Ninja Love: Saizo Kirigakure

Chapter 54

 Saizo moved quickly, even with the added weight, and turned the corner, headed toward the main hall. We didn't make it very far, though. Musashi was waiting for us.

The swordsman stood tall and proud, blocking our exit. I felt Saizo tense as Musashi's piercing eyes looked over us appraisingly.

"...Nobunaga is dead," Saizo spoke slowly, lowering me to the ground but keeping his arm around my waist to support me, "you don't need to fight for him anymore."

Musashi did not answer him, but he didn't move either. After a moment, he said, "One day I'll have to spar with you, Saizo Kirigakure, but today is not that day. Take this." He pulled something from his robes and held out his hands, a generic, bloodied katana laid out as an offering.

"What would we want with that?" Saizo asked warily.

"Political reasons," he answered simply, "Do you really believe that Nobunaga being assassinated by ninja will put this country at ease?"

He had a point. If no one person would come forward to take the power that Nobunaga had left behind, there would be just as much turmoil as there had been before, and out war and losses would have been for nothing. I looked at Saizo and nodded. Musashi had proven his honor and worth before, and I knew he would not attack us now.

Saizo approached the swordsman carefully, supporting my steps the whole way. Once the katana was safely in his hands, he tied the sheath around his waist and scooped me back up into his arms.

"Thank you, Musashi. Now, if you'll excuse us..."

"The route your friend cleared for you has been blocked; the ceiling caved in only a minute ago. Follow me," Musashi interrupted. Saizo looked down at me and I shrugged as best I could. He hadn't tried to harm us so far, so what could one more act of faith do?

Saizo followed Musashi into the main hall. Sure enough, the route that Sasuke had opened for us to the left was now completely closed off and engulfed in flames. Musashi beckoned us to the right and we followed, trying to ignore the smoky taint in the thickening air.

As we reached the end of the building, another terrifying rumble rocked the temple as the flames spread throughout it. Suddenly, the roof in front of us started to cave in! I clung to Saizo as he jumped backwards to avoid the smoldering beam that gave way and fell to the ground.

I heard Musashi cry out, and worry seeped into my bones. As the smoke cleared a little, I saw that the debris had a large gap between it and the floor, held open only by Musashi!

"Go, now!" he shouted at us through gritted teeth. I watched in horror as his muscles strained to keep himself upright under the immense weight of the fallen ceiling. Saizo held me closer to him as he ducked through the opening, stopping on the other side.

"There's a window down the hall around the corner of the building. Jump if you have to," the former samurai instructed, "If it's safe, there's stairs at the end of that hallway that lead directly outside. Now get moving!"

"What about you?" I asked before Saizo could turn away.

Musashi smiled grimly. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Saizo, I'll see you soon for that fight you owe me." Saizo nodded solemnly. Musashi turned to me one last time to offer a simple goodbye.

"Good luck, princess."

With that, Saizo turned and ran, right before a thundering crash sounded where we had just come from. I turned my head, hoping against all odds that the sound had nothing to do with Musashi, but Saizo reached up and held my chin, keeping me from looking behind us. He wore a hard expression, but didn't look down at me.

"Don't look back, Misaki. It won't change anything."

I gripped Saizo's collar tightly as we rounded the corner, a hollow feeling in my chest. He was a good man at heart, and I sent a quick prayer to the heavens that the gods would judge his soul kindly.

Now that we had turned the corner, it seemed like the end was finally in sight! There were several windows lining the outside wall, and the closest was only a few yards away. Better yet, the hallway was thus far undamaged, and we could see the stairwell through the smoky haze that hung in the air. Saizo broke out in a dead run, and almost instantly came to a screeching halt to avoid smacking into a portly gentleman that came stumbling out of a room, coughing and rubbing his head.

"So, you've finally woken up," Saizo seemed almost agitated by the man's presence.

"W-What's going on?" the man – no – Lord Mitsuhide asked groggily. He was nursing a rather large welt on the side of his head and couldn't quite keep from swaying as he stood, but he looked otherwise unharmed. "You-!" he started, catching a good look at Saizo, "You're the one who knocked me out!" He cast me a wary glance, but I just looked up at my personal transport.

In turn, Saizo shot Mitsuhide a small smirk and set me on my feet again. Once I found that some of my strength had returned and I could keep myself upright without falling, he left my side and pulled the sheathed katana from his waist, presenting it to Mitsuhide.

"It's up to you to shape history," Saizo said, ignoring Mitsuhide's half-formed questions and walking back to me. "Good luck."

Saizo grabbed my hand and we left Mitsuhide, quite literally, in the dust. However, the closer we got to the end of the hall, the more the building shook and creaked. The halls we passed were smoldering with burned timbers that only became more and more unrecognizable with each passing second.

Just our luck, right before Saizo could haul us into the stairwell, another large section of ceiling collapsed, blocking our exit. Saizo swore under his breath and I began to cough. He looked between me and where the stairs had been only a moment ago, and back down the hall, which was now sealed by full-blown flames. We were both sweating profusely.

Saizo looked out the nearest window and sighed the sigh of a man who had been slightly inconvenienced.

"I guess you're going to have to trust me on this one, Misaki," Saizo said as he gave a solid kick to the piece of wall that was under the window, watching as it cracked. With one more blow, the wood splintered and fell away, leaving a space large enough for us to stand in, with nothing between us and the ground but open air.

I smiled up at him with hazy eyes and chuckled as he scooped me up again, "When have I ever not?"