Chapter 3

"You're back." Harukaze stared in amazement at the image before her eyes. Jin was alive. He wasn't even hurt. His clothes weren't even mussed. He was, in short, exactly the way he looked when he had walked away at dawn.

"He had white hair and answered to the name 'Vaj,' so I'm pretty sure I got the right guy." Jin smiled proudly.

"How? You said you could never beat Kuro." Harukaze couldn't find her breath. It was all simply too good to be true. He was back, and a man who justice could never reach was dead. Her justice had reached him. The justice of a twelve year old little sister had defeated one of the strongest men in Niron. It was too sweet. Too impossibly sweet to hold. It was a feeling she just had to let go to even feel.

"I couldn't. Not in a hundred spars. But sparring and killing is different. I never wanted to kill Kuro before, and it's a move that only works once per anyone who sees it. So you see, I wasn't about to waste it on Kuro over a wooden sword sparring session." Jin explained, feeling a little bad that Vaj wasn't around to listen in.

"A secret technique? You knew you were going to win from the start?" Harukaze's eyes widened, feeling cheated.

"How could I know that until we fought? For all I knew I was going to my death. And it's not really a technique. If you want to give it a name, call it phantom blade, but the Kensui school doesn't teach it. The move doesn't exist. You see, my shoulder is double jointed." Jin demonstrated by rolling his entire shoulder out of place, making it hang half a foot lower than the laws of biology normally allowed.

"Kind of uncomfortable putting it back, but. . ." Jin shrugged, tightening his muscles as he raised his shoulder back into place. "For a trained swordsman, who can see the arc of a blade coming from the first motion of the arm, they block where they have to block. They just can't help themselves. Fights are too quick to do anything but what your instincts demand. All I do is change the arc of the blade at the last moment, and suddenly I'm unblocked again. Even the god of swordsmen can't expect that. Maybe I haven't killed a thousand men, but I've got to have passed one hundred by now. The reason is a birth defect. Sad, huh? But a man's got to make a living. By the way, this is my trade secret. All anyone knows when they hire me is that I always win. They don't get to know how."

"Yes, husband." Harukaze agreed, stars in her eyes as she looked at her hero. Someone who could face even Yahiko Nomura. The man of her dreams was right before her eyes. The gods had given her the instrument of her revenge. He was the perfect tool. Handcrafted to perfection. She'd never snap at him again.

"I won't blab." Harukaze promised.

"What are you crying for? Sorry to see me back?" Jin complained.

"I. . .I'm just so happy. . ." Harukaze sobbed, trembling. Hoaido was too cold, and they had to stay here at least another week. "Akikaze. . .sister. . .I. . .I did it. . .part of it. . .I just can't believe it. Do you think she'll hear about it? Do you think she'll think it's me?"

"No." Jin laughed. "No one would ever guess it's you."

"Maybe the gods will tell her." Harukaze prayed. She'd never find Akikaze, not if she searched brothels throughout all of Niron. She would have a different name now, and a different face. She had known that from the start. But she wanted to reach her anyway. Somehow. Why not through gossip? It wasn't impossible. The 'I love you' that surpassed space and time.

Jin took off his outer kimono and wrapped it around his wife, tying the straps firmly down over her obi. "It's a real bother when you shiver from the cold all day. It hurts just watching, so get it together. One arm whoever is up here too, right?"

Harukaze nodded, leaning into his chest, tears still streaming down her face. "One Arm is in Ibindo. It's fifty spans to the west, at the sea. There's a road leading to it straight from out of town, so it won't be a problem. And I'll buy you even the expensive sake tonight, so. . .thank you, Jin."

* * *

"I've been thinking." Harukaze suddenly said as they walked along the cold desolate road to their next target. She was wrapped in two kimonos, her day and night change of clothes, which she was extremely unhappy about getting dirty but too cold to avoid anymore.

"Mm?" Jin responded noncommittally. He was happy to walk spans without saying anything, which she tried to respect as his loving wife, but this time she actually had something important to say, so she forged ahead.

"Next time I want to come with you to the battle." Harukaze said.

"It's one-on-one. Plus I insist there aren't any witnesses, so it would be unfair if I also requested you stay. It would look like we were ganging up on our opponent." Jin balked.

