Sanosuke watched Kage play with the little girls from the porch of the dojo. She
was teaching them some obscure, made-up game that made them giggle with delight
as they played it. He didn't hear Kenshin plop down next to him until he cleared
his throat. Looking away from the girls, a slight blush forming on his face, he
turned to his friend and grinned.

"When's lunch?" he asked, trying to hide his embarrassment. Kenshin smiled slightly,

"You like her." He observed. The blush deepening to a plain red, he turned away,
clearing his throat.

"Why the hell would you think that?" he tried to say in a serious voice. Kenshin's
smile broadened.

"Your eyes soften when you watch her." He said, shutting his eyes with his smile.
Sano leaned down and plucked a spade of grass from under the dojo porch.

"Just reminds me of someone, that's all." He mumbled, raising the grass to his lips.
Shutting his eyes, he blew on the grass, trying to play it like his Taichou did so long ago.

"Kage-nee-San? Daijobu?" Suzume suddenly cried out. Ceasing his playing, he and
Kenshin both looked up. Kage was on her hands and knees, a thin film of sweat beading
on her face. Approaching her and kneeling beside her, Sanosuke looked at her with
concern.

"Daijobu?" he asked her softly. She looked at him, pained. Her eyes looked the same as
they did the night he asked her about Souzou, like she was trying to forget. Looking
away, she pushed herself to her knees.

"I'm just not feeling well. I think my fever's risen." She said as she stood up. The little
girls were next to her in a minute, one on each side.

"You should go lay down then Kage-nee-San!" Suzume said in her best mothering voice.

"Yeah, lay down! Lay down!" Ayame echoed, grabbing Kage's hand. They both pulled
gently on her hands, leading her towards her room. Smiling weakly, she allowed herself
to be led. Standing, Sanosuke watched her until she disappeared around a corner. He then
returned to his spot next to Kenshin on the porch, sighing.

"She hasn't said anything more about returning to the Yakuza?" Sanosuke murmured.

"Iie." Kenshin murmured back. They were both silent for a moment. Sanosuke began to
fiddle with the grass spade, ripping it into pieces.

"She reminds me of someone.." Sanosuke began uncertainly. Kenshin's attention was on
him in an instant. "..someone I knew back when I was with the Sekihoutai." He began
ripping the grass pieces into smaller pieces. Kenshin blinked calmly, waiting for him to
continue. Sighing, Sano dropped the mutilated grass onto the ground and leaned back
onto the post that held the roof up over the porch. The sky was overcast, and thunder
rumbled in the distance. Another rain storm was upon them.

"She was the daughter of Taichou and some woman he had a fling with a couple of times.
She wasn't right in the head, the war drove her mad. Having Kioku outside of marriage
took her over the edge I suppose. She gave Kioku to Taichou, then threw herself into a
river." Sanosuke paused long enough to pull another piece of grass from under the porch
and stick it in his mouth. The thunder began to grow closer.

"Being the leader of a gang, Taichou didn't have time, nor the desire to settle down and
raise a girl, but yet, being him, he wanted to be her father, so he hired a young girl
named Joo to take care of her. She remained in some small farming village until Kioku
was about four or five I think, then began moving when we would go long distances to
keep Kioku near Taichou. Joo had 'other' professions, and would often leave Kioku with
us when we were stationary and had no jobs." Sanosuke let out a short laugh. "she would
follow Katsu and I everywhere, we couldn't shake her. She'd always get into trouble too...
had to catch her from falling off a cliff once because she wanted a fucking flower." He
looked up to the sky, a few small specks of rain dripping down from the clouds, but nothing
more.

"What happened to her?" Kenshin asked, intently watching Sanosuke. Sanosuke kept
watching the clouds.

"The day the Sekihoutai was ambushed, Taichou left Kioku in Joo's care again. Some men
who knew who Kioku was chased her and Joo down. They killed Joo, and I can only imagine
that they killed Kioku as well." His smiled weakly at the sky. "Eight year old girls can't
outrun men on horseback...but then again, Katsu and I never found a body." The sky
rumbled softly and it began to drizzle lightly. Kenshin watched his friend until the little
girls squealed, startling him. A moment after the squeal Ayame and Suzume ran around the
corner and grabbed Kenshin's gi, pulling as hard as they could.

"Oro?" he blinked as the fabric of his gi began to stretch. "Nanio de gozaru ka?" he stood
up.

