"We now enter the 'Hall of warriors' which includes several items from the early sevententh to the nineties of the 20th century. Dozens of camera-flashlights went of. The american tourist group seemed to be eager to catch every moment of the tour on film. Or they just had nothing better to do, who knows.

Hiroshi, a slim japanese guy whom's pseudo-uniform was at least one number to tall, went on with his text. The recognizable lack of enthusiasm might have it's roots in the fact that he had to do this a dozen times every day. And it didn't make it better that he mostly had to tell he history of his country to a bunch of fat foreigners, who seemed to prefer to photograph every single second of the tour instead of listening to what he had to say.

"This is the traditional uniform of a japanese Samurai of the late 18th century. Look at the mask. It's not only made to protect the face of the bearer, but to remind the enemy of legendary demons through it's gruesome looks. A calculated psychological effect."

Accompanied by the ongoing flashes, Hiroshi went over to the next showcase.

"And this, ladies and gentlemen, is a dagger called 'Tanto'. It originates from the 15th century. The japanese people perfectioned the art of blacksmithing and crafting blades through folding the metall of the blades several times, using various kinds of metall in combination. This gave the weapons an extraordinary stability and sharpness.

This specific exemplar is known to once have belonged to a woman named Yumiko. It is believed that she was a female assassin, in japanese called 'Kunoichi'. The engravement on the blade says 'I am Yumiko. Born to the shadows.'"

It was a well crafted masterpiece of early blacksmith craftsmanship. Beautiful. Hiroshi liked it the most of all the exponates. It's handle was bound in rough leather which had a redish tone of color. All the centuries had decomposed it's structure, but the red color was still there. He had an idea were it might have came from once. He thought about it and sighed as the tourists gawked unaware and soulless at the exponate as usual.

They didn't seem to be very impressed. To them it was only a long knife. Which had to be photographed by each of them at least a dozend times of course...

---------------

It was a bright summer day and the sun shone warm on the wideness of the wide rice fields at the foot of the castle.

Yumi and Aiko were enjoying themselves, laughing and chatting on their way to the river. They had been sent to get water from the stream for lunch for the cook. They hadn't counted how many times they had already gone down there. It was what they were what they were supposed to do as servants and maids of the honored lord.

But when Yuki plunged her jug into the waters, she unexpectadly hit something with it. Astonished she pulled the bambooleafs aside. What the two women saw was a small basket, swimming in the streams water. And inside it was... a child.

---------------

"Mother, Yumi! I beg you to look down on me and watch over me."

Yumiko made sure that all her equipment was there, attached and where it was supposed to be. She was without any doubt the one with the most strength in the group. So her job had become to be at first front. She didn't doubt that decision of the mistress. It was only logicall, rational.

"Sister, are you ready?"
Kiko asked from behind, taking her bow at hand.

"I am. May the spirit of the honored Tenno and the love of our mother guide us."

Yumiko started her run. Her feet seemed to barely touch the ground as she got closer and closer towards the careless guards. She was a hundret percent focussed. Her breathing was fast, but controlled. She pulled out her Tanto, jumped...

'No sound. You're not supposed to make any noise.'

In the last moment one of the guards was getting aware of her behind him, turned around. The stunned, scared look on his face didn't affect her at all. She had seen that countless times. The mother had trained them, letting them practice on slaves and war-prisoners.

No noticable expression occured on Yumiko's face as the blade hit the hot flesh. His eyes widen. Good. That meant she'd hit him deadly. He wasn't able to scream, to alarm anyone. Now he's dead. No threat anymore.

The other guard had reached for his Katana meanwhile. Yumiko had been busy with her opponent. She had to rely on her team. And not in vain.

Kiko's arrow hit him right in the head, out of the blue. The assassin could see the life vanish from his eyes as he fell to the ground.

She didn't care to turn around to thank her comrade. I would have been inefficient. She would know anyway. There was no time for sentiments. The mission was sacred to them. It had to be carried out.

