I feel Sasuke's grip on my hand loosen. I turn to him, lowering my arm as I do. Trying my best to look into his saddening eyes, I say, quietly, "Sasuke...I think I should go comfort Goemon."

"But-"

"Just for today. Then you and I can be together tomorrow. It's just that...even if I can't cheer him up, if he busies himself with protecting me, then he won't do anything rash, like go to Iga himself or something..."

Sasuke looks away, frowning, but then he gives me a small smile, "You're too smart for your own good." He speaks up so that everyone can hear, "Alright, I'll let Goemon guard her for today, but if he lays a single finger on her..."

Hanzo frowns, Saizo and Kotaro remain expressionless and the Iga Elder and Grandpa smile softly, proud of Sasuke for making the nobler, more mature choice.

And so, with a sigh and a wave to Sasuke and Grandpa, I head off into the heavily bushed (yet still well-trimmed) area of the garden in search for Goemon.

Chapter 1: Goemon Ishikawa

After traipsing around the tall bushes and winding trees, all blossoming with the sweet scent of spring in the air, I'd managed to actually get lost in the garden I'd played and worked in since I was a child. And still, I have not found Goemon! I'm starting to worry that I'll have to start cutting through the bushes in order to find my way back...and that's probably not going to do anything for me but rip my kimono.

I sigh, starting to become tired both physically and mentally. I wonder if the others are worried by this point? That Goemon stole me away along with him to go to Iga or something...I should hope he's not that kind of person.

I walk around several more bushes and trip on a few more stones until I find...

Darn it, it's the stupid cherry tree again! A dead end at this large tree...

"How many times are you going to go around in circles?" a voice asks me. The suddenness of it causes me to gasp out of surprise.

"Who's there?" my voice shakes as I turn around to find no one behind me.

"Up here."

Not moving my feet, I bend backwards in order to look up into the tree.

"Goemon!" I shout, irritated, "You were there the entire time?"

Wow...he doesn't even smirk. He must really be in a rut about Iga being invaded. He simply states, "Yeah, and I've been watching you go in circles this entire time, too. You're not very bright, are you?"

"Hey!"

He jumps down from the tree, the many layers of fabric tied mostly around his hip bouncing as he makes impact with the ground.

As I back away to give him some space, he sighs, asking me, "What are you doing here? I figured that the Elder would come and order me to come out of my hiding spot."

"I...uh..." Well...what do I say? That I think Nobunaga is lame for invading Iga? That I think the others are stupid for not seeing Goemon's opinion about things? That I disagree with him about fighting the Oda so recklessly? I'm not even sure what I think on the matter, anyway...it's all so sudden, and I don't know anything about war or battles or fighting...

"So who did you pick?" Goemon asks nonchalantly, folding his arms and leaning against the tree.

Pick? Oh, right, "Oh...uh, the Iga Elder ordered that you guys take turns 'making me your priority'. You're taking shifts that change daily with who is following me around; with who is protecting me."

"And who's up first?"

"Uh," why am I so awkward around Goemon? "Well, originally Sasuke, but-"

He walks up close to me, the edges of a smirk pulling at his lips as he lifts my chin up to look at him, "But you wanted to be with me, right?" ...I, uh... "Why are you blushing? I'm only kidding."

He sighs, letting go of my chin and leaning with his arm outstretched, hand against the trunk of the tree. "In any case," he continues, smiling haughtily at me, "Since I'm your man for the day, you have to listen to everything I say."

"I..."

"And that starts with you promising me three things, alright?"

...

Again, he stops leaning against the tree and starts walking slowly towards me, picking up his pace slightly as I start to back away.

He holds a finger up, "One: Never forget that you are the ninja princess. This is a time of war, so while others are panicking, you must remain calm. Even if your insides are twisting, you must keep a calm front. Got it?"

I quickly nod and stop backing away, processing this advice...or orders, rather, I suppose...

"Two," he continues, putting up another finger, and taking yet another step closer to me, "You're a woman, so I know you are prone to this, but you must keep a straight head and don't give into your emotions. They distract. Know that what you do impacts all ninja."

Again, I nod, although far less enthusiastically. He's now so close to me...

"Three..." he holds a strand of my hair to his lips as he whispers into my ear, "You are to completely obey my orders, okay?"

Swiftly, I back away, although he continues holding a strand of my hair, "What about when you're not my bodyguard?" I ask, growing annoyed at his assumptive behavior.

He thinks for a moment, "Well, then, I suppose you're on break. But don't forget your other two promises to me!"

I swat his hand away from my hair, "You're so bossy," I say, sighing, then walking over to sit by the tree.

His eyes widen for a moment, staring at me, but then he laughs.

What? Why is he laughing at me?

With a sigh, he sits down next to me, saying, "You don't have any feminine charm, but yet you still cheer me up. How?"

Before I can call him out on his mean choice of words, he lays his head in my lap, surprising me and causing yet another set of blush to creep across my cheeks.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

He turns around so that he is laying on his back, facing me, "Women are softer than any other sort of pillow."

"Ha," I give a quiet laugh, "I suppose you do this with all women, huh?"

