A memory from Kenshin's distant past...

"Kenshin! How does this taste?"

"Hey! Jo-chan! Don't poison Kenshin with that stuff!"

"Hell yeah! Kenshin still has to teach me some more defensive techniques! He can't teach me anything while he's bed-ridden!"

Two loud cracks from a bamboo sword was heard, followed by course language that shouldn't be heard from a prim and proper lady.

Kenshin sighed. How he missed them; how he missed them all.

Youtou Shinnoken: Demon Sword

A Yuyu Hakusho/Rurouni Kenshin fic
by Chester Castañeda and Danyal Herder

Original concept by Chad Yang

Second chapter! This fic is sort of easier for me to do since there are two authors writing this, but it is also harder for the very same reason. So without further adieu, Chapter 2!

Disclaimer: Yuyu Hakusho is the rightful property of Yoshihiro Togashi, Shueisha, Fuji TV and St. Pierrot. Rurouni Kenshin is the rightful property of Nobuhiro Watsuki and Sony. Don't sue us please, we are very poor.

Chapter 2: Heart of Sword (Part 2)

Back to the present...

Kenshin examined a blade of grass swaying to the wind and almost began crying. Kenshin's eye caught a raccoon scurrying up a tree. "Oh, I bet Kaoru would like that. No, that's not nice." He grinned to himself.

Yusuke, who had arched an eyebrow while watching Kenshin's antics, still glanced up to the sky to look at it as well. "Yeah, it's a pretty nice day," he reckoned.

When he looked down, he saw Kenshin standing back up and grinning stupidly at him, from ear to ear. "It's a shame that I won't be in this form for too long. Once the situation is cleared of danger, I'll be able to inhabit the sword again for perhaps another century. Still, I'd do anything to see my friends and family back on Earth for a day."

Yusuke couldn't resist a little chortle. "Hey, you never know. I've died twice and was able to return to life both times. Maybe you'll get lucky too, Kenshin."

The ex-rurouni was taken aback. "Oro? How did that happen?" he asked.

"It was pretty crazy, actually. You see..." Yusuke's long-winded story was interrupted by the sound of something flashing past them in the wind. After making a few laps around the top of the cave, it stopped right in front of Yusuke and Kenshin.

Though Kenshin was greatly surprised at what it was, Yusuke didn't break a sweat. It was just a familiar blue-haired, pink-robed girl flying an oar; nothing special or weird about that.

Kenshin narrowed his eyes as a wave of nostalgia filled him. But why? There was absolutely nothing familiar about the shinigami in front of him at all; nothing at all.

"Yusuke, we've got trouble!" the girl wailed.

"What? What's the big deal, Botan? I got the sword, it's safe, and the owner is safe too. Oh, by the way: Kenshin, Botan. Botan, Kenshin," Yusuke hurried through the introductions.

Kenshin bowed. "A pleasure to meet you, my lady. But what, pray tell, is the trouble? Is it about my being out of the sword?"

Botan shook her head. "Right now that's the least of our worries! Both of you, grab onto my oar. I'll take you to the Spirit World and Koenma will explain everything to you."

Yusuke raised an eyebrow, and then turned to Kenshin. "Come on, let's go. Looks like the day, nice as it is, is not yet over," he commented, maintaining his nonchalant attitude. "The sooner we get there, the sooner we'll get this over with."

"Very well." Kenshin nodded, as he reminisced of the first time he ever visited the Spirit World. At any rate, the two climbed on the oar behind Botan, and the spirit guide instantly soared into the air, away from anyone else's sight.

"Ah, Yusuke. Good! You've made it! And you've brought the sword and its guardian too. That's nice," Koenma complimented amicably as he greeted the spirit detective and his red-haired companion. "This is the perfect time for us to attain the abilities of the Demon Sword."

Yusuke skeptically looked at Koenma as he cleaned his ear with his pinky finger. "What the heck is this all about, Koenma? I thought this was just a clean-cut, artifact-gathering type of mission; nothing more to it than that. You certainly didn't say anything about," Yusuke paused for a while as he thumbed towards Kenshin's direction, "him. Or Rando. Or demons that can combine themselves together."

"Ah, of course. I understand," Koenma cooed soothingly as he sweated under the palpable atmosphere of a threat derived from Yusuke's rather excitable demeanor. "Well, actually, the sword was supposed to be kept sealed and some such for centuries to come because of its direct effect on demons. It's..."

Yusuke rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, yeah; it's bad for it to go to the wrong hands, blah, blah, blah, the entirety of the Human World will be in jeopardy, yackity-smackety-smack. Screw that, Koenma. What's the real deal behind the sword without the Spirit World red tape? Whatever this redhead thinks or feels, I do too. What's up with that?"

"Um, excuse me," Kenshin politely interjected, finally getting the attention of both Mazoku Descendant and the Son of the Lord of the Dead. "I was sort of wondering why I am still in a physical form." He gestured towards the sword. "The sword is my 'true' form now. How did I get this sort of flesh and blood type of form; my form when I was still alive?"

Koenma's hazel eyes shifted uneasily from left to right. "I suppose the reason why you were summoned again was because of the incredible amount of reiki Yusuke could handle. I gather his almost unlimited spiritual potential reacted to the sword in a different way than usual. He's not, after all, just a low-level youkai or a higher-echelon demon."

Feeling the intensity of Yusuke's 'What the hell?' gaze, Koenma clarified, "I reckon you could consider Himura-san's manifestation in reaction to your reiki to... well... you and Puu's spiritual connection. To put it in even simpler terms, while you remain near the vicinity of the Demon Sword, Yusuke, Himura-san will remain in the physical realm. Understand?"

