The Rebel and the Gaijin Part 1 By: Zan Tuwaki Mizumo Shafts of fading sunlight broke through the leaves of the tree as Zan unpacked what he could from his haversack. A cool wind was blowing, a welcome sensation in comparison to the past day's heat, and night insects were just beginning to sing. "Not a bad choice, staying out here." Aside from reduction of reasons for Kaoru to order him around, as he wasn't using a lot of the dojo, he was more suited to the outdoors and found it that more comfortable to rest in. All those nights under the stars back home found themselves very useful now. He wiped the sweat off his brow with the back of his glove and got to work. First out was his sleeping bag, which he unrolled and spread out. The temptation to just lie down and close his eyes after an eventful day was overwhelming, but at last he forced it out. "Been a hell of a day, but I can't hit the sack until I've taken care of everything. Way too early to sleep anyhow." His hand emerged from the sack with the bundled-up rope, leaving the grappling hook inside, and hung it beside him on a low-level branch. He didn't really know what he'd need it for, but it was there in case he ever did. Next out was a kerosene lamp, which he set on the grass beside him. He then recalled that he had no matches for the coming night. He'd take care of that later. A ball flew into Zan's line of sight and his hand instinctively swept out and caught it. His reflexes had honed greatly over the past decade, and now it was paying off in even a situation like this. Susumi and Ayame, the two irritatingly cute little girls, were probably having a game near by, oblivious to the fact that someone was trying to unpack in peace. "As if you were never a kid before.", he chided himself. The two of them came around, chattering gaily and looking for the ball. Upon seeing the Samurai Gunman, they fell silent in apparent shyness, but still came forward. "Um, Mr. Zan?", said the older one with darker brown hair and eyes and wearing green. "Could we have our ball back, please?" "These kids probably don't see us blond and fair-skinned gaijin a lot." A small smile formed on his lips. "Then again, I wonder about the other residents of this dojo." He redirected that smile as a greeting to the two. "It's okay, kids. I don't bite. I believe you lost something?" With a flick of his wrist, Zan tossed the ball back, and the younger one with the lighter brown hair and clad in red caught it. She laughed and ran off with it, while her sister gave chase. As she ran, she called out. "Thanks!" He watched them run off for a moment, then sighed. Those two had about a decade or more of childhood until they felt life in the real world. "With all these troubled times now, it's so hard for kids to retain their innocence." He himself was only seven when he had first learned about gunplay, a neccessity to surviving in the West, and only fourteen when he was already helping his dad against outlaws. He slung his gunbelt off and set the Demonslayer against the trunk of the tree. They were both within reach if ever they were needed. That was unlikely though, seeing the relative safety of the Kamiya Dojo's seclusion. At last, he lay down on the sleeping bag, an orange sky filtered by leaves taking up his view. Zan pulled his hat over his eyes. "Just close my eyes for a few moments.", he told himself. The Gaijin Swordsman would've probably drifted off into sleep, had the sound of sandals treading on leaves not awakened him. Instinctively, he reached for the Johnny No More, but he relaxed upon opening his eyes and seeing who it was. "Oh, it's you. What's up?" Yahiko was relieved that Mizumo didn't need him at the moment. He didn't know why he agreed to help her around the store. That was woman work! *Then again,* he thought, *Mizumo doesn't act like a woman...* He had noticed the gaijin tossing the ball back to the little girls. Walking up to him, he was surprised that the gaijin noticed him. Yahiko sighed, "Nothing much is going on" he said, sitting next to Zan, "Just that Ne-chan doesn't need me to help her." he added, muttering. "Exactly how's your day, gaijin?" he asked, looking up at Zan. The Samurai Gunman lifted himself up to a sitting position, then turned a little and looked down a considerable distance at the boy. "And I thought Jozen was small. Must be my height, since a lot of us Americans dwarf most Asians." He rested some of his weight on the tree behind them, and answered, "First off, kid, Zan will do. Not that I don't like being called 'gaijin', but wouldn't you agree that 'Zan' is a lot easier to say?" The kid looked at him for a bit, nodded at last. "Alright. Zan it is." The American grinned approval, canted his head sideways to catch a view of the setting sun. "Anyway, my day started bad but looks like it'll end pretty well. I don't want to talk about the bad, but I guess the good is that my lodgings problem has been solved." "You mean you've never had a permanent place to stay?" "Yeah, at least not until I came here to Edo, er, Tokyo. I lived with my Sensei and his granddaughter in the mountains outside this town for the past twelve years. My training's over and now I'm on my own." He paused, remembering Hatsune having said she'd be watching him. For all he knew, she already was. "Well, almost on my own." Yahiko nodded at that, shifted the bokken slung on his back. "Whoa, so you've been here for quite a while." He paused a moment. "Er...Zan? I'm just curious and all...what's your story?" The urge to blurt out his whole history to such people who seemed worthy of his trust came