"Only the ones I like," he says as he closes his eyes.

Wow...he looks so sweet and peaceful when he's like this. He really does have a handsome face...they all do...but I can really tell why so many women like Master Goemon...

Suddenly, said womanizer's voice pulls me out of my admiration, "Don't become fascinated with me just because I'm manly."

Surprised and slightly embarrassed, I remark, "Can you really read my thoughts or are you just that assumptive?"

"Both," he sighs, finally seeming to fall asleep.

Well...I'm stuck here. Now what?

I lean my head against the tree, looking up into the beautiful, pink leaves and the fractal shapes composed by the tree branches, the light blue sky behind all of it. It truly is a beautiful day. And it smells nice, too. I've always loved the Springtime.

Finally deciding upon relaxing my neck, I face forward again, then breathe in quietly from surprise. Saizo is standing at the entrance to this little area with the tree trunk, where the tall bushes make a corner before heading back into the unintentional maze. His arms are crossed and he has an eyebrow raised.

Silently, I mouth to him, "When did you get here?"

He flaps his hand dismissively, then points to Goemon. He removes the black piece of clothing from his mouth to lipsynch to me something...I can't quite grasp what he's saying at first, but eventually I get that he's asking if Goemon is okay now. I nod quickly, as soon as I understand the question he had been trying to ask me.

Then, as expressionless as any human can possibly be, he replaces the black fabric around his face, and walks away, ever silently and never waking Goemon.

I hope that he tells the others the truth; that I'm okay and not some weird, made-up story or exaggeration of what he saw...

Saizo wouldn't be that mean, would he?

"Princess!"

As Goemon and I walk back into the temple together, we're greeted by Hanzo, who looks to be feeling immense relief.

"Don't look so relieved, Hanzo," Goemon calls him out, "I wouldn't have done anything to her, anyway. She's not sexy."

Hanzo blushes at that, while I unintelligibly shout at Goemon.

"I've told you time and time again to watch your mouth around the Princess!" Hanzo shouts yet again, his face turning red from a mixture of awkwardness and anger.

"You perv." I mutter, only loud enough for the trained ear of the ninjas to hear.

Goemon glances at me, smirks, and then continues speaking to Hanzo, "I apologize, Master Hanzo, for my inappropriate behavior. I have come to understand that we cannot fight Nobunaga on our own with the resources that we have. In the meantime, I will take good care of Abigail. So you no longer have to worry!"

Hanzo glares at Goemon for a few seconds, then sighs. He trusts Goemon, so I suppose that I will, too. Not that I have much of a choice in the matter, anyway...I could have, but now I don't.

"It's not like you to apologize," Hanzo says.

"No, it's not like me to compliment," corrects Goemon, "But I'm a bigger man that I look(1)," he smirks at me knowingly, "I'll easily apologize when I've wronged someone or embarrassed myself."

"Well, either way," Hanzo includes me into the conversation, "You've been gone for over an hour. We've been talking strategy; about what to do about the changed situation at hand and with Nobunaga Oda. Come, Princess, you should be in on this, too."

And with that, Goemon and I follow Hanzo to one of the more secluded rooms on the third and top floor of the temple.

Once inside the compact room, I look around to see all of the ninjas standing or sitting about the room. Grandpa and the Iga Elder are nowhere to be seen.

"Abigail!" Sasuke greets first, drawing Kotaro and Saizo's attention to me. Sasuke then walks over to me, giving Goemon a quick glare, "You were in the garden for so long! I was becoming worried."

Goemon smirks at the usually happy ninja's attitude towards him, "Eh? You don't have a lot of trust in me, do you, kid?"

"I'm not a kid!" shouts Sasuke, "And anyway, you're the one who took a nap while the rest of us were in here working! Who's the immature one, now?"

"Still you," says Goemon.

Just as I'm about to intervene, Hanzo does a better job that I would've, actually physically coming between them, "Stop it! Now, both of you, put whatever aggression you have for each other behind you and start showing more respect in the front of the Princess! We do not have time for such insignificant arguments."

Sasuke closes his mouth and walks away while Goemon continues giving him that (irritating, I'd imagine) signature smirk.

"Anyway," says Hanzo with a sigh, "What we've been discussing for the past hour is what we're going to do while Oda's troops are invading Iga. We've already written the warning messages out to all of the ninja originally heading to Iga, but we would like your permission, Princess, to also invite them, indirectly, here."

What? All of those ninja inside our little temple?

"But," I begin, feeling everyone's eyes on me, "Nobunaga found out about all of the ninja going to Iga. If he found that out so quickly, even with you ninjas communicating in such secret ways, might he also find out about all of the ninja coming here? Where would we go, then? What would become of my home?"

The silence of the room shows that I'd said something they hadn't thought of. Their surprised and thoughtful expressions proving such even more so.

Needing more information before I can truly offer any input, I ask, "What have you planned to do while Nobunaga's troops are away?"

Saizo speaks up, "We've planned to attack Nobunaga while his defenses are weakened."

"What, really?" I ask hypothetically, "But do you even know where he is?"

