Origin of the Grim Reaper(Violence/Language/Blood)

Part 2

A few hours had passed and Yoshiro sat down for lunch when he heard a knock at the door, he then heard Anko speak up, "I'll get it." Yoshiro stood up, "I'll answer my door, Auntie." Anko frowned, "As the Sano Family Maid... you know this is my duty." Yoshiro shrugged and walked over to the door. He looked through the peephole and upon seeing who it was, he opened the door, "Lilah!" Lilah looked at Yoshiro and hugged him, "My stomach is upset, I've been throwing up all morning." Yoshiro was confused as to why Lilah was hugging him, "Are... are you alright?" Lilah closed her eyes, "Please, Yoshiro... just let me rest right here." Yoshiro looked down at her, "Alright, can you at least give me a clue as to where you were the past week?" Lilah spoke softly, "I was at a bar... and I met this really nice person, at least he seemed nice."

Yoshiro arched a brow, "That's a little out of character for you." Lilah nodded, "Yeah, we got drunk and we hit it off. It was a blur but... but..." Lilah suddenly went silent, causing Yoshiro to realize what was about to happen. He had a choice, let go of Lilah and risk losing her trust as she falls to the floor, or let it happen. He closed his eyes and grit his teeth as Lilah threw up on him. Yoshiro sighed slightly and pat Lilah on the back as she continued puking on him. Lilah frowned, "Why won't it stop." Yoshiro started to pull her away from the door, "Come on, we're going to take you to the bathroom... you can throw up in the toilet and I need to change my clothes." Lilah looked up into his eyes, "Please, Yoshiro, you're the only one I can trust right now to look after me."

Yoshiro felt sorry for Lilah, she never seemed so vulnerable in her life and he closed his eyes, "I promise that it won't take long." Lilah nodded, tears in her eyes, "It hurts." Yoshiro sighed and looked over his shoulder, "Aunt Anko, Elbereth, I'm taking Lilah upstairs, alright?" Elbereth nodded slightly, "Alright." Yoshiro smiled and moved to the side of Lilah, "Come on, Lilah." Lilah nodded and walked with Yoshiro, the two of them slowly approaching the stairs, "If it helps, Lilah, I can carry you up there." Lilah nodded slightly and Yoshiro leaned down and grabbed her behind her knees, lifting her off the ground, "There we go." Lilah looked up at him, "Thank you." Yoshiro smiled, "Not a problem, you're my friend." Yoshiro climbed the steps with little issue and carried Lilah to the bathroom.

He placed her on the floor in front of the toilet, "Alright, throw up in that. I'll be right back." Lilah nodded and put her face to the toilet as Yoshiro left and walked over to his and Elbereth's room. He quickly got undressed and tossed his clothing in the hamper with a frown, "The sad part is, this isn't even new..." Yoshiro got out some new clothes and was halfway done looping his belt when he came to the realization, "By the graces of Amaterasu, Lilah's pregnant..." Yoshiro finished getting dressed and walked over to the bathroom, where Lilah was retching loudly. Yoshiro sighed and rubbed her back, "Lilah, I got bad news..." Lilah turned and looked at him, her hair was a mess, "What's that?" Yoshiro sighed, "You're pregnant." Lilah shook her head, "I can't be pregnant..." Yoshiro folded his arms, "You've been there with me as I went through this four times..."

Lilah looked down at the toilet, "By the shadows of my mother, I'm pregnant, but the only person that could've gotten me pregnant was that assassin..." Yoshiro looked at her, "Wait, assassin?" Lilah nodded, "He bought me drinks and we had a great time and we slept together..." Yoshiro placed his hand on his head, "The two of you slept together alright. Well, the good news is, is that if he's an assassin, your mother will be able to find out who it is." Lilah nodded slightly, "Yeah, let's go see her." Yoshiro shook his head, "No, I'll go see her, you're in no condition to be moving." A voice sounded from down stairs, "Lord Yoshiro, what smells like vomit?" Yoshiro called out, "Up here, Rogelio!" Lilah looked at Yoshiro, "Please... don't have him come up here..." Rogelio walked into the bathroom, "Lilah, what happened?"

