Bushido sat on the rooftop of the guest house he was currently staying at. He held his sword in his hands and inspected the blade. All signs of the damage it had received, the other night, were completely gone. The young warrior smiled proudly at his work. This had been the first time he had repaired a sword without any supervision from…

The smile faded from his face. He gave a quick shake of his head to keep his thoughts from wandering down an unwanted road. Sliding his weapon back into its sheath, Bushido lay it by his side and leaned back on his elbows and watched the sun sink down towards the horizon. It would soon be time for him to patrol again.

A thoughtful look graced his features. He had been in this city over three months now. And, although he knew he was doing good here; it stated in the code that the role of a Bushido was to protect all of Japan. He couldn't do that if he remained here in Iiyama. But, at the same time, he couldn't leave while there were still criminals at large in the city.

Sitting upright, he rested his elbow on his knee. If he could just find a way to stop the source of these crimes, then he could leave the small-time criminals to the police. The boy's eyes suddenly widened with realization. Maybe that was his answer. He was sure the police would be looking for the criminals' leader, and if he offered his services they could work together to find him.

But then… would they accept his help. He didn't know the local law enforcement's attitude towards what he did. They might see it as a form of vigilantism, although he was fairly certain he wasn't breaking any laws. The Bushido code did state that it was important to respect authority. Well then, he should show the authorities respect and give them the benefit of the doubt.

His mind made up, Bushido reached for his sword – only to pull his hand back as a bullet hit the roof tile beside the weapon.

Quickly rolling backwards, so that he was provided cover by the slope of the roof; Bushido chanced a scan of the surrounding rooftops. He ducked back down as the sound of another shot rang out. It was followed by fast footsteps and the thump of a person landing on the tiles not far from him.

The man was tall, with a lean yet muscular build. His hair was cut short and he wore close-fitting dark blue pants with a sleeveless black shirt. Strapped across his back was a sword and, on his right hip, hung a gun holster. The weapon itself was in one of his gloved hands as he moved slowly towards the peak of the rooftop. Putting on a burst of speed, he cleared the top and prepared to fire. However the rooftop was now empty.

He stepped up to the edge to see if he could spot the boy on any of the surrounding buildings. It was then that Bushido, who'd been hanging off of the edge by his hands, swung himself up and kicked the gun out of his attackers grasp. The pistol fell off the roof and the man stumbled back a few steps. He drew his sword at the same time that Bushido swept his up from where it lay. The young crime fighter stood in a half-crouch, with his sword pointed straight ahead in his left hand, and his right index and middle fingers raised towards his opponent.

The dark-clad swordsman swung his sword a few times and then, with a slight grin, charged. Bushido launched himself forward to meet the advance, striking at the man's sword with his own. Springing from his position near the ground gave him enough momentum to match the adult fighter's greater strength.

The two combatants broke apart and circled each other, searching for an opening. Neither of them bothered with saying anything. It was clear to Bushido that this man intended to harm him. Asking him why, or who'd sent him, would be pointless as he'd probably lie. Bushido had a pretty good idea who'd sent him anyway. The boy was focusing entirely on the battle at hand.

Their swords clashed as the fight resumed. The older fighter was throwing his weight into his swings, so Bushido was choosing to dodge rather than try to block the heavy blade. He managed to step back just in time to avoid a swing at his head. Before his attacker could swipe back the other way, the young hero stepped forward and struck him under the chin with an uppercut.

The swordsman stumbled back only one step, before lunging forward again and slamming Bushido with his shoulder. This knocked the teen off his feet and onto his back. The assailant stabbed down with his sword, but Bushido managed to roll out of the way in time. He then struck out with his foot and caught his opponent behind his knee. The man fell but managed to land in a roll and return to his feet. At the same time, Bushido regained an upright position. Now the two of them were facing each other again, as they had at the beginning of the fight.

The brief silence between them was broken by the sound of police sirens. Both fighters turned their heads and could make out flashing lights headed their way. Someone in the guest house must've called the authorities after hearing the gunshots. The swordsman looked back to Bushido and gave a small smile.

"Another day, then."

With that simple statement, he turned and leapt off of the roof. Bushido ran to the edge and looked over, but his attacker had already disappeared.

Down below, at the guest house entrance; the establishment's owner came hurrying out as a police car came to a halt before him. Two officers got out; a man and a woman. The female officer spoke to the owner.

"We got a report of gunshots being heard outside this building."

"Not outside; on top!" The fearful man replied. "Several of my guests said they were coming from the roof!"

"Alright. We'll take a look." The woman looked to her partner. "Let's stay sharp, Akita. The gunman may still be around."

"Not to worry, Ibaraki." Akita cocked his own weapon and put on a confident grin. "I'll protect you."

