The Red Order (Jia Lin)

[Kazami Yuuji]

Kazami Yuuji had only recently finished a tailing mission on that strange so called 'oracle' girl when he was ordered to return to the main office for reassignment and new orders. This was universally a bad sign, it was so sudden that something important must come up which meant Liu Yu probably had some difficult or at the very least unpleasant task to push onto him. She was like family to him but that women never gave anything but trouble. He returned briefly to the small cramped house that served as his base of operations to change his clothes and then rushed back to the main office double time.

Although it was technically a military organization, the Han Special Defense Forces (HSDF) were in all but name a special black ops unit dedicated to surveillance, espionage and occasionally assassination. Due to the sensitive nature of their missions they were no records of their actives and the names and history's of their operatives were erased from records as well. The main branch office was a three story building that looked like a civilian bureau dedicated to something boring like 'farming supervision' so that no one would ever bother to pay it too much attention. Despite that it was well guarded, by men in civilian clothes with concealed weapons, who patrolled the local area. They let Yuuji in without trouble as he made his way Liu Ye's office to get his new orders.

"We have a job for you Yuuji." Liu Ye told him as she past over a small package containing all the details he would need, the organization color coded these packages based on the type of operation. This time the cloth was red, that meant...this was an assassination mission. Reluctantly Yuuji reached out to accept the package, he had been given an usually large number of red packages recently, mostly the targets were people who worked for the government as well. He had to admit it was starting to get a little suspicious. As he removed the cloth he was not surprised at all by what he found inside.

"Again." He said simply as he looked over the information on his target, name Jia Lin, affiliates Yuan Shao and it even had a hand drawn picture of her no doubt the artwork of one of their spies. Again they were asking him to take out one of their one people. Their was also a space for the name of the person who had asked for this mission but it was blank, that was getting increasingly familiar recently too. He looked up to meet Liu Ye's eyes, as if asking her what was going on here.

 "I really don't have anything else i can tell you about Yuuji, i don't always get to see the full picture either, but...these orders come from the top." Liu Ye warned him in a very low voice. The top? That had to mean something with very serious clout in the Imperial Court either one of the Emperor himself or his top advisers. He looked down to see what this women Jia Lin had done to get onto the list...the charges were listed as secretly supporting Zhang Jiao and the Yellow Turbans. Treason then in other words.

"When i am supposed to strike." Yuuji asked.

"Our operatives in Ye sent a fake summons for Lady Lin to come to the capital, she will be arriving soon. You are too assassinate her as soon as possible, today would be best." Liu Ye responded knowing as she did so that Yuuji would not be happy. He raised an eyebrow that was odd too, normally he liked to stalk his targets for at least a few days, getting a feel for how they acted and picking up the spot for the murder as perfectly as possible. This felt rather rushed. Could something be going on here?

"Alright understood." He said knowing that in this business you didn't turn down a contract.

Location: Lou Yang
Outfit: Han City guardsmen outfit, with his HSDF uniform underneath
Weapons: Longbow, Two concealed knives
tag: Jia Lin
Words: 689

[Jia Lin]

"And I thought today would be pleasant."

     Jia Lin popped her head outside the carriage for the tenth plus time during this journey, and she asked the same thing every single time. "Are we there yet?" She knew how long it took to get to Luoyang, and her bodyguard Bei Shurong knew that too. That is why she continued to do it. This time though, he didn't play along and she went back into the carriage with a pout on her face. Lin really didn't want to be here, she thought she could finally get some time off for herself. She had spent the last few months traveling between several cities meeting with many city officials and discussing the same thing over and over again that it made her sick. All they wanted to do was talk talk talk, never act. She needed a break, and so did her bodyguard. "Bei come in and sit for a while." She called out in a sweet voice, knowing he couldn't refuse, especially if she used that tone. 

     "My lady, do you need anything?" 

     "I just want some company, we have traveled down this road so many times it gets pretty boring. Come, sit and we can talk."

     Bei Shurong smiled slightly, secretly very happy he finally got to sit down and relax. While he tried to show a tough exterior, inside he was just as tired and exhausted mentally as Jia Lin was. If he was not as trained as he was, he probably would not have been in the proper state to accompany Jia Lin on this surprise trip. He released a sigh of relief as he sat down before catching himself. He coughed awkwardly and sat straight up as he looked past Jia Lin through the window outside of the carriage. "What do you wish to talk about my lady?" He would use this time to recover his mental state, as he knew he needed to be in tip top shape. Especially after the Yellow Turban incident that happened during the last trip. Their carriage was raided by a group of Yellow Turbans, if Bei Shurong were not there then...Bei shuddered at the thought. 

     Jia Lin smiled at her bodyguard, and reached over and grabbed his hands. "I never got to thank you for saving me once again. Thank you." She smiled a deep and sincere smile before she bowed to him. Before he could respond she let go of his hands and continued speaking. "I know you are more tired than you are letting on, but I need you now more than ever. As you know we are heading into the viper's den." With a deep nod and a bow from Bei Shurong, Jia Lin knew she was in safe hands. Jia Lin knew that her work was creating waves. That was the reason she was even doing what she did. This country needed something to change, otherwise it would slowly, or quickly, plummet into the abyss. Luoyang was the city that was the furthest gone, and she knew she needed to be careful. "Oh, it looks like we are here."

     The city, for being such a mess politically, was still a sight of beauty. A bustling, busy city that had a long and historic past. She paid the proper men to take care of her carriage and horses as she began to make her way into the city. She didn't even need to look at her bodyguard to know that his switch was turned on. His eyes darted around almost at the speed of sound, looking for any possible threats. While the Yellow Turban scum were the first to actually ever threaten and attack Jia Lin he knew the moment he didn't treat her as if she were an Empress something terrible would happen. His changdao on his back was never too far from his reach as he followed closely behind Lin.

     "Let's stop and get some tea before we head further into the city." 

