Author's Note: Well, we've got a very important chapter here. I don't want to say to much, but Shishio and Misanagi return for one last hurrah in this book, the two will not make another appearance until book II. Oh, and I know the whole Misanagi appearance thing is usually random, but hey, wouldn't you be pissed at someone who tried to rape you? I mean, you'd strike when the person least expected it right? Oh forget it, let's get to the story. And one more thing, I have a special treat for you readers with the chapter, I've included part of the prologue for 'Crimson String''s side story, 'When Angels Lost Their Wings'. The fic stars Shion and Misanagi as the main characters, I'll give you more details on it later in the author's note in the liner notes.

Chapter 30: The Fire and The Devil Once More

More time had passed after I confessed my fear to Shion, nothing of real importance happened until the end of the year. The time of my story is now December 29, Western year 1867, a week after my brother and my anniversary. After my failed assassination of Okita Soushi, my name had become well known to the enemy side. Hitokiri Kensai, that was the last name that would escape every one of my victims' lips now before I slaughtered them. My bond to Kensai's contract was as strong as ever, the fire around my eye had been subsided, but the pain in my heart intensified. Again, I found myself locked in depression, just as I did a year ago. I often found myself having several bottles of sake each day after my assassinations, the taste of blood was always rich in the alcoholic substance. It would help me forget about the pain if only for a few hours, although my head would often hurt like hell the next morning. Smoking Shinji's old pipe sometimes helped ease the pain in my heart, although I hardly smoked fearing it would one day cause me to suffocate in battle. When neither of sake nor smoking was available, I read some books just as Shion suggested. I read a little bit of 'The Crimson String and the Four Destinies', it was a very deep book.

It was about four people who all walked down the same path in life during their childhoods, only to branch away from each other to become very different people. The first became a wanderer, looking for answers in life; the second became a follower, following others blindly as if he didn't have a will of his own; the third became a criminal, his mind was forever scarred by many tragedies that had occurred in his life; an the fourth one did not know what he wanted to do in life, he simply lived one day after another, going through one small goal at a time. I don't see how each of these individuals are blessed by Fate, more like cursed because of all the stuff they've gone through. The book doesn't even say who was blessed with what, the author must've forgotten or something. One was blessed with a scar, another was given a mark, a third had their heart blessed by Fate, and the fourth was blessed with Fate's tear. I don't really see how these were blessings, half of them seem like mutilations. I bet the criminal was given the scar, probably went crazy because it made him look ugly.

Anyway, during this day I was in Shion's room (more like our room since we were roommates now), finishing up some of the contents I left in Shinji's pipe the other day.

"Damn I'm bored," I muttered as I breathed one last puff from the pipe. "I think I've already gone through most of these books," I turned to the side where Shion kept some of her novels.

"Are you looking for something, Mina?" Shion came through the door a second later.

"Need something to read," I answered as I began stacking the books I've already read.

"Why don't you read that book I gave you?" Shion asked.

"I don't want to read anything too deep right now," I answered, "my head feels like shit at the moment and that book's got too many big words and such small text."

"You should really watch your alcohol," Shion sighed, "before you know it, you'll have a large belly and stagger with every step you take when you walk."

"I guess I should bring you out with me when I go drinking then," I said as I placed the last book on top of the stack. "Shion, you got any other books I haven't checked out yet?" I asked, taking hold of my throbbing head as I spoke.

"Well, I don't know if you'd like the other books I have...," Shion began eyeing her futon from the corner of her eyes.

"As long as it's easy reading, I don't care," I told her.

"Well, if you say so," Shion walked over to her futon. "Let's see, where'd I put them?" Shion asked herself as she removed the blanket from the mattress. "Oh, here they are!" Shion exclaimed, removing several books from a hole in her bed. "These books are really easy reading," Shion said as she placed the material on my lap.

"Oro?" I brought one of the books to my face. "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!?!?!"

"Ah ha ha ha ha!" Shion laughed a second later after I saw the cover of the material. "It's shunga, Mina, some shunga I picked up from the bookstore a small while ago."

"EW!" I turned my head away from the explicit material, throwing the books to the floor a second.

"Oh don't do that," Shion said as she picked up one of the books, "look," she walked over beside me and held out one of the pictures before me.

"No way am I looking at that!" I shut my eyes and began to turn away, only to have Shion pull me back in.

"Come on, don't be shy," Shion teased, her fingers barely stroking my cheek. "Just a peek."

I don't get how people could get off on a bunch of paintings. What I saw was really disturbing, even if doesn't look realistic. There were two women on it, one on top of the other, kimonos open and... I don't even want to go into detail, it's just sickening remembering it. I don't think anyone's even flexible enough to do what those two women in that picture were doing! I hope sex doesn't look anything like that!

"For me," her voice barely whispered into my ear.

