Ciao!!!

*grins* One extra-long chapter of RtK coming up… sorry it's a little late, but I didn't have access to the net yesterday. Hope you like it- there's a sign of a plot in here!

Yasai: All right, hope you like it!

Enjoy the story!

"…." 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 6

Threat

Kenshin looked at Sano with a face that told the newly recruited soldier of the army of Dunkelland he had just done something incredibly stupid. Declaring towards unseen watchers that they had been found out was not what common tactical sense dictated. The golden-eyed man had spoken in tones that were so low they only carried to Sano's ears, but the deep Baritone rumbles the tall man sported were not exactly clandestine. Too late he realized that, clapping a hand over his mouth in an almost comical gesture of shock. Sighing, the donzel pulled the hood of his cloak back over his shining red hair.

"You can come out, whoever you are," he said, the sharp tones to his voice befitting the assassin but not the young boy he pretended to be. Twenty feet away, another man clad in the garb of the palace guard detached himself from the wall, walking unhurriedly over to the two younger men leaning against the merlons. Down below on the training field a whole troupe of the castle's soldiers worked at building some kind of maze, something Battousai noticed with detached interest.

"Sadojima Hoji," the man coming over to them introduced himself. The angles and planes of his face wee so sharp they almost seemed unnatural, his leek, black hair gelled back to enhance the features that looked as though they belonged to a mathematician rather than a man living within the castle walls and serving King Kamiya.

"Sadojima Hoji," Sano spat, ignoring the hand the other man held out to him, "I know you. You are that snooper who got me into this mess, infiltrating the Sekihoutai in the name of that Minister of the Interior, what's-his-name, ah, Hiruma!"

"Sadojima Hoji. You work with Shishio Makoto, don't you?" A steadying hand on Sano's shoulder held the snarling young man back, the nineteen-year-old's strength not enough to break the iron grip of the smaller man barring him from lunging at the slick character in front of them.

"Shishio? Oh, yes… he is the one whom I mostly work for. He is very bright, wouldn't you say so, Sagara Sanosuke? It was his idea to check whether the infamous Sekihoutai were posing as a group of militia aiding our government in controlling the remoter provinces… and he was quite right, wasn't he?" Sano gritted his teeth, a low growl tearing itself from his throat as his muscles bunched under Battousai's hand. The assassin felt he could not hold him back any longer if the taunts continued, but he didn't want the young man to die. He still had to find out why and how Sanosuke knew who he was.

"What do you want, Sadojima? Why have you been following Sanosuke?" Deliberately, he exposed himself to the searing analysis of Shishio's subordinate, his hooded features indistinguishable.

"Whoever said I was following the Sekihoutai boy?" Hoji smiled cruelly. "Shishio has his sights set on you, Adauchi Akai." The donzel snorted.

"I am a mere trainee under Saito Hajime, that's all that I am. What would Shishio want with me?" His heart was hammering in his chest, the cooling breeze that ruffled the flags hanging from the towers, flapping and twisting their bright golden-red cloth not managing to cool his face sufficiently to get rid of the cold sweat on his brow. Even though he had faced King Kamiya himself in a more dangerous situation it was this man's calculating mind that sent shivers down Battousai's spine. If there was one who could and would discover him, this Hoji was the one.

"A mere trainee under Saito, yes…" Hoji let his words trail off before suddenly turning. "I suggest you don't let go of that young idiot until I'm gone- I wouldn't want you to face painful interrogation for causing the death of an employee of the Ministry of the Interior. Who knows what secrets one such as you might spill!"

The breeze aided Hoji's dramatic exit by picking up speed just as he vanished down an open staircase, the dark brown velvet cape the man wore billowing in sharp competition to the flags, the combined rustling of both temporarily loud enough to be painful to the donzel's ears. Grimacing, he let go of Sanosuke, the young man's enraged punch following subsequently being expertly dodged. Actually, it was more of a barrage of punches Sanosuke rained upon the only available target, blind in his grief and anger.

"Sanosuke!" Battousai had let the last punch come too close, his hood swept away in the winds rushing past his left ear. Moving with the speed that had made him famous he pinned the younger man's arms to his sides, grunting with the effort it took him since Sanosuke wasn't only taller, but also more heavily built and stronger when it came to brute muscle strength. High above the ground the two struggling figures moved back and forth, insignificantly small ants when watched from down below, titans when seen from just a few feet away.

