Glossary: Koishii=dear/darling, Otousan=Father, Mou=Already/Too soon, Tasukette=Help!, Aisoku=beloved son, Sochi=son(Hiko for Kenshin), Shicuchi=Soujirou's unique speed, Akachan=baby, Shin-yuu=friend, Chichioya=Father(Kenshin for Hiko), Isshi=child, Saiai-beloved, Kirei=Beautiful, Esu=Save our Souls, JOdan=Joke, Meito=mate, Baka=fool,

***Attacks***

Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu Kan San Isimuji=Whirling Dragon Twister/Twisting attack.

Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu Tsui San=Dragon Hammer Kenshin's Favorit



Chapter 18



The Chosen Ones



Part One

Time 10:48pm : Getting Inside the Palace

It was not difficult to see the road leading up to the tremendous gate that was the only way through the ten feet tall brick walls that completely surrounded the Imperial Palace. The light from the enormous full Moon shone brightly against the pale yellow soil turning it to a subtle golden color in the semidarkness making the rarely used avenue easy to traverse. The silhouette of the Palace itself stood out starkly against the horizon like a great black monolith baring down upon the city

from the Heaven's giving the impression of a massive predator waiting for any unwary prey that happened to cross its path.

Nearly a dozen separate spirits entities floated and rushed along the waves of the cold night breezes each filled with a multitude of different emotions, needs, desires, and prayers. Anticipation. Passion. Terror. Doubt. Fear. Awe. Confusion. Distress. Mistrust. Faith. Love. Determination. Resolve. Courage. Honor. Trust. But most of all the air seemed to vibrate with the power of one singular thought and it was what reached out and first touched the five men approaching the Palace Gate.

Hope.

The incredible feeling of Hope reached out with open arms and embraced the The Chosen Five enveloping them within its strength and purpose, and gave to them a final boost of spirit energy that sang through their veins with the purity and determination capable of only one person.

Kaoru! The feeling of her insurmountable strength of will was unmistakable. Only she was capable of such a clear and unconditional spiritual energy like this one. She was the most stubborn, thick headed, willful, and independent woman any of these men had ever met, and she possessed the fiercest Iyoku any had ever encountered.

Strong willed Women. Hiko remembered that particular conversation he had with Kenshin about the fierceness of a strong woman's will, and all of the things Kenshin had said to him about it.

"A strong woman is a gift to her husband not a burden. She is his life why not his equal as well? Why would any man want to break the will and spirit of such a woman? Such a thing would be a wonder to behold. He should get on his knees everyday and thank Kami-sama for allowing him to call her his Wife." He could also remember talking to Kaoru the day they left Tokyo for Kyoto to find Kenshin and what he had told her.

"Have faith and keep your resolve. We will need your strength and will to keep us focused on our goal, and Kenshin will need your strength to give him strength. Do not lose your path to despair." Such innocently spoken words that were meant only to bring her comfort and to give her an anchor to hang onto in her raging sea of turmoil. Little had he known just how true those words would turn out to be.

The men were stopped and standing in front of the massive outer gate that lead into the courtyard of the Palace, Kenshin took note that the big padlock had been recently broken and the heavy chain lay uselessly along the ground. 'I was right. The guards are already dead. She is

already here making her preparations. Kaoru, I am here, koishii. Can you feel me? Feel me, Beloved, I am coming for you. Do not lose your faith in me. I am coming.'

"Can you feel that, Otousan?" Soujirou stepped up next to Kenshin who was casting an earnest gaze into the midnight blue sky. "It is Karou-dono, isn't it? It is her spirit ki reaching out to us." His voice was hushed and filled with awe and amazement despite the out-of-place smile on his face.

"Yes, I can feel it. She knows we are coming; somehow, she always knows." Kenshin met the still-glowing azure eyes of his son. "She is waiting for us... for me."

"We cannot fail."

"We must not fail." Hiko stepped up to stand on the other side of Soujirou.

"We will not fail." Aoshi appeared on Kenshin's left.

"Tonight, we fight as Brothers in the name of Heaven's Holy Justice and I do not believe God will allow us fail." Saitoh rested his hand on Aoshi's shoulder calmly.

"Then we are united in this?" Kenshin walked several steps ahead of the others and turned around to face them. "You have all released me from the responsibility of your lives, but that does not release me from my position as the Commander of this Battle Group or the responsibilities it requires of me. Is that understood?" His eyes began to glow a deep amber that quickly evolved into a brilliant flaming gold that cast it's light outward to engulf the four men he faced. "I will still fight for your lives just as I would in any other battle. I will not risk any of you as bait or a diversion in any case. I want that to be perfectly clear before we go any farther. No one will be offered or lost as a sacrifice so that the rest of us may survive. We will all go in together, and we will all come out together... unless someone loses his life in the heat of battle. That is the only death I will accept... if

acceptance is what I would be feeling. I do not want to carry the memory of any of your deaths with me, nor do I want to die. We all have much to live for so let us take care with our lives and with each others." His head dropped until his chin nearly touched his chest and he drew a deep

shuddering breath as his left hand grasped the hilt of his katana. "I pray that Kami-sama will give us the courage we need to face the task ahead and guide our footsteps and our swords this night that we may strike true and see Heaven's Holy Justice done. And let us bring into the light of Freedom those with innocent blood and those whom we love before harm is laid to their flesh."

A moment of silence passed between the five warriors then Kenshin raised his head and let his burning golden gaze encompass those he would call his family.

"Come, time will not wait for us much longer. The Moon continues her climb towards the center of the sky, and the hour draws near. We have much to do." He turned and walked through the open gate closely followed by the other four.

Time: 11:00pm

A tingling warmth crawled along Kaoru's skin beginning at her fingertips and toes and traveling the full length of her body until she was suffused with the sensation. Closing her weary eyes, she allowed herself to bask in the feelings of love and promise that circled around and within her. The energy signature was unmistakably Kenshin's and she snuggled into the comfort and happiness it represented to her. He is here. Her heart was singing with pure joy and elation as she sent her own feelings of love and hope back along the elemental bond he had established with her heart. 'I am here, My Love. I am here, and I have Faith in you. Take care with your life.'



It was taking a little more time than any of them had counted on to find a pathway through the horribly overgrown garden surrounding the Palace, but they were nearing the main doors at last. Saitoh was the first to reach the sweeping arches and he began testing the doors to see if they would open. To his surprise, they swung open with little effort on his part. 'She knows we are coming and left the door open. Arrogant Bitch! Why didn't she leave a light on too so we could at least see

where the fuck we are going?'

"Doors already open? Interesting." Hiko stepped up next to Saitoh and peered inside. "Sure is dark in there. Would have been nice if the Bitch would have left us a few torches to help out, don't you think?"

Saitoh chuckled and slapped Hiko on the back. "That is why I like you, Hiko. Great minds think alike. I was just thinking the exact same thing. She obviously knows we are coming so it would have been the polite thing to do."

"Oh I definitely agree. This Witch has none of the finer manners of decent society people at all. She needs to be educated. Do you not think?"

"Absolutely. Should we be the ones to educate Her Fucking Foulness?"

"Absolutely." They shared a wicked smile between them then turned to acknowledged the others as they approached behind. "Took you long enough. What's the matter, get lost in the dark?" Hiko's usual biting tone should have raised Kenshin's hackles especially at a time like this,

but it did not. Instead Kenshin simply lifted one elegant brown eyebrow in a show of mocking dismissal and walked to the door. 'Now you are learning.' Hiko smiled to himself.

"Anybody know their way around in here? I was only in here twice and that was years ago."

"I do." Aoshi stepped forward. "I spent many weeks here after the Shogunate declared the Palace the official meeting place for all the Samurai and Daymios. I think I can remember my way around."

"In the dark?" Saitoh sounded skeptical.

"Yes, Saitoh-san. You forget Ninja are more adept working in the dark than daylight."

"Ahhh, I had forgotten that. Forgive me, My Lord Ninja, do lead on." Everyone suppressed a chuckle at Saitoh's audacity, but Aoshi seemed nonplused by the Samurai's mocking tone. Instead he allowed a tiny hint of a smile to touch the corner of his mouth.

"Thank-you My Lord Wolf. I consider it a privilege to be allowed to lead one such as yourself considering all of your long years of accomplished leadership and obvious talents at prowling the darkness." Touche' Aoshi.