"Come on, Mina," Kensai's suddenly began brushing my other cheek, "look at it. I'm sure you'd like to be in the same position with Shinta."

"You two are just disgusting!" I yelled, keeping my eyes shut.

"Two?" Shion asked puzzled. "What are you talking about, I'm the only one in the room?"

"Just get it away from me, okay?!" I ordered, practically jumping out of my seat.

"Oh all right," Shion sighed as I heard a small thump in front of me.

Just as I breathed a sigh of relief, I opened my eyes, only to have them soiled. Stupid Shion didn't even close the book, she brought it right in front of my face instead.

"GROSS!!!!" I screamed as I swatted the book to the floor.

"Ah ha ha ha!" her trademark cackle continued. "You're so cute when you're blushing, you know," she said as her finger began running down my face.

"This is some pretty interesting material you got here," a third voice suddenly entered the room.

The Shion's laugh came to a stop as I opened my eyes once more to see who had entered the room. Before the doorway stood a man I had not seen in a very long time; long brown hair as dark as a bat's fur, eyes with the very same shade of blood, and the stench of the ruby elixir and ember were apparent all over his body.

"Shishio Makoto," I recognized our uninvited guest a second later.

"You know, Kensai, I thought you looked like a guy the last time we met, but I didn't think you also liked the ladies," Shishio said as he eyed the pornographic pages.

"Well you're the same prick you always were," I retorted.

"Oh, and it looks like you got yourself a girlfriend since we last met," Shishio turned his eye toward Shion after, "hey baboon bosom, it's been a while."

"Just what part of my chest looks like an ape?!" Shion yelled at the hitokiri.

"All of it," Shishio said calmly.

"Look you...!" Shion stomped, pushing me out of her hold in an instant.

"What are you doing here, Shishio?" I asked, interrupting the two's argument. "If you're here, then that means that..."

"The Cho Shu Clan is still alive and kickin', Kensai," Shishio stole the words from my mouth.

For a very long time, I felt as if my spirit was being lifted from my body. Okay, so maybe that last part sounded lame, but either way, I was once again happy. The throbbing in my temple moved to my cheeks, my heart began leaping from it's cage in my chest, and lips couldn't help but curl. They were alive, and that meant...

"Is my brother...?" I began to ask.

"As far as I know, he's doin' okay," Shishio answered, "I never talk to the guy."

"Did you hear that, Shion?" I asked her, practically speechless.

"Yeah, he just called me...," Shion was still not over Shishio's insult.

"Oh man," I sighed as I slapped my palm against my forehead.

"Shion-kun, Kensai," Saigo suddenly appeared beside Shishio.

"Sir!" Shion quickly shot forward, her back straight and arms perfectly set to her side.

"First she's horny, then she's angry, and now she's obedient, damn, talk about mood swing," I sighed once more as I did the same.

"I have a mission for the two of you this evening," Saigo informed us. "You two are to work together with Cho Shu's hitokiri, Shishio Makoto, in a mission that could jeopardize this entire war."

"Mind if I fill them in on the details?" Shishio interrupted our leader. "Anyway, you know that about a year ago, our clan was separated from your guys's, right?"

"Yeah, I was there when the attack began," I added.

"After the losing battle a year ago, the Cho Shu Clan had to live a life on the run," Shishio continued. "It was different from before we lost that battle, the Bakufu were constantly on our tail. We couldn't stay at an inn anymore, we were always on the move, usually taking refuge in the country fields. We couldn't come over to the Satsuma Camp in fear that if were to go here, the Bakufu would follow and eliminate the entire Ishin Shishi. The clan threatened to call mutiny on Katsura, we hadn't done anything but run since our failed ambush. Finally, during the fourth month of this year, Katsura had decided to split the Cho Shu Clan in two. One half of the clan was to go towards Edo and bring the war there, the other half was to remain in Kyoto and continue fighting as we did before. We lost a majority of the men that stayed in Kyoto, our clan was threatened to be killed off. Luckily, the half that was sent toward Edo was successful in bringing the war to Edo; they had joined up with voluntary groups mostly made up of farmers such as the Sekihoutai and others who were dissatisfied with the government. As far as we know, this war could come to a close as soon as the new year hits."

"What about my brother?" I asked. "Which side to he join?"

"Your brother is stuck here with the Cho Shu Kyoto unit," Shishio answered.

"And just where is the Kyoto unit located at the moment?" I asked.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you," Shishio answered, "I've been ordered to disclose our location to both enemy and ally. I'm simply here to ask for support for my next mission."

"And just what is this mission?" Shion asked.

"According to a message from our men in Edo, there is one final shipment of Spanish weaponry being transported into Kyoto," Shishio answered. "A majority of the shipment has been lost luckily thanks to the unit in Edo. According to our spies, there are approximately seventy rifles and ten cannons being shipped to Kyoto at this moment. I have been assigned to stop this shipment, along with the aid of Satsuma's finest. Saigo here said you two were the top two, and from the looks of things, we're screwed."

