MadiSano: I GOT MY FIRST REVIEW! ...Okay, yes...I was excited...happy...nearly cried...and YES, I am overly emotional and PROUD of it. Hehehe. Anyways, chapter five is up, as you can see. I like my newest character, in which you're about to meet!

Disclaimer: I love Sanosuke and Rurouni Kenshin enough to own it, but I don't. Sorry.

CHAPTER FIVE: FALLEN WIND

A few more days passed by, without much event. Sanosuke promised Kasumi that he wouldn't leave the house unless by her permission, and so Kasumi gave him the freedom to come and go from and to his room as he pleased. He was allowed anywhere in the house, except for Kasumi's bedroom.

Now that the mystery of Sagara Souzou was solved to Kasumi, she allowed herself to be a little gentler with Sanosuke. In fact, she invited him to go to the market with her.

"Why would I want to do that?" Sanosuke scoffed.

Kasumi lent him her patience. "Because you've been stuck in my house for a week, and I thought you'd like to go outside."

"If someone sees me with a girl, I'll never hear the end of it," Zanza announced, folding his arms stubbornly.

Kasumi shrugged, pretending nonchalance. She walked to the door, pulling out her key to lock it as she went out, and saying, "Well, okay. Then I'll see you in a few hours."

Just as she had expected him to, he leapt to her side and stopped her. "Okay, okay!" he said. "I'll go. Just don't lock me in here!"

Kasumi let him outside, and Sanosuke practically teleported to the porch, enthralled to be outside where he felt he belonged. Kasumi locked her house, carrying her purse with her, and tugging on Sagara's jacket.

Sanosuke knew she'd hunt him down if he ran off, and knock the smithereens out of him; so, he kept by her side. They entered the market, looking like two you'd never find next to each other, but yet they were.

Kasumi took the opportunity to do heavy shopping, thus making Sanosuke carry it all. He didn't mind all that much; he was happy to be outside, and away from his imprisonment.

Though Sanosuke was cheerful and lighthearted, he kept his Fighter-for-Hire face on. Kasumi took this to her advantage as well, and so when she tried to negotiate and haggle the merchants, they succumbed in fear of irritating the threatening man behind her.

When Kasumi was done shopping, she turned to Zanza and said, "Now, let's go to your house."

"Huh!" he jumped, looking surprised. "Why?"

Kasumi gave him a dull look. "Since you're going to be gone for a while, you won't be there to protect your house. You want to be robbed? From what I heard, you live in the ghetto."

"I don't live in the ghetto," Zanza grumbled, feeling irritated once more.

Kasumi smiled that mocking smile, and Sanosuke almost wished he could reached down and peel her lips right off her face.

They left the safety of uptown Tokyo, and entered downtown after quickly dropping off the groceries at Kasumi's house. It was becoming dark, and Sanosuke could feel himself growing alert and ready for anything. He didn't have his Zanbatou with him, and so he'd have to defend himself and Kasumi with his fists. Sanosuke didn't ask where his Zanbatou was, for if anyone overheard him asking and found that he lost it; and if Kasumi replied, chances were they'd run off and steal it.

Upon arriving at Zanza's house, he opened the door and let Kasumi in, coming in behind her and shutting the door.

"One minute," Sanosuke mumbled, getting a bag and gathering what he wanted to bring.

Kasumi said nothing of the state of his house; it was apartment-sized and ordinary. Looking at the entryway, Kasumi saw that her kitchen door wasn't the first Zanza had knocked down. There were cracks in the corners and at the base of the walls, and the floor looked like it was pleading to be swept.

'Welcome to the home of a bachelor Fight Merchant,' the home itself seemed to be saying.

Zanza came out of the back room, carrying a white bag over his shoulder. He had a fishbone in his mouth. It was the weirdest thing Kasumi had ever seen someone chew on. Is Sagara an ex-smoker? Kasumi wondered.

"What're ya lookin' at?" Zanza asked gruffly.

Kasumi attempted a smile that didn't look like she was deriding him. "Nice fishbone."

Sanosuke raised and eyebrow and smiled slightly, saying amid his chew toy, "Let's go." Opening the door, he held it open as Kasumi came after him.

Who know the Bird Head had any manners? She thought to herself. So, he is indeed full of surprises.

They began their journey back to Kasumi's house, through the shadows of downtown Tokyo. Zanza could feel his guard perk up again, his dark eyes sensitive to any movement. He held his bag over his shoulder with his left hand; he left his right fist at his side.

Suddenly, Zanza stopped. Kasumi halted, nearly running into him. He looked around carefully, listening. He could have sworn he had seen something move.

"Watch out!" he yelled, whirling around and pushing Kasumi aside. A thin poison dart shot from the shadows, aiming for Kasumi. Sanosuke took the hit in the shoulder, and he stumbled. But he managed to regain his balance.

