Chapter 5: "Playtime is Over"

September 21, 2012 at the Abstergo facility in Italy

I woke up at 7am, like usual. My head was splitting and my eyes didn't want to open. I didn't jump out of bed like usual. I just sat up, taking in my surroundings. I was in my room instead of my animus chamber. Last night was looking like one Hell of a dream. . . probably. It felt so real that I wouldn't bet money against it. Whatever it was, I still needed to get to work today.

December 28, 1854 in Edo, Japan

The twelve recruits stood in formation at the training ground in the woods behind the Kasai household. Tsume, Kennosuke, Azusa, Igarashi, Motoko, Takanori, Maruyama, Fumito, Eiji, Kyuzo, Shimoda, and Tokiro all waited in the cold for their instructions. They had been told that today would be a very special day in all of their lives.

"We are going to play a game," Sensei said to his students. His Japanese had greatly improved in the last two years, "The rules are simple. You will each be given three flags. Then, you will wear your flags in your obi {belts}. Then, you will spread out into the city."

Joseph handed out the flags. When Tsume's turn had come, he counted that he had been given a trio of dull green flags. A quick glance about indicated that every recruit was receiving their flags sorted by color. "You'll do great," Joseph whispered.

"Fasten the flags to the front of your obi. You are to take each other's flags. Each flag you claim is a 'kill.' Each flag you lose is a 'death.' Use your training weapons to score your kills," Sensei continued, "If you lose three flags, then you are out of the game. When you are out, I want you to climb the tallest tower in Edo. I will be waiting for you there."

Asuka, who had become scary ever since she had gotten pregnant, handed out the training weapons. Each recruit received a sword, dagger, and hidden blade, all made of the usual bamboo rather than metal. Tsume was used to these by now, since Asuka had been training everyone with them nearly every day for the last two years.

"You may not take more than one flag at a time. Joseph, Garen, Asuka, and I will be watching you all to be sure that you do not violate that. How you get each flag is up to you," Sensei turned his back to his recruits, "Where other men blindly follow the truth, remember..."

"Nothing is true," they sounded off in unison.

"Where other men are limited by morality or law, remember..."

"Everything is permitted."

"What was that?"

"Everything Is Permitted!"

"I can't hear you!"

"EVERYTHING IS PERMITTED!"

Sensei's face shifted to a sly grin, "Remember that. Now scatter! The game begins at noon. You have one hour."

Tsume immediately traveled to Edo's poor district. In a way, he found it funny how the city seemed to have waited still for him. Granted, Edo was a city that had barely changed in the last few centuries, so two years would have had next to no impact at all. The sameness was a stark contrast to the changes Nariko-san had informed him of ever since his training had begun. His familiarity with the Edo's unchanged back alleys coupled with his experience as a thief was sure to give him a huge advantage.

He approached a tempura stand. If he wanted to win this, he didn't want to be hungry. Hunger would make him aggressive enough to succeed, but it wouldn't allow him to think enough to succeed. Even if he wasn't hungry at the moment, this game had a dozen recruits spread across a massive city. It could end anywhere from a few hours from now to a few days from today.

With his thumb, Tsume flipped a mon onto the counter, "Vegetables, please. No sauce."

The attendant happily accepted the payment and began work on Tsume's lunch. It was around that moment when Tsume felt a brush on his shoulder. He turned around quickly with his hand readied on the hilt of his bokken {training sword}. His stance relaxed when the white hood evidenced it was an actual Assassin instead of a pickpocket. Tsume could tell from the hair on the jaw poking through the hood that this one was Sensei's son, Garen.

"I wasn't expecting to see you here," Garen told Tsume, "This is my favorite tempura stand in town."

"Really?"

"No. I've actually never even been to this part of Edo. I just followed you," Garen glanced over his shoulders before reducing his tone to a whisper, "Safe to assume that you're from around here?"

Tsume nodded cautiously, keeping his eyes wary over Garen's shoulder.

"That's probably not a good idea. You may be familiar with the place, but that just means you won't be watching your back."

Tsume thought for a moment. Garen had a point. Tsume couldn't discount the fact that he had been completely taken by surprise in his old stomping ground. Then again, this was Garen. He was a trained Assassin whose only consistency was his inconsistency. He could be more lighthearted than Joseph, then picking a fight with Asuka over an inoffensive observation, then running off to the nearest brothel; all within the span of an hour. As oddly specific as that was, it was something that Tsume had seen Garen do once before.

"You should watch out boy," Garen said dryly, "I won't be surprised if that scar betrays you today. In fact, I'd be more surprised if today would be the last time it causes you trouble."

Tsume felt the ridge on his left cheek. His memory flashed back to the day he first learned the full story of the Assassin Order. The way Joseph spoke of the Assassins made them out to be the grand protectors of humanity's freedom from the dreaded Templars. Tsume was naturally skeptical at first that a person's lot in life could be determined by their actions rather than the conditions of their birth, but the lives of the Assassins seemed to argue otherwise. Then they had begun preaching that a person's impact on the world was determined by the actions of one's life rather than the circumstances of one's death. That much was not news to Tsume, but to recruits like Kennosuke who had been trained as samurai, it meant all of the difference in the world. They even kept more honorable social behavior than the samurai, despite holding a combat philosophy which was anything but honorable. A full two and a half years later, Tsume still marveled at how the ways of the Assassins had changed the way in which he saw everything. For him, this scar was a reminder of how he would never be that naive homeless child again.

