See 1st Chapter for disclaimer
Chapter 2: Dealing With The Devil
It was the middle of the night as the boy stood waiting in the shadows. He had heard his target would be passing by here tonight, and so he waited. It didn't take very long. There were three of them, the old balding man that was his target, and two bodyguards; one someone not much older than him, and an older one.
"You're a lucky man to be getting such a beautiful wife," his target said.
"Yes," the younger bodyguard replied. "But I must admit I feel a bit guilty about all this. Having such happiness while so many people are miserable."
"Oh that's nonsense," the older man replied. "Just because other people are in distress shouldn't stop others from being happy no should it?"
The assassin waited until they passed then finally stepped into view from out of the shadows with his hand in a position to grab his sword. "You are Jubei Shigekura of the Kyoto Shoshidai, are you not?" he asked casing all of them to slowly turned around.
"I have come to deliver the judgment of Heaven for all of your tyranny," he said before readjusting his stance.
The two bodyguards shouted a warning to him and then attacked. The older bodyguard was the first to come, a stupid mistake. The boy blocked the man's first strike without even bothering to draw his sword and then shoved the sheath into his eye, as the old bodyguard stumbled back the boy attacked with a Battoujitsu strike…cutting the man completely in two.
With the first guard out of the way the assassin quickly moved forward towards his other two opponents. The younger bodyguard tried to defend Jubei but the old man shoved him out of the way in order to protect the boy, another stupid mistake. In that one instant the assassin was next to the old man, and drove his katana up through Jubei's jaw and into his brain, then cut his face in half.
The last bodyguard shouted out his master's name causing the assassin to turn towards him. He really didn't need to kill this one, his target had been eliminated. However, there was also the fact that this young man had seen his face, he could not roam free. With his mind made up a half second after Jubei died, the assassin attacked the remaining bodyguard.
His first attack was blocked but the young man was pressed against the wall from the force of the blow. He ducked under the second strike that sliced through the wall and moved behind the assassin. When the assassin turned around the bodyguard held his sword up in a poor imitation of the Hiritzuke, an offensive thrust that was the trademark of the Shinsen Gumi, and attacked.
Instead of a thrust the bodyguard turned his attack into a swing that was blocked, as was his second strike. The assassin then swung his sword low and sliced the bodyguard across his midsection, attempting to spill the man's guts on the street and then finished with a diagonal cut up the man's shoulder causing him to stumble back and lean on his sword like a walking stick. However, he did not die.
The bodyguard brought his sword up again and charged the assassin in another thrust, this time the assassin also advanced and struck the bodyguards chest, cutting his heart in two with a diagonal strike. While this time he did hear the bodyguard cry out in pain, he also felt blood erupt from a slash across his left cheek.
The assassin fingered the would for a moment in surprise, he had actually been wounded. What was even more surprising was that the bodyguard still wasn't head, he was down on the ground moaning in pain, unable to stand, but still quite alive. The assassin simply walked over to the young man and drove his sword through the bodyguard's throat…this time he didn't get up.
A few moments later he could hear the sound of footfalls coming down the street, Iizuka and some others to check and see if he had done his job correctly no doubt. Sure enough a few seconds later he and two other assassins came around the corner and started checking the bodies.
The leader of the group moved up next to the assassin himself. "Your face, are you hurt?"
"It's just a scratch," the assassin replied before bending down to get a clean piece of cloth to wipe his sword with.
"So, this slip of a bodyguard drew your blood?" the other man asked. "He was more skilled than he looked."
"Not skilled," the redhead told him while sheathing his now cleaned katana. "Just stubborn. Iizuka, clean this mess up, I need to go wash. Tell Katsura I'll see him in the morning."
With his job done, Kenshin Himura then turned down the street and started to walk away from the people he had murdered, just because he was doing this for the good of the nation didn't mean he had to like it. He also needed to clean that wound, with as deep as it was it would probably leave a scar.
As the light crept through the window the sleeping redhead slowly opened her eyes and sat up to stretch her arms. The hair that had once been tied in a pigtail now hung loosely down her the back of her neck. She blinked a few times and wiped her eyes to clear the sleepiness away. She took one look at the blue kimono with the flower design on the other side of the room that Katsura had given her to replace the Chinese clothes and then collapsed back onto the mattress.
