The Samurai's Kunoichi wife (The men of Five Nations International)

by Quinn, Shelli

  Chapter Thirteen

  Before stepping out of the practice room, they heard gunshots as Kat stopped at the cabinet were the weapons were kept. She grabbed a pair of sai, dual forked metal weapons similar to sharp daggers, and tucked them in her obi at the small of her back. She also tucked a pair nunchaku in the front of her obi. Next she strapped a small belt containing kunai throwing blade to her right thigh, before finally grabbing a pair of long very sharp, double edged, ninja swords.

  Kat looked up to see Ken watching her closely. “What? I know you didn't think I'd go out there unprepared, did you?”

  Ken raised one of his perfect eyebrows at her. “Are you done kunoichi?” She rolled her almond shaped, golden eyes at him.

  “I'm waiting for you Samurai man.”

  Kenji began moving towards the door just before opening it he grabbed Kat and kissed her hard on the mouth. Releasing her quickly he withdraw his daisho, two samurai swords one long katana and one short wakizashi, which had been secured at his side.

  “Okay, let's go!” He said walking through the door with a sword in each hand.

  Ken and Kat heard the sounds of the fighting that was going on and headed in that direction with Kenta following close behind. As the three of them rounded the corner at the end of the long hall, they stopped in their tracks at the sight before them.

  Wedding guests as well as household staff and other innocent bystanders that happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, lay motionless and bleeding on the floor of the large foyer. Uncle Daichi, Amaya, Thai, Alex, Blake and Prescott were all in a full blown fight for the lives. Even Cam was in hand-to-hand combat with one of the intruder’s.

  Swords clinked echoing loudly throughout the crowed room, as they fought to defend themselves. Gunshots also rang-out throughout the room.

  Kat stood frozen in place, seeing who the intruders were. Her mind went back to that night fourteen years ago, when her parents had fought intruders dressed the same way these were dressed tonight. They wore hoods and dressed from head to toe in red, outfitted in something like a ninja would wear. She’d seen it in her vision but seeing them in person and up close, caught her a little off guard.

  Kenji saw that she hadn't moved after entering the room, upon seeing the intruders. Realizing that one of the hooded killers was heading straight for her, he stepped in front of her, swords lifted to defend her. He knew they wouldn't kill her but they would injury her to make handling her easier.

  As she gazed at the back of Ken's head, she brought her thought back to the present.

  He’d blocked the intruder’s sword with one of his own, lifting the sword in his opposite hand to slash it across the assailants mid-section, then kicked him away with a foot also to the midsection. Turning his head slightly to address Kat he asked.

  “Hey kunoichi, are you with me?” She blinked her eyes rapidly before answering him.

  “Yeah, Samurai man I'm with you.” She glanced at the situation around her. Turning she began to wield her swords about, slashing and slicing the intruders in her path one by one, clearing a path to reach her uncle Daichi. When she reached his side, she asked if he was hurt. He assured her that he was indeed fine.

  “You and Kenji need to get out of here.” He yelled at her.

  Kat continued to fight as she replied to her uncle's statement. “I am not leaving without you. I did that the night I lost my parents, I won't make that mistake again.”

  Daichi looked around the room to see where Kenji was and why he had not done as he was supposed to and gotten Kat out of here when the intruders first arrived.

  They had been planning for this for years. Knowing that one day, they would come after her, after failing to accomplish their goal of taking Kat, thirteen years ago. That is why they’d trained so hard all these years. Daichi caught sight of Kenji fighting his way towards them.

  Ken reached their side and turned placing his back against Kat's. Uncle Daichi directed his statement at Kenji. “Why is Katsumi still here amongst all this mayhem and chaos? You know the plan she was to be taken to safety.”

  Kenji looked over at Daichi before answering him. “Well we may have planned everything about this fight, what we didn't plan was the stubbornness of Katsumi.”

  Kat bumped her back against Kenji's. “Hey watch it, samurai man.”

  Before any more could be said, Amaya took down two of the hooded assailants as she too reached their side. “Enough with the chit-chat, we need to get out of here since that stubborn niece of yours won’t leave without us. So does anyone have a plan?”

  They were standing with their back to one another. Across the room the others had run out of ammunition and were now fighting with whatever weapon was available to them. Cam was disarming and taking down her opponents like a professional, throwing punching and kicking her long powerful legs as she fought her way through them.

  Blake had battled his way to her side and was fighting just as fiercely, swinging his muscular arms to knockout anything in his path, with occasional glances in her direction.

  Thai, Alex and Prescott were also doing quite well against their opponents. Kenta and a few of the other security guards in all out battle mode. Kenji spoke so that they could all hear him.

  “If we can make to the garage, then we can get out of here. Where’s Kenta?” They all looked around in an attempt to locate Kenta. He was across the room about to throw one of the intruders at a pack of his accomplices.