Tsume smiled with disbelief, "How will it betray me?"

"How many people do you know keep a big target on the side of their face?" Garen's thumb brushed the yellow sideburns which ran from his ear to the corner of his mouth in roughly the same length as Tsume's scar, "After today, I would recommend you try to grow a beard. It could help to hide that thing."

Tsume's palm engulfed his mouth and nose as his fingers rubbed his face in search of some trace of stubble. "I don't think I could grow a beard. I tried that a year ago, but nothing good came of it. It just grows a bit under my chin and a little on my jaws."

"Ah. Well, that's a damned shame. In America, it's a sign of manliness, but not everyone likes a man to keep one. That's a damned shame too. Might as well chop of his... how do you say... chinpo," it wasn't until Garen used some Japanese that Tsume realized they had been conversing in English all along.

"But you don't have a beard."

Garen rubbed his chin which was the only bald spot on his face. He had always kept that area of his face well-shaven. "Facial hair is facial hair," he said with a sense of smugness, "and a man isn't a man without it."

"Good to know I'm not a man."

"Well, you haven't had your genpuku yet, right? Isn't that why you're still just Tsume?"

"I don't think that will help me grow a beard."

"It won't. By the way, have you decided on what you'll change your name to?"

"Not yet. I was thinking about what Sensei said about us being birds."

"The few who know of us have compared us to wolves, because we stay hidden until the time comes to ambush our prey and begin the chase. Instead, we are raptors. We watch from above where none think to look. Those who do look only see our shadows hidden amongst the birds. There is no chase. There is only the moment when death takes his claim."

"Yes. Exactly. How did you do that?"

"He's my papa."

Honestly, Tsume was not sure if Garen even knew what he meant. It was a difficult thing to describe. He wanted to know how Garen could be so vastly different from his father, but still always manage to sound exactly like the man. Tsume considered clarifying, but decided against it. Making Garen seem the fool was never a smart idea for anyone other than Sensei.

"Just keep your eyes open and try to pick your name soon," Garen said as he started toward the street.

Tsume pondered on what the purpose of that whole thing was. Then, from the corner of his eye, spotted one of his own flags hanging on the corner of the stand.

"Tricky bastard," Tsume muttered when he returned the flag to the front of his obi.

As he waited for his tempura to finish, Tsume began to think about his genpuku. He was one of Arkwright's only students not to have had one yet. The others were mostly either from samurai families and had their genpuku already, were from Assassin families and had a name already chosen, or were girls and therefore didn't change their names. Since Tsume had neither background, he was still just Tsume.

His mind began to speculate on the name he would choose. Only samurai, nobles, and their descendants could bear two names. Then again those from Assassin families also carried two names. The boy's pondering took an exciting turn with the prospect of finally standing before -rather than cowering from- samurai. They would demand his identity, and he would shout his new double name, the mere mention of which would force the samurai to step down and allow him to kill the Templar without resistance. The people would shout his name in the streets like the hero he was and the Templars would rightfully whisper his name in terror. He would be the fearsome... Hayabusa {Falcon}? Washi {Eagle}? Taka {Hawk}? Probably something along those lines.

Tsume needed more time to think. He hadn't chosen his surname nor his new given name. Would he even get to choose a surname? Most boys didn't get such a privilege, and they were the sons of merchants and smiths. Tsume was the orphaned son of a former fisherman. What about Hitsu? Would he become an Assassin as well? Would he get to choose his own name or would he be stuck with the name Tsume chose? Tsume would need to be more careful with the na-

"Here you go," the tempura cook said with a smile, "Vegetable tempura."

"Arigato," Tsume gave the man a slight bow as he picked up a piece of tempura with his chopsticks. It was still hot. Normally, it would be too hot, but Tsume found tempura to be great for winter days like today. Wait, no. Tempura is fried and therefore cools quickly. Soup or noodles would have been a smarter choice today. Then again, the stand's owner didn't appear to be getting any business, so at least he got to help the man.

Tsume bit the first piece of tempura whole. It burned his palate and tongue a bit on the way down, but he was willing to forgive that. As he exhaled, he couldn't be sure how much was steam from the tempura and how much was his breath in the cold. The sky had begun to snow and Tsume didn't want to find himself cold already.

After finishing his meal, he immediately moved to the tallest building he could spot from the tempura stand. Careful not to look up -lest he hesitate- he dashed up the wall, using the grooves between the stones to get the traction he needed to climb. His fingertips clasped to the first beam they could reach. With his weight focused into his extremities, Tsume was comfortable enough to advance upward. He scanned the building for his next goal. He sidled left toward the window, careful not to shift his balance. With his hands in the windowsill, he lifted himself until his toes clung to where his fingers had been. Up above, he could not locate a safe place to grab on this wall. Undeterred, he hung from the beam to shimmy around the outer corner.

On this new wall, Tsume could see another window above. Unfortunately, the wind had been blowing the snow into the ledges he would use to climb. A little frozen water wouldn't stop him. However, it tried its best to cast him down when he lost his balance for a few seconds.

