~*~ First off I want to thank everyone for the reviews! They have been very awesome! Second. This will be the last chapter for a while as my schedule is starting to become very tight. I will end it in such a way that you will be able to walk away from this with the feeling of it being done, but will leave the option to add to the story at a later date. Thank you all so much for taking this ride with me! I've had so much fun! ~*~
Riazo watched Mika sleep off the rest of the drug that floated about in her system. As promised he had done as Mika requested and come back once he had been finished speaking to the pilot. Her sleep hadn't been the most peaceful. He watched her toss, and turn a few times. Some times she would call out his name, and others she would mumble something quietly under her breath. He turned to look out of the window of the plane they rode to Japan in, and mulled over what Mika had said to him.
She loved him. It was such a strange feeling knowing that someone he cared for cared for him in return. In his world those kinds of connections only brought pain and suffering. Not only for those who loved, but also for those who loved in return. Rikiko had been the first person to have ever shown him kindness. Was what they had, love? He didn't know, but he knew that he did no regret having ever shared what they had. Then he had Mika. She was completely honest about what she felt for him. He had never met anyone who spoke with such conviction. No subterfuge, no guile, just honesty. If he was in the mood to be honest with him self it scared him. The world he was from did not understand honesty nor did it value it. If honesty got you killed it was better to lie and kill another day.
Shaking away such thoughts his gaze moved back inside of the plane. Raizo's eyes almost rolled at the unnecessary expense the plane was furnished in. Cream color panels set with various buttons to control the temperature, the lighting, and the vibration of the bed. The man he was borrowed it from owed him for saving the life of his daughter. When Raizo had called in the favor, and explained what it was for the man who owned the plane said he would take care of everything. The place was like an in air brothel. He had never spent time on possession of this sort. It was faster to move if you didn't have anything weighing you down and tying you to one central location. It was how he was trained to live, and how he had always thought he would live. Looking at Mika now he wasn't so sure any longer.
He heard Mika murmur his name once more, and turned to look down at the woman who had his heart in the palm of her hand. They had been flying for about 7 hours now. In another hour or two they would land, and then he would take her back to his home. The tips of his fingers followed the curve of her cheek until it reached her lips. Their world was so different. Her world was full of light and laughter. You might lose some, but you would win some other day. His world was filled with darkness and silence. You couldn't afforded to lose, because then there would be no other days left to fight. He wondered now at the selfish impulse of bringing her with him. She would be pulled into his world, and he didn't want her to lose her light.
"I can hear you thinking all the way down here" Mika's eyes were closed, but the soft smile on her lips told Raizo that she was awake, and probably had been for a little while.
"I'm sorry. How are you feeling?" Raizo watched her open her eyes, and when she moved into snuggle into his side his arms immediately moved to wrap around her. Pulling her close, and knowing that he could die happy right there. He kept his voice low out of consideration of any possible headache she might have due to the drug, but she seemed to be fully awake. She wasn't frightened. There was no lashing out due to not knowing where she was. Which he was glad of. It would have stopped him from holding her, and he never wanted to stop.
"Raizo" Mika turned slightly to look up at him, not removing her self from his embrace, but not as close as he had wanted to keep her. "What happened back there when I was packing? Are we going to be expecting a lot of that?"
"Not from that clan no. They will not bother you again. I promise." The words were cold and steely, as he meant them to be. They would never touch her again. "From other clans however. We will have to be on guard until we grow another clan that will watch our backs in the darkness"
"Another clan?" This time Mika did rise. Her head canted to the side with a slight frown. It was the one he found adorable. She wanted to reprimand him, but she wasn't sure how to go about it.
"Yes, Mika another clan. Think of it like a counter task force for other ninja clans. We will not take children unless they climb the mountain to find us and join. Only those who wish to be there will be trained." Raizo turned to watch her face. He was glad they were having this conversation. At this moment she still had the choice to go back to her regular life. It was her choice to join him and it would always be.
"Why would you allow children to join in the first place?" He watched her lean back against the headboard, and pull a pillow up to her chest so that she could prop her chin up. Sleeping so long had made her movement lethargic.
"The children that are in these clans are not kidnapped Mika. They were sold or abandoned. They had no choice true enough, but there are thousands of children that get left behind all the time. If there is a child who is strong enough to make it up that mountain and request to join I will not turn them away. " He had thought long and hard about it. He didn't want to at first, but knowing that there were those who escaped clans and would need a place to run to made his mind up for him.
Mika nodded, and wrapped her arms around her pillow tighter. This time laying her cheek upon the cotton surface. "What do you want me to do?"
Raizo blinked at her question. Actually he did it four or five times. "I'm sorry?"
Mika lifted the pillow she was resting on, and swatted him with a laugh. "Yeah, what do you want me to do? Where do I fit in with this plan? Clearly I'm not going to be running around slicing and dicing up bad guys, but I'm here for you. I'm behind you one hundred percent. So again, what is it you want me to do?"
"Mika…" Raizo stopped before he said anything stupid. In all honesty he hadn't thought about her dong anything other then being there when he got in from training, and smiling at him on his way out the next morning. Figures he would fall for a woman who needed a purpose. "What would you like to do?"
Mika frowned and Raizo mentally patted himself on the back. He may not be the best at relationships, but deflecting questions was in ninja arts class 102! Mika's lips twisted as she thought, and Raizo barely resisted the urge to kiss them. "Well, I'm organized, I'm good with computers, and I found you so I'm awesome at research…" Raizo laughed at the found him, and it earned him another swat with the pillow. "I could be your research slash HR person? I can't go on any attacks, but I can help coordinate them."
