The land itself was a far cry from the cherry blossom fields that events such as these would take place. Instead of being a lush blend of pink and green, the site of Yoshitsune's party (and in fact, any party that the Allied Forces wished to host a gathering with the other soldiers) was a cauldron of fire and lava. Rather than birds chirping and butterflies fluttering, the faraway hiss of the dreaded Hydra that had slain so many of their ranks in the past echoed periodically throughout the camp. This made it difficult not only to have parties in peace, but to sleep peacefully before the next mission. The entire landscape, despite the efforts of the Allied Forces to rebuild the camp into a veritable fortress of hope, gave off a dull red hue, not unlike the visions of Hell.

Despite this, the Allied ranks celebrated as merrily as they could, feasting and dancing while sharing a good laugh and a toast to their upcoming victories. When the war started, all but three of them were slaughtered by the remaining Demon Army led by Kiyomori Taira, Yoshitune's sworn enemy from a realm that seemed so far away thanks to the years passed since they were brought into Orochi's dystopic world. But thanks to perservance and ingenuity, history had literally been changed and the once-heavy causalities had been rectified to a point where those fallen kings, queens, generals and consorts now celebrated under a single banner.

Whereas victories were once a rarity, they had become so commonplace for the Allied Forces that the flow of the war was now in their favor. With only a few more battles, the Allied Forces would be able to mount their final attack on the Demon Army and finally slay the Hydra that destroyed their once-proud haven they inherited and rebuilt from Orochi's previous regime. Even Shuten Doji, the reborn essence of the Serpent King, lent his full assistance to the Allied Forces' cause and celebrated alongside the warriors.

Yoshitsune Minamoto, hailed in his era as the greatest warrior in all of Japan, was humbled by the wide variety of warlords and warriors that he had grown to call his comrades. These warriors hailed from all corners of history, from far into the past in China's Three Kingdoms era, to four hundred years from Minamoto's time into the future in Japan's Warring States era. There were even a handful who hailed from far into the West, speaking a strange language that could only be understood with the help of the Mystics who descended from the heavens to aid and unite the humans under a single banner.

Here at the party, Yoshitsune sat alone near the ledge where many of the warriors would sit for more private celebrations, staring at the crimson moon pondering the battles passed and what lay ahead. More frequently, it was used by womanizers such as Magoichi Saika and Guo Jia to woo the bevy of beauties that populated the camp, often to the ire of those who were spoken for. In Yoshitsune's time, he was known as a heartthrob that stole the hearts of any woman he met, but he put such trivial desires aside for the sake of the war effort. But at the behest of several of his comrades and with the approval of the strategists, Yoshitsune decided that he would put down his blade and again try to find comfort with the opposite sex.

It's not as if Yoshitsune went out of his way to oodle girls: when he threw his hat in with the Allied Forces, he did so with the intention to devote all of his energy into toppling the Demon Army and ending the machinations of Kiyomori. But in a recent battle, a very different notion went through Yoshitune's heart. Instead of focusing on Taira and the Demon Army, Yoshitsune had been plagued by visions of a sweet voice, soft lips, captivating red eyes, and a body that seemed to dance with every step...particularly in the chest area. The very thought of her made his heart race and his face flush with red: it made it quite difficult to focus on missions when he was frequently paired with the voluptuous kunoichi that freely displayed her enchanting figure, and it was made doubly troublesome when Ayane would speak to him in the camp about the accuracy of his reputation as a handsome and courageous warrior.

The only way Yoshitsune could purge the impure thoughts he had about Ayane was to accept that he had fallen in love with her, and thus extended an invitation to her for a private moon viewing. Despite what Guo Jia might have told him, a moon viewing between a man and a woman had yet to result in anything risque, even for those hopelessly in love like Master Nagamasa and his wife Oichi. There was no shame in admitting his feelings, even as Yoshitsune poured another cup of sake and ingest more of that liquid courage.

"Yoshitune..."

