Directions of Love (A Shinogiyuu Story)

Chapter 1; Mission

Shinobu Kocho

I carefully walked over to granny's hut, opening the flap slowly.

"Hi, grandma." I said softly. She stared at me slowly. Her eyepatch gleamed under the filtered sunlight, underneath showing the scars twelve years ago.

"Who...are you?" She asked. I knew it. She still didn't remember me.

"Don't worry." I said softly, guiding her to her bed. "Rest up."

"I will make Minami pay with every ounce of blood they have." I thought.

Because I'm Shinobu Kocho. Hashira of the warriors.

After exiting the tent, Kanae ran to me with my new poison all in a bottle.

"Shinobu! Have you put the new poison you developed to test? It's very lethal you know, you should be careful." Kanae asked me. I swore when Ayame died, I would protect Kanae and Kanao, even though Kanae was older than me, and Kanao could protect me better than I could protect her.

"Of course I have! You should be careful too, If that goes into your wound or even your skin, it could kill you!" I said quickly.

"Oh well, Father want you to go to Minami to bring back Kyojuro. He was captured." Kanae looked at me, worried. "Are you sure your up to this?"

"I'm the fastest one in the clan!" I assured Kanae. "Besides, maybe father won't always look down on me anymore," I saw my father's sullen eyes staring at me with disappointment. Why couldn't I have been taller, stronger? Why couldn't I just have prevented Ayame from dying?

"He's like this because he expects great things from you! He is always worried when you go on missions." Kanae said earnestly.

"Well then, why am I always in the front lines when there's danger then?" I asked. I didn't complain. I would gladly give my life to help our clan, but Father's just so annoying. I knew I was nothing to him. Even Kyojuro meant more than I did.

All because I couldn't prevent Tomioka from pushing Ayame into the water.

It ruined my life.

And he would pay.

I just didn't know with what.

"Shinobu!" Mitsuri waved at me as I turned around. Like me, she was a hashira ranked Warrior in Kita. "I heard you're going to find Kyojuro. Here's some candy if...if you need some!"

"Um thank you?" I mumbled questioningly. Why would I need candy?

"Be careful!" Mitsuri yelled. As my best friend, she was kinda clingy, but with the limited attention I got, she was all I had.

"Shinobu! Shinobu!" Aoi, Master chef in hashira rank, brought out some pastries. "Hopefully this mission goes well! Kanao wants to say goodbye, but she's busy training! Good luck!"

***

After a few goodbyes, I set out to Minami's campsite. My fingers were on the verge of freezing off. But it was a short journey, so it shouldn't matter much. By what I've seen so far, Kyojuro was at the most inner part of camp, obviously, to make it difficult for prisoners to escape. But according to Kyojuro, there was an entrance right by the cave, hidden twenty feet exactly north of Minami's camp. I slowly climbed in. Every part of this tunnel yelled sketchy, but if Kyojuro said so, it was safe. He could be much sometimes, but he never slacked off.

Walking here felt like hell. Every inch of me was trembling, not sure if it was fury, or fear. I had never been here before. This was the camp that murdered my beloved sister. I heard voices above me as I walked through the tunnel. Sometimes, I wondered if it was ridiculous, trying to kill someone who I met ages ago. It didn't matter. I would make them pay.

"Tokito! I see the tailors have finally restyled your wardrobe! Very flamboyant!"

"What...are we talking about? Who are...you?"

Voices. Up above. Now silence was my weapon, as was my enemy.

"Ah! Young Tokito! How sad that your memory loss has made your personality almost as unflashy as Tomioka!"

I froze at the word Tomioka. That son of a biscuit! I'll turn his skin into-

"Tengen. Unflashy isn't a word." A new voice appeared. Tomioka. I clenched my fists. No, calm down Shinobu, you're here to bring Kyojuro back so he can give us the information we need.

I wandered down the path, until I saw a hole on the roof, covered with a rug or something. There was tapping. It was an old song from the Kita. Clearly this was Kyojuro's cell. I pushed the rug away and climbed up. Kyojuro was sitting on the floor, tapping his foot. When he saw me, he grinned.

"Why hello, Kocho!" He said in a very loud whisper. I rolled my eyes.

"Come on Kyojuro. We gotta go." I said, ready to leap into the tunnel.

"But Miss Kocho! The tunnel is guarded with many guards! We cannot escape there!" Kyojuro whispered (loudly) again.

"But didn't you send us a message saying to use to the tunnel to get here?" I asked. Then realization dawned on me before I could say more.

"I...I didn't send a message!"

Suddenly, loud noises were heard and guards came into the cell rooms, running directly towards us.

Giyu Tomioka

I knew it. The Kita people were stupid, so easy to fool. I watched the guards run in, opening the door to the cell. However, the two prisoners had already dropped to the hidden hole-wait! How did that not get caught through our daily checkups?!

The girl and Rengoku froze for less then a mere second, then jumped down the passageway. Dammit! I should've put guards at the entrance of the tunnel too! "Faster!" I roared at the guards. Stunned I actually said something, they broke down the cell door and jumped down into the passageway.

The girl who came here came here was extremely talented. We definitely didn't expect it, especially since we didn't hear a sound in the tunnels.

I followed the lady helping Rengoku escape, and saw something that made my blood boil. A butterfly pin. Purple wisps of hair. Anger can't describe what I felt. That was one of the Kocho's. Well, it was the Kocho that helped kill Yoshio.

A childhood grudge into full out anger.

Following Kocho and Rengoku out, I knew they were clearly going to get back to their camp before we could catch up. Telling two out of five guards to follow me to a quicker passageway, I ran through. On the other side, I saw Kocho and Rengoku running towards us. Kocho saw me, and I knew she had a plan.

She flung out three needles. "Duck!" I screamed at the guards. The needles hit them. Idiots. Kocho ran straight into me, knocking me back, while Kyojuro ran out. She tried to stab the needle into me, but I grabbed her arm.

"You're coming with me." I growled maliciously. I saw the other three guards run my way.

Standing tall, I pinned Kocho to the wall and said, "We did lose that Rengoku, but we gained something more useful. A Kocho."

Did I do a good job? I feel as if this chapter was really boring. Plz, help. I'm going mentally insane.