Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any of the characters other than my OC's. Sadly I will never own them.


Kyoka had followed the two up the stairs with a sigh. She let out a surprised hiss when a man skidded across the floor to her feet.

Yahiko crouched down, "Sanosuke!"

The other two in the room were Battosai, otherwise known as Kenshin, and Aoshi. Aoshi's eyes narrowed upon seeing Kyoka but he didn't greet her in any way. He drew his kodachi expertly.

Yahiko gasped, "A Kodachi!"

Aoshi charged forward, slashing his kodachi as if he was testing Kenshin. Kyoka's eyes narrowed, she had seen his technique countless times, the mix between kempo and the kodachi had Kenshin struggling to stand in an instant. Aoshi's speed and power were unmatched when it came to kempo and he made it quite obvious. Sanosuke rolled onto his side hissing, "This could be bad."

Kyoka knelt down to intake his facial features. He seemed familiar. Sanosuke seemed to cringe away from the girl's actions, "Wh-What? Is there something on my face?"

Then it hit her, "You're Zanza…"

He blinked at her, "Used to be. I'm done with that name now."

"Hmm…" She hummed indifferently.

"Battosai." Kyoka's eyes snapped back to the fight when Aoshi's deep voice echoed in the room, "I have nothing against you but as the strongest Imperialist you will die here."

"Hmm… You don't seem to be fighting for Kanryu." Kenshin rose to his feet, "What are you fighting for?"

"At that time, if the Imperial Army had engaged the regime in Edo victory would have been ours. We would have set fire to Edo and my group would've slaughtered the core of the Imperial Army. Then the Imperialist would have lost control and the regime army…. Would have been able to outnumber and crush them… That's how it was supposed to end." Aoshi explained, his expression turning grave, almost dark.

"You idiot!" Yahiko jumped to his feet, "Of course something like that can't happen!"

"You think so?" Aoshi spoke to Yahiko but gave Kyoka an amused look. It was almost as if he was asking with his eyes, Can you guys be related?, "If you want, I can recreate that scene here in Tokyo. However, that would have no meaning. For us, the only thing that has meaning is the title of the strongest that we fought for during the Revolution. That is the only proof that we have to say that we truly are the Oniwabanshu."

"All you have is the ice-cold will to fight. You're helping others put people in pain. I cannot allow that." Kenshin pointed his katana in Aoshi's general direction. With that, the two locked blades once more. Aoshi deflected blow after blow while Kenshin attacked relentlessly. Kyoka watched Aoshi with awe. This is why she respected him. His fighting power was unmatched among the Oniwabanshu. Her brother shook with fear.

Kyoka put a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. Kyoka fought the urge to cheer on Aoshi, seeing as how she should be neutral in this battle. She covered her brother's eyes as Aoshi slashed Kenshin across the chest three times. Yahiko shoved the girl's hands away, watching as Kenshin hit the floor.

Aoshi proclaimed, "Himura Battosai is dead."

"I'll kill you. I won't forgive you." Yahiko stated, pointing his shinai at the much taller man.

Aoshi gave Kyoka an irritated look, using his eyes to tell her that Yahiko was safe, "You have a strong presence. There's no need to hurry to your death. Stop there."

"Yahiko." Kenshin rose from the ground, leaning on his sword for support.

Kyoka couldn't care less what they were saying but her new-found respect for Kenshin was still growing. She hissed when Kenshin caught Aoshi's kodachi with his bare hands, "Shirahatori (Samurai technique when someone catches a sword with their bare hands)."

Kenshin forced the kodachi out of Aoshi's hand, ramming the hilt into his throat. The taller man gasped for air only to cough up a massive amount of blood. Kenshin was muttering something about having Aoshi stand down but he wasn't about to give up. Kyoka knew the most important thing to Aoshi was the title of the strongest; he wouldn't back down until he knew it was over. The dark haired man swung his arm towards Kenshin who was a kodachi's length in front of him, forcing Kenshin to stumble away. Aoshi slumped forward. Kyoka slid over to catch Aoshi as the other three dashed to help Kenshin who had stumbled back and fallen onto his behind. She lowered him to the floor carefully, struggling under his weight.

Aoshi whispered, "What are you doing? You idiot."