Lilah frowned, "I'm pregnant, Rogelio. Feel free to call me a cheap whore." Rogelio frowned, "I'm going to write that off as you being hormonal and not really meaning that." Lilah looked at him angrily and Rogelio sighed, "Tell me, Lilah. Why would I bother slandering you at this moment? It doesn't matter how you got pregnant, but right now you're a friend of my Lord's that has nausea and is throwing up." Yoshiro nodded, "Lilah, Rogelio actually does care about you, very much. Even if he shows it in his own... Rogelio way." Lilah closed her eyes, "I doubt that." Rogelio shook his head and frowned, "Lady Lilah, you..." Lilah interrupted with a scoff, "No one calls me Lady in a serious manner." Rogelio sighed, "I'm not being sarcastic. You are a friend of milord." Yoshiro showed visible annoyance at being called lord, but didn't comment on it. Lilah nodded, "That's what he said."

Yoshiro sighed slightly and leaned against the tub, "Well, Lilah, take all the time you need to, Rogelio, can you go and brew her up something that will stop her nausea?" Rogelio nodded slightly, "A Mofetian Herbal Tea would do the trick." Yoshiro nodded, "Thanks." Rogelio nodded and left the room as Lilah sat up, "Yoshiro, why are you doing this for me?" Yoshiro looked at her, "You said it yourself, I'm the only one close that you can trust. It's because you know that no matter what, I'll stick by your side." Lilah nodded slightly and hugged her knees, "I'm scared..." Yoshiro extended his hand, "Lilah, I promise that you'll get through this, and when you do, you'll have a beautiful baby that you'll be able to call you own." Lilah frowned, "But... what if I'm not a good mother?" Yoshiro shook his head, "Nonsense. And don't worry, I'll help you raise your child, as if they were my own."

Lilah looked into his eyes, "Do you really mean that, Yoshiro?" Yoshiro nodded with a slight smile, "Of course, I wouldn't dream of doing otherwise, Lilah." Lilah took Yoshiro's hand, "Thank you, Yoshiro. You're a good friend." Yoshiro nodded slightly, "I know, but I'm just being the man that my mom raised me to be." Lilah smirked and looked up at the ceiling, "So what if the man who got me pregnant turns out to be the infamous Butcher that I've heard so much about." Yoshiro closed his eyes, "Then I'll be the one to kill him. I'll refuse to let him hurt you or your child." Lilah blinked slightly, "But no one has ever been able to kill the Butcher." Yoshiro nodded, "No one tried using a sniper rifle. Trust me Lilah, if it comes to that, I'll figure something out." Lilah nodded and looked out the window, "If it does... I hope you do."

Part 4

Yoshiro walked out to the garage on his own, he knew that if he took Julius with him, that he'd be obvious and alert Lilah to the fact that he was heading out into battle. He put on his protective clothing and sighed as he placed his helmet on. He switched his sword to his back scabbard and made sure the quick release clasp worked before fastening the belt. He made sure that his pistol was in its holster and that the safety was on. He knew that he wasn't going to find Saskia in Kitsune territory so he looked back at the locked case that he knew held his sniper rifle and sighed. He walked over to it and tied it to the back of the motorcycle. As he sat down on the motorcycle, he did a few quick checks to make sure that he had everything he needed.

He then remembered his promise to Lilah and sighed, "Dammit, I can't do this to her..." He got off the bike and untied his sniper rifle's case from the back and placed it on the desk next to where the bike was and he walked into the house, raising his visor, "I'm going to go for a ride, clear my head, alright." Elbereth nodded, "May I come along as well?" Yoshiro nodded, "Sure thing." Elbereth walked over to a closet and got her riding gear. She quickly changed into it and Yoshiro smiled, "Where would you like to go?" Elbereth smirked, "Why not that lake where we first met after you saved me?" Yoshiro shook his head, "I promised Lilah that I wouldn't go to her mother, and both Saskia and that lake is in Kani territory. There is a gorgeous lake on the Kitsune-Lupine border. Will that suffice?"

Elbereth nodded and the two of them got on the bike, Elbereth wrapped her arms tightly around Yoshiro's waist and Yoshiro closed his eyes as he kicked up the kickstand and started up the motorcycle. He pressed a button on his key fob and watched as the garage door opened, showing that a rain storm was moving in, "It's okay if you would like to stay home, Elbereth." Elbereth rested her chin on Yoshiro's shoulder, "If it's all the same to you, I think I'm going to stay with you. After all, we're married, aren't we?" Yoshiro nodded, "Alright then." Elbereth chuckled, "Also you're the one that doesn't like getting wet, I'm a Sea Elf, dear." Yoshiro hit the accelerator and lifted his feet off the ground, "Yeah, yeah..." Elbereth chuckled as the two of them rode off onto the road, rain soon started hitting them and Yoshiro sighed slightly as he lifted his visor so he could see.

