Chiyo held onto her towel with one hand, ensuring she remained decent. She closed her eyes, her senses heightened. She could hear their breaths — hushed, deliberate. Their footsteps, faint and light, leaving no trace at all, but their bloodlust hung in the air exposing their location.
The first strike came from behind, aiming for her neck. She spun around, her weapon glinting dangerously. The dagger meets steel, creating a spark in the moonlight. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the face of her enemy. The assassin wore a mask, a smiling woman. Face — pristine white; and crimson lips grinning from ear to ear. Chiyo recognized the style — The Shadow's grin clan, an assassin group that wore laughter as their mask.
The steel slid from her dagger, aiming for her heart next. Chiyo immediately jumped back, her towel almost loosening its grip.
"Oops!" She laughed, as if her life is not in danger at all. She fixed the fabric on her body, and without a warning she lunged at the assassin in front of her. "Why don't you all get out from where you're hiding?"
She was smiling as she parried her enemy, her movements swift and precise. Using only her right arm, the assassin almost lose his footing — giving her an advantage. A good start. She thought.
"I know where you all at. No use in hiding. You all look like a fool to me, stupid." She said again, provoking her enemies.
However, nobody listened to her. They all waited in the shadows, probably trusting their companion that he could end the fight in no time, or thinking that Chiyo is not even worth their time. Her lips tugged, a sinister smile appearing on her face.
"I like the grin on your mask, but mine's scarier."
The horse whined from the background, Chiyo feigned a stumble, a bait taken by her enemy, he lunged forward — the tip of the sword gleaming. Thinking that he won the battle before it finished, Chiyo's movement became faster. Falling to her knees, her body pivoted to the side, her dagger found its mark — the heart. The blade connected and the assassin also fell to his knees, his eyes meeting her cold, and calculating gaze. She smiled cunningly, and realization dawned on him.
This woman is not afraid at all. This game of death, she's actually enjoying it.
It was like she had been waiting for this.
"Next." Her voice resounded, arrogant yet cold. She pulled out the dagger from the assassin's heart, the blade glinting in the moonlight. Blood dripped, staining her pale hand, and behind the mask, the assassin's eyes widened in fear.
The woman — they had underestimated her.
Wiping the dagger on her white towel, needles flew in her direction. Her instinct instantly kicked in, she leaped into the air, the needles piercing through the snowy ground where she stood mere moments ago. She scanned the area where the needles came from, and without further ado she ran towards it.
A shadow moved from the tree— running away, she followed suit to hunt her prey but another emerged from behind, sword slashing towards her nape. She bent down, her body twisting, and tried to reach for the assassin's feet. Her skin grazed the ground, catching an empty air. The assassin had jumped back, sensing her plan.
Chiyo stood up, smirking at him. He is also wearing the same mask as the first one, hiding his identity.
"I was wondering if any of you could reveal to me your employer as a prize since I killed one of you within a minute." She pointed her dagger upfront, teasing the third assassin standing in front of her. "Or not. I bet you're all pissed off right now. Imagine, I killed your leader with one hand."
The assassin's eyes turned into a slit. "How did you know he was our leader?" He asked, curious.
"Oh." Chiyo shrugged her shoulders. "I didn't know. It was just a guess, but now I know. Thanks to you."
Another dozen of poisoned needles flew from behind. Her smile widened — dodging the surprise attack, her hand flung the dagger at the nearby tree, hitting its target. From the branch, a shadow fell with the dagger in between its eyes. The mask broke, revealing the face of a woman, her eyes wide in horror. The body fell to the snow with a muffle thud, and the third assassin called out his companion's name.
"Yue!" He yelled, he ran to her body — his mask slipping, revealing panic.
Chiyo did not move from her spot. She watched him retrieve the woman's body, her eyes drooping.
"No fun." She mumbled. "I was hoping for a good fight tonight, but this is boring."
The assassin turned his head, eyes ablaze, he ran with the sword in his hand. "I will kill you!" He said, anger fueling him.
With no weapon at hand, and the other holding the towel clinging to her body, Chiyo dodged all of the incoming attacks, her movements never faltering. It was still graceful like a falling leaf, light and elusive. It is also not the first time she was chased by assassins, but the first, she was left to die — bathing in a pool of blood — snow seeping the crimson liquid. And that will never happen again.
