Persona Series 1. Chapter 1

Samurai and Ninajs Chap. 1

I do not own Persona or the character's likenesses, sorry everyone. Atlus does. Blame my lack of creativity.

This story takes place towards the middle of the Heian period of Japan. I am not being completely historically accurate with this, so do not get all over my back about it. How much Personas will play a part in it, I do not know about that one. I've also messed with people's ages a bit.

* * *

Lord Tatsumi sighed as he sat in his emblazoned chair in a small palace in the center of Nara. He was an important man to say the least, but Lord Tatsumi was still under incredible pressure.

He was a lord, a lord that controlled most of Nara, but he served under the Fujiwara family. His family was given this area after the capital was moved to Kyoto. Nara was still an important city, but nothing like Kyoto. He had become the lord after his father died when he was a child, but he did not feel truly like the leader until his mother died two years ago.

Lord Tatsumi had been married once before. It was before he became a lord at the age of fifteen. It was a loveless and arranged marriage to a Lady Matsunaga. He was not attracted to her in the least, and neither was she. The two did their civic duties and were done with it. She died a few years after their marriage attempting to give birth to a child.

Of course, there were various rumors swirling about Lord Tatsumi… that women in general were just a chore. He did not care for them at all. Lord Tatsumi supposedly enjoyed many of the things women did. Allegedly, Lord Tatsumi was just looking for an heir to take over the family once he died. Some people thought that he was really interested in men, but who knows if that was really true.

No one would speak of such things in Lord Tatsumi's presence. There were plenty of other minor lords and ladies that served under Tatsumi Kanji, but they still would not dare speak of such blasphemy.

One of the main reasons why no one would cross Lord Tatsumi was because of his two immensely skilled samurai. Seta and Hanamura, who were both third and second-generation warriors respectively, were two of the most feared swordsmen in Nara. Though incredibly young, they were considered prodigies. Lord Tatsumi, himself, was said to be a man of immense strength and skilled with a kanabo. The only time Seta and Hanamura had ever been called to fight; the pair had killed a massive amount of soldiers by themselves.

* * *

Lord Tatsumi had an audience with some minor lords and ladies today. He had sighed because they were going to go over issues he did not want to go over. "They want me to marry again so I can have an heir," Lord Tatsumi thought, "They just want one so they don't have to worry about losing their status."

He had another issue that was going both ways, "I have to raise taxes again," Kanji thought.

Part of the extra money would be going to the Fujiwaras' in Kyoto, but the other part would be going to him. The lords and ladies wanted their own share of the money. That's why they wanted to push this forward so quickly.

The two tall men who were wearing yukata and standing right outside of the main entry hall were waiting outside at attention and to greet the lords coming in. The lords would recognize both of the young men. The silver-haired man with silver eyes and brown-haired man both had a scabbard at their side, and the silver-haired man's serious face was belied by his good looks. It was a dangerous combination to cross Seta Souji.

Both of the samurai were wearing all white and bowed to all of incoming lords.

Lord Dojima nodded towards Seta as he walked through the stone archway to the main hallway. He was a distant relative of Seta, an uncle, and was the oldest member of the group. He was also the wisest, if a bit tempermental. He did not care much for the Fujiwaras; especially for their current leader, Fujiwara Adachi.

Dojima was wearing a blue and gray yukata and his graying hair and stubble was evident. Ryotaro… was the advisor to Lord Tatsumi and led the rest of council. He normally was the voice of reason.

Dojima's journey along the rows of cherry blossoms that lead up to the archways gave him memories of his dying wife. Chisato was far too sickly and was no longer vibrant and happy. All care of his daughter Nanako would be left to attendants now.

Lord Dojima bowed to Lord Tatsumi as he approached and the younger lord returned with a short bow. The wall scrolls, or kakemono, that lined the walls were embroidered with gold leaf.

Lord Ichijo and Lord Nagase were cousins. They followed the wizened member of the group. Both of them were very close and were inseparable. They were also extremely athletic, almost as athletic as the highly trained samurai. Behind Lord Ichijo was his extremely pretty wife, Lady Ebihara.

Both of the cousins were wearing blue, while Lady Ebihara was wearing a lavish white silk kimono. The only contrast between Lord Kou and Daisuke was the blue hair of Kou and the brown of Daisuke.

They both bowed to Lord Tatsumi as well as they walked up to him. Lady Ebihara did the same, her orange hair sliding down to cover the top of her kimono.

Lord Tanaka, in everyone else's mind, was the greediest of all of the minor lords under the Fujiwara clan. He and his wife, Lady Uehara Sayoko, were dead set on stripping the land and its people of all of their money. He took everything to the extreme. His graying hair was a sharp contrast to the black-haired Sayoko. She was much younger than Lord Tanaka. Yet, it was an arranged marriage that turned out to be for the best.

Lord Tanaka's black wear was a sharp disparity to the white clothes of the samurai as he passed him. He had a disdainful look for Hanamura, and an intriguing look for Seta. He looked like he wanted to use him somehow. Lady Uehara had a seductive look for Seta in her white and pink kimono. She used dye from the flowers in this exact palace to get the color for this kimono. Last's year flowers, of course.

Both Lord Tanaka and Lady Uehara had nothing but condescending looks for Lord Tatsumi when they bowed, but Kanji ignored them. It was no use inciting a war within the family for this reason. If it got beyond a few petty looks, he would have his vassals take care of them.

Lord Konishi was standing nonchalantly just outside the palace gates. His gray nondescript robes were nothing like what he used to wear. He started wearing them ever since his sister died. Lady Konishi died in a mysterious accident that none of the other lords could explained. When the beautiful sister of Lord Konishi died, Lord Konishi Naoki went into a depressed state. There was no snapping him out of it.

His head was in a permanent bow as he walked towards Lord Tatsumi. He received disparaging looks from the other lords and ladies as he entered the chamber. The only one that seemed to understand his pain was Seta and he was not even a lord.

The lords and ladies: Lord Dojima, Konishi, Tanaka, Nagase, Ichijo, as well as Lady Uehara and Ebihara… all sat in front of Lord Tatsumi.

Kanji took a deep breath before he addressed the group. His first words would reverberate among the pillars of the room.

"We are all here to discuss the nature of the issues at hand," Kanji told them, "Give me the status of your situation."

Dojima was the first to speak, "The rest of the Fujiwaras' in Kyoto are starting to pressure us for more money. They are feeling that are losing control of their family, and there is underlying pressure from the Minamoto family. They may ask for troops as well."

"Greedy bastards…," Nagase muttered.

Ebihara said, "Do we even have manpower to give them if they ask for it?"

Kanji shook his head in disagreement.

"We could give them Seta and Hanamura," Tanaka suggested.

Kou rebuked him, "What if the Minamotos' attack us? We have plenty of footmen, but none of our samurai match up against either of them."

The Minamotos'... Seta cringed at hearing their names. Lord Arisato and Lady Takeba, as well as his sister Lady Arisato and Lord Aragaki were the leaders of the Minamoto family.

Dojima shook his head, "We wouldn't give up either samurai, but we can provide a small amount of foot soldiers. The problem is taxation."

That caused a sigh of relief on Souji's face, and as he looked at Yosuke; he saw he was doing the same.

Tanaka smiled. He had the land well in hand in this department.

Seeing Tanaka's smiling face, Kanji asked him, "I understand we need to pressure the serfs into giving us what they owe, but if you kill them…"

"We can't tax dead people," Ai told Tanaka.

"We call it scare tactics," Tanaka replied, "They'll pay if they see their fellow farmers and workers dead."

"It's wrong…," Ai shook her head.

Kou said, "If it is necessary… we may need to be a little aggressive."

Kanji shook his head, "I agree. The heads of the Fujiwaras' will be on us soon enough for money."

"We'll get on it then," Dojima nodded and motioned to an advisor that had come in. He said to the man in the gold-colored hat, "Make sure you collect all of the taxes."

"What about food?" Lady Uehara spoke, "They'll be asking for that too."

"An army needs food. Without food, an army can not run," Lord Dojima explained.

"Leave that to me," Her husband, Lord Tanaka, smirked.

"Then that's done," Kanji nodded with exhaustion. He almost made to get up, but was stopped by Lady Uehara.

"There is also an issue with you carrying on the family name," Lady Uehara stopped him, "You need a son, since your first wife… was unable to provide you with one."

"Don't start with me about this," Lord Tatsumi said, "I don't want to worry about it right now."

"But… you need an heir," Lady Sayoko continued.

"Lady Uehara is right," Dojima agreed with her, "The longer you go without a son, the weaker you will look."

"Even a bastard son will look better than being without one," Lady Ebihara told him.

"You could always just find some girl off the streets to have at least one child, while you find a suitable wife later on," Kou suggested.

"Kou!" Kou's cousin, Lord Daisuke Nagase, exclaimed.

"It may be necessary, if he is that stubborn about it," Lady Ebihara said.

"Not you too," Daisuke shook his head.

"If it must be done… let him take some peasant girl to his chambers and then throw her into the servant quarters afterwards," Lord Konishi finally spoke.

There were some nods of agreements, and some nods of resignation.

Kanji sighed. He knew it would turn into something like this.

"Then it's agreed," Dojima said, "If Lord Tatsumi can not find a suitable wife, then he will go out and find a peasant girl."

Kanji looked exasperated at these turn of events. If he had to sire a child, he would rather it not be a peasant girl give him an heir. However, he was not interested in any of the possibilities that the minor Fujiwara ladies offered.

Kanji shook his head, "If we are done… then you are all dismissed."

All of the lords and ladies except Lord Dojima stood up, bowed, and made their way out of the palace. Yosuke followed the lords and ladies out, while Souji waited at the doorway.

Kanji looked lost and the older advisor made note of that. "You look frustrated, Lord Tatsumi."

"This whole pushing me to find a wife…," Kanji muttered, "I don't want to deal with that."

Dojima thought for a second, "What about Lady Ozawa? She's available."

"I'd rather not," Kanji responded.

"You have never seen her…," Dojima responded, "Then again… neither of us have."

"I heard she's very gloomy," Kanji told him.

Dojima sighed in frustration, "Maybe… the best idea is for you to pick someone outside of the hierarchy. It may not be honorable, and it will be looked down upon... but it will give you more time."

"I guess… I may have no choice," Kanji shrugged, "That's if Tanaka doesn't kill them all."

Dojima let out a sharp chuckle, "You're right about that." He told the head of Nara, "I'll make sure you find a girl. You can tour the city."

Dojima bowed as Kanji said, "Alright, you can go now."

As Dojima left, so did his other samurai guard, Souji. Kanji had other guards watching over him, and Souji was watching over Dojima closely.

"Lord Dojima…," Souji said to Dojima as he walked out with him.

"You know to just call me Ryotaro when we're alone, Souji," Dojima told the eighteen-year old samurai.

The forty-four year-old lord knew his cousin had to be formal, but this was private. It was important to speak to the young man, though.

"As you wish, uncle," Souji nodded.

"I have special orders for you," Dojima said.

The two of them had passed the cherry blossoms and were passing through more archways. The cherry blossoms were beautiful in the spring, swaying in the slight breeze.

"What do you wish for me to do?" Souji asked Dojima.

"Seta… Lord Tatsumi will not find a bride within the confines within these walls. I want you to be at his side when he goes out to the rural areas… Take Hanamura with you," Dojima commanded.

Souji stopped and bowed, "I understand. Is there anything else you wish for me?"

"Watch out for Lord Tanaka," Dojima warned, "He may try to betray Lord Tatsumi and take power for himself. If he does… the power of Nara will dissipate."

"I will keep my eye on him and pass on the orders to Hanamura," Souji responded and bowed again.

"Good… That's all I ask cousin," Dojima told him.

Souji walked ahead of the older lord and went to find his partner. He looked around and found Yosuke with his back against the reddish stone gates watching Lady Ebihara and Lady Sayoko walk out of the palace. Souji stood next to Yosuke as he stared at the ladies. They were heading towards their own smaller manors. Lady Ebihara's long red-orange hair swayed in the light breeze.

"Lord Ichijo was a lucky bastard," Yosuke muttered to Souji as he came up to him.

"How so?" Souji asked.

"He never saw Lady Ebihara before he married her and look at her," Yosuke pointed out. He explained, "Her face, her body, everything about her… she's beautiful."

"She's a bitch…," Souji responded, "And she's not very bright."

"A small price to pay if she's beautiful," Yosuke told him. He then asked Souji, "Who cares if she's stupid?"

"Says someone who's trading fans with Lady Satonaka," Souji said tiredly, "You are not even supposed to be messing around with people like Lady Satonaka anyways."

"What do you mean by that?" Yosuke asked. He continued, "You are one to talk."

"Have you read her fans?" Souji asked. He explained, "They are not exactly pieces of art."

"Do you consider Lady Kujikawa's fans eloquent?" Yosuke challenged, "She is always sending you fans."

Souji shook his head. Lady Kujikawa was always bombarding him with illicit poetry in her fans. He was a samurai, not a lord. "I find them full of innuendo," Souji responded. "But… every one is, am I not correct?"

"Of course they are," Yosuke said, "That's the point." He continued, "What do you consider of Lady Amagi?"

Souji thought about it. Two weeks ago, when Souji and Yosuke were heading back to Lord Tatsumi's palace late at night, one of Lady Amagi's servants stopped Souji in front of her residence. The servant, dressed in white, gave him a fan written in neat and well-expressed calligraphy. They were words expressing her wish to be with him. It was slightly disturbing for someone who had never even seen him in person to write such words. He was a samurai, damn it! He was not used to high-ranking women trying to seduce him. It was completely ridiculous in his eyes. They were not supposed to be even thinking about him.

"I don't want to think about it," Souji muttered.

"Heh…," Yosuke said, "I'm going to see Lady Satonaka,"

Souji closed his eyes, "Okay… I'll talk to you later, Yosuke." He remembered Dojima's words and called out, "Lord Dojima wants you stay by Lord Tatsumi's side when he heads out to the rural areas in a couple of days."

"He does not have much faith in him finding a wife, does he?" Yosuke remarked as he turned around sharply.

"Not really," Souji told him.

"Of course, I'll be there… What kind of guard do you take me for?" Yosuke asked as he turned back around.

Technically, Souji was slightly more prestigious than Yosuke. If it was not something that his great-grandfather did, Souji would have been a lord along with his Uncle Dojima. His family still became samurai, and lucrative samurai at that.

Souji closed his eyes at the setting sun. All Souji wanted to do at the moment was go back to his home and meditate. He had orders from his uncle, but Souji would rather not get involved in all of this.

Souji started his walk past Lord Tatsumi's residence and into the mercantile area of Nara. As the sun set, the merchants started to pack up their goods. At seeing a young man with a sword, both the peasants and the merchants cast worried looks on each other. No one wanted to cross him. Souji was usually pretty docile. He was better than Tanaka's guards. The guards would chop anyone to pieces who Tanaka thought disrespected him in the slightest.

Souji tried to keep his eyes forward and make sure he did not have to cause any trouble. The lower classes skirted wide of him, regardless, but he did not want to have cut anyone down today. He was tired, and Souji hoped he did not snap at somebody.

A man in dirty white robes gave a scared look at Souji as he turned the corner. Souji ignored him. He could not ignore the other man who ran straight into him. He looked just like the other man, wearing the same kind of white robes and short black hair. He seemed to be the brother of the first man. Bumping into Souji had nearly knocked him down, and the both peasants had appalled looks on his face.

"Oh… god, I'm so sorry… Please forgive me, Sir," The second guy said to Souji as the young samurai staggered.

"You do realize who you ran into, right?" Souji asked. His hand lazily grasped his blade.

"Yes, sir…," The first guy said, "He didn't mean to. Please… We didn't mean to…"

Souji sighed. He didn't really want to get his sword dirty. He was far too tired to care right now.

"Just go home…," Souji told them.

"Thank you, Sir," the first peasant bowed, knowing that both of them had escaped with their lives.

The second peasant bowed and the first one bowed again. They both ran away after that as Souji closed his eyes. Souji opened them and brushed his yukata as if running into the peasant had dirtied them. The white clothes Souji was wearing did indeed have slight marks of dirt on them. He did not know when the last time the peasants had bathed.

Regardless of this fact, Souji shrugged all of this off and kept moving away from the commercial area. It was along these paths that he passed a massive Buddhist temple. Amidst all of the merchants waiting to leave, Souji stopped momentarily to gaze upon its majesty. He knew that he was blocking the road, but the people would just have to wait for him. Souji had seen the temple many times, but every time he saw it always amazed him.

Souji shook his head and continued along the passageways. His home was near more of the minor lords and ladies' residences. As Souji's eyes started to droop from exhaustion, he almost ran into a female servant that was coming his way. She seemed a little flustered, especially when she almost bumped into him.

The young female servant bowed as she stopped. "I'm sorry,"

"It's okay… I wasn't paying attention," Souji shook his head. What was with him and running into people today? He looked at the girl. She was a pretty young thing. Her black hair was done up in a bun. "Can I help you?"

"This is from Lady Kujikawa, Sir," The girl gave him a white silk fan.

Souji cringed at receiving another fan from Lady Rise Kujikawa. The writing on it was... scary. She was obviously far too easily impressed by his exploits. It was not like he had done very much in his life so far. He had barely cracked twenty.

The fan read something like "Willows upon the path of souls. Inside the trees, inside the soul is a wish; my wish. My wish is a wish shared only by me. Take me to the stars."

The fan was dripping with innuendo. Souji needed to find a way to get out of there. The last thing he wanted to do was to send a fan back.

Souji looked down at the fan again and then back at the expectant servant. She was looking at him like she was waiting for him to write something back. "Damn…," Souji thought, "How am I going to get away from this?"

The servant, decked in white, was cute, but Souji was thinking far too hard about other things. The servant finally asked, "Do you need me to bring you a fan?" She must have guessed that a samurai would not have any fans to write on.

Souji sighed and asked the black-haired servant, "Can you tell Lady Kujikawa that I am very, very tired and that I must retire for the evening?"

The servant looked disappointed, like she would somehow suffer for delivering this message, but answered with a bow, "As you wish."

The servant bowed again and turned back towards a small, but still larger than his own residence. It was a reddish, almost pink place with a lavish touch. Though the Kujikawa was a minor house, it was certainly a known house. Souji knew that Yosuke would rather have had Kujikawa's attention than Satonaka's, but he made do.

Now that he had gotten rid of the servant, Souji was finally free to walk home without any more interruptions… he hoped.

Souji's walk ended at the largest of any of the samurai's residences. He was the most prestigious samurai in the city, so his place was the largest. He pushed the sliding door open and held his head. He had a headache from everything that had happened today.

"I'm glad to be home," Souji muttered to himself.

Souji took off his sword, loosened his black sash, and sat down in the middle of the living room. He crossed his legs, closed his eyes, and opened his mind. He wanted to clear his thoughts for the future. Souji had so many orders, so many thoughts on his mind, and so little time.

The rain had started to fall. The cherry blossoms had almost finished blooming and the next season would be summer. The summer would bring even more rain. As the rain pattered, Souji's mind cleared. He knew what he had to do now. He was torn on his ethical ideology, but he knew his duties. He was reluctant to harm peasants, he did not want to integrate himself with nobility, and he was so wary of nobles like Tanaka. Yet, Souji had his orders, and he had to follow them. Souji would be at Lord Tatsumi's side when he went out to the countryside, and he would protect his land. He is expendable.

* * *

**The next day**

**Rural Nara**

The rural land surrounding Nara and its inhabitants were happy to see the rains. Rain meant that crops would grow. These inhabitants were the poorest of any of the others. There was not much land around Nara that could be worked. Space was precious, and it was worked very heavily. If a harvest failed, then it would be a disaster for everyone. The taxes on the land were extremely heavy, and they were about to be raised. Tanaka was going to strip the land bare with his taxation.

The rice fields were inundated with water. The children helped with the adults in the fields with the intensive labor. Families were large and work was difficult. Life was difficult and painstaking. Though… people found joy in it. There was simplicity in living a life free of plots and twisting loyalties. You just lived your life in a continuous circle. It was a never ending circle of life and death.

One family was working hard on the fields. There were only a few of them working on the fields today. A young person and a grandfather were laboring away fruitlessly. The young person was short with short blue hair and a soft face. Her unkempt tunic was colored blue as well. The grandfather's long gray hair was untidy and uneven. With only two trying to do everything, they would never make any progress. The harvest would fail and when they expected rice and money… there would be none.

"Grampa," the young person looked at him and then asked, "When is my cousin coming home?"

"Naoto…," the grandfather responded, "I don't know."

"He is coming home, right?" Naoto asked.

"He's on the run…," Naoto's grandfather told Naoto, "He can't come home."

Naoto's grandfather sighed. Naoto's cousin killed a samurai. Coming home… would mean putting everyone in danger.

As work continued, Naoto's grandfather looked up. He saw a group of men approaching. They were here to collect taxes… taxes that they could not provide. They were Tanaka's men.

"Naoto…," the grandfather called, "Go inside…"

"But… Grampa," Naoto protested.

"Go!" Grandfather exclaimed.

Naoto turned around and headed back towards the communal home that they shared with another family. Naoto was scared for grampa. "What are they going to do to him?" Naoto thought.

* * *

I used a small amount of my knowledge of Japanese history to make this chapter. I can't write poetry so my writing on fans sucks, I know. I picked Heian Era because that fit the whole introduction of the samurai, three warring families, and influx of culture. I will do better as I go along, including adding a lot more of anthropological information... I promise.

Kanji is older than Rise and Naoto in this story. He's basically Souji's age, which is right about 20.


	2. Chapter 2

Samurai and Ninajs Chap. 2

I do not own Persona or the character's likenesses, sorry everyone. Atlus does. Blame my lack of creativity.

This story takes place towards the middle of the Heian period of Japan. I am not being completely historically accurate with this, so do not get all over my back about it. How much Personas will play a part in it, I do not know about that one.

A note, I will mainly use first names first, then last names. I know this is the one glaring difference that I am using in respect of their culture, but since I am writing in English… I will write as such.

Did you know? That until the Meiji Era, rural families were not allowed last names in Japan. If you were not important, you did not have a last name.

* * *

**Nara- Lord Tatsumi's Residence**

**Earlier that morning**

Dressed in fancy black and light yellow clothes, Lord Tatsumi was once again sitting in that gilded chair in that palace/fortress of his. It was a torturous morning for him to say the least. Lord Dojima had come in early this morning to discuss possible wives for him. This was one of the last things Kanji Tatsumi wanted to talk about. It was unavoidable, however. Lord Dojima was going to come in and find him a woman, if it was the last thing he did.

It did not help that Seta was standing right there to hear everything. Lord Tatsumi trusted Souji Seta with his life. He was closer to him than he was to other guard, Hanamura. He sparred with him and trained with him regularly. He would be laughed at later on.

When Kanji was younger, he never understood why he had to marry Lady Matsunaga when he was so young. His mother told him that there were a multitude of reasons. One was the fact that it would give them a chance to maybe fall in love, like she did with her father. No actual love ever formed between Kanji and Ayane. Marrying young also gave the chance for producing many, many kids. Kids died all time through childbirth, disease, and other mishaps. Having a boy was one thing… keeping it alive was another task. Only a few years after Lady Matsunaga died were the lords pushing another marriage on Lord Tatsumi. The third reason was because of the constant instability between the three families. The Fujiwara, Minamoto, and Taira families were constantly jockeying for position and sensing a weakness in any chain could cause a collapse in the whole city. If Kanji died, a son could take over.

His father had assigned Lord Dojima as regent when he died, and he had kept the region of Nara afloat while the younger Lord Tatsumi matured. If the current Lord Tatsumi had a son and he fell for one reason or another, Kanji would hope Lord Dojima was still alive to watch over his lands while he matured. There was no one else he would rather have watching over what he has tried to keep together the past couple of years. Now, it was time for the hard part.

"Lord Tatsumi," Dojima bowed while standing to his left, "You need to listen to me. If you don't decide on a female, whatever hold you have on this land will fail. We need a strong choice."

Dojima was wearing the same blue and gray as he was the day before. His gray stubble never really went away.

"I know that, Lord Dojima," Kanji sighed. He looked at the much older man, "Well… let's hear my choices again."

Lord Dojima unrolled a long scroll. It had a long list of names of what seemed of every available noble lady in Nara and the surrounding lands. They had gone through this list before. This was the second time they were going through the list of women, maybe they would find a suitable girl this time around. Maybe he had gotten hit on the head so many times by Souji that something was knocked loose and he would finally make a pick.

Dojima coughed to clear his throat and started reading, "Well… there's Lady Ozawa. She's said to be a brilliant dramatist."

"Her father was assassinated by the Minamoto family and her mother committed suicide," Lord Tatsumi responded. He continued, "She's supposedly just as dreary."

"But… she's supposedly beautiful," Souji added. It looked like the samurai was going to give him advice as well. He had connections as well.

"Does that really matter if she decides to kill everyone one evening?" Lord Tatsumi rolled his eyes.

Dojima shook his head. He scrolled his eyes down the list. "What about Lady Satonaka?" Dojima asked.

That comment made Souji choke down a laugh. It forced both lords to turn towards the samurai.

"Is something funny?" Lord Dojima asked.

"Not really funny," Souji's mind was not focused on funny.

Dojima and Kanji looked at each other. "What is it?" Kanji asked.

"You can find my partner with Lady Satonaka right now," Souji explained.

"Hanamura is there?" Dojima raised an eyebrow, "Well…" He shrugged his shoulders.

Kanji closed his eyes, "She's not very smart."

"Why do you think she's attracted to Hanamura?" Souji smirked.

Dojima let out a sigh, "Well… what about Lady Kujikawa? She's one of the most beautiful women in Nara?"

"She writes very seductively as well, if sloppily," Souji cut in.

"How would you know…?" Lord Tatsumi started to ask. He then asked, "Have you?'

"She tries too hard," Souji replied.

"Well… how about Lady Kujikawa?" Lord Dojima inquired.

"She'll most likely act like Lord Arisato of the Minamoto family," Kanji said, shifting his position in the chair. Even the Fujiwaras knew about Lord Arisato's affairs with Lady Aigis. The only person that did not know about it was the Lady Takeba.

Dojima knew that Lord Tatsumi had rejected Lady Kujikawa so he moved on, "Lady Amagi? What about her?"

"No… She does not want to be a Tatsumi," Kanji said, "She hates it in Nara. She finds it so restrictive to be cooped up in a small place, never to see the outside."

"Now that I think about it, I have heard of such," Dojima rubbed a little stubble, "It could cause more strife within Nara, within the Fujiwara family."

Souji thought, "The only reason she ever sent me a fan was because I can be sent places at any time. She must hope that I'll get sent somewhere and she can join me."

The list continued, for what seemed forever. Dojima would list someone; Kanji would immediately shoot it down for one reason or another. The reasons were getting slightly ridiculous. Dojima was getting exhausted with this. Kanji just needed to get the job done and get a son.

Dojima rolled up the scroll and gave a heavy sigh and coughed. He really did not want to make this suggestion. He would rather have given this suggestion to his cousin in a couple of years to make him a lord.

Dojima said slowly. "There is my daughter, Nanako. Though my daughter is too young at the moment to produce an heir, she is at an age where you could marry her."

Souji didn't expect him to offer his daughter to Lord Tatsumi. That was a big surprise to him.

Lord Tatsumi could see the regret in Dojima's eyes. Though marrying Lord Dojima's daughter would strengthen his hold on Nara greatly, something about it… seemed wrong. Marrying a girl before she knew what love was did not always turn out for best.

"Are there no other choices?" Lord Tatsumi looked at Lord Dojima.

"If you don't pick between any of the women that were on the list, you will be forced to find someone not to marry, but to just have a son with," Dojima explained, "Whether it be a peasant girl, or a servant; you will find someone to have a child or children with. It does not have to be with someone you love or truly care about; you need to have an heir."

The thought of having a meaningless relationship just to have a son with disgusted Kanji Tatsumi. There were a lot of flaws with these noble ladies, but if he could just find that single girl he cared about, then there would be no problem. Instead, they were thinking about resorting about giving him an eight-year old or a servant girl. The women were supposed to be subservient in marriage, but this was beyond ludicrous.

"After you have a "son"," Dojima continued, "You will have more time to think about it, understandably."

Kanji felt annoyed. He couldn't escape any of this. It was just something he had to do or there was a chance that Nara could suffer because of it.

His thoughts were interrupted by Lord Ichijo's sudden arrival into the main hallway. His blue wear matched his blue hair. He seemed in a hurry, and his intrusion gave Lord Tatsumi a chance to find out what Lord Ichijo needed.

Dojima turned his head as Lord Tatsumi asked, "What do you need Lord Ichijo?"

"Tanaka's men have begun the collection of taxes, Lord Tatsumi," Kou explained.

"Already?" Dojima looked slightly confused, "How did he get men out so fast?"

"Is Tanaka with them?" Kanji asked.

"No… He would never bother with something as trivial as this," Kou responded, "The men are currently among the outlying areas of Nara. They are seeing to the rural areas."

"It's too early to collect those taxes," Dojima looked at Lord Tatsumi, who gave a slight nod. Dojima continued, "The amount is far too much. Even at the old rate, they could not fulfill what we ask since we just taxed them a short while ago."

"Lord Tanaka is being greedy," Kanji said, "He's trying to suck up all the wealth he can as soon as he can."

Kou looked at the pair, "Tanaka's men are ruthless. If the peasants can not pay up…"

"Then we won't have anyone left to grow crops," Kanji finished.

"We will have a peasant rebellion on our hands," Dojima said, "Push them too much and they'll push back."

Kanji put his hand to his forehead. He knew Tanaka would try and take advantage of this. He should have waited for this order and sent out reasonable people like Lord Nagase and Lord Ichijo. The last person Kanji wanted to send out there was Tanaka and his men. Now he needed to stop him before peasants died.

Kanji looked at his personal guard and gave his command, "Seta… find out wherever Tanaka's men are and stop them from doing anything that would cause us to have a shortage of crops in the near future."

Souji responded with a bow, "I understand, my lord."

Souji shouldered his sword and rushed out of the palace. He was not amused by Tanaka's plan. He did not like senseless killing, but if the peasants rebelled; he would be called in to stop them. Souji really hated his job sometimes.

Souji moved faster than usual because he needed to find Lord Tanaka first.

As Souji left, Lord Tatsumi addressed Lord Ichijo, "Is there anything else?"

"No, Lord Tatsumi. If I may, I will take my leave," Lord Ichijo nodded.

Kanji nodded and Kou turned and left. It was obviously much slower than the speed than Souji left.

"I hope this does not cause something that will damage our family," Kanji said to Dojima.

Dojima nodded in agreement. Somehow, Dojima had a sinking feeling that this small action could have big ramifications.

Souji's pace had jumped up from a fast walk from to a jog. He decided not to worry about picking up his yumi or his sleeveless jacket… and instead only about getting to Tanaka's residence. His black and white hakama was unhindered as he weaved between the traffic. At seeing a samurai with his sword in hand, everyone was quick to move out of their way. Running through the mercantile district, Souji nearly hit two carts carrying silk and at least five shoppers. Soon, Souji made it to the noble's residential area. Souji flew by the same young black-haired servant of Lady Kujikawa who had given a fan from her lady the night before.

"I'm sorry… official business," Souji said to her as he ran past.

Lord Tanaka and Lady Uehara had separate living residences. Souji had to think for a second on which one was which. He decided to pick the one that was twice the size as the other and the oak was colored black. It was nearly one-fourth the size of Lord Tatsumi's. It was despicable and a way of showing up every other lord and lady in Nara. It even dwarfed Lord Dojima's residence.

"Only a greedy bastard would have that a place that big," Souji muttered to himself.

Souji walked up to the sliding door and called out, "Lord Tanaka! I need to speak with you, Sir… I have orders from Lord Tatsumi and I need help from you."

If you listened closely, you could hear a rustling of sheets and a grumbling man. Around a minute later, Lord Tanaka came out in a white robe, disheveled and very annoyed.

"What do you want?" Tanaka asked with malice.

If Souji looked closely, he could Sayoko on the other side of Tanaka's sheets.

"I need to know where your men are today," Souji told him.

"They're out collecting taxes," Tanaka answered with an annoyed face, "Does that satisfy you? Then get out…"

"No… I need to know where in the outlying areas they are right now," Souji told him.

"Go through the city, past the Kusaga Shrine, and head straight that way. You'll find my men there," Tanaka sneered, "They're just doing their job."

"Thank you…," Souji nodded, "I'll take my leave." Souji bowed.

Souji began running again and Tanaka slammed his sliding door.

"Damn him…," Tanaka thought, "Lord Tatsumi is sending his prize pet to watch over my men. Tch…"

From under his sheets of the sleeping quarters, Lady Sayoko raised her head. "What is it, my lord?"

"Nothing for you to worry about," Lord Tanaka smiled.

Tanaka turned back around and headed back. He closed the second sliding door behind him. You could see the silhouette of a man in the background and a robe dropping.

Souji continued his run through the Kusaga Shrine. It's brilliant red colors and magnificent architecture was not lost on Souji. He had no time to revel in it or really think about it. Souji had a job to do.

"It honors Takemikazuchi…," Souji thought in the back of the mind.

Passing it, Souji closed in towards where the deer lived and the city gates of Nara. He was almost to the rural areas. Souji was not sure what he would find when he got to the rural area.

* * *

**Rural Nara**

**Morning**

Naoto had slipped back to one of the communal homes at the bequest of the second oldest member in the village. The oldest member also lived in this communal home. Her name was Hisano, the midwife. She was an ancient lady who did not move too much and barely ever left the home anymore. She was swathed in black and her wispy gray hair was matted against her head. Naoto's blue eyes barely peaked out of the open window. No one could see Naoto, but Naoto could see everything. The navy blue tunic Naoto was wearing was squeezed tight against Naoto's body, so close that you could almost see the bandages across the chest.

The two other people in the home at the time, a girl and a boy were just as worried as Naoto. One was a boy who normally liked to joke around, and another normally liked to pair up all of the boys and girls in the outlying area. Now, neither would be happening.

Naoto's grandfather was the focal point and pseudo-leader of the "village". He had drawn every farmer to the area around him. The lords had come for taxes only a few months ago. The people had barely survived after that. They were coming again for more food and more of everything. It would be impossible for the farmers to provide what they wanted.

Tanaka's men had arrived. There were only four of them, but all were dangerous. All four carried swords and one was a samurai dressed in a red and white hakama. He carried two blades instead of one. He was scruffy for a samurai with semi-short unkempt black hair, tied back with a black band.

The samurai called out to the group, "Who speaks for these people?"

"I do," Naoto's grandfather answered, but with cautious respect.

The samurai continued, "We are here to collect what is ours…"

"What is it that you want, Sir?" a middle-aged woman named Eri inquired.

"We need a share of your foodstuffs," the samurai answered.

"Again?" Naoto's grandfather asked, his respect dropping, "You just took everything we had a couple of months ago. What could you possibly need more of our food for?"

"That is not your concern," the samurai told him, looking annoyed.

"A share of our crops?" Eri looked confused.

"The same amount as last time, plus another half," the samurai explained like it was obvious.

All of the farmers looked at each other. There was no way in Yomi that they could provide that amount of food. All the food they had left… they needed for themselves until the crops were harvested again.

"Did you ever consider that we don't have any food to give you?" Naoto's grandfather asked.

"If you aren't dead," the samurai responded, "Then you have food…"

"We soon will be with all the taxes," another person called out, "Do you not see how thin we are?" You could see the man's sunken face.

"That is not my problem, you insignificant little bugs," the samurai said, "Just give us the food and we will go away."

"Yes, for a few months," another short-haired peasant called out, "We will be even poorer then. How are we supposed to do that?"

One of the footmen struck that particular peasant and he hit the ground hard. The surrounding peasants ran up to him and picked him up.

"Know your place," the particular man, sword at his side, told him.

Naoto's grandfather matched the glare that the samurai gave him. Neither was going to budge, and that was going to cause major trouble.

Back at the house, Hisano looked at Naoto and said, "You should go… It's going to get bad."

"I can't leave Grampa…," Naoto said from the window.

The samurai had started a diatribe, "You are only allowed on this land because of people like Lord Tanaka. If it was not for him, you would not be allowed to live here. For the right to live here, we require things as well. We need some of the things you produce. Reciprocity is required."

"Last time I checked, this land was given to us by Lord Tatsumi, not Lord Tanaka," Naoto's grandfather rebuked, "Still, even with his taxes it's killing us."

The samurai made a motion and the footmen advanced forwards. The samurai said, "If that's the way you feel, then we will have to deal with you."

The samurai grabbed Naoto's grandfather by his short tunic while he said to his lackeys, "Search the houses for any stashes of food. Take the peasants with you so you can find it all."

Naoto's grandfather tried to struggle, but the samurai struck him across the face. His nose broke and blood ran down his face. Naoto's grandfather was in immense pain, and his tears were mixing with his blood.

"Geirin!" one of the male peasants called out.

That peasant was shoved by one of the impatient footmen, so he could get to the communal homes.

Naoto tried to stifle a scream. It was so difficult to see this happening.

"Grampa…," Naoto thought as a tear rolled down the right eye.

As the footmen started to advance, shoving the men and women who were outside towards their houses, some violently, Hisano said softly to Naoto, "Go out the back. Go out to where we harvest wild grasses. You'll find something there. You'll be safe there."

Naoto's eyes could not move from the window. Naoto's village… the peace had been shattered. Only when the other boy and girl dragged Naoto away from the window did Naoto leave the communal home.

Unwillingly, Naoto snuck out the back entrance of the home to where the wild grasses met the yards. The peasants harvested it for their own purposes, including food. Naoto ducked down, unseen, looking for something, while still keeping eyes on Grampa. Naoto soon found the metal chain and Hisano must have wanted Naoto to find. It was a sickle in actuality, one they used to cut the wild grasses. This sickle was very different from a normal one. As Naoto's hands gripped the sickle, eyes went back from the ground to Grampa.

Grandfather Geirin was thrown to the ground by that samurai; his green tunic was drenched by the ground that had been inundated with the rain last night. His blood started to mix with the wet surface. The samurai with unkempt hair stood over him and sneered as it seemed that Naoto's grandfather had been knocked unconscious. He was teaching these people a lesson for disobeying Lord Tanaka's orders. A small example of beating this old man to unrecognizable status would make the others give what they should.

The footmen had started entering the homes and throwing things about. They were unhappy to find that there was almost no food, and they were taking it out on the meager possession within the homes. You could hear the disruption and overturning of clothes, tables, and everything else. Yelling was coming from both peasants and the samurai's footmen as there was only a thin string before everything collapsed.

One of the footmen came out of one of the houses and called out to the samurai, "I can't find any food. There is nothing here."

"No food at all?" the samurai looked at the skinny sword-wearing footman, "How can they have no food?"

The samurai was frustrated as he saw all of the footmen return from three of the communal homes with very little to show for it. As the three footmen walked towards the samurai and started dumping the small bags of food in front of him.

"Is that it?" the samurai looked annoyed. He came all the way out here for almost nothing. It was ridiculous. He yelled at the peasants, "This is all of the food you have, fools!"

Geirin looked up at him from the ground. He said to the samurai, "I told you… we don't have anything to give you."

The samurai was affronted by this, and stepped on his back. Geirin grunted in pain as the foot reached his back. He realized that they had not searched Geirin's home yet. The samurai pointed to what he thought was Naoto's grandfather's place, "Search that home…"

Geirin was horrified. He believed that Naoto was still in that home. The last thing he wanted was to involve Naoto in all of this. Everyone else in his family had such a short family… his nephew, his girlfriend, and Naoto.

"Please… please don't…," Geirin called out.

The samurai smirked. This must be where the stores of food were being kept. He was their de facto leader after all. It wouldn't be a waste of time after all. Lord Tanaka would not be disappointed after all. Disappointed… with Lord Tanaka disappointed meant something completely different.

The samurai was going to search the place himself. He wanted to get the credit for finding the haul. The samurai's eyes widened when he could not move his left leg. Geirin had grabbed the samurai's ankle with a small amount of his remaining strength.

"Bastard," The samurai muttered.

The sword-wielding man picked up Geirin by his long gray hair and was able to lift him to his feet. The samurai then shoved him forward. As Geirin staggered and dragged his feet forward, the samurai drew the longer of his long blades. The samurai made a long gash along Geirin's back. The blood spurt out in a somewhat diagonal gush from the old man's back. He stuttered once and shuffled his feet twice before falling to the ground, lifeless.

"Geirin!" Eri exclaimed.

She was one of Geirin's closest friends as time passed on, and seeing him fall… was so hard.

The samurai looked at his dripping blade. He decided to take the opportunity to stop his advance for a moment and tell them, "This is what you get for opposing me and Lord Tanaka."

The samurai spit on the fallen man. He decided to finish this. He was going to make a real example. Tanaka told him that if necessary… "Show them that we are serious." He picked up Geirin again and placed him on his knees. The samurai cracked his neck as he got ready to finish this.

From behind Geirin's communal home, Naoto came running out from the long grasses, the sickle in hand. Naoto screamed at the sight of seeing Grampa fall, but the only reason they didn't hear the young person was because of the distance between them. The sickle was like no other sickle they had seen. Beneath the sickle was a long metal chain, and connected to the metal chain was a large iron ball. Naoto's cousin had left it here for just such an occasion. They were using it for normal harvesting, but now it was a true weapon.

The six men of Tanaka's did not really notice either the young person or the weapon being carried because of Naoto's small stature. It was not until Naoto had nearly reached them did the samurai and the others notice Geirin's kin.

Eri saw Naoto first. Though Eri was in shock from the samurai's treatment of Geirin, the wispy-haired woman shook out of it to see the advancement of Naoto towards the men. She also noticed the weapon in Naoto's hand, and how hopeless a one-person rebellion would be.

The samurai was focusing on his little side-mission, and only when one of the footmen shook the leader's shoulder did he notice Naoto running towards him.

"What do you want?" the samurai looked pissed for being disturbed, until he saw Naoto, then he said, "You little prick. Why are you holding a scythe? It's got a piss little chain on the end."

Naoto remained silent; the blue tunic being worn clung close to the body. It was just an advance with a steel kusarigama towards the closest man with a weapon. It would be an advance the men would not forget.

"What…?" the samurai looked amused at the advancement of a short blue-haired kid, "Are you going to attack me, little boy?"

Naoto gave a look of pure malice towards the samurai. Only eight yards away now, Naoto stopped running towards the six.

The samurai finally got a good look at Naoto, "You have a pretty face, boy… I don't know if I want to cut it all up. I'll leave it to someone else."

The samurai motioned to one of the footmen and the footman drew his sword. The samurai never dropped Naoto's grandfather. The footman and his over three feet of steel crossed the distance quickly and attempt to cut the pretty boy down. Naoto took a deep breath and exhaled. Naoto had to recall the entire training the village exile taught them all. By holding it by the small handle where the iron ball was located, Naoto was able to swing the scythe around and make contact with the slashing footman's sword. The scythe pushed the sword down and Naoto grabbed the scythe handle to release the other handle. Naoto swung the iron ball around and into the footman's trachea, shattering it.

"Holy shit…," the samurai muttered. Motioned to two of the others, he told them, "Kill the boy!"

Two slightly more muscled men drew their blades. As one drew his sword and slashed vertically straight down, Naoto moved slightly to the left and when the footman was left wide open, Naoto slammed the scythe into the second man's chest. Pulling the scythe out and leaving a gaping hole in that man's chest, Naoto dropped to the ground to dodge an incoming horizontal slash from the third man. The third footman was going to stab downward, but Naoto recalled everything and rolled underneath the man who had split his legs. Naoto drove the scythe between his legs and the third man collapsed in a heap, bleeding from the lower portion down.

Naoto got up slowly to face the unhappy samurai. He was not amused to see three footmen killed by a little boy. The boy could not be as old as fourteen.

"You bastard," the samurai sneered, brandishing the same sword, while dropping Geirin. He fell to the ground.

"I won't rest till I avenge what you did to my Grampa!" Naoto yelled.

"You have a funny voice," the samurai told Naoto.

Naoto began spinning the kusarigama. You could barely see the scythe in its revolutions. The samurai made a thrusting motion at Naoto's hidden bandaged chest. Naoto threw the scythe portion at the blade and it caught the sword and wrapped around, scythe and then chain. It began a tug and war motion between the pair. It was a skirmish between the two that Naoto could win. The lack of strength was Naoto's downfall, but the amount of effort was the only way the samurai could lose. Naoto let go of the kusarigama and the iron ball came around and hit the samurai in the right shoulder. The samurai dropped his weapon and clutched his shoulder.

"You little piece of shit!" the samurai yelled, "You broke my shoulder!"

With his other undamaged arm, the samurai drew his unhindered sword. The thousand-layered blade faced down an unarmed Naoto. Naoto was unarmed now and open to attack.

"Okay… you little blue-haired pretty boy," the samurai tried to choke out, "You're going to die now."

Eyes closed, Naoto prepared for the moment of death. Able to rebel, death was imminent now. Naoto was able to delay Grampa's suffering, maybe even stop his unnecessary torture and death.

With the off-hand, the samurai brought his second sword down. A slash the unarmed Naoto could not dodge. The pain that would come with severing Naoto's major arteries, collarbone, and all the way down to the hip never came.

Eyes opened, Naoto saw that a silver-haired man in a black and white hakama caught the Tanaka-sworn samurai's blade. The blade had never even come close as the samurai had barely started to swing before the silver-haired man caught the samurai's arm.

Looking closely, Naoto could tell that the silver-haired man was another disgusting samurai with his neat and clean hair and pressed hakama. Naoto had no idea why this samurai would stop the other one.

"What do you think you're doing!" the samurai yelled at none other but Souji. "This kid killed three of my subordinates and broke my shoulder. I have to kill her."

Souji looked around. He saw the old man bleeding all over the ground and the scared peasants. Souji saw possessions from the houses all over the place, torn apart.

Souji was livid, "You call yourself a samurai, Togadai! You ripped apart this village like a bunch of rogues! I don't care if Lord Tanaka sent you; you are a bunch of thugs! You're a disgrace!"

"We were sent to collect taxes, Seta" Togodai responded, "They wouldn't give it to us."

"No excuse!" Souji told him, "You knew Lord Tatsumi did not want taxes collected this soon!"

"Well, Lord Tanaka did," Togodai said, "I follow Lord Tanaka."

"Lord Tanaka follows Lord Tatsumi," Souji rebuked.

"Now what?" Togodai asked, "What do you want me to do?" He was clutching his shoulder and pointed at Naoto, "This little kid still killed three men and attacked me!"

"I'll be reporting this to Lord Tatsumi," Souji retorted.

If Eri was frightened before at seeing Naoto and Geirin about to be executed, seeing the samurai Souji Seta terrified her. Souji Seta, however, seemed to be mad at the samurai who caused so much trouble for them.

So, she asked Souji with respect and a little fear in her voice, "S… Sir, may we take back our food?"

Souji nodded, "I promise it will be a little while longer till Lord Tatsumi sends tax collectors, not samurai. I promise we will not rip apart your homes either."

Eri responded meekly, "Thank you…"

The peasants were still weary to reclaim the food that was taken from them. It was finally done with some trepidation.

Eri looked at two of the peasants, "You two… take care of Geirin…"

The two of them grabbed the elder man and would soon begin the careful task of taking him to the midwife in Geirin's own home.

Souji finally did turn his attention to the blue-haired Naoto. It was unfortunate that he would have to deal with this kid. Souji looked at the short and diminutive person who was suddenly looking for a place to run to. There was no place Naoto would rather be than at Grampa's side.

"I'm afraid you have to come with me…," Souji told Naoto.

"What?" Eri looked at her, "Are you going to execute Naoto?"

"I don't know what Lord Tatsumi is going to do with… Naoto," Souji answered.

Naoto started to move, like to run away. Souji easily caught up to Naoto and grabbed Naoto by the arm.

"I need to be with Grampa…," Naoto told Souji.

"You killed three men and injured a samurai," Souji responded, "I'm afraid you will have to join me."

Naoto tried to struggle out of Souji's grip, but it was incredibly strong and Naoto could not escape. Naoto could do nothing but wait to leave with Souji.

"I knew it would come to this," Naoto thought, "I am not as lucky as my cousin to escape this alive."

* * *

Well… It was an interesting chapter to write. I will bring the village back up later. I know lots about rural villages and I brought very little of it up when writing this chapter. I did my best to hide gender of you know who. It'll be fun to hide it from certain characters for some chapters. For some reason, I like making Kuzunohas relatives of Naoto... I don't know why. You tell me.


	3. Chapter 3

Samurai and Ninjas Chap. 3

I do not own Persona or the character's likenesses, sorry everyone. Atlus does. Blame my lack of creativity.

This story takes place towards the middle of the Heian period of Japan. I am not being completely historically accurate with this, so do not get all over my back about it. How much Personas will play a part in it, I do not know about that one.

A note, I will mainly use first names first, then last names. I know this is the one glaring difference that I am using in respect of their culture, but since I am writing in English… I will write as such.

* * *

**Around the City Gates of Nara**

**Afternoon**

The sun was unbearable, and Souji could feel it on his forehead. How Souji would wipe the sweat that was running down his face was a conundrum in of itself. Souji's right arm was on his sword and the left was holding both of Naoto's arms at the wrist. Naoto, at the beginning, looked ready to jump at any moment. Souji needed to keep his eye on this "murderer". Naoto might have another weapon at hand, so Souji needed a hand on his sword. With the looks Naoto gave him, Souji would not be surprised if Naoto tried to kill him.

Naoto glared at Souji. "Taking me away from my Grampa," Naoto thought, "Bastard…"

He was just another samurai bastard that served one of those lords in Naoto's eyes. Probably screwed him too… Samurai were so disgusting. At least he washed his hair.

They were getting close to the city gates now. The sweat from the sun was starting to get in Souji's eyes. It was getting annoying. There were two guards that Souji ran past in such a hurry to get this village that he did not even bother announce his attentions or wait for clearance. Souji would have to apologize to the guards later.

Souji nodded to the pair as he made to reenter the city, gazing warily at the archers above them.

"I am sorry about running past you without making myself known. It was an emergency," Souji explained, nodding towards the person he had in his grasp.

The two city guards looked at each other. The pair bowed at Souji in understanding. The archers had their right arms behind their shoulders just in case they needed to draw an arrow. They were not going to pepper The Souji Seta with arrows.

"Move along," the guard on the right gestured with a five-foot long spear.

Souji nodded in thanks before he moved along with Naoto in tow. The guards nodded back and both samurai and prisoner passed though the open wooden backed with iron gate.

Awaiting both Naoto and Souji were none other than deer that greeted them as they walked through the gate. Souji would have found this amusing except for his face being drenched in sweat.

As the two of them maneuvered through the deer, Souji blinked his head and noticed Naoto's lowered head. He still could not a good look at Naoto.

Naoto finally spoke, "May I speak?"

"Nothing's stopping you," Souji responded.

"I thought you might kill me if I did," Naoto answered.

"I am not like Tanaka's associates. I show some respect…," Souji responded, "even to those I am bringing my lord."

Naoto's eyes rolled. Naoto sneered, "If you showed respect… you would not be hurting my arms and trying to pull them out of their sockets."

Souji choked back a laugh, "I didn't kill three people."

"You kill people on a regular basis," Naoto remarked, "Dirty bastard…"

The pair had stopped at this point. The deer had surrounded them as they had almost reached the Kusaga Shrine; the red archways and temple looming near.

"Well… That's my job," Souji responded.

"Disrespecting people?" Naoto asked, "Brutalizing and hurting people?"

"If you believe that every samurai acts that way… then that's your opinion," Souji said.

Naoto suddenly smiled, which confused Souji, "You know… if you let go of me… You can wipe your face."

"Then you'd run away," Souji smiled back, "I'm not that stupid."

With more rolling eyes, Souji pulled on Naoto's right arm, "Let's go kid…"

"You have shit around your ass…," Naoto told Souji.

"Now that's not very nice," Souji responded, "If you want me to try and keep you alive… I would try and at least respect me."

"This is going to be a very long day…," Souji thought.

"Why should I?" Naoto asked, "You are not going to let me go, are you?"

"I hope you didn't expect to be let go," Souji told Naoto, "Let's just keep moving… I don't want to take all night to get back to Lord Tatsumi."

"I could really care less," Naoto told Souji.

Souji started dragging Naoto again. Naoto struggled slightly, but Souji kept moving regardless. Souji needed to stop by his residence.

"Where are you taking me!" Naoto yelled.

"I need to pick something up from my home," Souji answered.

"I didn't know you were going to take advantage of a little kid before you take me to be executed," Naoto mocked.

"I am going to pick up my sleeveless jacket," Souji rolled his eyes; "I don't know where you are getting this idea that I am going to take advantage of you."

"So you are getting your sleeveless jacket so you can throw it off first?" Naoto mocked, "Or are you just using me as a warm up for your lord?"

"You must think we are all the same… Naoto," Souji closed his eyes during this statement. He was getting another headache. He put his hand to his head.

"You are like…," Naoto said, "Every samurai, lord, lady, and every other kind of high society bastard."

Souji thought, "I guess there is no way to change Naoto's attitude."

Unfortunately, as Naoto and Souji were making there way to Souji's place, one willing and one unwilling; they were stopped halfway through the residential area by the same servant of Lady Kujikawa from last night and earlier today.

"Great…," Souji thought.

"Umm… good afternoon, Sir," the servant looked from Souji back to Naoto and back to Souji. She then said, "Am I interrupting?"

"He's taking me to his place…," Naoto leered.

"Ohh…," the servant looked at the dirty blue tunic and unwashed hair of Naoto with contempt and wondered what Souji was thinking. The servant seemed confused at what she saw. What samurai would not want Lady Kujikawa interested in him? She was the prettiest lady in Nara.

"I need to get something before I take this prisoner before Lord Tatsumi," Souji explained, "I'm in a hurry."

"Ohh…," the servant nodded, still not fully believing his words, "If it's that important… Then take this fan…" The servant handed over another innuendo-filled fan. Souji would refuse to read it.

"Thank you…," Souji said politely before he started dragging Naoto again.

As they reached Souji's home, the conversation would begin again.

Naoto let loose a chuckle, "Ha… you have the… Lady Kujikawa chasing after you… and the servant thinks… you and me will be having a good time."

Souji glared, "You aren't helping." Even this peasant had heard about Lady Kujikawa. That was disturbing.

"Well… it's true," Naoto smirked, "Well, at least one of us will have a good time."

In the back of Naoto's mind, it was flooded was fear. The rest of it was enjoying mocking Souji.

"Just shut up…," Souji yelled, "Please… just shut up!"

Souji could not stand Naoto anymore. He was sick of playing this game. This biased kid, who stereotyped every person, was really pissing him off. Souji's patience had run out.

Sliding the door open, Naoto was shoved in roughly by Souji. Souji had the urge to slide the door back so hard it would dislodge itself.

"Oh… you do play rough," Naoto said, staggering backwards.

Naoto was actually extremely scared, and was trying to put on a brave face.

Souji walked up to the prisoner and grabbed Naoto by the shoulders, while being turned around. Souji spoke from inches away, "Listen and listen well… I am the only person that may be able to keep you alive at this point." Souji was also thinking, "Maybe Lord Dojima as well…"

"You're a dirty samurai, why would you bother?" Naoto asked.

"I'm not like the others… I don't kill unless I have to," Souji told Naoto.

"Tch…," Naoto said, looking around at the large cache of weapons, "What's stopping me from taking one of your weapons and killing you?"

"If you try and kill me, you won't even get close to me before you lose your head," Souji answered.

Naoto's eyes closed and then opened them again. There would be no escape from Souji Seta.

Souji got his very first good look at Naoto as he stared into the criminal's light blue eyes.

"Are you changing your mind about respecting your prisoners?" Naoto asked, finally losing vitality.

"No… but I do understand what Togodai meant by pretty-boy," Souji replied, "He probably really hated fighting you. He probably rather would have taken you home than kill you…"

Naoto tried to laugh…, "Pretty boy? Well, I hope he's jealous about me being right by your side at this moment."

"Well… maybe I don't find you very pretty," Souji shook his head, "Especially with hair that hasn't been washed since you were born."

Naoto suddenly stopped talking. This samurai could really be a bastard if he really wanted to.

Souji left Naoto's side long enough to take his jacket off of the wall. Souji slipped it over his shoulders and adjusted it so he was comfortable. He thought about taking his yumi with him, but decided it would be a burden with dragging this smart-ass around. Souji decided wiping his face would be enough before setting out again.

Souji grabbed a dry towel. The soft cloth that touched his face felt nice on his skin.

"Can we get going now?" Souji sighed. He was tired. Maybe now that would shut Naoto up.

Souji grabbed rope, and pointed at it… asking without words, "Am I going to need this to get you to the palace?"

Naoto shook her head. Souji put the rope down and the two walked away from Souji's home after he closed the sliding door. Souji only held Naoto by one arm now, not by both wrists. The impotence was showing through in Naoto finally, if in small amounts. Souji made sure the two of them would not pass by Lady Kujikawa's residence on the way. Souji would have to read it later for a good laugh. That and Yosuke would bombard him with questions about it.

"What are you planning if you think you can keep me alive?" Naoto looked up at Souji. Naoto was much shorter, after all.

"That's for my lord to decide," Souji responded, "There are maybe only two people who have his ear at the moment. I can talk to Lord Tatsumi's advisor and he can save your life, hopefully."

"I'd rather die than stay locked up," Naoto put her head down.

"Last time I checked, death hurts…," Souji responded, "If we don't reach the palace before Lord Tanaka does… you will die."

Souji stopped and faced Naoto, "It will not be a quick death if Lord Tanaka is the one that is allowed to kill you."

For the first time, Naoto looked truly scared. Naoto did not have the strength of endure torture. Death… was scary, but torture… was something Naoto could not take. Naoto was not Raidou.

Naoto looked at Souji. There was fear in those blue eyes, "Please… Hurry…"

Souji nodded as the two of them navigated through carts, stands, and people in the mercantile district. Though people took special consideration not to run into the samurai; that usually meant they ran into Naoto instead. Souji was having trouble holding onto something that kept getting knocked into. The fifth time, Naoto was knocked over and Souji lost his grip on her. Naoto hit the ground hard and Souji turned his head to see where she had landed.

"Are you okay?" Souji asked his prisoner. He really was far too nice for his own good he believed.

"I'm alright… I guess," Naoto replied.

Souji saw that Naoto had fallen on her back and was wincing. There were cuts on her bleeding elbows. A burly man with scruffy hair carrying a jug of rice wine was the one who had slammed into her, dumping the alcohol right on her.

"Hey!" The burly man, wearing a white tunic exclaimed, "Look what you made me do, little kid!"

Naoto tried to push herself to her feet; her tunic and hair sopping wet with wine. She was pushed back to the ground by the muscular man.

"You're going to pay, little boy!" the man told Naoto, while flexing his muscles.

Souji put his hand on the man's shoulder. The man turned around and saw the silver-haired man. "What do you want?" the man asked.

The large man's eyes widened when he got a good look at Souji. Seeing the white and black hakama, the anger was replaced with fear in his eyes.

"I would prefer if you would not threaten my prisoner until she is judged accordingly," Souji told the man.

"Uhh… uhh…," the man was lost, the frustration gone in his voice; he was scared, "I didn't know."

"Then move along… and I will forget this happened," Souji told him.

"O… Okay…," the man picked up his jug and ran as fast he could away.

Souji picked up Naoto and helped the kid up. "Let's go…"

"Are you always like this?" Naoto looked at Souji.

Souji ignored Naoto. He was getting tired of babysitting. Naoto still said, "Thanks…"

"You're all wet," Souji pointed at Naoto's hair.

"I can tell…," Naoto said meekly. Naoto could see that Souji was tired.

The two of them were almost there. They had reached the entryway of Lord Tatsumi's palace. The person who was waiting for them, but none other than Yosuke Hanamura standing at attention on the left side of the palace gate.

"You're going to have to stay quiet from now on," Souji told Naoto, "Not everyone is like me. Speak only when spoken to."

Naoto nodded in understanding.

"Woah… young blood," Yosuke said as the pair walked through the open gate. His garish red and brown hakama was quite ugly.

"Shut up, Yosuke," Souji muttered.

"No wonder you ignore Lady Kujikawa," Yosuke smirked as Souji stopped with Naoto in tow.

"Yosuke…," Souji's temper was rising, "I arrested this kid for killing three of Tanaka's footmen."

"So?" Yosuke responded, "This kid should get be rewarded for that."

"This kid also attacked one of Tanaka's samurai," Souji continued, "I was forced to take this peasant to Lord Tatsumi."

"I see, so that's why" Yosuke nodded, "That does suck. Still, it's Tanaka's bitches." Yosuke smiled, "But… I didn't know you were into ten year-old boys."

Souji rolled his eyes and Naoto's bubble finally burst, "I'm eighteen."

"You don't look eighteen…," Yosuke chuckled, "You look ten."

Souji sighed, "I can see how you think that, but no..." He decided to ask, "Is Lord Dojima around? I need to talk to him."

"He's the only one in the hallway right now," Yosuke told him, "Lord Tatsumi is washing up at the moment."

"Thank you…," Souji said to Yosuke. He turned to Naoto, "Let's go."

Souji and Naoto made one final journey from the entryway, to the walkways, to the main hall. Waiting for them in the hall was the older man, Lord Ryotarou Dojima. Souji had an idea of how to save Naoto's life… for a while. He just wanted to see if Dojima would go along with it and if it would even work at all. Souji let go of Naoto's arm and the prisoner was finally able to relax.

"Souji…," Dojima greeted him with a nod, "You brought a… friend?" Dojima looked confused.

"A prisoner… actually," Souji responded wearily, "A peasant named Naoto from a nearby farm village."

"Prisoner?" Dojima looked at Souji, "What did this prisoner do?"

Dojima sized Naoto up. Naoto felt nervous being looked at by the older lord. As Dojima finished looking, he nodded as he came to his realization… a shocking realization.

"Souji… What'd the prisoner do?" Dojima asked.

"The prisoner fought back against Lord Tanaka's men, Ryotarou," Souji said, "They tore the city apart, and this kid fought back. Naoto killed three of them and injured the samurai that tried to take away everything."

Dojima turned to Naoto, "Is this true? Tell me the truth.

Naoto took a deep breathe before saying, "The men ripped through our village and took all our food. They gravely injured my Grampa. I snapped and fought the footmen. I took on the samurai and hurt him. After that… he arrived." Naoto pointed at Souji who nodded in agreement.

"That's why I had to take the kid in," Souji told Dojima.

"I understand now," Dojima nodded, "I knew Tanaka would overreact to Lord Tatsumi's declaration of more taxation in the future. He is going to overreact to this, too."

"What's going to happen?" Naoto asked nervously. The rebellious fire from earlier had gone out.

"If Tanaka persuades Lord Tatsumi," Souji shook his head.

"He won't…," Dojima told him.

"Then… what do you want to do?" Souji inquired.

"Well… I don't think you would want someone who fought people who were trying to violate their rights to die needlessly," Dojima answered.

"Needless death is not my style, but it depends on Lord Tatsumi," Souji explained.

"Well… we could have the prisoner locked up," Dojima suggested.

The look on Naoto's face was one of despair. Souji noticed this.

"How about… making Naoto a servant of Lord Tatsumi?" Souji asked.

"That would depend on Lord Tatsumi," Dojima sighed, "I am unsure of what he would decide to do."

Souji sighed. He was very unsure on what was going to happen. He looked at Naoto, who looked confused.

"Naoto probably doesn't understand what the importance of being a servant is," Souji said.

"A servant can be close to Lord Tatsumi at all times," Lord Dojima explained, "Also, you can be eyes and ears when I am not around. If someone like Lord Tanaka is around, speaking with Lord Tatsumi; you can watch over him."

"You want me to be at the lords' sides and report back to you?" Naoto looked at Lord Dojima.

"You would be around them even more than his closest friend, Souji," Ryotarou nodded, "This would be the best way to protect the integrity of Nara."

"This would be for the best," Souji agreed.

It looked like this was the only way for Naoto to survive. It was unbearable to think that Naoto had to basically become a slave to the noblemen.

"Souji…," Dojima suddenly said, "Leave this to me… Go on and rest. I want to talk to your prisoner."

"Understood," Souji nodded.

Naoto wondered why Souji was not as subservient as he should be with a lord. They must be very close. It was raising suspicions in Naoto's head again.

Souji bowed and walked away. He was going to head back to talk to Yosuke. He also had a fan to read anyways. It probably had useless stuff about Lady Kujikawa wanting him to sleep with her. He had to stay away from his partner, Yosuke. Souji did not want to get laughed at anymore than usual.

Souji nodded to Dojima as he left the hall. Throughout the stone hallway, Naoto looked around. It could be home for the rest of Naoto's life.

"So… you must have had a hard time," Dojima said, "Dealing with my cousin."

"I'm still alive," Naoto nodded grimly, "If that means anything."

"If it was anyone else… you wouldn't be," Dojima responded.

"There is no peace in knowing that you will spend life as a slave, Lord Dojima," Naoto said.

"It will be a better life than you had back home," Dojima said. He then said, "You must not like being a girl, do you?"

Naoto looked surprised, "How… How do you know?"

"I can see it in your eyes," Dojima told her, "You may be able to kill, but you don't have the eyes of a killer. You try and hide yourself, and you do well in most respects… except that I can tell otherwise."

"Three years ago…," Naoto started to explain, "In another village, my cousin was attacked by one of those dirty samurai. I was unable to help him. He was forced to fight back and kill him. Afterwards, he fled the village and went into hiding. I have not seen my cousin since. I was too soft to help him." A tear formed in Naoto's eyes, "If I was stronger, I would be able to help him and stand up to those samurai. So, I promised myself that I would forsake my womanly roots and act like a man. I learned how to fight using my grandfather's weapons. The rest is history."

"Naoto… is it?" Dojima said, and Naoto nodded. He said, "If you had fought back three years ago, you would have ended up in the same place you are now. You probably would not have ended up here… you probably have ended up dead."

"How do you know?" Naoto asked.

"Trust me… Souji would not have been there to rescue you," Dojima explained.

Naoto looked at Lord Dojima. This guy seemed almost as nice as Souji, and that made very wary. Both of them seemed too nice. That was what scared Naoto. Those people were those you needed to really worry about. They were the ones who might betray you and stick a knife in your back.

The pair could hear footsteps behind them. Dojima saw the fine robes of Lord Tatsumi entering from the side door. He had entered after washing up from his daily exercises outside.

Naoto looked straight into Dojima's eyes and said, "Please… please don't give the fact away that I'm a girl."

Dojima looked at Naoto very closely. Beneath the drenched tunic and wet and greasy hair… was a very cute girl with short blue hair, smooth skin, and a soft face. If only she happened to be a noblewoman… she might have been a perfect match for Lord Tatsumi.

"I understand…," Dojima said calmly to the girl with the forced voice, "I won't."

Dojima saw what Souji saw inside Naoto. There was a scared little peasant inside an overly tough façade. For some reason, she was even more scared of being a girl than being a boy. At times, it was much more dangerous being a male servant than it was being a female servant.

Kanji walked up to the pair. He was wearing all black today. His unnatural blond hair was slicked back after washing it. He saw a peasant that smelled like alcohol standing next to Lord Dojima. Dojima rarely brought guests along, especially ones of lower social standing. That would be like him, though.

"Lord Dojima…," Kanji asked with curiosity, "Did you bring us a guest today?"

"I did… well Seta did," Lord Dojima bowed, suddenly holding Naoto by the arm.

"I see…," Kanji said. "Well… I want to see your guest then…"

As Dojima meant to turn Naoto around, so Lord Tatsumi could get a good look at the prisoner; there was a commotion at the hall.

"Don't let this kid leave!" a man's voice roared through the hall.

* * *

This chapter was really difficult to write. I'm sick of killing myself trying to completely hide Naoto's gender from everyone. So… you will see that at least one person knows. At least I can write "she" when talks now.

All of the backgrounds will be fleshed out later.


	4. Chapter 4

Samurai and Ninjas Chap. 4

I do not own Persona or the character's likenesses, sorry everyone. Atlus does. Blame my lack of creativity.

This story takes place towards the middle of the Heian period of Japan. I am not being completely historically accurate with this, so do not get all over my back about it. How much Personas will play a part in it, I do not know about that one.

A note, I will mainly use first names first, then last names. I know this is the one glaring difference that I am using in respect of their culture, but since I am writing in English… I will write as such.

* * *

**Gates of the Palace- Nara**

**Just before the end of Chapter 3**

Souji had just finished speaking with Naoto and Lord Dojima. He was exhausted from this whole ordeal of carting Naoto around the whole city and making sure Naoto did not end up dead. Sometimes he did not know why he cared so much. He stuck his neck out for what purpose? His leniency was going to get him killed one day. This peasant made for the longest hour and a half of his life, could get him killed, and still both Lord Dojima and himself were treating Naoto with kids' gloves.

"If Naoto becomes a servant of Lord Tatsumi… Thanks are in order," Souji thought as he walked towards Yosuke was still standing.

Yosuke was still smirking when Souji returned to his post at the left side of the gate of the palace. What Yosuke was smirking about, Souji could guess… but Yosuke was still going to voice his thoughts.

Clad in his disgusting brown and red hakama that clashed terribly with his brown hair, he chuckled as he said, "You were in there a long time, Souji."

"So…?" Souji responded, looking at him with a straight face.

"A very long time…," Yosuke smirked.