up, but he shoved it back quickly. Slowly, he said "Let's just say...I'm a Westerner who came here to Japan to learn all I need to settle an old score. That's all you need to know right now. Wish I could tell more, but I can't for my own protection and yours. Sorry." "Oh..." Yahiko fell silent for a bit, until Zan broke the uneasy silence. "Forget about me, kid. I'm not much important. What I consider important right now is learning about the people I'm with." He whipped his gun out, spun it on it's trigger, and dropped it back nonchalantly. "Well, since you're here, tell me about you. Like...who's this Ne-chan?" He winked. "Only eleven and you're courting someone?" "NO!" Yahiko felt an uncivilized urge to whip out his bokken and smash Zan on the head, hopefully fracturing his skull, but instead gave him an annoyed look. "First off, Ne-chan is, what I think, a guy trapped in a woman's body!" He saw Zan's questioning look, "I mean..." Yahiko continued, "That she is like a big sister (or brother) to me. Her name is Mizumo, and she has the temper of a guy, talks like a guy, acts like a guy, and, if you look past her hair style, looks like a guy! Just don't mistake her for a guy, because she is very sensitive..." Yahiko remembered what happened to Sano when he mistook Mizumo for a guy and shuddered, "Too sensitive..." Zan grinned. "Let me guess: call her a guy and she'll bite your head off. Is that how sensitive she is?" The boy looked up at him, his brown eyes giving him a queer look, then shifted to a look of astonishment. "How did you know that? That's right! Well, except she won't bite your head off. But she'll give a pretty bad beating if she's mistaken for a guy." "Yeah, well, there ARE such girls like that. Even where I come from." Based on what Yahiko had just told him, he could conclude that this girl had probably spent her growing years dominantly under her father. "Ah, you mean like, they can shoot as well as any guy from your part of America?" "Naw, I don't think any girl's that good." Deep down, though, his words were another sign of his one-sided view of women. To him, the opposite sex were all damsels who were meant to be protected and could not fight for themselves. He had been shown however, that there were some things women could do just as well as men, maybe better. Back home, his old neighbor Valerie was a visual stunner...and just as deadly with a six-gun. Hatsune had an excellent mind and fighting ability beneath that petite frame. And just a while ago, Shutani had shown that even women could be the best of swordsmen. As if voicing his thoughts, Yahiko said, "Well, Mizumo's pretty good and so's Shutani-san when it comes to swordplay." The American shrugged. "Houkiku, yeah I admit she's great. I've seen it. But this Mizumo I've yet to see." Yahiko leaned forward a little, rested his hands on his chin. "Trust me, Zan, she's REALLY good." "Especially when she uses her speed," Yahiko continued, "She's extremely fast, I just can't see how she's able to control it, it's like she can go through anything with her speed and swords. That's why I agreed to help her out with her shop, so she can teach me how to go that fast." Yahiko rested back a bit, "So Zan, how you with women? I mean, have you been able to charm women?" A smile folded out on the Gaijin Swordsman's face. Perhaps the kid was interested in someone after all. "Well...being a hero and all CAN make you a hit with the ladies. I should know." Yahiko looked up at him somewhat skeptically. Zan saw it, answered. "Yahiko, I never brag about something that I can't do or have never done before. That's the truth. You can believe me. The thing is, I never really tried." "Well, if you say so. So what's your secret?" "It depends. If you have to fight or speak in front of a lady, the secret's to carry yourself well and not to slip up. That might almost always earn you points with her. In my case, most of the women I've saved out of trouble, well, were impressed with the fighting skills I did before them." He paused, glanced at the youngster's interested face. Zan had a feeling he was looking to impress someone, without having to resort to combat. "Better give him advice there." Out loud, he said, "But let's say you see a girl you really like and want to get to know, you can walk up to her, kneel at her feet, assume your most flattering voice and say 'Hello ma'am. You've got a hero and you can call him Yahiko.'" The Samurai Gunman looked at the boy once more. "Got it?" Yahiko nodded, "Got it. Thanks Zan. I'll try it some time" He got up, ready to leave, besides, Mizumo might need him to help with the shop by now. *Plus* he thought, *I wonder if his tip would work.* "Ne, I'll see you later Zan, right now I have to go, bye." With that he ran off. *Now, to see if that tip would work, I want to try it on Tsubame, but I think I'll try it with Mizumo first." He then ran off towards the shop. Yahiko walked over to the gate as Zan relaxed, cracking his knuckles. "Hope that kid gets better luck than I did. Last time I used that, Hatsune laughed in my face." He waited for a few moments, then when the boy vanished from sight, he got up, brushing the leaves that had fallen on him during their conversation. After a good loosening stretch and a few jab punches into the air, Zan glanced up at the sky, which had darkened as he spoke with the boy. Almost immediately, he recalled that need for matches. "Better ask where I can get 'em." He walked out the garden, boots lightly treading on the grass, and into the dojo's premises. As he slid the shoji door open and made his way in, he