The Appearance of Shadows
Makoto Shishio had summoned all the members of the Juppongatana to his side. Planning a massive takeover of Japan, he would establish himself as the new leader of the country if victorious. The remaining members of the Juppongatana and the soldiers who faithfully served under them rallied around the powerful man slayer. Amongst them were the dreaded Anji the Destroyer, Usui, and Sojiro the Tenken, the most highly skilled and deadliest assassin under Shishio. Also, alongside, fighting with the Juppongatana was the former leader of the Tokyo Oniwaban group, Aoshi Shinomori who hoped to regain the pride of his group by defeating Kenshin Himura in battle.
"Listen to me!" Hoji the Knowledge, Shishio's so called minister of propaganda, began. "The time has come for us to realize the dream of Lord Shishio! Lord Shishio will lead the way! Lead the way to a new Japan! A Japan that knows no enemy it cannot defeat! A Japan that obtains no weakness! As we speak, the great western nations are taking over all of Asia! We however will prevent such conquest from happening in Japan! So long as we stay strong, with the hand of Lord Shishio to guide us, we will survive this time of turmoil! The Meiji government has only allowed such weakness to thrive. Continuous battles are erupting all over Japan and this new government has done nothing to prevent them. But we, the faithful followers of Lord Shishio, shall give rise to a new dawn, and the birth of a great nation will emerge where only the strong shall survive! Let us go forth and realize this dream, for the sake of Lord Shishio and this country!" There was a loud cheer bellowing from the voices of the minion soldiers.
"That was quite a bold statement you made, Hoji." Shishio uttered. "You certainly know how to motivate the troops don't you."
"I can only motivate them with my words, Lord Shishio. However, you are the heart that leads them. They put their trust in you and you alone. I only represent you from a verbal stance."-
"You will lead us to a new era, my lord." Yumi, Shishio's courtesan, uttered.
"And you will be there by my side." Shishio replied.
Hoji continued to praise the new era and the time when they would realize the true destiny of Japan, not knowing of the great danger that lurked in the shadows.
From the shadows, a man cloaked in black began to approach the headquarters of the Juppongatana, where the rally was taking place. Two guards were standing at the gate, keeping watch, when they suddenly saw the figure coming towards them.
"Halt!" one guard said. "Who goes there!"
"I've come to attend the rally of Shishio and the Juppongatana." The figure said.
"This facility is off limits to you!" said the other guard. "Get lost!"
"I just want to meet with Shishio."-
"What's Lord Shishio to you?"-
"Now get out of here before you get yourself hurt." The first guard shouted.
"There's no need for threats." The figure uttered.
"And what do you plan to do about it!" the second guard chuckled.
"Oh, you'll see." Suddenly, dark shadows encompassed the two guards and killed them silently before any alarm was attempted. The figure continued on his path, making his way into the headquarters of the Juppongatana. Slinking into the shadows of the darkness, the figure stealthily made his way into the area where Makoto Shishio and the rally of the Juppongatana were located.
Meanwhile, Hoji continued his propaganda to the minions of Shishio. With every word he uttered, there was a great deal of enthusiasm behind them. Hoji spoke out into the night, for even those outside to hear. There was cheering for his words. The speech was delivered is such grandeur and passion, but on this night, it would call forth one, which should never have heard it.
"This nation will be ours!" Hoji continued. "We shall go forth and make Lord Shishio's dream a reality! With our lord in the lead, we will create not only a strong Japan, but a Japan destined to conquer the whole world! We will spread our influence and gain control of other territory just as the western nations have! Not only will Japan be a strong country, but the greatest world power ever to exist!" There was a grand cheer from the troops of Shishio.
"You certainly are a motivational speaker, Hoji." Shishio said. "You are good in your words as I am in my strength."
"I could never equally level myself to you, Lord Shishio." Hoji replied. "I only serve you. You are the one who will lead us to victory."
"I'm glad you agree."-
But suddenly, there was a sinister laugh that, in a mellow manner, began to rise within the chamber.
"Well, that is quite a goal to help motivate your troops." It echoed. "You certainly carry out with grand ideas too big for your own good don't you."
"Who said that!" Hoji shouted, angrily. "Show yourself!"
"If you plan on taking over the world, you must first eliminate not only your weaknesses, but your limitations as well."-
"Certainly a bold statement for someone who likes to lurk in the shadows!" Shishio said. "But am I so strong that you refuse to show your face to me, fearing the power that resonates within my being?"
"You credit yourself too much." The voice replied. "But you don't realize how great I am myself. A true warrior never reveals his true talents right away."
It was then that the figure, cloaked in black, appeared in the doorway. His head was covered by a dark hood and his body encased in the flowing cape. He walked into the room, working his way passed the troops who looked at him in either anger, or fear.
"Who is he?" One would utter.
"How dare you!" another would say.
"Such insolence!" said another soldier.
"You'll pay!" growled another. There was murmuring amongst the ranks as the figure reached the threshold where Shishio awaited.
"So you must the one who spoke." Shishio said.
"And you must be the great lord of this underground resistance." The figure replied. "Makoto Shishio."
"You realize that you have put yourself in a rather sticky situation don't you? You may not walk out of here alive."
"I'll take my chances." The figure drew closer to Shishio. "I want to ask you something." The figure drew his hand from out of his cloak and pulled out what looked like a black Compaq case. Suddenly a holographic image appeared revealing images of brightly colored stones. Shishio and the other members of the Juppongatana were astounded by what they saw. "Tell me, have you seen these three stones about anywhere?"
"Quite an impressive trick." Shishio replied.
"It's magic!" Hoji added. "How could he make such a bright image appear out of his hand?"
"I'll ask you again." The figure said. "Where can I find those three stones?"
"I've never seen them before." Shishio replied. "But I'll tell you what. You seem like a talented guy. How about joining us in our takeover of Japan?" But the cloaked figure only turned away.
"Sorry, you are irrelevant to me now. And since you know what I am looking for now, I can't allow any of you to live."-
Suddenly, there was loud laughing in the chamber. All the Juppongatana members were crying out tears because of laughing so hard. There was no soul in that room that did not laugh, except for the figure.
"You certainly boast yourself highly don't you!" Shishio said. "Are you telling me that you don't fear death?"
