Author's Note:

Dear readers,

I, like many others out there, have fallen in love with the game "Ninja Love". As I played through the stories over and over again, I felt that I wanted to write my own version of what happened. When I began to research the characters, I found out that Solmare took a LOT of liberties with the historical background of everyone involved in these wonderful stories. Because I love historical writing, I wanted to create a story that would keep the spirit of the Ninja Love stories while giving them a new (and more historically accurate) twist.

I loved the MC in Solmare's fiction, but I still wound up wishing that she was a little more headstrong and unique. Although the MC isn't a coward or submissive in the stories, I still wanted her to be more outgoing and more of a natural leader (to match her noble blood). The characters fell in love a little too quickly for my taste. I would have preferred for them to have more of a history together. Thus, I have created this in the hopes of filling in the gaps that Solmare left behind.

"The Noble Flame" will be a stand-alone story that may be considered AU to the cannon version. It will have more accurate history, new twists, and deeper character development and interaction. This is my biggest project so far. After working on "Limerence" with some research about Japanese history, I decided to delve deeper into it and make this my most involved project yet. Some traditional Japanese names and terms that I use may be unfamiliar to some readers. They will have stars next to them and definitions at the end of the chapter in the appendix in case you guys are curious and want to know more.

I hope you will enjoy reading this as much as I am enjoying writing it. I hope to hear from you and I promise that LOTS of romance is to come!

Under the Sky: A Noble Flame

Prologue

Japan, 1571 - Nearly 10 years before the invasion of Iga

Under the cover of dark trees, two shadowed figures watched the flames devour Enryakuji Temple. The screams of the poor souls trapped inside had faded some time ago, but the sight continued to mesmerize them with its horror. The fire blazed high, seeming to stream endlessly upwards with its sooty plumes and raging heat. The otherwise barren expanse of cloudless night sky was now tainted. Even the moon was obscured.

"Do you think she is in there?" one of the figures asked in a low baritone, his voice so quiet that an ordinary man would have mistaken it for a whisper of wind. From underneath his pitch black mask, several strands of silver hair fell forward to reveal blood-red eyes.

"Even if I don't, we must go in and make sure. Those were our orders." The second figure shifted his weight from one foot to another, gracefully balancing himself on the tree branch beneath his feet. Although both men wore solid black to help conceal them, their armor was different. Both of their uniforms consisted of the traditional dogi* and split-toed tabi* boots with special padding on the bottom to help increase friction and assist in climbing and dodging. The silver-haired man wore a red, patterned scarf around his neck and wide belt that hung loosely around his waist. Both had hidden compartments for poisons and throwing stars.

"Can you handle those flames, Goemon? It would be best if we had some cover."

In response to this inquiry, the second figure smirked, his golden eyes flashing dangerously. The expression made his face look like that of a mischievous fox. He tilted his chin up arrogantly, brushing his garnet-hued bangs out of his eyes. As he did so, the ruby and cold chain armor plates that were strapped securely over his dogi shifted to accommodate the movement. Subconsciously, he checked that all the kunai* were in place on the leather strap on his right thigh. "Naturally. I will make a path for us." He pointed to a particularly eroded section of the Temple wall. "That way, Kotaro. Stay close." The two crouched down and disappeared into the shadows, so adept at using the darkness for cover that they seemed to be a part of it. Even though Oda Nobunaga's soldiers were long gone, Kotaro and Goemon still acted as though they snuck through enemy territory. The sound of their footsteps was lost among the crackling of the fire and the groaning of the burning wood. Neither man said anything more as they picked their way to their destination through rubble and debris, each content with wrapping himself in his own thoughts about this situation.

The heir to the Kusunoki clan - the bloodline that was accepted as the origin of all ninjas - was supposed to be here today. Unlike most other missions that the two carried out, this one was meant to be simple. Travel to Enryakuji and retrieve the Kusunoki child from the priests who had been raising her in secret. Hattori Hanzo, the young leader of Iga, had recently received information from his network of spies that Nobunaga planned to attack the Tendai priests and their main outposts to crush their resistance once and for all. Fearing for the safety of the girl, he'd sent his best to find her and warn the monks of the danger. Too little, too late. Nobunaga's retribution had come more swiftly than anyone could have expected.

