Ninja Love Story

Chapter 20

Hyosuke and I had reconvened with the rest of the men and, though we were excited at first to share our discovery, I suddenly remembered what led to our separation in the first place. Hanzo didn't understand Hyo's actions; why he did what he did. Hanzo was standing off on his own when we walked up, looking at nothing in particular. Yoshitsune was heading towards us. Hanzo's stance stiffened ever so slightly, just as a breeze blew towards him. I need to explain what happened.

"Sheeta. Hyosuke. What happened?" Yoshitsune didn't seem angry when he spoke these words but his face beheld a dour look anyway, his voice was commanding.

Hyosuke dropped to one knee in salute. "Sir," he began. "Sheeta and I-"

"We found something that may be of help to us, Yoshitsune" I piped up. I excitedly shoved the box of obsidian in his hands, completely ignoring his look of confusion. He nearly dropped it.

"Sheeta, I don't under... stand," Yoshitsune trailed off. He undid the clasp and we all heard him suck in a breath. "I don't believe it..." I grinned. His eyes flickered from mine back to the contents, his budding excitement palpable.

Hyuga stepped forward, curiosity taking over him. He laid a hand on Yoshitsune's shoulder to peer past at the box. "What is it, Sir? Wha-" He didn't finish. Instead, he took one long look at the box and froze, his mouth comically forming a perfect O in surprise. Enya smirked.

"Y'know Hyuga," he teased, "it's not everyday you actually fail to complete a sent-" Enya stopped suddenly on Yoshitsune's other side, distracted by the sudden glow of a dazzling orange light across his vision. I couldn't help myself, I laughed.

"My my, boys. I'm beginning to sense a pattern here," I carefully guided Yoshitsune's hands down to the ground where we could all see the box more clearly. I set the scroll on the ground beside it and gently picked up the gemstone. "The Yasakani-" I began.

"no Magatama," Hanzo finished. I looked up at him, startled, once again not sensing his presence behind me. He narrowed his eyes at the gleaming stone, seemingly shocked to see the Magatama. But I could tell from the way he took care not to meet my eyes and his arched eyebrow that he was still upset about Hyosuke and I. I'll have to worry about that later...

I turned back to the group. "Yes. And here the scroll says, 'The Yasakani no Magatama was hung from an evergreen tree in order to draw out Amater-'"

"Yes yes, we know the legend, Princess," Hanzo sneered. Everyone turned to look at him, just as shocked as I was to hear him speak so coldly. I rose to my feet, my heart beating loudly in my ears.

I spoke with careful articulation. "I am merely telling you what Hyosuke and I found, Hattori. Had you not stormed off in such a hurry, this mission just might have ended a tad bit sooner." I bristled, my anger and annoyance continuing to rise. I stepped towards Hanzo as I forced his eyes to look at me. "We oh-so humbly ask that you forgive us for cutting into your brooding time, Sunshine." I heard all the men stand up as well, possibly picking up on someone snorting though I couldn't tell who. However, I knew they could sense the sudden tension between Hanzo and I. He clenched his fist and narrowed his eyes a degree more.

Enya suddenly clapped his hands together, breaking all of us out of our trance. "Welp, no time like the present then. Yoshitsune sir," he stood at attention. "What are our orders?"

At that, the other men followed suit and stood at attention. Yoshitsune hesitated, clearing his throat. "Uhhh... right. We've managed to successfully procure another of the Three Sacred Treasures. For now, why don't we head back t-"

"I'm not going back." I said sternly. Yoshitsune looked at me, slightly taken aback from my outburst. "Sheeta...?"

I walked forward a few steps as I gestured out towards the sky. "There's still plenty of daylight left. I'm going off to the waterfall to investigate. Who knows, I may yet find another clue."