The man walked down the empty road at one o'clock in the morning. He had his hands in his pockets and a relaxed posture, chewing on a fishbone. Most were afraid to walk alone so late at night, (or so early in the morning) but that didn't seem to bother him. If anyone tried to jump him on the way to his final destination, he would probably welcome the opportunity to fight. His left shoulder needed some stretching after that long boat ride, anyway.

The road was long and winding, and the forests and farmlands near Kiozaka were dark and forbidding. A light breeze blew, making the trees and the rice fields rustle and shiver. The man shivered a little as well.

"Damn. Need warmer clothes. I've almost forgotten how cold it was around here; this time of year." He muttered, turning to a clump of bushes that was shivering, rustling and shaking a little too much for a small gust of wind. "You can come out now. I've noticed you tailing me since halfway out of the last village. What do you guys want?"

Three men in black jumped out from behind the bush. They surrounded him. Two were short and the other was tall and broad-shouldered. The bigger man stepped forward.

"If you don't want to get hurt, hand over your money right now!"

The man who was the victim of an attempted robbery grinned. "I don't have that much, you know… And I need it. They'll kill me back home if I don't pay off my tab. So I'll fight you." He shifted the fishbone from one corner of his mouth to another.

The large man in black laughed. His two companions laughed as well. "You against the three of us! I like that!" Then there was the sound of three sharp, hard hits.

The man looked down at the unconscious forms of the failed bandits and sighed. "Jeez, you guys. Before you start robbing people, at least learn how to fight…" He shook his head. "Aw, whatever."

Leaving the three men to lay where they were, he headed off down the road, adjusting his red hachimaki.

A little while later, he came upon an inn. "Huh… Wasn't here last time…" He headed towards it, the goldish light emanating from the windows welcoming him in. He opened the door, receiving a few stares from the patrons inside. He stared back, then went to the counter. "Could I have…" He counted on his fingers, "Five… no six bowls of rice."

The innkeeper looked at him and then laughed. "Lots of food for a big guy, huh. Alrighty then, six bowls of rice coming up!"

As he was waiting for his food, the man looked around the room. The inn was small, and in the front room he could see four tables at which sat a small number of people.

At the first table sat a man who seemed drunk, fervently explaining something to a bored-looking woman with too much makeup. At the second table sat seven men who were gambling and yelling at each other. The third table was occupied with a Westerner avidly taking notes and listening to an amused farmer telling him all about 'authentic and cultural Japanese life'. The fourth table however caught his interest. The two men sitting there seemed to have also noticed him.

He walked over. "Haven't I seen you guys around before?"

The smaller of the two men shook his head and smiled nervously. "Eheheh… We don't really know you at all, right, Kato?"

The man called Kato nodded. "Yup. Sure thing we don't."

"Really? 'Cause it seems to me that I've seen the two of you someplace. Are you by any chance from Tokyo?"

"Oh! No! We're from… Where are we from, Kato?"

"Um… Okinawa!"

"Yeah! Okinawa!"

The man smiled in a friendly way. "Oh, really? You guys really do look familiar though. What's it like in Okinawa?"

"Err… Warm!"

"And err… There's lots of ocean! Isn't that right Kato?"

"Yeah. Beach. Fishing!"

The man smiled even wider. "Oh, really? Well that's nice, ain't it?"

"Very nice Okinawa!" the two men were visibly sweating.

But then the innkeeper yelled. "Okay! Who wanted six bowls of rice?" And the man got up from the 'Okinawans' table.

"I'll see you guys around." He headed over to eat his six bowls of rice.

The two men from 'Okinawa' quietly slipped out the door when the other man's back was turned. The man finished his second bowl of rice and grinned. "It's nice to see that people remember me after five years…"

The innkeeper looked at him. "Well, I really think that whatever you did to those guys in the past is not that easily forgotten. And you must be pretty strong to mess with those two. They might be real weak but they're with the biggest gang in Tokyo!"

The man nodded. "Oh really? Last I knew they were with a pretty average gang. They cheated when I gambled with them so I… Had a nice talk with them." He laughed, shaking his head, almost finished with his fourth bowl. "Do you know how long it is 'till Tokyo?"

The innkeeper rubbed his chin. "Well, for a normal guy – I'd say about three hours."

"Right. Then I'll be off." he said finishing his sixth bowl of rice and laying down a few coins. "Thanks for the rice."

"You aren't staying the night? I could offer you a cheap bed? With no-one else in it? It's not as crowded as usual around here any more."

The man grinned. "No, that's fine. Plus, last time I was back here, this place didn't even exist. I got people waitin' for me back home." He smiled, looking into the distance. "Bye!" He walked out, laying down money and closing the door behind him.

The man walked down the road at two o'clock in the morning. His belly was stuffed with rice and he was feeling good. Just like any day, he'd welcome a fight, but he wanted to get to Tokyo fast, and didn't want any untrained weaklings slowing him down.

A light breeze blew, fanning his white jacket out behind him. The black character on the back stood out in the moonlight. Aku. Evil.

The man put his hands in his pockets and grinned. "All right! Tokyo, here I come!" A chuckle built up in his chest. "Get ready to feel the thunder!" He whooped. "Sagara Sanosuke's comin' back to town!"

Five years had passed since he had been chased out, and now, Sagara Sanosuke was returning to Tokyo.