"Kage-nee-San is gone! We made sure she went to bed like we told her to, and now she's
gone!!!" Suzume said, her eyes welling up with tears. "All we found was Kaoru-nee-San's
kimono on the floor!

"And she broke the sweeper off of Kaoru-nee-San's broom too!" Ayame chimed in, sniffling.
Sanosuke jumped to his feet, his eyes meeting Kenshin's in silent knowing. He then bolted
towards the gate, knowing where Kage had gone and why. Kaoru wandered out from the
kitchen just as Kenshin ushered the girls to her.

"Kenshin? Where are you going?" she asked his fast departing figure. He stopped halfway
to the gate and looked at her.

"Kage-nee-San left!" Ayame and Suzume sobbed into Kaoru's kimono. She gasped, raising
a hand to her chest, and looked up just as Kenshin darted out of the gate after Sanosuke.
------------------------

Supporting her weight on her makeshift Bo-staff that had once been Kaoru's broom, Kage
pushed herself along, determined to make Kamisori pay for what he did to Yahiko. The girls
had pulled her by his room, and the sight of the injured boy had sickened her, fueling her
need to avenge. It was raining again, like it had the night she had been whipped and left for
dead. If it hadn't been for Kenshin and Sanosuke...

Sanosuke. She winced, falling shoulder-first onto the wall that sided the road, trying to
force her fever-induced dizziness away. The nagging feeling returned again, stronger and
more insistent, this time the nag was accompanied by a heavy feeling in the center of her
chest, like a rock had been placed there. She pushed up the sleeve of the gi she had
"borrowed" from Kenshin's room. The gi and hakama were bigger than her second-hand set
she usually wore, but since she didn't have any of her own clothes, she had to make do with
what she found. Taking a breath and pushing herself off of the wall she forced herself on.
She would do this, she would defeat Kamisori, or she would die trying.

Stupid woman! Sanosuke thought angrily, look what you have me doing! I'm chasing you, you
ama! What the hell is wrong with me? His train of silent insults was interrupted as a heap of
fabric in the muddying road caught his eye. Squatting down he picked it up, Kenshin catching
up to him and coming up behind him. Turning his head slightly, he confirmed that it was
Kenshin, then held up the fabric.

"Yours?" he asked. Taking the cloth, Kenshin realized that it was one of his spare gi.
Bandages fell from the gi onto the road. Looking from the bandages to each other, Sanosuke
stood up and they both took off towards the Yakuza complex. Please, don't let her die,
Sanosuke found himself repeating over and over again in his head, don't let her die!

**"Kioku, what are you doing here at this time of the night? Go back to the inn with Joo!"**

**"But the thunderstorm is scary! I don't wanna be by myself in that room!"**

Kage shook her head from the images that suddenly filled it. She blinked against them, forcing
them away. Jogging, she crossed the bridge over the river and was on her way into the
bamboo forest. She had shed Kenshin's heavy gi and the bandages that Megumi had wrapped
over her stitched cuts on the road a ways back. Clad in only the chest binding and the hakama,
she continued on her way.

**"It's just a thunder storm Kioku, you've lived through them before."**

**"But this one is scarier!"**

**"Ugh! What do you want me to do about it, make it stop?"**

**"Can I stay with you?"**

Kage made a pained noise as the images refused to leave. Sticking her forefinger into her mouth
she bit down until she tasted blood, determined to make it go away.

Kamisori lounged lazily outside of his room, watching the light summer rain. His gi was unbelted
and his hair untied. Zurui, her own clothing hastily thrown back on, sat submissively in the
doorway to their room, a sake jug in front of her, ready to serve Kamisori if he needed it. He
watched as one of the men walked along the bamboo fence, doing a daily patrol. He bowed politely
to Kamisori as he passed by his section of the compound, then disappeared behind it. A second later
a strangled yell was heard, followed by a thump as something heavy fell to the ground. Jumping up
and grabbing his Sais, he ran around the corner the former had disappeared behind. Pressing his
back against the compound, he slid one foot forward slowly, the other following, his eyes trained
on the corner. Jumping around the corner swiftly he went instantly into stance. His fallen cohort
was all that met his eyes. Standing, he dropped his arms to his sides in confusion.

