Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ The beauty of life ❯ A new opponent ( Chapter 3 )

“ Elena, I need you go to out tonight,” A man said.

Elena, who was sitting across from the man, listened and took in the seriousness of his voice.

“ Who is it this time?” She asked, “ Is it a member from the government?”

The man shook his head; “ He's been trailing us for a while now. We've done everything in order to keep our clan secret, but now we think that there is someone that has caught onto us. We can't afford to have some one stalking us,” He said.

Elena poured some sake into her cup and downed it in one gulp.

“ I'm sorry, my job only targets members of the government. You'll have to find someone else to do that job,” She said.

The man stroked his chin nervously, looking around from anyone who seemed to be watching.

“ Please, Elena. If we're found out, we'll be doomed. We can't let that happen,” He said, hinting desperation in her voice.

Elena stood up. She grabbed her katana and slid it back into her belt.

“ What's his name?” She asked.

“ We don't know, but we heard that he works for the Choshu clan. He'll be out tonight on an assignment,” He said.

“ He's an assassin?”

“ Yes. Takahashi says that his methods are similar to yours, so you might have a chance.”

Elena lifted the cloth at the entrance, and disappeared down the street.

 

She lingered around the villages, keeping close to the buildings, watching as the people turned in for the night. It was close to midnight, usually around the time when assassins like her were active.

She found a bridge that led into the forest, but avoided it. It was rare that someone would venture into the forest at this time at night.

Finally, she found what she was looking for. Bodies that were riddled with wounds that came from a sword. She sidestepped the puddle of blood that seeped into the cement ground.

Carefully, she looked at the wounds, turning over the bodies.

She turned and picked up a sword that had its blade snapped in two. She cursed and dropped the sword that gave out an audible `clack'

She turned to head down the road, quickening her pace. She found an alley and skirted into it.

“ Someone knows the Hiten technique. But no one else does except for Shishio and me. Or unless..”

She said to herself.

She looked to where the bodies lay. There were men there now. She slid out of the alley and turned onto another road. She had lost the man. She would have to look tomorrow.

 

“ Are you going out tonight?”

Elena nodded. She wiped her hands clean and dumped out the dirty water into the basin. She turned to the man that was leaning on the doorframe.

“ Any news of him?” She asked.

The man nodded, “ Why are you all of a sudden so interested in him. Before you were reluctant to even go out,” He said.

Elena walked past him, “ I'm not. Where is he?” She asked.

“ He has a mission. He's going to kill one of our members. It's urgent. I want you to accompany them and protect them from harm. Understand?” The man said.

Elena nodded.

“ I'll go to them now,” She said.

 

“ It's quite convenient that we have her tonight isn't it?” Hachiro said.

The other man nodded. He made a sidelong glance at Elena who was walking beneath the trees, slightly hidden from view. He shuddered.

“ She's quite the creepy one too,” He added.

Hachiro nodded, “ I hear she's very good. She hasn't gotten hurt once,” he said.

“ All the more reason to be scared,” the other man, said.

They made it to the bridge that connected the two large cities. The bridge was long and wide, and decorated with sakura trees at the sides. The men walked off to the side, Elena close behind.

She increased her speed, walking ahead of them and waiting for them at the end of the bridge just beneath some more trees. The last thing she wanted was to be seen.

“ Do you think he's going to show?” Hachiro asked Elena.

Elena shrugged.

“ If it's his mission to kill you guys, then he most likely will,” She said.

They were half way to their destination. No one had shown up. Elena stopped, causing the two guys to stop. They looked at her curiously, their hands feeling for their katanas.

“ Strange,” Elena commented to herself.

She continued on, “ I don't think the he's coming,” She said.

“ Well in that case, you can go now,” Hachiro said.

Elena shook her head.

“ I'll take you all the way,” She said.

 

Elena sat at a table near the back. She watched the two men as they drank merrily. It was their idea to stop at a bar to have a couple drinks. She drank little herself, occasionally turning her attention to the door, then to the two men. She also spied a man sitting at a far end corner. She squinted, looking off to the side.

Leaning on the wall was a katana. She wondered if he was the one she was looking for. She got up, drank the last of her sake and headed out the door, hinting to the men that it was time to leave.

The men took a moment to catch on and came out just ten minutes after.

Elena was waiting for them by the alley. She walked ahead of them, keeping to the sides of the road. She was glad her clothes weren't bright. She looked back at the men, watching them carefully.

But it wasn't them she was looking at, this time.

She fancied that she saw a figure behind them and disappearing in the alley that she hid in earlier.

He indeed, had come. She watched the two men go past her and waited silently for the man to follow.

The men looked at her, stopping momentarily.

“ What's wrong?” Hachiro asked.

Elena didn't turn. She was staring at the alley closely. They began to catch on and grabbed for their katanas. Elena shook her head and beckoned for them to keep going.

He followed. Elena saw a dark figure walking, surprisingly fast. Elena watched him pass her and watched as he started to approach the men.

Hachiro who gripped his katana nudged the man beside him. They began to feel nervous.

“ Do you think she's got him” He asked.

Hachiro looked back.

A man no taller than Elena was running towards them. Hachiro jumped; shocked that he could not hear his footsteps.

“ Who are you? What do you want?!” Hachiro yelled.

He drew his sword as the small man came closer. He had features that almost resembled a young boy. He could see a scar down his cheek and deep red hair. He had heard of an assassin that bore a scar down his left cheek and red hair, but never thought to be true.

Hachiro was able to block his first attack, but withdrew.

“ Elena!” He cried.

Elena was already there, behind the other man. She pushed him out of the way and pulled her sword out of its sheath, making a large swing directed at the man.

Surprisingly, he dodged in time to counter with another swing; Elena had barely time to dodge. She feinted to the left as he tried for another blow, and lunged her sword at him, aiming for his side.

He slid off to the side. Elena marveled at his speed. It almost resembled hers.

She wondered vaguely what his technique was. She knew that the hiten mitsurugi technique was one of the most powerful kenjutsu you could learn, but maybe there was another sword technique that had the same speed as the Hiten mitsurugi technique.

Unless he knew the techniques of the hiten mitsurugi technique.

She backed off and caught her breath. She watched the man carefully. He too was watching her.

Elena looked back at the two men and slowly, backed up next to them

“ I can't beat him,” She said quietly.

Hachiro gaped.

“But you said that the Hiten mitsurugi Ryu technique was the best out of all the kenjutsu's out there!” He said aloud.

Elena sheathed her sword

“ I think he knows it too. His speed is the same and he can counter all my attacks,” She said.

She watched the man carefully.

“ It's best to just keep going. He won't attack us as long as he knows that I'm here,” She said.

Hachiro turned away nervously. Elena walked just behind them, still watching the man. He had turned and headed in the direction he came in.