Chapter 2
"You were out quite a while." Kiro stated as Hito walked in the door.
"I had someone to see, a little pest problem to take care of before that, and after I just took the time to enjoy the sights. I don't get enough enjoyment these days."
"It's almost time."
"I've noticed." Hito sat in a small wooden chair by the table and drew two inches of his new sword. Then he glanced up at Kiro. 'Someday he will die...the day that I can find something real to do with my life...'
"What's with the staring?" Kiro asked. Hito quickly looked away and gazed out the window into the dark night sky. "Go." Hito nodded at Kiro's command and dashed out the door, turning a sharp corner and hiding in the shadows as he ran swiftly to the governor's mansion.
"Mister assassin!" A childlike voice called out. Hito didn't turn to look until the voice caught up with him. "Hey, I'm talking to you!" A small hand grabbed his cloak, trying to pull him back.
"What is it you want?" Hito demanded in a whisper.
"Train me!"
"I'm a little busy right now."
"An assassination? Let me come!" Osan jumped up and down with excitement.
"It's no place for a child!"
"Let me come!" Osan cried out, louder this time. Hito narrowed his eyes and slammed Osan against the wall of a house.
"You listen to me, boy; when I say you can't come, you won't come! When I say I won't train you, I will not train you! Now go home to your mother!" Hito let the child fall, turning to continue his journey.
"My mother's dead!" Osan snapped. Hito almost tripped, but caught himself. 'I cannot give in to the persistence of this boy just because of a sad fate that many people have fallen to...' He told himself. "Let me come..." Osan whined. Hito ignored him and continued. Seeing the astonishing sight of the governor's mansion made Hito's mouth drop in awe. "I will be nearly destroying this place in mere minutes..." Hito jumped up to a roof, then sprang to the next. Jumping across rooftops and around to the backside of the mansion, Hito was struck with a strange feeling of excitement. Never before had he felt good about killing. But now, he was beginning to enjoy it. Against the code of the Shousa Kyouhen style, Hito no longer felt sorry for the people he slaughtered.
"There are so many..." Hito whispered to himself, looking down from a rooftop into the backfield of the mansion. "He's so careless...the gate's not nearly high enough." He jumped from the roof and into the field, not even touching the wall or gate.
"Hey! You can't just sneak in here!" A guard ran forward drawing his sword. "Leave immediately or you will be sentenced, meaning death. Does dying appeal to you?" The guard glared and laughed at his own joke.
"I don't plan to die." Hito quickly maneuvered the guard's sword out of his hands, then put the blade to his throat.
"Who the heck...are you?"
"You will not live long enough to remember." Hito said shortly before shoving the blade through the guard's throat. Other guards came storming forward. Hito used the guards sword to kill a few, then threw it at two guards trying to sneak into the mansion to inform others, killing them both. One guard blew a whistle and soon after about ten reinforcements rushed through the mansion doors. Now over twenty-five guards surrounded Hito.
"Let me help!" A small familiar voice shouted before a loud tumble was heard. Osan, using a wooden sword, hit one of the guards out of the way and ran to Hito.
"Foolish child! You'll die here."
"Won't you protect me like before?"
"No, this is my job, I can't have you getting in the way!" Hito drew both of his swords.
"Can I at least use one of your swords? I mean...you do have two."
"No." Hito ran forward and sliced at one of the guards. They blocked and then tried to punch Hito in the face, but Hito ducked and brought his other sword up into the guard's chin. Two countered Osan, while all the others ran at Hito. Osan's sword was cut in half and then thrown out of the way. The gate opened and he was thrown out. Hito stuck one of his swords into the ground and flung himself up to kick one of the guards in the face. Then he came back down while bringing his bared sword down into the kicked man's stomach. He removed the grounded sword and stabbed an upcoming opponent.
"Fall back!" One guard shouted. The others started to run into the mansion but Hito caught a few before they could get around.
"They're running away?" Hito cocked an eyebrow before running in after them.
