The Siege on Osaka

The day was still young the warm sent of rice was still in the air as the great Takeda-Sanada army slowly marched their men down the dirt road. The cool summer wind blew across their faces, and the sun slowly disappeared behind a little group of rambunctious clouds. A young man took out a little red silk rag and wiped the sweat off of his forehead. His long black hair slowly moved in the wind as he looked to the horse next to his; there was a woman- she was a priestess at the temple at Mount, Fuji. She had long blond hair and ice blue eyes. She looked back to him and smiled the smile she gave him the first time they met nine years ago. Off into the distance there was the sound of horses. Just as Yukimura turned, he saw two of the five scouts that he sent ahead make sure it was safe to cross the fields to get to the gates of Kyoto.
"My Lord!" said one of the men as he jumped off of his horse.
"What is it Mino?" said Yukimura as he rushed to him.
"The pass is blocked to Kyoto, My Lord, we need to find another way to Kyoto. May be around Biwa, it will take longer," said the man as he knelled before Yukimura.
Yukimura was a young man about the age of 21, but he had seen more battles then most of the people in his army. His eyes were sincere and calm as he heard this news. He looked to Gozen as he took her hand.
"You must get to safety. My father will protect you and so will Kunoichi, so don't fret," Yukimura said as a scribe came to him with his spear, the blade looked like a cross and the handle was warped with red silk. Yukimura reached out for it and then turned to Gozen and softly held her hand and kissed her softly on the lips. She looked to him just before she turned to head to the back lines where Yukimura's father was waiting impatiently.
"Gozen, what is going on?" asked Shingen, he was soon going to be the next Shogun of the island of Honshu. He always wore a demon mask with his armor whenever he and his army went out; no one ever knew his real identity.
"My lord," said Gozen as she bowed at Shingen's feet. He looked to her and nodded.
"What is going on?" he asked her as a woman about that age of 20 jumped out from behind a tree, she wore a form reviling outfit, her hair was up in two ponytails, and her face was hidden by a piece of cloth that was just over her mouth. Shingen looked to her as Gozen started to explain what was going. Shingen nodded at the women as she stared to run down the path that Gozen started to walk towards them.
"He he!! Now its time for the next act!" exclaimed the young woman, as she ran down the road to Yukimura
"Kunoichi!" exclaimed Shingen, as he yelled her name she stopped on a dime and turned to him.
"Just be careful, and watch over Yukimura and make sure he gets out alive because I get a great feeling from the gods that one of us will not get out of this battle with our lives." Shingen said as he ran his fingers through his white beard.
"Yes dad, don't worry if can help it we will all live to reach Kyoto." Said Kunoichi as she jumped into a tree and disappeared into the darkness.
A few moments later, back where Yukimura was standing, Kunoichi reached him before he entered battle, it is just not like him to want to defend his family and Gozen without having his sister at his side to watch his back.
"Hey, where you going to start without me. It is just not like you Yukimura; how dare you even think about starting without you own person bodyguard." Kunoichi said as she jumped out of tree and landed right next to him her daggers pulled an her masked pulled up as it is the way of the Ninja for there enemies not to see there faces.
"Well I don't think I need your help it just a few scouts for the Oda-Tokugawa army any ways I could most likely take them on by myself." said Yukimura
"Wait!" proclaimed Kunoichi as she closed her eyes and started to concentrate on the sound that really caught her attention.
"Oh no!!" Exclaimed Kunoichi as she turned and started to run back to where she left Shingen and Gozen.
"Kunoichi aren't you going to help?" asked Yukimura as he watched her run off.
After a few moments she found Shingen holding off the Oda-Tokugawa ninja task force off the best he could. As soon as she got there the fun started.
"One, Two, Three, POOF!!" she said as she used her ninjitsuability to disappear into the shadows and use her daggers to take down on of the ninjas going after Shingen.
"Four, Five, Six, POOF!!!" she said again as she takes a few more ninjas that where to close for comfort for Shingen and Gozen.
