Rain&pain

In the outskirts of Fukuyama Japan Harutora Mikagura is awoken by the sound of thunder he gets up and walks down the hall to fix a drink after which he heads back to his room and notices the door to the main hall is open letting in the rain as he goes to shut the door he sees a someone collapsed on the ground as he approaches he sees his master and adoptive father Koharu bleeding out.

"Father!,What happened?" Asked Harutora.

"listen you need to....."

"I'll get help."

"Don't, it's too late for me now listen I wanted to keep you from carrying my burden but I can't protect you forever go to my study there is a letter read it and it will explain everything."

Harutora watches as his father dies in his arms he calls an ambulance and days later he is buried Harutora stands at the grave as his father's students come and pay respect to their fallen master until its almost night fall.

Upon his return to the dojo that he has called home for many years, he is filled with the memories of the days spent with his father he walks slowly as he had never been in his father's study not wanting to believe his father was gone hoping that he would be there to scold him as he used to but as he opened the door he was faced with the reality of life that his father was gone on his desk was a letter next to a portrait of Harutora on his father's shoulders the letter says for Harutora written in his father's handwriting.

"[My time is short so I'll make this brief my family has protected a sacred sword for decades a long time ago a man from the Samaki clan a clan nobles with a branch family of assassins came looking for the blade along with its sacred garb when we did not hand it over he tried to take it by force to protect it the two were separated. you must be the guardian of the sacred sword now I believe the Samaki clan will come for it again one day soon, head for the moon shrine there an old shrine caretaker is watching over the sacred garb if your reading this it means I've died you have many challenges ahead and I just want you to know I love you son]."

Harutora's tears fall on the paper as he cries for the first time since his fathers passing he contemplates his father's words and takes the black sword and promises to avenge him, The next morning Harutora searches the internet for the moon shrine.

"[So there is going to be a fireworks festival at the moon shrine in Hiroshima in three days I'll have to transfer my information to a school near the shrine]."

later that day after arriving at the station to change trains for the trip to Hiroshima Harutora stops at a restaurant for lunch at the restaurant the teenage daughter of the store owner comes to take his order a few minutes later some thugs walk in.

"Old man! we're here to collect our money." Said Akitsu.

"How am I supposed to pay my debt to the bank if you three keep taking all my profits?" Said Mr. kitamura.

"Not our problem."

Akitsu looks at the girl.

"Maybe we should take your daughter as collateral."

The thugs grab the girl

"Leave them alone." Said Harutora.

" What you say punk."

"I said leave them alone. "

Kuma & Toyama pull out butterfly knives, so Harutora almost instinctively unsheathes his sword.

Akitsu takes the girl and leaves.

"Hinata nooooo!"

Harutora pulls out his phone and calls 119.

" I need an ambulance."

"How many injured?" Asked the operator.

"Just two."

Harutora drops his phone as Kuma and Toyama now ready for a fight begin to attack but Harutora jumps and cuts Kuma's shoulder and on the way down slashes Toyama across the chest.

"I'm going to get her back."

"Take this blade you might need it."

Mr. Kitamura hands Harutora a small tantō.

"Thanks."

Harutora bolts outside and spots Akitsu carrying Hinata up a ladder to the rooftops ,he follows and finally corners him after a short chase.

"let her go."

"Oh I'll let her go all right on a one-way ticket to the pavement."

Akitsu throws Hinata off the roof and Harutora jumps off to catch her, He wraps his arms around her and takes the full force of the fall then Akitsu jumps down to attack with his chain scythes ,Harutora again shields Hinata from harm by laying over her ,blood drips onto Hinata from Harutora.

"Are you ok Hinata?"

"What about you you're bleeding."

"It's just a scratch."

Akitsu pulls on the chain removing the scythe from Harutora.

"Run." Says Harutora.

"I won't leave you."

"How touching well allow me to send you to hell together."

Akitsu and Harutora fight , Harutora being injured can't seem to get the upper hand but then he gets an idea, Harutora throws the tantō given to him by Mr. Kitamura at Akitsu who easily dodges it.

"Wow talk about bad aim."

Harutora charges.

"I wasn't aiming for you."

Akitsu looks down to see the tantō has pinned his chain to the ground but it's too late, Harutora speeds past and slashes Akitsu stopping in front of Hinata, Akitsu breaks the blade with his scythe and charges towards Harutora but the second he gets in striking distance Harutora sheathes his sword without even facing Akitsu.

"It's over."

Akitsu falls to his knees bleeding.

"Who do you work for?" Asked Akitsu.

"I don't work for anyone" Harutora says ,dropping his guard.

"Well kid this is a warning keep an eye out for ..."

An ethereal wolf appears and ends Akitsu's life Before he can finish his sentence, Back at the restaurant.

"Hinata thank heavens your safe."

Mr. Kitamura embraces Hinata

"Okay I'm off. "

Harutora grabs his phone and heads for the door.

"Your hurt you shouldn't go." Said Hinata.

"It's just a scratch."

As Harutora reaches the door all of the pain, fatigue, and stress of the battle and using the sword hit him at once and he collapses.

"Hinata take him upstairs and treat his wounds."

Harutora partially wakes up to find Mr. Kitamura at his bedside.

" thank you for saving my daughter"

"No problem I just hate seeing good people get treated like that"

"I hate to ask this of you but please take my daughter with you"

Harutora turns to see Mr.Kitamura prostrated before him.

"she is young and has her whole life ahead of her and now that I've retaliated they will surely kill us and I can't protect her but you can please take her with you."

"There has to be some other way"

"Sadly there is not ,Hinata told me of how you threw caution to the wind and risked your life to save her"

Mr. Kitamura sighs and hands Harutora the broken blade.

"This once belonged to my late wife she was feisty woman who always worked to help others no Matter how tired she was .....or how sick she became ,As long Hinata is alive it's like she's still here she's just like her mother hard working and passionate."

Harutora hears the distraught and sadness in his words.

"I'll do it , I'll keep her safe I promise."

"Thank you"

Harutora passes out and wakes to Hinata who had been cleaning his face with a wet cloth.

"Your finally awake, I can't thank you enough for saving me"

Hinata continues to tend to Harutora's wounds.

"Ya know I never even asked your name"

"My name is Harutora ….Harutora Mikagura"

Hinata leans closer to clean his face.

"[She's pretty close what should I do it would be rude to tell her to stop]."

Right when it seems like Hinata is close enough to kiss Harutora Hinata's father walks in and Harutora who had bandages wrapped around his chest and arm falls out of bed out of shock and Hinata moves away before her father could notice how close she was.

"You must go now I've packed everything you need."

Hinata embraces her father as they have their tearful final moments.

"let's go."

Harutora grabs his belongings and takes Hinata's hand, As they leave under the cover of night it begins to rain, as Hinata's father watches his only daughter leave he hears the jingle of his entrance door's bell, For a moment there is only silence then the shriek of his last moments ring throughout the night.

As they reach the train station Harutora tries to comfort Hinata and notices she is shivering.

"Here"

Harutora hands her the jacket he was wearing.

Although sad she tries to share the jacket with him.

"Here you'll catch a cold like that we can share."

"I'm fine"

"Stop being stubborn and get over here."

"Okay."

Hinata warms up beside Harutora which makes him nervous.

"[I must keep her safe]"

Finally the bullet train arrives.

" Where are we going?"

"Hiroshima."