Our young samurai heroine was sitting on the deck of the airship that had taken her and her jester companion to Bay city. As she peeked from behind the book she was reading she could see the outline of the skyscrapers that sat in the middle of the city, she knew they were almost there. She sat up and looked down at the young boy, who couldn’t be more than nineteen, she had been sitting on as he did pushups. She nodded at the boy as if a sign of approvement and the boy fell over and just laid there out of breath.

She then heard a loud and slightly aggressive voice say “Missy, you did a fine job wiping my crew into shape, I guess allowing you on board was a good choice.” Takami turned and looked at the man who was wearing a cowboy hat, a brown leather jacket that was open showing his chest off, jeans that looked like they might be a little to tight, and brown boots. She nodded and said “when will we dock at Bay city.” The man looked over at her and said “Oh, I can’t dock at Bay city. If the police see me they will throw me in jail so fast your head will spin.” Takami scratched her head and said “well how do I get into the city.” The man pointed to a rope ladder and said “I’ll lower it down and you and your friend can hop off.” Takami sighed and then just nodded, things were never simple for her.

She then watched as a deckhand came out and said “we are almost over the docks.” The man in the cowboy hat looked at Takami and said “well looks like its time for us to part ways, you be careful Bay city isn’t a place for the weak. If you want to get information your going have to use that sword of yours.” Takami looked at the large sword on her back that was wrapped up tight with medical gauze, it was a makeshift sheath seeing as the sword was to large for a normal sheath. She looked at the man and said “Thank you” She bowed respectfully and when she looked up the man placed his hat on her head and said “I’ll be back in a month, if you have your information by then I’ll take you wherever you need to go.” She smiled, picked up the bag that held the clothes she was traveling with, and then started to climb down the ladder.

When she and her companion were on the docks, she looked up into the sky and waved as the airship flew away. She then stretched her arms and legs a bit, she started walking toward the warehouses that all read district one, she then looked at the jester and said “ I think we should go find a place to sleep” She flung the bag over her shoulder and began walking all the warehouses looked the same, but some were different they had markings on them like signs to tell who owned the warehouse. Takami didn’t really care who owned the warehouses she just thought it looked odd to deface a building with markings. As she made her way through district one, she heard shouting and yelling as she got closer to a sign that read district three, when she got to the sign she saw that district three was just one long street that had a bunch of buildings along it and everywhere she turned there was someone yelling or screaming. She walked down the street and watched as a man was thrown out into the street by a group of four men, they each looked at her and one said “Hey little lady, how about we show you a good time.” Takami rolled her eyes, these guys were either drunk, perverts or a mix of both. She then looked at the small little hut of a building they came out of it looked like it was a shop. She walked inside and saw that it was a bar and gambling hall.
She walked up to the bar and sat down. The chairs revolved which entertained her has she spun around a few times. The bar keep stared at her and then when she finally stop she said a little aggressively “you going to stare at me all day or are you going to serve me a drink?” The bar keep smiled and said “what will it be?” She looked around seeing what people were drinking, everyone was drinking out of large clear glass mugs. She turned to the bar keep and said “I’ll have what they are having.” He quickly brought her a glass, she stared at it. She rarely drank alcohol, but as she watched as everyone else chugged down their drinks she didn’t want to seem weak by sipping on it, she had to gain a reputation if she wanted to get the information she wanted. She chugged down the drink and smashed the glass. She then heard everyone cheer and the bar keep just laughed, then suddenly a man came up behind her and hugged her, she turned around to see the drunk man. He smiled at her and said “how about coming back to my place?” Takami sighed and punched the man, when he hit the floor everyone looked at him then at her and then back at him. They all then cheered and went back to drinking and gambling.

Takami looked over at her Jester friend and said “I think I have an idea where we can sleep.” She grabbed the man by the shirt and dragged him outside, she tapped him on the face to wake him up and she said “where do you live.” The man mumbled a few words and Takami sighed and said “he is to drunk.” She left the man on the side of the road to sober up and she began walking off to look for a place to stay.

((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.

He sat their waiting for something to happen. He was just about to start something when this girl came in, spun around like an idiot on her chair, took a glass, chugged it down and smashed it then left. He was awestruck the minute it happened. He was watching her closely, hand on Talon and his hood up. When the girl left he decided to have a little brawl. He took his hood down, people seeing him reacted all the same way.

One went in low and the another tried to tackle his back. Max wasn't a visionary but he could hear the running steps to the leap. He backflipped over the leaping man at the same time of kicking the face of the guy who went in low. He knew this all to well. Others went for their swords. Same thing all over again. Max, the wanted man, the creator of brawls, the escaper. Much of these men had it in for him. Some for the money and others for a grudge they hold so tightly. Max was just sub-consciously side-stepping every attack and then he really got hit.

