Tales from the Heart of a Dragon
Story Description: Masamune broke an important item of Rin's and she's totally pissed. It results in yet another visit to her birth village just around the same time her item had been acquired. But wait, what's this? Rin's clothes are disappearing? Who's doing this and why? At the same time, Masamune continues to meet his goal to become Rin's "first and last" but it's a bit difficult when the spotlight and all of Rin's suspicion is on him! Soon they meet the "Anti-Rin" and a fight ensues! Who will win?
Chapter One
"Masamuneeeeee!" screamed a voice. "Get back here so I can kill you, damn it!"
I laughed as I slid to a stop and quickly hopped over a stone wall, crouching behind it and shouting back, "No way! You're going to kill me!"
"Grrr!" Rin slid to a stop as she looked around the area, both fans tightly gripped in her hands. "You jerk!" she yelled again.
I snickered to myself. Provoking Rin can be so absurdly fun sometimes, but when she's totally pissed even I know to stay out of her way. I peeked over the wall to look for her but she seemed to have disappeared. I sighed, then turned around, only to meet the end of a very sharp and very lethal fan.
I held my arms in mock surrender and said ruefully, "So it looks like you found me. Man, you're good at this game. Good job." I stood up and tried taking a step forward but she pushed me back. "Oh, on the aggressive side today eh?" I grinned as she blushed. Anything I say with even the slightest bit of sexual meaning can set her off for hours and never ceases to amuse me.
"Shut up!" She gripped my collar and said, "I swear to God Masamune, if you don't give me back my underclothes this instant I will literally kill you right here and now." Huh, it seems she's more worried about her missing underwear than her actual clothes… I wonder why.
I laughed and said innocently, "But I don't have them, I told you that already. For once today I shall be proven innocent. And anyways, if you killed me 'right here and now' you'd remain a virgin for the rest of your life, you see?"
Her blush deepened even more as her grip loosened and I slipped out. I forced her to sheath her fans back into the holsters on the back of her armor (which were surprisingly close to her ass) and then held them for a second. I let my hands linger there before moving them to her waist and I smiled charmingly, "Now, now Rin, we'll get you back your clothes. First, we just gotta figure out who it was that took them, okay?"
She sighed. "So if it wasn't you, who else could it have been? I definitely know it wasn't Katakura and your men may be childish, but even they're smart enough not to mess with my things. And now that they're aware of our engagement they've definitely toned down their obnoxious behavior around me."
I shrugged, "Well, we're in the middle of nowhere, anything could have happened."
She rolled her eyes and I kissed her.
"Don't think I've forgiven you yet…" She mumbled, placing her hands on my back. I grinned.
"I know, I'll fix that too… I promise. That's what we're out here for, right?" I said, remembering the clay cat I had given her so many years ago… I'm surprised she had at least remembered the memories hidden behind it when I showed it to her.
See, it all started when I found this little clay cat in my room on one of my shelves when we got back from our most recent journey. To be honest, I had forgotten it until then but seeing it again reminded me to give it back to her, since that was another promise among the many we had made as kids.
I had gotten it on the third night of my visit to her village when I was eight and they had held a sort of annual festival. One of the artisans there was selling some clay pieces he made, one of them being a cat with one eye slightly bigger looking than the other. I kind of thought it was a little hideous, and still do, even now, but Rin had pointed it out to me and the man gave it to me to give to her, so I did. Instead of keeping it herself though, she gave it back to me and then told me to pick one. If I remember correctly, I had taken a dragon. … Even as a kid I felt a sense of familiarity with those kinds of creatures. I wonder if she still has it at home.
She said she did when I had asked her, but by the way she had glanced away for a half-second, I could tell she was unsure. Some of her habits can be so easily read it's funny.
Anyways, I'm not sure how I managed it, but somehow in the split second I was putting it back, the damn thing tottered on the edge of the shelf and fell. It cracked into two pieces with a slash from the bottom of its right cheek to its left ear and fractured in several other places too. I tried fixing it but it was definitely broken.
I thought Rin was going to kill me, she looked so mad. I had gulped nervously, preparing myself for an onslaught of attacks but she only stared at it sadly. Even though she had forgotten it until then, the sight of it made her remember and grow re-attached to it quickly. I always hate seeing her in a negative mood, not only because it affects everyone around her but because she looks best with a smile, so I promised I'd get it fixed… Somehow.
It resulted in yet another visit to her village, where the old clay maker should be for the next festival. I guess it's about that time of year again, so away we went with just me, Rin, Kojuro, and about ten other guys from our crew. Small group, huh?
It was during this time of travel that Rin's clothes started disappearing. First a shirt, then her extra set of armor, then her pants… And finally her underclothes.
I swear, this time it really wasn't me though! I keep telling that to Rin but she seems to have a hard time believing it… I guess that's somewhat fair though since out of anyone I'd be the most likely suspect, but still… I'd rather have underwear with her in it than by itself… I laughed to myself then as I thought something perverted and she eyed me warily.
I cleared my throat and tried clearing my mind as well but to no avail. Even though we've been married for… How long? Oh shit, I've already forgotten… Well, for at least a few months, she still won't surrender her body to me and so she's still sensitive about any sexual references.
Maybe that's understandable though… We still haven't gone through the official ceremony, so technically, we aren't really a married couple but I've been treating things like we have, so shouldn't that be enough for her?
Who needs ceremonies anyways?
We could have a party with just each other and pronounce ourselves married on our own, but Rin has insisted that it 'doesn't count' until we actually have the damned thing done… If only that stupid battle hadn't interrupted us… See, if that hadn't happened it wouldn't have led to a chain of fucking nuisances getting in the way.
