Author's Note: All right, we finally have a confrontation between Mina and Kensai. Without any further interruptions, let's get to the story!

Chapter 27: Light and Shadow

A loud crash had filled the area as our blades locked against one another. I bit down against my teeth as I pushed the shimmering slab toward her neck. Kensai's grin widened as I pushed forward, those golden eyes narrowing a second later as my blade was now returning to my body. With a quick shove, Kensai was somehow able to free us from our blades' grasp, leaving my arm in the air with my sword pointed toward the heavens.

'A straight forward lunge,' I read her next attack.

It was just as I predicted, her blade pushed forward after, flying toward me neck. At the last moment, I used the god-like speed of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu to evade the attack. I had spun out of harm's way, my back was now facing her's, I had gotten directly behind her.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Ryu-Kan-Sen!" I screamed as I swung my blade at the base of her neck using the force of my body's turn.

My blade slit nothing but air, Kensai had suddenly disappeared from sight. The winds quickly blew upward a second after, and I knew what that meant.

"Is that how you use the Ryu-Kan-Sen?" Kensai mocked as she hovered in the air. "How pathetic. Let me show you what a true Ryu-Kan-Sen should be!"

The winds suddenly changed their direction and were now beating against my face. I shut of my eyes and left a small slit open for the other, and the only image I was able to catch was one of Kensai plummeting toward me. By the time I had raised my sword, a sharp pain suddenly shot through my entire body, pushing it in the path of the winds.

"Damn she's fast...," I cursed before finding my back against the grass. "Nani?!"

I opened my eyes once more only to find Kensai charging at me once more. There was no way I could defend in the position I was in, and another world of pain was brought upon me a second after.

"Argh!" I cried as the steel curve struck against my side once more.

I hit the grass once more, this time it was my face that was lying against the ground. The match had barely begun and I had already been struck twice. My wounds were already fresh with blood, my chest was constantly heaving, and my body was dragging to the floor.

"Man you're pathetic," Kensai sighed. "You're already injured and tired, not to mention you couldn't get a single blow on me. Come on, free shot, right now," Kensai said as she sheathed her blade.

I clenched my katana with all my might and charged as fast as I could. I swung my sword from the east when she was in range; I had aimed for her torso, and again, I had struck nothing but air. The winds had again been blowing upward, she was above me once more.

"Child's play," she said before her blade came down.

"Argh!" my shoulder suddenly emitted a small geyser of crimson a second later.

I was limping once more, only this time I was barely able to stand on my own feet, even with my katana pressed against the ground. My breathing had become heavy after this, things were already becoming hazy, but there was no way I was going to be defeated at that point.

"Play time's over, bitch!" I growled as she stood in front of me.

I began pushing my blade forward, it's tip slitting the earth in the process. Dirt and rock began to rise, hurling themselves at Kensai.

"Do-Ryu-Sen!" I screamed as the debris flew. "Nani?!" the image of Kensai suddenly disappeared.

"Predictable," her voice flew into my ear from behind.

Her steel blade had found it's mark on my back this time, streaking downward in a straight line. I could feel each drop of blood that seeped through the new crater, the warm residue flowing down to my legs. The force of the blow had sent me forward, my arms pressed against the floor as my knees kept my legs standing.

"You're such a bragger, you know that?" Kensai taunted as she began circling me.

"Che, shut up!" I spat between my breaths.

"I think you should be the one to shut your mouth," I suddenly found a force pressing against my chin, pushing it backward.

My back was against the ground once more. A lump suddenly began to rise from my throat. In a single cough the lump had found it's way upward, melting upon touching my tongue. The scarlet residue began to pour down my lips but then another lump had taken the previous one's place in my throat. I lurched forward after with my back hunched forward and my knees pressed against the ground. The new lump quickly jumped out of my throat, melting like the last. I opened my mouth this time and a whole flood fell, forming a small puddle of red before me.

"On second thought, you should keep your mouth open," Kensai laughed, "we wouldn't want all that blood to clot up in your throat and have you die of suffocation, now do we?"

"Shut up...," I muttered. "Shut up," I began to raise my voice. "Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!!!!!!"

"I think I heard you the first time," Kensai said with a sigh.

"JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!!!" I yelled. "You're gonna get it now, I'm gonna end this right here, right now!"

"Oh really?" Kensai chuckled. "Well then, get up, that is, if you can."

I pressed my sword against the ground once more, only to pry it away soon after. I swung it to the east for a second and then I pointed it westward, turning my wrist at an angle. The metal began to slide against it's oak scabbard as I pushed into place. My left leg bent backward and my right lurched forward. Finally, a click echoed from my sword, and my hand was now a few inches above the hilt.

"Battoujutsu, I should've known," Kensai sighed once more. "You're so predictable, Mina, you know that? But how about we spice things up a little, okay?" she disappeared once more.

Within the blink of an eye, she was already behind me, her sword pointed to the side and her legs bent. A squirt of red suddenly emitted from my right wrist, I winced at it for a second, only to cause an eruption of blood from the same spot.

"Argh!" I screamed as I kneeled to the floor once more, my left hand clutching the fresh wound.

"Now what are you going to do?" Kensai asked as she began to circle me. "You're hand is useless now, and I doubt you can do anything with your left."

"Shit...," I muttered.

"I could just kill you now," her blade's edge began to caress my face.

The cold metal was slithering down my cheek, yet no blood was flowing. She could've killed me at any instant, but instead she continued taunting me with her sword. If she were to put any pressure on her katana, my face would've been covered in scars.

"But I have no intention of doing so," she halted the blade above my left eye.

"Why do you keep me alive?" I asked between breaths.

"As I have said before, they are all getting in the way to find your brother," Kensai said.

"I don't understand what you mean," I told her, "just how are they getting in the way?"

"You want to see him, don't you?" she asked.

"Why are you...?" her actions began to puzzle me.

"Just answer the question!" she ordered. "Do you want to see him again?"

"Hai, I do," I nodded.

"Well, there he is," Kensai pointed toward the sky.

The dark clouds began to part, melding with the dark sky. Light was beginning to shine down on the land once more. It began to blind me, but my eyes stayed open once I had seen what was at the center of that light.

"Shinta...?" I could see my brother at the center of that light.

"Go to him," Kensai ordered, pulling the blade away from my face.

"I can't," I realized, "he's too far up."

"You have a staircase, you know," Kensai pointed behind me.

I turned to where she had pointed, and what lay there was the corpse of Yamazaki. I looked at it puzzled for a second, and then I turned to Kensai, who wore a blank expression on her face when I stared at her.

"I don't understand," I told her.

"Step on it," Kensai ordered.

"I don't..."

"Just do it!" she ordered again.

The sound of her voice had caused me to jump. I had once again found myself at Kensai's mercy and I knew it. There was no way I could attack her at the moment, my right hand hurt when I just moved my fingers, so holding a sword would definitely end the fight before it started. I stepped on the corpse, and the next thing I knew, another had appeared before me. This new body was hovering a step above Yamazaki's, this was the corpse of one of his bodyguards. It was odd to just have a corpse appear right before me, I didn't know what to do.

"Step on that one," Kensai ordered.

Another lump suddenly appeared in my throat after she said those words. I took a moment to swallow it down, it didn't seem to help. I hesitated before I finally stepped on it, and just as my foot met the body's belly, a third appeared a step higher. I understood what was going on at that point, so I placed my other foot on it's chest. I climbed two more steps, but when I saw the third, I had become frozen.

"Why are you stopping?" Kensai asked, lurching over my shoulder.

My eyes were beginning to fill with tears again, and my knees gave out once more. My palms quickly slapped against my face, trying to push the leaks from my eyes back into place. As I sat there crying, a hand had placed itself on my shoulder, it was Kensai's, and for once in my entire life, it wasn't threatening, it was somewhat...comforting.

"What's wrong?" she asked with a hint of concern in her voice.

"That step...," I sniffled.

The step that was before me was the girl I had just killed. She was in the same position she was in when my sword had taken her life. Her sky blue eyes were wide open, as blank as a white cloud. Her shoulder was still torn, a river of scarlet was trailing down her body, dripping to the grass just inches below. I could hear each drop that fell to the ground below, the grass quickly sipping it's contents the instant it touched the ground. Her arms and legs were dangling from her body, her finger tip slightly curled as her nails pointed downward. Her mouth was wide open, I could see a lake of blood and saliva rested in the back of her throat.

