Samurai Champloo Fan Fiction ❯ Dancing Cherry Blossoms ❯ Ayame vs. Jin ( Chapter 7 )

Dancing Cherry Blossoms

 

Chapter 7: Ayame vs. Jin

 

 

 

Mugen walked down the street in Sugiyama. He saw a crowd gathered around Fumiko's house. The crowd parted as two men walked out of the house carrying a stretcher. Mugen saw an arm hanging off of it. Fuu turned around and saw Mugen standing there. Jin was standing next to her. Mugen walked up to them.

 

“Who was that?” Mugen asked, rubbing his stomach, scratching his head, and yawning all at the same time. Fuu sniffled a bit. Another man came out of the house, carrying a much smaller body wrapped in sheets. Mugen saw a little blood staining them. His eyes widened. “That wasn't the kid, was it?” Fuu nodded.

 

“Last night someone murdered them. My guess is that they were after the baby originally. Fumiko just got in the way,” Fuu whispered. Mugen nodded.

 

“They say that an assassin never leaves any witnesses. I'm sure had the child been alone, Fumiko would still be alive,” Jin said. Sayuri and Sakura walked over to them.

 

“But who leaves an eight-month old baby alone at night?” Sayuri questioned. “Fumiko was going to be there regardless. I just can't believe someone would actually want a baby dead,” Sayuri said. Fuu nodded.

 

“Come on. I have to get to work.” Fuu started walking towards the tea house. Sayuri and Jin followed her, leaving Sakura and Mugen alone. Sakura looked up at him.

 

“Why is it that I always end up getting stuck with you?” Mugen asked. Sakura resisted the urge to kick him in the nuts and pushed past him. Mugen turned and watched her walk away. “Where are you going?” He asked. Sakura turned around.

 

“I'll be back soon. Don't follow me,” she said a small warning in her voice. Mugen nodded. Sakura winked and turned around. She stalked off over the bridge and into the wilderness.

 

When she was a good ways from the village, she stopped and looked around. The wind blew and with it came the scent of her nemesis. Sakura smirked. In fluid motion she had turned and blocked a strike with her sword. She pushed her assailant back. She faced the assailant fully. Sakura frowned when she realized who it was.

 

“Ayame,” she said through clenched teeth. Ayame, the Iris Assassin, bowed to Sakura.

 

“At your service, Otome,” Ayame said.

 

“What the hell are you doing here?” Sakura asked. Ayame faked shock. She put her hand to her chest.

 

“Why, Otome. I am shocked at your language. I see you still wear those ridiculous pigtails,” Ayame said. Sakura rolled her eyes.

 

“Cut the shit, Ayame. Why are you here?” Sakura asked a little more forcefully. Ayame's placid smile disappeared and she stood up straight, still holding her katana in one hand.

 

“I was sent here. Apparently, you did not complete your first task in Sugiyama. My job was to complete it because you and Sayuri are currently working on another assignment. Plus, it was Sayuri who informed okusama that the job had not yet been finished. You were supposed to kill the entire family,” Ayame said pointedly. Sakura hated the accusing tone Ayame was using on her. Her left eye twitched.

 

“I did not know there was a baby. I was not informed that there was one. I only killed who I saw,” Sakura said. Ayame raised an eyebrow.

 

“You mean to tell me that if you had known about the child, you would've killed her?” Ayame asked, crossing her arms. Sakura faltered for a moment. She masked it quickly, but Ayame saw it all the same. “Ha! I knew it. The great and NOBLE Cherry Blossom Assassin can't bring herself to kill a stupid kid.”

 

“It would be too much like killing Shoubi's son. Would you want to kill Keichi?” Sakura asked. Ayame shrugged.

 

“I don't think I would care much. If the little brat was bothering me then yes, I wouldn't hesitate decapitate the little asshole.” Ayame smirked. Sakura just shook her head.

 

“You are one sick and twisted person, Ayame.”