brushed past Sanosuke Sagara. The taller but younger man said nothing, but the look in his eyes was none too friendly. Zan gave him a tight smile and got the same one in return. "And all because I bought that last sake bottle sometime ago." Right now, though, being civil was the best way to insure not to end up on the wrong end of the man's fists. The savory smell of fish being broiled wafted through the air. The Gaijin Swordsman briefly wondered if the person in charge of the mealtimes at this dojo was a decent one. He certainly hoped so. Most of the cheap inns he'd stayed at in the past weeks had acquired barely passing marks in his book. Rounding a corner, his eyes met Houkiku working at the stove. Zan recalled his manners, removed his hat and bowed. "Good evening, ma'am." She turned to look at him, returned his greeting with a nod. He replaced his hat, said. "Er, Ma'am Shutani, do you really think it's wise for you to be doing that right now? No offense one bit, but you did sustain a pretty bad slash a while ago." "I've had worse." She shrugged lightly; then lowered her voice a little. "And just between us, you don't want to get Kaoru's cooking on your taste buds." Zan folded his arms. "That bad?" "Do you think I'd be here at the stove if she wasn't?" He smiled. "Okay, I get the hint." He glanced back out towards the tree where he had taken up residence, looked back at Kiku. "It's gotten dark, ma'am. I was wondering if you happened to sell any matches at your store?" She wagged her head, eyes still fixed on the fish. "Sorry, no. I don't sell that kind of merchandise." Zan shrugged. Seemed like he'd have to try the local general store, where prices were torturously high for someone who had as meager funds as he did. "I see. Thank you anyway..." Kiku raised her head and cut him off, as if remembering something. "One of the other dojo residents does in a shop down..." * * * Mizumo glared down, took a broom and whapped it on the ground only to...miss squashing a roach, "ARGH!! DAMN THAT ROACH!!!" of all creatures, she hated rats and roaches and there is a roach in her store, "DAMN IT!!!" Yahiko walked in hearing a few crashes, *Must be after that roach again* he thought. He saw Mizumo looking at him, smiling, "Ototo! I'm glad you're here! Can you help me find that blasted roach," he heard her muttered, "Why, oh why, must these things happen to me?" Yahiko walked up to her, and using Zan's advice, knelt at her feet, saying in his most flattering voice, "Why sure ma'am, you've gotta hero and his name is Yahiko." Mizumo looked down at Yahiko, at first confused, then...laughing, "Yahiko! Where'd ya get that from!" She had to lean on table to keep from falling over, stopping suddenly as she saw Yahiko looking pretty red and mad. Yahiko stood and yelled, "Not funny!" he growled, "That Zan, I thought his advice would work!" "Ne, who's Zan?" Mizumo asked, passing the broom to Yahiko so he could sweep...and kill that roach. "Zan is the guy who taught me that approach, he's a gaijin too," Yahiko began to sweep, and succeeding in killing the roach that gave Mizumo an ache to catch. "A gaijin you say? No kiddin'," then she added, "Thanks for killing that cursed roach. So he's a gaijin, stayin' at the dojo?" "Yep." "How come I never met him?" "First off, you were practicing your skills, which reminds to make sure you teach me your speed, plus the fact you spend too much time here." "Hey, it's my store." Yahiko just shrugged. "Anyways, there's a few place in the back that I need you to take care of, can you do that for me?" "Yeah, yeah," Yahiko went to back of the shop, sweeping around. "Thanks ototo!" "Sure, whatever!" Mizumo looked around to make sure that everything was in place, "Now, for a customer...." * * * The freshly perforated rifleman crashed to his knees, two holes in his forehead, and fell forward clean off the roof, crashing into and upsetting a pile of trash boxes. Zan blew the smoke trailing from the Johnny No More's barrel and slipped it back into it's holster. That sniper had seriously thought he could get the drop on him. "The idiot was smoking. He was as visible as a mound of charcoal on a snowfield." Several steps later, a man burst out of the alleyway to his right, yelling insanely and bearing a naginata down towards Zan's head. A sidestep and a vertically upward slash from the Demonslayer, and the body collapsed in two, giving the ground and the nearest walls a new red paint job. "Rand's going to have to get some better thugs. He's wasting a sum paying these second-raters." Wiping the blood off on the would-be assassin's hakama, Zan shook his head in disgust. All he wanted was to buy a box of matches, and it seemed like these men were giving him a reason to buy a box for his funeral. Zan slowed his pace upon catching sight of the store. Just how Houkiku had described it. It was definitely bigger than hers. "And I'll bet there's a lot more to buy here. Hope they're friendly to gaijin." His hand pushed the door open, and he stepped in. It was a bit warmer in this shop as opposed to the early night cold. Taking a good look around, Zan caught sight of several antique arts, ranging from ingeniously crafted pieces of pottery to ancient Japanese paintings which he considered excellent enough to be placed in a museum instead of a shop. His view took in other things for sale, such as fishing hooks and lines, oil, baked and preseved fruits, and camping equipment. "Can't believe I came all this way, risking a sliced neck, just for a box of matches." When Zan lowered his eyes to normal sight level, standing before him was what looked like a smiling young man with long wavy hair the color of lilac and dark violet eyes. "May I help you?" Zan nodded and smiled back, pushing away his observation that the voice was feminine. "Like I told Yahiko, there are masculine women. Perhaps there are such things as feminine men." To the storekeeper, he said, "Good evening. How much for a box of matches?" "A box of matches is 10 yen" Mizumo picked up a box of matches. *Must be a gaijin* she thought, *No japanese has blond hair*. She handed him the matches, smiling at the gaijins' politeness, *I never knew gaijins' were polite...