Deja Vu

[Kazuo Shinrai]

"Konbanwa Kazuo-san"

The old Tokunian looked up from his desk where he had been sitting all night, studying old documents. Although initially the voice that adressed him startled him, he remained stoic and kept a blank face as he usually did. Without any tone of emotion he glanced around the room and then noticed a ninja clad in the colours of the Obsidian Tiger clan crouching in a corner. The shadows conceiled the ninja well, but both knew that it were not the shadows that made the ninja position himself here. No, this was the place where Kazuo did most of his work and the corner the ninja had picked was left of the main entrance to this room. A traditional position from where the members of the Obsidian Tiger clan would leap at their enemy from, were they on official assassination business.

Were this ninja to carry out his mission any further, this would be the end for Kazuo. For a man of his age, it would not be possible to as much as deflect an initial strike. Gifted as Kazuo was in the martial arts of unarmed combat, this was an adversary who has trained his entire life only for this moment. This mission would end with the ninja, but it would not be something the old Tokunian would witness. This assassin had already slipped past the regular security that was recently tightened even more to prevent this exact event. Kazuo had learned of the contract that involved him and taken appropriate measures, but it turned out not to be enough.

The Obsidian Tiger ninja drew his blades and got ready to carry out the rest of his mission. As he leaped towards Kazuo, he proceded only to fall flat on his face. It was there that the ninja remained. No attempts were made to get up, not even move, nor breathe. Appearantly this was the end of the assassin.

Kazuo frowned slightly and was unsure of what had just happened. It all felt rather surreal when all of a sudden everything faded to black. When Kazuo Shinrai came to he found himself sitting at his desk, going over a bunch of old documents. As he slightly composed himself, he all of a sudden heard a voice coming from inside the same room.

"Konbanwa Kazuo-san"