Saga 4: Berserk Kiya: Demon on the Loose!

Snakefire's Note:  Let's get one thing straight, shall we?  Kito Saito is NOT my character, ok?  Kito is property of Cartoonist Kep, (cartoonistkep@hotmail.com) whether he likes it or not.  And yes I have gotten permission from Kep to include him in my fic so I DO NOT want to see any flames in my mailbox saying I'm a character thief!!! *Pants for a second* Read on!

Sano's POV

I found her the next day; sitting under a tall tree not far outside Tokyo.  She was sitting cross-legged with her kodachi sheath across her lap; the keen blade sheathed safely away.  I walked up to the tree and leaned against its broad trunk next her, sticking my hands into my pockets and chewing upon a twig between my teeth. 

Kiya didn't even acknowledge my presence for awhile, but I doubted that she didn't know that I was there.  I broke the silence with the most random question I could think of.

"Nice weather we're having,"

Kiya simply nodded once. "Um hm,"

"Quite warm too," I added.

"Um hm,"

"Very sunny and--"

"Cut the crap Sano and tell me what it is that you want," Kiya spoke in a commanding tone.

I paused, what did I want?

"Well, I was going to ask you if were feeling alright and--"

"I'm fine," Kiya snapped.

I sighed. "Good, are you going to stop by the Akabeko for lunch today?"

Kiya nodded and stood, clipping her kodachi back onto its belt.  "I will be there, I just have to take care of something at the police office first." With that she walked back into town; her arms crossed.

****************

Miso soup has never tasted so good in my entire life, especially when I was stupid enough to forget to have breakfast this morning.  I drained the bowl and sighed, highly satisfied.

Tae walked up to my table, her cute face scowling a bit as she read me the check for my meal, expecting the same answer from me.

"Sorry Tae, I don't have any cash,"

Tae's scowl deepened as she glared at me and walked away in a huff. 

As I started on my rice the Akabeko suddenly fell silent, like someone of great importance had entered.

That sort of was the case…

Kiya had walked in, her usual mask of stone placed upon her features as she surveyed the room with an ice-cold glare before continuing to where she had spotted me.  And as soon she had settled herself down in front of me, all activity picked up from where it had left off.

"So, why did you stop at the police office?"

Kiya shot me a glare before answering.  "Their captain just wanted to inform me of Gorro Fujiita's coming to Tokyo in a few days and-"

"Blargh!"  The food I had been chewing spewed out my mouth and downwards into my lap with sticky wetness.

Kiya arched an eyebrow at me and quietly continued eating as if nothing had happened. "What's got you messed up for?" she asked coldly.

I ran my sleeve across my mouth as a napkin. "Gorro Fujiita isn't really Gorro Fujiita at all," I said, my brows spiraling downwards in an irritated frown.

Kiya stopped eating; her chopsticks halfway toward her mouth and stared at me her eyebrow arched once more.  "Then who is he really?"

"Hajiime Saito,"

Kiya absorbed this quietly, chopsticks moving from mouth to food in slow movements.  Finally she set down the utensils and smirked up at me.

"So Hajiime Saito's really the leader of the third squad of the Shinsengumi hm?  The feared Wolf of Mibu, I thought Fujiita had fit the description, interesting." She said and leaned back against the wall behind her.

I crossed my arms loosely against my chest.  "You aren't surprised?"

Kiya shook her head. "Not at all, should I be?"

I sighed.  "The guy's an unpredictable man, the bastard,"

Kiya hmphed and crossed her arms; closing her eyes as she did so. "I sense contempt in your voice, Sano.  What'd Saito do?" Kiya smirked.  "Let me guess, he beat the crap out of you a few times, right?"

I opened my mouth to snap back at her.

"Yeah, Sano got a sword in the shoulder from that guy!"

I turned to my right to see fourteen year-old Yahiko grinning a mile a minute at his comment.  Tokyo's resident red head rurouni and Kaoru stood behind him smiling politely. 

"Yahiko!!"