"I was talking to Lord Dojima," Souji explained, shifting his blade.

Yosuke rolled his eyes, "I'm sure… You could have just been readying the prisoner." Yosuke winked.

Souji let out a deep breath, "If that's what you really want to believe." Souji countered, "I stopped making excuses for you about Lady Satonaka. They all know."

Yosuke didn't seem surprised, "It had to happen sometimes."

"No one really cares it seems," Souji shook his head.

Yosuke laughed causing Souji to chuckle softly. It was rather ridiculous that Yosuke was staying with one of the ladies almost every day. Then again, they were rather made for each other. Even Yosuke said she was not very smart, and Yosuke was no genius. Supposedly, Lady Satonaka was actually kind of athletic for a lady, and Yosuke was one of Lord Tatsumi's prized samurai. However it happened, it was still amusing. It made far more sense than having Lady Kujikawa chasing after him for no particular reason than because he kills Minamotos and Tairas. Souji hoped he did not get sent somewhere far away or he would have Lady Amagi begging to follow him everywhere he went.

"That's how I like it," Yosuke smiled. He became serious as he asked, "Do you think I will become a lord if I stay with her long enough? You know… I marry her?"

Souji's face changed, "I don't think you can ever marry Lady Satonaka. I think Lady Satonaka will marry someone else someday… and you… well that's up to you two."

Yosuke looked a little downtrodden, "You mean forced to marry someone else." When Souji nodded, Yosuke continued, "I hope I can continue to see her."

"I've heard of it happening. Especially with the heads of the Minamotos," Souji reassured him.

"You mean Lord and Lady Arisato?" Yosuke questioned.

Souji nodded as Yosuke said, "Happy thoughts there."

The lovely conversation the pair were having was about to be interrupted by an angry lord who had a very disruptive and loud conversation about fifteen minutes ago with an injured samurai.

Lord Tanaka was furious at finding his three footmen dead and a samurai that needed medical treatment. He had a busy agenda today and the last thing he wanted to hear was that the taxes were not collected and that his men were killed by a little midget who massacred the men with a kusarigama. What was worse was that when the samurai attempted to kill the kid off was that he was stopped by Souji Seta. The Minamotos had some nickname for Seta that made him out as some terror of Nara, but he would not kill this little kid who slaughtered three footmen.

Seeing Lord Tanaka approach with such seething appearance in his gray robes, Souji's eyes widened.

"Someone looks pissed," Yosuke smirked.

"Oh god…," Souji shook his head.

Souji thought there would be a little more time before Lord Tanaka came and tried to take down what Souji spent his day protecting. Tanaka probably got his report from that samurai that did not know the hilt from the point of his sword.

Lord Tanaka gray hair matched the robes as he stopped in front of the man he would rather have taught a lesson here and now. In fact, he probably could have had him killed if he was not Lord Tatsumi's favorite and one of his confidants. The gateway was like a barrier keeping him away trying to kill Seta. He always had a dislike of Seta and as untouchable as he was; he could at least get rid of that kid.

Tanaka stared straight at Souji. He wanted an explanation, "What were you thinking?"

Souji sighed. He was sick of explaining himself, "Your men ravaged the village. Did you expect them not to fight back?"

"That's not our problem. If we needed to find the food for our soldiers that they were hiding in their homes…," Tanaka answered.

"Food they don't have," Souji cut in, "These peasants had no food to give you… you just taxed them a few months ago. When we said raise taxes… we meant taxing them again in a few months."

"You are not seeing the bigger picture," Tanaka said with a haughty voice, "That's why you are not a lord."

"I see enough…," Souji responded, "You must want a rebellion on your hand."

"If there is one… you will quash it," Tanaka smiled with a nasty smile.

"Then there will be no one to grow the crops you need to eat," Souji said, "Then you will have to grow the food yourself."

"Tch…," Tanaka huffed, "Regardless, I will see that kid dead. Your efforts will be for naught."

Souji shook his head at his pointlessness. Tanaka tried far too hard to get his point across.

Tanaka made a swift turn away from Souji and towards the main hall to speak with Lord Tatsumi about Seta's behavior. If Seta was here, then this kid was too.

Yosuke looked at Souji in astonishment, "What kind of trouble did you get yourself into?"

"I guess I pissed off Lord Tanaka," Souji shook his head.

"That's not a smart thing to do," Yosuke told Souji.

"At least I have Lord Tatsumi and Lord Dojima on my side," Souji responded.

Yosuke said to that, "Lord Tanaka will find a way around that. He's a slimy bastard."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Souji nodded.

"I just feel sorry for your boyfriend," Yosuke smiled.

Souji put his hand to his head. Everything that had happened today had given Souji a raging headache. This was not going to help at all. He had to hope that Lord Dojima would make Lord Tatsumi see reason and not let him be swayed by Lord Tanaka. One of the reasons he wanted Naoto alive was to watch over people like Lord Tanaka. Another pair of eyes would be very important to the safety of the Fujiwaras.

If the lords wanted his take on the matter, Souji would stick around until the decision was made. Sadly though, the only words that truly mattered were the lords, but listening to Naoto was the only way to get the truth.

* * *

**Present**

**Main Hall- Nara**

"Don't let this kid leave!" a man's voice roared through the hall.

Before Lord Dojima was able to turn Naoto around into Lord Tatsumi's field of vision, she locked eyes with the gray-haired, grey-robed lord. Naoto immediately wanted to shrink down under his angry gaze, but was kept from doing so by Dojima's hand on her shoulder. She had to trust, as much as she didn't want to, that Lord Dojima would protect her.

Lord Tatsumi was slightly confused, but annoyed that Lord Tanaka would interrupt the meeting between him and his advisor. It was probably connected to this peasant that Lord Dojima had with him at the moment. There was probably some good explanation for it.

"What is the meaning of this interruption?" Lord Tatsumi asked the second-oldest lord on the council.

"I have a grievance with this child," Lord Tanaka explained to Lord Tatsumi, "He should not be alive."

Kanji looked sideways, "What is the issue?"

"This boy is a murderer and your samurai stopped my samurai from killing him," Lord Tanaka said.

"Elaborate," Kanji told Lord Tanaka.

Tanaka took a deep breath and looked at Naoto before saying to Kanji, "This peasant slime murdered three of my men and injured one of my samurai. He used ninja tools as well. Because of him, we were unable to collect our taxes today. Even so, we could not finish the job."

Lord Tatsumi sighed. He had almost forgotten that Lord Tanaka had gone off to collect taxes about two months after they the last time they had collected taxes.

"And how were you unable to do your so-called job?" Lord Tatsumi asked.

"Your samurai, Souji Seta, stopped my samurai, Hirsoshai Togodai from performing the execution," Tanaka explained.

Naoto wanted to lash out at Lord Tanaka, but she was stopped by Lord Dojima's firm hand on her shoulder. If nothing was done to protect her name… she could very well be killed.

"So you are saying my samurai stopped a murderer from being brought to justice?" Kanji asked Tanaka.

"Exactly… He's a traitor," Tanaka smirked. He wanted to implicate Souji as well.

"I can't believe he would do that without a just cause," Kanji said. He turned to Lord Dojima and Naoto, "What do you have to say about this, Lord Dojima?"

Kanji looked at Lord Dojima. Dojima was as close to Souji as he was. It just did not make sense that Souji would save this kid, a killer, for no reason at all. This boy must have done something that inspired Souji to save his life."

Lord Dojima looked at Kanji before he said, "According to Seta, this boy…" Dojima emphasized the boy part… He was going to keep the secret for Naoto. It must be important to her, even more so than what she explained. "This boy fought to protect the village from the samurai and the footmen that ravaged the village. Seta was just protecting him long enough until you could pass judgment on him."

Lord Tanaka was furious that Lord Dojima would support this little kid. It was only because that Seta was his nephew that he gave a damn about this boy. If it was anyone else Lord Dojima would probably be asking for this boy to be killed just the same as he was.

Lord Tatsumi looked at the boy and asked, "What's your name?"

Dojima turned Naoto around and she bowed, "Naoto, my lord…" Her voice lowered even lower than normal. She lowered her eyes. It was hard for her not to be a little scared by an imposing presence. The slicked back hair and dark blue gray eyes mixed with his black and gold robes and tall stature equaled his important standing.

Lord Tatsumi looked at this boy. It was a little hard to believe that a young boy so short, so small, and so young could kill three men and hurt a trained samurai. Underneath the dirty blue hair, light blue eyes, and soft face must exist a vicious protective nature. He was very handsome for a boy… extremely handsome.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Lord Tatsumi asked. He wanted an eyewitness account.

Naoto's voice was shaky as she began to explain to the Lord of Nara, "The men… t… they came and demanded our food. My grandfather forced me to go to my home while he tried to reason with the samurai. When the samurai didn't listen, the samurai began attacking… harming my grampa. The samurai sent the footmen to raid our homes for food. T… They stole everything… even though we were already starving from the last time we were taxed. I took a weapon from the field when the samurai was about to kill my grandfather. I… I just had to stop them from killing anyone. I lost my weapon when I injured the samurai. The samurai drew his other weapon and was about to kill me when he was stopped by your samurai, my lord. I struggled against him at first… since I thought he was going to kill me too. I know now that you are the only one who can save me… so I beg you… please do not execute me."

Lord Dojima and Lord Tatsumi looked at each other. Naoto seemed terrified at what Kanji or Lord Tatsumi might do to her. Lord Tatsumi seemed to be mulling everything that Naoto had told him over.

Lord Tanaka could not believe that Lord Tatsumi would even bother listening to what this little kid had to say. This was the biggest piece of shit ever. Just kill the kid and get it over with.

Running his hand through his slicked back hair, Kanji asked both of the other lords, "What do you think I should do?"

"I believe you should make an example of this traitor," Lord Tanaka suggested, "Execute him publicly."

Lord Dojima shook his head, "If I may offer a different suggestion… You should allow her to live, and instead let him become a servant of yours instead."

Lord Tatsumi was intrigued by this. He had plenty of servants, but none like this young kid. He was rebellious to authority, but in the presence of true power; Naoto was as meek as a kitten. Lord Dojima would not have suggested this if he did not think this was going to be a good reason. No, he definitely did not have a servant anything like this. The only thing that bothered Lord Tatsumi was his thoughts on what effects of including someone like Naoto into his services… what it would do for his popularity between the other lords. For sure it would kill his popularity with Lord Tanaka and Lady Sayoko, but it would do well with Lord Dojima since he was the one who had suggested the idea. The idea was also agreed on by his Kanji's own friend, Souji as well. The other lords, he did not know. Lord Ichijo probably would agree with him with Tanaka's rampant disregard for rules and snobbish attitude. Lord Nagase would go wherever Lord Ichijo went. Lady Ebihara would follow Lord Ichijo blindly, of course. No one knew what Lord Konishi was thinking.

Then again, Lord Tatsumi could use another personal servant to take care of his daily tasks. Besides, there was something fascinating about this peasant that he just needed to know more about.

Lord Tatsumi sighed before saying, "After much deliberation I have to… make this boy a servant in my care."

Every word that came out of Lord Tatsumi's mouth infuriated Lord Tanaka even more. He could not believe that he would think about sparing this kid's life. Did he not see the ramifications of keeping him alive? This murderer should die and he should die either by torture of quick execution. Now, they were making this kid a servant of Lord Tatsumi; it was despicable.

"I'm done with this…," Tanaka snarled.

Turning on a dime, he had given Lord Tatsumi the smallest bow possible before leaving. He had more work to do. It had become even more important with this new development. He might have to push up some of his plans.

The look on Naoto's face was one of relief, yet on the inside she realized something else. It was the fact that she was going to be a servant, practically a slave for the rest of her life. Her head was safe, and that's all that mattered, she guessed. She was also relieved that Dojima had said nothing about her gender.

Lord Dojima looked at Tanaka's trailing robes. He shook his head at how hard it was to convince Lord Tatsumi to do the ethical thing. It may not have been the most judicial thing to do, since Naoto technically did kill three people. He just hoped that he did not make a big mistake with letting her live.

Lord Dojima turned back around to see Lord Tatsumi's nodding face. Kanji said, "I guess that's over with. I see that he is unpleased with my choice. I expected as much." He asked, "Would you release Naoto into my care now?"

"Of course, Lord Tatsumi," Dojima replied. He released his grip on Naoto's shoulder, "Go on then… Go to Lord Tatsumi."

Naoto made his way over from where Lord Dojima's side to where Lord Tatsumi was standing. She could swear she was trembling a little. It was nothing like being in the presence of the samurai. He was too light-hearted to scare her. She only got scared when he got angry at her for saying he was going to sleep with "her" as she pretended to be a boy.

"Naoto…," Lord Tatsumi said to his new servant, "Welcome..."

She bowed to him. She guessed this is what she would do as a new servant.

Lord Tatsumi nodded in acceptance and made a motion to his right. He called out, "Shu…"

A young man with an interesting haircut walked up to Lord Tatsumi and bowed. His premature balding black hair was drawn back into a long ponytail.

"I want you to take Naoto to the servants' quarters to show him around," Kanji ordered, "I want you to get him acclimated to the area and the tasks before he starts tomorrow."

The young man bowed again, "I understand, my lord." He said to Naoto, "Come this way, kid. Just follow me."

Naoto nodded in understanding. It was time for her to go. With one last bow to Lord Tatsumi, she followed Shu back from where he came. They were heading out the hall, past the silk tapestries, the plant life, decorated stone columns, and towards the servants' quarters.

Lord Dojima seeing his work done, asked, "May I be excused, Lord Tatsumi?"

"Of course," Kanji responded, "We can speak later."

Lord Dojima nodded once with Lord Tatsumi nodding in return. Dojima turned at that point. He made a beeline for where Souji was currently standing. The samurai Ryotarou was looking for was still on his guard with Yosuke at the other side of the gate. Dojima had things he wanted to talk about with his nephew.

Seeing his uncle, Souji turned his head. He had finally opened Lady Kujikawa's fan to read it. Of course, Yosuke got a hold of it and started laughing at him. He was one to talk. By the time Souji had taken back the fan, Dojima had returned from the hall. Past the cherry blossoms, Souji wondered if he had done the right thing in trying to save Naoto's life.

"Seta…," Dojima called out, "Come with me."

"As you command," Souji responded. He looked at Yosuke, "Watch over Lord Tatsumi."

At the behest of Lord Tatsumi, Souji began walking alongside the older man in his blue and gray robes. The tiredness in his eyes matched his graying hair. He sighed at the thought at what was next.

"Who's that fan from?" Dojima asked.

"Lady Kujikawa…," Souji answered tiredly.

"Do you plan on responding?" Dojima inquired.

Souji shrugged, "I'm afraid about the consequences."

"I can understand that," Dojima said, "I can see good and bad coming from this."

Souji could see both sides of this. The obvious good side Dojima was thinking of was that it was Lady Kujikawa, the beautiful lady. The bad side Souji was seeing was that it was Lady Kujikawa, the idiot. If you accepted the fan no one knew which side would come out if you accepted the fan.

They kept walking at a slow, but steady pace through the grid-like city of Nara. It was modeled after Chinese cities to create equilibrium and harmony in life.

Souji started wondering why they were passing through the Mercantile Section of Nara. It was almost like they were headed to the Residential District… the Rich Residential District… Souji meant.

"What is it that you wish to speak with me?" Souji asked. He could speak more freely with his uncle than any other lord, even though he was close to Lord Tatsumi.

"You do know you should be a lord, right Souji?" Ryotarou asked.

"If my great-grandfather did not rebel against the Fujiwaras, then yes," Souji shook his head.

The two of them had passed a small stand of merchants selling meat. The peasants and merchants were all giving the pair a very wide berth, for obvious reasons. A lord and samurai commanded a tremendous amount of respect to everyone of a lower class than themselves.

"Well… for that reason, it was a surprise that you are even a samurai," Dojima said.

"I believe that your family ties had something to do with that," Souji responded.

"That's true," Dojima nodded.

"What is this all about, Lord Dojima?" Souji asked. If he was formal, Souji knew his uncle would get to the point.

"I want you to see my daughter, Souji," Dojima told him.

"Your daughter?" Souji looked confused, "Why?"

Their walking had brought them to the Residential District.

"I'm getting old, Souji," Ryotarou said, "My wife is dying."

"Is this what I think this is about?" Souji looked a little perplexed.

Souji was wondering if Dojima was thinking about him marrying him off to his daughter. It would be rather awkward for him, but anything would be an improvement to Lady Kujikawa.

"Just come with me," Dojima ordered.

Souji had to follow his superior's orders. He went with his uncle to Nanako's residence. One of her caretakers were currently outside the residence, another two were tending to her inside.

As much as it shamed Dojima to say, he had only seen his daughter only three times since her birth. The younger Lady Dojima had been kept out of sight, as was the norm… even from her own father.

Now, her father needed to visit his daughter. This was important to him; it would be important to keep the Dojima line intact, even if it was only hypothetically.

"Lord Dojima," a tall girl with black hair smiled, "What can I do for you?"

"I'm here to see my daughter," Dojima answered.

"This way please…," the girl responded. She was wearing cream-colored robes.

The caretaker, with Dojima and Souji in tow, walked up to the sliding door and opened it softly. There was a living room where another of the caretakers was present.

"Can I offer you some tea?" a woman with short black hair asked. She was wearing the same cream-colored yukata.

Dojima accepted it graciously, while Souji waved it off. He was a bit scared of what he might see in a few moments.

As Dojima sipped his tea, he turned to the first girl and asked again, "May I see my daughter now?"

"Of course," the girl said, "She has been asking about you for a while now."

"I see…," Dojima said with a frown. He was a little sad he had not been able to see her in so long.

Dojima nearly cried when the second sliding door was opened. It was like looking at a younger Chisato. The young girl was working on calligraphy with an older woman in the same cream-colored yukata as the other two. The long brown hair that reached her waist had been brushed a thousand times was nothing like the adorable face she had. She was dressed in a light pink and white that accentuated each other perfectly. Dojima knew his daughter would grow up to be a beautiful woman someday. Dojima knew it… and he had the right young man in front of her right now.

"Lady Nanako, your father is here to see you," the first caretaker said, interrupting Nanako's work.

The brushwork stopped and Nanako turned her head. She said slowly, "Father… I have missed you."

"I, as well…" Dojima responded shakily. Dojima regained his composure slightly as he said, "Daughter, I have someone I want you to meet. This is your cousin… Souji Seta."

Nanako turned her gaze towards the samurai. "A pleasure to meet you, Seta."

"And you, my lady," Souji gave a small bow.

"I must speak with my daughter about certain things," Dojima said. He looked at the two caretakers, "Please leave us."

The two caretakers bowed and left.

Dojima looked at Souji before he said, "I hope you understand your position in this. My thinking is that you will come to an understanding."

Souji knew it was time for him to leave. His uncle had seen his daughter for years. Dojima needed to catch up with her. He probably also needed to discuss the current situation with his daughter. Marrying her cousin was probably not a normal idea to say the least, but not the weirdest thing that could happen.

Souji bowed, "I should go."

Souji put his hand to his head. He had accepted tea from the caretaker with the long black hair before he left. He had a raging headache, and he needed to lie down.

Souji headed towards his side of the Residential District, not even caring that he would have to pass Lady Kujikawa's residence on the way.

* * *

**Back at the other side of the Residential District**

Lord Tanaka was still feeling pissed. He had plans to take care of, but he would not be able to complete them if he could not focus. Lord Tanaka had gone back to the Residential District to let off some steam, but instead of going to his own home; he had gone towards Lady Ozawa's.

He was met by one of her servants in all white and black. Instead of talking to the servant, Tanaka walked right past her and headed straight to the sliding door. He slid open the door and went straight in.

Opening the second sliding door, he met the Lady Ozawa without saying a word and shut the sliding door behind him.

* * *

I made Shu older than he was in the game. He also won't wear glasses in this.


	5. Chapter 5

Samurai and Ninjas Chap. 5

I do not own Persona or the character's likenesses, sorry everyone. Atlus does. Blame my lack of creativity.

This story takes place towards the middle of the Heian period of Japan. I am not being completely historically accurate with this, so do not get all over my back about it. How much Personas will play a part in it, I do not know about that one.

A note, I will mainly use first names first, then last names. I know this is the one glaring difference that I am using in respect of their culture, but since I am writing in English… I will write as such.

* * *

**Servants' Quarters**

Shu, clad in the maroon yukata of a Nara servant, lead Naoto towards the servants' quarters. Naoto could not help but stare as she was lead through the winding halls that would take her there. Unlike the elaborate gold and maroon stone hall, lined with tapestries and other amenities; the hallways were beyond elegant. The sliding doors were lined were silk and gold scarf-like tapestries hung from the ceiling and stretched for up to twenty feet before reconnecting to the ceiling.

"What are all these rooms for?" Naoto asked.

She was intrigued because they were passing so many rooms. There were more rooms in this palace than her whole village. It both amazed her and angered her on the account because of the large amount of wealth that was gathered in one place. She had not seen very many people in this palace so far and she had no idea what all of these rooms were needed for.

Shu turned his head as he was walking. He noticed Naoto had slowed her pace, "Hurry up, kid." As Naoto blushed at noticing that she was being left behind, she hurried to catch up. Noticing that Naoto was now had caught up, Shu answered the question, "Some of the rooms are for when the lords and occasionally, ladies visit."

They passed more rooms, Naoto could smell something interesting coming out of a large room they were passing at the moment. It smelled magnificent and intoxicating. She remembered that she had not eaten all day today.

Shu turned towards Naoto and looked at the room they had just passed. The two of them stopped as Shu said, "That's the kitchen. That's where we make the food for Lord Tatsumi and every other official in this palace. We make what they want to eat… whatever they want."

Naoto gulped. She was not much of a chef. In fact, whenever she cooked, visits to Midwife Hisano followed. If they wanted her to cook, her service as a servant would end rather quickly.

"Does everyone have to cook?" Naoto asked nervously.

"We do the tasks that are assigned to us," Shu responded, "If they tell you to cook, you cook." Shu added, "Most likely you'll have a few set tasks that you will do for them nearly every day."

Inwardly, Naoto shook her head. She hoped she did not get put on cooking duties. Death by her cooking would be misfortunate and certainly lead to some sort of retribution.

Shu looked at her, "Let's keep going."

They continued walking past the kitchen around a hallway. Naoto's worn shoes brushed against gold-colored carpeting. Everything was so expensive and extravagant. It seemed like such a waste in Naoto's eyes. They could have used this wealth to feed their village, all of the villages, for years.

Shu led Naoto to a much larger room than the others. It had a sliding door as well, but the lining was even fancier than any of the others. Naoto had a good idea of what lay behind that sliding door.

Shu answered and confirmed her thoughts, "That is Lord Tatsumi's room."

Naoto asked, "Is it as nice in there as I expect it to be?"

"You would have to visit Heian to find a nicer place. Lord Adachi for example, or either of the Arisatos…" Shu answered. He added, "Depending on your tasks, you may be required to serve him in there, or you may never enter there in your lifetime."

Naoto brushed back the small blue bang that stuck forward in her hair. Did Lord Tatsumi really need to have such profligate spending for his room, his palace, and his people?

There was another room of the same size across from Lord Dojima, in which Shu answered quickly after seeing Naoto's inquiring look, "That was the former Lady Matsunaga's room."

"Ohh…" Naoto said.

"That was a few years ago since it was vacated," Shu explained, "The other lords are actively pursuing a new lady to take her place in Lady Matsunaga's stead."

Naoto was unsure of what to say about that. She did not even know that Lord Tatsumi was being forced to search for a new wife. There was a lot that Naoto did not know, growing up where she did.

Seeing her confusing, Shu said to her, "You hear a lot, being one of Lord Tatsumi's servants."

"I think I understand," Naoto nodded in agreement.

This must have been what Dojima have been talking about. He told her to keep her eyes and ears open when serving Lord Tatsumi and report everything to him afterwards. She was not exactly sure what Lord Dojima wanted her to look for, but she was going to keep an eye on that jerk who wanted him dead. He had to be up to no good that was for sure. She did not know if she could say anything to Lord Tatsumi about it. She probably should not, just in case.

Shu gave her a look before saying, "Okay, let's move on…"

Naoto took her time following a long hallway with Shu. After passing a good deal of rooms, Shu and Naoto came to a four-way intersection.

"Here…" Shu said as they stopped at the intersection. Naoto stopped when Shu stopped.

Naoto looked confused, "What do you mean?"

"The first room when you go straight ahead is where the male servants stay. That's where you will stay," Shu explained.

"The second room is for the female servants, right?" Naoto asked.

Shu nodded, "That's correct."

"What about the right and the left paths?" Naoto asked.

"The right path leads towards the sauna and the springs. This is where the lord usually bathes," Shu explained. He continued, "The left side leads to the place where we wash up. It isn't very glamorous, and the only time we get to clean is usually very early in the morning. There are only two small rooms for that. Occasionally, we can use the springs too. Of course, we have to share like everyone else."

"Are there usually a lot of people washing up at the same time?" Naoto asked.

To tell the truth, she did not want to be there when any other people around when she washed up. If Naoto had to keep up this charade of being a male; she would need to be inside the washroom for boys. She had to hide her gender from everyone, and that might require her to be washing alone at all times.

"It depends," Shu answered, "If people are in a rush, sometimes a good deal of servants may be washing up at the same time. That's pretty early on in the morning. Remember, cleanliness is important." Shu asked, "Why do you ask?"

"I'm just really shy, that's all," Naoto responded, while trying to act meek.

"It's okay; you're a young boy. You'll get over it," he said.

Naoto didn't look very confident for obvious reasons. There was no way she would get over washing up in the men's washing area.

Shu and Naoto looked at each other for just a moment before Shu looked away and called out, "Kaien, come here."

A young boy with white hair and the same maroon yukata as Shu walked up from the boy's sleeping area to the pair. Kaien had finished with his other tasks for the day. His shining green eyes were different from other people. He stood across from Shu so they could speak with each other.

"What is it, Shu?" Kaien asked.

"I need yukatas and robes for our new servant here," Shu told Kaien, nodding at Naoto.

Kaien nodded, "I'll see what we have in stock. He's about…" Kaien sized up the small kid, "About 4' 8… 9"?"

"I guess so," Naoto replied.

"You're pretty skinny too," Shu said, checking out Naoto's petite size, "Hopefully, Kaien will find the clothes that will fit."

"I'll be on my way, then," Kaien said, "I'll be back with my findings."

Kaien turned and left away from the two of them and headed back from where Naoto and Shu had just come from. Three rooms back that way was a storage area where the uniforms were kept. There was anywhere from one to two seamstresses working there at all times.

Shu looked at Naoto before he said with a smile, "You should clean up now. It's probably been a while." As Naoto looked back at him, "Your new clothes will probably be waiting for you when you enter the male sleeping quarters'. Tomorrow morning, you will find out what tasks are assigned to you."

"How early should I get up?" Naoto asked.

Shu responded, "You should probably be ready before sunrise at the earliest. Be ready to serve Lord Tatsumi's breakfast at the least."

"I understand," Naoto nodded.

"Okay… Well… I'll see you tomorrow," Shu nodded back.

Shu smiled at Naoto, and Naoto returned a weak smile of her own. As Shu left to finish one small task for his lord; he had some conflicted thoughts about the new servant. He was rather young, and rather naïve. Shu had been a servant for most of his life, and this boy had no idea how lucky he was to be a servant considering the circumstances. Shu did have to wonder if Naoto would be overwhelmed when he started serving the first day. Who knows… maybe Naoto would be a natural at it?

Naoto slid open the door to the male washroom. There were a few copper tubs waiting for her. The room was otherwise rather sparse compared to the hallways or any other part of the palace she had seen so far. She sighed softly at the sight. She gasped as the door opened suddenly. In came two male servants with buckets of warm water and a third followed with some maroon nightwear. The two carrying the water dumped the liquid into one of the tubs, and the third put the clothes next to the tub.

"We'll leave you be," one of the servants who was carrying water said to Naoto.

As the servants left and shut the sliding door, Naoto took a deep breath. She looked down at the maroon nightwear. It was not made for a female; none of her clothes would fit her gender. That was the price she was going to pay.

Naoto slipped out of her tunic and slowly undid her bandages. Placing her foot into the tub, she found it cooler than she expected. Placing her whole body in, it would be nice to wash for the first time in a little while. As she dunked her head underneath, she began contemplating how to handle life as a servant.

* * *

**Residential District of Nara**

Souji Seta was thinking about where he had been the past twenty minutes. He had managed to evade Lady Kujikawa's residence easily enough, but he had much bigger thoughts than a little perverse lady that wanted to share his bed for a while. Thinking about it, she could be sweeter than everyone gives her credit for.

"You only believe people are shallow because you don't see them," Souji thought.

The current state of events could spiral out of control very quickly for what had just transpired between two people. He had walked alongside his confidant, his uncle; a man he would serve to the end with, and found he may have to sacrifice everything for him. He trusted Lord Dojima, Ryotarou, more than even his own superior. Now, Ryotarou may be asking something of him that was leaving even his nephew conflicted on his choice.

After escaping Lady Kujikawa's, Souji had headed to his own home. It was here, after he had kneeled down in his living room that he was finally able to reflect about his future.

His uncle wanted him to marry his daughter. It was definitely not unheard of… cousins marrying each other. Was it normal though… no, not really. Then again, the families within the Fujiwaras were never really normal, considering there are people like Lord Tanaka involved in that family. Why couldn't be a Taira and ruin that family?

It was not an issue of Nanako being unattractive… for an eight-year old. She was cute… for an eight-year old. That was the issue. She was eight-years old. This was one of the things that made it so awkward; the age differential. Of course, it was not that a big of a difference considering Lady Sayoko and Lord Tanaka had a bigger age difference, but it seemed much bigger when Lady Nanako was eight and he was twenty. It just… was such a conflict in Souji's mind.

"If he asks… I know he's thinking about it," Souji thought.

Souji could not turn his uncle down, could he? The sticking point would be that he would have regained his honor and his family would become noblemen again, but… it was his little cousin. He had never seen her before until today. He had never seen the little girl… with her twin brown ponytails, brown eyes, and white and pink robes. She was cute… for an eight-year old.

Souji could only wait and see what Dojima did. It was not just prospective marriage that bugged him. Being chased by Lady Kujikawa and Lady Amagi could be a somewhat prospect at times. But really, the Minamotos and the Fujiwaras… they were always so close to war. He could be sent off to a fight anytime. Lady Amagi might follow him there. She only sent fans when Souji was about to travel long distances to fight.

Souji opened his eyes. It was pointless to sit around endlessly. Besides… he had a raging headache.

Back at the Dojima household… well one of three Dojima households, the oldest of the Dojimas was speaking to the youngest.

Dojima had banished the caretakers from the room where Nanako was practicing calligraphy earlier. At this moment, Ryotarou and Nanako were about to speak the same matters Souji was currently thinking about.

Standing in front of Nanako, Ryotarou said to her, "Nanako… I know I have not seen you since you were too young to remember me."

Nanako responded, "I am happy you are here, father."

"I have something I wish to discuss with you," Ryotarou told her.

"What is it, father?" Nanako asked.

"Your mother is very sick, daughter," Ryotarou explained solemnly, "I am not sure how much longer she will live."

"I am very sorry, father," Nanako answered. She had barely seen her mother, twice in fact.

Dojima nodded as he said, "There is another matter that comes along with that."

"And what is that, father?" Nanako questioned.

"I do not believe I am young enough to have another child. A male one, at that," the older Dojima replied.

Nanako processed the words Dojima said before she said, "You want me to get married?"

Ryotarou was quite surprised that she had figured out exactly what needed to happen to keep the line somewhat intact. "That is in fact what would need to happen," Ryotarou nodded.

"Did you want me to marry the man person I met today?" Nanako asked quietly, her head dropping slightly.

It seemed that every word that came out of Nanako's mouth was quiet, soft and sweet. It reminded the older man of his wife.

"I don't know… he is your cousin, but I have not decided," the older lord admitted.

"He seems acceptable," Nanako put her head down, "But it is your decision, father."

"I do want you to have an opinion, daughter," Dojima told her, "You do not need to be so submissive."

"It is not my choice, father," Nanako explained, "You know that. If you want me to marry him, then tell me to do so."

"I will consult Souji on his decision," Ryotarou said, "I would like at least some continuity between all three of us."

"Thank you, father," Nanako nodded, "Will you be leaving now?"

"I will go now, daughter," Dojima said, a frown on his face.

"Goodbye, father" Nanako said.

Her face was completely neutral as the older lord turned away from his family. Dojima was somewhat sad to see her go. She likely would not be seen again by her father until Souji had made his decision.

Dojima was distraught as he left Nanako's and said goodbye to the caretakers. He was not sure what was going to happen now to their family. His daughter was so understand, so smart, and yet… he wished he could give her more control over her fate. He would have to wait now… wait for how Souji felt about marrying his daughter. Souji was a good boy, a worthy man for his daughter. He had his qualms about Nanako marring Souji for sure, but it was better than most people. Imagine marrying Nanako off to Lord Tanaka a few years back, for an example. One thing was for sure… he was getting too old to provide a male heir for the Dojima house. Marrying Nanako to someone was the only choice.

* * *

**Other side of the Residential District**

Yosuke had finished his guard work and was replaced by another samurai late in the evening. He had traveled through the Mercantile District. It was mainly deserted late in the evening. He was actually on his way to see Lady Satonaka. The samurai just had to see her. It was like a drug that he could not quit. Satoanka wanted him and he wanted Lady Satonaka. Yosuke would soon deliver on those promises.

Yosuke had passed through the other side of the Residential District and Souji's home. Yosuke could tell Souji was home, but he had better things to do.

Yosuke was looking for a girl wearing a green and yellow kimono inside her home. Even though it had only been one day; it always seemed like years in Yosuke's mind.

"Souji doesn't know what he's missing," Yosuke smiled.

As he walked up towards Lady Satonaka's residence, Yosuke's eyes widened. There was another train of people leading up to the home. It was not too dark enough for Yosuke to make out the front figure in the train… Lord Daisuke Nagase.

Yosuke's heart dropped. Even he could tell what that visit meant. Souji warned him about this, and it pissed him off royally. Souji's prediction came true… "Bastard…" Yosuke thought.

* * *

I know it was way too short. I made Nanako submissive only for one reason; it was obvious, culturally. Otherwise, I would not have. Ninjas will be in it, eventually. If you are holding out for them, be patient. It takes time.


	6. Chapter 6

Samurai and Ninjas Chap. 6

I do not own Persona or the character's likenesses, sorry everyone. Atlus does. Blame my lack of creativity.

This story takes place towards the middle of the Heian period of Japan. I am not being completely historically accurate with this, so do not get all over my back about it. How much Personas will play a part in it, I do not know about that one.

A note, I will mainly use first names first, then last names. I know this is the one glaring difference that I am using in respect of their culture, but since I am writing in English… I will write as such.

* * *

**Edge of City Limits- Nara**

**Before Sunrise**

Away from the same city gate that Souji Seta had gone through twice yesterday, traffic was busy before the sun had risen. The guards were doing their best to stay aware even at this very late… or early hour. The sentries had been switched, but those pulling the night shift were still very tired. Archers were still waiting for any intruder trying to enter Nara without permission, even if they too were tired.

The wooden gates and its guards were the first line of defense. If they fell, there would little left until they reached the palace. The invaders would be able to slaughter everyone in the other districts, including merchants and monks. That's why it was important that the guards stay vigilante, no matter how tired they got.

Two messengers had been let through the gate before the sun had risen along with a single samurai. The samurai was quite displeased at having to be up so early. His shoulder had been smashed by the blunt end of a kusarigama yesterday and the attacker went unpunished because of a smartass samurai. The only reason Souji Seta saved that little boy was because of his cute face. If the kid had not tried to kill him… well that kid did look pretty cute.

The two messengers waited right outside of the gate for Togodai. Togodai had a different message for each one of them. The samurai was wearing a black hakama, but with the heavy shoulder bandage; Togodai was a comical sight.

Both of the messengers were clad in black that suggested that they were in the hire of Lord Tanaka. Considering that the man giving them the messages was the lead samurai of Lord Tanaka; it was pretty obvious of the messengers' allegiance.

Togodai sighed as he flexed his undamaged left arm. His right arm was still pretty much immobile. He was actually really angry at having to be awake right now. Lord Tanaka gave him messages last evening for him to give to the messengers. So, here he is now, so damn early to deliver what only Lord Tanaka knows all over the place.

As the first rays of sun began to peak over the horizon, one of the messengers asked, "What do you want us to do? Where are we going?"

Togodai was affronted that this guy would dare ask him that first question. It was probably because that they had been standing around for a few minutes, but still… unacceptable.

"You'll go where I tell you," Togodai told the messenger, a short man with a short bowl-cut.

The second messenger, a taller man with longer and unruly black hair asked, "Then where are we going?"

Togodai was almost ready to pull his sword and use it with his left arm. Sadly, he was not much of a one-armed swordsman. Togodai ended up just taking a deep breath to calm himself and pulled one of the messages to give to the clean-cut man.

As he walked up to him, Togodai said to him, "Take this to Heian, and give this letter to head of the Fujiwaras."

"You mean Lord Adachi?" the messenger asked.

"Yes… Lord Adachi," Togodai said curtly, "Don't dally and don't give it to any other lord or lady."

"Yes, sir," the messenger nodded before leaving, a smirk on his face.

Togodai knew that particular messenger had a long road ahead of him.

"You…" Togodai pointed at the other messenger. The other messenger walked over and as he handed him the other letter only part of what Togodai could be said, "When you take this… be careful. No one can know where you went…"

"You sure?" the second messenger nodded.

"I'm sure," Togodai answered, "Now go…"

"Okay…" the messenger said, placing the message in his tunic.

The other messenger turned away from Togodai and headed off soon after the same dusty road. The other man would soon be taking a different road for his separate journey.

"If this is important enough for my lord to make me get up this early, then I hope he gets what he wants out of it," Togodai said as he walked his couriers start their journeys away from Nara.

Togodai turned and motioned to the guards to let him back into the city. The guards were peeved that they had to open the gate again so soon after they had opened it and closed it, but Togodai wanted to get some more sleep. If Togodai had to get up this early, he wanted to get something out of it.

* * *

**Servants' Quarters- Palace of Nara**

**Before Sunrise**

Naoto was not a girl who slept in really late. She did not sleep until the sun was at its highest point in the sky. Naoto did not normally get up too early either. Imagine her shock when she was roughly shaken by Shu at god knows how early in the morning on her first day. Everyone else was in the middle of dressing or running back and forth getting assignments.

"Hu… Huhhh?" Naoto said groggily.

"Time to get up," Shu kept shaking the new servant, "You're late."

"Wha…?" Naoto shut her eyes, blinked a few times to try and wake herself up, and then opened them. Shu was wide awake, dressed, and ready for the day.

"You really want to be yelled at, hit, or beaten right after you were given a second chance after whatever you did?" Shu warned.

"Hit?" Naoto looked confused as she slowly pulled herself out of bed, still dressed in nightclothes.

"Sometimes… some of the people we serve are not as forgiving of mistakes made as others. Not necessarily Lord Tatsumi, but anyone above us," Shu explained.

"So, they might beat us if we screw up at all?" Naoto looked at Shu.

"There are those people," Shu responded. He was getting impatient as Naoto was unfolding her yukata and getting ready to put it on, "Hurry up already…"

"I'll meet you out there," Naoto said before she asked, "Do you know where I am supposed to go?"

"You're supposed to talk to the head servant to find out your assignment," Shu said, "But I'll talk to him, so you can just meet me outside." He looked harried, "Get moving… The faster you move, the less trouble I'll end up being in."

Shu turned away from Naoto and made for the door, Naoto called out, "Shu…"

Shu turned around, "Hmm?"

"Thank you," Naoto said.

"Just hurry," Shu called out.

Shu left the room to find the head servant and Naoto could finally undress and start her first day in the service of Lord Kanji Tatsumi. She needed Shu to leave before that could happen and when he left; she was all alone in the room. As she took off her nightclothes and pulled on the maroon yukata of the Nara, Naoto struggled tying the midsection. She was thankful for the bandages that she had around her chest. A yukata was a perfect piece of clothing for hiding her gender. A small washbasin on the side of the room was the only place to clean her face. She tried not to get any water on her fancy clothes. She did not want to get beaten.

Adjusting her blue hair and moving that one blue piece across the center of her forehead, Naoto opened the sliding door and left the servants' quarters. Waiting for her was a very impatient-looking Shu.

Her larynx clenched as Shu say and ask with a bit of anger, "I've had time to see the servant and come back. What took you so long?"

Shu could not understand what it was like to be a girl. I guess he expected Naoto to rush like none other to be ready for work.

"I'm sorry, Shu," Naoto put her head down.

"Come on," Shu said, "You need to go to the kitchens with me and get the food to serve to Lord Tatsumi for breakfast."

The pair started walking quickly, making a left turn, and heading towards the kitchens. The two were walking side-by-side; one was much taller than the other. Naoto was a only a little nervous about everything.

As Shu kept his head forward, Naoto turned her head towards the older servant and asked, "What does Lord Tatsumi usually have for breakfast?"

"Whatever he wants to have for breakfast," Shu answered, "A good servant stays quiet."

Naoto turned her head back front and closed her mouth. This was going to be harder than she thought.

Going around one corner, and then another to reach the kitchens; the two servants opened the door that was overflowing with the smell of cooking food and fresh produce. It was somewhat intoxicating to Naoto and her senses. Behind that door, there were a multitude of servants all preparing the food that would be served throughout the day. There were also a few other servants that looked to be on the same assignment as Shu as Naoto, meaning that they would be serving breakfast for Lord Tatsumi or other distinguished members of the palace.

Seeing all of this food, Naoto was struck with thoughts of all of the people who must be starving at this very moment. They could have fed everyone in the village with one-fourth of the food being prepared at this moment. She did not even want to know how much food would probably be wasted after the meal. It would probably make her sick to find out.

Shu stood at attention with the other servants. Seeing this, Naoto soon followed by standing next to him, face forward, and trying not move.

It was an arduous process for Naoto. Watching the cooks at work on dishes at a cutting board or other device for minutes on end was making the petite girl fidgety. Only when Shu elbowed her discreetly did she stop moving.

After the cook was done, they would give the dish to a servant, and they would then give the dishes or platters to a servant like Shu to take to Lord Tatsumi or other members of state.

Servants with cooked dishes were now flying out of the kitchen, and it was not long until a male servant handed a platter with three breakfast dishes for Shu to take to Lord Tatsumi.

"Hurry…," the male servant said to Shu, "He'll probably be ready for breakfast in a few minutes."

"I understand," Shu said, while balancing the platter on his arm.

A second servant came from the main table and handed a platter of fruit to Naoto, "Take this to Lord Tatsumi."

Naoto looked at the fruit. They were cut into all sorts of interesting and unorthodox shapes. One of the plums had a beak, a circular body, and padded feet. That one looked really eccentric.

"Hurry up now," the servant said, causing Naoto to jump.

Naoto tried her best to balance the platter on her right shoulder as she left the kitchen to try and catch up with Shu. It was one of the few people she knew in the palace, and she did not want to be late according to Shu.

Naoto could not exactly go very quickly because of the food she was carrying. It was so precarious being there and she felt she was going to drop it at any second. She also needed Shu because they had not passed the dining room on the way to the servants' quarter last evening. Naoto breathing quickened for a moment as she turned side-to-side, trying to find Shu.

"Shu!" Naoto called out, not loudly, but not softly. She had to work hard to keep her voice low.

Around the corner, Shu comes back holding his food looking very angry. He walked over to Naoto and was about ready to yell in her face. He said to her in a soft but angry voice, "What are you yelling about?"

"I… I couldn't find you," Naoto responded, "I didn't know where to go."

"Don't yell about it," Shu huffed. He shook his head, "Just come on… We're late."

Naoto, cheeks red, followed Shu down an unfamiliar hallway to an unfamiliar room. Opening the door, the two entered a lavish room. There were lit cotton wicks hanging from the ceiling that were covered by paper and bamboo. That provided the light in the room. There was a large stone table in the middle of the room, and at the center sat Lord Kanji Tatsumi. He was wearing black and gold today, but the maroon colors of Nara was prevalent in the room. He was currently growing out a very thin moustache and beard that he had started a few days ago. He had accidently shaved it too far, so Kanji had to all but start over.

Shu came forward to the table where Kanji was sitting and handed the platter in front of him. He seemed to be waiting for Kanji to pick a dish of the three to eat. Shu looked a little nervous, but Kanji would need to think before he decided on a dish.

"Thank you," he said before he grabbed a dish of rice mixed with eggs and vegetables.

Shu bowed and picked the platter back up before he returned to the line of servants in waiting.

Kanji grabbed his chopsticks. He was about to start his meal when he spotted that servant he had saved from execution yesterday was carrying fresh fruit.

Kanji looked at Naoto and gestured towards her. "Come here…"

Naoto took a deep breath and slowly walked towards the table. The last thing she wanted to do was drop the food that they gave her to carry. Her steps were slow and uneasy before she finally got to the table. Her body shaking, Naoto placed the fruit on the table in front of Lord Tatsumi. There was an empty plate included so the lord could choose and place his fruit on the plate.

Kanji seemed most interested in plums and when he saw the circular slice that had the beak-like formation; he grabbed it in a hurry. He smiled and said to Naoto, "Thank you…"

Naoto was very nervous and was having trouble moving her body. Kanji, meanwhile, had swallowed the slice of plum whole. He looked up from his food and stared straight at Naoto.

"You can go now…" Kanji told her.

Naoto turned scarlet. She knew she was in deep trouble. She had to force herself to move. Her body did not want to move, but she forced each limb, one-by-one, to budge until she was back in line with the tray in hand. At her side, she knew that Shu was furious with her.

A third servant had given Lord Tatsumi a drink, and now Naoto was noticing Shu and the other servant passing their trays off to the others waiting in the line. Naoto decided that she was supposed to do the same. Naoto handed her platter of fruit to a pretty female servant to the right of her. The idea must be in case Lord Tatsumi wanted anything else.

Naoto saw Shu leave Kanji's and she decided she was supposed to leave with him. His expression immediately changed once the pair exited Lord Tatsumi's dining hall. Shu's expression of perfect calm turned into cold fury as he confronted the new servant.

"Can you do anything right?" Shu said with anger, "I don't care that you're new. Some of the things that you should be doing are obvious."

Naoto was hurt. She was trying her best, but she was just really nervous with this whole thing. It was making her make mistakes.

"I'm sorry," Naoto bowed her head.

"Do not blame me if the lord beats you," Shu told Naoto, "Part of me wants beat you myself."

Naoto was scared that Shu would beat her. Lord Tatsumi was mad at her… and he just helped her out.

"Naoto…" someone called out.

Naoto turned her head around to see who had called her name. It was a man wearing blue robes, or Lord Dojima.

Shu walked up to Lord Dojima, "How can I help you, Lord Dojima?"

"I need to speak with Naoto," Ryotarou said, "Can you go on with your duties, please?"

Shu looked at Naoto with the same angry look, "When you are done speaking with Lord Dojima, we are cleaning the springs… meet us there"

Shu bowed to Lord Dojima before he turned around and headed towards the springs. He was still very angry.

Naoto bowed her head towards Lord Dojima. Lord Dojima looked at Naoto. She looked scared and sad. Dojima said to her, "I need to speak with you about something important."

"What is it, Lord Dojima?" Naoto asked the lord.

"Are you having a rough day?" Dojima asked.

"It has not been my best day so far," Naoto responded.

"It's the only first day," Dojima said, "The best way for it to get better is experience."

"If you say so," Naoto did not seem any happier.

"Now, for the reason I wanted to speak with you," Dojima cleared his throat. He asked, "Can you read and write?"

"My grampa taught me," Naoto nodded. She asked, "What is it that you want me to do?"

"There is a meeting tonight between Lord Tatsumi, Lord Tanaka, a representative of the Taira, and a member of the royal family," Dojima told Naoto, "I want you to be there and serve them."

"You want me to at a meeting where there is a member of the royal family attending?" Naoto looked astonished, "What would you possibly want me to do?"

"Serve drinks and pay attention to everything that happens," Lord Dojima explained, "Anything peculiar that you notice; I want you to write down on a scroll that a servant of mine will provide you."

She was confused. It was as if there was a plot going on inside the lords and Dojima wanted to root it out. She knew that Lord Tanaka was a bastard, and she would have to call herself a liar if she said she liked any of the others. Yet, was there something going on between all of the others?

"Why won't you be there, Lord Dojima?" Naoto asked. She was curious about that.

"I need to be with my wife," Dojima answered, "She is very sick."

"I understand. I will be there," Naoto said.

Dojima knew how hard she was trying. It must be so difficult for a girl like her to conform from being a free peasant to a servant.

Naoto bowed, "I must help Shu now."

"Very well," Dojima said.

As Naoto left, all she could think about was the very difficult task ahead of her. With Lord Dojima, he would not yell at her, but he sure knew how to make her life impossible to handle.

Dojima headed the other way towards the gates. He wanted to talk to Souji… again.

* * *

**Gates of the Palace**

**Mid-morning**

Souji had spent a long time trying to figure out what was going on with his life. He had not slept that well that night. He arrived to the gates to see that Yosuke had already arrived. Souji was surprised to see that Yosuke was holding one of Lady Satonaka's servants by his robes at the left side of the gate. He was confused at the least.

"Why didn't you tell me Takashi!" Yosuke yelled

"I had no idea," Takashi responded, "Lord Nagase just showed up all of a sudden. You know he's such a coward."

"Yeah… right," Yosuke said before questioning, "How could you not know?"

Souji needed to stop this. Yosuke had a nasty temper sometimes. "Lord Nagase probably got a kick in the pants by his cousin," Souji cut in as he walked up from the right side of the gate, "He has wanted to do this for over a year, and after Lord Ichijo forced him to; it just happened."

"Souji…" Yosuke looked at him and said slowly and softly, "You warned me about this."

Yosuke dropped Takashi. The servant ran off, thankful to be free of the brown-haired samurai. "It was bound to happen sometime," Souji said.

"But not so soon…" Yosuke hung his head, "Not so soon…"

"I'm sorry Yosuke," Souji told him.

"Souji," a gruff voice called out. It was Lord Dojima. He had arrived as he had told Naoto.

Souji turned his head, "Yes, Lord Dojima?"

"My cousin wants to meet you formally this afternoon," Lord Dojima told him, "I would prefer you visit."

"This is highly unorthodox for Lady Nanako to make a request such as this," Souji responded.

"I would like you to do so. It is her request," Dojima said, "You don't actually have to see her… physically, I mean."

"Then… I will do it," Souji sighed.

"Thank you," Ryotarou nodded, "I need to visit my wife."

As Ryotarou left through the palace gates, Yosuke turned to Souji, "You marrying Dojima's daughter? Isn't she eight?"

"I have no idea what I'm going to do," Souji shook his head.

"I just think it's kind of sad that you're moving on from little boys to even younger girls," Yosuke sneered. He shook his head, "I'm sorry. I'm just in a really bad mood."

"It's okay, but I never did anything to that kid," Souji responded.

"If that's what you say," Yosuke said slowly.

* * *

**Residential District**

**Mid-afternoon**

Souji walked up to the household of Lady Nanako Dojima. He was met by the long-haired caretaker in a cream-colored yukata. She was pretty, but Souji was not here to see a caretaker.

"Lady Dojima is waiting for you," the caretaker said.

"Okay," Souji responded, "Lead on."

Souji followed the long-haired girl into the residence and past the living area towards the Nanako's chambers. The door to her chamber was not opened, so Souji could not see her face. The caretaker left Souji upon his arrival next to Nanako's chambers.

"Lady Nanako…?" Souji asked. He could not see into the chamber.

"Cousin?" Nanako responded and asked.

"I am here, Lady Nanako," Souji answered.

"Please… just call me Nanako," she requested.

"As you wish, Nanako," Souji nodded.

"Please… can you come… come in so we can talk?" Nanako requested.

Souji was unsure if he really wanted to do this, but it a lady that was requesting his presence.

He opened the sliding door to see the young girl working on calligraphy again. She was wearing white and pink robes that went well with her short brown hair. She sat against the side of the table she was practicing on. Souji knelt down a few feet away from the sitting girl.

"We did not have a chance to talk at all last time," Nanako said.

"We had things to do," Souji nodded.

"That's true," Nanako responded. She picked up her calligraphy, "I've been practicing my calligraphy, but I'm not very good."

Souji saw a fan she was writing, "Let me take a look at the fan you wrote."

"Oh… okay," Nanako looked a little surprised.

Nanako lifted the fan and Souji took it from her. Souji read the fan. He could tell it was addressed towards him. It was nowhere as innuendo-filled as say a fan from Lady Kujikawa, but it had charm. It was rather sweet.

"I'm trying my best to get better, but I have a lot of work to improve on," Nanako told Souji.

"If you fill your fan with lots of words about having sex, then it will be perfect," Souji shook his head. He was not being completely serious.

"I see," Nanako dropped her head. She looked up, "So… My father says that I need to get married."

"There is no reason you have to get married this very second," Souji said, "You have a choice in who you marry as well."

"If something happens to my dad," Nanako frowned.

"You are still part of the family," Souji said, "The family will continue even if Lord Dojima falls."

"I still… I still need to be married," Nanako continued.

"Don't rush into a decision without thinking it through, Nanako," Souji told her.

"My dad thinks I should marry someone I can have a son with," Nanako said.

"That is something any man you marry would want," Souji responded.

"Souji? What kind of man should I marry?" Nanako asked.

Souji sighed before he said, "You should marry someone who will treat you right. You would not want to marry someone who will abuse you, or hurt you."

Nanako looked into Souji's eyes. Souji could see innocence in Nanako's eyes. It was the sort of thing that made him question why Lord Dojima was even offering her. "Would you treat me right if I married you?"

Souji sighed before answering, "I would treat you well."

"Do you want to marry me?" Nanako asked.

"I don't know I want," Souji said, "It's hard imagining myself marrying someone who is so young."

"It seems scary to me too," Nanako agreed, "But… I can wait."

"I need to think about it," Souji told Nanako.

"I'll be waiting," Nanako smiled, "My father will be as well."

Souji was in a great hurry to leave. He needed to get back for an important meeting between important lords. His mind would not be on protecting the lords, however. His mind would be on his cousin and her offer of marriage.

* * *

This was interesting, and I have lots to keep writing about as I move on. Many chapters to come.


	7. Chapter 7

Samurai and Ninjas Chap. 7

I do not own Persona or the character's likenesses, sorry everyone. Atlus does. Blame my lack of creativity.

This story takes place towards the middle of the Heian period of Japan. I am not being completely historically accurate with this, so do not get all over my back about it. How much Personas will play a part in it, I do not know about that one.

A note, I will mainly use first names first, then last names. I know this is the one glaring difference that I am using in respect of their culture, but since I am writing in English… I will write as such.

* * *

**Rural Area Village- Nara**

**Mid-afternoon**

It had been one day since Lord Tanaka's men had harassed and ravaged their little village. The village was still in a state of disarray. Every communal home had their possessions thrown about like they were trash. Worst of all of was the damage done to their own people. The footmen had no respect for the farmers and shoved them around as they were searching for the food. The samurai had caused the biggest causality of all. He had caused serious harm to the village elder, Geirin. After Naoto had bravely attacked and killed the footmen, while driving back the samurai; it became a race against time for the medicine woman and midwife, Hisano, to save Geirin's life.

The rice paddies were the only thing undisturbed by all of the disorder, but the focus was on the main home in the center of the village. Hisano had worked hard all night using herbs and a sewing needle. It seemed that the whole village was trying to watch her save Geirin's life, and she could only really work when she yelled at them to stay out of her way. It took until sunrise until she could finally say she was out of imminent danger, and then there the chance of infection and various complications. She would need to watch over Geirin until she was sure he would be okay.

Eri walked into the largest communal home. This home was practically untouched because of the fact that Tanaka's men never reached this residence. The only change to the home was the copious amount of herb and homemade medicine that had been strewn about the place.

Eri tiptoed around the supplies, and sat next to the old medicine lady wearing black. She saw the old man resting comfortably in his covers with bandages wrapped around his chest.

"How is he?" Eri asked Hisano.

"The worst part is over," Hisano told Eri, "Now he needs his rest."

"I am just thankful he is alive," Eri said. She smiled at the old woman, "Thank you, Hisano."

Hisano smiled back, "I am just glad I was able to help him. He almost did not make it. He's old, but he must have had a reason to live. That's why I was able to save him."

"It must have been his granddaughter," Eri responded.

"How will he respond when he finds out she's gone?" Hisano asked.

"I don't know," Eri frowned. "I hope Naoto is still alive," Eri shook her head, "That samurai just took her away. I hope they don't hurt her."

They never minded Naoto's acting like a boy, but always talked to her like a girl, even if it annoyed her.

"Naoto is gone?" a man's voice called out from the entrance of the home.

Eri turned her head. She was surprised to see three people in the doorway. There was a man and two young women in the doorway. One man was wearing a black tunic, black pants, and a black hat of all things. He had short black hair with thick sideburns. One girl was sporting white pants, a black tunic, and a green jacket over it. She had long and pretty black hair. The other girl had a purple-colored tunic and pants. Her hair was a curly black that was covered by a purple-colored hat. The most noticeable thing about the newcomers was that both the young man and the girl with a green jacket had swords at their hips.

"Raidou," Eri said softly, "Why are you here?"

Raidou walked up to Eri and was about to answer when he saw his great-uncle bandaged up and breathing slowly.

"What happened to Geirin!" Raidou exclaimed.

Hisano said calmly, "There were some footmen and a samurai. Geirin did not want to give them what they wanted."

"Will be okay?" The girl wearing green asked.

"Sis…" Raidou looked at her.

"He'll be okay, eventually," Hisano answered.

"Where is Naoto?" Raidou turned back to Eri.

Eri took a deep breath, "When Geirin was injured; she fought back. She killed the footmen and injured the samurai. The samurai was about to kill her, but another samurai stopped him. The other samurai still took her away to the palace, I think."

"Which lord? Whose samurai attacked us?" Raidou asked.

Eri answered, "Lord Tanaka…"

Eri could see the anger in Naoto's cousin building. He was about to boil over until the young woman in the cream-color clothes put her hand on Raidou.

"Raidou," the girl said.

"Do you know which samurai took Naoto away?" Raidou asked as he took a deep breath to calm himself down.

"It was Souji Seta," Eri responded. Everyone knew who Souji Seta was.

Raidou turned around, and Nagi, his sister, followed. The third person, the short girl, joined them. As Raidou reached the entrance, he turned his head and said, "If Naoto is alive, I will bring her back. Otherwise, I will make Lord Tanaka pay."

* * *

**Nara- Palace Gates**

**Evening**

The palace in Nara would be home to an important meeting this evening. Early this evening was home to the arrival of the lords of the meeting.

Yosuke, having somewhat recovered from the shock of seeing Lord Nagase coming to the door of Lady Satonaka, was there to receive the incoming nobility at the gate. His job would be not just to watch and protect Lord Tatsumi, but to also watch over the other lords. There was a fragile peace between the three families at the moment, but Yosuke had to protect every lord at the meeting. During the meeting, nothing would come between them. Besides, there was royalty with them; even if there was no power with the royalty.

Yosuke was wondering where his partner was. He knew Souji was meeting with his cousin, or in his mind… sleeping with a little kid. However, it should not take this long to get back, right? What was he doing over there in the Residential District? He would just have to find out when Souji showed up later, if he showed up tonight.

Yosuke scratched the fuzz growing on his chin. He shook his head as he at seeing the four archers stationed on the wall yawning and ready to fall asleep. If they were ever invaded, they would be killed slowly. Yosuke's eyes shifted from the two tunic-wearing archers to an incoming man wearing black robes. It was the most hated lord of Fujiwara, but Yosuke had to respect him at this moment.

Lord Tanaka had an overly smug expression as he walked through the gates. He looked down on every person. When Tanaka walked through the gate, he rolled his eyes at the sight of Yosuke. Tanaka knew about Lady Satonaka's arrangement with Lord Nagase and he was amused with how it turned out for Yosuke.

Tanaka did not want anything to do with the low-ranking samurai and walked straight past him except for one thing.

"Hanamura," Lord Tanaka said slowly and nodded. There was a nasty smirk on his face.

"Lord Tanaka," Yosuke responded with faux respect.

Yosuke turned his head only briefly to roll his eyes at the lord. He hated the guy, but then again… everyone did.

When Yosuke turned his head back around, there were two more people approaching the gates. One was a female servant wearing a gray yukata. The other was a Taira lord in gray robes.

The man approaching Yosuke had short curly black hair with brown eyes. The girl had short hair, but it was tied back into ponytails. Her hair was a very different color… a yellow and green mix.

The man that walked past Yosuke again seemed very uninterested in the samurai. A small nod was all he gave Yosuke when he bowed to the Taira lord. The servant stopped by Yosuke. She gazed into his eyes and smiled. She did not seem as cold as the lords.

"I hope you don't mind Lord Kido's attitude," the servant apologized, "We've just had a long trip."

"It's okay," Yosuke responded, "It's nothing to worry about."

"I'm Yuka," Yuka introduced herself; "I've been Lord Kido's servant since I was a child."

"Yosuke Hanamura," Yosuke nodded, "I'm one of Lord Tatsumi's samurai."

"A pleasure to meet you," Yuka said. She smiled at him before saying, "I need to help serve Lord Kido."

"Have a good evening," Yosuke said as Yuka bowed and left.

"She's a nice girl," Yosuke thought. It took his mind off of Chie, at least for a while. Pretty girls attracted Yosuke.

By the time Yosuke shook his head and broke out of his reverie of talking with Yuka, another group of people were approaching. It was a train of people actually. The group of people was all clad in blue, servants, guards, and lord alike. It had to have been the member of royalty in Yosuke's mind. Who else would have seven servants with him? Not just seven servants with him, but five samurai alongside the lord. The lord had short blond hair cut so short the back did not even reach his neck. He also wore a blue hat. Even Yosuke had to know royalty's name… Lord Theodore.

Yosuke bowed in the lord's presence as he approached. The five samurai made a circular guard around him as he passed. The servants were trailing behind Lord Theodore as they went through the gate and past Yosuke. They were the only one who acknowledged the samurai's presence… one of the female servants even smiling at him. Yosuke had to smile back. That was definitely not allowed by a servant, but she did it anyways. The grandson of the emperor, in Nara… sounds like a headache. Yosuke was starting to understand why Souji always was holding his head.

His ears sharpened at the cock of arrows from above. Two people were approaching and they were not a Taira, a Fujiwara, and definitely not royalty. The archers were about ready to fire, but if they were not one of those lords invited. Yosuke gazed and squinted hard. The blue robes on the lord were home to a tall man with very short brown hair. The girl was wearing very complex white robes and very long red hair tied with white ribbons.

Yosuke held up his hand, "Don't fire!"

The archers lowered their bows for the moment. They were still ready to fire on the two at any second. They were waiting for the command.

Yosuke walked forwards to meet the two by the gate, his right hand on the hilt of his sword.

"What are you two doing here?" Yosuke asked.

"We're here for the meeting," the lord answered.

"You know full well that no Minamotos were invited to this, Lord Iori," Yosuke explained.

"Yet, here we are," the lady said.

Yosuke could not do anything about it. Unless they did something that could be considered an act of aggression, any act against them would spark another huge conflict between the Minamotos and Fujiwaras. He did not want to be the one who would ignite a war that could cost many lives.

"Lord Tatsumi will decide if you can stay or not," Yosuke finally said.

Lord Iori looked at his wife and said to her, "Let's go Chidori."

The two of them went right past Yosuke. With two Fujiwaras at Nara, Yosuke knew it would probably turn into a big mess tonight. At least, it would not be his fault if it all went to Yomi.

Lord Junpei Iori used to be a lazy lord with loose morals. It was only when he met Lady Chidori did he strengthen his heart and become somewhat of a badass. Lord Iori was known of somewhat of a skilled swordsman of note as well. He was not a person to be trifled with.

Yosuke sighed. Where was Souji? He had to deal with all of these bastards by himself because Souji was off with this little girl. Damn Souji and his pedophile interests in little girls and kids. Why could he not just be interested in women like Lady Amagi or Lady Kujikawa?

Just as expected, Souji showed up a couple of minutes after the Minamotos came through the gates. Yosuke expected to either see a man completely disheveled or serious as he usual is. As he looked at Souji, Yosuke saw a young man that was neither. Souji looked stressed out, tired, and lost. Yosuke definitely needed to talk to him, and chew him out for what he did.

"Souji!" Yosuke called out, "What the hell have you been doing?"

"Thinking…" Souji responded.

"That's not what I'm talking about," Yosuke said, "You can not have been thinking for that long."

"I was speaking with Lady Nanako," Souji sighed.

"Speaking?" Yosuke raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, speaking," Souji nodded, "She basically asked if she would make a good wife for me."

"That's interesting," Yosuke said. He was trying not to display an array of interesting emotions.

"She's eight," Souji shook his head, "How would I know?"

Yosuke shrugged, "That's true. There is no way to find out." He went around and clapped Souji on the back, "There is one plus though." Souji turned his head as Yosuke said, "You would become a lord again."

In reality, Yosuke felt a little jealous at Souji becoming nobility. The lack of being nobility was why he was not with Lady Satonaka right now. If Souji became nobility, he would rise to a whole different level that Yosuke could never become.

"That's if and when Lord Dojima decides to," Souji sighed.

"Either way," Yosuke said. He continued, "But you got out of a hell of a lot of controversy tonight."

Souji put his hand on his head, "What do you mean?"

"Lord Tanaka was a bastard as usual and two Minamotos showed up out of the blue," Yosuke told Souji.

"Lovely," Souji said, "I don't know if I should be happy or sad that I missed the fun."

"You can tell me more of your stories later," Yosuke said, "Other than that; you owe me for showing up late."

"What do you want?" Souji sighed.

"When you're a lord, you'll find out," Yosuke told Souji.

Souji rolled his eyes. He did not know if he was going to marry Lady Nanako. The pressure being put on him to make a decision was slowly building and it had only been a couple of days. Was there unnecessary expectation that would be placed on him to marry his cousin? The only thing he knew was that Nanako would wait for Souji and that she would wait. The pressure would come from third-parties not from Nanako.

"We're expected in the hall," Souji said, "We need to keep watch."

Souji and Yosuke turned from the gates and headed towards the cherry blossoms. Their jobs would be keeping their eyes on Lord Tatsumi, especially with all of the lords and guards that would be around the hall.

Slightly early, the lords and lady joined in the walkways full of cherry blossoms to talk for a short while before meeting with Lord Tatsumi. The main topic of conversation was the sudden intrusion of Lord Iori and Lady Yoshino.

"Well… this is unexpected," Lord Kido said, "I did not know you were going to show."

Lord Kido was probably the strongest, physically, of any of the Tairas. However, he was not completely loyal to his faction of Tairas. He never really trusted Lord Toudou or Lady Sonomura. Lord Kido could relate to the other Tairas, but they were a whole different breed of people. He almost did not even bother coming, and they would have asked one of the Suou's to come instead.

"We came because no one invited a Minamoto," Junpei responded.

"That is reasonable," Theodore said to the Minamoto, "We need representation from every family."

"Of course we should have representation," Chidori said.

"Everyone is rather high on themselves today," Lord Tanaka smirked.

Reiji rolled his eyes, "Are you always like this?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Lord Tanaka asked.

"Does that make you happy?" Reiji returned, "Trying to insinuate insults."

"Not my problem," Tanaka told them.

Reiji was about to take a step forward when Theodore cut in, "That's enough. We are headed in soon."

All of the lords, a single lady, the samurai, and the servants headed from the cherry blossoms towards the hall.

The hall had been refurbished slightly for the meeting. The fact that royalty would be present meant that extra guards would be on watch. They had changed some of the wall scrolls for this evening and made sure everything was cleaned. As the news of two more noblemen appearing at the palace, servants rushed around the palace trying to make enough room for Lord Iori and Lady Chidori Yoshino.

At first, Lord Tatsumi was worried about having two Minamotos, especially husband and wife, show up randomly on their doorstep. He knew they would not try anything with Lord Theodore or Lord Kido there, but he would rather the meeting have no more surprises.

* * *

**Servants' Quarters**

As the lords were on their way to the main hall, Naoto finally returned to the servants' quarters. She was exhausted beyond belief. After meeting with Dojima, she had met up with Shu to clean the springs.

It was a very eye-opening experience for Naoto when she hurried back to meet Shu at the hot water springs. Before doing anything with the actual springs; they had to clean the changing areas. Naoto had to help clean the male changing areas with Shu. A female servant was cleaning the female changing area. It was one of the few times when acting as a male that it is was rather awkward. If someone had come in while Naoto was cleaning; Naoto would have been shell-shocked.

They had cleaned the actual area around the springs after cleaning the changing areas. It was much less awkward for Naoto for sure. Naoto had thought she was done after cleaning the springs, but they had some other worthless tasks for her to do. She had to help clean and prepare some of the other rooms. It was for the lords that were coming tonight. It took hours and only when more servants came to help did she finally have faith that she would survive. Her back hurt so badly and her clothes were really dirty.

Now, she was back at the servants' quarters to change clothes before she went to the kitchens. She had to go and take the drinks to serve them to all the lords and lady that would be present at the meeting.

