The Tale of Two Ninja (AnalCumslut and Didgeridont)

[AnalCumslut]

The night sky was full of stars, and the bright full moon shone down on the forested mountains, far from civilization. It was the perfect place for someone to go if they were looking to disappear. Which is exactly what Tsubasa Kita was trying to do - slipping between shadows in the woods, moving silently over the ground with light, quick footsteps. If one paid attention, and looked at just the right place at just the right moment, they may catch sight of the end of his ponytail as it flicked through the air. But most weren't good enough to do so, and that was what Tsubasa was betting on.

It had been several long days spent running since the last battle between his former Lord and one of the bordering clans. Unlike the previous times, where Tsubasa had been able to slip away before the fighting's end undetected, this time he had been spotted by one of the ninja still loyal to his old Lord. Tsubasa knew that his Lord wanted his head for leaving him, betraying the vows he had taken, and worse, giving secrets away to his rivals. He needed to make himself scarce for awhile, before he could continue to put his plan into action. And so he ran towards the mountains, hoping to lose his tail.

So far, luck had not been in his favor. And the time spent without rest was beginning to weigh on the small man. He needed to find shelter, and soon. If he did not rest, he would become sloppy, and that would mean his death. Sliding into a dense patch of darkness behind some bushes, he sat, breathing hard, listening between each breath to the world around him. Was his pursuer nearby?

 

[Didgeridont]

Katsuya Juzou panted heavily, trying in vain to catch his breath.

He stood, leaning forward against a large tree at the edge of a forest clearing, his crossed arms pressing firm against the bark. He was tired. His legs ached. His arms ached. His stomach ached. He was hungry, and sweaty, and could feel the blisters forming on the soles of his feet. He was far from home and his clothes were soaking wet. But, he was still far from his limit.

This was, so far, the most important mission of his entire life. There were many missions like that, before, as Katsuya had a habit of fanatical zeal with even the most mundane tasks when they were given by his lord, but this was decidedly different. This was something more personal. The traitor ninja was his and his alone to find, as they had to be punished for defying his lord.

To him, it was a symbolic battle between virtue and treason, and a victory would be decisive proof that Katsuya was on the correct side. He would not even entertain the thought of failure. Not only because he had already spent such time and energy, but also because this was the culmination of all that he stood for. He would either catch the traitor, or he would die. Die, either in his journey, or out of the shame of his failure. He could not live knowing that he failed to capture the rogue shinobi, the one who betrayed his lord. It was life or death.

He felt a begrudging respect, then, as he thought of how long his quarry had ran. How long they had managed to hold out, to scurry away, to escape justice. Though now, Kazuya was sure that he was a step ahead.

If his plan had worked, he would, standing there at the forest clearing, where the grass and shrubbery was thick and primordial, and which was lit up by the moon above, be in front of the traitor’s path. Minutes ago, he had been swimming with the roaring current of a river, which flowed towards the mountains before it connected with the various creeks and streams and channels that came from the peaks above and turned to continue elsewhere. Katsuya had managed to time his escape from the river at the peak of its excursion into the forest valley, which had given him a slight lead as he sprinted onward before stopping at the clearing.

Then, he saw something. It was faint, almost imperceptible. Was it the traitor? An animal? His mind playing tricks on him? It didn’t matter, for he could not delay. He had to hope this was it.

As he remembered what he was here to do, the fury and adrenaline washed across him, numbing his pain and discomfort just enough so that he could continue forward. He rushed towards it, accounting for the direction and speed that his prey would surely have.

He was near. He sped up. His strides became larger, more rapid.

He was almost there. One of his boots slipped off as he sprinted wildly.

He didn’t care.

This was it.

 

[AnalCumslut]

In. Out. Tsubasa tried to slow his breathing, slow his heart rate. The rushing sound of blood filled his ears, making it hard to distinguish between the breeze in the treetops and noises not of this forest. Even hidden, he felt vulnerable. If his senses weren't sharp, for all he knew, his pursuer could be right around the corner-

Something shifted. Changed. What was once muffled became distinct. Footsteps. Not quite in sync, but far too close. There was no one else in these woods. It had to be them.

Tsubasa's hands snatched the kunai off his hips as he pressed tighter into darkness. He could try to run again, sure, but he knew his endurance was spent. The chase would not last long in a flat foot race. Better to hide, and hope his pursuer passed by him, unaware.

The footsteps got louder - only one half seemed to be rustling the ground. Perhaps missing a shoe? Tsubasa took a deep breath. His heart was still beating far too hard, but there was little he could do to silence it now. He could only pray that it would be masked by the other sounds of the woods. Still, he kept his body taut, prepared leap and attack in a moments notice.

 

[Didgeridont]

Katsuya knew they were there. He swore it. He had definitely seen them, sensed them.

He paused, holding his breath. It was painful to do, the exertion was catching up to him, pressing against his lungs as he tried desperately to stay still and focus.

