Three months have passed since the winter battle in the village; the season is changing into spring and the snow is melting. Life is returning to the once cold world, Ryuzen has now just turned 14 and much has changed at Jinsai estate. The Kuroda clan has grown in wealth and power and has gotten the notice of the daimyo and his son, and they have graciously bestowed much favor and responsibility in guarding the southern border of Kai. The arrival of the 50 mounted samurai and the new income have allowed Jinsai to expand his home base with new barracks and additional stables for the new arrivals and the horses they have brought with them, a new water well was also added to the property and the mansion have added additional guest rooms including a room for Isabell and separate one for Joam, enlarged kitchen and a zen garden with a small koi pond in an open private area in the middle of the mansion and finally a new storage warehouses for the additional stores of rice and various other goods and luxuries the Kuroda household can now enjoy including a small armory with muskets and various other weapons of war as compared to before it was a simple small weapons room. Ryuzen was awarded a new full suite of samurai armor from Katsuyori which had a gold coiled dragon emblem surrounding a rising sun and the rest of the armor was in dark black lacquer color that looked intimidating to any opponent that would face him in battle. Ryuzen had taken over the duties of ruling his father's lands and patrolling southern Kai with a ferocious zeal. Very quickly rumors were spreading in bordering provinces of a fearsome dragon of the fields among the bandits of this warrior clad in black armor killing bandits with no mercy. Ryuzen was catching bandits and executing justice on them and with the fearsome Takeda cavalry at his back they had collected a further 60 bandit heads. Very quickly the incidents of border raids were diminishing to the point traders were coming to pass through Kai province headed to the eastern provinces to avoid bandits in other nearby provinces and the Takeda clan prospered from there trade and paying tolls to pass through there province. On a couple occasions Ryuzen was able to reverse ambushes on his unit and save the lives of his men by using his trusted Kurokane. Many of his soldiers began to have a fanatical loyalty to the young lord for his ability to stop ambushes (his men were never aware of the reversal of fate, and they assumed he was just good at anticipating ambushes and attacks). Ryuzen relationship with Isabell blossomed and almost daily they would in the early evening after Ryuzen finished his training and duties walk the bamboo forest path to the nearby brook and discuss the day's events, Ryuzen abilities with fate and her visions for his decisions on whether he should change the fate of a particular situation or person, it was to the point they would now hold hands in private and though they were a very innocent relationship, Ryuzen harbored the thoughts of asking his father to arrange a marriage soon to Isabell. Finally, not everything was well in the Kuroda household, Jinsai had not fully recovered from his stomach wound and initially it was believed by his healers that he would recover but instead after three months the wound had not fully healed and had now become infected and Jinsai was fading fast with high fever and chills. Each day he was rapidly losing weight, and the once stocky man was now looking like a pale thin old man.

  Ryuzen seeing his father's condition decline decided to speak to Isabell on their daily walks about reversing fate to save his life. Ryuzen holding Isabell hand in the forest looking at her wearing the brand-new red kimono in traditional Japanese maiden hairstyle was looking radiant and beautiful tonight he thought to himself. Ryuzen and Isabell stop at their favorite spot by the brook and look at each other he begins to speak, "I need your guidance tonight concerning my father, I want to ask if you see anything if I change the fate of my father?" Isabelle contemplated for a minute what he asked and closed her eyes and then after a minute or two opened her eyes and started looking worried. "If you change the fate of your father and save his life the fragment I saw will present you with an impossible choice and neither outcome will result in what you want. In the fragment of the vision, I could see in my mind's eye your father lives and is in audience with Shingen Takeda, but I see myself being bound in ropes and being carried from your home with several dead men on the ground over the shoulder of a man in black clothing and then the fragment ends" Ryuzen is stunned by what she tells him and for a minute he says nothing and then says, "Let me get this straight my father lives but someone takes you and in the process several of my men are killed in the process. If I don't save him somehow, his death may prevent your kidnapping. How can a dead man stop your kidnapping, I don't understand" Isabell begins to have tears roll down her eyes and says in a trembling voice, "I am sorry I cannot give you any more information than I can see, please save your father and let me be taken his life for mine. I would rather see him live and you can try to rescue me later" Ryuzen wipes her tears from her face and looks into her eyes and realizes how intensely blue they look despite them being red from her crying. "I cannot let any harm come to you as you are the relic of fate, and it is obviously a plot of Melanios to take you for himself by some agent he has hired to kidnap you. The ramifications could affect many lives if you are taken. Most importantly I love and cherish you and I wish to have you be my wife someday. I love my father who rescued me after my parents were killed and adopted me and trained me to be a samurai I am today. However, he would understand duty and sacrifice and would want me to protect those who cannot protect themselves. I must then not change the fate of my father and allow him to pass away even though it is tearing my heart in half" "Isabell kisses Ryuzen intensely on the lips and then speaks, "I am sorry for this terrible choice you have to make and know I do not take your choice lightly and will honor you as your wife for what you have done and love you always for what you have done" Ryuzen nods his head and then grabs her hand and they both walk back to the mansion. Ryuzen then orders extra guards to watch over the property and assigns a bodyguard to Isabell.

