Sorry if I'm being picky again, but I put a lot of work into this story, trying very hard to combine both Rurouni Kenshin and Yu Yu Hakusho into a crossover without messing with the original storyline of either. I just want to know whether the people who read this story enjoy it or not.
Hitokiri
by crosstrigger333
Previously: After Yusuke's defeat by Shishio Makoto, the dead swordsman hinted at his return in one and a half years. Two days later, Koenma has figured out how. Every thousand years, the Spirit World holds a Millenium Tournament for its strongest spirits, with a reward of another chance to live. The tournament has never had a winner, but with Shishio's strength, he just might be able to claim that reward. Now, Yusuke and his team find that their last hope lies with the only person to ever defeat Shishio, the Hitokiri Battousai. Can they recruit the legendary manslayer, and will he be strong enough to face the bandaged fighter?
Chapter 3: Meiji Era
Spirit World was vast, far more than Yusuke initially believed. The Gate of Judgment was the only part of the Spirit World that he had really visited, but from that gate there were many paths: yellow stone bridges branching out for miles upon miles, and floating stone platforms leading into the sky. Below lay more bridges, more floating stone platforms, all hovering over a deep misty abyss with the River Styx flowing below.
Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama were walking along one of the many paths that lead from the Gate of Judgment, lead by Botan on her oar. They had started promptly at 8 A.M. Tokyo time, and, as confirmed by Kuwabara's watch, it was now 7 P.M.
"Man, I'm exhausted," muttered Kuwabara. "And hungry. You got any food, guys?"
"We just ate two hours ago," said Kurama. "Botan, how far is it?"
"A bit further, hang on," Botan told him from atop the oar. "Alright, a right turn here, and bingo! It's right over there."
"This is where we'll find the Battousai?" asked Yusuke. They had stopped in front of a large, red gate, in a long white wall.
"Yes," Botan told him. "As I've once said, my guiding spirits to the Spirit World is only the beginning of the journey to the afterlife. The final stretch for every spirit is to take a long walk down the path from the Gate of Judgment to where we made a place for them. That is, if they died with evil hearts, they would be sent to one of the darker sectors of Spirit World, but if they were good in life, they were sent to a place where they would feel most comfortable living for eternity. The reason we have so many paths is that every person or demon has a place and a time when they were used to living in life."
"Run that by me again?" asked Yusuke.
"Alright, this door leads to an Early Meiji Era Japan," said Botan. "It was created as a place for good human spirits who felt most comfortable in life during this period. You're headed for Spirit Tokyo, a replica of Tokyo during the 1870s."
"So this is what is meant by making a place for the dead?" asked Kurama. "Incredible."
"So, Battousai is in there," said Kuwabara. "All right, let's go in!"
"You all go on ahead," Botan told them. She tossed Kurama a small package, which he pocketed right away. "There's some money for anything you may need. I'm needed back at the Gate of Judgment. I'll be back soon, so good luck finding him!" And with that, the blue-haired kimono-clad young woman took off back from where they came from.
"Okay, let's find the Battousai," said Yusuke, walking up to the gate and pushing the door open. A blinding white flash engulfed the group as the gate opened.
"It's not often that I have a young woman so interested in the life of a killer," said a tall man in a suit. "But I suppose I could tell you what I've found."
"Thank you so much, Professor Yamazaki," said Keiko. She was in the office of Professor Daisuke Yamazaki, in the Center for Archaeological Operations in Kyoto University. It was simple room with a desk and a bookshelf filled with textbooks on Japanese History, particularly from the beginning of the Tokugawa Shogunate and up through the Meiji Era. Professor Yamazaki himself was the man who uncovered the recordings of Sadojima Hoji, hidden in a chamber covered by rocks in what was formerly the Shrine of Six Gates in Mt. Hiei, where Yusuke had fought Shishio.
The brown haired man adjusted his glasses and his tie and opened his laptop. "I took many notes on the recordings themselves," he told Keiko. "Here is what I've found on Shishio Makoto. He was one of the Hitokiri of the Bakumatsu, but he was an unknown. If you know a bit of history of the Shinsengumi or the Choshu Ishin Shishi, you'd know about the Ikedaya incident."
"That was where the famous encounter between the Choshu clan and the Shinsengumi took place, right?" asked Keiko, to which Professor Yamazaki nodded. "Choshu had a plan to set fire to Kyoto and capture the daimyo of the Aizu clan at the time, but this plan was found out by the Shinsengumi and they attacked the Ikedaya, where Choshu was holding their meeting. It was considered a crushing blow to the Ishin Shishi."
"Impressive, young lady," the professor clapped. "You really know your history. I'm happy my colleague in Tokyo allowed you to attend our conference."
"Thank you," smiled Keiko. "Please, continue."
"Alright. Now, I'm sure you know a bit about the Hitokiri Battousai. He was originally an assassin for Choshu, but after the Ikedaya affair, Shishio Makoto took the role of assassin in the shadows, and Hitokiri Battousai became a swordsman for Choshu, making himself known to the Shinsengumi and the people of Japan. In a way, Shishio Makoto was the successor of Hitokiri Battousai."
