Well, I originally was planning on making this a shorter story…seems I've gotten carried away. I wasn't planning on go any more than ten chapters. OH well! There's plenty more! Enjoy! Warning: there's some violence in this chapter! –Annubis
The Kill
Chapter 10
'Zaibatsu Military!' Vera gasped. She darted to the open door of Yoshimitsu's small home. The woman popped her head through the door to catch a glimpse of the frantic action outside.
Manji ninja covered the field. It was a battle of projectile weaponry, bullets, shuriken, and daggers being thrown through the air. The sound was atrocious, louder than the thunderstorm from the night before. Vera covered her head as a bullet ricocheted beside her. She fell back into the room.
"This is awful! How'd they find this place!?" Vera tried to ease her breathing. She closed her eyes, listening to the terrible sounds outside. There was a blood curdling scream. Vera winced at the nightmarish sound.
Automatic gunfire blasted from nearby. They were shooting at the homes, destroying them like a hurricane. Splintering wood exploded, families who couldn't fight shrieked and ran out the back toward the safety of the forest.
"I have to do something…" Vera looked around, what could she do? She was least likely to hold her own than the ones who had already run away.
Her eyes fell on an open case within the room. Yoshimitsu had grabbed all his armor from the case. Vera sighed; thanking God he had taken the time to quickly protect himself. Then she noticed the case beside it with the two long blades that Yoshimitsu never seemed to use. She shoved away from the wall and tugged on the door, trying to open it. It didn't budge. There was a lock mechanism that required Yoshimitsu's voice to activate it.
"Damn!" Vera slapped the glass. She looked about the room for anything to throw at it, but then she remembered the cracked container. Yoshimitsu had hit it and if he couldn't even break the glass, there was no way she'd be able to.
"Mom!?" A familiar voice sounded from outside.
'Oda!' Vera gasped, turning her head toward the sound. She ran to the door and looked out onto the veranda. Oda was running about, unaware of the soldier sneaking up behind him. The boy was next her room. He looked frightened, separated from his mother.
"Oda!" Vera sprinted out toward the boy. He reached up for her, tears in his eyes. She snatched him up and pulled him inside the room beside her.
"Halt!" The soldier shouted. He raised his weapon and followed after them.
Vera didn't listen. She set the boy down, he ran to the back bathroom area as every home was equipped with a cubby hole in the floor of the washroom. Her hands grabbed the giant mirror above the fireplace. Twisting, she brought the mirror around and down with a loud crash on top of the soldier's head just as he entered the room. He toppled to the ground with a low grunt. Vera took off around the corner and came to an abrupt halt, face to face with the barrel of an HK MP5.
"Oh…" She stared.
"Don't move." The soldier watched her. "You're one of the targets!" He reached for his radio.
Something dropped silently behind the man.
"Sir! I have detected-GAH!" The man choked on his own words as a dagger flew into the back of his neck. He heavily dropped to the floor.
"You alright?" Masumi stood a few yards away. Vera nodded quickly. "Where's Oda?" She looked from side to side; the attention was on her now. Multiple soldiers began to surround her.
"He's hiding." Vera said quickly. She stared at the dead soldier beside her feet.
"You best do that too." Masumi mumbled. She kept her eye on the two soldiers in front of her. They had their weapons drawn and pointed at the female ninja.
'This isn't good…' Vera ground her teeth together.
Masumi ducked just as bullets sped toward her. She rolled, throwing a few shuriken. They stuck in the chests of the two before her. She pushed to her feet, walloping one across the face as she pulled out her second dagger and slit his throat. She rolled across his falling body and grabbed the other frantically shooting soldier's arm, twisting it backward and sending him over her back and crashing to the ground. She then stabbed him in the lower back. More were coming, fast. Masumi lifted her arm, throwing the dagger across the veranda into another soldier. She was now unarmed.
'Damn it!' She narrowed her eyes, feeling the presence of someone directly behind her.
"Nice try…" The solider laughed. His weapon clicked loudly beside her ear as he reloaded.
Vera had spaced out. She didn't know what to do. And now, her body was moving on its own. She leaned forward and tore the weapon from the soldier's neck. She pulled back and let it fly.
'Oh god!' She watched shocked at what she had just done.
