Chapter 7
"Ishine..." Shia whispered. "Ishine and I, along with Coushen were all the cause of your decision."
"The decision was already made, you just surfaced it and brought it to mind."
"Well you've found me, Hito. Are you still an assassin or will you stop like you said?" Shia asked, looking angrily at Hito.
"Back then, stopping sounded easier than I know it is now. I can't." Hito looked at Coushen. "But whatever it is you wanted her back for, I won't let you harm her."
"So you were the little boy who attempted to rescue Shia all those years ago." Coushen had completely zoned out of the current conversation. "And the man who took her from me was Ishine."
"I really accidentally led him there." Hito commented.
"So if I had killed that spy...Shia would've never been taken from me..." Coushen stared at Hito.
"Spy?"
"When I was carrying Shia out of her home, I saw a black figure up in the forest surrounding the town. He wasn't too far from where I was standing and he didn't seem to notice me. I pulled out a small knife and was about to throw it at him, when the leader of the raid yelled to get out of the town before police came to know about it. I forgot about the spy and left. If I killed him right there, you would've never known about the raid, and never have led Ishine to my home."
"And I never would've become an assassin..." Hito was staring back at Coushen.
"Well the past is the past. Shia's back, and by killing you I can keep her." Coushen pulled out a handgun and aimed at Hito. Shia went pale.
"I can't seem to find a boss who doesn't want to kill me..." Hito drew both swords and flipped the reverse-blade upside-down. Coushen fired the first shot and Hito evaded it, moving closer to Coushen. He yelled powerfully as he swung both blades at once in a type of scissor attack. Coushen was cut deeply on both sides, but managed to shoot again, hitting Hito in the shoulder. Faltering and swaying, Hito gripped his shoulder and fell to his knees.
"Hito!" Shia shouted, running to him.
"You seem to be the cause of all this trouble. I should kill you as well." Coushen moved his arm so that the gun was pointed to her. Shia gasped as her face went paler.
"Your battle is with me!" Hito shouted, gliding his blade to the back of Coushen's leg. He winced and fell over. "Shia, grab the gun!" Obeying his command, Shia reached over and quickly snatched the fallen gun. "Your days of tormenting innocent people are over." Hito drove his sword through Coushen's back and glared down at the corpse.
"Hito..." Shia bit her bottom lip and looked away from the puddle of blood covering the ground. "How can you do that? After witnessing your own parents death...how can you kill so easily without hesitation?"
"I guess I've just become used to it."
"Well Coushen's dead. Go back to how you used to be. Become the Hito I knew." Shia pleaded, looking up at Hito's face.
"It's too late, Shia!" Hito stood up and walked to the door. "You're free now, go wherever you want."
"But I don't have any place to go to. Lord Ishine is dead and he took care of me. I no longer have a home."
"You're eighteen, you can take care of yourself." Hito grabbed his cloak and swung it over himself before walking outside.
"It's sad how feared you've become...I knew the assassin's name was Hito, but I couldn't force myself to believe it was you. And now that I'm here with you, I still can't believe it."
"You saw me kill him. And I'll tell you now, I am the horrid assassin Hito Himura. Believe it, it's true." Leaving, Hito heard footsteps behind him.
"I should never have seen you again. Last time I saw you, I was left with pleasant memories. I don't mean the time when you tried to rescue me, but way back then when we were best friends that would play together every day. I thought of you constantly after you left. I couldn't get over the fact that you were gone. Every time I was worried or someone was mean to me, I thought 'what would Hito do?' And I found myself sticking up for myself and being as brave as I could. I protected kids that were being picked on, because you used to stick up for me. I always thought you'd remain the same forever. The same kind child that was tougher than he looked. I would laugh and cry at those memories. I missed you and dreamed to see you again. Yet...now that I'm here with you...I wish you had just left me behind forgotten. I wouldn't have to go through the pain of change..."
"It's hard to choose your fate. Things come up and change you little by little. I was just forced to change quicker than most did. I couldn't help what happened, I was just a child." Hito stopped and turned around.
"But I know you're stronger than that. Not just physically, because everyone knows that, but you have a strong will. I know that if you truly wanted to stay the same, you could."
"I couldn't, Shia!" Hito shouted. "You and Shihan were the last people I had! Losing you meant losing half of my world. I couldn't just sit there after you were kidnapped, I had to find you!"
"But after...when you decided to become an assassin."
"I was infuriated with the world and I was willing to kill everyone who got in my way of finding you. You say I have a strong will. I believe it too." He looked at Shia for a long moment, then turned to run.
"Wait Hito! Though I'm not happy to know how much you've changed, it doesn't mean I'm not exited to actually see you again!"
"I thought 'you should never had seen me again.'" Hito said in an almost mocking manner.