It's like life totally hates us or something. The only good thing about it is that Rin knows that I'm serious about marrying her, so she's become much more lenient to my touching now. Because of that I can only assume that she doesn't mind that we aren't officially married yet. But she still won't sleep with me. Or… She sleeps with me physically but we haven't had sex yet, sadly.
I must say, I'm pretty bummed about that. How else am I supposed to show her my devotion if I can't through physical intimacy? She knows I'm not one to do so through words… I mean, she knows I love her, even though I never say it as often as she does, but I want to actually show her.
Thinking about it brought another dirty daydream to mind and I shook my head.
Rin would definitely not be amused if she knew what I imagined us doing before I went to sleep every night.
I shook my head again and she asked, "Is something the matter?"
I grinned sheepishly, "Nope… Just trying to clear my head from my daydreams." I refrained from moving my hands anywhere lower than where they were by holding her waist tighter.
She stared at me suspiciously, no doubt guessing what was on my mind already, and she laughed in a defeated sort of way, "You, my Young Daimyo, have got to be the most perverted young man in all of Oshu. You know that, right?"
"Well, I'm not called 'Number One' for nothing," I replied breezily. She laughed and I smiled as I lay my forehead on top of hers. Black eyes looked back at me innocently.
"Don't worry Rin, I'll fix your cat and we'll find your things… I promise."
"I know you will," this time she was the one who kissed me. A rare occurrence meant to be cherished and something she knew would motivate me to do what she wanted. She can be quite the vixen when she wants to be…
Ahh, it's good to be in love.
The next morning we continued our journey to Rin's home village. It's pretty far west and if you don't navigate with pinpoint precision you'd miss it entirely.
Good thing Kojuro can navigate well or else we'd be damned screwed. I mean, this village is so far in the middle of nowhere even Rin has trouble locating it (which is mainly the reason she's never gone back home for a visit, she confided to me. Apparently she had tried once and then had to wait for over a week before her group of mercenaries could track her down).
Talk about secluded, if your own villagers can't find you.
It must have been difficult for my father to map its location and add it under our reign when we had gone. It's a good thing we didn't even need to use force, as it would have been difficult to send reinforcements. Luckily they had given themselves up pretty willingly, probably since they're so isolated from society.
They're lucky they were able to escape the war for so long though… I'm surprised that they so willingly joined in. Maybe it was out of boredom, who knows? I just don't think that if it had been my decision, I'd choose the same choice. I'd probably have wanted to stay out of it…
As we get closer and closer to where Rin's village lays, I get a little more fidgety. I've never met Rin's parents, unlike her who's heard all the news about mine, and even though I won't be facing her father, her mother seems pretty difficult.
Yeah, I know… I was supposed to meet her mother the last time we came around, to get her approval of the marriage and everything, but in the end, I wasn't able to because of the events that had happened.
Oh, has Rin not explained them to you yet? My mistake, I guess you'll just have to wait and find out some other time. At any rate, even though she got her mother's approval, I never got a face-to-face/one-on-one meeting which is, in a way lucky for me, but still not really right. Er... Wait, no... I'm getting things mixed up.
I did meet her mother but it was a little hard to believe it was really her. And I never got to actually talk to her, only watch her practically kill my lady from the sidelines. Er... Never mind, it's obvious that this is way too difficult for me to explain, you'll have to ask Rin or something.
Ah, I'm getting off topic again. Anyways, from what Rin's told me about her parents, her father, Minoru 'Kazehaya' (as people called him), was a big man.
As in, big.
No, seriously. BIG. He was somewhere over six feet tall and worked as one of those guys who spin around with freaking ship masts as weapons. He worked pretty much all the construction jobs before he had left for the war, so that's how he got the muscle, but I'm wondering how he grew so tall.
Although I would never say it to her, I'm kind of glad I won't ever have to meet Rin's dad. He sounds, ah… Intimidating.
But Rin insists he was a gentle guy by nature. His parents died during a raid on his home village when he was a kid, but he was a caring father. Always looked out for his kids and always put his family before his own needs. People all over town came to him for advice or help, and he would, no matter what time of day, come rushing to their aid.
Err… I'm still glad I won't have to meet him in person.
As for her mother, Usagami Ayaka, her parents had disowned her when she fell in love with the wandering mercenary, Kazehaya. As I said, the two fell in love but her parents wouldn't allow a marriage so the two eloped.
She hasn't made any contact with them since, from what I've heard.
Even after the abandonment of her parents, Kazehaya Ayaka stood firm and wouldn't allow it to interfere with her life as a parent, so she showed her children all the love her parents had failed to show her. Together, Kazehaya Minoru and Kazehaya Ayaka had three kids.
Kazehaya Kaito bwas the first and then Rin came, four years later. Hotaru is the youngest of the three, when Rin turned six. Their parents were kind and supportive, so they grew up well. Then, when Rin was seven, my father and I came around to add their village to our territory.
We had fun and got close to each other. I knew we were both disappointed when I had to leave (due to my stupid mother's sickness, which turned out to only be an extreme case of the flu). Or, well, maybe disappointed is the wrong word… More like heart-broken.
I got so depressed after we got back home, just to find out my mother would be fine. I always asked my father when we'd be able to return, but too many politics came up and we never found the time.
Anyways, back to Rin's parents.
Rin's dad didn't join the army right away though, so he didn't come home with us but he joined about four years later, when I turned twelve… And ultimately disappeared.
I'm not really sure what happened, to be honest. He just disappeared. I had tried keeping him under close eye because I recognized who he was, even from afar yet the moment I took my eye off, he was gone without a trace.
We never found a body.
Ever since the news of her husband's 'death' Rin's mother started changing… She started drinking more and her whole personality began ebbing away. It's probably the reason why Rin is so firm against drinking alcohol, so I guess I can't really blame her when we go to taverns and she only wants water.
Her mother fell into a deep state of depression, also thought of as suicidal at the time. So, even though he was only fifteen, Kaito took his two younger sisters to live in an abandoned home on the other side of the village.
