Samurai Champloo Fan Fiction ❯ Dancing Cherry Blossoms ❯ Iris, Sunflower, Chrysanthemum, and Cherry Blossom ( Chapter 11 )

Dancing Cherry Blossoms

 

Chapter 11: Iris, Sunflower, Chrysanthemum, and Cherry Blossom

 

 

 

 

Sakura stood in the rain, looking down at Sayuri's grave. Both Fuu and Kyoko had placed lilies on the grave. The rain had not stopped for the two days since Sayuri's death.

 

Right now, Sakura was standing alone with the rain pelting down on her head. Mugen and Jin were watching her from a distance on Fuu's orders. They stood under parasols. Mugen had never seen Sakura look so down. She was just standing there with her hair down, her shoulders hunched, and her head to the ground. It was so...not Sakura-like. Mugen sighed. It was depressing almost.

 

“Hm. I never thought of it that way,” Mugen heard Jin mumble. Mugen turned his head to look at his counterpart. Jin was staring at Sakura through his foggy glasses.

 

“Thought of what?” Mugen inquired. Jin sighed.

 

“Doesn't it seem odd that all the deaths have occurred while Sakura was here?” Jin asked, looking at Mugen. Mugen stared at him blankly.

 

“That could just be a random coincidence,” Mugen said. Jin nodded.

 

“Perhaps,” Jin mumbled. He could tell that Mugen wanted to drop the conversation by the way he was looking at him. He turned his head back to Sakura. Mugen decided to walk over to her.

 

Sakura blinked when she noticed that she could no longer feel the water falling on her head. She turned around and saw Mugen standing there. He held his parasol over her head. She turned her body towards him. Mugen couldn't tell if she had been crying or if her face was just wet from the rain. Her face didn't seem puffy because Sakura already had a pretty chubby face.

 

“Are you ready to go back inside? You'll get sick if you stay out here,” Mugen said. Sakura just stared at him. Finally, she nodded and they began walking back to the house.

 

When they reached the house, Sakura went straight for the room she'd shared with Sayuri. Fuu watched as she passed by, soaking wet. She looked at Mugen.

 

“How is she?” She asked as Mugen closed the parasol and sat it on the porch.

 

“As good as can be expected, I guess. Just give her some space,” he said.

 

Elsewhere, Hoshi watched as Ayame walked up to her. Hinome was sitting beside Kinpa and the two were talking. Ayame sat down in front of them. Hinome noticed her presence and looked down the table at her. Kinpa looked confused. Hoshi did not appear to be affected at all by Ayame's presence.

 

“Why are you here, Ayame?” Hinome asked.

 

“I have come with rather sad news,” Ayame said, keeping her head bowed. She was feigning sadness in her voice. Hinome would fall for it, but Hoshi would not. She knew Ayame too well. Hopefully, her orders had been followed thoroughly.

 

“What is this news you speak of, Ayame?” Kinpa asked. Ayame looked up at them with tears in her eyes.

 

“Suisen was attacked,” she said quietly. Kinpa raised an eyebrow.

 

“Attacked? By whom, pray tell?” Hoshi asked. Ayame looked back down. Hinome sat forward, wanting to hear who could attack Suisen and live to tell the tale. Ayame choked on tears.

 

“Sayuri attacked Suisen while she was trying to get the target. Suisen managed to defeat Sayuri, but Sakura attacked her next,” Ayame said. Kinpa looked shocked. Hinome's face did not change.

 

“When you say defeat, do you mean that Suisen maimed Sayuri?” Hinome asked almost inaudibly to Ayame. Ayame paused for a moment to try and determine what the question was. Then she shook her head.

 

“I'm afraid that it was a life or death situation; either Suisen died or Sayuri died. Suisen killed Sayuri. After that, Sakura fought with her. It was not even much of a fight. Sakura's skills eclipsed Suisen's,” Ayame said. Hoshi and Kinpa nodded. “It was hard to tell if Sakura killed her because her best friend was killed or because she was protecting the target.”

 

“I see,” Kinpa said. She looked at her fellow companions. Hinome lowered her head. She stood up and stepped on the table. Ayame looked up to see Hinome standing. Hinome made a quick dash down the table. She kneeled in front of Ayame, pulling her katana at the same time. The tip pointed directly at Ayame's jugular vein.

 

“If I was to slit your throat here, you would bleed to death. Tell me now, while you still have the chance to live. Are you telling a falsehood, Ayame?” Hinome asked. Kinpa and Hoshi looked at each other with wide eyes. Hinome almost never drew her weapon. Her skills were a mystery to everyone.

