Thank you so much for all your wonderful reviews. Not only is it my highest story thus far, it also has the best quality for reviews. I don't get the standard "Writ mre onegai!!" and you reviewers actually have common sense and a brain in your skulls. For this, I commend the reviewers. *bows* You guys kick ass!

Dedicated to: Jason (yep, we're working on a plan as I type...), Xara (I would have shot myself if that was the end. I was debating putting a little "The End" on there just to see what people's reactions would have been! *giggles* I'm just evil like that!), dementedchris (my goal in fanfiction is not only to amuse, but also to make you think. It was more me than Battousai ranting about the endless TxK and KxK issue, I don't think it would have been articulated that "beautifully" if I didn't have strong feelings about it myself), Leane Silverwing (Wow, if you were to draw that scene, I would be eternally grateful. It's always an honor to have someone take the time to draw inspired by my fics. You get the best of both worlds then ^_^), Calger459 (I absolutely hate fics that make him choose between the two. Especially if he chooses Kaoru, because I don't like Kaoru as much as I do Tomoe. Nope, it's not the ending yet although it seemed that way, we've still got a long ways to go. Hope to see you at the end!), Arashi (I made Tokio that way because no one else has, and you know how I'm such a stickler for originality! We've got more of that wonderful SxT action in future chapters because I realized... I love that coupling!), Sagara Sanosuke (I hope I know a little bit more about this fic than you do, after all, I'm the author! *laughs* I'm going to fix that Aoshi x Misao relationship in future chapters, so expect to see another pairing later), Firefury (I gave you inspiration? That's the second biggest compliment I can receive from someone, and I'm truly touched that you took the time to review. Keep on writing Twisted Paradise, and hopefully with a lot more SxM action! *smiles*), Miyu Sakura (Well? I'm still waiting for that teddy fiction, lady... well, it's not the end yet, we've still got to see how poor Sano will get through this! It's the final word on KxK and TxM, because I said so ^_^), M.Kasshoku (Err, I don't think I've figured out what will happen with everyone yet either. This chapter took forever to get out, so I hope this one was worth the wait as well. For the longest time, I didn't know whether to make Battousai or Shinomori the Divinity. I guess I like it better this way...), Melpomene (*snickers* I've got a plan when it comes to Sanosuke x Megumi's remembrances. Right now, I've got it so that Sanosuke remembers but Megumi does not. Yet another roadblock to getting Sanosuke and Megumi back together. I hope I don't outdo myself... yep, I stole those reflections almost word for word. Does that make me a bad person? *laughs*), J.Liha (This fic told you more about Battousai than any other fic? Wow, I wouldn't have expected that at all. This shows the serious lack of fics that actually test your mind. I hope to see more of these kinds of fics around. Perhaps you could write one for us? I'd be excited to read it!), omni82 (Well, I tried to make Shinomori act not as flamboyantly now. All those mind bending questions will be answered later, in the trial chapters. I'm somewhat curious about it myself!), Onna (Don't worry, I think my name has the highest incidence rate of being misspelled...), Shiari (Aww, I don't like begging. Groveling is more my style! *laughs*), Leila (Yes, I'm starting to love Saitoh x Tokio almost as much as Sanosuke x Megumi, so therefore you're going to get your wish and get even more SxT action! Woot!! It'll be in the next chapter, stick around!)

On with the show!

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They Say Cameras Are Only Good For Pictures... 13
By: Karina Kineshi (coronaflare@mail.com)

I couldn't let her get away from me this time. I realized that she meant so much to me. I had come this far just to have her get farther and farther away from me. I tried to catch up with her, but as soon as she started to run, I knew there was no way I could catch her. She was running with fear and hatred, two very powerful feelings. So I stopped and watched her disappear into the shadows.

When I said I loved you, I meant it.

What exactly had happened back there? I mean, in Gehenna? And why did I still remember it? Was it because that divine intervention stuff that Shinomori was talking about? I could remember him, Battousai, the Fates... everyone. Was this normal? When Tokio threw that light at me, I felt myself getting pulled back into my true body. On the way there, I saw Zanza going the opposite direction. His eyes were closed.