"You certainly are a fool!" added Hoji. "What will your fiery declaration prove except that you exercise an act of futility? You are insignificant to the might of Lord Shishio!"
"Will you shut up, you mindless freak!" the figure uttered. "Your voice is making my head split! What I said was true and I plan on killing you all! It just depends on how I will do it!"
"Then we'll let you have your way!" Hoji declared. "But you won't be fighting Lord Shishio, or the other members of the Juppongatana! Instead, you'll be fighting all of them!" The figure was suddenly surrounded by all the foot soldiers under Shishio. Each drew their weapons to fight and kill the figure. Some of them were so close to the figure that their blades nearly touched the cloak.
"Well, this has been fun and all." Shishio said, standing up. "But we have more pressing matters to attend to, like taking over this country. Now, if you please excuse us, we need to get rid of you right away." Shishio snapped his fingers and all of his men rushed at the figure stabbing away. But the figure was only shadow and disappeared without a trace. The troops were dumbfounded. Even Shishio was shocked at what had just occurred.
"What happened?" one of the soldiers said.
"Where did he go?" added another. Suddenly, there was laughing emerging from all around the room.
"Did you think that I would make it easy for you?" the figure suddenly began to speak from about the room.
"Up there!" cried Yumi. The Juppongatana and their minions looked up to see the cloaked figure suddenly emerge out of the ceiling and stand upon its surface.
"You must first know your enemy and their techniques." The figure said again, disappearing into the shadows. The cloaked individual then appeared on the wall, emerging like a phantom. "You use the members of the Juppongatana and their minions to extract this kind of information, by engaging in premature battles. Thus, you will gain further knowledge." The shape of the figure disappeared again only to reemerge from the floor in front of Shishio and the Juppongatana. "However, this situation is a little different. You have never seen my techniques have you. And as a result, you don't know how to predict them. But then again, even if you did predict them, I can always alter them at my own discretion."
"Kill him!" cried one of the soldiers and the hundreds of troopers rushed at the figure. But the shadowed specter only turned with eyes glowing suddenly a bright green. The troops were swept by a wave of shadows and each was suddenly stuck in his tracks.
"Fools." The figure uttered. The troops were suddenly consumed by emerging shadows. There were death screams within the shadows. Within ten seconds, the screaming died down along with the troops themselves. They lay slain on the ground.
By this time, this bizarre event had stricken fear into the hearts of even the toughest of the Juppongatana. Even Lord Makoto Shishio, the strongest of the lot, could not help to break out in a cold sweat of fear.
"How did he do that?" Shishio thought to himself. "How could someone manipulate shadows like that?" The figure suddenly turned with eyes dimming into the darkness of the cloak's hood. Immediately, some of the Juppongatana members began to back off.
"Against my power," the figure said, "you insects are insignificant."
"Am I supposed to be intimidated by that!" Shishio shouted. "You are a fool!"
"It is you who is in denial, thinking that you are still invincible. Well, you don't fully realize the situation then."-
"You really intend to fight me and the members of the Juppongatana?"-
"I never said that I would have to fight you and the Juppongatana in order to win, did I!" The figure suddenly raised his hands and the shadow of Shishio consumed the evil lord. Shishio began to cry out in pain.
"Lord Shishio!" Yumi cried.
"Lord Shishio!" Sojiro and Hoji added. The Juppongatana only watched helplessly their lord was overwhelmed by the shadows. Eventually, the screaming died down and the shadows emerged. There stood Shishio, alive and well.
"Lord Shishio!" Yumi cried. "You are alright!"
"Mr. Shishio!" added Sojiro.
"Hah!" Hoji laughed. "You fool! That goes to show you how powerful Lord Shishio is! He would never allow himself to be killed by shadows! You have failed!"
"Who said anything about wanting to kill him." The figure uttered. Suddenly, as Yumi approached her lord, Shishio unsheathed his sword and cut her head right off of her shoulders. He then turned and slashed Sojiro across the chest. The young boy fell to the ground, and lay on the floor cold and motionless, blood gushing from the open wound. Hoji backed off in fear.
"Lord Shishio!" Hoji cried, falling down with fear. The other members of the Juppongatana were shocked at what they had just witnessed. Shishio's eyes suddenly turned green.
"Shishio obeys me now." The figure uttered. "His heart was consumed by darkness and his sense of evil heightened to incredible levels. Thus, I was able to use the dark element to control his heart and manipulate his evil. Now he will do my bidding."
"You are a coward!" Anji the Destroyer shouted out.
"But Shishio did the same thing, using each of you to fulfill his dirty work for him. You never called him a coward. Why should this predicament be any different?"-
"We were compelled to do as what Lord Shishio told us!"-
"But either way, you were manipulated by him just as he is manipulated by me. So either way, it may be cowardly, but it's a technique that never seems to fail." He turned to Shishio. "Whom do you serve?"
"I serve, the master of darkness! Master Kahn!"-
"Kahn!" Hoji uttered. "Is that your name!"
"Now that you know, I have no choice, but to kill you." Kahn said. He gazed at several other members of the Juppongatana. "Let's see." He then threw his hand out to pick the best of the bad. "Ah yes!"
Suddenly, the shadows consumed Aoshi Shinomori and Usui. After a great struggle, the two were consumed by the darkness and they too reemerged as servants under Kahn.
"Oh no." Hoji uttered.
"That'll be all." Kahn declared. "Dispose with the rest, gentlemen." Immediately, the possessed beings of Shishio, Aoshi, and Usui drew there weapons. In that evening atmosphere, the Juppongatana met a terrible fate, not by the hand of an enemy, but by their own allies. Kahn appeared from the building with his new minions. Behind them, the bodies of each of the Juppongatana members lay strewn on the floor, drenched in blood.
"Tell me, Shishio." Kahn said. "This new power I'm sensing, this greater power. Who is it?"
"It is the Battousai." Shishio replied. "Known as Kenshin Himura, he has become a wanderer, repenting for all the lives he took during the revolution."
"Really. The Battousai, eh? Sounds like he'll make an excellent minion under me. Do you think he knows about the power stones?"-
"I doubt that."-
"Where can we find this Battousai?"-
"He would be heading towards Kyoto."-
"Well, let us pay him a visit anyway."-
Thus, the four began their trek to find Kenshin Himura. However, their conversation did not go unheard. From the room of slain Juppongatana members, one was still alive. Sojiro slowly staggered to his feet.