Elbereth spoke up, "Are you sure that you can see like that?" Yoshiro nodded slightly, "Yeah, I used to fly on Julius without a helmet all the time. It's a bit windy, but you tend to get used to it." Elbereth nodded, "Alright, so, what is this lake you're taking me to?" Yoshiro sighed, "It's a place that Killian and I used to go to, before the civil war. It's also where I met Julius when I was a kit." Elbereth sighed contently, "Then it's a special place to you." Yoshiro turned onto a road that led out of the city, "Not really, about the same as any other place to me. What's important isn't the location, but who I'm there with, after all." Elbereth laughed, "You sound like my brother." The two of them exited the city and Yoshiro chuckled, "Lathron might have rubbed off on me."

Yoshiro kept driving along the road and then suddenly turned onto a dirt path, "Here we go, I wonder what all has changed. Used to be a small colony of freshwater merfolk in the lake, but..." Yoshiro hit the brakes as he saw the lake and when the bike finally came to a stop, he placed his feet on the ground and looked out at it, "I wonder if Adriana is still there." Elbereth arched a brow as Yoshiro kicked down the kickstand, "Adriana?" Yoshiro took off his helmet and placed it on one of the handlebars, "Yeah, she's a mermaid, she was about two hundred when I first came down here, so... she'd be over six hundred now, I'm guessing." Yoshiro stepped off the bike and Elbereth placed her helmet on the seat, "Friend of yours?" Yoshiro shook his head, "Savior."

As Yoshiro walked towards the lake, Elbereth looked at him, "Wait, what do you mean savior?" Yoshiro turned and looked at her, "When I was a kid, I didn't know how to swim and I wasn't much of a fighter... some bullies tried to make me sink or swim and threw me into the lake. I would've drowned if it wasn't for her." Elbereth nodded slightly, "I see, so that's why you seem so fond of her." Yoshiro nodded, "I never got to thank her though, by the time I came to, she was gone." Elbereth followed him and the two of them quickly reached the lake. Yoshiro smiled, "It's still beautiful to this day." Elbereth chuckled slightly, "I never thought I'd hear you say that about a body of water." Yoshiro shrugged, "Honestly, it's a very serene place." Yoshiro looked over and saw a Mermaid resting on the beach with a Silver Dragon.

Yoshiro walked over to them, "Erasmus, this is a surprise, I didn't know that you came down from your mountain top." Erasmus looked at him and then over at Elbereth who walked over, "So you're the Yoshiro that Walthari speaks so highly about." The mermaid looked over to him, "Yoshiro? As in Yoshiro Miyamae?" Yoshiro nodded towards the mermaid, "And you are?" The Mermaid smirked, "You never got to see what I looked like did you? Poor thing, you were unconscious when I found you." Yoshiro blinked, "Adriana de Luca?" Adriana nodded slightly, "Yes, that's me." Erasmus chuckled, "Adriana and I are friends, she and I go back before you were born." Adriana nodded, "Erasmus is why there's a merfolk colony here, Yoshiro." Yoshiro nodded and looked at Adriana, "Thank you for saving my life, by the way." Adriana smiled, "It's no problem, have you saved the lives of others?"

Yoshiro looked down and Erasmus sighed, "No, Yoshiro here is a soldier and he carries that guilt with him. However, while I'm on my visits down here, I can teach you a few things about how to control that guilt so that it doesn't destroy you. What do you say?" Yoshiro shrugged, "Well, I have a son and..." Elbereth placed her hand on his shoulder, "It's alright, Yoshiro. I would rather you learn how to control your own guilt, instead of letting it build inside of you." Yoshiro nodded, "Then yes, if you will have me as your student." Erasmus nodded, "Alright then, we shall start the next time I come down here." Yoshiro nodded, "Thank you, Master Erasmus." Erasmus grumbled, "You as well?" Yoshiro nodded and Adriana giggled, "Well, I got to get back to my place, it was good seeing all of you." Elbereth nodded, "Likewise."

Erasmus nodded, "Well, I'll be off, I don't want to leave the two of you lovebirds busy." Yoshiro nodded slightly and grabbed Elbereth's hand, "Come on, I'll show you the best spot to just watch the view." Elbereth nodded and Yoshiro took her to a solitary tree near some bushes. Yoshiro let go of her hand and sat down, Elbereth took the cue and sat down next to Yoshiro, leaning her head against his shoulder, "Thanks for taking me out here, Yoshiro." Yoshiro nodded, "Like I said, you're my wife. Any time you want to ride out here, you're welcome to do so. I don't mind, you know." Elbereth smirked, "Really?" Yoshiro nodded, "Yeah, I love you, Elbereth, and I want you to be happy." Elbereth nodded and sighed happily, "I love you too, Yoshiro, and I want you to be happy." Yoshiro nodded and the two of them started to watch nature.

