***"C'mon, this way Katsu!" Sano panted as he ran up the rocky hillside. Katsu stopped
for a moment to lean over and catch his breath.
"Are you..sure that this is the right way?" Katsu said between gasps. When Sanosuke
didn't slow down, he began running again.
Please be there, please be alive. Sanosuke prayed under his breath. Tears welled up in
his eyes and threatened to spill down over his already tear-streaked face. He wiped at
them with a dirty sleeve. Taichou...Taichou, why did you have to die? It wasn't fair! Damn
them! Reaching the top of the hill, he scanned the area quickly, trying to see something,
anything besides the carnage. Katsuhiro caught up with him, breathing heavily.
"I'm..telling..you...they're..not...here.." he gasped. Glaring at his friend over his shoulder,
Sanosuke walked forward. His foot suddenly connecting with air, he went sliding down
the hill he had just climbed, tumbling head over heels as he went. Landing in a cloud of
dust, pushed himself to his knees, coughing. Katsuhiro joined him a moment later. His eyes
suddenly widened and he put a hand on Sano's shoulder. "Sano...look..." he murmured,
pointing. Sanosuke lifted his head to see a blood-stained figure laying on the ground.
"Joo!" he exclaimed, running over to her. Turning her over gently, her lifeless eyes stared up
at him, dried blood frozen in a caked stream on her cheek. Tears running from his eyes again,
they dripped off and landed on Joo's dead face, muddy from all the dirt on his cheeks. Katsu
voiced his unspoken fear.
"If they killed Joo....wasn't Kioku with Joo?"***
Kamisori screamed as the Yakuza doctor re-located his arm back in the socket. Zurui, his
fiancée, watched with a worried look on her face. Frowning, Shoyusha watched with distaste.
"You're saying she refused to go with you?" he asked of the wincing Kamisori. Swallowing his
pain, he tried to open his watering eyes.
"Hau. Some ketsu with the kanji aku on his gi did this to me. He probably was the one who
found her three weeks ago." He glanced at the doctor who was bandaging his arm and jerked
it away. "No need for that doctor. Bandages are for the weak." Zurui moved to him and helped
him back into his gi.
"So then that means this...'warui-ketsu', knows where our compound is." Shoyusha growled.
"Get some men together. Let's pay our Kage-Chan and her new friends a visit."
------------------------
It was close to midnight when Yahiko finally got tired of laying on his futon, restless.
Redressing, he tied his kendo sword to his belt and began to walk around the dojo, looking
for bad guys. He would often see Kenshin get up when a particular baddie was around and about,
and make guard rounds to make sure everyone was safe. Stifling a yawn, Yahiko made his way
through the gate and around the corner of the dojo. Kicking a pebble as he rounded another corner,
his ears perked as the whoosh of someone running behind him hit them. Turning his head swiftly, he
saw a figure wearing black dart towards the gate, which he had left open.
"Oh no you don't." He murmured, pulling out his Kendo sword as he ran back to the gate. Turning the
corner he collided with a mans chest, and he fell to the ground. Jumping to his feet, he looked up
to the intruder's face.
The man had chin-length black hair, two sides left down to fall over his face and the rest pulled up
into a high ponytail. He had a white bandanna around his head as well. Holding his sword out in the
form Kaoru had beaten into him, he glared at the man. The man put a hand on his hip, shifting his weight
to one foot, regarding Yahiko with skepticism.
"What do you want?" Yahiko said in his best challenging voice. The man, who had three other men with
him, all wearing black, began to chuckle at Yahiko. His face flushing with anger, Yahiko stomped a foot
forward. "I asked you something ahos! Now answer it!" he shouted.
Inside the dojo, Kenshin's ears perked at the shout and he opened his eyes. Sitting up, he looked at his
door, ears focusing for the sound again.
Kamisori shifted his weight again, smirking at this little boy trying to be tough. "Go back to bed little one,
there's nothing for you to see here." He said, patting Yahiko on the head.
Face reddening from embarrassment, Yahiko's immediate reaction to the pat was to bite down on the
offending hand. Hard. Kamisori yelped and pulled his hand away, bleeding. His men began to curse and
moved forward to the grinning Yahiko, until Kamisori held up a hand.
"Matte. I've got a change of plans. Let's leave Kage a present instead..." he said, grinning maniacally.
Reaching into his gi, he pulled out one of the twin Sais he fought with, his favorite weapon. Yahiko's
eyes widened, never before having seen such a weapon. Still grinning, Kamisori launched himself at the
baffled Yahiko, holding his sai like a claw.
