The morning early of the second day of the trip to Okinawa, Baiken laid in Tachibana's arms after al long session of making love. It was mere hours before the ship docked, and time really did fly as they wanted.
"You know..." Tachibana said rubbing his fingers over the tattoo on her back "I can finish this if you want me to?"
"I appreciate the offer, but I'd rather keep it that way, it will remind me of what Yamamoto couldn't finish when I was imprisoned by him"
"I see"
"What, is it?"
"What do you mean?"
"What picture did he paint there? He never told me?"
Yamamoto placed his fingers on her lower back "From here, starts the tip of the snake's tail, the snake is in the talons of an eagle, having its wings spread wide up to your shoulders"
"An eagle clutching a snake?"
"Yes, but that's not the end of it, the snake in return has it's fangs in the neck of the eagle"
"What, does that mean?"
"You may mean the death of me, but I will in return cause your death as well"
Baiken looked up at him "Why on earth would he put that there?"
"Heck if I know"
"Then, what does the other two mean?" She asked roling on her back, allowing Tachibana to look. He observed the dragon, and the dagger with bats wings, but nothing came to him.
"It's beyond my understanding"
She sighed laying her head back.
"Let's get dressed, we'll be docking soon" Tachibana said standing up.
"Is there someone who will know what these mean?"
"Maybe this artist would, he is quite the historian"
Baiken got up quickly and got dressed "Good, now I also have a reason for seeing him"
At the docks Baiken had her hood over her head again, but Tachibana playfully tugged it off.
"Hey!?"
"You can relax here, there's no bounty hunting allowed in Okinawa"
Baiken smiled and took a breath of relief. Tachibana lead her into the harbor town and down a few streets, until the resedensial area opened up. From there it wasn't far until they reached a house that looked a lot more modern than the ones in Saipan.
Tachibana knocked and stood back, and old man opened up and got a enlightened smile.
"Hyabusa-kun, is that you?"
"Yes Kazuna-san, I have come to visit"
Baiken, who was also bowing shot her gaze up at the name.
"And who is this beautiful young woman? Your wife perhaps?" Miamoto asked frowning at her, but Tachibana took the folded paper out of his pocket and handed it to him. Miamoto opened it and his head jerked back when he realised where he saw her.
"Does that ring a bell sir?" Tachibana asked.
"You must have a very good reason for bringing her here Hyabusa-kun"
"Sir... She's your grand daughter, the daughter of Benkei-sama"
Miamoto slowly shifted his gaze from Tachibana to her.
"B, Baiken... Chan?"
"You, knew of me?" She asked slowly.
"Come in, please" Miamoto said standing aside allowing them to pass.
"I never thought I'd ever see you, your future was laid out, and the future I heard they planned for you meant I would have probably never met you" Miamoto said deeply looking at Baiken "You're so beautiful, just like your mother"
"What future did you hear of grandfather?"
"Yamamoto told me this himself, the assassin he hired to kill your father, wanted you as payment, he was training you right?"
"Yes?"
"He was told to do so until your eigteenth birthday, then he would have handed you over to the assassin, to be her personal soldier"
Baiken felt her blood boil "Is this the truth?"
"Unfortunately yes, my child"
"I'm starting to absolutely despise Yamamoto! To think I accepted his dick as a way to relax! The mother fucker!!"
Both men looked at her in silence.
"But, since you are here? That means?"
"I ran off, good fucking riddens"
"Did he mark you?"
Baiken frowned "He made tattoos onto me yes"
"Three?"
"He couldn't finish the third, you knew of this as well?"
"The dragon, the winged dagger, and the eagle clutching the snake, these are omens bestowed upon you by the assassin... The dragon? Is it running from low to high somewhere?"
Baiken lifted her kimono exposing the dragon on her leg.
"The rising dragon, to emphasise power and greatness for you, but it has no color, that emphasises a fallen dragon, your father"
Baiken opened her kimono in a respectful manner to expose the bat wings, Miamoto nodded.
"Just as you and your father simbolise the dragon, the wings of the bat is the simbol for the assassin, her wings spread over you to symbolise her victory over you, the dagger means she will one day cause your death"
"Not if I can help it" Baiken said "Then what of the eagle and the snake?"
"The snake is a simbol of someone you despise, you are the eagle. It means if you one day go to end the snake, you will die as well"
"But if the assassin's simbol is the dagger with wings, then that means Sakura can't be the snake?" Tachibana said.
"No, the snake is Yamamoto" Baiken said "And if I die taking him down, it would be a good death"
***
Sakura reached Tabachi town and started looking around, one of her first stops was the bounty billboard, there was the girl, Kazuna Baiken, with a hefty ten thousand yen bounty on her head. Sakura tore the paper down and headed to the sherrifs office, there she slammed the paper down in front of the men.
"Send a broadcast this bounty is taken"
The one man lifted the paper and his eyes grew.
"My my, I didn't think anyone would have the balls to go after her"
"Why? She's just a little girl?" Sakura asked.
"Sure, we met her, we know, but she killed the owner of the brothel the night her bounty got put up, word is it was the brothel owner who exposed her to the emperor in the first place, must have been revenge because we sent her there in the first place, regardless, now everyone is afraid if they find this Kazuna girl, they'll end up dead as well"
Sakura smiled 'Good girl'