the edge of a barrel, trying to keep his balance. "I am your lord! Keep still when facing me!"

"Uh.. this? This is a warrior's stance." Hanbei pointed a confident finger at him before hopping off the barrel and fidgeting around the room." A warrior must be ready to move with haste at any moment. That's why I am always moving like this. I do not mean in any way to offend you!" He bowed his head quickly before giggling and building a tower with the empty sake bottles. "Oh really? Um, well I guess that's ok." Tatsuoki shrugged his shoulders before jabbing a finger in his direction "Anyway this victory was not due to you! Dismissed!"

~Oda-Tokugawa Camp

"Is this really the right thing to do? My Lord?" Ina looked up quizzically at Ieyasu Tokugawa who sat quietly in his tent. After the Battle at Okehazama, he had accepted an alliance with Nobunaga Oda.

"*sigh*" He placed a hand on his eyes slowly "I suppose it is the right thing to do...The Saito of Mino might be able to overcome our allied forces easily...that's why.." He placed his hand down and began examining the map carefully "We had no choice but to cut off their food supplies. Listen Ina, in war, sometimes sacrifices must be made for peace...however..." His voice trailed off as he looked thoughtfully into the distance, a large group of Saito soldiers and a few retainers were surrendering. "When the innocent civilians are involved...it pains me. Yet...it reminds me that the sooner this chaos ends. The better."

Ina nodded slightly "Yes. I also wonder if Lord Nobunaga will be able to cease this chaos."

~x~x~x~x~

"Hey Mitsu.." Hanbei opened an eye lazily while napping "I heard many soldiers defected to the Oda. A few of the retainers left this morning as well. You know what this means for the Saito right?"

"Rgh..." Mitsuhide grit his teeth helplessly, "Yes. At this rate.. even with you working with us...this might be the end of Mino as we know it...but...maybe..it would be better to surrender to Nobunaga.." Hanbei shook his head quickly and crossed his arms stubbornly "I just don't like that Nobunaga! Hideyoshi seems likable enough." He covered his mouth with his hands as he remembered the Monkey's tantrums back at Omi. "And there's something about him that attracts people."

He spun around excitedly and tilted his head at Tatsuoki "IF I have to serve someone, I'd suppose I'd rather it was Hideyoshi. What do you think Tatsu?"

"Guh!" An angry Tatsuoki grumbled angrily before whining like a child "How should I know!" He glared angrily at a carefree Hanbei "How can you say such a thing in front of your own lord?"

"Heehee! Maybe I'm just joking!" Hanbei laughed as Tatsuoki looked forlornly at him "What do you think, Mitsuhide?"

"Nobunaga is terrifying...and shows no mercy." He sat thoughtfully rubbing his chin "But..he has a strange sort of charm."

"Hmm...yes. I partially agree." Hanbei nodded his head reluctantly, before shaking it again. "He's strange though! He doesn't seem to care about the odds. It's like he's in a world of his own. By the way.." He looked curiously at the mercenary siblings as they sat watching the entire conversation with interest. "You guys are still here?"

"Yup!" Sumire smiled cheerfully "After the escorting job, we were going to leave! But!" She looked away and restuffed her mouth with mochi before swallowing and continuing. "Amaya came and requested our awesome services the other day! So we're going to help you guys protect Mino!" She clapped her hands happily before frowning and tugging her brother's sleeve "Hey..Nii-san...red bean or taro? I can't decide!"

"mm?" Takeshi sleepily opened an eye as his sister pointed at the two remaining mochi with desperation in her eyes. "...taro..."

~Sunomata~

"Whew! This is such hard work!" Hideyoshi wiped some sweat off his brow and sat down heavily on a pile of wood. "Oh! You guys! Help me out for a bit!"

