Soulriders 5.0: Legend of the Unending Games

From Kaoru's perspective, everything happened very quickly.

A huge bright light shone between her and the American tourists, followed by a red haze which settled over the entire ship.

And lying there was a decidedly stony-faced figure, breathing very quickly.

<->

From Zelgadis's perspective, everything happened very slowly.

Caught in the light of the sapphire, he felt as if he was being literally torn to pieces, then thrown into a grinder.

His entire conciousness shook with pain, as if a miner had taken to his body with wild abandon. Each and every part of his body was being taken apart, shaken around, and then reassembled, almost randomly.

The only thing he saw throughout this entire episode was an enourmous, twisted, red eye, which gazed at him with a decidedly venomous look. It seemed to snarl, and lunge towards him-

-and he was suddenly lying facedown on a steamboat, jagged sword in one hand and crystals in the other.

As soon as the light shone down on them, Bean acted entirely on instinct. She interposed herself between the light and Yahiko, raising her improvised sword up into a defensive stance.

As the light resolved itself into a prone body, she blinked away the flashes at the corner of her vision from the bright flare, but didn't relax her guard.

This hadn't happened in the anime, and that fact alarmed her somewhat...

Shukuen forced himself up to a kneeling position, lurching forward as he suppressed the sickening, churning of his stomach. He had no idea what had just happened. And he hoped he'd never have to go through that again.

Bean blinked again, wishing the spots dancing across her vision would fade, peering at the prone figure curiously.

Her initial anxiety had faded somewhat, seeing the form rise shakily to it's knees, but she was still wary.

"Um...Are you alright?"

"Yah... urp... be fine in a moment," Shukuen replied absently, steadying himself with one arm and clutching his stomach with the other.

Bean simply waited, standing between Yahiko and the newcomer. He looked harmless enough, and disoriented by whatever brought him here...but she was also highly aware that she was considerably smaller as Kaoru, and the newcomer seemed overly large to her changed perspective...

And WHY did that voice seem so familiar?

Finally, after swallowing the bile in his throat, Shukuen stood up, though he had to lean on the sword slightly to stay up. Glancing around, he noticed something seemed... off...

"Where am I this time?"

Bean stepped forward, her vision clearing somewhat. The newcomer was a tall man, with blueish purple hair...and slate grey skin?

"Zelgadis?" She blurted in astonishment, and no small amount of apprehension.What the...We are in SERIOUS trouble if he's from the first few seasons...he was really amoral! This just keeps getting better and better... Her mop snapped back up into a defensive stance, even as she chided her own sillyness. What would a wooden stick do to defend against a fireball?

I'm POSITIVE this never happened in the Kenshin anime. Have I been somehow pulled into a fanfic? Who the hell would cross Kenshin and SLAYERS???

Hearing the name of his current form being called, Shukuen glanced up, looking for the source of the voice. "Who called me?" he asked, wondering how anyone could have known that name outside of Lina's traveling group.

Bean glanced around quickly, starting slightly as the end of her ponytail bobbed into her field of vision. She saw the American tourists wiping the sparks from their vision and felt a mild burst of panic.If it's left as is, there's going to be an incident...and that would delay me and Yahiko...That can't be good.

She quickly decided, hoping that Zelgadis wasn't as casually destructive as she remembered.

"I did!" She hissed quietly. "Put up your hood, and cover your face, quickly!"

Zelgadis didn't have much of a chance to do anything, because there was another, less glaring flash of light, and the mage from before toppled out a portal.

He looked.. different. Completely wreathed in a red aura, his face had taken upon a look of malevolence that was unheard of in all but the most evil of men...

Rasing his hand towards the prone form of Zelgadis, he began mumbling something under his breath, magical energy coursing under his fingers..

"Oh, you cannot be serious..." Shukuen groaned, quickly casting Raywing on the group of bystanders and himself, sending them flying out of danger and using the magic energy as a barrier.

...except, to his horror, Zelgadis found that his spells simply would not be cast. In fact, he couldn't even feel the tap of magic as he tried..

The mage's spell, however, was unlike any Zelgadis had seen before. With a loud shout of "FIREBALL!" the mage thrust his hands towards Zelgadis...

...and created a powerful blast, which extended roughly three feet, thus just missing Zelgadis by a little.

Somewhat confused, the mage jumped back, and could be heard mumbling out another spell...

Despite the blast not actually touching Zel, he could feel the heat, which was far more intense than a regular fireball.

Bean yelped in surprise as everything began happening at once. She lifted her arm quickly, using the kimono sleeve to protect her fac from the sudden, sharp heat as she pushed Yahiko away from the confrontation.

Suddenly, in all the jostling, a small rope weight, about the size of a tennis ball rolled across the deck and bumped into her foot.

She quickly bent down and picked it up, and looked to Zelgadis. He didn't seem to be hurt, but she kept a careful eye on the situation, wondering if throwing something at him was particularly smart, but not having a clue what else to do...

Shukuen gritted his teeth, slightly put off by the intensity of that missed fireball. Where could he possibly be if a basic spell like that could become so potent. "No choice if we have to survive this," he muttered, preparing his next spell.

"You, who floats in eternity and infinity; Origin of all hearts. Gather to my hands and be a flash of light. Get rid of the deep darkness!"

Bram Blazer!

Much like Zel's earlier Raywing, the Bram Blazer failed to be cast. In fact, Zelgadis *still* couldn't feel the tap, the flow of magic as he tried to summon the spell. He seemed to have been cut off entirely.

The mage, annoyed at the fact that his fireball no longer had the range it did once, began to cast another spell...

"Diem Wing!"

Once again, the spell seemed to have mutated... a practical hurricane flew out from the mages fingertips and began cooking up a storm, sending waves flying across the ship..

Dammit! Shukuen thought angrily, struggling to keep his ground against the mutated Diem Wing. How the hell does he keep casting spells?

Kneeling down, he forced his fingers through the boarding of the ship to improve his chances of not being blown away, as he concentrated on reconnecting himself with his magic.

Bean felt like screaming in frustration as the winds threatened to toss her off the boat. A nutty swordsman, she could at the very least run from. But this...

She pushed Yahiko quickly into one of the covered areas of the ship, and followed him in, using it as a windbreak. She hefted the weight she'd picked up, flattening herself against the wall of the stairwell.

Another disadvantage to being female, she mused, waiting for the winds to die down. I have to do something...but, I can't go out there just yet...

She paused, and looked to the blackhaired boy beside her in the stairwell, and something else occured to her.
Jeez! Why in the hell did I worry so much about Yahiko???

Massive waves threw themselves against the boat, constantly battering it further and further towards the shore. While the sky was perfectly clear, the Diem Wing was blowing so much water from the sea it was almost as if it was a monsoon.

The winds, thankfully, died down relatively quickly, but the damage had already been done. With several parts of it broken, and a large hole where the main deck should be, it started to fill with water and sink.

The tourists and sailors who were left alive began swimming for shore, even as the mage began casting another spell...

He looked almost demonic, the way he was bathed in such a deep red glow, as he hovered over the boat.

And as he tried to feel magic, Zelgadis only felt a single source...

..the mages Jagged Sword, which was lying near where Kaoru was hiding, somehow having avoided being thrown off the boat.

Shukuen's eye twitched, an act he found surprisingly easier in this body than his previous one. "How... stereotypically in genre..." he muttered, retreating from the mage. "Be a dear and GIVE ME THAT SWORD!" he called out to Kaoru, as he backed up closer to her direction, eyes locked on his opponent.

Bean narrowed her eyes, wondering why the way he said that sounded odd. Tucking the weight in her obi, she ventured out onto the deck where the sword lay.

Grabbing hold of the hilt of the sword, she slid it along the deck to where Zelgadis stood, keeping a wary eye on the mage.

"Can you handle him?" She muttered, just loud enough for the stone man to hear.

Zelgadis didn't have a chance to reply, as the mage unleashed his spell.

The last spell this mage would ever make, as, with an expression of horror on his face, he dissapated, but his final words echoed across the sea...

"Blast Bomb!"

A massive explosion decimated the ship, sending those lucky enough to escape the core of the explosion flying into the waves, Kaoru, Yahiko and Zelgadis included.

Something VERY hard hit Zelgadis's head, and he blacked out...

Meanwhile, Kaoru was waist high in freezing water, with Yahiko next to her, and no sign of where Zelgadis went... except for the jagged blade floating in the water beside her.

OOC: Bean, that's your cue. Geddit?

Bean shook her head dazedly, sending droplets of water flying and coughed raggedly. She stumbled briefly and looked around frantically for Yahiko.

Catching sight of the boy beside her, she sighed to herself...and her eyes fell on the sword...floating in the water.

Wha-? she puzzled. Is it made out of styrofoam or something? There is no WAY a sword should be able to float... Curious, she reached over and grabbed the hilt to pick it up...

OOC: Erm, Bean. The water is FREEZING. Just so you know. ^_^

IC: Despite the chill, Kaoru managed to grab the sword by the hilt.

An electric tingle shot through her body, before seemingly settling inside her hand. She found herself slightly more able to move through the water, and floating was no longer quite so hard a task...

...but the water was still freezing.

Yahiko was already swimming for shore, along with a few other tourists, some of which were helping others.

Bean shivered, trying hard not to move too much. The soaked kimono was rubbing uncomfortably against her...breasts?Oh...My...God.

She was starting to tremble from the chill, still absently clutching the sword when a thought struck her. 'Zelgadis!' Where is he? He's made of rock...Oh hell!

With that, Bean began frantically looking into the chilly water for any sign of the stone man...

The stone man himself was nowhere to be seen.

