There was laughter.

It resonated through the leaves of a bamboo forest; nearly blending into the whispers of the wind. It was lively and innocent. Full of incomprehensible joy that would send a chill up one's spine. Whoever was laughing sounded like they were in heaven. There were two voices responsible belonged to a man and a woman, and their voices were mixed with the clanging of metal, followed with the sharp sound of metal against metal.

In the forest of bamboo where under it's leaves and branches cool air would breathe through. Its song pure and soft, those who listen feel the tranquility in their souls. It was a beautiful feeling that many cannot obtain. And which only a few may find.

The two lovers in the forest parred with their swords, revealing skilled swordsmanship. Their swords slashed against each other with swift swings. And the hands that held the hilts proved to be strong as the two continued to spar relentlessly. No sweat dropped from their foreheads, and the devious smiles on their lips was painted with confidence. Their reflexes were marred with grace, and their minds fully aware of their opponent's movements. It was as if they've fought each other so often that their minds have become one.

From dusk til dawn, the two stayed together parring, laughing, and conversing with one another. In each other's arms they shared bold displays of love so tenderly and so passionately. The love in their eyes seemed like a fairy tale for one cannot often see such loyalty and dedication for another. In her lover's arms, the woman felt safe. With his lips pressed against hers, the man felt his heart warm.

It was a marvelous sight.

It was good to be young.

It was good to love while it lasted.

* * * * * * * *

"Masashi-san! Masashi-san!" Sakura's voice called out from behind the sliding door.

Her voice sounded frantic as she pounded on the door. It was still early in the morning with the sun just risen to the bright blue skies. Little birds were preening their fine feathers, but they flew away after each pound on the door Sakura made. And the pink-haired girl continued to cry until the samurai finally opened the door.

The samurai gave the girl a stern look once their eyes met. She was already in her traveling attire, with her bag slung on her shoulder, and her weapons hanging by her side. Yoshie was already more than ready to go.

"What is it?" She asks calmly, but there was a hint of irritability in her voice. "You're disturbing the other guests."

"Ah, good morning, Masashi-san!" Sakura cried. "It's an emergency! Let's hurry!"

The samurai tensed up at this, wondering what the kunoichi was talking about. She had a bad feeling, and Yoshie suspected that she wouldn't like it one little bit.

Arriving at the place where the other ninjas were staying at, Yoshie realized that there was a line of refugees coming towards the bathhouse and inn. Coming up the mountain towards the bathhouse and inn, were men, women, and children. And there were ancients along with them. The refugees carried their bags as they helped each other climb, although they were still meters away from the bathhouse. She was surprised to see so many, and they all se me ragged and tired. In front of the refugees was a single track of footprints and it led to where the ninjas were gathered. There were a couple of guests surrounding the ninjas, and the younger nin were trying to hold them from coming any closer.

Then when Sakura showed her the man Kakashi was interrogating, Yoshie instantly pulled out her katana and it shocked everyone.

"Out of my way, shinobi!" The samurai suddenly commanded them. She turns to the curious guests, and commands them to leave.

Seeing the scary look on her face was enough to drive them away, but the ninjas with the samurai were more than alarmed. The aura around the samurai became dark, and so did the look on her face. It was fierce and painted with horror. Her eyes burned immensely. All they could see was the intent to kill.

"Masashi-san, what do you think you're doing?!" Kakashi yelled as the other ninjas quickly pulled out their kunais.

The samurai glared at them.

"That man is cursed," she replied. "At this rate, he'll become a *shikabane."

Her words made the man shriek from horror, realizing what the woman was saying. Like his companions who were coming, his veins glowed a bright red and yellow color, like those of burning charcoal. It was all over him; he looked like human volcano from all the glowing veins. His eyes were already blood-shot red, and he looked like he was in pain.

"Your companions," the samurai turns to the man. "Do they all have the same markings as you?"

Tears began to swell in his eyelids. His body trembled with fear. And his heart throbbed painfully in his chest as goslings began to burn with pain. Then nodding, the man suddenly fell over when he began to suffocate. Saliva foamed in his mouth as Sakura and the other girls quickly attended to him. But the samurai wasn't going to let them stay near him. She stomps towards the man, but the other nin quickly block her way.

