He had only gotten to spend an hour with her before he was bound for Shinkyo, and it left significantly more questions than answers.

There was a lot of silence between Mani and Lily as they sat in the darkness of the room within the Guildhouse. Neither could begin to assume what the other was thinking -Mani held Lily in his arms, absently rubbing part of her long, black hair, as Lily sat with her arms around his waist, her head lying gently on his chest. They sat on her bed for what seemed like hours, but both knew that it couldn't have possibly been that long.

"Why did you come here?" There was no anger in Mani's voice.

Lily sat silently. She had so much to tell him, but knew that she wouldn't be able to explain it all in what little time they had together. "I had to see you again," she finally answered, her voice barely over a whisper.

Mani didn't know exactly what to say. The answer seemed satisfactory enough, but still left questions. "I missed you," he slowly remarked. It was the only thing he could think of, but it didn't mean it was insincere. Lily's grip tightened around his waist.

"I have something I have to tell you."

Mani looked down as Lily looked up, their emotional gazes meeting. He heard something in her voice that gave him a slightly uneasy feeling.

For the vast majority of the ship ride to Shinkyo, Mani had been standing alone on the deck of the ship, absently staring out into the Nuian ocean, quietly mulling over the fickle nature of fate. Fate had been having a field day with his emotions of late -he had been on an emotional roller coaster for as long as he could remember. He honestly couldn't recall a time when he was actually at peace with himself. Fate had some awful mood swings, he thought.

A woman. Fate was definitely a woman.

He laughed dryly to himself at his revelation, silently wishing one of his friends were around for him to share it with. There was much on Mani's mind, and he hated the fact that he had no one to share it with. He usually did keep his feelings on the inside, but at this point he was ready to make an exception. He was currently experiencing something totally alien to him, feelings that he could not begin to describe. There was uncertainty, but it wasn't fear -he had his bouts with fear, and knew exactly how that felt. This, was something different -its presence was constant, like that of fear, but this was more of a feeling of dread, and knowing that there was nothing that he could do about it.

Was it 'despair'?

He was worried about Lily, more than he had ever been ever since their conversation back at the guildhouse. He felt that he knew her quite well; consequently, he also knew when she wasn't telling him everything. She had never lied to him, but he knew that there was something more going on than she had let on.

"Mani... I'm sick..."

Just thinking about her words gave him an uneasy feeling. Lily had assured him that it wasn't very bad, but her voice... even if he was wrong, Mani knew he had to get back to Brightsand. Eric had assured him that he would check on Lily every chance he got -regardless, he wouldn't be at ease until he and his friends were on a ship, and Brightsand was a fading dot on the horizon...

Milon's death would be a plus, but wasn't essential.

"Damn it all to hell..." Mani took one last look at the ocean before deciding to return to his cabin. "I hate being used." Being used was bad enough, but the fact that he was being kept away from Lily because of it... it was enough to make him want to dive into the ocean and vainly attempt to swim back to Brightsand.

Vainly.

Reuben had been a constant presence in his face ever since he and the other Guildsmen and women boarded the mysterious vessel that had docked in Brightsand 's harbor when this whole situation began. It was a little odd -Mani half expected to be harassed constantly on the trip (which would have been a convenient reason for him to start killing people), but found instead that he was being treated with what loosely could have been interpreted as respect. Mongo often relayed stories of he and Milon's drunken bar-hopping evenings back in Brightsand, treating Mani almost like a drinking buddy. Lexa and Landra both seemed a little distant at times, but the two sisters at least acknowledged his presence.

Then there was Reuben.

The strange man often spoke of years spent traveling -he spoke long about a city called Evergreen, and would absently wonder from time to time how Shinkyo had changed since he was last there. Mani never said much during these conversations; smile and nod was the policy he had adopted. Regardless of how friendly Reuben was trying to be, he knew that the man probably had orders to beat him soundly should Mani try something

No need to temp the fates any more. They were pissed enough at him as is.

* * * * * * *

Hours, days, weeks, it really didn't matter. What did matter, however, was that the voyage to Shinkyo was finally over.

Mani had to do a double take once he stepped out onto the deck of the ship -for a split second, he honestly believed that he had gone through some sort of warp into Feudal Japan. It wasn't until he saw the strange Imp step off of the ship when he remembered that he was on Nu.