The blade flew through the air. It wedged itself just below the soldier's sternum. Masumi leapt over him, putting his head in a lock and twisting, snapping his neck.
"Nice shot!" Masumi looked up at Vera, giving her a quick nod. Vera wobbled on her feet, uneasy.
The ninja turned around, hearing a scream from a familiar voice. She left without another word to help her comrades. Vera stumbled against the wall, watching.
"I…I helped kill someone…" She mumbled. It felt weird to think thoughts such as these. Her eyes watched the ninja.
"Kagami!" Masumi dropped to her knees. "What happened to you!?"
"There's too many…" Kagami gasped, holding onto her stomach. There was a bullet wound and blood seeped from it like a faucet.
"You're going to be fine! I'm going to get you some help!" Masumi reassured the small woman beside her.
"I'm…I'm sorry, Masumi…" The young woman stuttered.
Masumi ignored her, lifting her from the ground.
"You…You didn't deserve that." Kagami whispered to herself.
Masumi hurried toward the infirmary area. She hoped that the medics were able to get to safety.
"If you don't stop talking, you're going to die." Masumi spat. "But then again…" she shrugged.
"You're…so mean." Kagami whimpered.
Vera stared. It was amazing the team work these people had. On their days off you would never be able to tell that this was their lifestyle. It was common to be able to attack and kill people. It was their life to be able to go into battle on a split-seconds notice. The woman placed her hand on her forehead. It was so loud. There was so much chaos. She couldn't make anything out.
"I'm going to get you for that…" A low male voice sounded from beside the woman. Vera looked to the side. The soldier she had smacked in the head with the mirror had just woken up. He was trudging out onto the veranda beside her, rubbing his head. "I don't care who you are…I'm not letting you off the hook." He turned his head, glaring at her through his goggles. He held his weapon loosely in his hand, tapping it against his thigh.
"I…Um…" Vera stammered. She began walking backward, trying to devise an escape plan. Sadly, she forgot about the body lying on the floor beside her. She yelped, tripping over it and falling hard on her backside over the body and onto the wooden floor. She stared up at the solider, fear in her eyes.
"All they said was they needed you alive…" He raised his weapon. "Doesn't mean I can't still shoot you."
She watched as he aimed at her head.
'Last I heard…head shots killed people…' Vera froze. The barrel lowered to the left. 'Ah…my shoulder…' She tensed, waiting. His finger twitched, pulling on the trigger. Vera slammed her eyes shut.
'BAM BAM BAM' the weapon fired multiple times and it kept going. Vera opened her eyes, not feeling a thing. The soldier was screaming, a glowing sword through his middle. Vera recognized that sword. She also recognized the arm that was holding up the soldier's, preventing him from firing at Vera. The gun went silent, all thirty shots expired. The sword was pulled backward from the man's body. His wrist was snapped, broken. The MP5 clattered to the floor. He was then lifted and tossed over the side of the veranda with ease. Yoshimitsu stood in the soldier's place; he turned his attention to the woman on the floor.
"I thought I told you to go somewhere safe." Yoshimitsu folded his arms.
"I was…then Oda was in trouble so I came out here. I killed someone! I, Masumi…and then Kagami, but he…oh yeah the mirror." Vera rambled nervously. Yoshimitsu leaned back, looking into her bedroom. He noticed the broken glass on the floor.
"You go back, find a safe place to hide. You hear me?" His gloved fingers wiped at the blood soiling his weapon. "This isn't over yet." The man hopped over the side and he took off toward the center of battle.
"Yoshimitsu!" Jiro ran up to the leader.
"What's our status?" Yoshimitsu dodged a flying bullet.
"Not good sir. It seems our camo's been taken down. And they keep coming in. We had no sign of them. Suddenly, the forest was full of them, hundreds! They must've had some type of fiber-optic suits. As soon as they appeared, our defenses were down." The man explained in a hurry, hiding behind a tree by the entrance.
"I can't use my suit." Yoshimitsu messed with the mechanisms on his helmet. "It seems they have some sort of jammers." Yoshimitsu looked upward at the trees in the forest. He raised a hand. "Jiro."
"Yes sir?"
"You take Keiji. There seems to be many things that don't belong in those trees out there."
