Hey guys!

Now before we begin, I got to say that I don't really feel so well… Surprise, surprise… But honestly, it's to the point where I can't finish a chapter a day as I usually do… So… When you do you read this, it'll be two days' worth of work…

Now lets not waste anymore time and get right back to it!

The Golden Katana Part 4

Morning came over Japan as Jewel and the girls got ready to stop the ninjas going to sneak into the emperor's palace. Jewel's face all the while expressionless, no emotion was evident on her face as she didn't know what to feel, her life just seemed to keep going in a downward direction. Before leaving the temple, Jewel knew that however dire the situation was, it was more important for her old master to have a temporary resting spot, perfect for him before Jewel could come back and properly place her master in eternal rest.

And she knew the perfect place… Right by the Koi pond in the temple gardens.

Assisted by some of Master Basho's students, Jewel laid her old master to rest on the grass by the water's edge.

"That's perfect, now leave me be with him." Jewel told the students as she needed a minute alone with her master.

The students bowed once before quickly leaving to leave alone with Basho, Jewel took off her hat and knelt down besides her master's body.

"Well master, I go now to fulfill the mission at hand, I hope I succeed, not for me or Japan, but for you, I hope that by saving this nation that you'll be happy forever, that your death wasn't in vain." Jewel said simply before managing to get a few tears out, which fell and hit the grass before her master's body.

After another minute, Jewel got up and put her hat back on, turning around and going to the temple entrance, where the girls were waiting for her. Although, the three girls weren't the only ones waiting for Jewel…

"What are you all doing here?" Jewel questioned as all of Master Basho's students were there.

"He was our master too and those ninjas will pay dearly for what they did to us last night." Hiroshi answered on account of all the students.

All of Basho's students stayed still, all of them of course knowing the risk, but they weren't afraid at all, they were going to help Jewel whether she liked it or not. And Jewel could see it in their eyes.

"Very well, lets go." Jewel said as she led everyone out the temple, to the emperor's palace in the middle of Tokyo.

It took a few hours, but they made it just outside the walls of the palace, all a bit tired, but still full of energy as they were determined to get to the katana before the ninjas. As they got to the palace, they came to the secret entrance of the huge building, of course Basho telling Jewel when she was a student of his', the way inside to the bottom of the palace. However, there was something wrong…

"There's supposed to be palace guards here, but there isn't…" Jewel noted. "The ninjas must already be making their way inside."

"So what now?" Bia asked.

"We follow of course." Jewel replied. "Everyone in and be alert." Jewel informed everyone as they came to the secret entrance and entered one by one, however Jewel stopped several of the group before they could come in. "Hiroshi, you stay here and keep the girls safe, plus we need someone to watch the entrance if the ninjas break through us."

"But I want to fight too." Hiroshi replied.

"Yeah, come on Jewel, you need all the help you can get." Lisa pleaded with Jewel to let them in.

"Look, this isn't for debate, Mikka almost got captured last night, what if something worse happens?" Jewel reminded the four. "Now stay here and if we don't come back before nightfall or the ninjas win, you girls find Blu and go back to Rio, understood?"

The girls and Hiroshi all sighed and nodded with heads, signaling they understood."

"Good." Jewel said simply as she then entered the passageway to the room where the golden katana was being kept for safe keeping for now.

As Jewel and the rest of Basho's students entered the dark underground passageway, Jewel noticed that the many guards that were to be posted here, lining the hallway were all gone. Jewel guessed that the ninjas had already disposed of the bodies, hoping that the ninjas haven't already taken the sword and escaped. As light was soon seen, the passageway opened up into a rather large underground room, in the center of the room on a very elaborate and decorated stand, sat the golden katana. Its clean, bright blade shining, but it still could be seen that writing was on the blade, a haiku on the blade that every samurai would put in when he had his katana made.

"Well, lets get the katana and get out." One of Basho's students suggested.

"Wait, it's too quiet…" Jewel noticed. "Careful now, walk slowly…"

Jewel and Basho's students all walked slowly towards the sword, looking around to see if any surprise would come at them, but they really should have checked above them…

Suddenly the heavy, metal door of the secret room closed and locked and coming down from above, ninjas appeared, surrounding Jewel and the students and preventing their escape.

"Surrender or die!" The lead ninja demanded in Japanese of Jewel and the students.