The kid grinned even wider and pulled a face at me.

Kiya hmphed again.  "Still a child," she muttered and continued eating, eyes closed and blatantly ignoring the others.

I could feel Yahiko's fury upon hearing the comment from where I was sitting.  I winced as Yahiko started to rant his little heart out.

"I am not a child!!!  I'm practically an adult!" he shouted, his face turning a nice shade of crimson.

Kiya didn't even flinch at the shouting, just continued eating as if nothing was happening that was of any importance to her.

"Hey, are you even listening to me!!??"  Yahiko was just on the verge of trying something drastic, rolling up his sleeves and growling at the female sweeper.

Kiya opened one eye, the dark blue pool holding no emotion for the younger teen before her.  "No, I was eating and I don't enjoy being yelled at during lunch, kid."  She said quietly, but dangerously.

Yahiko glared hard at her.  "I'm not a little kid, I'm fourteen thanks!"

Kiya had opened both eyes by now. "Then act your age," Kiya set down her chopsticks and slipped on her shoes standing up to her full height of 5'.  She slid past Kenshin and Kaoru, pausing before she exited the Akabeko. "Act your age and then I'll stop calling you kid," she said firmly and left.

**************************************

Note: Okay we're switching Pov's now from Sano to Kiya. Don't like it? Tough, besides there's a slightly amusing part coming up…. and Sano can't be everywhere at once anyway.

I sighed as I left the Akabeko and plunged into the bustle of Tokyo.  Yahiko, that kid was full energy it seemed, hotheaded too.  I brushed away the ever-irritating strands of black hair that always seemed to break my vision and continued walking toward Tokyo's outskirts.  All this noise was getting to me, I needed somewhere quiet, fast, before I got angry and accidentally let her out.  My monster fed off my anger, not happiness as Dr. Takani had heard.  I had overheard them talking when I had stayed at her clinic, feigning sleep.

Finally…

An open area full of rice fields revealed it before me, random trees placed in any place found suitable, sometimes in clusters.  I sat myself down under one, leaned my back against its cool and rough bark. I closed my eyes, allowing my guard to drop a little, what would hurt me out here? The open fields were far from the bloodstained alleys of Osaka and I doubted simple farmers would attack me.

"Um, excuse me? Miss?"  I felt a slight tap upon my shoulder.

I jumped and automatically punched forward with my right fist, connecting solidly with the speaker's face.  I stood opening my eyes as I did so, to find a black haired young man about my age on the ground before me, his hand covering a bleeding mouth. He was dressed in black outer haori edged in small flames around the sleeves and hem over another haori modestly gray. The pair of hakama he wore was the same light color as his inner haori.

He took his hand away from his mouth to speak. "What was that for?" he said angrily, strange amber eyes crackling with fury at being punched and by a girl no less.

I sighed and tucked my thumbs into the wide sash around my waist. "I'm sorry for that, you shouldn't disturb someone who's trying to find quiet," I said coldly.

The young man got to his feet and guess what, he towered over me at a height of about 5'10, what a surprise…

"My name is Kito Fujiita," He said suddenly, flicking back a short black ponytail over his shoulder.

"And this is important to me how?" I asked already bored with his seemingly light attitude.

He never answered my question. "Is this Kyoto by any chance?" Kito asked bluntly.

I stared at him, feeling my eyebrow twitch in irritation. "You passed Kyoto a while back, Fujiita. This is Tokyo," Didn't this guy have any sense of direction?

Kito stared at me for awhile, amber eyes confused. "This isn't Kyoto?"

I shook my head.

He scratched his head, his mouth curled into a delicate frown. "I could've sworn…." He set down the bag on his shoulder and dug through it, a pair of chopsticks flying past my head and a lost sandal following them.  I caught the sandal in my right hand and tossed it back at him, landing it near his bag.

"Got it!" Kito said triumphantly and held up a slightly crumpled up map.  He opened it and handed it to me pointing to where it said Kyoto, where Tokyo should be.

