It was quite easy to follow Arurisonu's trail for Kenshin merely had to follow the bloody footsteps. His eyes swept over them and he frowned, with a deep emotional pain within his heart. How could one so cruelly kill others without feeling remorse of any sort?

Turning a corner he found a guard, he was terribly wounded but Arurisonu was nowhere in sight. He ran to the guard's side and supported the man showing his sympathy.

"Are you alright, Sir?"

Puffing, the man was barely able to speak and he clutched to Kenshin's shoulder tightly.

"What happened to you?" Kenshin stared at the amount of blood rolling carelessly down from the man's wound and he knew the guard did not have much time left to live. His eyes quivered with sadness, as he stared at the dying man.

"It...It was...a man...he...took...another...!" Gasping in a deep breath, he inhaled sharply as a pain shot through his spine. "Took...her to...the forest..." The grasp upon Kenshin's shoulder loosened, and the man fell limply into Kenshin's arms.

Holding the man with suppressed emotions, Kenshin let him down and looked at the blood upon his hands. "How can one so selfishly take someone's child away? How can someone play the role of the Gods, and smite others? How can they?!"

**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**

Rubbing their eyes and yawning, Megumi and Kaoru sleepily came outside with Yahiko and met Sanosuke.

"This better not be some stupid trick, Yahiko..." Kaoru grumbled as she yawned again, pulling her night akido closer to her. "Or else, I'll see that you have extra chores to do tomorrow..."

"Chores later! Sano's got something to say!" Yahiko was at the point of exploding.

Everyone turned to Sanosuke, although...their greatest fears were proven to be close.

Sanosuke was not his normal self. He was quivering from head to toe, and as he told them of what was going on, his speech was stammered.

"K-K-Kenshin.... he's...o-o-off...to-to... fight again..."

"What?!"

**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**

"Heh, you're not so tough when your sword is out of reach." Dogan jeered as he stared down at Arurisonu. Her hands were tied tight with rope and positioned behind her back, a riffle resting against her chest so that if she were to move, it would fire.

"You're so foolish. Do you actually think, Himura will come just to save me? He has better ways of spending his time, Dogan." Arurisonu did not care if her life ended. She never cherished anything except her times with Kenshin. Those moments were special and she intended on keeping them alive, if not reviving them.

"Oh, he'll come. Knowing him."

"Indeed. It seems that you have miscalculated my timing, that you have." Kenshin's form suddenly appeared behind Dogan a good ten yards away. His eyes flashed dangerously and his sword was sheathed at his side.

Dogan turned his head to the side and caught site of the ex-manslayer. "Ah, good to see you Kenshin. Nothing like a gathering of old pals, neh?" He smirked and with his own sheathed sword, he motioned to Arurisonu.

She jerked her neck but prevented herself from moving the rest of her body. "Himaru, get away from here! You'll only get yourself killed! My life has no point, you have friends that care for you!" Arurisonu strained to convince him to get away. But, she too, knew him and knew very well that he would not just walk away.

"No, Miss Arurisonu. Do you truly believe, that if you died, no one would care? I would care, that I would..." Kenshin took a small step forward but was stopped as Dogan sunk to Arurisonu's side.

"Take one more step, Battousai, and I'll blow her head off."

**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**

"Kenshin!! Kenshin!!" Lead by Sanosuke, Yahiko, Kaoru, and Megumi ran through the streets looking for Kenshin. According to Sanosuke's information, he was going to fight with an old friend and that could only mean trouble.

Turning a corner, the group found Kenshin standing in front of another two figures. Kaoru almost ran to Kenshin's side but Sanosuke held her back.

"Let me go, Sanosuke!"

"Shhh, keep quiet."

While the two faced off, Arurisonu rubbed furiously at the ropes that held her wrists tight. She felt one snap and then another, she was almost free.

Dogan stood up and walked toward Kenshin his hilt tapping his side. "What are you going to do, Kenshin. Give yourself up, watch me blow your old friend's head off, or..." His eyes darted to behind Kenshin where Sanosuke, Kaoru, Megumi, and Yahiko stood. "watch me destroy your current friends."

Kenshin spun around in surprise and found the others standing there. "No..." He mumbled to himself...now there was twice as much on the line, should he fail.