Lightning and Thunder

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Lightning and Thunder was a virtual representation of one of Fujibayashi Naoe and Yasuke's genetic memories, relived through the Animus EGO.

Description

Naoe returned home to reflect after the events at Honnō-ji.

Dialogue

Naoe sat down in a corner outside the hiroma to catch her breath.

• Naoe: (breathes)

While she was processing her thoughts, Tomiko was calling for Junjiro.

• Tomiko: Junjiro? Junjiro!

While searching for Junjiro, Tomiko found Naoe in the corner.

• Tomiko: Naoe? What happened? Tell me.

Tomiko sat down beside her.

• Naoe: Oda Nobunaga's dead. Honnoji is in flames.
• Tomiko: This news is good. A brutal tyrant dead, and an Onroy struck from your list.
• Naoe: No. It wasn't Oda Nobunaga behind the mask. It was Lord Mitsuhide. Everything is chaos.
• Tomiko: What of it? Oda Nobunaga was a murderer and a beast. He deserved whatever death came for him.
• Naoe: Don't you understand? I was wrong! I chose wrong! I was lied to and manipulated, and now I'm left with nothing! While Lord Mitsuhide has an army!
• Tomiko: Then you kill them. Kill them all. We will set things right.
• Naoe: How?
• Tomiko: Go back to Katano. If Lord Mitsuhide himself isn't there, there will be a trail. A clue. Something.
• Naoe: Katano, again. Back to the start.
• Tomiko: You'll find a new way forward. I know you will.
• Naoe: Junjiro's optimism is rubbing off on you.
• Tomiko: (sighs)
• Naoe: What is it?
• Tomiko: Junjiro... hasn't returned.
  But we're looking. The villagers, our contacts, they're all looking for him.
• Naoe: I'll search too. He can't have gone far.
• Tomiko: I know you care for him. I do too. But... you can't lose Lord Mitsuhide now – you might never catch up. He knows you, Naoe. He knows your skill. He'll be ready.
• Naoe: (sighs) Don't stop until you find him. Junjiro's the only family I have left.

Naoe left the homestead.

• Naoe: To Katano. Again.

Admist the heavy rain, Naoe infiltrated Katano Castle and climbed up the tenshu. As she prepared to enter the window, she smelled smoke from within.

• Naoe: (sniffs) Smoke.

Naoe went through the window and approached the source of the light and smell, finding Juniro sitting in front of a brazier.

• Naoe: Junjiro? Junjiro! What are you...
  What is this? Are you... are you working for Lord Mitsuhide?

Just then, she heard noise coming from the outside.

• Commander Aoki: Move inside the walls!

Naoe looked out another window, and saw movement of soldiers.

• Naoe: Soldiers.

Naoe turned around to speak to Junjiro.

• Naoe: Get up, Junjiro. We have to go. Get up! The rain can mask our escape. Come!

Junjiro refused to budge, leaving Naoe with nothing in mind. She continued to monitor from the window, watching as the guards mobolised.

• Commander Aoki: Surround the castle! No one escapes.

As the ashigaru surround the castle, Naoe watched as a samurai, whom she recognised as Yasuke from the temple, entered the castle.

• Commander Aoki: One more step, stranger, and you die.

The ashigaru shooters drew their teppo and take aim at Yasuke.

• Yasuke: I offer you the same choice.

Yasuke drew his katana and took a pose.

• Commander Aoki: You really think you stand a chance?
• Yasuke: Another step and we will both find out.
• Commander Aoki: Shoot him!

The soldiers fired their guns, but the weapons malfunctioned due to the rain.

• Ashigaru: They won't work! It's too wet!
• Commander Aoki: Just kill him!

The ashigaru threw away the teppo and drew their katana.

• Yasuke: You have made your choice, then.

The soldiers rushed forward.

• Yasuke: Cannot let them get to her first.

Yasuke fought his way through, clashing against the first group of soldiers.

• Yasuke: (grunts) Fight for a traitor, die like a traitor.

After killing the first group, Yasuke continued onwards.

• Yasuke: Keep moving.

He then fought against the second group of ashigaru.

• Ashigaru Swordsman: Someone stop him!

Yasuke defeated the second group and moved forward, confronting Commander Aoki Ujimasa and his soldiers.

• Ashigaru Shooter 1: Shelter the guns from the storm!
• Ashigaru Shooter 2: It is too late!
• Ashigaru Shooter 3: I can't fire!
• Ashigaru Swordsman: Death comes for us!

After defeating Aoki's guards, Yasuke clashed with the commander.

