Ren shifted this way and that in her seat. Motochika had acquired some horses, for himself, some men, supplies, and of course the lady. While she was still in her own clothing and could still pass for a young boy to any passerby, all the men knew now. While they were all still very friendly with her, there was something different in the way they spoke to her and it irked Ren. She didn't want to be treated any differently. She looked to the left and met the eyes of one of the men, who instantly smiled and gave her a slight nod of his head. Ren felt her face slid into s frown, which obviously confused the man. Next she looked to Motochika who was in front of her horse.

"Captain!" she shouted to get his attention. Motochika, who had been speaking with Takahashi, turned in his seat to look at her in question.

"Can we break soon for lunch?" She asked with a frown. Motochika nodded, but his face was confused, probably wondering why the lady was frowning. So soon after they found a nice place to eat, Ren sat next to Takahashi on her left and Motochika on her right. Not once had she heard really fowl launage since Motochika had ratted her out. Not once had there been lewd displays by the men, and not ONCE had anyone joked with her they way they had when she thought she was a boy. Looking down at her food she frowned even more. While it wasn't extravagant, cook had gone out of his way to make it look pretty. Usually it looked like goop. Takahashi then turned her way and held a sake pitcher out in silent askance if she wanted some, where usually he would have just passed it to her. She felt her eye twitch and she felt her temper snap.

'That's the last straw!' she thought before abruptly stood up, flipping over her tray of food. She must have had a look of pure anger because many of the men went a little pale.

"That is the last FUCKING straw!" she said snatching the sake from Takahashi and throwing it at some poor unsuspecting soul.

"Stop with all this damn coddling!" she pointed to the men and then turned on Takahashi.

"You! Stop! Just stop!" then she turned to Motochika, who had been about to take a bite of rice before her outburst, but now it balanced on his chopstick half way to its destination, his face dumbfounded.

"And you! This is exactly why I didn't want you to tell anyone! Stop treating me like some damn princess!" she said shoving her finger closer and closer to his face. Her face had gone an angry shade of red and her breathing had become harsher. The men were all silent as they watched her.

"But, you are a lady." One man said chancing her wrath. Ren turned his way, and the man gasped and went pale. Her face had gone quite evil. She jumped over her food and took a hold of his shirt before smacking his soundly and shaking him.

"Would a lady do that!?" she shouted, before hooking his arm behind his back and pulling mercilessly. Judo paid off now and again.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" The man yelled. Ren didn't feel any better and would have continued torturing him had a hand not lifted her from the ground as if she weighed nothing.

"That's enough of your temper tantrum." Motochika said admonishingly. She swiped at him even though she knew she would miss.

"This is your fault, if you hadn't said anything to them they wouldn't be treating me like this!" she said now trying to hide behind her bangs as she felt her eyes grow warm and wet.

Motochika held her wrist in a gentle grip, afraid he might hurt her, and watch in concern the small girl.

'Oh god, please don't cry!' he thought trying to think of what to do.

"Stop acting like a damn brat!" he shouted at her, and in an instant regretted it.

'Great…' he thought smacking himself with his other hand.

Ren looked up at him then and blinked in surprise, before a smile slowly spread across her face. Motochika almost wanted to smack her, why couldn't she act like a normal woman? The men are exceptionally nice to her and she hates it but he yells at her and she's happy?

"You're crazy." He muttered and let her go. Ren sighed and turned to the men.

"Look, I don't like being treated like a doll. Treat me like you would treat Shin, I mean you know I am Shin, so just think that way or something." She said giving the men a small bow.

"Sorry I went crazy on you all." The men muttered amongst themselves but obviously forgave her. Ren looked back to Motochika.

"Sorry, captain. I sort of lost it there, thanks." She said before sitting back down next to Takahashi.

After that Ren didn't have much to complain about. It took the men a bit of time to adjust but eventually they got back to teasing her about her small stature, and shouting vulgar words around her. Soon enough they were on their way to Oshu, which had Ren rather excited. She had heard about the One Eyed Dragon, and what she had heard from the men, he seemed rather similar to Motochika.

"So this Masamune guy, are you and he friends?" Ren asked Motochika as they rode next to each other. She still felt a bit ashamed for her outburst, and he had been rather quiet around her since then. She didn't like it. Although she also still felt a bit bashful around the captain she tried hard to repress it and found the first this to talk about that popped into her mind. Motochika looked at her and smirked.

"I guess you could say that, he's certainly entertaining!" He said. He seemed to be remembering something a gave a slight laugh.

"How did you meet him?" Ren asked.

"Well we ran into each other on the way to Hideyoshi's, of course we ending up fighting before we became friends." He laughed thinking about it. Ren smiled, happy that he wasn't so quiet anymore.

