An unexpected meeting (Nagamasa & Fūma)

[Fūma Kotarō [Andae]]

While Fūma Kotarō's apprentice returned to Kii, Fūma Kotarō himself had decided to take a trip to Omi, he'd heard rumours of the provincial folk taking up arms against the Oda, and had decided to see if he could muster their strength, he still needed a larger army, and more troops, or generals would play a major part in his subjugating the land, were it possible to do such a thing simply in these times, he'd have done so a long, long time ago, sadly, this were not the case, and years of endless battle seemed to have made him cold, heartless, and above all, passionate for the war to continue, this was not the case, he simply wished to bring peace to the land, and to return home with his Ninja to their homeland, to live out their lives in solitude, and safety.

He seemed to have lost himself in his thoughts, and he was walking carelessly through the streets of the Omi capital, missing people narrowly, and remaining oblivious to their looks of horror at his almost ghostly visage, his reverie was broken, however, by the voice of a single man, around this man, soldiers were gathering, almost as they did him when he had recruited his own troops, a small smile formed on his face, this lance wielding warrior would make his battles easier in the future, however, something seemed to spark within his mind at the sight of this man, something that did not bode well, he'd play this out, and see where it led.

[gazake]

Nagamasa was still standing on the wooden box, hearing the people cheering, when he saw an unsettling figure behind the crowd. He had a red hair and a pale skin, sported gauntlets on his forearms and above average height. Even though Nagamasa knew something very strange was related to the man, his situation was one in which he couldn't turn help down. So he climbed down the box and proceeded to talk to the man, going through the cheering people.

The moment Nagamasa got close to the man, the strange feelings aroused, Nagamasa had an idea. He held his lance in a position where he could attack the man at any moment, with just a side swipe. This way, he could test him and see his true intentions. Having confirmed his safety, he approached the man and said, "I couldn't help but see you standing there listening to my speech. May I inquire what would you want?"

[Fūma Kotarō [Andae]]

A small smile formed on his lips as Azai approached him and spoke, however, unlike Azai, Fuma saw no reasone to change stance, he meant no harm, not yet, at least

"I came here merely to increase my numbers, I am the lord of the Fuma Clan of Ninja, however, it seems that you have already mustered all of the able bodied warriors here, I am but one man trying to bring an end to the Oda presence... I fear I must take my leave, as this province no longer has anyone of use to me"

He said simply, turning to leave, he saw no point in remaining, the man would not join him, and clearly Azai had already gained to loyalty of the people.

[gazake]

Nagamasa listened to the man, who was revealed to be Kotarö Füma, the leader of the Füma clan of ninjas. Having learned this, the young Azai dropped his guard and reverted back to a neutral stance. The man turned away and was leaving the city when Nagamasa stopped him. "Wait!"

In times of war, people must get all the help they need and can, or else the fire of the battles will engulf them. Nagamasa knew this, but he also knew that he could not fully trust in a group of ninjas. After all, they are assassins, and if he turned his back to them, they would kill him when opportunity presents itself. Being torn between two choices and having to pick one quickly, Nagamasa found himself struggling and tried to buy himself some time. "You are an enemy of the Oda... I am Nobunaga's brother-in-law. But I do not intend on following his steps of destruction. In fact, I don't support his acts at all... *sigh* You must pardon me. These times are driving me crazy. I don't know what to think of my family, or my land, or the other men. But, please stay. Let's talk in a more secluded place."

[Fūma Kotarō [Andae]]

Kotarō stopped as the man called him back, and turning to face him once more as he spoke, his head tilted ever so slightly as he listened to his words, once Nagamasa had finished speaking, he allowed himself an almost mocking laugh, however, this was not his intention, merely his vocal tone.

"Very well, Azai Nagamasa, yes, I know who you are, do not be alarmed, the winds of Chaos knows who everyone is... Where would you suggest we take this discussion, hmm?"

He responded questioningly, there appeared to be some hope that this knight would join a lowly Ninja master as himself, however, when faced with tough decisions. Men often took the path of least immediate danger, this seemed to be another of those situations, and Kotarō had witnessed many.

[gazake]

Nagamasa began to feel more comfortable with the presence of Füma. In other times, he would never trust one such as he, but in his situation Nagamasa didn't have much of a choice. Looking around to find that "secluded place" he mentioned, he found a broken wall and beyond it, an empty lot with some trees around. He pointed it to Kotarö and led the way.

