Author's note : Eesh, I hate tying up loose ends. Sorry but Anime Boston has been sucking up most of my creative skills. Nothing like trying to pull together a Shinsengumi costume in the last week before the con.

Chapter 8

Kaoru and Tokio looked up at the new prisoner was dragged in, her hair disheveled and a large welt appearing on her right arm. She lolled about, obviously unconscious from her ordeal. Tokio watched the guards carefully while Kaoru could only stare in surprise until the situation set in.

"Megumi! Are you okay?" Kaoru asked, desperately working against the bonds to get free. One of the guards stepped forward and put his gun to her head, forcing her to calm down.

A third chair was dragged near them and Megumi was added to the bunch. The guards waited until she was secure before disappearing out the door.

"Megumi!" Kaoru tried again, frantically trying to turn around.

"Calm down!" Tokio barked. "You'll tip us all over."

"Don't order me around!" Kaoru yelled back.

"Both of you SHUT UP!" Megumi suddenly piped in. "I have a real bad headache and neither of you are helping it."

"Megumi, you're okay!" Kaoru said happily.

"God, is she always that quick to changes moods?" Tokio asked.

"Yes," Megumi answered. "And until you've seen her first thing in the morning, you don't know how bad it can get."

Tokio chuckled and Kaoru let out an exasperated huff. "Fine, see if I ever get worried about you again."

"All right you two," Tokio began as if chastising two squabbling siblings, "let's just put every thing aside and concentrate on what's really important here." There was a moment of silence as everyone's temper fizzled away. "Okay, we need to get out of here. Takani, do you remember anything from coming in?"

Megumi shook her head. "I was out cold."

"All right, that's not a surprise," Tokio said. "Kaoru and I were brought in under the same circumstances. What day is it now?"

"Wednesday," Megumi said softly. "It was getting close to sunset."

"That's not too long after me then," Kaoru added.

"And I was the previous night," Tokio finished. "The Hiten were contacted when both Kaoru and I were captured which means they weren't ready for your kidnapping."

"Why would they be ready?" Megumi asked.

"The Juppongatana have come to the conclusion that by kidnapping us, it'll prevent our male counterparts from interfering," Tokio replied quickly.


"What the hell kind of idea is that?" Megumi asked, clearly flustered.

"You're telling me," Kaoru added unhappily.

"Let's just leave the feminist revolt behind for a moment and consider this. The Hiten didn't contact the Juppongatana until after Kaoru was captured. Which means that they would have had no time to prevent Megumi's capture. Now they have time, so who does that leave?"

It took Kaoru and Megumi only a second to realize who that was.


Sano ran back the hotel, the envelope clutched in his hand. He hadn't even stopped to see what was inside. It wasn't that he wasn't curious, he just was sort of nervous about having Kenshin, Hiko and Saitou locked up in a small hotel room by themselves for too long.

They'd probably be killing each other by now, Sano sighed. The room would be torn to shreds and they'd be looking at each other while…

Drinking tea.

Sano's eyebrows furrowed at the site of the three men looking at each other calmly as they sipped from their cups.

"What the hell is going on?" Sano asked.

Kenshin and Saitou looked up at him unhappily.

"Nothing," Hiko said. "I am just enforcing a cease fire."

"Temporary cease fire," Saitou retorted earning him a glare from Hiko.

Sano paused, wondering if he should probe further but considering the near statue like state Kenshin was in, he didn't doubt that the terms were something to be feared.

"I got the pictures back."

He took out the pack and crouched down on the floor between the three. The beginning was fairly cliché. Pictures of the group in Narita, then in Rome. A couple of Yahiko's soccer game. Some tourist pictures of Rome and then Venice.

And suddenly the picture of him and Megumi at the restaurant. He saw her eyes, the way she was looking at him and suddenly he couldn't go to the next picture. He knew what they would be of.

Kenshin reached forward to take them away but Sano shook his head. He took the picture of the two of them and put it in his back pocket. The moment he did, the rest of them leaned in, looking to see exactly who Megumi had gotten on film.

Half of the picture was her, eyes closed and lined with glistening tears and her face contorted in pain. It took all of Sano's strength not to leave that moment when he saw who was next to her.

"That son of a bitch," he finally settled on.

Kenshin looked up at Hiko, seeing a bit of disappointment in his eyes. Looked like he had wanted to believe redemption was possible. But this… this made it seem highly unlikely.