Saitoh stared at Aoshi in pure shock as if he were completely unable to believe what he had just heard. "Bloody Hell!" He swore. "Did you hear that?" He gestured wildly at the tall Ninja. "If I am not mistaken, the talking statue just insulted me... and enjoyed it." There was profound silence in the small group because no one was certain how Saitoh was reacting to Aoshi's blatant mockery of him. "This is the fucking funniest thing I have ever seen or heard in my life." He began

to laugh and wrapped an arm around Aoshi's slim shoulders. "There may be hope for you yet, Shinemori. I was beginning to think there was nothing but a dead Monk's brain inside your body, but you might actually be alive in there somewhere." A collective sigh of relief was heard around the circle of men, and Kenshin and Hiko exchanged a rare look of understanding.

"All right, so Aoshi is alive, and you think its funny. Fine, get your skinny ass out of the way so he can tell us where we need to go to get to wherever it is we have to go." Hiko gave Saitoh a hefty shove along with a huge smile that told him "you really are a piece of work" and they all followed single file through the door after Aoshi.

Time: 11:23pm

Part Two

Time11:43pm. "Bring the Child, The Time is At Hand"

Time had passed swiftly on the silent feet of a thousand ghosts from the past for Kaoru as she waited tied to the massive stone pillar. It seemed only moments since the men had dragged her inside the throne room and tied her here, but she knew nearly an hour had to have passed. It must be getting close to Midnight. She thought anxiously to herself as she tried desperately to see up and out of the large sky-light in the ceiling. There was a definite faint glowing of white light beginning to show around the edges of the huge opening, and Kaoru could feel the hands of fear starting to grip her heart despite the knowledge that Kenshin was close by. "Mou, mou...." she whispered out loud. "It is all happening too soon. I am not ready. I do not know if I can do this." 'Kenshin! Tasukete! Help me! I am afraid.... Kenshin!'

The light was becoming stronger and stronger as the room grew brighter by the moment. The few torches that burned were barely enough light to make it safe to walk around and not tumble over scattered debris and furniture, but the light from the Moon coming in through the huge sky-light added its illumination to the poor torchlight, and the room began to grow brighter as the white walls and white marble floor reflected the dazzling bright light outward against the Moon itself.

Soon it will be as bright as daylight in here. Kaoru thought as she watched The Throne Room being transformed into a glittering stage of brilliant golds, reds, purples, and greens. It almost had the feeling of being outside in a vast clearing of pure snow laying silent beneath a deep, midnight blue sky. "Dearest Kami," Kaoru's voice shook in wonder and fear at the same time as she watched the edge of the Moon emerge through the vines lining the sky-light. "We are outside after all. Kami-sama, Help...."

"It is beautiful... yes?"

Kaoru's head snapped to her right and she could see Elsbeth standing several feet away from her. Keeping your distance now are you?' She smiled inwardly. 'Good. I like it that way.'

"I have always loved the Moon. I believe She is more our Mother that the Earth ever was." Her small feet made no sound as she walked towards the white stone Altar block. "The Earth is weak, and nurtures an inferior race." Her head whipped around violently and she faced Kaoru

defiantly. "All mankind is weak. Men are weak. They are simple minded and can be manipulated easily with the lasciviousness of carnal pleasures in to doing anything that is asked of them. They are stupid animals worth no more than a mangy dog and as easily replaced." A frail looking white hand ran over the smooth surface of the stone as she glided passed one side and stopped at the top. "I have found uses for several of them, but eventually they can all be replaced by someone else. No one is irreplaceable, little Crow. No one." Grey-green eyes locked gazes with Kaoru's diamond blue eyes. "Not even Himura. I loved him once you know. Truly I did." She watched as a look of disbelief crossed Kaoru's face. "You do not believe me? What? You do not think I am capable of

loving anyone? Well, you are wrong. I did love him." She circled the Altar once again. "And he loved me more than anything. He would have died for me. He would have given up everything for me, everything. But I left him because he was still just a man, and he was weak. He never

understood my need to be something greater than I was. He never understood anything, but everything will change tonight." She leaned back and stared upwards into the rising full moon. "Tonight HE will understand everything, and he will become a part of something greater than all of us."

"You are wrong." Kaoru kept her voice as steady and calm as she could. "Kenshin will not allow any of this to happen. He will stop you."

"Do not be a fool, little Crow. Do you not understand anything yet?" Elsbeth waved her hands in the air showing her frustration at Kaoru's continued obstinance. "He cannot stop me. I have the upper hand and all the power. What does he have? Tell me? What does he have?"

"Faith. Hope. Determination. Honor. And the soul of a true Warrior who will not be so easily beaten or dismissed as you think. Kenshin was the Battousai for a long time. He knows all about death and evil, but he also knows the pain and courage it takes to come back into the light and the incredible strength that is the reward for the tremendous toil. I would not take him so lightly if I were you. He is not so weak as you seem to think he is. He will stop you."

"NO!" Elsbeth screamed the word at the top of her lungs and lunged at Kaoru at incredible speed. A knife blade flashed before startled blue eyes in a split instant, and then there was a sharp burning pain in her side.

"NNNYYAAA!" Kaoru could not stifle the cry that tore itself from her mouth as the blade punctured the flesh of her lower abdomen. Her horrified blue gaze locked and held Elsbeth's giddy silver one for only a moment, and then Elsbeth was leaping away pulling the dagger roughly out of the wound. Kaoru looked down at herself and saw blood seeping through the lower left side of her lavender yutaka. 'She's stabbed me.' The thought rushed through her head. 'She actually stabbed me. Kami....' She watched in confusion as Elsbeth ran swiftly over to the Altar and carefully held the dagger tip down letting the fresh blood drip off making a small round puddle at the head of the surface of the white stone.

"The blood of two," Her eyes gleamed with demented excitement. "Mixed with "The Blood of the Innocent" will be very strong. Very strong indeed."

"The blood of two?" Kaoru was confused.

"You and your baby, stupid Crow-girl. Do you not know anything, even about yourself?"

Kaoru could feel her cheeks growing warm as the implication of Elsbeth's words sank in. 'The dream... the baby.... Kenji?? Kenshin's son? Our son? It was REAL? I am pregnant with Kenshin's akachan?' Then her befuddled brain registered something else.

'She is using the blood of the baby, she has the baby's blood on the Altar already. What is that going to do? What will happen with it already there? It is already there!' Kaoru started to get a very bad feeling about that. Babies were the most innocent beings in creation, and even if Kenji's blood was mixed with hers, it was still his blood and it was on the Altar. 'Kami-sama... Kenshin... HURRY!!!!'

"Ha haha! So you finally understand, at last. You stupid girl. Even I could sense both spirits inside you without expending hardly an ounce of energy. At first when I took you from your room it was only with intention of luring Himura out into the open, but imagine my joyful surprise when I discovered the amazing little treasure you were carrying inside of you. Can you not even read your own body you stupid crow?" A tinkling mocking laugh danced and ricocheted off the walls until it was careening through out the entire room. "I wonder if that fool Himura even knows yet. How surprised he will be when he finds out. Too bad neither of you will be around to see the little maggot come screaming into this world." Then she got a very odd look on her face as if the most strange thing had just occurred to her. "I guess the little maggot will not get to be around for that either." And she dissolved into squealing peals of hysterical laughter that nearly doubled her over as

she stumbled away from the Altar.

It took Elsbeth several long moments to regain her composure, but once she did she cast a glance of pure amusement at Kaoru's stony face then turned towards the back of the room where she shouted in a laughter filled voice. "Bring me the Child. The Moon has almost reached the center of the sky-light." She pulled the grey hood of her cloak up to cover her head and conceal her features. "The Hour of My Lord is almost at Hand."

"Did you hear that?" Hiko turned and motioned off to his right. "It sounded like laughter... maybe. Did anyone else hear it?"

"I did." Aoshi's long legs carried him into the darkness and he disappeared for a few moments. When he returned, he was pale and more stone faced that usual. "Follow me this way." He turned back the way he had just been. "Our quarry lies in this direction, as well as that which we must save. Come quickly" A tone of urgence colored his usually expressionless voice. "We are running out of time, and from what I saw there is precious little left for us to work with."

Kenshin felt as if Aoshi had thrown a bucket of icy cold water in his face. "What did you see? Aoshi?" He ran to catch up with the long- legged Ninja. "What did you see? Tell me."

"It is better if you do not know right now, Himura. Trust me. Please."

"Aoshi....?" Kenshin's voice filled with alarm. "Kaoru??" 'God, no!'

"She is alive. I saw her, but we need to hurry. Come, my Brother. Hurry." 'Run Kenshin!'

They ran through the darkness until Aoshi made a sharp right turn and brought them up short against a partially opened doorway. Ever so carefully and quietly he eased himself through the space between the two doors and entered the room beyond without making a single noise. Each man followed suit behind him until they were all inside and standing together.

