The Wraith That Battled Wolves
Written By: Drk Knight
He moved with a speed that rivals the gods…
During the rebellion that daubed the arrival of the Meji Era, the assassin known as Hitokiri Battousai proved to be the rebellion's greatest asset. Utilizing the training he had received from Sejiro Hiko, the Battousai's breathtaking speed helped him overcome many an opponent in an instant. His Hiten Mitsurugi style combined with the darkness of night made him seem ethereal, ghostly. His speed allowed him to be a wraith in the night giving him an edge in battle, especially when it came to duels with the wolves of Mibu, the Shinsengumi.
Night settled into the sleeping town and darkness enveloped the peaceful village. A gentle yet chilly breeze weaved through the alleys and around the oriental style architecture. The calm of the evening hours greatly contrasted the bustle of the once vibrant city streets. However, the evening stillness was unnaturally eerie. There seemed to be something in the air, something dark and sinister that frightened even the crickets from chirping. While most creatures were asleep, those who were not asleep, creatures and people alike, knew better than to be out after dark on such an ominous evening as this.
The silence was suddenly shattered by the shriek of a high pitched whistle. A whistle carried to alert comrades of a nearby threat. But it wasn't so much a whistle as it seemed to be a wolf howling at the moon, a howl that belonged to the most feared wolves and enforcers of the Tokuguwa Shogunate – the Shinsengumi.
"He's over here! The assassin!"
A flash of red, purple and white sped past an alley way. A trail of dust rose up and trailed behind the wraith due to its velocity. The wraith sped around a corner and down another dark alley hoping to lose its pursuers. However, the ominous candlelight flicker from his pursuers gathered at the point just beyond the end of the alley way he was in.
The wraith merely smirked and darted around another corner of the alley. But to its surprise, more candlelight flickered at the end of this alley. They had surrounded him on either side!
"They are getting smarter… I'll give them that…" the wraith whispered in a dark tone. He reached for his katana blade and readied for attack.
The first two Shinsengumi members rounded the corner coming face to face with the cross shaped scar assailant. Startled, the one man dropped the fabric lantern on the ground which caught on fire. The other drew his sword on what seemed to be trained instinct. He had unsheathed his sword fully and slashed downward on his shadowy opponent. However, his blade merely whistled in the air failing to connect with flesh. The Shinsengumi member froze as he felt a sharp, slicing pain radiate from his lower back up to the back of his head. He began to slump forward to the ground realizing too late the deadly expertise of this assassin. The wraith had jumped over him using the alley walls as a springboard, unsheathed his sword, and front flipped slashing at the Shinsengumi's exposed back.
The other member who had been carrying the lantern had no time to react let alone time to unsheathe his blade fully. The wraith touched down lightly on the ground and, with one smooth motion, slashed back behind him at the other man. With eyes wide and sword partially draw from its scabbard, the other Shinsengumi member slumped to the ground on top of his dead comrade. The crimson flow from the two now lifeless bodies muddled the dirt beneath where the assassin stood creating a bloody mud. With narrowed eyes, the wraith glared at the two of them and their pathetic attempts to surround him. They had gotten in his way and had suffered the consequences.
His gaze shifted to his blade which had a small trail of blood dripping down its length. He merely flicked the blood off, wiped it off on a clean part of the Shinsengumi coat, and sheathed his blade. The light from the burning lantern slowly started to die out covering the assassin back in relative darkness.
Sounds of more whistles were indication enough for the assassin to vacate the area. Though the two members lying at his feet were easy to take down, more grunts would show up and slow him down. The grunts weren't really the problem though. The ones he wanted to avoid tonight were those who had more experience and more skill, the squad captains.
The assassin stealthily dashed down the alley and into a relative clearing. He could hear the shouts of the other squad members as they ran around in vain to find him. The wraith couldn't help but smirk at the futility of their efforts.
"Battousai!"
The assassin stopped in his tracks skidding in the dirt. A small cloud of dust rose up around him. He lowered his stance and prepared for attack, ready to draw his blade at a moment's notice. He peered through the swelling darkness right ahead of him to see a man standing in front of him a stone's throw away. This man like the ones before wore the white and blue Haori uniform signet of the Shinsengumi. But there was something different about this man, something about the way he carried himself, about the air surrounding him, and about the energy he seemed to exude. There could be no doubt that this person in front of him was one of those people he wanted to avoid… this man was a squad captain.