Naoto opened the sliding door and looked for another yukata to put on. When she found another piece of maroon clothing near her bed, Naoto started striping off the clothing as fast as she could. She had to hurry because she knew the meeting would be starting soon. As soon as she was down to her bandages, Naoto grabbed the other yukata and began to dress. She needed to hurry. As the ribbons were tied, the door opened and Shu came in. Naoto thanked his spirits that she was dressed when the slightly older man came into the room.

"You're late!" Shu exclaimed, "Hurry up!"

"I'm coming!" Naoto shouted as she started to walk past him.

"Lord Tanaka is there," Shu turned his head.

Naoto stopped for a second. She did need to hurry. Lord Tanaka did not really a reason to treat her like shit, but if she gave him a reason...

Naoto started moving at a quick pace, and Shu called out behind her, "Hurry!"

Naoto just about ran to the kitchens. There was food being prepared for anyone who wanted food afterwards. Her job was to bring drinks and there were a large amount of drinks waiting for her to take.

She walked forward to one of the cooks who had a multitude of drinks with him. This would so much hard than a plate of fruit. It was very precarious as she began walking away from the cook with the rice wine. If she had to open the kitchen door again it would have been disastrous.

Naoto had more to do than just serve drinks tonight. He needed to watch and listen for suspicious activity, and then write what she saw so she could give it to Lord Dojima. It sounded like a lot of work and a lot to remember. She just had to remember that Lord Dojima and Lord Tatsumi saved her life, otherwise no other lords mattered.

* * *

**Main Hall**

**Time of the meeting**

Lord Tatsumi had walked to the main hall to find Lord Tanaka, Lord Kido, royalty in Lord Theordore, and two Minamotos in Lord Iori and Lady Yoshino in the area. He certainly did not expect two Minamotos to show up at their doorstep. There was such a fragile arrangement between the three families that anything could cause it to explode. That was why Lord Tatsumi could not force the pair out. The grandson of the emperor was here, but there were ties within all three families with the royal family. Lord Tatsumi had to just grin and bear with the all of the people here.

Lord Tatsumi sat at one end of the hall with his maroon robes with black accents, while Lord Theodore sat on the other side of the hall. He was, technically, supposed to be the most important person here. Lord Tanaka, Kido, Iori, and Lady Yoshino all took seats on the different sides of the hall.

Kanji was not the most impatient man, but at this time he just wanted this meeting under way and over with. The sooner it was over with; the sooner he would be would be free of people such as Lord Iori.

He needed to start this, so Kanji said, "So, we are all here to discuss certain proposals within the families to keep the county together."

Lord Tanaka cut in and asked, "Are we having drinks served?"

"I have a servant coming in with drinks," Lord Tatsumi answered.

"Good," Lord Tanaka nodded.

Lord Tanaka knew a servant was coming to serve drinks, but if it was the servant that he was thinking it would be; he would be sick.

Naoto made the final turn down the long corridors and hallways of the palace to the main hall. She had arrived just in time to serve the drinks to the lords and lady. The drinks had been shaking in her arms all the way down the halls, and probably would continue to shake until she gave them to the nobility. Lord Tatsumi seemed content when Naoto arrived, but Tanaka seemed less than happy seeing the young girl show up in the hall. The rest of the lords were indifferent to Naoto's presence because no one knew her or her history.

At the same time Naoto arrived, both Souji and Yosuke joined her in the largest room in the palace. They took positions near Lord Tatsumi.

Yosuke jabbed Souji and smirked, "Look… It's your other lover."

"Shut up…" Souji responded as he jabbed him in the gut.

Yosuke chuckled in response.

Naoto saw five lords and one lady, all waiting for her to serve them. Lord Tatsumi gave a sideways glance towards Naoto and she knew it was time for her to deliver the drinks.

Naoto started walking towards each lord so she could give them their wine. She started moving to Lord Tatsumi, handing the drink to the blond-haired lord of Nara first. He nodded in thanks before she moved on. The next pair of drinks went to Lord Iori and then Lady Yoshino. They had condescending looks for Naoto when she handed them her drinks. Naoto actually had to hand the drink she was going to give to Lord Theodore to one of his servants instead. The servant was the one who gave the drink to Lord Theodore.

After the grandson of the emperor received his wine, Naoto walked to the final two lords. Lord Kido gave the smallest smile in approval when Naoto handed her the drink.

"So… we are here to discuss why there is unequal power within the families?" Lord Kido asked, taking a sip of newly given drink.

"That is one of the things I want to discuss with Lord Tatsumi for many reasons," Lord Junpei said.

"There are many important things to discuss," Lord Theodore nodded, "Lord Tatsumi will decide what to talk about."

Before anyone else could get a word in; there was a crash, and then a yell. Junpei, Reiji, Theodore, and Chidori all turned their heads to see Lord Tanaka covered in rice wine. Naoto had somehow spilled all of the remaining drinks onto Lord Tanaka.

"You little bastard!" Lord Tanaka yelled as he stood up.

"I'm sorry…" Naoto tried to apologize as she tried to appear meek.

Tanaka gave a hard slap to Naoto's face that caused the petite girl to fall to the ground. She let out a soft shriek that she tried to cover her cry.

The punishment did not end there for Naoto as Tanaka started kicking Naoto across the stomach. The blows were relentless and Naoto felt tears running down her face as bruises started forming on her ribs.

Lord Tatsumi had seen the whole thing and he would stand for any of it, "Please stop…"

When Tanaka did not stop kicking right away, Lord Tatsumi yelled, "That's enough Tanaka! Stop!"

Tanaka lifted his head. He had been so busy driving his legs into Naoto's midsections he could barely hear Lord Tatsumi yelling at him. He stopped kicking Naoto and waited for what Kanji had to say to him.

"You tripped him. He even apologized for something you did," Kanji explained, "There was no reason for you to start kicking him, especially after you slapped him to the ground."

Naoto was near whimpering in pain. She had not been beaten this badly ever before. She did not deserve this.

"I nearly forgot you became so soft," Lord Tanaka shook his head.

"Now there is no reason for you to speak like this," Lord Theodore said.

"You never should have let him stay alive after he killed three of my men," Tanaka sneered.

Lord Tatsumi replied, "Who are you to question my decisions?"

"He's speaking the truth, Lord Tanaka," Lord Kido remarked. He found all of this somewhat amusing.

"I'm just making suggestions," Lord Tanaka shrugged his shoulders.

"Doesn't sound like it to me," Lord Tatsumi shook his head.

Lord Tatsumi was angry. This was exactly why everyone hated Lord Tanaka. He tried to insinuate so much trouble for everything, and he was trying to cause hell for him in front of all of the other families. He was wondering if he was trying to make it look there was instability within the Fujiwaras.

Lord Tatsumi sighed, "Can someone help Naoto get to the doctor?"

Souji did not really want to be here at this meeting. Lord Tatsumi had Yosuke to protect him, so Souji could really focus on his thoughts.

"I'll take him to the doctor," Souji said.

"Okay… good," Kanji nodded, "Go ahead."

Yosuke jabbed him and smirked, and Souji responded, "Shut up…"

Souji walked past and nodded at Kanji before walking in front of Tanaka. He glared at Tanaka before seeing to Naoto.

"Come on, Naoto…" Souji said.

Naoto turned her head to the samurai and could not say anything to him before Souji all but picked Naoto up and placed her on her feet. Souji placed his arm around Naoto's shoulder to support her.

With Souji and Naoto on their way and out of the hall, Theodore asked to the others, "Have we have all calmed down… at least enough to continue our meeting?"

"I think we should start discussing what we came here for," Chidori directed her words towards Kanji, "The Fujiwaras have been the seat of power for years, but your family are becoming nothing but a figurehead trying to tell everyone what to do."

"You have no money, you have no viable military power, and you would crumple like leaves if we breathed on you," Junpei continued.

Reiji agreed with the pair, but felt that the Minamotos were too power-hungry. The Tairas were stronger overall, and if they ever fought the Minamotos; they would crush them easily.

Tanaka did not want a complete collapse of the Fujiwaras, but he did feel that the current leader of Nara and the Fujiwara family was incompetent.

Lord Theodore tried to defuse the situation, "Do you not think that these questions should be fields by Lord Adachi, instead of Lord Tatsumi?"

"We have the Lord of Nara here… let him answer it," Junpei retorted.

"We are not a paper tiger," Kanji responded, "We're stronger than you can imagine. We have flourished under Fujiwara strength. Our culture has become far more complex with Fujiwara power."

"You feel like your family is strong, huh?" Junpei taunted, "Maybe we should find out, yes?"

"We could find out," Kanji winked.

"That's enough," Theodore answered, "No more of this power talk…"

"Fine… Is there anything else we need to speak of?" Kanji asked.

The other lords and lady looked at each other. It seemed that they had only come for that one reason. Maybe Tanaka had come just to see the fun. Theodore broke the silence, "I heard you are looking for a new wife, Lord Tatsumi."

"Okay… this meeting is over!" Kanji exclaimed.

* * *

**Servants' Quarters**

During the meeting, Naoto was being helped down the corridors by the highest of Lord Tatsumi's samurai. Naoto was in a lot of pain, and it was only because of Souji that he did not collapse a few times.

As they walked past the kitchens, Souji said to Naoto, "We need to get you to the doctor."

Naoto did not want to be seen by the Palace Doctor. He would find out that she was a girl, and that could be a bad thing. She may be in terrible pain, but she was at least cognizant.

"Please… just take me to the servants' quarters," Naoto mumbled, "I just want to rest…"

"You look terrible though," Souji told Naoto, "You need treatment."

"I can soak in the bath," Naoto said softly.

"If you really want to," Souji shook his head, "I won't take you there."

"Yes… I'd rather," Naoto nodded. Her sides hurt so badly.

Naoto needed Souji's arm around her shoulder at this moment if she did not want to fall on the floor. Her opinions of Lord Tatsumi and Souji were changing slightly, but she felt that Tanaka was quite the bastard right now.

The two had finally reached the servants' quarters when Naoto nudged Souji, "Keep going… I need to relax."

"Alright," Souji understood.

They went past the wooden door and walked to the next sliding door. Souji used his left arm to slide it open and together they stepped into the wash room. As they stepped inside, Naoto said painfully, "I can make it from here."

"Are you sure?" Souji asked.

"Yes..." Naoto answered.

"Take care," Souji nodded, "I'll call for a servant for bring water."

At that, Souji slid the door shut. Naoto had grasped one of the copper tubs, and she would have to wait for a servant to bring water before she could even bathe. Tanaka was a bastard, but there was nothing she could do. What she was going to write for Lord Dojima, she did not know. She was not at the meeting, but it was not her fault.

Souji had found a servant pretty quickly and told her to bring water for Naoto. He was not amused with what happened. That was typical Tanaka. Only someone like him would hold a grudge and purposely hurt do something so he can hurt them.

Souji needed sleep. He wanted to hurry out of the palace as fast possible. His head hurt and there was so much on his mind. He heard a lot of noise when he passed one of the rooms. He recognized the red sleeveless jacket of Yosuke outside the room, but the sash color... that belonged to someone of Taira heritage.

"You know what… I do not want to know," Souji shook his head.

* * *

I'm trying my hardest to put out okay chapters for everyone. I hope it's working out for everybody. You're seeing members from all of the Personas and cameos from Raidou series. The Raidou members will not have major roles, but they have their spots. Enjoy your reading and any other reading you may do in the near future. Review if you would like.


	8. Chapter 8

Samurai and Ninjas Chap. 8

I do not own Persona or the character's likenesses, sorry everyone. Atlus does. Blame my lack of creativity.

This story takes place towards the middle of the Heian period of Japan. I am not being completely historically accurate with this, so do not get all over my back about it. I could, but I am not going to be. How much Personas will play a part in it, I do not know about that one.

A note, I will mainly use first names first, then last names. I know this is the one glaring difference that I am using in respect of their culture, but since I am writing in English… I will write as such.

* * *

**Servants' Quarters**

**Morning**

Naoto woke up twice in the middle of the night with a lot of pain in her midsection. Soaking in cold water last night dulled the pain some, but not enough to make a real difference. Luckily, no one walked in on her while she was soaking in the tub. That would have been a disaster that compromised everything she had told the other servants and led the other lords to believe. Naoto had to wrap her bandages around her stomach instead of her chest. She managed to drag herself from the bath to the sleeping quarters by herself.

The morning was something Naoto was dreading, and it came far too soon for her. She was roughly awakened by someone shoving her in the ribs, and she nearly yelled out in pain when Kaien did so. Neither Kaien nor Shu knew what happened, so it was a honest mistake, but it still hurt like none other.

"Kaien…" Naoto muttered, "That hurts…"

"You need to get up," Kaien told Naoto, "Lord Tatsumi wants to see you."

"Lord Tatsumi…?" Naoto blinked her eyes.

"You were allowed to sleep in a little because you had no early duties, but now you have something important to do," Kaien explained.

"What time is it?" Naoto asked.

"It's past sunrise. It's mid-morning," Kaien said.

Naoto wondered if somebody had told either Kaien or Shu that she was injured last night and to let her rest. It made Naoto think how she would feel if she had to get up as early as she did yesterday. Naoto would probably feel as bad as she did when she woke up in the middle of the night if she woke up that early.

Lord Tatsumi needed her for some reason or another. That meant she needed not only to get up, but also that she had to change as well. She could not do that while Kaien was in the room. He was the only one in the room, but she still needed an excuse to get him to leave.

Naoto winced as she used her wrists to brace herself and push up and out of the sheets. It would take a long time for her ribs to heal. She knew underneath her bandages it would be a mess of black and blue.

"What can I do to get rid of him?" Naoto thought. Naoto pretended to feel a little woozy as well.

"You look like you're in pain," Kaien said and asked, "What's wrong?"

This looked like a chance to get clear of Kaien as the servant placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I have a headache, Kaien," Naoto lied, "It's making me a little dizzy."

"Do you want me to get something for you?" Kaien asked, "You need to be in good shape to serve Lord Tatsumi and I can't have you collapsing."

"No, no… I just need to take a moment and gather myself," Naoto told Kaien.

"Are you sure?" Kaien asked, "I could ask for a servant to bring you a wet towel or something."

"I'll be okay," Naoto said, "If you could just give me a second to change, it would be perfect."

"You want me to leave?" Kaien looked at Naoto sideways.

"Just for a moment," Naoto nodded. She asked, "Do you know where Lord Tatsumi is? Considering…"

Kaien shook his head. He did not understand why this boy was so shy. He said, "I guess so. Lord Tatsumi is out in the practice field with Souji Seta."

"The practice field… thanks," Naoto nodded.

Kaien nodded in return before he walked out of the room, trying to understand why the boy was so shy. Kaien did not know Naoto's secret, and that's exactly what Naoto wanted.

As Naoto slipped out of the bed and started changing, she had to avoid touching her midsection. Even the slightest touch seemed to make the pain of the blows from Tanaka's kicks flare up.

She winced, but she had to remove her bandages and retie them. This time, Naoto did so even looser than she had last night. She prayed that she would not bump into anything while working today.

As she made the last tying motion on her yukata, Naoto had finally finished dressing without passing out. Slipping into her geta, she made her way out of the sliding door where Kaien was waiting right outside to the right of the door with a pair of towels on his arm. He seemed surprisingly a little more patient than Shu, which was surprising to Naoto.

"How's your head?" Kaien asked.

"Good enough for me to work," Naoto responded.

"Good," Kaien said. He continued with orders, "Lord Tatsumi and Souji Seta are waiting for you in the practice fields. You better hurry…" He gazed at Naoto's head before saying worriedly, "Well as fast as you can."

"Thanks, and I will," Naoto nodded.

Kaien handed the towels to Naoto. She took the towels and placed them carefully over her shoulder.

"So long," Kaien said as Naoto hurried off at a somewhat slow pace.

Naoto was not completely sure where the practice fields were, and she twice found herself asking various people which direction she was supposed to go. Luckily, there was a kind old lady servant who guided her in the right direction and helped her towards the practice field.

"Thank you… umm?" Naoto did not know the name of the lady she was thanking.

"Saeko," the lady told her, "And you are very welcome."

Naoto nodded and headed towards the back courtyards that were more commonly called: The Practice Fields.

The Fields was a large rectangular field with that was surrounded by rock fountains and dirt paths. At the arrival of Naoto, she gazed upon the lush and vibrant field itself with tired eyes. Naoto held the soft towels close to her as she viewed the two men that were on the grassy lawn.

Both Kanji Tatsumi and Souji Seta were standing across from each other, while holding wooden swords. Kanji's blade was much heavier and was a two-handed weapon, while Souji's was a long one-handed blade. Both of them had large welts from where they had been struck by the other man. They were both breathing heavily as well.

As Kanji took a deep breath, he asked Souji, "I am still not sure why you are using one-handed weapon today."

"I heard the leader of the Minamotos is a master of the one-handed blade. I need to be able to fight him if we ever go to war," Souji explained. They were very free with each other in private.

"You could always leave him to me," Kanji said, shouldering his weapon.

Souji shook his head, "I would rather not have to replace the Lord of Nara with someone inadequate."

"Do you doubt my skills?" Kanji questioned.

"No… It's just that the other Arisato is just as dangerous," Souji explained, "Practically every Minamoto lord and lady is trained to kill."

Kanji took a deep breath, "So I should rely on both of my samurai?"

Souji nodded and Kanji shook his head, "I would rather it not come to that."

"That would be for the best," Souji nodded. He twirled his wooden weapon, "Shall we continue?"

Kanji turned his head and saw Naoto, "No, no… It seems the servant has finally come with the towels."

Souji nodded in agreement and brushed back his hair. He took his own look at Naoto before they both walked towards the diminutive servant who was still standing and waiting for the two of them.

Naoto was a little nervous about handing the towels off to two of the three people that had saved her life, and it showed when she gave the towels to the pair. She could feel Kanji's gaze upon her face as he wiped the sweat off his face. Naoto could see the sweat trickle from his sweeping blond hair, to the scar over his left eye, and into Kanji's gray eyes themselves. He blinked once to clear his eyes and stared straight into Naoto's blue ones.

All of this made Naoto avert her eyes from Lord Tatsumi. She did not like being stared at. When she finally looked up, Kanji had stopped looking at her. He had turned his eyes away when she for some reason or another. Instead, Souji's eyes were making its way towards her. He looked a little worried about her condition after Tanaka's brutal beating.

"How are you feeling today, Naoto?" Souji asked casually.

"I have been better," Naoto replied, "It feels uncomfortable." She meant uncomfortable both physically and mentally.

Kanji said to Naoto, "I heard you disobeyed an order to visit the doctor, Naoto." He then looked at Souji, "You did not take her there either, Souji."

"I felt like I would be okay," Naoto hung her head, "I'm sorry Lord Tatsumi."

"She would not listen to reason," Souji shrugged.

"If you believe you can still adequately serve me, its fine," Kanji smiled. He shook his head, "Lord Tanaka was in the wrong. What he did was inexcusable, trying to punish you falsely… out in the open as well."

"Tanaka's only trying to get back at you," Souji added.

Kanji said, "Probably."

Souji had finished wiping the sweat off his own face and looked at Kanji as he said, "I'm headed to the springs. I'll see you in a little while, Lord Tatsumi."

Souji nodded at Kanji, who nodded back. Souji's gaze lingered at Naoto momentarily, who had again turned away from the boy's eyes.

Kanji watched the samurai walk away from the field and towards the springs. Kanji had more things that he wanted to talk to Souji about.

Kanji's gaze turned back towards his servant. He looked at Naoto, "Souji and I are both going to the springs. If you want to come… I think a little time there might help your injuries."

Naoto looked horrified at that proclamation. She knew it was a very generous offer, but… a scary one. It would be a horrible mistake if she joined them in the springs. She had to find a way out of this because it would jeopardize everything she was hiding.

"Thank you so much for you kindness, but if I could graciously decline," Naoto nodded.

"Are you sure?" Kanji looked confused, "I am not sure why you would not want to."

"I… I don't know," Naoto looked a little flustered as she looked for the right words, "I just need rest."

"Oh…," Kanji said abruptly, "I would think that being in the springs would be soothing for you."

"I just need to rest. I could not sleep last night," Naoto explained.

Kanji sighed, "If you're sure."

Naoto nodded, "Is there anything else you'll want me to do for today?"

"You can rest until dinner. I'll expect you at service," Kanji answered.

"I understand," Naoto bowed.

As Naoto walked away, Kanji sighed. He just did not understand some things about Naoto. Part of the reason he brought Naoto into his service was because of Souji and Lord Dojima, but he did not really understand why else he brought this boy in. When he closed his eyes, Kanji kept seeing Naoto's blue eyes in the back of his mind. He kept picturing his face. It was bugging him beyond belief. He had to clear his head and the springs would be a good place to do it. Maybe, Naoto not coming along would be a good thing.

As Souji wrapped his towel around his body, he saw Kanji enter the changing room. Kanji looked a little pensive as he began undressing himself and stared at a welt on his shoulder.

Souji looked at Kanji and asked, "Just us two then?"

Kanji nodded, but he had no idea on how Souji seemed to even know he was going to invite his servant to the springs. Souji said in response, "That's fine."

Kanji decided to change the subject before it could turn awkward, "Did you know that Lord Kido was searching around for his servant this morning? He was in a bad mood because he could not find her."

"You mean Yuka?" Souji asked.

As Kanji nodded and finished removing his tunic, Souji answered, "He should have followed the grunts and yells from where Yosuke was staying last night."

"Really?" Kanji raised his eyebrows, "Figures…"

"He got over Lady Satonaka fast enough," Souji said.

"Did he really though?" Kanji inquired.

"I don't know… Only time will tell," Souji sighed.

As they walked out towards the open-air springs, Kanji looked at his samurai. Souji would never betray him. He could tell him anything.

The springs were outside and were surrounded by rock formations. Kanji and Souji had visited this place many times recently, and it was a place Kanji went to think about political and personal matters.

Souji could definitely use some time in the springs as well to think about his own personal issues.

As they both entered the hot water, Souji saw that something was bothering Kanji. Souji asked him, "What's wrong?"

"It's about Naoto," Kanji answered.

"You're wondering why he didn't want to come to the springs." Souji explained, "You're wondering why you're thinking about him even now."

Kanji looked straight at Souji with a hint of anger forming on his face. "That's not cool, Souji," Kanji said, "I'm not thinking about Naoto right now."

The truth was… Kanji was thinking about Naoto right now. He could not explain it. What was wrong with him?

Souji nodded in agreement," Okay…" He really did not believe him. It was really confusing, but he knew Kanji must be even more confused right now.

* * *

**Lady Dojima's Residence**

**Morning**

The gray interior of Lady Dojima's residence was inhabited by three people. Lord Ryotarou and Lady Chisato Dojima, as well as one of the caretakers who had been had watching over Lady Dojima were the three inhabitants. The mood inside the residence was a solemn one. Lord Dojima had been there all night and had not slept since the day before. Even though he was exhausted, Dojima was in no mood to sleep.

Ryotarou Dojima was standing alongside the caretaker who was clad in the white yukata of the service of Lady Dojima. He was the only male caretaker that Lady Dojima ever had, as a doctor taking care of her while she was sick.

Sadly, no matter what thing the caretaker tried, what concoction he gave her, and what treatment he suggested; it never seemed to work. That's why Ryoutarou was now standing with him over Chisato's lifeless body in her bedroom. Lady Dojima had passed away.

"I am sorry, Lord Dojima," the caretaker said to Ryotarou.

Dojima did not say anything in response as he hung his head. Though it was an arranged marriage, he had fallen in love with Chisato over time. This disease that no one could diagnose struck his wife down so quickly that he never had a chance to truly say goodbye. It really was unfair for him.

The caretaker decided to try and ask a question, "That means your daughter is now the lady of the house, correct?"

Dojima looked up, "Yes."

"Have you found a suitor for the future?" the caretaker asked.

Dojima shook his head, "I am not sure if the one I have in mind will accept."

"I'm sure the man will make the right decision," the caretaker nodded.

Dojima sighed, "The right decision for Nanako…"

* * *

Yes, since I'm leaving to go march tomorrow, I wanted to finish a small chapter before I go. I hope you enjoyed it. I'm also stressed out because to get into the East Asian Studies Program I am trying to get into I need to be just about fluent in… well Korean, Chinese, or Japanese.


	9. Chapter 9

Samurai and Ninjas Chap. 9

I do not own Persona or the character's likenesses, sorry everyone. Atlus does. Blame my lack of creativity.

This story takes place towards the middle of the Heian period of Japan. I am not being completely historically accurate with this, so do not get all over my back about it. I could, but I am not going to be. How much Personas will play a part in it, I do not know about that one.

A note, I will mainly use first names first, then last names. I know this is the one glaring difference that I am using in respect of their culture, but since I am writing in English… I will write as such.

* * *

**Servants' Quarters**

**Mid-Afternoon**

Since Naoto had been given most of the afternoon off, she was able to rest and recover from her injuries caused by Lord Tanaka. It was nice to relax and she even spent a small amount of time asking a fellow servant for some water and resting in a tub. It would definitely take a while for Naoto to fully recover.

Sure, Naoto had nothing to do until she had to bring food to Lord Tatsumi for dinner, and that was in her mind while she sat down. That was not the only thing on her mind, however.

It was Lord Tatsumi asking her to go to the springs with Souji and him that was really occupying her mind. Could it be that Souji or Lord Tatsumi had figured out what she really was? It was rather unlikely considering how hard she was trying to hide it, but maybe Lord Dojima told Souji. If they figured it out somehow, wouldn't they have moved her away from the male servants' quarters? Unless they wanted a girl amidst all of the men… she was sure some of the men would not have minded if they found a girl was among them. She was just starting to trust Souji, Lord Dojima, and Lord Tatsumi… she hoped they had not betrayed her in anyway.

If Lord Tatsumi did not know she was a girl though, then why did he invite her to the springs? It made no sense at all to her. What in the world did he want her there for? Could he possibly want her there because he was interested in her? But… was he interested in her as a she… or a he? She was so confused, but she had so little time to think about it at the moment because the time until she had to go to Lord Tatsumi to serve him dinner was fast approaching.

Naoto decided that she would not be late for once, no matter how awkward it would probably be. She stood up and straightened her yukata. Sitting down caused a crease and Naoto needed to flatten it out. She washed her hands at the small basin on the far end of the room while making sure she did get any on her clothes. She took a deep breath before walking over and sliding open the door. She walked through and closed the door behind her. Unlike the times before, neither Shu nor Kaien was waiting for her. It seemed that she would have to make the trip to the kitchens on her own. It would be another lonely walk.

* * *

**Dining Hall**

**Mid-afternoon**

Kanji Tatsumi was more anxious than he had been in a long while. He had many worries for sure, but he had a new one that was really nagging him. After washing away the sweat and relaxing in the springs with his close friend and sparring partner, Kanji was now clad in gold and black. His hair was slicked back, but his shock blond hair would need to be bleached again. He was sitting in the middle of the dining room table by himself surrounded by tapestries and wall scrolls. There was light from each corner, but otherwise the only other paper light came down from the center of the room.

Kanji was worried about the lack of control he had in Nara, for sure. Tanaka was constantly testing the stability of the court. Kanji did not really know where Tanaka's true loyalties lie, but if he ever showed weakness; Tanaka would pounce on him. Lord Dojima would support him, but Lady Ebihara could eventually sway towards Tanaka. If that ever happened… Ai would bring both Kou to Tanaka's side. If Kou was with Tanaka, which meant Daisuke would side with Tanaka, and then Lady Satonaka would side with Tanaka. Lady Amagi would as well… at that. He had to make sure that did not happen.

Tanaka did not even scratch the surface of his worries when he thought about the earlier meeting with Lady Yoshino, Lord Iori, and Lord Kido. They spotted his worries about instability right away and he was sent on the defensive right away. If it was not for the Emperor's grandson, Kanji would be still defending his right to rule Nara. The Tairas and Minamotos were getting stronger and the Fujiwaras were weakening. If they attacked… the Fujiwaras would most likely lose. Untrained footmen, lazy samurai, and only three worthwhile warriors was all that would defend Nara. In Kyoto, it would be not much better for the Fujiwaras if there was an attack.

The door slid open and in came a single servant holding, albeit somewhat shakily, three plates of food. It was the pinnacle of all of Kanji's anxiety. Forget all of the political and military strife… this single servant was causing him to lose his mind when he slid open the door.

Kanji had no problem looking at Naoto before today, but something… just happened this day that screwed with his head and now he was now unable to even look into Naoto's eyes. He knew it was beyond asinine and ridiculous, but he could not understand what was going on. Something was going on inside his head, and he could not figure it out. Something that his best friend had seemed to figure out almost immediately, but when he spoke of it… Kanji had to vehemently deny. It was the idea that he had the urge to see Naoto again, and that was why he called her to serve him dinner that Souji said was so important to him. For some reason, it did feel important that he made sure Naoto was the one who served him dinner tonight.

Kanji wished he knew why his mind was so topsy-turvy. He was so calm around Naoto when he first made this peasant his servant. He may have not even saved his life if it was not for Lord Dojima's insistence. He knew Souji had something to do with it as well. Kanji was even normal around Naoto even when Tanaka started beating him during the meeting. He just hated people doing things to people undeservedly. That's why he stopped Tanaka. It must have been when Kanji took a deep look into Naoto's eyes. It was when he stared at his face. This can not be normal. He is a guy… and Naoto is a guy.

"What is wrong with me!" Kanji thought as Naoto stepped through the door.

Naoto noticed that Kanji had averted his gaze from her as soon as she entered. There was the smallest hue… tint of red touching his cheeks. It was something you would see on a young teenage boy looking on at his first crush. It was awkward and strange enough that Naoto nearly dropped the rice dish, meat dish, and dessert plate. Why the lord was even blushing at a servant… was beyond her contemplations. She took a deep breath before walking from the doorway and to the table.

* * *

**Outside the Palace**

**Early Evening**

Souji Seta had been privy to many of the events of last night and earlier this afternoon. If he was not struggling with himself on what to do in relation to his cousin; he would be able to make sense of everything that happened.

"Yosuke and Yuka…," Souji thought.

He had definitely heard Yosuke last night, but he had not seen him at all today. There was a mad search for Lord Kido's servant and the lord was quite unhappy when she finally appeared. She looked composed and cleaned up, at least… but no one except those who had heard those two knew what really happened last night. Now… if they could only find Yosuke, it would be normal again. With both of them, they would probably joke around about last night's escapade. As soon as Yosuke got full wind of Souji walking Naoto all the way back to the servants' quarters, he would do the same thing. Yosuke would probably continue poking fun at his situation with the young Lady Dojima. He tried to imagine what Yosuke would say about Lord Tatsumi. The only thing that mattered is that Yosuke had gone missing. Maybe he had trailed after Yuka? He did seem pretty pissed at Lady Satonaka. If he did not show in a short while, Souji would have to think about organizing a search party.

"Kanji and Naoto… Where to start?" Souji rolled his eyes.

The young servant he had walked back to the servants' quarters was a stubborn person, but had turned the usually complacent Lord Tatsumi who was never interested in anything into a blushing fool. Souji did not even have to speak to Kanji to tell that there was something very wrong with him. Ever since the spar, Kanji looked so lost and confused every time Souji saw him. He would feel bad for him except that the lord snapped at him and lectured him. The whole warning about not saying anything about those nasty rumors seemed quite true. It was probably because Souji was a close friend that he got off so easily; that and without Souji… Nara would fall with a single push from any of their foes. Why Kanji was having such an issue, Souji saw how he looked at the servant. Souji tried to treat those who were respectful with respect. With Kanji basically asphyxiating around Naoto, Souji would need to do some serious investigating of his own to figure out what to do about it.

"Lady Nanako Dojima…," Souji was thinking about the youngest member of the Dojimas when he opened his eyes and saw a very melancholy Lord Ryotarou Dojima, clad in dark blue, approaching. The leader of the Dojima house was looking pensive and poignant as he made his way to his nephew.

"What's wrong, Lord Dojima?" Souji asked. It was being respectful to his uncle that would open him up and make him would speak more freely.

Lord Dojima took a deep breath of his own before he said to Souji, "My wife has died."

"I am sorry, uncle," Souji made a small bow.

Dojima gave a small sigh, and he sounded a little angry for once as he responded, "Don't act like that. I don't want unnecessary pity. You all knew it was bound to happen. It was only a matter of time."

Souji was a little taken aback by this outburst. Maybe it was from the death of his wife, but he never knew of his uncle to lash out like this. Souji said truthfully, "I'm sorry for disrespecting you."

Dojima closed his eyes, "I know… I know I should not take this out on you, but… but this was my wife. I loved her."

Love did not always occur in noble marriages. In this case, Chisato and Ryotarou Dojima grew to love each other. It was not a marriage only for producing an heir. It became a marriage of two people who cared for each other. It seemed that until she became deathly ill that she had only produced a daughter. Ryotarou loved her because she was who she was.

"I really am sorry," Souji told Dojima.

Souji had never seen Ryotarou's wife, but it was said she was very beautiful. Her daughter was said to be the spitting image of Chisato, so that was a good indication that Nanako would be just as beautiful.

"Thank you…" Dojima bowed his head.

Dojima did not leave immediately after this. Souji realized that he did not come to see him to just tell him about his wife's death. He felt a headache coming on.

Souji saw Dojima sigh as the lord said to him, "I… I rea… I really don't want to talk about this right now, but…"

"It's about your daughter, right?" Souji nodded in understanding, "If you want some time before we discuss this."

"No, no…" Dojima shook his head, gaining a little confidence, "We should talk about this now."

This was definitely not something Souji wanted to speak about. He was not ready nor had he made a decision yet. He hoped he would not have to make a snap decision and do something he would regret.

"My daughter is now the only female link to the Dojima house," Dojima started, "A link that will all but break at my death."

"I know where you are going with this, uncle," Souji said.

Ryotarou put his hand on the back of his head, "I don't want to push you, but I would not ask anyone I don't trust." He sighed, "She trusts you, Souji."

Souji held his head. He really wanted to go back to the springs at this time. "I know," he answered.

What could else could he have said? He had really only met his cousin once. That was above the average amount that most noble men meet their wives before they marry them. She was sweet, but she was just so young.

Lord Dojima needed some good news to try and counteract the loss of his wife. He could tell Souji was very uncomfortable. He had to try and loosen him up somehow. "Souji, what is holding you back? She is willing to take you as a husband."

Souji closed his eyes. "I think you already know the problem."

"It's her age," Dojima sighed.

"If you really were going to force me… It's not like she would be the worst person in the world for me to marry, but… she's far too young right now."

Dojima could have smiled, but he was far too sad at the moment. "You would make a terrible lord."

Souji gave a small grin, "I know I would." He shook his head, "That's why I would never want to be one."

He always felt that so many lords and ladies were corrupt and manipulative. There were so few that he felt were clean. Besides, as long as Tanaka was alive, Souji would never become a lord. Tanaka would make sure of it.

"Nanako… I need to speak to Nanako about this," Dojima said suddenly.

"If you must," Souji said, "I will be where I am supposed to be."

Dojima was about to say something to Souji before Dojima cut himself off, "I am thinking of… never mind."

"Alright," Souji said.

Dojima looked even more melancholy when he turned away from his nephew than when the lord started to speak to Souji.

"I hope he is alright," Souji said to the retreating figure. The losses of Chisato, plus Souji, his, denial of marrying Nanako probably only compound the pain Ryotarou was feeling at this moment.

Souji felt a drop of blood on his shoulder. He looked up and felt another drop of the crimson liquid hit his white hakama. There was a dead archer that was lying dead on the battlements, unnoticed during the whole conversation. Souji may not have noticed the dead guardsman unless the blood from his slit throat had landed on his shoulder. There was an intruder, or intruders in the palace. Whoever they were, they were trained in stealth tactics; they were good at that. They completely ignored him… maybe because they did not want to fight him, even if they would have had free shots at him.

Regardless, if someone was in the palace and they had killed a guard; they had malicious thoughts towards people in the palace. It was Souji's job to protect those in the palace. He needed to kill whoever did this. He made sure his sword would be easily accessible and he began running into the palace. May the gods help any intruder he found.

**

* * *

**

**Outside of the Dining Hall**

**Early Evening**

Naoto had rushed out of the dining hall as fast as she could in geta. It was not easy, but she needed to get away from Lord Tatsumi at that moment. She was a little scared at that moment, and the best plan of action was running away. She needed fresh air, so instead of moving towards the servants' quarters; Naoto headed towards the main hall. She could reach the courtyard from there. She remembered the scary time she had serving Lord Tatsumi.

* * *

**Dining Hall**

**Back at Dinner**

Kanji had to talk to Naoto at some point so he could take his food from him. He was still nervous as none other. He gritted his teeth at what he had to do. It was going to be so awkward. This whole day has been awkward and until he did something, nothing would happen to relieve that feeling.

Naoto put the all three of the dishes in front of Lord Tatsumi as quickly as possible. She wanted to place them there and leave immediately. After the dishes were in a somewhat triangular position, Naoto started to back up… but she would not be able to leave so quickly.

"Naoto…" Kanji said, stopping Naoto in her tracks. Kanji had forced himself to look at Naoto.

Naoto felt Kanji's gray eyes gazing at her. She hated that. She lowered her head, trying to stop him.

"Yes…?" she responded.

"I have been thinking," Kanji said suddenly, "It's about something important to me."

"What is it about, my lord?" Naoto asked.

"Did you know my wife died while she was pregnant a few years ago?" Kanji inquired.

This worried Naoto immensely. It made her wonder that he actually might know that she was a girl. Why else would question her about his wife?

"Shu told me about your wife," Naoto answered. She figured that Kanji knew the name of one of his head servants.

"I have been pressured to find a new wife. Do you know that?" Kanji asked.

Naoto nodded, "Yes… I have heard."

"I have been unsuccessful, to say the least," Kanji told Naoto.

"I am sorry, sir," Naoto said to Kanji.

Kanji sighed. It would be now or never if he did not say his thoughts. He needed to express what he was feeling at this very second or it would keep hurting him. He did not even know why he was feeling like this.

Kanji told her, "I am thinking that… that right now… I am not very interested in finding a new wife for myself."

"You are not?" Naoto answered politely.

Kanji shook his head and breathed deeply, "My current interests… lie with someone else at the moment… even if it seems odd to others."

Naoto slowly started to back up again. It did not matter if it was against decorum, or even if she was going to be punished later; she was leaving this second. She bowed and all but ran out the door when she slid it open.

Kanji sighed. He did not know what was wrong with him. Was it something he said? Did he come on too strong? He should discipline Naoto for running away, but he did not have the heart to do anything right now.

He picked up his chopsticks. "After I finish my meal, I'll apologize for what I said," Kanji frowned.

He had gotten it off of his chest at least. He felt a little better… in some respects. Besides, if he caught up to him… he could look upon Naoto's soft face again.

**

* * *

**

**Main Hall**

**Early Evening**

* * *

Naoto had speed-walked all the way to the main hall. She was not the far away from the courtyard where she could take some deep breaths and think. Kanji wanted her as a man, not as a woman. What in the world?

There was a scream. She was the one screaming. Blood was strewn across the floor of the hall. A servant had two large gashes across his body that bled profusely all over the hall floor. Naoto recognized the servant. It was Shu.

Naoto wanted nothing else but to scream again, but Shu called out to her. He was still alive, "Naoto… You scream like a girl."

Indeed, her scream was nothing like a man. It was incredibly high-pitched.

"That does not matter right now. What happened?" Naoto asked hurriedly, "You're hurt. We need to get you help."

Naoto clenched Shu's hand. Shu's eyes widened, noticing the softness of her hands.

"Don't waste your breath," Shu struggled to say, "I… I'm dying. Just leave."

"I can't just leave you here," Naoto retorted.

"Yes… you can," Shu said, "Lord Tatsumi is in danger. You need to find Souji." Shu shoved her away so she would go. He had one last thing to say, "To think… to think that there was a female servant in our midst."

Naoto watched Shu close his eyes and stop breathing. She felt terrible, but he was right. She needed to find someone to protect everyone. More people could die… more people like Shu.

Usually around this time, Souji was at the gate. Naoto started running towards the courtyard, dodging all of the blood as best as she could by tiptoeing around it.

The archway between the courtyard and the main hall stood two men wearing masks and clad in all black. They were assassins, and they were ninja. Naoto fought back the urge to scream for help. In actuality, she could not scream because she was too scared. Both of them had short ninjato in their right hands. They must have been the two that killed Shu, and they were after Lord Tatsumi.

"Another servant," a gruff-sounding voice said to the other one.

A nasty-sounding voice responded, "Is it a guy or a girl?"

"Can't tell… but we should kill the kid before it runs away," the first one said.

"You're probably right," the second one answered.

Naoto had shaken off her geta while the two were speaking. The gruff-sounding one took a step forward and raised his sword. Both were taller her, but Naoto had to be faster.

The ninja stepped forward again. The gruff-sounding ninja made a thrust with his sword, but Naoto was not there when it should have connected. She had deftly ducked underneath the blow. The next moment, the ninja felt the small girl's fist connect with his head. She saw his face for the first time as it knocked off the mask he was wearing. He was middle-aged. His thinning, graying hair was parted to either side of his head. He was an ugly bastard with a prematurely wrinkly face.

"Bitch…" the gruff ninja said, rubbing his jaw.

Both of them seemed unhappy that the ugly ninja was hit in the face. The other ninja ran, unbeknownst to Naoto and slashed her across the chest. She gasped softly as she fell to the ground holding her chest.

"Hurry up and put your mask back on," the second ninja said.

"This is much better than wrapping cloth," the second ninja told the nasty, nasally sounding ninja.

"It did not stop the servant from knocking it off," the nasally ninja smirked within his mask.

"So, she has some skill," the gruff ninja said. He held up a hand, "Wait… listen."

The nasally ninja turned and raised his ninjato. It barely blocked the blade of Souji Seta. Souji's strength alone nearly drove the ninja's weapon into his chest. Souji kicked with his right foot and caught the ninja in the midsection.

Holding his midsection, the ninja jumped backwards.

"Bastard…" The ninja growled. Any ninja would recognize Souji Seta, "I'm going to enjoy this."

Souji saw Naoto on the floor behind the ninja, bleeding out. He would need to hurry, especially if he had to kill both.

This ninja, like the other, was the aggressor, and rushed Souji. Souji was far more trained than Naoto, however. He would show why he was the most feared of any samurai in Japan. The ninja thrust at Souji, and the samurai moved about a foot to the left. The ninjato sliced the air, nothing else. The samurai sword connected with the right shoulder blade, however. The ninja fell to his knees and dropped his blade when Souji removed the sword. Souji took off the ninja's mask, revealing a young man with beady black eyes and messy black hair. He had a great urge to slice his head off, but he saw an advancing figure. He knew this person would execute them personally.

Lord Kanji Tatsumi heard the girlish scream in the direction of the main hall. Just in case, he grabbed his trusty kanabo. Entering the hall, he surely did not expect to find blood and a dead servant.

As he walked to the entrance of the hall, Kanji saw one of the black clad figures; it was a ninja. He saw another on his knees. He had been dealt with by Souji. The other seemed to wonder if he should fight Souji or not. The realization that it was Souji Seta that had incapacitated his partner must have unnerved the ninja slightly. Well… if this ninja was after him; he should deal with him. He shouldered his kanabo. Then… then he saw Naoto on the floor.

Through the mask, the gruff-sounding ninja's eyes widened as Lord Tatsumi charged him. He raised his ninjato in a futile attempt to protect himself, but Kanji swung and shattered not only the weapon but his ribcage.

"Bastard!" Kanji yelled as he connected with the man's chest.

The man's breath was taken from him as he struggled to breathe. He would not breathe much longer with two collapsed lungs.

Kanji dropped the weapon and kneeled by Naoto, who was slipping in and out of consciousness. He placed his hand on the wound, trying to stop the blood from coming out. He yelled at Souji, "Get the doctor, damn it!"

* * *

Man, was this one confusing chapter, switching back and forth between saying him and her for Naoto. The first ninja is actually from P1 and P2 if you don't recognize him. It will be explained in the next chapter, okies? This may be my last chapter in a while. Thanks for your support, all.


	10. Chapter 10

Samurai and Ninjas Chap. 10

I do not own Persona or the character's likenesses, sorry everyone. Atlus does. Blame my lack of creativity.

This story takes place towards the middle of the Heian period of Japan. I am not being completely historically accurate with this, so do not get all over my back about it. I could, but I am not going to be. How much Personas will play a part in it, I do not know about that one.

A note, I will mainly use first names first, then last names. I know this is the one glaring difference that I am using in respect of their culture, but since I am writing in English… I will write as such.

* * *

**Main Hall**

**Evening**

The main hall of what used to be the Imperial Palace looked anything but what it normally did at the moment. There was blood everywhere, a dead servant lie with gashes across his body, and two assassins had attempted to infiltrate the palace. The stealthy tactics of the pair seemed to have worked well as they had brought so little attention to those around them that most those living here did not even know they had snuck in. Unfortunately, one of those unaware did not include Souji Seta; the samurai of near legend. He made short work of a beady-eyed samurai and was now holding him for his lord to deal with. Lord Tatsumi stumbled upon the other ninja and the actions of the ninja managed to anger him into a fury unknown even by Souji. At the feet of Souji, lie Naoto with a gash across her chest.

Kanji had placed his right hand over the wound inflicted upon Naoto. It was not likely the ninja he had fought with was getting up anytime soon. His ribs were probably shattered and he was gasping for air.

Naoto closed her eyes. It hurt… being cut by a sword, yet… as she closed her eyes. The pain was starting to go away. It was if closing her eyes dulled the pain. It was if closing her eyes was a good thing. Then she should close her eyes.

"No…! Don't close your eyes, Naoto!" Kanji yelled.

If this was anyone else, this would have looked extremely weird to Souji. But this was Kanji, and he obviously had some sort of connection… feelings towards this young man.

Kanji refused to watch Naoto suffer, and if felt that if Naoto closed his eyes; that the young man was going to die. Kanji was not going to let Naoto die.

He turned his head, while still keeping his hand on the wound, and yelled at Souji, "Get the doctor! All of them!"

Souji got to his feet. The assassin he had struck was bleeding heavily… just below his shoulder, and was not going anywhere. With an angry glare from his friend and lord, Souji ran from the main hall towards the doctors' residences. This was the one time he believed his friendship may not matter if he failed. His punishment might be equal to any other failures of someone else.

There was one fully-trained doctor as well as three apprentices with the most advanced equipment and medicine for its time at the residence. They worked nonstop and only were able to be effective because they slept in shifts.

Needless to say, they were a bit shocked when Souji burst into their room and woke all four of them, "Get up… Lord Tatsumi needs you."

"Is our lord hurt?" one of the apprentices asked. He had smooth black hair in a bowl cut.

"No, he's fine," Souji shook his head. He needed to explain the issue. How did you explain this? He said, "Just come on… You are needed to save someone who was attacked."

"How many of us are needed?" the head doctor had gotten up and was putting on a tunic. He was much older than the others, with wizened gray hair that was tied back in a ponytail.

"All of you, according to Lord Tatsumi," Souji shrugged.

The four looked at each other in confusion before saying, "We understand."

As the four continued dressing, Souji stood impatiently, "I would hurry… if you value your lives."

The doctor and his apprentices' eyes widened. The threat of losing their lives would make anyone hurry. The four haphazardly threw on the rest of their clothes and they took only the basic medical supplies. As the four men ran out the door, Souji followed behind. Souji did not want to be blamed for being lazy.

Kanji had ripped off part of his robes and was now pressing it against Naoto's wound. He had failed at keeping him awake, but Kanji could at least feel Naoto's slowing breathing against his face. Where the hell was Souji with the doctors?

As soon he was about to voice that thought, Souji came into the hall with the four doctors. Kanji breathed a small sigh of relief.

"What do you want us to do?" the head doctor asked as he hurried towards Lord Tatsumi.

"I want you to save this servant," Kanji replied in a panicked voice, "You have to save him…"

The doctors looked at each other. They were unsure why their lord was so dead set on saving one of his servants. In the end, that did not really matter. All that mattered was following orders, so the head doctor motioned to the apprentice with the long black hair. The two made their way towards Kanji and the fallen servant.

"You need to move out of the way so we can treat the patient, Lord Tatsumi," the head doctor placed his hand on Kanji's shoulder.

Very reluctantly, Kanji removed his hand away so the two could see to Naoto. He slowly went back from his knees to his feet by pushing up with his arms. He backed up as the doctor and his apprentice moved in front of Naoto, shielding him from Kanji's view. Kanji felt a pang in his heart as he took another step back.

He turned to the other two who were currently wondering why they were even called down here. They were staring mindlessly at all of the blood splattered across the hall.

Kanji was disgusted at their lax nature. He snapped at them, "You two!" As the other two turned towards Lord Tatsumi, Kanji continued, "Keep those ninja alive… at least until I can speak with them."

During his last statement, he stared straight at the ninja who he had personally crushed in his rage. Kanji was going to make that man suffer, and he was not going to die until Kanji found out every last bit of information. That went for the other one as well. They would both die… slowly.

The head doctor turned towards Kanji. He had barely started looking over Naoto when the wizened man turned to the lord, "We need to take this servant to the doctors' residences. We did not bring enough supplies here."

It would be lying if Kanji said he did not feel a pang of jealousy as the young apprentice accompanying the head doctor picked up Naoto in his arms and carried the diminutive servant towards the doctors' quarters.

The head doctor followed right behind the young man carrying Naoto. The other two apprentice/doctors were dragging the two assassins behind them. Neither of them had the strength to even break free of both apprentices and escape. They would not get very far anyways.

Seeing that the carnage was over, Souji put away his blade by running it over the sheath and then placing it in the sheath. Souji felt bad that the servant he had saved only a couple days ago had gotten hurt. The important part was that Lord Tatsumi was safe and unharmed. Looking at Kanji, Souji was not completely sure that his friend had come out unscathed after all.

Souji had nothing else to do. It was probably in his best interest to go back to the gate anyways. He could check for anyone else hiding in the courtyard on his way there. It was times like this he wished they knew where Yosuke was. It would make life so much simpler.

Souji tried to turn away so he could go back to the gates. He was stopped by a pleading voice, "Souji…"

Souji turned back around and saw a very distressed and needy looking Kanji. Souji knew what he was going to ask, and it was probably going to take up even more of his time than him standing at the gate for a few more hours.

"Souji… Can you stay… stay and make sure Naoto is okay?" Kanji pleaded.

Souji sighed. Something about this Souji knew he was going to regret later on, but Kanji was his friend. Souji supported his friends, and he was going to support Kanji in this situation.

Souji walked back towards Kanji and stood by his side, "I will stay here if you want me to."

Kanji closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank you, Souji."

Souji could not really understand how Kanji was so emotionally traumatized… Yes, he could. He had some feelings… for another man.

"Should we wait in a room near the doctors' quarters?" Kanji asked.

"If you want to," Souji said to Kanji.

The two made the slow walk away from the hall and to the hallways that would lead to the doctors' quarters. Kanji still had a dejected look on his face and Souji was doubtful there was anything he could do to change that. The only thing that would probably change that look was seeing Naoto spring out of the doctors' completely healthy.

* * *

**Lady Nanako Dojima's Residence**

**Late Evening**

Inside the mainly cream colored walls, the only two present in the living room were Nanako and her father, Ryotarou. He had entered unannounced late in the evening to the surprise of the three caretakers. Nanako and Ryotarou were sitting across from each other at a small table.

"It is nice to see you again, father," Nanako said to her father.

"I am afraid I have bad news for you," Dojima told Nanako before taking a deep breath and saying, "Your mother has passed away."

Nanako was not sure what to feel. She had never really seen much of her mother. She was brought up by the three women who are still raising her now.

"I'm sorry, father," Nanako said to her dad.

Dojima understood that Nanako did not really have any sort of experiences with her mother, so she it would be difficult to express the same sort of feelings that Dojima felt. He had to accept the pseudo-apology from his daughter.

"I have more news," Dojima said slowly.

"What is it, father?" Nanako asked.

"Souji is having second thoughts on marrying you," Dojima said. He continued, "I think he believes you are too young."

"If that is what he wants," Nanako's head dropped slightly.

Nanako actually was a little disappointed that Souji was rejecting her. When she had thought about it, she was starting to like Souji.

"It might just have been he was going to wait until you were older," Dojima comforted.

Nanako shook her head, "I do not think that is the case."

"We will see," Dojima said. He added, "The decision is ultimately in my hands."

"I understand," Nanako nodded.

Dojima was not really sure what to do, but he had to think about what would be best for his family in the future. If that meant… no, he would take time before he decided if he wanted to manipulate lives. He owed them that.

* * *

**Room across from the Doctors' Residence**

**Early Morning**

Only two things kept Souji in the palace overnight… at Lord Tatsumi's side. It was because it was Lord Tatsumi asked him, and when Lord Tatsumi asked it basically was an order. The other reason was because as much as Souji wanted to go, Kanji had pleaded with him to stay. It was a person he grew up with; it was the man he served. Kanji, not Lord Tatsumi, was Souji's friend. That was why Souji was currently sitting, albeit slouching, in a chair and waiting for news on the condition of Kanji's… well… he was not going to discuss that.

When Kanji and Souji had first arrived to the room they were currently residing in, Kanji was pacing back and forth the whole time. It seemed the tire out someone who never got tired. It was a combination of worry, stress, and emotion of the whole day that just overwhelmed the lord and knocked him out. Souji had Kanji laid out at the opposite end of the room so he could get some much needed sleep. Kanji was probably the most peaceful he had been all day. That meant Souji was the one waiting for the doctor; he would be the one to find out how Naoto was.

Souji did not know how much more time he had until he found out the condition of Naoto, so he decided to step outside for a little while. When Souji slid open the sliding door, he saw the two apprentices that were taking of the ninja. They seemed to be patiently waiting for either Souji or Kanji to step out of this room, and Souji did so; the pair's eyes widened and they stepped forward. They were probably expecting Lord Tatsumi instead of Souji Seta.

Souji decided to ask about Naoto, "Do you know how Naoto, that servant, is doing?"

One of the apprentices, a shorter man, responded, "We are not really sure. We were taking care of the two ninja and we decided to take them to another room to treat them."

"Oh…" Souji said in response. He recovered and then asked, "Are they well enough for questioning?"

"We actually were thinking about coming in and asking you to interrogate them now," the other, taller, apprentice replied. He continued, "One has serious chest injuries and I do not think he will last until tomorrow. He is having far too much trouble breathing. With the other one, I stopped the bleeding on the outside, but…"

The first apprentice finished his sentence, "There is bleeding inside the body. We can not stop that."

"So… I should interrogate them now before we lose that chance?" Souji raised his eyebrows, before asking again "Is that your suggestion?"

The two young men bowed as they said, "That's just what we believe and why we came to you."

The first one asked, "Do you want to get Lord Tatsumi to initiate the questioning?"

Souji thought to himself about if he should bother waking up his lord. He knew that Kanji wanted to be there and question them in person, but… he needed rest. Souji could get the information and then relay it to Kanji when he woke up. That would be perfectly fine.

Souji shook his head, "He's resting at the moment. Lord Tatsumi has had a long day. I will start the questioning myself." He gestured with his arm, "Lead the way."

Souji followed the pair of apprentices a very short way to where the ninja were treated. The two younger doctors had taken their supplies to this side room. When Souji slid open the door and the taller apprentice gestured with his arm for the samurai to walk through; the ninjas turned their heads very slowly. Their eyes widened at seeing Souji approach.

They were both stripped to the waist and now bandaged up, but their conditions were only getting worse as they lie on cloth tables. It seemed as though the apprentices' diagnoses that they only had a short while left to live was correct.

Souji put on a serious face as he said to the two, "Listen here… and listen well. I can give you the rest of your remaining time in this world, which is a very short time. If you do what I want… the rest of your life will be painless. If you do not, I will make it the worst few hours of your life."

Souji closed his eyes. He doubted that this would be easy. He would probably have to do a little work. He asked a simple question, "Who sent you?"

If the two assassins could look at each other, then they would have given each other the same look that they gave when they took the job.

The beady-eyed young man said, weakly, "I can't tell you… you bastard."

Souji sighed, "Don't make this difficult on me."

The man with the parted gray hair began to laugh. It hurt immensely, but he laughed in Souji's face. It was insulting to Souji.

Souji walked up to the beady eyed young man. This man could not have been older than himself.

Souji steeled his face and grabbed the man by the bandages. He all but growled in the assassin's face as he said, "Listen fish face… If you do not want to experience worse pain than being stabbed in the shoulder…" Souji made a gesture towards the ninja's lower section, "Start talking."

Souji could feel the sweat running down the assassin's face as it reached his chest. He was scared. This guy was really scared.

"I… I don't know anything," the guy was panicking. He gestured to the guy who laughed in Souji's face, "He arranged everything. I just was an add-on in case he failed. I don't even know who hired us."

Souji let him go and saw a yellow stain forming around the cloth table the fish eyed man was lying on. He was disgusted by it all.

"You!" Souji turned to the other man.

"What?" the balding man called out with a raspy tone. He was struggling to speak.

"What's your name?" Souji questioned.

The fishy man and the balding man exchanged glances and the balding man responded, "Han'nya."

"Who told you to kill Lord Tatsumi?" Souji questioned.

Han'nya coughed and smirked. It seemed he had no intention of answering the question. The cough brought forth a little blood, but he wiped it off.

Souji was not going to take any bullshit. He walked over to Han'nya and struck him across the face with the back part of his right hand, forcing blood to run down his mouth. As Han'nya's face drifted, Souji's left fist went straight into his already ruined chest. Han'nya gasped and blood spurted from his face.

"Do you want more!" Souji's voice was filled with malice. He continued, "Then tell me everything!"

Han'nya was breathing very heavily. He was struggling to speak, "I… If I tell you… will you stop?"

Souji drew back his hand, "I want you to start from the beginning. Tell me everything."

Han'nya closed his eyes, "It began like this."

* * *

**Far End of Residential District near the Kusaga Shrine**

**Yesterday Morning**

The man known as Han'nya was standing just outside the Kusaga Shrine. He was looking about the red terraces of the shrine for someone that was to arrive. Han'nya was not sure the man he was waiting for looked like, but… it had to be someone important. Han'nya was wearing a gray and black tunic, but was used to wearing all black for worked. The assassin coughed; he was not as young as he used to be.

The assassin suddenly turned, drawing a small knife that reflected off of the sunlight, and pointed it straight at a man that had tried to sneak up on Han'nya. The man had slightly graying hair that had spit curls. He was somewhat tall and was obviously a lord with his regal clothing.

"Put that knife away, you peasant," the lord said as he asked, "You would strike down your employer?"

Han'nya put away his short knife by flipping it back into his belt loop. "What do you want me to do?" he asked. He continued, "This is an important job to you obviously if you hired me."

The lord knew why he wanted to hire Han'nya. In the past, this assassin was used in missions against both the Taira and Minamoto families. He was a legend in his younger years. He was older now, but still revered by all. This was the person he needed.

"It is… I have a job that I need you and your accomplice to complete," the lord answered.

Yes, Han'nya had a younger trainee that he was grooming to replace him. This man was a Tairan servant, but had been exiled for making advances on Lady Kirishima. He had been found by Han'nya and he started to train him in the arts of assassination and spying.

Han'nya sighed, "What is the mission?" He had asked this question already.

"I want you to eliminate Lord Tatsumi," the lord told Han'nya. "I also want it looks like it was performed by Lord Dojima."

"Lord Tatsumi?" Han'nya looked a little taken aback. He said, "That won't be easy. I would have to get around Souji Seta and Yosuke Hanamura." Han'nya continued, "Isn't Lord Dojima the most popular lord in Nara?"

"Hanamura has been dealt with," the lord said. He continued, "There is a pretty little servant that came with a Tairan lord named Kido. He met the little lady and they had a little rendezvous. They haven't seen him since." The graying-haired lord shook his head, "Just find a way."

Han'nya shook his head, "I have to deal with Seta, right?"

"You're a ninja, no?" the lord made it obvious.

Han'nya nodded and the lord said, "What sort of compensation do you want for this mission?"

Han'nya took a deep breath, "My accomplice… wants a night with Lady Amagi."

The lord smiled. "Done…" He replied. He smirked, "I'll find a way to make it happen." He asked the balding man, "What do you want as your reward?"

"Nothing," Han'nya answered.

"Nothing?" the lord seemed perplexed as he continued, "Surely you want something?"

"I just want one last mission before I try… and live a normal life for the rest of my days," Han'nya explained.

The lord smiled. This was perfect. He had one more thing to say, however. "One thing," the lord interrupted.

"Yes?" Han'nya raised his eyebrow.

"If you see a young man with short blue hair… you have free rein to kill him as well," the lord told him.

"Duly noted," Han'nya nodded. He said, "I will strike tonight."

"Good," the lord said, and then said, "I need to get back to business."

The lord nodded and the assassin bowed. Han'nya needed to prepare for the attack. He would attack at night.

* * *

**Side Room**

**Early Morning**

"It's Lord Tanaka," Souji realized.

"Wha…?" Han'nya managed to say.

"Nothing…" Souji shook his head. He turned, but before he did… he said, "I have what I want. You can rest in peace."

The two apprentices were still standing outside the door, and were shocked when they saw Souji appear suddenly and slam the sliding door.

"Are you alright, sir?" the short apprentice asked.

"I am fine," Souji said. He said to them, "I need to think for a moment. Please give me a few moments."

"Yes, sir..." the other apprentice nodded.

Souji went from outside the side room to the room across from the doctors' quarters. He needed to do something serious thinking.

He opened and entered the room where Kanji was still sleeping. He sat down in the chair he was resting in earlier. It was time for him to gather his thoughts.

"I did not think Tanaka would make such a bold move," Souji thought, "And he wanted it to blame it on my uncle?"

Tanaka must really think Nara was unstable if he was trying to unseat Kanji for control of Nara. He was trying to take over a good chunk of the Fujiwara family for what purpose? It was more likely because he was power hungry than he thought he could do a better job with the land. The family was weak, even Souji knew that, and Tanaka could not do any better than Kanji was doing. Kanji was doing better than anyone else could, so Tanaka was a fool by trying to replace him by causing more instability with an attempted assassination. When the news gets out that someone tried to kill Lord Tatsumi, it will cause a wave of rumors that the people have lost faith in him. Maybe Tanaka knew it would fail, and the true plan was to topple Kanji from the inside? Souji knew it was going to cause a headache if he thought about it anymore.

All Souji knew about this was that he would have to tell Kanji about what he learned after he awoke. It would be pointless for Kanji to try and let him question the assassins once he woke up. He would only get the same information, and he would be less lenient with threats. Most likely, by the time Kanji awoke, the pair would be dead.

His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden opening of the door.

"Excuse me, Seta, Lord Tatsumi?" the head doctor's head popped through the door.

"Lord Tatsumi is resting… Can I help you?" Souji answered.

"I have… something important to tell you," the doctor nodded. He wiped the sweat off of his forehead with a cloth, "It might shock you."

Souji got up from the chair and followed the doctor out of the room and into the hallway.

"Try me," Souji said, as the samurai and doctor stood across from each other in the brightly colored room.

"It's about the servant we have been working on," the doctor wiped his forehead with the cloth again.

"Naoto," Souji said.

"Yes," the doctor nodded, "The wound was not as severe as we thought. It was not a terribly deep wound, but we ended up treating some broken ribs as well."

"They were caused by a lord who was treating him unfairly," Souji responded.

"Of course," the doctor nodded, "There is one more thing."

"What is it?" Souji questioned.

"This Naoto…" the doctor wiped his head for the third time, looking nervous as he added quickly, "Naoto is not a he. Naoto is a she."

"Oh… oh," Souji looked a little surprised. "That is something worth telling us," Souji nodded.

"I thought you would want to know," the doctor said. He asked, "Do you think there was a reason she would want to hide her gender?"

Souji thought for a second before saying, "It has not come to me yet, but if I think of it… I will tell you."

"Well… I need to check up on her. I had to kick out my apprentice of the room. He was very well… spellbound by her," the doctor sighed, as he then asked, "So, if you will excuse me?"

Souji nodded, and the doctor headed through the opposite door. This was a rather interesting development, indeed. At least, Kanji would be happy to know she was a girl after all, and that the person he was interested was not a guy. Though, he wondered what all the male servants would think that a girl servant was living with them for a few days. Now he knew why Naoto was so shy. She must be something if the doctor had to kick out his apprentice and she was unconscious. It was probably just because she was at least half-undressed at the time, but who knows.

Souji was at least somewhat glad that she was okay, considering that the only reason Naoto was still alive was because he had saved her from Togodai. He was also the first one on the scene against those assassins. He shrugged; it did not really matter. He really needed to think about more important things in his life. He needed to worry about Tanaka, the Minamoto and Taira families, and his uncle's influence on his daughter. That's what really mattered. Souji would let Kanji worry about Naoto for the present.

* * *

I told you I would get you one more chapter, and I would not let you down. I hope you enjoyed reading, and if I can get you some more in the near future, I will do my best. Does anyone not know who Han'nya or Hannya is? Principal Han'nya... okay, I'm done.


	11. Chapter 11

Samurai and Ninjas Chap. 11

I do not own Persona or the character's likenesses, sorry everyone. Atlus does. Blame my lack of creativity.

This story takes place towards the middle of the Heian period of Japan. I am not being completely historically accurate with this, so do not get all over my back about it. I could, but I am not going to be. How much Personas will play a part in it, I do not know about that one.

A note, I will mainly use first names first, then last names. I know this is the one glaring difference that I am using in respect of their culture, but since I am writing in English… I will write as such.

* * *

**Across from the Doctors' Quarters**

**Mid-Morning**

Souji was finally succumbing to his own exhaustion. Kanji was still snoring away on the other side of the room, and it made sleep look like an appealing option to the samurai. The only that was keeping Souji awake was the idea that the doctors were probably still awake keeping a watch on Naoto and the others. If they were awake keeping a steady eye on the patients, then Souji should be keeping a watchful eye on Lord Tatsumi after the recent attempt on his life.

Souji shook his head and put his hand to his forehead. He needed to stay awake, but not only was he tired; there were so many new developments that were making him confused. He needed to try and find solutions to his problems.

Souji had a female servant that pretending to be a male servant. That was definitely going to be an awkward conversation when she was well enough to talk with again. Heaven forbid what it would be like when Kanji found out that Naoto was a girl. He would be either overjoyed that the servant was interested in was actually a female, or infuriated that she was hiding her gender.

As soon as Kanji learned of Tanaka's hiring of those assassins, he would probably try and kill him personally, but Souji could not allow that. Souji could probably take care of him with more subtly than Kanji could. It would also cause less of a stir because if it became common knowledge that an attempt on Lord Tatsumi's life happened because of Lord Tatsumi's personal execution of Tanaka… the lords would sense internal insecurity within Nara and more upheaval could occur.

Souji had a sinking feeling that no matter what, he would be marrying his cousin. Souji liking Nanako as a friend, and marrying her were two different situations that Souji did not want to deal with. With Lady Chisato Dojima passing, Lord Dojima would make it precedence to marry his daughter to a worthy man, such as Souji. It was a pain.

Now, Souji had the tough decision whether to wake up Kanji now. He could just wait till Kanji woke up naturally, but he would probably be pissed. Yet, it was not Souji's problem. Kanji was just so tired that it was probably best that Souji let the lord rest.

Souji did not have to worry about wondering whether to wake Kanji or not because he began stirring behind him at that moment. Souji turned his head for a moment at the rustling noises, and saw the rising figure of his liege. Souji took a deep breath for he would a lot of explaining to do.

Kanji rolled his shoulders and shook his head as he sat up. He had a nightmare while he was sleeping. His nightmare was a recurring event of the recent attack where he could not save Naoto. He was always one second too late to save his servant. It tore him apart as Naoto died in his arms again and again. Kanji was able to get Naoto to the doctors in reality, but he hoped he was not a second too late in bringing him here. If he had… it would be so painful that he could not speak…

As Kanji began to wipe his eyes, he noticed that sitting in the chair that was closest to the door was his samurai, Souji Seta. "He must be watching for anymore potential assassins," Kanji thought, "I can not believe he has stayed awake this entire time."

"Souji? Have you been awake this whole time?" Kanji asked.

Souji nodded, "I have." Souji tried to stifle a yawn.

"Get some rest, Souji," Kanji suggested, but it sounded more like a command to Souji's ears.

Souji shook his head and yawned. He felt a little more blood rushing into his brain as he said, "I have been making sure it has been safe, Kanji. I still do not know if is safe here."

"I'm awake, Souji," Kanji narrowed his eyes as he continued; "It is safe now."

Souji shook his head in response. Kanji was a little too confident in his abilities sometimes.

"If that's what you really believe," Souji sighed.

Kanji knew his friend was worried about his safety, but if he was tired… he was useless as a guard until he got some rest of his own. He appreciated what Souji did however.

As Kanji stood, he knew that he needed one more thing from Souji before he made sure that his friend got some rest.

"Do you know the condition of Naoto?" Kanji asked, both nervously and impatiently.

"I know the answer to that, and I also know the answer to much more," Souji nodded to Kanji.

Kanji's eyes widened. Souji must have learned about how Naoto was doing while he was asleep. Part of Kanji was extremely angry with Souji because he knew how Naoto was doing and did not wake his lord. Not only that, it was obvious that Souji had obtained other information, and saw fit not to wake him.

"Tell me," Kanji demanded, "Tell me everything."