"So don't insist there aren't any witnesses." Harukaze suggested. "We'll be like your seconds, one for our side and one for theirs. We can even pledge that second to secrecy if you like."

"One of them would break their words eventually, and then my entire fighting style would be undermined." Jin said.

"You'll just have to bear with that. In the end, I didn't hire you just to kill these people. My vengeance can't be satisfied with just that. You see, what if all five of my targets were to suddenly keel over from strokes? Would I be happy with just that?"

"Most certainly not." Jin grinned.

"Precisely. I was thinking what I really wanted, and it wasn't these people dead. That's part of it, but not even the major focus. After all, if I just waited long enough, they would all die of old age anyway. Because I'm younger than them, I could even live long enough to see their deaths. But that doesn't interest me in the least. So if it isn't seeing their deaths that I want, what is it?" Harukaze asked rhetorically.

"You tell me." Jin offered.

"It's something related, but different. I don't want to see them dead, I want to see their faces when they die. I want to see their faces when they realize who I am, what I'm there for, and how their own actions led to their sudden gruesome misfortune. I want them to engrave my face in their eyes as they bleed out and realize that the gods were watching, justice was watching, and they have come to exact their due. I want to mock them and taunt them as they die with curses that will follow them all the way down into hell. You didn't even tell Vaj why you were there. He died wondering why Nironjin were such bullies, fully convinced he was innocent and had done nothing wrong in his life. What a waste!" Harukaze fumed.

"Wasn't it your idea to keep your identity secret though, so even if I lost, they couldn't trace it back to you and plan any reprisals? That way, you could just hire some new instrument of your revenge and keep trying, hitman after hitman, to finally bring down your quarry like a pack of hounds hunting a stag." Jin asked.

"That made sense at the time." Harukaze agreed. "But that was when I thought you were weak and were going to lose. I've reformed my opinion of you! If it's you, you'll definitely win, so I don't need to be anonymous, I don't need to avoid their reprisals against me. I'm staking my life on the idea that you'll win every time."

"But that's crazy. You said Vaj was the weakest member of their group. There's no proof I'll be able to beat the remaining four just because I beat him." Jin objected.

"It's now established that you actually stand a chance against my enemies." Harukaze persisted. "I can't say that of anyone else in Niron. Do you have some sort of backup you intend to suggest to me to carry on the war once you fall?"

"I don't really keep track of who else works in my line of business." Jin shrugged.

"Well, fine, but I do. And like I said, you're the only one anyone spoke highly of. I investigated every potential hire through pub gossip and it always came back to either you or Kuro, and by the time I was ready Kuro was already dead. I suppose the next best hire would have been Noito. . . but that's besides the point! Even if Noito were stronger than you, you said yourself that I was delusional to think 500 olan could hire a hitman for a job this difficult. Because you wanted some whimsical priceless good, I managed to hire you with the assets I had."

"And fine assets they are." Jin smiled.

"Right, but, do you really think Noito would agree to make the same deal? Or anyone else on Earth? Have you ever heard of hitmen seeking the meaning of life instead of coin ready for hire?"

"I guess I was acting a bit whimsically there." Jin admitted.

"So there you have it. Even if I stayed anonymous and hidden, I would never be able to repeat this quest again. No one would ever agree to fight for me again, and even if they did, they wouldn't be strong enough to succeed like you have. There are no further benefits to staying anonymous. In fact, there weren't any to begin with. But there are huge benefits to actually being there on the scene, where I can talk to the people you're about to kill and let them know who I am and why this is happening first."

"Except for the huge minus of my secret technique being revealed to the world, thus making me too weak to beat any of our future foes." Jin went back to what really mattered.

"That's your problem. Besides, there's no proof these people are in communication with each other. They're spread all over Niron. By the time the rumors spread we'll have killed all five." Harukaze coaxed.

"What if I kill all five, and then the rumors spread such that I can't win any future fights again? How will I continue my line of work?" Jin asked.

"I don't know, husband." Harukaze sighed. "But I asked for vengeance, and I don't feel like I'm getting vengeance on these people yet."

"So no matter what, according to our contract, you insist on being there?" Jin asked.

"On this matter only I insist on being selfish, husband. I won't cross you in anything else." Harukaze promised.

