A Second Chance, Part 2
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Oboro once again dreamt of Tenzen forcing himself on her, and she woke up screaming in terror, sitting straight up despite the pain from her wound. Gennosuke immediately sat up and held her close to him, running his hand soothingly through her hair.
"Shhh, koi, it's alright," he whispered softly. "I'm here, I won't let anyone harm you."
Tears began to form in Oboro's eyes, but they weren't from the pain. They were from the memory that wasn't really a memory. Up to a certain point, it was, but in her mind, it went too far. She laid her head in his chest and began sobbing uncontrollably. Her tears took Gennosuke by surprise, and he lifted her up to carry her back to the cave, assuming she was in agonizing pain.
"Gennosuke-sama, please do not make me go back inside that cave," she managed between sobs. "Yes, I am in pain, but that is not why I am crying." She raised her eyes to meet with his, and then said very softly, "I want to sleep under the stars with you, tonight. Please, Gennosuke-sama..." Her eyes became wide, and she was pleading with him with every ounce of strength she had. "We don't have to stay here by the stream, koi, but I don't want to sleep in the darkness tonight. I want to feel the moonlight, and be able to look at the stars."
"Oboro-sama, are you sure you are feeling strong enough for this?" he asked, concern in his eyes.
Oboro nodded, running her hand through his hair. She pulled his face down to her's, and kissed him softly on the lips. Gennosuke returned the kiss, running his tongue over his hime's lips ever so lightly, before he started to move forward. How could he deny her such a beautiful wish? There was no reason they couldn't sleep under the stars out in front of the cave, so he could have access to the firewood and the and blankets. As he walked the mile or so back to the cave, he held Oboro tightly to his chest, and the Iga hime fell asleep resting against him, a smile on her face.
When he reached the cave, Gennosuke laid Oboro down on the soft grass, trying hard not to awaken her. But as he turned to go into the cave to fetch what he needed, her small voice called after him, "Gennosuke-sama, please, do not leave me alone for long."
"Oboro-sama, close your eyes. I will only be a moment." Then he turned and entered the cave. When he got inside, he quickly gathered the blankets, and carried them outside with the herbs. He set them down next to Oboro, and then made two more trips back inside the cave to fetch enough firewood to last a good while, and then the water. By the time he came back, Oboro was fast asleep, but she was shivering and moaning with pain. Gennosuke put the blankets over top of her, and began to make a fire.
Suddenly, Oboro started to toss and turn, and she called out a name that Gennosuke knew all too well..."Tenzen! Stop! Please no!" He quickly moved to her side, and gathered his koi up into his arms, holding her close and kissing her forehead, shaking her slightly to wake her up. "Oboro-sama, Oboro-sama please, wake up, please," he said to her.
She opened her eyes and they were again filled with tears. "Oh, Gennosuke-sama!" she cried out, throwing both her arms around his neck. "Gennosuke-sama, it was awful...he was...he..." Oboro stopped, and broke down sobbing, unable to speak anymore of the nightmares that were plauging her sleep.
"Shhh, Oboro-sama," he whispered into her ear. "Shhh...everything is alright now. Tenzen is dead. Trust me, he will never, ever hurt you again."
Oboro's tears didn't stop, but they did slow a bit. She knew that Tenzen was dead...after all, she herself had killed him with her Eyes of Ruin. His life had been the first life the Iga hime had ever taken, and she would never forget the horror she felt in her heart at having the ability to do so that easily. "Gennosuke...koi...Promise me that he is dead and gone, please, promise me."
"Oboro, my hime, I promise that your sensei, Yakushiji Tenzen, is dead. There is no way that even he can come back to life." He laid her down, and then laid down next to her, holding her tightly. The blankets would keep them warm enough, he supposed; a fire wasn't really needed. Instead, he chose to lie next to his Oboro, the love of his life, and hold her while she slept, to make her feel safe. He stroked her hair gently, and kissed her, reassuring her of his presense, and then held her so that her chin rested in the crook of his neck, and she was almost on top of him again.
"I love you, Gennosuke," Oboro said softly as her eyes closed themselves. She tried to push the thought of Tenzen coming back out of her head; as Gennosuke said, the Iga sensei was dead. She leaned in to Gennosuke, and listened to his heartbeat.
