Kenshin turned his head while Kaoru stopped in mid-motion of shaking her student to death as she and Yahiko stared at Saitoh. "Is there something you needed, Saitoh?" the wanderer asked evenly. It could not be a coincidence that the police officer would arrive shortly after the samurai appeared.
Saitoh blew out some smoke before sauntering towards them in his usual confident gait. "I couldn't help but notice you had a visitor who took a liking to your trees. Did he by any chance drop by and introduce himself to you?"
Kenshin narrowed his eyes at the mocking tone of his one-time ally and enemy. "He did. If you were following him, you're about ten minutes late. He left after attempting to take Yahiko's life, that he did."
"Hmph." Saitoh glanced at the brat who was glaring daggers at him. He ignored the evil looks coming from both him and the Kamiya girl as if they were of little importance. Which they were. "Why him, I wonder? He's nothing but a mannerless child trying to play warrior."
Yahiko's face flushed a deep crimson. "Why you …" He was about to march forward to show Saitoh exactly how he 'played' but Kaoru tugged him back. He shot her an angry scowl as she leaned forward to whisper in his ear.
"Keep still! If Saitoh is investigating this, it's bigger than you and me. Maybe he can give us some more information on this guy." Kaoru glanced at the tall officer with a mixture of ill-concealed contempt and anger. She didn't like him but whoever the samurai was, he was dangerous and they needed to know more about him.
It was at times like these when Yahiko wished Kaoru wasn't right. He wanted to take his bamboo sword and smack the smirk off of Hajime Saitoh's face once and for all. He was a Myojin and he wouldn't let anyone – a former Shinsengumi member or not – insult his warrior's pride. But first, he had to pay back that killer and redeem himself from his humiliating behavior last time.
So he gritted his teeth and nodded shortly to his teacher, still tensed but more visibly at ease.
Saitoh took one last pull of the cigarette, inhaling deeply. He tossed aside the used item and smirked at the boy. Perhaps there was some hope for him after all – a very slight hope. Dismissing him once again, he turned his gaze back to the one he could only think of as the manslayer. "So he attacked the brat ten minutes ago? I'm assuming you fought him, Battousi, since he's still alive. What did you notice about the killer?"
Kenshin took a moment to recall the battle scene. "He was extremely fast and skilled, that he was," he said slowly. "He had a large build and carried one sword that he used without hesitation." His gaze turned inward as his brow furrowed in concentration. "He knocked Miss Kaoru aside without harming her, and ignored me completely until I was standing right in front of him."
Saitoh's flicked a gaze at the youth for a second and longer appraisal. "So he was only going after the brat. This is starting to slowly make some sense."
Yahiko clenched his hands into fists but Kaoru put a calming hand on his shoulder as she addressed the police officer directly. "Do you mean he's killed others?" An idea suddenly triggered in her head as her eyes widened, recalling what she read in the newspaper the past week. "Is this the same serial killer who's attacked at least fifteen people in the past month?"
"It would seem so. So far, the killer has only gone after those who were involved in the Bakufu, within a specific time frame." Saitoh absently took out another cigarette and lit it with practiced ease, inhaling slowly. He spoke with the burning stick still between his lips, the cigarette bobbing with each movement. "Fifteen victims from all over Japan within eleven families, all male and all ages."
"And he won't stop until the entire family line is gone."
Kenshin and Saitoh both tensed as they all snapped their heads in the direction of the voice. The cloaked figure emerged from the trees where the killer had appeared from and disappeared to, striding forward until she was a mere few feet away from them. Saitoh recognized her immediately as the female whom he had tracked earlier. Her ki was once again dampened which explained why he or the Battousi didn't notice her until now.
"Looking for the next victim to heal?" Saitoh drawled in a mocking manner, his eyes searching for any shift in body movement that would signify her trying to flee again. He couldn't allow her to leave again without getting more answers from her. "Your precious companion tried to kill a kid this time."
Her head turned slightly to stare at Yahiko who was turning red again from the insult. Finally, she sighed and bowed deeply to the youth, surprising them all. "Forgive him, please," she murmured. "He is only doing what he thinks is right."
