Author's Note: Too bad. I have to apologize for the delayed update but it's fair to advise you that there shall be even slower updates. You see, folks, the football season has just started and even though the summer semester just ended, there's still going to be some awfully slow progress. Hmm, I wonder... Should I go for the Colts this year?

Samurai Showdown (along with a ridiculous cast of guest characters which I do not own as well)

Adversity

Enter Bizuki: The Geisha

"Cast off your eyes."

"I beg your pardon, Mistress?"

"Turn around."

"But why?"

"You imbecile!" Mizuki spat in irritation, "Can't you see that I'm still naked before you!? You need to turn away so I can gather clothing on my skin and I caught you ogling at least four times in less than five minutes!"

"Ack! Please forgive me Mistress." Heion acknowledge with apprehension and did what he was told. "I assure you, I saw nothing."

The priestess of Ambrosia growled. "Quiet." Her ultimatum had no traces of intention of argument. In the blink of an eye the familiar white blouse and scarlet robes of the Shinto priestess magically appeared onto her form. "You can turn around now."

"Well what do you think we should take as our first step towards world domination?" Heion asked, but he immediately cringed in fear from the murderous glare that the woman gave him. "Wh-What have I done now?"

"It's 'I' or 'me', not 'we' or 'our'. This is my quest for power-- my story." Mizuki retold the dog demon acidly. She tied the red headband around her forehead and she allowed her arms to become grotesquely thin limbs. Her hands enlarged by at least twenty percent and her fingers grew an unfathomable length in a way that make them look like tree twigs. What was once a docile young adult was now a fierce and intimidating devil woman. "That's much better. Now where were we?"

"Your quest for dominance, even far surpassing Ambrosia." Heion answered timidly.

"Heion..." Mizuki began with a deceptively calm voice.

The dog yelp, nearly on the verge of leaping out of his fur. "Yes?"

"This woman, Bizuki..." She began just before grimacing. There was a straining and cracking sound which probably meant that she was transforming again. She brought up her right hand and to her surprise it was back to it's former appearance. "She's resisting me, Heion. This has never happened before and it's apparent that we're both on borrowed intervals." Her right hand writhed in pain as he forearm grew thicker in order to retain it's original form.

"Mistress? So that means that--"

"Yes, pretty soon that wench will once again dominate this body. I do not know when will I return but I must conjure a plan for ceasing this ridiculous transformation."

"You must fight it, Mizuki-sama!" Heion pleaded. "Bizuki has a unyielding grudge against me! You cannot possibly be thinking of leaving me alone with her! She's a bigger monster than even you, my Mistress!" He received a kick to his face.

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, you coward!" Mizuki encourage, in a sense that may frighten someone. "Grow some backbone and take it like a man-- uh, a dog demon." She corrected.

"I'll try, Mistress." He promised but his heart betrayed it.

"Heion..."

"Ye--yes Mistress?"

A growl escaped her stomach. "I'm hungry. All that time I spent rotting away in Makai sort of have that effect on people, you know."

Heion fell over in a familiar burlesque anime fashion.

"Come. Let us make way to the closet available town in order to quell my hunger."

(Scenario)

Heishiro Mitsurugi was bored. A jaded look came across his features and a big, disgusting wad of saliva escaped his mouth and precipitated on a unconscious rogue. Since the crisis of Soul Caliber looming over the world (the root of all evil, he considers) with it's seemingly omnipotent influence, Mitsurugi was forced to return to his native country and hopefully become the best that he can be. But in recent months, the samurai been relentlessly attacking rogues, swordsmen, sailors and even foreigners that may appear worthy of a challenge to him.

One thing for sure, he became more maniacal by the day. "Pretentious fools! You four couldn't even put up a decent challenge. I'm so disappointed. I must discover a way to surpass such absurd contraptions like guns."

One of his "challengers" managed to moan something out legibly. "But we had guns... You used your sword to deflect our bullets and chopped our gun barrels. After that, you made mincemeat out of us..." Mitsurugi knocked him out with the hilt of his sword.

"Hmph. Bunch of sissies." He scoffed in disdain. "Damn, isn't there any decent challenge in any shape or form still around? Who's man enough to face me?" After the arrogant declaration, a pair of shuriken zipped their way towards him. Fortunately he saw them just in time to defect them. Unfortunately, the action only fed his ego even more. "A challenge, I presume?"

"Heishiro, you're as sharp as even," A female's voice noted, "even more so than that of your sword."

A malicious smirk formed it's way on his face. At least this challenger was pleasing to his eyes. "Ah Taki, a woman whom is a bit older than I am with a body that defies gravity." He remarked sarcastically as the aforementioned ninja woman leapt from a shrine rooftop to meet him. "I see that your bust and derriere are just as perky as ever."

"Silence." Taki rebuke in disgust at the guy's joke. "I see that you're are becoming desperate as well as weak during these times of peace. I just knew that it was true about the rumors of a maniacal samurai running around the country picking fights."

"So you came to me in order to present a proper challenge?" Mitsurugi wondered. "By the way, nice mini skirt."

Taki frowned in intolerance. The white ninja uniform, in a way, was far more 'revealing' than even her lavender spandex she usually wore. "That's enough, Mitsurugi." She huffed. "These are required for the kunoichi of my rank." She frowned shortly thereafter. "Although I admit I have to question the master's choice of attire for us. These garbs make me look thick."

Mitsurugi wolf whistled in admiration. "You're not kidding. I'm surprised that I never paid any real attention to it over the years. You're some kind of beauty you know that?"

"Mitsurugi, even if I do find you remotely attractive at times... I have no sort of amour towards you what so ever. So don't try to woo me." Taki rebuked, shooting down all of Mitsurugi's hopes of developing a 'friendship' between them.