"Sanosuke!" Kasumi screamed, calling him by his first name for the first time.

At least thirty yakuza appeared, each with their own weapon. Cackling and roaring with victory, they shouted, "We may not have got you, Kasumi, but your Fight Merchant won't be able to move now! We've got you cornered! We're not as low as to be bossed around by a woman! You'll die today, you and your Fighter!"

"Sagara, are you okay?" Kasumi yelped, as Zanza ripped the dart from his shoulder.

He looked ticked off, and didn't answer her question. "These your thugs?" he asked her.

"Revolts occur often in my host," Kasumi replied grimly, unknowingly clutching the sleeve of his jacket. "But I didn't think they all would—"

Sanosuke cut her off. "You don't have your chains with ya. Run."

Kasumi stared up at him with disbelief. "What?"

"I said run. You don't have your chains with ya!"

She gaped at him. Sagara Sanosuke was telling her to run because he didn't want her getting hurt.

"But your shoulder—" she started, but was interrupted as the yakuza surged in.

Zanza the Fighter-For-Hire pushed Kasumi behind him and dealt the first yakuza a kick that made him see stars. He couldn't go on the all-out offense and jump in the crowd without exposing Kasumi. He thought this without really realizing what he was thinking.

Apparently, Kasumi wasn't going to run. She's gonna get in my way! Zanza thought, irritated. He let his bag string slip into the crook of his arm, so he could use bold hands. Gotta run.

Turning on his heel, Sanosuke picked Kasumi up bridal-style and took off as fast as his legs would allow him to. The poison began seeping through his veins, but he ignored it to his best and pumped his legs, barely taking notice of Kasumi's yells.

"What're you doing!" she cried.

"Running," Sanosuke replied amid his breathing, which was beginning to shallow.

Kasumi noticed his arising problem of breathing, and screeched, "You idiot! You're going to be paralyzed in a few minutes! You'll fall on your face and squish me! Put me down! I can run by myself!"

"You coulda ran by yourself when I asked ya to!" Zanza growled, feeling the control on his muscles loosen. Suddenly, his speech slurred. Seeing the danger, he gasped, "Uh…ya…might wanna run…by yourself." His vision became fuzzy, and his muscles loosened drastically. He could barely walk.

Kasumi got to her feet, taking Sanosuke's bag from him and grabbing the sleeve of his jacket. "Come on! They're going to catch up!" she commanded, and pulled Sanosuke down the alley as fast as he would go.

"Uh…uh…uh…y-ya might wanna…go on…ahead of me," he stammered, stopping altogether. "I'll…catch u-up sooner…or later."

"Sagara, if they catch you, they'll kill you!" Kasumi yowled. "Former samurai or not, they'll have no guilt in killing an unarmed and poisoned man! Come on!"

Sanosuke futilely trudged on, until at last he collapsed in a faint, just as the sound of pounding feet could be heard coming their way.

"Oh no," Kasumi whispered, turning to face the crowd of hooligans as they appeared from the darkness.

"Zanza's down!"

"Get her!"

Kasumi doubled her fists, deciding that even if it was inevitable that she would lose, she wasn't going to go down without a fight. Picking up a bunch of rocks as the punks came closer, she chucked each one with impeccable aim and slammed them between each yakuza's eyes, knocking them out.

Rushing forwards and grabbing one of the fallen gangster's bokken, Kasumi began fighting them off, trying to keep them from Zanza's vulnerable form.

Though inexperienced with the wooden weapon, the yakuza were poor in skill like always. Kasumi knocked them all upside the head and dealt them a few well-aimed kicks as well.

But there were too many! Experienced as Kasumi was, she couldn't fight so many men by herself. She finally fell, her wooden sword knocked from her hand, and a nasty bruise growing on her forearm.

The yakuza smirked in victory. "We'll take care of her first, and then Zanza," one decided.

"But what if he wakes up?" another questioned.

"He won't. Not with that poison. He'll be out for at least a night."

Their hesitance gone, the yakuza moved in on Kasumi, who was lying on the ground and clutching her arm. "Wait!" she cried. "You can kill me, but leave Sagara alone! He hasn't done anything to you!"

They sneered. "Where'd be the fun in that? It's time that Merchant died, anyways."

One of the yakuza tugged his bokken apart to reveal a blade. "DIE!" he yelled, bringing his blade down upon Kasumi's left shoulder.

Suddenly, Kasumi felt herself lift from the ground quick as lightning. Is my spirit rising? She wondered. I'm dead now…I'm going to heaven! I…I should open my eyes…if I can…

Kasumi opened her wonderfully bright blue eyes to find herself in darkness, the moonlight shining down on her as it had been before. What? Kasumi thought. I'm not dead at all! Then how…?

