"In the summer of 2004 I went on my own little mission of revenge. It led me here to Japan where I fought not only the infamous Oren Ishii, but the gang you all know as the crazy 88s and Gogo (Oren's viscous right hand). She fought me with this." Beatrix reveals a hanging spiked ball on a silver chain behind her on the wall of the training room.
The four boys stand there in laid back, baggy versions of their preferred colors facing one another. Sun in his bright white sweat pants and compression crew neck stands in front of Guzman who wears black shorts and a tank top with red stripes down the side. Valerio rubs the purple gauze wrapped around his hands to match the loose button up and tight capris he's been given and he looks across the mat at Ander who's blue hoodie hangs over a pair of shorts the same dark lapis.
"It wasn't the Hatori Hanzo I used to slay her. It was a busted leg of a dinning table from the lounge with a couple nails that bested her as she was a worthy opponent. I do not have time to teach four college level boys how to kill yakuzaas with samuri swords but I can show you a few techniques to survive some life threatening situations should you ever face any. I can't show you how to kill a God but I can show you some simple things." She's there in her own new outfit.
A pleather yellow and black jacket with matching pants. Her beige tank top is short enough to reveal that she has almost no stomach and there are scars all over her skin from the fights she's won. Anyone who faces off against her would have had to have died other wise she wouldn't be here.
"Let's start with some simple sparring." A good ten minutes goes by where Guzman and Sun best each other with open handed combat and a few leg sweeps. She teaches them how to strike certain pressure points to disarm and disorient their opponents.
When she feels those two boys have at least got a simple rhythm going she moves onto Valerio and Ander. These two flow a lot easier with one another. It's more like a dance for them. Their bodies just understand each other. However, when the time comes for Valerio to actually hit Ander he comes up short. This frustrates Ander who's willing to hit as hard as he can. A few bruises in Valerio's face and they're forced to stop.
Beatrix tells Valerio, "Just because they look weak it doesn't mean they're not deadly. You could face off against a number of people whom you will underestimate. Never let them win."
Out in the hall next to the training room comes screaming. The sound of large heavy doors closing echoes throughout the temple. Someone's here.
Beatrix's face turns more serious than it had been. The expression she'd reserved for the boys was more motherly than the glare she holds now. She instructs them to stay where they're at and she ventures into the next room.
There she finds Logan, Camille, and Jo. The three of them are soaked in rain as well as panic. Jo is in shambles as her husband has just been murdered. There's no consoling her.
"Who are you and what brings you to the temple of Pai Mei?" She asks of them.
As Camille holds the distraught Jo Knight in a tight wide eyed hug Logan turns to her. He explains, "We just came here for a family vacation. Some feral woman out there in a bright pink bikini just ripped out my father's throat.
Jo screams the way a woman does when her husband has been murdered.
"Pink?" Says Ander as he peers out through the archway, "Did you say pink bathing suit?"
Logan looks at him with fear in his eyes. A simple nod. He replies, "You saw it too?"
"We left some friends at the lake a few miles away. We figured they'd catch a trolley back to the hotel. You said she killed your dad?" Ander presses forward into the main hall of the temple as Guzman and Valerio step out after him.
"Boys I asked you to stay in the dojo." Says Beatrix.
Guzman ignores her, "What did she look like?"
"Like a rich snobby bitch dipped in blood and zooted out on drugs." Says Camille honestly.
The three boys share a glance and in unison they say her name, "Lucrecia."
"What?" Asks Sun who is the last one to join them in the corridor, "Where's Carla?"
There's another rumble of thunder. Then something big and heavy slams into the wooden double doors of the temple. It's loud enough to ripple through the corridors multiple times. The lingering spirit of Pai Mei may have even been shaken by it.
Beatrix goes over to her display case and unsheathes her hitori hanzo. She sighs deeply as she balances the instrument in her hands for the first time in twenty years. A painful memory washes over her and she shakes it free.
"The seven of you need to take refuge. Head upstairs to the sleeping chambers, find a room, and barricade yourselves in. If this is what I think it is then you don't need to be anywhere near her when she dies. The ancient deities of Japan are a lot to handle, even for me." She says and she steps up to the door.
Logan scoffs, "She's on drugs. There's nothing supernatural about this."
The eyes of Beatrix Kiddo cut through him, "You want to place bets? Tell me; was she wielding a weapon when she killed your father or did she do it with her teeth? Did she do anything with the body or did she just leave it in the gravel?"
"She dragged him into the grass." Whimpers Jo, "Mentioned something about it purifying the grass."
