Paperthin Hymn

Chapter Four

CHAPTER FOUR

Our gazes locked; I could feel electricity in the air, coming from his cold eyes. I felt as if he was staring into my very essence, the core of my being. Calculating. Learning my every weakness.

After what seemed a lifetime he spoke, his head tilted slightly to the side. "You know I shall never yield to you."

A shiver raced up my spine, fear telling me to run away now. I kept my feet firmly in place. This would be a fight to the death.

My shaking hands clutched my sword tighter as a wave of nausea passed through me. This was it; the day I had been waiting seven years for. Seven years of restlessness, of grueling training, of searching the country for this one evil man. It would end today. Bending my knees slightly, I brought my weapon if front of me. I would avenge my father.

The man in black laughed. It was muffled from the cloth over his face, covering everything but his eyes. But in it I heard not only amusement, but scorn and the tone you would use with an idiot.

Rage compelled me to action.

Sword raised, I lunged at him, adrenaline pumping through me, heart racing, a battlecry ripping from my throat. With all my strength I swung at him.

He leapt over my head with ease, turning a flip in midair. He landed perfectly behind me, one hand on the ground, the using the other for balance.

"You think I can be defeated by that pathetic hunk of iron?" he taunted. "You truly are a child. I will give you this one chance to run."

In reply I unleashed a hoarse shout and slashed forward, but once again only sliced through air. I whirled around, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Fool."

Above me. He was on top of the barn. As I quickly turned to him, he lunged into the air, hurling silver discs at me. I ran in a zig zag, nearly tripping over the rough ground, barely managing to dodge them.They pierced the ground, one point down, more blades standing in the air. Not discs; shuriken. I took cover behind a nearby tree.

"Cursed hell spawn!" I screamed. "I WILL avenge my father!"

I waited, but no more shuriken came down. I carefully looked around the tree.

He was running at me again, this time a sword in hand. He swung it at me, his movements almost too swift to see. I lifted my own blade to defend myself. Our weapons collided and a painful shock raced up my arms.

"I remember how your father screamed as I slowly cut him to bits," he sneered, leaning against his sword. I shuddered under the weight of his weapon. "He got down on his knees, begging for mercy."

Anger blurred my vision. "I will end you," I spat, and used all my strength to push him away. He skidded back a few paces, only to turn and run.

He came flying back at me with a butterfly kick, but I whipped out my -

"HYUNG!!!"

I jumped, the punch to my shoulder nearly scaring the crap out of me. Taeyang looked down at me, grinning. "Class is over."

"Oh." I glanced around. We were the only ones in the room.

He slung his navy blue backpack over his shoulder."So what were you writing this time?"

"A battle between a samurai and the ninja that killed his father," I said, shoving my papers into my binder.

"A samurai and a ninja?" He looked confused. "Were they even around in the same time period?"