She had vowed to herself. Whoever wants her life, she will kill them without mercy. Be it a foe or a friend, she will not let anyone end the life she fought so hard to survive.
She spun around, the sword grazed her stomach, but only the fabric that was torn — revealing a bare skin.
"I will kill you!" the assassin repeated, and the fourth companion had revealed his self.
The fourth is holding onto a twin dagger, its blade glinting mysteriously. He nodded at his companion, having a tacit understanding, both of them attacked her simultaneously. Chiyo was at a disadvantage, her dagger lay discarded, so she went into a defensive stance.
She ducked, spun, and leaped just to avoid their strikes. The one holding a sword lunge, blade aiming at her throat. She twisted, and the steel missed by a hair's breadth. She admits. Without a weapon, she's at a disadvantage. She can't fight these masked assassins with her provoking alone. She needed something to fight back with. Anything. Anything can be a weapon for her.
"Where's your confidence now?" The one with twin dagger asked, his eyes behind the mask playful and mocking. "Heh. At the end of the day, you're just another corpse. The employer had told us you were a Yukionna, but I'd never seen you wield your ice. Maybe you're a defect."
The assassins laughed at her as they pressed closer, reveling in her misery. That's when Chiyo saw it — a chance. If she doesn't have her own weapons then might as well steal one.
She flung herself towards the fourth assassin. Not expecting her action, their hands move instinctively. The dagger met her flesh. Surprised by the outcome, both of her enemies stared at her confusingly as she stepped back. The dagger is still in the stomach, blood dripping from it.
Did she just run to them to get killed? A while ago she was in defiance, but now, she's the one who let herself be stabbed.
"I don't think if it's because your stupid or your arrogance has shrunk your brain, but that is the most foolish move I have ever seen."
They laugh at her again, their voices echoing through the dark forest — the cunning smile of the woman appeared — hidden beneath the shadow, unnoticed.
"Let's go. The blade is lace with poison. She'll die on her own." It was laced with deadly poison. One that can kill even the strongest warrior. Letting their guard down, the two assassins turned their back on her. Their job is done. The goal is to kill her.
"Aren't we going to present her head as proof?" One of them asked, they then looked at each other — thinking.
"You're right. Let's behead her then."
"How?" Before they could react, a hand snaked its way around the assassin's neck who stabbed her. Frozen, he stiffened as his own dagger pricked the side of his neck. "How do you behead an enemy?"
Chiyo pushed the dagger closer, its sharp end piercing his skin, a small blood oozing from it. Her gaze shifted, and met those dreadful eyes of the other assassin — mocking... warning.
One wrong move from him, then the blade would pierce from one end to the other of his companion's neck. "You think I will die from a mere poison? Haha. Do assassins these days just accept jobs without thinking? You should have learned about me first before going on a killing. You're wasting your employers gold."
Without another word, the dagger pierced through. The blood hissed, spilling forth, staining her pale face. The assassin trembled, his body shook before it fell down limply.
Dead. He died within a minute, the lethal poison the main cause of it. The last assassin now stood before her, his mask long gone, revealing a face full of hatred. Raising his sharp sword, he is now determined to kill her in one clean strike. She is already injured, if she fights back, no matter how strong her body can handle the poison, if she moves too much it will only amplify the effects of it.
"Die!" The assassin was about to attack her, but something suddenly fell from above.
He halted.
Chiyo was also suprised, she took a step back and there — a severed head laid on the snow, bloodied. Its eyes wide in horror and mouth opened as if he was screaming in fear before he died.
Gruesome.
The assassin immediately recognized the head. It was their fifth member. He knew he was hiding from afar, just in case the prey decided to escape, but how come he died when the woman was with him. Looking up to see his target, the woman was looking at something behind him — he felt its presence too. For the first time, he felt his impending doom, walking, getting closer. He knew he can't escape it anymore. The assassin gulped, the figure was now closer.
It might also be the one who severed his companion's head.
"How dare you hurt my wife." A cold voice rang in his ear. It was so deep and powerful that his knees had lost its strength. "In return, I'll let you meet your maker."