 

“I do try, Otome. I suggest you hurry up with your assignment. Our client is getting quite impatient with all these loose ends. I will be back to check on you.” Ayame turned to go. Sakura squeezed the hilt of her sword, trying not to stab Ayame in the back. Ayame paused as she turned. She looked back at Sakura.

 

“Nani?” Sakura asked through clenched teeth. Ayame smiled.

 

“Ajisai will be here next week. There is another connected to our client besides your assignment. There is an officer who keeps snooping about. So, Ajisai will be here to take care of him. You probably won't even see her. I hear there's supposed to be some sort of festival in the town. You should watch the sky,” Ayame said. Sakura turned her back.

 

“Get out of here before I am compelled to kill you.” Sakura threw over her shoulder. Ayame blinked and narrowed her eyes.

 

“You keep talking like that I'll chop off those vines hanging from your head,” Ayame said. She heard Sakura laugh.

 

“As if you could do that. You know how much faster I am than you, Ayame. Why do you even try?” Sakura asked. Ayame said something that was inaudible to Sakura. “What was that?”

 

“I said you'll eventually get yours, Otome. And I'll be the one to give it to you.” Ayame turned and headed in the other direction. Sakura started walking as well. She started thinking to herself.

 

`Ajisai is coming. That could mean trouble. Especially if she comes during that festival,' Sakura thought dismally. She shook those thoughts out of her head as she approached the brothel.

 

Sakura walked in to find Mugen lazing about. Ai was fixing some girl's kimono for her. She seemed to completely ignore Sakura as she walked in. Sakura went over to Mugen. He was throwing little knives at what looked like a bulls eye on the wall across from him.

 

“What are you doing?” Sakura asked. Mugen threw another knife and missed the bulls eye. Sakura watched his form.

 

`It's all wrong,' she thought to herself. Mugen sighed at his mistake.

 

“Trying to hit that damn bulls eye.” He threw another. Sakura nodded. Mugen threw one and hit the bulls eye finally.

 

“It's about time,” Ai said from across the room. Sakura giggled. Mugen looked crush at his employer's words. Ai stood up properly and looked over at them. “Why don't you let Sakura try?” She said. Mugen retrieved the knives from the wall and walked back over to Sakura.

 

“You've got to be kidding me, Ai. She probably couldn't hit her own shadow, let alone a bulls eye,” Mugen said. Sakura frowned at his words. She held her hand out expectantly. Mugen looked down at her as she stared up at him. “Nani?” He asked.

 

“I think she wants to have a go of it,” Ai said. She started pinning the girl's hair up. Mugen gave Sakura a knife. Sakura looked at the bulls eye. She flung the knife towards it, hitting it directly in the center. Mugen stared at it, flabbergasted. Ai smiled. “Very nice, Sakura. I'm impressed,” Ai said. Sakura smiled.

 

“Domo arigatou, Ai,” she said. Mugen looked back at her.

 

“How'd you do that? You're not a knife thrower, are you?” Mugen asked. Sakura shook her head and shrugged. She took the other five knives from him. She stared at the bulls eye.

 

“Beginner's luck...” She mumbled. Mugen watched her throw, in quick succession, the last five knives. They all hit the same spot, each bending to the side to make room for the next. Mugen and Ai just stood there, gaping at Sakura's amazing feat. Sakura smirked and looked at Ai.

 

“That was great, Sakura,” Ai said. A man walked in the door and she immediately went to tend to him. Sakura looked up at Mugen. He crossed his arms and glared down at the short girl. Sakura could tell he was thinking of some insult to throw at her.

 

“You had to have learned that somewhere. Once is luck. Two is a coincidence. Three is a statistical anomaly,” Mugen said. Sakura raised her eyebrows.

 

“Anomaly? That's a big word coming from such a stupid boy,” Sakura said with a smug look on her face. Mugen resisted the urge to snap her neck right then and there. Instead, he turned away from her, calming himself down. “Is it so hard to admit that I'm just good at it?” Sakura asked. Mugen turned and looked back at her. They stared at each other in silence for a moment. Then Mugen turned to walk away. Ai walked over to Sakura when he was gone.