Yusuke rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah, whatever. Say, has Kuwabara come back yet? I was so surprised when he suddenly came from out of nowhere and took on Rando, but when I exited the cave, he was nowhere to be found."

Koenma sadly shook his head, and Yusuke's eyes flared. "Don't tell me that Rando actually...!" The half-demon started to call Botan in order to go back to the Legendary Shrine of the Sword (because he had no idea that Kuwabara had actually opened another portal to God-knew-where and threw himself and Rando into it), but Koenma suddenly berated him.

"Yusuke, you moron! Where do you think you're going? Your mission isn't over yet! You can't leave Kenshin like this; you're the holder of the Demon Sword right now, and your priority is to protect it from the Chojin's clutches!"

This is the first time Kuwabara had ever used the Jigen Tou to open and travel through portals. Kurama had offhandedly pointed out that fact to him during their many meetings together, so he started covertly practicing that very skill in between heavy sessions of college exam studying.

Unfortunately, because of the Blood Wind's frightening aftereffects, he currently could not summon the Jigen Tou, which left him in a very disadvantageous, if not altogether dangerous, position.

Kuwabara unceremoniously fell on his posterior for the umpteenth time against the myriad of afterimages of his opponent. "Damn you, you motherfucking bastard!"

A shrill cackle answered the curly-haired teenager's despairing curses. For an incredibly tough and powerful demon, Rando sure had an irritatingly high-pitched voice.

"I won't forgive you for getting in the way of my revenge against the half-demon." Rando brushed up his thick, red mane hanging over his forehead, revealing a whitened face decorated with various blue tattoos. "It's about time I got my due. Your death will serve as a fitting warning to that arrogant son of a bitch, Urameshi Yusuke."

Kuwabara grunted as he climbed to his feet. It seemed odd that Rando had grown so much stronger, particularly since he had spent quite sometime behind whatever Koenma's version of prison was... or so he assumed, anyway. He wiped his hand across his lip. Yes, he noticed, a little blood was trickling down his quivering mouth. He wasn't worried at the sight of the red liquid, really being more annoyed than anxious as he glared at the demon.

"You got your due a long time ago, bastard," Kuwabara muttered. "What makes you think you can beat me this time?" Instantly, a yellow rod of gleaming energy formed in his right fist; even though he didn't have enough energy to make a Jigen Tou, the Rei-Ken was still a viable option for him to use. "I can control my powers ten times better than when we last fought! Not only that, I defeated one of the Toguro Brothers!"

Rando chortled. "I've heard of your exploits in the Ankoku Bujutsukai. Impressive, I admit. However," he hissed the last word as he rose in the air, above the thick trees that populated the forest outside of area they were in, "you still cannot defeat me."

A flash of glowing red light suddenly appeared and encased his somewhat compact body. Before long, Rando was completely absorbed in an orb of blood-red energy. "How many of my techniques did you see that day? Two? Three? I've got ninety-six more to show you."

Kuwabara bared his teeth. "Bring it on, Rando!" He charged through some shrubs, sword outstretched like a knight on horseback would carry a lance. When he was within striking distance, he jettisoned the Spirit Sword to twice its length. Alas, as it made contact with the fearsome aura surrounding Rando, it instantly dissipated.

Kuwabara gasped. Rando laughed his annoying laugh again. "You're even more pathetic than before!" he shrieked, diving down and planting a huge kick on Kuwabara's face. That, combined with the searing pain of the red energy the young man came into contact with, catapulted him fifteen feet backwards, stopped only by a huge boulder.

"Can't you realize," Rando began, patiently waiting for Kuwabara to climb to his feet, "that Urameshi beat me only by stupid luck? It was a fluke, plain and simple. But you won't be so lucky." He grinned. As he spoke, the sphere of energy began shrinking dramatically. By the time his opponent had regained a vertical base, the red light was the size of a basketball, hovering above his head.

"I shouldn't be surprised that you've survived so far," Rando assessed. "But still, you'll never survive another blast of my BLOOD FIRE WAVE!" As he shouted the last three words, the ball of energy burst into a thousand beams of destructive power, all aimed at Kuwabara. The salvo lasted a few seconds, and when the smoke that formed had cleared, Rando could make out the embers of a few fires that had consequently started.

The demon turned around, content with his revenge. "Pity. I expected more of a fight."

"And you're getting one!" Kuwabara screamed from above. Rando turned back around to see Kuwabara waiting atop the long branch of a tall tree nearby, with a twenty-foot high Rei-Ken next to him.

The boy had used his sword as a pole vault to avoid the attack. Before Rando could respond with a dodge, Kuwabara had leapt from the tree and dealt his own roundhouse kick to the demon's head, causing the latter to fly backwards a few feet, stopping when he grabbed onto another tree to lessen the damage of the crash.

Rando got up, breathing heavily. There was a huge gash on his cheek, and blood was flowing freely. 'How could a human kick do this much damage to me?' he thought incredulously. 'Either I truly have been weakened as a result of my incarceration, or...' Rando eyed the human. 'My fight with Urameshi has taken more of a toll on me than I anticipated. Dammit.'

Wiping his nose, Rando stood up. 'Very good, human; but now...' He moved into his attack stance. "The real fight begins."

Kuwabara followed by bowing into his own fighting posture. "Bring it on, Rando."