"That monster." He uttered. "He's possessed Mr. Shishio, Usui, and Aoshi. And now he's after Mr. Himura. He'll be looking for these power stones and he won't show any hesitation to repeat what he did here. I have to help Lord Shishio return to normal somehow. But I can't take on Kahn on my own." Sojiro hobbled outside quietly and found a horse tied up on the other side of the compound. Grasping at his wound, he untied the reigns and leaped onto the back of the horse. He hunched over, but regained his balance. Using a separate road to reach Kyoto, he rushed to give word to Kenshin and his friends at the Aoiya.
Meanwhile, back at the Aoiya. Miss Kaoru awaited the return of Kenshin, hoping that he would survive the fight against Shishio. Miss Misao stood by her, also wishing for the day that Lord Aoshi would return to her.
"Don't worry, Miss Kaoru." Misao said. "Himura will return from this upcoming fight. If I know him, he's not gonna let a guy like Shishio push him around."
"I suppose you're right, Misao." Kaoru replied. "But still," she grasped tightly at the wooden railing, "I wouldn't mind to see him again. Just before he goes off to battle."
"I see you two are still reminiscing." A voice suddenly uttered from behind. The two girls turned to see Mr. Okina standing behind them.
"How are you feeling today, Mr. Okina." Miss Kaoru asked him.
"These old bones are mending quickly. But if trouble were to find its way here, then I wouldn't be of much use."-
"You suppose those Juppongatana guys might attack again?" Misao asked.
"I don't know about that, but if they do, we'll be ready for them."-
Suddenly, Kaoru's young apprentice, Yahiko, came rushing into the room.
"Kaoru! Misao! Sir Okina!" he shouted.
"What is it, Yahiko?" Miss Kaoru asked.
"Look what I found just lying in the streets!" Yahiko held in his hand a black box.
"What's in it?" Misao asked.
"You'll see!" Yahiko held the box before the three and opened the lid. Inside were three beautiful stones, one of yellow, the other blue, and the third and glimmering red.
"They're so pretty." Kaoru uttered.
"I've never seen such stones before in my life." added Mr. Okina.
"You said you just found this?" Misao asked.
"It was in the back alley." Yahiko replied. "How could anyone just leave it there, knowing what was inside?"
"Perhaps someone was coming back for it." Kaoru asked.
"I don't think so. Why would anyone want to leave it out in the open? Wouldn't they hide this box if they knew it was valuable?"-
"Well, here's what we should do." Mr. Okina explained. "One of us must go back to the alleyway and wait there in case someone does return to find out that the box is missing."
"I'll do it then." Yahiko replied and ran back out of the room.
"It's a shame though." Misao said.
"I agree." Kaoru added. "I can't understand why someone would just leave something like his behind."
"Well, we'll keep it for safe keeping in case anyone else decides to snatch it."-
Meanwhile, Kenshin Himura had just completed his training and was now on his way to the Kyoto police headquarters to meet with the underground agent and former leader of the 3rd Shinsengumi squad, Hajime Saito. Taking a carriage to police headquarters, Kenshin began to have an uneasy feeling on the way. Upon reaching the police headquarters, Hajime Saito stuck his head out of his office window.
"Well Battousai," he said, "I thought you were some sort of missionary deciding to honor us with your presence. So are you ready for this upcoming fight." Kenshin looked up, with a smile on his face.
"As ready as I'll ever be." Kenshin replied. "Well, just have to see what happens."
But Saito realized that something else was bothering Kenshin. Because behind that innocent smile, there was a feeling of worry and of concern. Kenshin walked into his office.
"You seem distracted." Saito said. "There is something else wearing on your mind. I can see it in your eyes."
"For some strange reason, I feel uncomfortable about all this. I know that I've improved, but I still have a strange feeling that there is an even greater threat out there."
"Of course. This is Makoto Shishio we're talking about."-
"That's the disturbing part. It isn't Shishio that worries me."-
There was a dead silence between the two that lasted for a good few seconds, or so. Then, the door opened and someone else came into the room.
"That's just like you Kenshin." The voice uttered. "You always have that uneasy feeling. Especially when it comes to situations like this." Kenshin looked up to see a familiar face in the doorway.
"Sanosuke!" Kenshin said. Yes, Sanosuke Sagara had finally made it to Kyoto.
"You didn't think I was gonna let you have all the fun did you, Kenshin! I thought it best that you could use someone to help you."
"Sano."-
"Hold on." Saito interrupted. "I think it's more like he needs someone to get in the way."
"What did you say!" Sanosuke sneered. "Aw, never mind! We can reminisce about the past later! Right now we gotta run!"
"Run all the way to Osaka, Moron? We'll go by carriage."-
"Why do you have to nitpick everything I say!"-
The three walked out of the building. But as they neared the carriage, Kenshin suddenly stopped.
"What are you doing, Battousai?" Saito said. "We have a mission to fulfill."
"I still have a nagging feeling that something's wrong." Kenshin replied. "As if there's already a threat on its way, on the way to the Aoiya."
"We don't have time for this, Kenshin." Sanosuke said. "If we stall any longer, Shishio would have already set sail."
"I know, but still…"-
Suddenly, there was a flash of light that appeared before them and five individuals appeared from the glimmering flow. The Kingdom Hearts group had finally arrived.
Sora looked around, seeing Kenshin and the others gawking at them. The commotion caused pandemonium and several police officers emerged on the scene, to see what the bright flash of light was.
"Oh this is great." Sora said. "I thought we were supposed to be beamed down in a secluded area."
"At least the Kingdom has a teleportation system and we didn't have to land." Donald replied. "Can you imagine the attention we would have attracted if that would have happened?"
"Who are you?" Kenshin asked.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Riku uttered. "My name is Riku. This is my friend Sora and our companions, Goofy, Mickey, and Donald. Did we interrupt something important?"
"How the heck did you guys suddenly appear out of thin air?" Sanosuke asked.
"I keep forgetting that this is 19th century Japan." Donald whispered. "Teleportation hasn't even been dreamt of yet."
"Listen." Riku continued. "We don't have time to stay around here. We're looking for a man who goes by the name of Kahn."