Misao's eyes blinked open and she looked around, reorienting herself. The steady tapping beneath her feet reminded her that she was on a train. Looking outside, she found herself surrounded by water. In the distance she could see a city in the sea fast approaching.

Venice.

She looked over and saw Aoshi was sleeping peacefully in the seat next to her. She smiled slightly and leaned back into her chair. Reaching over, she placed her hand over his and let herself slip back into sleep.

Five seconds later, it seemed, Aoshi was shaking her gently. She looked up at him and realized that the rhythmic beating of the wheels on the tracks had stopped.

"We're here," she said, wiping the last bit of sleep from her eyes.

"Aa," he nodded and then reached up to pull down their bags.

She followed him out of the train and onto the platform. The place was extremely busy despite it being well into the night.

"What's going on?" she asked looking around.

Aoshi pointed up to the ceiling where huge poster hung from the rafters declaring that the Carnival of Venice would be occurring in a few days. No wonder, then, Misao realized. A huge masquerade party would bring a large number of people here.

He negotiated a cab and Misao tried to take in the city as they flew by but it was too dark to get any details. The trip to the hotel was short anyway and Aoshi wasted no time heading towards the room where the rest of their group would be staying.

"He'll never go for it," a voice from behind the door.

Aoshi opened the door without pausing. "What won't I go for?"

The four men turned up in surprise at Aoshi and Misao standing there. Saitou took a long drag of his cigarette before deciding to break the silence.

"Using the weasel as bait," he stated firmly.

"HEY!" Misao cried out at the nickname.

"We came to the same conclusion after talking with Himura," Aoshi broke in, preventing the fight.

Sano blinked. "Woah… wait a minute, did you just agree?" Aoshi stared at him. "To use Misao?" Aoshi didn't move. "As bait?"

"Yes Sano," Misao said, rolling her eyes. "It was the only way. Besides with some prep time, we can make sure that you can track me to the rest of the girls. But I think we have a better way of finding them," she continued quickly. "You see, Seta Soujirou has been in contact with because he wants to defect from…"

"You've talked to him?" Sano said, standing up quickly.

Misao watched him warily. "A couple of times, why?"

"Why?" Sano snapped, moving towards her. Aoshi took a step forward, placing himself between the two. Sano trust his arm out and Aoshi moved quickly, catching it and instantly feeling something crumple in his palm. The two men stared at each for a few minutes before Sano let go, leaving Aoshi with the photograph.

Misao leaned over and looked down at the image, grimacing at Megumi's fear filled face. But then, what she saw next made her face fall with shock.

"That's not possible," Misao said. "That can't be Seta-san."

"Really?" Sano demanded. "'Cause it sure looks like him."

"Sano," Kenshin said, grabbing his friend's wrist and pulling him back.

"Then who the hell did I meet with six hours ago?"

There was a pause as the group let the situation settle in. All of them knew Seta Soujirou and it was obvious that neither side could be mistaken.

"He could have gotten here in time," Hiko said from the back of the room.

"Not on the train," Misao said. "Aoshi and I caught the first one out of Rome."

"The Juppongatana could have sent him by jet," Hiko added.

Saitou suddenly stood up and grabbed the picture, examining it closely. After a few minutes of silence, he frowned. "This is not Seta-san," he said after a minute.

He looked over at Hiko and the two shared a wordless agreement. Saitou handed the photo back and grabbed his coat striding out the door.

"What the hell was that about?" Sano asked.

"An old promise," Hiko replied and made it known with his tone that no further information was going to be given.

"Then where does that leave us?" Aoshi asked.

"The weasel will meet with Seta-san this time," Hiko replied. "But this time she will be ready."


Two days. He knew he had told her to wait two days. But he knew that she wouldn't wait now that everything was coming to head. He left the message at the lobby as soon as she had arrived.

A café down the street, a limited amount to prepare, and a trap that she probably knew was coming.

Soujirou took a sip of his coffee and sighed. Could it be that part of him really wanted to believe the story? That he was defecting from the Juppongatana to join the good guys? No, not at all. He owed everything to Shishio-sama. And now that he was finally healed enough to take the lead again, Soujirou would serve him without impunity.

She walked in, long braid swishing behind her. He saw it in her eyes. No more distrust. That was because she had figured out the ruse. He would have to work fast now. He had a limited amount of time to secure all of the girls before the Hiten caught on and prepared them. Half an hour would not have been enough, at least not for anything that they wouldn't be able to find. Tracking devices, concealed weaponry, anything could be picked up by a Juppongatana search team.