"Just what do you mean by that?" I could practically see a vein popping out of Shion's head.

"The battlefield is no place for women," Shishio answered, remaining as calm as ever.

"That's what you said last time and I proved you wrong!" I reminded Shishio of the night we ran into Usui.

"Regardless, melon tits here would be better off workin' in some restaurant instead of risking her ass on the battlefield," Shishio said, still keeping his cool.

"What exactly is your problem?!" Shion fumed.

"Calm down, Shion," I ordered.

"Not to worry, Shishio-san, we will lend you as much men as need be for this mission," Saigo informed him, "but you two must work for the Cho Shu Clan's hitokiri tonight, so put aside your differences for now," Saigo ordered Shion and me.

"Hai," we both nodded.

"If you'll excuse me then," Saigo began to make his way out of our barracks.

"I don't see why we have to work with this man," Shion grumbled as soon as our leader left.

"So this will put an end to the threats in Kyoto?" I asked Shishio.

"It should," Shishio answered, "if everything goes well in Edo, it'll be the Shinsengumi on the run all the time instead of us."

"That's a relief," I sighed. "So then I'll be able to see my brother within a week, right?" I asked.

"Yeah, if luck is on our side," Shishio answered.

'Finally,' I thought to myself, 'I can finally see my brother again.'

"Well I leave you carpet-munchers alone right now so you can get back to whatever you two were doing before I got here," Shishio began to leave.

"Just what makes him think I'm a lesbian?" I asked myself after.

Later that day, we were given even greater detail of our mission. The shipment was supposed to be coming from the east side of Kyoto around the hour of midnight. Some members of the Shinsengumi were to help transport the weapons, none of the squad's leaders were assigned to help guard it luckily. The supply was to be shipped little by little, they would bring in one cannon at a time along with seven rifles within a difference of at least thirty minutes. There would be approximately ten people guarding each shipment, so Saigo assigned fifteen more of our best men to assist us on this mission.

At the hour of eleven, we were all in position. It was just like old times before I became a hitokiri, the only difference was that my brother wasn't with me at the time.

"Five minutes," Shishio read from his watch, "get ready."

The shrubbery was very high during this time of year, but hiding in it felt as if we were hiding in snow itself. Winter nights like this one were never easy; my fingers would go numb if exposed to the air for at least a minute. My breathing was usually very heavy at nights like this, the air was always thick at this time.

"It's cold," I breathed as I rubbed my palms together.

"Need a light?" Shishio asked, taking his wakezashi and sliding it's blade against the ground.

A small spark ignited from the tip of the metal slab, that spark soon crawled up the steel curve and began glowing with red and orange. He had created a fire on his blade, just the sight of that flame returned the feeling to my fingers.

"How do you do that?" I asked in a whisper.

"The trick's in the oil," he answered.

"Oil?"

"Human oils taken from human fat," Shishio explained.

"GROSS!" I practically screamed.

"Sh!" everyone shushed me in an instant.

"I don't clean my blade after killing," Shishio continued, "and so, the oil stays on blade, and when I strike my blade against something, a fire can start from friction."

"That's pretty clever, but still disgusting," I said as my eyes focused on the flame.

"I think that's them," Shion soon alerted everyone.

I turned back to the road before me. There was a device moving forward, it was some sort of large device covered by blanket being pushed by a wagon. It was obvious that this was part of the shipment, and there were ten individuals surrounding the device just as our spies informed. None of them were wearing the sky blue coats of the Shinsengumi though, but it was obvious that these men were still Bakufu.

"Wait for my signal," Shishio ordered as he lifted his hand to the level of his face.

I began to lock my knees in an angle, my left hand quickly reached for the wrapping around the scabbard of my katana as my right floated centimeters above it's hilt. I began to lock my breath inside my lungs, preventing any white mist from escaping my lips or nose. I could hear each inch the wagon's wheels rolled, creaking with each pebble it crushed as it rolled. I wanted to strike at that very moment, but my conscience held me back before I could strike.

"What are you waiting for," I suddenly felt Kensai's back pressing behind mine, "attack!"

"No," I told her, "not until I receive the order."

"You need no order," she told me, "you can take them."

"They've got guns though," I informed her, "and a cannon."

"So, that doesn't mean anything," Kensai said, "go!"

"No!" I began to raise my voice from it's whisper.

"You want to be reunited with your brother sooner, don't you?" Kensai asked. "Then go!"

"I'm not going," I began to lose my temper.

"Oh yes you are," the mark around my eye began to burn once more.

"No, I'm not," I began ignoring the burn.

"Yes you are," the searing grew stronger with her voice.

"No, I'm not."

"You are..."

"No..."

"Going to..."

"No..."

"Kill them..."

"No..."

