Bay city

((Introduction Post...this is just a post to introduce my character...))

2 years ago...In Japan

The Shinobi was sitting on the roof of a giant house. It was dark out and stars lined the sky. He liked it here. There was less pollution then the rest of Japan. He closed his eyes for a second, passing a hand threw his black hair. He felt dirty...after what he did, anybody would have felt dirty. He had been sent to kill a wealthy man. He did not know much on this man only that he had sent an assassin to kill Junchi’s contractor’s wife; Hanjari Tkimishi.... and of course the contractor wanted revenge. Anybody who Junchi was sent after was as good as dead. He sighed, remembering on his past week.

Five weeks ago he had been sent to kill a lady. The mission had been simple. She was gone on vacation for the week and someone wanted her dead. Junchi hadn’t asked questions and he went to kill her. The cottage she stayed in had been heavily guarded. Still they guards were no match for Junchi. They didn’t even have time to pull a trigger...let alone scream, before Junchi had snapped their neck or stuck his ninjato in their back. Once he got the lady’s room, she had been having a good time with someone. Junchi remembered almost giving away his position. He had laughed when he saw them; she was cheating on her husband with some other man. Very sad. When he laughed she had turned around and seen Junchi. Before she could scream, he had leaped on her back, pushing her on the man she was having fun with and he stuck his ninjato in her back, the blade going through the other man at the same time. Double kill.

Junchi smirked; the girl’s name had been Hanjari Tkimishi...

Funny part was he was going to kill the contractor after this...so no one would ask questions. He had killed the wife...was about to kill the one who sent him to kill the wife...and then, when getting his pay he would kill the contractor. He chuckled. Now he was waiting for the man to step out of his home. He had been studying his target for a week now, learning his habits. He knew that at 11pm he would walk out of his home alone and take a walk into an alley where he bought his drugs. Problem was he wouldn’t get any drugs because Junchi had also killed the dealer. So while he would wait, Junchi would strike.

After 5 minutes of waiting he walked out of his home and the chase begun. Junchi moving like a cat on the roof tops, not making sound. He always stayed behind the man and made sure no one was watching when he walked. Of course he stayed in the shadows, always remembering what his old master had told him “Conceal your light, like the moon, covered by a blue tainted cloud...” Well that had been before Junchi assassinated him. He smiled, leaping to another roof. He had killed many people...lots of them.

Soon the man would turn into the alley way. Junchi had planned his kill. The height from the ground and the roof next to the alley was about 15 feet. He climbed the house and looked down on his prey. The man walked into the alley. Already he wasn’t sure why his dealer was absent. Junchi closed his eyes. He took a deep breath, slowly taking out his ninjato. He waited...

Now.... Opening his eyes, he jumped down, landing on the man’s shoulders. He wrapped his legs around his neck to keep him from screaming as he stabbed his ninjato into the man’s mouth. With a splatter of blood coming out his mouth, he feel to the ground, dead. Junchi retrieved his ninjato, whipping it on his suit that was now red.

He looked at the sky....a full moon. He smirked as he slowly put away his ninjato. Turning his head and looking down the alley way, he saw a girl, no older than 16 looking at him, her face pale. Junchi put a finger to his lips as to say to keep quiet and in a blink of an eye, he was gone a trail of black feathers floating in the space he had been in.

(Just for reference, Dark has the italics while Light has the underline. When combined, they're speaking at the same time.)
Dark and Light sat on the roof of a building, their backs against each other's. They both sighed at the same time, turning their head to each other like a mirror.
"What should we-"
"Do today? It is quite boring out here."
They both suddenly stood up, hearing a bar brawl in the casino below them. They ran to the edge and looked over it, spotting a girl and jester walk out and down the street, followed by a man. They smiled and turned to each other.
"Shall we-"
"Follow them?"
The nodded to each other in synchronization and started running on the building tops, holding hands as they went. They jumped down into an alley, Dark landing first and catching Light since she was the more frail one. They ran to the edge of the alley, watching Tamaki as she walked with the jester. They both smirked and stepped out of the alley, following her. They had their hands near their weapons, Dark having daggers while Light had a crossbow. They ran up to her and tugged on her shirt, faking puppy-dog faces and looking up at her.
"Excuse us miss, but we're lost! Can you please help us?!"
Light sniffled for effect.