It was early dusk from what he could tell. Several young men in damp, light clothes worked on the soaked, wooden dock area, most of whom were hauling in fish from one of the vessels. In the distance against the setting sun, Mani could not help but notice several ornate and beautiful pagodas peeking over the skyline, each a testament to a culture that he thought only existed on Earth. This wasn't the first time he had been hit with that sort of culture shock -he remembered a time when Lily once told him of where she had grown up, and it sounded remarkably similar. It was a weird feeling, knowing that through some strange turn of events, cultures on totally different worlds could develop in such a remarkable way. Mani cast a quick glance towards one of the dock hands to test a theory.

"|Good evening|," he greeted.

The dock hand smiled and nodded. "|Good evening, sir. Welcome to Shinbi.|," he responded before turning his attention back to the fish.

Egad. They spoke Japanese, too.

His thoughts were interrupted as he saw the Commoner step forward, and motion for the group to follow. Their strange blue-skinned guide hadn't said two words since they met him in Brightsand, and it didn't seem as if that was about to change now. He wore a pair of baggy navy blue pants tied in closely at his ankles, a black cloth belt around his slender waist. His lean, muscled bare arms were made apparent by his sleeveless shirt, and despite his size, the Mystic looked as if he could hurt something with relative ease.

No one said a word as the Mystic led them off of the docks, and towards the streets. Several fishermen unknowingly were standing in the way of their guide, and immediately upon noticing his presence, hastily moved to the sides. After a brief walk, the Guildsmen and women came across three chocobo-drawn carriages, and were instructed (or at least motioned to) by their Mystic guide to board. Mani had hoped to end up in a relatively empty carriage, but soon saw that he had not only been followed by Reuben and one of the Brightsand crew, but also the Commoner. Mani sighed deeply as he sat down and fixed his gaze out of the window. With a 'Wark' from the bird, and a slight jerk from the carriage, they were off.

* * * * * * *

"So isn't anyone going to tell us what's going on?"

Mani cast a quick glance at the Guildsman, who had been introduced to him earlier as being Wesland, before returning his gaze to the window. Reuben turned towards the thin, dark-haired lightly bearded young man and shook his head. "You'll find out when the rest of us do," he answered simply.

Wesland's face twisted as if he had just been force-fed a lemon. "You may be happy being out here, Reuben," he began. "But personally, I don't like being sent to the far stretches of Nu because some chick..."

"...You will refer to her as either Lady Takamoto or Takamoto-san," Reuben interrupted. His eyes met with Wesland's. "She is not 'some chick', and should not be addressed as such."

Reuben's eyes narrowed slightly when Wesland began to bow in a hasty and mocking matter. "Sorry to offend you, Reuben-san," he responded, his voice twisted into a bad impersonation of a Shinkyoian accent.

"You haven't offended me, Wesland. But I can't speak for our hosts." Reuben gave a slight nod with his head in the direction of the Mystic. Mani glanced at the Mystic, who hadn't shown any sign of understanding the conversation. He wasn't even paying attention to what was being said.

"I don't think this guy even knows what we're talking about." Wesland shrugged. "Hell, I could say that his mother was a whore..."

Reuben slowly shook his head as a thin smile worked its way to his lips. "Lahz has killed entire families for much less than that," he remarked. He turned towards the Mystic and smiled. "Haven't you, Lahz?"

"I have," the Commoner slowly remarked, not even bothering to look at the two-shades paler Wesland. "I'd elaborate, but the smell of your friend's vomit would only spoil my appetite." He then stared right into Wesland's eyes for several tense moments before slowly looking away.

"|Any idea what's for dinner?|," Mani casually wondered. He was tired of being in the background. Besides, it was a legitimate question.

Lahz seemed to ponder the question for a moment. "|Roasted chocobo, for all I care. I'm about sick of sea rations.|"

There was a brief pause as they heard Wesland mumbling something under his breath about people 'not having the balls to say something to his face'. While Reuben and Lahz ignored it, Mani felt compelled to speak.

"We were just commenting on how you're a little edgy because you left your beloved sheep back at Brightsand..."

Reuben would have laughed if he didn't have to put up a hand to restrain the irate Wesland, who looked as if he was ready to kill Mani. Reuben never laid a hand on the man, but just by him pointing was enough to deter Wesland. Mani smirked at the young man, who sneered in response. "That's right, get it out of your system you two," Reuben calmly stated, looking between them. "See to it that nothing like that happens in Lady Takamoto's presence." There was an awkward silence as he sat back in his seat, paying close attention to the two. He didn't like to pull rank, but would if need be. Lahz just sat back with his arms crossed, not paying attention to either of the two in particular. Wesland and Mani sat back in their own seats, the Guildsman's harsh glare meeting with the ninja's grinning face. Mani didn't exactly like being stared at, in fact, it was one of a few things that truly annoyed him. And it looked like Wesland wasn't about to turn away anytime soon.