The last two years have been, according to Sensei, the most grueling training known to man. Normally, he had told them, it would be finished in a year, but Sensei wanted the Japanese Assassins to be better trained to make up for their current lack of numbers. Tsume felt it a great honor to be one of the few. Failure to to climb a stupid building would be impermissible.

"Oh, that was easy," Tsume chuckled. Amidst his contemplation he had reached the rooftop. This would be a good enough vantage point to watch the action below. Even with his fellow recruits all dressed in white, they couldn't hide in the snow; especially not with their target advertising himself on the rooftop.

The city was quieter than usual. Wherever he looked, hardly a soul was in sight. Tsume thought back to what Nariko-san had taught him about his 'gift of knowledge.' She told him that it was stripping your mind from its senses to open a new sense. Tsume had attempted to activate it before, but only got sleepy. She tried to clarify the difference between dulling the senses and dulling the mind, but Tsume never quite understood. He still wanted to get it right, though.

Tenuously, his eyes shut. The street was silent. The cold had numbed both his feeling and his smell. He drew a heavy breath. Then, he heard the crunch of snow. As he released his breath, his eyes came open.

All about, Tsume's world had gone blacker than night. Only faint sketches of the rest of Edo's poor district remained. A golden streak lined one of the streets. Curious, Tsume walked to the edge of the roof to get a better view. He couldn't help but notice that it came about halfway up the-

An arm covered Tsume's mouth as a dull point pressed into his back ribs. As swiftly as they had appeared, the arms had retreated. Tsume's first experience with his gift was cut short. Once his eyes had readjusted to the brightness of the snow, he saw that Tokiro was responsible for his first 'death.'

"Hi Tsume," he said in his usual cheerful demeanor, "How are you today?"

"I was doing okay," Tsume said as he waited for his heartbeat to slow back to normal, "Ate some decent tempura earlier. You?"

Tokiro scratched the back of his head and yawned, "You know, I talked to Joseph earlier."

"Yeah?" Tsume replied, only half-invested in the conversation.

"Yeah. He said that the point of this game is to put all of our training to use."

"Really?" this was not news to Tsume.

"Yeah, but could I get your opinion on something?"

"Um, I guess."

You know how Sensei says that samurai are some of the worst swordsmen in the world?"

"Peace will make a warrior rust faster than his sword. We've had two centuries of rusty samurai."

"Yeah, but with all of this training, how soft can they be?"

"The first time I saw an Assassin, Sensei and his team had only been here for a few days. Joseph only needed to knock down a samurai twice before he ran like a coward."

"I really don't think Joseph would ever run from a fight he wasn't confident he could win."

"The samurai was the one who ran."

"Really? As I heard it, he killed six samurai before he needed to escape with your life."

"I swear, if he could get paid for embellishing stories, Joseph could be a very wealthy man."

"Would you care to tell me what really happened?"

"Just ask Joseph again. I guarantee you'll get a different version than last time. Maybe he'll make it seven samurai. Maybe he'll make them into oni {demons}."

"But it won't be the true story."

"Look, I have better things to do than tell you things that you should already know."

"Wow. I thought you said you were having a good day."

Tsume reached for one of his flags which he extended to Tokiro, "Just go."

Tokiro eagerly accepted the flag and shoved it into his kimono, "So, do you know the way down?"

"No. I hadn't checked yet. Maybe you could climb down slowly as long as you're good at that."

Tokiro examined the street from the rooftop before stopping at the corner, "I see a haystack from here. I could probably land in it."

Tsume now realized the opportunity he had been given. As long as Tokiro's back was turned, Tsume could easily claim a 'kill' of his own. In one motion, he drew and swung his bokken in an arc, thumping Tokiro on the head.

"Ow!" Tokiro grabbed his head with one hand, "Shit, why did you do that? Oh."

With the bokken still drawn, Tsume's left palm politely requested a flag. Tokiro rolled his eyes as he complied to Tsume's wish. "You can't be serious," Tokiro protested.

"Everything is permitted. Now go before I take another."

Tsume smiled upon receiving proof of his first 'kill.' "You can be a jerk sometimes," Tokiro scowled, "You know I'll get you back for this."

"I don't want a cycle of recycled revenge. We've already called it even."

"Fine," Tokiro huffed before leaping into the haystack below. Tsume admired his lack of hesitation, but now was not the time to be admiring. Now was the time to be admirable.

As Tokiro fled down the street, Tsume readied himself at the corner. He could easily spot the haystack below because of the snow it had lost when Tokiro landed. Tsume steeled himself in preparation to jump. He had always hated the leap of faith because his childhood taught him that leaving safety to fate would certainly leave him in an early grave. Still, descaling the tower would only advertise his whereabouts and leave him exposed for another attack.

His feet pushed off to where his eyes guided them. He twisted in the air until his back was to the ground and his limbs were splayed. Before he knew it, he had landed safely in the haystack. He quickly wrapped the straw over himself, lest anyone spot him just yet. With a quick observation of his surroundings, Tsume determined the area to be clear and leapt from the hay cart and into the street.

Garen was right. Tsume was not safe in familiar territory. He needed to find a place where his eyes would always be peeled. The rich district seemed a logical enough choice.

In the distance, a clacking sound was becoming gradually clearer. Tsume spotted a figure running from up the street. It was obviously one of his fellow students, but it wasn't clear if he was running for Tsume or from another recruit. It could even be both.