"All now."

"I said no!" I screamed, fed up with Kensai's orders.

"What was that?!" the guards must've heard my scream.

"Goddammit, Kensai!" all of my fellow soldiers yelled at me.

"Told you were going," Kensai smirked.

"Fuck off," I told her.

"Argh!" I suddenly heard a scream from the area around the wagon.

"Who the...?" Shion asked as the men surrounding the shipment suddenly began to fall.

It was weird, there was not one soldier missing from our entire group, and somehow, the men protecting the cannon and guns were dying. I watched as one of the men pulled out one of the rifles from the wagon, only to drop it to the floor a second later as a gush of scarlet suddenly burst from the back of his neck. I turned my attention to another man, standing there paralyzed with fear as another one of his allies fell into a pool of their own blood. As soon as his back turned, his head suddenly flew upward, pushed by a geyser of ruby that erupted from the base of his neck. Whoever was attacking these men had superhuman speed, perhaps even god-like. I caught a flash of chocolate brown with a blink of an eye as I turned to the remaining guard, the flash was in the shape of a butterfly. I instantly knew who was behind this after catching a glimpse of the insect hair, it was...

"The Sanada Ninjas," I identified the attackers.

Just as I had said their name, the evening winds suddenly whistled my way, along with the sound of two thuds from behind me. Without a moment of hesitation, my fingers quickly grasped the hilt of my katana, prying the entire sword outward with the swing of my arm. The steel curve embedded itself in one of the black figures behind me, quickly pulling itself away before a second could pass only to engrave itself once more in the other ninja standing next to him. I turned back to the wagon, only to have several more shinobi block my path.

"Get out of my way!" I ordered the men.

Of course they didn't listen, instead responding with the raise of their blades. With their swords still above their heads, I plunged mine forward, engraving it just above one of the warrior's abdomens. The other two swung their blades downward in unison, only to slice the air. I had evaded their strike by spinning out of their attack's path, leaving my katana plunged inside my latest victim. Just as my spin made me face my opponents again, I took hold of the remaining space in the hilt of their swords, spinning again so that I could twist the short blades out of their hands. My spin lead me behind the two shinobi, my arms pushing backward in as our backs were facing one another, immersing the swords into their owners' spines. The three ninjas spiraled into the blood soaked ground after, my hand prying my katana into my grasp once more as the man fell to his grave.

"You never cease to impress me, Hitokiri Kensai," I voice I grew tired of soon echoed from behind.

"How many times must we fight?" I sighed as I turned to my next opponent. "I thought I made it clear to you that I have no intention of fighting you, that I don't."

"Of course you wouldn't have any intention," Misanagi began pacing forward, her arm removing the straight steel device on her back, "after what you did to me back in Osaka a year ago I have no purpose in your sick mind, do I?!"

"Kill her," Kensai whispered into my ear.

"Kensai, I...," I turned to her.

"I said kill her!" the burn intensified even more.

"Ugh!" my palm met with the area around my left eye.

Just as the burn began to sear my eye even further, the winds suddenly began to blow in my direction. With one hand still holding my sword and the other gripping the area around my eye, I was barely able to catch my enemy's attack.

"Kill her," Kensai ordered once more as the burning grew.

"Argh!" I screamed.

"You're already screaming in pain before I've even touched you," Misanagi smirked.

With a simple shove to her sword, she was able to push me to the floor. The frozen blades of wheat broke my fall, temporarily soothing the pain around my eye. In the blink of an eye, I soon found a shimmering piece of metal falling in my direction. Using the icy surface to my advantage, I pushed all of my weight to my right shoulder, allowing me to roll out of harm's way. Just as I found my back lying against the ground again, several pieces of metal were suddenly hurled in my direction. I rolled once more to evade a majority of the projectiles, using my katana to deflect the rest.

"You've improved," Misanagi said as I began pushing myself back to my feet.

"I don't want to have bring myself to kill you, Misanagi," I told her as I placed my sword into my left hand, "but if you continue to attack me in such a manner..."

"Shut your mouth!" another projectile suddenly escaped her palm.

A sharp pin suddenly shot from my right arm, the river of ruby that emitted from the newly formed crater burned the instant it touched the air. The blood and wound had already become frozen, my entire right arm was numb, but then again, I had no intention of using my right arm for the remainder of this battle.

"Why do you continue to challenge me over and over again, Misanagi?" I asked as I pressed the hilt of my sword against my wound, the gap between my fingers taking hold of the shuriken lodged in.

"Why do you have to ask me such a thing, Kensai?!" she spat. "What you did to me back there was unforgivable, there's no way I can let you go for such a heinous act!"

The woman did have a point, but it did annoy me that she just couldn't let it go. Her battle was with Kensai, not me, but there would be no way the ninja would believe me if I told her. I felt guilty every time I fought with the shinobi, I guess it was kind of my fault for what Kensai did to her, but it was either fight back or be killed. In the situation that was in at the time, it was kill or be killed, either way I would have to listen to Kensai's order of killing Misanagi.

