Way of the Sword.

[Donsehan]

Seki san kept his foot on the bull, it tried to move, but was too tired. He placed his hand on its side first his muscles strained, and then he stood there like that for a few moments. Then with a sudden movement and exhale a loud crunch came from the bull. It then stopped moving, Matsumoto looked to his friend. Seki's shoulders were heaving, "hey, what's wrong?" Seki looked at him, "you know perfectly well."

With this Seki parted, the younger students all gave way, still looking in wonder at how he managed to kill the bull.

 

[hybirdx]

Hibiki laid there, staring at the ceiling. His body was still recovering, so moving around was out of the question. Okita kept his word to watch Hibiki, but the erie dead silence was starting to scare him, "Do you think its Hijikata-san?"

Hibiki looked at Okita, slightly confused. "Wha?"

"Do you think Hijikata-san was the traitor?"

Hibiki looked back at the ceiling, feeling somewhat anoyed. He knew that Okita knew that he and Hijikata didn't exactly get along too well. So Okita was guessing that Hijikata was first on Hibiki's list of traitors. "Why would the vice-commander be the Traitor?"

"True... What about Shinpachi?"

"Doubt it..."

"Sanosuke?"

"HA! Sano? I'd be surprise if he was. You know Harada wouldn't even think such a thing!"

"Well thats true... Could it be... Me?"

Hibiki looked at Okita somewhat surprized he said that. "You? If it was you, wouldn't you had finished me off by now? I am lying here wounded, nobody is here as a witness, I'm a easy target right now!"

"Well, that is true."

"Don't ask silly questions like that..."

 

[RoneLith]

The road to the capitol

Heideki had not set himself so far removed from his former Lord that it would be a long journey, it should only take a few days on foot to reach his former home. Still for Akari's sake they would hire a cart in the nearby village. Secretly Heideki also wanted a cart, he was getting older and his energy was not what it used to be.


_____


After a quick stop in the nearby village, they had purchased a cart pulled by and aging war horse. The horse must have once been a proud charger but it strangely took to pulling the small cart with no problem. The stable in the village had fallen into dissrepair, many of the horses had become sick yet this old charger was as healthy as the day it was born. He had paid a good sum for him though. After they had left sight of the village Heideki pulled them to a stop by the nearby river. After a quick brushing of his new horse he discovered something extrodinary, the horse was not nearly as old as he looked. He had thought his coat had began to gray but it was just dirt and dust from years of misscare. A shinning intelligence burst through its eyes, one that spoke of many battles that it had faught, visions of charging the frount lines of an opposing force and trampleing them into the ground.
"Akari, take our equipment out of the cart, we will ride to the capitol." Indeed after seeing the true spirit of the horse he could not bring himself to order it to pull a cart, he would be dishonoring all those who had relied on it in battle.

 

[hybirdx]

Kenji snapped forward and grabbed whoever was hiding behind the shadows. But he insted jumped back when he saw a small silver glint. The second he landed he rolled to the right dodging a set of miniture shurikens, most likely tipped with poison.

The woman behind hiden in the shadows lept out andattempted to get about him to swing down and slice him with a sickle. Kenji jumped back onto the bed, then jumped off of it and moonsaulted over and behind the female ninja.

Without a second to hesitate, the ninja swung around holding a dagger, hoping to blindly stab Kenji in the throat. Kenji quickly ducked tunder the womans swing and while he was still crouching, slipped in front of her and swiftly punched her in the strenum, knocking the wind out of her, and momentarily throwing her off gaurd. Kenji shot up from his crouching position and wrapped his arm around her neck, and pointed one of his daggers at the bas e of her throat with his free hand. "So... Lets see whos behind the mask..."

Kenji quickly grabed the strugling woman's scarf and yanked it up. He then tripped her and himself to the ground where he was sitting on her stomache, and her arms were pinned under her. With the woman trapped and unable to escape, Kenji yanked off the scarf. "Well well well... Didn't expect it to be you!"