That left only a few options. No doubt Misao would not come alone this time. So that meant isolating her from the rest of the group. No doubt she would be armed. But then so was he. No doubt she had a plan. But he had a better one.

He stood up and smiled as she walked towards him. She smiled back, a bit forced but twinged with a bit of sadness as if she had really wanted him to be a good guy.

"Makamachi-san," he said politely.

"Seta-san," she replied.

"Shall we get on with this then?" he smiled.

She nodded and took a step forward, unprepared as he reached forward and grabbed her arm, forcing her through the door behind him. He followed quickly after her not giving her a second to react.

Five seconds later, Aoshi and Kenshin entered the café. Kenshin looked around the main area but Aoshi quickly ran to the backroom. As soon as Kenshin was sure that it was safe, he followed him.

Aoshi stood in the middle of the empty kitchen. There were no signs of struggle, the back door was firmly locked in place. And Misao and Soujirou were no where in sight.


Saitou lit a cigarette and moved across the night soaked streets of Venice. He ignored the presence that was following him. He knew who it was but he wasn't ready to fight just yet.

Finally, Saitou came to stop in front of a huge cathedral. The courtyard in front of it stretched to the edge of canal bank and it was bathed in a mixture of moonlight and the soft glow of street lamps. Saitou sat down on the stairs, placing his sword at his side and took a deep drag on his cigarette. A few minutes later, he watched as the small figure approached him. He could see how the other would mistake him for Seta, they were very similar. But that was not Seta-san approaching him.

"Okita-kun."

"Saitou-sama." Okita took a seat next to him. "It's been a while." Saitou nodded and moved to extinguish his cigarette. "You don't have to worry about that anymore."

"I see," Saitou replied, bring the cigarette up to his mouth. "It is good to know you are well."

Okita nodded. Silence fell on the two. "Are you still upset then?"

Saitou shrugged a bit. "I never was upset… just disappointed. As was Tokio. I know you didn't agree with our merging with the Hiten but I didn't think you would just leave it all together."

Okita shook his head. "I had my reasons."

"And they still exist?"

Okita sighed. "In a way. I thought you were weak for giving up on the Shinsengumi as a separate entity. But now…"

"You have doubts," Saitou replied. "Then we will make a deal."

"A deal?"

Saitou nodded. "Yes, since you left the Shinsengumi you have been a mercenary for hire, correct?"

Okita's nose scrunched at the term. "I prefer professional hitman."

"The fact is, you were hired by the Juppongatana not only for your skills but for other reasons as well."

Okita nodded. "There is no point in denying it now."

"Meaning the weasel is already caught. So while Seta-san was in Rome meeting with Makamachi-san, you were here collecting Kamiya, Takani and Tokio." Okita smiled in response. "The question is why."

Okita didn't say anything. "To throw Tokio off guard," Saitou answered suddenly.

"So what is your deal?" Okita asked finally.

"Your contract with the Juppongatana is over," Saitou stated. "You will work for us." Okita looked up at him.

"I don't think that will work."

"Then I'll have to kill you for kidnapping Tokio," Saitou stated firmly.

Okita paused and let out a laugh. "Of course I see now. If I win, you will let that slide. If you win, I work for you."

Saitou didn't reply. The two men waited for a few moments and then suddenly they were gone.


Misao remembered falling but she didn't remember from where. One moment she was in the café, the next she was in a puddle of very cold water. Looking up, she saw Soujirou landing on his feet, pulling on a rope. Something above him slammed shut.

Misao cursed. Well, they hadn't been expecting a trap door in the floor. She started to stand up as Soujirou looked at her.

"My apologies for the rude exit, Makamachi-san," he smiled. "But I believe you broke your promise."

"Only repaying the deceit," she replied reaching behind her back.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Soujirou said. "I'll be there faster then you can draw your weapon."

Misao frowned, knowing it was true but also knowing she needed to stall. Aoshi would be able to track her by the chip embedded in her wrist. He'd realize soon enough that she was just below him.

"Why?" Misao asked.

"You know the reason."

"No, not the reason why you've been kidnapping the women," Misao said. "Why did you lie and say that you were going to defect?"

Soujirou smiled. "Because of your fiancé of course."

"What?"

"Shinomori-san is so protective over Kamiya and Takani, if he wasn't distracted by your… strange behavior, he would have never left them alone. Especially after that fool showed himself to Takani before he was supposed to."