"No," Hanzo says, "Not yet, but his son is also planning an attack; this much we know. But we do not know where or when. However, if we can catch him and stop his attack, then we might be able to get the information we need out of him. Goemon, gathering information is your specialty. I want you to find out more about Nobukatsu's attack, once you are no longer busy with the Princess."

I look away, feeling guilty that I'm distracting Goemon, even as he nods in understanding of his task.

"Kotaro," Hanzo continues, turning around to face the sitting ninja, "I want you to procure weapons as indiscreetly as possible. We will need them when the time comes to fight for Iga and the rest of the ninja."

Kotaro nods silently.

Finally, Hanzo turns to the Koga ninjas, "Sasuke, you go into town to see what kind of housing we have and what kind of people are in town. If we're going to have any other ninjas visiting, we need to confirm that we have the resources needed. We also should keep an eye on any strangers that come into town."

...that green-haired man with the swords...

"And Saizo, prepare the temple's defenses."

I gawk, "But what about the monks and students?!"

"They will be kept safe," assures Hanzo, "and naive. Do not worry, Princess, we shall not prepare anything to harm the working people. Saizo will be smart about it."

...isn't he kind of sadistic, though? Or am I wrong about that?

I might be home, but that sure feels like it's changing fast...

"I didn't plan to follow you around, you know," Goemon complains as I prepare the guest rooms for everybody.

"Well, I'm sorry," I repeat myself for umpteenth time, "But unless you want to sleep on the floor, then I suggest you leave me to my duties."

Once I roll out the futon that will soon be Master Kotaro's, Goemon plops down and stretches out on it.

He groans, putting his hands behind his head and looking up at me, "Are temple futons always this stiff?"

"We haven't used them in a while," I explain, sighing.

He pauses, a strange, analytical look taking over his features.

"What?" I ask.

"Your boobs look bigger from this angle. They're bigger than I thought."

I gasp, quickly setting to cover my chest with my hands.

He smiles, "You're only squishing them together, now."

I promptly grab the pillow I was going to place on the futon and, instead, smother Master Goemon's face with it.

Mumbling through the pillow, I can still hear him clearly say, "Wouldn't you rather have your face in a pillow? Perhaps with me behind you?"

I hit him through the pillow, receiving an unsatisfying and laughing "ouch" from him.

I'll have to finish up with Kotaro's room later. Heading into the next room without the perverted ninja, I open the closet door and take out the next futon, rolling it out on the floor.

Goemon appears in the doorway, leaning against the doorframe, as he asks me, "So who's room is this going to be?"

I sigh, exasperated, "I don't know. Yours?"

Suddenly, he's behind me, whispering into my ear again and rubbing his hands down my back, "I appreciate the thought," he says, "but I won't be needing my room tonight," he blows hot air onto my neck, thus causing me to have surplus goosebumps. He lowers his voice, "I'll be sleeping in your room."

Quickly I get up and turn to face him, "What!?"

"You heard what Sasuke said, right? You can't be that stupid."

Hmm...Sasuke had said that we would have to be together always..even in the bath...and Saizo confirmed it.

"No!" I say, "That's too much..."

Goemon's expression suddenly changes to one of worry, "What? I'm only kidding when I do things like that. I'm not going to try anything; not on an unwilling woman, anyway. I would never do such a thing!"

He suddenly grabs my shoulders and gently pulls me closer into a hug. He laughs, "So I'll just have you make you willing, won't I?"

I groan against his chest, trying to push him away but failing. Eventually I sigh, "Why do you do things like this? You're such a womanizer!"

He pulls me back, seeming to be somewhat hurt. Staring at my face, he says, "I'm not a womanizer. I'm just popular."

"Well you're not popular with me."

He smirks his signature smirk, pulling me into his soft embrace again, "That's a lie," he says. I don't respond, keeping my arms at my sides. He pats my head, "Come on, have a little faith in me. I'm a ninja; a good guy. I'm nothing like Nobunaga Oda or his son. I won't ever force you to be my concubine. I'm not looking for love, anyway."

After a few moments of silence, I ask, "Master Goemon?"

"Mm?"

"How many women are you dating?"

He releases me at this question, and I quickly take the moment to take a step back from him. I cross my arms like Saizo, awaiting a response.

He thinks for a moment, tapping his chin. Then he replies, "I don't know, I've lost count. It's not like it matters. I only need their bodies, after all."

Only need their bodies? Why...

I close my mouth upon noticing that I'd left it open.

"So you've never been in love?" I ask.

"No."

"You've never been married?"

"No. I've had plenty of offers, but I turn them down. Marriage would get in the way."

"In the way of what? Being a ninja?"

"Exactly," he's so nonchalant about all of this...does he really not care for love? "If I couldn't perform my ninja duties, I wouldn't be getting money and power."

I see...so Master Goemon is materialistic...

He then smiles at me, patting my head again, "But I enjoy being with you. You're fun. Most women I'm with aren't as much fun as you. You're a good girl."

Unsure of how to react to the compliment, I frown. This wasn't a very good idea, though, for Master Goemon takes it upon himself to turn my frown upside down.

