Author's note: Hey how you all doing? I'm guessing you're surprised to be seeing an update on THIS story instead of Last True Crime. Well, that is underway but for now, I finished this and I decided to stop beatin around the bush and post the bloody thing. Sorry if I kept any of you in anticipation as of late. Well, enjoy.

Tex


Chapter 2

They Move South

A bright beam of light pushes away the shadows of the night, washing away the grittiness and showing a friendlier side of the Imperial city. Despite it being ruled by a tyrant, the city was quite beautiful. Cherry blossom pedals littered the walkways as trickling crystal clear water traveled through the canals that zigzagged across the grounds, the cobblestone paths polished to mirror sheen. A soft breeze blew by, scattering more blossoms as one flew free from its perch atop a high branch, the blossom floating lazily down as it circled like the most graceful of dancers, landing softly and without noise on his shoulder. Rioichi slowly moved his head, the fabric of his hood moving along with him as he glanced at his shoulder, finding that the blossom had captured a ride atop it.

Hugging his cloak tighter against his body, he reached a paw out from the folds of the cape and plucked the flower from his shoulder, inspecting it with sharp eyes and delicate fingers. The scent wafted into his nostrils as it stained his fingers with the sweet smell. Cupping the pedal in his paw, he continued walking, the soles of his tabi making not a sound as his feet seemed to glide across the cobblestone pathways like a piece of ice sliding against marble. More pedals drifted down like the snowfall from last night as they clung to his shoulders and the top of his hooded head. One brushed against his ear, causing him to flick it annoyingly, but remained rather calm to the sights and splendors he now witnessed.

No matter how much he detested this place and its ruler; there was this certain air of calm and serenity whenever he took a morning walk. That calm and splendor was quickly shattered as he heard an all too familiar sound off in the distance, around the corner of a pale stone wall. It was a violent noise, a loud noise, a noise of a struggle. Quickly like the blowing wind, he bent low and sprang to his left, his legs pumping quickly as they carried him up to a taller perch, his cloak bellowing and flowing behind him. A group of guardsmen were harassing another homeless person, this one a young girl with tattered greyed out clothing and dirt soiled fur.

"Dirty thief, I'll have your paws!" A guardsman cursed. Pulling out a small blade, he held it flat atop the girl's wrists as two others wrestled with her, the fourth stood at attention with his back to the commotion, occasionally glancing behind his back. As he turned his head, Rioichi fell like the executioner's axe, landing softly on his feet as she rushed forward to the distracted sparrow. As the bird turned around, his reflexes caused him to pull on the handle of his sword from his sheath, yet it was halted as Cooper pushed the blade back into his scabbard and followed up with a few quickly placed jabs to the nerves of his solar plexus.

Two guards swung around and drew their blades as they rushed towards Rioichi. The raccoon's movements were like flowing water, swaying back and forth, darting from left to right as his cloak flapped and swung in the air. A moment into the dance of death, the curved blade of one of his daggers flashed from the confines of his cloak and sliced the back of one guard's paw, cutting the tendons like the strings of a lute and causing them to shoot back into the guard's arm, rendering his paw utterly useless. The second dagger flew from the shadows of his bellowing cloak and blocked the sweeping blade of the second soldier. Twisting, he grabbed the sword with the hooked end of his dagger and wrenched the blade free of the guard's paws, following up with a knee slam into the animal's stomach, then upper cutting him with the blunt side of his knife handle.

The final guard became tense as he used the frightened girl as a body shield, holding the knife to her sensitive neck. "Another step and her blood is on your hands, interloper." The raccoon stopped and sheathed his knives, his arms disappearing into the folds of his cloak as the muzzle that poked out of the shadows of his hood curved into a deep frown. His eyes moved within the hood, calculating the position at which the guard stood and the proximity of the blade to the woman's throat. His fingers danced inside his cloak, closing around a bouquet of sharp needles.

Spreading each needle so that they were clenched in-between each finger, the rest of his body relaxed as he patiently waited and watched. The guard's facial features relaxed as the blade drew a bit farther away from the fur of the weeping woman's neck. "You will not move. You are to be tried and sent to the axe block for your crimes!" Rioichi made no remark to the guard's words, but instead relaxed his fingers before his paw flung from the folds of his cloak, letting the lethal spikes sail from his fingers and stab into the man's paw.

The blade clattered to the floor and Rioichi had already gained the upper hand before it even touched the ground. Brushing his knuckles against the guard's throat glands, searing hot pain shot into his head as he collapsed rolling and croaking on the floor. He brought a paw to touch the man's neck, slowly squeezing and adding pressure to it until the man drew cold and fell unconscious. He stalked over to the other that held his bleeding, useless paw. Sliding the curved blade of his dagger under the dog's chin, he pulled off his helmet and grabbed a fistful of his hair, hoisting him off the ground.

"Tell me what the Emperor is planning...tell me everything." Adding pressure to his neck, the guard quickened his reasoning skills and began to confess.

"He's...he's beginning to move his armies farther to the south, in an effort to cease the Mongol's actions against the empire."

