Author's Note: I noticed that I had gotten Mai's name backwards, it's supposed to be "Mai no Shiken", since "Shiken" is a title rather then a name. This has now been corrected.

I'd like to take this opportunity to point out that I really don't speak Japanese at all; all I have is a dictionary and a vague grasp of the grammar. Other then that, I'm just improvising.

Chapter III: Raven Hunters

After cleaning the blood of the blade, the swordsman sheathed his sword. Drawing a hand through his short, grey hair, he turned to look at the girl.

She was standing amidst the bodies, trembling slightly, with a blood-soaked wakisashi in her hand. She couldn't have been more then ten years old, yet the two of them were the only ones still alive. The brigands had finished most of the travellers off before he had reached them.

He threw a glance at the body before her. The bandit's hand still gripped a smoking pistol. "You stabbed him in the back?"

She shrugged. "He was going to shoot you. Someone had to do it."

"'Someone had to do it'?" he repeated and chuckled. His only eye gleamed. "I am Yagyu Shichiro, master swordsman. What's your name, child?"

"Sen," she answered. "Tomoshi Sen."

"Sen, huh?" he said, stroking his chin. "Doesn't really suit you."

She shook her head slowly. "Never liked it myself."

He looked at her for another moment, as if coming to a decision, and then turned his back at her. "Then from now on, your name is Sen'ei. Come, this is no place for children. Even radicals like you."

Sen'ei opened her eyes and blinked the sleep away. She could hear footsteps and instinctually reached out for her sword before recalling where she was. There was a knock on the door.

"Sen'ei?" Ganji's voice was heard. "Are you awake?"

Sen'ei sighed and relaxed. She mentally kicked herself for her jumpiness, but old habits die hard. "Yes, Ganji-san. You can come in."

The door opened and Ganji peeked in, making sure his guest was decent before entering. "The bounty hunter hasn't arrived yet. I thought perhaps you would like some morning tea before you had to leave?"

Sen'ei smiled. "That sounds wonderful, Ganji-san. And perhaps some breakfast as well?"

"But of course," the priest chuckled.

As they walked towards the house, Sen'ei took a deep breath of fresh morning air and rubbed her eyes. Ganji threw her a glance. "Didn't sleep very well?"

"I'm… troubled by dreams, to tell the truth," Sen'ei confessed.

"Nightmares, eh?" Ganji said. "I have some remedies that can take care of that."

"They're not nightmares," Sen'ei shook her head. "Rather… memories from another life."

"Oh," Ganji gave her an understanding look as he slid the door to the house open. "It takes more then remedies to cure those, I'm afraid. But don't you worry. Once you have some of my special herbal tea, I promise you will feel much better!"

Sen'ei didn't answer. It had been a long time since these memories had troubled her. She didn't know why they kept resurfacing now, but they worried her.

These thoughts haunted her mind even as she sat down by the low table. Ganji had already put the cups in place and returned from the kitchen with a kettle. After pouring her cup full of the green, steaming tea he took his seat and filled his own cup.

Sen'ei brought the cup to her mouth. It smelled of jasmine and spices. She took a sip and savoured the taste. "This is good tea."

"That it is, good for both mind and body," Ganji said. He took a sip of his own and sighed. "This is my favourite moment."

Sen'ei smiled. It would be nice to start all morning like this, in quiet contemplation over a good cup of tea. Having wandered from place to place for almost two years, she had almost forgotten about these small pleasures of life.

Sen'ei sighed as she realised that it wouldn't last. Pretty soon, Mai would show up and she would have to leave her new friends. She wondered if there was ever any other path for her, besides the path of the sword. Then she took another sip of tea and sighed. She had made her choice. This was her path to follow.

"What's this? Sen'ei, Ganji-sensei, you started breakfast without us?"

Garyuu entered the room, followed by a still sleepy yet obviously agitated Zein.

"Yeah, what's up with letting us sleep in?" the boy demanded to know. "Where you planning on leaving before we woke up, Sen'ei?"

Sen'ei felt a laughter bubbling up from within at Zein's offended air, and for a moment her worries subsided. "I wouldn't dream of it."

