"Horse shit!" Baiken yelled "I have no business with the emperor, I just escaped my very own hell, trying to make a new and better life for myself, now you! Concubine! Tossed me into another greater hell!" Baiken brought the blade to Naka's neck.
"I'm sorry! I didn't know your story!"
"Then ask me rather, don't jump to conclusions!" Baiken said lifting the sword.
"Please show mercy! A samurai doesn't kill the innocent!"
"I'm not a samurai, I am an akuma remember?"
Baiken brought the blade down and stuck it through Naka's heart. The woman subcontiously grabbed the sword with both hands gagging and gurgling, but Baiken was so angry she drew the blade out quick severing Naka's fingers, then swung and cut the naked woman's head clean off.
Baiken watched the blooded scene, some how it made her feel better and calmness returned to her. She knew if this was the only way she'd be at peace, she'll gladly leave a trail of bodies behind her.
Scanning the office she found a huge stash of yen bills in a box on Naka's table, this should shurely be enough to go to Tokyo, in Naka's cubbards she even found new clothes, complete with hoods and warm headwear, Baiken didn't recognise the style so she figured it's also western. She threw the coat over and covered her head with the hood. This coat was perfect to conceal her sword, after doing one last scan of the room she left the same way she came in.
Walking calmly through back alleys and side streets Baiken made sure she didn't draw attention to herself, she's leaving town, all she needed to do was use the north exit, no biggy right?
"You there! Halt!" Baiken heard a man call and froze.
"Turn around!"
She slowly obeyed, but held her head low, consealing her eyes, the guards only saw her mouth.
"Remove the hood!"
Baiken had the katana hidden in such a way that she could easily draw it at a moments notice "Why?" She asked.
"Woman!" The guards yelled leveling their muskets on her, making Baiken lift her hands.
"OK, as you wish sir"
Slowly Baiken brought her hands to the hood, she lifted it off but kept her eyes closed, only when she dropped her hands as to ready them for the katana, did she open her eyes.
"Akuma!!" One yelled but Baiken was already moving, the two muskets fired but she was twisting towards the ground. One musketball caught her ear making it sing, but the blade of the katana glimmered in the moonlight and with a swift slash the head of the first guard got cut as he was trying to reload, it even took off his arm by the elbow, and the top half of the musket. The second guard drew his sword and held it ready at her.
"You are brave to draw that on me" She said lowering her sword "I am honored for your bravery"
"Silence! Drop the katana! Now!"
"It will fall, when I fall" She moved in, he showed great swordsman skills, but to Baiken it felt much different from fighting Yamamoto, the guard faught with one hand instead of two, and it proved to make him slightly more agile, Baiken could have killed him sooner, but her intrest made her step back.
"Why do you hold your sword with one hand?"
"I was taught this way by my captain"
"But it is not how samurai holds the sword, and that sword is not even a katana?"
"It is called a saber, and it's the western way of swordfighting"
"Then I'm not really facing a samurai? It makes sense now"
"Makes sense of what?"
"Why I could have killed you so easily"
"Woman! I'm still standing!"
Baiken moved in, katana held low back, the guard had his sword high to strike down, but she was quicker, she passed him with speed, her katana went right through his abdomen, he gasped dropping the sword, his upper body fell forward, the lower collapsed back.
Baiken shook the blood off the blade then seethed it, she concealed and moved on quickly, knowing sooner or later someone will come across this scene. Not long and Baiken found the north exit, just in time as the whistles were heard blowing, and the guard started to assemble.
Baiken traveled for two days when the mountains opened over the horizon. It's peaks were beautifully blanketed in lush forest. Baiken felt excited to see how it would look on the summit, the view must be extravagant from that high.
She found a traveling merchant and bought food from him.
"You heading north child?"
"Yes I am sir"
"Be carefull, there are assassins hiding in the trees above"
Baiken never heard this term "Assassins?"
"They are called Shinobi, and they are masters of killing in silence, rumor has it they can even use something like ninjitsu, and gengitsu, techniques that allow them to spew fire, dissapear into thin air, even change how they look"
Baiken didn't like her odds against something like that "How do I pass then? Can I go around?"
"Yes, but that extends your travel to the north docks by an extra five days, and you pay higher toll fees because you need to pass through the emperor's kingdom"
Brilliant, Baiken would rather face the shinobi, than take a chance with the emperor.
"If I cross the mountain, how do I avoid the shinobi?"
"A trade, they don't want money"
"But, I don't have much"
The old man smiled "They'll take anything, even a lock of hair really, anything that seems either pretty or useful"
Baiken thought to herself, if they took anything, she'll just barter, there had to be something she has they would take, even her fathers sword... No, not that.
"Thankyou old man"
"Take care little girl"
Baiken walked keeping the mountain in view, as if trying to see the shinobi as they hid on it. When she reached it's foot the smell of the foliage was in the air, even the scent of flowers, Baiken couldn't imagine assassins hiding here.