BACK TO REALITY - PART 3
Kamakura had lost focus when Firefly arrived and suffered for it.
He felt the taste of blood in his mouth from Firefly's elbow to his face, but recovered quickly, and sneered at him from behind his mask.
Firefly laughed at Kamakura as if amused.
"I accept your challenge, Firefly," he said without hesitation, facing him. "But return my sword. If you're an honorable warrior you'll grant me the right to my property." He extend a hand.
Firefly looked at Kamakura's hand and was so tempted to slice it off. Heck, his entire arm would be more prudent. But that would be too easy.
Firefly extended the sword and brought the tip under Kamakura's chin. "You think me a fool. You're an arrogant one for the status granted to you. Pity Snake Eyes didn't teach you the proper respect for one greater than yourself. I would've enjoyed sparing with you, but your defeat would've been swift. A ninja must be cold and calculating, and you're neither. You must learn a lot more before you and I can battle."
"Give me back my sword and I will show you how skilful I am," Kamakura said. "I'm not afraid to die. Kill me now if you fear to fight me, but don't judge me by the easiness of your own cowardliness, in shooting an arrow through my arm whist true warriors were fighting."
"You test my resolve, Kamakura," Firefly said, inching the sword inward slightly puncturing a hole in Kamakura's black mask, touching his skin, a drop of blood oozing out from the opening. "But I'm a patient man. Yours will be a death more swift than I can provide."
Storm Shadow looked about him and heard a strange whistle, wondering where it was coming from. Despite all the fighting going on his hearing was excellent. But he had heard this sound more often than he liked--it was a familiar sound and one he was terrified of. He looked up and his eyes widened with fear. "INCOMING!" he shouted.
Firefly turned to see what was incoming, and in that moment Storm Shadow lunged towards Kamakura and smothered him on the ground as the tank Firefly arrived in erupted in a huge explosion, as a missile dropped on it from a G.I.Joe aircraft. The explosion was so powerful and the impact so great that the air pressure of such a blast threw Firefly backwards with tremendous force through a glass window of a nearby restaurant.
When he thought it was save Storm Shadow looked up from his position and quickly rolled off Kamakura re-establishing his dominance over the young ninja. But in all the commotion his had lost his sword. He looked around for it that his uncle had given to him on his sixteenth birthday and suddenly found it in the hands of Kamakura. Kamakura stood up.
"Lost something, Storm Shadow?" Kamakura gripped Storm Shadow's sword with a master's touch, pointing it at him. "Such an ancient sword, it looks used but still keeps its luster. It must be worth a great deal to you. This is yours I believe. You should have it as its true owner."
Storm Shadow hesitated. It wasn't common for an enemy to return a weapon back to the one who had lost it. But he believed Kamakura's intention was sincere and sensed no deception from the ninja and slowly reached for the sword, gripping the blade. Bad mistake.
Kamakura quickly pulled back on the sword and sliced a large gash on the inside of Storm Shadow's hand. Storm Shadow hissed in pain, closing his hand into a claw. He looked at his hand, then looked back at Kamakura. "You've learned the art of deception well," Storm Shadow said, droplets of blood fell to the ground at his feet. "Pity you're not working for Cobra. I could train you in the proper way of the ninja, the way of a true Arashikage ninja, a way that your master does not know."
"He knows enough, and so do I," Kamakura spoke back. And he rose the sword above his head and angled it at a 90 degree angle. "For all the suffering you've caused my master I should kill you right here." There was a pause. "But I won't." He lowered the sword. "Instead, your life will be spent in dishonor knowing a life of eternal misery."
"Funny, since my uncle was killed that's all my life as become," Storm Shadow said. "But I do not need you to remind me of such things." Then he smirked. "You have promise, young one."
"Stop calling me young one!" Kamakura said with anger.
"But you are," Storm Shadow continued. "And I'll prove it!"
Storm Shadow swept Kamakura off his feet with a leg sweep and reclaimed his sword, then lowered it and settled it underneath Kamakura's chin.
"Are you going to finish what Firefly started?" Kamakura questioned, looking up the blade of Storm Shadow's sword.
Storm Shadow did not answer right away. "No, I have my sword back," he said, then stepped back and sheathed it. Kamakura looked at his enemy confused. "Your death will not come by my hands, but by another."
What did he mean by that? Kamakura wondered.
"Firefly's a cold blooded killer and he would have killed you without hesitation and I'm unconcern why he didn't. But apparently fate has other plans for you. Firefly is not dead. He and I have a connection that is thicker than blood. I can sense his suffering like a brother can his sibling's. He will return." Storm Shadow allowed Kamakura to stand. "But there is more to being a ninja than skill and sacrifice, Kamakura. Learn by your master. There is so much more you must learn. Now go to Snake Eyes, he needs you. Wraith is a formidable warrior and a man not to be taken lightly." Storm Shadow picked up Kamakura's sword and tossed it to him. Kamakura caught it. Kamakura immediately gripped the handle, but he did not poise for an attack. "Take this, and use it." Storm Shadow finally said.
Storm Shadow then ran into a dark alleyway and disappeared.
Kamakura took the handle of his sword and gripped it tight, looking at it with grave appreciation. The spirit of his grandfather was in this sword. He was a blacksmith. And like Snake Eyes he was a very wise man. His grandfather once told him that as long as he had this sword nothing bad would happen to him and so far that prophecy had come true. This sword was the last thing his grandfather made before he died and Kamakura believed woven in its steel was a protection greater than anything humanity could create.
But there was also Storm Shadow's humanity to thank. Storm Shadow had not totally turned to the dark side. There was still some good left in him, he could sense it and felt it as Storm Shadow touched his chin with his sword. His sword resonated with the spirit exchange that only commenced between ninja, and for a brief moment he could feel Storm Shadow's true nature. Storm Shadow was confused, he was not evil. But until he realized it he would never be free of his inner demons.
"You will be free one day, Storm Shadow," Kamakura said. "I know it."
Looking at his arm he saw the arrow Firefly fired into it. He prepared himself for the pain and with one strong yank he pulled it out. A gush of blood followed it. The pain was excoriating, but he managed.
Ripping a piece of cloth from his clothes he wrapped it tight around the wound, to stop the blood, and tied it off by using his teeth.
Once the bandage was on, he went to help his master.
TO BE CONTINUED