"He must be strong then, to still be alive." She commented as the passed a farm.

"Immensely." He said smiling her way. Ren had to look away, lest she begin to blush.

"When we get to his place, which shouldn't be too much longer, we'll ask for some better clothes for you. I'm sure he won't mind." He said sensing her discomfort. Ren again looked at him and frowned.

"But my clothes are fine." She said not understanding why he insisted on this. Motochika sighed and looked her way again, this time he frowned like her was trying to be patient with her. She hated that look, it was a look her brother gave her and instantly she felt her stomach tighter in anger.

"Ren, the men and I have agreed to treat you like we would a comrade." He said seriously, although Ren refused to look at him.

"Although we are pirates, we still treat women the way they should be. It's a hard thing you are asking of us, to not give you that respect." Ren looked at him intent on making a comment but Motochika held up a hand.

"But!"

"We were willing to compromise, because we like you and because you were so intent on it. However just because you want to be treated that way doesn't mean I will allow you to walk around in clothing that would demean you." He said smartly and giving her a pointed look.

"The men wear these types of clothes too!" she said heatedly. Motochika nodded.

"But they are men, only harlots wear clothes as revealing as yours." He said frankly. Ren felt her face heat up and her grip on the reins tightened enough that her scabbed hand began to bleed. Motochika saw this and moved his horse closer in order to pull on her hands. She didn't put up much of a fight.

"Don't take it the wrong way; we all know you're not like that, your clothing was necessary to board a ship, and to disguise yourself." He said looking over her hands. Ren snatched her hands back and looked straight forwards to avoid Motochika's gaze.

"How do you know what I'm like? You don't even know me." She said in such a cold voice, Motochika could swear he saw Motonari in her place. It took him aback, and made him think, what did he really know about the girl riding next to him? Everyone had readily accepted her without thinking about it. Because she was smaller, weaker looking then them they hadn't thought her a danger. Thinking about it now, he knew assassins smaller than her. He was about to ask her, her family name when a shout alerted them. Masamune's massive house was visible.

Ren looked at the surroundings and smiled a peaceful smile and closed her eyes, the wind smelled nothing like the ocean. The hills were rolling and everywhere she looked it was green and quiet. The house was nice too, all wood and stucco walls, it was like it too was a part of the nature of this province.

"It's so peaceful here." She said out loud but more to herself.

"Wait till you meet the lord; you might not think that anymore." Motochika said, having forgot his track of thought the moment her saw Masamune's right eye riding their way.

Ren caught sight of a very sturdy and dower looking man riding their way. Motochika moved his horse a bit more forwards to meet the man.

"Katakura!" He shouted sending the man a friendly wave. The man lifted a hand and waved back and slowed his horse to meet Motochika. He smiled then and it transformed the man's face. Although he had a scan that ran from his left cheek down, he was handsome when he smiled. The two exchanged pleasantries before heading towards the house.

Once there everyone dismounted including Ren who followed Motochika at a distance. She had been angry after their talk, but was slowly getting over it. She could sort of understand his reasoning, and that made her feel more like a spoiled princess than ever.

'He shouldn't worry about my virtue anyway!' her mind shouted in defiance.

'…but that's nice of him.' Her mind said then. The war in her mind kept on till they were escorted to a large room that over looked a nice courtyard.

"…Ren." Her name brought her out of her thoughts. Motochika had said her name.

"What?" She asked him and caught his amused smirk. She noted that Katakura was looking her way.

"I was introducing you to Katakura Kojuro." He said motioning towards the other man. Ren blushed then and gave the man a bow worthy of her brother's court.

"Very nice to meet you." She said in a practiced voice. Katakura raised an eyebrow and looked to Motochika.

"And you Ren-sama." He said returning her bow. Ren bit her lip, trying to keep a rude comment in her mouth.

"As for your request Motochika, I'm sure we could find something for her." He said before looking Ren's way again.

"I don't see how you tricked them, but then again they are all a bunch of pirates." Kojuro said jokingly. Ren blushed at his comment but said a quick thank you, at least she hoped it had been a compliment.

"Just a moment." Kojuro said before knocking on a door and then sliding it open and going through. She and Motochika stood awkwardly in the hall way. Finally Motochika sighed.

"He's right I don't know how I didn't see it." He said rather dejectedly.

"Maybe I'm losing my touch." He mused before laughing. Ren bit her bottom lip.

"I'm sorry, in your defense I was pretty dirty." She said hoping it made him feel a little bit better. Motochika laughed loudly then and gave her back a friendly smack.

