Before I begin this exciting new chapter, I'd like to give a shout-out to thank Efflorescent for the good review. You all need to go over to her profile after this and read Behind this Mask. It is excellent. So that aside, please enjoy the latest chapter of Misty Waterflower and the Guardians of Kotoenoh!

I just realized, I DON"T OWN POKEMON!

DRAMATIC RECAP (3)!

Kenjiro dropped from the roof where he had been concealed and faced Ibui.

"Well, who are you? Aren't you a bit young to be a guardian?"

"I'm Kenjiro Soran, and you're gonna die by my hand."

END DRAMATIC RECAP (3)!

Ibui looked at Kenjiro, considered him, and then laughed. "You? Kill me? I am the first of the Hachi Nin no Michi no Ansatsu Mono! The 8 Paths Assassins! There is no way tha- " A kick across the face silenced the assassin, and threw him into the wall. He crawled out of the body-shaped indent and started to speak, but Kenjiro was too quick for any witty remarks to be made. A swift snap-kick sent Ibui high in the air. Kenjiro followed his target into the air with a strong jump.

-Change of perspective!-

"Well… It appears that Kenji has this under control…" Lucian said as he watched the battle ascend to the skies.

"Yup… Soooo… know any card tricks?" Kyla asked.

Lucian sighed. "This is going to be a long wait…"

-Change of perspective!-

Catching up to his quarry in mid-air and beginning his descent, Kenjiro began a vicious barrage of kicks and strikes (Imagine Sasuke's Shishi Rendan, but much more awesome). As if performing in a ballet, Kenjiro swirled and swooped delivering devastating blows to his badly battered opponent. Kenjiro grasped his enemy's collar and he stirred, regaining consciousness.

"Learn this, Assassin of the 8 Path. Evil will never triumph. Your Dark Master has us figured wrong. No one will touch the Wielder as long as my brother lives. So when you die, tell your master that he should give up, lest he die quicker. He should enjoy his last days, instead of throwing all of his efforts and skills against my brother. Got it?"

"Heh… Just kill me! My master will never give up. He will reward me for gauging your strength. Your friends are weak! Do it!" Ibui said, a smirk on his face.

"Gladly." Kenjiro said as he raised his leg above his head and struck down on Ibui. Ibui accelerated headfirst, falling with extreme force.

-Change of perspective!-

On the ground, Kyla saw an object nearing them and accelerating at an extreme rate.

"Ummm… I think Kenji is done fighting now…"

"Yeah, we should get out of the way. Kenjiro sometimes forgets that we're here when he fights. Remember the last time?" Lucian asked.

"Oh yeah! He broke your leg, my arm, and three of Genji's ribs!" Kyla said laughing as if it was a humorous ordeal rather than a traumatic one.

"Yeah! I think he still feels guilty about it!"Lucian said laughing, "But I think we should get out of the way now… JUMP!" on the signal, both he and Kyla leapt out of the way of the unfortunate assassin. The second after they were safe, Ibui crashed into the pavement, leaving a smoking crater. Kenjiro followed him down, albeit much more gently, and landed beside the crater. Kyla and Lucian joined him there.

"Well, that's the end of the Assassin of the First Path. But now, the rest will realize his defeat and come after us, hoping to gain their master's approval. If we had this much trouble with the weakest Assassin, the next one will kill us, well Lucian and I anyway..." Kyla said.

"Yeah. We need to get stronger. We can't complete our mission if we're dead." Lucian said.

"We have to train the Wielder for the event that we aren't there to protect her immediately. Genji will take care of that." Kenjiro paused, then a huge smile crept across his face. "Didja see me completely destroy Ibui? That was awesome I mean…"

Kenjiro continued boasting about defeating Ibui while Lucian and Kyla sorted unconscious grunts from injured grunts.

-Change of perspective!-

From her rooftop perch, Misty watched the three in amazement. A minute ago, they were a hardcore bunch of fighters, craving blood, but now, they were like normal kids.

"Surprising eh?" A voice from behind her made her jump and swirl to face a person walking toward her on the roof like it was normal. The boy—as he got closer, she had seen that he was one—couldn't be older than herself, or the two kids down in the alley. If only the jeans and the blue shirt with the frayed short sleeves had been seen, she would have assumed that he was a normal boy, but when his whole body became visible, the notion of normalcy faded. His right hand and forearm were covered with a metal glove that glistened in the moonlight. An involuntary shudder caroused through her as she looked at that glove. His voice, however, drew her gaze off of the glove and on to his face. His eyes spoke with a compassion and sadness that only amplified his words. He continued, "My heart aches when I see what fate has thrown at them… They should live like this! Normal! Not the lifestyle of an immortal warrior, but the lifestyle of a regular kid." He sighed, a remorse-filled sorrowful sigh. "And now, fate has reared its ugly head once more and dragged you into this as well."

"Who are you? What do you mean? Why has my life been destroyed? I don't understand any of this? What is going on?" Misty asked, growing more hysterical with each question.

"That is a story for another day, Misty. You look tired. You should get some rest."

Now that he mentioned it, she was a bit sleepy. The need for sleep begged her eyes to close, to rest, to sleep, to forget the trauma that she had just experienced. But her mind wouldn't rest until she had the answer to one important question.

"Tell me your name. I *yawn* need to know your name…" Misty said as she dozed off, only to be awakened slightly by his reply.

"My name is Genji Soran. I'm here to keep you safe."

His peaceful smile sealed the deal, as she drifted off into the waiting clutches of sleep.

-Awaken!-

"Waaah!" Misty sat bolt upright in her bed, sweat streaming down her face. She realized that she was in her room, her bed, safe. A wave of relief swept over her as she said, "It must have been a dream!"

Sooooo? Interesting plot twist to say the least... But the story isn't over! Don't forget about me! Now... What are you still doing here? Go read Behind this Mask! Do it! *Shoos people toward the story*