Again, again on another foolhardy quest, dragged out into god knows where by a maniac with an overly large sword who seemed to attract trouble like honey attracted wasps. For the seven thousandth time, the Jester wondered just what he'd done to fate to make her hate him so much. Already this week, he'd had to run away from an armed gang who wanted to beat him bloody and steal away with Takami, been thrown out of two bars and woken up with the head of a donkey on his nightstand. Alright, that last one was the act of a crazy woman who'd said she'd loved him and believed they were fated to be together and not some homicidal gang member, but it was still only Thursday!

They'd bought passage to Bay City. Apparently there was something here that Takami needed. Someone she needed to speak to. Whoever it was, he hoped that they could find 'em quick and he could go back to the easy, comfortable life he'd had before. True, there were some days he hadnt been able to eat without breaking in to a bakers or some such, but at least back then there'd only been attempts on his life once every month or so.

Swinging down from the rigging of the airship they'd come in, he hit the floor two steps behind Takami, flexed his shoulders, and rose. Figures the girl would pick a captain who couldnt land in the city they had to land in. Just like her to pick the easy option. As they walked, he examined her, glancing surreptitiously over through the eyeholes of the mask he wore. Pretty girl, harsh features but attractive and slim. Even the armour and ridiculously gigantic sword didnt seem to put most people off. Kinda spoiled it all as soon as she opened her mouth though. Who knew a girl so demure looking, who had apparently been raised a lady, could curse like a sailor and fight like a berserker.

Some commotion up ahead caught her eye, and the Jester sighed to himself as he took in just what she was looking at. Some dive, as usual, one of the patrons lying spreadeagled on the floor singing songs about armadillos to himself. Offhand, he looked up to the tops of the buildings, straining his eyes for the familiar sight of a clocktower. There, in the distance. Had to be one around here somewhere. It was half past eight. Sure, he though, thats a good sign. Of course normal people, people who wouldnt skin you for the shoes on your feet, got thrown out of public houses at half past bloody eight. This was going to end as well as all Takami's schemes did.

He slipped through the door behind her, sliding over to a dark corner, trying to keep out of possible firing lines. One of the men sitting at the table closest, some old fella with one tooth and a handful of cards, caught his eye and gesturing to the only open chair at the table. He sat down, the other four members looking up and scowling at him, one making a jibe about his mask. If only they knew. The old man leant across the table, voice low, conspiratorial.

"You know how to play Priests Knacker, friend?"

The Jester didnt answer, simply stared. One hand reached down, and everyone at the table tensed, expecting, what, a weapon? Instead, he pulled a silver coin from his purse, the only one in it, and slid it across the table, nodding to the old geezer as he dealt three cards.

Five minutes later, and as expected Takami was busy punching the patrons in the face. He almost felt sorry for the guy. She'd hit him, once, after he'd slighted her in some impercievable manner, and it'd felt like being kicked by a horse. Evidently, it was time to leave. He saluted the men at the table, sliding the last hand forwards and collecting the seven silver coins and one shirt he'd won in the past few minutes, stashing the coins away and handing the shirt back to the owner, who didnt even have the manners to say thank you. It wasnt like the Jester would have worn it, anyway. Thing was the size of a tent and yellow under the arms. Besides, its owner was incredibly hairy, and it would be unfair to the other patrons of this fine drinking estabilishment to put them through another minute of his pallid, wobbling skin.

Takami glanced at him as he approached, holding one of the local drunks from the floor in one hand, saying something about finding a place to stay. The Jester raised an arm, tried to get her attention, failed, as she dropped the guy in disgust and stalked out. He followed. What else could he do, stopping at the door and bowing to the assembled drinkers, scarpering quick sharp as they scowled, raising projectile mugs, and the door slammed shut behind him accompanied by the crash of broken glass.

So much for that idea. With nowhere to go, the pair walked through the docklands, examining each building in turn. After a minute, the Jester realised someone was following them, the patter of tiny feet, stopping when they stopped, the slight scuff of a falling brick, giving them away. He was about to turn, to try and find out who it was, when two little girls ran up, clamouring for Takami's attention. They were adorable, cute little urchins, obviously twins, with bright eyes and tiny button noses. The image was spoiled, however, by the dagger and full sized goddamned crossbow they were holding. Eyes narrow behind the mask, the Jester knelt, reaching towards the dark haired of the pair.