"Who's the idiot?" She whispered back, "Aoshi-sama."

"Nee-san!" Yahiko dashed forward, "He's dangerous…"

Kyoka shook her head, motioning for him to be quiet, "Aoshi-sama, you did well."

"Tch." He scoffed, it was obvious that his vision was growing blurry. He breathed out slowly but struggled to breathe in, "A loss is a loss."

Kyoka's eyes narrowed as the door slammed open revealing the remaining members of the Oniwabanshu. Kyoka eyed Aoshi warily as he rose to his feet, staggering to keep from falling over, "Why don't you finish me off?"

"I am no longer Hitokiri Battosai, that I am not." Kenshin stated, "You fight for the title of the strongest but in these times that title doesn't mean anything. With your skills, don't you think you could do something else?"

"In our group it was the same." Hannya spoke, "The others found jobs and other things to do. But look at us, there is no place in this society for us who don't have any other skills. Looking at us in this state our commander never deserted us even though he could easily find something else to do. He even turned down an offer to be an army official so that he could find us new places to live."

"The one who recruited you was me. You all became this way because of me. The least I could do is grace you with the word 'strongest'. Battosai, finish me off." Aoshi silenced the protest from the four remaining members of the Oniwabanshu, "It's alright. It's alright now. Finish me off, Battosai. If you don't, I will target you as many times as it takes to…"

"That's fine." Kenshin assured the man, "Challenge me until you're satisfied but I won't allow you to involve anyone else in our battles, that I won't."

Kyoka hissed as the sound of gun shots filled the air. She easily spotted the source. Kanyru stood beside a large Gatling Gun and instead of opening the door, he had shot it down. He laughed insanely, "If you want to be finished off so badly, I'll do it for you! Along with the rest of the obsolete Oniwabanshu and this swordsman!"

"What's that?" Yahiko stared, his sword stance becoming crooked.

"A Gatling gun. The newest one at that." Kanryu explained, "This is the new era. You don't just use swords anymore."

"That bastard." Sanosuke growled.

"Here! Let me show you!"

The sound of bullets filled the air as Kanryu fired off the gun like a monster. Hannya growled, "Kanryu! Where did you get that?"

"Call me Kanryu-sama!" He commanded, pointing the gun at Hannya.

Aoshi managed to shove Hannya out of the way, taking a few bullets to the thighs in exchange. Kyoka and the rest of the members of the Oniwabanshu all had the same thought, "Okashira!"

The five gathered around Aoshi with worried faces. Kyoka bent down to examine his legs, "Aoshi-sama."

Kanryu continued his rant, lighting a cigar, "I originally had no intention of being an underground opium seller. I was going to earn money and use it to make guns. Then I could make a fortune selling these weapons!"

"You bastard." Kyoka growled.

"Kyoka. You are no longer part of the Oniwabanshu. Get out of here." Aoshi commanded.

"Okashira. That's rude. Just cause I quit doesn't mean I can't help my friends." She smirked despite the dangerous situation.

"I'll take care of you first. Aoshi!" Kanryu directed the gun towards Aoshi, firing off enough shots to kill a hundred men.

"Shikijou!" Kyoka screamed, as the man jumped in front of Aoshi taking all the bullets in his stead.

"Shikijou…" Aoshi's face said it all, shock.

"Okashira. That face doesn't suit you. I'm happy that these muscles served as a shield for you." Kyoka fell to her knees as Shikijou slumped over, dead.

"So who's next?!" Kanryu growled.

"You!" Hyottoko growled, charging forward only to be felled by another round of bullets. Beshimi leaped off his back when Hyottoko dropped to the floor, dead. Beshimi flung one of his signature darts into the belt of bullets.

Kyoka screamed as Beshimi fell, "You idiot! You were on my hit list! How could you die before I kill you?!"

Kyoka watched as Hannya who had disappeared moments earlier charged into the range of Kanryu's gatling gun.

"Hannya!" Aoshi called out.

"Good bye. Okashira." He managed only moments before he fell to the gatling gun.

"Aoshi-sama." Kyoka hissed, catching on to Hannya's plan, "You were the only one who got a goodbye."

"Kyoka!" Aoshi's voice was almost pleading, totally not suiting his character, "Don't…"

She smirked at the man from over her shoulder, "I'll protect you this time."

