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alias_sqbrMasterlist and guide
This was fantastic. He remained a little sexist, but MC didn't mind, and they're very happy together. Plus he's not too bad for a 16th century samurai.
I just did Yukimura's second onigiri story. These have so far all been about the LI teaching MC sword fighting.
Nobuyuki: Now what if the enemy came from this direction on the map, what would you...
Yukimura: Attack.
Nobuyuki: What if it was a trap? They could be flanking you, and then what would you do?
Yukimura: Attack.
MC: But you'd die ;_;
Nobuyuki: Don't worry, he has an older brother to look out for him :)
Yukimura: *stares at the two of them like a puppy who knows something is being discussed over it's head but not what*
I looked up when the historical Yukimura was born, and in 1564 he was...three. Imagining this story with him as a preciously murderous toddler is kind of funny, but no. I'm thinking like 20, with MC a few years older. (I think he'd have to be 20 to be legally an adult? Or am I getting confused with my research on ancient China?)
Anyway, back to the story!
Yukimura and MC are quietly morose as Nobuyuki cheerfully gives MC a tour of the castle...ending in their room. AND THERE'S ONLY ONE BED :D
Yukimura and MC: D:
Nobuyuki: Don't worry, this is a quiet part of the castle, noone will disturb you here ;)
MC: Well this is awkward, huh?
Yukimura: ...yeah.
And then he moves a screen over to create a little private space for her with the bedding. She's not convinced by his "You should have the bed because you're a woman" argument but is more convinced by his "I sleep on the ground all the time, do you?" argument. They're both VERY SELF CONSCIOUS about sharing a room, it's adorable. Hearing him talk to her softly as she falls asleep reminds MC of her father, and how alone she's been since he died.
She pushes back the screen and asks Yukimura when he'll be sent off to war.
Yukimura: Probably tomorrow night.
MC: And you'll come back, right?
Yukimura: After Ieyasu's betraying our clan, and with everything else, there's going to be battles for a long time to come.
MC: D:
Yukimura: It's a good thing! I live for battle, to bring glory to the Sanada name through conquest.
POOR LIL MURDER BABY D:
Yukimura, smiling: Call upon Saizo to see you home when I die. Anyway, time to go to sleep!
MC, staring at the screen between them: D: D: D:
The next day she insists on the cooks letting her make Absolute Victory Bowls. Yukimura's dad is not happy...until he tries it, at which point he smiles and says she should make it every time. She feels proud: her father's recipe has brought honour to their family.
MC: It's said to promote victory in battle...but we cooks try and make it so delicious it it's a reason to come back alive, to eat it again.
As Yukimura is about to leave for battle, MC gives him the broken lucky hairpin her father gave her.
Yukimura: I can't take something so important to you!
MC: Which is why I expect it back. It's the least you can do for me, when I'll be thinking of you every day until you're home.
Yukimura: ...a...ah...
Aww, an entry from Saizo about Yukimura's family. "The Sanada family's willingness to meet death does make them fearless, but I have to say it's a lot of work keeping Yukimura from trying to kill himself at every possible opportunity"
MC is distressed, waiting, so Nobuyuki shows her to a watchtower that will let her be the first to see when everyone gets home, saying "We're family, our worries are the same", aw.
MC goes down to the local river, and sees the body of a soldier wearing the crest of Tokugawa Ieyasu: The army Yukimura is fighting. At first she leaves, but then she's overcome with guilt and goes back at night to see if the man is dead.
Man: uurgh...
MC: He's alive :D
Me: HE'S IEYASU D:
The next day MC is in the watchtower and sees a lone rider approaching- Yukimura! She runs down to meet him and he pulls her close, saying in a hoarse voice that when he saw how sad she was to see him leave he remembered how he'd felt as a child seeing his father leave for war. She hugs him back, remembering her own father. But Yukimura came back. She's surprised by how happy she is to see him.
And ahhh now it's evening and Yukimura is wondering where MC is and she's probably with Ieyasu and oh godddd
Ieyasu wakes up and immediately draws his sword, demanding MC explain herself, but he's overtaken by hunger and MC finds his enthusiasm for her cooking endearing.
But then Yukimura arrives. He pulls MC behind him and asks "the coward of the Tokugawa" if he has any idea how many men died due to his treachery. MC doesn't recognise Yukimura and Ieyasu's faces as they stare at each other with hatred, swords drawn.
Since Ieyasu is injured, Yukimura quickly overpowers him, and raises his sword...
Having to wait a day between scenes can be very annoying....BUT WAIT IT'S A CROSSROADS!
Naturally MC throws herself in front of Yukimura's sword. And for the first time, she experiences his fury directed at herself.
Yukimura: Why are you protecting him. What have you been doing alone with the enemy in the middle of nowhere...are you insane?!
MC: He...he has to have someone waiting for him too!
Yukimura: Step aside woman!
MC: No!
He glares at Ieyasu for some time, then lowers his sword and says "Never come near this place again"
Ieyasu is shocked, but takes the opportunity to escape.
MC: I'm sorry, I...
Yukimura: Women don't understand war >:(
And then he leaves without another word.