* The Gaijin Swordsman mentally scratched his head, trying to figure out if the person he was talking to was a guy or a girl. As the shopkeeper reached for the matches, Zan dug into his pocket and came up with the coin. "Thank God I didn't have to try the general store. Things seem to be cheaper here." They exchanged items and Zan gave one last glance around the store. "You've got a great shop here, y'know. A little advice: try selling those works of art on display to a museum. At least seven times out of ten, they'll accept it and you'll earn a lot from it." Mizumo thought about the advice and smiled, "I'll consider that. I hope you have a good night..." Zan tipped his hat a bit and before he leaves, turns around and says, "Good night young man." He stops as he noticed the shopkeeper turning pretty red, and giving him an VERY angry look.... Mizumo felt her temper going off the scale, "Young man? Did you call ME a young MAN!?!?" Zan realized it, the voice, the hair, all the smiles, the shopkeeper wasn't a he, he was SHE, but before he could say anything, the shopkeeper gave him a HARD punch to the gut while bellowing, "I AM NOT A 'YOUNG MAN'!!!! I HOPE THAT GETS THROUGH YOUR LITTLE GAIJIN BRAIN!!!!!!" Yahiko heard all the yelling and a loud thud, he dropped the broom and grabbed his bokken, "If it's a robber, I swear I'll..." he stops as he sees Mizumo standing over Zan, sprawled on the ground in pain, "Zan...? Ne-chan, that was the gaijin I was talking about, that's Zan!" "So this is ZAN!!!!" Mizumo yelled, glaring and pointing to the gaijin on the ground, "So this, this, IDIOTIC GAIJIN IS ZAN!!!!" Yahiko nodded, pointing to the word ZAN on the back of the gaijins' vest, then to Zan, he said, " Zan meet Mizumo, gee, I thought I warned you about mistaking her for a guy...." Zan coughed and painfully pulled himself up, waves of pain rippling through his stomach. "For a girl, she could punch an entire brick wall to the ground." Using the Demonslayer for support and his free hand over his injured area, he attempted to haul himself up and sputtered. "BUT I HAD NO IDEA WHO SHE WAS! IT'S NOT MY FAULT!!!". He collapsed back to the floor in a heap. Yahiko stepped forward to help him up, but he almost laughed when Mizumo leaped on his chest and began pummeling him somewhat childishly with little punches. "NO WONDER YOUR ADVICE TO OTOTO DIDN'T WORK! IF YOU'RE SO DUMB THAT YOU CAN'T TELL A GUY FROM A GIRL, YOU PROBABLY CAN'T EVEN TELL BLACK FROM WHITE! TAKE THAT! AND THAT! AND THAT!" The youngster looked over at Zan, and also felt like laughing. The American had a semi- horrified look on his face, and his hands were raised, futilely trying to fend off the enraged girl's punches. Yahiko realized that he would have to stop her. Mizumo had just given the fourteenth punch when Yahiko's hand landed on her shoulder. She turned her head. "WHAT?! I'M BUSY HERE!!!" Yahiko jumped back, spooked, but calmly said, "Come on Ne-chan, he's had enough torture. He didn't mean it, plus he's really a nice guy, come on...give him a chance." Mizumo glared back at Zan, then to Yahiko, then back to Zan. Finally, she got up, saying with a growling voice, "You're lucky Yahiko stopped me, you big, stupid gaijin." Zan took deep breaths, and finally stood up, the pain in his gut worse. He held up a coin and said, "I'd like to buy one of those pain ointments..." Mizumo, very quickly took the coin, and passed Zan one of the ointments, then, just to scare Zan a bit says, "You know, Yahiko, I think I've found a way to make more money." To Zan, she said, "If I hit you again..." Zan cringed away from her. Yahiko couldn't hold it in anymore, "BWAHAHAHAHA!!!" he finally released the laugh, Mizumo joining in. Mizumo looked at Zan, "What? 'Fraid that I'll hit you again?" She then put out her hand, "Look, I'm sorry..." Zan shook her hand, but winced as he felt her crushing his hand with her grip, she continued, growling, "...but if you ever, EVER mistake me for a guy again, I'll make sure that you end up in a HOSPITAL!" Mizumo let go of his hand, still glaring. The Samurai Gunman at last found a stable standing position where the pain wasn't too great. "Don't worry. I haven't exactly got a lot of yen to burn. I wouldn't even be able to pay for a room." He almost fell again, but Yahiko steadied him just enough to prevent that. Zan mumbled his thanks and smiled weakly. "Well, for a girl, you punch like a boulder, Miss Mizumo...." The lilac-haired girl gave him a look that was half-glare and half-smile. "My surname is Tuwaki. And don't you forget it." Yahiko tugged at Mizumo's sleeve. "Ne-chan, it's probably dinnertime by now at the dojo. We're all hungry, so let's go and eat." Mizumo nodded, put an arm around the boy's shoulders and scruffed his hair. "Okay Ototo. Funny that you're hungry, after I gave you that candy awhile ago." She looked at Zan. "Need anything else?" The Gaijin Swordsman shook his head in the negative, and she nodded in return. "Okay then. I'll be back." She