 

Ayame was still staring down the business end of the katana Hinome was holding. Her hand was itching to reach for her own. She immediately decided against it. Given her remarkable swiftness, she could easily disarm Hinome. Alas, Hinome's proficiency was still an enigma to all. If her aim was good and her speed was perfect, Hinome could easily make good on her threat and indeed slit Ayame's throat.

 

Hinome noticed Ayame's hesitance in deciding what to do or say next. With her peripheral vision, she saw Ayame's hand moving towards her sword. Smirking, Hinome pressed the blade harder into Ayame's neck, causing a minor cut to appear.

 

“Are you telling a falsehood, Ayame? The answer should not come so slow to your lips unless you are telling a lie. I cannot tolerate liars, Ayame,” Hinome said. Ayame narrowed her eyes and sat into the blade's edge.

 

“Kill me if you do not want to believe that your perfect student murdered her own comrade. At least I will go to the afterlife with a clear conscience,” she said. Hinome's countenance fell for a moment. She replaced the thunderstruck look with one of integral indifference. She stood up straight and sheathed her katana.

 

“If I find out that you are lying, Ayame, you will be in so many pieces that you will spend your days in the afterlife picking them up for all eternity,” she said. Hinome turned her back on her and walked back to her seat. Ayame narrowed her eyes behind Hinome's back. Her face softened when Hinome turned around to face her.

 

“What is your course of action?” Kinpa asked Hinome. Hinome took a sip of her tea, not looking up. Hoshi stared at her as well. Hinome sighed.

 

“The one rule that we always abide by is that no one should betray her sister. Apparently, Sayuri and Sakura have done that. Sayuri paid for her insubordination. Suisen died by Sakura's hands all the same. Sakura is not exempt from this law, Hinome. You cannot dig her out of this one,” Hoshi said. Hinome nodded.

 

“I suppose you are right, Hoshi. The penalty for betrayal is death, as you should know. Do what you will with her. I will not stop you,” Hinome said as she stood up. She left the room silently. Hoshi looked at Ayame, who was trying her hardest not to start grinning.

 

“Ayame, you will return with the twins. I want everything finished,” Hoshi said. Ayame nodded. She bowed and left the room as well. That left Kinpa and Hoshi alone. Kinpa looked down at the bowl of cherries that Hinome had left.

 

“Tell me why I get the feeling that betrayal happened not in where it was supposed to?” Kinpa asked. Hoshi smirked and closed her eyes. Kinpa looked at Hoshi. “You set them up, didn't you? I may be the youngest of us three but I am definitely not the most naïve.”

 

“Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. What does it matter now? Sakura is going to die. We all saw it coming eventually,” Hoshi said. Kinpa shook her head. She stood up as Hoshi did.

 

“I can't believe you would betray them like that,” Kinpa said. She turned to go. Before she slid the door open, she felt a sharp pain in her back. She gasped and her breath caught. She fell to her knees and coughed up blood.

 

Behind her, Hoshi stood with a smug look on her face. She held the chain to the sickle that was lodged deeply in Kinpa's back. Kinpa turned her head to look at Hoshi. Blood dripped from her mouth, staining her teeth. Hoshi walked up to Kinpa. She pulled the sickle out of Kinpa's back. Kinpa sucked in air painfully from the agony of having it ripped out of her so quickly.

 

“Well, since you can't believe how disloyal I am, I'm afraid that you cannot live,” Hoshi said. Kinpa spat blood at Hoshi's feet.

 

“How are you going to explain my absence? Someone's bound to notice that one of the heads in missing,” she said. Hoshi shrugged.

 

“Who said that Hinome will be around to know you are missing?” She asked in a low voice. Hoshi smiled and slashed across Kinpa's throat. Kinpa touched her neck as blood leaked from the wound.

 

“You bitch...” Kinpa whispered before she stopped moving altogether. Hoshi smiled.

 

“I know,” she mumbled. San and Ni walked in the room. They looked at the floor, seeing Kinpa's lifeless body. They glanced up at Hoshi. She was cleaning her sickle calmly. She noticed the men staring blankly at her. “Oh, you two act like you've never seen a dead body before. Just get rid of her before anyone sees you,” she said. She pushed past the two.

