The next morning Kaname rose at the crack of dawn as usual, carefully avoiding Nanashi who had rolled out of bed during the night. As she made her way past the guy's rooms, she couldn't help thinking about Hakkai. Intelligent, positive, so kind, not bad looking either. With a quick shake of the head these thoughts vanished and Kaname ordered a cup of coffee at the bar. During her morning alone time, she couldn't help thinking about Hakkai. An image of his smiling face was engraved in her mind, picture perfect in every way. Footsteps alerted her as she stirred her coffee absent mindedly. Sanzo came to the foot of the stairs with a cigarette hanging precariously out of his mouth and grunted in morning greeting. Kaname nodded and took another sip of coffee.

"Good morning."

They sat alone for a long time until Kaname spoke.

"I met your master once. Good man."

Sanzo was incredibly surprised and the cigarette dropped smoldering on the floor.

"How?"

"Travels. My father and he were neighboring lands for a time. He was so placid and serene, so kind. He made me a paper airplane."

Sanzo sighed, reaching down for the cigarette.

"Then your father was the Duke of Kenjutso."

She nodded.

"And you the young Duchess Arabella."

She nodded again.

"You caught me."

Sanzo smirked, the closest Kaname had ever seen him to smiling.

"That was you standing behind Lord Nagajutso on the festival night. I saw you."

Kaname's face lightened as she remembered.

"That night was merry and joyous, but it's long gone."

Sanzo left the topic and looked sideways at her.

"Well, you know if this town were to know who you were, you'd be flocked and given the highest treatment."

She scowled and looked disbelievingly at him.

"You know what its like."

The monk turned back to his own cup of coffee.

"Just checking."

Kaname left the downstairs and tip toed up to Nanashi's room. She peered inside and sighed, looking at the huddle figure twisted up in her sheets in the floor. Nanashi was snoring slightly and squirming every once in a while, mumbling incoherent things in her dazed state. Kaname sighed and began to aim a hefty kick at her gut but refrained, remembering that she was injured. Instead she cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted racously.

"Nanashi, up."

A groan sounded from the lump and two sleepy crimson orbs blinked owlishly into the morning sunlight.

"Early, go way now," was the response.

Kaname merely bent down and with a single motion threw off the covers, shaking Nanashi lightly and patting her cheek.

"C'mon, we're traveling with others now, we can't be late."

The wolf demon groaned again and rose slowly, flexing her lithe figure routinely and smacking her chops.

"I'm hungry."

Kaname just hooded her eyes and walked slowly out of the room, shaking her head.

"Aren't you always."

Nanashi watched her leave the room and then proceeded to lay down once more. A voice sounded from outside.

"Don't even think about it."

With a heavy snarl, the girl rose and stormed out of the room to join Kaname at the top of the stairs. Nanashi spoke as the descended.

"I still don't know what posessed you to join this band of freaks. Or tell them our story. Especially mine. How'd that get brought up may I ask?"

The edge in her voice didn't seem to affect Kaname, who lit a cigarette and paused on the second to last step.

"The pink-haired fellow brought it up. He seems almost taken with you."

Nanashi's mind drifted back to the previous night on the roof and she blushed, causing Kaname's mouth to twitch as if in a smile. Her eyes glinted mischeiviosuly and as she turned, she called over her shoulder, "Better watch out. I'll tell him if you aren't good."

"Tell him what?" said Nanashi.

"About how much you wanna fuck him."

"Urk!"

Nanashi went a flaming crimson color in the cheeks and she began to run after Kaname.

"Wait a minute, I never said that. Kaname, get back here. KANAME!!!!"

With that the party met downstairs and hopped into the jeep, heading off into the west.

Around mid-day Goku glanced over at Kaname who had been sitting completely still the whole time and seemed annoyed.

"You haven't moved the whole time."

She continued staring until she seemed to have an epiphany.

"Hammurabi."

Hakkai spoke from the front seat.

"What about him?"

"He was the Babylonian who conquered Sumer. He set up the law code. Hammurabi."

Nanashi groaned.

"Oh good god, don't get her started on Sumer. She can go for days."