"See!  Here it is!" He laughed.

I pulled the map closer to my nose. "Hmph, Osaka isn't even in the right place, you idiot.  Tokyo and Kyoto have been switched see?"

I gripped his chin and pulled his head down so that his face was inches away from the thin paper of the fake map.  Kito looked at it for a second before wrenching his chin out of my grip, his angry frown back in place.

"I bought a fake?" he sputtered.  "This map's a fake?"

I folded the map and then threw it into the air.  I then disposed of it within a few good slashes of my kodachi, letting the tiny pieces litter the ground.

Kito's jaw dropped. "I…I paid good money for that!" he shouted.  He fished out a small sack and upended it, nothing came out. "And I'm broke!!"

I sighed and crossed my arms, heading back toward Tokyo, my back turned on Kito. "I guess that's your problem," I said coldly.

"Could I borrow some cash perhaps, um…"

I paused and turned to face him. "Kiya Sagara, and no you may not borrow money from me."

Kito stuck out his lip and pouted; a very odd action for someone his age. "Please?"

"No,"

"C'mon, Kiya!"

"I said no,"

"Not even a single yen?"

"Not even a single chance, Kito." I said, sending a glare that would make most people turn and walk the other way, but not Kito.

He crossed his arms, frowning. "Why not?"

I sighed, my fists clenching and unclenching beneath my crossed arms. "There are two kinds of people in this world that I can't stand, one being drunks and two being whiners.  I believe you, Kito, fall into the second category."

Kito stared at me for a while, narrow amber eyes widening a little and then narrowing.. "Uh, huh…" he mumbled.

I rolled my eyes and turned around again to head back toward Tokyo.  A large hand suddenly wrapped itself around my upper arm, stopping my walk.  I slowly turned around to face Kito yet again.

"I guess I'll have to follow you back to town, ne?" he said with a grin.  I suddenly caught myself thinking that his strange colored eyes were somewhat alluring, drawing me in like a-- No!  I banished the thought out of my head with a frown.

"Whatever, just don't try anything perverted or you'll regret it, understand?"  I said coldly wrenching my arm out of his grasp and continuing back into Tokyo.  Kito followed close behind me like a trained dog on a leash, excepting the leash anyways.

Tokyo's crowd was as thick as ever, smiling children and quiet, but serene mothers telling them to behave while they shopped and men shouting at each other across the streets.

I mentally hit myself, twice, for not trying to get rid of Kito when I had the chance.  It would have been easy in this crowd.  But his hand had attached itself to my shoulder, so wherever I went he would follow. 

I finally entered Ruffian Row, where Sano lived.  Maybe he would be able to get Kito off my back for me.

"Saito!!  What do you want!?" Sano's voice suddenly yelled out.

Kito and I rounded a corner to Hajiime Saito (a.k.a. Gorro Fujiita) standing with his arms crossed in front of an irritated and angry Sanosuke Sagara.

Sano's expression softened a bit when he saw me behind Saito. "Oi! Kiya!  Would you mind beating the crap out of Saito for me?"

I shook my head as Saito turned around to face me. "Have you gotten so soft that you need someone else to fight your battles for you Sano?" I smirked as I said this, thoroughly enjoying the look of fury that now covered my adoptive brother's face. 

Saito hmphed as his eyes landed upon me. "So you're the Black Rose from Osaka," he said thoughtfully.  "I thought you'd be taller than even the Battousai, at least."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever, now would you mind getting rid of this leech from my shoulder Mr. Saito?" I said directing my demand toward Kito.

Saito chuckled. "Of course, I'd be happy to remove my son from your shoulder," he said, his voice underlined with a bit of anger toward Kito.  So Kito was his son, interesting.

Kito quickly took his hand off my shoulder. "Uh, hello Father…" He said softly, obviously fearing his parent.

Saito's already narrow eyes, narrowed even further as he glared at Kito.  "I thought I left you home with your mother," he started slowly.