He motioned to the group of officers who were idly standing by and watching the soldiers working with interest. "Hmph. Manual labour is below me." Mitsunari sniffed and turned away, while Yoshitsugu and Shira nodded and began to help out. "Lord Hideyoshi...your building skills could do with some improving." Kiyomasa spoke thoughtfully as he examined the shaky looking structure in front of them. "I know right?" Reira looked scornfully at the 'castle' and kicked the walls gingerly "See? Look at that?" It began to sway precariously and looked like it would topple over any second. " You should leave this to the pros."

"Yeah! Just leave it to Kiyomasa!" Masanori nodded his head rapidly in agreement before earning a geta in the mouth. "OY! What was that for?" He rubbed his face before looking at Reira. "Why should an idiot like YOU agree with ME?" She glared angrily at him and bunched her fists. "Don't put ME on the same level as YOU! Gross!"

"Sheesh. You both are idiots." Kiyomasa chuckled to himself before sighing "Why can't you two just try get along?" Hideyoshi looked at his students with amusement and worry, like a caring father. "Now, just listen to me. You're right Reira, this isn't a very strong castle. But!" He excitedly pointed a finger at them and smiled cheekily. "This isn't meant to be a fortress or garrison! In fact, its purpose isn't to be a building at all!"

"This is a psychological weapon aimed at sapping the enemy's strength. After seeing a castle built in just one night, the enemies bound to surrender" He placed his hands on his hips proudly and smiled happily. "After that the rest is easy! All you need is a tough negotiator. Thus, there's no need for senseless killing and if the battles over, all is well right?" The Monkey smiled proudly at himself before looking at each of his students.

" What do you think? Will this work?" He looked inquisitively at Shira who nodded slightly "..yes...it...would..."

"Whatever! I'd rather just beat everyone into submission "Reira pretended she understood everything and gave it a dismissive wave of her hand. "YEAH!" Masanori pumped his fists excitedly "Let's go beat the enemy up!"

"Didn't you just hear him? Fool!" Mitsunari and Kiyomasa both sighed in unison.

~Inabayama~

"*sigh* Why did Yoshitatsu have to retire? Tatsuoki is still young and weak minded." Mitsuhide sat rubbing his forehead in concern. Ever since the food supply had been cut off, Tatsuoki had only shut himself off and spent his days drinking and surrounded by oiran. "I fear for the safety of Mino." He gripped his katana quietly with determination. "However, I will not hesitate to stand in place of him to protect my home and its people."

"Lord Akechi.." A soldier quietly entered the room "The people are growing more restless by the day...well, the Oda have cut off our food supplies. If this continues for any longer...there may be an uprising. Not to mention Oda is quite formidable. He was able to build a castle in once night."

"This is bad." Amaya quietly stroked the hilt of her katana "Mitsuhide, we shouldn't sit idle any longer. Hiroshi is right." She nodded towards the soldier who bowed politely before turning to face Mitsuhide "You've already handed out almost all of your personal supplies to the rest of the people. Lord Saito is the one responsible for all that, not you. I've realised now that we're probably the only ones capable of holding Mino together."

"I agree." Izanami nodded her head intently while absently playing with her kemari ball. "Maybe we should defect then. Mino isn't going to last very long without us anyway. Isn't that right Brother?" She turned and looked cheekily at Hanbei "I mean.. just the two of us were able to kidnap Tatsu and give him a scare!"

Mitsuhide shook his head disapprovingly "While I commend your skills, it wasn't a very good thing to do. This may have lowered morale for quite a few of the troops. Though.." He began to think deeply "At least it taught Tatsuoki to stop bragging too much.."

"...it...was...more..than...that." Takeshi spoke suddenly, surprising the group as he had been sleeping deeply almost the entire time. "Lord Takenaka wanted to...show...him...people who only see the world as a collection of numbers...like Lord Saito.." He yawned loudly and rubbed his eyes before continuing "...can never rule..." There was a brief silence as he stretched his cramped arms and legs before looking directly at the map and back at Mitsuhide "Also, they can never win"

"Whooa!" Hanbei giggled with amusement. "you called me Lord Takenaka! Heehhee! Only Iza seems to get called Lady Takenaka! Hup!" He bounced off the windowsill and hopped over to Takeshi "I'm amazed you figured what I was thinking! Haha!" He clapped his hands happily "You're a pretty smart person too!"