The man cheered and the others around him cheered with him. "That's it." He instantly took out Talon and whirled around, the deadly blade making every man step back not to get cut. "Let's start this for real." He took the sheath and bashed it on someone's head while as well striking with Talon for a blood wound so it could feed. Punch their, hilt bash here and whirl. Basic movements all, but enough to do damage. Then came in the sword-bearers. Max dropped his sheath, parried a man and dodged a sword all in one movement. He was fast enough for 3 moves but when dodging 5 incoming swords, he didn't have a chance. He kicked Talon's sheath in one of the patron's face, took his sword and blocked 2 swords with either of his sword. The man who got the sheath in the face smashed Max to the ground. The blow hit Max heavily and he found himself dizzy after. I'm still able to fight, he thought, time to bring out the real maneuvers. In the blink of an eye, Max was up and started cutting wounds in the opponents' sword arms. Flip, slash, flip, slash, flip. This was all of the mercenary's movements and none of them faltered. A good half hour past before he was out of the real trouble. Now all the gutless patrons were left. The others were heavily wounded to the arms. He dropped his other sword, grabbed talon's sheath and sheathed the sword. He put it on the corner of the bar counter.

Walking up to them, the patrons were scared. "Hello boys, mind if I have entertainment with you guys?" Before they could even say no, 2 of them were out through the window and the other was bashed through the door breaking it. The bar keep just sighed. "Max, will you ever stop this madness? It's the fifth time this week!" Max chuckled. "I was getting bored and I have to keep my reputation going Jakie." Jake sighed again as Max walked through the door he yelled, "This is getting off of your pay-check you stupid mercenary!" max just waved him off, put Talon's sheath on his belt and ran to cover some grounds. He had 2 reasons why he was running. The first, he had to catch up to the girl. The second, well the cops where about to show up....

====Bay City-District 2-Heinlein Industries====

Just outside the sight of the largest factory in Bay City, connected to the factory, was the privately ran commuter system which ferried more than 4000 workers on any given day, this would be the last train coming inbound for the evening, not until its morning departure , outside the station stood four company employed security guards, the atmosphere for that evening was decisively tense as news of terrorist plots had not yet receded from the public's consciousness, within the last month 2 other factories had suffered sabotaging assaults, it was believed that a group calling themselves "Zodiac" was responsible for much of the terrorism which impacted much of the business district. Zodiac lead by its leader Hawk was considered nearly impossible to apprehend, they would strike unexpectedly and with such haste it was believed that they had plants on the inside , often doning the least suspicious of disguises, their operandi from each raid change so much it was if they were re-inventing themselves with each new performance. Their work much like a piece of art.

The steam powered train grinding to a slow halt as it approached its final destination just outside the factories backdoor, one of the guards approaching to inspect the contents of the carts, signaling his peers a raised thumb" I'm all clear on my side, Vick, you and Biggs should check the right and left flank, Jessie, you search top and bottom"

The other guards nodding with lanterns in hand, Vicks and Wedge soon took to checking their assigned segments of the train, they reported with "All Clears" on their end, Jessie the last guard on the other hand taking a bit longer than expected"

Wedge: You think something happened to Jessie when he went to check on his end?
Vicks: Please don't, I'd rather not think about a terrorist attack.

Alex: Gentlemen, There will be no terrorist attacks as long as I'm on the shift.
-Off In the distance-"All clear on my side"
Vicks and Wedge: -sighing-
Alex: Why don't you come out all ready so we can see you?

Jessie:-Emerging from behind the freight end, the guard approached the others, comming into view, the other guards seem to have been captivated by something- "Why are you guys looking at me like that?"

Wedge: Wow jessie, I didn't know you could be so pretty in the moonlight, when did your skin get so soft and supple? and your breasts are much perkier than usual.

Jessies: Well that's because tee-hee...

-Shooting out from underneath the train was a rather impressive forearm, the fore arm colliding with such force that it swept the guard Wedge completely making him backflip before falling onto his face, the figure whose arm it had belonged rolling out from underneath the train, the large oxe-like stood at an impressive 6'4" 240 something pounder. He resembled a professinal wrestler, in hand was an equal impressive sized man sized polearm.-


Alex: Damnit, we've been breached.

Vicks: -Slowly he would step away from the intimidating tremendous man in retreat, leaning into Jessie as he would do so-

Jessie: -A swift hand collided with the back of his neck, rendering Vick unconscious-

Alex: -Glancing at Jessie- You too?

- The sound of a screeching hawk pierced the sky, which made Alex turn his attention forward, however this was merely a diversion, ontop of the train cart, a cloaked figure sprung forth shrouded in dark, catapulting onto the platform below with a well executed somersault , two blade tips resting along the neckline of the remaining guard, when Alex turned to face the intruder, he was welcomed with a stunning roundhouse kick-

"Whoever idea was it to use the commuter train to Stowaway is a genius. I should thank them " Hawk replied.