"But isn't your brother closer now?" Kensai asked, taking my chin and giving it a push upward.

It was true, my brother was closer, though he was still very far. He was wearing his usual smile on his face as he stood in the light, his kimono and hands were clean from blood, his hair was still tied in a high ponytail, and his lavender eyes were as bright as they always were, god he looked so handsome, he was so close, yet so far away...

"Mina...," he called.

"Shinta..."

"Mina..."

"I'm coming, Shinta," I told him as I took one more step forward, "I'm..."

My foot had met nothing but air after I had placed my foot on the girl's corpse. Another body had not appeared, my left leg was dangling in the air, pulling my weight down. I began to veer my weight backwards, only to lose all of my balance. Before I could fall backwards onto the step behind me, I suddenly found myself hovering just a few inches above it and a force pressed against my back. Kensai had caught me, a smile stretched across her face.

"Do you understand now, Mina?" she asked me.

"Understand what?" I asked as she pushed me back to my feet.

"Every kill you make will bring you one step closer to your brother," Kensai answered.

That was the first time I heard that expression. I was paralyzed for what seemed like the millionth time in just that hour when she told me those words. Each kill that I make would bring me one step closer to Shinta.

'How is that possible?' I asked myself in my head. 'This is just some illusionary world, there's no way a staircase such as this can bring me back to Shinta.'

"Oh, but the staircase does exist," Kensai interrupted my thoughts. "This world may be a world different from your own, but think of it. Your enemy is the Bakufu, isn't it? If you kill more of them, it will mean less fighting for you and your brother as the war progresses."

"True...," I agreed with her for the very first time.

"Eventually you will kill enough that peace will be obtained in a faster amount of time than it normally would have," Kensai told me. "The Cho Shu and Satsuma Clans will then meet once more in the end, all of the Ishin Shishi forces will celebrate the new found peace. During that celebration, you will be reunited with your beloved Shinta, and from there, you can live the rest of your lives together."

"Really...?" I had found myself believing her. "But then, how are the Ishin Shishi, Tetsu, and Shion in the way?" I remembered the words she said before this fight began.

"Well, you can always kill enough of your allies to get his attention," Kensai snickered.

"That won't be happening anytime soon," I told her.

"Fine, have it your way," Kensai sighed. "But you do understand now, don't you, Mina?"

"...hai," I answered after a moment of hesitation.

"Let me be the one to assist you in your quest, let me help you," Kensai offered me her hand. "Let me be the one to exterminate the masses of dogs that stand in your way, let me lay out the steps to find your brother, and for once, let me be your friend and not your enemy."

I turned to her palm for a second, spots of dried blood her spotted all over it. I began to turn away, knowing who I was about to make a deal with, the devil himself, or in this case, herself. As I turned, I looked into my own in hand. It wore the same spots Kensai had, both of our hands were tainted in so much blood. I turned back to Kensai, her hand was still open. I looked back at my hand once more before returning to her's. Without wasting anymore time, I took hold of her palm, wrapping my fingers on the back of her hand. The very touch of her palm began to burn mine, I could feel steam trying to escape between the spaces of my fingers. Our arms moved up and down for a mere second, but for me, it seemed like an eternity. It was a relief when our hands finally parted, a smile was stretched across Kensai's face, but there wasn't on mine. It had only been seconds since our agreement and I already knew I had made one of the biggest mistakes of my life.

"And one more thing," Kensai said after we shook hands.

I turned to her once again, and in an instant, I saw a flash of light make it's way toward my face.

"ARGH!!!!!" I screamed as the area around my left eye began to burn. "WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?!?!?!?!" I yelled at Kensai as my non-wounded hand took hold of the wounds suddenly inflicted on me.

"Hm hm hm hm," Kensai chuckled as she brought the blade to her eye.

What she did next was appalling. The tip of her katana began to slide downward from her eye brow, passing her eye, leaving a crescent shaped mark on the area around her eye, stopping a few inches before her lip. She didn't stop there, the blade then met with the skin to the side of her nose, pulling it to the left, stopping a few inches before her temple. A cross-shaped wound was formed around her left eye, in the exact same shape of my brother's scar.

