Kaya: Here's the first actual chapter of the winning fic!

Sanu: I hope you all enjoy!

Sheekin: Please note that this work of fiction is not an accurate historical writing.

Sanu: You sound like that thing that appeared on the commercials for Samurai Champloo.

Kaya: Which is a great show by the way!

Sheekin: Kaya does not own Yu-Gi-Oh!

X X X

Chapter 1 – Assassin

The era was filled with so much bloodshed; people said "the amount of blood spilled from the fights was a quantity large enough to fill the oceans if they ever were to dry out." The year was 1864, and wars were breaking out everywhere in Japan. Everyone carried weapons with them; men, women, sometimes even children would be spotted with minute daggers or knives. In Kyoto, the capital of Japan, peace was just barely maintained for the people, for the beautiful city was not overcome with war and fighting. There was one good thing that came from the weapon carrying, however. It became so dangerous for thieves and pickpockets that crimes falling under that category dropped to low numbers. The ones who were silly enough to try and steal in the streets most likely were stabbed or killed.

However, in spite of all the chaos, Kyoto citizens were able to live peaceful, if not hectic lives. By day, the streets were filled with busy people, rushing to their jobs or to the store, or to restaurants. By night, stragglers were walking home from work, or going home with any of their unsold wares. No matter what hour, someone would always be walking somewhere.

It was late at night. Three middle-aged men walked out of a late-night restaurant. They were jabbering carelessly and their faces were slightly red from drinking. They were quite loud, but no one was outside to ask them to calm down. For that hour, they were the ones who were to be found walking somewhere. They walked down the street, still talking, and not one of them had enough of their senses intact for them to realize how much they were stumbling down the streets and into a back ally.

A cat slinked down the road, its black ears twitching. Noticing the three drunken men, it dashed up a wall and disappeared into the night. A faint wind rustled a tree nearby. A piece of litter blew across the street, hitting the opposite wall with a crash. The three men did not seem to notice the noise, and stumbled on. They didn't even notice the man up ahead.

He stepped forward, his wooden sandals making a crunching noise against the dirt ground, and only then did the men look up, their eyes unfocused; a result of drinking. "Who's there?" one of the men asked, his voice slurred and slowed. The man, unbeknownst to them, wrapped his hand around a sword hilt at his hip. "Are you three Yuki Takashimi, Takato Utsaragi, and Shin Yayaka?" the man asked, his voice calm but with an air of destruction about it. "Yeah, what if we are?" the man named Takato asked, nearly falling over from his state.

The man did not answer, but after a sharp sound and a flash of silver did the three men know what the man would do if they were indeed the men he wanted. Before they could react, the man extended the arm holding the sword and he ran right through Yuki, splattering blood all over the wall, the ground, and the other two men. They gasped as Yuki's top half falls to the ground, shortly followed by his bottom half. Takato drew his own blade, but only a second after did the man stab him right through the throat, twisting it around until Takato fell, his eyes wide in surprise. Before Shin could react, the man turned around and slashed him right through the head down, splitting him in two.

All of this was done in a matter of seconds.

The clouds moved, departing to other parts of the dark sky, allowing a shining half moon to throw eerie rays down onto the city below. The rays caught the ghastly amount of blood on the ground, causing it to shine like a river of rubies. The rays also hit the man, giving him a physical appearance. He had long, white, untamed hair, and his eyes were fudge brown. He was wearing a two-piece male kimono. The top half was long-sleeved and a dark grey color, while his kimono pants were blacker than the night. A sword sheathe was settled next to his left hip, making him right-handed.

He looked down at the men he had killed with his deep brown eyes. They were all drug dealers who were selling the drugs as medicine, calling them miracle remedies and charging heaps of yen for them. Many of their customers had died from overdosing on what they thought was medicine. He turned from them, his eyes with a look of unfeeling in them as he sheathed his bloody sword. He was the only one who wasn't covered with blood in that ally. He took out a piece of rice paper and tucked it under Shin. He walked off. The paper was a note which explained who the men were and what they had done. Someone would find the body in the morning.

