The Sky Opens Up, Things Doth Die

by Shadow Master

(BtVS/Utawarerumono/Rurouni Kenshin/Other Demi-human Sources) Evil is Cunning. It is ambitious and it absolutely will not stop until it is victorious. Good thing some people don't care much about the odds right?

5. Even in the Abyss Hope Survives

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the copyrighted materials contained herein. They are the rightful property of their respective creators and/or associated companies. I make no profit from this whatsoever and I have no intention of changing this at any point in the future. I write because it's fun and because there are those who enjoy reading my works. Therefore please no lawsuits or other forms of legal action. I can promise you that I have nowhere near enough assets to make it all worth it.

Note: As usual positive reviews will be gratefully received, constructive criticism will be considered but not necessarily acted upon and of course negative/bashing/venomous/trolling reviews will be either ignored or burned as fuel to keep the story going.

---

Six Months Later

Seijruo Hiko's POV

"So what are your plans for the future, Xander?" he asked without opening his eyes from where he rested while his student continued to perform the last of the beginner katas.

"When I first woke up here it was pretty much just get back home and live my life same as always. Go to school, hang out with my friends, kill the demon of the week and then go to bed," Xander replied with no sound of the swing tempo being broken. "Now? Now I still plan on finding a way home but I'll wait until I've learned Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu first and things settle down enough to catch a plane or boat."

"A modest vision of your future," he said before planting the first seed. "With the power that my teachings give you it wouldn't be out of the question to join the American military or become a big shot among demon hunters. Done right, you could make quite a bit of money, too."

There.

Now to see how he reacted.

"Yeah. If I could get even half as good as you I could probably kick some serious ass and get pretty famous," Xander said, pausing in his kata to think more. "No one'd ever look down on me and I could leave behind my worthless parents. Make a life as far from them as possible."

Indeed that was one possibility and had the first wielder of Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu chosen differently, he could've risen to become second in power only to the Emperor. Wealth and power would've been bestowed upon him in exchange for using his skill to slay the enemies of the government as well as those who disrupted Japan's peace. However, showing wisdom, the past practitioners of the style chose to maintain a position of independence from governments and organizations. Instead it was stressed that masters of Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu used their skills only in the defense of their fellow man while encouraging examination of all sides of a confrontation.

So it had been for the twelve masters that came before him.

"But I'd probably just screw all that up somehow," Xander said with a lopsided smirk on his face. "All I need to be happy is my friends, strength enough to protect them and a good meal everyday. Fame and fortune might sound nice but I it's probably best I don't get within a hundred feet of either."

~A somewhat troubling answer but not necessarily a bad one~, he thought, hearing the kata swings resume.

He sensed no lie in Xander's response, making him believe that the boy was telling the truth that his apprentice cared more about protecting what he already had then seeking more. However the assumption that he would make a mess if he gained either fortune or fame hinted of something troubling behind the scenes. It was but the latest of several such signs but he'd known after the first three what they likely meant.

The boy had grown up in an environment where his self-worth was regularly belittled, if not outright battered, to the point where only the kind words of his friends kept it partially intact. Indeed he'd been able to tell from the beginning that the boy's friends were the most precious thing in his life and were at the source of his denial of the true state of the world. If he acknowledged that the Earth had been moved and what they'd seen in Kyoto had happened everywhere, then Xander would have to consider the likelihood that his friends were dead. Given the precious few survivors they had found thus far out of a city that once was the home to a great many more, it was the likely truth.

~While I understand how he feels, it does no good to blind oneself to the truth~, he thought, contemplating his options. ~The longer he's allowed to immerse himself in the comforting fantasy he's in, the more painful it will be when it's torn away.~

His teaching of Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu would provide a foundation for the boy but it would be Ruby, Himari, Kirito and the others that would serve as a balm for his suffering.

That was why he would do all he could to not only ensure that the boy's instruction was completed to his satisfaction but also set aside time for his student to strengthen his bonds with the others. With any luck, by the time he passed on the mantle of Master of Hiten-Mitsurugi-Ryu, the pain Xander would feel upon accepting reality would be no worse than a sickness that took only a few weeks to recover from.

Hearing what by his count was the final swing of the kata he opened his eyes to look at his apprentice and was satisfied to see only a little sweat on the boy's brow. While not anywhere close to him, he could safely say that Xander was now beginning to move at speeds and strike with strength above what humans prior to the Calamity were capable of even at their best. Add to that the stamina needed to utilize both without falling over from exhaustion after a few swings and his apprentice had progressed quite a bit since their first lesson together.

Not that he'd ever say such a thing out loud.

He'd show his approval in other ways.

"Too slow. You should've finished that kata fifteen seconds ago," he chastised.

"You asked me a question!" Xander exclaimed defensively.

"And you could've answered it without pausing in performing the kata," he said without blinking an eye. "The ability to multitask is at the core of every warrior and even more for a Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu master. You think it's easy to fight at god-like speed? Idiot!"

Unlike what some might believe, fighting at such high speeds did not mean that the world around them slowed down. Rather it was only due to intense training in the use of their ki that they were able to keep track of the world around them with sufficient precision to avoid costly mistakes. He hadn't yet given the boy practical training with his ki as yet, since in terms of physical prowess his apprentice did not need it. By his estimation Xander would need to become at least thirty percent faster than he was now before it would be prudent to begin proper ki training.

~Hmmm… I'll need to rethink my current training method for that~, he thought, considering what options were known to him. ~I'll also need to figure out a way to make performing his katas more difficult.~

If only a bit of sweat was on his student's brow it meant that the boy's body was not being pushed very hard and would soon find performing the kata effortless. This would not do if he wanted the progress to remain steady and for the training to be completed on schedule. From the very beginning he'd planned for his training to be completed right about when he predicted that their current peace would come to an end. Either Xander would grow too impatient to remain away from his friends any longer or an outside force would make its presence known, giving them something else to think about.

Just as things were changing for those who now lived alongside him, so too must it have been for the survivors elsewhere in Japan. Having lived through times of chaos before he knew that, while some people would band together for mutual survival, others would choose to take advantage of the situation to satisfy their own greed. They would grab whatever source of power they thought would bring them what they wanted before turning outwards to poison the rest of the country with their carnal desires. How long they had before such people found them here in the woods he could not say for certain and so he'd chosen to work with the most pessimistic prediction he had.

~At least we have one thing in our favor~, he thought as he got up from where he'd been sitting. ~With a group as small as ours and little to tie us down, it'll be easy enough to sneak about undetected.~

A large group was slowed by the weight of its own numbers, moving only as quickly as their slowest member, and were a lot harder to hide to anyone with decent eyesight. A small one had many more places they could hide, take cover behind and could maneuver at speed making it harder to spot as well as difficult to pin down.

If troublemakers came within a days journey of his home it would be easy enough to grab the essentials before moving to ensure that no encounters took place.

"I think I'll have Kirito and Minmei help with your awareness training," he said, remembering the rubber balls he'd brought back from Kyoto. "Time to see if you can evade multiple attacks from multiple directions."

"But I haven't even managed to dodge the balls when you throw them!" Xander exclaimed in distress at what was coming his way.

"Exactly! Clearly you need better motivation in order to make any progress," he said with a smirk of amusement. "Three 'unknown' attackers might just be enough."

Xander groaned in defeat, no doubt imagining how things'd go for him later.

"And if it doesn't I'm sure Hitori has a decent enough throwing arm," he said, knowing that, without more survivors, that would be the limit to his current awareness training.

Good thing he knew of several others, all of which could be carried out using the materials found all around him.

Should be fun!

---

Somewhere Else

BANG!

RATATATATATATA!

"This way! We got them on the run!"

"Hurry! They're catching up!" the smallest form said even as the group of four hurried down the street.

"Then get the lead out! I could lose them by myself if I wanted but I owe you three so it'd leave a bad taste in my mouth if I did," the tallest along them said with irritation.

"Yeah? Well leaving Yukikaze and the others like that leaves a crappy taste in MY mouth! We should've just charged ahead and freed them!" snapped one halfway between the first two in height.

