*The shadow moves on*

*The essence of night lingers*

*Its name, Hogeki*

Chapter 6 – Assassins of the Night

=Canterlot Palace, One hour before Sunset=

(The Doctor's PoV)

"Are you sure your daughters will be alright Doctor?" Celestia asked as they all finished dinner. "I know you left Dinky in the care of her elder sister Sparkler, but are you sure nothing bad will befall them while you and your wife are here in Canterlot?"

"Oh I'm quite sure they'll be fine Tia." He said as her servants took their plates away and they all settled into their after dinner tea and muffins.

Or in Derpy's case, his and her muffins, him having given her his muffin as a thank you present for coming to stay with him while he acted as translator for Celestia.

"Sparkler can cook well enough without help, and Dinky's a smart filly so they won't starve." He mused while he sipped his tea. "If you're worried about their safety however, don't be. The toys Dinky owns all have a special feature that I included which activates immediately if I'm not expected home within eight to ten hours. They all enter a condition yellow mode, actively scanning and engaging in patrol mode during the night wherever she is. Also I gave Dinky my new WalkNTalk Luna toy, you remember seeing the original prototype correct?"

"How can we not, the toy almost protected your filly and the Elements of Harmony keepers, not to mention found you and aided in their escape, all on its own." Luna said.

"Yes, well that prototype, now that I've finally finished it, has band new filly protection tools and protocols included to keep Dinky and any immediate ponies near her safe." The Doctor said. "One of those is a holographic projector with a range of nineteen feet in any direction. Also an even more advanced DNA scanner that I managed to scale down to the size of nail, which actively scans every living organism within a range of two hundred miles of its current location. If anything it detects enters that radius, it will know instantly, anything else it is unfamiliar with, it will instantly treat as a priority one threat and keep a close lock on it."

"Among other tools that, if I had to tick off, would take way too long to describe and mention." He said as he finished his tea.

They all just stared at him as he listed what was inside his latest toy, amazement etched inside of Celestia's and Luna's eyes. "Is there anything your toys cannot do?" Celestia asked curiously.

"They can't make a better muffin than my wife can!" He said happily as Derpy blushed at his complimenting her.

"Question Doctor, how come your latest toy will take so much longer to create than your previous toys?" Luna asked now. "Your previous toys took at least six days to ship to us, but they had already been finished. Why do these new toys require two full weeks before they will be shipped to their owner? Also why the questionnaire, what was the point of that?"

The Doctor snickered as he imagined how they would react to the toys when they finally met their new owners for the first time. "You'll find out soon enough, when I finish making the toys anyway." He said with a grin.

Both the princesses looked unhappy about having to wait two weeks to find out why, but they nodded in understanding, knowing they weren't going to get anything out of him if he didn't want to divulge that information. "Well here's a question I wanted to bring up earlier Doctor, forgive me for breaking the mood, but what did you talk to Aketoki about earlier today?" Celestia asked. "I noticed you were a bit more wary of both Aketoki and Hogeki. Did you discover something?"

The Doctor put his empty cup down as he rubbed his now tired eyes. "Yes I did indeed discover something interesting." He said. "I found out our dear Aketoki, and if he's any evidence to go by, Hogeki as well, are both Omnivores."

"Omnivores?" Luna and Celestia asked at the same time.

"You were going to explain that before we got called, what's an Omnivore?" Derpy asked, her eyes 'derping' again whenever she was confused.

"Omnivores are a class of eaters, basically there are a few, but the three most recognized are Herbivores, Carnivores, and Omnivores." The Doctor said. "You and everypony here on Gaia, with exception to a few species, are classified as Herbivores. One of the most characteristic traits seen in Herbivores is their teeth, being more flat and designed to grind plant life. They can eat fruits, vegetables, and everything else that falls under the plant category."

"The second class, Carnivores, is something you don't encounter much but do exist here on Gaia." The Doctor continued. "Carnivores all eat food that is based on other animals, most of the time Herbivores. Their teeth are sharp, designed to slice and rip away meat to eat. They can't digest plants as food."

"Omnivores however…" He said carefully, trying his best to portray the picture for them all. "Omnivores carry traits of both sides, able to eat both plant and meat. They have teeth capable of eating plants like an Herbivore's, but also have a few serrated teeth in resemblance of a Carnivore's. This gives them a tremendous advantage over both, because they aren't solely dependent on one category of food to sustain them."

"He eats meat… you mean… animals?" Derpy asked. "That's just disgusting!"

"So… this Aketoki is an Omnivore?" Celestia asked. "What does that mean?"

"No idea Tia, I haven't encountered a pony as an Omnivore before in my life." He said. "Everypony I've seen has been an Herbivore. Aketoki being an Onmnivore caught me by surprise, what got my attention was the moment he mentioned he wished you would give him something with meat to eat. I told him not to expect meat for a very long time because all of you are vegetarians."

They remained silent before Celestia said it was time her and her sister performed their duty of changing the sun's and moon's positions. Which meant it was time for bed for both The Doctor and his wife. They went to their guest room that they were staying in and prepared to go to sleep, but still something tugged at The Doctor's mind. "Why is Hogeki so determined to execute Aketoki?" He whispered to himself as he watched his wife snuggle next to him, before thy both fell fast asleep into their bed.