 

“You like him, don't you?” She asked. Sakura looked at her and blinked. Ai was smiling at her.

 

“I have no idea what you are talking about, Ai,” Sakura lied. Ai nodded with a knowing look in her eyes.

 

“Sure you don't,” Ai said as she walked away. Sakura watched her leave. She let out a long sigh and followed after Mugen.

 

Ayame rested in a tree. She stared up at the sky, looking positively bored. She sighed and closed her eyes. Ayame was nearly asleep before she heard rustling beneath her. She looked down, not making a sound. A man with black hair and glasses was coming out of the brush into the clearing. Ayame squinted as she looked at his left side.

 

`I think I see some exercise,' she mused to herself. She watched his movements and mannerisms. He sat down by the lake and sighed deeply. `He doesn't look like much of a fisherman to me. Let's test him out.' Ayame stood up on the branch. She jumped down and landed silently on the ground. Picking up a rock, she took aim. Smirking, she let the rock fly.

 

Jin looked up. He turned around and caught a rock. He looked at it and frowned. He then looked in the direction from which it had come. A girl was standing there, smiling at him. He noticed the katanas strapped to her back. Jin faced her completely.

 

“Hi there, handsome,” she said. Jin continued to watch her quietly.

 

“Who are you?” He asked. The girl just smiled at him.

 

“What does it matter?” The girl eyed Jin's swords. “Are you any good with those?” She asked, nodding towards them. Jin frowned.

 

“What does it matter? What is your business with me? Do you go around throwing rocks at every man you come across?”

 

“Of course not. I am just extremely bored. I need someone to fight with and you just happened to appear in front of me. Will you fight me?”

 

“Iie. I do not fight pointlessly. You might as well go find yourself someone else.” Jin turned around.

 

Ayame frowned at his answer. He was quite bold to turn his back on her like that. Smirking, she drew one of katanas quickly and slashed downward at him. He dodged her with great speed while unsheathing his own katana. Ayame smiled and stepped back.

 

“I knew you'd see it my way.” She charged at him. Jin parried most of her attacks, proving to Ayame that he was definitely a good fighter. Ayame swung at him again.

 

Jin had to step back at the force in which the girl had put into her last blow. He looked at her through narrowed eyes. She was smirking at him.

 

“You're faster than I had anticipated. I commend you,” she said. Jin nodded. The girl came at him again, but this time she was much faster and more precise. Jin kept trying to block her. He had no desire to really fight back. He could tell this was starting to aggravate the girl.

 

Ayame frowned as she continued her onslaught. He was not fighting back. She was growing impatient. She racked her mind on how to get him to fight back. The smug look returned to her face when she realized just how she would do it. Ayame turned around, swinging her long, flowing sleeve over his head.

 

Jin was temporarily blinded by the girl's white sleeve. He inhaled sharply and he realized something.

 

`The smell of an iris,' he thought. Before he blinked out of his thoughts as he saw a shadow in the sleeve. Jin immediately moved his head to the side. The sword nicked his face slightly. He felt another sword poking him in the stomach.

 

“You were distracted merely by my sleeve. That will not do,” the girl said. Jin just stared at her. She held two katanas now. Jin flinched slightly as he felt the cold metal touch his neck. “It would be a shame to slit such a worthy adversary's throat because he did not want to fight me for real...”

 

“You wish for me to fight you as if I was in battle?” The girl nodded. “You may have your wish granted,” Jin mumbled. The girl smiled and stepped back. She sheathed her other katana hand held one out to Jin.

 

“Don't hold back on me. I shall know if you do,” Ayame said. He nodded. Ayame came after him again. He parried her and followed it up with a slash of his own. It caught her sleeve, tearing it slightly. Ayame stepped back and looked at it. She then looked back up at him. “That's much better...”

