Dawn Of The Vampires

Swordfighting

            -Leo-

    "What are you doing here?" Selena asks. "And why'd you dye your hair?"

        I just shake my head. "I didn't dye it, it got cleansed."

     She narrows her eyes. "What? What does that mean?

  I just shake my head. "It's not important? What the hell's your problem? You- you're a vampire!?!?" I say, looking at the fangs inside her mouth. She frowns and turns away.

         Finally she nods. "Have been for years. I'm not like the others, though. I'm just half of one. I can't shed my skin and turn into a super vampire like them. I do have the strength, speed, and regeneration of them, however. Since I can't change like them, that makes me special among them. I'm like a princess to them? Anyway, what happened to you? I hear you disappeared after I left."

         I nod. "Yeah, I died. Murdered. I was in Oblivion or hell. I found out I had a protector who made me into some kind of super demon. Anyways, what are you doing here?"

      She smirks, and scoots her chair back. "Actually, I was sent here to kill you."

   "What!!!!?!?!" I exclaim, jumping up, causing some other customers to look at us. "How'd you know I'd be here?!?"

       She frowns. "Oh come on, Leo. We used to be partners for God's sake. I know you, too well. But anyways, I wanna make this as fair as possible for you." She grabs two swords from under her chair and tosses me one of them.

         I frown at them. "Come on Selena, I don't wanna fight you."

       She stands up. "But I wanna fight you. Plus I'm getting paid to do it. So let's see who was really the better assassin," she says tossing me one of the swords. I grab it and stand up.

         I shake my head. "I don't wanna hurt you."

    I suddenly feel a pain rise through my abdomen. I look down to see her blade impaled through my stomach. She yanks it out, and it's layered with blood. "You don't have to worry about that."

         She suddenly goes to stab me again, but I whirl my sword down, blocking her strike. Her next one strikes at my neck, and I step back, flinging my sword up to block. However her blade never connects. It somehow finds it's way into my left shoulder.

        "Fuck!!" I cry out, as she withdraws it. She looks at it and smirks.

  "Come on, Leo. I thought you were quicker." I instantly thrust my sword at her, and charge. She slides over and quivers her blade into my ribcage.

          "Aaaaahhhhh!!!!!!!" I cry out falling to my knees. She bends over to my ear.

    "Rule #1. Never attack in anger." I smirk and grab her by her shoulders. I flip her over next to me, and yank out my blade. It cuts a clean scar across her arm as she rolls over. She grins. "Close. But not good enough." She chops at my right knee, and I fall onto my right leg. She flips up and impales the blade into my chest. I squeeze my eyes shut.

         Instantly, memories from my training with Hunter the Demon Swordsman flashes into my head.

*****

I feel the blade coming near my chest. Hunter grins at me. "So. Lord Zephyr, sent you to train with me, huh? Big mistake. On your part, and his. For your sake." I roll over and flip my sword up into the air. They had tried to give me a big heavy sword, but I'd asked for a katana so that I could move quicker. It wasn't as heavy as his sword, but I could still inflict some damage.

My blade lands in my hands, and I smirk. "We'll see about that," I call out to him.

*****

         I pull Selena's sword out of my chest, very slowly. I wince. I toss it back to her, and she catches it. I can feel my wounds slowly healing. I keep my eyes shut and imagine this all as my training with Hunter, forgetting all about Selena. (Hunter circles around me, his eye never leaving my sword.) Selena eyes my sword. She twirls hers around in a circle. I push myself up onto my left foot, and slowly rise.

       She smirks and lunges at me. (Quick as a lion, Hunter pounces at his prey. I duck underneath his blade, and flick mine back, gashing across his back.) I drop back onto my knees as Selena's blade passes over my head. I cup mine in my hand backwards, and push it back under one arm, facing the opposite way. Selena's groan, alerts me that I hit my target.

       I turn around and face her. This is actually working. I keep imagining her as Hunter. (Hunter goes to demobilize his prey. I manage to parry his blade.) I keep my eyes screwed shut and rely on my other senses. I hear her leaping at me. Her groans coming from below me. From my left. I raise my left foot up in the air and leap in a circle, swinging my sword in a downward arc. I feel the whoosh of air as her sword swings under my left foot. I hear her scream as my sword hits her.

           The clank of metal hitting the floor, alerts me that I struck her sword hand. (Hunter flips over his prey, ready to attack from behind. His blade cuts through my right hip, and I cry out falling to one knee. The cold, sharp metal touches against my neck, and I immediately lean back, as the blade just misses my neck.)

          I listen as I hear Selena's grunts, warning me that she's picking up her sword. I hear the metal clanking against the floor to my right, which is probably the hand she's using. I feel the air as the sword rises from the ground. I grin, keeping my eyes shut.

        I turn with my back to her, and hear her chuckle. I feel her legs moving to the right and I turn to the right, my hands landing on each flat side of the sword. She gasps. I pull it in, yanking her towards me, and then lash my knee out, hitting her in the stomach. She groans, and I feel her sword come free from her arms. I toss it onto the other side of the shop. Then I open my eyes and hold my sword down, pushing it against her neck while she lays there bleeding.

        She glares at me. I smirk and look around to see who all seen my awesome takedown. The place's empty, except for us two. I look back down at- Uh oh. She's gone. Just then something metal and hard hits the back of my head.