~Later that night~

"Here's the plan." Hanbei spoke softly as he unrolled a map of the castle grounds "Tatsu's locked himself up in the Northern Tower. Also, he won't speak to anyone but the courtesans. Now..." He paused and looked directly at Amaya, Gracia, Izanami and Sumire. "For the important part. We need a girl to go talk to Tatsu. They need to try convince him to go lead the troops."

"Wait a moment." Mitsuhide placed a hand on Gracia and Amaya's shoulders "These two are to be exempt from your foolhardy plan. Besides, Amaya will be assisting me with guarding the Main gate. Gracia will remain within the castle."

Izanami looked pointedly at her brother. "There's no way you'll let your little sister do something so dangerous right?" She tilted her head and made a cute face. "Right? Big brother?" There was a silence as they eyes turned to an oblivious Sumire who was intently deciding which manju to attack next. "Hmmm?" She looked up at the group in surprise. "I guess.. we'll have to settle for Sumire then. Come on, let's go over the plan." Hanbei petted her arm cheerfully before a cold icy atmosphere filled the room. All heads turned to see Takeshi calmly draw his sword and face Hanbei. "..I think...you...should...reconsider.

~Inaba River~

"Tch. Why am I doing manual labour?" Mitsunari growled in annoyance as he stood lugging a large box of gunpowder. "Why should I take orders from Kanbei anyway? "

"Calm down." Ever the voice of reason, Yoshitsugu quietly pushed another box from behind. "Even small jobs like this will play a big part. Besides, Kanbei trusted us to do this. We should be grateful."

"Hmph" Mitsunari brushed off his hands and scowled before raising an irritated eyebrow at Shira. "..." Shira pushed against the heavy box of gunpowder with all her might but only managed to shift it a few centimetres. "Phew.." She stood panting slightly before rubbing her hands and attempting to push it again. "*sigh* Useless. Useless." Mitsunari swatted her away and pushed her box towards the waiting boat.

"Heh? I thought he didn't like helping others?" Masanori scratched his head in confusion and looked at Yoshitsugu for an answer. "Haha.. he may put up a cold front...but he really does have a soft spot for Shira."

~Oda Main Camp~

"Heh. Laying siege to the castle was easier than expected." Kanbei Kuroda paced around the table with his hands behind his back. "Sunomata Castle was indeed finished in one night. Monkey certainly was true to his word." An amused Nobunaga chuckled as he gazed out at the tall building which was swaying slightly in the strong winds. "Of course my lord!" Toshiie smiled with pride at the sound of his best friend being praised. "Hideyoshi is a very reliable man! You can count on him to do anything!"

"Calm down Toshiie...you must not be too distracted" Katsuie Shibata nudged Toshiie slightly as the younger man rubbed his nose awkwardly and silenced himself. "This will not be a simple attack on the castle." Kanbei Kuroda stood with Nobunaga Oda and a few other Oda and Tokugawa officers examining a map. "The 5 gates around the castle will most likely have guards posted there. We can then assume that the defences should be concentrated on the outer gates. Hence..." He pointed towards the outside, where a few boats loaded with gunpowder were floating. "We will be using a frontal assault for 3 gates, the Main, Northern and Western. The other gates will be taken care of using the gunpowder."

"Muahaha" Nobunaga stroked his chin with amusement as he looked at Kanbei's detailed plans. "Taking the castle will be child's play. Soon, Mino will be mine." He glanced at Oichi who was walking through the camp with Nagamasa. "Hehehe, watch closely and learn from this, my sister." He looked over at Nō who smiled elegantly and traced her fingers on her dagger " Her time shall come soon enough, I wonder who she will choose though..heehee"

~Inabayama~

"Do I really have to do this?" Hanbei whined as he tugged at the elegant kimono which Sumire handed towards him. "Yup! Only someone as cute and intelligent as you can pull off something like this!" Sumire smirked as she gave Hanbei a pat on the head and pushed him towards an empty room to get changed. "No! I have my pride as well!" Hanbei sobbed and pulled his hat over his eyes "A genius strategist like me, why can't you do it? You're actually a girl yourself! Come on Sumi!"

