Ninja Assassin: Attraction

by Sally Keira

  Sensei Shinji demanded their full attention.

  "Congratulations opponents on completing the final group challenge. You will take this time to meditate and mull over your last loss or victory. Today marks the end of the fifth month of training. So tomorrow we shall start the final battles, to see who of you will reach Mizuchi Ninjutsu status. Once a challenge is made and accepted we will all wait for the outcome, to see who remains with us. You must all wait at least two days before another challenge can be made between two opponents. How you handle the anticipation may contribute to your loss or victory. There will be no further instructional training from this point onward. How you use your preparation time will be up to you. Well done all of you. This is the first time we have allowed foreigners to participate in this program. Surprisingly, you are probably the strongest batch of opponents that we've ever had in the same group. Good luck to you all."

  He bowed his head at each of them one by one before falling into mediation silence.

  Chapter 10

  Kaiya was abruptly awakened from a deep sleep in the early hours of the next morning, by Sensei Shinji’s loudspeaker announcement.

  "Yoshito, Anton or Kaiya, release your fellow opponents from the penalty position."

  Kaiya yawned and stretched in her cosy futon. It was satisfying to have had a comfortable night’s sleep, whilst the losing team from yesterday’s challenge had not. Two shoji bedroom doors slid open in the corridor outside her room. Smiling, she tactically decided to let the others deal with releasing them. Someone would make a challenge today. Better to let the five testosterone fuelled men stare each other down in the courtyard and challenge each other. Perhaps one of them would snap and challenge whoever looked at them the wrong way. Kaiya had already decided that it was probably a disadvantage to go first. It was preferable to see how the first challenge played out. Then she would consider challenging the loser if they seemed vulnerable from their loss.

  Kaiya rolled over and tried to go back to sleep. She was long overdue for a sleep-in. It was her opinion that she deserved one after smashing everyone in the challenge yesterday. She smiled to herself about what she had done to Lawso. The way he was looking at her last night had made her feel slightly nervous, but she would not be intimidated. After all, she had won the last round of their little sexual power game and that was a satisfying victory indeed.

  A few minutes later Kaiya was drifting off to sleep again, when she heard the loudspeaker crack back on. But this time the voice had a familiar Australian accent.

  "I, Nicolas Lawson, known to you guys as Lawso, challenge Kaiya Takahashi to final Mizuchi Ninjutsu combat. Kaiya, if you accept my challenge you may choose our weapons, but I will choose the location. Our fight will begin in three hours. Do you accept my challenge?"

  Kaiya lay unmoving in her futon, staring at the ceiling in shock as she digested what she had just heard. She had not expected Lawso to challenge her straight after the penalty like that. Kaiya felt irritated. Of course, someone was going to challenge her at some point she realised, but why did it have to be him?! What was he trying to prove? Sitting upright, she was unsure what she was supposed to do now in terms of the formality of accepting a challenge. None of them would actually decline a challenge and nor would she. Could she beat him? Of course she could, especially if she selected the weapons. Kaiya could not imagine what location Lawso thought he would find an advantage in.

  Her thoughts were interrupted by the loud speaker switching back on. Lawso's amplified voice returned. "Kaiya, what is your answer?"

  Kaiya rolled her eyes as she got up. Her shoji window easily slid open and she stuck her head through, looking down at the courtyard below. Kazuo, Yoshito, Satoshi and Anton all peered up at her with amusement.

  "Tell him I'll enjoy taking him down again!" She called out.

  "She accepts!" Satoshi yelled toward the eastern pagoda.

  They all cheered like idiots. Shaking her head in irritation at their antics, she slammed her window shut.

  ***

  Approximately three hours later Kaiya was alone, striding purposefully through the snow bleached forest. It was a dark overcast day. The miserable looking clouds had conglomerated overhead, threatening to unleash snow or ice pelt upon the canyon. The direction Kaiya headed in was south east into the old two-kilometre-long square challenge zone. The mystery destination was a point on a map that was left on her futon sometime after she had left her room that morning. It did not surprise her that Lawso had picked somewhere in that zone to battle. After all, Lawso and Yoshito had both spent a few extra days in that area of the forest. Perhaps Lawson was just trying to unnerve her by picking a spot only familiar to him.

