A/N: School started and so even though this has been written since August, I didn't get the chance to proofread it until now. Furthermore, please be gentle about any typoes. I had to proofread quickly (one day as compared to two) and didn't have time to run it by my beta. Not to mention I feel like "the flow" is a little off for this chapter. Blah blah, I'm done whining and making excuses; in short this chapter was hard to write and I was rushed in doing so which was a bad combination.

Warnings: adult situation, strong violence, strong language


Firefly Effect
Afternoon Shower

Yakushiji Tenzen had had more than a hundred years to nurse his hatred of the Kouga clan, that is, he'd had more than a hundred years to plot and dream and fantasize about how he would kill each and every Kouga ninja when he got the chance. To say that he was elated when word finally came that the No Hostilities Pact had absolved would have been an understatement. Suddenly the collar and chains that had kept him just within snapping distance, but never close enough to bite, had been shattered, and Tenzen was more than ready to rip the jugular out of the Kouga clan. Unfortunately, before he could do so much as make his first lunge, he was restrained, first by Oboro when questions arose after the death of Kunichiyo, then by that foolish little girl dressed up as Shogun.

Restraint, though, Tenzen could deal with. He could wait another a hundred or so years for a new chance at the Kouga ninja, all the while adding fuel to his burning hatred of them.

Now, though, it was appearing that his abhorrence of the Kouga clan was no longer shared by his fellow Iga ninjas. Oboro was a constant source of irritation unto herself, with her traitorous feelings for the Kouga leader Gennosuke. After Oboro, Yashamaru had been first to denounce their feud with the Kouga, citing it as the cause of Hotarubi's death. Akeginu's loyalty started to slip shortly there after, though the exact cause Tenzen couldn't name. He'd seen her once with the Kouga ninja Okoi, apparently engaged in pointless women's chattering, and she made no secret of the fact that she spoke often with Shogun Amaya.

Just thinking about the diminutive child Shogun made Tenzen's blood boil. He would go so far as to say she was the bane of his existence, because somehow she had managed to brainwash Koshirou. Tenzen had thought he had molded Chikuma Koshirou into the perfect Iga ninja, instilled fiery hatred of the Kouga almost as strong as his own in his pupil, only to see it shattered by a misguided girl. Koshirou no longer bothered to hide his relationship with the idiot Shogun from him, and Tenzen wasn't sure which couple made him more nauseous: his cheiftess Oboro and the Kouga leader or his star pupil Koshirou and the Shogun who had shattered their chances of ever getting the revenge they deserved on the Kouga clan.

Tenzen flung out his arm and banged his fist against the wall, causing the paper to tear, though not damaging the wood beneath. The resounding thunk that resulted startled Nenki, and the staff master nearly dropped the tea cup he had been sipping from. He glared over its rim at the sulking immortal ninja leaning against the wall across from him. It was growing tiresome being the only Iga ninja left that Tenzen could stand to be around. "Why don't you just kill one," Nenki grumbled sarcastically around his tea cup, "It'll take the edge off. Screw the Pact." He was more than a little shocked when he heard the slam of fusuma following his suggestion, and he wondered absently if Tenzen was seriously considering the ludicrous idea. Nenki shrugged. He didn't openly embrace the Pact's reinstallation the same way the rest of his clansmen appeared to, but he did not wish its immediate re-dissolution. He still mourned Hotarubi, even if not with same intensity Yashamaru did, and seeing his cheiftess smiling again was more than welcome. He could easily live with the No Hostilities Pact, though he wasn't sure he could live with Tenzen's inability to live with it.

Tenzen angrily stalked through the halls of Sunpu castle. Yes, he had decided killing someone was a very good idea. He idly traced his tongue over his lips, an expression frighteningly akin to that of a hungry wolf. The only question was: who? He would have loved to put a sword through any of the Kouga rats infesting the castle. Right on the tail of that thought, though, was the disappointing realization that such an action would most definitely incur the wrath of Kouga Gennosuke, perhaps the only person alive who had a fair chance of being able to decapitate and kill him. For the briefest moment the prospect of killing Oboro was extremely appealing, after all the girl was a traitor to her clan. The fancy whim was quickly discarded, though, and Tenzen's face twisted into a picture of morbid mirth. Shogun Amaya's blood would more than quench his thirst for now, and her death could easily be shrouded in the guise of an assassination. Tenzen's smirk stretched a little further across his cheeks, expression feral, and he licked his lips again.

xxx

Amaya scowled indecisively at the array of kimonos that were displayed in the outer room of her quarters. The perks of being Shogun were another aspect of the position she had not been prepared for. The minute word of a wedding at Sunpu castle breached its walls, kimono makers had come. Amaya was sure it had to be every designer from hundreds of miles around. She was slack jawed with awe as they paraded in, and Hanzo had had to remind her, not without traces of a chuckle in his voice, that she should close her mouth when gawking. It wasn't that Amaya was not appreciative of their generosity; it was just they were all so impressively majestic that a decision seemed impossible.

Amaya heard the grind of the large wooden doors being pushed open and breathed a sigh of relief. She could ask Koshirou to choose which he would like best to see her in, and her cheeks flushed warmly at the thought. Yes, she liked that idea very much, dressing up for Koshirou-dono.

"Koshirou-dono," Amaya said sweetly when she heard the faint thud of the door closing, "I need your help."

Tenzen's eyes widened a little in amused surprise at the case of mistaken identity, but he said nothing to correct the little Shogun.

Amaya felt the warmth of someone standing at her back and waited patiently for Koshirou's arms to wrap around her shoulders. When they did not, she leaned back against him, sighing softly and turning her head just slightly to nuzzle against him.

Tenzen barely refrained from jumping at the sudden contact, and stared down at the tiny creature pressed against him, eyes drooped closed, cheeks tinged with a slight flush, full lips parted slightly to allow the delicate sigh to slip through. He swallowed hard, feeling more than hearing the slight noise she made in the back of her throat when she turned her head against his chest.

"Koshirou-dono, would you…" a little voice began and then abruptly cut off.

Amaya's eyes flew open. The person behind her was too broad and too tall to be Koshirou and the fabric against her cheek was not soft like the worn fabric of Koshirou's kimono. She jerked herself upright and whipped around, eyes widening in horror when they locked with those of Yakushiji Tenzen. "T… Tenzen-sama," she stammered, backing away from him. Only two steps put her back against the wall, and one of Tenzen's strides put him close enough that she could not slip away. "What do you want? W… what are you doing here?" Amaya couldn't keep the tremor out of her voice, and she struggled to glare at the man towering over her, finding that her eyes seemed to dart away from his of their own volition.

Tenzen bared his teeth at her in a less than friendly smile. "I came here to kill you," he crooned conversationally. He leaned forward, resting his hands against the wall above her head for balance and bent his head down so he was almost nose to nose with the girl. "But I realized it would be such a waste to kill you now." He lifted himself up a little and hung his head in an exaggerated melancholy pose.