Part 6

It was after midnight when Yoshiro finally arrived at Maan Vaalsi's border, he knew that Lilah was tired and he himself could feel fatigue pulling at him, but unlike Lilah, he was used to working like this from his military days. He quickly drove to the Assassin's guild and kicked the kickstand down, "Lilah, we're home." A male Eekhoorn walked over, "Lilah, you mean my little girl has finally come back to me?" Yoshiro drew his pistol and pointed it at the man, "You abandoned her when she was little, Sampsa, you come near her without her permission and I blow your brains out, is that clear?" Sampsa looked at Yoshiro, "You're a violent one... but you'll regret that." A female Eekhoorn walked out, "No, he won't, because if you do anything to upset Lilah, I will hunt you down." Sampsa backed away, "I should've never had her with you, Saskia."

Saskia glared daggers at Sampsa and Yoshiro watched him run, "Wasn't quite expecting that. At any rate, Saskia, your daughter needs a place to sleep for the night, do you mind if she stays with you? She's more or less about ready to pass out and if she does, while I'm on the road, well... let's just say that out of every deity out there, you're the one I least want to piss off." Saskia nodded, "Wise, you're welcome to stay here as her employer, you know." Yoshiro shook his head and then got off his bike, helping Lilah off and into the arms of Saskia, "I'm going to stay at my old place here... no matter how... lonely it is now." Memories of Katriina, Kauko, and even Hannu flashed through his mind and he sighed slightly, "I'll be back in about ten to twelve hours, depending on travel time and how long I sleep."

Saskia nodded and Yoshiro sighed as he kicked up the kickstand, "See the two of you later." Yoshiro rode off, he wanted to avoid the castle as he couldn't bother to look Seija in the eye after he killed her husband. He sighed slightly as the thought of her entered his mind, "I'm sorry Seija, I know you'd forgive me, but... I can't forgive myself, you know." He pulled up to a temple and kicked the kickstand back down, turning off the motorcycle and locking it. He frowned as he took his helmet off and walked into the temple, "Hello, is anyone home?" A young Paladin walked up to him, "Do you have any idea what time it is?" Yoshiro looked at him, "You look unfamiliar, are you new?" The Paladin nodded, "I'm Simo, I was recently made a paladin. My partners are all in the mess hall, would you like to join us?"

Yoshiro shook his head and placed his hand on Simo's shoulder, "Kid, treasure the bonds you forge with your partners, alright?" Simo didn't understand, "Wait... what do you mean? Who are you?" Yoshiro walked past him and removed his shoulder, "The last survivor of the only group of Paladins to include a non-Paladin." Simo looked at him, "You're Yoshiro Miyamae. A War..." Yoshiro shook his head, "I'm no hero, kid. Is Sinikka in her quarters?" Simo nodded, "Y-yes, sir." Yoshiro smiled and waved his hand, "Relax, kid. And thanks." Yoshiro walked down the hall and took a left to go to the hall that Sinikka and her personal attendants and guards used for their quarters. He couldn't remember the door, but found her by her scent, he stopped in front of the door and quietly sighed, he didn't know what to say to her.

Yoshiro went to go knock at the door when it opened, revealing the Kani Deity before him. Sinikka looked at him slightly and he was stunned in disbelief at what she was wearing. She reached out to slap him, but Yoshiro moved out of the way, "Lady Sinikka, it's me!" Sinikka looked at him, "Yoshiro? I thought you were some pervert that managed to sneak into the temple." Yoshiro placed his hand on his head, "It was a mistake to come back here... I apologize." As he turned around, she grabbed his arm, "Please, do not go. I know that things are hard on you, but please, tell me what's wrong?" Yoshiro closed his eyes, "It's nothing." Sinikka shook her head, "I know you better than that, Yoshiro, stop lying to me." Yoshiro tried to yank his arm back, but quickly found himself wrestled to the ground with a Deity sitting on his chest in a nightie.

Sinnkia looked down at him, "Tell me what's wrong." Yoshiro looked away from her, "Okay, seriously Lady of Justice, this is uncomfortable for me. You're in smallclothes right now, sitting on top of me." Sinikka sighed, "Fine, sorry, that was an automatic response, usually trainees can be a bit unruly at times." She got off him and he sighed as he stood up, "I'll leave the room." Sinikka shook her head, "It's your partners, isn't it?" Yoshiro felt the emotional dagger enter his heart, "No." Sinikka frowned and folded her arms, "Yoshiro, I know when you're lying to me." He sighed, "Yes." He looked at her and then felt moisture on his face, causing him to reach for his cheeks, "Tears, I thought these had dried up a long time ago..." Sinikka shook her head, "You've always had a good heart, Kensei."

