A/N: Right, I was inspired to write this oneshot after reading Shadow Katakura's 'The Panther of Iga'. I recommend you read it as it's a lovely oneshot, as well as her other works ^_^
My female protagonist in this oneshot is my OC which I also sent to Ryujin Mei's 'A Chaotic Mix'. Just so you know, I'm just using my OC, it has nothing to do with ACM's storyline as they're both totally different. Although, the fact that Hanzo was Amaya's mentor is the same in both of them.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, except for the storyline of this oneshot and Amaya (my OC)
Raining Night of the Shadow
Hanzo sat cross-legged in the room with his arms crossed. The shadows swirled lazily about him in the dimness that was only lit by the faint moonlight. His dark blue ninja uniform melted with the darkness, making him seem like a materialisation of the shadows itself.
He was a demon of the dark, a wraith of the shadows, a phantom of the underworld.
It was said that eyes are windows into the soul. His however, were voids into the blackness of nothing.
"Oni no Hanzo."
His dark eyes flickered to the other side of the room as the screens were slid open. At least six ninja came in. Three blocked the exits, one for each wall while he sat at the far forth. The other three came in with a woman of twenty-one years, seven years his inferior.
But that sort of age difference meant nothing to him. Not when it came to her.
One held each arm that was tied back at the wrists, while the third was directly behind her with a knife held to her back.
They forced her to her knees before him and she lowered her head. Her shoulder length, black hair swished past her smooth neck, her full fringe hid her dark eyes. The soft moonlight glittered against the embroidery of the silver carp on her blue kimono.
". . . Amaya," he murmured.
She did not respond.
The ninja behind her grabbed her hair and pulled her head back. "Look at the leader when he addresses you," he hissed, forcing her to look up.
Her eyes met his.
A jolt when through him as it always did when she looked at him. It was only her who could see through the voids of his eyes to his core, his soul . . . his heart.
He held her gaze for a long time, pulling everything from her, stripping down her mask, her guard and shield – for only he could truly bring out the true Amaya – until only despair was left.
The incident . . . If only she did not do that. If only she did not disobey his orders. She always had the strength to defy him, but chose not to for her obedience and loyalty to him was absolute. She gave him everything . . . including her heart.
How times had changed from the old days.
Good things never last forever . . .
He exhaled softly, releasing his mental grip on her and she looked away with resignation. "You have committed a crime where there is no going back, Amaya," he said lowly. His voice was unwavering, yet his heart was the opposite. He knew that this day would come.
"You shall be executed at dawn."
The sentence hung in the room.
". . . By me," he then whispered. "The Raining Night of the Shadow shall be executed by me."
A sorrowful smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
"It is our destiny to fight each other one day," she had once said.
"And on that day, I will kill you."
"I would not have it any other way. This body, this heart, this life, all belong to you."
Hanzo closed his eyes. That night was as clear as day.
"Take her away," he said with silent command.
The ninja obeyed him immediately, surrounding Amaya as she was forced back up to her feet. How fragile she looked, how delicate she appeared – how deceiving.
His ninja led her out; he did not watch.
Traitor . . . his heart whispered.
The night was long. He stood along a cliff, his sharp eyes watching the landscape of the lower half of the mountain beneath him. Faint lights shone through the thick canopy of trees, the lights of his Iga clan. The moonlight was gone, smothered by a thick curtain of cloud from which the sky cried. The only sound was that of the rain which steadily fell to the land.
Each hour felt like a day, dragging past with the reluctance to feel dawn. Time aged so slowly, and yet, it still was not slow enough. So many times Hanzo had wished it would just stop.
He wished he could go back to when he was younger, when he was still a boy that played and trained and fought with his friends. He wished he could go back to the times when he guided and protected; taught and criticised; played and argued with a young Amaya. He wished that he could relive the nights where he held the older Amaya within his arms and felt her skin against his.