He worked hard to take care of his remaining family, including his mother, but in the end he decided the only way to really help them was to end the war. Five years after they had moved into the home on the other side of town, he left to join the army. He never told his family what he was about to do, so they were left guessing he just got tired of taking care of his sisters, and left. Everyone doubted him, but I knew his true intentions were good.
He actually worked under my command during his time fighting. I had always wanted to talk to him, to get news on Rin, but somehow I never found the chance and like his father, he too, simply disappeared from right under my nose.
I went out to battle every day after I turned fourteen, but no matter how many campaigns I went on, I never forgot Rin. Her brother and father joining were only reminders to me that I still had to find her again. True, I had to do something to keep my male instincts happy, but I never stopped thinking of her.
By then, I had lost my father's account book and was never able to recover it (until recently) so it totally shot my chances out of the sky of seeing her again, but six years later, when I turned twenty-two, I found her again.
Right away, I knew it was her.
Kazehaya Rin was back in my life, now known as the "Crimson Shinigami" and I had hoped she would join under my army as soon as she saw me and recognized me, but alas, my fair and slightly scatterbrained lady had forgotten all about my visit from when we were kids. I was forced to put on a stranger sort of air around her and start all over again.
Even though she thought I was a total jerk (which, I guess I was sometimes…) she began liking me more and started getting used to me again. Good thing it worked out alright, in the end… Though we had several close calls when came close to killing me and I may have almost really hurt her. It pained me not to tell her who she was to me, but at the time I thought she simply chose not to remember, and had left it at that.
That one night we fought her brother was the only time I thought I had the chance to ask if she truly knew me or not. And from there… Well… You know the rest.
In the end, it all worked out... We're (pretty much) married and I'm getting closer to my goal of being her first and last~ Ah ha, there I go again with my perverted plans.
I looked into the distance and thought I could see the outlines of a village, but from this far away I was probably wrong. Though we were getting close to it, so I maybe it really was it...
We'd be getting to Rin's home soon.
And then I could get that stupid cat fixed.
We were on the edge of the village by sunset and I've gotta say that I've never seen Rin look so unhappy. You'd think she'd be ecstatic to be home again, but I mean, she looks even unhappier now than she did when we first came to get her mother's approval… Hm…
I reached out and grabbed the reigns of her horse, and pulled it to a stop along with mine before we could go any further. I signaled to Kojuro to tell him to keep moving. We didn't have much farther to go before the villagers saw us, so he continued leading the guys before they could swarm.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" I asked, turning to Rin.
She looked at me hesitantly before replying, "Of course I do. That cat meant everything to me, and if it's broken I want it fixed…" She looked away as she contemplated her words.
I laughed, "I wasn't talking about the cat. This visit should be more than just for one little thing like a trinket… Are you sure nothing else is bothering you?"
"Well… She looked away. "I guess I'm more worried about my sister… It's been a while and she should be almost complete with her pregnancy by now…"
"Is that what's bothering you?" She nodded her head slightly and I smiled. "You shouldn't worry so much."
"I'm sorry Masamune…" She whispered suddenly. "I'm just… It's a little embarrassing to see your seventeen-year-old sister pregnant already and I feel like I'm being pressured by her to do the same…"
I leaned over to kiss her on the temple and said, "Don't worry Rin… I'll wait for you for as long as you want. You don't need to rush yourself or feel the need go out of your way to make me happy… I'll wait."
That got a smile out of her, and she hugged me over the small gap between us. I kept our horses steady and she whispered, "Masamune… I love you!"
I grinned and said, "Though, if you really feel so bad maybe we could just go a little further tonight?~"
She pulled away as a blush appeared on her cheeks, like I knew it would and she stammered, "W-well… Maybe…"
I eyed her and her blush turned darker. I laughed then, not completely believing her (but wanting to), "Whatever you say Rin." We continued on again.
As soon as we dismounted the crowd of people that had been around Kojuro and the other guys swarmed around us and we were instantly overwhelmed with everyone's excitement.
"Look everyone, come look!" "Masamune-Sama is back!" "Rin-chan is here!" "The couple of Oshu are here!" Various cries of joy and laughter erupted and I joined in, "Glad to see you all again." I looked over at Rin and she finally smiled.
"Alright everyone, out of the way, go on, move," called a calm voice.
"Come on guys, Pregnant Lady here who wants to see her sister!" The crowd parted as two people walked toward us. One was a man in his twenties, wearing simple farming clothes and carrying some sort of farming tool. Asaoka. Hotaru's now faithful husband and the one guy Rin hated most in the world.
The other was Rin's younger sister, sixteen until recently, married… And definitely pregnant. Her stomach looks about three times as big as it was last time. Yep, she was definitely near her time and I could see why Rin felt so overshadowed by her…
She instantly grabbed her sister in a choking hug. "Rin! I can't believe you've come, it's been so long!"
Even though Hotaru couldn't see it, I could as Rin smiled awkwardly as she lied, "Hotaru… Yeah, I… Um… Remembered about the festival this year and wanted to come see it again. It's been years since I've been able to attend, and I missed it."
"I know right? You've missed it now for four years straight! Remember? The first year was the one year I got sick and you had to stay home to take care of me, and the other year you missed it because you had broken your leg. Then you missed it because you left the village… It's great that you remembered to come! I'm so happy!" she smiled brightly as she pulled back and this time Rin smiled genuinely.
Hotaru turned to me and said, "Masamune-kun, it's good to see you too. Have you been taking care of my sister well?"
Oh boy… With the way Hotaru talks to Rin, sometimes you'd think she were the older sister, and I'm not always prepared to answer her right away. Her arrow-sharp directness is scary enough to make any person nervous. Like her sister, Hotaru is definitely not a lady to tick off."Course I am, though you'd really have to ask Rin."
