CHAPTER 12- INHERITED DARKNESS

Enishi halted a few yards away, squaring off against his former brother-in- law. "You finally pulled yourself out of the hell I threw you into, eh? I'm glad. Now we can finish this."

Kenshin spread his feet apart slightly. "Before we begin, just tell me. What have you done with Kaoru and my daughter?"

"Do not worry about them." Enishi replied, gesturing over his own shoulder. "Here they come now."

Two forms emerged from the shadows. Sanosuke ran up next to Kenshin to see better. Sure enough, a fumbling Kaoru and a silent Jiani appeared.

Kaoru gasped. "Kenshin!"

Yahiko and Misao broke into wide grins. "KAORU!!"

Sanosuke took a step forward. "Jiani.boy am I glad to---

Kenshin held out his arm, stopping his friend from preceding any further.

"Huh? Kenshin what's---

"Something's wrong with her. I see death in her eyes."

"What?" Sanosuke squinted to see.

Jiani stared back at them, the wind blowing her red hair across her face. But there was no hiding her eyes, eyes of pure black.

Sanosuke spun around to face Enishi. "YOU WHITE-HAIRED BASTARD!! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER??"

Tomoe's brother simply chuckled. "Nothing special. I merely helped her in finding her true self, a self that she has been suppressing all along. Yes, a self that resents her father for his crimes just as much as her uncle!"

Kenshin could feel his daughter's chi flaring. "No."

Sanosuke made a fist. "BASTARD!! YOU BRAINWASHED HER!!"

"You sure don't like to pay attention, do you?" Enishi taunted. "Well, in any event, I promised her that she could make the first attack." He glanced over his shoulder at the girl. "My dear niece, go on now. Make your father pay."

"Jiani! No!" Kaoru cried as Jiani walked past them. But Enishi held out his sword to stop the black-haired girl from following.

"Woman, you are here to watch and only watch." He hissed. "Step out of these woods and I'll kill you."

Kaoru stared back at him defiantly.

Kenshin took a step back as his own daughter approached. All the while, his mind was reeling. 'No.not Jiani.'

Jiani stopped and shrank into the battou-justsu stance. She was going to use Kenshin's own style against him. Oh why did he agree to teach it to her?

Sanosuke was wide-eyed with shock. "Jiani."

"RRRRAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" The girl charged in at lightning speed, hand on her sword's hilt. It was all Kenshin could do to raise his own sword in defense. Within an instant, they took flight.

"What is she doing??" Misao gasped.

Aoshi frowned. "Somehow, Enishi has taken whatever inner doubts she's housed about her sire and magnified them into pure hatred."

"The Battousai vs. his own child," Saitoh muttered. "This should be interesting."

CRACK!!! Jiani's stroke sent Kenshin skidding back, sand flying up in his wake. Still, he recovered himself. "Jiani! STOP!!!"

"Hitenmitsurugi Ryu.RYUUSOUSEN!!!!!!!!" She smashed into him once more and kept driving him back. Kenshin was amazed at how strong she had become.

'How did she improve so much in such a short period of time?' he wondered as he blocked yet another strike.

Enishi laughed to himself. "Yes, she made good use of my dojo, didn't she? At first, she planned to strengthen her skills for destroying me. But now, now she will use them against you!"

Sanosuke's heart was pounding as he watched Jiani battering and slashing at her own father, the one she used to look upon with such affection and admiration. "There's no way!" he concluded. "There's no way she'd really kill Kenshin!"

He sprang into action, running straight at the quarreling redheads.

"SANO! What are you doing, you idiot???" Megumi shouted.

Saitoh lit up a cigarette. "The moron."

POOOOOMMMMFFFF!!!!!! Jiani's downward stroke sent Kenshin crumbling into the sand. Wincing as old wounds cried out, the scar-faced rurouni opened his eyes to face her. "Jiani.no."

She stood poised over him, eyes emotionless and cold. She raised her sword high over her head. One word escaped her lips. "Die."

She swung down. All Kenshin could do was shut his eyes.