(Aketoki's PoV)

Aketoki was returned to his cell at the bottom of the staircase, where he also received his dinner. How he longed for fish to be in the stew they had given him, not that he didn't mind the food he was given, but it just was too bland for his liking. At least captivity was not terrible, but he sorely wished that he had his swords with him. They were his only heirlooms from his clan that he had, and if he lost those then what else did he have in this new world?

He looked around his cell and, seeing nothing else to do, donned his armor so that if something happened he would be prepared. As he put the pieces of his armor on he once more wondered if Hanayo had his kabuto that was lost in the struggle with Aketoki and his ninja. If she did have it, he hoped she would still have it if and when he was finally reunited with her.

"Curse that Hogeki; he just can't let Hanayo be…" He said to himself as he finished putting on his armor.

Mentioning Hogeki brought up other memories, specifically memories of the Ninman Clan, and his hatred for them that he had buried deep in his soul. He barely remembered the night of the purge, when his entire clan was slaughtered, and he was the only survivor. Yet what he did remember, he would never forget. He remembered watching as his parents were slaughtered right in front of him, cut down by two samurai. They left him to find the remaining members of his Clan, not knowing he was still in the room as well.

As he remembered the night his clan was all but killed, he remembered that Ronin, the one that pulled him from the house and fled with him to the Kusaji Clan's house. He never did meet that Ronin again, but if he did he would thank him for bringing him to the Kusaji Clan.

"That night took my entire family… but it gave me Hanayo." He said as his anger toward the Ninman just faded away when he remembered the first time he met Hanayo.

The first time he met Hanayo was the night his clan died, it was an interesting encounter that he would never forget. Their first encounter was her smacking him in the head with a wooden sword, which she was using in preparation for using a Naginata. It was an accident, but this brought him out of his sadness before he could fall too deep into it.

Meeting Hanayo, becoming friends with her, and finally falling in love with her also prevented him from hating the Ninman the way many had expected him to react. If it weren't for the Ninman he might never have met Hanayo, and things that are now would not have been.

Still that didn't mean he had entirely forgiven Hogeki's family for killing his clan, but that was not why he hated Hogeki. He only hated him because he was trying to force himself upon Hanayo, force her to marry him because her father said so. Force Hanayo to marry a samurai, who had done nothing honorable and had nothing to his name besides what his Clan has given him.

His thoughts were interrupted at that moment however, as he heard the sound of four bodies hitting the floor heavily outside his cell door. He instantly became alert and went to the small window in the door to look outside.

The four ponies that were stationed to keep him locked in his cell were all on the floor, each one of them unconscious and breathing slowly. He looked closely and saw that each one had been hit in the neck by some kind of dart, which he recognized as that used by Ninja to knock out or poison their enemies.

"Ninja… it's Hogeki!" He said to himself, knowing that they were coming for him.

Hogeki knew he was running out of time, if Hanayo was found before he could kill Aketoki, than the truth would be revealed and Aketoki might find sanctuary in Celestia's kingdom. He couldn't allow that, if he was to get Hanayo for himself, he had to kill off Aketoki. Of course Aketoki couldn't allow Hogeki to succeed, because his and Hanayo's fates were tied, and Hanayo herself had done that herself.

"Hello, hello out there?" He shouted, knowing that none of the ponies here would understand a word he said, but hoping against hope that his voice would echo upwards and alert any of the guards.

Guessing that he was alone and would have to fight for his life, he immediately backed away from the door, keeping himself ready for whatever they might do to break the door down. He knew the door was locked by means he couldn't open, that was why the four ponies were required to open. A few minutes later, a dark cloth covered face appeared at the window, the only thing visible on the ninja's face were his eyes.

"Aketoki, we meet again!" The ninja said through the window. "It's been a while since the Border of Kai, hasn't it?"

"So, come to finish the job Hogeki couldn't do back then?" He growled, preparing himself to use whatever form of combat he had to. "Go and tell your master that if he wants me, he'll have to do it himself! His dark agents won't get the job done. You'll not take me tonight, not now, not ever!"

The ninja was silent as he fumbled with something at the door, out of sight but clearly something he was handling. Then Aketoki heard him swipe something and lit a tiny flame. A moment later a sizzling sound was heard, something he wasn't familiar with but had heard rumors of. "Nothing like that Aketoki, I've just been told to deliver a message to you." He said as he started backing away from the door. "Master Hogeki informed me that, he wanted you to be present, when he makes Hanayo 'his' tonight."

At these words Aketoki completely forgot the fact that this ninja might have been lying about what he just said. All he was thinking about were the words, 'Hogeki', 'Hanayo', 'his'. "What has he done to Hanayo-Chan?" He shouted angrily as he ran to the door to try and force it open.

That was when he recognized the sizzling sound; it was a bomb, something only recently learned by the ninja, thanks to experiments with gunpowder. Just as the sizzling started to die down, he jumped back and took cover, just in time as several simultaneous blasts blew the door off its hinges. The door flew into the cell, slammed into the wall before causing the bed to collapse and break. He took a few seconds to recover from the shock, before he turned his attention to the doorway.