"What territories does he hold as of now? And where is his army heading?" His whispers were as cold as death himself while they flowed through his mouth with a silky smoothness.

"He...he has...I-I don't know all of them, honestly. All I know is that he moves south, men bearing our seal and their standards litter the territories."

"Who are the men in command? How many have claimed the territories? Tell me who takes direct orders from the Emperor himself!" His grip against the man's throat tightened, causing him to squirm and gag as he attempted to find the names that seemed to escape his mind.

"I-I don't know their names! They are generals, high ranked warriors of the elite armies of the empire. They move south, that's all I know!"

"Then you are of no further use to me." Instead of having the knife being pushed through the back of his neck as he had thought, it was instead replaced by the blunt force of the handle being slammed into the back of his head. Replacing his knife into its respective residence, Rio's ears moved to the sound of the small girl behind him. She quivered to the sight of him looking down at her from the shadows of his hood and slowly pushed herself against the wall. Walking up to her, he picked up a soft loaf of bread that was nestled against a pile of flower pedals.

Brushing what soil that clung to the dough, he placed it into her paws. "Was it this that caused all this commotion?" His question was received and she replied with a nervous nod. "A piece of bread shouldn't cost anyone their hands. Go now, leave and don't talk to a single soul, do you understand?" Again she wordlessly nodded and sped off. He sighed and drew his cloak tighter around him as he walked away.

"Bastards, spill my drink when I pay good coins for it!" Another screaming body flew through the air until he crashed into a wooden bench, splintering the furniture and knocking the unfortunate weasel unconscious. With a roll of his large shoulders, the giant badger scratched his white and black striped head and turned around, sitting his large girth on the small flimsy stool by the bar. The slender wooden legs bent to his weight and seemed as if they were ready to snap at any moment. "Barmaid, refill."

"Kenta, you've had enough."

"I said get me another drink, dammit!" He slammed his meaty claws onto the table, rattling the small glasses and causing a few to fall and shatter on the floor.

"No, Kenta. Not another, you've sucked every drop from the barrel like a damn leech. What am I going to serve the rest of my customers now? And it's not even mid afternoon yet."

"Just get that wrinkled old hag to brew some more in the back room. Woman does it all day and night; she could probably restock you fully before nightfall." The barmaid shook her head with a sigh and swept up the broken glass from the floor.

"At least pick up your mess would you?" Kenta grumbled and lifted himself off the stool.

"You damned felines ever stop nagging?" He grumbled under his breath as he hefted the weasel from off the floor and tossed him out of the bar. Rubbing his paws together, he returned to his stool, glaring at the other customers who stared at him. He looked up from the wood table to see the red and white face of the tigress' face glaring at him from her position behind the bar. "I liked it better when your old man ran the place; at least he was a good conversationalist."

"Back then, you were able to hold a conversation. Look at you, Kenta, always reeking of alcohol, sitting in that same spot day and night. Are you ever going to do anything else with your life?" The badger held a glass to the light and inspected what moisture remained in the cup before lapping it up.

"What else is there? I'm all burned out, nothing worth trying anymore. I've served my purpose, fought in many battles, and killed many men!" His last statement he spoke in a higher tone so that everyone in the bar heard him. "A worn out man like, me...I might as well just wait for the end to take me, why bother getting up and trying to find a job or...give up drinking."

The tigress shook her head and disappeared behind the curtain to the back rooms. Kenta sighed and scratched his head, his rough paws rubbing and scraping against the flesh under the fur of his scalp. "Emperor throws me away like a piece of trash after I carry his standard and spill blood in his name. Well...I might as well just wait for him in hell; we're both bound to meet each other there eventually."

They move south. Those words kept repeating in his head. A group of generals have divided up the territories, each one sucking the resources from the lands and feeding them to the Emperor. He mulled over his plan of action through the darkness of his cloak as Rioichi walked through the commoner's section of the city, bumping shoulders in the crowded streets. Any soldier unfortunate to have bumped into the raccoon's shoulder would soon discover their coin purse to be much lighter then it previously was.

Cooper dissected and examined each and every piece of information he has obtained throughout the day. The Emperor was heavily guarded, safe in the confines of his palace, so an attack on him was an impossibility as of now. Yet, if there was a way to weaken him, much faster than his previous actions of looting his soldier camps, then a potential weak spot in his defenses could become apparent for him to take advantage of. But first, he knew he would have to travel to these southern territories and stop what military presence was there. From what the soldier told him, and from what any other knowledgeable individuals had told him over the course of the day, these generals were the ones in command, acting as leader of each section that they controlled, each one of them connected.

This would be no easy task the more he thought into it. He would have to travel south, great distances through the mountains and valleys to a destination that he had no idea where it would lie. Before he would set out, he would have to figure out where exactly he would be setting out to. After that, it would be another task in itself to dispatch the commander of the territory and weaken the Emperor that much more. This is a task suited for more than just one man, even one as talented as himself.

