Kai
I ran through the dark forest, not caring that obstacles in my path tore at my skin and clothes. My black duster flapped behind me, the hood falling back and revealing my unruly black hair.
A shuriken sliced through the air and buried itself in my left thigh, tearing effortlessly through my black leggings. Pain shot through me and I stumbled, quickly regaining my balance once again. I gritted my teeth and pushed the pain down, knowing I could not afford to acknowledge it at a time such as this.
I removed the shuriken and threw it back at my pursuers. A cry of pain told me that I had hit my mark. I didn't even stop to worry about the steady flow of blood pouring from my wound, weakening me with every step I took.
I broke out of the forest, only to be faced with a wall of stone. I calmly surveyed my surroundings, hoping against hope that maybe, just maybe, there was a way out.
No escape. It was life or death, and there was no way I was going down without a fight. I turned to face the forest and raised my arms, wrapping my hands around the familiar hilts of my twin katanas.
They sang as I drew them, the slither and screech of metal on metal comforting me. I lowered my gaze to the symbols etched on the katana in my left hand. "Death Before Dishonor" it read. I felt my heart lift as I recited the familiar mantra under my breath. I shifted my eyes to the other katana, which declared "Fight Until There Is Nothing Left To Fight For".
The howls and catcalls of my assassins alerted me to their presence. The leader launched himself out of the tree he was perched in, executing a flawless triple flip before landing a few yards away from me. "So, Princess" he sneered, his narrow black eyes narrowing even further in delight. "How does it feel to become the hunted?"
I bristled. "How dare you, traitor. As you have betrayed my father and his kingdom, you have no right to address me by that name." I declared, my hands tightening around my blades.
The movement did not escape his notice, of course. "Are you going to attempt to fight?" he asked, laughing incredulously. I refused to speak, because he already knew the answer. "My dear, dear samurai girl, you stand no chance! You are wounded, outnumbered, and defenseless."
I smirked. "That is of no importance. I refuse to go down without taking you down with me, murderer."
He rolled his eyes. "You are passionate, I will give you that. We could use someone like you in our ranks. Just think of it. You and I, ruling the world. Side by side, we would destroy all competition, just the Undefeatable Assassin and his bride."
My vision flashed red. "I would rather die." I growled.
He sighed, but he was smiling that evil grin, the one he had worn when… No. I would not think of that. "As you wish, Princess. Although, it is quite a shame to destroy you."
I laughed humorlessly at that. " You speak with such confidence, yet you refuse to duel with me one-on-one, as is the warrior way. You have your men carry out your dirty work for you. Could it be that you fear me?"
He scowled furiously. "Scared?" he hissed. "Of you? A mere child!"
I stared relentlessly into his eyes, hatred roiling in my bosom, threatening to turn me into an uncontrollable beast. I refused to give in, because that was the road to becoming exactly as the man I faced. "I am nineteen years of age, and the only living child of a daimyo. I am far more than a child."
"You are nothing!" he roared. "You are a pathetic excuse for a future ruler and a samurai, a girl, with nothing left to live for. I do not fear you! I FEAR NOTHING!"
I remained silent throughout his entire tirade. "Enough!" I finally commanded. "You have no honor, no dignity. I will not waste what time I have left verbally sparring with the likes of you. Let me pass, or give me all you've got."
He yelled in rage and charged at me like the furious bull he was. "Kill her!" he ordered his men, lashing his whip at me.
"Oh, please try." I whirled my katanas, dropping bodies faster than most people could possibly comprehend. And yet they still kept coming. There were at least thirty men.
A searing pain erupted in my right side. I nearly cried out, but succeeded in remaining silent. The leader withdrew a silver knife as long as my forearm, maybe even longer, from the source of the pain. Bright red blood spurted from the opening. I sliced at him with my right katana and backed against the rock wall, sheathing the other so that I could attempt to staunch the blood flow.
The odds were drastically against me. I was still outnumbered, alone, severely injured, trapped, and I only had one weapon. I smirked, keeping up the devil-may-care attitude even while my life force was rapidly deteriorating. "It's amazing that you needed thirty men to even hope of defeating me. You truly are a coward."
He advanced on me, and I fought for all I was worth. He finally came close enough for me to dart in through an opening and remove his head from his shoulders. His body staggered forward, slamming the knife into my chest in one last act of malicious vengeance.
I stumbled backward and fell to the ground, the wall pressing against me as if to offer support. Poor wall. Its comfort was wasted. My body was completely numb.
The last thing I heard were terrified, pain-filled screams. "Hell, here I come." I thought, and then I was overcome by the darkness.