went into a back room and sometime later, emerged with a katana and a wakizashi. Zan's eyes were instantly drawn to it. "Nicely made. Doesn't exactly look like anything I've ever seen." Mizumo saw his inquiring glance and said, "Oto-san", holding up the katana. She held up the short sword and said "Chibi Oto-san". She slipped them into her obi, continued. "Specially made for use only of those of my family." She gave Zan another glaring look. "Be thankful that all I did was punch you." As she went over to the shelves to put things away for the night, Zan craned his head to Yahiko's ear and muttered "You're right. She really is a girl trapped in a g..." Mizumo whirled, looking straight at him. If looks were gatling guns, Zan realized that he would have been Swiss cheese a second ago. He grinned, a drop of sweat rolling down his forehead. "...orgeous body!" Was it him or had the girl just blushed? *Gorgeous body?!* Mizumo felt herself turn red, *Did he say gorgeous body!?!*. She looked at him for a moment and smiled, then she muttered,looking down, "Why must these...nice things happen to me?" "Well? Come on, as Yahiko said we're hungry, right?" With that, she opened the door, waited for them to leave first, and when they did, she followed.... They were quiet for the first few minutes of the walk. The silence was uncomfortable, so finally, Yahiko decided to break it, "So...Mizumo, why don't you tell Zan about yourself?" Mizumo looked back to Yahiko then at Zan, and shrugged, "I'm currently a shopkeeper and I just want to find someone who...." She lowered her voice, "Took someone very important from me..." Zan noticed that her voice choked up a bit, as if it was painful for her to say that, "Ma'am, exactly, who was the one you lost?" Mizumo turned to face Zan, her face somewhat sad, "My father..." "Your father..." Zan echoed that last word, a sinking feeling welling up in his heart. He recognized the look in the girl's eyes. It was one of pain, longing, and desire of retribution for the perpetrator by her own hands. He knew it well and had seen it before...in his own eyes. So long ago, he had looked in the mirror just after his own father's death and saw those same eyes that were before him now. "Miss Tuwaki...how did he die?" The Gaijin Swordsman immediately felt guilty at asking such a thing, realizing that he sounded insensitive and callous. What was more, it was most likely a topic that had to mean a lot of grief for her. He could bet she wouldn't answer, probably wallop him again. Just to make sure, he added "It's fine with me, of course, if you don't want to answer. It's not my business to know anyway." He then gave Yahiko a withering look, somewhat angry at him for starting a conversation in the first place. To his surprise, her head came up a little and she spoke. "I don't know. My father was a Shogunate samurai, see. One night when I was thirteen, two of his friends came to me, saying he had been killed. It remains a mystery to me until now..." Her face darkened and she fell silent, as if unwilling to go on. And just then did Zan realize that there were others in the world who suffered more than he did at the death of a loved one. "My father didn't die a lonely death. He had me and many friends to bid him goodbye. I called my life a hard one, living with my father's death. Mizumo, her father was as close to her as mine was, and she has no idea on how or where he died. My life is a soft one by comparison." Zan extended a hand to place it on her shoulder but immediately thought better of it, lest she lash out with an iron fist. "Miss Tuwaki, almost all samurai are the most honorable of men. I'm sure your father was one of those, and I'm willing to bet he died just as honorably. Take solace in that thought. Might make you feel better." And then, Mizumo looks at him. "Thank you, your words make me feel better." she said quietly. She smiled, slightly, the words Zan had said touched her. *My father was honorable, but he still didn't deserve to die*. While lost in her thoughts, Yahiko interrupted, "Yeah um, Ne-chan, Zan we better get going." Mizumo snapped out of her thinking, "Yeah, we better get going, Kaoru might be sick with worry." With that she gave out a smile and began to walk... "Follow me, guys. We'll take a shortcut.", said Mizumo. Her finger came up and pointed off and Zan's eyes followed it down several alleyways. One could get lost easily if he was ignorant of the way out. Yahiko shrugged. "Fine. We'll get there that soon enough to prevent Sano from gorging on everything." The three of them walked down the poorly-lit alleyway, hearing the wind sigh to them, caressing their faces with it's cold fingers. Somewhere in the night, several alleycats were yowling, and were answered by a loud expletive from someone's mouth followed by a gunshot. Zan kept silent at first, pondering, then said, "Shotgun." Startled out of her thoughts, Mizumo looked at him. "What?" "Shotgun. That guy just got mad at a bunch of cats and fired a single-barreled ten-gauger.", Zan answered, shoving his hands into his pockets. Her eyes widened a little. "You can tell a gun from it's sound? That's great! How do you do that?" Zan shrugged carelessly. "Practice." Mizumo took a right turn down another alleyway and the other two followed. As they walked on past a building, Zan heard, or thought he heard, one of the side doors creaking open. He turned his head enough to see out the corner of his eye, spotting six men clad in scruffy hakamas, walking in their direction. He rolled his eyes. "I'm getting awfully tired of these coyotes." The Gaijin