Fox in Jessie's disguise: Then You should thank Serpico-I mean Snake, he's all ready inside.

(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.

A lone figure appeared out of a building, then suddenly followed by several other figures. They walked towards the bar where their business was. The lead figure saw two other figures, a female and male, pass by them. He eyed them suspiciously and sent one of his men to tail them from a distance to check them out. They were newcomers. Fresh blood. Perhaps they could be converted and they too could join his legions of followers paying tithes to the Holy Lord. After walking for another several minitues, yet more people came running past. One of the cloaked figures nudged his head towards the runners, asking if he should go tail them. The lead figure shook his head. They were already too close to their target location, and already the sirens announced the police on their way.

The bartender was still gazing at his wrecked bar when a group of hooded figures walked in, kicking and pushing drunks aside. . The stylized " I" with a grinning skull on the head of the lead man's hood gave away his identity immediately. He quickly got down on his knees before the figure and prostrated before him. " My-- My Lord. I did not realize that--" The figure cut him off with a movement of his hand. " Forgot that you have yet to pay your dues to the Church of the Holy Lord? Forgot to pay respect to the Holy Lord himself? or Me?" The bartender stammered begging for forgiveness while the hooded man went on ranting. " I protect your bar from the other gangs. I absolve them of all their sins for free, for their drinking binge. I keep away most competition in this district. AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY THE HOLY LORD AND I?" The bartender winced at the sudden outburst and started sobbing. The figure's voice suddenly became soft again. " But, up until this point, you have paid your dues to the Church dutifully, and normally come to pray. If you can explain yourself quickly, perhaps I wont need to break a limb or bring you to the 'Room'." A torrent of excuses spilled out of the bartenders mouth. The figure nodded, and finally said, " Perhaps you are being truthful. I expect you to bring half the drunks here from now on, and also a 75% share of your profits to be donated to the Temple. The Holy Lord shall see if you can redeem yourself through these deeds. " The bartender bowed his head and sobbed in relief as the group left into the street. Sirens flashed as police started to rush in until they saw the hooded figures. Realizing who the lead figure was, a couple officers bowed before him while others glared at him in disgust. Eventually the group reached the heart of the underworld, many smaller gangs quickly moving aside, having heard tales of what the small group could do, indeed what even the strange man could do. Only a couple orginizations and gangs could still hope to even try and compete with "The Foreigner". Siro smiled as he reached the base of his operations, the Das Reichenstag Citadel, an imposingn structure able to be easily spotted by anyone in airships, skyscrapers, and the other side of the district. Legally, it was a branch of the Main Church of the Holy Lord, but now everyone knew it was a forsaken place, and to be called into it's empty halls was a death sentence. Siro dispatched another runner to the other side of the town after noticing the person he had sent to tail the two strangers had yet to report back. Other then that, everything was fine for the life of Siro Arrakis, the Holy Man of Bay City, and also the Foreigner of the Crimeworld. The World was his.

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.

Takami had only walked a little ways before she heard the sound of feet following her, the feet were little, but when she felt someone tug on her she quickly turned around with her hand on the sword on her back. When she looked down and saw it was only two little girls, she let go of the sword. She noticed that the girls had weapons and they weren’t average little lost girls. She looked over at the Jester and saw how he was eyeing his dagger, but Takami stuck out her hand as if telling him there was no need for that.

Takami knew that even though these girls had weapons, they wouldn’t be much of a threat to her. They were smaller meaning their best chance of attack was a sneak attack and they had blown that by one showing they had weapons and two by coming up to her. If they wanted her money they would have tried to kill her and take it without being seen. She smiled at the girls and said sarcastically “aw your lost, that’s so sad.” Takami knew that these girls weren’t lost, that was one of the oldest tricks a young thief could use. She then knelt down to look the girls in the eyes and said “You can cut the act now, what is it that you really want?” She then stood up and took the sword off of her back and then rested it on her shoulder. The sword was heavy, it strained her a little bit, but she had trained with it for years, she had built up a lot of muscle most of it couldn’t be easily seen, but it was there.

As she looked down at the girls, she noticed someone else following her. It was a boy, he was running in their direction. It was like he wasn’t even trying to hide the fact that he was following her or maybe he just didn’t see that she was now looking directly at him. She sighed, she just hoped this guy wasn’t one of those stalker types. Like the jester’s stalker who gave him the donkey head to show him her love. That still sent a shutter down her spine at the thought of it, but her eyes then narrowed when she noticed a person in a cloak. You would think that would make a person harder to notice, but not when no one else near by is wearing a cloak, then it just makes you a moving target. She didn’t want to alarm this person, by letting him know she noticed him.

