To make up for the lack of updates, here is another chapter. Two chapter in a day. Hope you all enjoy. ^_^

Chapter 14

Itachi

"Are you doing alright. Dororo?"

I looked down at the sad looking boy. He was moving slowly. I stayed behind to try to cheer him up but what had been done in the village continued to plague his thoughts.

"All he thinks about is killing. What if he turns into a demon?"

"We will just have to make sure that it doesn't happen. We will remind him of his humanity and that he is a kind person," I reassured the boy. After all, I had already spoken to Hyakkimaru about this and I hoped it would make him more aware.

Dororo stopped walking, causing me to stop as well and look back at him.

"You don't understand! He said what happened to those villagers wasn't his concern! He doesn't care that they will die because of his actions!"

"Dororo…" I leaned down and pulled him in a hug, "I'm sure it is bothering him but you have to understand that for 16 years of his life he was missing many of his body parts we take for granted. He also had to fight off ghouls all his life to stay alive. I'm sure he is in a hurry to make all of that end and be… whole." I paused as I pulled away and petted the boy's head to comfort him as he cried, "Let's be there for him. Help him keep his humanity."

Dororo nodded his head, "Okay."

I smiled at him. He was such a good boy.

"Huh?" I heard horses coming on the road we were on. I pulled Dororo to the side to let them pass but to my surprise, all the men surrounded us.

What's going on?

"Hey, Dororo. Long time no see," a man spoke.

I was shocked, looking at Dororo. How did he know this man?

"Itachi?"

"Aw, come on. I've been looking everywhere for you," the man said before turning to me. "Who's your friend?"

I pushed Dororo behind me, my hands on the daggers sheathed on my back that were hidden behind my cloak. I was outnumbered and I was sure that I wouldn't be able to take them on. But maybe I could keep them busy long enough for Dororo to escape.

No. They have horses, stupid. Dororo can't outrun them.

I thought about screaming to our friends but I had no idea how far ahead they were. The men would kill us before the two of them could even reach us.

What should I do?

"I'm just here for the kid," Itachi said to me. "None of this concerns you."

"Me?" Dororo questioned.

The man raised a drawing of a map, "I need the other part of this map and I know you have it."

"I won't let you take him," I said.

Two men dismounted their horses and walked towards us with swords drawn.

"We just want the boy. But if you get in our way, we will just have to kill you," one of the men said as he took a step closer.

"No, wait," Itachi said. "Capture him alive. We might need him as leverage to get Dororo to talk."

Disgusting.

Fear was slowly creeping its way up. I was afraid for both of our lives. If we were going to live, we had to escape. In order for that, I'd have to fight all these men. Maybe even kill them. I felt sick to my stomach. I could never take a life no matter who it was.

Hyakkimaru…

Metal collided with metal as I pulled my daggers out and pushed one of the men away that had been closing the gap between us. I wasn't going to make this easy for them. Maybe I could buy some time for the two to realize we weren't behind them anymore and they would turn back to find us.

The second man lunged at me with the blunt end of his sword. They weren't trying to kill me because their leader had ordered them to take me alive. But I couldn't put my guard down.

I stepped aside, making a swift slash to his chest. I cut part of the man's clothes as he stumbled back.

"You brat!"

"Amahi! Look out!" I heard Dororo warn me.

I turned just as a fist collided with my cheek. The impact caused me to fall back onto the ground. The daggers falling out of my hands.

Okay. That hurt.

I heard a few gasps. I looked around, seeing all the men looking at me with shocked faces. I turned to Dororo's worried, horrified expression.

"A woman," Itachi muttered out from up on his horse.

Eh?

The wind caught my blond hair as it blew freely around me. My hood had fallen from my head. I was left exposed.

"A foreign woman," another man added.

"She's beautiful."

"Boss, can't we play with her a bit?"

The comments kept coming and I saw Dororo shivering in fright. He knew things kids should not. He knew what those men wanted to do with me.

"We could sell her for a good amount of money too. Once we are done having our own fun."

"Alright, enough. Have you fools forgotten what we are all here for? The plan hasn't changed," Itachi told the other men.

He may have been the only sort of decent man in the group.

One of the men had pulled me up and began to fondle my chest. He was holding me so tightly that it was hard to breathe and try to fight him off. I felt dirty.

"Oh ho. Boss, she might be trying to hide these but she has to have a good size-"

"What did I just say? Leave the woman-"

Before Itachi could say another word. The man that was holding me had let me go and his body fell lifeless to the ground.

"What?" Itachi questioned.

"I wouldn't touch her if I were you."

All eyes turned to two figures a little distance away. Both of them wore angry expressions on their faces. Hajime held throwing stars in between his fingers.

"Move and you all die like your friend," he warned.

Kind of glad he is on our side. So, scary.

"Amahi," Hyakkimaru called my name, extending his hand out.

I knew he was telling me to come to his side. I nodded. I picked up my daggers from the ground and then grabbed Dororo's hand to make him follow me.

"Hold on," Itachi started.

Hajime threw a star and another of Itachi's men hit the ground. I was sure he was dead with that amount of blood and how the man made no sound of pain.

"I warned you, didn't I? Move and I kill. And I am very good at killing."

"I swear. We weren't going to hurt her," Itachi informed Hajime.

"Oh," I saw Hajime's eyes narrow, "Not what I was seeing. You shouldn't be touching a woman without her consent."

I finally reached my friends, moved so that Dororo and I were behind their bodies to protect us.

"Hyakkimaru," I heard Hajime quietly say, "Don't. I know you want them to suffer for what they did to Amahi. But let me have the blood on my hands. Plus, you aren't in a good enough condition to fight."

I was so preoccupied with everything around me that I hadn't realized that at the mention of someone touching me, Hyakkimaru had taken off his prosthetic arms to take his blades out and he was shaking. I suppose he hadn't come charging in because he was still missing a leg.

I placed a hand on his shoulder, "I'm okay."

I felt him relax. He turned to me, "They hurt you."

"I'll heal," I reassured him.

I didn't want him to kill anyone for me. It was bad enough that Hajime had already taken two lives.

What are we doing? There's more of us. We can take them. If we get the kid, we can get the treasure and if we get the women-"

The man that spoke fell from his horse with a star in his throat.

"You aren't getting either of them," Hajime said. "You know. I'm really getting pissed off. I'm done with my warnings."

He threw more stars. And one by one, the bodies dropped to the ground.

I held my hand over my mouth feeling as though I was going to be sick. There was just so much blood. How could Hajime take so many lives with ease and be so calm?

I grabbed his arm just as he was about to kill the last man, "Wait. Stop. Please, let him go."

"Amahi?" Hajime looked at me with confusion but his cold expression had vanished.

"T-that one. He was trying to tell the other men to back off. He isn't so bad. Please, just. I can't take all this killing."

I felt like my knees had weights on them. The air around me was stifling. The scent of death was making me sick.

"Tch, fine."

"Th-thank you, my lady," Itachi said to me with an uneasy smile.

I could tell he had frozen in fear up until now. Hajime had been so fast in killing all those men.

"Let me make myself clear," Hajime began, "You come anywhere near her or the kid again and I will send you to hell."

The man nodded.

"Good," he turned to us, "Let's go. We have to get a new prosthetic leg for Hyakkimaru here."

"W-wait," the man started. "I… Maybe we can work together."

"Work together?" Hajime questioned, "Why would we do that?"

"I know a place that has treasure. We could split it. Each get a share," he offered, he pulled out the map again to show as proof.

"I'm listening."