His muscles straining to the breaking point Sano grunted when he was bodily slammed into the wall. He couldn't understand how that small man could manhandle him like that, sure, he was the legend his commander in the Sekihoutai had told stories about, but Sano knew he was no pansy, and should have been able to handle that guy easily, hell, his face was one great bruise, and he guessed his body was not looking much better. And yet here was Sano, being thrown against the rough, scratching outer wall of Dunkelland Castle like a wet rag by the hands of a man a foot less in height and less obviously muscled.

What the young man didn't know was that his opponent was nearing his breaking point, and fast. In spite of the difference in strength Battousai had managed to hold his own because of his knowledge about the manipulation and use of ki. But even his mental energy was slowly losing the battle against Sanosuke's determination, and though he wanted to try and manipulate the other to stop his assault he couldn't- not without an extreme action on his part that would jar the Sekihoutai back to reality. Mustering his strength he slammed the taller man into the wall a second time, watching as his eyes unfocused slightly with the force of the impact, his lanky form doubling over before he coughingly spat out a little blood. Loosening his grip Battousai stepped back, his chest heaving underneath the dark woolen cloak, hood tumbling down his back as it had been pulled free in the frantic struggle, his face flushed from exertion and the cold sweat on his brow long since replaced with the mark of heavy work. Studying the now-still form out of calculating cobalt-golden eyes he nodded before offering the man a hand after having ascertained that there were no unwelcome listeners anywhere close.

Looking up from where he had slipped down along the wall Sano gripped the hand offered to him, the will to fight that 'Akai' gone when the hard impact had beat into his skull what and where he was, and who he was facing especially. For a moment there he had replaced the slight figure of the redhead with that of King Kamiya, those golden eyes with ones like the deep blue Sea, laughing at him with malicious delight, taunting him to kill him. He pulled himself to his feet with the help of the hand that was offered, gripping the bony, slender fingers tightly. Though panting slightly, his opponent stood there in silence, watching him as he leaned with his hands on his knees to dispel the last residues of dizziness a castle wall was likely to instill in a head meeting it even though it was not of great beauty. Sano uprighted himself, chest on fire, he only now realized exactly how much strength he had used.

"What are you?" Sanosuke coughed, his throat still slightly raw from his ragged breathing. His uniform was ruffled, and he looked every piece the disrespectable bandit he had been when with the Sekihoutai.

"I am a donzel in Dunkelland Castle," the donzel answered tonelessly, looking nothing worse for wear (in comparison to his already less-than-ideal-state before their fight) except for the loss of his cloak's hood now. His breath had calmed already, and the flush to his face was lost to the dark discoloring bruises on his cheeks. He had understood Sanosuke's question, but he didn't want to answer it. He didn't want to say what he was, what he knew he was. A murderer. An idealist. A killer, a cold-blooded phantom riding on the wind and the tongues of people telling stories about him.

"The how did you manage to hold me back?" Sanosuke's sharp gaze bored into Akai's eyes, the cobalt in them replaced by pure, shining gold reflecting the outside world and not letting anything of the inside out. A mirror, but not a mirror to the soul. Sano was met head on by it, still nothing was revealed.

"Ki." Akai was not a friend of many words. If a single word managed to get the information across, why bother to use more? It lessened the danger of anyone getting too close.

"Ki? Crap. Commander Sagara was right then. Can you really do that neat trick, snap twigs and such?" Sanosuke pulled a small twig from his pocket, shoving it into the right corner of his mouth. "It was what he told us, Commander Sagara, that is. Always said: that guy, you know, he's good. When you can snap these tiles and not touch them you are like him. We all trained like madmen to do that…" A bitter smile played around the twig that was shredded between strong white teeth. Slowly, molten gold released chestnut brown from its enigmatic spell.

"So your commander was a collector of the stories about Battousai?" Sanosuke's smile had found its companion piece in the slight twitch of lips.