Tsume still didn't want to play risks. He slowly advanced to the right until he had just enough distance between himself and the possible escapist to allow safe passage, but not so much that he would be pinned against the wall in case of am attack. As the figure did not approach his side, Tsume got the idea that he may as well be invisible. It was the perfect time to score another 'kill.'

Tsume clutched his bokken hilt. The alley was too narrow for his target to have much chance of escape, not that it was inevitable. He still wanted to make sure that his stance wouldn't give his intention away, so he held straight. The target was now close enough to identify as Eiji.

One. Two. Three.

With one swing, Tsume's bokken was drawn and floored Eiji. Snow scattered like sand on the beach as Eiji slid on his rear for roughly a yard. Tsume immediately sheathed the bokken and extended a hand to assist Eiji to his feet.

Eiji stood back up on his own, skittish but disbelieving. "Just take it," he said as he cast a flag to Tsume's feet and ran off again.

Once again, Tsume heard footsteps rapidly approaching from the direction Eiji had come. It was at that moment when Tsume remembered that Eiji was definitely on the run from someone. Tsume turned sharply about to avoid the tip of a bokken that he almost felt swipe his nose. Tsume struck back at his assailant, but was deflected. He stepped back to create distance before striking again. The assailant grabbed his sword hand, pressing on the tendons and releasing Tsume's weapon. Tsume unleashed his hidden blade for the attacker's throat, but was knocked back.

"Shit," Tsume exclaimed when he saw who this one was, "Kennosuke."

"Hello Tsume," Kennosuke said in a cheer that was miles different from his usual gloom-and-doom persona.

Not wanting to get into an unwinnable match with Arkwright's star pupil, Tsume fled down the street from which Eiji had come. He knew well enough that the other direction had no hiding places to offer, so hopefully Eiji had missed something. A quick glance over his shoulder assured Tsume that Kennosuke was still following.

Tsume's eyes locked onto a pile of crates and a stray beam which hung a lantern over a street corner. He immediately scaled the crates and swung around the corner, where he landed on another stray beam. Without stopping to check his back, Tsume ran up the wall and stumbled onto the roof. He ran up the next story like it was nothing and continued in that fashion until he had scaled several rooftops. He checked behind to verify that Kennosuke was still following. He was.

Tsume descended one floor and found a ladder. He ran down the ladder as quickly as he could manage. Once his feet were firmly on the ground, he knocked over the ladder to ensure that Kennosuke couldn't follow closely. Thankfully, Kennosuke was only close enough behind to peek over the edge and mourn the loss of his precious ladder. Tsume was in just such a mood to pull down one eyelid and stick his tongue out to taunt Kennosuke.

As Tsume tried to blend in with the crowd, he managed to reassess his location. He was certainly in Edo Square. It normally wouldn't be this busy on a snowy winter day, but Tsume was in no position to complain. The crowd provided both warmth and a safe hiding place from fellow recruits.

Curious as to why so many had gathered in the square on this day, Tsume gently pushed his way to the densest of the stalls which lined the square. With a tap on the shoulder, he caught the attention of a man holding a strangely ornate vase, "Excuse me, sir. What is all of this commotion? Normally snow is bad for business."

"Oh uhh, these shops are having massive sales on Chinese goods."

"Oh right. Tokugawa opened the ports. Obviously," Tsume lightly smacked himself on the head for missing that one.

While the recruits had been in isolation to focus on their training, the world outside continued as if a dozen children hadn't disappeared to become well-trained killing machines. Nariko-san would bring in news from her geisha to remind them of this every few days. Around the time Commodore Matthew Perry succeeded in forcing the bakufu {government} to his will was around the time that Arkwright-sensei had sped up their training. Tsume saw no coincidence there. Clearly, he wanted to keep the recruits' practicing until the time came to strike. Asuka-gozen had warned that the situation with the ports would also mean increased Templar activity in Japan. Perhaps if he kept his eyes peeled and could maybe use his gift again, Tsume could spot such Templar activity in its early stages.

"Yeah," said the man with the vase, "Ever since then, Edo has had a huge demand for Chuugoku products. This booth is having a buy-one-get-one-free sale and I just can't resist free things."

Tsume was somewhat amused by how excitedly this man seemed to impart this knowledge. Seeing now as a fine time to take a break, Tsume chose to further engage him, "But I only see one thing. Where's your free thing?"

"Oh, I got this Chuugoku brush. Would you like to see it?"

"Erm, not yet. Do any of these booths sell Chuugoku swords?"

"Not the booths, but the blacksmith may have some imported swords or some Japanese-made knockoffs, but I'm not a sword owner so I wouldn't know. Why do you ask?"

"As you can see, I'm a samurai in training," Tsume lied as he motioned to his bokken... which was no longer there. Great. Tsume tried to improvise, "I hail from Nagasaki, where I had a chance to practice with Chuugoku swords. Honestly, I prefer them to the katana that we get issued. I was just hoping you could give me an estimate on the price of one."

"If it's actually from Chuugoku, then it'll probably be pretty far out of your price range, but like I said, I'm not really the guy to ask. Okay? Well, I gotta go. Can't wait to show my wife what I got her. Sayonara."

"Yeah, good luck," Tsume meekly called as the man ran off for Edo's middle-class district.

