My Very Own Assassin

I lived in an inn deep in the mountain forests of Japan. I didn't mind walking down the long lonely road to the town every day to catch a train to the city, it was good exercise after all. Though I lived in an inn I was not rich, and I lived alone. I worked hard for my money, I was a big man in my work place. My home had no electricity, no heating, all it had were walls and ceilings. Well, not all, it had, it also had a natural hot spring in the backyard were I loved to soak after my long treck up the mountain everyday. I'm not sure how I knew that that day would be different from the other days. Maybe it was the deceiving sun that morning and the unexpected rain that evening, or the ravens on my rooftop, but somehow I knew that that day would change my life.

Of course it started out normal with me waking up, making breakfast for myself, dressing for work the starting down the mountain. The sun was bright and nice that morning, so I had no idea to take an umbrella. The day went on normally, I did my work efficiently and correctly, then the rain came. It just started poring as I got off the train and started walking through the town. I sighed as I looked at the trail I had to go up, I didn't even have my hot bath to look forward to, so I sighed again. I managed to get up the mountain to my home with mud caked on my pant legs and up my pants. Normally I just take my shoes off at my entrance but this time I took my socks and pants off as well. I chuckled to myself and thought, 'I'm sure glad I live alone, boy would it be embarrassing if someone caught me with my pants off.' I let that silly thought carry me up the steps and into my room were I discarded my shirt, undershirt, and finally my underwear. I stretched my arms towards the high ceiling as if to try and touch it. Then I caught the sweetest sent I had ever smelled. I sensed someone in the room, in the far corner, the sent was from that person.

Such a sweet sent would hardly have come from the outside. Whom ever it was launched them self at me so I caught her. Yes, from the catch I could tell that it was a female, I drove her to the floor and pinned her there. A flash of lightning stuck the sky, with that I noted that she had her hair up in a pony tail, she wore tight black clothing and a black face mask that told me she was an assassin. She struggled under my weight but she had no chance, I chuckled and said out loud, "Wow...I'm rather overjoyed. I have an assassin. My very own assassin..." A low growl was emitted from her throat, she must have thought I was mocking her. I lessened my weight slightly to test if she would notice, and she did. She took advantage of the opportunity and pushed me off, I blinked and she was gone, but that oh so sweet sent lingered for a few moments more.

It was a week later before I met my little assassin again. I was walking back from the train stop down an even more empty street when I caught that sweet sent once more. She was hiding just up ahead in the dark ally-way, I began walking slowly to try her patience. It took me another 3 minutes to get remotely closer and I heard her faint growl from where I stood. I walked to the ally and she grabbed my arm to swing me in, but I was the one doing the swinging. I pinned her to the wall of the house I was walking next to. I decided to tease her, "I don't believe assassins are supposed to smell so sweet." I playfully smelled her neck, and sighed in her ear, "Though I don't mind. I have such a cute assassin, why don't you let me see that pretty face of yours..." I bit down on the side of her face mask and was about to tug it off. Sadly I had been careless and let some of the weight off her legs, she brought her knee up into my groin and I fell instantly. When I opened my eyes after the pinnacle of pain was over, she was gone. I chuckled and stood with much difficulty and said to myself, "She blushed...heh...so cute."

It had not been easy getting home that evening but my hot bath eased some of the pain. I did not know when to next expect my little assassin. I thought, 'Maybe next week, I sure hope she comes sooner though. I don't know what it is about her...but I like her..." Despite the pain in my lower area I slept well that night. I was ecstatic two nights later when I once more caught her sweet, sweet sent. Though I was a tad embarrassed, because I was bathing. Now, the first night it was dark in my room but now it was still light out when she came. I had just hopped into the steaming warmth of the hot spring, I also sensed where she was. She was on one of the many rocks that surrounded the spring, the highest one. The rock was behind me so I tipped my head back and looked up at her, "You just love catching me naked don't you?" Even then I could tell she was blushing, as was I. She jumped down and forcefully pushed my head underwater. She was quick but I knew she was going to do that so I grabbed her arm and pulled her in with me.

My head came up from the water and I gasped for air. She came up seconds later and instantly attacked me. I grabbed her and shoved her under instead, not the best or nicest way to get her to settle down but hey, it worked. She stopped flailing around and I let her go, her head burst from the water and she tried to get air but that damned face mask! She tugged it off and coughed up some water and gasped for air. She really was cute! No, not just cute but gorgeous! I starred at her dumbly with my mouth hanging open. She looked at me with tears in her eyes, and that took me by surprise. Her bottom lip trembled slightly and she looked like she was about to say something but a shuriken came flying at me! I barley dodged it, I looked to see who threw it and of course no one was there. I looked back to were my little assassin was, and she was gone...that beautiful girl...

A week past, then another, and another. I didn't see her but I met many more assassins, and frankly I was getting tired of it. I didn't have enough property to bury all those bodies! I wanted to see her again, even if it was just one more time...I didn't know what it was about her...During the fourth week since I had last seen her another assassin came and I finally got some answers. He attacked me as I was walking home, and I took care of him easily, but I didn't kill him. "Tell me where she is! Where is my assassin?!" I was furious, I wanted to see her.

"You mean that stray," the man on the verge of death scoffed. "We have a rule in our guild: If you don't kill the first three times then you're killed. It shouldn’t take three tries anyway!" I looked at him with pure horror in my eyes, that beautiful little assassin...was dead? "She wasn't born into our guild, we didn't care about her. She was an orphan, we didn't care if she lived or died. She was quite good, until we got fed up with her crying! Always crying about something! So we gave her you to assassinate, you're impossible to kill!" The man smiled crudely, I wiped that smile from his lips as I snapped his neck.