She saw him peeking from behind a building, clearly staring at her little group that was growing. She had to many things to focus on, these girls who just showed up out of no where, this boy who was running toward her, and the man in the cloaking following her.
She knew that if she was going to get anywhere in this city she needed to have a reputation, but not the kind that made people want to follow her. She needed to be feared in this city, that was the only way she was going to find the informant. She sighed thinking that things were not going as planned, she only wanted to be here for a week, but by the looks of things she was going to be stuck her quite a while.

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!"

*District Four- Reykyon Monastery: Daybreak* (P.S. This is still the same day, but earlier in the morning. I will write about later on in the evening with the next post.)

The daily routine of a monastic always began with a morning prayer meant to cleanse the body of impure intentions and create good energy for the rest of the day, and even though the Venerable Shingen Kamakura was responsible for the entire monastery’s daily necessities he was no exception to this religious observance. As the warrior monk finished with this ritual he proceeded to clothe himself in the traditional dual blue and white kimonos reserved for trips outside of the monastery, but of course they were used most every day by the entire order. In recent years the Foreigner had successfully terrorized the populace of Bay City and initiated a cruel reign of a zealous tyrant, this in turn forced the Reykyon monastery to continually patrol the streets and shield their followers from his wrath. Luckily there had been no outright conflict between the factions as of yet, but the day was soon to come when the Reykyon monastery would be forced to act as it had in the past.


As the young monastic finished folding the intricate garments and fastened both belts around his waist in order to keep the kimonos in place a shadow appeared on the other side of the fusuma that separated his room from the hallway. Shingen’s soft feet made only the slight swishing noise of cloth on wood as he proceeded to the wood and paper door and slid it over to reveal the kneeling figure of the novice Nobutada. This novice served the senior monk as a servant/messenger who carried out the minor duties assigned him while learning the duties of a Reykyon monk.

“Come young Nobutada; let us breakfast before assigning any duties today. I am feeling particularly at peace after this morning’s prayer and wish to enjoy this tranquility for a while longer.”

The young novice, only fourteen years of age, rose up quietly after his tutor passed by and proceeded to follow him three paces behind with his head tilted slightly downwards, leaving the half-shaven head facing Shingen while his eyes followed to intricate wooden floor. The aroma of the morning’s fresh bread and porridge wafted through the still air as the monastery’s inhabitants, minus the already bustling cooking staff, all ventured towards the dining area in silence. Instead of seating themselves in tables and chairs the monks preferred to use large mats and used the floor as one giant table with the congregation seating themselves per their status in the order’s hierarchy. As the monastery’s leader it was Shingen’s place to be seated on the small dais overlooking the large circle of his peers.

Their food was always prepared by a generous cooking staff comprised of bakers and cooks from the neighboring areas as a sign of homage to their religious teachers, and after the fresh rye bread and oatmeal had been served they departed from dining area and finally the monastery to continue with their daily lives. The congregation always ate in complete silence, not wanting to disturb their morning meditation, and just as quietly the novices bowed away one by one to take empty dishes to the kitchens, clean the kitchen itself after the morning’s meal preparation, and gather the generous amount of extra food to be given as alms to the less fortunate families in the area. After all the bowls had been gathered and the novices departed to begin their daily chores Shingen finally broke the silence.

“Good morning brothers, and thanks be to Reykyon for the blessed food and yet another beautiful day on this planet,” The young monk then reached into his left sleeve and produced a parchment that had been tucked away into a pocket earlier that same morning, it was the schedule he kept to keep from showing and favoritism when assigning alms-giving, preaching, or merely traversing the city’s streets, “If you may allow I shall continue with the reading of today’s list.”

His brothers all nodded with courteous smiles on their faces. It was more of a ritual than anything, but everyone enjoyed the small gesture immensely, and no one was in contest with Shingen’s schedule.

“For the distribution of alms I would like for these individuals to pair up and proceed to various sections of District Four: Takamitsu, Keiji, Washizu, Toshiro, Kenshin, and Hideyoshi. For sermons and guidance: Nobunaga, Goemon, Masamune, Nagamasa, Toshiie, and Yukimura. I trust in the rest of your wisdom and decisions. If there are any questions I will be traversing this neighborhood and speaking with various business owners, but my pupil Nobutada will know how to reach me, so please have me sent for. If not I will be back for luncheon. Brother Hidetada please wait for one moment so I may speak with you.”

As their monastic brothers departed to begin their various duties or leisurely pursuits Shingen’s twin advanced slowly towards his brother. Hidetada had taken a vow of silence when initiated into the brotherhood, but his was a personality that needed few words to express his inner thoughts. The twin sat down softly next to his brother, Shingen, and waited patiently for whatever it was that he wished to “discuss.”

