Gin's Story

-Gin-

---

The cold chilling wind circled the Air Temple's garden, where a black-haired girl sat, playing with her airbending. She was testing to see how long she could keep a single petal in the air. That was a little interest to the little Flying Bison cub that sat at her feet, gnawing on the tips of her shoes.

"Gin! Gin!" A young girl's voice called out. Gin looked over at the girl, nearly half her age.

"Itami? What is it?" Gin says, surprised in the urgency of the little girl's voice.

"Gin. There's a scary man. He was talking to Monkey. He was scary, do something!" The girl squeaked.

"Alright, alright." She walked to the enterence to the tower, tripping over Itami and the bison.

She headed down the spiraled tower, surprised why no one would have informed her about a visitor. After reaching the main enterence, she peeked over the wall and saw the Monk. Though he was talking to a hooded figure. The dark hood did give the man a shady appearence, so she understood why he frightened all the childen. Pulling her cloak close her, she walked out towards the Monk. She stood a few feet away from the Monk, and spoke.

"Monk?" She says, almost monotone.

- Anwar -

---

The monk sighed, sending a frustrated glare to the smirking man in front of him, "You realize you ask much of us--"

"I ask only what I know you'd give me anyway," the dark skinned man grabbed the monk's bald head with a teasing look, "You worry too much, old man. That's why all your hair fell out."

"Monk?" A girl's voice called out.

The hooded man snapped his gaze up--his hand still on the monk's head. A young woman stepped forward. She had thin black hair that fell down her sides and a pale blue flower in her hair that matched her eyes.

"Ah, Gin," the monk spoke, turning to her, "We have a guest. This is..." The monk paused, sending a mysterious look to the man next to him.

"Anwar," the newcomer kneeled, bowing deeply, "I am Anwar, sadeeqah. It is a pleasure." The man gave a warm smile, but then realized he was still cloaked. "Aiya, I must have forgotten my manners with my horse," he chuckled, pulling off his cloak and mask to reveal his face. He cocked his head to the side with a smile, letting his soft black-red hair fall against his cheek, "Forgive me."

WHAM! The monk whacked his staff against Anwar's head.

"Ignore him, Gin," the monk said with an annoyed look, "He's used to women falling for that act. Don't be fooled."

Anwar chuckled, rubbing the bump on his head, "How cruel..." A devilish smirk played across his lips, "But it's not just women who fall for me, old man. You underestimate my skills," he winked with a flourish.

The monk stared blankly, "I'm not falling for you. I'm a married man, I refuse."

Anwar sweatdropped, "I wasn't offering..." He gave the monk a creeped out look before turning back to Gin with a perfect smile, "It was Gin, was it not? Would you kindly accompany me to the kitchen? I find I am rather famished after my trip."

He extended a hand, proper like a gentleman, awaiting the response of the lovely lady before him.

Gin faked a friendly smile.
"Keep acting like that, you'll regret coming to the Temple. Follow me if you wish." Gin says in a cold voice, then bowing to the Monk and pressing her knuckle to the palm to her, before escoting Anwar to the Temple kitchens. On their way, they were followed by whispers of girls, no doubt talking about Anwar. Gin rolled her eyes. As they arrived, Gin ordered the food for Anwar, and she was about to make her leave.

- Anwar -

---

With a flourish of his cape, Anwar seated himself elegantly, raising a finger to his lips in thought.

"You are..." he paused for a moment, "what was the name, aya, it was--ah! Meelo!" He snapped his finger in remembrance, "You are Meelo's daughter, are you not?"

Anwar crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair, a smile on his face. He was content with conversing with this new acquaintance for a while. He loved chatting, especially with beautiful women.

"So, sadeeqah," his devilish smirk widened, "Tell me about yourself."

There was something in his eyes that looked dangerous. Something that pried into your mind and said to escape, but his smirk and his aura were so unmatchingly charming--bred of high class and sophistication--that it was unnerving.

"Don't be shy," he purred, "You tell me a secret, I'll tell you mine."

I'll tell you everything and nothing, little girl...

-Gin-

---

Gin nodded in surprise. It was quite uncommon that someone would successfully guess who her father was, since she and her father were almost the complete opposite. Gin turned back to Anwar and took a seat across from him.