"_Baaaa..._"

Lahz actually laughed as Wesland shot up again, only to be put back in his place by Reuben. Mani, in the meantime, leaned back further in his seat and closed his eyes, seemingly unconcerned. He just wanted to get this thing over with, the sooner the better.

* * * * * * *

The doors to Takamoto's Pagoda were thrown open immediately upon the arrival of the three carriages. Mani didn't have much time to look at the outside of the pagoda (which he could at least tell was huge) before Lahz began to lead the group inside. Two large statues of dragons seemingly guarded the door to the place, the unflinching sentinels of gold looking as if they were ready to pounce on command. Lahz led the group through the massive doorway and inside. The Commoner moved silently over the long, red carpet, paying no heed to the black-clad spear-bearing guards standing every few steps. The Guildsmen and women followed closely behind, unhindered by the unflinching guards. Lahz continued his silent advance, leading the others to another chamber ('room' would not be an apt description, for the word failed to encompass the sheer massiveness of it). In the center of it was a long, low table of pure jade, the ends trimmed in gold. Oddly enough, there looked to be just enough seats for them to sit comfortably. Lahz made a motion with his hand, then walked out of the chamber. Moments later, the door closed behind him.

"I think he wants us to sit down," Mongo commented.

"You think?," Landra sarcastically responded as she and the others began to take their seats around the table. Mani noticed that most of the Guildsmen and women were watching him and Reuben as they sat down -apparently, they had just become the Shinkyoian custom experts. Mani grinned to himself as he took his seat, bowing down low on his end of the table. Looking up, he realized that several others were following his lead. Mani then stood back to his feet, stifling a snicker as he saw several others do the same. He then stretched for a second, before suddenly dropping into a full split in front of his seat. He drew several shocked stares from his action -the men looked downright horrified.

Reuben slowly shook his head. "People, just sit down."

No sooner than they sat down, the twin doors at the back of the chamber were opened. Two of the spear-bearing black-clad guards stepped inside first, immediately taking positions on either side of the doors. Directly behind them were two more figures -one was Lahz, who stood to the rear of other. The final figure was a tall and slender woman, clad in a crimson kimono, a massive black dragon embroidered upon it. The silken material gave the impression that she was clad in a robe of blood, further emphasized by the paleness of her complexion -her face was smooth, like porcelain, and made to be a ghostly shade of white. Her long, ebony hair was pulled atop her head, held in place by two sharp, almost blade-like rods. The woman's dark eyes regarded those present for a moment, before she bowed her head ever-so-slightly.

"Takamoto-san," Reuben respectfully greeted, bowing from his seat. The rest of the Guildsmen and women took the hint and bowed also.

"You honor my home with your presence," Lady Takamoto began, her voice devoid of anything that could be interpreted as emotion. She spoke with a slight accent, but no one had any trouble understanding her. "Because you have come such a long way, you will be allowed to indulge yourselves in Shinbian pleasures for the evening. We will discuss your duties in the morning." Just as suddenly as she arrived, Lady Takamoto turned and departed from the chamber, followed closely by her entourage of Lahz and the two guards. Before the doors closed, several serving girls entered the chamber, a number of trays of food in hand. They swept in like the wind, leaving the trays on the table, and left just as suddenly -Mongo didn't even have time to flirt with any of them.

Dinner was a quiet affair, in which Mani found he and Reuben were the cultural experts once again. Deciding against throwing his chopsticks through the nearest wall like knives, Mani opted to sit down quietly and enjoy his dinner. Most of the Guildsmen and women attempted to eat the meal with the sticks, but most gave up and resorted to traditional silverware. A few even used their hands until being confronted by Reuben's harsh gaze.

As soon as dinner was finished (and not a moment sooner), the serving girls returned just long enough to pick up what had been left and depart just as suddenly -once again, Mongo found himself deprived of flirtation. As soon as they had left, Lahz entered the chamber. He made a sweeping motion with one of his hands.

"Come with me," he requested.

* * * * * * *

Most of the Guildsmen and women fell into complete silence upon being led to another room with the Pagoda. Mongo, on the other hand, gasped quite noticeably upon seeing about twenty young and attractive females dispersed throughout the room, smiling warmly at the group. "Mongo Savonya," he commented to himself. "The gods love you..."