"Oh. So you want a weak innocent little girl like me to put myself at risk? Cheh! Hanbei you're a terrible friend! I can't believe it!" Sumire dramatically fell to her knees and began wailing loudly "uwaahh! Nii-san! Hanbei's being a meanie!waahh! *sob* sniffle*"

"…." Takeshi showed up out of nowhere, his eyes glaring lasers at Hanbei. "….Did you make her cry?" he asked, his words practically freezing the air as Sumire looked up briefly and smirked at Hanbei. His eyes widened as Takeshi immediately pulled out his tanegashima and unlocked the safety. "…." His eyes seemed to say "DO IT! OR I'LL KILL YOU".

"FINE!" Hanbei pouted before putting on the kimono and covering his face with a veil. "Are you happy now?" His hands trembled as Takeshi yawned and put away his tanegashima before crossing his arms and leaning back, fast asleep. "Argh! Why are you like this! " Hanbei placed his hands on her shoulders and was about to shake her when Takeshi's eyes rapidly opened and an odachi found itself sitting comfortably on Hanbei's neck. " Well! Sumi!I was joking right? Anyway..you guys should get into position..*sigh*"

~Inabayama Northern Gates~

"Stop right there! You can't pass here!" Sumire yelled in determination as she stood guarding the entrance. "Whew! I sounded so cool there!"

"Huh? Hanabusa?" Reira swaggered over to the gate, her staff balanced on her shoulders. "tsk. Why'd I have to see YOU here. Of all PLACES!" She curled her lip with disdain before spinning her staff, slamming the end to the ground and twirling the chain on the end in her hand. "Cheh! Likewise Kannagi." Sumire spun her blades quickly and leapt in for a slicing blow. "Looks like I'll be getting the 100th victory!"

"Pah! Try harder PRINCESS" Reira raised her leg up and aimed a kick towards Sumire before following up by whipping the chain on her staff. "ooh! That hurt!" The end of the chain was wrapped around Sumire's tachi. " easy." Reira smirked and began pulling her chain back ; she gave her a rude sign before her eyes widened in alarm "Wh-what the HE-EEYYA!"

"Teeehee!" A smug looking Sumire sharply twisted her arm, allowing the tachi to fall free and causing Reira to lose her balance. "Tsk..." Reira scowled and dusted herself off. "You got lucky HANABUSA!" She wrapped the chain around her right arm before grabbing the staff with her left and swiped quickly. "urgh!" An overconfident Sumire slashed her wakizashi down, but due to the swords shorter length, she misjudged the distance and got a hit in the stomach.

"*cough* Cheh. You got better huh?" Sumire coughed roughly before looking down at her hand in shock. "RGH!" She wiped the blood off her hands onto her sleeve before throwing her outer kimono off. "That's it. I'm not playing around anymore." Her playful expression was replaced by a serious, almost possessed look as she tightened her grip on the blades and charged forwards.

"Guh! She's fast!" Reira quickly spun her staff in an attempt to block any sword strikes. "TAKE THAT!" They exchanged blows before switching for a final strike, intending to finish the fight. "oww!" Both girls collided head first and sat clutching their heads in pain. "...tch.." Reira slammed her staff into the ground and pulled herself up wearily. "...guh.." Sumire stabbed her tachi into the ground and staggered slowly upwards. "I...won't..lose...to..YOU!" They both yelled in unison and prepared to charge each other head-in when a loud yell interrupted them.