"Not only. He… had seen him… you… in action. When you killed that Kiyosato Akira. He was hiding behind the shutters of my father's house, looking what the commotion on the street was all about. When he saw the demon with the blood-red hair and glowing eyes he knew there was a chance. That was when the Sekihoutai was founded."

Eyes closed, the donzel remembered the lightless night, three men, one of them the corrupt governor he was about to permanently remove from office. Five strokes of his sword, a messy job, he hadn't been able to keep the blood off of him as the wind was strong. One of the men had been strong, he had had to use some of his more advanced moves, which might be why the man called Sagara had seen him using ki. And then there had been the single sliver of light, a beacon guiding him towards the windows of a farm house, small and derelict, but sturdily built and easily renovated if someone had the time and the money.

"I remember," he said, blinking to disperse the last traces of an amaranth memory. Control as familiar as the weight and balance of a sword at his side settled in, the icy rage banned into a corner of his heart again, his cobalt blue gaze facing the clear sky in a gesture meant to defy himself.

"I thought you were bigger, to be honest," Sano leaned back against the merlons, the tails of the bandanna he wore to keep his hair back fluttering around his head. "I mean, what about the ten-foot-tall demon who strikes from the woods? I almost didn't recognize you… Commander Sagara had always said: there's one thing that tells you it's Battousai, and that's those eyes. When you seen the golden eyes then run."

"Run? I guess they told that in the stories…" He peeled a bandage off his left cheek, slowly, so as not to rupture the bruised skin underneath, revealing a long, angry slash mark running all across his face from the temple to the edge of his chin, partially hidden underneath his other bruises, but there. When the sun broke through the low-hanging clouds for a moment the scar glowed red, the light catching in the deep trough gouged into his flesh. Sano couldn't help but wonder how the untouchable phantom had gotten that wound. One slender hand trailed along it, leaving a haunted shadow in its wake before Battousai hid his face, the unfathomable eyes underneath the concealing hood again, the hand holding the bandage roughly slapping it on again.

"Anyways, why are you here? I guess ya know why I'm here, but you? Shouldn't you be out there killing the corrupt and greedy?" Offhanded though as this remark might have been, it was easy sensing the deeper meaning inside, and Battousai was an expert at delving into the minds of others.

"I have my reasons," was the cold answer to Sano's unspoken question. His defenses were in full effect again, he could not just yet let anyone see through him. His emotional control clamped down so hard it was as though in icy fist caught his heart and held it.

"Reasons, eh? I bet it has nothing to do with King Kamiya, does it?" Most people mistook Sano for less than intelligent because of his peasant dialect and street-smart behavior, but as long as he didn't have to find directions or steer any of these dangerous modern contraptions that were starting their his mind was as sharp and clear as a shard of crystal. Battousai had killed the King's father- it stood to reckon he would have plans for Kamiya as well. The pad of his right thumb tracing the sewing lines on the fabric of his uniform Sano tried to catch the other's gaze again, but failed to do so since 'Akai' had tuned to look over the land. Standing beside him, the young forced recruit felt uneasy yet calmed at the same time. There was one person who would be able to change his family's destiny for the better it was this man- the one his uncle had reverently spoken of, the one who had rid them of King Koshijirou.

"Adauchi Akai? Sagara Sanosuke? I have been looking for you all over the place. King Kamiya has ordered you as his guards for the afternoon. Ah, at least our new one is already dressed!" It was one of the other donzels, his small, boyish face flushed with exertion as he pulled himself across the last few feet towards the two men standing there at ease, for all the world to see if it only looked. He was even smaller than Battousai, Sano noticed with an amused grin spreading around his lazy eyes, but much stockier of build, solid like a boulder. His feathery, black hair clung to his skull like a second skin, sweaty as it was. And his brandy brown eyes… they looked resigned. Apparently he had had to look for 'Akai' already more than once.

"Oh, it's you, Satoshi. We were just coming down, so why don't you go ahead?" Sano couldn't believe it. Mr. Antisocial, the withdrawn Battousai he had just tried to speak to had turned into a shy, humble young man in the blink of an eye, associating with his fellow trainees as though there were not a single difference between them. Even his eyes had changed. Sharp and calculating still, they now radiated a certain warmth from the depths of deep, dark blue. Baffled, he watched as Satoshi turned on his heels, and almost missed the inviting gesture Battousai made with his left hand, telling Sano to come along. Only a short blaze of angry and impatient gold woke him from his consternation, and he hurried behind the two smaller figures, drawing his hood up in the process just as they did.

