A few days later...

SORA'S POV

Dreamworld...

I was at the battlefield with Maria and she was helping me escape since we were both captured by the enemy and somehow we were able to escape from their torture but, barely. I collapsed onto my knees since I was tired and my leg was hurting so much.

"Maria...I can't go on anymore...please...leave me here and save yourself!"

"No way! a good soldier never leaves their comrade behind!"

Maria shouted before she puts my arm over her shoulder again and then she pulls me onto my feet and she starts to drag me. I smiled a little and I asked her.

"Hey Maria...if we make it out of this alive, let's find a different job we can do instead of this...after tonight's battle, there's no way I'm gonna put my life on the line anymore."

"Do you know something, that does sound like a good idea."

Maria and I both giggled a little until we heard the enemy shouting. 

"Where are they?!"

"They're around here somewhere! keep looking!"

Maria and I looked at each other and then we hid behind cover. I yelped in pain when I tried to kneel down, however, Maria covered my mouth and hushed me. I nodded my head while clutching my leg. Suddenly, the enemy started shooting and then Maria drew her pistol and she fired back and she managed to kill at least four or five of them. 

"Come on, we've gotta keep moving!" Maria shouted as she dragged me onto my feet again.

We were getting closer and closer to finding our general until more enemies appeared. Maria held me close as she fires her pistol at them but, she ran out of ammo when their leader ran towards her with a machete knife. Maria shoves me out of the way but, she got stabbed in the chest.

"MARIA!!!" I yelled in horror as she stood there with a shocked expression.

DREAM ENDS...

I shot my eyes open when I saw that memory again. I slowly sat up on the bed and it was still dark outside and I noticed that I was in the Sengoku era. I frowned a little and I looked at the palm of my hand and it was trembling. 

"Maria...why did you have to die...?" I whispered before curling up into a ball.

I couldn't go back to sleep so I got changed into my casual wear and I grabbed a sword that I received from Nobunaga, even though I told him I wasn't interested in fighting for him. I got to the training grounds and I started with sword practice.

A few hours later...

3RD PERSON POV

As Sora continued with her training, Hideyoshi and Mitsunari noticed her and then Hideyoshi asked Mitsunari.

"Hey Mitsunari, how are Sora and Mai doing?"

"Mai takes very little food, my lord. She looks pale and I don't think she's sleeping much and as for Sora, well..."

Mitsunari glances at Sora and she continued practising with her sword and even though she broke a sweat she didn't stop.

"She's been like this for a few days now. Ever since she arrived here and after that incident, she's been practising with her sword and the pistols that Lord Nobunaga provided for her non-stop, every morning, noon and night she keeps doing this and when she's not practising with her weapons, she stares at the sky like a lost soul. I'm worried, she hasn't been eating much either and she looks pale and tired. That is to say, neither of them has changed much since the enemy attacked."

"...We need to figure something out, they'll make themselves sick."

Suddenly, Hideyoshi and Mitsunari heard Sora collapsing when they turned to look, they noticed she was kneeling down on the ground while panting in exhaustion and she had her sword stabbed on the ground to support herself from falling. Sora frowned a little as the sweat dripped from her face but she refused to let herself to get tired. Hideyoshi was about to help her but, surprisingly, Sora managed to stand back up even though her body was shaking like a leaf.

"Amazing...how is it this woman is able to keep practising even though she's about to collapse ay any moment?" Hideyoshi asked Mitsunari.

"I have no idea, Sora is nothing like the women we know around here and her stamina is impressive, even though she's tired she doesn't stop fighting, it's almost like she's immortal or something."

Hideyoshi had to agree with that comment but, he couldn't stand by and watch Sora train until she collapses from exhaustion. He walked towards her and he called out to her.

"Sora, that's enough!"

Sora stopped her sword in mid-air and then she lowers it before turning towards Hideyoshi. He saw that same look in her eyes when she fought against the ronin except, this time, she wasn't covered in blood.

"What do you want, Toyotomi?" Sora spoke with a frown on her face.

"Mitsunari was right, you do look pale and you've got dark circles under your eyes when was the last time you slept?"

"Tch, that's none of your business, is there something you want or did you just come here to annoy me while I'm in the middle of training?" Sora said as she went back to swinging practice to get her rhythm back.

"What is with the attitude? I'm showing some concern here and you just bite my head off?"

"Oh please!" Sora yelled and then she points her sword at Hideyoshi's face.

"You were practically the same guy who was very close to drawing his sword when I attacked Nobunaga and now you decide to show some concern for me and my sister?!"

Sora held her sword close to Hideyoshi's neck and he sweatdropped a little.

"Give me one good reason why I should trust you?"

"Huh?"

"Since I came here, all I got from you was your stupid nagging, your overprotective behaviour towards Nobunaga and you nearly drew your sword at me! that goes to show that I don't trust people like you..."

