Bite-size chunks

“…what?” For a second I didn’t think I’d even heard them right. “What are you playing at? First you try and turn my head into a football, now you’re saying you wanna work with me? The hell is that about?”

“Surely a bad first impression can be patched up with some team bonding exercises, no?”

“One more smartass comment and you’ll be breathing through a hole in your throat.” I pushed my sword just a little more forward, drawing even more blood and stopping just short of the carotid artery. Any sudden movements and she’d be squirting blood like a firehose.

“Alright, alright, you’ve got me, I’ll comply,” said the suited girl, raising her hands dramatically. I almost wanted to cut her throat just for the attitude, but I restrained myself. Just. “My name is Kawari Ryou, I’m a rogue like you. My guide and I have been… disillusioned by the establishment, and seek to make a permanent change. Given you were already well on your way down that particular path, we thought it necessary to… seek you out, so to speak.”

“By turning a bunch of MPs to red paste and trying to take my head off my shoulders?”

“We needed to ascertain whether you would be of assistance, or simply slow us down,” said the pompous arse of a cat next to her. “If one measly ambush by a single magical girl was enough to put you out of commission, you’d hardly be worth working with.”

“So your repeated attempts to skewer me like a damned shish kebab was just a test?”

“A test you passed with flying colours, I might add.”

“Uh huh. Now, here’s a test for you. Give me one convincing reason not to cut you both into bite-size chunks. Answer carefully. You ain't gonna like what’ll happen if I’m not satisfied.”

Despite all her bravado, I could tell the suited girl- Kawari Ryou- had realised I was more than serious with my threat. Her mouth flickered a grimace for a moment before she spoke again in her condescending tone.

“Well, dear girl, I hardly think you’re delusional enough to believe you can take on the entire establishment alone. You’re strong, no doubt, but strong enough to take on the entire samurai class? You and I both know you’re sprinting towards an early grave.”

“And trusting a woman whose self-introduction was an assassination attempt is just a fine and dandy way to keep myself safe, right?”

“Make your own death a certainty by going it alone, or lessen that risk by taking us as allies. The choice is yours.”

“And what makes you think my death is so certain?”

“Other than the sheer odds stacked against you? Well, this attack can hardly go unnoticed after the mess you’ve made. The hunt for you will intensify greatly, and I hardly believe even you can fight off an army of cybercops and MPs with a pulverised ribcage.”

“How did you…”

“Please, dear girl. It was my knee that inflicted that wound, no? You don’t think I felt your little bones shatter under the force? You’re in no state to defend yourself, and frankly nor am I. But together…”

We would stand a much better chance of survival. As much as I hated to admit it, she raised a valid point. It was hardly one I wanted to concede considering she was the bastard reason I was in such agony in the first place, but it was true nonetheless.

A broken bone with my healing factor normally healed in a couple days. But considering she’d damn near turned my ribs into a fine white powder, I couldn’t expect to be at my best for at least another week.

Still…

“How can I trust you?” I asked, holding my sword steady at her throat.

“You can’t. And I can’t trust you. But would you rather fight the most dangerous people on planet Earth alone, or with a powerful ally?”

I hesitated. The woman had damn near killed me. Do I take her hand and risk her stabbing me in the back? Or do I take her head and face insurmountable odds alone? Neither was a good option.

Much as I hated to admit it, we stood a better chance together. But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t just wait until my guard’s down and cut my throat in my sleep. Nothing could fully convince me this wasn’t just a plea for mercy. Mercy she’d punish me for later.

Christ, what a mess. Time was right, walking straight into a trap was a stupid decision to make. Then again, neither of us could have expected it to come to this. I considered asking her opinion, but I already knew what it would be.

She was far more merciful than me, but also hardly the trusting type. She’d tell me to leave Kawari alive but stay away from her. A safe option, but not a permanent one. There was no telling whether Kawari and I would happen across one another again.

No. I needed a more decisive option. And after a painfully long deliberation, I made my choice.

“Time, keep an eye out around the shack,” I said, retracting my sword and slipping it into its sheath. “We’re about to have guests.”

“Toki? You sure about this?”

“I don’t like it any more than you do, but we need all the help we can get. Besides, it’s one fewer magical girl hunting us.”

“I’m pleased you’ve made the right call, dear gi- argh, you bitch!” yelled Kawari.

“Oh, don’t be such a baby, you’ll heal within the hour,” I said, dropping the shuriken I had just pulled out of her back to the ground. “You wanna be a ronin? Get looting. As many boxes as you can carry. Medical only. Not military.”

“What?”

“You wanna make a change in the world, right? Start by helping those who need it. Prove to me, and yourself, that you’re not just a killer. Meet me here in five minutes if you’re serious.”

“You want me as your pack mule?”

“What? Did you think we’d start with butchering more cyborgs or blowing up another train? If you’re seriously interested in making the world a better place, you’ll use this opportunity to actually do something good.” I teetered on the edge of the carriage, before looking back at her smugly. “Who knows? Maybe you’ll find a replacement for that arm along the way.”

Before she could utter a word in response, I dropped down onto the coupling and cut my way into the next carriage. I passed your test, right, Kawari? Now time for you to pass mine.