Amaya didn't like his tone, and she set her jaw and craned her head to glare at him in a expression to match. Tenzen received her attempt at intimidation with a predatory smirk before continuing. "After all, wouldn't it be sad if you died a virgin?" Tenzen reached to toy with the cloth of her obi as he spoke and Amaya flinched away from his touch. "You are still a virgin, right?" Tenzen mocked, purposely misinterpreting her wince, then he tossed his head back and laughed outright. When he ceased his sniggering and looked back at Amaya, the girl's glare had intensified. She clearly did not share his mirth, so he bent his head to whisper in her ear and let her in on his little joke. "You see, Amaya-chan, you must be a virgin, because little Koshirou doesn't have the slightest clue how to touch a woman." He laughed again, and his breath washed hotly over Amaya's cheek, causing her wrinkle up her nose and turn her face away from him. Tenzen was so close that she could feel his wicked grin against her ear and cheek, and Amaya squinted her eyes shut as she fumbled to undo the catch of her knife. "I thought I would be so kind as to remedy that situation, Amaya-chan." Tenzen pressed his mouth against her cheek, and Amaya turned her head further into the wall and backed her body tighter against it. "Before I kill you, I'm going to show you what…"

His words cut off abruptly in a strangled grunt. Amaya felt blood start to seep in between her fingers, wrapped painfully tight around her knife's hilt, and she reluctantly let go of it. Tenzen stumbled back, a little trickle of blood forming at the corner of his mouth, and he clutched at his stomach, searching for the knife impaled in him. "You bitch!" he snarled, yanking the knife free and starting to stalk after her with the bloodied weapon.

Amaya shrieked and scrambled to get away from him, and she let out another terrified yelp when in her frantic attempt to get away, she tripped over a zabuton and went sprawling across the low table. Tenzen was on her before she had time to stumble to her feet, and she barely managed to roll out of the way of his clumsily aimed stab. The point of the knife stuck in the table, giving Amaya just enough time to unhook her other knife and plunge it into Tenzen's chest with an angry half-snarl, half-shout, immediately jumping back when blood started to spurt from the injury.

Tenzen turned his head toward her, eyes bulging out, blood tinged teeth bared in a furious snarl. Terrified, Amaya started to scramble back further, tripping over her own feet and falling gracelessly onto her rear. She whimpered, afraid Tenzen would come after her again, and squinted her eyes shut to block out his manic expression, only opening them when she heard a dull thump. Tenzen had collapsed on the low table in grisly pool of his own blood.

Very slowly, Amaya hoisted herself to her feet, using the wall behind her for leverage, leaving two smudged red hand prints in her wake. She tip toed toward the fallen figure on the table and reached a hesitant hand out to touch his shoulder. "T… Tenzen-sama?" she asked the corpse. "Tenzen?" She pressed a little harder with her hand and when that earned her no response, she dared to shake his shoulder in a vain attempt to wake him. Amaya's eyes went very wide, and her hands flew up to cover her mouth. She shook her head. She hadn't meant to kill him. Hurt him, yes, and make him go away, but she hadn't wanted to kill him. Tears pooled in the corners of her eyes and trickled down her cheeks, and she continued to shake her head back and forth.

Someone forced the door open, causing it to scrape harshly on the floor. "Amaya-dono, is everything alright?" Okoi asked, "I thought I heard…" she trailed, seeing the bloody puddles and foot prints decorating the floor in a confusing path leading to a dark haired body sprawled half on the table, half on the floor.

It almost seemed to take a moment too long for Amaya to register that Okoi had entered, and the little Shogun's eyes gradually dragged themselves away from the corpse on the table to meet Okoi's. The girl looked awful. Her kimono was so saturated with blood that it was ruined beyond repair, and the gruesome substance covered her hands and splotched her face as well; her eyes were swollen with tears.

"Amaya-dono…" Okoi wasn't sure what to say. "Who is that? What happened?"

"It… It's Tenzen-sama," she choked out quietly, knowing that if she raised her voice above the hoarse whisper the sobs would overcome her. "I… I didn't mean to… I didn't want to… to kill him, Okoi-dono." Amaya broke down then, falling to her knees and bawling into her hands.

Okoi rushed to the girl's side, wrapping her arms around her shoulders and holding her comfortingly against her chest. "Shh," she soothed, pushing matted strands of hair out of Amaya's face. "What happened?"

"I didn't want to kill him," Amaya repeated, "But he… he attacked me, said he wanted to kill me, was going to…" she trailed unable to speak the rest.

Okoi understood, and she rocked the girl gently in her arms. "Amaya-dono, you did nothing wrong," she told the frightened child.

She felt Amaya shake her head against her chest. "But I've done so much harm to the Iga already…"

Okoi's face contorted in a confused expression.

"You're damn right you did!"

Okoi whipped around, and before she had a chance to react, Tenzen's sword was through her throat. Blood fountained out of the injury. Amaya screamed. Okoi's hands flew up to clutch the sword impaling her, and the action only succeeded in slicing open the woman's fingers and adding more blood to the wreckage. She let out a gurgling gasp, and bright plume of blood followed the grotesque sound through her lips. Okoi's arms around Amaya went limp, and she tipped to the side, dead.

Amaya's eyes went wide in horrified shock. She grabbed at Okoi and shook her violently. "Okoi! Okoi! Please wake up!" She sobbed over the woman's body. "Don't die! Please, Okoi, don't die!" Even as she screamed, Amaya knew it was useless. She could feel the stickiness of Okoi's blood seeping through her kimono to her knees and shins. "I'm sorry," she breathed out finally, reaching to respectfully close the kunoichi's eyes.

Tenzen could only bear to watch the nauseating display for a moment. He snatched Amaya by the hair. She screamed and clawed at his hands uselessly as he dragged her over Okoi's corpse and tossed her onto the side of the table not stained by his blood. She hit the wood with a thud that knocked the wind out of her, and she gasped sharply.

"You bitch," he gritted out as he lowered himself enough that he straddled her on his knees. He dragged the tip of his sword from her left shoulder all the way to her hip. It was for intimidation; he didn't use enough force to slice through even the thin fabric of her kimono. "You had the audacity!" he put an angry accent on the word and punctuated it by slicing through her obi with more force than required so that he nicked her hip with the action. Amaya shrieked and winced away from the blade. A bruising grip on her opposite hip ceased the movement. Tenzen leaned down, nose to nose with her again and smirked. "You had the audacity to kill me," he growled, "and for that, I'm going to make this as painful as fucking possible." Without the obi to restrain the fabric, ripping her kimono open was not a problem.

That was when Amaya started to struggle. She pushed at his chest with all the force she could muster, and when that proved useless, she started to kick her legs, anything to get Tenzen off of her. The vain attempts only made the immortal ninja laugh, and he dropped down so that he sat on her thighs to restrain the minimal threat her thrashing feet posed. Amaya grunted in pain at the crushing force on her legs, as Tenzen at least doubled her in weight.

