Death.<br/><br/>Death was an inevitable part of life, regardless of the path one chose to walk. Birth, life, then death. A simple, elegant design, much like the elegance of the twin blades Kai held in his hands. As he turned the blades over in his hands, admiring their simple beauty, he couldn't help but compare his life with the twin katanas. These weapons, these tools, were much like Kai, born to a life of death, hardened and sharpened to inflict precise, fatal wounds. Such was the life of those taken in by his order, the Shika, an order of unrivaled warriors, a mysterious group to most outsiders, who were seen by most as nothing more than isolated zealots.<br/><br/>“Perfect balance.” A quick flick of Kai's wrists sent each blade slicing through the air, a hint of a smile curling the edges of his lips. “You have my thanks blacksmith.” After sheathing the blades in the lacquered scabbards strapped to his left hip, Kai pulled a small pouch from his belt and dug out the required fee, plus a bit extra, and set it on the counter. “If I'm passing through again and need anything, you've got my business.” With a shallow nod of his head, he turned from the blacksmith, ignoring his responses and headed out the door, eager to return to the inn he had been staying in for the past month. Now that Kai had his new blades, he would be continuing his travels the next morning.<br/><br/>Of an average height and build,<a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F316940892522367359%2F&amp;hash=5ff2c5f7d12e90f47da7e6f179ec2454" href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/316940892522367359/" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">Kai</a>made his way through the streets, his unusual garb drawing more than a few curious gazes. Draped in a crimson robe like<a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F316940892521013896%2F&amp;hash=5213e72518af6cb94c2eb4ef7be706e2" href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/316940892521013896/" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">garment</a>with sleeves cut at the elbows and split at his waist to fall around his leather breeches and black steel, knee high boots, Kai was quite the sight in this town. Matching black steel gauntlets covered his forearms and hands, as well as a matching black and crimson mask that hung from his belt, opposite of his twin katanas. His appearance, combined with the natural, fluid movements of a seasoned fighter, always managed to help him avoid pushing through a crowd, as most quickly stepped out of his way, creating a small void around him as he walked.<br/><br/>Within a few minutes, Kai had made his way back to the inn and found an out of the way spot at the bar, and ordered himself a bottle of liquor and a small plate of meat and steamed vegetables. As was customary for Kai, he kept to himself, never indulging in idle conversation, regardless of who it was that approached him. It wasn't that Kai was exactly anti social, more that he had become accustomed to being alone and found idle conversation awkward and irritating, much like people in general.<br/><br/>“I see you've got your blades back. I'm guessing you'll be on your way come morning?” Standing on the other side of the bar was the inn keeper, a petite woman, with jet black hair, much like his own. Her hands were placed on her hips, an expectant smile softening her features. “You haven't said much, but you pay well and keep to yourself. I'll miss the easy coin.” Her quiet laughter made him shake his head, a soft sigh escaping his lips.<br/><br/>“In all seriousness though... can you at least tell me your name? You've been here a month and I don't know anything about you. Not your name, where you're from, where you're going... nothing.” The inn keeper leaned over the bar, hands still on her hips, her sky blue eyes narrowing as she forced Kai to look at her. Amber met sky blue as Kai lifted his gaze to acknowledge her.<br/><br/>“What good would it do to know my name? Or anything else about me? I'll be leaving in the morning, as you guessed correctly, and I doubt I'll ever pass through here again. I'm not looking to settle down, as I told you the first night you came to my room unannounced.” An arched brow followed his words, his steady amber gaze holding the inn keeper in place. “Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed our time together, but I told you that first night that I'd be leaving and that nothing was going to change that.” As Kai spoke to her, his gaze shifted to the pitch and crimson mask that sat on the bar, next to his finished plate of food. “I live a life of blood shed and violence. You don't want any part of that. No one does.” A sad smile split Kai's lips as he looked back to the inn keeper.<br/><br/>As the inn keeper returned his smile and opened her mouth to speak, her words were cut off by a commotion towards the front of the inn. Though they couldn't hear exactly what was said, it was clear that the woman being held by a rough looking man was not interested in his persistent company. A heavy sigh slipped from Kai as he got to his feet, mask already in hand, raised to cover his face. “You'll know more about me than you want in a moments time. Here, this is for the damage to the door and the cleanup.” With the mask in place, he dropped a few gold coins on the counter and turned away from the inn keeper, his amber gaze focused on the young woman and her apparent attacker.<br/><br/>Putting the inn keeper from his thoughts, the mysterious young warrior focused his attention on the attacker and his intended victim. As he approached from the left of the attacker, his movements obscured by the general activity of the inn's patrons, Kai placed his right hand to the pommel of the shorter of the two blades he carried. “I offer you this sacrifice. Please guide my search.” His quiet words accompanied the sharp rasp of his blade clearing it's sheath. With precise, fluid movements, Kai's blade severed the attacker's arm at the elbow, the razors edge of his blade slicing through bone as easy as the tissue surrounding it. As the blade came down, he put a hand to the woman's shoulder and shoved her out of the way, giving him enough space to pivot, delivering a solid kick to his opponent's chest, sending him bodily through the door behind him. Though well built, the door and it's hinges buckled under the force of the blow and splintered, sending a shower of wood into the street.<br/><br/>Kai knew the man was unconscious and no longer able to defend himself, but he walked out into the night regardless, stopping to look down at his opponent. Putting the tip of his blade to the man's chest, he offered the downed man a few parting words. “May we both find forgiveness for our transgressions.” As the last of his words hung in the quiet dusk of the street, Kai pushed the tip of the blade through the man's heart. “May peace find you in your next life.” After pulling the blade from the man's chest, he knelt down and wiped the blood from the steel and slipped it back into it's sheath.<br/><br/>Reaching up to pull the mask from his face, the young warrior tilted his head back to look up at the darkening sky, a few stars visible in the dusk. “For death, war and the eternal search. For the glory of Kami.” The psuedo prayer hung in the quiet, empty street, as Kai turned to head back into the inn, dreading dealing with the woman who had been attacked and the damage he had caused in dealing with the situation. He wondered, and not for the first time, if his principals, the ideals of his order, were too severe in dealing with average people. Shrugging off the thought, he stepped back into the inn to see to the young woman he had saved.