Ciao!!!

Yasai: Hello!

I am truly sorry this is two days late- I somehow reached the second round of the piano competition I was participating in this weekend, and then the third, and then had to stay an additional two days to wait for the final round. I think I will have to change my update day from Sunday to Monday or Tuesday altogether, since Sunday slowly but surly becomes the busiest day of my week.

Yasai: Then you had better change it… lazy little authoress!

Oi! If you continue to insult me I might just use my author's power to wipe you from the script for my introductions!

Yasai: As if you could do without your muse… *is unafraid* Anyways, dear readers, enjoy an action-filled chapter that will leave you breathless *grins and blows chi standing there with a gag in her hands a raspberry* becauseofmyextraordinarytalent! *is gagged and dragged to her bed where Chi ties her down for lying shamelessly*

Uh… I hope you don't expect too much, my muse is bragging as always, but I also hope you enjoy reading!

"…." Denotes talking

….. denotes thinking

*~* means a change of scenery (either temporal or local, I think which one of those will be clear) has taken place

Disclaimer: I do in no way own any rights, moral or others, to Rurouni Kenshin, its characters or plot. Characters other than the characters from Rurouni Kenshin bearing any resemblance to persons living or dead are purely coincidental. I do not intend to make any profits out of this story, it's written for entertainment purposes only and any attempt by persons natural or legal to make money from it in any way is not in accordance with this author's express wishes.

Chapter 15

Trial and error

The tracks had been leading straight North as long as they had followed them, and even now that they were on foot they didn't even once change direction. It was almost too easy- but then who was to complain? Something had to go right after all the misfortunes that had hit the poor fugitives… and why shouldn't it be the rescuing of Sano and Kenshin? Heaven knew they deserved a break!

The vehicles discarded for stealth purposes the rescue team made its way through the countryside surrounding a large mansion in the shape of the statue of a cat- Katsu had identified it as the Egyptian cat goddess Bastet- built on a solid square with gilded edges and lapis lazuli striped around the middle in three broad bands. If one thing could be said about Shishio it was that he didn't possess any sense of style whatsoever. The women's hands almost itched when watching the building, wanting to redesign it and make it less of an eyesore, the men's desires ran more into the direction of tearing the whole thing down to alleviate the suffering of spectators.

Creeping as stealthily as possible along the few lines puckering the face of the icy tundra, three hundred miles into Regime territory, deep in the heart of the 'stronghold of evil' as Tae had dubbed it in an unguarded moment, Misao was finally able to show off her special skills by leading what most would have seen as a rash folly rather than an honest-to-god rescue mission towards the single corner of the building that was lying in the shadows of a small batch of windswept trees. They were most likely equipped with boobytraps, trip-wires, alarms and whatnot, but they also presented the only chance for the six people to actually get closer to the building without being shot on the spot.

"Follow," Misao signaled, the crooking of the right middle finger replacing words that would inevitably have alerted the guards. Her small, agile body twisted in on itself as she nimbly flipped over a small, bare spot on the ground that to her represented a sure sign of a smoke bomb or something more deadly buried underneath. Once she had crossed the obstacle, she proclaimed it safe with a flick of the left wrist and helped Kaoru and Yahiko across. Megumi didn't take the offered hand- after all, even though she wasn't particularly good, she was a trained field agent. Katsu and Tsunan brought up the rear, double-checking that they were not being followed before leaping across the booby-trapped patch of ground as lightly as the men could manage. Still, they disturbed some of the leaves, rustling them louder than the wind did, earning them heated looks from all the women and Yahiko, who was trying his best to be actually helpful. He might be a child, but he was strong, and he was making himself stronger as they went.