Pausing, careful to show that his hand was empty, he reached behind her ear and pulled out a small rubber ball. Palm up, the ball in the centre, he closed his fist around it, opening it in time to show that the ball had turned into a copper penny. Holding it between two fingers, he took the hand of the white haired one, wondering about that colour, and dropped the coin inside. The mask seemed to smile as he tapped the side of his nose and then pointed off into the darkness. He'd met kids like these before. All they wanted was coin. Everything else, especially the little-girl-lost thing, was a facade. A copper was nothing, and hopefully they'd take the hint and piss off, the little darlings. Even so, he was still slightly concerned about those weapons. Straightening again, his hand fell naturally to the sash around his waist, resting easily on the handle of the dagger sticking from it.

They completely ignored the jester's tricks, not really caring about fun and games at the moment. When they were practically threatened, Light quickly grabbed onto Dark's arm, as if it would protect her. Dark looked to Light and smiled, whispering.
"It's okay. I'll protect you."
Dark then looked up at Tamaki, eyes cold but joking. She spoke in a serious tone, despite her kiddish voice.
"We only wanted one thing. And that was already ruined."
Light gripped Dark's arm a bit tighter, becoming a bit scared due to the realization that they probably wouldn't be able to convince these people they were innocent. Light tapped on Dark's shoulder, receiving a nod for an answer to her invisible question. Dark then grabbed Light by the foot and launching her into the air and jumping onto the roof. Dark then caught Light as she had done in the alley, letting Light throw the copper at the jester and hitting him in the head.
"We don't need donations. We're fine on our own."
Light then coughed as she pulled the crossbow from her back, going defensive just in case someone attacked. Dark smiled and looked over the edge, shouting down at them.
"Watch the shadows. We'll be watching from there. We'll take what we want whenever we feel like it!"

Junchi, the Shinobi stayed silent. He sat, legs crossed at the bottom of the ship that would bring him to Bay City. He was in complete darkness and silence. Only footsteps and cracking sounds disrupted his meditation. He hands were in the “nature” position as he breathed in and out, focusing on an image. This was how he meditated. His body became one with his spirit. A state of absolute calm and focus. His mind emptied itself and he relaxed. He usually did this after each kill, calming his reflexes and muscles.

He focused on the moon. The full moon, clearly visible on a clear blue sky, stars shining around it and only one little cloud to slightly hid it. A beautiful sight. It made Junchi relax. He had become one with his body. He could feel his muscle tense at every movement in the ship. He could feel his heart beat against his chest. Now that his mind was relaxed and he was in full control of his thoughts, he remembered the past week. He had become a legend and a known assassin in Japan. Everyone was after his head and ambushing him. No one could catch him, no one could get him. He killed all the bounty hunters that were sent at him...all the people that came at him with a weapon were cut to pieces. Man and Women alike. He showed no mercy. At first he was ok with it... he got action every day. But soon it got dangerous even for Junchi. Junchi was a Shinobi of great skill. He was able to deflect bullets from a single fire gun. But when they started bringing in the army with their big cannons and everything... Junchi was forced to hide. So he left Japan found an air ship, got on without being noticed and hid in the cargo bay. Hardly anyone ever came to bother him. And when they did, he blended with the darkness... something he was very good at.

This would be a good opportunity to start a new life. He would never leave his life as a Shinobi. He would still be an Assassin... a killer. But his reputation and his bounty would be gone. He would start a fresh page for that part. Junchi’s eyes darted open as the door of the cargo bay opened. “What the hell do we need again?” said a large man with big arms and an eye patch. “The captain asked us to get some lamp oil remember? Common, its right there help me bring some” Said another who was smaller. The big guy stepped into the room which seemed empty. On the floor he saw a black feather. Picking it up he said in a dumb voice “We have birds? You never told me we had birds?” The smaller one cursed and left the room “Common stupid, the captain’s waiting. We will dock soon so we need lights” The big one followed, leaving the feather where it was.

Junchi had reacted quickly without much thinking. He had been in deep meditation, not hearing the men come. Only when the door opened did he use his vanishing technique, only to reaper outside the ship, holding onto the ledge of the window the led to the Cargo Bay. Junchi sighed and pulled himself back in. “Close call...” he whispered. He heard yelling from upstairs. People were running and the ship had slowed down. “Finally...we’re here” Junchi knew people would be coming in this room any second. Quickly looking out the window, he could saw a roof. Taking a few steps back, he ran and dived through the window, landing and rolling on the roof of a house. From there he ran a safe distance not to be seen. He saw a sign reading “District 4” Junchi nodded. He had heard talk about this place. Four Districts making one whole city. Lots of action seemed to be going on in District one.