"Phwaw. I suppose it's only fair. When my secret's leaked I can worry about what to do then. Maybe I'll become a fisherman instead of a hitman. I can sell that blue sword of Yahiko's for a nice boat and net and take to the raging seas." Jin mused.

"Yes, let's do that!" Harukaze brightened into an enormous smile, clapping her hands together. "I'll cook dinner for you every night and say 'welcome back, thank you for all the hard work!'"

"Well, no harm in trying my hand at fishing for a while." Jin nodded, coming to a cheerful conclusion. "Very well, Haru, we'll let as many witnesses watch as they want, I'll make this my final hit, and go out with a bang. Why not? Once I've beaten the strongest swordsman in Niron, it's not like there's anything else to experience in this job."

"Good, then that's settled. I guess the next order of business is where we're walking." Harukaze changed the subject.

"I thought you said Onearm was straight down this road." Jin frowned. He didn't mind walking places, but walking around in the cold for no reason wasn't exactly the best way to spend a day.

"He was." Harukaze said, then she noticed his angry look and waved her hands disarmingly. "He still is! It's just a tiny detour! When we were at our last inn, I asked about any new information concerning our target, and I just happened to hear that he'd moved a few months ago. He left his job as an enforcer in town and became a monk, of all things. Then he founded an orphanage with all his previous earnings and lives with them, taking care of them all and overseeing the whole business. Everyone was talking about how commendable it was for someone to turn to religion like that."

"Was he the one who killed your parents?" Jin asked.

"What does it matter who killed them? They were all in it together. Each of the five contributed in their own way to the situation. They're all equally guilty." Harukaze said fiercely, as though she'd thought over the subject, and who to put on her list, for a long time.

"Fair enough. So we just need to be on the lookout for a signpost saying 'orphanage this way' and turn off, right?" Jin asked.

"There isn't a sign, but there is an oddly shaped rock. I'll know when to turn when I see it. But can you believe it? The man has the gall to make me an orphan, and then he goes and founds an orphanage. How can he be such a hypocrite?" Harukaze growled.

"Maybe it's the opposite. He felt bad about making you an orphan so decided to make it up by founding an orphanage." Jin suggested.

"Who cares? He didn't offer to adopt me. Does he think charity to strangers will make up for the harm he did to his original victims? The two are completely unrelated." Harukaze complained.

"Just to be sure, if he had offered to adopt you, would you have agreed?" Jin asked, laughing.

"Of course not! He killed my parents!" Harukaze shouted.

"So he did kill your parents." Jin nodded, content.

Harukaze blushed and looked down at the road in frustration. "Okay so fine, he was the one. Vaj ran the gambling den that got my family so far into debt in the first place, though. And Yahiko is the leader who oversaw it all and the ultimate recipient of all the ill-gotten gains. So you see, it's stupid to have some sort of tunnel vision and only hate this one cog in the system. The entire system did it, together. They all condoned it. They all benefited from it. The blood is on all their hands."

"I get it." Jin placated her. "Why hate one person when you could hate half the world?"

"Exactly! You understand!" Harukaze smiled happily, only to frown when she saw his face trying furiously to keep a straight line. "You! Why can't you take anything seriously? I thought we were having a moment!"

"How about you?" Jin asked, smiling. "Isn't there anything you like?"

"I like vengeance." Harukaze said defensively.

"Something other than that." Jin stipulated.

". . ." Harukaze went silent, pondering the issue for a while. Jin seized the opportunity to find a new tasty stem to consume from the side of the road. When he returned, she gave him a challenging gaze with her hands on both her hips.

"I've got another, which is more than you can say, who doesn't like anything." Harukaze boasted.

"Oh, I don't know, wine, women, song. . ." Jin looked up into the sky to think the list over.

"Do you want to hear what else I like or not?" Harukaze interrupted.

"Very well, what is it?" Jin sighed, looking back down to his excited and confident wife.

"I like talking about how much I hate the people I hate and why! I could discuss how detestable and rotten people are forever!" Harukaze bragged.

Jin didn't know whether he should laugh or cry. Haru was beyond hopeless.

* * *

"Excuse me, is there a one armed man here?" Jin asked to a crowd of kids gathered at a river to bathe and wash their clothes.

"A one armed man?" The children looked at each other curiously, then shook their heads.

"Looks like we're at the wrong orphanage, Haru." Jin said, turning around to go back to the main road.

