Crystal's Note: Forgive us for the long wait. It's mostly because I've been lazy. But anyhow, I hope this chapter is good enough for all of you, and I definitely hope you'll enjoy it. Happy reading!
XenoMark's Note: Sorry for the long wait in updating guys, Crystal and I have been in writer's block for a while. Anyway, I know the plot doesn't really seem to be going anywhere yet, but I assure you the bigger plot will be introduced in the next chapter. These first chapters are basically just an introduction to the story's characters, but things will really kick in the next chapter, I promise. Well without further ado, I guess we can get to the story.
Chapter 3: The Spider and The Crane Appear
(Misanagi's POV)
About a month or so passed since my first encounter with the Oniwaban-Shu, my wound had healed rather quickly in that short amount of time. When I told my men what had happen, they all were already eager to battle. I had to be honest with them at the time however, and to tell them that we weren't strong enough to combat this threat was an insult them and myself. I hate to admit it, but it was true. The one named Hannya was able to take out Gendo's party of twenty, along with Shinbo, Keichi, and Takumi. I had no idea how many others were hiding out in the forest, but one thing was for sure, the Oniwaban-Shu that we were dealing with at the time were not the same pushovers we encountered in the past. Still, I had a feeling we could win this war, not just through training myself and my men vigorously, but we also had her.
Shion, she seemed to have recovered from the incident rather quickly, but like me, she was hiding all that sadness deep inside her. I noticed it every time I looked into her eyes. Behind that smile and the glint of her mahogany pupils, I saw the frown and tears. She tried her best to hide it, so I acted as if I never noticed it. Actually, to tell you the truth, I tried to act as if I didn't care about her, even if I did help her recover physically.
"Uh...!" she yelped as her foot stumbled once more.
As usual, I caught her before she hit the floor. True she was able to speak again only two days after the incident, but for some reason, she had forgotten how to walk. I wanted to assign one of my men to help her with the recovery process, but with the threat of the Oniwaban-Shu invading our territory, I couldn't allow any of them to leave their training.
"Take it slow," I ordered her as I returned her to her feet. "You shouldn't try walking at that rate yet. You should be doing small and slow steps."
"Funny," she said as I released her from my grasp, "I never thought walking could be so hard."
There she went again with that fake smile. Every time, and almost every occasion, she always curled her lips to that position.
'She better still remember how to use a sword,' I thought as I gritted my teeth.
"Is something wrong, Misanagi?"
"Nothing," I responded cooly, "nothing at all."
"You know, Misanagi, ever since I came here, you've always been like this," she suddenly brought up.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
This was the first time Shion had really tried to start a conversation with me. During her recovery, we would never really speak. I was never one to bring up a conversation, and she never really tried to start one with me. Shion would always say one-liners and joke about little things during her recovery, mostly about her tripping and the such. I never got a laugh out of what she said, but there was something about her that made me smile inside. Maybe it was because of the effort she made to try and get over that incident as quickly as possible. She seemed like one who could let things go, unlike me.
"You're always so tense, Misanagi," she pointed out, "always trying to act cool."
"Is there a problem with that?" I asked.
"No, I guess not," she answered turning her sights back to her feet.
I was so cold to her back then. I always brushed her remarks and the such away, I was so greedy. Greedy because I wanted her power for myself, the power she revealed to me the day I found her. It was the same power as Kensai's, I just had to have it, especially since the Oniwaban-Shu were now residing in our territory. Still, there was always a voice in the back of my mind that scolded me whenever I spoke to her like that. I wasn't sure why that was happening, it never came to me when I responded to anyone else, maybe because it was because she was probably the first person in the longest time that I actually wanted to know more about.
"...gomen," I suddenly apologized without even realizing it.
"Excuse me?"
"It's nothing," I quickly tried to take it back.
"Hm hm hm, ah ha ha ha ha!" Shion suddenly burst out laughing.
"What's so funny?" I asked, remaining calm.
"You're a funny one, Misa-chan," she answered between her chuckles.
"Misa-chan?" the name made my brow twitch.
"Well, you are younger than me, so it's only natural that I call you 'Misa-chan.'"
"My name is Misanagi," I corrected her, trying my best not to lose my temper, "and I'm not a child, don't ever call me by that name."
"Okay, Misa-chan," she repeated that name, bringing another chuckle to her lips in the process.
