The dark form slipped silently from one shadow to the next, nearing his goal in perfect stealth. Junpei was a ninja, a master assassin. He was schooled in more arts of deception and death than he could count on all of his digits combined. And on this moonless night, Princess Narusegawa was his. He could taste the sweetness of victory already. Climbing a tree quick as a cat, he walked along one of its branches and leapt up to a rooftop. Padding along carefully, he bounded from the first-story rooftop to the second story, then the third. Walking as silently as a ghost, unseen by the sleeping denizens of the palace, he inched his way to the window he wanted. With excruciating slowness, he slid the window open, not wanting the rasp of wood to awaken his prize.
Princess Take Narusegawa lay in her bed, but she did not sleep. Her gaze was glued to the window, and the soft glow of lamplight that showed through the paper screen. She shook her head, thinking her eyes were playing tricks on her. Had the screen begun to move, or was it a trick of the light? As she watched, the sliver of night on the other side of her window widened, and her breath caught in her throat. At last, he had come. And at last, he would claim what he wanted.
As Junpei slipped in the window, sliding it smoothly shut behind him, he saw the glow of an oil lamp being uncovered. In its' light, he saw Princess Narusegawa. She had a knowing half-smile on her face that he returned, unseen beneath his Tengu mask. She approached him boldly, dressed only in a light blue silk kimono which hung loosely around her lithe body, unbelted. Her eyes were glowing a warm brown in the light of the lamp she carried.
"Ne, Jun-chan, what kept you? I thought you would be here sooner." she whispered to him, nearing him and reaching for his wooden mask. His first reflex was to bat her hand away, but he mentally reminded himself that this was her, not an assailant. She was many things to his clan, none of them good or helpful, but she was not his personal enemy. Just the contrary, to be precise.
"Gomen, Take-chan. I wanted to ensure that noone else would be awake to overhear us." he replied after she had slipped his mask off. Her warm hands were soft as silk on his face, and he closed his eyes, relishing her touch.