 

[hybirdx]

Hibiki grunted as he tried to pull himself up into a sitting position. "Hi-hibiki-kun, I don't thin-"

"Stop right there... I already got the 'rest and heal' nag from Minami..." Hibiki sat up completely and looked at Okita, who was snickering, and holding his sides. "What...?" Okita couldn't hold his laughter and bursted out laughing. "What!"

"I-its nothing!"

Hibiki grunted in agrivation. "Sometimes I think you lost your mind back in Mibu..."

"Hey!"

 

[Donsehan]

Matsumoto, looked towards the man from last night. He was looking more scared than he was last night. Matsumoto decided to untie him, "well" he said while working. "As you can see, I beleive we can do much worse than your boss. You can go back and tell them that we killed a bull with our bare hands."

Matsumoto then drew his weapon, and cut the ropes. The man still looking stunned, as he used his left hand and not his right.

Matsumoto said "Go now, or I will be forced to do something I don't want to." He saw the man run off, in with a look of horror on his face. Then turned and followed Seki. The younger students still standing around in awe. The one's asigned cooking came out and groaned as they realized that they had to figure out how to cook this bull.

Matsumoto reached Seki's room, he slid the door open and stepped in. "Oiy, doshite? saki wa shimasuta ka?"

"Anta wakaru" was Seki's reply. Matsumoto said "Hey, it's not that bad. Sure he beat us, but he also gave it his best. I've seen him work before, just like last night, how we didn't work give our best against those two." Seki looked off. He still seemed angry, but not as much.

Matsumoto brought out a go board. Here, come on, this will cool you down. Matsumoto placed his 5 handicap stones down, and then placed a black piece to fortify one of the corners.

Seki looked over, and started attacking the upper right corner. In a few moves Seki had dominated the top section of the board, and Matsumoto was puzzled. Seki started breathing really shallowly. While Matsumoto continued to think.

 

[Morgoth]

Hinomori sighed as he rose. Disgusted with the spectacle, he made his way to the market, where the heady aroma of frying foods, and the sights of exotic herbs invigorated him. He purchased several rice balls, as well as some fish and uncooked rice. Chewing on a rice ball, he proceeded with his inspection of the market. It had been many years since his last visit to Kyoto, and the city had always intrigued him. He was determined to explore the whole of this place, and he told himself that now was as good a time as any to get started.

 

[hybirdx]

"Kage no aru Sakura, the Cherry Blossum in the Shadows. Funny meeting you here! What, didn't have enough from the last time we met?!"

"Get off!" Sakura squirmed enough to lift her feet and kick Kenji off. She rolled to a standing position and snapp kicked at Kenji, attempting to at least knock him out.

Kenji lifted his left arm and blocked the kick, then pushed her off and attempted to trip her. But Sakura was able to jump over Kenji's foot and pull out another dagger from a secret spot inside her shirt. She swung it at his head but Kenji grabed the arm and pulled, forcing her to move for ward as Kenji slipped behind her, still holding her arm, and bring her own dagger to her throat.

"I'm wondering, why do you have both information on the Shisengumi, and at the same time, have further instructions for assasins that were asigned to kill one of the Shisengumi members under Kondou's brigade?" Sakura didn't answere, she just tried to pull herself away from Kenji, but with his arm around her waist and one of his legs hooked to one of hers, just pulling away from him was out of the question. Not only that, but kenji was still holding her arm with the blade in it, not only that, but it was right at the base of her throat. "I woudn't strugle if I were you!"

 

[hybirdx]

Hibiki slowly stood to his feet, careful not to wake up the now sleeping Okita. Okita twitched a bit when Hibiki almost tripped over his sword, but other than that, he was out like a light. Hibiki almost sighed in relife, but stoped himself just in time.

Wehn he got out of the room he silently closed the door and quietly walked down the hall. Hibiki thought he was home free until...

"So, you decided that rest wasn't best for you?"

Hibiki snapped around, hurting himself as he did so, but he ignored the pain as he lifted his hand to punch whoever it was behind, but it was quickly caught before he could lift it far enough to hit the person in the head. "Are your wounds are slowing you down?"