X X X

The man walked through the rice paper flap, entering into the dojo through the side doorway. A woman was standing there, bent over a stone fireplace. She turned when she heard the flap open. She saw the man and smiled. "Well Bakura, I never expected you to get home from the job early. Usually it takes you a much longer time killing someone," she said, teasing the man. Bakura did not laugh. He usually never did. "Mistress Kaiba, the three men were out of it when I went to them. They were so drunk they could've died from alcohol poisoning. It took me thirteen point four seven seconds to kill all of them," Bakura replied. "Yes, well, a job well done," Mistress Kaiba said.

Mistress Kaiba, or, more well known as Isis Kaiba, was a beautiful woman in her early twenties. She had an unyielding patient nature that matched well with her looks. She had long black hair and sapphire blue eyes. Her hair was put up in chopsticks. Her clothing was a one-piece kimono; light blue in color, with dragonfly patterns, and a pink and white obi.

Isis sighed and stoked the fire, making sure it wasn't blow out from the wind blowing in through the door flap. "Oh, Bakura, did I tell you the news?" she asked him, straightening up. Bakura shook his head. "No, you did not." A new voice entered the room. "Ah, Isis, telling him the good news already? You always scurry to tell someone as soon as you find a good rumor." Isis and Bakura turned. Bakura immediately bowed. "Master Kaiba," he said, staring at the ground, his back arched. Master Kaiba smiled. "How many times must I tell you to call me Seto? I hate formalities, makes me feel weird," he said.

Seto Kaiba was a well-built man of twenty three who owned the dojo he was standing in right now, the Ryuuketsu clan dojo. His physical appearance was merely short brown hair and ice blue eyes. He wore a two-piece kimono similar to Bakura's. The long-sleeved top was dark brown and had a lighter brown pattern of hexagons on the sleeves. The pants were a forest green color. There was also a sword sheathe by his hip.

"She's already told the entire dojo, but you weren't here, so I don't think you caught the message," Seto said, hugging Isis from behind, resting his head on her shoulder. She giggled. "Oh Seto, must we in front of people?" she asked. Seto purred, rubbing his head against her neck. "Oh, come on, are you embarrassed by me?" he asked jokingly. Bakura narrowed his eyes, meaning he wanted to get down to the point. Isis noticed this and pushed Seto away gently. "I'm pregnant," she said, smiling happily.

"She found out last week, I told her not to tell everyone right away, but I guess she wasn't able to hold it in any longer," Seto said. Bakura nodded. "Congratulations. I hope the baby is born in good health," he said in his regular tone. Seto and Isis knew Bakura too well, however, and they knew he was happy for them, although he never showed his feelings much. Seto hugged Isis again and took the stick she was using to prodding the firewood. "I don't think you should be bending over to much, after it becomes visible you're pregnant, bending over is a very bad idea," he said. Isis rolled her eyes. "Fine then, honey, don't me do anything. I will stay in charge of the kitchen, and if you won't take me out of there alive," she said, brandishing a fake sword. Seto sighed. "Yes dear. Believe it or not, I do want to stay alive," he said.

"What do you want the baby to be?" asked a whole new voice. Seto, Isis, and Bakura turned. The young brunette smiled at the three people.

Anzu Mazaki was a girl of nineteen. She was a shy woman, but she was very helpful. She had short brown hair and aqua blue eyes, and a quiet look on her face. She was wearing a beautiful kimono similar to Isis's. Hers was a black kimono with a red bow obi. A slit traveled up the left side of her kimono all the way up to her knee. She was a maid for the clan, and she was carrying a basket full of wheat with one hand.

"Well, to tell you the truth, I really don't know. I'd love it just the same whether it was a boy or a girl," said Isis. Seto smiled and wrapped his arms around his wife again. "I think I'd love a daughter. That way…she wouldn't have to go out and fight," he said. Isis frowned sadly, and then smiled. "It is alright Seto. Everything's going to be fine," she assured. She looked over at Anzu. "Now, what do you need my child?" she asked. "I was just wondering what I should do with the wheat now I've harvested it," Anzu replied, in her usual quiet and calm voice. "You can put in the kitchens, I'll turn it into bread later," Isis said. Anzu bowed. "Thank you, Mistress Kaiba. I'm sorry for disturbing you, Master Kaiba, Bakura-san," she said, hurrying off.

