Raizo pulled his mask away to get a better look at the grisly scene in front of him. There were eight dead ninjas scattered across the room. He had barely made it out of this one alive. These ninjas had not been amateurs. They had been forged in the same hellish fires he grown in, and it showed. They had been stronger, faster, and deadlier than their predecessors. They had no remorse and no time to find any. The Stone Fox clan had decided to get serious about this war that was brewing. They had stopped sending underlings to these skirmishes. They had seen that Raizo had meant every word about tearing down the clans that trained ninja made from stolen children and slaves. He would not allow another clan to raise more ninja like the ones on the floor or him for that matter.
Long black covered fingers pulled the midnight mass of his hair from his eyes. His head rolled back across his shoulders, and he took a deep breath. The cuts in his side were starting to hurt. It was his fault for letting the adrenaline wears off before escaping. HE pulled his mask back on and stepped back into the shadows. Just because there were no cameras here didn't mean there weren't cameras anywhere else. He had lost a lot of blood but he would survive.
The Black Sand task force was doing well. Too well in fact. The other factions of the nine clans were scrambling trying to find a way to naturalize the clan Ozouno's brat had created. The Black Sand was being requested all over the world for their services. Raizo himself was in high demand. Not as himself but as "Tranquil Shadow" The code name he picked up to trick Mika into sending him on missions. He knew that if Mika knew what he was doing she would worry, and he truly didn't want that. He also didn't want his men taking risks he would not.
Hiding in plain sight this way allowed for two thins. One he got to hear Mika's voice, and two he could hear the changes that the training was making in Mika's voice. Se was a hard taskmaster. Every job as executed like the timing of a Swiss watch. Mika allowed for no excuses and no errors. With Mika running the company it made it harder to go on missions. Mika would send him into the mouth of Hell if it grew Raizo's business. She would pull him like a puppet on a string all the while not knowing it was Raizo, and that was as it should be.
Raizo made it about three blocks away before the tell a tale sound of sirens filled the air. He was going to have to hurry if he didn't want to be late. Mika was a stickler from promptness. He made it out of town, and into an air hanger where his plane was waiting. It was a cargo plane that he would hitch a ride on. He quickly disposed of his clothing and washed off with unscented soap. He had to be on that plane in twenty minutes. Wrapping his gear he finished his disguise and boarded the plane as a crewmember. He had a telephone date with the love of his life, even though she had no idea it was him.
He settled onto the floor and waited for liftoff. The pilots turned on the plane, and soon they were traveling through the air leaving China far behind. Everything had gone as planned, and he knew Mika would approve. On that thought, his work phone buzzed and Mika's code name flashed on the screen.
"I take it that the package has been delivered?" The text that Raizo received was straight and to the point. Leaving no doubt that she spoke to every ninja that way.
Raizo's lips twitched in amusement before he tapped out a quick message on the keypad. "Yes, it has been delivered. However, there were some difficulties."
"What difficulties?" The response had come so fast that Raizo had nearly gotten whiplash.
Raizo almost tapped out something to make her relax, but he didn't lie to her. HE would never lie to her. "They weren't our usual buyer. They required more convincing than normal."
"I see. They weren't too difficult were they?" He found the worry about that she had for the clan to be adorable, but the green dragon that slept at the bottom of his heart produced a low growl.
"I'll live." He tried not to make the response too clipped, but he found nothing he could say would suffice the way those two words would.
It took a minute for Mika to respond to his spoiled response, but she responded as always professionally and flawlessly. "Glad to hear it. We look forward to our return."
"We will have to talk about this in person one day." He ran his fingers over the pad quickly trying to smooth out his response, but cringed because it came out as flirting, but he was fine with that. It just made the illusion realer. He was sure there was ninja that tried it all the time.
"Of course, until then The Sand Tower thanks you for your service. Take a few weeks off. We expect business to be slow for awhile." Raizo smiled at the rebuff and shrugged his shoulders.
Raizo closed his phone and looked up at the ceiling of the plane. It had been almost two years since he had any real contact with Mika. At least physical contact. He had Mia slip Mika letters behind the Blood Lotus' back. She would return them, and they had been continuing that way since that day she made her choice to stay. According to Mia, Mika's day was filled with work and training. The training was intensive. She was expected to learn what it took other Kunoichi a lifted time to learn in a short amount of time.
