It's finally chapter 7, I'm real sorry for the long wait. I had a huge writer's block, but I finally came up with this chapter:D Now, chapter 8, that'll be another problem, but I'll do my best. I think that in this chapter, the characters would be a little OOC, dunno' why, I just have this feeling. Please RandR, I would really appreciate any suggestions or feedback, it would really help me(and make me work a whole lot faster:D) Well then, please enjoy:D

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, but I want to


Chapter 7

"Man! I still really can't believe that Soujiro-sama had finally agreed to lead us." enthusiastically said one soldier,

Two soldiers, in the Kanazawa base were actively conversing on the past events regarding Soujiro Seta's rise as their new ruler.

"I know, I wonder what made him change his mind. They say that he was so different after Shishio-sama died. I had heard from the ones who had met him during that time, they said that he turned to some sort of a…do-gooder rurouni! I guess he got fed up with that shit, probably couldn't take it anymore. And now, in less than five months he already has this massive army! Soujiro-sama is truly amazing!" replied the other soldier; you could see what great adoration these people had.

"No less from the former right hand man of the late Shishio, in fact he may even surpass him. And I hear that Soujiro-sama has managed to gather and convince the remaining of the Juppongatana to join us…well most of them, I hear that the monk got canned."

"To your posts! Soujiro-sama has returned!" shouted another soldier.

There was great stir all throughout the base. Rows of soldiers immediately lined up beside the pathway; its master had returned. Soujiro entered along the middle, followed by Cho and Henya.

"All hail Soujiro-sama!" someone shouted,

"ALL HAIL SOUJIRO-SAMA!" the rest of the army shouted.

Their voices echoed all throughout the forest where the base was located, it was a good thing that this base was near the open ocean, far from any large towns which could've heard the loud cheering, giving out its position.

"Whoa! This welcome is even bigger than the one that happened in the Okayama base, don't you think so Henya?" said Cho, amazed by the reception he had just witnessed.

"I agree, but more importantly, this base has to be at least twice the size of the last one." replied Henya.

Suddenly, Soujiro appeared right behind them. This sent chills behind Cho and Henya.

"I'm glad you like it." Soujiro said all too cheerfully,

"This kid is gonna' give me a heart attack!" thought Cho and Henya simultaneously.

"You two will be managing this place when I'm not here, as Kamatari-san and Saizuchi-san are doing right now in the Okayama base. Well then, let me give you a brief tour of this place."

After showing Cho and Henya around the area: such as the harbor, where numerous boats and a large ship lay ready, or the many training grounds, where hundreds of soldiers practiced their skills; Soujiro lead them to the mansion.

"This place is huge! And the mansion's huge too! How the heck did you have this place made in such a short time?" asked Cho,

"Well…the port and the training grounds are quite easy to establish with sufficient funds, and the mansion was originally owned by the landlord in this area, and with just a little persuasion…well, you know." and Soujiro flashed them a smile.

"Right…" replied Cho.

After giving them a look at some of the important parts of the mansion, Soujiro headed for the southeast hallway where they came upon a staircase heading down towards a basement of some sort. Soujiro started going down, and he motioned for the two to follow. The basement was deeper than Cho or Henya thought, about thirty meters below the ground. Below, the place was still well lit and it is where a large metal door stood, around six meters tall.

"What's with the doors?" asked Cho, and Soujiro only gave him a smile.

"Open the gates," said Soujiro,

"Yes! Soujiro-sama." replied the soldiers stationed at the place.

The large doors started to open slowly, and Cho and Henya could not believe what was behind those doors.

"Henya-san, I believe this is your area of expertise," said Soujiro, and he flashed an even brighter smile, at the sight of the frozen expressions of his companions.

LINE BREAK

Three men were standing in the forest plotting very something important; a mission that if failed, could spell disaster for the rest of Japan.

"I say that we just form an ambush, and just beat the crap out of anyone who's there! Come on, we could take those guys." said Sano.

"Has the time on the road been messing with your head you imbecile? A simple lack of caution could-" said Saito, who was suddenly cut short,

"Yeah yeah, you're the one who's always right, aren't you squinty-eyes." replied Sano mockingly.

Saito looked as if he was ready to Gatotsu the living daylights out of Sano when Kenshin interrupted their argument.

"Now, now, I'm sure both of you are just a little moody from the trip from Tokyo to Osaka, but let us try to avoid wasting precious time and energy, shall we?." said Kenshin, trying to calm down his companions.

"Hmph" was all Sano could reply,

"Sigh…I don't know why I even let that rooster-head come here." thought Saito as he lighted a cigarette.

"I suggest we scan the area first and see what we're up against. Then we'll decide whether to attack or not." said Kenshin

"Fine with me." replied Sano.

"Saito-san?" asked Kenshin, and Saito gave a slight nod.

"Alright then, let's get going." said Kenshin.

The three were headed for Kobe, the location of one of the alleged hideouts. They had travelled from Tokyo to Osaka by carriage with a police escort for the past few days; but had decided to travel alone from Osaka onwards to minimize the chances of being detected. And now their destination was right in front of them. It looked like a small military base, but instead of uniformed soldiers, the place was occupied by a bunch of suspicious-looking people.

"It looks like this base isn't that large, nor are there any skilled fighters, just a bunch of hoodlums." said Saito smugly,

"It'll be about ten to fifteen for each of us." said Sano, ready to charge at any moment.

"Hai hai, but let us not forget why we're here now. We're here to get some answers." said Kenshin. And they started dashing off into the base, hoping to get those answers.


Well, that's chapter 7, thanks for continuing to read my story. Please feel free to ask any questions(but not about what's behind the door, that's a surprise:D) ,reviews are highly appreciated, very appreciated.