Zennosuke, a promising young general and Kotori, a talented shinobi, serve Amagi and Matsuda respectively. The two feudal lords, both equally hungry for land and power, have constantly waged war against each other for many years.
One night, Matsuda found out that Zennosuke and his group of soldiers were on their way back from a mission. Thinking that getting rid of one of Amagi's generals would put the other at a disadvantage, Matsuda ordered Kotori to find a way to separate Zennosuke from the group and ambush him while he was on his own. Kotori brought a small group of shinobi with her on the mission and managed to successfully separate the group with a distraction. While separated, the soldiers were quickly disposed of, leaving Zennosuke alone in the forest. She signaled her team to surround him for a simultaneous attack but was surprised when their plan failed, having miscalculated his strength. Despite their efforts, the whole team met their end at Zennosuke's blade, save for Kotori who managed to survive thanks to her agile body.
Zennosuke was surprised at her ability to dodge his attacks and took a slight interest in her. Wanting to see more of her capabilities, he attacked with more fervor, forcing her to retaliate. He was impressed that she was able to keep up with him despite her fragile appearance and as the battle wore on, he felt a sense of familiarity whenever their eyes met but couldn’t quite recall where he's seen them before. Kotori was brought to the brink of exhaustion, having a lot less stamina than her opponent and failed to completely dodge a slash to her side. Seeing as there would be no chance of winning due to her injury, Kotori panicked and fled, unknowingly leaving a trail of blood behind her.
Kotori managed to return to camp and made her way to her lord's tent to report. Matsuda was furious at her failure and was even more enraged when he noticed the trail of blood she left behind. Kotori apologized and promised to complete the mission after she patched up her injury. However, one of the scouts entered the tent and reported that Zennosuke was spotted near their camp. Matsuda eyed the young woman carefully, pondering on what to do with her. He always found her attractive and constantly asked her to be his lover but to his dismay, she always refused. This time, however, he wasn't taking no for an answer. He gave her a choice: Become his lover or die a traitor's death. Refusing to succumb to his wishes, Kotori chose to die with her dignity intact. Matsuda was furious and ordered her execution as he prepared to return to the capital with his soldiers.
Hiding behind one of the trees nearby, Zennosuke witnessed everything and finally remembered encountering the young woman a few year ago. Back when Zennosuke officially joined the army, his first task was to patrol the woods near the border of Amagi's territory. Being the arrogant and inexperienced boy that he was, he underestimated the dangers of the woods and slipped off a steep hill after losing his footing. Kotori happened to be gathering herbs that day and wandered a little too near the enemy's border by chance. She found the unconscious boy and despite knowing he was from the enemy's side, Kotori couldn't find it in herself to let him bleed to death. With her knowledge in herbalism, she treated his wounds using some of the herbs she gathered earlier. Delirious, Zennosuke opened his eyes and found himself staring a girl's face, her eyes filled with worry and compassion as she carefully bandaged his wounds. Hearing the voices of men calling out for the young boy, Kotori hastened her treatment and quickly hid before they appeared from behind the bushes.
Zennosuke snapped back to reality and realized that she was the girl who saved his life. Being the proud man that he was, he couldn't allow her to die before he could repay his debt. Before she was executed, Zennosuke intercepted the blade and disposed of the executioner. Kotori was shocked to see him but passes out due to blood loss.
Kotori woke up in an unfamiliar place, her clothes changed and her injuries carefully treated. When Zennosuke entered the room, Kotori immediately raised her guard but relaxed once she realized he had no intentions of harming her. Having repaid his debt, he coldly told her to leave once she fully healed but realizes that she would be hunted down once Matsuda caught wind of her survival. Knowing full well that she had nowhere else to go, he decided to take her under his wing. He found out that Kotori never enjoyed being on the battlefield and preferred to live a peaceful life. Thus, he permitted her to work for him as a normal servant: cleaning, doing the laundry and other menial chores. At some nights, however, Zennosuke sent her on reconnaissance missions to gather enemy intel, seeing as every inch of her former home's terrain had been ingrained in her brain from the countless times she was ordered to gather herbs and other supplies.
The two's eventual trust and support for one another naturally turned into romantic attraction as time passed by. However, due to Kotori's innocent nature, Zennosuke's bold advances often ended up with Kotori panicking and getting flustered. Because Zennosuke was used to having his way, he was exasperated each time she rejected him but tried his best to be patient and took things slow for her sake.
