From: "L. Sith" <l_o_sith@hotmail.com>

Thanks very much for pointing out how badly the format turned out
last time, with my editor, I can't always tell.  Since the format for
the last part didn't turn out well, in addition to the new stuff, I'm
going to reformat it and include it at the beginning.

Again, thanks for comments and criticisms


Diclaimer:  The usual.  Didn't create any of the RK characters, not doing 
this for profit.

<  >  denotes thought

Chapter 1:


	The clear skies and warm morning air hinted at yet another
beautiful summer day.  With rising of the sun, the city of Tokyo
awakened from its slumber and began its regular morning dance.  In
the heart of the city, at a busy intersection near the police
headquarters, the citizens of Tokyo moved to the rhythm of the city,
a rhythm that differed from Kyoto.


	Jie leaned against a building wall at a corner of that busy
intersection and watched the crowd dance to a tune that only a few
can hear.   His gaze vigilantly swept among the pedestrians, looking
for an opening.  He didn’t have to wait for long.  An opportunity
soon presented itself in the form of four policemen walking past him
on the other side of the street.  With a lazy sigh, Jie pushed
himself off the wall and joined the pedestrian traffic.  For a
moment, he was just another ordinary citizen crossing the street.
But as he allowed the flow of traffic to carry him closer to his
targets, transformations took place.  First, his gait changed to
match his targets’ then his posture and facial expression took on
their likeness.  Lastly, he altered his ki and became a member of the
police squad.


       <The hunting grounds may have changed, but the game stays the
same>.


As the group of officers passed the main entrance of the police
station, the man sitting behind the desk looked up and greeted the
newcomers.  "Good morning everyone.


	Several policemen returned the greeting and a couple of them
stopped for a brief chat with the guard.  Taking advantage of the
momentary distraction, Jie slipped past the guard, into the hallway,
and quickly made his way to the document room.  He paused briefly
outside of the door to make sure that the hallway was clear before
slipping into the room.


        Once inside, Jie took a brief look around.  Everything about
the room screamed out its occupant’s name.

        <How predictable of you, Hajime.  Killing you lacks real
challenge. >

         A grin slowly crept over Jie’s features, and in the darkness
of the room, it looked almost feral.


*******************************************************************


	“This board will now hear the police reports concerning the
recent murders in Tokyo from Chief Umaro and Lieutenant Fujita.”
Senator Tayama started the council meeting with its first order of
business.

	The seven senators, seated in a semi-circle, turned their
full attention to the two men standing in the middle of the room.

	Umaro swallowed nervously.  He wished that he had some good
news to give to the Board of Revenue.  Of its ten members, three of
them had been killed in the past week and Umaro didn’t even have a
solid lead.   “There really isn’t much to report.  As you all know,
there had been three victims so far.  With the first victim, the body
was found in the, umm, pleasure quarters several days after the
crime.  By then, most of the clues and witnesses were gone.  With the
next victim, most of the witnesses that we’ve spoken to so far were
too drunk at the time to remember much.   And, with the latest
victim, Senator Shiniya, the assassination happened so fast that no
one really saw the killer.  But we’re not giving up yet.”

	“What about the young lady that Shiniya was conversing with
at the time, is she able to shed any light on the investigation?”
Senator Tayama asked.

	No one missed the slight emphasis that Tayama put on the word
‘conversing’.  Everyone present knew that the word ‘harassing’ would
have been much more accurate.


	“She was too busy with the conversation to notice the
killer.”  Umaro answered.

	“Shiniya was killed in the middle of a busy street in broad
daylight and the police still has no clue about what happened?!  Why
haven’t the police made any progress?”  Senator Iwaya pointed an
accusing finger at the two policemen.


	“We are having a lot of problems tracking down reliable
witnesses.  We lack the manpower to …”

	Iwaya cut off Umaro’s explanation abruptly.  “What do you
mean you lack the manpower?  What is it that do you lack the manpower
to DO exactly?”

	Umaro cringed at the onslaught.  And out of nervousness, he
gave Saitoh a sidelong glance to gauge the man’s reaction.  But
unlike Umaro, Saitoh just looked bored.  Umaro could feel his anger
rising, and strangely, it was directed more at Saitoh than at the
council members.  <Doesn’t anything affect that man?  If he has
everything so under control, why doesn’t he just help a little?!>


	As if reading Umaro’s thoughts, Saitoh decided to help. “We
lack the manpower to visit every whorehouse and drunk in Tokyo, not
to mention protecting all the pretty girls in town.” Saitoh sneered.


	Umaro’s heart nearly stopped.  <It is going to be a long day,
a very long day.>


*********************************************************************


	Saitoh opened the door and stepped into the darkness of the
document room.  Immediately, he heard a flurry in the breeze that
could only be caused by an object, a very sharp object, traveling
through the air at high velocity.


       <To attack before my  eyes can adjust to the darkness, at
least THIS idiot is competent.>

        Saitoh jerked his head slightly to the right to avoid the
kunai that was flying towards him.  And immediately, he realized his
mistake.  The kunai thrown at his head was merely a distraction, its
noisy flight meant to cover the sound of the real attack that came
after it.

       <The technique! Can it be him? Is the attack going to be the
Nine-Point-Attack?>

       He quickly side stepped to avoid a set of four shurikens that
was aimed at the left side of his body as he drew his katana to
deflect the other set of four shurikens that was aimed at the right
side of his body.  He barely had time to avert all the shurikens, the
last one almost cut his arm.  He narrowed his eyes and waited for the
arrival of ninth shuriken, the one that usually delivered the fatal
blow.  But nothing came.

      <To attack me in my lair, to use my usual advantages against
me, this one has the potential of becoming a worthy opponent, or a
strong ally.  It would be a shame to have to kill him.>  Saitoh
mused.

      However, something told Saitoh that this attack was not a
simple assassination.  Many facts about the assault conflicted with
each other.  The brilliance at staging the attack suggested that the
assassin was an expert, but the actual execution lacked true
mastery.  The initial kunai may have covered the ensuing attack
perfectly, but the attack itself came a few seconds too late.
Furthermore, every throw was off its mark by a few centimeters.  In a
way, this whole elaborate setup reminded Saitoh of a predator toying
with its prey.

     <Kill evil SWIFTLY.  Playing stupid little games with one’s
target is inane.  Maybe the attacker is an idiot after all.>

     Nonetheless, Saitoh couldn’t quite discard the feeling that the
attack was Jie’s Nine-Point-Attack.  <But Jie died ten years ago.
Has someone else inherited the same technique?  If so, where IS that
ninth shuriken?>

	As Saitoh’s eyes adjusted to the darkness, he noticed a man
standing by the wall toying with a shuriken.


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