Fro Ninja; Hey guys what's going on?! The Fro Ninja here with another release! I won't waste time getting this, but before we do that, let's see who came and left a comment.
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Allright, so without further ado, let's get into everything!
Afro's perspective
Somewhere outside the village.
Blood, screams, and the smell of carcasses was the last thing I could remember.
It wasn't something that continued its pain, but still stayed there as a reminder like a faded scar that ocasionally seeps out from its peaks. My hands yearned for the sensation of the twisting and jerking motion of the sword at every conceivable moment, to be able to stretch cold steel down a man's throat for everytime that looked at me wrong. Everytime I close my eyes, I keep on living that moment over and over again, almost like a movie stuck on repeat by a rock stuck in the reels. And it's the best part of the movie. The best part that you've seen a thousand times, you begin to get sick of it after a while.
It had been a while since I managed to sleep without concerns of gutting the presence hovering above my body. Now, since I sense it there constantly, I'm able to sleep more contently than I'm able to without it. I leaned up from the futon and rubbed my face before reaching to grab my father's sword in the spot I placed it in. To my surprise, it wasn't there. My muscles automatcially tensed up, and my heart began to beat a few paces faster in anticipation of what was about to be. I then quickly sensed an unfamiliar presence, and vaulted out of my laying spot, avoiding what looked like kunai knives digging heavily into my sheets.
"What?!" As I said that as if on cue, I heard five more clacks on the leftmost side of the go off, and soon the sound of wood burning. The crackles surrounded me as the fire spread, making a sound resembling raindrops. Without a second thought I exited the shed through the one of the windows before the whole shed burned to a crisp. As i made it outside, I looked around hastefully for the larsonist, while also keeping my wits about me. For the first few seconds I saw nothing, until I felt the sensation of cold steel attempting to drive against my neck. Feeling the structure of the blade, and how it met up with the shape of its turn in its cutting path, I crouched down and instantly found the spot of the handle. As soon as my hands made contact with their own, I formed a strong grip and threw them in front of me, avoiding the slice before it actually hit its mark. The wielder in question tried charging toward me, only to meet the impact of my right hand. I then scanned the ground, and found the blade that was almost used to cut my neck off, and planted right in their leg.
"ARRGGGHHHHH!" I heard them wretch out in pain as I dug the blade deeper into their thigh, until blood began to splurge on my hands. I then delievered two punches to their mid section. For some reason, I felt padding near their vital spots where my fists landed. Whoever this person is, they are obviously well armed. Seeing an opening, I grabbed their arm and pushed up the elbow joint, making the bone spring out of its flesh, and then delievered a throw that lead them straight face down into the ground. With them pinned on the ground, and their arm tight in my clutches, and pressed down onto their neck. I could hear the gurggling of his throat coming up from his mouth, and his lungs struggling to breath air. "Let...let me go!" I then grabbed one of the kunai knives from his back pouch, and stuck it into other good hand and cut off one of his fingers. "ERRRRHHHGGGHHH!" Once again, his screams belled out. The very sound of them, screeched against my ear for a good minute before I cut off another one of his fingers.
I crouched down beside their face and took off the assailants mask, revealing the face of a young boy. Probably fourteen or fifteen at best. His bloodied face was sullied with fear and pain, and driven by hate. A face I know very well. "No! No! You've...you've seen me! Kill me! Kill me now! I would rather die than be looked upon the likes of you!" Even though the boy was a native, his English was surprisingly good. My instincts told me that we wasn't from around here. I didn't know who send him, but I was about to get some answers.
"Who sent you? Dare ga? I decided to speak the native tongue as well to belay the communication more in my favor. It was useless, as he refused to speak.
"I will tell you nothing!" I decided to give him an incentive to speak once more. I then took another kunai, and stuck it in the elbow of his other arm, and before he could scream, I placed more pressure on the foot placed on his neck. I could her the muffled screams as his body squirmed.
"Screaming will only make it worse. I can end your sufferering, if you tell me what I want."
"You...you animal! You would kill me?! I am defenseless! You outsiders have no morals! Kusou gaijin! You're no better than demons!" I pressed my foot down even harder on his throat.
"Do not insult me. If you pick up that sword and aim it at someone's throat, you would best be prepared to face the consequences should you fail. Be it death or worse. And to label the one who defended himself against your assault as a demon? I can tell you have yet to step foot in the real world, and learn of its ways. Now tell me. . You?"
I placed my full weight down on his neck and heard the gurggling screams sound off even louder, and began to twist the arm that I held even further until I heard bone after bone snap in place. After about three minutes, I felt a rapid patting sensation against my leg.
"Please! Stop! I beg of you! Just stop! I'll tell you! I'll tell you, just...just...please...just...stop..." After hearing his cry, I let go of his arm and took my foot off of his neck, which had left a very dark mark on the spot.
I grabbed his body and leaned him up against a nearby tree. His breaths were labored and hoarse, and his face, wet with tears and blood. He was hurting, it didn't take an expert to notice that.