The prize of the Minamoto clan paused and lowered his cup, realizing that the girl who had stolen his heart had accepted his invitation and was now standing behind him. Yoshitsune turned around with his head already bowed. "Lady Ayane," he said with the same formality he gave to his superiors. "Thank you for accepting my invitation." Lifting his head so that he could once again gaze into her beautiful face, Yoshitsuneopened his mouth to continue, only for the words to suddenly morph into something quite different. "B...br...brea...breathtaking!"

Yoshitsune managed to catch himself from saying something dishonorable as the already-revealing corset that Ayane wore in battle and around the camp threatened to slip off of her luscious body and force a terrible sin upon the young warrior. Springing to action, Yoshitsune held onto Ayane and caught the corset just as it started to fall, tightening the ribbon in the back that kept it stable. "Lady Ayane," he blurted out as his heart raced, looking at the purple-haired beauty and noticing the dreamy look she had in them. "Are you...are you well?"

"Mmm," Ayane nodded her head once before turning around to look back at the party. "Okuni wanted to prepare me for our date, so she pulled me aside with the other girls and we had tea together...it was very good tea..."

Ayane had gained a reputation in the camp as being a very aloof and introverted young woman, focusing herself almost entirely on the art of ninjutsu and the war effort, and this is what kept her from being hit on by the many would-be suitors the Allied Forces boasted. If Lady Okuni, who was the exact opposite of "aloof and introverted," was pulling Ayane aside for tea parties in preparations for a moon viewing, it was to transform the moon viewing into something quite sinful. The very prospect of this sort of encounter once again brought to mind the exceedingly impure thoughts of Ayane that Yoshitsune hoped to purge.

This was not an appropriate situation for two comrades to be in. Yoshitsune turned to the dinner party to see who would be willing to let her borrow some clothes and rest off her intoxication, but most of the women were over by Okuni's table, staring at the couple and giggling all the while. Perhaps Lady Wang Yi would be willing to accommodate him...if she didn't slice his head off first in case she came to the conclusion that Yoshitsune was the one who left her inebriated and dazed.

"You're warm..."

Yoshitsune's face grew hot as Ayane leaned against his chest. It was here that Yoshitsune realized that he was still holding onto Ayane, with his hands close to her rear. Quickly moving his hands, Yoshitsune carefully led Ayane to the ledge and gently pulled her away so that she could sit down at the mat the teahouse keeper prepared for them. The corset seemed to be staying put now, even though her body was still dancing on its own accord and tempting him once more. Suddenly he felt a need to use some of that liquid courage that Ayane had imbibed at Okuni's request.

Reaching for his cup and taking a drink, Yoshitsune opened his mouth to say something, but Ayane spoke first. "I'm not supposed to be here, Yoshitune," she said with a grim smile, a far cry from the warm expression she had just a moment ago. "Ninjas aren't supposed to go on dates, unless it's their duty to seduce their targets...sad to say, there have been a few times when I've had to dirty myself in a target's bed, no matter how disgusting they are..."

"I...I see nothing dirty about you, Lady Ayane," Yoshitsune replied before drinking his sake and steeling his nerves.

"That's what Master Ryu and Master Hayate tell me...but it doesn't change the fact that I don't have many chances to enjoy the life of a teenage girl," Ayane continued gazing into the moon before looking down at the ground beneath the ledge, where a few of the generals were training in dark solitude for the next battle, away from the prying eyes of their comrades. "Master Ryu has someone he cares about: a foreigner who he can never be with because of their duties as destroyers of evil. He talks about her so much, saying how much he looks forward to meeting her again after the mission is completed...but deep down, like me, he knows that it can never happen. It's just something he tries to comfort himself with."

"...Lady Ayane," Yoshitsune felt his cheeks flush again as he contemplated his next move, but he followed his heart's desire and scooted closer to Ayane and held her hand. "I...I wouldn't mind being that comfort for you."

Ayane turned to face Yoshitsune once more, her usually piercing gaze now gently brushing against his soul. The warrior gulped as he felt his heart raced, and did his best to try not to get lost in those eyes...or the multitude of other facets that Yoshitsune found attractive about her. "Every time I go into battle, I resolve to return alive...so that I may one day tell you how much you mean to me," Yoshitsune continued, embarrassed that he was so flustered by the kunoichi. "Every time we speak, you say such flattering things about me...and I don't even have the courage to do the same because how breathtaking you are. I...I can't imagine anyone not falling deeply in love with you!"