'She's hopeless,' I thought to myself.
(Shion's POV)
Misanagi, she was always trying to act so cool and tough back then. Every time I tried to get a laugh our of her, she would always enter her own little world. The only expression I ever saw on her face was that monotone one she always wore. No, there was one exception, it was that time I woke up and I found her crying. There was always a part of her that felt sad whenever I was with her, I could always see it in her eyes. Despite the condition I was in, I wanted to turn that frown upside down, even if it did mean wearing the mask of happiness once more.
"There you go again entering your own little world," I sighed, "I bet I know what's going on in that mind of yours."
"You know nothing," she responded for a moment, only to return to that place in her mind.
She was always so cold whenever she spoke, there always seemed to be something on her mind, but I wasn't sure what. I never asked her if anything was wrong and whatnot, I don't know why. Maybe I was too afraid to ask her, or maybe I already knew the answer. Still, her cold demeanor kind of reminded me of someone else I knew.
"Of course I wouldn't know anything," I decided to lose my mask of happiness, "how could I if you keep shutting yourself off from me."
"There are some things that shouldn't be your business," she answered, never losing her cool as she spoke. "Well then, look at the time," she suddenly turned her attention to the sun, "that should be it for today."
Despite how she tried to help me recover, Misanagi spent most of her time away from me. She usually only gave me an hour or two of her time during my recovery, she was always away with other matters to attend to. Patrolling the forest, training, this was just part of the large list as to why she was always away. We didn't even eat in the same room when it came time for dinner or any other meal, she would always have Kaita deliver my meal to me. At least Kaita was able to start some conversations with me, although nothing really deep. Actually, I don't think you could even call those conversations when I spoke with him. Kaita was pretty much my personal servant back then, tending to whatever I needed. He would pretty much just ask me if I needed anything and if I was doing well.
"Shall I take you to your room now?" Kaita appeared a second later.
"Hai," I nodded.
I couldn't help but always watch Misanagi as Kaita helped me to my room. It was always like that actually. Not once did she ever look at me as I left, she was always in her own little world. I knew how she felt; she was revered by the others in her clan, and yet, she still felt all alone, just like her. Their pain was something I had never experienced, but whenever I was around either Mina or Misanagi, I thought I was able to feel some of it. That pain came from looking into their eyes, looking into the window of their soul. Mina's pain came from killing so many people during the Revolution, but Misanagi's, I wasn't sure at the time.
"Shall I get you anything, Shion-san?" Kaita asked his usual question after returning me to my room.
"No," I shook my head.
"I will be on my way then," the shinobi began to leave the room.
"Kaita-san, wait," I called to him.
"Hai?" the man stopped before the door.
I wanted to ask him something, but I wasn't sure how to phrase it. Normally I was able to easily give him my request and he would fulfill it with no questions asked. This time, however, there was a request I was afraid to ask, however, I knew I had to ask it if I ever wanted to get closer to his leader.
"Was Misanagi always like this?" I asked, hesitating a moment before opening my mouth.
"What do you mean?"
"Was she always this...cold?" I continued.
"Our leader... has not always had an easy life," Kaita admitted, returning to his seat in front of me.
"Why's that?" I asked.
"Have you noticed how nearly all the field ninjas in our clan are males?" Kaita suddenly brought up.
"Mm," I nodded.
"The truth is, our leader was originally just supposed to be used for breeding like many of the other women in our clan," Kaita began reminiscing. "At an early age, it's natural that all the females would rebel against this idea, but that rebellion would normally subside as the years went by. In Misanagi's case, however, that idea never left her head, in fact, it was always her dream to become leader of our clan. Ninja training for a woman normally ends at the age of twelve, however, if a woman can choose to continue training if she wishes to become a field ninja in our clan. Misanagi obviously chose the latter part, she was the only girl in her age group that decided to continue training. She was ridiculed by the boys who were still training, even some of the elder ninjas thought she wouldn't make it. Despite all the put downs and the lack of support and friends, she continued. She trained so much that she eventually became strong enough to duel the previous leader for the leadership of our clan."
"I see," I responded a moment later.
