##

Back at the Jamison household.

“Kitty! Here, Kitty, Kitty….”

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

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

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

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

##

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

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

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

Jubei winced. “You gotta be kidding…..”

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

“We don’t have time for that….” He stated. “Can’t you protect us with that
amulet thingie?”

“Hai but-ahhhh!”

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

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

They continued deeper into the mansion, Shuriken disarming or protecting 
them
from the gauntlet of traps Set throughout the mansion (A ridiculous amount 
of
every kind ever designed by man, Shuriken wanting to strangle the designer 
of
the damned house….) or taking out the guards under the roar of the crowd
downstairs. “We’re close, I can feel the sword’s presence….as well as some 
dark
energies. Probably the traps Arain was telling us about.”

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

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

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

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

A look of horror crossed her face as she realized the answer. “No! Don’t!”

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

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

Downstairs…..

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

Said pig turned to her, smiling in what he must of thought was charming. 

“You’d need more than luck to get near me, you arrogant toad….”

Soujirou hid his shock and spoke quickly. 



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

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

“I think pearls to match my new dress, ne?” Megumi simpered before going 
into
her infamous laugh.

 there wasn’t a hint of humor in
Shannon’s smile. 

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

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

*Small snafu, Sano….Stall longer.*

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

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

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



“All or nothing….That I can kick every fighter here’s ass…..all at once!”

Megumi’s eyes narrowed. Soujirou started to slowly inch away from Megumi as 
he
felt her aura flare, nervously translating to Shannon, who grinned.


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

“I understand….” She mouthed back with a smile. Then made a slashing motion
across her neck that made Sano cringe. “I’ll deal with you later….”

Megumi sat back in her seat, crossing her arms and grumbling to herself 
about
Chickenhead Ahous. Shannon, idiot that he was, picked that moment to make a
comment as he reached over to pat her hand. 

Megumi gave his wrist a good twist and almost flipped him out the chair,
Soujirou’s and Arain’s eyes widening as Megumi faked an apologetic look and
‘apologized’ for taking hanger out on him, Shannon wringing his wrist as
Soujirou translated quickly.  To the crowd he stood up and announced. 

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

*Maybe this wasn’t such a hot plan…..*

Upstairs…..

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

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

“Can you figure out the key?”

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

“And if we’re wrong?”

“Hope you like your eggs scrambled.”

Jubei made a face. “That’s reassuring…..”

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

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

“Song about a wandering swordsman?” Jubei added.

They looked at each other.

“Nah…..”

“Never sell…..” Jubei agreed as they got up to walk in the doors…..

Back downstairs it was all out carnage, Sano finishing off the last
ten…..Grinning madly despite his beat up appearance and the knife wound in 
his
shoulder staining the suit. He fared a heck of a lot better than the sixty 
some
idiots he’d laid out on the floor in the last ten minutes, most of them 
needing
some serious medical treatment. “I take it back,” he sneered. “Some of you
Americans aren’t pansies after all…..” He meant it, some of these guys had 
been
back for seconds, thirds and fourths and got some good licks in…..but hell, 
if
he could take out 200 in a day at once then what could that prick Shannon 
toss
at him that he couldn’t handle….

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

Then Shannon started to laugh.



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

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

Sano’s grin faded. “Oh, shit….”

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

Silk.

“You seem surprised, Miss Onna…..” Shannon said with a grin.

In perfect Japanese.

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

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

“See? Everyone accounted for. I’m such a good host…..”

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

On to chapter 5!!