Finally, it was out. Yoshitsune had confessed his feelings to Ayane. Unfortunately, the desired effect Yoshitsune had for this confession was the complete opposite of reality. Instead of offering relief that it was out in the open, now Yoshitsune was desperately waiting for Ayane's response. Would Yoshitsune's heart be able to take rejection, and would it prove fatal on the battlefield? That was why he didn't confess to Ayane before, because there were still battles to be fought, but the heartache was too much to keep contained. Like a convict awaiting a jury's verdict, Yoshitsune awaited her answer.

Before saying anything, Ayane turned Yoshitsune back towards her and again gazed into his soul. She placed one hand on his bare chest, exposed from the light blue kimono he wore to the viewing, and another hand through his long black hair. Leaning in closer, Ayane gently pressed her lips against Yoshitsune's and gave him a light kiss, gradually letting it involve into something deeper while she pressed herself against him until he fully reclined. When the kiss was softly broken and Yoshitsune returned from his excursion into paradise, Ayane finally spoke.

"Remember when we first met?" Ayane said with a grin, her cheeks almost as red as Yoshitune's.

"L-Lady Ayane," Yoshitsune stuttered quietly, turning to the party to make sure that no one was watching them. Looking back at Ayane, Yoshitsune gulped as Ayane reached out and wrapped her fingers around his hand. "I...I don't think we should..."

"It was just like that," she hummed. "You were just as flustered as you are right now...and I thought, 'Wouldn't it be nice if someone like him was my boyfriend?' Ninjas aren't supposed to fall in love...to have fairytale princes to whisk them away, to save them when they're in trouble. We're not supposed to have...to have lovers like you, saving them time and time again as we fall deeper and deeper in love with them."

Finally, Yoshitsune had enough. If there was any doubt about being rejected with his confession, the way Ayane's kiss melted his heart and the soft whispers in his ear washed them away. With his free hand, Yoshitsune embraced Ayane as she kissed him again. Ayane was vulnerable, and only a scoundrel would take advantage of her when she had the faint taste of Okuni's "tea" still in her breath. But as he felt her corset shift against him, threatening once again to slip off, Yoshitsune found it almost impossible to reign her in.

For now, he would oblige her, and do what he had always done since the day he met: protect her and doing everything in his power to keep her from getting hurt.

"...you have GOT to be kidding me..."

At first, neither Yoshitsune nor Ayane heard the deep, angry voice that grumbled over them, having completely lost themselves to the paradise of each other's company. That quickly changed when the two were unceremoniously parted by the rough hands of a rather tall, intimidating man with unfriendly eyes and a bone-chilling snarl pulling them away from each other. Ayane was tossed to one side, quickly tightening her corset before she pulled out her twin kunai, while Yoshitsune was tossed to the other side as the interloper looked down to face him.

"I will NOT tolerate MY officers exhausting themselves the day before an important mission," the man growled before he turned to Yoshitsune. "We are on the cusp of a great victory that will end the vile Demon Army, and you children are too busy wasting your energy on each other! I foolishly thought that both of you would be above such encounters before a mission!"

"Master Lu Bu," Yoshitsune finally said as he stood up. "What is the meaning of this!?"

The dreaded Lu Bu motioned to one of the tents where several of the strategists were leaving. "I have been told that I will be leading the attack on the fifth head of the Hydra at Xia Pi Castle. Both you and your vixen have been assigned to my unit." The man's snarl increased as he looked at the two young officers. "Sex before battle is a tactic used by generals to weaken the opposing forces with whores before a battle, leaving them exhausted. I will NOT tolerate it happening between members of my own unit!"

All sorts of impure thoughts when through Yoshitsune's mind as Lu Bu continued to berate his lack of focus. What would have happened if no one had disturbed them? Would it have been such a vulgar encounter that Yoshitsune would have deflowered his beloved Lady Ayane? Try as he might, he couldn't stop thinking about how soft Ayane felt against him, how much she enchanted and seduced him. As much as Yoshitsune disliked Lu Bu's abrasive personality, he was probably right: the direction they were going in and the lack of control both of them exhibited could have spelt doom for them in the next mission.