Kito laughed nervously, edging himself behind me, my body creating a shield between himself and his father. "Yes, well, she-"

"I doubt your mother had anything to do with your leaving the house, am I correct?"

"Yes Father," Kito mumbled.

Saito smirked, his expression making him look more like the Wolf of Mibu than ever. "Then I expect you to leave as soon as possible,"

"But," I felt long strong arms wrap around my shoulders and across my breast as I was pulled up against Kito's chest and his voice spoke again and this time right near my ear.

"I want to stay here, with Kiya."  He said, softly.  Sano clapped a hand over his mouth to keep a mountain of laughter from pouring out as I shot a glare his way.  I could feel my temper rise as I realized Kito would not let go, unless he was asked to, with punch of course.

Saito's eyebrow twitched as he took out a cigarette and lit it up taking a good drag before exhaling, rings of smoke encircling his head. "Kito, I suggest you let go of her," he said with tone hinting at my upcoming reaction.

"Why?" Kito asked.

I gripped Kito's wrists hard with both hands and bending over I flipped him over my head and onto his back, right in front of his father.

"Pervert," I snarled and walked over to stand by Sano, a safe distance between Kito and me.

Saito chuckled and threw down his cigarette into the dirt, crushing it under his boot. "You see what I mean, Kito?"

His son winced as he sat up, rubbing the back of his head. "Yes father, I do." He muttered.

"Good, now follow me and I'll provide you enough money to get home." Said Saito and stepped casually over his son and continued walking toward the police station.

Kito grumbled something sounding like"…bastard…" and got to his feet.  He flashed a grin my way. "Sayonara, Kiya!" he said cheerily, his voice edged with a hint of a seductive tone.  He ran to catch up with his father, both men disappearing around a corner and out of sight.

Sano's hand landed lightly upon my shoulder, as he let out full-scale laughter. "Man, Kiya!! You should've seen the look on your face when he hugged you!!  You were blushing!  I could've mistaken your cheeks for crab apples!!"

I froze for a second before turning my head to look up at Sano. "Really?  I was blushing?"

A full-scale grin took over my adopted brother's face. "Yeah, Kiya you were…"

An unfamiliar tug at the corners of my lips pulled my mouth into what I thought was a smile.  A surprised look from Sano told me that it was indeed.

"K…Kiya you're smiling!" he said loudly.

A giggle escaped my throat and I gasped and clapped a hand over my mouth, surprised.  I couldn't remember the last time I'd laughed…

Sano suddenly picked me up in his arms and swung me around in circles. "You're beating her Kiya!  You're beating her!" he shouted happily, laughing at the same time.  I laughed with him, feeling…. Happy was it? Yeah… that was it, happy…

**************************************

Sano's POV

I laughed as I picked Kiya up and swung her 'round in circles, feeling my mood rise as she laughed along with me.

"S…Sano!! Hahahahah!  P…put me down!"  Kiya half shouted through her laughter, her hands gripping my forearms tightly as if she was afraid of falling out of my grasp.

I swung her around a final time before setting her down upon her feet, panting slightly.  I could still hear tiny giggles coming from the female sweeper as I looked back down at her and stared.

A small purple cloud blew its way out of one of Kiya's ears, I stared at it, what the hell is that?  The cloud disappeared only seconds after it hit the dry summer air. 

Kiya waved a hand rapidly in front of my eyes, snapping me out of my daze.  "Sano?  Sano, you ok?" she asked.

I jumped a little and recovered, hiding my look of suspicion and replacing it with a smile.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, but Kiya you laughed!"

She grinned a little.  "I know, I loved it!" she giggled and scratched the back of her neck nervously.

"Hello Sano!  Good afternoon Miss Kiya!"

 We both turned to see Kenshin rounding the corner with his usual pleasant smile upon his face.  He blinked twice at the smile Kiya wore and shook his head once before speaking. 

"I heard you both a little while ago and wondered what was making people like you two laugh so nicely," he said cheerily.

