To Maintain Peace and Order ¦1x1 with Jikkah¦

The Kusa was clearly startled, jumping to her feet and spinning around with wide eyes. She relaxed slightly when she saw it was Masamune, but still looked rather uncomfortable. She glanced away, offering only a smile, although an uncomfortable one, wringing her hands.
 
"Can you talk?" He asked, "I know I'm intimidating but I'm not even trying right now...why do you follow him so closely, he's bad news."
 
“He-He’s nice to me... I’ve been with him for a long time..” She said it just barely loud enough for him to hear, but she spoke clearly.
 
"You know he's probably just going to eat you one day and steal your energies for his own, right. That's what demons do." He told her.
 
This brought tears to her eyes, dropping the bundle of flowers and covering her mouth to quiet herself. “No..! You’re wrong..!”
 
“He’s not..!” The Kusa actually raised her voice at Masamune, shaking her head. “He a good spirit! He’s kind, and he cares for others!”
 
Minehime started to cry harder, rubbing her tears away with her sleeves. “No! You’re wrong!”
 
"Date." Masamune turned and looked back at the rather irate looking Hidemune, "Leave her alone. She's done nothing to you. Come here, imouto..."
 
Minehime hurried to Hidemune’s side, tears rushing down her face as she clung to him, and he allowed her to. It was the strangest thing, one wouldn’t expect a fallen god to be such a good caregiver to a young spirit.
 
Masamune scowled as Hidemune gently pet Minehime's head and muttered something about flower weaving another time before taking her back to the camp site. Masamune's dagger gaze never left them until he was punched in the head with a shadowed fist. He winced and looked, seeing a disapproving Kojurou.
"Leave them alone." Kojurou scolded. Masamune gestured wildly.
"But, Kojurou!"
"Leave. Them. Alone."
 
Minehime avoided Masamune like the plague after that, and when they were around one another, she was sure to hide behind Hidemune, stuck to him like glue.
They would progress on, and when they reached the land outlying Osaka castle, the sun was nearly down, and they all gathered to form a plan of attack.
 
"I say we wait for the sun to set a little more, let Jin wake up and have her and Kojurou go first, take out the idiots guarding the main area. Mego and I will be just behind them and distract whoever comes out to stop us, which will probably be Yoshitsugu. He doesn't usually let Mitsunari fight unless he needs to. After that, the rest of you take the opportunity to find Akihime and try to get her out without drawing Mitsunari to you." Masamune said.
 
Megohime sat just beside Masamune, listening intently, Jin however was wrapped up like an honored dead, keeping her protected form the sun while she slumbered.
Yukimura nodded, finding the plan to be a rather good one. “Of course, we will regroup out here once we have Akihime, Hachigen will signal our retreat with his lightening.” He said with a nod.
 
"Hai." The Ryomen gave a firm nod of approval. Hidemune looked to Yukimura with his usual dull expression, but his eyes were sharp and alert.
"Pardon me for asking, Yukimura-sama, but you wouldn't happen to have anything that belonged to Akihime-dono? My dragon could track her far easier with her scent but I'm afraid without having met her, it would make things difficult."
 
Yukimura frowned softly, he didn’t carry anything with him of Akihime’s, he just didn’t find it appropriate. “I don’t-“ He stopped, then pulled the hair ribbon from his hair, Akihime had woven it for him. “This was made by her, it might still have her scent on it.” He said, holding it out to Hidemune.
 
Hidemune bowed his head and took it carefully with a soft word of thanks before offering it to his dragon. Its whiskers glided over the ribbon slowly, picking out what smelled familiar and what didn't before pulling back and lowering its head to Hidemune. "He has her scent. We can track her now. Domo, Yukimura-sama." Hidemune returned the ribbon politely.
 
Yukimura tied the hair ribbon back into his hair to keep it out of his face, and as soon as the sun dipped under the horizon, they went to work. Jin and Kojurou went in first, taking on and taking out the soldiers guarding the gate.
 
"Let me know if I become difficult to keep up with." Kojurou playfully jeered Jin, the cockiness his kind was known for showing through.
 
A soft smirk came to Jin’s face as she snapped the neck of another guard. “I was just about to say the same thing for you.” She teased back.
 
He chuckled as his Infernal Hand swallowed up a mass of guards. Masamune was keeping his eye out for Yoshitsugu, who was bound to show his face soon. The further they moved into the castle, the more dread he felt. Soon, Yoshitsugu hobbled out with Yuki Onna trailing behind him.
"And what do we have here? A rescue party?" He asked. Masamune scowled lightly and gripped his katana.
"Get ready, Mego." He said softly.
 
The Yuki Onna behind Yoshitsugu looked just as glum the second time as she did the first, frowning deeply as she moved to stand beside her master.
“I got it, don’t worry about any injuries- they won’t be there for long.” Megohime unraveled her scroll, waiting behind Masamune.
 
"Yukimura-sama, this way." Hidemune said and guided Yukimura to where his dragon pointed.

Yoshitsugu lifted his hand to gesture Yuki Onna to follow them but Kojurou's infernal hand wrapped tightly around her to keep her from chasing after them.
 
The Yuki Onna winced in pain struggling in the large hand. “Gyoubu-sama...!” She wheezed out, then felt something sharp sink into her neck. Her eyes widened when she saw it was a Vampira, drinking blood from the Yokai to heal the small wounds on her. She didn’t drain the Yuki Onna dry, but it left her a bit weaker.
“Thanks for holding her still for me, I don’t like my meals to struggle too much.” She returned to Kojurou’s side, wiping her lips.
Yukimura and his three Shikigami were already long gone.
 
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