Welcome to Death's Beauty, chapter six!

Like a cold, biting wind, I dashed through the moonlight, bringing only death. My breath came out in short gasps as I ran through the back alleys, looking for my latest target. Kiroshi Nakayama. He was the leader of arsonist group that had up till now successfully burned over ten important government buildings to the ground, killing those who had been unfortunately trapped inside. Overall, a total of fifteen people had been murdered. A small number of bodies, but what the death toll lacked, the property damages skyrocketed in prices.

The night was clear, the moon took up half the sky, gazing down upon me. A lifeless eye, void of feeling or heart, illuminating my path with its cold light. As far as I had been told, Nakayama and his group operated at night, and their base was stationed by a river, weird for people who enjoy playing with fire. I leapt up high into the branches of an oak, catching my breath, and waiting for movement. Tonight, Nakayama's group would be heading for the governor's mansion, I was to meet them halfway there, and dispose of them. Easy.

Footsteps met my ears, hard, heavy, and with a purpose. Smiling, I made sure my sword was safely attached to my hip, and jumped down. They were a few yards away, I couldn't make out any features yet, but they didn't look like a very big group. Seven men, each carrying a bucket of oil, and matches walked up the path, silent, and brooding.

In the past, Nakayama had been a government official, but he'd been fired due to rumors about tax evasions, which had turned out later to be true. Now he was just a lowly arsonist. Talk about a fall. I stood in the center of the path, with my sword drawn, waiting their approach. I didn't wait long. They stopped a few feet in front of me, the foremost, Kiroshi himself. His black hair was short, and his eyes shown with their own fire.

"Who the hell are you?"

I unsheathed my blade, the moonlight radiated off its cold steel, making it glow.

"Kiroshi Nakayama. You have caused many to suffer with your hateful actions. Tonight, it shall come to an end."

"Like hell!"

I'm not sure who said that, but those were his last words. Faster than the wind, I had him decapitated. As his body fell to the ground, there was a moment of silence, followed by angry shouting, and the drawing of weapons. Seems people like this come prepared. No one even saw me coming. Blood soaked the ground as the cries and shrieks of pain filled the air. Six bodies lay in a miniature pond of blood, where was the seventh? A frantic, wild heartbeat met my ears, fueling my bloodlust. I looked over to the oak I had been positioned in a few moments ago. That beautiful, fear ridden rhythm was coming from behind that tree.

"It's no use."

Raising my sword, I slashed the tree, easily slicing off the upper half. Crouched behind the now stumped tree was Nakayama himself. He jumped and turned to face me. Ah what a wonderful emotion fear was! It made the heart beat at an alarming rate, accelerated the speed of blood as it rushed through one's veins, and overall, it made killing more fun. He dropped to his knees, quivering like a low dog.

"P-Please. I'm begging you! Don't kill me! I…I'll change! I swear I-"

He didn't get to finish his sentence. In the time it took for a cricket to chip, I had my blade jabbed right between his eyes. I pulled my sword up and out, and watched as he collapsed at my feet. Licking the blood of my sword, I replied;

"Fool. When I say I'm going to kill you, the best thing you can do is die."

* * * * *

Another night, another target. Only this one, closer to home, literally. Known for targeting the wives of rich noblemen, a local gang, called Light's Death had kidnapped and brutally murdered a total of eight women. Tonight, they were to strike in town. I grinned at the promise of slaughter to come. 15 men total in the gang, I could already smell the blood, and hear their pitiful screams. This night's killing would be the best.

Everything was immersed in an eerie calm when I reached the center of town. Black shadows writhed in the corners of alleyways, desperate to escape. Small shafts of starlight filtered down from in between the clouds, making silver beams that trailed from the sky to the earth. The silence was both calming and terrifying. Questions buzzed through my mind: Where were they? Where would they strike? I ignored them. Thoughts like that would just distract me and get me no where.

"Aaaaaaaahhhhhhh!"