"I don't need protection. That's enough! Kyoka!" Aoshi reached out to stop her but she vanished in an instant appearing on the opposite side of the room from Kenshin.

"Hey! Kanryu!"

Kanryu growled, keeping his gatling gun pointed at Kenshin, "They're like cockroaches."

"That's rude." She motioned for Kenshin to charge after she did, "Take your pick. Either way you die!"

She had left Aoshi wide open but honestly, not even Kanryu was stupid enough to shoot at Aoshi while another member of the Oniwabanshu and Himura Battosai was staring them down and waiting for an opening. If he wanted to live he'd have to shoot them down first. Drawing her tanto, she charged forward, Kenshin mimicking her action from the opposite side of the room.

Kanryu swiveled the gun around to face Kyoka, "You Oniwabanshu dogs first!"

With speed that almost rivaled Aoshi's, she used her tanto to block as many bullets as possible. Kyoka fell to her knees when a bullet slipped passed her defenses and into her thigh, another into her shoulder and one more into her stomach. She heard her brother scream. She threw her arms in front of her, attempting to slow down her death but nothing came. She narrowed her eyes, searching for a reason as to why the Gatling gun had stopped, "Beshimi's dart…

Kenshin had already reached Kanryu, swiftly taking him out along with the gatling gun. Kyoka toppled over, resting on her side for a moment before flipping onto her back. Kyoka chuckled softly to herself, "Beshimi… I forgive you for what you did to my brother. I'm sorry…."

"Kyoka." Aoshi was almost in tears as he looked to his last ray of hope, "Kyoka. Kyoka. Kyoka!"

She laughed, "I lived…. Haha… That's not good."

She laughed almost crazily, upon seeing Aoshi's face. He quickly hid his face, looking down to avoid being seen. Kyoka staggered over to him, noticing that Kenshin's group had disappeared somewhere, "Aoshi-sama. I-"

Suddenly, Aoshi's arm snaked themselves around her, forcing her into a kneeling position. He rested his chin on her shoulder, his arms wrapped around her back in a tight embrace, almost as if he was afraid that she would die if he let go, "Thank you…."

Her eyes widened with surprise. That was unexpected. Aoshi didn't seem like the type to be affected by death but I guess being the killer is different from having your friends be killed. She spoke quietly, "Aoshi-sama, you're not talking to me are you?"

"All of you…" His tears were warm as they rolled down his cheek, she could feel them roll onto her neck every once in a while, "Thank you…"

She wrapped her arms around his torso awkwardly, patting his back. She knew he had a soft spot for his friends but he had never shown it in such an obvious way, "No… Thank you. If it wasn't for you we'd be out of a job, or common criminals… I… Don't know what it was like for you guys during the Revolution but… I'm glad I met all of you now."

"I have…" He stopped to push the girl out to arm's length, "Well… It's not much but… It was from all of us… For you… For your birthday… Even though it's not until next month."

"Eh?" She watched him pull a strangely wrapped parasol from his large overcoat. He placed it in her lap awkwardly, "Thanks…"

He nodded before motioning for her to open it, "It was Hannya's idea…. Sorry about the… The unruly wrapping."

She laughed, "It's okay. Was the wrapping your job?"

He sat awkwardly, probably enduring the pain in his legs, "Yeah. Sorry. I know it's a dull color."

"It's alright. I like it better this way. But maybe we should see a doctor first." She glanced over his bullet wounds, which only increased the pain of her own.

"No." He insisted. Aoshi was a very responsible man, Kyoka knew they wouldn't be leaving here until he made sure she opened the present in front their fallen friends.

She waved the parasol over her head as if she was showing it to the four who had fallen behind her, "Beshimi, Hyottoko, Shikijou, Hannya-san… I'm opening it."

Aoshi's gaze followed her hands as she pulled the string off and pushed aside the greyish wrapping paper. She carefully pulled the contents from their wrappings, "Kimono…"

Aoshi looked away embarrassedly even though his face remained stoic, "Bad choice?"

She laughed so hard she thought she would die of blood loss before she stopped. Wiping her eyes, she smiled, "Baby blue…. Now I know it was your idea Hannya-san… Wasn't it expensive?"