Tsume made tracks to the blacksmith shop across the square. The curiosity was eating away at him. The shop in Nagasaki had so many different kinds of swords that Tsume had never seen before, but he couldn't have read the signs to see exactly where those swords were from. That situation was exacerbated by the fact that the Nagasaki shopkeeper was obviously a dishonest man.

Tsume saw now that the man from Nagasaki was at least a little sincere with his wares. The Edo shopkeeper's goods were granted familiar labels for familiar weapons while the Chinese weapons were also labeled thusly. The swords that were thin at the base and thick at the tip were marked as 'dao' while the elegant swords Tsume so admired in Nagasaki were apparently called 'jian.'

"May I hold a jian?" Tsume politely asked the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper kindly obliged, handing one of his two jian over to Tsume. The crossguard was a beautiful bronze with jade embedded into the sides. The pommel was similar, but a short red rope wrapped around it and hung about a hand's length. The blade was roughly the length of Tsume's arm and about as polished as a fine mirror.

"Do you only have the two?" Tsume asked.

"For now, yes."

"Are they from Chuugoku? Or did you make them?"

"I made them, and do you know why?"

"Not necessarily."

"Jian are highly prized swords in Chuugoku. To import one would cost more money than I can afford. Besides, Nippon swords are always the best quality, no matter what shape they take. Wouldn't you say?"

"I'd say you're either throwing me a sales pitch or you are very confident in your skills."

The shopkeeper smiled.

Tsume smiled back, "How much for one?"

"Ten ryo {40,000 mon}."

"I'm afraid I don't have that much."

"Then you can come again another time. As long as a demand exists, I will supply it."

Tsume nodded, "Arigato. Sayonara."

The shopkeeper bowed in return before Tsume returned to the square. It was then that Tsume realized that he was being distracted by shiny things. Perhaps he did need to be spending less time with Joseph, but as long as he wasn't falling asleep on horseback, he should be fine.

He debated within himself if now would be the best time to jump back into the game. On one hand, he only had two kills. At this rate, he would have a better chance at winning if he were to just sit in safety and wait until only one other remains. On the other hand, that one would probably be Kennosuke. Tsume was able to escape him, but waiting would force them into direct confrontation. Even if Kennosuke had one flag, he wouldn't have a problem beating Tsume twice. He needed to deb-

A blunt point pressed into his belly from the front as a miko bumped into him. "Oh Tsume, keeping your guard down?" Azusa's voice said in a mocking tone, "You should know better by now."

Tsume stepped back to face her. Between the two female recruits, Azusa and Motoko, Azusa was the younger and more clever one. She had apparently exchanged her gray hakama for a much bigger red miko hakama which perfectly hid her in the crowd while Tsume's scar acted as a beacon. Tsume made a mental note to kick himself for not noticing her sooner.

"How long have you been watching me?" Tsume sighed.

"I don't know. When did you start making faces at Kennosuke?"

"That long?"

"I managed to get two more flags since then."

"You're kidding, right?"

Without a word, Azusa removed four flags from her kimono. She was certainly not kidding. Tsume showed her his two flags in return. Quietly and ashamedly, he returned both flags to his kimono.

"Actually, I need to add one," she ripped a flag from Tsume's obi and looked on his shamed expression, "You know, Tsume, I have an idea you may like."

Tsume gave her one attentive eye.

"Well, you're down to one flag and I'm down to two," Azusa continued, "We could both use as much help as possible, so I propose a temporary alliance."

"Good idea," Tsume placed his hand on Azusa's shoulder and struck her ribs with his practice hidden blade, "Make it one."

Azusa glared as her flag was relinquished, "And that's why you're perfect. You'll be the bait and lead them to me. We'll double up against them. They won't stand a chance."

"Why do I have to be the bait?"

An diagonal smirk crossed Azusa's face, "Because, Tsume, who is going to recognize me?"

"True enough. Do you think this is fair to the other recruits?"

"When have you ever cared about fairness?"

"I guess never. What about Kennosuke?"

"What is it with you and Kennosuke?" Azusa chortled, "Trust me on this. As long as we work together, we can win."

"What do you mean 'we can win?' There can be only one winner."

Azusa placed a hand on Tsume's left forearm. With a press of her thumb, his training blade ejected. She moved the blade to the top of her throat, just between the jaws. "We will turn on one another," she said calmly, "but only after the others have fallen."

Some hours had passed, and Azusa's plan was proving very successful after all. Motoko, Tokiro, and Shimoda had all been removed from the game by the duo. Maruyama almost managed to take Azusa's last flag, but Tsume quickly sent him on his way. By this point, Tsume and Azusa had managed to get nine and ten flags respectively. Gaining flags wasn't the point, but somehow, it felt like part of the point.

Tsume stood just outside of the square when he saw his one-sided rival, Kennosuke. "Hey!" Tsume called, "I'm over here."

Unflinching, Kennosuke began the chase. Tsume spun about and dashed for the center of Edo square. Just as planned, Azusa was ready. In a flash, she sprung the trap and stuck her prize with her practice blade. However, Kennosuke's reaction was not typical. He did not step back and reach for his flag, nor did he retaliate.

"Please don't tell me you thought I'd fall for that," Kennosuke said to Azusa.

"But you did," she responded.

"Excuse me," Tsume interrupted, "What is going on? Azusa, just take his flag and let him go."

