AKITO
They followed Mori out of the forest and soon they were running through the village. It may have been more than five minutes when Mori slowed down whining looking at a wooden building at the end of an alley near the lake.
"Stop, I think it's that place." Misa said as they skidded to halt few metres away from the building. Before they could move forward Aki stopped them.
"We can't go from the front, quick towards the gap, before somebody sees us." He ushered them in between the space of the two building. It was tight fit but one can walk through it with small difficulty.
"Meet me in the top, we will have a look from the gaps of the roof." Aki indicated the roof as he jumped up in a single leap.
"Argh.... Who made him the leader." Misa grumbled as she took hold of the ledge and propelled herself up with Mori following her.
"What do you see, is Yuji in there?" She asked him as she crouched beside him.
"I cannot see him but there are many kids who are unconscious as well as multiple guards." Aki informed her even though only a portion of the room was visible from this angle. How did he manage to do that.
"Are they cultivators?" Misa asked curious about the guards, it's not like she can see them from up there.
"You can't sense them." Akito asked bewildered.
"If I do that, they will know I am present here." Misa answered as if stating fact.
"Then suppress your Qi then sense them."
She was stumped when she heard that, she can't really do that. She has tried, her master has tried to teach her but her Qi goes haywire whenever she tries to put a tight control on it. It's like, the more you squeeze, the more it goes erratic.
"I can't do that." Misa mumbled very quietly.
"What I can't hear you?"
"I can't do that okay; I don't know how." She replied with a burst of anger as she turned away to hide her face which was burning with embarrassment.
"Oh okay....we will..."
Aki was literally at loss of words, he knew that she was not a weak woman in fact she was past the stage where suppression and sensing Qi should be natural to her.
He looked at her, her cheeks were burning red, twiddling with the hem of her cloth, he felt a pang in his heart. So, what if she doesn't know balancing Qi, he can teach her how to do it, it wasn't that difficult.
"Alright listen just.....here hold them." Aki offered his hands with palm upright towards her.
"What?" Misa looked at the outstretched palm in confusion.
"Just hold them and bring your Qi to balance with mine."
"But..."
"Just do it okay I will show you how to spread your Qi and sense them, without alerting anyone."
"Alright."
Misa grasped his hands which felt rough and callous to touch, indicating that this man was a swordsman who wielded blades. His hands completely engulfed hers and they were warm, Misa felt her face burn even more and she used all her willpower not to tuck herself away from his intensive look.
"Good now concentrate on your Qi and balance with mine."
Aki instructed as he let his Qi flow through his hands into hers. Misa was subjected to huge influx of hot fire like Qi. She was scared that the Qi might harm her but it just stroked her, urging her to release her own Qi.
Slowly testing the boundaries Misa released her lighter and uninhibited Qi. She could envision her bluish grey Qi meeting with bright orange red Qi of his. Were Misa's Qi felt calm and tranquil, Aki's was volatile and hot. Slowly her Qi merged with his as they started to flow together.
"Yes you are doing good.....ya it's done." Aki could feel the presence of the other Qi as both of them started to move in unison. Her Qi felt like a soothing refreshed air over his burning one.
"Now slowly spread your Qi."
"But they will know...." Misa hesitated in doing that worried she won't succeed. She had never successfully done that with her master.
"They will not, keep the Qi balanced with mine and do it." Aki held her hands more tightly reassuring her that it will be ok, he is right here.
"Ok ok...." She took a deep breath as she slowly let small amount of her Qi leak from the tight confinement.
"Slowly come on spread more." Aki urged her. Misa relaxed her tight control, making more and more Qi release happily, escaping her.
"Wow... I am doing it." She cannot believe that she had actually succeeded, she maintained the control on her Qi while balancing it with his.
"Yes...spread more." Aki encouraged her. Misa shifted her senses to the biggest source of Qi near her and she was blown away. He looked like a combusting and reacting ball of fire.
"Wow....you are like a furnace.....you are are...." Stuttering was something that Misa has never done but feeling the mass of Qi next to her was shocking as well as intriguing.
"I know, don't concentrate on me spread more and search inside the building."
"There are two martial artists. One of them is definitely stronger than me."
"Yes, correct observation." Aki praised her impressed with her deduction. Misa felt her cheeks burn red again when he found his eyes on her.
"Anymore?"
"No, it's only two of them and I can also sense many undeveloped Dantians*." Misa said already guessing they must be the kids these men have enslaved.
"Yes, they are the kids."
"Some are in the outside too."
"Outside?" Aki asked surprised as he had missed that detail.
"Yes, clustered together towards the back."
"Alright, now slowly pull your Qi back. Don't rush keep a natural flow." He instructed her.
"There you go, you were amazing." She felt a sense of achievement when he complimented her.
