Late evening

Milon was sitting behind his desk, calmly awaiting the arrival of his final guests. Currently present were four of the higher ranking individuals within The Guild, with two more to arrive within the next few minutes. Milon sat confidently, knowing that within this room were some of the most dangerous men and women in all of Brightsand, perhaps even the region. What really made him comfortable was knowing that they all worked for him.

They all stood about the room, waiting for Milon to begin. Standing closest to his desk was a man, a huge bald headed and dark skinned man. He wore a simple green tunic and cloak, neither of which did too good of a job at masking his massive build. This was Seth, head of security within the Guild, and as far as Milon could tell, the largest man he had ever seen in his life.

Behind Seth stood two women, the Sisters. Milon did not know whether or not the two were actually related or not, but even he had to admit that there was an odd resemblance between the them. They looked so similar, yet on the same hand, so different. One wore red armor and had long, green hair, while the other wore green armor set off by her long, red hair. It was also an irritating quirk of theirs that they also happened to sound almost exactly alike, and even acted the same at times. Even Milon had trouble telling them apart, but the one in red armor was Lexa, and the one in green was Landra... or at least he thought so... regardless, they were two of the most sought after assassins within The Guild, usually working as a team, but just as efficient while solo.

The last man was a thin individual with his long, dark hair pulled back into a ponytail, wearing a simple navy blue outfit covered by a dark, hooded cloak. He was grinning broadly, as Milon had come to expect from Mongona Savonja, known throughout The Guild as Mongo. He and Milon were pretty good friends, in fact one of the only people working for him that he actually considered a drinking buddy. He and Mongo spent many late nights drinking and wenching in taverns throughout Brightsand -usually, it was Mongo who carried him home after having a little too much to drink. Mongo earned his keep around The Guild, pulling some of the more amazing jobs in the past -he was a smooth talker, a level headed thinker, and quite the lady killer -the latter being literal on a number of occasions. 'A true whore of a man', Milon often called him.

A smile crossed Milon's lips as the door to the office slowly opened, announcing the arrival of the two final guests. Reuben and Lamiki didn't say a word as they entered the room and stood with the others around Milon's desk.

He wasted no time. "Takamoto has called in a favor, and we're in no position to refuse," Milon made known. It was a point that didn't have to be made -every one of the higher-ups within The Guild knew exactly who Takamoto was, and the debt that they owed her. Or, at least Dural Gandeus, the Guildmaster and Milon's father, owed. While the details of the whole affair were never really discussed, most knew that Takamoto had done Gandeus several favors years ago, and in fact had saved his life. Or, at least so the rumors went. Many rightfully assumed that there was much more going on than was being said, considering the urgency that would be placed on a situation by the mere mention of the name. Truth be told, not even Milon knew the extent of the whole Takamoto affair. This situation was no different.

"So where exactly does this leave us?," Seth wondered, rubbing his large hand across his scalp. "From what we've always been told, we don't have much time to act."

Milon nodded. If Takamoto's messenger was there that evening, then it could be expected that it would be 24 hours (at most) before a ship would be docked in the Brightsand harbor waiting for them. "That's the purpose of this little meeting, we need to decide who's going, and who stays. As much as I would like to send in all of you, we have to remember that we do have business to attend to here." Milon's gaze fell on Seth. "I'm going to need you to step up security, seeing as we won't be at full strength here," he informed him. "Also, I'm a little disturbed that none of your men seemed to notice Takamoto's messenger walking right into my office," he added, a hint of agitation present. "See to it that nothing like that ever happens again."

Milon returned to the business at hand, leaving Seth to sit and fume for the moment. "Reuben, you know the Shinkyo area better than any of us, so you will be leading this team. Mongo and the Sisters will go with you. Lamiki, I need you to stay here and keep an eye on this whole Lily-ninja situation in case things get out of hand. Seth, I need six of your best men to go with them, providing that you can assure me that it will not be a strain on security at the Guildhouse."

Seth slowly nodded. "Done," he remarked, half growling.

"I've already sent a messenger down to the docks, so we'll know the moment that ship arrives," Milon added. "In the meantime, wrap up your immediate affairs, and be back here as soon as possible. You are dismissed."

* * * * * * *

"Hot damn, we're going to Shinkyo!"

Reuben laughed to himself at Mongo's eagerness as he shut Milon's door behind him. Standing around outside of his office were Lamiki, the Sisters, Mongo, and himself. Seth had stormed out of the area in a fit of swearing immediately following the meeting. "Do remember," Reuben reminded him, "...that we probably won't have much time to do anything but Takamoto's wishes."

Mongo shrugged. "Who's to say they won't involve rice wine and some of the local ladies?," he wondered with a grin. "I hear those Shinkyo chicks can get kinda kinky. I think they'd go for a little foreign loving... hey Reub, what was it you said they'd call an outsider like me?"

"Gaijin," Reuben answered. "Among other things," he added with a smirk.

"After a couple shots of rice wine," Landra interrupted, "...even I would sleep with you, Mongo."