However, a slight trail of rocky debris was visible on top of the water, along with a few shreds of white cloth.

It seemed to lead towards the shore.

"Kaoru! Kaoru! Hurry up! Do you WANT to freeze?" came the voice of a certain young annoying boy, who was already halfway towards the shore.

Bean was shivering almost uncontrollably now, and reluctantly began moving toward shore. As she swam to shore, she resisted the urge to grumble about wet kimono on bare skin. Especially overly sensitive bare skin...Dammit. I would REALLY like an advantage to being female to come my way. She thought grumpily.
"I-I'm g-g-going, Yahiko!" she snapped.

She struggled to shore, not taking note of the strange sword she had been clutching all the while...

As Kaoru and Yahiko struggled to shore, time....

Stopped.

Meanwhile, Zelgadis was resting on the shore, some ways down stream, still unconscious. This was not unusual, considering the circumstances.

However, the fact that nothing around him was moving...even the occaisional leaf, suspended in mid-air hovered there, as though it were on strings.

It was inside this pocket of null-time that Zelgadis was in, still breathing lightly as the world around him froze.

A shadowy form was crouched over him, and nudged the stone man.

"Wakey wakey..."

"Uunnh..." Shukuen groaned, forcing himself awake. "What hit me...?"

Over him stood a man made seemingly entirely of twisting shadows. Red eyes fixed on Zelgadis' prone form.

"Most likely some of the debris from the destruction of the boat. Are you alright?"

The voice itself was soft, though it seemed to shift octaves subtly, with no apparent relation to what it was saying...

"Yah, I'm fine." Shukuen rubbed the bump, moving into a relaxed sitting position. He blinked at the odd, shadowy figure, wondering why he seemed familiar. "So... who are you exactly?"

The shadow man shrugged, his manner relaxed as he watched.

"A friend. You looked like you could use some help, so I pulled you to shore."

"I... see..." Shukuen glanced around at the lake, then back to the shadowy man neutrally. "Don't think me ungrateful, but you don't look like the kind of person who would perform a deed without some compensation."

The shadow man shrugged. "Mistrustful sort, aren't you?" The red eyes managed to convey amusement.

"But, you're right. I do have something of some import to discuss with you...Hm. Shall I call you Zelgadis, or would you like to give me your other name?"

Shukuen smirked in response. "My name is usually never shared, so just call me 'Zelgadis', if you please."

The shadow man shrugged. "As you wish. In any case, a situation has come up, and you should know about it, seeing as how it's how you came to be here...which isn't the 'Slayers' anime that you started out in..."

He paused. "I'm here to help you. I can tell you what you need to know." he offered.

"Oh, really?" Shukuen raised an eyebrow, returning to his neutral face. "You still haven't told me what you wanted. And, personally, I don't think doing me two favors would be fair until I repaid the first one."

The shadow man paced casually. "If you like. You CAN do things for me, but the decision is yours. I won't bind you to my service in exchange for arming you with information you will most likely need. Do you even know why you ended up here?" He paused.

"And by here, I mean where you are now...and the body you currently wear.  After which, If you feel the need, I can tell you of my problem, if you wish to assist."

Shukuen shrugged indifferently. "Fine then. I admit I am a bit curious on why this is happening."

The shadow man smiled. "Alright, then. Hm. How to begin. "

He paced briefly, then stopped. "Well...let's start with where you are...have you ever heard of the anime 'Rurouni Kenshin'? I know it exists on your world..."

"Heard of it, seen the first episode." Shukuen shrugged again. "Beyond that, I have no clue."

The shadow man smiled again, faintly. "That's where you are right now. Somewhat similar to how you came to be Zelgadis Greywords."

"I suspect you've noticed how you can't access your body's natural spellcasting abilities here. But...there is a way around that. Interested?"

Shukuen raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Natural spellcasting abilities? I actually thought them more as foreign aid since spells mostly rely on beings of another plane." He shrugged, "But, yeah, you got my interests."

The Shadow man nodded in response, his ethereal for twisting slightly. "True. But, you can use them because Zelgadis has an aptitude toward those particular magics. But that's neither here nor there. Do you still have the gems you took from your last opponent?"

Shukuen blinked in response. "Last I remember of them was when I brought them out to show that mage," he said, checking his person to see if they were still on him.
After a short search, they were located in a pocket in his cloak.

"Those will be important to you." The dark man replied, nodding as they were produced. "They're...power taps, of a sort. you can use one of them to regain your magic."

"Oh?" Shukuen glanced at both stones, then frowned. "What does the other do then?"

"The same thing. But, when you use one, the other will become useless to you. When the time comes, choose wisely."

"Uh huh, how in genre." Shukuen pocketed the gems again. "So basically, I can choose one now and have guaranteed ability to cast magic in that area, but then, I cannot use the gems again if I enter an area where I need it most, correct?"

The shadow man laughed. "Not at all. Whichever gem you use will be useful for as long as you need it. But each gem contains conflicting energy, so if you use one,you block yourself off from the energy of the other." he explained. "You need not worry about your powers failing you."

Shukuen blinked; "All right... what are the differences between the gems if they conflict?"

"They're a direct line into the energy of me...and my nemesis, if you will."

"I... see..." Shukuen sweatdropped. "Mind telling me which is which then? In case I need to know?"

The shadow man sighed. "I wish I could. But that would consititute direct intevention. Which is the only rule I cannot even bend, much less break." the shadow man frowned. "All I can do is encourage you to trust your instincts. Though...right about now would be a good time to explain how you got here...and how it relates to this..."


Shukuen shrugged; "Fine then. Let's continue this, shall we?"

A nod. "What do you know of higher beings, 'Zelgadis'?"

"Depends, do you mean my thoughts back in my 'real' plane? Or in this anime 'multiverse'?"

The other shrugged. "Both. I'd like a frame of reference to explain this to you."

"Well, let's see..." Shukuen paused in thought. "Back home, I, well, 'believed' there were multiple higher beings, even though I didn't believe any of them were the 'supreme' being." He shrugged, "I also put a lot of thought into Fate, Destiny, and Karma; where everything happened for a reason and all."

"As for the multiverse, well... I've seen where most of them were either meddlers. Or the series last hope or greatest fear towards existance."

The shadow man smiled. "Precisely. My opponent and I are what you might call...aspects of this universe. We're the primary ones...and we used to run it together. But...things have changed...which brings us to the current conflict...and your arrival."

Shukuen nodded; "Do go on."

"My opponent...is something of a controlling personality. She has a set destination in mind for the timeline...and weeds out anything that might stand in her way. Unfortunately for her...I'm a little too big to be removed...especially by the methods we've restricted ourselves to. Which is why she brought you here. You...and eleven others. Are you with me so far?"

"Yes, go on."

"Excellent. Now, we get into what I'm hoping for from you. I've contacted one of her other 'recruits' already, and secured his assistance. I'd like your help in resisting her influence here."

"Specifically...In changing the nature of this particaular timeline. It's a focal point of sorts. There is a key battle about to take place...but we MUST avoid a scripted ending. I will aid you indirectly, in any manner I can...any information I can provide you to assist, I will."

"Hmm... so, I'm guessing the role of the watcher is out?" Shukuen asked sarcastically, stretching the kinks from his stone joints.

The shadow man laughed. "Any higher being who says he keeps his hands out of his area of influence is lying to you. There ARE limits...but with the stakes this high, one cannot afford to watch."

"That, I can agree with." Shukuen nodded, smiling briefly before returning to a neutral expression. "However, it is mainly against my personal ideals to take a side. I can promise you a favor for saving my life. But I cannot, under good conscience, pick any side. Sorry." Shukuen bowed slightly. "I don't mean any disrespect, but I was raised to follow what I believe most."

The shadow man shrugged. "As I said, I won't force you to side with me. Time is too short for such heavy handed, unreliable tactics. But, my offer of help still stands. You lack information that I can provide."

"And I thank you for whatever help you wish to provide, but my stance on choosing a side still remains." Shukuen sighed, then smiled. "Besides, where's the fun if you just tell me everything I needed to know? I prefer to know what I need and let the rest come through experience."

The shadow man nodded, a bit amused. "Admirable, if a touch naive. You have my word, I will fully answer 3 questions, free of any type of strings. Will that suffice?"

"Yeah, that's do," Shukuen said absently, pondering what he knew so far.

"You mentioned others. Can you tell me who they currently are so I'll know them when I meet them?"

The shadow man nodded.

"I can't give you exact locations on most," he told Zelgadis, regretfully. "The ones that have made it here are all traveling, and aren't likely to stay in one place for too long. I will, however, tell you two things that may help."

He paused. "One, if you head for the event I mentioned, you'll likely meet up with all of them. Two, you've already met one of them. If you think hard enough, you'll realize who it was."

"Hah, I meet one already, eh?" Shukuen repeated, not really quite surprised. "Well, all right. So what exactly is this 'mission' we've been chosen for?"

The dark man gave the impression of biting his lip. "This is Meiji era Japan, halfway between Tokyo and Kyoto."
He began.

"In a few days time, in the mountains near Kyoto, a battle between two men will take place. This battle will be a focus for what happens..."

"Interesting." Shukuen quirked his head, asking the final question that was bugging him.

"You mentioned wanting help resisting you rival's influence 'here' and another 'recruit'. Does that mean there's another group that we'll meet with?"

The dark man smiled faintly. "Hopefully, If all goes well...a few more will join the fun." He nodded.

After a moment, he spoke again. "And now...I have to attend to other things." The shadow man smiled and pointed up the shoreline.