Reira!" Kiyomasa ran towards her "What are you doing? We're supposed to be assisting Lord Honda! Come on!" He grabbed her hand and began leading her off. "uh! I..uh..I..F-fine! I would've won anyway!" She turned beet red but accepted his hand and followed him back before yelling "YOU GOT LUCKY! HANABUSA!"

~x~x~x~x~

"Lord Tatsuoki...a new courtesan has arrived." The maid bowed politely and tapped gently on the door. Inside the castle, the sounds of battle could be heard, however within Tatsuoki's quarters, sounds of happy music, singing and drunken laughter made it seem like a nothing of the sort was happening. "Hahaha! Let her in!" A drunken Tatsuoki yelled lazily from inside as Hanbei in his courtesan's outfit was ushered in. "My Lord." Hanbei spoke in a falsetto voice and bowed low before speaking to him. "What do you think about the Oda's invasion? Shouldn't you, the lord of Mino be doing something to stop their attack? The people are counting on you."

"Huh?" Confused, Tatsuoki scratched his head before waving a hand dismissively at the window. "Why should I care? Anyway.." he began leering at Hanbei as he tried to remove the veil "Let's take a look at your face, shall we?"

"Heehee" Hanbei quickly whipped off the kimono and veil and kicked the table back, stunning Tatsuoki. "What? H-Hanbei?" He almost keeled over in shock as Hanbei perched himself onto the table and the rest of the courtesans fled in fear. "Sorry about this Tatsu!" He stuck his tongue out playfully and readjusted his hat. "But you wouldn't speak to me unless I did something like this! Anyway!" He jumped down and sat in front of Tatsuoki who flailed around trying to escape. "I've come to ask you to take charge of the troops. There are still loyal men who are waiting for your command. Please tell me your answer."

"Guh! I don't care what happens to everyone! As long as I survive I don't care!" Tatsuoki was backed into a corner and still trying to escape. "Eeek!" his eyes widened in fear as a frustrated Hanbei withdrew his compass and pointed the blade at Tatsuoki's throat. "Is that really your answer?" Hanbei's normally carefree and childish expression was hardened into a serious look, typical of someone his age and standing. "Tch! Yes! I don't care anymore! Go tell Mitsuhide he can do whatever he wants! I don't care about Mino anymore!" He crossed his arms angrily and began yelling like an angry child. "What are you still here for anyway? Go away!"

"Alright then.." Hanbei walked over to the window and spun his compass before flying off. "What a pity, my lord. It seems Mino's fall is definite."

~Inabayama Main Gates~

"Oh? It's Mitsuhide.."Nō sauntered towards the gate where Mitsuhide was standing guard. "I'm glad you're well my lady" He bowed politely towards her, however his battle stance remained alert and prepared. "Heehee, how many years has it been since I left Mino?" Nō placed a hand under her chin thoughtfully before gazing nostalgically at the castle "You haven't changed one bit Mitsuhide...stil stiff and formal as always..not that I dislike that.. ."

"Who knows?" He shook his head stiffly before striking towards her "Now we are enemies. Prepare yourself" "Heehee... "Nō smiled as she approached Mitsuhide "I was born and raised here, it is only fitting I be the one to choke the life out of it." She giggled and pulled out her claws before licking them with anticipation. "...I see. So this is how it must be." Mitsuhide nodded his head slightly before drawing his katana from it's sheathe. "Anyway, is Nobunaga really that big of a fool as I've heard?" Nō smiled ambiguously at him and pulled a few bombs from within her clothing "I won't say" .She smirked and threw her bombs towards them "Why don't you surrender to him and see for yourself? If you survive, that is. How's my idiot nephew and brother by the way?" She smiled cruelly at the castle before jerking an eye lazily at Mitsuhide.

"I won't deny your brother and nephew's incompetence, however.." Mitsuhide side-stepped in front and pointed his katana at Nō who smiled in anticipation. "I won't sit idly by and watch at you destroy Mino. If Tatsuoki won't do anything, then I will."

