"We should be safe here for the moment."

Ayame peered around his arms at their temporary lodging. Even in the dim light of the moon, she could still see that the flat was rather dilapidated. The wooden floor was like elephant skin, unpolished and grey with dirt and age. The walls had patches of dark speckles on it. She assumed it was mould. At least, the furniture looked half-way decent, the kitchen fitting with only a light dusting of rust.

Despite all these shortcomings, however, she knew that it was as good a hiding place as can be. The flat consisted only of two rooms: one an open plan kitchen, lounge and room and the other a small bathroom. There were no corners at all for potential assassins to hide behind.

She followed Raizo inside and turned around to close the door and flick the light switch on.

"Size 28," he said suddenly.

"Hmm?" Ayame turned around and walked straight into his chest. "Eeep! I mean, yes, yes, size 28," she managed to squeak while stumbling away from the tall man. She looked up at him just in time to see humour flash through his eyes. He's laughing at me. The slightest pout appeared on her face. The look in his eyes intensified.

"Good. I shall buy some new clothes for you. Take a shower while I'm gone and discard of the clothing properly. I trust you know how to protect yourself?" he asked, shoving a shuriken-filled pouch and a pair of nunchucks into her arms. "Take these."

She glanced down in surprise. "But – but I still have my swords," she exclaimed. "I don't need these. You don't have to..." she trailed off as she watched his back disappear down the staircase. "Fine," she muttered, and closed the door again.

Soon she was standing in the small shower with warm water raining down on her, relaxing her muscles and allowing her to think clearly about the things she had learnt tonight and the choices she had made. Her clothes lay discarded beside her on the white bathroom tiles out of range of the water. She would have to take them down to the incinerator later.

Just then, she realised a major flaw in Raizo's great plan. There was no towel. She didn't have any other clothes either and she wasn't about to go wandering through the block of flats in her naked glory. She heaved a sigh and resigned herself to the only other option available: wait for Raizo to return.

~xXx~

Raizo strode out into the night thinking deeply on the strange turn his life had taken and on the 12 Zodiacs. If it was the 12 Zodiacs (which he sincerely hoped wasn't, but didn't have many hopes for his hopes) then it meant that the 12 clan leaders were going have to converge in a neutral location and hold a tournament in which the winner would...

He sighed heavily. He did not know what the winner would gain. All he knew was that the prize was much coveted for and that the tournament was held in the week of the Chinese New Year.

It was at this moment that he arrived at the front of the clothing store two blocks away from the flat and realised a major flaw in his great plan. The store would only open in another four hours. He was not about to wait four hours for something that was an urgently needed safety precaution. He frowned at the locked doors in front of him and resigned himself to the only other option available: to break into the store. He would leave the money due on the counter, of course.

~xXx~

Ayame only waited 15 minutes before there was a tentative knock on the bathroom door. She snapped to attention and quickly drew the shower curtain around to block her from view. She peeked cautiously around the curtain, body tense and ready to fight, naked or not, should it turn out to be a foe coming in through the door.

As it turned out, she had no reason to worry. The door simply opened a crack and a hand clutching some clothing and a towel appeared, dropped off its load and disappeared again. Ayame grinned. He'd even remembered to buy a towel! She hopped out of the shower and dried off swiftly. When she started to put her clothes on (all black, as usual), she saw, to her eternal embarrassment, that he had even remembered to buy underwear for her. Underwear that, as she found out shortly, fitted her perfectly. She coughed uncomfortably and put the rest of her clothing on with added haste as though the speed at which she dressed would hide her mortification.

Another 15 minutes found her sitting opposite from Raizo in a couch.

"There are 12 clans, as you know," he was explaining, "and each clan is representative of a zodiac sign. The Doku Clan, for example is the Snake and the Ozunu Clan was the Tiger."

Ayame nodded to show her understanding when he paused. She had heard this before.

"Every 120 years, the clan leaders would gather in a secret location, known only to them, and hold a tournament on the week of the Chinese New Year. I do not know what the winner of the tournament gains. All I know is that the prize is very much sought-after within the clans and they often resort to underhanded techniques well before the start of the tournament in hopes of weakening or even killing their opponents."

"Is that why they wanted to kill you?" she asked.

Raizo dipped his head affirmative. "I killed Lord Ozunu. The title therefore falls upon me, whether I want it or not."

"But why did my cl – they target you of all the clan leaders?"

"The Ozunu Clan was the winner of the last tournament. This means that the Ozunu Clan is the strongest clan."

"So they fear you," she deduced, "and now that you are only one person without a clan, there is a greater opportunity to kill you, perhaps the strongest of them. If they kill you it means that they have a greater chance of obtaining the prize."

"That is what I think, yes."

Silence reigned as they pondered upon the implications of this competition. There was one thing that somewhat confused Ayame, however.

"Why are they the only ones trying to kill you? What about the other clans? Why aren't they trying to kill you too?"

It was a very good question. Why indeed, was the Doku Clan so intent on killing him? He didn't know, so he shook his head.

"Why Chinese?" she asked after another pause.

Raizo looked at her and raised a brow. Of all the questions to ask... "Does it matter?"

"I guess not, but still," she grumbled. "What are we going to –"

Abruptly, all the lights went out and they were cast into darkness. Ayame glanced out the window. There were still a couple of hours before dawn.

"They're here," Raizo whispered, already melting into the shadows. "Get your weapons, we have to go."

"I thought you said it was going to be safe!" she accused in a heated whisper.

"I said it was going to be safe for the moment," he replied dryly.


Updated 08 Nov '11