Hibiki looked behind him and grunted in both agrivation and relife. "Saito, you gotta learn not to sneak up on people like that..."

 

[DragonsCurse]

Satoshi hidden in the shadows watching Hibiki & Saito talking in the hall.

*While geting redy to attack*
Man i hope these people are the guyes i am looking for.

Satoshi starts to charge doun the hall at Hibiki & Saito.

 

[RoneLith]

Not long after ditching the cart did Heideki feel and unease settle in the area. He saw no one but he could not mistrust his feelings, they were being watched. Quickly he took in the surrounding country side. There were no roads this far north so they followed a stream of winter run off that led down to the shores of Hokido. Ahead was a narrow strech that passed between two giant boulders, a perfect place for an ambush. More than likely it was bandits, and a man with his daughter would look like easy prey. Heideki stopped his horse and stepped down voiceing the excuse that he wanted to rest him for a time. Akari stayed on his back and laid down on the saddle.

Just as he suspected as he reached the strech he stopped short of the boulders and simply waited. They appeared, five of them armed with swords and not a bow among them. One stepped forward, carrying a No Dachi.

"You are in my way," Heideki spoke, his voice cold as the stream they followed. "Get out of it."

"Well that depends," the bandit said as he drew forth the large blade. "On how your treat us." Heideki stood silent as the group chuckled. "He's not very nice is he, guys?"

Again they laughed, "I think he's scared stiff!" One of them said.

"Do not impeed my journy any father." Heideki's voice grew colder, like a hard winter's breath. "You move or you die." His expression was that of perfect calm. There was no anger in his voice, just a simple statement of fact. He was death, not carring and indiscriminate weather they lived or died they did so by their own choice. He wondered was their greed so high?

"You give us your money or you die," the bandit mocked Heideki's voice as the group behind him drew their swords.

"If your greed is worth more than your lives, so be it." If Heideki's voice was any colder it would have froze the bandit to ice. Time slowed as the bandit's rushed him, his sword was faster than even he could see. Years of training and perfecting his way made his reactions as easy as lifting a peice of cloth. His sword seemed to pass through the leader of the bandits, looking as though if did not even strike him unfortunately for the bandit it as cut clean through his abdomen. The other bandits had no idea that it had happend, Heideki roatated around his vanquished foe and sent the head of another bandit rolling along the ground. His sword now high, he brought it down on the other bandit, cleaving through his shoulder and down along the connective tissue or the ribs and breastbone and finally out underneath his torso. He pulled his sword up over his head and slammed it down in a soft arch, time was still slow as Heideki flicked the blood of his soul and returned it home to its scabbard. Only then did the five bandits fall, one cut in half and the stomatch, another missing a head, the third carved like a butchered pig, and two others split from neck to nuts. "May you find peace in the next life."

"What happened Papa?" Akari said as he returned to his daughter and the horse.

"Foolish men doing bad things. I can smell the sea, we are almost there."

 

[hybirdx]

Hibiki snapped his hand back and grunted. "You're not gonna give me a lecture too are you?"

Saito only laughed. "Now when have I ever done that?"

Hibiki huffed and turned around. "Then lets keep it that way."

"But I will ask you a question."

Hibiki turned his head a bit, "and that would be?"

"Why is it that you never seem to get a good nights sleep, why is it you seem to always be on gaurd?"

"I thought you said A question?"

"It is a question with many different parts."

Hibiki turned around and walked torwards Saito, his eye as sharp as an wolf cornered in a battle. "If you want my answere," Hibiki started, slowly raising his right hand. "Then you should ask HIM!" Hibiki suddenly grabed Saito's sword and snapped around, pulling out the blade and swinging down at the assasin. whoever it was jumped out of the way and attacked again.

Hibiki lifted his sword and blocked the attempted attack. Then jumped back a bit to keep some safe ground between him and the assasin. "So, are you going to answere Saito-san's question?!"

 

[DragonsCurse]

Satoshi stedys himself after haveing his atack dodged

way should i answer you you should be the anwering my questions.. Who are you two and what are you doing here?


If you don't answre I will be forced too fight you...