"Ahahahahaah! Stop that!" I laugh, falling onto the futon as Goemon tickles my sides and stomach.

Goemon laughs, "No! I'm repaying you for cheering me up earlier!"

He tickles me until I can't take it anymore. I end up panting with large grin on my face.

"You know," he says, still on the floor next to me, "When you look like that, you almost look hot."

I close my mouth, then raise an eyebrow. My happy smile turns to a sly one.

"Your turn!" I shout, tackling him to the floor and tickling his sides.

"Stop it!" he shouts, laughing in the same way I did.

"No! This is payback!" I laugh, pressing into his armpits.

Abruptly, he grabs my wrists, stopping me in the process. His smile is gone as he says, "You fool! I told you to stop!"

Oh...right...I had gone against his orders...

"Way to kill the mood," a third voice says.

We both look up to see–of course–Saizo standing in the doorway, his arms crossed like always.

"You stalker," I say with deadpan.

Saizo shrugs, "I'd heard noises coming from the bedrooms. I wanted to see if I could get in on the action. Turns out, it was nothing more than a couple of cats playing with one another." He pulls out two kittens that had presumably gotten lost from beneath his chest garment. And so, petting the two kittens, Saizo leaves, assumably to deliver the kittens to the room they'd originally been in.

Goemon, who I hadn't realized was already standing, helps me up. I notice that his face is slightly red...

"He compared us to a couple of cats," I say.

"Yeah I know," Goemon says, still frowning.

"You're a horny cat."

"Shut up."

Goemon never found anything remotely enjoyable about following me around after that. He stopped complaining so much–especially once I started helping out with dinner–and had decided that he should put on his own kimono so as not to scare the temple workers so much. But still, every time we entered a new room that I would stay to work in, he'd find something random to play with; flowers, figurines, hair pens, dust. He doesn't seem to be very good at entertaining himself. Or maybe he is...if he wanted to, he could start up a conversation with me. I've tried so many times to spark conversation, but he just isn't having it. I suppose he'd rather watch me work.

At least...that's what I assume he is doing.

Once I've helped out as much as I can with dinner, I indicate to Goemon that I'm done and we leave the room.

"What do you have to do next?" he asks, bored.

"Nothing. I'm done. We can do whatever we want."

He seems to perk up at that. Suddenly, he grabs my wrist and starts pulling me in the direction of the main entry doors.

"Gah! Where are you taking me!?" I cry as we exit the temple.

He looks back at me, "It's a surprise. Don't question my motives!"

When we enter the town, many of the women stop to stare at Goemon, I notice. Many of them refuse to move until their husbands or children pull them along. And the ones without families are probably stuck there for the rest of the day.

After several minutes of him dragging me, then stopping, then dragging me some more, he finally stops and we enter one of the nicer, larger stores.

"Ooh, hello!" one of the women working there greets, "Welcome! Please, sir and madam, take your time looking around!"

Another woman comes up to us. She's talking to me but is staring at Goemon, "Would you like me to help you pick something out?"

Goemon smiles, "Aah, no. I'll be choosing it, so you can step back."

The first woman giggles, "Ok! But if you need any help, just ask!"

Goemon walks me deeper into the store so that we aren't being watching by the women.

"Have you ever seen so many kimonos in one place, Abigail?" he asks after releasing my wrist.

I gasp, "No! I've seen this store, but I've never been inside it! I could never afford any of the kimonos here..."

From behind, he strokes my hair, moving the hair that was once in front of my shoulders to rest on my back. He says, "Well, pick whichever one you want. I'll buy it for you."

I quickly turn around, surprised at his sudden generosity, "Why would you go so far?" I ask.

"Well, a Princess deserves only the best, right? And I'm sure you've never had a nice kimono to wear for casual purposes. I'll help you pick one out."

And at that, the two of us begin searching the many shelves for the perfect kimono for me. At one point, though, as I'm searching one of the shelves, I hear two hushed voices coming from the other side.

WhisperWhisper

"Hey!" one of the women say, "This is the first time I've ever seen such a handsome man!"

"Are those two a married couple?" the second woman asks.

"I doubt it; I've seen the girl in town before. She's the priest's granddaughter, remember?"

"Oh, yeah!"

"And anyways, as good of a person as she is, she's just so plain looking. They'd make such an imbalanced couple."

"Indeed! The man looks like nothing I've ever seen before! Perhaps he's a student at the temple, then?"

"Ooh, or an actor!"

Oh, dear...that's a shame. At the end, all they were doing was bad-mouthing me.

I walk back over to Master Goemon, "So it turns out that you are quite popular with the ladies, after all!"

He doesn't turn around, continuing to search through the many kimonos, "Aah, I'm popular alright, but what about it?"

"You say that so calmly. So you're used to women liking you?"

"Of course. Even if I don't like them, they just come to me." Hmm... "But this is just for fun," he says.

Just for fun? So he really does spend time with this many women...

He finally turns around, smiling, "Rather than going on about this, look at this kimono I found!" I gasp at it as he holds it up against me. He bites his tongue, "Hmm...I don't think that red is your color. You're too innocent for that."