I chuckled a little and rested my right hand upon Kiya's shoulder gently.  "Well, it seems that my little sister here has an admirer," I said slyly.

Kenshin's mouth tilted into a bigger smile. "Oh, really?  Who's the lucky young man?"

Kiya opened her mouth to speak, but at the last moment shut it deciding it best not to retaliate against Kenshin's comment.  She instead chose to send glares out of the corners of her eyes in my direction.

I shrugged.  "Kenshin, did you know that Saito has a son?" Kenshin shook his head, violet eyes widening a little.

"Well, he does, his name's Kito and it seems he has his heart set on winning over Kiya,"  I chuckled and scratched the back of my neck. "And he isn't doing a very good job so far,"

I glanced down at Kiya and almost laughed out loud as her cheeks colored once again as she bowed her head.

Kenshin chuckled.  "He isn't is he?  Well, I do wish the both of you luck, Miss Kiya."

Kiya lifted her head to shoot an icy glare at Kenshin. "Kito, annoys me Himura." She said coldly.

Kenshin just blinked twice before letting out another small chuckle.  "Well, I wish you luck anyways," He tilted his head to look up at the sky, letting loose a slight sigh.  "Before I forget, Sano, Megumi wanted to see you at Doctor Gensai's.  She says she needs to change that bandage on your arm again, she thinks the wound you got from that street fight earlier hasn't healed yet." He nodded a goodbye and left.

I removed my hand away from Kiya's shoulder and stuck it into my pocket with a sigh.

"I swear, that woman worries more than twenty women combined.  My arm's just fine…" I mumbled to myself.  Kiya snorted and started walking away from me; long ponytail swishing along her back.

"Where're you going Kiya?"

My little sister didn't even slow down her pace. "The police station, Sano.  The sun is starting to set and I need to get my assignment for tonight."

I nodded mutely and headed for the Akabeko to fill my growling stomach with a satisfying beef pot….

*******************

Kiya's POV

I bit the inside of my lip as I walked along to the police station.  One thing was bothering me, I was perfectly happy around Sano and whenever someone else was around I was cold, as ice.  I didn't get how I could just change between personas like that. I wanted to stay happy, but the iciness always took over and I never did anything to stop it.  Could I do something to break its cold grip upon my mind?  Or would I stay a short, cold and icy mannered killer without any emotions to show to the outside world? 

I winced as these thoughts clouded my thinking and abruptly started a dull pain within my head.  I paused right in the middle of the street gritting my teeth as the pain within my head grew in intensity.  My vision started to darken and I vigorously shook my head to clear it away and then I knew.  She was trying to take over, Berserk; she wasn't keeping to our promise we'd made!

"Stop this right now!" I scream to her inside my head.

I feel her smirk slyly as she moves within my body, her poison eventually finding its way to my heart; black fingers waiting just inches away to attack it.  I shiver and rub my arms shakily; the dark fingers are very cold. 

Berserk grins and pulls herself out of my mouth in a ghost like form to stand before me and of course I'm the only one who can see her.  Berserk has no true image, but instead she takes the image of whoever she's possessing, me this time. 

I still feel the icy and ugly blackness around my heart and I slowly look down and as I do my horror doubles.  Berserk's cold slender hand is inserted into my chest and her fingers still surround my most precious life organ.  Berserk is only an arm's length away from me. My mind closes itself to the outside world and narrows its vision to see and hear the blood thirsty bitch named Berserk before me.    

"Why should I, Kiya my dear?  Tell me why I should," She says teasingly with that cruel humor of hers.  I glare at her and try to take her hand out of my chest, but my own digits close over nothing for Berserk's hand is literally made of nothing, nothing but her endless thirst for blood.  She laughs and squeezes my heart roughly between those clawed fingers.  I scream and hug myself tight as the agonizing pain continues…and for once in my life I am powerless to stop it.