Dressed only in his hakama and bandages, Kenshin burst out of the gate, sakabatou unsheathed and held
to his side, he ran at Kamisori, yelling. Turning around in surprise, he swung around, lashing at Kenshin
with a bloody sai. Kenshin caught it between the claw prongs, and they locked for a moment before
Kamisori pulled the other sai from hi gi and lashed. Jumping back, Kenshin had only a second to duck
before a short katana swung at his head. Holding his sword, point down, he swung up at the yakuza, dull
blade slicing from his chest up to his chin. The man flew backwards, bleeding from his mouth. Taking a
dvantage of his men, Kamisori mock saluted the distracted Kenshin farewell and ran off, his mission
complete.
Ninja stars suddenly flew towards Kenshin. His eyes widening, he jumped up, one catching him
in the side, the rest lodging harmlessly into the dojo wall. Flipping himself around, ignoring the star, he
brought his sword forward, still in the air.
"Hiten Mistsuguri, Ryu Sui Sen!" Kenshin yelled, launching his most famous sequence of hits on
the Yakuza. Two down, Kenshin turned and locked swords with the final. Holding a small dagger between
his toes, the Yakuza pulled away from Kenshin and flipped, slicing at him with the dagger. Kenshin barely
dodged, the dagger cutting off some hairs, and went into stance. Standing, the Yakuza landed by Yahiko,
pulling the boy up by his hair.
Silently, yet grinning like a madman, the Yakuza drew a line with the Kunai across Yahiko's throat. He
then looked up at Kenshin, as the small cut began to bleed just the slightest bit. Lowering himself,
Kenshin yelled angrily. Running at the Yakuza, his yell continued. Grinning happily at his fight, the Yakuza
threw the injured Yahiko into the dojo wall. The grin froze on the Yakuza's face as Kenshin's movements
became too fast for him to follow. Frozen in fear, he was quickly defeated with Ryu Sui Sen, this time
executed silently.
Pulling the star from his side, Kenshin fell to his knees, panting. He was injured emotionally more than he
was physically. Yahiko. Yahiko, why must they have used Yahiko? Kaoru raced through the gate, finally
awakened by Kenshin's yell. Kage followed close behind. Kaoru rushed to Kenshin's side.
"Kenshin!" she exclaimed, her voice thick with concern. He looked towards the fallen boy.
"Yahiko." He said in a raspy voice. Kaoru's eyes widened in fright, as she turned towards the crumpled
figure of her student. Kage kneeled beside Yahiko, and held his head up. She pulled off his gi as best as
she could to inspect his wound. Kaoru was on his other side a minute later.
"Yahiko! Wake up!" Kaoru cried, helping Kage take the gi off. Kage's breath froze in her chest as she
recognized the wound made from Kamisori's own specially designed sai. Holding his own wound, Kenshin
pulled himself to his feet with his sakabatou, his eyes watching Kage's face.
"You know who fights with the Sais?" he asked her, his voice once again normal. Woodenly, Kage felt
herself nod.
"Surudoi Kamisori." She said, her voice in a mechanical monotone. This is my warning, she thought to
herself grimly, my warning to return. Only Kamisori would use a child as a warning. Kaoru stood up, a sick
look on her face.
"I'm going to get Genzai-San!" she exclaimed. With that she took off down the road as fast as she could.
Kenshin continued to watch the expressionless Kage.
"Kage-Donno." Kenshin said, breaking her out of her state of deep thought. Pressing Yahiko's stripped gi
over the wound, she looked up at him, her fever noticeable in the moonlight. He knew right away that she
wanted to fight Kamisori, hurt him for hurting a young boy. Catching her eyes, he told her silently to wait.
Now that Yahiko had been hurt, this fight involved him as well. Kage looked away.
"I'm returning to them tomorrow." She said, her voice muted. Yahiko stirred and made a small pained noise.
"Iie, you will not." Kenshin said, his voice firm. Kage looked up at him, defiant.
"I will, I have to! If I don't, who will it be next? Kaoru-San? Suzume-Chan and Ayame-Chan? There isn't
a level to which Kamisori doesn't stoop to get his goal!" cried. Her voice was shaking, she couldn't understand
it. What was this familiar, unwanted feeling she was experiencing? It felt as if her chest were being ripped
apart. Kenshin opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Kaoru's voice loudly urging the half-
asleep Dr. Genzai towards the dojo. Kneeling down by Yahiko, he stooped and picked him up, then carried him
into the dojo. Bracing a hand against the dojo wall, Kage pulled herself up, then followed the group back into
the dojo, closing the gate behind her.
for a moment to lean over and catch his breath.