Junchi would go there and look for some guidance. Leaping from rood top to roof top, he stayed away from crowds and police forced. He didn’t want to attract attention even if know on knew who he was. He stuck to the shadows and watched his footing, not making a sound as he walked on the roofs. At the same time he observed the city. It was a dirt hole at most placed. Filthy and full of danger. Junchi shrugged. He didn’t care...the people would know him soon enough. They would know his name...and some of them his blade. He didn’t plan of looking for a contract yet. Right now he wanted to look for a place to stay. Soon he made it to a bar. He was about to walk in when he noticed the broken down door. Something interested might have happened here. Junchi, using his Shinobi skills, followed tracks and clues that led him to a scene. There was a girl that had just been talking to twins. The twins, who seemed like girls had leaped to the roof as one took a cross bow. There was another man closer to the girl, possibly her companion and another man who seemed like a local. Junchi shrugged. Where they dangerous he didn’t mind... He would be glad to find out. But only if they asked for it...Junchi wasn’t looking for a fight just yet. Sticking to the shadows, he watched the scene from a hidden location.

The copper pinged off of the Jester mask, ringing in circles on the floor at his feet as the girls ran away. Briefly he considered following them. They wouldnt be hard to catch, with their little tiny legs, but no, a pair of street urchins armed to the teeth wasnt really important right now. Perplexing, especially that final, cryptic comment, but not important. Takami had glanced over at him as they'd left, her questioning expression answered only with a shrug of his shoulders.

She still seemed dead set on finding them somewhere to spend the night, and as they wandered the streets the jester wondered to himself why they didnt just break into one of these warehouses and find somewhere warm inside. Most, if not all of them would have a break room, which meant biscuits, blankets, and if they were lucky, even tea! It wasnt like they'd never done it before, either, or spent the night in far worse places.

His musings were distracted by the wall of muscle coming the other way, several men in dark suits, half of them wearing darkened eyeglasses, all about as inconspicuous as a full brass band would have been. Between them all, he could barely glimpse an older gentleman, who barked an order as the men noticed him and Takami coming the other way, each man pulling out a gun and levelling them at the pair.

The Jester didnt panic. Didnt scream, or yell. Didnt even flinch. Around Takami, weapons pointed at his face were becoming a regular occurence, and these guys, with their cheap suits and tiny pistols, were a far cry from the enforcers the Ryuusei had sent after them so far. Or, for that matter, the men he'd fallen in with before he met Takami. Thankfully, they'd just let him go, realising it was far too much trouble to get between the Divine Emperor's soldiers and a wanted man. Staring down the barrel of so many guns didnt seem to phase his companion either. Instead, Takami just reached up to her back and swung her sword over her shoulder, snatching the hat from her head with the other hand and passing it to him.

Then the Jester flinched, expecting a barrage of bullets to wipe them both from this mortal coil. They never came. Instead, Takami charged headlong at the men, hit them before they even fired a shot, and spent the next few seconds bouncing from one man to the next, beating them down with the back of her sword. His hand strayed to the dagger at his waist, relaxing again as she hammered the last man into the ground. It took less time than he expected, and only a couple of the eight (Eight! Eight guards vs one little girl, and they lost?! Really? Just how useless were the people here?) guards even getting shots off.

Triumphant, Takami stood over the groaning bodyguards with a self important smile on her face, offering to train the men she'd just driven in to the dirt in exchange for a place to stay. The Jester had long since stopped listening, eyes shining as he placed the hat on his head, stepped over to the nearest bodyguard, retrieved his pistol and shoved it in the sash around his waist. Beaming with enthusiasm, he strode wide legged into the centre of the street, fingers twitching near the pistol as he faced away from the mess behind him, narrow eyes staring down imaginary foes.

