Chapter 2

While Shiori talked, Ikuro observed his surroundings. The long benches lined the aisle. Their design was so two benches faced each other; this would allow larger groups to stay together and talk without having to hang over the benches. Cushioned with red velvet cloth, the benches looked much more comfortable than they really were. Knobby wood prodded Ikuro in the back as he attempted to find some comfort. Dark wood shelves trimmed with a brass bar ran above the benches, providing a safer place to store luggage for those traveling. Neither he nor Shiori had luggage and thus it didn't warrant much of his attention. Large windows allowed in the afternoon light and provided wonderful scenery for those traveling alone. He spent most of his time staring out the window; only half paying attention to Shiori's ramblings.

They had been traveling for about an hour when Shiori took a break from her motor mouth and announced that she was going to the dining car.

"Stay here. I'll be back I soon as I have food in my stomach. I haven't eaten since last night," she waved back to him and trotted to the front of the car. Ikuro was happy for a few reasons. His ears would get a break, and if he pretended be asleep when she came back perhaps she would be quiet for the rest of the trip. He sighed. It truly was wonderful that he had family; he was just starting to wish she didn't talk so much.

The male also took this chance to think of what might have happened to Sumire. He hated to think of it, but it was quite possible that she had gotten recaptured by Judas. His throat tightened. Or they could have just killed her for helping me. He swallowed past the sudden lump in his throat. It was horrible to think about, but a strong possibility as well. Attempting to divert his thoughts from that dark path he looked around the car at the other passengers. One of them was actually standing next to the bench Shiori had occupied.

"May I sit?" the man asked. Taken aback, Ikuro just gestured his acceptance. The man dipped his head with thanks and settled onto the bench.

"Hello," the man said. He was dress in a hat and beige overcoat. The man wore a pair of work boots. Dark sunglasses covered his eyes, but there were faint wrinkles in his skin leading Ikuro to believe that the man before him was at least in his forties. Although Ikuro was in no mood to strike up a conversation it would be rude to tell the man to leave now.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you. How are you this afternoon?" he asked. The man nodded sagely.

"Quite well, thank you for asking. I just noticed you seemed a little familiar. Are you the man they pulled from the water this morning?"

"Heh," Ikuro smiled a little sheepishly. It was amazing how fast word travelled. "Yes, I am. It was no big deal really. Just my own stupidity got me in that situation. I was lucky that those fishermen came along when they did." The man didn't say or do anything for a while. After a minute or two of awkward silence he finally replied.

"Yes, it is," his hand flashed out. The sudden sharp pain in Ikuro's abdomen drew his attention to it. A long knife was embedded in his stomach. He looked in shock at the man in front of him. The overcoat was open now, showcasing an array of knives and guns. How?! There is no murderous intent coming off this man. How did he trick the Baoh? Ikuro slouched back in the chair, the blood pumping from his wound.

The man drew a gun this time and pointed it straight at Ikuro's head.

"Good bye Baoh," he said as he pulled the trigger. Ikuro slid off the bench and rolled into the aisle. Backing away from the man Ikuro looked to the other passengers. They all were standing, pulling out weapons of their own. They knew. Judas knew I was going to be on this train.

The knife fell from his abdomen as Ikuro transformed into Baoh. The lead man screamed.

"Shoot! Shoot now!" Baoh Ikuro watched the guns flash as those in the car opened fire. The bullets ripped through his flesh but the Baoh kept healing him. That didn't mean Ikuro didn't feel the pain of each bullet. Still, neither the Baoh nor Ikuro could sense any murderous intent coming from any of them even as they shot to kill. How is this managed? Whatever the reason, the host of the Baoh was threatened. And that meant the Baoh was threatened and would react. He lunged forward, towards the man who appeared to be the leader. The man ducked, never stopping in firing his gun. Instead Baoh Ikuro tackled one of the women. She drew her knife and stabbed him in between his ribs. The fire erupted along his side, but the Baoh quickly subdued it healing each time the woman stabbed. Baoh picked the woman up by her throat. She continued to stab, shoot and kick attempting to free herself. Baoh held her at arm's length before throwing her behind him. Flying above the seats her body shattered the window as she passed through it. She hit the car behind theirs and twisted away. It would be a miracle if she survived that, and impossible.

Baoh whirled to his next attacker. This second man looked a bit shaken at what Baoh had just done to his companion, but continued to shoot. He was the next to go. Baoh seized the man's gun wielding arm and smashed him to the floor. A flick of the wrist and the man flew up and hit the ceiling. As he fell Baoh snapped a kick that threw his second victim through another window and into a power pole running alongside the tracks.

His third attacker dropped down from the ceiling. She held his head between her legs and flipped backwards. He slammed into the floor face first. With a violent twist they laid on their backs and she rested a gun to the top of his head.

The bullet rocketed through his head and body and everything turned black.

Huffing from the rush of adrenaline, the woman stood.

"That should buy us a little time don't you think?" she asked her leader.

"Yes, but look," he pointed to the shattered skull of Baoh where the brain was reforming, "He's already healing. We don't have a lot of time." The man went to where he had been sitting and pulled a suitcase down from the shelf above. Inside was a five gallon case of gasoline. He handed it to the woman. "Hurry and douse him in this. We need to set the corpse on fire and kill Baoh completely. Judas says that there should only be ashes left." The woman gave a curt nod and began pouring gasoline over the body.

When the container was empty Baoh was already starting to rebuild the skull. The assassins were running out of time.