Something rather weird has happened to me since then. In Gehenna, I was a small child about eight years old and behaved like one. Now, thinking as I am now, I believe that I somehow grew up a bit in the process. It wasn't much, but all I know is that if I hadn't matured, I wouldn't be able to understand. Every part of me wanted to follow Megumi, but I knew that just talking to her now would be impossible. If I were still young and immature, I would have run after her and chased her to the far ends of the earth.

Never giving up.

The predominant part now told me that she would not have listened and I would have frightened her even more. The whole thing really did make my heart hurt. Since that man said that I was the culprit who put him up to this, her trust in me must have been shattered. Even though it wasn't me, she still thinks that it was. What kind of excuse would I have given her if I did catch her? "Sorry it wasn't me, it was my evil twin"?

I'm sure that would be believed very well.

Regardless, I still need to talk to her. I'm trying to formulate a good excuse right now, but I was never good at that sort of thing. Taichou always knew when I was lying, but he never punished me physically. He just shook his head and said that he was disappointed in me.

That hurt more than any physical blow.

He made me a better person, and shaped me into who I am today. No wonder Zanza was created over his loss, he loved him as much as I did.

I can't help but get this feeling that things are far from over. Of course, there's the matter of finding Megumi and consoling her. That is one of the hardest obstacles I have to overcome: regaining her trust back. I'm sure Gehenna is in a riot right now, if what Hajime said about the termination is true, they must be very busy preparing for the trial... or his death.

My other life is being decided right now somewhere.

And what about me? I did not like that I still remembered Gehenna and the events leading up to it. However, I had no recollection from the moment I got my picture taken until right now. It was like a chunk of my life had been sliced out from my memory. Maybe Zanza had his own distinct memory, and that's why I could not remember anything except what I directly experienced in Gehenna.

If Zanza were terminated, does that mean I lose all my memories? They might not have been good memories, probably just of the hundreds of drunks that he beat up over the years, but are they not still memories? I want to feel the pain of someone else that lost their master as I had, even if it was just another part of myself.

I didn't want to be alone.

I wanted to give Megumi her space for as long as she wanted it, but I also wanted to console her. She must be feeling very alone, as I am. She needed someone to talk to as much as I did. Sense and sensibility did nothing to convince me to stay away from her. She needed me.

I needed her...

The man on the ground stirred, bloody and battered by otherwise okay. Even her feet with shoes on wouldn't have hurt him. Zanza must have chosen the man based on that purpose; if she did go into a rage as he was planning, then the man wouldn't be that affected by it. Just a split lip and a mangled nose, but no broken bones I think. He was way too cushioned with fat for anything like that to happen. He's had worse in brawls, but surely never from a woman.

And maybe that will teach him a lesson or two about women.

He swayed to his feet, wiped off his bloody cheek, and walked back to wherever it was he came from. He didn't even see me standing right next to him; the eye had swollen shut on that side.

She really was furious... but... where did all that anger come from? I had never seen anyone like that in a long time, not even when they were drunk. My newfound maturity told me that when Megumi-sensei had been forced to merge, all that repressed anger at men and all the burdens she collected all those years came out in the form of physical violence.

After all, anger is one of the three pillars, a way the soul can get into the body. At least, that's how I understand it from Shinomori. Someone just needed to raise that anger up to the breaking point before the souls could merge. When they finally did, that anger had nowhere else to go except outside. There was no other soul to take it on because they were already one and the same. It was directed towards the fat and pudgy man.

I will try to talk to her in the morning. I just hope she will listen.

*****

I still don't understand what happened.

I was back again in my clinic, trying to carefully remove the coppery red socks from my feet. It's not an easy thing to do when one is on the edge of hysteria. They were stained with someone else's blood. Blood. This wouldn't have bothered me before of my profession, but tonight I never want to wear them again. Even if it meant throwing them away, I don't want to wash them, or look at them, or smell them, or...

Anything. They need to be burned.