"All right, look, I know we got off to a bad start but, the reason why I came out here was that I had two- well, three things to say actually."

"Then spit it out!"

"Firstly, put your sword away!"

Hideyoshi said as he moved Sora's blade away from his neck. Sora placed her sword on her shoulder and she listened.

"Keep talking," Sora said as she taps the dull side of her sword on her shoulder.

"Secondly..." Hideyoshi bowed to her which surprised Sora the most.

SORA'S POV

I stood there with a shocked and confused expression.

'Uhh...what's going on here?'

I asked myself after watching Hideyoshi bow his head to me.

"I'm sorry for thinking you and your sister were spies, I realise now that Mai is a sweet girl and you were just trying to protect her."

"Hmpf, you're just realising this now? that's what you get for jumping to conclusions, stupid monkey."

A tick mark appeared on Hideyoshi's head but, managed to keep his temper under control and he then stood upright and he said to me.

"You weren't afraid to get blood on your hands when the enemy attacked, I'll praise you for that one."

"Tch, it's nothing compared to what I've been through, you know nothing," I spoke with a glare in my eyes.

"It's true but, if the others are all right with you, they're willing to get to know you and your sister better."

"They can get to know Mai better if they want but me, I'd rather if you, Nobunaga and the other vassals kept their noses out of my personal life."

Hideyoshi was surprised by my comment and he sighed a little.

"Look, you're living under Lord Nobunaga's roof, the least you can do is show gratitude towards him."

"I think not, now get to the third point already! I need to get back to training!"

Hideyoshi was surprised by my outburst and then he calmed down afterwards.

"All right, the third thing that I wanted to say was, stop and take a break from training, go for a walk in town or something that doesn't involve working hard until you collapse from exhaustion, it's not doing your body any good, Mitsunari told me that you've been training non-stop all day and night and that's worrying us a little."

"Tch, let him worry, this is nothing, it's how I was taught in the army, they trained us until the point we exhaust ourselves but, for me, this is a distraction."

"A distraction? from what?" Hideyoshi asked me.

I looked away from him and I remembered that day when I held Maria close in my arms after she died. I frowned a little and I told him.

"Nothing, forget what I said," I said as II turned my back towards him.

"Now if you don't mind, I'm gonna get back to practising."

"Weren't you even listening to what I just said?! why can't you take a break from training? what's gotten you so worked up that you have to distract yourself like this?"

I gripped tightly onto the hilt of my sword and I told Hideyoshi.

"All you need to know something bad happened to me when I was still in the army, I tend to have flashbacks about that bad experience every now and then."

"Flashbacks...? was it that bad?"

"Yeah and I'd rather not talk about it."

I spoke with a frown and I walked away from Hideyoshi before getting back to training. 

HIDEYOSHI'S POV

I watched Sora going back to her swing practice and then Masamune showed up and he was impressed.

"She's still at it? how does Sora even keep going at that pace?"

"I have no idea, but, she's not taking any breaks from what Mitsunari told me, she's been like this since the enemy attacked, I'm worried that she's gonna make herself sick if she keeps going like this."

"Let me deal with her, besides, I know how to handle someone like her."

Masamune said as he walked towards Sora.

SORA'S POV

I practised with my sword for a while but, when I swung my sword to the left, it was blocked by another sword. I was surprised by this and when I turned to the side it was Masamune.

"Oh great, it's you," I spoke with a frown.

"Hmpf, you've got that look in your eyes again, you really do have that look of a demon."

"What do you want?" I asked with a frown.

Masamune backed away from me and he smirked at me.

"You look like you needed a sparring partner, so, I came here to-"

"No way!"

Masamune looked at me surprised and I told him.

"I never asked you to be my sparring partner, now go away! you're annoying me!"

I shouted at him before going back to my swinging practice.

"What is your problem? we're all worried about you and you snap at us."

"It's because I don't trust you or the other warlords around here especially Akechi and Oda."

I told Masamune as I continued with my swinging practice. 

"You've been here for a few days now and yet, you continue to build a wall around yourself, why?"

"That's none of your feckin business! now leave me alone or else!"

I shouted as I pointed my sword at him. Masamune smirked and he said to me.

"Or else what? what are you gonna do?"

I had enough of that smirk on his face so I turned my back towards him for a moment before socking him in the face. However, Masamune caught my fist in time and he said to me.

"Ha! nice try, lass but, I'm not falling for that old trick."

I smirked back before kicking Masmune between his legs and then released my fist and I threw him over my shoulder. I pinned Masamune down and I held my blade near his neck. 

MASAMUNE'S POV

I was shocked by her fast movement just now and I didn't say anything after she held her sword near my neck. 

"Now listen to me, Date, if you continue to annoy me or harass me, I'll make sure Nobunaga won't find your body. I was a trained soldier in the army and I can make it happen so if I were you, I'd sleep with my eyes open."