What the hell was she still doing here? Three weeks, it had been three weeks since Katsura had given her a night to stay, after that the man had offered Ranma a room and meals for as long as she needed them. But she had other things to do, she needed to track down Happosai, to go to China and find the Musk village, if anyone had any clues about where the Kaisufuu was, it was they.
The only problem was he had no idea whether the freak was in Japan or China, where the Musk village actually was, or if they even had the damn kettle, and no real way to get to China, not to mention the lack of supplies. Ok, so maybe she had more than one problem at the moment.
As she lay there deep in thought Ranma suddenly heard the door open and a woman with dark hair come in. "Sakura, get up and get dressed, Master Katsura wishes to see you. He's waiting for you in the garden. After he's done with you get ready for your shift."
The redhead moaned in annoyance before raising her hand to wave the woman off. That was another reason she needed to get out of here. After taking up residence and telling Katsura she needed some way to get some petty cash he had arranged for Ranma, or Sakura as she called herself now, to work at a nearby inn that all of his employees stayed at.
Sakura, why the hell did she have to choose such a stupid girlie name like that? She should have just stuck with Ranko, but that too had its problems. That name reminded Ranma too much of home, of her mother and what she had lost because of Happosai. So, when Katsura asked for her name during the second day of Ranma's stay, she had seen a cherry tree in his garden and decided to take the name of its petals.
Stupid old man, him and his stupid training trip hadn't just ruined Ranma's body and life, it ruined her imagination too.
Yawning, Ranma slowly got out of bed and walked over to her kimono, then started putting it on. Well, at least it wasn't pink or some other girlie color. Ranma would have really hated that. Taking one last second to enjoy being Ranma Saotome for the day, she tied her kimono on before flattening out her hair and stepped out into the hall as Sakura…damn, she really needed to think up a last name to go along with that.
Walking down the hall she tried her best to ignore all the looks that the men she passed were giving her. It may not have been completely true in her time, but Akane may have been right now, all males of the species really were perverts. Well, everyone who worked for Katsura was anyway, in the time that she had been working at the inn for Katsura she had been hit on more times than she could count.
Lost in thought, Sakura wandered downstairs and around to where the back door leading to the garden outside. She was so caught up in her still half-asleep state that she didn't notice the two men in front of her until it was too late and she walked right into them, or more specifically the short one with red hair, causing them both to stumble back.
When she looked back up Sakura glared at the two guys who had just left Katsura's garden. She didn't know the name of the guy she'd ran into, from what she'd seen of him at the inn he just ate his meals in quiet and didn't talk much. All in all Sakura had to say she liked him the best out of all the guys in this place because he left her alone. His name was Ken-something, but that was pretty much all she knew about the guy, the scar across his cheek was new.
The other man she did recognize, and was the main reason for her bad mood, and thus received most of her anger. Iizuka had a light mustache and his hair sported a ponytail he was probably the worst lecher of the whole lot. The only thing that kept Sakura from breaking him in two was the fact that he was apparently the boss of the lot and that would get her in trouble with Katsura. She owed that guy too much to go and make his best bodyguard useless, or whatever the hell Katsura's employees did, Sakura wasn't quite sure, she just served the drinks and didn't pay attention to the talk.
"Excuse me," she said rather forcefully before pushing her way in-between the two men.
"Hey now careful with that one Kenshin," Iizuka called out. "She's got quite a lot of spirit. Although…I bet she'd be an animal in bed with all that emotion she's got bottled up in her."
Sakura resisted the urge to go kick the pervert's ass halfway across Kyoto and just walked into the garden before forcing the scowl to leave her face. She really needed to find a new job before she ended up putting that guy in a hospital or something.
"You called for me Lord Kogoro?" Sakura asked after walking past the two and into the garden.
Katsura whispered something to the man next to him, then sent him on his way leaving both Katsura and Sakura standing in the garden alone. A few moments later Katsura motioned for Sakura to come forward and then addressed her. "You know, I've been watching you when you come here in the mornings to practice. I must stay you are very good."