Gennosuke laid awake, holding Oboro close. It was clear to him that she was terrified of Tenzen, but why? Surely he was dead...there was no way anyone could come back to life after what Oboro had done to him. With an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach, Gennosuke finally let himself close his eyes.
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Akeginu couldn't believe what had happened to her. Less than two weeks ago, the Kouga had been her sworn enemy. A week ago, she had been as good as dead. And then he had come along, and nursed her back to health. Muroga Hyouma, of the Kouga. He had killed the man she loved, or at least that is what she had believed at the time. But she was injured, and weak, and had allowed him to care for her while she plotted her revenge.
Now, she found that her world was completely different. In just one week, she had lost everyone she had ever cared for, and yet, she was content. She was content because he was with her. He had made her see the truth.
"Akeginu-sama," called Hyouma from a few yards ahead of her, "please, stay by my side. I do not want you to get lost."
Akeginu ran a few steps, then caught his hand in her's. "I am sorry, Hyouma-sama," she said, walking beside him, her fingers interlocked with his. "I got lost in my thoughts for a moment."
Hyouma turned his sightless eyes to her, and raised his hand to caress her face gently. "I know that you are frightened, Akeginu-sama, but believe me, I won't let anything happen to you."
Akeginu returned his gaze, knowing that he could "see" her even though he was blind. She had learned a lot about the Kouga ninja in the past week. She smiled, and then they walked quietly, hand in hand, for about half an hour. Akeginu shivered a bit. It was early, and the sun hadn't yet had time to warm the air. Hyouma let go of her hand and picked her up in his arms, holding her close to him to keep her warm. Her body hadn't yet completely healed, and he didn't want to take the chance of her getting sick. They had been on the move all night, and he wanted to find somewhere for them to rest. Finally, they came out of the woods and into a clearning, and Hyouma nearly dropped Akeginu. Both ninjas looked as if they had encountered ghosts.
"Gennosuke-sama," Hyouma whispered, and in the same second, Akeginu called out, "Oboro-sama!!!!!"
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Oboro sat up, startled by the sound of a woman's voice calling her name. Feeling her move, Gennosuke sat up behind her, holding her as she screamed, and drawing his sword. He looked around, trying to figure out who had called his hime's name.
"Show yourself!" Gennosuke called out.
"Gennosuke-sama," came Hyouma's voice, "we mean you no harm."
Now it was Gennosuke's turn to look as if he had seen a ghost, as he swirled around and saw Hyouma's face. He dropped his sword, and watched as Hyouma beckoned him forward, setting Akeginu down on the ground. The Iga ninja rushed to Oboro's side.
"Hyouma, I thought you were dead," Gennosuke said, a strange mix of sorrow and excitement in his voice. "I have been mourning you, and all the others, while trying to care for Oboro..." Gennosuke put his hand on his mentor's shoulder and squeezed it gently. "We have much to talk about, my old friend, but please, help me build a fire. I am sure that you have quite a tale to tell, as well."
Hyouma nodded, and followed his pupil to Oboro's side, where they found Akeginu holding the Iga hime's hand in her's, weeping as the women whispered quietly to each other. The two Kouga ninjas built a large fire, silently, and then both returned to the Iga ninja's sides. Gennosuke held Oboro in a sitting position, and across the fire, Akeginu sat very close to Hyouma. Neither pair was sure of where to start.
Finally, after an awkward silence, Gennosuke cleared his throat, but just as he opened his mouth, Hyouma began to speak. "Gennosuke-sama, Oboro-sama, allow Akeginu and myself to fill you in on what has happened in the past week. I'm sure you have many questions." He turned to look at Oboro. "Close your eyes, please, Oboro-sama. I can tell you need to rest."
A small frown formed on Oboro's lips, and she coughed lightly. It was true that she was exhausted and in pain, but she knew she couldn't rest. She thought she had lost Akegninu forever, and yet there she was, sitting across from her. The women locked eyes, and Oboro said softly, "Thank you for your concern, Hyouma-dono, but I want to try to stay awake for as long as I can."