  As far as she could tell, Lawso had been absent from the dojo all morning. In the end she was forced to pass a message on through Satoshi, as to which weapons she had chosen. With irritation she realised that she actually felt nervous about facing Lawso. She was determined that she would not get distracted by those intense blue eyes or that hard buff body of his. Just breathe and focus on destroying him, she reminded herself.

  As Kaiya neared the rendezvous point, she had to climb down a rocky slope. Her boots slid a bit in the snow but she managed to maintain her balance. Grabbing onto some tree branches aided her on her way down to flatter ground. Once the ground was level again, she stepped confidently out into a clearing. She spotted Lawso sitting on a short boulder with his legs spread apart and boots touching the white ground. His curved katana sword blade was wedged into the snow in front of him. The sword handle was within his quick reach. His secondary weapon, a tantō dagger of similar curved shape to the sword was well concealed. Kaiya could not help thinking how dangerous Lawso looked sitting there, waiting for her to arrive to fight him.

  Kaiya wore her own katana sword sheathed inside her obi belt-like sash around her waist. Her tantō dagger was inside her right boot. Keeping her sword sheathed, she stepped within sight of Lawso. Unsure what to say to him, she met his blue gaze several metres away from her. Lawso nodded seriously at her.

  "Kaiya," he said her name in greeting.

  "Why here?" Kaiya found her voice.

  Lawso turned his head and indicated for her to look behind him.

  "The cave behind me is why we're here."

  Curiosity lead her to walk inside the large opening to the cave. She was wary of him attacking her from behind, so suspiciously checked over her shoulder to make sure that he was not moving away from his position. Satisfied that he remained seated watching her, she directed her attention inside the cave. It was shallow and dry, and not too dark. Interestingly, Lawso had built a fire so it was also warm inside. She was taken aback when she spotted a camping mattress and doona laid out on the floor. Slowly walking back outside, she halted, posing in the cave entryway.

  "What's with the cosy set-up, Lawso?"

  “After what you did to me yesterday.... You can't do that to a man and not expect me to want to pound you like crazy after that. I'm going to have you. When I defeat you shortly and you yield, you will yield to me completely.”

  He was looking at her seriously, watching her reaction. Kaiya's mouth fell open. She recovered quickly and removed her jacket so that she would have no restrictions on her movement when she fought him. Untying her obi belt, she then tossed it into the cave along with the sheath for her sword. Kaiya twisted her katana in one hand inspecting a gleam of light. Smiling sweetly, she looked up from the curved sword and shrugged her shoulders at him.

  "When I beat you, Lawso, we will part ways."

  He shook his head incredulously at her words.

  Lawso remained seated, unmoving as Kaiya edged toward him with her sword pointed down, dragging a trail behind her in the snow with the sword tip. Kaiya had chosen Katana swords because she knew Lawso had had limited experience with swords prior to this current training. Hopefully he would be forced on the defensive for most of this battle.

  Kaiya was almost upon him when she suddenly swung her sword upward
into action. Lawso sprung to his feet in a flash, sweeping his katana up into the air and blocking Kaiya's strike just in time. There was a sound of steel scraping on steel echoing through the clearing. Kaiya pressed her sword down against his but he was so strong. Releasing her sword, she swung it around lower, only to meet his sword again with another clash. Urgently swiping again, her sword was again blocked and held momentarily in the air against his. Kaiya pushed harder against his sword, knowing he would not give way. Using the force as a distraction, she kicked him in the stomach with her boot. Lawso grunted in surprise and took a couple of involuntary steps backward, keeping his katana poised in readiness.

  “Nice moves, beautiful. I like it when you’re flushed and panting,” Lawso teased.

  With an unladylike shriek, Kaiya charged him in a ferocious spinning slice of her katana, seemingly not caring if she sliced through him.

  Somehow, he managed to block her again, frowning with concentration because he was forced to jump out of the way of a second kick attempt from her. Unwavering in her attack, Kaiya jumped through the air, slashing her sword downward toward his head. His steel blocked her again but quite close to his face. Part of her was glad he managed the block because it would have left a nasty scar on his handsome face.