"You may be right that you can't let me go for such a crime," I said as I twirled my katana between my fingers, allowing the sword's hilt to point upward, "but I can't allow you to take my life just yet. There's a person I haven't been able to see for the longest time, and until I see this person once more, I can't allow you to take my life, that I cannot!" I screamed.

"Really," she smirked, "well then I guess you'll never see them again, now will you?"

Anger got the best of me when she said those words, I began to disregard her in life with that threat she had just made. I remember the feel of the outer curve of my sword returning to the space inside it's constraint, slipping every so gently until a click echoed signaling it was in place. My left hand took hold of my sword's hilt, twisting it halfway so that the outer curve was now facing the earth. My right leg had bent forward, my left had bent back as my right arm dangled on my side. I had been practicing this technique for so long, it was finally time to use it in battle.

"Left-Handed Battoujutsu," Misanagi instantly recognized my stance, "do you really believe such an attack is possible?"

"Do you always waste your breath before every losing battle?" I snapped back.

"You'll take that back with your life!" the shinobi screamed.

In that very instant, both of our legs pushed forward. I remember the impact of my first step as it crushed the white powder below my feet, the next impact was even greater than the last. A third step followed, digging deeper into the earth. The steps became more rapid, more powerful with every second that passed. Our feet could shake mountains or islands by the time we were within arm's reach of one another. The force of her feet came to a stop as they slide against the snow, the power moving toward her arms as she swung the blade downward. With a jerk of my feet, my right side was once again facing my opponent, my left arm pulling forward as it began stealing the power that was within my feet. A cry of battle escaped both of our lips, the force of our blades intensifying with the screams. Steel soon grinded against steel, the metals screeching upon impact. My arm had jerked back in a small instant, only to slowly push forward again in the next. A small creak had blown into my ear, followed by another. My arm was still pushing forward but barely. The push slowly became stronger, and the echoes caused by the blades grew. Finally, my arm had stopped pushing, my entire body had suddenly fell forward.

"Impossible," was the only word I heard that had escaped the shinobi's lips before our faces met with the white powder below.

My face was burning from ice and anger after my body collapsed to the floor. My eyes were narrowed, my fist was clenched tightly around my sword. My fingers began to flinch suddenly, slowly freeing my sword from my hand, and my eyes began to widen. The anger that was stinging my face had subsided, soothed my two rivers of ice crawling down my cheeks. I was crying, I had given in to my anger and...

"I...," was the only thing that could escape my lips.

"Not now," I heard my opponent's voice along with the crushing of snow, "I can't die now. I won't die now..."

"Misanagi...?" I turned to my opponent to find her standing once more.

Heavy clouds of mist were escaping her mouth, her left arm holding a frozen lake of crimson pouring down her right shoulder. The hue of her eyes were now burning with red, a broken sword held in her bloodied right hand. To my relief, she was still alive, and yet, she was going to kill me.

"I can end this now," she limped forward, "I can finally end my pain with your life!" the shattered blade rose upward.

"I don't think so," a flame suddenly ignited from behind.

"Look out!" I used my remaining strength to jump from the frozen ground.

The fire flew downward as a steel curve marked it's path. My body collided with the shinobi's before the flames could ignite her skin, turning it's burn to the ruby snow below. The comfort of the ninja's torso had caught my fall, I had saved her from death once, but I didn't think I would be able to do it again.

"Kensai?" Shishio looked at me puzzled.

The shinobi turned to me with a confused look in her eyes as I rose my head from her body. A smile stretched across my face knowing that I had saved her, but the look on her face was as confused as ever. The ninja's eyes suddenly widened a second later, it was the same time I had felt the back of my head beginning to sweat. In an instant, she pushed me away and staggered to her feet as quickly as possible, turning her back to me as she began running deeper into the battlefield.

"Run," I told her as her form began to disappear in the midst of the fighting.

"Kensai, what the hell did you do that for?!" Shishio yelled a second later.

"I have my reasons," I answered with my back still turned.

"I can't believe you just...!" Shishio continued.

"Another shipment is arriving at this time, sir," another soldier suddenly appeared and informed Shishio.

"I might as well take this one by myself," Shishio sighed.

"Wait," I tugged on the hitokiri's sleeve before he left.

"What do you want?" he scoffed.

"Can you give this message to my brother?" I asked as I removed an envelope from my pocket.

"Your brother?" he asked, the anger in his voice subsided.

"That's right," I answered as I rose to my feet, "it's a letter for him. Can I ask you to deliver it to him for me?"

"Che, why should I?" he spat. "It's because of you that the Sanada Ninja's leader got away."

"I'm sorry about letting her go, but this is very important to me," I told him. "Please, give this to him."