Jiro lifted his head, smiling. "You're right sir, I'll gather Keiji. We'll take care of them for you." Jiro leapt from behind the tree. He whistled, alerting his teammate close by. He made a few hand signals and off the two went, over the fence and into the forest.
Yoshimitsu zoomed in on a branch. He could see soldiers in ghillie suits. Beside them were mechanical devices.
'Jammers.' Yoshimitsu shook his head. 'That explains why they can't use their own optical camo.'
He waited for only a second more and his suit began operating normally.
'Just like Jiro to work fast…' Yoshimitsu smirked. His suit gave a familiar hum, sending him into invisibility. 'Now I have to work fast…'
Yoshimitsu began his mission; get rid of every military soldier still standing. He looked over the battlefield. He had already been detected by three soldiers on the right, four on the left, and two from the front. They were talking on their radios. Soon, he'd have the whole force to deal with. Now with the jammers taken care of, they would also be able to use their own stealth equipment, which he was sure they had some fancy technology. He'd have to turn on the heat vision soon. Roughly, fifty men had already been taken out. Approximately another 60 were being taken care of at the front and center of the complex. He had no idea how many were battling out back. That left him with at least thirty for himself at the moment, until backup arrived. Then, things would have to get messy.
'Go…' He chanted in his head.
He started to the left first. His path of choice was running along the wall, dodging their bullets. He sidestepped and leapt onto the wall. He pushed off and spiraled toward his enemy, slicing through the man. He didn't halt turning and slicing down the back of the other and impaling the third. He pulled the blade out of the soldier's body and cut upward and to the side along the torso of the last one on his right side. Yoshimitsu pushed forward, the other men moving in quickly.
He ran to where he came, the two that were in the front chasing his invisible form. Yoshimitsu ran and planted his feet along the trunk of a tree. He swooped up into the air, dropping down on one militant, the sword cutting through his collarbone. He kicked the other to set him off balance, grabbed his helmet and, with his elbow, snapped his neck.
New bullets alerted his attention. The right flank had arrived. Yoshimitsu ran straight toward them, the men slowed to a halt and fired their weapons. The ninja twisted and turned, the bullets flying by him, some hitting his armor. The sparks of ricocheted ammo alerted the men of his position. They formed a strategic line, two kneeling and the third maintaining his position. They all fired, directly at him. Yoshimitsu gave them some credit. Their eyes worked well.
'Not well enough.' He darted to the side and dropped carefully to the ground as to not stir any leaves.
"Where!? Where'd he go!?" the men held their fire, looking around. All about, chaos ensued.
"Switch to thermal." One man grumbled. Their hands pressed the buttons on the side of their goggles simultaneously. Slowly their vision flowed into bright colors of red, orange and blues. "Where is he?" the man looked down, finding that the two men kneeling beside him were lying incapacitated in the dirt. Before he could make another sound, two hands gripped under his shoulders and he was sent flying into the air, arms wrapping around him. He then spiraled downward, headfirst into the ground.
Yoshimitsu watched the body slump to the soil, not moving. He had taken out those men with some ease. Now, backup was moving in. He could tell, because it was too silent around him. Yoshimitsu switched to thermal. The scenery became alive with bright colors. He walked slowly, resting his blade on his shoulder.
'A group of ten by the housing development. Six more to the side by the lab.' His eyes rotated to the side, left and right. 'Four in the tree on the left. Five, right. One…' He stopped, popping his neck. '…from behind.'
His left hand twirled the blade downward from his shoulder, his elbow extended and he brought the blade clean through the stalking soldier's gut. There was a soft moan and then a squeak as Yoshimitsu tugged the blade outward, dribbles of blood plopping across the orange and brown leaves on the floor. He listened to the sound of the body hitting the ground.
'More…' He stared at the blood. 'I want more…' He noticed the glow of the blade growing brighter. 'blood…' his hand gripped the hilt of the sword tightly.
With the speed of a demon he tore off to the side. He hopped into the air. His hand gripped one soldier by the throat, frightening all the others hiding in the tree with him. The man flew into the air, scrambling and kicking his feet. He dropped his gun. It fell, hitting each branch on the way down. The other soldiers fired, bullets tearing into the trunk of the tree. Down came the solider, falling all the way to the ground from the very tip top of the tree. He hit hard, the ground vibrating from the contact.
