Chapter 8: Massacre

"Your marriage will be held three days later," Shichiro said and Haruto nodded.

"Wait, what? Why? We agreed to hold it after capturing Hanzo," Hanabi said, and Hayabusa and Kagura echoed her sentiments.

 "Yes, but now that the people know it's Hanzo whom they have known for many years, they are uneasy and this is the best way to calm them down," Haruto explained. 

Hanabi slammed the table and glared at the two Chiefs. "The best way is to capture Hanzo!"

"Hanabi!" Haruto warned her. 

Hanabi shut up but looked furious. "Damn it! Damn you, Hanzo!" Hanabi cursed under her breath as the three of them left the room. 

Meanwhile, Hanzo had been watching them secretly and he mumbled, "Three days, huh?"

"You should attack her village while she's at her wedding," hissed Hanakage as he appeared in his demon form next to Hanzo. 

"I have my own plans. Don't interfere,"Hanzo snarled. 

"I agree with Hanekage," a voice said. A lady stepped out of the shadows and said, "That will break Hanabi and make it easier to take her down."

"Really, Hitome? You're agreeing with a demon with an IQ of practically zero?" Hanzo scoffed. 

Hanekage yelled, "Say that again?"

Hanzo ignored him and assured Hitome, "I will do that eventually. Don't worry." 

"And as for you, demon, shaddap! You're still under my control!" Hanzo snarled, and forced Hanekage back into the Ame No Habakiri. 

Hanabi and the others had no idea of what Hanzo was gonna do, so the next few days they did nothing but train and prepare for Hanabi and Hayabusa's wedding. 

Hanabi was also making a plan that was slowly taking shape as the days passed by. She knew one thing for sure - she wasn't going to marry that idiot of a Hayabusa. 

Kagura was desperate over the last few days, trying to think of how she could stop the wedding. 

Could they elope? But then Hayabusa's years of training to earn the Chief's trust would be wasted. That was why they couldn't tell the Chief about their relationship. 

Years ago, the two of them were only working together as Onmyouji Master and the ninja who mastered the Quad Shadow technique at a young age.

But over time, they formed a bond between them, and Kagura never regretted it. They hadn't known that Hayabusa was to be wed to Hanabi in the future, and were content with their secret relationship. 

But now Hanabi was in the picture, and they couldn't stop the marriage. Their marriage would unite the two sects again, and they would be the leaders. 

"I won't allow anyone to take Hayabusa from me," Kagura whispered, her body tense. 

Yet on the day of Hayabusa's and Hanabi's marriage, in the morning, she was only a spectator, nothing more. No one paid any attention to her and Kagura could feel her heart break. 

Hanabi and Hayabusa were walking down the aisle arm-in-arm when Hanabi had a bad feeling.

She planned to escape once the people's attention was turned away from her, and had her battle gear on beneath her uncomfortable wedding dress. 

As they reached the Chiefs, the fireworks were about to go off when someone suddenly burst through the roof. 

"Miss me?" Hanzo smirked. Screams echoed through the village as the villagers looked on in horror. Hanabi glared at him and longed to attack, but this was her chance to escape. 

Shichiro ordered, "Capture him!" Hanabi dashed out of the hall and left through the door. She went to the stables and ripped off her wedding dress, with her battle gear underneath. 

She mounted a horse and rode away, relieved when no one chased her. "They must be busy with that bastard," she thought. 

Hanabi rode to the Scarlet Sect village to hide there for a while before she decided where to go and what to do next. 

But what she saw wasn't what she had expected. She looked around, stunned.

Blood. Dead bodies. Screams. Her eyes flickered to the house of the Chief.

"Mom!" she screamed, and rushed into the house, fighting back tears. Her mother would be alright. She would be safe, hiding somewhere.

Hanabi scanned the vicinity, and her heart shattered when she saw Aiko lying on the ground, a pool of blood around her and a kunai plunged into her chest.

"No," she yelled, hugging her mother's lifeless body. "Who did this? I will avenge you!" She felt Hanzo's aura behind her and she turned around, summoning her Higanbana and pointing it at him.

"Did you kill my mother?" she asked, trembling. "If I said no, would you believe me?" Hanzo asked in return, standing in the doorway and staring at her and Aiko.

"Shut up, you liar! I won't believe you again!" Hanabi yelled, throwing Higanbana at him.

Hanzo knew it was useless to explain to her and he had no intention to do so. It would make things complicated and he had enough to deal with without a mad Hanabi.

He blocked it with the Ame No Habakiri and Higanbana returned to Hanabi. Her anger consumed her and she fired her poisoned kunais at him.

"You won't win," Hanzo stated plainly. "You know that."

"Then just kill me, you bastard!" Hanabi yelled, her voice breaking.

Hanzo wasn't sure if she was crying and just blinked.

"I'm sick of this pretence! Just kill me if you want to!" Hanabi said, her eyes blurring as tears filled them.

"Why would I do that?" Hanzo said, in an attempt to stop her from breaking down. Instead, Hanabi glared at him and scoffed, "Then what do you want?"

Hanzo didn't say anything but thought, "I want to reach the pinnacle of ninjutsu. And become the next Akakage."

Hanabi had stopped attacking Hanzo and was kneeling down, crying. She had no one left. Her mother was dead, her father wanted her to marry that stupid Hayabusa and she was sick of her life.

Hanzo blinked, unsure what to do. Hanzo went behind her and hit the back of her neck, making her lose consciousness. Before Hanabi bent over, he caught her and stared at her face, as if memorising it.

Not that he would ever admit it, but he had special feelings for her after a month of training together and everything. But he placed his goals first, not Hanabi.

Hanzo leaned closer to Hanabi and kissed her gently for a few seconds before pulling away, his cheeks red.

He slapped himself and mumbled, "I've gone crazy. I've gone crazy."

"Wow, that was epic!" Hanakage snickered, as he came out of the Ame No Habakiri. "Shut the fuck up, you crazy fat ass!" Hanzo snarled. He had totally forgotten about Hanekage.

Hitome and another man appeared at that time and followed Hanzo as he carried Hanabi back to his horse. Hanzo got on the horse with Hanabi and glared at the two of them.

"Did you act on your own again? I told you I will do it myself!" He snapped.

"I don't know when you'll do it, so I decided to settle it myself with Ryu." Hitome replied calmly.

"Why didn't you kill her? We saw you follow her so we thought you'd settle her and we killed the rest of the village." Ryu asked, his hood covering his face.

"Don't need to rush. I'll crush her slowly and then end her off. You should learn to enjoy the fun of it," Hanzo said. He added, "I'll take care of her for now. You guys can do what we planned."

Hanzo rode off with Hanabi through the woods, and the two partners-in-crime watched him.

"I don't trust him," Ryu commented.

"Neither do I," Hitome said and walked off. "Then why are we listening to him?" Ryu complained.

"That scarlet flower will avenge her mother and try to kill him. If we watch closely, we can attack them at the right time and settle both of them," Hitome smirked. "Then we can do whatever we please."