"What is there to tell?" Gin shrugged and stared blankly at the wall, avoiding Anwar's vicious eyes. She was silent for a few moments, twirling her hair and thinking of something to say in response to strange raven-haired man sitting in front of her. "Even if there were secrets to tell, I would not tell them to a complete stranger." She says quietly, still avoiding eye contact with him.

- Anwar -

---

Anwar chuckled, leaning back in his chair, hands behind his head and legs crossed on the table, "So defensive! Aiya!" He smirked. The sharpness in his eyes disappeared almost instantly, and his previous jovial manner returned. It was at that moment that the monk entered the room.

"What sharp words this young one has," Anwar placed a hand over his heart teasingly, winking to the monk, "she's severed my heart strings and refused my advances." The dark man smirked. His exotic accent seemed to become heavier the more he joked.

"Then I've taught her well," the monk nodded to Anwar, his eyes serious, "I've made the arrangements."

"Ah," Anwar's smile softened a little as he shifted, pulling his legs off of the table into a formal position. He eyed Gin warily, his eyes almost teasing her, "Thank you for the company, sadeeqah. I shall try not to scare you away so much, next time."

The monk closed his eyes for a moment before turning to Gin, "That will be all." He nodded, gesturing to the stairs, "Rest up. Tomorrow, training continues."

As the girl left the room, Anwar's happy-go-lucky demeanor vanished. He rested his hand on his chin, his eyes fixed from underneath his bangs on the old monk before him. Sharp and cold.

"Tell me, old friend," the monk spoke calmly, taking a seat in front of him. "...What really happened?"

The dark stranger smirked.

"A fire was set."

---

The morning sun shone through the frosty, clear air of the temple courtyard. The grounds were bustling. Monks wandered around, meditating and instructing their students. Children played in the gardens, shirking their duties. The birds sang, the flying bison groaned. And the girls of the temple flocked outside the door to a particular man's room. All was the usual for this quiet day at the temple--that is, all except for, you know, the latter.

"I'll wash your shirt for you!" One of the girls cried.
"N-no, that's quite alright," Anwar tried.
"And your pants! I'll take your pants!" Another one squealed.
"No, really, ladies, I'm just--ah!" Anwar choked as a little girl leaped onto his back, dragging him down by his cape.
"He's cute," the child giggled, "Can we keep him?"
The women of the temple all squealed in agreement and bounced up and down, distracted enough by this idea to let Anwar catch his breath and yell, "Ah! Look! A pigeonrat!" He pointed to the distance, "It's flying away with the kitchen pies!"
The head of the kitchen, a crotchety old lady whipped around like a bull, eyes on fire. "Again?!" She shrieked, already charging toward the kitchen, "Come on ladies! Time to catch us some stew surprise!!!"

The women cheered and ran after their leader, leaving Anwar safe and alone--well, alone except for the little girl still on his back, who he gently set down and patted on the head.

"Keep an eye out for me, little one," he waved at the girl as he snuck away.
The child gave him a silly salute, "Yesthir!" She lisped.

Anwar adjusted his cape and mask, which had been nearly torn off him, as he walked up to his old friend, the monk.

"Hizashi," Anwar nodded his greeting with the monk's name, still tending to his ragged appearance.

The monk didn't look at him, he was focused instead on the group of children meditating before him. A particularly large monk with round cheeks blinked at Anwar, "What happened to you?" He asked politely.

Anwar could only sigh, "Wolves," he finished tucking away his mask, "Very hungry wolves."

-Gin-

---

Gin was absorbed in the young children that she didn't even notice when Anwar entered the room. Her cheerful mood soon vanished when Anwar spoke.

"Shame the wolves let you go." said Gin, quietly.

"Now Gin, do not be rude to our new guest." The polite monk said to Gin, almost scolding her. "Do not mind our Gin. She often helps me teach the younger acolytes airbending. She is very skilled. The best in her age and a few years above. I take great pride in her abilities." He said, glowing with pride while Gin felt a trickle of anger and frustration, but her deadpan expression gave nothing away.

"Monk..." The raven-haired girl said irritably.