Pretty soon Garyuu had prepared a wonderful breakfast and the whole group was enjoying the most important meal of the day together. Zein seemed to enjoy it more then the others, actually.

"Chew slowly, Zein. Eating fast isn't good for your body," Garyuu said. "The same thing goes for eating too much, by the way."

"I'm a growing kid," Zein replied, only briefly halting his eating to speak. "I need allot of energy."

Ganji chuckled. "Zein-kun heard somewhere that if you eat a sturdy breakfast, your body will operate three times more efficiently for the rest of the day," he explained to Sen'ei. "There may very well be some truth to it, but he takes it to the extreme. He does that allot, actually."

"I'm telling you, it works!" Zein said with his mouth full of mochi.

"You know, I once met a monk who had a similar theory," Sen'ei said and smiled wryly. "Only his applied to all meals."

"Really? Was he strong?" Zein asked.

"Oh yes. He looked like a sumo, but he was very strong."

Garyuu laughed. "Yeah, you always did say you wanted to become a "great man" someday, right, Zein-kun?" "Aw, shut up! That's why it only applies to breakfast!" Zein snapped, turning to Sen'ei. "What about this Mai? Is she any strong?"

Sen'ei was about to answer, but suddenly tensed up as something stirred in her. She glanced at Ganji, who nodded slowly. He had felt it as well. Sen'ei put her rice-ball down and stood up. "You can ask her yourself. She's here."

Garyuu and Zein both looked puzzled, but when Ganji too stood up they both followed suit. Mai was waiting in the yard outside, her swords strapped on her back and with a traveller's bag slung over her shoulder.

"Ohayo. I hope I'm not too early," she said with a nod to Sen'ei as the group exited the house.

"Not at all, we just finished breakfast," Sen'ei responded.

"Do you have everything you need, then?" Mai asked.

"Everything except my meal packet," Sen'ei said. "I'll just…"

"Ehm," Ganji coughed discreetly and handed her a bag. "I took the liberty." "Thank you, Ganji-san," Sen'ei said. She laughed. "Thank you, all of you. I won't forget the kindness you've shown me."

"Hey, you'll remember your promise, right?" Zein said.

Sen'ei reached her hand out and ruffled his hair. "Of course! Tomoshi Sen'ei keeps her promises. And besides, I wouldn't want to upset someone as mighty as you."

"Don't worry, kid," Mai said and winked at Zein. "I'll make sure she comes back in one piece."

Garyuu cleared his throat and handed Sen'ei a parcel. "It's a herbal ointment. If you put it on wounds it will speed up the healing process. I know it's not much…"

"Oh, it is," Sen'ei said and took the parcel. She smiled at him. "Thank you, Garyuu."

Garyuu returned her smile. "I'll pray for you safe return."

"All of us will," Ganji said.

"Thank you all!" Sen'ei said as she and Mai left, accompanied by shouts of farewells and goodbyes. Sen'ei waved in response before finally turning her face away from them.

"You're really lucky to have friends like that, you know," Mai said as they headed down the street.

"Yes," Sen'ei said. "Yes, I know."

"So, what's your story?"

Sen'ei glanced at the other woman. Following the main road, they had by now left the city behind them. She shrugged. "What's it to you?"

"Just interested," Mai said. "You seem like a person with a story, that's all."

"I prefer to keep my stories to myself."

"Oh, come on!" Mai said. "Just walking in silence like this is boring! We still have almost a full day's travel before we reach Karasumori, so we might as well make the best of it. Lighten up, kid!"

"First of all, you can't be more then a few years older then me," Sen'ei said dryly. "So don't call me kid."

"Well, sorry," Mai said. Then she smiled broadly. "But hey, atleast we're communicating again. And now we're a little less strangers, huh?"

Sen'ei had to smile with her. "Whatever works?"

"Heh, catchy," Mai said. "My philosophy exactly."

Sen'ei briefly wondering how a bounty hunter like Mai could keep up such a cheerful attitude. And in all honesty, she wished that she too could laugh at things more often.

Just like Yasu, she thought.

FLASH

The field was littered with bodies. The senjo patrol had been twice their numbers, yet they had not suffered a single casualty. It had been a terrible massacre.

Sen'ei sheathed her sword and turned to Yasu, who was carefully cleaning the blood off his long, thin blade with a rag.