"So will I!" Gracia rode in quickly from within the castle and stopped next to a stunned Mitsuhide. "G-gracia! I told you to stay inside! Don't disobey me!" He yelled in frustration before Gracia turned away stubbornly "I'm your daughter, I have to fight alongside you as well!" She raised her arms in a fighting stance as her bracelet began to glow with her magic.

"What a touching moment... "Nō smirked and pulled out her claws "So touching that I'd love to crush it to pieces." She spread her arms and claws wide and prepared to charge forward as Mitsuhide circled her and began to fight back

Oda Main Camp~

"Reira!" Kiyomasa pointed at the gash on her hand "you're bleeding, come on. I'll fix you up." He held her wrist tightly and pointed out the wound. "H-hey! I-I'm fine! I-it's nothing!" She roughly pulled her hand back and crossed her arms stubbornly. "I don't need you to be concerned over this."

"*sigh* Stop acting like a kid OK?" Kiyomasa sighed and sat her down. He began cleaning the wound gently before bandaging it tightly. "whoa.." he held her hand and looked at it in surprise. "W-what? Tsk." Reira blushed before looking away. "You're hands...are so thin...and small"

"S-so what? W-what does that have to do with anything?" She snapped angrily and looked away, trying to hide her happiness with a scowl. "Kiyomasa is holding my hand! Guess I owe you one Hanabusa..this makes us even then."

"Well, I never would have expected that!" He let go of her hand and placed it gently on the table "You have such small hands but you're such a strong girl! I like that!...Reira?" The table flipped over as Reira pulled her foot back and stomped off blushing madly "I-I'll t-take that as a compliment!"

"uh.." He looked confused and scratched his head. "Are you OK? Your face is red. Maybe you have a fever?" Reira stopped mid-stomp and whirled around "I'M NOT SICK NOR AM I EMBARRASSED OK?" She growled angrily before turning around and standing at the entrance. "Haha" Kiyomasa gave her a pat on the head "You remind me of a tiger I used to play with. The both of you are so cute."

"SHUT UP!" She covered her face up and tried to calm her rapidly beating heart down. "I'm going to have a heart attack at this rate..."

~Inabayama Eastern Gates~

"Hah!" Standing guard at the gates, Amaya skilfully sliced through the hordes of Oda soldiers charging angrily towards the entrance. "Huhh..." She paused momentarily to give the katana a flick, splattering the ice-covered area around her with more blood.

"Hyaaah!" A meek sounding yell resounded, breaking her concentration as an incredibly feminine looking man ran towards the gate, his nodachi raised up high. "...Ranmaru?" Amaya raised an eyebrow in concern as the firm grip on her katana faltered. "I..don't want to have to fight you.."

"Amaya!." His eyes widened with surprise, before narrowing "It is most unfortunate..." Ranmaru tightened his grip on his nodachi and stared at Amaya with fierce determination. "However, I will defeat you in order to assist Lord Nobunaga achieve his vision!."

"..tsk..." Amaya sighed and readjusted her grip on the katana as both friends prepared to fight each other.

Phew! This chapter seemed like a long one! How'd it go guys? Better than the previous chapter I hope? Anyway, I found Hanbei's cross dressing to be pretty convincing in SW3... he lives up to his rep as a pedo-trap.*hey!*I still think he's an adorable cutie though! His Jap voice is so CUTE! By the way, my version of Inabayama is some sort of mashup between the SW1, Sw3 ones with some friendship events from SWC 1+2 tweaked and randomly placed through...although I made up Kanbei's strategy speech...don't laugh if it doesn't make sense! Same as Ieyasu's discussion with Ina...I just wanted to show him as a nice kind man...which he kinda is..not really...but somewhat..Anyway..Bishieholic.. I hope you liked those Reira and Kiyomasa moments! Well, in SWC, when fem-protag maxes out her bond with him, he keeps on complimenting her 'small and thin hands' O.o. lol I was playing Orochi 3 the other day...Yoshimoto is kinda cute..in his own funny little way..he's like a harmless little clown who only wants to play kemari and I made him this evil guy in my fic...lol! Well, thanks so much for reading! AND! I keep forgetting to do this..but I've finally remembered!