"A rescue's not a rescue if you get yourself captured or killed halfway through. The second we were spotted, running's the only thing we could do," the tall one said before darting down a side street. "Unless we figure out a way of evening the odds or drawing them away from their prisoners, a rescue's not going to be possible."

"No way are they gonna leave them unguarded even if we raise hell with their patrols and it's not like we got a secret army stashed away someplace," the middle height figure said, navigating the side street hazards along the way.

"There is one possibility-nano," the second tallest among them that'd kept silent up until now. "If we were to gain his aid, we might just have the strength to free the prisoners-nano."

"Who're you talking about?" the middle height figure asked, sounding clueless.

"Hiko Seijuro-nano," the second tallest said with perfect composure.

"HIM!? After what he did to Yuto!" the middle height figure said angrily, showing her opposition to the idea.

"We all knew it had to be done-nano," the second tallest said with only veins of sadness entering her words. "We just couldn't bring ourselves to do it-nano. I looked through the Amakawa records after they left-nano. There is mention of a Hiko Seijruo aiding them in the past-nano. If he did so before, perhaps we could ask him to do so again-nano."

"Is this Hiko guy strong?" the tallest among them asked even as they all ducked behind cover to avoid being spotted by a passing group of enemies.

"Yes-nano," the second tallest replied without hesitation.

"Then go and get him, Shizuku," the tallest among them ordered, her eyes hinting at a plan coming together. "The rest of us will keep these good time guys dancing until then."

With a nod the second tallest of their group dove for a nearby storm grate, turning into water before vanishing from sight.

For those that remained it was the beginning of a tense and arduous time.

---

Three Days Later

Outside Hiko's Home

Xander's POV

"Better. You're doing less thinking and more acting," Hiko said from his chair next to the entrance of his home. "When it comes to being aware of your surroundings too much thinking is a distraction. It can lead to confusion and hesitation, both of which can lead to death."

"I thought you said a swordsman had to always be thinking and taking everything in," he said, confused at the contradiction.

"Only once they've mastered the ability to sense their surroundings by means other than their eyes," Hiko said with a dismissive shake of his head. "You're a long way from that. At best you're a blind man that's only just begun to sense blurry black shapes against a blurry background. Until you can 'see' with perfect clarity, too much thinking will only hinder your progress."

Yet another reminder of how much longer he had before he could call himself a master of Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu.

It had been a long time since Hiko had agreed to take him on as his apprentice and he could safely say that he'd been pushed harder than anytime in his life. Yet he could honestly say that with every week he managed to stick with it and progress, he felt a measure of satisfaction in knowing he'd taken another step further than Tony ever would've. Instead of crumbling under the strain he was proving he had the will to stride forward towards his goal of becoming a master of Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu. Once he achieved what he'd set out to do, he'd have the strength to find a way back to Sunnydale, where the rest of the gang was probably worrying themselves silly trying to figure out where he was. Sure, there were locator spells, but he was betting on the range depending on the strength of the one casting the spell. At the absolute most they might be able to get a direction as well as some idea of distance but not enough to put a name to the country he was in.

Thus, if they couldn't find him, he'd have to be the one get back to them.

It was as he settled into a posture that seemed to get the best results in gaining an awareness of his surroundings that something pinged on his fledgling senses rather firmly. Hiko's training had focused on keeping any contacts light, ethereal, rather than something casual. From his sensei's point of view there was no point in training him to detect something obvious when many of his foes will be anything but obvious with how they chose to attack. While he could see the point being made, it still didn't make it any more fun to get hit in the head with whatever the sword master thought would make a good projectile. Turning towards the ping, he found that it seemed to be coming from the large metal container that they stored rainwater in once him carrying buckets of water stopped amusing Hiko. Glancing at Hiko, he didn't spot any sign that the man was worried or expecting a battle but that didn't mean much.

Many a time in the past when he'd thought that he knew what was going on inside his teacher's head only to find out how wrong he was soon after.

It was only when a mini-geyser of water knocked the lid off of the container that he realized that they were about to encounter something magical or demonic.

He just hoped it didn't wind up being both because that'd really, REALLY suck.

He got his answer a moment later when a distinctly human looking hand gripped the edge of the now open container and leveraged out a very familiar young woman.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you'd show up sooner or later, Shizuku," Hiko said politely as the mizuchi Youkai hopped down from the top of the container to the ground below. "I trust you had a reason for using our water as a medium to come here."

"Is the water bad now?" Minmei asked, sounding worried about that.

"No, in fact a mizuchi tends to purify the water they pass through," Hiko replied without looking away from the green haired young woman. "It's just that they can travel by other means far easier since there needs to be masses of water at both ends big enough for them to pass through to successfully teleport from one place to another."

That made sense. It wouldn't make sense that they could turn their bodies into thin streams of water and pass through a lingering drop of water on the ground. Far more rational to think that the mass of water had to at least be as wide as Shizuku's shoulders in order for her to use it.

"So why's she here?" Kirito asked, looking like he was trying to put on a brave front.

"I have come to seek your aid, Hiko-nano," Shizuku stated in her usual monotone. "After our last encounter my companions and I decided to seek out the Youkai clans in order to determine how they had been affected by the foul energy that swept over Japan. It was during this journey that we learned something disturbing: humans with signs of the beast but not Youkai have begun taking action-nano."

"What sort of action?" Hiko asked with a frown.

"The smaller groups have begun to fortify locations using whatever means they can find-nano," Shizuko replied with a slight narrowing of her eyes. "However one large one we found has begun to amass whatever machines of war they can find-nano. Police stations, military bases, and anywhere else where there is something that can be used for war-nano."

"So it has begun," Hiko said, sounding grimly accepting.

"What's started?" he asked, not quite grasping the situation.

If Japan had really been thrown into such chaos and so many had died, leaving few survivors, it was only natural that the survivors would seek out a means of protecting themselves. Granted, getting military hardware was overkill considering the hit Japan's population had taken, making it unnecessary for such power but some people found comfort in big guns and tanks.

"War," Hiko replied, never losing his grim expression.

"What?" he asked, too shocked to put any emotion into his words other than confusion.

"Is it so hard to understand? Not everyone who survived the Calamity is like you, Kirito or Minmei," Hiko replied with mild disappointment. "Some were undoubtedly greedy, violent or corrupt. Perhaps a few members of the Yakuza survived. Regardless, it is said that in the midst of chaos there lies opportunity so I've been expecting for a while for someone to take advantage of Japan's circumstances."

"But what could they get from getting weapons and attacking people? Japan's a mess and anything they could buy with money they can pretty much just take right off the shelves," he said, not liking the picture Hiko was painting.

Unlike Buffy he didn't think that just because a person was human or had a human soul that they were inherently good. History had made it clear to those who learned about it that humans were capable of some pretty nasty shit and sometimes for completely horrible or petty reasons.

"A kingdom where the one with the most weapons rules over all," Hiko replied, sounding like he'd seen such things before. "With Japan's unity and technology decimated, some no doubt see a chance to begin seizing territory and forcing those who live there to become their subjects. Most who submit can go about their lives, albeit only after paying regular tribute to their new ruler. I don't think you need an explanation of what happens to those who fail to pay or resist."

"No. You don't," he said since Hollywood had been quite good at depicting how the world could go to shit after some sort of global catastrophe.

Everything from good people struggling to survive to scumbags who allowed their baser natures to run wild, regardless of the suffering it caused, had been depicted in one movie or TV show or another. If Hiko was right then they were right on the cusp of someone using brutality and fear to make themselves into the next emperor of Japan.

"In addition to gathering weapons they are also gathering rarities with which to bribe others to join with them-nano," Shizuku said, once more entering the conversation. "One such rarity is Youkai-nano. For the most part Youkai are considered myth, with only those who have encountered one before knowing better-nano. Thus for some gaining a chance to gain one as property is quite valuable and to have an opportunity to kill one an irreplaceable prize to others-nano. The larger group we found has begun abducting those Youkai who've chosen to venture forth from the sanctuaries of their people-nano."