That told me all I needed to know. Unsheathing my sword, I dashed to a nearby alley. Six men had a woman cornered, and took turns beating her. Her side oozed blood from where somebody's sword had done the work. Two frightened brown orbs found my sparkling violet cat's eyes. I could see the desperate plea in her eyes for help, but one look from me urged her to stay silent. Blowing my cover would not do me, nor her any good. Besides, the killing was sweeter when marinated in fear.

"C'mon bitch. Cough up the fuckin money!"

The poor timid creature backed away and huddled in the corner of the alley, shaking and crying. A wilting rose amongst so many withered, decrepit thorns. Crystal streams of tears cut a clear path down her face as she cast a terrified look up at her tormentors.

"I…I t-told you be-before. He-He-He keeps a-all the mo-mo-money locked in his sh-shop…even I don't kn-know the com-com-combination. I'm sorry!"

Bap! A meaty thud reached my ears as a fist collided with the side of her head. The man who had demanded the money, glowered down at the woman. Now that he had run out of games, his prey had become useless. Now he was sharpening his teeth, trying to decide if it would now hold any flavor. The woman hid her head in her hands, quite aware of her fate. She was hauled up by the hair, by another man, wearing brown. Ugh. Why is it the bad guys always wear such dull toned color clothes?

"That's quite enough boys. Let the poor little mouse go so you can sharpen your fangs on something more satisfying."

All heads, save for one, whipped around, expressions of surprise and shock set upon their faces. The man who had asked the woman for money, the leader obviously, replaced his shock with a cocky grin, and stepped forward.

"Another broad? I got news for ya honey. The six of us here are part of Light's Death, the most powerful gang roaming these streets right now, and no one, not even the most trained of the sword cops have been able to even come close to taking us down. So what makes you think…"

He got in my face. I could smell sake on his breath, along with something else that I reasoned would be better left unidentified.

"…that a worthless, pathetic little girl like you can stand in our way? Even if you are carrying a sword. Which is more than I can say for her over there."

He said, jerking a thumb back over his shoulder. Worthless. Pathetic. Those words clawed through my mind with rabid intensity, drawing up thick red tendrils of anger. Clenching my hand around my sword, I snarled.

"Shut up."

His grin widened. That expression soon became his death mask. I don't even think he saw anything, after all, he didn't even blink. His head rolled across the ground, still bearing that cocky grin, a mere trickle of blood seeped out of the wound, squirting tiny red spouts onto the ground. The body spammed and jerked forward, before collapsing in a mock parody of final life.

The five remaining backed away, some gasped when their backs came cruelly up against a wall. Their fault, they had chosen this corner as their own deathbeds, now all they had to do was lie down so I could slam the lid shut tight. I stepped over the fallen comrade, nudging the decapitated head aside with the flat edge of my blade.

"Oh dear, looks like the hunters are now the hunted. Hm, who should I take first? You?"

I pointed my sword to a short scruff of a guy, who trembled next to a much taller man, who looked about ready to wet himself. Men. So pathetic.

"Or you? To tell the truth, you all look like you'll provide good game."

They all stood silent and still, waiting for the other to go down so they could have a chance at saving their own lives. Good luck. I walked in the thick of the small group, occasionally, mock leaping at them, smiling when they cringed. Five men in a powerful gang reduced to frightened children, and all because of a woman with some sword fighting skills. I stopped in front of the man who had the woman up by her hair. The look in her eyes was a combination of gratitude and sheer terror.

I leaned in close and whispered in his ear:

"Let her go. She's not part of this."

He growled.

"Bullshit!"

He brought his fist down in a savage arc. In less than a minute, his hand plopped on the ground in a bloody mess. He howled, and cradled the bloody stump to his chest. His eyes danced with a fine fury, but there was an undertone of fear. He knew well what would happen if he didn't follow my orders, but he was willing to fight, Good enough for me, more fun that way.

"Last time. It should've been the only time. Let. Her. Go. Now."

I made the last word low and guttural, pressing my blade to his throat, just to be sure he got the message this time. His fingers slowly loosened their grip on her hair, and she slumped a little gracefully to the ground. She got up, dusting off her kimono, glancing around at the other men around her.