~Advertisements~

Anyone reading my fic should seriously. And I mean seriously read these fics by these awesome people.

Maiden of Time- Ayyarin

Most people fail writing the clichéd girl-goes-back-in-time style stories seeing as the heroine ends up with a man-harem and there is no plot. Ayyarin's however, is different, plus she includes some aspects of Japanese mythology (Tengu's with their awesome noses anyone?) and there's quite a lot of history as well. Not to mention a shota Mitsuhide.*fangirls*

True Colours-TheCrazyPeople

This one is a good fic with a unique protagonist. I mean, most fics (mine is no exception) involve a main character who is absolute badass with their weapons and is an unequalled fighter (MUSOU!) well, her oc shows a different side of herself. And she is such a cute moe-moe person. Definitely not a Mary Sue. Also its really cute and interesting to read! *cutie tsundere and moe-moe pairing? *fangirl squeals* by the way...I hear she loves being asked questions...

Well well..Kurei-chan, there wasn't much of Shira in the previous chapters so here you go! Hope you enjoy this side story!

Side Story #3: Can you see me?

"You eat ..quite a lot for someone so thin." A tall composed looking feminine man stood next to Shira. He bowed politely and motioned to the empty seat next to her. "May I sit here?"

"...?" Shira looked up at him with surprise. Her odd appearance often led to many people being too intimidated to talk to her. Even the other recruits who served under Hideyoshi. "This man...also covers his face. I wonder.." She nodded slightly and shuffled over to make some more room for him.

"You know...I was somewhat curious about you." He spoke slowly and concentrated on his food. "Your bandages I mean. Ah, a while ago, I fell victim to an outbreak of leprosy." He smiled bitterly with a trace of sadness, as he tapped his face cloth. " I suffered quite a bit as a consequence. You too, must have felt the same. We're kindred spirits. I can tell. My name is Yoshitsugu Otani. Pleased to make your acquaintance..." He hesitated slightly "May I ask of you your name?"

Shira stopped eating and sat frozen as horrific memories of the past resurfaced. "Why did he have to remind me? Ah, I knew it. Even people like him, will still...why won't anyone see past these bandages?"

"You know, don't lose hope. There are people who see past outer appearances." Yoshitsugu seemed like he was talking to himself. "One of my greatest friends is among those people, Lord Hideyoshi Hashiba is one of them as well."

"I wonder...are..there really people like that?...maybe this man is only saying so because he thinks we are the same?" Shira sat quietly thinking to herself before she heard something surprising. "I'd appreciate it if you met this person. Would you?"

"What is he saying? I would but...I'm ..scared...scared of people hating me...that's why..." She turned her head slightly before rummaging through her pockets and taking out her writing utensils. [I'm sorry...what if they hate me?]

"Understandable." The man nodded to himself before clasping her hand and leading her off to a small group of men. "but they won't hate you unless you do something to make them feel that way. Go on.."

~x~x~x~

"Hmm? Who's this Yoshitsugu?" A cold looking feminine man carrying a fan looked at her irritably. "I can't read minds you know. Speak."

"[Aren't you unsettled by my appearance?]

"Hmph. The man snapped his fan shut with disdain "I don't see anything unusual. Well? I'm Mitsunari Ishida, you are?"

"...For the first time...someone...who...can see... me.." She looked up at him and smiled slightly, an incredibly rare sight and opened her mouth to speak . "I'm...Shira. Shira Kouma."

Well, TheCrazyPeople (or Kurei-chan ;3) gave me a whole backstory on her oc Shira Kouma, I don't want too many flashbacks in the actual story so I..'side-storied' it. Yeah. (That's a kinda cool word..) So yeah! Hope you enjoyed this one! By the way! This occurs sometime before the story starts! The title sounds kinda lame now that I think about it.O.o..it made so much sense when I was writing it up..wells. no turning back now.