Standing proudly in the middle of the green forest was a huge castle. The scars all over its surrounding told a tale of the magnificent strength it had to keep standing still, protecting whatever it held within. Basking in moonlight and glory, its firm stonewalls kept hidden even a greater power; the one written in legend by the symbol of a sturdy pine tree, that kept extracting its roots throughout the earth until the present time.

However, a shadow seeped quietly within, lurking in the darkest corner. It moved slowly, steadily, passing all the spears and swords that surround the castle's ground. Unknown to any beings that breathed their life inside, it silently crept into a certain chamber.

A small figure fell from the ceiling with a hush, towering over a sleeping body at the room. The only moonlight that illuminated the room reflected on the knife it held, ready to change its beautiful silver ray into red.

"Nothing personal."

The cold metal collided with its target without a voice. The shadowy figure was taken aback when it didn't seem to go as how it supposed to be, peeking over the blanket to see its knife struck an empty futon. Another presence appeared in the dim lighted room, catching the assassin off guard and stumbled a few steps back.

"BOO!"

"Shit—"

THUD!

"Mako, are you okay?"

The door roughly slid open to reveal a dark-haired boy, panting and clutching the sword on his hand tightly. He sighed in relief to see the scene before him, but didn't let his grip faltered even a bit.

"Ehe, I tripped."

"What are you doing up at this hour?"

"I want to ask the same thing to you, Nii-san."

The girl stood up and dusted the lower part of her yukata, smiling widely to her big brother by the door. The boy coughed in return and turned toward the exit. He gave a last glance to his little sister.

"I'm doing patrol in case the assassin from yesterday is still hiding near here. Now go to sleep."

"I understand, Nii-san. Good night."

The boy nodded in approval before disappearing into the dark corridor. After a few minutes, the dark-haired girl let out a breath she held and nudged the messy blanket over her futon. She laughed quietly as a figure crawled from under it and glared at her. Another minute flew by in silence until the girl decided to start a conversation.

"I'm Mako, the only daughter of Hashirama—"

"I know."

Mako blinked and gave a questioning look to the assassin. She eyed the figure and took all the details she could find; red hair, green eyes, about the same age as her, a boy. She clapped her hands as it all clicked in her mind and giggled.

"So, you are the assassin Nii-san told me about; the one that could escape from him and even tore a scar on his face."

The assassin tensed and his eyes narrowed dangerously, hands quietly but frantically searching for something. Mako seemed to notice this and held out the possible thing he was looking for, twirling it on her finger.

"Your knife is in my possession. If you understand the situation, then stay still and listen to what I have to say."

The boy's eyes widened in disbelief but quickly switched into another glare. He saw the seven years old girl giggled once again and he growled in anger.

"I'll call the guard if you decide to go against my offer."

His eyes twitched in irritation as he found himself being played around by this powerless girl. His mind tried to come out with a plan to escape the situation and accomplish his mission. He tried to corner her psychologically.

"Well, isn't that the only thing you can do, daughter of Hashirama clan? Calling for help; I think why they call you the worst possible heiress is nothing at mistake. You are a shame for the clan."

He smirked as the girl glared at him back, ready to find a possible opening to retrieve his knife and sliced the girl's throat in one go.

"Oh, so you think you are so great?"

Any time by now; the assassin planted his feet on the wooden floor to charge at times.

"…you're right. I'm worthless."

He almost lost his balance to find the opposite answer of what he had anticipated. The girl laughed nervously and held up the knife, its hilt facing him.

"You can take this knife and kill me right now. But, I believe you won't find yourself out of this castle alive. Or—"

Mako twirled the knife again so that the sharp edge was facing him this time. She smiled mischievously.

"You can eat up your pride and take my offer. I can get you out of here without difficulties at all."

He stared at the knife and then to the girl that was holding it, eyes narrowed all the while. His mind searched for the best decision. His sharp eyes darted to the window and contemplated his surrounding. True to the girl's words, he couldn't possibly escape without her help this time. Beside, killing her was not the only thing assigned to him. He decided to surrender for now and looked for a better opportunity in the future. The assassin stood on his knees, bowing to the girl before him.

"I understand. So, what may you have in offer, Miss Hashirama?"

"Alright!"

Mako smiled sweetly as she handed over his knife, which the assassin took without hesitation. She cleared her throat and stood proudly.

"I believe you are aware of this; every year someone from the Hashirama clan will be sent to be a guardian of the Kasane next heir. This year, it will be either me or my big brother."

The assassin nodded to the girl before him. He mused a bit in his head.

And it was my mission to get rid of those possible guardians…

"You have fought my brother before and must have known his power. He is considered as a genius with blade and always stands on the top. But, you can match even him."

The boy held the urge to boast his capability and answered her with another nod. He seemed to be getting where this would be going.

"So, I want you to be my personal trainer for the upcoming selection. You will teach me until I defeat my brother and gain the 'guardian' title!"

"…and you will help me get out of here?"

"Right away!"

She grasped the boy's arm and dragged him out of her room. She stopped on the corner of the corridor and searched for something on the stone wall. She pushed on a tile and a trap door appeared before them.

"I used to escape the boring lesson by using this."

After a few minutes of walking in the darkness, they reached the exit a few meters behind the castle walls. He took note of the location and found it to be outside the sentry observation area. A giggle was heard and he instantly remembered that he was not alone. He turned to the source of the voice.

"Where's your gratitude?"

He mumbled something inaudible and the girl crossed her arms.

"I can't hear you."

"Thank you."

"Very much!"

A vein popped on the assassin face as he glared at the seemingly carefree girl. Didn't she know he was about to kill her just now?

"Okay, so I'll see you here, near this rock, tomorrow morning. See you, Mr. Assassin."

He growled as the girl waved and disappeared to the previous hole they emerged from. He could just ambush her tomorrow; there would be no witnesses. Suddenly a thought struck his head and he smacked his face.

Why didn't I kill her as we reached the exit?

He mumbled in frustration but another idea popped out. He could just let her trust him. Killing her wouldn't be a problem, but her brother would. He could gather as many information as possible from the girl and then killed the two siblings at the perfect time. The assassin chuckled darkly as he turned away to the forest, and blended to the green scenery before him.

So, what do you think of the first chapter? You may already know who the assassin is...

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.^^

Thanks for reading! XD and Review!