"Hannya said… For you it was too cheap." Aoshi managed to mumble.

"Hannya-san… You always did say I looked good in blue but…" She stopped to laugh pulling five blue envelopes from the wrapping paper, each a different shade of blue, "This is overkill…"

"Hannya…. Loved you." Aoshi informed her dutifully.

She laughed, "Hannya-san. I love you too… But more like a brother. Thank you for everything."

Aoshi eyes fluttered across the bodies of the deceased, "Wrap that up. Read the letters later. They deserve to at least be buried."

"Yes sir." She staggered back over to where her tanto had fallen. Swiftly glancing over the bullet holes she cleaned her tanto to the best of her ability. She carefully but swiftly used her tanto to fish the bullets from their places, groaning when the blood poured out. Aoshi spared her a glance before throwing the bodies of both Hyottoko and Shikijou over his shoulders. Kyoka threw Hannya's body over her good shoulder and carried Beshimi under her arm.

She finally set them down in a forest on some mountain. Removing his jacket, Aoshi tossed it over to her, "Keep warm."

"Aoshi-sama. I'll dig… You can look for head stones." She offered, pushing her arms through the sleeves of his extremely large jacket. She patted the pocket making sure her present wouldn't fall out.

"It's fine. I'll dig." He stated firmly.

She shrugged, "Then I'll find rocks."

She decided not to be too picky with the head stones. Hannya had said that when he died he didn't want a fancy grave; he wanted something that looked like a dead person. She laughed to herself, remembering how seriously he had said it. Beshimi had always complained about how short he was so ironically, she chose a large, tall rock for him. She rolled the two rather large and unusual stones back to Aoshi.

She smiled upon spotting the man who was still digging. She noticed that strangely, he looked good doing something that a peasant or someone who was desperately looking for money would do. Digging graves wasn't exactly a job for the leader of the Oniwabanshu but he had insisted on doing it so she let him be, not wanting to instigate his fierce determination/obsession that he tended to have. Remembering how she had learned to use rocks to start a fire from Hyottoko she chose a stone that was big enough to be two rocks. Shikijou had always said that he wanted to remove his scars so she chose a smooth rock and rolled both those rocks back to Aoshi as well.

When she returned, he greeted her, "Kyoka. Good work."

"Good work yourself, Aoshi-sama." She smiled, "Let's hurry and get this over with. Hannya-san said that he didn't want to be fussed over when he died. He claimed that it wasn't manly."

His eyes flickered with some unknown emotion, "Hannya was always like that…"

Aoshi laid the bodies carefully into the holes he had dug. Watching him, she made sure to match up the right rocks to each person. She helped Aoshi fill in the holes. Kyoka clapped her hands together in prayer. Aoshi grumbled, "For now I can't put flowers here but someday… I will."

"Ah." She removed his jacket, holding it out to him, "Thank you."

He accepted it with one hand and seemed to think something over before speaking, "Myojin Kyoka."

"Hmm?"

He replaced his jacket around her shoulders, "Keep it. I was going to buy you a separate birthday present but I couldn't."

She clenched his jacket tightly, "Aoshi-sama… Where are you going from here?"

"Saa…" He mused quietly, "I don't know but for now this is where we part ways."

She nodded, sadly, but he continued, "I'll see you again but in a different way."

"Wha-?" She found herself standing frozen in shock as Shinomori Aoshi, the most stoic man she had ever met, gently planted a kiss on her forehead.

"A parting gift. To you and to my feelings." Aoshi turned to Hannya's grave, "Hannya… Our 'competition' is over. I'll leave it as a draw. Forever. Kyoka, understand?"

She stared at the man wide eyed, "I do… Thank you."

It wasn't surprising that Hannya had loved her. Beshimi had told her it was quite obvious so she had already known but Shinomori Aoshi was a big surprise. But then again, the day before, she had made plans to celebrate with the Oniwabanshu after her last mission was over, but big surprise, they're all dead. Life is a bitch sometimes, throwing surprises in left and right but Kyoka felt that she liked this surprise. Just as the ever-so-dutiful Aoshi had parted with his feelings, for Hannya's sake, she promised to bury her feelings for Aoshi with Hannya, bit by bit.