"He's the master of the dark element." Sora replied. Kenshin just shrugged his shoulders.
"They have no idea what we're talking about."-
"Excuse me." Saito said. "But we have a mission to fulfill. Shishio's still out there."
"Right." Kenshin replied.
"Wait a minute!" Sora cried. "Do you at least know the whereabouts of the power stones!"
"We don't even know what you're talking about, kid." Sanosuke replied.
"It's no good, Sora." Riku replied. "They wouldn't know what we're talking about anyway."
"Then where do we start?" Mickey said. "Without a source, we could be wandering about Japan all day and still have no luck."
It was then that they heard the sound of hooves coming at a fast gallop. Kenshin stopped from entering the carriage to gaze at where the hoof beats were coming from. He suddenly gazed to see a horse coming straight for them. On its back was the young boy, Sojiro Seta of the Tenken. He was slightly slumped over and blood dripped from a ghastly wound streaked across his chest.
"Mr. Himura!" he cried, gasping. "I finally found you…"
"Sojiro!" Kenshin said. He stopped the horse and the boy fell from the horse to the ground. Kenshin rolled the boy over on his back and saw the hideous wound on his chest. "What happened? Who did this to you?"
"Mr. Shishio…"-
"Shishio?"-
"That's Shishio's top fighter." Saito said. "Sojiro Seta. I guess Shishio had no use of him."
"That's Shishio's top fighter?" Sanosuke asked. "He's just as kid."
"But why would Shishio do this? Especially to his most faithful follower?" Kenshin said
"Well, that's at least one member of the Juppongatana less that we have to worry about." Saito stated.
"But if Sojiro is here, that means that…"-
"Mr. Himura…" Sojiro uttered quietly. He grasped at the Battousai's shirt.
"Please Sojiro tell us why Shishio would do this."-
"It wasn't Mr. Shishio…It was…" Sojiro began to enter his death gasps and tightened his grip on the front of Kenshin's shirt.
"Sojiro! Hang on!"-
It was then that Sora and Riku came forth.
"The kid's in pretty bad shape." Sora said. "Goofy! Get the senzu beans."
"Okie Dokie!" Goofy replied and pulled out the bag of senzu beans.
"Give it to me." Riku said. Goofy placed the bean in his hand. Riku kneeled next to Sojiro. "Eat this. It'll make you feel better."
"How the heck's a bean supposed to make him feel better." Sanosuke said in a rather sarcastic manner.
"You'd be surprised." Sora said.
Sojiro opened his mouth and Riku placed the bean on his tongue. Sojiro began to chew. Five seconds after he swallowed the morsel, Sojiro was filled with a great amount of energy. He sat up and looked himself. His wound had been healed completely. Not even a scar was left. He stood up.
"I feel great." Sojiro said. Kenshin and the others were dumbfounded witness what had occurred.
"What just happened!" Sanosuke asked. "That kid was on the verge of death! How could he just stand up like that and not have a single scratch on him!"
"That was just as surprising to me that it was!" Kenshin added.
"Quite impressive." Saito said casually.
"Thank you." Sojiro uttered.
"Now, you can finish what you were saying." Riku said. "What about this Shishio guy?"
"It was Mr. Shishio who wounded me." Sojiro explained. "But he didn't do it on his own free will. He was possessed."
"Possessed?" Kenshin asked.
"Possessed. The shadows overwhelmed him and turned him against his own men."-
"It seems there's an even great power working here." Saito said.
"Who possessed him?" Kenshin asked.
"It was a man caped in a black cloak. His name was Kahn." Sojiro uttered
"Say that again!" Sora interrupted.
"Did you say Kahn!" Riku added.
"It looks like we finally found him." Said Mickey
"Pardon me, but do you know who this Kahn is?" Saito asked.
"That's right." Sora replied. "He's the master of the dark element and a member of the infamous Cavendish Shinobis. He's come to this world looking for the power stones."
"OK, now you've lost me." Sanosuke said. "What the heck are power stones?"
"They have the ability to enhance any type of sophisticated machinery," Riku explained, "increasing its abilities by at least ten fold."
"And the danger regarding this is…?-
"You may mock it now, but if you would have encountered the technology we've seen, then you'd think differently."-
"Kahn will do anything to get his hands on those enhancement stones." Donald said. "By that, he'll kill anyone who gets in his way. He'll find the stones and kill whoever holds them."
"Hey!" Sojiro shouted, pointing to the distance. "In the distance!"
The party looked to see what looked like darkness appear from over the mountains.
"No doubt about it." Mickey said. "That has to be Kahn!"
"But what is that dark essence forming in that area?" Kenshin asked.
"That must be his fighting aura!" Riku explained.
"Are you kidding?" Sanosuke said. "But how could something like that accumulate over so big an area?"
"Hey! Over there!" Goofy suddenly blurted out. They looked again to see a bright column of light bellowing over the horizon.
"Oh my God!" Sora said. "That must be where the power stones are! They're accumulating a lot of light!"
"We better get over there!" Riku explained.
"That's where the Aoiya is!" Kenshin said. "Miss Kaoru and the others are there and they probably don't even realize what's approaching them. We have to get them right away!"
"I suppose if we go there to meet this Kahn, then we'll find Shishio." Saito said. "Then, let's proceed!"
"Let's get going!" Mickey said.
"Come on out Zeke!" Sora shouted. He lifted his sword in the air and the mighty silver organoid appeared. Riku, Sora, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy jumped onto Zeke's back. "Take us to the beam of light and hurry!" Zeke roared and blew off in the direction of the light.
"We better get going to!" Kenshin said, as he and Sanosuke joined Saito in the carriage.
Sojiro mounted his horse and pulled up to the carriage.
"I'll meet you there!" he shouted and galloped away.
"I guess the kid's on our side now?" Sanosuke asked.
"He probably wants to see if he can break Shishio of the possession." Kenshin replied.
"Driver, to the Aoiya!" Saito ordered. The jailer came running to the carriage.
"Would you like me to send for reinforcements?" he asked.
"Get all available policemen to the Aoiya immediately."-
"Yes Sir."-
With that the carriage pressed on to aid the defenders at the Aoiya.
At the same time, Kahn felt the presence of the KH group.
