With a yawn and a stretch, Shinpachi stood up and sighed. Gasping when flashes of those he saw outside is apartment building flashed through his eyes. Shaking his head he went to the window and looked down at the spot not seeing them. "Well at least they aren't back like the girl said they would be."

With a sigh he turned and went on with getting ready for the day. Working at the dump wasn't the most glorious of jobs, but it paid his rent. Walking out of his apartment he reached out to hold the rail as he headed right down the stairs then sighed as the rail shook. "I will have to see her about this. She don't need to come up here while I am gone."

Once he got downstairs though he gasped when he saw his land lady being wheeled out on a stretcher. "Miss Land Lady!" Running to walk with her for a moment he gave her a worried look. "Hey what happened are you alright?"

Giving him a weak smile she sighed. "I passed out while I was on the phone with my son. He called them for me."

Looking up at the medic Shinpachi made eye contact as they started to lift her in the back of the squad. "What hospital is she going to?"

"We are taking her to Minami General."

Giving her a smile he closed his eyes. "Well I was going to tell you not to use the rail upstairs but I guess you aint gotta worry about that. I will come see ya after I get off work."

"Alright. Have a good day Shinpachi."

Nodding as he winked at her through one door Shinpachi laughed. "You take care Miss Land Lady." But sighed as he followed the squad as he drove off away from them. She was weak. And her eyes were weaker than they were last night. "I really hope she is alright."

He then turned and headed down the alley he took for work. Closing his eyes he sighed. "Oh man. I tell you nothing is going right anymore." But just as he started to open his eyes he gasped when a hand with a cloth covered his mouth. He tried to struggle but the chloroform on the cloth quickly had him fading into black. Looking up and to the side he narrowed his eyes at the guy. It was one from his dream. 'Damn them!'

X

Her arms crossed as she glared at Isami and how slow he was eating, Kishiko wanted nothing more than to just get over there and find him and make him go with them. But no he had to go out for breakfast first. And she had no clue where Souji, Hajime and Heisuke were. "Are you done yet Isami?"

"Almost. The clerk at the hotel said that this was the best place in Minami for breakfast. Oh my, she was right these pancakes are wonderful." He then gave her a smile as he held out his fork with a piece on it. "Why don't you try some?"

"I will eat on the train to Kyoto. Can we go?"

"Oh just let me finish eating. It is a shame to have these go to waste."

Narrowing her eyes as she glared, Kishiko started tapping her foot out of annoyance. "Just hurry the hell up."

Looking from one to the other Otohime sighed. She knew how Kishiko felt about this. She wanted to hurry and get to Kyoto as well. They knew that was where their husband's and children were going to be. But she also noticed that Kishiko was being more stand offish the last few days with everyone but her. And she knew it was something more than wanting to hurry.

Looking at her with her big brown eyes she blinked. "Kishiko are you alright?"

Looking over at her with a sigh and a half smile Kishiko nodded. "I am fine Otohime. I just want to hurry and get this over with so we can get there ya know. We don't know what waits for us other than them, and that and the feeling of always being watched is really bugging me too."

Looking around her as she got nervous, Otohime bit her lip. "You think someone is watching us then?"

Laughing as she smiled a true smile, Kishiko shook her head side to side. "I didn't mean it literal Otohime. I was just using the metaphor." Then she gasped as she smiled and stood up. "I will be right back.

Going to the waitress Kishiko smiled. "Hello. My friend is in love with your pancakes but we are in a hurry. He doesn't want to waste them as he says. So is there a way he can get something to put them in to take with him?"

"Of course." The young girl turned around and got a go box and handed it to her. "Here ya go. This will be perfect."

"Thank you." Kishiko then walked back to the table and shocked all three of them still sitting as she lifted his plate, dumped them on it, closed the lid then grabbed Otohime by the hand. "Now we can leave and go do what we need to. Come on boys."

Jumping up and running after them taking the food Isami half glared at her. "Not funny. I wanted to finish them there."

"I want to get a move on."

Before he could say anything, Isami heard his cell ring. Looking at he stopped and smiled. "Just hold on a second Kishiko I think you are about to be really happy about something." Flipping his phone open he closed his eyes. "Well Hajime?"

"We have him, but if you think that she can do a better job you better get her here fast. He is going nuts!"

"On our way." Isami put the cell in his pocket and then tossed his food off to the side. "Let's go Yamazaki." And then shocked the girls as he lifted Kishiko and Yamazaki lifted Otohime and they took off running. Leaving his food in a heap on the sidewalk.

Glaring at him Kishiko held onto his neck. "What the hell Isami? I thought you had to have that food?"

"It was good but it was just to stall time with you." Turning a corner to see the top of the warehouse he smiled. "I saw him last night I knew he was there. But this one I think you are going to have to show him how serious you two really are about doing this. He knew who we were but he had a look in his eye. He won't go without a fight."

Glaring Kishiko narrowed her eyes at him. "You can fill me in later but if he needs a fight I will give it to him."

Slidding to a stop the boys sat the girls down and Otohime went to Kishiko. "Let me try to talk to him first please Kishiko?"

"If you want to Otohime but if I have to I will knock him out and put him in a travel bag to get him there."