Words: 670
Outfit: Blue and White Hanfu, hair put up in an elegant bun.
Tagged: Kazami Yuuji

[Kazami Yuuji]

Even though he had not wanted to take the job, Yuuji had barly thought twice before he said yes honestly, it was the sort of thing that had been drilled into every HSDF recruit. You were not allowed to second guess or question you're orders. The higher up's gave the missions and competent handlers like Liu Ye made sure the operatives like Yuuji knew as much as they needed to get things done. That was just how it was...like a good little soldier you were not supposed to ask questions or have doubts.

After taking the back door out of his organizations head quarters Yuuji headed down into the capital proper, walking the street he knew well as he headed toward the main gate, which he had been informed by Liu Ye his target would likely be arriving by. He was dressed as a city guardsmen so his carrying a bow around didn't really attract any attention, as he looked around as if choosing potential locations to set a trap. He was very familiar with the city of course and had a good few ideas about good spots to launch an attack. For example main street here that served as a market might seem like a good location for an attack because it was so large and open, but all the houses near by were occupied by locals, he could not easily get in without being noticed to find a window to snipe from. Their were also the roof tops but with so many people around it only took one child looking up to spot him before calling out "Look mummy an assassin." the job really wasn't as easy as it might seem. He also wanted to get a better look at his target before he did anything else.

To that end he headed toward a per-arranged meeting place where he casually bumped into a man he had never meet before, but from the way he moved Yuuji knew he must be his contact. As they got close enough the man whispered to him the details. Telling Yuuji that he had seen Jia Lin enter the city about a minute ago by the gate in a carriage of the sort favored by wealthy women. Along with a single bodyguard, that might be trouble but honestly Yuuji was confident he could take any single man one on one. He was considered the organizations top agent for a reason, he was absolutely deadly. "Alright, stay a respectable distance away but keep following her." Yuuji ordered the spy as they broke away moments later, as if they were just too old friends exchanging a greeting. Yuuji then headed off in the direction indicated, spotting the carriage just as it stopped outside of a modest tea house.

This actually presented him with a good opportunity to get closer to his target, his specialty was taking out people at long range with his bow, one shot one kill as it were. Because of that he tended to be a long way away from his targets when he took that shot, so just going of a hand drawn picture of Jia Lin was not a good idea. At that distance he might end up shooting the wrong person by mistake, unless he had a good idea what she looked like. He also wanted to get a look at her bodyguard as well just to make sure he would not be a problem, a little surveillance was certainly in order before he made his next move. After all according to Liu Ye he had still had all day to make his move.

So it was that he followed after the girl and her bodyguard into the tea shop, pretending to be just another off duty guardsmen out to get a drink during his break. Of course these places were more often visited only by the upper class, scholars and nobles but every now and then a guardsmen did come by, the tea was fairly cheap and affordable, most just preferred rice wine instead. To that end he walked up to the counter first to buy a drink, not wanting to arouse suspicion by starting at his target the moment he entered, he was no novice after all. "Oolong tea." He said ordering his favorite as he made an act of casually looking around the tea, just to identify his target. He noticed a women who matched the picture accompanied by a single large man...'found you' he thought to himself. He was surprised to find Jia Lin was actually exceptionally good looking, fair skin and dark hair without having plastered on make up like most nobles like she was some sort of doll. Unfortunately he was also going to have to kill her, so he supposed that didn't really matter, what a shame he thought as he looked away starting to sip his tea.

Tag: Jia Lin
Words: 823

[Jia Lin]

     The Golden Cup was one of Jia Lin's favorite tea houses in all of China. Did it have the best tea? Not exactly. Was it the best designed, full of beautiful pieces of art? Not really. It was her favorite because of Old Man Tang. He was the sweetest man she had ever had the pleasure of meeting. He had owned the tea house for decades, and no matter the state of the country, he never stopped working his hardest and pouring his heart into this little place. Everyone respected him, and the atmosphere of the tea house was one of the best around. It was a great place to gather with friends for a drink and to catch up. If you had a bad day at work, then this place immediately put your mind at ease. Whenever she could, Jia Lin stopped by this place for a good cup of tea and to catch up with Old Man Tang.

     Old Man Tang ran out to greet her and Lin immediately smiled a deep smile. Her features lit up and she could already feel her worries and her exhaustion lift from her person. This place made her feel years younger, which was much needed since these past two months alone must have aged her 10-15 years alone. "Tang, it is lovely to see you, I was making my way through and I knew I just needed to see you! Please, get some tea and come sit down with us so we can catch up." He ran into the back and quickly got some tea and they began to talk. Things have been picking up for the Golden Cup recently as more and more people have been showing up. Somebody must have put in a good word for him and the place. As he spoke about it, Tang started to tear up, which ended up making Jia Lin herself tear up. Jia Lin started to talk about how hectic the past few months had been, and even talked about the Yellow Turban incident. As soon as she said Yellow Turbans somewhat loudly, Bei turned to her and gave her a look to not speak so loudly. She nodded and told Old Mang Tang the tale quietly, going into every detail minus how brutal Bei Shurong was to the men. "I am glad you had someone like Bei to protect you. You are one of my most loyal customers, and you always bring an aura of happiness and warmth to this place I would be at a loss without you. Oh, excuse me, some more people came in, it looks like I need to get back to work. Anything you both want is on the house my dear." With a deep bow, Old Man Tang went to serve the newcomers, one of them being what appeared to be an off duty guard. 

     Bei Shurong always found this place enjoyable, it was one of the few places in Luoyang he still enjoyed visiting. He almost didn't want to leave but he knew that Jia Lin needed to make her way to her appointment sooner or later. "My lady, I think we should be leaving soon..." He was quickly cut off by Jia Lin handing him another cup of tea. "We have time, there is no need to rush!" She moved a little closer to him and said more quietly, "I am trying to drag this out, I want to stay here and soak it up as long as I can before I have to go back out into this city. It drains me, just as much as I know it drains you." Her serious expression turned back into a happy and carefree one as she took another drink.

Words: 625
Tagged: Kazami Yuuji

[Kazami Yuuji]

Yuuji sat drinking his tea as he sighed loudly like a man tired from long hours of boring guard duty, yet he was listening very closely that everything that happened at the next table over, where his target Lady Jia Lin was sitting. She was currently talking to the owner like an old friend, which perhaps he was even his organization records on people were not detailed down to that level...usually at least. Their conversation was not exactly interesting of course, until it came to a mention of Yellow Turbans? He began listening very carefully at once, wondering if he might catch a hint of the rebels plans from this traitor's mouth, instead it seemed to be some story about how she had been attacked by then? He was confused for only a moment before a plausible explanation came to him.

