Chapter 10: Loki's Wail

I had arrived in the midst of the Assassins Guild. The journey had taken about half a day, but without any problems. I still felt uneasy however. There was nobody I could trust - not even the only person right now who had my life in her hands. I walked unsteadily as many fearsome looking assassins stared me down as my footsteps echoed through the silent temple. I felt like I had been playing into the hands of someone else from the first time I came here. At the moment, not playing according to the game laid out before me was far more dangerous than being obedient. I quietly followed Riyu into the inner chamber, trying to suppress any sign of anxiety or nervousness – and fear.

We traversed down the delicate steps into the inner chamber where Master Sesshomaru awaited us. This time however he was not alone. There were several people hidden in the shadows behind him.

"Welcome sir Aki, I surely hope that I did not inconvenience you too much. I suppose Lord Silver and I simply do not see the same vision, but let me assure you that he has been dealt with accordingly." Sesshomaru stroked his dual gladiuses. Who knows what magical enchantments lay upon those deadly daggers. He was definitely not a person to be trifled with. "So what is your plan sir Aki? Will you help me save the lives of your men?"

"Yes," I conceded, "but I must first ask you your motivations for this entire operation. Why me? Why am I the only person in Prontera that you wanted? I do not have nearly as many people as, say, Pengu who has a legion of crusaders willing to die for him. Even then, why set the Hunter's guild as an antagonist guild? You could have let the doppelganger use my identity to 'save my men.' I just cannot comprehend the extent of your efforts on my behalf."

"You see sir Aki, assassins are usually seen as mercenaries and selfish peoples, but we have our own code of honor and loyalties. You are definitely a special case. You are tied to me and there is nothing I can do about it." Master Sesshomaru fiddled with his gladiuses expertly, making the reflected light weave and twist on the floor before me.

"I do not understand." I replied. I wanted answers and I wanted them now. "I am afraid I will not leave until I have been given a satisfactory answer. In the midst of this chaos I have come to the conclusion that if I do not make sense of it then I will no longer be part of it." I had a stern look on my face that I hoped to be convincing.

"Very well then, I have no objections whatsoever. If you truly want to know then I will explain it to you. Tell me what you know about the Bard and Dancer guild." Sasshomaru replied.

"I know that they are neutral, devoting their lives to being entertainers. They use the power of music to sway the masses, and in combination have very powerful effects. They sometimes lend their services to various guilds, as their guild itself has no alliance, its members are free to help whomever they choose. The guild is located somewhere in Comodo. That is all I know." I answered. What this had to do with me I did not understand, but hopefully Sesshomaru was leading up to something important.

"Very good, you are well educated. Here is something you may not know. My guild used to have a very powerful bard and dancer in our allegiance. They could overcome the sound of the drums on the battlefield and could increase the morale of our soldiers greatly. However us assassins rarely take assault in large groups so their talents were never fully utilized. However, you may recall that about a decade ago our guilds, " Master Sesshomaru motioned to the both of us, "were fond of each other. Prontera asked if they could have our bard and dancer join their ranks for a battle, but we rejected their request because of the bard and dancer's diplomatic tendency. Well, the army they were fighting had their own bard and dancer and Prontera's military fell to their wrath. Since then our guilds have been drifting apart and becoming more indifferent."

"Okay, what does that have to do with me?" I asked hastily. I had begun shuffling my feet and tapping my sword.

"You see, Prontera attempted to put our bard and dancer on trial. They said that they have damaged the relationship between our guilds by not aiding them in battle. As a consequence, they were to give up their children to Prontera to be raised as Prontera's exclusive bard and dancer. Back then my guild was not nearly as strong and with great reluctance our bard and dancer agreed so that our guild would not be wiped out by Prontera's pious rage. This was the spawn of the hatred between our two worlds. Moreover, this was the birth of something else. Or shall I say someone else?" Master Sesshomaru gave me a very serious look

"I do not quite understand what you may be insinuating. . ." I stammered.

"Please, accept this truth. The reason you were raised with such diligence by the King himself, as an ORPHAN, is because YOU were that child! " Master Sesshomaru said, the authoritative tone in his voice ringing through the chamber and convincing me. "Kenshin and Sakura, please step forward."