"Tsume," Kennosuke said as he stepped away with Azusa's last flag in hand, "You aren't the first person that Azusa has brokered that deal with," he handed his flag over to Azusa, leaving two more, "We were the last three left in the game and I figured I could spare one if it meant winning the competition."

"Wait. That was your first flag?"

"I would recommend you run."

Tsume drew his bamboo dagger with his left hand, "You're funny."

Tsume's heart began racing when Kennosuke drew his bokken. Until minutes ago, he had played nearly the entire game thus far untouched. He almost always ranked top in every challenge the recruits were given. Tsume was merely an average student. Then again, Azusa usually ranked near the bottom and here she was guaranteed third place. Even with first place out of reach, Tsume wasn't going to go down without a fight.

"Well?" he said to Kennosuke, who had been holding his stance for minutes, "Come at me."

No response. Tsume tried to think. There were two ways to get an attack from Kennosuke: attack and get countered, or drop guard. Neither option looked appealing. The last thing he wanted to do was lose his last flag to his own idiocy.

Just over Kennosuke's shoulder, Tsume's eyes picked up a very familiar eyepatch. Of course! Sensei said that their trainers would be overseeing the game. An idea immediately came to Tsume.

"Kennosuke, what did Asuka-gozen tell you about samurai stance?"

"What Oba-san said doesn't matter right now."

"OBA-SAN?" Asuka hated being called that by Kennosuke, because she was neither middle-aged nor his aunt, more like a second cousin.

As Kennosuke glanced over his shoulder to apologize, Tsume charged. Kennosuke quickly tried to counter, but it fumbled. Tsume spun to the left, keeping his back to Kennosuke's back. After three steps Tsume stepped out and 'slashed' across Kennosuke's nape.

"Yeah! Kick his ass, Tsume!" Asuka yelled, "I know you can do it! Fucking 'Oba-san' my ass."

"Go Tsume!" Azusa joined.

Kennosuke straightened from his combat stance and tossed Tsume a flag. Tsume hadn't bothered to pick it up. Now was not the time. This game was going to end here now and he actually had a real shot.

"Tsu-Me! Tsu-Me! Tsu-Me!" the crowd had begun chanting his name, no doubt spurred by Azusa and Asuka.

Once again, Tsume and Kennosuke were locked in combat stance. Tsume's pulse was racing hard enough for him to hear. His breathing had become so heavy that the steam breath was beginning to obscure his vision. The heavy sweat was not helping in this cold weather. He brushed a stray lock of hair from his eyes. The crowd's support was moving Tsume's heart from his chest to his arms.

He kicked up a snowscreen and charged at Kennosuke. In an instant, it was over. Kennosuke's bokken struck Tsume's neck.

Tsume fell to his knees. He was tired. After a few breaths, he conceded his flag to the victor. Kennosuke offered Tsume a hand to get back to his feet, which he accepted.

"You did well," Kennosuke said almost apologetically.

After brushing the snow off of his hakama, Tsume sheathed his practice dagger. While he fully hadn't expected to win, he less expected to make second place. He still couldn't shake this odd sense of shame for not actually winning. If pragmatism couldn't best Kennosuke, how much improvement would Tsume need in order to catch up? Regardless, he was kind of glad that the game was finally over. A hot cup of tea and a warm bowl of miso soup would be a perfect way to end today.

"So, Asuka-gozen," Azusa broke the silence, "Where is the tallest tower in Edo?"

Asuka rolled her eye, "Don't tell me you haven't noticed."

"I haven't spent much time on the rooftops."

"Up," Asuka pointed to the tallest building in sight.

Azusa knew better than to question Asuka. In fact, only Sensei was allowed such a permission, and he had only exercised it once that Tsume had heard of. Even now, no one would admit to actually witnessing it, especially since Asuka got pregnant.

"Wait," Tsume interjected, "It's the-"

Asuka's palm appeared from nowhere to strike Tsume's face. He wanted to say something, but her palm had morphed into a finger pointing silence into him. Kennosuke moved to try to answer, but was quieted in a very similar way. The difference was that she mumbled something about being called an old woman.

She slowly turned around to where Azusa stood. Asuka's face fell into her hand when she saw that Azusa was still there. Her hand pointed sharply the same building she had pointed to before. Azusa turtled into her kimono to shelter herself from the ronin's wrath.

"Go!" Asuka screamed.

As Azusa scurried to the roof, Tsume cautiously scanned the area around himself and Kennosuke. Several people had stopped their daily routine, almost certainly curious about this scene. Perhaps it was the woman with two swords and one eye. Perhaps it was the fact that she was smacking two young men. Perhaps it was the general un-lady-like behavior coming from a pregnant woman. Whatever it was, Asuka was certainly the street's main attraction.

Uneager to stay and witness anything else that Asuka may have for them, Tsume nodded to Kennosuke to head the west tower of Edo Castle. He knew well enough that both he and Kennosuke would know the location of the tower. This was not yet the case for Azusa, as she was from Kyoto. To Tsume's knowledge, this was Azusa's second time in Edo and the first time in roughly two years. Of all of Arkwright's recruits, she was the twelfth and last to join.

Kennosuke's nodding indicated that, no, he did not want to stick around to see what would become of Azusa. The two quietly began walking to the-

"I hope you don't plan on leaving without me," Asuka said in a tone much colder than the snow that had tipped her off of their movement.