 

Sayuri stacked peaches on top of Fuu's head. Fuu was staring at Sayuri's zanbatou. They were surrounded by little kids who were watching Sayuri. Sayuri had managed to get six peaches stacked. She stepped away from Fuu. Fuu looked at her.

 

“I would suggest not even breathing while I do this. I wouldn't want to decapitate you,” Sayuri said, her face serious. Fuu's eyes widened. Sayuri covered her mouth and started laughing at Fuu's expression. “It was a joke, Fuu. Stop looking like that. I know what I'm doing.” Sayuri turned and walked over to her zanbotou. Fuu watched her remove it from its resting place.

 

“For your sake, you better not screw this up,” she warned. Sayuri just smiled. She looked around at the children. They were staring up at her with big, bright eyes.

 

“Watch the master at work, children.” Sayuri said. She got into her fighting stance. It all seemed to move in slow motion to Fuu. She squeezed her eyes shut.

 

`Why does it feel like I've done this before?'

 

Kyoko and Sasami walked outside of the tea house. They saw the group of children surrounding Sayuri and Fuu. Kyoko crossed her arms.

 

“This is what she does on break?” She mumbled. The two sisters walked over to the group to watch Sayuri's prowess show itself.

 

Sayuri stared at the peaches for a moment. She twirled the long staff above her head and changed stances. Sayuri breathed out slowly then made her move. She took a step forward. Fuu felt the air being displaced around her. She heard the “Oohs” and “Aws” of the children around her. Fuu opened one eye. Sayuri was no longer in front of her. Fuu felt the peaches fall from her head. She turned her head to see Sayuri leaning against the wall of a house.

 

“I told you I knew what I was doing,” she said genially. Fuu frowned as the children began clapping. Sayuri took an exaggerated bow and flounced past Fuu over to Kyoko and Sasami.

 

“Hi there, ladies,” she said. Kyoko nodded in her direction. Fuu came over to them.

 

“Sasami, have you seen Jin?” Fuu looked at her. Sasami seemed to be thinking for a second. She then snapped her fingers.

 

“Ai came by the bookstore and asked Jin to go fishing for her. He hasn't come back yet. If you are going to look for him, check by the lake first.” Sasami said. Fuu nodded and headed off. Sayuri watched her go. She had a very bad feeling about Jin's absence.

 

Ayame slashed across the samurai's chest, cutting him. He blinked but did not portray any kind of pain in his expression. Ayame smiled. He came at her calmly and quickly. Ayame side-stepped him and stabbed behind her.

 

Jin gasped. He heard the girl smirk as she removed her katana from his side. Jin fell on the ground. The girl turned, sheathing her katana. She walked over to Jin and kicked both of his weapons away from him and rolled him over. She noticed his breathing and examined the wound.

 

“Hmmm. I missed all your vital organs. This is nothing more than a flesh wound. You will not die...for now,” she said calmly. Jin looked in her dark eyes. She looked slightly deranged as she stared at his bloody garments. She stood up to leave.

 

“Hana...” Jin whispered.

 

Ayame stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes wide. She turned around and looked at the fallen samurai. He was staring back at her with narrow eyes. Ayame stalked back towards him.

 

“What did you just say?”

 

“You are a Hanafusa Shikyaku. You are the Iris Assassin,” he said in a strangled voice. Ayame smirked.

 

“You think you have me all figured out, don't you? Hai, I am the Iris Assassin. Now that you've realized who I am, I now have to kill you.” Ayame drew both of her katanas. She crossed them at his neck. Before she could decapitate him, she moved her head to the left slightly, dropped one of her katanas, and caught an airborne tanto.

 

“Get away from him,” a meek voice yelled.

 

Fuu paused. She had not expected the assailant to be so quick. She watched what appeared to be a female examine the small dagger. The assailant pulled a hood over their head and turned around. Fuu realized that it was indeed a girl.

