Chapter 5
The raids had been dying down, there hadn't been one in several days and Aisu felt rested but impatient. /What now. There's nothing for me left to do. Maybe I should go wandering again.// The revolution was far from over but here things seemed to be quieting down. She had met Saitou again on several occasions. He had told her that there was no information whatsoever about who was in charge. She really had no information at all. No clue as to where the trouble came from or what the point of it was. Her ears picked up footsteps coming towards her. She had a felling she knew who it would be. After all, he was the only one who knew she was here.
"Thought I'd drop by," The deep voice of Saitou said as he looked up through the branches to get a glimpse of her. /You never just drop by.// Aisu dropped gracefully down from her perch.
"You've found something," she said in a calculating voice. "What is it?"
"True," he smirked, knowing how badly she wanted to know, no matter how off- hand she acted.
"If you came to tell me, then do so. If you came to dangle it over my head, leave," she replied curtly. /I'm not going to put up with your stupid games.//
"We found where most of them are hiding," He went on to describe the site of an old, torn down warehouse where, supposedly, the bandits were using the still in tact basement as their hideout.
"But you won't go in there," Saitou said, seeing that her hand had found it's resting place on the hilt of her sword.
"Why not," Aisu said carelessly. "You know full well I can take care of myself." /Although I know that's not why you're telling me not to go.//
"I will be there at sundown." Saitou replied icily. "If you want to, you may join with me but do not ruin my cover before I even get there, understand."
He fixed her with a piercing yellow stare. She nodded in agreement.
"I won't blow your cover," she replied unnecessarily. /You're more likely to blow your own cover Saitou.// Saitou had turned and was walking away from her.
~~~~~~~~~~
The warehouse itself was almost nonexistent. Little more than a pile of lumber and rubble marked the location where it had once been. Aisu sneaked up to the place where the entrance was supposed to be. Everything was quiet. The sun was nearly down. /All I told Saitou was that I would not blow his cover. And I will keep that promise.// Inaudibly she disappeared into the opening.
The air smelled of dust and was hard to breath. As she slid down the spiraling dark steps, she wondered whether Saitou had lied to her but then she saw a tiny glimmer in the distance. The stairs emptied into a large unornamented room with double doors opposite the stairs. The room had the look of some kind of prison. With low wooden rafters seeming to collapse every second and rotting wood on the walls adding to the dark scene, the room gave her an eerie feeling. Past those doors voices were discussing something she couldn't quiet understand. Too bad she had to wait for Saitou to get here. Reluctantly she made herself comfortable on one of the rafters above the entrance and waited.
~~~~~~~~~~
Saitou was taking in every aspect of the area. The entrance was like a dark pit and he dared not shine a light down it. He found himself wondering where Aisu was. /If she was around here she would have noticed me and shown herself by now// he thought puzzling. /Well I'm not going to wait around for that girl// he though dismissively and a moment later, acutely aware of the fact that he had not dismissed her from his mind. He ducked into the basement, following the narrow staircase for several minutes. He came into the dreary room, hearing voices behind the double doors.
She could see him standing below here and slid down behind him. He heard her soft landing and whirled around sword slicing through the air where she had been a second ago.
"You're late," she said now beside him. The only clue that she had not been there the entire time was the fact that her cape still swayed around her.
"I told you to wait for me," Saitou replied, hiding the anger he felt at being disobeyed and having failed to even scratch her with his sword. It was slightly discontenting to know that if she turned on him, he'd have a good fight on his hands.
"I did wait for you," Aisu replied calmly, " and I did not blow your cover either. Now let's go."
Saitou turned his back to her and walked towards the large doors. The voices had stopped. The sound of shuffling feet and several doors closing reached Aisu's ears. Then there was silence. Saitou too drew is sword again and moved into his gatotsu stance.
"And you were worried I was going to blow you cover, when your about to make a racket for the sake of getting into an empty room," she whispered as she walked past him, turned the handle, silently opened the door, and crept inside. Saitou followed her, even more discontented. The room was indeed empty. Several doors were on each wall and in the middle of the room sat a table. Saitou rushed over to it and examined the plans lying on it. There was only a map of the city, one that could be found in any store. No marks or symbols gave away anything about the crowd of people who had occupied the room a few moments before. Saitou looked around the room. There were seven doors total.
"Pick one, I have a feeling they're all interconnected," Aisu suggested when she saw him looking at each of the doors in turn.