"Why did you...?" I was left speechless.

"We are linked by a vow of blood, you and I," she said as she pressed her palm against the mark.

She began to approach me after, her left palm leading the way as her the mark of her scar was drawn in blood on her hand. I began to step backward with my left hand over my wound, but she quickly caught up with me. Her right hand took hold of my wrist, pulling my arm downward leaving the wound open. Then she took her palm and placed onto my wound. I couldn't comprehend what was going on, and then she took my left palm and placed it on her scar. I began to take another step back, but she continued to follow. Kensai leaned forward before I can take another step, her lips just barely away from my ear.

"The cross-shaped tear," she whispered, "it will link you and I. As long as the contract is not broken, you will not have to bear it's pain. I look forward to working with you, Himura Mina...," was the last thing I heard before darkness consumed me once more.

"Mina," I heard someone calling my name a second later. "Mina!"

"Oro...?" the darkness slowly melted away, replaced by two faces I knew too well.

"Thank goodness," Shion sighed.

"Are you all right, Mina-san?" Tetsu asked.

"I'm fine I guess," I answered as I pulled my head away from Shion's lap.

The first thing I could do as soon as I stood up was trace the area around my left eye. Not a scratch, nor a river of blood. My right hand wasn't hurting either, nor was my back or the other wounds Kensai had inflicted on me.

"You gave me quite a scare there, Mina," Shion told me.

"Gomen, I just...didn't feel well," I apologized. "By the way, what are you doing here, Tetsu?" I turned to my other friend.

"Oh me, I'm the field chief," Tetsu answered. "You made quite a mess over here," Tetsu pointed to the area behind me.

It was the same place I had killed Yamazaki and his bodyguards, and the same place I killed that poor girl. The bodies were still strewn across the floor, lying in pools of ruby liquid. I quickly turned away from the refuse when I saw the girl's body once more, but the tears had not come this time.

"How long was I out?" I asked the two a second later.

"About five minutes," Shion answered.

It sure didn't seem like five minutes when I fought with Kensai. It didn't matter, at least that's what I thought at the time, I just thought it was a dream, a really bad one.

"You two get of here while I clean this up," Tetsu ordered us.

"Arigatou," Shion bowed as she placed my arm over her shoulder. "Come on, I'll carry you home, you seem pretty stressed," Shion offered.

As we left the area, I couldn't help but turn back to the girl. The expression of fear was still visible in her blank eyes, and I regretted that her body will forever be frozen in that position, and I still regret what I had done to this day. There was one thing I couldn't help but notice as we walked, a translucent river had begun to fall from her face. Was it tear I had seen her body shed, or was it just an illusion? I still don't know to this day, but for now, I believe she was crying, even after her own death.

Moments later, we were practically at the edge of the city. I was still tired after the events that had happened this evening, but the energy quickly returned a second later when a flash of sky blue appeared from a nearby corner.

"Mina?" Shion looked at me puzzled as I walked away from her support.

Without wasting a second, I unfurled my blade once more, the light of the moon glimmering upon the steel slab once it had been freed. I turned the corner to find one of Mibu's wolves walking down the path, his back turned, and his arms wavering at his sides, nowhere near his daisho.

"Every kill you make will bring you one step closer to your brother," Kensai's voice echoed in my head once more.

"Every kill...," I began to chant.

"Hm?" the wolf suddenly turned toward me. "Who the...?"

"I make will...," my feet began to push me forward.

"Stay back!" the Wolf screamed as he drew his blade.

"Bring me one step closer to my brother!" I screamed as I swung my katana.

The two blades met for a split second only to glide passed each other after, one going through the other. A loud screech entered my ears, but I ignored it as my sword broke through his, landing in the center of his torso. The Wolf lay there frozen for a moment hunched over, a splash of crimson falling before my feet as it fell from his mouth. I pushed my blade once more, making the blade grind through his muscle and bone, freeing it from his body on the other side. A geyser of blood erupted from both halves of his body after, tainting my hands even more with blood. At that exact moment, Shion had just turned around the corner.