"I win the bet," she said.

The small, black-haired man smiled, somehow managing to look even more like a girl. "Oh? I have to disagree, then."

"I killed the most," Sen'ei argued. "I win."

"Yes, but mine are more dead then yours," Yasu said and returned his sword to his sheath.

Sen'ei frowned. "So?"

"The one who killed the most is the winner, remember?" He made a gesture towards a nearby enemy, who seemed to have been more or less hacked to pieces. "And I definitely killed mine the most."

"Can't argue with that," Koji chuckled from his sitting position a few feet away, only briefly removing the pipe from his mouth.

"But… Hey!" Sen'ei cried. "That's not fair!"

"There may be another patrol nearby," Masaru said, looking up from his map. "Let's move out."

Yasu laughed and turned around, leaving Sen'ei to glare at his back. "You should have learned by now, kid. Never place a bet with Nishigaki Yasuhiro!"

FLASH

"Hey, you okay?" Mai asked.

Sen'ei looked up. "Huh?"

"You spaced out for a moment," Mai said.

"Oh, you just reminded me of an old friend," Sen'ei said. "We were in the same unit during the war."

"You fought in the Senjo War?" Mai asked.

"Surprised?"

Mai shrugged her shoulder. "Not really, you just seem a bit young to be a veteran."

"Well, I was only 14 when I joined the Imperial forces," Sen'ei explained. "It seems like an eternity since then. What about you?"

"Me? I was travelling around with various mercenary groups back then," Mai said. "I fought the Senjo on many occasions, but never as an Imperial soldier. After a while I got tired of all the pointless fighting and took up bounty hunting instead. Haven't looked back since."

"Never thought of settling down?" Sen'ei asked.

"You mean, find some guy to marry and retire while I'm still young and pretty?" Mai scoffed. "Some times. Usually when I'm bleeding on some doctor or priest while he's stitching me up. But then I remember that fighting is the only thing I'm good for. And besides, this way I'm at least making myself useful, bringing criminals to justice."

Sen'ei nodded thoughtfully. Once you're a part of the underworld, it's very difficult to leave it.

Mai gave her an accusing look. "Hey, why am I spilling my guts here? You're the one who's supposed to talk!"

"Well, what do you want to know?" Sen'ei asked.

Mai's eyes fell on Sen'ei's weapon. "What's with the wrappings on your sword?"

"What, this?" Sen'ei said, touching the rags. "It's… a custom where I come from." She mentally kicked herself, knowing that Mai wouldn't believe this for a second. Sen'ei certainly wouldn't have bought it herself.

Fortunately, Mai didn't seem to question her explanation. She just gave her an odd look and nodded slowly. "Oh. I see."

Mental note, Sen'ei thought. Make up a better lie for next time.

With the ice between them broken, they kept talking as their journey continued and Sen'ei found that she started to like Mai. She had a flamboyant personality and a rather peculiar sense of humour, but above all she struck Sen'ei as an unusually good-hearted person. Especially for someone of her profession.

Except for a few farmers on ox-driven wagons they made no encounters along their way. When they stopped to rest and eat, Sen'ei frowned at the sun passing over their heads.

"At this rate, it will be dark when we get there," she noted.

"Don't worry," Mai said and rolled up a map she had retrieved from one of her bag. "We'll reach a village called Seichou soon. It's just a stone's throw from Karasumori, so we can stay there overnight and continue to the forest tomorrow. And if we're lucky, we might learn something while we're there."

"You think the villagers have information?" Sen'ei asked.

"Well, these country-people are usually a pretty superstitious and sneaky bunch, but you shouldn't underestimate them," Mai said. "Odds are some of them know things they haven't told anyone about. Things that might help us find the killer."

"I hope so," Sen'ei said thoughtfully. "These killings… There's something that not right about the whole affair."

"Premonition?" Mai asked.

Sen'ei chuckled and absently placed a hand on her sword. "Let's just say I have a hunch for these things."

They reached Seichou just as the sun started its recline. It was a small and peaceful-looking place surrounded by rice-fields and pastures with grazing cattle.

"We've made good pace," Mai said. "We still have some time to rest and make investigations before the evening comes."