 

Sakura opened her eyes two days later. The sound of rain hitting the roof was still very prominent. It had been raining for almost a week and a half straight. Sakura sat up and stood up off of the futon. She got up and went out of the room. Fuu, Jin, and Mugen were eating. Sakura yawned and sat down next to Mugen.

 

“Good morning, Sakura. Nice of you to join us...finally,” Fuu said. Sakura shot her a look before picking up a bowl.

 

“Good morning, Fuu,” she mumbled.

 

After breakfast, Mugen and Sakura trudged through the thick mud to her Ai's place. The girls in the window smiled when they saw Sakura. When Sakura entered the main room, Ai was reading a scroll. She smiled when she saw Sakura.

 

“Well, it has been a while since you have graced me with your presence, hime. Are you feeling any better from all that rest? You should be,” Ai said. Sakura nodded. “Well, I'm glad you and Mugen are here. I have loads of cleaning that needs to be done.”

 

Mugen and Sakura sighed as Ai put them to work. While Sakura was scrubbing the floors next to Mugen, she sniffed. It was on rare and auspicious occasions that Sakura got a runny nose. She kept sniffing. Mugen noticed her constant noise.

 

“Are you okay over there? You sound like you're trying to suck in all the dust on the floor,” he said. Sakura shot him a mordacious look before returning to her work. Her nose kept its perpetual running.

 

`Oh, to hell with it,' she thought. She took her pink sleeve and wiped it across her nose childishly. She heard a laugh that sounded a lot closer than it should. She looked up and saw Mugen standing over her.

 

“That was pretty gross. I thought that kind of stuff was beneath you,” he said mockingly.

 

“Fuck off,” Sakura said. She felt something warm coming from her nose again. Mugen was looking at her strangely. Sakura looked at her sleeve. There was a red smudge on it. She frowned and wiped her nose again. She looked at her fingers. Her eyes widened and she suddenly looked very afraid. Sakura stood up, abandoning her rag and bucket of water. Mugen watched her storm off. He started to follow her.

 

“Sak, what's wrong?” He asked, trying to keep up with her. She practically fell down the stairs in her attempt to get down them so quickly. Ai watched her as she went behind the desk into the storage room. Ai looked at Mugen.

 

“What's wrong? Why is her nose bleeding?” She asked.

 

“I have no idea,” Mugen said as he shrugged.

 

Sakura returned carrying both her sword and Mugen's. She tossed his at him, making him drop the rag. Mugen raised an eyebrow as she walked up to him. Her nose was still bleeding. She wiped it again. She tied her sash tighter.

 

“Whoa! Sak, what the hell is wrong?” Mugen grabbed her shoulder. Sakura looked at him for a moment. She furrowed her eyebrows.

 

“You just called me `Sak,'” she said. Mugen blinked. He had not realized that he'd said it. Sakura smirked and started to walk past him. He grabbed her arm. Sakura turned, swinging her braids. “Just follow me, Mugen,” she said. Mugen sighed. Ai watched them leave through the front door.

 

Outside, the rain had stopped. The sky was still looking quite fierce though. Thunder still rolled and lightning still lit up the sky. Sakura looked around, wiping her nose on her sleeve. The street was pretty much empty with the exception of a few kids and vendors. Sakura did not bother putting her sandals on. She just stepped in the mud with her bare feet.

 

“Sakura, do you mind telling me what this is about now?” Mugen asked as he followed her.

 

“I'm pretty superstitious, Mugen. When I experience something more than once when a certain thing happens, I take it as a sign. My nose was bleeding a few minutes ago,” Sakura said, walking forward slowly. She was not looking at him, but she was glancing around cautiously.

 

“Hai. What does that have to do with anything?” Mugen asked, sounding impatient.

 

“It is just like thunder; or it was. Whenever I heard thunder when Sayuri was alive, it meant that she was in trouble or that she'd done something wrong. Every time I heard thunder that was exactly what happened,” said Sakura. Mugen nodded.

 

“You're still not tel...”

 

“I will if you would shut it for ten seconds. Whenever my nose bleeds, by experience of course, something bad happens. Most times, I am attacked. I wiped my nose three times before the bleeding stopped. Three people are coming to att...” Sakura was cut off as Mugen pushed her backwards. An arrow flew between them.

 

“Now, I'm a believer,” he mumbled. Sakura nodded and looked in the direction from which the arrow had come.

 

`Ayame,' Sakura thought bleakly.

 

Ayame lowered the bow she was carrying. That stupid guy had seen the arrow at the last second and pushed Sakura away from her line of fire. Kika and Kiku were standing next to her with their arms crossed.