"Here," the man tossed a book of matches to the woman. With barely a glance away from her target she caught the box and opened it. As she was about to light a match a light flickered by and the woman cried out in pain. A pocket knife was embedded in her palm. She dropped the book clutching at the wound. The lead assassin whipped around searching for the source. Who dared to interrupt this? They were on a mission to rid the world of a biological terror. Whoever had just saved Baoh would soon join him in death.

Another flicker warned the leader of a second attack and he dodged the weapon. The knife, a tactical throwing knife, lodged itself deep in the wood of the wall at the front of the car. Whoever was the attacker they knew how to throw a knife with accuracy and power. A third knife flew. With practiced ease the man caught it. Despite their skill this person doesn't know when to stop. The assassin had noted the location of their attacker in the last throw. With a jerk of his head the wounded companion withdrew the knife from her hand and inched towards the designated area. It was outside the cars, on the little platform that helped bridge the gap between two sections. While she took care of their assaulter, the leader would finish off Baoh.

The sudden cry of pain surprised him. He whirled to see his companion fall back against the iron railing clutching her mutilated side. Her other arm hung uselessly. As the female's hair whipped around her face, the first could see that deep gouges had barely missed her eyes. A twisted and murderous gleam flickered on her face just before a spurt of blood shot out from a bullet hole between her eyes. Her body toppled over the railing. The last assassin still saw no other person.

Being able to dispatch his companion so quickly, this newcomer was obviously skilled. He wasn't dealing with an average hit man. It was possible that it was a rogue assassin. But how would they know about what was going on here. Or perhaps there was someone else on this train? However they displayed skills that an average civilian wouldn't posses. Another sent by Judas? Then why prevent the killing of Baoh? It had to be someone with their own agenda.

Even though there was only a little over a minute before Baoh completely revived himself, the assassin turned his attention to the attacker that still had yet to be seen. This newcomer obviously planned to massacre. Perhaps they didn't know who was in here. And if what Judas said was true, than the Baoh would turn his attention to this new intruder. If he couldn't kill this person before Baoh reawakened then Baoh would kill the one with murderous intent first. The assassin could take care of Baoh after that.

"Whoever you are, stop playing this game. I can't allow this monster to reawaken. It must die. Once I have finished my job, I will spar with you if I am your target. But the bigger threat is my target," the assassin attempted to negotiate. Two seconds passed before he reached for the matchbook.

"Looking for these?" a voice called sing song. The matches were gone from the floor. A person, the assailant presumably, sat comfortably in the bench next to the window that the assassin's male colleague had flown out. The slim matchbook was held before their face. It was a female who attacked him. The voice had led him to that conclusion and her figure was too slight to be a man, confirming his suspicions. Although she wore a black wrap around her face and the hood of the sweater up he could also tell she lacked any male features in the face. It was a face worn by tough choices, hard experiences and blood but feminine nonetheless.

"Oops," she cooed as the matches dropped from her hand and out the window. "Guess that makes the stakes a little higher," under the mask her face twitched into a dark smile as her eyes slid to Baoh. In a blur of movement she launched over the booth, jumped on the next two and leaped forward aiming sharp kick at his head. He easily blocked it, hitting her shins against his forearms. The female was only getting started, the assassin could tell. She had that slight gleam in her eyes that meant she wasn't going to stop until she achieved victory. Catching her leg the assassin used her momentum and spun in a tight circle. Letting go sent her rocketing for a window. Twisting in the air she caught the shelf of where the luggage was stored and turned herself a little more. A muffled thump was heard as she managed to position her feet above the window, effectively stopping her.

She does have promise, the assassin admitted as he launched into another attack. The girl pushed off away from the wall, reaching the other shelf and side of the car. For a few more moments she dodged attacks. But when Baoh's body shuddered to life again, she snapped into action. A fake strike to the face followed by a real attack to the gut then a hard high kick. It connected solidly with the assassin's chin. She twisted behind him and drove her elbow into the small of his back. As the male buckled further she seized his head and curled her body. He flipped over her and fell the floor. She rolled over him, following her own momentum and popped to her feet only to crouch down next to Baoh's head. Mere seconds, the assassin realized as he rose and pointed a gun at the girl's head prepared to kill her and then Baoh again. He was surprised to stare down the barrel of a gun himself. The girl never looked away from Baoh, but the gun she held would not miss. They were at a stalemate for the moment. One wrong twitch and the assassin knew the girl would kill him. And he couldn't die yet, otherwise, who else would kill Baoh?

Speaking of which...

Like a specter, the monster rose silently, mono colored eyes staring at the two silently. Baoh Ikuro's attention flickered between the man who attacked him and the hooded girl still on her knees. Unlike the man, the girl screamed of murderous intent. But she had yet to attack him so Ikuro forced the Baoh to ignore her. Instead his attention fixed on the man who had tried to kill him. Still, Baoh couldn't pick up any ill will coming from this man. What is going on? The assassin startled at the sudden scrutiny of Baoh and this girl took her opening. The man crumpled, lifeless, blood oozing from the wound in his heart. His eyes were glazed in shock and death.

Baoh Ikuro stood in surprise as the scent of murder dissipated as the girl rose to her feet. The gun was no longer in her hands; even still Ikuro had to hold the Baoh's desire to rip her apart. Something about those eyes, eyes that were filling with tears. Ripping at her mask the girl moved for Baoh Ikuro.

"Ikuro!"

*Hello!

~Yeah.~

*So, the writing has been going quite well for this story. With the rate I'm going, the complete rough will be done within a month and the last chapter will come out soon after.

~This means that we won't have to deal with you much longer, right?~

*Why must you do that?

~...~

*... Anyway, to whoever finds this, R&R. Also, I own nothing of Baoh. It was written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki.

Soul~Skip