Chapter 3:

"Always Protect the Innocent"

"Hey Ren, what do you think our mission will be this time?"

~Naoko asks as the two walk toward their master's chambers. Ren gets a slight look of annoyance.~

"We will see when he tells us."

"Well, no need to get all uptight about it!"

~Ren sighs as they enter~

"Yes, my Lord?"

~Both ninjas speak simultaneously as they bow down before their master~

"Good evening. I have received word that there is a hostage situation in a village a few miles away. The hostages are being kept in one of the taller buildings A loyal messenger of mine informed me that the terrorists were of the same gang as the one you two met last time I called you here. However, this mission is far more serious, and far more dangerous, because last time, these men were only looking to steal from villagers. This time, they will kill if their demands are not met. This mission requires the utmost caution, as lives are at stake. Under the special circumstances of this mission, I would prefer that only one of you go, as that will improve our chances of saving everyone. Now-"

~Before he or anyone else can speak, Naoko steps forward~

"I will do it."

~Ren protests"

"Naoko…are you sure you will be able to handle it…?"

"I will put my own feelings aside to save the innocent. It must be done…"

"Very well."

~The ninjas exit, as Ren heads to the Ninja Training Grounds and Naoko travels toward the village. As he is walking he sees Rikimaru. Ren then sits on a small rock and watches as Naoko leaves~

"….Will she really be able to put her feelings aside so easily….?"

~Rikimaru walks up to Ren and stands with his arms folded.~

"Rikimaru, since I am not going with Naoko, I would like for you to train me, if you do not mind…"

~Rikimaru stands unmoving for a moment, then he smirks~

"Hmm….very well. Since you wish to train I want you to attack me."

"Nani!?" *What!?

"If you will not, then I will make the first move!"

~At that, Rikimaru pulls his katana, and swings it toward Ren's head without warning.~

~As Naoko moves through a forest area heading toward the village, she hears the clashing sound of two katanas, sounding like it came from her village.~

"Huh? Must be those hotheaded rookies training…"

~Later that night, Naoko reaches the outskirts of the village. Naoko grapples up onto a rooftop to try to spot a building that could possibly hold the hostages. She then remembers that it would be one of the taller buildings, and she sees a few off to her right. As she hops from roof to roof, she looks about the village.~

"This village seems deserted….I have not seen a single person yet. All the villagers must be cowering in their homes now….what the!?"

~Naoko stops in her tracks as she spots some gangsters atop a nearby roof. She crouches down, as it seems they are not aware of her presence. As she unsheathes her daggers, she smirks.~

"I am not afraid of this anymore…"

~Naoko leaps across to the roof when the men are not looking, slashing her dagger across a man's back, causing him to drop. The other man turns and pulls his sword as Naoko steps toward him calmly. He swings his sword at her, but she counters with one dagger, bringing the other across his chest, making him stumble off the edge of the roof, plummeting to the ground below, making contact with the ground in a soft "thud". She then kneels beside the first man, searching through his pockets. Finding a few shurikens, she kicks him off the same edge as the other man. She then looks to her left to see a lone guard dressed in green, with a bow and arrow in hand. He heard the commotion, and is able to spot Naoko on the roof. However, instead of being wise and calling for help, he readies an arrow to try to solve the problem himself. After seeing the arrow fired, Naoko deflects it with a dagger, sending it flying off, hitting the ground safely. As the man readies another arrow, Naoko backflips off the roof landing gracefully in the shadows behind the building. The man then has a look of fear on his face as he desperately tries to see where Naoko went. This continues for a few seconds as Naoko silently climbs up the roof the man is on. She stands behind him, amusedly watching him for a few moments.  Suddenly, she kicks him in the back sending him over the edge~

"…bakayarou…" *…idiot…

~Naoko sighs and exhales, blowing a few long strands of her long black hair away from her brown eyes. The strands fall right back into place, so she  pushes them to the side. She then looks toward some nearby tall buildings. After readying her grappling hook, she leaps from the building, grappling onto the next~

"...Ren must be having a fit right about now…or dying of sheer boredom..."