"Is there something you need?" said Hizashi, turning towards Anwar.

- Anwar -

---

"Is there something you need?" said Hizashi, turning towards Anwar.

"Well," Anwar's eyes crinkled jokingly, "now that you mention it, I was a bit lonely last night--"

"Other than that," the old monk skillfully interrupted.

Anwar laughed, "I joke, I joke," he winked subtly to Gin, "I was only--" No doubt he was about to respond with words of great wit and hilarity, but, in an instant, all sound was shattered as an explosion shook the entire monastery.
Smoke, rubble, and screams filled the air. Everyone had been thrown to the floor and it took Anwar a few seconds before the ringing in his ears ended. There was too much smoke to see anything clearly, but he heard a pained cough. Without hesitation, Anwar leaped toward the bloodsoaked, old monk lying beneath a large slab of stone.

"Don't move," he commanded his injured friend as his sharp eyes scanned the situation. The smoke was clearing. Aside from the large hole in the wall next to them, the rest of the temple was untouched. A single bomb. Aimed at him. Thrown from nearby. Lone attacker? Gone now. Fled.

"G-gin..." the monk coughed weakly, reaching his hand out for the ebony-haired girl.

-Gin-

---

Gin had rolled her eyes at Anwar's seductive wink.

Then suddenly she was blasted backwards by the bomb, and she was thrown into the wall. Gin could not see, or hear, or anything, but she could feel the warm blood dripping from the corner of her forehead. She kept taking large breathes, but only coughed out more dust and smoke. She twitched her bloodied hand around to feel for the children. When Gin's hearing had returned she heard the faint sound of someone calling out her name. She recognized it as the monk's voice. She managed to crawl her way to the place where she heard the monk. Seeing his hand, Gin would have said "Monk, are you alright" but nothing came out. Instead it came out a mixture of gibberish. Gin lightly tugged on the Monk's reached out hand.

"Monk..." She whispered, then she saw the blood pouring from his wounds. If it were possible, her large blue eyes widened. "Monk, you... you're going to be alright. Okay? Alright..."

- Anwar -

---

Anwar rose from the ground, turning to the destroyed wall. "Take care of him for me," the man commanded in a dark voice to Gin.

With that, he vanished into the smoky air.

---

"Proceeding according to plan," the masked assassin whipped around on her heels, shouting orders to the ambush of assassins waiting behind her. "Look alive! Into position before--"

"GYAH!" One of the assassins screamed, though his voice was a little choked since a large dagger had embedded itself into his chest.

A shadowed figure appeared behind the ambush, sword in one hand and flame in the other.

-Gin-

---

Gin nodded obediently at Anwar's command. She wrapped her cloak around the largest wound she could find and applied pressure on it in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Her hands soon became drenched in his blood.

"Gin..." Hizashi managed to say as drops of blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. Gin tried to shake her head no, but she was too dizzy.
"Gin, I-I..." Gin interrupted Hizashi before he could finish.

"Be quiet, you're going... you are going to be alright..." Gin said, trying to blink back the tears now forming in her eyes. Hizashi raised his bloodied hand to Gin's cheek.

"Forgive me... my daughter..." Hizashi's eyes closed as his head rolled backwards. His breath was still. Her eyes went wide from the disturbing news, and she couldn't stop the tears rolling from her eyes. She buried her face in her arms, trying to hide her sobs.

"In here! I heard something." Gin heard a man say in a deep voice, then the clunk of armour.
"Search the rooms, all of you!"

- Anwar -

---

"Well, well, what 'ave we 'ere?" One of the mercenaries entered where Gin and Hizashi were hiding and smirked, his yellow teeth glistening with grime, "Oh, ho..." The burly man took a good look at Gin and guffawed, "Looks like I'll have some fun wit' this one..."

The mercenary stepped forward. He stopped when a bloodsoaked, curved blade poked out of his chest. It had somehow entered through his back straight out through his large, swelling gut. The behemoth of a man blinked in confusion at first before the pain hit him, but his confusion didn't last long as he fell to the ground with an earthshaking thud.

A tall, dark (and handsome) man came into view from behind the thug, his exotic blade now sliding back into its sheath. He didn't waste a moment as he glided lightly toward Gin and crouched down beside Hizashi's now still body.

