Disclaimer: Don't own Tecmo, probably never will. Some characters are mine, you know which ones aren't.

Finsternis (Darkness)

by kochan

Chapter 1: A Siren's Silence

It came from above; a multitude of yellow and black shades floating in a sea of green. In silence, it called for her attention. But as she turned, it had gone.

A smile curved at her lips.

"Was it a flower falling, or a butterfly?" she thought.

It was beautiful...that was all that mattered. She was fond of memories that held such mystery.

Delicate form balanced on the tree branch, her body mimicked a feline in her stretch.

She let The Black Forest permeate her senses once more:

The fragrance of fresh rain, the air filled with sweet zest. Splashes of lush, vibrant colors through the flowers and leaves. Songs of praise from the calls of birds and insects. The wind whispering for her to join it in thought, in meditation, in reflection.

And she replied,

"Weeping clouds pass over"

"yet nature rejoices with me"

"in Kami-sama's embrace."

"Such a rare moment." she smiled, feeling the tension drain from her muscles.

Wilderness nurtured the soul but two weeks in the forest was taking its toll. The dark-brown ponytail that reached to her waist was becoming rebellious, defying her efforts to groom it. The once-flawless skin of her angelic visage cried out against the sun's abuse.

She scratched at her shin guard, adjusting its position against the soft, dark cloth of her pants. Along with the black Gi top, her outfit confined her to the trees and their shadows during the day.

Attempting to mingle with the populace would only mark her for what she was.

Kunoichi.

A female assassin.

Eyes closing she felt her body adjusting to the hard, unforgiving bough. Her fingers toyed with a loose piece of bark as she thought of her search.

She prayed it would come to an end soon.

The Yellow-black Papillon floated up once more, as though watching over her. It took flight into the forest, in search of its own destiny.

* * * *

The moon cut swaths of dim light through the forest canopy, but still the shadows of the trees shielded the source of the sound from her eyes.

She heard it again, a tortured moan. The sound was audible a moment, then silent once more.

Muscles sprang into motion. Cat-like movements across the higher branches brought her closer to...a man, facedown in the ground.

Further inspection revealed a wound in his side.

She noted the dark, glistening patch of blood that had spread through his ragged shirt. Gunshot. she thought.

The Kunoichi raised her mask and dropped to the ground in silence. Her left hand was tight on her blade, her eyes intent on the man's form.

She felt the tension slow her movements as she nudged the edge of her boot against his shoulder, drawing another one of those familiar moans.

Pushing harder, she turned him onto his back.

She saw his hand move for her leg.

Her sword was unsheathed in a flash, pressing tight beneath his bearded chin as her knee pinned the offending arm.

It was then that she noticed his eyes were clouded, tearful, "Helfen...Sie mir helfen." he whispered through cracked lips.

A frown crept across her brow but her thoughts were interrupted by voices in the distance.

They were coming.

His eyes narrowed with desperation, "Please...please take... this." he pleaded, voice rising almost to a whine, arm tightening beneath her knee.

She ignored him, eyes remaining cold. With the grace and speed of a leopard she bounded away, securing herself amongst branches.

Out of sight...

yet still within striking distance.

A single Bo-Shaken was tensed between her fingers ready to be released the second she was compromised; she hoped there wouldn't be a need for it.

"Gehet Nicht! Fraulein! ...Sie mir bitte...bitte...helfen." He was crying, and though she couldn't see his tears, she could feel his voice crushed by his fear.

And they came, wolves drawn to the bleating of a fallen lamb, two of them.

Her eyes caught the unmistakable glint of gunmetal in the light and she cursed in silence.

"So Jurgen, had a good run? We can't let you have too much fresh air you know. You might decide not to come back!" the lead one cackled with laughter. This one was gruff and overweight with a tasteless sense of humor. She could almost smell his rank breath, foul body odor and the sickening stench of stale beer about him.

The other was no more than a young boy. Short, blond hair cropped close to his head. He turned this way and that, as though warding off the shadows with his gun.

"Out of place." The Kunoichi thought, but a scared, young boy armed with a gun was the last thing she needed right now.

"Please. Please...spare mein family...a dead man's wish, um himmels willen... please Bren..." Jurgen begged, sobs increasing in intensity.

Bren cackled again and she shivered, "Oh, oh Jurgen...crying like a baby. Did we hurt you that much? Oh, poor boy." He grinned, and she saw the glint of gold fillings.

"Don't worry, Jurgen. We'll make sure the little whore fetches a respectable sum." Bren continued, raising his gun.

Jurgen's eyes now fixated on her from afar, pleading for one last chance as they narrowed.

