Disclaimers: I DO NOT OWN any of the characters in Rurouni Kenshin; they belong to the talented manga artist Nobuhiro Watsuki.

Chapter 36: Seigi no Na no Motoni (In the name of Justice)

"So gullible…Iwatani Nagi." Katsuya has quickly deflected and turned the toxic powder against the perpetrator, now wailing in pain at losing his eyesight. Katsuya examines the yellow substance that has fallen to the ground. "Snake venom…" Katsuya draws the 'Akusaiken' and nimbly directs its edge at Nagi, who freezes at the icy contact. "Cease your frenzied movements or else forfeit your life."

"Please don't kill me."

"Do you even dare to think that for a moment that I will ever believe you and let your cheap tricks backstab me again… like what you did three years ago?"

Nagi remains in a state of shock and confusion while trying his best to recall his having 'backstab' Katsuya. "Inspector Ayasaki, I don't understand. I don't know what you are talking about. I have never met you until today."

"Is that so? Then it will make that vile act of yours all the more worse. Iwatani, I assure you, I will render now the justice you deserve."

"Sawatari-sama, please save…"Nagi is knocked unconscious by Katsuya.

"Sawatari, it is about time that you show yourself. I do not intend to wait any longer."

Takafumi haughtily makes his appearance along with twenty of his henchmen. "Inspector Ayasaki, how kind of you to wait for me…"

"You are always a man who will let others do his evil deeds."

"I have no clue to what you are talking about, Inspector Ayasaki. I am a simple law-abiding merchant." Noting the other members around Katsuya, Takafumi's eyes narrow in thought, nevertheless, a broad grin spreads across his face, "I see, so you are trying to extort some information about me from a former slave, Inspector Ayasaki? About Ayasaki Kazuma I assume. Why don't we just talk it over some tea? I will happily furnish you with the details you desire."

"You are most uncharacteristically generous, Sawatari."

"I assure you, Inspector, that I will try my best to provide you with an accurate recreation of the events."

"I gravely decline on that ominous offer, Sawatari." Katsuya motions to adjust his spectacle. "I doubt that the shinigami of Meifu has an opening yet…moreover, I feel that I need more practice in that particular discipline." Katsuya glares contemptuously at Takafumi. "How about allowing me to practice it on you?"

"How dare you!" Takafumi's face reddens in fury.

"Be assured, Sawatari-san, that the events relating to my father's demise shall not be repeated…" Katsuya comments, noting the gun hidden under Takafumi's clothes. "I, however, cannot guarantee that your life will last till dawn of tomorrow."

"So you are truly Ayasaki Kazuma's son!" Takafumi exclaims. "Thought that he only had a daughter…ha…haaa.haa…" Takafumi's attitude quickly shifts to a more cocky demeanor as he callously huffs, "That Ayasaki, I always knew that he was a false wretch… bogus pretenses of being a man of high morals… pretending to be aloving husband… while all along he cheated on his wife to have you, a bastard son …"

"Shut your filthy mouth, Sawatari…" Katsuya utters in a tone with truculent rage.

"You are beginning to get real pesky, Inspector, and just like your father, you will meet your end by my hands. Emiru, it seems that it is a mistake to let you live also. Men, get rid of them!" Takafumi takes a few steps back to allow half of his henchmen to attack while he waits on the side for the opportunity to strike with his hidden weapon.

Katsuya instinctively with the 'Akusaiken' swerves to protect Masanobu and Emiru from the onslaught. "Tsutsui-sensei, take Matsouka-san to safety while I take care of these. I will stand ground here until you are both safe."

Unfortunately, rather than running away, Emiru and Masanobu instead decide to simply move to the side to watch from what they deem a safe enough distance. Both are worried about the outcome and about Katsuya. Masanobu observes that Katsuya seems to be having a slightly hard time dealing with the henchmen. It also appears that Takafumi has taken the extra effort to gather very skillful ones to do his bid. Moreover, knowing that Katsuya's injuries has not yet healed completely, Masanobu begins to worry and fidget about at what he foresees to be Kazuma's child being in an eventual compromised position. I must stay to help.

Still though, the henchmen steadily fall one by one. Noticeably, with each counter, Katsuya's stamina slowly depletes. Blood can be seen dripping from his arm as the prior wound opens again at the strenuous exertion.

"You are foolish as your Father. You should have used that earlier opportunity to escape with your life still intact." Takafumi chuckles with anticipation. "You are even simpler to kill than Ayasaki," adds Takafumi as he contently pats his gun still concealed under a layer of cloth. "Inspector Ayasaki, have you not figured out that you have fallen for my trap?"

"Is that so?" Katsuya slices the last of the ten and sheathes the Akusaiken.