Yumiko reached the main building of the fortress, pressing her body against the wood. She had to be careful...

-----------------

"You're a whimp!" Katsuho laughed at his slender opponent, who lay beaten down on the floor. He waved his wooden sword and walked away to take a seat between the other students.

Sensei Nataka shaked his head in disbelieve. "You are kidding me, young one. You've lost every single battle for over a month."

"But I tried. I..." The boy started to complain.

"SILENCE! - You're useless. You have not the strength to handle a Katana! You are weak. You'll only bring shame on this Dojo and your fellow students."

"But Sensei, I...."

"Leave... - immediately..."

He was sitting down at the stream. All his life this had been one of the places he had most liked. So calm. So lovely. It reminded him of his mother. Yumi. He often came along with her when she had to fetch water for the courts cook. She had been a maid. A kind woman. A good mother. Pneumonia took her away from him and now he was all alone. - And now the Sensei had told him that he wasn't fit for the Dojo.

What should... what would he do now?

"Konichiwa, little one. - What makes you so sad?"

He quickly tried to wpie away his tears, being embarassed of them.

"Nothing." he mumbled. "I'm just thinking."

"You don't look like you're just thinking. - Why is it that made you so sad?"

He was angry that she had recognized that. Of course, it was obvious. But he had been taught by people all his life that it was not suitable to show any weakness and therefore, it made him angry.

"Mind your own business, woman." he gruntled.

"I'm just trying to help you, young man. - Why would this make you mad on me?" she calmly replied.

She was absolutely right. He shouldn't have answered in such a harsh manner. Seh didn't deserve it. She had been all nice to him and...

"The Sensei says I have not enough strength to weild a Katana." He couldn't believe he did this, but anyway he found himself crying his heart out on this strange woman's shoulder.

"Well maybe strength is just not you talent, dear." Carresing she slowly drove her hand throw his thick black hair.

"Watch out!"

Just out of instinct his hand went up, catching the little metal ball that she had thrown at him.

"See... - You have got one talent." she smiled.

-----------------

Yumiko stabbed through the thin white fabric of the wall. 'No mercy!' She could feel her blade enter the foes flesh... and turned it around. The short scream of her enemy to her seemed as it halled all over the place. She broke right through the wall. Making them of paper and wood might protect one from earthquakes, but not from her and her unit.

'Be fast, be fast!'

Entering next room. Rumiko slayed the first one with her Katana. Kiko chokes another one with a cord. All the girls are working in full effect. There is no mercy, no hesitating, and no sound. Except for those few of their enemies. But they silence quickly.

The door to the next room opens. Yumiko reacts immediately. The shuriken hits his eye, leaving him tumbling, bleeding... Not for long... - A knife hits a spine. An awful cracking sound.

-----------------

"Agility." the mother had told her. "Not strength is your power, but slyness and agility."

"I understand, mother."

"You'll ever lose to men in combat if you face them openly."

"M...Mother, you embarass me..."

"I don't. - Be sly. Use your talents. Be faster then them. Outsmart them. Hit them, if necessary, when they least expect it."

"But how?"

"I'll teach you. - Know and realize now that you are not one of them. You belong on our side."

"Side?"

"The female side. - Tell me: What are your origins. What was your mother's name?"

"What? I... My mother's name? It was Yumi..."

"Well then Yumiko, 'Yumi's child'. Be welcome to the sisterhood of the Kunoichi..."

---------------

"Get off me woman!!!"

She knew who he was. Over years he had flagellated his subjects with unregularly high taxes. He had slaughtered hundrets for not pacing them leaving children as orphans, women as widows.

And then he made the final mistake. He opposed the Tenno, trying to stand up to him. Finally he even tried to take his position. The rank of the Tenno is only granted by the gods. She knew that. She had been teached it her whole life through. This man was a heretic to her.

"Y... you ain't no woman! What are you?!"

"I am Yumiko. Born to the shadows."

Along with those words she drew her Tanto.

A gruesomely beautiful shimmer in the dim candlelight...