"Where is he!?"
"I can't see him!"
"This is impossible! Our thermal!" One by one, their screens began to fuzz and distort.
Jiro watched, laughing from the forest. Keiji who sat beside him fiddled with a screwdriver inside one of the machines. "Show those bastards to jam our equipment. Let's make this a bit more interesting." Jiro chuckled.
"Yoshimitsu's secure." Keiji clapped his hands together as he closed the lid to the small machine.
"Good, let's get in there and help." Jiro patted the man on the shoulder. The two dropped silently to the ground and entered the encampment once again.
One by one the soldiers fell from the tree on the left. Some had limbs missing, others broken bones. The branches swung as Yoshimitsu leapt off of the tree. Leaves kicked up around his feet as he landed.
"Watch the leaves!" the soldiers in the second tree opened fire.
'I'm sorry, my friend. You've had a long life. I apologize for ending it.' Yoshimitsu stared at the trunk of the tree. It was one of the tallest in the compound. Soldiers lined the middle of the foliage. He held his arms out, readying for the swing. The ninja slid forward. He swung across the trunk of the tree and continued on his way toward the housing quarters. All the while, the tree slowly toppled over in the background.
As he got to the housing he turned, heading for the lab instead. There was an idea brewing inside his head.
'Someone has to have one…' the man grinned.
So far, his idea was working. He lured the group of men away from the housing, they were now chasing after him, hoping to corner him beside the lab no doubt. Yoshimitsu jumped onto the rooftop of one of the buildings. Silent feet ran along the top. He reached the ledge and jumped, falling right into the pile of soldiers below. He landed on one man, cutting into the one in front of him. His foot collided with another's face as he turned and grabbed a different soldier's arm. The militant opened fire, the bullets hitting the man across from him. Yoshimitsu broke the man's arm, inverting his elbow. And then he kicked, doing the same to his knee. Yoshimitsu grabbed the gun, smashing it to pieces against another's face. He flipped over the last one still standing, looking at his belt.
'There…' Yoshimitsu grabbed at the man's strap, pulling off a grenade. The pin pulled out, still attached to the belt. 'Uh, oh…' he frowned. He wasn't expecting that to happen.
He elbowed the man, breaking the goggles into his face. The first man whom Yoshimitsu had landed on was currently picking himself up off the ground. Yoshimitsu ran, jumping off of his head. He threw the grenade as fast and far as he could at the approaching group of soldiers. He hoped he had lured them far enough from housing. The object flowed through the air, twisting and twirling. The cluster of ten men lifted their heads, watching as it landed right in the middle of the group, exploding immediately. Yoshimitsu dove to the ground, covering his head, not sure what the power was of that weapon. He had never used one before, only heard of them. Hell, he was a ninja how was he supposed to know what a grenade was capable of.
The ground exploded, shrapnel flew in all directions at least within fifteen meters, some much further than that. The sound literally stopped battle momentarily. Dirt and leaves rained down upon the ninja and military. Yoshimitsu lifted his head, gaping at the damage that tiny weapon had caused.
'Why don't we use these again?' The man opened his jaw, trying to pop his ears. The sound was almost deafening.
"Yoshimitsu!?" It was Jiro. "What the hell was that!? Watch it; you almost killed all of us!"
'Oh, that's why…'
The clan leader picked his self up from off the ground. He rubbed his head sheepishly. He was covered in a brown film of dirt. "Sorry…" he shrugged. Then battle commenced, though it seemed things were dying down quickly.
He stared at the dead bodies on the ground. A few of the soldiers were crying out in pain, trying to crawl away. Now came the part he hated most, putting them out of their misery.
"H, help me!" One reached out to him. He was missing an arm. Was this what modern warfare was like? Yoshimitsu had heard horror stories of modern technology on the battlefield. To be honest, he had seen many disturbing things in his life, but to see something as simple as a grenade kill so many in an instant left a sick feeling in his stomach.
"I…I can't." Yoshimitsu sighed. He stared down at the man in pity.
"Go help the others." A low voice sounded from behind the Manji leader. Yoshimitsu turned to look over his shoulder. It was Yama, a man who seemed as large as a mountain. He was built like an ox and the tallest in all the Manji clan.
