Hitsuzen, Part III

"MANJI," Yurei yelled from the Perion townstreet. "MANJI, ARE YOU UP THERE?"
"Get lost," Manji hollered mono-toned back down at her. Manji rested at the highest and loneliest point in the Perion town cliff-side. He plopped down onto his side, propping his head up with his arm and closed his eyes with a sigh. Manji's pompous attitude radiated from his clothes like bad cologne.
"Oh thank goodness, you're there!" Yurei exclaimed joyfully. "Manji, listen to me! It's Yurei!"
Manji's body stiffened and his eyes went wide. He stood up quickly and walked to the edge of the cliff
"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING?!" Manji screamed. "Get outta here, kid! You'll get killed!"
"Not until I speak with you," she shouted back. "Please, I need your help!"
Manji rolled his eyes and spoke defiantly. "Get lost, Yurei! If any of the Gokudo council finds you here they'll-" He spoke as he turned to walk back to his resting spot, but Yurei stood facing him, nose-to-nose.
"MANJI! I'M SERIOUS," she shouted in his face. Manji let out a squeel of shock that sounded much like a squeel of a little girl. Yurei tilted her head and stared at him awkwardly, and smiled. "Nice scream."
Manji's eyes grew wide in embarrassment and amazement. "How did-?! That can't-!! What-?!"
"Manji, there isn't time for us to be babbling like a fool," Yurei said storming along the edges of his cliff. "Manji, you're a voice of great influence."
"Correction," he said brushing his sleeve off of dirt, eyeing Yurei carefully and suspiciously. "I used to be. People these days refuse to listen to a sensible voice."
Yurei turned to face him and crinkled her brow. "Manji, your voice is no longer heard because you refuse to speak. Not because the people won't listen. I need you to convince Gokudo to aid Hitsuzen in this battle."
"Hah," Manji mocked. "And why would I do that?"
Yurei shot a dirty look at Manji that foretold his demise if he'd refuse.
Manji shivered. "Yeesh, okay okay. But there's the issue of convincing. I don't even have an approach."
"Think of something," Yurei said frantically.
"'Oh yeah, Gokudo! It's me, Manji! So we should go and aid Hitsuzen because Yurei, the Hunters traitor said so and she'll kill me if I don't!' Awesome plan, don't you think?" Manji laughed at the idea of waltzing into Gokudo Hall and saying that very line. Yurei grew more and more annoyed by the minute.
"I'm not kidding, Manji. This is serious." Yurei perked her head up in alert. "Did you hear that?"
Manji looked around. "No, what?"
Yurei's head snapped back and forth. "People are coming. Think of something. I'll be back in a few day's time." Yurei crouched low to the ground, and waited a few seconds.
"No, Yurei," panicked Manji, "wait! Shit, wait!" But she was gone. "Shit. Fucking Yurei..."

Yurei, once far enough away, walked the rest of the way to her next destination: Kerning City. Tadeyo spoke of an old friend who trained with him as a child: Chun Ji. She knew finding this Chun Ji would be a difficult task, and the chances of finding him were quite slim, but she was in no position to think of such negativities. She had her own negativities to worry about.
She walked and walked through abandoned construction projects, avoiding eye contact with the mushrooms behind the support beams. There were a couple times where they would attempt to ambush her from behind, but one swift movement of her arm, scarab, and a steely ended it all too quickly for the mushroom. Once she found her way into the heart of Kerning City, she grew desparate to get out. The constant pushing and shoving of the city people were unbareable for her.
Upon exiting the city, she found herself in the slums of the city - another construction site, except with small homes built around it. The poor and the homeless homes were no more than pitched tents propped up against walls and support beams. People of different ages huddled around their small homes, cowering at the sight of Yurei. A little boy, no older than the age of five, approached Yurei with curiosity. His mother called for him frantically, but he did not hear her.
"Miss..." he said, holding out his hands in the shape of a bowl. "Spare change? Please, spare change?"
Yurei peered into the boy's eyes and saw the desolation and opression that he saw. She frowned and simply said, "I don't have much. But here." She reached into her back pocket and pulled out a card with a bar code on the back. "Take this, and be sure to share it. It's all the spare change I can give." She ruffled the young boy's hair and continued walking, while the boy looked from the card to her blankly.
The further she traveled into the slums of this city, the more petty and pitiful it's inhabitants became.
Right before she passed the final home upon exiting the city and following the shore line, a red coat caught her attention from the corner of her eye. She turned to find a handsome young man standing at the last house in a red robe embroidered with gold string. He had long flowing hair in a tail, his long bangs falling into his face. He had a battlescar going across his cheek. On his hip, a katana rested.
He lifted his head to hers, and looked from her face to her scarab.
"Assassin," he scoffed. "You ruin these parts of the world."
Yurei turned tilted her head. "You don't judge the cellion by how fluffy it is."
"Yeah yeah," he said shooing her off. "Just get out of here."
"No," she said firmly. "Chun Ji I presume."
Chun Ji looked suspiciously at Yurei. "Yeah, what is it to you?"
"Chun Ji, master swordsman and dagger thief," she said softly, "Tadeyo Syzacdel of Hitsuzen is in need of assistance."
Chun Ji's face lost it's arrogant flare and was replaced by astonishment. "Tadeyo... It's been too long since I've heard that name." He walked towards his home and brought out a water bottle. "What does my dear friend need," he questioned, uncapping the bottle.
It took a while to explain the situation, but Yurei got the point across. Once she said Hunters, Chun Ji already knew it meant bad news.
"I knew I recognized you," he said dreamily. "You were always that little girl beside Karogen during confrontations... his daughter..."
"Yes," she replied simply. "Now that my old man is gone, my brother was left in charge. Since then, he's been causing nothing but more trouble between the Hunters and Hitsuzen."
"Ahh," Ji said taking a swig of water, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. "My question for you is why you're sending me a message from Tadeyo - from Hitsuzen."
Her eyes lost it's shine for a moment as she dropped her eyes to the floor.
"Ahh, an exile," he said.