Swordsman's hands took Mizumo and Yahiko by the shoulders. "What's happening?", said Mizumo, attempting to get a look behind them. "No questions now. Just get moving, fast!" The three of them picked up their pace, but Zan noticed that the faster they walked, the men following them picked up their own pace and matched it with theirs. Mizumo looked up ahead. "The exit. A few more steps and we're home free." It was like a light at the end of a tunnel, the light coming from a nearby gaslight post. "C'mon hurry!", whispered Zan, realizing that these men weren't likely armed with guns, as they would have used them by now and shot all three of them in the back. Around ten steps away from the exit, three figures walked in and blocked out both the light and their path. Zan stopped as did Mizumo and Yahiko. Mizumo looked at the men before them, then turned and sighted the ones behind. "Dammit! Who are these guys?" Zan glanced at her out the corner of his eye. "Old friends." The thug in the middle of the six reached into his cloak and released a Chinese steel whip, looked over at Zan. "You're causing no end of trouble on us, gaijin. It's about time we take care of that." That man whistled, and at that signal, the two to his right drew simple clubs while the ones on his right slipped out katanas and wakizashis. "Great. More ronin." And the last three behind them drew revolvers and cocked them. "Nope, these ain't Rand's thugs. Just his buyers. Rand would have these amateurs shot." The Samurai Gunman looked over at Mizumo and Yahiko, whispered. "Listen up, you two. Once I'm all over these guys, you get running." Mizumo glared at him. "Are you out of your mind?" "No, I'm perfectly sane. I can more than deal with these guys and besides, this is my fight." said Zan. "Well, I consider it mine too! You think I'm some girly girl who can't protect myself? I'm probably a better a swordsman than you are!" She paused and looked down at the youngster. "Yahiko, I won't forgive myself if something happens to you. You get running." The boy folded his arms, wagged his head adamantly. "No way! I'm a Myojin and besides, you can't teach me your skills dead!" They probably would have argued further had the six men they were facing not begun to close in, the leader lashing his whip. "No time for that now." As if one, Zan released his sword and gun, while Mizumo drew her swords and Yahiko, his bokken. "Take 'em out. But watch out for the gunmen behind us.", said Zan. Mizumo looked up Zan, "Don't you wor-" she trailed off as she blocked a katana from slashing her head. She pushed back and in a few seconds the three ronin and her are locked in battle. Yahiko turned to help Mizumo but quickly had to defend himself. One of the guys with a club had almost smashed his head. The three gunslingers swept their firearms up, targeting Zan, and let fly with them. As the bullets raced towards him, the American flipped over one of the three, sword poised and thrust into it into his back. The slain gunman fell, revolver carelessly firing into the floor. His landing took himself in between the other two, so he rolled away from them and came up on one knee, fanning two shots. "These guys have no idea of what their guns can do. Had they known about fanning a revolver to result in rapid fire, I'd be running in search of cover." The first shot slammed into the one of the gunmen's right eye, dug through his brain and exited out the skull. That man opened his mouth in a silent scream and collapsed. Zan's second shot hit the other one's gun, sent it flying into the air and landing into a pile of waste. The man froze in shock, stared at Zan in disbelief. The Gaijin Swordsman came forward, looked at him. "Listen pardner, one more shot from me and you're history. Just give it up and you can live the rest of your life. Don't make me do it." Their eyes met, the punk's look challenging, and filled his hand with a hold-out dagger. The Samurai Gunman snorted. He could practically see that this man was scared out of his wits and wanted to run and yet some pride kept him going, as if thinking he could still bring Zan down. "Beat it, pal. You ain't worth my time." When the crook persisted in his pose, Zan fired a shot into the dust between the man's feet. Taking the hint, the man lost his nerve and ran off with out looking back. "He's gonna tell all his buddies about me and they'll think twice before messing around." Either that or it would just encourage more opponents. Zan whirled, scanning for Mizumo and Yahiko. Mizumo brought the ronin down and slashed him with her sword. Blood trickled down the body as the ronin falls. "That's for being a digraceful samurai," She turns her head and spots the leader with his two other ronin. One of the ronin jumped up and as he was about to slash her, she stuck her sword and the sword pierced through the ronin. *piece of cake* she thought. She turned to the leader, and pointed at him, "Now it's your turn to lose!" Then the leaders whip entangled her short sword, "Now who's gonna lose, boy!" the leader said, sneering. Mizumo fumed at being called "boy", but then, the other ronin was going to slash her! She blocked the strike, quickly, and kept trying to use her other sword, but it was still tangled. "Kuso.." she breathed, as if things didn't seem to be able to get worse, the ronin took out his short sword, and was going to slash her with what could be, a deadly blow. Mizumo couldn't block, she closed her eyes...awaiting what could be her demise... The next sound that filled her ears was a sword clashing against another. At the moment that Mizumo