The hand that wasn't holding Tenzen's sword slid appreciatively up her stomach, and Amaya could feel bile rising in her throat in response to the unwanted caress. His fingers stopped at her breasts, still wrapped for support. Tenzen sniggered, "How cute," and lifted his sword to slice through the center and relieve Amaya of the garment, the tip of the sword slicing against the skin as well.

"Well aren't these pretty?" Tenzen mocked, fondling her with enough force to hurt. Amaya whined, and turned her head away as Tenzen bent down and nuzzled up the side of her face, pressing kisses to her cheek that made Amaya want to gag.

Amaya squinted her eyes shut against both her tears and the site of Tenzen as she pressed her cheek tighter and tighter against the surface of the table. When her eyes flickered open briefly, she caught sight of her knife, still lodged in the table from when Tenzen had tried to stab her with it. It was just within arm's reach, if only she could be sure Tenzen wouldn't notice her reach for it.

The immortal ninja's kisses were trailing from her cheek, down her throat and inching toward her breasts. Amaya fought valiantly against the urge to squirm away from him, and thus draw unwanted attention to herself. Swallowing the need to vomit as Tenzen's mouth searched her right breast, she very carefully reached for the knife, biting her tongue in frustration when she had to jostle the handle a little to get it free, terrified the entire time that Tenzen would notice she was reaching for it. To her relief, the his mouth was still occupied, and his hands still held bruisingly tight onto her hips.

It was almost too late when Tenzen realized how compliant his captive was being. He felt the sting of the knife digging into the back of his shoulder in enough time to snag the offending wrist and force it back against the table, biting down on the flesh he had been mouthing to reiterate his anger. Amaya shrieked and tossed her head back. "Idiotic bitch," he snapped at her, smacking her across the face with enough force to knock her head against the table, then with the same hand he reached around and removed the shallowly impaled knife from his shoulder. "This will teach you to keep your hands to yourself!" he snapped and shoved the knife through the hand he still had restrained against the table, effectively pinning it there.

Amaya's back arched off the table as the pain lanced up her entire arm, and she screamed in agony.

Tenzen sniggered, "And since you seem to be in such a hurry to get this done with…" He completely ignored Amaya's free hand, which was clawing uselessly at his face and shoulders. He needed both of his hands to pry the girl's thighs apart, and she clenched them tightly against him, not heeding the way his nails bit into her skin as he struggled. She'd started to kick again, too, as soon as he had lifted his weight off her, and she made one near successful blow to his groin that he rewarded her for with a painful punch to her hip. Amaya was howling now, loud and long cries meant to be heard by anyone near by, and Tenzen gritted his teeth, half afraid that with the racket the girl was making he might be caught.

"Shut up!" he snarled, knuckles cracking against her temple. The blow cut off her shouting momentarily, but as soon as the stun from the blow wore off, she resumed. "Damn you!" he gritted out, raising his hand to strike her again, and realizing such an action was useless. Instead, he bent down and crushed his mouth against hers in a bruising kiss. Amaya was just startled enough that she froze for half a second, and than she started struggling with more force than before. Her teeth clamped down on his tongue hard enough to draw blood the first time they were able, and they tore into the flesh when he tried to jerk back because she didn't relinquish her hold. When he finally did rip his tongue free, likely with a chunk or two missing, she bit down on his top lip with the same amount of force.

Tenzen was realizing quickly that his position bent over Amaya had greatly reduced his leverage in forcing her legs apart, and she was kicking and thrashing underneath him. Claw like finger nails raked down the side of his face, and he could feel the trickles of blood they left behind them. When the same claws went for his eyes, he was forced to remove a hand from her legs to restrain her other hand. He wished desperately for the girl's other knife, but the weapon was no where to be seen, and when he turned his head to the side to search for it, angry teeth bit down on his ear and pulled with enough force that it threatened to rip off. He'd had to give up the task of opening her legs completely then, needing to somehow restrain her head. He clamped his other hand around her throat; both Amaya's screaming and struggling ceased with strangled gasp.

There was something morbidly beautiful about Amaya in that moment; her eyes defiant even though she was pinned, arms spread wide and naked to a table, body painted with blood that was both her own and others'. It was carnal, the epitome of the way an animal fights hardest in its last moments.

Tenzen's breathing had gone ragged, and his brow was more than dampened by sweat. The corners of his mouth quirked up in a predatory smile. "It's too bad, Amaya-dono…"

xxx

Kisargi Saemon was not one to fidget, but today he seemed unable to sit still at the table with Gennosuke and Hyouma.

"Saemon-dono, I can hear your constant shifting. What is the matter?" Hyouma asked, turning to face the shape shifter.

Saemon's face contorted in a pondering expression as he tried to put words to exactly what was making him so anxious. "I just have a bad feeling," he admitted lamely, "In the pit of my stomach, and I can't seem to figure out the cause. Just that something feels very very wrong."

Both Gennosuke and Hyouma's mouths turned down in frowns; Saemon's strong connection to his sister made such feelings as these accurate more often than not.

"Is something wrong with Okoi-dono?" Hyouma suggested.

Saemon chewed his lip an expression very unlike himself. "I'm not sure. I can't seem to find her. It's like she's not there when I look."

The ninja sitting with him had a vague understanding of Saemon's peculiar connection with his sister, and realized that his inability to "find" her might mean the worst. "We should look for her." Gennosuke was already getting to his feet.

Hyouma nodded agreement, standing up as well and offering a hand to Saemon beside him. The shape shifter's grasp was hesitant. He hadn't meant to worry his companions.

"Akeginu-dono!" Gennosuke spotted Oboro's body guard a little ways down the wall. The woman was a little startled and seemed leery around the other two Kouga ninja with Gennosuke, but she stopped and allowed them to catch up to her. "Have you seen Okoi?"

Akeginu's brow furrowed at the strangeness of the question and the urgency in Gennosuke's voice. "No, I haven't seen her today at all." She paused a moment. "Perhaps she went to see Amaya-dono. The girl is apparently distraught over a kimono decision." Akeginu grinned a little and shook her head at the memory. "If she's with Amaya, than you could find her in the Shogun's chambers," she continued, frowning when the intense look on Gennosuke's face didn't lift. "Gennosuke-sama, is everything alright?"

"I hope so," was all the Kouga leader's answer consisted of before he turned in the direction of the Shogun's quarters in the center of the castle.

They could hear screams as they neared the wooden doors. Servants were scurrying nervously through the halls. Gennosuke snatched the closest one, and she squealed. "What's going on in there?" he demanded.

The woman winced away from him. "I… I don't know! No one answers the door, and we're not allowed to go in unless…" Gennosuke released his grip on her arm and let out an incoherent snarl before she could finish.

The screams had ceased by the time they reached the doors.

"It's too bad, Amaya-dono…" Tenzen was cut off mid-sentence when the great wooden door was flung open with enough force that it smacked against the wall. The thwack and following sound of splintering wood startled Tenzen enough that he jerked his head up and whipped around. An enraged Gennosuke stood in the doorway, the shape shifter Kisargi Saemon and the blind Muroga Hyouma at his back.