Yoshiro was surprised at that as Sinikka took his right glove off, revealing the mark of Amaterasu, "I sensed this. By the way, how's the armor I gave you holding up?" Yoshiro shook his head, "It's... decorative, as is his sword." Sinikka sighed, "You need a place to stay, don't you?" Yoshiro nodded slightly, "Yeah, I do." Sinikka placed her hand to her chin, "I can set up a cot in my room if you'd like, I mean it won't be the same, but after the whole divorce with my second husband and all, I've been sleeping alone." Yoshiro didn't bother probing, "So you're offering me... one of your past students, who is a Kensei, by the way, a cot in your own personal quarters?" Sinikka nodded, "Yeah?" Yoshiro placed his hand on his face, "And you don't see the problem with it?" Sinikka sighed, "If you were anyone else, I'd never bother to offer. But you're the last survivor of your group and you're married."

Yoshiro had no retort to that, "Yeah, you have a point there. Personally, though, I don't care where I sleep." Sinikka sighed and pulled a mattress from her closet as well as some sheets and covers, "Well at least get undressed into your small clothes before going to sleep. It's not like I haven't seen you in them before." Yoshiro shrugged and walked in, he took his sniper rifle and his sword off his back and then started to undress into his smallclothes. Sinikka gasped slightly, "You have a lot more scar tissue than I remember." Yoshiro shrugged, "I nearly died fifteen years ago. Sometimes..." Yoshiro piled his clothes at the foot of the mattress and looked over at Sinikka, "I believe that they were the reason I survived. They didn't want me to die." Sinikka nodded, "It could be a possibility, Yoshiro. The lot of you were close, even if..."

Yoshiro interrupted, "Hannu was an asshole. He tried to join my Dracoknights... the man had no sense of honor and killed his own fellow trainees." Sinikka sighed, "So that's how far he fell after Katriina's death. He loved her, even if his love was unrequited." Yoshiro nodded, "Blamed me for everything, but I never hated him, well until he spat in my face while I tried to save his life. Said that he never wanted to have the dishonor of being saved by me, I fulfilled his dying wish and let him die." Sinikka frowned, "You should've saved him anyway." Yoshiro closed his eyes, "Sinikka, we trained together, but our paths diverged after Katriina's death. Hannu harbored his hatred for me til the day he died and, I don't blame him." Sinikka sighed, "Don't blame yourself for it." Yoshiro nodded, "Good night, Lady Sinikka." Sinikka sighed, "Good night, Kensei."

Part 8

Morning had arrived and Yoshiro was waiting for breakfast to be served in the mess hall, so he stood in front of the monument to Katriina and Kauko. He sighed and heard a female speak up behind him, "You were part of that group, they were legendary." Yoshiro didn't turn back, "Hannu deserves to be part of this." The woman spoke up, "It's not polite to look away from someone when talking to them." Yoshiro turned his head slightly, "It's polite for one to introduce themselves at some point in the conversation." Yoshiro turned all the way and folded his arms, he was mildly surprised to see a Mus standing before him. The Mus gritted her teeth, "My name is Kenna, and you're nothing like the..." Yoshiro cut her off, "The stories, I know. The image you have of me is a member of this paladin group, not of the man with blood soaked hands."

Kenna looked at him, "So then, this is what you became after leaving the Paladins?" Yoshiro sighed and turned back to the monument, "I was never a Paladin, child. But you, you can still be one." Kenna walked over and grabbed Yoshiro's tail and Yoshiro closed his eyes, "Let go of that, right now." Kenna growled, "Look at me when you talk." Yoshiro turned around, "I don't have to, now let go of my damn tail." Kenna let go of the tail and Yoshiro leaned into look at her, "Kenna, I am not in the mood for your self-righteous bullshit. You're a Paladin, you should be acting better than this right now." Kenna looked at him, "You're a Kensei and you're..." Yoshiro sighed, "You know, Katriina and Kauko were my best friends and though I didn't like Hannu, you don't hold a candle to any of them."