  Ryuzen walked Isabell to her room and bid her goodnight and then went to see his father in his room. Jinsai was awake and a female attendant was using a cool wet cloth to wipe the sweat from his forehead and cheeks in an attempt to cool him down as he lay down on his sleeping mat. Ryuzen holds back his tears and composes himself inwardly as he sees his father suffering, his father notices him and weakly smiles at him and motions him to come sit next to him and sends his servant out of the room and she slides the door close. Then Jinsai speaks to his son, "I feel my time is ending on this earth soon and before I leave to the next world there are things I wish to convey to you before I pass. You are to inherit everything in this house and land as my heir. I have instructed the servants and soldiers along with their families that they are to obey you in all decisions as if it was my word and they are to swear loyalty to you once I pass. Also, I know you are wanting to take Isabell as your wife and your wish is to be married to her. I have seen how you two are around each other and I have begun to discuss the marriage proposal with her father Joam. However, you must wait until you aged 15 when you will be married to her and you will need to speak to Joam about marrying his daughter" "Father, I cannot thank you enough for all you have done for me and ever more so grateful you have begun negotiating for the marriage to Isabell. You have made me the man and samurai I am today and will be eternally grateful to you" Forcing back his tears he then bows face down to his father for all he has done for him and feels even more guilty because of what he must do in order to keep Isabell safe and it leaves a hole in his heart for the grief and pain he feels. Finally, Ryuzen moves back to a kneeling position by his father and Jinsai continues, "Our Lord Shingen has summoned Joam to his castle in Tsutsujigasaki castle to let him know his decision on what he will do with him. You are to escort him there and wait for him there as he is in audience with our lord. You are to leave in two days and make your way there with a group six soldiers with you and two servants. Preparations are being made for your departure. This is also the perfect time to speak with Joam about your intentions with daughter man to man" "Father you are not well and I do not wish to leave your side" "We would lose favor with are lord and we will not dishonor him by not going when called. A samurai must obey his lord above everything else" Ryuzen nodded in agreement and resigned to the fact he had to leave his dying father. Jinsai then said goodnight and Ryuzen left the room.