He glanced around, staring at the foliage. A gentle breeze moved them, letting them sway. Katsuya let his breath seep out slowly, before bringing it back in. A regimented, controlled respiration. He could feel something from where the wind came to him. A scent.

He had to act.

Katsuya dug into clothes, moving his hand through damp cloth before finally fishing out a set of firecrackers from one of the many pockets within the inner lining of his garment. He ran it over the striking pad sewn near his armpit. It took him a few tries before the fuse was lit, but as soon as it was, he chucked it forward towards where he sensed the traitor was hiding.

The firecrackers flew through the air, separating in a straight line as the movement had caused them to untangle with each other. Then, a loud bang. Deafening, almost. As well as a blinding flash of light, followed by a hissing sparkle of fire. Katsuya withstood the assault on his eyeballs, as he needed that light to find his target.

He saw them.

He wasn’t sure what part of them it was. A shoulder, hair, a foot, a knee, a face, a hand. It didn’t matter. He was right there, in front of him.

Katsuya dashed forward. With his left hand he pulled out a small, sharp disc of metal, to throw in case his prey still wished to try and escape. In his right hand he had his tantō. It was a short blade, with a hira-type design. Its handle was plain, wooden, unadorned. It was the first blade he had ever received. He didn’t use it often, but he kept it in good condition. It had felt right to bring it on this mission.

He didn’t want to kill the traitor, necessarily. Of course, he had a great degree of contempt and anger towards them, but it wasn’t his place to be the executioner. If all went well, he would capture them and bring them back to the lord, so that justice would be handled in its proper way. Though, if he had to kill them, if it became necessary, then he would not hesitate.

Katsuya brought the blade close to him as he leapt forward, prepared to meet his foe.

 

[AnalCumslut]

The footsteps stopped. Tsubasa could see the outline of the man in the darkness, though not his features. Searching. He had to fight not to hold his breath. It'd be worse to limit it. His aching body trembled ever so slightly from the exertion of holding so still, so tensed. He barely blinked.

That came to bite him in the ass. There was a sudden hissing, a movement of the figure. A bang, and a bright light that made Tsubasa flinch back and cover his face. Firecrackers. Spots swam across his vision as his night vision was destroyed. Without a doubt, he was seen, with the light so bright, right in front of him. Crunching leaves confirmed it.

Shit. Shit. Tsubasa rolled out of the way as his pursuer leapt toward him, right into the moonlit field. He stood crouching, kunai held in front of him, blinking as his vision readjusted. No more running then. All that was left was to fight.

His eyebrows raised slightly as his pursuer came into focus. Katsuya? Not who he expected to have chased him this far. He remembered training with and working alongside the taller man as youths. At least it meant that Tsubasa would have the advantage - Katsuya was always far too quick-tempered. He would just have to watch for his tanto, or any other tricks he might be carrying.

"We don't have to fight," Tsubasa said, though he held his guard. "You can leave now, and keep your honor. No one would shame you for having lost track of me in the chase."

 

[Didgeridont]

Katsuya swung his blade, twisting his whole body, whipping his right hand and aiming level to the neck. But he had overshot with his previous movement. He came barreling forward much too quickly, with too much momentum. Even if his target had stood still, he would have missed by at least a foot or two. And as he swung, the other ninja shifted and rolled away, able to retreat. Katsuya’s overzealousness had cost him a valuable opportunity.

Damn.​

With the momentum from his swing, he turned to follow. As he ran, he threw the small metal disc he held in his left hand. But instead of a collected, precise, aimed stroke, he chucked it forward, out of anger. As one might throw an object when they are enraged. The disc still flew, as his muscle memory had enough of the proper technique to give it speed and air time, but it turned up and to the right, missing wildly as it flew back into the treeline. Once again, Katsuya suffered as a result of his emotions.

Double damn.​

He saw his target stop in a field. Katsuya stopped too, a good few yards away. If they wished to challenge him on even ground, in a proper combat, it was all the better. He was confident in his skills, and the opportunity to pause as he caught his breath was also very much welcome.

Their face was visible now, in the dim moonlight, but he didn’t want to see them. Tsubasa. In the past he thought fondly of them, he looked up to them. He didn’t want to think about them now, about how they betrayed his lord, betrayed him. It would be better if this were just some masked, faceless entity - so that fighting them wouldn’t hurt so much.

Katsuya bent his knees, preparing his stance. He brought his tantō into both hands, rolling it within his palms so that his opponent would not know which arm would hold it until he was ready to strike. He moved forward, slowly, with measured steps. He eyed his opponent, his heart pounding, adrenaline rushing through his body. It took all his focus to stop his hands from shaking. He listened as they spoke. There was a bit of silence before he gave a reply.

“Well what would you know about honor, turncoat?”

As he ended the phrase, he lunged forward. His blade was in his left hand as he thrust it towards Tsubasa. It was parried easily, but he quickly turned and swung it in a wide arc. It missed, but he again swung, this time weaving and twisting his body to dodge his opponent’s kunai.

This continued as he pushed forward, and pressed the attack.