You In My Nightmare: Assassination

“Where the hell is Mamezou? Surely that sister of his could let him off the hook for one day…” Gonzo grumbled, standing out on the porch. Something moved out of the corner of his eye, he turned. The day was quiet, almost unnaturally so, his gifted eyes scanned the bushes, muscles taunt, ready for a fight.

“Uncle Gin…! I’m hungry…!” Tensei announced from inside the house.Ginzo glanced around one last time before turning back toward the door, “Hai, hai Ten-chan…”

It was then that they chose to strike. Three ninja leapt from the bushes surrounding the house. Ginzo whirled around with a snarl but it was too late, one of them kicked him to the ground, sitting on his chest while the other held his clawed hands above his head. The one straddling him held a dagger to his throat.

“…who the hell…are you?! What do you want?!” Ginzo snarled.

“We are under orders not to harm you. It is the child we’re after” one of them said nodding to the third who drew his sword heading inside the house.

“No…! Leave her alone! She’s just a girl…!”

He heard Tensei scream from inside.

“Tensei!!”

Fawks ran to the burning house, “Tensei!!!”

“Fawks-san…!”

Several servants rushed toward her, “Don’t worry, Fawks-san! Ten-chan is alright”

Fawks nearly collapsed where she stood, “…where is she?”

They pulled her away from the burning building toward the servant’s quarters. Tensei said surrounded by her friends.

“Mommy!!” she cried, running into her mother’s arms.

“Oh…! My baby! What happened?”

“Three bad men…they tried to hurt me and uncle Gin…!” she wept. “

Where is uncle Gin?”

“Right here…” Gin said gruffly as he came down the front steps. His clothes were singed and he had several healing burns on his face and arms, “Leave the child here, there are some things we need to discuss”

“My lord…” Jaken began as he hurried to Sessho-maru’s side.

“Well?” Sessho-maru asked.

“I bring news…it seems Fawks-sama’s house caught fire awhile ago…”

Fear gripped the inu-youkai’s heart but he remained impassive, “And? Were there any casualties?”

“Luckily no, my lord. Ginzo managed to escape with the daughter and Fawks was away at the time” Jaken replied, “But the girl says they were attacked by three men dressed in black…”

Sessho-maru gazed out toward the still billowing smoke. ‘Three men…dressed in black, eh?’

“We were attacked by ninja” Ginzo sighed.

Fawks was taken aback, “and they…set the house on fire with the two of you inside?”

Ginzo chuckled at that, “No that was Tensei, one of them came after her and she set them ablaze out of pure fear. It seems her youki’s getting stronger…”

Fawks rubbed her brow, “But why would they attack us in the first place?”

“No idea but they were after the pup” he replied. Fawks looked at him, horrified.

He gave a world weary sigh, rubbing his neck. “You…may not know this but…Sachiko comes from a clan of ninja inu. That’s the main reason why the Inu-no-Taisho wanted to join our clans, with the ninja clan as an ally, we’d be unstoppable”

Fawks suddenly felt sick, she felt like the world was spinning out of control. Sachiko knew, she had to. There was no other reason she’d send those assassins to specifically kill her daughter.

“I dunno what you did to piss off her ladyship…” Ginzo went on, “But you better apologize and quick”

“It’s…not something I can apologize for…” she sighed, turning away from him to rejoin her daughter. The girl ran to her as soon as she saw her, it made what Fawks had to do that much more painful.

“Shippo…” The fox demon appeared in a burst of Foxfire.

Tensei blinked up at him, “…uncle Shippo”

“Hey there, Ten-chan. Long time, no see” he smiled softly.

“Ten…you’re…going to go stay with uncle Shippo for a while…” Fawks began.

Tensei looked at her, “You’re coming too, right mommy…?”

Fawks bit back her tears as she shook her head. “No baby. It’s too dangerous, especially now…”

Fawks was ready for a fight, but instead Tensei burst into tears, “It’s…all my fault…! I’m sorry mommy…!”

“What do you mean?”

“You said…you said if I knew who my real papa was…we’d…be in danger…I’m sorry….!” She hicupped into her mother’s kimono. Fawks said nothing, holding her close one last time before handing the child off to Shippo.

“Go, now. If you stay any longer you might be tracked”

Shippo nodded, while Tensei sobbed reaching out to her. “No, mommy…! Stay with me…!”

They vanished in a swirl of green flame.