His hand blurred as he snatched at the gun, stopping dead as Takami took the hat from his head. All at once his shoulders slumped, body language forlorn once again as he followed the group like a puppy dog with its tail between its legs. It only took a few minutes to arrive at the nearest train station, a few more to jump the district line, and from there chauffered up into the hills, surrounded by small but well set houses. The Jester's eyes were wide with wonder throughout the whole journey, snapping from house to motor-carriage, from society madam to swarms of pigeons stealing an ice cream from a child, from sight to extravagant sight. They seemed set to almost pop out of his head as the car rounded one last corner, pulling up to the gates of an immense mansion, almost the size the docklands warehouses had been.

Inside was even more incredible. They were greeted by a veritable army of staff, butlers talking jackets and hurrying off with worn shoes to be shined, the decor immaculate and perfectly complementary. The Jester was suddenly aware of how much he and his companion must stand out, especially bedecked with weapons as they were. Takami didnt seem to care, her own enthusiasm brimming over as she nudged him, her face communicating everything she was thinking. The Jester's own was measured and world weary. He shook his head, shot her a glance he knew she'd understand and wandered off into the house to explore.

Junchi watched the scene in awe. When he had observed the girl before, he was sure she was no ordinary girl. But when he saw her fly at those men he had been left dumb struck. He had taken her for some simple girl with a sword, trying to act tough. What he saw was a skilful warrior. Junchi smirked. He would fight with her one day. Looking at the man with the strange outfit, he raised a brow. He was the one closest to the “Otome.” Otome would be the name he would give her for now. He was dressed strangely and Junchi wasn’t sure what to call him. Instead he focused on Otome. He studied how she moved. He didn’t seem to want to kill the men that had passed by, surrounding an important looking man. Junchi observed the man as well.

He was well dressed and surrounded with body guard. Probably some important, rich, dangerous man. Ok well maybe not dangerous. Seeing how easy the girl shook him around...Junchi could tell he wasn’t very tough. She seemed to want something from him and it also seemed like she got it. She wasn’t from here that was for sure. While she was fighting, one man had been passing by. He was dressed in the same way as the body guards and ran away when he saw Otome attack the men. Junchi wasn’t sure if he was one of them or just some random man. Whatever he was, he would find police or reinforcements. Junchi decided to be nice. Smirking, he vanished leaving black feathers where he had been. Appearing in front of the man, he grabbed him by the throat. Passing his arm his neck and sticking him to a wall, he covered the man’s mouth as he dug his ninjato in his back. Letting the body drop, he looked back at the girl. Seeing she was staring in his direction he vanished again, reappearing at the same spot as before. He wasn’t sure if she had seen him or was just looking at something....but no matter.

From that point the girl walked away with the man. He hadn’t been too sure what she had asked. He had only gotten parts... “My friend and I, need a place to stay... give us... I’ll protect you... train your guards...” Junchi sat back and closed his eyes. He started thinking about what he heard. She and her friend...the funny looking one where looking for a place to sleep. Protect you...meaning she offered to protect him...and train your guards. Junchi looked at the beat up guards on the ground. Yeah, she would probably train his guards too. When Junchi looked at them they were already on their way. Quickly standing, he ran after them. He walked in the open, not really caring for stealth right now. He still stayed out of their sight, but he did not try to hide from people passing by or even the twins that might still be around. His guard was up and his senses were on fire, but he wasn’t looking for a fight.

Finally he found them as they entered a car. Quickly before the car took off, Junchi snuck up to it and climbed under it. Hanging on the bottom of the car, he rode with them as they made it to the giant home. Once they got to the house the car continued. Junchi waited until he was a little far before he let go, tumbling in the streets. Getting up with only a few bruises, he looked at the large home. Getting in would be easy, He would try and get in without killing anyone.

Running through the small gardens, he was forced to kill two men. Looking at their bodies, he dragged them to a dark corner in the garden, hoping no one would find them. Silent and stealthy as a cat, he walked through the courtyard and bypassed all the guards. Near the wall, he threw a rope at the ceiling and climbed up. From there he walked on the ceiling without making a noise until he made it to a window. Entering the house, he found himself in a type of storage room. From there he sat down in a dark corner, thinking on his next plan. He had come here to start a new life of assassination and such. To get his name out he would need to kill someone. Someone important... like the owner of this house. That was an idea but maybe he wouldn’t kill this man. Otome seemed to depend of him. In silence, he thought of his plan. If someone would walk in, he would simply hid in the shadows.