"Are you..sure that this is the right way?" Katsu said between gasps. When Sanosuke
didn't slow down, he began running again.
Please be there, please be alive. Sanosuke prayed under his breath. Tears welled up in
his eyes and threatened to spill down over his already tear-streaked face. He wiped at
them with a dirty sleeve. Taichou...Taichou, why did you have to die? It wasn't fair! Damn
them! Reaching the top of the hill, he scanned the area quickly, trying to see something,
anything besides the carnage. Katsuhiro caught up with him, breathing heavily.
"I'm..telling..you...they're..not...here.." he gasped. Glaring at his friend over his shoulder,
Sanosuke walked forward. His foot suddenly connecting with air, he went sliding down
the hill he had just climbed, tumbling head over heels as he went. Landing in a cloud of
dust, pushed himself to his knees, coughing. Katsuhiro joined him a moment later. His eyes
suddenly widened and he put a hand on Sano's shoulder. "Sano...look..." he murmured,
pointing. Sanosuke lifted his head to see a blood-stained figure laying on the ground.
"Joo!" he exclaimed, running over to her. Turning her over gently, her lifeless eyes stared up
at him, dried blood frozen in a caked stream on her cheek. Tears running from his eyes again,
they dripped off and landed on Joo's dead face, muddy from all the dirt on his cheeks. Katsu
voiced his unspoken fear.
"If they killed Joo....wasn't Kioku with Joo?"***
Kamisori screamed as the Yakuza doctor re-located his arm back in the socket. Zurui, his
fiancée, watched with a worried look on her face. Frowning, Shoyusha watched with distaste.
"You're saying she refused to go with you?" he asked of the wincing Kamisori. Swallowing his
pain, he tried to open his watering eyes.
"Hau. Some ketsu with the kanji aku on his gi did this to me. He probably was the one who
found her three weeks ago." He glanced at the doctor who was bandaging his arm and jerked
it away. "No need for that doctor. Bandages are for the weak." Zurui moved to him and helped
him back into his gi.
"So then that means this...'warui-ketsu', knows where our compound is." Shoyusha growled.
"Get some men together. Let's pay our Kage-Chan and her new friends a visit."
------------------------
It was close to midnight when Yahiko finally got tired of laying on his futon, restless.
Redressing, he tied his kendo sword to his belt and began to walk around the dojo, looking
for bad guys. He would often see Kenshin get up when a particular baddie was around and about,
and make guard rounds to make sure everyone was safe. Stifling a yawn, Yahiko made his way
through the gate and around the corner of the dojo. Kicking a pebble as he rounded another corner,
his ears perked as the whoosh of someone running behind him hit them. Turning his head swiftly, he
saw a figure wearing black dart towards the gate, which he had left open.
"Oh no you don't." He murmured, pulling out his Kendo sword as he ran back to the gate. Turning the
corner he collided with a mans chest, and he fell to the ground. Jumping to his feet, he looked up
to the intruder's face.
The man had chin-length black hair, two sides left down to fall over his face and the rest pulled up
into a high ponytail. He had a white bandanna around his head as well. Holding his sword out in the
form Kaoru had beaten into him, he glared at the man. The man put a hand on his hip, shifting his weight
to one foot, regarding Yahiko with skepticism.
"What do you want?" Yahiko said in his best challenging voice. The man, who had three other men with
him, all wearing black, began to chuckle at Yahiko. His face flushing with anger, Yahiko stomped a foot
forward. "I asked you something ahos! Now answer it!" he shouted.
Inside the dojo, Kenshin's ears perked at the shout and he opened his eyes. Sitting up, he looked at his
door, ears focusing for the sound again.
Kamisori shifted his weight again, smirking at this little boy trying to be tough. "Go back to bed little one,
there's nothing for you to see here." He said, patting Yahiko on the head.
Face reddening from embarrassment, Yahiko's immediate reaction to the pat was to bite down on the
offending hand. Hard. Kamisori yelped and pulled his hand away, bleeding. His men began to curse and
moved forward to the grinning Yahiko, until Kamisori held up a hand.
"Matte. I've got a change of plans. Let's leave Kage a present instead..." he said, grinning maniacally.
Reaching into his gi, he pulled out one of the twin Sais he fought with, his favorite weapon. Yahiko's
eyes widened, never before having seen such a weapon. Still grinning, Kamisori launched himself at the
baffled Yahiko, holding his sai like a claw.
