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31_days2018-06-04 09:20 pm
samuraiter) wrote in 31_days2018-06-04 09:20 pm
Entry tags:
[June 4] [Fire Emblem Heroes] Silence of Death
Title: Silence of Death
Day / Prompt: 04 / Long Shadows
Fandom: Fire Emblem Heroes
Character(s) / Pairing(s): Jaffar, Saizo
Rating / Warning(s): Mature
Word Count: 720
Saizo had a single assignment for the expedition to Elibe: He had to face down a strong assassin that the Emblians had brought into their service. Kiran had been extremely clear on that point, and the order had been urgent. As soon as Saizo obtained all of his instructions, he disappeared into the forest that Kiran indicated, using the movements of his colleagues in the field to provide cover for his mission into the green depths.
There are no ninja here, he thought to himself as he jumped from tree to tree, his practiced movements making almost no noise. I have nothing to fear from a criminal. But Kiran had been specific about the danger posed by the so-called Angel of Death. The Summoner has knowledge that I lack, but I do not doubt my competence.
Saizo did not see the figure on one of the branches behind him until a knife struck the trunk of the tree next to him, close enough to his face that he could see the reflection of his good eye in its blade. How did – ? There had been no noise, no stirring of leaves, no sense that another person had entered his immediate area. Saizo had honed his awareness of his surroundings for his entire life, and he had detected nothing.
He obeyed his first instinct, throwing a shuriken back along the direction that the knife had followed. Nothing but the soft thunk of it striking a tree, as the knife had. Where? Where is he? Like fighting the air itself. He had never faced anything like it before.
From the corner of his vision, he glimpsed a shadow, and he had only a fraction of a second to raise one of his blades and parry the knife that came for his neck. He managed to hold it there long enough to see his opponent – or, at least, to see his eyes, dark and narrowed and dead as a thousand years of stone and dust. Almost as soon as he noticed him, though, the assassin disappeared into the trees again.
Direction. I need his direction. If he had been anything but a ninja, both of the previous strikes might have been death for him, and he suspected that the assassin already had his measure. If I can determine his direction, then – Instinct saved him again. The knife came from below, and he moved his head backwards as it flashed past him, vanishing into the leaves above his head. But, if I'm looking up, then – He predicted it. The assassin followed his knife, lunging from not only beneath him, but behind him. Again, he managed to get one of his blades in the path of the strike, but only by a hair.
"I'm going to break your contract, boy," Saizo growled, forcing the assassin backwards. "You're only making this harder for yourself." Unsurprisingly, he disappeared. If I blink, I miss it. Now! From above, this time, so fast that Saizo hissed as the edge of the knife cut a red line across his face. How did he – ? Again, their blades locked together, and again, the assassin vanished from sight. Below, then above, and then – Pain.
Saizo looked down at the knife protruding from his chest. How? It's ... not possible. He leaned back against the tree he occupied, involuntarily seating himself on the branch. He's ... only a boy. If I can't bring him down, how can I bring down ... Kotaro? He bowed his head, gulping for breath, all of his limbs quickly going cold. It's ... humiliating.
The assassin perched on the branch next to him, his voice rasping as he said, "If I didn't want you to feel anything, you wouldn't. You'll be alive long enough to remember my face." His eyes had gone from flat and dead to ... exhausted. That seemed to be the best term. "So that, when you see me again, you'll better know how to take me." He turned and left, seeming without substance, like nothing more than a shadow.
That's right, Saizo thought, closing his eye and letting his last breath go. Heroes can't die. I'll be back, and he'll ... be ... waiting. He faded from existence, comforted by the knowledge that Kiran could summon him back for another attempt at dueling Jaffar.
END.
Day / Prompt: 04 / Long Shadows
Fandom: Fire Emblem Heroes
Character(s) / Pairing(s): Jaffar, Saizo
Rating / Warning(s): Mature
Word Count: 720
Saizo had a single assignment for the expedition to Elibe: He had to face down a strong assassin that the Emblians had brought into their service. Kiran had been extremely clear on that point, and the order had been urgent. As soon as Saizo obtained all of his instructions, he disappeared into the forest that Kiran indicated, using the movements of his colleagues in the field to provide cover for his mission into the green depths.
There are no ninja here, he thought to himself as he jumped from tree to tree, his practiced movements making almost no noise. I have nothing to fear from a criminal. But Kiran had been specific about the danger posed by the so-called Angel of Death. The Summoner has knowledge that I lack, but I do not doubt my competence.
Saizo did not see the figure on one of the branches behind him until a knife struck the trunk of the tree next to him, close enough to his face that he could see the reflection of his good eye in its blade. How did – ? There had been no noise, no stirring of leaves, no sense that another person had entered his immediate area. Saizo had honed his awareness of his surroundings for his entire life, and he had detected nothing.
He obeyed his first instinct, throwing a shuriken back along the direction that the knife had followed. Nothing but the soft thunk of it striking a tree, as the knife had. Where? Where is he? Like fighting the air itself. He had never faced anything like it before.
From the corner of his vision, he glimpsed a shadow, and he had only a fraction of a second to raise one of his blades and parry the knife that came for his neck. He managed to hold it there long enough to see his opponent – or, at least, to see his eyes, dark and narrowed and dead as a thousand years of stone and dust. Almost as soon as he noticed him, though, the assassin disappeared into the trees again.
Direction. I need his direction. If he had been anything but a ninja, both of the previous strikes might have been death for him, and he suspected that the assassin already had his measure. If I can determine his direction, then – Instinct saved him again. The knife came from below, and he moved his head backwards as it flashed past him, vanishing into the leaves above his head. But, if I'm looking up, then – He predicted it. The assassin followed his knife, lunging from not only beneath him, but behind him. Again, he managed to get one of his blades in the path of the strike, but only by a hair.
"I'm going to break your contract, boy," Saizo growled, forcing the assassin backwards. "You're only making this harder for yourself." Unsurprisingly, he disappeared. If I blink, I miss it. Now! From above, this time, so fast that Saizo hissed as the edge of the knife cut a red line across his face. How did he – ? Again, their blades locked together, and again, the assassin vanished from sight. Below, then above, and then – Pain.
Saizo looked down at the knife protruding from his chest. How? It's ... not possible. He leaned back against the tree he occupied, involuntarily seating himself on the branch. He's ... only a boy. If I can't bring him down, how can I bring down ... Kotaro? He bowed his head, gulping for breath, all of his limbs quickly going cold. It's ... humiliating.
The assassin perched on the branch next to him, his voice rasping as he said, "If I didn't want you to feel anything, you wouldn't. You'll be alive long enough to remember my face." His eyes had gone from flat and dead to ... exhausted. That seemed to be the best term. "So that, when you see me again, you'll better know how to take me." He turned and left, seeming without substance, like nothing more than a shadow.
That's right, Saizo thought, closing his eye and letting his last breath go. Heroes can't die. I'll be back, and he'll ... be ... waiting. He faded from existence, comforted by the knowledge that Kiran could summon him back for another attempt at dueling Jaffar.
END.