"Now its time of the main event." Said Kunoichi as she jumped out of a tree as she tried to strike another one down; but as she was going to do this a man jumped out in front of her. This man had long black hair that was put into a ponytail and he wore a black outfit with a black cloth over his mouth and he had a long scar over his right eye, this scar looked to familiar to Kunoichi.
"What!? What are you doing here?" Asked Kunoichi.
"And the shadow is formed, a being of power over the shadow. And when there is shadow there is light." He raised his Kari-gama to strike her down but she raised her other dagger to block and in doing so the force of the weapons coming together sent both of them back a few feet from each other.
"Ken Fa Ri Jun Zen!" exclaimed the person as he looked to Gozen and as two ninjas appear behind Gozen and grab her by the arms and restraint her.
"A shadow must be swift and resourceful." He said as he looked back to Kunoichi.
"What no you must not take here the master will look for her and wont stop until she finds her and you know that laws of the Ninja we cannot lie to our masters. Hanzo, Please don't take her my brother cannot take this madness." Said to Kunoichi as she drew back her daggers.
The two ninjas that had taken a hold of Gozen looked at Kunoichi and laughed as they took off with Gozen in hand and Hanzo just behind them. Kunoichi tried her hardest to keep up with Hanzo and his men; but in all her time she had never met anyone but her true master in ninjistu could ever beat her and the only thing she could ever leave on him was the scar over his right eye.
She came back to where Yukimura was sitting under a tree waiting for her to return with the news; he started to play his flute. The day was slowly fading away into the dark night.
"Yuki!" Yelled Kunoichi as she landed in the tree just above him.
"Kunoichi where have you been father said you have something to tell about Gozen and your old teacher Hanzo." Said Yukimura as he stood up and looked to Kunoichi.
"Well see, um... yea um... there was this bear okay..." She said as she jumped out of the tree.
"A bear?" replied Yukimura with a look of confusion on his face.
"No, Hanzo has taken Gozen back to Osaka, because Nubunaga needs her for something I don't know Hanzo didn't tell me everything before he got away." Said Kunoichi as she landed next to Yukimura
"So there was no bear?" Asked Yukimura as he jumped onto his horse.
"NO!!!" Yelled Kunoichi.
"Didn't you hear a word that I just said?" Yelled Kunoichi.
"Yes, that there was a bear and that Hanzo has taken Gozen to Osaka and that you want to tell dad you and I are going to Osaka to get her back." Said Yukimura as calm as he could with out laughing at the look on Kunoichi's face.
"You mean to tell me that you want me to go with you to Osaka?" said Kunoichi.
"Yes, you and I will be able to get in and out with out no one even knowing that we are there." Said Yukimura as he jumped onto his horse and started to head toward the road that would take them pass Mt. Fuji and lastly to Osaka. (Rex 7)
"But Yuki' what about dad, if we don't tell him what we are doing he will sooooo, kill us, or worse keep us out of the next battle..." snapped Kunoichi.
Later that night as the stars started to come out Kunoichi and Yukimura could see the lights of Osaka's caretakers home.
"Halt this is Toyotomi Hideyori, and I am the caretaker of this castle, so state your business for being here my young lord." Hideyori said as Yukimura looked around to look for Kunoichi, he notice that she was in the tree just to right of Hideyori.
"My business for being here your grace, is that I am in need of rest and I need a place to stay for the night." Said Yukimura as he coughed into his hand.
"Well right this way. My master does not like the Sanada, or the Takeda but he is not here, and by the looks of you look like a general of the Takeda-Sanada army are you not?" asked Hideyori. "Don't worry my master will not return for another day or two, but he did say something about finding that young Yukimura because he had the High Priestess' daughter Gozen so my lord Oda Nubunaga when in search for her so that he could use Mt. Fuji." Hideyori said as he grabbed the rains of Yukimura's horse and lead him into the castle.
Yukimura looked around and saw that Kunoichi was on the castle wall in the shadows of the out lining trees and of the guards.
"So my lord, what brings you so far from Kai?" Said Hideyori as he helped Yukimura off of the horse at the stables.
