Ah, Legends.....



Throughout the ages humankind has 'created' these stories to explain 
what they could not, from simple tales to explain how the sun rose or 
the world was created, to grand sweeping tales of heroes charging into 
battle for the sake of their love, against monsters that defied 
imagination or one of evil's many forms. Some tragic, some wonderful 
and all capturing the best and the worse that humanity had to offer.



Superstitious nonsense and fairy tales, meant to scare children into 
behaving or to put the little maggots to bed after a hard day's work, 
the skeptical and unbelieving claim. That's all they are, say the great 
scientific minds alive.



Oh really?



What would they say if they knew the events transpiring now in New 
York?



What would they say if they knew of one of the greatest of these 
legends, a holy sword once stuck in stone, drawn by a boy who would 
grow up to unite all under the banner of Camelot....was now sitting in 
the trophy hall of the city's most influential 'businessmen'?



What would they say if they knew that it's dark twin, a demon sword 
that thrived on the lives of it's victims, was here also? Weilded by a 
woman who's heart was blacker than the night itself and twice as cold?



What would they say if they knew of the monsters that now resides in 
their glorious city? Especially one in particular, a renounced and 
redeemed 'monster' with red hair whose name still chills the heart of 
his countrymen to this day, vowing to stop his brethren at any cost? Or 
explain his former mate, whose very existence now defies nature itself?



And what would they say if they had witnessed the arrival of one 
particular legend, whose appearance was brought about not by train or 
boat, but by a heavy mist that had not been present only moment's 
before? Or if they had witnessed the elderly man who arose from this 
mist, tapping his large walking stick crowned by a dragon's claw, on 
the cobblestones as his billowing blue robes changed to that of blue 
western style suit as the mist enveloped him again then faded; his once 
thick and many braided beard shortening to a more manageable style as 
he waved a hand in front of it, then reach up to remove the floppy blue 
hat from his head and 'popped' it into a top hat....his staff similarly 
changing to a smaller version of itself as the man grinned and started 
to stroll down the street, the people around him seeming to not even be 
aware of his presence or the mist which brought him?





Heh.....What indeed......



Part four: Six guns and Sakabas.



Morning.



Shuriken yawned and stretched sleepily in her bed, ruffling her hair 
into further disarray. "Ig 'ate ornings...." She grumbled sleepily as 
she made to climb out of bed.



"Ohayo, Miss Shuriken!"



A now very wide awake Shuriken screamed in shock, launching a hailstorm 
of throwing weapons at the direction of the cheerful voice at the same 
time she bounced off the bed and into the floor on her bottom. Hard. 
Cursing, she yanked off the sheets to wrap around herself as she stood 
to glare at the familiar figure smiling cheerfully despite the various 
Kunai, throwing stars, and daggers sticking in the wall around him. 
"Soujirou! How many times have I told you not to do that!"



"Isn't this what you hired me for?" He shrugged as he stood up and 
stretched from his crouch in the corner, Shuriken guessing from the way 
his bones popped that he was there all night. "Protect you at all 
times?"



"If you keep waking me up like that in the morning you'll be 
permanently unemployed." She growled menacingly, with no effect on 
Soujirou as usual. In fact he looked amused. Grrr. "You spent the night 
there?!!" 



He nodded, "I'm a light sleeper. Besides....I don't mind the discomfort 
if it's for your sake."



Shuriken flushed despite herself. "You mean you don't mind watching me 
sleep, Hentai." She teased, grinning as he blushed guiltily. "Um, 
Soujirou?"



"Oh! Gomen!" He turned a shade darker and turned around as Shuriken got 
dressed. "I bet you can't wait to get home today, ne?"



Shuriken's smile faltered. "Yeah....Can't wait...."



Soujirou frowned at the less than cheerful reply. "Shuriken? Dajibou?"



"I'm fine, just not looking forward to seeing Daddy at the moment. He's 
gonna be pissed."



"For what, running away or when he gets Jubei's bill?"



Shuriken blinked at that, and started to laugh despite herself. "Good 
question."



Unfortunately, Jubei came in and ruined the moment. "The Carriages' 
ready outside, Nag." He drawled, raising an eyebrow at Soujirou and 
smirked. "Never thought you had in you, kid."



"Jubei...." Soujirou warned.



"No need to be all embrassed-oof!" The chamber pot Shuriken bounced off 
his head shut him up thankfully.



The rest of the gang were waiting downstairs in the carriages when they 
got there, looking like they had a rough night. Especially Megumi and 
Sano, the former less than her usual appearance and the latter even 
more rumpled than usual, both looking half-asleep. What a crew, 
Shuriken thought. Daddy's gonna be thrilled....



A shock went through her all of a sudden, the pendant practically 
slamming her in the chest as it jerked. Out the corner of her eye she 
saw Tomoe turn slightly to look left, her eyes cold. *The pendant's 
reacting like it did when I met Tomoe....Does that mean.....?*



She turned and looked left as well, and saw the old man and woman 
standing across the street.



The old man didn't look all that much. Just an old guy in a blue suit 
and odd cane. The woman however, was a different category all together, 
standing out if she wanted to or not. Thick, wild curls of red hair 
spilled down her back and shoulders, framing her almost regal beauty 
and cold green eyes that rivaled Tomoe's. Even the frilly white western 
'Bell bottom' dress she was wearing did little to disguise the grace 
and athletic build of a trained warrior to a trained eye. The woman 
positively radiated both Nobility to rival a king and the lethalness of 
a hungry tiger. She glared at them for a moment, Shuriken shivering 
despite herself. Tomoe returned the glare as cold as ever, the air 
seeming to crackle between them with lighting and brimstone before the 
woman hmphed and started to walk down the street.



*I wonder.....*



 "Miss Shuriken?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming....."



The woman and old man watched the Carriages ride off, the woman raising 
her hand, palm upwards as two tiny glowing spheres appeared in it, 
fluttering around on what suspiciously resembled clear wings. "Follow." 
She ordered, the sound of a child's laughter heard from the spheres 
before they zoomed off in pursuit. 



*So...* She smiled to herself. *All four of us are here. It has truly 
begun.....*



##



The carriage ride was....interesting to say the least.



Sano would of liked to catch a little more shut eye, but the 'cute' 
little scene in front of him was too much for him to even think of 
sleeping: One very worn out Fox lady, looking so peacefully asleep and 
innocently unaware of the real world or that her Kimono was parted just 
enough for a small glimpse of the twin treasures it concealed every 
time the carriage hit a bump, much to Sano's torture.  



All while using Jubei's shoulder as a pillow.



At least he's suffering too, Sano thought ruefully, noting both Jubei's 
long suffering look and Yahiko drooling AND snoring into the seat he 
was draped over like a rug.....



Fortunately, before Sano's head exploded from the rush of blood to it, 
the carriage jolted enough to wake Sleeping Beauty, who found herself 
eye to eye with a red faced Jubei. 



Sano had never seen her move so fast as she did to the other side of 
the seat.



"So glad you could join us, Fox." She shot him a dirty look that 
encouraged him even more. "It hasn't been morning without you...." 
Megumi made a decidedly unlady like snort, followed a VERY unlady like 
bout of swearing. "See, Jubei? She sings even sweeter than the birds."



 Sano barely dodged the kick she aimed at his shin; Megumi's eyes 
glinting dangerously. Sano just flashed one of his lady-killer smiles 
in reply that wreaked havoc on her as usual, despite how tired she was. 
*Jerk.* 

She mentally grumbled. *It's all your fault. You couldn't act like a 
normal red-blooded man and get jealous, oh no....you have to hand me to 
him on a silver platter last light to 'teach me a lesson.' Now I'm 
tired, I look like hell and I can't even think a single rational 
thought without it involving one of you....or both.* She reddened at 
that image, reminded of the dreams that kept her up all night about her 
and....



"You alright, Megumi?"



Jubei's gentle voice snapped her back into reality, Megumi finding 
herself looking into Brown worry filled eyes that were WAY too close 
for comfort. "I-I'm fine, thank you Jubei-san." Gods, she was 
stuttering for Kami-sama's sake.....Why did he have to be so cute! 



"Your face is red." 



And has all the subtlety of a sledgehammer, she grumbled. 



Sano just had to put his two-yen in, as usual. "Nah, Foxy's fine. I 
guess she's just overwhelmed by the company of two handsome men at 
once, ne?" He forced himself not to shiver at the murderous look she 
shot at him. "Well, I'm gonna catch some sleep now before we get there, 
since I have to look my best for our hosts."



"You'll need more than sleep in that case...." Megumi remarked 
cheerfully.



Sano blinked. Then burst out laughing. "I guess so. But I never get 
many complaints from the ladies, do I?" Megumi's hands twitched with 
the urge to wipe that smug look off. "Night." Then he stretched out on 
the seat and was soon snoring away with his back turned to them.



Leaving her alone with Jubei.



Suddenly, it got very uncomfortable in the carriage.



"Gomensai...."



The two of them looked at each other, then laughed as they realized 
they spoke at the same time. "You first," She said.



Jubei smiled sheepishly. "I wanted to apologize for....last night. I 
was out of line."



Unnoticed by both, Sano's eyebrow twitched at that confession.



Megumi blushed again. *Damn, I'm making a habit of this....* "Yare, 
Yare, it's mostly my fault. I can't believe I overreacted like that. 
I'm not used to such.....Forwardness."



*And if you believe that, Jubei.....* Megumi thought ruefully, *You 
definitely ain't the sharpest Katana on the rack.*



"Well....I apologize...." And before she could react, he took her hand 
in his, brushing a stray lock of hair out of her eyes as he smiled at 
her. (What is this? Do all vagabonds and gangsters get lessons on how 
to charm women with a smile?) "And I willing to wait as long as it 
takes...." He said softly. "For you to decide when you are."



Megumi gulped. "H-Hai...."



Sano was glad his back was turned....he would kill Jubei right now if 
he looked at him.



Way to go, Baka....So much for your plan.....



The rest of the ride was strangely quieter after that, although Megumi 
could've of sworn she heard Sano sigh in his sleep.....



##



An hour later, they arrived at Shuriken' home.



It certainly wasn't what any of them were expecting, not by a long 
shot. A nice little farm or modest little house on the hill....



Something 'normal' at least.



The farm part was mostly accurate, a nice little stretch of farmland 
brimming with all kinds of bounty, and the forest around the house was 
a nice touch.



The house however, was a completely different story: Imagine two 
carpenters, one American, one Japanese, combining forces to build a 
house that reflected both cultures.....While drunk off their ass.

That pretty much summed it up. It looked like both a dojo and your 
standard American mansion, with the basic structures of both like being 
more than one floor and the sliding doors, and the cherry blossom trees 
lining the walkway to the door, but despite as much as the two styles 
balanced and complimented each other it still looked like the house was 
trying to make up it's mind to be one or the other. 



Somehow, it fit Shuriken perfectly.



The carriages let them off and took off immediately as if scared to 
stay longer or glad to get rid of it's passengers, Shuriken guessing it 
was the latter, due to Tomoe. While everybody was catching a little 
more sleep, (Kenshin and Karou looked so cute, resting on each other 
with a smile in their sleep.) Or in Soujirou's case, pretending to so 
she wouldn't kill him, (She had 'insisted' he rest more, knowing he was 
going to need it when he met her family....boy was he going to need it 
she thought with a grin.) Tomoe had just sat there trance like, being 
her usual icy self and only nodded in reply when spoken to. But 
Shuriken noticed she looked even paler then usual and there was a light 
in her eyes, however faint, that Shuriken didn't like. Tomoe had always 
creeped her out, she admitted, personality wise and that whole only 
showing up at night thing of hers, but today everything about her felt 
wrong....and to tell the truth....almost like Ashura....