Goku was stunned.

"That's what you've been thinking about this whole time, isn't it?"

Kaname nodded and Goku sweat dropped.

"Incredible..." he mumbled under his breath.

"Who's Hammurabi?" asked Gojyo skeptically.

Sanzo sighed angrily.

"If you had been listening, she just told you."

Nanashi half hooded her eyelids.

"Some ruler or somethin. A Baggatonian or other."

"Babylonian," corrected Kaname.

Thus started a long and boring discussion on Hammurabi and the evolution of Sumer from his reign onward, until they had passed the times of Nefertiti, Tutenkamen, and the other Egyptian pharoahs and all the way up until the rebirth of Europe. Goku had perked up during the bits on battle tactics and bloody gore whil Gojyo had just chain smoked the whole time with not a care in the world. Nanashi pulled the cigar from her bra and was about to dig around for a lighter when Gojyo pulled out his.

"Here."

She thanked him and somehow managed to light the cigar in the cigarette lighter. Her eyes revealed nothing as she spoke to him next.

"So you guys ride all day, sleep, and do it again? Doesn't it get repetitive?"

Gojyo closed his eyes and smirked, taking a long drag on the smoke.

"Yeah, it does, and I don't just ride all day. Night too."

The wolf demon snickered and swatted at him playfully.

"Too much information. A sleep around I take it."

He held up his hands defensively and grinned.

"Oh, not a sleep around, just a highly requested man on the market, if you know what I mean."

Again Nanashi had to laugh and this time she choked on some cigar ash, buckling over with the heaving chuckles. Her face went red with the strain on her cheeks and she crossed her hands over her stomach.

"Mmf, you, high on the market. Listen, I wouldn't pay one yen for you."

He frowned comically.

"Hey now, that isn't very nice. I'd pay at least 100,000 for me."

Realizing his blunder in speech, they both started laughing and Goku leaned over to join the conversation.

"I was wondering when you'd admit it."

Kaname even had to smile at the remark.

"Well, when he said high on the market you knew he couldn't mean with ladies."

Nanashi snickered helplessly.

"And he said it so seriously too!"

"Next stop Jiniashi City."

The party looked up and realized that this whole time the sky had been getting darker with each passing word. Nanashi looked forward at the small town illuminated in lights and shuddered.

"Not too friendly looking. Looks packed full of money, anyway."

"Nanashi," said Kaname wearily, "you got quite enough in Koorime, god knows how, but you did."

The wolf demon pouted and Gojyo raised one eyebrow.

"What, is it like a habit?"

"Hm?"

"Stealing."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Hn."

Little did the party know, a very interesting surprise awaited them there in Jiniashi city. A very tough surprise...

The jeep rolled to a stop in the middle of the bustling town and the passengers exited the car before Hakaru transformed and took his place on Hakkai's shoulder. Everyone peered cautiously around but found nothing suspicious. Just the usual night activity, one or two drunkards, kissing couples, small shops packing up for the night. Kaname fished around in her pocket and sighed.

"Nan?"

"Hm?"

"Could you possibly..."

With a sardonice smile crossing her features Nanashi withdrew a large amount of money from her pocket and sighed.

"I knew you'd need more so I took the liberty of borrowing some from a nice old guy back there."

Gojyo blinked owlishly.

"But, you didn't even move, but you..."

He sweat dropped as the rest of the party looked around for a suitable inn. Hakkai pointed to one not far away from the sidewalk and smiled.

"Looks okay at that one."

They began to walk towards it when both Goku and Nanashi stopped.

"Wait..." said Goku tenetively.

Nanashi perked up her ears and quickly covered them as though she had heard a tremendous sound.

"Jesus! South east and move it!"

She and Goku took of at the same speed towards the source of the supposed ruckus and Kaname followed suite, stopping every once in a while to motion the others forward. They traveled some distance before coming to a halt in front of a rather dangerous looking tavern and from the inside the sounds of a scuffle could be heard. Chairs scraped across the floor and glasses broke in an endless shatter, windows cracking every once in a while as screams were heard through the saloon door. A numerous amount of rather strong looking men came dashing out the door, sliding around on spilt wine as they landed in an unceremonious pile in the middle of the street. They looked terrified beyond reason and quickly continued on their helter skelter path towards the outside of town as though chased by terrible demons. Goku looked as though in a daze and Nanashi seemed puzzled while the others just stared on in incomplete understanding. A voice was heard from within, smooth and low, so dangerous that every witness present shuddered at its mere tone.