"My…my… you are in such a terrible shape… Inspector, by now you should realize that I will spare no cost to destroy you Ayasakis." Takafumi signals his bowmen who have been stationed beforehand about the place (rooftops, inside the buildings, behind the bushes, etc.) still hidden and ready for the ambush. "They are the best I have gathered from all over Japan."

Katsuya remains unperturbed and allows Takafumi to continue his ranting.

"Your semblance to your father disgusts me to the core; his imprudent pride, uprightness should only lead to paucity. How dare he be honored by the emperor; and get to marry such a beautiful woman while I have to marry that hag." Takafumi grits his teeth in disdain against Ayasaki Kazuma. "But you see, corruption triumphed in the end." Takafumi snickers in delight. "With money, I deprived him his wife…what I can't have, I rather destroy… in case you don't know… I killed the stupid wench and took away her precious blade."

"You mean this?" Katsuya removes the coverings from his second blade.

"The Yoshimitsu? How come you have possession of it?"

"I need not tell you."

"Like that really matters, the Yoshimitsu will return to me soon… that is, after I step over your soon to be dead body." Again Takafumi snickers to himself, very content at the situation and mumbles gleefully, "But that can wait." Takafumi continues with his boastful ramblings, "I was shocked and amused at the result. That weak-minded fool. Killed his resolve. Being that attached to a woman, he deserved his fate…living the rest of his life beside her grave. Pathetic." Takafumi takes out his gun and shows it to Katsuya. "He was lucky I passed by and ended his pathetic excuse for living with this useful little invention." Takafumi points the gun at Katsuya. "Even though I might have been weaker than your idiotic father, with money, MY money, I have power to kill."

"Dastardly coward."

"Say whatever you want, Inspector, this dastardly coward lived while the so-called great General Ayasaki father perished by my hands no less. How ironic. The weak and corrupted lived yet the strong and righteous died. I had about enough of this small talk." Takafumi signals the bowmen to fire, "Bowmen, kill him."

Having recovered enough strength, Katsuya is prepared for the onslaught of arrows.

Silence.

"Attack him you fools! What are you waiting for?" Takafumi looks about frantically for his hired bowmen who are no where to be found. "Attack him!"

"I am afraid that they are all taking a nap, Sawatari-san." Soujiro cheerily comments from afar while sitting casually on the rooftop with a bow and quiver in hand. "Hello Inspector Ayasaki!" Soujiro cheerfully greets Katsuya who has prior been unaware of his presence because of his concentration on the situation and lost of stamina.

"You… you again. Didn't you fall off the cliff? Why haven't you died?"

"Sawatari-san, Matsouka-san and that gentleman are unarmed; don't you feel that it is wrong to target them also?" Earlier, Soujiro has witnessed the curious scenario but has judiciously decided to wait it out. That is, until the engaging of the bowmen against Katsuya. Perceptibly, some have their arrows pointed at the two unsuspecting onlookers, Emiru and Masanobu. With that observation, using his Shukuchi , the Tenken swiftly maneuvers and disarms the vile bowmen without anyone even detecting the slightest movements. "Initially I took out a couple, but then my heart directed me to the rest…"

Katsuya gives Soujiro a glance.

"Don't worry Ayasaki-san, as promised, I won't interfere in your personal affairs." With that, Soujiro leaps down from the rooftop and stands aside.

Katsuya returns a firm nod of gratitude.

"Kill him!" Takafumi angrily orders the rest of his henchmen to attack Katsuya, who aptly fends himself with the Akusaiken. Unhappily, not far away, Emiru continues to observe the inspector as he swings his sword cutting off all weapons aimed in his direction. Realization suddenly hits her. Emiru, filled with joy, blindly runs unexpectedly out of her hiding place. "Fuyue!" Her exclamation quickly draws attention.

Katsuya shouts to Masanobu, "Sensei, please get Matsouka-san out of here immediately!"

The attackers lunge toward Emiru to hostage her. "Let's get the old woman!"

Katsuya voluntarily dodges to protect Emiru but is continuously hindered by even more enemies.

Leaping with an arrow in hand, Soujiro positions himself between Emiru and the culprits. "This dishonorable deed, I shall not allow." Soujiro deftly defends Emiru and proceeds to eliminate all the enemies within the proximity of her.

"Little boy, don't be naïve and think that you can stand against us," jeers one of them.

"Naïve? On the contrary, I believe it is you who is naïve to think that any one of you can even lay a finger on me," replies Soujiro in a confident tone. At the moment he feels like the Tenken once again, only that the thirst for death, has been replaced by the pleasure of protecting someone.

"Puny brat! We'll show you!"

"There's no way you can defeat all of us."

"Hah…the only way you will survive is if you were blessed by the heavens."