They were at the end of the Throne Room as faraway from the Throne and the Altar as was possible, but the entire room was still fully visible to them and it was not difficult to find Kaou. She was tied securely to one of the huge Samurai pillars that supported the ceiling. Her head was up, but it was obvious to them that she was having difficulties keeping it that way. The room was no longer filled with the power of her hope and strength of will, but now resonated with her confusion and extreme anxiety. And she was getting weaker. Something was sapping her physical strength and she was growing weaker by the minute.

Kenshin struggled to make some sort of contact with her so she would know he was very close, but she was so weakened and tired he could not find her. 'What is wrong, koishii? What has happened to you? Why are you so frail all of a sudden?' He was worried. Something was very

wrong with Kaoru, but he was unsure what.

"We have to get closer," He indicated to his small combat group the need to move to a more strategic point of observation. A sharp tug on the sleeve of his gi pulled his attention to Saitoh who gestured with his other hand to a place about 75 feet away where several rotted pieces of wall furniture lay stacked on top of and around each other. The area should provide a reasonable amount of cover and protection for them as well as conceal them from view. Kenshin nodded in agreement and motioned for everyone to follow him.

Upon reaching the destination of the pile of rotted shelving, each man found himself a comfortable place to kneel and settled into it to wait for further instructions. Kenshin and Hiko knelt next to one another and both were watching the scene before them with the sharp eyes of the Hiten Mitsurugi.

It was clear to see now why Kaoru was struggling to maintain her levity. Blood was soaking her yutaka on the lower left side of her stomach. Elsbeth was clutching the long narrow-bladed dagger she seemed to be so fond of and it was easy to see the tip of it was still stained with Kaoru's blood. Aoshi must have seen Elsbeth stab her. Kenshin thought as a cold shudder of fear seized him. 'Kami... she is bleeding so much. Oh God, no. Help me! KAORU!!'

Hiko felt the fear and concern spike within his son, and knew what Kenshin was thinking. "Calm yoursef, Kenshin." He placed a strong comforting hand on the younger mans shoulder and squeezed it. "It does not look like a life threatening wound. It was only made deep enough to make her bleed not kill her."

"But... if she did not want to kill Kaoru, why make her bleed?" Kenshin looked into Hiko's shimmering yellowish-green eyes. "Why does she need or want Kaoru's blood?"

Hiko had the grace to look just as confused as his son as he turned his gaze back to the two women facing off against each other. "Why indeed? What is in Kaoru's blood that Bitch would want or need that she would only wound her? I see no sense in it."

"Did you say 'in her blood'?" Kenshin's voice bore the tone of a man who was standing on a cliff staring his own imminent death in the face. Suddenly it was all perfectly clear, and as he reached out and tried to touch the spirit of his beloved, The White Warrior felt the unmistakable terror that was not only Kaoru, but something else.

"Yes. What has that got to do with anything?" Hiko looked at Kenshin's profile in puzzled irritation. "What the hell are you getting at?"

"It is not Kaoru she wants. Maybe it never was." Kenshin closed his eyes and cursed under his breath as his hands closed around the hilt of his sheathed katana. "And it is not even her blood she is after." 'Damn her soul to everlasting hell!'

"Kenshin?" Hiko stared at his son's withering face and felt a strange decline in the strength of his ki. "Kenshin, what is the matter with you? What the hell are you babbling about? Talk to me, dammit! What the fuck is the matter with you?" He reached out and grabbed the shoulder of the white gi Kenshin wore and yanked it up forcing the red-haired man to meet his eyes, but Hiko was not prepared for what he saw when he looked into those eyes.

He caught his breath, swallowed hard, and blinked several times in shock.

He dropped the handful of gi he held.

He backed away a few inches inadvertently bumping into Aoshi who looked over to see what was going on. Aoshi backed up as well his cold ninja persona shaken.

Saitoh and Soujirou noticed Aoshi's odd behavior, but as soon as they saw what he was looking at, they did not make a single movement. The four shocked and somewhat shaken men huddled closely to one another for support because none of them were able to believe or understand

what they were seeing.

It was true, Kenshin still knelt before them, but what had once been Kenshin was now something else. It wore Kenshin's face and controlled his body, but was it 'Kenshin' that looked at them from the depths of 'those' eyes? They had all watched Kenshin's eyes change to the boiling

flaming gold that had thrown its own light around them like a burning shield, and they had accepted it, but this phenomenon was much different.

The eyes they looked into now did not glow, they did not burn, they did not even look human. The full rounded eyes of what could only be described as a Tiger looked at them from Kenshin's face. Huge golden irises filled the entire eyeball allowing no white to show at all, and the strange black oval of the pupil adjusted itself eerily each time he blinked.

The Spirit of The Tiger. The physical manifestation of Kenshin's spirit-ki sat before them calmly in control of Kenshin's body and mind.

A Tiger. That is what Hiko had called him when he was a child and had fiercly refused to be dominated despite his gentle nature, and for the strength of his will and determination to learn and excell. 'It appears I was right.' He thought to himself as he felt a strange rush of

fear and exaltation at the sight before his stunned eyes. 'What a magnificent ki. No wonder it burns so fiercely and with such a hellacious heat.' He managed a shaky smile in the face of this terrifying wonder. 'Look at you, my glorious son. Look at what you have become. What a Magnificent Warrior you have become. I am proud of you.'

"You all know what to do." Kenshin's voice had changed. It now held a strange deep throaty quality that teetered on the edge of a growling sound. A collective shiver ran through the Battle Group. "You have my full confidence and my thanks. You are my friends and my family.

Do not risk your lives unnecessarily and do not tarry long with your tasks. Finish what must be done, and get out of this place." The Kenshin-spirit turned away and looked into the Throne Room and spoke quietly one more time. "Elsbeth will die by my hand and my hand only. None of you have the strength to face her and live. This is my task and you must not try to help me in it. She has stolen something of great value from my Beloved and I, as well as the souls of hundreds of

innocents. Tonight she will meet and suffer Heaven's Holy Justice... but at my hand. Do not get in my way or you will die." Each man felt an icy finger of the purest fear stab his heart at those words.

"What has she taken from you, Sochi? I do not understand. She has taken your Beloved. She has Kaoru, but you said she has stolen from you both. What has she taken?" Hiko had never felt so confused nor had he ever felt fear like THIS.

"She has stolen the blood of my son and spilt it upon her Altar of Blasphemy, and I will have Justice for that insult as well as the multitude of her other sins."

"Your... your son?" Every man in the group was shocked into silence as they stared at the Kenshin-spirit. "What are you talking about Kenshin? Are you saying..."

"Kaoru is pregnant with my son and Elsbeth has stolen his blood from her womb, and for that crime against me and mine she will die. I promise you. She will die." Even as he spoke, the Kenshin-spirit could feel a thin screaming presance that was reaching out to be protected... to be saved.

Kenshin's comrades looked at one another in silence. Kaoru pregnant with a son?

"The Blood of The Unborn." Aoshi's voice was hardly louder than a breath as he spoke those terrible words. "The purest blood in the Universe. Even purer than 'The Blood of The Innocent". The Woman is manically insane. Kami help us."



Suddenly the mood was broken by the terrified screaming of a small child. The five men watched in horrified anger as a thrashing white bundle was carried into the room by a tall man dressed in a long grey cloak and dropped carelessly onto the large Altar stone. Then they were

forced to watch as a gleeful Elsbeth chained the hysterical child hand and foot to the stone while she explained to her how she was going to cut her open and tear her heart out and feed it to the Devil.

"STOP IT! STOP IT!" Despite her own condition Kaoru was screaming at the sadistic cruelty Elsbeth was inflicting on the child simply for her own pleasure. "LEAVE HER ALONE YOU FILTHY COW! SHUT UP! SHUT UP AND LEAVE HER ALONE, DAMN YOU!" Elsbeth just laughed as she placed a sweet kiss on the sweat damp forehead.

"Time is up, little Crow." She cooed as she lifted the long thin dagger into her hand and took her place at the side of the Altar. The three men standing nearby took their places on the other side each raising the hood on his cloak. Elsbeth closed her eyes and took a deep breath, and then as she let it out, began chanting in a low voice the strange words Kenshin had heard once before in a faraway place high on a mountainside in the dead of night when a little girl had died screaming in agony as her soul was offered to the King of Hell.

"ACUMA! ACUMA! ACUMA! KING OF ALL THAT IS UNHOLY! KING AND

LORD OF HELL! HEAR ME, MY BELOVED. HEAR THE VOICE OF YOUR MEITO AND

ACCEPT MY OFFERING OF THIS INNOCENT OF BLOOD.