"Stop it!  Stop it, please!"  I cry over and over, begging my monster to make this pain go away. She ignores me and continues with her torture of my heart. My knees give out from underneath me and I yelp as my body meets the hard ground with a loud thump.  Berserk's hand slips itself out of my chest as I fall, she must feel satisfied with doing this to me and the satisfaction she felt seeped in from her through my pores.  The feeling made me sick and I curled up into a sorry little ball to dull another pain growing within my stomach.

Berserk pressed her foot upon my head, forcing me to breathe in the dust of one of Tokyo's many streets that I now lay in the middle of.  I was slightly aware of the city's inhabitants taking a wide berth of my curled up form, young women and mothers whispered to each other while the men stared at me suspiciously.  They all must've thought I was an escaped patient from an insane asylum or something the way they stayed far away from me. 

My monster pressed harder against my head and forcing the headache I already had to multiply and stream down my forehead to settle between my eyes.  Tears build up against the backs of my eyes and I squeeze them shut to hold the salty wetness back.

"Well, I see that I have taught you a lesson, but…."  Berserk broke off as her evil amber eyes swept out over the staring crowd.  "I prefer to have fun right now, if you don't mind."  She then giggled like a small child and evaporated into thin air forming herself into a small purple cloud. 

"Let's begin!"  The cloud squeaked and then shoved its way down my throat.  I felt Berserk grip hold of my body and I screamed as my short frame grew to about 5'7 and fangs appeared within my mouth.  Claws took place of my human fingernails long and sharp and the worse thing was about all this is that it hurt, it hurt worse than any cut or wound ever would, ever.

"And this time I'll let you watch as a special treat my dear!"  I heard her voice reverberate within my head before she dove into the crowd and began her killing spree.

I screamed at her to stop until I felt my voice grow hoarse, reducing me to a rasping bundle of misery from the upright proud teen I was supposed to be.  Men's heads flew left and right while women and children were torn to crimson shreds and the screaming and confusion, god, pray I never hear sounds like those again!

"Kiya?!"

Berserk turned around to face the new voice and I blinked twice when I saw who it was. 

Kito?

He stood there with a sake jug in one hand and the other clapped over his mouth as if he was trying to keep from throwing up at the bloody sight before him.  The sake jug dropped from his hand and shattered upon the ground staining the area with another liquid besides the familiar scarlet the dusty streets now drank in.

"Now who's this pretty boy?" Berserk drawled, clearly amused.

I stiffened inside my mental prison, damn him!  If that moron does not get going now he'll be dead before I can say for him to do so! 

Kito reached into his flame patterned outer haori and pulled out one of those cheap concealable swords I'd seen most of my targets carry around.  He wrenched off the wooden sheath, tossing it aside and slid into the stance for the infamous Gatotsu, the lethal attack used by most of the Shisengumi during the revolution.  He must've learned it from his father, the former leader of the third squad of the Shisengumi. 

I felt my monster smile evilly as she turned around fully to stare back at Kito with those mad yellow eyes.  "Well, I see this boy knows some things, interesting and yet it is too bad that he will die tonight." Said Berserk, I hate her voice, so sweet and innocent and yet so deadly at the same time. 

Kito simply glared back at her and said. "I do not plan on dying," Funny how his cheeks were slightly pink as if he was drunk or something. He continued on quite understandably, odd. "You have impersonated a girl I've just met today and I do not like how you're making her out to be an insane killer."

Berserk just threw her head back and laughed.  I shuddered, even her laughing was horrible, even more so when you yourself are right inside of her head.

"Oh my dear boy, you speak of what you do not know.  But do not worry I will gladly tell you her secret after I've put a hole through you of course!"  With this said, she continued laughing toward the sky clearly ignoring Kito.

"SHUT UP!!!!"

Berserk did and turned her head slowly to glance upon Kito once more.  "Die!" She said loudly and disappeared.

Kito looked around wildly to find his prey, amber eyes narrowed more than usual and reduced to tiny slits.  Oh how irritating it was to be trapped inside a mad killer who raced circles around its prey before pouncing upon the unsuspecting subject.  I wanted to shout his name.  Shout his name and say. "I'm right here!  Kito!  Right here, kill me!"  But I couldn't, he would not be able to hear me anyway for one person, the person I did not want to have my cries heard by at all would hear everything. 