"That I am," confirms Soujiro with a big smile on his face as he realizes the influence of Kenshin in his speech. "I am the Tenken no Soujiro after all," he adds with a chilling smirk.

Soujiro fades into thin air right before their eyes, followed soon after by mere flashes of light, and then Soujiro reappears to his former position. The samurais, thinking that what they just witness are just mere illusions to confuse them, attempts to begin their attacks when their hakamas slip from their hips. Apparently, those mere flashes of light are the indications of Soujiro smoothly going through them and cleanly slicing their waist sash belts with the sharp tip of the arrow he has retrieved from the quiver. The samurais instinctively halt their assault to pull up their hakamas. Taking a second look at the young sword prodigy before them, the horde nods their heads to each other before taking off. Meanwhile, the showdown between Katsuya and Takafumi commences.

"Hmph…Your father was always a…"

"Silence!" shouts Katsuya angrily as he sheaves the Akusaiken.

"My…my…aren't we touchy?"

"Takafumi…prepare to meet your end." Disregarding caution, Katsuya tranquilly pulls out the Yoshimitsu and glides forward swinging the familiar blade at Takafumi with only one thought in mind, "Kill Takafumi."

Blocking with his Naginata, Takafumi repels Katsuya back. "Fool…your skills are nothing compared to my years of experience."

"Damn…how could I have forgotten?" mulls Katsuya remembering a not too long ago injury on his right shoulder. "No matter…" He instinctively flips the Yoshimitsu to his left hand and commences another assault.

"What's the matter, young Ayasaki? Have I injured you already?" jeers Takafumi as he continues to parry the swift attacks from Katsuya. "Don't ever think that you can win me, boy!" Takafumi twists his Naginata, knocking the Yoshimitsu along with Katsuya's left arm outwards, and quickly thrusts the naginata's shaft at Katsuya's right arm sending sharp pains to the reopened injury; Katsuya falls to the ground to his left from the thrust. Fully aware of his uncompromising position, Katsuya reaches for his 'Akusaiken' with his right hand and parries off heavy down slash of the naginata.

"Say your prayers Ayasaki!" Takafumi pushes the heavy weapon down on Katsuya. Beads of sweat form upon Katsuya's face, as he remains on the ground using his full strength to keep the blade from overcoming him.

Promptly remembering an advice from his past "When your sword is not available, I'd use my feet," Katsuya criticizes, "Mino hodo wo shire (Know your own limitations), Takafumi." Katsuya rapidly swings his foot underneath Takafumi, knocking him over, before hastily rolling away, standing back up and holding his swords out in a defensive position.

"Nii-san, arigato." whispers Katsuya. Taking a quick glance at his blood soaked shoulder, he mulls, "Confound this injury. No matter…I will get revenge, Father…Mother." With thoughts about his parents, a lingering paternal advice jolts his mind, "Nani goto wo suru ni mo nintai ga nakute Seiko senu (In what-ever you do unless you have patience you will not succeed)."

Meanwhile, Takafumi, likewise promptly recovers from the unexpected attack at his feet. "You dirty brat!"

"It seems I have slightly underestimated you. No matter…as they say "Ame futte ji katamaru (After rain the ground gets firm)." States Katsuya, feeling the flows of patience and temperance flooding his mind as he remembers his chichihue's advice.

"Hmph, little fool, you are worse man than your father, citing stupid phrases."

"At least, I am a true samurai warrior, unlike you, you pitiful lowlife."

"I will show who the real samurai is around here," exclaims Takafumi as he heads on for another attack. "Ayasaki, you cannot run away forever."

"Again…you have made pretty big assumptions about me, and that will cost you dearly, Takafumi," comments Katsuya, back to his usual eerily calm demeanor. "You have yet to feel the full strength of my Ethereal Wind style from our last encounter." Katsuya, with the Yoshimitsu in his left and the Akusaiken in his right hand, leaps backward continuously dodging his thrusts, and all the while observes Takafumi's current fighting characteristics. "I never thought I'd have to use my family specialty against you. But I must admit that you are quite lucky, given that I am currently not in my best physical condition."

Takafumi halts in his advances to think twice before continuing. "Nitouryu… Ryoutou jutsu…" murmurs Takafumi under his breath.

"Exactly."

"You pitiable fool. Do not think that two swords will fare you any better."

"Let us end this right now…Otakite Iku Arashi (CascadingTempest)" Katsuya, ignoring the pangs of pain in his arms, nimbly twirls his blade rapidly causing the surrounding air to form a whirlwind current surrounding the opponent. To Takafumi, it looks like a pair of scissors made of wind charging towards him in all directions. He could not make out the presence of Katsuya anywhere; thus he can only afford to continuously and blindly block in one direction at a time, until he feels as if a pair of icy wet blades nicking his neck. The surrounding wind finally subsides to reveal Katsuya standing behind him with the Akusaiken, dripping with condensation, ready to cut his throat at any second and the Yoshimitsu already sheathed in its scabbard.