  “Kenta!” Kenji yelled just as he launched the hooded intruder through the air. Afterwards he made his way over to them, running like a bull in a china shop.

  “I’m here what can I do?” He asked not sounding the least bit out of breath.

  “I need you to get Daichi and Amaya to the garage. Once there take our car and get them to the safe house. We'll all be right behind you. Is Kat’s gift there?” He nodded in the affirmative.

  “Yes it’s there, so is yours.”

  “Good now go, we’ll hold them until all of you are gone.”

  Uncle spoke as Kenta ushered him towards the kitchen, where the garage door was located. “Both of you be careful, we’ll see you at the safe house.”

  Katsumi and Kenji again stood back-to-back. “Okay, now what? How are we going to get out of here alive?” At some point during their fight she’d abandoned both her swords and he only had his wakizashi, his short sword. She’d used most of the weapons she’d started with all she had left was a few kunai throwing knives.

  “Have a little faith kunoichi, I have a plan.” Kenji said as the intruders that were left

  begin to move closer.

  “Well now, would be a great time to let me in on your little plan, don’t you think?”

  Ken yelled for the others to make their way to his side. He then reached his free hand slightly behind him, to take hold of Kat’s hand. Once the others were at their side he turned to Kat and spoke to her in a quiet voice. “I want you to focus on my words I need you to imagine this room empty. There are just us. You, me, Thai, Cam, Alex, Blake and Prescott no one else.

  We are all safe shielded by a golden light. Everything outside the light has vanished.” Kat thought that Ken had lost his mind. Her thinking it wouldn’t make it so.

  “Look Kenji I’m all for the power of the imagination, but really that’s your…GREAT plan, for me to visualize the room clear of everyone but us?”

  He needed her to trust that he knew what he was talking about. She may not understand right now but she would.

  “Listen, you can do this just focus, now close your eyes. Visualize the golden light, see it?”

  She closed her eyes as she answered him. “Yes, I see it.”

  Kenji lightly squeezed her hand. “Good now see us surrounded by the light, no one else. Do you have that vision in your head?”

  She nodded as she answered him. ”Yes, now what do I do?”

  Before he replied to her question he sheathed his sword at his side. He lifted his hand palm out towards the
light that was now visible to him. Kenji’s palm began to glow red as he shot a bolt of red electricity at the intruder that had moved closest to them. Smoke rose from his chest as he fell to the ground.

  Ken lowered his hand to his side, reaching that hand behind him to hold one of her hands. “Kat visualize everything outside the light burning to ash, if it’s not in the light with us heat it up and burn it. You can do this; I’ll help you now focus.”

  When Kenji saw a few of the intruders drop to their knees he began to focus his energy also. In the next moment every one of the intruders fell to the floor as smoke rose from their motionless bodies, like they were burning from the inside out.

  Ken turned around and grabbed Kat by the shoulders. “Kat, Kat, I need you to open your eyes.”

  She opened her eyes as she looked around them, she saw that all the intruders that were still alive and coming after them just minutes ago were now lying motionless on the floor, as their bodies emitted smoked.

  “What…What…Happened, did I do this?” Ken shook her gently to get her attention.

  As she looked around them as if in a daze.

  “We did this now we have to go there could be more of them coming, extinguish the light.”

  “How? I don’t know how to extinguish it, Kenji help me!” He pulled her into his arms

  and she rested her head on his chest as they held onto each other. “It’s okay I’ll always help you, now close your eyes and visualize it gone, there’s no light it’s gone.” He watched as the light slowly disappeared. “Good kunoichi, open your eyes.”

  She lifted her head to glance around them and saw that the light was gone just as he said it would. “I don’t understand any of this Kenji.”

  He took one of her hands in his, before starting towards the exit. Cam you take the jag, since everyone else has a car the location is already programmed into the GPS, just tap the screen for safe house. The rest of you know where to go.

  Ken pulled Kat along with him, as he headed out reassuring her that he would tell her about what just happened. “I’ll explain everything to you when we reach the safe house, let’s just get out of here first.”

  Once they reached the garage Kat saw that he’d had her motorcycle fixed and it looked better than new. “You had my bike fixed, thank you. You really are full of surprises aren’t you samurai man?” She said with a weak smile.

  Ken returned her smile with one of his own. “The night isn’t over yet kunoichi.” He said as he uncovered a second motorcycle. It was similar to hers but in silver. “Now let’s

  get out of here.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  After they hit interstate Kat followed Ken’s lead as they headed north towards the Blue Ridge Parkway. They would meet up with the others at the safe house, where ever that was. She guessed they were going to a cabin in the mountain area of Georgia. She didn’t really care she just wanted Ken to explain what had happened back at her uncle’s estate. How did he know that she could do whatever that was that she’d done with just her thoughts?