Souji wondered if he should tell Kanji about Naoto's hidden gender. It was obvious Kanji was going to find out soon enough, but was Souji really the one to tell him? It was probably something that would be too much of an issue if Souji did not reveal Naoto's femininity.

"Naoto is going to be fine," Souji told him. Souji added, "Naoto is resting and being watched over by the doctor."

Inside of Kanji's mind, he was breathing a huge sigh of relief. He wanted to see Naoto really badly right now, and he was going right now.

Kanji started to make for the door and was stopped by Souji before he could slide it open. Souji had stood up and put his body right in front of the sliding door before the lord could open it.

"What is the meaning of this, Souji!" Kanji yelled; "I want to check on Naoto's condition."

"I told you, Naoto is resting now," Souji responded calmly. Inwardly, Souji was hoping he would awake Kanji's terrible temper.

"I want to see for myself! Now get out of my way!" Kanji retorted.

Kanji had placed his hands on Souji's shoulders, trying to force Souji out of the way.

"The doctor said that he's taking care of Naoto, now let Naoto rest," Souji told Kanji.

"I just want to see him…" Kanji murmured, with his strength and anger starting to leave him.

"I know," Souji said, taking Kanji's hands off one-by-one, "I know."

Kanji sat in the chair that Souji was sitting on before. He may have been sleeping before, but arguing with Souji was tiring. If he could not see and check up on Naoto, it would probably be best for him to hear what else had happened while he was sleeping.

Kanji sighed, "What else did you find out, Souji? What happened while I was sleeping?"

Souji spoke, "I talked to the pair of assassins. With a small amount of persuading…" Souji emphasized the word "persuading" and continued, "… they told me their story, and who hired them."

Kanji's ears perked up and his eyes widened at Souji's proclamation of the news that knowledge had been obtained about the ninja that infiltrated the palace.

"Tell me what you found out," Kanji said seriously.

"The leader of the ninja… the one you crushed the body of was named Han'nya," Souji said. Souji continued, "He is… a legendary ninja from northern Japan that has performed at least a hundred assassinations."

Kanji had heard of Han'nya, but not to the extent that Souji had. He just knew him as a simple criminal.

"Who hired this… Han'nya?" Kanji asked.

Souji took a deep breath. What Souji was about to say next would probably set off a deep amount of anger within Kanji, and Souji would have to try and hold off a fire storm from erupting from Kanji.

Souji exhaled, "The pair of ninja… they were hired by Lord Tanaka to kill you."

The words that Souji spoke gave Kanji a second to digest what he heard. His own subordinate lord tried to depose him. He could think of no other reason why… but jealousy. That must be it. Tanaka must be jealous of his power. Tanaka obviously wants more of a pedestal to stand on. Tanaka was willing to use Kanji's head as a stepping stone if necessary.

Kanji stood up again. He needed more information from those assassins. This time… he would not be deterred by anyone.

Souji knew that the assassins were probably on their last breath, and that we're worthless to Kanji. There was nothing more he could ascertain from questioning the two of them, except maybe their age and favorite food.

Souji tried to move in the way of Kanji again to save him from disappointment. He felt himself getting shoved to the side.

"Out of the way, Souji," Kanji was angry. He made no attempt to hide it.

Souji could not match Kanji's strength and could only watch Kanji walk towards where the tall and short apprentices were standing.

Kanji guessed that were those two doctor apprentices were standing, that was where the two killers were being held. That's why Kanji had made his way to the pair of clinicians. They bowed at the sight of their lord.

"I want to see the people who wanted to kill me," Kanji commanded.

The short one answered, "Really? But… they just died…"

As the tall one nodded in agreement, Kanji took a step back. As much as he hated to admit it, Souji was right again. It just really aggravated him that Souji did not wake him when he went to question the two ninja. Did Souji not trust him enough to wake him when he was going to do something? All Kanji knew is that he had to have a few words with Lord Tanaka now.

Kanji turned away from the doctors. As long as he was in the hallway, he might as well try and visit Naoto. Why listen to Souji's incessant harassing if he is in residing in the other room?

Kanji headed away and went straight for the doctors' quarters. He was going to slide open the door and see Naoto, and nothing was going to stop him.

Kanji slid the door open, and in the doorway was the head doctor. The wavy haired doctor must have heard Kanji coming and stood in Kanji's way. He was not letting anyone see Naoto.

"I want to see Naoto," Kanji told the doctor.

"The patient needs sleep," the doctor replied.

"I just want to see Naoto," Kanji continued.

The doctor remained steadfast in his position, "Naoto needs rest."

"I'm your lord. Let me pass," Kanji commanded. He took one more step towards the doctor, trying to see his servant.

The doctor said to him, in a calm voice, "I am this patient's doctor. I am telling you to leave this patient alone."

If there was anyone more stubborn than Souji, it was this doctor. It looked like this doctor was not going to budge either. Kanji used his taller frame to tip-toe over and try and take a peek at Naoto. All he saw, however, was Naoto's blue hair, and cloth sheets covering Naoto's top half of the body.

"Lord Tatsumi!" the head doctor yelled, "I need to watch over the patient!"

Kanji was disappointed that he could not get a very good look at Naoto. He needed to get to Tanaka. If he was willing to try and kill him, he needed to confront him and be willing to take him down. Kanji would do it himself if he had to.

* * *

**Kyoto**

**Mid-afternoon**

A certain messenger that had departed from Nara had just arrived in the city of Kyoto. The only reason he had arrived so quickly was the proximity of Kyoto to Nara. He headed straight for the palace, which was the command of his liege. His orders had come from a samurai, which came from a lord.

Kyoto was even more complex, hectic, and civilized than Nara. It was very difficult for the messenger to navigate his way to the palace. It was not the Imperial Palace, but it was the home of the highest Fujiwaras.

As the black and gray clad messenger arrived in the palace, he found himself stopped by ten archers and ten footmen waiting at the gate.

"I have a message for a lord in the palace," the messenger announced.

"Alright… you can pass," one of the guards said after the messenger flashed his letter and showed his proof of being from Nara.

The messenger started walking through the crosswalks as he went through the gate. He passed gardens filled with flowers of all colors and all sorts of trees, such as oak. He went through another red gate, while reaching a hall. He was looking for Lord Tohru Adachi of the Fujiwaras.

As the messenger walked through the hall, he was searching for an unkempt man wearing gray, blue, and green robes. He was having no luck finding him in the hall, so he began scouring the other hallways to find Lord Adachi.

He began hearing a lot of noises as he made another left turn. He followed the noises until he came to a room with very elaborate patterns on the door. The messenger had to believe it was Lord Adachi's room. The moans and grunts were obvious, but it did not stop the messenger from calling out to the inhabitants.

"Who's there!" the person inside the room asked. "One minute!" he yelled.

The messenger waited patiently for the man to come out. The man that did come out was indeed Lord Adachi, but his hair was rather unkempt. His robes, the same color the messenger was looking for, were blue, green, and gray. The messenger also saw a woman with light brown hair in a bowl cut behind him, hidden in the sheets.

"What do you want!" the man who was obviously, Lord Adachi asked.

"Lord Adachi?" the messenger decided to try and confirm what he already knew.

"Yes, that's me," Adachi nodded. He asked again, "Now what do you want?"

"I have a letter for you… it is from Lord Tanaka of Nara," the messenger bowed and held out the letter.

Adachi took the letter and opened it in front of him. He began to read it silently.

"Lord Adachi,

I, Lord Tanaka, am here to inform you of Lord Tatsumi's treachery. The lord of Nara is refusing to tax the peasants, which will soon lead to starvation of the land. He and Lord Dojima are obsessed with finding him an heir instead of solving the bigger problems within the land. He also refuses to punish those who harm the people in Nara. They run free without any retribution. With Lord Tatsumi in control of Nara, there will only be instability in this land. We need a new leader, or else… Nara will fall.

Lord Tanaka"

Adachi closed the letter and said to himself, "Interesting."

The messenger kept his eyes down. He did not want to stand back up to look at Adachi, because his eyes would stray from him back to his "guest".

"You can go," Adachi said to the man in gray and black.

Adachi had a lot to think about. He was not sure if what he read was really true or not. He could not pay attention right now, anyways. He turned around… for it was time for round two. Who cares if she was not really the most willing…? It made it that much more fun.

* * *

Okay… I wanted to get something out to you while I had a small amount of free time. I know it's a little disjointed. Technically, not even a messenger could make it from Nara to Kyoto in that short of time, but I want to… you know… make it a story.


	12. Chapter 12

Samurai and Ninjas Chap. 12

I do not own Persona or the character's likenesses, sorry everyone. Atlus does. Blame my lack of creativity.

This story takes place towards the middle of the Heian period of Japan. I am not being completely historically accurate with this, so do not get all over my back about it. I could, but I am not going to be. How much Personas will play a part in it, I do not know about that one.

A note, I will mainly use first names first, then last names. I know this is the one glaring difference that I am using in respect of their culture, but since I am writing in English… I will write as such.

I tried really hard on a new style of writing. If it created a bunch of mistakes, I am sorry, everyone.

* * *

**Near the Kusaga Shrine, Nara**

**Mid-Afternoon**

Souji Seta had not slept in almost a day and a half and the yawn that came from his mouth betrayed his tiredness. He shifted the sword at his side, almost by instinct. He had put on his sleeveless jacket… to complete the hakama. The only thing he needed now was his yumi, but he had not used that in weeks.

Over the course of his time awake, Souji had personally taken down one of the ninja and watched over his lord all night. He wanted to sleep, but if only he was that lucky.

Souji wondered if he should have told his lord about Naoto's gender, but Kanji had left his sight before he could give more thought about it. Souji even went back to the doctors' quarters, but he was shooed away by the head doctor. Kanji may have found out… even without Souji telling him about Naoto.

The reason why Souji was close to Kusaga Shrine, it was not the closest place to his own residence, was because it was close to the residence of Lord Tanaka. Souji wanted to see if his least favorite lord was around. He had a few questions for him.

Souji was watching the monks and their disciples pass by him in the red temple. He was waiting to see if Tanaka was going to come by. Tanaka's residence was near the Shrine after all, so Souji was expecting Tanaka to show up eventually.

The samurai needed something to happen soon, because he was going to fall asleep soon unless Tanaka showed up. Souji started nodding off as he rested against a pole. Sleep was coming before Tanaka appeared after all.

* * *

**Main Hall**

**Mid-Afternoon**

Lord Kanji Tatsumi was somewhat restless, sitting in his chair in the main hall. He was waiting to see if Tanaka was coming here. It would be a grave mistake if Tanaka did. Tanaka did attempt to kill him, after all.

A person was walking up to him, clad in blue and gray robes… a stark contrast to Kanji's black and gold. It was not Tanaka that strode towards him; he did not have the arrogant strut. Instead, Kanji saw his advisor, Lord Dojima coming to him.

Dojima had left his melancholy demeanor behind him and replaced it with his a stoic expression. There was no more reason to be sad.

"Lord Dojima," Kanji said as Ryotarou approached.

"Lord Tatsumi," the older lord responded and bowed.

Kanji nodded in return and said solemnly, "I am sorry for your loss." He was talking about the death of Chisato Dojima.

Dojima sighed, "I have moved on. There are more important matters." He continued, "I heard you were attacked."

"There were two assassins who attacked the palace," Kanji told Dojima. The lord continued his explanation, "The ninja killed two guards, a servant, injured another, before Souji Seta engaged one of the ninja in the hall. After Souji engaged the one, I engaged the other one after stumbling upon him."

"So… you were attacked by ninjas?" Lord Dojima asked to himself, while placing his right hand on his scruffy chin. His next question was directed at Kanji, "Do you have an idea on who might have sent them? Minamotos? Tairas?"

"Souji got a confession out of one of the ninjas during his last moments," Kanji sighed. He finished, "The confession was that Lord Tanaka hired them to kill me."

"Lord Tanaka!" Lord Dojima looked a little shocked, but not completely dumbfounded.

Dojima was seeing Tanaka trying to impose his will on the others with a hostile takeover. It was the timing that took him a little off guard.

He had seen the signs of some sort of insurrection coming for a while now even it Ryoutarou did not expect it this very second. This provincial government had been instable even since Lady Matsunaga had died giving birth to an heir.

The only possible reasoning for Tanaka's sudden attack was because of the old age of the emperor. Emperor Igor was almost at the end of his reign, and his son… Philemon would take over.

Prince Philemon… He was already proposing plans that he would impose sweeping changes that would destroy the remaining power that the Fujiwaras had by forcing them to be responsible for their estates once he became the new ruler.

Was Lord Tanaka trying to take control of the land so he could keep this land as stable as he could before it crumbled? It did make some sense… after all. He was attempting to produce an heir of his own by marrying Lady Sayoko two years ago. It was not a popular choice, and the other lords were not very approving of the arrangement. Yet, it was a key step if Tanaka was planning to take over the rule of Nara, and Dojima knew that.

If Tanaka took over Nara, Dojima did not know what would happen to the other lords and ladies. What would happen to him, or Lord Ichijo and Lady Ebihara? Would it stop at just Lord Tatsumi, or would he cleanse the whole pantheon? He would not be surprised if he would share Lord Tatsumi's fate, seeing that he was his advisor.

It would not stop at the lords either. Tanaka felt tremendous hate towards Souji, and if he took over… he would not escape the retribution that Tanaka could bring upon him.

Dojima would just need to think of a plan to steady the land and help Lord Tatsumi; then deal with Lord Tanaka until normalcy returned.

He asked Kanji, "So… what are you doing here right now?"

"I am waiting to see if Tanaka will be impulsive enough to try and come here himself," Kanji responded. He shrugged, "He may even try something else, so I want to be ready."

"Where is my nephew?" Dojima questioned the lord.

"He's near Kusaga," Kanji explained.

"So… he's seeing if Tanaka is in his home?" Dojima looked at Kanji, who nodded.

Kanji said, "I hope Souji gets some rest. He's been up all night and all of today."

"Maybe I should check up on him?" Dojima suggested.

"If you do… be careful," Kanji said.

Dojima took a deep breath, "You said you had lost a servant, and one was injured as well?"

"Shu, he was one of my head servants," Kanji said somberly. He continued, not containing his worry, "Naoto was also injured in the attack."

"Naoto!" Dojima looked surprised.

Naoto was the peasant girl that he had made sure that Kanji accepted into his service. Dojima had noticed his worry, and it had seemed odd. That Naoto had been attacked during the ninjas' assault on Lord Tatsumi was very interesting. Maybe… it was not a coincidence.

It was here at this moment that Dojima would make a huge Freudian slip. "Well… is she going to be okay?"

Dojima had broken the one promise that he had told Naoto that he would never say to anyone. It was going to be disastrous, and the consequences… unknown.

"She!" Kanji looked very confused.

At first, Kanji thought it was a slip of the tongue. When Dojima made no attempt to correct himself… his eyes began to widen. How could Naoto be a girl? She had been acting like a boy ever since she was a servant under him, not a girl. Was it just an act? Why? The revelation… was shocking, to say the least.

Kanji said quickly, "Please excuse me…"

"As you wish," Dojima said.

Kanji began rushing away from the main hall. He was heading for the doctors' quarters to confirm what Dojima said to be the truth. As he ran down the hall, he was not going to let the head doctor stop him from seeing Naoto this time. He had to see if Naoto was really a girl or not. If she was… it would lift a big weight off his shoulders.

What Souji said to him while they were changing in the springs scared him, and knowing that Naoto was a girl might invalidate those stupid rumors.

Upon reaching the door of the doctors' quarters, Kanji opened it with more force than anyone else had the past day. The person watching over the patient, the head doctor, was not amused to see Kanji in a flustered mood. He was looking just as harried as when Naoto was first injured.

"Lord Tatsumi," the doctor looked annoyed, "I told you not to bother me while I'm looking over the patient."

"I want to see her. She is my servant," Kanji commanded.

The doctor never mentioned anything to Lord Tatsumi about Naoto being a girl, so he wondered where he found out. Maybe Lord Tatsumi already knew about her?

Lord Tatsumi told him with a little force, "I told you to get out of my way."

The doctor moved out of the way of the tall blond man in gold and black robes. It was his patient, and he had taken good care of her so far. If something happened to her; it was Lord Tatsumi's fault.

Lord Tatsumi walked up to where the patient lies, and on that table was Naoto. He saw the heavy bandages that covered the chest, but even more… Kanji saw the rise in her chest that indicated that she was indeed a girl.

Kanji was entranced at her rising and falling chest as he watched her take in slow breaths. He could not bear to tear his eyes away as he looked at her bare shoulders. He yearned to touch her silky hair, or caress her soft cheek.

The whole scene was kind of sickening to the doctor. The fact that Lord Tatsumi seemed to be spellbound by a servant was a little disturbing. He felt bad for her in a way, because if he ever really wanted her… she would have no choice.

Kanji was still looking at Naoto, gazing at her sleeping face… when she began to blink. At seeing that Naoto was waking, Kanji began backing up. He did not want her to know that he was staring at her. As Naoto's arms began to move, Kanji took another step back. His legs felt the fabric of his robes, and he could feel himself falling to the ground.

The doctor chuckled at the sight of falling lord, but he was peeved at as Lord Tatsumi hit the ground; Naoto's eyes suddenly opened. It was not expected for Naoto to wake up this soon, and because of the loud noise; she did. It was all Lord Tatsumi's fault, because he had ogled the poor girl.

Naoto's head was turning to the left and as she was looking in that direction; she saw Lord Tatsumi on the floor, staring straight on her. He was looking dumbfounded, and it was confusing to Naoto. It was then that Naoto realized that the only real thing covering her body was fresh bandages and a sheet over the lower half of her body.

Naoto wanted to scream, but she could not. He knew… Damn… Why did she have to get injured? It was so painful and degrading… she could die. The one secret that Naoto had… was gone because of someone. Why?

"Naoto…" Kanji stumbled through saying her name. His face was flushed and was bright red.

She could not stand being exposed like this. "P… Please," She was stuttering, "Please, Lord Tatsumi… could you leave?"

He noticed both the awkward position that they were in, and that it would probably be for the best. "I will check on you later," Lord Tatsumi picked himself up off the ground. He continued, "I need my servants healthy." He tried to compose himself as he turned around and straighten his robes.

Kanji opened and closed the door hurriedly. He headed straight for his own quarters, straight past servants down the gilded hallways. He would need to drown himself in alcohol as soon as he reached his room. All the events of the past days had… overwhelmed him, and he had no idea on what he was to do next. He felt a little better now about his thoughts of Naoto, but she still flooded his mind. He needed to focus, but it was going to be so hard.

Naoto could die. Now, Lord Tatsumi knew that she was a girl. The way he stared at her… it was exactly why she hid her body. She doubted that her lord was the only one who found out that she was a girl besides this. Souji probably knew now, too. She should have just let Tanaka kill her. It would have saved her from their prying eyes.

"You need your rest, child," the doctor told her.

The wizened doctor put a hand on the girl's right shoulder, glad to finally be able watch over of his patient again.

"I understand," Naoto said softly. She closed her eyes as she let sleep take over her.

* * *

**Campsite- South of Nara **

**Evening**

Lord Kido had set up camp with his servants on his way back to report on the meeting with Lord Tatsumi and the Minamotos. The sometimes mild-mannered, sometimes hot-headed lord was in a bad mood right now.

His personal servant, Yuka had disappeared the night before they were supposed to return home, and they had to postpone the trip back until they found her. The pretty little girl did not seem very apologetic about having delayed the trip. What's worse… the girl almost seemed… cheerful. It was very… odd.

He decided that he would straighten things out with her once and for all. He set out from his personal, yet fancier makeshift tent and around the fire where a few of his guard were sitting. After receiving a few nods and "my lords" Reiji kept moving past other tents where a few of the other servants where staying. Stopping at the drab tent where Yuka was residing at the moment.

It was a secret to everyone else, but Yuka and Reiji used to be close… very close. He still harbored some of those feelings, even if Yuka did not.

That's why it was a surprise when he heard noises coming from her tent. He was a little unsure at first. His feelings turned to fear when he noticed a sword outside the tent, and he heard a female scream from inside the tent.

Someone was killing Yuka. Though it was only a servant, Reiji was not going to allow this. Yuka was Reiji's personal servant, and if someone was to harm Yuka… there would be suffering.

Reiji cracked his knuckles. He did not need his guards. Whoever was harming Yuka did not have his sword, and therefore would not be able withstand Reiji's fists. The tent flap was thrown open, and Reiji saw a man with bushy brown hair and brown eyes lying with his unclothed servant in a pile of messy sheets.

The shock at seeing Lord Reiji Kido clothed in gray, curly black hair, and two wicked scars; Yosuke rolled off of Yuka in an instant, and then Yosuke rolled out the sheets. He then tried to find something to cover himself with, while Yuka just lay and covered herself with the disheveled sheets. Her hair was in the same shape as the sheets.

"Who are you!" Reiji all but yelled at Yosuke.

Yosuke had finally found something, and had stood up. He was using Yuka's green and gray yukata as a shield of his nakedness. However, he was not speaking.

Reiji finally recognized the man from a previous war, "I know you… You're the partner of Souji Seta… Yosuke Hanamura." Reiji's growled, "You're a Fujiwara."

"I'm… I… I just like your servant," Yosuke tried to defend himself.

The excuse did not seem to work as Reiji strode towards Yosuke and gave him a right hook into his face. Yosuke felt something in his face break as he fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Lord Kido!" Yuka yelled.

"Don't "Lord Kido" me, Yuka," Reiji said to her. He commanded, while pointing at the clothes at Yosuke's feet, "Go put some clothes on."

He turned around to leave, but not before taking one long look at Yuka. He missed those days.

As he opened the tent flap, Reiji yelled, "Guards… we have an intruder that invaded and violated one of the servants. Tie him up and we will let Lord Toudou and Lord Suou deal with him."

* * *

**Kusaga Shrine**

**Sunset**

Souji was dead tired. He was going to go to his residence and sleep until morning. There was no point in waiting for someone who was not showing up.

Besides, the setting sun was beautiful on the red shrine. It was intoxicating, and he could not concentrate on searching for Tanaka if he could not pay attention.

As Souji's eyes drooped, he drew his sword in the nick of time and flashed it around. The 180 degree turn, parried the thrust that was aimed at his head. Souji jumped back slightly to get a good look at the man who had tried to take out his left eyeball.

The man was wearing a dark blue tunic and long pants. The tunic was a lot fancier than most and both the pants and tunic were very well taken care of. The man's cold eyes stared straight into Souji's as he held his sword straight at the samurai. Sitting atop of those cold eyes was a navy blue hat, covering black-ish hair.

Yet, this was not what unnerved the samurai. It was what the man said next to him.

"Where is Naoto?" the man asked slowly.

"Naoto?" Souji looked confused.

"Yes, Naoto," the young man repeated. A small black cat circled around his legs.

"She's at the palace… in the doctors' quarters," Souji responded.

The man's cold eyes flashed momentarily; Souji noticed that it was a sign of anger. This was bad.

The cat moved out of the way as the young man darted forwards at tremendous speed. Souji tried to track the man as his shorter blade lashed out, but it was futile. Souji's parry failed, and it resulted in a small cut on his left forearm, courtesy of the young man. Just as soon the cut formed, the man darted back, and had thrust again at the samurai. Another line of red drenched his white hakama.

"I need to focus," Souji muttered.

"It's futile," the young man said, "You harmed Naoto… Souji Seta."

Of course this man would know he was. He was Souji Seta after all. Whoever he was, he did not know. All he knew was that this man was a brilliant swordsman, and he wanted to know who sent him.

"I did nothing to her!" Souji yelled. He continued, "I don't even know who you are!"

"I am Naoto's cousin," the young man said calmly, "My name is Raidou." The coolness of Raidou's eyes magnified the pain of Souji's cuts, if possible, "I am here to kill you for what you did to her!"

"I didn't do anything to her!" Souji retorted.

"Illogical," Raidou said as the cat meowed in the background.

Raidou made another run at him, sword at the ready. This time, however, Souji was ready as well. As Raidou made a cutting blow, Souji put his hands on his sword and made a feinting motion.

Raidou had jumped back momentarily. Souji knew that Raidou had a large speed advantage, while he had the strength advantage. Souji just had to think like Kanji would. He was screwed.

Fifteen seconds later, more blood was spilled. Souji had been struck again with Raidou's thinner blade. Souji parried a couple of times, but Raidou always hit him in the end. His left leg hurt from where Raidou had made a diagonal cut.

"I'm not going to lose," Souji thought, "I don't lose, and I'm not going to start by losing to him."

With a grunt of pain, Souji went on the offensive this time. He charged the thinner young man. Souji made a desperate thrust towards Raidou's heart.

All Souji saw was flashes of steel as red started flying from his body. Cuts were forming all over his body, and he began to fall. Hitting the floor with a thud, Souji felt himself staring at the man who was responsible for his injuries.

Souji was wondering if was going to die because of something that Raidou said he was responsible for. It was rather ridiculous, was it not? And now he was lying here in his own blood because of Naoto's cousin felt it was his fault. He did not even know why Naoto was suffering.

Raidou's expression had never changed during the whole fight; he was the picture of calm.

The black cat… the cat from the beginning, began to walk around Souji's prone and bleeding body. As the cat's feet began tracking Souji's blood on the stone floors of the shrine; it suddenly began to meow.

"Hmm?" Raidou looked at the cat, "What is it, Gouto?"

The cat, obviously named Gouto, rubbed up against Souji. He purred and meowed again. Souji felt soothed by "Gouto's" presence.

"The cat seems to think that it was not your fault that she was enslaved and now hurt," Raidou said, "and that I should not kill you."

Souji would have said something to agree with the cat, but he could not speak at the moment. He did not even know what was going on… like how a cat was stopping Raidou from killing him.

Souji felt another presence behind him, and he would have turned if he could.

A girl in a green tunic and brown pants stood at Souji's head and drew her sword. She did not look happy.

"Why is the boy still alive, Raidou?" the girl responded.

"Calm down, Nagi," Raidou responded. He answered, "Gouto said it was not his fault."

"You should not let the cat rule your life," Nagi chided.

"And you are far too headstrong," he retorted, "Geirin always said so."

"What should we do with him?" Nagi asked Raidou. She was miffed that Raidou brought up Geirin. Geirin treated her like a second granddaughter.

"Someone will find him," Raidou responded. He turned around, "Let's go home. Naoto is being taken care of. We will save her soon."

* * *

I know this is not a SMT crossover, but I wanted another Raidou sighting. They just feel like good ninja, you know?


	13. Chapter 13

Samurai and Ninjas Chap. 13

I do not own Persona or the character's likenesses, sorry everyone. Atlus does. Blame my lack of creativity.

This story takes place towards the middle of the Heian period of Japan. I am not being completely historically accurate with this, so do not get all over my back about it. I could, but I am not going to be. How much Personas will play a part in it, I do not know about that one.

A note, I will mainly use first names first, then last names. I know this is the one glaring difference that I am using in respect of their culture, but since I am writing in English… I will write as such.

I made a mistake on the last chapter, and I had to make a change. The Tairas should not be heading northward. Excuse me if you read the chapter before I fixed it.

One small thing… I decided to make Igor the emperor and Philemon the next in line. The reasoning behind this is… because Philemon looks young, and Igor looks so old. So… yeah.

Enjoy readers… at least I hope you do. Thanks for spending you time reading it.

* * *

**Residential District, Noble's Residence**

**Midnight**

Souji awakened in a place he was unfamiliar with. He had no idea where he was. The only thing that Souji knew was that when he had opened his eyes he was still in a terrible amount of pain.

"Where the hell am I?" Souji thought.

Souji did not recognize this building… this residence. Who found him?

He felt bandages on his body, but they did little to mask the pain of what had just happened to him. Souji had been embarrassed by the young man, Naoto's cousin… this Raidou. Souji could not even track Raidou's sword when he unleashed it at the end; the blade moved like it had a mind of its own. The only reason he was still alive was because some cat had "said" he had not abused Naoto. What the hell was with that?

Souji blinked and took another look around the place he had been taken to. It was a lavish residence, that was for sure, but Souji could not make out where he had been brought.

The one thing Souji noticed was that he was definitely not in the palace. The room he was in… he saw lots of pink. The pink sheen blinded Souji, so much so that he had to close his eyes. It was then he realized that though he had been bandaged in small strips all over, otherwise… he was naked except for a blanket that covered him and his bandages from the waist down.

"Oh god…" Souji thought.

The door slid open… and the person that walked through… scared the hell out of Souji. He would rather be fighting Naoto's cousin again than seeing this person come through the doorway.

"It's my worst fucking nightmare!" Souji thought as Lady Kujikawa walked to his side.

The petite lady, wearing pink, had actual red hair drawn back into two pigtails. She was extremely pretty, but she had a very seductive smile on her face. Souji had never seen Lady Kujikawa before in his life, but he had never planned on seeing her.

Even if he had never planned on seeing her, she was now standing in front of where he lay. At least the seductive look that Lady Kujikawa was showing him turned into one of worry before she spoke.

She asked Souji, "Are you feeling okay?"

Seeing Souji nod, she continued with a smile that made him groan internally, "You were so lucky that I had sent of my servants out to buy something for me. She was just passing by when she found you all cut up. We just had to take you in and bring in a doctor as fast as possible."

"I see," Souji said softly.

Tears started to form in her eyes, "I was so worried about you, Seta. You were so injured… you had so much blood on you."

"Oh dear," Souji muttered softly.

The tears were falling from Rise's face now, "I thought you were going to die!"

"I wasn't planning on it," Souji responded, "I wasn't even planning on getting into this position…" He meant his injuries, "in the first place."

Rise Kujikawa had dropped to her knees and placed her head on Souji's left shoulder. It hurt Souji a little. Maybe Rise expected her tears to dull the pain as she told him, "Don't ever scare me like that again!"

"Why couldn't Nanako's caretakers have found me instead?" Souji thought.

Souji knew that he had been injured pretty seriously, but not seriously enough that he would be incapacitated for a very long time. He had to get out of here before…

Rise's teary eyes started to dry as she lifted her head. Souji knew they were not real tears. She had regained that seductive look when she said to Souji, "No one will harm you anymore. I'll keep you safe. You just stay here… with me."

"Why me?" Souji thought.

Souji believed the only thing keeping Lady Kujikawa away from him at this moment was that if she put any serious pressure on his body; that would make all of Souji's wounds open up again.

Souji needed to head this off before it got worse, at least try to… He said to Rise, "Did you know? I am betrothed to the Lady Nanako Dojima."

Rise chuckled. She laughed in Souji's face. "So…?" Rise smiled, "We can get around that easily enough. Don't worry about being promised to a little kid. We'll have a good time together."

"Somebody save me!" Souji thought as Rise moved even closer to him.

* * *

**Nara- Palace: Kanji's Quarters**

**Midnight**

Kanji was in not in the mood to sleep this evening. It was more like… he could not fall asleep this evening. He had given up rolling around in sheets, and had moved on to pacing around his room to try to tire himself out.

Far too much had happened to Kanji today, and it was likely that the revelations had just begun for him.

As much as Kanji wanted to deal with Lord Tanaka and his possible intentions with the attempt on his life… he just did not have the heart to. Besides, Tanaka never showed up in the palace, so his motivation was shot.

He wondered what Naoto was trying to hide from him, from everyone… by pretending to be a boy. Was there an underlying motive to her actions? He would not have minded if Naoto had just told him straight out that she was a girl. Instead, she tried to hide it from him, and he only found out her true gender when she nearly died. How long was Naoto planning on hiding it from him?

Kanji sat down between the gold and black curtains that hung from the ceiling. He still had the great urge to see her again. He could not explain his need to see his servant either. It was driving Kanji insane.

Could it be… could it be… this was what Lord Dojima was talking about? If this was true… then, what was he going to do? Was it so wrong then… if she was no lady? Kanji didn't think so, and who was going to tell him otherwise?

Kanji had to see her; there was no doubt about it. He had stood up, and had shaken his head, and had slid the door open.

Kanji walked through the doorway and made a slow turn left... towards the doctors' quarters. He had a girl he wanted to see... no, he had a real lady to see.

* * *

**Kyoto- Fujiwara Palace- Adachi's Room**

**Early Morning**

Lord Tohru Adachi had kicked out his daily woman out of his bedroom earlier than usual this morning. He normally would have kept her around for a while longer, but he had work to do. The recent news that he had gotten was important enough that he needed to actually pay attention early in the morning.

The note he had received from Lord Tanaka's messenger was somewhat disturbing. Adachi was unsure if everything in the letter was true, but if it was… he had a lot to mull over.

This letter from Tanaka said that Lord Tatsumi could not control his own court. He was letting his own people run amuck, it seemed. He would not punish wrongdoers, peasants at that. Adachi wondered if someone had challenged him by now. Tanaka could very well have done something about it. He was still made rash decisions at times… even at his age, headstrong, but he was thinking about the health of the Fujiwara family after all.

It was true that the Fujiwara family needed stability, but a total insurrection in Nara may not be the best thing for the area at the moment. They were weak already, and if Tatsumi was having trouble leading them… they might need a new leader. Yet, a new leader should be subtle in his actions. Tanaka would not be Adach's first choice. As much as he did not want to admit it… the best choice was probably Lord Dojima to lead Nara. He had a young daughter that could keep the family line going and though his nephew was technically Lord Tatsumi's guard… he knew where Souji Seta's loyalties lie.

As Adachi shook off the robe he had been sleeping in and moved towards a basin filled with water to wash his face in, he muttered aimlessly, "I should probably send a lord or someone to check up on them."

There really was no one in the Fujiwara family in Kyoto that was worth sending. Taro Namatame…. He was a worthless dumbass. He was not going to send Namatame's wife, Mayumi Yamano. Adachi had too many plans for her. Lord Teddie… He would spend too much time trying to get into all of the servants'… well, he would never get the job done. It was pointless trying to think of people that he would not want to send.

He should really think if he could bully any of the Imperials into going to visit Nara. Lord Theodore had just visited, so Adachi could ask him about the situation once he returned. Otherwise, he had no idea where he was. The status of Nara may have worsened since then, so he probably should send someone else. There was his twin, Lady Elizabeth… but she made frequent visits to the Minamotos. Liz could not be trusted. Theodore did the same, but his loyalty lie with the Fujiwaras… Adachi believed. There was the older sister of the twins, Lady Margaret. That was a definite possibility. The only problem… they all had been blessed by Shinto priests at some point, and so even Adachi feared their connection with Amaterasu. That went for their father as well, Prince Philemon. He was rather creepy with that mask. Adachi was never going to ask Emperor Igor to leave the capital. It was forbidden, after all.

He waited for a servant to arrive before he dressed to begin for the morning's formalities. He had plenty of other things to do besides worrying about Lord Tatsumi, Lord Tanaka, and Nara.

As a servant clothed him in a set of gray robes, he said softly, "I'll talk to Lady Margaret tonight."

It was his best bet… after all. He just prayed that he would not have to do anything drastic.

* * *

**Nara-Palace Gates**

**Mid-Morning **

Lord Nagase, Lady Ebihara, and Lord Konishi were standing by a depleted gate. It was oddly vacant today as there were no samurai and minus two archers. The two archers were those that died a gruesome death at the hands of the assassins. The two lords and single lady found it a little eerie and a little dangerous to be so unprotected at the gate.

"First Hanamura… and now Seta?" Lady Ebihara muttered, while glancing around, "Where are those two?"

Her husband, Lord Kou Ichijo tried to answer, "I believe Hanamura has been missing for a while. Seta… I don't know where he has gone to."

"It must be important if he is missing from his post," Naoki Konishi added quietly. His solemn expression never wavered. He used to be lively before his sister's mysterious demise.

"I hope no one tries anything dangerous while Lord Tatsumi's guards are away," Lord Ebihara said worriedly.

"Apparently, someone already tried to kill him," Lord Konishi said in a monotone voice.

There had not been a formal meeting between all of the lords and ladies, so it was news to the other two.

"Wait… what are you talking about?" Lord Ichijo asked with concern on his face.

"That's why there are less archers at the moment," Naoki explained, "They're drawing in more from the outlying countryside, but there two assassins. They killed a few before they snuck into the palace."

"What happened!" Ai exclaimed.

"Supposedly, the two killed a servant or two… something like that. Then, they ran into Seta," Naoki explained.

"So, that's what happened," Kou nodded, "He massacred them."

"He held them down long enough for Lord Tatsumi to get there," Naoki nodded. He finished, "Lord Tatsumi was not happy to see intruders in his palace."

Everyone knew of Lord Tatsumi's mean streak, and even though they did not know about what had actually happened; they could picture it.

"I could almost feel sorry for the assassins," Kou shook his head.

"I wouldn't," Ebihara shook her head in reply, "They killed people/"

"True…" Naoki nodded. He said, "What's done is done. We can not worry about what has happened. We must deal with the present."

The others agreed with the statement. Kou did wonder if the peasants had finally cracked under the pressure they were putting them under, or someone else was feeling malicious enough to try something.

Kou's thoughts were interrupted by his wife's words. She asked, "Do you know where your cousin is?" She continued, "I have not seen him since he proposed to that woman."

Kou smirked. That was something that took both of their endless pushing to get Daisuke to do. It was to get Daisuke to propose to Lady Satonaka.

He chuckled, "Well… I don't think he's left Lady Satonaka's residence in days."

"Sounds like when you proposed to me," Lady Ebihara smiled back.

Naoki did not say anything, but you could tell he was slightly disgusted. He coughed to break up the awkwardness. When the two looked at Lord Konishi, he said, "I think we should find Lord Tatsumi, unless you think it's unsafe."

"I don't feel safe here," Lady Ebihara sighed.

"I'll stay… you go home," Kou told his wife.

The woman wearing cream and almost orange robes left her husband behind. Only two men, one wearing blue, and another wearing gray remained. They walked past cherry blossoms as they went to find the leader of Nara, Lord Tatsumi.

* * *

**Main Hall**

**Mid-Morning**

Lord Tatsumi was in a bad mood, and he was very tired. He never really did get much sleep last night. He did try to see Naoto in the middle of the night, but it turned out to be a miserable failure. When he came to the doctors' quarters, he found the head doctor… the one with the wispy hair… blocked his way again. This time, the doctor was far more adamant about keeping him away from his patient.

"Whoever the patient may be… to you," the doctor explained, very tired and very frustrated, "You told me to take care of her. I will not let anyone see her in the dead of the night!"

Even threatened with pain and punishment, the doctor would not budge. When Kanji thought about it, he could do nothing to the doctor. There were four doctors, but none as skilled as him. She needed the best care, and he was the best. He did manage to get one glance at her beautiful sleeping face before he left. It was intoxicating… more than any rice wine than he had been ingesting earlier that evening. If only that one look was enough to make him sleep.

Now, Souji was missing too. Both of his personal samurai were absent. Hanamura was probably chasing some girl, but Souji… he trusted him. He would need to admonish Souji. Thinking about it, Souji drew many girls' eyes and hearts to him… both single and married. He was all but betrothed to his own cousin, but drew Lady Amagi and Lady Kujikawa to their knees every time he passed by their residences. Lady Kujikawa was just more… flamboyant about it. Souji received heavy attention from Lady Ebihara before she married Lord Ichijo. He was childhood friends with Kanji's now-deceased first wife, Lady Matsunaga. Lady Ozawa liked him until she became the ruler of the house when her parents died. Now… she is as gloomy as Lord Konshi. He never bothered with Lady Satonaka, but that was only because Yosuke was sleeping with her everyday until Lord Nagase got his hands on her.

Souji seemed to ignore all the attention he received from every girl that came towards him. No wonder people like Yosuke would tease him about liking the boys when even Kanji knew that was not the case. It was just the way he was. It was like… he was just waiting for the right one. That's why they all fell for him; they thought they were the right one.

The reason why they treated Souji, a samurai, so well… was because Souji came from a noble family that was disgraced in the past. Souji was a lord in their eyes, so they treated him like one. They treated Souji better than a samurai, better than most lords. It made him, Lord Tatsumi, jealous at times.

The thing that really worried Lord Tatsumi was if Souji ever had an effect like that on Naoto. Souji was the first one to meet her, after all. Without Souji, she would not even have made it out of the farm alive. Lord Tatsumi was grateful, but what if Naoto was "grateful" as well. What if that was the reason she was hiding her gender from him? If it was to hide her shame… then Kanji did not want to think about it.

He did know that he wanted to see her again. The doctor had to let him in sometime. Next time… he promised himself… he would not be quite so nervous and be so shy that he would not be able to even hold a conversation with the girl.

The thoughts and reassurances almost gave Lord Tatsumi a chance to relax… almost a chance to sleep. It was not that simple as Lord Konishi and Lord Ichijo were approaching his gilded chair in what seemed moments after his last thoughts.

"Lord Tatsumi, I trust you are fine after the incident," Naoki said, walking up to Kanji.

Kanji blinked a few times. He had almost fallen asleep. He responded, "Yes… yes. Unfortunately, I can not say the same for everyone in the palace. People were injured… some were killed." Kanji stressed the "injured" part of his dialogue.

Kou stood to his left, "But, you are okay… That is all that matters, in the end."

Kanji shook his head, "It is the people who run Nara, not one person! Without the people, there is no Nara."

Kou and Naoki looked at each other. What was wrong with Lord Tatsumi?

"Did something happen?" Kou asked, "Did something happen to Souji?"

"I have no clue where he is," Kanji responded. He rebuked, "Don't ask me."

"Do you know who set up the attack on your life, Lord Tatsumi?" Naoki asked.

"Of course…" Kanji said, which brought surprised looks to the two lords' faces. It had even broken the façade of Naoki Konishi. Kanji smirked, "It was Lord Tanaka."

"Lord Tanaka!" Kou exclaimed, "Why!"

"I don't know," Kanji responded, "Must have turned crazy."

Naoki said nothing. He instead began thinking of Tanaka's intentions. The lord with the most riches… what was he trying to gain?

Kanji cut thought the air with a proclamation, "I want you to find Tanaka and bring him here… alive, of course."

Kou bowed, "Understood."

Naoki did not bow, but just said in a sort of agreement, "Hmm…"

Kanji added as the pair turned around, "Tell all of the other lords and ladies to marshal their men and bring in Lord Tanaka."

"I will, Lord Tatsumi," Kou said.

Kou walked quickly past the gray columns, while Naoki took a slowly gait down the hall. Could it be that Tanaka was actually trying to keep the Nara region of the Fujiwaras together? If that was the case, was it necessary to do things so violently? A planned assassination was a little outlandish over his tastes. But… what was best for the future of Nara? Lord Tatsumi? Lord Tanaka? Somebody else?

* * *

**Taira Camp**

**Afternoon**

Right about now, Lord Reiji Kido was wondering if he should kill Yosuke Hanamura right here and now and then dump his body in the next ditch or river they pass. The only thing stopping him from doing this act… was Yuka's puppy eyes. If she was not looking at her lord with such a desperate face and asking her to spare his life… saying she'd do "anything" if he would only spare his life. Reiji just could not say no to her.

So, Yosuke was tied up to one of their packhorses, still naked. His sword… well, it had been confiscated along with all of his other belongings and placed in Lord Kido's care. The sword was of very fine craftsmanship and the clothes marked him as a samurai. He did not really want to touch the clothes though. Reiji did not want to know what Yosuke had done in those clothes, or who else had been touching those.

Reiji had tried questioning Hanamura. If they had one of the most powerful warriors of the Fujiwara clan in captivity, he must know something about if they were going to make any possible attacks, right? He turned out not to be the sharpest arrow in the quiver. Yosuke seemed to really only be good at two things. He was good at swinging a sword… and good at… well, getting it on. He told Reiji that's why samurai usually carry two swords. Reiji lost his temper and hit him over the head after that. Reiji hit him again when Yosuke questioned why Reiji had not given his clothes back when he questioned him. Reiji did not need to give an explanation. Yosuke was a prisoner, and prisoners are to be treated as such.

They would be back soon, and then Hanamura would be at the mercy of Lord Naoya Toudou, Lady Maya Amano, and Lord Tatsuya Suou. The future of this samurai would not be very bright.

* * *

**Kujikawa Residence**

**Noon**

Souji awoke in the white and pink sheets and blankets refreshed, and that's what disturbed him. In actuality, two things about waking up refreshed disturbed the samurai.

The first part was pretty obvious. He was in the Kujikawa Residence, he was a bandaged mess, and the person lying with her arm around him… was none other than Lady Kujikawa. He just thanked the heavens that she was above the sheets and not under. He had been cut up pretty bad, and thankfully, Rise was being carefully not to touch anything with bandages over it. There was a long gash on the front of his right shoulder, and she was making sure her hand did not graze it. He just wished she would stop nuzzling against him.

When Souji really thought about it, it was not the worst situation to be in, and it didn't feel so bad. Yet, Souji did not ask for this. It was making Lady Kujikawa look like a common whore, and he did not want her to look like that. If he wanted a woman, it would have to be for the right reasons… not because they just threw themselves at you. As much as he did not want to say it… this was something Yosuke would accept.

He knew he must have nuzzled against Lady Kujikawa at least once or twice during the night, as much as he did not want to accept it. It brought him towards his other disturbing thought over the evening. His dreams were not filled of being with the red-haired beauty that had wrapped her arm around him. It scared Souji because… his dreams were filled that little petite girl with the blue hair. It was the one that Kanji fawned over.

He probably knew that she was a girl by now. He could be a bully, even to doctors. Every couple of minutes in his dream, Souji was killed by either Kanji, or Naoto's cousin. He would be walking with Naoto, even reliving the scene where Souji was helping her return to the servants' quarters; they would come for him then. One or the other, they would always kill him, and it was always painful.

He understood why they were killing him in his dream. Kanji obviously had a huge crush on this girl, if he knew she was a girl. Naoto's cousin? Well, that was obvious… he just about killed him for saving her life. Imagine what he might try to do to Kanji if he tried to really get serious?

In the end, it did not matter he had some passing thoughts about Naoto. He was basically set to marry his cousin, no matter what he said. Dojima had the final say, after all. The only one who might convince him otherwise would be his daughter, and Souji knew her thoughts. Those thoughts would be Lady Nanako Dojima becoming a Seta… in name.

That's why none of these idle thoughts mattered. His life was set before him; he just had to follow the path.

As his eyes stare at the light pink ceiling, Souji wondered where his sword lay. He hoped someone from the Kujikawa's picked it up. He felt the arm around him squeeze. Rise must have awakened.

"How are you feeling?" Rise's cheerful tones echoed into Souji's ears.

Souji muttered, "Never better."

"I'm happy," Rise smiled as she tightened her grip, making Souji feel uncomfortable.

It was going to be another long day, and his mind could not fathom an escape plan at the moment.

* * *

**Nanako Dojima's Residence**

**Noon**

Ryotarou Dojima had made it a habit to visit his daughter more often now. Maybe it was partly because his wife had died, maybe it was partly because of possible wedding implications, and maybe… it was because of today's issues.

As the youngest caretaker, with black-haired and cream colored robes, opened the sliding door for Ryotarou, she announced, "Lady Dojima… your father is here to see you."

"Thank you," Nanako nodded politely. She looked in the direction of her father and said, "Hello, father."

"Nanako…" Ryotarou smiled. His face hardened slightly, "I do not have happy news, Nanako."

"You do not always have happy news to share, father," Nanako responded.

"Someone attempted to take our Lord Tatsumi's life," Dojima told her.

"Is he okay?" Nanako bit her lip.

"Lord Tatsumi is fine," Dojima answered. Seeing that Nanako's expression did not change, he added, "Souji was unhurt as well."

Nanako's face immediately softened at hearing that, "I am glad."

"My other news also relates to Souji," Dojima said.

Nanako looked straight into her father's eyes as Dojima said, "He has gone missing. Both of Lord Tatsumi's personal guards… have disappeared. We can not find Souji Seta."

Nanako looked crestfallen, "You have no idea where he is?"

Dojima shook his head.

Nanako said softly, "Father?"

"Yes, daughter?" Lord Dojima leaned close.

"I want to marry him," Nanako told Ryotarou.

Ryoutarou nodded.

* * *

Fun, yes… Difficult… even more so. I hope you enjoyed me working hard to include some of the other lords into this chapter.


	14. Chapter 14

Samurai and Ninjas Chap. 14

I do not own Persona or the character's likenesses, sorry everyone. Atlus does. Blame my lack of creativity.

This story takes place towards the middle of the Heian period of Japan. I am not being completely historically accurate with this, so do not get all over my back about it. I could, but I am not going to be. How much Personas will play a part in it, I do not know about that one.

A note, I will mainly use first names first, then last names. I know this is the one glaring difference that I am using in respect of their culture, but since I am writing in English… I will write as such.

One small thing… I decided to make Igor the emperor and Philemon the next in line. The reasoning behind this is… because Philemon looks young, and Igor looks so old. So… yeah.

I'm making Philemon a bit of a jerk. The royal family gets no love, so I'm sure they are a bit mad at the world. It's one of the few people that I will not try and make his personality fit with the story. So… sorry everyone.

* * *

**Kyoto- Fujiwara Palace**

**Evening**

Adachi was confused, but somehow he had managed to convince Lady Margaret, granddaughter of Emperor Igor, to travel to Nara. The purpose of the visit was to see if Lord Tanaka was correct when he said there was instability throughout the court. If that was so, then Adachi would think about taking action. After all, the Fujiwara family needs to be strong…

The reason on why he was confused was because… he had to all but promise to sleep with the granddaughter of the Emperor to make her promise to travel to Nara. Normally, that would be something Adachi would be interested; sleeping with a woman as beautiful as Lady Margaret. However, sleeping with a woman as dangerous as Lady Margaret was not as appealing to him as some girl he would usually sleep with. Mainly… it was because of what she knew about Adachi.

* * *

**A few hours before**

Adachi walked right into the Imperial Palace's gates with some trepidation, but mostly… a good deal of confidence. Adachi knew what he needed to do. He had to convince one of the royalty, preferably, to assess the situation in Nara. He certainly was not going to travel there himself. He had too much to take care of in Kyoto.

There were only a few choices for Adachi in possible candidates to send to Nara. He needed a descendent of Emperor Igor. Emperor Igor was not to be allowed to leave Kyoto. It was entirely out of the question for Adachi to even think of asking him to do that.

Igor's grandson, Theodore, had just been to Nara for a meeting with all three families. Adachi could ask the middle child of the situation, but the letter almost sounded like it was fluctuating almost daily. Some of it might also be affected by the other families. If Adachi really wanted to send Theodore back to Nara; he could not afford to wait for his return. If the letter was true, the situation could be even more volatile than even he believed. Adachi needed a person that could leave for Nara right away, not someone who would obviously be exhausted.

Theodore's twin, younger by only a few seconds, was someone Adachi would never ask to go to Nara. Elizabeth was not even in the palace, anyways. She had disappeared again, probably on one of her secret visits to the Minamotos.

"One of these days, she won't return," Adachi thought, "She'll cling right to Lord Arisato."

Lord Arisato was married to Lady Takeba, but everyone knew he had at least one go around with every lady in the Minamoto court. It was common knowledge, even to the other families. Lady Yamigishi, Lady Kirjio, Lady Fushimi, Lady Nishiwaki, and then Lady Elizabeth of the royalty; all of this was happening in secret, unbeknownst to Lord Arisato's wife. Of course, that was nothing compared to the exploits of Lord Arisato's sister, that skank.

Yes, Adachi could not count on Lady Elizabeth for an accurate account of the information that needed to be obtained. She would most likely eventually betray them instead of help them.

There was only one choice for Adachi. The icy cold oldest daughter of Philemon, Margaret, was that one choice. Adachi had to convince Margaret to come to Nara to investigate the letter's accusations.

As Adachi passed through dark pillars illuminated by what almost looked like blue light, he had no trouble getting past the guards; he heard entrancing music in the background. It was like someone was singing. It was coming from the five thrones in the back of the hall. Three of the five gilded chairs were occupied at the moment.

Adachi recognized the somewhat ugly and ancient emperor, Igor, in the largest chair as he neared the three. The emperor was a short man, who had tried to pull the strings in the court. Sadly, it was for naught because the Imperial Court was actually controlled by his heir, Lord Philemon.

Lord Philemon was sitting in the next largest chair. Emperor Igor may be clad in dark blue, but Lord Philemon was wearing drab brown. That was not his most noticeable feature, however.

It was Lord Philemon's white and black mask that had made the women swoon. It was said that the son of Lord Igor was burned as a child and that he always wore a mask to cover his face. Lord Philemon held resentment in his heart towards his father because the fire claimed his mother, and Philemon's father did nothing to save her. Philemon was saved by his own personal caretakers, not Lord Igor or his servants.

After this tragedy, Lord Philemon had made it a point to find a way to pull the strings in the court. He started as a young man, placing his feelers into the cracks, and then sliding his way in. Philemon used his mysterious nature to captivate the nearby lords, including some of the Fujiwaras.

Philemon's nature was alluring enough to capture a blond-haired woman in his web. He ended up siring three children, though his wife ended up dying giving birth to Elizabeth. Philemon was far too focused on regaining control of the Imperial Court to be fazed about it.

Multiple times, Philemon had thought about assassinating his father. A mysterious death would not be too suspicious for the populace. Yet, there was always the chance that the shadow of doubt would be pointed towards him. He could not take that risk. Philemon would just have to enjoy watching the old man see his power slip even more than it already had. He was a puppet thanks to the Fujiwaras, but his influence within this court was losing its luster thanks to his son. Old age would take him soon enough, and Philemon would return the Imperial Throne to relevance once again. He would crush the Fujiwaras, the Minamotos, and the Tairas in his fist.

Imagine the anger it brought to Philemon's burnt face when he saw the leader of the Fujiwaras, Lord Adachi, approaching his father, his daughter, and the heir.

"What does he want!" Philemon thought, trying not to express his thoughts out loud, "If Adachi bothered coming here, he must want something."

Philemon smirked. At least Adachi had enough brains in the swelled head to show respect to the family by bowing to them.

Adachi raised his head after bowing to the three of them. He looked to his left. There looked like there was an artist making quick brush strokes on a canvas. Maybe… he was drawing the scene that was unfolding before them. This was interesting. The singing was coming from a somewhat older woman with gray and black hair to the right. Both of them were clad in blue. The only one not clad in blue… was Lord Philemon. Adachi had to admit… it was a little creepy. Yet… it was not as creepy as the blind musician that was playing behind the singer to the left of the royalty. Even the musicians… even the artist was wearing blue.

Adachi expected all of this, obviously. He had to wonder though… where the royal guard was. He passed all of the petty guards on his way in, but he had not yet spotted the elite soldiers. Even Adachi needed to keep his eyes open.

Igor nodded at Adachi's presence. He said to him, "Lord Adachi… We welcome you. It is always wonderful to have you in our court. What business do you have with us today?"

Adachi tried to ignore the old and wrinkly face that he was now staring out as he answered, "Emperor Igor… I have a favor to ask of your family and the Imperial Court."

"A favor?" Igor looked at Adachi sideways, "What could you possible need of us, Lord Adachi?"

Philemon sneered under his mask. He knew Adachi needed something from us. He wondered what it was, but he was sure it was trivial and pointless. It was probably something like another woman.

Adachi took a deep breath. He had to ask someone to visit Nara now, or Adachi would be stuck trying to find someone else that the lord probably could not find.

The lord of the Fujiwaras bowed again before he said to them, "I have received a disturbing letter about the state of affairs of our people in Nara."

Lord Igor motioned to him, "Do you have it with you?"

Adachi pulled the letter out from his robes. He thought it might be useful if he kept it with him. Igor looked at the brown scroll-like letter as Adachi placed it in his hands.

Igor unfurled it and read the information. He passed the letter to his son, while Margaret gave an icy stare straight at Adachi. It made the leader of the Fujiwaras feel a large shiver down his spine.

"I see," Igor finally responded. He added, "So… one of the other lords seems to think that Lord Tatsumi is losing his grip on his own court?"

"That is what the letter says," Adachi answered.

"Do you have proof?" Philemon questioned.

"That is why I came here to ask for a favor of you," Adachi said. He continued, "As you know, Lord Theodore visited Nara, but that was before I received this letter."

Philemon nodded, "He was there to mediate between the families, if I remember right."

"Yes, that is correct," Adachi said.

"So, you need someone else to go to Nara?" Philemon asked.

"He's a selfish bastard, isn't he?" Philemon thought.

Listening to his son, Igor believed Philemon to be correct. Igor knew that Adachi wanted another person to visit Nara. He obviously did not want to do it himself, or feel like sending someone of his own family either.

"What services do you require then?" Igor inquired.

"I need someone else to visit Nara to assess the city," Adachi said.

"I hope you do not expect me to go," Philemon told Adachi. He was not hiding the contempt in his words.

"I was not planning on asking you," Adachi rolled his eyes.

"Ohh…" Igor's eyebrows rose. He turned his wizened face towards his grandchild, Margaret. Margaret's icy glare stared straight at Adachi. She knew what Adachi wanted her to do.

Margaret's icy words cut right into Adachi, "Well… Asking me?"

Adachi stared straight back at the young blond-haired woman. He had enough, "You know the answer, obviously."

Philemon looked at Margaret, who looked at Igor. Margaret looked back at Lord Adachi as she said, "Follow me."

The oldest daughter of Lord Philemon stood up from her chair and beckoned for Adachi to come with her.

Adachi was a little bewildered by the situation. He was not sure where he was being taken to as he blindly followed the pretty young woman. For all Adachi knew, he could be following Lady Margaret to a room where a hundred guards were waiting to murder him. It would be an opportune moment to get rid of a Fujiwaran leader and lord.

Adachi was led to a small room that had two servants and two armed men at the doorway. It was as if Adachi's premonition was true and that he was going to be killed by this woman. He should not have followed her.

"Come, Lord Adachi," Margaret said as one of the servants came forward and slid the door open for them. She continued, "We have things to discuss."

Adachi reluctantly followed Margaret into the small room. He looked behind to see if any of the guards were going to join them, but none followed. The same servant slid the door behind Adachi.

The room was small, but it was well-furnished. It was also very, very blue. There were curtains around everything… and they were… they were… blue. There was very little in the room that was not that particular shade of blue. The only other vibrant color was the creamy face and the shining blond hair drawn back into a ponytail of Lady Margaret.

Adachi took a good look at her… a look that her father would probably not appreciate the lord taking if he was still in the hall.

Her robes were blue… "Of course they were blue. Everything in this palace is fucking blue!" Adachi thought.

Only the small cuff-like yellow ridges that rode up her arms were a different hue than the rest of the robes… the rest of the palace, really.

"Are you done staring?" Margaret's voice cut into Adachi's reverie.

Adachi shook his head and looked at Margaret's face again as Margaret said, "You want me to go to Nara, correct?"

"Yes, I would you like to go there," Adachi nodded.

"Why should I do that… especially if no one else will go?" Margaret questioned.

"There is no one else," Adachi responded.

"I see," Margaret's cold voice replied.

Her golden eyes were still looking straight at Adachi. It was unnerving to say the least, and Adachi did not like that.

"You expect me to just go with nothing in return?" Margaret said suddenly, never taking her eyes off of the lord.

Adachi's eyes widened as he said, "Huh?"

"You can not expect me to do this for free. Right?" Margaret had a devilish smile on her face.

Adachi was not used to people trying to bully him around. He was the lord of all of the Fujiwaras. Nobody tried to push him around. There were usually consequences that came with that. Yet… he was a little scared of one of the blessed granddaughters of Emperor Igor.

"What would you possibly want?" Adachi asked.

There were a pair of chairs in this room, and Margaret beckoned for Adachi to sit on one. Adachi sat, and Margaret sat across from him.

For the first time, her voice softened slightly as a small smile formed on her face, "Well... we will decide on that when I return. I know my father would want me to choose something more advantageous for him, but I have my own ambitions."

Adachi's eyes widened again. She could not… She would not…

Margaret stood up from the chair and smiled, "I know that you prefer young women. That little Konishi girl did not just disappear and die at random."

"What!" Adachi's mouth opened wide.

He had made sure that was kept a secret between only him and his closest confidants. He did not want anyone else to know that he had brought the older sister of Lord Naoki Konishi to his side by force. Telling those around him that she had disappeared and was murdered was a perfect cover. How this woman had figured this out… he did not know.

"I'll make sure that you are escorted out… Lord Adachi," Margaret smiled.

Adachi was a bit terrified at the leverage that Margaret had. It was true that he had a penchant for younger woman, but really… he enjoyed women of any age. Yet, Margaret knew one of his dark secrets.

"At least she'll go to Nara for me," Adachi thought as the door slid open and the guard motioned for him to follow.

* * *

**Fujiwara Palace**

**Present**

Adachi thought to himself, "What have I gotten myself into? Should I have just tried to send one my own to Nara? Maybe that would have been safer."

* * *

**Residential District- Nara**

**Evening**

As soon as Souji Seta felt Lady Kujikawa's lips touch his own, it felt very wrong to him. He could not explain why, but it just did. He needed to express those thoughts to her.

"Please stop," Souji used his good arm to push Rise away from him.

Rise had been at his side almost the whole time since her servants found him. They bandaged him the best they could, and he had been resting ever since then. When he awoke this afternoon, he found the lady lying next to him… thankfully above the covers. It was the fact that the only thing that was covering him besides the sheets were bandages was the reason Souji was thankful. He was grateful to Lady Kujikawa for taking care of him… helping him so. She even helped Souji eat dinner this afternoon. Being spoon-fed was quite an interesting experience for Souji. He was sure Rise enjoyed it even more than he did.

It was about an hour or so after that Rise put herself on top of him and started kissing him. The force of her body coming on top of him hurt tremendously. The only thing that was out of place was that she did not throw back his covers right away. Souji was grateful to Rise, but this could get out of hand… really fast.

Rise was a little perplexed at why her lips were no longer in contact with Souji. Souji pushed her away from him? She should talk to the poor boy.

"What's wrong, Souji?" Rise asked. Her face was still only a few inches from Souji's body. Souji could feel the pain from when she threw her general body weight on him.

"I… I don't," Souji muttered. He was in a lot of pain at the moment.

"Ohh… sweetheart," Rise smiled. The pink robes on her body looked like they were a much looser fit than usual. Her smile made Souji sick. She asked, "Is this your first time?"

Souji's eyes widened. It made Rise chuckle as Souji's eyes shifted away from Rise towards the ceiling.

Rise added another question as she slowly grasped Souji's face and brought it back into her view, "Or… is this your first time with a woman?"

Souji downright gasped at that statement. That she would have the nerve to say that… it sickened Souji. Who was she to ask these demeaning questions? It was not like she was giving him a choice on if she was staying with him or not tonight, anyways. It was for reasons like this that he did not go sleeping around. It disgusted him.

"That's none of your business, Lady Kujikawa," Souji responded curtly.

"I guess you'll have your secrets, sweetheart," Rise smiled again.

He needed a place to get away to. It did not matter who, or where, or what; he just needed to escape.

Rise saw the frown forming on Souji's face, so she said to Souji, "You're not thinking about you and I compromising your whole thing with Lady Dojima."

That was his escape. Nanako! Souji had an escape after all. Lady Nanako Dojima, the young woman and his own cousin who was rather taken with him, was a perfect plan for Souji to escape this place.

"Don't worry so much about it," Rise winked, causing a look of confusion on Souji's face. She continued, "Do you really think that Lord Tanaka is completely faithful?"

Souji looked straight at her as Rise said, "Besides… you were murmuring the name, 'Naoto' the whole time you were sleeping last night."

Souji could not avert his face as Rise had her soft right hand around it as she said seductively, "I am so… so sure you will be faithful to your wife, Lady Nanako."

Souji shut his eyes. One half of his reasoning was because of the shame that Rise heard the murmurs that came from the dream; the other half… was now Lady Kujikawa had a weapon to use against him. It was a weapon that would force him to be with her.

Souji had no way out anymore… no way to escape. What could he do?

Souji felt Rise closing the short distance between them again. He needed to say something… anything. He just needed some time… time to think.

"Can you wait a minute?" Souji asked. He said that out of the blue.

"Hmm?" Rise looked somewhat confused.

"It's not really worth it if only one person is into it, right?" Souji commented, so he finished, "Why don't you give me a few minutes?"

"You're right," Rise nodded, "Just be ready when I come back."

Rise removed her hand that was cupping Souji's chin and went from her knees back to a standing position. She smiled one more time before turning towards the door. Souji could tell how loose those robes really were. They were meant for being removed… removed quickly.

Souji breathed a sigh of relief as soon as Rise left his line of sight and the door slid shut behind her. He had to think of something, anything that he could do to escape this place. Rise was just not the girl for him. Using both of his arms, including the one with the bad arm and shoulder… he pushed himself up to a sitting position.

Souji nearly passed out in pain at feeling the stretching and pull that the sudden drive of his muscles caused… and that was only pushing up to a sitting position.

"What can I do?" Souji thought.

Souji knew that there was no easy exit out of this room. The only way out was through the room that Rise went through only a minute ago. The Kujikawa Residence was one of the larger ones in the district and Souji was not sure how many rooms there were in here. If he had to make his way through the front… he could not run into Rise.

Souji threw back his covers. He would have to find some clothes at that. The only thing covering the samurai… were the bandages that had been wrapped around him when he had been found. Souji could understand his sword being missing, but his clothes… where were they?

Souji ended up wrapping the covers and blankets around the lower sections of his body. At least… he looked somewhat decent now. The hard part for Souji would be standing up.

If the pain of pulling himself to a sitting position was excruciating; the pain Souji felt pushing his legs up so he could stand… made him beyond woozy. He was extremely close to collapsing as soon as he pushed himself to his feet. Souji had very little to balance himself on, for that matter. He was going to fall over unless he could find something to balance on.

Souji began limping towards the sliding door. When he was about to reach the sliding door, it suddenly opened itself. Souji was deathly afraid that it was Lady Kujikawa returning for her prize. It was a shock that it was instead of a brown-haired young man with a part down the left wearing white and pink. It was the first man he had seen outside of himself in the Kujikawa compound. The man was even younger than Souji.

The sight of this new person shocked Souji, and it seemed to shock the young man.

The young man said to Souji, "I'm here to see if you are ready."

The young Kujikawa retainer was completely shocked that the man he found in the Kusaga Shrine was now standing in front of him.

"I'm leaving," Souji told the retainer.

"I have orders not to let you do that," the young man explained to Souji.

Souji looked at the sword at the young man's side. He almost wondered how well the underling of Lady Kujikawa could use it. The retainer saw Souji glancing at the blade and that Souji was slowly limping towards the door again. The young man placed his hand on the blade, so Souji used his good arm to lunge towards the scabbard.

The young man was under orders not to harm Souji, so he drew the whole weapon, scabbard as well. That proved to be his undoing. Souji's right arm grabbed hold of the younger man's wrist and used his good leg to twist the servant into the ground.

Rise's retainer hit his head on the floor and stopped moving. It was unfortunate, but at least Souji had a weapon now, unsheathing it and holding it in his good arm. Souji staggered through the sliding door once he opened it. Luckily, there seemed to be no one around the first couple of rooms. They were all so pink and lavish. It was sweet enough to make Souji's teeth fall out.

Souji could not imagine his luck. He was staggering through all of the rooms without any of the other servants being present. Souji had not even seen Rise. If only his luck could hold.

"Souji! You're walking!" Souji heard Rise's voice from behind.

Souji shivered. He had just gotten to the front entryway and she just had to show up. This was annoying. Souji was not going to stand for it. He turned around to face his demon.

"Is it hurting you?" Rise asked.

"Of course it hurts," Souji answered.

"Then come and lie down," Rise smiled, "I'll make it all better."

"No…" Souji pointed the blade he had taken from Rise's retainer at her.

"That's Rion's sword…" Rise said, looking a little taken aback but rather calm, "He is rather clumsy."

"I'm leaving," Souji told Rise, "You aren't going to stop me."

"In that condition?" Rise questioned.

"Yes…" Souji said, as he continued, "The only thing that may keep me longer is if you tell me where my clothes and my own blade are."

"That will cost you something," Rise smiled.

Souji pointed the blade at her again, which caused Rise to smile. Rise walked over and opened a side door, and inside the closet… were the remnants of Souji's hakama and his personal blade.

Rise smiled one more time as Souji staggered in to take his possessions. Rise said to her interest, "I'll be seeing you again."

* * *

This was a rather difficult chapter to write. I was lost for words most of the time. I did not have time to write for most of these past couple of weeks. So, I hope I made this read enjoyable. Auf Wiedersehen.


	15. Chapter 15

Samurai and Ninjas Chap. 15

I do not own Persona or the character's likenesses, sorry everyone. Atlus does. Blame my lack of creativity.

This story takes place towards the middle of the Heian period of Japan. I am not being completely historically accurate with this, so do not get all over my back about it. I could, but I am not going to be. How much Personas will play a part in it, I do not know about that one.

A note, I will mainly use first names first, then last names. I know this is the one glaring difference that I am using in respect of their culture, but since I am writing in English… I will write as such.

I know I have left Tanaka out of the story for a little while. Give me about one more chapter, and then he will get some major screen time.

* * *

**Nara- Palace: Kanji's Room**

**Evening**

Kanji had had a very unproductive afternoon. The Lord of Nara should have probably been focusing on something more important than the young girl, but he could not stop thinking about her. He should be dealing with Tanaka and sending people to look for his two samurai, but he was not exactly focused right now. It was just that… Naoto was so distracting.

When Kanji had forced his way into the doctors' quarters, he saw the outline of a young girl's curves… even if they were covered by sheets. Kanji was somewhat ashamed to say, but it aroused him to see the luscious curves of Naoto's upper body. Every time Kanji thought about it… it was like when Kanji saw Naoto in the doctors' quarters for the first time.

