Authors note: Hi you all out there! This is my second fic about Tenchu. It's very weird and upsetting; I hope that it is as entertaining to you as it is to me. I got the idea when I was visiting in old monastery, didn't saw any monks thou… Enjoy the story!
disclaimer: I don't own a thing, you know the drill. …Plot is mine!

Another place

Summary:
This first act(and first chapter) is more like prologue in whole. This story's beginning bases on Tenchu 2 ("Birth of stealth assassins"), but cuts the story in the came and makes it something else.

Basically you can read how:
Kiku copes traumatic lost of her father,
Tatsumaru has a very implausible crush,
Ayame has a baby and doesn't know which one is the father,
Onikage starts to think about his unlife,
Rikimaru drinks too much and dissuades that it is the best to take some distance…

God damn… Its hard not to tell you everything! I'll just stop now and let you read the rest.

Prologue
Fifteen years before these events take place, Gohda and Toda, had developed a war between them. Toda attacked to his opponents castle whit a help of a betrayer from inside the castle. The betrayer was Gohda's own uncle, Gohda Motohide. Many were killed from both sides. One of the victims was Gohda's wife, Lady Kei. Whit assistance of Azuma ninja Toda fall down and a new ruler of his territories were named by Gohda. He gave the power to hold, to a woman called Kagame, of course not entirely by his own will. Years after was discovered that she might have been a lovechild of Shiunsai, who was the leader of Azuma-ninja. Cruelty of people and the years, took away Lord Gohda's closes friends; Sekiya and Master Shiunsai. The three ninjas Ayame, Rikimaru and Tatsumaru were alive and well. For long they had been the only people that Gohda trusted, among the future ruler, Princess Kiku.

ACT ONE binding together
Chapter 1

-For the sake of sake-

Rikimaru and Tatsumaru were sitting in a pub. They had just come back from a mission and they were exhausted, but not hurt. They had been sitting for a while and they pines stardet to be empty, again.

Tatsumaru leaned to the table and jelled to the bartender to bring more sake. Place was so jammed that he couldn't hear what was the young man asking.

Rikimaru didn't want to get involved the conversation and he watched how the crowd enjoyed them self's whit many temporal pleasures that the outlaying place offered. It was very late night. It seemed like no worry in a world. He thought that for a while now, it would be so.

Geisha's were keeping every man's eyes busy as alcohol flowed. Some far corner table fall down and in a minute someone were choking another. Soon the show was over as trouble makers were tossed outside to cool off. The echotic belly dancers were a far from west. They were much more comfortable whit the intimate that was giving by the shelter of the bar.

"What kind of place have you brought me?"

Tatsumaru had finally gotten the message to the tender and smirked to Rikimaru.
"Why, don't you like it?"
Rikimaru didn't see any reason to answer that question as one of the prettiest geishas walked past them. Eyes drifting they both looked after her. Geisha had dark black hair that was bind at chignon. She had orange dress that emphased her dark eyes.


"Kirei na… Did you see that look…?" Tatsumaru said to his friend.
"Ou, It was not mended for me."
"What! Don't be fool! …I bet she would absolutely eat you…" Tatsumaru said whit a voice of drunken man
"Zakennayo! …I don't care"
Tatsumaru laughed whit the thought.
"Unbelievable,… You, -my apprentice-, have drunk too much this stufff…"

Obvious was that one thing that the apprentice did overcame his master was controlling his drinking.

"That's right my master, you can say anything and I just follow."

"What's the matter whit you, didn't you get to kill enough pretty ninjas…?"

"I just… I' m not a mood to get pissed and to woke up the next morning whit mindless talk of nonsense of some… like those… they are all the same…When a man has had enough, he has had enough, okay?" Rikimaru took a sip from his pint.
"I probably should not tell you this but…."

"What?"

"She told me not to, I dunno why…!

"What are you mumbling about?" Rikimaru asked most bored.

"I'm getting married, whit Ayame…"

"What!...Fuck off!" He all most laughed the idea.
"I'm damn serious, don't you dare to laugh at us…"

"Guess I won't then…" he turned look away from his drunken gaze.

"Well, aren't you gone congratulate me?"

"I do that when you silver, mate"

"Suit you self then! But we aren't gona leave the celebration for… any longger…" He said swallowing the last words.

Later that night, when it was all most the morning, they both left home. Tatsumaru had picked up some girl whit orange outwit and they had gone together, somewhere more private.