His path was unbarred; the four guards stationed to keep him locked up were still unconscious, their spears dropped to the ground. –He wanted you to be present, when he makes Hanayo 'his' tonight.-

Knowing that what the ninja said might or might not be true did not matter, he had to take the risk that this might be an elaborate trap. He ran out of his cell, picked up one of the fallen spears and raced up the staircase which led out of the dungeon.

Leaving the staircase behind him turned and saw the ninja heading toward the main entrance. He chased after him and raced out into the night outside the palace for the first time since he was captured. He watched the ninja race toward and then through the main gate, which was surprisingly unguarded and wide open.

Not caring he followed after, leaving the palace behind him as he followed a ninja through the night, in a city that he was still unfamiliar with.

=Canterlot Palace Gardens, Night time=

(Luna's PoV)

Luna left the palace and entered the garden with Owl behind her, she had finished raising the moon earlier and now that everypony was asleep, she could take advantage of the quiet. Meaning before she too went to sleep, she wanted to enjoy the night flowers that she requested the gardener plant. They were a special breed of flower that grew quickly and bloomed only at night when the moon was out. Since she was planning on making tomorrow a full moon, she wanted to admire the flowers tonight so she could compare them on the two nights.

"At last, finally we can view our flowers at the right time!" Luna said as she and Owl entered the garden alone. "You really should join us Hawk, it's a wonderful and quiet night. Perfect for viewing flowers and smelling the wonderful garden smells at night."

-With all due respect my lady; I'm not much of a flower viewing pony.- Hawk said in her mind as he finished his last sweep of the gardens before heading back into the palace. –I see enough of them during the day, enough that I know every single flower bush and rose path the gardener laid for you and Princess Celestia.-

"Indeed, and is the garden safe for us to walk through tonight?" Luna joked.

-The gardens are safe and secure my lady, there is nothing to surprise you or Owl this night." He replied in a professional voice. –I went over every tree, every bush, every rosebud, and every square inch of the gardens to make sure it was safe. You have nothing to fear tonight my lady.-

Luna nodded as she admired her guard's determination to keep her safe. They had been this way ever since the incident in the marketplace, and she knew it was because she had tried to help them before, but her magic was useless. "Thank you very much Hawk for going the extra mile for us." Luna replied as she felt Hawk land tiredly on the ground behind them and started to head inside. "Good night, pleasant dreams, we'll see you in the morning."

-You're welcome my lady.- Hawk whispered tiredly.

-Pushing yourself too far again Hawk, I swear I think you enjoy overtime some days.- Owl said to him in Luna's mind as he took a position near the garden entrance, just in case she needed him for something and so he could see her at all times.

-Keep it up Owl, wait until it's your turn for sleep and you're the one tired.- Hawk retorted.

Luna was never very consistent for their sleeping schedules, Hawk had to go to bed at this time so that he could wake up at Sunrise when she did. Owl however was more of a night pony, which is why he became her night time guardian, and spent the least amount of time sleeping. However he did make sure to go to be at about the same time Hawk did, just so he wasn't tired during the day or when he too had to be up for his shift with Hawk.

Listening to their conversation made Luna giggle, they knew they didn't have to have these arguments with her being privy to them, but they did so anyways. It was moments like this that she was happy she had those two as her personal guards. They may act this way towards each other, but they took their job seriously, and that was why she wished they both would enjoy moments like walking through the garden at night.

"You two know nothing is going to attack us here in the palace right?" Luna said as she walked into the heart of the garden where the gardener had planted the moonflowers for her. "We swear, these precautions are not needed."

-After The Professor infiltrated the palace, and assaulted both you and Princess Celestia directly, you can never be too certain.- Hawk replied tiredly.

-Of course Hawk, better safe than sorry, but do you have to bring that up every time our mistress wants to relax?- Owl said dully. –Really now, even I know to sit back and smell the flowers once in a while.-

-Better to be safe than sorry and reprimanded because we let our mistress get injured due to carelessness!- Hawk retorted. –You are such a carefree foal some days Owl; it's a wonder why our mistress doesn't get injured when you watch over her at night.-

-You two are ruining the moment with your bickering.- Luna declared, silencing them both as she found the moon flowers and looked at their beautiful white petals. –Look at them you two, so beautiful and they only bloom at night when the moonlight touches them. We never imagined we'd see such lovely little flowers.-

The moon flowers that she was admiring were white lilies with wonderful dark green stems. The reason they only bloomed under the moon was different than other flowers, something about moonlight giving them energy that the sun can't provide. She wasn't a very science oriented pony, but if there was one thing she knew, it was that these flowers were very special to Luna. After all, of all the flowers and trees and plants, and everything else that depended on her sister's sun, it was nice to know that there was one special plant that needed her moon to live.

She heard the sound of leaves rustling in a nearby tree, but paid it no mind as she bent down and smelled the wonderful scent of the moon flowers. "Such a lovely aroma you give off." She told the flowers as she stood upright again.

Again she heard the rustling of leaves but paid it no mind, guessing it was just wind. She wanted to spend a few more minutes outside before going to bed; she wouldn't be able to enjoy the sight of these flowers any other time. Seeing another group of moon flowers in the shade of a tree, she walked over to them to give them a sniff as well.

Something told her at the back of her mind to stay within eyesight of Owl, and ignore the flowers at the base of that tree, but she ignored it. As she reached the tree and bent down to sniff the moon flowers again, she felt that something in the back of her mind desperately trying to get her attention. Deciding to humor herself, she temporarily shut out Hawk and Owl from her mind so that she could tap into her madness.

