Page 18 of Behind the Mask

All that he lacked was his mask, and hopefully tonight would solve that little problem.

Standing, he pulled on his gloves and laced them up his forearms, testing his mobility before nodding and leaving the room, the inn, vanishing down the street.

The house he sought was a mile out of town; he covered the distance at a brisk pace.For the first time in a long time he was feeling useful again, even if the night wasn't exactly what he wanted—at least he would get Minoru and his mask back.

He came around the last bend in the road, house coming into plain view.An old manor, secluded, massive and well-built.It would concern him that this was so easy—but Jun was arrogant and thorough.Clever and smart, the sort to make certain he wouldn't be missed by anyone.

Gods above, let Minoru still be alive.

Keeping to the shadows, sending silent prayers once more to the moonless night above, Kasumi moved toward the house.Reaching it, he eschewed the front to circle around to the back.The garden wall was high, but the stones were old and rough.He would not even need his climbing tools for this.Flexing his hands once more, testing the suppleness and stretch of the gloves carefully stitched to perfectly fit his hands, he began to scale.

It was done in a moment, and he leapt neatly into the garden below, staying low as he made his way swiftly to the house.Kneeling, he reached into his boot and pulled out a lock pick.He struggled for a moment, mouthing a silent curse at the stupid lock—then it clicked.Tucking the lock pick away, he cautiously gave the door a push.When it started to squeak, he stopped.

Barely enough space to pass, but he made it work.Slipping inside, he closed the door behind him and continued on through the vast kitchen.Just beyond it, tucked into a little nook beneath what was obviously the spiraling staircase, was a door.Only his night vision let him see it, and he wished briefly for his mask, which would have afforded him better vision still.

The door knob twisted easily beneath his hand—but before he could move forward, the faintest scuff of feet on tile drew his attention.

Sulfur flared, and Kasumi closed his eyes before the sudden wash of light could ruin his vision.He caught the fist that came at him on sound alone, twisting his opponent's arm and throwing him into the wall.The wet sound of his nose crunching filled the room for a moment, but Kasumi paid it no mind.

He dropped the unconscious man, dodging another attack, bracing himself on his hands and kicking his legs out—his new opponent went down with a startled cry.Kasumi shifted his weight back to his legs and moved forward, grabbing the fallen man up and slamming him back down, then punching him hard in the jaw.

The man went still.

Still the candle burned.

Kasumi held perfectly still.Waiting.

He spun at the last, pulling a dagger and throwing.His attacker went down with a wet, choking sound, and Kasumi heard the clatter of a dropped blade.He waited, but no further sounds came.The candle had also gone out.

Slowly opening his eyes, he strode to the dead man and turned him over, pulling his own dagger free, cleaning it on the dead man's jacket before returning it to its sheath.

That done, he strode back to the door and opened it.Examining his way for a moment, for the light would fade entirely once he was down there, he finally traveled down the stairs before him.

Light flared painful and bright as he reached the foot of the stairs, enough that he nearly did not see the four men that came at him.

Nearly.

Reaching for the pouch at the small of his back, he threw a handful of the contents at the nearest of his assailants.The man screamed and fell back, clawing at his eyes.Kasumi drew his long knife and countered the sword of the next, grabbing and sending him tumbling into the third, spinning away from the blade of the fourth, dropping low and then coming up beneath his defense to shove the knife through his throat.

Letting go, he pulled another dagger and finished off the second, who had recovered and was launching a second attack.The third was next, and when he turned he saw the first man had succeeded in knocking himself out in his mindless flailing.

The sound of laughter washed over him, and Kasumi drew two fresh daggers as he spun to face the source.

"Ah, Kasumi.Beautiful and deadly, in all ways the very definition of your family.You lack only the blue eyes.Did it ever frustrate you, my dark beauty, to be so close and yet so far?Gold eyes instead of blue; that one tiny little thing…"

Kasumi rolled his eyes and took a defensive stance."Jun, I doubt you would understand."

"Understand what?"

It was Minoru who laughed and answered the question.He was thin and pale, a long cut on his right cheek, his robes filthy and ragged from weeks of being stuck in the same thing…but alive, and rather more well than Kasumi had expected to find him."Jun, he does not want to be clan leader.He never did.Kasumi is much like me—a wanderer.Power holds no interest; only knowledge and self-improvement."

Jun scoffed."Which is why you fools are under my power."He snapped his fingers.

Six men this time.Kasumi felled the first, second, third, and fourth.He dodged the blows of the fifth and sixth—then let their blows connect.

He went down hard, stars bursting behind his eyes from the pain he had not completely been able to block.

Swearing colorfully, he let them drag him to a portion of the wall with one obvious purpose, and let them bind him to it.

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