The slight rustle of the cherry blossom trees was barely noticeable, 
but she didn't miss it. "Guys..." She said calmly. "Stay out of this."



"Oro?"



The attack came so swiftly no one was sure when it started....Shuriken 
suddenly in the midst of a large free for all with three other figures 
moving to fast to see them clearly....



Tickling her unmercifully.



Big sweatdrop.



"Ok! Ok!" Shuriken gasped. "I give! I give!" 



The tallest of the three, a woman who was a more mature (And taller) 
version of Shuriken scooped her up into a mammoth hug, the Kenshin-gumi 
wincing at the sound of Shuriken's bones popping. "MIKO-CHAN! MY LITTLE 
GIRL IS FINALLY HOME SAFE AND SOUND!!!"



"Momma...." Shuriken gasped. "I can't breathe...."



The second seemed to be a meek little old lady of sixty, though none of 
the Kenshin-Gumi were taking it for granted. "Yare, Yare, Moshi, don't 
kill her before she can give us the presents she brought back!"



"I think I see them already!" There was a zipping sound and suddenly 
Soujirou found the third one, a very pretty blond haired young lady 
that seemed to be the best of Shuriken and her mother combined, right 
in his face....Soujirou falling back in shock. The girl giggled, 
batting her eyes at him. "And such cute ones!"



"So much for that hope," Jubei and Yahiko muttered.



The grandmother scuttled- yes, scuttled, that's the only way Kenshin 
could describe it-over to Jubei, reaching up to pinch his cheeks and 
practically stretch his face. "Your taste is improving at least, Miko 
chan, clean this one up and he'll actually be passable...." Kenshin's 
shoulders shook with barely restrained chuckle at Jubei's expression of 
pure terror and pain. She let his face snap back into place and then 
eyed each of the guys like someone would for picking out fruits and 
vegetables, much to everyone's dismay. "You go bounding halfway across 
the world and this is all you bring for your poor grandmother! For 
shame!"



"Grandmmmaaaaaa.....!" Shuriken managed to squirm out of her mother's 
grip. "You're embarrassing me!" She hissed. 



Grandma just chuckled and patted her head, which annoyed her even more. 
"Yare, Yare, Granddaughter. Just having a little fun." She turned and 
bowed slightly to the Kenshingumi. "It's a habit of ours to tease Miko, 
especially in front of company. I am Saiko Yasha." She motioned to the 
other two. "My Daughter Moshi Jamison and my granddaughter, Michela 
Jamison." They bowed in reply, the Kenshingumi introducing themselves 
as well. "Would you like some breakfast? It's the least I can do for 
having to put up with my granddaughter...." Shuriken muttered ominously 
under her breath as they went inside.....



And were immediately mugged by three over active kids asking questions 
and tugging on them before getting shooed back by an dark haired 
Japanese woman slightly older than Kenshin and like Kenshin, didn't 
look it. Especially with the two 'rabbit ears' ponytails her hair was 
bound in. "Maa, Maa....Don't kill our guests, children! Mou!" She 
scolded as she waddled over to her guests, one arm cradling a dark 
haired toddler and the other rubbing her nine months swollen tummy. 
"I'm sorry about that. They get so excited over company....My name's 
Usagi Yasha, Guess I live up to the name ne? Oh bother...." The kids 
had stolen Yahiko's bokken and run off with it, Shuriken and Yahiko in 
pursuit. "I'm sorry, could you please hold her for a second?" 



Tomoe blinked from her trance. "Nani?" And found herself holding a 
ferociously cute little cargo with blue eyes and a ready smile. At 
first she felt a surge of panic, reminded of last night.....



Then she got the joke.



Everyone was startled, but not as much as Kenshin when Tomoe actually 
started to laugh. Soft, heartfelt laughter as if she was just beginning 
to remember how....tears filling her eyes as she tried to stop. "Oro? 
Tomoe?"



Tomoe looked at Kenshin, struggling to compose herself....hard to do 
when he was looking so confused. "Don't you get it? Usagi? Rabbits? 
Lives up to her name?" 



"Ahh....." Kenshin nervously laughed. "Rabbits....."



"She's finally lost her mind....." Jubei muttered, and regretted it 
when Kenshin elbowed him in the gut hard enough to make tears in his 
eyes.



Tomoe just adjusted the child in her arms with a sigh, now calming down 
to mild chuckles. *It's been so long....since I had something to laugh 
about....It's feels so good.....* She looked at the little girl she 
held and smiled. *So much I denied myself in my first life....Children 
of our own....* She glanced at Kenshin briefly, who was surrounded by 
the naughty little kids answering questions. *So many things....Not 
this time. Even if it's through that bitch Ashura's evil I have 
received this second chance I won't make the same mistakes....I promise 
you Kenshin....*



The child cooing brought her back into reality, Tomoe smiling at her. 
"You're so cute....Yes you are...."



And suddenly felt her Kimono growing very wet....her expression 
wrinkling in disgust.



"And you peed on me."



##



Still unnoticed by the everyone, The fairies watched the scene 
unfolding from the windows....then zoomed off a short distance to perch 
on a woman's fingers.....



##



Shuriken stood outside the door to the library, taking a deep breath. 



*Here goes.....* She slid the door open....



The library was huge....taking up a large section of the second floor. 
And there was her daddy, sitting at his desk as usual, ignoring the 
fact that he should be in bed with his wounds and buried in an old 
musty book. 

"Oh, you're home, Miko."



*That's it?* Shuriken started to get indignant. *No yelling? Nothing?!* 



He looked up at her, raising an bushy eyebrow in that both intimidating 
and questioning way of his. At first glance, most people would consider 
Alexander Jamison a pushover because of his short stature (Which her 
mother jokingly commented was what made him so cute and also one of her 
father's gifts to Miko....) and meek seeming, though handsome looks. 
The last one who thought that got a load of buckshot in his ass from 20 
feet away. Her father was a ridiculous deadeye shot with any kind of 
gun, matched only by his book sense and Micheala, who even surpassed 
his skill. (Though that didn't make up for the lack of common sense he 
showed at times, as his mother, grandma and aunt commented....)



"Anything to say for yourself....."



*Here it comes.....*



 "....For bounding half way around the world dressed like that?"



Shuriken facefaulted.



Alexander went on as if he didn't notice. "I can get over leaving 
without saying goodbye on some mad quest for revenge but going dressed 
like a walking knife rack is too much! And that's too much leg to be 
showing at your age, young lady...." And before Shuriken could throttle 
him he looked up and winked at her. "What, no hug for your old man?" He 
sat up and scooped his daughter up. "We missed you, girl. Promise not 
to scare us like that again?" 



"Hai, daddy." She smiled. "Mom drove you crazy with her worrying?"



He chuckled. "It took Kiro and I to hold her down and keep her from 
following you with an army. And that's not counting the ranting and 
raving since then. You owe me." He looked past her. "And who's your 
friend?"



Shuriken didn't even have to look to know it was Soujirou. She could 
feel his smile and worrying. "Soujirou, this is my father, Alexander 
Jamison." *Dontsayyourmybodyguarddontsayyouremybodygua-*



<It is an honor to meet you, Alexander-san> He replied in English and 
bowed. <And it has been my pleasure to be your daughter's bodyguard.>



*So much for surviving unharmed....Bakayarou.....*



The dreaded eyebrow rose. "Oh really now.....?" He glanced at his 
daughter, who chuckled nervously. He let her stew a moment before 
smiling broadly. "You must be quite a man to put up with my daughter so 
long. She's so emotional like her mother....." Shuriken's nervousness 
vaporized in a rush of shock and anger, twitching to commit 
patricide.....



"It has been...entertaining to say the least." And just before Shuriken 
killed him alongside her father Soujirou added. "Although she really 
didn't need me so much. She's as talented as she is spirited."



"....." Shuriken said.



"That she is, after all she's my daughter!" Alexander laughed and 
slapped Soujirou hard on the back, almost knocking him down with each 
one....



Then they heard the screams.



Outside, Tomoe crouched.....a large, jagged pillar of ice in front of 
her that would have impaled her had she not moved in time. Her eyes 
burned with hatred enough to melt the ice at the red-haired woman from 
before standing a foot away. Three feet behind Tomoe the others were 
blocked by a another wall of ice that boxed them in, yelling.  The 
woman was a far cry from what Tomoe had seen earlier, now seeming like 
she just stepped out of the dark ages: A green velvet and rabbit skin 
'dress' with gold breastplates and a light chain mail shirt underneath 
for armored protection....the skirt of it falling mid thigh and 
exposing her athletically muscled but shapely legs and made of strips 
of soft rabbit fur that also lined the top of the low-cut bodice to set 
the swell of her chest and the red flame of her hair. Tall white animal 
skin boots completed the combined effect of softness, coziness, 
sexuality and danger all at once with honors. 



"Who are you, woman?!" The redhead demanded in flawless Japanese. "You 
stink of Excalibron's evil magic! Have you come to finish your master's 
handiwork?!" The air turned even colder, the fairies starting to glow 
brighter as the redhead put her hands together....a threatening glow 
starting to form there. "Answer me!"



The wall surrounding the guys suddenly shattered, the redhead dodging 
the chunks. "How the hell..." She threw the small sphere at the 
charging Sano....who smashed it effortlessly before tackling her....the 
redhead rolling back to use his momentum to fling him off....except 
Sano grabbed her arms as she did, turning it into an awkward body slam 
that knocked the air out of her long enough to grab her in an arm lock, 
swearing at the unnatural cold radiating off her and the fairies biting 
and swatting him. "What's your problem, Woman!"



"Let go of me before I make you regret it!" She hissed, Sano feeling 
his hands go numb from the cold but held on despite her struggles.  
(Damn she's strong for a chick!)  "I'll kill her and you before I let 
her get

the amulet!"



"That's enough!"



The voice was like a whipcrack and twice as cold as the Redhead, 
instantly getting everyone's attention. The Redhead stiffened and 
stopped struggling, Sano letting go.....And promptly got elbowed HARD 
in the gut. "That's for touching me without permission." She hissed. 
"Next time I tear it off...."



"Don't flatter yourself." Sano shot back. 



The owner of the voice walked out from behind a tree....The old man in 
the blue suit. "I apologize for my rash companion.  Despite her 
breeding she can be rather impulsive at times." The redhead swore under 
her breath something fierce....and got rapped on the head with the old 
man's cane. "Sorry about that, Alexander!" He yelled at Alexander and 
Shuriken in the window.



"Daddy, who's that?"



Don't you recognize Merlin when you see him, girl?"



Shuriken's and Soujirou's eyes bugged out. "NANI?!!"





##



A moment later, in the library. 



Everyone had piled into the library after the arrival of their latest 
'guests.' Either confused, like most of the Kenshingumi, annoyed like 
the redhead, or totally obvious like Shuriken's family as if this was 
an usual occurrence for a centuries old magician to drop by 
unannounced, even passing out breakfast. The kids were behaving like 
perfect little angels and sitting around their mother and father Kiro, 
who turned out to be the most normal of the family. (Well, as normal as 
being so....active with his wife, anyway....) 



"I thought you looked familiar...." Soujirou said in awe. "I didn't 
think I meet the guy from Yumi's books, much less get this sword from 
him." He held his sword and Saya in his hands. "What's the real reason 
for giving this to me?"



Merlin shrugged. "You needed a weapon at that time, Seta Soujirou, and 
this old relic was just gathering dust. It suits you, both in skill and 
your nature, wouldn't you agree?"



<Never can give a straight answer, can you, old man?> The redhead 
commented in some soft, lilting language the other's couldn't identify 
save for Shuriken and Alexander, who smirked.