She finds herself at Saizo and Sasuke's place.
Sasuke: Are you having your first fight? :O
Saizo: Oh, what a shame...and to think, he couldn't wait to get you into his arms yesterday :)
We see MC staring up at the moon, wondering if Yukimura hates her now. And we see him stare at the same moon, and then down at the small gift he got for her, aware of how easy it would be shatter it in his hands.
HA. Saizo only let her stay the night in return for cleaning his whole house.
This time it's Nobuyuki who sends maids to get MC all dressed up, for a festival. He and Sasuke try to jolly along the silently awkward Yukimura and MC.
Yukimura leaves, looking grim, and MC loses track of him, until it starts to rain and he shows up to lead her to shelter in a little shrine. He apologises, saying he knew she wasn't working with the Tokugawa, and when she apologises for not leaving Ieyasu to die he says she's not that kind of woman.
Yukimura: Really I just didn't like seeing you alone with some random guy...
MC: What?
Yukimura: UH.
He gives her the gift: the broken good luck hairpin from her father, now repaired. He puts it into her hair and quietly gasps in surprise at how soft her hair is. They both realise how close they're standing, but don't step away, and he leans closer, saying her voice in a husky tone...
...and now I have to wait another day.
MC: If he comes any closer, he's going to...
Saizo: HERE THEY ARE EVERYONE :)
DAMMIT SAIZO
Yukimura, jumping away from MC: WE'RE JUST SHELTERING FROM THE RAIN
Nobuyuki: o rly ;)
Nobuyuki declares that he and Yukimura will formally introduce themselves to MC's family.
MC: I'm not noble, we don't really do that...
Yukimura: Brother, I will be joining Lord Shingen's campaigns for some time, is is it not better to wait-
Nobuyuki: Just how long do you intend to take her to your bed only to leave her again?! >:(
Yukimura: *chokes on food* Gaaaahgh???
In Kyoto they scare off the skeezy magistrate and MC hugs her mum...who collapses from all the stress she's been under, thinking MC was dead. MC goes to run the restaurant in her stead, while her sick mother tells Yukimura she gives her blessing for the marriage if he promises to look after MC, which he does. And then the two brothers go help MC as waiters, which is adorable, as is MC telling herself she's not jealous as a blushing Yukimura is flirted with by all the girls.
Yukimura says he enjoyed working with MC and seeing how much she cares about the restaurant, even if he hadn't realised how much work it would be. He says she should stay here, where it's safe. But she has realised she's in love with him, and though she doesn't want to burden him with her feelings, reminds him of their promises: her promise to wait for him at his castle, and his promise to return to her.
And then Saizo interrupts them to say that Shingen has taken ill just as his army goes to war against the combined might of Nobunaga and Ieyasu's armies. The players is probably expected to know that Shingen has tuberculosis, and that in history, he eventually died, and his army fell (though idk if it was this battle specifically, time is an illusion)
She gives Yukimura her lucky hairpin and he smiles and takes it, saying he has things he wants to say on his return. And then he goes to war, and she travels back to the castle with Nobayuki, watching smoke on the horizon.
OH GOD
OH NO
Yukimura is in such a hurry to get home he's not paying attention and ignores Saizo trying to tell him he's running his men into a trap D:
MC sees a red camellia fall- a bad omen. And then she hears that Shingen's cavalry have been decimated, and follows a distraught Sasuke to the bedside of the severely injured Saizo.
Yukimura: I got carried away and led the army into the line of fire. Saizo took a bullet meant for me :(
As she's getting Saizo some water she hears him tell Yukimura that his mind is always on "that woman". Despite his serious wound, Saizo sits up and grabs Yukimura's collar, staring into his eyes.
Saizo: Don't you dare lose everything you've worked for for the sake of some fleeting, stupid passion. Your strength has always been in your resolve. Are you seriously telling me you don't know what makes it falter?
Yukimura: I...
Shinbi, collapsing down: I won't save you next time. I'm done.
After Yukimura has left to let Saizo rest, Saizo tells her to come inside and stop sneaking around. He stares at her with intense malice and says "You make him weak. Leave before he realises you're gone".
MC looks at the moon and remembers the night on the roof, when Yukimura was so happy and sure of himself. She doesn't know what to do, she just knows the pain in her heart.
An entry about the battle...from Nobunaga's point of view. He's smug about how great his strategy was at killing Shingen's troops, and tells...me, I guess, that it's not too late to switch to his side. Screw you Nobunaga. Also, the real Yukimura was all of eight years old when the historical version of this battle happened, so I'm not sure I can blame him for being bad at strategy.
MC bumps into Yukimura and they're both sad and awkward. He talks about how he'd known some of the men who'd died since childhoodsince he's eight. And there will only be more death to come. But that's the life of a samurai.
Yukimura: The value of my life is known by the wounds on my corpse. I have to focus on that path. Death has a purpose life cannot. The moment I fear death is when I lose myself.
She sees weakness and doubt in his eyes, and feels like it's her fault. She swallows down the feelings for him that threaten to spill out of her. She tells him she'll return to Kyoto and his expression doesn't change.