Asami was a sadistic taskmaster. According to Mia, Mika lived and breathed Lotus. There were very few nights that his love was not exhausted from training. Although he hated the necessity h could deny the results. He was only able to marvel at how far and fast the company was growing. Every skill Mika was put back into the company. Every nuanced word and gesture made investors, lawyers, and ninja putting her beautiful hands. There were none who could resist her smile, and he hated it.
He hated that she would slink into parties in form-fitting gowns. He hated that she had meetings with other men on tropical islands. He hated that when she laughed that he was not there to hear it. Mika could never fake her laughs. If she thought something was funny she let out peals of musical laughter that made his soul rest in amusement. According to Mika it had gotten her into some hot water with Asami. What he hated most whoever was the necessity that which she needed to learn these skills.
The Stone Fox was becoming more dangerous. They kept losing ninjas. They were like wild animals that were cornered. Prepared to fight or die trying to cut their way out. The Stone Fox was slowly starting to encroach on their territory. Stealing or frightening clients, hacking into foreign accounts, or simply getting their numbers arrested were all part of their day. It was causing Mika to practically foam at the mouth in anger. Raizo chuckled softly a few letters ago he had found out that Mika had a vindictive side. They Stone Fox had only thought that they had gotten away with many of their attacks. Mika called in some favors that she had accumulated, and returned each slight ten fold. She had brothels shut down, clan members jailed, and put away for life, each account hacked meant that three of theirs were being emptied and a new round of bonuses were given out at the Sand Tower.
A frown soon found itself on his lips, and he had to forcibly tear his gaze away from the phone had been staring at. He missed her, and the letters were starting to not be enough. Raizo sighed and relaxed into he wall of the cargo bay. He hoped that a letter would be waiting for him when he made it back.
"I'll live" Mika Tossed the phone she used to keep in touch with the soldiers who were out in the field. Tranquil Shadow had, as always done a superior job of handling himself. Although if Raizo thought that all he had to do was give himself a nickname, and only spoke to her by text to hide from her he was sadly mistaken. Mika shook her head and leaned back in her chair with a grumpy sigh. Unbeknownst to him she kept a very close watch on him, and his activities. They two years they had been apart had been torturous. There was so much she had to learn to even get the basics of surviving in their world. She barely had time to write to Raizo. That was the only thing that was getting her through this ordeal. That, and it allowed her to practice her penmanship. Admittedly the letters had started to become a bit torrid of late.
In the beginning, it hadn't been so bad. They started off with the easy stuff. There had been stylists, makeovers, and piano practices. Things that lured Mika into a false sense of security about what her training would entail. Then came the conditioning. The being able to stay up for hours on end with very little sleep. The target practice had her fingers bleeding from shooting so often. There was slight of hand, and the skin that had been missing from her knuckles had not been a pretty sight when she failed. It had been a mostly non-physical boot camp that had been body draining and painful. Mika had thought she had seen the worst of it. At least, until the physical training started.
The day she had learned to walk in the shadows as Raizo did was one of the scariest moment in her life. It had been dark and it had been horrifying. The world of the shadows was a dark place meant to consume souls. Mika only practiced enough to be proficient. Ayami had made her learn a fighting style that utilized dancing and gun work. Instead of using batons or poles she would use her guns as Escrima like sticks. Lucky for her she hadn't had to use the knowledge that was being drilled into her.
Apparently Raizo had ordered that she not learn combat from anyone else but him. The venerable Lotus, however, hadn't given two yellow baby ducks about his wishes. Mia would attack her every morning. Mika wouldn't know where or when, but she would have to defend herself. After that one day that Mika had dared to raise her hand to Asami there were no wooden swords used period. There were no exceptions made for being tired or overworked. Mika could probably have bought stock in a vitamin E & B company with the amount of cream she was using to fade the scars.
There were no doctors. If Mika was hurt Ayumi would treat her or she would be forced to treat herself. There was no mercy, no kind words, and no time for errors. Ayumi was a zealot when it came to her training. There were nights Mika would lay in bed unable to move from all the pain she was in. All she could do was let her mind wander to another place. A place where she could be with Raizo.