Saitou did not answer but finally opened the one in the back corner of the room. The revealed a narrow passage. Saitou went first and soon came to a fork and chose the wider one. Another fork soon followed the first, and then another. Finally they turned into a wide passage and Aisu came to walk next to him. She was just over two thirds of his height. His hair was dark and spiky while hers was silvery white and flowed over her shoulders. His walk was abrupt while she seemed to all but float over the ground. /We're pretty much the exact opposite. The only thing we really have in common is skill with the sword// Saitou thought. He was pulled out of his train of thought when Aisu stopped, listening. He heard it too. There were footsteps coming from behind.
"I don't think we want to be discovered yet," Aisu said quietly. "We should avoid confronting them.
Saitou nodded in agreement. And broke into a light run down the only silent corridor. At the next turn there was again only one choice, and same with the next.
"They're herding us," Aisu realized out loud. Saitou's eyes twitched in understanding.
"Then let's not get pushed around anymore," Saitou declared and stopped in the comparatively wide passageway.
There were men running towards them from both sides. Saitou had taken his gatotsu stance and was already busy with the ones that had been following them. Aisu started towards the men coming from the other side.
"Ryu Kan Sen" Aisu yelled as she dodged the first blow and hit the attacker in the midsection.
The passageway was just wide enough for two of the men to attack her at once. Saitou certainly hadn't picked the best place to fight. They were back-to-back taking pains as not to let anyone get between them. There seemed to be no end to the attackers. These were not the weaklings she had fought in the streets either. Their skill level was much greater. Although she could have defeated any of them by themselves she was afraid to move around very much for fear of leaving Saitou open to attack from behind. Saitou was doing the same and it was starting to wear both of them down.
Where he came from, Aisu never knew. Whether it was her or Saitou who had for a split second abandoned the others back, Aisu never knew either. All she knew was that Saitou was down on his knees with a slash in his side. Aisu knocked out the offender and could do nothing to stop another man from hitting Saitou across the chest. Saitou had crawled to the wall with Aisu standing in front of him. She found herself attacked from but not able to defend herself on all sides. Her arms and shoulder were bleeding. Her sword and sheath were flying, reaching whomever they could. Saitou, who was bleeding far worse than her, was using the wall to get up while Aisu was standing in front of him keeping the attackers at bay. Never being able to finish them off because she did not want to leave Saitou in the condition he was in. They were being driven into a corner.
"We can't win this," Aisu whispered out of breath. "So we'll have to run. Ready?" She didn't wait for his answer.
"Dou Ryu Sen" Aisu yelled.
Her sword whipped millimeters over the ground, which started to shake violently.
The raids had been dying down, there hadn't been one in several days and Aisu felt rested but impatient. /What now. There's nothing for me left to do. Maybe I should go wandering again.// The revolution was far from over but here things seemed to be quieting down. She had met Saitou again on several occasions. He had told her that there was no information whatsoever about who was in charge. She really had no information at all. No clue as to where the trouble came from or what the point of it was. Her ears picked up footsteps coming towards her. She had a felling she knew who it would be. After all, he was the only one who knew she was here.
"Thought I'd drop by," The deep voice of Saitou said as he looked up through the branches to get a glimpse of her. /You never just drop by.// Aisu dropped gracefully down from her perch.
"You've found something," she said in a calculating voice. "What is it?"
"True," he smirked, knowing how badly she wanted to know, no matter how off- hand she acted.
"If you came to tell me, then do so. If you came to dangle it over my head, leave," she replied curtly. /I'm not going to put up with your stupid games.//
"We found where most of them are hiding," He went on to describe the site of an old, torn down warehouse where, supposedly, the bandits were using the still in tact basement as their hideout.
"But you won't go in there," Saitou said, seeing that her hand had found it's resting place on the hilt of her sword.
"Why not," Aisu said carelessly. "You know full well I can take care of myself." /Although I know that's not why you're telling me not to go.//
"I will be there at sundown." Saitou replied icily. "If you want to, you may join with me but do not ruin my cover before I even get there, understand."
He fixed her with a piercing yellow stare. She nodded in agreement.
"I won't blow your cover," she replied unnecessarily. /You're more likely to blow your own cover Saitou.// Saitou had turned and was walking away from her.
~~~~~~~~~~
The warehouse itself was almost nonexistent. Little more than a pile of lumber and rubble marked the location where it had once been. Aisu sneaked up to the place where the entrance was supposed to be. Everything was quiet. The sun was nearly down. /All I told Saitou was that I would not blow his cover. And I will keep that promise.// Inaudibly she disappeared into the opening.
The air smelled of dust and was hard to breath. As she slid down the spiraling dark steps, she wondered whether Saitou had lied to her but then she saw a tiny glimmer in the distance. The stairs emptied into a large unornamented room with double doors opposite the stairs. The room had the look of some kind of prison. With low wooden rafters seeming to collapse every second and rotting wood on the walls adding to the dark scene, the room gave her an eerie feeling. Past those doors voices were discussing something she couldn't quiet understand. Too bad she had to wait for Saitou to get here. Reluctantly she made herself comfortable on one of the rafters above the entrance and waited.
