6 large guards rushed up the stairs of Gohda castle, carrying Gohda Matsunoshin's very bloodied, very bruised, very broken body. Blood dripped through the clot of the cot, staining the dark floors red as the men rushed to the healer's room on the third floor of the castle.
Not even bothering to open the shoji, the largest man at the head of the cot, Hayakawa Katsumi kicked it down yelling out,
" We need healers!"
A tall, muscular girl, Tengan Rei, was the first over and guided the men to a bed. Rei gasped and shook her head as she and the other healers, Juno and Mai assessed the sheer amount of injuries on the daimyo.
"I don't think we can save the right arm," Rei said, "What even happened?"
Katsumi punched the wall angrily, "Lord Gohda said that Rikimaru has betrayed him and attacked him- that bastard! Rikimaru had him chained in the brig!" Rei and the other healers gasped, horrified.
"I knew something like this would happen," Juno said, running to get supplies, "Rikimaru has been acting too weird lately. I mean he's been sad, angry, wouldn't fuck Suke…"
"Now is not the time Juno! We need a torniquet on that right arm," snapped Rei as she and Mei set bone.
"Yeah, yeah."
"We're almost there," Rikimaru sighed as we led Ayame, Hisano, and the baby through the forest.
Rikimaru said nothing and was quiet when leading the group through the forest. Ayame and Hisano thought he looked more tired than Rikimaru ever had.
But they kept moving.
"Where are we going?" Ayame asked, shifting the baby in her arms; due to being chained for so long, it was painful for the kunoichi to walk.
"Away from the mainland…we won't see home again, " Rikimaru answered as they arrived at a river and ferry boat with a familiar muscular man.
"Tesshu?" Ayame blinked, it had been a long time. The assassin nodded at her before asking Rikimaru,
"Were you followed? You've had at least 3 different mercenaries looking for you."
" I know. I ran into four," Rikimaru responded tonelessly. Tesshu sighed,
"At least it's a worthy cause. Get in. We'll reach the coast by tomorrow and Rin will accompany you four to Kyushu. She also offered to stay until you both get on your feet in Kumamoto-shi."
"That won't be necessary." Ayame said carefully stepping into the boat, and declining Tesshu's help, "Besides she'll just become a target," he laughed,
"Just try getting rid of the kid- in our world, news travels fast. Besides, hearing that Gohda betrayed his own solders'll likely make bandits, mercenaries, and eventually other daimyo see that he's weak, and short a good chunk of his forces. If Gohda's smart (and seeing the amount of people I put in the ground, he is not), he'd take the beating Rikimaru gave him, count his blessings that he's not dead, and move on." Tesshu pushed the boat off shore the second Rikimaru and Hisano entered the boat and paddled,
"But once we hit Shimonoseki we'll be safe," the doctor/mercenary stated, "We're technically safe now, but the more distance, the-." Tesshu's words died in his throat he, Hisano, and Ayame stared at Rikimaru:
He was curled into a ball in the end of the small boat sobbing and hyperventilating. Rikimaru did not even attempt to stop crying- if anything he began to breathe faster as Rikimaru hyperventilated more.
"Hey," Tesshu tried carefully, but still rowing, "calm down. You're going to pass out. Take deep breaths."
Rikimaru groaned, gripping his hair tightly as he tried…and failed before sobbing and panicking more.
"Move. Now," Hisano snapped at Ayame, who immediately shifted out of the way. The woman immediately kneeled to Rikimaru's level and hugged him close, rocking him and shushing the man softly.
Tachibana Hyakubei sighed before the door of the healer's room. It had been 3 days since they found Lord Godha in the brig of the castle, and 2 days since the man made it out of surgery to close the many wounds on his body, and to amputate Lord Godha's right arm. The healers said he was lucky to be alive, though, if the laidback mercenary could describe the daimyo using any term, well…
Lord Godha was fucking pissed.
Hyakubei opened the shoji to hear Lord Godha yell at his General Morine Yoshinori,
" I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT BANDITS RIGHT NOW!" Lord Godha screamed from his tatami bed, "I said, 'FIND AND HANG those shinobi!' And do it YESTERDAY!"
"But my lord, Rikimaru even cut down his former students; and all 7 mercenaries we sent were found dead. I have to recommend on a strategic-" Yoshinori was cut off.
"I will not have those traitors go to my enemies to destroy my kingdom! Look at me, Rikimaru made me disabled, tried to embarrass me in front of my castle- I can not have that stand!" The daimyo tried to sit up but found himself too weak from pain to do so.
Hyakyubei kneeled before Lord Godha and gave his report. The one-eyed man looked amazed at the nearly head to toe bandages, splints on all 3 limbs, and bloodied stump of where Lord Godha's right arm used to be.
" My lord, I have contacted the Beniya, as well as the Iga, and Koga clans and received refusals from all three. Perhaps Morine-sama is right, and we should fortify inward in-" Hyakyubei started.
"Get out. Both of you out! OUT! Before I have you both beaten and banished- OUT!" Lord Godha yelled before groaning in pain. Mei ran into the room with tsūsensan tea, while General Morine swiftly left.
"You know, I have heard some very…unsavory things regarding why exactly you want Rikimaru and Ayame dead. Is there anything more about this," Hyakyubei gestured at Lord Godha's body, "you can tell me about?"
As the tea took its effect, Lord Godha began to nod off, drool dripping down his swollen face from a bruised jaw,
"I…hated her…my wife…my little girl…I was so lonely."
Mei and Hyakyubei looked at each other. The daimyo was hating a lot of people these days, maybe they could get some details…
"Who do you hate?" asked Mei. Lord Godha scrunched his face before groaning in pain, from his broken nose.
"She screamed," answered Lord Godha laughing with a cruelty that made the hair on Mei and Hyakyubei's neck stand up, "I…made her…cry…fucked her like a bitch… made her pay."
Mei already knew the answer. There's signs you just don't miss as a healer…as a doctor.
"Ayame."
Next chapter is going to be so satisfying- I promise y'all.