"What is wrong?" Luna asked herself as she felt one of her more dominant voices race to the front of her thoughts.

(YOU ARE IN TERRIBLE DANGER!) Her royal voice shouted, and instantly Luna felt herself returning to reality as a shadow fell over her.

She looked up just in time to see a pony covered head to hoof in dark clothes, with only his eyes exposed; sitting in the very tree that Luna was under. The instant she looked up however he had jumped down to land on top of her, pulling a blade in one hoof to stab right into her. She reacted quickly, but not quickly enough to avoid the blade slice her in the side, barely missing her wing.

In sheer instinct she tried to use her magic to push the attacker away, but the same thing she felt when she tried using magic on Aketoki happened this time as well. For some reason the moment her magic touched this stallion, it just completely dissipated, leaving him completely unhindered as he regained his stance and pointed his blade at her again.

Seeing the line of red on his blade reminded Luna of her wound. The wound she had been dealt wasn't very deep, at most it barely broke the skin, but that did not matter. This was the first time Luna had ever been cut like this, never before has she ever so much as received a paper cut. She only had a second to process the fact that she had been injured, and then she realized that she was under attack. Finally she started to re-establish her mental connection to Hawk and Owl before panic could set in.

Just as she tumbled away from the pony, she saw a second one emerge from a nearby flower bush, wearing the same clothing as the first and also wielding a blade like the first. She felt her two guard's minds, both talking to each other about their morning shift, and they both felt her spike of fear the instant she re-established their mental connection.

–HAWK, OWL, HELP ME!- She screamed in her mind, turning and running for Owl as her two attackers raced after her.

She came into eyesight of Owl and ducked just in time so he could soar over her, tackling one of her attackers into the ground. She only turned to watch Owl and the attacker struggling for a moment before her second attack came at her with his blade. "FLY PRINCESS, GET OUT OF HERE!" Owl shouted as he wrestled with one of the attackers.

Luna extended her wings and took to the air, just as her second attacker tried to swing at her with his weapon. She didn't want to leave Owl, but she knew that this was his duty; she had to get away because without her magic she was just in the way. However as she angled toward a balcony that overlooked the gardens, she noticed her second attacker pull a small tube out, put it to his mouth and point it at her.

Seconds later she felt something sharp sink into her left wing, another second later she felt a second something hit her right wing. She shook off the pain and tried to get to the balcony, but for some reason her wings started going numb, and she was starting to lose altitude as they stopped working.

"No not now!" Luna screamed as she tried to get her wings to work, but they stopped moving and hung limp, causing her to fall head first toward the ground.

Just as she was a few seconds from falling, Hawk soared in from through the door, and caught her on his back before performing a complete backflip in midair to bring Luna in front of him, her hooves angled toward the ground. They landed gently and Hawk performed another aerial maneuver to bring him face first toward her second attacker.

Caught completely off guard, the second attacker did not react in time to stop Hawk from tackling him into the ground. "RUN MY LADY!" Hawk yelled as he assumed a stance to protect Luna from her second attacker.

Luna nodded and started to head toward the door back into the palace, but just as she did she felt Owl receive an injury to his chest. She turned and saw that her first attacker had succeeded in defeating Owl, having lost his blade and forced into hoof to hoof combat. He raced toward Luna, pulling a second blade from the folds of his clothes and racing at her with it.

She only had a few seconds to recognize the blade as the same one Aketoki was holding the day before, before she turned and tried to flee into the palace again. She opened the door with her magic, ran through, and filled her lungs with as much air as she could, before she declared in the loudest tone she had ever done for her Royal Canterlot Voice.

"GUAAAAAAAAARDS!" She bellowed, and her voice echoed across the hallways and corridors.

Outside she felt Hawk receive an injury from her second attackers blade and knew that time was running out. She turned and watched as first her first attacker walked through, and seconds later the second attacker appeared. One of them advanced upon her, blade drawn and pointed at her, but just before he could strike, guards burst in from every door on all sides, carrying spears and charging forward to protect Luna from harm.

"CAPTURE THE INTRUDERS, DON'T LET THEM ESCAPE!" She ordered in her Canterlot voice and watched as her guards formed a circle around the first pony in front of her.

Seconds later series of loud booms could be heard, and almost everypony looked around in confusion, all except the two intruders.

"Sunawachi, shingōdesu!" The pony near the door shouted.

"Kemuri bakudan!" The second one shouted, and they both pulled out what looked like small black balls.

Something told Luna to not let these intruders toss those two black balls, and this time she heeded her madness. She summoned her magic and just before the balls could hit the ground, sent them soaring away to one side of the hallway, exploding into large puffs of smoke. At this the one intruder that was at the door slammed it shut before any of the guards could stop him. This left the one intruder staring at all of the guards surrounding him, lances and spears pointing at him with nowhere to go.

Luna looked into the pony's eyes and he stared at her, and then in an instant she saw all the color in his eyes seem to fade away. It wasn't as though his eyes suddenly became white balls in their sockets, but as though he lost the will to resist them. He looked at them all before, quicker than they could predict, he pulled a tiny white ball of something from the folds of his clothes and shoved it into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed it with fierce determination.

