The moon cast stray glimmers of light as Noriko entered the town. She had traveled for three days straight without resting before giving up the chase. Two towns she passed through said he had come and went, just like herself.

But why would he be in a hurry? Did he know she was after him?

Noriko put Kyoshiro aside to focus on her task. While she was asking about Kyoshiro, an old woman had asked her to check on a neighboring town, which had not been heard from in many months. Plague was the expected cause, but anything could have happened. Noriko had agreed to check on the residents, since she was heading in that direction.

But the "town" she had come to wasn't a town anymore. The streets were empty, with trash lining the edges of buildings. A rat crossed the street in front of her, carrying a rotten vegetable in its mouth. This place was a ghost town now. Whoever lived here was gone or dead. But what stood out the most was the heavy stench of iron.

No. It was blood.

Noriko froze. Unconsciously, she had turned toward one of the alleys, out of reach from the moon's beams. There, piled like discarded trash, were corpses. At least thirty. Now that the mass had her full attention, she could see the blood trickling from their bodies, trickling towards the street like a small stream.

This wasn't just a killing. It was a massacre.

Suddenly, she heard a faint rustle behind her. Assuming the killer was still at large, Noriko grabbed her dagger. She pivoted on her heel, gaining enough momentum to hurl her blade in the direction of the noise. The sound was of an impact on wood. She had missed.

"Please don't kill me!" A figure jumped from the wall and began to kneel on the floor. "I didn't see anything! I wont tell anyone, just don't hurt me!"

"Kyoshiro?"

Kyoshiro looked up, relief flooding onto his face. "Noriko? Is that you, Noriko?"

"That's all you have to say?" Noriko walked closer as Kyoshiro stood. Pulling the dagger from the wall behind him, she grabbed his collar. "You lied to my face and that's all you have to say?"

"What are you talking about? When did I lie to you? I haven't spoken with you since-"

"Our first and only meeting. I know. I've been tracking you so I could beat you."

"What?" His face seemed to show genuine shock. Did he have any idea that he was an open target? Noriko didn't care. He was her target and he was caught.

"Mibu Kyoshiro. Ran out of an inn without paying his bill. Wanted for a small bounty. You do remember what I do for a living, right?"

Noriko could see the connections running through Kyoshiro's head. He was silent, probably wondering if he said anything or tried to run, whether she would hurt him or kill him. Bounties were turned in dead or alive. Hunter's choice.

"Kyoshiro," Noriko cooed, an evil grin appearing on her face, "you and I are going to be spending a lot of time together. At least until we reach the next officer station."

"Wait a minute, Noriko," Kyoshiro pleaded. "We just saw what's left of a mass killing, right? Don't you want to catch the culprit? They probably have an even higher bounty than me."

"That's not the problem-" Noriko couldn't finish her sentence.

Men carrying sickles jumped out from inside the buildings and other alleys, attacking them with violent slashes. Their swings were random, making it hard for Noriko to decide how to dodge. Deciding to fight back, she threw Kyoshiro to the ground, turning to face the attackers. Parrying their blows, Noriko could feel herself losing ground, nearly pinning herself against the wall.

"I should have gotten out of here while I had the chance! This is your fault, Noriko!" Kyoshiro yelled. He seemed to be having trouble of his own, dodging the wildly swung blades.

"If you want to live, then use that sword of yours!"

"I can't!"

"Why not?"

Suddenly, Kyoshiro fell to the ground, landing on his back. One of the men towered above him, sickle in hand, ready to strike. As the blade began to fall, Noriko felt her heart race. Even though she hated Kyoshiro at the moment, she couldn't let him die in front of her. She ducked around the group of men, sprinting in Kyoshiro's direction.

She wouldn't make it.

In an instant, Kyoshiro's hand gripped his sword. Without unsheathing it, Kyoshiro released an enormous amount of pressure, blasting Noriko, causing her to freeze in place. The pressure was so intense that even the attackers backed away, their legs trembling at the sheer force.

No. Force wasn't the right word. Not even close.

It was his aura. Kyoshiro's killing aura.

It was then that she noticed Kyoshiro's heavy breathing and sweating. He began to wobble, supporting himself on his sword.

"Get . . .away," he wheezed. He was in bad shape, compared to his energy earlier. "Get away! He's . . .coming! He's coming!" Kyoshiro suddenly screamed, sending chills down Noriko's spine, before finally dropping to the ground. He didn't budge, hand still gripping his sword.

Was it the sword that caused the tremendous aura? Or was it really Kyoshiro, a frail medicine peddler that hated fighting, even to save his own life?

Noriko was still lost in her thoughts when she felt a hand gripped her shoulder. The attackers had recovered their composure, released from Kyoshiro's previous outburst. Grabbing the hand, she knelt forward bringing her leg up behind her, throwing the man across the street.

She could no longer hold back. Not only did she have to defend herself, but now she had to protect Kyoshiro's vulnerable body. Humans were so pathetic. So weak. Waiting for the next strike, she edged herself toward Kyoshiro, keeping her eyes on the group.

"Enough!"

Noriko and the men turned to see an older gentleman standing in the street. His wide gait and white hair signaled that he had some wisdom under his belt, but what surprised Noriko was the fact that the men began to bow to him.

It finally struck her. This man was their leader.

"Forgive them, young miss," the old man said. "They are only trying to protect this little village of ours."

"Protect? They aren't the killers who created this mess in the alley?" The word 'mess' seemed to affect them more than she suspected. Many flinched at the word, while others began to whimper. "Who . . .if I may ask . . .caused this?"

A solemn look appeared on the man's face. This man was definitely the leader of the village. The burden of the massacre could be seen on his weathered face.

"I would prefer not to speak of this matter in this specific location. I believe it is not the proper setting for such a sad tale, don't you agree, young miss?" He smiled.

"I shall take you up on your offer, sir," Noriko replied. "Can I borrow one of your men to carry my companion? I'm afraid even I can't move him on my own."

"Of course. Men, help the miss carry her friend and find our own. It won't be a good idea to leave anyone behind at night." They grunted and began to scoop up their injured comrades and Kyoshiro, careful not to wake him. Neither they nor Noriko wanted to feel that aura again.

One of the men approached Noriko as she grabbed Kyoshiro's medicine box. "Miss," he said, not wanting to sound intruding.

"Yes?"

"I was just wondering. You are a bounty hunter, aren't you?"

"Yes, though that may come as a shock to you." She didn't let her annoyance leak into her tone. Did everyone in this world expect girls to be weak little creatures?

"Ah! Sorry! I didn't mean it like that! I was just thinking . . . We tried to kill you, thinking you were someone else. Why didn't you kill us?"

"Excuse me?"

"Why didn't you kill any of us? You are obviously capable. Why not finish the fight instead of leaving them to get back up again?"

"Because," she hesitated. It was true she didn't kill any of the men when they attacked. A normal hunter would have finished them in an instant out of self-defense. A normal hunter, anyway. The man was staring at her intently, waiting for an answer.

She obviously couldn't say it was her people's law that any god or goddess that went to the human world could not kill a human being.

"I don't like it," she finally answered. "I hate the smell of blood." She strode away, eager to be left alone.

Her answer wasn't a lie. She had always hated fighting. But it wasn't the complete truth either. Sooner or later, Noriko would have to kill.

But it wasn't a human she was after.