"I wouldn't say no to some dinner, either," Sen'ei said. "Or a bath, for that matter."

Mai laughed. "Can't disagree with that! Come, let's waste no time!"

When they entered the village, Sen'ei noticed that the villagers were looking oddly at them. Some of them pointed and whispered things to each other and non of them seemed particularly pleased to see them.

"Not exactly a warm welcome," she mumbled.

"Yeah," Mai said casually. "Maybe they're not used to seeing female fighter. In any case, we need to find a place to stay."

"I don't see an inn," Sen'ei said.

"Let's ask someone," Mai turned to an old lady who was currently washing her balcony. "Excuse me, but is there an inn or something like that in this village?"

The old woman looked up. She was extremely small, probably a whole head shorter then Sen'ei, and all wrinkles. Her snowy-white hair with grey stripes was tied up in a large knot on her head, and when her eyes fell on the two warriors they narrowed into dark slits. Her hand reached out for a nearby bucket of dirty water. "Who wants to know?"

Mai assumed what she probably thought to be a dramatic pose. "I am called Mai no Shiken, bounty hunter and wandering swordsman. Me and my partner here…"

SPLASH!

Mai and Sen'ei only barely managed to jump back as the old woman violently emptied her bucket in their direction.

"What the hell are you doing, you old witch!?" Mai screamed.

"Get out of here!" the woman shouted. "We have enough of your kind already! We don't need any more of you!"

"More?" Mai said with a baffled look.

"Our kind?" Sen'ei said, looking just as stumped.

"Yeah, that's right!" a man said. Several of the villagers now approached them, and none of them looked happy. "We have enough of you people already!"

"Yeah, get lost!" another man shouted. "You're not welcome here!"

"Hey, hey!" Mai said, putting her hands up. "Let's all just simmer down, okay?"

"Listen," Sen'ei said. "I assure you we mean you no harm. You said there are more of us, you mean other bounty hunters?"

"You've got that right," the old woman said and spat. "A bunch of no-good bullies who think they own the place. They threaten us we don't do exactly what they tell us to, treating us like dirt for their own pleasure. They're over at old Akiyuki's tavern right now, probably making his poor life a living hell." She looked coldly at them. "So you see, we're not exactly keen on taking in more of you lowlifes and them bastard's probably don't like competition, either. So your best off getting your asses out of here if you know what's good for you."

Mai looked thoughtful for a moment. Then she smiled grimly. "Nah, I think we'll stay."

"What!?" the old woman jerked.

"Yeah," Mai continued. "In fact, I think I'll go over to that tavern of yours and have a little talk with these people." She looked at Sen'ei. "You with me, Sen'ei?"

"Of course, Mai," Sen'ei smiled. She had a pretty good idea what her companion had in mind.

The villagers seemed puzzled, but stayed clear of the two warriors as they made their way further into the village. Mai turned to the nearest villager and pointed at a large building. "Hey, is that the place?"

"Um, yeah," the man said. "But are you really going to…"

Before he could finish his sentence the door to the tavern was slid open and a man stumbled out to the street, closely followed by group of people. "Hey, old man," the leader said. "Don't tell me you've had enough just yet! I barely touched you!"

"Ah, seems like we've found our competition," Mai said. "Come one!"

As they got closer, Sen'ei had a closer look on them. The leader was a thin man of medium height, with short blonde hair except for several long, thin braids from the neck. His face would have been rather handsome if it wasn't for the cruel smirk and the cold, ice blue eyes. He was dressed in black hakama and a sleeveless yellow gi with black lightning-patters. He also carried a sword at his side and spiked bracers on his arms. Looking closely, Sen'ei noticed that he had the characters for "pain" and "suffering" tattooed on the back of his left and right hand, respectively.

His companions were a motley crew. There was a tall man with red hair playing with a double-bladed knife, a scantily dressed woman with a weapon that looked like an odd mix between a trident and a naginata, a large man with a nasty hatchet and finally a small rat-looking man with gauntlet on his hand, decorated with long, knife-like claws.

As they approached, the leader looked up. "Hello, what have we here?"

"I believe that's my line," Mai said cheerfully. "I heard a few of my colleges were busy making trouble in this otherwise serene little place, I don't suppose you know anything about that?"