Merlin groaned. "Who asked you? And do you mind?!!"



"What? Oh." The redhead remembered that she was still wearing her 
battle outfit and sitting with her legs crossed in it wasn't a proper 
thing to do with several males hanging around. Her second clue was the 
battle aura of the room had also picked up several notices in the 
direction of the females. "Sorry." She stood up and snapped her 
fingers, the costume glowing blue and reforming into a simple green 
dress. She flounced back down and crossed her arms, glaring at Merlin.



"That's a convenient trick." Sano thought aloud....Megumi whipping 
around so fast to glare at him her head almost spun off. The Redhead 
slowly turned to burn him with a similar look, Sano raising his hands 
in surrender. "I didn't mean it like that! Just a compliment!" She just 
sniffed and ignored him. Megumi, however, her aura raised about ten 
more degrees.....



Merlin groaned again. "Not what you would expect as the wielder of 
Excailber, ne? Meet Arainhod Maximus. Arain for short." Arain nodded. 
"I apologize for her rude behavior so far and I assure you she is 
too....." Flames crept into Merlin's voice. "Aren't you?" 



Arain glowered at him before standing up and addressing Tomoe and the 
Kenshin-gumi. "I apologize for my conduct. It was unbecoming of a lady 
of the Maximus house of Avalon to behave in such a manner and I deeply 
regret it." It was obvious that she was indeed, of high breeding and 
schooling from the way she talked and held herself. Even Megumi 
begrudgingly admitting it. (She couldn't put her finger on it, but 
something riled Megumi to no end about the woman.....Nah, it's not 
that, she dismissed the thought that popped into her head. Not in a 
million years....) " I assumed that Tomoe here was one of Ashura's 
constructs sent to finish the job on Mr. Jamison....But now I sense she 
is Murasame's wielder as well as a lingering presence of Excailbron 
magic. How is this possible?"



"I was brought back to life by Ashura." Tomoe said flatly.



Horror briefly flickered across Arain's eyes but she quickly covered 
it. Merlin looked thoughtful. "I see...."

He murmured....



"Wait a second, Where's Excailber?" Shuriken asked. Arain looked 
embarrassed.



"It was stolen from me."



Silence. Then Merlin cleared his throat.



"A man named Shannon Morgan, a thief who calls himself a 'Antiques 
collector,' somehow invaded the isle of Avalon and stole it, not 
without a fair share of lives lost in the bargain." Arain's eye 
darkened at the memory. "The matter was so grave that I was summoned 
from my slumber to help Arain retrieve it. While tracking him here we 
stumbled on to Alexander and realized that Ashura was trying to revive 
Bane. Fortunately, she was unsuccessful in getting information from him 
or the Eye of Bane amulet that contains the information. Alexander 
arranged for us to get close to Shannon, pretending to be the some of 
the rich antique collectors he usually surrounds himself with. Speaking 
of which, you better return Arain...The idiot gets paranoid if you keep 
out of his sight for too long....." Arain snorted in disgust. 
"Remember," Merlin smiled sarcastically. "Be a proper lady and not kill 
him before we get the sword back?"

"I make no promises." She said flatly, the air turning cold around her 
briefly before her fairies surrounded her as she stood and then 
shimmering out of sight completely. Sano blinked while Merlin muttered 
'show off' "How she do that?" He said, standing up to wave his hand 
where she once was as if he didn't believe she was gone. 



"Arain's bloodline is of the Lady of the Lake, Queen of the Water 
Nymphs and Fairies and also the Gatekeeper of Avalon and of Gawain of 
the Knight of Round." Merlin Explained. "All of her ancestors have been 
able use water elemental magic as well as being natural swordsmen and 
women. In fact it was the Lady's son, Tremain who inherited the right 
to bear Excailber after Arthur, and the family has passed it down ever 
since." 



Sano gave him an annoyed look. "Pretend I don't have any idea what 
Avalon is, or what the hell you're talking about. And while you're at 
it, explaining the rest of this mess?"



##



Somewhere in the town, Excailbron hummed in anticipation and amusement. 



Ashura smiled wolfishly. "So they're that desperate now...."



"What is it child?" Mother rasped.



"An old friend of Excailbron has dropped by the Jamison household, 
Mother. Merlin...."



"Bullshit...." Daisho rumbled. "He's been ashes for centuries...." His 
twin finished from it's perch on his shoulder.



"No, children." Mother rested her massive frame back on her chair. 
"Merlin was only put in a deep slumber by the Lady of the Lake, in case 
he was ever needed. It seems that when that Shannon fellow so rudely 
barged into Avalon he earned the Ladyship's full attention and wrath."



"Does this mean that our prey won't be in the dark for long?" Daisho 
implored.



"Of course not." Silk interrupted as she walked in. "Sister's already 
on top of it, Aren't you?" She grinned. "Nothing gets by her....'cept 
Battousai."



Ashura gave her a warning look that Silk cheerfully ignored. "No need 
for concern. Even Merlin doesn't know everything....In fact this can 
work to our advantage. Silk, how long before the stew is finished?"



"It'll be done by nightfall. Good thing you aren't taking your time 
with this one like the last. Not too sure how well it will hold up from 
the condition, tho...."



"It will do, Silk. After all...." Ashura grinned. "We still have our 
pet....."



##



After a lengthy explanation of King Arthur and Avalon to Sano, (Who 
still was confused.) Alexander got to the main point of the swords.

 

"As my daughter already explained, I hope, Basically Bane was separated 
into the three swords and the Amulet and given to the four warriors who 
defeated her for safekeeping....passed down through the families to 
this day. However, according to the Amulet, which acts as a recorder of 
Bane's vast intelligence, If the all four items are brought together it 
might be possible for Bane to reform herself. However I can't see what 
Ashura will gain by accomplishing this...."



"Do you think that Excailbron is controlling Ashura?" Kenshin asked.

Merlin stroked his beard thoughtfully. "That's a good possibility. 
Excailbron is forged from the blood and dark energies of Bane....That 
would explain why all the wielders of it have always been so twisted. I 
wouldn't be surprised if Ashura was a pawn in all of this....."



That was a disturbing thought.



It soon got worse.



Tomoe's eyes suddenly grew blank....and in a hollow, mournful voice not 
at all like her own spoke in a language similar to the one Arain spoke 
earlier, except the vowels and syllables was slightly twisted. Merlin's 
eyebrows shot up in a look of pure shock and Something akin to 
recognition flashed briefly in Kenshin's eyes but was gone before 
anyone noticed, Kenshin looking just as confused as everyone else as 
Tomoe suddenly sank back in her seat, half faint. "Tomoe, Daijoube?" 
Tomoe nodded, blinking her eyes and asked what happened, which made 
them even more wary. She clearly looked out of it....



Merlin recovered first. "It has been a long time indeed since I heard 
the old tongue of Avalon. Interesting....And you have no recollection 
of what you just said?"



"I....just blanked out....."



"I see. Very odd that it was in that particular dialect as if....."



"JUST TELL US WHAT SHE SAID!!!!" Karou and Shuriken practically yelled 
Merlin off his feet, Kenshin and Soujirou jumping back in amazement and 
the shockwave. Merlin straightened his hat and harumped as he made an 
attempt to recover his dignity and ignore the impatient glares from the 
two girls.



"Ahem. 'Beware the Triseoul....The answer you seek is among you....' 
Trisoeul roughly translates to 'One of three lives....or keeper of 
three souls. As far as I can recollect this was never mentioned in the 
legend so why would it be now? More importantly...." Merlin fixed Tomoe 
with a steely look. "Who said it?"



"Wait a second...." Karou looked thoughtful. "What if it doesn't mean 
someone with physically three lives or souls?"



"I get whatcha saying...." Sano chimed in. "Like someone who's lived as 
three different people...." Everybody stared at him in wonder. "What?"



Megumi stood up and felt his forehead, fox ears popping up. "That 
actually made sense. Are you feeling ok?" 



Sano muttered something dire about smart-ass foxes under his breath.



"Right, Sano....In that case....."



Soujirou's eyes darkened as he finished for her. "...It's one of us. 
Most of us has at some point 'lived' a different life, haven't we?" He 
looked at his sword. "I should know. First I was Seta Soujirou the 
abused child. Then Soujirou the Tekken. Now I'm just Soujirou. I see 
why Merlin gave me this sword now...."



"But Tomoe's the one who talked in that creepy voice...." Yahiko 
commented. "Who says it ain't her?"



"Because things aren't always that simple." Kenshin had been so quiet 
that everyone had almost forgotten he was there. His eyes were dark 
with some unfathomable emotion. "Tomoe would be the obvious choice 
because she just spoke in another voice. But these things are rarely 
that simple and when they are it's usually a trap. It could be anyone 
of us and we would not know until he...." He paused. "Or she revealed 
herself. All we can do is wait and find out what is so important about 
this person."



"Agreed." Alexander said. "And since the Amulet doesn't mention this 
Trisoeoul thing I guess we'll have to break out the really old books 
and try to find something...." Shuriken blanched, Alexander grinning. 
"Oh, yes, girl. That set."



"What's so scary about a book?" Yahiko grumbled.



Alexander answered by pointing up at the shelf behind his desk....A 
bookshelf that took up the entire wall and filled to almost overflowing 
with books....



Books as thick as Yahiko was wide.



"Oro!" 



"You had to ask." Jubei grumbled. Sano just stared goggle-eyed.



The Jamison women save for Shuriken found convient excuses to be 
elsewhere like shopping for dinner and what not, pitying their 
guests....



##



"Ah, There you are Arainhod."



Arain forced a smile and turned to meet her host as she walked into the 
trophy hall. "Good morning, Mr. Morgan." She replied in French accented 
English. (Faked so well the moron couldn't tell the difference, she 
thought smugly.) "How are you?"



"Much better now that you have graced us with your presence, Miss 
Maximus."



*Spare me.* Bile rose in her throat. It wasn't that Shannon's 
appearance matched his persona, He was actually rather nice looking, 
with sandy hair, blue eyes and a rugged build uncommon to his 'High 
Society' look. But however, a toad was a toad no matter how nice you 
dressed it up like a prince.



That reason, however, paled before her real reason for despising the 
man....



"Come, Brunch is prepared if you wish to break your fast."



*I'd rather break your arms off and shove them up your.....*  "That 
would be excellent, Mr. Morgan."



Arain kept her face a neutral, shy mask as they walked to the kitchen, 
pretending to be interested in Shannon's boasting as usual....Keeping 
her boiling emotions in check just as her intensive training had 
instilled into her. *Patience can be as used the same as a sword, 
Arain.* She remembered one of her teacher's favorite sayings. *Together 
they will be your best weapons.* A memory of one of these classes came 
to mind, herself and the other member of the lesson sparing....Arain 
focusing more on the tall, spiky haired youth than the actual fight.



Zan....



She shook the thoughts aside, knowing where it would lead to....and 
with that bastard this close she could kill him, training or not, if 
she started remembering what he was responsible for....



I won't have to wait long, she calmed herself immensely with that 
thought. Tomorrow I'll reclaim my property and my first order of 
business will be to shove it down his throat....



Just a little longer, Beloved teacher.....Zan.....



##

Late that evening. 



The day wasn't a total waste despite how most of them felt it was. 
Although the answer didn't leap out at them after five hours of 
searching through books so dusty a round of sneezing was induced at 
every turn of the page, a few clues relating to Triseoul were found; 
however, they often confused the readers even more with the 
contradictory recordings. All of them agreed on three things however: 
One, It could be Male or female. Two, at some point a wielder of one of 
the swords was always present at it's appearance. And three, the 
scariest one, it didn't leave quietly or without bloodshed. One 
particular account referred to one such fight where an entire town had 
simply ceased to exist....Not even wreckage or bodies were found....



