.:Motonari:.
Motonari rode home with his man as fast as possible, they had stopped only to change horses here and there. By the time
he made it back, he could see that the town that surrounded his home was in shambles. Fires burned here and there and
villagers worked to put them out, soldiers bodies littered the ground and men worked to move them. He rode to his gates
and when they opened he felt some tension release from his brow, they hadn't gotten inside.
A captain of his guard ran to him and took the horses reins.
"My lord! Kanenaga's men are waiting to the west, they suddenly stopped attacking once they reached the gates" Motonari
felt that tension return. So his men had not stopped them after all.
"Is Kanenage with them?" He asked regally dismounting and heading towards the castle entrance.
"No sir, it is his lieutenant leading, Jiroshima." Captain said following Motonari.
"How many men are still alive, and have they destroyed the boats?" He'd have to worry about Kanenaga after he took care of Jiroshima.
.:Kasuga:.
Kasuga sat in the courtyard watching Motochika and Ren work on hand to hand combat, Ren had insisted that she should
know something if she was to be a pirate with Motochika. She felt her face smile openly as Ren tried to flip the huge pirate,
with her back to his front and his arm clutched in her two hands. She strained to pull him over her but as soon as
Motochika began laughing Kasuga couldn't stop from doing the same.
"Oh ha ha! Why would you show me a move I can't use you jolly purple giant?" Ren whined as her face went red. Ren then looked to Kasuga.
"If it were you..." She trailed off looking Kasuga up and down. In a particularly good mood Kasuga jumped up and made her way over.
"I think that this ape here-" she pointed to Motochika.
"Hey!" Motochika sent her a mock hurt face. Ren smiled and held in a laugh.
"He only knows how to beat people with brute strength, but Ren you have no strength." She said looking Ren up and
down. Motochika shuffled to stand next to Kasuga and took the same position looking Ren up and down. Probably for completely different reasons. He gave Ren a
wink and the girl blushed from the roots of her hair to her toes. Kasuga gave him a rap on his chest with her knuckles.
"Anyway, what you need to do it strike like a snake, fast and efficient, use the strength of your opponent against them." Kasuga turned to Motochika and squared
his shoulders with hers.
"Now, when someone big is coming at you, there are very sensitive spots you can hit and down they'll go...like so." Kasuga's hand swung out with alarming speed
and was aimed to Motochika's throat. Motochika didn't so much as blink, and Ren gasped just as Kasuga stopped her hand from crushing his windpipe.
"You see? Even is you didn't break something he would be dazed and you could run away." Ren nodded and inched closer.
"Motochika, grab her from behind." Kasuga had great pleasure watching Ren go wide eyed and Motochika grinning.
"As you say sensei." He said walking behind Ren and grabbing her around the waist. Ren visibly swallowed and then looked to Kasuga for instruction.
"Good, now Ren you would stomp on his foot." She moved the girls foot to Motochika's.
"Then you would elbow him as hard as you could just above his stomach, here." She moved Ren's positioned elbow to Motochika's solar plexus. Motochika bent
forwards as if she had hit him.
"And finally, make a fist and hit as hard as possible here." She grabbed Ren's fist and gently touched Motochika's nose. He let out a dramatic grunt and fell
completely on top of Ren who had immense trouble holding his up while she laughed.
"Enough of that Motochika! You aren't married yet." Kasuga said with a sly smile. It was Motochika's turn to blush, but he stood up, cleared his throat and smiled abashedly.
"What about small opponents Kasuga-nee?" Kasuga looked to Ren's side where an ornamental Mori dagger was always unassumingly at her side.
"Do you know how to use that?" She asked pointing at it. Both Ren and Motochika looked to it.
"I cut my hair with it." Ren said looking sheepishly at Kasuga. For a moment Kasuga thought, Ren could seriously hurt herself using it without training, but then
again if she came up against someone like herself or Motochika her best chance would be to strike once and run.
"Hold on." She said and went to the house for a few minuets. When she came back she wondered if she was making the right decision.
