A Samurai and a Ninja [Solo]

Ami was standing behind some trees, well actually half kneeling as she kept her eyes glued on Kataki Road. She had been here for days, at least three days now, trying to find any suspicious activity. She had been told that there was some messenger person that kept walking back and forth for days and wanted to know what it was he or she was doing. A messenger’s job is to deliver parcels or letters but having the same messenger go through these parts every day for almost a week was perhaps a little too suspicious. Ami had not interest in knowing the contents of what the letter or package was, but she did want to know what the purpose of this messenger was. So, she had taken the mission on her own free will, glad to be finally doing a solo mission that required her attention for more than twenty-four hours. Ami had set up a campsite off the side of the road, a little tent of sorts, knowing that she was going to be here camping out for days. And she had been right, staring at this same stretch of land for at least five hours a day was definitely not easy.

She watched the people going by, wondering where they were going or coming from. She had a keen eye for people, noticing things like how they dress or little things like the same hairpins to differentiate someone from another person. So her eyes would narrow when she noticed a figure, walking rather briskly down the main road. Ami remembered seeing this person, his small but muscular build stuck in her head from the first time she had seen him. Unlike the last two days, he gave up on the rich silk blue robes he had worn before and instead walked down the streets now with a hakama, a katana in hand and a big straw hat. The girl would watch from behind the trees, watching his movements. Yesterday he had stopped by the fruit stand, the day before that bought some vegetables. She wondered what he was going to buy today. The man would walk up to the fruit stand from the day before, and instead of buying some fruits would be seen handing the merchant some money. Did he forget to pay for his fruits yesterday? Ami tried to recall whether that was the case, and seemed to recall that he had paid his share of the fruits. Then what was he handing to the man?

Still cautious, she continued to observe. He headed towards the village gates but didn’t enter. Instead he was walking in circles just outside of it. From what she could tell he was not a shinobi and should thus have no purpose for being near the village. What was he doing? Ami decided to try to talk to him casually, as startling him may make him hostile. The Hyuuga would approach the man cautiously, her footsteps deliberately loud enough for him to know that she was not here to ambush him. “Hello, how may I help you?” she would try to ask nicely. The man pulled down his straw hat to cover most of his face and would begin to walk away from her. She put a hand on his shoulder, intending to stop him. But he would grab her hand in an instant, twisting her wrist and throwing her to the side. As she crashed into the ground, she noticed that he was very strong, which made up for the fact that he wasn’t a shinobi, perhaps. “Hey, I’m talking to you!” she wasn’t going to let him go that easily. Standing up she would continue to follow him. He was heading back to Kataki Road, which seemed to her now even more strange than before. After a few moments of quiet following, his footsteps ceased and he turned around to face her.

“What do you want from me?” his voice was husky and deep. The straw hat still covering most of his face, he would look down at the ground. Why was he so careful not to show his face? “Well, I just noticed you back there and wanted to know what you were doing. Your attire is quite special in these parts after all,” her voice tried to sound nonchalant as she looked him up and down. “I was here to deliver something to someone and they didn’t show up.” That was his only offer of explanation. The girl pondered a moment before asking him who he was waiting for. If he needed to deliver something to someone she could easily do it for him, telling him that she was a shinobi from the Moon Village. Perhaps her suggestion or the fact that she told him she was a moon shinobi didn’t sit well with him because he immediately touched the hilt of his sword, now looking directly at her with menacing eyes. Although taken aback, the girl would unsheathe her own blade. She hadn’t expected him to be so quick to attack.

He came at her with alarming speed, his footsteps quick and light. He was about five meters away from her and he was definitely a skilled warrior. The way he carried himself, the way he swung his blade at her all told her that he was not any amateur swordsperson. The girl would clash with him, using only her katana against his in the fight. This was the respect she wanted to show a warrior, as using any kind of jutsu would put him at a disadvantage, assuming that she was not dealing with a shinobi. The sound of metal clashing with metal could be heard, as she defended herself against his fury of attacks. He kept her on her toes, slashing at her constantly so that it took her all the effort and agility to simply defend. Ami struggled to keep up, almost giving him openings on countless occasions to do her damage. But the girl was no lightweight, as she jumped up and tried to attack him from behind, disabling him first with some senbon before driving a knife into his spine. She had no idea whether he was going to die though, as she had not had any intention of killing him. Before he let out his last breath, she would ask for the letter or package he wanted to deliver. Rummaging into his robes he drew out a letter with a white envelope. There was no name, no markings on the paper. And with that she would take the letter from him, taking it back to the village.

[To be Continued]