My eyes began to weigh my face down after I said those words. Tears were about to escape from their hold, but sealed away by the winter breeze that froze the crimson river that was flowing down my arm. For once in my life, I had seen a face of Shishio I had never seen, it was concern. The man had always come off as a rude and perhaps even evil individual, but when I saw his face, I knew at that moment that he really was a human being. Did my frozen tears thaw his heart if only for that one moment, or did he lock his emotions away when he became a hitokiri?

"All right," he slowly nodded, "I'll give this to him."

"Really?!" a smile suddenly stretched across my face once more.

"It looks like the ninjas are makin' a run for it with their leader too," Shishio turned to the battlefield once more. "I'll give this to your brother, I promise," he assured me.

"Arigatou," I bowed.

"Mina, are you okay?" Shion suddenly appeared by my side.

"You and bongo boobs get outta here, I'll take of the rest, okay?" he ordered calmly.

"What did you...?!" Shion flared.

"Shion," I took hold of her arm, "we better do as he says."

I began pulling Shion away from the battlefield, only to be stopped a step later.

"Hey," Shishio called. "You're a good girl, you know that, Kensai? A person like you makes me wish I had a sister."

I simply smiled at the man and began making our way out of the battlefield.

"He should be here at any minute," I told myself as I took my seat.

"Do you think Shishio really gave your brother that letter?" Kensai asked.

"I'm sure he did," I answered, "I could tell that he really was going to deliver it to my brother."

I had written a letter addressed to my brother earlier that day. It told him that I was doing okay in the Satsuma Clan and that I missed him so. It spoke of how I thought of him everyday, how I thought of our future together. I wanted to see him again, so very badly. The end of the letter told him to meet me at the mochi restaurant Tetsu, Shion and I went to during the spring. I told him the letter to meet me there around two in the morning, luckily the restaurant was open twenty-four hours a day and also acted as an inn. I had dressed up in my best clothing, something Shion had given to me for my birthday. It was a sakura-pink kimono with a splash of violet on the right sleeve and lower half of the outfit. I never had an opportunity to dress up in an outfit such as that back then, it reminded me of that time Shinta and I went out on the town during Kodomo-No-Hi.

"Hm, he's running a bit late," I looked at the clock which read two-thirty, "oh well, that's okay."

He was running more than a bit late, the second time I had turned to the clock it was three. More time had passed the third time I looked, the hour had become three-twenty. I was beginning to get worried, but then I told myself that he probably had to return to the Cho Shu Headquarters late because he was out on a mission. Another hour passed, and still no sign of Shinta; regardless, I continued to wait for him in the very same spot. By the time the sun rose, I was practically asleep, close to drowning in my glass full of sake. It was then that the door to the restaurant finally swung open.

"Shinta!" I sprang to my feet with renewed energy. "It's you," I returned to my seat when I had seen who had come through the door.

"Mina, I'm so very sorry," Shion said, her eyes turned to the floor.

"Sorry, for what?" I asked, tears returning to eyes once again.

"Kenshin-san won't be coming here," Tetsu informed me.

"Nani?!" I asked practically screaming. "Did something happen to him? Was he hurt? Or was he...?"

"It's not that, Mina," Shion shook her head, "it's just that...," her voice suddenly croaked.

"Just that what?" I asked frantically. "What is it, Shion, you have to tell me!"

"It is my sad duty to inform you that Shishio Makoto of the Cho Shu Clan has been killed," Tetsu answered, his eyes also drawn to the floor.

"Shishio is...," my voice began to crack.

"He was killed moments after we had left," Shion sniffed, "he was shot by the guards carrying the next shipment and then his body was burned."

"So my brother never...," the translucent rivers began crawling down my cheeks once more.

"I hated the man, but he didn't deserve to die," Shion cried.

"Shinta...," his name barely escaped my lips.

"I know this isn't the right time to say this, but I heard it was our own men that eliminated Shishio," Tetsu suddenly brought up.

"Nani?! Naze?!" I yelled between my tears.

"There is a rumor that Ishin Shishi is exterminating it's own hitokiries to prevent secrets from getting out to the public," Tetsu answered.

"That's a lie!" Shion yelled. "Why would our own forces do such a thing after all we've done for them?!"

"Where the fuck did you get this information, Tetsu?!" I growled. "How the hell do we know you're not just making this shit up?!"

"I didn't," Tetsu rose his hands up in defense, "I heard it from some of the men at breakfast."

"And why are you telling us now," Shion asked, infuriated, "a key member of our forces is dead, and you're bringing up such horrid gossip at such a time?!"

"All I'm saying is that you two could be next," Tetsu said, "it would be best that you two quit before..."

"Nothing but lies, Tetsu!" I spat. "What would the Ishin Shishi have to hide, huh?! All we're trying to do is create a new nation for our country and you're trying to ruin our good name!"