"Whatever it is you're trying to do here," Shikamaru frowns at her. "Is a mistake. We have to help him!"

"We're supposed to help him, not kill him," Obito began, looking at Yoshie with pleading eyes. "Please, Masashi-san, let us help him."

"He's beyond help now." Yoshie charges, and Sasuke and Shikamaru quickly fights to contain her.

Her first reflex was to put the sword into its sheath before engaging into the skirmish. With a calm look on her face, she blocks every move the two throw at her. Her sword was her shield and weapon, but it was evident that Yoshie held back as she sparred with Sasuke and Shikamaru. They were fast. And the samurai admitted that they were skilled, high-level ninja. Their movements were fierce and precise; Yoshie could feel their strength behind her sheathed blade. Any normal human would have been struck down instantly in their hands, especially thanks to their lightning-like speed.

But to the samurai, their movements were detectable.

The boys' kunais couldn't even land a single scratch on her, while they now suffered several bruises. But what irritated them was the fact that Yoshie still has not pulled out her katana from its sheath. She was underestimating them, and that was the major insult for both of them.

Their frowns on their faces gave away their emotions, but the calm look on Yoshie's confused them since her eyes still intensely expressed a murderous desire to kill the man who came pleading for help. They didn't understand what her intentions were, and why she was so sure that the man was beyond help. But the two couldn't help but wonder if she has seen such symptoms inflicted on an individual before. It gave them a sickening feeling. As it turned out, she didn't have any hesitation to kill anyone.

"Masashi-san, please! Let's talk about this!" Obito cried as the three continued to spar.

"This is why I realized asking you for help was a mistake," the samurai replies, kicking Shikamaru in the gut which drags him to his knees.

Then Sasuke charges, only to get struck hard on the sternum by the hilt of the samurai's sword. The boy drops to his knees and moans loudly just like how Shikamaru clutched his stomach.

Yoshie whirls her head around and glares at the other shocked shinobi in front of her. With the other two crumpled behind her, she approached the other ninjas and points the sheathed katana at Kakashi and the others. She was angry now.

"Ninja, you do not want me to be your enemy," said the samurai. "What you are doing is a mistake. If I don't kill him now, many will die. You wouldn't want that."

"What are you talking about, Masashi-san?" Said Kakashi, hoping to calm the woman down.

Before Yoshie could answer, the girls behind them suddenly let out a scream when the man they tried to care for suddenly lost all sense around himself and tried to bite into one of the girl's arms. His skin had turned into a cold gray now, and his veins glowed a molten yellow color. His eyes had turned black with his pupils had gained a menacing red glow. He snarls and growls like a hungry beast and charges at the living humans in front of him.

The ninjas instantly fight back, but they simply cut off his limbs which he paid no mind to. Stuffing him with kunai and shiraken did nothing either. The ninjas couldn't use their special jutsus because there were too many people around. Witnesses and civilians were a pain. The man continued to snarl and bite at the ninja before him ferociously like a hungry animal. Sasuke, now recovered from Yoshie's earlier hit, pulls out his chokuto, and quickly thrusts it into the man's chest, but it breaks once its tip strikes into his chest. Sparks flew from the man's chest in his attempt, and the broken blade is thrusted into the ground behind the young ninja.

"How?!" Sasuke jumps back, and clicks his tongue irritably.

But in a short moment, the samurai charges like lightning with now an unsheathed coal-black katana, and pierces her weapon straight through his heart, killing the man instantly. It surprises the other ninja, because they witnessed Sasuke's failed attempt to kill the man.

It stunned them all.

With trembling eyes, the shinobi realized what the samurai meant and why she was so keen on killing him. No one was hurt, but Ino suffered a bruise from the man's tight grip earlier on. It purpled in color and swelled badly.

His heart pounding, Obito turns to Yoshie whose eyes now darted to the incoming refugees climbing up the mountain. In an instant, he realized what was racing through her mind. And he had to stop her.

"Ma-"

But he couldn't even finish his sentence.