"Is she always so formal?" Bakura asked. Isis nodded. "We saved her from a whorehouse a few years ago, as you know, seeing as how you were the one who killed the owner for swindling off his customers and her," she said. Bakura nodded. "Yes, I remember. The owner was using Miss Mazaki for his own purposes and stole money from the customers who wanted her, as he would seal Anzu in a room until they left, and of course they wouldn't get a refund." "Yes, and I heard she's still a virgin," said Seto. Isis narrowed her eyes at him. "And how would you know this?" Seto grinned. "I never did any of that, you know that Isis dear," he said. Isis smiled. "You better have not."

Bakura watched them as they began to flirt. He turned around without saying goodbye, and went to his room. He caught another look at Anzu before he entered his room. "Is she always that quiet?" he asked, not even having to look to know someone was in his room.

Malik Ishtar was leaning against a dresser, playing with a bag of coins, which was making jingling noises. His hair was sandy blonde and well groomed; his eyes, a deep purple. His kimono was also a traditional male kimono, with an emerald green top and a pea green bottom. The strap that would hold his sword to his side was intact, yet his sword was missing. It was tucked in a corner of his room.

He gazed over at his friend with a sly smile on his face. "She barely talks to anyone but Isis and her fellow female employees. I reckon she's afraid of us men, with our occupation and all." "Then why was she so formal to me before?" asked Bakura, walking over to Malik, sitting next to him. "She's formal to everyone. You should hear her during rounds. 'Yes, Malik-san', 'of course, Master Tanaka', 'There you are, Uro-san.' The only ones she doesn't talk to formally are her fellow workers, and she still is as polite as ever. I'm surprised she hasn't run away from this place. I never thought her fragile little body would be able to stand the sight of blood-covered samurai or dead corpses, but she's handled it quite well," said Malik, twirling the money pouch using his finger, making loud tinkling noises. "So, how did the three drug swindlers go? Did you polish them off easily? Judging by your clothes, they didn't even put up a fight. Either that or y—" Malik was cut off by a sharp sound, then a ripping sound, then the sound of his coins flying everywhere, due to his money pouch being split in half.

Bakura's sword was drawn, and he had apparently sliced the pouch in two while Malik was talking. Malik looked at him questioningly. "The noise was getting on my nerves," Bakura said simply, getting up. "Clean this up," he said, walking out of the room. Malik rolled his eyes. "Yes, Your Highness," he joked, glad Bakura wasn't there to hear him. "I'm supposed to be in bed soon anyway, I've got to get my gambling wages from Sorgaki. If he's swindling, he's not getting away so easily…"

X X X

"I think that's all you need to do for today Anzu. Have a good night's sleep," Isis said, gathering up the empty basket and putting it on the wash table. Anzu bowed, nodding. "Thank you Mistress Kaiba," she said, leaving the kitchen through a sliding rice paper wood-paned door, and into the center courtyard of the dojo. She walked down the outside hall and down to her room. The moon shone even brighter down onto the dojo, illuminating the pond and giving the whole courtyard a sense of warmth. She turned the corner and walked to the other side of the dojo, where the sleeping quarters were.

Anzu opened the flap to her room, bit of the light from the moonbeams leaking through the rice paper wall and into the room. She crossed over to the vanity and opened up a drawer, pulling out a comb. She began to work the needles of the comb through her short hair, while cicadas made their melodious little sounds outside. After her hair was done with, she put everything away and walked over to her dresser. Opening it, she took out a sword sheathe of black, with silver trimming. Pulling out the sword inside, the blade was sharp on only one side, and it was slightly curved at the top. The hilt was black, trimmed with tiny blue sapphires. She had taken it from one of the many rooms on the other side of the dojo.

She walked out of her room and back to the other side. She entered a large room with plenty of airspace. The sheathe was at her hip, the sword back in its holder. She closed her eyes, pulling out the sword. She opened them, and slashed the air in front of her. Pretending an enemy was behind her, she turned around with the sword, slicing through the imaginary enemy. Just for fun, she had someone jump down from a tree at her. With lightning speed, she held the sword straight up in the air, causing the person jumping down to be a human steak skewer.