"Don't worry, I'll be back!" Misao's grin and wave of the right hand told them as the young Oniwabanshu disappeared behind two of the crooked, smallish trees growing more like bushes than what their true nature dictated. A slicing sound filled the air, a short whistle, the thump of something metallic burying itself in wood, and then the ninja girl returned, waving them over, proclaiming the route safe. On her way, Kaoru spotted the two spiderthread wires Misao had cut through with her kunai, as well as the slingshot trap she had effectively disarmed with one of the small throwing knives. In front of them, creamy walls painted to resemble expensive marble from Carrara in Italy rose high into the sky, the first lapis stripe that was dotted by small windows barely big enough to let the slender girls or a child like Yahiko slip through, much too high for them to reach. Also, the men didn't stand a chance to successfully enter the building through the narrow openings that wouldn't accommodate their shoulder width.

"We'll lift you up," Tsunan folded his hands into the classic bandit's ladder, showing the way he and Katsu would assist the three girls and the child. Standing against the wall, Katsu on his shoulders, Tsunan gave a slight grunt as Misao's weight was added to that of his brother.

"What have you been eating? Bricks?" he murmured under his breath, low enough so only he should be able to hear it, yet the lithe girl above him apparently did so as well, against all odds, and made sure to give his poor head a good whack with her soft slippers before climbing to Katsu's arms who then lifted her up in an impressive display of strength until her fingertips just brushed the windowsill underneath the nearest opening.

Peering into the semi-darkness of the room behind it and seeing neither a camera not people watching, Misao flexed her legs and quickly grabbed hold of the sill, balancing precariously on the tip of her toes. Reaching into a rather large pouch on her belt she withdrew a small screwdriver and crooked, sturdy wire. Within seconds, Megumi deftly caught the falling glass and frame, and Misao disappeared into the interior of Shishio's private hideout.

Studying the bare, whitewashed walls of the room she had broken and entered into the young ninja girl smirked at herself. It had been Aoshi who had taught her how to get into houses using these methods, and it had been the only department of ninja skills where she had ultimately been able to beat him- her smaller hands were just more nimble than his. The memory of his blue eyes losing some of their icy cold and smiling at her with a silent sparkle in their depths greeted her as she peeked out of the door and at a short, dead-ended hallway at the end of which only one wooden door painted in lapis lazuli color waited for her. A fleeting glance across the walls confirmed the absence of any cameras or motion sensors, and soon Misao was sprinting towards the door, readying her equipment and cracking the lock in the course of just a few seconds. Behind it lay a stately hall, decorated with reliefs and frescoes of beautiful, exotic women presenting a much larger painted man wearing a pschent with gifts of fruit and precious miscellanies.

Misao took a moment to admire the craftsmanship that had gone into painting these walls before carefully making her way across it, using the few pillars forming a circle in the middle of the hall for cover. From her right, out of a corner of the room, she could hear low voices joking and placing bets for what she assumed to be a game of cards. Guards, she thought, skirting closer to the pillars to remain undetected. He heart skipped a beat when she heard the sound of rustling cloth and tapping feet, but she calmed down once she realized the movement's sole purpose had been to get more wine, as was evidenced by the spluttering of the red liquid in a goblet soon thereafter.

Grinning at Shishio's stupidity in choosing his personnel Misao threw the guards a wave of her hand before looking for a way down to earth level and a door: she needed to have the rest of the rescue team with her.

*~*

Barely escaping the vicious diagonal uppercut Soujirou performed with his sword Kenshin flipped over his opponent, turning in mid-flight to change defense into attack, just touching the floor with the tip of his toes before leaping at his opponent , blade supported by his left hand.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu, Ryu Shou Sen!" Soujirou had but one chance to defend. Bending backwards at an almost impossible angle for a human he parried, falling to the floor with the force of the two swords connecting, but lashing out with his foot while spinning, aiming to catch his redheaded opponent in the knees. A lightning quick step backwards brought Kenshin out of the reach of Soujirou's attacks, and for a moment both men eyed each other, panting heavily, for the first time since the real beginning of their battle. The speed at which they were going defied years of scientific study and perhaps everything biologists ever said about the possibilities of the human body, but fact was they were using it, and even though it was wearing Kenshin down faster than he had ever thought possible he had no chance but to keep up with Soujirou's moves. The incessant smiling the brown-haired boy's face bore slowly wormed its way into his mind, slightly unsettling the agent even though he tried his best to hide it even from himself.