The samurai dashed straight through the gate and charged straight at the refugees, with only intention to strike down every one of them. Sakura screams for her to stop, but it drowned in the deafening screams of woman, men, and children. The samurai struck everyone down, slicing through their torsos, beheading their heads, and thrusting her blade through their hearts. Yoshie would leap as a hoard of undead would charge at her, forcing her to pull out her other katana which was white in color instead of black. With her two blades, she struck down everyone in her path. All she left behind was a trail of corpses. Her burning eyes showed no mercy.

All the Konoha ninjas and the guests at the bathhouse could do was gape with horror in their eyes. Beads of sweat would roll down their faces, which gained a pale pallor as they watch the cold massacre. Behind the sobbing Sakura, the other ninjas could see that some of the refugees had turned into the same thing the man earlier had become.

An undead.

A shikabane.

* * * * * * * *

It was silent throughout the entire bathhouse and inn. The only thing sounding was the sound of water and the echoing pound of the sozu in the gardens. Everyone was hiding behind their closed doors. Though some dared to eat when many had lost their appetite. They could smell the stench of death passing through their noses. It was disgusting, and many couldn't even dare blink. It left many restless and anxious.

The sun had disappeared behind the mountains. It disappeared when many still wanted it to stay and shine its warm light on them. But the sun didn't care for any human's discomfort and left the sky in the charge of the moon and stars. But even these beautiful celestial bodies hid behind fierce clouds. The night wind was cold, and it snarled at the ninjas who awaited for the samurai's return to the bathhouse. The souls shivered against the pounds of the wind, making their capes fly behind them as they held their capes tight.

It's been more than ten hours since the samurai had dashed down the mountain, and even with the sun down, Yoshie has yet to return. It made the shinobi wonder what had happened to her, and they wondered if she had gone so far to kill each and every one of the refugees. After her bloodthirsty rage, they all began to question whether or not they should help her, and whether they should take her into custody for the massacre in the mountain. It made their brows press against each other, contorting their foreheads and making their creases deep.

Each ninja distracted themselves differently. Shikamaru played shogi with Kakashi, Kiba stayed by Akamaru while sluggishly playing with the poor canine, Sasuke held onto his chokuto while wondering how he could find a replacement, but everyone else just stared into the distance. A tear-stained Sakura stayed up in one of the rooms that faced the mountainside where Yoshie had gone. She was alone with the other girls, who only hoped that she would he alright. They understood how she felt. The menacing look in the samurai's eyes was something they didn't want to see. They felt confused, and they wondered what was going on through the samurai's head. Because Yoshie didn't hesitate to kill the refugees even while they were still live humans.

Earlier on, Kakashi along with Obito, Yamato, Sasuke, and went to examine the corpses Yoshie had left behind so early in the morning. The corpses closest to the bathhouse were people with soft, normal skin, but they all had glowing yellow veins just like the man earlier on. Blood was everywhere; some seeped out of the bowels left on the ground, the bodies cut open without any head left, with blood gushed out from their mouth. A river of blood slowly flowed down the mountain if the earth didn't suck it in. It was sad to see children cut open. They had tears in their eyes, incorporated with fear and horror. Despite being so young, their lives were taken without a second thought. Some clung to their parents or siblings until they died. Sacrifices made by the elder siblings were useless because their siblings still died in their arms. It was heartbreaking.

But as they headed farther down, the corpses became more like the man at the inn. But some refugees had died before Yoshie had cut them into two. Some were mangled by their own, as if killed by wild animals. It was a sickening sight.

"This is horrible," Ino gasps.

"So, what Masashi-san said was true," Yamato remarked.

Kakashi shuts his eyes.

"What surprised me was seeing Sasuke's chokuto snap when he tried to stab the man, but Masashi-san's katana slid right through like it was nothing."

Suddenly Kakashi falls to one knee and pulls out a kunai. Then he quickly slides the blade along the corpse's chest. The skin was tough, even tougher than leather. It made Kakashi frown, but he manages to open its chest up. His companions flinched at the sight.