Naturally this women had come up with a cover story to deflect suspicion from her, by having put herself seemingly in harms way of the rebels no one would ever suspect she was secretly working for them. Very clever given that even important ministers had been executing for secret allegiance with Zhang Jiao and his men. She probably felt quite smug and safe with that excuse protecting her real actions Yuuji thought, it was exactly the sort of scheme Liu Ye would have come up it. Fortunately for the nation the HSDF were very hard to fool, they had eyes everywhere and agents like him ready to remove problem like Jia Lin when they threatened the national interest.

Their was only one more thing Yuuji needed to do which was to get a look at her bodyguard, as he finished his tea he made a show of stretching as if his muscles were sore from guard duty, as he did so he craned his neck just far enough to take a good long look. The man was well built and had the confident movements of a killer. He might actually be trouble, fortunately Yuuji was not working alone this time and his marksmanship was unparalleled, he didn't think their would be any problems. Having seen all he needed too, he didn't waste anymore time, he quickly paid for his tea and then walked out the door.

Once he left the tea shop Yuuji headed down the main street, as it led directly toward the imperial palace, he was certain Jia Lin would be coming this way next. Their was a large abandoned warehouse with big windows that faced the street just a little further down the road. It was the perfect place for him to take a shot at Jia Lin from as she past on the way to the palace.

After Yuuji had left the tea house their was a flash of silvery hair as someone walked past Jia Lin's table, as they past a simple piece of parchment fell from their small hands to land atop the table. Then the next moment this person was gone, like a ghost. Leaving only the message they had intended to deliver.

[attr="class","parch"]

[attr="class","parch2"]
To Lady Jia Lin

---

If you are reading this, then i regret to inform you that you're life is in terrible danger. An organization within our own government has set a death mark on you. If you wish to live do not walk down the main street today toward the palace. Do not try to leave by the city gate it will be under watch. If you can reach the palace you may be safe, they will be reluctant to act there.

Know that i don't consider you in my debt for this warning, i am only trying to stop someone whom i love making a terrible mistake. Please destroy this letter after you have finished reading it

Signed K.K

[newclass=.parch]background:url(http://i.imgur.com/raheDkI.jpg);background-size:400px 600px;background-repeat:no-repeat;[/newclass]
[newclass=.parch2]position:relative; top:5px; left:65px;[/newclass]

The letter was signed simply with the initials K.K and ended with instructions to destroy it after reading, no doubt to protect the identify of whoever had sent it to lady Jia Lin. It seemed that someone at least within the power structure wanted her to live and had cared enough to warn her. What she did with this information would determined if she survived this encounter with one of the lands top assassin. A man who believed her a traitor serving Zhang Jiao. Assuming she decided to even believe this rather far fetched sounding warning in the first place.

Tag: Jia Lin / @beishurong
Words: 771

[Jia Lin]

     "Bei, why do you think they called me to this city?" Jia had turned once again to her loyal bodyguard, this time asking him a question. One that was not really that simple. "My lady, I do not pretend to understand the officials of the Han. There are two things I understand, you and the sword on my back. So I just stick to what I know, lest I go crazy with all these politics." Jia Lin couldn't help but laugh, as Bei was always straight forward in his opinions and his responses to her. She knew he hated politics, but she also knew that he had picked up much accompanying her to these kind of meetings. She began to ask him what he really thought before she realized what he said. "Oh, you understand me now do you? Well, then what am I about to do now?" Jia had a smug grin on her face while she waited for a response.

     Bei shook his head, no matter what Jia Lin thought, her patterns were quite readable, especially to him after the years he has spent by her side. He was about to speak when he became distracted by a odd sight, a person that didn't seem to fit the scenery. Yet when he blinked the person was gone, leaving behind a note for Jia Lin. "My lady..." She cut him off with a shake of the head, knowing he would want to go after the mysterious person. She opened up the note and read it, quite curious as to what it said. Her expression changed from blank to a sly smile. She sighed, stood up, and walked over to the fire of the tea house and tossed the note into the fire. She watched it burn before going back to the table and finishing off her tea.

"And I thought today would be pleasant."

 "Come along Bei, we are leaving." Her serious expression told a tale in itself, before she turned towards Old Man Tang and her face immediately turned to one of sincere sweetness and happiness. She exchanged pleasantries and goodbyes before taking the side entrance of the Golden Cup. Lin was quite sad because this might be the last time she could ever come here for a very long time if ever. She obeyed the letter, knowing full well what could happen. No matter the choice she made she was in the dark, yet this way she could be prepared for any upcoming problems. Without turning back to Bei, she lifted her open hand, and closed it into a fist before dropping it. That should be enough to make him understand.

Danger

Words:446
Tagged: Kazami Yuuji

[Kazami Yuuji]

Yuuji pushed open the door to a room that overlooked the main street, the place was covered in dust, it had not seen use in over half a year making it the perfect spot for a sniper like Yuuji. He could settle down in here and wait for his mark to come into range and then...it would all be over. Or at least that was how these things usually worked. He brushed some of the dust away and then lay down on the ground so that only the tiniest part of his body was visible to the street blow, as he pulled out his recurve bow. From here his target had almost no chance of spotting him until it was far too late. He was just settling in for the long wait when he noticed something strange.

Further down the same street the same contract he had meet earlier, who was supposed to be keeping an eye on Jia Lin and the tea shop was acting strangely. The man raised his hands above the crowd and began making certain gestures, these might look strange but these were in fact HSDF signals used to communicate with agents when they were out of earshot or total silence was required. Translating the signals he got the message pretty quickly...the target had left by an alternate exit and did not seem to be taking the route they had anticipate. In other words he was in the wrong place now. Something had gone wrong. Either their target had simply decided to take a far more usual path or, perhaps more likely she had some how caught on that someone was after her and was taking evasive action. How the ambush had become a hunt as Yuuji and his follow operatives switched from stealth to pursuit and tracking tactics. This might get ugly but if they made a mess their superiors could easily cover it up later on.