"Well I was also in-search of Yukimura, because there is trouble in Kai as of late. Ninja thieves running around killing and pillaging." said Yukimura in hopes that Hideyori does not know that he Yukimura
"Oh that is sad, but here rest and in the morning there will be breakfast." Hideyori bowed to Yukimura and left him be in the little house next to the stables.
"Kunoichi, where are you. Kunoichi." Whispered Yukimura as he looked for Kunoichi just outside the house and the stables.
"Ninja thieves. Nice Yuki' you are so inconsiderate... I don't even know why I am helping you find Gozen I should just go home with dad and build an army and come and get Gozen back when Nubunaga gets here..." Said Kunoichi as she appeared on the roof of house.
"I am sorry about that I didn't think you could hear me when I said that... I just needed something to say to Hideyori so he wouldn't think I am who I am. You get it?" Yukimura had said as Hideyori and Ieyasu showed up, and just after they showed up on a horse behind them the Demon Lord Oda Nubunaga appeared.
"Ahh, the Crimson Samurai and a Lone Ninja have gotten into Osaka." Nubunaga said as he began to laugh. He looked to Yukimura and Kunoichi as he pulled on the rope that was in his hands, and in doing so Gozen was pulled from out behind the horse that Nubunaga was riding.
"What!? Let her go she did nothing to you..." Said Yukimura as he drew his spear and Kunoichi pulled her daggers.
"Hideyori, kill the intruders that you let in, or repay this in another way." said Nubunaga as he and Gozen walked into the castle. Gozen looked back to Yukimura as Kunoichi jumped into a tree and out of notice from anyone but Yukimura and Gozen.
"Nubunaga let her go or you will regret it," yelled Yukimura as he tried to get to Gozen before she entered the Osaka.
"Hahahaha! Yukimura at last you are mine, your family have taken land from mine for ages and in one movement of my sword
I will get that land back." said Ieyasu he drew his katana as his bodyguards did to. He stood there looking at Yukimura with the look of up-most hate on his face.
"Ieyasu, dare stand up against the Sanada clan?" Yukimura looked to him with a calm look on his face, his hand on his spear and his other on his dagger that was on his waist.
"You dare attack us in our own castle, you are mad Yukimura" Said one of Ieyasu's guards, as he says this Kunoichi jumps out of the shadows and lands on the guard's shoulders and she looks down to him.
"You really think that you scar me?" She said as she moves her feet and breaks his neck and he falls to ground.
"Wha!?!?" said the other guards as they saw this and fear ran through them.
"Sorry my lord but we just remembered that, um... we... need..." Said one guard.
"We need to go help Nubunaga with his battle plans." Said the other one.
Mean while as the fighting was going on outside Gozen was inside, she looked around the castle as Nubunaga took her down the winding paths and corridors.
"Nubunaga let me go!! I will not marry you no matter what you say." Gozen said as she tried to struggle her way out of the rope.
"You really think that I will let you live after I am done with you... All I need is to say that you where killed by Yukimura, then there will be no you and no Yukimura and Kai will be mine.
As he was saying this Gozen looked to him and with one swift movement she jumped onto his shoulders and put her arms around his neck and started to strangle him, after a few seconds he slowly fell asleep due to little oxygen entering his lungs. Gozen stood up and looked round she walked over to a statue and knelled behind it as she prepared herself to escape the castle and help Yukimura and Kunoichi outside so they could get out of here and go home. As Gozen stood up the two guards that had ran way from Yukimura where in this very corridor and was helping Nubunaga up and down to the throne room.
‘Yes, now this is my time to get out of here so I can get back to Yukimura and Kunoichi.' Gozen thought to herself. As she turned she saw Yukimura, he looked to her but did not know it was here due to the fact that she was had changed her clothes to her infiltration clothing that she always carried with her.
"What! One of Oda's Ninjas I see you will not get away so easily as you think." Said Yukimura as he drew up his spear as if to strike Gozen down. And at the right moment Gozen jumped onto his spear with grace.