She looked up, finding that a handsome stranger was holding her. He wore a black parka and tight midnight pants, and sable gloves encased his hands. His whitish blonde hair stood up in irregular spikes, though not as tall as Sanosuke's. They rather sloped to one side. A long silver earring hung from one ear. Bright green eyes flashed in what little light was available, not looking at her, but at the shocked yakuza ten feet away.

Realizing that the man had not struck Kasumi, the yakuza turned to find the stranger holding Kasumi as Sanosuke had a few minutes before. He had apparently used some sort of awesome speed to grab Kasumi before she was killed, and zoomed through the crowd into the open street.

"Who the hell are YOU?" one of the yakuza yowled.

The stranger put Kasumi on her feet and asked her in a deep voice, one more majestic than Sanosuke's…which was true, because Sanosuke didn't have the patience to act majestic. "Are you all right?" he asked.

Kasumi could only nod.

The stranger looked at the yakuza, emotionless. "There's no point in telling you my name. Go home."

"If you're going to protect her," the radicals yelled, "Then we'll kill you, too!" Charging forwards like a crowd of angry bulls, they split their bokken to their blades.

"Aaaaah!" Kasumi yelped. "They're coming!"

The stranger sighed, gracefully drawing his sword and pushing Kasumi behind him. Then, taking a single step forwards, he countered the attack of a yakuza and sent him flying into those behind him.

"Kamlyn Sorano Style," the foreigner mumbled. "Soku Sora Rinbu!"

Suddenly, the foreigner took a sideways step and slashed outwards, striking and killing the yakuza that was in his way. He continued this, moving around in an unpredictable but circular pattern; slashing for the knees, neck, chest, arms, stomach, back, or head. He was in one place at one second, and in the next someplace else. Around in circles his went as well, targeting the most skilled yakuza first and working his way down to the last one in the center of the crowd.

It was a matter of minutes that the army was brought down.

The stranger was left standing amid the bodies, flicking the blood off his sword delicately. He glanced at Kasumi's stunned expression, and to her surprise, the foreigner sheathed his sword and bowed to her.

"I am sorry you had to see that," he said.

When Kasumi had found her voice, she asked in her calmest and most demanding voice, "Who are you?" She wasn't going to let this guy intimidate her or make her feel like a stupid kid.

"Kaijin Yami," he replied without a second thought, to her surprise. "May I ask yours?"

"Akiyama Kasumi," Kasumi said, deciding her name wasn't that important. She bowed to the man named Yami. "Thank you for your assistance, Yami-san."

Yami smiled slightly, but for some reason his smile seemed very fake. He seemed like such a sad person. "It was no trouble, Kasumi-san. You put up a good fight by yourself, even though you only had a wooden sword. I am impressed."

"Aaah! Sagara!" Kasumi cried suddenly, remembering the unconscious and poisoned Fighter-For-Hire. She ran to where she had left him, and to her relief he was still there, without a wound…though, still out cold.

"Is this your husband?" Yami questioned, coming up behind her.

Kasumi blushed furiously and yowled, "No, he is not! He's just my friend. Could you…um…" Looking at Yami's thin form, Kasumi concluded that there was no way he could carry Zanza, whose back was twice as wide as Yami's shoulder span. When Kasumi captured Sanosuke, it took her all night to drag him to her house unnoticed.

"I will help you," Yami said, bending down to sling Sanosuke's arm over his shoulder and to lift the Fighter's torso from the ground. To Kasumi's surprise, he did it. Yami looked at Kasumi without the slightest trail of effort appearing on his pale face. "Where do you live?"

"Um, this way," Kasumi said, gathering her thoughts and leading Yami down the street. She frequently looked back at the mysterious man, who never portrayed any look of complaint, wear, or irritation.

It took them twice as long to get back to Kasumi's house as it did to get to town, and during that time, Kasumi wondered who the dark and strange Yami could really be. Why does he wear all black like that, when he's such a fair-haired person? He looks Japanese, but why then does Yami-san have blonde hair and bright eyes? How long has Yami-san been around here? I wonder if Sagara knows him.

Carrying Sagara's bag with her, Kasumi led Yami inside her home. Putting Sanosuke in his room, Yami told her, "The yakuza's poison won't kill him. He'll wake up tomorrow, healthy."

"Uh, thank you," Kasumi said, shutting the door to Sagara's room as they both entered the hallway. "For saving us. Er…" she hesitated. "…I'm not really sure who you are, but because of your kindness and what you've done, you're welcome in my house at anytime."

Yami looked at her, amused. Kasumi scowled slightly, wrinkling her nose. "I'm serious!" she said, a little angrily. "I'm not just saying that to be polite."

