Jin-e Time.

Chapter 7.

Shinta whistled happily as he diligently scrubbed at a small spot on one of Kaoru's shirt sleeves. It had been nearly a month since he had arrived, and people were beginning to notice him. Neighbors whispered excitedly about the short man that plainly wore a sword. The police had begun to pester him about joining the force, seeing how often he brought in criminals. Shinta had calmly declined. He explained he already had a job.

Today, the washing machine broke unexpectedly. That was fine with Shinta. Technology and he never seemed to cooperate. More than once he had slashed computers, argued with a fax machine, and violently defaced cars that decided to break down on him. He found a cake of soap, a plastic tub, and a nice sunny spot outside. Glancing occasionally at the mountains, he sighed happily. A bird in a nearby tree tittered happily. The rough sound of alien insects hummed and buzzed around him. A soft breeze ruffled his bright-red ponytail. "This is peace," Kenshin thought briefly.

"Oy, Shinta, what are you doing?" Shinta grimaced as his peace was promptly shattered. "Ah, Sano, I haven't seen you for a bit. Kaoru-dono's washing machine is not working." He pulled out the shirt he was working on and snapped it, forcing any excess water off. He held it up proudly, displaying the now spotless sleeve. "What do you think?"

Sano looked at him as if he were insane. "That's great, but I didn't come over to admire your laundry." Shinta nodded knowingly. "Yes, lunch will be done shortly." Sano scowled at him. "No, idiot, I was hired today as a bodyguard and I wanted to tell you about it." Sano looked at Shinta worriedly. "Uh, Jou-chan isn't cooking, is she?"

Shinta nodded. "Yes she is, as a matter of fact." As if on cue, they heard loud cursing and a clatter of metal objects coming from the house. Sano winced before turning to Shinta, who had resumed his laundry. "Actually," Sano started slowly. "My employer heard about you and wanted me to extend you a job opportunity." Shinta said nothing, waiting for Sano to continue. "He said he'd pay you a lot of money if you would just guard him for one night." Shinta glanced at Sano quizzically. "I'm sure you've heard of the recent assassinations of top CEO's, right?" Shinta nodded slowly, and wiped the suds off of his hands.

Sano sighed. "The guy's afraid that he's next. He wants you to protect him. The assassin is good. The police can't lay a finger on him and he kills without hesitation."

Shinta looked up at the sky. Cloud chased cloud in the azure the heavens. "Sano, my days as a killer are over. I'm happy with my new life." Sano grunted and sat down in the soft, blue-tinged grass. He pulled on a long, fluff-tipped weed, which he promptly began to chew on. "Shinta, you have to think about those people who are dying. You have the power to do something, but if you don't, that means..."

"That their blood is on my hands," Shinta finished. "I know, I know. Fine, I'll talk with this man. But I will act as his body-guard only one night, understand?" Sano grinned, the weed hanging precariously from his mouth. "Great, now let's eat."

Lunch was a simple and unappealing affair. Coarse, hard bread and butter, slightly charred rice, some sort of strange beef stew that tasted suspiciously of shampoo, and some room temperature beverages. Shinta choked it down quietly, Sano complained loudly, and Yahiko wisely made himself a sandwich. As lunch finished, Shinta stood from the table and announced that Sano and he had some business to take care of.

Kaoru lifted a slender eyebrow at them. "Really? Can I come along."

"No!" Shinta and Sano said simultaneously. Kaoru gave them a strange look but said nothing.

They left quickly and made for the city. They meandered slowly past seedy looking vendors, high-end fashion stores a-glitter with fancy lights, cafes bursting with people that chatted amiably to each other, children playing in the streets, teenagers slouching and trying to look tough while hoping someone would comment on how tough they were, old women hobbling to and fro with their white canes, business men dressed in slick black suits who glanced at their watches often, and some where just people. Food smells of a dozen different restaurants floated past them as they walked. Warm bagels and pretzels, spicy hot dogs, greasy pizza, rich Italian, Chinese steamed rice, curry-laden Indian; they all made their way across the two fighters. Tall skyscrapers, sleek and shiny, towered over them at times, while low, brick apartments on filled the spaces between the massive structures.

Occasionally, the concrete and steel jungle revealed a little greenery here and there. Small parks teeming with children sprang up between buildings, their water fountains spewing water. Here and there, a hideous modern sculpture stood, their twisted metal limbs seemingly frozen in the act of a dancing. Massive oaks, maples, and alien species of trees stood regally along the dirt pathways. Small ponds filled with fish and docile alien creatures let the sunlight glint of its blue waters. Ducks and geese dabbed their beaks into the water, periodically bringing up fish and eating them with a snap.

