-1Opposition

Clouds darkened the sky and cast away the sun from the world. Drops of water fell from the sky, washing over the two figures below. A young man in a slightly large gi trudged forward through the drizzle, his eyes drooped from boredom and his feet plopped heavily with each step. The woman next to him walked regally with purpose and her head held high. Her armor was most certainly high-class; the red and gold designs wore well on her. She took a moment to look back at something invisible, a few locks of dark blonde hair wafted over her shoulder. Looking forward again, she wondered about her missing comrade.

"We should go back, he might need help." The woman suggested to the man. Her pace remained steady and she managed to maintain a calm expression.

"He said to continue without him. Besides, he can handle himself." The man responded. He straightened his posture and walked in a more dignified manner. Several raindrops traveled from wet hair down to his face. "So, Valeria, you're going to the north-east HQ, yeah? Why, aren't you registered with one in the south or something?"

"North-west, Shiro, its closer and I think their sector is fighting for control of… somewhere over there. The point is I'll be able to get right back on the battlefield." Valeria explained. Her sense of pride in battle was evident. The rain began to fall harder; the raindrops made hollow sounds when they hit her armor. "Did Carrillo mention how long it would take to get to Souken?"

"I remember the words 'til nightfall pretty clearly." Shiro recalled. His mood deteriorated at the remembrance.

"Shit." Valeria uttered under her breath. She picked up her pace and started to power-walk. Shiro noticed and followed behind as best as he could. He caught up to her and maintained a steady rhythm at her side. The wind picked up, blowing Valeria's hair back; drops of rain flew from the blonde mass. Her hair found its way back, cascading over the wind and settling, once again, on the red and gold of the armor. Valeria took her hair and moved it within the back of her armor before proceeding forward.

"Why'd you do that?" Shiro asked moving quickly with her again. The wind blew again; the hair remained in place proving its security.

"Because I don't want my hair flying about, obviously" Valeria answered. She looked at Shiro's short brown hair and looked forward again. "Grow some more of your own and you'll see."

Shiro felt at his hair, the wetness stunned him momentarily. The rain had flattened his normally wild hair into a cold, moist plateau. He removed his hand and looked ahead. Realizing that Valeria had gotten ahead of him he sped up so as not to fall behind.

The blade gleamed in the large man's eyes. The purple and green clad figure held the short, one-handed sword dangerously before its prey. The brown skinned man raised his fists wearily, he squinted his eyes, studying the enemy. Upon further inspection, it was easy to see that the person before him was a woman. The clothes she wore hugged her curves gently; her soft grey eyes also indicated her femininity. The woman took a stance as well, knees bent and sword held out ahead of herself with her right hand; her left hand remained ready at her side.

"Mercenary?" Carrillo asked, his voice clear even through the heavy rain. After a few moments of silence he stopped expecting an answer. He toke a step back, abruptly splashing a puddle behind him. The woman took the chance to dash at him; her sword sliced the air smoothly, aimed at his ribs. Carrillo quickly hopped back dodging the slice. Seeing an opening he jumped forward again and grabbed her wrist or at least he would have if it was there. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her turning to sweep him with her left leg. He did a back flip over her leg landing on his hands. She came around with her sword; he pushed himself up and out of the handstand and back on his feet. He spun around and dropped the heel of his foot at her, but she had already disappeared. He turned and saw her standing a few feet away on his right. A familiar pain resided in his knees now; he ignored it and maintained his composure.

"Nicely done, but you're lacking. This may be easier than I expected." The woman said in a condescending tone. She raised her sword ahead of herself and waited for Carrillo's move.

"The mountains." Carrillo stated. She looked at him with an unseen, but understood confusion. "The mountains to the south-west of here is where you're from right?"

"Why should I tell you?" The woman responded sharply. She took a small step back, observing him carefully from a distance. Carrillo held his stance; his eyes watched her with precision taking note of every move she made.

"Well, technically you shouldn't, I suppose. But it doesn't matter because I think I've figured you out." Carrillo replied. He relaxed his stance a little, allowing the rain to fall more smoothly down his body, and continued. "Firstly, the way you dress. It's something that only someone keen on stealth would wear. That didn't narrow it down much though, until I toke note of the colors. Purple and green are colors worn in the south. The green helps to blend in with the thick forests to the south which thins as you move farther north; the purple helps you to blend in during night, considering the long travel time in the south."

"So you know I'm from the south and that's enough to have me figured out?" She responded questioningly. She moved another foot back careful not to slip in one of many various puddles. "You're not the person I thought you were."

"I'm not done." Carrillo responded. He steadied his stance again and slid a foot forward. "Your sword is a type used in a specific system of ninja clans to the south. The length shows that it's meant for very close combat and swift kills. Perhaps to a vital organ, yeah?"

"A lot of people can use a sword like mine. Does that mean they're ninja too?" She asked. Her foot slid forward as well this time.

