Love conquers all

Disclaimer: …duh.

I thought this would be an interesting story line...

~~

That night, Taki and Mitsurugi slept peacefully, with no interruptions. Taki dreamed of a normal life—a family, a house…a life without being hunted…The dream was so real…A boy and a girl—twins—playing in the yard, practicing with wooden weapons. They both had dark brown eyes like their mother and the vivacity of their father. Shinjiro, for Heishiro’s brother and Maiko, for Shinjiro’s wife.

The children played while Taki cooked—Taki, COOKING?—and waited for their father to come back from a voyage. Over the hill hee, se, smiling and singing a traveler’s tune. Older, now, some grey streaks in his hair and beard, but still lively and handsome.

The children quit their playing and ran towards their father, arms outstretched. Heishiro dropped his pack and scooped up both kids and whirled them around. He landed kisses on both heads and he carried them to the door.

Taki looked at her husband and smiled. Long, long months…Heishiro put a hand on her face and another on her belly: Taki was expecting again…a girl, from what the seers said. He kissed her deeply, much to the disgust of the eight year old twins –“Eeewww!”—and hugged her.

That night, over yakiniku and sake, Heishiro related his stories of travel. “…and then I saved a fair maiden from the clutches of evil pirates! Too bad I’m already married to your mother and I would not leave her for all the koku in Japan…” At the last sentence, he looked up lovingly into Taki’s eyes, who smiled back.

“Nice recovery.” She teased. “Shinjiro, Maiko: time for bed!” The children raced to their room. After a brief pillow fight and a threat from their parents, both were asleep.

Taki and Heshiro snuck outside to the garden that they had both made. They walked and talked about Heishiro’s adventures and Taki’s not liking being a homemaker…Out of habit, both had brought their weapons into the garden…

A rustling sound brought both to a sudden and silent halt. They pressed their backs together and readied weapons. “We know you’re here…”

Taki heard a pained masculine gasp behind her and Heishiro’s weight was no longer against her. She turned to find the man doubled over, holding his throat. She rolled him over to find a tiny shuriken in his jugular. “Heishiro, no…” Heishiro lifted a hand to Taki’s face, but never made it; the hand dropped and the head lolled to the side: he was gone. Taki stood up to find several ninjas facing her. She unsheathed a ninjatou and lunged at the first one---

---and stopped. The ninja pointed behind her. Taki turned to see a sight every mother prays to never see: her home on fire. She could hear the screams of her children, smell the burning flesh.

“NOOO!” Blind with rage and grief, Taki leapt over Heishiro’s body at the first ninja. She stabbed both ninjatou through that one’s throat and kicked his body aside.

The former ninja was about to behead the leader of the group when she was tackled about the waist by another ninja, this one a female. The other woman grabbed both of Taki’s ninjatou and jammed them deep into Taki’s stomach, killing the unborn girl who would have been named Yuki; she cried out in mental and physical anguish.

The female got up off of Taki, allowing the leader to step in. He grabbed her by the throat and lifted her up. Taki was quickly weakening; the ninjatou had hit the aorta and she was bleeding to death. The leader slammed her against a tree and kept her there. He leered at her. “Such a waste…you were a beautiful woman…” He took his own ninjatou and thrust it into Taki’s throat…

***

“Oh, kami no!” Taki woke up in a cold sweat, crying. Heishiro was instantly on his feet, scanning for any danger. Seeing none, he looked quizzically at Taki.

What he saw frightened him to no end: Taki was curled up in a fetal position, crying. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh my…it was horrible…there was you and me and…and we had two kids…”

“What’s so horrible about that?” Mitsurugi put his hands on his hips.

“…and there were ninjas and fire…and they killed our children!...then they killed you…then they killed me…”

Mitsurugi went to his knees beside Taki and gathered her in his arms. “Shh…it’s okay…I’m here and nothing is going to happen…”

Taki felt secure and safe in Heishiro’s arms. Like a frightened child, she clung to him and cried herself back to sleep.

~~

The next morning, Taki awoke with Heishiro’s arms around her, protecting her. He had his large form partially over hers in a protective measure. She sat up and he stirred awake. “Are you feeling better, koishii?”

“Yeah…” Truth be told, she was not…What if that dream, and all the other nightmares she had been having, were visions? She put it out of her head.

These last few weeks had been beautiful, heavenly bliss. Taki found out via seer that she WAS pregnant and, not with one child, but two. How happy Heishiro was! He had scooped her up in his arms and kissed her right there.

Taki was in her fifth month now, gaining the weight and the attitudes of a pregnant woman. “Heishiro, am I fat?”

Put on the spot, Heishiro changed the subject. “Uh…what do you want to name the children?”

The former ninja glared and restated the question. “Answer me!”

“Nooo…you’re not fat!” the ronin gathered her in his arms and kissed her passionately. “You’re beautiful; ye abe absolutely glowing.”

Taki blushed. “Sweet-talker…”

“Damn straight.” Heishiro pinned the woman down and lavished her neck and face with kisses. Then he remembered her condition and let her sit up.

Taki put a hand on his face. “It’s okay…nothing’s gonna happen.” She smiled, guessing what her fiancé was up to. “We don’t have to do anything.”

“This is the ONLY time I am EVER turning down sex with you.” The man chuckled, still kissing her all over. He wrapped his arm around her protectively and buried his head in Taki’s now waist-length jet black hair. “I love you.”

Taki rolled over in Heishiro’s arms. “I love you too.”

They slept for another three hours, until Taki wakened by a rustling outside. “Mmmph… a deer.” she mumbled into the pillow.