After about an hour of practicing, it was well into the night, past midnight. Anzu was sweating. She sheathed the blade and walked to the rice paper wall that led outdoors. Bits of wind snuck through the paper and cooled off her face. Hopefully, no one would catch her practicing, as she was sure it wasn't allowed for the maids to be playing around with swords. She closed her eyes, letting the breeze envelop her head, so she could cool down and top perspiring. There was a creak behind her. Anzu turned.

The man was unfamiliar to Anzu. She knew every man in the dojo, their appearance, their mannerisms, and this was not a man she knew. They stared at each other for a little while. Anzu took a step back, carefully reaching for the sword at her hip. Before she could draw it, however, the man's sword was already out and bearing over her. She jumped out of the way, narrowly dodging the man's blow, which left a large welt in the floor. Her heart was racing. She had never been in an actual battle before. She scrambled up, avoiding another blow from the man. She drew her sword, but the man did a fancy maneuver and knocked the sword right out of her hands. He stepped forward, ready to strike her, she panicked, and screamed.

"Shut up wench!" the man said, slashing at her; Anzu's black sleeve barely escaped being cut right through as she ran backwards, away from him. She hit the wall, then threw herself to the right when the man jabbed his sword at her, sending it through the wood and deep into the wall. The man cursed as he tried to recover his sword from the wood. Anzu considered running, so she ran backwards after getting up, and slammed right into Bakura.

It all seemed to happen so fast. One minute, Anzu was staring up at Bakura with a look of fright on her face; the next, she's sprawled on the ground, and the man who had attacked her was sprawled on the ground in a pool of blood, plenty of stabs everywhere on his body. Bakura's sword was dripping blood, coating over the dried blood from his latest kill. She sat up, shaking, her heart pounding in her chest from the thought of death. Bakura turned slowly to look at her. His eyes were full of confusion and irritancy, but he spoke in his normal, calm voice. "What happened?" Anzu merely turned her head, away from the assassin. "What happened?" Bakura asked again, not moving from his spot. Anzu finally spoke, her voice small and shy. "I was doing something in here…and he attacked me," she said quietly.

Bakura sheathed his still-bloody sword, and noticed the other sword lying on the floor in the corner. Soon after, Malik, Seto, Isis, and a few other members came running into the room, hearing the scream. "What on earth happened here!" Isis shrieked, seeing the dead body. "She was attacked, and I killed the intruder," Bakura said, pointing at the casualty. "Can you identify the man?" Seto stepped closer to the dead man, kneeling over him. "Ah, I've seen him before! On one of my meetings with the leader of the Kuragari clan, he caught my eye," Seto confirmed. "So, he's part of the Kuragari clan then? Damn filthy bastards, attacking a defenseless woman. I bet they weren't even after Anzu in the first place, most likely one of the samurai," Malik said. "Will they be informed that one of their numbers isn't coming back?" Isis asked. "Actually, this one is going back. Just, not exactly in a lively manner," Seto said, nudging the body with his foot. He turned to two of the samurai. "Tanaka, Keikia, go and leave this man on the front steps of the Kuragari dojo, so that they may find him in the morning." They nodded and bowed. "Yes Master Kaiba!" They grabbed the body and let, the blood dripping off of the corpse and onto the outdoor hall.

"Someone's going to have to clean that up," Malik said, sighing and taking out a handkerchief. "Anybody else covered in blood?" He scanned the room. Bakura and Anzu were clean. Anzu gasped. If they found the sword, they would know she was practicing with a weapon. She looked over to where the sword was. It was gone. She gasped again and looked over at Bakura. One of his hands was drawn into his kimono sleeves, as if he was hiding something. She stared at him in amazement. He only had seconds to retrieve and hide the sword while no one was looking.

X X X

The sun shone high in the sea of the heavens, casting light throughout the world. At this time, people were busily hurrying along the streets of Kyoto, off to work or other laces. People find three bodies lying on the street, one with a hole in his neck, the other with his body split in two, and one with his upper lying under his bottom half. There is a letter tucked under of the men. Also in Kyoto, a man is found dead on the steps of the dojo of the Kuragari clan.

"So, they killed him before he had the chance to find his target?" Yami Motou asked.