OH NO. AND THEN SHE SAYS SHE'S IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE ELSE???
"It's not enough. I need to find something that will shatter his heart, threaten who he is, make him drive me away for good"
MC NO AHHHH
MC: And...I just...can't bring myself to love someone who wants to kill or be killed.
He just stares at her blankly, and eventually her words dissolve into tears. She turns away so he won't see but he pulls her into an embrace.
Yukimura: I get it...don't cry. Somehow...I think you will always be the one binding me to this life...and I shall always keep you with me. No matter what happens...I will never regret having met you.
As her final act of kindness, in what she expects to be their last farewell, she stops herself from hugging him back.
Yukimura's dad: Where's MC?
Yukimura: I have broken ties with her.
Yukimura's dad: Good. Now is your chance to bring glory to the Yukimura clan!
Nobayuki: Wait what.
Yukimura: Please see her safely to Kyoto.
Nobayuki: ...if that's what you want :(
Yukimura talks about helping Shingen defeat his enemies and it occurs to me that his dad doesn't seem to care about that, or about winning in general. He just wants their clan to look cool :/
Saizo comes out in his PJs to send them off and Yukimura asks him to look after MC, which Saizo is quietly not a fan of.
MC has a tearful farewell with her maids Umeko and Matsuko, who promise to come visit her restaurant in the capital. For a short time, the locals knew her as Lady Sanada, but now she's leaving them. She hears people outside her palanquin talking about how Yukimura has let himself be penned in to distract the enemy so his army can escape.
Sasuke's been sent to accompany her, and does his best to cheer her up despite being a kid with his own worries. Not far from the castle, he notices an army hiding up ahead and MC tells him to go warn Nobuyuki...only for both of them to get captured.
Ieyasu: Do forgive me, taking down the weak is just part of the game, you see. Hello, Yukimura's wife, it's lovely to see you again :)
(Aw and I get a letter from Nobuyuki saying that whatever happens with MC and Yukimura, he'll always think of her as family. Ieyasu better not kill him!)
Tied up in Ieyasu's camp, MC notices Masamune, who pretends not to recognise her. As MC tries to think of some way Sasuke can signal his owl to go get help, Ieyasu says "That's the look of a girl with naughty thoughts. Could it be you find my hospitality inadequate?".
I mean, he's being more polite to her than he usually is to his girlfriend...
Less politely, he knocks Sasuke down for refusing to give details on the castle.
Minion: Our forces are vastly stronger, do we really have to waste time milking information out of a woman and some boy?
Ieyasu: This is revenge >:( Sanada (Yukimura) and Takeda (Kenshin) will meet their ends here. But it's a waste for a woman in the blossom of youth to become the bride of Death. If you tell me what I want to know, dear girl...don't you think you might just make it out of this alive?
She just glares at him, defiant. He looks defeated for a moment, then throws gold coins at her feet, saying "This should be enough for the porridge". Is this him...being nice...
MC: Only someone as pathetic as you would think threats and gold would sway the heart of a woman. I'm sure thinking like that makes your life, and your bed, very lonely indeed.
HARSH BUT FAIR
Their guard becomes enraged, and MC insults his honour as a samurai for threatening a woman and child, while Sasuke uses the distraction to free himself and whistle at his owl.
IEYASU SHOOTS THE OWL??? WOW. SCREW YOU IEYASU. I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE CUTELY SHIPPY WITH HANZO IN HIS EVENT.
And then Ieyasu tells MC he will attack the castle at dawn. That night, Sasuke cries for his owl and MC thinks all is lost. But then, their guards fall at the hands of...Masamune and Kojuro! Awww. You guys!!
Kojuro: Lord Masamune agreed to handle the Takeda Clan (Shingen) but he does not intend to do the same to Sanada (Yukimura)
Masamune blushes and looks away? He totally has a crush on Yukimura and/or MC, that's adorable.
Sasuke: You have our sincere thanks! And, I'm sure, Lord Yukimura's as well.
Masamune: ...
MC: Why did you help us? Aren't you and Lord Yukimura enemies?
Masamune: ...yes. We are rivals...but I respect him.
Kojuro: They have a love-hate relationship that might be difficult for one raised in the world of women to understand.
Masamune, muttering: I have no intention of becoming his friend.
MC <3 Yukimura <3- Masamune ot3 (Sorry, that's a Homestuck reference, I'll show myself out)
We see a bloody Yukimura encouraging his beaten-down men to make it to safety in their ally's castle...only to find out they've been betrayed.
And then, in the sky, they see...AN OWL!! He lands, wings bloody, at Yukimura's feet. Yukimura correctly interprets this as a sign that Sanada castle is under attack.
Yukimura's dad: Hahaha! Then Sanada and Takeda likewise march towards death! We have lived for this moment, gentlemen! Leave behind the corpses of the dead and fight!
Soldiers: Yeah! We live to fight, we fight to die!!
Yukimura realises he still has MC's hairpin, and quietly whispers her name.
Divine Ending:
Sasuke goes to warn Nobuyuki while MC evacuates the townsfolk. And then she realises Saizo will be stuck in his house, but before she can go to him Ieyasu's army arrives. And sets the village on fire with BURNING ARROWS.