"Hey!" I say, hitting his arm as he folds the kimono back up and places it back on the shelf.

"What? You're insulted by that?"

Well...no. I shouldn't be, anyway.

I look up. "Ooh, look at that one!" I say, trying to reach for a kimono on the top shelf next to me.

Goemon laughs at my enthusiasm, "Which one do you want?"

I gasp.

Master Goemon is leaning against me from my back...I've never been so close to a man before–and I'm not counting his perverseness from earlier as being close to a guy!–I mean...this is nice. I feel safe rather than discomforted...my heart starts throbbing...

I stutter, "Erhm...t-that light green one, o-on the top shelf!"

"What, this one?" Master Goemon asks, reaching up his arm and easily taking the kimono. He's so tall...no wonder I feel safe with him. That is, when he's not being perverse.

He unfolds it slightly in his hands, taking a closer look at it, "This one isn't bad. Plus, it's light colored and looks much better than the one you have on, now." He starts searching the shelves more proficiently, "Hmm...this belt matches this kimono...and his hair pin will look nice..."

Wow, how amazing! He sure knows what he's doing when it comes to fashion; everything looks beautiful and goes together perfectly!

Once he's sated, he pulls me into the dressing room.

"Wh-...what are you doing?!" I shout, surprised, as he locks the door and sets the accessories down on a table in the large changing room.

Still with the kimono draped along his arm he begins unwinding my belt!

"Come on," he says, smiling innocently, "Take it off quickly. I'll help you change, alright?"

I gasp as my old kimono suddenly starts falling off my shoulders. I quickly fix it, pressing the robe tightly to my skin, "I can change by myself!" I say.

He backs away, setting the kimono down on the seat next to me, "Ah, okay...but," he gives me a strange, sensual look, "I'm pretty good at helping to put on a kimono," he pauses, thinking for a moment, "Well, I'm even better at taking them off..."

He turns his back to me.

"Aren't you going to leave the room?" I ask him.

"Now why would I do that?" he simply states.

I sigh, knowing full-well that he's not going to leave. Turning my own back to him, yet looking over my shoulder so as to watch him carefully, I get about to changing as quickly as I possibly can.

Okay...first comes the belt...and then I take off my old kimono and put on the new one.

As my old kimono is still around my hips, leaving my torso bare, I groan, irritated and desperate, as I can't seem to get the new one's hem untangled.

I turn my head to check on Goemon; he turns his head, cocking an eyebrow with–yes, of course–a smirk. Starting to turn his body completely to face me, he says, "What kinds of sounds are you making over there? That's dangerous!"

I can't form the words to tell him to go away as he comes closer. Again, he presses his chest to my back–my BARE back–as he helps me to untangle the new kimono. I start breathing quickly from nervousness as an unbearable heat spreads across my face.

Once the kimono is untangled, I expect his hands to disappear from my view and for him to go back to standing with his back to me.

But that doesn't happen.

Instead, his hands begin gently rubbing my sides, then they move onto my stomach. Suddenly, when my old kimono falls completely off, I stop breathing completely and my entire body falls to the heat of red embarrassment.

"What?" he asks, his hot breath once again hitting my ear, "Do you want me to hit you up?"

Somehow, I manage the words to stutter, "N-No way! It's...my kimono fell off!"

He laughs, hugging me from behind, "Well, if a woman is so inviting, then I have to accept."

"Wh-...?!"

He turns me around so that I'm facing him. Before I can register it, his lips are closing in on mine!

He smiles, laughing lightly again, as he backs his face up, "I'm just kidding. You're really not used to men, are you?"

"...S...Shut up..."

I quickly turn my back to him again, wanting to hide at least my face from him...

"What are you sulking about?" he asks, "It's no use being so stubborn, you know?" he places the new kimono on my shoulders, "You need me, right? Even if it's just for the day?"

After a few moments, I respond, putting my arms through the kimono's sleeves, "...I suppose that that is indeed so...but I still get shocked when you press yourself on me..."

Being at his mercy, I'm not sure if I can keep my emotions from showing...

"Heh," Goemon hands me the belt, and then starts braiding my hair for the hair pin, "Well then I'll have to do it more often so that you won't be so surprised each time.

I turn around quickly in surprise and worry, loosening his braid a bit.

"I'm kidding!" he laughs, opening his hands up defensively, "Now let me finish your braid."

On the way out, the two women complimented me feverishly on my new look. They insisted that they find something for Goemon, too, but he paid for me quickly, then took my arm, insisting to the women that we had to leave. To say that they were disappointed was an understatement.

Once outside in the fading sunlight, he tells me, carrying my old kimono, that he is going to burn it.

"What?! Why?" I ask. I'm not attached to my old kimono, or anything, but still, why waste a perfectly good kimono! It might be a bit ragged, but at least the fabric could still be used!

"Because," he explains, looking down at me, "I want you to only wear the one that I bought for you."

I argue, afraid that he's serious, "But I can't wear the same kimono every day!"

"Well then I'll have to buy you some more."

...

"Hey, Sasuke!" Goemon calls.