Sakura frowned a bit at the man's statement. Every day a couple of minutes before sunrise or after dark when no one would bother her she would come to the garden to be alone and enjoy being Ranma, to dance in the martial arts that was his element. Of course she couldn't do it when other people were around, women who knew martial arts were practically non-existent in this era so she didn't want to draw attention. Then there was also the fact that because of her lack of good training clothes Ranma was half naked when she practiced, that was the other reason for her unusual timetable of training.
"So you've been leering at me or something?" Sakura said with a frown before making a fist. "I thought you were married."
Katsura looked surprised for a moment then let out a low chuckle. "My apologies, that came out wrong," he told her. "Actually, I have a favor to ask of you. I will be attending a meeting with certain associates on matters of a political nature. Because of certain…events recently we have agreed to bring only one guard for each of us."
"So then you want me to be your bodyguard?" Sakura asked with a raised eyebrow.
"In an unofficial manner," Katsura replied. "I wish to bring you as my…attendant. We will be having dinner during the meeting as well so you would simply serve as a waitress, and because of the nature of these talks we wish to keep what is said secret. If something does occur I will have two men there while everyone else only has one. It's up to you, however I can pay you quite handsomely."
"Okay, but get me something to wear under this," Sakura said as she gestured to her kimono. "It'll be just an impediment if something really does happen." She paused for a moment; there was something else that she was forgetting. "Oh yes, could you also get something to keep me dry on the way over in case it rains?"
"Very well," Katsura agreed. "I'll have a change of clothes and an umbrella sent to your room before we leave."
Sakura turned to go, then stopped. That's right they only have bamboo umbrellas right now, she thought. A picture of Ryoga flashed in her mind and Sakura quickly drove it out. "No, just get me a cloak with a hood, that will do fine."
"Are you sure?" Katsura asked. "With all that clothing you'll probably be very hot at this time of year."
"Yes, have the change of clothes sent to my room," Sakura told him. "Now, if you'll excuse me I've got to go to work." She turned all the way around this time and left her benefactor standing alone while Sakura walked away. But deep within herself, Ranma Saotome cried a small tear for the loss of what once was.
Later that night the meeting of the Imperialists came and went, leaving Katsura quite disgruntled. While his faction was doing all the work all of his supposed 'allies' stayed back, saying that this was not the time to act. During the meeting there was also rumors of the Mebu clan's soldiers stirring up trouble for them, and that was the problem. The fear of the Shinsen Gumi kept them all from acting.
Cowards, all of them.
Katsura looked back to his bodyguard Iwanbu, he was a big man, seven foot tall and brimming with muscle. Personally Katsura would have preferred that young boy Kenshin, but the redhead turned down the offer, and Iizuka's style centered around one on one battles, not fighting many opponents while in a closed space. So he chose Iwanbu for the intimidation factor and overall power. Besides, the girl was his real bodyguard; the big man was just there for looks.
Sakura had been left at the house to assist the staff in cleaning up and would be meeting them at the Kogoro estate later. Katsura would have preferred having her accompany him back home but didn't want his associates to think that he was courting another girl when he already had someone. Besides, he was old enough to be Sakura's father; the girl couldn't have been older than fifteen by her looks.
But that didn't stop him from using her the same as another certain redhead, did it?
He was quickly brought out of his thoughts when Iwandu stopped in front of him in the middle of the street and looked around. "Hold up here for a moment sir."
Katsura looked around then reached for his sword, only to find nothing there. He had forgotten that after accepting Kenshin into his army of assassins he had promised to give up his sword and work behind the scenes through his group instead of on the front lines.
Well, there didn't seem to be any trouble anyway, a check of the area told him there was no one on the street or in the nearby alleyways. Just because Katsura was without a sword didn't mean he didn't have a brain. "No one is here," he told the man in front of him. "Now let's continue on."
"Yes," Iwandu agreed as he turned around with his hand still on his sword. "That's exactly the point, no witnesses. And when I bring the head of a rebel faction leader to the shogunate I'm certain that I'll be rewarded quite generously." The lumbering man took a swing at Katsura forcing him back but missing completely.
The nobleman cursed his luck before rolling to the side to prevent the downward slash from cutting him in two and dropped his umbrella in the process then stood back up to face his bodyguard turned traitor. "So then you're a spy for the Bakufu alliance I take it?"