"It's not that I believe the rumors, it's just that...," Tetsu tried to explain.

"Shut the fuck up, Tetsu!" I yelled. "I don't need this bull shit!"

Without saying another word, I left the restaurant. The Ishin Shishi killing off their own men, that's preposterous, at least that's what I thought at the time. Little did I know that Tetsu was telling the truth back then, and that not believing his words would lead me even deeper into the path of violence.

Chapter 30 Liner Notes

What is 'shunga'?- Shunga is perhaps the earliest form of hentai. Shunga are picture books that depict two people having sex, sometimes there even stories in those books. The pictures are drawn like traditional Japanese paintings, you know, with the small eyes and pale white skin on people. There are also some yaoi and yuri shunga (it's obvious which type of shunga Shion owns).

A little bit about Shishio in this fic- The reason why Shishio is kind of nice and not all crazy yet is because he wasn't burned by the Ishin Shishi yet. I believe he said something in one of the episodes (can't remember the number, but it was the one where Kenshin met him in Shingetsu [or however you spell it] Village) that being burned alive made him realize trust will be betrayed. Being burned alive by the people you once worked for would make anyone crazy, so that's why Shishio isn't the way he is in the anime and manga series.

Info on the Hitokiri Extermination Movement- Just as Tetsu said, there were rumors near the end of the Meiji Revolution that the Ishin Shishi were killing off their own assassins. A majority of the Ishin Shishi's assassins were killed during the final year of the war, other were killed shortly after. Some of the assassins were charged with crimes against the new government, whether or not these men committed those crimes cannot be proven in the present. Other assassins joined Saigo in the Seinan Wars (I wrote a liner note on this in an earlier chapter I think) and were killed then. Nearly every assassin that worked for the Ishin Shishi was killed off by their former employers (sucks doesn't it?).

(Next time: "Lies and blasphemy, the truth has been concealed from my eyes for so long. Good and evil, I can't tell which is which anymore. Life and death, all is the same in my eyes now. Black and white, all I see before me is red... -Himura Mina)

Author's Note: Well, how was it? We all know what really happened to Shishio, we know who really burnt him. Well, unfortunately our heroine is going to have to find out the truth the hard way. Well, why don't you leave me a review, but no flames as usual. Now then, about the 'Crimson String' side story, 'When Angels Lost Their Wings', it begins a day after the final chapter of 'Crimson String Book I', I don't want to say much more. The following text is a preview of the prologue of 'When Angels Lost Their Wings', it is the second half of the prologue, the first can be found in the latest chapter of 'Crimson Puddles' written by Crystal. The two of us have decided to work on this fic together, Crystal will do Misanagi's POV and I will do Shion's. This fic will later star Aoshi and Misao in roles you never thought you'd see them play (well, in Misao's case anyway). The following preview has been edited so that a majority of the spoilers for the remaining four chapters of 'Crimson String Book I' will not be revealed. Well, enjoy it.

Shion's Prologue

Fifteen years ago, that was when it all began. I remember it all, how this whole incident began. January 5, Western year 1868, that was the beginning of my new life...

"Shion, stop this now!" she begged as we clashed blades once more.

"Mina, you know I can't," I told her, "orders are orders, they come before friendship."

It hurt when I said that, but it hurt even more as she pushed her blade forward, causing my feet to trip over each other. I began to fall backward just as Mina's blade had done the same. The steel kissed my flesh for a mere second, skidding across southwest, adding another crescent mark over my chest. The burn of the new scar seared through my entire body, subsiding with my scream.

"Gomen nesai," she apologized as I held the 'X' now marked on my heart.

"You needn't apologize," I told her, "I'm the one who should since I will be the one to take your life!" I screamed.

I swung first this time, our blades met once more. I pushed the bottom half of my weapon forward as the two steel slabs locked, the shorter blade barely skimmed her leg. With a scream, the strength exerted on her katana faltered, leaving her open to attack. I wanted to end this quickly and as painlessly as possible, so I pushed the top half of my weapon forward, aiming for the base of her neck. Her katana caught my naginata's blade once more, and again, we were engaged in a contest of strength.

"Don't you get it, Shion," she tried negotiating once more, "once you kill me, the Ishin Shishi will do the same with you, it's just as Tetsu said."

"Funny that you should talk about Tetsu," I smirked, "you're the one that killed him!" I yelled as I pushed all my weight forward causing her to fall back.

"I didn't have a choice," Mina explained, "it was either him or me!"

"But what about his family?!" I reminded her. "What about his sons?! They no longer have a father because of what you did! He had someone to go back to, but what about you, who do you have to go back to?!"

"My brother, that's who!" she screamed.

Our feet began to press forward once more. My blades came from the east this time, I was focusing all my strength in this one blow. Our front feet were aligned a second later, and at that same moment, a loud crash had filled the area.