"I'd say that's non of your business," the swordsman replied.

"I disagree," Mai said, now dead serious. "You see, if there's one thing that really pisses me off, it's rotten bounty hunters giving the rest of us a bad name!"

The blonde swordsman looked surprised for a moment, but then chuckled. Positioning himself in front of Mai, he looked at her closely. "Let's see, grey hair and four swords. Am I mistaken, or am I facing the famous Mai no Shiken of the Shiken Ryu?"

"Seems like my reputation is getting ahead of me," Mai said. "I suppose you're here for the Karasumori-killer as well?"

"That's right. Not that we're in much of a hurry," he scoffed. "Harassing the residents of this village has been so entertaining, you see."

Mai shot him a cold glare, her face devoid of all feelings but grim determination. "I challenge you, here an now. If I win, I want you and your henchmen to leave and never return. What do you say?"

"Oh, I'm honoured," he said mockingly. "After all, I've heard so much about you, Mai no Shiken. You're something of a celebrity among us bounty hunters these days." "Gee, thanks," Mai responded dryly. "I wish I could say the same to you, but to be honest, I haven't got the slightest idea who the hell you are."

"Then this is a perfect opportunity to raise my name, isn't it?" he grinned. "After all, if I defeat the great Mai no Shiken, the name of Kiketsugai Yasei is sure to be feared by all!"

"That's you name?" Mai said and frowned. "Sounds ridiculous."

Yasei's grin vanished. "I was just going to injure you," he growled. "But now I think I'll simply kill you instead!" With this he drew his sword. It had a straight blade and Sen'ei noticed that a hook-shaped piece of metal protruded from the tsubu, roughly covering the inner fourth of the blade, as if the weapon was an oversized jite. He assumed a stance with the sword held high and angled, with the tip aimed directly for Mai. "This Grappling Blade of mine will put and end to your fame, Mai no Shiken!"

"Interesting," Mai said. "That looks like a sashitoosu-stance, if I'm not mistaken. You plan on skewering me?"

"Correct," Yasei grinned. "Though compared to my chishisasuken, a mere sashitoosu-technique is nothing! Take a good look, because I'm about to send you to the afterlife!"

Mai scoffed and drew one of her swords. "Just like I thought, you're just a cheap one-trick fighter. My weakest sword is enough to beat you."

"Really?" Yasei grinned. "Could a cheap one-trick fighter do this?"

Suddenly he was surrounded by a flaring red light. Everyone nearby felt a wave of confidence and aggression pulsate through the air from Yasei's manifestation of his ki.

A battle aura! Sen'ei thought. He's much stronger then Yuusuke.

Mai didn't seem very impressed, though. Without a word, she took a deep breath and then…

"Haaah!" With a mighty cry, another aura exploded around her. Flaming in a purplish blue light and twice a strong as Yasei's, it caused dust to swirl up around the bounty hunter and made her hair flutter. She smiled at Yasei's surprise, as well as at the shocked expressions of his henchmen. "What, you thought you had the monopoly on fireworks?"

"Heh, seems like this will be an interesting fight!" Yasei chuckled as his aura died down.

"We'll make this one on one," Mai said and hers did as well. "No intervenements."

"Sounds good to me," Yasei said. "Heads up, here I come!"

With blinding speed he rushed forward. Mai neatly sidestepped his thrust, but Yasei reacted almost instantly and quickly changed his stance, starting to rain lightning-fast blows at her. They were crudely aimed, though, and she managed to block and dodge them all. They broke apart, and Yasei resumed his chishisasuken-stance. Suddenly he unleashed three rapid thrusts, almost too quick to see. Mai blocked two of them but the third grazed her left shoulder. She swore and staggered back.

Yasei laughed. "What's the matter? Too fast for you?"

He's just like Yasuhiro, Sen'ei realised. While not very strong, he compensates his physical weakness by great speed to overcome his opponents.

In response to his taunt, Mai merely glared at Yasei and spat, assuming a defensive position. "Just a scratch. Don't celebrate your victory just yet."