"I mean things in different ways. Seeing you now ruins my hopes of seeing the old you again. But...I could possibly accept the new Hito. I was dazed before, but I'm finally realizing that you are the same person I knew all those years ago."
"Who says I want you to accept me?"
"No one does. But I want to accept you. I can't start hating the one man I idolized for 13 years."
"What about Ishine? You idolized him, didn't you?" Hito asked.
"I..." Shia stopped to think for a while. "I didn't idolize him. I appreciated him, but he was just a man. A man who was like a father to me. But you...you were the person I wanted to be like."
"No you don't. No one wants to be like me. One claims to, but I know he doesn't. I killed his father a while back...he hates me now and wants to kill me."
"Aren't you worried?" Shia asked, sitting against the wall outside. She stared up at the starry sky, then glanced at Hito.
"Not at all. He's only ten years old."
"And he wants to kill you?" Shia asked. She put her hand on her cheek and leaned on her knee. "What a sad world...how old were you when you first wanted to kill someone?"
"Seven. But my first murder was six." Hito answered, sitting down next to Shia.
"This boy will turn out like you..." Shia stated. Hito looked at her with confusion. "Holding such a strong grudge at such a young age. Children are stubborn, and he won't give up on hating you. Like you, that wish for revenge might carry him into becoming an assassin."
"So the boy's wrong." Hito smirked and slumped against the wall so that he was almost laying. "He claims that he would never turn into an assassin. That he would use his skills only for good. That quote sounded awfully familiar."
"You and him...you'll have a strong bond." Shia sighed.
"What?" Hito sat up more and looked at Shia.
"You two are tied together to the same fate. You both started the same and with the same wish of revenge. He'll follow in your footsteps whether he wants to or not. You have so much in common, that you'll either be his rival or his master. Either way shares a bond between you two." Shia smiled and looked at the sky with dancing eyes. "I'm almost a little jealous."
"Why?" Hito asked. Shia just stood up, ignoring the question.
"So what are you going to do now? You don't have a place to stay, huh?"
"I'm used to it." Hito closed his eyes for a long blink. "I sleep out on the streets more than in houses. It's no problem for me at all anymore."
"Ah, here I was feeling sorry for myself for having to do what you had to get used to. What kind of a person am I?"
"No one could blame you. It is a hard thing to get used to." Hito smiled remembering his first night on the streets. "No one could blame you..." He repeated.
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"So..." Hito looked around. His shoulder length hair was being pushed around by the wind. The stars shined brightly and a full moon hung high in the sky. "So I have to sleep out on the streets now, huh?" The eight-year- old Hito sat against a tree and folded his arms across his chest to try to keep in some warmth. The harsh wind kept blowing, sending shivers up his spine. "No way I can get used to this..." He muttered before falling into a dreamless and uncomfortable sleep.
Awaking the next morning was unpleasant. His back ached from lying on the cold hard ground for so long and his head was sore from the tree he used for a pillow. His nose was running from being out in the freezing weather all night, and he didn't want to move. Forcing himself to sit up, Hito looked around, then sighed. "I guess I have to become accustomed to this feeling from now on." He stood up and walked around. Not knowing the first thing about being an assassin, he just trained all day.
After the sun fell and the moonlight began to shine, was when Hito retired to his sleeping spot. The uncomfortable pain in his back almost drove the young boy into tears knowing that the pain might never go away. He cuddled into his own shirt and fell asleep after the tiresome day.
The next morning, he found himself paralyzed. Panicking, Hito moved his eyes right to left. He could move his arms, but only barely. Using the little power he had, he flayed his arms around hopelessly. "What's wrong with me?" He asked tiredly, finding that just speaking was draining. His back was incredibly sore, so he just laid back and stared up at the sky. 'I don't remember the last time I just kicked back and looked at the sky...' Hito thought. The sky was a dull blue and gray clouds overpowered the sky. 'Aw, don't tell me I'm gunna be rained on...' Hito raised one side of his mouth and scrunched his little nose up. Though extremely mature for his age, he was still a child. Hito narrowed his eyes at a cloud and slightly tilted his head. It looked like a sheep...'why does it look like a sheep?' Hito asked himself, confused at his discovery. He looked harder at it as it morphed into a dragon. 'What the...' The clouds kept changing and shifting. After finally getting over his confusion, Hito found himself laughing. He lifted his arm and pointed at one of the clouds. "It's a monkey!" He said, bursting out into laughter. He hadn't even realized that he was able to move again. He spent the whole day lost in clouds, completely forgetting about his training. When day turned to night, he stared at the stars, smiling, grateful for their beauty. For the first time two years, Hito laughed, smiled, and just enjoyed himself for a whole day.