"Stop." A single low voice stated while a hand grabbed Hito's collar. The man was in his forties "Don't chase after trouble. You have enough here with me. I'm Akunin. Learn the name of your killer. Why are you here anyway, boy?"
"I have no intension of telling you." Hito turned and swung his sword with him. His holder blocked and then grabbed the tip of Hito's hilt, pulling it easily from his grasp.
"Are you going to let me take that other sword of yours just as easily?" Akunin asked, seeming to amuse himself.
"Are you going to let me take back my sword just as easily as this?" Hito asked before snapping his hand forward, grabbing the outstretched blade and pulling it back.
"Are you mocking me?"
"Am I?" Hito asked, cracking a slight smile. Akunin drew his own sword and ran forward. "My killer huh?" Hito ducked under Akunin's attack and stabbed upward. "Works every time..." Hito began to walk back to the mansion when a splitting pain hit his shoulder. Hito reached back and removed a small but sharp piece of wood.
"I don't go down that easily." Akunin panted. He got up to one knee, then forced himself to stand. Blood dripped from an open gash in his chin and out of his mouth.
"Unbelievable." Hito turned back around. Akunin charged again, this time starting low and coming up. Hito jumped aside, swinging his sword outward and aiming for Akunin's neck. Akunin ducked and kicked up and Hito, but he again jumped aside, bringing his sword down in a slice. It hit Akunin's shoulder and he fell to the ground bleeding. Hito raised up his sword to deliver the final blow, but he heard footsteps storming toward him from behind.
"Don't kill him!" A man attempted to tackle down Hito, but he dodged it, hearing the footsteps. It was one of the guards. He had been peeking from behind the door instead of guarding the governor. "Please, I beg of you Mr. Assassin...don't kill him!" Hito glared at the man blocking his path. The guard fell to his knees, tears falling from his eyes. Having no sympathy, Hito stabbed down into the guard's stomach, then turned and stepped on the throat of Akunin, draining what little life he had left.
"Petty men..." Hito walked into the mansion, both swords unsheathed, and looked around. He was unnoticed by the few guards on that level. Walking as quietly as possible, Hito was able to sneak up behind one. He quickly measured out where his heart would be and stabbed him in that spot, leaving the guard no time to scream. Feeling proud of his quietness, Hito carried on to find and surprise the next guard. He snuck up behind one, when the silence was broken.
"Hito!" The doors were slammed open. "Hito, you're gunna pay!" It was Osan. The guard that Hito was standing behind turned around quickly and jumped back in surprise. Hito quickly stabbed him and ran to Osan, covering his mouth.
"Quiet you little brat!" Hito whispered loudly, holding Osan's mouth tightly. Osan grabbed Hito's hand and struggled to peel it off.
"Hito, you killed the remains of my family!" Osan shouted, keeping his hand on Hito's arm, and gripping it tightly, trying to cause pain. Hito looked confused. "My father...Akunin, you killed him! My brother's corpse was found right next to his! You'll pay for that, Hito Himura!"
"Himura?" A guard asked, catching himself from attacking Hito. "Your last name is Himura?" Hito glared at Osan, who freed himself from his grip.
"Why does it matter to you?" Hito jumped forward and swung at the guard. He blocked it, forgetting about the second sword. Hito swung that and cut deeply into the man's neck.
"Ken...shin..." He whispered before dying.
"What?" Osan asked. Hito shook his head, confused himself.
"How'd you learn my last name anyway?" He asked Osan.
"Your master dude. Kiro was it?"
"He's not my master...but he told you?"
"Yeah, he told me where you were too. It kind of sounded like he wanted someone to kill you too. When I asked him where you were, he just told me." Osan's voice was still angry, "His voice was sinister. He wants you dead. And I'll be the one to kill you!" He jumped at Hito with half of a wooden sword.
"Don't be a fool." Hito dropped his swords, then grabbed both of Osan's arms, holding them tightly so that he could not move free. He kicked his knee up into Osan's stomach, knocking him unconscious. He then bent down, picked up his swords, and walked up to the next level of the mansion. This level was lightly guarded, but more than the first.
