Tuner

Chapter 1

Elektra

Elektra entered the Shikon no Tama temple and respectfully bowed to the older man standing by the door. She removed her flat slippers, which she had worn knowing she would have to take them off once she touched sacred ground. The older man bowed back and turned to disappear; apparently he'd only come to see who was at the door.

When the elder had disappeared Elektra found herself involuntarily searching the room, checking for unconventional exits or corners where someone could lay in ambush. When she was sure she was well armed with a lay out of the place, she took a few confident, quiet steps into the room.

The open floor plan, like so many of the smaller Japanese temples, was a great asset to Elektra as she scanned the room, concluding that there was only one other person in the room. She blinked, and smirked; she could only guess that the single individual sitting on his knees before the statue of Kami was her informant. She took several more steps until she was right beside the stranger. She moved over a step, to put herself out of range for an attack, and slid down to her knees before the candle shrine that stretched out in front of the idol. She murmured a short prayer and used an incense stick to light a votive to the goddess who many Japanese still believed in and worshiped. Elektra wasn't Japanese but it never hurt to be polite to foreign gods.

When she had finished and had blown out her incense stick to allow the scented smoke to fill the air, Elektra turned toward her silent informant. She studied him for a moment. He wore a loose fitting outfit, designed to look like a modern gee, though it lacked the cross over effect on the shirt. The clothes were loose fitting and in a peculiarly familiar shade of eggshell white. Elektra wondered where she had seen the outfit before, and paused to ponder her memory's failure. When she could not remember, she moved on with her inspection. Black hair, like a raven's wing, was pulled back in a tight tail at the nape of his neck, and his head was bowed, which stopped her from perhaps getting a look at his face. Still, even though she could not see his facial features, something about him rang true in her mind, like the after image of a camera. She'd seen this man somewhere. Perhaps she had fought him at one time or another. She wondered and pondered for a while longer, but came up with nothing solid. After a moment, she decided it was of no consequence and spoke instead.

"Tell me what you know and I will pass it on to the appropriate people." Elektra's voice was not harsh but not comforting or welcome either. She didn't want this informer to think that she was weak or that she was in any way the welcoming party for the good side. She had no qualms about telling a Hand member to go back to the Hell he came from, even if the member was reforming. She wasn't being deliberately mean, but she wasn't going out of her own way to be kind either.

The head next to her did not raise, nor did the man make any other motion to stand. Instead, he only spoke, "I wish to inform Master Stick personally." His voice was smooth, cultured and Elektra was surprised that it seemed so polished. She didn't know if the Hand educated its members, but this one definitely had some teaching. As to his wish, she didn't want to roll her eyes, but she did. Like she would allow anyone near Master Stick so easily. She may not love the man, and she may not have forgiven him for kicking her out of the dojo, but she still respected him and thought of him as a father figure. No one was going near Stick without Elektra's explicit approval.

She said so without a thought as to any consequence. "I don't think so. No one is going to see Stick tonight; I refuse it. Tell me what you need to tell him, and I will pass it on." She made sure her voice and tone were firm and authoritive.

The man beside her though, did not seem to hear that part very well. He chuckled, his head still down. The dark whisper of sound that was his chuckle tickled along her spine. Now, she thought, that sensation is very, very, very familiar. She didn't like the way her thoughts were traveling. She knew only one person who could do that to her, but Matt, wasn't there. He was back in his city, where he ruled. Not some little no account island in the middle of nowhere. She cleared her throat and retorted with, "Do you think something's funny here?" She fingered the hilt of the sai that was tucked by her right side. The other one, on the left, could be extracted if necessary but she wanted one close in case. She stopped messing with her weapon as the man raised his head and looked her dead in the eye while speaking.

"Oh Elektra, you have no sense of humor. I find our present positions very amusing." The same voice, smooth, cultured and polished, came out of the mouth of a very dangerous person, and an all too familiar adversary.