"Anata wa watashi kara nani mo enaideshou!" He shouted angrily as the guards moved in to subdue him.

Luna watched as he stared at them defiantly before she saw something in his eyes cause her fear. "Get back, stay away from him!" She ordered, and heeded her own advice and backed away.

They all took several steps back as the pony suddenly started jerking and twitching violently in front of them. He started coughing and clutched at his chest, before collapsing to the ground and continuing to twitch and cough. Luna watched as the veins near his eyes just appeared, and his eyes rolled back into their sockets, before he became very still.

For a full minute none of them moved, before Luna ordered one of the guards to check on the pony, and another two to check on her two guards outside. While two guards went outside one guard stepped forward and checked the stallion lying on the ground. He went up and poked him with a lance, then tried tapping him with one hoof. Finally he checked his pulse.

"He's dead your majesty." He said.

"He killed himself?" Luna asked as all the guards eased up. "What kind of a pony… kills himself… just to avoid being captured?"

"The kind that doesn't want to be interrogated Luna." A voice piped up behind her.

They all turned and watched The Doctor walking into the room, a little tired but very serious as he observed the situation in front of him. "Doctor, we apologize for… waking you if you were fast asleep." Luna said respectfully.

"Well you only interrupted a lovely time I was having with Derpy as she snuggled with me before bed, but other than that no not really." The Doctor said as he walked over to the dead pony and examined him. "So what trouble you causing tonight Luna? Naughty naughty I must say."

"We were attacked a few minutes ago, by these two ponies." Luna said as she watched Owl limping through the door while Hawk was carried by the other two guards. "Take them to the nearest hospital at once!"

The guards nodded and led both Owl and carried Hawk out of the hallway and out of sight. The Doctor meanwhile was busy pulling off the mask and other clothes of the attacker, revealing a tan colored stallion with no cutie mark where it should be, and a plow symbol on both sides of his face. Luna could see veins all across the pony, each one of them white, the same color as that tiny ball the pony had swallowed.

"Do you recognize him Doctor?" She asked.

"Nope, never seen him before." He replied. "Have to say this is the first time I've ever seen a Ninja before in my life."

"Ninja?"

"Ninja think of them as shadow warriors in contrast to Samurai." He said. "Ninja are assassins of the Sengoku world, they strike from the shadows and eliminate their targets at any cost. One of their most famous and greatest techniques is to poison their victims."

"Well we weren't poisoned thankfully, although we did get a cut from one of their blades." Luna said, looking at where she had been cut and seeing that she had healed thanks to being an Alicorn of the Night.

"You were cut, but you are still feeling fine?" He asked quickly.

"Yes, why do you ask?" She replied nervously

In response he pulled that sonic screwdriver of his out and scanned her quickly. It gave of a beep of some kind and he immediately became alerted. "You've been poisoned by some kind of species of fish, probably something they had before arriving here!"

"We've been what?" She said, alarmed at the knowledge that she had been poisoned. "But how, they didn't get the chance to…"

"The blade was probably coated with the poison when you were struck, it's a common tactic to attack and get one strike on the victim and running away, leaving the poison to do the work." He said quickly. "You need to see a healer to get that poison out of your body, your regenerative Alicorn powers are slowing it down considerably, but once the sun rises and if that poison isn't cured soon, it will definitely pick up speed!"

"Alright but first thing's first Doctor, I want to know who or why this pony would attack me!" She said nervously.

"I'm afraid any information he had he has taken to the afterlife." He said as he retrieved the curved blade and examined it. "However, this might give us a clue."

He showed her the blade and Luna saw, etched into the blade a symbol. The symbol that glinted in the moonlight was a broken crescent moon, sitting above a lake, with a teardrop hanging from the upper half of the moon.

"Aketoki's clan symbol on this blade… why would this pony have this blade?" She asked.

"Most ninja were often supplied weapons by the clan's they served, I guess perhaps this ninja was serving Aketoki… but the only way to know is to ask Aketoki himself."

At that moment one of Celestia's elite guards rushed into the hallway in a panic, capturing all of their attention. "Princess Luna, the prisoner has escaped!" He shouted. "The door has been blasted open, and the prisoner is nowhere in the palace!"

Luna went from being worried about the poison in her body, to being enraged at the thought that these 'Ninja' were serving Aketoki and aiding in his escape. "So… he really was taking advantage of our sister's kindness…" She whispered to herself as she looked at the guards around her. "Search the city, find him, he can't have gotten far! Bring him back here by ANY MEANS NECESSARY!"

=Canterlot, merchandise quarter=

(Aketoki's PoV)

*Loving memory*

*The moon shone brightest that night*

*I'll wait for you there*

Aketoki followed the ninja through the town, recognizing a trap when it was coming. There were no civilians or innocents in the street, so he knew that at least none of the locals would be hurt if he had to fight. He knew it was a trap because the ninja was purposefully maintaining his distance and keeping just far enough so Aketoki couldn't throw his weapon effectively.

The weapon he had picked up was familiar to a Yari, but was shorter and more designed to keep enemies at a distance than to stab and kill. It would be a major difference in his fighting style, since he was more used to the sword, but he could easily compensate. He had to use such weapons during the Hojo's Campaign, so he was familiar with using it. He just hoped it would hold out against the Ninjato of the ninja.