She was the only one who could understand him, and he was the only one who could see beyond her mask. How deadly she had become as she trained beneath him to soon enough, stand beside him as his equal. But not even the Raining Night of the Shadow could evade the Demon of the Night.
Only Hanzo could catch Amaya before she slipped through his fingers like water.
His eyes continued to gaze down at his concealed headquarters. His ears forever listened. No commotion had broken out yet. No one had realised that his Shadow had already escaped.
Amaya's presence materialised behind him. He felt her back against his as they stood back-to-back. Hanzo did not react for he already knew.
"We both knew that this day would one day come," she said quietly.
The rain thrummed against them, soaking through their clothes and hair. Hanzo's long hair was lose on this night.
"The day when I must kill you," he murmured.
Their relationship was so twisted, so wrong, and yet, it was so perfect. They were two halves of a whole that could not live without the other. They were two halves of a whole that could only die by their other half's hand. They loved and hated each other, forever bound together, pointing their blades at the hearts that belonged to them – the heart that they loved, and the heart that they would also one day destroy.
However, could they plunge their blades into the hearts that they loved and hated so much, the heart that was their everything? One could not exist without the other.
"I do not want to die, not yet," Amaya whispered.
Hanzo closed his eyes, feeling resignation sigh with despair. And I do not want to kill you.
Her presence shifted position. She was in front of him, and he felt her arms snake over his shoulders. Her lips touched his.
The softness and sweetness of her lips was a contrast against the jolt of powerful emotion that pulsed through him.
One last time.
His arms wrapped around her waist and he pulled her to his body, feeling her through their clothes that separated them. His lips parted and he kissed her back, their tongues touching, their last act of caressing adoration, passion and love for each other, before he rested his head on her shoulder, embracing her one last time.
Finally, they pulled apart. It felt like half of him was drawn away, leaving him tired and empty.
Hanzo did not turn as Amaya stepped around him, back-to-back, away from him.
"We cannot live without the other, but you must kill me in the end," she said softly.
Hanzo gazed up at the black and heavy sky, feeling the rain run down his cheeks like tears. "Then run," he whispered. "Run away from me, and I will chase after you. Stay one step ahead of me, so that I will never be able to destroy your heart."
There was silence, and he turned to glance behind him. Amaya did the same. Their eyes met.
A sad smile danced on her lips, yet her eyes were alight.
"I will stay ahead of you, so that you will always chase me," she murmured.
They held each other's gazes for a moment longer, before she turned, and disappeared into the raining night.
His eyes lingered on where her shadow faded from him, feeling his heart thump hard in his chest as the final chapter of their destiny began.
Hanzo turned, crossed his arms and looked back down at his headquarters. He was the Demon of the Night that watched over all.
Three ninja materialised behind him, kneeling low. He already knew what they were to report, and they knew that he knew.
"Oni no Hanzo," they muttered. "Your orders."
Amaya flashed into his mind. They were like Yin and Yang, revolving around the other. One could not live without the opposite. When she ran, he had to chase.
He inhaled deeply. The scent of the rain filled his senses. This was Amaya's scent, the scent of the rain.
"North. Pursue the runaway shinobi, Amaya, the Raining Night of the Shadow, and kill her," he commanded.
His ninja nodded. "Yes, Oni no Hanzo!" They obeyed, standing and dashing away into the rainy night.
Hanzo exhaled slowly.
And so, the chase begins, he thought silently. You will run, and I will chase.
He touched his fingers to his lips, feeling the lingering touch of Amaya's lips against his.
However, I will catch you again one day. No matter how far you run, no matter where you hide, I will always find you again, Amaya.
A/N: So? What did you guys think? I don't normally write oneshots as any tiny idea ends up becoming a massive story plot. Hell, this one can be a fullblown story as well, except I just don't have any time to write it . Why does life have to be so busy? T_T
Anyway, hope you liked the oneshot! Do review if you can please. And do check out the fanfics by Ryujin Mei, Shadow Katakura, and TheCrazyPeople!