Pushing himself too his feet, Yuuji all but raced out of the door and down back onto the street as he shouted to clear the way. "City watch business clear the path." He yelled as surprised shoppers stepped aside, his path clear Yuuji raced down an alley into an adjacent street. Keeping his eyes open as he hoped to catch a glimpse of his target. By this point he knew his fellow agents would be spreading out to look as well, the search had begun. They just had to catch their prey before she managed to escape. They could not allow the traitor to get away and do anymore damage to the Han. Fortunately Yuuji knew these streets very well and this was exactly the sort of thing he had been trained for so long to do. He was the state's weapon of a choice a tool to be used for the defense of the nation.

Tag: Jia Lin
Words: 484

[Jia Lin]

     Jia Lin stopped in the middle of an alley, looking around some corners before she bent over, her hands on her knees. She took a few deep breaths, before standing back up. Normally a person would be terrified in her position, and normally she would be as well. Yet Lin could never have been happier. She knew this would happen eventually, and it made her so happy that it was happening now. This meant what she was doing was working. She had been working so hard all her life to help bring change to the land that was slowly descending into chaos. It seemed like the people who benefited the most during this finally noticed Jia Lin's work and wanted to put a stop to it. Jia Lin's mother would be so proud.

     "Bei, we are going to have to pick up the pace, we are heading straight to the palace. We can't stop for anything, okay? I am counting on you." She tilted her head to the side and smiled, before taking another deep breath. She counted down from 3 to 1 before taking off in a run. She did not run often, but she was in good enough shape to run for a decent while before getting tired. As long as nothing got in their way, she should be fine. Bei ran effortlessly, staying behind a few centimeters on her left effortlessly. His hand was on the hilt of his sword that was on his back. He knew she knew the general layout of the city well enough to get to the palace fast enough so he focused on looking beyond what Jia Lin looked for. He looked for guards, for any roadblocks, and especially for any archers. He knew the cleanest way an assassination could go down would be with an arrow through the heart. While he did not doubt his abilities, he would never want to have to be faster than an arrow. He did not let his fears worry him as he kept perfect pace with Jia Lin. Bei would die a thousand deaths before anyone laid a finger on his Master.

Words:357
Tagged Kazami Yuuji

[Kazami Yuuji]

Yuuji didn't get too far down the alley way that should have led him directly to a path that cut down the outside of that tea shop, the route he was almost certain his target would be taking, unfortunately half way their he had run into an 'obstacle'. Someone had knocked over a merchants cart full of vegetables and the merchant and his staff were all over the place picking things up, essentially totally blocking the road. Cursing his bad luck in abject frustration Yuuji had been forced to take a detour into an adjacent pathway only to meet up with two of his fellow operatives. These two seemed to have having a hard time as well, a tall gate that blocked the small alley seemed to have been locked and the two were busy trying to open it with lockpicks. That would clearly take too much time, they needed to catch up and fast. Yuuji broke into a run as the two of them spotted him. "Boost me!" He shouted as he jumped, one of the two men knelt down putting out both of his hands to catch's Yuuji's leading foot, before pushing sharply upwards, lending force and height to Yuuji's jump and just about allowing him to vault clear over the door. Trained in these sort of acrobatic moves Yuuji tucked in his shoulder and rolled as he hit the ground without hurting himself. Turning he noticed the gate had not been locked at all...someone had simply braced it with a piece of fallen wood, picking the lock was actually impossible anyway. With a savage kick he forced it open for his comrades before he kept on running.

His target leaving unexpectedly could be considered a coincidence or perhaps just bad luck, even the fallen merchants stall but this on top of the two other, a coincidence he really didn't think so anymore at this point. It was more like some force or intelligence was setting itself against them to stop him reaching his target? He just didn't have a clue who would be capable of doing this. At this point it went without saying that he was alert for anymore tampering as he continued to search for any clue as to the where about of his target Jia Lin. She had to be around here somewhere after all.

Not too far away from where Yuuji was someone else was moving silently threw the streets as well. This interested party had a map or her own, it was in her head of course. She had a very unusual memory capable of recalling images she had memorized perfectly and right now she was mentally looking over detailed maps of this area inside her own head. Comparing them against the pursuit strategies and tactics she had helped the HSDF create for their agent training programs. It would be easy to say was a step ahead but given who she was it would be more fair to say she was many steps ahead. Right now she was making it as difficult as possible for anyone, especially a certain someone to chase after Jia Lin. Unfortunately he wasn't the sort of person that could be held off for very long.

---

While Yuuji and many of the others agents looking for Bei and Jia Lin were held up by an unusual number of seemingly random obstacles and bad luck, unfortunately others manged to find their way threw. Two people a man and a women both wearing the uniform of the city guard crossed into the same small quite street that Jia Lin and Bei were taking in the direction of the palace. As soon as they spotted them they reached for their weapons. The women was carrying a small crossbow, a powerful weapon although short range and slow to reload. While the man was armed with a small sword, not the sort of weapon that was good on the battlefield but perfect for knife fights in dark alleyways. Clearly neither of these two were actually with the city guard, their intention it seemed was murder.

Within HSDF their were three different designation's for it's operatives based on the amount of numbers in the agents call sign. Two digit agents were fresh recruits or spies with little combat training. Three digit agents were pro's, veterans with years of training and combat experience under their belts, usually experienced in multiple forms of martial arts. While the very rare four didgit agents were people like Yuuji who had extremely special skills. Fortunately for Jia Lin these two were just two digit agents who had been on the look out for her, but that didn't mean they were not dangerous.

