Atsuko Tadeshi - The revenge

Chapter 4 - The Trap

the next weeks, Atsuko practiced a lot with fighting and he meditated a lot. In the fight with the bodyguard, he showed that fighting calmly is the key to winning. And so far, Atsuko won every time.

The last time he went out, he found some people low on the ladder. They were all between 16 and 18 and Atsuko knew that they didn't have a choice because otherwise they would be killed. So even though Atsuko could win easily, he didn't kill or harm them. he knew they had an entire life before them. most of them, he hit with the handle of his sword on the head to knock them out. The last one was by far the best fighter of them all, Dealing blow after blow. Atsuko parried them all but didn't want to ruin this kid. So, with a swing of his katana, he tricked the boy into blocking a blow that wouldn't come and Atsuko quickly hit him on his hand, which made him drop his sword. Quick as the wind, Atsuko caught the sword in the air and stepped back, putting his katana in the sheath. "You fight with rage in you. That won't let you win a fight. Try meditating and fight calmly." Atsuko said as he gave the boy his sword back. "Why do you give me my katana back and give me tips?" the boy asked. "Because," Atsuko replied: "you're a good fighter, and I won't take this from you. You didn't choose to fight, you had to. So, I won't punish you for that." The boy looked at Atsuko and said: "how can I thank you, mister...?" Atsuko looked at him for a moment and said: "do you know something about some called Hebi or Hatso?" the kid thought for a moment and said: "I don't know the name Hebi, but I heard that Hatso has a meeting with someone called Oshira tonight, at the old factory, about some attack that happened on him."

Atsuko turned around and said: "Thanks, kid." And as he walked away, he heard the boy trying to wake up the other kids. After waking the first, the boy looked at where Atsuko should have walked, but he disappeared.

That evening, Atsuko ate early and grabbed some extra stuff like some throwing stars, and went on his way so he would be at the old factory in time. Yomika wasn't that big, and it had one old factory. They used to make samurai armor there. Hundreds of people with anvils, hammering on metal and binding the pieces together. Since the war had ended, the rate of people becoming samurai for the army of Japan wasn't that high anymore and the factory was abandoned.

When Atsuko entered the factory area, he noticed some guards standing at the entrances. "This used to be an important place, but now it doesn't need guards," he thought. He sneaked along the fence and found an opening where he could climb through easily. Marking the place in his mind, Atsuko ran across the lighted road to the shadows of the huge factory. A door to his right wasn't locked and Atsuko went into the factory. He immediately went up a ladder to his right and ended up on the corridor with sight over the whole building hall. As he slowly walked across the corridor, he heard some cars pulling up to the building. As he walked into the shadows, the main door opened, and a group of guards walked in. they did a quick search of the building but didn't see Atsuko. Some guards climbed onto the gallery and grabbed the bow and arrows they brought in case of an attack in the main hall. The other guards took their katana's and positioned themselves at the walls of the room. Only one lamp hung in the middle of the roof and lighted up a circle in the middle of the floor, but the rest of the building was almost completely dark. Oshira entered the room through the main door. He walked towards the circle and stepped into it. He seemed scared and Atsuko could imagine why. Losing two bodyguards for a small delivery isn't a good thing. As Atsuko pulled his cap further over his eyes to protect them from the light, he noticed that all the guards were looking at the light. Atsuko knew that looking at light in a dark space could make you lose your eyesight for some time. Most of the guards won't be able to see him come. As Atsuko looked at Oshira, a second man walked into the light. This must be Hatso, Atsuko assumed. Their voices echoed across the room, and this was Atsuko's sign to start.

He slowly came out of hiding, directly behind one of the 8 archers he had counted. Instead of his katana, he pulled his traditional tanto. He grabbed the archer around the neck, and slid his throat, with a quick move, he put the tanto away, to catch the man and his bow. He laid them down with almost no sound and moved to the next one. Each time, he managed to make no noise, and none of them expected to be attacked from behind. While climbing down, he heard Oshira say: "I don't know who it was. He was dressed in complete black with a demon mask." Atsuko managed to kill all but 2 guards on the ground without being noticed. The last two were standing close to each other but this time, Atsuko didn't want to be unheard of. He grabbed his katana and pushed it right through the first one's chest, hitting his heart. After retracting his blade, the body fell over.

Hatso and Oshira stopped talking and looked at the place the noise came from, but because of the light, they didn't see Atsuko decapitating the other guard and his head rolled over into the light. As Hatso and Oshira looked disgusted at the head, Atsuko came out of the shadow behind the head. His katanas in their sheath, head bowed down so they would only see his cap and mask. "That is the man I was telling you about!" Oshira said. Hatso looked at Atsuko that stopped just outside of the circle. "Guards!" Hatso yelled but Atsuko said: "there aren't any more guards." "What do you want?" Hatso asked and Atsuko said: "the truth. Where is Hebi?" Oshira tried to slowly back off to the door, but Atsuko saw that. Within a blink of an eye, he grabbed a throwing star from his pocket and threw it. It flew nearly past Oshira's head and got stuck in a beam." don't even think about it." Atsuko said. "You are the one that attacked Oshira a while ago? I heard you fight like a demon. Where did you learn that?" Atsuko looked at him and said: "My life doesn't matter. I want to know where I can find Hebi, and I'll go without hurting you." Hatso looked at Oshira and back at Atsuko and started laughing. While laughing, he said: "hurt us? You should be happy that you are still alive, my friend." And while he was saying that the main door slammed open and a group of 20 men walked in, katana's ready for a fight. They positioned themselves in a circle around Atsuko, Hatso, and Oshira.

As Hatso turned around and started walking to the main entrance, he said: "good luck fighting yourself out of this, Mister Tadeshi." Oshira tried to walk after him, but 2 men closed the door behind Hatso, trapping Oshira with the 20 guards and Atsuko.