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{{Toxlind, I would say I love you, but I ain't that kind of guy, Five Finger Death Punch kicks a**!}}

Koji halted, but it wasn't Lilith's cry that stopped him. He considered his options. There was a slight bend behind him, only a small amount of protection; an alcove roughly man sized, although Koji wasn't sure his muscular, if agile and flexible, body could get in there, especially with a statue to share it with. That left one option. He turned as Lilith came within striking distance. He threw her to the ground, but slid her to the window, just out of sight from beyond the glass, and ran forward. He threw a knife to shatter the glass, not wanting to lose his forward momentum to kick it. He caught the arrow that came sailing in, spun, and threw it back at the assassin. It caught the unlucky man in the chest. He carried on with his leap and landed next to him. He grabbed a handful of cloth and threw the man into the castle, following him with another leap. He calmly picked the man back up, and shoved his hand into his throat. Not a blade concealed on his wrist, just his hand, held like a weapon itself. He ripped out the man's jugular and threw both man and entrails out the window, hearing a thump as they hit the ground. He turned to Lilith. "Now, what did you want," he asked, as though he hadn't just saved her or ripped an assassin's throat out. Just another day on the job.

Koji looked at her, and although his eyes smiled, he did not. "Hiding my face isn't enough. My figure stands out enough, as you well know from our days together." He didn't need to elaborate on that any further. He looked at the blood on his hand and wiped it on the wall before turning to her again. "Tell him that he doesn't need guards at the doors. You know I can sense whatever happens there, and I refuse to teleport directly to the throne room," he smiled, "you're cunning, in those crucial seconds it would take me to recover from being disoriented, as is what happens every time teleportation is executed, and kill me." He looked at her with the I-know-what-I'm-doing look. "You know how skilled I am. By the way, in forty five seconds another assassin will leap through that window and attempt to kill us. If you agree with me and tell him to keep his guards away, I will kill him as soon as he comes through, otherwise I will let him wreak havoc." He looked at her, hand poised over his katana, ready to draw it and kill the intruder should she agree.

"Good decision," then he revealed the needle he had poised to stick into her neck had she disagreed. He put the needle back and drew his sword with blinding speed, cutting the assassin in half even as he appeared. He wiped the gore off his blade and re-sheathed it. It was rare, and a privelege for those watching, for him to draw the katana. He was a master with the weapon, comparable to first echelon sword masters. He looked at her and tapped the blade to remind her of his skill, "if I really wanted him dead, do you think you would have you could stop me, let alone the heart to kill me on the off chance you beat me?" He let the question linger in silence for a few moments before continuing, "and you better be right about this kid's skill. If he is beneath me in fighting skills you know I'll tear down the heavens to kill him, to keep him from disgracing the Shadow's legacy."

Koji listened to what she said. She was perhaps the only person he would almost always listen to. "He smirked back, "was that stubborness what drew you to me?" He circled her slowly, drinking in her figure as if it had only been yesterday, remembering was destructive. He stopped smiling, "I know what I found attractive in you, though. It was that loyalty, and your figure, but the loyalty was what really struck me. Something I would never be, yet you worked perfectly with it, as if you had mastered it's finer aspects, like my mastery of assassination." He stopped in front of her again, "and none of that has diminished, not even after all this time. Yet I can't say I would ever be that loyal. It's intriguing, really, people, even you, always like what seems untouchable." He resumed his walk down the hall, "don't let that loyalty destroy you, it's all that's holding you together." He disappeared into another portal, making sure, if she tried, she could track him and follow him. Hell, part of him wanted her to follow him. He smiled as he took up a position outside of another minor noble's mansion. Let the killing begin anew.

Koji left the building. This time it had been done with cold effeciency, which was the trademark of most of his hits. He arrived at his home, it was more of a safe house, the best assassin in the world couldn't afford the luxury of a real home, too many assassination attempts. He looked at a few of Lilith's possessions that remained from a time long ago, more around 150 years ago. He threw them all into boxes and put them into storage where he wouldn't be reminded, then began mixing poisons, poisons that killed very slowly, pisons that were undetectable. He put it into a small tablet, one that could be dissolved in the Shadow's wine. If the Shadow detected it or survived it, he was one step closer to be being worthy for Koji's services. He put it into a special pouch and headed out. He arrived at the castle and snuck into Lilith's room. One more night couldn't hurt before he completely turned his back. Sex was a powerful urge, and not even Koji could deny it, not even for 200 hundred years, but he considered rape below all things. In fact, if he ever found someone guilty of rape, he would kill that person with no remorse whatsoever. Koji was sure he could probably succeed in seducing her again, but only time would tell, and he wasn't sure that, since Lilith, any other woman would be good enough anymore. He waited in a chair, admiring her room. It was decorated lavishly, of course, anyone with the Shadow's favor would have lavish decorations too.

Koji felt the thing, not even a comprehendible mind, he didn't understand it in the least, didn't understand it's being, it's complexion. Koji knew it would be a mistake to fight it, it was tough to fight something seemingly without form, and although many likened to Koji as a shadow in truth, there was a liquid grace with which he moved, but this thing didn't seem to even have that. He only realized his throwing knives were in his hands when he almost threw one. Dammit, although he knew he shouldn't fight it, instincts had nearly killed him... for once. For the first time in 150 years he felt something, memories of younger years in his eyes...

Koji looked at his master, a man revered by those on the street. "Again," he commanded. Koji lifted the small training sword, fitting his thirteen year old hands perfectly. He swung at his master, Hayato Sensei dodged his attack and dug a fist into Koji's gut. The boy dropped his weapon, and, even as his master drew nearer, the hot shame of failure grew, his cheeks flushing red. "Your failure must be cleansed, you must die, my apprentice." That was it, his master saw him only a failure, but Koji wasn't going to end this way. Screaming he stood up with a speed never shown, his master's eyes grew wider, Koji snatched the sword from the ground and neatly cleaved his master's body in two. He looked at his hands, what had he done? Fear of the law, they would hunt him down and kill him, his only option was to kill them first. He went through the city, with Kanesada, his katana, legendary as it was, in his hand. He killed all who opposed him, every being died in that city. That was when the Shadow showed up, he was there for Koji, so Koji became the best for him, became the best because he couldn't stand losing...

Koji shook his head and returned to the area before him. The creature had stopped, "what's your name, daemon?"

{{I plan on revealing Koji's "true" form later. It's basically Koji on steroids, if that's ok. If not, I'll just change the picture anyways.}}