He would need help, help from someone up to the challenge of dethroning the Emperor. Before any of that was to be followed through however, his grumbling stomach would need attending to first. Though he had more money then a noble, he preferred to use it more as a trophy collection then actual currency. What money he had, he would normally just give it away to those less fortunate, leaving him to ration what he did posses. He glanced around for a stand, something that sold good food at a cheap price.

His attention was diverted to an old bar establishment as he witnessed a screaming man being thrown from the entrance and out onto the street. He bit his lip but decided to step towards the building and fought against his better judgment. The tantalizing scent of baked goods tugged at his nose as well, leading him in with an otherworldly pull on him. The interior was as he expected, dim, smoke filled, and full of dregs. He immediately spotted a waitress and walked up to her.

Glancing up at the shadowed face, she gave a noticeably slight cringe as she put on a fake smile. "Hey, sit wherever you like, I'll send someone over to you soon." Rioichi nodded his head and silently walked towards an intact table by the corner, sitting underneath the flight of stairs that led up to the second floor. A waitress came to his table, setting down a small cup of steaming water and grinding in tea leaves. "I'm afraid that's all we have for refreshments at the moment. What would you like?"

"A few dumplings, please." He answered as he placed his paw flat on the table, sliding away his fingers to reveal a few coins placed on it. She took the coins and vanished into the confines of the kitchen. As he waited for his dumplings, he took a sip of his tea and watched the actions of the other bar goers as a source for cheap entertainment. Two were arm-wrestling in the far corner opposite of him, neither seeming to gain any leverage that is until the one on the left punched his opponent in the arm with his free hand.

After that, it only escalated from there as they both stood up and began pushing and shouting towards one another. Their squabbles and thrashing grew more violent as others circled them and cheered, circulating currency around the group as they placed bets. The display only made Rioichi mourn for the future of society if it continued down the path it was going. Their thrashing caused them to move around the bar at an erratic pace, one slamming into the other with enough force to send him crashing into the backside of an extremely large badger seated at the bar. No...Crashing didn't seem to emphasis the display, whether, the man splashed against the badger like a wave does on a wall of granite.

The badger grunted and stood up, not the slight bit phased by the smaller man's weight barreling into him. Rolling his shoulders, the large muscles on his back shifted and rotated as he flexed his arms and slowly turned around, a loud rush of air bursting from his flaring nostrils. The fighting stopped as both combatants stopped and looked up towards the towering figure before them. The badger sighed and closed his right paw around the man's head that had knocked into him. Squeezing, the smaller animal thrashed and shouted as he was lifted up from the floor by the badger's hand and was shoved into the roof where he stayed suspended while his head sprouted out the other side of the wood surface.

He then looked to the other fighter, the one that caused the man hanging from the roof to crash into him. He stepped back cautiously as he put up his fists in an attempt to defend himself. Throwing a punch, the badger halted the attack with an open palm and clasped his crushing grip onto the man's fist, his entire hand covering the animal's fist as he spun around and threw him down onto the ground. Getting a more solid grip on his arm, the badger lifted him up again and swung him over his shoulder, causing him to flop onto the floor once more. He cracked the vertebra in his neck and snorted in satisfaction as he returned to his stool.

Rioichi watched with great interest to the hulking beast as he continued to scavenge the bar for any alcohol. "That's another hole in the roof thanks to you, Kenta!"

"He knocked into me. I had to teach him a lesson of how to act in a bar. Besides, you should be paying me, let alone thanking me for keeping the roughness in this place to a minimum. It's better than that bastard in the palace and his 'royal guard' could ever do for you." The comment towards the Emperor caused Rioichi's ears to perk up to their fullest through the small slits that allowed them to poke out from his hood.

There was indeed someone with as much raw hatred towards the Emperor as he possessed in this town. And he seemed to have the ability to do something about it. He counted his advantages and blessings as he found potential help to his cause. As he finished his dumplings that the tigress had given him during the brawl earlier, he sat up and walked over to the hulking brute, sitting in next to him at the bar. The man known as Kenta darted his gaze to the shady character that sat to his right, but paid him no mind as he returned to staring at his glass.

He grumbled as he reached into his back pocket for some change. His paw was halted by the stranger who sat next to him however as he slapped three coins onto the table. "Allow me," he said in a whisper of a voice. Kenta furrowed his notched brows for a moment as he became suspicious to the raccoon's intent.

"You'll get no charity from me, so back off whatever it is you're up to." Rioichi couldn't help but give a soft chuckle.

"I witnessed how you dispatched those two, very impressive." Kenta folded his massive arms and grumbled, a gurgled belch passing his lips as he blew his putrid breath into Rioichi's face.

"You have something to say twig man, I suggest you say it. Otherwise leave me alone...I don't have much left of my life, so I might as well spend what I have by myself in peace."

"I see you are a man who takes things bluntly. Very well," Rioichi continued. "I overheard that you detest our glorious ruler of this city. May I inquire as to why?" The badger slumped his shoulders and laughed.

"Little man, why waste your breath forming fancy words when you can just talk in plain speak? I have more drink in me than a ferment barrel; better say what you gotta say quickly or I might not catch it all."