"It was a very heated battle," Kaita continued, "I remember witnessing it four years ago. The fight lasted for five hours straight, in the training fields," he pointed outside my door. "Both warriors were exhausted near the end of the battle, blood and sweat mingling for a second before each drop hit the floor. And then, with their last ounce of strength, they both went in for their kill. It's clear who the victor was. Misanagi had finally overcame all obstacles, she had accomplished her dream of becoming the first female leader of the Sanada Ninjas. In all honesty, I didn't think it was possible at the time, I didn't think it was possible for a daughter to kill her own father without remorse."
"So she killed her own father to accomplish her dream," I repeated to myself.
"Our previous leader, Daisaku the Searing Edge, was a very noble man, always putting his clan ahead of his own needs, however, he always put his daughter ahead of everything else. He and his wife, Murasaki, had two sons before Misanagi was born, but they had died right after birth. Misanagi was their miracle child, yet this miracle also came with a price. Murasaki had died after giving birth to Misanagi, and so, Daisaku made it his duty to raise his daughter as best as he could after the sacrifices of his sons and wife, he wanted their deaths to not be for nothing. Daisaku assisted Misanagi in becoming our leader, he trained with her many hours more than how much he had trained with the other ninjas. The others resented Misanagi for the attention that was especially given to her, especially one young man named Jimmu the Poison Fang. Jimmu has hated Misanagi since she was born, hating her because their father had chosen her to become leader over him."
"Wait, you said 'their'," I interrupted, "I thought you said Misanagi was born as an only child."
"Born?" another voice suddenly entered the room, following a heavy chuckle. "That halfling was spawned."
It was a voice I had never heard before, it was rather monotone, yet there was a hint of anger in his voice. It felt rather cold as well, much like hers, yet the chill in his voice also seemed to burn. My eyes began to linger to the other side of the room, and there, standing on the ceiling of the wall, with his black scarf hanging down, was a man I had never seen before. I could barely see the black peas that were his pupils; his eyes were as narrow as the width of paper. His earth-brown hair looked shoulder length, it looked somewhat like a spider as he hung there. A black ninja gi was plastered on his body, one much like the other Sanada Ninjas, but there was no netting around the chest area. Impressions of rings and sakura petals were randomly placed all over his gi and his hamaka, which was tied to his ankles and tabi so that it didn't give the impression of a dress like most hamakas do. The aroma surrounding this man was one I knew too well, it was obvious that this man had his bath in the Sanzu numerous times in the past.
"Jimmu-sama, what are you doing here?" Kaita asked the man.
A small curl fell upon his lips a second later, and his feet soon leaving the ceiling. His body spiraled forward for a moment, his knees barely stopping the rest of his body from falling flat on the tatami. His hair bobbed to his shoulders after his feet began pressing against the floor, bobbing as if they were a spider jumping on its prey. His figure had become more clear now as he stood there with that grin stretched from ear to ear. His arms and chest were as chiseled as stone, his teeth were of a ivory white shade and looked as sharp as a knife's edge. His face was rather sharp as well, though it was chiseled in the corners like the rest of his figure.
"I have completed the mission that was assigned to me a year ago," he answered, that grin melting back into a monotone, yet somewhat angry, expression. "I have completed that halfling's request in securing a route to Edo. I don't see why it was necessary seeing that we're on Mount Fuji."
'Mount Fuji?!' the name of our location came to a shock to me. 'How did I wind up all the way up here when I was last in Kyoto?'
I never did ask Misanagi or Kaita where the location of their base was, I always thought we were close to Kyoto. I didn't know how it was possible at the time, but it was definitely a shocker.
"A secure private route is necessary if we plan on getting supplies from the city," Kaita explained.
"Since when do we need supplies from outside civilization?" Jimmu asked, keeping his cool just like his sister. "If father were still alive, he would have..."
"Jimmu-sama, your father is dead, your sister..."
"Don't you dare call that halfling my sister!" his cool exterior suddenly cracked.
I couldn't help but jump at the site of his anger. I swear I could see steam blowing from his ears as he yelled at Kaita. For a moment his teeth clenched against one another, only to separate a moment later. His cool quickly returned, but the fear he had inflicted upon me was still there.
"Why must I get angry so easily," he said, pretending to dust his sleeves off. "Oh, and what have we here?" his attention suddenly turned toward me. "Such a lovely guest we have here," his lips began to curl once more, "may I ask your name?"
"...Shion," I hesitated for a moment before answering, "Azumi Shion."