'Battousai's successor?' thought Keiko. 'Yusuke is trying to find Battousai, but if Shishio replaced him, then he must be...'
"Well, Shishio was easily a powerful swordsman and an excellent assassin," Professor Yamazaki continued. "In every way as skilled and smart as Battousai. Shishio had assassinated many men, some so important that if the people of Japan knew about it at the time, he would have toppled the Meiji Government with this knowledge and done whatever he wished to the entire nation. And so, during the Boshin Wars, the assassin was assassinated."
"Assassinated how?" asked Keiko.
"In one of the cruelest ways that anyone could imagine," Professor Yamazaki answered, adjusting his glasses. "He was drenched in oil and burned by the very people he killed for."
'That explains why he was covered in bandages,' thought Keiko. 'But if he was killed...'
"You must be wondering if he was burned to death how he was able to nearly take over Japan, is that right?" asked the professor. Keiko nodded. "It's true he was burned," he continued. "But not to death. Shishio survived. From there, he began his takeover. He gathered many dangerous fighters from around Japan to his cause to overthrow the Meiji Government, who had been wronged by the new regime and wished for everything to change. He then used his forces to take over small villages as a display of his power, in order to let the government know that he was still alive. Ten years later, he was going to carry out his full plan to take down the Meiji. Coinciding with his sense of irony, he was going to set Kyoto ablaze, just as Choshu had planned so many years before at the Ikedaya."
"Oh dear..." said Keiko. "Take down the government with a plan that they themselves had come up with?"
"Exactly," said the professor. "Shishio's plan would be to use his followers and his elite attack squad to start fires all around Kyoto in order to keep the police busy, while he sailed from Osaka to Tokyo, where the central government was. He had purchased a state-of-the-art battleship from overseas, which he called the Rengoku, and planned to bombard Tokyo with it. Do you know about the arrival of the Black Ships?"
"That's what the Japanese call the American ships lead by Commodore Matthew Perry that arrived off the coast of Uraga in 1853," said Keiko. "So, this plan also satisfied Shishio's sense of irony."
"I'm very impressed, young lady," the professor clapped. "To think that after only a few years you've become an expert on such detailed history. Yes, Shishio planned to bombard Tokyo, and so soon after Perry's arrival, this would drive the people of Tokyo, where the central government was located, into a state of fear and chaos, exactly what he wanted. See, Shishio Makoto was one of Japan's first advocates of Social Darwinism, in that 'the strong survive and the weak die'. He believed that chaos was the natural order, and that in this world, the weak exist only to feed the strong."
"That's horrible..." whispered Keiko.
"But, with interventions from the Kyoto police and the efforts of Saito Hajime and the Hitokiri Battousai, this plan was stopped. That's where the recordings ended."
'If Shishio comes back to life, then,' thought Keiko. 'He'd still cling to that belief, and that means that he could take over Japan again. No...he beat Yusuke in his Mazoku form, after Yusuke was able to beat most of the demons in Demon World. He's strong enough to not only take over Japan, but over the entire world. Oh god, Yusuke...we have to stop him before he can do that...'
Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama found themselves in the middle of a city full of old Japanese style buildings, and men and women walking around in older style clothing. The sky was blue and the air smelled clean and fresh.
"You sure this is Tokyo?" asked Kuwabara.
"According to Botan, yes," Kurama answered. "Well, I suppose we should search for the Battousai now?"
A growl emerged from Kuwabara's stomach as if to answer Kurama's question. Kuwabara just gave a nervous chuckle as the red-haired young man just sighed.
"I'm kind of hungry too," said Yusuke. "I'm sure the fate of the world can wait a little. I'm smelling something good right now, so how about we head in that direction?"
"I suppose there's no arguing with a man's stomach," laughed Kurama. "I believe it's coming from that restaurant over there."
The three young men walked toward the restaurant. It was a small establishment with two floors, and the characters for 'Akabeko' written on a sign over the door. Kuwabara opened the door, where he was greeted by a young woman with brown hair and a maid's outfit.
"Welcome," she bowed. "Oh, I guess we have some visitors?" Yusuke looked puzzled until she pointed to his clothes. He looked around the establishment. Every man was wearing yukatas and hakamas, and the women were all wearing kimonos. Yusuke was wearing his green blazer, white t-shirt, and jeans. Kuwabara had a similar look, with a blue jacket. Kurama was wearing a white dress shirt and grey pants over some dark brown shoes. Overall, it was easy to see how the three young men from the Living World would seem strange to the Spirit Tokyo residents.
"You accept these, right?" asked Kurama, holding a coin that Botan had handed him. The woman nodded and lead the three to a seating area.
"I'm pleased that you would choose our humble establishment as a place to have a meal during your visit. My name is Tae, and I own this fine restaurant, the Akabeko. What can I get you today?"
"What do you have?" asked Yusuke.
"Get the beef nabe, trust me," a teenage boy, looking about 18 years old said to them as he walked in. He had black hair and tan skin. He wore a dark blue yukata with a white striped collar, his hakama was white and had a blue border at the bottom, and had a bokken strapped on his back. "How are things going, Tae-san?"
