[Tsubasa] Marco Polo 5 (and a half)

[athenaltena]

About to head out for a week away, but as a supplement I'll leave the half-finished chapter 5. By the time I get back it and possibly 6 will be done.

It was almost unfair how utterly outmatched the would-be-assassins were.

Tomoyo’s orders had always been to avoid casualties, but even after everything he’d been through Kurogane wasn’t one to make promises he might not be able to keep. But now that he could actually see his quarry it seemed entirely possible to simply scare the daylights out of them. The assassins – and that was using the term liberally – couldn’t have been more than twenty years old, and in Kurogane’s book were better off terrified than dead.

He also couldn’t help but be baffled by the obvious lack of planning. It would have been hard not to spot the two with the amount of noise they were making, and there had been no evidence that their quarry was expecting any sort of resistance. Whatever stories the Iberians had been told about Nihon would obviously need rewriting, and Kurogane was more than happy to help.

He was close enough to see the sweat on the man’s neck and the knife clutched in one white-knuckled hand. Kurogane had to consciously stop himself from simply skewering him for even thinking about hurting Fay. But Kurogane only intended to make a point – not kill anyone.

The man took a step back, prepping himself for a charge he ever got to make.

In a single motion Kurogane surged forward, bent back his wrist with a painful snap and pinned him to the ground as the knife clattered loudly to the floor.

“Nnn…GAH!!!”

Before anything else could happen Kurogane had drawn his sword and pressed it against the man’s throat.

“Try anything funny and your neck is next!” Kurogane snarled, putting a little more pressure on the now broken wrist and earning a feeble whimper.

Down the hall there was a purple flash and a chortling scream that overshadowed that of Kurogane’s captive by about tenfold.

“Fay!” Kurogane gasped, fighting the urge to sprint over and slash to pieces whoever Fay was engaged with.

“No worries, Kuro-rin.” Fay called from inside. A moment later he emerged carrying a very unconscious and still-smoldering Iberian by the collar, who he dropped onto the floor with a dull thud.

“Tsk tsk. And after I taught them to make a decent cup of tea, too.” He glanced up at Kurogane and flexed his hand. “But luckily my powers aren’t just for show.”

Kurogane could hear his captive begin to whimper as Fay sauntered towards them, an odd smile on his lips.

“Let me guess,” Fay said with a careless toss of his head. “Your captain offered something – a sack of gold, perhaps – to anyone willing to sneak up here and slit my throat during the night.” Fay bent down to pick up the discarded knife and ran his finger along the blade. “Pretty tempting, eh? Get rid of the damned stowaway and earn a pretty penny in one swoop. And it would be plenty easy to blame on the natives and guilt-trip them into coughing up some of that fabled treasure, am I right?”

Kurogane couldn’t see his captive’s face, but if the way the man was shaking was any indication he was just about ready to piss himself. Fay casually sauntered up with a dangerous smile on his face.

“Well, good plan, but you forget to take into account three very important things. One: Him.” He gestured towards Kurogane. “Two: I’m not nearly as helpless as I let on. I thought I made that clear in Shonan against those pirates. And Three,” Fay held up the knife, letting it catch the yellow lamplight menacingly. “It’s generally not a good idea to use one’s own monogrammed knife when trying to blame a murder on the natives.”

“But hey, listen.” Fay muttered, dropping his voice and leaning closer. “In the spirit of International Brotherhood I’m willing to let you go, but I’m not so sure about him.”

Kurogane tightened his grip after Fay shot him a knowing glance.

Ah, clever. He thought smugly as his captive began to whimper.

“Now,” Fay continued. “I can maybe give you a ten-second head start, but after that I’m not making any promises. Ninja are quite fierce, you know, and very possessive.”

Fay leaned closer to whisper in the man’s ear, while Kurogane pretended to be oblivious to what was being said.

“Alright, here’s what I want you to do: You’re buddy’s coming around, so grab him and run. I’ll keep him busy, but whatever you, do don’t look back!” Fay patted him on the shoulder and smiled. “Good luck!”

With that Kurogane released his hold and stepped back as the man scrambled away. With more pleasure than was probably necessary Kurogane watched as the would-be-assassin grabbed his still-drowsy cohort by the collar and took off headlong into the corridor,

“Have to give them credit,” Fay said with an amused smile. “They are fast.”

Kurogane grunted in agreement.

“Crappy assassins, though.” He added dryly, reaching out to take the knife from Fay’s hand. “If I was going to off a guy I wouldn’t use a knife like this.”

“Oh?” Fay said curiously, sidling closer. “What would you use then?”

“Folded over piece of steel. Saves on cleanup.” Kurogane flipped the knife his hand and frowned. “Balance sucks on this too.” With a casual toss Kurogane lobbed the blade into a nearby doorframe where it stuck with a dull thud.