Mika wasn't sure, but something told her that she was coming to the end of her training. She was given more time to study and translate the scroll of the nine clans. Every secret she learned would be practiced under the Lotus' guidance. Every trick she uncovered was sent to Raizo through her letters. Either way, the Lotus seemed less concerned about teaching and more focused on her performance.
The Sand Tower was starting to get the reputation of being a decadent party house. A modern-day Xanadu for the corporate world. This was as much by design as it was by accident. No sex was being offered of course, but there was constant entertainment for their guest. Acrobats, dancers, and private concerts were given to confirm deals, and make private arrangements. Each meeting brought more secrets. Mika would preside over each of these "parties" securing contracts and ferreting out information. She knew the locations of 4 of the nine ninja clans. Scrolls would pour in from everywhere. Ancient relics were being given to them at an alarming rate. Mika then had the idea of creating a heritage museum for the various fighting styles in Japan. It gave her a place to put everything and keep track of it without having to worry about constant raids by the government.
Mika looked over to her side and saw that Mia had placed a letter there. She had been so preoccupied with thoughts of Raizo that she hadn't even noticed. She could only sigh because she knew she would pay for it later. She looked at the letter, and a smile found it's way to her lips. If she was going to get into trouble, then she might as well make it worth it. She picked up the letter, and gently pulled it open.
"Mika, I trust that this letter finds you well. If not, I would hope that you would tell e otherwise, so that I could solve the problem for you. I assume that your paper cuts as you call them are healing nicely." Mika snorted and rolled her eyes. Sarcasm was something else he was starting to get good at this. "It has been such a long time. I hope your trip home was enjoyable and that Maslow is well." Mika snickers at his jealousy.
Mika moved through the tower continuing to read the letter. She waved at various employees and moved into the elevator. As the door closed she rested back against the bulletproof glass. Raizo was very fanatic about the safety of what he deemed his. "Our soldiers are coming along very well. With all of the missions, you have sent them on their progress has been nothing short of miraculous. I owe you more than mere words can say."
Mika smiles and shakes her head. She didn't feel that she needed to be thanked for sending him and his comrades into danger, but she lived on his words. She approved of anything that made the letters he wrote to her longer. She holds the letter to her heart and wipes away a tear that rolled down her cheek. "Asami has been telling me of your progress, and she tells me that you are excelling at every task. She says that you are almost ready for the final test. One that I am most anxious to have you complete. Not just for the practical reasons of being accepted into our clan, but because I miss the touch your skin."
A little-known fact about ninja, but since most of their world was filled with silence they were masters of the written word. Every word was put to paper with beautiful imagery. Each letter was ornate and filled with flowery language⦠or in Raizo's case semi-dirty commentary. Which meant his letters were as seductive as he was in person. The jerk. "I look forward to holding you in my arms and rememorizing every inch of you. Do you still smell like cinnamon and taste like honey? I vividly remember how you felt squirming beneath me. The test of our lips is still fresh in my mind. Although the sounds of your voice when you're riding me are starting to become hazy. Rest assured I will reacquaint myself with every moan, whimper, and scream that leaves your lips. Since we can both agree that the sound of your voice in the throes of passion belong to me I'm going assume that I will have your cooperation."
As far as Mika was concerned he was going to have her cooperation, her compliance, and any other word that meant agree. He would be lucky if he walked out of their bedroom alive once she got her hands on him once more. "Did Asami tell you what the final test entailed? It's a ceremony that could last for hours, and I assure you it will. I want to be shown everything you've learned while we've been apart. Mia has informed me that you are the embodiment of Asami's ancestors and that I will be very pleased. Is what they are saying true Mika? Will I?"
The doors to the elevator opened, and she walked out onto her floor fanning herself with the opened letter. She couldn't stop the shiver that danced down her spine at the mere thought of some of the things that his words suggested. She took a deep breath as she stepped through her doors, and returned the letter to its envelope. Mika sat on her bed and crossed her legs as she reread the letter again trying to ignore the way her thighs moistened.
She read the letter again and this time, the tears flowed a bit more freely at the last paragraph of the letter. "I must go, but remember that I love you. There is no one I cherish more than you. There are has been no one else for me since you've come into my life. There will never be anyone else but you. Take care, and I will see you once your training has been completed. Once this is over I plan on making the arrangements for us to get married. Be well my love. I mark the moments until I receive your next letter with the every beat of my heart."