*~*

Tanzanite- the stone whose blue luster made even sapphires pale in comparison to it. And yet even that stone couldn't hold its own against the young King's eyes as he looked into the mirror. A fleeting thought grazing his mind caused the blue pools to widen, reflecting the picture of their master back at him with perfect clarity. Liking my eyes? What are you thinking, Kamiya! His mirror didn't answer, the young King feeling once again the loneliness of his position. He couldn't seek refuge in the equal solitude of the woods again- it was late in the afternoon, the wind had already changed direction and was blowing from the East, promising storms and rain that night. Even though his father had chided him for it, telling him a man feared neither weather King Kamiya hated and abhorred lightning and thunder with a vengeance, and to be caught outside during such conditions was not something he liberally sought after.

A knock on the door disturbed the King, and quickly fastening the brooch that held his cape together he called out to his servant to let the arrivals in. Pleasantly fast scurrying of feet in soft slippers made of cloth and the pliant substance gummi arabicum found on some trees in the very South of Dunkelland, close to the warm Southern Sea was heard before the slightly rusty snap of his door's catch- the King made a mental notice to have the two on the afternoon shift oil it- preceded the whooshing sound of the twin doors opening.

If he hadn't known it were three people entering his rooms the King would never have been able to find out from the sounds they made when entering. One man's footsteps were as solid as the rocks that made up the high mountains in the North, one man's self-assured and gripping the room tight in their grasp- and the third man's were inaudibly soft. Throwing his medium-length hair back over his shoulder the king held his chin up high in his customary arrogant and superior pose that conveyed to all his subjects he was so high above them they shouldn't even think of touching him, his hands working with practiced efficiency as they bound the pitch-black strands into a topknot, using a thin, leather ribbon as blue as the tunic he was wearing over deep brown pants. Finally thinking he had taken enough time to be fashionably and royally delayed in facing the shift change- for he was certain that the arrival of the three men could only mean that- King Kamiya left the security of his bedchamber and ventured into the salon he welcomed his most important guests in and changed the shift of his guards.

"Leave," he commanded with a short nod towards two faceless, nameless cloaked soldiers that had been standing outside the doors of his quarters since early morning. "You, too." That was directed towards Satoshi, who bowed deeply and hastily retreated. That left him alone with his two new guards, the tall, spiky-haired bandit he had convicted to a life as a soldier this morning and the insolent little donzel brave and foolish enough to dare and try advise the king of Dunkelland. Two men he would enjoy toying with… the King frowned at the somersaults his stomach decided to pull off when thinking of 'toying' with Adauchi Akai.

"You are my guards for the afternoon. You will accompany me wherever I go except when I say you stay. You will not question any of my orders," at that he specifically eyed Akai, "and you will not move unless you are told to do so when standing guard. Understood?" Two bows, both stiff, and less low than they should have been. That Akai seemed to be contagious- and the way his glinting eyes stared at him from the shadows… the King couldn't tolerate it. Tanzanite eyes blazing angrily Kamiya lashed out with his foot in a vicious roundhouse kick, catching both men under their chins, the resounding thump as they landed on their respective backsides satisfying.

"And you will show proper respect- or I will have to arrange for a lesson with Saito. Sanosuke, ask Akai what that means." The smaller man hesitantly touched his face, the understanding look in the deep chocolate eyes of the bandit almost amusing to watch.

"If you have understood, follow." The King turned, pulling his cape around his shoulders in a flourish as he strode out of his chamber, "we will watch the evening training of the Palace Guard under Shinomori Aoshi."

"Yes, Kamiya-sama." They were on their feet in less time than the King had expected them to take, ready to follow like two shadows protecting the back of their liege. Kamiya smiled a little smile that barely touched his eyes and went ahead, relishing the feeling that they would regret ever crossing his path before the evening was over.

