Mariko sighed. "Shirimasen." [I don't know.] This war was here long as I can remember. I do not even think my clan remembers what caused it." she replied as she stared out into the forest. And even if they could remember, would it be the truth, or just some fabricated lie to place to fuel this meaningless strife? she wondered to herself, partly ashamed for doubting her own kin.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

(Sorry!!! I'v had soooo much work and i completly forgot)

Zutao merely blinked as the first blow fell. If he couldn't die then at least the pain drove all thoughts of Her out of his head. He stood stolidly; takeing a sadistic pleasure in the pain.
.......
"...Ninety-four, ninety-five..." Zutao was on his knees, held up only by the ropes tieing his hands high above him to the wall. Small diomonds of skin decorated the raw bloody flesh that was now his back. He cried out as each blow fell, but still tried to stifel the screams that ripped his throat out of some dis-ordinate sense of houner. He turned his head slightly in space between blows and gave Kuroda a bitter-sweet smile, though his eyes still shriked in pain.

"Hundred" The ropes were cut and he fell into the dirt, unmoveing but for the tremomors that shook him spasmodically. A hereld came out of the buildings and stood just out from the crowd.
"Kuroda-kun; Koga-sama asks that you take notice of this example of what happens when you dis-grace yourself. Zutao-yōgisha; do not act in such a way again" The hereld returned back to Koga-sama as the crowd dispersed

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Made by Lembas

Yashamaru nodded, staring at the wall still. He sighed.
"I guess we may never know what started it," he said, then there was a silence between them for a long while.

"There was this girl in the Koga-clan that I was close to. Friendly as can be, and beautiful, too. The day I was going to propose, two years ago, she was killed by an Iako shinobi, right in front of my eyes. I killed that Iako for what he did. Mao her name was, and had the voice of an angel," Yashamaru paused for a second with a slight smile of remembrence. "You look just like her, and seem to have the same heart as her."

Yasha shook his head, and got up from leaning against the cave wall, and faced the enterence.
"Why am I saying this. I should stop before I dishonor myself."

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(}--{)Imagination Inspires Ideas -Zandain(}--{)
Married Cloud Strife 9/17/08

Aiko sat in silence, her thoughts dwelling on Zutao.

"Zutao-kun" she whispered, wondering for the thousandth time about his fate.
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Mariko stared in shock at what Yashamaru told her, and for a moment was to stunned to answer. "I am sorry for your loss," she whispered. "Mao-san sounds like an admirable woman." she said quietly as she gently put a comforting hand on his back but quickly retracted it, not sure how he would react. She then blushed slightly at his next statement. "If I resemble her in any way, I would consider it an honor." she said gently. After another moment of silence passed between them, she spoke again. "You are so different from most of the men of my clan. How you have prevented hatred from consuming your heart after what was done to your love, I will never know. But how I wish more of our clan would be like you." She averted her gaze after she admitted her feelings, fearing that she spoke to much. "I'm sorry," she said quickly. "Perhaps I was being too frank..." she whispered, still not wanting to meet his gaze.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

"I hated the man who killed her, and the man alone. I blamed only the man, not the clan. I judge the person I face for who they are, not what clan they belong to. That is how I have kept my hatred away," Yashamaru said, acting like he ignored the light touch of her hand on his back, imagining it as Mao's hand instead. "Kuroda, Zutao, Aiko, Cora, you, me. Can we six end this war? I would go into dishonor, just to see peace..."

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(}--{)Imagination Inspires Ideas -Zandain(}--{)
Married Cloud Strife 9/17/08

"There is always a chance for peace as long as those who desire it remain committed to the cause-no matter how few the number may be" she said quietly. I will not believe otherwise, she thought to herself. I can not believe that all the innocent blood that has already been spilt was for naught. "We have to find a way to make our clans understand..." she murmured more to herself.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

"There has to be a way..." Yashamaru trailed off, deep in thought, then an idea occured to him. Maybe by showing one clan that the other clan isn't all that bad? By having someone from one clan come into the clan under the protection of a shinobi? But, would it work...
"I think I have an idea. But it would put a life greatly at risk..."

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(}--{)Imagination Inspires Ideas -Zandain(}--{)
Married Cloud Strife 9/17/08

Mariko studied Yashamaru intently. "What do you have in mind?" she asked quietly.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

"If someone from one clan were to enter into the capital of the other clan. Of course, that person would be under the protection of a shinobi from that clan. That way, the clan could see that the other wasn't so bad," Yashamaru explained his plan. "But there's a small posibility that it would work..."

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(}--{)Imagination Inspires Ideas -Zandain(}--{)
Married Cloud Strife 9/17/08

Cora looked at the two shinobi. "I will go to the Koga clan." She said. "I would talk to thier leader and tell him that I love his son, even though I have known who he was."

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Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

"Ie [No]." Mariko told Cora stubbornly. "You are far to important to the fate of our clans. If the worse should befall you, it will be grounds for an all out war between our clans-then shall all of dreams of peace be shattered."

"Mariko's right." Aiko told Cora. "We can not lose you. Let one of us take the risk. We are shinobi, our duty is to protect you at all costs."

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

(Waits for Kuroda)

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Made by Lembas

(Look at the previous page. I already posted.)

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Married Artemis Fowl on July 16, 2007
[!+^$%=#?&]
The Seemingly Nice But Actually Really Nasty Nazgul
School ate my life. *sigh*

Cora closed her eyes. "But for a shinobi to show up would be suspisous. I am not a shinobi. There for they would have no reason to see me as a threat."

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Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

Aiko frowned at Cora. "And if your identity is discovered? What then?" she challenged. "If you want peace Cora-sama, the best thing you can do is to remain alive."

"And wouldn‘t the villagers who have been massacred during this war felt as you feel now? “ Mariko chimed in gently. “They were innocent, had no concerns for the affairs of lords and ladies. No doubt they too, thought that they were not perceived as a threat-that as long as they kept to themselves they could live their lives in peace. But that was not to be. Innocent or not they fell at the edge of the blade."

"Our lives our expendable, Cora-sama." Aiko added in a gentler tone as Mariko nodded. "Yours is not. I know now there is honor in the Koga clan, but what I fear the most is that there are enough dissident warriors that would only be to happy to slay the daughter of the rival lord. Not only that it may put your guard in a tough situation-for he may be forced to strike down a friend in the heat of the conflict."

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Cora looked at the two. "But what would I do if you two died. Your my two trusted Shinobi guards."

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Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)