"We were honestly hoping that we could," Tsume squeaked.

"Oh no. I want to see the look on Arkwright-san's face when he sees that I won."

"What? No. I won," Kennosuke interjected.

"Not that. I bet a ryo that Kennosuke would win without breaking the code of bushido."

"You gambled on us?" Kennosuke looked horrified.

Asuka shrugged.

"Why would you do that?"

"Well, while I agree that fighting fair is one of the surest ways to get killed, I wanted to prove that Kennosuke was so good that he didn't need to be pragmatic to win."

"Wait," Tsume stepped in, "why didn't you have any faith in the rest of us?"

"Tsume, you got that flag off of Kennosuke mostly fairly. There's no doubt that you all have a long way to go, but Kennosuke is the only recruit who has had both samurai and Assassin training from the day he was born. I suppose that was his unfair advantage."

Tsume couldn't decide which bothered him more, her callousness or how blatantly unfair the game had been from the beginning.

"Then again," she continued, "Azusa almost won and she's had even less Assassin training than Tsume. Even then, Tsume has had the least combat training of everyone. He just has a really good aptitude for learning."

Tsume felt a little better after hearing that. He began to wonder about just what kind of fighter he could be in a year. Even Kenno-

"Hey, I found the tower," Azusa leapt down from the building, "but I also found something else. You should come see it."

"What is it?" Asuka asked.

"I don't know. It sounds like some guy is talking about giving in to the foreigners."

"What else did you gather?"

"Not much. I couldn't hear him very well over the crowd."

"Crowd?"

"Yeah, he has a whole congregation just eating this shit up."

"Where is he?"

"On the other side of this building."

Asuka glanced back at the other two behind her. "I say we investigate. Let's go."

Not even a three minute walk around the building was a small gathering of maybe a dozen or so people. Before them stood a somewhat squirrelish looking samurai whose haori appeared a few sizes too big. His face was long and bony, like he had skipped the last year's worth of food and sleep.

"Do not be fooled by the foreigners! They would have you believe that they only want to open trade relations, but they lie! They will settle for nothing less than the subjugation of every civilized Japanese person! 'For what?' you ask, but the answer is clear! They want only their own financial gain! Look no further than Chuugoku when they lost the Opium War not against a western nation, but against A WESTERN BUSINESS! We cannot fight them as things are now! We must rebuild! We must use their own ways against them!"

Tsume was mesmerized by the speech. While he didn't necessarily agree with all of it, Japan really had fallen behind the times and looking to the past could only beget more trouble. In Nariko's class, they had all been taught about the troubles China was having with the British and the Philippines had with the Spanish and even the troubles Japan nearly had with the Portuguese. Could this man have been right? If so, wouldn't the Americans be the biggest threat to Japan?

He tapped the arm of the woman beside him, "Excuse me, but who is this guy?"

"Great, isn't he? He's Egawa Hidetatsu. He's an intendant for the Tokugawa."

"Really? That sounds important."

"Oh, he is. He's been giving these speeches almost every day ever since Mashuuperii {Matthew Perry} got Tokugawa to open the ports."

Before he could say something in return, Tsume was jerked away from the rally. Apparently, Asuka wasn't handling it too well. Her hand squeezed his arm like an iron vice. His kimono did little to shield him from her nails as he could feel them pressing into his skin,

"Is something wrong, Asuka-gozen?" he asked concerned.

"That speech. Everything was wrong with it."

"Well, I asked someone," Tsume stepped in, "His name is-"

"Egawa Hidetatsu. We've met."

"How do you know him?" Kennosuke asked.

"He's a Tempura {Templar}," she said barely over her shoulder.

Tsume stopped to process what he had just heard. A Templar? "Wait, why didn't we kill him?"

"And make a martyr of the man? We've been keeping our eyes on him for years, but he hasn't given us an opening yet."

"We? Sensei knows about him?"

"He's one of he reasons Arkwright-san is here to begin with."

"Asuka," Kennosuke said, "I have a different question for you."

"Fine," she pinched her temple, "Ask."

"Why did you bet on me, but cheer for Tsume?"

"Because," Asuka's palm crossed Kennosuke's face before her backhand crossed him the other way, "Never call me Oba-san."

Kennosuke regained his composure faster than expected. "I am sorry," he bowed, "It will not happen again."

"Whatever," she started again to Edo castle and the three recruits followed.

Kennosuke was obviously not going to speak again. As much as Tsume hated awkward banter and incessant apologizing, he was fine with that. In fact, he was content with listening to the crunch of the snow and the murmur of citizens as the recruits progressed to the castle.

"Hey Tsume," Azusa whispered to keep beneath Asuka's attention, "How did you know that Asuka-gozen was in the crowd?"

Tsume smiled for knowing the answer. He whispered back, "How many people do you know keep a big target on the side of their face?"

He suddenly found himself feeling a lot better about his scar. Perhaps Garen was wrong. If Asuka had managed to be a high-ranking Assassin with that conspicuous eye patch, maybe Tsume's scar wouldn't be too bad after all.

When they had arrived at Edo castle, they spotted Joseph and Garen sitting at the base of the wall. Even seated, Joseph was the taller of the two by almost a full head.

"See? I told you he'd lose," Garen said, obviously about Tsume, "That scar gave him away."