Kanji just could not believe that Naoto was pretending to be a boy all this time. What could she possibly gain by doing all of this? It was rather pointless in Kanji's eyes.

"Maybe… she was hiding from me?" Kanji thought.

That thought… made Kanji a little angry, but at the same time… ashamed. He was Lord Kanji Tatsumi; people should be falling at his feet. Why would Naoto be concealing her gender from him… especially if she looked like she did? It was ridiculous to think that she would even bother doing something like this in the first place. If only Naoto had acted like a girl in the first place.

It ended up that was Kanji was standing around in his room, wondering if he should try and see Naoto again. He stopped pacing a few minutes ago; the pacing usually caused him to get caught in the black and gold curtains hanging from the ceiling. Daydreams were dangerous in that sense.

The only problem with going to see Naoto was the stubborn head doctor who would most likely not let Kanji see her. Kanji would have to force the doctor to let him see Naoto. Then… he would be able to see Naoto. It's just… should he go see her? Did she want to see him?

Kanji walked to the edge of his room and slid his door open with a great amount of force, startling a nearby servant to the left of his room, who was carrying a tray of food and rice wine. She almost dropped the tray.

"I have dinner for you, Lord Tatsumi," the servant bowed her head.

"Leave it in my room, I'll eat it later," Kanji responded, somewhat nervously.

The servant was slightly puzzled by both his words and his tone of voice, but she knew to follow orders. She said, "As you wish, my lord."

The servant walked into Lord Tatsumi's room, while Kanji headed in the opposite direction where she had come from. He had made his decision. Kanji was headed towards the doctors' quarters.

"Screw the head doctor… I'm seeing Naoto," Kanji thought.

Kanji wondered if Naoto would be awake. Kanji also wondered if he would have the courage to talk to Naoto.

The present was all that mattered now. Kanji walked straight down the gold-inlaid hallway and then around a corner. He passed a few servants in gold and black as he took another left.

There were two doctors' rooms; one for the apprentices, and the other for the head doctor. Where they were working at the moment depended on the amount of patients and the situation. They were not going to put the assassins in the same area as Naoto, for example. Though… Kanji would have killed them if they had done that.

As Kanji placed his hand on the side of the door to slide it open… he was hoping for one of two things. Kanji was hoping that either the doctor was sleeping, or if that the doctor was awake; he would not protest at all to his intrusion. He was hoping that Naoto's eyes were open... so Kanji could try and muster up the courage to speak to her.

The door was flung open, and Kanji stood in the entrance. His aspirations, his wish… Kanji's hopes were granted as the doctor was sitting to the left, sleeping in a hard-backed chair. Her eyes were open… Naoto's eyes were open as she lay on her left side, though still covered by the sheets and the somewhat bloody bandages over the cut. Kanji could make out every curvature on Naoto's body. The red on Kanji's cheeks as he stood in the arch of the door was only matched by Naoto's as she spotted him.

"I can't believe my eyes," Kanji thought to himself.

* * *

**Nara- Residential District**

**Mid-Evening**

Souji had changed from makeshift clothing to a ratty light-colored hakama that was the result of a lopsided fight with a mysterious warrior that appeared to be Naoto's cousin. That cousin seemed to have a sister as well, so who knows how skilled she was.

As Souji staggered outside the Kujikawa Residence, he shivered a little bit. It just had to start raining that evening. The samurai felt very weak while he was trying to escape the Kujikawa Compound, but he did not realize just how pathetic he had become until he had begun walking outside in the downpour. His cuts on his arms, legs, and body were hurting all over as the water seeped into the bandages.

The problem was… Souji was not exactly sure where he was headed. When Souji left, the samurai was torn between heading towards Lord Tatsumi's palace and under the lord's protection, or Souji's own residence. Souji could either get changed into warmer clothing and rest under a familiar setting at his own quaint residence, or see the most reliable doctors in the city at Lord Tatsumi's. The negative with heading to Kanji's was that Souji would need to head through the Mercantile District as well. Souji's own residence would be closer from his current position, but there would be no one to treat him until he left; that would not be at least until tomorrow.

"I should go to Kanji's," Souji thought, shaking his head.

Souji made a turn towards the Mercantile District, which was still a ways away. Lady Kujikawa's district was not at the entrance of the Residential District, but at least it was not as far away as say… Lord Tanaka's.

Souji limped on past Lady Amagi's Residence, the pain in his injured leg throbbing. No one had said anything to Souji about Lady Amagi recently… maybe she had given up?

Regardless, all of his injuries were starting to pain Souji. Souji's bandages were now soaking wet and his wounds were open again. There was blood running down his injured leg and arms, as well as his left shoulder and the samurai's cut cheek. In the amount of time Souji had began walking, he had made very little progress.

Souji had enough trouble walking through the Kujikawa Compound, and now he was trying to make it out of the Residential District, through the Mercantile District, and to the Nara Palace; that was in the rain as well. Souji's knees were buckling as he stopped at a crossroad. It was a big mistake to try and walk all the way to the Kanji's and Souji knew that.

Souji finally fell… He hit the ground, knees first before landing on his injured left shoulder. Souji scuffed his knees, bloodying them. Rolling onto his shoulder hurt Souji even more.

"Damn it," Souji thought as he lay on the ground.

If Souji were to get up, the pain would be even worse than the last time the young man pushed himself to his feet. Souji was not sure if he would be able to get back up.

Souji still tried to push with his left arm and left leg to bring the injured samurai to a standing position. That was another mistake for Souji. He made it six inches off the ground before he fell back to the road. It was a sad sight indeed if anyone was indeed watching. Lady Kujikawa was probably laughing her ass off, waiting to take him back in her arms… waiting to sleep with him. Not like Souji was in any condition to take part in that sort of action in the first place. What she was thinking this evening, Souji had no idea.

Souji was not going to try and get up again. The pain was unbearable for Souji, and he doubted he would be able to regain his balance by trying again. If nothing else, he would lie in the wet road as he was pelted by the rain. Souji sighed as he closed his eyes.

**

* * *

**

**Nara- Doctors' Quarters**

**Evening**

Naoto was downright terrified at the sight of Lord Tatsumi in the archway of the room she was residing in. It scared her… scared her beyond belief.

**

* * *

**

**Minutes ago**

Naoto still felt rather weak, but she at least had the strength to eat dinner by himself. The head doctor had been really kind to her. He propped up her head and left the room so she could use her arms to eat her dinner.

The young servant was able to sit up by herself and then pull her arms out of her sheets so she could eat. Naoto did not eat a lot, but it felt nice to eat something for the first time since she was injured by the assassins. She was tired of having liquid poured into her mouth as well. Naoto was able to drink the water by herself. She placed her tray back to the side as she finished. After Naoto finished her dinner, she lay back down and covered up again. As if the doctor was psychic, he entered as soon as Naoto covered back up.

He said, "I'm going to get some rest."

The doctor had not slept not much at all since Naoto was injured, and he was going to get some sleep.

As the doctor sat down in a wooden chair to the right of where Naoto was lying, Naoto turned over. She wanted to get some rest as well. If she recovered faster, then maybe she could leave… and return home. She could leave and see her grampa.

"Lord Tatsumi," Naoto shook her head as much as she could.

The lord found out Naoto was a girl while she was injured. Lord Tatsumi looked far too surprised when he saw her. It was quite confusing on what in the world Lord Tatsumi wanted.

Naoto was not going to worry about it right now. She only wanted to get back to her family.

**

* * *

**

**Present**

Naoto wanted to be anywhere but here at the moment. What was Lord Tatsumi doing here? The lord just stood there blankly, blushing. He should have left! It was not like Naoto could go anywhere. She just blushed, while she lay there… covered in those sheets.

Then he had the gall to say, "Naoto…"

Kanji was blushing the whole time as he said that. It was embarrassing to Kanji. That's all he could manage to say… her name! Pathetic… that was rather pathetic. He can do better than that.

Kanji choked out, "Umm… How are you doing?"

Kanji was still blushing like a madman throughout his words.

"Uhh… A little better, I guess," Naoto said, feeling very self-conscious with what she was wearing.

Kanji did not move, but his cheeks stayed the same shade of red. He said to his dream girl, "I'm… I'm glad to hear that." Seeing the empty tray, he told Naoto, "I see you're eating again."

"This was my first real meal since… well, you know," Naoto nodded. She never even turned around since Kanji came into the doorway.

Kanji looked reserved, "You should get your strength up. You can only get better by eating."

Naoto did not say anything. She already knew what she had to do to get better. It was if Lord Tatsumi was searching for something to say. He was certainly blushing enough. It was probably because he could not stop looking at her bare shoulders. If only she did not get hurt, then Lord Tatsumi would never have found out that she was a girl.

"I'll do my best, Lord Tats…" Naoto started, but not before Kanji butted in.

"You can call me… Kanji," the lord told her.

"I understand, Kanji," Naoto said, still formally.

Kanji had fought so hard to bring himself to speak to Naoto. Every word he spoke to her, every second his eyes gazed upon her, and every time she spoke… it made his heart melt. It did far more than melt Kanji's heart. He was unsure how long he could keep talking to her until the blushing would become too much, or the arousal he was feeling… Kanji did not want to lose control.

Naoto shut her eyes. Lord Tatsumi… what was wrong with him? He needed some serious help. Her arms were underneath the sheets; she placed them over her bandaged and covered chest.

"Umm…" Kanji was struggling for a new topic.

It really was hard to talk with Naoto when she was lying there. Kanji tried to stare at the other tables and the piles of white sheets, but… his eyes always drifted right back to Naoto. It was hopeless… there was nothing Kanji could do.

Kanji was saved from having to think of anything else to say and Naoto was saved from having to find a way of getting rid of Kanji when a sudden intrusion by another doctor awoke the head doctor.

"Sir!" the youngest and short doctor tried to run into the room… when he spotted Kanji.

The short doctor looked surprised enough, "Uhh… Lord Tatsumi!" the young doctor with the part, exclaimed.

The head doctor's eyes fluttered open and then anger flushed to his face as he rose from his chair, "Lord Tatsumi! What are you doing here!"

Kanji knew he was in trouble with the doctor. He had a lot of explaining to do.

"I'm… I'm here to see my servant," Kanji said, "I wanted to see how she was doing."

"She's doing fine!" the head doctor exclaimed, "Now let her rest and get out!"

The wizened head doctor with the large bald spot all but pushed Kanji out of the doctors' quarters. The doctor was pissed at the lord. How dare Lord Tatsumi enter the room without his permission?

"Are you okay?" The head doctor asked Naoto.

As Naoto nodded briefly, the most experienced doctor turned his body towards the youngest apprentice who entered the room after Lord Tatsumi had been banished from the quarters.

"What is the problem?" the head doctor asked with consternation on his face.

"Lord Dojima found an injured samurai on the edge of the Residential District," the apprentice explained, "Souji Seta…"

"Souji Seta?" Naoto murmured.

"Is he on his way here now?" the head doctor wondered why the apprentice was not dragging Souji with him right now.

"Lord Dojima is helping him reach the doctors' quarters," the apprentice said. Seeing the unsettling look, the young man said, "Someone was trying to patch him up earlier. Looked like did not work out too well."

The head doctor shook his head. Samurai were idiots… all of them. He hated patching those fools up; they were so twitchy. Some of them said they were feeling no pain, but others were whining like babies in the end. It was a pain in the ass.

Lord Tatsumi had been listening outside of the doctors' quarters. It appeared that they had found one of his injured samurai. He had wondered what happened to Souji, but Kanji guessed the samurai just got injured somehow.

The only thing… they better not stick Souji in the main room with Naoto!

"I'll kill them all!" Kanji thought as he walked off.

* * *

**Edge of Residential District**

**A while earlier**

A few days ago, Souji would be passing multiple servants and scaring them until they prayed for mercy. It was not like he would ever want to harm them, though. Now… he was on the ground, being pelted by rain, and completely incapable of getting on his feet. Leaving suddenly though was probably his fault, after all. He ran away from Lady Kujikawa… because he was scared of her. Rise was going to injure him even more than he was now unless Souji left.

Souji was stretched out on his side when he felt a hand brush his uninjured shoulder. Souji was turned over by that hand and saw Lord Dojima in soaked gray and blue robes.

"What are you doing here?" Dojima asked, incredulous.

"I was injured," Souji muttered.

"I can see that," Dojima said.

Dojima glanced over Souji momentarily. Dojima shook his head as he saw the large abrasions and lacerations on Souji's legs and arms. Dojima also had the same reaction at the possible broken collarbone. Overall, Dojima thought Souji looked terrible and a complete mess.

"I was attacked, and someone attempted to patch me up," Souji said.

"Shouldn't you be resting then?" Dojima responded.

"It was Lady Kujikawa," Souji said softly.

"Ohh…" Dojima understood that he must have been trying to escape. He nodded, "You know… Lady Dojima was very worried for you."

Souji nodded as best as he could, "I'm happy for that."

"Where were you going, Souji?" Ryotarou questioned.

"I was trying to reach Lord Tatsumi," Souji tried to explain. He continued, "The best doctors are there."

Dojima, from his knees, pulled Souji up to his feet. Dojima then placed his arm underneath Souji's good shoulder so Souji could balance on Dojima's weight. Dojima, with Souji under his weight, stood up and took the first steps away from the Residential District.

"I assume that I am taking you to Lord Tatsumi's?" Dojima nodded. He turned his head towards Souji, "I could always take you to Nanako instead."

Souji noticed that Dojima emphasized his daughter's name. There must have been some crazy conversations going on between father and daughter. Souji had a good idea about the topic of those conversations.

"I think it would be best to reach Lord Tatsumi," Souji responded. He finished, "I need to get back and heal. I need to show him that I'm alive and well enough to protect him."

"I see…" Ryotarou said, understanding that the situation probably needed Souji to head to Kanji for reports.

With Souji being supported by Dojima, they reached the Mercantile District with ease. The stands that were usually full of peasants and merchants trying to hawk wares were bare and vacant. The only thing that supplanted the walking pair was the rain that came on top of their heads.

"We'll have to prove we are not someone trying to kill Lord Tatsumi," Dojima said.

Souji and Ryotarou were near the gate of the Nara Palace, but it was dark and the gate was closed. That meant the guards would not have a good view of either of them from the top of the wall. If they believed they were enemies; that would definitely turn out to be an issue for both the lord and the samurai.

The guards… still shorthanded since the attack eventually noticed the shadows from below. Their arrows were cocked behind their ears, and were about ready to fire upon the two men.

"I am Souji Seta!" Souji called out, "Samurai and servant of Lord Tatsumi of the Fujiwaras!"

Lord Dojima explained in a much calmer voice, "My name is Lord Ryotarou Dojima, counsel for Lord Tatsumi."

The pair of guards with the arrows drawn slowly lowered their bows as they looked at each other. The guards needed more light to confirm Souji and Dojima's identity, but if it really was one of their missing samurai… then they would need to let him in.

The door creaked as the gate started opening and Souji and Ryotarou began walking inside Nara's palace and fortress.

Before Souji could even reach the cherry blossoms in the courtyard, they were met by a somewhat tired apprentice doctor who had come on the account of a rumor that Souji Seta was back. The only way Souji Seta could leave for that long and not check in… he had to have been hurt. The apprentice was right and was in shock in the shape Souji was in.

"My… what in the…" the apprentice was lost for words as he met Souji and Dojima on the edge of the courtyard. He continued, "We need to get you to the head doctor."

Souji nodded as Dojima answered for him, "He seemed to have been attacked. He has not told me much else."

The apprentice said to the pair, in obvious haste, "Take Seta to the doctors' quarters… I'll go ahead and inform the head doctor of your presence."

As the apprentice turned and ran past the wet cherry blossom trees in the courtyard, Dojima said to Souji, "Well… why don't we get you to the doctor already."

Souji sighed as they made their way to the main hall, passing Kanji's gilded chair. The black and gold-inlaid monstrosity was specially made for someone of his height. Lord Tatsumi had always been freakishly tall for his age.

They made the turn out of the main hall, moving in between stone pillars as they made a beeline towards the doctors' quarters. Souji's blood had soaked through his bandages and was getting on Dojima's robes.

"This is going to be troublesome for the servants to get out," Dojima thought. He continued to think, "Glad I'm not the one that will have to clean it, but it sure feels uncomfortable to have Souji's blood on these robes."

* * *

**Present**

Lord Tatsumi did not understand what could possibly be taking so long for his samurai to show up. Maybe… he should just be relieved at the fact that Souji had come back in one-piece… well hopefully one-piece. As much as Kanji wanted to go back and say goodbye to Naoto, he knew that was not going to happen either. The head doctor was rather pissed at him, and that the head doctor was the one person he could not do anything to at the moment because he was the one taking care of Naoto.

The only thing Lord Tatsumi could do… was getting some rest. He knew it would probably be another sleepless night, but at least lying down would be better than standing around and pacing. Walking away to the right… Kanji would miss the incoming samurai by only thirty seconds when turned the corner.

Souji was given to the apprentice doctor by Lord Dojima. Dojima was somewhat glad to have Souji off his shoulder. The samurai was not heavy, but he was not light either. Souji was… fit. The apprentice doctor struggled a little bit when he put Souji under his arm. The apprentice was smaller than Ryotarou.

Dojima nodded before he left and told Souji, "I'll tell Nanako that you'll be okay."

Souji responded, "You do that, Lord Dojima." He was really thinking, with a sarcastic tone, "Great…"

As the apprentice helped shuffle in the injured samurai into the room, seeing Naoto as she was not as much of a shock to Souji's system as when Kanji laid eyes upon her. Naoto, however, still had not gotten over being around Lord Tatsumi in that compromising position. Now, Naoto was seeing another young man in front of her, even if he was beaten and injured. She could not help… but to blush.

No conversation passed between the servant and samurai. Instead the head doctor had a few choice words for Souji.

He exclaimed, pointing out the blood soaking through his bandages "What happened to you?"

"I had an accident," Souji said softly.

"Accident, my ass!" the head doctor responded, "You got into a fight, didn't you!"

The head doctor looked at the cuts on the samurai's arms and legs as well as the slumped shoulder on Souji. What the hell did he get himself into it?

"It wasn't my fault. It was an ACCIDENT!" Souji emphasized. It was one… after all.

"Whatever…" the old doctor said. He asked, "It looked like someone tried to bandage you up. What happened?"

"Lady Kujikawa found me and attempted to take care of me," Souji explained, "I had to escape."

No other words needed to be said between the doctor and samurai.

The head doctor looked at the apprentice with a strained look, "Well… hurry and get that foolish boy on one of those tables. He needs his bandages changed after we close his wounds again."

Naoto looked horrified as the apprentice started moving Souji towards the table next to her. What made her even more horrified was when the apprentice said to Souji, "When I boost you onto the table, take off your hakama."

* * *

That was an interesting chapter. It was kind of difficult to write… since I have been really busy.

What will happen in the next chapter? Tanaka will try something else? Yosuke will get his comeuppances? Raidou will bring justice upon Lord Tasumi? Maybe all three? We'll find out next chapter.


	16. Chapter 16

Samurai and Ninjas Chap. 16

I do not own Persona or the character's likenesses, sorry everyone. Atlus does. Blame my lack of creativity.

This story takes place towards the middle of the Heian period of Japan. I am not being completely historically accurate with this, so do not get all over my back about it. I could, but I am not going to be. How much Personas will play a part in it, I do not know about that one.

A note, I will mainly use first names first, then last names. I know this is the one glaring difference that I am using in respect of their culture, but since I am writing in English… I will write as such.

Tanaka gets some more screen time and Raidou makes another appearance, a crazy appearance at that.

* * *

**Nara- Residential District: Tanaka's Residence**

**Late Evening**

Tanaka had been lying somewhat low since he had hired those two assassins to eliminate Lord Tatsumi for the sake of not only of Nara, but also the Fujiwaras. This was actually the first time Lord Tanaka had been in Nara since the failed attempt. Tanaka was a bit unsure who was looking for him. It might be only Lord Tatsumi and Seta, or it might be the whole Council of Lords in Nara.

That being said, Tanaka was anxiously waiting a report from his head retainer, the samurai, Togodai. Though he was injured by Naoto, Togodai was still incredibly dangerous. As the sliding door opened, the black hakama of Togodai came through to one of Tanaka's living rooms.

Togodai was unshaven as usual, the scruffy black stubble was apparent. It amazed that Tanaka could send Togodai on a task such as an espionage mission to find out the status of Nara after his failed mission and that he return alive. Tanaka was amused that his retainer looked pissed as usual. Togodai's arm was still bandaged from when that bastard servant of Lord Tatsumi kicked Togodai's ass. In the smallest sense, it was slightly amusing that a peasant injured a samurai with such skill.

Tanaka motioned for Togodai to sit at his table. He did not want the samurai to disturb Lady Sayoko while she was resting. Togodai sat, but Tanaka would not do the same. Instead, Tanaka asked Togodai in a commanding voice, "What news comes from Nara while I was away? Who is chasing me?"

If Togodai felt affronted, he did not show. The retainer was used to this treatment. He answered, "Lord Tatsumi is waiting to if you are stupid enough to show your face in the palace."

"I did not know he was that stupid," Tanaka said.

"He seemed kind of out of it lately," Togodai continued, "He looked like he was in a daze."

Tanaka scratched his chin. Tanaka wondered if he could use Lord Tatsumi's idle mind to his advantage. If Tatsumi was not focused… he could strike at Tatsumi.

"Go on…" Tanaka nodding as he was still thinking.

"Seta was searching around your residence for you. The Kusaga Shrine, mostly. I think he knew you were gone," Togodai explained.

"Souji Seta is too smart for his own good," Tanaka thought, "Someone should take care of him."

"Listen to this," Togodai interrupted Tanaka's thoughts, "Someone hurt Souji. He was hurt pretty bad."

"Really?" Tanaka looked happy for a change, a small smile appearing on his face, "How do you know?"

"It was raining," Togodai said, "I saw Lord Dojima supporting him to take him to Lord Tatsumi."

"I wonder what happened to Seta," Tanaka thought.

Tanaka had one more question about Lord Tatsumi, "Why do you think Lord Tatsumi is so distracted?"

Togodai smiled, "Well… I was walking past Lord Tatsumi's bedroom when I heard him murmuring… 'Naoto' over and over."

"Naoto!" Tanaka was astonished, "Is he in love with the peasant boy?"

Togodai shook his head, "I also heard Lord Tatsumi mumble something about a 'she' and 'would it be wrong if I see her again?'"

"This peasant servant was a girl?" Tanaka thought.

Tanaka suddenly chuckled in the direction of his retainer, causing Togodai to look at Tanaka funny. He asked, "What is so amusing, Lord Tanaka?"

"You were injured by a little girl, Togodai" Tanaka chuckled.

Togodai sighed in shame, "I am aware of that fact."

Tanaka looked at Togodai, "How were you able to walk in and among the palace without drawing attention to yourself as my retainer?"

"I dressed as one of Lord Tatsumi's servants," Togodai answered, "The other servants did not notice me."

Tanaka nodded in understanding. The fact that Lord Tatsumi now seemed to be interested in a peasant girl was yet another reason he needed to be replaced. The fool did not have his priorities straight. Lord Tatsumi should be focusing on keeping the Fujiwara family together and safe. Instead, according to Togodai, Tatsumi has his head in the clouds over a little girl. Tanaka had to laugh though. The surprise it must have been for Lord Tatsumi when he found out that little bastard was actually, a girl.

Tanaka made a passing wave at Togodai. He had a lot more to think about. It was mainly logistics, really.

Togodai knew that meant he was supposed to leave. He did not want to face Tanaka's fury. Tanaka could work up quite a storm of hate when he wanted to. Togodai wanted to avoid that.

"Goodbye," Togodai stood and bowed.

Togodai's retainer made his way towards the sliding door and exited promptly, giving Tanaka the room to himself.

Tanaka ran his hand through his black hair with the graying roots. He could get to the thinking later. It was time to disturb Lady Sayoko. He was her husband after all.

Tanaka promptly turned from where he was standing so he was facing the bedroom door. He walked, maneuvering various objects, and slid open the door. He shut it behind him softly. Yes… Lord Tanaka would think about things later.

* * *

**Inside the Kusaga Shrine**

**Late Evening**

It was near pitch black inside the Kusaga Shrine, save for a small fires burning here and there. In the main temple, only two people were present. Well… two people and a cat to be exact standing in front of a small fire.

The young girl, clad in a green tunic and white pants asked the other, who was clad in all black, "You sure this is really the right time to try and do this?"

"Yes…" the young man responded, "This time… it will work."

"It's just… the last time, they nearly ripped your arms off," the young woman said.

"Trust me," the young man told her, his face bathed in the warm light of the hot fire.

The temple fire showed a chiseled face with black eyes. He was set on his task. His task… was to bring back his cousin, and bring eternal suffering upon those who brought pain to her. If he had to summon those who would bring his soul into the depths to eternal damnation; it would be worth it. He was Raidou, and he had already dealt with one of those who brought pain to Naoto's. Now... it was time…

Raidou moved to the left of the fire as his sister moved to the right of it. They both went to their knees and began to pray. The demons Raidou were trying to summon were fearsome. If he lost control of them… like the last time; they would most likely rip him apart. His sister was trying to summon a damn kimono-wearing fairy. It was nothing like the minotaur-like monsters that would be coming from the depths of Raidou's soul.

The black cat that Raidou knew as Gouto dropped three small tubes from his mouth. Where these three tubes came from, Raidou did not know. All that the young man knew was that they were the catalyst for his summoning of the two demons.

As Raidou and Raidou's sister, Nagi, both kept their head bowed to the floor… the fire suddenly went out. Three black portals appeared around the young man and woman as the three tubes were sucked into the void. It would be time to see if their hard work would come to fruition.

* * *

**Doctors' Quarters**

**Midnight**

The whole time Souji was being looked over by the head doctor, Naoto was hiding in her sheets. Naoto had even gone so far as to pull the sheets over her head so she would not have to look at him. Of course, Naoto did not want Souji to look at her, either.

After looking Souji over, the wizened doctor had concluded that Souji had not broken his shoulder. Instead, it seemed that Souji had separated the shoulder in a fall. It was a slightly better prognosis for the samurai, but no less painful, as Souji would find out.

Souji found out when the head doctor popped the shoulder back into place forcefully. Naoto never expected Souji to yell out in pain. The cry of Souji's pain was enough to make Naoto pop her head out to see if someone had come to finish the job.

Naoto had put her head back underneath the covers after the yell had subsided. The sight of Souji's muscular chest was ingrained in Naoto's mind. She was not going to look anywhere else while the doctor was working on him.

Naoto heard a voice call out after a few more minutes from hiding under the sheets, "I want you to stay there and rest. You are not to leave that bed… no matter what. If you want… I can ask for someone to bring you some food."

"Maybe in a little while," a voice that was clearly Souji's called out.

"I understand," the voice was the head doctor's.

Naoto heard heavy steps and the door sliding open and then closing. The head doctor must have left the room. She sighed. There was a small part of Naoto that was curious about Souji. Souji was considered this indomitable force of legend, and here he was… supposedly injured… injured enough that the doctor had to make him yell like a little girl.

She could not contain that curiosity, so Naoto popped her blue-haired head out of the covers. Only her head came above, less than an inch of her neck was visible. Naoto turned her head towards the injured samurai that had been brought in a short time ago. The short-haired girl saw a young man with a sling over his recently fixed shoulder and various re-wrapped bandages all over his arms and legs. A small cut Souji's cheek had been swabbed by the head doctor. The part that really made Naoto blush was the same image from before… it was that Souji's whole chest was visible.

To her surprise, Souji did not blush. Instead, he smiled and said to her, "Don't worry… I'm still wearing the bottom half of the hakama."

If that statement did not make things worse for Naoto, she did not know what would. Souji was a damn moron.

"Souji?" Naoto shook her head, trying to clear the blush from her face. She was sure Souji noticed it.

"Yes?" Souji responded.

"How did you get hurt?" Naoto questioned him.

Souji used his good arm to push himself up to a sitting position. It startled Naoto. She thought that the samurai was going to disobey the head doctor's orders.

"I was attacked. He was faster than me," Souji told her.

Naoto withheld a chuckle, "I thought you were supposed to be invincible."

"Not against your cousin, I guess," Souji shook his head.

As Souji sighed, Naoto tried not to gasp. She did not expect her cousin to come so quickly. Her cousin was the one who injured Souji? Why attack Souji?

"Why did my cousin come after you?" Naoto asked.

"He wants revenge on everyone that made you suffer, supposedly. I guess it was because I was the one who took you to Lord Tatsumi," Souji could not shrug, so he nodded to the left side of his head.

Now Naoto understood why her cousin Raidou went after Souji. Yet, Souji was probably the least deserving of those who caused pain while she was here. Her animosity towards Souji was a bit unfounded… well, she had not spent enough time around him to know for sure, but at least she thought it was unfounded. He wanted Raidou to go after Togodai and that bastard Tanaka instead of Souji. Lord Tatsumi was just an idiot.

Souji looked confused. Naoto was blushing again. Silly girl…

Naoto said to Souji, "I'm sorry."

"What for?" Souji asked.

"My cousin… that he hurt you," Naoto nodded as best as she could from her covers.

"What's done is done," Souji responded. Souji's face suddenly turned serious. That look… it scared Naoto. He said, "If he comes after Lord Tatsumi, however. I will fight much harder."

"Lord Tatsumi…" Naoto shuddered.

Souji almost laughed, "Is he giving you a hard time?"

"He keeps visiting me," Naoto confessed, "It's disturbing."

"He thinks you're cute," Souji admitted.

Naoto blushed and laughed. Naoto had to stop blushing.

"Quit laughing," Naoto finally told Souji.

Souji shook his head, "I have to admit. You made a convincing boy."

Naoto sighed, "I have had a lot of practice at it."

"Looks like it," Souji told her. The personal guard of Lord Tatsumi ran the hand from his good arm through his hair before he said, "I warn you… if Lord Tatsumi has his eye on you. Well, do I really need to explain things to you?"

Naoto shut her eyes in frustration. Souji was basically saying she had no choice but to submit to that bumbling fool of a lord that had trouble speaking to her. Naoto could not do that. Life might be unfair for a peasant girl, but this would not happen to her. She would find a way.

She opened her eyes and looked past the black and gold walls of the doctors' quarters and straight into Souji's gray ones. Naoto asked the young man, "Will you… will you help me?"

"With what?" Souji responded, "Getting away from Lord Tatsumi's advances?"

As Naoto nodded, Souji shook his head, "Kanji is going to be pissed enough that I was lodged in the same quarters' as you,"

"You called him by his first name, uhh, can I call you Souji?"

"I don't care," Souji said. He explained, "I call him Kanji because I've served under him since I was a small child. We grew up together."

"I see," Naoto said. A sad face came upon the peasant, now servant girl, "So… that's why you can not help me. He's your friend."

"No, no…" Souji shut his eyes in frustration. Souji told her, "It's because… I have to serve my lord. If I don't… for the first time; he will punish me."

Naoto was truly crestfallen. She turned her head back around so her back was facing Souji. Souji would not admit it, but he felt bad for Naoto. Though… right now, what could he do for the poor girl? Souji guessed it really was possible that Kanji could jeopardize his whole city by executing his personal samurai if Souji interfered with Naoto.

It was late, and as soon as Kanji realized he had been brought here, not in the side room; he would be dragged forcefully to who knows where by his old friend.

Souji lay back down. He wondered if the old doctor was going to come back with some food, but after waiting for a few minutes; he never did. Maybe that old man really did trust Souji more than he thought. Souji closed his eyes. Restful sleep… something he had not had in a while, might do him some good.

* * *

**Meiwa Town, Mie Prefecture**

**Morning**

Yosuke had been knocked out, bound, and blindfolded… again. He was not even sure where in the world he was. He was starting to regret running off to see Yuka when she left Nara with the rest of the Tairas. Well… what could he do? Lord Kido could kill him if he tried to escape, and it was not like he had his weapon on him. They only recently gave him his clothes back so he would not freeze to death when the storm came in.

Yosuke was incredibly groggy when he awoke at the feet of a regal-looking woman in gray robes with short black hair that barely reached past the nape of her neck. The girl was well-known to Yosuke. She was one of the highest-ranking Taira in the land. Her name was… Lady Maki Sonomura.

Yosuke tried to look up at Lady Sonomura, but his head was pushed back down by Lord Kido.

"I'm sorry for this fool's ignorance, Lady Sonomura," Reiji told Maki.

Maki looked at the young man and asked Kanji's samurai softly, "Why did you follow us?"

When Yosuke did not speak at first, Reiji kicked him in the ribs and commanded, "Lady Sonomura asked you a question!"

Maki scowled at Reiji and lowered herself enough so she could grasp Yosuke's chin and raise his head, "Why did you join Lord Kido's camp?"

Yosuke's ribs hurt, but his voice choked out one word, "Y… Yuka."

Maki smiled as she let Yosuke's drop back down and stood back up to her full height. "I understand now," she said to Yosuke.

There were a lot more questions that she could have asked, but Maki already knew all the answers to what she was asking Yosuke because while he was knocked out; she had discussed what had happened with Reiji.

"So… what should we do with this intruder?" Maki asked Reiji.

"I think we should get rid of him," Reiji told her, "Yosuke is one of the Fujiwaras' best."

Maki thought about what to do with the lesser samurai of the most feared duo of all of the Fujiwaras. The only members of the Tairas that could match them in fighting skills were lords or ladies. The Taira lords Toudou or either Suou would be an even match for Seta or Hanamura.

Maki sighed. Yosuke looked somewhat pitiful after being dragged around from the middle of the Nara prefecture all the way to Meiwa. After seeing that face with crusted blood and bruises on his face, could Maki give the command?

"Send Hanamura to a holding area," Maki told Reiji.

Reiji completely disagreed with that decision. Lord Kido would have rather killed Yosuke at the spot, but Lady Sonomura's word was the law. The lord picked up the samurai by his neck and roughly shoved him away from Lady Sonomura. Reiji would have shaken his head at Lady Sonomura if he could, but it was obvious he could not.

As Yosuke was being dragged by Lord Kido, he saw various gray-robed servants that were serving not only members of various hierarchy, but also members of the religious sect. Meiwa City was inhabited by a religious princess at one point, and it seemed to have continued even now. Where exactly he was being taken now, he did not know… All he knew was something about a holding area. One thing was for sure… Yosuke knew it was highly doubtful he would ever see Yuka ever again.

The servants might have been clothed in gray, but the walls were in a bright red. Yosuke barely noticed as he losing consciousness from Lord Kido's grip on his neck. When he was finally thrown to the ground, it was in a room that was void of furniture and furnishings.

Yosuke lay on the floor. He was not only in pain, but mentally exhausted. He was somehow still alive after being brought to a Tairan stronghold. Why? Not even Yosuke really knew. What the hell was Lady Sonomura was thinking when she kept him alive instead of executing him like Lord Kido alive?

"What's next?" he thought.

* * *

**Kusaga Shrine**

**Midnight**

Raidou's sword was drawn and was struggling to hold its own against a blue minotaur-like monster's axe. He was not the strongest warrior, but he could probably hold off the demon for the while. The probably was that he had summoned a second, similar demon with an axe as well. He lost control again… probably because he tried to summon two at once. He was overextending his summoning skills and it could finally hurt him.

Raidou at least had some help from his sister. She managed to somehow control the pixie with blue wings that was wearing a kimono. The brown minotaur-ish monster was being contained by the pixie's wind attacks. Both of them were using their swords to futilely hold the demons off.

It was a mistake, and Raidou knew it. If they could stave off this attack, perhaps this would mean that Raidou would have control over the summons and he could use them against those who harmed Naoto.

* * *

I know this was little off-the-wall and different. Raidou is not in Persona games, but will play a role since he makes the perfect revenge cousin with Nagi for Naoto. No other person really fits with her.


	17. Chapter 17

Samurai and Ninjas Chap. 17

I do not own Persona or the character's likenesses, sorry everyone. Atlus does. Blame my lack of creativity.

This story takes place towards the middle of the Heian period of Japan. I am not being completely historically accurate with this, so do not get all over my back about it. I could, but I am not going to be. How much Personas will play a part in it, I do not know about that one.

A note, I will mainly use first names first, then last names. I know this is the one glaring difference that I am using in respect of their culture, but since I am writing in English… I will write as such.

I know it's going to be a bit repetitive with Kanji, but it'll get interesting really soon.

* * *

**Nara- Palace: Kanji's Room**

**Morning**

Kanji Tatsumi brushed back his slicked hair. He really needed to calm down because he did not sleep very well again. It was what… the third day in a row or so that he had struggled to sleep? Lying around with his eyes wide open was pointless in Kanji's mind. Kanji's mind was too full of other things anyways.

It was bad enough that the lord had a young blue-haired girl on his mind almost constantly. Now, Kanji had to worry about the fact that though they found his missing samurai; he was injured badly enough that he was worthless in a fight. With one injured retainer, and one missing, was there really only one truly capable warrior in all of Nara left? By that he meant, himself.

It annoyed him so much… that he wanted to see her, but every time he tried; Kanji was blocked by that doctor. Kanji was now waiting for one thing… for Naoto to get well enough so Kanji would not have try to maneuver around when the doctor was and when he was not there.

What was Kanji to do? He could not yet visit Naoto without issues, and he did not know where Souji was being treated. If they put Souji anywhere closer than a room away Naoto, he would not be amiss to punishing the doctors in one way or another. He was their lord, after all.

What if Souji was that close to Naoto? What if the doctors were for some reason treating him in the same room? What would be going on in there? There would be no way that Souji could resist that sweet boy-ish, yet beautiful looks and charms of Naoto. Souji had already been around her, so he would have no problem falling for her. No! Naoto was his. Naoto was Lord Tatsumi's! Lord Dojima said that if there were no viable ladies that caught Kanji's eye, then he could have who he wanted. Kanji knew who he wanted, and it was a diminutive blue-haired young woman that lay in the doctors' quarters. If Souji ended up being there, and tried anything on his Naoto… he would just be short one samurai.

But… if there was another assassination attempt, Naoto might get hurt again. He needed a meat shield like Souji to get in the way of anybody who might hurt her. So, Kanji had a plan to get close to Naoto today… without being stopped by that old man.

"It's time to make a stop at the servants' quarters before they head out to pick up the food for breakfast," Kanji said to himself.

As Kanji opened the sliding door and passed through, he made a turn in the opposite direction this morning. He had a plan that would not fail him… not today.

* * *

**Residential District- Lady Dojima's Residence**

**Mid-Morning**

A few months ago, Lord Dojima would never have thought of visiting his daughter, especially at the frequency he was now making these visits. Ladies of the court are supposed to be secluded. Only in rare cases, such as Lady Sayoko Uehara, wife of Lord Tanaka, or Lady Ai Ebihara, wife of Lord Kou Ichijo, did noblewomen venture outside of their residences. Though Lady Ai and Lady Sayoko were exceptions to the rule; that did not mean that they had free rein to be outside whenever they wanted. They did not attend every council meeting that Lord Tatsumi held, and obviously, they had to listen to their lords/husbands.

Visiting a lady was a very complicated business… so much so that it was complex, even for a relative as close as Nanako's father. Ladies could normally only be seen by her husband in person, and rarely at that. The only ones that could be out in public were very high ranking ones. If the lady had a daughter, she generally took care of her once she was old enough that the caretakers were deemed unnecessary. The father played no role in the upbringing. That was not the case in this situation. Most non-maternal visitations took place with no face-to-face contact. Before the loss of Chisato, it pained Ryotarou some that he would almost never really get to see his daughter grow up. The loss of Chisato, forced a lot of face-to-face contact between father and daughter. Besides, Dojima had never seen such maturity in a young child like Nanako.

If the complexities of father meeting with his daughter were complicated; then the issues with Nanako meeting with her cousin were beyond belief. The normal courtship method between lord and lady was the use of fans that were sent back and forth between the pair. The two never saw each other in the exchange, only reading each other's brilliant artistry. The issue was that one of them was seven and the other was not a lord. Dojima was determined to coerce Lord Tatsumi to return the Seta family to prominence by making his nephew a lord and Nanako his wife. She was more than willing; she was quite enthusiastic with the idea of becoming Souji's wife. With that in mind, Dojima broke decorum on multiple occasions and had Souji and Nanako meet in person a few times. This seemed to strengthen Nanako's resolve to marry him, though Souji seemed a little noncommittal. Dojima would not be deterred. He wanted to make his daughter happy, no matter what.

Dojima was meeting with her this morning to tell her what happened last night. The news would probably frighten her a little, but he needed to tell her any news about her future husband.

Dojima was met just outside of the entrance of the residence by the short-haired caretaker in the cream yukata.

"This way please, Lord Dojima," the brown-haired girl motioned with her hand, and then bowed.

"Thank you," Dojima said.

The caretaker was embarrassed. Lord Dojima was always very courteous to the caretakers and thanked them. Not everyone was so kind to their servants.

The young servant raised her head and walked to the sliding door and opened it. She motioned again and bowed as Dojima passed through the entrance.

There was another caretaker waiting for Dojima as he entered the central room of the residence. She had a teapot in hand.

"Tea, Lord Dojima?" the caretaker with long black hair asked.

"No, no thank you…" Ryotarou waved her off.

The caretaker almost looked disappointed as she placed the teapot down on a nearby table and bowed. Dojima needed to talk to Nanako. If he missed the council meeting, that would be okay. He doubted everyone else would be there, anyways. Lord Tanaka and Lady Sayoko were on the council, and well… they were not showing up.

He looked at the second caretaker… whose head had lifted by now, as to ask if Nanako was ready to see him. She nodded and said, "Whenever you want to enter."

"Thank you," Dojima told her.

He slid the door separating him from his daughter wide open as softly as he could. Dojima The third caretaker was working with Nanako on calligraphy again. The middle table was strewn with scraps of discarded work and breakfast that the caretaker would probably take care of later.

"Nanako has gotten a lot better," Dojima thought, taking a look at the calligraphy at the lay on the table. She would probably send some work to Souji soon… fans, he meant.

At that moment, Dojima's daughter, clad in a white and pink kimono turned her head. A small smile crept onto the face of the young girl.

"Hello father," Nanako greeted her.

"Hello daughter," Dojima responded.

Seeing that Dojima had arrived, the third caretaker pushed herself to her feet and said to Nanako, "We'll start again tomorrow."

After receving a nod and smile from Nanako, the caretaker quickly moved to the center table to pick up the breakfast platter. When she tried to pick up the calligraphy scraps, Dojima stopped her.

"You can leave these here for now," Dojima told her.

The tallest caretaker bowed and headed out of the door.

As the caretaker, Nanako smiled and Dojima returned the gesture. Nanako asked, "What news do you have of Souji? Did they find him?"

"They did… well I found him," Dojima answered.

"You found him!" Nanako looked happy, "Thank you, father, for finding him."

It was a bit of a lie, and Dojima felt it was best to tell the truth. He said to her, "Well… I was not the first to find him."

Nanako looked confused, and expressed her confused, "I do not understand, father?"

"It seemed some of Lady Kujikawa's retainers found him a day or so before I found him," Lord Dojima explained.

"Lady Kujikawa?" Nanako still looked a little confused. She questioned, "Another lady? Did he run away for me?"

"I wonder…" Dojima scratched his chin. It was possible. He explained his thoughts, "Lady Kujikawa is interested in your Souji… and Souji knows all about it. It may be possible that he needed to escape for some reason."

"Lady Kujikawa wants to marry him?" Nanako looked angry.

Lord Dojima sighed as he tried to explain, "I don't know if Lady Kujikawa wants Souji as a husband. It's… umm… complicated."

"He just wants him as a toy?" Nanako inquired, still angry.

"I guess you could say that," Dojima shook his head. Nanako was pretty smart.

Nanako looked even angrier than before, "Is there anything you can do to her?"

"Not really," Lord Dojima shook his head again.

Nanako shut her eyes, trying to calm down. "So… where is Souji now?"

"With Lord Tatsumi, to the best of my knowledge," Dojima told her. He continued, "At the doctors' quarters, recovering from injuries."

This alarmed Nanako, scaring her, "Is he okay?"

"I believe he will be fine, soon enough," Dojima nodded, "The only real injury was his shoulder. I don't know what happened to it."

Nanako looked really scared, but Dojima expected it. He said, "I think Lady Kujikawa's retainers helped clean up a few of his wounds… enough so that it made it easier for the head doctor of Lord Tatsumi."

Lady Nanako breathed a sigh of relief. So, she had one redeeming quality. Though, it was probably just to get Souji healthy enough to make him her toy.

"Is that everything about Souji?" Nanako asked with a new smile on her face. She had to smile… smile for Souji.

"All the news about Souji, yes," Dojima responded.

"Anything about Nara that is important?" Nanako asked.

Ryotarou sighed, "I guess you could say that our Lord Tatsumi has been acting a little strange lately. A little different, that's all."

Nanako nodded, "I see, father."

"I'm going to go, daughter," Dojima said suddenly, standing up, but not before saying, "Keep working on the calligraphy. Soon, you will be able to give a fan to Souji."

Nanako smiled at that as she said, "Thank you, father."

Dojima walked quickly out of the residence, again politely refusing the tea. He doubted he would make the council meeting, but he had to try and make it.

He made it to the entrance of the residence where the short-haired girl bowed once more to Dojima. He suddenly spouted the words, "Oh shit!"

Dojima had just figured something out. Souji was placed in the doctors' quarters when he was injured. There was someone else in the doctors' quarters that the doctor was watching over. It was the person that when Dojima made his slip up about, he went crazy and ran straight towards the place. Souji and Naoto were in the same room right now. At least three things could happen. Naoto could still feel animosity towards him and bring harm to him somehow. Lord Tatsumi could find out that Souji was in the same room as Naoto and go ballistic. That would probably compromise the health of Nanako's future husband. Finally, with a cute girl and a handsome boy in the same room… injured or not; Ryotarou definitely did not need to go into details.

Dojima might miss the council meeting, but he would protect, save, or chastise Souji. Ryotarou brought about a pace that nearly made him trip over his robes. Getting to Souji was his goal.

* * *

**Servants' Quarters**

**Mid-Morning**

The usual business of the servants rushing around and getting ready in the morning for the early tasks had died down, which made it perfect for Lord Tatsumi to execute his ingenious plan.

The male servants' quarters, void of any servants at the moment, was in the same layout as when Naoto was there, masquerading as one of them. The washing basins were still in the corner, recently used by the servants getting ready. Kanji used it to change his hairstyle and wash off the little amounts of work some servants applied to his face early in the morning. There were rows upon rows of servants that lived here, judging by the room's layout. The thing Kanji was looking for was… an extra black and gold yukata.

Kanji's plan was to find one and slip it on to look like one of the servants. Then, he could go to the kitchens where he could pick up breakfast to take to the doctors' quarters. That would get him past the old doctor without having to deal with him and spend more time with Naoto. Nothing would fail him this time around.

The only issue for Kanji was finding a yukata that would fit the tall man with the muscular build. He had a very unusual build, indeed. It took him at least five minutes of searching throughout the whole quarters to find one that fit him. It was still a little short in the arms and legs.

"This will have to do," Kanji shrugged.

Kanji started to hurry his way from the servants' quarters towards the kitchens. He needed to get their in time to serve the food to Naoto. He made a quick turn and then another turn down a long hallway. Kanji moved so quickly, he was nearly out of breath when he reached the kitchens.

The cooks were in far too much of a hurry to pay attention to see who was picking up the food for the doctors' patients. Kanji would be able to get to the quarters then.

"Hurry, you're late," one of the cooks said, as he passed the food to Kanji to take to the patients.

"Yes, sir," Kanji bowed before he took the food. He needed to play the part, after all.

Kanji could not help but feel excited. He had food that he could take to Naoto and speak with her. Kanji could speak with Naoto again. The only thing that might be an issue was if Souji was in there.

Kanji carefully made his way with the food in his hand, passing servants with his head slightly down. No one even noticed him, which he was very thankful for. Kanji did not even pay attention to the servants making their way towards the main hall to prepare for the council meeting.

As Kanji held the food in one arm, and preparing to open the sliding door with the other… he took a deep breath. There was no doctor present when Kanji opened the door. In fact, the only person that was there was the girl of his dreams, a blushing blue-haired girl. That's exactly what he wanted to see.

* * *

**Doctors' Quarters**

**A short while ago**

Naoto woke up in the morning and turned her head. She saw a fully-clothed Souji sitting across from her, not exactly looking at her.

"Good morning," Souji said, trying to rotate his injured shoulder. It was extremely sore, but he needed to get the full range of motion back into his arm. His now ratty hakama was no detriment to his recovery process.

"Umm… good morning," Naoto responded.

"How are you feeling?" Souji asked.

"Miserable," Naoto told him. She said from underneath her sheets, "How would you feel if you had no choice in your future?"

Souji did not have anything to say in response. What was he supposed to say to that? She would be forced to… It was completely ridiculous.

A single tear dropped from Naoto's left eye. It looked like she had given up hope in resisting Kanji's advances.

"Don't give up hope," Souji told her. That's basically all he could say to her.

"What hope…?" Naoto turned her head back.

Souji shook his head. "There is always hope."

"You should leave," Naoto said, while looking at the ceiling.

Souji looked at her, "In case Kanji comes in?"

"Yes," Naoto said, "I don't want you hurt because of me."

"I will be alright," Souji explained.

Souji turned away from the blue-haired girl as he stood up from his sitting position. He walked over to where some spare clothing lay. Without looking, Souji threw it at Naoto without looking at her.

"You should put it on," Souji said, "I'm sure you're tired of having Lord Tatsumi coming in on you while you're not wearing anything."

Naoto blushed slightly as Souji walked out the door. At least he was thinking of her. It would be really painful when she tried to put these on.

* * *

**Doctors' Quarters**

**Back to Present**

Kanji was exuberant to see Naoto, but was surprised to see her clothed and using her arms to support herself. Yet… across from her bed was the ruffled sheets of another.

* * *

I know… weak ending. I just needed somewhere to stop. I call it a bed in the doctors' quarters only because… a couch-like object with sheets on it sounds a lot more supportive for an injured person, yes?


	18. Chapter 18

Samurai and Ninjas Chap. 18

I do not own Persona or the character's likenesses, sorry everyone. Atlus does. Blame my lack of creativity.

This story takes place towards the middle of the Heian period of Japan. I am not being completely historically accurate with this, so do not get all over my back about it. I could, but I am not going to be. How much Personas will play a part in it, I do not know about that one.

A note, I will mainly use first names first, then last names. I know this is the one glaring difference that I am using in respect of their culture, but since I am writing in English… I will write as such.

So busy… yet happy to write for you. I am now beta-ing too. It will just be another thing that will make me a little slower… so if you could be patient with me, please.

* * *

**Nara: Main Hall**

**Mid-Morning**

Souji had exited the doctors' quarters as fast as he could. Souji knew he had not been seen by his lord as he left, but it was probably a good idea that he kept up a good pace. Souji had a sinking feeling that it would be very unwise to be found in the same room as Naoto. Souji just did not feel safe around Lord Tatsumi when Naoto was present. If he was completely healthy, Souji believed he could take Kanji on. However, Souji was injured at the moment, so Kanji would crush him like a bug. Just the slightest notion that Souji was interested in Naoto, even if it was a lie, would give Kanji the reason to lash out at him. Souji really believed that his lord was starting to lose control on who was his friends really were. Maybe… maybe bringing Naoto here was a huge mistake. No… no, bringing Naoto to the palace was the biggest mistake Souji ever made in his life.

"If Kanji could ever see my recent dreams," Souji thought, "His punishment would be absolute."

Though they were by accident, Souji's dreams were shying towards those that would anger Lord Tatsumi's greatly. Souji did not even know the origin of these ridiculous dreams, nor did he tell Naoto about them when he was in the same room as her. Souji did not think she would not take the news of Souji's dreams about walking alongside her repeatedly very lightly.

Souji's pace quickened enough that he passed a few servants in yellow and black. A few of Kanji's servants seemed surprised that Souji had returned. Souji guessed that he was leaving the palace because it would probably not be safe unless he left. He believed it was for the best, and when he reached the main hall; Souji was surprised to see that a council meeting was about to start.

He had walked in on a gray-robed man with light brown hair that never seemed to come down. Lord Naoki Konishi was standing against a pillar as a servant was placing a chair in front of him. Lord Kou Ichijo and his older cousin, Lord Nagase arrived only a few minutes ago, and they were now waiting on Lord Tatsumi. Lord Nagase had not been seen since he had married Lady Satonaka. Souji wondered if Lady Satonaka was now part of the council as well. Lady Ebihara was there, in all of her resplendent beauty. Souji knew that Lord Tanaka and Lady Sayoko were not coming, but what he did not understand was why Lord Dojima was not here.

"Could it have something to do with… Nanako?" Souji thought.

Lord Konishi and Lord Ichijo turned in Souji's direction when he entered the hall. They seemed interested in the samurai's arrival, and why he was still wearing shredded clothes.

Souji was going to keep walking, but was stopped by the pair of lords. They looked somewhat confused and yet… happy to see him.

"Seta… are you okay?" Lord Ichijo asked.

"I've been better," Souji told him.

"When will you better?" Lord Konishi asked.

"When I am," Souji said.

Lord Nagase came towards Souji and asked, "Where is your lord?"

"Last time I checked… I believe he is headed towards the doctors' quarters," Souji admitted.

"Is he coming to the council?" Lady Ebihara asked. She was sitting down in a chair provided by a servant.

Souji really did not know the answer, so he expressed it, "I really can not tell you, because I do not know."

Kou and Daisuke shared a look. They were losing faith in Lord of Nara. Why would he be skipping out on the council and supposedly disappearing off with some servant girl? What the… what is he doing?

Lord Konishi looked at Souji and motioned for him to sit down. After Tatsumi, Dojima, and unfortunately… Tanaka, Naoki Konishi was the one to lead the council until one of the others arrived.

"You are all but a lord in Lord Dojima's eyes, Seta" Konishi told Souji.

It was a bit surprising for Souji to be asked to sit in on a council meeting. He did not expect it; that was for sure. Souji wondered if his uncle had something to do with this development.

"Probably… Lord Dojima and his daughter, most likely," Souji thought as he took a seat on a chair that a servant placed just to the left of where Kanji would be sitting. It would be across from where Ryotarou would be sitting as well.

"Thank you, Lord Konishi," Souji nodded as he sat. The others were taking their seats as well.

"Seta… without Hanamura… there are no viable stalwarts guardians in Nara… besides yourself," Lady Ebihara said from far and across from Souji.

"Do you mean because of the person who attacked me in Kusaga Shrine?" Souji asked her.

"Not just that," Kou turned around, "There are much bigger problems than the man that defeated you." Kou continued, "The men that attacked Lord Tatsumi were not from the Fujiwara-controlled lands. They were hired assassins from outside."

Souji nodded, "Yes… Han'nya and Kubo were assassins banished from their homelands and brought to Nara to kill Lord Tatsumi."

Souji heard a voice from the entrance of the main hall, "I have sources from a messenger that both Tairas and Minamotos are on the move towards Nara at this very moment. How many? I do not know…"

Daisuke turned his head, "Lord Dojima?"

"How nice of you to join us, Lord Dojima. Now we have can have a proper council," Naoki nodded to Ryotarou.

Ryotarou was out of breath from running from Nanako's residence all the way to the main hall. He had his own men tracking the lords and ladies of both the Minamoto and Taira families. Dojima was just glad to see that his nephew was sitting in a chair across from his own instead of in the doctors' quarters. Dojima was actually rather surprised that Souji was in such good condition after suffering those injuries.

Ryotarou sat down across from Souji. They were going to start the council meeting right this time, even if it was sans Kanji.

"It's in the best interests to see if we find who exactly is coming towards us," Lord Dojima told the lords and lady. He nodded towards Souji.

"If there are men advancing, then who knows which lords and ladies are on their way," Souji replied.

"I would expect to see more of the Minamoto than the Taira," Dojima said, "That's considering the Taira would go straight for Kyoto first."

"You would have to take into account that Kyoto is the capital," Lord Ichijo rebuked.

"Kyoto is the capital now," Souji answered, "Nara was the capital not that long ago."

Souji would make a good lord in Dojima's eyes. He always had a brilliant knowledge base and an excellent tactical mind. Now, he would have a chance to refine his political comprehension by sitting in on this council meeting.

"I know you are here right now, Seta," Kou said, "but will you be able to help us out if we are besieged."

Souji nodded. It was not like he had a choice anyways but to protect Nara. Who else was there? He could not exactly trust Kanji anymore.

"Okay… I want to discuss something else," Lord Nagase looked at the others.

"What other topic is on your mind, Lord Nagase?" Dojima asked him.

Daisuke told Dojima and the council, "Our debt… is huge. Since there is no way to collect the debt through the citizens of Nara, I do not know how to collect the massive amounts of food and money we need."

Souji knew whose fault it was, but he would never say it. The extravagant amount of excess that the Fujiwara family had spent on themselves had driven them to this position. There was corruption within the highest heights of the family. Even if it was not in Nara, he was pretty sure there was a good amount in Kyoto. The tendrils ran deep within the clan and there would be no way to dig them out.

Dojima shook his head, "We will just have to find a way. There has to be a way to solve this crisis on the lack of goods."

Ai shifted her orange and cream robes as she huffed, "Maybe… we if we had a lord that was not gallivanting off with servants… distracted, instead of worrying and helping solving our problems."

Dojima sighed, but he was surprised when Naoki suddenly spoke from his chair, "This might be the reasoning behind why Lord Tanaka sent those two men after Lord Tatsumi. Those sorts of actions are unbecoming of a proper lord to Tanaka."

"Are you insinuating that is was proper for Tanaka to carry out his actions, Lord Konishi?" Dojima asked the light brown-haired lord.

Naoki shook his head, "I did not say anything of the sort." He continued, "I just giving you a suggestion on his reasoning."

"I just think he's not thinking straight," Ai responded, "He's trying to take over Nara by killing our lord."

Naoki began to stare straight at Souji. Souji understood that the young lord was trying to see if they were seeing the same thing. Naoki must be losing faith in Lord Tatsumi and was now trying to see what Souji was thinking about it. Souji was smart enough to keep his mouth shut, at least not until he formed a concrete opinion.

"So if Lord Tatsumi is absent, but still here… should someone get him?" Kou changed the topic. It was getting too controversial.

The lords and lady all looked at Souji. It seemed like they wanted his answer, considering it would be his job. He sighed, "I think he's probably looking for me."

"Why? Was it because you were in the doctors' quarters with Naoto last night?" Ai had a knowing smirk on her face.

The look on Doijma's face said it all, but outside of the stern look on his uncle's face. Souji was sure that the rest of the lords were smiling as much as Lady Ebihara was. Being "engaged" to a little girl was one thing, but they all though that Souji had needs too. Unfortunately, they did not know that Souji never did anything but relax his shoulder overnight.

"Souji… what happened last night?" Dojima thought as Souji slowly shifted and got up to walk towards the doctors' quarters.

* * *

**Doctors' Quarters**

**Mid-Morning**

Naoto did not know if she should blush or be disgusted by the fact that Lord Tatsumi showed his face again. Not only that Lord Tatsumi showed his face for what seemed like the thousand time since she got hurt; it was that he showed up in a servant's yukata. It was completely ridiculous. Why did she have to get into this mess? She would rather be helping her grampa with planting and all of the other farm work. It was tedious and difficult, but compared to this… it was nothing. At least she did not have some stupid lord chasing after her like she was a piece of tenderized meat that he was afraid of dropping on the floor.

Naoto was slightly surprised to see Kanji not in his usual blushing mode. The lord of Nara was blushing when he first came in, but now… there was anger on his face. Kanji was not looking at her; instead… Kanji was looking at the bed across from her. Naoto realized… Kanji was looking straight at where Souji was resting last night.

"Was… Was he here last night?" Kanji asked, never taking his eyes away from the ruffled sheets.

Kanji did not want Souji to be there as he stood only a few feet away his Naoto. Partially because he did not want to punish Souji and partially because... Naoto was his pure maiden. Souji was there, Kanji knew it… and ogling Naoto the whole time.

Naoto murmured, "The doctor popped his shoulder back into place and he slept in the bed. He left right away in the morning."

"I don't believe you," Kanji retorted.

There had to have been more going on and Kanji knew it. There was no way that Souji could contain himself around a girl like Naoto. It was Naoto.

"Souji left right away because he knew you would not believe him," Naoto told Kanji.

"Leaving in a hurry only makes it even more suspicious," Kanji told her. He did not want to get mad at Naoto.

"You don't trust him, do you?" Naoto asked.

Kanji sighed. The lord really had to think about his current opinion about his childhood friend. He trusted him with his life, sure… but did Kanji trust Souji with being around the girl of his dreams? No… Souji could not be trusted.

"Why do you keep visiting me?" Naoto asked, noticing that Kanji was not really paying attention.

That statement certainly snapped Kanji back to reality. Not only did it break Kanji out of his reverie, but it only brought his gaze straight to Naoto's blue eyes. He struggled not to blush, but to his surprise… Naoto was not blushing. It might have had something to do with the fact that she was dressed this time around.

Kanji coughed, a little red tinged his cheeks, "I'm visiting you… because I want to visit you. I want to see if you are feeling better."

"I am feeling much better than when I was injured," Naoto told him, shifting her semi-sitting position.

It may have been painful to dress this morning, but most of Naoto's pain suffered in the past few days was caused by mental anguish. The only person she had to relieve her of that was the lone conversation with Souji last night, and that did little to help her. It some ways, it made her feel worse.

Kanji wanted to smile. If Naoto was getting better, then she could leave the doctors' quarters. If she left, Kanji would be free of the head doctor's watchful gaze. Naoto would not have to serve him in the open anymore. Naoto could be Lord Tatsumi's personal servant… one that would stay with him at all times.

"If you're feeling better, you can leave then, right?" Kanji alleged.

"The doctor has not seen me today," Naoto responded. She continued, "I don't think he'll be happy that I just got up and started doing all of these things by myself this morning."

That damn doctor… It was if he was trying to run… and ruin everyone's life, mainly Kanji's.

"You don't need to see him," Kanji told her, "I'll tell him that you were able to leave on your own accord." He added idly, "Besides, Souji seemed to just go off on his own."

"So… I have to go straight back to serving you?" Naoto shook her head.

"Not necessarily," Kanji said, sighing. He continued, "You wouldn't have to necessarily serve me."

Naoto hung her head, "I see."

"She looks so down," Kanji thought as he closed his eyes for a second.

"I guess I don't get to see my grampa anytime soon," Naoto muttered, "How tedious…"

Kanji stood up straight, "I would prefer if you would serve me when get better. I don't mean with the others, though."

Kanji's face was starting to turn a healthy red during that last phrase. Even Naoto knew what Kanji meant by "serving Kanji personally" meant. Naoto was struggling not to blush either. Unlike Kanji though, the last thing she wanted to do was be Kanji's personal servant. It was demeaning enough to be a general servant under Kanji, but this was beyond… beyond debasing for her.

"I don't think Naoto's cousin will approve of that," a voice came from the entrance of the doctors' quarters.

"Souji!" both Naoto and Kanji exclaimed at the same time.

Kanji had so many things that he wanted to say to Souji when he turned around to see his loyal samurai. He had spent the night in the same room as his Naoto. Who knows what he had said to her? Now… what was he saying about Naoto's cousin?

"Why did they not take you to the side room last night?" Kanji questioned Souji.

"The head doctor was not in the side room," Souji calmly explained, "So… I could not be treated away from Naoto."

"That's… there is… no excuse for…" Kanji tried to rebuke Souji, but was interrupted by Naoto.

"What about my cousin?" Naoto cut in.

Souji looked straight at Naoto as he said, "I told you Naoto that your cousin caused my injuries. He will not stop at harming me. He will come looking for you, Lord Tatsumi."

"I can stop him, even if you could not," Kanji said, with a false sense of arrogance.

Kanji had done so because the lord had just now seen how injured Souji looked. Souji's slit clothing and bandages from the formed cuts were only a part of Souji's injuries. How strong Naoto's cousin really was, only Souji knew.

"Don't underestimate him," Souji reprimanded his lord.

Naoto knew her cousin, Raidou, was a strong warrior, but the fact that he was somehow able to injure Souji and was on a vendetta towards Lord Tatsumi to say the least. If Kanji's attraction might help get her back to her grampa, Naoto was willing to use it to her advantage.

"I'll be fine dealing with it if Raidou comes back," Souji sighed, allaying Kanji's worries.

Kanji nodded. Kanji looked straight at Souji and asked, "Do you have a reason for being here?" He added, "Otherwise, you should go."

Souji actually rolled his eyes at his lord. If Souji was not a close friend with Kanji… Souji told his lord, "There is a meeting discussing the current affairs of Nara and the Fujiwaras."

"Oh…" Kanji said.

"There are armies of both of the Minamotos and Tairas headed towards Nara," Souji added with a shrug.

"Well… just tell them that I am busy," Kanji told Souji.

"As you wish," Souji said.

Souji turned his head towards the door, but not before he took one glance at Naoto. The look that Naoto gave Souji was one of longing and desperation. She was asking Souji to take her away from Kanji.

* * *

**Heiwa Town**

**Evening**

Yosuke had been in the holding cell for a while now; he just could not keep track exactly of how long. All he knew was that he could not tell what time it was in that cell. It may have been less than a day, but it felt like a generation for the young samurai. He did not have the fortitude that Souji had. It was only a matter of time until he shattered.

Yosuke sat with his back against the back of the room. He had nothing better to do but rest and waste away in the solitude of this place.

When the door finally slid open, Yosuke wanted to rush through… but there were two guards waiting in the doorway in case he tried. Yosuke guessed it was time for him to be fed; that was the only reason they would bother opening the door for him.

Yosuke expected a servant to come in and dump a plate of some shapeless mass in front of him. What Yosuke did not expect was to see the Lady of Heiwa walk through and place a plate in front on him. Lady Sonomura was clad in gray and red robes as she smiled at him. There had to be some sort of catch, poisoned or something.

"Eat…" Lady Sonomura commanded.

When Yosuke hesitated, Maki told him, "You're stubborn. I didn't poison it."

Yosuke was still tentative, but finally relented when Maki put a bite of the food in her own mouth.

"See… I'm still alive," Maki said.

Seeing this, Yosuke began to eat. Maki smiled as she told him, "I have to tell you, but Lord Kido is leading an army towards Nara."

Yosuke stopped eating so they could have a conversation. He looked up and said to her, "There's nothing I can do about it here."

"True…" Maki replied, "That is actually one of the reasons we made this move." She continued, "This is not the only move we have made. Many other Tairas are headed towards both Kyoto and Nara."

"Glad to see that I'm important enough to warrant attention," Yosuke said, sarcastically.

Maki shook her head, "That doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is that Nara is going to fall soon."

Yosuke sighed. He had a lot of friends in Nara, but if he was stuck here… what could he do? It was pointless to think that he was capable of doing something.

He might as well ask about it, "What about Yuka?"

"She was taken along with Lord Kido as part of his personal service group," Maki told Yosuke, "I don't think you will ever see her again."

"Figures…" Yosuke shrugged. He looked at the short-haired lady, "Aren't your married to the leader of the Tairas? Lord Toudou?"

Lady Sonomura sighed, "Yes… But Lord Toudou spends as much time with Lady Kirishima as with me at the present."

"That's unfortunate," Yosuke said idly.

"Yes… it is," Maki said, in the same idle tone.

This was an interesting conversation in Yosuke's eyes. It would be unfortunate that Nara would be destroyed, but maybe it would be interesting... especially with Lady Sonomura around, after all.

* * *

I know… I'm so busy, but I had an outline… so I pumped this out really fast. Now, I bury myself in Japanese translations and Historiography research. Hope this was not a terrible read. I'm glad you spent your hard minutes to read it. Auf Wiedersehen everyone.


	19. Chapter 19

Samurai and Ninjas Chap. 19

I do not own Persona or the character's likenesses, sorry everyone. Atlus does. Blame my lack of creativity.

This story takes place towards the middle of the Heian period of Japan. I am not being completely historically accurate with this, so do not get all over my back about it. I could, but I am not going to be. How much Personas will play a part in it, I do not know about that one.

A note, I will mainly use first names first, then last names. I know this is the one glaring difference that I am using in respect of their culture, but since I am writing in English… I will write as such.

So busy… yet happy to be able to write for you. I am now beta reading too. It will just be another thing that will make me a little slower in producing a piece of art… so if you could be patient with me, please.

* * *

**Nara: Main Hall**

**Afternoon**

Souji was the one who had been given the unfortunate task of not only finding Lord Tatsumi in the doctors' quarters earlier that morning. He also had to report back to the lords and lady, the lady being Lady Ebihara, and then telling the nobility that he would not be joining them because he was too busy playing around with his little servant girl. Souji felt bad… Souji felt bad that there was nothing he could do for the girl. Lord Tatsumi's commands were absolute, not to mention that his lord was already very wary of every action that Souji took towards Naoto. Life just was not very fair for her…

"I guess she has about… nine months?" Souji thought.

Telling the nobility… that was awkward. Lord Konishi was the only one who seemed unfazed by the whole thing, as if he was expecting Lord Tatsumi to reject the council and cloister himself with his servant. However, not every other member of the council was as emotionless as the fourth-highest Fujiwara of Nara. It probably had something to do with his dead sister. Lady Ebihara, Lord Ichijo, and Lord Nagase all looked disappointed, while Lord Dojima just gave a look of disdain towards Souji. Souji knew it was not was not meant for him, yet he still felt like part of it was directed towards him.