Gennosuke hugged her close to him, and nodded towards Hyouma. "Please, my friend, tell us what you have been through."
Hyouma bowed his head slightly, then began to speak. "I encountered Koshirou of the Iga on my way to find you, Gennosuke-sama. I was able to sense his presense before he knew I was there, and projected my psyche to do battle with him. I had no desire to kill him, but I knew he would try to kill me." Hyouma held Akeginu tightly as he could feel her body tense when he mentioned the fallen Iga ninja's name. He knew that she had loved Koshirou with all of her heart. His voice, however, did not waver as he continued. "He struck down my projection, and I myself received bodily harm, so I withdrew in order to heal. I slept through the next day, and when I awoke the following evening, I found the Iga ninja dead. I have no idea who killed him." Akeginu's eyes glistened with tears, and he lifted her up and sat her in his lap, holding her close.
Oboro let out a small cry, and buried her face in Gennosuke's chest. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, whispering soothingly into her ear. Then he turned his attention back to Hyouma and said, "How is it that you met up with Akeginu, Hyouma?"
Hyouma's face softened. "I had began to walk towards Sunpu Castle, hoping that I would find you there. After a day or so, I came upon Akeginu's nearly lifeless body. She was pale from blood loss, and drifting in and out of consciousness." He paused, and looked through the fire at Oboro. "Oboro-sama, I promise you that it never crossed my mind for a second to take her life. I have always wanted to see yourself and Gennosuke-sama happy together." He paused, nodding slightly to his leader's love. "I picked her up, and she was unconscious for nearly 3 days. There were times when I truly did not think she would make it. The wound Kagerou inflicted on her was deep," he drew in his breath slightly, "but not fatal."
Gennosuke furrowed his brow at the mention of Kagerou's name. His fellow Kouga ninja had tried as hard as she could to take his life with her dying breath, and now he knew that she had also attempted to kill his hime's closest friend. He shook his head.
Very slowly, Oboro lifted her head from Gennosuke's chest and stared across the fire into Akeginu's eyes. "Kagerou...she did this to you? Akeginu...I had no idea! I tried to save her life!" Oboro burst into tears, balling her small hands into fists.
Akeginu rose from Hyouma's lap and went over to hug Oboro close. "Oboro-sama, you couldn't have known. But it doesn't matter now. I am alive, and so are you." A smile crossed her face. "Oboro-sama, all has not been lost."
Oboro nodded, leaning back into Gennosuke once again. However, she did not take her eyes off of Akeginu's face. "Akeginu...what changed your mind?" she asked softly. "The last time I saw you, you had vowed to kill all of the Kouga. And yet..." Oboro's voice wavered, and she winced in pain, but she forced herself to continue. "It seems as if you care very deeply for him, now."
Akeginu smiled again, and nodded to Oboro. "I do, Oboro-sama." She leaned in and put her hand to her hime's forehead, and found she was hot with fever. She turned to Hyouma and said, "Take Gennosuke-sama with you, and collect all the herbs that you can carry." She stood up, and began to boil water over the fire, then went to Hyouma's side, and whispered in his ear, "She is not well; I fear for her life, if we can't get the infection out of her soon. Do not let Gennosuke-sama know how serious her condition is. He too is exhausted from caring for her. Get his side of the story, and keep him calm. I will take care of Oboro-sama."
Hyouma nodded to her, and then walked over to Gennosuke's side. "Let's leave the women here to rest, while we go to gather what we will need for the night. I'm sure you and Oboro-sama are both hungry, and we'll need more firewood."
Gennosuke stood up, and led Hyouma and Akeginu into the cave, carrying Oboro who was still wrapped in the blankets. Her body had gone limp. Gennosuke laid her down, and turned to Akeginu. "I trust you with her life, Akeginu-sama." Then he turned and walked away, fighting his own fears.
Akeginu bowed her head to Gennosuke without thinking, and then followed the men out of the cave. She needed to bring in the supplies, and make Oboro some tea to help bring her fever down. She had a lot of hard work ahead of her; she hoped it wasn't too late. Tears gleamed in her eyes as she watched the two Kouga ninjas walk off into the woods, talking quietly between themselves. Akeginu needed time alone with her friend, just in case the worst were to come true...
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