* * * * *

Chapter 3: The Order

When she got home to the small shack she lived in, Suruka changed from her

kimono to her white gi and gray hakama. They were the clothes she wore when she was training or when she was fighting an opponent at some dojo or another.

Then she rummaged in her chest and pulled out her brother's long, beautiful sword. It was the one that the little boy had handed him the day he died. She had found it on the road next to her brother's dead body after the police were gone.

"Brother, I think of you always," she whispered to the sword, and put it into the sheath she had found with it. She put the sheath in her tie and walked outside. She breathed in the cool evening air. It was a perfect day to train.

"Now, which tree should I focus on first?" she looked around, and found the tree she wanted to use as her opponent. It was thick, but not so thick as to be impossible to fell. Suruka narrowed her deep brown eyes and focused on the part of the tree she wished to strike. Then she rushed at the tree and pulled out her sword for her beginning attack. Just as she was about to strike the tree, she heard a resounding CLANG as though her blade had struck something metal. She looked up, and found herself face to face with a man who appeared to be in his late twenties. Startled, Suruka double back flipped away from him and landed on the ground in her fighting stance.

"Who are you?" she yelled at the man. He stood still, almost as though he hadn't heard her, but she knew he had. "Who are you?" Suruka yelled again.

"I need you to do a job for me," the man replied. He sheathed his sword and relaxed his pose. Suruka relaxed too, but she didn't sheath her blade.

"What do you want me to do?"

"I need you to kill Kaoru Kamiya."

Suruka smirked at the order, "I'm not an assassin or a fighter for hire. Go down to the underground and I'm sure you'll find someone with the skills you're looking for."

The man smiled, "But you see, there is no one in the underground with enough skill to get by the man guarding Kaoru Kamiya. I need someone with you're fighting abilities to kill her safely."

"You have some skill with a blade," Suruka said, using a fraise she had picked up off of one of her late opponents, "We don't you just go down and kill her yourself?"

The man chuckled, giving Suruka chills, "I can't. The man guarding her would recognize me instantly. He would start a fight and I have no reason to fight him for now. Surely you wouldn't be recognized."

Suruka put her hand on her hip and shifted her weight to one leg, giving herself a bratty pose, "Hate to tell you, but this man you want me to get by knows who I am. I can't get by him without getting recognized."

The man sighed. Suruka, to her pleasure, could see he was growing impatient. She was glad. She wanted him gone so that she could finish her training and then get some sleep.

"Here," the man threw a sack of money at Suruka's feet, "That's 1000 yen right there. If you kill Kaoru I promise another 1000."

Suruka raised her eyebrow and picked up the bag. She tossed it up in the air, judging how heavy it was. Then she looked at the man. "Deal."

He smiled, "I thought you would see it my way. Now I'll leave you to you're training." Then he walked away back into the darkness.

* * * * *

Suruka sat up later that night, staring at the moneybag. She was sitting on the futon, holding her knees and thinking.

'Can I really do this?' she wondered, 'I've never killed anyone. Well, accept for the fish I eat for supper, but they don't count. They're not human. Still, 2000 yen is a good amount of money to be paid. I better not screw this job up. I think I'll start tomorrow morning. I want to get paid soon. There's a pretty kimono I want to buy down in market.'

With that she rolled over and went to sleep.

* * * * *

"Kenshin," Kaoru called over the yard, "Kenshin I need you're help with something.

"What do you need, Miss Kaoru?" Kenshin asked as he stood up from the laundry he was doing. Suddenly, he heard a small whooshing sound. He turned and narrowly avoided a small throwing knife. Instead of hitting him, the knife buried itself in the wooden post that held up part of the laundry line. Kenshin looked over to into the trees beyond the dojo. He saw someone hurrying away through the branches. Kenshin then turned back to the knife. It had a small scrap of paper tied to the handle. He untied the note. It read,

Battousai.

I am in the shadows

Of the walls.

I'm watching her

To see when she falls.

Then I will know

What her weaknesses are.

And I can give her

A deadly scar.

So watch for me

When darkness goes.

For where I will be

Only death knows.

Kenshin looked back at the forest. The figure that had thrown the knife was definitely gone now.

"Kenshin?" Kaoru looked at the wanderer, puzzled.

"Yes, Miss Kaoru? What was it you needed?" Kenshin smiled, trying to reassure her.

Kaoru only stared at him. 'What made him do that?'

* * * * *

Suruka was confident her knife note had done the trick. She was lucky the Battousai was good at dodging. She had thrown the knife badly and it had nearly gone into his skull. Now that would have gotten someone's attention.

"When are you going to do it?" someone asked her.

Suruka turned and looked down the path that led to her home. She knew the man was in the other direction, but she wanted to make sure she wasn't being followed by anyone else. Satisfied, she turned to the man. "I'll do it in my own pace. Not yours."

The man scowled at her, "I'm paying you for this, Suruka. You'll do it at the pace I order you to."

"I told you, I'm not an assassin!" Suruka yelled.

"You are now," the man turned, "This conversation is over. I want you to kill Kaoru Kamiya in the next two days. If you don't, then I'll kill you."

Suruka clenched her teeth as he walked away, "I'd love to see you try and kill me!" she screamed at the man, but he was already gone. "Damn it! I hate this!" Suruka stormed up the hill to her home.

She changed out of her gi and hakama and dressed in her favorite purple kimono. Then she went out to the akabeko, where she knew Kaoru and her friends often went. Sure enough, she saw them sitting at their usual table. She sat in one across from them and ordered a simple soup. She wasn't very hungry.

* * * * *

Yahiko looked over at the girl sitting in the both across from them. She seemed to be all alone. She only looked a few years older than him. 'I wonder what she's doing here,' he thought. Just then, it dawned on him who she was.

"Sano," he whispered and tugged on the ex-gangster's sleeve, "Sano, it's the girl!"

Both Kenshin and Sano looked over at her as she sipped her soup. She looked deep in thought, but Kenshin saw that her eyes constantly roved over to them.

"What's she doing here?" Sano growled.

The girl finished her soup, got up, and left. But just as she was passing the table where Kenshin and the others sat, a small piece of paper fell out of her hand next to Kenshin. Kenshin reached down and picked it up after she was gone. He read it, and then passed it to all the others.

I'll be waiting outside for you. Come to the back of the akabeko and I'll be there. All I want is talk with Kaoru Kamiya.

Yahiko looked from one grave face to another. "Are we going to do it?" he asked.

"Of course not," Kaoru said instantly, "We have no reason to talk to her. Do we, Kenshin?"

Kenshin looked outside, "I think it would be a good thing to go outside. We she should find out what she wants, that we should."

* * * * *

KK: Tada. Thnx to all you who reviewed. I realize that other chapters were very short, but I think this one was longer, don't you? I realize no real action has happened yet. I'm getting there. I may not update for a while because my parents are being dumb and I have schoolwork. I'll update as soon as I can. Review plz.