Disclaimer: Naruto gave me this idea but I own all of the characters in this story.
The night was silent with a soothing whisper calling Nina's name. Chills began to go through her body. Nina couldn't help, but suspect that something was wrong. She had always had a sixth sense when it came to a life or death situation. She couldn't suppress the feeling any longer. Her body began moving before her mind had any time to think. Before she realized where she was. Suddenly clanging swords could be heard near by. She ran to the edge of the cliff only to see Tasuki and his older brother fighting.
Tasuki had betrayed the Hijima clan by falling in love with Nina, since she was part of the Aka clan. He had refused to be engaged to any other woman. Tasuki truly loved Nina with all his heart. Now he was proving it by to the clan's leader.
Nina couldn't take standing on the cliff and just watch Tasuki fight Taka, his older brother. She jumped with all her might and landed on top of the water's surface. She ran over to Taka, came up underneath his arm and punched him in his stomach. Taka flew back into the side of the cliff. Nina ran over to Tasuki to check to see if he was all right.
"Tasuki are you ok?" Nina asked as she helped him up to his feet.
"I'm ok. What about you? You're bleeding from your side." Tasuki said as he glanced at the deep gash from her side.
"I'm fine…don't worry…I want to help you fight…I want to prove to them that our love is real. Tasuki…I love you." Nina said with short breathes because she had already lost too much blood from her previous battle.
"Nina, we need to go get you help. You already have lost too much blood."
"No!" Nina said as she tried to convince Tasuki that she didn't need any help, which was not working as she had planned. Nina was not the type of person to depend on other people.
Taka watched as Nina and Tasuki were talking to each other. He took the opportunity to attack Tasuki while his guard was down. He reached into his weapon pouch for a poisonous kunai. Then threw it with all his strength. The kunai traveled through the air with great speed. Its target Tasuki.
Suddenly Nina heard the kunai behind her. She moved in front of Tasuki. The result being Nina took the impact of the weapon. She began to loose her balance. Tasuki put his arms behind her so that she was close to him and didn't fall into the dark abyss that lied underneath their feet. He glanced down at her and saw the kunai in her back. He propped her up so her was holding her whole body in his hands.
"You BASTARD! YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!!" Tasuki threatened. His eyes were full of anger and vengeance. Taka had never seen that look in his eyes before.
Tasuki jumped up on top of the rocky cliff and sat Nina down on her side. He took a hold of the kunai and swiftly took it out of her back. Nina cried out in pain. He tore a piece of cloth from his kimono top. He took her jacket off gently and wrapped the cloth over her wound. Tasuki gently kissed Nina's soft luscious lips. He tried to reassure her that that he was there for her and would do anything for her because he loved her.
"Nina I'll save you…please wait a little while longer." Tasuki said as he gently kissed her again. Nina's lips were cold. Tasuki could feel Nina's life was slowly beginning to slip through his fingers.
Tasuki stood up and jumped in the crater and landed on the water's surface with force. He took a hold of his sword with a firm grip and ran over towards Taka.
Tasuki didn't realize that he had a demon within him that was feeding off of his anger and was quickly giving his powers to Tasuki.
"The poisonous kunai was meant for you. She just happened to step in front of you. I guess she really did love you but if you don't hurry up and defeat me the poison will reach her heart then go through her blood stream. The ending result will be death. I have the cure right here, however you need to kill me in order to obtain it. Prove to me that you really love her. Or were you just using her for sympathy?" Taka explained.
"I would never use Nina unlike you! You always said that I was a disgrace to the Hijima clan, but I'm not. You are! You use people and if something doesn't go your way you take it out on them. I love Nina and I will save her whatever the cost may be." Tasuki said with boldness.
Taka grabbed his sword and ran after Tasuki. The two swords clanged together with great force breaking into a several pieces. They threw their handles beside them. Taka punched Tasuki in the stomach but Tasuki caught his hand before he had could hit his target. He squeezed his wrist with so much strength that you could hear the bones crushing in his powerful hand. Then with his other free hand he took a hold of Taka's throat. He had let go of his wrist. Tasuki began running towards the cliff's walls. He pulverized Taka's body in to the rocky wall. His body had many scratches, several severe deep gashes as well as bruises.
"Tasuki you've just sought to do but not alone." Taka said with shorts breathes.
Taka was close to meeting death for the first time. I a way Tasuki would miss his brother.
"Tasuki here you can have the cure. You really showed me that you are committed to her and I believe you now. You better hurry up and take Nina away from this place. Some of my searching squads are going to be here soon."
"Why are you doing this?"
"So you have something to live for. You have something that I would give anything to have. I'm going to search for that special person fro me. Hurry up! You don't have much time left!" Taka said as he handed Tasuki the cure for the poison that slowly bringing Nina closer to death.
Tasuki turned around and dashed over to Nina with great speed. He picked her up in his arms. Tasuki ran to a secluded area where nobody would disturb them. He put her down gently. Her breathing was staggering. Tasuki popped open the vile's top and slowly poured its substance into her mouth, which was partly open. She swallowed it and then went still.
A few moments had passed and Nina hadn't opened her eyes or was breathing. Tasuki grabbed her shaking her a little. Still no response.
"Nina I beat Taka and got the cure. You have to come back to me. Nina I love you too much to let you go." Tasuki said as his grip tightened around her body. He began weeping.
"Ta-Tasuki…" Nina gathered the rest of her strength that was left to say his name. However it came out to be a whisper.
"Nina oh I thought I had lost you." Tasuki hugged her.
"I feel cold and my body is starting to feel very weak." Nina explained in a whisper. Tasuki's head began to break. He was loosing her. He was to late to save her. Why did it have to end this way? His purpose for living was slowly fading away in his arms.
"Nina don't say that you'll be fine. We're together now." He said with a sadness," I'm sorry I was late. I'm so sorry…"
"Tasuki I love you… and I always will…" Nina reached up to Tasuki's face. Her lips settled onto his.
Then she fell back. The life that was once in her body was now gone. She didn't deserve to die like this. Nina had worked so hard to accomplish her goals. Tasuki thought that he should have died as well.
Her funeral was a depressing day for many people. She had touched many people's lives. For instance her siblings, Usui, Suki, and Nozomi depended on her for her kindness and love for them. She was the oldest out of them and Nina had basically raised them since they lost their parents at a young age.
Dark and angry clouds covered the sky. Rain was pouring down to earth. So even the heavens were weeping over their loss. As the ceremony went on everybody prayed and then left except for Tasuki.
The table that held Nina's picture was full of white roses. The picture of Nina was taken on Tasuki and Nina's first date. She was wearing a frilly dress that was light blue with a white short-sleeved jacket on top. She looked so happy and full of life. However now everything was different and nothing would ever be the same again. Tasuki looked up into the sky.
The sun's beams had come through the clouds and on to the village that sat below known as Sanctuary. The clouds had seemed to form Nina's face. She smiled at Tasuki as a tear ran down her face. Then her mother and father appeared on both sides of her. Then they lowly disappeared in a beam of sunlight. Nina continued to look at him and then she turned around and began to disappear as well. Tasuki's heart felt a little more filled, but still broken. At lead he had the certainty that Nina was in a better place. They would meet each other again some day. For their love would never die.