Okay cancel that this story might actually turn into 5 chapters.

Chapter 3: A Tragedy of Errors

The expression on his face could even be called horrific. The elderly man had definitely not been expecting to see what he had seen!

The man backed away from the door and ran down the hallway, screaming for help.

Jakotsu was unceremoniously dumped on the floor.

"In there! He was... I mean... the O-jou-sama!"

"Just remember the mission." Bankotsu knew that if he escaped everything would fail. He just needed to buy some time for Jakotsu. It was too bad though. He'd much rather find the daimyo himself and they could be on there way, but... they didn't know what he looked like!

Things were just way too complicated, still a mission was a mission.

The guards rushed into the room pointing their weapons at Bankotsu, and Bankotsu just let them. He simply smiled at the guards as he was dragged down the hall, his arms held as firmly as the guards could, even though that level of strength was really just a joke to Bankotsu.

'Just remember the mission.' Jakotsu reminded himself, as he watched Bankotsu get carted off.

How dare they lay a hand on him! He tried to calm himself. He know Bankotsu would be just fine, right now it wasn't his leader that he needed to worry about it was completing the task that had been entrusted with him.

…But… but…

The samurai gave Jakotsu a quick looking over as he pulled himself off of the tatami mats on the floor. The disapproving looks he was receiving were no doubt due to the situation that he had been caught red-handed in.

"O-jou-sama…" The elderly man walked over to Jakotsu's side and offered him a hand up. Jakotsu climbed to his feet quickly on his own, earning another glare from the nearby samurai warriors… unfortunately none of them were particularly cute. Oh well.

He kind of felt bad not taking the elderly man's assistance but he knew he couldn't give away anymore then he already had and the calluses on his hands were a dead giveaway as to his many hours practicing and wielding his sword.

"O-jou-sama, his lord ship requested that I bring you to him."

Already?

He hadn't had a chance to put on the poisoned paint that had been given to him. He just wasn't ready… still the sooner they could get this completed the better. Why couldn't there just be one really cute guy around here besides Bankotsu?

"Hmmm…" Jakotsu tried not to grit his teeth in annoyance at his own play-acting. "Oh course, may I have one moment first?"

"No. His lordship requested you're presence immediately, and you will go as you are."

Damn!

Why was it that things just couldn't go his way? I mean come on! What was this bad karma coming back to haunt him or something like that?

He knew he looked disheveled. His hair was still out of place and his kimono had shifted out of place from being dropped on the floor. Then again the lipstick… he glanced out the corner of his eye and saw where it had fallen from his sleeve onto the ground. There was a particularly ugly samurai in the way.

Just not enough time.

He straightened his kimono as best as he could in front of the guards and followed them out into the hallway, his heart plunging deep into his chest.

If all the samurai was this ugly what did the daimyo look like… damn and he was probably going to have to kiss the toad. Still, he didn't have to kiss it right now… maybe… maybe there would be another way.

He could hope anyway, right?

He looked longingly back at the room's direction wishing for the only weapon he had been allowed to bring into the compound. He wanted to end this whole mess quickly but his instincts said that a good junk of the entire plan had just successfully failed.

Jakotsu trudged down the hall, with his escort only a step or two behind him. No one would speak to him and no one would even look at him… well that was fine it would be harder to jeopardize their mission if the samurai didn't acknowledge him.

"In here."

The elderly man stopped at a small room where two retainers sat guarding the entrance.

"Wait here."

Wasn't he mister chatty!

The elderly man closed the door with a resounding thud behind him. Jakotsu wondered what he was going to do. He had to kill this guy and quickly, after all, this job wasn't any fun without either cute guys to attack and watch bleed or Bankotsu they're at his side.

This job stank.

Eventually the door opened, inside Bankotsu was kneeling on the floor in front of the daimyo. There was a trickling of blood from a cut above his right eye but other than that he looked everybit as normal as ever.

Well at least Bankotsu was all right. Jakotsu sighed to himself.

The real question now was what were they going to do with the toad at the front of the room.

Jakotsu walked to the front of the room, and was rather surprised by what he saw…

Not such a toad after all!

The man was actually not that bad looking. He was fit, and had a tolerable face, even though he didn't wear his hair long or even in a top knot. Not beautiful but not bad, but the air of command about him was strong, and the look of intelligence was there as well.

Still something about this man gave Jakotsu the creeps. Was this guy the daimyo? It didn't matter if he was or wasn't either way this guy was a threat, and a big one.

Chapter 4: to be continued...