"Serves you right. Don't short change me again."

The doors swung open to reveal an awesome sight and display of great strength, wodnerous. A girl slightly older than Nanashi stood there, on hand on her hip and the other hanging limply at her side. Her long black samurai knot swished very lightly in the breeze as did the two red strands that fell abnormally before her eyes. Now her eyes were a frightening spectacle, burning bloodstrewn with battlelight but subtly so. A small ponytail graced the back of her neck and flowed over her shoulder on top of the one shoulder guard on her right side. It was fastened on the her shirt, a brown covering of felt and leather rawhide that stopped somewhere around her ribcage. It was tightened around the base of her bust with a thick brown belt and notched very slimly for she looked underfed to say the least. Around her waist and below her bare midrif was a yellow piece of cloth which elongated into a red overcovering, reveling just a small glimpse of thigh before the legs continued on until right above her knees. There began the long brown leg warmers and black shin coverings. One her feet were thick boots of rawhide. Two black katana sheaths were strapped croswise across her back and right below the golden arm bands on each arm there were red and gold plated forearm armor covering. She cut a fearsome sight standing there, illuminated by the light of the tavern and standing out beside the blackness of the night.

While Hakkai looked to Sanzo for an answer the monk simply stood transfixed as though bound by invisible ropes. Kaname took the liberties and steped forward.

"That was well done."

The girl, who by the looks was a tsugikage, kept her face expresionless so Kaname continued.

"What was the offense?"

"Short change. Five cents short."

Goku snorted. "Doesn't take much to piss you off."

The samurai narrowed her eyes dangerously and to the utter surprise of all present, even he took a step back. Nanashi didn't look at all intimmidated and while everyone else slowly backed away, she stepped up boldly and met the girl with the same piercing stare.

"You're all high and mighty, wench. Care to justify?"

She let out her claws with the distinct chinking sound and stood in a threatening position. The girl snorted contemptuously and began to walk the other direction. In a rage, Nanashi charged her from behind, claws upraised and gleaming in the moonlight. She was blind to all else and failed to see what the others saw. The girl's face turned ever so slightly her way and those narrowed eyes revealed the plan that was to be the demon's demise. Kaname disappeared in a flash and right when the samurai struck, she appeared with Nanashi just a breath's inch away. The attack from the terrifying opponent had been much faster than any could've expected and Kaname touched her cheek gently where a thin cut from the sword was bleeding freely down her face. The girl kept an emotionless face and simply turned to go when Kaname walked up to her and whispered in a low tone so that none could hear.

"It was hard wasn't it? Trying to forget all those victims and all that suffering that you caused? It plagues you, every night it plagues you, and you're almost at the brink of detereorating. You know you need help, but you're too stubborn to get it. You want love but you can't find it anywhere. No one would want to love a hired asassin. Isn't that right...Katana?"

The tsugikage turned, her face still emotionless but he eyes fraught with pain and anger.

"What kind of witch are you, that you know so much" she whispered malevolently.

Kaname sighed, and half smiled. She sent her next message telepathically and in as pleading a tone as she could.

"One who wants to help and who needs it just as bad."

The girl paused and her untrusting features almost seemed to give way ever so slightly before hardening into that emotionless shell again. Kaname nodded.

"I'll buy you a drink."

They began to walk towards the nearest tavern when Goku broke in.

"Kaname, aren't you going to introduce us?"

She paused a moment.

"No."

Nanashi was still frozen in place watching the scene and when they disappeared into the building, she stood there gaping after them.

"But...I..."

Gojyo dragged her along and the others headed into the hotel, looking ultimately bewildered.

Across the way in the tavern, the mysterious samurai woman stared into her glass of liquor and seemed to be lost and swimming away in it when Kaname interrupted, removing the cigarette from her mouth slightly.

