Chapter 12

Ichiro held Toyotomi Kimiko in his powerful arms. He led her into the House on the Volcano where she would be safe. She was the Shogun’s daughter, yet she was frail and delicate. He breathed in her sweet scent and wished he could hold on to her for longer.
“Lady Kimiko I will place you under the protection of Lord Sato’s best warriors. I would take care of you personally but I have other matters to attend to.”
Kimiko wriggled free from Ichiro. “I need to speak with Lord Okinaga immediately.”
Ichiro knew this was not an option right now. Okinaga was in the dungeon speaking with an apparently dead Kensai Master. No place for a woman, even if she was the Shogun’s daughter and probably accustomed to getting her way.
“I apologise Lady Kimiko but Lord Sato Okinaga is busy and I need to get you to safety. The observation room is the most secure room in the residence.”
Ichiro placed a hand on Kimiko’s back and try to direct her towards the stairs but as predicted Kimiko did not respond well to being told No.
“I must speak with him,” she demanded as she pushed Ichiro’s arm away. She staggered through the front door. Her legs were tired from riding all night. Her head was light. She struggled to breathe as her chest tightened. Gasping for air she collapsed on the ground.
Ichiro rushed to her side and lifted her head. Her face was pale and her lips were dry. “Lady Kimiko!”
“Please, I need to speak with Lord Sato,” she whispered as she opened her eyes.
“You need water and a physician. Stay still.”
Ichiro looked around for help but amazingly he found no one. All the men were on patrol or guarding the front gates, which left the front door eerily deserted.
He was just about to call out when he heard the heart-stopping cry of one of his men.
“Ninja!”
It was shouted from somewhere upstairs, possibly the third floor.
He felt Kimiko’s body tense up and then realised his own body had become tense. He had even stopped breathing. A split second passed before he heard more shouting. Another second passed and then there was silence.
Ichiro couldn’t believe it. Someone had managed to get inside the House on the Volcano. Every muscle in his body burned for him to run up the stairs and join the fight but he couldn’t leave Lady Toyotomi. She needed his protection.
The other samurai began to run past him, their swords in hand. He fought the natural reflex to join them and stayed with Kimiko.
“Lady Toyotomi, we must leave.”
Kimiko did not respond. Her gaze was directed towards the staircase. Ichiro then noticed the other samurai had frozen in their tracks. He was about to reprimand them for hesitating, for taking so long to apprehend the intruder when he looked up and saw why they had stopped. The Red Ninja was calmly standing on the last step of the staircase holding Akira, in an awkward and painful arm lock.
The rumours were true, Ichiro thought to himself. The Clan had returned and Goda had joined their evil crusade.
The assassin’s eyes were scanning the crowd of samurai, sizing them up, anticipating their next move. The ninja then focused on Kimiko. Ichiro knew at once he needed to get the Shogun’s daughter to safety.
He looked at his men. He understood why they had paused. Goda was a dangerous enemy, even for a small army of samurai. The mere mention of his name was enough to make grown men nervous, and the site of him was enough to scare them stiff. Regardless, Ichiro needed his men to defend the residence; he needed them to attack the intruder and to protect Lady Toyotomi. He needed them to do what they had trained all their lives to do. And since that meant going up against the Red Ninja, he needed them to sacrifice themselves. He needed them to die.
As if the samurai had read Ichiro’s thoughts they all raised their swords and readied themselves for battle. The samurai shouted as one. The hairs on the back of Ichiro’s neck stood up. He had never been so proud of these men. They were true warriors. Warriors who he had grown up with and trained with.
More guards rushed from upstairs and paused on the first story landing only a few steps away from Goda. The Red Ninja did not even turn to acknowledge them.
Ichiro picked up Kimiko and carried her back outside. The samurai attacked with single-minded fierceness, each moving on his own, but with the same goal. Goda reacted with such speed it appeared as though he was predicting the samurai’s every move and he did it all one handed. He was slicing through the fiercest warriors Ichiro had ever known all the while still holding Akira in an arm lock.
Ichiro began to run but realised he didn’t know where to take Lady Toyotomi. He didn’t know what to do. Maybe he should get her horse and tell her to ride to the next town or as far away as possible or even all the way back to the capital. Maybe he should go with her. The Shogun’s daughter cannot ride unescorted, unprotected. But Ichiro knew he couldn’t leave. He was Okinaga’s personal bodyguard. There was no way he could leave his lord.
Ichiro’s indecision was tearing him apart. Never before had he been so clueless as to what to do.
He quickly searched the surrounding area for answers, something that would give him a sign. But all he saw were the guards at the front gate looking as anxious as ever and just as torn as he was. High atop the sentry towers the archers had their bows drawn and their arrows loaded but they had no target to shoot. None of this helped. The men were all poised and ready for an all out war but Ichiro needed to get to safety.
Inside the residence he could hear the battle intensify. The samurai were dying with honour but they were dying quickly. Suddenly the clash of steel ceased and shouting ended.
In a matter of seconds Goda had cut down the samurai.Ichiro began to run again, he ran like the Red Ninja was right behind him, ready to strike. He wasn’t use to running away and he didn’t know where he was running to, but he didn’t care. In his arms, Kimiko held on to his thick muscular neck as tight as she could. All that mattered now was her safety.