"Assholes!" he growled in complete revulsion at the idea of using people like property.

"We managed to track where they took their prisoners to Haneda International Airport in Tokyo-nano," Shizuku said, continuing her tale. "However when we saw how great their numbers were and the weapons they had were powerful, we knew attacking them head on would be foolish-nano. Instead we decided to try and sneak into the airport and rescue the prisoners before fleeing-nano. However we underestimated how much of the airport's security system remained intact and were soon discovered through the security cameras-nano. We fled and tried to find a route that would allow us to avoid the cameras, gaining an ally along the way-nano. Our second attempt was more successful but the enemy had guessed at our goal and placed a heavy guard around the prisoners-nano. We forced to flee again-nano. I knew that unless we received aid we would only meet with defeat or death-nano. So I've come to ask you, Seijuro Hiko: help us free those being held against their will-nano."

Looking at Hiko, he watched to see what his instructor would do.

Personally he thought that if there were people being held prisoner either to be sold off as slaves or killed and someone wanted his help in putting a stop to it, he wouldn't hesitate to agree. He wasn't stupid enough to think it'd be like one of his comic books where the hero could hold an entire army at bay while his sidekicks freed the captives but there had to be a way to turn things to their advantage.

"I appreciate your need for aid but I think you overestimate my strength," Hiko said, sounding less than interested. "Were this a hundred years ago it might've been feasible, but even if the weapons available to them are limited in the way I believe, they are still more than a single sword can overturn. Besides that I have responsibilities both to my apprentice and my charges that cannot so easily be set aside."

"Kirito and the others'll be fine for a few days, sensei," he said in an effort to persuade Hiko otherwise. "Besides didn't you say that part of being a Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu master was to help their fellow man? I'd say prisoners being treated as property need help along with other people who want to rescue them."

"Oh? And how precisely would you suggest I overcome a group of cutthroats armed with military weapons?" Hiko asked, clearly expecting him to have nothing to offer.

Too bad for his sensei he'd spent many a night thinking about how to use the teachings of Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu against the demons and vamps of Sunnydale once he got home. Everything from one on one encounters to groups to rescue efforts just like this one where they were at a sizable disadvantage. So he had a plan or three that just might be enough to help them get the captives out with minimum risk.

"Not with a direct confrontation, of course. I don't know how awesome a Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu master is when going all out but I doubt it's enough to overcome automatic weapons and explosives," he replied, putting together an plan. "Better to do something that draws off as much of the enemy force as possible away from where they're keeping the captives. Two teams; Team A will be the distraction team made up of the most skilled and most powerful. The objective won't be to beat them but rather just to keep their attention and encourage them to call for reinforcements."

"And then I suppose the second team will be the ones to sneak in and free the captives?" Hiko asked mockingly.

"Assuming you and whoever else is with you do your jobs there shouldn't be more than a handful of guards left wherever the captives are," he replied, ignoring his sensei's tone. "With enough people on the rescue team we should be able to take'em down before they can give us away. After that it's just a matter of the locks and chains before everyone can escape."

"You're assuming that the prisoners will be in a state to escape," Hiko said, sounding less mocking and more considering. "Slavers don't always treat their 'merchandise' well and it isn't unheard of for a few slaves to die before being delivered to their buyers. Even less unheard of is for slaves to be in poor health when exchanging hands."

"Once the guards have been taken care of one of the second team can see about getting a vehicle of some kind. Maybe a truck," he said, figuring that if the captives were too injured to be easily rescued acquiring a vehicle was the only choice. "I know the engine'll get noticed but I doubt there're any horse drawn carriages we can use nearby. Besides, hooves on pavement makes noise too and horses aren't exactly calm under fire."

"True. The noise created by the slavers and the distraction team would definitely unsettle them and their neighing would be easily heard," Hiko agreed with a nod before turning to Shizuku. "How many are in the group you are with? Are there any strong enough or skilled enough to be on the decoy team?"

"Only one-nano. We encountered her shortly after our arrival in Tokyo-nano," Shizuku replied with a slightly discouraged tone of voice. "She looked to be a cat Youkai but did not act as one-nano. However she is swift and strong-nano. An experienced warrior without a doubt-nano."

"Mmmmm… only one," Hiko said, looking like he was sliding towards once more declining to provide aid. "In order for two people to command the attention of many people, no doubt drunk on the power of their weapons, our initial strike will need to be dramatic and shocking. Doing so will put them on the defensive and we would need to keep them there while also giving them an opportunity to call for reinforcements. No small thing."

"So you will not help-nano?" Shizuku asked, looking genuinely saddened by the possibility of her question being answered in the affirmative.

"I will reserve my decision until after I have met this cat Youkai you've allied with," Hiko replied firmly but not with rejection. "Kirito! You will be in charge while Xander and I are away. There is enough predator entrails in the shed to maintain the protective barrier around here for at least a week. We should be back by then."

"But what if something isn't afraid and gets through?" Minmei asked, not liking the thought of being without a stronger form of protection.

"I'm sure Xander can ask Ruby to remain as well," Hiko replied, looking over to where the red dragon lay curled up on the ground, watching. "There are few predators brave enough to engage a red dragon and even fewer that can harm one."

"Right!" he said, positive that he could convince Ruby to stay here to protect Kirito and the others.

This settled some of Minmei's worry but he could tell that this did not wash it away completely. Unlike the trip that he'd taken with Hiko that led to his first meeting Shizuku, it would take them longer to reach Tokyo on foot even if they ran for as long as they could and as often as they could. Also in the previous case Minmei and the others had been told that they would just be visiting a friend of Hiko's whereas now they would be walking into harm's way for the sake of others. In such a situation it was not impossible that they could be hurt or even killed and the survivors of Kyoto knew this all too well. They feared this because, while they had come far from the trauma of what'd happened in the city where they were found, they still lacked the confidence to stand on their own without him or Hiko.

In time, perhaps, when they found their individual sources of strength, they would not need protection, but he didn't see that happening for quite a while.

For that reason he'd do his best to come back alive looking as scratch free as he did now.

~Though getting scratched might have to happen I'll make sure my clothes cover them up.~ He mentally chuckling with anxiety. ~There's no helping some things.~

---

A Day and a Half Into the Journey to Tokyo

Shizuku's POV

"Something bothers you-nano?" she asked running by the side of Hiko while his apprentice lagged an understandable distance behind.

"My apprentice is still learning the ways of Hiten-Mitsurugi-Ryu and, other than his spar with you and your friends, has not seen true combat before," Hiko replied, keeping his gaze focused on what lay ahead. "I am concerned about how he'll handle it."

"You lie-nano. If you were truly worried about his ability to cope with battle you would not have allowed him to come in the first place-nano," she said, seeing right through Hiko's attempt at deception and having none of it. "What truly bothers you-nano?"

For a moment it looked as though Hiko would simply choose to remain silent in defiance of her request for an honest answer but then a smirk inched its way into existence.

"I can see that the tranquil mindset of your people makes it much harder to misdirect you," Hiko said after glancing in her direction. "Very well. Suffice it to say that my apprentice has been in denial about the scope of the devastation, believing it confined only to Japan. I'm concerned about how well that denial will hold up once we get to Tokyo."

"Should we have left him behind-nano?" she asked, concerned that the shattering of denial could also destroy the young man's ability to carry out his part of the plan.

"No. This had to happen sooner or later. Better it happen sooner," Hiko replied with a shake of his head. "It'll make it easier to keep him from doing something stupid after he's mastered Hiten-Mitsurugi-Ryu. It'll also allow him to focus more on his training, making my job easier."

Harsh but she conceded that it was likely for the best.

Even though she hadn't done much exploring of Japan, there was no mistaking the power that had swept over all as anything other than world changing. Nothing that was limited to one country would have felt so overwhelming as what she'd experienced, nor would her form have changed to such a significant degree. She was over a hundred years by human standards but prior to the event that changed everything, she had looked to be no more than ten years old by human standards.

Now? Now her body was more akin to what humans would consider a woman in her late teens.