Joseph took a puff from his pipe, "That's because he wasn't able to grow a beard in the minutes between talking to you and the game starting."

"What the Hell are you boys doing here?" Asuka yelled. She didn't appear so much curious as angry. Frankly, she probably didn't want any kind of answer.

"You mean Edo?" Garen said, "We've been here for a while."

Joseph scooted away from Garen, possibly fearing Asuka's wrath.

"Joseph, what are you- OW!"

Asuka's sheath bashed Garen too quickly to see where it hit. Joseph broke out laughing, but was hit in the same fashion. It was only when they clutched their heads that Tsume could tell where they had been struck.

"Just be glad you weren't standing," Asuka said as she returned the sheath to her obi, "Now get back up there."

Atop the tower, the recruits stood in formation opposite four of their five trainers. In the center of the rooftop was an outdoor kagizuru. The sun was setting over Mt. Fuji, painting the sky a pinkish color.

Then, a small figure emerged from behind Sensei. Hitsu? Tsume broke formation to approach his little brother, but Sensei snapped his fingers. Normally, that meant that someone's formation was improper and everyone would need to correct until everyone was right.

Tsume disregarded Sensei's warning. "What kind of irresponsible baka would bring Hitsu up here?"

"I did," Joseph answered.

"Why?"

"We figured you'd be less angry if I confessed. Besides, we wouldn't want him to miss this."

Tsume paused, "What is this?"

Sensei snapped and Tsume obeyed. As he returned, he caught a glimpse of envy on Kennosuke's face. His mother, Nariko, obviously couldn't attend. Tsume didn't mind that as much as Kennosuke did. While Kennosuke's mother couldn't attend due to blindness, Tsume's parents couldn't attend due to being killed by Matthew Perry.

Sensei paced before his followers, "Where other men blindly follow the truth, remember..."

"Nothing is true," they said in unison.

"Where other men are limited by morality or law, remember..."

"Everything is permitted."

"Nothing is true; everything is permitted. We work in the dark to serve the light. We are Assassins. Tsume, Maruyama, and Motoko. Step forward."

Tsume followed the command as the three formed a new formation before the other recruit. Joseph now had Hitsu sitting on his shoulders as the teachers all watched. Sensei drew a pen and a sheet of parchment, "Tsume, what is your new name?"

Tsume's gut tied with his throat. He hadn't thought quite as hard as he should have thought on it. What was it he wanted? Something about eagles. Could that be too conspicuous? Perhaps something a little more subdued would be better.

"Maruyama, what is your new name?" Sensei asked.

Tsume breathed a bit of relief now that he had some time to think.

"Heihachi Kojo."

Or not.

"Motoko, what is your new name?"

Tsume had always been Tsume. It was the only name he knew and, apart from Hitsu, was the only thing he had to remind himself of his parents. As much as he wanted to leave poverty in his past, that and his family would always define him. Also, something about eagles. Washi? Washio?

"Toriyama Rangiku."

"Tsume, what is your new name?"

"Washio Tsume."

Sensei nodded and scribbled something -probably the new name- onto the parchment. When he snapped, the recruits jumped back into formation. Garen lit the kagizuru and Asuka opened a sack. Joseph let Hitsu down and grabbed a pair of tongs which he held over the fire. Hitsu immediately gravitated to his big brother. Tsume broke formation to take Hitsu and prop the child on his hip before returning to where he stood.

"Tsume," Hitsu begged for his attention, "Tsume."

Tsume tried not to answer, or he'd be breaking formation more than he already was. Were the others not busy with other things, Sensei would not approve of Tsume keeping Hitsu like this.

"Tsume," Hitsu tugged, "I painted."

"You painted?" Tsume whispered, trying not to make to make eye contact, "That's great. What did you paint?"

Hitsu pointed to Mt. Fuji, "Fuji-san."

Tsume couldn't hold back his smile, "Really? Can I see it?"

"No. Sanzo has it."

"Sanzo has it? Why does Sanzo have it?" as fond as Tsume was for Asuka, he was not quite as fond of her husband Sanzo. He was a textile merchant with a tendency to hide behind his wife when things got difficult. At least the man was good with kids.

"It's not done. Hey, Tsume, Sensei wants you."

With a sigh, Tsume lifted Hitsu to Sensei. Sensei, however, did not seem interested in Hitsu so much as he was interested in Tsume's left hand. Tsume cautiously raised his hand in response. As Joseph raised the tongs from the fire, Tsume realized what was about to happen. He grit his teeth and pressed his brother in preparation. The red heat of the iron embracing his ring finger was somehow both more and less painful than he expected.

Once it was over, he opened his eyes. Tears of pain had formed in the corners.

"Assassin," Sensei said as he motioned to the platform.

Tsume looked down from the rooftop. Far below, he could see the haystack that had been set as their target. He steeled himself to jump, but Sensei had stopped him.

"Give him to me," Sensei said, "I've done a leap of faith with a passenger before."

Not wanting to hurt Hitsu, Tsume passed his brother on. Asuka approached him with a shiny new hidden blade. Tsume fitted it onto his left arm and ejected it once before retracting it. With a bow, he faced the edge of the roof once more. He took a breath before he readied his jump. He had climbed this tower as Tsume, the child, and left as Washio Tsume, the Assassin.