Tag: Jia Lin
Words: 788

[Jia Lin]

     Not having much of a battle sense, even Jia Lin could feel the aura coming from the city itself. The atmosphere changed, as if the corrupt fingers of the city itself were slowly grasping around her throat. Yet every time the grasp got tighter it suddenly loosened. She couldn't explain it, it was as if the city itself was conflicted about the job. She could just feel people were after her, but nobody ever seemed to come close, something was wrong here. "Do you feel it too Bei?" She turned to him, a worried expression on her face. He only answered with a nod but the nod spoke volumes. It made her feel better knowing she wasn't going crazy, and that things were not quite right. "Let's keep up the pace!" She began to run a little faster before stopping with all of her might when she saw two guards walk into their path and stop ahead. "Curs-" 

     Before she could even finish her sentence Bei pounced forward, sprinting towards the two guards. As he ran he unsheathed his sword, pointed it in their direction and threw it with all his might towards the hand of the guard wielding the crossbow. It flew like a spear, nicking the hand, and while it didn't cause her to drop the crossbow, it created enough time for Bei to reach the guard with the sword. He ducked and dodged the blade, moving in a way to keep the man in front of the woman so she couldn't find a good shot. The man went for a stab into Bei's stomach, and Bei quickly pushed away the arm and followed up with a punch right into the throat. Never stopping his momentum, he grabbed the soldier's head and slammed it down onto Bei's knee before throwing the now unconscious guard towards the second guard as he ran towards her next. Using the body as cover he quickly made his way to her and he tackled her straight to the ground. He clasped his hands together and brought them down right onto the face of the guard. He pushed off the ground, quickly grabbing his sword and sheathing it. "Let's go!" 

     Jia Lin frowned watching the short fight, while she hated watching him fight, she also found it beautiful at the same time. Whenever he fought he became lost in the fight itself, calculating his moves perfectly a few steps ahead every time. What made her even happier was that he tried his best to fight without killing anyone, as he knew how she felt about killing. It would have been so much more efficient and easier if he just cut the guards down, but he did it for her and it made Lin happy. Furthermore, it was probably for the best to not kill any guards, as it could possibly give the higher ups a real reason to have her killed. Now that those two threats were out of the way, the duo continued making their way to the Palace.

Words: 507
Tagged: Kazami Yuuji

[Kazami Yuuji]

Yuuji was getting very tried of playing this game, it wasn't his game and he didn't know the rules but he had been trapped by it. Once again as he turned an alley toward the route that should have led him back towards his pray he found an obstacle blocking his path. He wasn't sure what was going on here but it was time to change the rules of this game. Instead of turning around he ran directly towards the wall of a near by building. Using his great athleticism he ran up the wall part of the way before leaping backwards toward the wall of the other side of the small alley. The gloves he was wearing were covered by a small layer of tiny spikes that helped grab flat surface's for situations just like this. He managed to get a grip and climb up as far as a near by window ledge. Climbing up he jumped back again toward the other wall scrambling up until he was able to pull himself up onto the roof top. Breathing heavily he took a look around from his new vantage point. He spotted a man and a women wearing city guard uniforms out cold in the alley next to him, the same two Bei had recently incapacitated. Sliding down the wall with his spiked gloves Yuuji landed down next to his fellow agents, checking for a pulse which he found. "This doesn't make any sense." He announced surprised, why would a traitor hesitate to kill assassins that were out for justice. It was just another thing to add to the growing list of questions he didn't have an answer too. "Well still have a job to do here." He sighed as he ran off chasing after Bei and Jia Lin his bow clutched in his out stretched hand.

---

Several streets away near the imperial palace, a young girl with a frail appearance was walking down the main street that Jia Lin would soon reach that ran all the way up toward the gate of the palace. She had a hood pulled up to cover her face so that all anyone could see was a trace of her silvery hair. She walked up toward a building where two guardsmen were watching the street particularly carefully, both were armed with bows and both happened to be members of a certain organization. Walking past them the young girl spun suddenly punching them in the lower back where the kindey's were, even weak as she was a sudden strike to a soft spot like this doubled both men over. Whipping out a small knife she cracked both of them over the head with the blunt end putting them down into the ground. This was all she could do for Jia Lin, the rest was up to her. The girl walked off toward the palace.

---

As Jia Lin and Bei were approaching the palace the chance of them running into agents was getting ever higher and the more capable ones were inevitable able to eventually break past the maze of misdirection and obstacles that had been woven into their path. As the two fugitives were approaching the main street they would soon run into an ambush. Two agents waited for them this time they were both three digit agents, experienced killers. One was hiding just inside a near by alley way crouching low to the ground and holding a crossbow, he was the one who would strike at Jia Lin. After his partner hiding near by inside of a doorway jumped up with a mace to attack the bodyguard and distract him.


Tag: Jia Lin
Words: 610

[Jia Lin]

     Jia Lin frowned as she continued to make her way through the city. She knew the route well enough, but the city felt larger than usual. The more they ran, the farther away she felt from the Palace. She knew the longer it took to get there the more people she would run into and the higher chance a life would have to be taken. While she preferred to save all life, she was not willing to die just yet. Not when she had just finally started to make a difference in this world. Lin was willing to fight against the world in an effort to make it a better place before giving up and letting herself be killed. She also knew that Bei would sooner fight the entire Han army before letting her die, she would not die this day.

     They did not stop but they did turn and look when they noticed two guards knocked out ahead of them. There was no blood, so they were not stabbed or cut. "Looks like our new friend is helping out." With a slight smile Jia Lin continued to run, thanking the Heavens for this lucky break. That was until she heard a crossbow bolt shoot out towards her. She closed her eyes waiting for it to strike her, yet it never happened. She opened them to see Bei in front of her, holding onto his side. He took the shot for her, and with his speed was able to move in a way that stopped the bolt from going straight into his chest. He fell onto his knees, coughing up blood. She turned as she heard screaming, noticing a guard was by her side, missing a hand. Bei immediately felt something wrong, and reacted instantly against the first guard by cutting his hand off. As he did that he noticed the crossbow bolt and jumped in front of it. Lin panicked. She reached down her leg grabbing a throwing knife before throwing it right into the hand of the second guard. She ran towards her, as she was still on the ground in pain. She used her momentum as she planted a kick straight into the face of the guard. When she turned around to Bei, she noticed he had gotten up and knocked the first guard out. 

