-Tora-
"What are you all doing?! Strike back!" Desperately, Yoshitoshi shouted order to his men, but it wasn't enough. "As much as I'd love to take you all on, and I would win, it's time to choose a side. We don't have 500 years! Do you really want to die for this guy?" 'Okay I feel like that 500 years thing was a slight jab at me, but he does have a point, so I'll let it slide for now.' "Don't listen to him! Go! Get them!" I could do nothing but watch with dread as the attack began. Masamune shifted his sword, deflecting an enemy attack. His blade let out a high-pitched metallic shriek that rang in my ears. "Follow Lord Masamune! Don't fall behind!" Kojuro was quick to rally our forces to help his lord. That farmers soon joined Masamune's men. Hideyoshi sighed and shook his head. "Will he never learn that a commander's job is to command, not lead the charge? Nevertheless, he's not alone. Let's go! But focus your efforts on capturing the daimyo." His vassals confirmed his command and joined the attack. Hideyoshi drew his own sword and carved his way into the fray with his men. 'I was hoping that Masamune had talked them all out of a fight. But I guess even Yoshitoshi must have some loyal men working for him. And now, they're all actually swinging swords at each other! This is too real. People are getting hurt-' "Whoa!" I narrowly missed a wild sword swing. To my side, I saw Ieyasu. "Don't stand around or you're going to get killed." 'Ever the ray of sunshine, Ieyasu.' "Ieyasu, where should I-" "Just find a corner to hide in until it's over." I wanted to argue with him, but I knew it would do me no good. For once in my life, I chose not to live up to my name. "All right."
This battle was utter chaos. Leaving it to the trained fighters was the right decision. "Those farmers should just run too, instead of trying to get involved." "They are armed though." He sighed, "That won't stop them from getting caught in the middle and dying. I paled at the thought, 'Dying-' The mere thought of dying, no matter what time period I'm in, scared the living daylights out of me. The clashes, groans, and cries grew louder in my ears. I looked around desperately for Masamune. "Out of the way." I finally spotted him closing in on Yoshitoshi, but a guard stood in his way. With a flash of Masamune's sword, the guard fell to the floor with a pained cry. 'Masamune is a tough swordsman all right. But-' His singular eye burning, Masamune continued inexorably forward, cutting through more of Yoshtoshi's guards. He bared his teeth like a feral animal. 'So many people are getting hurt in this fight. Yet, Masamune looks completely in his element. Efficient. Brutal. This can't possibly be the same guy as yesterday. I'm not scared of the man from yesterday, but I'm terrified of this man before me now.' I found myself unable to tear my eyes away from him. I spotted Yoshitoshi cowering toward the back door, he slid it open-but I lost sight of him as two swords clashed in front of me. "Don't you have eyes? You know what, it's not safe here either." Ieyasu struck down an enemy soldier who had broken from the pack to come for me. "Hiding is clearly not working. Just go. My men are stationed at the back gate. Head there." "Ieyasu, did you see-" "...What? Get going." I decided to follow his advice and ran out of the room. Outside, I was met with a maze of identical hallways. I chose the one opposite the way we came in and ran.
'Was that Yoshitoshi escaping? If he's fleeing toward the back gate as well, maybe I can stop him! He didn't look like much of a fighter either-Whoa!' I nearly slammed into said man in my haste. "Who are you?! Get out of my way! Ugh, the soldiers, the peasants, they're all worthless! Where is my horse? Someone fetch me my horse!" 'He IS trying to flee! That coward! Not on my watch!' I placed myself in the middle of the hallway, blocking his path. 'People are dying because of him! He can't just order his men to fight and then abandon them!' My brown eyes blazed with anger as I stared him down. He tried to push past me, but I used his own weight against him and pulled him back. 'Thank you Dad for all those self-dense classes as a child.' "You're not going anywhere!" "Hands off me, you peasant!" I grunted as he struggled against me, "You caused that big fight in there! You don't get to run! You're going to go back inside and tell them all to stop!" "What?! You can't order me around!" He tried to shake me off, but failed. Finally, he drew the sword on his waist. 'He has a sword too! OF COURSE he has a sword! Everyone in this damn period has a sword expect me!' My fight-or-flight instinct switched from "fight" back to "flight". I fell off him and to the floor. Yoshitoshi lifted his blade, ready to swing- "Fighting without a sword, lass? Where's your head?" I was so focused on the blade coming toward me, that it took me a second to realize I was still alive. There was someone standing next to me. He held me with one arm. With the other, he blocked Yoshitoshi's strike. "It wouldn't be on your neck right now if I'd been any slower." My eyes widened at the familiar figure. "Masamune!" 'He's right. I nearly died. That was too close.'