"Just fine, Yahiko-kun," she smiled. "I take it you've noticed our visitors?"
"Of course," said Yahiko, pointing to Yusuke. "Aren't those pants a little tight for you?"
"Isn't that dress a little girly for you?" Yusuke answered, smirkng.
"Very funny," laughed Yahiko. "In case you modern age guys didn't know, this is what we wore during the Meiji."
"I suppose it would be very roomy and comfortable," chuckled Kurama. "Tae-san, please let us try this beef nabe that Yahiko-san suggested."
"Right away," Tae smiled and left. Yahiko walked over to the three young men from the modern age and sat near them.
"We haven't been properly introduced," he smiled. "My name is Myojin Yahiko, master of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu."
"My name is Minamino Shuichi," smiled Kurama. "Though, since we're in Spirit World I suppose you may refer to me as Kurama."
"Name's Kuwabara Kazuma," Kuwabara told him. "Living World agent enforcing peace between Humans and Demons."
"Urameshi Yusuke," said Yusuke. "Yo."
"So, what are you three modern-age guys doing in Spirit Tokyo?" he asked. "It's not exactly a vacation spot, you know."
"We're on official business," said Yusuke. "We're looking for the Hitokiri Battousai."
Yahiko's smile faded at this statement. Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama all looked at each other with slightly confused faces. Yahiko looked as if he was thinking of something. There was a long awkward silence before he finally spoke again.
"Tae-san," he called. "Bring enough nabe for another person. And it's on me."
"You don't need to do that," Kurama told him.
"Why do you want to find the Battousai?" Yahiko asked, ignoring Kurama's statement.
"Um...well, he was the one who beat Shishio Makoto, wasn't he?" asked Kuwabara. "We need him because we need to beat him again."
"Again?" asked Yahiko. "What do you mean 'again'?"
"Shishio came back to life for a little while," said Yusuke. "And he's strong."
"And in another year and a half, he'll be back for good if we don't stop him," Kuwabara finished for Yusuke.
"Yahiko-san, you seem to know about Battousai," said Kurama. "I hope you'll be able to help us."
"Alright," Yahiko nodded. "We eat first, and then we talk about Battousai."
"Kamiya Dojo?" asked Yusuke. "Why the hell are we here?" Yahiko had lead Yusuke and his friends on a short walk across Tokyo to a rather large Japanese house. The characters for 'Kamiya Dojo' were written across a large sign. The Kamiya Kasshin master didn't answer as he opened the gate to the dojo.
"The dojo is up ahead," Yahiko pointed. "You guys wait there while I go grab Kenshin."
"Well, well, who do we have here?" said a man, looking to been in his early twenties, as he walked out of the dojo. He had brown hair in a style that resembled a rooster and a red headband. He wore a white jacket with black lining with the symbol for "evil" on the back and matching pants.
"These are some guys from the Living World, Sanosuke," Yahiko told him. "Where's Kenshin?"
"Kenshin went out to buy some miso," said a young woman, looking to be in her late teens or early twenties, walking out of the dojo. She had black hair tied with a ribbon, and was wearing an indigo kimono. "Yahiko, who are these people?"
"They're from the Living World," Yahiko repeated for her. "Yusuke, Kurama, Kuwabara, these two are Himura Kaoru and Sagara Sanosuke, friends of Kenshin."
"Who's Kenshin?" asked Kuwabara.
"Look, it's great to meet you all and everything, but we really need to find the Battousai," said Yusuke, exasperated. "We got a dead mummy swordsman who's strong enough to take down an S-class demon about to come back to life by winning a tournament in a year and a half, and we really need the guy who beat him real soon."
Just then, a red-haired man, looking barely in his late teens, with a cross-shaped scar on his left cheek walked into the gate. He was wearing a fuschia yukata and white hakama, and brown socks. He was carrying two large buckets of what was presumably the miso on a long bamboo rod over his shoulder. "I got the miso, that I did," he said as he walked in, right before he tripped on a stray stone. "Oro?" he muttered as he struggled to keep balance, but to no avail as he crashed into the three visitors. "Orooooo..." he muttered.
"Damn it, who's this clown? I don't have time for this!" Yusuke cursed out loud as he pushed the man off of him. Yahiko, Kaoru, and Sanosuke all looked at each other and began laughing.
"Hey, what's so funny?" demanded Kuwabara.
"That, my friends, is the guy you've been looking for," laughed Yahiko. "Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, meet Himura Kenshin, formerly known as the Hitokiri Battousai."
"Oroooo..." muttered Kenshin.
NARRATOR VOICE: Yusuke and his friends have traveled to Spirit Tokyo to find the legendary Hitokiri Battousai, and now, it appears that they have succeeded. But is Himura Kenshin really the legendary manslayer of the Bakumatsu, and if he is, will he be able to face the now much more powerful Shishio Makoto in the Millenium Tournament?
A/N: And with that, we made it to the point in the story where "Fate of the Hitokiri" left off: Yusuke and co. have met the Kenshingumi, and everything beyond here is new material. It's going to get a lot more exciting, especially when the actual tournament rolls around, but until then I have to lay out the groundwork. Review!