A few minutes later he heard the sound of more hooves joining with his and the ninja's and glanced behind to see two more ninja following behind him, gaining ground as they raced to catch up to him. At the same time the lead ninja slowed down, turned around and drew his Ninjato and held it in one hoof.

He slowed down and stood up on his rear hooves in preparation for battle, spear ready to defend against both attacks from his front and back.

The ninja following him had caught up with him and took positions behind him, cutting off any escape he might have been able to make.

The ninja in front of him pulled some of his mask off, just enough to allow him to speak more clearly to Aketoki. "Sorry Aketoki, but this is as far as we will allow you to run tonight." He said, brandishing his blade at Aketoki.

"You pathetic ninja are all the same, always scurrying around in the shadows, hiding from enemies and striking when they have numbers on their side!" Aketoki said, twirling the spear reflectively. "You lead me all the way out here; you broke me out and told me that lie, knowing I'd follow you! You turned me into a criminal when I might have been spared. Even if you do not kill me here, you have set up the trap so that this kingdom's ruler will end my life and my freedom!"

The Ninja pulled off his mask so that Aketoki could see the grin on his face. "Clever, wasn't it?" He said. "Our master informed us of the weakness and gullibility of these strange ponies, and told us to prepare this trap so that it looked like you were the one orchestrating it. And it succeeded."

Aketoki kept his eye on the ninja in front of him, but his warrior instincts kept track of the two behind him. He could almost sense them inching closer, ever closer to him for an attack. "That door cost us our entire stock of gunpowder to blow, but it was needed to break through it." The ninja leader said. "The pay our master will give us for delivering your head to him, will be worth ten times as much then it would be if he took it himself."

"This may be my final night on this soil, but whether it is here in this strange land, or back in Takasaki; I will never allow you Ninja to take my life!" He roared, taking his spear and charging the Ninja in front of him.

The ninja reacted quickly, bringing his blade up to block his strike, and on cue the two ninja behind Aketoki charged forward. Aketoki kicked the first ninja in the stomach and spun around to use his spear to block both swipes of the other two ninja's attacks. He knocked them both back in time to block the first ninja's second attack.

His warrior instincts took control, and experience taught him what to expect next as he kicked at the first ninja again, knocking him back and twirled the spear before plunging the shaft behind him, hitting the ninja directly behind him who was about to strike again. Knowing the third one was about to strike as well, he spun the spear again and struck blade first this time, but barely missed the ninja because of the spear's length.

Had it been a Yari, this third ninja would have died, but because the spear's length made that impossible, it allowed the third ninja time to avoid the strike.

He cursed the spear for being so short, but had no time to utter it because at that moment the first ninja finally hit his mark as he took a stab at Aketoki's side. He was only spared the worst because it struck the armor, and only the tip broke through, barely breaking skin as it caused him pain.

He retaliated and jabbed the ninja with the spear, but this only caused him to roll away and regain a fighting stance. He looked around quickly, sizing up the situation before he felt his side going numb. "Poison…" He whispered as he struggled to keep standing, ignoring the numbing sensation spreading around the spot where he was stabbed.

"We missed a vital organ, and the armor was too strong for the blade to cleanly break through… oh well; we'll just have to try something else!" He said as he nodded at his two comrades, who also nodded and pulled out more specialized weapons.

One of them pulled out a small scythe attached to a chain and ball, while the other pulled out several throwing stars. He knew they were getting serious now, the scythe and chain was designed to trip samurai up so that the scythe could be used to attack at the joints in the shoulder, where his armor was weakest and thinnest. The throwing stars were no doubt coated with a special poison, and the ninja using them was aiming to at least score even one hit, no matter how weak. If even one of them got him, he was dead.

Aketoki figured he was going to die, the numbing sensation had stopped spreading, but he still couldn't feel anything in his side as he held the spear even tighter. So, wanting to prepare himself for death, he closed his eyes and played out one of his happiest moments in his life.

It was a moment he constantly relived, every time he remembered the face of his beloved, Hanayo.

*Flashback Begins*

"When you return, father will be begging you to take me as your wife, and when that happens, these flowers will finally bloom for us." Hanayo told him as they both looked up at the moon in the field of moonflowers, just outside of Takasaki, near the edge of her clan's home. "Until that time, I will wait for you to return. So don't keep me waiting, and don't go dying on me because if you do."

Aketoki watched as she drew a small dagger, which she always kept in the folds of her kimono in case she had to defend herself, or for another reason which she mentioned later. "I'll come after you myself in the afterlife, and marry you there." She said with a kind smile.

This made Aketoki smile as he held out his hand for her to take. "Then we'll get married twice, because when we both die after a long life, you'll chase after me there just to marry me again." He said, to which she nodded.

He wanted so badly to lean forward that night, and kiss her for the first time in their lives. It was a perfect night, the moon was almost a full moon, the moonflowers were all still buds waiting to bloom, and there were even some crickets singing in the background. This would have been a perfect night for them to share their first kiss, but he had to wait until he returned for that privilege.

"I know what you want Aketoki, I can see it in your eyes." She said as she leaned forward and held him tightly. "I want the same thing this night, but we just have to be patient… soon you'll be able to marry me. Then we won't need to have sparring matches in the night just to be together."