"KAMISORI-SAMA!!!!" Zurui's scream suddenly met his ears. Forgetting his form, he sprinted back
around the corner to find Kage holding Zurui in a neck-lock, holding a Kunai pressed against her
neck. She gave Kamisori a sadistic smile and tightened her hold on Zurui, who let out a whimpering
gasp as she did. Anger setting in, he raised his Sais and yelled running at Kage. Kage pressed the
Kunai harder into Zurui's neck, a small cut forced into her ivory skin, a small trickle of blood
following. Kamisori stopped running and lowered his Sais, glaring. Other Yakuza had appeared and
were surrounding Kamisori's apartment, ready to attack Kage. Shoyusha waddled out of his own
apartment, his wife following. Upon seeing Kage, his face began to redden in anger and he nodded
to the Yakuza.

"NOT a good idea Shoyusha-SAMA. By the time one of their katana or Kunai hit me, I'll have slit
Zurui's throat. I don't really think Kamisori would want that now, do you?" she said, her voice
dripping with sarcasm. Kamisori held out his arm, stopping any attack on Kage. He continued to
glare at her.

"All right Kage, you've got our attention, what do you want?" he growled. Kages sadistic smile
turned maniacal. Flipping the Kunai over, she knocked the hilt into Zurui's temple, knocking her out.
Dropping her she threw the Kunai at Kamisori, almost hitting him. He looked at the inch away Kunai
then back up at Kage in disbelief.

"Come get me." She glowered, running to the fence and vaulting over it with her Bo-staff. Kamisori's
eyes widened in understanding, then a dark grin spread on his face. He turned to Shoyusha, who
nodded.

"Kill her after you've had your fun." He said, glaring at the place over which Kage disappeared.
Kamisori bowed slightly, then darted out of the compound through the gate, eager to kill. Turning
back to his apartment, Shoyusha smiled, eager to finally be rid of the thorn in his side.

Coming to the compound, Sanosuke and Kenshin arrived just in time to see Kage and Kamisori facing
each other, in stance.

"Kage-Donno! Dame!" Kenshin yelled. Ignoring him, Kage ran at Kamisori, swinging her Broom-Bo-
Staff at him. Bringing his Sais together in an 'X', he caught the staff in the upper ridge and kicked
out at her. Pulling out of the catch, she spun, and swung the staff around again, trying to catch him
in the neck. He ducked under it and lashed out with one sai. She jumped back, and stumbled, forcing
another dizzy spell away. She half-kneeled, half supported herself up on the staff, breathing heavily.
Kamisori stood over her, gloating.

"Done already? What a pity. If you're tired, I'll just go ahead and kill you here, save you the exhaustion."
He offered in a cheerful tone. Growling, Sanosuke's fists clenched and he stepped forward, ready to
challenge Kamisori. Kage held out her hand, stopping him.

"Iie." She said between breaths. "This is my battle." She began to pull herself up, Kamisori watching her
with a smirk on his face.

"Are you chigau? He's going to kill you!" Sanosuke said, an unfamiliar edge to his voice. Kage smiled at
him warmly.

"Daijobu. I have nothing to live for...so it's all right." She turned around, and went back into stance.
Sanosuke froze at her words. She began to fight with new found stamina, but her moves were a blur to
Sanosuke.

**"If something happened to you and daddy, I wouldn't have anything to live for."**

**"That's stupid Kioku, stop talking like that."**

**"But I wouldn't...I wouldn't want to live. I'd be all alone."**

"KIOKU! YAMETE!" Sanosuke suddenly found himself yelling. He felt detached, and everything felt
as if it were moving slower. Kage turned and looked directly into his eyes, shock written in them.
Kamisori took advantage of her state of amiss and stabbed through her side with one of his Sais.
Wincing she looked down at the sai embedded in her side, clutching at it. Kamisori pulled it out,
and she fell to her knees, a look of mournful pain frozen on her face, then she fell onto her stomach,
and did not move.

Yelling in rage Sanosuke raised a fist as he ran at Kamisori, who turned around in surprise just as a
familiar fist knocked him across the jaw.

"You fucking son of a ame!" he yelled, his voice shaking. He brought his other fist under and uppercut
him, throwing him backwards. In quick succession, he jump-kicked him, then double punched his stomach,
followed by another kick to the jaw. Kamisori coughed up blood as more attacks followed.