"You know who he is." The statement was issued by Kenshin, his voice hard. His tone of voice surprised Kaoru and Yahiko which he reserved for when he was extremely angry.
"Yes," she admitted, her head lowering as if in shame.
Saitoh took the cigarette from his mouth and flicked the ashes aside, ignoring the Kamiya girl's outraged expression at his lack of manners. "Do tell," he suggested. "You can't expect us to ignore him now when he tried to kill a defenseless little brat. My reputation would be tarnished forever if some child died under my watch."
"Defenseless! Child! I'll show you!" Yahiko spat out only to be restrained by Kaoru again.
"On the contrary, Inspector, he only attacks those that he deems a threat in the future." She looked at the youth again and nodded, mostly to herself. "He obviously realized that the son of Tadasuke Myojin was alive and training in the art of swordsmanship. That in itself is enough to generate alarm – and to eliminate it."
"I don't understand," Kaoru said, shaking her head. "This man is after Yahiko and other people just because they're samurai?"
The woman hesitated for a long moment before sighing heavily. She shoved the hood of her cloak back to reveal the defeated expression in her eyes. "Please, allow me to tell you the complete story before you judge him. He was never quite … stable to begin with, but his father's death left him bereft and deeply misguided."
Kenshin nodded and looked over at Kaoru. "Miss Kaoru, perhaps we should take this inside."
"Of course, all of you, please come in." Kaoru paused in mid-turn before glancing back at Saitoh. "Minus any disgusting cigarettes, please," she added pointedly before hurrying off towards the house.
Saitoh smirked as he took one last drag before flicking it on the ground, exhaling as he strolled after her. Slipping his hands in his pockets, he sauntered past the others, murmuring, "This should get interesting."
Kenshin and Yahiko were the last to follow, both of them watching the woman carefully. She was a few inches taller than Kenshin, carrying herself with a hint of pride and good upbringing. It was hard to tell her age though she didn't look older than in her mid twenties. Her dark hair was coiled in a neat bun, held together by hair pins and a red ribbon, leaving her oval face free from any distracting strands. Although she was expressionless, a blurry edge of weariness and anxiety clung to her brown eyes as she scanned the room they were entering. The gray cloak she wore made it almost impossible to see what she wore, the outer garment covering her body extremely well.
"Kenshin," Yahiko whispered as he followed the swordsman to a seat. "That woman has a very strong ki, doesn't she?"
The wanderer nodded to the youth as he took the place next to Kaoru's left. "Indeed she does, Yahiko. She must have had training because she is hiding it very well." He remembered the second presence when the samurai had attacked and wondered if it was her. The ki attack had managed to stop the killer by a hair's breath, executed someone who had extensive practice in that field.
They all sat on a mat in a ranged circle, Saitoh deciding to stay near the door in case the woman panicked and decided to run again. "So, let's start with your name," the police officer said abruptly. "And the name of this killer."
The woman hung her head briefly before shifting into a straight posture, her hands clasped in her lap. "My name is Ise Otsuka. I've been following Nori for nearly a year now, trying to find him and stop him from doing all these killings." Her expression wavered between sadness and exhaustion for a brief moment before her composed mask slid back into place. "His father died after fighting in the Seinan Wars from an infected wound. Before he passed on, he became delirious from fever and spoke of his past in the Revolution over ten years ago. Nori was hardly ever away from his side and listened to Motonobu's mumblings as if they were life itself. It was during this time, I think, that several samurai were named who were considered very dangerous to the fledgling government. When his father died, Nori felt he was he was commissioned by Motonobu to secure the future of Japan and assassinate those who were a very possible threat."
"I guess Yahiko's father was one of the name mentioned," Kaoru said and the other woman nodded.
"And what is your connection with Nori?" Kenshin asked, his violet eyes fixated on the woman.
Ise hesitated for a long moment, glancing over at Yahiko before she lowered her gaze. "I am his sister. Motonobu was my step-father whom I took care of until he died." She lifted her gaze, an unconscious plead in her voice as she spoke. "Please, I know Nori is wrong to do all this, but he gets confused easily. He won't harm anyone else, just those that Motonobu mentioned. Once he is convinced of something, it is very hard to change his mind."