Ieyasu: Tsk, tsk. You escape me and get all the way here...yet here we are again. What a shame you have forced me to kill you :)
But then, out of the flames, bleeding from his re-opened wound, comes...Saizo!!
Ieyasu: Do you really take your job so seriously that you'd risk your life for a woman? You have feelings for her, is that it?
Me: *Literal lol*
Saizo: Mm, let's go with that.
Ieyasu: That wound will kill you.
Saizo: We'll see.
And then, even though simply drawing his sword makes him stumble, he attacks.
Ieyasu: It would be a shame to lose such a skilled warrior to Death. Will you sleep with the Tokugawa instead?
But he seems pretty happy about it when he disarms Saizo and kicks him the stomach. So MC, pacifist cook, picks up Saizo's dropped sword and stands between them.
Ieyasu: Oh hohoho :D Sanada's woman knows how to use a real man's weapon does she?
MC: Shut up!
Ieyasu: Not to worry, the perfect samurai has surely seen his perfect end by now :)
MC: Lord Yukimura will return to this place alive! But until that day I will protect his people!
Ieyasu: Now don't get me wrong, I have nothing against a woman with a bit of man in her...
And then he grabs the sword and puts it to her throat. But not in a sexist way.
Ieyasu: Now, let us see how well you can beg :)
MC: I will not!
Ieyasu: Ah, so the lady wishes to join her husband.
MC: He's not dead!!
Ieyasu: You think he's coming to save you? Humans only love themselves. He does not seek death out of love for Takeda Shingen, or out of love for you. He does it because he wants to live for himself to his last cursed breath. He wants to bring as many men to Hell with him as will give his life meaning.
He asks her one more time to beg for her life, and when she refuses, raises his sword. She closes her eyes...and the sword stops, trapped in Yukimura's bleeding hands.
Ieyasu runs. She realises that all of his men, that were surrounding them, are dead. She takes Yukimura's hand, but he's so badly injured she loses her grip with all the blood. He bashfully apologises for being a mess.
MC: I thought you would never come back to me...
Yukimura, handing her the hairpin: I promised I'd come back alive didn't I?
Ieyasu: Oh no, if you're here alone...did you abandon not only Shingen, but your own family? :) I truly admire the sprit of the Sanada family haha. But you know this is a losing battle.
Yukimura: I don't think I do. If I take your head, the victory is mine!
Yukimura snaps Ieyasu's sword with one blow. Ieyasu runs back, and shoots an arrow...at MC.
Saizo, pulling her out of the way, his face waxy with pain: Do I... have to do everything...around here...?
Haha. Poor old Saizo.
Ieyasu, drawing another arrow: Move and I shoot the woman.
Soldier: Lord Ieyasu, Lord Date (Masamune)'s rear guard betrayed us!
Iyeasu: D:
Nobuyuki, with his own troops: How lucky we are, for the enemy general to put himself right in the middle of our town :)
Ieyasu, still pointing his arrow at MC: Tell me, woman, if I do spare you, what's in it for me?
MC: Someday...if we meet again...I'll make you something even better than porridge.
Ieyasu: ...Pfft...ahaha!
He lowers his bow and calls for his men to retreat.
Yukimura goes to join the other Sanada troops, but MC shouts at him to stop, and only then does he notice how badly he's been injured.
MC: Why won't you take care of yourself for once? You're always...
He pulls her into an embrace, and whispers that he didn't feel any pain, that compared to the thought of losing her, death was nothing, and he had no fear of losing the soul of a samurai.
She finally lets herself embrace him back.
MC: I came here...because nothing terrified me more than losing you...
Their gentle, hesistant kiss tastes of bitter tears, of ashes and blood...of the will to live mingled with the choice to die.
Epilogue:
MC finds Yukimura helping rebuild the burnt parts of the village. They are cutely blushy around each other, since they haven't discussed anything since the kiss. Saizo watches blankly, eating a donut.
Yukimura faces his pissed off father. "I still think death in battle as one of the most honourable. I have finally found a reason to live. As long as MC remains in this world, I cannot resign myself to the next. But that does not mean I will run from battle. The only change is that I will fight for the honour of returning to her side."
Yukimura's dad: If it is MC who will keep you from falling in battle...show me just how strong she can make you.
And then MC finds out he's demanded she cook her absolute victory bowls for everyone again. And then Masamune and Kojuro arrive for dinner! Yukimura gets increasingly annoyed as she keeps being a nice host to Masamune, and eventually hisses "I want you here, next to me, as my wife, forever! Not looking at other men!"
Everyone's baffled. Aren't they already married, or near enough?
Yukimura, blushing: What about you?
MC: I...I would be honoured, if you'll have me.
He blushes more, but is happy.
Back at their room, he stops her from putting up the screen between their beds, and embraces her from behind. She turns to face him...and they whack their heads together haha. He sighs and flops onto his bed.
But then he asks her again to marry him, if he can really be good enough for her, and she says yes, and they kiss, and have affectionate, enthusiastic sex.
THE END
AWWWWWWWWWWWwwwwwww!