Dark and Light followed Tamaki and the jester, even as they received a ride from an apparently rich man. They nodded to each other as they saw another person following the girl, thinking he was also after something from her. They stopped on the top of a building near the mansion, Light putting her crossbow back onto her back. They jumped down from the roof and jumped over the fence on the side of the building, following the man's example and sliding through the window. They quickly jumped into the shadows before he would be able to spot them, hoping that he would practically do their job and take out the guards. This was exciting, and that's all that mattered to them.

Sitting in his corner, Junchi’s eyes had shot open. The intruder’s had made no noise and it had been impossible for a normal person to see them come in. But Junchi wasn’t a normal person. He felt them come in....he felt there spiritual energy as they came into his little diameter of space. Since the storage room wasn’t that big, it hadn’t been too hard to feel them come in. They were hiding perfectly in a dark corner. Junchi decided to let them be. They probably where the twins from before and if they wanted to kill him they would have done it a while ago....well....they would have tried. Junchi closed his eyes again and began thinking again. He had made up his mind. He would clean this city. He would wipe out al lthe evil rich men in the area...and he would do it his way. That means there would be a lot of blood and dead bodies. He would start with the little petty criminals and then rise to the top underworld leaders. He didn’t care if this make others people’s lives miserable or good....he followed his own rules.

So Junchi opened his eyes. He would see this man. He would scare him and tell him what he was planning and then he would leave his mark on him and leave. A simple wound that would scare him...to remind him that Junchi would kill him one day. Or maybe not... maybe Junchi would be the one to die. But no matter, Junchi didn’t fear death. He would embrace it...especially if he died by the hands of a worthy warrior. But even if he did die...Junchi would leave the largest mark on this city...and they would remember his name.

With that he stood up. Looking in the direction of where the others were hiding he smirked and spoke. “I don’t know what you’re planning but stay out of my way and we won’t have any trouble...” With that said, Junchi opened the door that leaded to a hall way. He peered through the door first and when he was sure no one was there, he ran through the hall. When he came to a turning point he stuck himself against the wall and looked down the turning point. No one... so he continued his walk. His footsteps where silent and undetectable. While he walked down the hall he passed by a door. He heard the door on his left open as he walked besides it. Thinking quickly, he leaped up in the air and hung against a lamp. As the man walked out Junchi could tell right away that he was one of those bodyguards from before. Junchi grinned....he deserved to die. With a quick sound, he Ninjato was out and he dropped on the man, he blade going threw his neck. It passed through his vocal box so no sound came as the blood poured out of his mouth. Before any blood dripped to the ground, Junchi pushed the man back into the room he had come from and closed the door. He then made sure there were no signs of his death and when he was sure there was nothing there, he left.

After a while of walking, he decided that this house was large...very large. Instead of looking around like a mouse, he found a spot to hide and then started meditating. In a few seconds his energy was one with the house. He heard everything that was going on. This was something he learned from a monk a while ago when he was still in Japan. It took 2 years of his life to attain this level of meditation. With this he would find his prey....

Dark and Light were almost puzzled, wondering how the guy had known they were there. They shrugged to each other, suddenly stopping because of the loud noise from the riot. They turned to each other. Dark had a plan first. She put a hand on Light's shoulder. "I'll go see what the noise is. You stay here and find out what you can. We'll both wear disguises so that no one will know who we are, but don't wear a wig so that we can still recognize each other." Light silently nodded, a little scared that she would be away from her sister. She started looking through a box and quickly found a small servant's outfit while Dark pulled a worshiper's robe from her backpack that she had gotten from a kind monk. They both changed into their disguises and looked at each other, holding in giggles of how silly they looked. Light went to the window and lifted up Dark so she could climb out. Before leaving, Dark reassured Light. "Don't worry. We'll both be fine. See you soon, I hope."

Light blinked when Dark slipped away, confused about the last part. She then picked up the skirt of the servant's dress she was wearing and rushed out of the storage room, walking around the halls and listening to conversations the servants had. She was only able to pick up bits and pieces of information, like how the owner of the mansion was one of the richest people around. Light then saw a young girl who was only a bit younger than herself and had brown hair, plus she was wearing clothes that seemed to not be servant clothes. She walked up to the girl and smiled. "Hello, miss. I'm new here and was hoping you could help me out a bit. I'm trying to find out a few things, but no one here knows anything. Could you help me get some info?" She watched the girl turn and stare at her, then nod and walk away. Light quickly followed the girl and they both walked into a large room filled with toys. The girl sat on the bed and patted the spot by her. Almost as soon as Light sat down by her, they started chatting about the mansion and it's owner, seemingly the girl's father.