"It has begun. Prepare yourselves." The Kenshin-spirit sat crouched like the Tiger he was as he made ready to spring at any moment, if the situation called for his presance. "Soujirou, you are first, Aisoku. You must save the child before the blade pierces her flesh."

"I will, Otousan. I promise you I will save her... That I will."

"I OFFER TO YOU THE GREATEST GIFTS THAT I HAVE TO GIVE ON THIS NIGHT! I GIVE TO YOU THE BLOOD OF THE INNOCENT AND THE BLOOD OF THE UNBORN THAT YOU MIGHT KNOW MY PLEDGE OF LOVE AND SERVITUDE IS COMPLETE!

"Then watch and wait, Aisoku. Watch and fly on the swift Wings of Heaven's Angels and bring her out of the pit of Hell and back into the safety of the Light."

"I will, Father. I swear to you I will not fail you." And then Soujirou's azure eyes began to shine with the pale blues and golden lights of Heaven as he met the yellow gaze of his fathers spirit-ki. "And I will not fail her."

"Then, my radiant son, for all that is good and true in this world...YOU MUST FLY SOUJIROU! FLY NOW!!"

"I BESEECH THEE, COME TO ME AND LET ME JOIN WITH THEE ON THIS MOST

MAGICAL OF ALL NIGHTS OF THE YEAR. COME TO ME, BELOVED. COME TO ME!

COME TO ME! COME TO ME!" The final words of the spell that would open the door between Hell and Earth rose into the chilled night air, and rang through the cavervous room like the sound of a death chime.

The thin bladed dagger arched high into the air above Elsbeth's head with astonishing speed, and then it began a powerful downward thrust toward the trapped child's heart.

Kuumi's wild blue-green eyes followed the gleam of the shining blade and as it sliced through the air towards her, her hysterical shrill screams of terror shattered the coldness in the large room as she struggled ineffectually against the iron manicals that held her bound to the stone.

Elsbeth's swirling liquid silver-gray eyes grew enormous in her small delicate face as she watched the the daggers blade drop in a true line towards the child's heaving chest. For one split instant, her gaze faltered as they slid to a spot just above the childs head where the small round puddle of coagulated blood she had stolen from Kaoru's womb lay on the cold stone, and she felt a rush of intense elation fill her dark soul as her eyes beheld the coming of the moment of her Destiny.

At the same moment, Soujirou leapt into the pale moon-light shining through the great sky-light over head, and as he lunged over the remains of the rotted old shelving, he disappeared from everyones' sight. Not one sound was heard, nor was a single feather of dust disturbed to mark his pathway to the huge stone Altar. It appeared 'The Sword of Heaven' was indeed swooping in undetected on the speed of his powerful angel's wings, because not one trace of his shicuchi's trail could be seen anywhere around the Altar stone, or within the spaces between the surrounding pillars. Soujirou had become completely invisible to the human eye.



Armondo felt the brush of an icy cold breeze slide passed his face and he knew the end was upon him, and once again he heard the inner voice of his second sight.

"You will die screaming as your black sinners heart is impaled upon 'The Sword of Heaven'."

Fear and acceptance exploded within him together as he felt the burning agony of death pierce through his back and burst through his chest. Looking down at himself, he watched the blood spurting out of his chest in a red fountain that stained the front of his light grey cloak and sprayed across the pure white of the Altar stone. Dumbly he noticed two things before he slumped to the floor. First, there was no weapon protruding from his chest, and second, he could swear there was an Angel with golden hair, brilliant pale blue eyes, and a gleaming sword of purest white light cutting the chains that bound the child and lifting her off the Altar into his glorified arms.

Brilliant glowing azure-blue eyes met the dying flat black eyes of Armondo de' Estes and he blinked once before he died screaming the terrified screams of a doomed soul.

"Jikogu! Tenshi! Tenshi! Tenshi...."

"NOOOOOOOO!" Elsbeth's scream of shocked rage bounced off the walls and the high ceiling as she watched with disbelieving eyes what happened right before her.

One of her men fell screaming and died in a fountain of his own blood as his chest exploded from the inside out. Then in the same breath, the child disappeared from the Altar leaving the chains empty and broken into useless heaps of severed links and manacles. Joseph and Karl whipped around pulling their swords trying to see an enemy or attacker of any kind, but found nothing nor no one but their own dead 'brother'.

Sweat broke out on Joseph's swarthy face as he recalled Armondo's hastily spoken warning that everyone had dismissed earlier. "I have a bad feeling about this, Joseph." And now Armondo lay dead with his chest burst open by an unseen attacker. Then he heard the calmly spoken words of the black-haired woman who stood tied to the very pillar he and Armondo had secured her to.

'Death will find you all this night.'

"It will not find me!" He growled under his breath as he threw the hood off his head. "I am not ready to die yet." Karl stood close to his 'brother' and together the barred the way to the Altar with both their swords and bodies.

"Protect me, you fools!" Elsbeth was screaming behind them her fury completely unleashed. She could not understand what had happened, but she did understand one terrifying thing. The doorway was going to open with or without the child, and it was going to open soon as the seconds

ticked away towards the hour of Heaven's destruction...and her destiny or demise.

'The Blood of The Unborn.'

The power of Himura's unborn son's blood would have the strength to open the doorway easily, but what of the other blood? What of the lost gift? Elsbeth had never met her Beloved without the promised gifts she called to him with. What would HE do? What would happen? What would HE

do to HER?



Part Three

Midnight: The Doorway to Hell



Kuumi's little eyes stared at the beautiful Tenshi that lifted her up from the cold Altar stone and held her close to his warm chest. His eyes were the purest palest blue she had ever seen, and they glowed like twin shining moons in his beautiful angel's face. He smiled at her as he wrapped her in a strong and comforting embrace tucking her head beneath his chin.

"You are safe now, Akachan." His voice was like a song in her ears as he pressed a soft feather lite kiss to her sweat damp forehead. "Do not be afraid any longer. You are in the arms of "The Sword of Heaven" and nothing can harm you now." And then the world around her blurred out of focus and became black and peaceful. Kaoru had told her the truth. The Tenshi really had come to save her.

"Save Kaowu...Tenshi." Her tiny voice whispered to her beautiful Tenshi just before she let the comforting arms of the peaceful darkness take her away to a safe and quiet place. "She my fend."

Soujirou landed behind the sanctuary of the rotted shelving without a sound with the little girl held securely in his arms. His abrupt soundless appearance caused more than one of his comrades to jump in surprise, but no one broke the silence of their cover. Kneeling down carefully, he lay his tender burden on the floor and gently brushed the tousled black hair out of her tear streaked sleeping face.

"So small. So tender. So beautiful. So innocent." He looked directly in the Kenshin-spirit's eyes. "She trusted me completely. She called me Tenshi, Otousan. She called me an Angel."

His father's strong loving hand touched the smooth beauty of Soujirou's face. "You are, my Beloved Son. You are an Angel. You are truly 'Heaven's Holy Sword'. Then he turned to the rest of the battle group. "It is not over yet. The Blood of The Unborn stains the Altar and the words have been spoken."

"Yes, but the sacrifice was not made." Hiko looked at the being that was his own son and spoke the question they were all thinking. "Does that not mean the doorway cannot open?"

"No. The thwarting of the sacrifice means nothing with my unborn son's blood still spilt on the Altar as sacrifice. Because he is MY son, and Kaoru's son he is undoubtedly very gifted with a powerful ki or else Elsbeth would have never stolen his blood to begin with. His blood will open the doorway when the hour strikes and the Moon reaches its center apex at Midnight. We must all be prepared for this is a battle I had hoped to avoid."

"What battle, Battousai? Are you inferring we are going to battle the Devil himself?" Saitoh's usual sarcastic tone was lacking its customary bite, and his wolfish features were showing signs of strain.

The Kenshin-spirit locked gazes with the Mibu Wolf and held the dark yellow-gold eyes for a long moment. "Yes. That is what I am saying, Saitoh shin-yuu." He watched as the Wolf paled beneath his tan. "I have seen him before and it nearly destroyed me completely."

"That is what you saw?!" The agony in Hiko's voice was a tangible thing as his eyes flared to a deep yellow-green. "You never told us what you saw except the ritual. You never once said..."

"I know. How could I? I could not face it myself." The gentle warmth and love of Kenshin's spirit eyes turned to rest on his father's face. "I hardly had the courage to admit I had seen the face of Hell and lived, let alone retained my sanity because I did not know how I had done

either one." The handsome face smiled in tender memory. "I do now. I went screaming like a terrified Isshi to my Chichioya and begged him to hide me, help me, comfort me, and save me. And you did."