Raizo had another of those silent conversations with himself. This time berating him self for thinking that she would not come up with an answer any time soon. Because he actually warmed up to the idea of leaving her naked and chained up in his room where no one could see her but him. Unfortunately by the determined look on her face it was not to be. "As you wish, but I would wait until you seen what I have done before making any permanent decisions."
" I don't need to, but I will do as you ask only because you're kind of cute when you're being evasive." Mika for her part moved back into his arms after making that comment, and all he could do was shake his head.
"Mika, I wanted to apologize for my action on the phone the other night. You surprised me…" He was stopped, by the touch of Mika's lips to his.
"Raizo, I said what I said and I meant it. It does not obligate you to say the same. I reacted badly, and for that I am also sorry. You'll say it when you're ready, and I just have to trust that one day you will." She rested back in his arms, played with his fingers humming softly.
Raizo leaned forward brushing his lips across her ear. He enjoyed the way she shivered in his arms, and pulled her tightly against him/ "Mika, I'm glad you said it. It would have taken me forever to tell you that I loved you.
Mika purred happily as his lips brushed against her ear. She wasn't sure what he was about to do, but she liked the progression thus far. She leaned back into him, just to let him know that she was listening, but when the words she had been waiting on gently wafted across her ear she went still. She turned over, so that she could look into his eyes. She wanted to see if he was lying. "Say it again"
Raizo's hands moved to rest on either side of her cheeks, and he leaned forward. That same amused smile curving his lips. "You heard what I said Mika. I love you. There is nothing in this world that I value more then you. I can't promise that I will come home to you every night, but my heart will be yours no matter where I am."
"Raizo, you don't have to say that just because I said it. I told…" This time Raizo cut her off with a kiss, and it was decidedly longer then the one she had given him. By the end of it her arms had moved about his shoulders, and they were half lying on the bed.
"I do have to say it because it is true. You're all that I think of at night. I literally have to clear my head from thoughts of you to get any work done." Mika laughed at the disgruntled way he said that. He sounded aggravated and amused at the same time. " I want you to be with me all the time."
"Excellent causes you're stuck with me, and you have no choice about it. No, not another word! You will have to make peace with the fact that you will be seeing me every night and waking up to me every morning." Mika could be happier she supposed, but she had no idea how! If he weren't resting on top of her right now she would ask him to leave the room so she could do cartwheels. But she was comfortable, and watching his lips as he spoke to her was doing all sorts of things for her.
"I know what you're thinking, but no we can't." Mika wanted to punch him in the shoulder. He was right she was thinking it, but h had no right to assume she was.
"I don't know what you're talking about. I do however know that you're a conceited ninja." She sniffed and unwrapped her arms from around him.
What did she do that for? The moment her arms left, she was pulled up, and her leg was brought from around him as he turned her onto he knees. He pulled Her back so that she was resting back against his chest, and his lips were traveling along the column of her neck. Her mouth hung ajar, and she wasn't sure what to say, or if she should say anything. She was too busy enjoying the feel of his hands to come up with anything coherent "You know exactly what I'm talking about. I feel it just the way you feel it. " In emphasis he took her hand and brought it behind her so that she could feel exactly what he was talking about, and she had to admit she very much felt it.
"Raizo…." She hated how much his name sounded like a moan. Okay it was, but that was besides the point. His hands had taken to wandering over body through her clothes, and by the way he was pulling at her shirt they wouldn't be wandering over clothes for long. "Maybe we should…"
"Say, that you feel what I feel." It would have been easy for him to go all dominate ninja on her, and she was looking forward to it! But, the words weren't forceful, they were assured. He knew he had control of the situation, but he wanted her to know that the choice was her's. Whatever happened it would be her who decided. His hands dipped beneath the band of her pants, and she gasped trying to pull as much air into her lungs as possible.
"Oh I can't help but feel it but…" His fingers found her through the lacey material that served as panties, and she was speechless for a quite some time. She could just barely control her breathing. She tried to think of something rational to say, or maybe something intelligent, and soon just gave up and let go. "Oh my gosh, don't stop doing that"
However Raizo seemed to be in a contrary mood, and his fingers pulled away from her, only to be licked clean with a soft hum of appreciation. He slowly adjusted her clothes, and pulled her down into his lap with his chin resting on her forehead.
"Wait I said don't stop! I don't know if you know how this works, but when I give you the green light to do exactly what you're doing you don't hit the breaks! What kind of sadist are you?" She had never wanted to join the mile high club, but she wasn't adverse to sending in her application at least! It was taking some doing, but Mika's breathing was coming back under control. However, she was still wet and squirmy, and she was having a hard time sitting still in his lap.
At that moment the pilot knocked on the door and walked in. Mika was undone by the way the man just came in without even as much as a "by your leave!" The man gave only a single bow before telling them to buckle up because they were about to land. Raizo thanked the man, and politely waited for him to shut the door. He leaned in and placed a kiss n the side of her neck, and Mika petulantly
"Mika, stop that." It wasn't the order that made her stop, but the strained sound in his voice that had her go still, and turn to look at him with wide eyes. Her craned his neck to place a lingering kiss over her lips. "I told you. I feel what you feel just as much as you do."
Mika nodded and shakily moved from his lap to one of the seats, so that she could buckle up. Riazo took the seat next to her, and did the same. He took her hand in his, and another "I love you" was whispered into her ear. All she could do was smile stupidly and try not to blush. She was succeeding with the smile, but failing with the blush. To hide it she turned to look out of the window. This was going to be her knew home now. She was with Raizo, and for better or worse she knew that there was no other place that she wanted to be right now. She was happy, and for the first time in a very long while she felt like she was in control of her life. The ninja's could come, but she would make sure that they would leave disappointed. There was nothing they couldn't do together, and they had forever to find out how much they could do.