---

Dark wandered through the night, finally spotting a temple with a large crowd in front of it. She pulled up her hood and silently walked through the crowd, pushing and shoving until she was at the front. The girl she and Light had 'attacked' earlier was in between two people who were probably the leaders. The girl was talking to one, trying to get him to disperse the crowd. Dark smirked. "This is going to be interesting, I hope."

-Finally reaching the point of rendezvous, Hawk standing outside the heart of Heinlein Industries, a reactor believed to be responsible for much of the city of technological progress that had occurred throughout the city. Its true meaning unknown to even himself- "So this is it huh? To think that whatever is powering the reactor here is the driving force of the techno revolution and more importantly the political process of this City. The man who owns this facility is like a God and his invention the fire that fuels our existance , no one man should have all that power". said Hawk.

"Whatever you say Prometheus" Replied Snake who had been kneeling infront of the reactor, configuring the explosive device, "There" he uttered finished, taking to his feet now. Snake's unassuming appearance belying an intellectual depth, in fact the deepest thinker of the group. There was something about Snake's nature that was insular to most others, despite being an introvert, he came across as if there was more to him than it had seemed"

"So What took you guys so long? I've all ready set the bomb to detonate, we only have a few minutes to exit the facilities or else...You don't want to be here when this baby burps" -Snake carefully whipping his hands clean over with a handkerchief - "Do you think it's true what Wolf said? You know..."

-Hawk now leaning against a beam, his arms crossed about his sides- "There must be a humane mean to give people back their power back....If it's true, these machines are abominations and must be dismantled for the good of humanity, there's no other way until someone finds another source"

The Jester had been searching the house for around ten minutes, peering into doors, taking a wander through the kitchen area, even spending a minute in the basement, noting the large and extremely expensive wine collection, when Takami tracked him down. Hand on his shoulder, she looked him square in the face, voice all serious, and told him toprotect their money, that she had to go look at something, then left.

Watching Takami's retreating form, it felt like a weight had lifted from his shoulders. A weight he hadnt realised he'd been carrying until it was gone. Now, here in the house of a man who, by all accounts, damn near owned this town, without the burden of Takami, maybe he could have a rest. A house like this had to have a study, perhaps even a library, and it had been far too long since he'd sat with a good book and simply read for an hour. Slinging the bag containing their meagre items over his shoulder, the Jester stretched, popping his shoulders, then set off into the depths of the house again.

Rounding a corner, he stopped dead. Disappearing into the room ahead were two little girls, one the daughter of the Mr Pane they were staying with, the other with gleaming white hair. He only caught a glimpse of her face as Mr Pane's daughter shut the door, but it was definitely the little devil from earlier today. They'd followed him? Why? All at once, their parting words swam back into his mind.

"Watch the shadows. We'll be watching from there. We'll take what we want whenever we feel like it!"

It seems they werent lying. At least the kid wasnt armed. Nowhere to hide a crossbow in housemaids garb, but that didnt matter. She was with Pane's child. Surely they wouldnt be stupid enough to hurt her? A man like Pane would tear this city to pieces to find the one that hurt his child. The Jester's head swam. He needed to sit down and think. Work out what to do next. Trust Takami to take out half of Pane's guard. If she hadnt, maybe this place would have been guarded enough that the two girls couldnt have slipped inside.

Moving fast, he slipped back the way he came, moving past the first door, through which he could hear the timorous sound of piano practice, opening and entering the next. For the second time in so many minutes, he stopped cold. Sprawled across the floor in front of him was the corpse of a man, blood pooling in a coagulating mess on the carpet from the ragged wound on his neck. Instantly, his hands flicked to hidden blades, pulling knives with blackened blades from nowhere as he put his back to the wall. Wide eyes took in the entire scene, snapping from corner to corner. A desk on one side of the room, bookshelves on two walls, a low coffee table and settee tucked in the corner closest to his right. Seems he'd found the study. What goddamn luck. There was no one else in the room, and judging from the fact that the servant girls werent running around screaming, no one else had found this man yet, either.