“I would like you to join me for a short while this morning Hidetada, at least until lunch-time. After that there is an errand I wish for you to run for me. Word is that in District 3 the young, female twins have been causing trouble again. I would like you to find them and give them this letter,” Upon mention of the letter Shingen again reached into his left sleeve to produce yet another parchment and handed it to Hidetada, who then slipped the rolled-up paper into his own left-sleeve, “It is a shame to hear of children forced to act in such a way, and wish to offer them help if they so desire. I also ask you to take my novice Nobutada and our brother Ieyasu with you should any complications arrive.”

Hidetada nodded his acquiescence with a bowing of his head to touch the floor with arms stretched forwards. His brother Shingen placed a light hand on his shoulder to urge the prostrate man to rise from his position. The two brothers quickly shuffled towards the dojo to obtain their respected naginatas and continued towards the entrance where they placed wooden geta on their feet for the rough roadways of the city.

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.

A little bit later, the person he had detailed to follow the suspicious people returned, along with the man who had been sent to find him. The first man whispered something into Siro's ear, who nodded scribbled something down, then gave it to the closest person to him who ran off with it to several other branches with orders to be on a look out for the people. Siro then looked at the officers and high ranking clergies who were assembled before him. " My Brothers and Sisters, I have also heard that the heretical monastery in District 4 has failed to show us any respect. They attack our people on the street, and beat our preachers!" Already there was a cry out of outrage from the group, one priest screaming for blood. " YES MY BROTHER! We should go out and take revenge on these people for what they have done. However, we are believers of the Holy Lord, who believes all sinners must have a second change yes? And they have yet to kill anyone, yes? We should not go out to fight them, no, that is not our way at all! We must continue fighting the heretics with faith and words, and one day the Holy Lord shall smite them, and we shall finally be able to show everyone else the purity of our way, and the greatness and holiness of our Holy Lord! I ask of you to be peaceful, and to ask of your children and flock to be peaceful as well. If they attack you, just keep spreading the word of the Holy Lord, for they shall burn in the bits of Hell." The bay for blood died down as the group considered this and let it marinate. Siro then continued, " However, the moment they kill one of our numbers, they shall see that we are not cowards who refuse to protect our churches and the Holy Lord. We will bring to them a terrifying reality! We shall--" He was suddenly cut-off by the sudden opening of a door. " Holy One! Brother Menshavik was found dead in District 4. It seemed those heretics had slashed and stabbed him to death!" A bloody man shouted. The other people in the room looked at Siro as they watched his face turn into an ugly face of vengence and anger. " Then.... then follow what I just said. Take it to heart. They have dared to do such a thing. Such a ignoble sin. Brothers! Sisters! Gather our followers, we shall march to the monastery and just see what they have to say...." They cheered and hurried out to their respective branch churches to begin the process of war. As they all left, Siro smiled. That random priest he had found wandering the alleyways had proved useful as a scapegoat. No one saw him as he cut apart the poor brother, and now, the monastery would pay for not patrolling the streets well enough. Suppressing a cackle, he grabbed his scythe and rifle and stored them under his cloak as his base was thrown into a frenzy as gang members and normal believers grabbed improvised weapons and marched to District 4. Siro did make sure to have them all hide it somehow so the police would just think it was a mass pilgrimage to the main church.

Takami watched as the young girls made their escape, she looked over at her companion wondering what they meant by “we’ll take what we want..” She then shook her head and turned away. She couldn’t deal with that right now, she had to find a place to stay. She made her way through district three, but she couldn’t find anyone who might be able to find her a place to stay. That was when a group of men wear suits came walking down the street, they were in a circle. They were clearly protecting someone, Takami tried to see who they were guarding but they were standing to close together. She could barely see behind the large men. One of them noticed her looking and then when he saw the sword on her back he reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a pistol. They all stopped and then drew their pistols. A deep booming voice yelled “what do you idiots think your doing!” A man stepped from behind the men a young girl by his side, the man looked as if he was in his mid forties, had a bald head, slight tan skin, a well groomed beard and a scar on his left cheek. The girl was about seven or eight, had long brown hair, beautiful deep brown eyes, and tan skin that was very close to the man‘s shade. She clanged to the man tight, it was clear that was her father or someone dear to her. The man looked at his guards and said “why did you stop.” One of them motioned to Takami and the Jester and said “she was staring and she has a sword, can never be to careful boss.”