"Until the battle is over, I am your commanding officer," Lu Bu concluded as Yoshitsune escaped from his mental images of making love to Ayane, with Ayane apparently doing the same. "I am ordering you to get some rest...ALONE. If you disobey me, I'll make sure that the punishment is so severe that the others will have to go across eight different timelines just to put you back together again. Am I clear, boy!?"

"...Yes, Master Lu Bu," Yoshitsune bowed before Lu Bu stormed off and exert his authority on the other members of the unit assigned to him.

As he left, Yoshitsune and Ayane looked to each other before turning away in embarrassment. Both of them opened their mouth to say something, but the abruptness of the moment seemed to keep the words stuck in their throat. Instead, Yoshitsune bowed his head before leading Ayane to her quarters, and then retire for the evening...without her at his side.

The pile of reptilian demons continued to inflate as more and more soldiers of the Demon Army fell in the wake of Yoshitsune and Ayane's tornado of violence. "Damn...what is with them today!?" Yoshitsune cursed as he used all of his might to shove away a bevy of soldiers threatening to run him through with sheer numbers, igniting his weapon and unleashing a cutting wave of energy that cleared a path. Watch the path quickly close up like a healing wound, Yoshitsune quickly made his way to Ayane and cut down a soldier trying to strike her from behind. "There's usually not this many of them concentrated like this...did Master Lu Bu finish them off already!?"

The battle plan, according to the strategists, would be that Lu Bu would take command and lure the Demon Army to the West. Once he was there, Yoshitsune would lead troops to the East and between them, they would split the enemy's forces in two ways. This would allow them to move their experimental siege weapon from the South in any direction they pleased. If they moved it to the West, they would experience the wrath of the legendary Lu Bu. If they moved to the East, they contended with the legendary hero of Japan. The idea was for the Demon Army to be split into portions small enough that either general would be able to handle them with the forces at their disposal.

But with their backs against each other, trapped in a shrinking circle as the Demon Army closed on their position from all sides, the plan had either completely failed or worked way too well. The numbers of the Demon Army seemed to coincide with how many soldiers that were currently overwhelming Yoshitsune's unit, except those were supposed to be the overall numbers. If this many troops were in the East, then the West was completely open, either because they refused to fight Lu Bu or Lu Bu mowed them down with such ferocity that they decided the East was a better option.

"Forgive me, Lady Ayane," Yoshitsune turned to Ayane and bowed in apology before Ayane reached out over his shoulder and stabbed one of the Demon Army soldiers in the head. Quickly turning around to kick the soldier off of Ayane's kunai, Yoshitsune once again pressed his back to Ayane as they looked at the situation around them worsening. "I should have prepared for this: I've needlessly put you and the rest of the troops in danger."

"It's alright," Ayane said with a smile before vaulting over Yoshitsune's head and pouncing on the head of one of the Demon Army commanders, squeezing his head between her thighs before flinging him into his comrades and knocking them over like pins. Turning back to Yoshitsune, the kunoichi smiled warmly before suddenly jumping into his arms, using her momentum to swing herself around him while she furiously slashed at the circle of enemies. Once enough room had cleared, the two gradually came to a halt as Ayane returned to her feet while the confused Yoshitsune regained his bearings. "It'll be alright, because you're here."

"Lord Yoshitsune!"

Another female called out to the young warrior, calling attention to another attractive female general as she leveled the thick horde of the Demon Army with her whip and the fabled warhorse Red Hare. Red Hare was Lu Bu's prized horse, and the fastest horse in the Allied Forces' stable. It was exceedingly rare for Lu Bu to let anyone rid him into battle, even if that person was Lu Bu's beloved consort Diao Chan, so if she was being permitted to ride it through enemy lines, there were only two reasons why.

Either Lu Bu had been killed in battle, or the situation had become so grim that he was requesting reinforcements.