"Kanyruu," Misao stated.

"Yes. We needed a distraction, you were it." Misao frowned as he finished talking. "Now, starting walking. I don't want your friends to track us down before…"

Soujirou fell back quickly as the two spheres dropped from Misao's hand. The flashbangs filled the tunnel with light and momentarily disoriented him. When his eyes came back to normal, she was gone.

And then suddenly, she was right behind him.


The courtyard was quiet but there was something in the air. A tree branch snapped as a typhoon ripped through the leaves and Okita hit the ground on his shoulder, spinning to a stop and leaping upwards as Saitou's sword shattered the pavement where he had just been.

Saitou paused at the spot and looked up into the empty sky.

"Stop holding back," he said angrily.

His reply was a quick movement behind him and the stinging sensation left behind as Okita's sword cut through his back. He turned quickly, but his sword hit nothing but air. His legs suddenly pushed off the ground, catapulting him into the air just as Okita passed beneath him.

He landed and turned, surprised to see Okita standing and watching him. Saitou's golden eyes shrunk to slits. "Why are you holding back?"

Okita shook his head. "I am not."

"You could have killed me by now if you were really trying," Saitou said.

"Then why are you fighting me if you know I am stronger than you?"

Saitou frowned. "You still don't understand. Strength is not measured in black or white terms. There are inbetweens and compromises, just like there was when the Shinsengumi and Hiten organization merged."

Okita smiled. "Is that so?" he laughed.

"It is. So you might be more skilled then I am," Saitou said. "But that does not mean you will beat me. I have something else that will make me fight harder."

"And that is?"

"Revenge."


Soujirou ducked just as Misao's foot swung down. He felt his hair grazed against the sole of her foot and threw his arms up in a cross block as she threw her hand downward, kunai aimed at his forehead.

No sooner had he blocked her that her knee came straight up towards his mid section. His hands locked around her blocked arm and he quickly stepped aside, forcing her to bend towards him lest her wrists break in the process.

But she didn't move. Instead, her knee made contact and her wrist broke in his hand. He doubled over, in a mixture of surprise and pain. He heard her cry out as he did and it was at that moment that the ceiling above them opened.

Soujirou wasn't afraid of most things but the sight of a rather irate Aoshi Shinomori headed towards him was enough to shake him a bit. He did manage to reach back and grab his gun to at least attempt to fight back. Kenshin pulled Misao out of the way and watched as Aoshi went after Seta. There was nothing in the world that would make him trade places with the doomed Juppongatana member.

Soujirou miscalculated on the distance between him and Aoshi. He was still thinking of Misao whose short legs would never have made contact with the raised gun. Aoshi's however, whipped around so quickly, he realized that he had just returned the punishment Soujirou had given to Misao.

He felt Aoshi's hand on the back of his shirt and suddenly he was in the water, his breath bubbling out around him. He heard Misao call out to Aoshi, though the water was muffling it a bit.

Somewhere between consciousness and the sweet darkness of lack of oxygen Soujirou had to admit something to himself. Their plan was better.


Okita's smile faltered briefly. It wasn't so much that he was surprised by Saitou trademark left handed sword move. He just never remembered it being that powerful. Saitou had been right. In the past, Okita had been able to block this attack, but he could tell that the anger enveloping Saitou would probably push his sword through Okita's in a second.

He moved finally, arcing himself up into the air and watching at the world flipped below him. He saw the edge of Saitou's sword scrap the pavement, sending sparks up on impact. And then it was coming straight for him.

Suddenly the world wasn't black and white to Okita anymore. It was a painful mix of colors that seemed to explode as he hit the ground.

"It's over," Saitou stated firmly.

Okita forced his eyes open and realized he was staring up at the night sky. But the brightest star wasn't a star at all. It was the light reflecting off of Saitou's sword as it stayed steady just above the gullet of his neck.

And Okita smiled, a true smile. "Yes, it is."

Saitou released his sword and reached down a hand. Okita looked up and grabbed it. "Welcome back, Okita-kun" Saitou said pulling him up.

"It is good to be with you again, Saitou-sama."

Saitou nodded. He pushed Okita forward and towards the hotel. "And Okita… never hold back against me again."

Okita smiled. "I wasn't holding back, Saitou-sama." He looked up at his old friend and his smile deepened. Well… not too much anyway, he thought to himself.