noticed she felt no blade slicing into her, she also heard a loud bang. She wondered who could have fired a gun. Zan or the gunmen? The lilac haired girl also realized that the dead seldom have time for such thoughts. She opened her eyes a crack, letting it fill her vision. What she saw was Zan, right before her in a defensive stance between her and the ronin, sword raised in an upward block. He had evidently leaped in the way and parried the incoming short sword slash that could have decapitated her. Mizumo noticed that the ronin was not moving. She looked at Zan and saw his gun was raised. Evidently he had just fired it. The ronin who would have been her killer had a small bloody hole on his stomach. The ronin's swords, as well as the owner, clattered to the floor as Zan looked over at the leader. "Her a boy? I'll have you know, pal, she's a lady." Mizumo watched as Zan's thumb recocked his gun. "And you don't wanna treat ladies bad with me around." "Let her go!" That yell was from Yahiko as he rushed at the leader. Zan noted that the two bludgeoneers who he had been fighting were now now taking a nice long nap, bulging bumps on their foreheads. Yahiko leaped into the air and came down with his bokken on the whip-lasher's head. The sound of wood crashing on bone was quite loud in the silent night. As the thug's free hand came up to poor his wound, the grip on the whip that kept Mizumo's katana arm entangled loosened. Mizumo's arm got free of the whip and she leaped in air, about to slash at the leader. The leader cracked his whip at her, but her sword slashed it in half. She landed in front of the leader, "Now to show you what kind of fighter I am!" The leader, seeing his weapon destroyed, began to flee. "Oh no you don't!" Mizumo yelled, using her speed to confront him. "Yella! Run in front of a lady, will you?!" Zan raised his gun and aimed it at the fleeing crook's left leg, but Mizumo running after him blocked his view. "Ah sh...!" He replaced his gun and gave chase as the gang leader fled with Mizumo hot on his heels, like a wildcat closing in on a deer. Like originally described by Yahiko, Mizumo was anything but very quick. "I'd hate to think what she'll do with that thug when she catches up." Zan somersaulted into the air, landed in front of the leader, who crashed into him and momentarily stumbled, but prevented from falling. The Samurai Gunman grinned, wagged a finger. "Going somehwere?" Wondering why a girl's voice had suddenly accompanied his, he looked to his right and saw Mizumo, impaling the man with a look that could have penetrated even Fort Knox. "He's in big trouble with her. And so is him with me." He clenched his fist, summoning a reserve of strength. The gang leader was too stunned to run, giving Zan the time he needed to focus. He then lashed out with an uppercut, knocking the man into the air. "DEMON UPPERCUT!" He found it odd that the man flew a little higher than others who had fallen victim to the same move, when he spotted Mizumo with her leg raised in a high kick. "No wonder. Double the hit, double the pain." To her he winked and smiled, and was promptly answered by a glare. "Thanks." Zan jumped into the air after the man, released the Demonslayer in a whirling arc of steel. A second later, and some of the the man's blood rained down on the ground. The Gaijin Swordsman rolled, landed on his feet in a crouch and slowly replaced his sword into its' scabbard. When he turned, he spotted Mizumo with her short sword drawn, looking up at the falling gang leader's body. It could have hit the ground with sickening force, had Mizumo suddenly not extended the wakizashi and impaled the fallen man on it. Zan grinned. "Smokin'." He walked over to Mizumo and Yahiko, brushed some lint of his vest. He stared down at the gang leader's body, that now had a slash mark across his stomach and a thrust mark below his heart. "Is he dead?" The violet eyed girl spat him with a glance designed to freeze a desert. "I hope not. I impaled him just below his heart, so he shouldn't die. But when you just butted in and slashed him in mid-air, I wouldn't be surprised if he is!" Her fist tightened and she drew it back. "I should..." "Whoa, cool down, ma'am. Look at the mark I made. I didn't aim for anything vital. There's no reason he should be dead.", said Zan. Mizumo gritted her teeth. "But you stole my attack! He was mine! I hope you like a trip to the doctor's..." She could have lashed out and broken some of Zan's teeth, had not Yahiko's hand landed on hers, and his other hand on Zan's arm. "Ne-chan, Zan, that was absolutely cool! You two make a great team!" Simultaneously, the rebel and the gaijin glanced down at the boy. "What?" Yahiko's eyes brightened, he was even jumping a little. "I really mean that! You two were great!" Mizumo's mouth hung open as Zan gave her a raised eyebrow. "Admit it, Miss Tuwaki." At length, she smiled slowly, reached out and patted Zan's shoulder. "You know, maybe you're not as stupid as I thought." Zan grinned. "I ain't, boy. And don't you forget it." He recalled right away what had happened to him almost an hour ago. Immediately he raised a hand in apology... A loud smash filled the alleyway. * * * They were back at the Dojo. Despite Kaoru's questions to what took them so long, they made an excuse that Mizumo needed extra help around the shop. Zan was still wincing from the pain in his gut and Mizumo still gave him a 'say one bad thing about me, I'll kill you' look. Zan was going to be careful about what he says towards this lady. After a scolding from Kaoru, they were able to get dinner. Sano, who knew very well about Mizumo's temper, stayed a good distance away from her. Mizumo grinned, but glared at Zan, *He better know by now my temper or else...