"So, they're here." He uttered to himself. He turned to his three possessed followers. "Now, you know what your goal is. Find the power stones and return them to me. Kill all who stand in your way without any hesitation."
"Your wish is our command." Shishio uttered.
"We will eliminate these fools once and for all." Aoshi added.
"And we will take their hot blood and bathe in it." Usui stated.
"We shall let the power of darkness do our bidding." Kahn said. The four continued to move towards their target.
Unaware of the danger approaching, Miss Kaoru, Misao, Mr. Okina, and the other members of the Oniwaban group gazed down at the beautiful stones.
"No matter how long it is, I can't take my eyes off those beautiful stones." Kaoru uttered.
"I know." Misao added. "You just fall in love with them don't you? It's kind of hard to believe that someone would just abandon these."
"But what person, in their right mind, would abandon such exquisite gems?" Mr. Okina stated. "They shine like the sun and have colors that shame a rainbow."
Meanwhile, just outside of the Aoiya, Yahiko still awaited for someone to return to the alley hoping to pick up the stones. He sighed from boredom and placed his wooden sword on his shoulder.
"Man, I wish I never said that I'd do this job." He uttered. "It's so boring. I wish I could go back in and see those stones again." It was then that he looked up and saw the bright light bellowing from the windows of the Aoiya. "Wait a minute. Is that light coming from those stones?" But just as he had finished that statement, another flash of light emerged at the corner of his eye. There was a sudden impact and the dust flew into the air in a great cloud.
Sora and the others had arrived on the back of Zeke.
"Thanks Zeke." Sora said and withdrew the dragon back into the steel of his blade. He placed the sword back into the sheath at his side.
"This must be the place." Donald said. "The stones must be here." Sora gazed around and happened to lay his eyes on Yahiko.
"Hey kid!" Sora shouted. "Come here."
"Are you the ones who left the stones in the alleyway?" Yahiko asked.
"So you know about the power stones then?" Riku asked.
"Power stones?"-
"There's not much time to talk right now!" The KH group rushed into the Aoiya.
"Hey! Wait a minute!" Yahiko went running after them.
Sora and the others ran up the stairs and flung open the door where Miss Kaoru and the others were located. They looked at the KH group curiously.
"Close that box!" Sora cried.
"Who are you?" Miss Kaoru asked.
"No time!" Riku shouted and rushed forward, he shut the box quickly, pushing the spectators aside.
"Hey! What's the big idea barging in here!" Misao demanded. "Who the heck are you guys!"
"Now's not good to be asking us that!" Mickey replied. "You're all in grave danger!"
"What do you mean!"-
"Don't you realize that these stones accumulate a great amount of light!" Riku said.
"So what's the problem?" Miss Kaoru asked.
"That's the problem!" Riku pointed out towards the end of the street. The party turned to see what looked like free shadows billowing up in a misty like fashion.
"What on earth is that?" Mr. Okina asked.
"That's the problem we were talking about." Sora explained.
It was at that moment that a voice began to shout out from outside.
"Miss Kaoru, Yahiko, Miss Misao, Sir Okina!" it cried. Kaoru looked out to see a carriage and a mounted horse pull up to the Aoiya. From the carriage, Kenshin appeared.
"Kenshin?" Miss Kaoru said. She began to cheer. "Kenshin, Kenshin! You're back!" They heard the party run up the stairs. Kenshin, Sanosuke, Saito, and Sojiro appeared through the door. "Kenshin, you've come back to us!"
"Miss Kaoru!" Kenshin said. "We have to get these stones out of here!"
"But why!"-
"We're attracting trouble!"-
The misty shadows continued to edge themselves forward. They were only 200 yards away from the doorsteps of the Aoiya.
"What'll we do?" Misao asked.
"They're after the stones." Riku said. "Just give them to us and we'll hide them in a secure place."
"You still haven't told us who you guys are!" Yahiko said. "It's time you explain yourselves."
"We're the members of the KH group." Sora began. Each introduced himself to Kenshin's party. "I'm Sora."
"I'm Riku."-
"Mickey."-
"Donald Duck."-
"Name's Goofy."-
"We're here to retrieve those power stones." Sora continued.
"They're called power stones?" Miss Kaoru asked. "What do they do?"
"They are able to enhance the working ability of sophisticated electrical technology."-
"You mean like locomotives and steam ships?"-
"Nothing like that, we're talking about real sophisticated technology. The fact of the matter is that Kahn has arrived to take the stones."-
"Who's Kahn?" asked Misao.
"The master of the dark element and second in command of the Cavendish Shinobis." Riku said. "He's come from our world to get them back from this world."
"You mean you guys are from another world?" Kenshin asked.
"That would explain the clothing." Sanosuke uttered.
"Now is not the time for further mindless conversation." Saito said. "We already have the necessary information. Right now, what should concern us more is the matter at hand." He pointed out to the misty darkness which was now about a hundred yards from the Aoiya.
"What'll we do?" Misao asked. The group looked on to see the mist approach. But as the mist reach the one hundred yard mark, it stopped advancing. The shadows suddenly disappeared and four individuals appeared.
Misao happened to gaze at the faces of the individuals and pointed out a very familiar one.
"Look!" she cried. "It's Lord Aoshi!"
"Aoshi?" Mr. Okina uttered.
"What's Aoshi doing over there?" Kenshin wondered.
"Aoshi Shinomori!" added Yahiko. "It can't be."
"Lord Aoshi!" Misao cried and began jumped from the second story, onto the streets below. "Lord Aoshi!"
"Miss Misao, stop!" Kenshin ordered.
"But Himura…?"-
"Take a look. That is not the Aoshi you know."-
Misao looked at the face of her lord and realized that Aoshi's eyes were completely green, Iris, pupil, and all. She backed away.
"What's wrong with him?" Miss Kaoru wondered.
"He's been possessed." Sojiro said.
"How do you know?" Yahiko asked.
"Because the same look is on Mr. Shishio's face."-
"Mr. Shishio!"-
"Mr. Shishio?" asked Kaoru. The team backed off from Sojiro.
"You're a member of Shishio's group!" Yahiko shouted.
"I am." Sojiro replied.
"What the heck is he doing here?" Miss Kaoru demanded.
"Right now, Miss Kaoru." Kenshin intervened. "Sojiro is on our side that he is."
