Un-betaed chapter… sorry!

:Chapter 2: Troubles:

Codex, the living embodiment of the Gates, looked rather calm as she was still readjusting the accursed black kimono she had been wearing before. The only bad thing, at the moment, was that it made her blend in the shadows of the odd room she was standing in as she stared into the depths of the ornate mirror. This mirror was like the typical magic mirror, it showed her what she wanted and that usually didn't concern her reflection.

She was wathcing the a red haired man with a cross shaped scar standing next to a black haired woman that was reading over a few things and seemed to be deep in conversation about something in the pages of the book. She tapped the glass as it rippled and then showed her something else. Something that made her growl.

The image showed a man resurrecting a terrible looking man with the marks she recognized as the bandaged man that had been causing troubles in the world she was now walking. She then seen the others as the man was eventually brought to join their ranks. "This has gotten out of hand! What did this moron wish to accomplish with the bastardized use of the Gate's abilities?" she hissed out as her crimson eyes flashed with anger, sensing something was now amiss.

Tapping the glass again, her eyes widened.

It was then a familiar and rather devious laugh echoed, causing her to jump a few feet in the air. "Oh no… not now… this isn't good…" she whispered, looking around for an escape. It was then she was gone, back into the busy streets of Tokyo.

"Oh, so you want to play tag Codi-chan?"

As time passed and the routine became known yet again, but Kenshin and Megumi were starting to feel paranoid with the silence and such. As Hajime Saitoh was visiting more, only due to Sanouske Sagara's persuasion and the fact that he was trying to get details from Kenshin about the odd black clad woman. It was also on this night that a few new visitors made an appearance…

"Codi… oh Codi-chan…" the voice sang as the group watched the black kimono clad woman come stumbling into the area, looking rather confused. It also sounded like she was muttering hopeful wishes under her breath as she spun to face her counterpart in all looks. She had black hair as her counterpart had white, she had dark red eyes and her counterpart had silver, and she had tanned skin and pale. "CODI-CHAN!" the voice echoed again as she was glomped on to, which made the odd woman turn a bit blue.

"Eep." she muttered as the other laughed and then held her an arms lengh away with her trademark devious grin and such. A look that clearly said she had evil intentions and needed some help. No one moved in fear of interrupting something that wasn't that bad… well, many also expected Saitoh to get up and attack them with questions but he was still sitting by Sano with his usual cigarette.

"Ooops, sorry." she stated and that was when all hell broke loose. The calm before the storm came to an abrupt end with the enterance of another man.

"He should be dead." Hajime Saitoh declared as Kenshin watched the events play. The odd homunculus that looked like Usui the Master of the Eye of the Heart Technqiue, who was one of the many dead Juppengatina members. It was also then the two odd women were forgotten.

"That would mean that there is someone here that knows how to do this besides… damn it!" was the line of Kenshin's thoughts as he watched Saitoh progressively become weaker due to the other's healing abilities. After a long, intense battle they were watching in horror as the Usui Humonculus brought the blade of his spear up to deliever the final blow to Saitoh. "It's now or never… but at least I have a reason why I must break that promise I gave so long ago." Was the decision on Kenshin's part as he took a deep breath and clapped his hands together, gaining the attention of those around him.

"Kenshin?" Karou Kamiya asked as Megumi watched in a combination of fear and awe about what she was about to witness. Kenshin then fell into a crouch and slammed his palms into the ground as the light that the alchemy brought covered the forming of a cage formed around the Humonculus before he could land the final blow.

"Battousai… how?" the thing snarled as the cage didn't give with his blows.

"Yes, how?" Saitoh growled as Kenshin glared at the caged man. The new Master of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu didn't face him as his thoughts were on something else. Something that was familiar…

"That means there is another." he whispered as Megumi's eyes widened.

