Oni: Tale of Four Warriors

Chapter 6: Masaharu Redemption

Night time at the Kagesama fort, Kurosawa Nanobu walks and takes a sits across from an empress, she is wearing a white kimono with the Kagesama crest drawn on the back of the kimono. Nanobu smiles and put down his katana on the table between them "Lady Mikasa, please have a drink. You're starting to look pale." Nanobu says with a smirk on his face. The Empress just glare at him dead in the eye before she smack the cup off the table, spilling the tea on Nanobu's armor. Nanobu sigh before he flips the table and grabs the Empress on her face. Glaring at her "You ungrateful bitch! I treats you nicely and this is how you repays me?!" The empress grunts before she spits on Nanobu's face and stands up herself. Nanobu's guard draws their blade but Nanobu raises his arm indicating him to stop "Just give up your hope Lady Mikasa, there is no one going to help you anymore. Just agree on me becoming the new Shogun and I will let you free." The Empress scoffs before she glares back at him "She will come to you. Yuriko will not rest until you fall and bleed to your death!" Nanobu chuckles before he turn around "Lock her up".

Yuriko gasps, opens her eyes as she wakes up from her dream. Sayaka sits up and touches her shoulder with a concerned look. "Yuriko, is everything okay?" Yuriko wipes the sweat and tears on her cheek and head before she nods and dismisses Sayaka. She lay back on her Goza and tries her best to sleep. Meanwhile Koji sits on a bench front of the shack with a bokken on his hand, guarding the shack in case the Kurosawa finds the shack. Koji keeps seeing the face of his friend when he was kicked off the cliff. Koji grips on his bokken harder as he remembers the face of General Takayuki when he overpowered both Koji and Mitsuhade, the memory keeps haunting his night. He would sometime startled by a sound of a wind before he stares at the fire again.

Koji looks up toward a shadow within the trees and sigh, "You can show yourself Miyamoto." With a grin, Miyamoto comes out of the shadow before he takes a seat on a log across from Koji with a fire heating up their faces. Miyamoto just sits there quietly until Koji clears his throat "So, what gave it away?" Koji says. Miyamoto looks at Koji confused obviously. Koji chuckles and says it again "I never told you I'm a Samurai, how would you notice that?" With that, Miyamoto chuckles and shakes his head and brushes his clean chin "It's the beard Koji, you Samurai always have that beard." They both giggles and stares at the fire. Miyamoto sigh before he looks back at Koji "So, we are saving Masaharu village first? Are you sure we can pull it off?" Koji just looks at the fire tiredly as he nods and looks back at Miyamoto "If we managed to pull it off, we will be one step closer to victory. If we fail, we'd at least gets a Samurai death."

Miyamoto shakes his heads as he throws a leave to the fire "Samurai death, what does it benefits us anyway? I know for sure I'm not looking to die yet." Koji chuckles and stands up "A Samurai death is the most honorable death we can ever get." Koji turns around and walks around the shack. Miyamoto scoffs before he whistle over to his horse and rest on the ground with his horse while Koji does his lookout.

By the next morning, all four warriors gather up and walks up the hill toward Masaharu village. Miyamoto adjust his mask on his face and wears his straw hats, Yuriko leaves her bow on her back, and even she is not sure how well she can help with only 4 arrows left. Koji sigh and grips on his bokken while Sayaka holds on her Yari tightly, preparing in case she do not have time to pull it off her back. As they get closer, Miyamoto raises his arm indicating them to stop as he looks back. "So, remind me the plan again? I didn't hear much when I just woke up." Koji sigh and steps forward "We'll carefully walks into the village. I will have to find my blade first before we do anything. Save the villagers and kill Takayuki" Miyamoto nods and walks toward the trees to scout more on the village perimeters. Koji's brows furrowed as he calls our for Miyamoto, however Miyamoto replies, saying he works better alone

Koji grips on his Bokken as he and the two others crouch low, they slowly moves toward the wall of the village to find any gaps of opening. Miyamoto swiftly jumps from a tree and lands on one of the house near the wall. Koji and two others hide in a high grass as they squeeze through a small gap opening of the wall. Koji eyes his surrounding carefully as they together sneaks into a house. Yuriko stands, and skits toward a window and ducks, carefully peering out the window while Sayaka and Koji enters a house to together looks for a villager. Sayaka climbs a stair into the second floor and finds a man, terrified as a samurai kicks the tied man on his guts and his head. Sayaka clears her throat, makes the Samurai turns and smile toward her "Well hello there lady." The Samurai smiles as he approaches Sayaka. Sayaka raises her Yari, making the Samurai chuckles and approaches her more not even bothered to draws his blade. As the Samurai gets closer and charges toward Sayaka, she quickly swings her weapon and slashes the spearhead of her Yari on the Samurai's legs, making him winces and stalks back a little. Before the Samurai can yell, Sayaka thrust her weapon onto the Samurai throat, killing him instantly before Koji joins her up stair, startled by what he sees. Koji shakes his head before he rush to the man and cuts the rope on the man wrist "You are safe now, please hide for now before we clear this village." The captive gasp as he recognize Koji. He nods and quickly hides in his house, Koji and Sayaka goes down the ladder again to regroup with Yuriko. Sayaka tosses a quiver of Arrows and Yuriko catches it midair before she thanks Sayaka and load it in her quiver.