Yusuke halted his exit in mid-step. "I've been hearing that name a lot lately. Will someone tell me who this Chojin fucker is? Is he anything like Toguro or Sensui, or is he more like Sakyo from the Black Book Club?" His eyes narrowed. "Perhaps his sudden appearance has something to do with Enma Daio's impeachment, your rise to power, and your decision to get rid of the barrier between the Demon World and Human World?"

Koenma exhaled laboriously. "I'm rather surprised that you were able to hit the nail right on the head on your first try, but you're correct. The threat of the Chojin has been in the sidelines for so long... about a good century or so... that we thought he'd never strike. But now that there's been a shift of power here in the Spirit World that's caused a lot of people to become restless and discontented, he's found the perfect opportunity to finally make his presence known."

Kenshin watched mutely as Yusuke and Koenma had a silent, if brief, stare-down with each other. "Any particular reason why you've mentioned this supposed threat just now? I remember a certain 'Meikai' incident that was only reported to us Spirit Detectives after the shit has already hit the fan."

"Yusuke, the Spirit World has so many enemies lying in the shadows that it'll be impractical for us to report them to you all at once. We can only wait for each of them to strike at a given time before any of them can be addressed. But since you're so concerned, aside from the Chojin, there's a so-called Church of the True Disciples waiting on the wings to get a crack at us. I'd ask you to investigate, but the Overfiend takes precedence above all else right now."

Yusuke gulped as he wiped the big bead of sweat off his brow. "Okay, I get your point. But still, what about Kuwabara? He said that you asked him to come and help me out with my fight against Rando, but now that he himself could be in grave danger, you won't let me help him out? That's fucked up, dude!"

Koenma, to Yusuke's surprise, held him by the shoulders (the toddler god was standing on his desk at the time) and begged, "Please, you'll just have to trust Kuwabara to beat Rando by himself, because you have a much more important mission to do! To help Kuwabara at this point is to risk getting the sword into the wrong hands, and as of this moment, you're the only one I can trust to safeguard the sword! The Chojin's an evil mastermind that has been covertly gathering forces from the already deceased and turning them into his own Army of the Living Dead. He must never, ever get a hold of the Youtou Shinnoken."

Yusuke raised an eyebrow at Koenma's plea. "Sorry, but you kind of lost me at the 'Army of the Living Dead' thing. What you're saying sounds like the bullshit plot of a cheap B-Movie!" The boy wanted to retort some more, but the (pardon the pun) grave look the Prince of the Dead sported silenced him immediately.

"I have my hands full right now, and Kurama and Hiei are doing their very best to contain the current crisis on the Demon World's side. It may all sound like a joke to you, but we here at the Spirit World take the fact that the Chojin has usurped our jurisdiction over the dead very seriously."

Koenma let go of the teenager, hopped down his table, and started pacing around the room. "Rando had already been executed by orders of my father a long time ago. That demon is supposed to be dead, but the Chojin somehow found a way to capture his evil spirit and include him in his horde of zombies; resurrected abominations that aren't supposed to exist. These deplorable sins against nature will seriously unhinge the Natural Order, so the sooner we figure out how to use the Demon Sword against the Chojin, the better our chances of restoring balance to the three worlds."

Yusuke clenched his fists so tightly, his knuckles turned white. "So you're serious about this? You want me to abandon my friend in his time of need against a demon that nearly defeated me because you're afraid of some guy's zombie army?"

"Please, for the Spirit World's sake, trust in Kuwabara's skills and protect the Demon Sword. You may be the key in unlocking its true abilities, the same way that you were the one who was able to unleash the power of the Meikai Sphere and defeat the Nether World God, Yakumo. I beg of you; stand firm, keep faith, and fulfill this mission. We don't have much time left."

Frustrated, Yusuke scratched his head hard before relenting, "Fine, fine; I'll just have to trust that Kuwabara will get through Rando now that I've softened that demon up for him. Now, what do you want me to do with the peacenik samurai and his sword?"

"Go with Botan and have Genkai take a look at that sword. Your master was the one who helped me seal the sword's power about forty years ago, so she'll know what's the best course of action in unleashing its fearsome power yet again," Koenma commanded before jumping back to his office chair, happy that the tense situation was finally settled.

"So everything is set? Good," Koenma declared, nodding to himself in a self-congratulatory manner. "Yusuke, take care of the sword and bring it to Genkai. I'm sure you and Himura-san will get along fine."

"Koenma-dono," Kenshin finally spoke after his lengthy period of contemplative silence, which immediately got the attention of his two compatriots. "I didn't realize that I was sealed up for forty years. Does it have something to do with the stipulation that you made forbidding me to kill demons and humans alike?"

Yusuke turned towards Koenma in askance. "What's he talking about, Koenma?" To Kenshin, he queried, "Is that the reason why you stopped me from killing Iehog? Because I was the holder of the sword, and I could have indirectly been responsible for you breaking some sort of condition I even didn't know about?"

Koenma couldn't help but sigh yet again as Yusuke and Kenshin confronted him for a second time. "Okay, fine. If it's going to help convince you two to go through with my request, then I'll tell you the whole story behind the Youtou Shinnoken. It started about a century or so ago, when I was judging the ultimate fate of Himura Kenshin-san's recently deceased soul..."

Another memory from Kenshin's distant past...

Lord Koenma, the acting Administrator for the Spirit World, sat before Kenshin with a grave look on his puerile face. As the judge, jury, and executioner of the fates of all souls, he had quite the responsibility over his shoulders. Case in point was this one very special case he had during the latter parts of the year 1878:

"Himura Kenshin. For all the murders, assassinations, and crimes against humanity that you've committed in your lifetime, I, Koenma Daio, shall now sentence you to an eternity of suffering in Level 16, Block 1 of the Corporeal Punishments Sector: You and all the rest of the Sinners of Violence shall be boiled in Phlegethon, the River of Blood found in the entranceway of the River Styx's Left Fork," the diminutive prince stated with uncertain finality after retrieving and carefully reviewing the former vagabond's file from the Book of Fate itself.

