Ninja Love: Saizo Kirigakure

Chapter 27

To say that the trek through the trees was taxing would be a massive understatement. I would have stopped once I lost view of the fort, but the sound of people chasing me mixed with an inexplicable drive to succeed kept me going, all the way to the stream.

At some point along the line, I realized that I might have taken a simple training exercise a little too far, so I stopped on a large boulder to catch my breath and take a drink.

The creek was crystal clear and fairly wide and quick, deep enough to swim in but not deep enough to go diving into. It was surrounded by a flat bank of mostly sand and a few large rocks, before fading into grass and trees. The segment I found was mostly straight, but downstream to my right, it curved back towards the direction I came from. I could hear the sound of a waterfall not too far upstream and planned on going over to check it out, but thought twice about it when I remembered that Saizo or someone would soon show up to look for me.

As I waited, I sprawled out on the boulder, linking my hands behind my head to look up at the sky and wait. The soft breeze and spluttering brook were soothing, mixing with my exhaustion from training to lull me to sleep within minutes.

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"Misaki! Hurry up, we should get to the meadow as quickly as possible." A young voice urged on a little girl who was frantically packing a picnic basket.

The fresh breeze swept through the playmates' hair as they ran to a favorite spot in the lush forest, avoiding roots and fallen branches like deer.

Their laughter rang out in the clearing, and a loud squawk told them the time to go home was drawing near.

Warmth spread through the two bodies as they leaned against each other, gazing at the setting sun, making promises in their childish ignorance that they had no way of being sure to keep.

Although the path home was dark, the two friends stayed close to each other in comfortable silence, until an unnerving smell brushed across their noses.

"Misaki... Is that what I think it is?" Worry flashes through deep green eyes as the young ones break into a run.

Breathlessness mixed with the thick smell of smoke leaves the children coughing and confused as to what has happened to their village.

The sound of screaming and crackling flames is sickening, and the rush of people only aids in the separation of the friends.

The little girl dashes into the madness, trying to avoid the bloodied swords and horses of the imperial army. She doesn't see her family anywhere, and dread starts to set in.

She begins to call out into the mass of chaos, "Papa? Mama! Where are you?"

She stumbles deeper into the turmoil, tears beginning to mix with the smoke.

"Yūjin! Sai-"

My eyes flew open, interrupting the terrible nightmare I was having. Faint voices and stirring grass came from the other side of the boulder I had been snoozing on, and for once I was glad to have been woken up in the middle of a nap. My head was still a little cloudy from sleep, but I was aware enough to recognize the distinct voices of Saizo and Sasuke, so I calmed my breathing in relief and let my eyes fall back shut.

"Oh thank the goddess, there she is!" I relaxed back onto the warm surface of the boulder once I realized Sasuke had spotted me."

"Idiot, be quiet or you'll wake her." It took a lot of self-control to not crack a smile when I could practically hear Saizo rolling his eyes at his fellow ninja.