Iwanbu growled before pulling his sword out of the wall it had been driven into and turned to face Katsura. "Actually no, I'm just a hired assassin out for money," Iwanbu replied. "At first I decided to stick around with you guys thanks to the pay, but do you know the reward that the shogun is offering for key rebel leaders? I figure it's enough for me retire and sit back and do nothing for the next ten years at least."
Katsura could only shake his head and laugh. Ah well, the man in front of him had been hired for his strength and size, not his brains. If Iwanbu actually thought that he would get any money for Katsura's death then he would find himself sorely mistaken. It wasn't much of a comfort, but not much was better than none.
As Katsura let Iwanbu back the nobleman up against the wall a plan formed in his head. With the way Iwanbu always put all his strength into his, swings all Katsura would have to do is wait for the other man to attack, then dodge the stroke and get away. Simple enough considering that Iwanbu had no real running speed to speak of.
The rouge assassin raised his sword upwards. Now it's time to-" Iwandbu didn't finish his shout before the sound of fist meeting flesh was heard in the air and he suddenly stopped dead. But strangely, there was nothing between the two men, however as Katsura looked be man over there was a definite impression of something…right in the space between his legs.
The giant of a man stood there for a moment longer before the sword fell out of his hand and he collapsed to his knees and another unseen stoke backhanded the man's jaw causing it to dislodge while he fell sideways. Katsura could only stare at the sight with his mouth hanging open.
"Geeze, how come they always go running their mouth when they think they're about to win," a girl's voice said from out of nowhere. A second later the space in front of Katsura shimmered and a hooded character stood in front of the nobleman with her hood up. He didn't have to wait before Sakura turned around and dropped the hood of her cloak to know who it was. "Hey, Mr. Kogoro, you okay?"
Katsura could only gape at the girl in front of him who had appeared out of nowhere. What he had just seen, couldn't have been real…could it? It took several moments for the man to regain his speaking ability, by then Sakura was looking at the ground uneasily and shifting her feet. "Sa…Sakura, what happened just now? What are you doing here? What was that?"
The girl looked up and blinked at him a few times. "Well uh, you see I know you wanted me to clean up afterwards and everything. But I don't exactly like doing all that kind of stuff. So I slipped out and decided to head home. I felt this guy's ki increase on the way there and decided to check it out," she said while thumbing towards the downed traitor.
"Not that!" Katsura shouted before calming down and bringing his voice back to normal. "I'm talking about the invisibility!"
"Oh, it's a technique of a school called the Umi-Sen-Ken, my father designed when he was younger," Sakura explained. "It hides the user's presence to such an extent that they can no longer be seen at all with the naked eye. It was developed for stealing, but he sealed it away for its other…obvious uses. I inherited it when a practitioner of the counter school of Yama-Sen-Ken came demanding the scroll that described the Umi's techniques."
Other uses, yes Katsura could already see what she meant by that. To be able to move undetected by others, the possibilities boggled the mind: spying, stealing, and assassination. Each one could be carried out right under the targets nose and he would never even know what happened. "Yes," Katsura replied after shoving all the plans forming in his head to the side for the moment. "Well then, let's get this over with before someone shows up and head home. After you get cleaned up I would like to talk to you within my private quarters. This place is too out in the open."
The girl merely nodded and turned around to walk away leaving Katsura to finish off Iwanbu himself with the traitor's own sword. After driving it through the man's heart he turned around and followed the short girl down the street.
It was about eleven at night when Ranma made her way up the stairs in a small shirt that clung to her skin and short pants that stopped a few inches below the knee. It felt good to be out of that stupid kimono, stupid girlie thing; besides, every time she looked in the mirror it reminded her of Nodoka too much. Why the hell did Ranma's girl form have to look so much like her mother?
She quickly wondered what Katsura wanted to talk to her about. If it was about teaching him the technique then he would be sorely disappointed. The only reason Ranma had the damn thing on because she didn't want to draw attention to herself for roof hopping across the city. That sort of thing wasn't exactly common here like in Nerima district.
After walking down the hall a ways she found Katsura's room and opened it to find the man sitting alone on a mat with another in front of him and a table between the two. At his request Ranma shut the door behind her then walked over to the mat and sat down. "Okay, what's this all about?"
The man nodded then looked into her eyes. "Sakura, at the meeting tonight you overheard the current affairs of this nation correct?"