The recently deceased Kenshin accepted his sentence in all humility, his head bowed down low on the ground in utter acquiescence; in his mind, it was fitting for a man who made it rain blood to be boiled in a river of blood as castigation for all his crimes. There was a twisted but apt irony to the punishment, when one thought about it.

Koenma cleared his throat, his eyes twinkling impishly for some reason. "HOWEVER, since you've done quite a lot to atone for many of your past sins... your ten-year sabbatical where you vowed never to murder again and the resulting good deeds you've done during and after that period, in particular... I've decided to, well, lighten your sentence a bit. It's only fair." The toddler got up from his desk and started to deliberately pace around the stooping, bemused Kenshin. "Your new sentence: an eternity of community service by becoming the guardian of a newly-forged, demon-slaying Reikai Artifact, the Youtou Shinnoken."

"I've heard rumors of Urameshi's other companions. The powerful Jaganshi Hiei and his Kokuryuha technique; the cruel Youko Kurama and his demonic plant manipulation; now those are worthy opponents to beat. But you," Rando sneered, "you're nothing. Less than nothing. Disappear from my midst."

The red-haired youkai merely tuned out the oncoming exclamations from the curly-haired boy afterwards. He flippantly looked at the wiped blood on his thumb; blood from the wound he got from Kuwabara's kick. "Humph."

"Spirit Guillotine!" Rando suddenly roared. A flat energy disk ripped in front of him, charging forward like a furious wave. After traveling about twenty feet, it disappeared instantly and reappeared next to him.

Kuwabara clutched his leg and his shoulder to keep more of his blood from spilling out. He was beginning to sense the onset of shock and panic as has arm began to become limp and his leg numbed. He was afraid that the muscles and tendons of his appendages might be permanently damaged, all because of a fight with one youkai that just refused to die.

"What's the matter, human?" Rando asked, smirking. "Why don't you block my special attack with your negligibly useful Rei-Ken?" the demon hooted. "My Spirit Guillotine attack was developed to counter even Urameshi's Rei-Gan; a superior technique than yours! It can cut through even reiki! How could you stand a chance against me now?"

"SHUT... THE FUCK... UP!" Kuwabara roared as he awkwardly sprinted and limped towards Rando, summoning yet another Rei-Ken in hopes of getting close enough for a strike.

"Spirit Guillotine," Rando simply announced, gently savoring the words. He easily sliced through the Rei-Ken and most of the flesh of Kuwabara's forearm. Kuwabara howled in utter agony.

"Fool. You knew that it can even cut through reiki. You never stood a chance." Rando leered, though he sweated profusely from all his efforts. 'Good. I have the human where I want him. My strength is near depleted. Too bad he has no new attacks for me to steal, but just as well; he is, after all, the weak link of the so-called Urameshi Team.'

"Damn... you... I... can... take you... on... just... you... wait...!" Kuwabara growled as his blood was spilled mercilessly on the ground. 'Damn. I thought he'd still be just a lower class youkai. I never realized that he'd improve so much! This technique is certainly a thousand times less cowardly than the one he used against me once upon a time, in Genkai's tournament.'

"Finally, I shall get my revenge," Rando affirmed proudly as he summoned yet another Spirit Guillotine. "It's time for you to die, human."

"You're deluded. For someone who's hell-bent on getting revenge on Urameshi, you sure are taking your sweet time with killing me. From what I can see, most of your attacks still mean less that nothing to me. Hell, I was able to get a hit! You think you can actually survive Urameshi, knowing that you can barely survive me?" Kuwabara reasoned, finally regaining most of his composure back.

"Is that so?" Rando drawled through his grit teeth as he slashed Kuwabara anew, mercilessly mutilating the hapless Spirit Detective... all the same, the adolescent didn't even give him the benefit of a scream of pain this time around.

"Actually, I see it all in a more different light," Rando sneered after he was finished with his heartless acts, the smell of burnt flesh emanating all around the area. "I'm just following the code and edicts of the Art of War; attack the weak link of the enemy. You're the weakest link, human."

Now it was Kuwabara's turn to fume. "You son of a bitch."

Rando smirked. 'No. I don't need to worry about the current condition of my body. I can take on this human. I'll have enough strength to bring him, the jaganshi, the youko, and the hanyou known as Urameshi Yusuke down for the count. I can take them all on!' To Kuwabara, he forewarned, "It's now time for my final strike," as he aimed his technique directly towards the teenager's neck.

"Seriously? You made Kenshin promise never to kill any living thing again by placing him in a sword designed to kill demons? WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING?" Yusuke demanded as he clutched Koenma's collar and lifted the tyke up in midair. "And you can't honestly expect me to believe that Kenshin was an expert assassin a century ago! I mean, just look at him!"

Both Yusuke and Koenma turned to stare at Kenshin, with the swordsman blinking innocently in kind.

"SEE?" Yusuke seethed as he started to shake the toddler, but his basic paternal instincts of not abusing weak children... even thousands-of-years-old princes... kept him from shaking the Spirit World Son of God too hard.

"But Yusuke, I had no choice but to do that to Himura-san! His kismet was such that it had equal amounts of good and bad karma. On one hand, he'd helped save hundreds of lives with his good deeds and ten-year-long non-killing vow. On the other hand, he'd murdered just about an equal amount of lives and ruined many others' in his three year career as an Ishin Shishi Hitokiri.