"Here's the deal. I won't even ask how do you know who I am, or how did you find me here. You look like a skilled individual. I'm pleading for your aid, ninja. I'm too weak now to do anything productive, my clan is facing its demise and my people just won't listen to my words of comfort, except for the cheering ones here. I'm trying not to look like a fool here, but you're trying to increase your numbers and I'm trying to decrease the number of the enemies of the land. So, you have anything else to say about a possible coalition? Or..." A shiver went down Nagamasa's spine. He didn't say it, but he knew Kotarö understood him. Servitude. Such a common word in these times, and Nagamasa couldn't even say it. Perhaps it was his pride, perhaps the fear of the unknown... He didn't know yet.

[Fūma Kotarō [Andae]]

Kotarō scratched his chin thoughtfully, how he did not manage to harm himself with his claws was completely unknown to any but himself, and he wasn't soon to tell anyone.

"Azai, you wish to remove the Oda presence, do you not? Then, instead of forming a coalition, I suggest you join me completely, no, I do not mean as one of my subordinates, but, as an equal, I shall grant you complete control of my forces, if you are willing to do the same for me, we shall pool our resources, and take back the land from the Oda, I am aware that the Chokosabe grow to the west, and we're smack in the middle, I know you, I daresay, more than you know yourself, and, I see you are a man of your word, so, out of honour, and... Sadly, desperation, I give you my word that I shall not betray or harm you without due cause... And I know enough about you to know that the need will never arise... So, what say you, Nagamasa, will you join the Fuma Clan, and assist us in these dark times, safe in the knowledge that the Winds of Chaos are in your favor?"

His voice was bold, and crisp, and yet, despite the raw emotion in his voice, his face was locked in the permanent smile he always held, he the stepped forwards with hisleft foot, and held his hand out towards Nagamasa Azai, aiming to seal the deal, then they could be on their way.

[gazake]

Nagamasa was listening close to what Füma was speaking, but when the word "desperation" came across his ears, he became deaf. Was he desperate? Was the situation bad enough to instill desperation? Only one answer, he could find. Joining any other army was already something he did not want to do in respect to his father, imagine a ninja army. But yes, that was the right time to be desperate, and to make justice flow through the lands that once belonged to peace and prosperity, and now were marked to be engulfed by the fires of war.

"You know exactly why I was reticent, don't you? Very well, I agree with your conditions. In normal times I would never take a decision like this without thinking it over, but it seems I have no other choice but to join the stronger than me. May I be a thorn in your side, feel free to send me away." Nagamasa put all his pride behind him and proceeded to shake Kotarö's held out hand, sealing the deal. He tried a shy smile and thought of his wife, Oichi. "Where could she be?...

[Fūma Kotarō [Andae]]

Kotarō smiled softly as the man grasped his hand, nodding slightly as the man accepted his terms, as an equal, not a subordinate of the Fūma, but as a psuedo ally, this only caused him to smile greater.

"Azai Nagamasa, second in command of the Fūma Clan... Has a ring to it, does it not, anyway, come, join me in Kii, bring your men, and we shall bolster our ranks, and take this land from the shadow of war and oppression that is Oda Nobunaga, please, any resources you find in OUR lands, feel free to cammandeer as you see fit, what's mine, is yours"

His words were laced with honesty, as they should be, coming from an honest point of view, Fūma meant no ill will to his new Ally, he stopped to think for a moment, releasing the man's hand.

"If it is of no great strain to you... Perhaps you will assist me in liberating my homeland of Iga from Nobunaga's eyes, will you march with me? he asked simply, his eyes locked on the man before him, sensing something amiss, he would aid the man with whatever troubled him in good time.

(When you post your reply, please could you declare your new affiliation Out Of Character.)

[gazake]

Nagamasa shaked Kotarö's hand firmly. A new alliance was born in that moment, an alliance defying what the Azai had long considered right. "I am happy to be able to fight alongside you. May this clan prevail over Nobunaga's selfish interests!" He was becoming progressively comfortable with a presence that two minutes ago was unsettling.

Nagamasa walked away from the lot, returning to the street where the cheering people stood still. "Everyone, I thank you for your goodwill. I am happy to inform that we are now heading to Iga, alongside Kotarö Füma, to remove Nobunaga from his position. This enemy will appear before us more times than we want, so try to get along with his habits right away." Returning to Kotarö, he was going to say something, but didn't. He just smiled and called Kotarö to hurry.

OOC: I am proud to inform that Nagamasa Azai is now allied with Kotarö Füma, as a potential second-in-command.

[Fūma Kotarō [Andae]]

Kotarō laughed and shook his head as he caught up with the man, who now seemed rather comfortable in his presence "Too Iga then, Lord Azai, may I suggest that you take command of 4000 of my Ashigaru, and 250 of my Ninja, we shall split our forces, and ensure a speedy subjugation of Iga... We may never know when the Oda will strike" he said before nodding and striding away, clesrly eager to return.

Accepting Azai Nagamasa into the Fūma Clan as second in command