I look over to see Sasuke in the distance, also in his own blue kimono. He looks over at us, then waves, saying goodbye to the old man he was talking to and running over to meet us. He slows down, though, and gawks once he really notices me.

"Wow..." Sasuke gasps, "Abigail, you look beautiful! That color green looks great on you!"

I smile shyly, thanking him sincerely. But Goemon frowns and says, "I bought it for her."

Sasuke's smile fades, "What, really? Why would you do that?"

Goemon snaps, "Because she's the Princess, you idiot. Do you really think she should be seen in such an old, faded kimono?"

"Hey, I'm not an idiot! And you didn't get what I was asking. I asked, 'why would you do that?"

"Is there something you want to say to me, kid?" Goemon threatens.

"Yeah! You–"

I cut between them, "Guys, STOP! Hanzo said-"

"I don't give a crap what Hanzo said," Sasuke persists, "I love you, Abigail!"

...uh, what?

"Oh, of course," Goemon sighs, "Just like a puppy, you grow attached to the first nice thing you see."

"You know what, Goemon-...!?"

I gasp, "Sasuke, Goemon, look!"

We all watch; off in the distance as the same old man that Sasuke had been talking to is talked to by a mysterious group of white-clad swordsmen. Their leader asks the old man a question, it looks like, but when the old man shakes his head "no", the swordsmen then become more aggressive. The old man shrinks back, afraid, as the leader swordsman begins yelling at him, the sound of his voice traveling indistinctly all the way to our ears. Suddenly, the swordsman kicks the old man to the ground and begins beating him with the hilt of his sword. The other swordsmen join in.

As I notice Sasuke and Goemon's inactivity, I whisper-shout at them, "Why don't you guys go help that poor old man!?"

They look at me, then look at each other. They nod, then Sasuke begins walking with amazing strides over to the group of bully swordsmen. Goemon pulls me off the road and, grabbing me tightly–much to my surprise–around the waist, he jumps onto the rooftop of a nearby building. Still holding me, he silently dashes across the rooftops until we're somewhat near the old man and "company". He hides me in a tree overlooking the fight. After making sure I'm secure, he puts his finger to his lip and jumps down to hide on the ground, ready to jump out and fight with Sasuke.

"Hey, jerks! Why are you picking on frail, old men like him when you've got young cats like me?!" I hear Sasuke yell at them.

"Eh, so the kid wants to play, eh?" the head swordsman says with a raspy voice, turning away from the bruised old man, "You live around here, kid?"

"What's it to you?" Sasuke retorts, stopping from advancing towards the old man any further only once two of the swordsmen point their swords at Sasuke's throat.

"I just thought," the leader of the swordsmen smiles a toothy grin, "That maybe a kid like you might have a better memory for information than an old hag like him." He kicks the old man.

"You might want to stop beating that old man," Sasuke threatens, unsheathing his claw weapons.

One of the lower-ranked swordsmen shout, "Um, hey, boss! He's got weapons!"

"Ah, so the young cat's got claws, eh? Get him!"

At that, Sasuke jumps back quickly as the two swordsmen originally pointing their swords at his throat suddenly thrust forward. Where is Goemon?! What is he doing while Sasuke is having to fight off all these guys?!

Sasuke does fight them all off, fairly easily cutting them down with his claws. He hops around, dodging swords with ease, then slicing at the men's chests and heads. I want to close my eyes so as to stop witnessing so much blood and death, but I can't take my eyes off of Sasuke. He's so fast and agile!

The leader of the swordsmen shouts out as loud as he can muster, "Hey, hey, help! We need reinforcements!"

While Sasuke is fighting off one particularly large and skilled swordsman, more dressed just like the initial group come out of varying places between buildings and from around street corners. Just as the earliest group of them is about to slice into Sasuke, who is currently trying to keep the larger man from getting a hit on him with his sword, a giant throwing knife comes out of nowhere, slicing four of the men in half! Goemon appears behind Sasuke, sword in hand, and stabs the man Sasuke had been having a hard time with in the side. Then, Goemon and Sasuke, both still in kimonos and with very little–if any–blood on them, stand back-to-back, preparing for the incoming targets.

Once they're nearly surrounded by the huge army of white-clad swordsmen, they both disappear; as if by magic!

"One-Hundred Monkey Hell!" I hear Sasuke's voice shout.

Then, Sasuke reappears. Then reappears again, and again! Nearly 100 Sasukes are scattered throughout the mob swordsmen, easily cutting men down with incredible speed.

"What the hell?!" I hear the leader of the swordsmen cry through the commotion.

Then, once majority of the men are cut down by Sasuke, Goemon appears on the rooftop behind the leader.

"Who are you working for?" Goemon demands, crouching down, looking over the edge of the roof.

"Bah!" the leader spats, pointing his sword at Goemon, "What makes you think I'll tell you?"

"Because otherwise," Goemon smirks, "We're going to torture you. Do you really think you can escape at this point with a hundred cats surrounding you?"

The leader swordsman goes silent for a moment, then, as the very last of the men are frozen in fear and no longer pose a threat, Sasuke, now one able-bodied person, grabs the man by the collar and yells, "Why are you in this small of a town causing trouble?"