"I was the first, Battousai, the first raised by the new power of Shishio Makato." Usui stated, falling from his normal silent persona to one of arrogance. "By the man that you all thought died in jail…"

"Then… Hoji Sadojima lived and some how… damn it all…" Kenshin thought as Megumi looked between them. "So Hoji did live to do so, that fool."

"Kenshin…" Kaoru growled as the swordsman didn't respond.

As the group was about to pounce on Kenshin with the questions, he was still serious and not slipping back into the persona of the rurouni any time soon. Saitoh was glaring and waiting as Megumi watched her friend closely. It was then his hand went to the hilt of his reverse-blade katana, but it was in concern about the dark clad woman that had approached him as her companion was gone.

"You have your reason to be mad, but would you hurt the entity that helped you make sure your brother wasn't lost? That your only lose, at that time, was an arm and a leg instead of your entire body?" she asked as he shivered at the monotonous tone that she had. He hadn't seen the woman move nor sensed her as she approached him.

"Then I wasn't dreaming." he whispered as the woman nodded.

"You are quickly becoming a familiar face, young one." she stated as the rest were still confused. "Again you have managed to catch my attention, which is a near impossibility. Or maybe you are extremely lucky."

"Who are you and why are you calling Kenshin 'young' he's…" Yahiko barked out as she blinked.

"I tried to give you part of a life you never had, but apparently my trade for such didn't work." she stated as he frowned. "You were eighteen in an six year olds body, twenty-eight when you earned your name, and thirty-eight when you face me now yet you still look young… forgive me if it went bad." she bowed as he blinked in surprise.

"It didn't, but what did you trade?" he asked as the rest looked shocked.

"I bent one of my own rules, the trade you don't have to worry about." she replied as he nodded. "I am here for another reason… which you have met."

"Usui?" he asked as she nodded, glancing at the cage and scowling. She clapped her hands together and then crouched and pressed her hands to the ground as the cage and it's inhabitant was gone, which also meant she stood back up to face them.

"I'll be blunt, someone has done a series of Human Transmutations that has arisen a group that pushed their way into the hierarchy." she stated as he twitched. "I might not enjoy the constant use of the Gate back there, but I sure as hell won't stand around and let things fall to ruin."

"Your offering to send me back?" he asked as she nodded.

"You and Ms. Mustang, I can't do much for the others." she replied as he nodded. "You have till noon tomorrow to gather what you need, I need time to go lock the Choas Bringers in a closet so nothing goes… odd." She shivered and was gone as the rest were still confused.

"KENSHIN!" Kaoru demanded as Megumi rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Best take advantage if that was who I think it was." she stated as he glanced over his shoulder back at her. "The Gate is unforgiving, but it's Embodiment is a bit different."

"Gather what you need then, we will answer questions when you return." he stated as she nodded, ignoring the glares of the others.

"KENSHIN!"

The mysterious woman in black, or Codex if she hadn't been introduced, was laughing nervously as she faced her old friend… the devious white haired Embodiment of Choas that was presently making herself at home in the bed that occupied the room. "Codi-chan, Ryuu and I wanted to stop by and see if you would help us." she stated as the blue dragon, which was at the size of a cat, also gave her a version of a grin. Both lounging with a look that made Codex want to run for higher ground… so some days the Gate Embodiment felt rather screwed.

"Hallo I-chan." Codex croaked out as the other was still grinning deviously. "What are you doing?"

"I know something you don't…" I-chan purred as Codex decided to perch on her clean desk before her Scrying/Magic Mirror.

"Oh dear…"

"Yep! This man with red hair and the black haired pyro! Please?" she pleaded, giving the other the sadest look she can. "Also there is this blonde woman that I'd like to convert into my small, but growing cult."

"GAH!" Codex let out and tried to resist the infamous attack of any girl that knew the secrets to the most powerful attack to any person… the Puppy Dog Eyes. "Alright, just turn off the cuteness."

"SANKYU!" that was meant by another glomp as Codex eeped again and met the stone ground with a thunk and a crack, which was followed by a nervous laugh and a groan of pain.