I answered but by then she wasn't listening because she had suddenly turned to Kojuro.
"And it's good to see you too… Katakura-San…" She smiled as she looked down, and I thought she looked like she was blushing. Kojuro smiled and subtly dipped his head in response.
This is new.
I've never known Kojuro to actually acknowledge a girl, let alone a pregnant and married one… I wonder what's going on with him…
I was broken out of my thoughts when Rin nudged me. I looked at her and she said to her sister, "I think now that I'm with Masamune, it's alright if I stay with him and Kojuro, right?"
Hotaru looked slightly less happy when she said, "Of course! I mean, you two are married now, so it'll be fine. You won't have to stay over with mom again. Or you could stay over with Asaoka and me if you really wanted, though we're a bit crowded."
Rin smiled, "Ah, no, I think I'd rather stay with my husband."
She didn't mention that we weren't married yet. I looked at her oddly but she threw me a quick glare to make sure I didn't say anything.
Not like I would.
If she acknowledged us as a married couple already, that's fine with me, I just wonder why she did all of a sudden.
She threw me another look to say, 'Though it's still not official so don't think you've gotten away with it yet!' I sighed, typical Rin.
She squeezed my hand then for reassurance and I smiled.
I forgive her.
We went to sleep as usual that night in the little home Rin lived in as a kid with her brother and sister. I wore my usual blue hakama and Rin wore some sort of black shorts with a happi. She really should get into wearing more feminine clothes… Like a kimono or something.
I mean, even Oda Nobunaga's wife Nouhime had the sense to wear a kimono, even on the battlefield. Shouldn't Rin as well by now? I usually tease her about her sense of clothing style, but tonight I decided not to, it looked like her mind was on other things…
"Still worried about your sister?" I finally asked.
She looked at me for a second before walking over and saying, "Just a bit…" She grabbed her comb and started pulling it through her hair, which was down at the moment.
As she had once said before, the only time she ever kept it out of its usual ponytail was when she went to sleep and it never stops enchanting me. When it was up, it only reaches to just above mid-back, but when she kept it down it was slightly longer.
Another habit I noticed she did, now that she's more open with me, is that she brushes her hair repeatedly and almost obsessively when she's thinking at night, before she goes to sleep.
I reached out to feel her hair, which was as smooth and silky as ever, and she said distractedly, "Hm… She really has grown up… Maybe she was right when she insisted she isn't a child anymore."
I shrugged, "Some people just seem to mature more quickly than others…"
She shook her head as she placed the comb back down and got under the covers. I grinned inwardly as I lay down as well.
She's gotten a lot calmer and more comfortable with sleeping in the same bed as me since the first time we did it, but at the same time she's still somewhat prone to spazzing if I got too close. She slept on her right shoulder to face me and I propped my head on my left arm.
"Hm… So you said something about going a little further tonight?" I asked teasingly.
She blushed and said, "I guess I did…"
I looked at her. … So she was serious then? God really does exist. "That's surprising." I said. Hm… I looked at her, wondering what to do and she looked away.
"Don't stare at me like that… It's making me feel awkward…"
I laughed. "Well then… How about we start with this?..."
It seemed like only moments later when we heard a sudden crash. I shot up and glanced at Rin who was looking back at me. A robbery? I threw off the covers and grabbed one of my katana as she took her knife and together we crept down the hall of the tiny house. Kojuro met us half way and we nodded conspiratorially, so he heard it too.
We continued on, all three of us.
The house we were given wasn't too big, but there were definitely enough hiding spots for one who was looking for it. There are six rooms total.
The room Rin and I sleep in was the one she had shared with Hotaru all those years back. The one Kojuro sleeps in was her brother's. The other rooms were the tiny wash room, kitchen, living room, and an extra room used for storing items.
We split up at the end of the hall. Rin walked silently towards the living room and kitchen and Kojuro and I split up the other two rooms.
I checked the storage room carefully. It has been months since Kojuro and I last slept here and we hadn't touched any of the house's belongings, so everything looked untouched and since Hotaru had done some recent organizing the place was fairly easy to look through.
Nope, nothing.
I met Kojuro back in the hall and he shook his head.
So he had nothing either? That just left Rin and-
We heard a sudden bang and started running towards where Rin was. "Rin!" I yelled. I slid to a stop as I faced the kitchen. Rin had been thrown into the wall and she struck out again with her knife, aiming for what seemed to be another woman who dodged easily. Wait, was that woman wearing Rin's clothes?
I started moving forward but Rin yelled, "Stay out of this!"
She clashed knives with her opponent and they glared at each other. Now that they were right next to each other I could see better.
There were two Rins.
No, literally, her opponent looked exactly like my Rin. I'm not even sure there really was a difference. In the little light there was I could see that even though she was wearing Rin's clothes, it seemed that she had added little changes to it but still looked similar to what Rin usually wore.
"Oops," chirped the 'other Rin'. "It looks like I was caught." She grinned and the pressure between the two knives increased. The sound of steel grated against each other and Rin grimaced.
"Who the hell are you?" Rin asked through clenched teeth. "And what do you want?"
The other one smiled and said, "You can call me 'Lyn' or maybe the 'Anti-Rin' would be better suited~" she giggled and Rin scowled. "And I want you dead!" She threw her leg up suddenly and kicked a chair at Rin.
Rin jumped back and sliced it in half (another typical Rin thing to do) and the other Rin, or really I guess, Lyn, edged toward the door. Now that she was in the moonlight I could see that even though her hair was in the same style as Rin's, it was differently colored. Her hair was brown instead of black. She laughed a little maniacally then, crashing through the screen door and calling back, "Race you to our special hiding place!"
Rin ran towards the opening and I called out, "Rin, wait!"