"No, but when you tried to cut my hands off I saw an inscription. It's one that is given to well accomplished students of the art. That solidified what influenced your style, next was to find which was yours. Of course, this wouldn't be easy for many people, but I've been within the walls of many southern ninja clans so it was easy for me to narrow the list. Judging by your fluid motions and use of your whole body in your attacks I determined that you trained in the art of the Hattori clan. The clan, although split into sections, is based in the south-west." Carrillo explained. Carrillo slid his foot back to its previous position. The mercenary stood dumbstruck at his observation. "On another note, how long do you plan on playing this one-step two-step game with me? It's obvious to see that you've been stepping back towards the forest. Though some may think you would be trying to make a getaway, I noticed that there was a rock behind the foot in the rear of you."

"Yeah, so?" She couldn't believe someone could have seen through her so easily. She shook her head to reroute a trickle of rainwater that fell into her eye. "You think I'm gonna pick it up and chuck it at you?"

"No, I expect you to apply tactics. Should I explain?" Carrillo asked. His brown spheres seemed to swirl as if consuming and absorbing her.

"G-go ahead." She stuttered. She prayed that he couldn't see through her latest attempt.

"Well, by stepping back you can do three things all of which put you in a good situation." Carrillo started. He paused and watched her for any sudden movements. "Act one: by stepping back you position a foot on the rock. If I am stupid enough to proceed forward, you will lunge at me off of the rock. This will give you enough push to bring you well with range, depending on where I am of course, and enough speed to surprise me and catch me off guard. One well placed slice and I'm finished."

"And?" She asked. Her eyes thinned to slits as she observed him.

"No. Act two: You move into the forest. There you will be under the cover of camouflage and can attack with long range weaponry. Assuming you have some, yes?" Carrillo asked. She nodded her head and waited for his last scenario. "The last one is simple, under cover of the forest you run. Of course it would be quite unprofessional for a hired mercenary to run from the target, right?"

"You're good. At first I was very disappointed, but now I see that you may actually be a dangerous objective." She complimented. Her sword was silently placed back into its sheath. Carrillo stood straight up and stared into her eyes as if hoping to find something. She jumped onto a tree branch and was ready to leave before stopping and looking back. "I'll come back to finish the job when your knee is better."

Carrillo opened his mouth to speak, but she had already gone. He turned to the small hill, remembering the other two that had gone ahead. Still thinking about the recent encounter, he jogged ahead in an effort to get some needed exercise.

Shiro yawned and stretched his right arm over his head; his left felt stiff and numb. Valeria had remained quiet for the last leg of the walk. He didn't like the silence, but found no way to break it for more than a few minutes. Turning his head to the sky, he observe the whirlpool of color created by the setting sun. The rain had stopped some time ago giving way to the spectacular sight. Turning his vision to the right he noticed that the forests became dark and terrifying. The trees twisted about each other in a gruesome fashion and their roots speared out of the ground prepared to grab hold of any innocent and make them one with the forest. He looked forward again and noticed a tiny light on the horizon.

"Is that it?" Shiro asked. He turned to look at Valeria, but found that she had stopped walking and was looked back. Shiro caught on quickly. "He'll catch up eventually."

"Huh? I'm not looking for him." Valeria turned around and walked to Shiro. "Something just felt a little odd."

"Oh? Like what?" Shiro asked. They began to walk forward again, towards the flickering light.

"Well, all this while we haven't seen any traffic down this road. Doesn't that strike you as strange?" Valeria asked. She cocked her head to the side suddenly.

"What now?" Shiro asked in a concerned tone. He looked expectantly into the thick woods for anything out of the ordinary. Valeria turned forward again and started ahead at a light pace. Shiro walked beside her. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, but this is pretty creepy." Valeria paused and listened for a moment. "Let's hurry up, maybe it's just nerves."

"Right…" Shiro said trailing off. Valeria picked up her pace in an effort to reach the city in a timely manner. He had a bit of trouble walking as she did. "How do you walk so fast in a suit of armor?"

"Practice." She answered swiftly. She sped up a bit more and looked into the forest to her left. "Eerie."

Two shadows stood apart from their green forested surroundings. The first sat atop a rock; his long brown trench coat fanned around him, a brown hat with a large circular rim did well to hide his face. A small hand gun twirled professionally around his finger. The other stood several feet away; with his head down it was easy for his long, grey hair to fall and cover his features. A katana clung threatening to his waist, secured by a thin, silk rope that also held up his pants.

"You think it'll be enough to cause a commotion?" Asked brown hat, the gun twirling shadow.

"If he says it is then it should be." Grey hair, sword wielder answered easily.

"Are we moving yet?" Brown hat asked impatiently. He stopped playing with his gun and dropped it into a holster on the right of his waist.

"She said she'd be back soon." Grey hair answered calmly. He turned his head slightly. "Here she is."

"Ready?" Asked a shadow from a tree branch. "We should get back as soon as possible."

"Right." Brown hat agreed. The tree shadow jumped back into the forest, brown hat and grey hair followed after. Their masses disappeared into the intimidating forest leaving behind no trace of their existence.

Many bright lights washed over the young mans face. He gapped in amazement at his surroundings.

"This is the empire…"

Heh, it took me a month but here it is! I hope I never take this long to update again. I trust you guys enjoyed the chapter and look forward to the next one, right? Well give me your suggestions and comments and I'll be sure to make the next even better! Ah, I almost forgot. Special thanks to Freeworld, for his helpful advice, and Sirscott, for his honest opinion. Thank you!