He looked over at Takami and then said “its just a woman, lets keep moving. I want to get to the office, so I can hurry up and go home.” When the man said that, the words the captain of the airship told her echoed through her head “you might have to use that sword of yours” she knew that this was her way in, this man looked like he was a member of the underworld and he had guards so he must have money. She pulled the sword off of her back and then handed the Jester the cowboy hat she was wearing and winked. She began to unravel the gauze around the sword, but as she thought about it. She figured it would be better to leave it on. She didn’t want to kill anyone, she just needed to show her skills. She charged the man’s guards, they circled around the man, before anyone of them could pull the trigger of their guns she had hit the lead guard with the back of her sword. He blunt force sent him to his knees. She then jumped up and landed on his shoulder, she used his shoulder as a springboard and launched herself into the air and sent the man face first into the ground. She landed behind the guards and did a wide sweep and sent three guard flying backward. Leaving only four standing, she then charged into the four guards slamming one of them with her shoulder, they both fell but Takami rolled and was back on her feet. As she got up she took a step forward and used the momentum to hit a guard in the stomach with the handle of her sword. That only left two, they both gripped their guns tight and then fired, she put her sword up and deflected the bullets. She then made sure no one was hurt, and then charged in and punched one guard and as he fell she quickly did a leg sweep to the last one and when he hit the ground she put her right foot on his chest. She looked at the man and said “looks like your guards are kind of weak.” He stepped back and said “what do you want?” She smiled and said “ My friend and I, need a place to stay. So here is the deal, you give us a place to stay and I’ll protect you and train your guards.”

The man thought about her offer, he really wasn’t in the position to refuse. He then looked at one of the guards who was getting up. He smacked the man in the back of the head and said “you weak bastard, go to my office and tell them I wont be able to make the meeting.” He nodded and then ran off. The man looked at Takami and said “well lets get moving, I’ll need an escort home.” She nodded and then walked over to the Jester and grabbed her hat, she put it on and said “I guess finding a place to stay wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be.” She then walked back over to the man, he extended his hand and said “I like to know my employees, what’s your name.” She chuckled and said “Takami and you?” He nodded and said “Lance Pane.” She thought his name seemed interesting, she wondered about the man behind the name, from what he had said earlier she knew the man was at least important. After a little while of walking, they reached the train station, it was slightly crowded, but Takami’s new boss had a special car and everywhere they went people called him sir, Takami wondered just who this man was. The train reached district four in few short minutes. They got off and a car was waiting for them, the car transported them to a luxurious mansion that sat on a small hill that allowed it to over look the other small houses in district four.

They exited the car and walked inside, it was well decorated and butlers and maids walked around constantly. One of them even brought Takami tea, she looked at the jester with a look that said “I can get used to this”

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.

The wave of fanatics and believers slowly marched towards the monastery all the while waving banners depicting the Holy Lord and his many deeds, and many screaming, singing, and yelling prayers to the Holy Lord, his songs, and also his holy deeds Lone patrolling monks were surrounded by angry thongs of worshipers, many who where bearing cheap firearms, rods of iron, wood, knives, any weapon that could be found in the general vicinity of District 3 and 4. A couple monks attempted to calm down the crows and were immediately beaten to pulp, and almost to death had it not been for several priests who urged them not to kill, at least not yet while none of them had been killed. Also, they ordered the crowd to let trapped monks flee back to the monastery where they would be trapped like rats. Several more prominent looking monks came out demanding to speak to their leader. Several of the priests refused to call Siro forth and instead continued leading the crowd in several litanies and prayers. Siro himself was in the far back, watching as several of his gang members brought out small mortars and set them up while others others rushed into a nearby building and set up rifle and machine gun positions. Most of the mortars had been cobbled together, and most of the rifles themselves were just civilian rifles, nothing with an extreme stopping power, range, or accuracy. However, the machine guns had been stolen from a police shipment at a high cost to the raiding group, more then half of them being killed by the police. Either way, they had all been costly, and Siro hoped they would be more then enough to convince the Monks to stop their sacrilegious practice and follow the Holy Truth.

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.

Shingen Kamakura’s day had been tranquil up until several of his brothers began straggling into the monastery after suffering horrendous beatings at the hands of The Foreigner’s rabble. The time of conflict had come much sooner than anticipated, and already things were looking rather grim. What had started as a torch and make-shift weapon wielding congregation outside soon assembled into a partially organized siege meant to barricade the Reykyon monastics inside of their temple, and all the meanwhile he could hear the misguided priests yelling about one of their own brethren who had supposedly been murdered by one of Shingen’s monks.

The idea itself that one of their faith would commit such an atrocity was laughable, and as the abbot he knew each and every monk under his care very well. Not a single one would attack another being lest forced to in the defense of another or their well-being, but even then murder was an unquestionable religious-taboo that defied all of their teachings. This riot lacked any integrity or even substantive evidence, which seemed to indicate foul play, and the only idea Shingen could fathom would be The Foreigner’s hand had come into play. He could not understand why the two religions could not live harmoniously with one another, did they not both believe in benevolence and tolerance, yet why would the very followers and priests who mindlessly regurgitate these ideals spurn them so easily?