 

[hybirdx]

Both Hibiki and Saito raised their eyebrows in complete and utter confusion. They looked at each other, then looked back at the assassin. "What are we doing here? This is where we live!!!"


***

Sakura finaly gave in and relaxed. Kenji had caught her, and she could either strugle and die, or quietly do what he told her to do. "Good girl... Now tell me... Who is this Hibiki guy, and why iis he being a target?!"

Sakura grunted as Kenji tightened his grip slightly. "Like I said, there is a traitor within the Shisengumi... He's been giving information to a enemy clan, soley due to the fact they gave out more money... Hibiki happpens to be a high ranking assasin and spy for the Shisengumi, and could have been a threat."

"Could have...?"

"Dead, I'm sure the assassins would have killed him by now."

Kenji sighed. "Do you know I got that slip of paper? I got it from one of the assassins' dead bodys. They're all dead. Now... Tell me, who is the traitor, NOW!"

"I-its..."

 

[DragonsCurse]

Satoshi then you are the ones I have been looking for

now lets see if you are worthy of my serveces

*Charges and strikes Hibiki*

 

[hybirdx]

Hibiki rolled out of the way, re-injuring himself while he did so. Saito didn't hesitate to pull out his second sword and rush in. Saito purposely clashed with the assassin's sword and pushed the intruder into the wall. "Hibiki, get out of here!"

"S-Saito! No!" Saito didn't pay enough attention to the assassin, who punched Saito in the face, then shoved him off. The assassin took a swing at Saito, who jumped back a bit and attempted to snap kick the assassin in the head, but missed.

As the assassin moved forward to make a kill on a temporarily off gaurded Saito, Hibiki moved in and tackled the assassin to the ground, ignoring the long, but shallow cut made by the assassin's sword. Hibiki quickly rolled off of him and held out Saito's sword, pointing the sharp tip at the Assassin's throat.

"I'll let you live this time... But only if you run with your tail between your legs!"

 

[RoneLith]

It was not but two days later when Heideki and Akari came within view of the capitol. A port town with a ferry service between Hokkiado and Honshu Islands, he would meet with his old Lord and hope for the answers he saught. The deep sense of forboading had not eased and still plauged his thoughts durring his metitation.

It was when he entered the city that sent his heart dropping. What was once a vibrant and lively port town filled with all the movement and chaos of any big city, now seemed dull as if the color and life of its people had moved on. When he had left with his daughter originally life was a breeze in the city proper, now tough times had truly befallen the land. Streets would be filled with a seemingly endless supply of people, now aside from a few stragglers it looked as if he and his daughter were the only two in sight. Heideki was only mildly concerned however, good times in cities flowed and ebbed just like the tide of the nearby sea, his destination was not too far ahead the palace still shinned as the day it was built. Time could not be that rough with the palace looking as grand as ever. He was glad though that Akari was still asleep in his arms, he did not want her to see how drab and dull the city looked at the moment.

 

[hybirdx]

The assassin slowly backed away from the blade's tip. He quietly took hold of his sword and stood up. "The exit's to your right... BEAT IT!"

Both Hibiki and Saito watched as the assassin back away far enough until it was safe for him to turn and run out. Hibiki turned to Saito and held out the sword. "I think this belongs to you..."

****

Kenji let go of Sakura and headed for the door. He glaced back at the woman who sat on the ground, gingerly holding her throat. "Are you absolutely sure it is who you say it is?" Sakura could only nod. 'This is not good,' thought Kenji '... If what she says is true, Then something big will go down tonight...'

 

[DragonsCurse]

Satoshi They were toupher than you suspected It will cost you more for me to fight them again..

A shadowed figure moved out of the darkness just so Satoshi could just see his out line and the figure drew a long dubble edged sword from its scabbord..

Satoshi reacting to the figures actions and drew his king dragon sword and charged.

Befor Satoshi knew what had happend there was a blade through his shoulder..
Satoshi pulled the blade from his shoulder and ran out with the speed of a spector..

Satoshi: man that was a close one I am never takeing a job like that again