She said charismatically, " Yuki' its me, Gozen. I'm not an Oda ninja, I don't want to hurt you."
In disbelief Yukimura responds to her, " You are not Gozen, she is not a ninja, and plus I just saw two guards taking Gozen and Nubunaga into the throne room." And as Yukimura says this Gozen jumps off of the spear and lands on other side of him.
"What grace you have to bad you will not live long to improve your talents." Said Yukimura as he draws up his spear again and this time Gozen's back was turned to him and he struck her down. In doing so she fell to the ground and looked up to Yukimura as she uncovered her face to show him who she really was. He fell to his knees and picked up her head and looked her in the eyes.
" Gozen I am so sorry I should have known it was you." He said as he looked to her and picked her and started to run out of Osaka to where he left Kunoichi to hold the exit for him.
"Kunoichi we are leaving I have Gozen she is somewhat safe we just to get her to father as fast as we can." He ran out to his horse and jumped on with Gozen in front of him, he put his arms around her so that she would not fall off of the horse.
"Kunoichi lets get out of here we will come back later..." Yelled Yukimura as he got Gozen and started to run out of castle.
"But I just got warmed up." Kunoichi said as she ran after him and Gozen.
"Yukimura... don't worry... I will be fine I have had worse then this..." Gozen said as she looked at Yukimura
"Just hang on we are almost to the out post where my father is waiting." Yukimura said in an unsteady voice. He looked to Gozen as she started to drift off into a deep sleep, and as he looked up he could see the red banners of the Takeda-Shingen army.
"Kunoichi, I have some work for you to do for me, I want to you infiltrate Osaka and kill Oda Nubunaga." Said Yukimura as he rode into the camp.
"Sure thing boss." Kunoichi smiles and takes off back to Osaka to fulfill what her master wants of her. As Yukimura rides into Camp he notices something out of the corner of his eye, a shadow, it was Hanzo. As he reached the center of the camp he could see two shadows one he knew was his father's, but the other he did not know. The fear in his heart rose up as he drew closer with Gozen on his lap.
"Father, I have returned from Osaka with Gozen." Yukimura had said as entered the center of the camp. When he reached his father he stopped and helped Gozen off of the horse so the she could be put in a tent to rest and heal her wounds.
"Father who is this person." Yukimura looked to the man standing in front of his father. He looked oddly familiar; the man turned to Yukimura as jumped backwards and threw his Kari-gama at Shingen. Yukimura jumped hastily in front of it to shield his father from the blow; but he was too late, his father's lifeless body fell to the floor and in horror Yukimura turned to the man.
"A shadow must be swift with the ability to kill his foe." Said the man.
"Hanzo! Why have you come!" Demanded Yukimura
Hanzo looked to the tent where Gozen was put to rest, then his eyes shifted back to Yukimura
"So you have taken the woman back from my lord, well if I kill you there will be no stopping me from taking her back for my lord again." He drew back his Kari-gama.
"Hanzo you will not win the spirits of my ancestors runs through my veins, they will guide my spear to strike you down like the incompetent fool that you are." And in this moment that Yukimura had said this two ninjas jumped from behind a tree and looked to Hanzo, they whispered something to him as he then turned to Yukimura
"You really think that your little ninja will kill my master?" asked Hanzo.
"What!? How did you know about that?" wondered Yukimura
"Well we will have to let this little power struggle be drawn out for one more day while go and help my Lord kill your little ninja." Said hanzo as he turned to the other ninjas and they ran off into the darkness.
"Kunoichi..." Yukimura wondered if his sister will be okay.
"Hey, Yuki why do you look so sad?" Said a most familiar voice.
"Kunoichi, you are okay." Said Yukimura as he turned to her, she was standing behind him with a large grin on her face. "What happened did you kill Nubunaga?" he asked.
"Well yea but I guess Ieyasu sent for Hanzo so Hanzo can take control of his army, because Ieyasu wants to go back home, so he retreated." She said as she noticed her father laying on the floor in pain.