"...much less some skinny, naive peasant girl who's only sexual experience has been watching chocobos breed...," Lexa added. "I don't think even you would have trouble finding company for the evening."

"Hrmph." Mongo grinned once more. "You're just jealous because I sleep with more women than you."

All speaking suddenly stopped at the sound of shattering glass coming from one of the rooms. Without a word, all five bolted down the hallway towards the room from which the sound had come.

* * * * * * *

Lily involuntarily screamed at the sound and sight of her window being kicked in by a man dressed in black swinging from the rooftop, who, despite his entrance, managed to land gracefully in the middle of her floor. Before the broken glass had even settled on the ground, the stranger grabbed her wrist with one hand, and quickly swept his mask off with the other.

"MANI!"

Lily immediately threw her arms around him and hugged him harder than she had ever hugged anyone in all of her life. Her eyes wet with tears, she could only manage to repeat his name slowly in her current emotional state.

Mani returned the hug, but only for a moment. "We gotta get out of here," he calmly reminded her, motioning towards the window. Lily nodded and quickly grabbed her things from the dresser top (luckily she did not unpack, and all of her belongings were still in her bag) and ran over towards the window shortly before the door to her room was slammed open by several of The Guild's guards. Mani tossed out several small metallic objects to the ground among the guards before bolting towards the window, grabbing Lily in one arm, and diving right out of the window. Lily screamed once again as she recalled that she was on one of the higher floors of the guildhouse, but soon fell silent as she realized that Mani had caught the rope he had used to swing in with his other hand. The two arced dangerously far from the guildhouse and were about to smack into the wall had Mani not put out his legs to catch them. Lily immediately made her way onto his back and held on for dear life as her savior began to climb onto the rooftop.

Inside, Lamiki disregarded the guards screaming on the ground and ran into the room, stepping squarely on several of the caltrops Mani had left behind. She immediately went down in a screaming heap on the ground, cursing loudly as she began pulling the spiked balls from her sandaled feet. She was followed closely by Reuben, Mongo and the Sisters, who wisely ceased before stepping into the trap.

"Rooftop," Reuben quickly remarked, running towards the stairs with the others close behind.

Upon arrival, the four found several unconscious guards lying about, and two figures leaping from rooftop to rooftop in the distance. Reuben quickly motioned for Lexa and Landra to go after the two, who hastily complied and were soon in full pursuit.

"You check on Lamiki," he commanded, looking at Mongo. "If Milon asks what's going on, tell him I'm bringing back the girl and the ninja." Before Mongo could ask questions, Reuben was off like a shot back down the stairs.

* * * * * * *

Mani risked a quick glance over his shoulder, fully aware of the two figures closing in on them. Lily also seemed to notice, and was trying her best to pick up the pace -after the initial shock of being dangerously high above the streets of Brightsand wore off, leaping from rooftop to rooftop wasn't all that hard. The two came upon the next jump, which unfortunately was a little wider that most of the previous ones.

Lily took a deep breath. With a running start, she took a bold leap over the edge, her legs flailing madly in the air until she landed. Mani didn't seem to have as much trouble leaping across, and landed almost gracefully beside her a moment later. He took another glance over his shoulder, and reached out to take Lily by her hand, as he had been since this began.

Unlike the previous times, however, she never took it.

Mani turned to see Lily down on her knees, gasping for air between painful sounding coughs. He immediately dropped down to the ground beside her, reaching to take her into his arms and carry her for the rest of the escape. Unfortunately, he knew that she would have to wait when he noticed a dark figure leaping onto a neighboring rooftop some distance away. Realizing that they wouldn't get very far with someone so close to them, Mani dove over to the next rooftop, katana in hand, fully intent on killing this man as soon quickly as possible. As soon as he landed, Mani sliced down with a slash that would have ended most men's lives instantly.

He was caught a little off-guard when the man caught his katana between his palms, and was a little winded when he was kicked square in the stomach afterwards.

There was a loud clang as he dropped his katana and went down. Reuben turned his attention away from Mani, currently rolling on the ground and gasping for air. He turned and looked onto the neighboring rooftop, noticing that Lily was back on her feet and watching, fear etched across her face. Reuben looked in Mani's direction for one last time before he prepared to leap across, not expecting in the least to find the young ninja back on his feet. Not only that, but it appeared that one of his hands was glowing with dark energy.

"KOKURYUU-REPPA!!"

The words cut through the nighttime air like the katana he carried as Mani slammed his fist into the ground. The rooftop shook with the force of the punch, and before Reuben knew it, the ground beneath him suddenly gave way as he and Mani fell through.

* * * * * * *

"You've got a severe beating coming to you, boy..."

Reuben wasn't in the best of moods, as can be expected from a man who had just fallen through the roof and onto the floor. As he slowly picked himself up, he realized that he had been standing on the rooftop of an inn -it was a fairly fancy setup, but luckily it was an unoccupied room. <The penthouse suite>, he thought, pausing for a moment to dust himself off. Mani was lying on a pile of wood and feathers that used to be a bed some distance away, and was also beginning to stir.