"So that means that you did come here for a fight."

"No, not really." Taki nodded. " I'm here to let you know that I've been sensing some disturbances in the atmosphere. You know when it comes to those feelings with me, it means that evil is afoot. And the presence is growing stronger and stronger as time passes."

"Taki, you're actually concerned about me?" Mitsurugi beseeched in awe.

The kunoichi forced herself to turn away, an uncharacteristic discoloration appearing slightly on her half covered face. "Ah! Don't be absurd Mitsurugi. Well, really, I just came here to just-- just be on your guard. That's all. The new evil may surface sooner than expected."

"Well whatever this new evil is I hope that it could provide a challenge." Mitsurugi drawled haughtily before his made a thoughtful face. "Taki, if this upcoming battle end up being just as major or even more so than the Soul Caliber, if I live through it all I'm thinking about retirement..."

Taki gasped in surprise. Mitsurugi was the last person to contemplate of calming down to a more laid back life. "You wish to retire your sword? Coming from you, that's unheard of... and unexpected." She suppressed a chuckle. "Besides, you're still young. Thirty is light years away from senior citizenship."

Mitsurugi nodded sincerely. "I know, I know, and you're a few months my senior."

"Ahem, don't you dare tell another soul this info. I'm really twenty one."

"Actually you can easily pass as a twenty one year old woman."

"Silence. Move on to what you're talking about, Heishiro."

"If I'm still alive after this so called crisis, I'm thinking of settling down." He said. "I think that I've proven that the sword is mightier than the gun."

"God knows that you did that." Taki sighed.

"Taki, we're both getting old. Youth regression is an impossibility. Maybe we should... err, you know what I mean."

A terrible feeling worse than the demonic presence dawned on the kunoichi. The crisis of demons and soul possessing swords wasn't this dreadful in her opinion. "Heishiro!? Certainly what you are trying to suggest to me is--"

"Well, you are considered by many to be an old maid, Taki." Said Mitsurugi and the next thing he knew, he was coughing up smoke from his lungs. "It was only a suggestion, Taki!" He shouted to no one in particular, at least, in Taki's case and mindset.

(Scenario)

"Um. The tempura shrimps are delicious!" Bizuki exclaimed before burying her face back down into her serving of food. Apparently, a transformation occurred and the Dark Priestess of Ambrosia was put on hiatus. When she went through the change, Heion know it was best for him to scram and didn't took his chances whether or not Bizuki remembered him. Still, he didn't have a choice but to follow the woman around just in case Mizuki appears again. But he have to spy on her from afar and meld into the shadows. Bizuki eventually led him to a decent city with active population. Now, she was eating, relaxing, and making friends with geishas in a five storied tea house.

"Could you pour me another serving of tea, miss?" Bizuki asked the server politely.

"Got cha." The short haired youth replied. "Would you like to try our special blend. It's a secret family recipe of mine."

"Sure, why not?" Bizuki consented. "Fill it up." The raven haired geisha did as she was told. But, judging from the certain look on her features it looks as though she was wondering about something. Something that concerns Bizuki. "What seems to be the problem?"

"Strange." She said. "It's usual for a priestess to hang around at a tea house during this time of night. Are you aware that we have 'demanding' customers at times? It can get pretty rough around here."

Skeptical, Bizuki questioned, "What do you mean?"

"You know us geishas may do something a little more than just supplying food and entertainment..." She trailed off, a funny blush appearing on her face. "Well you know... what would people think if they were to see a priestess wondering around here?"

Bizuki made a dubious glance. "I'm not really sure that I am a priestess because I cannot recall how I got these robes. You see, I'm stricken by amnesia and someday I hope to rediscover my memories real soon."

"Oh?" The geisha seemed intrigued now. "So there's a chance that you're not a miko? Hey I know! How about you becoming one of us. It's plenty of fun and we make a good load of money."

"I don't know..." Bizuki said uncertainly.

"Don't worry. We just need more talents with musical instruments. Can you play the flute?"

At the mention of the said instrument, Bizuki's face drew a blank as a memory suddenly appeared in her mind's eye. What she saw was a vague image of a small girl with long raven hair. The eight or nine year old child was sitting on the foyer of a shrine playing a note elegantly surrounded by three females and a male. Two of the females were young, the short haired girl was the youngest at four and the other was the oldest at fourteen. The oldest woman was apparently the matriarch of the family and the lone male could be the father.

'They look familiar. Why am I experiencing this?'

Just as Bizuki began a train of thought about the mysterious scenery, a second scenario occurred right before her. This time the scenery was far sadder than the previous. It was a sixteen year old raven haired girl and she had a forlorn look on her features. It was poring rain and she sat on a tree stomp playing a beautiful sad song with a semisien (a Japanese guitar-like instrument). Definitely note worthy was that her face wasn't stained from the pouring cold rain...

It was the girl's tears steaming down her moon face.

Bizuki gasped. 'Could it be!? Could that be me? Could those memories... be my memories?'

"Hey! Hello there? Anybody home?" The geisha snapped her back to reality. Bizuki shook her head and acknowledged her that she was okay. "You kind of scared me a bit back there. Are you okay."

"Excuse me. Could you get me a flute and a semisien? I'll accept the job offering." Bizuki confirmed. She decided, for the time being, to accept the life of a geisha.

END OF CHAPTER II

Hey, big thanks to Kurasuman for admiring this piece. You were my main inspiration for this story, man! And I'm certainly glad you made that comment that Link saying a lot more than just "Kyah!" and "Hyah!". Oh well, got to tend to the football schedule, I'll try to update by the end of this week because somehow, my muse is in full effect right now.

Later!!

NEXT CHAPTER

The Two Headed Woman That Wreaks Havoc