Tenku

Tenku sighed happily. "Aren't the stars nice tonight? I almost wish that I didn't have a job tonight so that I could stay with you and enjoy them."

Walking beside him his fiance, Talla, sniffed disdainfully. "I wish you didn't have to go out and murder people tonight either. I worry! What happens to me should you get yourself hacked into pieces on one of your jobs? I would be stranded in a strange town with strange people with little money." She glanced up at the sky. "You are right, though. The stars are very nice here."

Tenku sighed and put his arm around her, drawing her close to him. "If I could skip out on this one I would. And the term is not murder, it is assasination. I am an assasin, not a murderer. There is a difference."

"What is it then?" asked Talla. "I don't see any difference except one person is paid to do evil things while the other just does it for fun."

Tenku smiled and nodded. "Exactly correct. I get paid. Sometimes it can be sort of fun though, like when the other person also knows how to fight. That is fun." Tenku chewed on an end of his brown hair that fell over his face. The rest of his bangs hung loosley towards his ears. He glared at one long strand that had fallen over his eyes. If he wanted to be able to see his opponents he really needed a haircut.

Talla brushed the loose strand out of Tenken's face. "Come on, why don't you stay in town with me? I bet that we could have more fun here than you would have there."

Tenku chuckled lightly. "Yes we would. Sorry, but no. You see, if I skip out on this employer he is the type of person that would not only hire another assasin to kill the target but hire one to kill me too. They generally don't like being ignored once you have agreed to a job." Tenku glanced up at the silver moon. "Ah, speaking of which I have to be leaving now. I'll be back in the morning." Tenku gave Talla a peck on the cheek and then disapered into the darkness.

It was so easy that it was almost boring. He was sent in to kill the heir to some countship so that the younger son could do this and that and it was all the same after a while. Tenku glanced towards the horizon where the sun was about to make its appearance. He was going to arrive back at the town around noon. This job had been painfully in the middle of nowhere. Stupid nobles with their country estates. Tenku sighed and wished feverently that he had a horse or something that would save him from walking. Oh well, it was good exercise. That is what Talla would say. Tenku smiled at the thought of her. He would be back soon enough.

Tenku entered the outskirts of the city and paused. People were running helter skelter screaming about some killer. A killer? What would they be doing in a small town like this. To Tenku's surprise one person stopped in front of him, pointed and screamed even louder. "It's him!" they yelled. "He is the one that slaughtered our people! He is the murderer of my family!" The man grabbed a knife and lunged at Tenku.

Though surprised Tenku could dodge well enough to avoid the attack. "What do you mean?" he asked. "I just arrived here right now, I haven't killed anyone in this town."

The man with the knife paused and looked at him. "So you did. I saw you arrive. The murderer fled through the other side of the town. You look very much alike but... sorry." The man stumbled off intot he crowd leaving Tenku feeling very confused.

The woman gave him a fearful glance and then replied, "A dragonrider came to our village to pick someone up on search. Since it is such a rare thing to see a dragon around here a lot of people went to look. After the dragon left someone who does look a lot like you came by and killed all of those who had been watching." The woman closed her eyes briefly and then hurried on.

A jolt of fear coursed through Tenku. Talla had always loved dragons and if she heard one was coming would probably go and look. Tenku took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. No, she probably slept late. She is back at the inn. Tenku had a sick feeling of dread, knowing that it was useless to go back to the inn and check. Tenku tapped his foot briefly before starting to run at his super-fast speed. The people around him blurred as he ran faster and faster and he skidded to a stop outside the inn where they had been staying. Without stopping to think he jumped through their open window and landed inside the room.

Tenku looked around their room and saw no one. On the desk there was a piece of paper which Tenku picked up with trembling hands. Upon the note was written in Talla's handwriting: Dear Tenku, if you are reading this then either you came back early or I am late. I am going to see the dragonrider in town square. Should be back within the hour. With lots of love, Talla. Tenku shook his head and the small piece of paper floated down to the floor. It couldn't be possible. He had to know for sure. Tenku jumped back out the window and started running for town square.

