Hi guys, sorry for the long hiatus. I just wasn't sure where this story was going and I thought that I would rather not post any new chapters than to post new cruddy ones. You guys are better than that.

Anyway, I'm back and suddenly more inspired than ever before. I've thought out how to make this thing work perfectly and I even wrote it down so I wouldn't forget!

He-Yan: You actually got me more inspired for this, to tell you the truth. Thanks for the slight idea, and the push, even if you're not completely aware of what you've done.

Schectersona: Thanks, here's the next chapter.

Ryuuka Tamura: Sorry. I will edit this once I finish this, so no fret.

Anyway, here's the rest of the story!

When You Meet Your Match

Chapter 11

Mayumi gave Tasuki one final murderous glare before she huffily turned and started to stalk off where else but the lake. How dare he, she thought, fuming all the way, he acted like she was some common…common…girl! She kicked one of the pebbles that she saw lying on the ground and made it hit the tree with all that she could muster, all the while imagining the pebble to be stupid Tasuki's face.

She can just picture him, walking to the forest acting all high and mighty just because he had made her follow what he wanted her to do. He wasn't going to get away with this, oh no.

But before she could plot out ways to avenge herself from the stupid redhead, she collided into what felt like a wall. She wasn't looking at where she was going. She was just glaring at the ground, her every step had visibly been imprinted in the dirt road.

She had fallen on her butt and was wincing. It was slightly painful. "Ow, who put that wall there?" she demanded angrily and looked up at what she had hit.

It was certainly no wall. It was Kouji.

"Kouji?" she asked.

"The one and only," he replied, holding out a hand. She took it and she was easily pulled up by the blue head in one smooth motion.

"You hit me," she said.

"Nope," retorted Kouji, "you hit me."

Mayumi crossed her arms over her chest and looked at him suspiciously. "What are you doing here anyway?" she asked. "Shouldn't you be with the baka and stealing money from people who have worked hard for it?"

"I didn't know you cared for our victims so much," said Kouji, a smile in his face.

"I don't care for your victims," snarled Mayumi.

"Ah," said Kouji, "then you're just really pissed off with Tasuki."

"What the hell do you think?" snapped Mayumi. She then pushed her way past him, he was very strong. "Do you mind," she said, glaring up at him.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"It's not your business to know where I'm going."

"Yes it is."

"No it's not."
"Yes it is."

"No it's not."

"You're not going anywhere until you tell me where you're going."

Mayumi glared at him. "Damnit Kouji," she yelled, "who do you think you are? My brother?"

"Technically," said Kouji calmly.

Mayumi cursed the day she ever considered Kouji to be her adopted brother.

"Hmph," she said, stopping in front of him. "Fine, I'm going to the lake. There, are you happy?"

"No," said Kouji.

Mayumi stared.

"No," repeated Kouji.

Mayumi looked at the ground, then back at him. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You're losing your touch my dear," said Kouji.

"My what?"

"Your touch," repeated Kouji, "you're losing it."

"I am not losing anything!" Mayumi was getting increasingly pissed off with Kouji, almost as much as with Tasuki.

"Yes you are," said Kouji, still with that irritating smile of his, that tells her that he was getting more and more amused by the second. "You're losing it so much that you're resolved to following Tasuki's orders."

Mayumi opened her mouth to retort, but she stopped midway. He was right, she was following Tasuki's orders. My goodness, what was wrong with her?

"See I told you," said Kouji, who was now clearly trying to fight off the grin forming in his face. "You're losing your touch."

Mayumi closed her mouth and then opened it again. "I refuse to talk to you any longer."

"Oh come on, Mayumi, don't be like that," said Kouji, "you can always follow us."

"No I can't."

"Why?" demanded Kouji slyly, "because your darling Tasuki would find out?"

"He is not my darling anything!"

"Yes he is," said Kouji, "I happen to know you enjoyed that kiss he gave you thoroughly."

Mayumi felt her face warm up, she didn't meet Kouji's eyes, which were practically dancing with glee. "Ha, I knew it."

"Follow us," said Kouji again, "he'll never find out. And I happen to know you're an excellent swordswoman. We can always use the backup."

Mayumi smirked and looked up at him. "You're actually asking me to sneak up after you in case you people need help?"

"I know you want to."

Mayumi shook her head. "You're a bad influence on me."

"I like to think I am."

"You're not supposed to be. You're my brother."

"Hey, your brother taught you how to fight. I teach you how to not follow our leader's orders," Kouji smirked. "I'll see you there then?"

"Whatever."

Kouji then ran off waving goodbye before he disappeared from sight.

Really, Kouji had a point, thought Mayumi, placing one of her many knives in the holder by her left thigh, why the heck am I following that stupid red head's order anyway?

Yeah, he also had a point when he said you enjoyed his kiss thoroughly.

Mayumi smirked despite herself. He was reeking of alcohol, damnit.

Yeah, but you still liked it.

Mayumi knew she had a problem when her conscience starts to turn against her.

Fifteen minutes head start was what she gave Tasuki and his gang of bandits. Ten minutes and she's be easily found out. Twenty, well, she may never find them. Fifteen, that's all she needed.

She walked towards the forest, and once she can no longer see the camp, she climbed one of the higher trees. She was a good climber, she had to be, it was cumpolsory, especially since Akira had a habit of hiding himself on top pf the canopy so often. It was easy to spot where the band of bandits were, some of them were hissing way too loud.

She didn't need to show herself to them, she thought, it would just blow of Tasuki's head, and then they wouldn't be able to steal the money from those foreigners. She held back a few trees from them, making sure that she wouldn't be heard in any way.

She then stopped and looked sharply behind her. She could have sworn she heard someone rustling from behind.

She squinted around, and so no one there. Her heart started beating a little faster. She took out one of her knives and raised it threateningly to the trees, in case there were people hiding there.

Just for good measure, she moved to another tree, and rose a little higher, making sure that she doesn't stay in one position for more than half a minute. After a while, the rustling wasn't followed by any other sound, and she made herself relax a little more, all the while watching Tasuki and his thieves closely.

A minute more, and there came the rustling again. She turned sharply again and threw her knife in one of the trees that she was sure the sound came from. The knife, she heard, hit nothing, but trunk and she cursed. She doesn't miss. Only the occasional time, and she was so sure that there was someone there.

She squinted again to the tree that she hit and concluded once again, that she saw nothing. She didn't go for the knife she threw. Instead, she took out another one of her knives and then turned back to the thieves.

Her eyes widened and felt a large palm immediately clamped on her mouth. She made futile sounds, but the more she tried, the harder the force of the palm got, and the harder it was for her to breather.

She couldn't see the man's face, but she was certain that it was a man. He reeked of alcohol, and he was wearing a black cloak with a black hood. She could see a small glint of gold in his face, as he leaned close to her.

"Keep still pretty," he said, "or I'll slit your throat."

Okay, I'm in a tree, she thought hastily, I can just push him off. She cursed at the thought that they were completely far from Tasuki and Kouji, they couldn't hear her struggle. She then realized that the man didn't know that she was holding a knife. With that, she plunged the knife blindly and felt it hit something soft.

The man winced, and the hood came off his head. He was a brusque man, with a beard and a goatee. His face was scarred everywhere and he had dark beady eyes. He didn't scream, she knew that he was a well trained assassin. "You bitch," he declared, and punched her hard in the gut.

She gasped quietly, felt the knife slip away from her hand, down to the forest floor, and then everything went black.