"Ishine..." Shia whispered. "Ishine and I, along with Coushen were all the cause of your decision."
"The decision was already made, you just surfaced it and brought it to mind."
"Well you've found me, Hito. Are you still an assassin or will you stop like you said?" Shia asked, looking angrily at Hito.
"Back then, stopping sounded easier than I know it is now. I can't." Hito looked at Coushen. "But whatever it is you wanted her back for, I won't let you harm her."
"So you were the little boy who attempted to rescue Shia all those years ago." Coushen had completely zoned out of the current conversation. "And the man who took her from me was Ishine."
"I really accidentally led him there." Hito commented.
"So if I had killed that spy...Shia would've never been taken from me..." Coushen stared at Hito.
"Spy?"
"When I was carrying Shia out of her home, I saw a black figure up in the forest surrounding the town. He wasn't too far from where I was standing and he didn't seem to notice me. I pulled out a small knife and was about to throw it at him, when the leader of the raid yelled to get out of the town before police came to know about it. I forgot about the spy and left. If I killed him right there, you would've never known about the raid, and never have led Ishine to my home."
"And I never would've become an assassin..." Hito was staring back at Coushen.
"Well the past is the past. Shia's back, and by killing you I can keep her." Coushen pulled out a handgun and aimed at Hito. Shia went pale.
"I can't seem to find a boss who doesn't want to kill me..." Hito drew both swords and flipped the reverse-blade upside-down. Coushen fired the first shot and Hito evaded it, moving closer to Coushen. He yelled powerfully as he swung both blades at once in a type of scissor attack. Coushen was cut deeply on both sides, but managed to shoot again, hitting Hito in the shoulder. Faltering and swaying, Hito gripped his shoulder and fell to his knees.
"Hito!" Shia shouted, running to him.
"You seem to be the cause of all this trouble. I should kill you as well." Coushen moved his arm so that the gun was pointed to her. Shia gasped as her face went paler.
"Your battle is with me!" Hito shouted, gliding his blade to the back of Coushen's leg. He winced and fell over. "Shia, grab the gun!" Obeying his command, Shia reached over and quickly snatched the fallen gun. "Your days of tormenting innocent people are over." Hito drove his sword through Coushen's back and glared down at the corpse.
"Hito..." Shia bit her bottom lip and looked away from the puddle of blood covering the ground. "How can you do that? After witnessing your own parents death...how can you kill so easily without hesitation?"
"I guess I've just become used to it."
"Well Coushen's dead. Go back to how you used to be. Become the Hito I knew." Shia pleaded, looking up at Hito's face.
"It's too late, Shia!" Hito stood up and walked to the door. "You're free now, go wherever you want."
"But I don't have any place to go to. Lord Ishine is dead and he took care of me. I no longer have a home."
"You're eighteen, you can take care of yourself." Hito grabbed his cloak and swung it over himself before walking outside.
"It's sad how feared you've become...I knew the assassin's name was Hito, but I couldn't force myself to believe it was you. And now that I'm here with you, I still can't believe it."
"You saw me kill him. And I'll tell you now, I am the horrid assassin Hito Himura. Believe it, it's true." Leaving, Hito heard footsteps behind him.
"I should never have seen you again. Last time I saw you, I was left with pleasant memories. I don't mean the time when you tried to rescue me, but way back then when we were best friends that would play together every day. I thought of you constantly after you left. I couldn't get over the fact that you were gone. Every time I was worried or someone was mean to me, I thought 'what would Hito do?' And I found myself sticking up for myself and being as brave as I could. I protected kids that were being picked on, because you used to stick up for me. I always thought you'd remain the same forever. The same kind child that was tougher than he looked. I would laugh and cry at those memories. I missed you and dreamed to see you again. Yet...now that I'm here with you...I wish you had just left me behind forgotten. I wouldn't have to go through the pain of change..."
"It's hard to choose your fate. Things come up and change you little by little. I was just forced to change quicker than most did. I couldn't help what happened, I was just a child." Hito stopped and turned around.
"But I know you're stronger than that. Not just physically, because everyone knows that, but you have a strong will. I know that if you truly wanted to stay the same, you could."
"I couldn't, Shia!" Hito shouted. "You and Shihan were the last people I had! Losing you meant losing half of my world. I couldn't just sit there after you were kidnapped, I had to find you!"
"But after...when you decided to become an assassin."
"I was infuriated with the world and I was willing to kill everyone who got in my way of finding you. You say I have a strong will. I believe it too." He looked at Shia for a long moment, then turned to run.
"Wait Hito! Though I'm not happy to know how much you've changed, it doesn't mean I'm not exited to actually see you again!"
"I thought 'you should never had seen me again.'" Hito said in an almost mocking manner.