Indeed, whether it was their physical forms or their powers, all had changed as a result of the wave of power that had changed Japan so drastically.

Nothing she had ever experienced in her life could compare to what had happened, but one thing she had no doubt of was that an explosion of such power would pass over the world like a tsunami. Going on and on until not a single speck of dirt was left untouched by it. She could not speculate about how much had been changed or what the long term ramifications would be, whether it was for the changed humans or youkai.

~In this new, harsh world, clinging to the past will only do harm~, she thought as they cleared the forest they'd been running through, arriving unexpectedly at the remains of a human rest stop. ~Both to the boy and those around him.~

Seeing Hiko come to a stop she did so as well and she did not have to wait long before the reason was revealed. Only a few seconds later the sounds of labored breathing could be heard, and when she looked back she watched the apprentice coming to a mildly unsteady stop a few feet away. Clearly the pace that they had set for getting to Tokyo was proving to almost be more than the young human was capable of maintaining for very long. Twice before they had stopped in order for the apprentice to regain his lost strength so that they could continue.

It was proving irritating.

"…Can we take…a five…minute break?" Xander huffed and puffed, sounding tired but not willing to withdraw from the rescue effort.

"You've got three minutes, so make the most of it," Hiko replied promptly, make it clear he'd either be ready by then or be left behind.

The glare the man received from his apprentice was not unexpected but at the same time less than she'd seen come from others of her kind who had to deal with a troublesome teacher. She could only presume that the apprentice had been on the receiving end of this sort of treatment long enough that he'd almost lost the desire to fight it. Not unexpected since, even among her kind, teachers had ways to break down the defiant so that they would learn what they needed to learn.

It would not be long before the last of Xander's defiance would be gone, though whether that would be a good thing or not she could not say.

With a sigh Xander sat down on the ground taking a bottle of water that'd been filled half a day ago when they crossed a stream off of his belt before taking a drink from it.

"Sip it, idiot! There's no telling how long it'll be before we run across another source of water," Hiko reprimanded sternly.

"Aye, aye, sir!" Xander said, reducing his gulping to sips.

"Now, while I haven't agreed to anything just yet, tell me what you can of the enemy's base," Hiko said, turning his gaze from his apprentice to her. "How much damage did the airport sustain because of the Calamity?"

"The airport is mostly undamaged, save for the buildings on the northern side-nano. They were destroyed when one of the planes crashed into it-nano," she replied, recalling what she'd seen during the initial survey of the enemy camp. "They have centralized their occupation near one of the larger hangars on the edge of the airfield-nano. We believed this to be an effort to make a covert approach impossible-nano."

"But you said you and the others managed to get pretty far in before being spotted," Xander said, having recovered enough to speak without pausing.

"We used the main buildings that were still intact as cover-nano," she said, remembering how that had gone. "We believed that with the amount of furniture and other such objects we could get quite close to their hanger headquarters without being noticed-nano. We were wrong-nano."

"Probably for the best that you didn't make it very far in," Xander said after a moment's thought. "Even if you'd gotten as close as you could've, there'd probably have been a pretty big stretch of open ground between you and the camp. If you'd gotten too close before getting spotted, they might've moved the prisoners someplace else or put more security on them. Since you didn't, all the second team'll have to worry about'll be the guard patrols."

"And the security cameras, or have you forgotten about them, idiot apprentice?" Hiko asked, like his estimation of the young man was in danger of dropping.

"Sure, they're trouble, but like a lot of electronics they've got two major weaknesses: power and the people running them," Xander replied, sounding rather sure of himself. "If we can figure out where the generators are we can cut the power, throwing the slavers into chaos. If not then we just hope that you and whoever this other person is put on a good enough show draw enough people your way that they'll be slow to send anyone after team two."

"You're putting an awful lot of stock in luck, boy," Hiko said, his tone evening out. "'If' you can find the generators. 'If' not hope that they're too busy to notice what's on the monitors. Keep planning like that and it's only a matter of time before you it all goes wrong."

"Nothing's certain in life, Hiko. You can plan until you're blue in the face and still get thrown a curve ball. What's the old saying? 'No plan survives first contact with the enemy'. I think our friend here has shown proof of that," Xander said, not sounding all that bothered. "Besides we're on the clock and serious planning takes time to do right. Unless you think those slavers are going to give us all the time in the world to run off with their 'merchandise'."

"I suppose it can't be helped," Hiko said begrudgingly at the point made. "I get the feeling that plans don't last very long when you're involved."

"I'm perfectly cool with planning. A plan is good," Xander said defensively. "It's just that back in Sunnydale we didn't have a lot to work with so we had to keep things simple and hope for a bit of luck. It mostly worked."

"Mostly-nano?" she asked, curious about the young man's past.

"I lost someone I considered a brother in all but blood and a guy I saw as a father figure lost his girlfriend," Xander replied, a look of mixed loss on his face. "We even lost one of our best fighters a few days before I found myself here. Still, considering Sunnydale is sitting on a Hellmouth, I think we did pretty good just staying alive."

A Hellmouth.

She had heard of them but luckily the only one said to be in Japan had been rendered dormant centuries ago by a gathering of the strongest priests and priestesses the country had at the time. Prior to going dormant the area where the Hellmouth had been located had been a breeding ground for the vile and the monstrous. Those seeking a means to gain strength greater than what could be acquired naturally would go there with dreams of overcoming all obstacles in the way of their objectives. However the elders among her kind and other species of Youkai would always warn against going anywhere near the area, claiming that the energy that lingered there had a corrupting effect. Youkai would go seeking power for benign reasons but emerge later caring only about themselves or obsessing over their original intentions to disturbing levels.

"Don't let your good luck go to your head, boy," Hiko warned, not letting merely surviving a Hellmouth produce unwarranted confidence. "Growing up on a Hellmouth and surviving until you were in high school was mere chance and chance favors no one. As for surviving when actively hunting demons, I have to wonder if that was due to the skill of you and your friends or the lack of it on the part of your enemies. Still, at least you have the sense to recognize the value of a good plan, so you're not a complete idiot."

"Gee, thanks, sensei! You say the nicest things sometimes," Xander said sarcastically before taking one final sip of water.

"Listening to what I say is probably the smartest choice you could ever make, apprentice," Hiko said, sounding sure of his words.

She agreed that only a few years of survival hunting demons that tended to flow towards Hellmouths was not worth boasting about. Most were there for strength because they had not the strength innate to themselves to accomplish what they desired. In other words they were weaklings. Even if they'd managed to gain some strength after arriving in Xander's home town, it was a universal truth that power hastily gained tended to be quite fragile and unreliable. It was likely that any truly dangerous demons that lived in the town thought Xander's group beneath them and would only act if the humans interfered in a valuable plan.

"A fact you never tire of telling me, sensei," Xander said, putting the water container back on his belt. "Let's get going. My three minutes are up."

With a nod all three of them once more broke into a run but in a way that only she noticed Hiko was ensuring that the pace was SLIGHTLY lower than before. A wise decision. Xander would be useless to them if he arrived in Tokyo exhausted and, given the immaturity shown, it was likely that the apprentice would still insist on participating in the rescue. Better that they moderate their speed in order to minimize the recovery time needed upon their arrival.

She did not know how much time they could afford to waste.

---

Sunset on the Day of Arrival in Tokyo

Hiko's POV

"Any particular reason we're climbing all these stairs?" Xander asked as the three of them ascended higher within the building.

"Two reasons, apprentice. First the rooftop of this building will give us a bird's eye view of the airport, allowing me to see for myself what we're up against," he replied, not having difficulty despite the number of flights of stairs they'd already climbed. "Second the rooftop is an ideal meeting spot for us to meet the rest of the rescue party since they will be able to point out points of interest in the airport."

Another benefit will be what you will see if my hunch is correct, he thought with some regret at what was likely soon to happen.

Back at his home three days ago he'd been ready to turn down Shizuku's request when two points argued in favor of accepting it. The first was that it would not do to be blindsided by groups of transformed humans when they decided to bring their armed group to his doorstep. Alone he'd have little trouble getting out of harms way but with Xander and the others present the likelihood of them getting hurt or even killed was not insignificant. However, if he could learn more about these aggressive transformed humans and gain an understanding of them, he could determine if abandoning his home was something that needed to be considered.