Kirigi's black eyes stared down into her own hazel ones, his lips pulled into a wicked smirk. Even on their knees he was taller than her, but Elektra didn't mind that. She was inching her hands along her waist band toward her sais, hoping she could reach one or both of them in time to kill Kirigi before he returned the favor. The man was dangerous; he'd proven that in the woods. Now, as he watched her with those disconcerting black eyes, Elektra knew that Kirigi was playing the predator in their little match of wills. He was the predator and her the prize prey that he watched so closely in an effort to devour it whole. Her body shook, and Elektra worried that maybe she was coming down with something, but knew, in her own strange way that she wasn't. What she was feeling at that moment, as intense as it was, wasn't illness…it was attraction.

The thought brought her up short. Attraction? To Kirigi? Her enemy? A Hand member and a very powerful one at that. He was the son of the present Council leader, which made him nothing short of a prince in the Hand's eyes. Granted, he was very handsome and bordered on unspeakably hot, and he exuded sexual energy with every move. She'd found herself studying him like this in the forest but she'd been so deep into the fight that she hadn't need to correct her wayward thoughts. That saving grace was not to be found in this situation. Oh dear goddess, Elektra thought to herself, what have I gotten myself into?

Into? Questioned another side of her soul. Elektra stopped to rethink that statement. No, she hadn't gotten into anything, but the way Kirigi was looking at her was making her uncomfortable and doing something funny to her body. She'd known these sensations only once before but this man was certainly not her kind, caring, forever good Matt Murdock. No, this was Kirigi, Dark Prince of the Hand, and her enemy, turned informant.

He's only the informant, or so Elektra tried to convince herself. She didn't notice that Kirigi was still watching her; she was looking down into her lap, definitely not wise for an assassin. She was thrown off by him and she didn't know why. While she pondered, Kirigi studied.

Kirigi

He had to admit, whether in arrogance or in confusion, the girl before him was beautiful. Her hazel eyes were sparkling and her long honey brown hair was swept back into a practical ponytail. Her skin was flawless, and he found himself so what fascinated with the way the shrine's candles cast shadows and hollows into her face. She was beyond beautiful; he could see why so many fell to her hand. Perhaps they were so mesmerized by her beauty they could not defend themselves against the deadly weapons that seemed so much a part of her.

Kirigi continued to study her, his eyes sweeping over her clothing. Loose fitting black jeans that still allowed her to pull off sexy and hide her sais at the same time. No one else, unless they knew she carried the weapons, would have notice the nearly invisible outline of blades resting against her thighs but Kirigi wasn't exactly a normal person now was he? She wore a red halter with a well-used and obviously favored black leather jacket to cover her bare skin. Around her neck hung her name plate necklace, made of crystal, white gold, and diamonds, along with a ball chain that seemed more of a child hood memory than a fashion statement. He found a small smile curving his mouth; he'd had a ball chain as well. Now that he thought about it though, he didn't know where he'd put so many years ago. Shaking off the memory he continued his inspection.

She was barefoot, as was expected in temple grounds, and her feet were curled under her in an effort to hid something that had already come to Kirigi's attention…nail polish. He found it sort of funny to imagine this assassiness sitting down, and painting her nails with such a vibrant shade, such as the metallic ice blue she now sported on her toes, and fingers nail as well. How adorable. Kirigi fought back a laugh; he was having much to much fun staring at Elektra, but he couldn't help himself.

He was almost done with his inspection; nothing more to look at. He almost started to speak when he took a small whiff of the air around them. He shut his mouth and fought back yet another smirk…perfume. He knew the scent well. Typhoid Mary had, at one point when she was younger and more innocent, enjoyed the same fragrance, and as a gift, on a whim, Kirigi had once bought her a bottle of it. Typhoid, barely 15, had been happy with her Moonlight Path perfume that she had worn it almost everyday; but she had stopped since then…she'd become different.

As he always did when he thought on the past Kirigi found himself frowning; he absolutely refused to believe that perhaps he had corrupted Typhoid's innocence or stolen away her inner beauty. She was still beautiful; just ask Tattoo. Still, Kirigi couldn't shake the dusty doubt from his shoulders as he should have been able to. Perhaps being around Elektra had some kind of effect on others; perhaps it made them go mad with thoughts of the past.