"I have waited a long time for this moment, Battousai. The moment to kill you," he said drawing his blade. "Prepare yourself!" The captain shifted his blade parallel-to-the-ground and charged with blinding speed.
The wraith, unphased by the forwardness of this squad leader, waited until the last possible second then unsheathed his blade deflecting the captain's blade upward. With the blade above his, the captain saw an opportunity to end the fight quickly and slashed downward. Using the momentum from unsheathing his sword, the assassin rolled diagonally past his opponent's vertical slash. He rolled up onto his feet and turned in one smooth motion to face his opponent.
The captain didn't miss a beat turning around and attacking once again using his famed left-handed Hirazuki technique. His blade met with the resistance of another as he clashed with the assassin. For a brief moment, both antagonists were able to catch a glimpse of one another. The captain noted the crossed shaped scar on his opponent's left cheek confirming that he indeed was engaged in a duel with the most feared assassin of the rebellion, Hitokiri Battousai. However, the captain didn't flinch. He instead accepted the challenge his opponent offered and used all his might to overcome this assassin.
Both blades slide off each other and each combatant jumped back preparing for another attack. The captain prepared his ultimate sword technique, intent on ending this battle and ending this rebellion once and for all. He lifted his sword with is his left hand with the blade arcing above his head. With narrowed eyes, he glared at his opponent almost daring him to attack first so that he could exploit the weakness he would no doubt see.
The assassin knew that the longer this battle stretched on the more that Fate would favor this Shinsengumi captain. And pretty soon, he would be surrounded by hoards of Shinsengumi grunts and the respective captains of those squad members. If that happened, his odds of survival would decrease dramatically. Either way, time would favor his enemies. He decided that speed was his best option for finishing this fight. Sheathing his sword, the assassin crouched down and prepared for his Battoujutsu attack, the fastest attack in his arsenal of Hiten Mitsurugi attacks.
The atmosphere between the two skilled warriors seemed to thicken as the seconds passed with neither one making the first move. It was as if they were both frozen in time unable to move. They sized each other up going through numerous outcomes in seconds just waiting for a trigger to start their mortal combat.
"Captain!"
That shout from a squad member set both combatants off against each other. With battle cries loud enough to cause shivers down the spines of the approaching hearers, the captain and the assassin met in a fierce clash. Blade met blade resulting in what seemed like a booming thunder and a shockwave radiated outward from the attacks. The ensuing dust cloud from the shockwave obscured the battle ground reducing visibility to near zero. Breathing the air was a labored task and the flying dust and debris stung the eyes.
Sounds of coughing and shouting grew louder as the other Shinsemgumi members blindly rushed in with the no doubt intention of "helping" their captain. The first one who reached the captain saw his captain kneeling slightly with a growing blood stain on the captain's right side. He soon was surrounded by more squads members who gapped at the scene before them.
"Sir!" the first man said rushing to his side.
Immediately the captain turned his head and glared at his subordinate, stopping him cold.
"What are you doing?" he asked in a deep, angered tone. "Find the assassin! Now!" Blood poured from his side the more angered he became. "All of you spread out and find the Battousai now!"
I can't believe he escaped… he thought as he slowly got up and sheathed his sword. His mind flashed back to that split second when their blades met. The assassin's skills and tactics were unquestioned. The moment their blades met, the assassin was already in motion for his second attack. His second attack being and spin and a slash right after their blades met. The unexpectedness as well as the speed of the assassin's attack allowed him to slash at the captain's side causing merely a flesh wound. Still a very painful flesh wound. With the momentum of his attack, the assassin was able to use the dust cloud as well as his godlike speed to disappear, making him the wraith once more that they had searched for so diligently.
"I will find you, Battousai. And next time, I will kill you. If not in this war, then I will in the future. You will not escape. I'll make you pay for this scratch. And you'll spend eternity in hell sent there by my Gatousu or I'm not Hajime Saito, leader of the third squad of the Shinsengumi!"