Disclaimers Notice: The only thing I own is the way in which I chose to use the characters and sometimes the setting (oh, and a few of my own creations...)

Authors Beginning Note: A past relative. Drunken Madness reigns . And destruction pays a costly visit.

Shout it outs!

Aharah Musici-:) I do try.

Velf-And a good one is hard to come by.

Meyojojo-I'm glad to here you know such on the paint?

Shitza-Don't be too harsh on him. I mean, he may be annoying, and ate her sword, and is the cause of her lack of sleep at the moment, and is sorta stalking her...

Chapter 29

Yoshi

Aikia's P.O.V.

I slipped a heavy sack of coins that threatened to burst on the bar. The bar tender looked up from what he was doing. All six of his legs stopped and then continued either cleaning, filling cups, or washing the bar itself.

"Well, well. I can't say I've seen you in these parts lately. Last time you were here I had a brawl like I never seen and more broken wood than a forest." He said lightly, but you could tell from his undertone that he was none to happy.

"And if you remember right, it had nothing to do with me. All I did was come, buy a few guys some drink and relaxed a bit. Or is that a crime?" He bellowed a hearty laugh.

"All right, you win. Besides, you're my best payin customer." I smiled. That was much more like it.

"A bit slow tonight." I commented.

"Well, can't do nuttin 'bout it." I smiled. He raised his eyebrows, and I walked out. Stopping just outside the door, I whispered an order to Katsu and sat back down.

"It main't not be my business, but what was that 'bout?"

"I just told my apprentice to go and spread the word that drinks are on the house."

"Oh, is dat all. You have an apprentice then...." He stopped and his purple face nearly turned green.

"You did what!"

"Don't worry, I'll be paying of course." His face was still green, not in the least bit comforted.

"Airah! Get you and your lazy girls out here!" He yelled. A lady spirit, a cross between a nymph and serpent, slithered in.

"What for? This place is hardly busy 'nough for just me to be out here, let alone all of us. We might as well call it a night." She said loudly, clearly agitated. She flicked her wavy green hair over her shoulder.

"Business is 'bout to pick up, thas why, so get ready!"

"Oh really, who told you this, your grandma from the ice region? Please."

"No, this gentlman here, just had the word spread that there are going to be free drinks served tonight, and you know how nights like that go." Her eyes flicked up to me, and she smiled a coy seductive smile.

"Well than, will you be here tonight?" She said leaning over the bar, flashing her nearly bare voluptuous chest.

"Yes, but seeing as you'll be busy, I highly doubt we'll have time to chat." I said glaring. Her eyes flared, but she didn't say anything as she left. The bartender began yelling out to his other workers and servants and soon the place was busy.

Katsu took his place right next to me as spirits of all sorts began flooding in. If I didn't know better I would think them to be drunk already.

"You know I don't let minors in here."

"He's my apprentice. He can take care of his own scrawny hide."

"Ain't my fault if he gets hurt then." Katsu hissed and glared. I gave him a sharp look and he tamed himself.

Not long, the place was crowded with bodies. The girls were busy taking a few into private rooms and the rest were louder than an angry woman and becoming more out of control.

"Time to collect." I said slipping into the crowd. Barely brushing past the spirits, I collected another full bag and then some. I came back to where Katsu was watching.

"That doesn't look in the least bit fun."

"I bet you can't even get half of what I do, without so much as an ounce of magic or cat ability in your case." His fur ruffled and he disappeared.

"You owe me a few pretty coins. The money you paid has already been used up." I raised an eyebrow.

"I believe you could still serve a Geitzar Spirit and have a krinklet left." His mouth was open.

Idiot...not all of your customers are stupid...you should learn to recognize whom they are...least you make enemies of them...

I grinned back though.

"That's all right. It's a busy night and you can't keep up. At any rate, here is more in advance." His face changed color at my indication of him being stupid, slow, or incapable. However the insult is taken.

I felt a few leather pouches slip into my hand. More than I had collected, but then, I wasn't really trying. Not yet. To steal too much before they're all drunk could lead to questions and suspicion. It's a game really. You just need to know the rules.

"Not too much mind you." He shrugged his shoulders not really caring and ordered some milk with a few coins he hadn't bothered giving to me. Typical.

The night wore on and soon a few fights began to spring up. Coins fell to the floor and Katsu was quick to gather those, while I snatched what was in the pockets, or what ever else the money was carried in; of course pretending to break up the fight. Katsu and I returned to the bar and drank a bit, mostly just picking up conversation.

"Move it little boy." Cursed a loud she cat, wearing hardly anything but a few strips of cloth. She had bumped into Katsu, leading someone toward a separate hallway. She stopped and looked at him, scrunching up her eyes.