"Such a lovely name," he said, taking my hand into his, "what brings you here, my sweet?"
"Jimmu-sama, stop that," Kaita ordered, "she is our leader's guest."
"Oh, I see how it is," his hand began to slip away from mine, "you're that trump card that halfling spoke of in her letters to my men. Such a terrible leader that woman is, depending on a single girl to take end this conflict."
"Excuse me?" his words began confusing me.
"Oh, you do not know?" he asked, beginning to take his leave. "That's so typical of that halfling, never telling the grunts of their true purpose, I almost pity them. Well then, we shall meet again, Azumi Shion," he smiled once more before leaving the room.
That was my first encounter with Jimmu the Poison Fang, the half-brother of Misanagi the Flying Arrow. His presence was very frightening and intimidating, I was always scared when he was around. He had the same icy exterior as his sister, yet there was a fire behind it that was burning like the flames of hell.
"I'm glad Daisaku-sama didn't challenge him to be leader," Kaita broke the silence a moment later.
"Kaita-san," I decided to change the subject, "he said we were on Mount Fuji. Is what he said true?"
"Hai," he answered, "why do you ask?"
"The day before you all found me, I was in Kyoto," I began to recall. "The last thing I remembered was having my body dumped into a body of water, and the next thing I knew, I had awoken in this room. I'm wondering how I was able to get this far over the course of one night."
"Legends say that all of the lakes and rivers of Japan are all linked via underground caverns," Kaita explained, "perhaps you were somehow pushed into those caverns and you were then brought to the river close by."
"Perhaps," I responded.
"Well, you should get some rest now," Kaita suddenly began to take his leave, "you've got a long day ahead of you tomorrow."
"Hai," I nodded.
Get some rest, I didn't need it, I was only up for about four hours that day. Get some rest, that's what they always told me after returning to my room or possibly after my meals. I felt like I was locked up in a cage back then, just like a bird who couldn't control its fate. True I could get whatever I wanted if I asked, but I still felt like a caged animal. There was nothing for me to really do in my room either, so most of the time I was forced to do their bidding. Yet that day was different. Instead of falling asleep for the rest of the day, I woke up about two hours later from the sound of muffled voices from the other side of my door.
"Our leader's gone missing," one of them said.
"Nani, how is that possible?!" the other exclaimed.
I began to sit up as soon as the comprehension of the words began to sink into my head. My arms began to push my body against the floor, and my legs began to rise soon after. The limbs were very wobbly, they were having trouble supporting the upper part of my body. Before my face could fall against the floor, my hand quickly took hold of the wall. I began sliding my hand upward so that my body could stand up straight again, but again, my legs would wobble. My arms began to crawl against the wall, sliding to the side so my body could follow its path. I followed their path for several seconds, following it until my ear was able to pick up the conversation on the other side more clearly.
"She hasn't returned from patrolling yet," the conversation continued as I lowered the force exerted on my arms, allowing my ear to sink to the other side of the door.
"It's been two hours, hasn't it?" the other person asked.
"She said she was going out to patrol alone today despite the disapproval of the elders."
"Do you think she ran into the Oniwaban-Shu again?"
"Oniwaban-Shu?!" I couldn't help but slide the door open with the mention of their name.
I had heard the name before. The Protectors of Edo Castle, their reputation was well known in the samurai families of Edo, so I knew what skills they had possessed. Though I had never encountered one up to that point, I had always feared running into one of those ninjas, ever since I was a child. It was fairly common back then to see corpses laid out on the street as I grew up, Father would always tell me it was the work of the Oniwaban-Shu; he said that the Oniwaban-Shu would do that to all the people with impure thoughts and intentions. I suppose that's how he kept my brother in line and all back then, but still, even when I was grown up, I still feared the name.
"Oh, Shion-san," the ninjas on the other side turned their attention toward me, "you've heard of the Oniwaban-Shu?"
"How can you just stand there and gossip so peacefully when your leader's life could be in danger?!" I fumed.
"Shion-san, we've already sent a search party to find her about half an hour ago," one of the ninjas explained, "we still haven't gotten word from them."
"If that's the case then I'll go look for her!" I suddenly blurted.
"But Shion-san, you still haven't..."
"What, I still can't walk straight?!" I spat. "I can walk just fine!" I began to step forward, almost losing my balance in the process.
