Spy Versus Spy

Chapter Nine

Kaoru was becoming anxious. She knew the moment in which she had to strike was fast approaching. That meant she had to becoming more focused on her goal, she knew it. As she practiced her weapon techniques, watching herself in the mirrored walls, Kaoru imagined she was fighting Shishio. Something told her she would be no match for him in open combat. Though their speeds were probably equal, she was not as strong as the Underworld Lord. The power behind the blows would be the deciding factor in a head-on-head battle. But, in a surprise attack, she could take him. She had to take him. Kaoru’s skill as an assassin was without equal. And, from what Kaoru understood about Katamari, he would be an excellent exercise. Cho was simply too easy to kill. Too full of himself, Kaoru felt his death was deserved. In fact, to die by the hand of a warrior of her ranks was probably too good of a death.

Side kick.

Midblock.

Spin, back kick.

Elbow strike.

Slash.

Kaoru never missed a beat with her machete, though she wondered if her metal bo staff would be more appropriate. It certainly wouldn’t hurt, well…it wouldn’t hurt her. Breaking her kata, she walked over to her weapons bag and pulled out the pole that was about six inches longer than she was tall. Next to her blades, the bo staff was her favorite weapon. It gave her striking range impossible with her machete or katana. Since her opponent’s weapon was a scythe, it made better tactical sense as well. She could keep Katamari at bay and utilize slew of acrobatic techniques, which was for the better since Kaoru was certain Shishio would want a good show. She clutched the cool metal, and let it her hands mold around it. A wood-grain pattern was etched into the metal for superb grip. The staff was light enough for her to wield easily, yet heavy enough to deal severe damage to her opponent and support her weight so she could perform those acrobatic tricks.

With ease, Kaoru began to twirl the weapon hand over hand in front of her. After she built the necessary momentum, she brought the staff from side to side several times, making a whirling sound as it passed by her calm face. In a smooth movement, Kaoru brought the weapon back to the front and moved her feet forward. The staff sang behind her and around to continue the side to side movement. Thus began the assassin’s intricate kata, in which she rarely broke the rotation. This required great strength and endurance, both necessary attributes Kaoru prided herself on. She thrust the staff to the front for a neck strike, then swung the length of metal around to strike another opponent in the temple. Sweat dripped from her brow, clinging strands of her dark hair to her forehead. She was a beautiful site. A deadly beautiful sight.

“How long were you planning on standing in the shadows?” Kaoru asked, staying focused on her intense movements. She had felt the intruder’s presence for quite a while.

“Until you had finished. Is that made of wood?” Shishio asked, slinking from the darkness around her dresser.

“No, it is an alloy,” Kaoru said, breaking her form and tossing the staff to him, making a whirling sound it made as it chopped through the air. Shishio snatched it from its path and inspected her weapon with amused interest.

“This is a fine weapon, Paloma.” Shishio commented as Kaoru blotted the sweat from her face.

“Arigato,” Kaoru said, eyeing her mark carefully.

Shishio, feeling her steely gaze, turned to her and smiled one of his smiles. The girl is beauty defined, he thought to himself as he held out her staff, and no matter what she says, I will have her body under mine.

Kaoru, seeing the lust in his eyes, decided to play coy, for now. Shishio wasn’t an unpleasant man, but he was dangerous. She would have to tread carefully and choose her actions wisely. Walking over to the tall man, she took the staff and smiled demurely at him.

“You know I desire you, my beautiful dove,” Shishio said huskily, taking one step closer to Kaoru.

“I know,” she replied, lowering her eyes as she placed her weapon to her side.

“You seem so subdued now, when earlier, you were very vocal of how displeased you were about my advances,” said the man as he brushed a damp wisp of hair behind Kaoru’s ear.

“I am displeased. I only want to be your warrior, not your whore,” Kaoru whispered, pretending to tremble at his gentle touch.

“Yet, your body responds to me,” was all he said before taking Kaoru’s lips.

It was a rough kiss, demanding much more of Kaoru than she was prepared to give. It seemed as if it wasn’t enough that Shishio already possessed her body for his purposed of killing, but he wanted her very soul. His body was hungry for her, the hard evidence pressed against her belly. Kaoru, emboldened, let her hand travel down Shishio’s side until she reached the soft cotton belt of his yakuta. A groan traveled from the man’s throat as Kaoru entrapped his member into her grip, the fabric between them creating the sweetest friction. Shisho’s arousal had reached a fever pitch, but he knew he must not lose his control of the situation. Forcefully, he wedged his knee between Kaoru’s and parted her legs. The young assassin gasped, and Shishio took the opportunity to suckle upon the salty-sweet flesh of her neck. Kaoru moaned and turned her head to the side, allowing him greater access to her sensitive spots. She was surprised by how much her body was enjoying the attention, but, Himura did leave her with plenty to sexual frustration to release.