My zori gone, my shawl lying in some God forsaken alleyway, and my dignity thrown to the wolves, I don't want to undress out of my dirty clothes. Instead, I went around to all windows and doors of the clinic and made sure they were properly locked. I then took a tallow candle and checked all hidden corners to make sure that I'm truly alone.

Then rechecked.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Now, I might seem a little bit obsessive, but can you really blame me? I'm rather surprised (as you are, no doubt) that I'm having a perfectly calm and rational reaction to this. The Megumi from before Kanryuu would have run screaming to a certain dojo. The Megumi from yesterday would even still run screaming. Did I grow up since yesterday? Why am I acting this way?

What's wrong with me?

I regret to mention that this sort of thing has happened to me before, only not as complicated as this. I have been almost raped like that numerous times, only to have another man come in and save me. It's been like that since the days of my youth, wandering around the streets of Aizu to the present time. Shinomori Aoshi, Himura Kenshin, Sagara Sanosuke, and the nameless others who tipped their hats and sent me on my way.

Don't get me wrong; it's still a horrifying experience with or without a savior. You are not able to move, and the glassy eyes of your assailant betray no sort of emotion whatsoever. I don't know how to explain this, but it's as if their souls are disconnected from their bodies. You see that faraway look... and that's the point when you panic.

I think it's that look that frightens me more than the actual act.

There's some sort of personality disorder that people call immunity syndrome. All who've experienced it know exactly what I am talking about. Your heart grows hard. Uncaring. Most nurses and doctors get this, and I don't think I am an exception. Take the mystery surrounding death, for example. The first time I lost someone dear to me, I didn't think I could ever stop crying. After a week, I recovered enough to wipe my bleary eyes and go on my way. I was happy until another one died.

Progressively, I started to care less and less. I've gone from crying like a baby to feeling absolutely nothing at all when something tragic happened. Like death. I've distanced myself so much from people that I don't care anymore. I think... I think that's why I am handling this so calmly. Yes, that has to be the only explanation.

Does that mean that I've lost my will to live? Do I not care anymore whether I live or die?

Every candle in the clinic is lit, but I still feel scared when just one of them flickers. It could be a gust of wind, and then it could be someone trying to get in. Scared, and also defiant, I tuck myself in bed, soiled clothing and all. I can only wait until morning comes to sort through everything.

I realized that although I was calm and collected on the inside, on the out... I have not stopped crying. I didn't even know when I started.

Before closing my eyes (as keeping them open seemed like a horrifying option), I caught a sparkle from the other room. My heart raced to three times its normal speed until I saw that it was just my medicinal tray full of instruments. Scalpel, needle and thread, knives...

Knives?

It's both a repulsive and inviting thought. Right now... it's more inviting than anything else. Almost mechanically, I felt myself rise from my spot on the ground and stride to where I knew my trusted implements are. I feel so devoid of emotion that I don't even exist. I'm a living, breathing shell of myself.

What now?

*****

For God's sake Shinomori... she's going to kill herself! Hiko screamed. Do something!

"I don't know what's going on! I... I can't do it!"

"Pull yourself together, Shinomori!" Hajime ordered, a touch of hysterics in her voice. "Tokio chose you for a reason, she knew you could handle it!"

Shinomori looked so dumbstruck by the whole ordeal that his eyes were faraway and glazed over. His mouth was moving up and down but no words or sounds were issuing from it. I didn't know whether to shake some sense into him or have him shake some sense into me.

Oh God, this was bad. Why would Tokio choose someone who was going to crack under the pressure? Why did she leave us at this crucial moment? Why...

It was right at this moment that Señora Soujirou crossed the floor, gliding over like a breeze on water. Time in Gehenna seemed to stand still. She marched up to Shinomori and gave him the loudest slap across the face that I had ever heard before. All three spectators cringed. I involuntarily felt my own cheek. Soujirou's mouth moved, but I couldn't hear what she was saying. It was meant for Shinomori's ears only.

One agonizing moment later, Shinomori brought his hand to his face and clenched his fist. "That sounds plausible..." His expression grew even sourer. "I'm going to have to induce a fainting spell."