Soujirou grinned, calming his racing heartbeat, slowing the agonizingly fast breaths that threatened to rupture his lungs. Battousai was a much harder opponent than anticipated, six months of fighting with a sword that was incapable of killing hadn't diminished his legendary skills at all, contrary to what Master Shishio believed. Still, the younger man was sure he would be able to weigh the scales of this duel in his favor- he hadn't yet used his ultimate weapon. Tapping his foot against the floor to test its integrity and find out whether there were any bumps or indentations that could prove his undoing Soujirou brought his weapon before him, holding it in a position that didn't give away whether he would attack or defend, a stance resembling the classic first position when doing basic kata. His smile hiding his self from his opponent he readied himself for the strain he was about to put on his body. Then he exploded into motion.

"Shukuchi!" Kenshin gasped. The younger fighter was even faster than the last time- he had at least been able to discern a blur of blue then. Now, his eyes were useless as his ears frantically struggled to analyze the pounding of slippered feet on linoleum, directions changing too fast to be certain. Desperate to find a solution to his dilemma the agent closed his eyes, trying to get a picture of the boy's attack pattern using just his sense of ki and his hearing. A bright blue spark, like the shine of the brightest star on the Northern sky, Sirius, was all the warning he got. Whirling around, he tried to defend, but the spreading numbness and stinging ache running from his right shoulder blade all the way across his back down to his left hip spoke of the less-than-successful attempt. He grimaced, hissing at the stinging pain that clenched his muscles in its iron-tight grip. Rather than dwell on unpleasant sensations he tried to give contra, spinning his blade in a close-combat maneuver aiming at his opponent's right shoulder. Soujirou's eyes, visible for the second Kenshin's blade caught him, widened at the sudden feeling of a sword tearing through the muscles on his upper arm. Bleeding and clutching his sword-arm, the boy fell back, allowing the agent to collect and prepare himself for the combination attack he had wanted to use on Soujirou for a long time already.

Angling his sword's path so it was aimed directly at Soujirou's chest the agent sped towards the boy, leaping towards the ceiling in mid-stride, taking in the narrowed eyes and gleaming smile before descending upon the boy like the wrath from heaven, performing his favorite attack, Ryu Tsui Sen, but not pulling through. Having anticipated Soujirou's sidestep he changed the angle into a nameless slashing attack, which was blocked by the brown-haired boy's flashing sword. Eyes narrowing in concentration, taking on a harder amber glint Kenshin let his blade rasp along the blunt edge of the blocking sword in his path, jabbing at the younger man's ribs with his saya.

From the beginning, the attack was doomed to failure. Soujirou had regained his bearings after Kenshin's surprise attack had caught him off guard. Smiling brightly, he brought his blade down on the leaden sheath, cleanly slicing it in half. Kenshin's hard, golden eyes widened in shock, taking on a hint of a cobalt hue before hardening into glistening frozen droplets of amber with an inclusion of the small, black ants that were his pupils. Smirking, Shishio's fighter threw his opponent back with a turning of his blade and a quick slash of his sheath.

"I think you should give up, Himura-san. You can't win!" It sounded as though he told Kenshin he couldn't go on the outing his mother had planned for that weekend. The redhead scowled, his frown deepening when Soujirou slid into a stance that resembled a right-handed Gatotsu.

So he's been working with Saito- I thought so… some of his attack patterns were quite similar to those of… he didn't even have time to think as the brown-haired fighter once again vanished from sight. Sighing to himself, the agent closed his eyes as a reaction. This time, he was already more attuned to the strange, repressed emotions the boy carried around with him. Guessing rather than feeling the half stabbing, half slashing blow directed at his unprotected left side he turned on his right foot, using the momentum of his pirouette to throw his attacker off balance and catch him with the same strike Soujirou had intended to use on him.