Ah, she thought, how she wanted Himura Kenshin. She had just recently discovered Shinta’s real identity, and that he was none other than the most famous assassins, even more so than herself. And she wanted him. She wanted him between her legs before she drove a knife through his heart…or perhaps snapped his neck. Kaoru moaned with her thoughts and the lips upon her flesh.

“I thought you said you’d not be my whore, my dove,” Shishio mumbled.

Before he could plant another kiss onto her collarbone, Kaoru pushed Shishio away. She cursed herself silently, because her body was truly responding to his, even though he was not what she wanted. She was ashamed to say she wanted Himura, and she wanted him in the worse way. But, she couldn’t tell Shishio that.

Or could she?

“No, I won’t be your whore,” Kaoru panted. “But, your charms are hard to resist.”

“My charms?” Shishio laughed, unable to contain himself. Who was this girl? She knew what to say and when. She was obedient, yet willful. Sensual, yet coy. His Paloma reminded him of a wild mare; you can teach it to take bit and saddle, but at any moment, she could throw you. “And what is it about…my charms?”

Kaoru draped her arms over Shishio’s and let her lean body lay against his in a purely sexual manner. Shishio tilted his head to the side in quiet amusement, trying to read the girl, trying to understand her. Why he wanted to understand her was a mystery to himself, and made him that much more intrigued by her.

“If I could pinpoint it,” Kaoru purred, “then I’d have no problem resisting. “

“Why don’t you want to be my lover, be by my side?” Shishio whispered as he kissed her cheek.

“You have Yumi. Is she not the perfect courtesan? Is her reputation undeserved?” Kaoru pressed.

Shishio, aggravated, took the lock of hair he was stroking and yanked Kaoru’s head back forcefully. Kaoru gritted her teeth, but refused to yelp with pain. “This is not about Yumi, my dove, so do not bring her into this conversation.”

“Is it really a wonder I do not want to be your mistress, Shishio-sama. Is it odd I lust after another…” Kaoruspat as Shishio tugged harder. “Because I tell you, right now, your charm is lacking.”

Shishio released Kaoru and muttered something under his breath as she smoothed his hair back. The motion, Kaoru noted as one of nervousness, not aggravation. Interesting, she thought, that our sexual tension would make a man like Shishio nervous.

There was a knock on the door, and without waiting for Shishio’s opinion, Kaoru opened it.

“Shinta…” Kaoru started, but the young man’s wry smile gave her pause.

“Your skin is aglow. I assume our Master is with you?” the assassin asked, and then spied Shisho a few feet behind her. “Ahh, he is. A moment, Shishio, sama?” Shishio came forward, walking slowly past Kaoru, letting his body ever so slightly graze past hers. Without delay, Himura Kenshin spoke again.“Shishio-sama, your counsel is required by Soujirou.”

“Is that so?” Shishio asked. Shinta nodded his head once. “Make sure my dove is taken care of. She must be in top condition to please me tomorrow.”

“I will most definitely take care of her,” Kenshin stated, eyeing Kaoru’s form. With that, Shishio left the pair alone, shutting the door behind him.

“Why are you really here?” Kaoru asked, knowing there was more to the situation than it seemed.

“I came to deliver a message to Shishio-sama,” Kenshin said plainly.

“You and Soujirou are of the same rank. You did not have to deliver the message. You wanted to come here,” Kaoru replied.

“You are much too quick for your own good, Paloma,” Kenshin said, emphasizing her name as if it were the alias it was, “much too quick.”

Acting as if he were not there, Kaoru turned on her heels and walked towards the bathroom. She knew he would not leave, so there was no point of asking. In fact, it was possible he was there to kill her. It would be good to get a little practice in, she thought as a devilish grin crossed her face. Himura Kenshin did not catch her smile, for he was shortly behind her. In a movement, he grabbed her by the meat of her upper arm and spun her around to face him. Her body crashed against his, eliciting a slight gasp from Kaoru’s lips.

“What is it you want from me,” Kaoru almost cried. Kami! I want him to want me

“What do you think I wantPaloma?”