What could I do?  What could I do?  What the fuck could I do?  Nothing that was it!  Nothing!  I felt weak and hopeless, weak and hopeless like when I was a child.  But I am not a child any longer!  So what could I do!?  What could I do!?

Kito smirked a little and instead of a thrust he swung his sword in a wide sweep behind him, left to right.  Berserk ducked under the swing, still racing around him, but she did not have to run any longer for the swing had left Kito wide open.  She leapt forward, thrusting her claws toward Kito's heart.  Kito watched in blind shock as Berserk's claws sank deep into his chest and his hand moved automatically to wrench her hand from inside his flesh. 

I screamed at Berserk to let him go or else or else I'll…I'll-

"You'll do what?  Break free of me?  For a girl as weak as you are you have no chance of succeeding! You and I will be one forever and there is nothing," Berserk twisted her hand around Kito's heart as if she was unscrewing a glass bottle.  Kito's face went as white as a sheet and he bit his lip for a moment to keep from screaming before letting out a loud hoarse yell.

"Nothing that you can do to stop it!" Berserk finished and she leaned forward to rip out Kito's heart at her own desired pace undisturbed.  I cried within her, no, MY body unable to do anything to stop Kito from dying at the hands of my monster.  I was alone in the dark abyss of her head and able to see every horrible thing she would and will do.  All I could do was cry, cry and scream useless threats. Oh Kito, I'm so sorry, I'm so, so sorry….

"Put my son down you bitch,"

My monster turned her head slightly to look over her shoulder and promptly smirked. She dropped Kito and turned around to face her new enemy or new meal whatever way it didn't matter much to Berserk.  She'd have some fun with both father and son.

"So, the famous Hajime Saito has come to save his son, how touching," Berserk drawled, flexing her clawed fingers idly as if not taking Saito as a serious threat.  Bad mistake and for that she would die a slow painful death and come to think of it so would I!  But in doing so Japan itself would be free of Berserk's blood lust forever, never to see her ugly face again!

Saito spat out the cigarette he held within his teeth and hmphed, shifting a little within his Gatostu stance. "Think whatever you want bitch.  I'll have you on the ground and dying

before the night is done."

Berserk chuckled and then laughed, throwing her head back before bringing it down to smirk at Saito once more.  "Oh please, you men and your threats." She snorted and flicked my hair out of her eyes, idly. "Well then, let's see if you can carry out this little threat of yours shall we?"

            Saito smirked, his expression making him look more like the wolf of Mibu than ever before. "If you wish n-"

"Wait!"

Kito?

Berserk turned around, a rather annoyed look upon her face as she faced Saito's somewhat drunk son once more. He stood upon steady legs while one hand clutched the handle of his concealable sword.  Five small holes encircling his heart still bled freely from under his haori.

"Oh what now?  You want to play too?" Berserk said and smiled.  "Fine then, Saito can wait.  I need to squash a few bugs before the real fun starts anyway."

Kito let out what sounded like a snarl from between clenched teeth and wiped the trickle of crimson running down his chin. "I'm not finished with her yet, father." He spat out the word 'finished' as if it was some kind of poison.  Saito hmphed again and sheathed his sword with a metallic click, crossing his arms as he spoke. "Well if you mess up this time I'm not going to jump in and save you, understand?  You are at least nineteen, are you not?"

Kito nodded and slipped into the Gatostu stance once more, his odd colored eyes focused one thing, Berserk. "Go away old man, you aren't needed." He growled and narrowed his eyes into a very viscous glare.

Saito hmphed again and walked over to lean against the doorway of one of the businesses that lined the street. "Then fight Kito," He said and lit up another cigarette.