 

“Remember girls. We're not supposed to know who she is. Act like you've never seen her before,” Ayame said. Kika and Kiku nodded, drawing their ninja swords.

 

“Stay back for the time being, Mugen,” Sakura said, her eyes never leaving Ayame's. Mugen looked at her like she'd said something offensive.

 

“Did you count how many of them there are? Last time I checked, there were three,” he said. Sakura rolled her eyes and smirked.

 

“Do you really have so little faith in me, Mugen?” She asked, trying to sound sad. Mugen opened his mouth to retaliate but Jin walked out from the bookstore to their left before he could say anything. He noticed the defensive nature of the way Sakura was standing and looked in the direction she was staring.

 

“What is going on?” He asked quietly.

 

“It looks like these chicks want a piece of Sakura for some reason or other. Do you think they're here for some sort of retribution for Sakura killing that chick?” Mugen asked. Jin did not answer him. He was staring at the girl in the center. She looked very familiar.

 

“Jin, is that the girl who attacked you and Fuu?” Sakura said, not taking her eyes off of Ayame. Jin squinted a bit more. It was indeed the Iris Assassin that stood before them.

 

“Hai, that is her. What is she doing here?”

 

“That girl I killed was the Daffodil Assassin. Apparently, this one wants some sort of revenge. Well, I guess I want some sort of revenge as well. Well, vengeance will be mine,” Sakura said. Sakura unsheathed her sword. To anyone other than Ayame, this was a very intimidating move.

 

“Are you Sakura?” Ayame asked. Sakura laughed. So they were going to act as if they did not know each other?

 

`Fine with me,' she thought.

 

“I am Sakura. You are one of the Hanafusa Shikyakus?” Sakura asked. Ayame nodded.

 

“We all are. I am the Iris Assassin, Ayame. This young fox to my right is Kika, the Sunflower Assassin. Her twin here is Kiku, the Chrysanthemum Assassin,” Ayame said.

 

“What is your business with me?” Sakura asked.

 

“Revenge,” Ayame said. Sakura nodded.

 

“I see.”

 

While the girls were having their conversation, something was going over in Jin's mind. If he knew anything about names, it was that he knew the meanings to a lot of them. For one, he knew that “Kika” meant sunflower. “Kiku” also meant chrysanthemum.

 

`They're named after the flowers they represent,' he thought. Something else also occurred to him. He shook his head almost as soon as he thought of it. `That can't be possible,' he thought. He looked back up at Ayame and Sakura. They were still facing each other with their weapons drawn.

 

“Kika, take the one in red. Kiku, take the ronin,” Ayame said quietly. The twins nodded and set their sights on Mugen and Jin. Ayame was still staring at Sakura.

 

“Are you ready?” Sakura asked. Ayame nodded. Sakura sheathed her sword as Ayame drew her other katana. She stood with one in each hand. Sakura reached behind her and pulled her sai from her sash. Ayame raised an eyebrow. Sakura smirked. “Let's go,” she said. Ayame nodded.

 

Mugen and Jin noticed that they stared at each other for a long moment. A roll of thunder startled both of them and set them into action. Sakura watched as Ayame came after her. She stood still until Ayame swung at her. Sakura crossed her sai in front of her. Ayame pressed down. Sakura smirked and kicked her in the stomach. Ayame stumbled backwards.

 

Kika and Kiku were moving swiftly across the roofs of the village. Their movements were silent and they were undetected. Mugen and Jin had not even realized that the two girls were missing. The twins stopped above the two unsuspecting warriors. They looked at each other and smiled.

 

Mugen raised an eyebrow as he watched the fight between Sakura and Ayame. Ayame was nearly as good as Sakura, but she still lacked in speed. She made up for it in strength, though. Sakura had been pushed back numerous times from her single strikes. Mugen looked at Jin out of the corner of his eye. Something was not right. Quick as he possibly could, Mugen turned to block a strike from Kika. The assassin jumped back from in to the ground. Jin did the same with Kiku. They stood up straight and faced them.

 

“You two should stop watching and start fighting,” Kiku said. She went after Jin. Jin blocked most of her strikes or dodged them. Kiku obviously had not expected him to be so fast. She threw parried Jin only to get hit with his fist. Kiku fell to the ground and looked back up at him, holding her face. Her eyes were wide. Jin stopped moving. “How could you? I'm a woman! Did you hit your mother?” Kiku cried.