"Kaname Ichigari. I'm supposing I'll only get your first name."

The blood red eyes searched her over as though looking for hidden weapons and stopped on the chain belt, but only momentarily. Managing an almost warm smile she nodded.

"Katana."

The very same name Kaname had called her earlier that night.

The samurai seemed slightly at ease now, but her muscles were still tensed for action.

Kaname had to smile, thinking how Nanashi and this girl were so alike. Find them and they seem as quiet and lifeless as a cadaver but alone in person, friendlier than meets the eye. Still, the girl was emanating a strange kind of coldness that didn't fade, no matter what her emotion. She was incredibly powerful, anyone could see that, but the tangible power that swirled around her almost made Kaname sick with awe. Lighting another cigarette, she glanced vaguely at the two sword sheaths.

"You're skilled. But your technique is new to me."

Katana shrugged, and made an interesting facial expression.

"Well, it should be. I created it."

Kaname raised one eyerow.

"Yeah? How?"

"I watched three sword masters executing the Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji techniques, and combined their principle moves."

Kaname seemed to almost choke on her smoke.

"Hiragana and Katakana? Only three other men in the world can even get close to mastering those! What do you mean combined them!?"

Katana shrugged again and turned back to look in her glass. This was how they stayed for three hours, just straing off into space and seeming to grow connected even though they were barely known to the other. Each had quite the past, oh yes, but together their pasts seemed minimal. Even though Katana's background had not been spoken, Kaname could see deeply with her mind's eye and, even the strong one she was, wept in her heart for this tsugikage. Her life had not been easy and it still teetered on the edge of the abyss, waiting for the one thread of a cord to break and send her tumbling down the cliff.

During the second hour Kaname looked once more within Katana's mind. A picture, a framed picture, of a young girl, only about twelve or so, stepping up on the tallest cliff imaginable, surrounded by young boys in uniform who looked on at her with incredible jealousy, but at the same time respect. The girl was obviously Katana and she held out her hands to an old looking master, who in turn placed two scabbards in her hands, the same two that the very day had made the thin slice on Kaname's cheek. With a small bow the girl turned to the North and removed the right sleeve of her practice gi, pulling one katana out of its sheath, as it glittered bitterly in the dawn's light. Grasping the hilt with her right hand, she held out her left arm and with a quick flashing movement, made a horizontal and a vertical cut on her arm, intertwining the two in a cross like emblem. Then she knelt to pray to the North, hed bowed reverently in silence.

As the vision faded, Kaname realized it had been Katana's acceptance into the order of the Hitohiri, a prestigious group of samurais to the far south, Looking slightly over, she could see the scar still present on her arm and her expression was grim; there was another mark there, a diagonal slash in the middle of the two. It had not been an accident, that mark. Someone had made it intentionally to mark out the cross. No doubt her membership had been suddenly withdrawn but why?

The next hour passed slowly until Katana spoke again.

"Can't seem to keep yourself under control."

Kaname smirked and began another round of chain smoking.

"Oh? What gave you that idea?"

Looking as though she wanted to reach back and grab her swords, Katana met her eyes with a bone chilling stare and her hair danced eerily in the slight wind through the dutch doors.

"It's hard to control a dragon, or so they say."

Kaname's expression was level. "And?"

Katana yawned. "Oh, nothing."

As she shifted her weight on the bar stool, Kaname saw something strange. A tail, no mistaking it, underneath her cloth, tipped white at the end and a natural red to the base of her back. A demon no doubt, a fox demon. Katana noticed the stare and frowned.

"Its not like you're any more human than I, dragon."

Kaname tensed once more and leaned over to the girl.

"If you refer to me as that ever again, you will not live to see another morning."

Katana seemed deaf to all threats and sighed, looking again into her untouched liquor glass. "The world will never be kind to us, Kaname Ichigari. Never."