She didn't turn back as she shouted, "I'll be right back!" and she was gone in a second.
Kojuro and I stood quietly for a moment and Kojuro asked, "So, I suppose we'll be following them?"
"Hell yeah, we are."
By 'our special hiding place' I could only guess that Lyn had meant the little forest past the abandoned village, so that's where I led Kojuro. I'm glad I thought of it, because that's where we found them. It was just a small forest area Rin had taken me to when we were kids. Further in, there was a giant tree and beside it was a sapling Rin had planted.
The two were clashing knives and from where we were it looked like a dance. They struck, blocked and counterattacked at a merciless speed and I marveled at the scene.
I knew Rin could handle her knife well, but I had never seen her fight so seriously with it. She usually fought with her fans, so it was a surprise to see her without them for once.
"Should we go help, Masamune-Sama?" Kojuro asked.
It seemed as if the other two hadn't noticed us yet so I shook my head. "Let's just wait and see what happens… I'm interested to see how Rin will handle this." He nodded in agreement and we hid ourselves behind a bush.
We watched them fight some more and then they broke apart again.
Lyn jumped backwards and perched herself on the branch of the tree. Rin scowled, "Inhuman speed… Amazing strength and agility… I know you… You are-"
Lyn jumped down quickly and started running at Rin, jumping again and attacking while upside down. Rin blocked and the blades grated against each other. Lyn landed behind her and Rin whipped around as Lyn began running further into the forest.
"Damn it!" Rin muttered as she started running after. Kojuro and I followed soundlessly behind.
Rin was still running when Lyn suddenly launched herself forward again, attacking Rin and forcing her to stop and parry the sudden ball of energy that pushed against her. Lyn slashed down and Rin counterattacked as Lyn jumped backwards again.
Lyn paused in a crouch as a bit of blood spurted from a cut on her cheek. She licked the blood and said, "Oh dear," then laughed maniacally and attacked again.
She threw her knife forward and Rin deflected it, attempting to grab Lyn. Lyn broke away but tried to throw in a punch. Rin's knife cut her arm and she ducked, then attempted kicking Rin's feet. Rin moved away, striking out but missing and Lyn threw both feet at Rin's face. She blocked it and Lyn jumped away with her abnormal agility and landed behind Rin again.
Rin struck behind her and then chased after Lyn as Lyn started running backwards. They continued their exchange of attacks, counterattacks, and parries. They paused, observing each other for half a second like snakes and Lyn struck out again.
Rin brushed the attack away by striking to the side and punched Lyn, and Lyn recoiled before striking up. Rin clashed again, and this time struck out but Lyn blocked and they ended up on opposite sides. Rin moved forward and Lyn attempted hitting her in the stomach but Rin quickly pushed her to the side. Rin threw up her foot and finally Lyn pulled away, landing safely in the branches of another tree.
"Ehhh? That's strange… Is that really the best you can do?" Lyn giggled as she licked a wound on her hand. She fell off her perch and quickly launched another attack at Rin. Rin blocked but she grimaced this time and Lyn spun away giggling again.
She shook her hand a bit before running after Lyn again. She jumped backwards as Lyn tried her hurling attack and they spun around each other a few times, knives darting from each side. Lyn struck out but Rin managed to elbow her arm away and quickly held her knife just below Lyn's throat. Lyn gulped.
"Tch," Rin said to herself annoyed. She quickly spun around and kicked Lyn on the side and she landed in a face plant not too far away. Rin straightened up as Lyn rolled a few times before stopping.
"Why?" Lyn asked suddenly, starting to push herself up slowly. "Why won't you… Fight me seriously?"
Rin stiffened.
"I've waited all these years… Like you told me to. I practiced and practiced. I did everything. I even became just like you and you still won't fight me seriously…"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Rin said bluntly. Lyn swayed as she got up. She ran towards Rin and I was about to step out but Kojuro stopped me. Lyn didn't attack again though (as Kojuro anticipated), she only stopped to peer into Rin's face.
"Oh Rin-Chan," Lyn said. "Do you really not remember me?"
Rin glared back but suddenly she seemed to recognize the other girl. "Don't tell me… Yu Ming? What the hell did you do to yourself?"
"I became like you~" Yu said.
"Yu Ming…" I murmured. "Kojuro, isn't that a Chinese name?" He nodded and I wondered, What the hell is a Chinese girl doing this far out in Japan?
"Hmph, so you grew a pair of boobs? That's pretty impressive for a guy to do." She smirked and Yu only smiled wider.
"That's a guy?" I said, almost a little too loudly. Kojuro shook his head to quiet me and I looked back, was that really a guy?
"Anything to become like you Rin-Chan, and I go by the name 'Lyn' now, for your information."
Rin nodded, "I can see… Because it looks like the old Yu Ming is totally dead!" She struck out and Lyn back flipped away.
"Oh... You aren't happy to see me? That's disappointing…" she mocked disappointment and Rin grit her teeth.
"What are you saying?" Rin yelled back, running towards her (or… Him?) and striking out, "I've been just dying to kill you again!"
They went through another series of knife attacks with each one faster than the last and I could hardly keep up. "I have worked so hard to meet your standards Rin-Chan!" Lyn yelled and Rin snorted.
"Well, you'll have to work even harder because at this rate, you'll never meet them!"
Lyn sniffed loudly, "How cruel!" She looked up and I did as well. I hadn't noticed how late it was, the sun was already rising in the east, had we been out so long? As her attention was on the sky, Rin took the moment to try and stab Lyn.
Lyn quickly broke out of her trance in time to catch the blade only centimeters away from her heart by using the blade as a shield. Lyn said, "Oh dear… It looks like time's slipped away again." She started jumping away from branch to branch and shouted, "Let's catch up again some other time Rin-Chan!"