"Shion-san, with all do respect, stay out of this affair," the other ninja told me, "you'll only..."
"I don't care!" I spat. "I'm going to look for her!"
"But..."
"Let her go," the voice of the spider entered my ear suddenly.
"Jimmu-sama?" the two shinobi turned to the man in the corner.
"Well, what are you waiting for," the man asked a second later, "you said you wanted to look for her, so go."
Something was odd at the moment; Jimmu, a man who couldn't even accept Misanagi as his younger sister was ordering me to go find her. That simper he was wearing at that time made me think for a moment, think about what agenda he might have had if I went to go look for her. I couldn't help but stare at the man puzzled for a moment, but I decided to brush away the thought and return to my objective to find Misanagi.
My foot began to tremble the moment I lifted it from the ground, and then my leg shook after it returned to the floor. My body began to push forward suddenly, but luckily I was able to shift my weight towards my back for a moment so I was able to regain my balance. I took another step a second later, this time it met with uneven ground filled with pebbles and dust. Again I almost slipped, but this time I was able to regain my balance more quickly. A third step followed sooner than my second, and this time I didn't stagger, but my pace was still slow. Eventually I found myself walking toward the gate of the base, but not without my feet slipping an inch or two every once and a while.
"Hey, girl!" the spider called before I could push open the lumber walls.
As soon as I turned back to his direction, I suddenly found an iron pole falling towards my arms. My fingers quickly wrapped around the turquoise-colored bar, but my shoulders almost pulled me down once the pole landed in my hands. I took a moment to gaze at the weapon; it was rather light-weighted once I was able to pull up to my level, and the blade on the northern end was curved like the crescent moon. The texture of the pole was free of lumps or other blemishes; it was as smooth as honey. I could see my own reflection through the shimmering texture of the steel blade and pole. The southern end of the weapon had a tiny black nub, it could probably be used for non-lethal attacks. My arms began to swing to the right, guiding the path of the spear; it was balanced pretty well, it was just like the one I trained with when I was a child.
"Naginata," I turned back to the spider as he spoke once more. "It's your weapon of choice, right?" he asked.
I simply nodded to him as a response, and then I returned my gaze to the lumber walls before me. Before I could push on the walls, they began to creak suddenly. A tiny crack began to appear down the center of the walls, and with every second that passed, the crack grew larger. The image of the outside world became more apparent with each second that passed, and soon, I found nothing but trees, mountains, and rivers before my eyes.
'I guess I'll be going now,' I thought to myself a moment after observing the area around me.
Again my foot began to shake as I took that first step, but I did not lose my balance this time. I began to hesitate before I could take my second step and I began to look back to where I had come from. I began to swerve my body back in that direction, but then I remembered why I was going out; I had to find her. Taking up my courage once more, I turned back to the wilderness and took that second step. A third, then a fourth followed after, I lost count of how many steps I took after a while. The time gap between each step lessened with every step that I took, there was no way anything was stopping me now.
Why was I doing all of this for a woman who treated me like trash, you ask? It's because back then, and even now, there was something about that woman that intrigued me. I don't know what it was, but this feeling made me want to know about her, it made me want to grow close to her, and most of all, it made me want to love her. This feeling, it was the same one I felt for her, the same one I felt for Mina.
'Hm, where am I supposed to go now?' I asked myself upon reaching the forest.
Misanagi and the other ninjas never told me about the outside world, so I was obviously lost upon my first visit to the forest. The sight of bark and leaves was as far as the eye could see the smell of flora and dew had engulfed the entire area, and the songs of birds filled my ears from every direction. Wherever I turned, wherever I stepped, everything looked and felt the same. I hated being lost, and I don't know how long I stayed there. The sun was beginning to set the next thing I knew, and I don't think I remembered the way back at that time.
'Oh great,' I sighed as I turned my gaze to the setting sun, 'I better go find some shelter for the night then.'
I didn't know which way I went after that, but luckily the path I chose was the right one.
(Misanagi's POV)
The sounds of water splashing on the rocks, the smell of the fresh trees around me and the sight of the crystal clear blue river in front of me cleared my head. I closed my eyes and remembered how my childhood was like...