"I did nothing that night but collapse on the ground underneath the assault of your terror, Kenshin. I could not even reach out to you to help you, because I did not realize it was you until you were gone. How can you say I helped you when I did nothing?"

"But you did. You did not push me away. You bore my terror upon your shoulders and your soul and soaked it away from me like a sponge soaks up a puddle of water. I fainted before my mind exploded into total madness because you pulled all of the emotion away from me into yourself

and left me empty and too exhausted to remain conscious. You saved my mind, Father. You saved me when I did not have the strength the save myself because deep within you existed the bond you had denied me my whole life, but when I needed you, you were there." The Kenshin-spirit cocked Kenshin's head and offered Hiko a brilliant smile. "All my life I prayed for your love. Every night before I went to sleep, I would pray that in the morning I would wake up and you would love me. How ironic it is for me to find out a lifetime later that you loved me all along, and would have given yourself for me at anytime when I grew up believing you held nothing but disdain for me." A small laugh escaped Kenshin's slight frame. "What I would have given to know that a lifetime ago. Life

answers our questions in strange ways. When I was wondering all of those years, I often asked God why I was here. Why did I walk this Earth. What purpose did my life serve, and of what use could such a stained soul as mine be to anyone." He drew a wistful sigh. "Then I found Kaoru, Yahiko, and the dojo and I suddenly seemed to have a reason to find a way out of my self-imposed exile. But I have come to realize since then that they are not my purpose." He locked gazes with Hiko. "They are my reward and my Destiny should I fulfill my purpose."

"Kenshin." Hiko closed his eyes and a tear slid down his angular face. "You have always taken too much upon your own shoulders. Why do you always look to yourself as the only sacrifice to be made? Why do you perceive yourself as always making amends for your past? You have paid

your penance for Tomoe AND for the Battousai's sins. When will it be enough for you? When will you stop punishing yourself and move on? When will you allow yourself to be happy? When?"

"This is not about atonement, Chichioya. This is about Destiny. This is about why God put me here, and why my pathway led me to you and the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, and through the Bakumatsu, and into the worlds of Shishio and Enishii."

"I do not understand. What Destiny do you mean? How can this be your Destiny?"

"One must be baptized by Fire before one can fight Fire."

"What?"

"What?"

"Nani?"

"What?" Every member of Kenshin's small battle group was dumbfounded by his answer.

"Is there anyone else who has a ki strong enough to do battle with The Devil's Witch or with The Devil himself besides ME? Does anyone possess the necessary 'heat' and source of destructive fury like The Battousai which I can unleash to wreck death and havoc when I wish? I have already proven the massive power my ki possesses now that it has been restored with pieces of each of yours to augment it. I am not the man I once was." He slowly stood up and rested his left hand on the hilt

of his long sword. "I am something else. What? Even I am not completely sure, but this I do know. I have been made for this night. For this moment. For this purpose, and I will go into this battle

without my sakobatou. Tonight my oath never to kill again is forgotten, because what I mean to destroy is not of this world nor was it ever meant to be here."

"Himura-san, my brother." The caution and distress in Aoshi's voice were clear. "You cannot kill the Devil. He is not Flesh and Blood, shin-yuu. What you are saying is impossible."

"I do not intend to kill Acuma. As you say, He is not Flesh and Blood, but his Destroying Angel is." His right hand reached across his body and unlocked the blade by twisting it a quarter turn. "She has sold her life and soul to Hell, and she harbors powers of enormous magnitude within her body including the ability to alter her form into the Demon-Queen he has made her. But, Elsbeth is still innately human and there is a human heart beating in her chest. If she dies before the rituals are complete, the power that keeps the doorway open will die with her."

"You are talking about a life and death race, Otousan."

"A race? What are you talking about Soujirou?" Saitoh looked at the Tenken in complete confusion. "We are already in the middle of a life and death race."

"Yes, but Otousan is talking about a race between himself and the Witch. A race to see who can kill whom first."

"Bloody hell." Saitoh cursed under his breath. "I am really starting to think you are insane Battousai. If you kill her, the doorway closes and locks Mr. King in Hell where he belongs, but if she kills you, all bets are off and the whole world goes to Hell. No joke intended." He spit ungraciously on the floor. "Perfect."

The Kenshin-spirit smiled indulgently and cast a measured glance over Kenshin's shoulder evaluating the activity by the Altar. "Have a little Faith, My shin-yuu Wolf." And he winked at the gapping open-mouthed policeman. "I am not dead yet." Then he laughed and was suddenly gone from their sight as he disappeared before their eyes.

"Where...?" Aoshi stood and looked around very slowly and intently, but found not one trace of the Kenshin-spirit. As all four men searched the Throne Room, the red-haired man did not reappear. "I do not understand. Where did he go, and why has he not reappeared? Hiko-san?"

"I do not know." His eyes continued to grow in their blazing yellow color, giving him an otherworldly appearance. Aoshi was experiencing the same phenomenon as his bright jade eyes had begun to evolve into brilliant orbs of glittering green. Only Saitoh's yellow-gold eyes were not effected by the magical powers permeating the room. Instead it appeared that his body was shifting slightly and taking on more muscle through the shoulders and neck. This made him look a little hunched over, but also exceedingly threatening. Something else was happening to him as well, but it did not register on him until he tasted blood in his mouth.

"What the...?" When he wiped the back of his hand across his lip's, it came away bloody. His brows furrowed in confusion and he put a finger into his mouth to explore for the wound.

"Dammit!" He swore as he cut the digit on newly formed, razor sharp canines that had already gouged small rips in the tender flesh of his lip. A look of puzzled alarm crossed his face as he carefully fingered the four new teeth (two on the top and two on the bottom), and tried to

understand what was happening to him.

Aoshi noticed his companions discomfort and turned to inquire, but was stopped by the change in Saitoh's appearance and the look on his friends face. "Saitoh-san?"

"Shinomori? What is happening to me? I am growning fangs for God's sake!"

"I would say your 'ki' is showing My Friend. As are all of ours." Aoshi swept his hand to indicate the whole group. "There is a great amount of power and magic in this room, and it would appear we are being caught up in a wave that is bringing out the essence of our inner selves. Our ki's. Just like it did Himura-san."

Indeed, each man was changing.

Hiko stood straight and tall as a mighty oak with his blazing sun-yellow eyes and bulging muscles hard as stones. The raw primitive strength of his earth bound ki surrounded him in an aura of thundering power.

Soujirou glowed and shone brilliant as the heavens having already shown how fast and silent his angel's wings could carry him, and how swift the justice of his gleaming sword could be.

Aoshi's movements were taking on an even more fluid grace than the tall Ninja was known for, and his eyes were glowing the color of a raging ocean storm. The aura of power surrounding him was tangible as if he were the essence of the surging flood and could move anywhere or

anything he wished not matter the size or mass.

And the Predator, Saitoh. The Great Wolf of Mibu bared his fangs and emitted a feral primitive growl of impending attack. The heavy corded muscles in his back, neck, and shoulders were bunched and ready as he waited for the signal that would let his animal spirit loose to hunt and kill.

They were ready. They waited. It was almost time.

"Kaoru...."

Her head hung low on her aching neck. She was so weak and so tired. Her body was spent. He could still feel the tiny presence within her, and he reached deeply for its central core. The burning essance of his ki tenderly cradled the small spirit and soothed it into a state of calm and comfort, as he tried to instill within its tiny mind that he was its' father, and he had come to save both it and its' mother. When he was certain the Unborn was safe and secure, the Kenshin-spirit turned his attention back to his Beloved.

"Kaoru, my beautiful Angel. Wake up. Wake up and run away."

"Ken-shin..." She struggled to lift the heavy weight of her own head and finally succeeded feeling it fall back against the stone pillar. "Ken-shin..." She whispered again wondering if she had really heard his voice or if it were a dream.

"Run koishii. There is not much time left and you have to get away from this place."

"Kenshin?" A surge of adrenaline raced through her and she turned wildly toward the sound of his voice, but found nothing. "Kenshin!" Her whisper was urgent and almost frightened. "Where are you?" Her eyes searched frantically for his flaming red hair or any other clue that he

was near. "Kenshin?"

"I am here, Saiai, but you must do what I am telling you. Run Kaoru. Run for the old shelving over there to your far right. Do you see it, koishii?"

Kaoru looked sharply to her right and thought she could see a pile of rubble and crushed furniture several dozen yards away close to the other end of the room. "Yes, I think so, but...."

"Good, now run, my love. Run for them and do not look back."

"But Kenshin..."

"Do what I am telling you, Kaoru. Please, Saiai, please. Run and be safe from this fight."

