Chapter 10. Face to Face
I am driven to the airport by Hakiro who is displeased we say nothing to each other, Ozin didn't come with me. I swore to him that she would die and I would do all in my power to kill her. When I arrive at the airport I have to wait an hour before boarding. As I wait I think about my grandparents and all the grief I caused them and as I think on them their ghostly images appear before me. The last thing I said to them after I was emancipated was that I love them, but I must find my own path in life. My father appears next to them I imagine he is smiling at me and that if he could he would apologize for dropping the ball as my father.
"I love you dad…" I whisper as I stare into infinity. And finally my mother is there… Is it approval or disapproval I see… I cannot tell… I whisper I love you… She says forgive me… and I imagine she is saying I never meant any of this for you… I should have made sure Beatrix was dead…
"Now boarding nonstop from Tokyo to Las Angeles USA…"
I dry my eyes and go to the gate, my guts are turning and I feel a twitch in my ears, someone is following me. Whoever this person is they are very good. I board the plane, I see something out of the corner of my eye, but when I look its gone. My weapons are in my carrying case, I don't trust these assholes. The weapons are inside the lining of my bag and it is led lined so the x-ray didn't catch it.
USA:
It has been awhile since I was in the USA, I land in Las Angeles and get lost in the big city. I buy a cheap but serviceable car and drive to Pasedena. I decide to stop in a motel and set up my weapons, I take some powder, throwing stars… blades and my gauntlet… I intend to fight Beatrix strait up with my Hanzo sword, but if she is as good as they say she is I will need some ninja tricks. I drive by the baseball field it hasn't change in over twenty years. When my mom coached our team was undefeated. I also want to get a feel for the park at night so I spend the night in the park.
Its summer time and children are out of school, I drive by the old house, my grandparents had sold it years ago. A new family is living there, so I break in and look around. The memories of that day come flooding back, so I burn the house to the ground. It was always my intention to have the house demolished, besides the family has good insurance and they are on vacation. I dump a few million into their account, I would sure like to see their faces when they look into the account and find five million dollars there. Before I started the fire I placed all their family pictures into a safe deposit box and send the key to a close relative.
Two days left until I face Beatrix so I drive by the cemetery where all my blood family is buried. I place flowers on the graves of my grandparents, my father and what the hell… I find a note on my grave or at least the grave where the body of the woman I killed took my place. It reads:
Little Copperhead… I have removed the body of the woman in your grave to make room for you… Soon you will be with your mother again… Truly Yours,
Beatrix Kiddo… AKA Black Mamba… That arrogant cocky bitch… oh I am going to enjoy this a great deal. I come to my mothers grave and find another note saying: The Bitch deserved it… No I won't get angry she is trying to throw me off… She is scared, that's it she is scared of what I can do… I return to my hotel room and even though nothing has been moved, someone was in my room. I can tell by impressions on the rug… It wasn't Mamba… That I am positive off… It would seem that someone is after me and their skills for not being seen are equal to that of a ninja…
An alley maybe of Beatrix's or someone else wanting the bounty on my head. After I kill Kiddo I am going to hunt down the assholes who placed a bounty on my head. I go to sleep and I have been trained to sleep with my eyes open and my ears and senses at the ready. I dream of victory of killing Beatrix, tomorrow is the day and I plan to win.
Its like Christmas the day you have been waiting for some time now. It is also like the premiere of a good movie or a late night screening. I eat a good breakfast and I buy a news paper. Oh shit the headlines read legendary kick-boxer Lawrence "The Law" Spacey is found dead in his gym his eyes had been plucked out. His wife died of heart failure. That bitch, that no good dirty bitch! I'm pissed off now so I stretch to loosen up, God this day is passing by slowly. As the seconds tick by I do things to kill time, like sharpening my blades, practicing with my Hanzo sword.
I have been trained in the Samurai art styles, but I always preferred my ninja blades. They are smaller, but they get the job done, I still plan to stab her in the chest the way she did my mother. I remember what the coroner said as he examined my mother's body… "She put one hell of a fight up…she used her hands and her feet… When she answered the door her attacker punched her in the face… You can see here on her hand where she blocked a kick… Both women were fluent in martial arts…" I will never forget the look on my father's face when the man said those words. The only reason they stopped fighting was because I came home so the coroner deduced that my mother knew the attacker especially from the broken cup of coffee they found in the kitchen. My father didn't know my mother had a gun, there were a lot of things we didn't know about her.
The sun is finally setting and I do my best not to be noticed blending into my surroundings. I see familiar faces now grown and have families of their own. I wish I could speak with them, but I am suppose to be dead. I walk the streets of my old neighborhood from shadow to shadow unseen and unnoticed. Its now eleven forty-five, time to go to the park. When I arrive the trees are swaying in the night breeze a dog barks somewhere I get out of the car dressed in black. And like the wind she suddenly appears Beatrix Kiddo walks out of the trees, her hair is in a ponytail, her lips are painted red. Shit time has been good to the bitch as she is wearing all black.