"Probably because I spent time in the same room as Naoto," Souji thought.

If Lord Tatsumi had decided to attend, then the council could have caught him up on all of the matters at hand. Instead, there was nothing that could be done except leave. It was not like anyone could go and berate him. Not even Lord Dojima, the man who was regent until Kanji was ready to take over would dare try and tell him what to do anymore. Was it only a few days ago they were trying to advise him on a new wife?

For a few minutes, Lord Dojima attempted to coerce Souji into visiting his daughter so he could show Lady Nanako that Souji was indeed in good health. Souji vehemently refused long enough for his uncle to leave him alone. Souji had a few reasons for this. Souji had not been home since he had been defeated by Naoto's cousin, and he needed a change of clothes. If Lord Tatsumi was going to be under threat of attack, by Naoto's cousin or somebody else… it would be advantageous if Souji picked up his yumi as well. It was still his duty to protect his lord, after all.

With Souji's refusal, Dojima left for his own residence. The lord had no reason to go to his daughter's residence. Nanako knew Souji was at least recovering at the doctors' quarters, but now that Dojima was aware his nephew was not "fraternizing" with Naoto; Ryotarou could breathe at least a little easier.

"I'm just more worried about Lord Tatsumi than anyone… anything else," Dojima thought, walking through the palace gate, while giving only the slightest nods to the guards above him.

The slightly graying man was not really paying attention to the peasants and merchants that he passed as the lord made his way into the Mercantile District.

The head lord of Nara, Lord Tatsumi, was acting far too flamboyant. Dojima shook his head, maybe it was his fault. Dojima knew he was the one who had slipped the subtle suggestion that if Kanji could not find a suitable noblewoman at the time; then it might be suitable for Lord Tatsumi to look for a temporary way to let loose of his pent up… But not in public, it should not interfere with the court proceedings like this. Nara was falling apart because Lord Tatsumi could not keep his affairs private. This is exactly why Lord Tatsumi had lords like Tanaka on his back.

Before Ryotarou could make his way to his own residence, he was stopped by none other than the young lord with fluffy brown hair.

His opinion of Lord Naoki Konishi was that of one who had the most amount of sympathy for Lord Tanaka's ideals. What was really going on in Naoki's head, Dojima did not really know.

As it was, Naoki was standing about fifteen feet into what was considered the Residential District, while Dojima was being passed by merchants carrying goods at a crossroad on the Mercantile District.

"Lord Dojima," Naoki bowed.

"Lord Konishi," Dojima nodded.

"I have something to discuss with you," Naoki said

At that moment, a peasant who was heading to buy food for his family ran straight into the lord. Dojima looked unfazed and did not even appear angry as the peasant ran terrified from running into such a high-ranking lord.

"Is this really the best place to talk?" Dojima asked, showing that he at least noticed being run into.

"Then… where?" Naoki responded.

"My residence?" Dojima suggested.

"Then…. Let's go," Naoki nodded in agreement.

As Naoki turned, Dojima started walking till he came alongside the younger lord and they began walking towards the older Dojima's residence.

Naoki struck up another conversation on the way over.

"How are you doing without Lady Dojima?" Naoki asked, rather bluntly.

Dojima sighed, "I have not had too time to worry about it. Too much stress lately."

"Of course," Naoki nodded. Naoki changed topics when he asked, "What is it like with your daughter and your nephew? Are they both willing to go through with the marriage?"

Dojima shrugged, "Lady Nanako seems excited and is more than willing. It's my nephew that I am worried about."

"Is he unwilling?" Naoki wondered.

"He seems apprehensive," Dojima told Naoki as they turned the corner towards the older Dojima residence, "I don't know if it's because he thinks Lady Nanako is too young or… he just does not think she is appealing enough."

Naoki said, "Well… if he just thinks that Lady Nanako is too young right now, can't you just wait until she's older until they marry?"

"I don't really know," Dojima shrugged. He stated, "It might be something else."

"Did you consider that it could be because of all of the drama that is occurring in Nara?" Naoki asked. He stated, "It is not exactly stable inside Nara right now. The whole Fujiwara family has been a bit unstable for a while now."

Dojima shut his eyes in frustration, "With Souji… I think he just accepts the fact that the Fujiwara clan is corrupt."

Dojima's servant in a blue and gray yukata opened the sliding door for both Ryotarou and Naoki.

As the two lords walked into the residence and accepted tea from another of Dojima's servants, Dojima looked into Naoki's eyes and asked, "Then what is it?" This was the last type of conversation he was expecting to have with Lord Konishi. A question with why there had not been a proper betrothal ceremony between his daughter and his nephew.

"It's probably because he's found another girl," Naoki looked back into Dojima and said simply, "There's another girl in Seta's heart."

Dojima did not have to think hard to know who Lord Konishi was speaking of. Souji was not really interested in his cousin; he was interested in Naoto. Dojima wondered if Souji was even conscious of his feelings, because he seemed oblivious. Even if Souji knew how he felt; the samurai had just put himself in tremendous peril with the Lord Tatsumi standing right in the way.

"Thank you… Lord Konishi," Dojima nodded.

"Of course, Lord Dojima," Naoki nodded back.

If the thought that Naoki told Dojima is true… Dojima had some major work to do to protect his nephew. But… did he really want to protect someone that may not want to carry on the family name?

Naoki stood up and before he left, he turned and said, "One more thing. Tanaka is most likely planning to make another move."

"Another move?" Dojima looked surprised.

What kind of move would Tanaka try now? He sent assassins, and those failed miserably. Would Tanaka try a direct assault against Lord Tatsumi… even if the older lord didn't seem the type to do so?

"Also… Kusaga Shrine noticed a break-in and a fire lit in the main temple. They believe some sort of well ceremony took place," Naoki explained.

"Ceremony?" Dojima cocked his head.

"I have no idea what's going on either," Konishi answered.

"How come you did not bring this up with council?" Dojima questioned.

Naoki responded, "Almost everyone in the council I consider idiots. I only trust speaking with you about it."

Dojima had to agree with Lord Konishi about the intelligence about the other council members. They were not that bright.

"So, what do you think about the shrine incident?" Dojima asked, "What caused it?"

"Didn't Souji get hurt by the Kusaga Shrine?" Naoki responded with his own question.

Dojima did not respond. They both had come up with the same answer. Naoto's cousin was responsible for this occult break-in at the Kusaga Shrine.

"If he puts Lord Tatsumi at risk," Dojima said softly.

"We can't say what he was doing at Kusaga, or who's he going after," Naoki turned his head to the side. "He could be going after Seta again, for all we know."

Naoki would bring up Dojima's nephew again, as if it would invoke even more emotion than mentioning Lord Tatsumi or another member of the court. He did, however, that if Souji had anything to do with Nanako; he would protect her from Naoto's cousin.

"We'll have to find a way to watch over both Tanaka and Naoto's cousin," Dojima admitted.

Naoki gave the smallest smile, "I guess we will, and then we can worry about the Minamotos and the Tairas."

Dojima shook his head. "What was happening to the Fujiwara family?" Dojima thought to himself.

* * *

**Souji's Residence**

**Slightly later**

It felt extremely refreshing for Souji to put on a fresh white and silver hakama. It was still sore for Souji to flex his injured shoulder, but it was feeling better overall. Souji was just glad to be home and be able to meditate, at least for a short while.

Souji had made some tea for himself and sat in a lotus position as he closed his eyes. He attempted to clear his mind as he thought of a cherry blossom flowing into a running river. The blossom would flow… it was flowing around the rocks in the river. It was just… Souji was having a much harder time focusing this time around.

What was on Souji's mind? What was blocking… clouding Souji's thoughts? There had to be some reason why he could not calm down after all of this pain and drama. Was it because of Raidou waiting in the shadows, waiting to strike? Was it because they were waiting for Tanaka to make his next move at Lord Tatsumi? Was it because the Minamotos and Tairas were breathing down their necks? Or… was it because he had gotten himself involved in his own politics? Souji had gotten himself involved in politics between the Dojimas. Souji had gotten himself involved with Tanaka and the mess that came with it. Most of all, he met Naoto. Meeting Naoto entangled Souji with Raidou and was pushing Souji towards the bad side of his own lord. Souji was on the bad side of Lord Tatsumi at the moment and he had done nothing to deserve it except have the bad luck to be placed in the same room as Naoto when he was injured.

Lord Tatsumi was fooling around with this girl that Souji had tried his best to protect. In this, Kanji had brought upon himself… a warrior that had defeated Souji, the most famous samurai of the Fujiwaras, in battle. Kanji was acting like a fool, and everyone else in the council knew it.

Yet… even when Souji thought about all of this and pushed it all to the back of his mind; he still could not focus and clear his psyche. Then… what could possibly be blocking his calm? Could it be… possibly that… that Naoto was the thing holding his mind back?

"No way that it's possible," Souji thought, "Just like that stupid dream."

It had to be like that dream, just a passing thought. Why she had entered his dreams, Souji never knew. Now, Naoto was blocking his meditation. This was exactly why Souji was attacked by Raidou.

Souji shook his head and removed himself from the lotus position. It was obvious that he would not be meditating this afternoon. He took a swig of his tea after he stood up.

Souji rolled his head and grimaced slightly as he stretched his sore shoulder. The samurai placed his blade at his left side. It had traveled a long distance, not always at his side, since his fight with Naoto's cousin. Souji would need it soon. As Souji took a few steps forwards he grabbed the real reason he came back; his yumi. The mid-to-long-ranged weapon of death would deal with a blow to an enemy.

As Souji slid open the door with the bow in hand, he had a single target in mind. An older man with slightly-graying hair and a blacker heart; Souji was aiming for Lord Tanaka.

* * *

**Fifteen miles away from Nara**

**Mid-afternoon**

Margaret had been traveling with the onus of investigating the supposed situation of Nara and if there was something to report: how much she should report to Lord Adachi.

Lady Margaret, her guard, and her servants had been traveling with a decent amount of speed from Kyoto since Adachi had requested her to make this trip. Considering she was the only one willing to make this journey, Margaret moved faster than expected. It was probably with the thought that if she did this quickly, she could leave Nara.

That was the idea at the beginning, but as she traveled… another thought crossed Margaret's mind.

"Ever since I was born… I have been forced to live a sheltered life… away from society, away from the outside world," Margaret thought, "What… what is waiting for me there in the Imperial Palace?"

The tall girl in blue robes with long blond hair brushed it back. She knew that she was born in the Imperial Palace and she would die there as someone who would never be anything more than a Lady. She would never be Empress because she was the middle child… besides; there was a male child born of Lord Philemon, the next-in-line after Emperor Igor.

She would have to decide whether to follow through on her thoughts later on as she rode atop a large white horse. She was not going to stay in Nara that was for sure. She just had a job to do.

A light breeze passed by her face as she looked up at the partly cloudy sky. The horse carrying the royalty and her train made its way into the forest that would take them close to Nara. It would be a difficult decision for Margaret indeed.

When they exited the forest, they would enter the gate closest the Kusaga Shrine. Margaret did not know it, but they would pass the little farm village where Naoto was taken from forcefully by Souji Seta after injuring Togodai.

* * *

**Fifty-five miles from Nara**

**Mid-afternoon**

The Minamoto family's train of lords and the army was making its slow advance towards Nara. Why they were advancing towards Nara first, instead of Kyoto? It was because of Lord Iori's suggestion. Lord Iori felt slighted during his visit to Nara and now a good amount of lords were on their way to capture the city.

A somewhat short young man with short blue hair that parted to the left led the train. Why was he leading the train? Who else should lead the men, but the leader of the Minamotos, Lord Arisato.

Lord Arisato had brought quite a few of men with him. A taller man with silver hair that was cut extremely close to the top of his head was on the horse next to him. Lord Akihiko Sanada was part of his Arisato's personal guard. Another member was his sister's husband, Lord Shinji Aragaki. The man with unruly brown hair and had shed his brown robes for a brown hakama and armor. There was Lord Junpei Iori as well, but he had gone back to the back of the train for now. The youngest man in the guard was a young boy with short brown hair, Lord Ken Amada.

They did not want to take ladies of the court with them. Minato thought it would be too much of a risk. He left his wife, Lady Yukari Takeba behind for that reason. Lady Mitsuru Kirijo was Lord Sanada's husband, and it was a definite struggle to keep her from joining them.

There were only three ladies that came with the men to fight with the nobles. One was the opposite of Lord Arisato. Lady Minako Arisato was Minato's sister and amazingly enough, his equal in dueling. Though Minato was brilliant with a short blade, Minako was extremely skilled with a naginata.

The second woman that joined the army was not a Minamoto, and it was both a surprise, yet… not a surprise she was here. No one would dare say anything that Lady Elizabeth, the youngest of the royal family, was among the group. Everyone knew Minato was not very… loyal to his wife, yet to corral the youngest granddaughter of the Emperor... made them feel a bit astonished.

The woman with short silvery-blond hair the same color hair as her sister Margaret that only reached Elizabeth's ears was dressed in the same blue with small streaks of yellow as her sister. Elizabeth's blue eyes stared into the distance as she trailed only a short distance behind her mistress. Oddly enough, Elizabeth wore a blue hat on top of her head. It just seemed to fit her.

The final woman that was with the Minamotos… was impossible to see. She was extremely close to Lord Minamoto, his closest servant. Minato would not be amiss to say that she shared his bed a few times. The woman when not by Minato's side was his ultimate protection. Though this young woman always wore white and had blond hair, she seemed to blend into any surrounding to fulfill her mission. Whether she was a silent assassin or a bodyguard, Aigis's darts and shuriken always found their targets.

The silver-haired man, Lord Sanada turned his head towards Minato and asked, "What if the Tairas choose to advance towards the Fujiwaras at the same time as we do?"

Minato's expression did not change as he emitted his response, "Then we must hope that the Tairas attack Kyoto instead of Nara."

"A fight with Taira lords," Shinji sighed, "Sounds tedious." He looked at Akihiko, "Remind me why we are attacking Nara in the first place?"

"It's because Lord Iori is temperamental," Minato answered. He then said, "Don't worry… the Fujiwaras will fall easily, and if the Tairas come and do not accept our incursion… we will take them down as well."

Akihiko and Shinji looked at each other. They admired Minato's confidence in their own strategic proficiency, but they did not fancy taking on both Tatsuya and Katsuya Suou… as well Naoya Toudou. That did not include other masters of strategy like Lord Baofu and Lord Nanjo, and expert warriors like Lord Uesugi or even Lady Serizawa. This was the only time Akihiko was a little remorseful that he did not bring his wife along.

Seeing the worried faces of the two lords, Minato said without batting an eyelash, "Do not worry, I brought a priestess."

Both Akihiko and Shinji look confused for a moment before Akihiko realized, "Fuuka…"

"Huh?" Shinji didn't understand.

"Fuuka is a priestess that can supposedly see the enemy's positions as they arrive. She can tell you how many men are in the unit as well," Akihiko explains; "She's a prophetess, of sorts."

"That's amazing," Shinji was impressed.

"I told you," Minato nodded, "We will be fine."

* * *

**Outside Nara, Southern Gate**

**Mid-afternoon**

Lord Tanaka needed to get out of the clear. It was not completely safe to be in the city right now. He had sent his wife, Lady Sayoko Uehara, towards Kyoto because his next task had a chance of going bad. It was not a straight trip to Kyoto for his wife, because the two of them had left out of the wrong gate. It was not safe to leave through the Kusaga Shrine Gate. With the knowledge that Seta was still alive, it was definitely not safe to leave from the Residential District.

"So… can you carry out the mission?" Lord Tanaka asked the men in front of him.

This was the second time Tanaka had brought people before him to carry out a mission… a mission to take control of the city of Nara. The last time he had brought forth men, they were rejects of society from the lands that Taira owned. These warriors were battle-hardened men that were feared even by the lords and ladies of the Minamotos. One young man wore a green tunic and black pants with purple hair that slid down the left side of his head. He looked like he had bad eyesight, but he compensated for it somehow. The other man with long grayish-silver hair wore no tunic, but instead was covered with tattoos along his arms.

"If that is your request," the man in green said, "We will carry it out."

"It will be his fate to die," the other, tattooed man added. He had scary, piercing yellow eyes.

Tanaka smiled as he inquired, "What sort of payment do you require?"

The man without a shirt shook his head, "You made the request. We do not require a payment. All we wish to do… is to incite chaos."

Tanaka could not help but to keep smiling… This was going to be interesting. These assassins were nothing like the last ones.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed the read. I worked hard. I am very, very busy with Historiography… and that's why it took so long. Auf Wiedersehen!


	20. Chapter 20

Samurai and Ninjas Chap. 20

I do not own Persona or the character's likenesses, sorry everyone. Atlus does. Blame my lack of creativity.

This story takes place towards the middle of the Heian period of Japan. I am not being completely historically accurate with this, so do not get all over my back about it. I could, but I am not going to be. How much Personas will play a part in it, I do not know about that one.

A note, I will mainly use first names first, then last names. I know this is the one glaring difference that I am using in respect of their culture, but since I am writing in English… I will write as such.

So busy… yet happy to be able to write for you. I am now beta reading too. It will just be another thing that will make me a little slower in producing a piece of art… so if you could be patient with me, please.

* * *

**Near Tanaka's Residence**

**Dusk**

Souji's stretched his left shoulder. It was still sore from the last fight he was involved in. It was a losing battle where he was saved by… well he did not really know why Naoto's cousin relented. He and her sister seemed to look at a cat and then they decided to let Souji live. Souji still did not completely understand the situation.

Still, it would be sore if he tried to pull back his yumi. Even if his left arm would not be pulling back on the string, it would still be painful to fire upon the target. His target would be the man who tried to kill Lord Tatsumi, even if he did not attack him directly. Lord Tanaka would die at Souji's hands. Surrendering… if the lord decided to do such a thing… would be a pathetic thing. If Tanaka got exile, Souji would be disgusted.

Souji was just hoping that he could focus when he found Tanaka. Souji certainly could not focus enough to meditate. How was Souji supposed to shoot Tanaka, or cut him down if Souji could not focus on his foe?

"Ludicrous," Souji thought as he made a slow walk past the Amagi residence.

The only thing that was more ludicrous was the reason why he could not keep concentrated. He had eliminated all other possibilities. It was not because of his idiot childhood friend Lord Tatsumi. It was not because of that arranged marriage his uncle was trying to force upon him. It was not because that there were multiple armies encroaching moving towards this city. It was because the lord he was supposed to serve was infatuated with a girl… and Souji was thinking of the same girl at the same moment. That was why Souji could not concentrate on the task that would soon be at hand.

Souji had passed by the Ichijo Residence where Lady Ebihara had moved into. He was getting close. Souji had walked to a point extremely close to both the Kusaga Shrine and the Tanaka Residence. The dark-colored residence was close by and he was going to break-in.

Even if Souji did not carry out his mission successfully, the council would soon seize Tanaka's property anyways. Someone, somehow… would take care of Lord Tanaka.

As Souji turned the corner to Tanaka's residence, he did not see any lights on immediately. Souji was irked. He expected some sign of life from around here.

"Looks like… I'll have to break in," Souji thought.

The combination of wood and paper sliding door was no match for Souji's blade. It was ridiculous if you thought his sword would not win that battle. When Souji analyzed his work on the door, he noticed something very interesting. He was not the first person to infiltrate their way into the residence. He was just a little more forceful about it. There was a small cut in the door notch where the two doors met.

"That's how the first person must have entered," Souji said to himself as he bent down and felt the intersection between the two doors. A small incision was made… someone crafty had entered here.

"I wonder if…" Souji thought as he stood back to his full height. He un-shouldered his bow, "If those two are here as well, I need to be careful."

Souji slowed his pace as he stepped into the bedroom where only a few days ago Tanaka had been rudely awakened from by Souji so the samurai could travel to the farm village to save Naoto. Souji could tell as he entered the room… that someone had already been in and searched the room. The white futon was in disarray and all of the other furniture, though fancy, was overturned. It could have been a burglar, another assassin, or even Tanaka in a hurry to leave.

Souji knew at least one person had been there, or was still there. The idea that Souji was wary was an understatement to say the least. He grasped his bow and turned back towards the entrance to the bedroom. Souji's right knee hit the ground as he clutched an arrow and put it to his bow. Souji closed his left eye as he began to pull the bowstring back.

Souji tried to focus on whatever might be out there. He tried to listen for any sounds that would announce the intruder. He tried to look for any wisp of clothing that would be a clue to Souji's target. It was just so difficult to keep his mind's eye open.

He heard something… Souji heard something; it was a small pattering of boots. Souji's eyes flew open to its widest point as he searched for the source of the noise. A single fluttering piece of clothing… Souji pulled back on the yumi.

He missed… Souji missed. A young woman with long black hair, long legs covered in white pants, a white tunic that was covered by a long green jacket/cloak, long black boots, and a sword at her side. As she was walking by, the woman did not even notice her. Souji did… he even recognized her. It was Raidou's sister, Naoto's cousin.

Yet, Souji missed his shot. Souji was going to let the arrow fly into the young woman's back. Except… Naoto flooded his mind right before he took his shot. The shot missed Raidou's sister's back and hit the back of her green jacket/cloak instead.

Souji cursed inwardly, "Damn…"

He started to draw another arrow from behind his back. He could not believe Naoto got in the way of his mind. Was it because that this young woman was a relative of Naoto? The arrow had reached his bow…

Souji dropped the arrow in surprise as both the arrowhead and the shaft began to freeze. Raidou's sister had turned around and looked straight at Souji. Her black eyes met the gray eyes of Souji. Raidou's sister drew her blade as she took a step forward and raised the angle so it was slightly pointed towards the samurai.

Souji was surprised enough that the woman could freeze his arrow, and now she had him at sword point. Souji had to get away, at least put enough distance between the two so they could fight.

The yumi hit the ground as Souji stood up and jumped back almost exactly at the same time. Souji's hand reached on the hilt at his left side and slowly pulled the blade out.

As Souji stood across from Raidou's sister, only ten steps and a doorway between them, Souji asked, "How were you able to freeze my arrow?"

The young woman did not respond, but instead a small fluttering pixie with four wings that was wearing a blue kimono appeared. She was smiling and her brown hair was done up like she was a lady of nobility.

"What the…?" Souji thought.

"He's pretty handsome," the pixie said.

"He's the one that we nearly killed before," Raidou's sister responded, but smiling at the pixie's brashness. She might be agreeing with the fairy in some regards.

"Is he one of the ones you want to kill?" the pixie asked.

"He was a target, but Gouto told us not to kill him," Raidou's sister answered.

"The boy did try to kill you," the pixie pointed out.

"True… maybe I should kill him," Naoto's cousin told the pixie.

Souji did not know what confused him more; the fact that his arrow was frozen before he could shoot, or that this girl was talking to a little fairy-thing. All Souji knew was that the pixie was suggesting that Naoto's cousin should kill him.

"What the fuck is going on?" Souji thought in his own head.

Even with all of the disturbances, Souji realized that if Naoto's relative was not going to attack him right away then he should take the offensive.

Souji took six steps towards and raised his blade. Souji could see Naoto's cousin pull her own blade and swing it upwards towards him in a slashing motion, her black hair flowing past. Souji took his own blade and hold it horizontally above his head, to the left, and brought it down to block the attack. Naoto's cousin tried to push Souji's blade and stop a possible counter, but his pressure made her relent. She was forced to step back.

As Naoto's cousin prepared for the next move, the fairy said to her, "I told you he was aggressive and you should kill him."

"I wonder why he's attacking us in the first place," the young woman answered as she took both a step towards and thrust her blade at Souji again.

Souji was forced to try and make a quick parry by sliding his blade vertically to the left. He countered by raising his up and in a somewhat of a diagonal directional cut down to the right. Naoto's cousin staggered back to avoid being cut and fell on to the floor. Her sword clattered harmlessly to the side as her grip faltered.

Souji meant to walk forward with his sword at the girl, but before he took one step… the little fairy was blocking his path. Souji probably could have swatted the pixie to the side, but he was too wary, too fascinated by the winged creature to go right past her at the moment.

"Just what the… who the… what are you!" Souji had a very hard time resisting his urge to curse as he asked for the fairy's identity.

"I'm a pixie!" the kimono-clad, four-winged pixie answered. She responded by freezing Souji's nose.

As Souji felt his nose go numb, he clasped his right hand to his nose so he could try and warm his olfactory senses.

"Why you little…!" Souji yelled.

He was going to be somewhat respectful to the pixie, but now… the pixie was pushing him to his breaking point.

"Just stop," Raidou's sister called out.

The pixie turned around and frowned, "But…"

"I'll deal with it," the young woman said to the pixie.

The pixie stuck her tongue out at Souji as she said, "You're lucky… I would deal with you if Mistress Nagi would let me. You wouldn't stand a chance."

The pixie promptly disappeared and Souji shook his head. He had no idea what was going on, just that his nose was cold. "What was that… uh, Nagi?" Souji questioned the girl on the ground, still holding his sword towards her.

"That was… my 'demon'," Nagi explained, bracing herself on her wrists.

"Is that what you and your brother were doing at the Kusaga Shrine?" Souji asked.

If Nagi was surprised that they knew about the ceremony, she tried not to show it, "Yes… I summoned the pixie there."

"Did your brother summon something as well?" Souji inquired, lowering his sword slightly. It was pointless to hold his sword up in a threatening position the whole time. He had the speed to get back to that position if she tried anything funny.

When Nagi did not say anything, Souji said, "I'll take that as a yes."

The coming darkness of the evening was making it harder to see anything except the reflective nature of their clothing. Nagi finally broke an uncomfortable silence, maybe to try to get Souji to sheath his weapon and let her go. "What are you doing here, Seta?"

"I'm here to kill Tanaka," Souji answered. It figured that the woman knew him. He added, "I'm guessing you're here to do the same?"

"Yes…" Nagi nodded. She sighed, "As you can tell, Tanaka is obviously not here."

"I can see that," Souji replied, "I found you instead." He put his hand to his forehead… he was getting another headache. "Where is your brother?"

"Searching for a different target," Nagi told Souji.

Souji's eyes widened, "Who!"

"Lord Tatsumi…" Nagi said. She then added, "He's probably headed to the palace right now."

It took a second for those two words to register with Souji. Raidou was headed for Souji's lord. Even if he was an idiot, Lord Tatsumi was still his lord. Not just that, Naoto was probably with him. No wonder Raidou was probably headed that way.

"Raidou is going after Lord Tatsumi," Souji said worriedly. He asked, "Please tell me that your brother has control over his demon, or whatever."

"Why?" Nagi asked. She knew that even after they fought both Mizuki and Gozuki to a standstill, they were both very volatile.

"Naoto is probably very close by Lord Tatsumi right now," Souji explained, "She will be caught in the crossfire."

It was Nagi's turn for her eyes to widen. If either of those demons went berserk again and harmed their little cousin, Raidou would never be able to forgive himself.

"Take me to the palace!" Nagi commanded.

In the midst of the worry, Souji huffed, "You are kidding, right? You are on the ground."

"But… Naoto could get hurt!" Nagi yelled. It would defeat the whole purpose of trying to save Naoto if in their whole revenge scheme… they lost Naoto.

Naoto… The petite blue-haired girl was trying to take over his head again. It was so damn annoying. Her blue eyes were pools that Souji was trying not to drown in. Those eyes… matched the soft blue hair and her cute pouty smile. Souji was imagining that smile; it made Souji wonder if Naoto had ever smiled in her life.

It was killing Souji though… he was starting to think like Kanji, and it was disgusting. Souji was not an obsessive person; he did not have that kind of personality. He could resist running ragged after someone like Kanji was, but… he did not like someone who was. But… that was unimportant right now. He needed to protect both Naoto and Kanji… even if it meant keeping both of them close by.

Souji opened his eyes. He had closed them, seemingly on instinct. When Souji opened his eyes, Nagi had already gotten to her feet and grabbed her sword. Thankfully, Nagi did not flee from Souji's sight. Souji did not want to have to chase after her.

Souji sighed, "I see you really do want to come with me."

"It will be easier for me to find my brother than you," Nagi nodded.

"If you must come along," Souji sheathed his own blade and walked out of Tanaka's bedroom, passing Nagi.

"As long as Naoto does not get hurt," Nagi said, "I will wait on taking care of Tanaka."

Souji was annoyed that Nagi was so dead set on taking out his own target, but they both had things to protect in the palace. Souji had to decide what he wanted to protect most.

* * *

**Outside of Nara**

**Dusk**

The yellow eyes of Lady Margaret took in a farm village they were passing by. It was a sad sight indeed. It looked dilapidated when she first viewed it. When viewed in greater detail, she could see the destruction caused by someone ravaging the village. It was not just because they were poor and suffering from lack of food; it was because of Tanaka's samurai and thugs ripped apart the village.

Some of the peasants that they passed were awestruck to see such a high-profile train passing through the road. There were only a few peasants still farming though; it was getting late.

Margaret stopped her horse when an old man limped out and towards the royal woman from the village. His injuries looked fresh and it looked like it was very hard for him to make his way over to her.

The guards looked at Margaret, waiting for a sign as if to pounce upon the old man that was advancing on their lady. Margaret made no immediate sign for the guards to stop the gray-haired old man in the blue tunic and pants. On closer inspection, Margaret saw the scuffs and dirt marks of someone who had been thrown to the ground.

The old man was followed by a middle-aged woman with dirty, but wavy brown hair. Margaret did not feel threatened by the pair of them.

"Can I… help you?" Margaret asked kindness evident in her voice.

"Umm… Lady?" the woman knew she was in the presence of someone very regal and powerful.

"Margaret," Margaret nodded. She continued, "You come to me for a purpose. You have a problem, do you not?"

The old man spoke, "We are being taxed relentlessly, even when it is not the harvest time."

"Is it because there is a huge debt within the city, or are they just greedy?" Margaret asked the old man.

She knew it was the first reason and most of the cities under Japan had raised its taxes to relieve their massive debt, but the old man still answered, "It's because of the greed of the lord, Tanaka. He is not the only lord who taxes us, but he is the worst."

"That is not necessarily true," Margaret sighed.

Margaret coughed when the old man slowly turned around and saw his torn and ragged back of a tunic that Togodai had ripped apart.

"Tanaka sent thugs here to collect what we did not have," the old man explained, "They were merciless, beating me because I said we did not have they require."

Margaret was not sure what to say to that. Tanaka mentioned that Lord Tatsumi was not collecting the taxes, but… Was Tanaka someone to do that rash? Would he be someone to send people to collect what he believed was his?

"The only reason I survived was because my granddaughter fought back against Tanaka's samurai," the old man told Margaret.

Tanaka mentioned that as well. He mentioned a young girl who was from a small farm village. Was this the same girl?

"What happened to your granddaughter?" Margaret asked.

The young woman spoke, "She would have been executed by Tanaka's samurai, except for Souji Seta."

"Souji Seta?" Margaret looked at the pair.

"He stopped Tanaka's samurai from killing Naoto," Naoto's grandfather explained, "He did, however, take her to the palace. I think she's still alive."

"I believe she is," Margaret gave a small smile. It was one of the reasons she had come, after all. She finished, "Tanaka is not very happy about it."

Naoto's grandfather gave a sigh of relief, "Thank you, Lady Margaret."

"I'm not sure how I can help you with the high tax rates, but I will see what I can do," Margaret promised.

The pseudo-leaders of the farm village bowed in thanks. It was good to know that everyone's grandchild was still living and that someone was going to try and help with their problems.

As the middle child of Lord Philemon motioned for her guards and servants to start riding again, she sighed. Margaret expected something like this out of someone in the Fujiwaras. Yet, because it was the man who wrote the exact letter who was worried about the stability of Nara… it was that man who was causing all the trouble in her eyes.

"I will have to see the actual city before I can make my real analysis," Margaret murmured to herself.

* * *

**Nara- Palace: Kanji's room**

**Evening**

The events that had occurred in the palace today up to this point were rather bizarre for most people. The person that was the cause of most of the strange occurrences was Lord Kanji Tatsumi, the master of this palace. The reasoning of this seemed to be a young girl named Naoto, and it was the same Naoto that was saved by Souji Seta from death and made a servant in the palace.

Kanji Tatsumi was sitting in an oak chair that had been inserted into his room at a very young age. He was usually a solitary person, but he had a servant bring another chair in. Lord Tatsumi was expecting another.

In his black and gold robes, Lord Tatsumi was waiting for none other than the servant named Naoto to bring him his dinner. She would not be working for him much longer. This job was just Kanji's excuse for Naoto to visit him. He had abandoned all of his duties to wait for her. He skipped the regular council meetings, including the news about the incoming armies from the other two families. It was just… just not the biggest worry on his mind right now. Souji could deal with the Minamotos and Tairas. He had trained them well enough, and if he could not… Dojima was more than capable.

When the door slid open and the wafts of fresh cooked food came through, Kanji's heart lifted... especially when the one carrying it had blue eyes and short and messy blue hair. She was so cute Kanji could almost describe her as adorable.

Naoto was a little apprehensive when she set the food down on the table. She found the gold and black yukata somewhat annoying. She preferred wearing a short tunic and restrictive bandaging over something that was looser. She had to think it was on… purpose. There were bandages on her chest from her injury, but nothing compared to what she normally wore. Naoto had to believe that Kanji had forced the other servants to make her wear a looser yukata than she wore when she first came here.

It was so much different than when she was brought here to protect her from Lord Tanaka. Though Lord Dojima realized who she really was right away, he said nothing about her gender. Instead, she was to spy on Lord Tatsumi. She never had a chance to do that as she was first kicked into submission by Tanaka during a council meeting, and then sliced in the chest during an assassination attempt that took another servant's life.

For some reason, Lord Tatsumi was fascinated in her. She did not know why, but for one reason or another, Lord Kanji Tatsumi seemed to want to be around her every moment of the day. It looked to be affecting the day-to-day work in the palace, in her eyes. Normally, it would not be any of her business because she just did not care about the Fujiwaras, but this was a rather dysfunctional lord and city. It was just kind of… sad.

The food sat in front of the pair. Naoto remained standing, as any servant would. Meanwhile, Kanji had begun eating the food. When Kanji saw that Naoto was not eating and not even sitting, Kanji stopped eating the rice and said, "Sit down Naoto."

Naoto, like a good servant, sat down. She knew she was resigned to what Kanji wanted. In this case, it could be a very bad thing.

"Eat…" Kanji told her.

Naoto reluctantly picked up a piece of fruit. There was an awkward silence between the pair as the two were eating. Kanji was disappointed that no one was speaking.

Kanji tried to break the silence, "How are you feeling? You know… your wound?"

"It hurts a bit to walk around… put on clothes," Naoto admitted. She had to tell the truth, after all.

"That's unfortunate," Kanji said, blushing. He imagined Naoto putting on the yukata over those chest bandages.

"The wound will improve… eventually," Naoto said, confused on why Kanji was blushing, "At least I'm not in the doctors' quarters anymore."

Kanji nodded wordlessly. He tried not to say anything about her time there… all of those confrontations with the doctors during her time there. Kanji was going to avoid the doctors for a while.

"So… Do you mind staying for a while longer, after dinner… to talk?" Kanji asked, blushing.

This was it… what Souji was talking about. Naoto was worried, but she could not show it. She had obligations, and she could not ignore those. How she wish Souji could just take her back to her village. She wanted to see her grampa again. She missed Eri and the other villagers. Souji was not going to save her… no one was going to save her… she was only a servant serving her lord.

"Umm…" Naoto was fearful in her reply.

* * *

**Outside of the room**

**Exact moment**

A young man with a green tunic and black pants carefully placed a small box above the sliding door outside of Kanji's room. His purple hair was parted to the side as he smirked. The box would explode in a shower of weapons as soon as someone slid open the door. The young man tied strings both to the top of the box and the bottom of the box. This job would have a magnificent finish if Lord Tatsumi ended up a pincushion.

There were already two dead servants that were thrown in an empty room, courtesy of the man standing next to the green-clad man. He was shirtless and wearing dark pants. The man had tattoos all along his chest.

"Jin… Are you done!" the shirtless man asked. The man continued, "This is taking too long. The more servants I have to eliminate, the more suspicious it will look."

"Only a little longer, Takaya," the other man responded, "If you hadn't disturbed me, I could have finished by now."

Takaya waited patiently for the younger assassin. It was extremely easy to slip by the guards. They did not even have to kill anyone. It was rather pathetic, really. They were two men who killed for fun. The jobs were all for fun, really. They had been working together for years, and it would be no problem for them to carry out this one; this one was just a high profile one.

"I'm done, Takaya," Jin told Takaya, "You know the plan, right?"

"I flush out the target from a place where it won't set off your trap," Takaya flashed a poison dart, "When he rushes out of the room, he dies."

"Good," Jin nodded. He stood up, "I'm heading out. You watch out for anyone else."

Jin started to move as he picked up his other materials and walked away from the lord's personal chambers. Meanwhile, Takaya searched for the shadow that belonged to Kanji. There seemed to be two people in the room. One was much smaller, and the head of the second had a petite shape.

"Somebody is trying to get it on tonight," Takaya smirked. As he started to raise his arm, he finished, "Tonight is just not your night."

Jin walked quickly past a few servants, keeping his heads down. Walking as fast as possible, he hoped that no one would notice him. He was almost out of the palace when he bumped into someone.

"Hey… will you get out of my way?" Jin asked.

The man he bumped into did not say anything. It was a taller man in all navy blue. He wore pants, a tighter tunic, and a cape. A black cat trailed behind him.

"Do you know Naoto?" the man asked.

"Who the fuck is Naoto?" Jin responded.

"So… you don't know where she is?" the man asked.

"I told you… I don't know who she is!" Jin exclaimed.

"Then you need to get out of my way," the man told him, "Or… die."

"What the…" Jin was shocked that this man would tell him to move or die. This guy was pushing his buttons.

Jin put his hand behind his back and then flashed it as fast as he could in front of him. A knife came towards the young man known as Naoto's cousin, Raidou. The expectations of Jin were to see a knife to appear between Raidou's black eyes. The reality was that the knife flew to the side due to the thin blade that appeared and then disappeared in an instance.

"What the fuck!" Jin yelled in annoyance.

"I don't have time for you," Raidou said, pulling a tube from his belt. "I was hoping not to use this on you, but it was necessary," Raidou muttered.

A minotaur appeared as the tube hit the ground. Raidou slowly walked away as Jin's eyes widened.

Takaya's dart flew from his right hand, through the flimsy door, and into the lord's room. Death would come swiftly to the lord inside.

* * *

Well… I hope you don't mind the little language that slipped out, ;-) That was nothing if you had read my P4 Novel. Souji had quite the mouth in that one. I'm very, very busy. Auf Wiedersehen!


	21. Chapter 21

Samurai and Ninjas Chap. 21

I do not own Persona or the character's likenesses, sorry everyone. Atlus does. Blame my lack of creativity.

This story takes place towards the middle of the Heian period of Japan. I am not being completely historically accurate with this, so do not get all over my back about it. I could, but I am not going to be. How much Personas will play a part in it, I do not know about that one.

A note, I will mainly use first names first, then last names. I know this is the one glaring difference that I am using in respect of their culture, but since I am writing in English… I will write as such.

So busy… yet happy to be able to write for you. I am now beta reading too. It will just be another thing that will make me a little slower in producing a piece of art… so if you could be patient with me, please.

* * *

**Towards the Gate and Hall of the Nara Palace**

**Evening**

Nagi had been dragged around various corners of the Mercantile District and into the Palace District by Souji Seta. She felt like her left arm was going to be pulled off by the samurai as they made their way towards the long straight road made of stone that led to the palace. Nagi's original plan was to take care of Tanaka while her brother dealt with the person who had a hold on Naoto. Nagi did not expect to run into Souji again. It was awkward, but a new issue seemed to have emerged. Nagi probably expected some complications, but the idea that Raidou might lose control of Gozuki or Mizuki? That was beyond her imaginings.

The only way the pair made it into the gate and palace so quickly was because of Souji's presence and his loud voice. His yelling made quite an impression on the guards at the gates.

"Open the damn gate!" Souji yelled, "Lord Tatsumi could be in danger!"

Any guards that were in a dozing state woke up in a hurry and started opening the gate as quickly as they could. As soon as it was open, Souji and Nagi rushed through; it was still Souji leading the way, however.

Souji had no idea what would happen if Raidou found Lord Tatsumi with Naoto. It made him cringe internally when he tried to think of what would happen if Raidou found the pair if they were "together". If they were found that way, it would all be on Kanji though. Souji remembered earlier today when Naoto begging him to save her from these sorts of actions. It was now that Souji wished he could have saved her from something like this.

It did not matter now. Souji had a duty to protect Lord Tatsumi, and he had to do his duty. It was hard to carry a yumi and drag Nagi along at the same time, but he was the one who knew his way around the palace. As he resisted the urge to shift his silver hair, he remembered to be wary. Even if there was an issue and they dealt with it, Nagi was now in the palace. Nagi was someone who could attack Lord Tatsumi just like Raidou could. This was why Souji was even more wary.

Souji was not sure what was more disturbing as they made their way into the main hall; that there were large chunks that had been removed from some of the stone columns, or the widespread amounts of smoke, darts, stars, and shruiken in the hall.

The young woman with the green coat looked confused, "What happened here?"

"You tell me," Souji looked at Nagi.

Souji walked forward, motioning Nagi to come with. When Nagi bumped into something spherical, she nearly kicked it… half in fright, half in shock.

"What is that?" Souji bent his knees to get a closer look at the spherical object.

"I think it's a head!" Nagi exclaimed.

As Souji placed his hand on the object, he felt blood on his fingers. It was flesh-colored, indeed. Souji bent his knees even more… so that he was almost on the ground. The purple eyes of the assassin, Jin, were staring back at him. He rolled the head away towards Nagi.

"Well… so that's what it was," Souji muttered.

"Someone cut a guy's head off?" Nagi asked.

Nagi asked the question, but she knew it was not really a person that killed this man. She knew if there someone to blame it was Raidou. He must have set off a demon against this person, whoever he was.

"Well, I found the rest of the body," Souji announced, walking a few steps into the smoke and pulling out a body clad in a green tunic and black pants. "Who is this guy?"

"Someone who evidently did not belong here," Nagi shook her head.

Heavy footsteps were coming in from the smoke. Nagi had had her head down, looking at Jin's body. The shaking caused by the incoming…

"What is that?" Souji asked.

"Remember when I told you that my brother was able to summon something, and I would not tell you what it was?" Nagi responded.

"Yes…" Souji nodded.

"Well… here comes one of them," Nagi told Souji.

Souji drew his blade as a large object formed inside the smoke. The object that came out of the smoke was the same brown, eleven-foot minotaur that Raidou summoned when he was bumped into by Jin. It had a ratty blue tunic on its body and a gold ring through its body. There were multiple darts and other objects lodged into his body, but he shook his body and the weapons fell off harmlessly. The minotaur roared shifted his grip on long-handled axe that he held in both hands.

"Well… this is exciting," Souji smirked.

"I guess my brother did not bother keeping track of his demon," Nagi shook her head again.

Her blade slid out of the sheath in her right hand as she grabbed the small tube in her left hand. It looked like that she might have to deal with her brother's mess after all.

Souji un-shouldered his bow and took an arrow from behind his back. He went down on one knee and pulled back as far back as he could as he aimed right between the demon's eyes.

Nagi's metal tube hit the ground and the pixie hit the ground. The kimono-clad fairy appeared out of nowhere and smiled at Nagi. Her smile disappeared when she saw Souji on one knee, next to her master.

"What's he doing here?" the pixie asked.

"He's fighting with us," Nagi responded, "Just get ready to fight the minotaur."

The pixie scowled but faced the demon. A piece of a nearby column fell as Nagi raised her blade vertically over her right shoulder. She sighed as she waited for Souji to make the first move.

Souji took a deep breath as he readied himself to fire the shaft. When Naoto's face popped into his mind, he tried to push it out of his mind. He soon decided it was pointless and instead focused on the blue pools that were her eyes. The blue-haired girl… it made him smile. With that smile, Souji let the arrow go. As long as he kept that picture in his head… he knew one thing.

"I can't miss!" he yelled out for some apparent reason.

* * *

**Kanji's room**

**Evening**

Kanji was anxious, the most anxious he had ever been in his life. He had finally built up the courage to ask Naoto to stay longer to talk after dinner. He was meaning for it, hoping… that… that it would turn into something even better. Naoto seemed hesitant in her answer, but Kanji was surprised that she had stopped blushing. Kanji had been blushing enough for the both of them.

Kanji thought about it. If he really wanted… he could always tell Naoto to do what he wished. He did not really want to do that to Naoto; he wanted to respect her and such. It was just Kanji… was having so much trouble controlling his urges.

His face widened to something unbelievable when Naoto suddenly lunged from across the table, exclaiming, "Kanji…!"

For one moment, Kanji was full of jubilation, happiness, and disbelief… until Naoto's hands came out and pressed against both of his shoulder blades. It carried the two of them to the hard stone floor behind them. It knocked the wind right out of the lord.

"Uggh…" Kanji wheezed, "N… Naoto!"

Naoto was shielded by Kanji's body as she fell. She rolled off of the lord and moved to the bottom of the chair. She saw the small dart that had lodged in one of the legs that had hit there when Naoto knocked both Kanji and the chair into the air. Someone had aimed a projectile at Lord Tatsumi. Naoto only noticed the impending attack when she turned her head slightly while using her peripheral vision. She carefully pulled the dart out, making sure not to touch the edges, lest it be poisoned.

"Lord Tatsumi… we're under attack," Naoto told Kanji, keeping her head down.

As Lord Tatsumi struggled to catch his breath… he realized what Naoto said, and saw what was in her hand. Kanji, still winded, started rolling away vertically, while keeping as low as possible. Using the table as a pseudo-shield, he was attempting to reach the right side of the room so he could grab his weapon. He was looking for his kanabo.

Shruiken flew into the room as Kanji's hand finally grasped his club-like weapon with metal studs. Though Kanji was still somewhat out of breath and on the ground, he was only concentrated one thing; protecting Naoto.

The wood was cold in his hands as he raised his weapon at a slight 45 degree angle horizontally, facing downwards, so the spinning projectiles would bounce harmlessly back from whence they came.

As the bladed stars first hit the stone wall and then the floor, Kanji breathed a sigh of relief. There was no time to relax though. It was time for him to go on the offensive and get rid of whoever is attacking him and his Naoto.

Kanji took the biggest breath he could manage and stood up, while using his weapon as support. He yelled at his servant, the girl he cared about, "Get away from here!"

* * *

**Outside the room**

**Same time**

Takaya had seen his first dart miss. The non-target, who was identified by the smaller shadow, had lunged and pushed the target out of the way. It had hit a foreign object that was not the target. The target had begun rolling out the way; presumably to protect himself. There was a shadow in the corner that was shaped like a weapon. Takaya believed the target was moving towards that, so he aimed his two shruiken so by the time he grasped his weapon, the target would have the stars in his chest. Though, it seemed he underestimated the target's size to speed ratio. The man was able to block the projectiles with his weapon.

His mission was to either eliminate the target from outside his room or draw him to the target's left side of the sliding door so Jin's sliding trap would spring. Right now… Takaya had done neither.

The new problem for Takaya was that the target had braced his legs and was preparing to charge the assassin. Takaya knew he had to do something, so he prepared something to try and slow the target down. As Takaya readied a few more projectiles to throw, he aimed them towards the target's legs. The target would have a hard time keeping his weapon low to block the stars, darts, and other weapons. The target's weapon, not the projectiles, could be more of a hindrance to his impending charge. As he fired a few of the shruiken and stars; it was then when Takaya noticed the other person in the room heading towards the sliding door.

It was a detriment to Takaya's plan. If he could not draw the target to that part of the sliding door to set off the trap, then he would have to deal with the target personally.

* * *

**Inside the room**

When Lord Tatsumi told Naoto to run away, she knew to listen to his commands and get out of the room. Of course, she had to listen to her lord's commands, even if there was a crazy man trying to kill them outside of the room. She only hoped that they would ignore her when she ran out.

"Here goes nothing," Naoto muttered.

Naoto lifted up enough of her yukata so she could start running towards the sliding door, her tabi forgotten. It did not even pass her mind that the second section of the door might be a shield for Kanji as Takaya continued to pepper him with projectiles.

Naoto slammed open the sliding door and passed through it. As she stepped through it, glancing to the right; Naoto saw a shirtless man with tattoos all over his upper body throwing weapons at Kanji. She was afraid that the man would turn his attention onto her, but he only gave her a look of disregard.

She thought she would be able to escape. If Kanji was under so much duress, she might even be able to go home to her grampa. It was then she heard the two clicks of wires being tripped.

"Huh?" Naoto looked up.

It was like Naoto saw the world in slow motion. Naoto's eyes gazed up to the case that was opening above her, and her eyes widened as weapons started to fall at great velocity towards the ground. Many thoughts started flashing through her head as the small objects were coming towards her head, shoulders, and chest.

Her mind was drawn to her grampa, Geirin, who had raised her and taken care of her ever since her parents died. Her thoughts went to her cousins, Raidou and Nagi, who protected her and taught her how to fight. She thought of those in her village, from Eri to Hisano. All of the villagers were always so kind to her. The ones in the village were not the only people she thought of. Lord Dojima, the noble who helped save his life from Lord Tanaka, and maybe the only noble she had any respect for. The one person she did not have on her mind was Lord Tatsumi. He was just too… annoying.

As Naoto closed her eyes, one more person filled her mind. It was the one person that both stopped Togodai from taking her life, and watched over her from Tanaka and even Lord Tatsumi at least once. Souji Seta changed her perspective on both him and some upper-class citizens in general. Naoto never understood his kindness towards her.

The green light that flashed around Naoto forced her eyes open. There were no weapons around her anymore, and instead… he saw a man in all black with black eyes. Naoto had found her cousin!

"Raidou!" Naoto yelled, "I'm so happy to see you!"

Raidou, with his stoic face, showed the slightest amount of emotion… what looked like relief to see Naoto. Raidou's thin and ridiculously sharp sword was at his side, and the black cat that always accompanied the man was trailing behind him.

Naoto wanted to run to her cousin and hug him, but she had no idea how all of those weapons had been destroyed.

"What happened to the weapons?" Naoto asked.

Raidou lifted his sword slightly and a green hue appeared. No words came from his mouth, but an understanding between the cousins occurred.

Raidou suddenly spoke, "Who attacked you?"

Naoto pointed to her right, in the direction of where the shirtless man was, "He did."

Raidou looked that way, but the shirtless man was not right next to the door. He was against the stone wall across from Kanji's room.

Lord Tatsumi had charged Takaya. Takaya did throw the projectiles, like Naoto described, and a few stars and other tools were lodged in Kanji's legs. Yet, Kanji had closed the distance between Takaya and slammed his kanabo across the exposed chest of Takaya. Kanji's attack knocked Takaya all the way to the other side of the hall.

"I see a dead guy," Raidou muttered.

"I guess he was killed," Naoto shook her head.

Raidou watched Gouto walk towards the ragged hole in the door that was caused by projectiles and the kanabo and where Kanji was.

"Gouto says there is another person here," Raidou said to Naoto. He asked, "Is this the person who has been holding you?"

"He's the one I was a servant to. The Lord of Nara," Naoto admitted.

She probably should not have said that, but what else could she say to her cousin. It was her way home.

"Can you wait one moment?" Raidou held out an open palm to Naoto.

"Wait a minute!" Naoto exclaimed.

Naoto did not enjoy being Lord Tatsumi's servant, but the last thing she wanted outside of sleeping with him was Raidou killing him.

"It will only take one second, Naoto" Raidou said in a monotone voice.

As he walked towards the left side of Kanji's room, Kanji exited the room, most likely to see if Naoto came out unharmed. Seeing the young man with the thin sword in hand, made Kanji take a step back and tighten the grip on own his weapon.

Naoto just shook her head. The last thing she wanted to see is her relative and people she knew fight each other for pointless reasons. She was safe now and she would be able to go home.

* * *

**Main Hall**

**A few minutes ago**

The arrow from Souji's bow flew straight and true to the brown minotaur. It went straight to the demon's forehead and though it was a shallow hit; the arrow lodged itself right above the eyes.

Souji dropped his yumi and unsheathed his sword. Both he and Nagi charged the demon as the pixie trailed behind. The minotaur ripped away the shaft in his forehead, but he could do little about the ice forming around his legs to stop his movement. Souji rolled from the sweeping axe that came to remove his torso and head from the rest of his body, while Nagi made a cut around the right side of his own chest.

As the demon shifted the position of his axe to make a diagonal slash towards Nagi; he found his movements more and more restricted by the second. Nagi's own pixie was using ice to immobilize every single limb of Raidou's rogue demon.

Souji was quick, but what made him feared was his jumping abilities. He needed something to smash.

"Have your stupid pixie freeze its head!" Souji yelled at Nagi as the samurai jumped away from another axe strike.

The four-winged creature closed its eyes as the minotaur felt first the metal ring freeze, and then the rest of its head chill. That was the signal for Souji to attack as he ran up, flipped upside down once and then used that momentum to sky up in the air, thankful that he had no armor to hinder his leaping abilities. There was no way Souji could jump all eleven feet, but Souji jumped just high enough to sever the head of the minotaur. The head fell to the ground, rolled away, and the demon dissipated into nothingness.

"You killed him!" Nagi exclaimed, exhaling in relief. It took a good amount of energy to keep the pixie in check and not letting go out of control like Raidou did.

"Of course I did," Souji shook his head, "I just needed the right conditions to attack effectively."

Nagi sheathed her blade, while sidestepping. She said to Souji, "Let's go find my cousin. You can go find your idiot of a lord."

"That's not very nice," Souji rebuked.

"It's true," Nagi replied.

"It kind of is," Souji thought.

He needed to relax and find his lord, and then Nagi can find Naoto and get off his back. She was annoying, and who knows what would happen if they stumbled upon Nagi's brother. Raidou nearly killed Souji the last time, and who knows what happen if they encountered each other again. Just… maybe… Souji wanted to see if Naoto was okay.

There was just something that bugged Souji. Before they encountered the brown minotaur, they found the head and body of some guy in green. Souji believed it was an assassin. There might be more assassins, and that could put both Lord Tatsumi and Naoto in danger. Souji wanted to see if both of them were okay.

Souji suddenly turned towards Nagi and said, "We can probably check up on Naoto. It's probably best we find her before your brother does."

Nagi gave Souji a confused look, "And why is that?"

"Why does it matter?" Souji replied.

"I'm curious," Nagi answered, "I'm thinking… you want to find her to keep her."

"To keep her?" Souji was the one with the confused look now.

"You were one of the original targets, remember?" Nagi reminded Souji.

Souji asked, "What are you saying?"

"Maybe… Gouto was wrong," Nagi closed her eyes, "You are more dangerous than you look."

"Are you threatening me?" Souji's hand moved towards his sword hilt.

"We did not expect you to survive, even if we did not finish you," Nagi explained, "I guess we did not expect you to show affection towards my cousin."

"I can't believe you would say something like that," Souji sounded affronted.

"Don't lie!" Nagi yelled, "You care for Naoto!"

"What!" Souji exclaimed.

Souji did not know if he cared for Naoto. He was unsure of his feelings for Naoto. Just because Naoto clouded his mind every once in a while did not mean he had feelings for her.

"Gouto spared your life because you love my cousin!" Nagi yelled, "I won't let a samurai fall in love with Naoto!"

Nagi's blade slid from its sheath and Souji did the same. Souji waited for the pixie to appear, but it never did. It looked like she was not going to summon it. It was a relief to the samurai, but a wide-open battle was going to be a better battlefield for Nagi than the close-quarters fighting space in Tanaka's residence.

"Prepare!" Nagi yelled as she ran forth.

Souji closed his eyes, waiting for the young woman to reach him. He was tired and his headache was pounding. He was not ready for this.

* * *

This is a fun little chapter that I posted while searching the archives and translating Japanese. Auf Wiedersehen!


	22. Chapter 22

Samurai and Ninjas Chap. 22

I do not own Persona or the character's likenesses, sorry everyone. Atlus does. Blame my lack of creativity.

This story takes place towards the middle of the Heian period of Japan. I am not being completely historically accurate with this, so do not get all over my back about it. I could, but I am not going to be. How much Personas will play a part in it, I do not know about that one.

A note, I will mainly use first names first, then last names. I know this is the one glaring difference that I am using in respect of their culture, but since I am writing in English… I will write as such.

So busy… yet happy to be able to write for you. I am now beta reading too. It will just be another thing that will make me a little slower in producing what you might think is a mediocre piece of art… so if you could be patient with me, please.

* * *

**Main Hall**

The battle between Souji and Nagi this time around was nothing like the one a few hours ago. Souji's blade was currently locked with Nagi's in a diagonal struggle fighting for dominance. Both of the fighters were fast and agile, but Nagi believed that in wide-open corridors she had the advantage.

Nagi backed away from having her blade in a lower diagonal position. This was much more comfortable for her as she took a deep breath for another attack. As she prepared for a vertical thrust, she could not believe that this samurai could fall for her cousin. Naoto was the least feminine girl she knew… so how could the most famous samurai in Nara be in love with her?

Their blades would meet, then disengage, and then meet again. Neither swords-wielder was giving an inch while the battle was staying static and in a tight circle of around ten meters either way.

The next time their blades met, Souji tried to use his strength to overpower Nagi. That could not have been a bigger mistake as Naoto's cousin used Souji's muscle against him, forcing him off-balance. The samurai stumbled forwards, out of control.

Nagi's sword slid away from Souji's and proceeded to spin around the young man. It provided the young woman with an optimum opportunity to cut Souji.

She struck out with her blade and felt the cold steel cut into flesh. The only thing saving Souji from a deep cut was pushing his left foot down as hard as possible so he could flip forward to avoid any strikes. Nagi compensated for Souji's potential dodge by an upward diagonal strike and it made a shallow gash in Souji's left thigh. The blood stained the stone floor, but it was just a small amount compared to the pools that were caused by the demon that dispatched the assassin in the hall.

Souji's showed the smallest amount of pain as he landed near the smoke. He had made a decision to run into the smoke, and he did so after he had showed the pain. His gait was still light and springy even with the small wound. He would have limited visibility, but so would Nagi.

"Come and find me, little girl," Souji murmured as he disappeared into the smoke.

Nagi was annoyed. What a coward! How dare he run into the smoke! That bastard! She fished into her coat pocket and grabbed the last tube she had. She had to focus. The pixie had returned to this tube after being summoned the last time. The tubes become useless after being summoned once. Luckily, she had brought a few spares, unlike her brother.

The kimono-clad pixie with brown hair and rainbow wings appeared as Nagi threw the tube onto the ground. Nagi might not be able to see her enemy, but maybe her partner could.

"Hi!" The pixie greeted Nagi. As the pixie looked around, "Hey… Where's that loser dude that was dragging you around?"

"I'm fighting him again," Nagi responded in an annoyed tone.

"Oh… Then where is he?" the pixie asked, "I'll beat him up."

"In the smoke," Nagi said with the same tone.

"What a coward!" the pixie replied.

She called out to the pixie, "Can you see through the smoke?"

"Kinda…" the pixie flew in front of Nagi, "Follow me."

Nagi spun the blade once around her right side before watching her familiar fly towards the smoke. Nagi pushed off her boots as she followed. There would be no escape this time around.

Souji sighed as he saw two shadows advance from beyond the smoke. One was flying towards him and another was coming behind it. Nagi had summoned the fairy again, and it was coming to attack. Souji wondered if it could see through this smoke.

"What the hell did I do to deserve this shit?" Souji muttered.

If Souji survived this… the first thing he was going to do was… take… take… He was… He was going to take Naoto back to her village. Yes, that's right. He should take Naoto back to her village. Even if that's not what Lord Tatsumi wanted, she was causing far too trouble.

"Who else is the cause of crazy swordsmen and women that can summon demons who are bent on killing me for no other apparent reason but with blind beliefs that I am in love with their younger cousin?" Souji thought.

* * *

**Outside of Kanji's room**

**Same time**

Kanji's kanabo was causing huge cracks and dents in the floor every time it crashed into the stones. He was a man of immense strength and the speed in swinging that large and heavy weapon was surprising to most people. Yet, in fighting a man such as Raidou… using a kanabo was ludicrous.

Kanji's frustration was becoming evident, even in a tight hallway like the one they were fighting in. Raidou was reversing the direction in which he was coming from; he would go right by the lord, turn around, and come at his backside. Raidou's thin blade, thinner than Nagi's would flash with a green light and make multiple cuts on Kanji's arms and legs before Kanji could make one swipe with his own weapon. All the while, Naoto watched in horror as her cousin and the man she served fought.

Raidou finally stepped back for a short moment after delivering a few more blows on Kanji's left arm. He watched as blood seeped down to the ground. The black cat, Gouto, circled around his feet. Raidou was apparently catching his breath from the attacks he had performed on the lord. The simple strikes took little effort, but to advance to the speed where his sword turned green; that tired him out very quickly. He would not be able to keep it up much longer.

"Raidou!" Naoto yelled out from behind, "Stop this!"

Naoto's cousin turned his head, "That's enough… I told you this will only take a moment."

Naoto dipped her head. Someone was going to die, and she did not want anyone to die… no one should die.

If there were only a few cuts, Kanji would not have minded, but there were so many that the pain was becoming immense. If Lord Tatsumi would need to see the head doctor if this kept, and he did not like the doctor at all. The blood that was dripping from every limb was making it slippery to hold his weapon and he was afraid he might fall from the slick floor.

"How long can I keep this up?" Kanji thought.

He had to keep this up. Originally, Kanji thought this was another assassin, but he put that theory away almost immediately. Naoto kept screaming for both of them to stop. Would she be screaming for an assassin to stop fighting? If it was an assassin, why would he think of stopping at the behest of his servant, even someone as beautiful as Naoto? When the calls of "cousin" came up, Kanji understood. This "Raidou"... had come to rescue Naoto. It did not matter. Kanji had his servant, his Naoto, and she was Kanji's now. Nobody would take her away from him anymore, not even family.

Kanji shut out any pain that was in running through his nervous system and tightened his grasp on his slick weapon. Kanji took a few steps towards Raidou before the black-cloaked man turned his attention back to the lord. He sighed… it looked like he could rest no longer.

"One moment Naoto," Raidou said to a protesting cousin.

Raidou glanced momentarily at his black cat before he shot off like an arrow fired from Souji's yumi towards Kanji. There would be no mercy this time around.

* * *

**Ten miles outside of Nara, Taira Encampment**

**Just before Midnight**

The tent of the heads of the Tairas was not as lavish as expected. The tent held the possessions and was home to most of the heads of the Taira state. In actuality, this was not a tent for sleeping. It was a tent for holding meetings, and they were waiting for another lord to return. Currently, the lords and ladies in attendance were both Suou brothers and the Lady Amano. The Lord Toudou was there as well, and taking the place of Lady Sonomura, who was currently in Heiwa Town, was Lady Kirishima. More ladies traveled with this army than the Minamotos. Lady Serizawa was one of the most feared warriors of all of the Tairas, for example.

There were no high-backed chairs or anything of the sort in the tent. They were just sitting on the floor, waiting for the return of the spy who had left a few days before the rest of the Tairas. Hopefully, he would have a lot of news for the rest of them.

"Is he here yet?" Katsuya Suou asked, annoyed at being forced to wait up to such a late hour. He did not like the man they had sent ahead.

"I'm sure he will be here soon," his brother, Tatsuya responded.

"Lord Baofu does his work well. Don't worry," Maya, Tatsuya's wife, replied to Katsuya. She looked resplendent in gray and blue.

"You have too much faith in him, Tatsuya," Katsuya responded.

"That might be so," Naoya said. He continued, "But… he has not failed us yet. Until then… do not judge him so."

Katsuya sighed in apparent exasperation.

It was that moment that the tent flap opened. The two guards had moved their spears to the side and from outside a man with very dark brown hair entered. He did not even have a chance to change. Instead of robes, he had very dark brown light clothing that was similar to the tunic/coat and pants that Raidou wore. The man also had a brown coat that was similar to the coat Nagi wore. The man had one other very distinguishable feature. His eyes… they were almost pitch black. Every part of his eyes was as dark as the night, but the man saw as well as anyone else.

As the man took a seat across from Tatsuya and Naoya, the younger Suou greeted, "Lord Baofu, welcome back."

As Lord Baofu gazed at both of the gray-robed individuals and nodded, "Thank you for the greeting."

"Did your journey go well?" Naoya asked.

"I was safe… but it is never… uneventful," Baofu smirked.

Katsuya was impatient, "Tell us what you found then,"

Baofu raised his eyebrows at the man who was also in gray, yet had red on the edges of his robes. Just as Katsuya disliked Baofu, he shared the same disposition towards Katsuya. He responded, "I have just arrived. Let me catch my breath for a moment first."

"We move soon, Baofu. Why don't you just tell us!" Katsuya exclaimed.

"Now, now… let's all just calm down," Lady Amano tried to defuse the situation before it really turned into one. She turned to a servant who was in the tent, motioning to her, "I'm sure Lord Baofu is thirsty from all of his travels. Why don't you pour him some tea?"

The servant bowed and took the pitcher from a table that was in the center of the tent. When the servant offered the tea to Baofu, he accepted it with a nod.

While he sipped on the tea, Maya asked, "Will you please tell us what you found, Lord Baofu?"

This pissed off Katsuya to no end. It was when people Lady Amano sucked up to Baofu to get him to do things that he should have already done.

Baofu sipped his tea, and then he proceeded to clear his throat. He loved when people did things for him. He said, "Well… Things are a mess in Nara."

"That's good news," Maya said.

"That is part of the good news," Baofu nodded. "Now… do you want the rest of the good news… or the bad news?"

"How about the good news," Naoya answered.

"Though the other lords know about us coming, the head lord of Nara… Lord Tatsumi; he is completely oblivious to our arrival. He seems completely preoccupied with something else. I left right before their meeting, but he seemed like he had no interest in joining their meeting."

"I see," Katsuya said, and then continued, "What else?"

Baofu cleared his throat in irritation, "It looks like the person to lead their army will be either Lord Dojima, who has never led an army before… or Souji Seta. Souji Seta is a fighter, not a general."

"So… there will be no central forms of leadership in Nara when we attack?" Tatsuya questioned.

"As far I understand," Baofu nodded. "As far as I know, we can sweep through Nara dealing mainly with palace guards and whatever guards that the various lords and ladies have," he explained.

"Should be easy," Lord Katsuya said.

"There were attempts on Lord Tatsumi's life recently as well. That might be the cause of his unease," Baofu shrugged.

"What about the bad news?" Lady Amano asked.

"Well… for starters, there is royalty in the vicinity. Lady Margaret is about to enter the city," Baofu answered.

"Lady Margaret, the middle child of Lord Philemon?" Naoya responded.

"The very same," Baofu said, "I don't think it will do well if we accidently kill royalty."

"That's true," Tatsuya nodded, "We have to make sure we do not harm Lady Margaret."

"Is there anything else?" Naoya asked.

Baofu sipped his tea again. When he placed his cup in front of him, he said to the nobility in front of him, "It seems that a large majority of the Minamoto family has left and are advancing upon Nara as we speak. As soon as we take Nara… they will be on top of us."

"Are you saying that… they are doing the exact same thing we are?" Lady Kirishima finally spoke.

"Yes…" Baofu nodded.

"Then…" Tatsuya brushed back his hair, "We should take the city and let them try and siege the city."

"Except… we don't know how much damage will sustain when we take the city," Naoya answered.

Maya suggested, "What if… after we take the city… we charge the Minamotos?"

"It would certainly surprise them," Katsuya nodded.

"It might work," Baofu said, "I'm sure they know about us as well. I wonder if they have a spy network."

"Well… it's our best plan for now," Tatsuya nodded. He stood up, "We move in the morning. Have the men ready."

The lords and the ladies nodded. The battle to take Nara might be threefold from now on.

* * *

**Kusaga Shrine Entrance, Nara**

**Midnight**

The guards bowed all the way to their toes when they saw the train of Lady Margaret coming through. It did not matter that it was such a late hour, or that they were half-asleep; they rushed faster than they ever had before to get this gate open. It seemed like even the deer they passed on the way to the Residential District were bowing to Lady Margaret as she passed.

As Lady Margaret neared the Kusaga Shrine, she saw the main temple spring to life. The fires burned as if they were reacting to the presence of one blessed by Amaterasu. It was an odd sight, indeed.

"Something feels wrong," Margaret thought.

It was not the shrine that caused this feeling, the guards, or even the crazy deer. It was a feeling inside her heart as she gazed first upon the palace in the distance, and then in two different directions away from the city. She did not know what it was, but it could not be good.

* * *

I'm researching, writing three papers, and doing this at the same time. I worked really, really hard to get this to my faithful readers. All… how many of you there are. Thank you for staying with me. Auf Wiedersehen!


	23. Chapter 23

Samurai and Ninjas Chap. 23

I do not own Persona or the character's likenesses, sorry everyone. Atlus does. Blame my lack of creativity.

This story takes place towards the middle of the Heian period of Japan. I am not being completely historically accurate with this, so do not get all over my back about it. I could, but I am not going to be. How much Personas will play a part in it, I do not know about that one.

A note, I will mainly use first names first, then last names. I know this is the one glaring difference that I am using in respect of their culture, but since I am writing in English… I will write as such.