My childhood would not be one that would be unique, but it would not be one that is usual either. Most female ninjas would have training ninja training until twelve, but some… Some like me, would choose to continue their training to become a field ninja. Up to then, my life has been pretty normal, except for the fact that my late father had trained me harder and had paid more attention to me than he had to any other ninjas...
I had chosen that path and I knew it was going to be a hard path. All the trainings had to be hard. But what I did not expect was the boys that were also training to be a field ninja to make fun of me and insult me. I could remember how they had first done so...
"Misa-chan! What is a female like you doing here? Training to become a field ninja? I think you'll never make it!" One of the boys with a tiny ponytail and light brown eyes said teasingly.
I glared at him, "Stop calling me that." I tried ignoring the boys and tried to train, but it was clearly impossible, as the boys were surrounding me and teasing me mercilessly. "Stop it! I just want to train! Go away!"
"Boohoo! Misa-chan! Misa-chan!" They teased me endlessly, knowing I despised the nickname they had given me and kept on chanting, hoping it would drive me up the wall.
I closed her eyes, hoping I could block away the boys chanting the nickname I hated, but all I e could hear after I closed my eyes was their voices... Their annoying voices... "Just shut up! I don't want to hear this!"
"Misa-chan, you know, you should really just stop now. There's no point in wasting your time here. You're just not going to make it. Even my father says there's a slim chance of you ever making it. You're a woman. Just go find someone to marry, that's your destiny. Stop wasting your time here. The elders think you won't make it either, so why waste your time here?"
I felt my breathing race as my anger built up, but suppressed it. "Just go away and let me train... Please..."
My thoughts disappeared into thin air as I heard footsteps approaching, more like stumbling towards me. I turned around and looked at Shion with those cold guarded eyes of mine.
"Misa-chan?" Shion asked as she wobbled unsteadily closer to me. "Where have you been? Everyone is worried sick about you." She said truthfully.
I was surprised to see her walking already, although I did not show any of that. "I am able to take care of myself, thank you very much." I said sarcastically. "After all, I am the leader of the clan." Shion had decided to stay quiet, and I was quite thankful of that. I rather have her be quiet than ask me about stuff I did not want to answer at all.
A few moments passed silently as I glanced at the water run one way in the river until Shion cleared her throat. "So..." She started, "what were you thinking about back there? You looked quite thoughtful." She stated.
"What business is it of yours?" I asked. "What I think is clearly none of your business."
She mumbled something inaudible and everything became silent once again. "I heard about your childhood... So how was it?"
I ignored her question and entertained myself with the beautiful forest scene around me. If not that, I entertained myself with thoughts of... Practically anything.
"How was life as the only female ninja your age?" She asked again.
I ignored her a second time.
"You know..." Shion started again and I could barely contain the urge to roll my eyes so I looked away. "I do understand how you feel... As the only female ninja, I mean. To be truthful, when I was young, I was in a similar position while I was growing up..." I had to admit I was startled with the confession. When I looked at her, she was looking thoughtful, spacing out.
"Do you really know how I feel, Shion? Do you?" I asked silently, thinking my question would not be answered.
She looked like she didn't hear it for quite a few moments until she nodded slowly, "I understand... I understand entirely how you feel. You feel lonely and rejected because you feel like no one loves you anymore. You don't feel supported because of all the insults you suffer from the people you thought were suppose to support you. No matter how much better you are than them, you always get put down by the guys... Because they just like to make you feel bad. I know how that feels."
I turned my back towards her because I knew what my face looked like. I was speechlessly shocked. How could someone... How could she understand me? How could she? Except she did, because that's what I felt when I was a child... When I was growing up. It was exactly how I felt. Why did every boy insult me? Why didn't the elders believe I could do it? Why did nobody every talk to me because I was a girl?
"How about I make a deal with you?" Shion said.
I turned around right away and raised my eyebrow, "What are you suggesting?"
"If you want someone to talk to you... Someone to listen to you, I'll always be there. I'll be there to listen to you and I'll be there to give you any advices and my opinion, what do you say?" Shion continued, "In return, you do the same for me when I need someone to talk and listen to me, when I need someone to give me advices and their opinions. Is that okay with you?"
I was pondering over the deal Shion made with me, which wasn't much of a deal, but it was something I had wanted for a while... I need someone to talk to and listen to... I need someone to share my deepest secrets with and someone that would give me their point of view with complete truthfulness. I could accept... Or I could deny. And I choose the former. As I was about to reply her, a scream was heard and both our necks snapped towards the sound, alarmed and alerted. I looked at Shion for a split second and she nodded her head towards me and we ran towards the source of the scream.