"What the hell is going on here?" Gennosuke demanded, stalking forward and hauling Tenzen up off the body he pinned to the table. The immortal ninja didn't resist, though he had the presence of mind to pick up his sword on the way up.

Saemon searched the gory wreck of the room for signs of his sister and he felt his heart sink when he noticed the crumpled, blood soaked figure off the to the right. He squatted down beside the body that was indeed Okoi's, and studied her shredded throat. She must have tried to contact him before she died, but such an injury wouldn't have allowed her much time. He shook his head. He would mourn later. Now, he was going to kill Tenzen.

"Yakushiji Tenzen, you son of a bitch," Saemon snarled.

Gennosuke and Tenzen had been locked in an angry staring contest, Gennosuke glaring because he could not attack Tenzen with the Pact in place, and Tenzen smirking because he knew as much. Hearing Saemon's voice, they both turned to face the seething ninja still crouched beside his fallen sister.

Hyouma had followed the sounds of tear laden gasps and erratic heart beats until his shins knocked against a table. He lowered himself down next to it. "Hyouma-dono," a little voice choked out. Hyouma's eyebrows shot up, barely able to recognize Amaya's voice in such a weakened state.

"Shogun Amaya, why aren't you getting up?" he asked gently.

Amaya had forgotten the man next to her couldn't see, and she struggled to take in several deep breaths so she could coherently explain what was wrong. "My right hand is knifed to the table," she answered. Hyouma shuffled around the table, gauging her position by the sound of her labored breathing. He heard the hiss of a sharp inhale when he touched the knife.

"This will hurt," Hyouma told her, resting his hand on her wrist to hold the appendage in place. He barely waited for Amaya's noise of consent before tugging the knife free.

"Aah!" the girl squeaked out. She jerked her arm out from under his hand and cradled it against her chest. Amaya struggled to pull herself upright with only one hand for leverage, but her body didn't seem to want to cooperate. The room spun, and she started to topple backwards.

Hyouma heard the thunk as Amaya tried to catch herself with her good hand. Amaya felt her arm buckle under her weight. The short inhale prepatory to a collision was Hyouma's only clue that the girl was falling, and he just barely managed to slide his arms around her middle and catch her. He was startled when his hands touched bare skin, and he could feel Amaya's hands fumbling to tug her kimono around to cover herself. The fabric was stiff in places, while overly saturated in others making the task difficult. The coppery tang of blood had assaulted Hyouma's nose as soon as they'd entered the room, but the girl in his arms reeked of the substance. Hyouma could feel the creature in his arms trembling, and he slid his outermost vest-like kimono off his shoulders and wrapped it around her. Amaya gratefully accepted article and curled herself closer to the safety he offered, peering over the arms that held to her to watch the confrontation unfolding.

Unlike Gennosuke, Saemon couldn't care less about the No Hostilities Pact. His sister was dead by Tenzen's hand, and he deserved his revenge. He drew his sword as he got to his feet, then lunged at the smug Iga ninja. Tenzen whipped his own sword up to parry the blow. With a slight grunt of exertion, Saemon forced Tenzen's blade off. In a risky move, he lifted his sword to slice through Tenzen's throat.

Hyouma heard Amaya's tiny shocked gasp and felt her body tense up in his arms. "You really shouldn't watch this," he informed her, gently taking her face in one hand to turn her toward him. It was too late, though, the next events happened in a matter of less than a second.

Tenzen had been expecting the vengeful ninja to aim for his throat, so he slashed his sword into Saemon's side as soon as the other's sword was lifted too high to counter such an attack. Saemon's sword dropped from his hand and he crumpled over, hands clutching at the gaping hole in his middle, blood pouring between his fingers. Tenzen didn't have time to offer any kind of parting words to the Kouga, because Gennosuke's sword shot out and severed his head not an instant later. The arc of arterial spray burst across the wall of kimonos as the headless corpse dropped first to its knees, then toppled forward. Gennosuke kicked the head another dozen and a half feet away from the body before getting down on one knee to see to Saemon. The shape shifter was still alive, if just barely.

Amaya stared in a kind of dazed shock at all of it, then lifted herself out of Hyouma's lap, swatting his hands away when he tried to keep her there. She was trapped in a bad case of tunnel vision. She had no idea she was swaying dangerously back and forth, or that she'd almost fallen completely over to pick up her knife. She tripped over the leg of the table and fell, but she landed on her knees beside Tenzen's prone, headless corpse, which was where she had been aiming. "You bastard!" she screamed at the dead body, lifting her knife and stabbing it into the dead man's back. "Look!" Stab. "What!" Stab. "You have!" Stab. "Done!" This last word was followed by a frantic volley of short thrusts. "Nobody…" Amaya trailed, the anger in her voice dwindling away to tears, then she pounded her fist against his back as she stabbed at him again. "Nobody else was supposed to die!" she sobbed, then stabbed again. "You killed Okoi!" she seethed, stabbing again. "And then you went and died, too! Bastard!" Amaya spit on the body and lifted her arm to plunge her knife in again.

Gennosuke caught her wrist, breaking Amaya out of her trance like rage. The arm in his hand went limp, and the girl attached started to collapse forward, sobbing. "No body else was supposed to die…" she choked out. The knife dropped from her fingers as Gennosuke hauled her up into his arms.

xxx

Akane mindlessly watered her plants, glancing over her shoulder at Akeginu as she did so. "You know something, Akeginu?" she asked, bending down to refill her watering can from the tub on the floor.

"Hmm?" Akeginu lifted her chin out of her hands to listen.

"I think I miss Amaya. I never realized how much enjoyed telling her about all my plants until after she was gone."

Akeginu laughed softly. "Isn't that how it always happens, Akane-san? Not knowing what you have until it is gone."

The slightly older woman nodded agreement. "And isn't it a bitch."

Akeginu just shook her head at her friend's course choice of words.

Frantic pounding on the door made both women jump. "I'll get it, Akane," Akeginu offered, getting up off her stool and going to into the outer room to answer the door.

"Akane-dono!"

Akeginu recognized Gennosuke's voice and flung the fusuma open. Her eyes widened in horror at the picture that greeted her. Gennosuke had a broken, blood stained girl curled in his arms, barely recognizable until dull hazel eyes opened to peer at her. Behind him, stood Hyouma, a blood soaked figure braced against his right side. "Oh my God," Akeginu exhaled. "Akane!" she turned over shoulder and shouted.

The woman hurried out, looking less than pleased that she had been summoned. All the color drained from her face when she saw the group standing in the door. There was blood absolutely everywhere. "I'm an apothecary," she snarled, "Not a goddamn doctor! What the hell are you doing bringing them here?" she demanded irritably. Without giving anyone time to make a response, she pushed past them into the hall and yelled as loudly as she could. "Jiro!"

A tall, lanky man scurried out of the next room. "Akane-dono?" he started, then saw the people standing in the hall. He turned and shoved the fusuma across the way open. "Bring him in here, please," he gestured Hyouma to follow him into the room with Saemon.

Seeing one of the two injured figures taken care of, Akane turned to Gennosuke. "Bring her in. I'll see what I can do until Jiro can look at her." Akeginu realized then that Akane had not recognized her daughter yet.