"Do I...know you?" She hiccupped, obviously drunk. Katsu froze and glared at her.

"I never saw you in my life." He hissed. The fog in her head seemed to clear away a little.She jumped and grabbed his shoulders.

"Yoshi. It's you! Yoshi!" Katsu scratch the woman's face. I felt an emotion well into me, but I surpressed it immediately.

Blood trickled down her cheeks and her elbow was jerked.

"Hey, I didn't pay ya... to flirt with some...kid." He belched loudly.

"Back off. Go find one of the other girls." She pushed him, but disoriented it wasn't very effective.

"Yoshi, it's me, remember? Me, Shao. Your sister."

"Look lady, my name is Katsu, not this Yoshi person you think I am. I suggest you lay off the liqure. You're breath stinks." Her ears twitched. Her tail thumped the floor and hair bristled.

"Don't you...talk to me that way!" She hiccupped, and went to slap him.

"Excuse me. I do believe you have made a terrible mistake". I held her wrist inches away from Katsu's unblinking face.

"Let go. I don't have time to party, can't you see I'm busy." She spat, her eyes were still diahlated, and speech slurred.

"I can't do that."

"Who the hell do you think you are!" She hissed and scratched me with her claws on the other hand. I didn't so much as cringe.

"Hey you, what you doing with Shao?" I looked over at the Airah who was not impressed. I pushed Shao to her. She stumbled and feel to Airah's feet, or snake tail I should say.

"You should tell your girls to stay in line." Airah looked ticked, but she couldn't do anything about it, at least not if she wanted to keep her job. She helped the girl up and pulled the screaming wench to a door shoving her in.

"You get paid to do your job, not starting fights ya here! And don't go telling me that sob story about how your Ex left ya here, cause I don't care!" She screamed. Shouts were heard from inside the room, and then a thump and a hiss. Obviously Shao didn't feel like working tonight.

I turned back to Katsu, who looked fairly normal, but ticked.

"She had the nerve to call me...her...brother!" He spat on the floor. His hairs bristled farther.

"hey, hey, hey, hey! No spitten on the floor!" Before Katsu could shoot out a smart remark, cuss words across the room began to fly around and shouts of rage could be heard. A whole mess of spirits were barageing in the few who were fighting. The rest were sittin back and drinking. Bets were flown into the air and so were a few coins and swings. The fight escalated and the bartender had to come out from behind, asking one of his assistants to watch the loot and liqure, but just as he was about to break it up, the ground began to shake.

"Aikia?" I raised and eyebrow at Katsu and nodded. The drunk Spirits fell on top of each other screaming. Woman and their partners came of the rooms screaming and unclothed. Beems began to fall down and spirits were rushing out.

One fell to the floor, head split by a fallen beam. A few others were to drunk to tell and sat there stupidly. Laughing. Some laughed even harder when a partner or someone got killed. Blood mixed with liqure and covered the floor. A lamp swayed dangerously.

"But boss, what about the money we made?"

"Get it later!" The bar tender screamed. I turned to leave, but Katsu rushed to the money instead.

"Katsu, we don't need it."

"It's not for us." He hissed and went to the only door that hadn't opened, and holding probably the last people in there. He broke the door down. By now glass adorned the floor in its sharp beauty. Tables and chairs rattled.

Impatiant, I went in to see what was taking so long. Katsu couldn't lift the stupid she-cat Shao. I found a bed cloth on the floor and curtains. Grabbing those I covered her and scooped up the cat. Katsu followed, leaving behind the stupid Spirit who had been in the room with here. He was already dead. Just as we left through the door, lights crashed to the floor and the place started ablaze. It didn't waste time and quickly began to devour its prey.

We stole away into the the ally ways and back roads avoiding the scremaing crowd in town. We stopped at a sand dune and watched the city crumbleand burn to ruins. The quakes stopped. The few who hadn't died stared at the city in a trance.

"Well." I said angrily. I dropped the girl in the sand. Katsu shrugged his shoulders. I turned to leave, ignoring the sound of the coins hitting the sand.

"Master Aikia..." I stopped and waited for him to do what he wanted to do next. His tail seemed to whip around in anger and fear. I raised an eyebrow at him coldly.

"I couldn't just leave her to die. She raised me when I was younger, and she wasn't always like this." He said almost pleadingly.

"So you want to stay with the same witch who left you?"

"NO!" he yelled.

"I mean...master Aikia, if it's all right with you, I'd still like to stay with you." I felt my lip twitch up, but thought nothing of it.

"Very well."

"Thank you." I heard him faintly say.

I turned ignoring the welling feeling in my chest and we made good progress on foot. Our tracks covered by a spell I placed.

I stopped as figure appeared before us, seemingly to appear right out of the sand.