Nobu ran down the cold night hold his side. His arm was sliced off and he was screaming. He dragged himself against the cobblestone walls of the streets, smearing blood across the walls and turned to the house of Togawa Sanze. He slid the door open and tumbled into Togawa's room. His face was pale and his tears mixed with his sweat.
"Togawa!" Nobu screamed. He was struggling to stay on his knees. Togawa backed away in shock, his guards preparing their swords.
"Nobu! What happened? Who did this?" exclaimed Togawa. His fat jiggled at every shout he made and his sweat was piling.
"K-Katsura! It's Katsura Yimoshi. He's arrived!" Nobu curled up on the ground, crying painfully. "Please get me a doctor." Togawa exclaimed at his guards to protect the extrior before Katsura arrived.
"That damn ronin," Togawa said. "I guess that war didn't sit well with him." Togawa flung a fat arm in his red and gold robe and more guards slid open doors and barrelled down the corriders. Togawa was taken by his own personal guard and was placed deeper into the building.
The samurai scrambled to the courtyard and there by the gate was a man in dark green clothing. He had a green kimono robe and dark green hakama pants. He held a bloody sword in his right. The samurai stepped back in wary. Katsura's face was covered by the dark but the faint moonlight showed an eye. A white eye.
One of the men charged and soon everyone followed suit. Katsura gripped his blade with both hands and slashed down at the charged man. He fell to the ground dead but another took his place. Katsura leapt to the side, dodging the strike but a man was already behind him. He turned the blade into a reverse grip and stabbed behind.
The man choked on his own blood, eyes buldging and dropped. Katsura deflected an incoming strike and returned with a chop to the neck. A circle of men closed on him and a single-handled spin cut from Katsura caused them all to tumble. Another rose up to Katsura's assault but Katsura knocked the blade away, cut the man's wrist and stabbed the blade through his head. Katsura pulled the katana away and charged to the house.
More samurai appeared in the hallway. Katsura paused. He observed a total of eight samurai, much less than the ones in the courtyard. They dashed to him, screaming a battle cry. Katsura held his blade up, widened his stance and ran towards them. He slashed once at the first, disarming and cutting down the second and stabbing the third. He used the dead body of the third and tossed him into the other samurai, stabbing through both of them.
Katsura delivered a swift kick at the other who was charging at him and slashed down his shoulder. Blood rained over and Katsura dislodged the sword away from the corpse's shoulder. He grabbed the fallen blade of the samurai and stood in a two-sword guard. The second to last samurai ran at Katsura, swinging his blade down but Katsura formed an X-block and cut through the neck. The last samurai dropped his sword and ran.
Katsura flung the other katana and it dug into the samurai's back. He fell to the ground and crawled down the corrider. He was infront of the door. If he could just slide it open and hide there, he would be safe.
The green samurai trudged down the corrider and stabbed his blade through the poor warrior's head. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and the man died instantly. More blood stained Katsura and it dripped down his chin. His long black hair was wet aswell. He sliced the door open and there sat Togawa. He was sweating in his oversized robe and placed a worried grin on his face.
"Katsura, what a surprise. Y-you sure leave quite an enterance," Togawa said. He cursed himself for stuttering.
Katsura remained silent. He then dashed towards Togawa, ready to stab a sword through him. He was suddenly knocked off by Togawa's hired bodyguard. Katsura stabled himself and saw the looming figure. It was Miura Hanezawa. His arm buldged and his face was tough and stern, his beard wisping in the cold air.
"I've heard stories of you, Katsura Yimoshi," said Miura. He had a large nodachi, a long katana, in his hand. The room was big so it was easier to carry something as large as that. Their blades gleamed in the moon, casting through the open view of the courtyard. "You assisted Oshiro Densuke in the Burning Land War. The Generalslayers."
Katsura stayed silence like always, keeping his sword close and ready. When Miura got no response he continued, raising his sword.
"I shall claim the title, 'The Man who killed a Generalslayer," Miura said and brought the blade down. Katsura's nimble feet kept him away from the heavy strikes of Miura. Katsura dodged a diagonal cut and a stab. Togawa scrambled to a corner to avoid getting into the crossfire. Miura slashed down and Katsura blocked but the heavy blow of the nodachi recoiled his own sword away. Katsura struggled to keep the sword away and Miura launched a kick into Katsura. He tumbled back and narrowly dodged the thrust of Miura's long sword. The blade got stuck in the pillar. Miura pulled away and charged back to Katsura. He swung wildly. Katsura's fast footwork and half-stable blocking helped him outlast a bit longer.
Miura decided to end it. With a final strike, Miura hacked the blade at Katsura's neck but Katsura vanished. Miura urged the blade to swing again but it was lodged into the thick pillar. Katsura violently slashed at Miura's calf, back and finally, stabbed his neck. The scarlet liquid poured and Miura was drowning in the miniature pond.
Togawa's heart dropped. His strongest bodyguard, Miura, was taken down. His only chance of survival was gone and his heart sunk like iron in an ocean. His face grew pale and his back hugged against the small corner, threatning to break from his sheer mass. Katsura slowly approached Togawa.
"L-listen, Katsura, I'll give you money. Anything. Anything!" Togawa desperately replied. Katsura only inched closer and closer. He snarled. "You idiot! Do you realize what'll happen if you kill me? My father's men were in the Burning Land War. He helped the current shogun. You'll perish, Katsura, you'll perish."
Katsura stabbed Togawa's heart and his icy cold voice dripped into Togawa's ear.
"Does it look like I care?" Katsura replied.
Togawa slumped dead onto the steel and Katsura removed the blade. He turned to observe the frosted moon.
"Densuke," he breathed in the cold, "this is my message."