"Stop! Waitttttt!" Harukaze pleaded, tugging on his kimono as he physically dragged her just by continuing to walk forward. "He isn't one armed! I kept trying to tell you! He swings only one arm when he's walking! That's all I ever meant!"

"Can't you keep your story straight?" Jin complained, turning back around again. The things she made him do. Pick up fishing. And now hunt two armed men. Where would it end?

"Father Kuchiida only swings one arm when he walks." A boy volunteered, watching their antics with a finger in his mouth.

A few of the other children giggled, agreeing. "It's really strange!"

"Is Father Kuchiida at home?" Harukaze leaned forward to be eye level with the children and asked sweetly.

"Yes, he's always around, except when he goes in to town to go shopping. He scares the bandits away!" A young boy spoke admiringly.

"Thank you. In that case, we'll be on our way." Harukaze bowed and started to head for the barracks-like dwelling that seemed to provide a roof and a bed for at least twenty orphans.

"Are we going to chop this guy down in front of the kids?" Jin asked.

"Why not? He chopped my parents down in front of me." Harukaze shrugged. "But first let's make sure he remembers who I am. I want him to die knowing I hate him."

"Fine, fine." Jin agreed, sucking on a blade of grass. "Look, there's Onearm." Jin pointed at the figure who was pulling water from the well with a series of extremely strong heaves.

"Masato Kuchiida!" Harukaze shouted, breaking into a jog towards his home. "Do you remember me?"

Masato turned with a look of surprise and caught the rope so all his work of raising the water bucket up the well wasn't wasted. "Pardon?"

"Do you remember me? Do you remember what you did to my family?" Harukaze reached a safe distance away from the man and gave him a venomous glare.

"I'm sorry, no. Did I do something to you? If so, I certainly apologize." Masato said.

Harukaze's eyes widened into even greater fury, if that were possible. Jin simply stood protectively near her to the side and waited for his turn to come.

"I was twelve years old at the time. I wasn't good enough for your brothels. But my older sister was. Do you remember her? Do you remember killing my mother for getting in the way and begging you not to take her?" Harukaze demanded.

"I'm sorry, I've collected so many debts from so many families." Masato Kuchiida shrugged helplessly. "I'm sure you're correct, but as you can see, I already left that line of business. You're right, it's a terrible thing to do, debt collecting. I reflected on the matter a year ago and decided to devote myself to God instead. I intend to bring balance to my karma through a peaceful life of charity and good will. I hope you'll forgive me."

"Forgive you?" Harukaze asked, as though the words were foreign to her and she didn't know their meaning. "You want me to forgive you? Fine, I'll forgive you -- on one condition. Turn back time and give me back my family, happy and whole."

"As you can see, I'm not powerful enough to do something like that." Masato shrugged apologetically, taking his water bucket carefully out of the well and pouring it into a container. "Now, as you can see, I have a lot of children to tend to, so I don't know what more I can say. Would you like to join us all for dinner? I was hoping to heat this water and put the rice in by now."

"Kill him." Harukaze spat.

Jin took in her face and saw an overwhelming hatred to the point of tears. She was so angry she couldn't even express it in words anymore.

"Well, there you have it, Onearm." Jin said apologetically. "You'd better take up your weapon, she can't be convinced once she's like this."

"I don't have any weapon. I swore an oath of pacifism to God when I took up this new course in life." Masato said. "I can't harm a fly anymore, I don't even eat meat. If you strike me down, it will have to be as a defenseless, harmless man of God. All I can do is stand here and await your blow."

"Really? I guess that makes this easy, then." Jin said, thrilled at his luck. He walked forward a few steps and drew his katana. He aimed carefully for the man's neck and swung with all his might. His sword was true to its worth. Onearm's head rolled away, completely severed in a single stroke. Blood gushed as the body lost its balance and fell to the ground. Jin gingerly stepped away before it could stain his only traveling kimono and wiped his sword clean with an oiled cloth.

"I hate him. I hate him so much, Jin. Can we kill him again?" Harukaze asked hopefully, her eyes glued to his bleeding corpse.

"I'm afraid not." Jin commiserated. He didn't much like Onearm either.

"Go repent your sins in hell." Harukaze spat on his corpse. Then the two walked away to find lodging for the night at the nearby town.