"Ah." Yami still seemed a bit doubtful, but he allowed himself to take her offer sincerely. He bowed to her once more. "Thank you, then. There are not many who would take in one with the appearance that I have."

Kasumi noted again his all-black attire. "Why do you dress like so, may I ask?" she questioned.

Kaijin Yami smiled his sad smile. "I am a dark samurai. I fought in the Bakumatsu, and my happiness has fallen with the Tokuguwa. I am now a part of the darkness, and I will be so until the end of my days and beyond." He looked up at the ceiling dramatically. "A dying ember fading swiftly in the ashes of the burnt estate, perishing in the dusk as the darkness quenches its flickering flame…"

"Wow," Kasumi said, not the least bit freaked out. "That was gorgeous."

Yami looked at Kasumi with surprise. "You think my poetry is beautiful?" he asked with astonishment.

The girl nodded. "But…you fought with the Tokuguwa?" Kasumi asked slowly, a different kind of fire flickering in her memories.

"Ah, no," Yami said, to Kasumi's relief. She didn't want to have to dislike her new friend, and listened as the dark man continued. "I was a slight assistant in one of the main revolutionary clans, but all that I loved was killed off in the Bakumatsu, like many others…I, too, share the black sheet of rain…the despair so many others have tasted in their burnt tofu…"

"Burnt tofu?" Kasumi repeated, confused.

"Um," Yami said, halfway irritated, and halfway embarrassed. "Yes. No one likes burnt tofu, I should think."

Kasumi replied, trying not to laugh, "Well, that's true." Changing the subject, she asked Yami, "Where are you staying, Yami-san? You seem to be planning on leaving soon, and Sagara will want to meet you after he wakes up."

Yami shifted his lithe weight from one foot to the other, looking slightly uncomfortable. "I, um," he cleared his throat. "I can be found at a little restaurant called the Akabeko around eleven in the morning…"

"You don't have any place to stay, do you?" Kasumi concluded easily.

Yami shrugged slightly. "There are plenty of bridges around Tokyo," he said, as though they were inns.

Kasumi gave him a reproachful look, and said, "You know after hearing that, there's no way I'm going to let you leave. You can stay here for as long as you want, okay? I don't have any family, so I have a few extra rooms. Choose whichever you want, Yami-san."

The dark samurai looked outright flabbergasted, despite his usually calm demeanor. Before he could say anything to object, Kasumi said, "I told you that you were welcome anytime in my house, and I meant it. Won't you stay?"

"I do not know what…he will think of me staying," Yami said, gesturing to Sanosuke's door. "I am, indeed, a stranger."

Kasumi smirked. "And Sagara's a lawbreaking, violent, rebellious, punk. He won't have any right to talk."

Yami stared into space for a moment, as though considering his options. Then he said, his gloomy smile flickering over his lips. "After hearing that, I think it may be best to accompany you in your home. I would feel dishonorable leaving a lady in the same house with someone like that." His sad smile grew. "Well, then. I'm always dishonorable."

"That's not true," Kasumi said amiably, leading the dark man down the hall to where more bedrooms lay. "What you did for me and Sagara was honorable—we would have died if you hadn't helped out. It's no trouble for me that you stay."

Yami's sad smile lingered on his face, as he mumbled, "I just hope I will not be as much trouble as I foresee…" But Kasumi did not hear him.

"Oh, Kasumi-san," Yami said, after selecting a room he liked.

Kasumi looked at him. "Huh?"

Yami frowned slightly, adding to his dark features. "Sagara-san has a warrior name. Zanza, is it not?"

"Um…yes," Kasumi said hesitantly. How or why would Yami-san…?

Yami nodded in conformation. "Ah. Then, when he wakes up, tell him that I have a message about his 'partner.'"

Author's Comments: I LOVE YAMI! He's so creepy and cool—not to mention he has a literally killer sword style! At first, I considered having Kenshin make a quick entrance, but he would leave right after bringing Kasumi and Sanosuke home safely. But I turned it down, thanks to the help of a friend, Mackenzie. Thanks! I had to add the freaky poetry thing for Yami, too…it just goes with him…he is my Aoshi. Kasumi's my Misao. And Sanosuke's…mine.

Dictionary:

Kamlyn Sorano Style: "Lord Sky Style" of swordsmanship that Yami uses

Soku Sora Rinbu: "Swift Sky Round Dance," an attack of Kamlyn Sorano Style

Kaijin Yami: a name that means "dark mysterious person"

MadiSano: Oro. What's there to say? Some of my friends have read what I've posted so far, and they all want me to hurry up in finishing. They all like it...except I had someone tell me that Sano was ugly, stupid,and shouldn't have a fanfiction-series-thing of his own...but that person's six feet under now. No worries.