The second point was that he knew that at this time of year the air traffic in and out of the airport was higher than it normally was for most of the year. Being an international airport that meant that airlines from numerous countries would come through, either as a final destination or a halfway point for someplace else. The odds were high that when the Calamity occurred many planes would've fallen from the sky and Shizuku already confirmed that one had crashed into the northern edge of the airport property. It was his hope that once they reached the top of the building and Xander saw the various crashed planes, the delusion that the deaths were limited to Japan would shatter. Planes, after all, were pressurized environments so that they could travel at high altitudes without endangering the passengers. Thus even if there had been a biological attack on a 747's approach, it would not have gotten into the plane itself and any normal person's response would've been to flee.

Xander would likely argue that perhaps the ones responsible had planted devices on the planes at their respective departure points but this would be stretching it and the boy would know it. Depending on the number of planes crashed before his eyes, the odds of a single group secreting a biological weapon on all of them were low. This wasn't like some Hollywood movie where a terrorist group could enact their plans without being noticed until after their planned attack took place. Every country had agencies whose duty was to keep tabs on terrorist groups and monitor traffic flowing into and out of their countries for anything suspicious. It would not be wrong to say that these agencies had also explored the various methods that terrorist groups might use in order to carry out their plots plotting out scenario after scenario before devising countermeasures.

It didn't mean that it'd be impossible for such an attack to occur, but rather made it highly unlikely unless Japan's agencies had become grossly incompetent.

Faced with these facts Xander would either have to accept reality with all that that entailed or suffer a mental break as reality and his refusal to accept it placed unbearable strain on his mind.

Personally he hoped for the former since the latter would make it impossible to teach Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu to the boy and make everything he'd done so far a waste of time.

He hated wasting his time.

Thus, as they reached the rooftop, he strode to the edge that faced the airport, stopping a few feet back in anticipation of his apprentice stepping much closer. He wasn't disappointed since Xander had not yet trained his eyes to be able to make out the details of distant things without technological help and so got as close as he dared to the edge to get a good look at the airport.

When he felt a violent swing in Xander's Ki that he knew the boy was beginning to connect the dots, though whether it was consciously or subconsciously he didn't know. Looking at the young man directing his gaze to specific spots, it was easy to figure out what Xander was focusing on but it was only when his student's legs gave out on him that he spoke.

"Now you understand," he said with a compassion in his voice. "The Calamity that so devastated Japan did not stop at its shores. Even if you do not believe me when I say that the Earth was transported somewhere else, you can no longer deny one fact: the death that visited Japan has been elsewhere as well. I know not if these means that those you care for are alive or dead but given what we found in Kyoto… it would be best to prepare for the worst."

"The worst? The WORST!?" Xander exclaimed, whirling on him with a face overflowing with emotion under very little control. "MY FRIENDS, MY CHOSEN FAMILY, COULD BE DEAD RIGHT NOW!"

"I am no fool, Xander. I know this just as I know how important they are to you," he said, keeping himself calm in the face of his student's tantrum. "However you cannot allow your emotions blind you to reality any longer. If they are alive you will need the strength of a Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu master to return to their side. This is not something that can be done if you are lacking in focus or effort. You will also need allies if you are to find them since if you were displaced by the Calamity it is possible that they have been as well."

It was mere speculation on his part but the reasoning was sound. Even if Xander's friends were not displaced vast distances like the boy had been, the upheaval of the Calamity would have made it unsafe to remain on a Hellmouth for a host of reasons. The 'Scoobies' would have likely relocated to someplace safe, though whether a place like that existed in California at present he didn't know. It was possible that they would've gone further inland to get away from the earthquake prone west coast but, given the likelihood that the Calamity struck without warning, they may have gotten split up.

Whatever happened, the journey towards a happy reunion would be a long one but he nevertheless hoped that Xander would find joy at the end of it. While he might prefer solitude, he knew that he was the oddity rather than the norm and knew within the first week that Xander was ruled by his heart and thus could not survive without the connections he'd formed with others.

It would be a fine gift to give the boy, the means to reach the end of that journey, as his final act as Hiko Seijruo the Thirteenth.

Further thoughts on the matter ended as he sensed several ki signatures approaching, three of which he recognized but the forth was an unknown. However if the strength of the ki was anything to go by, this would likely be the one he would be fighting alongside to distract the slavers. In terms of strength and control it was definitely what one would feel from a master of the blade but he did not detect the flavor normally associated with Youkai. That would mean the person was human and most likely one of the transformed as well. This struck him as odd since it was only due to the Youkai blood he'd inherited from his ancestors and the benefits of Hiten-Mitsurugi-Ryu that he'd lived such a long life while retaining much of his vitality. How had this stranger managed to cultivate such strong ki limited to a human lifespan?

Turning to the entrance to the building's stairwell he didn't have to wait long for Shizuku, Ageha and Sara to appear. It was the one who came after them, however, that gained the bulk of his focus, though, as the source of the strong ki. Unable to keep from smirking he could only say that his curiosity only rose upon seeing that it was a young woman only a few years older than Xander. A slender woman of average height she had dark skin and black hair done up in a ponytail with a pair of bangs framing her face. Of excellent kunoichi form the young woman was clad in clothes that were a mix of practical and pleasing aesthetic, eliminating the possibility of her once being a member of Japan's military or intelligence agencies.

In short she was a mystery.

Shizuku took a moment to notice Xander's less than composed state before looking to him with an inquiring expression on her face.

"He as accepted the truth," he explained with but a glance at his apprentice. "We shall see if he'll be of any use to us in a few hours."

"You mean to wait until night has fully fallen?" she asked, no doubt realizing that he was no longer speaking hypothetically about helping in the rescue.

He didn't see the point in it anymore.

The one who he would be fighting alongside appeared capable based on her ki alone and, after watching her movements for the last few minutes, he recognized the presence of a fellow warrior. In fact he wouldn't be surprised if she possessed training similar to those in the Oniwabanshu of old. True, those departed associates were more at home moving about in disguise or attacking in stealth rather than out in the open as they were about to do, but versatility and adaptability were essential warrior traits.

"With Japan in chaos and few visible threats, the slavers will have little need to act with caution, especially if their armory is as large as you said," he replied, laying out his thoughts on the matter. "They may have security cameras and they may have patrols, but unless they're smart enough to arrange the latter to eliminate the possibility of fatigue, the longer wait, the drowsier they'll be. When the number of sleeping or falling asleep it at its peak, THAT'S when we should strike."

"Good idea. Lack of sleep and getting woken up'll make'em sluggish and easier to handle," the dark skinned cat youkai said with a grin of approval. "We do this right, we could take out some of their heavier weapons before they can use'em."

"True. I would recommend targeting anything with a high rate of fire or possessing a large amounts of ammunition," he said, thinking on what'd be best for the mission. "A slower rate of fire will make it easier on us and, if they don't have as much ammunition for what we leave for them, they're not going to use it carelessly. Hesitation and a desire for a sure thing will ensure they'll only fire when we stop moving or they think we'll stop moving. Combined with what rifles and handguns they have and we should be able to hold their attention for a good while."

"And if their boss is smart enough to sniff out that you two are distractions?" Ageha asked, sounding like she thought it was a real possibility.

"There's a difference between knowing you're being distracted and being able to do something about it," he replied, not too worried. "If the leader doesn't know what he's being distracted from they'll have to either taker a random shot in the dark or divided their forces to cover all possibilities. A random guess holds the potential to end in failure and dividing existing forces would only weaken what's left to fight the battle right in front of them. So long as we keep them convinced that we are the greater threat, any thugs they send at the second team should be few in number."

Few and hopefully only lightly armed, since most of the firepower would likely be directed at him and his partner.

On and on they planned, trying to anticipate how the enemy would react and develop strategies to bring about the reactions most beneficial to them. Advantages were allied alongside disadvantages before plans formed to keep the latter suppressed while ideas to bolster the former were put up for consideration.

