I own nothing!

Usagi got down on one knee to look slightly up into the youth's eyes. "There is so much left for you to do, young lord! Your people need you to be a wise leader, to make sure the rice farmers of your land feed both the rest of your people and their families, to make sure the crafters and traders here can create and trade in peace and honesty with one another, to provide justice when your people are wronged, and sometimes mercy to them as well, to honor those who are honorable, and not only the powerful and arrogant, who think cruelty is the best way to gain respect like Hebi and Hekiji. I believe you will be a better daimyo than either of them. If you can be such, by doing all this, my sacrifice will indeed have been worth it."

Noriyuki looked up at him with shimmering wet eyes. His bottom lip was slightly shaking. The cub in silk robes leaned forward and wrapped his arms around the Samurai's shoulders. "I will try Usagi … I will try!"

Usagi smiled and embraced the daimyo back. Noriyuki was the lord of a great clan, but he was also a child. The last few days had proven, and the next few also promised to be, trying ones for him. He supposed they could afford to let the cub show this much affection before just his loyal guard. At least, it seemed his samurai might avoid a fight this night at least.

During their embrace, Usagi felt vibrations through his feet. His eyes snapped open. He jerked away from Noriyuki and unsheathed Willow Branch.

He wasn't the only one drawing his blade. Tomoe Ame held hers. So did the rest of the Samurai and Gennesuke. They all also studied the ground.

Claws emerged from the soil near their toes. Dirt began seep downward around them like quicksand. Usagi got into a fighting stance, so did the other Samurai and the Bounty Hunter. Then the ground collapsed out from underneath most of them including Genn and Tomoe Ame. Only he and Noriyuki remained on an island of undisturbed earth.

Usagi heard screeching. He looked up to see the Komori had noticed the situation and lifted off into flight. Now they studied them from the sky.

Usagi looked down. Mogura ninja, far, far, more than last time, were swarming the Samurai below him and Noriyuki. Some of the guards were still trying to get to their feet. Tomoe Ame was trying to fight off five alone, Genn four and … Usagi winced as he watched a ninja leap upon the back of a fellow Samurai and slice his claws through the back of the guard's neck. The Samurai fell flat beneath the ninja and lay still.

Another screech caused Usagi, as well as his fellow Samurai, and the Mogura Ninja below, to look up. Some of Noriyuki's Samurai took advantage of the situation. They slew their attackers before them not being as surprised as the Mogura Ninja by what they saw. Usagi could see frustration on the faces of the surviving Mogura as they realized another clan was attempting to take the prize they fought to gain.

Usagi assumed Noriyuki had been identified by them from below and separated from the majority of his guard trapped up here to be taken later after they had slain most of those who protected him. The Mogura must have learned from their last mission, which had injured the young daimyo. If they wished to deliver him alive to those who had hired them, like the other ninja clans that would have been considered another failure by them.

Now, though, the Mogura began to head toward the pillar of earth holding him and Noriyuki up still. They couldn't afford to let him be taken by the Komori either. Usagi looked up at the flying Ninja himself. A swarm of the Komori flew in a hurricane-like formation around he and Lord Noriyuki. Many pairs of eyes gazed at him speculatively while he held up his swords. As he felt the ground shift beneath him, Usagi saw the Komori glance down and scowl before looking back to him and Noriyuki with even darker scowls.

Usagi glanced at the cub behind him. The young lord stared back at him with wide eyes. Usagi looked down at where the Mogura ninja continued their battle with the Samurai and digging their standing place out from beneath them. Tomoe was trying to stop that by charging them. Other Mogura got in her way to stop her.

Noriyuki spoke from behind him, his fingernails beginning to dig into the kimono covering his back. "What will we do, Usagi?!"

"There are too many of them," he replied softly.

Even if he could defend himself from all of these ninja, below and above them, could he defend Lord Noriyuki too? He was used to defending himself from multiple attackers alone or with a companion, when they were back to back and defending each other with four swords between them. He was used to defending nonwarriors too "with" other warriors help. But could he defend himself and Lord Noriyuki on this small spot of land with Komori around and above and Mogura around and below?

Usagi felt the ground quake beneath him again. The Mogura were going to make them collapse into their arms. The Komori noticed and came at them straight at them to carry them up in their claws.

Usagi made his decision. He sheathed his swords. Then he did the dumbest thing he thought he'd ever done. He held up his arms and shouted, "Komori! Take us both with you!"

Noriyuki's small voice came from behind him. "Usagi?"

Then both the Yojimbo's raised arms were clutched. He was jerked into the sky. The limbs he was held by pained him. He shut his lips tight and looked down. Noriyuki's white and black face was blinking up at him. The young Daimyo's mouth was open. Then another dark, winged form picked the panda cub up. Noriyuki screamed. His limbs began to jerk about. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Usagi called down to him. "Lord Noriyuki! Do not struggle! Hang still instead!"

The cub looked up at him, closed his mouth, and drooped in his captor's clutches. He kept his eyes on him now. Usagi tried to make his own form and face relax. He first took in and then let out a deep breath. Finally, he looked back to the battlefield they'd left behind.

All the Komori were lifting up higher into the sky including those carrying them. The Mogura were glaring after with small, narrowed eyes. Then they turned and began digging back into the earth. All the Samurai, including Tomoe Ame, were gazing upward still, wide-eyed, and open-mouthed. Tomoe Ame screamed, though, "Lord Noriyuki!"

Usagi stared sadly down at her truly slumping in his captor's grasp. Tome Ame glared back up at him. His heart stopped. She was going to kill him for this if he survived.

What do you think?

God Bless

ScribeofHeroes