Two weeks later, Kae looked up from her steaming cup of hot tea. She set her cup on the floor as she looked at Yahiko who had a cookie in his mouth and Kaoru who was reading a book. She then looked at Kenshin. "We have a guest, that we do…" Without another word, she and Kenshin stood up and left the room and headed towards the door of the dojo.

Kaoru stood up and followed them with Yahiko right on her heels. "Wait, Kae, Kenshin…What's going on?"

"His chi is powerful," answered Kenshin, as he approached the door. He opened it to see the kind stranger from the Akabeko standing there. "Unconcealed…blatantly honest fighting chi."

"I came…" said the stranger. "To pick a fight."

"They guy from before!" yelled Kaoru when she saw him.

Kenshin sighed. "So it's you. Sorry, this one shall refrain from fighting."

The stranger walked towards them. "I can't accept that. I've taken this fight as a merchant. I can't back out." He smirked. "On top of that, my opponent is the revolutionary Himura Battosai." He smiled again at their shock. "The Choshu revolutionary Himura Battosai, whose way is the ancient sword-school of Hiten Mitsurugi Style. Active for five years from ages fourteen to nineteen. Hired for the first half of his career as a Hitokiri, a relentless assassin lurking in the darkness of the night and in the later half, acting as a free swordsman to protect his comrades from the government's killers, the Shinsengumi along with his young female partner." He made eye contact with Kae. "Thus the killers who would have never seen the light of day became legends. And in the deciding battle of the Boshin War, after victory in the first battle at Toba Fushimi, they disappear and reappear as Rurouni. Kenshin Himura and his young partner." He put his hand in his pocket and held a long staff like object wrapped in clothe over his shoulder. "A real fight begins with knowing the opponent. Upon learning, I then choose the way to fight. I went to Kyoto, where the revolution had its center. I have it pretty much right, don't I?"

Kenshin stared at the man. "And you have determined the way to fight me?" he asked.

The man chuckled. "That's the problem! My research only turned up a vague history. Nothing about what Hiten Mitsurugi Style is like…or why a relentless Hitokiri, took a girl of age ten as his partner, or why they turned into Rurouni who kill no one. I couldn't figure it out. So here I am at he main gate, honorably asking for a face-to-face fight."

Kenshin sighed. "This one does not understand." The stranger stared at him with a puzzled look. "Why do you who can't stand to see bullies or be one…work as a personal fighter? And why do you wear the character of 'Aku' on your back? Your soul is straight and honest, but right now, you've gone badly askew. What turned you so far out of line?"

The stranger hesitated as he thought back. "What, you ask?" He smiled. "Nah. A sob story shouldn't be told before a fight. If you really want to know, fight me and beat me! But I'll say this at least, I believe that all revolutionary warriors are hypocrites…in the name of justice changing the world in ways that benefit them, and getting rid of those in the way. Even if that means twisting and hiding the truth. This 'equality' they talk about is all a lie." The stranger dropped his smile and shot a hateful glare at Kenshin. "I want to crush the Hitokiri whom the songs call the greatest of the Revolutionaries!" he said angrily.

"All right, then…" stated Kenshin, as he closed his eyes and sighed.

Kae looked at the stranger whose face was pulling at her memory. "Tell us this…the ones who hired you are the Hiruma Brothers, yes?"

The stranger walked up to Kae, who made him feel that he knew her from his past. "Yes, how did you know?"

"Not many people know our background in this city, that they don't," answered Kae. She looked over at the wooden fence to their right. "Besides…some very dirty chi is coming from that side of the fence, that there is. Show yourselves."

"Heh, you're a great warrior as well, Little Miss," answered the stranger as he stared and smiled calmly at Kae. "Come out, you two," he called over to the fence. He glared at the fence when the ones hiding behind it did nothing.

"We said, come out!" demanded Kae, as she put her hand on her Kyofan but didn't take it off her sash.

The stranger smiled as Kihei and his giant brother, Gohei came out and walked up to them. "Good, good. There you go." He held his hand out to Kihei. "All right, hand it over."

"Huh?" asked Kihei.

"What do you mean 'huh'?" demanded the stranger.

"Ah!" yelped Kihei as the stranger quickly reached into Kihei's shirt and pulled out the pistol he had concealed there.

The stranger looked at the gun in his hand. "I though so. I don't have the ability to read chi…but I know how you scum think." He glared at Kihei and threw the gun into the air. "Listen, you're paying for this fight, but this is my profession. Stupid stunts like this…" he said as the gun came down and he smashed it between his fists, "…are absolutely no tolerated!"

Kaoru looked over at the old man who had once seemed to be her friend. "…Kihei."

Kihei shot Kaoru a nasty glare. "This property will be mine yet, Wench!" she spat at her.

"This place is too small…" said the stranger, "let's go to the river bank." He lead them all into the town and headed toward the river.

"Yahiko," said Kae as she fell into step next to the young boy.

"Huh?" asked Yahiko as he looked up at her.

"Were you…surprised?" Kae asked him.

Yahiko crossed his arms as they walked. "Kinda…but it's funny, I don't feel afraid, knowing you and Kenshin are the Hitokiri Battosai. In fact…it makes more sense to me now why you're as good as you two are." He looked up as Kae and Kenshin smiled. "Anyways, you think you'll be okay, Kenshin."

"Oro?" asked Kenshin.

"I mean, look at his weapon. That's got to be a spear," Yahiko pointed out. "I heard you need three times the strength to fight a spear with a sword."

"This isn't a spear, kid," said the stranger. He turned to them and smiled as they came up to the river bank. "This is something better. Oh yeah, we haven't introduced our selves to each other yet. My name is Sanosuke Sagara. I'm known in the darker alleys as 'Zanza'."