We walk towards one another her sword is her hand still in the sheath and mine, its strapped across my back. She raises an eyebrow, "A Hanzo sword, Budd's Hanzo sword… Who gave you that sword?" She asks in all too demanding voice.
I smile, "A mutual friend…"
"Her name wouldn't happen to be Elle Driver would it…" I do not reply, "I see she hasn't learned her lesson… and who taught you ninjitsu…"
"I tell you…" I say, "…after I kill you!" I scream running towards drawing my blade with one hand. Her sword remains in its sheath as she charges me as well. There is a thudded clang as our weapons hit. Dam I didn't scratch her, as I turn she is unsheathing her sword and we charge each other again. I set my feet as our melee begins, Dam she is fast. Our swords make a distinctive sound as they hit. This bitch is fast and strong… she switches hands and punches me in the face with her right. I use the momentum and spin around swinging my sword, she ducks and kicks me in the chest. I go flying three feet and hit my back, but I go into a roll as she charges me. Owe she cuts me on the shoulder, it bleeds, but it is not deep. Dam it I wanted to draw first blood, ha I manage to cut her on her upper leg.
I will win. I will kill her…Oh shit! How did she do that? Beatrix flourishes her sword steps inside my guard and disarms me. My sword goes flying into a nearby tree. She swings again and I lean to the side and twist around her on my toes snatching the sheath from my back. She thrusts forward, but I place the sheath in the path of the blade. She smiles at me as take her sword, I unsheathe it, but Beatrix does a backwards cartwheel and recovers my sword from the tree.
I sigh and charge each other again, she shocks me again by taking her sword from my hands and throwing me mine, the she elbows me in the side of the head. I drop to the ground and clip her legs, but she goes into a roll. I charge trying to open up her back, but she twists the blade behind her and blocks my attack. I see an opening and disarm her, this is it… She is dead now… I thrust forward… What the fuck! Beatrix leaps up as the blade is coming at her and stands with one foot on my sword. How in the hell did she do that. Now that I think about it that bitch let me disarm her. She is toying with me… I look up at her in total shock as she looks down on me and flip kicks me in the face dismounting my sword.
My mouth is bleeding, but what pisses me off is the fact that this witch is toying with. No I don't think so you will take me seriously! I charge her with everything and I manage a cut just below her throat. I slash her on the leg as she tries to dodge my attacks. Down on one knee she goes and I bring my blade down but she claps her hands together stopping the blade. She pushes my sword to the side and performs the three inch punch. Two of my ribs are broken and the wind is knocked out of me. As I stumble backwards she attacks, I am now on my back and my eye is filled with three fingers. Her thumb, index and forefingers… Oh shit! I catch her hand at the last minute before she can pluck my eye out. Dam she is strong…
I manage to get my feet under her and flip her off me, from my back I flip up to my feet, but when I turn she has her sword again and unleashes an array of combos and attacks. Owe my other arm is cut, owe my upper leg. Dam she punches me in the face and I duck as her sword comes at my throat. Doubt sets in and I realize that maybe I am not ready for this fight. I am not ready for a strait up fight and after all I was trained as a ninja… I roll away from her and as she is coming at me I blow dust into her eyes… She just laughs at me as she jumps up and drop kicks me in the chest. I throw darts from gauntlet at her but she catches them all with her blade.
Okay pellet and smoke time, I bust a pellet and we are engulfed in pure white smoke… Gotcha bitch or so I thought… I am taught to fight without my eyes but her blade blocks every attack and her arm or feet counters every punch and kick. As the smoke clears a calloused hand wraps around my throat. I am lifted off my feet as I gasp for air.
"Stupid little girl…" She says to me, "Our business is concluded…"
I gather up as much strength as I can and raise my knees into her chest. She drops me and I swing my blade for her legs, Beatrix jumps and brings her sword to down on me. I block, but she makes a weird move… All I see is my blood spatter across her face and torso and then my hand plops to the ground… I don't give her the satisfaction of screaming, but this shit hurts. She kicks me in the face and I hit my back… I grit my teeth as stabs me in the shoulder… God make the pain stop… Then Beatrix kicks me in the ribs after pulling the blade out. She walks around me with this sadistic look on her face, void of all compassion expect for maybe her daughter BB. She looks at my leg and raises her foot… I am not going to beg… neither will I scream… as her foot comes down on my knee… Tears fill my eyes and I think maybe I needed more training… Another ten years perhaps… Like Bruce Wayne in the comic books I should have traveled the world learning different styles… It was not enough… All I learned was a drop in the bucket when compared to the woman standing over me… Its funny the things you think about just before you die!