Mani cast a quick glance over his shoulder and towards the door they had just come through. He made face as he saw that it had been shut behind them. He felt the crowd surrounding him begin to thin away, and turned around just in time for one of the smiling young ladies to take him by his arm and begin to lead him inside. Not wanting to be rude, he followed her.

As he made his way through the room, he noticed that there was a bathhouse towards the rear, where he caught a glimpse of Reuben speaking with one of the ladies. Most of the Guildsmen and women were lying about the main chamber, most of whom were being massaged by one of the girls. Several were noticeably flirting, and there was no sign of Mongo and his escort.

Mani's escort was a thin, but still quite pleasant looking, girl about his age. Her ebony hair was cut short all around, and seemed to fit her head as perfectly as a doll's. She was wearing a navy blue robe that stopped abruptly at her knees, showing off thin, but still shapely legs. She continued to smile as she led him to a red mat on the floor, a table with various oils sitting beside it.

"You must be tense after such long trip" she finally greeted, her smile never fading. Her English was somewhat broken and heavily accented. Mani blinked as he watched the young girl's crimson nailed hands begin to work at removing his shirt.

"|You don't know the half of it|," he responded with a sigh.

The girl blinked, then smiled again as she found that she could speak in her native tongue. "|Perhaps I can help you relax|," she offered. By this time, she had managed to work his shirt off. The girl paused and stared as she motioned for him to lie down upon the mat. While the stranger was slenderly built, his muscles were very defined -she wanted to reach out and touch his stomach, but decided against it. If it came to it, she'd get a chance to later on.

Mani tensed up even more as he felt the young girl straddle him from behind. She began to gently rub oil up and down his back, her petite fingers expertly working the muscles in his back. Her crimson nails continued to tickle his flesh as she massaged his shoulders, his back, working the muscles like she knew exactly what had been going on in his life -she seemed to know every pain he had felt, every injury that had been inflicted upon him. Mani sighed deeply as the girl continued her masterful art.

He felt her thighs tighten around his hips as she straddled him even closer. She felt as if she were radiating heat of her own as she performed her craft -Mani could tell that she legitimately enjoyed what she was doing, and that is wasn't just some mundane task to her. She leaned in even closer, to the point where Mani could feel the flesh of her breasts pressed against his upper back. The girl had parted her robe a few moments prior because she and Mani were starting to give off so much heat from the act. She could feel a passion building up inside of this stranger, and it intrigued her -she was sure he was starting to feel something for her also. She parted her robe even further and began to rub much more slowly, more sensuously... She clamped her nude thighs even tighter about his hips and slid down even closer on his back, breathing in sharply as she felt their flesh touch. She wore nothing beneath the robe, and to feel such heat and passion so close to her body... She arched her hips ever so slightly, just enough to move her lower half closer to the heat. Just once... then again... again...

Mani had almost forgotten how it felt to be touched by a woman. He hadn't had much time to think about it of late, but the girl's masterful touch so painfully reminded him. He even smiled for a moment, as he was quite enjoying the massage. The feeling of her warm, soft flesh pressed against his back was a pleasure indescribable -he almost wanted to turn around and pull her body close to his. He wanted to feel the sensation of her naked breasts pressed against his own chest, her legs clenched tightly at his waist in the most erotic of vices. He wanted to start rubbing the girl's back with his hands, to feel what sort of reaction he could get as he worked her smooth flesh. He could feel her grinding her sensuality against his lower back, fully aware its warmth, and of the sweet smell of passion that was beginning to fill their area.

Mani felt the girl's grip tighten on his shoulders as she brought her face down onto his back in an attempt to silence a gasp that escaped from her lips. She hugged his back tightly as she attempted to regain her breath, the sweat from her body soaking into Mani also. Her thighs clamped tightly about his waist unexpectedly, causing Mani to visibly jump. There was an awkward silence as time seemed to stand still for a moment, pierced only by the girl's occasional breaths. She slowly worked her slender hands over his shoulders and leaned in closer, bringing her lips to his ear.

"|There's a private bath in the back, if you'd like to continue...|"

There was another awkward silence as Mani began to think. He brought one of his hands to his shoulder, touching the girl's slender fingers with his own. "|I don't think that's such a good idea|," he finally remarked with a shake of his head.

