Seeing a dishonorable end to their duel, Tatsuya would not allow the warrior die. He got off his horse, threatening to cut down anyone who tried to kill the fallen warrior. He didn't care if it was friend or foe. Mizuchi shouldn't die like this he thought. Not this way. The underhanded tactic also seemed to upset the Jikan soldiers. They launched an all-out assault, seeking to avenge their leader. What started as a siege ended in a bloodbath. The Jikan forces forgot let go of all strategy or honor. They fought like wild animals, hacking their way through the Hibiki lines. Unfortunately for them, they ran into Lord Rai. Returning from his successful defense of the south gate, the lightning Hunter rallied the Hibiki troops forward. He swung his famed weapon as he charged across the battlefield, the sickled end leaving nothing but ash in its wake. Without Mizuchi, the Hibiki forces were routed forcing them to retreat. They ran like men terrified of a mighty dragon that was out to devour them. The siege has failed.

Meanwhile, Tatsuya tried to search for the woman who attacked Mizuchi, but by the time he looked in that direction she was already gone. Tatsuya had no choice now but to tie the fallen warrior, albeit begrudgingly. He rationalized that Mizuchi had a better chance of surviving if he was taken prisoner, rather than letting the Hibiki soldiers finish him off. As Tatsuya helped him up, Mizuchi gave a sad smile to indicate that he understood. As Tatsuya watched the soldiers take the prisoners away, he made a silent vow.

I'm going to get you out of there Mizuchi. I could use your help.

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Mizuchi sat in a cold, dark cell silent and unmoving. He was stripped of his armor, and was now wearing nothing more than rags. His hair was unkempt, and his captors did not even bother to let him cover the eye that he lost. But none of this mattered to the fallen warrior. The only thing on his mind was the woman he saw. If it was indeed his sister, then that means she is still alive. He was worried sick about what would happen to her. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of a bunch of guards approaching.

"Eat," a guard said mockingly. "And be thankful that the daimyo is being generous."

He tossed Mizuchi a loaf of moldy bread. He followed this up by splashing water at the prisoner's face; water that was supposed to be used for drinking. He would then kick Mizuchi simply for the laughs, much to the amusement of his fellow guards. Mizuchi just put up with all this humiliation, knowing that retaliating would only get him killed. He needed to be alive for his sister.

"Get the hell out of here assholes, before I kill you," a voice said from behind the guards.

"Who do you think you-" one of the guards barked, only to drop it when he realized who it was.

It was Tatsuya. He earned himself a fearsome reputation after defeating the famed Mizuchi. He had some help from some mysterious archer, sure, but many believe that was just one of the Hunter's many abilities. There were even rumors that he was stronger than Lord Rai, but that remains to be seen. Whatever the case, the guards knew better to not mess with this guy.

"Lord Taira, we didn't know-" the guards stammered, addressing Tatsuya with his new title, but Tatsuya cut him off.

"Leave us," Tatsuya said, making the guards scurry off.

When he was alone with Mizuchi, he handed the fallen warrior an eyepatch.

"Here, take this for now," Tatsuya said.

"Thanks," Mizuchi replied, taking the eyepatch and wearing it.

"I'm going to get you out of here," Tatsuya whispered. "But I need you trust me."

"I already know that you're not with them," Mizuchi smirked. "When you chose to have me captured instead of letting them kill me."

"That makes things a whole lot easier," Tatsuya said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Just wait. I'll break you out of here. We'll have you equipped in armor in no time."

"And my weapon?" Mizuchi asked.

"I hid it," Tatsuya replied. "It's all part of my plan."

"So, let's hear it," Mizuchi grinned.

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"My lord, we have successfully repelled the Jikan forces," Rai spoke, bowing before the daimyo. "The siege has been stopped."

"Indeed," said the Hibiki daimyo, stroking his beard. "Yet it was this new recruit... Kaguya was it?"

"Tatsuya my lord," Rai corrected him.

"Ah yes," the daimyo smirked. "The guy who did YOUR job for you. The one who actually defeated a Hunter."

"But my lord!" Rai protested. "Mizuchi was just a diversion! What matters was that we stopped the siege!"

"Come now Rai," Lady Himei interrupted with a teasing smile. "It's not like you to make excuses."

"Why you-" Rai cursed.

"The way I see it," Lady Himei continued. "This old mule is of no use to us now. The newly appointed Lord Taira can take his place."

Rai bowed, trying to hide his disappointment that for he received a demotion for all his efforts. But Lady Himei was not done.

"You know Rai is expendable my lord," Lady Himei said. "It would be best to get rid of him before he creates any problems."

"Are you insane?" Rai roared, but the daimyo signaled to his men to seize him.

"Like I told you before," Lady Himei smirked. "I hold your life in the palm of my hand."

"What about our child?" Rai pleaded. "I have to be there to stop him from becoming a threat!"

"Oh Rai you naive fool," Lady Himei mocked him. "I already killed him long ago. We've only been pretending all this time to take advantage of your loyalty."

Rai's mouth hung in both shock and horror. They murdered an innocent child and used him for their own wicked schemes.

"You mean you didn't know?" the daimyo laughed mockingly, adding insult to injury.

"Get him out of my sight," Lady Himei scoffed, and the daimyo gave the order to execute Rai.

"Curse you!" Rai roared as the guards dragged him away to the chopping block. "You will pay for this!"

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"That's the last of them," Tatsuya said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"I owe you one," Mizuchi said, wiping the blood off his dagger with his sleeve.

The first phase of Tatsuya's plan was to get Mizuchi out of prison. As it turned out, Tatsuya stealthily stole the guard's keys when he showed up from behind them earlier. He would order them to leave in order to give himself the opportunity to free Mizuchi. By the time the guards realized what had happened, it was already too late. The two Hunters made short work of the guards, killing them all silently before they could even raise the alarm. Now it was time for Tatsuya to reveal the second phase of his plan. Handing Mizuchi a map, he told him:

"Follow this path towards this cellar," Tatsuya said. "There you will find my associate Moya. He currently has your weapon as well as brand new armor for you."

"Nice," Mizuchi grinned. "But what about you?"

"As soon as you rendezvous with Moya, you will create a distraction to lure the Hibiki troops out," Tatsuya explained. "Amidst the confusion, I will sneak inside the palace to kill the Yako and the daimyo."

"Sound plan, but be careful," Mizuchi warned. "Do not underestimate the Yako."

"Agreed," Tatsuya smirked. "And don't worry. Moya didn't come alone. What do you think he's been doing the whole time the siege was going on?"

"Oh?" Mizuchi asked. "Who is with him?"

"A whole band of ninjas," Tatsuya smirked.