"But how?"-
"I want to save Mr. Shishio just as much as you want to save your friends." Sojiro explained. "I don't want to see him manipulated in such a way."
"Which one is Shishio anyway?" Yahiko asked.
"That one second from the right." The group gazed upon the face of the man in bandages.
"So that is Makoto Shishio." Mr. Okina uttered.
"Like Mr. Aoshi Shinomori, Mr. Shishio has been manipulated by Kahn as well." Sojiro said. "Even Mr. Usui was easily taken over by Kahn."
"Usui the Blind Sword." Saito said. "He must be the one with blindfold."
"Kahn. So, he must be the one in the black cloak." Sora said. "He's our guy, Riku."
"One more Shinobi before we reach General Kai." Riku replied. "Just one more Shinobi." Riku jumped from the second story and joined Misao. Sora, Donald, Mickey, and Goofy descended as well. Pretty soon, all the fighters within the Aoiya, except for Mr. Okina, jumped from the second story to confront the four.
"So, I see you've managed to make it here in time." Kahn chuckled.
"Let those three go, Kahn!" Riku said.
"Do you detest my methods?"-
"You're using others to do the fighting for you by the looks of it!"-
"You're right, Riku. This is one particular scenario where I don't intend to get my hands dirty. I am the only member of the Cavendish Shinobis who is capable to manipulating others like this. Even General Kai does not know about this tactic!"-
"Mr. Shishio!" Sojiro cried. "Please listen to me! You would never allow anyone to control you like this! Try to break free!" But Shishio only laughed.
"It's no use trying to shout out to him, boy!" Kahn said. "Your voice can no longer reach him! He opened his heart to the darkness by causing pain and suffering! By engaging in evil deeds without repentance, or sense of justice, but only for mere pleasure, you consume yourself in darkness and are easily manipulated."
"I see." Riku uttered. "You manipulate the evil and hate within one's heart. Those three must have had issues and were easy to bring under your control. Only those not pure of evil can't be taken under your control."
"That's correct, Riku. And the grip I hold on them is too strong for sentimental words to break! They have been placed completely under my control and there are only two ways of breaking it. One is for you to kill the possessed individual and the second is to kill the one who possessed them. Meaning you will never save them unless you kill me first. However, don't think that you can just waltz up to me and take a crack. I won't make it easy for you." He snapped his fingers and his three servants drew their weapons, their eyes turned a bright green and frightened some members of Kenshin's group. "In order to get to me, you'll have to go through them first."
"That shouldn't be too much of a challenge." Saito uttered as he stepped forward.
"Saito, what are you doing?" Kenshin asked.
"What does it look like, Battousai. I'm going to eliminate them."-
"You can't!" Misao shouted. "Lord Aoshi is amongst them."
"And so is Mr. Shishio!" Sojiro added.
"To you, their lives are precious. But as far as I can see, they are only another threat that dares to disturb the piece of the government. As former leader of the 3rd Shinsengumi squad, I have sworn to maintain the peace of the Meiji government. I continued to follow the old saying of the Shinsengumi 'Aku Soku Zan.' Slay evil immediately."-
"You certainly are full of yourself." Kahn uttered. "Think you can take them on by yourself."
"I won't be alone in this fight. Even if I did fall, I would have no regrets. As a former member of the Shinsengumi, we follow the way of the samurai and fleeing before an enemy is not an option. Therefore, I will either win, or die."-
"An excellent analogy of the situation and giving yourself only two options? That works in my favor even more. There's no possible way for you to take the former. So it'll have to be the latter."-
It was then that they heard the sound of running feet. Suddenly, from all around them, police of Kyoto, at least five thousand strong, came rushing into the vicinity, to confront the four from all directions.
"We've come to your aid, Sir." One of the policemen said to Saito.
"Excellent." Saito replied.
Kahn looked around to find himself surrounded by five thousand officers. But still, he chuckled.
"You fools think that you have the upper advantage now!" he bellowed. "Fools! Who do you think I am! Do you think that having overwhelming numbers are going to affect the outcome of this fight!"
"You think you can take on five thousand police officers all at once?" Yahiko shouted.
"Watch me."-
"You shouldn't have said anything, kid." Sojiro said.
"What do you mean?" Yahiko asked.
"If you could've only seen what he did before, you would have known to keep your mouth shut."-
Kahn turned to the masses of policemen. Suddenly, a shadowy essence began to build up around him.
"Now witness true devastation! Shadow Death Wave!" Kahn threw out his arms and a wave of darkness spread throughout the masses of the police. Within an instant of contact with the dark wave, the police fell dead to the ground. Immediately, Saito, Kenshin's group, and the KH group realized what it was they were really dealing with.
"Oh my God!" Sora uttered in fear. "Did you see what he did?"
"He managed to kill all the police officers, in that direction, with just one attack."-
The other officers began to back of slowly.
"Oh no you don't." Kahn said. "I won't let you escape." All the police officers were suddenly frozen in place. Again Kahn began to power up and the dark element began to resonate within him.
"Enough!" Sora shouted as he rushed forward. He deployed Tundra Canister and thrust the ice at Kahn. Kahn was taken by surprise and nearly was caught in the barrage of shattering shards. One shard managed to graze his hand and it froze his fingers into ice.
"You little bastard! How dare you deprive me of my declaration and make me look like a fool!" He roared as he regained his stance. He pointed to all his enemies. "Kill them all!" Shishio, Aoshi, and Usui began their assault against the KH group and Kenshin's group.
"What'll we do?" Miss Kaoru asked.
"There's only one thing we can do." Kenshin replied. "We'll have to fight them. But make sure not to kill any of them."
Kenshin drew out his reverse blade sword and prepared for battle. Shishio, Aoshi, and Usui engaged in battle with the Kenshin group.
At the same time, the KH group began their attack against Kahn.
"This ends here and now, Kahn!" Sora shouted as he lunged forward.
"Imbeciles!" Kahn replied. "Let's see how you enjoy this! Darkness Shurikens!" Suddenly five dark blades appeared. Sora was struck with one causing the others to evade.
"Sora!" cried Riku. "Are you alright!" Sora stood up and looked at his body. There was no wound, no blood emerging.
"I'm alright." Sora replied. But this time, he sounded a bit mellow toned.