“Interesting…” Fay nodded. After a moment he looked up at Kurogane and smiled apologetically. “I just hope I didn’t make you sound too vicious, Kuro-pon.”

Kurogane thought about it for a moment before he shrugged.

“Don’t worry. That’s the second time I’ve scared ‘em, so if they go back with scary stories it’s probably for the best. Less trouble later.”

“Captain!” A voice called from down the hall. “They’re back in their quarters!”

“Alright!” Kurogane called back . “A couple of you set up a perimeter around here just in case they try anything else. Everybody else can leave.”

The formerly quiet corridor was suddenly a flurry of activity as the doors lining the hall opened to reveal the two dozen ninja who had been waiting for their Captain’s cue. Fay watched this with amusement before shooting an amused smile at Kurogane.

“Isn’t that a little excessive, Kuro-rin?”

Kurogane shrugged again.

“When in doubt, bring backup.” Especially if it involves you. He added silently.

He was about to yell out more orders when he saw something twinkling in Fay’s eyes that made him stop and do a double taking. Getting the message, Kurogane allowed a small mischievous smile to form on his lips. He glanced quickly at his men before leaning down and stealing a quick kiss.

By now the hall was dead silent. Kurogane exchanged quick glance with Fay, who was obviously suppressing giggles, before raising his head.

“Just what are you dogs staring at?!” He bellowed, watching with amusement as more than a few of them jumped. “Show’s over, so either get on guard duty or scram!”

Within a matter of seconds the hall was completely empty save for the two of them. Fay’s shoulders were trembling slightly with suppressed laughter.

“Dogs, Kuro-rin?” Fay chuckled quietly.

Kurogane grinned devilishly.

“It worked, didn’t it?”

TBC once I get back from vacation…

.o.O.o.

Shonan: The Colonial Japanese name for Singapore, Portugal took control of the port during the 17^th century, but before that the city was a frequent stop for travelers and a hotbed of pirates.

Folded over piece of steel: Despite what modern fiction says, ninja did not usually use long swords like Kurogane’s Ginryuu when carrying out assassinations. Called a Ninjato, these were short blades that were sometimes as simple as folded over pieces of steel that were usually left in a victim. They were especially popular among lady assassins, who could simply stab their victim and walk out without having to hide a bloody sword.

Comments

[ibbsc.livejournal.com]

WOW! THEY ARE SO COOL! XD i luv this, have a nice vacation <3

[smokexscribbles.livejournal.com]

Aww! The overprotective!Kurogane was so awesome and sweet yet in character, and I love it when Fai can take care of himself. I read that bit a few times, going" Haha! Fai kicks ass!"

Have fun on vacation!

[sadie-dandelion.livejournal.com]

I guve you my love as always!

[misao-kunoichi.livejournal.com]

I just finished reading all your other chapters, and I just have to say that this is amazing. I love the way you combine history (and I love it when there are historical allusions in anything I read) with Tsubasa, and the way you explained how Fai gained his memories again, and Kurogane's posessiveness. I especially loved this chapter, with the faily!assassins, and Fai "threatening" them. All in all, I can't wait for the next part!

[twenty-til-12.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much for posting this before your vacation! I know I've said this a lot, but I simply love all the history you put in. This scene was hilarious and especially love how our two heroes scared off the crappy!assassins. Have a great time on vacation!

[fireflypenance.livejournal.com]

... I read this earlier and it seems I forgot to comment! Well I'm glad I chose to come back and give it another read over.

As with previous chapters, I'm in love. I love how this all played out, and the Kuro and Fai interaction was lovely! Keep up the wonderful work.

[tsukasaru.livejournal.com]

Ooo, maniacally witty. The both of them~! I love iiiit.

Loving this more and more; your writing is ever so enjoyable, and the way you portray situations and characters is simply amazing. So fun to read and follow along with! Cannot WAIT for more. This is getting VERY interesting (not that it wasn't already, that's for sure!)

I hope y'have fun on your week away~. n n;

[kinoha.livejournal.com]

*squees* I love this fic so much!!
Have a nice vacation!

[youkohiei-fan.livejournal.com]

Wow, really good! Hope you have fun on your vacation! Can't wait for the next chapter. ^_^

[alys-wonder.livejournal.com]

This fic is so, so awesome! I love the history and stuff included in it <3 Seriously, how much research did you do? And as well as being informative, it's also interesting and well-written. (I particularly like Fay's 'cup of tea' thing. XD Yay for good old Britannia). I look forward to the updates! Have fun on holiday!

[athenaltena.livejournal.com]

Thanks! And I couldn't resist the tea joke.

And as far as the history goes it's a combination of random stuff I just happen to know (my head works like that) and stuff I learned this last trimester in an Asian history class. ^_^