Shinta sighed and grinned like a fool. This was life. Life and its creations was all around him, hidden among concrete and steel. The flow of life gave him a sense of ecstasy. This is what he had fought to protect. Life in all its glory never ceased to amaze him.

Sano noticed his blissful expression and nudged him. "What? Did you find money on the ground?" Shinta chuckled and ignored his question. "Tell me, Sano, what do you think of life? Do you believe that any one man has the right to take it from another?"

"Well," Sano shrugged. "I never really thought of it. I never liked to kill, but sometimes it was necessary to protect my own life." He smiled and looked down at the short man. "I believe that the lives of the masses should be protected with the blood of a few."

Shinta nodded. "I see. But what if the few that you killed were, in a cosmic sense, right in their actions and the masses were wrong in theirs? What then?"

Sano sighed. "Well, you can't bring someone back to life. Once someone is dead, they're dead. So, in the end, even if you are wrong, it doesn't matter anyway." He looked at the people that walked past them. "You just have to shoulder the guilt and move on." He looked up at a skyscraper and then at his hand, where he had written something. "We're here."

The building was excessively extravagant. The lobby floor was a type of marble, polished to a glaring sheen. The walls were covered in gold leaf in the form of gaudy relief carvings depicting high-powered business men. Large, plush chairs made of red leather were scattered here and there on enormous fluffy rugs sporting elaborate designs. The receptionist desk looked oddly small in the large foyer.

Shinta coughed slightly to gain the attention of the secretary, who was busy reading a dollar-store romance novel. Her head jerked up and gave them a thin-lipped smile. "And what can I do for you, gentlemen," she said, a tinge of disgust in her high, screechy voice. Shinta smiled brightly. "Oh, we are here to see if your benefactor would hire me to become one of his bodyguards."

The receptionist gave them each a clip allowing them access to the rest of the building. "Mr. Servage is on the top floor. Check with the security in front of the elevator." She waved them away and picked up the book again.

After checking with the security, they took a long trip to the top floor, listening to music that was now nearly thirty years old. Sano grimaced while Shinta simply tolerated it. The door gave a soft chime as they reached the floor. Shinta and Sano hurried out into a long hall, where tacky, but expensive décor seemed to reign over good taste. They pushed open two massive wooden doors and slowly walked into a room crowded with nearly twenty people, all sporting an array of weapons. A fat, greasy looking man sat cowering behind a large desk. Glancing up at the new arrivals, he cracked a smile and beckoned them to come forward.

"Well, well, I see Sano managed to bring you here, Mr. Himura. It's quite a pleasure, I'm sure."

Shinta tried hard to look for a reason to smile genuinely for the man, but he simply couldn't. The man looked low, as if he were a snake in the grass. Shifty eyes, sweaty hands, greasy hair; this man was not someone he could make friends with. Taking a swift glance at the papers on his desk, he saw a list of small business he intended to either buy out at a low price or force out of the way. Shinta grimaced inside. "Disgusting."

"Mr. Himura," said Servage. "I asked you to come because I've heard of you and your fighting powers. I am willing to give you fifty thousand uni-credits and the position of vice president to whoever can get rid of the assassin. I have given all these other men the same offer," he said sweeping a chubby hand around the room. "They're mercenaries, very good ones. I'm sure all of them and you can manage to bring down the man." He glanced at his holo-screen. Nearly five-thirty. "He said he'd be here at six, so make yourselves comfortable." With that, he went back to his desk to stare anxiously around.

One of the mercenaries walked up to Shinta and looked him up and down. He noticed the sword hilt and laughed loudly. "You call dat a weapon?" He pulled out a massive automatic rifle, complete with a sniper sight, a laser pointer, and a mini-missile add-on secured to the rifle's side. He looked at it proudly. "Now dis is a weapon, girly-man." He glanced at Sano. "And wot are you gonna do? Hit him with yer fists?" He laughed loudly again. "Dat I gotta see." He left, still chortling to himself. Shinta had to physically hold Sano back as the angry street fighter began to run after the arrogant man.

"Sano, such a fight would accomplish nothing." Sano slacked off and leaned against the wall. "That guys needs to be taught a lesson. Next you'll be telling me is that violence doesn't solve anything."

Shinta shook his head. "No, violence solves a lot of things, but it's never permanent unless you completely wipe out your opposition." Suddenly, the lights went out. All the men in the room turned toward the door as Servage yelled something about the assassin being early. For ten minutes, the men stood around watching the door. Servage's labored breathing was the only sound.