"It's the assassin!" One of the guards shouted. He was staring straight at the door. All five men ran and barricaded the door before Hito got through.
"They're all fools..." Hito brought back his sword, then stabbed it forward, cutting through the wooden door and stabbing all that got in its way. Using all of his strength, Hito dragged the sword across the door, not only killing more people, but enabling Hito to get into the room. Many of the guards were already dead. The remaining guards looked nervous, but charged nonetheless. Hito ducked under the first blow, bringing his sword up into the man's neck. He kicked him aside, then ran to the next opponent. Three guards were lined up and ran at Hito, they were identically attacking. They all had their swords extended forward. Hito jumped up and swung his sword under him, cutting off the heads of all three. All guards were eliminated from this room and Hito ran to the next door. "This is it..." He whispered to himself. He took a deep breath, then opened the door. A man sat in a chair, looking out the window. This was the man he was assigned to assassinate, and Hito thought that there'd be more guards in here than in any room...but there were none.
"Hito Himura..." Governor Kena stated, glancing back at Hito. "So this is the grandson of Battousai..."
"What?" Hito asked. He had heard stories of the legendary Battousai before, but he had never known that he was related. "The Hitokiri Battousai was not my grandfather!"
"Oh, he was. Kenshin Himura was his name." Now Hito had heard that name before, and knew that he was related.
"You must be mistaken, Kenshin was...not Battousai...he wouldn't have been strong enough. My father...Kenji, he said that Kenshin was not very strong," Hito glared at Kena. "How would you know of my grandfather anyway?"
"My father knew him. He was a police officer and knew him quite well, that man." Kena looked back out the window. Hito noticed that he was not doing anything to complete his assassination. He re-sheathed his blade, then ran at Kena. "Ishine." Kena said. A man seemed to fall from the roof, landing in front of Hito.
"Grandson of Himura, eh?" The man grinned. "It will be a pleasure to dispose of a descendant of my fathers old enemy." He had white hair, but wasn't that old. He looked around mid-30 age.
"Wha...?" Hito whispered to himself. The man drew his sword and approached Hito slowly and cautiously.
"I am Ishine, son of Enishi. You grandfather killed my aunt..." Ishine brought his sword up diagonally and glared at Hito. "An end will come to the remaining Himura. Let the legend end." He ran swiftly at Hito and swung his sword quickly. Hito barely jumped back in time. He shook his head once, noticing that he had almost zoned out. Ishine turned his sword upward, swinging the opposite direction. Hito blocked, then used his new sword to stab straight forward. Ishine moved his head slightly, making Hito's blow miss. Clenching his teeth, Hito quickly turned his blade sideways so that it faced inward at Ishine's neck, but the man was far ahead of him. He had already ducked down and was coming up from below.
"He's quick!" Hito whispered to himself before attempting a counter. He used one of his swords to block Ishine's and to keep it away for his other blade, which he swung hard with. Ishine ducked backwards, rolled, and got back up to his feet in a flash.
"You're tiring." Ishine stated, noticing that Hito was faintly panting.
"Barely. You are the only decent opponent I've faced in this era." Hito blinked once and long, letting himself partly rest in this quick time out. They circled each other for a few seconds before Ishine jumped forward. He stabbed vigorously at Hito, who caught the blade in-between the two of his own. Putting in all his strength, he bent in one direction, trying to break Ishine's sword.
"No fair, you have two swords." Ishine fake whined. "Why not make it fair?"
"My game doesn't deal with fair." Hito was still trying as hard as he could to break the blade. He heard a crack, and Ishine obviously did too. He pulled his sword back hard, removing it from Hito's grasp. They both looked at it, seeing a crack in a small portion of the sword.