Not good news.



Then again, they couldn't do as much research as they liked due to 
'extenuating circumstances'. The first being Tomoe excusing herself 
time to time with excuses like using the bathroom and what 
not....Kenshin alone noticing and returning a little out of breath each 
time or evidence of her being outside like grass or dew on her Kimono 
hem....but kept it to himself. The second was the constant arguments 
between a certain pair of lovebirds and two others that soon got more 
and more distracting until Merlin had enough and settled the argument 
for them all.



So for the rest of the day until dinnertime, A pissed off Chicken, a 
shell-shocked Fox and equally annoyed Chickenhawk and Chow puppy sat 
where Sano, Megumi, Jubei and Yahiko formerly resided, glaring at the 
old man.



Still, Sano got the last laugh by leaving a 'surprise' in Merlin's 
hat.....



Shuriken had a feeling this was an omen of things to come.



She was right when Soujirou offered to help her sister with the 
firewood an hour before dinner....and her mother pulled her aside not a 
second later....



Which was why she was grumbling as she went to fetch her baka 
bodyguard. "Should've known they'd pull a stunt like this....."



Just like she expected, she found him doing all the work....in his 
particular way.



She stayed back a safe distance to watch....Soujirou standing before a 
large tree with his hand on his sword....eyes closed and standing as if 
the tree was an opponent waiting to strike. Micheala sat back safely 
out of range as well on a stump, watching in amusement and a familiar 
look in her eyes that made Shuriken's blood boil. *I knew it....Damn 
interfering.....*



The thought was lost as Soujirou suddenly vanished so fast it kicked up 
a gust of wind.....Only the slight sway of a branch being landed on and 
immediately leapt off giving away his path all the way to the 
top....then a few seconds later landed feathersoft on the ground again 
in a crouch, sheathing his sword. 



Two seconds later a VERY stunned Shuriken watched the tree collapsed 
into a pile of perfectly cut firewood. A pile at least five feet tall. 



*Showoff....*



Micheala giggled. "Where have you been all my life, Kid?" Soujirou 
chuckled sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head and smiled. He 
then noticed they had company, turning to look in Shuriken's 
direction....



And immediately gaped like a fish as his eyes bugged out.



At first he thought she was one of Shuriken's aunts he hadn't met yet, 
she looked so different....Gone was the usual haphazard outfit she 
bounced all over Japan in, replaced by a simple, but lovely dress of 
blue that reached to her knees. Her hair was braided into a simple 
ponytail that hung over her left shoulder and fastened by a hairclip 
that resembled a dagger. The effect was astounding. When she started to 
growl threateningly he finally recognized her. "Miss Shuriken??!!" 



*Men....* Shuriken thought ruefully. "Mother threatened to disown me if 
I didn't wear something 'decent' to the table." She mumbled, glaring at 
him. "What's your problem?!!"



"Ahh!" Soujirou reddened and looked even more sheepish. Micheala looked 
smug. "It's just that you look so....so...."



"So what, Baka?" Her voice was laced with brimstone.



*What can I say that won't get me killed?* 



".....Different?"



It seemed to have worked. Shuriken looked less ready to kill him. In 
fact she looked pleased. "Why thank you, Can we go now? We'll get the 
rest of the wood later." 



"Hai, Miss Shuriken." He gathered some wood and walked by her as they 
started toward the house. Shuriken bit down the urge to laugh 
maniacally. *Hah! Looks like Mother's scheme....*



"You should dress like that more often."



*....Failed....* 



Micheala snickered. Shuriken slowly turned to give Soujirou a look of 
death. "Right....This would be real practical in a fight, Soujirou."



He shrugged and smiled at her. "You don't fight all the time."



Despite her stubborn refusal to give in to the situation, Shuriken felt 
her cheek grow flushed. Micheala looked triumphant. *Ooh! Why can't I 
have a normal family? One that wouldn't make it their 'duty'

To interfere with my love life or lack therefore of?* She glanced at 
Soujirou. *And why did I have to bring home the perfect idiot for them 
to play matchmaker with?!* 



A sudden sharp wind made her shiver, Soujirou stopping long enough to 
shrug off his shirt and drape it over her, Shuriken almost too stunned 
to protest and felt her cheeks redden even more from both the act and a 
view of his bare chest. "I-I'm not made of glass, y'know. Stop that." 
He just kept smiling to her annoyance and walked a little ahead of her 
and her sister. *Hell....Forget my parents...He's dangerous by 
himself!* She mused.



Micheala smiled at her little sister. "Interesting man, ne Mouto-chan 
?"



"Don't even think about starting on Soujirou." Shuriken hissed.



"I was talking about Himura-san and how he doesn't look like such a 
great swordsman."



Realizing she fell for the bait, Shuriken politely told her sister to 
shut up, much to Micheala's amusement.



A moment of reflection, if you will, about two of Nature's laws that 
come to mind as Dinnertime arrived. Every action has an equal and 
opposite reaction and an object in motion will remain in motion unless 
an equal or greater force causes it to stop. While this law is 
interesting when concerning rocks and such, it is even more so when 
applied to a more.....active....group of subjects.....

Case in point.



The entire gang had somehow managed to fit around the large table Alex 
had dragged out of somewhere, a bit snug since that included Usagi's 
now 'oroing for fun' kids but it was manageable. (And something that 
certain women among the table were going to take advantage of....) An 
impressive feast of various American and Japanese food was spread out, 
Sano actually falling to his knees and thanking Kami-sama and the 
Jamison women at the sight of it, much to everyone's amusement. Then 
after Arain had arrived Alexander announced that they could start 
dinner.



Thus did the chaos begin....



Sano stood up and pulled out a seat for Arain beside him. "Allow me."



Megumi raised an eyebrow.



Arain looked surprised at Sano's highly polished maneuver.



"I'm not gonna bite. Sit already."



*Well...* She smirked inwardly. *An overbearing lout like you showing 
such high decorum. What a surprise.*

 

"Thank you," She smiled as she sat down and let him push her to the 
table. "A true lady deserves such treatment from someone like 
yourself."



"I'm full of surprises."



"That's not all he's full of...." Megumi muttered.



"Did you say something?"



Megumi turned and smiled sweetly to Jubei. "Please fill my glass, 
Jubei."



"Ah, sure."



One could feel the room temperature rise a couple notches as Sano and 
Megumi glared at each other until Arain snapped a napkin loudly in 
irritation, both looking slightly embarrassed while Jubei looked 
clueless.



At that moment Merlin brought out a positively ancient looking wine 
bottle. "In honor of this special occasion, I thought it would be 
appropriate to celebrate in Avalon tradition....." He poured the wine 
in a glass and raised it in salute. "As each of us drink from this cup 
we share in our hopes and dreams of our hearts. May they come true." 



He then sipped and passed the glass to Kenshin who did the same and 
passed it to Karou....the ceremony going well as it was passed on to 
each person....Usagi making sure the kids didn't get too much....Then 
just as Jubei accepted the cup from Megumi and sipped....



"It's almost like we're indirectly kissing...." She said coyly.



It didn't have the effect she intended. Jubei almost choked when he 
heard that, turning several shades of green before going to white as he 
looked at Kenshin and Tomoe in absolute horror. Kenshin just grinned 
evilly, A hint of micheviouness in Tomoe's eyes as she gave him an arch 
look. Sano grinned....



A grin that died as Jubei handed it to the next person....Grandma.



There was a fiendish light in both Megumi's and Saiko's eyes as the 
little old lady slurped from the glass and smacked her lips, commenting 
on the taste and age before handing it to Sano, who looked a little 
less smug at this development. He accepted the glass with a sickly grin 
and after a quick demo of his 'Faster than Godlike speed out of 
desperation' technique to wipe the glass rim he drank and handed it to 
Arain....



Their hands 'accidentally' brushing....Although questionable as to 
who's fault it was....



Sano made the most out of the situation by subtly winking at Arain, who 
slyly did the same and drank a little deeper than needed to be from the 
glass while looking him in the eyes.



If one listened very carefully....One could hear the rumble of 
approaching doom....particularly from Megumi's direction.....



The ritual was completed without incident as Soujirou and the rest of 
the Jamison household finished the ritual. Alexander standing up to 
give the second half of Merlin's speech in conclusion. "For without 
dreams there is nothing to guide us through the night before day, the 
darkness before dawn...." He finished the glass completely then set it 
down...breaking into a huge grin. "So dig in everybody!"



There was no need to repeat himself. Everybody attacked the food as if 
it was their last meal, with ether the 'enthusiasm' of Sano, Yahiko, 
Jubei and Shuriken or the dainty restraint (But still energetic.) of 
Megumi, Tomoe and Arain. Things were starting to look like nothing 
could go wrong....



Until....



"Oi, Arain....Your homeland, whatzit called again...."



"Avalon." She said without looking up.



"Yeah, that's it, Babe." Arain raised an eyebrow at Sano's 
'endearment'. Megumi was quiet, although it was a good guess that she 
was annoyed because she started SAWING her meat with the knife as he 
went on. "Mind telling me what it's like there? I love learning new 
cultures."



Megumi's sneeze suspiciously sounded like "Bullshit!"



A wicked idea popped into Arain's head. "Nothing much really...." She 
mused. "A few humans....Dragons here and there and you can't spit 
without hitting a fairy....." Then delightfully dropped the bomb. "A 
lot like Japan really...."



The result was electric. Merlin choked. Sano stared at her. Tomoe 
raised an eyebrow. Megumi was now sawing the BONE of the steak, a 
demonic glare in her eyes that makes Jubei cringe. Everybody else just 
pretended they didn't hear and nervously keep eating for a tense second 
or two....Until Alex and Sano exploded in laughter.



"Good one!" Alex crowed. 



"You got a point there, 'specially the fairies. Still..." Sano turned 
on his charm full blast, smiling sexily at Arain as he leaned his head 
on his hand. "Can't be so bad if a interesting girl like you came from 
there, Ne?"



There was a screech as Megumi cuts through the bone and deep into the 
PLATE.....



Arain just blushed with a chuckle and dug back into her plate to avoid 
looking at Sano. *Mou, Arain...All that training and high breeding's 
for shit whenever you get around a guy like him....*



One of Usagi's kids decided to join in at that moment. "Are there 
really fairies in Japan, daddy?"



"Ahhh...." Kiro forced a smile while glaring at Sano and Arain out the 
corner of his eye. "Ask me later baby...."



Usagi snickered.



Megumi's voice was dangerously sweet when she spoke next, grinning so 
charmingly and polite it raised the hairs on Sano's neck.  "Would you 
like some of this roast, Sano?"



 He nodded, Megumi taking the carving knife by the large roast pig and 
stabs down in it's back with such force the table rattled, Sano and 
Jubei wincing as she continued.  "Such a curious and still growing BOY 
like you needs lots of food for energy...." She cut off a large slab 
and set it lovingly on his plate, her eyes glinting with malice. 
"Although you must be careful when it comes to...." glanced at Arain in 
contemptuous manner.  "....Pork."



Arain's eyes glittered dangerously at that obvious barb. 



And as if the others could sense the approaching danger they started 
conversation between themselves. This however, was also decidedly 
dangerous.....



Tomoe polished off her THIRD full plate, ignoring Kenshin's astonished 
stare. Food was another way of getting the energy to sustain herself, 
although not as potent as her usual method. *Not to mention she had to 
make a pig out of herself in front of Kenshin, grrr....* "So how did 
you two meet?" She asked the couple, giving Kenshin a coy look. "Did he 
sweep you off your feet like he did with me, Karou?"