That was lovely. I used up all my remaining story tickets to see the end in one big lot and regret nothing.
This was fantastic. He remained a little sexist, but MC didn't mind, and they're very happy together. Plus he's not too bad for a 16th century samurai.
I just did Yukimura's second onigiri story. These have so far all been about the LI teaching MC sword fighting.
Nobuyuki: Now what if the enemy came from this direction on the map, what would you...
Yukimura: Attack.
Nobuyuki: What if it was a trap? They could be flanking you, and then what would you do?
Yukimura: Attack.
MC: But you'd die ;_;
Nobuyuki: Don't worry, he has an older brother to look out for him :)
Yukimura: *stares at the two of them like a puppy who knows something is being discussed over it's head but not what*
I looked up when the historical Yukimura was born, and in 1564 he was...three. Imagining this story with him as a preciously murderous toddler is kind of funny, but no. I'm thinking like 20, with MC a few years older. (I think he'd have to be 20 to be legally an adult? Or am I getting confused with my research on ancient China?)
Anyway, back to the story!
Yukimura and MC are quietly morose as Nobuyuki cheerfully gives MC a tour of the castle...ending in their room. AND THERE'S ONLY ONE BED :D
Yukimura and MC: D:
Nobuyuki: Don't worry, this is a quiet part of the castle, noone will disturb you here ;)
MC: Well this is awkward, huh?
Yukimura: ...yeah.
And then he moves a screen over to create a little private space for her with the bedding. She's not convinced by his "You should have the bed because you're a woman" argument but is more convinced by his "I sleep on the ground all the time, do you?" argument. They're both VERY SELF CONSCIOUS about sharing a room, it's adorable. Hearing him talk to her softly as she falls asleep reminds MC of her father, and how alone she's been since he died.
She pushes back the screen and asks Yukimura when he'll be sent off to war.
Yukimura: Probably tomorrow night.
MC: And you'll come back, right?
Yukimura: After Ieyasu's betraying our clan, and with everything else, there's going to be battles for a long time to come.
MC: D:
Yukimura: It's a good thing! I live for battle, to bring glory to the Sanada name through conquest.
POOR LIL MURDER BABY D:
Yukimura, smiling: Call upon Saizo to see you home when I die. Anyway, time to go to sleep!
MC, staring at the screen between them: D: D: D:
The next day she insists on the cooks letting her make Absolute Victory Bowls. Yukimura's dad is not happy...until he tries it, at which point he smiles and says she should make it every time. She feels proud: her father's recipe has brought honour to their family.
MC: It's said to promote victory in battle...but we cooks try and make it so delicious it it's a reason to come back alive, to eat it again.
As Yukimura is about to leave for battle, MC gives him the broken lucky hairpin her father gave her.
Yukimura: I can't take something so important to you!
MC: Which is why I expect it back. It's the least you can do for me, when I'll be thinking of you every day until you're home.
Yukimura: ...a...ah...
Aww, an entry from Saizo about Yukimura's family. "The Sanada family's willingness to meet death does make them fearless, but I have to say it's a lot of work keeping Yukimura from trying to kill himself at every possible opportunity"
MC is distressed, waiting, so Nobuyuki shows her to a watchtower that will let her be the first to see when everyone gets home, saying "We're family, our worries are the same", aw.
MC goes down to the local river, and sees the body of a soldier wearing the crest of Tokugawa Ieyasu: The army Yukimura is fighting. At first she leaves, but then she's overcome with guilt and goes back at night to see if the man is dead.
Man: uurgh...
MC: He's alive :D
Me: HE'S IEYASU D:
The next day MC is in the watchtower and sees a lone rider approaching- Yukimura! She runs down to meet him and he pulls her close, saying in a hoarse voice that when he saw how sad she was to see him leave he remembered how he'd felt as a child seeing his father leave for war. She hugs him back, remembering her own father. But Yukimura came back. She's surprised by how happy she is to see him.
And ahhh now it's evening and Yukimura is wondering where MC is and she's probably with Ieyasu and oh godddd
Ieyasu wakes up and immediately draws his sword, demanding MC explain herself, but he's overtaken by hunger and MC finds his enthusiasm for her cooking endearing.
But then Yukimura arrives. He pulls MC behind him and asks "the coward of the Tokugawa" if he has any idea how many men died due to his treachery. MC doesn't recognise Yukimura and Ieyasu's faces as they stare at each other with hatred, swords drawn.
Since Ieyasu is injured, Yukimura quickly overpowers him, and raises his sword...
Having to wait a day between scenes can be very annoying....BUT WAIT IT'S A CROSSROADS!
Naturally MC throws herself in front of Yukimura's sword. And for the first time, she experiences his fury directed at herself.
Yukimura: Why are you protecting him. What have you been doing alone with the enemy in the middle of nowhere...are you insane?!
MC: He...he has to have someone waiting for him too!
Yukimura: Step aside woman!
MC: No!
He glares at Ieyasu for some time, then lowers his sword and says "Never come near this place again"
Ieyasu is shocked, but takes the opportunity to escape.
MC: I'm sorry, I...
Yukimura: Women don't understand war >:(
And then he leaves without another word.