"Now you've done it." Ishine swung hard, but Hito blocked. The man charged forward with his fist extended. Hito tried to block using his free sword, but before he could, Ishine retrieved his sword and jumped up. Bringing the sword up high, he brought the blade down with full force. Hito moved out of the way, but not quickly enough. The crack snagged his arm, ripping a small portion of flesh off of it. Hito winced, but used Ishine's recovery moment to his own advantage. Using his new sword, he turned the blade horizontally and ran forward at him. It hit Ishine across the chest, leaving him gasping and shocked. Hito grinned. 'It's over.' He thought to himself. But a sigh slipped into his ear. A sigh?
"Scared me for a moment. Though the force did deliver some pain." Ishine stood, rubbing his chest...alive.
"Impossible. I made a direct hit." Hito's eyes widened. He raised his blade up into his sight and stared at it. "Wait a second..." He ran his finger down the blade. "What's...this? Has my master deceived me? It's...a reverse blade." Ishine laughed at Hito's surprised expression. Hito glared at him, then brought his normal sword back into a stabbing position, while keeping the other in front to block any upcoming attacks. He took a step forward, then added another to apply force to his stab.
"Wha-?!" Ishine was caught off guard, though he dodged the attack for the most part, the blade still contacted his shoulder. Blood slid down Hito's sword as he brought it back for a second attack. "That trick won't work twice on me!" Ishine swung his sword, hitting Hito's to the side. Hito quickly flipped his other sword so that the sharp edge was facing upward. Before Ishine could recover, Hito stabbed at his other shoulder. He winced, but kicked Hito back. 'I've damaged him...It'll be easier from here on out.' Hito thought.
"Don't think you've won just yet!" Ishine spat, jumping forward to stab Hito. Surprised, Hito blocked, but faltered. Letting out a yell, Ishine stepped closer once again, attempting another attack. Eyes widening, Hito blocked again, getting slower each time. 'How can he be so fast while injured like that?' He took a long jump back, getting out of Ishine's reach. He took the same stance of his earlier attack, and charged forward with two steps. The blow landed directly into his stomach, going all the way through.
"Hi-...to-..." He said between coughs of blood. "You'll...pay..."
"And who will fulfill that threat?" Hito asked, turning the blade to make the pain worse. Ishine looked up into Hito's eyes and gripped the blade, pulling it out while wincing harder. Gasping, Hito pushed it back in. "Not you, I'm sure." He placed his other sword against Ishine's neck.
"How...can you live...like this?" He asked. "No friends...only enemies..." Hito removed his sword from Ishine's stomach, letting him fall.
"I'll survive." Hito said before turning around to face the governor. "You're next. Cooperate to die quickly or struggle for pain. Which do you choose?" This was the first time Hito gave his victim a choice. Usually it was just kill them quickly, never giving them time to scream. The governor was frozen in fear.
"Why...why are you killing me? What've I done to you?" He was shaking, arms braced against a wall.
"Oh, not me. I act on the wishes of others. Kiro Sousen presently." Hito responded, slowly approaching Kena.
"No..." The governor backed up so that his back was flat against the wall. "Please, the man's insane, he doesn't know what he wants!" His voice cracked several times.
"You're just pleading for your life. It won't help." Hito's cold glare sent a chill up Kena's back. "Besides, it is none of my business whether he's insane or not." Kena swallowed hard and clenched his teeth.
"I'm not giving up without a fight!" He pounced from his wall, attacking Hito bare-handed.
"I thought not." Hito jumped aside right before Kena's punch fell, and kicked him to the side. "So you choose pain?" He stuck one of his swords through Kena's right leg, forcing him to scream in pain. "Game over, chief." Hito whispered before cutting open his neck. He then walked out of the room silently, taking out a cloth to clean the blood off of his long blade. "Kiro, my mission's over. It's your turn to die now..." Hito smirked. When Osan told him the Kiro wanted him dead, it took a load off Hito's shoulders. Now he could kill him and actually have a purpose. He never liked Kiro. He exited the room and continued his walk out of the mansion.
"Hi...to..." A voice slightly cracked, turning into a painful chuckle. "Should've slit my throat...while you had the chance..."
