Fire was breaking out everywhere in the castle. Tsuki gasped trying to find her way out. She could hear the samurai running around trying to find her. Someone is going to save me right? She stopped hearing groaning above her. She looked up to see a beam crash through the roof. It was going to fall on top of her. She closed her watering blue eyes expecting the beam to pin her, but she felt wind on her face and something warm and hard against her cheek. She opened her eyes and saw a serious face and serious mahogany eyes to match looking down on her. His mass of silver hair tied back. "You okay my lady?" he asked his voice was quiet and deep.
"Y-yes. Who-?" he cut her off. "No time for introductions." Yelling was coming at the other end of the hallway behind them, "There she is!" The man holding her mumbled something unintelligible and began running towards the end of the hallway. "You might want to duck your head!" he yelled at her. "What?!" Tsuki ducked as he asked and heard a crashing sound. The man had busted through a window. She looked up coughing as fresh air rushed into her lungs. The man landed softly on a nearby roof. He looked back nodding pleased with himself and continued across the roofs. It felt never ending, but he finally landed outside the wall.
"Saizo you there?" the man called quietly. A shadow moved in the trees above them. "Yes, Kotaro, so is Isamu." two men walked out of the shadows of the trees. One had spiked back red hair that stayed out of his gentle gold eyes. The other was a tanned man with dark raven black hair and a face that held dark coal eyes glittering malevolently. Please let these men be good people. Tsuki silently prayed. The man named Kotaro set her down gently and quietly dropped to his knee. The other two followed him as well. "My lady forgive us, we are the Kitakata ninja your father sent word for us." Saizo , the gentle looking one explained.
Tsuki looked down at her feet. "I see," she looked up at the fire lit sky. All she could hear now was the screams of the servants she called friends and the sound of the palace crashing into a fiery hell, "I don't see any point in your services now as my father is dead and Nobunaga has complete control now." She sunk to her knees again looking at the ground. "We are here on your father's orders to protect you and stop Nobunaga Oda." Kotaro furthered the explanation, "We are here to take you to Kitakata." She didn't say anything in response. Kotaro moved to face her and asked to carry her again asking for forgiveness for the first time. She nodded robotically and Kotaro gently swung her into his arms. "Scout ahead we will head through the woods for now too many samurai." The two nodded and disappeared into the trees. "Just rest my lady it will be a long night." Kotaro said. Tsukiko nodded taking note the man kept to a quiet persona. She curled up as best as she could against the cold wind. She felt herself begin to drift to sleep in the stranger's arms.