"Placing him in the Demon Sword as penance is the best way to cleanse his soul! Besides, he himself eventually agreed with my decision, despite his earlier misgivings. Like you, I don't trust anyone else to serve as guardian to the Youtou Shinnoken except Himura-san!"

Yusuke let go of Koenma and turned towards Kenshin. "Really? You agreed to all this?"

Kenshin nodded serenely to Yusuke's insistent questions. "I did. Don't ask me why; it's a long story, but suffice it to say that I was willing to take the responsibility of making sure the Demon Sword is only used for the benefit on mankind."

From there, the redheaded spirit addressed Koenma, venturing, "I was kind of wondering what was the reason for the sealing of my sword by this Genkai person, Koenma-dono. I remember the sword and myself being used for a couple of missions here and there, but I never remembered a 'Genkai' in any of them. Did I somehow fail in my mission to keep the sword pure and untainted?"

Koenma cleared his throat as both Yusuke and Kenshin warily watched his curious reaction. "I'm afraid you'll have to ask Genkai-shihan about it." He scuttled back to his seat. "Go ahead and call Botan now. You need to get there as fast as you can."

Yusuke shook his head as he and Kenshin exchanged a knowing look; it seemed like once again, Koenma was hiding something important from them, and the only way for them to find out the truth was to experience its consequences firsthand. "Fine. I'll call her. HEY BOTAN! C'mere."

Within an instant, Botan appeared on her oar, grinning from ear to ear. "Yes, Yusuke? Did I miss anything important?"

"No, I just want you to take me back to the Human World. Keiko wants me to see a movie with her, and I'm already late." Yusuke groaned.

"Movie?" Kenshin queried curiously. "I heard a couple of things about these 'movies' in the Spirit World, here and there, but I've never actually saw one. What exactly are they, pardon my asking?"

Yusuke, not in the mood for a lesson in modern technology, just shrugged. "Think of a play, but not live and recorded on film so that you can watch it over and over again."

Kenshin was still confused, but nodded dumbly.

Yusuke rolled his eyes. "Figures. Botan, just take me home." He was met with a whack to his head from Botan's oar. He glared at her angrily. "Hey! What was that for?"

"You could be a little more polite when people ask you things like that!" the ferry-girl lectured, fuming. "Kenshin! What's the matter? Who hit you?"

"You did, ma'am!" the swirly-eyed swordsman declared as he gingerly touched the lump on his head.

Yusuke moaned in pain. "I really wish the Demon Sword didn't affect us this way; this "shared pain" shit is getting old. I've had enough of that crap from Puu, pardon the pun."

"W-Wait a minute? A date?" Koenma sputtered, shocked by the sudden turn of events. "But Yusuke, the sword...!"

"Relax, Koenma. When it comes to visiting granny's temple, the more, the merrier! Besides, what's the worse that could happen? It's not like anybody's going to die or anything; we're just going there to find out more about the Demon Sword," Yusuke reassured, but Koenma's next few words made him rethink his statement.

"Yusuke, Genkai's about to die; for real, this time. You have to get to her before she finally rests in peace."

"It's now time for my final strike," Rando suddenly declared as he let the Spirit Guillotine fall towards his opponent's direction.

As the long, thin ki-blade neared Kuwabara's neck, the orange-haired boy's life passed before his eyes, freezing in one particular moment in time; one memory that was forever etched in his mind.

A vision of Yusuke soon appeared in Kuwabara's mind's eye.

'Am I really the weak link?'

It was a familiar apparition from a familiar memory.

'Am I really just in everybody's way?'

It was the memory of Yusuke walking away from him after one of their fights that Kuwabara usually lost.

'Answer me, Urameshi!'

"You moron. Didn't you know that I've never held back on you in any of our fights? That's the only reason you lost," Yusuke seemed to say inside Kuwabara's head.

That was the very thing Kuwabara wanted to know as he held up one hand and shouted words of thunder.

"JIGEN TOU!"

After a few minutes of teleportation and flying around, the trio of Yusuke, Botan, and Kenshin arrived in a small, grassy field about two miles outside of Tokyo; Botan knew that Kenshin was still very new to this modern world, and wanted him to soak up as much as he could before being blown away by what Tokyo had become.

Kenshin, as Koenma had requested before they left, tried to remain within ten feet of Yusuke at all times, just to make sure that his form remained corporeal for the time being.

"Here we are! Back on Earth!" Botan giggled, making her oar disappear in a flash. Kenshin beamed and took a deep breath, inhaling all the air. "Oh, this is truly wonderful, Botan-dono." He took a few steps forward and began examining the insect life on the ground, watching in apparent fascination as an army of red ants munched on a decaying bird.

Yusuke rolled his eyes. "You're getting a lot out of stuff like this, aren't you?" he asked, only the smallest bit curious. He was anxious to get the whole Demon Sword situation over with as soon as possible so he could finally tend to his food stand.

Kenshin stood up and nodded. "My apologies for keeping you waiting; we can go now." He noticed something in the sky and looked at it, mystified. It looked something like a bird, but it was moving incredibly fast and making a lot of noise. Botan tried explaining what it was, but she had to wait before it passed over them completely to avoid the huge amount of noise it created.

When the plane passed, Kenshin looked at his two new companions. "What was that flying metal bird, pardon my asking? More technology from this century?"