"You were out quite a while." Kiro stated as Hito walked in the door.
"I had someone to see, a little pest problem to take care of before that, and after I just took the time to enjoy the sights. I don't get enough enjoyment these days."
"It's almost time."
"I've noticed." Hito sat in a small wooden chair by the table and drew two inches of his new sword. Then he glanced up at Kiro. 'Someday he will die...the day that I can find something real to do with my life...'
"What's with the staring?" Kiro asked. Hito quickly looked away and gazed out the window into the dark night sky. "Go." Hito nodded at Kiro's command and dashed out the door, turning a sharp corner and hiding in the shadows as he ran swiftly to the governor's mansion.
"Mister assassin!" A childlike voice called out. Hito didn't turn to look until the voice caught up with him. "Hey, I'm talking to you!" A small hand grabbed his cloak, trying to pull him back.
"What is it you want?" Hito demanded in a whisper.
"Train me!"
"I'm a little busy right now."
"An assassination? Let me come!" Osan jumped up and down with excitement.
"It's no place for a child!"
"Let me come!" Osan cried out, louder this time. Hito narrowed his eyes and slammed Osan against the wall of a house.
"You listen to me, boy; when I say you can't come, you won't come! When I say I won't train you, I will not train you! Now go home to your mother!" Hito let the child fall, turning to continue his journey.
"My mother's dead!" Osan snapped. Hito almost tripped, but caught himself. 'I cannot give in to the persistence of this boy just because of a sad fate that many people have fallen to...' He told himself. "Let me come..." Osan whined. Hito ignored him and continued. Seeing the astonishing sight of the governor's mansion made Hito's mouth drop in awe. "I will be nearly destroying this place in mere minutes..." Hito jumped up to a roof, then sprang to the next. Jumping across rooftops and around to the backside of the mansion, Hito was struck with a strange feeling of excitement. Never before had he felt good about killing. But now, he was beginning to enjoy it. Against the code of the Shousa Kyouhen style, Hito no longer felt sorry for the people he slaughtered.
"There are so many..." Hito whispered to himself, looking down from a rooftop into the backfield of the mansion. "He's so careless...the gate's not nearly high enough." He jumped from the roof and into the field, not even touching the wall or gate.
"Hey! You can't just sneak in here!" A guard ran forward drawing his sword. "Leave immediately or you will be sentenced, meaning death. Does dying appeal to you?" The guard glared and laughed at his own joke.
"I don't plan to die." Hito quickly maneuvered the guard's sword out of his hands, then put the blade to his throat.
"Who the heck...are you?"
"You will not live long enough to remember." Hito said shortly before shoving the blade through the guard's throat. Other guards came storming forward. Hito used the guards sword to kill a few, then threw it at two guards trying to sneak into the mansion to inform others, killing them both. One guard blew a whistle and soon after about ten reinforcements rushed through the mansion doors. Now over twenty-five guards surrounded Hito.
"Let me help!" A small familiar voice shouted before a loud tumble was heard. Osan, using a wooden sword, hit one of the guards out of the way and ran to Hito.
"Foolish child! You'll die here."
"Won't you protect me like before?"
"No, this is my job, I can't have you getting in the way!" Hito drew both of his swords.
"Can I at least use one of your swords? I mean...you do have two."
"No." Hito ran forward and sliced at one of the guards. They blocked and then tried to punch Hito in the face, but Hito ducked and brought his other sword up into the guard's chin. Two countered Osan, while all the others ran at Hito. Osan's sword was cut in half and then thrown out of the way. The gate opened and he was thrown out. Hito stuck one of his swords into the ground and flung himself up to kick one of the guards in the face. Then he came back down while bringing his bared sword down into the kicked man's stomach. He removed the grounded sword and stabbed an upcoming opponent.
"Fall back!" One guard shouted. The others started to run into the mansion but Hito caught a few before they could get around.
"They're running away?" Hito cocked an eyebrow before running in after them.