As we reached it, I saw a woman cornering a man against a tree. The man seemed like he was pleading and I saw the woman sigh as if he was useless and saw her thrust her sword right into his liver. His body was limp immediately and she retreated the blade from that man's corpse. I thought that was all there was to it, after all, the man was dead already. But to my surprise, once her blade was free from the body, she thrust it once more, this time, decapitating him. She turned around, not noticing us, about to leave until...
I decided to get her attention, "Hey!"
"What do you want?" She spat out, her back still turned towards me.
There was something odd about that woman, and it wasn't just her clothes. Maybe it was her narrow eyes, the tint within them seemed to shift from red, violet, and black. Or maybe it was her hair, tied in a long black braid in the back and her bangs covering her right eye. Her clothes were very odd I must admit, I had never seen anything like them at the time. What she wore was something that looked like a white gi, only that multiple strings held the halves together by hooking onto buttons. The clothing on her legs also represented a hakama to an extent; the leggings were still baggy, but there were no individual folds and you can easily see where the leggings met. There were tabi on her feet however, but they were covered by what looked like black European shoes. The sword in her hands was quite odd too. It was similar to a Tai Chi in terms of the handle, but the blade was different. The blade was straight and as long as a normal katana, but both sides of the blade had an edge.
"Misanagi, I don't think this is a good idea," I saw Shion frown beside me. "Can't you feel her ki, it's..." My eyes was on the woman's figure the whole time and I watched her carefully and calculatingly as she turned around.
"You're trespassing on Sanada Ninja grounds," I said, then ordered, "now leave this area immediately or..."
I heard the woman laugh at my words, "Do you understand the power of my sword, you little wench?" She said, a smirk on her face, "What am I talking about, I doubt that I'll even need a weapon to defeat the likes of you."
"Just who do you think you are talking to me like that?!" I demanded, my anger rising up again.
"Misanagi, please..." Shion begged beside me.
"I have no reason to kill you," she sighed dramatically as she twirled the straight sword between the gaps of her fingers, "but if you want to play, I'm up for a game."
Without much warning to everyone, my anger took over and instead of listening to that bullcrap Shion was giving me, I pushed her away and took out a few shurikens and threw them as hard as I could.
"Child's play." She sighed.
Each of my shurikens landed between her fingers without harming a single hair on her head. A grin came on her lips to reflect back on those metallic stars and as she got lost with that reflection in those stars, I took out my blade and leaped forward. She evaded the attack by swerving around in a complete circle and this time, I swung to the left, brining it upwards. She evaded the attack again by moving her shoulder and inch back. I attacked again by going for her neck, only to miss again. She evaded the next attack with a simple side step when I was trying to aim her side with my left leg. Fuming, I punched her, only to land my punch in the middle of her palm.
She smiled, "Is this all you have?" She began to close her fist, trying to crush my hand in the process.
Thankfully, before she could even begin to crack my bones, I heard the familiar sound of the naginata whistle and I stood there calmly, knowing the attack wasn't for me. I looked behind me only to find Shion standing there with her naginata at her side.
"It's one thing that my friend here tried to start a fight with you," she said, "but it's another thing to try and break her hand like that!"
"Still, she's the one who started it," the woman responded, tapping her sword's edge against her own shoulder.
"Shion, stay out of this!" I yelled at Shion, afraid that she would still not be strong enough. She had only recovered a while ago. I placed the hilt of my sword on my knuckles... And charged. It was weird how she didn't dodge my attack, but what had sent me into shock was that she grabbed my wrist...Just before my sword could harm her. The next second, I felt myself tossed against a tree and my hand lose grip on my sword. I heard it clatter on the floor and almost groaned in pain. Lying there, I heard Shion attack the woman. I heard fabric torn and the familiar whistle of steel again. I looked in the woman's direction just in time to see her braid become undone.
Shion brushed her hair that was covering her face, "That technique you're using, your accent, and the clothes you wear," she began, "what are they, they can't possibly be of Japanese origin."
The woman smirked, "Well you're an observant one. They're Chinese. Have you ever heard of Wing Chun Kung Fu, girl?"
