BML
Prologue
xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
Life
possession.”
Eyes
narrowing, they locked on the robed figure at the front of the room, “Now what
the hell makes you think I can even do
that?”
“You’re
the best I have, and if the best I have cannot even bring me his head, then
what good is it to keep him around?”
“And
what makes you think I will do it?”
“Did
I not make myself clear?” The figure at the front asked, “If you will not
fulfill your purpose, then why need I keep you around to grant you your own
wish? If you shan’t grant me mine, why should I grant yours? Understand?”
From
the shadows, his eyes narrowed further, “Fine. I will bring you the Demon’s
prized possession. Just leave Sen out of this.”
“But
of course. I shall send him on a separate quest and have him meet you
elsewhere.”
Nodding,
he turned his back on the man at the front without bowing to him — the standard
procedure for whenever they met — and headed to the door to collect his weapons
and then pack up for his new journey.
Making
sure the younger man left, the robed man made a motion with his hand while
speaking to a guard to his right, “Send the other in.”
“Ow!”
Another young man exclaimed as he was practically tossed into the room, “You
didn’t hafta push me…”
“Sen,
come forward. I have an assignment for you.”
Stepping
closer to the man at the front on his fine throne — whose wood was rumored to
have come from the Forest of Death itself, Aokigahara — Sen rubbed the back of
his neck while looking up at the man he served… for now, “What is it?”
“I
have sent your… partner to do battle against someone whose power I wish to have
him estimate. I want you to follow him without letting him know he’s being
followed…”
“That’s
impossible!”
“…
and then I want you to bring me his head.”
Sen’s
eyes widened as his breath seemed to be ripped from his chest, “W-Wh… What?!”
“I
have a feeling that your dear partner will attempt to betray me, and if he does
so, my remaining forces will be no match for him, since you would also join
him, of that I have no doubt. So I want you to eliminate him before he has the
chance.”
“B…B-But
he’s my teacher! I only know what I know because he taught me! There’s nothing
I can do that could possibly even hurt
him, much less kill him! No, I
front said with a seemingly amused expression on his face, “I order you to kill
your partner. Either before or after he does his task, it matters not. I merely
needed to keep him busy. All the same, if you can’t kill him, then you had
better hope his opponent can… and hope that he has enough mercy to kill you as
well, or else your death will be slow and merciless from my hands. Or, if you
come back having failed miserably, you will never know the name of your
fiancée’s killer.”
Growling
at all the blackmail that was being thrown at him, Sen realized he really did
have no choice. Kill his friend and teacher or else never find the son of a
bitch that had had the nerve to kill his bride-to-be.
Bastards.
Both of them.
“What
happens if I try to kill him and he manages to find out what’s going on and
comes to fight against you anyway?”
A
glint appeared from beneath the cloak’s protection where Sen assumed the man’s
eyes must be, “Then don’t tell him. Take that information with you to the
grave.”
Great,
so his employer practically expected him to die. Wonderful.
Bowing
at the waist, Sen straightened himself as he turned on his heel to leave. How
the hell was he supposed to hide this? His partner could read him like a book
written in big bold letters, and secret-keeping really wasn’t his forte…
Entering
their shared bedroom — definitely not ideal conditions for secrets, as his partner
could ask him questions while he slept and he wouldn’t know — he was glad to
find it empty.
“What
did he ask of you?”
Nearly
jumping out of his skin at the question, Sen spun around to find his partner
waiting for him behind the door, four foot long sword at his waist, “How long
have you been waiting there?!”
“Ever
since I heard your footsteps coming down the hall. Answer my question.”
Sen
attempted to shrug it off, “Can you believe he’s actually sending me off on a
murder?”
“You’re
shitting me.”
“Nope,
got me a murder assignment.” Sen said with a smirk as he moved to sit down on
his futon on the left side of the room.
“Who
are you going after? Can’t be anyone important or else you’d have said
‘assassination’, so for it to be murder must just be someone getting in the
way…”
Sen
shrugged, “Yea, something like that. Nothing you need to worry yourself with.
So what are you doing? Is he sending you anywhere?”
“Nothing
too big. Just a basic pick pocketing to be honest. More your work than mine. I
wonder if perhaps they didn’t mix our jobs.”
“No,
they didn’t,” Sen said, checking the room quickly, “because then my murder job
would become your suicide.”
His
partner’s eyes widened… just before he burst out laughing, “Me? They want
Too
miffed to see any hilarity in it, Sen merely crossed his arms over his chest,
“Thank you for your doubt in my abilities.”
“Come
now, be honest with yourself. What skills do you have that could even
You’re too damn emotional, attached.”
Sen’s
jade eyes turned reflective, internalizing and burning this moment into his
brain, “We’ve been together for a while now, right?”
“Since
we were kids, yes. You’ve been a pain in my ass ever since.”
“Could
you… if you had to… could you….?”
“You
ask the dumbest questions sometimes, you know that, Sen?”
Sighing,
Sen lowered his eyes, chin resting on his chest. His partner was right, that
question had been pretty dumb. They both knew that, if it came down to it, his
partner wouldn’t hesitate to kill him. He would do it without any feelings of
guilt or attachment.
“Who
are you being sent to pick pocket?”
A
chuckle met his question, “A war god on earth, followed by the Four Horsemen of
the Apocalypse.”
“And
that means… what, exactly?”
“It
means, Sen, that we’re going to encounter the greatest swordsman alive.”
Sen’s
eyes widened. There was only one man his partner held in such reverence as to
call him a war god come to earth:
Demon
Eyes Kyo.