She finds herself at Saizo and Sasuke's place.
Sasuke: Are you having your first fight? :O
Saizo: Oh, what a shame...and to think, he couldn't wait to get you into his arms yesterday :)
We see MC staring up at the moon, wondering if Yukimura hates her now. And we see him stare at the same moon, and then down at the small gift he got for her, aware of how easy it would be shatter it in his hands.
HA. Saizo only let her stay the night in return for cleaning his whole house.
This time it's Nobuyuki who sends maids to get MC all dressed up, for a festival. He and Sasuke try to jolly along the silently awkward Yukimura and MC.
Yukimura leaves, looking grim, and MC loses track of him, until it starts to rain and he shows up to lead her to shelter in a little shrine. He apologises, saying he knew she wasn't working with the Tokugawa, and when she apologises for not leaving Ieyasu to die he says she's not that kind of woman.
Yukimura: Really I just didn't like seeing you alone with some random guy...
MC: What?
Yukimura: UH.
He gives her the gift: the broken good luck hairpin from her father, now repaired. He puts it into her hair and quietly gasps in surprise at how soft her hair is. They both realise how close they're standing, but don't step away, and he leans closer, saying her voice in a husky tone...
...and now I have to wait another day.
MC: If he comes any closer, he's going to...
Saizo: HERE THEY ARE EVERYONE :)
DAMMIT SAIZO
Yukimura, jumping away from MC: WE'RE JUST SHELTERING FROM THE RAIN
Nobuyuki: o rly ;)
Nobuyuki declares that he and Yukimura will formally introduce themselves to MC's family.
MC: I'm not noble, we don't really do that...
Yukimura: Brother, I will be joining Lord Shingen's campaigns for some time, is is it not better to wait-
Nobuyuki: Just how long do you intend to take her to your bed only to leave her again?! >:(
Yukimura: *chokes on food* Gaaaahgh???
In Kyoto they scare off the skeezy magistrate and MC hugs her mum...who collapses from all the stress she's been under, thinking MC was dead. MC goes to run the restaurant in her stead, while her sick mother tells Yukimura she gives her blessing for the marriage if he promises to look after MC, which he does. And then the two brothers go help MC as waiters, which is adorable, as is MC telling herself she's not jealous as a blushing Yukimura is flirted with by all the girls.
Yukimura says he enjoyed working with MC and seeing how much she cares about the restaurant, even if he hadn't realised how much work it would be. He says she should stay here, where it's safe. But she has realised she's in love with him, and though she doesn't want to burden him with her feelings, reminds him of their promises: her promise to wait for him at his castle, and his promise to return to her.
And then Saizo interrupts them to say that Shingen has taken ill just as his army goes to war against the combined might of Nobunaga and Ieyasu's armies. The players is probably expected to know that Shingen has tuberculosis, and that in history, he eventually died, and his army fell (though idk if it was this battle specifically, time is an illusion)
She gives Yukimura her lucky hairpin and he smiles and takes it, saying he has things he wants to say on his return. And then he goes to war, and she travels back to the castle with Nobayuki, watching smoke on the horizon.
OH GOD
OH NO
Yukimura is in such a hurry to get home he's not paying attention and ignores Saizo trying to tell him he's running his men into a trap D:
MC sees a red camellia fall- a bad omen. And then she hears that Shingen's cavalry have been decimated, and follows a distraught Sasuke to the bedside of the severely injured Saizo.
Yukimura: I got carried away and led the army into the line of fire. Saizo took a bullet meant for me :(
As she's getting Saizo some water she hears him tell Yukimura that his mind is always on "that woman". Despite his serious wound, Saizo sits up and grabs Yukimura's collar, staring into his eyes.
Saizo: Don't you dare lose everything you've worked for for the sake of some fleeting, stupid passion. Your strength has always been in your resolve. Are you seriously telling me you don't know what makes it falter?
Yukimura: I...
Shinbi, collapsing down: I won't save you next time. I'm done.
After Yukimura has left to let Saizo rest, Saizo tells her to come inside and stop sneaking around. He stares at her with intense malice and says "You make him weak. Leave before he realises you're gone".
MC looks at the moon and remembers the night on the roof, when Yukimura was so happy and sure of himself. She doesn't know what to do, she just knows the pain in her heart.
An entry about the battle...from Nobunaga's point of view. He's smug about how great his strategy was at killing Shingen's troops, and tells...me, I guess, that it's not too late to switch to his side. Screw you Nobunaga. Also, the real Yukimura was all of eight years old when the historical version of this battle happened, so I'm not sure I can blame him for being bad at strategy.
MC bumps into Yukimura and they're both sad and awkward. He talks about how he'd known some of the men who'd died since childhood
Yukimura: The value of my life is known by the wounds on my corpse. I have to focus on that path. Death has a purpose life cannot. The moment I fear death is when I lose myself.
She sees weakness and doubt in his eyes, and feels like it's her fault. She swallows down the feelings for him that threaten to spill out of her. She tells him she'll return to Kyoto and his expression doesn't change.
OH NO. AND THEN SHE SAYS SHE'S IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE ELSE???