"Whee! Go Kenshin!" For the first time since their fight had started Sano dared to speak, cheering his friend on. Kenshin was looking more and more spent, as was his opponent. Fingering the ends of his bandanna Sano wondered whether they truly had the strength to continue their duel. Even though the fight hadn't even lasted a quarter of an hour yet the constant use of speed beyond what was humanly possible and strength that was above what most people could ever think of reaching had depleted both fighters' reserves. Their harsh panting, heaving chests and bleeding wounds attested to that. "Don't give up!"

Temporary respite- Kenshin wouldn't have believed it if anyone had ever told him he would be so grateful to have it in the middle of a fight. He still remembered the time when he was a shadow assassin, using darkness for cover, striking quickly like a cobra from where it lay coiled up on the ground, slaying those who dared commit crimes against humanity- or those who simply stood in the way of the Agency. He had never questioned his orders… until he had met Tomoe…

*~*

Darkness... darkness was all he knew, and it shrouded anything still willing to reach him. He was incapable of emotions; those his heart had once held were killed off one by one with the men that died by his sword, a sword he longed to plunge into the ground and never to use again. While his comrades had fought on the open battlefields of diplomacy, or even in honest, open battle where men looked each other into the eye and everyone stood the same chance of survival his territory had been the dark, twisted alleyways of nighttime cities. He was a legend amongst his own people, a shadow never openly mentioned but reverently whispered of when no one was supposed to be listening. He always was listening, though- to the rumors, the accusations, the fear, the pride, and the wind. They told him what he needed to know in order to survive- and his survival ensured the dawn of a new world, just about to be emerging into the light. A light that would never reach him…

Amber eyes pierced the darkness. The sun had just set, and yet it was already time for Himura Battousai to set out and start his job, a job he was uniquely qualified for. His sharp sword dealt death swifter than the night breeze stirring a few dead leaves and leftover papers from the market, stealthier than the cat chasing after its prey at the man's feet and more secretive than the whispering leaves of the tall tree standing in the middle of his small place the alley he was currently hiding in led to. His target: a Regime diplomat of high rank, member of the military advisory council of the Pharaoh and ardent opposer of the Agency's ideals. He was even said to be involved in the infamous Camps, having allegedly been a leader of such an institution prior to his call to the Pharaoh's inner circle. Battousai was to strike him down, strike fear into the hearts of his fellow council members and eliminate future resistance.

Of course these were only the decorative words used to describe the most primal of all actions: killing the opposing party in order to become strongest. Battousai allowed a wry smile to touch his stony features. He remembered a time when killing had been the thing farthest from his mind, when all that counted were the simple yet complex strokes of his sword going through his routine kata in the fresh mountain air of his Master's home. This time was long since gone, evaporated like the stains of blood his killings had fleetingly imprinted upon the paved streets. He was not much older now than he was then- barely a man, barely grown, but his mind had evolved into that of a predatory creature, sly and wise beyond his years. Battousai knew all that, in the depths of a hardened conscious the young boy still existed, but as he prepared to strike he had banned those thoughts of right or wrong from his mind, and was solely the instinct-driven killer whose reputation was enough to make any man tremble.

A fluid movement in the shadows to his right alerted his senses, but the presence was only that of the cat Battousai had noticed earlier, having obviously lost its prey the animal slinked languidly past the other predator lurking about, rubbing against his legs in the process and bounding off after seeing some paper being carried across the street on one of the random gusts of wind that characterized the night. Battousai was relieved- being discovered just because some little animal made his presence known wasn't what he'd planned.