Kaoru felt a gentle hand on her waist pushing her away from the pillar and the soft tender press of lips against her cheek, but she still could not see him. "I love you, my Angel. Remember that always, and remember I promised you we would grow old together." A soft kiss brushed her bruised lips. "I meant that, Saiai, but right now I need you to run. Run, Kaoru. RUN NOW!" And that gentle hand shoved her away at an incredible speed and she found herself nearly 20 feet away in a split instant. She stumbled slightly and then regained her footing running as fast as she was able towards the distant shadow of the pile of debris.

Soujirou watched in amazement as Kaoru was literally thrown from the pillar she had been confined to and then start running for the safety of their hiding place. He leapt over the top of the debris and vanished again only to reappear at her side a heart beat later.

"Soujirou!!" Kaoru gasped in shock and nearly fell down as he appeared out of no where, but his strong arms reached out and caught her. Scooping her up swiftly, he disappeared in a flashed with her held firmly against his chest.

The Kenshin-spirit watched in relieved satisfaction as his eldest son took up the responsibility for Kaoru's safety just as he had known he would. He observed from his place of concealment as Soujirou reappeared behind the safety screen of debris and laid the exhausted and wounded woman on the floor next to the sleeping child whom she immediately lifted up into her arms and held against her heart. He smiled as the warmth of his tremendous love for her filled his heart and soul, and then spread outward along his arms and legs.

"Thank-you Soujirou." He whispered to his eldest son and then turned his attention back to the cowering woman standing next to the Altar. "Why are you so afraid, kierei? What have you done wrong?" He spoke soft as a thought to himself and allowed his body to shift and remold itself to the contour of the pillar so he could get a better point of view. Something was terribly wrong. Elsbeth was terrified, yet unwilling to leave. Interesting. Intriguing. Satisfying. The Kenshin-spirit smiled.



It was blinding in its brilliance, and deafening in its thunderous explosion as it ripped though the huge sky-light and blew a hole larger than two elephants in the perfect marble floor. Deadly sharp shards of the shattered stone exploded in every direction impaling themselves into

the walls, the large stone pillars, or skittering along the floor like missiles searching for a target. The bolt of lightening was monstrous, enormous, it was a freak of nature except it was not natural. The only clouds in the sky were vile dark roiling black clouds that came to obscure the light of the Moon and eat up the sky devouring the stars and the planets. From the depths of this unholy boiling mass of living breathing evil was born the Demon's Finger that struck inside the

sanctity of the Imperial Throne Room of Ancient Emperor's of Japan destroying the ages of Honor and Valor that had once ruled there.



"HE is here. Oh no." Elsbeth's voice was a terrified whisper that was heard following the last echo of the deafening thunder.

All eyes in the room were locked on the seemingly peaceful sky-light... waiting. The Kenshin-spirit knew what they were waiting for, and he molded himself more tightly against the shape of the pillar preparing himself for the horror that was about to come through that opening in the ceiling. None of them had to wait long.

Just as it had happened before, the lightening after the Demon's Finger was even more powerful. As the incredible bolt of energy struck the same spot as the first, there was an enormous explosion of earth, stone, and more marble fragments that peppered the entire Throne Room.

Hiko and the others crouched over Kaoru and Kuumi protecting them from the deadly falling debris. "Dear God!" Saitoh, swore. "This is the Bakumatsu all over again. Where the hell is the Battousai? Can anyone see him anywhere?"

"You cannot see him." Kaoru's voice was filled with anxiety. "He is.... he is there, but he is not." Her eyes were wide with distress.

"There but not there?" No one understood.

"He cut my bonds and freed me. He spoke to me, he kissed, and he pushed me away from the pillar, but I could not see him at all. He was there but he was not there." She shrugged.

"Bloody Hell. If we live through this.... are any of us going to be normal again?"

No one had the chance to answer that troubling question because the world as they knew it erupted into a place of violence, blood, and death.

"LYING CONNIVING WITCH! YOU HAVE BETRAYED ME!" The huge beast that stood in the middle of the devastation was beyond rational belief for the logical human mind, but that it stood there was undeniable. That it spoke and could be understood also defied all known sane thought or a language barrier. What stood before them all was something human eyes were never meant to see, but could never deny now that they had.

"Kami..."

"God save us all..."

"Heaven preserve our souls..."

"Kami-sama esu." Save our souls.



It stood at least eight feet tall with massive shoulders twice as wide as Seijurou Hiko's, and hands large enough to crush a mans skull in one palm. Heavily muscled neck, chest, thighs, and calves supported the enormous weight of the hideous head which sported rack of bulls horns

10 feet wide tip to tip. Evil yellow-green eyes glinted from a twisted and obscenely shaped face with a huge hawk-like nose and long pointed chin. Canine fangs two inches long gleaming white in the black flesh of its mouth, and the long thin red forked tongue flicked in and out of the hideous mouth like a snake testing the air for enemies. The flesh covering the beasts body was a deep ruddy red almost like the outer skin of a new tomato, and it was covered with nothing more than a brief loin cloth of sorts made of some unknown fabric secured with a twisted belt of silver. Hanging from the belt was an enormous scimitar, its curved blade nearly touching the ground. It stood on great hooves that dug deeply into the ruined earth beneath its tremendous weight, and it was obvious that one blow from these deadly appendages would easily kill a man.

Acuma had arrived through the doorway.

"WHERE ARE YOU, WITCH? WHERE DO YOU HIDE, BETRAYER?"

"No, My Lord. I have not betrayed you. Please, listen to me..." Her voice was pleading, whimpering, beseeching. She was hiding behind the Altar not daring to face the furious wrath of her Lord. "I can explain, truly I can. Please, give me a chance. Have I ever disappointed you before?"

"YOU PROMISED ME THE BLOOD OF THE INNOCENT! WHERE IS MY HEART? WHERE IS MY BLOOD? WHERE IS THE BOY?! YOU HAVE LIED TO ME, WITCH!"

"No. No. There were circumstances. There were problems. There was a man..."

"A MAN? I CARE NOTHING FOR YOUR INSIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS AND I

CARE NOTHING ABOUT A MAN. WHERE IS THE BOY?!"

"The boy is gone, My Lord, but I have something better than the boy. I have something that is more powerful than even the boy was." She was terrified and fighting for time.

"MORE THAN THE BOY? EXPLAIN."

"A Samurai, My Lord. A very special Samurai. He has the ki of Fire and was able to destroy my entire Horde with one blow of his power. It is the blood of his unborn son that lies upon the Altar that provided the power to open the doorway tonight."

"THE BLOOD OF 'HIS' UNBORN SON' OPENED THE GATE WITHOUT THE

AID OF SACRIFICE?"

"Yes, My Lord." 'Oh please let him be satisfied.' She begged.

"AND WHERE IS THIS 'SAMURAI' NOW?"

"He is coming. I am sure of it. I have his Beloved captive, and I know he will come for her." She was beginning to feel some of her confidence coming back and started to rise from her hiding place.

"WHERE? I SEE NO ONE ELSE HERE? WHERE IS THIS BELOVED?"

Elsbeth jerked toward the pillar where Kaoru had been and found it empty of its hostage. "KUSO!" She swore. "He is already here. Somehow, he is already here." She frantically started to search the room. "Himura....?"

"BETRAYER!" Acuma screamed in a thunderous voice that shook the plaster on the walls. "YOU HAVE CHEATED ME, WITCH!" He raised his enormous arms in the air and cried out in a terrible voice. "COME TO ME, MY CHILDREN. I STEP FORTH INTO BATTLE, COME TO MY AID. DEATH WILL WALK THE WORLD OF MEN THIS NIGHT!" Then his horrible yellow-green eyes fastened onto Elsbeth's trembling frame with malevolence. "AND YOU WILL

BE THE FIRST TO DIE, MY LOVE. COME INTO MY ARMS FOR THE LAST TIME."

And with a deafening roar he sprang with lightening speed in her direction.

Elsbeth screamed in terror and darted away from the Altar as the primitive instinct to survive took prescience inside her mind. She dashed for the darkness behind her and disappeared as her gray cloak was swallowed up in the shifting shadows.

Suddenly the Demon's Finger began to thunder and dance through the sky-light again, but instead of just damaging the floor it was depositing passengers each time it slammed into the ground. In only a matter of seconds there were hundreds of heavily muscled demons forming a well-

disciplined regimen in the middle of the great room. Each carried a scimitar very much like his Master's tucked into the waist of a crude looking belt, but there was also a long dangerous looking whip curled up hanging on the opposite hip. Beady little black eyes looked around the room sharply with the excellent vision of all nocturnal creatures, and long shapely pointed bat-ears twitched listening for even the slightest out of place sound. They could wait until their Master was finished

with the pathetic humans here, and then they would go on the hunt.