Botan nodded, grinning ear to ear. "That's called an airplane, and it's the way most humans travel when going long distances. They're able to fly those all over the world now, and much quicker than a ship or train. I was on one once, just to see what it would be like." She tittered again. "It was fun."

Kenshin nodded. "What do they run on? It can't be coal like trains do."

"Jet engines," Yusuke divulged a bit impatiently.

The answer prompted a confused look from Kenshin. "...Jet engine? My pardons, but I don't know of what you speak of."

Yusuke looked down in despair. "It's another kind of... Look, it'll take a century just to tell you about the stuff from this century, so let's leave it for later, okay?" Just as before, Yusuke wasn't particularly interested in lectures on everyday things like microwaves and washing machines.

Kenshin nodded politely. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so pushy in regard to these new inventions. I was curious, is all. Anyway, let's go."

The three departed for a rarely used backstreet that would lead to Tokyo, as Botan had explained. The ferry-girl and Yusuke walked in front, while Kenshin stayed behind to continue observing everything.

"You know, Yusuke," Botan mumbled quietly as Kenshin enjoyed gazing at a bird fluttering from tree to tree, "it really wouldn't take too much out of you to treat Kenshin a little nicer. Don't you think that if you got transported to the future, you'd want to know about what's happened since then?"

Yusuke sighed. "Maybe, but there are thousands of things that are around that weren't when that guy was alive, and I just don't want to become his History teacher."

"You don't have to, but when we get to Tokyo, you know he'll have a lot of questions for you, so just humor him and knock it off...!" Botan stopped when she saw Kenshin glancing at the two of them curiously. Sheepishly, the ferry-girl hoped that Kenshin hadn't heard what they were saying.

"Ah! Here we are!" Botan exclaimed, catching both of her companions' attentions.

"What is it, Botan?" Yusuke asked.

Botan walked away from the road, which led further down the small hill they were on. From there, she headed to a nearby cliff that was used as a parking lot for cars passing through. She waved for the two men to join her. As they did, she sighed. "It's a nice view, isn't it? You can see a good panorama of the city from here."

Kenshin, able to see for several miles in front of him, was speechless. As he gazed at the incredible sight in front of him, his mouth dropped, as if what he saw totally stupefied him. "This... This is..." was all he could muster. Botan, knowing that that would be his reaction, chuckled.

"Surprised, huh?" she inquired, taking his hand. "It's changed since you were last here, if you couldn't tell. Kenshin, welcome back to Tokyo."

Kenshin looked dumbstruck for a bit as he looked at Botan's hand, his mouth forming a little 'o' of shock. He smiled a bit, as if somehow this was what was supposed to happen in his life... his past life... the sort of thing that should have happened after he fought Shishio.

Regrets; so many 'if onlys.' But they had no place in his so-called life now. Yet, it could have happened this way, if only he could have survived Shishio, then perhaps...

They went as one toward the dojo. Kenshin remembered each and everyone of them well; his friends, his family. Sanosuke was there with his manly swagger and uncouth demeanor; then there was Yahiko, who was currently trying to put up a posture that was worthy of a Tokyo Samurai descendant; then there was Kaoru, who was looking wistfully at the horizon.

Or perhaps she was actually gazing at the nearby grove; a grove populated seasonally with hundreds of fireflies, the grove where he and she...

Kenshin sighed, a mixture of guilt and nostalgia in him.

Afterwards, Kaoru looked towards him and smiled a heartbreaking smile. She tilted her head to the side and offered her hand, saying, "Welcome back, Kenshin."

Kenshin flashed an equally poignant smile, took hold of Kaoru's hand, and replied, "I'm home."

Perhaps it could have happened that way, couldn't it?

Yusuke could only stare at Kenshin and Botan in dumbstruck silence as they held each other's hands, seemingly frozen in time. The raven-haired boy then shook his head and quipped, "Hey, are you two finished?"

Botan quickly let go of Kenshin's hand, unconsciously pushing the redhead off of her in embarrassment.

"ORO!?"

...Not realizing that she had just shoved the spirit to a nearby tree. A low thud was heard as head connected to bark.

"Oh my! Kenshin! Are you all right? I'm so sorry!" Botan worriedly inquired to the swirly-eyed former wanderer.

Yusuke sighed sullenly as he rubbed his bleeding nose and throbbing head, cursing the Demon Sword's ability to make him emphatic of Kenshin's pain. Of course, he also perceived Kenshin's tear-jerking flashback of regret, but he gave those mental images no heed.

Rando barely had time to avoid the Jigen Tou's trajectory as it cut through his precious Spirit Guillotine like it was made out of paper. "WHAT THE HELL? You were supposed to be sapped of spiritual power!"

"Get with the program," Kuwabara rasped as he struggled to get up. "I'm willing to risk my life and use my life force to kill you, because that's the way a real man fights!"

"Ridiculous! You merely swung that sword at thin air, and yet it was still able to destroy my Spirit Guillotine and split the ground at the same time? What sorcery is this?"

Kuwabara snorted derisively, though at this point he could barely stand up as it was. "Figure it out for yourself, dumbass. The name says it all."

'I know what it is, human; it's a sword that can cut through spaces and dimensions as well as slice through faraway objects. In fact, it's what you used to make that portal earlier.' Rando narrowed his eyes. 'What I don't get is how a mere human could develop such a high-level attack. Perhaps he's not the small fry I thought he was after all.'

"Give up and go back to hell," Kuwabara deadpanned as he pointed the Jigen Tou at Rando's face. "You look smart enough to figure out the secret of this sword, so know you now that at this point you couldn't even defeat the 'weakest link' of Urameshi team, which only means that you're even weaker than the weakest link. It's over."