  "Are you trying to kill me?" Lawso taunted, with his voice now strained.

  "You can handle it," Kaiya shrugged, as they circled each other.

  Knowing that defensive swordplay was not one of Lawso’s strengths, she attacked relentlessly, swinging another fierce arc toward him. However, this time when Lawso blocked her he did so with more force, causing her to stagger backward.

  Seeing his opportunity, Lawso charged her then, powerfully smashing downward with his Katana and flicking up under hers. Her Katana was wretched from her grip and flung metres away into a tree. Lawso watched her sword hit the tree with a thud.

  “That was easier than I thought,” Lawso taunted. “I think you want to yield to me.”

  Kaiya was already pointing her tantō dagger in his direction. He had not even seen her grab it from her boot. Lawso stepped toward her with his sword pointed at her, she warily retreated backward, keeping the distance between them the same.

  “I can still take you, with just my knife.” Kaiya was looking deadly and ready to spring at him despite her disadvantage now.

  Lawso smiled knowingly at her as he pulled his own tantō dagger from his boot with his left hand. Deliberately flinging his katana aside into another tree, he swapped the dagger to his dominant right hand. She nodded her head in acknowledgement of his concession.

  “Show me what you’ve got then,” Lawso said.

  They stared at each other in concentration, each waiting for the other to advance. Kaiya feigned a step to the left but changed direction, kicking him in his thigh just missing a pressure point. She managed to slice a shallow cut through his shirt on his shoulder. Lawso barely flinched as a faint streak of blood stained his sleeve.

  "I held back on the depth of that cut," she told him.

  He nodded in acknowledgement and then he kicked her right arm, almost but not quite dislodging her knife. She recovered her balance and they circled each other again. With a rapid flick of his wrist, Lawso swiped his knife toward her face. Kaiya did not duck because she had grown used to him not attacking her face. He bent his wrist at the last second, deliberately missing cutting her. Kaiya stared back at him in shock when she failed to register any pain.

  "I don't want to cut you," he admitted quietly, and sheathed his dagger in a pouch on the thigh of his trousers.

  “But, I propose that if I get you onto that mattress in the cave then I win…. You,” Lawso declared confidently, putting emphasis into the last word.

  Kaiya’s pulse sped up. Outwardly, she somehow kept her composure.

  “Challenge accepted,” Kaiya said. “However, if I land you on the ground on your ass then you lose, me.”

  “Agreed,” he smiled dangerously at her.

  Kaiya looked stunned when Lawso balled his hands into fists and readied himself to fight her unarmed. She had not agreed to discard her own dagger. Lawso used her hesitation to strike, as Sensei Shinji had taught them. Punching her shoulder hard, he swiftly grabbed the wrist holding her knife, whilst also kneeing her in her leg causing her to stumble. Lawso quickly jerked her around so that she had her back to him. He managed to yank her back against his hard chest and grab onto her second wrist.

  “Gotcha!” Lawso smirked.

  Kaiya tried to turn but could not. She tried her elbow and then kicked backward but Lawso was ready for her and avoided her blows.

  “Into the cave you go,” Lawso said.

  He started forcefully walking her toward the entrance. She fought against the pressure he was also applying to her wrist. His crushing grip eventually forced her to drop her tantō dagger on the ground in the snow. Kaiya squealed in frustration at being overpowered. He would not defeat her so easily.

  As they neared the entrance to the cave, Kaiya momentarily ceased resisting his pushes. Instead, she actually propelled herself forward using his momentum, and managed to get a slight run up the rock wall. Nimble footing up the wall allowed her to swing herself around and out of his grasp. As she landed on her feet, she kicked him hard in his tight butt before he could turn around to face her again.

  “You like getting your ass kicked, don’t you?” Kaiya taunted.