So busy… yet happy to be able to write for you. I am now beta reading too. It will just be another thing that will make me a little slower in producing what you might think is a mediocre piece of art… so if you could be patient with me, please.

* * *

**Palace of Nara: Main Hall**

**Near Midnight**

The air… it was so cold. It was not just the smoke… it was as if all the air in the hall was freezing around Souji. Souji could see the demon fairy meticulously eliminating the smoke. He could feel the pixie use its powers as the cold started to immobilize each of the samurai's extremities. Nagi was circling around the perimeter, apparently looking for the best place to strike.

Souji felt the thin blade from the long-haired young woman slash his back. He had been completely incapable of stopping the black-haired swordswoman from striking her. Though Souji knew she was coming, the chill stopped him from dodging, feinting, parrying, or anything of the sort.

The needles of ice that struck Souji just above the wrist was the one thing that made Souji drop his sword. The pixie was a real pain in Souji's ass as he cursed. Twice he tried to pick up his sword… the first time the fairy sent ice his way, and the second time the fairy just froze the hilt.

"Damn fairy…" Souji muttered.

The blood on Souji's back was starting to run as he grimaced in pain. Souji knew he was in far too much trouble near the smoke. It was even colder in there then the outside. He was regretting hiding in there. He could not get to his long blade because the pixie was stopping him each time from grabbing a hold of the cold steel. His bow was nearby… he would have to rely on that. Souji's only other weapon… was his last resort.

Nagi was feeling confident. She had the upper hand against the most famous swordsman in Nara. Sure, she had support from a demon, but she had only started fighting. A wide-open space like this… was her specialty. In fact, she had expected something more from Seta. Maybe, he was rusty from fighting such weak opponents all the time, or was it had never seen warriors like Nagi or her brother. It made her wonder how her little cousin was so easily stopped by Seta in the first place.

Her idle thoughts were broken when her opponent came bursting through the frozen smoke with his yumi in his hands, and an arrow cocked towards her still form. She started to move to the left, her speed increasing with every step. The black boots that Nagi wore were barely visible as she abandoned her fighting style from earlier. She would not be struck by such a slow-firing weapon. It was rather pathetic that he would try such a trick. It was only because he had no other weapon available that Seta was reduced to using his yumi. She decided it was time to end this… She leapt high into the air, towards Seta with her thin blade vertically over her head.

Souji had run out of the bone-chilling smoke with the intent of firing his arrow into Nagi's leg. When he saw that Nagi had increased her speed exponentially… Souji quickly abandoned that plan. There was no way he could hit her without being able to completely focus, something he could not do with Naoto lingering in his mind. He was only able to drive that arrow in the minotaur's head because it was stationary at the time. A quick moving target like Nagi… it would be impossible for him to hit his mark. Souji needed to change his plans again… quickly at that. Nagi had jumped high in the sky, her sword coming to split open his skull.

There was green light surrounding Nagi's blade. The last time Souji saw green light surround a blade, he was being cut apart by Naoto's other cousin. Those two were definitely not normal humans. Even if their blades and her fashion sense did not fit the mold, Nagi's speed and skill made her the perfect ninja… the perfect kunoichi.

Souji swiveled his whole body and took aim at a different target. If he could not hit Nagi, he at least wanted full mobility back so he would not shatter into a million pieces when he got slashed by her. Souji closed his eyes and sunk his heart and soul into the blue pools that appeared in front of him. The string that was behind his air was released and the arrow went flying… in a very different direction that from where Nagi was headed.

Nagi gasped at seeing the arrow's flight as she came down on Souji's left shoulder with his word, and though she was watching Souji crumple in pain; the force was lessened by seeing the arrow fly into her summoned pixie's heart.

The cut that Nagi had made into Souji's shoulder had nearly hit his collarbone and he was trying his hardest not to yell out in pain. The one who called out in pain was Souji's opponent at seeing her familiar fall. The pixie was Nagi's friend and companion and having it disappear because of Souji's arrow caused her great pain… but also made anger well up inside of her.

Souji's grip on the bow had slackened. As Souji fell to his knees, the yumi fell to his left. Nagi's rage was unquenchable. Her black boot made contact with Souji's ribs over and over. Nagi was hoping for much more than bruises. It seemed to be working as Souji could feel one of his ribs breaking.

"You bastard!" Nagi yelled, "Suffer!" She stopped kicking Souji for one second to proclaim, "You will never touch Naoto!"

The kick that came after that proclamation made Souji curl into a ball. He was in a lot of pain. He could not hold back anymore… especially if she was going to cause internal bleeding soon.

* * *

**By Kanji's room**

**Same time**

Raidou struck again and again with his own thin blade. The man with the black hair, black eyes, and black cape was unable to stagger Kanji this time around. Raidou was not attacking with quite the same fervor as before. In actuality, Raidou was saving his energy because of the ferocity of his earlier attacks. He was still somewhat tired and if he had to use his speed again… well it would not necessarily require his speed.

Raidou backed up a step to dodge a vertical kanabo strike from Kanji that made a large hole in the stone floor. He turned his head slightly as the scream of Nagi reached his ears. At first, it worried Raidou that maybe his sister might be gravely injured. He did not even know Nagi was here. It might have been that Gozuki hurt him? Though, maybe not… the scream Nagi emitted was not of pain, but instead one of anguish and sorrow.

Raidou needed to end this. It was taking far too long for him to get rid of this lord so he could take Naoto back home. Raidou took a deep breath before green light started to glow around his blade again. Raidou's charge took him straight to the left thigh. He was going to sever an artery.

As the blade was about strike the Lord of Nara, it was if a thunderclap was heard throughout the palace. It knocked Raidou off his feet and on to his backside. As Raidou looked at his burnt hand, he saw that his sword was broken in half. The other half of his sword… was in Lord Tatsumi's hand. The bleeding lord had caught his blade somehow. The blond-haired lord, his slick hair had rearranged itself. His wounds were healing and there was nothing but malice in the lord's eyes.

From the far right section of the hallway, Naoto gazed upon the new man, and was scared. This Lord Tatsumi seemed nothing like the one she knew from before. Watching him drop her oldest cousin's sword, she was downright terrified.

"Give me back Naoto!" Lord Tatsumi's voice was near a growl.

"She is not yours to take," Raidou answered coolly.

If only Raidou could say he was that relaxed on the inside. He had no time to worry about it as Kanji came at him. At the beginning, Kanji's swings of his large weapon were slow enough that Raidou could almost stop and kiss the kanabo as it came by. He was really struggling this time around to avoid the weapon.

Kanji swung the kanabo horizontally across his torso. Raidou was barely able to step back as he felt the weapon cutting through the air with a defining noise. One second later, Raidou was rolling to his right to dodge a vertical strike that came from overhead. There was no way Lord Tatsumi could have gotten that fast. But seeing the huge crater in the stone floor and comparing it to the one Kanji had made just a few moments before the thunderclap… it could not be possible. Raidou could not finish his thoughts before Lord Tatsumi was upon the black-caped man again.

"Is this… is this why the Kusaga Shrine was built?" Raidou thought, dodging another horizontal blow.

"For the Lords of Nara?" Raidou thought.

The Kusaga Shrine was a shrine honoring Take-Mikazuchi. Was it also meant to honor the Lords of Nara and to give them strength in times of crises? If that was so… then Raidou was in a lot of trouble.

"Oh shit…" Raidou muttered right before a horizontal strike grazed his jacketed tunic.

Even though Raidou was barely touched by Kanji's weapon, the peasant was knocked almost all the way back to Naoto. Raidou tumbled off the stone floor and slid around 180 degrees.

"Raidou!" Naoto yelled out.

Raidou blinked his eyes. His whole body was sore now. There were large bruises on Raidou's left side, and he would not be surprised if he had dislocated one of his fingers. It certainly hurt enough. Kanji's strike may have been an attack that black-haired young man almost dodged, but Raidou was still a bruised mess now. Lord Tatsumi had become some sort of monster, blessed by the gods.

"The bastard is fighting to take away my cousin," Raidou thought, trying to get to my feet, "I'll never allow it."

Using his arms, and with some difficulty… Raidou managed to get to his feet. He turned to see an advancing Lord Tatsumi. Raidou could not fight the lord without a weapon. Raidou's sword had been broken by the blessed freak.

It was a lie though. Raidou had one weapon left to use against Kanji.

As Kanji was about ten steps away, Raidou yelled at Naoto, "Run away… I'm leaving, and so are you."

Raidou put his hand near the left side of his belt and grabbed his final tube. It was the one that contained Mizuki. Raidou grabbed a hold of the tube in his right arm, and turned to grab Naoto with his other.

"Raidou, no!" Naoto exclaimed.

Naoto did not want to see either of them hurt. She was unsure of what was happening, but this could not be good. The last thing Naoto wanted was to leave one of the two to an unknown fate, especially if they could get hurt.

Her fears came true as Raidou's right arm came forward and the tube hit the floor. The demon that came forth was extremely similar to the one Raidou had summoned before. It was a minotaur, but instead of being brown… it was blue. It carried an axe as well and also had a short tunic. It was blocking the path between Lord Tatsumi and the pair of peasants.

"What is that!" Naoto yelled as Raidou started to drag her away.

"It's our way out…" Raidou wheezed. He never realized just how injured he really was until he took a deep breath and felt bruised ribs.

As Naoto felt herself being pulled along by her cousin, the young servant could not help but feel sorry for the lord she had been serving. Lord Tatsumi had become very scary in the last couple minutes, but the demon that her cousin brought forth; that was beyond anything she had ever seen.

"If you die… I can't tell you that I refuse to sleep with you," Naoto murmured.

Raidou was going to head towards the Main Hall. He knew that all of the commotion: the screaming, the thunderclap, the demon summoning… the guards and servants would soon be running around trying to find out what in the world is going on. They would need to hurry and get out of here.

* * *

**Main Hall**

**Before the Summoning of Mizuki**

Nagi was pretty satisfied with the amount of damage she had done on Seta so far. She had to have broken a fair number of his ribs and she had made deep incisions in both his back and shoulder. Seeing Souji curled into a ball in pain… that might be enough for Nagi to consider that she had done enough damage to her opponent that he would leave Naoto alone. However, Seta just had to kill her summon. The pixie was her friend, and killing her was unforgivable. The tubes that held the demons that Raidou and Nagi used took over two years to make. There was no idea how long it would be until she would be to see her friend again. Souji was going to be stabbed by her thin blade. He will feel the pain for the rest of his life.

Souji needed some sort of distraction… any sort of distraction. Souji knew that the long-haired woman was about to do something else to him, but he was not sure what. He could fight off his broken ribs and his semi-limp left arm… well the arm was already last encounter with that family; he just needed a chance to get out of the way. He may not have a katana in his hand or his yumi… but he had another trick up his sleeve. The one weapon behind his back… the weapon behind his back was meant for Souji's honor and dishonor.

"Lord Tatsumi!" Souji yelled when the loud noise that resounded throughout the palace hit their ears.

"Raidou!" Nagi yelled as well. She also yelled, "Naoto!"

Nagi looked worried, and all thoughts of putting her sword through Souji Seta were lost at the sound of lightning. If either her brother or her cousin were hurt… whoever caused this problem was going to die.

Souji had to trust… he had to trust that Lord Tatsumi was fine. He doubted it could hurt a man like Kanji. He had to believe… that Naoto was okay. Why he worried about Naoto… he did not know, but it was the distraction he needed.

Nagi had lowered her sword. This was Souji's chance, so he rolled back… amazingly using his own legs to push himself into a standing position.

Nagi was shaken out of her reverie of worry by seeing Souji back on his feet. The woman with white pants with a green overcoat saw the samurai in now dirtied silver and white hakama pull a nodachi from behind his back. The short, hilt-less sword was used by samurai… well for when they committed dishonorable acts. It seemed that it was now going to be used as a weapon against Nagi.

Nagi watched the young man suddenly pushed off his right leg behind him and the left leg in front. Nagi tried to speed up again as she charged forward, but Souji sped up with her and launched in a side flip. The two clashed as Nagi tried to slash in a diagonal upward blow, but was met in a parrying attack by Souji's smaller blade. When Souji landed, he first jumped back, but then shot straight towards the black-haired young woman. It became a flash of long black hair and green and a short silver blade and silver hair as you could barely see the two connect.

Nagi soon realized why Souji was the most famous samurai of the Fujiwara family. He had been hiding his true speed, his true power, and his true ability to withstand pain. Souji was as good as advertised. Nagi just needed to survive him.

It was if Souji was toying with Nagi… he struck at her midsection, the one place she could easily block, over and over. Yet, Nagi could never return with a parrying blow. Souji was too fast, too agile, and with his shorter blade… too maneuverable.

Putting most of his weight on his left foot, Souji flipped off behind, just 90 degrees to the right from Nagi. Nagi thought it was a time where she could attack. It had to be… She needed to make some sort of move.

Everywhere around the hall… servants and guards had gathered to see the samurai and mysterious young woman fight each other. Nagi's yell was probably the first thing that woke most of the servants and caused nearby guards to come rushing over to the hall. Of course, any unfortunate people who rushed over to the hallway where the thunderclap occurred would be in for a big surprised… especially after the demon was summoned. The guards that stood watch had no idea who this young woman was that was fighting the famous samurai. All they knew was to stay far away from Souji Seta when he fought an opponent.

The black-haired girl made a move to try and disarm Souji. Considering most of Souji's attacks came at her torso and chest, she thrust her blade at Souji's own chest. She hoped that it would make contact with the samurai's nodachi and she would be able to parry Souji's weapon in a way where she could send it flying. When she did thrust her own blade, she struck nothing but air. Souji had spun around, right by Nagi to her right side.

"This is it…" Souji thought.

The nodachi struck Nagi's right wrist, cutting all the way down and severing the muscle and first wrist bone. Nagi's scream was of pain this time as she dropped her sword. After she screamed, the samurai front kicked her to the ground.

Souji had no time to listen to her scream. He was in pain, and he had to check on his lord. It was only after the battle that all of the adrenaline wore off and Souji knew exactly how much pain he was in. The broken ribs, the wounds on his back and shoulder; they were all extremely painful. The bloodied samurai re-sheathed his nodachi behind his back and searched for his other sword. When he found it, it was still very cold, but Souji still placed it back in the scabbard. His yumi would need to be restrung after this battle too. Picking up the damaged bow, he saw that many of the servants and guards were in awe of his handiwork.

"You might want to help her…" Souji told a servant.

"Oh… right," a male servant in the typical black and gold yukata with short black hair answered.

Before he took five steps, a voice called out. It was a calm and collected one, but it had a touch of worry behind it, "Nagi!"

"Oh… shit," Souji muttered.

Souji saw the black-clothed young man named Raidou make his way through the crowd of servants and guards to his sister. What he did not expect to see was Kanji's servant… the girl that was interrupting his focus, Naoto, being dragging behind Raidou. Though, Raidou was Naoto's older cousin. At least, Naoto looked unharmed as she was being towed around.

Raidou ran up to the bleeding girl and kneeled besides her.

"Are you alright?" Raidou asked his sister.

"What do you think?" Nagi responded, attempting to hold up her nearly severed wrist.

"Why… why did you fight him?" Raidou asked.

"He was going to take away Naoto," Nagi explained.

Raidou patted Nagi on the shoulder, took off his cape and wrapped it on the wound to try and staunch the bleeding. He tried not to do any damage to her bones, but it would be difficult. He stood up and confronted the other young man, the samurai.

"Is this true?" Raidou asked the man about twenty feet away, "Are you trying to take away Naoto?"

"I had no idea what Nagi was talking about," Souji answered, "Something about me being in love with her and going on and on about things like that."

That made Naoto's head turn. That Nagi would say that Souji was in love with Naoto. It did not make any sense at all to Naoto. Why would she accuse Souji of such a thing when Souji never showed any real interest in her? Souji was promised to a little girl, his own cousin, in fact.

"What is Raidou talking about, Souji?" Naoto asked.

If it bugged Raidou that Naoto called Seta by the name, Souji… he did not show it. He just could not find a connection between the two… unless, there was some twisted love triangle between the lord, this samurai, and Naoto.

His thoughts were interrupted by a guard that came forth holding his side. It was bleeding heavily, and his mouth running with blood as well. Raidou shook his head. The guard must have stumbled upon the demon.

"There is a… a huge demon roaming the halls!" the guard choked out, "Lord Tatsumi is fighting it!"

Souji's eyes widened. Could it be another minotaur? Nagi said that Raidou had two of them. He raised his eyebrows towards him, and Raidou just shrugged. When he looked at Naoto, however… gave a short and saddened nod. It was as if… Naoto was mad at Souji for hurting her cousin.

Souji was probably too injured to go fight another demon. The only reason that he was able to defeat the first one so easily… was because of the support of Nagi and her own summon. This one would be probably near impossible for him to defeat on his own.

Raidou was wondering if he should stop try and stop Seta. The man was beginning to walk towards the hallway he had just left with Naoto. That was when everyone began bowing so deeply that he was surprised their heads were not touching their bodies.

Souji had turned his head as well. He never expected for her to show up. She was so beautiful, yet she held so much power… in name. The long slightly curly hair with a golden sheen… there were very few women with that hair color. The semi-dark blue robes that belonged to this tall woman. Why had the granddaughter of Emperor Igor arrived in Nara? They had Lord Theodore in attendance only a few days ago, and now Lady Margaret had come. She was the most serious of the grandchildren and was the first to show her emotions.

"Lady Margaret…" a few of the servants and guards said to her as she entered.

Lady Margaret did not answer, only walked over to where Souji was currently standing. Souji had bowed at her presence, but nowhere as deep as the others. He had some standing in the world.

Lady Margaret placed her hand on Souji non-injured shoulder. Souji felt the warmth from a woman blessed by Amaterasu. He felt as though he had not been fighting at all, and as he looked at his left shoulder; the wound had stopped bleeding.

Souji was unsure of what to say to her, "Thank you, Lady Margaret."

Souji knew that the woman was extremely talented, but not in dulling pain receptors and speeding up the healing process. She really was blessed by the goddess.

If Souji was not completely euphoric at being healed, he might have protested at Margaret placing her hand on Nagi's wrist. In Margaret's eyes, it did not matter… she would heal all. He had to admire that.

Raidou had to walk up to Margaret and say to her, "Thank you for helping my sister, Lady Margaret."

Margaret nodded, but at the same time… a large crash rang throughout the palace. In Raidou's eyes, his demon had to be battling with Lord Tatsumi.

Margaret turned away from Raidou and walked towards the origin of the crash. It sounded like a bad idea, and Souji had to agree.

"Lady Margaret!" one of Margaret's own servants, dressed in the same blue called out.

"I will be fine," Margaret responded.

As the royalty entered the hallway, the grandchild of the emperor's personal guards seemed tentative. They knew they should run after her and protect her, but something was scaring them from following Margaret.

Souji shook his head at the guards' ineptitude and ran after her. It was not if he did not believe Margaret did not know what she doing; he just believed that somebody should be doing their job.

If the guards' cowardice was surprising, Naoto tearing away from Raidou's side and running after Souji was shocking.

"Naoto!" Raidou yelled at her.

"Maybe… Nagi was right," Raidou thought as he watched Naoto race after Souji.

* * *

**Kanji's room**

**Two minutes later**

Lady Margaret's golden hair shone brightly as she saw the Lord of Nara swinging quickly and frantically at a minotaur much taller and larger than him. Lord Tatsumi might be faster, but his kanabo strikes did very little damage to the demon. Even if the minotaur was slower than Kanji, it was fast enough with its oversized weapon to parry attacks.

As Mizuki struck out at Kanji with a scooping upward strike, his eyes caught a glimpse of Margaret. The demon lowered his axe and if Kanji was not bleeding from three places on his chest… he probably would have taken advantage of it. Kanji was still standing in the way, so Margaret walked past Lord Tatsumi by brushing past him with her soft hand.

The demon all but purred as Margaret placed that same hand on Mizuki. He lowered his head so Margaret could place her hand above his horns.

"Lord Tatsumi? Lady Margaret?" Souji called out as he walked into the hallway.

Margaret sighed. This was her sister's favorite skill. "I want you to die for me…"

The minotaur began struggling to breath. It sank to his knees and started to disappear. This was Margaret's unfortunate flip side to being blessed. She could heal others, but she could also kill. She was just glad she was able to help that girl on the floor and hopefully she had woken up Lord Tatsumi from his crazed state. He looked pretty scary... like he was going to kill everyone near him.

Margaret turned around to Souji, "I'm glad somebody followed me, considering my guards did not." She continued, "Well… Now that is over… can you please direct me to my room?"

Souji shook his head, but seeing a girl in a black and gold yukata walk past Souji to direct Margaret to an empty room. Naoto had followed Souji to the hallway. The fact that she had followed him… was really intriguing. The fact that Naoto gave a relieved smile towards Souji as she passed him was… even more intriguing. He had no idea what it meant. Was it because Nagi was going to be okay? Was it because both he and Lord Tatsumi were safe? She could not have chased after Souji… because she wanted to check up on him?

* * *

**Minamoto Camp**

**Before Dawn**

The head of the Minamoto family was not sleeping; in fact… he had left the whole camp to go a tent far away from the rest of the train of soldiers and servants. Lord Arisato was absent his guards and servants. The only people in the tent besides the lord were two priests and sitting in the back… was a young girl. The young girl had very short green hair that was in a bowl cut design. Her aquamarine eyes belied her true powers, and Minato was about to exploit them.

Lord Arisato wore dark, darker than navy blue robes. His hair was that almost that same shade of blue as well that had a part over his left eye. His opposite was sitting down bowed almost to the floor.

"Fuuka… what do you see?" Minato asked as he sat down, reached out, and held Fuuka's hands.

Fuuka closed her eyes. She tried to reach out to the world and see what no one else could. She was a prophetess… and she had to find out where the world stood.

"Fuuka… what do you see? Minato asked again, "Do you see a Taira army?"

Fuuka nodded, her eyes still closed.

"How large are they?" Minato asked.

It was as if Fuuka had a second set of eyes, scanning the land outside of Nara, away from her own. She looked at every tent, every soldier sleeping outside the campfires, every servant. Fuuka was trying to gauge the strength of the other army.

"There are about as many plain soldiers as we have," Fuuka told Minato.

"What about lords and ladies?" Minato inquired.

Fuuka tried her hardest to guide her eyes into each tent for those who lived there. She looked for the nobles and leaders of the army.

"There are countless lords and ladies there," Fuuka answered, "I see Lady Serizawa and Lady Kirishima."

Minato grimaced in frustration. It was if the Taira family members had no issue with bringing ladies along to war. Some of the strongest warriors in Taira were women, but then again… many of the ladies in Minamoto were brilliant warriors. Both Minato and his personal guard decided not to bring many ladies… most of them their wives.

"Who is their strategist?" Minato asked.

Fuuka looked for a certain man who was still awake.

"Lord Baofu is present," Fuuka nodded.

Minato knew that Lord Baofu was a brilliant man that would be able to pull the strings of every single man in the army opposite of theirs. Without Lady Kirijo, they would have to count on Fuuka to know where every Taira unit, lord, and lady was during the fight so Minato could plan the attack and make adjustments.

"Lord Nanjo is also there," Fuuka added.

"I see…" Minato said.

Lord Kei Nanjo… he was another brilliant man who would be able to adjust the Taira army's tactics in an instant.

Minato released his grip on Fuuka's hands and she opened her eyes. She did extremely well. She gave him all the information he expected from her at the moment. Minato expected much more from her later on, but at the moment… she did a terrific job.

"Good job, Fuuka," Minato told her.

"Thank you, Lord Arisato," Fuuka said.

There was a lot of planning to do before the battle, and Minato needed to make sure they were ready to take Nara. They had to fight Tairas, not Fujiwaras.

* * *

Really… the only reason I can push out these past few chapters are because of canceled classes and taking breaks from translating Japanese books from the late 19th century. It got kind of occult and crazy in this chapter, but I am still staying loosely attached to history. I promise… it will remain somewhat closer to reality for the bigger battles. Auf Wiedersehen!


	24. Chapter 24

Samurai and Ninjas Chap. 24

I do not own Persona or the character's likenesses, sorry everyone. Atlus does. Blame my lack of creativity.

This story takes place towards the middle of the Heian period of Japan. I am not being completely historically accurate with this, so do not get all over my back about it. I could, but I am not going to be. How much Personas will play a part in it, I do not know about that one.

A note, I will mainly use first names first, then last names. I know this is the one glaring difference that I am using in respect of their culture, but since I am writing in English… I will write as such.

So busy… yet happy to be able to write for you. I am now beta reading too. It will just be another thing that will make me a little slower in producing what you might think is a mediocre piece of art… so if you could be patient with me, please.

* * *

**Temp. Room for Lady Margaret in Nara Palace**

**Just before Dawn**

The golden-haired woman shed her blue robes as she lay down in her lavish room. She was coerced by the head of the Fujiwara family, Tohru Adachi, to go to Nara to analyze the situation in the city. Apparently, Adachi had received a letter from Lord Tanaka describing disarray within the city. Tanaka blamed Lord Tatsumi for the squalor and distress outside the city with the little farm villages, but when Margaret came upon them; they blamed Tanaka with their stories of being tortured because he was asking to provide taxes that was impossible for them to give. It certainly changed Margaret's opinion of Tanaka… if she had an opinion of him in the first place.

His letter mentioned the disarray of Nara… well she got to see a good amount inside the palace. There was a dead guy in a green tunic who was missing his head lying about in the center of the hall. She had to heal Souji Seta, who had been in some sort of terrible fight with another young woman that she had decided to heal. Her hand had nearly been cut off by the samurai. The demon that was summoned in the hallway was not the only one she felt. Two demons had been summoned in the hall as well. She had to kill that minotaur and rescind whatever had stolen Lord Tatsumi's consciousness. There was another suspicious guy who was lying dead in Lord Tatsumi's hallway with a huge bloody rent in his chest… a wound probably caused by Lord Tatsumi.

The letter also stated Lord Tatsumi keeping a servant away and preventing her execution. The residents of that village spoke of a peasant that had been saved by Souji Seta and taken to Lord Tatsumi to decide her fate. Tanaka seemed unhappy that she was alive, and he wrote about it. She might have found her. In the hall, a young woman yelling after Souji Seta as she was headed towards Lord Tatsumi and that demon. That young woman was standing next to the man who wearing all black and the mysterious girl she healed in the hall. The petite girl with sharp and dark blue hair was also the servant who directed her to a room. The servant headed back the way she came after dropping Margaret off at this room.

What was the relation between Souji Seta and this girl? Margaret had no idea… Souji certainly looked befuddled when the young girl came behind him to lead Margaret to her room. What was the young girl's relation to Lord Tatsumi at that? Margaret would need a lot more time to figure this out…

Margaret did not have the time to figure it out. A war was coming… it was already here. Two armies were all but on top of Nara, waiting to destroy the city in order to gain a foothold on this land. Her younger sister was probably there, helping the Minamotos in their quest to retake the land.

One of her servants walked through the sliding door. The female servant with a mix of short black and gold hair and the blue yukata bowed as she stepped inside.

"How are you, Aria?" Margaret asked.

"I am doing well, Lady Margaret," Aria responded.

"How is it looking out there?" She looked past Aria to the hallway.

"Your guards are working with the palace guards to clean up the mess," Aria answered, "Apparently, assassins killed a bunch of servants so they could try and get to Lord Tatsumi. The servants are trying to wipe down and clean up a huge mess, but there's so much rubble lying about."

Margaret sighed. She told Aria, "Tell my guards to be ready… there will be a great battle soon, and we will be in the middle of it." She closed her eyes, "Warn the palace guards while you're at it."

Aria bowed, "Yes, Lady Margaret."

As Aria headed out the door, Margaret lay down and said to no one in particular, "We need to save as many of them as possible."

* * *

**Lady Nanako Dojima's Residence**

**Just before Dawn**

Lady Dojima woke up abruptly to the sound of one of her caretakers yelling with Lord Dojima. Apparently, they were having an argument about letting him in at such an early hour and waking the young mistress.

"I need to see my daughter," Dojima argued, "It is a matter of life and death!"

"What are you talking about?" the caretaker questioned. She told Dojima, "You can not even see the sun yet."

"Something that could destroy the balance of Nara," Dojima explained. He continued, "Listen… I need to keep my daughter safe!"

In a move that surprised the caretaker, Nanako slid open the door and stood in the doorway. Though she was still half-asleep, she looked straight at her father.

"What is wrong, father?" Nanako asked her father.

"I need to get you to the palace," Dojima told her.

"Why, father?" Nanako looked confused.

"There are more guards there," Dojima tried to tell her, "The safest place would probably be the building with the most protection."

Nanako turned her head sideways, "But… won't the people who are coming target the palace first?"

"But… how did you know there is an army coming?" Dojima looked surprised.

"Because father… palaces hold the leaders," Nanako told him.

"There is no way… a girl her age could have figured all of those facts out on her own," Dojima thought.

Dojima turned to the caretaker that he had been arguing with, "I want you to go with Lady Dojima to the palace."

"What about you, father?" Nanako asked.

"I am going to try and bring as many of the guards together to form a cohesive army before we are attacked," Dojima answered.

"What about Souji?" Nanako looked down.

"He's a warrior, not a leader," Dojima explained his reasoning.

"Oh…" Nanako closed her eyes.

"I'm leaving, and I expect you to leave soon," Dojima nodded.

Dojima needed to go to every lord and lady's residence and gather the guards. He would need to also ready the soldiers at the gates. Without Yosuke Hanamura, Dojima would have to trust Souji Seta to protect Nanako. If Kanji was still acting like he was earlier… then he would have to take command of the city. This was his city to protect.

* * *

**Tanaka's residence**

**Just before Dawn**

Lord Tanaka had sent his wife, Lady Sayoko Uehara to Kyoto for her own safety. There were far too many people after his head to keep this woman around. If he wanted some pleasure, he could always visit Lady Ozawa or another woman. Though Tanaka had abandoned the city for a short time to meet with the assassins; he expected the mission to be finished by now. The assassination was supposed to cause enough of a stir that he would be able to slip in undetected. Well, he could do that anyways. He expected Jin and Takaya to come right back amidst the confusion, but Tanaka was still waiting around.

That the assassins could have failed… it annoyed him. The thing that really peeved Tanaka was when he took a look inside his home and saw… that someone had broken in.

"What the!" Tanaka exclaimed as he took a look at his ransacked home.

There were overturned tables, clothes everywhere, and that Tanaka did not even start on the bedrooms. Curtains and the sliding doors had slashes in them, as if someone had a duel in the middle of his house. Who was fighting in his home? He could understand if someone was looking for him, but why would people be fighting in the middle of his residence? Who knows how long it would take to fix this place? He would have to hire people to rebuild his home, and he hated paying peasants.

"Tch…," Tanaka shrugged, "If there are any peasants left after this."

He was right… He took too long in his mission. The Minamotos and the Tairas were upon the city. All Tanaka could do was try and survive the battle and make his next move later.

Tanaka walked out of his bedroom, but not before opening the top drawer in his dresser and pressing a button at the bottom. A secret compartment came out, and he grabbed two short knives from the compartment. Tanaka needed some sort of protection.

"All I need to do now is find Togodai and then I will be able to escape the city," Tanaka thought, hiding the two knives in his robes.

Togodai may be injured, but he could still be a useful asset in battle. A useful asset indeed… even if the samurai becomes fodder for the opposing armies' swords. Then again, so would every person in Nara, besides Tanaka.

* * *

**Temp. Room for Souji**

**Just before Dawn**

Souji Seta was still extremely sore, despite being healed by Lady Margaret's mysterious technique. I guess there was no substitute to rest after fighting a tough battle. He went against one of the strongest women he had ever faced. Nagi was stronger than any samurai Souji had ever fought. Souji really wished he did not have to reach full speed. That was probably why he was so sore, not because of his injuries.

Souji was not really sure where Nagi and Raidou had gone after Margaret healed Nagi. Souji wondered if they ran away to go into hiding, maybe to plan their next attack. They could not be happy, considering Naoto did not go with them. That probably really pissed them off. If there were armies coming, Souji could use two skilled fighters like Nagi and Raidou if there was going to be war, but he did not know where they were. It was frustrating.

Seeing the door slid open was unexpected, Souji did not really want to be bothered until the morning. His minor annoyance was quelled when he saw who came through the door. The petite short blue-haired girl with the left part who was clothed in a gold and black yukata was the same one who walked Margaret to her room, and was the same one who entered Souji's room. It was also the same girl who filled Souji's mind every time he tried to concentrate… or empty his mind, for that matter.

Souji was sitting against the wall, all of his pillow-like objects supporting his back. He said to the young woman, "Naoto… What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see if you were okay," Naoto explained. She added in frustration, "Don't stare at me!"

Souji shook his head in denial, but he really was staring at Naoto. Souji was staring at Naoto's endless blue pools that were her eyes. Her eyes… Naoto's eyes were the one thing that Souji could not get out of his head. It was not like Souji was staring anywhere else.

"Why… why are you staring at me?" Naoto asked, a blush creeping up her face.

"I don't know," Souji responded, "I just am."

Souji noticed something different this time. Naoto was not looking away from him. She was staring straight back at Souji, instead of turning away from him in embarrassment.

"What are you staring at?" Souji rebuked.

"Umm…" Naoto's blush increased.

Naoto was not really sure why she was staring at Souji. Did it have something to do with the time Souji appeared in her thoughts when those weapons flew out of that metal box?

"Should we just leave it at confusion?" Souji shrugged.

Naoto shook her head, "I don't know about that." She added, "You're still staring at me…"

"I guess… I am as bad as my lord," Souji sighed.

"Not even close," Naoto gave a small smile as she sat down next to Souji.

"How does your wound feel?" Souji asked. He meant the chest wound that was inflicted by Han'nya and Mitsuo a few days earlier. He said, "Margaret didn't heal you because she didn't know you were hurt."

It felt very odd to Souji to have Naoto sitting next to him.

"It's sore…" Naoto answered, "Especially since I have been running a bit this evening."

"Chasing after me…" Souji thought.

"Any lingering effects from your injuries?" Naoto asked.

"Nothing permanent," Souji said.

Souji looked at the girl at his side, "So… do you know where your cousins went?"

"I have no idea," Naoto said.

"I don't think Raidou looked very happy to see you stay here," Souji told Naoto.

Naoto bit her lip, "No… He wanted me to go home."

"Why didn't you?" Souji asked.

Naoto closed her eyes. She really wanted to go home. She wanted to see her grandfather, her friends, and the rest of the villagers. It was something she wanted to do more than anything else, but for some reason… she decided to stay here. Maybe it was because that Lord Tatsumi was not an immediate threat to her was why she felt more relaxed and willing to stay here.

"There's a war coming, Naoto," Souji said.

Naoto asked something she never would have asked before she became a servant in Nara, "Will… will you protect me?"

Souji had to smile at this odd change in Naoto's demeanor, "Of course… I will… as best as I can."

Souji was surprised, but it felt so soothing when Naoto decided to rest her head on his shoulder. It made absolutely no sense to Souji on why Naoto would do something like this. When they first met, Naoto could not get away from Souji fast enough. Now, something had brought Naoto on Souji's shoulder. Souji took one of the pillow-like objects that was currently behind his lower back and placed it near his head. He made himself comfortable. If there was going to be war… any sleep at all would be vital to his survival, and hers. He could promise her one thing... she would be safe as long as she was by his side.

**Outside the North **

**

* * *

**

Gate

**Early Morning- Past Sunrise**

The guards manning the North Gate were extremely tired, but they had been forewarned by Lord Dojima that there was a possible army approaching. They were warned that they were the first line of defense, and that they were to guard this gate no matter what. Dojima was rather frantic and hurried; it seemed like he had a lot of places to go and had no time to spend with them. There were four gates, so Dojima was probably warning each gate.

The truth was that there were only so many guards and if there was an army on their way… what could they really do to defend themselves? A few men to defend themselves with spears and bows against the might of an army… it would be ludicrous to think they could fight off an army. What the men did not know was… there were actually two armies.

One of the spear-carrying guards looked over to another and said to another guard carrying a bow who was dosing off, "Hey… wake up."

"I'm not falling asleep," the bow-carrying guard said, "I'm awake."

"Lord Dojima said that we are supposed to watch this gate for any intruders," the first guard said.

"I know… I wonder why there was such a sudden upr…" The second guard started to say, but he soon started gurgling as a long thin needle popped through his throat.

"What!" the first guard yelled, "Raisho!"

He looked around and saw that four other guards had already had been killed in the same manner. There were large steel needles sticking through each of their larynx. Someone tapped the spear-wielding guard on his shoulder and the guard turned around and fell back in shock. What he saw when he turned around was a young woman cloaked in light white armor, armed with what seemed like hundreds of needles. She had short scruffy blond hair with a gold and black headband.

"W… who… who are you?" the guard asked.

The girl responded, "I am… Aigis."

She held up two needles and pointed them towards the only two guards that were remaining on that portion of the wall. "You will open the gate for me."

"She sounds… like," the spear-wielding guard thought.

She somehow had vaulted the wall and killed all but those two guards… all while wearing white. This… Aigis should stick out like a sore thumb. She must have amazing skills in stealth.

"You will open the gate," Aigis commanded.

The two guards slowly made their way down the gate, trying to figure a way to signal the guards farther down the wall. Both of the guards started to crank the gate. The gates opened, but the two guards did not make it out of the gateway. Two needles pierced each of the guard's spines.

"I'm sorry…" Aigis told the guards, but there was no sincerity in her voice.

With the gate opened, the Minamoto army was free to enter, and Aigis would be free to make her next assassination. With the Taira army advancing simultaneously, Aigis would have a choice of targets. She would serve Lord Arisato blindly, no matter if his lover was Lady Takeba or Lady Elizabeth. Her obedience would be till her death.

* * *

**Half a mile away**

"I'm sure Aigis has the gate opened by now," a man wearing a red and white hakama covered by red armor said.

"Then… should we ask for Lady Arisato to call for the advance?" a man wearing a brown and orange hakama with brown armor over the hakama asked.

The silver-haired man with a buzz cut responded, "She left it up to us to start the charge. I believe she's back with her brother. Lord Arisato is directing the army from the back with Fuuka and Elizabeth."

"If that's true, Lord Sanada…" the second lord said, "I say we enter the city."

"I'll inform Lord Amada…" Akihiko nodded. He continued, "Wait for my signal, Lord Aragaki."

Akihiko mounted his horse, which was also a white steed, and turned towards the rest of the army. When he turned, a group of ten guards followed. During the actual battle, there would be fifty men fighting behind Akihiko Sanada.

Ken Amada was the youngest lord of the Minamotos, and was the second youngest middle level lord or lady in Japan. The only younger lord or lady was Nanako Dojima. He was also dressed in brown and orange. He was brought here because he was the best spear user in the Minamoto family and the second-best middle/long-ranged weapon-user in the Minamoto family. The best was Lady Arisato, herself.

The boy… Ken was not happy when the other lords and ladies called him a boy, was waiting impatiently for news about the battle. He had a perpetual rival in Lord Aragaki because of his arranged marriage with Lady Arisato. He had a crush on her, after all.

As Lord Amada brushed back his brown bangs idly, he saw Lord Sanada approaching. He breathed a sigh of relief that something would finally happen.

"Lord Amada…" Akihiko called out from his horse.

Ken responded, "Yes, Lord Sanada."

"We're moving out," Akihiko told Ken.

"Marshal the troops?" Ken questioned.

"Lord Aragaki and I have decided to go ahead," Lord Sanada explained, "Tell your troops to go on ahead while I inform Lord and Lady Arisato."

"I understand," Ken nodded.

Ken raised his hand and turned his head, "We are going on ahead."

* * *

**Souji's Temp. Room- Nara Palace**

**Early Morning**

Souji and Naoto were fast asleep. It was unknown what their dreams were about, but smiles crept on both of their faces as Naoto rested on Souji's shoulder and Souji's head crept on top of it. Dreams were sweet, for the horrors of reality would be coming soon enough. There were horrors that were coming to Souji and Naoto about ten seconds from now.

The door slid open and in came two different people. They had met at the door. One was limping even though he was healed, and the other had ditched her caretaker. Both had been directed to this room by servants. The girl was here to see Souji, while the other was to talk with Souji about what happened recently and discuss battle plans.

Lady Nanako Dojima and Lord Kanji Tatsumi entered Souji's room. It was not surprising to see Souji was sleeping. Kanji needed sleep, and he disliked having to get so soon after falling asleep. What surprised both Kanji and Nanako was seeing Naoto there. What surprised them even more was seeing Naoto resting on Souji's shoulder.

"Oh… Souji," Nanako sunk to her knees.

"Y… You bastard," Kanji muttered.

* * *

I have a presentation to give soon about my Shinto project and I am not that confident. I finished this chapter to give you something before I really drive myself into the ground. Auf Wiedersehen.


	25. Chapter 25

Samurai and Ninjas Chap. 25

I do not own Persona or the character's likenesses, sorry everyone. Atlus does. Blame my lack of creativity.

This story takes place towards the middle of the Heian period of Japan. I am not going to be completely historically accurate with this, so do not get all over my back about it. I could, but I am not going to be. How much Personas will play a part in it, I do not know about that one.

A note, I will mainly use first names first, then last names. I know this is the one glaring difference that I am using in respect of their culture, but since I am writing in English… I will write as such.

So busy… yet happy to be able to write for you. I am now beta reading too. It will just be another thing that will make me a little slower in producing what you might think is a mediocre piece of art… so if you could be patient with me, please.

* * *

**Temp. Room for Souji in Nara Palace**

**Early Morning**

Kanji was not sure what to do when he saw Naoto and Souji together. This was not only his closest childhood friend, but also his personal bodyguard resting alongside the girl of his dreams. Kanji had his slight suspicions towards Souji, but he never expected an open display of affection and caring. Naoto… She was supposed to be his. Souji took her away from him.

Kanji looked at Lady Nanako. She looked saddened and lost at the sight of Naoto and Souji. It made sense to Kanji that she would be devastated by the sight. Nanako was on her knees and except for her first two words directed at Souji; she was speechless.

Naoto slowly opened her eyes. She had the most wonderful dream, but she could barely recall what it was about now that she had awoke from her slumber. All that Naoto knew was that it involved Souji and that it was something that would make her blush if she thought about it too much. The fact that Naoto had fell asleep on Souji's shoulder only compounded that fact. She was not sure why she decided to rest her head on his shoulder, but it was not as bony as she originally thought it would be. In fact, she had fallen asleep almost as soon she touched Souji's shoulder.

Naoto blinked her tired eyes and gazed upon… Lord Tatsumi. How? How could he have found them? He was asleep… he had been ripped apart and smacked around by Raidou's summon. There was no way he could have recovered enough, even with Margaret's healing, to be able to locate Souji here. He should still be asleep, too tired to open his eyes.

"Naoto…" Kanji said softly.

"Yes, Lord Tatsumi," Naoto responded.

"Why are you with lying on Souji's shoulder?" Kanji asked.

Naoto blinked her eyes. Why was she lying on Souji's shoulder? Was it because she felt safe around Souji? Did she feel safe with Souji, even more so than with her cousins?

Naoto sighed, "It's because I want to."

Kanji retorted, "Souji is destined to marry Lady Nanako Dojima and become the ruler of the Dojima house."

Naoto turned her head… and caught a glimpse of the seven-year-old Lady Nanako Dojima on her knees, staring at Souji resting with Naoto.

"And am I to believe that I am supposed to be with you, Lord Tatsumi," Naoto challenged.

Lord Tatsumi did not say anything, but Naoto knew exactly what he was thinking. It was as Souji described. Naoto was supposed to be Lord Tatsumi's. Souji had "stolen" her away from him.

Naoto had no regrets in showing any sort of affection towards Souji in front of Lord Tatsumi. Anyone who wanted to take advantage of her and sleep with her; she would have no issue with sleeping on Souji's shoulder in front of Kanji. She did feel a little sorry that the little girl had to see this, but Nanako had to find out sometime.

Naoto was surprised to see Lady Nanako get up off her knees, wipe her tears, and walk over to Souji. She was still shaking as she whispered into Souji's ear, "W… we were supposed to get married…"

Naoto remembered teasing Souji about being with a child, but she never thought about just how much Nanako cared about Souji. Nanako really did love Souji, but Souji just did not love her like that.

Souji was awoken by a whispering voice that he recognized. It was a voice that he did not expect to hear inside the palace. The attack must have already started.

"Lady Nanako," Souji whispered.

"Souji," Nanako said, and then asked, "Why?"

Souji took a deep breath as his eyes took in the young girl in pink and white robes. It was a far sight from the girl who had been resting on his shoulder. The little girl's short brown pigtails were nothing like the messy blue hair that was on top of Naoto's head. Her cousin would become a lovely woman, but for some reason; Souji cared for the young woman on his shoulder.

"It is as it is," Souji said, "I made my choice."

"Souji…" Nanako frowned, trying to stay composed, "If you did not want to marry me, you should have told me from the start."

"Your father would not have accepted that," Souji shook his head, "I was being forced to do this."

Nanako shut her eyes in frustration, "Father doesn't accept it, but I do."

Souji gave the slightest smile towards Nanako. He turned his head to look at Naoto, and she was smiling as well.

Nanako was not sure what she was going to do now. She knew she was going to marry Souji, she said she was going to marry Souji, but now… she gave up Souji because he loved a servant girl. She was a servant girl that Lord Tatsumi was in love with.

Nanako had no idea how her father would react, but… she was bothered by what he was talking about. There was an army… and her father was trying to organize the Nara army to fight against them.

"Souji!" Lord Tatsumi yelled, and Souji turned his head towards his lord.

"Yes, Lord Tatsumi?" Souji asked.

Kanji cleared his throat, "I have words for you."

"Nothing you say will change this," Souji responded, trying to answer questions that had not been asked yet.

"There is one way to stop this," Kanji responded.

"If you try that… I warn you that you are not recovered enough to achieve the required results," Souji said, his voice never wavering.

Naoto saw the fire in Kanji's eyes. "Is Kanji really threatening him?" Naoto thought.

Naoto was not sure if she could agree with Souji that he was in better shape. They were both pretty cut up after fighting last night. Who needed more recovery time? Souji was probably faster, but Kanji was stronger. It would be just like watching her cousin fighting Kanji… but worse.

"Trust me…" Kanji retorted, "You are wrong about that."

"You have no weapons with you," Souji stated.

"Neither do you," Kanji replied.

Souji reached behind his hakama with great care and pulled out his… nodachi. He smiled and replied, "I wouldn't be so sure about that."

Naoto looked at Souji, "Don't do this, Souji."

"Sorry, Naoto," Souji interrupted.

Kanji and Souji were staring each other down. Kanji thought he might be able to get the jump on him because he was sitting down, even if he had a weapon. Kanji could take Souji, he knew it.

Their staring contest was interrupted by a yell that brought both of their attentions to a small girl with short brown pigtails.

"Stop it!" Nanako yelled.

Souji saw tears start to stream down his cousin's eyes as she continued to yell, "My dad is out there trying to fight an army all by himself while you two are going to kill each other!"

Souji nodded. Nanako was right, there were armies out there. Instead, they were fighting each other over a woman.

Souji stood up while sheathing his blade, removing himself from Naoto's comfort, and walked over to Nanako. He smiled and patted her on the shoulder. He said to her, while looking back at Kanji in disgust, "I'll help your dad."

Kanji was affronted by Souji's tone, but what army was Lord Dojima fighting against? He briefly remembered the council saying something about that when they were trying to coerce him to join the meeting, but he did not remember it.

"I'll help him too," Kanji added.

Souji turned around, rolling his eyes, "You probably don't even know that they're two armies coming for us."

Nanako looked lost, Kanji even more so… so Souji continued, "Both the Minamotos and the Tairas are on top of Nara as we speak."

Kanji shook his head. What had he missed? There were armies from both families possibly inside the city.

Naoto gave Souji a worried look as Nanako's face drooped lower. It was her father out there, after all.

Souji sighed, "We need to move…" Souji steeled his face as he looked at Kanji again, "I don't want to worry about our petty squabbles."

Souji walked away the three, but not before giving a final smile towards Naoto. It was a smile that was full of… full of love. It was a smile he would never have thought of giving before. As Souji closed the sliding door behind him, he muttered, "Now, I just have to figure out where they put my other weapons. Where's a servant when you need them?"

* * *

**Residential District**

**Late Morning**

Dojima had done his best to evacuate every lord and lady from the Residential District. He had run around to each residence to talk to force every noble to go to the palace and have the guards ready themselves to defend the city. Some of the guards were rather defiant, saying they were going to protect so and so, but Ryotarou eventually coerced them by saying that Lord Tatsumi's guards would be able to keep watch over them. He was not sure that the guards were that effective, however.

So far, all of the remaining council besides himself, which meant Lady Ebihara, Lord Ichijo, Lord Nagase, and Lord Konishi had abandoned their residences. It took a little more work to get Lady Kujikawa and Lady Amagi to leave and go to the palace. Lady Yumi Ozawa left with no complaints, but Lord Nagase's wife; Chie Satonaka stayed behind. Dojima guessed there must have been some hidden skills behind the woman. Who knew?

Dojima should have probably headed back by now, but both of the invading armies were already inside Nara. The walls on both sides had been breached by the Minamotos and the Tairas. How far within the city they had advanced… Dojima did not know.

At that time, a messenger arrived from the Mercantile District to speak with Dojima. Dojima was shocked to see that the short-haired man was covered in another man's blood. The messenger all but collapsed as he dropped his broken spear on the ground.

"Give me an update," Dojima asked.

"Both armies have advanced through the North and South Gate," the messenger told Dojima, "They have cut through a good amount of the guards and some of the samurai you placed throughout the city."

"They've made it through the Mercantile District already?" Dojima seemed surprised, not at the fact that it happened, but at the speed in which it happened.

"I thought I would have more time to organize the army," Dojima thought.

"What would you have us do, Lord Dojima?" the messenger asked.

"Start moving the men who are on the edges on both the North and South Gate towards the palace. We don't want the men to be surrounded and flanked by the other family's army if one of our sides collapses," Dojima ordered, "We need to slowly retreat towards a better defensive position."

"Yes, Lord Dojima," the messenger bowed.

"I need to keep everyone alive," Dojima muttered to himself as he started to walk away from the Residential District. He was going to head through the middle of the Mercantile District to reach the palace. Then… he would be able to see his daughter again.

* * *

**North side of the Mercantile District**

**Late Morning**

The Minamotos were making great headway into Nara in a very short matter of time. Even with a small amount of nobles, few samurai, and lesser troops; the Minamoto family had nearly completely broken through and captured the Northern half of the Mercantile District. The one person doing the most damage was not a noble, or even a real foot soldier. It was a simple assassin by the name of Aigis, who had opened the gate and was now killing higher-ranking soldiers before they had a chance to draw their weapons.

Aigis was not the only one doing her part to collapse the Fujiwara wall of guards as previously mentioned. The Minamotos had formed somewhat of an arrow formation for their troops as Lord Akihiko was on the right side facing towards the palace, and Lord Aragaki was on the left side facing towards the Residential District. Lord Iori was clearing out anyone who was left on the walls, while Ken Amada… he had charged straight to the front of the attack.

Rushing headlong into the enemy, Lord Amada looked like he had a death wish as he cut down man after man in his way. The young boy with short brown hair with a left part carried a cross-spear. Ken would not be underestimated ever again.

Ken had long since dismounted and ran around a merchant's stall; cutting down a guard that was unaware a four-foot boy had a cross-spear in his hands. Ken's two guards covered his flanks, making sure no one attacked the lord from the sides or from behind.

There were two men in front of Ken as he placed the spear over his shoulder. They appeared to be noblemen's guards. In other words, they were stronger than the ones Ken was fighting earlier. Both men, both wearing hakama, had samurai blades at their sides. One man was wearing navy blue, while the other was draped in dark and light red.

"Aoshi…" the man in red looked at the other said and continued, "Look at the kid. He has a spear."

"It's got blood all over it," the blue hakama-wearing man responded. He asked, "Has he been killing our men?"

"Probably," the first one said. The man wearing the red hakama had a wound bandage around his head.

Ken stared at the two of them. They were ignoring him again. It was just like all of the other times. Anybody who underestimated him…

"Hey… Rion," Aoshi tried to get the man wearing red with blond-brown hair's attention.

"What is it?" Rion responded.

"This kid is glaring at us…" Aoshi answered.

"I guess he is," Rion smiled.

Ken un-shouldered his spear and slammed it against the ground. He turned his head slightly so his hair moved slightly, "Don't call me kid! I'll kill you!"

Aoshi pulled his sword and Rion did the same. Aoshi took a step forward, "You want to try? I'll tell you now that I am a guard of Lord Ichijo and he is a guard of Lady Kujikawa."

Ken smirked, "You'll be sorry."

Ken placed his left hand on the lower part of the metal haft and the right hand above it and began spinning the large weapon over his head. It surprised the pair of noble guards that Ken was able to handle the heavy weapon with such ease. It surprised the two of them even more when Ken moved the spear from the overhead spinning position to placing it towards the guards. When Ken took a step towards the men; it made Rion draw his blade.

Even though the guards saw that Ken was able to maneuver his spear as he did, they believed they had the advantage in speed. Therefore, they advanced with their swords and prepared to cut him down. Aoshi made a downward slash from overhead, but to his surprise… Ken caught it with the cross-edge of his spear. The youngest lord shoved the blade into the air, just in time to parry Rion's right horizontal slash.

Even becoming static because of the size of his weapon, Ken was able to block another right diagonal downward strike from Aoshi. When Aoshi tried to drive his blade down in a vertical thrust, Ken feinted with his own weapon and drove his spear through the hakama.

Aoshi gasped as Ken pulled his spear out of his chest. Blood dripped from his mouth as blood started to stain his clothes. As Aoshi fell to his knees, Rion made an angry noise and charged, sword in hand. When Rion made an attempt to cut Ken in half by slashing horizontally from right to left; Ken held his spear vertically, holding his hands in-between where the sword hit the spear-haft. The shock of being blocked, plus the recoil of the sword forced Rion off-balance. Ken flipped his spear over his head and as he spun it overhead… Ken struck Rion right where Souji had concussed Rise's guard a few days earlier. As Rion fell unconscious, Ken stabbed the other guard in the throat.

Ken removed his spear from a Minamoto noble guard for the second time in the past two minutes. Ken let the blood drip off the edge before he shouldered the spear. Death came to those who underestimated him, what did they not understand?

"Where are my guards, anyways?" Ken muttered, wondering about his own personal guards, "I'll probably get stabbed in the back, while those two are slacking."

Ken took a deep breath. He would wait for those two slackers before he started his next advance. At least he did not have a unit of idiots to command.

* * *

**One-tenth of a mile away from the North Gate**

**Right before Ken's Duel**

Only one person in the Minamoto army used a weapon with a long haft that had a sword blade attached to it. That person was one of the few women actually with the Minamotos at Nara. She was the only woman with dog guardian instead of samurai guards. That dog was more protective than any human, and could be downright vicious in his job. Koromaru was the best guard Lady Minako Arisato, the second-in-command of the Minamotos, had.

Minako stood a few hundred meters ahead of where her brother and that priestess were currently residing and trying to predict all of the Fujiwara and Taira movements. She would let her brother deal with all of that. He was more interested in dealing with it all, probably because their prophet was a prophetess. Minato never could keep his hands to himself.

Minako shook her head. The fight with the Fujiwara family should end quickly enough. She would probably not even bother joining the fight until the true battle with the Taira family began. It was after that they would have to work to defend it from all foes.

Minako guessed it would not hurt to check up on the battle in a little bit. She walked towards the tent. She would need to change from her orange and white robes to her light and flexible armor. Dark clouds were starting to form on the horizon; it looks like it was going to rain.

* * *

**Main Hall**

**Late Morning- twenty minutes before Ken's duel with the guards**

Souji Seta had to speak with five servants and nearly walked in on the granddaughter of the Emperor before he found his sword. Souji was not exactly sure where his weapon was until he found it in being kept in a servant's room near Kanji's. He must have been really tired. He found his bow as well… but it needed a new string. Souji did not have time to have it restrung.

Souji could leave for the Residential District or for some area of Nara, but he wanted to find two others before he left. He was looking for the two people to whom he had dueled to a standstill. His issue was finding Raidou and Nagi, if they had not left the palace. He hoped they had not left yet.

Souji had searched all over the palace and ended up in the Main Hall. It looked like they might have left already.

"Where are they?" Souji muttered.

The person who came rushing into the Main Hall was not Raidou, nor was it Nagi. It was a woman who when it gazed upon Souji, she ran up to him and draped her arms around him.

"Lady Kujikawa!" Souji exclaimed, "What are you doing?"

The woman in red and pink robes replied, "I was told by Lord Dojima to come here. I thought you would be out in Nara." It almost looked like she was crying, "You could be dead…"

Souji lightly pushed Rise's arms away from him. He said to her, "I have had business inside the palace." He shook his head as he looked at the red-pigtailed young woman, "I am heading out soon, though."

Lady Kujikawa looked rather disappointed that he was leaving... almost as disappointed in the fact that Souji had removed himself from her arms.

"Do you really have to go, Souji?" Rise pouted, trying to grab a hold of Souji's arm, "Why can't you just stay here and protect Lord Tatsumi in the palace?"

"I need to protect the city, not just the palace," Souji pulled his arm away, "Don't worry about me."

Souji walked straight past Rise, leaving the distraught young woman behind him. Rise turned around yelling, "Don't go! You'll die out there!"

Souji sighed. He probably would die fighting an unwinnable battle, but it was necessary that he try. There would have to be some way for him to survive.

As Souji made his long and sorrowful walk… a walk that might be last out of the palace; he saw the two figures he was looking for waiting for him by the gateway of the Nara palace.

Looking at the green and white-clothed woman and black-clothed man; they did not seem too surprised to see Souji walking towards him. Their wounds were completely healed by Margaret, and they seemed to have been completely revitalized in spirit as well.

"She loves you, doesn't she?" Raidou asked, as Souji stopped in front of him.

Souji said nothing, but he knew what Raidou was speaking about… he was speaking about Naoto.

Nagi shook her head, "Why would she fall in love with you?"

"I guess it is better that she fall in love with a samurai than a lord," Raidou sighed.

He wondered about what Nagi said. With her belief that Souji loved Naoto; she was angry enough to try and kill him. Would it change now that the feeling could be considered mutual?

Souji coughed and asked, "Would you consider… coming with me and helping us fight the Taira and Minamoto families?"

"Why should we do this?" Raidou questioned.

"What would we gain from this?" Nagi asked. She continued, "We don't live in Nara."

"We are all involved," Souji countered, "Do you really think that your village will be spared?"

Nagi and Raidou looked at each other with their black eyes. They had to think about this. Why should they help a man… a man who was trying to take away their little cousin from them? Would their village be involved in this battle?

Souji persuaded, "Your village is on the way to Kyoto, Raidou… Nagi…"

Raidou and Nagi closed their eyes. It was true… their village, the one they fled from so the others could be safe; was standing in the way of the Fujiwara capital. There was no other option but to…

Raidou nodded to Nagi as he said, "We are yours…"

* * *

I have some time to write until I finish up my huge paper on Shinto. I don't know how I will get it all done, but I will do my best. Auf Wiedersehen!


	26. Chapter 26

Samurai and Ninjas Chap. 26

I do not own Persona or the character's likenesses, sorry everyone. Atlus does. Blame my lack of creativity.

This story takes place towards the middle of the Heian period of Japan. I am not going to be completely historically accurate with this, so do not get all over my back about it. I could, but I am not going to be. How much Personas will play a part in it, I do not know about that one.

A note, I will mainly use first names first, then last names. I know this is the one glaring difference that I am using in respect of their culture, but since I am writing in English… I will write as such.

P.S.: I am switching to the Metric System for distances from now on.

I'm extremely busy right now. My final papers for a while are overwhelming me. Shinto papers and what not… Oh… field research when I can not access the libraries in Japan. I am also contemplating whether to apply for either a field school in Malta over the summer or to volunteer in Bosnia and Herzegovina doing Archaeology in July or August. Any suggestions?

* * *

**Minamoto Camp- Fuuka's Tent**

**Late Morning**

Lord Minato Arisato had returned to his prophetess's tent to check both on the battle progress and troop movements. Fuuka was an invaluable asset for Minato as she was the army's eyes; she could see the whole army and the opposition's troops with her spirit. That was why Minato had returned to her tent.

Minato had entered her tent after moving past Fuuka's priestess-in-training, Natsuki. That trainee was a real annoyance. The girl with the light green hair had a cup of tea in her hands when Minato entered.

"Lord Arisato," Fuuka bowed when he entered.

"I need to use your sight, Fuuka," Minato stated.

"Yes, Lord Minato," Fuuka nodded, placing down the teacup.

"If you would…?" Minato waved his hand to the cushions before him.

As the priestess and lord sat down, Minato took Fuuka's smaller hands in his own larger ones. Fuuka closed her eyes and tried to focus on every intricacy that Nara held. She wanted to find every person in Nara and what they were doing at that exact moment.

"What do you see?" Minato asked. He really did care about Fuuka. He needed her.

Fuuka focused her mind and then said, "I see that our men have advanced far into the Mercantile District. Lord Sanada, Aragaki, and Amada have all made inroads into Nara."

"Are they okay?" Minato asked.

"They are unharmed," Fuuka answered. She continued, "Lord Iori has cleared most of the gate. It is now safe for any of the troops to pass through the North Gate."

"What about Aigis?" Minato questioned.

"Aigis is…" Fuuka searched for the elusive female, "She is searching for a Fujiwara samurai named Souji Seta."

"Why?" Minato asked. He knew who Souji Seta was… the supposed strongest samurai of the Fujiwaras and a personal guard of Lord Tatsumi.

"I can not say," Fuuka said.

Minato asked, "How are the Tairas doing in their advance? Are we likely to encounter them soon?"

"The Tairas have started through the South Gate, making a straight line through the Residential District. They are making steady progress, led by Lady Amano and Lord Katsuya Suou," Fuuka answered. She finished, "It is possible that we would meet them at the entrance of the Residential District from the Mercantile District."

"I will have a messenger inform Lord Aragaki and Lord Amada to be wary of the Tairas then," Minato said. He said, "Are there any Fujiwaras we should worry about on the field?"

Fuuka's breathing became labored, as if all this work was becoming difficult, but she still steeled herself and said, "Souji Seta, and two other warriors of some skill have left the palace. Lord Dojima is attempting to lead these people. Also, it seems that Lady Satonaka did not flee like the other lords and ladies."

"I see…" Minato nodded. He added, "Thank you, Fuuka… that will be all."

As Minato released his grip on Fuuka's hands, she opened her eyes, and then promptly collapsed into Minato's arms.

"I overused her this time," Minato thought.

Minato sighed as he held the priestess in his arms. He would call for Natsuki to watch over Fuuka in a moment. If only he could stay complacent forever…

Minato laid Fuuka's head on the cushion he was resting on as he stood up. He adjusted his navy robes as he opened the tent flap. Minato turned towards the trainee and explained to Natsuki that Fuuka was tired and needed her rest. Though Natsuki was shaking her head in disdain, Minato walked forward towards his own tent. He had a battle to fight.

* * *

**500 meters past the gate of the Nara Palace**

**Present- Late Morning**

Souji Seta, Raidou, and Nagi, the only three people who were brave enough to leave the palace to fight against the Tairas and Minamotos, had not yet encountered any of the attacking men or women. It was somewhat eerie, walking down an abandoned road/path that was on the way to the Mercantile District, waiting for someone to come out and attack. By the way, there was also a cat that had come with them.

"This is creepy," Souji muttered, looking above at the ominous clouds that were threatening to cover their city.

"It's your fault, Souji," Nagi responded, "You led us out of here."

Souji turned his head and looked towards Nagi. He said to her, "You were foolish enough to listen to me."

Raidou said nothing in response as the three continued to walk, the road turning from stone to dust. They were leaving the Palace District and moving towards the Mercantile District.

Souji's right hand twitched. It was always ready to move to the left side of his body where his sword lay hitched on his torso. Looking to his right and left, both Raidou and Nagi were just as nervous.

"Don't accidently draw your sword on me," Nagi told Souji.

Souji answered, "Likewise."

They were passing by empty stalls and broken goods. It made Souji wonder if the battle had already reached them… Then this… this was a trap.

The wind was picking up around the city of Nara. Souji could tell by the fact that Nagi's long black hair was being blown around by the gusts. The blustery weather might have been the only thing that saved Souji's life from the throwing stars that ripped through the right shoulder cloth of his hakama instead of his neck.

"Souji!" Nagi yelled as a young woman jumped from behind one of the stalls in a graceful back to front flip.

She was clad in tightly woven thin white armor. It was made to be flexible to allow maximum mobility. The young woman had across her chest… two belts of at least fifty throwing stars and paralyzing needles each. Her short ruffled blond hair barely reached her ears that were covered by a gold-laced headband.

Souji winced slightly. The sharp edge of the shuriken had cut into his right shoulder blade, but it was not the first injury he had suffered today.

"Be careful," Raidou warned, "She's extremely dangerous."

Souji was not sure if Raidou had any way to prove this, but he had to take him at his word.

Aigis had found him; she had found Souji Seta. Only this weather had stopped her from killing him in a single blow. She drew two needles out from her weapons' belt as she started sprinting at high speeds, circling around the three.

"Holy shit…" Nagi muttered, "She's fast."

Nagi started to draw her sword, but before the blade got halfway out of her scabbard, Souji had placed his left hand on her sword arm.

"What are you doing!" Nagi exclaimed.

Nagi's eyes widened as she saw a needle in Souji's right thigh. Souji commanded, "She's after me… I want you two to go ahead."

"What about you?" Nagi asked.

"Don't worry about me," Souji responded, releasing his grip on Nagi's arm.

Nagi sighed. Aigis had stopped circling, seeing that her needles had hit both Souji's right thigh and under his fifth rib. She was now standing right behind Souji.

Souji grimaced as he said, "Go…"

Nagi ran ahead, ashamed as Raidou followed at a slower pace. Raidou turned to say, "If you die before telling Naoto you love her… I will kill you myself."

Watching Raidou leave him behind, Souji turned around to see Aigis holding a shuriken. The pain was increasing in his shoulder, while his torso and left leg was going numb. His opponent was so fast… would it even be worthwhile to draw his samurai sword?

Souji could barely see the shuriken, slicing through the wind. His mind was focused on the one thing that kept the pain from being unbearable; the deep pools of that was Naoto's dark blue eyes.

Aigis knew she had killed him. She had adjusted for the wind so that Souji would have a big gash into his throat this time around. When she opened her eyes… Souji was still standing, and there was no blood running from his throat. Instead, in his right hand was a small blade with no hilt right in front of his neck.

"Hmm?" Aigis thought.

Souji let out a deep breath. It took a great amount of energy for Souji to pull out his nodachi at such a great speed. He felt his blade deflect the whirling weapon. It had been thrown at such a high velocity that the recoil had almost sent his blade back into his throat. Souji pulled out the needles that had lodged themselves in his body.

"Who are you?" Souji asked.

"I am Aigis…" Aigis answered in a monotone voice.

"Aigis?" Souji looked confused, but had no time to contemplate her words because Aigis had charged him. It seemed that she was planning to put a needle in Souji's throat without throwing it.

Both of the fighters were holding the weapons in a reverse position as Aigis lowered her body position as she ran towards Souji. She was about thirty to thirty-five degrees lower than usual when the needle swiped at Souji's labrum. Finding it blocked by a hurried parry, she back flipped, nearly catching Souji's chin in the process and drawing another needle in the process.

"Shit…" Souji muttered.

The girl in white again ran at the boy in silver and white, stabbing and slashing with the needles. Souji was doing his best to duck and weave out of the way; even his nodachi was unwieldy when maneuvering against such small weapons. The problem was that… he could not move very well because of the paralytic effects the first two needles had inflicted when they entered his ribs and thigh.

The needle in Aigis's right hand made a small cut across Souji's right cheek. She was advancing closer. The closer she moved towards Souji; the less effective his weapon was. Aigis had gotten so close that she was swinging her needles anymore, but instead; she intertwined her right leg around Souji's left ankle and tripped him.

Souji had the wind knocked out of him as he fell backwards and hit the dusty ground hard. His small blade was just outside his grasp. His eyes stared straight up and made contact with the shorter girl with short blond hair. It was almost if there was a small smile on her face as she lowered herself down and stuck the two needles, one above each leg to paralyze them. She drew two more and stuck one below each of his shoulders.

Souji tried to move, escape. He could roll away and run away, but… he could not move his arms or legs. The needles had immobilized him.

Aigis was crouching over Souji when he asked, "Who… are… you? Are you a Minamoto or are you a Taira?"

Aigis said nothing at first, but she eventually she responded, "I serve my master, Lord Arisato."

"At least I know she's a Minamoto," Souji thought. He continued to question, "Why did you only try to kill me? Was it an order?"

"I decided to," Aigis answered.

As Aigis drew a final shuriken, Souji asked one more question, "But why?"

"Our prophetess told me to," Aigis explained simply.

Souji closed his eyes. He defeated assassins aiming to kill both his lord, and women trying to take his life because they believed he was in love. Now, he was going to die because he had encountered a real ninja. He had encountered a real ninja… wearing white, who had incapacitated him.

Bracing for the impending slash that would kill him, Souji's windpipes clenched. The only noise that came forth was not blood spurting or a samurai yelling in pain. It was the words of Aigis saying, "Damage sustained…" as she hit the ground.