"And you cursed like a sailor! And what woman has a right hook like that?" He smiled her way just before Kojuro opened the door and ushered them inside. Masamune wasn't inside, but rather in his courtyard practicing with a wooden sword. He was dressed rather simply too, in dark blue pants and a white top. The first thing she noticed about him was that just like Motochika, he had an eye patch over one eye.

'Holy crap, they really are similar!' she thought but then began to find differences. Were Motochika was tall and bulky Date Masamune was lean and a more normal height. He had a dark shade of hair and an intense eye that seemed to cut through you, were as Motochika's eye was bright and mischievous.

"Motochika, been a while." He said finishing a perfect sword stroke and turning their way.

"Who's the kid?" He then asked coming to greet Motochika. They embraced in a brotherly way before Motochika turned her way.

"This is Ren." He said as Masamune moved closer to her, just the way he moved was intimidating. She suspected it was on purpose.

"The stowaway then." He said as his eyes suddenly dropped to her chest.

"Motochika are you and your lot that dumb?" He asked looking back at the fair haired pirate with a grin. Motochika smirked but there was a twitch around his visible eye. Ren's face was a flame; the man had blatantly stared at her chest!

"For your information, I had them bound up!" She said indignantly, causing him to turn her way again with a impish look on his face.

"Even so my lady, you look nothing like a boy." He said seemingly relishing in her annoyance. Motochika blanched when he heard 'my lady' come from Masamune. In a movement so fast the men almost didn't see it Ren had Masamune by the cheeks and was stretching them much to his displeasure.

"Don't call me that dragon boy!" she shouted as the two seemed to wrestle for control because by now he had grabbed her cheeks and was copying her move.

"I take it…back! You…are…just like…a boy!" He said in a almost undistinguishable gasps of air.

"Well…excuse…me!" She snapped back. Motochika and Kojuro looked at each other unsure whether they should break the two apart or keep watching out of amusement. Finally they made the grown up choice and Kojuro grabbed Masamune, while Motochika grabbed Ren. The two were breathing heavily and glared at each other.

"Well now that you two have had your fun." Motochika said placing Ren back on the floor. Kojuro released Masamune. The two still stared at each other and it seemed that the static was crackling in the room.

"You need some clothes don't you?" Masamune said suddenly then. Ren, wondering if it was a trick, turned suspicious.

"Captain says so…" She said watching as the man smoothed his hair and then smiled her way.

"Well you're not boring, and since I like Motochika and women who aren't boring I suppose I could find you something. Although, I don't know what it will do for your boyish figure." He added the last part teasingly. Ren felt a genuine smile light her face.

"We'll see about that!"

Ren fidgeted in the silks that Masamune had the maids dress her in, honestly she thought he was just trying to make her feel stupid, which at the moment she did.

"Oh I will get him back!" She vowed quietly as one of the maids brought her to the hall were the men were all eating.

She had on a gold and white kimono that was more fitting for a party or for attending a wedding than for dinner. It was layered with reds and blues and a gold dragon wound its way around the fabric. The maids had put on some kohl and red lip dye on her, and finished with a red color on her eye lids. Her hair was the most difficult part but the maids managed to get some of it up with a clip, so that wispy bits of hair framed her face. She felt like a woman again, but rather than being comfortable like she normally would she found that she was worried, even though she didn't know why.

The maid escorting her gave a slight rap of the door, and the noise inside barely went down, but Masamune's voice could be heard to come in. The maid opened the door and suddenly the noise of the hall went silent.

Motochika sat next to Masamune when the door opened he spit out the sake he had just drunk. Across the hall was Ren obviously, but he could hardly tell. All of the dragon's men and his went silent as Ren made her way to them almost as if she was floating. She really did look like a princess.

Ren sat in the only vacated seat which was next to Kojuro, and for that she was a bit thankful. Because out of all the men, even Masamune and Motochika, he was the only one not outright staring at her like she was some sort of alien.

"Hey there Kojuro." She said smiling at him, he gave her a smile too.

"Good evening Ren." He said kindly.

"You look beautiful." He said going back to his food. Some of the men slowly went back to their food too, but some were still in shock.

"Honestly I just feel dumb in this, I imagine it's a joke so generously played by the one eyed dragon." She said that last part loud enough for Masamune to hear. She was rewarded when the man laughed.

"I'll admit to nothing!" He said pointing at her. She stuck out her tongue at him, and glanced at Motochika who had his eyes trained on his food. Like he felt her gaze he looked up and at her, and for a moment all Ren could focus on was that she must be as red as a tomato. Then she noticed something that she thought was just her imagination.

'Is he…blushing?' she thought.

Sure enough Motochika Chosokabe was blushing, how had he ever thought that Ren was a boy? She most certainly was not.