"I will create a safe area around us, but make sure you stay as close to me as possible," Goemon warned when the two ninjas finally stopped in front of a huge set of charred doors. Forming a series of sacred seals with his hands, he took a deep breath and chanted an incantation in a language Kotaro did not understand. With a roar, the flames parted like curtains. More than a little impressed, the silver-haired young man followed Goemon into the blazing inferno. Despite his initial apprehension, he relaxed when he felt no heat from the fire. Seeing his discomfort, Goemon winked. Still unwilling to let his guard down, Kotaro reached for the hilt of his kodachi*, ready to defend himself in case of attack. "We need to keep moving. Even I can't keep all this smoke under control." They moved from room to room, finding nothing but destruction. After a time, Kotaro tapped his partner on the shoulder, motioning that they should leave.

"No one could have survived this," he concluded. All traces of mirth vanished from Goemon's face in the blink of an eye. The chill left behind gave Kotaro pause. Goemon was a man who was impossible to read. He wore one mask after another, much like the Kitsune* that he was accused of being. He looked ready to agree with Kotaro's assessment when a sound made them both turn around. They strained to hear anything over the fire.

"Is that...a cat?" Goemon muttered. Curious, they made their way towards the sound. They tracked it to a large room where the fire had already gone out. Only charred floorboards and pieces of broken walls remained. Relieved to be free of the oppressive smoke, Goemon lowered his hands and released the seals of protection. The two ninjas caught sight of a pile of smoking wood that covered a splintered dresser. The mewling continued. Cautiously looking around them for any sign of life, they crept towards the fragmented piece of furniture and eased open the door. To their shock, a small body rolled out of it, along with a tiny, soot-covered kitten.

"It can't be..." Kotaro whispered. "Is she alive?" Both men looked down at the form of a young girl, no older than eight or nine. She wore a simple kimono with the sleeves tied back. Once, the fabric must have been a beautiful pink and blue, but now the patterns of trees and fish were singed off and blackened. Her hair flowed around her in varying lengths. Some of the inky, onyx, locks had been burned nearly to her scalp. At last, they saw something that gave them a ray of hope. Immediately upon catching sight of it, Goemon fell to his knees, withdrew a sharp tanto* from his belt, and sliced off one of her sleeves. Flipping her onto her stomach, he examined her shoulder.

"It's her, Kotaro," he murmured, his eyes roaming over a small tattoo of a legendary Aosaginohi* - the secret and sacred symbol of the Kusunoki heirs. On the girl's white skin, the image of an azure heron looked at him with intense and eerily intelligent eyes. "She bears the mark."

"Is she..."

"She breathes, but..." Goemon touched his fingers to her neck. "Her heart beat is weak."

"The horror she must have endured..."

Goemon looked at Kotaro sourly. "How unusual for you to sympathize with someone."

"She is only a child."

"So were we when we killed for the first time." He shook his head, his tone flat and unfeeling. "In any case, she is the Kusunoki heir. It is her fate to overcome obstacles like this and help the ninja preserve their way of life." Despite his harsh words, however, the hands that the red-haired ninja used to pick the girl up were gentle.

"It looks like we are finished here," Kotaro intoned. "Let's go meet Hanzo and give him the good news. Perhaps seeing this girl will put his concerns at ease."

Goemon laughed. "At ease? No, Kotaro. This isn't the end of anything. It's only the beginning."

Appendix:

Dogi - is a uniform used for training in martial arts derived from Japan. The uniforms shinobi (ninja) wore had a more official title (Shinobi Shozoku). The dogi is a part of this uniform. Tabi boots were split at the toes.

Kunai - is a Japanese tool possibly derived from the masonry trowel. In the hands of a marital arts expert, it could be used as a multi-functional weapon. It is commonly associated with ninjas, who used it to gouge holes in walls (and probably in people ^^;)

Kodachi - one of the traditionally made swords used by the samurai class of feudal Japan with a length of less than 60cm

Tanto - commonly referred to as a knife or dagger. The blade is single or double edged with a length between 15 and 30 cm

Kitsune - is the Japanese word for fox. Stories depict them as intelligent beings and as possessing magical abilities. Foremost among these is the ability to assume human form. Many folktales speak of Kitsune employing this ability to trick others.

Aosaginohi - this is a creature of Japanese legend. It is represented as a night heron with a mysteriously illuminated body.