Anwar didn't need to ask. He knew. For a moment, his powerful, calm exterior faltered. The masked man bowed his head and closed his eyes, resting his hand on his old friend's forehead. His lips moved softly beneath his mask, muttering a soft prayer. The moment did not last, however, as another shout erupted from the hall. They would have more company in mere seconds.

"Sadeeqah," Anwar gave Gin a knowing nod, the fire back in his eyes. "It is time to part." Without waiting for a response, Anwar swept Gin into his arms gingerly, despite the suddenness. The two vanished into the smoke of the air as Anwar leaped out through the hole in the wall, Gin held firmly to his chest bridal-style. That morning, they left the shouts of the mercenaries and the memories of happier times behind them.

....

They were farther now, but the smoke from the temple could still be seen against the bright blue backdrop of the morning sky. Anwar leaped down another crevice, still holding Gin in his arms. The exotic, masked man and the pale, ebony-haired girl had managed to escape the destruction, but who else...?

Anwar could only mutter a small curse in his own language as he gazed back at the burning temple. His thoughts suddenly snapped back to the girl he was still carrying. She had just witnessed the destruction of her home, of her family, of everything she loved...

"Sadeeqah," he spoke softly, not wanting to risk alerting any assassins nearby, "you are not injured?" He scanned over her urgently before breathing with relief, "You are... in one piece." His heart stung. Unlike the monk...

-Gin-

---

Blank. Blank was her mind. The raven-haired girl did not register anything happening. Her mind was frozen and empty. She had lost her ability to speak or move or think. Nothing was functioning properly. Her eyes were frozen, completely wide and staring into nothing.

"Ergh..." Gin finally managed to say. It was just a noise, but it was at least something.

"Why did this happen..." The raven-haired girl said, as quiet as a whisper. She did not know who she was talking to, nor did she care, but she could tell there was a person near. When a rustle was heard from a nearby brush, Gin did not move a single muscle in her face. Then, an armed and dangerous assassin emerged, followed by a second one. All Gin did was get down from Anwar's arms, and face the scowling assassins. Gin shot a blast of air and one of the two assassins was thrown into the side of a large tree, before he could even react. Running at him, and with air at her side, she got to him very quickly. She grabbed the man's scalp and slammed the back of his head into the tree. This delayed the man's attack for a few seconds, long enough for Gin to leap back. She airbended the man up into the air, and dropped him to the ground, and at last, throwing him against a rock extremely hard. His body cracked against the rock, and he fell down, limp.

"Why do you live, yet others die?!" Gin took the blade from the man's side, and raised the man's head by his hair. Blood was dripping from his forehead and mouth.

"Die..." Gripping the blade as hard as she could, she ran the rigid blade across the man's throat, tearing up his neck. His head dropped to the ground, and he was dead. Blood dripped from her arm to the tip of the blade. She had not fully realized what she had done, but when she does, the pain will be mortifying.

- Anwar -

---

Anwar gripped the ebony-haired girl delicately. Gin wasn't responding to him. She was just petrified, eyes frozen wide open. She just looked... broken. The dark-skinned man could feel the stone encasing his heart chip away.

It was his fault...

No. No, he couldn't think like that. Sacrifices were inevitable. He needed to focus.

Unfortunately, before any focusing could be done, a pair of assassins appeared. The masked assassins paused, analyzing the fire and airbender--thus giving Gin enough time to climb down from Anwar, who was reluctant to let her go. That was their fatal mistake. The frail, delicate-seeming girl charged them like a beast. Anwar did not hesitate as he covered her, drawing the attention of the second assassin with a sword through his--scratch that--her arm.

He pinned her to the rocky cliff face, but quickly leaped away as she sliced the air between them with a hidden dagger. He had rendered one arm useless, but wild beasts are often twice as deadly when injured. With this thought, Anwar spared a quick glance to make sure Gin wasn't overwhelmed. He should've been relieved to see her easily overtake her opponent, but he felt his stomach tighten when she made the killing blow. Monks were not killers. He knew if she had learned anything from her life in the temple, it was a respect for life and mercy. That was another ideal that Anwar did not share with the monks, no matter how much he wished he could. However, Anwar also knew that for her to toss aside these lifelong teachings in a moment of rage...