"Sano! Behind you!" Kenshin suddenly yelled. Sanosuke turned around just as a Ninja star embedded
itself in his shoulder. Making a guttural pained noise he ripped it out an instant later and threw it at the
owner. Kamisori's men, who had been watching the fight, had emerged from the compound and were
protecting their leader. Another ran at Sanosuke, chopping down on him with a katana. Clapping his hands
together, he caught it right before it hit his chest. Kenshin himself was locked in a fight with more Yakuza.

Gritting his teeth together, Sanosuke's anger grew, and he moved his hands to the side, snapping the end
off of the katana. The yakuza's eyes widened and he stared dumbfounded at his broken sword as
Sanosuke's elbow came down on the side of his neck. He fell, unconscious. Kamisori, royally pissed at
being punched in the face by the same man TWICE, sliced Sanosuke across the back with his sai.
Hearing the movement over the increasing rain, Sanosuke turned before the sai could do no more than
make a small gash in his gi, he grabbed the biggest prong on one of the Sais, wrenching it to the side.
Taking his other sai, Kamisori slashed Sano's upper arm before he could catch it as well. Cursing,
Sanosuke released the sai and withdrew a step, holding his arm. Thrusting the sai in another slice at
him, Sanosuke ducked and came up behind him. Kamisori turned and slashed again, their fight was on.

Kenshin's sakabatou was locked with a yakuza's katana and he clenched his teeth as the Yakuza pressed
down on it. Not breaking his concentration, Kenshin's ears picked up the sound of another Yakuza silently
approaching. Glancing swiftly to the side, he pushed out of the lock and ducked down just as the Yakuza
arc swung at him. He darted out from between them and swung his sword out, catching one across the
chest and knocking him backwards. Another jumped out of the way in time. The Yakuza began to swing at
Kenshin rapidly, backing him towards the complex. Kenshin dodged each swing swiftly, then countered it
by flipping backwards and propelling himself from the bamboo fence towards the Yakuza. He caught him
across the abdomen. The Yakuza fell, but another soon replaced him. Where were they all coming from?

**"Hang on Kioku! I've got you!"**

**"Don't let me go Sano-Kun! Gomenasai...Gomenasai! I didn't mean to follow you and Katsu-Kun..I'll
never do it again!"**

**"Don't worry about that now, just hang on!"**

**"But I made you mad! Katsu-Kun said..."**

**"It doesn't matter what Katsu-Kun said...I'll never let go of you."**

Kage stirred slightly, her eyes slowly opening. The door was open...

**"Daddy...will I ever get to follow you like Sano-Kun does?"**

Daddy smiled at me then.

**"Someday Kioku. Who knows, maybe some day you can help me lead the Sekihoutai."**

**"Honto-ni???"**

Daddy chuckled at me then.

**"Honto."**

Kage pushed herself to her hands and knees, her breath coming in short gasps. Her wound was
still bleeding, and the rain was increasing.

**"Sano-Kun?"**

**"Hmm?"**

**"What are the stars made out of?"**

**"I don't know, fireflies?"**

I giggled at that thought

**"But how'd they get up there?"**

**"Hm...the sky is made of black syrup and they got stuck in it."**

**"Sano-Kun, you're weird!"**

**"Hey, you asked!"**

He smiled at me.

She could hear the sounds of fighting around her. No one had noticed that she was awake.
Slowly, she raised two tremoring hands to her temples.

**"Sano-Kun...daisuki..."**

**".........Aa."**

She clutched the sides of her head, unable to stop the mournful noises escaping her throat.

**She sobbed as she ran, gasping for needed breath. Daddy was just over the next hill, and he
would make the men go away. Cutting through some thorn bushes to lose them, she continued
running. She would make Joo happy so that Joo wouldn't yell at her when she woke up. There,
just past this prickle bush and.......

Blood....there is blood everywhere.....

Everyone is dead....bad men...Daddy's men....

She runs over the bodies...she must find Daddy.. Why is everyone laying down? Why is there
all that blood?

No...Daddy isn't here...he can't be. And these aren't his men..these are other men...they just look
like Daddy's men....

Tears roll down her dirt-smeared face, leaving trails through the grime. She stops, there is a fresh
dirt mound just a few feet in front of her. There is a katana strapped to a single stick marking it.
A red strip of fabric straps the Katana on.

"Da......" she whispers. Her eyes turning wild she begins to dig into the mound.

It's all right, it's just a dirt hill. Sano-Kun and Katsu-Kun were playing their hill game again.

She began to uncover a chest, followed by a neck, then..head...where is his head...Daddy...I need to
see your face.....

