Shirayukihime and The Lost Fox

Chapter 9: Distraction

Third POV

As Akira was fighting the guard, Zen, Kiki, and Mitsuhide had followed them to the large house.

"That should do it." Mitsuhide said as he hefted an unconscious guard to a empty room with similar guards. "We need to find Shirayuki." Zen said as he quickly walked to the door. He stopped short when a hand grabbed his shoulder. Turning around, he saw Kiki behind him. "We need to find her, yes, but what about Akira? He's in danger too, you know."

He paused for a moment, biting his lip in thought. "Fine. If we find Akira while looking for Shirayuki, then we help him." Zen said rather reluctantly. For some reason, he didn't like the kid. He felt as though he were hiding a major secret, bigger than the one that they discovered by accident. Kiki and Mitsuhide nodded their heads in agreement. Kiki liked Akira, he had spunk and skills to match. Mitsuhide could disagree.

They quickly ran through the emptied hallways, looking at almost every door. When they were well into their search, they came upon a certain abandoned looking room. As they passed, they heard loud noises coming from inside. They all pause and listen closely. It sounded like fighting, loud crashes and distinguishable grunts could be heard. All of the noise stopped, however, at the sound of a loud "THWAP."

The trio glanced at each other nervously. Everything was silent in the room. Slowly, Zen held his sheathed sword up, ready to strike while Kiki and Mitsuhide went on either side of the door. Zen reached out for the handle and slowly turned it. In a flash, they slammed open the door.

What they saw was not what they expected.

The scantly furnished room was a mess. The few pieces of furniture were either broken or overturned and left scattered about. And the one that they saw in the middle of it all was Akira.

He held his kendo sword up in a defensive position and he faced the three in the doorway. When he recognized them, his eyes widened and he sighed in relief, tipping his head back. "Ah... thank goodness it's you guys. I don't want to be locked up here any longer with this loon." The three's eyes strayed to the motionless body on the floor.

"You... did you do this?" Mitsuhide asked.

"Damn right I did. This bastard was going to sell me if I didn't fight back!" Akira exclaimed, pointing the tip of his sword at the guard. None of them could argue with his reasoning, but there was another thing that stood out to them.

"Akira... why are you walking? Aren't you injured?" Zen pointed out to Akira. His eyes widen for a brief moment before he glanced down at his foot. "Uhh," he said as he shifted from one foot to the other. "I-I was injured. But how I'm walking, I don't know myself." He rubs his neck with a sheepish smile.

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Akira POV

The three of them stare at me dubiously. I don't blame them. After all, it's not everyday you see an injured person walking around. I shift nervously from foot to foot under their stares. "Huh, h-hey, we still need to find Shirayuki!" I exclaim, trying to distract them.

Their eyes light up in realization and they quickly turn around through the door. Mitsuhide was last to leave, turning around to me and beckoning me to follow. As I ran up to him, he mumbles, "Don't think you're off the hook yet, Fox." He stares at me seriously for a moment before running to catch up to the others. I trail behind, catching up to them quickly.

'Guess Yuuto gave me this speed. So the fox is useful after all...'

Realization dawns on me when I realize that I had left the fox armlet with the idiot guard. I silently curse to myself until I ran into the back of Zen. He stumbles forward slightly and turns around to me. I nervously mumble an apology as I look down. Surprisingly, Zen sets his hand on my shoulder. "It's okay, just watch where you're going." I look up at him. He had a gentle smile on his face. I nod.

He turns away from me and peeks around the corner cautiously. "There are three guards standing outside of double doors. I'm guessing this is where Shirayuki is." He turns back towards us. "We're gonna need a distraction."

All eyes land on me. "W-wait, me?! Why?!" I whisper-yell. "Because, you're smart, unusual, and can handle yourself. Besides, we'll be there if you need us." I continue to protest until I just cave in. I sigh. "Alright. I'll do it. But I'm only doing it for Shirayuki." I say.

My god. I can't believe I'm doing this. I take a deep breath and walk around the corner. Keeping an indifferent act, I walk straight to the guards. The nearest guard takes notice of me. "Halt." He says, earning the attention of the other two guards. "State your name and business."

"I need to get inside that room behind you." I tell them. "Think I can do that?"

"Sorry, but no one is allowed inside at the moment. Come back later." The second guard tells me. The third guard, who has been fiercely staring at me the whole time, suddenly exclaims, "Wait, it's you! You're the prisoner that was brought with the red haired girl!" The other two whip their heads to me and begin to unsheathe their swords.

I sigh. "Couldn't this little act keep up for just a bit longer?" I ask out loud. I take my kendo sword and quickly jab the handle of it into the stomach of the first guard. He collapses to the ground, knocking himself unconscious in the process. "Oi, oi! My sword may be sturdy, but it can't handle real blades for long!" I grunt out to Zen and the others as the second guard began to strike me. Pieces of wood fell to the ground.

"I gotcha, Bright-eyes!" A voice says from behind. A blur of blue rushes at the guard attacking me. Mitsuhide deftly deflects the guard's sword and strikes him unconscious. He turns back to me and begins to ask, "Are you o—" The third guard came up from behind him, sword raised to strike him down. "Idiot!" I yell as I push  him out of the way and block the sword.

I let the blade fall down to the side by slanting my kendo sword. From the momentum of his movements, he should be in a state of paralysis for a moment, giving me an opening. He froze for a second, and in that second I knee him in the stomach and bring my sword down on his back. He drops to the ground, unconscious.

I pant slightly as I look at my companions. Zen and Kiki had come around the corner to help, but it wasn't needed. Mitsuhide had his mouth agape, staring at me. I stare back at him. After taking a few deep breaths, I was able to speak.

"Never," I say. "Never turn your back to your opponent."