The next thing I remember was returning to the Satsuma Camp. Fifteen soldiers were waiting for me at the entrance, smirks stretched across their faces as I entered the camp.

"Mission complete," I told them, almost passing out as I spoke.

"Excellent," one of them said, "but I'm afraid we have no more use for you."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

The next thing I knew, I was forced to the ground, my arms and legs being held down. I knew what these men had in mind at that moment, I could tell by those snickers and simpers that followed after.

"Stop it!" I yelled at the individuals. "Let me go!"

I shut my eyes as I felt one of their fingers crawling against my skin, only to shut them tighter as the sound of fabric tearing filled my ears. More fingers began crawling after, and other devices that began slipping against my skin.

"Please stop," I begged practically in tears, "stop it!"

I don't even want to recall what happened next. All I can really remember was my entire crevice of my body was aching. I just wanted to die as they ravaged my being, I had never felt so dirty in my entire life. The last thing I remember during that whole incident was being covered in some unknown substance as my body began slicing against the wind, right before I felt it sinking to what seemed like a body of water.

For a long time, liquid and air seemed have exchanged places in filling my lungs, my body dipped up and down in the body of water I was in. I was too tired to swim, my entire body was so sore, I just wanted the river or whatever I was in to drag me into the abyss. That just didn't happen. The next thing I remembered was feeling something against my body, it was a very rough surface. I'm sure it was rock of some sort, but it just didn't matter to me at the time, I thought I was going to die. I soon felt my arms being lifted by something, my feet began dragging against the floor. Arms wrapped underneath my legs after, just as my arms were thrown across what seemed like someone's shoulders. Someone was carrying me, I didn't know who, and I didn't want to know.

"God, just kill me now," I said underneath my breath.

I let the darkness take me again, but it couldn't hold me for very long. Something had dragged me out of it, a voice to be exact.

"Harboring a criminal is a serious offense to the new government," was what I heard, along with the clicking of rifles.

"Ugh...?" the darkness before my eyes began to unveil.

A shimmering metal I knew too well lay before my eyes, as well as the body of an ex-ally, a soldier of the Ishin Shishi. The pain in my body was as strong as ever, but I had to ignore it for the time being. I mustered enough strength to take the blade sitting before me off the ground, using the rest to scout out the area. It didn't take long for me to find a group of my ex-allies, all of them with rifles, pointing them at a small number of individuals in black. One of those individuals just happened to catch my eye, the only female in the group. Hair as brown as chocolate, and eyes of a cinnamon shade, I had seen her once before. It was that woman that Kensai tried to have her way with the day before Kodomo-No-Hi, the leader of the Sanada Ninjas.

"Well if you plan on shooting us, then do it," the shinobi ordered.

"I'd let them go if I were you," I used more strength to speak.

"Hitokiri Shion!" one of them screamed.

Strength had began to return to my system, my legs began pushing forward. Shards of metal began to escape the barrels of their guns, a majority of those barrels pointed at me. Left and right, up and down, there was no way an ordinary person could dodge all those bullets, but I'm no ordinary person. Each of those bullets met nothing but the air or the steel held between my palms.

"Forget the guns," one of them ordered, "just use your swords!"

All of the foreign weapons dropped to the floor in the same instant, just a step before my feet passed them. My blade pressed forward in the next second, plunging into the first man I saw right before he drew his blade. From the corner of my eye, I could see another batch of individuals drawing their swords, there was no time for me to react. Before their blades could touch my flesh, their blades suddenly clattered to the ground. I looked to their backs and found several pieces of metal lodged into each of their backs. The whistle of steel entered my ear again, this time it came from the east. I pushed my feet into the ground after, darting into the heavens a second later, barely avoiding the stab. I brought my sword downward, having it lead my path back to the ground.

"Akai Chi Ryu, Koukougeki!" I screamed.

A geyser of red filled my vision as the metal curve dug into the man's skull, grinding his bone and muscle together. I don't what happened next, but my strength suddenly began to drain from my body once more. Aside from the blast of crimson that clouded my vision, the last thing I saw before passing out was a figure before me, sword in one hand and knife in the other.

Author's Note: Well, how was the preview? First off, I want to thank Crystal for helping me write this fic, you're a great writer Crystal, and your reviews encourage me to continue writing. Second, the details in this preview are somewhat sketchy because this is only a rough draft, I'll fill in a lot more details for the final. Anyway, a bit more info on the side story: Mina might appear in the story, but she won't be a main character. Aoshi, Misao, and the rest of the Oniwaban-shu will appear later in the fic, they will be playing very large roles in the story. I guess that's all the info I can give you for now. Anyway, go ahead and leave me a review, but no flames as usual. 'Crimson String Book I' has four more chapters left, and then we'll move on to book II and 'When Angels Lost Their Wings'. So I guess that's it for now, later.