to the ground when he got the metal sharp weapons from both sides. Sasuke hit him in the carotid artery and Sen in the spinal cord.
+ ~ * ~ +

"SHINJI!", Kagome almost jumped Shinji overboard when she saw him come out of the main house.She and Kyoko, as well as Shizun, came from the next house to check that everything was going well.
"Kagome ... not so ... Aha!", Shinji suppressed the pain in his right arm as Kagome hugged him too tightly.
"What do you have?", She wanted to know, horrified.
"You're hurt ... An ARTZ!", Kyoko yelled as loudly as she could.
"Great ... Where are the others?" Shizun asked uncertainly.
"Just a few scratches", Shinji calmed down and then looked at Shizun and Kyoko: "Forgive Koyko-sama, Akira and I, we weren't up to the killer. The Shinobi won the day. But that's not the worst. Akira is im Fight against Homaru, he underestimated the opponent and ... "
"No! Say that it is not true, you can still save him for sure ...", Kagome grabbed his chest and sank to his knees. Akira should be dead? Just because?
"I don't think so ...", Shizun bit his lower lip: "I gave the order to be ..."
"Your ninja are only related to themselves ...", growled Kyoko: "I told you that you must never trust them ...""Mistress, the Shinobi saved me ... It wasn't your fault that Akira fell. He was proud and didn't want your help, he'd rather die than let a ninja save his life. Don't give these to the two children Guilt ... Ahh ... ", Shinji collapsed on his knees as his legs couldn't carry him anymore. The armor was too heavy and his strength too weak due to his injuries.
"Shinji!", Kagome supported him and looked at him: "We can still save him ... Definitely, we will fetch him and the doctors ...", Kagome could not finish, there was a bang, black smoke billowed out out the windows and the main house went up in flames.
"No ..." Kyoko held onto Shizun: "Akira ... he still had so many dreams ..."
"It's okay ...", Shizun took her in his arms: "He fell for his duty ..."
Shinji closed his eyes, what had he done to Kagome and Kyoko here? He lied here ... his honor as a samurai hung by a thread, but he couldn't tell the truth.But at some point he would have to tell Kagome what really was ...

+ ~ * ~ +

15 minutes before:
"Aki ... Aki-chan ...", Shinji shook his sister, who was still in Plogo's room. But he wasn't alone anymore.
Heiji came to take care of the injured. The noises of fighting had lured him here and since he was sure that nothing could happen to Shizun, Kyoko and Kagome, he had come to help.
"Akira ...", Shinji had taken off her helmet and Heiji took care of her head wound, but she didn't wake up.
"No ... I don't think so. Aki, open your eyes!"
"Shinji, calm down, she's alive," said Heiji and looked at him: "She just passed out. Don't worry, the bleeding has stopped."
"Are you sure? She's my sister!", Shinji contradicted: "I should never have supported her to become a samurai. Just because I helped her, she was accepted and never exposed. Even Honè didn't know ...""Don't blame yourself", Heiji carefully took off Akira's armor: "She really wanted it that way, right? So it's not your problem. But it will be one at some point. Akira knows it, just doesn't want to admit it ... "
"I know ...", Shinji nodded and rubbed his sister's face: "She will become a woman and the mask will be torn off her ... at some point ..."
"That's right. She won't be able to hide it forever", Heiji looked at her and thought: "If you want, I'll take her with me ..."
"What? NO", Shinji stared at him: "I won't let that happen!"
"Calm down! That was a suggestion. I just thought that ... well ... Akira should die ... as a samurai to enable Aki-chan a life as a woman ...", Heiji objected soothingly.
"She never forgives us," Shinji paused.
"But better that than that the samurai kill her for fooling everyone," Sen intervened. She had come back to Plogo's room with Sasuke.The two of them had just left Homaru there. Where should they have taken the body?
"It is the opportunity for you. Nobody is there yet, a deception is easy, but you have to play along", Sasuke looked at Akira: "As a samurai it will go under anyway."
"But that's her life! She loves and lives being a samurai ..." Shinji looked at the three Shinobi and then at Akira: "She always wanted that ... even when she was a little girl ..."
"This path will kill you. Sure, death is certain to us and especially we as shinobi and you as samurai always have to reckon with it, but you know yourself that Aki paints this path in the wrong colors. I can see her from here and Sasuke and Sen make sure that it looks like a murder. Only a few weeks and Akira can be back on the street as a girl, as Aki or whatever ... ", Heiji explained.
"Shinji, for you as a samurai, duty and honor is first, but we ninja respect life more and more.If you want to save Akira, then you should ... "
"I know ...", Shinji nodded and looked up at Sen: "I know that this unique opportunity will never come again. Heiji, bring her to us at home, to her room ... I'll explain everything to her ..." Shinji got up and stopped.
"Okay", Sasuke nodded and picked up the helmet ... "Fire ..."
"All right ... Shinji, go to the end of the corridor ... To Homaru's corpse ... and wait there until you have a reason to act ..." Sen ordered.
"Okay ... go on then!", Heiji carefully lifted Akira up in her arms and picked her up: "It is too heavy for a girl."
"It's because of the muscles that she trained ...", Shinji replied and slowly walked out of the room.