The man quickly cries out, "Ah! We work for Nobukatsu Oda! He's been sending his own ninja around to find out where the rest of the ninja are! He wants to make sure that they're all going to be in Iga! Here," he pulls something from the folds of his clothing, "Look, see? I'm not lying!"

Sasuke quickly takes the paper and stuffs it into his own pocket.

"Are there more of you in town?" Goemon asks from the roof.

"There shouldn't be. There weren't many of us to begin with, and many of us have already moved on to another town. Please don't kill me!"

Goemon smirks, "You know, men like you deserve to be burning in hellfire. Do you realize how cruel Nobukatsu and his father are?"

"But they pay so well..." the man whines.

Sasuke lets go of the man, throwing him to the ground, as he backs away. Goemon, standing up from the rooftop, says, "Greed shall be your undoing.(2)"

Roarrrring!

Woah! A great fire blows out of Goemon's body, out of nowhere! Even I feel the heat from the flames from way up in my tree.

All of the rest of Nobukatsu-loyal ninjas suddenly come to their senses, "W-What the hell is that?!" many of them cry, including the leader.

The fire rises up like a dragon, and then shoots down at the evil ninja. The ninja try to run away, but are not quick enough. The flames engulf them, killing them quickly, painfully.

Suddenly, an arm wraps around my waist. "Hold on, Abigail!" Sasuke hugs me, jumping down from the tree.

With other priorities in mind, though, I quickly ask upon being released to the ground, "W-Where is the old man?!"

"He's safe," Goemon says, jumping down from the rooftop. He steps over the dead bodies, walking over to Sasuke and I. "I ran him back to his family."

"So quickly?" I ask, not believing.

"Yes. Don't doubt me," Goemon scolds, "They even offered to house our 'guests' when they come." And then, taking me gently by the arm, he says to Sasuke, "Start transporting the bodies to the woods. We'll make it look like they were killed by animals, so Nobukatsu doesn't find out that they were killed in this village. I'll get Kotaro to come and help you after I take Abigail back to the temple."

"Alright!" Sasuke says, then he looks down at me, "I'll see you later, Abigail! Don't let this stuff keep you up at night, alright?"

He waves goodbye as Goemon starts walking me to the temple. Goemon whispers into my ear, "He's right. I'll be keeping you up at night."

I quickly turn to him with a wide blush and shocked expression covering my face. He laughs, "I'm only kidding! You're so funny."

And with that, we make our way back to the temple.

"Princess! You...You look like a princess!" Hanzo compliments upon seeing me.

I smile, "Thank you, Hanzo. Goemon bought it for me."

"Eh, he did, did he?" Hanzo says, raising an eyebrow at Goemon, "Well, in any case, good work with the Hachisuka ninja. I'll send Kotaro over to help Sasuke."

Goemon pulls the piece of paper Sasuke originally had from his bosom(3), handing it over to Hanzo, "Sasuke managed to get this off of the leader's person. Neither of us have looked at it, yet."

Hanzo unfolds the parchment, "Hmm...it's a letter from Nobukatsu. It says that they were in town to investigate-..."

"We've already got that, he told us that himself," interrupts Goemon, "What else does it say?"

Hanzo sighs, proceeding to skim-read through the letter. Eventually, his brow furrows as he states, "Apparently Nobunaga is expecting word from the ninja about whether this village is clear of other ninja or not."

"Does it have a name for the sender anywhere?" Goemon asks.

"Yes, it states the leader's name."

Goemon folds his arms, "We need to write a letter back to Nobukatsu, saying that Kawachinokuni has no ninja, then. Otherwise, Nobukatsu will become suspicious and may send reinforcements to check over the town once more. It'll buy us some time."

"I'll do that, then" Hanzo decides, folding the note back up, "And I'll tell him that they moved on to the next town over. Maybe I can even probe the information we need about the attack from him..."

"Please be careful," I ask, receiving the attention of the two guys, "If Nobukatsu finds out that the note was forged..."

Goemon rubs my back, receiving a surprised glare from Hanzo, "Don't worry so much. We're professionals."

Hanzo sighs, "Well, my apologies, Princess, for you being exposed to danger so quickly. You must be tired. Please, feel free to retire at your leisure."

With that, Hanzo walks away, heading off to write the fake letter to Nobunaga's son.

Later, after eating and changing into a kimono that I'd feel more comfortable sleeping in (WITHOUT Goemon in the room), I call Goemon, saying that he can come in.

"You have a nice room for such a shabby temple," he...compliments? opening the paper door and walking in.

I pinch his thigh, "Don't say such mean things!"

"Ouch! What? You're not insulted, are you?"

"No, but my grandfather has worked hard to keep the temple looking nice!"

"Well he won't be able to hear," he smirks. My hand is still gripping his thigh.

"That's not the point! It's mean to say bad things about someone when they can't hear you!"

"Hmm..." Goemon muses, placing a hand over my hand on his thigh and coming closer, "You're a good girl, aren't you?"