  Two days later in the early morning Ryuzen bid his father goodbye and shared a secret kiss goodbye with Isabell and rode out of the estate with Joam, his 5 soldiers and two servants carrying gifts for the daimyo and took the country road north to Tsutsujigasaki castle. Everyone in the estate waved goodbye and prayed that they had a safe journey. After Ryuzen party was gone and out of sight the estate continued with their daily routine like normal of feeding horses in the stable, servants moving around the mansion cleaning and cooking, tending to the rice fields, etc. Isabell was tending to Jinsai in place of Ryuzen absent to make sure he had everything he needed. The soldiers patrolled the border of Kai like normal. All seemed well with Ryuzen departure except for one lone figure in the distance perched in a large tree on a large branch observing the estate in the mountain forest with a spyglass. He was dressed in all black ninja suit wearing a black Zukin (Cloth hood) covering his entire head accept his brown eyes, he was only 5 feet 3 inches tall but very well built and muscular from years of intense training. He was observing movements of the servants, soldiers, and he was looking for one person in particular. A golden-haired barbarian that his master has commanded him to kidnap. This particular ninja name is Kotaro Fuma who was for all intent and purposes the ninja under the employ of the Hojo clan, but his real loyalty was to Melanios. Kotaro was an accomplished shinobi who was still quite young at the age of 20 but had already impressed his daimyo by infiltrating an enemy castle and killing all the enemy guards at the gate and allowing the Hojo troops to enter and take the castle. However, this young ninja was not content in just serving under a daimyo and wished to someday alter his fate and rule the lands of the Hojo as the new daimyo. He had heard of a heretic monk teaching forbidden knowledge and offering anyone willing to follow him the ability to change your fate to get what you want. He met Melanios at the Imagawa home castle, and at his first meeting he remembers how his eyes were black as night and was extremely tall, broad shoulders with long black hair and wild look in him like a hungry tiger on the hunt, yet Melanios had no blemish on his face as was extremely handsome and did not look like a typical monk he was accustomed to. He made the sacrifice of an innocent and swore loyalty to Melanios and said his chance to change his fate would come soon but he would have to perform a task for him first and wait and continue to serve the Hojo clan as Melanios spy until he finally sent instructions on what task he was needed to complete for his lord. Finally, after two years of waiting, the news he had been waiting for finally came and he was instructed to kidnap Isabell and to take her to the Imagawa who then would take her by ship to Melanios in Satsuma. Finally, his prey made an appearance, and she was drawing water from a well. Now that he had confirmation that his prey was present at the estate and the young lord who Melanios gave strict instructions not to engage was gone he would make his move tonight and abduct her under the cover of darkness. He climbed down from the tree and laydown under the tree to get rest before tonight mission.

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  After several hours of sleeping and resting the sun finally set and Kotaro made preparations by gathering several small daggers, poison darts, and rope he would use to restrain Isabell with as well as a small white cloth to keep her from screaming for help and a small, short sword. Finally, complete darkness fell and all that could be seen was the lighted torches and fires in the distance of the estate. He noticed the patrols of guards around the estate and decided to try to enter through the bamboo forest and based on what he could observe it seemed the girl was in the mansion. He would make his way to the roof of the mansion enter through the zen garden in the center of the mansion and search for her in the mansion. He made his way through the bamboo forest and noticed a path leading from the brook to the house and noticed a guard leaning in the brook and using his hands to drink water from it. He moved quickly and silently as he could and crept up behind the guard and with the rope, he had managed to strangle the guard from behind around the neck. He then moved the guard's body into the forest and quickly changed and put the guard's uniform on and since it was a moonless night and very dark no one would notice unless they were up close to see him. He walks the forest path back to the mansion and sees a guard holding a spear at the entrance closest to the forest path and the guard raises his hand in greeting at the entrance at Kotaro and he waves back and keeps walking toward the opposite side of the mansion away from the guard. Kotaro can smell the fires coming from the kitchen and knows his close to the center of the outside of the mansion. He finally stops and looks left to right to see if anyone is coming toward this side of the mansion and sees no one. He then pulls out a rope with a grappling hook and swings toward the roof and manages to get it to grab the edge of the roof. He then pulls his weight on to the rope to make sure it holds and not move. The grappling hook holds and then the ninja proceeds to climb up the roof and finally reaches the top of the mansion. He then stops and does not move on the roof and listens to see if anyone is moving near him. He hears no one and proceeds to slowly move across the roof toward the zen garden as he is within five feet of the zen garden his foot accidentally steps on a loose tile and makes a slight creaking noise and Kotaro instantly freezes and listens for any movement from the house. He waits for what seems like an eternity but no noise and just silence. He then moves toward the zen garden makes his way down carefully and lands in a crouching position and observes the inside of the mansion. It is very dark except for lamps lighting some of the rooms. The hallways are very dark and perfect cover for him to move about the mansion. He decides where he should find this barbarian, he thinks for a second she must be in the guest quarters but which room, then he makes his way to the guest rooms and notices there are three bedrooms. He decides to follow his nose and smell the scent to try to choose the correct room. He then hears movement in the dark hallway behind him and can see barely make out that it is a guard. He quickly presses his body against the hallway wall and pulls out a small dagger and as the guard walks by he grabs him from behind and stabs him in the neck while covering his mouth and he slumps a little hard but not loud enough to wake people. He then leans the body against the wall as if sitting lowers his head to appear sleeping. Finally, he tries again to figure out which room she is in and sniffs the doors and the second room smells like a lovely lavender and deduces that she must be in this room. The room is dark and she must be asleep he assumes. He slowly slides the door open and can make out someone sleeping on a sleeping mat. He moves slowly and cautiously and makes his way to the sleeping person. Finally, he is directly next to them and as his eyes have adjusted in the room, he can tell it is a young woman, and the heavy smell of lavender is on her. He instantly puts his hand on her mouth, and she stirs and with his other hand he grabs her hands and starts to restrain and tie her and without warning he hears the sliding door open and before he can react, he fills a sharp pain in his right shoulder and realizes he has been stabbed and instantly lets go of the girl and she screams loud which then triggers and wakes all the guards. Kotaro instantly throws a dagger in the direction of the where the sword came from and he hears a gurgling noise and someone in the dark falls to the floor. Kotaro drops everything he has and leaps over the girl and out the window and makes his escape. By now the guards are rushing to Isabell room where she is screaming for help and as they shine light into her room the find Jinsai slumped on the ground bleeding out and dead from a dagger to the throat with his sword near his side stained with an unknown enemy's blood.