The corpse's flesh was as gray as it was outside. But the ribs have turned into a black with a blue glare. Finding the heart was easy,because like the veins that flower a yellow, molten color, so did the heart. Kakashi manages to rip the ribs apart, and before him was a heart that resembled exactly the same as the stone the samurai had carried with her. Only that it was surrounded by a cage of metal-like material, and this one Kakashi couldn't easily break. And trying to forcibly thrust the kunai only let sparks fly. Then after a few swipes at the cage only resulted with a chipped blade.

"Seems like I won't be able to get the heart," said the ninja, getting up. "No wonder Sasuke's chokuto broke."

"Let me try," said Obito.

His friend gets out of his way, and Obito was the one who kneeled on one knee now. His pupils turned red and it forms into a low-level sharingan. Raising his arm, the Uchiha thrusts his hand into the metal-like cage and he manages to pull out the corpse's iron heart. Like what Yoshie had shown them months before, the heart turned into a crystal-like rock that seemed molten in appearance. But it was simply warm, the flesh inside no longer beating.

The hours that passed after that seemed to be forever. A mystery has been unraveled, but the answers are yet to be gained. To the ninjas, only the samurai could answer the questions that have been hiding the truth. The ninjas continued to wait, and while waiting, Yamato sat down beside Kakashi and write down the report to send back to the village. Their Hokage can't keep waiting after all, and especially their progress would be good addition to the information that they lack.

Naruto had a deep look in his eyes. A deep sadness that grew and weighed heavily on his chest ever since that morning. Seeing the samurai so violent and brutal was not something he had expected to see. To see the menacing look in Yoshie's eyes was comparable to those Sasuke used to bear against Itachi, his older brother. Eyes filled with hate burned in her soul, and they made a mark on Naruto's heart. The boy clutched his chest, feeling his whole body just suddenly grow cold.

"Are you alright, Naruto?" Shino asks, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder.

Naruto grins at him.

"Of course! Why wouldn't I be?" Naruto replied, letting out an awkward laugh. "I mean. . . we're all alive, right? None of the civilians died either."

"Naruto. . ."

"It's just that. ."

"Masashi-san turned out to have a dark side?" Shino pushes back his shades. "I don't know why you're even surprised, but you should know better than anyone that with a good side has a dark side as well. Though to be honest, I was wondering when she would show that side of hers."

"What do you mean?"

Shino raises an eyebrow.

"The samurai has been quiet for most of our journey. Not to mention, she's aloof the whole time she was in Konoha. If you ask me, she's only been bottling up whatever she's holding inside. And she's taking all that frustration on these shikabane. She's a samurai, you can't expect her to open up to us ninjas."

Naruto's eyes widened, realizing that his friend was right. He can't force the samurai to have friendly relations with them as long as she was cooperative. But in this case, it would probably be the other way around. They knew nothing, and if they had taken the samurai into custody if Sasuke and Shikamaru had beaten her then someone or more people could have died. Noting how only Yoshie's blade managed to pierce through the shikabane's chest, they should be grateful at the very least.

"You don't think that Masashi-san would have run off, did she?" Kiba asks, taking a seat beside Naruto and Shino.

"I see," said Shino, adjusting his shades. "So she's taken advantage of her rampage and ran off without us."

"That can't be!" Said Naruto. "Don't be stupid!"

Shino and Kiba glare at him.

"No offence, Naruto, but you shouldn't be too attached to the samurai you barely know," said Kiba, sighing loudly.

"Kiba's right," Sasuke's voice suddenly joined them. "You shouldn't attach yourself too much with the samurai."

Naruto groans.

"Not you, too, Sasuke!" He snarled.

Sasuke sighs.

"I know how you feel, but what if things turn out to be more serious than they may seem?" Sasuke asks.

"I know! But-"

"Could you explain the state of those corpses out there? Could you explain why those people were even refugees, and where they came from? What if Masashi-san is more than she says she is? If she wanted our help, why is she hiding so much from us? She obviously knew what those things were, but she didn't care much to explain. And why did she run off just like that?" The boy asks, clenching his fists.

His friend remains silent and merely gritted his teeth in response. It made Sasuke irritated as well, to have someone talk so big about someone who only proved herself as hostile and antisocial.

While they argued, a young girl appears by the door. She seemed nervous, and was anxious enough to stay silent while trying to attempt to catch someone's attention. Fortunately for her, Kakashi was quick to notice her presence.