Ranma shook her head. "Not really," she told him truthfully. "You just brought me along to keep you safe and serve the drinks. I tuned most of what you guys said out. The stuff I did hear didn't make much sense. I don't understand politics too well."
Katsura smiled at some unsaid joke before clearing his throat. "Yes, well then let me explain what's going on. As it is the current system of government is oppressing the people of Japan for it's own corrupt ideals. Me, and others like me are uniting against them in an attempt to overthrow the government and build a new Japan, a better Japan. However right now we are only consolidating our power while striking out against its leaders since we can not hope to meet them openly."
"Get to the point," Ranma told him curtly.
"Very well," Katsura agreed. "I want you to join me in my cause as an assassin. You're…unique abilities would be quite welcome and make you almost unstoppable. I am willing to compensate you greatly for your time and efforts."
"In other words you want me to murder people for money," Ranma replied with a scowl.
"No, your payment will be given to insure your services," Katsura told her. "What I want, what everyone in this country wants, is for you to use your skills to help us build a better nation. Yes, I do want you to kill, I won't deny that part of it but my reasons are different from what you believe."
Ranma looked at the man for a moment longer before standing up. "Sorry, I'll be packing my bags and leaving you tonight. Goodbye Mr. Kogoro." She turned around and started to walk towards the door but Katsura's shouting gave her pause.
"WAIT," he yelled. "There must be something that I can offer you to change your mind. The Tokugowa Shogunate is choking the life out of the people of this land. I know that murder is wrong but this is the only way to change the situation and bring down those who are in power. I am asking you to help me save the oppressed people, and right now becoming an assassin would save the lives of hundreds. Certainly it is better than fighting on the open field of battle and murdering innocent people who are forced to fight or be executed for treason!"
"To fight or die is the choice each person has to make on their own," Ranma replied. "If they join and kill people then they are no longer innocents, they are murderers."
Katsura sighed and nodded his head then looked back to Ranma. "Very well, you may go now if you wish. Although the offer to join with me will always remain open, if you decided to come back later want some other compensation, any compensation, for your services you have but to ask."
Ranma reached out then opened the door, but stopped halfway before looking back. She couldn't, could she? Just sitting around here was getting her nowhere, and although Ranma might have had the luck of the devil when it came to finding certain people, as all her encounters with Ryoga could attest to, she knew that it would be years before she could ever hope to find even a trace of the old bastard whom she owed so much payback. "Well, now that you mention it…there is something that I do require."
"What is it?" Katsura asked.
Ranma thought for a moment, could she actually do something like this? It was probably his only real good chance, but the cost…it went against everything she stood for. But, on the other hand if he succeeded… Ranma cut that train of thought then closed the door and looked back to the man. "If I do this for you I will require two other things, some information."
"And that is?"
"There is a village deep within the mountains of China," Ranma said. "I'm not sure of its exact location but I do know the general area, I want a map showing me where this village is along with instructions on how to get there."
"And second?" Katsura asked.
"There is a man named Happosai, I don't know his full name or anything other than he practices a style of martial arts called Anything Goes. Find me this man, and a village in China where a tribe of people called the Musk reside, and I'll do whatever you want."
"I see," Katsura replied thoughtfully. "May I ask just why you are looking for these things?"
Ranma shrugged, it made no difference to her. "The people living at the Musk village just have something I want. As for Happosai, well it's the same reason as the Musk, but there's also something else. He took everything from me, tried to ruin my life. For that, I plan on ending his."
"Then it is agreed," Katsura said before bowing his head.
Ranma declined the man's offer of sake in order to head to the baths, no one would be there this late and although she may have a girl's body she was still very much a guy inside. It was a little funny when her mind shifted back to the conversation. A mirror, and a large piece of brass; it was quite a bargain to sell one's soul for so little.
Next Time: The seeds of the revolution have begun to sprout and more blood is spilled in the streets. A new manslayer moves through the streets of Kyoto like a phantom in the night, killing her targets without warning. Meanwhile, a young boy assassin meets a beautiful woman during a rain of blood.
Ending Authors Notes: First off let me dispel any fears right away and say that NO this is not a Kenshin/Ranma match up. Nor will I be getting him together with any other guy.