~Chibi Washuu here! Thanks to everyone for your lovely, fabulous, flattering reviews! *bows to fea, Rocky and Rao Windtalker*
To Destiny's lot: Don't worry about not noticing the chapter numbers…I probably wouldn't have noticed at all if I was reading it.
And to answer Nashi's question, I am trying to use as little Japanese as possible in actual dialogue. Yes, it would make things fit a little better into my setting, but I feel it breaks the flow of the story. Besides, I'd use so much most of you would have to run for a dictionary (getting annoying and, again, breaking the flow of the story). So, there you go.
Ok, I'm going to shut up now so you can read what happens now! *glances nervously at Anime Girl and her tomatoes* Enjoy!
Shi
'Dead?!' The word hit Seiji like a stone. His grandfather, the great general, Seiji's only source of security, was gone. And it was all because he had ignored his first instincts. All because he had been so foolish! He should have alerted his grandfather immediately after sensing the disturbing presence. Masamune had always said his grandson had the Gift. It seemed he had been right. It was his fault the ninja had been allowed to penetrate the defenses. 'Ninja!'
Seiji looked up from his mental brooding to find the other boy gone. Suddenly, all his grief, frustration, and anger vanished, leaving his mind clear. He knew what had to be done—what he had to do. "Ninja!" he cried, racing toward the courtyard. "There's a ninja inside the castle!"
Ryo ran silently toward the West wall, the yells of numerous guards behind him. 'So that's the grandson, huh?' When he had heard that the boy was too young to inherit once the old general was dead, that was exactly what Ryo had thought: "boy." He had thought the younger Date to be about 7 or 8, give or take a few years. But this "boy" was nearly a man; if he wasn't Ryo's age, he was damned close. He was certainly old enough to become the lord, in any case. A miscalculation on Lord Sasaki's part. No matter. Torchlight flooded around him and the young ninja's mind turned back to his main priority: escape.
Seiji ran. The ninja would try to escape now that the alarm had been raised, but to where? He had felt his presence on the South wall before… "Increase watch on the southern battlement!" he ordered. "We'll catch him yet!"
Ryo crouched in the shadow of a large tree, watching guards rush by him. Did that fool actually think him that stupid, to leave the same way he had come in, in the same direction, no less? This samurai was no Dragon, that much was certain. When the way was clear, he sprinted toward the West wall. If he could get over the wall, the forest beyond would shield and protect him.
He could feel him. He was moving, not toward the South, but… Seiji slowed to a halt, letting his senses take over. West! "The West wall!" he called to three samurai as they passed. "Come with me!"
The four raced toward the battlement, Seiji's eyes scanning the shadows. No, he wasn't there yet. Had they beaten him to the wall? 'No,' Seiji thought, drawing his katana. 'He's here somewhere. I can sense him.' He probed the area with his mind, searching for the presence that had become all-too-familiar. "There!" He spotted him then, a movement of shadow in shadow, headed toward the wall.
Ryo hesitated at the shout, startled. How had he been seen?!? His hesitation cost him dearly. The four had gained ground. He reached fore his sword, cursing his stupidity and ill-luck, sliding easily into a fighting stance. The wind direction was right, they just had to come a little closer…
Seiji slowed marginally at the ninja's preparation. The other three samurai rushed by him, seemingly unaware of their lord's caution. 'Something's not right.' Seiji narrowed his eyes, lifting his sword in a defensive stance. "Wait! Stop!"
'Now!' Ryo drew his sword, a quick fluid motion that dispelled a billowing white cloud of Blinding Powder with the blade.
Three of the samurai had been too close to block and screamed with agony, clawing at their watering eyes. But one—that damned blond—managed somehow to escape the blinding cloud. Ryo saw him avoid the powder before dashing toward the west wall. The blonde may have evaded the powder, but he would be wary now. Ryo pursed his lips, not daring to look back. Maybe he could beat him to the wall.
Seiji backed up a few steps, trying to avoid the white powder floating on the breeze toward him. But that ninja was escaping! 'Damn it!' He slammed his sword back into its sheath and sighed. He had to catch him. But how would he get around the cloud that seemed to grow wider at every second? 'Wait.' The other three had lost their sight to this powder, perhaps not permanently, but temporarily. That was the key. Drawing his sleeve across his nose and mouth, he closed his eyes and raced through the heart of the blinding white cloud, not daring to open his eyes until he was sure he was through it. When his gray eyes opened again, they were clear, calm, and prepared. That ninja would not escape him again.
Ryo whirled the grappling hook silently once, twice, thrice, before letting it fly upward, catching the top of the wall on his first try. All the guards were huddled on the South wall, so he felt no chance at being caught. He tested the rope twice—a habit now; he knew the rope would hold—and was about to start climbing when he heard footsteps behind him. They were headed straight for him. 'Damn it!! Can anything else go wrong??' He turned, his back to the black rope and his sword drawn, ready to face his enemy.