'She's not dead,' I hoped. I kept going up the trail, I didn't care if anyone found the body of that assassin. I didn't go to work the next day, or the day after that. I was depressed, I didn't know why I liked her so much...it was going to drive me crazy! I went to work the day after and on my way home it hit me. Not just a little tap but a good smack, her sent! My heart almost leapt from my chest and my head darted around, then I caught the sent of blood. I burst into the forest and followed her sent, sure enough she was alive but far from well. She was cut up badly, her face was still oh so cute though. Every new cut would make a cute scar on her gorgeous face. She had the face of a child but her eyes were almost ancient. I ran to her and held her in my arms, "It would be stupid of me to ask, 'Are you okay?'" She smiled slightly and just looked at me.

I was beginning to think she couldn't talk and then she said, "How come you didn't kill me when I tried to kill you? And now you're holding me in your arms asking if I'm okay?! This is not the way it's supposed to be..." Tears began to flow from her gentle eyes, yes, her eyes were gentle. Her eyes told me of her true character: Innocent, gentle, confused, and emotional. She must have been an assassin as a last resort, being an orphan with great fighting skills, what else could she do.

I looked into her eyes for a while longer before I said, "So cute...You're so cute and innocent. You had no choice when it came to being an assassin, I don't know why, but I like you." She starred at me and more tears flowed. I touched her cheek and caught the bloody tears, "Now let me help you back to my home, I need to tend to your wounds." She didn't resist when I picked her up, I walked back to the trail leading to my home, and continued on my way with her in my arms.

As I tended her semi-deep wounds she told me the whole story. She was an orphan since she was a baby, she was passed around her relatives but everyone of them hated her. She found herself alone and on the verge of death when she found that assassin's guild. She joined thankfully and she was quite good, though she was so sad. She often cried when she thought no one knew she was, etc. She had managed to escape death, but they would be after her sooner or later. "I didn't know where to go," she said tiredly. On the verge of sleep she said, "You were so kind...I'm sorry about hurting you...I'm so...so...sorry..." She drifted off into a much needed, and safe looking sleep. I curled up next to her careful not to agitate her wounds and studied her features in the moon light. She had so many tiny scars on her face, her arms had thick, ragged scars, as did her legs.

I sighed and smiled at her, "Sleep tight little assassin...my little assassin..." I fell asleep soundly and happily, until it happened. I woke with a start sensing danger and most likely my demise. I had woken her up mistakenly also.

"What's wrong," she asked in the most innocent voice know. Her small voice made my heart melt. She attempted to rub the tiny amount of sleep from her eyes, that action didn't help what I was about to say either.

I held her gently in my arms for a moment then whispered, "My dear little assassin, I will only die by your hands or the hands of time. (Preferably yours my dear.) I won't die, so don't follow me..." With that said, I kissed her long and gently on her oh so soft lips.

She was crying again, “Where are you going...I don't understand..." She frowned as I was getting up and getting my "battle gear" on. A gi and hakama pants: always comfortable around the house on days off. I went to my closet and got my katana and short sword out, put them on, then turned around to look at the still confused little assassin. "...I don't understand..." she grumbled once more. She was standing now, her fatigue must have clogged her senesces.

I walked in front of her and held her childish cheeks and kissed her once more, "I'm a little surprised...and happy that I finally fell in love with someone. I'm so glad that it was my very own assassin." She began to sob as I jumped out the window and ran into the woods where the trio of assassins were waiting.

"We thought you would be here," one said in a cocky manor. They surrounded me and drew their short katana's that assassins used, I drew my own. Then it began. The battle went on for quite some time, they were very good. We were all damaged and tired, but I didn't notice two other assassins. One, my assassin, and the other, an enemy.

"Stop this," she shouted and everyone stopped. The new assassin didn't revile him/herself and was very good at hiding their location.

"Please I beg you all to stop your attack! He doesn't even know why we're pursuing him! Please..." my assassin pleaded to her former comrades with tears flowing freely.

"You! How dare you ask us to stop! Who do you think you are?! I'll tell you who you are, you're the lonely maggot that was too emotional to be a good assassin! Three strikes and you're out," with that said the "leader" rushed my wounded assassin. The new assassin made his presence known then, and took me by surprise. He knocked me out as I attempted to help my love.

My head buzzed angrily as I forced myself into conciseness. I could feel my love's warm body on top of mine. There was no sound anywhere else but our breathing, I finally opened my eyes and she looked at me with those innocent eyes. Blood was everywhere, yet she smiled. She had more wounds and had opened her previous ones, I was wounded as well. Though my wounds were not mortal, I didn't dare move. I gently pulled my arms up around her and sighed. Her head lay on my chest and her hand was over my heart. I could tell she was on the verge of death, and was only hanging on for my sake, so I said to her, "I want you to kill me right here and now. I know you're about to die, and I don't think I want to live without you or running from assassins. You are my assassin, and I will only die by your hand-"

"-I'm not going to die," she cut me off. Despite her protest I could feel her warm blood seeping from her mouth onto my bare chest.

"I don't care why I'm a target for assassins, but like I said you're the only one I want to die under. This is the perfect situation! You're lying on top of me and you're going to kill me." She chuckled and I smiled. She began to cough and I instantly regretted making her laugh, she coughed up blood.

"I don't have the energy to get up and kill you, mind you, I don't really want to-"

"You must! I want to be with you for eternity," I cut her off this time. I looked around the vicinity and a short katana lay in an arms length away. I reached for it and slipped it under her hand. "You have the strength to at least plunge this into my heart, don't you?"

She gripped the sword and with much struggle raised it up high. She brought it down hard. I felt it penetrate my skin, slip past my ribs and into my heart. I gave up willingly and at the same time I exhaled my last breath I heard her sigh into death as well. There we lay for all eternity, me with my very own assassin.