"Lady Diao Chan," Yoshitsune cut down the commander he had been deadlocked with and accepted Diao Chan's invite onto Red Hare. Calling for Ayane, as well, Diao Chan picked up the two warriors and together, they ran through the enemy ranks until they finally broke free and into the open battle ground. "Lady Diao Chan," Yoshitsune repeated before finally getting to the point. "What has happened? Is Master Lu Bu safe?"

"He's calling everyone back to the castle: we've moved the siege weapon inside and he wants everyone protecting the gates now that he's culled out the main forces," Diao Chan explained while Yoshitsune cut down any soldiers that attempted to impede Red Hare's dash to Xia Pi Castle. "Lu Bu was injured while fighting and needs time to rest. He's keeping the forces busy while the weapon is charging, but he won't be able to hold off for long!"

"Any word on why the East is so crowded?" Ayane asked as the castle finally came into view, even though there were plenty of serpentine minions attempting to halt their advance.

To that, Diao Chan smiled as they raced through the castle gates, with the massive door quickly closing behind them as Red Hare sauntered to a halt. "Lord Lu Bu made quite a scene when he was fighting the enemy alone in the West. He told all of his troops to defend the siege weapon, and leave the rest to him. Clearly the enemy decided that the East would be an easier place to find glory, for they only found a gruesome death at the end of Lord Lu Bu's halberd."

As a mistress of song and dance, there were plenty of tales in history about Diao Chan's contribution to the Three Kingdoms era. Legends spoke of her operating under false pretenses, manipulating Lu Bu into betraying their master Dong Zhuo and ending his reign of terror. Though Diao Chan presented herself as a woman of compassion and virtue, Yoshitsune always found something chilling about Diao Chan's admiration of Lu Bu, particularly when it came to his unyielding penchant for destruction. On the other hand, Diao Chan was the only person that Lu Bu spoke to with compassion, almost to a point where he was more her slave than her lord.

Yoshitsune turned to Ayane and again thought about the night before. He probably wouldn't have minded being Ayane's slave if it meant more of her kisses, or her whispering in his ear...

"GAH!" Yoshitsune blurted out before slapping himself in the face, drawing a strange look from both Ayane and Diao Chan. More impure thoughts, and in a moment as crucial as this where victory hanged in the balance. The trio quickly hopped off the horse and quickly moved to the central garrison, where the Yashiro'oni was ready and waiting. None too soon either, as the massive snake-like head of the Hydra had slithered its way to the surface and had turned its attention to the castle.

The monstrosity hissed before firing off a jet of flame, causing the soldiers to flee in terror, and those too slow to be burned alive. The smell of charred flesh filled the castle, prompting one of the commanders to stop procrastinating and use the siege weapon that was designed specifically for slaying the monster. Even as the weapon was charging, the Hydra's thirst for blood was insatiable, and it reached down over the castle wall not to attack the weapon, but to snack on the soldiers scurrying about.

So disturbed was the officer at watching his men be feasted on by this giant serpent that he hesitated, causing Ayane to shove him aside and fire the mystic weapon herself. Even though the Hydra's harvest made the castle now reek of blood and charred flesh, its hunger had left its neck completely exposed, allowing Ayane to fire off a massive rush of blue energy which left a massive indent in the creature's head, almost blowing it completely off.

The monster quickly recoiled and roared in agony before being silenced by the rapid barrage of death that came from the Yashiro'ori's secondary assault, finishing it off as it weakly retreated back into the ground. A roar of victory erupted from the castle...but it was unceremoniously cut short by thunder-like rapping at the castle gates. "Sore losers," one of the other soldiers grumbled as Yoshitsune quickly made his way to the castle wall. "Can't they just leave with some dignity?"

Having encountered Taira many times in the past, even before he found himself in Orochi's realm, Yoshitsune was quite familiar with the enemy commander's lack of grace in defeat. The demon sorcerer was already standing over the hole where the Hydra had fled, muttering an incantation while the rest of his army attempted to break down the castle gates with two of their massive troop commanders smashing at it with their clubs. "Troublesome," Yoshitsune grumbled before jumping down from the castle walls without a second thought. Once he landed, he looked up to see Ayane looking down at him with a surprised glance. "I'll keep them busy! Stay inside in case and guard the weapon in case the Hydra reappears!"