"That's where the people from the boat are gathering. Oh, by the way...you dropped that as I pulled you to shore." he said, pointing. Even as he pointed, he began fading away...

And suddenly, Time started again. As Zelgadis looked where the man had pointed, he saw his sword had come loose from his belt, and fallen in the sand nearby....

"Hmm, well, that was interesting," Shukuen tsk'ed, picking up his sword and resheathing it. Smiling slightly, he glanced back to the area where the stranger last stood and gave a quick, two-finger salute. "S'pose I'll pay you back next time then," he chuckled, then pulling his hood over his head, started to walk off to where the others were.

The last few stragglers who hadn't drowned pulled themselves to shore, and the survivours watched mournfully as their ship finally fully succumbed to the wrath of the mages mighty spells.

Everyone was sopping wet and freezing, and many people were huddling together to try and get some warmth back into their bodies. Someone had managed to get a fire started, and most people were huddling about that.

It was getting quite dark.

Kaoru and Yahiko had both managed to pull themselves ashore with only a little difficulty, and more than a few people made exclamations over Kaoru's new possession, namely, the jagged sword.

They were also the first to notice the approaching form of Zelgadis, who seemed miraculously dry and unhurt. Even his clothes were still in good condition.

The area where the survivors were placed was underneath the shade of a cliff. They were a little ways in from the beach itself, and had found a grassy spot on which to rest. The beach itself didn't seem to go on for very long; an obvious path up to the top of the cliff was quite present to the west, which was of course the opposite direction Zelgadis was approaching from. The area was treeless and relatively flat.

An aura of suspense and barely restrained panic was about, with people gradually getting their thoughts under control, and beginning to make plans for getting home safely.

Bean sat on the shore clutching her shoulders and shivering uncontrollably. She'd quickly wrapped the sword in the biggest piece of cloth she could see, and clutched it as she pulled herself and Yahiko close to the fire.

God...being a girl sucks. I NEVER got this cold as a guy. And WHY is this damn kimono itching so much??? On really, really, REALLY sensitive parts!

She sneezed quietly.

Perfect. The middle of Meiji era Japan, and I run into sorcerers. Well, I'll hang onto this sword. Maybe I can use it? Geez...If Mages attacked the boat...I wonder if Kenshin's making it safely?

She was utterly shocked to discover a pang of worrying accompanying that thought.

I did NOT just think that...What the hell is wrong with me? And WHY can't I get warm?? She thought in frustration, her teeth chattering.

Kaoru might have taken a little solace in the fact that everyone else was freezing too. More than a few people were tempted to go straight to the nearest villiage, but a few more people warned that even though this was the Meiji era, bandits still roamed the roads, preying on those foolish enough to go down them.

And then there were some hinted murmurings of a more powerful group establishing themselves, possibly in Kyoto...

"Kaoru, how are we going to get to Kyoto now?" asked Yahiko, sounding quite cold indeed.

Bean sighed. "I don't know, Yahiko." She sneezed again. "If worst comes to worst...We'll walk." she told the dark haired boy firmly.

"We came this far for a reason...Not that you or Megumi would let me forget it," she commented, blushing and ruffling his hair Much as I would like to. I NEED to figure out what the heck is wrong with me.... "We're not turning back now...Kami-sama..."

Her eyes went wide as she caught sight of the hooded figure approaching the group of people...

Shukuen came to a stop when he reached the group. Glancing around for a bit, he paused as he realized a very important detail.

"Where am I again?"

Bean blinked away her surprise, and she had to admit, lingering fear of the stone man away. At least he had the good sense to put his hood up, this time...Is he going to start tossing magic around again?

She gripped Yahiko's shoulder nervously. "Just outside Tokyo..." She responded softly, not waiting for anyone else to respond, or take a greater. "Where were you expecting to be?"

She stared hard at the slate grey skin she could see, not entirely hidden by the shadow of his hood. Unless he puts on that mask thing he usually wears, he's going to start a panic...

Shukuen blinked, "Uhm, thanks... not that it tells me much."

"Hmm... okay... what am I forgetting again...?" he murmured, the feeling nagging him.

Bean wondered what was going on.

Successfully stifling the urge to play nervously with the sleeves of her still sopping wet kimono she finally gave in. Something was wrong about this whole situation...

"You don't know where  Tokyo is? Where are you from?"

As she spoke, she tapped her face lightly, trying to make it look like a mannerism and hoped he'd get the hint...but for some reason she didn't hold out much hope for that.

"Obviously not around here," Shukuen replied sarcastically, noting the subtle gesture to pull up his face mask and did so.

"Obviously." Bean gritted her teeth.

"So how did you get here without any idea of where here is?" she retorted. "Fall from the sky?"

"There was only that one time," Shukuen sweatdropped slightly. "Though, I was being attacked."

Bean wanted to burst out laughing...or hit him. Or something.

"Fine, fine...Where are you trying to go?" she asked finally.

"Uhm..." Shukuen scratched his head, deep in thought. "... ... ... I think it was Kyoto." He blinked, some things coming into clarity. "Oh yeah, I'm suppose to meet some people in Kyoto."

Bean stiffened, and her eyes narrowed. "Who exactly are you meeting?" Oh kami...don't let him be a new member of the Juppongatana...

Her hand closed on Yahiko's shoulder nervously.

Shukuen shrugged indifferently. "Don't know. Apparently, I'm suppose to meet a group there in time for some fight."

Bean had warmed up some, despite her damp clothes, but this made her start shivering again. She shoved down her nervousness, but stayed ready to run. It may not have even been Shishio. Just calm down and find out more before you start to panic.

"So...who managed to hire you away from wandering with your traveling companions?"

Shukuen blinked. "Travelling companions...? Oh, you mean them."

He shrugged: "Not sure myself. And no one hired me. As far as I know, 'Tis Fate."

"Fate?"

Well, at least it wasn't a man in bandages, or a grinning young boy...Maybe...

"Well, we're headed to Kyoto...You're welcome to join us..."

And strangely...she found she had no problem with that, despite the nagging thought that maybe she should be more suspicious...

Yahiko's eyes widened at Kaoru's offer. He grabbed her shoulder tightly and whispered into her ear,

"He just blew up the boat! Kaoru, how can you just trust him like that? And look at his FACE! He's like... like... a youkai or something like the have north of Tokyo!"

Bean winced slightly, and blushed. "Yahiko, he didn't blow up the boat, remember?" she said soothingly. "And I saw his face. But if he was going to kill us, he would have done it by now."

Though, I'm not going to say how I know that...

Yahiko stared at Kaoru like she was an idiot.

"Maybe he just wants to do it where nobody can see him!" he whispered urgently.

Bean fidgeted. Maybe Yahiko was right? No, wait. You can't go around suspicious of everyone, at least until they give you a reason to be, right?

"Yahiko...what would he have against us? We just met him. Besides that, if he really was a Youkai, would he care about where he killed us?"

Yahiko snorted, and crossed his arms.

"Fine. But if anything goes wrong, it's your fault."

Bean bit her lip to stifle the urge to laugh.

"Okay." She agreed. "But it's fine, right? I have my first apprentice to protect me..."

Completely missing the irony, Yahiko snorted.

"Like you need me when you have THAT," he mumbled just softly enough so Kaoru didn't really hear him..

Shukuen watched the two arguing as if he wasn't there. "Uhm, if you two are done with your lovers' quibble, then shall we be off?" he asked, slightly teasing, and sweatdropping a bit.

Bean's reply, after the twitching in her eyebrow subsided, was simple, and to the point. A large rock riccocheted off of Zelgadis' head.

"Easy for you to say!" She snapped. "The rest of us have been swimming, and lost all our other clothes. I don't plan of freezing to death tonight, thanks!"

Right after she finished, Bean sneezed again, and fumed. Inwardly, after she had a moment to think about it, she was mildly alarmed. Ok...Why the hell did I just blow my top over that??

Shukuen blinked, realizing that, yes, the two before him were wet; yes, they were obviously cold; and yes, there seemed to be little replacement clothing left after the boat accident. Thankfully, he had more control over himself then others and didn't show any outward sign upon seeing first hand how clingy wet clothes were.

"Err... right... hmm... Would you prefer if I start a bonfire as reperations for that little mess I was part of?" he asked, sweatdropping, glancing away as if looking for wood, while he tried to get the distraction those two "things" were creating out of his mind.

Bean blinked, taken somewhat aback by the calming tone.

"Um...Okay. Thank you."

"Right, you two sit tight and I'll be right back," Shukuen said, heading towards the wooded area, looking for trees whose branches were set low, or anything dry enough to build their fire up with.

The area the group was located in wasn't very lightly forested. Most wood had  been taken to add to the fire already. Nevertheless, Zelgadis managed to find a few branches suitable to raising the fire.

Meanwhile, Yahiko looked up at Kaoru.

"You almost sounded like you knew that weirdo."

Bean looked down at Yahiko nervously. And NOW the kid gets a clue... She laughed nervously.

"I know of him, yes. But only...um, rumors and things."

Yahiko leaned closer. "Really? Sano never told me anything.. and he hears more rumours than you ever will!

I remember one time, he told me this one about this girl, and this ex-shinsegumi captain... and how, apparently, he'd gotten drunk and now they ended up married.. what's her name? Tokio or something.."

Yahiko laughed.

"Well... uh... it's just funny the way he tells it!"

Tokio...Tokio...SAITOU'S WIFE, TOKIO??? Bean's eyes widened, and she slapped a hand over her mouth...but not before a single, strangled giggle leaked out.