Kenna took offense to that, "I'll fight you, here and now!" Yoshiro looked at her, "You'd die. I have the reach advantage, I have fought here before, so I negate your home field advantage. I'm more experienced than you are at combat, and unlike you, I'm trained in unarmed combat. I will not allow you to needlessly throw your life away just trying to prove a point. Look, the reason they were so great isn't because of their combat prowess, but each of them... even Hannu, though sometimes Sinikka doesn't want to admit to it. Katriina embodied courage and honor, she taught me how to be strong and that it was okay to be afraid, even of myself. Kauko was focused on fighting to protect the weak and innocent, he never hesitated to act if he needed to. Hannu..." Kenna folded her arms, "What about Hannu?"

Yoshiro sighed, "Hannu was an asshole, he and I were both nobility, but he really loved to rub our faces into it. But, when shit hit the fan, he took a leadership role, something that Kauko and I found to be somewhat annoying, but he was quite reliable in that position. But I digress. I'm leaving." Kenna looked at him, "And what makes you think that you'll just leave from here, you were sleeping in Sinikka's room." Yoshiro face palmed, "I'm married, ya stupid git. I don't know if you're aware of this, but Sinikka's daughter was once my best friend and I adopted her other daughter after she did the whole taboo thing. But please, I would like to see one of you trainees try to stop me from leaving." Kenna looked at him as he walked past, "Fine, the practice field." Yoshiro simply flipped her off and kept walking.

He ran into Sinikka in the hall, "I'm leaving, I've got work to do." Sinikka nodded and handed him a package, "I had a feeling you would leave first thing in the morning." Yoshiro nodded, "I have to go get Lilah." Sinikka nodded, "Be careful, the Assassins and the Paladins aren't exactly on good terms, Yoshiro." Yoshiro nodded and took the package, "What's this?" Sinikka smiled, "Your breakfast, young man." Yoshiro smiled slightly, "Thanks. Hey uh, if you're ever in the Kitsune Kingdom, I can be found in Honoo." Yoshiro turned around to see Lilah standing there, "How in the fuck did you get here!?" Lilah chuckled, "Looks like I got the element of surprise on you, I stayed at a hotel last night, best sleep I've had all week." Yoshiro nodded slightly, "Come on." Sinikka cleared her throat, "You're not going to go unarmed, are you?" Yoshiro shook his head, "No, I am not."

Simo appeared with Yoshiro's weapons, "Here you go, sir. Sorry for how Kenna acted towards you." Yoshiro nodded slightly, "It's fine. She expected some legendary hero, she got merely a man. Her anger stems partially from her disappointment." Yoshiro placed his sword on his belt this time and Lilah took notice, "We're not riding?" Yoshiro shook his head, "I'd rather walk. Assuming that the person we're looking for is within this city, I don't want to alert anyone. Not to mention, I'm fairly certain the escort that you have wouldn't appreciate chasing a motorcycle." Yoshiro watched as two assassins stepped out of the shadows, "How did you know that we were here?" Yoshiro shrugged, "I didn't, but even Saskia is the kind of person to look out for her daughter." One of the assassins nodded, "You're good, that could be dangerous though." Yoshiro shrugged, "It's time to go."

Yoshiro walked out of the temple with Lilah and two other assassins behind him, he didn't seem fazed at this as he walked through the streets of Maan Valssi. He was curious to find out who the biological father of Lilah's kids were, he was either going to bring him back or he was going to shoot him in the head. At this point, he couldn't care which one it was. As they arrived at the Assassin's guild, Yoshiro walked in and walked through the main hallway. The assassins there stared at him, he was an outsider to them, even if he was a friend of their princess. He walked up to a throne where he saw Saskia sitting, "I have arrived, Lady Saskia." Saskia nodded, "I suppose you wish to know what I found out?" Yoshiro nodded slightly, "Of course. That's why I'm here." Saskia sighed, "Well then..."

Saskia pulled out a datapad and tossed it to Yoshiro, "Look at this." Yoshiro looked down at the datapad and he recognized the name of the person, Jaska Raita. He sighed as it was as he feared. Saskia looked at him, "You know that I have to send an assassin out to kill this person now, right?" Yoshiro looked at Saskia, "Allow me to go." Saskia's eyes narrowed, "You're a damned fool if you think that you have what it takes to kill Jaska." Yoshiro shook his head, "An assassin would be trained to recognize other assassins, Jaska will either escape or kill the assassins that you send after him! I'm a sniper and I can shapeshift as well, I could either draw close to him or lay a trap!" Saskia growled, "Do you realize that you would be risking your life!? Do you even think about how Lilah would feel if you died!?"