Gennosuke carefully laid Amaya down on the futon her mother was laying out. The girl clung to the front of his kimono, loath to let her protector go. He gently pried her fingers out of the fabric, and as he stepped back, Akane gasped. "Oh God… Amaya-chan, what happened?"

Gennosuke opened his mouth to answer, but Akane made a terse gesture to silence him. "You may leave now," she gritted at him, and he could hear in her voice that it was a struggle for her not to snap the order.

Akane dropped down next her daughter and carefully peeled away the layers of blood saturated clothing. She hissed. A good amount of blood had seeped through to stain the skin beneath a sickly shade of red. "Akeginu, can you bring me the tub from the back and some cloths?"

Akeginu didn't answer, just hurried to retrieve the items in question. As she knelt down next to Akane with the tub and stack of towels, Amaya turned her head to face her. "Akeginu-dono," a hoarse voice murmured. "I'm sorry."

Akeginu visibly started at the apology, and Akane was more than a little surprised as well, but she continued to wash away the gruesome red stains on Amaya's skin. "Amaya-dono, I can't imagine what for."

"Tenzen is dead, and I can't help but think it is my fault. I'm sorry, you've lost another clansmen because of me."

"Amaya-dono, what in the world are you talking about?" Akeginu stammered. "Did you kill Tenzen?"

The bruised girl shook her head. "No. He attacked me, and so Gennosuke-sama killed him." Tears started to trickle from the corners of Amaya's eyes. "I didn't want him to die, Akeginu, I swear," Amaya pleaded. "Just wanted him to leave… didn't even know why he wanted to kill me…"

Akeginu reached and gently stroked Amaya's cheek. She could think of plenty of reasons Tenzen would have wanted to kill the little Shogun, and she was disappointed that her fellow Iga ninja would actually act on such hostile feelings. "I couldn't possibly hold you accountable for his Tenzen's death, Amaya. No one could."

Amaya turned her head out of Akeginu's caress, and stared up at the ceiling, biting her lip as more tears streamed down her cheeks, disappearing into blood matted hair and leaving clean streaks through the spots of blood on the girl's face. "Do you think Saemon-dono will live?" she asked.

Akeginu didn't have an answer, but Akane did. "Have more faith in Jiro, Amaya-chan. He may be a lousy husband, but he's a damn fine doctor. Why else would Ieyasu let him stay here?"

It was a good enough answer for Amaya. Her head dropped to the side again, as though it was too hard to hold it facing the ceiling, though this time she faced away from Akeginu. The rest of the washing process was held in silence. "You'll need stitches in a few places," Akane broke the silence when she was finished, "But nothing too major. Give a me a moment, and I'll get what I need from Jiro." She gracefully got to her feet and left, closing the fusuma quietly behind her.

The pink tinge of blood washed away, the actual injuries done to Amaya's body were clearly visible: a slit along her hip, another along her breastbone, a puncture through her hand, and mottled mess of torn flesh and bruising just above her right breast. Akeginu gasped. "Amaya-dono…" she trailed, afraid to ask the question, "Is that bite mark?"

The girl was completely silent and completely still for a moment before she nodded slowly, then spoke, coldly, bitterly, "And before you ask, yes, that was what he was intending to do."

"Amaya-dono…"

Amaya shook her head, more tears falling from her eyes, and bit down on her lip. "Don't feel sorry for me. I'm going to be okay. Feel sorry for Saemon…" she trailed, thinking of Okoi.

Akeginu's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Saemon will be okay, too, Amaya-dono. I don't understand…"

"Okoi won't."

Akeginu cut off mid-sentence.

"Tenzen killed her. She was holding me, because I was terrified; I thought I'd killed him… She shouldn't have died; Tenzen was there to kill me… If she hadn't come…"

"Amaya, stop it," Akeginu interrupted.

Amaya's mouth shut with an audible click, a little startled by Akeginu's terseness.

"You cannot hold yourself responsible for the destruction Tenzen caused because he was pissed off about the Pact's reinstallation," she explained bluntly, and as soon as she said it Amaya's face contorted in a horrified expression. Akeginu realized she had said nothing to comfort the new Shogun.

Akane returned before Akeginu could fumble out a coherent way to relieve Amaya of her guilt. "Your hand and the two slices need stitching," Akane explained, threading a needle. "I'm going to give you antiseptic for the bite. It will burn, but God knows what diseases the vile asshole that did this to you had. I have a balm for the bruises and scrapes for you also."

"Thank you," Amaya muttered.

Akane snorted. "Don't thank me. I'm you're mother; it's the very least I could do."

Amaya was getting used to that response.

Maybe it was that she was too tired to notice, or that nothing could compare to the humiliation and pain she had already been put through, but Amaya sat silent and still through the painful ordeal of stitching her few open wounds closed. When she was finished, Akane stood. "I'm going to find Amaya clothes," she explained when she was almost through the door.

"Amaya…" Akeginu began as soon as the girl's mother had slipped out.

"No. Don't say anything. I understand. The reinstallation of the No Hostilities Pact got Okoi-dono and Tenzen killed. My second attempt at preventing bloodshed took two lives, just like the first. I understand." Amaya's voice was a frighteningly cold dead pan, and Akeginu realized sadly that there was no arguing with her.

xxx

More servants than usual were rushing about the Shogun's quarters when Koshirou went to visit Amaya. They all cast him frightened glances as he passed, and many clutched tighter at and hunched over the loads they carried. He was more than a little surprised to see the great wooden doors of the Shogun's rooms open. Not just open, Koshirou realized, reaching up to touch the cracked top most hinge, lodged open. The handle had broken through the adjacent wall, and he traced his fingers over the ornate gold handle that protruded through the thin wall. A servant scurried out and collided with him hard enough that she was knocked to the ground and the mound of cloths in her arms scattered.

She and Koshirou both started to stammer apologies. Koshirou's cut off suddenly as he bent to help her retrieve her load. The towel he picked up was stained the familiar red shade of blood. All the towels she carried were stained, he realized, fear creeping into the pit of his stomach. "Wha… What's going on?" he stammered, staring dumbly at both servant girl and blood stained cloth.

"I don't know what happened," the girl explained as she got to her feet, taking the cloth dangling limply from Koshirou's hand as she did so. "We were just told to clean it up." She hurried away, glancing back over her shoulder only once at him to make sure he hadn't fainted or something. The last thing she wanted to deal with was someone else passing out at the sight and smell of blood.

Koshirou stood slowly and took another two steps so that he stood in the open doorway. There was a girl kneeling on the table, scrubbing fiercely at the wood surface. A pile of soiled towels was on the floor beside her; a pile of pristine ones were stacked next to her on the table. Another girl was in a slightly shadowed corner, scouring the floor, similar stacks of cleaning cloths around her. The room was at best, half cleaned. Another grisly puddle was in front of the desk, and there were still what appeared to be the remains of bloody footprints marring the floor. Perhaps the most disturbing stain, though, was the almost artistic spatter of blood that made a perfect arc over three kimonos.