He sincerely prayed to his gods that she was not lost forever.

With a kick, Anwar disarmed his attacker and sent her flying to the ground. He pinned her down once again. This time she wasn't going to escape. Whoever had hired these mercenaries had made sure they all had professional training. Too bad for them Anwar had had professional training too. The best, in fact. Not to mention expert interrogation techniques...

"I think this is a lovely time for a story," Anwar inched his blade closer to her neck, "don't you?"

The deadly tease on his lips reverberated in his eyes, "Care to tell me yours?"

---

Tsu-won village. Earth kingdom. Those had been the assassin's last words before she burst into a convulsive fit. Poison. Self-inflicted. Anwar sighed. Professional to the end. The still cloaked wanderer rose slowly. His thoughts were raging inside, but he had no time for them. Gin had no time for them. The dark man slid his gaze over to her crumpled figure. She was a broken figure... but she would have to wait to be repaired.

He raised a small, wooden-carved whistle to his masked lips. A silent shriek from the whistle pierced the air. Without waiting for a response, Anwar lifted Gin gingerly back into his arms. The sound of hooves grew closer before coming to a stop as a lively horse's neigh greeted them.

"Neres, come," Anwar lithely stepped closer to his longtime companion.

The healthy black horse turned to the side expectantly, waiting patiently as her old friend climbed onto her back. She bristled slightly and voiced a protest as she felt the weight of an unknown rider.

"Hush," he gently rubbed Neres's neck, whispering comforting words in his own flowing language.

With a final snort, Neres set off, racing away from the burning temple behind them.

- Gin -

---

The luminous moon began to rise as the chilling night air blew past the two fugitives, who were at last far from the raided air temple they had nearly escaped. They could still see the dark smoke clouds rising from the burning ashes of the temple over the horizon.

Gin was quiet during the escape. She stared blankly into nothingness. Her pale eyes--which used to be full of life--were empty. She was a husk, a shell, of something unclean and broken. When the horse pulled to a stop, Gin slowly began to come back to reality.

It would be a long time before she would heal from the mental wounds carved into her brain.

She then promptly fell of the horse and face-planted the ground.

After sluggishly pulling herself upwards with her arms, she vomited. Gin raised her hand to her mouth, but she saw the dried blood on her fingers. She had killed a man. She had taken a life. Again, she vomited. Gin felt the gentle touch of a hand on her shoulder.

Bitterness was all Gin felt. Bitterness not at Anwar, but at herself. At what she did. And how much she enjoyed it.

- Anwar -

---

Many hours had passed since the exotic, cloaked man and the pale-skinned girl had fled from the temple. The moon was high in the black sky and the travelling twosome--sorry, threesome--was fatigued (since Neres was to Anwar as much a companion as Gin). Anwar spotted a shallow indent in the rocky surface of the mountainous terrain, which revealed a small stream and soft grass. His decision was quick. They would camp for the night here and make for the village of Tsu-won at the first light of dawn.

Anwar nudged his faithful steed gently to slow. Neres made no complaint. She was an older horse, getting on in years, and though she still could outrun the healthiest of young bucks, she had exhausted herself from a full day and night of galloping. The warm breath of Neres's pants turned to mist in the cold air and Anwar rubbed her neck lovingly, whispering to her quietly in his own language.

It was then that he felt Gin's light frame begin to slide off the horse. With one last pat, he turned away from Neres to the girl behind him, only to catch a glimpse of her ebony hair in the wind as she collapsed to the ground.

"Mareer mor," Anwar swore under his breath as he leaped off of Neres to help Gin.

He stepped behind her softly, as quiet as a cat. He did not grimace when she vomited onto the cold earth, he only wondered how she held it in so long. He closed his eyes for a moment, nudging aside a bad memory, and looked up at the moon respectfully. He waited until she was done before approaching her. What she had gone through this day... wasn't something that could be wiped away with a smile or a shake. But... Anwar had promised his old friend, and he affirmed his vow that moment. He would protect Gin, and he would be nothing but gentle to her from here on out.