That's the reason Yoshitsune gave, but deep down, he had a much more selfish reason for charging into the enemy lines alone and cutting down the officers that threatened to destroy Xia Pi Castle. With Ayane's eyes watching him, Yoshitsune prepared to give his greatest performance yet by letting out a war cry and cutting down the horde of minions that stood in his path. Having already seen plenty of him during the culling of the horde in the East, a good number of them simply threw down their weapons and ran, while others simply froze in place while Yoshitsune's blade gave them a swift end.

As Yoshitsune charged Kiyomori almost unopposed, barring the paltry force that tried to challenge him, the young warrior started to wonder why his sworn enemy was leaving himself so unguarded. If he was trying to nurse the fallen Hydra head back to health, he would have had considerably greater forces guarding him until he completed his unholy ritual. It was made even more unusual given how whenever a Hydra head was defeated in the past, it would give way to a clone of the realm's former despot Orochi, and Kiyomori would allow it to happen with much enthusiasm.

Finally stopping a few feet behind the horned demon, Yoshitsune pointed his blade to his sworn nemesis. "Kiyomori," he called out. "What are you up to?"

"...just waiting for you to play the hero in front of your fancy," Kiyomori said with a grin before suddenly turning around and closing his hand into a fist. The instant he did so, a web of dark red energy suddenly surrounded Yoshitsune like a fence, contracting and closing around Yoshitsune faster than even he could react. The energy crackled and cut around Yoshitsune's body like barbs, eliciting a shout of pain as the snake of energy constricted around him, tightening like rope and threatening to crush Yoshitsune in its python-like grip while Kiyomori picked up his massive prayer beads and flung them over his shoulder.

"Did you think that I was blind to the movements of my nemesis, even as I was carrying out Lord Orochi's last wishes?" Kiyomori gloated as he looked up to see a purple-haired young lady dangle over the castle walls, being held back by other soldiers while what was left of the Demon Army's archers pointed their arrows at them. "Even in this world, you can't help but preen in front of the women like a peacock. I've watched you bring that ninja around, showing your feathers off in hopes that she takes a liking to you...and from the look on her face, you seem to have succeeded."

"Release me, fiend," Yoshitsune growled as he struggled to get free from the chains of energy, only for them to tighten further. "Fight me with honor!"

"In time, young one," Kiyomori said with his grin widening and his eyes narrowing, showing Yoshitsune those fiery pits of his dark soul that led him to becoming the Minamoto's blood enemy. "But first...we'll have to discuss this at my office..."

With a flash of fire, Kiyomori and Yoshitune vanished, leaving Ayane confused and worried as she quickly leapt down from the castle walls to avoid the flood of arrows that attempted to run her through. "Open the gates," she commanded one of the soldiers as she approached the doors of Xia Pi Castle. "I'm going to find him. Anyone who wants to come along is welcome to!"

"Belay that order," Diao Chan interrupted, causing Ayane's red eyes to turn to her in anger. "Ayane, Lord Lu Bu gave us strict orders to stay in the castle. If we open the gates now, the rest of the Demon Army might storm the castle and destroy the Yashiro'ori!"

"And if we do nothing, Yoshitsune might be killed," Ayane protested as she moved to the other end of the castle, where the West was almost completely barren thanks to Lu Bu's rampage. "I'm going out there, and I'm going to bring him back, so you can either help me or get...get..."

Ayane's eyes suddenly lost their fire, as her anger morphed into dread, visually darkening her expression and causing Diao Chan a considerable bit of concern. "What's wrong?"

"I...I see him," Ayane whispered in horror as a terrible vision came to her. Whereas she was in Xia Pi Castle a moment ago, she was now at the altar in the North where the Demon Army's camp was located. At the center of the alter was Kiyomori, his prayer beads orbiting around him and glowing with dark energy, while at his feet lay Yoshitsune, still bound by his chains of misery while Kiyomori had his foot on his head.