"Interested in helping me take down the Emperor?" Kenta's expression quickly changed as he got word of the Emperor's involvement.

"Meet me in the back of the bar, now." Rioichi quietly sat up as he followed the mountain of a man through the curtain to the back room and out of the door out behind the watering hole. He folded his arms over his chest again and raised his chin. "So, thinking of tackling the man in charge, are you?"

"Hopefully not alone if you agree to my proposal."

"Name it then."

"First I must ask, do you wish to risk your life in traveling to the farthest corners of the empire and brave countless ambushes from highwaymen, the scorching heat of the southern lands and the blistering cold of the north? Do you think you can take on the most elite of warriors that not even the demons of old can lift a sword against and battle countless foes at a time without so much as a stick to strike against skin forged of steel and face danger, starvation, and most likely certain death?" Kenta placed a large paw on his chin and stroked the end, his reddened eyes squinting in thought.

"Just why do you want to see him defeated is the question here?"

"Simple, revenge." Kenta's lips creased in a light smile as he brought a paw forward.

"Then you and I are in the same business, it seems." Rioichi was about to grasp the offered paw before the badger withdrew it. "On one condition, however." The raccoon glanced up and waited patiently for a response. "I get the first and last hit on the man when I see him face to face. And, you'll supply me with as much drink as I want. After that, my strength is yours, because I seriously doubt a small little stick of a man like you," he chuckled as he inspected one of Rioichi's slender arms by plucking it and raising it up to his face to see, "Would be able to face the entire royal army of the Japanese empire."

"Deal, now I just need to gather supplies for our journey."

"A journey?" Kenta grunted and made a guttural noise from deep within his throat before expelling a large rancid glob of spittle from his mouth. "And just where are we going? The Emperor's palace is right there." Rioichi followed the badger's pointed finger towards the tallest building in the city before shaking his head.

"I already know this. But if we storm the palace now, we'll be cut to pieces the second we come too close. We have to be smart about it." The raccoon reached for his coin purse and jostled it around, listening to the clattering of currency from within. "I think I have enough to last us a good week if we ration it properly."

He then glanced up and down Kenta's large form, giving a mental sigh in defeat. "Um...maybe three days is more accurate."

"You keep your food; I can get my own things. Besides, that purse sounded a little empty to me, certainly not enough to keep me full for our trip to...where be it again?"

"I never said."

"So...you don't know where we're going?" Rioichi remained silent for a moment. Kenta pressed his lips together and grumbled. "Well, thanks for buying my last round, have fun getting yourself killed." Cooper clutched Kenta's neck and kicked the back of his knee out, bringing the brute to his knees.

"No, Kenta! Listen to me!" The badger began seeing red as he narrowed his eyes and clamped down tight on his jaw. "I need your help, this is very important. Not just for my gains or for yours, but to show that there still is justice in this world. To show that no one is an exception to Karma, do you understand? Millions of people wish to do what we are about to attempt, but we're the only ones who can do this. But not alone..."

Kenta's tense body seemed to loosen up considerably as his expression relaxed. He nodded his head and wrenched his limbs free of Rioichi's grip, surprised that someone so small was able to incapacitate him with such ease. "You make sense...you've thought about this for a long time I can tell. All except the actual plan of action that is."

"I know that we must be heading south, to where and how far away, I don't know."

"You mean you've never traveled outside the city?" The raccoon shook his head. Kenta gave a deep hmm in thought before a grin spread across his muzzle. "Well, you're in luck. During my military career, I've conquered my fair share of territories, quite a bit of traveling as well. If anyone can help you navigate the southern territories, it would be me. You can't trust the map makers in this city anyhow."

Rioichi would have exploded in laughter from the sheer unexpected luck of it all, but he preferred to remain as stoic as possible, letting a light smile of gratitude crease his lips. "Excellent. You wouldn't happen to know who reigns over these territories would you?" A large paw came up to stroke the end of his chin as he regained what memories he held within that fermented brain of his. Kenta sighed and shrugged his large shoulders.

"All I know is that the one closest of here is about three or four day's walk directly south. He's not much for public view; he's more the reclusive type."

"So he's paranoid."

"Now I wouldn't call the man paranoid, I enjoy my own privacy from time to time. But yes, he doesn't come out very often."

"Those in a position such as himself tend to be more cautious, and for good reason."

"Because he knows there's people like you prowling around out there," Kenta chuckled. "I understand now. You want to travel to every territory under the Emperor's thumb and snuff out all of his military intelligence. If there's no one to lead, everything will become chaotic and uncontrollable...making the Emperor vulnerable."

"You catch on quickly," Cooper spoke as he began walking. Kenta followed, occasionally having to break into a light jog to keep up with the swifter and long legged raccoon. "We'll need food, at least one map, nothing too expensive, just enough to show us if we would be heading into a cliff on our route. Do you think anyone is selling transportation here?" Kenta gave a scoff.

"Not unless you want to break yourself. Those caravans sell transportation far too high, it's basically robbery." Cooper frowned.