And while the rest of them spoke, one apprentice of Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu could only focus on the revelation that had shattered his entire world.

---

A Few Hours Later

Xander's POV

What was left for him to fight for? Who was left for him to protect?

These two questions had been at the core of his thoughts ever since Hiko had chosen to ignore him in favor of talking to the others. A part of him, a small part, insisted that he set aside the trauma he was going through for now and focus on why they'd come to Tokyo in the first place.

To rescue those captured by slavers and no doubt put through hell as they waited to be sold.

Too bad that, even with all the training he'd been through with Hiko and everything that he'd experienced since founding the Scoobies with the others, he was still a teenager. Sure, there were mature teenagers that could clamp down on their emotions or at least exert more control over them than you'd expect but he'd always pretty much worn his heart on his sleeve. It was his heart that gave him strength rather than logic or words and there were quite a few people who owned their own personal slice of that heart. For them he would brave any danger if they asked him to and to keep them safe from harm he would make any sacrifice. Why?

Because they had given him reasons to believe he could be more than Tony and Jessica Harris had told him he would only ever be.

In Jesse and Willow he had found friends that had never once treated him like many thought the son of the town drunks should be treated.

In Buffy he'd come to know that the absolutes that he'd thought governed the world were not entirely accurate for in her he saw that superheroes existed and fantasy could indeed be reality. If that was indeed the case then his dreams of becoming more than anyone thought was possible could be realized if his resolve was strong enough.

In Giles he'd found a better father figure than Tony Harris could ever hope to be, even with the British stuffiness wrapped around the Watcher librarian. Unlike so many of the teachers in the school Giles had actually cared about him rather than just shuffle him into the deck of cards that was the student body.

On and on it went with every person he'd met and become friends with in Sunnydale giving him strength and hope in the future that lay before him.

Yet… yet now he was confronted with evidence that made it all too possible that all of them were now dead. Reduced to corpses on the ground or in their homes, with their flesh partially melted off of their bones, his imagination had already come up with fictions that would feature in his nightmares for weeks to come. Pain, grief and sorrow caused his body to almost vibrate with their intensity as his soul was hammered with the reality that his old life was gone leaving him only what he had now.

How was anyone, teenager or adult or whatever, supposed to handle all they knew and cherished being reduced to so much ashes?

Only a short while ago Hiko had informed him that they were setting out to rescue the captured slaves but he could barely find it in himself to nod in acknowledgment. Normally he would've gotten to his feet and gone with them but, in the aftermath of accepting the changes to his world, gathering the resolve and strength needed for a rescue had been beyond him. Even as instinct tried to direct his soul to act, the action fell apart like a tent in a tornado before the potency of the emotions he was experiencing. Seeing this Hiko had simply nodded before departing with the others to carry out the rescue operation.

He didn't know how much time had passed but when the sounds of gunfire a little puffs of fire could be seen from his vantage point on the roof it was safe to say that the operation had begun. While not as attentive as he should've been, he had not been completely oblivious to the words being spoken and his memory was good enough to retain most of what had been spoken. The plans were good and thorough. Unless there was some sort of surprise that popped up there was every chance they'd succeed in rescuing most of the captives.

He was sure of it.

He was.

So why did he need to reassure himself like this?

Before he could think too much he sensed a presence approaching and it was one he was all too familiar with. Looking away from the airport where the battle was heating up, his eyes focused on the source of the presence and soon found a large figure flying through the air towards him. In only a few minutes the figure was close enough that he could positively identify it as Ruby, causing a small smile to come unbidden to his face. Even as she descended to the rooftop to encircle him once before turning her head to look him the eye. From her he could sense concern, worry and above all the comforting warmth of love that he'd come to know from her since the day she'd hatched from her egg.

It was not in her face that he found these emotions but rather through a connection they had that had yet to be fully defined and thus could only be theorized about. Hiko believed that the stories of dragons possessing human levels of intelligence once they reached a certain age were true and those stories also hinted at a spiritual bond between dragons and those humans closest to them. He'd messed with the idea a few times trying to communicate with Ruby but the most he'd been able to get out of her were images and vague emotions. Hiko believed that the red dragon was still too young for human level thoughts, never mind speaking like a human would, but at the time he'd been in no hurry.

Now, though, he appreciated the simplicity of conveyed emotions and allowed them to act as a balm on his soul so as to calm somewhat the storm that lay within. This allowed his thought processes to evolve somewhat from the level they'd been locked in up until now but even then he could not decide on what to do. Thus did he convey with his emotions and with images to Ruby a single question: what should I do?

Despite her youth and lack of development, Ruby still gave off a feeling of comprehension to a degree as she looked away from him to the airport scrutinizing it for a time. When she was done she looked back to him, a decision having been firmly reached in her mind and with images of heading to the airport to do battle entering his mind, he found his own choice made as well.

Whatever had happened to his old life and everything in it, that did not change who he was now or what he believed in.

He was Xander Harris and no matter what was happening around him at his core was a desire to live the sort of life he could die proud of.

"You're right. People need our help," he said rising to his feet. "Care to give me a ride?"

With a feeling of consent Ruby lowered herself enough so that he could climb onto her just behind her head and, once both of them were sure that he had a good enough grip, the dragon took to the air. He might not have shaken off his grief and sorrow at the loss of those precious to him he had at the very least pushed it off a cliff into the back of his mind. It would be a while before they climbed their way back to the forefront of his mind and hopefully by then he'd be back with Kirito and the others. In the place that he'd been calling home since arriving in Japan he could come to grips with those feelings, with the truth, and hopefully find the strength to keep moving forward.

It didn't take them long for him and Ruby to arrive but with a thought he had her circle wide from where the main fighting was happening. The plan was to rescue the captives, not engage the slavers, so he looked with his eyes and asked Ruby with imagery and emotion to look for any sign of them. If they could not then they would look for Shizuku, since Ruby no doubt had the water youkai's scent in her memory and might be able to track it down. It wasn't easy with the darkness of night and the smattering of lights scattered about the airport property, but he still did his best to look for signs of movement.

It was a spike of ice shooting up into the air a ways away from the main battleground that told him where to go. Only Shizuku could've done that and the fact that she was doing something so attention grabbing also meant that her team had encountered opposition strong enough that staying low profile wasn't possible. Willing his dragon friend to head for the ice quickly, he knew that whatever or whoever Shizuku had run into it had to be serious.

He wasn't wrong.

By the time Ruby brought them to within two football fields of the he could see what was causing the water youkai trouble and he found he couldn't blame her for dropping subtlety. Crouching behind the wall of ice were Shizuku, Ageha and Sasa, with the reason being a guy with a big sword surrounded by gun-wielding minions. While you'd think that water manipulation, stretchy limbs and pillars from above would be enough to make short work of such opposition, he got a solid reason why the confrontation hadn't come to an end yet.

Sasa summoned a trio of wooden pillars twice as thick as your average telephone pole above the gathering of foes, with the intention of killing them or scattering them. However as soon as they got within six feet the man with the big sword snapped into action, managing to smack the falling piece of wood with the flat of his blade, sending them well clear of the group of goons. He didn't even need to think to know that whoever the guy was he couldn't be human because the amount of speed as well as force needed to knock three pillars off course like that was beyond human ability. Another youkai? Probably, and that rubbed him the wrong way that one of them would be a party to capturing, enslaving and then selling his own kind.

Still, he presumed that just as there were bastards among humans there were probably bastards among the various types of youkai.

~Well let's see how he handles this~, he thought before conveying to Ruby what he'd like her to do.

He'd been expecting it from Ruby from the moment that they met but it'd struck Kirito and the others into shock since it went against everything they knew. According to them, dragons that looked like Ruby did were supposed to be associated with water and the weather, meaning it'd be more expected for the red Japanese dragon to attack with pressurized water or terrible weather. Hiko, though, had pointed out that many of the myths and legends involving Japanese dragons came from dubious sources and were often passed down by word of mouth. Considering the fact that no matter the type dragons every story made it sound like they were hard to find and even harder to survive an encounter with, he could see people making up stories with only grains of it being truthful.

