Hello guys. Sorry, it's been so long. Let's get on with chapter 3!

It had been about a month after we started training, and already, Kenji and I were excelling. I mean it's natural of course, what with Mom being the former Master, and Dad being a former assassin. Somehow, I always managed to stay a little bit ahead of my brother. Unlike him, I was dedicated to living life by the blade. Okay, it's a wooden blade, but whatever. Kenji however, he never really kept focused. He's got a good head on his shoulders, yeah, but he does tend to daydream a lot.

Speaking of Kenji, where was he? I scanned the market area for him, but due to a vast population, and the fact that my brother could easily disappear in any crowd, he was impossible to find. How hard could it be? I asked myself. With that flaming head of his, he should stick out like a sore thumb! You would think right? I sighed. Looks like I was going to have to walk through the entire market, alleys included, AGAIN, just to find my stupid brother.

"Hey! Sis!"

Or not. Sweet, sweet salvation. After all, only the gods knew what walked through those creepy alleys. I stood and waited calmly for my brother to catch up. He was lugging groceries. (Okay, refresh my memory, but doesn't Kaoru buy miso?) Figures. Why did Mom have to buy all that stuff at the same time? It didn't matter though. In the span of about five minutes, Kenji was at my side, panting and smiling.

"There you are. I…couldn't find…you. Where…did you…run off…to?"

While waiting for Kenji to continue catching his breath, I took the liberty of explaining that I had absolutely nothing to do with me not being able to find him. After all, not my fault he can disappear just like that.

"You need to tell me when you spot a vendor. I thought you were still with me. It's called communication. Something that you and I strangely lack."

Sniffing, I began to add fake tears to my little speech.

"You're my b-brother Kenji. My only one. I-if you and I don't talk it's l-like there's a rift b-between us! I love you Kenji, you're m-my dear older brother. B-but I never r-realized that you wouldn't e-even consider giving you're a-adorable little s-sister the time o-of day! You're so cruel!"

"Cut it out already! I know you're faking!"

Darn it! I guess after fifteen years, you come to expect and know the antics of the little sister. This meant that I would have to think up new tactics, which or course I often agonized over. Kenji was just so predictable, and I wanted to easily surprise him, but sadly, he remembered all the tricks I used to play on him. But back to the present. Kenji just looked at me, before finally accepting the fact that I was a lost cause, and shoved a couple bags at me.

"Okay, Madame of the unloved, how about carrying a few bags? These things are heavy, and I think I popped something in my back."

Counter attack time.

"Popped something in your back? Oh! You poor old man! No wonder you're so bent over! You should probably get a cane or-"

"Shut up."

Withdrawal! I had won. Of course, we weren't bickering, were just chatting like normal siblings. You know, the old song and dance of loving each other one moment, then being at each other's throats at the next. Excepting the heavy offerings of food, we then turned and began making our way out of the over-crowded market. It wasn't until we passed the Akabeko, that my skin started to prickle. I stopped and turned. Over the din, I could faintly hear shouting, not to mention I could sense some relatively malevolent chi in there.

"Kenji! I'll be right back!"

I shouted, dropping the bags, and leaving Kenji to stare after me as I ran full throttle into the Akabeko. What I saw terrified me. Shattered pieces of bowls and plates lay scattered across the restaurant. Table cloths were torn, and there were a few splashes of blood thrown in the mix. In the back, stood Tae surrounded by three men. All but one brandishing daggers. The other had a long, curved katana held in his right hand.

Hmph. I thought. Moron. We're pretty well into the Meiji Era. You would think he knows of the sword banning act by now. But sadly, as long as there was life on this planet, there would be idiots to inhabit most of it. Neither of them knew I was there. I smiled. All the better for scaring the hell out of them.

"C'mon, lady, just give us the money, and we won't have to kill you."

Robbery. So typical these days. No one killed because they were some former Baku Matsu Revolution fighters any more, like when Mom and Dad had first met. Nope, these days everybody was just your average, run of the mill criminal. Boring.

"Hey! Bone heads! Step away from the woman if you don't want a beating!"

The three would-be robbers turned to face me, stupid mocking grins plastered all over their faces. They wouldn't be grinning for long though. One of them, the one with the katana whipped his blade through the air and laughed.

"You?! A girl take us down?! Listen honey…"

He said as he began walking closer to me.

"We're with the Rengoku Gang. And no one, not even some little girl, who's way in over her head, will stand against us. Got that?"

I stood there for a moment, pretending to contemplate what he had just said. I slipped my hand inside my kimono. He raised an eyebrow. Quicker than lightning, I had my wooden sword out and cracked the idiot good on the shoulder. I heard a sh-cop sound as it was popped out of place. The man shrieked and fell to the floor. His comrades just stared, shocked,

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I pop it out of socket? Here let me help you."

I said, lifting him over my shoulder and tossing him out the door. Turning back, I smiled.

"Look at it this way, if my method didn't work, you've still got one arm. Right?"

With my first tagrer1dispatched, I turned on the other two.

"Well, you boys up to the challenge?"

Not even two seconds after the question was out of my mouth, they had split. Pathetic. Poor Tae, who was standing, cradling a badly bleeding arm, continued to stand at the back of the Akabeko, stunned and confused. She took a shaky step forward.

"T-T-Tori?"

I rushed over to her and put an arm around her shoulder. Poor thing, she was shaking like a wet leaf.

"You okay, Miss Tae?"