"I mean things in different ways. Seeing you now ruins my hopes of seeing the old you again. But...I could possibly accept the new Hito. I was dazed before, but I'm finally realizing that you are the same person I knew all those years ago."
"Who says I want you to accept me?"
"No one does. But I want to accept you. I can't start hating the one man I idolized for 13 years."
"What about Ishine? You idolized him, didn't you?" Hito asked.
"I..." Shia stopped to think for a while. "I didn't idolize him. I appreciated him, but he was just a man. A man who was like a father to me. But you...you were the person I wanted to be like."
"No you don't. No one wants to be like me. One claims to, but I know he doesn't. I killed his father a while back...he hates me now and wants to kill me."
"Aren't you worried?" Shia asked, sitting against the wall outside. She stared up at the starry sky, then glanced at Hito.
"Not at all. He's only ten years old."
"And he wants to kill you?" Shia asked. She put her hand on her cheek and leaned on her knee. "What a sad world...how old were you when you first wanted to kill someone?"
"Seven. But my first murder was six." Hito answered, sitting down next to Shia.
"This boy will turn out like you..." Shia stated. Hito looked at her with confusion. "Holding such a strong grudge at such a young age. Children are stubborn, and he won't give up on hating you. Like you, that wish for revenge might carry him into becoming an assassin."
"So the boy's wrong." Hito smirked and slumped against the wall so that he was almost laying. "He claims that he would never turn into an assassin. That he would use his skills only for good. That quote sounded awfully familiar."
"You and him...you'll have a strong bond." Shia sighed.
"What?" Hito sat up more and looked at Shia.
"You two are tied together to the same fate. You both started the same and with the same wish of revenge. He'll follow in your footsteps whether he wants to or not. You have so much in common, that you'll either be his rival or his master. Either way shares a bond between you two." Shia smiled and looked at the sky with dancing eyes. "I'm almost a little jealous."
"Why?" Hito asked. Shia just stood up, ignoring the question.
"So what are you going to do now? You don't have a place to stay, huh?"
"I'm used to it." Hito closed his eyes for a long blink. "I sleep out on the streets more than in houses. It's no problem for me at all anymore."
"Ah, here I was feeling sorry for myself for having to do what you had to get used to. What kind of a person am I?"
"No one could blame you. It is a hard thing to get used to." Hito smiled remembering his first night on the streets. "No one could blame you..." He repeated.
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"So..." Hito looked around. His shoulder length hair was being pushed around by the wind. The stars shined brightly and a full moon hung high in the sky. "So I have to sleep out on the streets now, huh?" The eight-year- old Hito sat against a tree and folded his arms across his chest to try to keep in some warmth. The harsh wind kept blowing, sending shivers up his spine. "No way I can get used to this..." He muttered before falling into a dreamless and uncomfortable sleep.
Awaking the next morning was unpleasant. His back ached from lying on the cold hard ground for so long and his head was sore from the tree he used for a pillow. His nose was running from being out in the freezing weather all night, and he didn't want to move. Forcing himself to sit up, Hito looked around, then sighed. "I guess I have to become accustomed to this feeling from now on." He stood up and walked around. Not knowing the first thing about being an assassin, he just trained all day.
After the sun fell and the moonlight began to shine, was when Hito retired to his sleeping spot. The uncomfortable pain in his back almost drove the young boy into tears knowing that the pain might never go away. He cuddled into his own shirt and fell asleep after the tiresome day.
The next morning, he found himself paralyzed. Panicking, Hito moved his eyes right to left. He could move his arms, but only barely. Using the little power he had, he flayed his arms around hopelessly. "What's wrong with me?" He asked tiredly, finding that just speaking was draining. His back was incredibly sore, so he just laid back and stared up at the sky. 'I don't remember the last time I just kicked back and looked at the sky...' Hito thought. The sky was a dull blue and gray clouds overpowered the sky. 'Aw, don't tell me I'm gunna be rained on...' Hito raised one side of his mouth and scrunched his little nose up. Though extremely mature for his age, he was still a child. Hito narrowed his eyes at a cloud and slightly tilted his head. It looked like a sheep...'why does it look like a sheep?' Hito asked himself, confused at his discovery. He looked harder at it as it morphed into a dragon. 'What the...' The clouds kept changing and shifting. After finally getting over his confusion, Hito found himself laughing. He lifted his arm and pointed at one of the clouds. "It's a monkey!" He said, bursting out into laughter. He hadn't even realized that he was able to move again. He spent the whole day lost in clouds, completely forgetting about his training. When day turned to night, he stared at the stars, smiling, grateful for their beauty. For the first time two years, Hito laughed, smiled, and just enjoyed himself for a whole day.