Those lips, Himura thought to himself as his gaze pierced hers. Just moments before, Shishio’s lips were on them, he knew. They were still plump and flush from being ravaged. And, there was no telling what other entertaining those lips had been performing, but it mattered not. Kenshin pushing Kaoru to the floor and began to tear her clothes off as he did the other night. This time, however, he would not allow anyone or anything to interrupt him. He knew she was a spy. He knew he had to kill her. But, not before he had all she had to offer. Not before he could possess just a tiny bit of her mystery. Kaoru moaned as she felt her legs being rid of her pants and undergarments and a hot, skilled hand placed itself between them. Kenshin kissed Kaoru fiercely, but Kaoru broke free to take little bites out of his neck, trailing to his ear.

“Is it me you want because you want me, or because you cannot have Yumi,” she whispered as Kenshin’s knee wedged itself between her legs, his torso following.

“I want you,” he stated plainly. His manhood finally released from the confines of his pants, straining to meet its goal. Kaoru raised her hips and rubbed her mound against his length, nearly causing him to lose control. “I want you, woman!”

“You know I know,” Kaoru said meaningfully, slowly feeling her lust taking over, his head precariously close to her slick opening. Unable to take any more, Kenshin thrust into her warm passage with a mighty groan. “Oh…Kenshin…ohh…you know…I still…must kill you?”

“Yes,” he hissed, not missing a beat as he labored over Kaoru. Her body was so sweet, so tight. He was fucking a woman who was more than capable of killing him at any moment, and that but made the experience that much exciting. No doubt, Kaoru was having similar thoughts. Kenshin could just as easily have killed her several times over, but instead, he was killing her softly with his staff and his lust for her. “Yes…I know.” Kaoru wrapped her legs around Kenshin’s body to allow him greater access. Kenshin gritted his teeth as he plunged deeper inside of his rival. He was intoxicated with the sensations, the pleasure she was making him feel. It was as he imagined, and so much more. She was his equal on so many levels, Kenshin knew it the second he laid eyes on the girl at the station. A pang of guilt hit him, as he again realized he would have to kill her…but not yet. “Say it again.”

“I still must kill you…” Kaoru managed.

“No! My name,” Kenshin growled.

“Oh! Yes…Kenshin! Yessss, Kenshin, don’t stop!”

As the pair fell deeper into abandon, Shishio lounged on his couch, smoking a cigarette as Soujirou sat across from him, smiling. Shishio took a long drag, then took his goblet of wine, closed his eyes and inhaled its aroma. Taking a sip, he opened his eyes. Soujirou still had the same smile on his face, waiting for his master’s response. Soujirou has ever been loyal to Shishio, and he would always be. The boy, though young, was his most skilled assassin. Truth be told, the boy would be famous if he were not so damn fast. No ordinary person, nor most skilled fighters, could even see his movements, much less counter them and live to tell the tale. Shishio raised they boy himself from childhood, and he loved him as he would a son…though if he did not perform, he could and would be disposed of. Because of their close relationship and their trust, he knew the information before him on the small dining table was indeed truth. And it unsettled him.

“So, there are spies among us?” Shishio said casually. “I wouldn’t be the first time, I’m ashamed to say…and tell no one I said that.”

Soujirou giggled, then nodded, “Of course I won’t, my lord, but what are we to do?”

“Snuff them out, of course. It will be difficult, for whoever sent these spies, they sent the best. They are undoubtedly well trained.”

“What do you think of Pa…”

“Paloma is not a spy!” Shishio shouted before the name could come from the boy’s mouth.

“I did not mean to offend you, my lord. It is just she is new, along with Shinta. Both are killers, Shinta almost without parallel. And Paloma, she hides her skill…”

Shishio threw the goblet towards the fireplace next to Soujirou, sending shards of glass and liquid into the flames, causing them to dance angrily and excitedly.

“You say her name again in a negative light, and I will cut your tongue out and feed it to you, my dear boy,” Shishio said calmly, readjusting himself. “Paloma is no spy.”

“Yes, Shishio-sama,” Soujirou conceded. However, he was not convinced and he did not think his master was convinced. The boy could hardly believe what was happening to the man he thought to be invincible. While concerned about the man called Shinta, the woman worried him more. The report suggested at least one spy about, most likely a female spy. The obvious answer was that Paloma was the spy. He’s being blinded by lust. Even Yumi lacks the hold Paloma now has over him. Paloma must be eliminated, Soujirou decided with a smile. Shishio-sama as well if he continues to show such weakness.