"Good evening, miss. What brings you here?" Kakashi asks with a pleasant look in his eyes.

"U-Um, your dinner is ready, sir," said the girl, making a formal bow.

Kakashi's eyes widened in surprise.

"But I don't think I ordered any," he replied.

"I did, Senpai," Yamato stands up.

"Yamato. . ." Kakashi knew that his kouhai had a big heart, especially that he was fond of the students under Kakashi. He was their captain for a short time after all. But to feed them all after not eating breakfast or lunch through the day was more than being considerate. And there was the factor that Yamato saved his wallet. Kakashi was more than touched.

The sound of a meal stirred a ruckus, and it caught the girls' attention from the other room. But the moment they laid eyes on the maid surprised them even more.

"Wait!" Sakura's voice gasped. "You're-"

* * * * * * * *

After a long day without eating or drinking, a feast prepared by the inn was more than enough to suffice to fill the hunger and thirst of the ninjas. The long table was filled with delicious food, and the smell was intoxicating. The ninjas' mouth watered at the food, and munching on sushi, tempura, okonomiyaki, tonkatsu, yakinuki, and so much other food was the greatest pleasure any of the ninjas at the moment. It was paradise for a hell of a day. Even Kakashi was more than grateful-eating his dinner outside where no one could see his face, although, Obito and Yamato shared the pleasure of accompanying him at the balcony.

Everyone enjoyed their share of the meals. Even Sakura and Naruto seemed a lot better compared to the earlier moments of the day. It made everyone relieved to see their smiling faces.

"Hey, you can't hoard all of that!" Ino yelled angrily at Choji who was eating a whole plate of yakiniku.

Choji gulps down a chump of food.

"Hey, now! We didn't eat all day!" He cried, grabbing a tempura form one of the plates.

"That goes the same for the rest of us!" She yelled back.

"Wait a pain," Shikamaru groaned. "Today was quiet, so why can't we eat dinner peacefully?"

"I agree with you, Shikamaru," sighed Shino. "Captain Yamato should have just ordered us food secretly."

Choji frowns at them.

"I could hear you, you know," he muttered. "Besides, if you were so hungry, why didn't you buy your own food instead of waiting for Captain Yamato to buy us dinner??"

"Heh? The same goes for you, Choji," Shikamaru scolded him.

Hearing this, the big man grinned mischievously and pulled out a pack of his favourite chips form Konoha, shocking his friends who sat around the table.

"What!" Everyone cried angrily, but their fat friend only grinned.

But before they could even pounce on his food, the girl from before brought a new tray of food into their midst. It surprised them once again, but they were happy to see more food to fill their stomachs. And like hungry beasts,they chewed on their food in no time. The girl before them observed for a moment, a hint of jealousy shone in her dark eyes.

Hinata was quick to notice it though, but Sakura seemed to have gained curiosity about the girl.

"You were the girl that gave us those ointments at the bath last night, right?" She asks with a cordial smile.

"Y-Yes," the girl replied nervously, quickly changing her expression.

Sakura and the other girls grin.

"Thank you!" The pink-haired girl grabs the girl's hand so casually that she let out a smell yelp of surprise. "They were really soothing, and they smelled great! I'm Haruno Sakura, nice to meet you!"

"Th-That's great then, Haruno-san," the girl replied. "Just address to me as Namika. W-Well, I simply just did my job."

"You're doing a good job then," she replied. "Sorry for the trouble though for taking care of us."

"It is my duty to make sure that our customers enjoy their stay here," Namika replied. "I'll have to go now though, I'll get scolded."

"Could you answer my question first before you leave?" Sakura quickly asks. "If it's not too much of a trouble."

"As long as it is something I can answer, I have no problem with that."

"Then why were you so surprised when you saw Masashi-san?" Sakura asks. She didn't even hesitate to ask. But her question made the girl pale.

Without even answering, Namika began to tremble violently, surprising everyone in the room. Her ashen pallor was deathly as if she just came face to face with Death herself. And her timid eyes darkened with so much hatred. The girl hugged herself as she felt that fear eat up her heart that was still beating inside her chest. Images in the past flashed though her mind. And it forced out sweat from her, making the girl sweat madly. Then suddenly, she screamed.