The commander of the group scuffled to the front of the line and crouched to patiently wait for the Master. It would not take long, then they could all taste human blood. It smacked its lips in anticipation as its little black eyes glittered hungrily. That was the last thought it ever had; at least it was a happy one. The ill shaped head suddenly flew off the scrawny neck and landed on the white marble with a wet 'splattering' sound leaving a trail of thick greenish slime in its wake. The body remained standing for several more seconds then dropped in an undignified heap of tangled arms and legs. The Demons closest to him gather around the body stunned and confused. What had happened? They had not seen anything. One moment he was there and the next his head was gone a' bouncing away. Strange. Too bad they all stopped to look. Suddenly Soujirou appeared out of the crackling air above them with his sword swinging in a wide sweeping swathe, and the heads began to roll.

Aoshi slid into the midst of the panicked battalion quiet as a mountain stream and fluid as water through a keyhole. The brilliant glint of his double kodachi's flashed like quick silver as they gracefully cut and sliced, with invisible precision, a pathway through the terrified and confused pack leaving death and devastation in his wake. He surged forward, arms crossing in the elegant fluid motions of mighty strength leveling a great road of destruction behing the awesome power of his rolling wave attack.

Behind Aoshi's deadly fluid assault Hiko lunged forward meeting the pack head on like a great rolling boulder knocking a dozen or more to the ground where he proceeded to slash, slice, and dice them to pieces. Then he nimbly leapt over the heads of several more of the scuttling

creatures as they tried to escape, cutting them down with one stroke that severed the spines at the middle of their hunched backs. The air was at once filled with the high shrill screams of their horrible deaths and the spurting fountains of green-gooze as each terrified heart burst open.

But it was the Great Mibu-Wolf that really got their attention. He sprang into the heart of the terrified pack with a growling howl that made their ears ring with terror and sent them into a panicked stampede running in every direction. He ripped arms and legs from bodies, tore heads free from scrawny necks, broke bones crushing them like fragile twigs with the strength of his hands, and disemboweled anything that came withing reach of his powerful claw tipped feet. He was unstoppable, horrifying, and deadly precise and the white marble floor around him was littered with dozens upon dozens of demon corpses. Demons lay broken in half, twisted into odd shapes and angles, and ripped to pieces with arms and legs dangling from thin strips of flesh.

The carnage in the wake of the White Warriors Army was devastating, and in response the Demon's Finger returned with reinforcements.

The Battle for Heaven and Earth had begun.

Part Four

The White Warrior and the Flaming Sword



"ACUMA!" The Kenshin-spirit unfolded itself from the contours of the pillar and drew his long sword in the same movement. Flaming red hair unfurled from the broken tie that bound it and fell into a veil of fire around his head and shoulders. It danced and floated with a life of its own as the man crouched low holding the katana straight out but angled towards the ground. Tiger eyes locked with the evil yellow-green eyes of the Beast as he turned to confront the man foolish to call him by his true name. When he took in the slight frame and small stature of the red-haired man crouched a few yards away from him, he began to laugh, a loud raucous sound that vibrated off the walls and echoed within the large room.

"HA HA HA HA! GO HOME, LITTLE MAN. GO HOME BEFORE I STEP ON YOU

AND SQUASH YOU LIKE A BUG. HA HA HAHA HAHA HA! I COULD BREAK YOU IN

HALF WITH ONE FINGER YOU ARE SO SMALL. DO YOU THINK YOU CAN REALLY

STAND UP AND FIGHT AGAINST ME? YOU ARE A FOOL, LITTLE MAN. YOU ARE A

BUG TO ME. COME HERE, AND I WILL SQUASH YOU."

The Kenshin-spirit did not move. He remained frozen still as a statue.

"That is him, My Lord!" Elsbeth screamed from her new hiding place behind one of the tapestries. "That is the Samurai! The Father of the Unborn. That is him! Feel his power, My Lord. Is it not Magnificent! Does it not burn in your heart with its Fire and strength?"

"THIS LITTLE BUG IS YOUR POWERFUL SAMURAI? HE IS NOTHING BUT A

BUG TO BE SQUASHED."

"Feel his Spirit, My Lord. Feel his Spirit! He is the Fire in the exploding Volcano. Feel his spirit, do not let his small size fool you!" She was pleading. Pleading for her Beloved to see the greatness of THIS gift, and how it far out shadowed the boy.

The Beast took several slow steps towards the crouched red-haired man reaching out with his own power trying to feel for this Spirit the Witch kept screaming about, but he could feel nothing. The little man was cold as stone, and remained just as still. There were no sensations or emotions around him at all. He may as well be made of stone or be dead for all the energy he was not emitting, but the Beast kept moving in closer just the same. He cocked his bovine head to one side cautiously watching the strange red-haired Samurai.

'He does not have human eyes. His eyes are strange and unnatural. They are the eyes of an animal. There is something very different

about this man. Perhaps I should not be so hasty to assume he is of no concern.'

The Kenshin-spirit watched the Beast moving towards him calculating each carefully placed step of his humongous hooves and every twitch of every muscle. Masking his ki's energy was simple at this point. All he had to do was continue to connect himself to the pillar and think of

himself as a piece of the stone. The Beast could feel nothing because there was nothing to feel, and so the Kenshin-spirit waited, waited for the right moment. Waited for the Beast to come a little bit closer. Waited for him to be a little bit more off guard. Waited for the perfect moment to strike.

With the speed of a lightening bolt, the fury and strength of a typhoon, and the power of a crushing boulder the Kenshin-spirit sprang upward screaming the battle cry of the Battousai. The Beasts reflexes were perfect and his scimitar was drawn to counter the attack before the Samurai was completely out of his crouch, but the Kenshin-spirit had anticipated that.

Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu Kan San Isimuji.

The White Warrior flew directly into the face of the Beast and his blade then suddenly whirled himself at God-like speed into a tight twisting maneuver that pulled him out of the way of the slashing scimitar and forced him behind his opponents back.

TTTHHRRWWAASHH!!

"AAAARRGGGGGHHH!" The Beast cried out in pain as the Kenshin-spirit's blade struck with incredible force and speed. It cut deep through the heavy muscle and flesh until it hit bone then sliced downward to open a huge wound across the length of his back from shoulder to

waist. He stumbled and fell to one knee nearly dropping his great blade when his fist struck the solid marble floor. Steaming black blood ran freely from the horrible gash running through his heated flesh and dripped onto the floor forming odd shaped boiling puddles. With a roaring shout of rage, the Beast surged to his feet and jerked around to face the small human who had dare inflicted such damage on him. "YOU WILL DIE SCREAMING WHILE I TEAR YOUR HEART OUT, SAMURAI." The threat was issued in a hissing whisper that was meant to create terror and unsettle the Kenshin-spirits resolve, but the red-haired man only stood as he had landed, crouched and frozen waiting for another pass.

Rage and fury boiled inside the Beasts heart as Pride and Arrogance screamed for vengeance, but he also realized that this small human could no longer be under estimated. 'He is cunning as well as strong, and he possesses a speed that matches my own. I must be more careful in my approach. I must defeat him. I must have this power. I must have it.' Great seething yellow-green eyes narrowed into burning slits.

Acuma circled slowly to the left looking for a break or a weakness in the mans attack stance. He was not familiar with batto-jutsu and found the mans actions confusing. All of the battles he had fought over the centuries were simply hack and slash and be done with it, but this little bug was not playing by the same rules. The trick he had used to get behind Acuma's back was nothing short of ingenious. It was going to take more than strength to defeat him., and Acuma was determined to do just that. He had caught a taste of this mans power in his last attack and the magnitude of it had been dizzying. No wonder Elsbeth wanted him instead of the Boy. His ki would keep the doorway open for longer than Eternity, and it would offer more to Him than just the doorway. This was a power source of unlimited potential, and he wanted it. Perhaps a surprise attack.

Acuma lunged in low towards the Kenshin-spirit from the side with scimitar held in both hands as he prepared to swing it a deadly flat arch meant to cut him in half in one swipe, but the intended target had disappeared before he could even start the maneuver.

Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu Tsui Sen!

The katana came crashing down from the air above him like a great hammer and, because he remained crouched low, it made full contact with the thick muscle group between his neck and shoulder as it easily slid past the massive horns that usually protected him from such attacks. He felt the razor sharp blade cut deeply into the heavy flesh breaking his collar bone before it was pulled loose in another gush of steaming blood. Once more Acuma fell to his knee gasping with the pain and indignity of being wounded so grievously by such an insignificant appearing opponent. The numbing agony was turning his left arm into a useless piece of wood that was going to hang at his side to serve as only a hindrance. Steam rose from his heated skin, and his yellow-green eyes glared death at the small red-haired Samurai.