"It was really good; I have never done that." She answered softly tucking her hair back without meeting his eyes.
"Well, you are welcome." He replied cheekily, knowing very well that was appreciation for him.
Misa cleared her throat in embarrassment as she spoke, "So, what do we do. Shall we wait for the Tomoki-san or....."
"We should act now. We can't lose any more time." He spoke in resolve, his mind already whirling ideas how to tackle the problem.
"What's the plan?"
"What I am thinking is, I can go through the back and create a commotion, distracting that martial artist." Aki indicated the martial artist with higher strength, as he spoke.
"He is the high rank martial artist; he will probably come out to check. By the time I do that, I want you to go from the front and take out the remaining one's." Misa gulped nervously looking down at the mortals and the second martial artist.
"According to their count, you will have to take just three of them. One martial artist and two mortals. It will be easy for your calibre."
"Right, cool. Fight, I can fight, I can totally do that."
Misa spoke trying to keep her nervousness at bay but failing to do so. Hearing her, thoughts running around Aki's mind came to an abrupt halt.
"You have fought before right."
"Of course, I have. How could you have thought otherwise. I have fought daily with my master, sometimes with Asami and even with my brother." She blabbered out defensively.
"In a real fight?" Aki asked again dreading the answer.
"Of course, they were real."
"Misaki-san, I am talking about the real fight not the one with set rules in the fighting arena." The dramatic way in which her face changed and when she looked away not meeting his eyes was enough indication for Aki.
"You haven't, have you." Aki spoke the truth that she was hiding and Misa felt her face flush with shame.
It was hardly her fault, it wasn't like she had shied away from missions or competitions, it was her family. They were very protective of her, they wanted her to be of proper age and had enough skills before sending her off for missions. This competition was her chance to step out in the world.
"Oh....okay.... change of plans. I go down there, fight them, buy us some time until Tomoki-san gets here and you stay here." Aki rushed out a little bit panicked, he didn't want to endanger her life.
"Hey stop that, use me. I am here alright and I can fight. Granted, I may not have been in "real" fights but I am good. I want to help let me do that."
Misa pulled him back and spoke with conviction. She may be inexperienced but she didn't want to just sit back and let others do her job. She was here to save the kid and she will do that.
She was looking at him with determination and he had a feeling she was going to insist more if he stopped her now, he sighed as he thought about it for a moment.
"Okay, okay we can do this. You will need to listen to me exactly."
"Alright." Misa nodded in enthusiasm as she looked back at him with a sparkle in her eyes.
"Forget about all the rules your master taught you about fighting." Aki deadpanned with a poker face.
"What, that's your great advice." She asked with a twitch in her eye.
Aki rolled his eyes at the sass. "Listen, when you fight in an arena in a controlled environment, no one's trying kill you but here that's not the case. They will come to kill you and you need to be ready for that."
"I can do that." She felt like a lump was stuck in her throat. She has never killed anybody and the mere thought was making her nervous but she didn't want to back away now.
"Are you sure?"
Aki asked again just to be certain. He was pretty sure that the woman in front of him had never killed anybody and he was reluctant to make her do this but they didn't have much choice right now. All he can hope for is that she will hold the fight until he comes to help.
"Yes."
"Okay here's the plan." Aki sighed as he decided it will be better if he defeated the high-ranking Martial Artist fast then he can help her.
"When I am handling stuffs in the back, you will go in from the front and take out the mortals first. You have long range attacks right, use that and take the mortals first.
Once they are out, be ready for the martial artist he won't be just standing there, he will attack you immediately. Defence the blow, he is a low cultivator than you, you can hold against him.
Let him come to you, try dodging everything, make him frustrated. You will definitely get an opening, then you attack. Use your primary weapon for your attack and go for the kill or at least maim." Aki explained his plan as he kept an eye on Misa's face which was flickering with different emotions.
"Do you understand me, Misaki-san." He asked again when he saw that she was silent for some time.
"Yes. Yes, I will do that." She snapped out of her trance silently gathering all her courage for what was to come.
"We still have time to back off." Aki asked again.
"No, I am doing it, I promised that kid I will take him to Mount Haven to become a cultivator, I am not breaking that."
"Good, when you get my signal, you move in." Aki spoke as he slowly started moving away from the place where they were crouched.
"What signal?" She asked bewildered.
"You will know." He replied with a small smirk as he moved away.
to be continued--------------
Sneak Peak--
"What will you do now?" The man grinned down at Misa with a sneer as he slapped her again. This one hurt more, the bastard had probably infused his Qi in it, she could taste her blood.
"What is this?" Misa gritted out still struggling to get out of the coiling whip.
"It's a beauty, isn't it? Do not struggle you're not getting out of this."