Neither party was really as hurt as they appeared to be, because as Reuben came within range, Mani leapt at him. Reuben, however, quickly retaliated by catching him by his neck and slamming him into a wall. Mani struggled up until being slammed into a neighboring wall. Mani looked as if he was about to try something else, which was probably what pushed Reuben over the edge.

"CUT THIS KAMI-KAZI CRAP OUT NOW!!!," he roared, slamming him into a neighboring wall with every few syllables. Reuben suddenly let go and began to pummel the young ninja with a serious volley of punches. Mani could only wince repeatedly as the man's fists battered him like a punching bag at disturbing rate of speed. The last blow landed him back-first through the window, bleeding and half-dead -the only thing keeping him from painting the sand red with his blood was Reuben's death-grip on his collar.

From his position, Mani had a clear view of the rooftop across the street. Lily had not gotten very far -the two they were fleeing from early had caught up with her, and was holding Lily between them. The last thing Mani had a clear view of was Reuben's fist slamming into his face and sending him into unconsciousness.

* * * * * * *

When Mani finally woke up, he felt like he had just been beaten half to death by an ogre carrying a sack of bricks -his head throbbed, his ribs hurt, and every muscle in his body felt like it was bruised. With a loud groan, he pulled the covers back over his head.

<Covers? Wait a second... where the heck am I?!>

Mani quickly sat up in the strange bed, immediately trying to take in his surroundings in an effort to determine his location. He was lying in a bed in a dark room somewhere -a quick glance under the covers showed that his shirt had been removed, giving him a clear view of the bandage wrapped around his ribs. Apparently, someone had taken him in after the fierce beating he received on the rooftop. Immediately upon thinking back to that incident, he suddenly realized that something else was terribly wrong.

"Lily..."

"She's fine," came a voice from the darkness. Mani slowly turned, and noticed for the first time two figures standing near the bed. The first he recognized as the man that he had fought with on the roof. The second was a younger man with red hair, a rapier hanging at his side. "I decided against having your two mage friends come here and fix you up," the red haired man added. "That red head is a feisty one -I don't think she would have come here without a fight."

Mani sat silent for a moment. Obviously this man was hinting in a not so subtle matter that he knew more about him and his friends than Mani would liked for him to have. "So I suppose I have you to thank for still being alive, Mr...?" Mani paused again, awaiting the name of the man whom he had a feeling he would probably have to kill somewhere down the line.

"Gandeus. Milon Gandeus."

Mani gazed about the room, noticing that the man from the rooftop was watching him like a hawk, probably ready to beat him senseless again if he so much as breathed funny. It was obvious that they didn't want him dead, at least not yet. "I don't suppose I could see Lily," he absently hoped, turning his attention back to Milon.

The red haired man shook his head. "That depends on how you answer my next question, Mani." He stepped a little further out of the shadows, and began to pace about slowly before the bed. Mani tried to keep his gaze fixed on him, but soon discovered that his neck didn't like the idea of moving. "I've got a small favor to ask of you..."

Mani glared slightly. That usually translated into 'I've come to make you an offer you can't refuse'...

"A situation of sorts has come up in Shinkyo," Milon began, continuing his slow pacing before the bed. "All you really need to know is that I've been asked to send a few people to assist an associate of ours there. Tell me Mani, have you ever been to Shinkyo?"

"Can't say that I have."

Milon nodded. "Then I'm here to offer you the opportunity to travel there. All you have to do in return is whatever our associate there says."

"I see..."

Milon suddenly stopped pacing and fixed his gaze onto Mani. "You'll have the opportunity to inform your friends that you may be away for some time. I can assure you that no harm will come to them while you are away." Mani sat silent for a moment. "Oh, and I'll spare you the overdramatics," Milon added. "I'm sure you know exactly what will happen should you decide not to accept my offer..."

A threat. With just a sentence, this man had jumped from Mani's 'Deserves Death' classification to 'Needs to Die Horribly and by my Hands' grouping.

"Subtlety's a fine art, Milon," Mani remarked. "You really should look into it."

"I prefer to get my point across with as little confusion as possible." Milon motioned for the man from the rooftop towards the door. "I'll give you a moment to think about it," he remarked, opening the door to exit.

He wasn't a step outside when he heard Mani speak. "Don't bother. There's no choice to be made."

Milon smiled. "I'm glad you see things my way."

"Milon?"

There was a brief pause as Milon stepped back into the room. "Yes?"

"The only thing more dangerous than a man with nothing to lose is a man with everything to gain." His eyes narrowed slightly. "Should I come back and find that I've lost my friends, revenge will be the only thing that has meaning to me."

Milon stood for a moment in silence, his gaze fixed on the young ninja. Without a word, he slowly walked from the room, the door shutting behind him with a soft click.

"Crap..." Mani sighed deeply. He really didn't care for how things were beginning to shape up in Brightsand.