The wind blew and Rin stood by herself watching Lyn's figure grow smaller and smaller. "I just bet we will…" She muttered.
Finally Kojuro stood up and he nodded to me. I nodded back and started walking towards her, "Rin," I called.
She turned to look at me, obviously surprised. "Masamune, you're here?"
"So you really didn't notice us?"
"Oh… So you had been watching…" she turned away, looking almost ashamed now.
"Of course." I held her by the shoulders and asked, "Rin, who the hell was that?"
She sighed as she said, "… An old friend. One that I thought I had killed."
"Huh?" I looked at her but she still wouldn't return my gaze.
"Yuu Ming… He's someone who used to train under my teacher with me. I had been so sure he had died the last time I saw him…"
"What happened?"
"Well… You know I had been taught by Kanon-sama when I first started out as a mercenary. Yuu had been her original apprentice, but she had decided to take me in as well when she found me. She seemed impressed with my skills and I seemed to have done better than Yuu… On my final day of training, she gave me the knife I use now… She said it had been my father's and I knew she had often used it as well, so she said it would be like a gift from both her and him.
"Naturally Yuu wanted it too though. Giving your pupil the tool you use most frequently is a sign that one has completed their training and no longer needs a teacher. He was so kind until he found out what Kanon-sama had done and we fought. He has attacked me several times in the past. At first I only tried wounding him and I allowed him to escape every time, but as the attacks became more frequent it got more serious and he more crazed.
"I ended up stabbing him in the chest the last time I saw him, which led me to believe he had died but… Obviously he hadn't." She finally turned to me and wrapped her arms under my mine, pressing herself close to me. "Oh Masamune… I killed him! I knew I had and yet… Here he is, and he's copying me now! The wound I gave him had to be fatal, and yet he survived."
I held her tightly as she started crying. "Rin…" I didn't know what to say. What could I do? This guy seems like a total maniac and even I had a hard time telling him apart from Rin. I held her even tighter. "Come on Rin… Let's just go to sleep now… It's dawn and I'm dead tired. As you should be, so let's go, okay?"
She nodded tiredly as I lead her back to the house with Kojuro leading the way. When we got back, Kojuro wrapped a bandage around her hand. So she had been hurt... I thought gloomily. I reflected on the night's events and the incredible knife fight I just saw.
I guess I don't know my 'wife' as well as I had thought.
We slept until well past the afternoon.
I don't know how he did it, but Kojuro managed to wake up at his usual time and then woke us up late in the afternoon. He's just amazing that way, I guess.
I woke up somewhat groggily, hesitant about waking up at all but with I sigh I managed to make it. Rin was already gone, probably out with her sister so I left on my own and wandered the village. The village has quite a few people, even without the men who went out to war, so I wasn't lonely… Not really anyways.
Some kids played ball and they threw it at me. I caught it and threw it back.
Well, if I can't find Rin, I might as well do something.
It made me think of my own childhood. I'd never had the chance to play with boys my age then, mostly because of my status but also due to my mother. She was always ashamed of me and never wanted me starting relationships. I had my brother, but then after I lost my right eye she started favoring him, a rift formed between us and it was never quite the same.
I hung around with them for a while until I heard Rin's voice approaching me.
"Sorry, Hotaru… I… Just worry is all."
"Well don't," came Hotaru's slightly annoyed voice. "If you do, you're gonna get wrinkles you know."
Rin laughed, "That's the farthest thing from my mind right now." She sighed and then Hotaru laughed.
"Well isn't this cute?" I turned around to see Rin smirking and Hotaru trying not to laugh.
"Who knew the One-Eyed Dragon had a thing for kids?" Rin asked, laughing. I shrugged and she hugged me and asked sweetly, "How are you, Sleepy Head?"
I laughed, "Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?" She shrugged so I said, "Well other than a little sleep deprived, I'm fine."
"Sleep deprived, you?" She asked sarcastically. "You got over nine hours of sleep."
I shrugged, "Dragons need more sleep than Shinigami." She laughed so I kissed her.
Hotaru sighed, "Come on you two, there are kids here." She laughed and Rin blushed as she pulled away.
"Sorry…" She mumbled and Hotaru laughed again. I held Rin around the waist.
"Anyways, want to help with the festival preparations? We're a little short on hands because of these munchkins." She winked at some of the kids and they laughed.
"That's right," Rin said. "Are these kids new? I know I've only been gone for two years but I feel like I don't know any of them."
Hotaru nodded, "We got a lot of new kids around now." She started pointing them out and each one greeted Rin cheerfully.
Rin smiled at them all, "They're so cute~ They remind me of Itsuki."
I smiled and Hotaru asked, "Oh? You have a child now? But you've been married for less than a year." She smiled knowingly at Rin and Rin turned a dark red.
"N-no, Itsuki's not mine. She's the general up north and I kind of treat her like a daughter." She waved her hands wildly, "B-but she's not mine, really! And anyways, she's 12-years-old so...!"
Hotaru shook her head, "Honestly Rin, you shouldn't get so embarrassed about it. I mean, that's what women are for right?"
I laughed, "You got that right." Rin glared at me and I smiled back innocently.
She sighed, "Do you want my help with the festival preparations or are you two just gonna harass me?"
"I'm not sure," I said in mock contemplation. "I quite like harassing you."
She stuck her tongue out at me and mumbled gloomily, "Well I know you do."
Hotaru laughed, "Come on, I'll give you both jobs. Katakura-San has already been busy all day unlike you two lazy bums."
I groaned, "What, me too?"
"Sure, you may be the Daimyo of Oshu but you're also the husband of a village girl. Prepare to be subjected to physical labor at our every whim."
I laughed, "I guess marriage is a double-edged sword then. Alright, let's go."