Chapter 2

-Woolly feelings-

Rikimaru walked slowly to his home. He didn't feel exhaustion or neither had he had a hangover. He was alone. He felt more lone than in years. Sandy rote that had sometimes seemed so long was now shorter than ever. He kicked little rocks as he drawled back the ninja village.

Was it true what Tatsu had told to him? Was he marrying Ayame? Rikimaru knew that she had always had a crush to this much older boy, but marriage? I thought that she was all ready over the whole Tatsu thing…

It was midday. Tatsumaru wasn't around or even Ayame. Rikimaru remembered last night. He thought that maybe it all was just a fantasy of drunken man. After all Ayame was quite a dish. Rikimaru had never let him self to think that way, it would have been hard to be around her.

Ever since Ayame had turn to age of seventeen, she was more beautiful than all the other women in his world. She had eyes like ponds, skin like white milk, and hair like sweetest black silk and deadly but ou… so delicate hands. And the way she moved her hole being, she had moved her self in Rikimaru's heart. No, he hadn't thought about it.

She was more of a princess that Kiku could ever be. But most of all that Rikimaru admired at her was that she had a soul. Soul like his, maybe, who really knows.
Damn, I need to talk to her.

Rikimaru saw Gohda sitting at porch and watching a wall in front of him. He had worries. Like always, but this time Rikimaru dissaid not to offer his helping hand. Smoothly he changed his direction and disappeared in forest.

There was a huge spring behind the forest. It had formed a little bond that was well sheltered. Dreamy picture opened holding many dazzling colours. Other side of the spring the forest continued keeping the grassy hideout to itself.

Rikimaru sensed too people, too familiar people near him. He didn't rush out to beach. Instead he let the bamboos cover his presence and lurked where he thought those too were.

He saw something that looked freakish to him. He saw Ayame sitting on beach and Tatsumaru was next to her… And they were kissing each other. Rikimaru looked away. The sight was making his stomach turn upside down. When he looked there again he saw only Ayame sitting in sand. Then he saw Tasumaru walking away, towards the village.

"Hi Ayame" Ayame suddenly noticed Rikimaru watching her as she still sat on the beach. "Hi…Riki…" She hadn't expected to see him right now. Rikimaru sat down and they both looked at the spring.
"So…" Rikimaru said trying to think in his head how to phrase this question. You are getting married then, are you getting married, have someone proposed to you lately, have you proposed, someone, special lately!… And he asked; "Is there something that you have forgotten to tell me?"

Ayame roused up and turned to face Rikimaru. "He told me, that you know." She said keeping her hands to her hips and balancing her self to a one foot to another.
"Know what?"

"I told him that I want to tell you myself, but I donnu, guess he was too pissed to remember that."
She turned her back at him. "Don't look so wounded."

"I'm not… I just didn't think that…"


"What, that this was ever gona happen, to me, well surprise!..." Ayame said half laughing.
"How did you two, I mean in what time did you… Did he just said let's get married Ayame, I love you, or what?"

"…Not exactly…, should you not be congratulating me, not interrogating me?"

"Yes I should…" He rose up and turned to walk away. "But I'm not sure do I want to."

Ayame took a step closer to his back.
"Rikimaru?... What's the matter? Please, tell me…"


"Ayame…" He said turning slowly, watching her plank eyes. He walked back and took her hands in his.
"Congratulations, Ayame. I hope he makes you happy."

"No, really Rikimaru, what is it?"

"…"

"What?"

"Okay then,… but remember that you asked this." He took a big sip of air and watched somewhere far before back again in Ayame's eyes. He had never before said anyone that he loved her. How was he going to do this? Was there even any point of doing this now?


"I have known you long, my friend. We have always walked together trough the hardest times…" He had a doubt in his mind. "… You are my strength, Ayame, and now I feel that you are slipping away somewhere out of reach…"
Ayame took her hands from his and backed of a little.
"I'm not very good at this Ayame. I have never told this to -no-one- before… Ou what a hell… I…"

"…Rikimaru…" Ayame interrupted. "I know." She continued whit a shattered voice; "I know…" She broke their eye connection, took her stuff from the ground and walked away.

What did that mean? "Ayame!"

Chapter 3

-Blessed nothingness-

Gohda was still sitting on the porch. In matter of fact he had been sitting there the whole day, watching the wall of the stable. First when he got there he would have just liked to fall apart and cry. But maybe last years had got him numb. He had no tears, not even him self.

Kiku was now taking care of everything that he usually had. As the sun had rose, he had sat on the dusty porch of a backyard. He had watched the shadow of his castle to travel from wall to wall. He was thinking the conversation that he had had whit one of his confreres. For since a long time he had talk whit Kagame. It was nothing special. There weren't even any insult that would have shocked him.