Kirigi mentally slammed the door shut on that part of his past, and instead tried speaking again. He found it sort of funny, that Elektra, so much the warrior and tom boy, would actually indulge in nail polish and perfume…perhaps she was more of a woman in secret than he had been led to believe. He marked it down mentally to remember to watch her more closely and began to speak.

"I have important information that I wish to deliver to Master Stick. Perhaps you would be so kind as to lead me to him." He used his most humble voice but all the sexuality and arrogance could not be completely dispelled. He just had to hope that Elektra didn't pick up on that.

She raised her eyes to meet his, and sighed. "Give me a moment. Master Stick asked me to speak to you, but if you really believe that you need to talk directly to him, then so be it." She rose from her kneeling position, and moved across the room to lean against one of the solid walls. She reached into a pocket and pulled out a sleek looking cell phone. Kirigi watched with a small smirk lining his lips as she dialed a number and waited, tapping her foot slightly with impatience. The girl really was a work of art; he was intrigued by her multi-faceted personality like he'd never been intrigued before. Perhaps this mission would not be such a terrible thing after all. He could entertain himself with this woman, have his way with her, and still kill her later. It was perfect. Kirigi smiled inwardly and listened to the conversation that Elektra was conducting in whispered tones across the room.

"Master, he wants to come see you. He won't speak to me." She paused, obviously listening to Stick's answer. She sighed after a moment, and nodded, as if the blind sensei could see it. "I understand Master; we will be there shortly." Elektra snapped the cell phone shut and glared across the room.

"Get up, get your shoes and come on. We're meeting Master Stick for coffee." Her voice sounded amused and angry at the same time, and Kirigi found himself a little shocked that she could show such different emotions at once. Still, he rose and moved with her toward the outer chamber, where they collected their shoes. As he slipped on his eggshell pad shoes, he looked down at her footwear. Flats. Interesting.

Elektra must have noticed, "I only wore these to get into the temple. I'm putting my normal shoes on as soon as I get to the car." She sounded contrite and contrary, but that was only to be expected of her, he thought.

Kirigi nodded, then smirked. "I see we are meeting for coffee, a public place too. I wonder, does your sensei fear that I will come after the Treasure in the midst of my visit if I were to go to your camp?" He leaned closer to Elektra, his black eyes focusing on her fiery hazel ones. "Because you know, if I wanted to, I could kill all those humans in the coffee shop, and you and your sensei. Then where would the Treasure run?" He chuckled quietly for a moment, but was quickly rebuked as he felt a hand on his shoulder push him back.

Elektra slammed him hard against the wall, and though Kirigi could have easily overpowered her or stopped the push, he allowed it. He wanted to see how far he could push her. He tried not become to giddy as she leaned closer and whispered in his ear, as if she wanted him to hear every naunce of her voice.

"Master Stick wishes to meet for coffee because he wants coffee. He does not fear you; if anything, you fear him. You could kill the humans, but you could not kill Master Stick. Perhaps you could injure me, but you could not kill me. I am much stronger than I appear." She growled at him, and shoved him harder against the wall before turning and marching out the panel door toward the parking lot.

Once he was sure she was out of ear shot, Kirigi smirked and whispered into the night, "We'll see love, we'll see." When he had a hold of himself, he walked out to the car, his katanas still at his side. He slid into the passenger seat of the raven black Porsche and closed the door. He didn't fasten his seat belt but instead reached out to turn on the radio. A song he recognized as a favorite of his blared out of the speakers. He turned it up loud, not caring that he was in Elektra's car or that she might not like the song. He sang along to Lacuna Coil's "Unspoken" and pretended not to notice the assassiness studying him. He noticed she'd already put on a pair of boots; he saw the flats laying on the floor in the back seat.

After a moment, Elektra sighed, and pulled out of the parking lot. She made no move to turn down the music and was, in fact, singing along. Kirigi was shocked; not many people in the Americas knew about Lacuna Coil…after all, the band was Italian. He let that piece of information sink in as Elektra headed through the crowded streets and out to a high way. She rolled down the windows, not asking Kirigi if he minded, and allowed the wind to blow through. Kirigi found himself smirking; it was a battle of small insults and strong wills.

Tonight would be more fun then he first thought.

(to be continued…)