"Stop." A single low voice stated while a hand grabbed Hito's collar. The man was in his forties "Don't chase after trouble. You have enough here with me. I'm Akunin. Learn the name of your killer. Why are you here anyway, boy?"
"I have no intension of telling you." Hito turned and swung his sword with him. His holder blocked and then grabbed the tip of Hito's hilt, pulling it easily from his grasp.
"Are you going to let me take that other sword of yours just as easily?" Akunin asked, seeming to amuse himself.
"Are you going to let me take back my sword just as easily as this?" Hito asked before snapping his hand forward, grabbing the outstretched blade and pulling it back.
"Are you mocking me?"
"Am I?" Hito asked, cracking a slight smile. Akunin drew his own sword and ran forward. "My killer huh?" Hito ducked under Akunin's attack and stabbed upward. "Works every time..." Hito began to walk back to the mansion when a splitting pain hit his shoulder. Hito reached back and removed a small but sharp piece of wood.
"I don't go down that easily." Akunin panted. He got up to one knee, then forced himself to stand. Blood dripped from an open gash in his chin and out of his mouth.
"Unbelievable." Hito turned back around. Akunin charged again, this time starting low and coming up. Hito jumped aside, swinging his sword outward and aiming for Akunin's neck. Akunin ducked and kicked up and Hito, but he again jumped aside, bringing his sword down in a slice. It hit Akunin's shoulder and he fell to the ground bleeding. Hito raised up his sword to deliver the final blow, but he heard footsteps storming toward him from behind.
"Don't kill him!" A man attempted to tackle down Hito, but he dodged it, hearing the footsteps. It was one of the guards. He had been peeking from behind the door instead of guarding the governor. "Please, I beg of you Mr. Assassin...don't kill him!" Hito glared at the man blocking his path. The guard fell to his knees, tears falling from his eyes. Having no sympathy, Hito stabbed down into the guard's stomach, then turned and stepped on the throat of Akunin, draining what little life he had left.
"Petty men..." Hito walked into the mansion, both swords unsheathed, and looked around. He was unnoticed by the few guards on that level. Walking as quietly as possible, Hito was able to sneak up behind one. He quickly measured out where his heart would be and stabbed him in that spot, leaving the guard no time to scream. Feeling proud of his quietness, Hito carried on to find and surprise the next guard. He snuck up behind one, when the silence was broken.
"Hito!" The doors were slammed open. "Hito, you're gunna pay!" It was Osan. The guard that Hito was standing behind turned around quickly and jumped back in surprise. Hito quickly stabbed him and ran to Osan, covering his mouth.
"Quiet you little brat!" Hito whispered loudly, holding Osan's mouth tightly. Osan grabbed Hito's hand and struggled to peel it off.
"Hito, you killed the remains of my family!" Osan shouted, keeping his hand on Hito's arm, and gripping it tightly, trying to cause pain. Hito looked confused. "My father...Akunin, you killed him! My brother's corpse was found right next to his! You'll pay for that, Hito Himura!"
"Himura?" A guard asked, catching himself from attacking Hito. "Your last name is Himura?" Hito glared at Osan, who freed himself from his grip.
"Why does it matter to you?" Hito jumped forward and swung at the guard. He blocked it, forgetting about the second sword. Hito swung that and cut deeply into the man's neck.
"Ken...shin..." He whispered before dying.
"What?" Osan asked. Hito shook his head, confused himself.
"How'd you learn my last name anyway?" He asked Osan.
"Your master dude. Kiro was it?"
"He's not my master...but he told you?"
"Yeah, he told me where you were too. It kind of sounded like he wanted someone to kill you too. When I asked him where you were, he just told me." Osan's voice was still angry, "His voice was sinister. He wants you dead. And I'll be the one to kill you!" He jumped at Hito with half of a wooden sword.
"Don't be a fool." Hito dropped his swords, then grabbed both of Osan's arms, holding them tightly so that he could not move free. He kicked his knee up into Osan's stomach, knocking him unconscious. He then bent down, picked up his swords, and walked up to the next level of the mansion. This level was lightly guarded, but more than the first.
