Immediately, Sanosuke launched at the dark figure with his deadly Double Limit and gasped as he passed through the figure. Barely catching himself, he turned around to spy the stranger behind him with his back facing him. Now his face between a mask of fear, "H-How…are you some kind of ghost?"

Again that wicked half smile flickered across Yami's face when he slowly turned around to face the frightened street fighter, "You can say that."

Suddenly, his image rippled and Sanosuke was surrounded a merry-go-round of images. As Sanosuke whirled around, trying to follow the circling stranger, slashes began to appear on his body. "Ah!" he screamed and began it punch out at anything that moved.

Yami laughed in contempt as he dodged charge after charge, "Are you done chasing your tail, puppy?" he taunted the enraged fighter and added a slash across the character "Evil" sewn onto Sanosuke's back. "Please continue with this pitiful performance; it amuses me to no ends."

After a few minutes, Sanosuke fell to his knees panting as blood dripped freely from the thousands of wounds covering his body and glared at Yami with deep hatred in his eyes. "If you're going to kill me, just finish it."

Yami slowly untied the string binding his katana's sheath and weaved it into a lasso. In one fluid motion, he hung up Sanosuke to the ceiling and stepped back to survey his work with a toothy grin. "To just kill you would be to kind and a honor you are not worthy of." He began to spin again and Sanosuke started to scream as cuts began to blossom about his body once more. Already faint from the severe loss of blood, the screaming caused the limited air in Sanosuke's hung body to be drained faster. Only the searing pain of Yami's attack kept Sanosuke clinging to consciousness. "You will die painfully…"

"Are you sure this is the place?" Aoshi glanced dubiously at the forest of tall bamboos. "Doesn't seem like much of a clearing for practicing any Kenjutsu."

Saitou shrugged and pulled out a cigarette and began to puff away. Both cocked their heads slightly as far away came the cry, "NINE HEADED DRAGON FLASH!" Saitou gestured in the direction of the shout, "I told you so."

Aoshi ignored the smug undertone of Mibu's wolf and briskly strolled forward to seek out the training Kenshin. After walking for some ten to fifteen minutes, Aoshi and Saitou finally arrived at Kenshin's training ground and were immediately rocked backwards by his fighting ki. Only flashes of the training assassin could be seen as he seemed to teleport from one place to another. Bamboos all around him exploded into thousands of splinters and rained upon the watching fighters. Suddenly, Kenshin burst into an entirely higher level of speed, moving so fast that neither warrior could see his movements. Only the loud whistling of the katana could be heard.

"It seems despair has strengthened Battoussai." Saitou commented to Aoshi wryly.

Kenshin stopped mid-slash upon sensing two foreign fighting kis. "Saitou, Aoshi, what are you doing here?"

"Searching for you, Battoussai. Yami Kageno killed the Oniwabanshuu, so if you do not kill him…I will." Aoshi replied grimly.

Kenshin's frame slumped over. "All of them?"

This time it was Saitou who replied, "If any survived, they were not seen or found."

Suddenly, Kenshin seemed to realize something. "Kamiya Dojo! Who is guarding them?"

Aoshi held up a hand to relax the panicked samurai. "I already sent them to Oskiwana to search out Seijuurou Hiko. They will be safe."

Kenshin breathed a sigh of relief and muttered, "Now I can go home." Sheathing his katana, he wiped the sweat from his face and brushed back his bangs. Still panting slowly, Kenshin began to make his way home with Saitou and Aoshi following closely behind. About halfway to the dojo, Saitou left them for the police station.

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