• Commander Aoki: Your head isn't even worth taking back to Mitsuhide. I'll leave it here to rot.

Yasuke was able to kill Aoki Ujimasa. He then reached the gate and killed the last guards.

• Yasuke: There's the gate. I'll have to breach the door.

Yasuke used his size and strength and push through the wooden door. Inside, he came face to face with Naoe.

• Yasuke: I did not come here to kill you.

He got down on a Seiza position.

• Yasuke: I came to speak with you.
• Naoe: You cut down all those soldiers just to speak with me? Why?
• Yasuke: Because you are part of something bigger than this place. This war. Something I am also seeking.
  The blade on your wrist. I have seen it before.

Naoe took a look at her own blade.

• Naoe: That's why you spared me. At Honnoji.
• Yasuke: You are a thread in a knot I need to untangle.
• Naoe: I don't really know what you're talking about.
• Yasuke: My whole life, I have been caught on a wind. Blown across the world. Clinging to whatever I could. Opportunity. Love. The past.
• Naoe: So, what? Now you want to cling to me?
• Yasuke: Our fates are connected. Let me walk beside you – for a time. Let me see where this wind takes us.
• Naoe: Why should I trust you?
• Yasuke: Because I will be honest with you. Regardless of what it costs me.
• Naoe: Honest about what?

Yasuke took a moment to gather his words, before saying it out.

• Yasuke: Everything I did. In Iga.

Yasuke narrated his participation in Nobunaga's invasion of Iga, where he was responsible for capturing Mibuno Castle and killing Naoe's former mentor, Momochi Sandayu. The shinobi leader, in his final breath, asked Yasuke to look for a girl who possessed a wrist blade like he did, which was Naoe.

• Yasuke: Forgive me.
• Naoe: Forgive you?

At this point, Naoe's face turned red with anger and sadness after learning his part in Iga's downfall.

• Naoe: Forgive?!
  You killed my neighbors, my friends! Everyone I ever knew and loved! And now you... you beg forgiveness? Look at me.

Naoe drew her katana and pointed it near Yasuke's face.

• Naoe: I said look at me! I am going to stick your head on an Igan spear. So until the crows take your eyes, you can see the pain you've left in your wake.

Naoe drew her sword and prepared to decapitate Yasuke. Just then, Junjiro ran down.

• Junjiro: Stop!
• Naoe: Stay out of it, Junjiro.
• Junjiro: No. You don't understand.
• Naoe: He killed Igans. My family! He's a monster!
• Junjiro: Then you're a monster too.
• Naoe: What?
• Junjiro: I tried to stop you from coming here. I begged you! But you wouldn't listen. And... I knew you'd find out if I didn't do something. Hide things... or burn things...

Naoe put down her sword to try and comprehend what the boy was saying.

• Naoe: Junjiro...
• Junjiro: You're the only one I have left. I couldn't let you find out. So I cam back here. I came back. But I wasn't strong enough. I still miss him. My father.

Flashbacks revealed the masked samurai whom Naoe killed at Katano was Junjiro's father, with his body found by the boy and the monk Sorin.

• Junjiro: When we first found him, I didn't believe it.

At day time, Junjiro and Sorin found the body of Nagato and a barely-alive Naoe. The boy recognised his father's fatal wound came from the blade Naoe wielded.

• Junjiro: But then, when I realized it was you... It turned real.

Sorin and a reluctant Junjiro took Naoe to Makinoodera Temple where her wounds were treated.

• Junjiro: Sorin wanted me to be kind to you. He said we should show you mercy – even when I didn't want to.

At one point, Junjiro approached the unconscious Naoe with a knife in his hand, wishing to kill her with it but was stopped by Sorin. He decided to cope by drawing depictions of Naoe as an oni, which Naoe had remembered seeing before.

• Junjiro: I thought you were a demon. A monster. But Sorin taught me. Showed me other ways to let the hate out. And slowly... you started looking like something else.

Eventually, having got to learn more about Naoe, Junjiro's drawing turned to depicting her as someone new.

• Junjiro: A person. A friend. Family.
• Naoe: I...
• Junjiro: He saved us. He did bad thngs, but so did you. So if you kill him now, then... then you have to hand the katana to me next. I'll do it. I'll really do it.

Having realized the truth and what she done, Naoe was left dumbfounded and sheathed her sword.

• Naoe: I didn't know.

Naoe got on one knee in front of Junjiro.

• Naoe: Forgive me.
• Junjiro: I already did.

Naoe broke into tears while Yasuke stood up.