He was the leader of the Kuragari clan. He was a handsome man with spiked tri-color hair of black, red, and blonde, with blonde bangs. His eyes were a violet color. He was wearing a dark blue male kimono, with a longer top that was open. Another layer of kimono was under his dark blue top, which was the same color. His pants were midnight blue.

"Yes, it seems so," said another clan member. Yami sighed. "You may go, Fujitima. Clean up the body and bury him." Fujitima bowed. "Yes Master Motou!" he exclaimed, hurrying off. Yami put a hand to his head and groaned. "I thought we had him this time—damn you, Bakura!" "You are always damning Bakura, aren't you?" said another voice, a much younger voice. A slightly short young man walked into the room. He looked exactly like Yami, but with a younger complexion and with a lighter blue kimono. Yami smiled warmly at his younger brother. "Konnichiwa Yugi," he said. "Konnichiwa, Yami. I saw the body when I went outside to go to the market. Was it Bakura's doing?" he asked. Yami nodded. "I wish the man would stop his senseless murder! It's called repentance, apparently he's never heard of it, and if he has, he's never given the ones on his hit list the chance!" "Speaking of his hit list, three more bodies turned up this morning in a back ally. There was a note saying they were drug swindlers," Yugi said. "Was it Bakura's work?" Yami asked. "Well, Bakura doesn't really have any work, he kills in whatever way he can, he doesn't do something special to kill them; but yes, it was. Bakura usually leaves those little notes for people and a note was found."

"Why won't you let me take care of him? I bet I could wipe the floor with this so-called great swordsman," said a female voice from out of nowhere. Yugi turned, and Yami looked up. "Rebekah, I'm not going to let you go after a dangerous assassin," Yami said.

Rebekah Hopkins was an American-born girl who came overseas a few years ago. She applied to work in the Kuragari clan as a maid, but she acted as if she were a samurai of the clan. She had long blonde hair and light blue eyes, which were hidden behind glasses. She was wearing a kimono geared toward younger girls. She was wearing a one-piece kimono with short-sleeves and a short bottom that went down to her knees. The kimono had a checkered pattern of mint-green and white with a thin mint green bow obi. There was a dagger sheathe by her waist, and she was pretty agile in using it.

Rebekah grinned, and in a flash, she pulled out her dagger and threw it into the wall, hitting a target dead-on and causing it to split in two. She retrieved the dagger and winked at Yugi, sheathing it. Yugi smiled at her, and Yami chuckled. They were both fifteen, and quite smitten with each other. She turned to leave, and suddenly her glasses came off, and she fell forward, shrieking. "Rebekah, are you ok?" Yugi asked, stepping towards her. There was a chuckling sound, and Katsuya Jounouchi walked out from behind a vase, holding a pair of glasses in his hand. "Sorry, I was jus' practicin' and li'l Rebekah happened to be there," he said. Rebekah pouted, but she was giggling. "Oh Katsuya, no one can match your stealth, can they?" Katsuya grinned. "Nah, can't see anyone even tryin'."

Katsuya Jounouchi was a tall, kind of skinny guy with short blonde hair and chocolate brown eyes, sporting a puppy-like face. He was wearing a male kimono with a crimson red top and dark red pants. Although he was usually a laid-back guy, he was a very dangerous opponent, as he used stealth, or silent and fast movement, to bring an advantage over an enemy. He used to work as a fighter-for-hire until he joined up with the Kuragari clan, looking for work. At first he was just a messenger, but during a raid on the dojo and his show of amazing ability, he was turned into a samurai.

"Well, I suppose you saw the body," Yami said with a sigh, after Katsuya returned Rebekah's glasses. "Yeah, I saw dat mess. Lemme guess; it was Bakura," said Katsuya with a frown. "Yes, and I fear Seto Kaiba won't be too happy about the attack either," Yami said, his hands cupped. "Ah well, nothin' we can do about it. Let's just get back to whateva it was we was doin'." "Alright, and next time Katsuya?" "Yeah, Master Motou?" "Don't ruin a romantic scene between Yugi and Rebekah." "…BIG BROTHER!"

X X X

Obi – sash tied around a female's kimono, used to keep the kimono closed and also adds support for the breasts.

Kaya: Ok, I lied; there is some humor in this fic, but this is just the beginning! Believe me, as the fics go by, humor will become scarcer!