Himura Battousia Book 2: Kenshins Past
Copyright© 2007 by Trojan_85
Part 160: An Assassin's Tools
(Otowa stands at the door, left hand raised.)
Otowa: Well? What's wrong? Draw, Battousai!
Uramura: No, Himura! There's something strange about his left hand! He fires a gun without even moving!
Kenshin: Let me ask one thing. For who's sake do you seek revenge against me?
Otowa:... That's right. It would be a shame to send you to the next world without knowing that. It was a friend. A good man. Those nights when we'd compete to see who could kill more in a single night, I truly enjoyed.
Kenshin: So you too have lived a life without honor. But that doesn't change the fact that you want revenge...
Otowa: Of course not! You are irrevocably my enemy! Stop wasting time! Should I finish these four behind me with my Baika Chuuzen instead?
(Kenshin falls into battou-jutsu stance.)
Uramura: Himura!
Otowa: OM!
(He opens his hand. In one split second, Kenshin catches a small arrow by the shaft.)
Kenshin (tossing it away): So this is your mysterious power...
Uramura: An arrow... but there's no bow...
Otowa (snickering): You're right.
(He pushes his sleeve back to reveal the mechanism, a small bow.)
Otowa: Iron arrows fired from a six-shot bow by the strongest spring! The character on my left hand and that strange sound creates an instant of confusion. So you must have seen me pull the silk thread of the firing mechanism with my right hand on your blind side.
Kenshin: I'm thinking of a certain assassin's tool. A technique by which one could aim accurately a very small muzzled gun...
Otowa: That's right. My specialty is assassin's tools. No sword or martial art can match me. I, Otowa Hyouko, with these tools concealed all over my body, will bring down any target!
(There is a moment's pause as they face each other down.)
Kenshin: If you want revenge, I'll meet your challenge whenever you like. But this involvement of others will end.
(Otowa smirks and retrieves his sword.)
Otowa: I couldn't do anything so foolish as to meet head-on an opponent that has already seen past my Baika Chuuzen. An assassin's basic tactics is to outwit the enemy and catch him off-guard. It's nothing like the way a Hitokiri kills.
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