"You've done enough here. I'll take care of it." His low voice thundered. Yoshimitsu hung his head. This was his dirty deed, this was his duty. "I said go, sir." He shoved the clan leader with ease. Yoshimitsu stumbled forward. "If you cannot continue with your duties, then our clan will fail." Yoshimitsu nodded slowly. He ran away, trying not to hear the terrified screams of the dying soldiers.
"Sir! They've all been stopped in the back. It seems they are falling back, we've nearly extinguished them all!" One ninja cheered happily as he trotted around the corner of a building.
Yoshimitsu sighed, grateful for the battle to be ending. Nightfall had settled long ago, the flames of the camp's night light flickered. Yoshimitsu nodded to him. A group of three men rounded the corner behind the Manji ninja. Yoshimitsu grabbed his blade. They fired, bullets flying right toward the cheerful and young ninja. Yoshimitsu tugged him away, shoving him to the ground.
Pain. A sharp pain stung his side. Yoshimitsu grit his teeth, now very angry. He ran, pulling out his sword and flying toward the three men. He rotated his left hand like a fan blade. The bullets flew back, hitting one of the men all up and down his chest. He fell quickly. Yoshimitsu dove forward, sending his fist into the second's face. He kicked him in the stomach, rotating the blade to his right hand, and sliced upward. Yoshimitsu followed up with a crescent kick to the third's head, cracking his helmet. The soldier toppled to the side. He stumbled, trying to regain his balance. Yoshimitsu continued, leaping forward and cutting the man at the base of the neck, much like he had down to the trunk of the tree before. It was a clean cut. The man was dead.
Yoshimitsu held onto his Tachi, breathing heavily. There was silence all around. Tiny crickets began singing off in the distance. The man turned slightly; making eye contact with the fellow ninja he had shoved out of the way of the gunfire. He was watching Yoshimitsu, fear streaked his features. The leader swallowed hard. Perhaps he was a bit harsh to his victims. He looked down at the blood stained sword. It still glowed brilliantly in the night, its thirst for blood still not thoroughly quenched.
"Yoshimitsu!" it was Vera. She was holding a hand against her chest. She too looked scared.
'Don't look at me like that…' Yoshimitsu frowned. There were now dozens of eyes on him. They all just stared, gawking at him. 'Please don't stare at me like that…I had to. I had to protect my people…' he shivered.
"Come on! We have to check out that wound!" Vera tugged his arm, not caring whether it hurt or not to pull him. He followed obediently, trying his best to block out the whispers and stares.
Vera took him to Dr. B's lab. She flicked on the light switch and locked the door behind her. Yoshimitsu didn't need to be told. He walked to the table and sat down. It was typical. He went through this all the time with the doctor.
'Speaking of…' He looked over his shoulder.
"Where's the doctor?" Yoshimitsu asked flatly.
"He's helping the medics out back." Vera strode to the man. She raised her arms. He did the same. She poked the wound on his side. The bullet had grazed him just right between two pieces of abdominal plates.
"Take it off." Vera sighed.
"Take what off?" He sighed back.
"Please don't be stubborn. I need to check out that wound." She spat out quite professionally.
Yoshimitsu let out an aggravated sigh. He complied, removing his heavy armor. She helped him with the shoulder armor, to make things quicker.
'What's the rush…?' the man frowned. He hated feeling like a burden, a child with a scraped knee.
His fingers fiddled with the abdominal plates. He removed them leisurely. Then he stared at the woman.
"Chest plate. Helmet." She pulled her fingers inward repeatedly. "Come on."
"Why?" He leaned forward wincing at the bad posture.
"You're bleeding everywhere. Let me bandage you up and check out everything then you can go back out and play with your friends."
"The military is gone."
"I know. I was talking about your real friends." Vera gave him a strange look.
"Oh. The ones that were staring at me like I was some kind of monster?" He tapped his finger on his chin. "Yeah that'd be the Manji clan, alright. The ones who fear their leader."
"Yoshimitsu." She drug out his name. "Either you take it off, or I'm removing them for you." She placed her hands on her hips.
He crossed his arms and tilted his head. "Really? That could be interesting."
'What is he doing?' Vera glared at him.