Pain... scars... they weren't things that could be healed right away... But... maybe a gentle hand on her shoulder would be a good start...

"I am here for you, al'ezeyz..." he near whispered into the nothingness.

---

Anwar had slept little during the night. He drifted in and out of a dreamless sleep, keeping watch and ensuring his two companions were still safe. He was up before dawn filling his flask with water from the stream when he heard Gin moving about.

"You are awake," He spoke lightly, since the world did not seem so heavy after a long rest. Assuming she slept at all...

Anwar turned to face the raven-haired girl with a small, but warm smile. He still wore his headmask but he hoped the warmness showed in his eyes.

"Very good," he said, though he didn't feel that way just yet. "We set off shortly. Neres has already been fed. I found some particularly appetizing carrots for her earlier. She seemed quite pleased."

He talked softly for the sake of talking, not expecting or encouraging a response from Gin. He didn't want to pressure her into speaking if she didn't want to. However, he momentarily forgot his newfound gentleness as he suddenly realized something.

"Aiya! Where are my manners?" He slapped his hand on his forehead, feeling foolish, "You have not been introduced! Come, come!" He trotted over to his lifelong companion, urging Gin over with a small, but eager, smile.

"This is the lovely lady Neres," Anwar bowed lightly, as if introducing two noble dignitaries at a banquet. He rolled his r's flamboyantly, exaggerating his accent further. "She is the black pearl of my heart and a lifelong friend. And this, lady Neres," he shifted to gesture to Gin, "is the beautiful lady Gin."

Neres snorted conversationally. To an observer, it would almost seem like she was going along with Anwar's over-the-top introductions, but in reality she just had some bad gas from that carrot earlier.

"Now, with pleasantries exchanged, we depart," he smiled and spun to gingerly lift Gin up onto Neres's back once more. He chuckled as he climbed on as well, "Though perhaps I shouldn't have introduced you. Neres is a terrible gossip. She will only spin the falsest of tales about me to you. Don't believe a word, al'ezeyz."

He nodded and smiled inwardly at the appropriate new title he allotted Gin before nudging Neres onward to their destination. Tsu-won village... they would find their attackers there. And Anwar prayed to all the gods he knew that Gin would not break if they came face to face with them.

Maybe this was not a good plan after all...
Anwar sighed. None of his plans usually were...

-Gin-

---

Gin sat upwards on her bedroll, her back turned to Anwar. She couldn’t face him. Not in the state she was in now. So she just sat there, silently drowning out whatever he was saying.

When Anwar gestured her to Neres, Gin gathered her strength and courage and turned around to face him. She was smiling softly. She begged that he would not notice the drops of water around her eyes.

"Uh… lovely er- horse." she stuttered as she awkwardly approached Neres. She backed away cowardly when Neres grunted at Gin.

There were only a few animals Gin had really felt comfortable with, the flying bison, but they... She did not want to think it about.

Not that she was able to, because Anwar lifted the startled girl right up into the air and placed her on Neres. She shifted uncomfortably as she readjusted herself on the horse. She was tense as Anwar climbed onto Neres behind her and nudged the horse forward.

---

Time seemed to fly by faster than Gin expected. Before she knew it, the three had arrived at their destination. Well, Anwar’s destination. Gin realized she had no clue where they were going.

Gin gaped in astonishment at the sight of the village. It was horrible. She had never seen so much misery in her life. It looked like a normal village- like the ones she had seen in paintings- but it was filled with the homeless and dead.

"Anwar… Where are we?"She asked, distraught.

- Anwar -

---

The village's decrepit state had stolen all of Anwar's attention as they entered the village. There were people huddling next to the rubble of their homes... Some cried, others clung to themselves in hollow silence, while others begged the travelling pair as they rode past. The town wasn't just damaged and its people poor, it was crumbling on the verge of total collapse.

Had the assassins that destroyed the air temple come here first? That thought unnerved Anwar the most.

A small voice broke through the masked man's pondering.

"Mm?" Anwar drawled, caught in a daze. His focus lingered on the villagers before his eyes slid reluctantly to look at Gin. It took him a moment before he shook away his intense thoughts and could focus on her words. "Where are...?" He blinked, snapping back to reality.