Nanashi stared blankly up at the ceiling of her hotel room and counted the seconds. Where could Kaname be? She and that new chick couldn't have talked for this long. They weren't the most talkative people. Sighing, she rose and looked out the window. A full moon tonight. It was peaceful, beautiful. The wind ruffled her hair slightly and she felt drawn to the roof where she had sat the previous night. Somehow, she didn't think it strange when she arrived on the top shingles and saw Gojyo there, laying out and proping himselfup on hi elbows. She smiled slightly.

"Hey stranger."

He turned and grinned roguishly the way he did and looked at her knowingly.

"You're worried."

Nanashi sighed and tried to deny it, but he was right. She was worried. It wasn't like Kaname to just go gallivanting off with strangers and this didn't feel like the type of stranger that one could even consider remotely safe. She was most definitely the dangerous type, that samurai woman, and Nanashi was incredibly prejudiced towards her already. She sighed for the umpteenth time that night and looked over at Gojyo.

"Gee, how could you tell."

He smirked and lit a cigarette, offering Nanashi a light which she promptly accepted.

"Maybe its that way you keep on chewing on your...nails."

Unbeknownst to Nanashi, she had apparently let out her claws and was currently chewing them to stubs but this hindered their growth little and they just grew right back. She, incredibly flustered, replaced her hands around her knees and smiled sadly.

"Yes, well I just don't want her to go to jail for whatever she might do to that other chick."

Gojyo nodded skeptically.

"Sure."

At this moment in time their eyes met and each realized that never before had they actually looked the other straight in the eye. Gojyo was the most surprised of the two and was captivated by the two red orbs which stared into his own. They were mysterious, sure enough, but they held some kind of longing, sadness, a calling out to someone, anyone, to save them from their doom of loneliness and eternal begotten faith. They quivered slightly as though tears were about to spill down Nanashi's cheeks, but she stopped just short of that and turned away, not wantingly but just to save herself from what was fated to happen if she looked any longer.

"Well, I'm going back to bed..."

Gojyo turned his head.

"Alright."

"I'll see you tomorrow morning."

He didn't respond. Nanashi took her leave down the roof and into her window, not restraining herself from turning to glance longingly one last time.

Gojyo turned slightly as that voice repeated in his head, "Don't let her go, don't let her go..."

"Wait, Nanashi..."

She turned as though it was painful. Why did he taunt her like this? "What." Her voice was colder than he was used to hearing and even the garulous Gojyo seemed tenetive to say anything in reply. He sighed and rose, walking towards her on the thin strip of rooftop.

"Listen..."

Before her could say anything Nanashi paused, standing completely still in the moonlight, ears twitching and eyes flickering from side to side. Gojyo stopped also and the two stood there in utter and complete cautiousness. "Gojyo...don't...move..." whispered Nanashi through gritted teeth, "its...right...behind...you..."

Without warning a harsh laugh sounded from the roof to the left of right of where Gojyo was standing. "Fools, letting me sneaking up on yous, yes, how foolish...haha...ha..."

There stood the culprit who had followed the little couple up to the roof and here he stood now, over nine feet tall and covered in black armor, humongous but not so large in prescence. It was as if he was only half there and half of him had been torn away long ago, drifting somewhere else in the mind. The armor was that of an ancient period, the Meiji most likely, and Gojyo quirked his mouth slightly.

"So, you're the faggot who's been following us around town. I was hoping to be impressed."

The figure did not seem at all stung by Gojyo's insult but just withdrew the large axe strapped to their back and made as if to swing, holding the axe high above their heads. It came down with the speed of light and crashed towards Nanashi and when it hit their was an exlposion of wood and dust, combined with the now howling wind. Gojyo stood from his crouched position and looked frantically around.

"Nanashi, where are you?! Nanashi?!"

A yell of surprise issued from the black figure as it got kicked with tremendous force from the roof top and down into the street where the drunks from the taverns were stumbling away in horror and two recognizable figures came running from the one across the way. Kaname hollered up with her hands cupped around her mouth.

"Nanashi, Gojyo, are you alright?"

Both figure in question hopped down to the ground where Gojyo's vein popped in aggrivation.

"Why didn't you answer me??"

Nanashi grinned, fangs and all. "Sorry, I had to take care of aluminum ass first."