Which made her frown. I SO hate being a girl...when did I start thinking of myself like that? She paused in thought, looking down at the slender body she inhabited, clad in the still-wet kimono. For a moment...masculine pride warred with practicality. Practicality won.I AM a girl, for the moment. Clinging too hard to the way I was is going to screw up Kaoru's life...I'll deal.

Yahiko giggled a little, too.

"But anyway, are you SURE you havn't seen him? The way he was looking at you... he sure WANTED to.. *giggle* 'see' you..."

Bean started, as the implications of Yahiko's words sunk in. Red-faced, and a vein bulging in her forehead, she snapped at the boy.

"YAHIKO!"

The follow up reaction was nearly instinctive.

>WHAM!!!!<

Bean retracted her fist, looking alternately angry and embarrassed.

Oh god....Akane-itis....

Shukuen pulled out his sword and hacked off some of the low lying branches, hoping that most of them were dry enough to build the fire with.

Zelgadis now has some branches, some of which are slightly damp.

Dropping the damp branches, Shukuen carried the dry ones back to build the fire up with.

"I hope this is enough," he muttered as he reached the camp's edge.

Bean looked up as the hooded man returned, with an armload of branches.

"Well...maybe he isn't as bad as the anime, then...?" she murmured, too softly for Yahiko or any of the other people congregated nearby to overhear. She smiled at him as he came back.

"Thank you," she said again, bowing slightly.

"Right, right," Shukuen answered idly, slowly feeding the branches into the flames to build up the fire. "Just get dry unless you prefer giving the brat a free show." He smirked slightly, not even looking at either at them to see their reaction from his teasing, opting to keep his attention completely on the rising fire.

Bean's newly formed goodwill toward the stranger vanished. I will NOT drop a boulder on his skull...I will not drop... She began chanting to herself.

She hauled Yahiko to a sitting position near the fire, moving herself and the boy next to the hooded man.

"Just worry about where YOUR eyes are, Zelga-er..."

I hope he doesn't ask...how do I explain how I know that?She panicked.

"I know exactly where my eyes are," Shukuen replied, his voice going neutral. "They're making sure I don't overdo this fire."

"And besides that, it's obvious you know who I am. So you can stop trying to hide that now."

Bean sighed faintly, shoving away the irrational suspicion that he'd just insulted her. Dammit...Oh well...I've never been good at poker faces anyway.

"You're right. I do know who you are...but Why are you here? This is a long way from where you usually travel..." She said in a low voice, pitched so that it would be difficult to overhear.

"I already told you what I know," he said calmly, placing the remaining branches away now that he was satisfied with the fire. He then chuckled suddenly, as he added: "Not that I'd be able to remember enough to tell you anyway."

Bean blinked. Okay...that was distinctly un-Zel-like...

"Why wouldn't you be able to remember?" She asked curiously, tilting her head, her annoyance forgotten. There's something odd here...

Shukuen tapped his head, smirking under the mask covering the lower half of his face. "My memory is always random. Sometimes, it's a steel trap. Othertimes, it's like a net with holes large enough to drive one of those 'SUV' things."

He sweatdropped, glancing at the boy, "Or one of those new horseless carrage things."

Bean's eyes widened at the mention...and then narrowed. You aren't Zelgadis, are you??She stifled the urge to blurt that out, and simply nodded.

"Right..." she agreed. Can't say anything more in front of Yahiko...or...wait. Her brow furrowed in concentration, she switched to English...and was promptly appalled at her thick, halting accent.

<You...and I...we need talk, later.>

Oh god...am I forgetting how to speak English?

Shukuen blinked, stared, blinked again, then said in slightly smoother, but still accented english. <You aruso need speech serapy,> he said, slightly amused at his own accent.

Bean twitched, and restrained herself from hitting the stone man.Calm down. You'll just hurt yourself.

She settled for a glare. "Hmph."

Shukuen returned her glare with a rather infuriating grin. That is, it would have been infuriating if she could see behind the mask, but still.

"So, apparently you know who I'm suppose to be. Now, who are you two?"

'Supposed to be'. He knows I'm not who I look like, too. Bean was suddenly wary. Well, Yahiko is listening, so I'm not going any father with the 'who are you really?' angle...

"I'm Kaoru Kamiya," Bean said, slowly, internally wincing over the feminine name for the body she wore. There's no help for it. Let it go. You ARE Kaoru, and a girl, for the time being, so stop stressing over it, or you'll give Kaoru's body an ulcer. She turned her gaze slightly to the silent boy watching them. "This is my apprentice, Yahiko Myojin."

"Nice to be introduced, I think," Shukuen blinked unsurely, then shrugged, returning to the fire.

Bean nodded, and shifted uncomfortably as she also turned back to the fire noting with no small amount of of relief and pleasure that her kimono was beginning to dry.

At least I'll have something to wear, anyway, she mused. Even if I'd prefer a gi and hakama. Why didn't I listen to Yahiko when we left? No, I had to try and do what Kaoru would do. Smooth move. Go me. Suddenly, a thought occured to her and she looked around.

"What are we going to do for sleeping arrangments tonight?" She wondered aloud. "Er...Zelgadis-san, I don't suppose you know anything useful about camping with little supplies?"

Shukuen blinked, then responded, "How would I know? If you recall, I rarely need of camping supplies." He tapped his stoney palm for emphasis. "Besides that, didn't you say there was a town nearby?"

Bean laughed nervously. "I'd forgotten that..." and then she blinked. "Er...Tokyo is nearby...by steamship. Walking is sort of a different matter..." she pointed out.

"The woods aren't safe at night. Bandits are fairly common..." she said nervously, clutching the wrapped bundle she had yet to let go of. "You may not need it, but Yahiko and I need to find a safe place to sleep..."

"Why don't you two sleep then?" Shukuen suggested. "I'll just keep watch."

He shrugged, and added, "I'm more of a night owl anyway."

Bean bit her lip and looked at the others nearby. This might be the best place to do it...and their's still others around...

She cursed internally, and looked to Yahiko. I made a big deal about trusting whoever 'Zelgadis' is...but now that I know it isn't him, I'm nervous again. Is Yahiko gonna say something? He won't shut up when I wish he would, but when I want to hear him, he's silent. Figures.

Bean tucked the wrapped bundle through her kimono's obi, wondering again at it's lack of weight. She shrugged to herself and began scanning the debris, looking for cloth she could dry out to use to cover herself and Yahiko...

Yahiko promptly yawned, as if on cue. "Kaoru, I'm going to sleep. Wake me if you need me," he said a little arrogantly, then, with no cover at all, rolled over and fell asleep by the fire like a puppy.

As for cover, there was practically none that was suitable. While there were plenty of strips of wet cloth lying around, none were really big enough to make do.

Most of the other surviviours had gone to sleep, making do without. A pair of runners had been sent to to the two nearest villiagers, which were a fair ways off.

Kaoru began to feel a little tired and weary.

OOC: o-o I would never have made you forget English. Your choice ^^;

Bean rubbed a hand over her face and yawned, sitting down.

"Brat." She mumbled tiredly. "You make this big a deal over trusting him, and you fall asleep like you just don't care..."

Nodding to Zelgadis, and laying down near Yahiko, but not too near, lest she be treated to his grumbling when she woke, she clutched the wrapped bundle to her chest, Sighing softly, she shivered a little as her eyes drooped...

"Well, that was anti-climatic," Shukuen muttered, settling himself comfortably by the fire as he kept watch for the night.

The night came into full force. Clouds obscured the stars and moon, plunging the area into a near total blackness. The only light came from the last remaining embers of the now-burnt out campfire..

Zelgadis was the only one awake, in the rather large campsite of the refugees. The temperature was no longer freezing cold from the water, but a slight, chilly breeze, that wafted in from the sea. The smell of salt hung in the air, instead of that of many bodies placed together.

Despite himself, Zelgadis began to tire. Even in his guard position, his eyelids began to droop. Though they drooped only for a moment from his point of view, it was enough...

... but he awoke again, to him, very quickly.

Yet there was a presence in the air that was not there before. And across the campsite, the bodies that lay at rest looked different. Their heads were too slanted to one side; their bodies were in different positions than before...

But nobody could be seen moving nearby.

Shukuen frowned, standing up and unsheathing his sword. "Well, looks like a peaceful night's out of the question," he mumbled, as he went to investigate, keeping eyes and ears open for any disturbance signalling an attack.

Zelgadis's inspection of the scene revealed that the unfortunate campers had had their necks snapped, by some immensly strong being.

Not a sound graced the night air... nor did movement catch Zel's eye..

Shukuen cursed: "Too late for them," he muttered, turning back to the camp. With a loud voice, he called out, "EVERYONE UP! NOW!"

People opened their eyes, wide. They started scrambling to their feet, some in panic, some slowly. Soon there was a large crowd of people milling about.

Then somebody saw the corpses.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH! MY GOD!"

The screaming promptly began..

Bean woke...slightly disoriented. She shook her head to clear the sleep from it, and her eyes fell on the bodies.

She knelt quickly and shook Yahiko urgently. "Yahiko? Yahiko, get up. Quickly." She gripped the wrapped sword tightly, looking around at the hysterical people.

Shukuen sighed in slight annoyance as chaos broke loose among the panicked crowd. "Great... as if having some silent killer out here isn't bad enough," he grumbled, before calling out. "CALM DOWN! It'll pick us off much quicker if we're not paying attention!"

A few people realised the sense of Zelgadis's words, and began going around trying to calm the people down themselves.

Yahiko got up, wide-eyed. "Kaoru, what's going on?" he said, agog.

OOC: Agog. Goga? Ogag? Gago?

...o-o

Bean looked over at the bodies. Dead bodies, kiddo. That's what's going on. Why am I so calm? Am I in shock? No, wait...I've seen something like this before...or was it that the real Kaoru?