The three monks directly under him in their hierarchy returned inside after their failed attempt to speak with Siro, and the shadow of shame marked their down-turned faces as they approached the abbot, who was, for the moment, sitting on the steps at the front door of their temple at the end of the short path from the monastery’s gates. His hands were busy examining both arrow and yumi in case they needed to be used for the defense of their lives. Unfortunately the monastery’s roster only number 50 ordained monks with another 25 apprentices under them, and the apprentices had been sent out through a hidden side-entrance while the mob outside was still unorganized so they could escape to the safety of their homes.

Toshiie trod within three paces of the abbot and knelt down and sat on his sandals while continuing to look at the ground. Shingen placed the yumi down at his side carefully and replaced the arrow into the quiver sitting next to him. He had a suspicion they would come back empty handed, and as such knew that their shame was unnecessary, and with a wave of his right hand the three monks, Toshiie in the middle with Takashi on his right and Ieyasu on his left, looked upwards complacently at their abbot.

“Venerable Shingen the priests refuse to call forth The Foreigner, and as we speak they are setting up both automatic weaponry and artillery. I am sorry to have failed you so in this task, and hope that this shame will not scar our honor for too long.”

“Nonsense Toshiie there is no shame in what just happened, and all the more so it is better for the moment. We have a better understanding of their position and intents. They believe us to be heathens and blood-thirsty, yet are blinded to the fact that their own leader has committed crimes in the name of their God. The people are misled by this man and refuse to see they are merely pawns in his schemes. I wish that I could bring enlightenment into their world, but cede the notion as they do not want to believe a holy man is capable of evil.”

Takashi, one of the most recently ordained, had a frightened look on his face. His voice quavered slightly as he spoke to the always calm-minded Shingen. “Shingen what are we to do? We cannot sit here while they wait to slaughter us. What they are doing is wrong and should be punished, why are they so ignorant and blood thirsty?”

Ieyasu frowned at Takashi’s remarks. Ieyasu was one of the senior brothers who had taught Shingen and Hidetada as they were growing up in the monastic lifestyle, and he had always been a patient and caring individual who never spoke a harsh word, yet the Takashi’s comments had sparked a fire in his soul.

“You should watch those remarks more carefully Takashi. It is not our place to judge another human being, and they are merely misguided as the Venerable Shingen has already stated. It is not their fault that they have been led down the wrong path for the moment, yet this is not to say their faith or beliefs are any less valid than ours, but the leader of the pack has corrupted them. The youth is correct though Shingen. Something must be done.”

Shingen’s pause lasted for several minutes as the sound of prayers outside the gate gave way to hoots and hollers for vengeance whilst he pondered the comments made by his charges. This was a very fragile situation he was confronted with, and no matter the ideas he struggled with there seemed only one way in which he could protect the monastics under his care. Hopefully he could take time and attention enough so that they could all escape if the need arose. Finally the abbot stood up to address his three brothers seated in front of him.

“Toshiie, Ieyasu, Takashi please gather all of the remaining brothers and head towards the cellar. Our senior brothers know why I want you to go there. It was a precaution taken after our exodus from Japan many years ago in case of an emergency such as this. I will not allow you to die, and neither will I allow our followers to go unguarded if we were to be murdered here. I must go forth and speak with The Foreigner personally, but if I go out whilst armed they will cut me down before I get within ten paces. Do not worry about me brothers. Please hurry!”
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A full thirty minutes had elapsed since Toshiie, Ieyasu, and Takashi and reentered the monastery, and in the meantime the inhabitants of the Reykyon neighborhood hid within their domiciles while the mob outside grew larger. Whether they would be spared the slaughter was uncertain, but they had faith in their monastics and knew that something would be done. Just as the tension grew too great for the inhabitants to bear any longer the large gates to the Reykyon monastery burst open to unveil the form of Shingen Kamakura, the monastery’s abbot.

The solitary figure was unarmed as he ventured forth into the throng of the venomous crowd, and it seemed the only reason he was not assaulted was due to the fact that the priests had done a remarkable job restraining the masses so far, yet as he continued even deeper the mass began crowding in ever closer. It seemed that several of the priests recognized him as the abbot, which further inspired them to restrain the crowds, but none the less they continued to berate Shingen with harsh comments concerning his faith. After what seemed an eternity Shingen Kamakura finally came within speaking distance of The Foreigner, yet far enough to give the man a sense of security lest he become suspicious and believe the monk wish to attack him.

“Father Siro I am most appreciative of your coming to our monastery. May we speak alone of why you are here? If you worry about my intentions of coming here there is no need for I am unarmed and have come alone. A look at the walls would tell you my brothers will be of no bother either.”

The warrior monk stood calmly with a rather complacent look upon his face, and in fact there was the hint of a smile spread across his lips in a genuine fashion. With his hands clasped before his heart the young abbot bent over into a half-bow as a sign of respect to a fellow religious leader. As he bent back up the smile stayed and he waited patiently for the man’s answer.