"FATHER!?!?!?!" she yelled as she ran to him. "Who did this to you? They will pay who did this to you."
He looked to her and said, "Kunoichi, you must take over the Army for me, this is the end of the forest for the ‘Tiger of Kai'..." he slowly faded into death no pain.
"Father..." Kunoichi put her head on his as she begins to cry.
"I cant take this anymore Hanzo must die."
"Do you really think that you are the one to do it Yuki? I can't even do it by my self."
"But I have to do, for father, and for Gozen." Yukimura jumped onto his horse and started to head out of the camp.
"Yukimura get back here. Yuki!!" he could here Kunoichi off in the distance as she screams and yells at him.
"I'm sorry Gozen, father, I will make it up to the both of you.'
Yukimura reaches Osaka, there is smoke raising form the inside of the castle walls. He jumps off of his horse and slowly enters the doorway as he looks around, there was no one around, but I does look like they left in a rather fast orderly fashion.
"What is going on here there is no one here."
"Because they are going after Kai." Said someone from the shadow.
"what Hanzo where are you, come out here right now!!" Yukimura yelled where the voice was coming from. Just as he did this he felt a sharp pain in his lower back, he turned and saw Hanzo just behind him, then he stepped back and disappeared again.
"Hanzo, you cowered come out here and fight me like a real samurai!" Yukimura yelled again.
"Tsk Tsk Tsk." Hanzo turned to him from the roof of the building and shook his head.
The feeling that Yukimura had felt on his back was starting to get worse and worse, before to long he started to get light headed.
"What did you do to me?" asked Yukimura as he fell to one knee and as the other end (not the blade end) of spear hit the ground so that he does not go face first into the ground.
Just as this happened he got a feeling of sorrow that could never see Gozen if or if she did not die. Yukimura tried his hardest to stand up, after a few tries he accomplished what he was wanting to do. He looked for Hanzo, but he disappeared again. With Great caution he walked back to his horse so that he could get back to the encampment, and see if Kunoichi will know what to do with the poison that Hanzo has used.
As he rode to the encampment he pulled out what Hanzo used to stab him with, it was a long piece of wood, like something someone might pick up off the ground. He looked up from this and found that he was just outside the encampment right now, but there was something about it there seemed wrong, there was no lights and no guards patrolling the ground.
"Kunoichi!" he yelled as he came up to the camp. "Kunoichi! Where are you!? Gozen! Someone anyone..."
Just as he yells for some assistances he fell of the back of the horse blacking out. When he came to he found himself in the same spot but there stood Kunoichi and Gozen. They looked to at him as he laid there, Gozen knelled next to him and slowly picked up his head and started rub his hair.
"Gozen, you're alive?" Yukimura was bewildered at the chain of events that have happened to him.
"Yes, Yukimura your sister would make a wonderful priestess at Mt. Fuji." she turned to him with sad eyes and a tear running down her left cheek, as she looked into Yukimura's eyes. "We could not find away to stop the poisons that Hanzo has used on you." she said this as another tear fell from her face. She looked to him with the most sincearatiy in her eyes.
"Gozen, is everything ok?" Yukimura with the most love and care in his eyes as he looked up to her. "What is going on, Gozen, Kunoichi someone tell me what is going on here please!" Demanded Yukimura as he tried to get up off of the ground and with a loud and painful yell he slowly stood up.
"Yuki' you must stay laying down or your blood will send the poison strait to your heart and it then will stop." Gozen said as she jumped up to stop Yukimura from standing up.
"But I must protect you and Kunoichi from what is going on." Yukimura fell to one knee again and caught himself on the side of the tent that was next him.
"See brother you cannot even stand up, let along fight." She said as she walked over to him and tried to help him up to his horse because Kunoichi knows that even if his going to die he will not take it lying down (literally).
"Kunoichi help to my horse." Yukimura said as Kunoichi helped him to his horse and grabbed his spear.
That was the last that anyone has ever saw of Sanada Yukimura, but is not that last that he was thought of. His wife and only true love Shizuka Gozen will always think of him whenever she looks to her son.