Kenshin reddened and took a deep drink of sake.



"Actually...." Karou replied, also faintly blushing. "I attacked him in 
the middle of the street."



Tomoe blinked. "Ahhh....." Then chuckled ruefully, Giving Kenshin a 
teasing look. "You always seem to effect the ladies this way, Kenshin 
dear." She smiled a little more at the way he reddened even more.  



"Repent, the end is near...." Jubei intoned. "Tomoe's developing a 
personality...."



Kenshin almost frisbeed a plate at him but Tomoe got to Jubei first, 
her tone sharp and sarcastic. "Being dead can change you a lot, 
Kimagami-san." A feral smile crossed her face, eyes glinting with 
promise. "Would you like to find out first hand?"



Jubei snorted and went back to his meal and Megumi, Tomoe musing over 
what they both said and what was probably running through Kenshin's 
head. *True....I have changed a lot since my return, no, since that 
night I admitted to myself that I loved him. If only....No. Don't 
regret....Enjoy these feelings. Enjoy yourself for once.....While you 
still can....* She smiled sweetly at Karou. "Kami-sama was smiling at 
you two when he brought you together; Kenshin's quite a catch."



Karou blushed deeper, smiling at Kenshin. "That he is." 



Tomoe grinned, reveling in another evil thought. "And he can be so 
cute. Like the time I was ill and he and kids cooked breakfast in bed 
and offered to do the housework....."



Kenshin went from embarrassed to horrified. "Ahh, Tomoe....."



Tomoe ignored him, Smiling at the memory. "Or at least they tried to. 
I've never seen egg served as soup until that day....and the house 
looked like a bomb went off....."



Kenshin grabbed the whole bottle of sake and started downing it as 
Tomoe told Karou more horror stories....



On the other end of the table, Operation Matchmaker went into effect.



Moshi started them off. "So tell us how you met our daughter, 
Soujirou...." Shuriken freezes, starting to sweat. "Are you a 
professional bodyguard?"



Soujirou forced a smile. "Not really, Mrs. Jamison...."



Alex roared with laughter. "No need for formalities! Heck, you can call 
us Mom and Dad...." Soujirou missed his Wink at Shuriken. "....if ya 
like, Son!" 



Shuriken grumbled something unpleasant. Soujirou carefully thought 
about his answer, wanting to live to his next birthday then smiled at 
Shuriken.



"Just a wanderer who happened to be...in the right place at the right 
time."



Her parents mistook Shuriken's sigh of relief for one of lovesickness.  
*Agratou, Soujirou.* She smiled back at him. *If they knew I just 
walked into the first bar I saw, stood on a table and announced I 
needed a bodyguard.....*



"Ah, a fellow traveler." Alex impossibly grinned wider. "I like ya even 
more, son. I love traveling, you can meet all kinds of people," He 
punched Soujirou lightly on the arm and almost knocked him out the 
chair. "Even the girl of your dreams like I did!"




"Here we go...." Shuriken muttered.



Soujirou chuckled nervously. "Hai, Mr...I mean Dad."



Moshi and Usagi played the moment for all it was worth, looking the 
perfect wife and lover so well that Shuriken cringed. "My sister and I 
were quite lucky to meet our sweethearts." Moshi said, turning and gave 
Shuriken a doting look mixed with part making you feel guilty and part 
threat. "And I hope our daughters will be as lucky and bless us with 
lots of grandchildren...." 



Soujirou kept the smile in place out of desperation as He turned to 
Shuriken, whose homicidal look aimed at him and her mother changed to 
instant smile. "I'm sure she will."



Shuriken nervously laughed....firing off a death glare at her parents 
the second he turned back to his food, Alex and Moshi the picture of 
innocence despite a mischievous twinkle in their eyes.....*Why can't 
they leave us alone? Let us take it slow and WHOA WHAT ARE YOU 
THINKING, GIRL?!!!* 



Back in the middle, the firing solution boiled nearer to completion: 
Sano was taking animatedly with Arain, both enjoying themselves and 
flirting ridiculously hard. Megumi wasn't much better, having Jubei 
literally eating out of her hand as she playfully fed him his 
dinner....Her feminine wiles obviously in hyperdrive and working rather 
well on the poor sucker from the goofy grin Jubei had plastered on his 
face. And of course, with Sano and Megumi were both stealing smug 'Top 
that' glares at each other doing their little contest of wills, waiting 
for the other to finally crack.



One could almost hear the sleazy saxophone music in the background or 
smell the stale and smoky atmosphere of a bar, the sexual tension that 
thick in the air.....Just waiting to explode....



Arain laughed as Sano finished his funny story, smiling at him. "You 
are so entertaining, Sagara-san...." She leaned a little more forward, 
her eyes smoldering with something akin to lust. "I'm surprised you're 
still unattached." 



Sano grinned, unflinchingly looking into her eyes. "Me too." 



A rather sarcastic remark from Megumi killed the mood. "After all, you 
do have SO much to offer a woman....."



"Yeah, I guess some just don't recognize a good thing when they see 
it." Sano sneered in reply. 



Megumi grinned evilly. "Like most men, ne?" She was so focused on her 
pissing contest with him she didn't notice that poured hot sauce in 
Jubei's glass instead of wine....."But Jubei doesn't seem to have that 
problem...." She turned to Jubei, tickling him under his chin and 
raising the glass to his lips as she cooed. "Do you, Koibito?"



Jubei smiled back and drank....and immediately turned every shade of 
the rainbow and choked, Megumi patting him on the back in concern and 
fussing over him as Sano and Arain laughed.



"Not at all....." Jubei wheezed in-between gasps.



 "I'm SO jealous of you Megumi." Arain's voice dripped sarcasm. "I'm 
sure he's a real find."



"What's that supposed to mean?"



Megumi ignored Jubei question and glared at Arain. "Hmph. And I'm sure 
you two will make a lovely couple....Queen Drip and the Bakayarou 
king!"



The kids, who had been more behaved than the adults to this point, lit 
up at the discovery of a new word....making up a song on the spot: 
"Baka, baka, baka, baka...." They howled the last syllables. 
"Yaaaaarrrrrrroooooooouuuuuuu!"



Kiro dropped his fork in horror.  Usagi chuckling at first but stopping 
to give Arain and Megumi a stern look. "As much as I encourage my kids 
to learn," She said dryly. "Would you ladies mind your French?"



Both had the grace to look sheepish before glaring back at each other.



"See what you did?" Megumi hissed.



"Me?!!"



 "Now ladies...." Merlin started....



Both whirled on Merlin with eyes of brimstone. "STAY OUT OF IT OLD 
MAN!!!"



Merlin eeped and almost jumped back out his seat, forming the sign of 
pain with his hands. 



Jubei sweatdropped, turning to Sano. "Aren't you going to stop this?" 



Sano, who was leaning on a hand and watching with the two argue in 
amusement, looked at him funny. "Are you?"



Jubei's expression turned cross. "How stupid do I look?"



Kenshin attempted to calm them down, (Although with the ulterior motive 
of escaping Tomoe's torture) when Tomoe and Karou both grabbed him by 
the shoulder and sit him back down shaking their heads. The Jamison 
family was totally obvious to the literal powerkeg about to go off, 
intent on their matchmaking mission and halfway there as Alex poured 
the slightly 'loosened up' Soujirou his fourth cup of the strong wine.



"What do you think of children, Soujirou?" Yasha asked.



"I like children." Soujirou grinned goofily at the chagrined Shuriken. 
"They're fun...."



"Indeed they are. I'm sure you make a fine father and husband to SOME 
lucky girl...." Yasha made another not so subtle wink at Shuriken, who 
glowered at her.



"Grandmaaaaa....."



Soujirou sighed and turned solemn. "But I don't know if I can settle 
down just yet, there's a lot I need to...sort out in my life before I 
take such a big step...."



Alex nodded sagely. "That's understandable, You're young, and you have 
plenty of wild oats to sow...."



"Nani? Wild oats....?"



Shuriken panicked, trying to change the subject. "How about you tell 
Soujirou some of your stories, Daddy...."



Micheala interrupted as if she didn't hear Shuriken, patting Soujirou 
on the shoulder. "But you be ready one day, maybe sooner than you 
think. Heck, you could be sitting next to your future wife now...." She 
nudged him, winking.



Shuriken looked horrified. Soujirou looked adorably clueless.



"Where?"



The Jamison family facefaulted.



Moshi cleared her throat and tried another approach. "So what do you 
think of our daughter, Miko?"



Soujirou looked nervous, especially with five pairs of eyes boring into 
him. "Ahh....She is....um....Well I mean to say....." He got even more 
nervous at the impatient looks. "She is....unique."



The Jamison family blinked. Shuriken looked halfway between relived and 
a little insulted.



"Well....." Alex slapped the table. "We can work with that!"



That was the last straw for Shuriken, who pounded the table hard enough 
to make the plates leap. "Stop this instant!!!"



Alex gave his daughter an innocent look. "Whatever do you mean, dear 
daughter?"



"You know exactly what I mean, you scheming old goat! Stop playing 
matchmaker!"



Soujirou dropped his glass, stunned. "Matchmaker?!!"



"Forgive her, Soujirou!" Moshi exclaimed theatrically. "My poor baby 
can get so emotional so times...."



"I am not emotional!" Shuriken roared. "You're trying to marry me 
off!!!"



Soujirou looked like he was just walloped by an oar. "M-Marry?!!!!"



Back in the middle, Arain and Megumi were now almost at each other's 
throats, insults flying back and forth.....



"You're jealous!" Arain accused. "Isn't one man enough for you?!"



"You think I want Sano? Ha! Take the moron for all I care!"



 "Don't insult him. It's not his fault he's too much man for you!"



That one pissed Megumi off. "What did you say?! If he's too much for 
me, then what chance does a stuck up hussy like you have?"



Arain sniffed and turned her nose up. "You bore me, Takani Megumi. I am 
far above arguing with a commoner like you anyway."



Megumi laughed scornfully. "Commoner, eh? Then allow me the honor of 
serving you, Your highness!" With one hard chop of the carving knife 
she cut the entire tail end off the roast pig and dropped it on Arain's 
plate. "There! A piece of ass for a royal ass!"



Utter bedlam broke out. Shuriken and her family arguing around a shell-
shocked Soujirou, Arain and Megumi barely being held back by Merlin and 
Jubei as they struggle for each other's throats hurling insults, Tomoe 
laughing her head off while Karou stared in horror, a blitzed Kenshin 
just lying his head on the table with a long Oro, the kids are cheering 
the fight on despite their parent trying to hush them....and in midst 
of it all Sano and Yahiko were just sitting back watching the chaos, 
Sano reveling in his handiwork.



Yahiko broke his long silence, snatching a wine glass and sipping 
arrogantly. "Women are SO emotional...."



Sano chuckled as he munched down on a barbecue rib. "Ya got that right 
kid...."



##



Much later.



"Ahhh....."



Sano had snuck out of the house to relax in the small pond on the 
Jamison estate for awhile, sighing in contentment as he swam around. 

 

*Well, that went well....*  Sano thought ruefully as he recalled the 
havoc at dinner he was mostly responsible for. *Megumi really can't 
handle a taste of her own medicine, heh. Still....* His thoughts 
darkened. *Still not as much fun as it was before....and I feel a 
little bad about being so mean to her to tell the truth...* He sighed. 
*Maybe I should stop being a jackass about the whole thing and just get 
it over with instead of acting like a bunch of kids.....*



He lazily backstroked toward the edge as he considered his plight....



...and realized he wasn't alone.



Arain stood on the water as easily as land, smirking down at him. "Hi."