Sanzo, Hakkai and Goku came sprinting from their bedrooms in the inn and stood there with the others, looking up at the huge figure as it rose. Through the dust that clouded its body a fearsome helmet covered face appeared, terrifying and foreboding as it chuckled mirthlessly, as though amused. The voice was deep, shadowed.

"Silly humanses, standing up to Kotosai, haha...ha..."

Hakkai voiced the answer to everyone's unspoken question. "Another one of Kougaji's asassins. Man, he doesn't get many new ideas does he?"

Kotosai, still calm and rather unpredictable, chuckled again. "Kotosai will hurts you, yess, haha...ha..."

Nanashi withdrew her triple bladed katana and was about to step forward when the samurai woman stepped from the shadows where she had been observing and shook her head.

"No, animal, let me."

Nanashi was about to jump her when Goku restrained her. "Wait, hold it..."

Katana stood crouching in position, eyes shadowed from view, body tensed and unnmoving. Kotosai laughed again. "One fighter for Kotosai? Haha...ha...ha..."

Something about her stance made Nanashi stop moving. It was something about the way she was crouched that was a foreshadowing of the blood about to spill. She stilled her body and watched in hororrified fascination. The mind was racing inside the tsugikage's skull, she had a battle plan, a path to take, a way to swing her sword already planned. There was no doubt in her mind of what she might do to this creature...and yet, something about the way she stood was remorseful as well, but none but Nanashi could see it. Maybe it was the way her back muscle twitched as though begging her not to move, maybe it was the way her hair swished in the wind as though tugging her backwards, but Katana did not want to kill this creature...at least a small part of her didn't. She withdrew her sword and stood, looking fearlessly up into the crazed and masked face of her opponent. Kotosai laughed again.

"You're silence is fear...haha...ha...yess..."

Katana walked slowly up to him as though she did not care that he was holding an axe twice the size of her body. There was no sound besides that of the wind as it whistled through the caverns in the stores, howling as though laughing. Someone was going to die tonight, wasn't that marvelous? Sanzo rolled his eyes.

"Oh, for the love of God, does she think she can take him all by herself."

Kaname leaned against the bannister of the tavern and lit a cigarette. "Don't move monk, this doesn't concern you. And if its any of your business, she can kick this guys ass no sweat." Kaname's eyes danced with amusment in the light of her smoke and Goku let go of Nanashi's now still arms. "What is she up to? That woman I mean?"

Gojyo snorted contemptuously. "She's going on a death march. Ha, she can't do it alone."

Nanashi's voice made everyone silent and still, believing to say the least. "You're wrong. Do not judge her so. She has a lot of power, maybe even more than Goku and I put together. She's immensely powerful, the question is, can she control it?"

Katana meanwhile had arrived at the foot of the giant and stood there defiantly. Kotosai laughed again. "Ready to die, yesss? Haha...ha..."

Kotosai raised his axe and the moonlight glinted off the blade and his armor, whistling in tune with the wind as it swung in a terrible arc of pain and suffering that had no doubt been the doom of so many. Katana did not move an inch, or so the onlookers thought. This was until the dust settled and she was no where to be found. There was no blood on Kotosai's axe so she couldn't have died, but instead of searching for his lost opponent, Kotosai didn't move. In fact, it wasn't until Kotosai's head began to slide from his neck that anyone knew anything had happened. First came his head, thunking to the ground hollowly, then came his arms, legs and hands, including the huge axe which clammored unceremoniously to the dusty street. Katana came up surprisingly behind Kaname with an emotionless expression on her face.

"I'm going to bed."

All eyes just followed her to the inn and up the stairs at which point the grup was left at the foot, open mouthed and about ready to plop down in shock. Kaname chuckled.

"Looks like we have another traveler."

All eyes turned to Sanzo, expecting a great protest and an outraged one too but a vein just popped irritably on his forehead.

"Fine, whatever. Just leave me alone."

Goku stepped up, "Really? Wow Sanzo..."

The fan came crashing down on his head with lightening speed pummeling him into the ground. The onlookers all sweat dropped and Nanashi's statement was true.

"This is going to be a very very long journey."