"Never!" Jewel answered back in fluent Japanese and got ready to fight.

"Very well, you made your choice…" The lead ninja replied back in Japanese before signaling his ninjas that they were free to attack.

The clash begun as students and ninjas collided with each other and fought, the students learning from yesterday night's sneak attack and put up a more difficult fight for the ninjas. While Jewel punched and kicked her way through several ninjas, she noticed, out of the corner of her eye, the lead ninja going for the golden katana. Quickly knocking out the ninja she was currently fighting she ran to the katana, just before the lead ninja could get his paws on it.

"Finally, the power belongs to us…" The lead ninja spoke as he was just about to grab the katana, only for Jewel to come jumping from above and grabbed onto the katana's handle with her wing, coming back down to the ground and pointing the blade at the ninja.

"You want this, come and take it from me." Jewel spoke in Japanese to the ninja.

The lead ninja took out his own sword, smiling eagerly for the chance to fight, he was sure he could best Jewel in a fight, not knowing how well Jewel could really fight. The ninja jumped onto the stand that the golden katana was on and swung his sword at Jewel, coming at her from above, Jewel blocking the blows as the ninjas advanced, causing Jewel to back up.

Jewel, with the golden katana soon enough went back on the offensive, waiting for the perfect moment to do so as she delivered her own blows against the ninja. The ninja was quite surprised as now he was the one being forced back, but as a ninja, he had his tricks up his sleeve. Grabbing something from his ninja belt, he threw a smoke bomb at Jewel, the smoke exploding and made Jewel cough.

The ninja took that moment to hide in the expanding smoke while Jewel was distracted, losing sight of her attacker, she stayed alert, checking all around her through the smoke. And then the ninja came up from behind, Jewel hearing it and just in time blocked the attack with the katana.

"You're good, but not as good as me." The ninja said to Jewel in Japanese.

"Are you sure, I learned from the very best." Jewel replied.

The two held swords until the ninja once again backed up into the smoke and then grabbed a couple of throwing stars and threw them at Jewel. Jewel managed to see them just in time, deflecting both of them with the katana. As Jewel blocked the throwing stars, the smoke from the smoke bomb dissipated enough that Jewel saw the outline of the ninja's figure, of course having her own tricks, Jewel took out her lasso and tied up the ninja's legs. This sudden action surprised the ninja as he fell while Jewel brought him to her. The ninja still tried fighting back as he swung his sword against Jewel, Jewel simply just swung the katana and the ninja's sword went flying out and away from him, the ninja at the mercy of Jewel.

It was only than that Jewel realized who she was facing…

"You… You're the one who killed Master Basho!" Jewel said loudly in Japanese as she recognized the ninja's eyes, the ninja taking a minute to recognize Jewel.

"And it's you…" The ninja replied back in Japanese. "So, you got your revenge… Now finish it!" The ninja demanded, Jewel holding the katana just above the ninja's neck.

Part of Jewel really wanted this ninja to pay, but she also knew that her master wouldn't approve of this. Jewel yelled out as she drove the sword straight down… Into the floor besides the ninja's head. The ninja, who had his eyes closed, opened them as Jewel's face was now closer to him.

"No… I'm not a monster like you…" Jewel said in an expressionless voice straight to the ninja's face.

Jewel got up and looked around her, for the fighting had stopped, the students having won over the ninjas. The students all started cheering as Jewel got up and sighed, finally able to breathe. Only a few seconds later, the girls, along with Hiroshi, came in, with looks of panic on their faces.

"I thought I told you four to stay outside." Jewel said sternly.

"We have a problem Jewel…" Bia informed the adventurer.

"Yeah, we got to get out of here now!" Hiroshi added.

And all of a sudden, rows of bright lights appeared as the owners of the light sources fanned out and surrounded everyone in the containment room. The cocking of assault rifles could be heard as a voice on a megaphone shouted out to everyone in the room that wasn't holding a rifle.

"Japanese Self Defense Forces, put down your weapons and surrender." An officer's voice demanded.

Jewel, still holding the golden katana, walked out towards the soldiers, the soldiers fearful of what Jewel would do as they became more alert, with several of them pointing their rifles at Jewel.

"I request an audience with the emperor." Jewel demanded to the officer with the megaphone.

And there we go!

Jewel will meet the emperor and we'll see what will become of the golden katana!

See you guys next time!