Her heart froze as the boy looked in her direction and she held her breath, praying for the moment to pass.

"Last words, Jurgen? I'd make them famous ones." said Bren.

"V-vater unser im...Himmel. Ge-gehiligt werde Dein, Name." Jurgen paused to sob a moment more.

Bren interrupted, "What the hell is he saying, lad?"

The boy clutched his gun close, voice shaking with fear, "He's praying, sir."

Jurgen had paused again as Bren grinned at him. "Mensch!! Wollen sie mihr nicht helfen... oder koennen sie mihr nicht helfen!!!!!" screamed the doomed man as he beckoned to her.

She turned away as Bren pulled the trigger and the tranquil calm of the forest was shattered. Birds and bats took to flight, scattering from the trees.

Then, all was still.

"Now and forever, Amen." finished Bren.

The boy stared at the corpse, "We...were we meant to...kill him? Just like that?" his words were broken in confusion.

She could see the strain Bren put on his bloated body as he stooped down, collecting the shell casings.

"He had a loose tongue." said Bren.

A shake of the head, the boy asked, "But they were lies, weren't they?"

"You'd best not ask too many questions, lad." growled the older man.

"Yes sir." The boy scratched behind his ear, "...sir...?"

Rolling his eyes, Bren asked, "What is it, lad?".

"He...he was calling for... help." came the stuttered reply.

Bren sighed, "Course he would. He was praying." he followed up with a belch, much to her disgust.

Her heart stopped again as the boy pointed in her direction with a shaking finger. "He...he was calling over there, sir." She bit her lip.

Bren frowned and readied his gun once more, then motioned the boy forward in a silent nod. The younger male hesitated a moment before another glare from Bren drove him on.

Her heart started up again, beating faster than she had ever imagined it could. Sucking in a deep breath, her fingers tightened about the shaken in her hand. Her legs tensed likewise.

She could almost feel the boy's gaze piercing the leaves and branches about her.

Then, their eyes met.

He blinked and raised his gun.

She hurled the throwing blade and dropped from the branch.

The surrounding trees lit up with the flash of gunfire, a thunderous crack filled the air.

No sooner had she touched the ground, the branch she had been perched on disintegrated into wooden fragments and sparks.

The scream that followed was proof her aim had been true.

She kept to the trees and closed the distance on her other adversary with haste, hand tight on her sword handle.

Another deafening flash, this time from Bren's gun, illuminating his face. She saw the horror and panic there as he glimpsed her form, spawned from the shadows. The bullet flew by her shoulder to lodge in a tree trunk.

She never gave him the chance for a second shot, twisting his outstretched hand up and around in a way that nature never intended. She felt ligaments and tendons strained to their tearing point, and pushed beyond. His wrist gave way in a loud snap, forcing him to drop the firearm and bend in submission.

She silenced his brief cry of pain with a swift and hard blow to the face, crushing his nose with the force of the kick.

Last of all, her blade came, sliding deep between his ribs to puncture the lungs within. Air and blood bubbled out of the wound. He fell back as she released him.

Through his eyes, she could almost feel the deflated bladders collapsing over his heart, suffocating it.

Even as he used his last breath to curse her, she held his head and cut his words with a deep incise wound to the throat, severing the carotid artery.

She watched as the ground soaked up his life essence.

Bren was no more.

The Kunoichi dropped her mask to her neck, closing her eyes for a moment.

Checking the boy, she sighed in relief, finding him dead. The Shaken would have lanced into his eye with sufficient force to rupture the soft sphere and lodge deep in his brain. His death would have been quick, one might almost think merciful.

She brushed her hand over his cheek and smiled. At least he would never grow to be like Bren, and for that she was glad.

Retrieving the Shaken, she wiped both it and her sword with a soft, cotton cloth before sheathing the latter.

Then she looked to Jurgen.

In his outstretched hand, she noticed a bloodied locket. It opened to reveal the faces of a woman and a young girl gazing at her with pleading eyes.

She drew a breath then exhaled in a gentle sigh.

It wasn't over yet.

Having placed the locket snug in the side of her Gi, she looked to the boy for the last time, whispering,

"Moon and tree bear witness"

"The seed stilled."

"Rotten fruit ne'er to bear."

Smiling in satisfaction she departed. A leap, a bound and she was amongst the trees once more.

Fin - 1st Chapter.

Author's note – Just an opportunity to thank my main beta reader who's had to balance cutting films, indoor soccer and those phone calls into the early hours of the morn. Couldn't have done it without you.

Oh yes, And my mother for putting up with me tying up the phone line practically every night for the past 6 weeks.