 

“I'm sorry. I...” Jin stepped forward. Mugen shook his head as he fell for the girl's trap. Kiku tripped Jin up. He fell on his back. She moved swiftly for the kill but he blocked her quickly.

 

Mugen ducked as Kika's leg went over his head. He stepped back away from her. She crossed her arms and smiled at him.

 

“You're pretty cute; tanned skin, wild hair, muscular frame. It will be shame to kill a fine specimen such as you,” she said. Mugen looked the girl up and down. Across the street, Sakura looked at while Ayame was recovering from a hit. She rolled her eyes as Ayame came after her again.

 

“Mugen, she wants to KILL you!” She yelled. Mugen blinked and Kika looked in Sakura's direction, frowning. When she turned back, Mugen was moving towards her. Kika jumped up and over him. Mugen watched her. With his right leg, he kicked her as she landed. Kika fell back and used her hand to pop back up. She stared at him, holding her stomach.

 

“That hurt,” she mumbled. Mugen nodded.

 

“It was supposed to,” he said. Kika frowned and went after him.

 

Kiku sidestepped Jin, taking him off balance for half a second. Kiku spun around and kicked him into the wall of the bookstore. Jin slammed into it. Before he could move again, Kiku had her foot pressing against his throat.

 

Kyoko and Fuu looked up as a kid ran into the tea house. He seemed to be out of breath. Kyoko walked over to him and kneeled.

 

“What's wrong?” She asked. The kid caught his breath and swallowed.

 

“Mugen and Jin are being attacked by these two ladies,” he stammered. Kyoko stood up and looked at Fuu. Fuu was just staring at the boy. She stepped forward.

 

“Where are they?” She demanded loudly. The boy stared wide-eyed at her for a moment. Fuu took another angry step forward. She grabbed the kid by his yukata and pulled him forward. “Where, damnit?!” She yelled. Kyoko shook her head. The kid looked scared.

 

“They're around the corner, in front of the bookstore,” the kid said, pointing in the direction. Fuu released the kid. She started to go outside. Kyoko grabbed her arm. Fuu turned and looked at her.

 

“Let me go, Kyoko,” she said.

 

“No, I'm coming with you,” Kyoko said. Fuu raised an eyebrow. Kyoko sat the tray she was holding down and looked at the kid. “Stay in here if you know what's good for you,” she said. The boy nodded. Kyoko left with Fuu. The bookstore was on the other side of the village. Hopefully, they would make it there in time.

 

Jin choked while Kiku was pushing her foot against his throat. She was smirking as she did it. Jin dropped his katana and grabbed Kiku's foot, shocking her. Her eyes widened as he swung her into the wall of the bookstore. Kiku fell back into the mud, her head killing her. Her sword went skidding across the slick mud. Jin, rubbing his neck, picked up his katana quickly. He slashed downward at Kiku, only to hear the clanging of metal. He saw that Kiku had blocked him with another sword.

 

“How many of those do you have exactly?” He asked through clenched teeth. Kiku kicked him away from her. She rolled backward onto her feet and stood up.

 

“A girl never reveals her secrets. Even you should know that,” she said. Kiku went after Jin. Jin sidestepped her and turned around, slashing down at her back. By Kiku's sharp intake of breath, he knew he had cut her deep. Kiku fell forward on her knees. She managed to stand back up, the deep gash in her back gushing blood. She stared at Jin. She held her sword out to him. “Come on...”

 

Mugen ducked under Kika's foot. The girl seemed intent on trying to kick him. For the most part, she'd succeeded in busting his lip and probably giving him a black eye. She faced him as the stepped apart. She had yet to draw her weapon. Mugen looked at her back. Two ninja swords were strapped to her. An idea came to mind.

 

“You're not going to draw?” He asked, nodding towards her weapons. Kika just smiled.

 

“What for? I can beat you without them,” she said. Mugen changed stances and held his sword out in front of him. Kika raised an eyebrow. “Then again, I want to get this over with.” She drew one of her swords. Mugen smirked.

 

`Right into my trap,' he thought mischievously. Kika stared at Mugen.

 

“Let's do this,” Mugen said. Kika nodded. They ran towards each other. As they got closer, Mugen saw his opening. He had only one shot at this. Using the slickness of the mud to his advantage, Mugen skidded to the side, taking Kika by surprise. He passed her as she lunged forward. Kika missed one move that Mugen made and that was her downfall.

 

Sakura paused as he saw Kika and Mugen stop moving. Ayame wondered what was going on and turned her head. Jin and Kiku were also watching Mugen and Kika.