The pang of fear Koshirou felt for Amaya's safety was painful in his chest, and he whipped around and stumbled out. He consoled himself with the fact that she couldn't be dead; surely news of another dead Shogun would have reached him by now. He had to find someone who would know what had happened. Akeginu was the first person to come to mind, and he rushed to find the older woman's rooms.

Akeginu's fusuma had been propped open, and the she was not inside. Struggling to hold panic at bay, Koshirou whipped around and pounded on Oboro's door, hoping his leader would know where her confidante was. He was surprised to hear tears when the echo of his pounding faded away.

"Who's there?" The voice was Gennosuke's.

"Koshirou," he answered as he slid the fusuma open, deciding not to wait to be admitted. "Oboro-sama!" he blurted, a little shocked at what he found inside. The Iga cheiftess was curled in Gennosuke's lap, the sounds her sobbing clearly audible. He started to stammer an apology, not sure what was going on and afraid that he was intruding, and was backing out the door when Gennosuke spoke.

"What do you want, Koshirou?" he asked, voice not betraying if he was irritated by the younger ninjas presence.

"I… I was looking for Akeginu. I was hoping she would know where Amaya was."

Gennosuke downcast his eyes. Koshirou felt the fear gnaw a little harder at his insides. Akeginu and Amaya-dono both are with Akane-san," he replied.

Koshirou felt his heart sink at the answer. "Th… thank you, Gennosuke-sama," he stammered out hurriedly and slid the fusuma shut.

He didn't knock before ripping the door to Akane's workspace open. Akane started to snarl an angry curse at him, but abruptly cut herself off. Her startled silence caused the other two women to turn toward the door and face the intruder. Koshirou didn't notice Akeginu's sad stare; he only saw the pair of broken hazel eyes that peered around her shoulder. A trace of horror flickered through them before Amaya's hands came up to hide the bruising that marred most of her face and shifted a little so his view of her was almost completely blocked by Akeginu's body.

"Koshirou-dono," the tiny voice was barely familiar, "Please, go." Tears were laced through the quiet command, and Koshirou was torn. He stared for a moment longer, than took a hesitant step toward her. "Go!" There was a little more force in this teary order. "Please, just leave…" As quickly as the trace of strength had come it trailed away into choked back sobs.

Confused gray eyes darted between Akeginu and the curled figure behind her. The Iga woman slowly got to her feet, and as her shield stood, Amaya ducked her face down into her knees. Koshirou didn't miss the bandaged hand that clutched tightly in the fabric of Amaya's kimono as the girl hugged her knees to her chest. He wanted to go to her, but Akeginu caught his arm and used it to guide him out the door.

"Koshirou," Akeginu spoke carefully and didn't release her hold on his arm until she was sure he wasn't going to try and go back in. Slowly he turned away from the closed fusuma back to look at her, a million questions written on his face. "Tenzen attacked her," Akeginu answered before he could ask. "He tried to have his way with her, was intending to kill her because she reinstated the Pact. Right now she's mess; she'll come to you when's she's ready…"

Koshirou had stopped hearing her. For the briefest of moments he was shocked by his master's behavior, but the shock was quickly replaced by anger. His hands clenched into fists at his sides. "Where the hell is Tenzen?" he demanded hotly.

Akeginu hung her head. "Dead. Gennosuke-sama killed him."

Koshirou's eyes went wide. That was the last thing he expected to hear. Guilt ridden sadness rose like bile in his throat. The bastard deserved it, he tried to tell himself, but the nauseatingly loyal part of him was infuriated. Unsure what to think, he turned and stalked away.

Koshirou never had any kind of poker face. Akeginu watched the struggle of conflicting emotions on his face. She had almost been expecting a more volatile reaction from him. The kunoichi sighed and shook her head, knowing that Koshirou's loyalty to Tenzen would always being a looming shadow over his and Amaya's relationship, though it would best be left to another day to figure out.

xxx

Koshirou's toe connected harshly with the wall of his room. His hiss of pain accompanied the rip of the paper covering. He scowled at the offending wall and dropped to a sitting position. Still unable to sort his thoughts out, he thrust his leg out again. This time he used the ball of his foot, and not only was the action less painful, it splintered the wood some. However, there was no solution in the damaged structure. Koshirou caught his forehead in his hands, then ran his fingers through his hair, breathing out a strangled snarl as he did so. He dropped onto his back with a thud that sounded like it hurt, but if it did, Koshirou's features didn't show as much. His face was contorted with confusion.

He had begun to question his loyalty to Tenzen after the man had hurled the insult of traitor at him for "consorting" with Amaya. In a way, this should have been the final straw to shatter any respect he had left for the man. He had wanted to defile and kill Amaya, and he most certainly cared more about his love than he did for his teacher.

But at the news of Tenzen's death, Koshirou felt what few sparks of dedication he had left for his master rush back to him. Anger at Gennosuke had overwhelmed him and overpowered whatever fury he felt for Tenzen. All of which had been followed by painful guilt. Koshirou draped an arm over his eyes as though it would do something to help. He swallowed hard, struggling to convince himself that he didn't care that Tenzen was dead, that he would have killed his sensei himself for Amaya. No matter how much determination he welded into the thought, there was always underlying doubt.

Despair started to tug at Koshirou, and he flopped onto his side, arms reaching out in front of him. He could hate what Tenzen had done to Amaya with his entire being, and yet couldn't find it in himself to hate Tenzen himself – he scrunched his eyes shut and pounded his fist into the floor – no matter how badly he wanted to.

A timid knock on the fusuma interrupted his internal tirade, and he hurriedly sat up. For the briefest second, he hoped it was Amaya, but the respectful voice that spoke did not belong to her.

"Shogun Amaya has requested an audience with both the Iga and Kouga ninjas," the messenger spoke.

Puzzled, Koshirou got to his feet and followed the servant girl to the center most courtyard.

xxx

Hattori Hanzo cast a worried glance down at Amaya. The girl looked less than the part of Shogun in the simple kimono, minimal makeup, and barely maintained hair, and she seemed to sway dangerously every once in a while, but always managed to regain her balance before he could offer an arm for support. Her eyes flickered noticeably between bold and broken, and it was hard to miss the way her jaw trembled even though she had tried to set it. She refused to talk about what had happened in her chambers earlier that day, but her bruised faced and bandaged hand gave away that her life had been in danger.

Hanzo reached and opened the door before Amaya could, ignoring the girl's glare when he did so. Breaking protocol, as soon as the door was opened, Amaya paraded out, leaving Hanzo and Munenori to hurry after her, Munenori snarling curses under his breath. The girl hoisted herself less than gracefully onto her platform, and instead of kneeling, hung her legs over the front, swinging them languidly back and forth.

Amaya was aware of heads lifting just slightly when their owners thought she wasn't looking and shooting her confused looks. Most of the ninja were subtle in their staring, but as she scanned her audience, she locked eyes with Koshirou who had brazenly lifted his head, and under his stare her bold exterior faltered. She bit down on her lip out of habit and her cold eyes softened for the briefest of seconds seeing the worry on his face. At her right knee, Hanzo coughed, and Amaya suddenly replaced her blank mask and jerked her gaze away from Koshirou.