"It's not enough. I need to find something that will shatter his heart, threaten who he is, make him drive me away for good"
MC NO AHHHH
MC: And...I just...can't bring myself to love someone who wants to kill or be killed.
He just stares at her blankly, and eventually her words dissolve into tears. She turns away so he won't see but he pulls her into an embrace.
Yukimura: I get it...don't cry. Somehow...I think you will always be the one binding me to this life...and I shall always keep you with me. No matter what happens...I will never regret having met you.
As her final act of kindness, in what she expects to be their last farewell, she stops herself from hugging him back.
Yukimura's dad: Where's MC?
Yukimura: I have broken ties with her.
Yukimura's dad: Good. Now is your chance to bring glory to the Yukimura clan!
Nobayuki: Wait what.
Yukimura: Please see her safely to Kyoto.
Nobayuki: ...if that's what you want :(
Yukimura talks about helping Shingen defeat his enemies and it occurs to me that his dad doesn't seem to care about that, or about winning in general. He just wants their clan to look cool :/
Saizo comes out in his PJs to send them off and Yukimura asks him to look after MC, which Saizo is quietly not a fan of.
MC has a tearful farewell with her maids Umeko and Matsuko, who promise to come visit her restaurant in the capital. For a short time, the locals knew her as Lady Sanada, but now she's leaving them. She hears people outside her palanquin talking about how Yukimura has let himself be penned in to distract the enemy so his army can escape.
Sasuke's been sent to accompany her, and does his best to cheer her up despite being a kid with his own worries. Not far from the castle, he notices an army hiding up ahead and MC tells him to go warn Nobuyuki...only for both of them to get captured.
Ieyasu: Do forgive me, taking down the weak is just part of the game, you see. Hello, Yukimura's wife, it's lovely to see you again :)
(Aw and I get a letter from Nobuyuki saying that whatever happens with MC and Yukimura, he'll always think of her as family. Ieyasu better not kill him!)
Tied up in Ieyasu's camp, MC notices Masamune, who pretends not to recognise her. As MC tries to think of some way Sasuke can signal his owl to go get help, Ieyasu says "That's the look of a girl with naughty thoughts. Could it be you find my hospitality inadequate?".
I mean, he's being more polite to her than he usually is to his girlfriend...
Less politely, he knocks Sasuke down for refusing to give details on the castle.
Minion: Our forces are vastly stronger, do we really have to waste time milking information out of a woman and some boy?
Ieyasu: This is revenge >:( Sanada (Yukimura) and Takeda (Kenshin) will meet their ends here. But it's a waste for a woman in the blossom of youth to become the bride of Death. If you tell me what I want to know, dear girl...don't you think you might just make it out of this alive?
She just glares at him, defiant. He looks defeated for a moment, then throws gold coins at her feet, saying "This should be enough for the porridge". Is this him...being nice...
MC: Only someone as pathetic as you would think threats and gold would sway the heart of a woman. I'm sure thinking like that makes your life, and your bed, very lonely indeed.
HARSH BUT FAIR
Their guard becomes enraged, and MC insults his honour as a samurai for threatening a woman and child, while Sasuke uses the distraction to free himself and whistle at his owl.
IEYASU SHOOTS THE OWL??? WOW. SCREW YOU IEYASU. I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE CUTELY SHIPPY WITH HANZO IN HIS EVENT.
And then Ieyasu tells MC he will attack the castle at dawn. That night, Sasuke cries for his owl and MC thinks all is lost. But then, their guards fall at the hands of...Masamune and Kojuro! Awww. You guys!!
Kojuro: Lord Masamune agreed to handle the Takeda Clan (Shingen) but he does not intend to do the same to Sanada (Yukimura)
Masamune blushes and looks away? He totally has a crush on Yukimura and/or MC, that's adorable.
Sasuke: You have our sincere thanks! And, I'm sure, Lord Yukimura's as well.
Masamune: ...
MC: Why did you help us? Aren't you and Lord Yukimura enemies?
Masamune: ...yes. We are rivals...but I respect him.
Kojuro: They have a love-hate relationship that might be difficult for one raised in the world of women to understand.
Masamune, muttering: I have no intention of becoming his friend.
MC <3 Yukimura <3- Masamune ot3 (Sorry, that's a Homestuck reference, I'll show myself out)
We see a bloody Yukimura encouraging his beaten-down men to make it to safety in their ally's castle...only to find out they've been betrayed.
And then, in the sky, they see...AN OWL!! He lands, wings bloody, at Yukimura's feet. Yukimura correctly interprets this as a sign that Sanada castle is under attack.
Yukimura's dad: Hahaha! Then Sanada and Takeda likewise march towards death! We have lived for this moment, gentlemen! Leave behind the corpses of the dead and fight!
Soldiers: Yeah! We live to fight, we fight to die!!
Yukimura realises he still has MC's hairpin, and quietly whispers her name.
Divine Ending:
Sasuke goes to warn Nobuyuki while MC evacuates the townsfolk. And then she realises Saizo will be stuck in his house, but before she can go to him Ieyasu's army arrives. And sets the village on fire with BURNING ARROWS.