"I've heard the name," Shion answered, "So what brings you to Japan, foreigner?"
The woman spoke a language completely out of my understanding, "My mission is genocide of the foreigners."
"Nani?" Shion asked, "You speak in an alien language."
The woman spoke Japanese again, "I have no reason to answer you. Now then, shall we?" She asked, signaling Shion to go closer to her with her left hand.
I decided it was time to get up. I picked up my sword and swung it towards the woman again. At the last second, she turned towards me and grabbed the hilt of my blade as I swung it down and she tugged the sword, making me lose hold of it. I watched as she used my blade to block Shion's naginata and my blade shattered. Seeing that my blade was useless, she tossed it aside. Shion was fast and the woman kept blocking with her straight sword. Gritting my teeth, I took out more shurikens and threw them towards the woman... And one managed to hit her, right on her right shoulder. Shion's blade landed with the woman's arm. The woman managed to get the Shion's naginata away from her arm and jumped away.
"Had enough?" I asked, panting. Shion fell to her knees holding her wound. I would have to treat her once we get back.
The woman smirked, "I've underestimated you," and took a closer look at her own wounds, "This white dress shirt has never been tainted with red ever since I bought it. Tell me, spear woman and ninja, what are your names?"
"Misanagi the Flying Arrow," I responded, hissing through my teeth.
"Azumi Shion," Shion answered.
"And I am Wu Lei Xiang," she said. "Perhaps one day you'll make me break a sweat." With that last sentence, she walked off.
As I watched her back retreating, I knew there was more than the Oniwaban-Shu we had to worry about. I had to admit she was strong. It makes me wonder if Shion could have beaten her, even if she wasn't wounded. And what of the Hitokiri Kensai? She could even perhaps have beaten Hitokiri Kensai. Anger flowed through my veins to hear that name again. My eyes were still on Xiang's retreating back and I felt them narrow. She was strong, but definitely had the worst attitude.
Chapter 3 Liner Notes
Info on Jimmu- As you've read in this chapter, Jimmu is the older half-brother of Misanagi and obviously hates her. His name is actually based on Japan's legendary first emperor who founded the Japanese state around 600 B.C. The spider-like hair that Shion speaks of symbolizes his relationship with Misanagi. Misanagi's hair tends to look like a butterfly if you use your imagination, and so naturally, a spider would be a butterfly's predator. As long as the butterfly doesn't end up in the spider's web, the spider is harmless, but if the butterfly were to end up in the web, well, we all know what will happen. You might want to keep this in mind for what may happen in later chapters.
Info on Xiang- Wu Lei Xiang is another character who was recently introduced. As written earlier, Xiang uses Wing Chun Kung Fu, but that's not the only martial art she knows. She also uses Tai Chi, Crane, and another martial art that will be revealed later on. Unlike the rest of the cast, she is of Chinese decent (obviously). Her family name, Wu Lei, is a tribute to a Lei Wu Long of the Tekken video game series. Her name, Xiang, however, has multiple meanings. Xiang is the name of a Chinese Emperor's tomb (I don't remember which one) and it sounds almost like Shion's name when spoken, not to mention their names are written alike in kanji and Chinese. Xiang will play a larger role later on in this fic, as well as "Crimson String Book II: A Rurouni's Path" as she is a key member of both stories' overall plot. Her true intentions and past will be revealed later on.
Next time: "Mina, it's been so long since I've seen you, it feels like an eternity since we last saw each other. But with things as they are now, I don't know what to do. Misanagi and her Sanada Ninjas have done so much for me, and I wish to repay them. The price is very high, but if I do not comply, will lose something very meaningful, and even if I do, I'll lose something else just as valuable. I'm sorry, Mina, but I do not know what to do. God, please forgive me for whatever decision I'm about to make..." -Azumi Shion
XenoMark's Note: Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, despite how slow it was. I swear, things will kick in in the next chapter. Review if you want if it's not a negative response like a flame or anything. Chapter 5 will definitely bring in some action and drama as Mina and Shion will be reunited then and the two stories' plots will intertwine. We'll try and bring the next chapter sooner than this one, so until then, later people.
Crystal's Note: Once again, sorry for the slow update and as XenoMark says, things will quicken up in the next chapter. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'll try to get off my lazy bum and work on the next chapter quicker. So see you later!