Annja leaped back and let her own sword arc down and up, redirecting his cut. She knew in a second she would clear his blade and be able to cut horizontally across his chest, ending this battle for good.

But as she did so, he leaped back and away, suddenly bringing his own sword high overhead.

Annja ducked and rolled as the blade cut through the air a hair's width from her head. She came to a stop ten feet away, nearly b.u.mping into one of the corpses on the floor.

The swordsman sliced at her again, and she barely had s.p.a.ce to bring the blade up and block the cut. The sharp clang of steel echoed in the room.

"Annja!"

Ken's voice reminded her she wasn't alone.

It must have also reminded her attacker, who suddenly backed away. For another long second he stood silhouetted in the gaping hole of the wall and then in a flash, he was gone.

Annja stepped forward, ready to pursue, but felt Ken's hand on her shoulder.

"No."

She looked at him. "Why not? We've got to get him."

"That may be exactly what he wants. He may be waiting out there for you to come through that hole and go after him. He'll cut you down easily then."

"So, what now?"

"We wait."

"For what?"

"Morning."

Annja slumped to the floor, leaning on the heavy sword blade. Ken squatted next to her. "You did amazingly well."

"Thanks."

He stared at the sword. "I must confess I knew you had some secrets, but this is not what I was expecting."

Annja smirked. "Don't ask, okay? It's too long a story to get into, and I'm not even sure how to tell it."

He smiled. "Fair enough. Later though, okay?"

"Maybe."

Ken stood and walked to one of the corpses. He rolled him over and started searching him.

"You hoping to find something?"

Ken nodded. "Yes. I'd like to know who they were."

"Aren't they ninja?"

Ken frowned. "These were no ninja. They had no skills in ninjitsu ninjitsu. Just bad imitators dressed in cheap clothing and using crummy weapons." He pointed. "You see that shuriken shuriken?"

Annja looked at the throwing star that had embedded itself in the door frame. "What about it?"

"You see how many points it has? That's what they sell in Hong Kong flea markets. That's not a legitimate j.a.panese shuriken shuriken." He stood. "No identification on this one."

He checked the other bodies but found nothing.

"Well, it seems they were smart enough to know not to have any identifying features on them in case things went wrong," Annja said.

Ken nodded. "Just makes this all the stranger."

"You did say that we were bound to attract the attention of other interested parties. And that some of those parties might not want us to find the vajra vajra."

"Yes. I did."

"Surely this proves your theory out."

Ken sighed and sat down on a clean spot on the floor. "I just wish it didn't. We've already got enough troubles as it is on this jaunt."

Annja could hear anxious noises coming from elsewhere in the ryokan ryokan. She stood. "More attackers?"

Ken shook his head. "No, I imagine that will be our friendly innkeeper. And boy is he going to s.h.i.t when he sees this."

"Good to know I'll be helping improve America's image overseas," Annja said.

Ken pointed. "Well, you might want to get rid of that thing before he sees it. At least then we can claim self-defense."

Annja nodded, closed her eyes and the sword vanished. When she opened her eyes again, she saw Ken shake his head. "Wow."

The innkeeper appeared at what used to be their door.

24.

"Who told you to attack them?"

Nezuma paused as he listened to the voice on the telephone. After a moment, he cleared his throat. "Of course I know you don't report to me. But I thought we had an understanding-"

The voice on the other end of the phone cut him off again. Nezuma closed his eyes and listened to the venom coming at him, vowing that he would very soon see this particular mission finished to his devious liking.

"Fine. Good day."

He clicked the phone off and turned to look at Shuko, who sat quietly eating some fruit on the tatami tatami mats. "I swear they are the biggest fools on the planet." mats. "I swear they are the biggest fools on the planet."

Shuko said nothing but only looked up at him expectantly. Nezuma frowned. "They attacked Kennichi and the woman last night in their ryokan ryokan."

"Why?"

"I have no idea except that his young guns wanted vengeance for what Kennichi did to them back in Tokyo. It was a silly move and probably drew a great deal of unwanted attention to us. It also put them more on guard than they have been so far."

Shuko took another bite of her fruit and kept staring at Nezuma. "So now they know."

"They've known for sure that they have people watching them. But a full scale attack in the middle of the night borders on insane." Nezuma sat next to her and took her hand. "Shuko."

She looked at him. "Master."

He shook his head. "I did not want to do what I had to do last night. I hope you understand that."

"I understand."

He rested his head on her shoulder. "We are so close right now to finally gaining what we've been after-"

"What you've you've been after." been after."

He looked at her. "This isn't just about me. It's about what the dorje dorje can do for both of us." can do for both of us."

She shook her head. "I've never cared about that."

"What do you mean?"

"I only care about what it can do for you, master. What it means to you-the value and glory you see in its recovery-means more to me than the item itself."

Nezuma bowed his head. "But it will give us the life we've always dreamed of."

Shuko shook her head. "But don't you see? I already have the life I've always dreamed of. You gave that to me years ago when you plucked me out of that slum. And every day since then I've thanked the G.o.ds for your appearance in my life."

Nezuma placed his finger under her chin and lifted it to meet his gaze. "You know I share your feelings."

"Do you?"

"How can you question me?"

Shuko took her hand and pulled at the neck of her kimono. The dark black-and-blue welts on her skin showed like an angry yoke around her neck, mottling the skin toward her collarbones.

"This," she said quietly, "is not what two people in love do to each other."

Nezuma covered her neck back up. "You know I have a violent temper."

"Yes. I know."

"And you know that I sometimes do things I don't mean."

"But I have never experienced any misdirected hatred from you. At least, not until last night."

Nezuma nodded. "Would you prefer to leave?"

Shuko looked at him. "Would you let me?"

He leaned back. "You think I would kill you?"

She said nothing.

Nezuma sighed. "I suppose you do after last night."

"Yes."

"You have every right to." He took a bite of the apple on the plate. "But my life would mean nothing without you in it."

"Do you really mean that? Truly?"

Nezuma swallowed. "Yes."

A small smile formed at the corners of her mouth. "Thank you."

Nezuma kissed her on the lips. "I'm sorry for hurting you."

She hugged him tightly, pressing her sobs into the folds of his robe. She shuddered and convulsed as he held on to her. When she was done, Nezuma could feel the wetness of her tears on his shoulder.

"You feel better now?"

She nodded, still with her face in his shoulder. He smoothed her hair back, running his fingers through the dark tresses as she sniffed and attempted to compose herself.

"My little beauty," he said softly.

She sighed and kissed him then, pleading with her lips, slowly and long. Nezuma kissed her back, laying her back on the tatami tatami mats, taking his time to be gentle and soft with her. mats, taking his time to be gentle and soft with her.

As he nuzzled her, he thought about the timetable they would need to adhere to in order to pursue Kennichi and Annja Creed. At least they knew where to find them-that was if they stayed around long enough.

Shuko whimpered as he kissed her. s.e.x would take precious time away from them.

He frowned. But it was apparently necessary in order to rea.s.sure Shuko that he did truly love her. After all, he needed her badly by his side during the coming battles he felt sure would take place.

And afterward...

He smiled as Shuko's body tightened and then relaxed under his kisses.

Afterward, he could always dispose of her at his leisure.

"IT LOOKS DIFFERENT in the daylight." in the daylight."