     "My lady, I will be fine. We are getting closer, and the scream must have attracted them. We need to get moving, please..." Cursing herself for not being more aware, she grabbed onto his hand and began to run again, this time as fast as she possibly could. She needed to get to the Palace as soon as possible. Jia Lin didn't know how much longer they could last.

Words:457
Tagged: Kazami Yuuji

[Kazami Yuuji]

Although he had started behind his target and had been delayed multiple times, Yuuji was catching up quickly now that he had finally caught onto their path. It also helped that in order to maintain the level of fitness required for his job, he ran 16 kilometers every morning like clockwork. He was quite the athlete as he ran brazenly down the street knowing he could not be too far behind. Yet also aware he was almost at the palace, he had very little time now to catch up with his target. Otherwise he would have to turn back, if she reached the palace grounds Jia Lin would be protected the Imperial Guard and even HSDF would not want to pick a fight with them. At least not without official sanction first. The political fall out of an armed clash in the palace didn't even bare thinking about, only in the city where his superiors could sweep any mess under the carpet was it acceptable.

As soon as he raced down into the main street he came across two more men knocked down, unlike the last two they seemed to have been taken by surprise from behind. That was worrying in it's own right, assassins were not that careless, someone they considered harmless must have attacked them. In other words Jia Lin must have someone helping her, although it was almost impossible to speculate who that might be without more information at hand. Not long after that he ran into a bloody scene, one of their agents was leaning against the wall one arm missing while a girl that worked with them was also down, alive but hurt with a knife wound. Again he was surprised by the fact that no one had actually been killed yet, this wasn't typical behavior at all for one of their marks. By any rights if Jia Lin was a traitor she should be only too happy to kill people working for the government. Yet she had finally slipped up, their was a trail of blood leading away from the scene, perhaps she or that bodyguard or her's had been hurt? Finally a piece of luck.

Although everything about this was strange and was putting Yuuji on edge he kept running, he could see the Imperial Palace up ahead now. As onlookers in the street jumped aside to avoid being knocked over by him, the look on his face all the warning they needed that it wasn't worth their life to get in his way. He knew he had to catch them very soon as he followed the trail of blood, then just at that moment as they reached the courtyard outside the imperial palace he spotted two familiar people up ahead. One was the young lady he had seen inside the tea shop the other was her bodyguard who Yuuji could tell just with a single glace was wounded.

"Stop!" he shouted as he drew his bow pointing an arrow directly at Jia Lin across the courtyard, all she would have to do is walk another hundred feet or so and she would be at the gates to the palace. Where the guards would come down to protect her.

By all rights Yuuji should have just taken the shot as soon as he saw her. Their was no need to stop or speak to her at all just doing so made his job harder...why had done it? To tell the truth the answer wasn't clear even to him. He found his arm was shaking...was this hesitation? He wasn't the type that had trouble making a decision but, he had so many doubts in his mind about this mission right now. He was a trained killer but right now he looked more like a confused young man who wasn't sure what to do. "Tratior?" He shouted at her, it sounded more like a question than an accusation.

From just inside the palace gate, a young women watched all this as she waited to see what decision would be made and what Jia Lin might say now that her life was on the line. Could she persuade someone stuck in the darkness to do the right thing? to recognize that their was a right and wrong here to begin with. Or would her bodyguard be forced to risk his life to save her again. Would see make a run for the palace gate and the safety it offered? Although the young women had hoped Jia Lin would make it here safly she was curious to see exactly what sort of women the lady she had tried to help was.

Words:780
Tag: Jia Lin

[Jia Lin]

     They were almost there, the gates of the Palace were just up ahead. They were going to make it, they were going to to survive. She was so relieved, because she would finally be able to attend to Bei, who was looking worse for wear each time she looked at him. She was about to quicken her pace, use everything she had to finish the final leg of the run before she heard a yell behind her that caused her to stop in her tracks completely. As she turned around, Bei immediately jumped in front of her, sword out towards the new opponent. Bei wore a grimace upon his face, and Jia Lin knew what would happen if she let him fight. She went to his side and put her hand onto his arms as she pushed them down. Bei nodded and dropped his sword as the pair fell to their knees at once, facing the man with the bow. 

     Knowing they would not be going anywhere, Jia Lin reached over to her right sleeve and ripped off a long stretch of cloth from it. She then went on to carefully it around Bei's body, specifically around his wound in order to stem the blood for the time being. She knew this was pointless, and that they would both be dead soon, yet her body moved on it's own. It killed her to see Bei hurt because of her, so if she could stop him from feeling as much pain as she could before his death she would do whatever it took to achieve that. Quickly having done that, which only took about five to ten seconds, she turned her full attention the Assassin. Arms forward, Jia Lin and Bei Shurong bowed, placing their heads down upon the ground in an act of complete and total submission. She rose up slightly, still looking upon the ground when she heard him speak to her again. She did not smile, her face serious and sincere. "Good Master, I know not my crimes, but if the Han and the Emperor wills it, then it must be done. I am in no position to beg for my life, I only wish for you to spare my bodyguard Bei Shurong. Whatever crime I committed was not shared by him." After speaking, she bowed back down onto the ground.

     Bei quickly pulled his head up and turned to Jia Lin before moving a little closer to the stranger and bowing once again to the ground. "Sir, my loyalties are to the Emperor. If we have done wrong and committed crimes against him then I surrender myself fully to you. If it was anyone who had committed a crime here it would be m-" Jia Lin rose from the ground, grabbing Bei's hands tightly as she began to shake her head. Bei was taken aback when she saw tears were streaming down her face and she was trembling slightly. "Bei, you have served me well and you have served me righteously. You knew the work I did, and that it would create people who hated us, people who looked down upon us, people who wanted us dead. Yet you never left my side, you stayed loyal and protected me over and over again...you..." She began to sob now, turning back to the man with the bow. Bowing again, she pleaded with him. "Please do not harm him."

