Standard disclaimers apply.

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Chapter 3: The Hitokiri Battousai

The moon shone brightly enough for Koneko to see her path. They would be at the Iwata district, they said. And that's where she should go.

Her thoughts churned around her father, the Ranmyaku-gumi, and Hiroshi. From what she heard, the Ranmyaku had been looking for Hiroshi and that the youths who attacked Chihiro-san were only decoys to confuse Hiroshi's guards.

But who was Hiroshi? And why do the Ranmyaku want him? Her father said something about getting rid of traitors including Hiroshi. But who were the others? And what did Hiroshi betray?

Koneko increased her pace. She knew her father was there. And because of that, she knew someone would be killed tonight. And she didn't want that to happen until she understood why.

She reached the Iwata district shortly, a little out of breath. Street lights gave a clear view of a quiet street, with no figure in sight. Koneko walked into the town, alert for any movement. Nothing.

They must have left earlier, since no one was here. Koneko was too late.

Suddenly, shouts came from somewhere to her left. She ran towards the source, her hand on her dagger. The shouts had increased now, added by gunshots and cries of agony. Koneko ran faster. Shadows moved far ahead, growing larger by the minute. Gunfire flashed briefly among the shadows. Koneko stopped running and ducked into an alley.

Soon, the shadows were close enough for her to see them - and their uniforms.

Police! Koneko drew back at the sight of the police, accompanied by other men with guns. They were running in the direction where Koneko had come, some of them occasionally shooting behind them. They had already passed her when she heard the sounds of more footsteps.

She peered around the corner of the alley to see who were the men chasing the police. When she recognized one of the faces, she quickly brought out her dagger, holding it against her arm. Her father had Ranmyaku members visiting him for the past few days. And she saw one of them among the group that was chasing the police. If her father was working for the Ranmyaku...

Iie. The police were shooting at the Ranmyaku. And it was the Ranmyaku who attacked Chihiro-san. Then Koneko would have to help the police, just as she helped Chihiro-san.

She charged against the first Ranmyaku that came into view, plunging her dagger into his throat. His gurgling cry caught the attention of the Ranmyaku around him and they quickly circled around her. She had diverted them from the police, and now all she had to do is to defeat them.

But as she looked into the faces around her, she knew fighting them wouldn't be easy. These were the trained members of the Ranmyaku. One of the men charged her and she speedily danced away. She swung her dagger to meet another's incoming slash and ducked under yet another. She kept her senses alert, anticipating her opponents' next move and avoiding their blades. As she smashed her hilt to one man's face, she was glad she didn't see her father with them.

Koneko twisted and spun, blocking swords and side-stepping others. She jumped to avoid one blade when another moved in and bit into her leg. She managed to keep from crying out but when she landed, her leg collapsed beneath her.

She rolled away from a downward swing; the next one glanced off the blade of her dagger. And still the Ranmyaku pressed closer.

"Ryu Tsui Sen!" she heard a familiar voice at the same time a figure dropped on top of the Ranmyaku in front of her.

"Kenshin-san!" Koneko gasped.

"Ha! These punks are no match for my...Futae No Kiwame!" a tall man suddenly barged into the Ranmyaku from the side, forcing them to split into two groups. "Take that! And that!" the man let go of a barrage of punches, bringing down a number of Ranmyaku before they could react.

Koneko shakily got to her feet, favoring her injured leg. Shouts were already coming in from all sides, followed by running figures. But Kenshin and the tall man paid no attention. The two of them kept at the Ranmyaku with sword or fists, fighting with so much speed the Ranmyaku couldn't strike back. Even masters of the Hidden Sword would be hard pressed to match those two.

"Oi!" a figure shouted, coming into view. Koneko recognized his police uniform...and his gun. "Drop your weapons!"

"Koneko-dono," Kenshin's soft voice called to her. "Daijoubu de gozaru ka?"

"Daijoubu, Kenshin-san." Koneko answered shakily, realizing that the fight was over and that the police were taking care of the Ranmyaku. "It's the second time you've asked me that."

"You're bleeding," Kenshin sheathed his sword, bending down to take a closer look at her leg. "We'll take you to Megumi-dono."

"I'll be fine," she stepped back, embarrassed at having a man peer at her leg. "I can walk."

"The heck you can." the tall man scoffed. "I'll carry her, you deal with the police."

Before she could even protest, the tall man had hoisted her in his arms and ran into the night. She clutched at his shirt, not because she was frightened but because of the shooting fire in her leg. His grip wasn't tight at all. But every step he made jolted her. Her mind reeled. She needed to forget the pain. She needed to think of something else other than the wetness in her calf.

"The...Ranmyaku. They were after someone." she finally gasped, grabbing at the first thing that came to her mind.

"That's right." the tall man answered. "They were after Hiroshi Akio."

"Who is he?"

"Just a government official who makes a lot of negotiations with foreigners."

"Including...Europeans?"

He gave a tight smile. "Especially Europeans."

Koneko stared at his face for a while longer, recalling her father's conversation with Snotty. Traitors. Tetsuo hated the Europeans for the changes they brought to Japan. He hated them for the religion they brought to the mother country, the government they forced, and the traditions they broke. He hated them with a vengeance for meddling in affairs that should be left for the Japanese to deal with. The Ranmyaku-gumi must feel the same way. Her father wouldn't speak with them if it were otherwise.

"Hey, you going to sleep?" the tall man asked, interrupting her thoughts. "You went quiet all of a sudden."

"Iie," she shook her head. "I was just...thinking."

"About what happened?" he chuckled. "The Ranmyaku came early and almost managed to kill Hiroshi. But they didn't expect Battousai to be there and Hiroshi escaped."

"B-Battousai?"

"Yep. The one and only Hitokiri Battousai."

"B-Battousai was there?!" she grabbed fistfuls of his shirt, incredulous.

"Hey, hey, not so tight! I just had this shirt fixed!"

Koneko loosened her grip. "G-gomen. But Battousai was there?"

"Yeah. But he had a change of heart a long time ago. He doesn't go around killing people anymore so don't worry about that."

But Koneko wouldn't relax. If her father knew that the Hitokiri was there, Tetsuo would challenge him! He had longed to face the Hitokiri himself, to finally put to the test the strength of the Hidden Sword. But the Hiten Mitsurugi was powerful! Her father would never win against a style as powerful as that.

She clutched the hem of his shirt again, fear in her voice. "W-Was there a man with a silver lock to his hair?"

The tall man looked at her curiously. "No, can't say I've seen him."

Koneko exhaled in relief. "A-arigatou."

"What for?"

"Nothing. Nothing in particular." she relaxed. "I didn't catch your name."

"Sanosuke. Friends call me Sano."

"I'm-"

"Koneko. I know. Kenshin told me."

"Kenshin told you?"

"Yep. He's my friend. Why else would I be fighting with him?"

"Uh, h-hai. Why else?" she smiled in spite of herself. "Arigatou, for saving me."

"Don't mention it." he finally stopped in front of a modest-looking house. "We're here."

Chapter 4