Seiji drew his sword as he ran toward the ninja. He was cornered. A ring of samurai, noticing their lord's destination, had circled the him and his back was against the wall. He was completely trapped, there was no escape for him now except death. "Leave him to me," he called as he saw the ring beginning to contract. "His death shall be by my blade and no one else's!"
Ryo lifted an eyebrow. 'Just come and try,' he thought before lunging at the samurai, all at once thirsty for battle.
Seiji was surprised at the ninja's sudden attack, but managed to parry the blow. He maneuvered the blades, circling them around to get his own blade beneath the ninja's before pulling up sharply with all his strength, knocking the other sword from the ninja's grip.
Ryo's eyes followed the sword only for a moment before he faced his enemy again, and none too soon. The samurai was attacking with a straight downward slash, a blow that would surely kill him unless he blocked.
Seiji knew he had the ninja. He knew he was dead. He nearly laughed when the ninja raised his hands to shield his face. "Now you die!"
The dull clang of metal against metal echoed around the silent ring. Seiji blinked before staring at the other boy in shock. He had stopped the blade with just his hands? But how?? 'No…' A slight breeze blew the fire of several torches sideways, and Seiji saw something glinting in the ninja's palm. Metal claws stuck out from the ninja's palm, catching the blade of the young lord's katana between them.
The ninja's eyes narrowed with a malicious gleam—Seiji just knew he was smiling—and in the next instant, the katana was wrenched from Seiji's hand and flipped into the air, spinning end over end before the ninja caught it deftly. His arrogant blue eyes met Seiji's own gray briefly before he took another swing at the now unarmed lord.
Seiji managed to dodge the vicious swings, but he knew he wouldn't be able to evade all of the attacks. The ninja was skilled, he would grant him that.
"My Lord!"
A sword was tossed into the circle: a no-datchi. Seiji caught the slightly longer, heavier sword by the hilt and used the its momentum to parry the ninja's next attack, locking blades. Light and power seemed to surge through Seiji's body, tripping down his spine to his feet and prickling his scalp.
Ryo felt the two blades react to each other. His body suddenly felt like it had burst into flames, with the katana as the fire's source. Something wasn't right. He broke the lock and began to circle the samurai lord, searching desperately for a weakness.
Seiji blinked and shook his head slightly to clear it. It looked like the ninja was glowing with a strange red aura, the likes of which he had never seen before. Was the other that powerful? Or was he just seeing things? Either way, he'd have to be careful. He tried to meditate as he circled the ninja, but as his mind grew calmer, the brighter the ninja's aura became. His own aura, a soft green in color, also seemed to grow with it. 'Strange.'
Ryo's patience gave. He had precious little time to waste. He launched himself at the young lord, ready to kill him if necessary. The samurai easily parried his attack as they continued to dance around the ring, exchanging offensive and defensive, attacks and counterattacks.
"There is no escape!" the samurai called over the clang of blades.
Ryo sneered invisibly. If he could ward off this blond and get rid of the other samurai around him, he could escape. But he had to get rid of the blonde first: a task in itself. His chances of succeeding were growing slimmer as the fight wore on. Damn.
"Surrender!" Seiji said, his patience wearing. They were both thrown back with the force of a combined attack, Seiji toward the ringed samurai, the ninja to the wall. The young lord glared at the other boy, nearly indiscernible in the shadow of the wall. "Surrender, or lie down and die like the dog you are!"
Ryo's eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. He wanted badly to take the blonde's pretty head, but his contract with Lord Sasaki had said nothing about the grandson. Besides, time was short. Dawn would be approaching soon. He had to get out—now.
The samurai pointed the no-datchi at him. "I am Date Seiji," he said, "and I will not allow my grandfather's death to be in vain!"
Ryo smirked as an idea suddenly came to him. He sheathed the katana carefully into his scabbard and reached into the folds of his belt. "And I am but a shadow," he replied, holding up a single egg for Seiji to see, "never to be seen again."
Seiji blinked, the tip of the sword falling with his defenses. Was he planning on attacking with an egg? What good would that do? He watched it as the ninja tossed it into the air, watched as it spun end over end before it hit the ground. The bright flash that followed blocked his vision completely.
Ryo closed his eyes after he threw the flashbomb, knowing the dim-witted samurai would all be watching the egg intently. He grasped the grappling hook rope tightly, waiting until he saw the flash against his closed eyelids. Only then did he reopen his blue eyes, quickly scaling the wall. Reaching the top, he leapt into a nearby tree, catching the top branch before falling to the ground, vanishing into the forest beyond and disappearing into the night.
Whew! One fight scene down! You like? You hate? Let me know! (But please go easy on the "I hates." I'm one of those sensitive writer-types.) Reviews help very much!