Yasei's response was a growl and another attack. However, instead of the multiple quick thrusts Mai had expected, he allowed his blade to slide along hers until her sword was locked between his blade and the hook on his tsubu. With a triumphant yell, he started to twist it out of her hand. "Ha! Let's see how well you fight without that sword, you…"

Mai put an end to his triumph by simply punching him in the face with her left hand. The force behind the blow almost caused him to crumple to the ground.

"You forgot about my other hand, dimwit," she said.

"Damn you!" Yasei put a hand to his face, now twisted in a grimace of rage. "You'll die slowly for that, woman!"

While he spoke he stuck his hand into his gi, retrieving a round object he then threw on the ground before Mai's feet. A sudden burst of smoke enveloped her in a large, obscuring cloud. She coughed, doing her best to disperse the smoke. "A smoke-bomb! Of all the rotten…" Suddenly her danger-sense cried out to her. From behind!

She only barely turned around in time to block the attack. She was only partially successful, as the edge of Yasei's sword bit into her side. She was holding her own sword vertically pointing down and her left hand on the blade, which was lodged into the other weapon's hook-guard.

"Got you!" Yasei cried.

Mai smiled. "Actually, I got you."

"Eh?"

Still smiling, Mai gripped the blade of her sword with her left hand and in a sudden, violent motion turned it 180 degrees around. Yasei's sword immediately shattered.

Before he had to even cry out if surprise, Mai kicked him square in the chest, sending him tumbling to the street.

Yasei's companions immediately reacted. "Yasei-sama!" the woman cried.

"You bitch!" the man with the hatchet shouted. The whole group seemed ready to attack Mai to defend their leader. "We won't let you get away with…"

Suddenly, something flashed before them. A cloud of dust exploded in their faces while dirt and sand rained over them. When they looked up again, Sen'ei was standing before them, surrounded by a flaming blue aura and with her sword lifted. A shallow trench had appeared before her where her sword had scarred the street. She glared at them through granite-eyes.

"We agreed to no intervenement," she said coldly. "Cross that line and I will make you regret it."

Shaking with fear at this display of power, the bounty hunters immediately fell back.

Mai nodded at Sen'ei and sheathed her sword. "I was right to pick you as my partner." She threw one last look at Yasei before turning her back on him. "This fight is over, Kiketsugai Yasei. Leave and never return."

Yasei stumbled to his feet with the hilt of his sword in a firm grip. Suddenly the lower part of the grip loosened, revealing a hidden blade. "I don't think so!"

He had a dagger hidden inside the hilt! Sen'ei put her hand on her sword, ready to leap to her partner's aid. Yasei lunged forward in a last attempt to stab Mai in the back. "Now you die!"

Without even bothering to look at him, Mai drew another of her swords. Letting the fluent motion turn into a lightning-fast attack, she turned as she swung the weapon in a circle. "Battou Mangetsu!"

The blade hit Yasei across the chest, the sheer force of the blow pushing him off his feet and sending him flying. He landed on his back, unconscious. While the front of his gi was cut, his skin was undamaged. A large bruise started to form where the blade had hit him.

"You can let them pass now, Sen'ei," Mai said. "They understand now."

Sen'ei stepped aside and the four bounty hunters hurried to Yasei's side.

"So he was the strongest of you?" Mai said to them. "You guys are way too weak to hunt this prey. Get lost, and never let me see your faces again!"

The troublemakers picked their fallen leader up and hurried away. The crowd of villagers, who had been watching the fight in silent awe, suddenly started to applaud and cheer loudly. They gathered around Mai and Sen'ei, almost smothering them in praise.

Mai winked at Sen'ei. "All in a day's work, eh?"

"Mmmm, this feels nice!" Mai sighed as she stepped into the hot water of the furo and settled down next to Sen'ei. The villagers had been very appreciative to have their village rid of the troublemakers, and had insisted on Mai and Sen'ei to stay for as long as they liked. They had just eaten a large dinner and were now looking forward to a long and relaxing bath. "I can't believe the taverkeeper gave us his best room!" Sen'ei said. "But Mai, are you sure that your wounds are okay?" "He just stung me a little," Mai shrugged. "I hardly feel anything by now, I've had worse. So have you, by the looks of it."