"Ah," the self-proclaimed protector slapped on another flawless, fake smile as he apologized, "forgive me, al'ezeyz, I was distracted." Right now he should be focusing on taking care of Gin. The others were not his problem, it was too late for them.

"We..." he stopped Neres as an elderly woman dawdled in front of them, "...are in a dangerous place."

Anwar had a good sense of the area on the map and he hoped that his navigation to Tsu-won had been correct. He was not positive if this was indeed the base of the assassins, however, and he had not informed Gin of his intentions. He planned on keeping it that way for now, so he played the part of ignorance.

"Excuse me," Anwar pulled out his most charming smile and caught the attention of the old lady, "pardon me, madam, may I ask a question."

---

A few agitated minutes later...

"Mareer mor, my dear woman, you are surely teasing me!" Anwar sighed, rubbing his temple with growing frustration.

The elderly woman scrunched her wrinkled face into the image of a particularly dry raisin. "What?! Say again?! You foreign fellers talk so funny, I don't know word from word o' what yer saying!"

"I will repeat the question. Again. For the fifth time." Anwar tried his best to enunciate each syllable, "The. Town. It has a name. No? Tell me the town name? Or point on a map?"

"I've told you already, you ol' coot! I'm not tellin' you my name! Yer charms might work on that young lady there," she jutted a bony finger at Gin accusingly, "but this here nut is hard to crack, yessir!" The wild woman waved her gnarled walking stick in the air (which was almost as gnarled as she was, but more cooperative) and spat her words. Literally spat. She was a very spitty old lady.

"Trust me," Anwar smirked, whispering lowly into Gin's ear, "I want nothing to do with 'cracking her nut'."

"This fellow causin' you trouble, ma?" A new voice entered the fray.

A middle-aged man with a grizzled, scruffy appearance stepped forward. He eyed Anwar fiercely, but clearly did not want trouble.

"Your mother is the definition of trouble, it would seem, friend," Anwar tried to appear friendly.

Perhaps this man could tell him the answers he sought.

---

Anwar stepped into the dilapidated remains of a small home, Gin by his side. The middle-aged man and elderly lady guided them inside where a small group was huddled. They all stared suspiciously at the newcomers, but a scrawny man, in particular, with a sickly complexion stared daggers at Gin. He looked more like a wild beast than a man, and there was a dark glint in his eyes that Anwar did not miss.

"Who're these here?" The man wheezed with a suggestive voice.

"Guests," the pair's guide answered, "who I'm thinkin' can help us." He gave the bony man a look.

"Say they don't help us," the man snarled back, "say they get real ugly like those last fellows." He smirked creepily, "I wanna keep the pretty one," he gestured to Gin with a slimy look.

Anwar knew the lingering threat in his words and wasted no time in wrapping an arm over her shoulder possessively. He smirked back with a deadly glare, his sharp eyes cutting the disturbed man's momentary bravado into pieces.

"She," he dared the scum to try anything, "is with me."

Whatever dark plans the man had been foolishly plotting instantly disappeared and he shriveled away into the corner. Anwar knew that Gin was a formidable fighter, and he had witnessed firsthand her bloodlust when she had brutally killed their attacker earlier, but to the eyes of these strangers she was just a young, doe-eyed girl. Anwar, on the other hand, had a presence of deadliness that no amount of jokes and smiles could deter, try as he might, and now the whole room knew that neither of them were to be trifled with.

The middle-aged man gathered Anwar's attention once again, "You said you wanted to know what happened here..." He tightened his hand into a fist, "so I'll tell it..."

- G i n -

---

“Our village never was very friendly towards new-comers. We always kept to ourselves. Better that way.” the man cleared his throat and looked down at his hands. “A few years back, that’s when the gangs—The Red Knaves—showed up. They… needed a place to mark as their base and attacked the village. We, the villagers, were either killed, sold into slavery, or join the gang itself. People would do some pretty disgusting things just to get by.” he stopped talking and looked up at the two travelers.

Gin could hear the thugs step out from behind her. Two thugs, a man and a woman, and both armed stood in the doorway. Another came from the back door. Gin’s pulse quickened.

They were set up.