Walking in ahead of everyone Otohime blinked to see him and Heisuke squaring off again. "They are fighting already."

Turning to see the girls Shinpachi glared. "Look I aint going anywhere. Apart from those infernal nightmares I got a good life here. Get lost!"

Rushing to him and grabbing his arm with her hands, her eyes holding a desperate plea. "But you must come with us! Please!" She dropped her head and sighed. "I fear it is the only way that my memory of my husband and children will return to me. Please…"

Relaxing with her touching him, Shinpachi sighed as he dropped his eyes to look at her. "I am sorry Miss. But if what they say is real, and each time that infernal nightmare changed showed me what really happened to me and everyone else in the past. I want nothing to do with it."

"But…"

"I am not going."

Tears streaming down her face as her shaky hands let go of his arm she covered her mouth with both of her hands as her whole body shook. "Then I may never truly remember them. Nothing. I….." Then she broke into sobs as she ran from the room.

A glance at the fuming Kishiko, Yamazaki rushed after her to calm Otohime down. That guy was about to see what happens when you piss Kishiko off.

Rage soared through her as this guy crossed his arms with a smug look on his face. Hearing Otohime sob from the next room. Her entire body started shaking. She has never been this mad before in her life. Not even when they were little and teased. He was going to be forced to go, but at the same time, pay for making her cry like this.

Walking to Heisuke with her head down so he couldn't see her eyes, Kishiko reached out and took his sword and then turned to the now blinking man. "What is your name?"

"Shinpachi. Why?"

"So I know what to tell the hospital when we take you there for treatment."

Glaring as he pointed at her, Shinpachi fisted his other hand in his hair. "I am telling you what. One you can't hurt me and two you all can forget it! I am not doing it!"

"But most of all you will pay for making her cry you bastard!" Kishiko then shocked everyone as she charged him, swinging her sword around like she had been using one for ages!

Shinpachi ground his teeth together as he dodged and blocked her relentless attacks. It was like he was facing a man with her skill and power behind her strikes! "What the hell is wrong with you!?"

"You made her cry! I can't forgive that! I won't! Don't you even care what she is going through!? What we are all going through!? You selfish bastard!" She then was able to block his hands and kicked him in the gut sending him back to his back as she stood there with tears falling down her face. "You self-centered bastard."

Holding his stomach Shipachi held one eye closed as he glared up at her. "I am not!"

"You are!" Turning away from him as she whipped her eyes clean, Kishiko dropped her head. "It is no wonder Sanosuke calls you a fool when it comes to women and a doomed…." Then she gasped as she jerked her head. "Bachelor."

Jerking around she walked up to him and slapped him before anyone could react. "You just made her cry and didn't even act like you care. You are heartless!"

Watching with blinking eyes as she ran off to her friend Shinpachi sighed as he dropped his head. "I have spent my entire life running from that damn dream. I can't just face it like that. But…"

"What she said. It rung a bell with you didn't it?"

Looking up at Isami, Shinpachi nodded. "It did. The last time it changed. A guy with red hair, I guess Sanosuke since she said his name was running toward her as she was attacked. I took my death blow to give him time to get to her. The last thing I said to him was 'after all I am the eternal bachelor right?' and then I was gone."

Laughing Heisuke fell to his behind. "Well I wonder what he would think, or even the entire town of Minami will think that you got your ass handed to you by a girl!"

His eyes narrowing again, Shinpachi glared as he held his fist up. "Don't you dare say a word you scrawny kid!"

"Then come with us."

"Hell no!"

Standing and opening a window, Heisuke happened to see two girls walking past. He ran over and grabbed him by the ear and drug him toward the window. "Hey girls!" When they looked up he laughed. "We are working on this place, but I figured it would be funny to tell someone that this guy just got beat up by a girl. For real."

"Don't tell them that!" Hearing the girls laughing as they walked on he glared after them then down at the kid. "Why you little….."

Holding his phone Souji laughed drawing his attention to him. "I got the whole fight on video. I bet it would be a youtube hit."

Dropping his head Shinpachi glared at the floor. " Fine. You win. But can we at least just stay at my apartment tonight. And one of you guys can come with me if you want, but my Land Lady is in the hospital and I want to go see her."

"We can do that. Souji, you and Heisuke go with him."

Turning a glare on Isami, Souji crossed his arms. "Why do I gotta go?"

"Cause you seem to piss Kishiko off more than anyone else and she needs to calm down." Isami then turned and headed out to where the girls were at.

Walking in the room to find Otohime still crying in Kishiko's arms he sighed. "Don't worry Otohime he is going to go. Between the butt kicking Kishiko did and the threat of that video going online, he is coming. We leave in the morning."

"Really?" Her brown eyes looking up into his, Otohime blinked for a moment.

"Really. Once he gets back from telling his land lady who is in the hospital that he is leaving, we are going to stay at his apartment for the night then leave for Kyoto first thing in the morning."

Smiling as she jumped up and hugged him she let happy tears fall down her face. "Then I will finally be reunited with them and remember everything!"

"That's right."

Closing her eyes as she laid her hand on her heart, Kishiko sighed. 'I am coming. Only a couple more days. I will be there. Wait for me.'