~Actually, it would appear to the average bystander that Ren was having the most deadly fight of his life right now. Ren was at a disadvantage from the very start, and Rikimaru would not let up. Ren had to give everything he had just to keep up with the lightning fast strikes of Rikimaru's katana. If Ren tried using extra power in his strikes, Rikimaru proved his stronger. If Ren tried using speed and quick strikes, Rikimaru proved  faster. Even though almost every move was parried,  Ren still found himself with a bleeding scratch  across his side. After a clashing of katanas that had a particularly bright flash, Ren found himself rolling backward down a small hill after being kicked in the gut. Ren rolled into the bamboo forest, and was stopped when he collided with a large rock. He shook his head and looked around~

"...Man, how can he kick so hard!?"

~Ren gritted his teeth when he heard Rikimaru's voice~

"You must do better than that!"

~Ren quickly stood up and readied his blade while looking around him. By now, Rikimaru could be anywhere. All was silent. Ren could not even hear the sounds of the forest animals. Suddenly, Ren heard an almost inaudible rustle of leaves. He attempted to turn his head toward the sound, but immediately felt a sharp pain in his back from an airborne foot. The pain caused Ren to cry out as he saw the forest floor fast approaching his face. Then, right before contact, he was pulled back up as an arm went around his throat. His eyes went wide as the life felt like it was being strangled out of him. If felt as though his head was just about ready to pop right off his shoulders as his vision began to blur.While flailing around, trying to escape, he got a better glimpse of the arm around his neck. It was not a man's arm! And, there was no katana, but a dagger enclosed in the fist. His eyes went even wider as the grip tightened. Then he heard a female giggle~

"Crying like a little baby! Aw, did my kick hurt too much?"

~It was Ayame. She kneed him in the back, in the spot where she had kicked him earlier. She angled the dagger close to Ren's neck while speaking in a sweet voice~

"You know, on the real battlefield, you would be dead right now."

~Ren drived a blind elbow into Ayame's gut, and managed to barely slither out of her grasp as her grip loosened slightly. After rolling a few feet away, Ren began gasping for air~

"…How…can you…have a grip…..so strong!? It was like I was being choked by a Sumo Wrestler!"

~Ayame smirked and folded her arms, daggers facing behind her~

"I do plenty of push-ups!"

"…You…"

~Instantly, Ayame was upon him. With dagger still in hand, she punched him square in the nose, sending him flying off his feet, crashing through the bark of a bamboo tree~

"Why are you letting yourself get beaten so badly!?"

~Ayame walked up to Ren and kicked him before he could get up, knocking him back even further, until he cracked into another large rock. In a sitting position after colliding with the rock, Ren winced at the pain, and wiped the blood from his nose. By now, his vision was blurred, and Ayame decking him in the face did not help matters much. He'd had enough. He grabbed his katana, and lept straight up into the treetops, Ayame followed effortlessly. Ren leapt from the trees down into the open field, near where Ren had started with Rikimaru. He gritted his teeth as Rikimaru walked up to him, stopping a few feet away. He growled softly as Ayame leapt from the trees, landing on Ren's opposite side~

"...Grr...are they trying to kill me!?"

~Back at the village, Naoko spots a guard exit a  building at the ground below. She waits until she is safely out of his sight before dropping down and rushing into the building. Looking around, she saw lanterns everywhere. Then she thought she heard some voices coming from a stairwell nearby. While descending the stairs as silently as possible, she heard some rather loud footsteps coming up. To hide herself, she leaps up into the high shadows while stabbing her daggers into the adjacent walls to hold herself up. After the men pass by, she drops down and continues downstairs, until she reaches a large, circular room, with hostages tied up everywhere… They began begging her to free them, and she started cutting ropes loose. As one freed man ran past her up the stairs, he was knocked back down, sending others back with him. A  few guards dressed in green came down, and drew their weapons~

"And just what do you think you are doing!?"

~Naoko stood, readying her daggers~

"I'm here to free them. If you get in my way, you will die."

~The men began to laugh as they brandished their weapons~

"It's 4 on 1. You won't survive. Anyway, these guys will fetch us a nice reward."

"You will pay for your evil…"

~Naoko smirks as she rushes forward~