"You sound like you don't have any energy."-
"I don't know. There was something about that dark element that just caused me to lose energy, or something…" Sora then realized what had happened.
"Have seconds!" Kahn suddenly shouted and deployed another wave of Darkness Shurikens. This time, Sora managed to dodge that assault. He rolled over to Riku's side as Donald, Mickey, and Goofy began their attack.
"He's using the same type of darkness that the Heartless used." He explained. "With every hit taken, your heart is slowly swallowed up into darkness. With every injury he inflicts on us, we lose both physical and spiritual energy, but we don't gain any physical wounds in the process."-
"That's how he was able to kill all those police men." Riku replied. "He overwhelmed their hearts with the dark element."
"Unlike the Heartless however, Kahn seems to dish out his attacks with greater effect, at least ten times. But we still have the advantage. The Curaga spell and the potions and ethers should have total effect in this fight."-
"Excellent plan!" Riku shouted out of Mickey and the others. "Mickey! He's using the same dark element as the Heartless! Kahn won't inflict any physical wounds with the dark element, so Curaga and potions should work a hundred percent in this battle!"
"That's great?" Mickey replied. He turned to Goofy and Donald. "You heard what he said!"
"Loud and clear!" Donald replied. The duck began to deploy Curaga to the combatants. Sora was the first to feel the effect of the Curaga spell and he filled with a great energy.
"Thanks Donald!" he replied.
"Don't mention it!"-
"Shall we then!" Sora said to Riku.
"I'm way ahead of you!" Riku replied.
They drew their blades and began their attack against the infamous master of the dark element. But Kahn, even though overhearing the flaw in the dark element, he was still calm in his fighting and gestures.
"So they figured out the flaw eh?" Kahn said. "Well, it doesn't matter. I too have a few surprises in for them."
Meanwhile, the fight against Kahn's three possessed warriors gave the Kenshin hell. Miss Misao, Miss Kaoru and the other members of the Kyoto Oniwaban group tried to evade the attacks from Aoshi Shinomori and his double Kodachi attacks. At the same time Kenshin and Sanosuke, even Sojiro with Yahiko watching on, fought the might of Makoto Shishio. And Saito took on Usui alone.
"I don't understand what you're trying to get at, Kenshin." Sanosuke said as the continued to dodged Shishio's blade. "How they heck are we supposed to beat him and not kill him."
"We have to somehow get through to them." Kenshin replied. "I know Shishio. He would never allow anyone to tell him what to do."
"That much is clear. But even if he were brought back to normal, he'd only go back to his twisted ways and try to kill us again."-
"But at least we'd have a good reason to stop him then."-
"Damn it, Kenshin! Why do you always have to be so stubborn! But I guess you'd never have it any other way!"-
"Please, Mr. Shishio!" Sojiro cried. "Come back! Don't let that guy control you!"
"I don't think so!" Shishio uttered. He suddenly stopped fighting. "To tell you the truth, I'm glad that I was possessed."
"What are you talking about, Shishio!" Kenshin asked.
"It's quite simple. Due to me being possessed and giving in to the darkness, I was able to achieve this little ability." Shishio suddenly began to levitate himself into the air. He then suddenly rushed forward and attacked with this sword drawn out of his sheath. "Now that I have an aerial advantage, you will not be able to defeat me so easily." He flicked his sword against a lone stone and his sword caught fire. He slashed at Kenshin.
"Mr. Himura! Watch out!" Sojiro shouted. "That's Mr. Shishio's secret sword one technique, the Homuradama!"
"You certainly change sides very quickly don't you, Sojiro!" Shishio roared. "After all I've done for you, after everything I've taught you, you decide to side with the Battousai!"
"You are no longer the Mr. Shishio I knew you as! You've decided to become someone else's slave!"-
"Slave you say! Tell me Sojiro! Is it slavery when you achieve a great power from someone! I now have the ability to fly! And to fly gives me a total advantage over you all! Even you Battousai can't make a move without me observing it from here!"-
"Shishio! You were planning to take over this country!" Kenshin said. "But at least you did it on your own free will! But now you fight as a slave, a disposable pawn!"
"You go ahead and talk!" Shishio chuckled. "I've never felt better! With this new ability, my victory will be guaranteed." Shishio began his descent and attacked down against the three visible targets. "Now be good little boys and tell me where the power stones are!"
At the same time, Aoshi began his run, deploying some of his double Kodachi attacks.
"Lord Aoshi!" Misao cried. "Please stop this!"
"That is something that I cannot do." Aoshi uttered. "I've been given a great strength that'll defeat the Battousai! In return for being given this great strength, I will kill you all and retrieve the power stones."
"That's what this is about?" Misao said. "But why would you want them?"
"I don't know the reason why Kahn wants them, but he says that this power will be mine, permanently, if I fulfill that request."-
"This is why you allowed yourself to be possessed?"-
"Right now, I only wish to defeat the Battousai and achieve the title of the strongest! Nothing more! Everything else is insignificant!"-
"Is that what you think nowadays, Lord Aoshi?" Misao cried. "How could you allow yourself to be blinded by such a weak motive!"
"It is not a weak motive. It is something that I've strived to take all these years! And no one, not the Battousai, not the members of the Kyoto Oniwaban group, not even you will stand in my way of achieving this goal. Back down now and make your deaths quick."-
"We can't allow that, Aoshi!" Miss Kaoru shouted. "If we must die, then we'll die fighting!"
"If that is what you want, then that is what you will get!" Aoshi suddenly began to levitate himself. Suddenly, he vanished from their sights, appeared in the air and slammed himself down into the ground. There was a bright flash of energy and a mighty explosion. As the dust settled, half of the Aoiya was destroyed and the entire Oniwaban group had been knocked out, their bodies mangled amongst the wreckage. Aoshi stood up and wiped the dust from his coat. "That was easier than I thought." He turned to the Aoiya. "The power stones must be in the Aoiya." He began to walk towards the wrecked building when he suddenly heard rustling behind him. Misao managed to stagger to her feet.
"I won't let you to get to those stones…" she uttered. "Turn and fight me, Aoshi Shinomori!"
"Your part in this is over." Aoshi replied. "Now, there is nothing that'll stop me from getting those stones and achieving my ultimate power."
