The Bloody Jasmine • Samurai X

Chapter 1 | The Unexpected Visitor

It was a dark night, the only sound that was present was the drumming of the rain. The rain was unusually loud tonight, wetting every object and living creature. Mei stood atop a rooftop and placed her hand on her sword, her eyes narrowing with every sound she heard.

The brunette slowly began moving on the roof she was currently standing on, the faint sound of her sandals on the wood echoing. Katsura assigned her to assassinate 3 guards who managed to track their clan, and sent their group of ninjas immediately.

Mei's steps started to quicken as she noticed another presence in the atmosphere, her grip on her sword tightening.

Upon meeting her opponent, the male immediately unsheathed his sword and attacked the female assassin, who had done the same. The sound of metal clinging together sent shivers up Mei's spine, causing her to harshly push him away with her blade.

With one final strike, the male fell, his blood spreading on the ground. Mei wiped the blood from her blade and sheathed it, before acknowledging the other presence.

"Well well well, if it isn't the Bloody Jasmine," His deep voice said. He walked over to the petite brunette and attempted to push some of her damp hair from her face, but she slapped it away. "Hmm, feisty are we?" He says, before unsheathing his sword and attacking her.

Mei blocked his attack with her blade and swiftly backed away, taking a short breath and drawing her sword yet again.

She blocked his attacks over and over again, causing him to yell in frustration. The brunette quickened her pace and pushed her sword to him as she occasionally disappeared from his sight.

The male got distracted by her sudden disappearance, causing Mei to use this advantage to stab him in his stomach, quickly turning the blade and pulling it out. The male groaned in pain and collapsed to the ground, causing Mei to give him a glare, and eventually walk away.

Mei cautiously walked the streets of Kyoto as she sheathed her sword and wiped the blood from her face. She pushed a few strands of hair behind her ear, and quietly gasped as a dagger made it's way to her face.

Mei immediately caught it in between her fingers, dropping it as her last opponent charged at her. "I won't let you win, Chimamire no Jasumin! HAAAAAA!" And with quick movement, the ninja jumped on a wall and made his way to Mei.

She quickly took out her sword and blocked his blade, his strength powering over her. Sweat dripped down Mei's face as her blade was getting closer to her face, causing her to tense. Soon, having no other option, Mei grabbed her sword's sheath and hit her opponent's neck with it.

The ninja fell to the side and groaned in pain as Mei walked closer to him, his eyes widening as Mei lifted her sword over his chest, "Y-You don't have to do this...!" He pleaded.

"Die."

And with no time to lose, the female assassin charged at his chest, using the same technique of twisting her blade in the opponent's body.

With a long gasp, and only a few shallow breaths, the ninja was now dead, due to Mei's cold-hearted assassination.

Only minutes later, Mei's comrade, Iizuka, was in sight. "And so, the Bloody Jasmine has taken charge and assassinated yet another opponent!" He said, earning a few chuckles from the other men. "That was quick, I expected you to take all night. You don't even give them a chance to scream anymore." He said with a raise from his brow.

"I just want to get the job done. Clean it up if you may, Iizuka-san." Mei said and sheathed her sword, walking away from him and the other men. "Wait--Hey!" He exclaimed, but earned no response from the brunette.

Iizuka sighed and did as he was told, with the help of his other male comrades.

• • •

Mei entered the Inn they used as Headquarters and placed her sandals beside the door, quietly greeting the ladies of the Inn. "I see you're back Mei." The lady commented casually, earning a mumble from the brunette. "May I ask where Kenshin is?" Mei asked with a small voice.

"He came back just over an hour ago, you can find him in his room." The elder lady replied, "He also brought a woman along with him, she was unconscious."

Mei raised her brow slightly and bowed, "Thank you for the information. I'll be going now, good night." Mei said reluctantly and walked away from their sight.

While passing her room, she slowly made her way to Kenshin's room and gently knocked the door. Hearing a faint 'Come in', Mei immediately opened the sliding door.

"You're back." He says, staring out the window. "I am. And I see you've finished your tasks already..." Mei replies. "I found no difficulty in assassinating Akira." He states.

Mei took a moment to examine his face, before her eyes landed on the cut on his cheek. "But he managed to cut you." She said bluntly, "It was due to my carelessness. Other than that, it ended quickly."

Mei processed the situation and let out a long sigh, "Who's this?" She asks and examines the woman lying on Kenshin's futon, her silky black hair rested on the pillow.

"Just a woman I found while I was finishing my job." Mei raises her brow at his short answer, "Just a woman you found? You have a sword for a reason, you know. You could've silenced her and moved on." Mei closed the door behind her as she entered his room.

Kenshin let out a soft sigh and switched his gaze to the brunette, "I believe you should bathe, Mei. You're all bloody." He states with a slightly annoyed voice.

"That was my intention. I just wanted to check on you. You're welcome, by the way." Mei rolls her eyes and gets up, "See you tomorrow." And with that, she closed the door to Kenshin's room and went out back.

She listened to the crickets' sound echoing as she picked up a bucket of water and splashed it over her head, 'Better get all this blood off...' She thought to herself and poured yet another bucket over her head.

As soon as she finished, Mei entered her room and changed from her assassin attire into a dark blue coloured yukata, un-tying her hair and she lied down on her soft futon.

As soon as her head hit the pillow, the brunette fell asleep in seconds, cherishing this sleep before being assigned to more assignments by Katsura.

終わり