One night, Matsuda found out that Zennosuke and his group of soldiers were on their way back from a mission. Thinking that getting rid of one of Amagi's generals would put the other at a disadvantage, Matsuda ordered Kotori to find a way to separate Zennosuke from the group and ambush him while he was on his own. Kotori brought a small group of shinobi with her on the mission and managed to successfully separate the group with a distraction. While separated, the soldiers were quickly disposed of, leaving Zennosuke alone in the forest. She signaled her team to surround him for a simultaneous attack but was surprised when their plan failed, having miscalculated his strength. Despite their efforts, the whole team met their end at Zennosuke's blade, save for Kotori who managed to survive thanks to her agile body.
Zennosuke was surprised at her ability to dodge his attacks and took a slight interest in her. Wanting to see more of her capabilities, he attacked with more fervor, forcing her to retaliate. He was impressed that she was able to keep up with him despite her fragile appearance and as the battle wore on, he felt a sense of familiarity whenever their eyes met but couldn’t quite recall where he's seen them before. Kotori was brought to the brink of exhaustion, having a lot less stamina than her opponent and failed to completely dodge a slash to her side. Seeing as there would be no chance of winning due to her injury, Kotori panicked and fled, unknowingly leaving a trail of blood behind her.
Kotori managed to return to camp and made her way to her lord's tent to report. Matsuda was furious at her failure and was even more enraged when he noticed the trail of blood she left behind. Kotori apologized and promised to complete the mission after she patched up her injury. However, one of the scouts entered the tent and reported that Zennosuke was spotted near their camp. Matsuda eyed the young woman carefully, pondering on what to do with her. He always found her attractive and constantly asked her to be his lover but to his dismay, she always refused. This time, however, he wasn't taking no for an answer. He gave her a choice: Become his lover or die a traitor's death. Refusing to succumb to his wishes, Kotori chose to die with her dignity intact. Matsuda was furious and ordered her execution as he prepared to return to the capital with his soldiers.
Hiding behind one of the trees nearby, Zennosuke witnessed everything and finally remembered encountering the young woman a few year ago. Back when Zennosuke officially joined the army, his first task was to patrol the woods near the border of Amagi's territory. Being the arrogant and inexperienced boy that he was, he underestimated the dangers of the woods and slipped off a steep hill after losing his footing. Kotori happened to be gathering herbs that day and wandered a little too near the enemy's border by chance. She found the unconscious boy and despite knowing he was from the enemy's side, Kotori couldn't find it in herself to let him bleed to death. With her knowledge in herbalism, she treated his wounds using some of the herbs she gathered earlier. Delirious, Zennosuke opened his eyes and found himself staring a girl's face, her eyes filled with worry and compassion as she carefully bandaged his wounds. Hearing the voices of men calling out for the young boy, Kotori hastened her treatment and quickly hid before they appeared from behind the bushes.
Zennosuke snapped back to reality and realized that she was the girl who saved his life. Being the proud man that he was, he couldn't allow her to die before he could repay his debt. Before she was executed, Zennosuke intercepted the blade and disposed of the executioner. Kotori was shocked to see him but passes out due to blood loss.
Kotori woke up in an unfamiliar place, her clothes changed and her injuries carefully treated. When Zennosuke entered the room, Kotori immediately raised her guard but relaxed once she realized he had no intentions of harming her. Having repaid his debt, he coldly told her to leave once she fully healed but realizes that she would be hunted down once Matsuda caught wind of her survival. Knowing full well that she had nowhere else to go, he decided to take her under his wing. He found out that Kotori never enjoyed being on the battlefield and preferred to live a peaceful life. Thus, he permitted her to work for him as a normal servant: cleaning, doing the laundry and other menial chores. At some nights, however, Zennosuke sent her on reconnaissance missions to gather enemy intel, seeing as every inch of her former home's terrain had been ingrained in her brain from the countless times she was ordered to gather herbs and other supplies.
The two's eventual trust and support for one another naturally turned into romantic attraction as time passed by. However, due to Kotori's innocent nature, Zennosuke's bold advances often ended up with Kotori panicking and getting flustered. Because Zennosuke was used to having his way, he was exasperated each time she rejected him but tried his best to be patient and took things slow for her sake.