The red-haired, pasty-skinned youkai looked nonplussed for a bit before he chuckled darkly. "No. Not yet. Not until I've tried it for myself."

"What do you...?" Kuwabara blubbered.

"JIGEN TOU!" Rando yelled as he formed his own version of Kuwabara's attack, swinging it directly at the trajectory of the Reikai Tantei's own reflexive strike.

"You're late!" Keiko berated, tapping her foot impatiently while her arms were crossed. Her dress billowed in the wind dramatically.

"Yeah, well, Koenma had me do some more of his stupid missions. Jeez, you think he could have just let go of me after the Makai Unification Tournament, but no..." Yusuke's face brightened. "Oh yeah! Then we don't have to watch that stupid romantic movie? All right!"

The crackle of a painful slap was heard a block away.

Tears streamed down Kenshin's eyes as the glow of Keiko's slap somehow made his cross-shaped scar become redder than before.

"You won't skip out on me this time, Yusuke!" Keiko pledged determinedly, flinging a wicker basket in front of Yusuke's hand-imprinted face.

"Eh? What's this for?" Yusuke queried, blinking confusedly.

"See? I planned ahead. We're going on a picnic," Keiko cheered, her demeanor immediately changing.

Yusuke simply groaned at his overly-sappy girlfriend. 'Oh man.' He noticed the inquiring look on his girlfriend's face. "What is it, Keiko?"

"Who's your red-haired friend, Yusuke? Is he one of your acquaintances from one of those tournaments of yours?" Keiko queried curiously, her head tilted inquisitively at the apparent stranger.

'Oh boy. How am I going to explain this one?' Yusuke thought as he observed the unsaid awkwardness between Kenshin and Botan, both looking at the opposite direction of each other in apparent unease.

Seeing the puzzled look on Keiko's face, Yusuke chose that particular moment to fill in his significant other on some of the details of his latest mission.

"Long story. He, Himura Kenshin, is a guardian of some powerful Reikai artifact and shit, if you could believe that. Koenma sent me to act as babysitter to him and his lame-ass sword for a while, and..." Yusuke stopped in mid-sentence as he saw the shadow of a glare on Keiko's usually soft features. 'Uh-oh. I don't know what's going on, but I don't like that glare.'

'Oh boy, I knew it. Keiko's giving Yusuke her three or more is a crowd glare, and the clueless, moronic and insensitive oaf might just blow it by making yet another one of his witty comments,' Botan reckoned as she worriedly looked at Yusuke's slowly opening mouth. 'Uh-oh! It's almost foot in his mouth time for Yusuke! I better act fast!'

Not really thinking about what she was doing, Botan suddenly grabbed Kenshin by the arm and blurted out, "It's okay, Keiko-chan! He's with me! Kenshin and I are going on a double date with you!"

Stray leaves floated past the two hushed 'couples.'

"Er, my pardons; Keiko-dono, correct? It's a pleasure to meet you, that it is," Kenshin immediately interposed as he did his best to allay Botan's sudden accidental outburst.

"Y-Yes. It's a pleasure to meet you too, um, Himura-san," Keiko stuttered uncertainly, her eyes darting back and forth at the strange red-haired person and Botan. 'Eh? Double date?'

"My pardons, Keiko-dono; you need not be so formal. I would be perfectly happy to simply be referred to as Kenshin," Kenshin assured.

Keiko's eyes lighted up as her cheeks became pink after experiencing Kenshin's politeness, which elicited an unconscious frown on Yusuke's mouth.

"Sometimes I wish you could be as polite as Botan's date is," Keiko berated Yusuke jokingly, a subtle blush on her cheeks as he merely rolled his eyes; although he did have enough decency to discreetly squeeze her hand in acknowledgement to her request.

Speaking of couples holding hands, Botan was quite painfully aware of that and the fact that Keiko called Kenshin her date. Beet-red, she whispered to Kenshin, "This is all for Keiko-chan and Yusuke's sake; don't get any funny ideas, samurai."

Kenshin merely gave the blue-haired girl a uplifting beam. "Yes, ma'am. Of course not," earning him a discreet yet brief small smile from his receptive audience.

For an instant, a flash of Kaoru's face was superimposed on Botan's face in Kenshin's mind.

Kenshin shook his head from his brief reverie. 'Silly thoughts; things to be done, things already done. I cannot go back to my past anymore. What's done is done, after all. But...' He unconsciously clutched Botan's hand as the two followed Yusuke and Keiko's lead toward the park. 'Let me enjoy this what if even for a little while longer.'

Due to the present circumstances, the foursome didn't at all notice the crimson eyes that espied them the entire time, its orbs filled with malicious intent.

Many, many miles away, inside yet another cave...

"Boss Iehik! We found the sword again! It's in the hands of that pesky human from before," a blue-eyed, blond-haired, fair-skinned demon reported.

"Very good, Bi. Your ability to blend into the Human World is commendable. Now off with you; my brother and I have important things to discuss," Iehik ordered, waving off his spy offhandedly. To Iehog, he inquired, "I really don't see how human's could consider the likes of Bi as 'attractive.' Blech. Did you see that pale, soft skin? Disgusting."

"Whatever, big brother. What about the sword? That really powerful half-demon still has it! What are we going to do?" Iehog demanded, slamming his fist on a nearby boulder, breaking it into many, many pieces.

"Patience, little one. Patience," Iehik cooed, grinning. "We'll get our due. Besides, like I've always said..."

Iehog rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes. You have a plan. But you sure are taking your sweet time in executing this supposed plan of yours," he bitterly retorted.