"Here, all snakes have two fangs." She said handing over another dagger similar to the one Ren already had.
"Kasuga..." Ren said taking it. It was in a similarly lacquered sheath only this one had Kenshin's colors. It was mostly sky blue with white accents and a trail of
delicate snow flakes that travled the length on the dagger. It was very unlike the grassy green one at her side that had a yellow sun engraved on it's side. Ren gently
placed it in her obi.
"Pull them out." Kasuga said and Ren obeyed. She had one in each hand, and Kasuga positioned them so that each blade was pointed down.
"Hold them like this, and if you use the moves I showed you, instead of striking with a fist strike with these." Ren looked up at the blonde ninja, and for perhaps the first time since meeting Kasuga could see just how young and sheltered Ren was. She put a gentle hand on top of one of Ren's and smiled.
"As long as you avoid the areas above the chest they most likely wont be killed, but you will have a chance to run." Ren visibly relaxed at that.
"I just...I don't know if I could kill someone." She said sheepishly. Motochika slung an arm over her shoulders.
"You won't have you." He said cheerfully, and Ren put her daggers back.
A commotion at the gate caused them all to turn and look, Kasuga felt herself go on alert and next to her Motonari tensed, pushing Ren between himself and
Kasuga. The Lord of Dewa, Yoshiaki rode into the Uesugi residence. His horses hooves caused dust to rise and he looked around to the yard till he found the group,
but before he could utter a word, his usually shrewd eyes widened and he strangled out a shout. Kasuga was confused until the man pointed up.
What happened next was almost in slow motion. She and Motochika turned to looked where he had been pointing, to find a figure all in the usual ninja black. It held
a tetsubishi, a grappling hook, and had already shot it towards them. Kasuga's eyes followed the rope all the way to Ren.
"No!" Kasuga shouted, but it was too late Ren's pretty sky blue yukata was staining with blood from just below her collar bone, as the hook protruded from her chest.
"Chika..." She was suddenly pale, her face contorted in confusion and pain. She was jerked backwards with the pull of the hook and dragged across the yard too
quickly for either Motochika and Kasuga. The blonde ninja felt herself becoming sick as Ren's body was dragged as if she were a doll, all the way up to the other
ninja. Kasuga felt burning rage surge her forwards as she threw her own weapons at the ninja. They missed as the ninja held Ren close and evaporated into thin air.
"Ren...Ren...Ren!" Motochika's anguished voice brought tears to Kasuga's eyes, and by this time Kenshin and Yukimura had come to see what was going on,
Kenshin's sword already out. She looked to her master and had to fight the need to run to him and collapse into a pathetic crying mess. He first and only girl friend
had just been snatched from her.
Yoshiaki came to stand next to Motochika, who was staring, unbelievingly at the spot Ren had disappeared.
"Chosokabe Motochika?" The pirate barely gave him the time of day.
"I know who had taken your woman." This caught his attention and he turned on the older man like a lion who had finally noticed prey. His one eye burned in anger
and he grabbed Yoshiaki's collar. Kenshin and Yukimura were at his side in a second, either to keep him from killing Yoshiaki or to help.
"Her betrothed, Kanenaga. He attack Mori while Motonari was here searching for her, it's only logical that he would attack her too." Yoshiaki said in the calmest voice.
Kenshin placed a hand on Motochika's shoulder, and spoke but Kasuga couldn't hear what was said.
"I'm going to report to Masamune, he'll be furious when he hears, you'll relate my apologies to Lord Uesugi won't you Kasuga?" Kojuro's voice was like ice, and he
surprised her.
"I will." she said, and the most tactically gifted man nodded to her and rounded up his men.
Woohoo, hope you guys liked this one, I sure did. Just and FYI Kanenaga is modeled after Mori Kirihito (google it) from Kamisama hajimemashita. Human form of course. ~_^ and Jiroshima is modeled after Kyuujyu Amagiri (google). Reviews keep me writing! HINT HINT.