Snow

Plans

"Ma-ma, that was not nice Masked man-san." The hooded figure said. Senzui, only observed this mysterious person, he was no longer disguising his ki, he was a grandmaster.

"Why are you here? Who are you?" Senzui asked, the stranger slowly stepping forwards. "Ah mask-san, I don't want anything, but I believe it's time for you to leave, you may not know, but the father-in-law of the small lady there is coming." Pointing at Shizuha's body.

Senzui gets into a stance. "I think it would be better for me to kill you, then leave. Don't you think?" The stranger raises his hands, "But mask-san, I don't want to fight you, I wonder if this would be better?" He starts flaring his ki, alerting any master or above to their location.

"I wonder if you'll stay mask-san? As strong as you are you cannot beat me fast enough, and I do wonder, how would the legendary master on his way react when he sees what you did to his daughter-in-law?" he says, playfully waving his hands.

At this point Senzui was at an impasse, he may be stronger than the stranger, but he can't instantly deal with a grandmaster, and he is saying the truth, Hayato Fūrinji was indeed on his way.

Greeting his teeth, he takes one long look at the stranger, memorizing his features, the hood covering most of his face, except his almost phosphorescent green eyes, he scoffs at the stranger and before running away. "I believe you wouldn't say anything about this, right? Trust me, if you do, you will feel the full wrath of the Kuremisago clan."

The stranger shrugging his shoulders, whispers, not loud enough for Senzui to hear, "What Kuremisago clan?"

As Senzui leaves, the stranger drops his hands, once he is sure Senzui left, he runs towards Shizuha, crouching in front of her. What would have been a sure kill, missed, thanks to the stranger, but Senzui's blow still struck, thankfully he left fast enough and did not stay to confirm the kill.

Surprisingly, Shizuha was still alive, breathing weakly, in a state between consciousness and unconsciousness, the stranger, realizing this, quickly carries her.

She weakly asks, "Who… are…you?" Only being able to see the stranger's green eyes. Ignoring her question, he starts running, while princess carrying the critically injured woman. "Shhh, you will be okay." He says to her. "Noooooo... Miu…... where is…...Miu?" Her words become too incoherent to understand.

The stranger hurries to the forest.

._._._._._._._._.

Hayato Fūrinji received news that his daughter in law, as well as her newborn granddaughter, were in trouble. He rushed toward their location. When he started nearing his destination, he felt ki flaring up, rushing toward it.

Searching near the location where he felt the ki, he sees a large patch of red snow, worrying the worst has happened, he searches everywhere, looking for the source of the blood, regretfully he didn't find anyone remotely injured.

What he did find, was his granddaughter, in a small impromptu crib near the forest, flowers surrounding it, as she was wiggling a small doll in her tiny hands. He believes the blood most be his daughter in law's, she was probably injured, and lead her attacker away from her daughter.

He takes his granddaughter, who refused to let the doll go, and begins to search more frantically, after a couple of minutes of not finding anything, he gives up, needing to take care of the small creature in his hands.

After leaving, he starts looking for any survivors, he finds an old man, injured, but stable and asks him what happened, and where was Shizuha.

The survivor, the man who gave the news of Senzui disguised as Saiga, says that he saw Saiga, attack Shizuha, and by the looks of it fatally.

Hayato did not believe the man, as there would be no way his son would attack his own wife, besides, he never found a body.

Soon he leaves, to look for Saiga and to take care of Miu.

._._._._._._._._.

Hurrying the man keeps running through the forest, carrying Shizuha, who was getting colder by the second. Finally reaching his destination, a van, putting Shizuha in the back he tells the driver to hurry.

The man in the back of the van, sitting beside Shizuha, trying to stop her from losing more blood, shouts "What do I do?" To the driver, "Press the wound, and keep checking her vitals, we are almost there!"

After what felt like hours, for the man, the vehicle parks, the driver gets out of the van, while the stranger is putting Shizuha on a stretcher, the driver, now revealed to be a small woman with blond hair, asks the man. "So? Who is she?"

The stranger answers. "My sister-in-law"

._._._._._._._._.

Saiga's life crumbled, her wife was dead or missing and people believe he did it, somehow, whoever did it created such evidence that even his own father didn't believe in him.

He had to leave, he needed time. Now, he couldn't even see his own daughter. Had his beliefs been wrong, would killing his enemies may have prevented all of this from happening, he needed to make sure.

At least Senzui was here with him, he believed in him, grieved with him. Together they would make One fist nine shadows strong. So that something like this never happens again.

He would leave for years, searching for answers, looking for the culprit, he would not talk with his little brother, he wasn't sure if he would believe him, his dad didn't, his daughter was too little to understand, his wife dead or her whereabouts unknown, if Azuma didn't believe in him…... if the last of his family didn't believe in him... he preferred not knowing.

._._._._._._._._.

The stranger, now revealed to be Azuma, hurries with Shizuha to the house. Inside, medical equipment filled the living room.

Heading upstairs, he quickly opens a room. What once was a normal bedroom, now appeared to be more an operating room, straight out of a hospital.

Moments after gently putting the unconscious woman on what could only be an operating table, the driver enters the room.

"Get out, NOW!"

"How is she?" Azuma asks the driver, worried about his sister in law's safety.

"OUT!"