Shadow’s Lament: The Death of Akira Tsukimura (Patreon)

The silence in the dimly lit room was shattered by a sharp breath a gasp of pain escaping Akira Tsukimura’s lips as the bullets struck her. The first one slammed into her chest, just above her right breast, a perfect shot from the very master who had once trained her. The force sent her staggering back, her katana slipping slightly in her grip. But she did not fall not yet.

Her body arched as the second bullet punched through her other breast, her mouth parting in a silent cry. The pain radiated through her, her breath ragged as her legs wavered beneath her. She had been the perfect assassin, the silent executioner in the night. Yet here she was, exposed, vulnerable dying.

She clenched her katana tightly, lifting it for one final strike, but her strength was failing. Another shot rang out, the bullet burying itself deep into her chest right between her breasts. Her grip faltered. The sword slipped from her fingers and clattered to the floor.

Her back arched violently as she stumbled, the agony seizing every inch of her body. Her breath hitched. Her vision blurred. The world around her spun, the warm blood trickling down her skin, soaking into her black combat suit. Final shot hit her in her left breast. She reached up, fingers trembling, touching the dark wounds that blossomed across her chest her life draining with every beat of her slowing heart.

With one last desperate gasp, her body gave in. She collapsed against the floor, her lips slightly parted, her final breath escaping as a faint whisper. Her body twitched once, twice, then fell still.

The room was silent again.

Her katana lay beside her, untouched. A masterless blade, a fallen warrior. The last of the Moon Lotus Clan was no more.