Yoshiro nodded, "What else is new!? I've risked my life many times before, every time I stepped onto the battlefield, I was risking my life! Also, yes, I have thought about how Lilah would feel if I died! But I also know how she'd feel if this Butcher decided to track down her and her kids! That's why I'm doing this, with or without your permission!" Saskia sighed, "You're a fool. If you are so bent on getting yourself killed, then I shall permit you to try to kill Jaska. However, if you fail, it will mean your death." Yoshiro tapped his sniper rifle, "I don't miss. Now I'm going to need to find some way to contact him." Saskia nodded, "He spends his time in the next city over, he always escapes when we move in to capture him but... you should be able to ask for him at that pub. The bartender will help."

Yoshiro nodded slightly, "Thank you, Lady Saskia. When I return, I will bring his corpse. I however will need someone to act as bait to draw him into my trap." Saskia nodded slightly, "What do you have in mind?" Yoshiro shrugged, "I honestly don't know, but it has to be someone that I can trust." Lilah chimed in and startled Yoshiro, "What about Killian? He's here on vacation." Yoshiro sighed slightly, "I don't know if I could do that to my little brother, but... if he's willing, then I won't stop him. I'll go ask." Lilah nodded, "Do you want me to go with you?" Yoshiro shook his head, "Stay here, Lilah. You'll be the safest around here." Yoshiro walked towards the exit, "Don't worry about me, Lilah. I'll be fine. After all, I doubt Jaska has the foresight to plant bombs on the ceiling of every building in that city." Lilah nodded, "Please be careful anyway." Yoshiro smiled, "I will."

Part 10

Walthari stood in the hotel room that he and Yoshiro had rented out, "Are you sure that you can get a clean shot into the pub from here, Yoshiro?" Yoshiro nodded, "I can see it perfectly, you just need to do your part." Walthari nodded and walked out of the door as Yoshiro walked to the window to watch the pub carefully." Walthari walked down to the lobby and walked across the street to the pub. He quickly entered the building and walked over to the bartender and placed some gemstones on the counter, leaning in and whispering, "There's someone I'd like assassinated, ya know anythin' about that?" The bartender nodded slightly and whispered, "Yeah, I'll go get the Butcher, have a seat wherever you'd like." Walthari picked the seat near the window that Yoshiro had told him about, he kept his cool and didn't bother looking out the window.

The bartender walked over with a beer and looked down at him, "You look familiar. Have I seen you before?" Walthari looked up, "No, you might be thinking of my twin brother, he's the one that suggested this place to me." The bartender nodded slightly, "Well then, how'd you know about, you know?" Walthari chuckled, "My master knows much about the world below his mountain. He was the one that pointed out that there was a bartender in Kani territory that dealt in this. Why don't you stop testing me and sit down and let's do business." The bartender shook his head, "I am not Jaska." Walthari felt a knife against his throat, as the bartender smiled, "That is Jaska. And unfortunately for you, he doesn't quite seem to trust you. So you might want to think of how to save your own skin real quick." Walthari didn't flinch, "Would money help?"

The knife was removed from Walthari's throat and the Eekhoorn walked over to the table and sat down, "I hear you have a job for me. Who's the hit and what are you willing to pay for it." Walthari nodded and reached into his jacket pocket, this was the signal for Yoshiro. As Walthari's hand left the jacket pocket, a photonic beam shot through the glass and pierced Jaska's skull, splattering blood to the side of him. Though Walthari expected this to happen, he got up and acted shocked, "Oh shit! Oh shit! There's a sniper! There's a fuckin sniper on the loose!" As the pub got stirred into a panic, the Bartender reached behind the counter and Walthari noticed what was going on. He grabbed his hand axe from his belt and as the bartender brought out his weapon, he threw the axe, which embedded into the bartender's face, killing him.

Walthari calmly walked over to the bartender and retrieved his axe, "Self-defense is a bitch, isn't it?" Walthari stood calm in the middle of a panicking pub. He chose that moment to clean off his axe and quietly slip away through the back. He and Yoshiro had chosen to rendezvous in Maan Valssi, so he quietly headed for the exit of the city. As he reached the exit of the city, he noticed that guards were still posted at the exit, and that he had blood on him. He thought of a lie and walked towards the exit. One of the guards looked at him, "Halt, there is a sniper on the loose and we can't afford to allow anyone to leave the city without checking them for weapons." Walthari shrugged and pulled out his hand axe, holding it by the head as he handed it to the guard, "This is all I got, go ahead and pat me down."