• Yasuke: Thank you. What is your name?
• Junjiro: Junjiro! You can call me Junjiro.
• Yasuke: Yasuke.
• Junjiro: So, Yasuke, sir... you'll come with us, right?
• Yasuke: Just Yasuke will do. And I hope to.
• Naoe: You still want to walk beside me? Follow this wind wherever it takes us?
• Yasuke: I vow to do all that I can to deserve your mercy.

Yasuke gave Junjiro a shoulder pat.

• Yasuke: And your bravery.
• Naoe: I accept your vow, but not here. We'll do it our own way.

Naoe and Junjiro returned home to their homestead, joined by Yasuke. In the morning, Tomiko, who heard the sound of their arrival, rushed to the entrance of the hiroma to receive them.

• Tomiko: You're back! You're safe! And don't you ever run off like that again, you hear me?
• Junjiro: Yes, Auntie Tomiko.

Yasuke arrived behind them shortly after.

• Naoe: This is Yasuke.
• Tomiko: Oh.

Yasuke gave a bow as a greeting.

• Naoe: He's one of us now.
• Tomiko: Uh. Yes. Welcome.
• Yasuke: Thank you.

Yasuke gave a wink as Tomiko gave him a welcome with a bow.

• Naoe: But I want to make it official. Today, we become something else.' Tomiko. I'll need an iron pot, a drinking bowl, and a very big fire.'

Tomiko nodded and left to prepare the items.

• Naoe: Junjiro, bring some paper and ink.
• Junjiro: Okay! Aneue (big sister).

At evening, Naoe, Tomiko, Junjiro and Yasuke gathered at a spot by a Buddha statue near the river with the items. Junjiro passed the scroll around as the three adults wrote their vows onto the scroll.

• Naoe: There is evil at work in our homeland. A foe of secrets and betrayal, of power and control. A foe I cannot face alone. You are here because you believe in me. Believe in my cause, my fight. Now I'm asking you to believe in us.

With the writing done, Tomiko rolled the scroll and burned it in the bowl of water.

• Naoe: We have all seen darkness. Some have been that darkness.

Each of them took turn drinking from the bowl.

• Naoe: We have come together, despite it all. To bring change. To bring light.

After drinking, Naoe handed it to the last person, Junjiro.

• Naoe: It won't kill you. I promise.

Junjiro took a drink from the bowl as well.

• Junjiro: (coughs)

Junjiro then returned the bowl to Tomiko who put it down.

• Naoe: This is Igan tradition, going back as far as anyone can remember. This bonds us.
• Junjiro: What will we call ourselves?
• Naoe: My father told me to follow this blade. That I would find my way.
• Yasuke: Then we should continue to follow it.
• Naoe: We are the League of the Hidden Blade. The Kakushiba ikki.
• Yasuke: It is an honor. One I will not take for granted.
• Naoe: United. Always. In the Kakushiba ikki!

The group stood up.

• Naoe: Come on. I want to show you something.

The group returned to the hiroma, where Naoe showed her painting of the Shinbakufu to Yasuke.

• Yasuke: So these are the ones who killed your father.
• Naoe: And stole the box. The box I promised him that I'd protect. I call them the Onryo. Three are dead.

Naoe pointed to the painting, which showed the members Wada Koretake and Yaita Wakasa with a red cross on their figures.

• Yasuke: By your hand or someone else?
• Naoe: Mine.
• Yasuke: Impressive.

Yasuke then took a closer look at the rest of the figures.

• Yasuke: The one with the ox horns. I know his crest. The Bessho clan. Lord Nobunaga's armies fought them in Harima.
• Naoe: Harima. That's a good start. We know Akechi Mitsuhide has something to do with this group. His general snuck me into Honnoji.
• Yasuke: Ise Sadaoki. The Ises have alliances with the Akechis through marriage. Mitsuhide trusted him. And he was a royal asshole.
• Yasuke: That must make him guilty. I know one head of their clan resides in a Yamashiro temple.
• Naoe: Good. So we go to Yamashiro and Harima.
• Yasuke: For the others, allow me to speak to my contacts in Azuchi. I have never heard gossip like the talk in that castle.
• Naoe: You're already a worthy addition to the cause. Let's get started.

YasukeNaoe

• Naoe: I'll go. See what I can find out.

Outcome

Naoe realized the truth surrounding her assassination of the masked samurai, who was Junjiro's father. She welcomed Yasuke to her group, which she named as the Kakushiba ikki during their first official ceremony with Tomiko and Junjiro. She and Yasuke then decided on their next steps in hunting the Shinbakufu.