Anxiety he didn't know was there gone he once again settled into his silent watch. The diplomat was late- obviously the clandestine meeting of the Regime supporters took longer than expected. Battousai resolved himself to a long night…

It was only a little clinking sound, nothing extraordinary in a city such as the one that was his hunting grounds that night, but it was the sign Battousai had been waiting for. Amber eyes narrowed, grew even sharper, and a muscular, fine-boned hand settled on the hilt of the deadly katana the assassin carried. Voices swelled up through the crisp air, and Battousai's muscles tensed. The voices came nearer, his sharp hearing placed them just around the corner shielding him from view. With a soft click the sword's hilt was loosened from its place in the sheath, and the seconds seemed to slow to a snail's pace, stretching into eternity as Battousai stood ready and alert, waiting for his target to come closer.

First to walk into the narrow alley were the bodyguards. Although their dark eyes glittered in the light of their torches Battousai's presence was too well hidden to be noticed. He let them pass, unwilling to kill more than absolutely necessary. His target was next. Uncoiling his tensed muscles the Agency's master assassin casually strolled into the middle of the road, standing proudly in the moonlit oval connecting his alley to the place in front of him. The inch or so that was showing from his katana's blade glinted in the pale white moonlight, rivaled only by the assassin's piercing glare in its brilliance.

"I have come to kill you," Battousai announced, his voice as flat and as deadly as the steel blade he wielded. His target's face was covered in sweat in a matter of seconds, and the assassin took a second to wonder what it was that made a body do that- sweat glands truly were a wondrous proof of Nature's inventiveness.

"What makes you think you can?" the man stuttered. The assassin's eyes narrowed in a mixture of amusement and annoyance.

"What makes you think I can't?" The icy expression did not leave Battousai's features, yet his voice carried the hint of a smirk underneath the smooth steeliness. Battousai's target looked frantically around, and instinctively the assassin knew he was searching for a way to escape him.

"And now… I will bring justice to those who thought they stood above the law," he stated, not wanting to delay the inevitable for himself or his prey any further. His blade flashed out of its sheath, a blue arc written into the air when he swung.

The sickening sound of the meeting between steel and flesh permeated the calm silence, and in spite of himself Battousai flinched. His eyes flashed a soft violet for a second before he gripped a hold of himself and calmly, almost like an afterthought, flicked his target's blood off his katana. With precise efficiency he resheathed his sword and left the site that would become known in the morning as the site of an Agency assassination. The bodyguards would notice something was awry in a mere second, the whole encounter having taken place in a little over 20 seconds, so he didn't waste any more time.

His first jump carried him onto the roof of a small toolshed, from there he made his way across the rooftops, leaving nothing but a dead man, a shadow of a presence, and a perfect half moon of glistening droplets of blood behind where he had cleansed his blade from the sticky red liquid…

The cries of murder accompanied him to the motel in which the Agency forces resided for the time of their mission to that town.

Another day, another death… the assassin's hands moved fiercely around in the ice-cold water he had drawn fresh from the well. Not much blood there this time… but to Battousai's eyes his hands were never clean, never lost the pungent smell characterizing death. His palms red and raw, he stopped his futile attempts at washing off the sin of his deeds, emptied the sink of its pink, soapy contents, thoroughly cleaning every trace of his washing from the white ceramic bowl, not caring that his clothes as well became dripping wet in the act. At least no blood stained his pants- the target had truly been an easy one, almost unworthy of the time of the great Battousai.

"How much longer?" he asked himself, staring up at the moonlit sky from his place in the courtyard, having left the stifling confinement of his room, abandoning the shelter of the motel's roof in favor of the starlit firmament, "how much longer?" Luna chose not to answer the young man's question. Serene and silent the silver circle observed the world beneath it, unperturbed by the conflicts of Earth's inhabitants.

Lost in his musings the young man quickly crossed the small enclosed space of the motel's courtyard, his feet shuffling softly as there was no need for silent treading once he had finished his job for the night and had reached the secure haven of the Agency hideout and base of operations. His eyes downcast, hidden from view by the curtain of his bangs, took on a soft glint, almost, but not quite, losing their piercing amber color. He reached out to push back the milky glass swinging door that lead to the staircase to the first floor, but hesitated a moment when he felt a small gust of wind ruffle his blood-red hair and stir up a few leaves from the ground. A sigh escaped his lips, unheard in the darkness of the night. "How much longer?"