Dressed only in his hakama and bandages, Kenshin burst out of the gate, sakabatou unsheathed and held
to his side, he ran at Kamisori, yelling. Turning around in surprise, he swung around, lashing at Kenshin
with a bloody sai. Kenshin caught it between the claw prongs, and they locked for a moment before
Kamisori pulled the other sai from hi gi and lashed. Jumping back, Kenshin had only a second to duck
before a short katana swung at his head. Holding his sword, point down, he swung up at the yakuza, dull
blade slicing from his chest up to his chin. The man flew backwards, bleeding from his mouth. Taking a
dvantage of his men, Kamisori mock saluted the distracted Kenshin farewell and ran off, his mission
complete.
Ninja stars suddenly flew towards Kenshin. His eyes widening, he jumped up, one catching him
in the side, the rest lodging harmlessly into the dojo wall. Flipping himself around, ignoring the star, he
brought his sword forward, still in the air.
"Hiten Mistsuguri, Ryu Sui Sen!" Kenshin yelled, launching his most famous sequence of hits on
the Yakuza. Two down, Kenshin turned and locked swords with the final. Holding a small dagger between
his toes, the Yakuza pulled away from Kenshin and flipped, slicing at him with the dagger. Kenshin barely
dodged, the dagger cutting off some hairs, and went into stance. Standing, the Yakuza landed by Yahiko,
pulling the boy up by his hair.
Silently, yet grinning like a madman, the Yakuza drew a line with the Kunai across Yahiko's throat. He
then looked up at Kenshin, as the small cut began to bleed just the slightest bit. Lowering himself,
Kenshin yelled angrily. Running at the Yakuza, his yell continued. Grinning happily at his fight, the Yakuza
threw the injured Yahiko into the dojo wall. The grin froze on the Yakuza's face as Kenshin's movements
became too fast for him to follow. Frozen in fear, he was quickly defeated with Ryu Sui Sen, this time
executed silently.
Pulling the star from his side, Kenshin fell to his knees, panting. He was injured emotionally more than he
was physically. Yahiko. Yahiko, why must they have used Yahiko? Kaoru raced through the gate, finally
awakened by Kenshin's yell. Kage followed close behind. Kaoru rushed to Kenshin's side.
"Kenshin!" she exclaimed, her voice thick with concern. He looked towards the fallen boy.
"Yahiko." He said in a raspy voice. Kaoru's eyes widened in fright, as she turned towards the crumpled
figure of her student. Kage kneeled beside Yahiko, and held his head up. She pulled off his gi as best as
she could to inspect his wound. Kaoru was on his other side a minute later.
"Yahiko! Wake up!" Kaoru cried, helping Kage take the gi off. Kage's breath froze in her chest as she
recognized the wound made from Kamisori's own specially designed sai. Holding his own wound, Kenshin
pulled himself to his feet with his sakabatou, his eyes watching Kage's face.
"You know who fights with the Sais?" he asked her, his voice once again normal. Woodenly, Kage felt
herself nod.
"Surudoi Kamisori." She said, her voice in a mechanical monotone. This is my warning, she thought to
herself grimly, my warning to return. Only Kamisori would use a child as a warning. Kaoru stood up, a sick
look on her face.
"I'm going to get Genzai-San!" she exclaimed. With that she took off down the road as fast as she could.
Kenshin continued to watch the expressionless Kage.
"Kage-Donno." Kenshin said, breaking her out of her state of deep thought. Pressing Yahiko's stripped gi
over the wound, she looked up at him, her fever noticeable in the moonlight. He knew right away that she
wanted to fight Kamisori, hurt him for hurting a young boy. Catching her eyes, he told her silently to wait.
Now that Yahiko had been hurt, this fight involved him as well. Kage looked away.
"I'm returning to them tomorrow." She said, her voice muted. Yahiko stirred and made a small pained noise.
"Iie, you will not." Kenshin said, his voice firm. Kage looked up at him, defiant.
"I will, I have to! If I don't, who will it be next? Kaoru-San? Suzume-Chan and Ayame-Chan? There isn't
a level to which Kamisori doesn't stoop to get his goal!" cried. Her voice was shaking, she couldn't understand
it. What was this familiar, unwanted feeling she was experiencing? It felt as if her chest were being ripped
apart. Kenshin opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Kaoru's voice loudly urging the half-
asleep Dr. Genzai towards the dojo. Kneeling down by Yahiko, he stooped and picked him up, then carried him
into the dojo. Bracing a hand against the dojo wall, Kage pulled herself up, then followed the group back into
the dojo, closing the gate behind her.
