Assassination
Part I
By
Chibijem
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters herein and am making no financial gain from this work of fiction.
Tachibana no Tomomasa got up and looked out into the courtyard of Fuji-hime's main house. "I'm sure he was just delayed by someone or perhaps something came up." Akane, the Ryuujin no Miko, offered in the way of an explanation of Fujiwara no Takamichi's absence.
"Iie, he would have sent us word." Tomomasa replied, turning to look back at those gathered. All seven of the other Hachiyo and Fuji-hime were waiting for the vice minister. "He told me he had something important to inform us about. He sounded worried." The general added, turning steely eyes back to the gardens. He took a breath, "I'm going to look for him."
"Iie," Akane got to her feet and approached the oldest of her Hachiyo guardians. "We'll all go look for him." She rested her hand on his arm.
He laid a hand to cover the miko's small one. "Arigatou, Akane-dono." His words soft with worry but sincere.
Tomomasa and Yorihisa were walking down the street near the river when the samurai spied two men who looked to be balancing a man between them. When Tomomasa called out, the two men haphazardly tossed their burden down the river bank into the running water and ran off. Yorihisa ordered three of his subordinates to go after the men as he and Tomomasa quickly ran towards the river's edge.
Tomomasa's world stopped when he saw Takamichi's body laying half in the water. He got himself under control upon hearing Yorihisa giving the command for the general's cart to be brought. Meanwhile the teal haired Hachiyo slipped down the river bank, praying that his friend was alive. He knelt down and carefully turned his partner over, he laid a hand on Takamichi's neck and gave a heartfelt sigh, "Kami-sama, he's alive." He told the samurai who knelt next to him.
In mere minutes, they had cautiously settled the injured Hachiyo into the cart and were making their way back to Fuji-hime's, being the closest. On the way Yorihisa told one of his men to have a healer waiting and to inform the princess that Takamichi had been found.
Tomomasa was sitting in the ox-cart holding Takamichi's head in his lap. "Were you assaulted because of what you wanted to tell us? What do you know and why would someone want to hurt you for it?" He asked the unconscious man. He had given a cursory look at the wounds he could plainly see: bruising on Takamichi's face and neck, cuts as well and a lump on the head. An angry fire entered his teal eyes, "I will avenge this, they will not go without punishment." He vowed.
END Part I