As such when Ruby closed to within a single football field of the group harassing Shizuku's the dragon opened its mouth and, with a mighty roar, unleashed a stream of fire the size of a small car. With the power behind it and speed of Ruby's advance through the air, there was no problem with her attack hitting the target and indeed he could say conclusively that half the minions had been engulfed. Others were only partially hit, with them now rolling on the ground trying to put out the flames even though the damage would be severe nonetheless.

As for the big sword guy? Using some sort of magic or perhaps the youkai equivalent of the ki control Hiko used, a barrier shielded the guy from the worst of the flames.

With the speed of a predator at home in the air Ruby shot past the site of the battle before circling around to make another pass. It was a bit of a risk but, so long as the enemy didn't recover from the shock of her arrival, it was still a worthwhile tactic. Seeing the swordsman drop his barrier, he wondered what the man would do and felt a bit of worry creep up within him. In most of the movies or TV shows he'd watched a person only lowered their shield for certain reasons, among them being the absence of a threat, the intention to run or, the most worrying, making the choice to attack.

Given the strength and speed used against the pillars of wood, he had no desire to see how Ruby would fare, especially if struck with the sword's edge rather than the flat side.

~Fly in low. Fire a blast at his feet~, he thought to Ruby as he rose to his feet on her back. ~I'm getting off. The second I'm gone go high and wait for my signal.~

Worry rose through their connection but when he sent back reassurance Ruby agreed and did as he asked, descending close enough to the ground that he could jump off without hurting himself. Saying a prayer to any deity listening he leapt letting his bent knees absorb some of the fall before going into a forward roll to deal with the rest. It wasn't done with the grace of a professional but neither did he think that he looked like a complete amateur in how he'd executed it. As soon as he was sure of his footing he looked ahead to see Ruby fire off her blast to land just in front of the swordsman before ascending with great speed to the sky. Drawing his katana he could feel the presence within it rising up to do battle and, once both his hands gripped the hilt, he acted.

He knew he stood no chance against this man in a straight up battle. He was still an apprentice and had no experience fighting against a skilled opponent.

However he also knew that there was one attack that could work regardless of how skilled or how strong an opponent was and it was what he was betting on to bring him victory.

A surprise attack!

~Now. Just like you've been doing for weeks~, he thought, raising his blade up. ~Just like Hiko's been drilling into you… and STRIKE!~

It wasn't anything fancy because Hiko hadn't gotten far enough in whatever syllabus he had in his head for something like that. Instead it was a simple two handed vertical slash, just like he'd practiced daily for weeks in an effort to become good enough to move onto something else. What made it of use to him in this particular instance was that he would be channeling as much power into the attack as possible. Just like he'd done when he'd fought Ageha, he'd do his best to unleash the most powerful ranged sword attack he could in the hopes of Ruby's flames blinding the guy enough for it to hit.

He wasn't at the level needed to channel the totality of his ki and Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi's full power into the attack but he prayed it would be enough to knock his foe out at the very least.

Much like before a crescent shaped mass of energy and air was unleashed by his blade but its strength was far greater than what he'd sent at Ageha. With the speed of an arrow it crossed the distance between him and the swordsman, its elemental nature causing it to effect Ruby's lingering flames until it finally impacted on its target. Oddly enough it didn't end with an explosion of energy like he'd been expecting but rather like two blades scraping against each other.

"Heheheheheh! Not bad, kid!" the guy said with a rough voice. "I'd thought I'd only have those weak girls to deal with, and then you come in with dragon! A real dragon! Looks like this might actually be fun after all! HAH!"

With the mighty sound of exertion his crescent mass of energy and air was diverted upwards into the air for a bit before it dispersed as a result of not possessing enough energy to sustain itself. Cursing at the failure of his attack, he knew he'd gone from having a chance at clearing the way to the captives to having very little at all. Still, he'd known that it was a long shot to begin with, given the disparity in skill level, so he'd have no choice but to hope his Hail Mary move paid off.

"Now… what else do you have to show me?" the swordsman asked, holding his weapon casually in one hand. "Please tell me that isn't it."

"Who knows?" he said, bringing his katana up into a basic but strong ready position. "Only one way to find out, I guess."

"Guess so," the swordsman said before taking on a more ready position. "First let me get rid of some distractions. Can't have you looking the wrong way and ruining everything."

~Is he going to attack Shikuzu-?!~ he thought, preparing to rush him in the hopes of snatching back his attention before a blow could be struck.

SCHWING!

"AAAHHHH!"

KLANG!

"UUGGGHH!"

SPLURCH!

"W-why…uuhhh…"

~That's a question I'd like the answer to myself~, he thought bringing himself to a stop with a suddenness.

Instead of attacking the iced barrier protecting Shizuku and the others, the swordsman had instead finished off his remaining minions, all of them now quite dead. However the look on the guy's face was not one of an evil man killing his own comrades but rather someone who'd never considered the minions allies in the first place. To his credit the strikes were all one hit kills rather than attacks meant to draw out the suffering of the one on the receiving end. The minions barely had enough time to say a single word before dying.

"You wimps get going and do whatever you came here to do," the swordsman said towards Shizuku and the others. "Don't need your friend looking at anyone but me. Get lost!"

In response the ice wall fell apart into shards before becoming drops of water that left a sizable puddle on the ground. Seeing Shizuku, he could tell that the water youkai was hesitant about leaving him behind to likely die at the swordsman's hands but he went with his instincts and nodded. Sure, having the girls fight by his side would give them a numbers advantage against the guy, but if the man could smack aside his best attack like that they'd only get killed.

~Better one die than four~, he thought before the water youkai made a decision and ran off, with Ageha and Sasa following close behind.

While he'd like to have sent Ruby after them to help with the rescue of the captives, he had a feeling that the red dragon would refuse out of concern for him. He just hoped that when he got sliced up and died that there wasn't any sort of psychic backlash that'd hurt her, or worse, bring her into the grave with him.

"Well, now that the riff raff are gone, what do you say we get to it?" the swordsman said, looking eager for things to get started. "But let's get the boring formalities out of the way first. My name is Renji Sakata!"

"Alexander Harris," he said, preparing himself for what'd likely be a very brief fight.

"American, eh?" Renji asked, apparently rhetorically. "Well, I won't hold it against you. Now let's DO THIS!"

Things got pretty hectic after that.

CLANG! TING!

Scratch that! VERY HECTIC!

To his credit he hadn't died yet and he was managing to put what he'd been taught thus far to good use in blocking the man's strikes, but finding a chance to strike back? That didn't look like it'd be happening. It was taking everything he had to keep from being turned into half the man he used to be and, while he didn't think he'd burn through his energy in the blink of an eye, that wasn't going to kill him. No, it'd be the first screw up or the misjudgment in what Renji did next that would do him in, so every single time he managed to successfully block was another few seconds of life he'd bought himself.

"Decent reflexes. Muscles not for show," Renji said, not sounding like he was fighting a hoax. "But I'm not seeing a lot of real world experience. How long ya been at it, kid?"

"Technically? Up until a few months ago my sword know how was 'pointy end goes in the other guy'," he replied, feeling the difficulty level go up as he was forced to multi-task. "After that I kind got dropped in the lap of my current sensei. Been learning and training ever since."

"Must be one helluva sensei to get you this far in a few months," Renji said, sounding mildly impressed. "Makes me want to see just how much potential ya got, kid!"

With that he suddenly found himself stuck literally a hairsbreadth away from death as the man upped his sword game and, where before his defense had been good enough, it was now coming down with a serious case of the cracks. Before long he was forced to employ some fancy footwork just to keep any incoming swings from doing more than damaging his wardrobe or giving him the sword fight equivalent of paper cuts. THIS was definitely sapping more of his energy than what'd been happening before with the desperation he was feeling affecting his discipline to slip. He couldn't spare the brain power to imagine what his face looked like at the moment but he figured it was safe to say that it was probably not something that inspired respect.