*~*

The Palace Guard were good- no actually, they were very good, bordering on excellent. On the training field obstructed with high walls, dead ends and lumber piles simulating the dangerous environment of the castle insides they were fighting each other as well as moving in synchronized moves together. Keeping his face stoic, his outward expression unchanged, Battousai watched from the safety of his concealing hood as they went through advanced maneuvers, repelling an invisible infiltrator, luring him into a corner before attacking all six together, taking the phantom enemy out with speed and precision requiring years of training and a natural talent. Six men, and one leader. The whole force seemed laughably small, but each of them was proficient in a variety of fighting style and deadly with many different weapons. Though they seemed to frown upon the use of projectile weapons, one of them especially could shoot an ant's eye out at a distance of fifty feet if need be.

They all paled in comparison to their leader, though, as became evident when the six fought a mock battle against the one, using all methods and weapons available to them while he only had the twin short swords that seemed to be his preferred weapon. He was so high above their skill that Battousai involuntarily compared him to himself in comparison to his own master. He toyed with them, luring them into traps, and soundly defeating them one by one even as they struggled to keep together, to attack as a group. Their strategy was rendered useless by the flowing, watery movements of their commander who simply slipped through their fingers like the liquid, he couldn't be held, not even by the kempo expert of the group who used the same style as the commander, though on a less proficient level. Their ki blazed in the amber-eyed man's mind, fierce reds battling serene blue, calmness and ferocity paired in perfect unison. Their commander could take him on, he realized, and he wasn't even sure about the outcome of that fight. Shinomori Aoshi knew how to use his ki to conceal himself as part of his surroundings, the same way Battousai could, and he was, unlike the assassin, trained in the ninja arts of stealth and camouflage.

Quickly masking his ki Battousai hid himself behind King Kamiya's shadow as the tall captain of the Palace Guard strode over to King Kamiya, having defeated all six of his men in record time even though they had been training and he was satisfied with their progress. Shinomori Aoshi was no slacker either, and his own training, centering on meditation and the infusion of ki into his movements to make them harder to spot had proved more efficient than his men's concentration on gaining more strength. He bowed deeply, kneeling before King Kamiya as he fleetingly scanned his King's two guards, wondering about the strange pair but choosing not to comment, and waited for the King's signal before he rose to his feet again as fluently as he fought.

"My King, I hope the progress of your Palace Guard has pleased you. Have you considered my request of sending us two recruits to train our new moves on?" Aoshi was in full control of his voice, Akai noticed with respect, managing to keep the icy tones pleasant and untraceable when it came to emotions.

King Kamiya inclined her head, her soft, black hair spilling along her slender jaw, her eyes glinting with something Akai couldn't quite place since her ki was a confusing mixture of pleasure and… something else, something darker, something he didn't like. When Kamiya turned to them, her eyes lightened in color with amusement, he knew what would come.

"Go down and help them train. Shinomori has asked for two subjects he and his men can try a new tactic on. You seem to meet his requirements, right, Aoshi?" The captain nodded, choosing not to speak if it was not essential, a trait he shared with Battousai. King Kamiya was smiling gleefully. Not only had his guards proven to him once again that they were the strongest and most skilled men in all of Dunkelland, but he had also found some more entertainment. Sending Captain Aoshi these two troublemakers… well, they would regret ever looking at their King wrong.

"Yes, Kamiya-sama," Akai didn't give the King the satisfaction of seeing him lose his cool, but the King had the feeling the donzel was… looking forward to fighting the palace guard? No, that couldn't be. And yet it wasn't only him- one glance at the brown-haired bandit revealed his hood to be pushed back, a grin on his face and his left hand's knuckles cracking in the iron grip of the opposite fist. Following the inviting wave of Shinomori Aoshi's hand he made his way down the stairs of the gallery the King was going to watch them from to the training field, his steps as calm and self-assured as though he were walking to church on a sunny Sunday morning.

"If you manage to take out one or more of my men you will receive extra pay," the icy captain of the Palace Guard informed them as soon as they were standing in the middle of the maze of wooden walls and traps, knowing fully well King Kamiya was expecting a good show and willing to take any steps to ensure that he got it. "You are going to try to reach the King's chamber- the way to it is marked in red. We are going to defend him. Red dots are safe places. When you reach one we will have to go back to the other side of the maze. We start as soon as the King gives the signal." With that, the captain vanished into thin air.