His dreams were fitful, full of blood, pain and killing. His instincts were sharpened to such a degree that he couldn't even sleep lying down on a bed anymore. Instead, the assassin sat by an open window, swords propped up against his shoulder, body tensed so he could explode into motion any second he could feel someone near. Battousai was always on guard, even when asleep…

A lone ray of moonlight played across his still features that showed nothing of the inner turmoil his nightmares caused. Schooling his features into unmoving masks had been among the first things Battousai had taught himself after joining the Agency as their shadow assassin. Nobody should be able to see he was hurt by the whispered words accusing him to be a monster, nobody would be able to second-guess his actions, and his motives for killing would remain as much a mystery as his real name.

He tried in vain to grasp the elusive threads of sleep weaving through the brisk cool of the night air in an ever-changing pattern as difficult to see as the fastest moves of his killing art. Sighing and giving up on the thought of rest for the night the young man peered down onto the parking lot his room- as had been his demand- faced. It was always good to have a second opportunity to stage an escape should someone dare to attack the motel. In the silver shadows a lone figure moved, dropping the keys to a car- at least he assumed it were the keys to a car since they caught the light of the lamp next to the parking lot's entrance in a flash of yellow- into a readied handbag. Eerie arms brushed through long hair hanging freely down a slender back. A shapely figure walked towards the back entrance of the motel, and quiet as a cat Battousai made his way down the staircase that led from his room to the wooden door the figure would soon arrive at.

She never completed the motion of knocking. Before she even raised her hand, already balled into a fist, the door swung open. On the doorstep stood a small figure she mistook for a child. "Why thank you, but shouldn't you be in bed right now?"

Even though she herself was only eighteen years of age this boy looked even younger. His blood-red hair caught her attention, but only when he stared her down with eyes of the oddest color she had ever seen did she realize her mistake. "Come in," was all he said before turning his back on her and walking back to the solitary confinement of his room, holding himself stiffly upright as his steps were accompanied by a soft, sweet smell he couldn't quite place but recognized nonetheless- the scent of white plums… the very first time he had met Tomoe… like a ghost in the night, relief of his punishment…

*~*

Soujirou was puzzled. The look of utter loneliness and longing on the sharp angles of his opponent's face simply didn't fit into a duel to the death. And the way he was shaking and muttering a name unnerved him to no end. "Himura-san, are you that weak?" he asked himself, shaking his head, his smile taking on a more contemplative and dark nature, "then I must kill you now!"

Kenshin shook off the spell he had fallen under. The fight against Soujirou reminded him too much of hat he had tried to leave behind, the pain he had buried deep underneath a layer of cheerfulness in his heart. "I believe we are quite evenly matched, Soujirou, that I do." He resembled the dark predator more than ever with that haunted look on his face but he paid his conscious no heed as he exploded into action faster than ever before, matching Soujirou's speed as impossible as it seemed. His injuries screamed in painful protest, yet he entered into another blurring, mind-numbingly fast round of close combat. He was determined to win, if only to finally face the Pharaoh himself and find answers to the questions ripping him apart since Paris.

I will find out what drove you, Tomoe, I promise. You told me some of it- but I will find out the rest, and then I might finally be able to leave it all behind and… Mechanically, he used the opening presented to him when Soujirou tripped on a minute bump in the linoleum covering the floor of the circular hallway they were fighting in. Slashing downwards with his katana he opened a long gash on the younger man's right leg, running from his thigh down to his knee. With a strangled cry Soujirou crashed to the floor, panting heavily and clutching at the deep wound with his left hand, his right still curled around the hilt of his sword.

"You… should finish him off." Unemotional as the voice sounded Kenshin was able to discern the slight disapproval in its icy undertones.

