Sorry for the long delay you guys. I've been really busy with enrolling for school and everything.

When You Meet Your Match

Chapter Sixteen

Tasuki was having the time of his life.

He was now so laidback in fighting with all of the guards that he thought that this shouldn't be this easy, and someone should really step up to the plate and really challenge him.

The reason for this easiness is that he knew that Mayumi was now safe. A few minutes ago, amidst fighting two guards at the same time (he plunged his sword into one of the guards and bonked the other one with his fan), he saw at the corner of his eye, Mayumi crawling towards Kouji, who was near the door. They talked for about half a minute, and then he distinctly heard Kouji ordering Mayumi to escape. She protested, and when he did, he cried out a small growl of frustration that went unnoticed by everyone save by the guard that he was fighting, mostly because when he let out that growl he had also plunged the sword in the guard's stomach. In the end, he was able to relax, because for once, it seemed that Mayumi was able to take an order. He saw her leave the room, slowly, but deliberately.

And that was when the easiness in his fight began.

As another guard went down to his sword, he saw that the room was getting more and more roomy. On the off chance that he had a second to spare, he managed to look around. The floor was slightly sticky with the blood spilt. Even he didn't escape without any bruises and cuts. One of the guards had managed to punch him in the cheek, and another was able to produce a deep cut in his arm.

Kouji was the one with the liberty of killing of the last of the guards. Some of them were still alive, and they were writhing on the floor. Tasuki and his gang were robbers, not murderers, and as much as possible, they would sent all their uncontrollable rage towards those who really deserved it.

Mainly Kito.

Tasuki would have dearly loved to get his hands on that man, and strangle him with his bare hands. He didn't need a sword, he would just go and wrap his fingers around that man's scrawny neck and watch his struggle for air.

Unfortunately, the moment he shouted the signal, and while he was moving forward to Kouji, a swarm of guards had appeared before him and his gang, and he had no other choice than to fight these men before he can get to Kito.

As Tasuki looked down on all the men down, he frowned at the one closest to him and then let his eyes wander to the rest of the injured or dead men.

Kouji had looked towards Tasuki by now. He had a grin on his face. He too felt the exhilaration and andrenaline that one usually feels when one fights for one's life. But unlike Tasuki, he didn't grin or smile during any of the fights, but kept a serious and almost deadly face. Now that the fight was over, he can now present that grin in his face, now that he was able to keep himself alive.

When he looked at his best friend though, his grin faded a little to a smile. "Er, Genrou," he said slowly, walking up to him, "you realize that we won right?"

Tasuki nodded absent mindedly, glaring at one of the fallen guards.

"So why do you have that frown in your face?"

Tasuki looked up at him. "What frown?" he asked, frowning.

Kouji pointed at his face, a bemused expression on his own. "That one," he said, "honestly Genrou, when you were fighting the guards, you were grinning, and now that we've defeated everyone, you're frowning. Is there something wrong with you?"

Tasuki crossed his arms over his chest. "There is nothing wrong with me, baka!"

"Then why are you so angry?" asked Kouji incredulously. He didn't understand. "We beat the guards, Mayumi's safe with the rest of our guards and Kito's – "

Tasuki turned to him, and glared. "Yes, Kouji, Kito," he said, "where the hell is he?"

Kouji gulped. Uh – oh.

Kito, it had transpired, decided that while the rest of his guards were fighting the bandits, he should make his escape out of the prison now.

Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he was a coward. But just because he was a coward, it doesn't mean that he was stupid. He had a knack for manipulating people to do whatever he wants them to do, and to get whatever he wants.

Unfortunately, his tactics had never worked on his father or any of his family. His father saw him for what he truly was: a greedy manipulator. It wasn't that his father didn't love him. He left Kito enough to be comfortable, but it wasn't enough for him, especially when he saw what his brother and his freaking wife were getting. And to top it all off, he actually went off and reproduced.

He wasn't about to let his brother get away with everything and he left with nothing. He was going to get what he wanted, and what he wanted was everything that his brother's got.

Now, with the help of a bit of poison and swords, he got everything. He had a son, who was going to grow up looking up at him, a wife, and all the riches in the world. There was only one snag.

Mayumi.

By law, Mayumi would still have a claim in this house and everything that's in it, but he knew that after seeing everything that he did with this house, she wouldn't have it. But that wouldn't stop Kito from hurting him. She was of his brother's blood, and that alone was a reason why he should get rid of her. But he wasn't stupid enough to kill her in front of her boyfriend, or boyfriends. For all he knew, she was a slut through and through anyway.

He turned at the bend, and halted.

A small smug smile then formed in his face.

Mayumi was about 25 meters away from him, with a sword in her hand. He looked at her up and down, and surveyed the damaged that he had managed to inflict in a couple of days.

Her hair was formed in small clumps, thanks to the blood that oozed from her head. Near her glaring eyes there was a small trickle of blood flowing. Her clothes were stained red and her legs were wrapped in pieces of her clothing, and those were stained too.

"Mayumi," he said, calmly, "what a pleasant surprise."

Mayumi didn't say anything, merely glared and step forward. Kito didn't see her wince or give any indication that she was hurting, but he knew she was, and he was satisfied.

Of course, he would be more satisfied when she was dead.

Wrapped around her neck, he saw two gold necklaces. He knew what they were. He had the pleasure of ripping one of those necklaces from her brother's neck when he killed him. It didn't bother him that she has it now, what bothered him was that she was holding her brother's sword in her hand.

"This ends here, Ktio," she snarled.

"You should learn to respect your elders, Mayumi," replied Kito coolly, "particularly, those who are your relatives."

"I have no respect for you, nor you deserve it!" She shouted and moved a step closer.

Kito, defenseless took a step back. He wasn't suicidal. He knew that he had to do something, and something quick, or risk getting his head cut off. He tried what he knew he was good at: manipulation. "Come Mayumi," he said, "would you really kill me? You are not a murderer."

"The world would be a better place once I kill you." she replied back, taking another step closer.

Kito should have known better than to try and manipulate our hero. He glared furiously at her. "You are too much like your father, girl!"

"You didn't know my father!" she screamed back. "Prepare to die!"

"Mayumi!"

Mayumi, distracted turned around. She was in a lot of pain, although her resilience inwanting to kill Kito prevented her from showing any such emotion. As she turned around, she knew that she shouldn't have, because it only takes a few seconds for everything to go wrong for her.

She knew what was going to happen, and all that she thought did happen. In the few seconds that she turned around, Kito had managed to run to her, grabbed her hand, take her sword, and place it at her neck.

In front of Tasuki.

"Mayumi what the hell are you doing!" tiraded Tasuki angrily, glaring at her and Kito at the same time.

"What the hell does it look like!" she answered back, then wincing in pain. The cold hilt of the sword was pressed against her neck.

"Shut up!" shouted Kito over the two of them. Mayumi couldn't look up at him, without the sword drawing blood, but she knew that he was wearing a smug smile directed at Tasuki, whom she had full vision of.

Behind Tasuki was Kouji, who was wearing the same intense hatred look that Tasuki had for Kito, but every now and then, he would look at Mayumi, with an assuring look that everything was going to be okay. Only, she hoped that Tasuki would be the one who was shooting her reassuring glances.

However, Tasuki wasn't the one who could get distracted. He knew that if he looked at Mayumi, he would constantly worry, and won't be able to think of how he could save her. Obviously he couldn't use his fan, as that would mean that Mayumi would get burned too. He had to think, and be clever on his next move.