+ ~ * ~ +

"So ...", Kagome tightened the bandage on Shinji's shoulder. It was morning, but she hadn't left Shinji's side. Kyoko and Shizun had also stayed near him.
"HEIJI!", Shizun stood in front of the hospital room and looked into the forest: "Where is the guy?Is he in the flames? "
"No, he's not ... He's just busy!", Sen and Sasuke landed silently behind Shizun. They had taken care of the fire to keep it from getting out of hand and then withdrew for a few hours. Sasuke had stupidly been pacified by one of the shuriken Homaru had thrown into the mist, but Sen hadn't noticed that yet.
"What? What did you think? Your order was: Arrest the murderer and protect the two samurais!" Shizun thundered at the two of them.
"Fate, he's dead and burned and the samurais ... well ... let's say that was Heiji's idea ...", Sasuke shrugged and then grimaced.
"Hey, what is it?", Sen frowned and then saw the blood stains on his arm.
"Nothing ...", Sasuke waved off: "A scratch ..."
"Let's see ...", Sen pulled up his sleeve: "Why don't you say anything?"
"Hello !? What should I clarify with Heiji?", Shizun came back to his topic.
"Akira ... The samurai is dead, but not Shinji's sister ... Now stop it, this is just a grazed wound, it will surely heal soon ...", Sasuke took a step away from Sen: "You are not my mother and I am far from being a wimp! ""What?", Shizun frowned: "Where is Heiji?"
"At Aki-chan's. She had an accident and he is taking care of her," said Sen and forced Sasuke to stay calm. She kissed his wound gently.
"What are you doing there?", Sasuke swallowed and suppressed a blush.
"I have no iodine ... so I have to do it like this ..." Sen replied and tore off a strip of her shirt, which she then bandaged over Sasuke's arm.
"Hm ... thanks ...", Sasuke grumbled.
"You are really the hit, you know that? But get on your way, I want Heiji here. He has to explain a few things to me!" Shizun ordered, then he turned around and went back to Shinji and the two girls .
"What was that supposed to mean now?", Sen wondered and avoided Sasuke's gaze: "What is it?"
"I guess I caught you with a needle, right?", Sasuke ran a finger past Sens's hairline. A very small trickle of blood had developed there.
"Oh, that's not worth mentioning," Sen turned away: "Let's go!"
"There you are!", Kyoko looked at Shizun:" And? Where are your people? "
"Looking for Heiji ..." Shizun replied.
"Is he in the flames ...", Kagome caught his breath, that was too much for her, way too much ...
"No, Heiji wasn't in the main building," Shinji assured and smiled at Kagome: "Don't look like that, I prefer you to smile."
"What?", Kagome ran red again: "But how should I, when I'm so sad ... Akira is dead and the killer ... We can't interrogate him ... he also died in the flames ..." Kagome looked at him Floor and suddenly felt how Shinji pulled her to him and took her in his arms.
"Don't cry, trust me. He wouldn't have told us anything anyway, even if it had been for his life."
"Shinji-san, I'll talk to your troop leader. You will need a vacation to get back on your feet. Shizun, will you come with me?", Kyoko looked at her guest seriously.
"Thank you, Kyoko-sama," Shinji looked down.
"Sure ... where are you going?", Shizun wanted to know and then followed Kyoko to her rooms.
"You won ...", Kyoko sat down on her bed with a pout and looked at him: "My samurai have been beaten by your ninja ... I have to admit. But I will not apologize for my opinions about these shadow warriors. After what Shinji said are the trappers and extremely devious. "
"I know, but that's what makes her so attractive. So much ingenuity and making everything out of nothing. But I think we can find a compromise, Kyoko-chan," Shizun knelt in front of her and smiled engagingly at her.
"Kyoko-chan? I can't remember that I would have allowed you ... And what do you mean by WE and compromise?", Kyoko wanted to know snippily. She was uncomfortable at the thought that Shizun was so close to her. She knew that she could never turn him down, because she had never done that before. Actually, she didn't want that at all.
"Well, you will agree to the marriage, won't you?", Shizun asked:" You have a weakness for me. "
"What? But ... I didn't say that!", Kyoko swallowed and looked to the side: "What are you thinking about?"
"That you love