I groan, rolling my eyes, "It's not that I'm a good girl, particularly. It's that you are–argh! What are you doing!?"

I try to back away as he slowly moves the simpler kimono off my shoulders, but he holds me in place, placing his other hand on the small of my back.

"I'm getting back at you for a while ago!" he slowly moves his head closer to my neck, gently pushing me down to the first futon on the floor, "A thigh's not much, is it?"

"Hey...stop it..." I groan, trying to push him away.

He whispers into my ear, caressing my hair, "Come on, you don't actually want me to sleep in a separate futon, do you? Besides..." he hugs me, "It's cold and you're warm."

He moves his legs so that they are on either side of me, as he is hanging over me.

Finally, louder, I say, hitting his chest, "No! Stop it!"

With a surprised face, he backs away so that he can look me in the eyes, but still keeps me trapped between his arms and legs. Looking truly curious, he asks, "But why?"

I gawk, "'Why?', you ask? Because I would only do such a thing with my lover!"

"Hmm..." he caresses my side, "So come to like me right now!"

I promptly turn away from him as best as I can manage. Jeez...enjoying himself by playing with me in such a way...that's so mean...

I shiver as a gust of wind blows through the gaps of the closed window.

Now off of me and on his own futon (which I had set up earlier after his constant prodding and reminding that I was no longer allowed to sleep alone), he states, "The drafts in here are awful, aren't they? How could you stand it?"

I sneeze. "Usually, it's not this bad..."

Goemon says, "You're cold aren't you? Come sleep closer to me, then!" ... "C'mon, I already promised you that I won't do anything. I'm only ever teasing."

Well, how far is he going to tease me?

When I don't respond, I hear shuffling and the sliding of a futon coming from behind me, "If you won't come, then I'll come."

Now with our futons combined, he stretches his arms to grab me and pull me closer, hugging me.

"No, stop it!" I whine, jostling in his arms.

"No, it's different!" he insists, "I just can't allow my precious princess to catch a cold..."

"...You say that," I say, calming down, "But yet you tease me so meanly..."

"Don't take everything so seriously," he scolds, "Besides, it's not like I want to do you. Hanzo would kill me, and why kill myself over one woman?"

...Indeed, he's got lots of women who will go to him. He doesn't need me. Besides, he is just next to me because it is his role...

"Are you still cold?" he asks me quietly.

"...No..."

His body hugging me is so warm...

He squeezes me once more before seeming to fall into the bliss of sleep. It's not long before I follow, unable to help my body from snuggling against him as I fall into dreamland.

Author's Notes:

1) Haha, Goemon's such an arrogant pervert...but we all love him for it!

2) Black Butler reference; remember in the first book when Ciel and his "allies" are playing pool? Ciel decides to go for all of the balls in one go, after skipping his previous turns, and I think it was Sir Randal who told Ciel that "Greed would be his undoing..." Ciel sure showed him, haha!

3) Heheh...apparently the Japanese translator got this confused with whatever phrase or term actually used in English to describe when guys pull things from their chest garments. Goemon constantly does this during his playthrough, so I had to add it in somewhere, even if I was trying to avoid it.

GAH! I KEEP ACCIDENTALLY CLOSING OUT THE WINDOW OR FORGETTING TO SAVE THIS EXPLANATION!

So about the girl's personality; I was always kind of annoyed with her with how submissive she is. She always lets the guys talk down to her when they do; she hardly ever shows any girl power, besides the few times she's had to kill or sew someone up; and she rarely ever speaks her mind. A good example of this with Goemon is not only when he demands total obediance from her, but also when he gropes (or *ahem* excuse me, massages) her boobs in the spring.

I quote (and I do love this quote) Hanjae, "[Main Character], dear, in a situation like that, your reaction should be to knee him where it hurts, not gape and philosophize about the situation! -from livejournal. com. (LOVE this person! So many funny and true comments about all the guys!)

Anyway, I'm giving the girl a bit more backbone towards the guys in this fanfiction. I certainly wouldn't happily say, "Understood!" to Goemon when he demands my total obedience. And even with how much I love this game, you've got to admit that it is pretty chauvanistic.

Ah, well, either way, that's my explaination for the girl's personality here. If you have any input (or, I suppose, complaints) about it, then let me know! She's not going to be so easily stepped on this round...

Then again, who wouldn't want to submit to such gorgeous ninjas? (Jokes! I KID! Never let a man talk down to you, ladies! Be feirce! And men, if you're a real man, you will view women as your equal and commit %100 to your relationships! It's 100/100, not 50/50.)

So now that my reign of femisism is over, I thank you for reading! And reviews, favorites and follows are inspiring as always!

~Murphete

YOU'VE GOT MAIL!

Email from Goemon: I had a fun day!

I don't think I've ever had so much *innocent* fun with a woman! We should make it less innocent sometime...
But don't forget the orders I gave you, even when you're not with me. If you do, I'll just have to punish you when it's my turn again...
So listen to me and do as I say, and I'll take good care of you if you behave! You will be my arms and legs, and I'll be the brains.
I'll see you when it's my turn again, Girl With a Surprisingly Large Chest!

~~ goemon ~~