Some of my reviewers believe that Shougo and Magadalia are manipulating Soujiro. I understand what you're saying. In fact, what you think is basically what I intended in the last chapter. Magadalia leads Soujiro on his path to Christianity, but Soujiro understands very little about it. Also, Soujiro doesn't have any firm commitment to religion just yet, he only hopes to eventually find some truth that he agrees with. As for Soujiro becoming an Apostle, I regret introducing the idea so suddenly. Still, Magadalia is not trying to trick Soujiro. She is only commenting on what she expects to happen.

Again, I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.

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"He's returned! Lord Shougo has returned!"

A man climbed up into a watch tower and rang the large iron bell with a mallet. The villagers, still in their bedclothes, flooded from their homes to watch the return of their Messiah. Even the children, awoken in the middle of the night, were now wide awake, their eyes shining with excitement. They saw Him and His companions slowly approaching the village in a rowboat.

At that moment, Soujiro was the villagers' polar opposite. Still confused about the events during his baptism, Soujiro had taken precautions to protect himself from his companions. He now carried the Kikuichimonji Norimune on his belt rather than in its bag. He realized that if he tried to leave, what happened to Peter Takahashi would also happen to him. His only hope was that there was some good in Amakusa's actions that he could see as his truth.

On the shore, a man in high-collared red robes carrying a heavy staff of silver and gold was making an impassioned speech to the villagers. Soujiro only caught his last words. "Behold! A miracle!"

At first, Soujiro thought nothing of it but a second later, a great ring of fire burst out of the water, surrounding their boat. As a reflex, Soujiro snapped his katana halfway out its sheath. But then he turned and saw the flames leaping high into the air, forming the Divine Symbol over the water. Without bothering to sheath it, Soujiro let his sword drop and lifted one hand to his silver medallion. His awe was short lived, however, as an all-too familiar scent drifted across his nose.

Petroleum.

It's all a trick! thought Soujiro. He glanced at Amakusa, who was staring straight ahead towards the shore, a neutral expression on his stoic face.

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While Shougo and Magadalia left for some meeting with the red-robed man, Soujiro was free to wander about the village. The talk was all the same. Lord Shougo's acts of vengeance, his "miracle" of fire. He was starting to like these people less and less. He knew that with his Shuku-chi, he could easily escape. However, something was holding him back. He wasn't sure why, but he simply had a strong feeling that he needed to stay.

He decided to head out to the beach. No one would be there. It would be a break from all the talk of miracles and the Land of God.

Finding a large rock in front of a cliff face, Soujiro leaned his back against it, sitting down in the sand. Why did he have this unnatural compulsion to stay in Shimabara? What was he supposed to do in a place like this?

Whoosh, whoosh.

Soujiro watched the waves rolling up on the shore and flowing back into the ocean. Forward and back. Forward and back. He sank into lethargy as he watched the waves rising and falling in their hypnotizing spell. As he came out of his trance, he had a calmed, newly refreshed mind. It dawned on him that what he had done was meditation, like what Anji used to do. He stood back up, feeling peaceful and ready to return to the village.

He stopped as he heard voices around the corner. He saw a young woman and a boy of perhaps ten or eleven.

"You know, Kaoru, it's strange how many people come here believing in that Land of God crap or whatever the hell it's called," said the boy.

"You really think so, Yahiko?"

"Huh?"

"Anti-Christianity laws have been in place since long before the Tokugawa Era," said the woman named Kaoru. "They've been repealed in the Meiji Era, but that doesn't necessarily stop all the pain. The only real hope for the Christians is that a, um, Messiah, as they call it, would come to save them."

"Are you taking Shougo Amakusa's side?" asked a shocked Yahiko.

Kaoru cut him off. "I'm not saying that! It's just that... well, I don't know how to explain it. I just think that...that it's all so sad."

Soujiro decided to walk away at that point, not wanting to have anything more to do with outsiders. I'm such a hypocrite, he thought. He was as much an outsider as they were. Probably even more so. After all, the woman Kaoru seemed to understand Amakusa's people better than Soujiro did.

Kaoru and Yahiko. If they were outsiders, then it was possible that they were with Himura. He remembered Mr. Houji telling him that Himura had friends named Kaoru Kamiya and Yahiko Myojin. These were probably them.

"It's all so sad," Soujiro whispered to himself. They were so happy that their Messiah had arrived, so happy that they would be led to this Land of God. But what made it sad was that they needed a Messiah at all. It was sad that they couldn't just live and worship in peace.

That was why Soujiro felt the need to stay. With his strength and skill, he could find a way to help end the sadness and bring them the peace the Christians needed.

Whether it was God or some fate that had arranged for him to hear Kaoru's words, Soujiro knew what he had to do. There would be danger in the future of Shimabara and Soujiro would do whatever it took to protect them.

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"An underground cathedral?" asked Sanosuke as he and Kenshin explored a vast underground cavern they had found.

"Yes," said Kenshin. "Shirou Amakusa and the Christians must have wanted a place to pray and work that was safe from the eyes of the Tokugawa Shogunate."

"I dunno, Kenshin," said Sano. "How would the shogunate miss something like that?"

"It doesn't matter!" said a voice from the distance. "Not for those about to go to Hell!"

A torch flared to life at the top of a large stone mound. Their opponent was a large, stout man with wild black hair. A strange whistle hung from a chain around his neck. His mouth twisted into a malicious smirk.

"Are you the Battousai, Rooster-head?" he called.

"My name's Sanosuke Sagara, and don't you forget it!"

"Huh?" the man said, confused. "Then the tiny one must be the infamous Devil."

"Devil?" Kenshin murmured to himself. "Well, sir, you obviously know who we are. How about giving us the same privilege?"

"Very well. I am Genemon, loyal servant of our Lord Shougo. And the one who will defeat the infamous Battousai."

"Many warriors have said those words," said Kenshin, still not drawing his sakabattou. "As you can see, none of them have fulfilled their desires."

"I'll bet none of them had the Lord on their side," answered Genemon. Then, he blew into his whistle, which made no sound.

"Your little flute's broken, fat-ass," shouted Sanosuke. Genemon only grinned.

A low growl came from the shadows. "Aw, shit," muttered Sanosuke. Over a dozen large black dogs, fangs bared and slobbering in anticipation of a feast, prepared to swarm the two fighters.

"Goodbye, Battousai," Genemon said tauntingly before he blew another signal into his silent whistle. Before he finished the pre-trained tune, Kenshin and Sanosuke were already running, the great dogs in hot pursuit.

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Thank you to all my reviewers, especially the first signed reviewer that matters, Omnipotent Pyro.