He nodded as he looked up at the moon, and swore that when the moon was full, he would finally be able to hold Hanayo like this, and not feel unworthy of her.

*Flashback Ends*

He opened his eyes and turned to face the ninja in front of him, determined but saddened as he realized that he would not be able to keep his promise to Hanayo. He had promised to free her from her arranged marriage to Hogeki, the only way he could was by fleeing Takasaki for the province of Kai, where he might present himself to lord Shingen. Kai had promised to be their salvation, but all it ended up doing was condemning them to this strange land, where Hanayo was separated from him, and he was now at the mercy of Hogeki's ninja. All the while, Hogeki was searching for Hanayo, so that he could make her his. Maybe she was already his now, and he didn't even know it.

-Forgive me… my love… once again my clan has failed yours…- He thought to himself as he raised his spear in preparation to charge the ninja in front of him, determined to die fighting for his life.

The ninja changed their stances in preparation for the kill.

-In the end… I am truly unworthy of you… and my clan is still unworthy of forgiveness…-

He charged forward, thrusting the spear forward to try and kill the ninja, but he blocked it and countered, just as his comrades used their weapons.

-I could not save you from Hogeki back at the border of Kai… I could not convince your father I was worthy of you in Takasaki…-

He spun around using his spear to throw off the chain's attack, but this caused him to become unarmed as the chain was yanked back, taking the spear with it.

-I fought so much… fought so hard… so that one day we could return… and marry under the moonlight with the moonflowers blooming.-

He ducked as the third ninja threw his shuriken throwing stars; barely avoiding their poison tipped edges, he performed a back kick with his rear hooves against the first ninja who tried to kill him with his back turned.

-Once you hear I'm dead… you'll take your own life… just so that Hogeki won't have you… I tried so hard to avoid that outcome… I ask you to forgive me for this…-

He managed to hurt his attacker, but the second ninja with the scythe and chain struck, and this time the chain found its mark, wrapping around his leg and yanking him to the ground, exposing him to an attack.

-You threw everything away… to be with me… your Clan… your honor… all that you had left behind… just to be with me… a Nimaji… the last of a clan that still cannot bear to face yours… for our failure…-

He tried to kick off the chain but it was too late, the second ninja was already lowering the scythe to where the armor was weakest, underneath the shoulder.

-I guess… we will only be married once…-

He gave one final head-butt, knocking his attacker off balance, yet this was the last move he had, as the other two took their blades and came at him while he was busy fending off his attacker.

-Goodbye Hanayo-Chan… I'll see you… on the other side…-

He saw the blades swing towards him and closed his eyes, waiting for the moment of pain, which would tell him that it was finally his time. He had survived guns, Yaris, Katanas, No-Dachi, disease, and everything else that the Hojo Campaign had thrown at him. All for the hope that he would be able to marry Hanayo Kusaji, and finally be rid of the shadow of his clan's burden, yet this time he wouldn't survive.

He waited… but the pain never came.

"Gaaaah!" One of the ninja screamed.

Aketoki opened his eyes to see the blade of a Naginata plunged into one of the ninja that had been about to kill him mere moments ago. The Naginata was so familiar that without even seeing it in full detail, he knew who that weapon belonged to, having fought against its owner countless times in the past.

So it came as no surprise when he heard that roar of fury come from his one and only Hanayo-Chan.

"Get away from Aketoki!" She roared as she flew down the street as the other two ninja fell back a little.

She jumped over him, grabbed her Naginata and pulled it out of the ninja she had threw it into, before thrusting it forward again and stabbing the ninja clear in the throat this time. The blade's tip protruded out of the back of his neck as he went limp. After a few seconds of holding it there she pulled the Naginata back out once more, allowing the corpse to fall to the ground.

Aketoki got off the ground, held his side as he picked up the ninja's fallen blade and stood alongside Hanayo.

"Are you hurt?" She asked.

"They injured my side… and I'm a little dazed… but I'm still able to fight." He replied, knowing that his words would only anger her.

Sure enough, she looked at the remaining two ninja before she growled her message. "Injuring my Aketoki… big mistake…" She said, pointing the blade at them. "Never… ever… threaten an Onna-bugeisha's family, friends, house, clan, and especially her lover!'

Hanayo charged, and the ninja had no choice but to fight them. Apparently they had run out of smoke bombs, and without those they could not distract the two. Without numbers and weapon advantage on their side, the two ninja had no hope of winning the fight. Hanayo used her Naginata do disarm her opponent before thrusting the blade into his chest, twisting it, and pulling it out in one fell movement. He was dead before the blade left his body.

Aketoki, not to be outdone by Hanayo, managed to get the upper hoof on his opponent, and sliced cleanly through the thin armor of the ninja. Clutching his chest in pain, he could not stop the blade that was thrust into him, killing him outright.

All the time they were fighting, neither one of them notice a cascade of red sparks flying into the air in a nearby alley. Yet that didn't matter to them as they finished their respected opponents, because now that the fight was over, they could finally let their hearts talk.

Hanayo took one of the masks from the ninja she killed, and cleaned her blade of the blood, before going over to a trash can to retrieve her Koto that she had thrown away before the fight. Once she had done that, she looked at him and watched him sit down to clutch his numb side in pain. Her eyes became soft and worried as she put her blade down and went over to where he was.