A creaking sound could be heard from somewhere. Suddenly, a wall burst inward, as a man stepped forward, something long and glowing in his right hand. He whistled softly, his face shrouded in shadow. "Well, looks as if I was expected." One of the men aimed a shot at him. The bullet veered suddenly as it approached the man and hit the wall behind him. All the men stared at him in horror. Except for Shinta, none of them had any other weapons. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Jin-e and I will be killing all of you heartlessly."

"A hundred thousand to whoever kills that man," yelled Servage.

Jin-e pressed a finger to his head. Shinta and the others were momentarily blinded. When his eyes refocused, he found that everyone in the room had stopped moving. He glanced at Sano, who was quivering slightly. Jin-e's whip-like object swiftly flashed through several people.

"Stop." Jin-e looked up and stared wide-eyed at the short red head. "Why aren't you frozen?" He raised his whip. It continued to glow. "No one can escape that."

Shinta drew his sword. "What did you do to these people? Answer me."

Jin-e smirked. "Prototype technology. It forces the person to think he is frozen by overwhelming the mind with suggestive brain-waves. You would have to be using nearly eighty percent of your brain to overcome it." Suddenly, his arrogance vanished. "But that would mean..."

Shinta sighed. He turned and stared at Sano for a second. Sano shivered and then began to move. As soon as he could, Sano stared around him. "I really don't want to do that again. It's like someone took my limbs away."

Jin-e looked confused. "What sort of freak are you?" He shrugged. "No matter. Besides experimental technology, I'm rather good with my plasma-whip."

"A fool that talks much will regret much." With that, Shinta charged, sword raised over his head. He gave a quick, sloppy slash, hoping to simply finish with the strange man. Surprisingly, Jin-e's whip solidified and blocked the maneuver. Then, he swung and grazed Shinta's side. The whip tore into his flesh easily, leaving behind a burned skin wound. Shinta grunted and changed his stance. Instead of simply trying to slash, Shinta swung low, then high, hoping to at least break a bone with the sword's blunt edge. He didn't connect, but caught a powerful punch to the jaw.

Jin-e grinned as the short man fell. This wasn't so bad. Too bad he had to finish it. From his side, he pulled a long, glittering rapier. The plasma-whip was too good for this man. He prepared to swing down and take off the man's head. He faltered.

Shinta was lying on the ground, his face jovial as he brought the sword's hilt into the man's stomach. Pushing the man away from him, he pulled himself off the floor. Jin-e coughed a little.

"I've tried being gentle, but you are trying my patience." Shinta's sword suddenly clicked as pressed the red pommel stone twice. The blade and hilt split precisely down the middle, revealing powerful clips that had held them together. Taking only one half, he pointed it at the man. "Pick up your sword."

Jin-e swiftly grabbed his sword and held it in a classic fencing stance. Shinta assumed a slightly different stance and flicked his half-sword at the other man's torso. Jin-e parried it and did like-wise. Soon, their blades began to flicker together as they snaked around, trying to find an opening. Jin-e was soon covered in minor cuts. He growled as he found himself being pushed back by Shinta's relentless attack. Backed against the wall, he finally felt fear. Raw, painful fear. Shinta thrust his sword into the man's shoulder, pinning him against the wall. Jin-e's rapier clattered to the floor as blood trickled from his wound. "Kill...me."

Shinta shook his head. "I won't kill for such a small reason as an assassination. The man probably deserves it, but neither you, nor I have that authority." He yanked his sword from the man's shoulder and wiped it clean of blood. Then, he gave the man a swift rap to the head, knocking him senseless. As he hit the ground, the people in the room began to stir. The mercenaries stared around, and finally let their eyes rest on the assassin. Shinta walked resolutely toward Servage. "I believe you said one hundred thousand uni-credits."

Wweeelll, what do you think. My reviewers said I had some problem with detail, so detail galore. I probably over did it though.

I thought the fight scene was a little sloppy. I can see it in my head, but it's a lot harder to describe. I could have had Shinta jumping off the ceiling and stuff, but I tweaked the story to much for him to have a really big battle with Jin-e. Aoshi, sure. Shishio, sure. Enishi, sure. But not a freakin' small fry like Jin-e. Also, I just might skip Raijutta (or something like that) completely, because he just doesn't feel all that important.

Yes, I changed that guy's name to Servage. I mean, they can't have all Japanese names. Besides, he's not important. And also, I forgot what his name was in the show. So sue me.

More on Jin-e next chapter. More Kaoru, definitely, not much Sano, not much Yahiko. And it'll be a whole lot shorter. And it might take a while. "Why?" you might ask. Well, it's because I have a life. Tough beans, guys.