Chapter 10- The Gang of Sinners

Shura groaned as she flexed the knots out of her back. She was standing on edge of a cliff, her back to the endless miles of green mountains that barred much of her travel. Over the past six weeks, she had travelled a good portion of the country and searched through more villages than she could recall.

The next one ahead however was the one she'd been looking forward to the most. It was said that this farmland was being closely watched by samurai patrols sent by the province's feudal lord. The samurai here had a good reputation and many veterans in the upper ranks. Shura had made her way to the village as fast as possible.

There was a problem however. The village was no more. Little remained now of the farmers' meager abodes but charred rubble, with only a few sections having survived the long past flames.

Shura could only guess the deed had been done by a large party of bandits. Even so, this was a bold move to make on a place watched by trained swordsmen. Of course, it wasn't unheard of for bandits to steal crops and supplies from farmers. But for them to kill the samurai, Shura knew they either took them by surprise or were skilled warriors themselves. If so, the bandits most likely employed wandering samurai without masters- ronin. This warranted an investigation.

Shura kicked away an empty pale and strode through the graveyard. She glanced from side to side. A few bodies had not been scorched by the flames. Like their simple farmhouses, the corpses of villagers were easy to identify by their modest attire. Most of them lay face down with arrows jetting out through their backs. She knew this had been a one sided battle. The villagers had chosen to flee rather than fight, but were shot down in the process. For some reason, this type of warfare didn't sit well with Shura.

The Black Oni continued to search for more clues. She held her breath to avoid the reek of the decaying corpses. At last she found something of interest. The body of a bandit freed of his troublesome head. This one was not dressed in the traditional armor many samurai wore when going rogue. This man wore only a straw hat, a torn up brown kimono, and simple straw sandals with tabi.

Farther by, a katana lay unattended. Shura looked a few feet beyond it and there was its owner- a samurai donned in crimson armor and he wasn't alone. More lay dead around him. Shura grinned. Most of the samurai were facing her direction. Shura guessed they had made a last stand here. These samurai appeared to have died at the same time against a single foe. Several had been stabbed through by their own katanas. And the rest appeared to have fallen from a single swing. She felt her heart race as she imagined the one who possessed such skill with the blade. This didn't tell her what their level was, but to take on armored samurai with ease meant they would at least last a few minutes against her.

Shura's hopes were quickly dashed. She recalled that the decaying bodies and run out flames meant this village had been gone for some time. There might not be a trail left for her to pick up on. On the other hand, perhaps these bandits were not up for cross country treks and merely haunted the providence. She hadn't seen any hoof marks to signify they travelled and fought by horseback. She decided to at least investigate the area for tracks.

Something caught her ear. A large rumbling sound headed her way. It sounded like… horses. She readied herself with a hand to Fujin-Maru. Had the bandits come back?

At last they reached her. The steeds all circled her and their riders aimed clean naginatas at her throat. But they weren't bandits. They were samurai, each armed with a katana, spear, and bow and quiver. One wore the same detailed crimson armor she had seen earlier, along with a gaudy helmet, itself crowned with a silver horned crest. She correctly guessed this one was the leader. The other samurai were clad in less cumbersome black armor and simple black straw hats. One lacked the armor altogether and was dressed in a simple blue kimono and hakama pants.

Their leader said, "Who are you?" His helm pivoted up and down as he soaked in her appearance.

"Judging by your indecent attire, not that I mind, you don't appear to be a farmer or artisan."

Shura said lazily, "Correct."

"Armed too. Quite heavily I've noticed. There isn't any question then. You are one of the bandits here to take whatever you missed the first time. Take her!"

"Don't try to resist." said the plain dressed soldier.

"Don't be so fast to get your hands on me." she said, "I just got here."

"Don't lie to me! You being here is no coincident."

"That's right. The name's the Black Oni, perhaps you've heard of me? I came here to challenge you samurai to a duel."

The samurai all became even more uneasy.

"But—" said Shura, "I see someone already did. Tell me what became of the bandits that attacked this village."

"We… We're unsure ourselves. They disappeared after the raid and didn't attack any of our other villages. Our patrol was to scout the area, but there isn't anything to find. I hear that they've attacked other providences all across Japan."

Another samurai said, "They call them the Gang of Sinners. I've heard that the bandits themselves are nothing special. It's their leader- Jaken. He has his bandits use surprise attacks to avoid casualties, but likes to lead the charge and engage as many samurai as he can at once."

The leader spoke again. "He doesn't seem to be picky if you ask me. Once, Jaken's done with the samurai, he joins his men in killing the farmers. I mean, I know they're worth shit, but it's still cruel. After they strip the place of goods, he has the survivors hunted down and the village burnt to the ground. But he lets one villager live. He gets to tell everyone what he saw that day. And so, many provinces have begun to fear the Gang of Sinners. Worse, no one has any idea where they'll show up next."

Damn. They're probably long gone and he has no intention of returning. What do I do now? Just go on my way and hope I run into the bastard? Tch. This sucks.

"I suppose this is a bad time, but would you be interested in fighting me?" she asked.

"What?! You dare challenge a samurai?"

"Yes."

The other samurai, who had become shifty at hearing her name, now gulped in unison. The leader became angry and looked ready to charge her with his spear. But one of his men leaned against his ear and said, "That's the Black Oni sir."

"Who?"

"A manslayer with a reputation similar to Jaken."

The leader recoiled a few inches in the harness.

"Well, unfortunately lady, we have a patrol to return to. And if any of my men were injured I'd have hell to pay."

Shura scowled and crossed her arms. "If you're not interested in me, just say so."

"W-What? That has nothing to do—"

The other samurai, once more, leaned against his helm and whispered something to him.

"Oh. Well, how was I supposed to know that? Come on, back on route."

He pulled on the reigns and took off. The other samurai maneuvered their steeds and followed him down the dusty road.

Shura sighed.

"Don't get your hopes down." said the voice from her bone spaulder, "You'll find that special killer someday."

"Oh ha ha."

Author's Note: I found the samurai leader fun to write. He's sort of like the straight man of the story. He actually notices Shura's skimpy outfit, likes it, and he takes her innuendos as genuine flirting. Impossible!

I liked Shura's interaction with the demon spirit in this chapter. The teasing was more playful and less hostile than usual.