Amaya was trying too hard to seem strong and the act was less than convincing, especially after Koshirou saw her brief slip. It was like when one notices a single flaw, suddenly they find a hundred more. Her eyes, though cold, darted nervously. Her fingers drummed silently against the platform on either side of her body, and the swing of her legs was too stiff to be the lazy movement of a girl trying to defy the traditional etiquette of Shogun. Amaya was fighting her every instinct to prevent breaking down, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't quite hide it.

"You know I don't talk to the tops of heads," Amaya snapped without facing her audience. Her gaze was trained on the sky to her left, and her words came out too hurriedly to sound irritated.

Slowly, bowed heads lifted to look at the Shogun who wouldn't look back at them.

"It has come to my attention – " Amaya swallowed nervously " – that the reinstatement of the No Hostilities Pact was not necessarily appreciated by the Iga and Kouga clans. Apparently, some of you would have preferred to have the chance to slit each other's throats." She paused and turned frighteningly angry eyes on her audience. "Whether you believe it or not, the Pact is for your own good. As you know, two lives were lost today because of the Pact's reinstallation, because a ninja wanted his 'deserved' revenge. Revenge is to fight blood with blood, and all that leads to is more blood until we all drown." Her voice was harsh, but with an underlying tinge of sadness. Amaya hopped from her perch on the platform. She stumbled at little, but maintained composure and leaned back, arms resting on it behind her. "Because it apparently was not clear to all of you before when I re-put the No Hostilities Pact in place, I'm going to be more blunt. I hereby decree that no more blood be shed, be it Kouga, Iga, or anyone else's on account of this foolish feud started four hundred fucking years ago." Her voice started to break down and the last several words sounded as though she was stumbling into hysteria. If she had continued to speak, her emotionally disastrous state would been put on display, but she said no more, only turned abruptly and stalked out, leaving Munenori and Hanzo to again rush after her.

As he watched her leave, Koshirou noticed the lone tear track staining Amaya's cheek.

As soon as they rounded the corner of Amaya's temporary quarters while the Shogun's quarters were being repaired, Munenori lashed out. "What the fuck kind of behavior was that?" he demanded. "You neither acted nor spoke like a Shogun. And what the hell was that breakdown at the end? Keep your emotional trauma out of you political position!"

Tears welled up in Amaya's eyes, and she spun around to face him. For a moment all she could do was glare. "Get out," she finally snapped. "Just get the fuck out." If not for the fact that she was in tears, Amaya's voice would have been deadly calm.

Munenori huffed at her, as though he was debating whether he should actually obey, before turning up his nose and leaving. Amaya didn't notice the blatant disrespect. She let herself into her chambers and collapsed in a chair, catching her head in her hands as she did so. Hanzo hesitantly decided to follow her.

"Amaya-dono," he said gently, walking into the room and standing a respectful distance away from the girl. "Munenori-san may have been being an ass about it, but he is right. You can't behave like this as Shogun, especially if you refuse to tell us what is wrong. What if there was something we could have done to fix it."

Amaya lifted apologetic eyes out from behind her hands. "I'm sorry, Hanzo-dono," she began, but was interrupted by knocking on the door. Amaya started to lift herself up to get it, but Hanzo gestured she stay and went himself. He slid open the fusuma just enough to see who was there.

Hanzo turned back toward Amaya, who was staring intently at the ajar fusuma. "It's Koshirou," he told her.

Amaya stared blankly at him for just a moment before speaking. "Let him in, please, Hanzo-dono, and then if you would leave us alone?" she requested quietly.

"Of course, my lady." He let the young Iga ninja in, and then discreetly slipped out.

Amaya bit her lip to stop it from trembling as Koshirou moved toward her. She struggled desperately to hold her tears at bay. He had to know what happened, and she was scared, so very scared of what he would think of her. Amaya bowed her head down, suddenly afraid to meet his eyes. The last traces of Amaya's composure shattered when Koshirou wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his chest. Amaya reached her hands up and fisted them in his kimono, uncertain if she wanted to force him away or pull him closer. The tears she had been struggling to hold at bay poured down her cheeks, and when he heard her sobs, Koshirou gently raised a hand to hold her head against his shoulder. Amaya was tense in his arms for a moment longer before finally giving in and collapsing against him, hands falling limply from his chest and thumping dulling on the arms of her chair.

"Shh," Koshirou soothed, "It's alright. You're okay." He was fumbling, unsure what to say to the broken creature in his arms.

"I…" Amaya struggled to speak through her tears, "I… didn't think… I wasn't sure if you would…" A slightly louder fit of tears interrupted her, and her hands came back up to fist in his kimono, though this time they were most definitely holding him closer. "…wasn't sure if you would take me back," she managed to choke out.

Koshirou opened his mouth to demand an explanation for such a ludicrous suggestion, but Amaya continued.

"Tenzen's hands… his mouth… he tried… he almost… he wanted to…" Koshirou could hear the evident pain in her voice as she recalled the memories, still raw in her mind.

"Amaya," Koshirou silenced her stammering gently and tightened his arms around her, "How could I possibly hold that against you?"

Amaya's mind irrationally searched for a reason it didn't want to find. It finally gave up, and she leaned into Koshirou, slowly twining her arms around his waist and shifting some to press herself impossibly closer to him, terrified of losing him. "Because it's my fault Tenzen is dead," she gritted out the unrelated answer. She felt Koshirou wince a little, and she tightened her hold on him. Thick silence followed the words, broken only by the gradually increasing volume of Amaya's tears.

Finally Koshirou spoke, tenderly lifting Amaya's face so he could look her in the eyes. She furiously struggled to blink back her tears. Koshirou softly wiped them away with his thumbs because it seemed to be the right thing to do. "Not your fault," he corrected. "Tenzen's fault. He had it coming, for disregarding the Pact and intending to harm you." As he spoke, he realized that he believed every word, that he was slowly coming to terms with his master's death.

"Do you mean that?" Amaya whispered timidly, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"Yes," Koshirou answered, voice quiet but firm.

Amaya's eyes drooped closed, and any last traces of tension drained away from her body. Her grip on his waist loosened until her arms were merely draped around his hips, wrists crossed behind his back. "Koshirou-dono?" she murmured.

"Hmm?" He bowed his head down to look at her.

"I love you," she said quietly; her eyes squeezed shut a little tighter as she waited for his response, and Koshirou felt her start when he gently stroked her cheek.

"I love you, too, Amaya-dono," he replied, awkwardly bending down a little to press a chaste kiss to her bruised cheek. He reached and carefully lifted her up into his arms, then turned and sat with Amaya curled in his lap. They sat snuggled together like that in companionable silence for a few long moments before Amaya spoke again, notably without exerting the effort to open her eyes.

"I don't want to be Shogun," she said bluntly, voice still a little hoarse from crying.