"If any one of you has any notion of taking off after her, forget it. It won't take me long to kill this punk here, so I'd extend my life by a few precious moments here. It might make all the difference. A few prayers might save you from rotting in hell."

No one moved, not even a breath of wind stirred the dust upon the ground. Taking need of the opportunity, the woman fled, never once looking back. Blood pounded through my veins, singing in high, hungry tones. My pulse beat a rhythmic throb, reverberating through my head. Blood…kill…blood…kill… it sang over and over again. An animal solely of carnage, clawed through my humanity, shredding my reserve.

They crowded in around me, their scents heavy and stifling. My own breath came out slow and measured, counting my heartbeats, anticipating which would strike first. The keening wail of a sword spiraled into the night air, sending signals of ecstasy into my brain. The battle would now begin, and the smell of blood would once more be thick in the air.

They came at me all at once, none of them lasted longer than a minute. Blood soaked the ground, ran down walls, making little red rivulets. Screams went unheard, for no one screamed for long, the alley was choked with the rich smell of blood and the sickening stench of death. Four of the five lay dead, whilst the other lay dying. His gaze met mine, the look in his eyes mirrored that of a cornered rabbit, wild and frenzied, his sanity was trembling on the edge, threatening to plummet into that darkness and never be regained.

"Where are the others?"

He shook his head, blood from a wound on his cheek spraying all over. I knelt beside him, putting my hand on his cheek, he recoiled as if my touch alone could kill him. My tone was gentle, but my words were savage.

"Tell me where the rest of you gang is otherwise, you death might become far more painful."

Still he refused. I stood and without remorse, jammed my sword into his gut, wrenching it left and right, reveling in the agonized shrieks as his entrails spilled out onto his legs.

"Now, I really didn't want to do that, but you didn't give me any other options. Tell me or the next one goes right in your groin."

The pain was excruciating, I could see it in his eyes. He didn't have long to hold out, it was either tell me and die peacefully, or keep withholding information and die slowly and painfully. Blood trickled out of his mouth as he tried to form coherent words.

"They're…some…where….in…town…."

"Where is somewhere?"

"…I…don't…..know….."

With those last three words, he died, in a pool of blood, with his organs all over the place. I turned my back on the dead man, and took off after the rest of my targets.

* * * * *

It didn't take long for me to find the other members of Light's Death. After a couple minutes of scouting, I had found them skulking around a manor house, trying to find the best way in without being caught. They were made short work of.

Now, with the sickle of the moon to aide me, I set out for home, relishing in the thoughts of a hot bath. My lower arms and hands were bathed in blood, and there were even a few splashes on my face. My sword however, was like the moon itself, clear and crystalline, not a single drop of blood on it. A gentle breeze slithered around my ankles, cooling my skin, and urging me on.

The trees were mere outlines in the dark as I climbed the towering steps to my home, their leaves whispering secrets to one another in the alien language of nature. In the brush small animals went about their lives, ignoring me and the scent of blood I carried about myself. That was the thing about animals that humans refused to accept: their indifference. A fox would no sooner care about the death of another fox, than it would try hunting a dog. A mother animal will kill her own children just to preserve her own survival. Humans viewed that as savage and barbaric behavior, when itt was actually quite intelligent.

If the fox wasted its time mourning, it would make a quick and easy meal. If the mother animal tried to move den, it would shock her children, or slow her down, and draw out their imminent demise. In this world where survival is a bloody fight for one's life, it's humanity that falls short. Emotions and intellect block base instinct. There is no knowledge to killing, it is in everyone, it is the key of survival. Kill some one, save yourself.

I stopped in front of the door, and stretched every one of my stiff muscles. Oh yeah, a hot bath would do quite nicely. I slid back the door and my mind froze. Standing on the other side of the door, on the farside of the room with his back to me Kenji. Maybe he won't turn around. It's possible he didn't hear you. As much as I would have loved to believe them, those thoughts were completely false. Kenji had heard me come in, he turned around, and I watched in silence as his mouth fell open.

"Sister…"