"Excuse me."

Akita shrieked, and nearly dropped his gun, at the sudden presence behind him. Ibaraki turned to see a teenage boy, dressed in some sort of modified samurai uniform, with a sword at his side.

"I think I can tell you what you want to know."

--

The swordsman opened the door to a small warehouse on the outskirts of the city. Two men were inside, waiting for him. One of them was a large, heavyset individual wearing a long trench coat and sunglasses. The arrival rolled his eyes. Clearly a newcomer to the business. Who'd wear such a restrictive and cumbersome article of clothing, during a fight? And the fact that it was night time, and that they were indoors, made the sunglasses completely redundant.

The second man was Miyagi. He looked up at the assassin as he approached; an expectant yet patient expression on his face.

"Tengu, how did it go?"

"The boy's not dead yet." Tengu replied as he sat down casually on a crate. "But I managed to get a good look at his technique. When next he shows himself at one of your ventures, I'll finish the job."

Miyagi gave a small nod.

"I'm sure you will. But my employer would feel more at ease if we were to use a two-pronged attack." He nodded towards the tall shaded man before them.

Tengu didn't even bother to hide his disdain at this suggestion.

"You're joking, right?" He motioned to his supposed partner. "This man wouldn't last ten seconds against a Bushido."

The person in question opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by the voice of a fourth person.

"I am inclined to agree with Master Tengu." The voice belonged to an elderly man, who stepped out of the shadows near the entrance. He was of average height and was dressed in a simple blue Chinese robe and pants. His head was bald but he sported a long pointed white beard. He walked indifferently over to where the others were gathered; his hands in his robe's sleeves. As he did so, he continued talking.

"If I may offer my humble advice; what this task would require is someone a bit less… conspicuous."

"Now, hold on!" Trench Coat Guy finally spoke up. "Just who are you; and who invited you here?"

The old man gave a small bow as he answered.

"My name is Weng Chan; and nobody invited me. I received word that young Miyagi here was in need of my services. When I saw Master Tengu, I simply followed him to this meeting."

Miyagi cast a questioning eye on Tengu, who had the decency to look embarrassed that he had let himself be tracked. He then focused his attention again on the elderly newcomer.

"And just who was it, who sent you this word?"

Chan smiled knowingly at the younger man.

"Now, now, you don't really expect me to give away my intelligence secrets, do you?"

Miyagi tapped his cheek thoughtfully. It looked to Trench Coat Guy that he wasn't going to throw this old guy out on his ear, like he would've done already.

"Oh, come on!" He cried out. "You're not seriously thinking about replacing me with him?! He's gotta be a hundred years old, and we're going after a teenager!"

"Neo here actually makes a good point." Tengu said, earning him a glare from his shades-wearing associate. "No offence, sir. It's impressive that you tracked us here, but this job is going to involve a lot of combat, and you seem to be a little past your prime."

Chan surprised his company by nodding in agreement.

"You are right. My fighting days are behind me. That is why I brought her."

As soon as the last word left his lips, a figure dropped down from the ceiling rafters, and landed in the middle of the group.

Uncurling herself from the crouched position she was in, the girl stood up straight. She was wearing a green kimono dress and boots. The sleeves of the dress were so long, they completely hid her hands. Her long hair hung down her back in two thick bundles and, concealing her face, she had a mask modelled to look like a cat, complete with two pointed ears at the top, emerald green eyes and a sinister toothed grin.

"Everyone, this is Cheshire. My student." Chan nodded towards the girl. "She is young, strong and highly skilled. I'm sure you will find her more than adequate for the task you have in mind."

Before Miyagi had a chance to answer, Trench Coat Guy stormed up to Chan, until he was towering over the old man.

"Now you listen to me." He spoke in a threatening growl. "The 'task he has in mind' has already been given to me and Tengu. Don't think that your fancy 'appear from the shadows' trick is going to change that."

Getting no visible reaction from the Chinaman, he then turned his attention to the masked girl, who had yet to make a move or sound.

"And you. What's your name again? Cheshire? Well I've never heard of you."

He bent down slightly, so that they were eye-level; placing a heavy hand on her shoulder as he did so. What happened next was a blur. The girl's arms swept up, the man fell to the floor and there was a brief glint of metal. Next thing; everybody's ears were filled with Trench Coat Guy's screams as he lay on the floor, clutching at the sides of his head. His shades lay cracked beside him, as did both his ears.

Chan looked down at the bleeding mess and gave a small shrug.

"And now you never will."

Tengu looked at the green-clad girl. Her sleeves had fallen back down, concealing her hands again, and she was standing as straight and still as she had before.

He gave a sideways glance to Miyagi, who furrowed his eyebrows briefly in thought, and then smiled at Chan.

"I believe we can do business."