"Something was in the camp, Yahiko. " She told the boy, a hint of nervousness creeping through. "Some of the people here were killed."

Once the people were calm, Shukuen began to gaze around for the intruder, looking for anything out of place. An extra shadow, some fleeting movement, anything out of the ordinary that would betray the intruder's location.

The bodies had been the people sleeping closest to the ocean. In the small area around them, the grass looked a little flatter compared to the rest, and a trail seemed to lead the the sand, where it stopped.

Shukuen narrowed his eyes: "Keep your eyes out. Anyone who can fight, protect those who can't," he instructed calmly, moving over to see if there were any tracks in either the grass or sand.

The grass did have tracks, leading towards the beach. They looked like regular feet.

However, the wind had blown across the sand earlier, ruining any tracks that might have been there...

Shukuen studied the visable tracks, trying to discern which direction they were headed.

The tracks headed straight into the beach, no angle either way.

Shukuen growled under his mask, glancing around the stretch of beach for any hint that whatever killed those people was still around.

Bean stood, slipping though the crowd until she was standing between the people and the ocean, facing Zelgadis. She unwrapped the sword slightly, gripping the hilt under the cloth and glancing over at Yahiko.

Urk. Is Yahiko still carrying his shinai? I forgot to look...

Yahiko wasn't holding a Shinai, but the next best thing- a branch.

For once, his mouth didn't open.

Bean unwrapped the sword completely, and raised it into a guard stance.

"Zelgadis-san?" She called, in a low voice. He was staring at the sand, and not looking around.

The beach itself was nondescript.. but there was an odd disturbance in the water.

Ripples were trailing above the water, their source location constantly moving away. It was actually picking up speed.

Then, without warning, a large bubble emnated from the source of the ripples.

A large RED bubble.

"...that doesn't look good," Shukuen muttered before warning the group. "Get ready!"

Stepping back warily, Shukuen moved into held the sword before him in almost perfect imitaion of basic kendo stance. He just hoped almost was good enough.

The ripples continues moving away... and away... and away...

Shukuen blinked, blinked again, and sweatdropped. "Is it... leaving?" he asked no one in particular, though he wasn't letting his guard down just yet.

He didn't have much time to ponder the question; one of the people in the crowd was getting hysterical.

"Kimiko! KIMIKO! Has anyone seen my baby? KIMIKO?"

A slight woman burst forth from the ground, looking around madly. "She wouldn't have gone off by herself.. where is she?"

Another voice came from the crowd.. speaking English. The actual words were spoken too quickly.. and incomprehensably for anyone to understand, but the message was clear. His child was missing...

Bean's eyes widened.

"Baby....? No!" she whispered, horrified.  She was suddenly seized by impulse. The sword...it helped me swim...

"Yahiko!" She shouted, dashing toward the water. "Stay with him!" She pointed to Zelgadis.

She ran the sword quickly along the seam of her kimono, down her leg, splitting the fabric in a long slit. so much for my only clothes, she thought miserably, and dashed to the water, her legs now free, and dove into the icy water...

Kami-sama...please let me come out of this alive...

Shukuen's eye twitched slightly. "It can't ever be easy, can it?" he muttered, reaching into his pocket for the gems.

"Well, at least one of them is my birthstone," he sighed, taking the sapphire gem into his hand, before he realized something.

...how the heck does this thing work?

As Kaoru dived into the water, her viewpoint... changed.

She found that her eyesight had managed to compensate for the water, and while her eyes still blurred, she didn't feel the stinging sensation one usually felt when opening their eyes underwater.

She also didn't feel the terrible chill she had felt swimming to shore... just a slight, wet coldness settling all around her..

In front of her, she could make out a shadowy form swimming forward... two small bundles being dragged along with it.

Bean was pleasantly surprised to note that temperature wasn't a difficulty. She began looking around, clutching the sword tightly. Her heart seized as she saw the two little bundles

They can't breathe underwater... Swimming as hard as she could, she struggled to catch up...

The figure looked over it's shoulder, and saw Kaoru.

Kaoru also saw it- and reflexively shuddered.

It was a man, but the man's face was distinctively non-manly.

A huge mouth seemed to dominate the things face, though Kaoru could make out two tiny, bulbous eyes at the topleft and topright corners of it's face.

Rows of jagged, sharp and long teeth lined it's mouth, and it emitted some kind of gargled howl as it saw Kaoru.

Dropping the two bundles, it produced a trident, and turned back towards her, swimming slowly but steadily..

And picking up speed at an alarmingly fast rate.

Oh man...I'm in trouble, Bean shivered again. She stopped moving toward the monstrous form, allowing it to come to her, raising the sword in front of her in a modified guard position, trying to adapt for the lack of footing...

A memory surfaced, unbidden.'The sword that protects life'. Was that Kaoru, or me...or both? Bean wondered.

Kaoru-san...wherever you are, I hope you don't disapprove...I don't even know if that...THING qualifies as human...but if I'm going to save those kids, and myself, I don't see any choice but to kill this thing...

Bean steeled herself, awaiting the monstrous form's charge, her sword up and ready...

The thing swam in strange loops, getting closer and closer to Kaoru. A sudden wave of bubbles seemed to flash from it's mouth, obscuring Kaoru's view-

And when she could see again, it was directly in front of her, stabbing straight and forward with it's nasty, hooked trident.

Bean bit down on the impulse to open her mouth to gasp in shock and twisted her body, slamming the sword against the incoming trident to knock it off course and herself out of it's path.

She pushed against the water, going with the impact, hoping to slide inside the polearm's reach, where the weapon was less lethal...

The thing was faster- by a bit.

The trident managed to twist itself into a guard position, but Kaoru was already too close to it for it to attack.

The things bulbous eyes widened, in mingled shock and horror, as it realised it was almost defenceless..

<->

Meanwhile, on the shore, Zelgadis saw a few more ripples.. but this time, they were heading towards the shore, and not away..

Bean grabbed the hilt of the sword in both hands, raised it to eye level lowering the tip to point at her opponent and propelled herself forward, stabbing out at the creature...

The thing managed to twist itself slightly, but Kaoru's sword penetrated it's eye.

Black blood spewed from the wound, and the thing let out another great howl. Unfortunately for Kaoru, it had managed to produce a small, thin dagger while she was busy striking.

It flashed out, nicking her leg. The damage was only superfical..

Before she could react, the thing turned and started swimming away, quite quickly.

Meanwhile, the two children continued to sink..

Bean clenched her teeth as she felt a hot, burning sensation in her leg. She bit her lip hard to distract herself as her eyes watered slightly.

She waved her hand in front of her face, try to dispel the blood in the water, so she could see better. As the blood cleared, she could see it was swimming away...and then she caught sight of the children, and her heart leapt up into her throat as she abandoned thoughts of chasing after it, and dove after the two sinking forms...

Oh please....PLEASE let me be in time!

Kaoru managed to reach the two sunken forms, both of which seemed physically unharmed, excepting the danger of drowning..

***

Meanwhile, on the shore, three more figures emerged, all wielding nasty-looking tridents. With evil looks on their faces, they bounded towards Zelgadis and Yahiko..

Bean didn't waste a minute. She inverted her grip on the sword and grabbed the children, wrabbing one arm around each, thanking whatever luck was with her that her vision was clear enough to see which way was up.

She angled herself upward and kicked hard for the surface wincing a little at the pain in her leg...

Shukuen blinked as the three figures rose out of the water, then frowned when they started bounding towards them with they're tridents. "You have got to be kidding me," he muttered, returning the gem to his pocket and sealing it so he wouldn't accidentally drop it. He moved his sword into a side guard stance: "I suggest someone stay and guard get the others to safety," he suggested, then darted forward to distract the three demonic looking creatures.

As Kaoru tried to swim away, she noticed something behind her.

Two black, large shapes, coming towards her at an alarming rate. They looked a little like...

Sharks.

<->

Meanwhile, on shore, Yahiko nodded at Zel's words, moving back to the people..

The three demonic creatures, a little surprised by Zel's fast movements, moved backwards in unison.

One stabbed forward with his spear, managing to scratch Zel's skin. It didn't hurt.. much.

Bean stared at the oncoming black shapes. Somebody up there hates me. she lamented.

She kicked upwards, as hard as she could, keeping an eye on the sharks, as she did, hoping that she could get the children to the surface before she had to try and battle the sharks.

As she rose through the water, she adjusted her grip on the sword again, getting ready to defend herself, and the two children suddenly depending on her...

Shukuen narrowed his eyes, then swiftly twisted around, catching the spear under his arm, and twisted yet again in an attempt to yank it out of the creature's grip.

Kaoru's blood, mingled with the water, gave her surroundings a slight red tinge as she swam upwards..

Eventually breaking the surface, she lost her clear underwater view and instead, saw two fuzzy, unclear black shapes just about next to her...

<->

Zelgadis's twisting maneouver managed pull the trident from the creatures grip, as well as yanking said creature forward and sending it sprawling to the ground.

The other two, though, came forward in precise, thrust attacks to either side of the rocky man...

Shukuen responded by thrusting his newly aquired trident to intercept one of the oncoming tridents, hoping to lock the heads together long enough to parry the attack, while using the handle to block the other attack. To make sure, he moved his sword against the trident's handle, supporting it against the expected impact with the flat of the blade.

Simply put, a crossblock with the support of the trident's long handle.

Bean swore softly. It didn't look like she had any choice.

She let go of the children as she surfaced. "Stay right here, okay? I'll come back in a minute." she told them, hoping they could stay afloat without her until she dealt with this.