The rustling wouldn’t stop. Taki sighed. Damn deer. If she could catch it, at least there would be venison… It was dark, but the moon was full, shedding some light, perfect for a hunt. Her bloodlust awakened, Taki sat up and grabbed RekkiMaru. She advanced carefully to the shoji door and slid it open.

It was no deer…A man was crouched outside the shoji, back to her. Taki grabbed him by the throat and pulled him to his feet, RekkiMaru at his throat. He struggled, smacking Taki in the face with his hand. Now incredibly pissed off, Taki kneed the man in the groin, doubling him over and raised RekkiMaru, intent on his death.

“Wait…WAIT!! Don’t! Taki, it’s me…” The man’s hands went up to his face and the mask was removed.

“Tojo?!” Taki dropped the man.

Tojo coughed in air. “Yes, it’s me.”

She had know this man since she was a child. He had disappeared after she left the clan. What was he doing here?

“I came to warn you, Taki!” Tojo whispered fiercely. “Get out of here! They’re coming for you.”

“Tojo, I can’t leave---“ Taki put a hand on her belly, wordlessly indicating her pregnancy.

Tojo smiled warmly. “Congratulations…but you have to take that chance. If you stay…” The shinobi trailed off.

He turned suddenly. “They’re here.”

Mitsurugi was on his feet, Shishi-o in hand. “What the hell?! Taki, who is that?”

Tojo blinked upon seeing the ronin. “You? Him? I thought…Never mind me,” he whispered. “Get out while you still can! They will show no mercy to EITHER of you…not even your unborn child.”

Taki as about to protest that she would have twins when Toji silenced her. He gently pushed Taki to a shadowed part of the room and motioned Mitsurugi to him. “You HAVE to get her out of here! They’ll kill her, then you.”

“They--?”

“Fu-Ma…”

Something whizzed by Mitsurugi’s chest and plunked into the wood floor. Tojo placed himself in front of the couple. “Go NOW!” He pulled out a crossbow and loaded it.

Mitsurugi unsheathed Shishi-o. “I’m not running from a fight…” Taki pulled out RekkiMaru.

Tojo stared at them with disbelief. He turned to find another ninja less than arms’ reach in front of him, ninjatou poised to rip out his throat.. Surprised, he parried the ninjatou with the crossbow and launched a quarrel into the other man’s eye.

Mitsurugi stood shoulder to shoulder with Tojo, protecting Taki, who was somewhat angered by not being allowed to fight.

No one came after the other ninja, now dead.

Tojo put away the crossbow. “Handy little toy, isn’t it. Gaijin don’t appreciate it enough.” He had taken it from an English sailor… “You need to go now.”

Mitsurugi sheathed Shishi-o. “You’re right…but where?”

“Anywhere but here.”

Taki thought. “I know the perfect place…We should take his advice and leave now. Where there’s one, there’s three more in the shadows.”

Tojo nodded. “I was barely a half-day ahead of Fumiko, Kenji and Yedo…”

“Miyazuki Fumiko---one of the deadliest ninjas in the Fu-Ma. Tiny, just barely five foot, but incredibly strong and fast. She prefers shuriken as her weapon, versus my preference of the ninjatou. Fumiko still used the ninjatou, but not as often as the shuriken.” Taki explained to Heishiro.

“Morikawa Kenji--- certainly not the brightest star in the sky, but wise to the ways of the woods. An excellent tracker, he rarely is wrong. He rarely speaks, but gets his point across with a sharp eye and fast arrow. The sniper of the group.”

Fuma Yedo--- Found at the age of six months in Yedo, he is the oldest member of the group. He brings experience to it, being nearly forty and a Fu-Ma all his life. He taught me to be…me. He is the ninja’s ninja…” The woman trailed off. “We need to leave now. I was once more than a match for ‘Miko, but now…” she brought a hand to her belly.

Tojo nodded. “I’ve seen Kenji track down a bear—a BEAR—on the continent…then gut it slowly…”

Heishiro shuddered inwardly. “We’re leaving now.” He took Taki’s hand and both just left within the next ten minutes, taking only their weapons.

“Best of luck…” Tojo whispered. Contrary to his contrct, he stood watch while the couple prepared for their journey. Once he sensed they were ready, he turned around. "I bid you safe journey; watch the shadows and always be on guard."

Taki gave him a tearful hug. "Arigatou gozaimasu." Mitsurugi began to grow edgy. He placed a hand on the ninja's arm.

"You'd best leave; if they can hunt her, they can hunt you."

Tojo nodded. "Go now."

As soon as they were out of sight, Tojo turned. In the conversation, he had sensed three figures coming. . .he knew who they were. “You can come out now; I’m no threat.”

A tiny woman with dark black eyes jumped down from a tree. A man came from where Tojo could have bet his life was a clearing. “You’ve worn out your usefulness, Tojo-chan…”

“We had a deal, ‘Miko-san.”

Fumiko pursed her lips together. “Aww…did we?” The woman traced a slim finger down the man’s chest. “Your part was to kill the ronin, am I correct?”

“She would have taken me down—they both would--!“ Tojo was cut off by a viscious slap across the face.

“You MORON! She’s five months pregnant; she would not risk her unborn children to kill you! You’ve done NOTHING! You could have done it while he was sleeping, but noooo, it has to be honorable with you! At least Shiro proved useful…” Fumiko motioned to the dead ninja, who was still twitching. She shuddered. “Someone do something with that…As for you, Tojo, say hello to the Great Kami in the heavens; tell him I will be unable to attend…” She patted the man on the cheek and turned, fading into the woods, followed by Kenji, who smiled grimly.

A hand covered Tojo’s mouth—Yedo. The younger man tried to squirm away, to shout, anything, but a line of fire across his throat prevented him from anything…the last thing he saw was a pair of feet standing in his rapidly pooling blood…