  Biting back a grin, Lawso appeared reluctantly impressed by her escape move. He narrowed his eyes at her in deadly concentration when he found himself on the defensive again. After he blocked a series of her punches and kicks, he was eventually able to retaliate with some of his own. Kaiya knew how to move to better absorb the blows that she could not block. However, Lawso was almost as fast as her, but more importantly he was much stronger. Initially they were evenly matched but Kaiya realised that this was the most determined she had even seen him. Lawso was wearing her down with his stronger hits and he knew it too. It sunk in that Kaiya was actually losing this fight, so in frustration she sent a kick toward his balls. She was surprised when he caught her foot between his hands.

  "I wondered if you were going to try that," he said, shaking his head. “That is not very nice, beautiful.”

  “I never said I was nice,” Kaiya said.

  Lawso twisted her foot, yanking her toward him. While she was thrown off balance he secured both of his arms tightly around her waist.

  “Let’s try this again, shall we,” Lawso said.

  Lawso lifted her off the ground, so that he could drag her over the threshold of the cave. He was careful to make sure she had no ground or wall to spring off of this time. Kaiya kicked her legs and punched and scratched at his arms. But he barely flinched as he absorbed her blows. Only a few more strides…

  "Now, Kaiya, you will yield to me," he announced with satisfaction.

  "No," she resisted, even though she liked the steel hold of his arms wrapped around her.

  Lawso threw Kaiya so that she landed on the mattress on the floor of the cave. When her bottom hit the mat Kaiya realised that she had lost. Lawso shook his head at her, but he had the sexiest smile on his face. The next thing she knew Lawso was stripping off his clothes. He removed the knife from his pants sheath when he removed his pants.

  The cave was still warm from the medium fire he had built earlier. Kaiya sat on the mattress watching Lawso completely strip off, not without appreciation for his extremely buff body. When the last of his clothes were flung aside, he stood over her completely naked, breathing heavily with his legs a part, and holding the dagger pointed at her. There was an expression of mixed lust and aggression on his face.

  Desire coursed through her as her eyes took in this incredibly handsome, masculine man. Kaiya was not intimidated by his knife; her eyes were more focused on his enormous erection. A surge of sexual desire pulsed through her, as she stared at him and contemplated the size of him. Lawso was half-smiling at her reaction whilst twisting the knife
in his hand.

  "Take all of your clothes off now or I will cut them off you.”

  Kaiya felt another tingle of excitement at his shocking demand. He deliberately took a warning step toward her.

  “Ok,” Kaiya said, springing to her feet.

  Kaiya knew he would not hurt her. He was still in control of his lust even after their exchange of passion-fuelled violence. Standing, she boldly met his gaze, her own arousal growing in anticipation as he taunted her with the knife.

  "You are defeated. Do you want me to cut your shirt off you?” Lawso demanded.

  “Don’t even think about wrecking my clothes,” Kaiya warned.

  “I won’t ask again. Strip, now,” Lawso said.

  Kaiya could not help smiling at his threat. She knew, he knew she wanted him too. Before he could take another step toward her, she started to remove her own clothes. So he waited and watched her hungrily. She liked the way he looked at her as she pulled her shirt over her head. They locked eyes again when she threw it on to the ground. After she undid her boots, she kicked them across the cave at him, just missing him. Her socks disappeared next, then her pants. Proudly she stood in her black sports bra and underpants meeting his gaze.

  Lawso looked her up and down appreciatively. "Keep going, Kaiya.”

  She felt sexy under his gaze and smiled confidently as she flung her bra off. The hungry stare he directed at her full rounded breasts excited her. Lawso took another step toward her but halted when she slowly slid her underpants down her slim muscled legs. She kicked them off her feet toward him, hitting him in his leg. Lawso sucked in his breath at the view of her pussy as she moved her leg. Before she knew it Lawso had released the clip holding her wound up braid in place. His fingers gently unravelled the long, dark strands of shiny hair, past her shoulders and down her back.

  "You are beautiful," he murmured.

  Lawso had already discarded the knife behind him and started kissing her. He held her perfect face in his hands, as he sensually moved his lips and tongue against hers. The kiss was an exciting blend of violence and tenderness. It was the kiss of a man driven by masculine instinct to claim his prize. While his lips seduced her, his hands dropped down and roamed freely over her breasts, roughly kneading them and rubbing his palms across her nipples.