With that, she tightened her grip on the sword and dove back under.

And to Kaoru's astonishment, the shark was right underneath her! It loomed up at her, opening it's massive jaw to bite off her head...

<->

Meanwhile, Zelgadis discovered that it's rather difficult to block two tridents at once when not having a firm grip on his own trident, instead holding on to his sword in a vain attempt to use it as a support.

The trident on the left was blocked by his own, but the trident on the right scored a hit, leaving another scratch on Zelgadis's stony skin...

Shukuen stumbled back from the glancing impact, glaring at the demons before him. Deciding the best approach now was to equalize the odds against him, he spared his attention for a moment to stab at the head of the unarmed demon that was still sprawled on the ground with the trident in his hand.

The head split apart with a squelching sound...

..and the two fish-things, adapting to Zelgadis's stony skin, slammed his back with the long hilts of their swords, sending him stumbling forward...

Bean wanted to scream. She wanted to run, flee, wake up in her own bed...but she knew that wouldn't happen.

Thoughts blurred through her head as the shark approached. Helphelphelp!!! If I've gotta be Kaoru, where the hell is Kenshin??? No...

Focus! Weak points. I've got a sword. How can I get out of this alive?

Eyes.

Gills.

Brain.

Nose.

All this flashed through her brain even as she twisted, as hard and as fast as she could, at the same time, stabbing the sword at the upper half of the shark's open maw with all of her strength.

I DON'T WANT TO DIE!!!!!!!!!

Shukuen caught himself from falling over completely by leaning against the trident. He turned back to the two creatures, eyes burning with restrained anger. "So... you want to play it that way, do you?" he growled, resheathing his sword in order to use the trident more efficiently. "Fine... we'll play."

Grasping the trident in both hands as he would a polearm, he charged towards the creature on the right.

Underwater, Kaoru's sword went straight and true into the Shark's face.

A torrent of blood rushed out, clouding her vision.

An ominous *woosh* of water behind her indicated the presence of the second shark...

<->

Meanwhile, Zelgadis imapled the Fishthing in the chest... but his momentum kept him going, sending him stumbling forward..

Shukuen rolled with the impact, then stood up, facing the last of the kelpie rejects. "So how tough are you one-on-one?" he growled, shifting into a guard stance.

Bean, her nerves jangling and adrenaline rushing,dove downward abruptly, twisting as she did, looking frantically around as she burst from the blood cloud, hoping to spot the second shark before it saw her...

The thing, instead of leaping forward to attack, settled back into a guard position, waiting for Zelgadis to make a move...

<->

As Kaoru dived (yanking her sword out the dead shark somewhat jerkily), a rush of bubbles nearby indicated the presence of the second shark, which was closing on to her from the side at an alarmingly fast rate..

Bean's eyes widened as she turned to see the other shark racing toward her.

It raced in, and in a heartbeat, it loomed large in the water.

Bean angled herself downward as it closed, and when it came too close for it to turn with her, she half dove, half rolled out of it's line of attack.

As she did, she came face to face with it's exposed belly, and on instinct, drove her sword into the exposed flesh....

Kaoru's sword lodged itself into the shark's gut, and she was promptly dragged along with it as it's momentum kept it going forward.

The shark was shaking about uncontrollably, spraying a trail of blood as it went further and further away from the children.

Kaoru tugged on the sword, yanking it out bit by bit. Bits of flesh fell out the wound in the sharks gut; and after some wiggling and pulling, Kaoru managed to pull the sword all the way out.

Strangely, no more sharks came after the incredible amounts of blood that was being spewed all over, and the water settled to a ghostly calm..

Bean began to push herself upwards, toward the surface, still clutching the sword tightly. The adrenaline was beginning to wear off, leaving her shaking and tired.

Finally, her head broke the surface of the water, and she looked around, trying to orient herself, breathing heavily...

Between chasing the fishthing, rescuing the children, and fighting the sharks, Kaoru had managed to end out a longer distance from the shore than she had expected.

The children were only a few metres away, luckily, but neither of them appeared to be breathing. They were directly between her and the shore.

<->

Meanwhile, on the shore, the other Fishthing had tired of waiting for Zelgadis to make a move, and suddenly leaped up high, higher than Zelgadis could match. The way it jumped positioned it directly between the sun and Zelgadis, who couldn't see it properly..

Shukuen smiled slightly, then darted forward to move out of the angle the kelpie-like creature had setup for it's jump.

Bean swam over to the children and checked their vitals.
Her arms wer aching and she was exhausted. They weren't breathing, that much was obvious.

She'd leaned artificial rescucitation in school...before. But she wasn't at all sure she could do it while treading water...

Still, she gave it an attempt. Holding one child's nose closed, she pressed her lips to the child's and blew into his lungs.

Getting no response, she grabbed both children, and began swimming for shore, as fast as her tired limbs would allow.

"Dammit, don't you kids die on me...I went through a lot to get you back..."

There was a high-pitched whine from the air as Zelgadis ducked forward...

Then the fishthing landed, stabbing it's spear down into the ground and screaming something noncomittaly.

The was a huge crashing sound, and vast amounts of sand flew into the air, obscuring Zelgadis's vision..

<->

Meanwhile, swimming to shore as fast as she could, Kaoru saw a massive dust cloud roughly where the people had been..

Shukuen squinted to keep the sand from flying into his eyes, while trying to discern any shape, shadow, or sound that would give away the monster's position before it could reorintate itself from its landing.

Bean winced at the sight of the dust cloud and tried her best to swim harder.

Oh god...Yahiko...and the people...I swear, they'd better be alright, 'Zelgadis'...

While Zelgadis couldn't make out a specific shape, he did note an interesting fact..

There were several splinters scattered around the landing site, along with a conspicious looking spearhead detached from it's spear...

OOC: Yes, I can't see it. Why didn't you state if I could hear it or not. o_o

IC: Did it break that when it landed? Shukuen wondered to himself, as he tried to listen to any sound that would give away the creature's position.

Zelgadis heard what sounded like something being picked up within the dust cloud.

As the cloud started to recede, he made out a shadowy form holding another spear...

Which promptly leaped high into the air again!

This time, though, it hadn't had time to jump directly into the sun's path, and as such, it was clearly visible..

Shukuen watched the thing decend patiently, until it was about 1/2rd of the way down, then leapt up to meet the thing in the air, prepared to thrust the spear at the creature when he was close enough to catch it on its way down.

OOC: Cue slow motion and flashy effects! O_O

IC: The fishthing thrust it's spear down towards Zelgadis at the same moment Zel thrust forward...

The two passed each other, and there was a loud CHINK!, along with a flash of blood...

The fishthing promptly landed, as did Zelgadis, and the dust settled around them...

The fishthing let out a startled yelp, and promptly dropped it's trident and clutched at it's stomach.

It started limping back towards the waves...

"You think it's that easy?" Shukuen muttered darkly, then tossed his trident at the fishthing, aiming to cripple one or both of its legs.

The trident, not being designed for throwing, still managed to land on the fishthing.

However, it was only a glancing blow, and the fishthing still kept moving...

However, Zelgadis met with a slightly annoying disturbance in the form of Myojin Yahiko, who had run up to Zelgadis and shouting in his ear.

"It's bad enough you killed one, but you just murdered the collapsed one before, and now you want to kill *this* one, too, even though he's hardly a threat? Just let him go!"

Bean's feet finally touched the sand, and she struggled, limping up out of the water, carrying the two children up onto the beach, making sure to lay them down face up.

They still weren't breathing, and she began to panic slightly.

"Help!" she shouted hoarsely, dropping to her knees and bending over one of the children, trying to remember what she'd learned about rescusitation..

"Seems your friend is in need of help," Shukuen responded neutrally, as if he didn't hear Yahiko's complaint, watching the creature retreat back into the waves. He turned around before Yahiko could react, and started to walk back to the camp.

"If that thing returns with its 'friends', you'll be the one to deal with them, boy," he called back coldly, before glancing at the crowd. "If any of you have any medical training, help that girl over there."

The crowd, stunned by the recent events, didn't move..

Yahiko stared after Zelgadis, a frown on his face, before rushing over to Kaoru.

"Kaoru! Are those kids ok?"

Shukuen frowned at the crowd's inactivity. "Well? What are you waiting for?" he asked. "Get going and help them!"

People... he thought, with a slightly disgusted sigh.

Bean, by this time, was holding the one of the children's noses closed, and breathing hard into her mouth, alternating with shoving gently below the child's diaphragm.

She looked up as Yahiko approached, pushing long, wet hair out of her face, stress beginning to show on her face.

"No! They aren't breathing!" She pointed to the other child. "Yahiko, try and get him to cough up the water he's swallowed!"

With that, she hurriedly went back to trying to get the little girl to show some life, ignoring her leg which was burning with pain from the salt water...

Yahiko blinked, then acted. He went to the other child and started pushing at his chest as if it was a pump.

A few members of the crowd stepped forward to help, including the man and woman who had cried out earlier.

One of them began whispering instructions into Yahiko's ear, who looked at the instructor with distaste, before going to breath into the kids mouth.

The child under Kaoru's care suddenly started coughing and hacking, and soon, so did the one under Yahiko's care..

Bean quickly turned the child on it's side, to ensure that it didn't re-swallow the water, and pounded gently on her back to help her cough out the rest of the water, nearly dizzy with relief.

Once the coughing fit ended, Bean slumped back onto the ground, exhausted. "Thank god..." she groaned.

The two parents looked up at Kaoru, tears streaming from their eyes.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" said the woman, picking up her daughter and holding her close. "She must be so cold..."