* she cracked her knuckles. Kiku had made an exceptional meal. Fish, noodles, sushi, and curry. Mizumo was starved and so were Yahiko. "Yum... Houiku this is great!" she exclaimed after taking her first bite. Kiku nodded, "Thank you Mizumo-san." Mizumo noticed Zan outside, under a tree and alone. Mizumo could feel another guilt trip forming in her. She hated seeing people alone, it made them seem...lonely. She excused herself from table, getting her plate, and walked outside. Zan didn't notice her until he heard her voice, "Hey Zan, want some company?" He looked up at her and grinned a bit, "What? Still want to give another punch to the gut?" "Naw, I thought you made some company," Mizumo sat down next to Zan, "So Zan, tell me, what brings you here?" Zan had to blink a little to realize he wasn't alone, and that the fish he had been chewing in his mouth had been there for almost two minutes. The Gaijin Swordsman moved a little to his left to give space to Mizumo and gulped down the food before answering the girl. He looked over at her. "I don't mean to be rude, but what brings YOU all the way here?" He reached for a piece of sushi. "Don't want to pick on Sagura, so you've found someone new to beat up in me?" She smiled, her lips slowly moving in rhythm with the sushi in her mouth. "Nope. First of all, it's not my nature to leave someone by his lonesome self. And two, I'm just naturally curious about you, that's all." Zan sighed. "Okay. Good enough." He adjusted his sitting position enough to face her. "What do you prefer? Why I'm in this Dojo or why I'm eating under this tree alone?" Mizumo smiled. "Why not both?" "Well okay." He raised a chopstickful of noodles to his mouth, chewed on it. "Why I'm in this Dojo is easy. Y'see, I'm sure you've heard of recent attacks from anti-Meiji factions on government-owned facilities?" "Yeah. It seems to get worse everyday." said Mizumo. "That's right. Anyway, I'm convinced that there's a cartel of foreign gunrunners out there who's supplying these fanatics with moden Western weaponry. If I can break that organization, then I can stop these attacks. That's why I'm in this town right now, because majority of their activities happen here." "In addition," he continued. "There've been murders in the past weeks, seemingly without reason. The government has announced a reward for the capture or kill of this assassin. I'm after that money because I need the funds to return to America." Mizumo leaned forward interestingly. "Why's that?" Zan stopped himself before spilling the beans. "Because... it's been quite a while since I've been home. Anyway, I ended up staying in this Dojo just a few hours ago when I helped Shutani out against a bunch of crooks, who I'm absolutely sure are connected with those arms dealers. I can see quite a lot of people to help and to help me in my mission. That's why I chose to work with the residents of this Dojo, but she set me up here instead of some nearby inn." He savored another piece of sushi. "And about why I'm under this tree, well, I...just like it." Mizumo's eyebrow came up. "What you think that just because Sano wants to beat you up and a few of the others are suspicious of you because of your nationality, we won't enjoy your company?" Zan looked up but said nothing at first. When he did speak, he said, "Nice guess, and it's very near the answer. I just don't want to offend anyone in there. A lot of Japanese, no offense by the way, are very skeptic of us gaijin." Mizumo shook her head. "Not totally. Look, Houkiiku may seem cold and all, but I'm sure she's grateful for you having helped her out, despite the fact that she dislikes gaijin. Sano, maybe if you'll just stick around more, he'll get used to you. Kenshin is very tolerant of others. In your case, I don't think it would matter to him that you aren't Japanese. And lastly, remember that Yahiko said that he likes you." "Zan, I know that I treated you badly earlier, but I think you're a nice guy....once you don't call me a guy. You should trust people and be able to make friends, no matter what they think of you. Trust me, it helps." Mizumo smiled, "Just try and not think about what others think of you, there are japanese, such as those of the dojo, that see past skin color and nationality." Mizumo put a hand on Zan's shoulder, "Now come on, let's eat inside." Mizumo lifted herself up then extended a hand and took Zan's, helping him up. "By the way, you feeling better?" Zan ran a hand over his chest, smiled when he felt nothing. "Yeah. Gotta commend you for a great ointment. It worked. Just don't hit me again, okay?" Her smile mirrored his. "Don't call me a guy and I won't give need to buy another ointment. Deal?" The American nodded. "It's a deal." Once they were inside, everything else turned out fine. The food was great and Mizumo was in a cheery mood. Sano glared at Zans' direction, it went away as Zan told a joke, "How many government officials does it take to change a kerosene lamp?" Everyone's eyes in the room fell on him, and gamely became silent as just about everyone pondered as to the answer. After a while, Yahiko asked. "I dunno, Zan. How many?" Zan grinned. "NONE! If the room's dark, no one can see them taking bribes!" Everyone burst out laughing including Sano. Mizumo glanced over in Zans' direction and smiled, it seemed that everything with turn alright with this gaijin, *If...he remembers our deal...* * * * [End Part 1]