  Six minutes before Jinsai death, Jinsai is lying in bed and struggling to sleep because of his illness, and he is lying in bed awake and then he hears noise in the hallway, and it sounds like someone is struggling and hears something drop on the floor. The hairs on the back of his neck stand up and Jinsai instincts tells him there is something wrong. With whatever strength he has left he struggles to stand up and grabs a katana from his sword rack and then leans against his bedroom wall and carefully opens the sliding door. His years of experience on the battlefield allows him to catch the scent of fresh blood somewhere nearby and follows the scent slowly and trying to stay upright and standing he leans against the wall to the end of the hallway and the smell gets stronger and he makes out a figure sitting in the corner and as he gets closer along the wall his feet feel the slick warm liquid and he realizes the guard is dead. He then hears a struggle in the second guestroom where Isabell is staying. He moves as fast as he can to the room without falling and sees the dark shadow over Isabell although he is dizzy and ready to pass out he manages with both hands to lunge his sword at the dark figure and within a few seconds Jinsai feels a sharp stab to his throat and falls down and he struggles to breathe and Jinsai feels himself suffocating and then everything fades out to black and he passes away.

  Kotaro is making his escape into the bamboo forest, and he hears guards yell in the distance that their lord is dead. Having failed his mission in retrieving the girl he must now send word to his master that he was unable to kidnap the barbarian and apparently, he killed the old lord of the estate. Kotaro curses himself for failing to anticipate the old samurai for stopping him and he continues to run deeper into the forest to make his escape. Finally makes his escape and manages to bandage his wound and he then sends word to Melanios of his failure through Imagawa and heads back to Hojo lands to await his punishment from Melanios for his failure.

  Melanios received word of his failure a few days later via a letter from the daimyo of the Imagawa. Melanios actually begins to laugh hysterically and then writes back to Kotaro telling him that although he has failed to kidnap the girl, he still managed to kill Ryuzen father and that would hurt his enemy very badly and because of that he would be spared any punishment. Melanios eagerly awaited word from his spies on how Ryuzen took the news upon hearing the death of his father and it seems this conflict has now taken a tragic turn.