"You stubborn…ERGH!" She growled, stomping her feet. She pushed his arms down and grabbed the chest plate. She lifted and it clanked against his helmet.
"Not gonna work…" The man chuckled lightly to himself.
"Remove the helmet!" She cursed at him.
"Gotta remove my helmet and mask in order to take this off." He tapped his chest armor lightly.
"I'm gonna kick yer ass." Vera growled in irritation.
"You're that good? You know, I could have used that back up a while ago." He mocked her.
"That's it!" She tugged on the man's helmet, not caring if it hurt him or she removed it incorrectly.
"Ah ah!" He grabbed it to keep her from lifting it. "You got to disconnect the wires first!"
"Fine." Vera hissed. She twirled the cords one by one until the helmet was free from any connectors on his body suit. "Anything else!?"
"No…I think you got it…" He nodded slowly. 'Wait…'
She tugged the helmet cleanly from his head.
"NO!" Yoshimitsu jumped from the table.
"Yoshimitsu! You sit back down!" She dropped the helmet onto a medical tray beside the table.
"You're not getting this." He pointed at his face.
Vera hung her head, rubbing her forehead. She just was not in the mood for this. She just sat through a mini war, watching people get injured and killed left and right. She, herself, had been a cause of one man's death. Yoshimitsu watched her, suddenly feeling guilty. Vera wasn't used to these things. The Manji were usually fine the very next day after an incident like this. Someone like Vera, on the other hand, it could take a lifetime to try and block out these memories.
"Vera…" Yoshimitsu leaned against the table, watching her. She lifted her head and glared at him.
"Give me the # mask." She stated simply.
"I'm fine. Seriously. It was only a scratch." He shook his head. "It's nothing personal; I just don't like people seeing my face. I'll have the doctor check up on it when he's free."
"Nothing personal!?" she slapped the table. "Damn it, Yoshimitsu! All of this is personal! You won't open up to anyone! You won't even talk to people with your own voice! Are you hideous under that mask!? Are you scarred, disfigured, burned!? What have you got to hide!? I'm a doctor! I can help you! And that's all I want, is to help you!" she sighed and turned away. "Nothing personal…" She scoffed.
"…" He watched her, feeling the sharp pain from the bullet wound. His clothes were sticky with his blood. It was a bit deeper than he thought.
The room was silent. Vera swayed, trying not to let it get to her. The frustration and the stress were eating her right now. The fact that he was the one she had grown closest to in this village and she didn't even know what he looked like, sounded like. She paid no attention to the clanging and rustling behind her.
'Putting his damn armor on, getting ready to leave. Bastard.' Vera mentally expressed her aggravation.
Then there was silence. It was a long and awful silence. Vera was scared to turn around, afraid he had soundlessly left.
"Vera…" an unknown voice sounded from behind her. The tone was low and smooth.
Vera's breath hitched. She slowly turned. Yoshimitsu was sitting on the table. All of his armor had been removed. His shirt was pulled halfway over his chest. This isn't what surprised her. She stared at the back of his lowered head. She saw his brown messy hair. In the pile of armor lay his mask. It sat on the floor, not attached to any face. The woman shivered. That meant, the voice she heard, was Yoshimitsu's.
"Ta da…" He stated dully. The man kicked his feet back and forth slowly as he sat on the table. His hands gripped the edge tightly. He was tense.
"Ta da." Vera giggled. She bit her lower lip, approaching him slowly. He continued to mope. The florescent light flickered overhead.
"I'm bleeding everywhere…" He muttered. His head moved slightly to look at the blood seeping from the wound.
Vera grabbed her utensils. She pulled up a chair and without looking at his face she began inspecting the wound. She noticed he looked away when she began, most likely wanting to hide. She quickly cleaned and dressed the wound in utter silence. When she was finished she placed a bandage over the wound. Her fingers trailed over it softly. Yoshimitsu's hand gripped hers. He made a snort of laughter.
"I forgot you were ticklish…" Vera smiled. She stared at the hand on hers. It was his left hand. He had even removed his gloves. Right now his mechanical hand held onto hers. Her eyes lifted a bit, looking at the muscles of his abdomen and chest. They fell back on the hand. She didn't want to get distracted with the rest of his body at the moment. Any normal woman would be crazy not to admit that was interesting to look at.
