Chapter 9: When you were young (The Killers)
Masamune tossed his helment to one side where it landed with a soft thump on a chair. Tiger resumed her position at the window despite the fact it was raining pretty hard. "My Lord, I don't mean to alarm you but I sensed Hanzo energy earlier. I think he may be stalking us." Tiger muttered. She cursed a little as the rain splashed on her but merely crossed her arms over her chest. Masamune sat on his bed.
"Da Ji might have sent him. Like you said, she hasn't been out of her room for sometime." Masamune replied. He watched the rain, leaning his elbows on his knees. "Things are not going our way Tiger." he added. Tiger glanced over to her lord. They shared a short look before Tiger returned her eyes to the scene outside. "Here's hoping that neither of them find anything against us." Masamune whispered. Tiger looked up towards the sky sadly joining in with her lord's prayer.
--
Zhen Shao made quick work of making the new room as comfortable as possible. The wu bodyguard frowned as the rain splashed along the window sill and onto the floor. "Perhaps you should get some sleep my lord. We may have a busy day ahead of us." Zhen called. "Or night...whichever way things go." Zhen chuckled. Lu Xun watched as she used a small table to stand on. Zhen reached as far as she could, even standing on her tip-toes, before reaching the shutters.
"Zhen. I have something to ask you." Lu Xun replied. Zhen glanced over her shoulder as she slammed the shutters and locked them tightly. Lu Xun turned his eyes to the designs on the walls.
"My Lord?"
"If I left with Masamune, would you follow?" Zhen was thankful she had not been holding anything. The question had come to be a complete shock. Leave the Oda? Could they really do that? Lu Xun noticed Zhen's stunned silence but closed his eyes and thought of home. Home. Such a distance place. he thought sadly. "Would you Zhen?" Lu Xun asked again. His eyes fell on Zhen as she twisted the hem of her skirt slightly.
"My lord...what you ask seems impossible to do..." Zhen took a deep breath before a warm smile appeared on her face. "However, I became your personal bodyguard therefore I will not throw away the honor you have given me. Of course I will follow you if you left." she replied. Lu Xun smiled.
--
Tiger had taken her usual place outside. Masamune had spoken to her about leaving Orochi to be with Lu Xun. It had shocked the ninja but she had agreed to follow her lord loyally. Masamune sat up when he heard footsteps. They seemed to be pacing and someone was counting their steps. Shrugging, Masamune returned to reading. If it was important, Tiger would inform him straight away. Masamune lent back in his chair and stared at the ceiling. All the planning was giving him a slight headache.
The dragon remembered when things had been easy when he was younger. The eldest son of the Date Clan, heir to everything his father was to leave. Had it not been the smallpox incident, then maybe things would have been a little different. Masamune lightly touched his eye-patch. It had been a messy affair, shrouded in shadows. Some believed he had taken the eye out himself, others believed a loyal retainer had to take it out. Truth be told it had been so long that Masamune couldn't even remember himself. The lost of his eye put him in bad favor with his mother and she began to favor his youngest brother. His mother went as far as poison Masamune in order to get rid of him. Masamune smirked a little as he remembered his brother's fate.
Masamune shook his head. Now is not the time to be thinking of old faces and forgotten people. he ordered in his mind. No, he had to figure out whether running away from Orochi's grasp was worth putting Tiger, Zhen and Lu Xun's life in danger.
--
Tiger retraced her steps. She counted how far it would take her from Masamune's chamber to the far end of the corridor. It seemed a tad strange but Tiger knew she had to think of a plan if they were ever going to run away. Tiger stood at the Chamber door and looked round. Everyone was either in meetings or sleeping. The ninja quickened her pace.
"You'll wear a hole in the carpet if you keep pacing."
Tiger came to a halt and slowly turned round. Mitsunari smirked, tapping his fan against his hand. Tiger was thankful she wour her scarf to cover her mouth as she nervously chewed her lip. "Lord Ishida Mitsunari. What can I do to help?" Tiger questioned and bowed lowly. Silence filled the corridor as Mitsunari watched her carefully. Tiger's left eye twitched slightly. She felt another energy near by.
"You're Date Masamune's bodyguard, aren't you?" Mitsunari inquried. Tiger frowned as she rose. Everyone who had fought against Masamune knew who she was. She had neve failed her lord. Warriors had gone far as compair her to Hanzo. Instead of voicing her thoughts, Tiger merely nodded her head. Mitsunari cooly raised an eyebrow. "Hmm. I see. Do you know what is wrong with the one-eyed dragon?"
Tiger paniced slightly but stayed emotionless. "I'm not sure what you mean my lord. Lord Masamune has not changed since I began to serve him as a bodyguard." Tiger lied. Her voice was slightly muffled by her scarf but Mitsunari seemed to have heard her clear. "If you'll excuse me my lord." Tiger bowed again before heading off to her post. Mitsunari smirked.
--
Hideyoshi drummed his fingers lightly on the table in front of him. He was worried for Lu Xun. The young boy had changed somewhat since leaving Fan Castle. Or even before we left. Hideyoshi mused. Xiao Qiao riased an eyebrow as she walked past Hideyoshi's chambers. The warrior had left the door open, forgotten because of his musing. The younger Qiao knocked on the door lightly.
"You okay Master Hideyoshi?" she questioned. Hideyoshi smiled warmly at the hyper girl and nodded his head.
"I'm fine little Qiao. I was just wondering about Lu Xun that's all." He responded. Xiao Qiao scratched her elbow. It wasn't hard not to notice the slightly far-off look he had been portraying lately. Xiao Qiao could only think of one thing.
"I think he may be missing my niece Master Hideyoshi." she muttered. Hideyoshi raised an eyebrow causing Xiao Qiao to giggle. "Master Lu Xun was ment to marry Lord Sun Ce's daughter, but we haven't been able to find her. Perhaps he misses her." she explained. Hideyoshi nodded his head. "It was the only way to explain things.
--
"You know Zhen, things were so much easier when I was younger."
The sentance had caught Zhen off guard but she covered up her confusion. "I'm not sure I follow my lord." Zhen called over her shoulder as she packed away some things. Lu Xun sighed. Truth was, things had been easier when he was younger. At that point in his life, love did not enter into his brain now...
"Just starting at Wu under the teaching of Lord Zhou Yu and Lord Lu Meng...Zhen I didn't ever think about love. Not then." Lu Xun muttered. Zhen turned to her lord. She had never seen such a change in Lu Xun before now.
"You don't regret ever..."
"No! I don't." Lu Xun insisted suddenly. Zhen jumped back a little. Lu Xun sighed deeply again. "I'm sorry Zhen but I'm thinking. This relationship with Masamune...it couldn't work. Not while I'm here and he's with Orochi." Lu Xun explained. Zhen sat down on the small table, her hands clasped together on her lap.
"My Lord, I know that maybe my opinion will not matter in the grand scheme of things but hear me out. You cannot just throw away the life you've begun with Lord Masamune. It would crush him and you too. Please, there has to be another way." she pleaded. Lu Xun stared at his bodyguard. She was faithfully enough to believe in another way around his problem. Zhen smiled a little and looked away. "I can see what you mean by things being easier when we were young." she mused a little.
Lu Xun chuckled. "Zhen, I believe you're right. There has to be another way to this." Lu Xun shook his head. "No, we're going to find another way." he stated firmly. Zhen nodded her head. She would find a way for her lord and his beloved to be together forever.
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