"When you have wings but you can't fly, that is the greatest pain of all."
"The ceremony will begin in an hour. Take all this makeups and bring it to M'lady. Hurry, we don't have much time." A court lady impatiently passed a box filled with cups of powdered cosmetics to another female attendants, "We'll begin grooming Her Ladyship in a few minutes."
The female attendant nodded in assent, thus made her way to the Lady's chamber. Standing behind the paperdoor, she spoke, "My Lady, we'll begin the grooming shortly."
No answer.
"My Lady?" She slowly peeked open the door, courtly allowing herself in when the figure sitting silently before the low table remained silent.
"My Lady? Are you there?"
Not long after, a long, shrill scream erupted from the room, drawing a few ninja guards into the chamber followed by the court lady who instantly made haste when the growing frequent scream echoed again from the room.
"M-my Lady..." The female attendant collapsed on the floor, pointing her shaking finger to the immobilized figure. One ninja carefully placed his hand on the figure's shoulder, slowly and steadily, before he whirled it roughly from the seat.
A stuffed pillow.
A small note attached on the pillow's 'forehead'.
Do look for me, and you'll be fired.
"My Lady...!"
A shiver ran through her skin, making her hair stood on end. A small amused smile spread on her lips as she rubbed the goosebumps on the back of her neck.
"What's wrong, My Lady?" The ninja with the red crimson mask inquired from her side, noticing the gleaming amusement in his master's eyes.
"Even from here," She glanced to her loyal bodyguard, "I can hear the court lady screaming for me from the chamber. Didn't you hear that, Yuu?"
Instead of answering her, he spoke courtly behind the mask, "Should we go back, M'lady?" The woman in a plain, satin kimono wrapped in a black cape simply shook her head in refusal before she picked up her long dress and ran to the small shed just few meters from them.
"You said he was kept here, right?"
Though hesitant, Yuu nodded in response and helped her remove the wooden block blocking the door. Wasting no time, she quickly bolted inside, and was greeted by the sight of rotten, old cells lined by the walls, making her froze on the spot. Smells of musky, reeking metallic odor filled the space.
This kind of place...it's already torturing just by looking at it.
Mustering her courage, she paced forward, looking for the man she had purposely arrested few days ago in each cell but he was nowhere to be found, much to her dismay. Just then, she caught the sound of creaking door somewhere from the cells.
Raidou was secretly entering his cell from a secret door on the wooden wall, carefully closing it back thus dragging the old mattress to camouflage it. Leaning himself comfortably on the wall, with both hands crossed behind his head, a contented burp emitted from his seemingly pleased face.
"Man, the curry in this place sure is good."
"What curry?"
His eyes instantly flung open, a silent gasp fled his mouth when he saw a woman in white stood right before his cell.
She stood there, watching his lips tugged upward in a sarcastic smile, "On second thought," He spoke, clashing his gaze with hers, "I'd rather have a female ghost visiting me than a female with a ghostly nature."
"I'm taking you out of here." Ignoring his provokes, she took out a bunch of keys from her pocket. When she was about to insert a key into the lock, he interrupted her, leaning back to the wall in carefree manner, "That lock won't open. Even if it does, I won't get out of here and let myself in another trouble. So just-"
"My Lady, the guards are coming this way. You've to hurry." Yuu warned them from the door before he slammed it closed when a few ninja in black confronted him just a second after. The sight had caught Raidou's interest, "It sure tough being in his shoes. What else have you done this time?"
Twisting the key roughly in the lock, she flashed her frustrated look to his carefree ones, working for another key to unlock the cell, "Listen here, ninja. No matter how reputable ninja you are right now, I give you my word you'll lose all your merit you've worked for your entire life if we both got caught again."
And this one definitely caught his attention.
"Your rank will be dissolved, your medal will be annulled, your name will disappeared from ninja registry system," she hissed impatiently when she couldn't find the key while a loud, heart-stopping bump sounded again and again from the door.
And she lost it.
"Can't you see I'm trying to save you?!"
The next moment when the ninja in black invaded the cell, the young lady of the House of Fire Daimyo who was supposed to get marry on that day with her arranged fiance wasn't on sight.
Together with the scarred, Konoha ninja who was the sole reason why the marriage was held two months earlier than the exact date.
To ensure the position of the next Fire Daimyō.