A fainting spell?

"Quickly, Soujirou."

The elderly Fate bowed once, and then disappeared. The two other Fates dashed to the overturned cauldron and set it back right side up again. The liquid instantly refilled until I could see it shimmering in the darkness, restored to its former glory. "Battousai, I need your help on something."

Just as he said this, I saw a blurred outline of a woman crumple to the ground, not moving. Hiko gave a gasp of relief while Hajime leant on the cauldron's edge, holding her temple. My eyes raced over to Shinomori, who had the calmest and happiest expression on his face. He clapped. "Well done team! I knew we could do it!"

At the beginning, I had feared that he had totally lost his sanity. Then again, what is sane when it comes to Shinomori? When I saw his victorious smile, I knew that the old Shinomori

I shook my head. Whatever Soujirou told him must have been pretty life altering. When the makings of a headache started creeping up into my forehead, I longed to hear what she had to say to him.

Almost on cue, Soujirou reappeared again and gave Shinomori a dazzling smile. "Lo hice. Maravilloso, Señor Shinomori. Yo pensé que haría la cosa derecha."

"Thank you, Soujirou." He didn't dwell on his praise for long, because his attention turned to the soul trapped inside a glass box.

Zanza.

Amidst the confusion, we had totally forgotten about him. Zanza was fully awake now and standing up. He stood as close to the barrier as he could without getting shocked. He didn't look angry, or anything. His face was wiped clean of emotion. Zanza just looked intent now.

Shinomori growled, but then turned his eyes away from Zanza. "I need all of your help on something."

Was it just me, or was the thought of our leader and "one who could do no wrong" asking us for help just a little bit unsettling? It wasn't like I had anything better to do around here anyway. "Sure." I said. "If you need help, I'll give it."

I'll help to the best of my ability. Hiko answered.

"Ayudaré."

Hajime crossed her arms. "I owe you one for Tokio." Her eyes flashed, and time stood still for the umpteenth time since this crazy deal got started. "Tell me what to do and I'll do it."

Shinomori nodded his thanks and smiled. "Well, I think the first thing we need to work on is a plan."

"What?! You don't have a plan?" I couldn't help myself from blurting out. Our Divinity didn't have a plan!

"C'mon Battousai, I need a little bit of time to think about this," was Shinomori's disposed answer.

What of Zanza? Hiko asked.

Shinomori rested his chin on the tips of his fingers. "I guess he'll have to stay in solitary confinement until the date of the trial. We have more pressing matters to attend to in the mortal realm."

I sighed. It was the first thing that he said that made sense all day. "What next?"

"Hajime will see to it personally that Takani Megumi will not have nightmares. I don't want to traumatize her anymore than she already has."

"What should I give her in the meantime?" Hajime asked with a tone of skepticism in her voice. "Happy, pleasant dreams?"

"Uh, sure."

I groaned. This was his plan? I couldn't help but think that the two were as good as dead. Hajime looked as dumbstruck as I did. It took her a couple of seconds to believe her ears. "I don't know what I'm doing, but I sure hope that you do." Then she disappeared.

"Wonderful..." Shinomori scanned the three remaining warriors in his army. We were apprehensive at best. Fighters can only fight when they have confidence in their leader. We three looked around, trying to reassure the other that our Divinity did indeed know what he was doing. "Soujirou, I need you to go to Sano-chan and give him a vision."

"¿Una visión?"

Shinomori nodded. "He's not going to go home. If I know him, he's just going to wander around until he finds something. I fear that he will leave the country if we don't step in and do something. Tell him that he we've got everything under control here in Gehenna and not to leave the immediate Tokyo area. Tell him, under no circumstances, is he to go near Takani Megumi's clinic."

"Creerá?" Soujirou raised her eyebrow. It seemed that the Fate who had the most faith in our leader was starting to lose it. She was wringing her hands in her apron.

He scratched the back of his head. "He'll have to believe. Besides, he still remembers us here, so I think this might work.

This was sounding worse and worse.