"NOW, YOU WILL DIE." Acuma captured the Kenshin-spirits strange eyes and locked gazes with them. "NO HUMAN HAS EVER SPILT MY BLOOD IN ANY WORLD, AND I WILL NOT BE HUMILIATED BY ONE SUCH AS YOU." He struggled ungainly to his hooves and stood awkwardly but maintained his eye contact with the small Samurai who appeared to have no fear of him at all. "YOUR PATHETIC ATTEMPT S TO TAKE MY LIFE ARE AT AN END. YOU MUST

KNOW YOU CANNOT KILL ME. I AM IMMORTAL. YOU ARE WASTING YOUR EFFORTS,

LITTLE SAMURAI." A trembling hand raised the massive scimitar into a high attack position in front of Acuma's chest. "I ADMIT YOUR SPIRIT IS POWERFUL. IT MUST BE FOR YOU TO HAVE GOTTEN CLOSE ENOUGH TO WOUND ME, BUT IT WILL ALSO BE YOUR DOWNFALL. YOUR POWER AND STRENGTH BELONG TO ME NOW, BECAUSE YOUR PITIFUL HUMAN BODY WILL NEVER OUTLAST MY GOD'S CONTINENCE." An ugly smile curled Acuma's hideous mouth showing long fangs dripping with blackened saliva. "YOUR EXHAUSTION WILL BE YOUR UNDOING LITTLE HUMAN. YOU ALREADY BELONG TO ME."

"I do not think so." The Kenshin-spirit spoke with Kenshin's quiet resolve and stood up straight facing the Beast solemnly. "My soul and my spirit belong to me and I will never allow you to use them for your perverse pleasure in this world or any other."

"YOU BELIEVE YOU CAN STOP ME? YOU ARE A FOOL, LITTLE SAMURAI."

"No. It is you who are the Fool, Acuma. It is my Destiny to stop you from opening this doorway, and I mean to do so. I am not so foolish as to believe I can take your life. That is impossible, but there is a life I can take that will destroy all of your plans. That there is." A slow smile of confidence crossed the serene lips of Kenshin's face. "Do you know the life of which I am speaking?"

Acuma stood still in complete confusion. His blazing yellow-green eyes were narrowed into mere slits as he tried to read the answer hidden within the Kenshin-spirits mind, but he was unable to penetrate the powerful shield the man had protecting himself.

"You do not know. How interesting. I would have thought that you of all of us would have known how truly precarious your hold on this world really was. You disappoint me. That you do." A mocking laugh flowed over well shaped lips. "And I have been spending so many days trying to prepare for our meeting because I believed you would be so frightening and overwhelming, but I find myself hardly even disturbed by your presence. You are not 'all powerful' great Lord of the Darkness.

You are not even worthy of an honorable bow. How can I possibly take you seriously as the King of Destruction and Damnation if you do not even stir a flutter of fear or respect in my heart?" More mocking laughter flowed from the small red-haired Samurai as he adopted a nonchalant stance.

"You are a jodan, Acuma. You are nothing without your Witch to gather the necessary ingredients for each spell and ritual. You have endowed her with all the power while you set and wait for her to

accomplish all the needed tasks that you are unable to do for yourself. Where would you be without her?"

Suddenly the Kenshin-spirit leapt high in the air and disappeared from comprehensible sight. A heart beat later an ear shattering scream pierced the cacophony of the room and everything within it came to a shuddering halt. What few demons that were left alive, scattered into the shadows fleeing for their lives as the murderous battle paused.

The White Warriors Army paused and cast their eyes forward to where they knew their leader fought hand to hand with the Beast, and each felt a stab of worry when he could not find any trace of that brave man.

"Where is he?" Aoshi took an involentary step forward and stopped. "What has happened? Who screamed? Where is Kenshin?" His voice was sharp with a mix of anxiety and anger. "I cannot see him." KUSO!

"Wait...." Soujirou stepped up next to the Ninja. "Look, just there." His slender graceful fingers pointed towards the shadows to the far left of the Throne and the Altar. "What is that?"



Walking out of the shadows was an oddly shaped form. It was hunched and appeared to have two heads, and it moved in a lurching awkward fashion. Acuma watched with more than a little apprehension as it moved closer and closer to the light. A snarling and growling sound preceded the form and the vicious snapping of a large animal's jaws was audible. He took a side stance holding his weapon forward as he waited for whatever approached to emerge from the darkness.

Suddenly half of the image was roughly thrown into the light. It staggered drunkenly and fell hard onto its hands and knees letting out a shrill howl of pain and outrage.

"Goddamn you, Himura! Damn you to Hell!" The Beast that was Elsbeth screamed and turned in fury to pounce on the red-haired Samurai, but a well placed back kick caught the side of her cat-face and sent her reeling along the white marble again. He followed her and shoved a hard

sandaled foot under her vulnerable chin and pressed his heel against her fragile windpipe.

"If you move, I swear to you I will crush your throat." His unnatural tiger eyes bore into her swirling liquid silver ones, and a shudder of pure fear danced through her whole body. 'He is not

bluffing me.' The realization that he would not hesitate to kill her that quickly froze every nerve and muscle in her muscular altered body.

"I have your Meito, whether you claim her or not, you Bastard God, and I will kill her unless you remove yourself from this world... now." The Kenshin-spirit spoke low and harsh using the Battousai's most deadly voice as he threatened the King of Hell. "If she dies, your world dies

with her, or have you not figured that out yet, BAKA!"

Acuma's yellow-green eyes stared blankly at the Elsbeth-thing and filtered through his mind everything the small Samurai was insinuating to him, and finally all of the pieces fell into place. It was true. He had endowed her with an unholy amount of power in this world, and made her strong beyond all human boundries. He had corrupted her soul and made her the twisted thing she was at this moment, and he had promised her she would be his Queen even though that was never his intention. Acuma did not share his power with anyone, but he had inexorably linked her to him by endowing her with so much of his own power. If she died before the Ritual was completed....

"HOW CAN YOU LEAVE HER ALIVE, SAMURAI? AS LONG AS SHE IS ALIVE, I WILL COME BACK AND THIS WILL NEVER BE OVER."

"I never said I was going to leave her alive... did I." The Battousai's voice remained cold and threatening as the Kenshin-spirit met the glaring eyes of the huge devil-man. "I only said I would kill her if you did not leave, but I never said I would not kill her after you were gone... did I?" Tiger eyes narrowed dangerously and the foot pressing against the Elsbeth-thing's throat pushed down a little harder eliciting a strangled cry of terror from her. "If she dies before you go back

through the doorway... I wonder... what will happen to you?" A nasty smile crossed the innocent looking boyish-face. "It has never happened before has it?" The smile grew into a mocking grin as the Kenshin-spirit watched a look of confused alarm wash over the devi-mans face. "Where would you go, Acuma? Would you be instantly transported back to Hell, or would you be sent to some strange Oblivion where you might never escape?" He laughed a wicked chucked. "YOU do not know, do you?"

Then at that precise moment several things happened at once.

Joseph and Karl, who had been cowering behind the Altar through the battle between the Kenshin-spirit and their King, suddenly sprang at the White Warrior and knocked him off of their Beloved Mistress and sending him sprawling and sliding along the smooth marble floor. Then they

yanked her up to flee back towards the safety of the shadows and distance from the soon-to-be swinging swords.

Acuma roared in rage and flew like quick as a lightning bolt towards the throat of the red-haired man with his scimitar raised high over his head. His minds eyes could already see the red-haired skull splitting beneath the power of his downward blow.

The White Warriors Army, each screaming his own unique battles cry, rushed forward from where they had been standing frozen in disbelief at their leader's audacity with weapons' drawn intent on protecting the Warrior from his own impending demise.

Kaoru struggled to her feet on shaky legs to watch what was happening and a scream of terror and denial tore itself from her chest.

"KENSHIN! NO!" And she was scrambling over the top of the rotting debris and half running half falling her way into the fray of the confusing battle. The only thought in her mind was the image of Kenshin being knocked over and sliding along the floor being left completely

vulnerable, and that massive bovine Beast baring down upon him with scimitar poised for the killing blow. "KENSHIN!" The pain in her abdomen was terrible, but she ignored it and kept running. He was all that mattered to her.

And the doors at the darkest end of the room were pushed open with enough force to break the old hinges and shake dust free from the ancient walls.

Kuumi slept through it all.