The water practically flew as Sano torpedoed over to the far side of 
the pond. Arain raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Gahh! Don't do that, 
lady!!!"



"What are you so embarrassed about? It's not the first time I've seen 
naked man before." Sano reddened even further at the reminder that he 
was skinny dipping, Arain's smile growing wicked. "Although I'll admit 
you rank among the best I've seen...."



"That makes me feel a lot better...." He grumbled, Arain chuckling. 
"What's the deal scaring me like that?"



"Bored." She lied, not wanting to scare him off. Tonight's escapade had 
rattled her more than she cared to admit, old feelings she'd bottled up 
demanding release....She shook off the thought. "And wondering if 
you're as good as you look."



"Nani?"



 "Your fighting skill. I think it speaks better for a person than 
words, and I've never encountered someone strong enough to shatter my 
ice spells so you interest me." She smiled again. "Spar with me?" Sano 
blinked. "I'm not taking no for an answer." She said calmly despite the 
mischievous smile. "Ether fight me or they can find you frozen to the 
pond. I bet Megumi would have a field day."



Sano paled. "You wouldn't....." Two fairies appeared over Arain and 
flew toward him, the water briefly turning frigid just by them floating 
over it. "Alright! Damn you have a weird idea of foreplay....And turn 
around." 



Arian made a show of rolling her eyes and turned around....but as soon 
as her back turned her lip quivered and she had to make an effort to 
steel herself further. *Even their attitudes are the same....*



"I'm ready."



She turned and walked over to the ground where he was waiting, only 
wearing his pants. She pretended not to notice, a wicked thought coming 
to mind. "Let's make this interesting." He raised an eyebrow, her grin 
widening. "Winner earns a kiss from the loser."



Both eyebrows shot up. Arain chuckling. *Yep, I knew he would react 
that way.* "Of course you can't cheat by losing on purpose or holding 
back. I'll break your arm if I think you're holding back."

Sano's expression became amused as he took up his stance. "Same to 
you."



Arain just stood there for a moment, the air temperature dropping 
noticeably around her as several fairies shimmered into existence 
around her....



Then chaos.



It was hard to keep up with the two of them by eyes alone, the two of 
them going at it hammer and tongs....Sano's expression determined while 
Arain's was amused. Her style was a stark contrast to his, more 
calculating and refined....but Sano had the advantage of strength over 
her (Not that she was weak by any stretch he amended as she landed a 
good one in his gut.) and a surprise....



The fairies suddenly got in the act, frosting the ground underneath 
Sano and causing him lose his footing....Arain lunging forward at that 
moment to grab him and use her momentum to slide along the ice, 

Twirl and sling Sano airborne....forming and tossing a snowball the 
size of a brick as she finished her spin that slammed Sano in the gut 
and skipped him like a oversized rock across the pond to the other 
side. Sano sucked in air long enough to swear the heavens down, much to 
Arain's further amusement. "I said no holding back." She replied 
saucily at him as she walked over the lake....



Just as Sano lunged and executed the Futae no Kiwami on the pond and 
drenched her with a near tidal wave that swept her to the other side. 
He grinned at the soaking wet redhead sitting on the other side looking 
down at herself in dismay. "Like that? I'm not sure you can handle 
it!!" He started cackling maniacally....



Which died as he saw very pissed off Arain stand up and glowing with 
battle aura....what looked like a few hundred fairies now gathering 
around her and each holding a snowball the same size as before. Arain's 
face twisted into a evil grin that rivaled Saitou's.....An SD Sano 
nervously chuckled at his predicament and tried a charming smile in 
reply.



"Then again you can.....EEP!" He ran for his life and covered his head 
as the sky filled with a million and counting snowballs aimed at his 
head.....Managing to avoid at least a couple hundred before he was 
almost buried alive in snow. Arain charging at him and going hand to 
hand with him again....Sano really having to work to kept from beaten 
to a pulp from her fists, feet, ice spells AND fairies (And not doing 
too well he hated to admit....) as she went beserk....getting his 
chance when she stepped back to hurl a series of ice chunks at him....



And executed the Futae no Kiwami with his elbow, left and 
foot.....Shattering them completely and managing to tackle the 
surprised Arain.....Forcing her arms down and blocking her legs with 
his own just in case she got any ideas about 'retaliating'. The two of 
them lay there a moment, breathing heavily, faces so close their noses 
almost touched. 



"....(Huff) Let's....(Puff) ...call it....(Huff) a draw...."



".....(Huff)....I agree...." She managed a tired smile. 
"We....(Huff)...both win...."



A long silence followed....The two just looking at each 
other....Arain's eyes filled with some unreadable expression....Sano's 
equally hooded....



Then he let her go and rolled over on his back, attempting to catch his 
breath and clear his head. Arain just lay there and another 
uncomfortable silence passed....



".....You're the weirdest chick I've ever met, y'know that?"



She turned her head to glare at him for a moment.....then both of them 
started laughing as if it was the biggest joke in the world. "I'll kill 
you later for that...." She managed to get out between chuckles.

"What was that stunt you just did now...."

He grinned. "A move I picked up a while back, the Futae no Kiwami, or 
Double Limit break. You can shatter anything with it. Before I could 
only do it with my right but after Kenshin left I trained until I 
mastered it almost as well as my teacher did. Maybe I'll show how to do 
it some time."



Arain felt her cheeks grow hot. "...I'd like that...."



They got quiet again after that, Arain sitting up and hugging her knees 
to her chest and looking up at the stars. Sano stayed sprawled out, 
doing the same. Arain found herself getting more and more melancholic 
the longer she stayed in his presence despite how much she fought it. 
*Stop it, Arain...* She admonished herself. *Just...stop.*



"What's a matter?" Sano asked. "You're a lot less quieter from dinner."



She chuckled ruefully. "I could ask the same of you. Not much of a 
talker when the fox is around, Ne?"



Sano's eyes darkened. "Guess I'm not." He sighed. "And when I am I put 
my foot in my mouth so much I might as well keep it shut. It's just 
that....."



"Afraid of commitment?"



"Oi!" he turned on her angrily. "What's that supposed to mean?"



Arain made a disgusted sound and let her hair fall in her eyes so he 
wouldn't see....see the disappointment in them. "You two are so obvious 
it's disgusting....Why do you insist on playing these games?"



Sano made a disgusted sound and started looking at the stars again. 
"Che, you must got me confused with the other bum....Oof!"



Arain unburied her fist from his stomach, her voice quiet but 
definitely pissed. "Don't bullshit me, Sagara."

She warned. "One of you has got to stop this nonsense because life's 
too short to screw around like a couple of kids. So grow some balls and 
get it over with..." She forced a smile. "Or I'll kick your ass again."



Sano looked at her in stunned amazement for a moment. Then grinned. 
"Ohh, scary....This unworthy one will take your glorious advice to 
heart and....." Sano blocked the second punch she aimed at his gut and 
winked at her as he yawned. "Agrato, Arain-san...." 



She turned slightly so he wouldn't see her blush. "No need to 
thank...." A loud snore interrupted her, Arain scowling as she realized 
the baka had fallen asleep on her. "....me." She grinned ruefully, 
reaching over to ruffle his hair fondly and then bent to kiss him 
lightly on the lips. "Sleep well, Sagara Sanosuke." Her voice was 
tinged with regret and longing. "Pleasant dreams of your Fox lady...."



She laid down beside him, her back to his and just savoring the warmth 
of his presence....asleep before she knew it.



##



Morning....



Megumi could only stare at them in mute shock.



She had been dragged out of bed by a case of guilty conscience when she 
would rather be sleeping in late. That and a mild hangover. Her 
behavior at dinner was absolutely deplorable last night, even if that 
Roosterheaded fool provoked her. But as usual her conscience nagged her 
until she gave in and went to hunt down Sano to apologize. Seeing he 
wasn't in his room she started to get worried as she looked all over 
the house....



And found him by the pond sleeping like a baby with a huge grin on his 
face.....Arain spooned alongside his back with an arm draped over his 
chest and also smiling contently.



When she could think again, three words popped into her head as a 
considerable aura flared up around her.



Aku. Soku. Zan.....



Fortunately before she could find a suitably sized rock or something to 
bludgeon them with, Arain opened her eyes and looked in mild shock at 
the state she was in....immediately upgrading to panic, controlled 
panic, but panic nonetheless when she noticed one very pissed off Fox 
standing over him. 



"This isn't what it looks like Megumi."



"So desu ne?" Her voice dripped acid, noting the slight bit of lipstick 
on Sano's lips. "Why don't you tell me what it looks like?"



Arain's eyes narrowed and her voice took on the same dangerous tone as 
Megumi's. "Nothing happened. We merely fell asleep out here."



Megumi raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly were you doing together? 
Stargazing?"



"That's none of your business, but it certainly wasn't what you're 
thinking." She replied with a half sneer as she stood up and got right 
in Megumi's face. "And even if we did make love, what concern is it of 
yours? You seem to be more...'attached' to Jubei...."



*Why you stuck up....* Megumi's eyes flared. "You got a point, why 
should I care if that fool is stupid enough to fall for a arrogant 
little girl like you....."



She got no further.



Arain had had enough....and before Megumi could blink she had a very 
sharp ice dagger pressed to her throat. To Megumi's credit she didn't 
flinch or cower, however the look of anger in Arain's eyes was so 
intense it unnerved her....



"How dare you....." She hissed. "How dare you slander and treat him so! 
You have no idea how lucky you are, Takani Megumi! To be able to laugh 
with him, tease him and love him...." Angry tears filled her 
eyes....her voice starting to break as she let the dagger fall limply 
to her side. "At least you still have him...."



Megumi's eyes softened as she realized what Arain was saying. "You've 
fallen for him, haven't you?"



She expected Arain to angrily deny it or something like that. Instead, 
she looked away, letting her hair fall girlishly to hide her eyes.



"....I don't know. He reminds me so much of Zan it's uncanny...." She 
said mournfully. "Roughly the same appearance, half assed 
attitude....hell, even the age is right. He could pass for my former 
fiancée without even trying." 



"Former fiancée?"



"He was murdered by Shannon Morgan when he stole Excailber." Her voice 
grew hard and the anger returned. "It was the night before the 
coronation ceremony that would bestow Excailber to me. As part of the 
ritual I had leave the island for a short while in seclusion. When I 
arrived back I found the temple had been attacked and several of the 
students had been killed or mortally wounded.....Zan had been the 
worst, practically ripped to shreds but still alive....he had fought to 
the death to protect the sword and Shannon had left him alive and 
poisoned as a reward...." Her fist clenched....the ice dagger starting 
to crack as her grip tightened around it. "Poison that meant a long and 
painful death he didn't deserve so I-I....." Arain abruptly went 
silent, Megumi understanding and reaching out to hug the girl, Arain 
breaking down and sobbing quietly for awhile onto her shoulder until 
she could regain her composure. "Feh," She wiped her eyes and tried a 
smile. "We got a lot in common when it comes to men, ne? Zan and I 
would fight even more than you two, and not just with words. I just 
wish I'd admitted how I felt a lot sooner instead of waiting till he 
finally got the point, we would have had so much more time together 
than that week....Don't make that same mistake Megumi." She said 
firmly. ". Just swallow your pride and tell him, make him listen even 
if you have to kick his ass to do it. You'll regret it for the rest of 
your life if you don't, take it from someone who knows."



How ironic, Megumi thought ruefully, she's telling me off like I did 
Karou. "Maa, Maa...I doubt I will have to go that far...." She grinned 
wickedly. "Offer the Baka free food and he's all ears." Both giggled at 
that. "Agrato, Arain. I hope you find someone special as Zan was...."