Kito spat off to the side and without warning charged forward to attack Berserk.  Berserk jumped to the side to avoid his blade, but Kito suddenly switched his thrust into a brutal diagonal slash to the right. Clearly this was not something Berserk had expected as the sharp blade bit deep into her upper arm.  She stumbled back and then leapt forward to rake her claws across Kito's cheek, he winced and touched his face lightly. Scarlet stained his fingers as he looked up with the harshest glare I have ever seen from anyone before and then attacked with a vertical slash meant to cut Berserk in half like a fish.  But she crossed her forearms in front of her head and blocked the blade, using her arms as if they were kodachi blades to defend herself.  I yelped as the new wound appeared on my body that she had taken over from me, every wound she received from Kito would ultimately injure me as well and that always pissed me off. 

The two continued fighting, the blade whistling everytime it missed its target, which was often, unfortunately for Kito.  I felt blindly for my kodachi within Berserk's head, where was it?  I let out a sigh of frustration as I realized that the blade was still attached to my waist by the braided leather belt my father had made especially for me.  I slipped out the keen blade and without even thinking drove it's point downwards into the soft purple ground in front of me that I sat prisoner upon.

Berserk screamed…

…. And at the same time a jolt of pain rammed through my brain.  I screamed and clutched at my head, letting go of the weapon with its point still lodged into the ground.  Kami, the pain!  It struck my head like a gunshot would and throbbed uncontrollably as I staggered around in pain. Finally my knees could no longer hold my weight and let me fall heavily to the soft squishy earth below me.

Suddenly the window that Berserk had allowed me to see the outside world through her own evil eyes closed tightly shut and I heard the thudding sound of a body falling to the ground. I could faintly hear someone calling my name as I slid to my feet, the agonizing pain within my head ebbing away into a dull throbbing.  

A whisp of purple mist suddenly appeared and quickly materialized into the sickeningly familiar form of Berserk, a menacing snarl upon her lips. She always looked exactly like me, from the same outfit to the black hair and scar, she could've been my older sister if not for the slitted and glowing amber eyes and clawed hands.  Berserk had no true image, if you didn't count the small cloud of purple mist that took her place when she was not within my body.

She drew her own kodachi from identical sheath and belt and got into the same fighting stance I always used, amber eyes narrowing into tiny slits. "I tire of you ruining my fun, now prepare yourself, child.  I kill you here, I keep your body and that nice looking Kito boy.  Oh, and your elder brother too, he was quite handsome indeed and who was that-"

"Shut your mouth!" I shout at her, slipping into my own stance, kodachi blade out and ready. "I'm sick of you using my body at your own whim and pleasure!  I'm disgusted with your obsession to see blood and placing these murderous faults on me!" I pull my blue headband away from around my head and wrap it slowly around my blade hand continuing to speak as I did so.  "I am tired of hearing, seeing and feeling you cause such pain, to me and others around me." I lift my head to glare harshly at my enemy, my most loathed being. "Now prepare yourself to die, for I desire to see you no more."

Berserk let out a short bark of laughter, tossing her head back once before bending forward to look at me again, smirk curving demoness lips. "Bold words child, bold words indeed.  They will be your downfall, my dear."  And with those words she disappeared.

I gasped as the end of a keen blade appeared within my right shoulder and then was brutally yanked out, splattering my clothing with my own crimson essence.  I let out a short yell of pain as the blade left my body and fell upon my knees, clutching at my wounded shoulder.  I felt my blood slide between my tightly clenched fingers as Berserk's voice whispered near my ear:

"See my child? You cannot defeat me," I heard her stand up and take a few steps to prepare for her next attack. "You and I will be one, forever!"

No…

No…

No!!!!!

***********************************************************************************************************************

Next time on Rurouni Kenshin…

Kiya battles the demon Berserk within the abyss of her own mind, but with a serious injury at the shoulder will the Black Rose be able to defeat Berserk or will she forever remain the sole host body of the rage demon?  Find out next time on….

      Rurouni Kenshin!!!

                Final Fight: Kiya! Defeat the Demon Within!