"Ah, you got up!" Sano grinned, "took you long enough. Kenshin got ya good, didn't he?" Aoshi didn't answer. Using the wall for support he made his way towards the tall fighter. Before he could reach him, however, he collapsed into a kneeling position again, having spent his strength.

"Finish… him off!" He sounded urgent, as though he knew something the other two didn't. Pulling himself to his feet again the narrowed blue eyes took in the small, weakened form of the man who had defeated him. It had taken him a while to get to his feet, mainly because his head had been swimming with too many unwanted thoughts he would have to sort through some time, but now that he was able to move and speak again he would do his best to keep his promise. No matter how great the turmoil in his mind was, no matter how many thoughts of his lost honor, dead comrades and a small girl with sparkling turquoise eyes and dangerous throwing knives in her hands flashed before his eyes, he would do his best to aid Battousai in his escape from Shishio's mansion. After all, the agent had broken the prison he had built around his own mind… or so he had come to think. There were still too many unresolved queries in his mind to be certain, but he had a feeling the agent had changed his destiny, had shaped a new Shinomori Aoshi who didn't quite know who and what he was, but who was completely different from the Pharaoh's plaything the old one had been.

"You should really finish him off, Battousai." This voice, though laced with burning hatred, almost held a chuckle of amusement. "After all, he gave you quite an impressive makeover- and a good workout."

"Saito!" Sano spat, brown eyes gleaming with an unholy light, "what are you doing here?"

Four strands of hair hanging over his eyes, his white gloves closed around a sheathed weapon the wolfish man made his way along the circular hallway of the underground prison. "I am here to give this to Battousai," he threw the sword at Kenshin who, bare chest heaving with exertion and shining with sweat, barely caught it with slippery fingers, "and to teach the idiot here not to be so idiotic."

"If you want a fight say so," Sano growled, the insult feeding the flame of his anger and hatred towards the man who had cost them their clean escape to freedom, who had proven to be an obstacle not once, but twice.

"Shouldn't you be watching your opponent, Battousai?" Saito chided instead of answering to Sano's challenge, "look, he's getting up!"

Indeed, Soujirou was slowly climbing to his feet, wincing through his smile as he tried to put some of his weight onto his injured leg. "Why didn't you kill me?" the boy asked, bewildered, his wide, sky-blue eyes showing his true age, "I was the weak one during this fight, and I have to die!"

"Why should you have to die because you lost in a fight? Everyone loses now and then, that they do, but if you die if you lodes you could never learn from your mistakes, that you couldn't, and the world would be full of people repeating the mistakes of people past, that it would." The agent was as bewildered as the young boy struggling to remain standing.

"Learn… from mistakes? But Master Shishio always said mistakes make you weak, and if you make a mistake you are to die because you are weak."

"Then the person after you will die for making the same mistake? But if you analyze where your mistake lay, and what you have done wrong you can avoid it, that you can, and you can become stronger because of it and teach this strength to others as well."

"Strength is what a person is born with, it can't be learned! Only if you are strong you live!" The boy grew almost frantic in his struggle to preserve his philosophy, "to protect those weaker than you, to let them live is wrong! It will make the world weak!"

"But you are strong, and you will be even stronger. Even those who are weak can be strong, that they can, and the weak may be needed one day to help the strong, that they may. What is weak and what is strong might change, that it might, and what if you are suddenly on the side of the weak?" Kenshin felt a cold shiver run down his spine as he looked at the poor boy struggling to understand. Finally, Soujirou collapsed in a heap on the floor and buried his face in his hands.

"You are confusing, Himura-san. I don't know what to think anymore!" He stared up at the red-haired man with a pleading look in his bright, large eyes.

"Then you should think about it all, that you should," Kenshin advised, sighing softly to himself as he remembered his own struggles breaking into his rigid control over his thoughts. There wasn't that much of a difference between him and the sixteen-year-old lying on the floor before him, bleeding from wounds he had inflicted upon the boy, "then you should think about it."