I asked, taking a gander at her cut up arm. It was a long, crude slash mark that went from the top of her wrist all the way up to the bottom of her shoulder. It Didn't show any signs as of yet that it would stop bleeding any time soon. Together, we walked over to an unharmed table, and began to talk.

"Miss Tae, who were those people. They said something about being with the Rengoku Gang. Does that sound familiar?"

Tae stared at her hands, which sat folded in front of her. She was silent for a while. I thought I wasn't gong to get anything out of her, but then she started to talk.

"Yeah, it does sound familiar. They've been in here before. Normally, all they do is order some sake, and just sit around drinking and talking. But lately they've been getting out of hand. Rumors are that their boss got killed in a fight, and now they're gang is going steadily down hill, so they've been robbing places, and murdering."

She looked up at me, I could see the saffron light of gratitude shining in her eyes.

"Thank you, Tori. If you hadn't come, I would have been dead."

"You're welcome.. But please, there's no need to thank me. This is what the Kamiya Kashin style is for."

Tae smiled, amused by my humbleness. She stood up and I followed suit.

"Well, I better go see Megumi, and see if she can get this bandaged. Will you be okay on your own?"

"Yeah, I'll-"

"Sis!"

We both turned to see Kenji, zip through the door, and up to both of us.

"Are you okay Tori? Tae! You arm! Where did those goons go? Sis, what happened?!"

Trying to calm down my brother, I explained what happened.

"These three idiots from some group called the Rengoku Gang, were threatening Miss Tae here, and I thought they deserved a smacking or two. Okay?"

Kenji seemed to calm down, only a little though."

"What about you? Are hurt?"

Typical Kenji. No matter how much I annoyed him, he always found some small place in his heart to care.

"I'm okay. Tae got a little scratched, but she's going to see Megumi and get it bandaged. So there's no need to worry. Now c'mon let's get home. Mom's probably wondering where we are."

Tipping Tae a wink, I took a few of the bags, that my brother had taken the liberty of carrying in with him, and shoved my still ruffled brother out the door. When we got back into the streets, Kenji stopped, and bent down.

"What wrong? Foot bothering you?"

Kenji stood up. In his hand was a short sword. Odd. I hadn't seen it on those guys. Maybe he was concealing it? Possible. Kenji turned back to me, face serious.

"Did you know that one of those guys was carrying this?"

Okay, now this was starting to get irritating.

"No. I didn't. Okay, and what kind of weapons those morons were carrying doesn't matter. What matters is that I took them down. End of discussion."

"Well, what are we going to do with it?"

"I don't know. Bury it somewhere?"

"Why?"

"Mom and Dad would kill us if we brought back an actual blade that wasn't reversed. You know that."

I told him, taking the short sword. Turning away, I began heading back to the nearest alley." Kenji's voice followed me.

"Where are you going?"

"To get rid of this thing. What do you think?"

Kenji said nothing, rather rolled his eyes, and took to waiting beside an artist's shop.

"Hurry back."

I continued to walk on. When I got deep into the alley I stopped. My hand was beginning to tingle, and my heart was beginning to pound. A wonderful feeling of bloodlust began to well up within my soul. No. I couldn't abandon this beautiful jewel of death. I glanced around. Nobody. Perfect. Quickly, I stashed the blade in my kimono. I would wait till later tonight to test its worth. I hurried out of the alley, and soon caught sight of Kenji. He smiled, and we began our journey back to the dojo. Cold steel brushed up gently against my belly, making my soul shudder in anticipation of what was to come once the sun went down.

* * * * *

A cool breeze shook the trees, making them whisper in soft soothing tones of a lullaby. The moon hung in the sky, a pale marionette, suspended from an invisible string, immobile as the stars around it danced to the continuous melody of the night. I stood in a small clearing, with the short sword drawn. The energy of the blade permeated my soul, and shot through my brain in rapid, startling bursts. My breathing was fast, and shallow. What would be unveiled tonight, as I stood under the crystal glimmer of the moon, tasting a mixture of ecstasy and death on my tongue? The forest around me was silent. Waiting. Watching. Urging me on, pushing me forward, and I was more than happy to oblige. I leapt into the air, slashing this way and that, using the Kamiya Kashin style that Mom had taught to me, and mixing it with pure instinct. When my feet touched the ground, I was now standing in a little pile of leaves and branches that reached the middle of my calve. I had just sliced a good portion of the trees around me. Still, it wasn't enough. Pulling up my sleeve, I marveled at the way the light from the moon turned my arm into marble flesh.

I raised the short sword, and brought it across my arm. Dark, rich blood welled to the surface of my skin, slowly oozing out, and dripping to the ground below. I inhaled deeply, licking my lips as the coppery smell met my nose. Exquisite. The blade in my hand was now splashed with red, I raised it up to my face, and cautiously licked off some of the blood. Delicious. The rich decedent wine of life pooled on my tongue, and slithered down my throat. I began to lick off more. When my arm and the blade were both clean, I stopped. I raised the sword once more, but I brought it back down. No. No more tonight. I needed a better weapon than this. Short swords were only good for short range attacks. Besides, it didn't satisfy me. I tucked the blade safely back in my kimono, and began walking back to the dojo. A few foggy rays of sunlight began streaming up above the horizon, but they were too weak to pierce to darkness just yet. I glanced at the long slash mark on my arm. It throbbed with my pulse, alive and breathing, but with no pain. I could still feel the energy vibrating through my body, but it was faint. I needed something better.

I needed something more powerful.

Well, it's done. The odd thing is, I write better while listening to Iron Maiden. Strange. Anyway, R&R!