"Hmph, you've been after him for a year and you still haven't brought him to his senses? You should have come to the police with this information a long time ago," Saitoh said.
Ise slid her gaze over to the wolf, her eyes flashing anger. "And what would you do to him then? He needs help, not a prison cell!"
"Who said anything about prison? Killing fifteen men is a crime punishable by death."
She rose on her knees, emotions running across her face as she tried to sort through the anger, fear, and hopelessness. "Inspector, please! I did not tell this to you so you could have him killed!"
"We should worry about that later," Kenshin interrupted calmly. "Right now, we need to find Nori before he can kill anyone else."
Every pair of eyes landed on Yahiko except Saitoh who snorted in derision. Yahiko blinked and looked back at everyone. "What? I'm not going to hide, if that's what you're thinking. This Nori guy owes me a rematch!"
"Yahiko, he's too strong for you," Kaoru began, not bothering to hide her nervousness. After all, she didn't want to lose her only pupil and she knew firsthand of Nori's strength.
The youth interrupted her, his dark eyes flashing in anger. "Then I'll train harder until I can defeat him! What's the point of learning to protect those I love if I can't fight my own battles? I can't hide behind Kenshin forever."
"Spoken like a true samurai warrior," Kenshin murmured while Kaoru turned to him.
"Kenshin! You don't expect him to fight Nori on his own, do you? He's too fast and strong and skilled!"
"I say if the brat wants to give it a go then let him." Saitoh had taken out another cigarette and was enjoying it as everyone looked in his direction. "If he's got more pride than sense, this'll teach him to leave this kind of business to the grown-ups."
"You know, I've had enough out of you about how I'm just a kid," Yahiko growled. "I've gotten better and stronger! Miss Otsuka, what do you think?"
"Er …" Ise cringed slightly as all eyes swung towards her this time. She said carefully, "Nori has been trained by Motonobu ever since he was a boy and never shirked his practices. He is a good warrior who fought by his father until the very end. Seeing as I've never seen your skills, Sir Yahiko, I wouldn't be able to say." She took a deep breath and continued, "However, Nori will not stop from coming after you. Please, I beg you all not to kill him. I know now that I can't stop him on my own, which is why I'm asking for your help. I can heal him to a certain extent, but I need time to do so."
"Heal him? How?" Kaoru asked, her brow furrowed in puzzlement.
"Ki healing. Apparently, Miss Otsuka is skilled in that department," Saitoh said off-handedly. "Though I don't know how that's going to help a deranged nutcase."
Ise glowered at the officer, resisting the urge to do bodily harm. "He's not deranged! He's always been a little confused and he was raised as a warrior, trained to fight. The only one who truly ever understood him was his father and when Motonobu died, so did Nori's steady influence. I've done the best I could but I guess it's not good enough." She sighed and slumped back to her seat. "I've failed them both."
Yahiko scowled as Ise lapsed into a defeated silence. The hopeless look in her eyes was more than he could bear. Ah, women. He rubbed the back of his head absently as he spoke to her. "Look, I really don't know what's going on with this Nori guy, but if it really means that much to you, we'll help you find him, okay? But as much as I hate to admit it, Saitoh's right in that he should be turned over to the police. The other victims deserve to know that he's been captured and won't hurt anyone else."
Ise looked up and studied the young swordsman for a long moment. Finally, a small smile curved the corners of her lips up. She could now see why her stepfather had spoken so highly of the Myojins, of their honor and skill. "Thank you, Sir Yahiko. You are right, of course. As confused as Nori is, he knows right from wrong." She took a deep breath and straightened. Now that she had thrown their lot with this group, it was time to give them all the information needed to defeat her brother. "Nori is very consistent in that he will continue to try and try again until he accomplishes his goal. That means he won't attack anyone else until either he or Sir Yahiko are defeated."
"Good!" Yahiko hopped up to his feet, his right hand clenched into a fist. The burning look of determination flared up in his dark eyes. "And next time, I'm not going to let him beat me!"