by E. Mendell
~ Two ~
Soul kicked at Red Assassin with all her might, cursing him and crying in fear. She had been set on the roof of the train for only a moment. Geicko held out his arms and a red cloak appeared from nowhere. It wrapped around him like magic and Geicko pulled the hood over his head, lifting the coil over his mouth and nose. He took Soul’s arm and dragged her in front of him. Soul coughed in the smokestack that blew into her face. She blinked and peered ahead of the train.
Trees whipped past and through the smoke Soul could see fields and a clear lake. The train car Red Assassin had blown up was the sixth car from the caboose where they stood. They were near the ledge and Soul feared she would be thrown off the train. They were going fast and it was a far fall. There was little to no chance that she would survive such a fall.
A burst of white light made Soul look ahead in alarm.
“Oops, I really did make him angry,” laughed Red Assassin.
Soul felt a knife creep around her neck and she froze. This wouldn’t have been a problem either way because she was staring in horror at the blur that rushed over the train cars, through the smoke and right in front of Red Assassin who gasped in alarm.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Soul was pulled away from Red Assassin and tumbled across the roof. She seized the roof before she could roll off the edge and looked up to see Red Assassin in a brutal fight with what looked like Hiro, but different. His body was covered in black and silver jagged armor, the steel visor over his eyes and the metal that shot out at the back like spiked ears. His black hair was spiked also with silver streaks glowing.
Red Assassin and Hiro fought like two brilliant martial artists; punching, blocking, slicing, kicking and dodging. Hiro caught one of Red Assassin’s kicks and threw him into the air, but where in anyone else would have flown off the train, Red Assassin spun in mid air and launched back at Hiro as if ricocheting off a wall. They slammed head on and tumbled across the ground, skidding to a halt, only inches away from Soul. She cringed and looked at Hiro’s foot, seeing that his armored feet looked like clawed paws. The whole suit of armor looked like some kind of demon and when Soul looked up at his face she saw two red lines from the corners of his mouth down to his chin. They looked like blood.
Hiro knocked away each of Red Assassin’s finishing moves and stepped in, hammering his armored knuckles into Red Assassin’s stomach.
Red Assassin coughed out blood at contact. He looked up at the wrong moment and Hiro’s steel fist collided with his chin, making him fly backwards and tumble head over heels off the train and he was swept away in the rush.
Once he was gone Hiro straightened up and looked over his shoulder at Soul. She stared at him and watched as the metal visor slid back, showing Hiro’s face. From the outside corners of his eyes were two more red lines that slid towards his ears. The same red lines slid down his forehead to his eyebrows, then down to his golden eyes.
“Are you okay?” He asked, standing above Soul and offering his steel hand.
Soul stared at him speechlessly. He looked absolutely terrifying. His face was emotionless and the spiky armor made him look demonic. Soul flinched away from him and Hiro stepped back. He examined himself, but then sighed. In a pale gold light the armor faded away as if it had never been there. The normal Hiro stood before Soul, dressed in his casual clothing, his jean jacket still open.
“I’m sorry, Soul,” said Hiro, offering his hand to Soul again. However she just stared at him. His black hair was swirling around his face in the strong wind and he looked tired. Soul gave him a sad look before reaching out and taking his hand.
The instant his fingers closer around hers the train car beneath them erupted in an explosion of flames and rubble. Soul screamed and Hiro grabbed her before they were sent flying off the train and into the trees with the flaming rubble. Hiro held Soul in his arms protectively as they fell down through the branches and hit the ground.
Hiro could feel that he was covered in bruises and cuts. He beat out flames that were in Soul’s hair and his sleeve before shutting his eyes. In his mind he cursed himself over and over again.
He should have remembered Red Assassin always had a backup plan in case of failure.
Soul didn’t remember fainting. She opened her eyes, finding herself wrapped protectively in Hiro’s arms. His breathing was rough, sounding as if he had a sore throat. Soul blinked slowly. Her arms and face felt as if she had gotten burned and she recalled the explosion she and Hiro had been in. Soul lifted her head and looked up at Hiro’s face. His eyes were shut and he had a long red burn on his face. Soul stared at it, wondering if she looked just as terrible. She rolled over onto her elbows, looking around their surroundings. On a long hill before them were the train tracks, and all around her were old leafless trees with branches shattered by chunks of rubble that now lay around her and Hiro.
Soul sighed sadly and curled up against Hiro, shutting her eyes. The sunlight was fading already, showing that they had been unconscious most of the day. Soul was cold and Hiro was the only form of warmth in that moment. She shouldn’t have risked getting closer to him, especially after seeing his other form up close and witnessed his merciless fighting. Soul was actually frightened at how fast Hiro had been despite all the metal covering his body. She had no doubt that he really was a weapon.
Hiro moved and Soul looked at his face. His golden eyes were open and he was staring ahead with a blank gaze. He looked towards the darkening sky, and then cursed.
“We’re in trouble,” he said, sliding his arms away from Soul and sitting up. He looked down the train tracks and cursed again.
“What’s the matter?” Soul asked, sitting up. She was shivering again.
“Everything I need is on that train,” said Hiro as he stood up. “I had a feeling we would be in danger somehow so I tucked it away in a safe place. We have to go after it. If any of my enemies get their hands on that stuff I’m doomed.”
“Why’s that?” Soul asked as she got up also, wrapping her arms tight around herself.
“They’ll be able to access my files,” explained Hiro, looking back at Soul. He frowned when he saw she was shivering. “Are you cold?” He asked.
Soul nodded. “It’s getting dark too,” she said, nodding towards the horizon, but Hiro didn’t look. He slipped off his jacket and handed it to Soul who once again blushed in embarrassment.
“You shouldn’t give this to me,” she said, trying to push it back towards him without staring too hard at him.
“And why is that?” Hiro took the jacket back and stepped towards Soul, wrapping it would her shoulders. The immediate warmth made Soul’s face burn and she locked her gaze on her feet.
“Walking around without a shirt might get you in trouble,” Soul explained in a shaky voice.
Hiro scoffed. “I’ve walked around shirtless almost all my life,” he said, turning and walking away. “Put the jacket on, Soul. And keep up.”
Soul hastily slipped her arms into the sleeves of the jacket. The scent was warm and a there was a hint of oily musk, but it was nice. Soul bit her lip and hurried after Hiro. She walked a step behind him, but Hiro suddenly paused and waited until she was beside him before walking on again.
“I’m not letting you out of my sight,” said Hiro to Soul’s puzzled look.
Soul ducked her head without a word. She knew Hiro was a kind person, but she had no idea how he could be both a kind person and a murderous killer. It just didn’t seem possible.
