(Nither am I, which is why I let Kuroda off so easy...)

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

Zutao stifled a growl of anger and pain; partly at his leaders disapointment and partly because of the order not to kill himself.
"I thankyou for your 'mercy' and 'wisdom' leader-sama." He spat, though still keeping the respectful pose.

Koga let a slight frown to creep into his eyes. He had not missed Zutao's tone. But then it was gone and he looked at them impasively. He clapped and a gurd entered. "Hayashi Zutao is too recive a hundred strokes of the bamboo pole in front of the clan. Make sure that Koga Kuroda watches closely; it is not fitting for such to happen to one of his birth; the way his subordinates behave is his reponsibility. You may all leave."

Zutao stood up, bowed and left the room, walking out into the courtyard he stripped of his shirt and let two normal warriors tie his hands to the wall. By this time a small crowd had gathered, of whome many were shinobiand thier conpanions. One of the warriors ushered for Kuroda to come and stand at Zutao's head to watch. One took a bamboo pole, still green and supple; takeing a step back from an erily calm Zutao.

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Made by Lembas

(Are we just gonna let this one die? It was going so good...)

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

Kuroda stood stiffly at Zutao's head. He had heard the stubborn anger in his voice when he has responded to Koga's verdict. I'm sorry for bringing this upon us my friend... He struggled not to close his eyes as the warrior drew back his arm for the first blow.

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

Yashamaru stood at the front of the cave, arms crossed, leaning against the wall. He was staring out into the forest, wondering what was happening to his friends. The women inside seemed to be ingoring him as much as he was them...

(You know, this would be the perfect time for interation between Mariko and Yashamaru *hint Elentriel* lol!)

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

Mariko rose to her feet and slowly approached Yashamaru. She could see the forest just ahead of him and she could not help but think how serene it looked-so unlike the lives of both of their clans. "You worry for your friends," she said quietly as she came to stand just slightly behind him. She stared straight ahead before speaking again. "Do you think there will ever be peace?" she asked, finally voicing a question that had troubled her for most of her life.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Yashamaru wasn't expecting Mariko to come up to him. He turned slowly.
"There could be peace. Kuroda is the heir to the Koga-clan. If he were to marry Iako, there could be peace. I guess it matters how the pieces are played," he said, now staring at the cave wall...

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

Mariko slowly nodded. "Yet until then, this war continues..." she murmured, her voice tinged with disgust. How did this come to be? she wondered. The feud between the clans was so ancient that none now seemed to know how it began. Each side blamed the other for wrongs committed years ago. Each side never forgot the perceived atrocities, nor forgave the sins of the other. So the bloodshed had continued until there was none left that was unscathed by the ruthlessness and futility of the battle. There had been a time when she believed all as her clan did. But she had changed her opinion of the war long ago. Nevertheless, she did her duty as a shinobi. Fighting when she was told to fight, killing when she was told to kill-though she had grown to loathe every minute of it. After some moments of quiet reflection, she finally spoke again. "And if any ill should befall the son of Koga or the daughter of Iako then so will the dream of peace die with them..."

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Yashamaru nodded.
"Then if we want peace, we shall have to guard them with our lives. I am tired of fighting myself," he said, lifting his arm to eye level and stared at the thin rope around his arm. "Long has my Ebon rope been stained with blood. And my dreams filled with the cries of the innocent." He shook his head to dismiss the thought, and crossed his arms again.
"Why am I saying this. You probably could care less about the troubles of a Koga, no offence meant."

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

Mariko smiled slightly at his statement. "None taken," she said in mild amusement. "For you are not the only one who is tired of the war. My sword has been soiled with far to much innocent blood and at night, when the darkness creeps over the earth, I can still hear the screams of my dead." She shook her head then, her eyes bright with emotion. "The worst are the cries of the children as we butchered their families. And in my dreams, I can always see the eyes of the people. The sightless eyes of the dead, accusing us for slaying them for a crime they did not commit. And the eyes of the children who look on in bewilderment as they are schooled in the ways of hate. They were just younglings..." she whispered as her voice trailed off. A few moments of silence passed between them and she could have laughed at the bitter irony of the situation. The only other person who knew her feelings was Aiko. She had never spoken of her rage to any other of her clan and here she was opening up to her sworn enemy. "Mayhap our people may have much more in common than we all realize," she said quietly as she glanced at the Koga shinobi.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Yashamaru listened to Mariko's speech. Part of him wanted to go up to her and hug her and say she wasn't alone and that it would be alright. He felt the exact same way, but had never even told Zutao anything like that, or anybody.

"Maybe we do, but two from opposite sides just never got the chance to talk and find out before now," he said, he caught her glance and suddenly got lost in her eyes. This feeling that he now felt for the Iako seemed familiar, yet so strange. What was it?

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

As she held his gaze, Mariko smiled slightly, feeling herself at peace for the first time. She could not explain what she was feeling for this Koga warrior except that whatever this emotion was, it was warm and comforting. "Yes, perhaps if both sides could just understand..." she trailed off for a moment. "As of my clan, I know Cora-sama longs for peace. As for Aiko, she has little trouble engaging a Koga warrior in battle, but I think the slaying of innocents troubles her more than she would like the clan to believe." She fell silent then, remembering a conversation that she had with the female shinobi long ago.

*Flashback*
They had just successfully completed a raid-leaving a Koga village in ruins. She had just come up to Aiko, though the female warrior seemed to be in a foul mood.

"Aiko-san-what troubles you? We are victorious."

"What good is the slaughter of unarmed men, women and children. Where is the honor in that?" she asked whispered vehemently.

Mariko stared at Aiko in shock. "Why do you tell me this?"

"Because you of all the clan, despise this violence the most."

"You knew?"

"I have always known." Aiko responded before walking away.

*end flashback*

"Yes," Mariko said quietly. "Let us hope that there will be a chance for our clans to live in peace after all."

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

After a moment of listening to the Iako woman, he realized what the feeling was, remembering it from an old memory. He had only felt this feeling for one other woman, who had died by an Iako blade two years ago.

"I know Kuroda-sama(sama's right, right? lol... I forgot the meanings of those...) want peace so he can be with Iako clan leader's daughter. Zutao, I'm not very sure," he said...

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

(waiting for Anduril to respond...)

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

(Yeah. The term sama is added to the name of one you want to show respect to)

Mariko smiled slightly. She did not know Zutao enough to judge him either way. Yet he seemed honorable enough and she knew that he and Aiko seemed to have feelings for one another. At that moment she began to understand the feelings that she felt for Yashamaru, feelings that she did not even have for any man within her clan. "Well, then let us hope our clan lords can be persuaded," she said quietly. "And that their affection for their children will be stronger than their hate for one another."

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Yashamaru nodded slowly, pulling his eyes away from her and looking at the cave wall again.
"Hope is our most powerful weapon in this battle to end a rivalry," he said, then after a moment of thought, spoke again. "I wonder what started this in the first place."

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