The man, on the other hand, spoke English, which was only partially understood by Kaoru. But she managed to get the gist of it. Something along the lines of thankyousomuchanyfavouryouwishI'llgive you.

He also said he was travelling all around Japan on a holiday, but now that this cruise had stopped, he had no idea where to go.

Then, he asked Kaoru for a suggestion.

Zelgadis, on the other hand, was approached by a tall-looking woman, wearing a thick red robe. She was about as tall as Zel, and her hair was tied into an old-fashioned samurai topknot.

"You handled yourself quite well there," she said in a low, yet confident manner. "And the means in which you boarded the ship was... extraordinary, to say the least.

Perhaps you'd be interested in a proposal. What's your name?"

Shukuen glanced back at the speaker, somewhat curious on what she wanted. "You can call me Zelgadis, ma'am," he said, bowing respectfully before facing her eye to eye. "What do you wish from me?"

The woman gave a confident grin.

"Your services and skills. I'm what you might call... a fixer. I fix problems set before me. I'm sure you'd be a great help.

In return, I can offer you money, and information of where you are.

Should you fall into my employ, you would be.. a scout, of sorts. A travelling agent, to go where I direct you and perform what tasks I require of you. Some may be peaceful negotiations.

Some may not be quite so peaceful.

Think you're up for the job? Decline, and I will never bother you again... though you do strike me as a particularly intriguing case.."

"I see. Very interesting." Shukuen nodded, though still kept his eyes fairly neutral. "Before I make any agreements, I have one condition for you."

"I am allowed to quit your employment when I have felt I've done my part. I do have other errands and to devote myself to a single employer would be somewhat problematic to my, ah, schedule. If that does not conflict with your plans, then I'll be glad to work for you for the time being."

The woman paused before answering.

"Of course, though there will be a point where I ask if you plan to continue on.

If you reply yes, you must stay on until I see fit to relieve you. If you relpy no, you must leave at that time. I cannot risk a security breach, as I'm sure you can understand.

Though I wonder what would be on the schedule of someone of your.. caliber, I will not insult you by asking.

So, do we have a deal?"

Shukuen chuckled ruefully. "Yes, should our paths cross again and should I complete my schedule, then I might consider returning to your employment."

"And don't worry about security breaches. I doubt I would find anything of interest to risk going against you for." He added contemplatively, "Unless, you do aquire something of value to me."

"In any case, you have a deal." Shukuen bowed again. "So, does my employer have a name, per chance?"

The woman smirked. "Yamatoma Sanae. Call me Sanae-Taisho.

And please don't bow in front of me. I see you as an equal, unlike some of those under my employ..."

Her eyes flashed angrily, and Zelgadis noticed how determined she seemed.

Nothing of her was visible except for her brown hair and her face, which was somewhat angular, and still appealing to look at.

And her deep blue eyes, a rarity for Japanese people.

"Where does your schedual take you next?" she replied. "And along which route? I will have someone contact you along the way. There are... problems that need fixing all over, it seems."

"Hmm, very well, Sanae-Taisho," Shukuen chuckled, straightening out, a glint in his eyes. "I can respect that. Not many people would rebel against what society teaches them. Very commendable of you."

"And as for my destination. All that I am sure of is that something, important, will be happening in Kyoto that requires my presence. The path wouldn't be important." Despite the mask over his face, his smile was still visible. "They say getting there is half the fun."

Sanae chuckled. "We think alike, it seems.

Perhaps I should know the full extent of your skills before setting a path for you... after all, different problems require different tools.

You've shown yourself a fine swordsman. What else can you do?"

Bean sat back in the sand, pulling her torn kimono around her legs firmly, suddenly concious that her modesty was at risk. She rubbed at her cut leg, but the burning sensation from the water that had seeped into the wound abated only slightly.

Grimacing a little, she turned her attention to the parents, specifically the father.

After deciphering his English, she smiled tiredly. A million things flashed through her mind to ask for, but her conscience kicked her, hard, before she could actually ask.

She settled for asking the couple for a change of clothes, and hearing him ask her for a vacation suggestion, she frowned slightly. What did she look like, a tour guide?

No, no...Be nice, what do I have PMS or something? she chided herself...and suddenly paled as she realized that was a distinct possibility.

Shaking her head abruptly, she smiled and suggested an extended stay in Tokyo, claiming rumor stated that Kyoto would be dangerous for awhile...

"Hmm, well, I suppose it all depends, Sanae," Shukuen rubbed his chin in contemplation. "Do you believe in, ah, 'magic'??

The man nodded, seeming to agree with Kaoru. He, unfortunately, didn't have any spare clothes lying around, but if she accompanied him to the next town, he would be sure to purchase her some.

He left, and Yahiko started tugging on her shoulder.

"Kaoru... I think we need to get far away from that guy," he said, pointing at Zelgadis.

"Real far."

<->

"Magic is nothing but a collection of tricks designed to impress someone in to beliveving that a man can achieve the impossible," replied Sanae. There was a slight grin on her face as she replied, though.

"Exactly what tricks can you perform, then?"

Bean sat back in the sand, gripping the sword tighter. She sighed heavily and looked up at Yahiko.

"What do you mean, Yahiko? What's wrong?"

"He.. he just *killed* those things! I know they weren't human, but they were *intelligent*! He even turned his attention away from one to kill another one who was down.. and he woulda chased the other one down when it tried to run away!

And he's just plain creepy, too... with that mask and all."

Yahiko looked up at Kaoru, plain fear in his eyes.

Bean frowned. That didn't sound right...Zelgadis wasn't that bloodthirsty, was he? Unconsciously, she gripped the sword tightly.

If that really IS Zelgadis. You're here, aren't you? Who knows? Maybe a serial killer got shunted into his body...

Bean looked up at Yahiko. "The mask is because his skin is made of stone, Yahiko. As for the rest...You're right...but we need to keep an eye on him. What if he's working for Shishio?" If he's not, and Shishio finds out about him, I have no doubt he'll make a play to have him join the Juppongatana. At the very least, more caution is warranted in dealing with him.

"Interesting way to describe my entrance to your boat," Shukuen chuckled, reaching into his pocket and fingering the sapphire jewel reasuringly. Concentrating his senses, he tried to figure out how the gem would affect his magic.

Yahiko blinked. "Stone skin? Riiiiiight.... though he looks mean enough to work for Shishio."

<->

The sapphire seemed to be a kind of battery. It wasn't emnating anything, but as Zelgadis concentrated, he felt as if he had gotten inside the jewel, and was almost one with the energies within it...

Bean sighed. "Fine, I guess I can't expect you to believe it without seeing it."

She ran her free hand though her still-wet hair, marvelling briefly at how odd it was to have it so long...and how annoying it was that it took so long to dry, and was flopping around loose, getting in her eyes, and tickling her neck.

"I would have to lose the ribbon," she murmured to herself disgustedly.

"Alright, Yahiko...tell me something. Do you think we'd be in danger if we traveled with him?" she asked.

Yahiko looked troubled. "Maybe. I havn't seen much of him. Why would we want to travel with him, anyway? I mean, he's a good swordsman, but he dosn't look the type to be on our side..."

So that's how it works, is it? Shukuen pondered, then shrugged mentally. "In any case, whether you believe me or not is your business," he said indifferently, adding, "So long as I know I'm telling the truth, then it doesn't matter if others think I'm lying."

He leaned forward slightly, his voice seemed to convey a mischievious smile. "Of course, if you insist, I might be convinced to give a... demonstration."

Sanae smirked. "Later, perhaps. For now, I must leave.

Travel along the coastline towards Kyoto, if that is where you're headed. Alone or with friends is up to you. I will contact you later."

Sanae reached into her robes, pulled something out, and tossed it to Zelgadis. It was a small purse.

"That should see to your basic needs. Remember, there's no hurry..."

Sanae chuckled.

"I think this arrangement will be quite beneficial for both of us. Any final questions?"

Bean shrugged wearily. "I DID offer, Yahiko. If we're going to change plans, we should at least have a reason, right?"

Bean ran a hand through her hair again, pulling it away from her face as she tried to think. They WERE monsters...but even so, what Yahiko says makes me worry a bit. 'Zelgadis' is an unknown quantity...Why do I have to make a decsion like this???

She looked up at Yahiko. "Well, we have nothing left for supplies, Yahiko...and that man said he'd replace my clothes. We'll go with him, and if Zelgadis follows us, he follows us. At any rate, If we travel with them for a bit, we can watch him carefully without worrying too much, right?"

"Well, why the coastline particularly?" Shukuen asked curiously, placing the purse in a safe place for the moment. "Not that I'm arguing against it, I'm merely curious on you choice of path."

"The coastline is one of my.. less 'populated' areas, you might say. I've neglected it for too long, when it could be the key to furthering my efforts. The shipping that flows between it and Europe provides many links to contacts throughout the world...

Having a free agent moving across it may be quite helpful. Thus, your positioning. And now.. I must go. I have other matters to attend to..."

Sanae reached into her robe and pulled something out, tossing it to Zelgadis. It was a small, well-made purse.

"My initial... retainer, you might say. I will contact you in a day or two... until then, adieu."

Sanae turned and strode off, dissapearing..

<->

Yahiko grunted in obvious disapproval, but didn't say anything more.

Shukuen watched Sanae leave, blinking in slight confusion. "Why did she give me two purses?" he muttered, pocketting the extra money. "Ah well, nothing to complain about, I suppose."

Shrugging, he surveyed the area to see where the path she mentioned started.

The path started by going up a cliff. It was not a steep inclination, but did look like a hardy walk.