"It's the assassin!" One of the guards shouted. He was staring straight at the door. All five men ran and barricaded the door before Hito got through.
"They're all fools..." Hito brought back his sword, then stabbed it forward, cutting through the wooden door and stabbing all that got in its way. Using all of his strength, Hito dragged the sword across the door, not only killing more people, but enabling Hito to get into the room. Many of the guards were already dead. The remaining guards looked nervous, but charged nonetheless. Hito ducked under the first blow, bringing his sword up into the man's neck. He kicked him aside, then ran to the next opponent. Three guards were lined up and ran at Hito, they were identically attacking. They all had their swords extended forward. Hito jumped up and swung his sword under him, cutting off the heads of all three. All guards were eliminated from this room and Hito ran to the next door. "This is it..." He whispered to himself. He took a deep breath, then opened the door. A man sat in a chair, looking out the window. This was the man he was assigned to assassinate, and Hito thought that there'd be more guards in here than in any room...but there were none.
"Hito Himura..." Governor Kena stated, glancing back at Hito. "So this is the grandson of Battousai..."
"What?" Hito asked. He had heard stories of the legendary Battousai before, but he had never known that he was related. "The Hitokiri Battousai was not my grandfather!"
"Oh, he was. Kenshin Himura was his name." Now Hito had heard that name before, and knew that he was related.
"You must be mistaken, Kenshin was...not Battousai...he wouldn't have been strong enough. My father...Kenji, he said that Kenshin was not very strong," Hito glared at Kena. "How would you know of my grandfather anyway?"
"My father knew him. He was a police officer and knew him quite well, that man." Kena looked back out the window. Hito noticed that he was not doing anything to complete his assassination. He re-sheathed his blade, then ran at Kena. "Ishine." Kena said. A man seemed to fall from the roof, landing in front of Hito.
"Grandson of Himura, eh?" The man grinned. "It will be a pleasure to dispose of a descendant of my fathers old enemy." He had white hair, but wasn't that old. He looked around mid-30 age.
"Wha...?" Hito whispered to himself. The man drew his sword and approached Hito slowly and cautiously.
"I am Ishine, son of Enishi. You grandfather killed my aunt..." Ishine brought his sword up diagonally and glared at Hito. "An end will come to the remaining Himura. Let the legend end." He ran swiftly at Hito and swung his sword quickly. Hito barely jumped back in time. He shook his head once, noticing that he had almost zoned out. Ishine turned his sword upward, swinging the opposite direction. Hito blocked, then used his new sword to stab straight forward. Ishine moved his head slightly, making Hito's blow miss. Clenching his teeth, Hito quickly turned his blade sideways so that it faced inward at Ishine's neck, but the man was far ahead of him. He had already ducked down and was coming up from below.
"He's quick!" Hito whispered to himself before attempting a counter. He used one of his swords to block Ishine's and to keep it away for his other blade, which he swung hard with. Ishine ducked backwards, rolled, and got back up to his feet in a flash.
"You're tiring." Ishine stated, noticing that Hito was faintly panting.
"Barely. You are the only decent opponent I've faced in this era." Hito blinked once and long, letting himself partly rest in this quick time out. They circled each other for a few seconds before Ishine jumped forward. He stabbed vigorously at Hito, who caught the blade in-between the two of his own. Putting in all his strength, he bent in one direction, trying to break Ishine's sword.
"No fair, you have two swords." Ishine fake whined. "Why not make it fair?"
"My game doesn't deal with fair." Hito was still trying as hard as he could to break the blade. He heard a crack, and Ishine obviously did too. He pulled his sword back hard, removing it from Hito's grasp. They both looked at it, seeing a crack in a small portion of the sword.