Sen'ei nodded. Both Mai's body and her own had its fair share of scars, though they had come to a silent agreement not to discuss where or how they got them. They were the price for living on the edge of a sword, after all. "Mai, why didn't your sword cut Yasei? It wasn't the one you showed me in Ominato, was it?"

Mai shook her head. "No, the Bane of Malice would probably have killed that bastard instantly. As I said, each of my swords has a unique ability. The sword I hit him with is called Mercy Edge, and it will cut through anything except living beings or objects protected by magic or ki. It's impossible to kill with, but it's still very useful. The sword I used when I fought him is called Mind's Fang. When it cuts someone, it immediately transmits information about that person's body to me. My last sword is named Final Reaper, which can defeat evil spirits destroy illusions." She leaned back into the water with a content smile. "Using all of them together with my special style, there aren't allot of things I can't handle."

Sen'ei was just about to comment this as the door opened and a girl of about eight years stepped in. Mai turned her head and smiled warmly at her. "Hello, little friend." The girl blushed and bowed deeply. "Shiken-sama, Tomoshi-sama, forgive me for interrupting, but Anagumi-obaasan sent me to inform you that she would like to speak with you after your bath, about what you are looking for." "Anagumi-obaasan?" Sen'ei looked at her questioningly.

"Yes," the girl said and giggled slightly. "The lady who threw water at you."

"Really?" Mai said. "Tell her we'll see her as soon as we're done."

"Hai!" the girl chirped and left them.

"Nice kid," Mai commented.

"Aw, looks like someone has a soft-spot for children," Sen'ei grinned.

Mai ignored the taunt and thoughtfully stroked her chin. "So, the old battle-axe knows something, eh? Intriguing." "I don't want to have to get up," Sen'ei mumbled and closed her eyes. "I want to stay here forever!" For emphasis, she let herself sink deeper into the water until it until it reached her nose.

Mai stretched her arms and yawned. "I know what you mean, but we can't take too long. Duty calls, you know."

Sen'ei only response was a content bubbling.

After finally leaving the bath and getting dressed they met with Anagumi-obaasan, who was waiting in their room at the tavern. This time the old woman humbly bowed her head.

"I hope the two of you can forgive my previous behaviour," she said. "I fear we had us a poor first impression."

"Well, you did have a reason," Sen'ei said. "I can certainly see why you wouldn't want any more bounty hunters coming to town."

The old woman shook her head. "Never the less, you deserved the benefit of a doubt. I acted both rashly and rudely."

"That's fine and all," Mai said. "But you didn't come here just to apologise, did you?"

"You are right, I didn't," Anagumi replied with a chuckle. "I understand you are here to look for the infamous Karasumori-killer, are you not?"

"That's right," Mai said. "Do you know anything about the matter?"

"Not as such, I'm afraid," Anagumi shook her head. "Only that the murders are random and always occur along the road through the forest."

"We'd figured that much our ourselves," Mai pointed out.

"Perhaps, but I don't think you know the whole story," Anagumi said. "Listen, Karasumori is a very mysterious place that we try to stay way from as much as possible. In old times, they said it was the ancient home of a tribe of tengu. When the Shogunate ordered the road to be built through the forest many protested, fearing that the spirits would be angered. The Shogun's priests, however, ensured him that there were no tengu in the forest and building the road was safe. The road was completed, but it is said that many of the workers died under mysterious circumstances."

"You mean to say that we're dealing with a vengeful tengu?" Sen'ei asked. "But that doesn't add up. That road must be older then the three of us combined, and the murders started only recently."

"Perhaps, but one shouldn't ignore the old stories completely," Anagumi said. "One thing is certain; whoever killed all those people is inhumanly strong. And what's more, well…" she made a pause. "Quite frankly, there is something wrong with those woods, always has been. There is always an unusual amount of ravens inhabiting its crowns, but hardly any other animals at all. People living near it claim that in the mornings they can see odd shapes in the fog among the trees, and that there is always a cold wind blowing in the area." She looked at them seriously. "Weather you believe this or not is up to you. I merely wanted to know about it, and ask that you tread lightly when you enter that that place."

"We will," Sen'ei said. "And we thank you for your advice."

"Yeah," Mai agreed. She winked at Anagumi. "Don't worry, rousai-sama. Tengu or not, we'll put and end to these killings tomorrow."

