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"What if I delivered you to the his bō haphazardly through the dark loa, but the man lacked the necessary focus The necessary discipline of a true warrior "I’ you to theine they would ord of this failure to reach their employers Or their co on a root, Mariko couldn’t suppress a soft gibe: "Well then, I’d be ed if you would lead s of h, and--even with its lazy resonance--the sound chased down her spine "You’d al if you smiled more" His lips curled upward "In case your irls like you should set a "
Mariko stiffened She hated his words Hated the suggestion she needed afor her
Hated its truth
"Don’t worry" Theher to walk before hiht take so holes ring the western edge of the forest They’re bound to turn up there sooner or later And I’rin, he re fro her feet apart Bending slightly at the knees Anchoring herself to the earth
"Besides--" His deepening smile caused her to shudder internally "You look like excellent company"
As he uncoiled the rope, Mariko readied her blade Kenshin had taught her where to strike Soft places unhampered by bone, like the stomach and the throat If she could slash above the inside of his knee, his blood would spill fast enough to kill him in mere moments
Mariko calculated Considered
She was so busy in thought that she failed to anticipate his sudden rabbed Mariko by the forear back at hiainst the base of a tree trunk In the ensuing tu the wakizashi wide, not even caring to aihter rolled frorappled for the wakizashi His elbow caught the side of her face, bringing Mariko to the ground with nocalf
One of her wrists in his filthy grip, the ether
There was no time for fear or fury or emotion of any kind to steal upon her Mariko screa for control of the blade Its tip sliced into her upper sleeve, cutting the fabric away fro more skin
The man shoved Mariko’s cheek into the dirt
"It will do you no good to fight, girl," he said "There is no reason for you to irl" The rage collected in her chest "I am Hattori Mariko And you will die for this By my hand"
I swear it
He chuffed in a in its center "The one marked for death is you If the Black Clan wants you dead, you’ll neverhis mouth on a shoulder, he paused as if in deliberation "But Ito consider other options" His eyes stopped on the swath of naked skin above her elbow
The look she found on his facebut her teeth "I do not irl Your kind most of all" He placed the blade of the wakizashi beneath her chin "Make your decision Barter with me, and I’ll return you to your faht price, of course" His foul stench washed over her "Or wait to barter with the Black Clan But if I had a preference, I would choose me I’m much nicer And I won’t hurt you"