"Now you've done it." Ishine swung hard, but Hito blocked. The man charged forward with his fist extended. Hito tried to block using his free sword, but before he could, Ishine retrieved his sword and jumped up. Bringing the sword up high, he brought the blade down with full force. Hito moved out of the way, but not quickly enough. The crack snagged his arm, ripping a small portion of flesh off of it. Hito winced, but used Ishine's recovery moment to his own advantage. Using his new sword, he turned the blade horizontally and ran forward at him. It hit Ishine across the chest, leaving him gasping and shocked. Hito grinned. 'It's over.' He thought to himself. But a sigh slipped into his ear. A sigh?
"Scared me for a moment. Though the force did deliver some pain." Ishine stood, rubbing his chest...alive.
"Impossible. I made a direct hit." Hito's eyes widened. He raised his blade up into his sight and stared at it. "Wait a second..." He ran his finger down the blade. "What's...this? Has my master deceived me? It's...a reverse blade." Ishine laughed at Hito's surprised expression. Hito glared at him, then brought his normal sword back into a stabbing position, while keeping the other in front to block any upcoming attacks. He took a step forward, then added another to apply force to his stab.
"Wha-?!" Ishine was caught off guard, though he dodged the attack for the most part, the blade still contacted his shoulder. Blood slid down Hito's sword as he brought it back for a second attack. "That trick won't work twice on me!" Ishine swung his sword, hitting Hito's to the side. Hito quickly flipped his other sword so that the sharp edge was facing upward. Before Ishine could recover, Hito stabbed at his other shoulder. He winced, but kicked Hito back. 'I've damaged him...It'll be easier from here on out.' Hito thought.
"Don't think you've won just yet!" Ishine spat, jumping forward to stab Hito. Surprised, Hito blocked, but faltered. Letting out a yell, Ishine stepped closer once again, attempting another attack. Eyes widening, Hito blocked again, getting slower each time. 'How can he be so fast while injured like that?' He took a long jump back, getting out of Ishine's reach. He took the same stance of his earlier attack, and charged forward with two steps. The blow landed directly into his stomach, going all the way through.
"Hi-...to-..." He said between coughs of blood. "You'll...pay..."
"And who will fulfill that threat?" Hito asked, turning the blade to make the pain worse. Ishine looked up into Hito's eyes and gripped the blade, pulling it out while wincing harder. Gasping, Hito pushed it back in. "Not you, I'm sure." He placed his other sword against Ishine's neck.
"How...can you live...like this?" He asked. "No friends...only enemies..." Hito removed his sword from Ishine's stomach, letting him fall.
"I'll survive." Hito said before turning around to face the governor. "You're next. Cooperate to die quickly or struggle for pain. Which do you choose?" This was the first time Hito gave his victim a choice. Usually it was just kill them quickly, never giving them time to scream. The governor was frozen in fear.
"Why...why are you killing me? What've I done to you?" He was shaking, arms braced against a wall.
"Oh, not me. I act on the wishes of others. Kiro Sousen presently." Hito responded, slowly approaching Kena.
"No..." The governor backed up so that his back was flat against the wall. "Please, the man's insane, he doesn't know what he wants!" His voice cracked several times.
"You're just pleading for your life. It won't help." Hito's cold glare sent a chill up Kena's back. "Besides, it is none of my business whether he's insane or not." Kena swallowed hard and clenched his teeth.
"I'm not giving up without a fight!" He pounced from his wall, attacking Hito bare-handed.
"I thought not." Hito jumped aside right before Kena's punch fell, and kicked him to the side. "So you choose pain?" He stuck one of his swords through Kena's right leg, forcing him to scream in pain. "Game over, chief." Hito whispered before cutting open his neck. He then walked out of the room silently, taking out a cloth to clean the blood off of his long blade. "Kiro, my mission's over. It's your turn to die now..." Hito smirked. When Osan told him the Kiro wanted him dead, it took a load off Hito's shoulders. Now he could kill him and actually have a purpose. He never liked Kiro. He exited the room and continued his walk out of the mansion.
"Hi...to..." A voice slightly cracked, turning into a painful chuckle. "Should've slit my throat...while you had the chance..."