"Talk. And I will end it."
He took a moment to catch his breath before speaking.
"I...never...asked for his name...I...only...know of his...face...he...is of...dark skin...like you...His voice...is commanding...direct...We...were to...told...not...to report back...should we fail...to kill you...The Number Two..."
"Many people have tried to kill me. What makes this one so different?"
"He know...that...you plan to escort...the foreign diplomat...to the capital...He...doesn't want you...to succeed..."
"Why?"
"His reasons...are unknown to me... But...he...isn't the...only who feels this way...many...will...come...to halt your progress..."
"This one can send whatever or whomever he likes. I don't care. I will succeed in my mission"
"Haha...hmph...you don't know what these people...are capable of...what they could do to you...they...took...me...from my family...forced me to fight...I didn't want...to...but..." He then began to cough up blood from his mouth. I could tell he didn't have much time left. But then my eyes notice the detail of a tiny particle on his mouth which he then swallows. Poison, huh? I guess his client's orders were absolute. His breaths became more hoarse, and his coughs more severe.
"For someone who had no choice in the matter, you seem rather quick to end your life after losing to your target." I told him.
"Lost? No...no...no. It...was...never my intention...to win or lose... I...had hoped you would be the one to kill me...It..was..the only way...I could guarantee...my freedom...from this life...It...was the-*cough*" As he got ready to depart, I decided to humor is true intentions.
"Who are you? What's your name boy?"
"You...would...have the name of your...assassin? Hehehe...you're a strange samurai...*sigh* My...name is Kyoushiro...Muto Kyoushiro...I know...have...no right to ask this of you...but...should...you reach..the capital...please...look...for he...my sister...please...I ask..this of..."
And with that, what little life he had, withered away under this dead tree. I was never one to believe in the after life, I surely wished that he had gone to a better place. Better than this sick, twisted and vile one that all manner of man reside in. I stood up from my knee and closed the boy's eyes shut and simply walked away.
As I walked, a familiar presence had walked beside me, his snickering and smell of herbs had filled around my ears and nostrils. I didn't bother to make eye contact, and kept walking.
"What do you want?" I asked him.
"C'mon Afro! You think that I was just gonna leave you back there brotha?! I mean, I was fitting to help you out, but hehe, you know I was a little...uh...preoccupied, you feel me? I would never you leave you hanging brotha." Despite his reassurance, I still pressed on. Even though the sun had yet to rise, I was still aways from the village, and there's no telling what other assassins were lurking around still. "Uhhh...so, I take it you don't wanna to talk about what just happened huh? I mean, it was kinda cold blooded the way you just kept torturing him and shit, but but it was real cool though, the way you told him you would look for his sister and shit. Real slick padna."
"I didn't say I would do it."
"Yeaahhh, but you didn't say you wouldn't do it either, so it sounds like you content with the whole situation hombre. You know what I mean? Besides I bet you feel all giddy inside the way he was all protecting his family, I betchu it brought a tear to eye right? Remind you of yo dead daddy, and how you was out there killing niggas for chump change and shit? Dems was the good old days, hahaha!"
Without a word, I drew my blade in a flash against Ninja's head. I didn't look to see if the attack had landed, because I already knew it didn't.
"Shut...up."
I then heard him chuckling.
"Aight, aight. I'll back off. But you know, these niggas ain't goin' stop coming after you Afro. You gotta figure out a way to keep these muthafuckas from gangin up on you. Have a colt nearby or some shit! Just to get you by!"
...
A few hours later, I made it on to the main road leading back to the village, Just one cue, the sun began to rise beyond the hills in the distance. I placed my hand on my sword as I made my way down to the front entrance. As I was about to go in, Ninja had stopped me by placing himself in front of me directly.
"Move."
"Hold up, hold up a minute playa. I know you took this job and all, but have you thought about what to do with...uh...you know who?" I knew exactly who he had in mind. I simply avoided the question by grunting. "C'mon Afro man! You seriously think that young brotha is ready for some shit like this?! I mean, it's only been a few years since you started training him. Now don't get me wrong, that boy is GOOD, I mean he's able to hold his own against , and you know how that nigga gets in a fight, but he ain't never been out there before. That kid is gonna get the taste smacked out of his mouth, if you don't get him to come correct!"
I honestly couldn't argue with him. The boy was decent in terms of skill, but in the ways of the warrior, he was still a newcomer. However in warring times like these, there's only so much that you could learn in a dojo or just with sparring excersises. While this does seem like a stretch, I feel that this is the pathways to reach the next stage of his training, be it safe or not.
"He'll be fine..." That's all I could give as an answer. I couldn't tell honestly what the future may hold for this mission, but it would be one that would most likely be the answer to young Huey's question.
CHAPTER 2 END.
Authors note ; Thanks for reading everybody. Sorry this chapter was shorter than the last, but because I have other things I'm working on, I had to find a way to cut this one down a little bit. But rest assured, I will try to get these chapters out a little sooner than this one. So please, stick around, and thanks once again. Peace!