The knives disappeared back to where they'd come from and the Jester knelt next to the corpse. Spending so much time around criminals as he had, he'd seen a fair few dead bodies, not that it made him any less squeamish around blood, and he was hoping to get some information from the way this man died. He was one of the bodyguards from earlier, sporting a heavy bruise on one side of his face from where Takami had punched him, the darling. Not that that mattered now. The cut was expert, a heavy thrust clear through the man's neck that took his jugular in one clean move. Judging from the crescent spray of blood that decorated the carpet, he'd also been pushed back into the room as he died. There was no way either of those two tiny girls could have done this. This man weighed at least two hundred pounds, and the killing blow would have taken some heavy force to perform. That meant there was, what, another assassin in the house? Just what was going on here?

Checking hidden weapons, he closed the mans eyes, then rose, carefully shutting the door behind him. They were dealing with a professional. Maybe another of the ryuusei's assassins, and it was clear the the house guard wouldnt be enough to stop him. Alerting everyone would just cause more death. The Jester sighed, eyes closed. Seemed like it was just him again, and all he'd wanted to do was read a gooddamned book. Cant a man have a minute to himself in this day and age without another psychotic killer coming after him? Mentally steeling himself, his discoloured eyes snapped open, and he made for the room where the two girls had gone. Pane's daughter was the obvious target, despite the risks, and it meant he could deal with the little wretch who'd sneaked in at the same time. Then he'd find the assassin.

The door opened easily, and he strode into the room in a whirlwind of movement, crossing to the bed in a second, just two easy steps, placing a hand on the girls mouth to stop her screaming, his other hand extended towards the white haired urchin child as he glared down at her with fiery eyes, daring her to make a move.

Sitting one again in a corner, Junchi’s eyes shot open. He had been discovered. The air had changed in the house. There had been a shiver somewhere. They had probably found the body. This meant that someone or a group of people would be looking for him. He would need to act fast. He wouldn’t want to kill anyone yet...unless he needed to. Smirking, he stood up calmly. He didn’t feel to stressed about this. The way Otome had massacred those guards from before; they would stand no chance against Junchi. And if it was someone else...well...then Junchi might have to unsheathe his weapon. Grinning, he turned a corner not really caring for stealth. He knew exactly where his target was... He was sitting in his lounge, surrounded by a few guards. Otome didn’t seem to be around. She had probably leaded the building. “Too bad...I would have liked to meet her...” Junchi needed to see what he was up against. That man that had been with Otome... he must be strong as well. Two worthy foes in one day...what luck. Maybe it had been a good idea to come here after all... Walking a few more minutes, he found himself standing in an open area. Some sort of living room. The best part...there was at least 10 guards there, smoking and talking. Junchi grinned as they all reached for their guns after seeing him.

In a blink of an eye, Junchi was gone, feathers floating in the space he occupied. Suddenly, the lights in the room died and the room as plunged into darkness. Panicking, the men raised their guns but before they could shoot, Junchi appeared in the middle of the room. With a 360 spin, he waved his hand. Multiple shuriken were thrown at once. In a matter of seconds, 30 shuriken had hit 10 men. Junchi then stood straight, stretching his arms. Blood started to re-decorate the room. “Maybe I should have tried the moon technique...less messy...” He shrugged and walked over a body.

After another hall, Junchi found himself in the lounge. Sitting in the opposite direction, the rich man was drinking a glass of scotch. The men spotted him first. Junchi had been walking fast and had arrived face to face with the first guard. With a swift movement, his blade went through the man’s chest. With a strong kick, the body fell to the ground. Looking at the next guard, he reached for a shuriken and threw it at the man. Only two guards remained. Firing their guns, Junchi vanished in time and reappeared behind them. With one slash, his blade slashed their jugulars. In a matter of seconds they were dead of blood loss. Finally, he turned to face the rich man. He had run to a wall, looking in fright at the assassin. Junchi had grinned and walked towards him.

“Ah...pleasure to meet you Mister Lance Pane...”
“Please...just don’t hurt me...I have a child...” he answered right away
“Calm yourself...I’m not going to kill you yet....I just want you to be scared...very scared” As Junchi said this, he calmly made a mark on the man’s cheek with the tip of his ninjato. It had been deep enough to scar when healed.
“Remember me...and whenever you forget me look at the scar...remember that I’m coming for you...and that once you’re dead...this city will be free...”
Before Lance Pane could ever answer, Junchi vanished, leaving black feathers on the ground.