"Mina?" she looked at me puzzled.

"...let's go home, Shion," I said as I returned my sword to my sheath.

The first thing we did as soon as we returned to the Satsuma Camp was take a trip to the hot spring. Shion kept a small distance away from me as we bathed, and I couldn't blame her after what Kensai tried to do to her the night before. We had our meal in the bath as well, Shinta's favorite, mackerel with radish and rice, I'm sure he would've enjoyed it if he were in the Satsuma Clan with us. Shion and I hadn't spoken a word during our bath, she just kept herself. No wait, it was me who kept to myself, I tried not to make any conversation, Shion was just lying in her side of the spring relaxing. Moments later, we were drying ourselves off in the changing area, and before I knew it, we were already changed and back at her place. Shion was combing her hair in the east corner of the room as I just sat in place with my face drawn to the floor.

"Here," Shion suddenly handed me her mirror and comb a second later, "just because killing is our job doesn't mean you can't look your best."

"Arigatou," I took the two items into my hand.

"Look, Mina," Shion began to speak, "I know these last two days have been hard on you, but I want you to know that I'm here for you, and I'm pretty sure that Tetsu is too. I know I can't ever replace your brother in any way, but for as long as you stay here, I just want you to know that you're not alone, I'll be by your side."

"Arigatou, Shion," I nodded.

"Well, good night," Shion smiled once more before sliding into her futon.

It was my turn to occupy the corner, I placed the mirror on the desk and began stroking my hair with the comb. I made sure I didn't remove my ribbon as I did this, I didn't want to find myself waking up next to Shion again, especially if we didn't have any clothes on (Kensai that sick bitch). Once I had finished, I began to place the cover on the mirror, my eyes locked on my own reflection as I did so. Before the cover had shielded it, the area around my left eye began to tingle suddenly. My left palm met with it soon after, trying to shield the burn. The tingle began to seer with each second that passed, until it burned so profusely that I began to scream, causing the mirror to fall and shatter within the next second.

"The cross-shaped tear," Kensai's voice echoed in my head once more as I removed my hand from eye, "it will link you and I. As long as the contract is not broken, you will not have to bear it's pain."

The burning began to cool suddenly as I turned to the many glass fragments scattered on the floor. With each reflection I saw, there was a cross-shaped wound over my left eye. Blood trickled down the two marks, but I felt nothing when I placed my palm on where the blood had been dripping.

"Mina, are you okay?" Shion hurried to my side after. "What happened?"

"...it's nothing, Shion," I turned to her, "I was just being clumsy. I'm sorry, I'll buy you a new mirror tomorrow, I promise."

"No, it's all right," Shion assured me, "accidents happen. Here, let me help you clean up," she began taking some of the broken shards into her hand.

I turned back to the pieces once more. The mark on around my eye was gone, and it was then that I had begun to doubt that my dreams of Kensai and I were much more than just dreams...

Chapter 27 Liner Notes

About the "cross-shaped tear"- Other than being a copy of Kenshin's cross-shaped scar, the cross-shaped tear also has a historical background on it. In an old book I've read about ancient cults, there was one particular cult (I can't remember it's name) that would scar it's own followers by making identical wounds of the leader. After the wounds are made, the leader would cut himself in the same fashion and take his hand onto the wound as the follower did the same. The two would then touch the other's wound with the hand that has the blood from their own wound. This symbolized the contract between the follower with the cult. It basically meant "as long as you don't leave us, you won't have to suffer the pain of this wound once more," just as Kensai told Mina something similar when they touched scars.

(Next time: "A week has already passed and she's become very different. She seems cold and distant, she shares her feelings with no one but Shion. Something bad is happening to her, I just know it, and why the sudden lust for blood, this isn't the Mina I know. She's been through so much pain, I just hope it can all end for her..." -Kajima Tetsu)

Author's Note: Pretty crazy stuff huh? I'm afraid things are only going to get darker until the end of this book, and we'll see much more of Kensai now. Anyways, next time we'll see a new Mina; her life has changed quite a bit ever since her contract with Kensai. In the meantime, why not leave me a review, but no flames as usual. I guess that's it for now, see ya next week!