"Let me see…" She whispered to him, and carefully untied the armor where he was holding his side.

He nodded and allowed her to adjust the clothing so that she could see the wound. The injury was a small, tiny cut where the blade had penetrated through the armor and struck his skin. Her cheeks blushed as she touched the wound with one hoof, and he didn't feel a thing.

"The cut isn't deep… and the poison is already starting to leave… you'll be fine in a few hours my love." She whispered as she replaced his clothing and redid his armor.

"Thank you Hanayo-Chan." He said as she looked into his eyes with her own.

She picked up the helmet she was wearing and placed it atop his head, tying the helmet chords for him. She smiled before she held his hoof with her own. "You dropped that back where we were seperated…" She said gently.

"Thank you again, Hanayo-Chan." He said. "Those ninja told me that Hogeki had captured you and was planning to make you his…"

"You know Hogeki would have to kill me just to be able to touch me." She said calmly as she helped him stand up. "I am yours and yours alone Aketoki-Chan, remember that. What happened to your swords, I noticed you are not wearing them."

Aketoki nodded as he slowly walked away from the corpses of the ninja, wanting to at least talk away from them. "My swords were taken from me, when I was taken prisoner by the rulers of this kingdom." He said to her, knowing even now that the guards might be searching for him.

"Taken prisoner?" Hanayo asked as she led him near her Naginata so she could pick it up.

Aketoki nodded as he heard the sound of hooves heading toward them, and looked up to see at least thirty guards racing toward them, all carrying spears and lances. He also noticed there were other guards flying above them, in just as many numbers, also armed. "It's a long story Hanayo-Chan, and one I won't be able to tell you tonight." He said, and now Hanayo noticed the number of guards swarming toward them.

Instantly Hanayo ran and grabbed her Naginata and assumed a defensive stance between him and the guards as they reached the scene. They all circled them, lances and spears pointing at them from both the ground and the air, looks of determination on each of their faces. "The first one who touches him I'll kill where he stands!" She yelled keeping her Naginata switching between whatever ponies happened to be closer.

Aketoki tapped Hanayo and shook his head gently when she looked back at him, before she nodded in understanding. "They are here for me, I was their prisoner, let them take me." He said as he pushed her Naginata down and stepped forward.

"But Aketoki…" Hanayo whispered.

He ignored her worried voice and undid his helmet, then undid his armor, removing it and placing it before them all, showing he was unarmed and would not resist. Wearing nothing but his kimono, he stepped forward and let them place metal chains around his hooves and surround him on all sides. –As long as I know she's safe…- He thought as the rest of the guards eased up.

"Captain, what do we do about those murdered ponies?" One of the guards said, but Aketoki could not understand a word they were saying without the Princess's translator.

"The ten of us will escort the prisoner back to the cell and place him under watch back at the palace." Another guard said. "The rest of you will take those murdered back to the palace and place them in the morgue for identification."

"Captain, what do we do about the mare with the spear?" Another guard said.

There was a moment of silence before the second guard spoke up again. "Leave her be, we were ordered to locate the prisoner and bring him back." He said. "Retrieve the prisoner's armor and prepare to move out!"

(Hanayo's PoV)

*Though reunited*

*Fear still grips my heart at night*

*I still play for you*

"Move out everypony." The guard said.

As one all the guards started moving, pulling the chain that had been placed around Aketoki's hooves, and leading him with them all keeping their spears on him. Hanayo wanted to break him free, to raise her Naginata and plunge it into the soldiers, then race out of this city with her Aketoki, and find somewhere that they could be free.

But she restrained, knowing that it wouldn't save him, there were too many guards, and he was still unarmed. So she simply waited to see what they would do with her before making her decision.

When it was clear they weren't interested in her, she walked behind the group at a safe distance. They continued to walk toward what appeared to be a castle of white stone. The castle was grand in scale, beautiful in construction, but she did not care about admiring the construction of these ponies.

Once they reached the palace they walked through what appeared to be a main gate, embedded into a stone wall. She followed them as far as the gate before it rattled shut, barring her out and preventing her from going any further.

"AKETOKI!" Hanayo shouted, trying to get his attention, but he was already halfway toward the palace entrance itself and couldn't turn without the soldiers letting him. "LET ME IN, LET ME BE WITH AKETOKI, TAKE ME WITH YOU!"

Her shouts went unanswered as other soldier soared in from the sky toward the group entering the palace. "AKETOKIIIIIIIIIIIII!" She cried, shaking the gate as much as she could, but not getting so much as a rattle from it, and watched as the group entered and the palace and closed the door behind him.

She bent her head in tears, crying her heart out as she watched Aketoki be taken away from her. They were reunited at last, and just when it seemed like things were looking up, once more fate had turned against them. Why was everything against them being together?

She looked up at the palace, tears still leaking from her eyes, and did the only thing she could do to let Aketoki know that she was still there. She took her Naginata and laid it beside her, pulled her Koto out and started playing it. She didn't care if she had to play all night and all day the following day, she would sit there and wait until she was allowed to see her Aketoki.

"I will not… let this… keep us apart…" She whispered to herself as she played her Koto, using her powers to move the needles to play her song.