"Namika-san, are you alright?!" Kiba's voice echoed into her mind.

The other young ninjas quickly rush to her aid as well, and they helped settle her down and tried giving her a drink. But the girl's eyes were distanced into her memories, and their voices couldn't reach her. They were only muffled sounds to her.

"Shit!" Shikamaru clicks his tongue. "Why would she be so scared of the samurai?!"

"Maybe she really is not she claims to be," Sasuke muttered.

"What's going on?" Kakashi's voice suddenly echoed into the young ninjas' ears.

Their heads swiftly whirl around, and before them was no one other than their team captain with his two assistants. The older ninjas immediately gaped at their team in surprise to see a girl having a panic attack. Their curiosity instantly perked, but seeing the deathly look on her face was no joke. Kakashi didn't like one bit of it.

"What happened?" The man asks.

"Sakura asked her about Masashi-san," Hinata replied with a worried look on her face. "We don't know why she suddenly acted like this."

"Namika-san! Namika-san!" Naruto called to the girl as he shook her shoulders. "Namika-san!"

Remembering a memory is heavy, especially when there's nothing good about it. And forcing a memory out from its hiding spot is like repeating a nightmare you never want to recall.

It was dark out with the stars and moon mounted on the sky when screams suddenly filled the air. They were frightening and horrific. Death echoed through those voices, and fear clutched the hearts of those who heard those deathly cries. From a peaceful day came the nightmare once eyes were shut. Burning embers flew in the air like fireflies. And the scorching heat of Hell was torturous as tongues of fire ravaged the village like a hungry monster.

People young and old ran for safety, because their own homes were capable of becoming their graves. No one wanted to die; they all hang on for dear life. Their desperation killed many in the process as they were stomped on to death like beef under the iron of a chef. Children were separated from their parents. Friends became foes. And lovers became murderers. Everyone had lost sight of each other. Chaos consumed the hearts of the villagers, and fear swallowed them whole.

What were they so afraid of?

What triggered their fear?

No one knew.

All Namika knew was that while her mother was dying in her arms, a pair of eyes in all of this chaos burned more fiercely than the fire itself. The gleam of a blade glinted under the dark night. The streets were colored crimson, and decorated with innards and limbs. And the ivory-white kimono of a woman was colored vermilion. Her make up was of blood, and ashes contoured her pale face. Her silky, long locks were soaked with blood and ash. She was death, collecting the souls of the villagers. Even if she was disgraced, the daughter of the *daimyo still moved with such beauty and grace, only that she was marred with blood lust.

The burning fire in her eyes still scorched in Namika's eyes. And they still brought the girl nightmares. Without warning, the bloody samurai approached Namika and her mother with her sword dripping with blood. Tears streamed down the girl's face. Her voice was trapped in her throat, and all that came out was her fear. She yelped when Yoshie bowed to one knee, then she suddenly grabbed the girl's arm and examined it along with her face and neck. Namika cried the entire time. Then came her mother's turn. Yoshie examined her mother the same way she did with Namika, but for some reason, a frown contorted her forehead. And then before Namika knew it, blood sprayed on her face.

The last thing she heard. . .

Was her scream.

~~~

Number of words: 5008

*shikabane (屍) means corpse in Japanese.

*daimyō (大名) were powerful Japanese feudal lords who, until their decline in the early Meiji period, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. In the term, dai (大)means "large", and myō stands for myōden (名田), meaning private land.

The term daimyō also sometimes refers to the leading figures of such clans, also called "Lord". It was usually, though not exclusively, from these warlords that a shogun arose or a regent was chosen. Daimyōs often hired samurai to guard their land and they paid the samurai in land or food as relatively few could afford to pay samurai in money. The daimyōera ended soon after the Meiji Restoration with the adoption of the prefecture system in 1871.

This chapter is dedicated to kamenHime :3

Guys, I to mention this in the previous chapter: the best comment gets a chapter dedication! I love reading your comments, and reading them is my motivation to write :3

I would especially like to know what you think on this story development! :D