The girl said nothing as she slowly got off of Mani's back and stood to her feet, her robe still open and exposing her nakedness. Mani stood to his feet and turned towards the girl, who looked into his eyes for a moment before pulling her head down. He sighed again as he reached out to the girl, slowly closing her robe and tying it at her waist. Mani grabbed his shirt from the neighboring table and turned towards the exit. "|Please don't be offended|, he offered, taking the girl's hands in his own. "|I can assure you that it has nothing to do with you.|"

The girl's emotional eyes were too much for Mani to bear, which forced him to break their gaze. He sighed deeply once again as he began to walk away, putting the shirt back on as he walked away. No one seemed to notice the light click from the door as Mani opened it just enough to slip through, but the door shutting behind him was one of the loudest sounds he had ever felt.

* * * * * * *

<I need a cold shower, and I need one now>

What the hell was he thinking?

He knew exactly what he was thinking, he just didn't want to acknowledge it. He had been through so much lately, he just wanted to forget about it all, even if it was just for a moment. It was several hours later, and Mani found himself standing alone in the ornate garden behind Takamoto's home, hoping that he could clear his mind and actually relax for a change. The surroundings weren't the problem -watching the stream flowing under the bridge he was standing on would have calmed even the most wound-up of individuals, but it was his mind that kept him from relaxing. He had to get back to Brightsand, and fast.

"Oh God... Lily..."

Mani slowly lifted his head and practically lost the effects of the massage as he tensed up again. A voice, coming from somewhere in the darkness, was chuckling to itself.

"So that's why you chose not to partake of the young lady's offer..." The voice was so deep that Mani had trouble even making the words out. He looked about the garden, trying to pinpoint the source of the voice. "And here I was thinking that you were some kind of queer," the voice added, along with another chuckle. Mani suddenly felt compelled to turn around.

Upon doing so, he found himself at eye level with some creature's disturbingly huge chest. Mani slowly looked up at the beast. Standing before him was a massive red-skinned Mystic of some variety he had not encountered before. The creature looked like a huge lizard, if lizards walked on two legs, were thickly muscled from head to toe, and wore dark baggy pants and vests. Mani could see traces of a large tattoo of a dragon etched across his chest through the vest. How such a monstrosity could sneak up behind him was beyond the young ninja's comprehension.

"So who's Lily?," the creature wondered. A sinister grin worked its way across his reptilian maw, full of jagged and dangerous looking teeth. A red, forked tongue flicked out of his mouth as he hissed in anticipation.

"I've got a better question," Mani responded, trying his best to remain calm. "Who are you?"

The creature chuckled lightly. "No fair, I asked you first."

"But I'm a guest, remember?"

"Don't get cute, _gaijin_..."

"Gaijin? You don't look very Shinbian yourself..."

The creature sneered slightly has he reached out one of his massive clawed hands and placed it on Mani's shoulder. There was nothing hostile about the motion, but Mani was ready to swipe the creature's hand off at a moment's notice. "You realize that I could rip your arm off and not think twice about it, right?," he commented, the sneer returning to the sinister smile it was before.

Mani shrugged. "Big deal. I knew a guy back home who claimed he could crush a coconut between his butt-cheeks. Beat that."

The Mystic raised his brow curiously at the response, but was distracted by the sounds of the thick soles of geta resounding on the wooden bridge. Mani turned to see a kimono clad young lady approaching, her eyes fixed on the Mystic. "|Play nicely, Ming|," she chastised. She then turned towards Mani, her expression not changing in the least. "Shouldn't you be sleeping?," she wondered out loud.

Mani glanced at Ming for an instant until the Mystic removed his hand from his shoulder. He then turned his attention back to the young lady. He had not seen her before -she carried herself with an air that told Mani that she wasn't one of the servant girls. "Sleeping problems, milady", he quickly explained. "I didn't think it would be a problem for me to come out here."

The girl nodded slightly, but her expression did not change. "I come out here too sometimes when I can't sleep," she began. Her English was better than most Mani had heard spoken on the island, on par with Lady Takamoto's. The girl arched her brow, glancing back at Mani. "But I'm not so sure my mother would appreciate a guest walking about her home at this hour."

So this was Takamoto's daughter.

Mani nodded and turned to depart. "By your leave," he commented before beginning to walk back to his room. He glanced up at Ming and grinned, only to have the Mystic slap him lightly in the shin with his tail. It stung, but Mani was sure that he pulled the blow.

After a brief walk, Mani was back in his chamber, and back in bed. He knew he had to get some sleep, because he knew that Takamoto intended on having the company begin working for her in the morning. He had no idea what to expect, and decided to leave it at that. There was no need to worry about things he could not change, or ponder over things he knew nothing about.