Iehik cackled maniacally. "It's all right, little brother. One of our employers is currently gathering information for us already. All we have to do is wait for him and his further instructions and we'll be ready."

Iehog seemed to consider this. "I've got to admit, if we have backup, then yeah, you do think of everything, big brother."

Iehik harrumphed. "Of course I would."

Kuwabara looked numbly at his Jigen Tou as its broken pieces dissipated into thin air. 'My strongest attack was defeated by that asshole's copycat technique!? Dammit!' His wounds flared in pain yet again as he cautiously eyed the thicker-looking Jigen Tou Rando was currently sporting, with only one word on his lips. "How?"

Rando smirked. "You look like a smart lad. Figure it out for yourself."

Kuwabara's head raced with many wild conclusions, but the most apparent one was Rando's basic copycat techniques. "Jackass. That Spirit Guillotine of yours is a combination of all the ki-blade techniques you've seen, including my Rei-Ken. Now you've stolen my Jigen Tou technique and fused it with your lame-ass one!"

"Correct," Rando proclaimed proudly. "My Jigen Tou is superior to yours because it can also cut through reiki, which is what your Dimension Sword is made of." He chuckled maliciously. "This fight is definitely over now."

"Fucking asshole! You can't even create your own lines! You're a copycat through and through!" Kuwabara sneered, even though his heavily-damaged body was now shaking like a leaf.

"Yeah? Well this copycat is about to send your ass back to your employer, Koenma. Good-bye!"

Rando stopped at mid-strike once he realized something was wrong... very wrong. "Shit."

His body was suddenly cut in half, blood spurting everywhere.

'The Jigen Tou of the human has already cut me in half all along and I didn't even realize it!'

Kuwabara, in a sudden burst of desperation upon seeing that small window of opportunity, charged toward the nearly mutilated Rando, his fists flailing wildly. "Your time has run out, you low-class demon!"

Rando felt his youki reserves drop dramatically upon receiving the pummeling blows of his opponent. He had no choice this time; though using it again would result in a great sacrifice to his constitution, he had to do that final attack of his.

Tapping upon the energy stored within his tainted blood, he chanted, "BLOOD WIND!"

A clearer look into Kenshin's distant past...

Koenma Daio, the acting Overseer for the Spirit World, sat before Kenshin with a solemn look on his infantile face. As the judge, jury, and executioner of the fates of all souls, he had quite the intimidating task on his shoulders. Case in point was this one special case he had during the latter parts of the year 1878:

"Himura Kenshin. For all the murders, assassinations, and crimes against humanity that you've committed in your lifetime, I, Koenma Daio, shall now sentence you to an eternity of suffering in Level 16, Block 1 of the Corporeal Punishments Sector: You and all the rest of the Sinners of Violence shall be boiled in Phlegethon, the River of Blood found in the entranceway of the River Styx's Left Fork," the pint-sized prince declared with hesitant finality after retrieving and meticulously evaluating the former vagabond's file from the Book of Fate itself.

The recently departed Kenshin accepted the verdict in all humbleness, his head bowed down low on the ground in complete submission; in his mind, it was fitting for a man who made it rain blood to be boiled in a river of blood as punishment for all his crimes. There was a twisted but apt irony to the sentence, when one thought about it.

Koenma cleared his throat, his eyes twinkling impishly for some reason. "HOWEVER, since you've done quite a lot to atone for many of your past sins... your ten-year sabbatical where you vowed never to murder again and the resulting good deeds you've done during and after that period, in particular... I've decided to, well, lighten your sentence a bit. It's only fair."

The toddler got up from his desk and started to deliberately stride around the stooping, bemused Kenshin. "Your new sentence: an eternity of community service by becoming the guardian of a newly-forged, demon-slaying Reikai Artifact, the Youtou Shinnoken."

Kenshin's head shot up at the surprising turn of events. "Oro? A-Are you sure about that, Lord Koenma? I mean, my non-killing vow doesn't really change the fact that I've murdered countless of husbands, fathers, sons, brothers, fiances..." The former hitokiri's voice faltered as he bit his lip in remembrance of Akira Kiyosato, Tomoe Yukishiro, and Enishi Yukishiro.

Kenshin squeezed his eyes shut; for him to have died so early, when he still had so much to atone for... Dammit. "I cannot accept such a fate... not in good conscience, at the very least. Please, do reconsider...!"

The centuries-old child hushed Kenshin by simply taking hold of the swordsman's hair and ruffling it gently. "You're a good man, Himura Kenshin-san, and an even nobler spirit. I can't just mercilessly throw you into Phlegethon, knowing all the good you've done for the sake of your own salvation. I've made up my mind. Guardianship of the Demon Sword is now your ultimate fate; the eternal symbol of your penitence."

Koenma nodded to himself, let go of Kenshin, and was about to make his way back to his desk when he dramatically pivoted on his tiny little boots, did a perfect one-eighty turn, and performed a cheesy yet strangely impressive spit-take.

"NEVERTHELESS, since your soul is currently in between salvation and damnation, tainting its future vessel... the Demon Sword... with sin and murder, even that of demons, will condemn your spirit to the Lowest Ranks of Hell far worse than Phlegethon or good ol' Fire and Brimstone."

The metaphorical youngster paused as he readjusted the pacifier in his mouth. "And if that happens, the Hitokiri Battousai will probably take over, and it's good-bye to the noble Himura Kenshin as he is replaced by a madman who helps wreak havoc upon the world."

To be Continued...

Next: The Immortal Wolf.

Ja ne!
Abdiel