"Extra pay!" Sano was excited. His brown eyes sparkled as he thought about being able to send money to his family.

The donzel gave Sano an encouraging smile. "Follow my lead," he said, turning into a panther, graceful and deadly, becoming one with the shadows on the ground as he stalked off, not into the hallway marked with a red arrow but into the one parallel to it. He had assessed the high wooden walls, and had concluded that they would be able to surmount them if they worked together.

"All warfare is based on deception," he whispered, his voice deeper than before, colder, sending chills down his companion's spine. He seemed to be in his element, his slight figure pressed against the walls, almost invisible even from nearby. Sano tried to follow his example but found his larger frame harder to conceal, his steps too loud and lumbering when compared to the light treads of Akai.
"Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near."
Akai- no, Battousai recited lessons from The Art of War as though he was telling bedtime stories to a child, and Sano couldn't help but shake his head in wonder. How did that man's brain work? He could look so helpless, but put him into the right surroundings and even superior forces had to fear him.

Akai crouched down low on the ground. Aoshi and his men knew how to use ki, which told him that the guys opposing them knew exactly where they were. Thus, hiding was out of the question. And therefore, they'd have to resort to cunning and strategy.
He and Sano should give the impression of hiding, to lure their stalkers into a trap, as if they were acting like live bait. They should look like they were easy prey, which wasn't that difficult considering the situation they were in… and then use their small surprises, their own moves, on the hunters, whose arrogance and certainty in their superiority would make them fatally careless- he hoped. He wasn't sure as to their captain, who would most likely see through their plan, but perhaps it would be enough to take out the other six men, trapping them between Sanosuke and himself. As soon as the hunters discovered that they were caught in a trap themselves, their fury would act against them, turning them into easier targets, since anger and arrogance could lead even the most powerful warrior to defeat. He knew it firsthand, he thought, smirking. As long as Sano and he could keep focused, to distract and take them down immediately, should be easy. Battousai would savor his victory- while making it seem like a blunder. A wonderful plan…

Shinomori Aoshi sent his six hunters out into the maze in groups of two. The donzel and the soldier had taken a parallel route to the King's chamber, as he had expected. They would try to climb over the wall at the last instant, and then storm the chamber. Bumbling fools they were… or were they? A sinking feeling in his stomach the captain stood at the last intersection before the enemy's final destination, the last obstruction before they would reach the King.

*~*

The red-brown eyes studied the deliberately slow and stupid moves the two men opposing the Palace Guard down on the training field made. The trick with the parallel hallways was just what was to be expected of a trainee under Saito, but that they stumbled upon the two Palace Guards concealed in a niche in front of them was almost too much luck. The conveniently snapping plank that took out the third man was the final giveaway, and the way the smaller of the two moved… that wasn't a donzel or a trainee.

"Hoji? Go and place the charge in the King's chamber. His Palace Guards are preoccupied at the moment. And be careful to do everything just as we have planned it!" He smiled, a predatory smile that rivalled even Saito's. "I've got you… Battousai!"

… to be continued …

*grins* I don't have any time at all... I should be atttending class right now, instead I have fled to the library to complete that stupid questionnaire (we may complete it anywhere we want) I have already completed *doublegrins* and therefor can upload RtK 6

Yasai: Bad little Chi! Runs around when she should stay off her feet as much as possible!

Hmph, my muse doesn't want me to have any fun! Anyways, what I want to say is that I can't do reviewer's corner right now (our librarian is looking suspiciously... uh-oh...) but I want to thank you all, Zeh Wulf for giving me weird humor I may only watch and not poke, clear sunrise in the hope you have been able to sleep more lately, Saiyagirl for reminding me why I write this story (to have fun!), aoshi's girl for encouraging me to write more, Jensa for giving me the biggest compliments, Natsuko because she shares my weirdness and always brightens my days with her reviews! And I think that sons often look for elements of thei mothers in girlfriends/partners (*grins* it's Chi's field studies...)... I love Sano's mom, I think I'll have to use her again!

Yasai: That was much longer than expected. Now go and upload it before the librarian bites your head off!

Yes Ma'am muse! Hope you liked reading, will come back sooner than this time! Cya!!!

Chibi-chan and Yasai