Koshirou bit back his usual response to such a complaint, and decided to humor Amaya. "Why?" He wasn't expecting such a serious answer.

"I didn't solve anything," she admitted. "The whole purpose of taking this position of authority was to reinstate the Pact and put an end to the Kouga / Iga feud forever, and I failed. Despite everything I've done to stop the blood shed, six members of the clans are dead, as well as Ieyasu and Kunichiyo. So much for the end of bloodshed."

Koshirou rested his chin on Amaya's shoulder and pressed another affectionate kiss to her cheek. "I won't let you take blame for Ogen-sama and Danjo," he told her. "And take no offense at my words, koi." He couldn't help but pause and smile at the faint blush that dusted Amaya's cheeks following the use of the pet name. "But it was rather naïve of you to think there was a bloodless solution to a four hundred year old dispute."

Amaya's face contorted into a brooding expression, not liking this answer, so Koshirou continued. "Don't think in terms of lives lost, Amaya," he said gently. "Think in terms of lives saved. Fourteen members still live, and the raging desire for revenge has died down since you reinstalled the Pact." Koshirou was struggling for words, trying to get as many reasons as he could to lift Amaya's spirits crammed into his answer.

Amaya mulled over this a moment, brow furrowed in an obvious "thinking" expression, before she answered. "I still don't want to be Shogun."

Koshirou shook his head and didn't question the statement again. "I think you're a fine Shogun."

He thought he heard the faintest noise of laughter, and grinned. He'd been frightened by Amaya's behavior, afraid Tenzen's abuse would cause her to disappear into a hallow shell of herself like the disturbingly broken creature that had delivered the decree earlier that morning.

The next time Koshirou looked down at Amaya, the girl was asleep. He should have expected as much, considering her day. He stood carefully and headed toward her sleeping chambers, toeing the fusuma open as far as he could and squirming through. Much to his relief, her futon was already unrolled and made, likely because she intended to go to sleep as soon as she returned her chambers. He laid her down, and awkwardly tugged the sheets around her as best he could. Koshirou was almost out the door when Amaya spoke.

"Please don't leave," she requested quietly.

Koshirou paused a moment, realizing that Amaya had by no means completely recovered from her morning's trauma. "I'll be right outside the door," he answered. He heard Amaya's relieved sigh just before he slid the fusuma shut.

xxx

Amaya awoke to the pitter patter of rain against the window. She crawled out of her futon and moved across the dark room to stand at the window. She had to raise herself up onto her toes so she could peer out at the rainy night. Amaya sighed and wished absently that she could open the window and let the heady scent of summer rain into the room. With the sudden desire to inhale the rain smell set in her mind, she went to get Koshirou to go outside with her. Amaya grinned when she reached the fusuma, hearing the quiet sounds of snores from the figure on the other side. She headed back to her futon, then and sat down, hoping the rain would still be falling when Koshirou woke up.

A particularly loud thud against the window made Amaya jump, and her hand to flew to the catch for one of her knives. They had been cleaned and returned to her as soon as possible. Her head whipped around, but there was nothing in the window. She decided it was for the better that Koshirou had been asleep, because apparently the rain had turned to a hail.

Another knock startled Amaya worse. The noises didn't sound like the consistent pounding of hail, and she could feel fear starting to freeze her insides. She stayed completely still, and the frantic pounding of her heart against her ribs was painfully loud in the silent room. Images of Tenzen flooded her mind, and she felt nauseous at the concept of the ninja returning to life again. The next thud against the window caused the glass to crack, and Amaya unhooked her knife. She wanted to scream for Koshirou, but only a rasping gasp came out; her vocal chords wouldn't respond.

The window shattered, though the noise was swallowed by a simultaneous crash of thunder. Three men, covered from head to toe in black fabric but for a slit for their eyes, crawled through. This time Amaya did scream, and she flung the knife in her hand. She had never had need of actually throwing her knives, though, and the spin was wrong. The hilt of the weapon glanced off the right most ninjas shoulder uselessly and clattered to the ground. Amaya started to scrambled backwards on all fours, but her feet tangled in the sheets, hindering her progress.

One of them snickered, and the centermost man fell on her, his own knife drawn and raised to slit his throat. Amaya beat him there; her left knife already unhooked. She slashed out at him, and cut deeply into his throat. He fell to the side, gurgling and moaning as blood spurted from his gaping throat and bubbled from his mouth. Amaya clenched her blood soaked weapon tightly in her hand, breathing raggedly and struggling to maintain a proper glare at her attackers. The next lunged at her, the one whom she had knocked with her poorly thrown weapon.

He never made it to her. Amaya watched with morbid awe as a crescent shaped blade buried itself in the man's side and knocked him across the room, blood gushing out in a great plume from the injury.

The last assassin's head whipped around frightfully, and his wide eyes locked with Koshirou's dangerously narrowed ones. He fumbled to yank a sword out, but Koshirou had snatched his wrists and tossed him to the ground before he could completely free the blade. He dropped down on him and pressed his remaining kama against the man's throat. "Who the hell sent you?" he demanded.

The figure beneath him stammered incoherently for a moment about how he couldn't say, so Koshirou forced the blade down a little further, breaking the skin, causing the man to keen wordlessly in a plea for his life. "The… the Toyotomi family…" he gasped out.

Koshirou snorted, recognizing the name as a family competing with the Tokugawa. "Some ninja you are," he muttered at the pathetic creature beneath him, wondering absently if his fallen companions would have so easily given up the name of their employer. For Amaya's sake, he spared the man the gory death of shredding his face, and instead pressed the blade of the kama a little tighter until it easily slit the throat beneath.

Amaya had backed herself against a wall, clutching her last knife with a grasp so tight her hands trembled. Koshirou knelt in front of her, reaching out carefully and prying the bloody weapon from her fingers. "Amaya-dono, are you okay?" he asked, uncertain how much of the blood staining her kimono belonged to her.

She swallowed hard, but managed to nod.

"Are you sure?" he asked, gesturing her drenched kimono, the second one ruined today by blood.

Amaya looked down at the ruined garment and started to sob, and Koshirou realized the girl hadn't noticed all the blood until just then. She nodded again and managed to choke out through her tears, "It… it's all his." She pointed to the ninja sprawled on his side, head bent at awkward angle.

Koshirou gathered Amaya into his arms as soon as it was confirmed he wouldn't hurt her by doing so. He carried her out of the room and closed the fusuma behind him, hiding the gory wreck within from Amaya's broken eyes.

"Koshirou… why… who were they?" Amaya asked hesitantly.

"Assassins from a rival ruling family," he answered.

Amaya pondered this for several seconds before speaking. "They wanted to kill me…" she trailed. "They wanted to kill me just because I was the Tokugawa Shogun?" she asked for clarification.

Koshirou swallowed hard and nodded, waiting for the inevitable next statement.

"I don't want to be Shogun anymore," Amaya said with a little more force than all the previous times she had said it. "I… I just can't."

Koshirou found that he really couldn't blame her after everything that had happened today.


A/N: only one chapter left now