"Have you any last words?"

"Hmph, you and your illusions. You have won this time, next time, I won't go soft on you."

"What makes you so sure that there will be a next time?"

"You cannot kill me. I am a full-fledged samurai. Both the Meiji emperor and his father owe me for my years of service."

"On the contrary, you owe the government for all your abuse of power. You are criminal from the government's perspective."

"Criminal! How dare you call me a criminal? I have done nothing wrong."

"You murdered my parents!"

"You have no proof of that! Kazuma was a missing general and your mother, she is known to have died from cholera."

"Ten shiru, chi shiru, hito shiru (Heaven knows, the earth knows, man knows)."

"I am a well respected samurai. Revenge killing is outlawed."

"Sawatari…you must have forgotten, that I have this." Katsuya pulls out a golden pocket watch and taps the watch to reveal the inscriptions within."

"Upon reading its contents, Takafumi cowers and murmurs fearfully, "The Emperor, you couldn't have been the one back then…"

Takafumi slumps at the thought. "No, you couldn't be…the emperor granted his…"

"Then take a closer look." Katsuya knocks Takafumi to the ground and inches closer with the Akusaiken.

"I admit I was jealous of your father, but I never did anything to you. How would you know that I am a bad man instead of your father?" Takafumi slyly adds as if it made any difference.

With his left hand, Katsuya slides to remove the fedora from his atop his head. Dark silky hair falls loosely down to Katsuya's waist revealing the truth behind Katsuya's mask.

"Fuyue!" gasps Takafumi in shock as he turns himself from facing the ground to look at Katsuya.

"Fuyue…" Emiru emotionally cried out again moving impetuously towards Fuyue. Luckily, Soujiro stops Emiru, "You mustn't let Fuyue-san worry over you." Afterwards, Soujiro adds with his characteristically calm yet knowing smile, "I am glad that you are yourself again, Fuyue-san."

Assured that Emiru is in safe hands, Fuyue returns her full attention to Takafumi. "Sawatari."

"No…" exclaims Takafumi as scurries backwards on all fours along the ground. "It was Iwatani Nagi's fault too. He's the one who ratted out your father's hideout." Takafumi scampers over to Nagi who is beginning to slowly regain consciousness. "Why don't you kill him too?"

"He will receive his due, you need not concern yourself, Sawatari."

At that, Takafumi seizes the weak Nagi hostage at gunpoint.

"Let me go, I beg you!" the blinded Nagi screams as he regains enough sense to realize his predicament.

"I'll kill him if you come any closer."

"Fuyue, just let them kill each other!" Emiru urges her.

"You amuse me, Sawatari with how low you will stoop." Fuyue's grip of Akusaiken tightens while his other fingers the Yoshimitsu. "The wretch's life matters not to me."

"And you call yourself an officer of the law. Even if he is no longer your love, he is still a civilian. It is your duty to protect…."

A small knife-sized tanto (dagger) impales itself right through Takafumi's chest. "Duty…don't make a mockery of the word, Sawatari."

"How did you…"

"The Yoshimitsu has a twin, a sword within a sword." Fuyue approaches to retrieve her tanto. "Death to thee!" Fuyue now impales the Akusaiken right through. "Inga oho (karma retribution), Sawatari."

Upon hearing the approaching footsteps of Tsujiai and a number of other subordinate officers, Fuyue rolls over to her hat and then expertly twists up her long hair and tucks it underneath to casually resume her identity.

"Inspector Ayasaki!"

"Tsujiai…Good. You have come just in time." Adjusting his glasses, Katsuya motions towards Iwatani Nagi . "Take that man into custody for attempted assassination of a fellow officer."

"Immediately, Sir!"

"The police report, I will take care of it."

"Yes, Sir!" Tsujiai turns and catches a glimpse of the Tenken. "Sir, is that not…"

"Leave him to me."

"Hai."

---Owari---

Author's notes

Happy New Year Minna-san! Winter Blade is Complete! Finally! So how does everyone like it? I hope you do. For those who are curious on the happenings after this chapter, I will upload an Epilogue to this story. Well gotta go parteeee! It's New Years Eve after all! But remember; don't let this story become "Hsu yori ka (open & forgotten)" But before I go, I thank you all for reading my fic and especially to everyone who has taken the time to review this story, for without you guys, I wouldn't have had the inspiration to complete it. I very much appreciate you!

Ja ne!

Kiriakis-sama