Requiem For A Killer

A/N: I don't own any of the Tenchus, if I did they'd all be on the PS2, PSP, Wii, and X-Box 360 

Spoilers for Tenchu 4 read at your own discretion!

BTW: italics are flashbacks/previous conversations

Das ist die perfekte Welle,
das ist der perfekte Tag,
lass dich einfach von ihr tragen,
denk am besten gar nicht nach.

Das ist die perfekte Welle,
das ist der perfekte Tag,
es gibt mehr als du weißt,
es gibt mehr als du sagst.

stellst dich in den Sturm und schreist,
ich bin hier, ich bin frei,
alles was ich will ist Zeit,
ich bin hier, ich bin frei!
Stellst dich in den Sturm und schreist,
ich bin hier, ich bin frei,
ich bin hier, ich bin frei.

-Juli; Die Perfekte Welle

Flames turned the air around Rikimaru into ash; even with his mask, the back of the shinobi's throat tickled and his skin burned as the demon, Onikage was holding Princess Kiku hostage.

"You, my old friend, were made simply for murder," the demon grinned as he moved himself and the princess to the balcony's edge.

"You have a power, and its name is…evil!"

"KIKU!" Ayame's panicked voice sounded from behind the older shinobi. The kunoichi held her injured arm as she stood, feeling helpless.

"Coward! Release her this instant!" Rikimaru growled angrily. The seemingly 'simple' mission had gone to hell too fast, he needed to think but too much was going on. Too much!

Ignoring Onikage's chuckles, Kiku's eyes softened; it was as if it was the first time the shinobi was really seeing her, as a young woman, not the same little girl who used to do nothing but read children's tales and play in the gardens.

"Rikimaru, I can't witness anymore fighting…please do what you have to, to put an end to this," the princess said softly.

When did she grow up?

But he couldn't. Rikimaru lowered his sword; he could never harm a child, especially the princess! Though despite this, his jaw clenched as the shadow demon taunted the shinobi,

" Go on…Give in to your urges. Cut through her to get to me! Because deep down…" Onikage tightened his grip on the 15 year old, "we both know you want to!"

"Bastard!" Ayame yelled; Rikimaru didn't need to look at her to know that she was afraid, afraid that her little sister whom she loved more than anything would die.

By Onikage's or his hand.

"I know about you sadness, Rikimaru…it conceals your spirit like a cloak…but that's the path you have chosen, Rikimaru," Kiku's eyes watered with tears, either from the smoke or the inevitable happening, "please, you must," she whispered.

"No! You can't!" Ayame's eyes widened in fear and this time Rikimaru did look at her. He looked into the kunoichi's dark brown eyes and truly felt her fear, before looking back at the shadow demon that was Onikage as well as the princess; wondering if it was it only a year ago where this same girl, this same sweet, precious little one would skip around the gardens? Laugh delightedly at a simple magic trick? Stare at wonder at a simple waterfall?

As Onikage moved closer to the edge of the balcony and seemed to leave an opening, Rikimaru made his decision.

And charged.

"NO!" Ayame screamed reaching an arm out, but she was just too far.

It was a warm summer day when Kiku sat on a large stone in one of the gardens of Lord Gohda's castle. The air was thick with humidity, which did nothing to help the young princess' mood as she sulked from not being able to play with her 'big sister' who was on a mission. Rikimaru, by contrast, was sitting on the rooftop and noticed the teenager's bad mood.

"Do you want to see a magic trick?" He asked making Kiku sit up grinning. The older shinobi chuckled as he hopped down in front of the teen and took out a shuriken, holding it in his palm; "pay attention, now," Rikimaru said as he made it disappear when he covered it with his other palm.

The princess's eyes widened as she watched the shinobi pull the shuriken out from under the rock she sat on, before putting it under his arm bracer. Rikimaru waited a couple seconds before reaching into his bracer and pulling out a green leaf, then finally, pulling a shuriken out from his other bracer.

"How?" The princess asked.

"A magician never tells their tricks," Rikimaru responded smiling behind his mask in contrast to Kiku's frown.

"You're not a magician…not professionally anyway," she retorted.

"Good point."

As Rikimaru leaped in the air, his sword poised to strike, Kiku and his eyes met for a brief second.

'I'm sorry,' Rikimaru's eyes seemed to say.

"It's about distraction. You didn't notice that when I jumped from the roof, I threw a shuriken under the rock, and as for the original: under my arm bracer," Rikimaru smiled as he walked Kiku back inside as it started to rain.

"It seems so complicated," the princess said, impressed.

Onikage moved the princess in front of him, grinning triumphantly. 'I've won!' the demon thought.

Rikimaru smiled sadly and twisted his body mid-air, dropping his sword with a clang, pulling out a kunai, seemingly out of nowhere.

"It's not, you just have to be prepared and think fast. That's the trick to 'slight of the hand'."

Rikimaru landed to the side of the shadow demon and slammed the kunai into the side of Onikage's neck. Onikage's eyes widened in shock as the silver-haired shinobi shoved Kiku out of the demon's arms, causing the teen to be scratched by Onikage's claws for her trouble, before the shadow ninja regained his bearings. As Rikimaru pushed him over the edge, Onikage, kunai still lodged in his throat, grabbed the younger shinobi's arm…

Taking Rikimaru with him over the edge.

Ayame gasped and ran to the balcony, seeing the two men fall into the darkness. "No," she whispered as Kiku ran next to her sobbing, "this can't be happening. No," the kunoichi dissolved into sobs.

Rikimaru watched as the ground and water came ever closer (strange, he never noticed that the small moat that surrounded the castle was so close) with a detached feeling…Onikage, on the other hand, was trying to strangle him; no easy task as the younger shinobi pushed himself an arms length away from the homicidally angry demon.

The silver-hair man was rather pleased with his decision: he accomplished his mission, kept his loved ones [relatively] safe, and killed a demon; at only the cost of his life.

Seemed like a fair trade to him.

He spared a glance at Onikage and at the angle which they were falling. From his calculations, Onikage would hit the ground, but if Rikimaru was lucky; he himself would hit the water.

Granted he'd still die from the impact, but he always enjoyed swimming; so it would be a second's worth of bliss before he'd die. It would be enough for him to die happy. At least he didn't have regrets.

'And I'm not a killer; I'm not evil. I just was protecting people I care about...and I'll still watch over them after I die. Any minute now.'

Yes, Rikimaru felt as if he'd done his duty as a shinobi, and he didn't mind having to die either. As the two men got closer to the ground and water, Rikimaru took a breath and held it,

"water it is, then…"

Owari.

A/N2: I didn't like how Tenchu 4 ended so I'm changed it. :P Review please!!!