“It’s nothing personal, but we don’t like no stranger comin’ here. We have enough problems of our own without travelers dragging their trouble through this here village.”

They were going to fight, attack Anwar and Gin. They would have to fight back. She tensed, eyes wide, and trembling. She did not want to see more death. She couldn’t stand the thought of more killing.

“Take them and go.” said the man to one of the thugs, she didn’t care to see which, but the thug pounded his fists into the man’s arms and shoulders. His arms were deadened. Then, again to his legs. He fell down, completely still.

“You…” he managed to say.

Gin recognized the thug’s technique from one of the scrolls she read back at the temple. Chi Blocking, she remembered it was called. A rare ability that blocks bending and temporarily deadens the muscles.

She wanted to escape. She needed to escape. But her body was frozen. If they ran, they would be pursued. If they were pursued, they would have to fight. If they had to fight, then…

- Anwar -

---

There was no choice. A fight would ensue.

Anwar kept the two chi blockers in his sights as he sharply scanned the room for exits. The path through which Anwar and Gin had entered was now secured by a massive muscle of a man--whose arms were so large that they looked like they could hold down even Neres.

There was only one option.

On the other end of the room, the door leading further into the dilapidated domicile was guarded by a handful of the once-presumed friendly villagers--which included the ill-complexioned slime of a man who had yet to take his hungry eyes off of Gin despite Anwar's previous deterrent.

They would have to kill again for survival.

Anwar's jade green eyes flitted from corner to corner, searching for any means of escape. A fight was the last thing he wanted. A fight was the last thing Gin needed. He spared no time in looking down at Gin. Doing so would only reaffirm what he already knew. If another fight took place, she would break...

What sent them down this path? Why was there no alternative?


While the dark-skinned warrior searched frantically for a way out, his enemies were not politely giving him the opportunity by patiently waiting. Instead, the two chi blockers had engaged in some sort of argument, which had afforded him a few precious moments. Anwar listened, but remained focused in his task.

"I'm just saying," the female chi blocker gave an unnaturally casual shrug, not suited to someone about to enter life-or-death combat, "A little respect would do you a lot of good."

The male chi blocker scoffed as he turned away from the middle-aged villager who had led Anwar and Gin into this trap, and who had just been betrayed via quick chi blows to his arms and legs.
The assassin looked back at his partner with annoyance, "And I'm just saying, an attitude like yours deserves a punch in the abdomen from yours truly."

"Hah!" The woman laughed with unnatural humor, "See what I mean? Not attractive in a man."

"Let's just take care of these two and get out of this dump," the man brushed his hands on his side and readied his stance, "The sooner we get back to camp, the sooner I don't have to deal with you."

The woman sighed, "Agreed." She turned sharply on the bewildered thugs behind her and commanded them with sudden power, "Don't even think of moving, scum! You guard that door with your life!" It was no exaggeration.


Time was out. The battle was upon them.

Anwar knew how to defend against the chi blocker style. His entire youth had been spent training beside and against a chi blocker of equal strength as him. However, he was at a great many disadvantages in this fight. For one, the thugs. Though weak and confused in a direct fight, they blocked the door in numbers. And even if he were to attempt to push past them, the chi blockers would not allow it. Additionally, Anwar had never actually fought two chi blockers at once before. That would be a challenge. However, he knew that the biggest hurdle of all would be in protecting the small girl beside him. They would undoubtedly target her first... Two powerful foes at once would quickly overwhelm her. All it would take is one fast strike to her spine and she would be completely immobilized. Defenseless.

Had he come all this way only for her to die? Either in battle or in her mind?

She was in no condition to fight. She was frozen. Petrified. Just a day before she had been peacefully meditating in her temple, surrounded by the love and safety of the monks and her people. Now... she was covered in blood that she could not wash away.

This was his destiny, it seemed. To run, yet never be able to get away. To lose time and time again what he swore to protect.

Anwar tightened his fist and prepared himself.

Like hell he would accept such a fate.

He slammed his hand into the crumbling wall and the entire structure gave way. Huge pillars of wood and fumes of dust flew into the air, scattering the thugs and blinding the assassins.

Anwar pulled Gin after him and he escaped once again...