"Wow, this is great!" I yelled a few days later. To be honest, I had forgotten how well Rin's village did festivals. All the villagers were totally into it and pretty much everything was being sold. Everything. I have no idea how they manage to get a hold of half the things they do, and yet they do. Maybe merchants from their village return just in time for this and that's how everything works. I know that this village gets its fame from the silk they farm, but it's just so in the middle of nowhere, it's hard to imagine many people coming.
I looked inside the bag where Rin had carefully placed the pieces of her clay cat to make sure it was okay. Alright, seems fine. I looked up and leaned on the wall of the house with Koujuro, still waiting for Hotaru to finish helping Rin.
She was putting on her yukata and she had (quite forcefully) made me leave beforehand. I tried refusing but she was adamant and finally threatened to throw her fan at me. I wonder how much longer it'll be before I actually get to see her undressed.
I laughed to myself, glad that Rin wasn't around to hit me or anything and Kojuro looked at me oddly. I cleared my throat and smiled innocently.
Finally the door behind us opened and Rin stepped out.
"Wow," Was all I could say. Her yukata by itself was plain. Black with a small smattering of sakura on the bottom and sleeves, but with Rin it looked pretty nice.
Hotaru had somehow managed to convince Rin to keep her hair down, but she had a sort of half-ponytail pinned into a bun by a large hair clip to the side. Not only that, but Hotaru had also somehow forced Rin to put on more make-up than usual, and it made her look more lively today.
I had to admire her sister a bit more for that tonight. I'll have to find out her methods…
Rin blushed, "What? Is something on my face? You keep staring…"
I grinned, "You look fine. Today really must be a special occasion for you to get so dolled up." I offered my arm and she took it and I turned to Hotaru who had wandered near Kojuro. "Heh? Where's your husband?" I asked.
She smiled, "He's sick with the flu and couldn't make it… But he said he wanted me to get him some stuff and wouldn't let me take care of him." She nodded her head and I shrugged.
Okay, then.
We wandered around for a while, and at some point, I'm not sure how (laugh, I totally didn't have anything to do with it), but we lost Kojuro and Hotaru. Rin worried for a bit but I managed to finally take her mind off it later… She found the clay artist she wanted and as they talked I wandered to another booth.
I looked at the table, not really expecting anything of interest, when something red caught my eye. Was that… What I thought it was? I picked up the little red string and grinned mischievously. Yup, it's exactly what I thought it was. I bought it quickly before Rin could see it and asked when I rejoined her, "Anywhere else you want to go? I think we've pretty much seen everything. For a small town, you guys sure know how to party."
She smiled. "Yes… I had forgotten how hard everyone worked to do this… But…" She pointed to the opposite end of town. "Let's go that way."
"Huh?" The opposite end of town? But there shouldn't be anything over there, not any booths anyways. Everyone always hangs out here, so why does she want to go there?
I asked, "Sure, but why?"
"You'll see." She grabbed my hand so I followed her.
I was surprised when she led me to the abandoned village.
"Here?" I asked, smiling. It would be the perfect place to use the merchandise I just bought…
She shook her head as she kept leading me. Even farther from here? Huh… The farther the better I guess… I smiled, glad Rin wasn't watching me.
We finally stopped at the heart of the forest.
The place where I first promised to marry her.
She stopped and smiled, "Here we are."
"Ahh, I see." We were here in the forest the other night, but we didn't get this far in, even with the chase of Lyn, so I was surprised. It hadn't changed a bit in the years I was gone.
Rin tugged on my hand and pointed at a tiny sakura tree.
"Was that… The tree you planted?" I asked, amazed at how big it had gotten.
She nodded, "Sixteen years… It's been sixteen years since I planted it."
"Huh." The sakura tree had grown tall. It was taller than me even, though it still looked as if it hadn't bloomed yet. That's weird… "How come it hasn't bloomed yet?" I asked.
She shrugged. "It's still young, I guess… I don't really know a lot about planting… Maybe Kojuro would know why."
"Hm…" Looking at the tree reminded me of when we were kids. I was a sensitive kid then, not quite used to brash behavior or such. Rin was exactly that. I was reminded of all the times she'd (forcibly) take me somewhere and then teased me in some shape or form. When I got embarrassed, she'd only increase it by kissing me on the cheek or any other innocent physical touch to deepen my discomfort. Well, sixteen years later and the roles have switched. It's my turn to discomfort her in any way possible. Time for payback. I started, "Hey Rin."
"Yes?" she continued admiring her tree innocently, unaware of what devious act I was up to.
"Is it true that you girls don't wear any underwear when you wear yukata?" She blushed furiously as I grinned.
"... M-maybe… Why?" Huh, I wasn't actually expecting an answer.
"Just wondering." I pulled out the red ribbon I had bought earlier and she looked at it blankly. "Do you know what this is?" She shook her head and I smiled as I walked closer to her. I took her hand and tied the end of the string around her pinky, then proceeded to tie the other on mine.
She looked at me oddly then, probably wondering why I had. I held my pinky for her to see and she looked at hers. Without doing anything our palms were pressed against each other and I made sure the ribbon was secure.
"There's an old tradition in the cities that recently got popular and I guess it's now spread around here, seeing that this string was being sold. It's called the Red Thread of Fate, kind of similar to a Chinese legend, though this one is more fun for couples.
The legend is that if a couple ties their pinkies together and manage to keep the string from breaking while having intercourse, their fate will be tied together and they'll stay with each other for the rest of their lives~" I grinned as her face heated up considerably.
"M-Masamune! You can't be serious." I shrugged and pulled her close as she tried tugging away.
"Careful," I said. "If the string breaks, our fates will be broken and we'll never be together."
Her face remained red as she said, "You can't honestly believe in this, can you? You aren't superstitious…"
"No, you're right, I don't really believe anything like that could happen but… It's the idea that sounds the most fun."
I smiled and she said, "What happened to waiting for me to prepare myself?" I shrugged.