Losing touch with Diao Chan completely, Ayane attempted to run to Yoshitsune's aid, but was suddenly blasted backwards as she tried to approach them. Quickly returning to her feet with a kip up, Ayane approached more carefully and realized that there was an invisible barrier separating her from her beloved prince. "There's always something that powers these things," she told herself as she looked around to find anything suspicious. "Where is it?"

"Ah...our audience has arrived, Minamoto," Kiyomori looked up and smiled to Ayane before rearing back and punting Yoshitsune's head, sending him rolling across the altar while the ninja gasped. "I have come up with so many ways to end this young man's life, kunoichi, and all of them are quite viable...but what fun is an execution if there is no one to witness it? Consider yourself my honored guest."

With a wave of his hand, the first prayer bead hovered over Yoshitsune's body cautiously before suddenly plummeting down on him, eliciting a shout of pain as the large bead fell on his shoulder. The bead didn't even hit the ground before it was again lifted up by Kiyomori's magic, and again brought down on the young man's body. Over and over, the bead dropped on him like a hammer, coming down harder and harder as his shouts became more intense, and his clothes started to stain with his own blood.

"Cowardly," Yoshitune hissed.

"Hmmm...you're right," Kiyomori nodded his head as he called back the bead and returned it to his rosary. Walking over to where Yoshitsune was bound on the floor, coughing up blood. "Something like this deserves to be far more intimate. We have to make it look nice for your guest, after all."

Using his rosary as a heavy whip, Kiyomori reared back his weapon that was almost as heavy as Yoshitsune himself, and began flaying him without an inch of his life for an infinitely more painful and messy experience than just beating him with a single bead. At this point, Ayane had quite enough and started screaming Yoshitsune's name, fighting back tears while she frantically searched for a way to break the barrier and save him.

"I...I'll save you! I SWEAR!"

Ayane backed away and gathered her chakra for her deadliest technique, passed down to her by the great ninja master Genra. Most of her techniques relied on her exceptional speed and agility, but in case of particularly sturdy obstacles such as the barrier impeding her path, the destructive power of this technique was ideal. Whereas Yoshitsune shined in the light, Ayane's techniques came from the darkest sides of ninjutsu: the barrier was born in darkness, so perhaps darkness could overcome it.

After gathering her energies, Ayane completed her incantation and let out a shout, unleashing a stream of energy at the barrier much like she did with the Yashiro'ori. But instead of destroying or even clashing with the barrier, the beam sifted through it and passed through harmlessly. All the while, Kiyomori continued flaying Yoshitsune, and Ayane's desperation turned into despair. Yoshitsune was going to die, and she could do nothing to stop it.

"HA!" Kiyomori kicked Yoshitsune towards Ayane's feet, so close that if not for the barrier, Ayane could lean down and hold him. "Open your eyes Yoshitsune, and look up! I think you'll want to see this!"

Slowly opening his eyes, even as blood tricked down the gash on his forehead, Yoshitsune frowned as he saw Ayane's tears as she struggled not to sob. "In your death, you will be allowing your concubine to evolve. Unlike you, she revels in darkness, and with your death, she will return to your camp a better warrior. Consider this my gift to humanity for your hard-earned victory: I believe Lord Orochi's vision of humanity would be willing to change if it were filled with heartbreak and sorrow."

"...Kiyomori," Yoshitsune said softly, turning away from the crying Ayane and towards the smirking Kiyomori. "Release this bonds. Let me take my death as a man, on my feet."

"Hmph...I see no reason to oblige the defeated," Kiyomori scoffed as Yoshitsune managed to get to his knees. "I rather enjoy you dying like this, kneeling before me and finally recognizing your superior."

"...it's not the victory you want, Kiyomori. We've fought each other far too much for you to win like this," Yoshitsune allowed himself a smirk as he looked up to Kiyomori. "We are both warriors, and a warrior's death means we breath our last, charging into battle even when victory is out of our reach. Wouldn't you rather crush me in a last ditch attempt, give me that false hope?"