Souji opened his eyes, looking past Aigis, and saw a woman wearing not vibrant blue robes, but taut woven blue armor. Lady Margaret was holding part of a jug that had to have come from one of the stalls. The rest of it was lying around Aigis's body that had landed… on top of Souji.

"Lady Margaret…" Souji said with relief plastered on his face.

Margaret smiled, "Glad to see me?"

"You don't know how glad," Souji smiled.

Margaret said, "It looked like you needed some help."

Margaret rolled Aigis off of Souji and smiled as the women of divinity removed each needle from his body. Every time a needle was removed, it was as if all the pain in the world was released from Souji's body.

Taking Margaret's hand, Souji was pulled to his feet, albeit his knees were shaky. Souji looked from Margaret in her tight blue clothes, to Aigis in white, and back to Margaret. They were both extremely beautiful, with their blond hair and blue eyes. It was just something that made Lady Margaret more regal. Yet, neither of them held a candle to Naoto.

"What should we do with her?" Margaret asked Souji, looking at Aigis and pushing her slightly with a reinforced cloth and leather shoe.

"Give me one of those needles, if you would please?" Souji asked.

Margaret understood that on the battlefield, Souji was the one in control. She bent her back and took one of the needles from the belts criss-crossing her chest and gave it to Souji. Souji bent his legs and placed the needle in Aigis's neck. He would not know if she would wake up any time soon, but he knew that she would not be able to move. Souji was unsure if anybody would be coming in the near future to kill her.

Margaret and Souji looked at each other as Aigis lay in the middle of the road. She asked, "So… other than the fact that you were a Fujiwara; she seemed a little keen on killing you. Why?"

"I asked… but I still don't know," Souji responded.

Margaret shook her head and placed her hand on Souji's shoulder. He felt the warmth of someone blessed of Amaterasu flowing through him. It was a feeling that almost made him want to get hurt more often as the cut on his cheek smoothed over. The only drawback as the small amount of sleep he had gotten resting with Naoto had left him.

"I think we can move on," Margaret told Souji.

"If that is your wish, Lady Margaret," Souji responded, stifling a yawn.

"I am not commanding you in this situation, Souji," Margaret smiled at him. She continued, "When we are fighting, I want you to lead me."

"I could never tell you what to do, Lady Margaret," If Souji could blush at Margaret's words, now would be the time. "You are the granddaughter of the Emperor."

"But… I am not a warrior," Margaret retorted.

"I am not even a lord," Souji countered.

Margaret's smile did not waver, "Don't worry about it."

She started walking and Souji had to run to keep up with her after grabbing his nodachi. He was chasing after a woman with slightly curly not quite shoulder length blond hair in nearly skin tight blue armor. He had a new objective now… to protect a member of the royal family. She was a member of the royal family that normally should not be seen by the public, but this… this was a time of great need.

* * *

**5 minutes after they left Souji**

Nagi and Raidou had left Souji only at his request. Nagi might have stayed there and fought this mysterious young woman who attacked him, but Raidou agreed with Souji. This young woman who attacked Souji was too fast for Nagi to engage, and she would only have gotten hurt. What was odd was Raidou's statement… if Souji died… that Raidou would kill Souji again for disappointing Naoto. How? No one knows.

The pair of brother and sister that was from the same village that Naoto was from had been walking for nearly 500 meters when they encountered another man and woman pair. Immediately, they knew this was not a pair of guards, or just some kind of mistake. These had to be the real deal lord and lady warriors.

Raidou walked forwards and with his monotone voice, asked, "And… who are you?"

The lady was wearing light brown and blue armor, just slightly thicker than what Aigis was wearing. Her black hair curled on each side as it reached her neck. The lord had gray armor that was covering his red hakama. The red tint over his irises was somewhat creepy to the pair of Fujiwaras.

The lady gave the smallest smile as she said, "My name is Lady Amano."

The lord scowled at the fact that she answered so freely, but he said, "My name is Lord Katsuya Suou."

Both Raidou and Nagi knew who those two were. They were two of the five leaders of the Taira family. Four of the five were currently in or around Nara.

Raidou gave a sideways glance at Nagi and said, "Nagi… go ahead… I will take these two."

Nagi looked astounded, "Are you crazy? These are the leaders of Taira."

"Nagi…" Raidou had the smallest amounts of caring in his voice, "I want you to survive these battles. You should go on ahead."

"Raidou…" Nagi shook her head, "Brother, I don't want for you to throw your life away."

"I won't… Trust me," Raidou said.

Nagi could almost see a grin on her brother's face. She had to trust what Raidou was saying. He was not planning on dying; he was planning on surviving no matter what, somehow.

"I trust you, brother," Nagi responded.

Nagi took a deep breath and started sprinting to her right. She did not pay attention to the single kunai that flew her way, courtesy of Katsuya. Luckily, it missed as she jumped up inside an empty merchant's stall that had been cleared of all of its goods. When Nagi landed, she pushed herself up and started running. She needed to get as far away from these two as possible, if that's what her brother wanted. A single tear dropped from her eyes. She had to pray that he would be okay.

Katsuya silently cursed at missing his target. The girl in green and beige was faster than he expected. He would have to focus on the man that stayed behind… foolishly.

"Who are you?" Maya always was cheerful when she asked the stoic Raidou his name.

The man with the black cape said, "Raidou…" The black cat that was always at his side walked around his legs.

"Well… I'm sorry, but we need to get to the palace," Maya told him.

"That means… you're in the way," Katsuya said.

"Well… I suppose, if you leave; we don't have to kill you," Maya smiled.

"I don't have any intention in doing that," Raidou replied.

Maya shook her head as she slowly drew two blades with hilts. The weapons were slightly longer than kunai, but shorter than a nodachi. They were like knives or something like that.

Katsuya, on the other hand, had a kunai in his hand. He looked like he was actually grinning as he flipped it up in the air and caught it. He seemed prepared to throw another one at Raidou this time.

"I'm disappointed," Maya shook her head, "I didn't really want to fight."

Raidou said nothing except drew his long, but thin blade from his scabbard. He placed one hand above the other as he held in front of him. If he could survive the fights with Souji and Lord Tatsumi; he could defeat these two. Then again, if Souji could defeat Nagi; he was not fighting the real Souji.

Raidou took in a deep breath and exhaled before he said, "Let us begin."

"There is nothing else that I would like to hear but that," Katsuya smiled as the first kunai flew.

* * *

**Same time**

Lady Chie Satonaka had not fled with the others when Lord Dojima had made his travels among the residences to evacuate to the palace. She was wondering if that was a mistake. Her three guards had been slaughtered by advanced troops, and the only reason she had survived was her own martial arts.

Chie sighed. She had begun to head back towards the palace after she lost her guard. She was not even sure if she would see her newlywed husband again, Lord Daisuke Nagase, unless she returned expediently.

If only Chie had moved faster…

She had barely gotten a kilometer into the Mercantile District when the young woman in tight green armor encountered a man with red armor over a white hakama.

"Fujiwara?" the man with the red armor and white and silver-haired buzz cut asked.

"If I am?" Chie retorted. She noticed that he had no weapons on-hand.

"If you surrender, no harm will come to you," the man told her.

Chie said, "I don't plan on it."

The man chuckled, "Well… your choice."

Chie watched as the man disconnected and removed his red armor. He did not really look the part of a samurai, like Souji Seta. As Chie watched the man crack his knuckles and take a few practice punches… she knew what she was dealing with.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," the man told Chie, staring her down.

As the first punch came Akihiko's clenched left fist, Chie flipped… her feet connecting with Akihiko's chin.

When Chie landed, she nodded and said, "Likewise."

* * *

Okay… A lot of fights are left for me to finish. I started using the metric system because really? Who uses it outside of the 350 million out of the 6 billion in the USA? Well… I'm busy, so sorry that it took so long for me to finish. Happy writing from wherever I am and wherever you are.


	27. Chapter 27

Samurai and Ninjas Chap. 27

I do not own Persona or the character's likenesses, sorry everyone. Atlus does. Blame my lack of creativity.

This story takes place towards the middle of the Heian period of Japan. I am not going to be completely historically accurate with this, so do not get all over my back about it. I could, but I am not going to be. How much Personas will play a part in it, I do not know about that one.

A note, I will mainly use first names first, then last names. I know this is the one glaring difference that I am using in respect of their culture, but since I am writing in English… I will write as such.

P.S.: I am switching to the Metric System for distances from now on.

P.P.S: If you noticed that my time and logistics are ridiculously impossible… I would like you to notice that: 1) it's not real. 2) I don't really care anymore about my time and logistics in a battle. 3) I lose track of everything that's going on, and I'm the one writing everything. Even when checking previous chapters, it's very difficult. 4) Come on… I get harped on enough already.

I'm extremely busy right now. My final papers for a while are overwhelming me. Shinto papers and what not… Oh… field research when I can not access the libraries in Japan. I am also contemplating whether to apply for either a field school in Malta over the summer or to volunteer in Bosnia and Herzegovina doing Archaeology in July or August. Any suggestions?

* * *

**Halfway through the center of the Mercantile District**

**An hour before noon**

Ken Amada did not expect to lose his two guards to another lord. He was not really worrying about the Fujiwaras. His immediate goal was driving straight to the Taira encampment and killing them all. The youngest Minamoto lord was held at bay by a lord in gray armor with a long spear. His short red hair had a slight amount of some sort of material in it, while the bangs hung down over his forehead.

"Who are you!" Ken yelled.

The young man smiled at the kid as he wiped his spear off on one of the guard's pants. "I thought all of the lords knew everyone else's names. Isn't that right, Lord Amada?"

Ken took a step back, his cross-spear shifting slightly behind his shoulder. He looked slightly nervous.

The Taira lord sighed and said, "I'm Lord Hidehiko Uesugi…" A smile suddenly appeared on his face, "Most people call me Brown."

"Brown!" Ken had to stop himself from chuckling at the red-haired young man, "You have to be joking."

Brown shook his head, "Little boys shouldn't play with sharp objects."

Ken's face screwed up with anger, "Don't call me a little kid!"

If Hidehiko (Brown) was unprepared for Ken's sudden charge at the Taira lord, he made up for it by standing his ground and holding his own spear out horizontally. Since the cross-hilt of Ken's spear was facing vertically, it caught Hidehiko's haft when he stabbed. Hidehiko had leverage on Ken's spear, so Hidehiko pushed the spear backwards and moved back to brace himself with his right leg slightly behind his left.

Undeterred, Ken pushed off with his back leg and made another thrust at Hidehiko's heart. The boy lord found himself parried by the older lord, who was still extremely young. Frustrated, Ken swung his spear all the way around his body, over his head, and aimed for his opponent's lower torso. Again, Ken found himself countered by a nifty feint that put him off-balance.

Ken barely got away from one of Hidehiko's own counter-stabs. He felt warmth on his face. As Ken touched his cheek and looked at his hand; he saw his own blood dripping from his fingers. His spear was slightly lighter, and therefore faster; not to mention that Hidehiko was larger and stronger. For the first time, Ken was at a disadvantage in battle, and he needed to find a way out of it.

"Are you sure you don't want to run away, kid?" Brown smirked.

"Don't… call… me… KID!" Ken yelled.

"Geez…" Brown shook his head as Ken steadied his spear by hammering it on the dirt road.

Ken slid his right hand down to the lower half of the shaft of the spear so he could charge Hidehiko, and as he ran towards him, Ken's speed of his charge the second time around took Hidehiko off-guard.

As Hidehiko prepared to parry and counter Ken again, he found that it was not as easy to repeat the same actions over and over. Ken was staying low to the ground and aiming for Hidehiko's legs. The boy in brown and orange was using not just the spear point, but also the cross-haft to trip up his opponent in gray.

When Hidehiko felt the right edges of the cross-spear haft catch his ankles and the impending pull, only his feet and ankles would stay upright as he hit the ground.

Hidehiko was sure he pulled or maybe even broke something, but besides that… he had trouble breathing since the breath was knocked out of him. Ken stood over him; he was the one smiling now. Ken's spear was being held over Hidehiko's throat, so the Taira lord could only see the end coming.

Ken was sick of everyone underestimating him. This arrogant bastard would pay for calling him a "kid", for injuring him, for killing his guards. Lord Hidehiko Uesugi deserved to die.

"Die!" Ken yelled as he thrust his spear downwards.

Ken never expected to hear metal crash against metal instead of flesh. Ken's cross-spear had actually hit a sword, two swords to be exact. His hands stinging from the sudden shock, Ken looked up to see two men, each holding one of the swords that had blocked his killing thrust.

Both of the men were wearing light blue armor, but the one with straight black hair with odd-shaped bangs that came straight down one side of his face had slightly lighter armor. The other man had wild black hair with dyed white streaks in the lower parts of the hair.

"Hey Brown… I thought you needed some help," the wild-haired man said.

"I didn't think you would lose to some child," the weird-looking young man added.

Ken tried his best to suppress his urge to curse. He had been around grown men, fighting for a while, after all. He muttered, "Who are you people?"

The two of them looked at each other. The young man with the lighter armor spoke first, brushing back his long bang as he announced, "My name is Lord Jun Kurosu."

"I'm Lord Eikichi Mishina, and don't forget it!" The wild-haired man announced.

"Great… two more freaks…" Ken muttered.

"Hey!" Mishina looked affronted, "What did you say!"

Jun, ignoring Eikichi looked at Hidehiko when he asked, "Brown… is he that good… or did he just get lucky?"

"Well… I am on the ground," Hidehiko rolled his eyes, "He's stronger when he's angry."

Jun nodded, "I understand." He yelled at Eikichi, "Mishina!"

"What!" Eikichi yelled back.

"Don't piss him off too much," Jun told him.

"Fine…" Eikichi said. He rolled his eyes, and cracked his neck, "You're no fun, Jun."

Seeing that the new arrivals had drawn swords, were warming up their sword-arms, and warning each other; Ken was anxious. He was contemplating running away, but… he had the larger and heavier weapon. Ken steadied himself, for no one would get in his way.

It had begun to rain.

* * *

**Half a Kilometer into the Mercantile District from the Residential District**

**Late Morning**

The fight between Chie and Lord Sanada had gone on for a few minutes, trading hooks, jabs, and kicks. Lord Sanada had to admit that when he was all but taunted into fighting Lady Satonaka, he did not expect to be fighting someone who could actually throw a punch or kick. Now, as rain started to fall upon their armor, both Chie and Akihiko took a deep breath before running towards each other again.

Chie dodged a left hook by moving to her own left. When Akihiko pulled his right arm from around his shoulder and made to hit Chie alongside her temple… Chie blocked it with her left forearm. Slightly off-balance, Chie used a right front-kick in Akihiko's midsection to knock him back a few meters. As Akihiko staggered back, Chie spun and connected with a left roundhouse.

Akihiko jumped up, annoyed. This was stupid… and taking far too long. He spit on the ground, blood. Akihiko liked fighting, but he did not like fighting unexpected battles that were harder than he thought that they would be. He needed to stop joking around.

So, when Chie tried a left sidekick, Akihiko caught the lady's leg in his arms and wrapped his right leg around her left one to trip her. As Chie hit the ground, he wasted no time in hitting her face, breaking her nose.

Bleeding profusely, Chie rolled away, dodging away from a downward left strike. As she pushed herself to her feet, she was a little shaky. She heard a voice from behind.

"I have next," the voice said.

"That's not fair," another voice called from about fifteen degrees to the left, "I call next."

"How about we both take on the winner?" the first voice suggested.

"Sounds good…" the second voice agreed.

Akihiko and Chie turned around to see an imposing young man and a girl standing there. The girl had black armor; it was short and barely came past her thighs. The young man's gray armor was much thicker. Their hair colors did not match either. The girl had blond hair that did not even reach her neck. It looked pinned in the middle, but had little parts that touched her ears. The man had curly black hair that stood up above his head. It was the same man that had captured Yosuke Hanamura only a few days ago. The young man scared Chie with his stature, with his… well everything about him scared Chie.

Akihiko looked at the pair before saying, "I know you two. You're Lisa Silverman and Reiji Kido."

The girl looked slightly surprised that Akihiko knew their names, but her expression turned to a grin as she asked, "So… who gets to take on the winner?"

"I'm the better fighter, Silverman," Reiji responded.

"You wish, Reiji," Lisa joked, her smile a complete opposite to the boy with the x-shaped scar on his face.

"So… what are you two Tairas doing here?" Akihiko asked, "Shouldn't you be crying and sitting in a corner?"

"Says the person being beat up by a little girl," Lisa responded, the smile never leaving her face.

"We thought we could get rid of a Fujiwara and a Minamoto in one go," Reiji rolled his neck, cracking the joints in it.

Reiji cracked his knuckles. He had noticed that Akihiko was slightly injured. This would make this all the more easier for him. Considering that the girl had a broken nose, it would only be a matter of time until she became dizzy and Akihiko would be the victor.

Chie looked from the pale blond girl, to the tanned man with black hair, and then to Akihiko. If they were focused on the Minamoto… she could get away.

Chie made a sudden break for it, running in the direction for the palace. Lisa yelled, "Hey! Bowl-cut girl! Wait!"

Chie got fifteen meters past Lisa, Reiji, and Akihiko before another woman stood in her way.

"Lady Serizawa!" Lisa yelled, "Don't tell me you're here to steal our fun too!"

If Reiji Kido was menacing with his fierce and imposing stature, Lady Serizawa was just creepy. Her hair parted from left to right, and it was a mix of red and white. The bangs did not even touch her forehead. She wore a sickly green overcoat. It was very unfitting for a lady. How Lady Serizawa was to fight wearing with that on, Chie did not know.

She had a sickly grin on her face, "You know what, Silverman?"

"What!" Lisa responded.

"You two can have that skinny bastard," She told her, "I'll take this bitch."

"What did you say!" Chie was affronted, wiping the blood that was running down her nose.

Ulala suppressed a chuckle, "It means… That I'm gonna fuck you up, bitch!"

* * *

**Mercantile District**

**Late Morning**

Raidou had never fought… seriously fought a girl before. The closest he had ever come was in two situations. One was teaching Naoto how to handle various weapons, but he would never actually put his cousin in any danger. The other was sparring with Nagi, but again… he would never do anything stupid like try and kill her. If only he was facing Nagi now. Instead, he had one of the leaders of the Tairas in front of him. He would not have time to muster his courage while trying to face down Lady Maya Amano either. He had one of the other stronger members of the Tairas, Lord Katsuya Suou, as well.

The black cape that Raidou wore was starting to become a little frayed. That's what happened when you fought people like a crazed Lord Tatsumi. What would it like after this fight?

The lord with the odd-colored irises, Katsuya, threw a kunai at Raidou, and only Raidou's quick flourish with his thin blade deflected it to the stall that Nagi jumped through. Before Raidou had time to recover, Maya charged with her short, curved knives. Raidou knew he was faster as Maya lowered her body angle in her run. It was the size and weight of her weapons that was the issue.

Raidou blocked the first of Maya's downward diagonal knife strikes from her right hand, but the second upward diagonal strike from the left cut into Raidou's upper thigh. Raidou winced momentarily, but before he could counter against her; she had spun away and another of Katsuya's kunai were flying at Raidou's face. Only an upward diagonal strike of Raidou's blade made Katsuya's tool fly wide.

Raidou tried to take the offensive, attempting to thrust his sword into Maya's chest. It was parried wide by both of her knives, which left him wide open for one of Katsuya's kunai to strike him in the other leg. Raidou staggered and gave an opportunity that allowed Maya to cut him on the right forearm.

Raidou knew that a two-on-one fight would not be easy, nor was a fight against two of the better nobles in the Taira family, but it was his responsibility to protect his sister. His injuries were proof that he was paying for it as he struggled to find an opening. If he could not get through Maya's defenses; Raidou could at least try and take down Lord Suou. Sheathing the blade, green light emanated from Raidou's scabbard as his left hand grasped the wooden-laced with steel object and darted straight past Maya. As Maya made a desperate swing with one of her knives that only grazed his sleeve, Katsuya threw one of his kunai. The blade stuck in Raidou's shoulder and forced the cousin of Naoto off-balance. It did not stop Raidou from quick-drawing his blade, spinning in a circle diagonally, and cutting into Katsuya's own shoulder. Raidou did crash to the ground, but unlike Katsuya's spurts of blood… Raidou only had a small pool of blood around him.

"Katsuya!" Maya yelled, turning around in shock.

Maya ran towards the injured lord, blades bared. Her cheery smile was replaced by anger as she dashed at Raidou, who was still struggling to rise. Raidou pushed himself up to one knee, but Maya's charge would not be deterred.

Raidou saw the blade coming; the right knife was aiming was for his heart. He did not believe he would be able to jump to either side in time. Breathing deep and then holding his breath to wait for the impending thrust… Raidou waited for Maya's knife.

Maya never made it to Raidou, as Nagi flew through the same side stall that she had came through earlier. Needles were flying behind the young woman in a green coat and beige pants as Nagi intercepted Maya on her path towards her brother. Raidou did not even know if Nagi knew Maya was still there, but the weight of Nagi not only knocked Maya over, but Raidou's sister also had her blade drawn. Nagi's blade went alongside Maya's back, cutting into it.

Maya yelled in pain, but Nagi yelled in her own clumsiness, "Shit!"

There had been needles flying past Nagi. Raidou had already fought someone who threw similar tools. Raidou turned his head just in time to see someone to see someone just about cut the stand in half with a giant two-handed sword.

"How tedious…" a young man with short black hair said.

The man's sword was draped behind his shoulder. He wore all gray, except for a blue stripe near the top of his hakama.

Nagi got herself up and seeing her brother said to him, "His name is Lord Nanjo."

"And the other?" Raidou asked.

"Ohh…?" Nagi looked confused for a moment, but soon realized what Raidou was talking about.

A man with long brown hair that reached below his neck and braids near his ears wore no armor, but instead wore a long brown coat and pants had passed through the broken stall. The most discerning feature of the man was his completely milky black eyes.

The man with the dark eyes said with a tone as cold as his eyes, "Baofu…"

Baofu smirked at Katsuya, who was having trouble staying consciousness, "Bit off more than you could chew?"

"You shouldn't talk that way," Maya retorted, staggering as she pushed herself to her feet. The long gash on her back was extremely painful and she winced.

Nanjo rolled his eyes at the pointless conversation, "Let's keep our minds at the task at hand." He looked at Maya, "Lady Amano… why don't you take care of Lord Suou while Lord Baofu and I deal with these two."

Baofu chuckled, "These two?" He gestured towards Raidou, "The guy is barely conscious."

"Regardless," Nanjo sighed, "There are two of them, and there are two of us."

Nagi helped Raidou to his feet. "We need your help, brother."

Raidou unsteadily held his sword in front of him, mimicking his sister. He would have to rely on his sister now. Was it shame? No… it was pride; that he had someone he could rely on.

**

* * *

**

**Minamoto Camp- Arisato Tent**

**Twenty-five Minutes after the Aigis/Souji fight**

Minato Arisato had decided to at least prepare himself for battle, at least remove his robes and put his hakama on. He was not one to wear armor, like a Lord Tatsumi. Heavy armor was so uncomfortable to him.

As a servant helped Minato with his hakama, another servant arrived. He recognized this servant… it was not one of his own. It was one of Fuuka's acolytes, a trainee by the name of Natsuki. He had overworked the poor girl only a short while ago, so he wondered what in the world the young woman with the orange and brown could possibly want.

Did he permanently harm Fuuka? Minato would be annoyed then, and he would have no one to blame but himself.

As Natsuki glanced at the lavish amount of chests and clothes that lay around the tent, she felt sick. It was so… unnecessary. Still, she buckled up and announced, "I have a message from Fuuka, Lord Minato."

"Fuuka has more for me?" Minato looked inquisitive.

"Fuuka is able to use her sight without you, Lord Minato," Natsuki had the slightest smirk on her face.

Minato noticed the attitude on Natsuki's face, but decided to let it slide for the moment, "Well… What did she say?"

"Aigis failed in her attempt to kill Souji Seta. The granddaughter of the Emperor, Lady Margaret is now traveling with Souji Seta," Natsuki announced.

"Interesting," Minato thought. He asked, "Is she still alive?" He was obviously concerned about his most obsessive servant.

"Yes… for the moment," Natsuki nodded. It was as if Fuuka knew what Minato was going to ask. She continued, "Lord Amada encountered a Taira by the name of Lord Uesugi… it looked like he survived the encounter, but two more Tairas are in his way. A Lord Mishina and Lord Kurosu are currently engaging Lord Amada."

"I see," Minato said, looking troubled.

Completely unfazed, Natsuki continued, "Lord Sanada fought a Fujiwara, Lady Chie Satonaka to a standstill. However, the pair is now surrounded by three members of the Taira family… a Lady Serizawa, a Lady Silverman, and a Lord Kido."

"Are you sure?" Minato asked, looking disturbed.

Natsuki nodded; annoyed that she was questioned by Minato about Fuuka's abilities. She kept going, "Unrelated to our family, a man has engaged Katsuya Suou and Maya Amano and along with another woman, injured them… he did sustain substantial injuries in doing so. They are now about to fight Lord Nanjo and Lord Baofu, however."

"That's useful information, Natsuki," Minato shook his head at the prospect of something good happening, "If the Fujiwaras and Tairas can eliminate each other."

"Yes…" Natsuki shook her head, "Lord Aragaki is about to encounter a Lord Masao Inaba."

"What!" Minato was tired of hearing bad news about the battle.

"Yes, another encounter is about to occur," Natsuki sighed.

"Anything else?" Minato sighed.

"One more thing," Natsuki said, like she had just remembered it.

"What is it?" Minato looked annoyed when he asked.

"Your sister, Lady Minako has left the encampment with Koromaru to advance to the palace," Natsuki said nonchalantly, "Lady Elizabeth went with her."

That phrase made Minato jump away from both the servant who had been helping him put on the hakama and Natsuki. He grabbed his shorter one-handed blade, and sheathed it. He all but charged out of the tent, all while placing the short jacket around him.

Why? Why would his sister suddenly leave the train? Why would Elizabeth suddenly leave? Did they believe they could make a sudden push into the palace and take Nara? They could not know the current situation where almost every lord was currently being engaged by multiple Taira lords or even ladies. Fuuka had not even mentioned a few of them, such as Lady Mayuzumi or Lady Kirishima. He did not know where Lord Toudou was either. Was he waiting for him?

As he called for a servant to bring him a horse, he realized why Elizabeth left. Elizabeth left to find her sister. Minako… Minako had left to find… she left to find Lord Tatsumi and Souji Seta.

Minato had a small cadre of guards with him, but sent one of them to tell Lord Iori to come to his side. Junpei had done well so far, but his mission of clearing the wall was over. Now, he was needed to protect Minato, find his sister, and take Nara.

The rain started to pound upon his freshly laundered clothes.

* * *

**Mercantile District**

**Fifteen Minutes after Aigis/Souji fight**

Margaret turned away from Souji in a sudden turn of events. She left him with only a few words of explanation, telling him that she knew that she had come and that he should be careful. What he should be careful about, Souji did not know. All she told him was to go back to the palace and be careful.

"A lot of help that was," Souji muttered, "She could at least tell which lord or lady would be coming after me next… It might as well be that psycho bitch again with her needles."

In battle, he was supposed to be in command over Lady Margaret, and that was how it worked as they took care of a few grunts. Souji knew better than to ignore this order, however.

So, Souji turned back around and made his way back to the palace. He would have to wait for the Minamotos and the Tairas to reach them. The only plus side was that Naoto was there. That was a big plus…

One other thing... Souji would be out of the rain.

* * *

Why did I post this in the middle of my finals? I needed a break from my insanity. I'll get back to you after I'm finished with my archaeology. Thank you to my readers, you keep me slightly less insane. Auf Wiedersehen.


	28. Chapter 28

Samurai and Ninjas Chap. 28

I do not own Persona or the character's likenesses, sorry everyone. Atlus does. Blame my lack of creativity.

This story takes place towards the middle of the Heian period of Japan. I am not going to be completely historically accurate with this, so do not get all over my back about it. I could, but I am not going to be. How much Personas will play a part in it, I do not know about that one.

A note, I will mainly use first names first, then last names. I know this is the one glaring difference that I am using in respect of their culture, but since I am writing in English… I will write as such.

P.S.: I am switching to the Metric System for distances from now on.

P.P.S: If you noticed that my time and logistics are ridiculously impossible… I would like you to notice that: 1) it's not real. 2) I don't really care anymore about my time and logistics in a battle. 3) I lose track of everything that's going on, and I'm the one writing everything. Even when checking previous chapters, it's very difficult. 4) Come on… I get harped on enough already, people.

I'm extremely busy right now. My final papers for a while are overwhelming me. Shinto papers and what not… Oh… field research when I can not access the libraries in Japan. I am also contemplating whether to apply for either a field school in Malta over the summer or to volunteer in Bosnia and Herzegovina doing Archaeology in July or August. Any suggestions?

* * *

**Nara Palace: Souji's Temp. Room**

**Noon**

Naoto was still extremely tired, but the greatest emotion that filled her mind was sadness. She had slept a little more, but it was not the same… not resting on Souji's shoulder. Relaxing with Souji… it made her happy. She never believed that she would fall for someone like Souji Seta.

"Stupid me…" she thought of herself, "Me… in love with a samurai?"

She should never have left with him when she was in trouble with Tanaka's samurai. She should never have let him take care of her when Tanaka beat her. She should never have let him save her life when the assassin tried to kill her. She should never spoke to him when they were both in the Doctors' Quarters, worried about what Kanji was going to do to her. She should not have followed him when he chased after Margaret. Most of all… she should not have fallen in love.

Naoto felt like such a foolish girl, a foolish girl who caused so much trouble for him. Souji left the safety of this palace. He left to protect the city from the overwhelming forces that were bearing down on them. He left to find those who were still among the stranded, unaccounted for; he was fighting an unwinnable battle. Souji had left to protect a lord who hated him because he had stolen the heart of the girl he loved. He had left… to protect her.

The soft pillows that Souji were lying on earlier, though comfy, were a poor substitute for the samurai. They were not warm enough… too cold. She could at least try and get some rest.

Naoto's attempt at sleep was interrupted by the sliding door opening and a servant entering. It was not the typical gold and black yukata of a Tatsumi palace servant, however. The yukata that the young woman wore was a vibrant blue color that represented a royal family servant. Margaret was known for her beauty, and it seemed that even her servants were beautiful.

The young woman bowed to Naoto as she stood in front of her. That was definitely a first for the dark blue-haired girl.

"Naoto?" the royal servant asked.

"Yes?" Naoto responded.

"My name is Aria, and Lady Margaret asked for you to follow me," Aria told Naoto.

"I understand," Naoto responded, yawning as she stood up.

Aria nodded as she said, "Follow me, please."

Aria motioned towards the door, and they both turned the corner from Souji's temporary room in the direction of the Main Hall.

As they walked past another of the servant's rooms, Naoto asked, "I'm sorry, but can you tell me where we are going?" She was confused; she did not like not knowing what was going on.

"In one moment, all will be explained," Aria answered.

Naoto sighed. No one ever told her what was going on until it was too late. It was exactly like when Souji helped her understand what would happen if Lord Tatsumi got his hands on her.

Aria stopped at the room closest to the Main Hall. It was only a few meters away.

Aria opened the sliding door and motioned for Naoto to enter. Naoto was slightly tentative on entering. Maybe, she was just getting paranoid, but Naoto stepped into the dimly room. She saw a room that at first glance, was barren.

Naoto turned around and asked Aria, "Whose room is this?"

"It was Raidou and Nagi's room," Aria replied, "I believe they left with Seta."

Naoto was mortified. Her cousins went with Souji? Souji could die out there, and her cousins… her cousins could die with him.

"Are you sure!" Naoto asked, slight panic in her voice.

Aria nodded, and Naoto moved about the room. She confirmed that it was her cousins' room when she found empty metal tubes. They were the same tubes that those demon-things came out of. It was bad enough that Souji left… she was so scared about him getting hurt, but Nagi and Raidou too? It was all too much.

Naoto was running her hand through her hair when Aria, noticing her distress, pointed towards the back corner of the room.

"What is it?" Naoto questioned, focusing back on Aria.

"It's something Lady Margaret placed in the room before your cousins entered the room," Aria explained.

Naoto walked over to that particular corner, bent down and picked up… skintight dark blue pants and a top. It seemed to be reinforced with some material to make it seem like armor. There were weapons underneath as well. Needles and a light and nimble ninjato were placed alongside with her clothes.

"It seems… that Lady Margaret was expecting your predicament," Aria said.

The weapons, the clothes, all of them… they were all there for her to join the fight. Not a fight to save Nara and expel the Tairas and Minamotos from the city. It was a fight to save her family from those who would kill them. It was a fight to save those she loved.

"Can you please leave, Aria?" Naoto asked, not turning around.

"Of course," Aria bowed.

As Naoto began undoing her yukata, untying that ribbon behind her back; she felt through the fabric… the nasty cut across her chest that barely had time to heal. Was it really the right time to set out onto the city? It did not matter… she needed to find Souji, Nagi, and Raidou.

A few minutes later, Naoto came out of the room, wearing the tight blue clothes/armor. The top was extremely uncomfortable, considering the medical bandages that was covering the wound recently inflicted. It hurt a lot to put on. A few days ago, Naoto would have worn similar bandages underneath to hide her gender, but it should not hurt from two directions when putting clothes like these. Placing the ninjato diagonally behind her back, and the needles around her waist, Naoto walked into the Main Hall.

Naoto expected to receive a few looks when seeing a young woman in skintight clothes. She did not expect to see such gaping looks of astonishment by everyone she seemed to encounter.

Servants escorting injured soldiers stopped what they were doing and stared straight at the Naoto. The injured soldiers were struck speechless, but you could tell they had plenty they wanted to say to her. As she was walking she passed Lord Naoki Konishi, who had returned only about forty-five minutes ago; he did a double-take at seeing Naoto.

When Naoki turned his head back around after seeing Naoto. He had to take a second to remember who she was. It was that girl who Kanji was so distracted… it was that girl who caused them a whole load of trouble. Well, looking like that could cause whole lot of trouble. She might as well shock the enemy into dropping their guard. It was not her chest that was attracting; she was injured, and all bandaged… right? It was amazing that she was able to get in those clothes without fainting. It was Naoto's other curves, accentuated by the clothes that would distract the soldiers. If she was carrying weapons around, he hoped that Kanji didn't find her because she would never make it to the battlefield. Kanji might bleed to death… when he thought about it.

Naoto breathed a sigh of relief that Lord Konishi had turned back around without saying anything. The less trouble she caused, the better, and the sooner she would be able to leave the palace. Now… if only she did not receive such stares from both Lady Kujikawa and Lady Amagi. It was if Naoto was doing some illicit and criminal by walking through the hall.

Lady Kujikawa, dressed in pink and red robes, turned to Lady Amagi, resplendent in her own red robes, and said, "What is she trying to say? Come… take me?"

"It is rather despicable," Yukiko responded, her long black hair brushed back five-hundred times.

Something bothered Rise though… It was something Seta… Her Souji Seta had mumbled in his sleep. This slut…, who was walking down the hall, was a servant girl. Her name… was eluding her. Could it be the same one that Souji was dreaming about? If that was to be true; that would be terrible. She would have to share him with not only Lady Nanako, but also this… this woman? At least she had a flat chest…

As Naoto was about 50 meters away from the exit of the Main Hall, the one voice she was dreading… called out from behind her, "N… N… Naoto?"

"Oh no," Naoto muttered.

Naoto turned around, and there he was… Lord Kanji Tatsumi was standing and gaping at the sight of her.

Kanji looked at Naoto. He could not help but take in her whole body, and gaze up and down repeatedly. His eyes followed every curve of Naoto's; shocked that she would wear such a thing.

"What are you wearing?" Kanji asked, dumbfounded.

"It does not matter right now, but I am wearing clothes," Naoto answered tersely. She wanted to be done with Kanji and had to be serious in dealing with him.

"You are… Why are you wearing it?" Kanji attempted to ask another question.

"I believe that I already fielded a question similar to that," Naoto responded.

Kanji shook his head, trying to clear his mind of Naoto. It was just the clinging outfit was so appealing that… "Are you going out to the battle?"

"That is why there is a sword on my back," Naoto explained.

Kanji could not let Naoto leave. It was not just because he loved her… it was because his samurai loved her too. She needed to survive… no matter what. Naoto was too important to everyone.

"You are not to leave, Naoto," Kanji blurted out, "I will not allow an injured girl go out and kill herself. You are still my servant, Naoto."

Naoto steeled herself, "You can punish me when I return, Lord Tatsumi."

Naoto turned back around and took a step forward, passing a stone column. She felt a hard grip on her right arm. Kanji had grabbed her arm to stop her from leaving the palace. She turned her head around, anger plastered on her face, to face her lord.

"I can not let you kill yourself," Kanji shook his head.

"If she wants to save the one she loves, that you should let her," a young girl's voice came out from behind Kanji.

Kanji's grip on Naoto loosened, and Naoto wrenched free from his grasp. The one who had spoken were those of the one with short brown pigtails and clad in cream robes, Lady Nanako Dojima. She gave the smallest smile towards Naoto and said, "She cares for him… enough that she wants to fight with him, no matter the cost. You should not stop her."

Kanji lowered his head. He could not even stop the one he loved from risking her life for another. Even Souji's supposed "betrothed" was agreeing with Naoto. It was hopeless.

As Kanji watched the young woman go, he felt a heavy hand pat him on his left shoulder. He turned his head to see Lord Ryotarou Dojima, left arm bandaged in a sling, give him a reassuring smile.

Ryotarou's slightly graying hair was wet and ruffled… blood had soaked through the bandage. The stubble on his chin was evident… his journey to clear as many people from the city this morning explained why he had no time to remove any hair from his chin.

"It will be alright, Lord Tatsumi," Dojima said to him.

Kanji ran his right hand through his sleek blond hair, "No… it will not. There are what… five, soon to be six people fighting to hold off an onslaught of two armies!"

"They are six people I would want fighting that army," Dojima answered, trying to think of who was actually still out on the field. Lady Satonaka, Souji, Lady Margaret, he heard rumors that two exiles that had caused a lot of trouble in the palace were fighting, and now Naoto was about to join the fight. Well… he would not mind having Lord Tatsumi and Hanamura, but one was the Lord of Nara… the other had been missing for days.

"They are going to die," Kanji muttered, "We are going to die." He shook his head, "It is my fault."

Dojima sighed. He had obtained this injury running from one of the random Minamoto guard that had chased him through a random side road on the way to the Palace District. Luckily, an archer shot the attacking soldier in the heart before more damage could be done to him.

Dojima patted him on the shoulder again, "Don't lose hope, Lord Tatsumi."

* * *

**Half a kilometer into the Mercantile District**

As Chie spit more blood from her mouth, she wondered "Why couldn't I find a way to take care of Lord Sanada and escape?"

She already had a broken nose, bloodied by repeated blows by Akihiko's strong strikes. She had survived that beating, but now there was another fighter that was beating her repeatedly, yelling at her after each blow.

Lady Ulala Serizawa was a master at the one-two combo. She aimed and connected multiple times in Chie's midsection after parrying one of her constantly slowing kicks. It was becoming far too easy for the Taira lady to bruise and break ribs.

Chie was sure she was suffering from some sort of internal bleeding. She had jumped back onto her feet and gotten rid of some excess blood in her mouth, but she was so sore… in pain. She was not ready for Ulala's next strike, a forearm straight into her throat. It was strong enough to knock her straight back on the ground.

Chie was left gasping for air on the ground while Ulala was left smirking.

"Take that bitch!" Ulala exclaimed. She told Chie, "You little bastard…"

Chie coughed as she asked Ulala, "W… What… What did I ever do to you?"

"You exist," Ulala answered, stepping on Chie's left leg… effectively breaking it.

Chie attempted to scream. She would not be able to fight back now that her tibia was broken.

Ulala turned away from Chie and said to no one in particular, "I need to find someone who is worth my time. Maybe I could find Lord Tatsumi and kill him."

Ulala thought, "Silverman will finish her off after she kills Sanada."

Lord Akihiko Sanada, one of Lord Minato's personal guards, was completely unprepared for fighting two more Taira nobles. Already battered by Lady Satonaka, Reiji Kido and Lisa Silverman had no trouble taking advantage of the tired and exhausted Akihiko.

Akihiko tried to throw a straight punch with his left hand at Lisa, but she moved out of the way and elbowed him in the chin. As Akihiko staggered back, Reiji, who had moved behind the Minamoto lord, kicked him in the back with a front kick. The pair of Taira nobles had effectively flanked Akihiko as he hit the ground.

As Akihiko spit out a little blood, he rolled away, barely dodging Reiji's right stomp that would have crushed his skull. Pushing himself up, Akihiko had to put his arms up to block a roundhouse kick from Lisa who was aiming to break one of Akihiko's ribs.

Akihiko was looking to counter Lisa's attack, but before he had a chance to lower his arms to throw a punch; Akihiko felt himself being lifted into the air by Reiji. Reiji had grasped the Minamoto from behind, both arms surrounding Akihiko as he was raised above Reiji. Reiji bent his knees as Akihiko felt himself being flipped over. Akihiko hit his head hard on the dusty ground, immediately losing consciousness as Reiji's body had performed a suplex.

"Do you think we won?" Lisa asked, a smile forming on her face.

"He didn't put up much of a fight," Reiji smirked, wiping some sweat off of the x-shaped scar on his face.

"Probably because he's already fought in a battle," Lisa answered.

Reiji shook his head, "That's no excuse." He looked at Chie, "See… Ulala took her down before we did, and she was by herself."

"Lady Serizawa is already gone," Lisa pointed out. She gave Reiji an impatient look, "Let's hurry up."

"You just want to impress Lord Suou," Reiji told Lisa.

"Shut up, Reiji," Lisa retorted.

Reiji rolled his eyes as he begrudgingly started moving towards the Palace District, Lisa following with a happy smile on her face.

Reiji muttered under his breath, "Tatsuya will never pay attention to you, especially if he finds out you have been sleeping with the soldiers."

* * *

**Residential District: Three-fourths of a kilometer from Tanaka's residence**

**Close to Noon**

Tanaka had met up with his samurai and was now trying to flee the city that he had been away from, hiding from, for days. Did Tanaka really care about the safety of his samurai, Togodai? No, he did not. His only wish was to get out of the city. He did not care about taking over of the Fujiwaras right now. They had lost themselves. Lord Tatsumi was as good as dead.

They were moving at a good clip, luckily, neither Togodai nor Tanaka had encountered many soldiers. They had skirted them when they did, anyways.

The only thing that Tanaka feared was running into someone really strong, like a powerful lord.

Togodai struggled to keep up with Tanaka, but he found his way blocked by a woman with short black hair. Wearing yellow and gray, the young woman had a small gray hat on top of her head.

"Lord Tanaka!" Togodai called out, making his liege turn around.

Tanaka saw that his samurai was being confronted by a lady, so he… shook his head and kept moving forward.

Togodai hung his head at being left behind. He had no idea who he was facing, he was still injured, and there was no help coming.

"Well… who are you?" Togodai asked, placing his injured hand on his sword.

The black-haired girl adjusted her hat. She told him, "Lady Yukino Mayuzuni." The young woman brandished a thin, one-handed sword at her side, and pointed it at Togodai.

Togodai drew his blade and held it awkwardly. It was a two-handed weapon that he was trying to hold in one hand. He muttered, "Damn Tanaka…"

Tanaka turned another corner, trying to distance himself from that lady that was engaging Togodai. Tanaka turned the corner straight into... the point of a thin sword blade.

The brown hair, brought back into a ponytail, of the young woman holding the blade; Tanaka could not tell if she was expecting someone to walk into her blade or not. She had a small amount of dark red, almost burgundy, draped on her gray clothes. Tanaka knew that the girl was a Taira, but he needed to get away from her.

"Eriko… Kirishima," Tanaka said, backing away from her sword.

Eriko nodded. Lord Tanaka was a high-ranking official in Nara, and her finding him was happenstance, but a stroke of good luck.

"I hope you don't plan on stopping me," Tanaka told her, putting his hands behind his robes, drawing two short blades.

* * *

**Mercantile District**

They were running…they were getting closer. She could only go so fast pulling a dead weight behind her. With someone who could barely stand, how was he supposed to run away from two Taira lords? At least one of them was slowed by a large weapon that made him slower than her. The other, however, was faster than her, and he threw long-ranged weapons while running. Twice, needles had pierced her legs and back and nearly made her stumble. It was good fortune that the girl with the long knives did not chase her, for she was taking care of another injured Taira, or that the man who was throwing needles did not seem to think it was worth his time to throw any at the injured man she was dragging behind her. If he went unconscious, she would have to leave him behind. Did she know where she was going? No? She was hoping to run into someone… someone who could save them.

Turning past a corner, the one that was closest to the pair yelled, "You know this is futile, right? You might as well stop…"

The man was right… they would eventually catch her. They would not find anyone who could save them. There were no Fujiwaras left out in the field. There were only Minamotos and Tairas. Even Souji was probably dead by now…

She turned around, facing the man and drawing her thin, yet strong blade. She let her brother down nice and slow, making sure he was not hurt any more than he already was. This gave the man with the heavy two-handed sword to catch up. Both the man with the heavy weapon and the other, the one with long brown hair, had condescending looks and arrogant airs about them. There was nothing more that she wanted to do but wipe them off their faces, but she was unsure on how she was going to do that, especially if she was going to fight them by herself. She was not her brother, not as strong as him. She wished she had the will of her cousin right now. To be able to stand up to a lord, and tame a samurai; she wished she had that strength.

The young woman in the long green coat and beige pants held her blade at shoulder level in a vertical position, behind her forehead. She was going to go down fighting, and if she could take one or both of them with her; then that was all the better.

"You are a fool," the one with the two-handed weapon said, "Making us run around and chase you around like we are kids playing a game… so pointless."

The other one with long brown hair had distinct milky black eyes. He said, "Your little game is over, child."

* * *

**Mercantile District**

Minako was unsure why Lady Elizabeth had joined her so suddenly on the way to the palace. What was even more confusing to the sister of the head of the Minamotos was that Lady Elizabeth abruptly left her in the middle of the Mercantile District, leaving her alone with her guard dog. Minako guessed she didn't mind, because she felt more comfortable being away from the woman who attached herself to her brother.

Minako was now in the middle of the city, light orange and white armor on her body instead of the typical navy robes, her short orange-red hair was still done up with soft pins. Behind her shoulder she carried a long metal shaft with a sword blade on the end, and trailing and wagging his tail was her faithful guard dog, Koromaru.

Minako had actually left to get her brother away from that prophetess. She believed that he would have stayed around there even if there was no battle to fight. Minato just could not keep his hands to himself. It was not like this engagement would be that difficult. The Fujiwaras were rolling over, and Tairas were weaker than they looked.

When Koromaru growled in front of Minako, she widened her eyes. Flourishing her naginata, she focused her vision as a samurai turned the corner, past a few stalls of abandoned goods. She had to admit, the silver-haired samurai who wore a silver and white hakama that was slightly scuffed and damaged from previous battled was rather handsome. All of Japan knew who this samurai was, and Minako was no different. This was Souji Seta, and he was standing in her way.

"Lady Arisato," Souji whispered.

"Souji Seta," Minako responded softly.

Koromaru growled at Souji, who drew his nodachi in response. Minako was more worried about the samurai blade at his waist. She steeled herself. Not only did she have Koromaru; she was the best non-sword weapon-user of the Minamotos. She could defeat him.

* * *

Well… I am getting a little closer to going crazy writing these endless battles. I am also getting closer to having some actual free time and having time to do other things. Auf Wiedersehen


	29. Chapter 29

Samurai and Ninjas Chap. 29

I do not own Persona or the character's likenesses, sorry everyone. Atlus does. Blame my lack of creativity.

This story takes place towards the middle of the Heian period of Japan. I am not going to be completely historically accurate with this, so do not get all over my back about it. I could, but I am not going to be. How much Personas will play a part in it, I do not know about that one.

A note, I will mainly use first names first, then last names. I know this is the one glaring difference that I am using in respect of their culture, but since I am writing in English… I will write as such.

P.S.: I am switching to the Metric System for distances from now on.

P.P.S: If you noticed that my time and logistics are ridiculously impossible… I would like you to notice that: 1) it's not real. 2) I don't really care anymore about my time and logistics in a battle. 3) I lose track of everything that's going on, and I'm the one writing everything. Even when checking previous chapters, it's very difficult. 4) Come on… I get harped on enough already people.

P.P.P.S: I know that's a lot of Ps, but since there is so many people around Nara now, if you get confused who is where and fighting who… just ask.

Sadly… this chapter has people fighting where I don't want either person to die… What to do? To my reviewers: I don't know who's going to live even with my planned out storyline.

* * *

**Residential District**

A pair of axes clashed and sparks flew outside of Souji Seta's residence. Two men, a Taira and a Minamoto, were engaged in a duel with each other as they shoved away from each other's weapons; neither lord was gaining any ground. Rain splattered on the orange and brown armor of the Minamoto and the gray of the Taira. Unlike many of the others, they were wearing distinct kabuto that were very unique. An orange one for the Minamoto, and a yellow one for the Taira.

Why were they dueling in front of Souji Seta's residence? Lord Masao Inaba and Lord Shinjiro Aragaki were fighting to gain a flanking advantage for their respective family. Unfortunately, they were the only lords in the Residential District at the moment. Serizawa, Silverman, and Kido had abandoned Masao, and Akihiko had left Shinjiro behind.

Shinjiro had the advantage of being bigger, and having the bigger axe. Though that meant Masao could take a couple of swipes at him, Shinjiro was quick enough to move away from his smaller hand axe. The only weapons that were bigger were Junpei's and Nanjo's long swords, and of course… Lord Tatsumi's studded kanabo.

Masao had charged Shinjiro again, wildly swinging his axe from side-to-side. Masao had to jump away because before he could get close enough to connect; Shinjiro came down with a long swipe of his two-handed axe. Shinjiro's axe seemed to get stuck in the dirt ground for just a moment; it was just enough time for Masao to take a swipe into Shinjiro's left arm. Shinjiro cursed, lifted his own axe out of the ground, and swung it at the Taira lord. Masao had enough time to block the strike of the axe, but the strike itself knocked him off his feet.

Masao rolled away as Shinjiro slammed his axe down, just clipping the left leg edge of Masao's hakama. Masao knew he had to move fast… aim for the neck this time around, cut the throat.

Masao pushed himself up, dodged another sideways strike from right to left that made the air stir and cut through the rain that was coming down in sheets. This was it… Masao's chance… Shinjiro was slightly off-balance and Masao could strike him down.

Masao, slightly shorter, moved closer and with his right hand… attempted a swing with his right hand. The strike never got there. Masao… started gurgling as he was slowly lifted off the ground…

Shinjiro had dropped his axe and grabbed a hold of Masao's throat with his right hand. The powerful fingers of the Aragaki family were crushing the life force of the Inaba family, figuratively and literally.

Shinjiro remembered what Fuuka told him…

* * *

**Temp. Minamoto Camp on the way to Nara**

**Flashback**

Shinjiro was holding Fuuka's hands back while they were still traveling towards Nara in the same tent that she was residing in now.

"Lord Aragaki," Fuuka said suddenly.

"Yes?" Shinjiro asked the white-clad prophetess.

"You are going to die in this upcoming battle," Fuuka announced.

"I'm going to die!" Shinjiro exclaimed.

Shinjiro was not amused. He was one of Minato's personal guards, Minako's wife, but also considered physically, the strongest lord of the Minamotos. Shinjiro Aragaki, the oldest of the guards of Minato Arisato, he would not die. He could not die; the Aragaki's did not have an heir yet.

"You will die during the fight to take Nara, Shinjiro Aragaki," Fuuka reiterated.

"Do you know who will kill me?" Shinjiro asked, considering Fuuka seemed to know everything.

"I am unsure," Fuuka said, "It could be a Taira, Fujiwara, or even a Minamoto."

Shinjiro was not amused. That she even mentioned that a Minamoto might kill him was not funny. There were too many lords who were jealous that he was married to Lady Minako. Yet, if he could leave Lord Tatsumi and Souji Seta or Tatsuya Suou to someone else… that would be fine by him.

* * *

**Present**

As Masao's axe fell from his limp hands and he stopped squirming, Shinjiro let a small smile reach his face. He was tired of Masao kicking his shins.

"You will not be the one to kill me," Shinjiro sneered.

As Shinjiro dropped the lord, he looked for someone to act as a messenger. He had taken a chokepoint that would be important for taking Nara and defeating what's really important; the Taira family.

* * *

**Mercantile District**

Naoto was not sure that she was going to find anyone, or if she did… who she would find first. She just wanted to find someone she knew. Raidou… Nagi… Souji… she wanted to find them.

"This rain is so annoying," Naoto muttered.

The rain was dripping off her hair and running off her skintight clothes. She would never have worn something like this unless there was due cause… like finding Souji even if she had to fight her way around the city to find him.

She was only thankful that her chest was still bandaged because of injury. Even she would be reluctant to wear this outfit if she did not… Well… she did not want to talk about that. Maybe… if this was not a battlefield and she could find Souji... she did not want to think about it.

Walking down a path where blood had spattered from who knows what sort of battles; Naoto warily gazed from side-to-side. If she knew that the blood was actually Souji's… she would not have taken the news lightly. That was when she spotted another girl with gold headgear on top of short blond hair wearing her own white light skintight armor.

Naoto noticed that the girl had been knocked unconscious. The girl also had two belts of weapons hanging across her chest. The weapons were an array of tools that were similar to Naoto's. As Naoto took a step towards the girl, the blue-haired young woman could see that there was no sort of wounds on the unconscious one. Naoto was curious, however… because she did not recognize him.

Another step and another… Naoto took steps towards her. The blond girl's vibrant blue eyes shot open and Naoto flipped back. Naoto was not expecting her to awake so suddenly. Naoto was amazed that she could even flip back… it must have been on pure instinct.

The girl in white didn't not push herself up… she sort of lifted herself up without any support from any other sources, including limbs. Her knees sort of bent and they lifted the white-clothed girl up onto her feet.

It was then Naoto heard the girl speak for the first time.

The girl looked straight at Naoto and said to her in a monotone voice, "When you fall, you get right back up."

Naoto raised an eyebrow. She asked, "Who… are you?"

The girl responded in the same tone as before, "I am… Aigis." She continued, "You are not a Minamoto."

"So…?" Naoto responded.

Aigis explained, "Then… you are my enemy."

Naoto's dark blue eyes widened as the young woman in white drew a needle out from her neck where it had been lodged and readied it to throw, seemingly at the surprised Naoto. Naoto took a step back as she reached behind her back to protect herself from the young woman named Aigis, who seemed to be a Minamoto.

The needle flew straight and true from Aigis's right hand towards Naoto's neck. Only Naoto's fast reflexes and her preemptive readiness by having her hand on her ninjato allowed the girl Souji fell for to draw the blade and deflect the needle to the side.

With the first needle deflected, Naoto started to close the distance that she had originally created for herself from Aigis. She was a young woman trained by her cousins, and blocked three more needles that came her way. All three needles nearly hit her, however, and Naoto was extremely thankful that her instincts had saved her. As Naoto closed the final quarter-meter and sliced left diagonally downwards, she found her blade blocked by a needle. Aigis was holding a needle and pushing Naoto's ninjato back with a much smaller and thinner weapon.

"What the…?" Naoto muttered, trying to hold in her surprise.

Aigis shoved Naoto's blade up, back flipped up, resulting in a kick to Naoto's chin, and landing perfectly in a sideways position, right side towards Naoto. Naoto stumbled as Aigis drew a different weapon, a shuriken this time. At this short distance, a throw was almost pointless. Aigis could just as well slit Naoto's throat with the curved edges of the tool with a slash.

Aigis made that slash, or she tried to cut across Naoto's throat. The multiple curves of the tool cut small amounts of her blue hair, but the blond-haired woman had missed the shorter Naoto's throat. The resulting extension of Aigis's arm from her slash gave Naoto an opportunity to grab a hold of the Minamoto's, and pull it behind her so Aigis would fly over her shoulder onto the ground. The girl in white hit hard, but rolled through it with light scrapes and a single small hole in her skintight armor.

Naoto took a deep breath as Aigis got up from the throw Naoto had performed. Aigis had a small tear around her shoulder in her armor, but it did not deter her from throwing two needles and a shuriken at Naoto. Two needles were deflected by Naoto's ninjato, but there was no way Naoto could reach that third projectile in time. The weapon made a long tear through both her blue skintight armor alongside her right arm and her arm itself.

Naoto muttered a curse as she dropped her ninjato in pain. The tool had slid deep as it ran through her arm. The peasant was right-handed, and if she had to start fighting left-handed; it might get messy… for Naoto at least.

Regardless of her predicament, Naoto pulled out of one of the few needles that were provided by Margaret. She darted, blood running down her right arm, towards Aigis. Naoto's thoughts were bent on stabbing Aigis with her needle, but Aigis had a needle as well and her thoughts were similar to Naoto's. The needles met each other in front of each girl's chest as metal met metal. The two females stepped back slightly and then clashed again and again. Naoto's needle came down in a thrust from above her left shoulder, but was deflected from a sideways arm bar. Aigis tripped Naoto and threw Naoto to the ground and proceeded to throw her own needle into Naoto's left shoulder, immobilizing the Fujiwara's left arm.

As Aigis stood in front of the fallen Naoto, she drew one last shuriken to throw into the heart of her opponent. With her left arm struck by a paralyzing needle and her right having a long and deep gash along the inside, Naoto knew that trying to use them would be pointless. However, Naoto doubted if Aigis counted on the Fujiwara on using her legs to counter an attack.

Right before Aigis threw her weapon, Naoto twisted her legs so her right leg collided with and grabbed hold of the front of Aigis's legs then her left leg grabbed hold of the back of Aigis's legs and threw her to the ground. The resulting force of this counter was made even more effective because Aigis's head hit hard against the dusty road and a resonating crack was heard.

With great pain and difficulty, Naoto reached over with her right arm and pulled out the offending needle that had immobilized her left arm. As she gritted her teeth, she found that she could move her left arm again, so she could use that arm to brace herself and push herself to her feet.

Only great luck and quick thinking had saved Naoto and she was glad she was still alive. Aigis had a small trickle of blood flowing out of her scalp. Naoto assumed that she might have killed her. It was unfortunate.

"Why were you so set on killing me?" Naoto asked, even though Aigis could not hear her.

Naoto walked past Aigis to where her ninjato had fallen and bent down. She reached down and picked it up, handling it rather gingerly considering her wound on her right arm. Placing it back in the scabbard on the small of her back, she turned back around. She still needed to find Souji… and her cousins, if they were still alive. They better be.

* * *

**Mercantile District**

**Same time**

Two women, both wearing blue skintight armor were staring each down. Both of them had vivid and vibrant, yet almost unnatural yellow eyes. They both had bright blond hair, but the younger of the two had a bowl cut, but the older had longer furls that ran to her shoulders. The most telling feature of both of these women, however, was that they had both been blessed by Ame-no Amaterasu Ookami. They were both children of Lord Philemon, next-in-line for the throne of Emperor of Japan. Yet, they stood across from each other as enemies, fighting for different causes and families.

Elizabeth, the one with short hair and the younger of the two asked, "Why are you even here, sister? You already know the outcome of this battle."

"If I can save some lives… and change as many personal outcomes within this battle, maybe I can make a difference," Margaret replied.

"You are ever the charitable and caring one, sister," Elizabeth told Margaret as she then explained, "We already know that Lord Tatsumi is fated to die in this fight." She asked, "Who is it that you are so worried about saving?"

"That is none of your concern," Margaret said, "Lives will be lost, but lives will also be saved."

Elizabeth shook her head. Margaret never shut up about her philosophical drivel.

"How long have you been pregnant with Lord Minato's child?" Margaret's suddenly asked.

"Long enough to know that he will be the new emperor when he is born," Elizabeth answered.

"I hope that it won't slow you down," Margaret smiled. She finished, "My little sister."

"I have to return to Lord Minato, sister," Elizabeth winked as she finished, "Let's not dally."

Instead of charging, the pair walked forward with no visible weapons in sight. What came next was a flash of light and a resounding shockwave that made all of the incoming rain fly skyward and far away from its destination.

* * *

**Mercantile District**

**After Aigis/Naoto fight**

Souji did not expect to run into basically the female equivalent of the leader of the Minamoto family. She was technically not the leader of the family, since she was female after all. She was the matriarch, however, because she was the oldest of the Arisato females. Yet, the twin sister of Minato Arisato stood before Souji Seta with her naginata behind her right shoulder, looking as deadly as any other soldier or fighter in the battlefield as rain drenched the pair of them.

The young woman with short literally orange hair that she had clipped and held back in three places turned to her faithful guardian dog, Koromaru and commanded, "Go find my brother and protect him."

The dog, a large and pure white with incredibly sharp teeth whimpered.

"Shoo…" Minako told her dog, "Go find Minato. I'll be fine."

Koromaru barked at Minako, a reassuring bark. One that meant, "You better win, or else he would never forgive her".

"I understand," Minako seemed to understand the dog as well.

Souji looked at the pair with utter confusion as Koromaru scampered off. He just did not get it.

Minako looked at Souji. If only she had not been arranged to marry such an angry, volatile, and sometimes… even jealous young man, she could have chosen her own. Someone that suited her tastes, that was for sure. It was kind of sad when Lord Amada futilely chased after her like a little lost puppy. If only Lord Sanada was not so socially awkward, but at least he was arranged with an outstanding young woman in society… Lady Kirijo. Yet, here she was, in tight orange and white armor, standing in front of the most famous samurai in the land. They make them good looking too.

It bothered her though, considering that she was a Minamoto and that someone like Souji Seta was a Fujiwara. Not just because of his looks, of course… but also because of his skill as a swordsman. He was said to have been blessed by Izanagi for battle prowess. What bothered her was the fact that there obvious wear from battle in Souji's clothes, dressed in silver hakama with no armor for speed, but Minako could see no markings, scarring, or cuts from previous battles. It was as if he was untouched… or healed by someone outside power.

Minako brushed back a small strand of offending hair that threatened to get in front of her face. It was then she asked the question that was on her mind, "Souji… have you been in a battle with another Minamoto or Taira recently?"

"If that concerns you greatly, then yes… I have," Souji nodded.

Minako questioned, "If I may ask, who?"

"A Minamoto… I don't think she was a lady… her name was Aigis," Souji told her.

Minako did not say anything else. If Souji was attacked by the assassin and lived, then she really needed to pay attention from now on if she wanted to live.

Souji took a deep breath while he calculated the length of the blade on top of the naginata. The leverage and size of the metal haft would give her speed and strength, but the small size of the actual blade would be a disadvantage. After making various calculations, Souji drew the longer blade from his waist, instead of his nodachi.

Minako spun the shaft of her naginata away from her shoulder and then, temporarily placing a second hand on the weapon, she started spinning it across the front of her body until it was a blur. It was a perfect defensive technique for Minako because she could move her naginata around her whole body in one easy motion.

Souji knew that he would have to bide his time because of Minako's defensive posture. Until she attacked the samurai, an attack by him would only result in a counter that could get him killed. He would have to try something else.

"Someone's tentative," Souji taunted, "Scared?"

Minako replied with a smile, "Just trying to think of the best way to kill you."

"Unfortunately, you will not be able to," Souji answered.

"We will find out, yes?" Minako nodded, naginata still whirling past her body.

Souji stayed his ground as Minako finally made the first move. Minako slashed downwards with her naginata, but her weapon was blocked by an upward counter-slash by Souji's. They tussled back and forth, weapons clashing and sparks flying between the pair. Minako tried again to get into Souji's guard by whirling her weapon once over her head than slashing from the right to the left. Souji countered with a left sideways slash that made Minako's hands hurt.

With Minako's hands ringing, Souji drove his right foot into Minako's left shin. She winced in pain and fell to one knee as Souji rolled his sword around once in his hands and prepared to strike. Souji never got a chance to cut into Minako because she used the metal shaft of her weapon to block the sword strike. The parry knocked Souji's sword up slightly, but Souji slashed again. This time, Minako parried the metal shaft straight into Souji's wrists.

Minako's hands may be stinging from the counter of the samurai blade, but Souji's were in incredible pain. The pain forced Souji to hesitate and it was enough time for Minako to use the back half of her naginata to trip the samurai. It gave Minako a chance to stand up and now she was the one staring down at the fallen opponent.

The sword half of the naginata came flying down towards Souji and with the burning feeling in his wrists; the only thing he could do to possibly save himself from a quick death was drop his longer weapon and pull out his lighter, shorter nodachi. Sparks flew as nodachi collided with naginata. Since the nodachi was not heavy enough to gain an advantage on the naginata, Souji rolled through before Minako could slash again. Rolling to his feet, Souji turned around to see that Minako had already charged towards him.

"Damn…" Souji thought.

He had no time to idly curse though. Souji was ready this time around for Minako's strike and as the downward slash came; the samurai slid his nodachi behind the naginata and pulled it safely past him. Pulling the naginata past him in a violent motion drove Minako off-balance again and Souji threw her hard, flipping above his arms onto her back. Minako gasped as she hit the ground; she could feel nothing but the rain drenching her face.

The naginata had left Minako's hands; it had fallen to the wayside when Souji had flipped her. She had stopped moving her arms and legs, but her eyes were wide open and blinking… crying in pain. It made him wonder if she had been paralyzed as Souji sheathed his nodachi and bent down to grab his samurai blade.

Souji turned his head as a female voice called out from behind, "Souji!"

The sight of the short, ruffled blue-haired girl with dark blue eyes melted Souji's heart, but drove great sorrow as well at seeing her on the battlefield. Why was she here? Why did she risk her life when he told her not to…?

"Naoto…" Souji said very softly, closing the distance between them.

If Naoto was surprised that Souji did not notice her apparel; it might have been because he was used to fighting women wearing skintight armor already or…

Souji smiled and said to her, "You look really nice in navy blue."

Naoto shook her head, "You are only saying that because you can see my curves."

"It does look better than a yukata, and… it's raining," Souji winked at her.

"I would say something to you, but I will withhold my comments for now," Naoto crossed her arms.

Souji decided to close his mouth, which was probably a good thing.

Naoto looked past Souji and saw the orange-haired woman in white and orange skintight armor lying on the ground.

"What did you do to her?" Naoto raised an eyebrow at Souji.

"What did I do?" Souji asked, looking incredulous, "She tried to kill me, so I retaliated."

Souji and Naoto locked eyes as Naoto told him, "I was looking for you, you know?"

Souji smiled and responded, "That was not necessary. In fact, I told you not to, remember?"

"And you expected me to listen to you?" Naoto's arms were still crossed.

"Not really," Souji was trying to suppress a chuckle.

"Well… I also came to find my brother and sister," Naoto closed her eyes temporarily as she explained the whole truth.

"I left your brother and sister to fight an assassin named Aigis," Souji explained.

"I just knocked her out again," Naoto told him.

"I blame Lady Margaret," Souji shook his head, "She was the one who knocked her out the first time."

Naoto could not help but to chuckle. The woman who killed demons could not keep a woman like Aigis unconscious for a long period of time; it was just pathetic.

Naoto moved even closer to Souji and their fingers touched. Souji said to Naoto, "Let's find Raidou and Nagi, then we should evacuate Nara."

"What about Lord Tatsumi?" Naoto asked, "You are sworn to protect him."

Souji sighed, "Their next course of action will be to leave Nara and head to Kyoto. Lord Tatsumi will be fine."

Naoto looked doubtful, but Souji nodded in reassurance.

* * *

**A kilometer and a half away from the Taira camp**

**Between Naoto/Aigis and Minako/Souji fights**

On a horse rode two people, a noble and a samurai. One was a prisoner, and the other… a secondary leader of the Tairas. Why a secondary leader? It was because she was married into the family. Yet, at this moment, she was feelings rather livid towards the Taira family.

Lady Maki Sonomura was tired of being ignored, tired of being left behind, and tired of being cheated on. So… who better to accomplish a little revenge with than someone from another family who wanted something out of the Taira family?

Maki, looking over her shoulder, said to the person behind her on the horse, "Yosuke… do you understand your orders?"

"Kill Naoya Toudou, right?" a young man with brown hair that could almost be considered… fluffy responded.

"I have one more order for you," Maki told him as she swerved the horse around an oak tree.

"What is it?" Yosuke asked as he adjusted his red and white hakama.

Maki explained, "I need you to eliminate Souji Seta."

"Souji?" Yosuke looked a little surprised at the news. He continued, "You want to me to kill the greatest samurai in the Fujiwara family?"

"You want to be with Ayase, right?" Maki questioned, slowing the horse slightly. She said to him, "Just do what I say and you can be with her."

Yosuke sighed, "I understand."

"Alright," Maki said as she felt behind her to see if her longbow was still safely attached. She picked up speed as thoughts of Yosuke driving the two poisoned knives she gave to him into Naoya's heart. The blades were meant for Lady Amano, but she gave them to Yosuke to kill Naoya and Souji. She would have her revenge.

* * *

I really hated putting on fights between characters I really like; it's really hard to write them out. If you are worried about the epicness about a certain fight, maybe it is not over?

I'm sorry that it took so long to get another chapter out. Reasons? 1) I started it during finals. 2) Family gatherings 3) Migraines. I had a good Saturnalia, I hope your holidays went well.


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Persona Series, Drama, Romance