"Then we walk. As you said, it should only be a few days until we reach the next territory."

"Very well, but listen," He placed a large paw on Cooper's shoulder to halt his pace. "I've seen this man's chambers, they aren't easily infiltrated. As you said, he could be paranoid and that could cause problems as he will go to extreme measures to protect himself. Perhaps we should come up with a plan." Rioichi was impressed by the brute's execution on matters.

His time in the military had served him well. "Then we will devise a plan before we depart. Get what you can that you think will be useful to us in our travels and I'll do the same, money shouldn't be an issue unless we start trading in the noble's quarter of the city. But we should pack as lightly as we can."

"Alright, we should probably go some time in the next few days while the roads are clearer." Rioichi nodded and emptied his coin purse, offering the coin to his new ally.

"Take what I have, I'll collect more from my home and meet you in the market place. After this, we should take at least a day for planning and organizing, as well as mapping our future routes to make things easier." Kenta shook his head and combed his fingers through the short bristled on his head.

"Dammit now, boy, if you weren't so detesting of the Emperor, that strategical brain of yours could be put to some real use in the army." Rioichi cocked a brow as he raised his head towards the giant.

"I'd rather perform the seppuku ritual than serve that man in any shape or form." Kenta laughed with a shaking head.

"Fool samurai and their stupid stomach slicing. What honor is there in killing yourself to avoid the enemy of taking your life in battle? At least my way you can take them down with you!"

The jostling of keys and heavy footfalls echoed down the corridor as an elegantly clad warrior plucked the ring of keys from his belt, fiddling with them until he clasped the correct one to the door he now stood before. Unlocking the heavy iron lock, the wooden door gave with an unholy racket as it was pushed open, telling of its age without the keen eyes of a carpenter to say otherwise. "Old man," the dark furred cougar called through the dark chamber that was lit only by a few stray scattered candles. "Old man, are you in here?" The feline's call was answered by a rasp of a voice as it echoed from the darkness and dim glow of the candle flame.

"Dammit. Why can't I be left in peace for one moment," was the sharp reply. A flash of light flickered into existence from the blackness as the tip of a long stemmed pipe was ignited by the match until it was snuffed out, the bright glow of the match being replaced by the smoldering tobacco on the end of the anonymous voice's pipe. Stepping farther into the light so that his features were more discernible from the dark, a short hunched over fox stood in front of the guard, the light from the open door pouring into the room and revealing his form fully as he stepped a little closer, showing from his weathered visage to be of a moderate age. He rose what remained of his right eyebrow in a defiant gesture. "Well...what the hell do you want?"

"Our lord has been pondering what has been keeping you. He asked me to inform you that production had better increase, otherwise he might regret hiring you."

"Huh, hiring? Enslaving is more the term." The elderly fox scoffed, a puff of smog escaping his muzzle as he withdrew the pipe from his lips. "You can tell the good Emperor that the reason production has slowed because I refuse to build for him for the time being! The pompous blob can stick one of my fireworks up his-

"You best watch your tongue, Takumi. Least you want it cut from your mouth!" The fox's speech was halted as a blade was placed under his white and grey furred chin. Takumi as he was named simply took the pipe from his lips once more and slowly neared the heated tip of it in dangerous proximity to a wick that was connected to an explosive that was strapped to his left bicep.

"And you'll not dare kill me, least I blast you, me, and this entire palace straight to hell!" The guard withdrew his blade and sheathed it.

"Crazy old bastard," he grumbled as he turned to leave. "Have the plans drawn out by nightfall, or I will be forced to pay you another visit. And I'm afraid to say it will most likely be your last visit from me." Takumi gave with a dismissive flick of his wrist as he pulled out a small bag and poured out a pawful of combustible powder, glancing to the departing guard as he tossed the dark grains at him. The powder popped and crackled from being disturbed from smacking against the ground and the guard.

The cougar was blinded from the smoke as the noise of sizzling fire licked at his ears. There was no flame, nor anything remotely harmful in the powder, the concoction used simply for distractions. The guard however did not know this as he ran shouting to his dismay, slapping out flames that weren't there as he ran blindly down the hall. "Learn to respect your elders," Takumi called down the hall. The fox huffed in disappointment as a gust of smoke burst from his nostrils while he went back into the darkness of his chamber, returning to a large desk lit by a solitary candle and littered with brushes, parchment, and ink smudges.

He clutched both sides of his head and rested his elbows on the desk as he took his seat. He stared blankly at the fresh parchment he had laid out in front of him, knowing full well what was meant to be scribbled upon its blank face. He refused, no matter the powerful urge for him to create. His invention would just be scrambled around and used as something to kill people. His brilliant mind was his blessing as well as his curse.