Kiyomori looked at Yoshitsune's smirk, watching the blood drip from his mouth and his tired breaths. "...it's a trick, but I will allow it," Kiyomori snapped his fingers and released his spell on Yoshitsune, freeing his hands and giving him relief. "You are right: it would be boring if our rivalry ended so unceremoniously. A victory over the Minamoto is something that should be earned...and brutal beyond belief."

With his arms finally free, Yoshitsune turned back to Ayane and found what he was looking for: a glimmer of hope that sparkled through her captivating eyes as he turned to her and smiled as best he could. "Lady...Lady Ayane," he managed to say through tired breaths, putting his hand on the barrier separating them. "Forgive me...I acted rashly, and now I've made you sad."

"...don't say that," Ayane replied, putting her hand over Yoshitsune. "We won the battle, right? That Hydra isn't going to bother us again..."

"...of course," Yoshitsune nodded his head once more. "Lady Ayane...I know things look bad right now. But you have my word, as a Minamoto, that no matter how bad this looks...I will come back to you, and we will continue where we left off last night." Noticing Ayane's cheeks turning red, Yoshitsune smiled once more as he realized that hope had entered his heart. The warrior opened his gauntlet and unsheathed his blade of light, and made one final vow. "Kiyomori Taira...I will defeat you, so that I may put a smile on my Lady Ayane!"

"Yes...find that second wind," Kiyomori taunted as he readied his weapon and watched Yoshitsune charge him for his final attack. "It'll make it all the more satisfying when you realize you're in Hell!"

"Lady Ayane..."

"Mmnn..."

"WAKE UP, GIRL!"

"AH," Ayane's eyes snapped open as her nightmare came to an end. Confused at first given the realism of her dream, it took a moment to register where she was. Instead of leaning against a barrier watching her lover rush to his death, she was lying on a cot with two friendlier individuals watching over her. Well, Diao Chan would count as one, but the verdict was out on one Lu Bu, who looked down at her with a scowl on his blood-stained lip. Sitting up from the cot, Ayane came to the conclusion that she had been resting in the infirmary.

But if that was the case, what about Yoshitsune? Did she dream everything? Was he safe?

"...Good. You're awake," Lu Bu rumbled as he turned to the entrance of the infirmary and prepared to exit. "I'll leave you two children to your saccharine nothings then."

"Saccharine...?" Ayane mumbled as the smell of blood entered his nostrils and caused her to turn to her left. With a gasp, Ayane realized that her nightmare wasn't far off from reality, as lying at the cost next to her was Yoshitsune, his clothes stained with blood and bruises all across his body. Quickly moving away from her cot, Ayane moved next to Yoshitsune and placed her hand on his. Finally, her despair turned back to hope as she realized his hand was warm, and a light moan came from his lips as he opened his eyes to her looking down at him.

"My lady," he said softly before wincing in pain. "Didn't I...didn't I say that I wouldn't make you cry?"

"You're...you're doing a bad job at it, dummy," Ayane said through a smile that she tried to hold back along with her tears of joy. "Don't make vows you can't keep."

"...Lord Lu Bu personally led the search party for Lord Yoshitsune. They found him being held prisoner in the enemy camp," Diao Chan added with a hint of dreamy air in her voice. "You should have seen Lord Lu Bu and Lord Zhang Liao rip apart the enemy ranks and rescue him. It was truly a breathtaking experience...especially for the Demon Army as their necks were removed by Lord Lu Bu's spear..."

Ignoring Diao Chan's slightly disturbing admiration for Lu Bu's violence, Ayane instead tried to get the story from Yoshitsune. "So...what happened at the altar..."

"It happened exactly as you saw it," Yoshitsune replied, "and if I didn't see a vision of you calling my name, I am sure that I would have perished. The sight of your tears gave me the resolve to dry them, and I was able to hold out long enough until reinforcements arrived." Reaching out to Ayane, Yoshitsune put his hand on her soft cheek and smiled once more. "And, if you'd like...I'll keep my promise that I made to you, and continue where last night stopped once we return to the main camp..."

Ayane returned her smile and whispered something before leaning down to kiss him. "You dummy..."