Time ceased to be something recognizable as he fought to stay alive but one thing that did eventually register was that he was using up strength at rapid rate. If things went on too long he would soon lose the strength needed to defend himself and then he would be well and truly dead. But what could he do? It was taking everything he had just to keep things to paper cuts, never mind ending the fight in his favor and he couldn't even counterattack.

Almost as if it were a gift from the heavens a memory surfaced during one of the rare moments he got more than three seconds breathing room from Renji's strikes.

A memory of a technique demonstrated to him by Hiko once he'd reached his current level of physical prowess. According to the master of Hiten-Mitsurugi-Ryu, it was a technique that was at the core of the style and, when executed correctly, could end a fight in a single stroke. When he'd seen the man execute the technique it hadn't looked like anything special but, when the slave driver had executed the technique to its fullest he saw the usefulness of it. With the right timing and enough skill it could indeed fell an opponent of greater strength and skill, provided the gap wasn't so large that the foe could overcome the technique.

Considering his current situation and how things were likely to go if not changed, it was as good a plan as any.

Thus with a wild swing that was never meant to hit but rather to gain him some space, he watched as Renji leapt back to avoid the ki-air attack by his katana. It wouldn't last, he had bought himself eight seconds at best, but without hesitation he sheathed his blade before assuming the position Seijuro Hiko had taken in order to perform the Soryusen technique. He figured that if anyone he knew since coming to Japan saw this, they'd be wondering if he'd snapped because the odds of him performing the technique in a way even approaching successfully were quite small. Ruthlessly suppressing the doubt, he readied himself for the gamble to come sharpening his senses and attempting to call upon all the progress he'd made with his awareness training to aid him.

"Oh… so now you resort to a sword draw technique?" Renji asked, sounding pleased with the change. "Interesting. You're not bad for an amateur but I was starting to get bored. Let's see how much fun this can be!"

Renji charged forward, his large sword being ready to strike, causing the anxiety to rise within him, but he did his best to keep it from affecting his judgment. There could be no error in this; if he swung too soon he'd miss his target and if he swung too late he'd be dead. Only if he acted in the space between the two points did he stand a chance of making some progress in this fight, or maybe, just MAYBE, landing his first blow.

Wait for it.

WAIT...

Only when the tension reached its zenith did his instincts flare up, telling him to strike, and with as much skill as he could muster he performed Soryusen. Slashing with his sword as fast and as powerfully as possible, he watched as it drew closer and closer to Renji with his hope of success growing as the space between katana and target shrunk. However optimism misplaced could lead to disaster and so it was that, just as the edge of the katana reached inches from Renji's body, a deft move knocked it far enough off course that it would miss entirely.

The smirk on the face of Renji made it clear the man was extolling his victory inside his mind but this only fanned the flames of hope.

Why? Because the battojutsu technique Soryusen was a two part technique and, just like Hiko had demonstrated, had been designed with the possibility of the blade missing in mind. So focused was his foe on the naked blade of his katana that the man was oblivious to the second threat heading his way almost as swiftly, so it was a surprise he did all he could to maximize the effect it would have on his foe, if only to increase the odds of success.

BAM!

With all the strength born of his physical conditioning he slammed the sheath of his blade into Renji's right side and, surprise of surprises, wound up knocking the man to the ground. Sliding the sheath back beneath his belt he brought Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi up in a strong defensive position, just in case his one successful blow backfired him in some painful way. He watched carefully as Renji sat up and winced, putting a free hand to the side that'd been struck, making it seem as though some damage had been done. When the man managed to get to his feet with little difficulty, he became wary for this seemed to mean that whatever damage had been done it wasn't enough to take the fight out of the man.

~Shit. I actually manage to pull off a Hail Mary move that worked and it still wasn't enough!~ he thought, preparing himself for another round of near misses and barely successful blocks.

"Not bad, kid. Not bad at all," Renji said, resting the blade on his shoulder. "I was beginning to think your fangs were dull but you actually managed to land a pretty good hit on me."

~Here it comes. The comment that makes it seem like I didn't harm him even a little~, he thought, readying himself for the quick strikes to come.

"Guess this is my loss. Heh, that'll teach me to get cocky before the final blow has landed!" Renji said, sounding amused by how things turned out.

"Huh?" he said, not quite understanding what this could mean.

"What do you mean 'huh'? You won, kid," Renji said, sounding confused by the missing of something obvious.

"Won? Last I checked when two people fought with swords, the winner lived and the loser died," he said, putting forth his thoughts on the matter.

"Well, that's true, but who said this was a real fight?" Renji asked with a smirk. "This was just a bit of light sparring between two disciples of the blade. Seeing as how you made the first solid hit, you're the winner. Understand?"

"Well… yeah, but… aren't you supposed to be part of a group of shithead slavers?" he asked, seeing things from Renji's point of view.

"They're my current bosses, yeah. I'm a free blade who sells his skills to whoever can meet my price," Renji replied, as though it was common sense. "I heard this bunch had some pretty big plans and were stockpiling a lot of weapons, so I decided to see if it'd be any fun working for them. MAN was I wrong!"

One by one the bits and pieces of info formed a clear picture, causing much of his worries to fade away since it seemed like he was no longer in danger.

"I take it that I'm free to go then?" he asked hoping he was right.

"Sure. Do what you want," Renji replied with a nod. "Me? I'm gonna find someplace else to be. Not like I can stay here after losing to an amateur, right? I'd be ashamed to show my face to the head honcho around here. See ya round, boy!"

With that Renji walked off into the night, away from the fighting like someone leaving a sporting event that was all over with.

~Not exactly how I pictured things ending but I'm not complaining~, he thought, sheathing his sword before running in the direction Shizuku and the others had gone. ~Here's hoping there isn't anyone like Renji still loyal to the slave boss.~

He didn't think it was possible for him to get off this easily a second time.

---

A Short Distance Away

Renji Sakata's POV

~So you've taken on another apprentice, eh, Hiko?~ he thought, watching a sparring partner run off to join his friends.

He'd been intrigued with how the kid had shown up atop a real dragon, especially since its element appeared to be fire and it'd only gotten stronger once he received an attack from his enchanted katana. He didn't recognize it but there was no mistaking the power it held or the serpentine aura that was mixed with its power. So finding something other than beating on a group of girls, he'd decided to have some fun for once by going a few rounds with the boy. Of course he'd known that the thugs loyal to his ex-employer wouldn't just stop attacking the girls just because he did and he'd never get a good fight out of the kid if his friends were in trouble, so he'd done what he had to do.

As for the fight itself it'd been entertaining enough in the beginning, with the kid managing to hold up pretty well against some light tapping, but when he'd up the difficulty he could tell it wouldn't last. As far along in swordsmanship training as the boy seemed to be, it looked like the kid still had a ways to go before they'd be able to fight seriously.

At least that was what he'd thought at first, right up until finding himself on the receiving end of an amateur's Soryusen.

Amateurish, yeah, but it'd landed just the same.

It'd been at that moment that he'd realized that the boy he was fighting against was the student of an old sparring partner of his: Seijuro Hiko the Thirteenth. Much like him, Seijuro was older than he looked, though in his case it was more due to the fact that he had strong Youkai blood in his veins despite being only hanyou. Over the years they'd crossed paths numerous times and never parted company without doing a little sparring first. If memory served him right, the current tally was thirteen to eleven in his favor.

With this knowledge he knew that if he killed or even did harm to the boy, Seijuro would not be happy at all and might actually fight him for real the next time they met. So he'd gone the route of giving the kid the victory on some made up excuse and abandoned his job with the slavers at the same time. Truth be told he'd been waiting for any sort of excuse to do so for a while now and only needed one that'd leave his rep intact to come along. Honestly he found many of the slavers to be little more than thugs without honor, who didn't seem to care about their dwindling humanity.

~Guess I owe you for coming along when you did, kid.~ He turned away from the young swordsman in training. ~Here's hoping the next time we meet you're a lot stronger.~

Striding into the night, he didn't have any particular destination in mind and would go wherever Izanami saw fit to send him.