"It still doesn't feel right." His voice gave her goose bumps as it sounded above her.
"What doesn't?" She focused as intently as she could on his fingers.
"The prosthetic." His bare right hand rested on top of hers. He sandwiched her hand between his. Vera could only bite her lip. Fingers rubbed over the top of her hand. "It's much softer in real life."
"…Oh…" Vera stood, feeling unsure of herself. Her hand slipped gently from his. She fidgeted, wringing her hands. Yoshimitsu stared at her fingers. Her delicate hand reached into her coat pocket, pulling out a small flashlight. He watched the item in her fingers.
"What's that for?" He pointed at the object.
"I should probably check your eyes, for dilation." She refused to look at him; she could tell he was staring at her now. "You lost a bit of blood. Don't want you to go into shock or anything…"
"I don't feel anything." He shrugged.
"I know. It's not that important I guess." She slid the flashlight into her pocket.
"You don't want to look at them?" He asked, his voice rising in pitch with his question.
"No, that's alright." She shuffled her feet.
"Is that why you got out the flashlight?" He had a hint of amusement in his voice. "Was that your excuse?"
"Excuse?"
"To look?" He chuckled.
"No!" Vera folded her arms, staring at the lights overhead.
"You haven't even looked once."
"I wanted to respect your space." She sighed. "I expected you to have put your mask back on."
"You want me to?" He tilted his head.
"…Only if you want to." She spoke slowly. No, she didn't want him to put the mask back on. She wanted to see his face; she was just too scared to look.
Yoshimitsu hopped from his seat. He reached down and lifted the mask and returned to the table. He fiddled with it, looking at the face of the porcelain. Vera looked down at him. She stared at the top of his head. She watched as his hands rose, lifting the item toward his face.
"W, wait." She grabbed his arms, stopping him. He stared at the inside of the mask, holding his breath.
She stood there, wasting time, stalling. He sat, holding the mask, waiting for her to move. Vera stared at his head, looking at the messy spikes of hair. Yoshimitsu lifted his chin, bringing his gaze upward. Vera watched, her heart pounding, as he looked upward into her eyes. He was showing her his face. She let out her breath.
Yoshimitsu stared up at her with puppy dog eyes. His eyebrows rose, giving him the most innocent and shy look she could imagine. Not only was his body language easy to read, but his facial emotions were just as easy. He stirred under her stare. He was beginning to get nervous.
"Um." He raised the mask, getting ready to put it on again.
Vera cupped his face. She forced him to look up at her again. This time he looked almost sad.
"Why would anyone want to cover this face?" She spoke quietly. The woman lowered herself in the chair beside the man. She looked up at him. He stared back. She smiled as he took on one of her traits, unconsciously chewing on his lip. His eyes were a copper color. There were specks of green scattered on the iris. Vera scrutinized them.
"Not what they used to look like." He muttered.
"Your eyes?" She asked.
"They changed when Dr. Boskonovitch operated on them." He stared at the mask.
"Why'd he operate on them?"
"So I could wear the masks in battle and they wouldn't hinder me." He gave a small crooked smirk. "It's hard to fight with a mask on. He put in nano-machines. When I move my eye, the eyes in the mask move. It's like my own. And I'm able to see things that a normal person can't. I can see in different modes, like thermal." He handed her the mask.
Vera stared at the black eyes. The tiny red pupils had a dull glow. They quickly began moving, from side to side. Vera grinned. They rested downward. She realized it was Yoshimitsu looking down at her. She lifted her head.
"This is amazing." She laughed.
"Technology is amazing, but I have been more amazed by people." He rested his chin in a hand.
"In people? How so?" She set the mask down in her lap. She felt much more comfortable now. Her eyes rested on his face, taking in the sight.
He shrugged, shaking his head. Vera didn't get it. "The last time someone, beside the doctor, has seen my face was…well over twenty years ago." He snorted, rolling his eyes. "Probably before you were even born."
Vera smiled. He looked so young. If she hadn't known about him, she would never have imagined his real age. He didn't even seem much older than her, his expressions, his body language. Everything about him made him look young. He didn't always act like an old man.
Vera grabbed his right hand, feeling the warmth it emitted. "You know how you said that you felt like a monster? You didn't feel human?"
