Chapter 13- Time Freezes

A/N- Hiya everyone! Sorry about the Chapter 11 incident. There was a problem with getting it uploaded. Well, I put 12 up with it anyway to make up for lost time. But as far as this chapter goes, it is one of the shorter ones. And the next one will be as well, so I'll probably put them up together. Okey dokey, enjoy!

Aoshi felt the blade of his adversary slash into his side, but he continued with his strikes. The madman was laughing wildly as the ninja kept attempting to bring him down, to defeat him, yet he evaded the blows easily.

Aoshi's heart was racing now. He was losing a lot of blood from the various gashes all over his body. Physically, he was suffering, as the terrorist leader had intended. But mentally, he was far from wounded. It's better this way, he told himself with every blow. Better me than Genichi.

"PAPA!!!"

Now everything went in slow motion. Aoshi's head turned towards that familiar voice, a big mistake. The madman licked his lips as he brought down his sword.

Kenshin's eyes widened as he saw it come down. Genichi slid to a halt. Yahiko and Kenji froze.

"PAPAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!"

SLLLLAAAAAAAASSSSSSHHHHHH!!!!!!

There was a long moment of that terrible sound, that of metal meeting flesh. Then, Aoshi let out a strangled gasp, blood spraying up everywhere. A dark curtain fell over his eyes and he fell forward, his kodachi slipping from his grasp.

TRMP!

The spell was broken. "Papa! Papa!" Genichi raced over to his father's side, forgetting about the man that stood overhead, holding a bloodied sword and snickering evilly. The boy fell to his knees and pushed at Aoshi's shoulder. "Papa?"

Aoshi didn't answer. Blood was forming a gruesome puddle on the grass from a massive wound to his other shoulder. Kenshin's teeth gritted. "No.he's dead."

The three youngsters gasped. Could it really be true? Was Shinomori Aoshi, formidable okashira to the Oniwabanshuu, dead?

Tears began to fall from Genichi's eyes as his whole body trembled. "Papa." He fell forward, throwing himself over Aoshi's still form. "NOOOOOO PAPAAAAAAA!!!!!!" His voice echoed over the grassy hills, past the dead warriors, and eventually to the Aioya.

Okina and Kaoru's heads lifted at once. "Did you hear that?" she asked.

The old man was silent, but nodded. He knew.