Words:572
Tagged: Kazami Yuuji

[Kazami Yuuji]

It would honestly have been easier for Yuuji had Jia Lin cursed him or admitted to treason, or perhaps if the bodyguard Bei had attacked him, then he could have just let an arrow fly and got this done. Simpler that way, job done no difficult moral dilemma to have to work threw. Instead she did about the last thing he had anticipated she surrendered. Instead of even begging for her own life she asked that he spare her bodyguard instead, just about the last thing he had come to expect from any politician in this stinking city. They were all currupt, scum seemed like an apt description, it would be fair to say that if this were not some kind of performance...she was a remarkably rare women. Not that she had any reason to pretend, the arrow was in the string of his bow and his orders were very simple "Shoot to kill Yuuji." His hand trembled instead as his heart began to race and his breathing became irregular.

It should not be hard, he was nothing more than a tool of the state, a weapon kept at hand for the defense of the nation and he had been told this women was a treat to the nation. The problem was...he really didn't think that was true. The phony order in red, he had been suspicious from the start and the way things had gotten in his way seemed more than coincidental too as if someone was trying to send him a message that this wasn't the right course of action. Yet did it even matter...he was a soldier and as a soldier you were supposed to carry out you're orders no matter what, that's what a weapon a tool like him was supposed to do. And yet...he didn't fire the shot. The problem was that Yuuji wasn't the perfect weapon in the end he was human too and a pretty broken one at that.

The things he had done in his childhood under the orders of the bandit lord Zheng Yu who had first beat the ways of the assassin into him at 11 years old, the things he had done the lives he had destroyed before HSDF had found him. He could not do it, he could not have the blood of the innocent on his hands again. The only thing that got him threw this, that stopped him thinking of himself as 'worthless scum' was that he was trying to do right. He honestly didn't feel like killing Jia Lin was right. This women was kindhearted and cared more about the life of a 'servant' someone who like Yuuji might be referred to as a 'dog' than she did her own life. She was utterly unworthy of death, in fact she was probably a better person than he was, no she certainly was. "I can't do this." he said lowering his bow. "Lets pretend i never caught up with you lady Jia Lin." He called out before turning to run away back into the crowd, vanishing like a ghost as he had been trained too.

Words:528
Tag: Jia Lin Kazami Kazuki

[Kazami Kazuki]

Watching the whole affair from the safety of the palace gate Kazuki let out a relived sigh, even she with all her intellect had not been certain what Yuuji would decided to do. She had known the probabilities given what sort of person Jia Lin and her little brother were but their had always been the chance that Yuuji would have been able too break threw the organizations extensive brain washing. In the end that was why she had spent so much effort trying to keep him from making that choice in the first place. In the end she needed not have worried so much, he had made the correct choice. "Good little bother." She whispered to herself as she stepped out of the shadow of the gate after Yuuji had vanished into the crowd. Attended by Imperial guardsmen a trio of who were carrying a medical stretcher for Jia Lin's injured bodyguard, he would need medical attention very soon after taking that crossbow bolt, or their might be permanent damage. Fortunately having suffered so much to get here, their worries at least were over...for the moment. Kazuki's masters would not dare make a move here, it was too public and too many other interested parties were involved here at the palace.

Once her brother was well out of sight, Kazuki followed the guardsmen who had rushed over to attend to Bei, stopping in front of Lady Jia Lin and offering her a polite formal bow, as if one noble women to another. Although technically she had been born a peasant, her past had been all but erased by HSDF. Not even Yuuji knew about her, thinking his big sister had died many years before. "It's so nice to meet you at last Lady Jia Lin." She said finally throwing back her hood to reveal a youthful face with sharp penetrating violet eyes and long flowing silvery hair. Their was also an undeniably similarity between her face and the man who had just tried to assassinate Jia Lin. She smiled sweetly as she offered a hand to help Jia Lin get back to her feet.

"I really wasn't sure if you would make it, allow me to welcome you safely to the Imperial Palace. I apologies if you're journey here was a little usual as you may have noticed, their are a few 'unsavory' types around here." She said putting the matter as delicately and diplomatically as she could while letting Jia Lin know by her words that she was the one who had sent that message. "Oh forgive me, i haven't introduced myself. Lady Xiao Huijia, at you're service." She said, although given the letter had been signed K.K this may strike Jia Lin as odd. The name was of course an alias to keep her real identify a secret from the court. As far as the world was supposed to know she was a dead women and it was better the nobles didn't find out her real birth rank was so lowly.

Tag: Jia Lin
Words: 511

[Jia Lin]

     Jia Lin slowly lifted her head, and she watched the man slowly turn around and run away. She put her hands up in front of her face and looked at them, noticing Bei's blood on her hands. Lin slowly began shaking, before quickly breaking down. Before it was from utter sadness, this time it was out of sheer terror. She had escaped death, yet she couldn't come to terms with it, since she should have been dead by now. Lin turned towards Bei and wrapped her arms around him and gave him a big hug as she kept crying onto his shoulder. "I was so afraid I would lose you...Bei? Bei?!" 

     Bei wasn't sure what was going on, there was no reason for them to still be alive. The corrupt politicians wanted them dead, and they usually got everything that they wanted. Yet why did this man stop his bow, why did he not finish the job? Bei looked up into the sky as he squinted his eyes, he could feel his body being covered in sweat and his breathing became heavy. He looked down to Jia Lin hugging him, "My lady, we should get you to the Palace." His words came out as barely a whisper, even talking caused him pain. As soon as he heard his own voice a flash of light went before his eyes before everything turned dark and he passed out from exhaustion and the pain from the wound. 

     As soon as Jia stood up to go get help from the Palace she noticed there were stretchers already there waiting for her. "My thanks, my thanks. Please help him!" She bowed several times before being approached by the woman that clearly stood out from the rest of the people. Jia Lin grabbed her hands after being told her name, "Thank you Ma'am, I am forever in your debt." She also bowed to the woman several times, tears still falling down her face. "Do you...do you know who ordered this?" Usually a person after being attacked like this would want revenge, yet Jia Lin's face was calm and did not show any hatred or anger. She simply wanted to know who it was, she wanted a mental image to think of when she needed a reminder as to why she was still doing this. Lin would have had more questions, yet she was too flustered to really think properly. Maybe after getting some rest the proper questions would come to mind. It was clear to her that she needed the rest whem she almost collapsed while holding onto Lady Xiao Huijia's hands.