He nodded slowly.
"Right now. This is you. You don't have the mask. You don't have the voice modulator, the armor, the scary suit. Right now, you are you." She trailed her fingers over the palm of his hand. The tickling gave him goose bumps. He wasn't used to the skin on skin contact. "And, I like that."
"You like it?" He asked quietly.
She gave him a warm smile. "I like you on any day, Yoshimitsu."
"You're staring." He looked away momentarily.
"Oh…" She pushed to her feet. He stood too. "Sorry." She began to walk away.
"I don't mind when you stare. You don't look at me like the others do." His hand rubbed the back of his neck.
"I think that's because I've gotten to see a side of you that many don't."
"That no one has." He gave a short laugh.
"Why show me?" She grinned, suddenly feeling like her typical, bold self.
"Because…" He shrugged. "You're my doctor. You were going to see my face sooner or later."
She gawked at him. He only stared back.
"Ah, jes kiddin'." He gave her the grandest smile he could muster. She was surprised he had any facial expressions at all after hiding behind that mask for so many years.
"You're a jerk!" She slapped him against the shoulder. He only laughed at her in his low manly sort of way, a way that made her want to keep making him laugh. She liked the sound of his voice. She liked the way he looked when he smiled. He had a sort of charm about him that was hard to find in most men.
"Hey." He spoke up, his grin fading into a small smile. "I'm glad you're okay."
"Oh, I never did thank you for helping me back there. You really saved me." She felt herself blushing. Luckily the room held little light to see it.
"Just looking out." He nodded. There was that grin again. Vera wobbled slightly. "You alright?" His face turned into one of concern.
"I'm fine! Just a bit too much excitement I guess." She giggled nervously.
"OK." He watched her carefully. "Oh, about that horse ride."
"Yeah, you promised!" She pointed at him. He held up his hands defensively.
"I know! I know, well maybe tonight-."
"Get out here!" a voice shouted through the door. It was followed by loud banging. Vera jumped at the intruding sound.
"Yoshimitsu! Get your ass out of here or we're dragging it out!" another voice sounded.
Vera watched as the smile faded from the man's face. Then she saw it. She saw his age. She saw his seriousness. He grabbed the mask and slipped it on and without another word he traveled to the door and pulled it open. Vera stood, watching the suddenly dark and solemn man.
"Yoshimitsu…" She whispered. He held up his hand, quieting her, and stepped outside.
"What's the meaning of this?" Yoshimitsu folded his arms looking down at none other than Daisuke. He had a sword in hand and many groupies lined up around him. His eyes fell to the background where there seemed to be a larger crowd of people gathering to join the party. Many faces did not seem happy. Daisuke took a step forward, shouting for all to hear.
"Yoshimitsu! It's time you've given up your place as leader of the Manji Clan." It seemed that Oda was right. There was talk around camp of Yoshimitsu's retirement. "The people have decided; your reign has gone on too long. It's time you've been replaced."
"And if I refuse to withdraw from my title?" Yoshimitsu knew the law. The leader had to willingly give up his position. He noticed two familiar faces, Jiro and Masumi. They watched the spectacle with astonishment. He looked to the side. Vera stood in the doorway, her mouth covered and her eyes wide.
"Then, we the people of the Manji Clan declare you exiled, banished from the Manji party." Daisuke twirled the blade in his hand.
Now this was a law unheard of by Yoshimitsu's ears. He'd have to check the books on this one. "Exiled?"
A woman stepped forward. "Not exiled. Think of it as house arrest. There must be a mass voting in order to ever exile a clan leader. The people decide. If, due to certain circumstances, the leader cannot fulfill his duties to the clan's standards or expectations then the people have the decision to mass vote and decide the fate of the leader, either by exile or by sacrificial execution of the traditional ceremonies." She would know; she was the keeper of the library and the official law holder of the community. "Therefore, Yoshimitsu, until voting can be carried out, you are declared under house arrest."
"You cannot leave our sight." Daisuke smiled, showing his true colors. How Yoshimitsu hated that man.
'I should have killed him when I had the chance…' Yoshimitsu frowned.
Okay, ending it here for tonight. Thanks for reading and reviewing and to those who keep up with the story! Hope you all enjoyed this new chapter! -annubis