Shinomori jumped as if a thought just struck his brain. He waved his arms wildly before Soujirou could disappear. "Actually, I want you to switch jobs with Hajime. You're more comforting than her. I..." He looked at me for approval. "If Hajime were to visit Takani Megumi, I'd be frightened if I were her. You are the same age as Takani-sensei, so therefore she'll be more inclined to listen."

"Yo entienda." Then Soujirou vanished as well.

What should I do? Hiko asked.

"Hiko, you'll stay on standby until I figure out what I can use you for. Just continue with your usual activities."

The beads in her headdress rattled together, channeling the anger into noise. I would have been insulted too if it was me. What?! I can do whatever you want me to do! Hiko cried out. I'm not just some kid!

Shinomori held his hands up in a manner of reconciliation. "I didn't say that to be mean. I've got a bigger part in store for you later, but right now, I don't have anything of importance I need you to do. I can't have all the Fates working on this because we've got our region to worry about still. You are second-in-command in my absence."

Second-in-command? Hiko echoed. Where are you going?

It seemed like he didn't hear that last part. Shinomori was still shaking his head and talking to himself. My shoulders drooped. What has Tokio got us into now? Shinomori started to walk away and vanish into the Gehennian darkness.

"Hey, we're talking to you! Don't walk away from us!" I exclaimed. Even with Hiko as second-in-command, that didn't mean anything if we didn't know what to command in the first place.

He called out over his shoulder, " I've got a date with my body. I'm going to Kyoto."

*****

Sano-chan didn't know how long he'd be wandering around the streets until he had left them. This was where the road ended and the vast country began. It was that time of night where all candles had been blown out and Tokyo resembled a ghost town. The first rays of sunshine had still not made their appearance, but the horizon was getting lighter and lighter by the passing minute.

He was tired. Deeply tired. Nothing except thoughts of Gehenna raced through his mind. Just thinking about the ordeal drained him both mentally and physically. Sano-chan felt so lost and disoriented that he could think straight anymore. It was like the feeling you get when you stand up too quickly and the blood rushes to your legs. The head was woozy, but the legs were heavy as lead.

An odd habit that he picked up was talking to himself. Katsuhiro would tease him all the time that when Sano had no one to talk to, he'd talk with himself to keep himself company.

Zanza doesn't talk out loud like me.

"Why did he have to go and do this?" he asked himself. "I mean, we were perfectly happy until he came in and ruined my life." Sano-chan kicked a rock as big as his fist as far as he could, hands clenched inside his pockets. "I don't understand anything."

He had delayed getting to Megumi's for as long as possible. Sano-chan decided the best time to talk would be morning's light. "I'll try to reason with her, and—"

"I see you still haven't gotten any smarter since I talked with you last, ahou."

Involuntarily, Sano-chan spun around, fists raised in front of his face and ready to do battle. He knew that voice anywhere. "Saitoh!" There was nothing there. "Where are you?"

"Saitoh?" The voice sounded like it was clucking its tongue. "Have you forgotten me so soon, Sano-chan?"

The said boy dropped his fists. "Hajime!" he exclaimed. "What... what are you doing here?"

"I'm taking a vacation," was Hajime's clipped response.

Sano-chan was confused. "You can do that?"

Hajime's groan echoed so loudly that Sano-chan was afraid it would wake all of Tokyo up. "Of course not! If you haven't forgotten, we've got a crisis here! Of all the times to take a vacation..." He was sure that if he could see Hajime, she'd be shaking her head.

Sano-chan shrugged. "I don't need your help to take care of things. This is just between Megumi and I."

"Like hell you don't. You don't have a clue on what you're doing."

Sano-chan noticed a rather peculiar phenomenon. Whenever he closed his eyes to blink, he could almost swear that he saw the scantily clad Fate in his mind's eye. When he realized that it wasn't a dream, he kept his eyes closed so that he could see. "And you do?"

The ribbons on Hajime's body swayed with some unseen breeze. She crossed her arms. "Well, Shinomori is working on our plan right now."

"He hasn't got a plan yet?" Sano-chan was incredulous. His future lied in their hands! "Please tell me that you're joking. You've got to be joking."