Ieyasu: Tsk, tsk. You escape me and get all the way here...yet here we are again. What a shame you have forced me to kill you :)
But then, out of the flames, bleeding from his re-opened wound, comes...Saizo!!
Ieyasu: Do you really take your job so seriously that you'd risk your life for a woman? You have feelings for her, is that it?
Me: *Literal lol*
Saizo: Mm, let's go with that.
Ieyasu: That wound will kill you.
Saizo: We'll see.
And then, even though simply drawing his sword makes him stumble, he attacks.
Ieyasu: It would be a shame to lose such a skilled warrior to Death. Will you sleep with the Tokugawa instead?
But he seems pretty happy about it when he disarms Saizo and kicks him the stomach. So MC, pacifist cook, picks up Saizo's dropped sword and stands between them.
Ieyasu: Oh hohoho :D Sanada's woman knows how to use a real man's weapon does she?
MC: Shut up!
Ieyasu: Not to worry, the perfect samurai has surely seen his perfect end by now :)
MC: Lord Yukimura will return to this place alive! But until that day I will protect his people!
Ieyasu: Now don't get me wrong, I have nothing against a woman with a bit of man in her...
And then he grabs the sword and puts it to her throat. But not in a sexist way.
Ieyasu: Now, let us see how well you can beg :)
MC: I will not!
Ieyasu: Ah, so the lady wishes to join her husband.
MC: He's not dead!!
Ieyasu: You think he's coming to save you? Humans only love themselves. He does not seek death out of love for Takeda Shingen, or out of love for you. He does it because he wants to live for himself to his last cursed breath. He wants to bring as many men to Hell with him as will give his life meaning.
He asks her one more time to beg for her life, and when she refuses, raises his sword. She closes her eyes...and the sword stops, trapped in Yukimura's bleeding hands.
Ieyasu runs. She realises that all of his men, that were surrounding them, are dead. She takes Yukimura's hand, but he's so badly injured she loses her grip with all the blood. He bashfully apologises for being a mess.
MC: I thought you would never come back to me...
Yukimura, handing her the hairpin: I promised I'd come back alive didn't I?
Ieyasu: Oh no, if you're here alone...did you abandon not only Shingen, but your own family? :) I truly admire the sprit of the Sanada family haha. But you know this is a losing battle.
Yukimura: I don't think I do. If I take your head, the victory is mine!
Yukimura snaps Ieyasu's sword with one blow. Ieyasu runs back, and shoots an arrow...at MC.
Saizo, pulling her out of the way, his face waxy with pain: Do I... have to do everything...around here...?
Haha. Poor old Saizo.
Ieyasu, drawing another arrow: Move and I shoot the woman.
Soldier: Lord Ieyasu, Lord Date (Masamune)'s rear guard betrayed us!
Iyeasu: D:
Nobuyuki, with his own troops: How lucky we are, for the enemy general to put himself right in the middle of our town :)
Ieyasu, still pointing his arrow at MC: Tell me, woman, if I do spare you, what's in it for me?
MC: Someday...if we meet again...I'll make you something even better than porridge.
Ieyasu: ...Pfft...ahaha!
He lowers his bow and calls for his men to retreat.
Yukimura goes to join the other Sanada troops, but MC shouts at him to stop, and only then does he notice how badly he's been injured.
MC: Why won't you take care of yourself for once? You're always...
He pulls her into an embrace, and whispers that he didn't feel any pain, that compared to the thought of losing her, death was nothing, and he had no fear of losing the soul of a samurai.
She finally lets herself embrace him back.
MC: I came here...because nothing terrified me more than losing you...
Their gentle, hesistant kiss tastes of bitter tears, of ashes and blood...of the will to live mingled with the choice to die.
Epilogue:
MC finds Yukimura helping rebuild the burnt parts of the village. They are cutely blushy around each other, since they haven't discussed anything since the kiss. Saizo watches blankly, eating a donut.
Yukimura faces his pissed off father. "I still think death in battle as one of the most honourable. I have finally found a reason to live. As long as MC remains in this world, I cannot resign myself to the next. But that does not mean I will run from battle. The only change is that I will fight for the honour of returning to her side."
Yukimura's dad: If it is MC who will keep you from falling in battle...show me just how strong she can make you.
And then MC finds out he's demanded she cook her absolute victory bowls for everyone again. And then Masamune and Kojuro arrive for dinner! Yukimura gets increasingly annoyed as she keeps being a nice host to Masamune, and eventually hisses "I want you here, next to me, as my wife, forever! Not looking at other men!"
Everyone's baffled. Aren't they already married, or near enough?
Yukimura, blushing: What about you?
MC: I...I would be honoured, if you'll have me.
He blushes more, but is happy.
Back at their room, he stops her from putting up the screen between their beds, and embraces her from behind. She turns to face him...and they whack their heads together haha. He sighs and flops onto his bed.
But then he asks her again to marry him, if he can really be good enough for her, and she says yes, and they kiss, and have affectionate, enthusiastic sex.
THE END
AWWWWWWWWWWWwwwwwww!
That was lovely. I used up all my remaining story tickets to see the end in one big lot and regret nothing.