Her breaths came in short gasps....she couldn't stop the mournful noises coming from her throat......**

"NNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!"

Sanosuke heard her scream, but couldn't stop fighting Kamisori. It tore him inside to hear it, knowing
that she was remembering something, anything. She fell to her elbows, mournful sobs escaping her.
He needed to get over to her, to let her know he was still alive, to let himself know that she had never
been dead, but Kamisori's attacking was relentless. Kenshin too, was still countering the Yakuza who
just wouldn't stay down.

Knowing he would regret it later, Sanosuke drew back his right fist, watching as Kamisori ran at him,
Sais extended. Just as he got within arms length of him, Sanosuke punched, hitting Kamisori's shoulder,
using Futai no Kiawami. Kamisori's shoulder, upper arm and upper right ribcage shattered immediately,
quite possibly rupturing some organs, and he screamed, dropping both Sais and falling to the ground.
The Yakuza fighting Kenshin paused, and upon seeing Sanosuke defeat Kamisori, and how he went about
doing it, dropped their Katanas and took off into the bamboo forest. Bleeding from multiple cuts, and
panting, Sanosuke looked over to where Kage/Kioku had been. She was no longer there. Spinning around,
he cursed as he scanned through the downpour for her.

"Where the hell..." he began. Looking down, he saw faint traces of blood that were quickly being washed
into the ground, leading into the compound. Refusing to loose her now, he ran into the compound, not
caring if any Yakuza saw him.

Sheathing his sakabatou, Kenshin followed his friend silently, this fight was Sanosuke's now.
------------------------------

Shoyusha reclined on his pillows with one of his concubines, while his wife sucked on the opium hookah.
He was in a drowsy state of contentment, happy after spending "time" with his favorite concubine,
pleasantly dazed from the second-hand opium smoke, and satisfied because he knew Kamisori wouldn't
loose. Things would always go his way, no matter what.

Thunder rumbled loudly, covering the sound of Shoyusha's apartment door sliding open, and shutting
again. Only three candles, casting many dark shadows, lighted the room. Giggling in an opium stupor
herself, the concubine trailed kisses across Shoyusha's broad expanse of chest. Glancing up, she scooted
away from him, screaming. Before Shoyusha could react, the broken tip of the katana Sanosuke had
broken off earlier, was pressed to his neck, tip first. His eyes widened in fear, and his double chin
quivered. The concubine covered herself with a blanket and ran out of the apartment, screaming.
Shoyusha's wife stood up.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING KAGE?" she screeched at her. Kage pressed the katana
tip farther into Shoyusha's neck, drawing blood. He took a shuddering breath.

"S-Sit down Nagashi..." he stuttered. Face expressionless, Kage reached behind one of Shoyusha's
pillows and extracted his dagger that he kept hidden there. Keeping the point to his neck, she unsheathed
the dagger and raised it out, ready to strike. Shoyusha squeezed his fat eyes shut, sweat dripping off
of his nose.

A hand grabbed Kage's wrist just as she was plunging the dagger towards Shoyusha's neck. She let out
a desperate noise and her expression turned to that of a child realizing they weren't getting what they
wanted. Why wasn't her arm working? She couldn't understand.

Pushing against whatever restricted her, she kept trying.

"Yamete Kioku." Sanosuke said in a hoarse voice. Her arm relaxing, Kage's eyes widened as she came to
realize what she was doing. Still holding her arm, Sanosuke climbed over Shoyusha's cushions and stood
by her. "Yamete." He repeated.

Dropping the dagger she sank to the floor. Still holding her wrist, he lowered himself with her, kneeling
on one knee. A moment later Kioku fell onto him, sobbing. She had finally remembered how to cry
-----------------------------------

Saitoh Hajime lit a cigarette as he stood outside of Shoyusha's apartment a few hours later. Some
Yakuza had run to the police headquarters babbling about some god-fighter who defeated their
leader. Now he stood outside the apartment of an opium addict who was babbling on about a chicken
and a cat attacking him. Shaking out his match, he took a drag off of his cigarette and let the smoke
out slowly, walking into the apartment. The addict's wife was sucking on the opium hookah, which
had been removed of all substance, trying to get something out of it. Unimpressed, he turned on heel
and walked out.

So, the Sekihoutai wasn't down to just two members after all. He was going to have to keep an eye
on this Kioku, she could come in handy one of these days.