From his position at the bottom of the cliff, and on the beach, Zelgadis could make out what looked like a flattish plain, but he couldn't accurately judge it from his location.

While Zelgadis was contemplating walking off and up the coast, everyone else was busy getting their stuff together, and preparing to walk to the nearest town.

From the conversations she overheard, Kaoru managed to judge that the town lay on the coast, a ways towards the east.

Handily, this was the opposite direction to Kyoto.

Yahiko pointed this out, along with a couple other things;

"Kaoru! We gotta find Kenshin fast! We can't waste time at a town just 'cos it's maybe a mile closer than some other town!" he proclaimed, managing to completely miss Kaoru's current state of dress...

Bean glared at Yahiko, pushing her hair out of her eyes, yet again. Dammit, I never thought I'd ever say this, but I REALLY need a ribbon for my hair...

"Yahiko, if you can tell me how I can get a new set of clothes WITHOUT going that way, I'd like to hear it," She snapped. "If I try to walk to Kyoto this way I'll get arrested!"

Yahiko shrugged, rubbing the back of his head.

"Well, ok." he said, a little sheepishly.

"We'd better get going, now! Everyone else is leaving!"

And they were, as a few people were trudging up the slope on the side of the cliff...

Bean nodded and looked around for the man who agreed to help them out. Strange that he hadn't mentioned he was leaving...

The man was talking to a young boy wearing European clothing: possibly a servant?

Pretty much everyone was standing up, now, and starting to follow the few who had begun walking up the side of the cliff. A few walked past Zelgadis, murmuring thanks for defending them earlier...

Bean frowned thoughtfully on catching sight of Zelgadis.

"Yahiko, go to him and tell him I'll be a minute." She said, gesturing to the man. "I'm going to go talk to Zelgadis. I'll be right back."

Yahiko blinked, then mumbled something about not knowing how to speak English, before going off to try and talk to the foreigner..

Bean walked up to Zelgadis, a wary expression on her face.

"Who's your friend?" She asked bluntly, gripping the sword in one hand, and holding her kimono closed in the other.

"Hmm? Oh, you mean that woman talking to me earlier?" Shukuen shrugged indifferently. "She apparently wanted to hire me for something."

Turning to face her fully, he asked, "Did you need something?"

Bean frowned. "Yahiko told me what happened while I retrieved the children." she told him, adjusting her grip on the kimono. "Who are you? You can't be Zelgadis...."

"You're right, I'm not Zelgadis. Just like you aren't who you pretend to be," Shukuen said, a tinge of annoyance in his voice.

"Ungrateful brat... those things killed people and he goes all rightous because I tried to keep them from killing anymore," he muttered.

Bean scowled. "That's irrelevant. He has his own set of values, and they're his. But he has a right to be worried. Life is cheap around here, and most of the people who kill casually are bad guys."

She suddenly felt a slight chill as she voiced the concern aloud. She adjusted her grip on the sword and kimono. "So, I'll ask again. Who are you?"

Shukuen facepalmed, muttering, "I don't believe this... even here, the lives of those... kelpie rejects have more value than humans..." Sighing, he stared idly at Kaoru, "Fine, I'll tell you my name. If you tell me who you are."

Bean sighed. "I think you missed the point. But, yes, I'll tell you who I am." She shifted uneasily, looking up at the stone man.

"I don't give my real name out much, but most people call me Bean Bandit," she admitted, blushing and fidgeting slightly.

Shukuen blinked. Blinked again. Then asked, "Bean Bandit... as in the yakuza type or the fanfic writer?"

Bean's eyes widened, and her blush grew several shades darker.

"Um...I write fanfic...or did, anyway...Do I know you?"

Shukuen blinked in disbelief as he responded. "Shukuen. Is that really you, Bean?"

Bean nodded dumbly, just staring in shock, not even noticing she'd released her hold on her torn kimono.

"Shuk...uen?" she backed off a step, suddenly acutely embarrassed.

Shukuen sweatdropped. "I suppose all those times you got Kaoru on those characters tests weren't coincidence after all..."

Bean stifled the urge to smack him. No, that'd just prove him right...

"Ha, ha." she said dryly. "It's not like Zelgadis doesn't suit you, you know...Is it too much to hope that you know what's happened, besides the obvious?"

"Hmm... it depends, I guess," Shukuen sighed, trying to massage a headache. "How much do you know? I'd hate to say useless things you already heard."

Bean sighed and pushed her hair out of her eyes. "I know I woke up in a body that doesn't suit me." She grumbled. "I know a lot of the details of this...well, the anime that's based on this? Something like that. Anyway, that about covers it."

"Well, from what I figure, we and four others are suppose to show up in Kyoto and help in some fight. Don't know who we help or how, but that's the basic gist of it," Shukuen said. "At least, I think that's it..."

Bean boggled. "Fight?" she repeated, amazed. "If it's in Kyoto, it can only be Shishio...and Kenshin..." She felt a chill and gave a small shiver as she spoke.

"But why? In the original, Kenshin won...He doesn't need help..."

"Well... either we're suppose to help Shishio... or something happened and Kenshin needs our help to win."

Shukuen sighed, muttering, "The former is unlikely, the latter is all too obvious if you ask me..."

Bean felt a surge of anger. "I wouldn't help Shishio anyway." she snapped, running her hand through her hair. She paused and shook her head.

"Sorry...Um..." She paused awkwardly. "You're probably right...I guess we should try and find out what happened to change things..."

Shukuen nodded, glancing off to where Yahiko was waiting. "I see you're taking a side trip. Can I ask how long it will take?"

Bean shrugged. "I'm not sure. It doesn't really matter, though...We need, at the very least, new clothes. I can't wander around like this..." she gestured at her torn kimono, flushing a bit.

Shukuen sweatdropped, finally noticing the torn kimono. "...I see..." Shaking his head clear, he reached into his pocket and tossed Kaoru one of the purses he received. "Here. Since you lost everything anyway, why don't you restock? I'm sure I won't need it much in Kyoto."

Bean boggled. "I...Ah...Thanks." She mumbled. "I appreciate it..." She finished, gratefully. "I was getting worried. So, are you going to come with us, or head straight there?"

"I'm going straight there," Shukuen shrugged. "I have a job along the way and I don't think a detour will be tolerated."

Bean nodded. "Unless it'll delay us too much, we'll probably be along in a day or two..." She said slowly. Maybe less. I get all uncomfortable when I think of the delays... She bit her lip uneasily. Geez...We've lost the boat...We're aleady going to be late Kenshin needs me...I mean us, I mean KAORU! God, what's wrong with me? Arg, nevermind now...Is this money enough to buy something on the way?

Shukuen nodded. "See what you can find out along the way."

Hmm... I hope I haven't forgotten anything...

"I guess I'll meet you and the others there."

Bean nodded. "Hai. Oh...Shukuen...I...I mean Kaoru has an important role to play in Kyoto...so...don't let on to anyone I'm not who I look like, okay?" She murmured, glancing to where Yahiko stood, nervously.

Shukuen nodded. "No problem. I'll see you there then."

Bean nodded, smiling a little. "Hai." she said again. "By the way...If anyone asks how I know you...I'm going to tell them you're a friend of my father's...Zelgadis-jisan. See you in Kyoto..."

Smirking to herself, she turned away to head over to Yahiko.

Yahiko was making a brilliant attempt at conversing with the man, but to his displeasure, the man continuouslly patted Yahiko on the head and said incomprehensible gibberish that sounded vaugely Japanese.

Yahiko looked at Kaoru, pleading in his eyes as the man continued to make a mockery of the langauge with his grammatical errors..

Bean winced as her ears were abused by the man's attempts at Japanese. She gently interrupted him, trying English.

"Excuse, please," she said softly, trying very hard not to wince at her own english, "I cannot understand..."

The man switched to English.

Despite Kaoru's limited understanding of the langauge, she managed to grasp the meaning that the man was inviting her to travel with him for a time, after this all got sorted out.

He even promised to help tutor her in English.

Bean winced, wishing that she could remember how to speak english properly. This pidgin she was forced to resort to was hideously embarrassing.

She tried as best she could to explain that she had to get to Kyoto as soon as possible, and that all she had time for was replenishing supplies, and replacing the clothes she was wearing...and getting Yahiko a new shinai.

The man almost fell over himself with offers to pay for her new equipment, along with a REAL sword for a fine young man like Yahiko..

Bean smiled, the first genuine one she'd managed in the few days she'd been thrown into the Meiji.

She graciously accepted the man's offer, but stressed that Yahiko only needed a wooden sword....

OOC: Ok, filler-inner post. If you two, for whatever reason, have any more business here, do it.. and if you don't, I'll just assume you've left.


IC: The man nodded jovially, and finall introduced himself as a William Cervantes...

He, Kaoru and Yahiko were among the last few to be leaving the campsite as it was.

Yahiko had dissapeared from Kaoru's sight for a moment, but he returned quickly..

..carrying a trident.

"Well, I need *something* to defend myself with," he said, anticipating Kaoru's glare.

Bean had been about to object, but Yahiko DID have a point. So she simply smiled, nodded....and took the sword she held and cut the pronged head head of the trident.

"That's better." She smiled. Bean turned back to Cervantes and gave her and Yahiko's names politely. Since they had nothing but their weapons, they awaited word from their benefactor as to when they would leave...

The man beamed, and (much to his distate), ruffled Yahiko's hair, before setting off after everyone else, Kaoru and Yahiko trailing..

<->

And, boys and girls, that rounds off this bit. Shuk is assumed to have set off in the other direction, and now.. we shall open new folders for the both of you!... tomorrow.

-Carthratical Productions: "We'll put a smile on your throat!"