Words:438
Tagged:Kazami Kazuki

[Kazami Kazuki]

For a moment Kazuki stood their a little uncertain what she should do. She had always been called a genius for her sharp mind and because she always had a plan or an answer for everything. Yet simple as this situation actually was, she felt a little unsure, although many things were easy for her Kazuki wasn't really that good with other people. Especially understanding their feelings, it took her a moment to realize she should probably try and offer Lady Jia Lin some comfort after the horrible ordeal she had just went through. As tears streamed down the poor Jia Lin's face Kazuki decided to simply offer her a hug, embracing Jia Lin with her own small body when she could think of no other way to calm her down.

"Come on now dear, it's ok you are safe now. Don't worry i will look after you i promise." Kazuki whispered in her ear, their was a very strong ring of confidence and certainty in her voice as well, as if she had no doubts of her own. Although in truth it felt a little odd for her to be calling a lady older than herself 'dear' especially when Kazuki looked like only a girl herself. She was used to playing the role of big sister so this part came naturally to her as she handed a handkerchief to Jia Lin so she could dry her eyes. She had been through a lot today because of the greed of certain corrupt officials. It would probably be best if Kazuki got her somewhere quiet so she might calm down a little.

"Why don't i take you inside so we can sit down and have a little chat." Kazuki said feeling that Jia Lin was nearly ready to collapse on her feet, although Kazuki was a little frail herself she was strong enough for this. She let Jia Lin lean on her for support she led her into the palace courtyard and towards a more private wing where they could talk undisturbed. "It's a little too public here to discuss certain matters." She warned Jia Lin as she nodded her head over towards the right. Where several officials were watching them carefully, including some that were clearly court eunuch, they didn't look especially happy to see that Jia Lin was still breathing either. No doubt they would sending a strongly worded complaint to her masters later on, not that Kazuki felt too bad about upsetting their carefully laid plans.

The palace guardsmen had already got Bei on a stretcher and were carrying him off toward the infirmary where he could be treated, while some other guardsmen chasing off into the crowd in search of the assassin that had dared approach the palace gate. Not that they had any chance in hell of actually finding Jia Lin's assailant. Still it was good to see they took their work seriously.

Tag:Jia Lin
Words: 491

[Jia Lin]

     No matter the state of the city, the Palace was always an oasis of paradise. Intricate architecture, beautiful sculptures, the Emperor's Royal Guard were dressed in the finest armor and weaponry in the land. The sky could be falling right outside yet this place would forever exude the aura of true peace. Even the greasy, sleazy politicians couldn't bring down the beauty of this place, and Jia Lin felt as if the palace itself was healing her worried mind. She helped the best she could, putting all her strength into staying on her feet and walking along with Kazuki. She wanted to be by Bei's side but she knew she wouldn't be much help and would probably only get in the way, especially in her current state. She saw a chair and quickly sat down in it with a heavy sigh as she began to slightly sink into it.

     "The Palace is a beautiful sight is it not? It gives people hope, hope that things will get better. Even now, the Palace became my hope, because of you at least." She smiled softly, as she began to rub her temples. Jia Lin had to struggle to keep her eyes open, as she looked at her savior. "I want to let you know, I have no plans on revenge. That is not the person I am, if I can go through life without killing a single person I would be able to die happy. My work creates enemies, and if my work does that, that means I am making a difference. People like the ones who ordered my death are the exact reason why I do what I do, to get rid of scum like them. If I am getting under their skin that means I am winning." Jia Lin smiled from ear to ear before chuckling softly, as she looked over her savior. She was quite beautiful, and she could tell by her features, and of course her actions, that she is a real good person. Lin reached out and grabbed one of her hands and softly patted it, "Thank you again."

Words: 352
Tagged: Kazami Kazuki

[Kazami Kazuki]

Kazuki scanned the room quickly as she helped Jia Lin down into her seat, many of the palace's rooms were watched by spies some working for the 10 attendants others for He Jin's faction and others for her own employer HSDF. Although this place was pretty certainly it was the very heart of the corruption that was slowly choking the Empire to death. You really could not be too careful in a place like this but as spy herself Kazuki was familiar with the usual methods, she didn't detect anyone listening into their conversation now. She relaxed just a little bit as she took a seat opposite Jia Lin. "Remember what i told you, you won't ever have to repay me or even thank me. Unless you really feel you need to and if you do, repay me by fixing this place." Kazuki said trying to decided exactly how much she could get away with telling Jia Lin. She didn't need to know everything and perhaps she wasn't ready to know everything anyway but if anyone could fix this place then Kazuki had concluded it would be someone like Jia Lin. So Kazuki wanted to give her that chance that was why she had taken so many risks today.

"You see my lady, i have a confession to make. I work for the very organization that has been targeting you all day, or perhaps it would be better to say i have been forced to work for them since they abducted me as a child. That was how i found out about the assassination contract on you're head and how...i was able to obtain a copy of it." Kazuki said as she reached into the folds of her robes and pulled out a small packaged draped in red cloth. This was the original contract of which Yuuji had only seen a copy. It still had the name of the man who had placed the order on Jia Lin's head. She pressed the package into Jia Lin's hands. "As long as you have this evidence they won't dare touch you again for fear you will leak it. So with it you are safe, but you could also choose to use it against those responsible. Yet at increased risk to you're-self. I won't tell you what to do either, it has to be you're own choice." Kazuki warned her knowing as she did that this was a choice Jia Lin would need to make for herself. She didn't intent to try and influence here either way. Having given Jia Lin what she needed Kazuki stood and headed off towards the door. Yet at the last moment she stopped and turn back to say one last thing.

"Ooh and if we meet again and no one else is around. Please...call me Kazuki." She said before closing the door and leaving Jia Lin to make her own decision about what she wanted to do next. She only hoped they might one day meet again, she had precious few friends after all.

Tag: Jia Lin
Words: 564

---

HSDF Assassination contract

Client: Head Eunuch Zhang Rang

Target: Jia Lin

The assassination must be carried out before the target reaches the imperial palace. HSDF has agreed to provide more than 25 capable agents for the objective. Civilian casualties are discouraged but acceptable. The agreed price is 10,000 gold