"So you won't fight me, Shinomori! Is that it! Then, you're a coward! You are afraid of me! And you wish to be called the strongest!" Aoshi sneered and turned to face Misao. "You are no longer the man that I looked up to and loved! You've thrown your soul and your pride as former leader of the Oniwaban group for the sake of power! If that's true, then I have no other choice, but to fight you! What's wrong, Shinomori! You don't want to fight me because you're scared! Is that it! So much for being the strongest!"
"You wish to insult me, Misao?"-
"Don't call me that! You are dead in my mind now! You are just another murderous freak of nature!"-
"Then, you will pay with your life." His drew his Kodachis and began to advance. "I will show you just how powerful I am. But I will bide my time and take you apart little by little."
"Then, bring it on, Shinomori!"
As Kenshin, Sanosuke, Sojiro, and Yahiko were trying to negotiate with Shishio, and Misao stood alone against Aoshi, Saito began his attack against the infamous Usui the blind sword.
"It seems that Shishio and Shinomori have achieved incredible talents from Kahn." Saito said. "Tell me, what type of technique are you capable of?"
"I have a technique even better than those two. You may say that I have the ability to create my own armies." Usui chuckled. He suddenly took off his blindfold, revealing the sockets of his eyes. They suddenly began to glow a bright green. "Oh yes, and another thing Saito, because I gave up my soul for Kahn's gifts, he restored my sight. So Usui the Blind Sword is no longer an appropriate title for me."
"I guess you were tired of wandering about in the dark, eh?" Saito chuckled. "Then maybe this fight will be more interesting." Saito unsheathed his sword. "So tell me of this other gift you received from Kahn besides your restored sight.
"I'm sure you'll find this most impressive." Usui noticed that there were still an estimated five hundred police officers about in the area. He turned towards them and suddenly unleashed a wave of shadows. The police were overcome by the shadows. There was a sudden death scream that accumulated for ten seconds before it finally died down. As the shadows cleared, the police officers emerged with their eyes glowing the same green color as Usui. They jumped from their rafters and emerged from the woodwork and placed themselves next to Usui. "You see, Saito? Thanks to Kahn, I now have the ability to take control of all impure souls. And it appears that we have a great number of bad eggs. Each officer obtained a sense of hatred towards us because of what happened to their comrades. All I have to do is take advantage of that single spark and I could easily manipulate them to do my bidding. I could do the same to you, Saito, but I would rather see you squirm with your tail between your legs as you fight your fellow officers. And these officers who don't even know that they're being manipulated by me. As far as they know, they are still fighting for the side of righteousness. Do you really think that you can slay them?"
"On the contrary," Saito explained, "because they have sided with you, they have sided with the way of chaos. And as the former leader of the 3rd squad of the Shinsengumi, I continue to live under my own brand of justice, that of "Aku Soku Zan." Unlike my men, there is no darkness in my heart. The reason for that is because I bear no grudges, or any sentiment of hate whatsoever. All I know is that those who dare to disturb the peace of this nation will be trialed by our laws and our way."
"So you say you have no darkness in your heart, eh? Then, let's find out!" The shadows suddenly covered Saito. But unlike the officers, there was no death scream. Only silence reverberated when Saito was consumed. As the shadows diminished, Saito still stood with that same smirk on his face. "Impossible!"
"Impossible you say?" Saito said as he crouched down to perform his infamous Gatotsu. "As I said, I live by the say of "Aku Soku Zan." And by abiding by that philosophy, I will always fight to see peace maintained here, so long as the Wolf of Miboo continues to draw breath."
"No matter!" Usui chuckled. "If I can't manipulate you to join me, then I will kill you!"
"You really expect for me to be defeated by five hundred manipulated police officers?"-
"Of course not! They're only acting as a shield to prevent you from escaping. The only one you have to worry about is me!" He drew out his weapons the, Timbey tortoise shell shield and the Lochin.
"Then let us begin!" The two charged against each other, Usui with his Lochin and Timbey and Saito with his Gatotsu.
"You fool!" Usui chuckled. "Now with my sight restored, I can see your every move!" he suddenly began to strike with one of his signature attacks. "Bonken Bungyoku Hyakka Ryouran!" Usui deployed a multi thrust attack which cut Saito several times. But at the same time, Saito had managed to hit the counterweight at the end of Usui's Lochin. There was a sudden explosion and the counterweight was destroyed instantly. Saito withdrew from the attack and emerged with only three cuts.
"Most impressive." Saito said. "However, if that's the best you have…"
"Your Gatotsu is no more effective though. It is in fact worthless now that I have the ability to see it in living color!" Saito crouched again to renew his Gatotsu. "Yet you still use Gatotsu. The Shinsengumi were known to heighten their favorite attack to the utmost level. But if that is all you have, then you truly are in trouble."
"A mongrel dog that ducks its tail and runs away should not bark!" Saito attacked with his full Gatotsu against Usui, but Usui threw out his shield before him. "I don't know what you have hidden behind that shield, but there's nothing that this Gatotsu can't pierce!" But as his sword made contact, it was thrown off.
"Hidden behind it?" Usui chuckled. "What do you think! I used the shells roundness to evade the thrust! Then I throw the shield in front of my enemy, blocking his vision. Then, I strike with this Lochin!" He took his spear and thrust it deep into Saito's left leg. Saito backed off, his leg severely wounded. "This is the ultimate attack passed on from the royal family of my homeland, Ryukyu used for the Timbey and Lochin."
"Most impressive indeed." Saito said. "However…" He crouched down to perform the Gatotsu again.
"You still intend to fight me even after I have wounded you on the left leg? You know that the Gatotsu will not have the same effect as it did before. Although the wound I gave you wasn't fatal, it'll certainly slow down your thrust."-
"Despite such a wound, that'll not stop me from continuing my efforts."-
"So be it, Saito! Come forth!"-
Again Saito thrust forward. But the Gatotsu was thrown off the roundness of the Timbey shield and again Usui lunged his spear in for the kill. This time, it was Saito's right leg. Saito had to back off again.
"Well, that was a most impressive bit of effort." Usui chuckled. "I don't want to kill you yet! Instead, I want to see you wither away like a flower in flames." Usui snapped his fingers and the five hundred possessed policemen surrounded Saito.