"Heh, I pray that you will, greenhorn," Anagumi chuckled. "I do, indeed!"

After Anagumi left, Mai and Sen'ei prepared to go to bed as the sun had long since settled beneath the horizon. It had been a long and tiring day.

"So, do you believe any of that?" Sen'ei asked. "What Anagumi-san said, I mean."

"Nah," Mai was already slumped to her back on the futon with her arms behind her head, chewing a toothpick she had found somewhere. "I've seen lots of crazy stuff, but I've never seen a tengu or even met anyone who has. And the whole payback-theory… It just doesn't make sense."

"I guess not," Sen'ei mumled.

Mai looked up at her. "Having one of those hunches again?"

"Maybe," Sen'ei shrugged.

"Look, don't worry about it. Hell, you've survived a war, getting in and out of a forest shouldn't be any problem."

Sen'ei settled down on her own futon, placing her sword next to it as she always did. "It's not that. I…" She shook her head. "I can't even explain it."

"Does it have something to do with that sword of yours?" Mai asked.

Sen'ei looked up. "W-what makes you think that?"

"You've been holding your hand on it like that ever since the old woman started to talk about ghouls and goblins," Mai pointed out. Sen'ei lifted her hand off the sword. She hadn't realised that she had been touching it. Giving the younger girl a prodding look, Mai smiled wolfishly. "Why do you hide the hilt under those rags, anyway? The real reason, I mean."

Realising that there was no idea in keeping it secret, Sen'ei picked the sword up and began untying the strings. Soon, the gold and ivory of the hilt gleamed in the soft lamplight. Mai's eyes widened.

"Wow," she stated. "It's beautiful!"

Sen'ei offered her the sword and she took it, weighing it in her hand and making small cuts in the air. "It's so well-balanced, I've never felt anything like it."

"It's a seiken," Sen'ei explained.

"Seiken? A holy sword?" Mai said. "You mean like the kind they have in temples?"

"Yes, but I think this one is different," Sen'ei said as Mai handed the sword back to her. "I don't think there is any other weapon like this." "So, you have it wrapped up like that to avoid attention?" Mai guessed. "Why don't you just sell it and use the money to buy a new one? For the right price, I'm sure there are magicians who'd make you a sword just as good as that one, and less eye-catching too."

Sen'ei shook her head as she once again started to enshroud the hilt. "No, I promised my… I promised someone close to me that I wouldn't let fall into the wrong hands. That I would protect it."

Mai looked at her for a moment, then she resumed her original position with her arms behind her back. "Try to get some sleep. You'll need to be as sharp as possible tomorrow."

Sen'ei lay down on her futon with her arms under her head and closed her eyes. Slowly, her mind grew hazy and she drifted into a troubled sleep…

The little purple-haired girl looked up. Her eyes had a deep green colour that dazzled in the soft light. When she noticed the other girl, she smiled. "Hi, my name is Arashi. Who're you?"

The blonde girl didn't answer at first. "I'm Sen'ei. Your dad says I'm gonna live here."

Arashi laughed. "Really! Are you my new sister?"

Frowning slightly, Sen'ei thought about this for a moment before answering. "No."

The other girl shrugged. "Too bad, I always wanted a sister. Would you like to be my friend, then?"

"Okay."

"Great! Come with me, I'll show you around!"

And thus, the two children hurried off, the serious and silent one following the smiling, lively one. It would be many years before they were parted once more.

Author's Note, regarding names:

Sen'ei is a name, but also a word meaning "radical" or "sharp." (Hence the catchy title. ^^)

Obaasan means "aunt" or "grandmother", but is also the article for female senior citizens. Anagumi is a pun on the word anagume meaning "badger." The name Anagumi-obasaan translates to something like "Granny Badgerina." ^^

WORDLIST:

Mochi: Sticky rice cake.

Jite: A weapon, sort of a half-sai (battle fork) used for disarming.

Chishisasuken: "Fatal Piercing Blade."

Battou Mangetsu: "Full Moon Drawing and Cutting."

Furo: Bath.

Rousai-sama: Mai calls Anagumi what could translate as "revered old woman." ^^