"Nope. We're about as clueless as you are." Hajime noted how Sano-chan's face fell and she scrambled for a better piece of news. Maybe it was a good thing that Soujirou took over in giving Takani better dreams. She was doing a piss poor job when it came to comforting. "Don't worry," she tried to placate him. "We've got a plan for you."

"What about Megumi? I don't care about me."

"Calm down Sano-chan, we're trying to figure that out." Truth was... Hajime had no clue either. "All Shinomori said was you must not go near Takani's house until otherwise told so."

Sano-chan's eyes fluttered open in disbelief. In doing so, he lost sight of the Fate. He decided it was far better to keep his eyes open and not see her. "I can't go near her?"

"Correct."

"Shinomori said this?"

"Yep."

Sano-chan wanted to cry. Either that, or curse Shinomori to nine hells for not knowing how to handle his position. However, he still had faith in his leader. Shinomori was the one who acted most in command of everyone there. "Wait a minute, why is Shinomori the one who's working on the plan? Why not Tokio?"

"Tokio stepped down from being the Divinity," she explained matter of factly. "She chose Shinomori to take her place. He's the Divinity now."

"He is?"

Hajime nodded, although Sano-chan couldn't see it. "That's right, you were already in your body before she made the decree." She snickered. "Sorry for confusing you."

She seemed extremely carefree about the situation at hand. But then again, he had a feeling that if she was panicking, then so would he. Maybe this flippant attitude was the best for him. He felt infinitely calmer; confidence in Shinomori's leadership restored. "What am I supposed to do in the meantime?" he asked.

Hajime paused. What could she tell him to do? Wander around like a beggar? He certainly couldn't go back to the Himura's dojo, or to his own house... Shinomori's plan was sadly lacking in this department. "He said that you..."

"I mean, I can't go back to the dojo, I can't see Megumi, I can't go back to my house..."

Didn't she just think that?

Hajime shook her head, trying to stall for time. If Shinomori didn't have anything for him to do, then she would make something up herself. He said himself that whatever needed to be done, it would be left at their discretion to rectify. A blaze of inspiration suddenly struck her.

"... what did he tell me to do?"

Hajime could barely conceal her glee. This would fit in with the plan perfectly. Shinomori and her thought the same on many different levels. Shinomori's number one priority would be to make sure Sano-chan doesn't leave the country, right? There was only one way he could accomplish such a thing...

"Well?"

"Do you know anyone by the name of Fujita Goro?"

It was certainly a treat to be able to see Sano-chan when he couldn't see her. The way his mouth dropped open was priceless. "F-Fujita Goro? Isn't that—"

"— Saitoh Hajime!" she said triumphantly. Just because it was a serious situation didn't stop her from having fun. "He said that you were to visit the Fujita's house on the outskirts of town and stay there until further notice."

Sano-chan didn't move and was staring at the ground with eyes wide open. Finally, in a voice that would have rivaled Yukishiro Tomoe's in quiet, he whispered, "Is Shinomori concerned for my life at all?"

"That's why he's doing it for you. We need you to do this for us. It'll get things done a whole lot quicker if you listen to us."

"You want me to go to the lion's den?"

"Yes."

"Into Saitoh Hajime's home?!"

"Well... yeah."

Sano-chan blinked. He was clearly fighting the urge to run back to his home and bury himself under his worn out futon. Hajime was actually scared that he would do just that. "I can't do this..."

Hajime raised a fist in the air, hoping the gesture would instill confidence in the boy. She growled, "If Saitoh so much as touches one hair on your head, he'll be rolling in so much shit with me he won't know whether he's dreaming or awake!"

Sano-chan didn't look appeased. Not one bit. "How long will this take?"

Hajime paused again. It could be days, weeks... judging from their unorganized state, it might take upwards of a year. She shuddered and told him that it would be two days at the most. "After all, we've got Shinomori leading us."

That thought wasn't comforting to Hajime.

However, it worked on Sano-chan. "Tokio will be there, right?"