An older bard stepped forward from the shadows. The gaze on his face and hardened look told me of his great experience as a fighter. His hands were calloused greatly, indicating his fervent practice with his musical instrument. He was clothed entirely in white, an aura of wisdom and power emanating from him. From his side walked forth a dancer about his age, garbed totally in scarlet red, a crystalline veil covering her face. Her balance and swiftness as she moved showed me her great agility and skill. She too, set off danger signals in my head. Suddenly, the bard's surprising tenor voice pierced the awkward silence.

"Welcome home son."

"What are you talking about? What is this nonsense, you expect me to believe something like this? This is completely outlandish!" I cried aloud, my voice echoing through the emptiness.

"Oh, did you think you were merely gifted at music by chance? Like any civilian of Prontera can play six different instruments fluently? For any orphan to be taken in by the King is commonplace? You know you are a special case Aki, there is no denying that. This is a perfectly reasonable explanation. All the turmoil that has taken place lately can all be attributed to this. Now, this is all the more reason to bring your men out of Prontera. Can you let them serve such a jealous and demanding city of hypocrisy?" Master Sesshomaru asked honestly, leaning forward to show the expression on her face more vividly. Well, his face was covered, but his eyes pierced me and searched my every move for an expectant answer.

"No. I refuse to believe your rubbish. I care not for the past, only the future, and there will never be a future for me in your guild!" My voice rang out and even though I knew this spelled death for me, my future looked bleak no matter which angle I approached it from. At the very least, this way I could die with honor and a true loyalty to my city. "Listen to me Sesshomaru, if you make me go back to get my men, I will do nothing but set them against you! There is no way I would ever serve you!"

The bard and dancer seemed appalled and stepped back into the shadows. I even heard Riyu's arms drop to her side as she backed away from me.

"Aki. . . .that's not a good thing to say. . think it through. . ." she whispered to me, but I stood firm in my decision.

"Very well," Sesshomaru sighed, "then I will have to use you for another purpose. Stating precedent, assassins do have honor and loyalty, but of course they must always be tested. Kenshin, Sakura, Riyu," Sesshomaru looked at each one of them and motioned them to come forward, "kill this man." A moment of dead silence filled the room, until Sesshomaru continued, "when I return in thirty minutes, if this man's lifeless corpse is not drenched in blood in the middle of this chamber, then consider all three of you to be enemies of this guild. I will execute you personally in front of the guild. If this man here lies dead before my eyes, then you have proven your loyalties to me once again and may continue to live as you have this past year. If one of you tries to protect him, I would hope that this person is also killed in battle by the other. Be smart, my friends." Sesshomaru flashed that devilish smile and waltzed out of the room. All that remained was the breathing of the four of us in the room. Nobody wanted to die, but for life to be granted, death had to be given. If I did not attack then I would surely die. However who should I attack first? It would make sense to take out the bard or dancer first so that they could not combine their abilities. Before I could set my plan, something moved in the corner of my eye.

It was Riyu! I suppose she had decided to continue her lifestyle. After all, Sesshomaru gave her life, and taught her everything she knows. If she did not hold back, then I should not either! She was coming close and with an unexpected slash with my sword, one sweeping motion from the sheath to her torso, I felt the blade tear through her, spilling her blood all over me. The blood staining my armor was the guilt that I felt when I killed her, but it only amplified when her dying body crunched to the floor, showing a bewildered bard and dancer. I changed into a defensive stance, but Riyu was pulling on my leg. Cautiously, I batted an eye down to see a large serration with two oridecon arrows gouging out her back. I fell on my knees in disbelief as I had just killed the last friend I had, who had tried to save my life, but in my error I had mistaken her action and killed her. Oh, the betrayal she must be feeling at the moment. I suppose it makes us even. . . .I closed my eyes and only welcomed what was to come. What came, was relief.

The End

Editor's note: Ok yeah, I got lazy at the end, its so abrupt but I don't want to write anymore! I also was planning to explain Riyu's tiredness in the mornings by her hunting at night to get something for Aki but. . meh.