The first thing he noticed was all the blood. Tenku had never seen so much blood split on one stretch of ground. Bodies were piled everywhere, their faces frozen with looks of horror or pain. Even though Tenku had slain many people in his carrer the sight of so many coarpses nauseated him. He fought back gagging, knowing that if he vomited it would do nothing to improve his situation. There were so many bodies. If Talla... if Talla was one of them he would have a hard time finding her. Tenku shook his head of that thought. She wasn't dead. Hurt maybe, but not dead. She couldn't be dead. She just couldn't...

Tenku found her. She was lying face up in a pool of her own blood. Her eyes were closed and her expression looked almost peaceful. She had been stabbed through the heart. Tenku fell to his knees, his eyes filling with tears. He grasped her lifeless hand and saw her ring glittering on it, the engagement ring that Tenku had offered her only a few months prior. The tears started flowing freely now as he removed the ring and clutched it to his chest. "Talla... no... why? WHY?" he shrieked to the gods in their heavens. Tenku lowered his head and wept for his lost love.

The blacksmith looked at Tenku like he was insane. "Let me get this straight," the blacksmith asked, "You want me to take this beautiful sword and dull one of the edges? Why? You won't be able to fight very well with only one sharp edge."

"I will never kill again," murmered Tenku in a flat, dead sort of voice. "I never knew the pain of having a loved one die at the end of someone else's sword and I will not inflict that pain upon any others. With this sword I will fight to end the killing, so that no more tears need to be shed."

As Tenku ran through the forest he wrestled with the mixture of horror, despair, and shame that threatened to consume him. Talla was dead. He was chasing her killer but wasn't he just as bad? Tenku remembered how some of his targets had pleaded with him to spare them, spare them so that they could return to their wives and children, wives and children that no longer had fathers and husbands thanks to Tenku. He was just as bad as this man... he had killed people just so that he could earn some money for his pocket. He had sold lives for gold, how much money did Talla's bring to her ? murderer? Fists clenched, Tenku approached the killer.

"Stop, murderer!" shouted Tenku. "You killed my fiance! How can you just kill all those innocent people trying to live their lives in peace?" There had been children in those piles of bodies. Children with their whole life in front of them. Tenku froze as the person turned around. The man in the village had been correct. The killer did look a lot like Tenku. In fact, if Tenku didn't know otherwise he would have thought this person to be his twin. "What? Who are you?" Tenku managed to get out weakly.

The other person for a moment seemed just as confused as Tenku was but he shook it off quickly. "I am Jinchu and now I shall kill you too."

Jinchu drew his sword and charged at Tenku but Tenku was ready. Tenku drew his blunted sword and blocked the attack. Jinchu jumped back and attacked again but Tenku still blocked. Tenku watched for an opening, he needed to get in through that evil killer's defense. To Tenku's surprise Jinchu put on a burst of speed rather like his own. Though Jinchu was fast Tenku knew that he was faster. He moved in ready to... to what? The part of his mind that was used to assasination shouted for death, to kill that which killed his love. The other pleaded for mercy, arguing that if he killed him here he really would be another murdered.

The second part won. Tenku slashed down with the blunted side of his sword and struck Jinchu on his sword arm. With a sharp crack the bones in Jinchu's arm were broken and Tenku stood over him, surprised to find tears rolling down his cheeks once more. "Why aren't you trying to kill me?" Jinchu spat out.

"Because I'm not a murderer, like you." But he was! He had killed so many people... so many lives destroyed... "You won't be able to use a sword for a while and hopefully by the time your arm heals you will have had enough time to rethink your life. Good bye. My name is Tenku." Tenku didn't know why he had added that last part, it just sounded right. Right for a murderer like Jinchu to rethink his life, yes. Also right for a murderer like himself... Tenku turned and began to walk away from the fallen Jinchu.

Tenku whirled around just in time to catch the dagger that Jinchu had thrown between two of his fingers. People were always trying untrustworthy things like that. "Next time we meet perhaps you won't try such petty tricks. Now farewell." Tenku sprinted away, leaving Jinchu cursing at his back.

Next Page. head back home? Tenku is a candidate at Cathair Fionabhainn. The background is from AAA Free Backgrounds and Textures.