Sora told me before moving the tip of her sword away from my neck and then she got off me. I watched Sora leave the training grounds after sitting up and then Hideyoshi, who watched the whole scene, came over to me and he asked me.

"Hey Masamune, are you all right?"

"I'll be fine, I've been through worse," I told him before getting up from the ground.

"But seriously though, there's something definitely wrong with that woman."

"What do you mean?"

"I've seen the way she fights, she wasn't kidding when she said that she's a well-trained soldier but, that look in her eyes..."

I remembered that look in Sora's eyes when she pinned me down like that and it wasn't anger I saw.

"That look I saw in her eyes, it wasn't just anger but, the look of someone who's broken and lifeless, something clearly happened to that lass when she was with the army."

"You think so? if you ask me, she's just an angry and over-protective woman."

"Yeah, sure she is..."

SORA'S POV

I walked through the streets of Azuchi and all I could hear was the echos of the happy villagers. I frowned a little and sped walked into an ally and I pressed my back against the wall. I frowned a little and I mumbled.

"Maria..."

I heard the sound of thunder and then the rain started to pour from the sky. I looked up and I stared at the sky and I started to have another flashback.

FLASHBACK...

Maria and I were in our room playing poker with Nara and Yuzuki. Nara smirked and she said to us.

"I've got the royal flush."

We groaned and sighed in defeat and we folded our cards. Nara chuckled and she took the poker chips from the table.

"Oh yeah, the rich keep getting richer."

"Yeah, yeah, rub it in why don't you," I told her and then Maria giggled a little as she played with her scarf.

I glanced at it and I asked her.

"Is that scarf something special? I've seen you wear it with your uniform and during practice as well."

"Oh, this? don't laugh when I say this, but, this is actually my lucky scarf."

"Your lucky scarf? hahahaha!!" Yuzuki laughed at Maria and then she told us.

"It's no laughing matter and besides, this is the only item I have of my birth father, according to the social workers he also fought in the war but, his best friend was able to salvage this after he was killed in battle."

I was surprised by this and then Nara spoke up.

"Oh that's right, I nearly forgot that you're orphan, hmpf, speaking of wars," Nara moved her top out of the way and she showed us the scar on her side.

"I got this during my first battle when I was a new soldier like you lot, all I can tell you ladies is this, it's all right to be scared for your first battle but, as long as you lot have each other's backs, nothing can harm you and you'll have sisters to take care of."

Nara was the oldest of the group and I understood what she meant.

"I understand what you're saying Nara-senpai, I've got a sister back home, Mai."

I showed the girls the family picture that Mai sent to me the other day. Maria took the photo from my hand and she said to me.

"Wow, she's cute, I'll bet handsome men will fall for her now that you're gone."

"Doubt it, she's seventeen and she's in her last year in high school and she's aiming to become a fashion designer."

"That's an interesting choice for a career," Nara said to us with a smile on her face as she shuffled the cards and spread them out onto the table.

"What about you Nara-senpai? do you have any siblings?" Maria asked her.

"I have an older brother, Loki, he's a bit rebellious but, he's got a kind heart, what about the rest of you?" Nara asked the rest of us as she picks up her cards.

"I've got two little brothers, they're twins, EVIL twins, Arno and Dario, they can be such a handful but, being here is a huge relief since I don't have to worry about those two troublemakers, especially since my older sister is gonna get the dose of the pranking and among the other mischiefs those two get up to."

Yuzuki told us as she looked at her cards and calling a bid. Maria looked down at her cards and she sighed a little.

"In a way, I'm a little jealous of you girls, I'm the only child in the family that I was adopted by and I have no idea who my birth parents are or if they had any other children before having me."

I was surprised that Maria would say something like that but, I smiled afterwards. I placed my hand on her shoulder and I said to her.

"Hey, after this training business is over and done with, you're coming back to Tokyo with me and you're gonna live with me and my sister."

"What?! Sora what are you-"

"No objections! Maria, we had each other's backs since we first arrived at the training school and you, my friend, deserve a break not only from this place but, you need some time away from the family who adopted you, I mean you did tell me that you don't feel like you belong with them no matter how many times you tried to bond with them."

Maria saw my point and she smiled at me.

"Hehe, all right you win, what would I do without you?"

Maria and I smiled at each other and then Nara spoke up while shaking her head.

"Good grief, since the two of you became roommates, you're acting like sisters or something."

Maria and I looked at Nara with a surprised look before laughing afterwards. 

FLASHBACK ENDS...

I placed my hand on the scarf that was around my waist and I slid down the wall with my back pressing against it. I curled up into a ball and I sobbed a little as I remembered that memory.

'Maria....it's all my fault that you got killed...no matter how hard I try, I can't forget about the good times we spent together before going into battle...please forgive me, my precious friend...'