… Three weeks later…

Rin bowed to her boss. “I’m leaving now Amo.”

The proprietor of the teahouse merely gave her an acknowledging grunt and Rin

was off. The majority of Lianzhen sat in shadow as the sun dipped below the western

edge, setting the eastern edge on fire with reds and oranges. She happily entered into

the alley with the abandoned bakery and stopped. Ever since the gang had started

squatting in the unused build, she had passed them twice a day, almost every day for

months and they had never said a single word to her. Today however, one of the men

was standing in the middle of the street as if waiting for her. The two stared at each

other. Rin took a single step backwards and prepared herself to run when she was

grabbed from behind. A hand covered her mouth, the other wrapper around her waist

and lifted her off the ground. Rin thrashed and kicked and screamed, all of which did

very little.

"Get back," the man said quietly. "I want the other one too."

Rin watched helplessly as the man set himself up behind a corner of the building.

Likely where the woman, she knew because of the lumps pressed into her back, had

been hiding. Screaming wasn't getting her anything more than muffed mumbling and

thrashing had only caused the rather strong female to squeeze so tightly that Rin could

barely breathe. The other man and three women took up their positions. One of the girls

standing in the alleyway this time.

Rin waited. If she could make enough sound to warn whoever was coming down

the alley, then there was a good chance they could get help and come back for her. A

figure in a robe emerged from the alley. Rin instantly recognized the gently limping gate

of Illiesku. The man started sneaking up behind the unaware Oni-Kai. Rin tried to

scream, but failed. In a flash of movement Illiesku was… untouched. The man fell

backwards, both hands on his throat and making choking sounds. There was a brief

pause. A soundless moment where even the alleyway itself seemed to hold its breath.

Then all three women and the other man charged as one.

Rin tried to scream again. She kicked and thrashed and squirmed to no avail. It

didn't matter. Illiesku moved with the speed and power, if not the grace, of a martial

artist. By the time Rin had once again given up, most of the gang lay groaning on the

ground. Illiesku had one of the women by her dark brown hair. She was bent

backwards, begging to be released. The man that had first tried to jump the Oni-Kai had

regained his feet.

"Fuck you!" he screamed at Illiesku, pulling an undersized machete. He charged.

"Hei, stop!" shouted the woman holding Rin.

Rin clenched her eyes shut.

The sound of metal bouncing across stone echoed throughout the alleyway. The

final note to a master composition. Rin opened one eye as the person holding her

tensed. The woman that Illiesku had been holding by the hair was crawling away from

the group. So was the other male. Illiesku made a sharp downward jerk and her attacker

fell motionless to the ground. The Oni-Kai scanned her surroundings. Looking over her

left shoulder, her single unhidden eye locked onto Rin, or more likely the girl holding

Rin.

"Run." commanded the lone figure still standing.

Rin felt weightless for the briefest of moments, then the ground jumped up to

smack her in the ass. Heavy footfalls faded off as the gang ran, or limped, as fast as

possible. Rin was rubbing the base of her tail when Illiesku was suddenly above her.

She instantly prostrated herself to the Oni-Kai.

"Thank you for saving my life!" Rin practically shouted, forehead pressed to the

stone.

"Did I? I didn't sense they wanted to end you?"

Rin looked up at Illiesku. "I, I mean..."

Illiesku turned and began walking. "Come then. I shall see you home."

Rin picked herself off the ground and ran to catch up with the Oni-Kai woman.

She stole a brief glance back at the man still laying on the ground. Illiesku must have hit

him really hard if he was still unconscious.