"That's right!" Even Hajime didn't think of that one. "Tokio can be there to help you!" She hoped that her enthusiasm would be contagious and somehow influence Sano-chan's decision. "You certainly won't be hurt when Tokio's around!"

"Yes... I guess..." Sano-chan punched his fists together and smiled. "I have total faith in you guys." Hajime couldn't help but smile; he had the innocence of a child. That was so endearing to her. "Just... don't leave me to die, all right?"

"Sure." She laughed. Sano-chan started to walk away, looking determined and ready to make things right again in his life. She wondered why in the world Saitoh would hate such a boy while she loved him like a son. "Good luck!"

She didn't hear his reply. Hajime could feel herself getting weaker and weaker. Talking in the mortal realm was more exhausting that it appeared. Just after his silhouette was framed by the early morning light and swallowed by the rising sun, her heart sank. "Oh God, I didn't... I didn't tell him where the house was!"

Shinomori will have my ass for this one!

In a blaze of red light, Hajime was immediately back in Gehenna, lying face down on the muggy ground.

How was the trip? Hiko asked casually . Fun?

"I sent Sano-chan to Saitoh's house."

Battousai shot up from his standard seated position so quickly that his sword clattered to the ground. Both him and Hiko were staring at her with incredulity smacked all over their faces. "You did what?!"

Hajime stammered to explain herself. "Shinomori said that Sano-chan not leave the country. He had no where else to go!"

"So you sent him to where his mortal enemy lives?"

"I thought that I could stall for time!"

Hiko grabbed a lock of her hair and started to toy with it. This was bad, Hajime knew. Hiko only did that when circumstances were dire. Did you tell him where the house is?

"No. I thought it'll help in delaying."

It sounded like Hajime knew exactly what she was doing, but Hiko saw right through that disguise. You forgot, didn't you?

"You sure know how to make someone feel worthless, Hiko." Hajime grudgingly admitted.

Battousai leaned over and picked his sword off the ground, eyes still riveted on Hajime's face. "I sure hope you knew what you were doing... but that all right. I think I can follow your twisted line of thinking on this one." Hajime scowled, but let him continue. "You knew that Tokio would be there to help him, and that—"

Wait! Hiko held up her hand and her face seemed even paler than usual. She was staring off into space with her mouth slightly ajar. Say that again, only slowly.

Battousai's eyes darted to Hajime. Both were concerned for the well being of the Dreamweaver. Hajime feared she had lost her sanity. Battousai blinked a couple of times before clearing his throat. "I said that Tokio—"

I know what you said! Hiko cut in and started making jauntry movements like a mouse trapped in a corner. Hajime, do you have any idea... When you sent him to Saitoh's house, did you think that Tokio would remember him?

"What, what's the problem?"

Hiko started to get frantic. The problem is that when she was stripped of her position as Divinity, her memories went all along with it!

Hajime was shocked into silence. "You mean to tell me that..."

"... she doesn't remember at all?" Battousai looked alarmed.

Tokio doesn't remember Gehenna, remember us, or... The lock of hair in Hiko's hand was getting shinier by the minute with all the care it was getting. She doesn't remember anything.

"Oh shit." Hajime cursed. "I thought she would remember..."

Battousai tried to reattach his sword to his waist, but found he was too dumbstruck to attempt it. "You based all this on Tokio's remembering, and now we find out she doesn't even do that?"

Nice going, Hajime! Why did you have to do that without express permission from Shino—

"Excuse me for making a mistake! I happen to know for a fact that I might be able to control Saitoh. He is part of my body, after all..." She stopped when Hiko started mouthing the word 'might'. It was no guarantee that Hajime could do anything of the sort, and from the look on Battousai's face, it told her it was impossible. Battousai had more control over his body than the rest of the souls did, and even he got limited time in Shinta's body.

Might control? Might?!

"It's better than 'never control'!" Hajime snapped back. "Hey, where are you going Battousai? We've got a job to do!"

Battousai didn't bother to turn around. "I do have a job. I'm going to be the flower arranger at Sano-chan's funeral."