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....

Takami stood on the balcony, it over looked the entire district. She had find a newspaper and on the front page was her new employer, Lance pane. She had discovered he was one of the richest men in Bay city. No one knew how this man became so rich, his parents were both immigrants who came to this city. So the man didn’t get an inheritance, most guessed that he became a member of some of the local gangs at the time and made a name for himself. This man wasn’t one to be messed with, he had connections to just about everyone. If he wanted you dead, it would take only a snap of his fingers. Takami wondered why a man such as him would have such weak guards, he must have enemies so why have guards who can be single handily defeated by her.

She took a sip of her tea, she looked out onto the beautiful houses below, she then noticed a commotion. She could slightly hear yelling and screaming, her trained ears allowed her to hear things from such a far distance. But she could barely make out what was going on, but it couldn’t be good. She left the balcony and found the Jester, she gripped his shoulder and said “I’m going to go check something out, you stay here and protect our money bag.” Takami smiled and then ran out of the house in a hurry, she knew the Jester could handle anything that came his way. She had been traveling with him and seen his skills, even if the man’s enemies sent someone after him the Jester could handle it. He was the kind of person who always had a trick up his sleeve. As she ran toward the commotion, she wondered what she would see. Would it be a murder? Possibly a animal on the loose? Or maybe your normal mob. Either way Takami would help anyway she could. That was the kind of person she was, she could never just leave things as they were if someone needed her help she would be there.

It only took her about ten minutes of jogging to reach the scene, she saw the mob surrounding what looked like a monastery. The mob had weapons, they were clearly out for blood. Takami tried to squeeze in to get a better look, but then a man turned around and said “get out of here, outsider! Only the followers of his holiness should be here!” She shook her head, great a mob of religious fanatics only one way to deal with them. She punched the man knocking him out, this was the best way to deal with fanatics. If they couldn’t move they couldn’t do harm to anyone. Others saw this and they began to attack her, this mob was untrained. None amongst them stood a chance against her, she left a good number of them battered and bruised. But there were still more, to many for her to defeat alone. She had to find the leader, that was when she heard someone say “ Father Siro I am most appreciative of your coming to our monastery. May we speak alone of why you are here? If you worry about my intentions of coming here there is no need for I am unarmed and have come alone. A look at the walls would tell you my brothers will be of no bother either.”

That was when Takami stepped in, she followed the voice and that’s why she saw them, the young monk and the leader of this mob. Takami stood between the two, she faced the mob leader and said “I’m guessing you’re the leader of this “congregation” if that is true then I must ask you to have your followers disperse. As a religious leader you should know that this is no way to handle a dispute. One should only use Violence when necessary….” She then paused and thought about the group of people she had just beat up, but that was necessary, they were crazy. She then continued “listen, you can not do this, the monks in this monastery don’t deserve this and look at what you have done to the people in this community. You have scared them, look at them peeking from behind their curtains as if that will shield them from this madness. Please end this and go home, if not..” Takami sighed and then took the sword off her back, she unwrapped the gauze revealing the large blade. She inserted the tip of the blade into the concrete and said “if not you will have to go through me.” Her eyes were serious, she knew about religious fanatics, they would follow their leader off a cliff if he said it would get them closer to their god. She knew that they would not back down unless forced to and she was going to be the force that stopped them.

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.

Siro smiled as he saw his unruly mob part for the abbot of the monastery. What was his name, Shingen? Shingen queried as to why he was here and if they could speak together privately. His honor guard looked unnerved by this suggestion and started to move forward, but Siro waved him back, ready to answer. Suddenly some random women punched and fought her way through his mob to his position, leaving a great deal of them injured. Then she started to go on about how religions should be peaceful and that he should go home. Smiling coldly, he said " Of course abbot, it would be a pleasure to talk this over privately, away from all this." then he turned to face the women and reached from under his robes and pulled out his Scythe, uncompensated and set it down onto the ground with a loud thunk. " Now you, stranger, I think you don't know how this city runs. The law only keeps criminal scum out of this district, and never patrol anywhere else. We have to look after ourselves, and can only depend on each other. This monastery and my church have not been on the best of terms, but we never did anythign to provoke conflict against each other. Until now. One of my followers was found killed by what matches weaponry of this monastery. My followers could not tolerate this grave sin and marched here to protest and demand an explanation and justice. It is true they have...gotten out of hand, but my priests and nuns are doing their best to keep the blood lust down to a minimum. Furthermore, none of this is really your concern stranger. I'd advise you to leave and stay out of these religious strife." He waved several of his guards to escort her out while the rest pointed their rifles at her. He then turned his back to the women and told Shingen, " I'm sorry about that, now where were we? Oh yes, a private discussion. Let's go somewhere secluded, do you have any ideas?"