#askdokuganryu

I-Impostor! Stand down now, or else you'll suffer at the hands of the One-Eyed Dragon and his feathered menace!

...Rufflet?

"Um...I'm not quite sure what all that means, but my guess is that it's a compliment. So thank you, Lord Masamune!"

Motonari covered his mouth to muffle his burst of laughter. Lord Masamune surely loved to explain his feelings in dramatic measures. And as a strategist, he could understand the patterns.

"Lord Masamune, you are very kind."

"...At first I thought it was my normal self, but as the part went on...I thought otherwise."

Motonari, as a defensive means, scooted a bit farther from Masamune.

"It reminds me of...no one in particular."

Motonari simply sighed and forced a small smile.

"Are you mad at me, Lord Masamune?"

Wings, because of the nickname you have and your subordinates. There's Magoichi Saika, the crow, Kojuro Katakura, the sparrow, and their leader, the dragon!

A wing legacy...no wonder your province is called "Wing Nation!"

"You are DEAD, Saika!"

Kojuro roundhouse punched Magoichi in the gut, the later cringing and trying to catch his breath. Several other bruises and bloody messes riddled the crow's clothes, face, or any real exposed skin. The Sparrow refused to accept his news and vented his anger out on Magoichi, and didn't hesitate to beat the crap out of him.

Even through the abuse, Magoichi said nothing and acted as Kojuro's human punching bag; he believed he deserved a few rounds of Masamune's top retainer's fury. After all, he let the kid down and was the key to his death.

During the fateful siege, Magoichi spearheaded the attack and opened a route straight to the lord of the castle for Masamune. But the events after that were out of his hands.

The man somehow found his blindspot and tackled him to the ground. Magoichi struggled and kicked as hard as he could, but he seemed strangely drained and pretty much was hitting air. When Masamune came running up those stairs, the man holding him down offered to free Mago if Masamune was willing to exchange his life for the life of his retainer. No amount of convincing worked, and Masamune sealed the deal.

Watching the execution caused the largest blackout in Magoichi's memory to where he couldn't remember that day or even a week or two before this. Kojuro eventually realized what further damage he was inflicting and sent a maid for a doctor right away.

"My apologies, Saika. I could not accept Lord Masamune's death, and I still cannot to this moment. But lashing out on you will just further problems for the Date." Kojuro bowed to accompany his apology.

"No...you deserved to be mad at me." Magoichi mostly spoke in a whisper after losing so much air, "Most retainers would kill me on spot. But you realized what you were doing and stopped. Thank you, Kojuro."

Kojuro sighed and decided to think nothing of his previous actions. He could see the things Lord Masamune saw in Saika, that somewhat naive loyalty and emotionless deposition. He was appealing in his simplicity.

"...Can I count on your service in the future, Magoichi? Lord Masamune trusted you, and as the new clan head, I should do the same."

Magoichi smirked and nodded, feeling his eyelids droop. Kojuro said something to him, but he couldn't hear anything he said. The last thing he knew or felt, a pair of strong hands picked him up and whisked him away.