She chuckled. "With this good looks of course I will." She motioned to 
the still sleeping Sano. "Would you like the honor?"



"Hai!" Megumi bowed....and proceeded to lift her kimono's hem enough to 
boot Sano in the rear and into the pond....



After a good morning argument and chase around the house, the trio 
joined the others for breakfast and discussing the plans for recovering 
Excailber. 



"It's obvious that we can't just walk in and take it." Arain explained. 
"Not counting the guards all over the place, Shannon's got the place as 
booby trapped like you would not believe. Even I haven't found them all 
because there's some kind of magical interference as well that's 
messing with my head when I go in there."



"That's stating the obvious." Alexander added. "If the man somehow got 
into Avalon I wouldn't be surprised if the guys dabblin' in that. So 
does anyone have any ideas?"



Silence. Then the last person everyone expected to have one spoke up.



"Oi," Sano said between bites.  "I've already worked it out...."



Everybody looked at each other. 



Then went back to eating and discussing a plan.



Sano got pissed. "I'm serious! I have a way we can get in and take the 
sword without him even knowing!"



"Oh, really?" Arain was interested, although it was more amusement than 
real. "Explain...."



Sano grinned. "Well....."



##



Much later, six o' clock. 



Shannon's large mansion in town was alive that night....with streams of 
carriages dropping off the cream of New York society for the grand 
occasion waiting within....



And a surprise or two.



The Carriage's footman stepped down and opened the door for let out the 
first one, The Japanese man was very tall, dressed very smartly in a 
black western style suit, white shirt, red tie and black trenchcoat 
like long coat that had the Kanji 'Evil' sewn into the back that fit 
well on his lanky frame, much to the herd of predatory manhunters 
disguised as rich women's interest. A wide brimmed fedora cocked 
jauntily to the same side as his playful smirk added to his 
attractiveness as he winked at them, the women starting to swoon.  He 
looked every inch the Streetwise, Cocky Gambler, a ruse that the 
footman was hard pressed to believe for some nagging reason.....



The second was a lovely young woman that made the footman wish he was a 
few years younger. A raven haired, slender beauty that was so much a 
contrast to the man it was startling....the red Japanese style dress 
she wore somehow both modest and seductive at once to devastating 
effect on the males present. (Much to several of their 
wives/girlfriends dismay and several slaps were soon heard.) She walked 
with a air of confidence and bearing not unusual to an educated woman, 
although her eyes glinted with fox-like sneakiness from time to time at 
the 'Gambler' whenever he was caught looking at her or firing off death 
glares at any of the men starting her way....



The third and final one wasn't all that special appearance wise. A 
small, girlish looking Japanese boy with brown hair in a blue western 
suit with a dark shirt and tie. The only distinguishable thing about 
him was that he walked with the aid of an unusual walking stick almost 
as tall as he was and if inspected closer could be taken for a 
saya....that and an unnerving smile....



Megumi waited until the carriage to peel out and no one was in earshot 
before she turned and pinned him with a death glare of her own. "Don't 
look so smug, Baka...."



He only grinned in reply, Megumi remembering him discussing the 'plan' 
earlier.....



"Shannon's havin' some kinda big event tonight..., Right Arain?"



She nodded. "Every week he gathers all the rich people in town and 
entertains them by Gambling and having the local fighters beat the hell 
out of each other for money. Your point?"



"Simple....Me and Megumi pretend to be this big shot gambler/fighter 
couple here because I heard about his collection, and challenge him for 
some of it....." Megumi almost choked at that.  "....Doing everything 
we can to distract him while Jubei and Shuriken sneak in and steal 
Excailber back. Arain will be there for backup in case things go wrong, 
as well as Soujirou since he can pose as our translator. Ain't that a 
good plan? 



Alexander looked thoughtful. "I see....The amulet will help her get 
around the physical and magical traps!  Brilliant!"



"Who are you and what have you done with the real Sano?" Yahiko asked 
suspiciously, earning a glare from Sano. Megumi had also recovered 
enough to mutter "Simple isn't the word" under her breath.



"It is a good plan," Arain admitted. "That pompous ass wouldn't suspect 
a thing. But what about Ashura? What if she makes a second attempt on 
the Jamison Family for hostages?"



"Last time she caught us off guard." Usagi said in an uncharacteristic 
tone. "We'll be ready this time." The women and Alexander nodded, 
determined looking.



"And that's why Kenshin and Karou's staying behind, just in case things 
get ugly. That ok?" They nodded, Sano looking smugly at Megumi. "See? I 
thought of everything."



She just smirked in reply. "I guess the best person to come up with a 
foolproof plan is a fool...."



"Oi!"



Jubei chuckled. "Better to leave Battousai here anyway, he seems more 
comfortable among the women anyway...."



Kenshin growled menacing as he glared at Jubei, Karou also giving him 
the evil eye. "Care to explain that remark?" She snarled.



Jubei just smiled as he dug his own grave. "Let's see, he cooks, 
cleans, his idea of an worthy opponent is a basket of dirty 
laundry....I'm starting to wonder who wears the Hakama in this 
house....."



Everybody calmly lifted their plates as Karou dove across the table and 
tackled Jubei with a battle cry, sitting on his chest, choking him and 
banging his head against the floor at the same time while everybody 
finished eating as if nothing happened.....



Megumi let herself go back to the present and sighed. After that, they 
spent the whole morning getting prepared, getting Sano fitted for his 
disguise at the shop. (That was an interesting adventure spent mostly 
trying to assure Sano they weren't sizing him for a coffin. Megumi even 
had them sew Aku on the back.)*I hope things turn out as simple as Sano 
claims they will be....* She looked at Soujirou in worry. "Soujirou, 
Dajoube?"



"...Huh? Hai!"



"Kuso, relax kid." Sano said with a grin.  "Shuriken will be fine with 
Jubei, it's what he's paid for..."



He looked embarrassed.  "....Hai, hai, I know. Just can't help 
worrying." 



*Just like Ken-san* Megumi thought with a smile.



A flash of light from the roof caught their attention, Sano and Megumi 
practically feeling some of the tension drain out of Soujirou. "Ok, 
they made it. Let's get going...."



The place was so impressive on the inside Sano was afraid to touch 
anything, a far grander scale of blending several cultures into one 
place than the Jamison household: Mayan, Japanese English.... Megumi 
quickly lost count. It was pretty obvious that this Shannon guy was the 
flashy type. They were lead into the massive dining quarters with the 
others, Both Sano and Soujirou tensing slightly at the sight of several 
armed guards hovering around as well, Sano reaching out and gently 
squeezing Megumi's hand and pulling her close, Megumi looking at him in 
surprise as well as blushing slightly.



At that moment, Mr. Shannon Morgan himself appeared to personally greet 
them. Arain was alongside him, looking every inch the pampered rich 
girl but All three could feel the absolute disgust she felt being near 
him rolling off her in waves....



<Welcome to my humble home. I am Shannon Morgan, Your master of 
ceremonies this evening.> Arain quickly rolled her eyes before Shannon 
saw it. <And this is my lovely guest, Arainhod Maximus.> She bowed in 
Japanese Custom. <And you are?>



Soujirou stepped forward and bowed. <Souzou Sagara and Kitsune Onna. 
Professional Gamblers and Treasure hunters. I'm their translator, 
Kawai.>



Shannon raised an eyebrow as he shook Sano's hand and kissed Megumi's. 
<Gamblers and Treasure hunters, eh? Heard about my collection and had 
to see it for yourselves?>



Soujirou translated the three quietly discussing before Sano smiled at 
Shannon and replied, Soujirou translating as he spoke. <He wonders if 
you would like to make a wager, Mr. Shannon.>



 A slow, feral smile crossed Shannon's face....<Oh really....What do 
you have in mind?>



<What does one win in tonight's entertainment?>



<300 American dollars.>



<What about something from your collection?>



Shannon's smile wavered a bit. <I've worked a little too hard to just 
give away some of prized possessions. What are you offering?>



Megumi spoke then, Soujirou smiling sarcastically. <Kitsune says that 
if you aren't afraid to, They wager that Souzou can beat every fighter 
here one after another for the honor of winning the antique of his 
choice. If he can't....> She pulled out a impressive roll of money, 
Shannon's eyebrow jumping in shock. <This is yours plus the location of 
a treasure I believe will aid you in completing your collection. What 
do you say?>



 From the widening grin, they knew they had him hooked. <You don't joke 
around saying your gamblers....Very well, I accept....The tournament 
starts in fifteen minutes. Enjoy yourselves until then.>



They left, Arain winking at Sano as she turned....Megumi letting out a 
sigh of relief. "So far so good. Nice performance, Soujirou."



"Oi! What about me?"



"And thank you for not making an ass out yourself, Sano." She said 
sweetly and patted his cheek, Sano grumbling. "Lucky that Shannon is 
such an idiot that he falls for a stack of cut up paper and a little 
hocus pocus." 



"Yeah, well don't get too cocky." He warned. "You still got that gizmo 
Alex gave you."



"Hai, Hai...." Megumi fingered the 'bracelet' on her right wrist, her 
eyes dark with worry. Her role in Sano's plan was simple but still 
dangerous: She was to not only to stay near Shannon and 'distract' him, 
but in case things went bad she would take him hostage with the 
poisoned blade hidden in the bracelet to aid their escape. But that 
wasn't what worried her, it was Sano's sudden change of mood...."Mou, I 
can handle that Shannon lout just fine, thank you." 



"I didn't say that, Megumi...." He looked sheepish. "It just that 
I...well....What I meant to say is....Oh hell...." He raised her hand 
and dropped a small bundle of cloth in it. "Here."



"Sano...." She unwrapped the bundle, examining the unusual contents. It 
was a simple, but well made gold chain, the unusual thing was that a 
pair of dice were attached like a pendant. ".....What is it?"



Sano looked indignant. "What is it?! I'll have you know that's my lucky 
dice." She raised an eyebrow, Sano already knowing what she was 
thinking. "I'll have you know that I had them in every fight I won, so 
there." He ignored her skeptical look and folded her hand over the 
necklace with his larger ones., his eyes smoldering and Megumi too 
shocked to react.  "I want you to have them now. For luck and.....An 
apology for being such a jerk recently. It's not much but I...." An 
expression of irritation crossed his face, starting to take it back. 
"Ah, forget it....."



Megumi danced out of reach, slipping the necklace around her neck and 
inside her dress in one smooth motion. "Too late, Apology accepted." 
She said slyly before sobering as she reached for his hand again, Sano 
stunned as she looked him dead in the eye with an unreadable 
expression. "You better come back in one piece, you hear me 
Roosterhead? I won't forgive you if you don't......"



"Megumi....."



Shannon's servant chose that moment to come for Sano and ruin the 
moment. Megumi reluctantly letting go of his hand and watched Sano 
follow with a sinking heart. He did, however, turn and look at her 
again over his shoulder to wink at her before he was lost in the crowd, 
Megumi feeling a little better as she pulled out the necklace to wear 
proudly as she and Soujirou went in search of Shannon.



And silently prayed to every god she knew.





##



Back at the Jamison household.



"Kitty! Here, Kitty, Kitty...."



Usagi let out a sigh of expiration. Things were so quiet it bothered 
her, plus the kids refused to go to bed without their pet.  *Dumb 
hairball, don't know why the kids dote on it so....*



The large white cat hopped out of dark, startling her. "Mou, you almost 
sent me into labor you stupid beast....." Usagi stopped for a moment to 
examine it, seeing it's jaws stained with fresh blood. "Hmph, decided 
to finally catch some of the mice around here, Ne? In you go....."