  Unsure of what was happening to her she was glad that it was Kenji that was by her side.

  What she wouldn’t give to take a long hot shower right now. Even if she could she didn’t have any clean clothes, all her things were back at the estate.

  Ken signaled for her to take the next exit, leaving the interstate. She followed him through a little town, at least she thought it was a town there just wasn’t much in it. A little general store. A mile past the little store he led her down a winding dirt road, and up a steep hill.

  Nestled high up the mountain, hidden deep within a forest of trees. Was a large two story cabin, with a porch on the front that ran the length of the cabin and a cluster of smaller cabins surrounding the larger one. Ken parked his bike next to the sport utility, Kenta had driven. Kat pulled her bike next to Ken’s and parked.

  They had both dismounted when the others slowly began to fill the parking area with their vehicles.

  Alex was the first to arrive in his, electric blue, Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren with custom rims to match.

  Prescott came speeding in next, as he brought his burnt orange, Ferrari California Sport to stop in the spot beside Alex.

  Thai was next to whip his bright yellow, Saleen S7 twin turbo, with music blasting from the speakers, just inches behind Prescott's car.

  It was several minutes later that Cam came speeding into the parking area, driving Ken's botanical green Jaguar XJ Supersport with Blake trailing close behind in his shiny black, Bugatti Veyron.

  Who were these guys? No one drove cars like this on a daily bases. Not unless they had more money than Warren Buffett or Bill Gates. Kat didn't know what they did for a living but it must pay mega bucks. And why were all of them armed with a gun and such good fighters. Even Cam, actually she fought better than the guys, she exhibited excellent martial arts skills. Not quite as advance as herself or Kenji but very impressive.

  Kat watched as they exited their vehicles one-by-one, grabbing overnight bags from the rear of their cars. Ken took her hand as he addressed everyone. “Let's head inside the big cabin, to come up with a game plan before we turn in for the night.”

  Once they reach the porch, the door to the big cabin opened as Kenta greeted them.

  “Everything is secure I have men patrolling the grounds and the security cameras

  are operating just fine. Daichi and Mi are waiting in the living room.” Ken was still holding one of Kat's hands in his, but cupped Kenta on the shoulder with his free hand as he entered the cabin. “Thanks big guy.” He said with a smile.

  Mi brought out refreshments after everyone was settled. Daichi spoke first, “Is everyone alright?”

  They all nodded and replied yes as he looked around at them all.

  “That's good now that we're all here we need to figure out what to do next.”

  Mi glanced at Daichi, and then at Kat she knew that she was confused about everything going on around her. Mi wonder how long it would be before she started demanding answers? From the look on her face it wouldn't too much longer.

  Kat snatched her hand away from Kenji's grasp and stepped a few feet away from him. “First of all, somebody had better start explaining to me what hell is going on. Why are

  the people that killed my mother after us, and why now after all these years?”

  Kat demanded in an angry voice. Daichi gazed at her for a moment before speaking.

  “Watch your language your lady.”

  Her head snapped in his direction, as she narrowed her eyes at him. “What! Are you freakin kidding me? That's all you have to say to me? Don't you dare make this about my bad language. After all you've keep from me, all the lies you've told. How dare you! My father has been alive all this time and no one told me. You knew that those people would be coming after me and decided not to tell me that either.”

  Kat turned her attention towards Ken as she clenched her teeth to address him. “And you...you are just as bad as he is, you kept everything from me too. How am I supposed to trust any of you?”

  Everyone in the room exchanged worried glances before their gazes settled on Kenji, who moved to stand in front of Kat. Taking both her hands in his he began to explain everything to her. “I know you’re upset, but we thought it was best that you not know everything. The night you lost your parents, you cried for hours and when you finally stopped you blocked those events from your mind. You wouldn't talk about it at all. So we left it alone, we knew we would have to tell you about all this one day. You know you can trust me I think I’ve proven that.” He flashed her a slight smile hoping to lighten the mood.

  Kat looked at Ken through narrowed eyes. “Okay Mr. You-can-trust-me, let's hear it. You can start with why your friends were carrying guns, or why they wear clothes and shoes that cost more than some people make in a month, or how they can afford the watches on their wrists that are expensive enough to feed a small Country. How about the fact that they drive cars that most peop
le only see on a showroom floor? And then you can tell me where they learned to fight like they did, especially Cam she is practically as good as I am. Not quite but close, no offense Cam.” Kat said glancing quickly at her.

  Cam threw both her hands in the air as she responded to Kat. “Hey non-taken, girl.”

  Kat returned her gaze to Ken. “So I'm listening Mr. You-can-trust-me I'm waiting tell me

  the truth.”

  Kenji glanced around the room at his friends, taking a deep breath. He closed his eyes and threw his head back before exhaling. He allowed his gaze to find hers once again. He heard murmurs from around the room as he answered her questions.