Maybe it really was the time to let Kiku take care of everything and he would finally have the peace.

Day was over for all, except few guards on the front gate. Lord Gohda was standing in shore watching somewhere far.
"Dad… You whished to see me…" Kiku said to her dad, wondering about his weird outward and expression on his face. "W-what's wrong daddy?

Gohda turned to his daughter." My liable daughter…, princess Kiku."
He had his royal robe on him and his sword hanged on his belt like he was going to visit someone. "It's time for you to take my place. I know that you can handle it easily, because you have been doing my work for sometime now. I hope that you will find some other conclusion than I have…" He heaved those words.

"Are you going on a journey?"

"No."

"Then what are you talking about…?" Kiku had a little worry in her voice. "Are you sick?"

"I'm leaving, permanently, I'm sorry that …I… There really isn't no way to get you understand this, but I have made my choice. I'm ending my life this present night"

"You don't mean that! I know that you have been bit of glum lately, but I'm sure it's just passing stage…"

"No, I'm sorry"

"Why would you… do that, don't… "

"I… I never did get to recover from your mother's death… I miss her like hell…!!"

"Well so do I, but I still don't give up like that. No, dad, no…"

"I told you, you wouldn't understand."

Gohda gave his sword to the hands of her daughter.

"What about me then, are just gona leave me…"
"I will always be around, watching over your shoulder, whit your mother." He said lifting her chin up.

"No…no…" Kiku shook her head as her dad walked in water. Hot tiers game down her cheeks and messed her make up. She pulled her dad's katana out of its casing. "Come back! Or I hurt my self!" Kiku yelled and took steps closer to river. Gohda turned around quickly, but didn't make any move to come back to the shore.

"Let me go, I can not stay…" He paused and louvered his voice. "I love you my darling daughter, but I can not stay…"

Kiku sobbed desolately, still holding the katana whit shaky hands.

Sarcastically, the last words of a dying man to his daughter were an order to be strong, maybe stronger than he had been.

"No… no…no…"

She dropped the casing to the sand. Feeling nothing but blankness and sorrow, she put her left hand to the blade and closed her palm. She looked like she wouldn't feel a thing as the first drops of innocent blood spilled her hand.

Then someone game out of shadows and stayed standing in front of her. He watched Kiku, not sure why was he himself doing this. The man had black hair that was loose in his chest and his back uncovering his shoulders. He was dressed in black pants and a long, red veil that travelled over a one shoulder, cross his body, leaving it hanging like a cape. He was the man called Onikage.

Kiku didn't care his presence nor did she even notice.

Onikage watched the princess. He had fallowed those two the shore and had seen everything. He could have stopped Gohda, but why should he have he done that. He was clad to see Gohda castle fall.

Now he was facing the only daughter, the only inheritor of departed Gohda. What a change of a live time! He thought. But in same time he felt something strange. He hadn't never seen the princess this close. What was it that made his heart sunk, the joy of victory, this amazing opportunity or the beautiness of the princess? He looked her eyes and he saw, among many other things, warmness, loneliness and something unsolved.

Kiku let the blade slip from her left hand, making it bleed even more. Then she made a sudden move and moved the katana to her own throat hauling the air for the very last time.

The sword was taken by her. Onikage stand as close Kiku as he ever could whit out touching her. He hold the sword, but didn't threat her in any way.

"…Onikage…?" Was Kiku's reaction as she welt his breathe on her face.

It was like he had wakened her from a nightmare to another. They stand there for few passing seconds, as then Zusaku looked over Kiku's shoulder. He departed from her and said.

"She's coming to rescue you." Still holding her dad's katana, he turned his back at her. He swung it trough the air and it pierced the sandy ground like a needle to a silk scarf.

And whit that Onikage was in shadows again.

Ayame run to Kiku, not anymore sensing second being near them. Kiku turned to Ayame and cried, more than ever in her life. Ayame couldn't do anything but just comfort her and let her cry in shelter of her arms.

End of act one

Authors note:

kirei na = "pretty/beautiful"
zakennayo = "Fuck off"

This act was more like a teaser. I have been cheating my other story for months now and honestly it's not even ready yet. And now… I' m gona put this one act in here and then continue later on… when I'm sure I know how to finish this. ( I promised to my friend to put this up here before the Christmas holiday ends… damn it!"

Tell me what did you think so far? Did you like the idea? You really can't get the idea about that but still…?

R&R PLEASE! … And flames? Feel your shelf at home…