The cat yowled at her testily and strolled in, Usagi swearing their was 
an all too human sneer on it's lips as it looked back and then strolled 
in the house, shaking it off as her imagination playing tricks on her.



Had she investigated in the direction the cat looked in however, she 
would have found the mangled remains of something that used to have 
white fur.....



##



Shuriken and Jubei had very little trouble breaking into Shannon's 
mansion from the roof. The guards on the balcony were hardly a match 
for them and dispatched quick and quiet. Now for the tricky part....



The long hallway looked simple enough, nicely decorated with 
taperesties, paintings and statues. Jubei started to walk out onto the 
floor when Shuriken told him to wait, her eyes glowing for a moment as 
she looked at the hallway....then tossed the guard's half eaten apple 
out onto the floor, watching it bounce once....



And get impaled on the three foot long, retractable spikes hidden in 
the floor.



Jubei winced. "You gotta be kidding....."



"Some of the floor tiles are triggers for the spikes." She explained. 
"There are some other traps that I can't identify, and since the 
triggers are all linked together it's gonna be tricky to disarm it...."



"We don't have time for that...." He stated. "Can't you protect us with 
that amulet thingie?"



"Hai but-ahhhh!" 



Jubei scooped her up and leapt right into the room.....hopping back up 
the instant he touched the ground to avoid impalement and repeating 
this action across the floor.....Shuriken wincing at each near miss and 
forcing herself to stay calm long enough to generate a shield around 
them....Just in time as the every trap in the room went off at 
once....Spear guns hidden behind the tapestries, the flamethrowers in 
the statue's mouths, and the scythe that swung down over the door as 
Jubei slid under it and kicked the door open to tumble in. He grinned 
at the petrified Shuriken in his arms. "That was easy!"



Shuriken managed to release her death grip on Jubei's shoulder.....long 
enough to grab his throat and shake him hard. "Don't. Do. That. Again." 
She hissed, waiting until Jubei turned blue to let go.....



They continued deeper into the mansion, Shuriken disarming or 
protecting them from the gauntlet of traps

Set throughout the mansion (A ridiculous amount of every kind ever 
designed by man, Shuriken wanting to strangle the designer of the 
damned house....) or taking out the guards under the roar of the crowd 
downstairs. "We're close, I can feel the sword's persence....as well as 
some dark energies. Probably the traps Arain was telling us about."



"Hmph...This is almost too easy." Jubei mused, ignoring Shuriken's evil 
look and mutterings about her doing all the work. "I don't like it...."



They opened the door to the next room....and could only stare at what 
awaited them.



It was impossibly dark in the room, impossible due to the large mirrors 
held by statues of hands....each reflecting a pink laser like light 
seemingly from nowhere to turn the room into a spider web of lightbeams 
across a floor with white and black tiles so polished it had a mirror 
effect. *Some kind of magic shroud and light source....* She mused, 
listening to the amulet as she looked around. *Reflecting the light to 
make this pattern...but what is it for.....?"



 Jubei looked bored. "This is his best trap? Hmph, all you gotta do is 
avoid the light...."



A look of horror crossed her face as she realized the answer. "No! 
Don't!"



Jubei was already somersaulting over the beams, the titles lighting up 
where he landed and a musical tone heard from the tiles he touched....



Then the mirrors shifted as one.....the pattern changing aburptly as he 
reached the middle...Jubei barely twisting out the way of the beam as 
it chopped toward him and burned his arm as it brushed him...Jubei 
making a mad scramble back to Shuriken dodging madly and making an 
awful racket with the tiles as the mirrors kept changing the patterns 
or directly sweeping the beams at him to burn him.....Shuriken waiting 
till the last second to sidestep him and let him smash into the door at 
full speed. She waited until he could peel himself off the wall and 
readjust his nose before explaining it to him. "Baka....That'll teach 
you to wait for me. There's some kind of magical light source in the 
room that the mirrors reflect and amplify to the point it'll incenerate 
you in an instant. I've got to give Shannon credit for orginality." She 
frowned. "This might take a moment...."



Downstairs.....



The tournement was being held right there in the dining room, the 
servants moving the table and chairs back enough to allow the fighters 
plenty of room and to keep the audience from getting hurt or their fine 
clothes splattered with blood. Shannon had a throne set up on the huge 
staircase to watch like a pompous king, Megumi, Soujirou and Arain 
sitting near him as his honored guests. It was an obvious excerise in 
patience for both girls, since Mr. Morgan not only talked to much but 
his hands had a habit of roaming toward them despite their repeated 
attempts to brush him off. However they were playing their parts well 
and trying to keep an eye on Sano....who was enjoying himself too much 
from the way he danced around the larger brute ducking his punches with 
ease and pulled his punches a bit. *Baka, * Megumi thought ruefully, 
*Enjoying himself while I have to put up with this pig....*



Said pig turned to her, smiling in what he must of thought was 
charming. <I must say that I'm a little envious of your boyfriend, Miss 
Onna....Mostly of his incredible luck to catch a woman like yourself.>



"You'd need more than luck to get near me, you arrogant toad...."



Soujirou hid his shock and spoke quickly. <Miss Onna thanks you for 
your kind words, but lets stick to business, yes?>



<Business can mix with pleasure as well, Miss Onna......>



Behind his back, Arain made gagging motions that Megumi fought not to 
laugh at.



Thankfully at that moment, Sano put his opponent out of his misery, 
giving her an excuse to cheer for him with the crowd as opposed to 
killing Shannon. Sano looked bored, turning to Shannon with a smirk. 
"Looks like that bets as good as mine, Shannon-san!" He winked at 
Megumi. "Kitsune would like some new jewelry, wouldn't you?"



"I think perals to match my new dress, ne?" Megumi simpered before 
going into her imfamous laugh.



<We americans have a saying, mister Souzou,> there wasn't a hint of 
humor in Shannon's smile. <Don't count your 'chickens' before they 
hatch.....>



When Soujirou translated, Megumi felt a chill run through her, but 
dismissed it as her imagination.



Sano couldn't reply because Shuriken chose that moment for a telepathic 
message.



*Small snafu, Sano....Stall longer.*



Sano shook his ringing head. *Ya didn't have to be so loud! Shit, now 
what....There isn't a decent fighter in this whole bunch.....*



He got an idea....But man was Megumi going to be pissed.....



"In fact...." He shouldered through the crowd to stand at the foot of 
the stairs. "How would you like to up the stakes?"



<Oh? What do you have in mind?>



"All or nothing....That I can kick every fighter here's ass.....all at 
once!"



Megumi's eyes narrowed.  Soujirou started to slowly inch away from 
Megumi as he felt her aura flare, nervously translating to Shannon, who 
grinned. <Interesting. Agree to anything goes and you have a deal, 
Mister Souzou. Good luck....>



"Same to you, buddy." He glanced at Megumi, who was doing a frightening 
well version of the Battousai glare. He winced, sometimes he hated 
being right. "Sorry," He mouthed the words. "I don't have any other 
ideas and the guys need more time....."



"I understand...." She mouthed back with a smile. Then made a slashing 
motion across her neck  that made Sano cringe. "I'll deal with you 
later...."



Megumi sat back in her seat, crossing her arms and grumbling to herself 
about Chicken head Ahous. Shannon, idiot that he was, picked that 
moment to make a comment as he reached over to pat her hand. <I can see 
that you are obviously the brains behing his brawnaaahhhhh!>



Megumi gave his wrist a good twist and almost flipped him out the 
chair, Soujirou's and Arain's eyes widening as Megumi faked an 
apologtic look and 'apologized' for taking her anger out on him, 
Shannon wringing his wrist as Soujirou translated quickly. <Heh, Don't 
worry 'bout it. Let's not miss the show.....>

To the crowd he stood up and announced. <We have something special 
tonight ladies and gentlemen....A anything goes free for all on that 
Japanese man there. The man who beats him wins FIVE hundred dollars!!!>



Almost every man in the building turned to Sano, whose's eyes widened 
as they advanced, cracking knuckles or weilding various blunt and sharp 
weapons....



*Maybe this wasn't such a hot plan.....*



Upstairs.....



Jubei idly tossed a dagger onto the floor and watched it melt in a 
instant under the intense beams. "Well, nag?" He asked the 
concentrating Shuriken. "What's the trinket sayin?"



"Quiet fool." She snapped, then swept her hand out over the floor, 
making a tune not unlike someone running their hands across a piano as 
her telekinetic 'push' ran across the floor "Aha! It's a locking spell 
on this room, a very complex one that uses musical tones as the key. 
The floor acts as a giant piano to play the key on....play the key the 
door opens, wrong key gets you fried. Get it?"



"Can you figure out the key?"



"Sorta. All I can do is light the tiles that have a different magical 
field than the others, those will be the ones for the key. We'll have 
to guess the melody when we jump for it."



"And if we're wrong?"



"Hope you like your eggs scrambled."



Jubei made a face. "That's reassuring....."



Shuriken placed her fingers to her forehead in concentration, lighting 
a simple pattern that went through the thickest area of beams. One 
error....Jubei gulped. "Just keep with me, ok?" She said, "I think I 
know the melody. If I'm wrong, nice knowin ya."



"It's been fun," He said dryly. "Ready? One....two....THREE!"

There wasn't an ounce of grace in the manuver and if the situation 
hadn't been so serious it would have been laughable as they bolted, 
flipped and slid across the keys in a mad dash and barely missing the 
beams....playing out a unusual but likable tune that ended shortly as 
they finally collasped at the door in a heap and cleared the 
trap....the mirrors turning to face the walls as the room lights up 
completely and the door opened. "Y'know," Shuriken grinned. "That was a 
cool sounding tune there, give it a few words, make it a little longer 
and we'll have a hit!" She pictured it. "Heart of the sword, by Miko 
Jamison!"



"Song about a wandering swordman?" Jubei added.



They looked at each other.



"Nah....."



"Never sell....." Jubei agreed as they got up to walk in the doors.....



Back downstairs it was all out carnage, Sano finishing off the last 
ten.....grinning madly despite his beat up appearance and the knife 
wound in his shoulder staining the suit. He fared a heck of a lot 
better than the sixty some idiots he'd laid out on the floor in the 
last ten minutes, most of them needing some serious medical treatment. 
"I take it back," he sneered. "Some of you americans aren't pansies 
after all....."

He meant it, some of these guys had been back for seconds, thirds and 
fourths and got some good licks in.....but hell, if he could take out 
200 in a day at once then what could that prick Shannon toss at him 
that he couldn't handle....



The place had gotten dead quiet after the last man had went down, 
everybody staring in disbelief. 



Then Shannon started to laugh.



<Very impressive, Mister Souzou. .However....You shouldn't think you've 
won just yet. There's one last fighter I think you'll like to face.>



*Nani?* Megumi thought after Soujirou translated. *Who....*



She was soon answered by very familiar, house shaking footsteps. *No!*



Sano's grin faded. "Oh, shit...."



The crowd turned as the doors opened wide....everybody staring at the 
huge figure that stood there, cracking her knuckles.



Silk.



"You seem surprised, Miss Onna....." Shannon said with a grin.



In perfect Japanese. 



"Oh, yes, I speak your native tongue quite well....." All the charm was 
gone, replaced by gleeful malice. "I think it's only proper to know the 
langage of the people you wish to do business with, don't you?" He 
chuckled. "And Ashura has brought me some excellent business so I 
thought I'd return the favor. Oh, by the way, I've provided a host for 
your friends upstairs...."



Upstairs Jubei just managed to push Shuriken and himself out of the 
way, the massive Katana that sliced out of the dark room.....Daisho 
stepping out with a booming laugh....



"See? Everyone accounted for. I'm such a good host....."



Megumi paled as he laughed again. They'd walked right into a trap.....