Chapter 4
A Plot DecidedThe darkness of the night covered the forms of three men as they made their way to a large house at the edge of the village. The men knocked on the gates and waited for a while before footsteps approached it and the gates opened. A young woman stood there. Her black eyes stared emptily at them before bowing. The men nodded back. She looked up and silently motioned them to follow her.
The surrounding was so quiet and dark. Not much could be seen and one would feel lost to walk around the plants that decorated the lawn. Knowing the owner...it was better to make sure one never stepped on them.
The woman knocked gently on the shoji before opening it. She immediately bowed and the men copied her movements. Then, she stood up to leave.
'Kumiko, we'll take a long time. You may go to bed now,' a man's deep baritone said. The young woman nodded and left wishing the men goodnight.
'Master, you called?' one of the men asked, puzzled at the sudden letter commanding their attendance. It was rare indeed for them to be summoned. Usually, they would just meet up once in a month to discuss the problems they were facing in their job.
An elderly man looked at them. He was younger than he looked. His dark eyes scrutinized the three young men. He picked up his sake and took a sip from it before facing the men again.
'I have trained the three of you personally. I am very aware of your strengthens and weaknesses. I know your every move and I am well aware of how your mind works during a battle.' He looked at them and took another sip. 'I have an assignment for you to do. I cannot handle this myself. It needs to look like a clean job. No mistakes,' he said as he kept his eyes on them.
'Black, you have the best leadership qualities. So I hope you can find a good strategy for this assignment.' The man nicknamed Black nodded. He was the oldest among the group and his mind was the sharpest and constantly working to find ways to increase his swordsmanship.
'Ice, you have the best-trained men for this job. You skills as a ninja has far exceeded my expectations. Your men are not as good as you but are better than my own. Since my whole group has been wiped out, we will have to rely on yours.' The man called Ice nodded. He knew his place in this group and was ready to fulfill any orders left to him.
The master finally rested his eyes on the youngest member of his three main students. The young 20-year-old man watched him with sharp green eyes and his brown hair was neatly cut. He was not only the youngest. He was the master's nephew who he trained since the innocent age of three.
'Illusion, you have the most important job. You will be the one to break the group. I hope you will do yours well,' the master said. Illusion looked lazily at his uncle. His arrogant smile never left his face and he looked challengingly at the old man. He nodded. Inside, he swore he would one day kill this troublesome old man.
His intentions were not hidden from the master. He knew all and he had always kept a closer eye on Illusion than anyone else. He knew that at a given chance, Illusion would strike and he would be dead. The man was deadly and would stop at nothing to achieve his target. Some might call the old man a fool for taking Illusion in but the master knew what he wanted. Illusion was too special a man to miss.
'Your job is to finish that heiress. But I want it to look like an inside job. The good thing for us to strike now is the fact that the hitokiri is back. The more people the better. Our tracks would be covered. You can plan it yourself and execute the mission.' The master left the room and retired for the night.
Black and Ice got up to leave and were followed by some distance by Illusion. He young man decided to wonder for a while before going home. After all it was his uncle's house and he had a job to do.
As Illusion made his way towards the bathhouse, he sensed a presence near him. A victorious smile curved on his lips and he could not help but let out a small chuckle. 'Come out from there, Kumiko,' he said softly as he face the young woman.
Kumiko shyly walked out from the shadows. She looked at Illusion lovingly and walked towards the young man. Within moments, she was wrapped in a loving embrace.
'You haven't slept yet,' Illusion said softly, placing a soft kiss on her head.
'You haven't contacted me for nearly three weeks. I was so worried,' Kumiko said with a slightly angry note visible in her voice. Her grip tightened and she kissed his chest.
Illusion laughed. He carried Kumiko to her room and closed the shoji behind him. Placing the yukata clad woman on her futon he slipped in beside her. She might be the master's daughter; it doesn't mean he can't have her. Kumiko raised her arms and pulled Illusion closer to her before kissing him passionately. Illusion responded with equal fervor.
The night was going to be a long one for them.
Author's Notes
Thank you all for your reviews and I hope I did not forget any of you.
This chapter is a bit short. Sorry!!!!!
For the next one though, Kaoru would make a choice. It's going to be a hard one though!