How he wished he was back in the city of Sei-an, creating fireworks and magnificent displays of flame and light for the parades. If only in his apparent madness he hadn't failed to notice how unstable his latest pyrotechnic masterpiece was, he probably wouldn't have set fire to the entire displays, the noble's quarters, or his eyebrows for that matter. He chuckled slightly to the recollection of that day when his eyebrows were singed clear off his face, making him look more foolish than he already was. They grew back eventually, but as come and go with his indescribable infatuation for any and all things that was combustible, so too did his brows. He used to think all this exposure to his new toys were harmful to not only his physical state, but his mental well being as well... so he simply stopped thinking about it.

Now here he sat, in the dark behind a locked chamber door filled with stacks of papers five feet tall of inventions and designs for things he wanted to implement to rocket him to historical fame as well to better mankind. Yet all he was doing was finding new and more effective ways of exterminating life instead of helping promote it. Such was fate, how cruel the tides of the sea of life would rise and fall. Not all of his little tinkering was for killing. He had other implementations for help on the battlefield which seemed to be the only thing on the Emperor's mind at the moment.

Clutching the small devise with exposed gears and small twirling objects in his paws, he clutched a small knob and twisted it, cranking the small gears and springs from within and then letting it gently sit on his palm. The small propellers began to turn until picking up enough speed for the small gyro copter to lift off his palm and float through the air, creating an annoying racket as well as invoking awe into its creator. The wonders of technology never failed to inspire and shock him. As it landed into his open fingers, he set it down on the desk and looked through etchings and schematics for some of his more awesome yet fear instilling inventions. Inventions such as more sinister catapults that fired without manually cranking back each fresh load of boulders.

Portable cannons that could be carried by a single soldier and able to shoot heavy metal projectiles with enough force to shatter steel plating like glass. And probably the most sickening invention he had constructed, ammunition of various types used in the catapults to engulf large areas in flames, boiling tar, or poisonous gas. War had changed; thanks to his own doing he had changed the laws of battle. No longer did it matter how many men carried a sword following you, whether it was how effective you used these machines to wipe out entire battalions with a handful of troops. He was sick.

Sick of being double crossed into thinking the Emperor would implement his inventions for benefit to the growing world, sick of constructing weapons, and sick that he had very little say in any of these matters. But what if he could change that? He'd thought about this for long hours each day, silently thinking of ways to escape, his exquisite intellect coming up with powerful ideas. Yet there were still obstacles to climb over that he couldn't pass. At least not on his own, but with the support of a few of his toys would probably suffice.

He settled it; the fox hefted a large pack over his back that was brimming with explosives and any other tools he could fit into it. Littering his workplace with a trail of powder, he stacked kegs of explosives in his little study in order to destroy all of his documents and blueprints of his inventions. The most valuable and beneficial he kept for himself as he took the lit end of his pipe and ignited the trail of powder, the sparks steadily snaking towards the kegs as Takumi quickly ran down the corridor.

Rioichi and Kenta had met up at the market square as agreed upon, the sun setting and the pale face of the moon steadily rising in the sky as stars spotted the dark blue horizon. "I've got the food, the liquor, a few bedrolls...anything else?"

"I took the liberty of getting some lengths of rope and a good map. I also have my own food and supplies as well as some medicines and bandages. A few pots and pans as well as some tinder." Kenta smacked his paw against his forehead.

"Why didn't I think of a fire pit?"

"How much money do we have left?" Cooper's question caused the badger to reach into his pocket and count the shining coins in his palm.

"About twenty pieces left, good enough if we plan on only living a few more months..."

"Money won't be too much of an issue, my friend. We'll have plenty enough for traversing the empire. Now then, let us find a less crowded area for discussing our plans of action." As the duo turned to leave, a large rumble followed by an explosion of fire tore away at a section of one of the palace's towers. The ground shook as fragments of structure rained down as the populace went into a panic while guards clambered towards the wreckage. "What in Buddha's name...?"

"Quite a show...the Emperor's pyrotechnics must be getting sloppy."

"This is not good," Rioichi shook his head. "Now they will be on high alert after this, making our job all the more difficult when the time comes." Kenta shook his head in disagreement.

"Now I don't think this is such a bad thing. Gives us one more entrance into the palace," he chuckled. "Not too mention the Emperor will be pissed out of his mind that one of his towers was desecrated. But most importantly, I have a certain feeling his guards will be more preoccupied with the commotion, leaving the old fart wide open." Cooper eyes widened.

"An opening...an exploitation we could use to our advantage." Kenta nodded with a grin in agreement.

"I'm too big to get in there unnoticed, but you can slip in through the cracks and wreak as much havoc as you can while I get things in order for our trip. You may not be able to deal with him now, but we can at least make him sweat a little." Cooper, eager for vengeance nodded as he handed his bag of essentials to Kenta.

"I'll meet you here tomorrow at dawn. Organize and calculate our route as best you can. I'm going to get us little extra bargaining items from our proud ruler."

Kenta smirked as he departed, hefting both bags over his broad shoulders with ease.

"It was most likely the old fox. This used to be his study." Two imperials conversed amongst another as they mulled through the ashes and debris of what remained of Takumi's study. Stomping on a small plume of fire, the guard grunted and sighed.

"The Emperor will raise hell after this. I can hear it coming now."