 

Mugen was holding onto Kika's other sword. It had gone straight through her back and was poking out of her chest. Mugen closed his eyes and pulled it out roughly. Kika stumbled forward. She fell on her knees and put her hands to the ground. She coughed up blood and fell flat on the mud. Mugen threw the sword to the ground.

 

Kiku, who was losing more and more blood by the second, watched her sister fall to the ground. She turned her attention towards Mugen. He was looking down at Kika with a contemptuous look. Kiku, losing all control she had on her emotions, started running for Mugen. Jin blinked and moved to chase after her. Mugen was standing up to slow.

 

Sakura saw Mugen not moving fast enough. He seemed to be in some sort of lethargic state. She saw Kiku coming after him and Jin coming after her.

 

“MUGE...” Sakura was cut off by blocking a strike from Ayame. Ayame smiled at her.

 

“Pay attention, Otome,” she whispered. Sakura threw Ayame off of her. They began their fight again.

 

Kiku was about to stab Mugen as he was turning around. His eyes widened as she caught her hand. He felt something poking him in the chest. He looked down and saw Jin's katana sticking through her chest. Jin pulled his katana out. Mugen let Kiku go and she fell to the ground next to her sister. Mugen looked up at Jin.

 

“Arigatou,” he whispered, scratching his head. Jin nodded. They looked at the dead twins. Their blood was mixing with the mud and water on the ground. The sound of thunder filled the air as well as the ringing of metal against metal. They turned and saw Ayame and Sakura still going at it furiously.

 

Sakura winced as Ayame knocked her sai out of her left hand. A cut appeared on the back of her hand. She glared at Ayame. Ayame went for her chest. Sakura put her other sai up. Ayame's katana slid between two of the prongs. Sakura twisted her wrist. Ayame grimaced at the pain of having her hand twisted and released her katana. Sakura grabbed it by the hilt and faced Ayame again. She threw her remaining sai to the ground.

 

“This is a lovely katana you have here,” Sakura said mockingly. Ayame glared at her and growled something illegible. Sakura smirked. Ayame, using speed Sakura did not know she had, slashed across her chest. Sakura jumped back. Ayame cut again at her. Sakura put up her arm, not knowing what else to do. Her sleeve tore and a long cut appeared on her forearm. Sakura looked at the blood and then back at Ayame.

 

“It seems that you are not as skilled as they say you are,” Ayame said with a narcissistic grin on her face. Sakura just scowled at her. Sakura swung at her. Ayame dodged and kicked Sakura in the face. Sakura felt the mud in stinging her eye and stumbled backwards, dropping the katana. Ayame laughed and walked up to the fallen girl. She held her katana to Sakura's face. “Sayonara, Otome,” she whispered.

 

Mugen started to move forward. By the time he reached Sakura, she would be dead. Still, he had to try. He leaned back as he saw a tanto fly past him.

 

Ayame screamed in utter agony. She stumbled back away from Sakura. Sakura raised an eyebrow. Ayame dropped her katana and held her wrist with her left hand. One of Fuu's tantos had lodged itself right in her hand. Sakura, Mugen, and Jin turned to see Fuu and Kyoko standing at the corner.

 

Ayame stopped screaming as Sakura crawled to retrieve her sai. She looked at the tanto in her hand. Grasping the hilt of it, she pulled it out slowly and painfully. She turned her deadly gaze to Fuu. Fuu was holding two more of them and looking just as fierce.

 

“Now you know how it feels,” Fuu said. Ayame picked up her katanas quickly. She looked back at Sakura, who was leaning against the wall of a house and breathing hard. She held her forearm, blood seeping through her fingers. Ayame threw the tanto at her. Sakura sucked in air through her clenched teeth as it grazed her side when she moved.

 

“I'll be back for you. When I come back, I will kill you,” Ayame said. She turned and left. Mugen started to go after her.

 

“Iie, Mugen,” she moaned, sinking to the ground. The villagers were all starting to come out of their houses to see the carnage. Mugen looked furious.

 

“Why am I not going after that bitch?” He demanded. Sakura inhaled slowly and painfully.

 

“It's something you wouldn't understand,” she said. Mugen raised an eyebrow.

 

Ayame tore her kimono sleeve and wrapped the wound on her right hand. Once she was done, she examined it. Looking back towards the village, she vowed revenge.

 

`This isn't over, Sakura. Not by a long shot.'