"You are much too soft," Saito frowned, drawing a cigarette from the breast pocket of his pristine uniform, "I guess I should take care of him… he might become a liability."

Before he could take a step towards Soujirou, who was looking as terrified as his smile could ever look, Sano exploded into motion. "Ya have to get through me to get to him!"

If anything Saito looked pleased with that development. "Ah, the idiot has a noble streak himself. Very well, you will get your wish!" Sliding down into a deep stance he fluidly drew the longer-than-average katana from its sheath, angling it along his right arm and inviting Sano with a wave of his right hand touching the blade a few inches from the tip. "Come!"

… to be continued …

Yikes! Another chapter full of fighting! And I got a little girl-power in there, did you see?

Yasai: *has freed herself*I loved writing this part! It was my grand idea…

Keep deceiving yourself muse, just keep deceiving yourself!

Yasai: Be quiet! Girl who steps on her partner's feet when dancing…

It's not my fault my leg doesn't always want to carry me yet!

Yasai: And Ry had the pleasure of glaring your partner into the ground since you were lying in his arms after smashing his toes…

Oi! My twin's just a tad bit overprotective… and he didn't like the poor guy from the start. I thought he was nice… and he had a really sweet smile! And, and that's the best part, he's only three years older than me, but I can talk to him nonetheless! He's intelligent! He's a guest in my dancing course, has already completed the gold dance course and can dance reaaally well!

Yasai: And you smash his toes and fall all over him, and Ry doesn't like him even though you have a crush on him, Chi.

I don't have a crush, muse! *blushes beet-red*

Yasai: *sniggers* Before I embarrass Chi further and since there's no interesting info to be given this time I guess she would like to do the review responses, right, Chi?

Yup! *slightly relieved wiping of sleeve across forehead* Here they are!

Reviewer's corner

Queen of Shadows: *lol* some of your wishes have been addressed- right? I really like Aoshi- if only he wouldn't be so stubborn about me writing him the right way *glares at Aoshi sticker on the frame of her screen* *picture glares back*! And don't worry- the girls are coming to the rescue! YAY!

CurlsOfSerenity: *grins* I love to be evil… even though I try keeping it in check most of the time because my twin brother insists he is the evil one of the two of us, so I have to play nice… sometimes ^_^ You played the piano, too? Cool! Then I can continue torturing all of you with my mindless A/N! Thank you for reviewing- I'm still trying to catch up with your stories, but I'm on my way (I have them saved to disk 'cause I can't be online very much… it's hard to have two brothers and a father who are internet-obsessed and only two lines…)! Look out for me coming!!!

Asuka-chan: *feels very honored* More fights here… and major Sano action coming up- as well as girl-power united *grins* - I feel like having fun… thanks a lot for staying with me and making my day with your reviews!

Ixchen: Whee! Hope you're not too disappointed with me being late! Cya!!!

lebleuphenix: More Aoshi… some Saito… more Soujirou (even though I thought the conversation between him and Kenshin was… odd, to say the least *shrugs*)… and I can't wait to write the next chapter! Thank you for being such a wonderful reviewer and always urging me on! You're the best!

Natsuko: I'm sooo happy you liked the last chapter- I thought it was rather odd (though this one beats it in the odd department)… thank you ever so much for always supporting me! I love uploading chapters! *does happy little dance without falling* Dancing is cool- and there are really nice people in my course *defends dancing partner from raging twin*! How is your costume? *grins* My family thinks I'm weird for wishing there was a Halloween here…

Brenna: Hope you're better! Head colds are awful… I know. Yup, I'm running around like a stung bee again… and nope, I haven't been stupid- yet ^.^! Get well!

Darkening: You're very welcome! By the way- where's that original short story you promised to send to me? Huh? Huh? You better do so fast, or I'll sic Ry on you! Cya!!!

all readers: Thank you for your patience! Hope you liked it and leave my little muse and me a review to gloat about ^_^

Cya!!!

Chibi-chan (and Yasai)