"Best make sure no one else hears you talking such things of him." The two slowly walked out of the collapsing chamber as Rioichi who hugged himself against the wall crawled through the tear in the wall from the previous blast. He was inside the palace, the thought sending a quiver up his spine. It was strange how easy it was accomplished, yet how satisfying that he was finally able to set foot inside. Creeping through the destroyed room, he peeked out and scanned both sections of the narrow corridor as he slinked his way down, daggers drawn and grasped in his paws.

He sniffed about, smelling the searing scent of blasting powder and burnt wood and mortar. His ears twitched to the sound of footsteps as he pressed himself against the wall and executed the invisibility technique. Watching with sharp eyes, the guard scratched himself as he walked down the hall, the plates of his armor clattering against one another. Farther down in the other direction, he noticed a section of the floor beginning to crack as it crumbled right in front of him, causing him to halt as he teetered on the edge of the large hole in the floor. Flinging back, he breathed a sigh of relief as he was able to stop in time.

Seeing a small sliver of floor against the side of the wall, he executed his father's technique of hugging himself against the wall as he inched across the small stretch of floor to the other side. He was amazed on how his father was able to use this technique from what he remembered of his girth and weight. The Cooper Clan was truly an amazing lineage. "Did you hear..." graced the raccoon's ears as he eavesdropped on another conversation.

"What's going on now?"

"Reports of some intruder on the premises for the past week now have been circulating around. The last sighting was near the Emperor's chamber."

"Just some fool trying to grab what he can while we're all hungry and tired during the night. Nothing's ever gotten past the security before, and I doubt they will now even with the explosion. Speaking of which, you think it was Takumi who's responsible for it?" The other soldier shook his head.

"The man certainly was crazy enough. Hell, I'd have done the same given being cooped up in some dark box all this time." As they were busy in their conversation, Cooper slid across the wall and grabbed one of the guards by the neck, kicking out one of his legs and slamming the poor soul onto the hard ground, knocking him unconscious in one swift and fluid motion. The second barely had time to shout as Rio's foot connected with his stomach and then slammed upward to fling him back with a blow to the chin. Clearing the bodies out of the corridor, he continued moving, the area opening up into a large hall adorned with banners of the Emperor's colors.

The large double doors caught his attention and he noticed not a single soul attending it. He surmised that the guardsmen were probably on the other side so he looked for another entrance, finding it in the form of a window already drawn open. Curious to why it was already open, he decided to not mull on it for too long as he leapt against one of the support columns of the large room and jumping off the surface to clutch onto one of the hanging banners, climbing up the soft fabric. Shifting his body weight back and forth by swinging, he used the banner as a rope as he swung closer and closer to the open window with every lunge. After one final good swing, le leapt from the banner and clutched onto the edge of the window, pulling himself up with arm strength alone.

Squatting on the window sill, he slipped on a pair of spiked pads that covered his palms. Using the spikes, his open palm dug into the surface of the wall he scaled across, crawling like an insect against the palace wall until he came to another window, this one also opened and having a hook tied to a rope slithering down the other side. Narrowing his eyes in curiosity, he simply slipped in and scaled down the wall using the conveniently placed length of rope to floor level inside the room on the opposite side of the double doors. Just as he expected, groups of assembled guardsmen with their hands at the ready to draw their swords had their backs pressed against the heavy slabs of wood. Slipping off the spikes, he replaced them into the folds of his dark garb and crept farther down the equally large chamber.

The ceiling stretched up for miles on end as he glanced around the elaborately decorated palace. As he slinked down the large halls, he stopped and pressed himself against the wall again and melted into the shadows as a party of soldiers marched down the hall. Watching them depart, he stalked away in the other direction, an unseen force or instinct driving him in the direction he was sure would be the Emperor's bed chambers. As he rounded a corner, he noticed a guard slumped against the wall in a defeated stupor. Tightening his grip on his daggers, his breath held in his lungs as he thought the guard had noticed him.

The animal made no attempt against the raccoon as the gray animal inched closer to the body. Seeing the dog's eyes closed tightly, he poked the canine in the chest a few times with the tip of his dagger. Then, nudging him with his foot, the dog's body rolled over onto its side and remained motionless. Sheathing one of his blades, he pressed a finger to the side of the canine's neck and felt a soft, weak pulse against his fingertips. The dog was still alive, yet knocked out completely by a solid blow to the side of his head as a dent in his helmet confirmed the raccoon's suspicions.

His brows narrowed harder than they already were to this as he cautiously stepped forward, eying the dog suspiciously. Staying close to the walls and behind the columns, he found an elaborately decorated slide door devoid of guard presence. Moving across the distance between the wall and the door quickly, he pressed himself against the wall adjacent to the screen; he gently slid it open and drew the curtain back, sliding in unnoticed. His eyes immediately met a thick form slumbering in a large bed shadowed by the curtains drawn around the area around the bed. The curtains were drawn in a section already, causing Rio to squint and dart his eyes around the sleeping chambers.

