The setting of this story in based on Shingen's route where he takes her prisoner.

This will eventually have two endings but for now I decided to post just the one while I come up with the next.

Enjoy! Sasuke needs more love!

The Incident in the Ceiling: A Sasuke Story

Bored… bored. I'm so bored. So bored that I'm looking forward to Shingen's next visit. Only the flirt loving lord hasn't been around my chambers in goodness knows how long.

(Sigh)

It gets exhausting trying not to smile at his funny pick up lines. He doesn't show any signs of stopping the game of wooing me.

I'm sitting by my desk, head in my hands when I hear a strange sound from the ceiling, causing me to jump from my dozing position.

My head jerks up, "Sasuke?!" no answer… no anything. The silence is so loud it's nearly deafening. My skin prickles.

What could be up there if not for my favorite ninja?

The ceiling panel is askew. "Hello?" I call out, staring through the darkness between the opening panels. The hair on the back of my neck is standing all the more.

Something is up there. What is it?!

Okay… call me stupid, crazy, ditzy or whatever but the next thing I do is go toward the noise.

Usually a person is supposed to get away from suspicious noises but my curiosity will not be sated until I find out what's going on in my ceiling.

Pushing a chest across the room, I stand on it and reach for the loose panel, sliding it back like I've seen Sasuke do a thousand times. I will get to the bottom of this mystery. Call me Sherlock Holmes! Well… you know what I mean. Ahem!

Sliding the panel back slowly, I peek my head up into the hole.

That awful scratching starts all over again, and it's definitely not Sasuke.

"H-hello?" I try to again, feeling my nerves knot up in my anticipation but I wasn't expecting what jumps out at me.

"Kyahhh!" I'm sure they can hear my scream all the way through the castle rooms and to Azuchi Castle.

A ronin leaps down from the ceiling. His eyes dart every which way and that as if surveying any danger. Then his eyes fall back on me. My spine immediately stiffens.

(Crap!)

"Well, well. What do we have here?" The ronin takes a step toward me and I start toward the sliding doors with urgency. The ronin is faster and I flinch as his hand slams over my escape route. I whirl away and back track.

"Capturing the princess would be a much better prize than useless information."

Nobody said anything anything about me being a princess. Where do people get these hair brained ideas?

He takes a step towards me and I dart away again. In the corner of my eyes I can see him drawing his katana.

(Oh, no, no, no. That's it!)

Without a second thought I launch on top of the trunk and scramble rather disgracefully into the ceiling, momentarily forgetting about all the traps and trip lines. How this ronin bypassed them was a puzzle.

"You get back here!" my ankle is yanked where it's suspended as I climb my way into the ceiling.