One of the guards patted Walthari down, "He's clean." The guard handed Walthari his hand axe back, "Here you go, sir." Walthari nodded, "Thank you." He placed the hand axe back in its pouch and he continued walking towards Maan Valssi. After about half an hour, he became worried about Yoshiro. As he walked past a tree, Yoshiro spoke up, "Want to help me with Jaska's corpse?" Walthari looked at him, "You're serious about collecting the bounty?" Yoshiro shook his head, "I promised Lilah that I'd bring the corpse." Walthari sighed, "I see. Well, alright then. But after that, we turn it in for the bounty." Yoshiro looked at Walthari, "Dude, our family is royalty and I'm a noble. Do you honestly think Elissa or Lilah's children are going to have issues in life?"

Walthari sighed, "No, but wouldn't you like to help people with this bounty money?" Yoshiro shook his head, "I'm not a mercenary and hopefully I'll never be one. I don't think I could stomach the thought of killing for money, no matter who it would help." Walthari shrugged, "Doing it to help others might assuage your guilt." Yoshiro shook his head, "I can't escape what I am, no matter where I go or what I do." Walthari nodded, "I understand how you feel, Yoshiro, but you must not let that control you. There is only one person that can control where you go in life, it's not me, not Mom, not Dad, not Grandmother or Grandfather... it's you. You're the one, Yoshiro." Yoshiro sighed slightly as they approached Maan Valssi, "I guess you're right, Walthari. It's funny, centuries ago, I was giving you this very same speech." Walthari laughed, "I took your words to heart, brother."

Yoshiro closed his eyes as he carried Jaska's body to the gate, "This is where we part ways." Walthari nodded slightly, "Alright then, you have a good time." Yoshiro walked up to the gate and was stopped by a guard, "Halt, why do you have a dead body?" Yoshiro shrugged, "He wanted to be brought back and buried in Maan Valssi. He was shot while we were having coffee, the authorities didn't let me retrieve him until they did their investigation." The guard looked at him, "Wait a second, I know who you are." The guard walked over to him and looked him in the eye, Yoshiro consciously prevented himself from tensing up, "Yeah?" The guard nodded, "You're that kid that ran with the Paladins when you were younger, go on ahead." Yoshiro nodded and walked in with the corpse, when inside the city, he made a beeline for the Assassin's Guild.

Entering the building, he walked over to Lilah's chamber and saw a male Eekhoorn standing there, "Who are you?" The male Eekhoorn turned around, "I'm her brother, outsider. Wait... I heard that Jaska was killed... you have the body of the Butcher, but even the best assassins couldn't kill him! How did you, someone who knows nothing of our ways kill him." Saskia spoke up behind them, "Splendid, you did as you said you would. I was honestly expecting you to not come back, Jozua, why don't you treat the friend of your half-sister with more respect than that?" Jozua looked at him, "Wait, you're the one she looks up to!?" Yoshiro nodded and placed the body down on the floor, "One shot, one kill. We had a minor complication, his friend, the bartender tried to kill Walthari, I was about to take the shot when Walthari did him in."

Saskia nodded slightly, "You and your family have impressed me lately, Killian sensed me using vibrations in the ground last night." Yoshiro shook his head, "Killian lied to you last night. Which is honestly a more impressive feat." Saskia blinked, "You mean that he cannot..." Yoshiro sighed, "Sense things through the vibration of the ground? No. He was however capable of using logic of you being the mother of Lilah and guessing how long you had been standing behind him." Saskia sighed, "I guess even I can be fooled." Yoshiro placed his hand on his head, "You are a deity, you should've known first and foremost that he wasn't using any of his mana." Saskia frowned, "Hey, I was more worried about my daughter, alright? It's why I called up your wife." Yoshiro's calm exterior melted away and his face became one of worry, "You could've called us at any time!?"

Saskia nodded, "You of all people should've known that." Lilah walked into the room and stepped over Jaska's corpse to hug Yoshiro and start sobbing into his chest, "Don't you ever do something crazy like that again!" Yoshiro returned the hug and smiled, "Don't worry, I'll try to refrain from doing so from now on." Saskia sighed slightly, "So I guess the two of you are going back home now?" Yoshiro nodded, "I am. Honestly, she's allowed to stay here if she wishes." Lilah spoke up, "I wish to return home with you, Yoshiro." Yoshiro nodded slightly, "That's good, because little Balthoron happens to like you, and your tail especially." Lilah frowned, "Hey, I wish he'd stop grabbing for it." Yoshiro laughed, "Trust me, Lilah, you're about to have a kid or two of your own. Maybe our kids can be good friends." Lilah nodded, "I hope so."