~~~~~~~~~~
Saitou was taking in every aspect of the area. The entrance was like a dark pit and he dared not shine a light down it. He found himself wondering where Aisu was. /If she was around here she would have noticed me and shown herself by now// he thought puzzling. /Well I'm not going to wait around for that girl// he though dismissively and a moment later, acutely aware of the fact that he had not dismissed her from his mind. He ducked into the basement, following the narrow staircase for several minutes. He came into the dreary room, hearing voices behind the double doors.
She could see him standing below here and slid down behind him. He heard her soft landing and whirled around sword slicing through the air where she had been a second ago.
"You're late," she said now beside him. The only clue that she had not been there the entire time was the fact that her cape still swayed around her.
"I told you to wait for me," Saitou replied, hiding the anger he felt at being disobeyed and having failed to even scratch her with his sword. It was slightly discontenting to know that if she turned on him, he'd have a good fight on his hands.
"I did wait for you," Aisu replied calmly, " and I did not blow your cover either. Now let's go."
Saitou turned his back to her and walked towards the large doors. The voices had stopped. The sound of shuffling feet and several doors closing reached Aisu's ears. Then there was silence. Saitou too drew is sword again and moved into his gatotsu stance.
"And you were worried I was going to blow you cover, when your about to make a racket for the sake of getting into an empty room," she whispered as she walked past him, turned the handle, silently opened the door, and crept inside. Saitou followed her, even more discontented. The room was indeed empty. Several doors were on each wall and in the middle of the room sat a table. Saitou rushed over to it and examined the plans lying on it. There was only a map of the city, one that could be found in any store. No marks or symbols gave away anything about the crowd of people who had occupied the room a few moments before. Saitou looked around the room. There were seven doors total.
"Pick one, I have a feeling they're all interconnected," Aisu suggested when she saw him looking at each of the doors in turn.
Saitou did not answer but finally opened the one in the back corner of the room. The revealed a narrow passage. Saitou went first and soon came to a fork and chose the wider one. Another fork soon followed the first, and then another. Finally they turned into a wide passage and Aisu came to walk next to him. She was just over two thirds of his height. His hair was dark and spiky while hers was silvery white and flowed over her shoulders. His walk was abrupt while she seemed to all but float over the ground. /We're pretty much the exact opposite. The only thing we really have in common is skill with the sword// Saitou thought. He was pulled out of his train of thought when Aisu stopped, listening. He heard it too. There were footsteps coming from behind.
"I don't think we want to be discovered yet," Aisu said quietly. "We should avoid confronting them.
Saitou nodded in agreement. And broke into a light run down the only silent corridor. At the next turn there was again only one choice, and same with the next.
"They're herding us," Aisu realized out loud. Saitou's eyes twitched in understanding.
"Then let's not get pushed around anymore," Saitou declared and stopped in the comparatively wide passageway.
There were men running towards them from both sides. Saitou had taken his gatotsu stance and was already busy with the ones that had been following them. Aisu started towards the men coming from the other side.
"Ryu Kan Sen" Aisu yelled as she dodged the first blow and hit the attacker in the midsection.
The passageway was just wide enough for two of the men to attack her at once. Saitou certainly hadn't picked the best place to fight. They were back-to-back taking pains as not to let anyone get between them. There seemed to be no end to the attackers. These were not the weaklings she had fought in the streets either. Their skill level was much greater. Although she could have defeated any of them by themselves she was afraid to move around very much for fear of leaving Saitou open to attack from behind. Saitou was doing the same and it was starting to wear both of them down.
Where he came from, Aisu never knew. Whether it was her or Saitou who had for a split second abandoned the others back, Aisu never knew either. All she knew was that Saitou was down on his knees with a slash in his side. Aisu knocked out the offender and could do nothing to stop another man from hitting Saitou across the chest. Saitou had crawled to the wall with Aisu standing in front of him. She found herself attacked from but not able to defend herself on all sides. Her arms and shoulder were bleeding. Her sword and sheath were flying, reaching whomever they could. Saitou, who was bleeding far worse than her, was using the wall to get up while Aisu was standing in front of him keeping the attackers at bay. Never being able to finish them off because she did not want to leave Saitou in the condition he was in. They were being driven into a corner.
"We can't win this," Aisu whispered out of breath. "So we'll have to run. Ready?" She didn't wait for his answer.
"Dou Ryu Sen" Aisu yelled.
Her sword whipped millimeters over the ground, which started to shake violently.