 

Ayame looked the tiny girl up and down. She appeared to be harmless, but looks could be deceiving. The girl backed up against a tree. Ayame smirked.

 

Fuu raised an eyebrow as she heard the assassin smirk. What was she about to do?

 

Jin watched the Iris Assassin's movements. She was about to do something terrible, he could tell. He saw Fuu's tanto in her hand. The only thing he could think of was Fuu's life. He moved his leg and kicked the girl just as she raised her arm to throw. He heard Fuu scream at the top of her lungs.

 

Ayame cursed under her breath. She picked up her weapons and took one last look at the fallen samurai.

 

“I will be back for you,” she whispered in a deadly tone. She fled off into the trees, leaving the two alone.

 

Jin sighed. His side was killing him. He managed to roll over on his other side and get a look at Fuu. His glasses were off and he could not see very well. He saw her head hanging, but he couldn't see what was actually wrong.

 

“Fuu...” Jin passed out.

 

Mugen was walking down the street to the house when he heard a very loud scream. It sounded far away. Kyoko and Sayuri were standing in front of the tea house. The looked in the direction in which the scream had come. Mugen heard footsteps behind him.

 

“That sounded like Fuu,” a voice whispered. Mugen turned to see Sakura standing there. Mugen nodded and looked back off towards the lake.

 

“Stupid bitch. What kind of trouble has she gotten herself into now? And where is her ass of a boyfriend? He should be the one doing the saving.” Mugen started walking towards the tea house. Kyoko shook her head.

 

“That's just it, Mugen. Fuu went to look for Jin by the lake. Wherever he is, she'll most likely be. Hurry,” Kyoko said. Mugen sighed and started to walk off. Sakura followed behind him. Mugen whirled on her.

 

“Where do you think you're going?”

 

“I'm going with you.” Sakura pushed past him. Mugen rolled his eyes and followed after her.

 

Sakura saw the clearing where the lake was up ahead of them. She stepped through the brush and gasped at the sight before her. Mugen walked up beside her. He saw Jin, unconscious and bleeding to death. He looked to his right and saw Fuu. She was sitting on the ground. Mugen noticed that her hand was raised against the tree. Sakura walked around him and gasped. Fuu's hand was pinned to the tree with a tanto.

 

“You go check on Jin. I'll take care of Fuu.” Sakura walked around Mugen to Fuu. She kneeled down and looked at her. “Fuu?” Fuu opened her eyes groggily.

 

“Sakura...it was a girl...” Fuu whispered weakly. Sakura nodded and examined Fuu's hand. Fuu winced as Sakura touched it. Blood had run down her arm and soaked the sleeve of her white yukata. Sakura looked in Fuu's watery eyes.

 

“This might hurt a little,” Sakura said. Fuu nodded and closed her eyes. “On the count of three. One...two...” Sakura pulled the tanto out of the tree hard and fast. Fuu let loose another scream. That scream caused Jin's eyes to fly open, nearly knocking Mugen back as he examined him. “...three.”

 

“Well, we know you're alive,” Mugen said. Jin moaned something illegible and moved his hand away from his side. Mugen raised an eyebrow as he saw the gash in Jin's side. Jin attempted to stand up. Mugen held his arm out. Jin looked up at him and took it. “It looks like you've lost a lot of blood.”

 

“I think so. How is Fuu?” Jin asked. Mugen turned around to see Sakura and Fuu. Sakura had torn some of Fuu's sleeve to make a makeshift bandage. She wrapped it tightly around Fuu's hand and tied it. She helped the delirious girl up and looked over at Mugen and Jin. Mugen was supporting Jin.

 

“Let's go before Fuu loses complete consciousness,” Sakura said in a strange voice. Mugen nodded and started to haul Jin off. Sakura followed behind him.

 

In the trees, Ayame watched with interest. She smirked when she saw Sakura turn and look in her direction. She stood up on the branch.

 

`Soon, Otome. Soon.'