"You seemed to need a push in that direction… But…" I sighed. "You're right. I said I would wait." I made a move to pull away but she grabbed me back.
"Wait… I…" I looked back at her. She hesitated, her face reddening every second, "Masamune… I…"
"Yes?"
She looked at me seriously before saying, "You're right… It's not fair to you that I haven't done anything to prepare myself for you but… It's just… I'm… Afraid." She whispered. "I haven't made a move or anything yet because I wouldn't know what to do or how to make you happy…"
She looked away but made her look back at me. "Rin… It's okay. I shouldn't force you like that but… You won't have to worry about it. I'll show you what to do anyways… So with that in mind… Don't worry. Like I said. I'll wait for you."
She smiled as she kissed me and I held her. We stood like that for a while until the fireworks went off. I looked up, "Fireworks?"
She smiled, "Mm… Aren't they amazing? I dragged you out here because they're best seen from this distance."
I laughed, "You really like them, huh?"
She nodded then looked back at our entwined fingers. "Masamune… How are we going to get this off? If we break it, our fates will be broken apart."
I laughed in surprise again, "I thought you weren't superstitious either."
"I'm not but… The general idea of the Red Thread of Fate is… Lovely…"
She smiled faintly so I said, "Here." I slipped my pinky out of the thread easily and she stared at me.
"What? It was that easy to get out?"
"Of course. I had a feeling you'd want to back out at last minute." I stuck out my tongue and she sighed.
"I'm sorry I always doubt you…" I shrugged as I took it off her finger and then pocketed the thread. I looked up again at the fireworks. "The festival… Was great Rin."
"Even though I wouldn't let you…?" She asked, trailing off.
I smiled. "Even though you wouldn't let me become your first." I held her but she quickly pushed me out of the way as a shape dove in between us and jumped back to safety in a tree. I caught myself before I fell and looked up.
"You again?" Rin yelled.
The figure giggled in response and I shook my head. "Honestly Rin, you have some of the craziest fan boys."
"Does that include you?" She asked.
I laughed, "Course it does."
"Hm…" I looked at her. She was already holding out her knife (when did she even get it out?) and glared at the trees where Lyn sat calmly.
"Go on." I said simply.
"Huh?"
"Go kill him… If that's what you want."
"But… Masamune, what about-?"
"Forget me for a sec, you have some unfinished business with him, right? I'll be right behind you." She nodded one last time, smiling.
"I'll be quick," she promised. She quickly kissed me on the cheek as she followed Lyn who had just decided to start running off again and I nodded my head.
Why did she seem so hesitant this time?
In the end, Rin never finished what she wanted…
Looking back on it now, I suppose I should be happy but…
Rin and Lyn had fought again… Lyn continually using the same assault attacks where she forces all her weight on Rin in a split second, but finally Rin had managed to outsmart her. By turning on her heel at last minute, she managed to quickly disarm Lyn and she/he was left without a weapon.
They talked some more… More things that I didn't understand and… Rin ran straight towards Lyn… And cut off her arm.
Rin had asked, "Who is going to kill who?" and in one fluid motion she cut through it. It happened quickly and Lyn was howling with pain when the pain registered in her brain. I had cringed as Rin landed, her clothes now soaked and with blood on her face, but she only smiled faintly…
So this is the true Crimson Shinigami.
They weren't kidding when they said she was ruthless.
She seemed a completely different person than the sweet Kazehaya Rin I knew…
I shudder at the thought of it.
War is cruel.
It makes kind people do things they wouldn't have done normally…
And that's why it's my job to end it. When I first took the role of hittou, I promised my men and my people that I would end the war. I never want to see Rin having to kill someone, nor do I want to see someone killing her, which is why I swore to stay leader until it was over.
Anyways, Lyn had attempted several more attacks, laughing like a freaking maniac even with the blood spurting from her severed arm but soon she started retreating. Finally, she ran off quickly and as soon as she was out of sight Rin fell to her knees and threw up. After she finished I consoled Rin, who had collapsed against me, and we went back to her home.
… I won't disclose an exact description of what happened after that, but let's just say the red thread turned out to have come in handy.
And the best part?
It didn't break.
A/N: Alright so here is my first story attempted to be told through Date Masamune's point of view! (some future stories may actually be told by someone else though...)
I had a lot of trouble deciding on what to rate this story, it should most likely be rated M but during most cases maybe only a really high T? I don't know, you decide. The stories will all be different and have different themes. This particular story/chapter is meant to take place after the war against Toyotomi Hideyoshi's forces and guess what? Yup, Rin and Masamune still aren't married.
Although they attempted it many times they still haven't actually gotten around to it and have only gotten their families approval. ... Which are what the first two extra chapters from my other fanfiction series A Dragon and HisShadow are mostly about. This series will not have the same plot involving that series, other than the characters and the stories here will most likely be random. Whatever crazy idea that comes to my head will most likely end up here.
The hardest part will be writing through Masamune. ... I don't know why, but he was very difficult to write as here. ;A; The only reason I did it through his view was because of the lack of good ideas for titles... And then this idea came up and I was like, "Wait, tales from the heart of a dragon? It must be Date then! ... So I have to write as Date? HOW DO I DO THAT?1!1ONEONEONE? ;A; " And then here it is.
I mean, I don't even have any good chapter titles... I never do... I usually just title them "Chapter X" until by some stroke of luck I come up with something by the time I post it. But no such luck here ... So I guess they'll be forever known as "Chapter One" or "Chapter Two"... Auuugh, why do I suck so much at coming up with titles?
Any ideas or suggestions to help me keep him at least some what in character would be much appreciated! (Though I have a feeling he'll be extremely OOC for this series... -sigh-)
Thank you for reading, and I hope you continue (or start) reading my other series as well!
- Jackal