"Grounds." Beatrix corrects her, "She's consecrating the land and if she's not from around here she's a perfect vessel for Suijin. The water god can be a little irrational at times. Has she shown signs of jealousy lately?"
"Yes." States Ander confidently, "She thought Guzman was in love with me and this morning she approached me with a knife on the balcony of our hotel suite?"
"You told her the truth?" Asks Guzman fearfully, "You told her I love you?"
Ander turns to look at Guzman in confusion. That's a strong word and he never thought he'd hear it out of Guzman's mouth but there it was plain as the rain coming down on the roof of the temple. Guzman just admitted it to him.
"No. I didn't know. You- uh... never mind. She saw you with Carla last night. It must have set her off." Ander shivers and tries to pull his blue hoodie tighter around his body as he feels very exposed.
Guzman shrugs, "Carla's like a sister to me. You've always been there."
He and Valerio share and awkward glance and then Beatrix is shoeing them all up the stair case in the far right corner. They scurry up the wooden staircase, past podiums, and statuettes built into the framework of the building. When Beatrix is finally alone she walks up to the doorway and another harsh blow is sent into it's frame work. A crack splits open in the left side of the blocked entry way and Beatrix prepares herself for the battle ahead.
There are gray strands in her blond hair and those are more prominent as she pulls the lot on top of her head and ties it off. The pony tail appears pale and reveals the many wrinkles along her chin, her cheeks and her eyes. She's tired and weary but the wind catches in her lash and she's steady.
With a swift motion she opens the door.
Out there, in the darkness, the trees can be heard rustling as the pellets of rain from the sky assault their leaves. The fountains overflow onto the trails. The archways bend at the pressure of the wind. And there, in the center of it all, wrapped in the bloody tan cardigan of Kendall Knight, with a Sozin's-comet-Azula look in her eyes. All the anger in the world seemed to be so very present at this exact moment.
An orange haze came down on their heads.
"I'm not here for you, assassin." Says a voice through Lucrecia that clearly doesn't belong to her as it was too loud to be human and heard over the storm and the symphony of the temple's over stimulated garden.
Beatrix bows out of respect as one does when they prepare for a fight. A memory flashback of the snowy day that she ended the life of Oren upon when her opponent mocked her and warned her that while Beatrix might not be able to fight like a samuri she could at least die like one. The memory is quicker than the flash of lightning and then by the time that she's back on her feet the girl with the spirit is close enough to touch her.
"You're not welcome on this mountain top, Suijin. The ground is already claimed by another God." Says Beatrix.
Lucrecia laughs, "Then I suppose I'll have to cleanse it before that God wakes up."
Beatrix takes the first swing with her sword only to have her elbow knocked off course and a jab in a pressure point on her side. The next swing is dodged and then a foot is sending Beatrix flying into the temple's open corridor. The knights armor busts into pieces upon the crash. With a groan Beatrix takes to her feet. They continue this for a bit but every attempt is unmet. The two of them are an even match. Tiger crane style kung fu fighting leads them to the mats of the dojo and glass busts inwards from windows allowing the flooding to enter the room.
A sharp blow to the side of the face sends Beatrix rolling through a puddle and her back thuds against the wall. She groans and fights to rise but slips in the water. The sound of chains perks her ear and she looks up to see the spiked ball of Gogo swaying in Lucreca's hands. There's a bloody grin on this girls face and for the first time in a long time Beatrix Kiddo is scared. She's never fought a god before.
A simple switch is flipped from a small part of the ball and the saw blade comes out. As if it's a natural extension of her body Lucrecia twirls the instrument and inches closer as Beatrix finally rises to her feet. She stumbles a little bit but regains her balance. A few steps forward and her blade swipes down upon the chain that wraps around down to the handle and Lucrecia pulls the blade hard enough to dislocate one of Beatrix's shoulders.
Beatrix lets out an agonizing cry at a pain she hasn't felt since her training with Pai Mei. She doesn't let go of her hatori hanzo. She is certain she will die with it in her hands. The saw finds her chest and cuts into her rib cage to pierce her heart. There is no sound for her to make. Beatrix falls to her knees and feels the last beat of her heart as all of her blood runs away from it and into her veins.
She lies there as Lucrecia slings the ball in a thwarted pattern weaving a web of cuts all along her body to watch the red liquid ooze out of her to mix with the water of the puddle beneath her. One final sling and the jugular pops open The last of Beatrix Kiddo spills out and Suijin relishes in the victory through a wicked laugh in Lucrecia's mouth. She kneels down into the mess, cups the water and blood mixture to bring it to her lips, and she drinks the life back into her self.