Creeping ever closer to the sleeping form; sitting by his bedside table, a display of elaborate jewelry adorning chains of gold and silvers caught his attention. Darting his brown irises from the fat face of the Emperor to the jewels, he reached for them slowly and pocketed each one, piece by piece at a time. There he stood, over the sleeping body of his foe, the thick Shiba Inu sleeping soundly without fear or worry. How the tempting notion of driving his blade through his open mouth as he snored crossed his mind several times, yet he stayed his paw. He watched his heart pounding to the memories when he first saw the man all those years ago break into his house and order the execution of his family.

Yet he still did not silence the man. He instead blinked hard and moved away from the curtained section of his chambers. The glint of gold caught his attention as the cabinet where his exquisite royal robes hung in display stared back at him, the jewels and shining silk glowed in the brilliant moonlight. His eyes began to shine along with the decorated robes as he inched closer to the cabinet, the suspicion of why it was already opened forgotten as he reached for the headpiece of the Emperor. As he grabbed the headpiece from the display case, another hand reached out and clutched it, the flat end of a blade resting on the raccoon's paw.

Darting his head to his right, he saw the owner of the mysterious paw staring back at him with blade drawn and face concealed by dark cloth. Like him, the intruder was dressed in the garb of the shadow warriors of the Shinobi. Rioichi drew his own dagger and pointed it towards the interloper in defiance as they both looked towards the grunting Emperor as he tossed in his sleep. Darting back, they both inched away towards the door, still holding onto the headpiece. As they emerged from the Emperor's bed chamber, the intruder swung his blade towards Cooper's head, who ducked and followed up with his own swing.

As they swung for each other, their paws were still tethered together by the headpiece they both clutched, neither wanting to let go as they continued to combat each other, kicks and swings of their lethal blades connecting against each other. Their intricate dance lasted for a moment until the mysterious prowler reached up and curled his leg around Cooper's arm, wrenching it free from the headpiece as he returned both legs to the floor. Such flexibility was astounding, even for him as he watched the shade sprint away. Not for long however as Cooper reached into his pack that was strapped to his belt sash and withdrew a pair of sharpened shurikens and tossed the lethal spinning blades towards his assailant. The hooked ends grabbed the stranger's clothes as he was pinned to the wall by the left shoulder and right flank.

Wiggling to break free, he clutched the blades to pull them from the wall, finding them securely planted into the hard surface. As Rioichi neared the incapacitated foe, he effortlessly plucked the headpiece from his other paw and pressed the dagger to his neck. Squinting towards the narrowed eyes that were surrounded by black fur, he reached for the cloth that covered his muzzle and pulled it free, finding to his surprise that the intruder was anything but a he. The delicate face of a female raccoon stared up at Rioichi defiantly as he himself pulled the cloth from his muzzle to reveal his face to her. Her eyes widened slightly but she was not as astonished to the discovery as Cooper was, finding his foe to be female.

His eyes softened considerably as his lips hung open slightly, blinking in her visage. She had delicate, soft features. A slender muzzle with a small pointed black nose and eyes the shape of almonds and just as richly brown as the nut he compared them to. Her cheeks looked stroke-ably soft as their rounded shape made her face look youthful and beautiful. Dark tendrils of hair poked out of the top of her hood as they stretched down her forehead, the remained her of her midnight black locks tied back and concealed by the rest of her hood.

Every part of Cooper begged him to leave the girl to her fate and leave with his prize, the part of him that saw women as only a distraction to his achievements. Yet the softer part of his heart, the heart that was notorious for all the Cooper males couldn't help but cause his eyes to drink in her youthful face, resting his irises on her soft, delicate lips for a moment. Slowly leaning forward, he gave his body to temptation as he pressed his lips against hers, his mouth parted slightly as he tasted her lip's sweet embrace. She cringed and squeaked in protest as her eyes fluttered as she found control of her free arm and slashed her open palm viciously across his face. Rio's face stung from the slap as he pulled away from her, his breath coming in slight gasps as he touched the burning side of his face and licked his lips.

His ears perked to the sound of feet clambering to their direction as he plucked the edged throwing weapons from the wall and set her free. Pulling up the cloth to cover his muzzle, he looked at her for a moment longer before sprinting away, standing on the edge of a window sill and executing an elegant dive from the edge and out of the palace. The female raccoon watched him depart before she herself replaced the cover of her mask and departed as well, sprinting down the length of the halls until she climbed back up the rope she had used to enter the hall. As she retreated away, landing on the slanted roof of another building, she lightly touched her lips and licked the sensitive flesh to taste the lingering sweetness of his lips that still clung to them. She looked back to the palace and watched a flickering shade bound down the street that was stories below her.

She was puzzled to why that man had kissed him. In any other circumstance, she would have let him continue to kiss her as her legs felt weak and her heart throbbed within her chest. She enjoyed the contact, yet felt that she was being taken advantage of and made her skin crawl. Her paw brushed against a foreign bugle in her pack as she reached in and pulled out the Emperor's headpiece, her eyes widening and glistening along with the sparkling jewels that adorned the noble crown.